Sometimes when I take a few days off from the gym, my next workout feels more difficult than usual. I’m sure it’s all mental, but getting back into the gym after a weekend of pounding down lots of holiday food just feels hard.
My workout yesterday was tough. I felt my body huffin’ and puffin’ much earlier in my workout than usual. Today wasn’t so bad. I have a feeling tomorrow will be even better.
My workout this morning began on the treadmill beside Ryan. As some of you may remember, Ryan added 20 minutes of cardio to his workouts during Lent and decided to keep it going now that Easter has come and gone. I must admit, I love having a cardio buddy in the beginning of my workout!
My 20 minutes on the treadmill were spent alternating back and forth between running and incline walking in a workout that looked like this:
| Minutes | Incline | Pace |
| 0-5 | 8.0 | 4.0 |
| 5-10 | 2.0 | 6.5 |
| 10-13 | 8.0 | 4.0 |
| 13-18 | 2.0 | 6.5 |
| 18-20 | 8.0 | 4.0 |
After my time on the treadmill was done, I did 10 minutes on the stair master and 20 minutes on the elliptical before heading over to the bike where I pretended to workout and really just read blogs on my phone while waiting for Ryan to finish.
I read like a blog over the weekend, so I had lots of blog reading to catch up on and knocked a bunch out while lightly peddling on the bike.
Breakfast
Hooray!!! Smoothie time!
After a three-day hiatus, the smoothie bowl returned in full-force this morning and I was in heaven.
In today’s mix:
- 1/2 frozen banana
- 3/4 c. frozen strawberries
- 1 scoop chocolate protein powder
- 1 1/2 tbsp. cocoa powder
- 2 pinches xanthan gum
- 1 large handful fresh spinach
- 1 1/2 c. almond milk
It was just as glorious as I remembered! Including fruits and veggies in my morning meal made me feel like I recharged my commitment to healthy living.
I’m back, baby! 
This morning’s smoothie was particularly voluminous. I felt like I could’ve dove right into the bowl and done the backstroke and still had room. Okay, maybe not, but it was quite large. I’m nice and full now!
Time for work! I’m not gonna lie, I kind of wish I was staying home curled up on the couch next to Sadie even though the stench her little hiney is producing this morning is seriously rank.
Please tell me some of you out there have gassy pets. Sadie is seriously a flatulence fiend.
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Back like you never left! I love reading your workouts! They always sound so killer, especially when you got the 9 and 10 mph going on!
YES, I didn’t canine gas was real until I got a dog! Sometimes you can even hear it!
Haha, my dog farts all the time.
When it is a loud fart she goes nuts trying to get at her butt. I am not sure if she thinks she has crapped herself or not, but the panic in her eyes leads me to believe this may be the case. I actually think it is kind of cute, but this is only because I may love my dog a little too much ;-).
Lauren
I think this is adorable when my dog does it as well! The way you described it made me lol! 🙂
*Both* my puppies seem to think it’s cute if they pass gas right beside me then walk away like it’s nothing! They’re like the unbeatable fart team.
Your smoothie bowls ALWAYS look decadent. I want to try them one of these days! 🙂
Oh and your treadmill workouts, kick my butt! I love them!
My dog use to fart all the time and we all knew when it would happen haha
I’m with you on going back to the gym after a holiday, it’s just so physically exhausting!
Oh my God, I think the SAME thing about the placemats! And how delicious the smoothie bowl looks, of course 😉
Every time I see your smoothies, I think two things:
1) That looks incredible…again!
2) I wonder if she has to wash her placemats very often?
It always looks like it’s about to drip down all over 🙂
haha! aww sadie, we’re lucky that our pup isn’t too gassy 😛
That smoothie looks delish, now that it’s finally getting warmer here I’m having more of them
Great workout!
Love the nod to Tupac–that made me smile this morning. 🙂
haha glad you noticed! 🙂
It’s amazing how you fill that bowl up until it’s about to overflow, yet doesn’t!
I think it’s hilarious when Koda is stinky. Sometimes they are even audible (TMI?) but she surprises herself when she hears them and pops her ears up like ‘what was that?!’
That is the best smoothie bowl yet! It looks so good! 🙂
Ew, I totally know what you mean about dogs being stinky! My family dog is gassy all the time! When he toots, we will say, “ewww Oliver!” He looks at us, and turns his head around to sniff his butt. Dogs are gross sometimes! Haha
ahh I’m with you on the hard workout after a few days off. I’m day 3 back in after a week of vacation and it is finally starting to click again! One more day and we will be back to normal!
oh, my parents’ precious pooches are the MOST flatulent – room-clearing flatulent! guuhhh.
Yay for smoothie bowls! I also had to endure the entire weekend without a Green Monster and my first one back on Monday tasted oh so good! Have a great day Julie!
Smoothies are so good. Ever since seeing your pictures a month or more ago, I’ve been making them every morning.
When I wake up, I try to will myself to make something different but in the end I just give in and make another smoothie. It’s like ice cream for breakfast! SO delicious!
Hunter used to have the worst gas! It actually ended up just being his food. We switched his food a couple of times and finally found one that doesn’t destroy his insides. Maybe you should try that??
Ridley has terrible gas. Its silent but deadly! Sometimes he has it sometimes he doesn’t I cant really put my finger on what causes it!
We have a Vizsla too and she has the worst gas EVER! Sometimes hard to convince guests that it is ACTUALLY the dog, not someone trying to cover up! : )
I don’t have any gassy pets but I do have a gassy husband!
haha you and me both! 😉
I hear ya. I’m going through the same thing right now. Even though I worked out on my vacation this weekend, maybe its the lack of sleep or the over-indulging in both food and drink…but I am DRAGGING. Hopin it will get better as the week goes on 🙂
I am so with you on the getting back on the exercising and clean eating wagon. Honestly, even though I gave up chocolate for Lent, I don’t want to see a piece of it ever again (okay, maybe tomorrow…). 😉
i dont think my chocolate lab, Layla, passes gas! I mean, I haven’t heard or smelled evidence proving otherwise!!! Must be that super high-end dog food I feed her…and it keeps her coat so clean and shiny!
After seeing you use xanthan gum in so many thick smoothies, I picked some up and made almond milk-raspberry “ice cream” – super thick and smooth.
And I also discovered that if you spill any xanthan gum, it’s completely disgusting and impossible to clean up.
oh my gosh, it’s the worst. it’s slippery and has some kind of a film that is so hard to wash off. such a pain.
Oh my – my dog has terrible gas!! I didn’t think anything that’s only 10 pounds could produce the type of stench he does!! But it’s actually quite funny – if he farts and it makes a little noise it almost scares him. He whips his little head around to look at his butt. I can almost imagine the thoughts, “WHOA! What was that?! seriously…did anyone else hear that?!” He’s a special kind of mutt. 🙂
My Boston Terrier has some serious gas. It’s a little ridiculous at times. He can literally clear a room.
My old roommates dog is rank. Seriously, I can’t snuggle him because he is so stinky!
Sometimes after a long weekend off, or even a week off from the gym (I know, I’m bad and I’m working on making a commitment to work out at least 5 days a week) I always get nervous to get back in there!! Once I talk myself into it, I’m good though! This morning was a serious weight training class and I can’t really lift my arms. But again, thanks for being motivating from so far away 🙂
Our weim’s gas last night was equal parts awful and hilarious.
He was sitting with his bum on the wood floor, and every so often would make a loud squeaking noise.
I’m glad we didn’t have any visitors 🙂
Our English Bulldog Sumo is notorious for his gas – he jerks his head up and sniffs the air like, “Did I do that?!?” Yes, you did…again.
The sad part is they are so human-like that me and my husband sometimes look at each other and say “EWW-was that you or the dog?”
Our dog Loki has some awful gas sometimes,but that doesn’t surprise me. What I found shocking is our kittens have the smelliest farts, I didn’t know cats farted at all till we got Merri and Pippin. Maybe it’s because they’re boys, I dont know. On the other hand I dont think our new puppy, Nani has ripped one yet 🙂
We started feeding my dog only her puppy chow and the same kind of treats since she was a pup. Now when she gets gassy we know it’s because she ate some “people food”.
Same thing with our dog – she is rarely gassy because she never gets people food – except if someone (ahem, my boyfriend) leaves something on the counter over night she will sneak in there when we are sleeping and nab it! Then she can get a little stinky!
That smoothie looks deeee-lish to eat on a hot day!
I feel you about getting back into “workout mode”. I always struggle getting back into the groove but after a couple of days it seems to get better 🙂
No lie, Haley’s farts have actually woken me up before. I’m ignoring the fact that I probably woke up on my own, but the very first thing that came into my conscious brain was “holy crap what is that noxious smell????” Luckily it doesnt happen that often, but when it does, it’s lethal!
your smoothie looks so thick, what type of protein powder do you use? I have used sun warrior with the gums..but it doesn’t get as thick as yours
thanks
Seriously our dog, Kodi. makes noises that a grown man would make. It is crazy!
I just got back on track this morning too!! loving the way it feels 🙂
We just brought our puppy home over the weekend…and I’m glad her puppy breath is intoxcating, because her gas sure is toxic 🙂
My two dogs are big-time tooters 🙂 We never know which one did it until the offender suddenly gets up and moves to another room, leaving us to deal with the stink.
My dog was super, super smelly and I found that changing the protein in her food helped a ton. I think we were feeding her chicken and it just didn’t sit well so we switched her to lamb and the change was amazing!!!!!! Also, if she eats a lot of fruits and veggies that can make them smelly too. Good luck!
Recently discovered I’m intolerant of xanthan gum, so my hopes for a really thick smoothie were dashed again. But I LOVE the pictures. They always look so delicious!
Too funny! My dog has a flatulence problem as well… She releases these killer SBD’s (silent but deadly farts) and they are totally putrid!
Last night I was writing a post about our new puppy and our ‘original’ pets, and how they’ve been so good with welcoming the puppy into our home. At the same time, there was our older dog, on the floor at my feet, snoozing away but releasing her toxic gas every couple minutes. I amlost didn’t include her in the post!
Haha, farting dog is too funny. 🙂
Hope you have a good week!!
Girl I did your crazy workout from the other day and almost died! I loved it!
My dogs used to be very gassy too, but we started giving them probiotics – just a small teaspoon each…and what a difference it made! They are much more comfortable too without all of that gas…Here’s a link to one:
http://www.amazon.com/Animal-Essentials-Plant-Enzymes-Probiotics/dp/B0002ADJYM/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1303829084&sr=8-2
you can always give her a little bit of chobani too – that should help!
Yay for your workout return!!! And wow, I love how your smoothie is overfowing the side of the ball… too funny! Yep, Happy has her moments of flatulence, usually after eating a rawhide. We’ve decided her gut is extremely sensitive and anything straying from the “norm” causes her to be super farty!
Haha our dog used to fart audibly. It was so gross. My brother would get all proud of him and pet and praise him when he did. Boys.
My dog has some gassy days every once in awhile but they are bad. She will get up & leave because they are so bad
I’m definitely with you on having harder workouts after taking some time off…….glad to hear today’s workout wasn’t too bad! 😀
I have Winston, an English Bulldog, and his gas is loud, stinky, and very regular! Sometimes we all have to leave the room (including Winston!).
I don’t know about dogs but my cat is a gas/fart queen sometimes. Silent but deadly! I kick her poor butt out of bed when she’s stinking up the place but she always comes back, looking at me with those super sad eyes.
It must be one of those days…I’m seriously droopy and unmotivated to do anything. I wouldn’t mind crawling back to the couch and vegging out all day in front of the TV. Post-Easter slump?