I have to say that I slept really well last night. I think it has to do with my own warm bed. I got into bed and I swear that if I could hug and kiss my mattress, I would have. 
I actually woke up later than normal as well. I biked to the gym, although it was pretty close to my limit for cold biking in the upper 30s. Brrrr…. I was ready to move around in the gym!
| Exercise | Set/rep/weight | Muscle worked |
| Barbell Deadlift | 3 sets of 10 at 85# | Lower body |
| Dumbbell Pullover | 3 sets of 10 with 25# DB | Back |
| Incline Pushups | 3 sets of 10 | Chest |
| Cable Squat to Row | 3 sets of 12 at 50# | Lower body |
| Reverse Crunches | 3 sets of 12 | Core |
| Triceps Pull down | 3 sets of 15 at 30# | Triceps |
| Seated Calf Raise | 3 sets of 10 at 110# | Calves |
| Face Pulls | 3 sets of 15 at 30# | Shoulders |
I felt mildly groggy during this workout. A man came over and asked me if I was going to do another “crazy cardio workout.” He saw me doing my brick at the gym the other day and was amazed that I did cardio so long. I just basically said I was training for endurance. I know some people think a lot of cardio is unnecessary, but you need longer workouts when you have longer events to do (duh). It’s not like I do that every day, anyway.
I really wanted something warm and comforting when I got home. Riding in the cold didn’t help get rid of that chilly feeling I had from sleeping pretty much out of doors all weekend! Enter the cream of wheat.
I made up nut butter using mixed nuts, and it came out really liquidy. I did not add any oil to this nut butter. I think it has to be the Brazil nuts that make it this way. Good, though.
Back to work today. It was nice having 2 days off in a row, although I think I could use another day 😀
What to have when you are chilled for lunch? That’s right – something with hot sauce!
Simple is always good.
I was reading an article today on metabolism fact versus fiction. What will or won’t boost your metabolism:
- Don’t eat close to bedtime. False. Calories count whether you eat them in the morning or at night. The problem with nighttime eaters is that they are usually eating far more calories than they think, and the calories are denser. My thoughts? I don’t eat too close to bedtime because I don’t want heartburn or to go to bed full.
- Drinking water speeds metabolism. False. Drinking plenty of water is healthful for a number of reasons, but it doesn’t make your body burn calories faster. My thoughts? Agreed. Water doesn’t flush fat, either.
- Eat at the same time or at certain times every day to burn calories. False. Following a set schedule may help you stick to a diet plan, but doesn’t help you burn more calories. My thoughts? I eat every few hours not for metabolism reasons, but to keep my blood sugar from dropping, which will lead to overeating (for me).
- Eating breakfast boosts metabolism. True. Breakfast is partly a metabolism-booster and it is partly to make sure you stay on track for the rest of the day. People who eat breakfast are less likely to binge later in the day, which of course promotes weight loss. My thoughts? Breakfast is my favorite meal of the day – nuff said.
- Build muscle. True! The reality is that there is only one way to enhance metabolism: Build more lean muscle mass. My thoughts? Seriously, do I need to even say anything? Okay – I will. Go lift weights!! Go now!
I was going to do my weekly no-added sugar day today, but forgot and put nut butter on my cream of wheat. Oh well. That meant I could have a drizzle of pumpkin syrup on top of my latte with a Luna bar.
That’s a nice silver lining, don’t you think? I need to do the no-added sugar day soon. I OD’ed on mini twix bars yesterday. Long car ride with bags of candy certainly is not setting myself up or anything, is it?
Dinner included leftover stew from the other night. Still tasted pretty good. And I certainly missed my broccoli this weekend!
I really do like having control over my food. It is hard when someone else does the cooking. While I really appreciate the hard work the cooks did at the camp (and I thanked them), I missed my oats 😀
Think there will be a granola snack tonight while watching the game and doing more working.
Pink item of the day!
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Question: Are there any metabolism myths or facts that you believed?