Mini Home Gym

Last night, I went to a friends house for some amazing strawberry margaritas and steak tacos.  She used recipes from http://www.howsweeteats.com/.  This is a new to me blog where Jessica shares all kinds of recipes.  Based on last night's dinner-her recipes are amazing!!

I took Porter along to play with the girl's dogs...he was a little worn out when we got home!

 

I wanted to share our mini home gym.  I am always on a budget-aren't we all???  So, I wanted to share what Bobby and I put together and why it works for us. 

Honestly, I would probably be fine with just some cardio and doing body weight exercises for my strength, but Bobby needs more weight to get a good strength workout.  I bought him the Bowflex adjustable dumbbells as a present.  They go from 2.5 pounds each to 52.5 pounds each.  They are perfect for our varying strength levels and needs.  Plus, they don't take up a ton of room.  We also have resistance bands to add some additional options for workouts. 

Instead of spending over $1000 for a treadmill, I purchased a bike trainer for around $75.  It offers varying levels of resistance and attaches to your bike.  It is a great and cheaper option to have a cardio option at home.  My only suggestion is to buy a tire specifically for the trainer because it wears down the tread on the back tire.

I went to a warehouse sale and found mats for the floor for $5 per mat.  It was a steal!  (They are normally $20 each.)  They give us an area for doing floor work-pushups, burpees, abs, etc.  Speaking of abs-I also found a really nice medicine ball at the warehouse sale.  It is 12 pounds and will be perfect for russian twists and even slam ball work.  Bobby bought a big ball to sit on for core work while we do strength training too. 

The little home gym area covers most of our needs without breaking the bank.  I still really want a treadmill for winter...so that will probably be our next purchase.

What are your home gym essentials?

ABC

I found this on an old post on Amanda's blog-Running with Spoons.  Sometimes, I will check out the "recommended posts" at the bottom of blog posts to see what my current faves blogged about in the past.  I thought this was such a fun post, that I wanted to copy/play along too. :)

A is for age: 31 for me...and loving it!


B is for breakfast today: Today, I had a lighter breakfast.  Skoop and a sandwich thin with local honey on it.  I try not to eat a ton in the mornings since I workout in the evenings...I fuel up at lunch. :)

C is for currently craving: Froyo or Ice Cream...I love them both!!

D is for dinner tonight: I am heading to a friend's house for dinner.  She is making steak tacos!!  Yummy!!  I made a corn and veggie rice side to go with it.

E is for favorite type of exercise: Running! It can be done anywhere at anytime.  I love to get out and clear my head or go for a run with friends and laugh along the way.  Bonus-it is a great workout!!

F is for irrational fear: That someone is in my backseat.  Stupid Urban Legend...I always check my rear view mirror!!  
 

G is for gross food:Eggplant, Olives, and Cottage Cheese are all definite no go's for me.  I'm willing to try almost anything once!

H is for hometown: Amarillo, TX-you've probably passed through there on a road trip. :)

I is for something important: Faith-it will get you through anything!

J is for current favorite jam: Pineapple Jalapeno-because what could be a better combo?!? 

K is for kids: Kids are great.  I'll be a happy and wonderful aunt someday!

L is for current location: On my couch watching the Royals on television.

M is for the most recent way you spent money: I bought floor mats and a medicine ball for our home gym tonight.  It is coming along!!

N is for something you need: I need to relax and not stress about things out of my control.

O is for occupation:  I am a boring cubicle worker at a financial institution.

P is for pet peeve: Running late-I hate to be late to places.  I feel like it is disrespectful to those you are meeting.

Q is for a quote:  None truer than this...

R is for random fact about you: I am super high strung, but I am super low maintenance.  I don't even brush my hair since I always wear it curly!!

S is for favorite healthy snack:  Apple and peanut butter is hands down my favorite healthy snack.  I never get tired of it!  

T is for favorite treat:  Chocolate-no contest!!
 
U is for something that makes you unique:  I have a birth mark on the inside of one of my toes.  Everyone thought it was dirt when I was a baby.  :)
 
V is for favorite vegetable: Corn is my fave!!

W is for today’s workout: 4 mile tempo run + a little yard work
 
X is for X-rays you’ve had: None-Unless you count the ones for braces...

Y is for yesterday’s highlights: Picking out new gym equipment, getting some work done in the yard, and relaxing on the couch with Bobby (my fave!)

Z is for your time zone: Central...being from and living in the Midwest...always lived in Central time. :)

Your turn...pick a letter or two and play along!! 

Treat Yourself Tuesday

I have so many treats this week!!  I have been looking forward to sharing...so I am linking up with Becky for another installment of Treat Yourself Tuesday.  I really look forward to this post each week.  Check out Becky's blog to see all of the linkups and read about why it is so important to treat yourself!!

Treats-cocktail style...
Friday night was a treat to hang out with some girl friends.  Gotta love catching up over sangria!!

Saturday I was treated with several cocktail treats.  The first was at the champagne bar-a classic French 75.  The cocktail consisted of gin, lemon, simple syrup and of course champagne!

My favorite cocktail of the night was called Porgy & Bess-a simple combination of gin, celery and lime.  (Apparently I was on a gin kick!)  It was light, refreshing, and not too sweet.  All right up my alley! 

Treats-Pampered style...
I treated myself to a home pedicure on Sunday night.  My feet definitely were rough after playing sand volleyball on Saturday.  I don't like for anyone to touch my feet, so I am opposed to pedicures at a salon.  I like to have my toenails painted though...this means that I have to do my own...and I'm pretty terrible at it!  Luckily fun colors and cute shoes make up for lots of errors. :)

With my toes all ready to go, I needed to clean up my nails.  I treated myself to a manicure with a friend on Monday night.  My nails are actually growing out too!!  Yippee!

Treats-Random style...
I decided to start reading Dark Places by Gillian Flynn since I just wrapped up Sharp Objects.  So far, I really enjoy the book.  It has more of a Gone Girl feel to it.  I think I already know the outcome, but I'm hoping there will be some twists and turns that I don't expect.  I'll do a full recap when I finish...but for now...I'm definitely glad that I started reading it!

I also treated myself to a new to me tea place called t. Loft.  It is next door to my Bar Method studio, but it closes by the time I am out of class.  I had a few minutes before my mani, so I popped in and grabbed a tea.  So many choices.  I ended up trying the passion fruit jasmine tea.  Not too sweet and not too earthy. Really good tea! They also have some great juice options that I really want to try!  This may become a regular stop for me.

The tea looked like tea, so I took a picture of the awesome swing that I now really want for m house instead...

Name 2 ways that you have treated yourself lately.

Weekend Recap

This weekend was a busy and fun filled weekend.  I kicked off the weekend with a girls night happy hour at a local tapas place.  We drank delicious sangria and chatted the night away!  It was so fun to catch up with the girls!  I got so distracted with talking that I forgot to take pics...other than the sangria to start the night. :)

Saturday morning started off with a sand volleyball tournament with my 4's team.  We ended up taking 2nd overall.  It was a fun and sweaty way to spend the afternoon!

Fresh sand and a great day!

 

Throwback picture from last summer. :)


After the tournament, I had time for a quick shower before heading out to a friend's birthday outing.  We all met up in a newly revamped area of town.  Several new and local spots have opened recently, so we wanted to check them out.  We started the night at a great new champagne bar called Ca Va.

Champagne cocktails

 A few of the girls with their drinks

Don't forget the fellas!!

Next up, we went to Westport Ale House for dinner.  Bobby had a jalapeno popper burger that was delicious and I had a salad.  Of course, we had some beers while we were at the Ale House too.  

Birthday girl!

Having some fun!

Add caption

Cheers!

Our last stop was a place called Julep that makes handcrafted cocktails.  After a few more drinks, it was time for me to go home.  I was beat from a long day!

Called Porgy & Bess-it was delicious-cucumber cocktail

We spent Sunday recovering from Friday and Saturday.  We went for a long walk with the pup and then ran some errands.  Rounded it out with working on wedding invites.  Busy little weekend!

What is your favorite unique/hand crafted cocktail?

How long did it take you to address your wedding invitations? Ours are all addressed-they just need return addresses and addresses on the RSVP's. 

Five Things Friday

Happy Friday!  I'm linking up with the girls again for Five Things/Friday Favorites.  Thank you Heather, Katie, and Clare for hosting Friday linkups!! Be sure to check out their blogs and the other links to see what people are up to this Friday.

#1-I went to see Chef with some girlfriends on Wednesday night.  It is a great movie!!  If you haven't seen it, you definitely should go before it is out of the theaters.  Great cast and really a fun and feel good movie!!

#2-I worked from home this week and watched a few episodes of Orange is the New Black.  I'm starting to really like the show!!  I was disappointed in the first 2 episodes, but it keeps getting better!!  I can't wait to see what happens next.  I'm going to be so sad when I watch the first 2 seasons and have to wait like everyone else for the next one to come out.  Bobby and I started watching Hemlock Grove.  I really like it, but it is really complicated and a little hard to follow at first.

#3-I'm really excited for tonight.  I'm meeting some girlfriends for happy hour at a tapas bar called La Bodega.  It is a local KC restaurant that has great food!  When 2 of your friends can get a sitter and come out, then you have to go and catch up!!  I found this great quote on the restaurant website while checking out the menu: "Tapas is a way of life. It signifies leisure, camaraderie and good humor."

#4-Our new Bowflex adjustable weights came in this week!  My intention was for them to be a surprise 5 year anniversary present for Bobby.  I didn't think it all the way through though...when the box was delivered, it weighed 120 pounds.  I can't move that much weight very far.  I barely got it inside our house!  So I just told him surprise and happy early anniversary when he got home.  Then he got to carry them downstairs to the gym area. :)  Our home gym is slowly, but surely coming together.  Once we have a treadmill, I am set!

The cat really enjoyed having the box in the living room.  He sat on it all night. :)

#5-Speaking of spoiled animals, Porter is rotten!!  When I come home for lunch, he acts like it is such a chore to get off the bed to come greet me.  I found him with a pillow under his head yesterday.  I have to admit it is pretty adorable! 

Is anyone watching Hemlock Grove?  What do you think about it?

What do you think are the top 3 "must haves" for a home gym?

Have a great weekend!!

Pinsiration Thursday!!

Today I’m linking up with Amanda for another episode of Thursdays are for Thinking Out Loud. Head over here to check out the linkup.

I spent some time on Pinterest on Monday night and found lots of fun things that are inspiring and fun!  I thought I would share them with you all.  Here are my top 7 pins for this week.

#1-I saw this tee and it is so cute!  I feel like it would be perfect for the flight to our honeymoon!

  

#2-This sign is hilarious and awesome!  The link is a tutorial on how to paint wood signs.  It is an easy and fun craft project that I definitely will have to do!

#3-Sarasota Lemonade from The Pampered Jes

 It seems so simple and sounds delicious.  Way easier than Sangria!!

#4-This outfit is perfect for spring, summer and fall.  So cute and casual!  I love it. 

#5-Even More Photos Only Dog Owners Will Understand-if you have a dog, this will make you laugh and appreciate your dog even more!

#6-A great kitchen idea!  Framing hand written recipes from your mom or grandmother.  So sweet and a great way to honor family traditions!!

#7-I don't know why I have never thought of this before!  Using cookies instead of graham crackers for s'mores?!?!  Say what??  Brilliant!

Share any of your pinteresting ideas!! :)