Rainy Day Sweat~

“Laugh at yourself and at life. Not in the spirit of derision or whining self-pity, but as a remedy, a miracle drug, that will ease your pain, cure your depression, and help you to put in perspective that seemingly terrible defeat and worry with laughter at your predicaments, thus freeing your mind to think clearly toward the solution that is certain to come.”
-Og Mandino

Today's workout!
30 minutes of cycle intervals and hills

20 minutes 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1, +10
Front Squat (go heavy today!)
Burpee Hurdle Jump...burpee jump over box
Pistol Squats (alternate legs each set)
chest press....heavy dumbells!!
Toes to Bar

core if time~

Pink RockStar...And We Have Been Charmed

Well dang, I don't feel sick, in fact I feel fabulous, strong, vibrant and my biceps have been looking pretty good lately in the gym!

 I have breast cancer? Not possible, not ever.  If you were to pick the poster child for health and fitness, it might be me. I have darkened the doors of every gym in the tri state area...for the last 20 years.  I think I have taught every person in SC how to do a step class, and I can out cycle anyone in the spin room. I am kindoff a freak about my fitness, nobody is freakier...at least nobody I know.  I have two precious children, Marshall is 9 and Sophie is 7. 

my boys

Don't forget Big Daddy, my Knight in Shining Armor. He promised me he was born lucky. "I'd rather be lucky than good." he always tells me. "Stick with me mama, we are going to live a charmed life." 
And we have been charmed.  

my birthday party last year, a little crazy
I can't believe that dooky was growing
in my booby.

We were married when I was 34 after I thought I would never ever find the perfect man. He was 32 and we were ready for a family. Our wedding was the best day of my life. It was July 14, 2002. Two months later we were attacked by terrorists in New York and he was in the city. He stood and watched the second tower fall. One month later we were expecting our precious baby boy. On our first anniversary we cradled a 7 day old baby. 
And we have been charmed....
We have frolicked, we have vacationed in Mexico, we lounged on the beach, we bought a new house, we made friends.  Our second child was born two years later. Sophie is the daughter I have dreamed of my whole life. 
And we have been charmed....
We have grown our children, holding hands, singing songs and loving life.


And we have been charmed.

biopsy bruises, actually pretty nice looking in
this pic, didn't want to share too much booby! Ignore
my chewed up nails...stress....

And then it was September 23, 2011 and I got the call from the sweetest nurse on the planet. "Precious, I have the biopsy report. So, the biopsy shows you have Ductal Carcinoma Insi tu." What is that, what on earth,  I have never heard of it, but, carcinoma sounds bad, my head was spinning, I looked at Chan, I fell to my knees, I couldn't breathe, I couldn't talk, I couldn't look at him. We hung up with the nurse after writing down everything that she said. We hugged, cried, felt weak. Looked at each other, held hands and decided to call our parents. I told Chan, call your daddy first, practice on him before you call my mom. So, we picked up the phone, called my father in law.  Chan couldn't speak, words would not come out, he choked. My father in law was scared, "what's wrong, Chan? Are you ok? Chan?" Finally Chan managed the words, , "It is positive, she has cancer." My father in law was quiet, "We can handle this", he said. "We will do whatever you need." I was encouraged, lifted. We called my mom, she was brave, but she couldn't fool me, she was scared, so was I. 


So, we spent the next four days hitting google, every search teaching me more and giving me more questions. I know this:


Ductal Carcinoma In Situ:
1 in 8 women will be diagnosed with breast cancer.


Ductal carcinoma starts in the tubes (ducts) that move milk from the breast to the nipple. Most breast cancers are of this type.

I snuck this pic when the doc was out of the room!! I am so nosy!
The black circle in the bottom right corner is the mass, it is
so tiny, 8mm. 

Ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) is the most common type of non-invasive breast cancer. Ductal means that the cancer starts inside the milk ducts, carcinoma refers to any cancer that begins in the skin or other tissues (including breast tissue) that cover or line the internal organs, and in situ means "in its original place." DCIS is called "non-invasive" because it hasn’t spread beyond the milk duct into any normal surrounding breast tissue. DCIS isn’t life-threatening, but having DCIS can increase the risk of developing an invasive breast cancer later on.

When you have had DCIS, you are at higher risk for the cancer coming back or for developing a new breast cancer than a person who has never had breast cancer before. Most recurrences happen within the 5 to 10 years after initial diagnosis. The chances of a recurrence are under 30%. 

(from Breastcancer.org)

Because of increased screening with mammograms, the rate at which DCIS is diagnosed has increased dramatically in recent years.

While DCIS isn't life-threatening, it does require treatment to prevent the condition from becoming invasive. Most women with DCIS are effectively treated with breast-conserving surgery and radiation. from Mayoclinic.com

So armed with these facts, we were ready scared, but, ready. 
I will share what's going on with my journey here, I was going to write a separate blog, but, this is all me, the workouts, the motivation, the recipes for my favorite salad, the breast cancer.
 I hope that this will help someone in their journey. Please share with whoever you think will like/need/read/appreciate this ramble. 
I am sure that some will gasp, she's writing about her cancer? Really? Isn't this supposed to be private? But if you know me, I can't keep a secret, I am transparent, I share everything, good, bad and cancer. 
I keep saying, "I am a rock star, watch me rock this!" But, I am scared and small. I need to be brave, hate to be pitied and can't stand to shrink away. So, stand beside me as I journey through my next life journey. Send me your thoughts, send me your love, WE got this~ 

my 'sister' Ranie, she is my Delaware RockStar.

Pure SpinCamp

“My strength is as the strength of ten because my heart is pure.”

-Lord Tennyson

Today is going to be an awesome day! Friday's always are one of my favorite days to get a strong workout and get ready for a weekend. It has been a long, trying and emotional week, looking forward to wrapping it up and regaining some calm. Join me today and let's work it out!

• burpees
• Clean and press
• Push ups, hand release...
• Jumping Lunges (aka, Alternating Split Squats)
• Dumbbell Thruster (35/25 lbs.)

You will cycle through the exercises, spending 60 seconds at each – the clock does not stop as you transition from one exercise to the next.  After you have completed the fifth station, rest 60 seconds...  Repeat for a total of three rounds.

“And above all, watch with glittering eyes the whole world around you because the greatest secrets are always hidden in the most unlikely places. Those who don't believe in magic will never find it.” Ronald Dahl

No Cheating Today Workout!

“It’s not where you’re from; it’s where you’re going. It’s not what you drive; it’s what drives you. It’s not what’s on you; it’s what’s in you. It’s not what you think; it’s what you know.”  -Gatorade 

Did you order your ROCKSTAR tank yet? 

today's workout!
Warm up
Sprints...15 sets of sprints down the side parking lot to fence, walk back

50-40-30-20-10 rep rounds for time of:
Double Unders (or double the number of singles)
Burpees

then...

Squat Ladder - 45 pound bar, get a medicine ball, squat till your booty touches the ball!
With a continuously running clock, complete one squat in minute one, two squats in minute two, three in minute three... continue in this fashion until you are no longer able to complete the required number of squats within that minute.

Advanced Version - rounds 1-10 - overhead squats; rounds 11-20 - front squats; rounds 21+ - back squats

Squat – you must reach proper depth. The crease of the hip must clearly dip below the top of the knees on each rep. The hips and knees must be fully extended at the top.

CORE....100 wallball situps

"If you cheat you are only cheating yourself." Chan

“To be successful you must accept all challenges that come your way. You can’t just accept the ones you like.” -Mike Gafka

Recipe..Protein Pancakes
One of the best ways to keep your nutrition is to PLAN AHEAD! The only way I can keep from eating junk, keep my protein high and keep it clean is to plan ahead, I cook all my protein in advance, always have green stuff on hand and keep foods in the fridge that I can grab. Protein Pancakes are one GO TO! Make tons in advance, put them in containers in the fridge and grab when ready.  You can warm up as you go out the door if you are hungry, and eat on the go. (JENNIFER THIS IS FOR YOU!) 
if you have any great recipes, I would love to get them! 

Cottage Cheese Protein Pancakes

Serves 1 person

1 cup whole wheat flour,
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder,
1 cup non/lowfat buttermilk,
1 cup nonfat cottage cheese,
1/2 cup fat-free egg substitute or 4 egg whites,
1 scoop of whey


Run flour through a sieve into a large mixing bowl then mix cinnamon and baking powder together by hand together with the flour. Then add the milk, the cottage cheese, and egg whites and mix well well with a hand whisk.


Cooking instructions
Coat a skillet with nonstick cooking spray (nonfat), and preheat over medium heat.
For each pancake, pour 1/4 cup of batter onto griddle. Cook until the top has bubbles and the edges are dry.

Oatmeal Protein Pancakes

Enough for 1 Person

1 cup raw oats,
1 scoop Protein Powder,
3 egg whites,
1/4 cup water,
1 1/2 tsp cinnamon,
2 packets sweetener,
1 1/2 tsp baking powder

Ingredients for making oatmeal protein pancakes:-

Place everything into a blender and blend for 30 secs.Pour onto a hot griddle once pancake batter has been mixed well.

Pumpkin Protein Pancakes

1/2 scoop Vanilla whey protein
1/2 Cup Oats
3 Egg Whites
1/3 Cup Pumpkin
2 tablespoons Ground Flaxseed
Stevia to taste or Splenda
Pumpkin Pie spice to taste
Place everything into a blender and blend for 30 secs.Pour onto a hot griddle once pancake batter has been mixed well.

RockStar Workout!

“I am here for a purpose and that purpose is to grow into a mountain, not to shrink to a grain of sand. Henceforth will I apply ALL my efforts to become the highest mountain of all and I will strain my potential until it cries for mercy.”

-Og Mandino

hey friends, have you seen the cool tanks I put in our spreadshirt store? They are available now for all my Rockstars...

http://353512.spreadshirt.com/

So, so what, I'm still a rock star
I got my rock moves and I don't need you
And guess what, I'm havin' more fun
And now that we're done I'm gonna show you tonight

having fun finding all the cool lyrics I can about being a RockStar! 

thank you ALL for supporting me through this stressful time, I feel so loved, supported and beyond blessed.

tonight's Workout!

1x sprint, 20 x Push ups  Push Ups are Hand Release pushups...go all the way down, lift hands from the floor then proceed with the next pushup.2x sprint, 20 x Push-ups, 30 situps 

3x sprint, 20 x Push-ups, 30 x sit-ups, 40 squats

4x sprints 20 x Push-ups, 30 sit-ups, 40 squats, 50 Wall Ball throws 

3x sprint print, 20 x Push-ups, 30 x sit-ups, 40 squats 

2x sprint, 20 x Push-ups, 30 situps 

1x sprint, 20 x Push ups

ohhh yeah~~

this one is epic!

newbies, scale down by doing half the number of reps!

Roasted Butternut Squash with Onions, Brown Butter and Sage

1. One 3 1/2-pound butternut squash—peeled, halved, seeded and cut into 1/2-inch pieces
2. 2 medium onions, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
3. 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
4. Salt and freshly ground pepper
5.  fresh sage leaves or powdered if you can't find fresh
   
   
   Preheat the oven to 400°. In a large bowl, toss the squash with the onions, olive oil andseason with salt and pepper. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil. Spread the squash on a baking sheet. Roast for 1 hour, or until the squash and onions are tender and browned on the edges.
   
   
   I read this on one of my Friend's Facebook Page today, thank you AM, 
   
   
   I have heard there are troubles of more than one kind.
   Some come from ahead and some come from behind.
   But I've bought a big bat. I'm all ready you see.
   Now my troubles are going to have troubles with me!
   ~Dr. Seuss