Can I just start off by saying I made a pretty tasty little treat last night – if you check up on me via social media you already know about it:

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What better than @traderjoeslist Black Bean Soup (so good!) and a grilled cashew cheese and avocado sandwich! Yummy comfort food! #comfortfood #vegansofig

If you don’t (you totally should), this my friends is a grilled cashew cheeze and avocado sandwich with a side of Trader Joe’s Black Bean Soup. I used the cashew cheeze I made for my batch of kale chips. It was either that or devouring another whole batch of kale chips in one sitting… not sure which would have actually been better for me? Either way this was pure heaven and officially was my last (doubtful but hopeful) crazy comfort food! Because….

As I mentioned the other day, I have really fallen off the bandwagon with eating well, food prep, and working out. At least I’m still on my A game as a mama ;) Starting this week today I am beginning a new fitness routine. I will be way more disciplined in what I do at the gym than I usually am. My typical routine has been to go and do an interval workout on the treadmill or do 6-10 miles on the bike (whichever I felt motivated to do) then wander around the free weights doing random movements. Counterproductive I am sure! Definitely not disciplined and absolutely no focus.

I did a ton of reading and found a ton of information. With it I have put together a course of action for myself to make the most out of my time at the gym. I am going to hold myself accountable by writing down exactly what I am gong to do. I am going to be that loser at the gym with a card telling me what exercises I need to be doing! I used to do that years ago via a personal trainer and it was amazing how much more disciplined I was then!

So here is what I am planning on doing:

Beginner Strength Training Routines

Tuesday – Thursday – Saturday

Week 1: A B A | Week 2: B A B  (rotate exercises each day)

Weight: 15 pounds (this is what I am comfortable based on my history with weights)

Workout A

1. Weighted Squats: 3 sets of 8-10 reps with 2 minutes of rest between sets.

2. Dumbbell Fly: 3 sets of 8 -10 reps with 2 minutes of rest between sets.

3. Bent Over Row: 3 sets of 8-10 reps with 2 minutes of rest between sets.

4. Overhead Tricep Extensions: 1 set of 10-12 reps.

5. Calf Raises: 1-2 sets of 10-12 reps. 1 minute rest between sets.

Workout B

Weight: 15 pounds

1. Deadlifts: 3 sets of 8-10 reps with 2 minutes of rest between sets.

2. Lat Pull-Downs: 3 sets of 8 -10 reps with 2 minutes of rest between sets. This requires a machine.

3. Overhead Shoulder Press: 3 sets of 8-10 reps with 2 minutes of rest between sets.

4. Biceps Curls: 1 set of 10-12 reps.

5. Abs*: 1-2 sets of 10-12 reps of exercise of choice. 1 minute rest between sets.

*this will change with each exercise

As noted – the only move in either routine that requires a machine and not just a few free weights is the lat pull down. If you decide to do these routines you can substitute pull ups or possibly chair dips for the negative resistance. If you do either let me know how substituting goes! 

I also do 30 minutes of cardio before my strength training each day in the form of running, incline walking, or biking. This is to warm up my body and get my blood pressure going. I am not one who can just show up at the gym and start pumping weights, I need to ease into my workouts. Once it gets warm out again I will get my cardio from running to the gym to do strength training and running back. That’s what I did last spring / summer / fall and I loved doing it that way! I live about 1 mile from the gym so it is completely possible… only downside – it is completely downhill all the way there which means it is uphill alllll the way back! 

Sundays I will be doing yoga purely because that is already part of my Sunday routine and I love it :) This gives me Monday, Wednesday, Friday as my off days. This is the best routine that works for me based on my current life schedule. The yoga day might be moved to Wednesday from time-to-time just depending on how busy the week/end is! Plus yoga is a great stress reliever after a long work day!

I am going to continue this routine for at least a month. As far as nutrition goes – I am going to make sure I do not end up calorie deficient by keeping my intake close to 2,200 on strength-training days. I will use my protein supplement on those days. If you are looking for some great options Sun Warrior Vanilla is my favorite vegan source I have tried so far! I am going to make better food choices than I have been lately (case and point gooey cheezy sandwich above) and make sure I get TONS of greens in! That’s when I always feel by best! Food prep really is the key for successful nutrition and I can be really good at doing it when I carve out time for it. I will write a post about how I do it very soon!

I am testing out workout A for the first time tonight and will let you know if I make any adjustments! I am really excited to start this new challenge (and yes I know it is about to be February) in the new year.

If you want to do this strength training routine with me I would love to hear about it.

NOTE: I am not a certified trainer or a nutritionist (as much as I wish I were). This is a routine I modified for my own personal use based on exercises I enjoy doing at the gym while still using the suggested core muscle groups for Set A and Set B.