curtsy lunges and holiday play

what a blessed day.  but every day is a blessed day, right? right.  i did not wake up this morning expecting to reach 4k followers on Instagram, i'll tell you that much!  super humbling moment.  i love fitness as much as i love eating and gosh darn it i just want to do both all day every day and inspire tons of people along the way.

so THANK YOU again x's infinity to my followers and my readers!  IG is a true health and fitness motivational powerhouse, man!!!! one of the best sources to date in my book.   get some Instagram in ya life!

my goal was to actually sleep in this morning, but i popped right on up at 7am as usual. so i got on up and made half of my breakfast for some energy (2 egg whites, 1/2 cup of  oatmeal), left my boys sleeping, and hit the gym.  just the usual up there- oatmeal pancakes with bananas and cinnamon with some egg whites and low sugar ketchup.  i ate the rest when i got back home- 2 more egg whites and another half a cup of oatmeal. hey, i'm 5'10 :shock:

how did you spend your MLK holiday?  Chiso's uncle Matt finished putting his new car together this weekend, so we took it for a spin today.

great weather for a walk, and physical activity is always a plus.

in addition to 'no!'  Chi's fave word is now 'mine! mine! mine!'

while we were out in the park, i seized the opp to take a few pics of one of my fave leg exercises for an Instagram challenge i'm participating in.  if you have a set of dumbbells at home, try them:

curtsy lunges!

they work the outside of your glutes and hams nicely.

a.  swing your left foot around and down to the outside of your right leg while dropping your left knee straight down at a 90 degree angle.  make sure all your weight is bearing down in your right heel- you can even lift your toes in your shoe to ensure that weight is where it's supposed to be.

**keep your back, neck, and head all in alignment!  which translates into: back flat, chest up, head up. **

b.  push up strong into your right heel and bring your left foot back to the starting position while flexing and pointing your left foot/toe.  you can even add an upright row holding your dumbbells as show in the pic for a full body exercise.

repeat on the other side until it burrrrrrrrrrrrns!

for lunch back home, i made some tri-pepper tuna sliders for us.  i still have a couple bell peppers left from that sale and i've been putting them in everything.

i didn't measure on this one at all yall-  here's what i used though: 3 cans wild tuna packed in water, handful of chopped red bell pepper, yellow bell pepper, and orange bell pepper, big dollop of 0% greek yogurt, couple tablespoons of brown or dijon mustard, fresh cilantro, parsley, 2 tablespoons of coconut aminos, and some low-sodium lemon pepper seasoning.

i put all that on a toasted, light, multigrain Thomas english muffin, and topped them with some creamy, ripe avocado and some sweet, smoky chipotle seasoning.

Q:  what are coconut aminos?

A: another expensive GREAT super low sodium, healthy, all natural soy sauce alternative! 

Bragg's Liquid Aminos are AWESOME too, and i'll continue to use them to flavor my lean proteins, but i like these cause they have a sweetness to them that is simply wonderful for any type of sauce.  and nope, it doesn't taste like coconut at all.  you can find it at the fabulous HEB in the natural foods section, and definitely Whole Foods.  Kroger's natural foods section has expanded like crazy recently (well the one by my house anyway) so i wouldn't be surprised if they carried it too.  look around!

those stats are FFL approved!  that price tag isn't though :lol:

fantastic soy sauce alternative, and great for making delicious, flavorful dressings, marinades, and sauces! found at Whole Foods for sure.

(1 tsp serving)

• 5 cals
• 0g fat
• 113 mg sodium
• 1g carb
• 0g sugar

it's:

• 100% organic
•  raw
•  gluten-free
•  soy-free
•  contains 17 amino acids
•  vegan!

i only post quotes that speak to me...and this one did just that. we've only got one body! no extra men in this game.  start doing better  and living healthier right now.

do you sleep in on holidays or get up and hit the gym early anyway?

le