Never Miss a Monday Pt. 8

OMG.... is this real life? Yes, I am back... again. The month of May was a whirlwind of end of school busyness and travelling. I needed a break from everything and now I am back, recharged and ready to take on the world. There will be a later post about my adventures in Italy, and a slew of new content ideas. For now I wanted to start fresh on the best day to ever do it... Monday! I had zero chance while travelling to really hit the gym like I had been before I left. Once I did finally get back home, I was so lazy. I had lost that mojo. I still hit the gym every now and then so as not to lose all of my progress, but it just wasn't the same. Luckily I was still maintaining better eating habits so I didn't end up gaining weight while on my gym hiatus. I really had to sit down and create a new routine. I am taking summer classes online so not having a particular place and time to be somewhere makes it a lot tougher to set an alarm and ensure that all the time I have in the day is used wisely. I can't live my life like that. It was great for a week or so, but I hate feeling useless. I wrote out a routine that I know I can stick with. I divided my weekly school tasks to particular days of the week and decided to make sure that I wake up at a productive time of the morning to get ready and hit the gym first thing. I love going to the gym first thing because there is just something invigorating and refreshing I feel after that gym sesh. Assuming you had a good nights sleep, you have all that new energy to throw some bows, push that set or run that mile. Waking up early also ensures that I get the day's tasks done and out of the way early. I feel more accomplished with my day and can indulge in some Real Housewives of Jersey Shore and Hip/Hop without feeling guilty. It doesn't matter if you have slacked off, everyday is a new day to start over and be determined again. 

Shantece G.

Music

1. Britney Spears - Mannequin
2. J-Lo - Tens ft. Jack Mizrahi
3. Yo Gotti - Rake it up ft. Niki Minaj
4. Disturbed - Down with the Sickness
5. Kiesza - Hideaway 

Workout

I returned back to my kickboxing gym. I just feel that it gives me the best workout and uses the best of my time. I also joined a one-week virtual Booty Boot-camp from personal trainer Latrice Parker-Alston. I am attempting two a days this week because I just feel like I have it in me to achieve a lot. If you are looking to maximize those cakes I suggest some of these exercises. 

Of Course, SQUATS on SQUATS on SQUATS. It is definitely the butts frenemy! Depending on your physical abilities, adding weights to your squat routine is the way to go. 

Hip thrusts hurt oh so good if you are doing them right. You could do them with or without a weight again depending on your physical abilities, but I would try a lower weight vs no weight at all to start off and see how many you can do.  

Romanian dead-lift... I love these. Really I do! I don't find it extremely difficult to do, but I still can feel those hammies and lower glute muscles working overtime. 

FOOD

So while on my little hiatus, I told you that I was still trying to maintain healthy eating habits. One of the things I did that really helped make sure I stayed on track was making mason jar salads. They are more than ridiculously easy to make and take less than an hour and you are set for the week. I tried making 3 different varieties of salads so that I didn't get sick of eating the same thing all week. There are tons of recipes and directions for creating these little beauties. Here is a simple breakdown on how you want to arrange your ingredients so that they stay fresh and not soggy. 

The many ingredients I mixed and matched to create my mason jar salads. 

I got stuck at one point because I had to wait for the quinoa and sweet potatoes to cook and cool before I could put them in the jars.  

Finished product. First two (left) have jalapeno ranch as the dressing in the bottom with black beans, quinoa, sweet potatoes and spring mix. Middle two have hummus as the base, red onions, cucumbers, tomatoes, quinoa, feta cheese and black olives. This one ended up being my favorite actually. Last two (right) have hummus as the base, shredded carrots, red onions, chickpeas, quinoa, and spring mix.