Happy Saturday, everyone!
In relation to my 2017 goal (I’m unsure how I feel about the word ‘resolution’) of trying to appreciate the little things that happen every day, and not just on the weekends, I thought I would begin something called ‘Sweet Saturdays’. I’d love to spend some time sharing a handful of the things that made my week a little sweeter in hopes of providing some ideas for you too!
I will say- this week was a great one. A new mindset, a new year, a new gym, and new episodes of my favorite television shows (Any #Nashies out there?) made for a fabulous first full week of 2017. I hope that you too kicked this year off on the right foot!
HIIT Treadmill Workouts
I’ve recently become bored with my cardio workouts and needed something to change it up. Unfortunately, Chicago Winters do not provide a lot of opportunity to run or walk outside, so I tend to get stuck to those 30 minute elliptical sessions or runs at the gym. I can still get a great workout in, but find that my body gets used to it after a while. While reading one of my favorite health and fitness blogs, Peanut Butter Fingers, I found that Julie often provides a lot of high intensity interval training (HIIT) treadmill workouts that anyone has time for. HIIT Workouts use a combination of speeds and intensities to slow and speed up your heart rate. This way you not only burn calories, but fat too. And SWEAT like a beast! Here is one of Julie’s 20 minute workouts that I tried out.
2017 Thankful Jar
Thanks to a friend that posted this idea on facebook, I decided to make my own ‘Thankful Jar’ for the year. Each day, Bryan and I can write one good thing that happened that day or that we were thankful for that day and put it in the jar. On New Year’s Eve we can take turns reading all of the things that happened during the year. This is also a great idea for those with kids! We have a lot to be thankful for so I know it’s going to fill up fast.
Halo Top Ice Cream
If I had to pick one dessert to eat for the rest of my life, it might very well be Halo Top Ice Cream. I like to think of this as the hidden gem of Ice Creams. Bonus, it’s completely healthy. Yes, you read that right, it’s healthy.
After trying various healthy “ice creams” from the freezer section at Marianos, I was sold on the idea there was no such thing as a healthy ice cream that tasted like, well, actual ice cream. Then I started to read about something called ‘Halo Top’. I learned that I could buy it at my local Whole Foods and decided to pick up a pint.
Then I picked up another pint.
And then another.
And then I followed them on every social media outlet and anxiously awaited the arrival of their 10 new flavors.
A pint of this delicious cold treat is low calorie, high-protein, low sugar, and the ingredients are all natural. It also happens to be Weight Watcher friendly! It’s only 3 points for a half cup! They come in a ton of different flavors and you’d never know this wasn’t served up at your local ice cream shop. I purchased the S’more flavor for hubs and I this week and let’s just say another trip to Whole Foods is on my errand list for today.
