February 4th

Every year, we get around fifty-two Mondays. Being a blank-slate lover, I probably enjoy these dreaded days of the week more than most people. Mondays mean that another week is laid out before me, one that I can make as perfect as I please. My typical perspective on a Monday morning is that the week is going to be great.

Come Wednesday or Thursday evening, I usually have to revise that thought, but the fact is that we should appreciate Mondays more! Mondays set the tone for the next five days, and the horrors of the week before have been buffered by the weekend (usually). So it stands to reason that Mondays might rightfully deserve to be our second-most favorite day of the week (after Fridays, of course). Here's how I started my Monday:

~ 5 am wake-up. 
~ 5:30 gym arrival

Back To Reality/Monday Workout

- 5 min warm-up on treadmill

- 3x30 second wall sits with arm extension (6# weights)
- 3x20 weighted donkey kicks (6#)
- 4 sets of weighted squats with 30# + bar (reps: 10, 7, 5, 6)

- 3x10 tricep kick-backs (1 set with 8#, 2 sets with 7#)
- 4 sets of assisted pull-ups with 100# assist (reps: 10, 6, 5, 5)
- Pushups on knees (reps: 10, 10, 12)

- 3x10 lat pulldown (70#)
- Kneeling rows (10 with 10#, 20 with 12#)
- Plank rows (12with 12#)
- 1x10 reaching romanian deadlifts, 8# medicine ball (my legs were toast at this point and these require a lot of balance - not as many reps as I hoped! Find the diagram for this exercise here)

- 2-min moderate run on treadmill, 3 min walk

~ Breakfast: 1 Chobani banana yogurt, 1slice of whole wheat toast with 1 tablespoon of peanut butter and cinnamon, a small apple, and 16oz of coffee with 2 teaspoons of whipping cream (the best!) and 1 packet of Splenda. Oh, and I ate another 1/2 slice of toast with some p.b. pre-workout so I didn't have to exercise on an empty stomach.

~ Shower
~ 8 am Microeconomics class

Now I'm home, and after blogging I'm going to head out and buy groceries for dinner - my favorite pork and hominy stew!

Happy Monday!

xo
amanda