Squat Challenge Update

Confession: I have a hard time sticking with work out plans.

Because of this, I decided to start with something small, such as this squat challenge I referred to in the last post. I am notorious for starting some plan and then dropping it but I am hoping to begin with this challenge and put that terrible habit to rest.

Today was day three of the challenge and I hate to even admit this...but, I am a little sore. Pathetic, right? My hamstrings are super tight and it hurt to even stretch out but I did and they are feeling a little better.
I was going to run tonight but instead I knew if I told my mom I was going to do interval runs, she would join me. It was a way for us to get active together and I know that helps us both.

Brandon is out on a job and is also doing an awesome job at sticking with the squat challenge. I had no doubts about that because he is a lot better at working out than I am. I actually just made him a new schedule with the dates since the one provided on the link in my previous post just said day one, day two, etc. This way he can keep up with it without wondering what he did yesterday or what day he is on.
I am going to search for more challenges like this so maybe we can continue doing this sort of thing together. It really is a lot more fun to work out with a friend, significant other, sibling, even a pet! We love taking our 11 month old lab on walks with us. We have even attempted running with him. It was an epic fail because he has such a competitive nature about him. He ALWAYS has to be first which means he speeds up a lot more when you start to run. Luckily, Brandon holds the leash most of the time. :)

Our baby - Burton
That duck was destroyed within 4 hours..or less.

At one point we (me and B) talked about doing the Beachbody Ultimate Reset together. I think that is still something I want to do but for now I am working on small goals. He has done the Advocare 24 day challenge but I just don't know if I like the way the program is set up. He took a TON of pills and I never could find anything that came with the challenge that said what was in the pills. I also tried one of his Spark drinks, which is an energy boosting type of drink, and didn't feel a thing. Maybe it is just me because there are people out there who swear by that stuff. Brandon did get results from this challenge and I never heard him complain about any of it. I am just a third party observer and have not attempted the challenge myself. But for those of you out there who want to look into this challenge, I know a couple bloggers who can give you much better advice than I. Check out Mama Laughlin and Skinny Meg. These ladies are hilarious and have amazing stories. They have each done at least one Advocare challenge.
The Reset might be a good way to start the new year! Almost a kick start (or kick in the butt) after all of the holiday festivities. But me and B will work out when we want to do that together. I want it to work with his schedule since his work schedule is so odd. Mine is much more flexible!

Squat Challenge & Marinara Sauce Recipe

So I found this squat challenge on Pinterest about a week ago and me and Brandon are going to start it today!

Me & B rocking our llama hats

He is away for work a lot and this is something fun we can do together from a far and it is always nice to have that accountability partner. I joked that we will have to compare our buns of steel at the end to see who got more out of the challenge. His will probably be better :/ but that's okay. I'll just have to do the challenge a second time to catch up! 

I'm hoping I can still walk after this awesome challenge. It is a  four week time line with a rest day every fourth day. It has a variation of 5 different squats to work different muscles. I also plan to run every other day this coming week. I may have to take it slow but something is better than nothing right?

As for the marinara sauce, you will never want to buy a jar of sauce again.  I found this recipe through a court reporting friend who introduced me to the Karma Chow website.

Mel's Zesty Marinara Sauce

Ingredients:
1 red onion, diced
1 c. shitake mushrooms, sliced thinly (I have tried to force myself to like mushrooms but I can't do it, so I leave these out)
4 cloves garlic, minced (I always use quite a bit more than this. I can't get enough)
2 tsp. oregano
1 tsp. thyme
1 TBL Tamari (This is a gluten free soy sauce - I am assuming regular soy sauce would work but I had this on hand so I normally use it)
1 TBL balsamic vinegar

 Extra Virgin Olive Oil

1/2 can tomato paste
2 - 28 oz cans fire roasted crushed tomatoes (In my small town store I can never find the fire roasted, so I just use plain crushed tomatoes)
Salt & pepper to taste
2 tsp. Agave Nectar
2 TBL fresh basil, chopped (I have to use dried most of the time because of the small town store)

Before I ever add in the tamari, agave, and balsamic, I like to use the immersion blender to make sure my sauce it completely smooth. I don't like chunky sauces so this is my way around that. 

After adding in the tamari, agave, and balsamic, I added in some meat. I prefer to use ground turkey. If you do choose to use turkey you will need to season it. It is very bland. I just use an Italian seasoning which seems to do the trick. I would taste it though because it needs more than you would think. 

I hope you all enjoy this marinara sauce as much as I do!