Sunday, October 4, 2015

A Botanical Garden Kind of Day + Squat Challenge Details

Terry, Marshall, and I woke up this morning to a lovely, cool day! Clouds and everything!


We enjoyed some waffles and tea and headed out for a family walk up to the UCLA Botanical Garden. The weather was perfect for the walk and meandering through the trees, saying hello to the turtles(!), and fitting in our daily squat challenge (see below!). Marshall loved the turtles and the waterfalls most.





We apparently enjoyed a slow morning, because we got home right around Marshall's lunch time. I threw together some Blue Apron leftovers for us to enjoy, and then we settled Marshall in for his nap. Then it was yoga time for Terry and me, plus some stretching, dishes, blogging, and tea. Once Marshall woke up again, we played it close to home with lots of indoor play time, a short walk around the block, a batch of coconut brownies (YUM), and a Blue Apron meal.


Tonight we watched Once Upon a Time (Prince Charming, you are just a treat). A lovely, low key Sunday.


Also, I finished up the squat challenge calendar!

By the way, I'm doing the whole Squat Challenge thing in addition to regular workouts. We're still doing yoga, lots of walking, maybe a little running, and upper body workouts. I'm also incorporating 1-2 full rest days per week, plus lots of stretching and foam rolling.

Here's the first week:

Day 2: (3-4 rounds) --we did 3 rounds, and those wall sits were killer
15 squats
15 plie squats
1 minute wall sit
1 min plie squat pulses

Day 4: (10 minutes total) -- did this one today, and it was actually pretty tough!
5 squats + 5 jump squats (repeat for one minute, then rest for one minute)

Day 6: (2-3 rounds)
Stepping side squats (switch sides every 5-10 steps) - 1 minute
Side lunge - 1 minute each side
Curtsy lunge - 1 minute each side

Day 8: Plie Squat Challenge
Plie squat + 3 plie squat pulses + plie squat + plie squat jump = 1 rep
Complete 10 reps, then 9, then 8...3, 2, 1 (rest as needed)

Day 10:
20 squats
20 forward lunges per leg
20 back lunges per leg
(2-3 rounds)


Oh, and here are a few photos from our first family UCLA game experience. We arrived in the middle of the first quarter and left at halftime, which was just about perfect. Marshall did GREAT (eating and looking for the Goodyear Blimp kept him quite entertained!), and we avoided the crazy crowds at the end of the game. Unfortunately, we had to park super far away from the entrance to the stadium, so we had about a mile and a half or so to walk with Marshall on Terry's shoulders. Of course, that morning we had chosen to take a family hike, too, so we ended the day with about 20,000 steps! Yowza.

The morning hike


Go Bruins!



Meal plan for the week--er, at least the first half:

Sunday: Blue Apron meal
Monday: Parmesan and butter pasta with peas and Brussels sprouts
Tuesday: Ina's Mexican Chicken Tortilla Soup
Wednesday: Pita pizzas--my parents will be in town but are going out on their own for their anniversary


And now it's time for bed to get this week started. Hope yours is a wonderful one!

1 comment: