Almost halfway through the week!  Completely embarrassed myself today on a call when I tried to schedule a status meeting for next Monday only to be informed that it is in fact a holiday.  This week has already been a whirlwind of stress due to a multitude of different projects and responsibilities I have been focusing on at work, so this little break is more than welcome.

Not sure how this weekend will top last though.  I ended up having a great time trying out some new recipes and playing around in the kitchen.  I recently came across a recipe for Falafel Burgers from Kayla Itsine’s HELP guide that featured ingredients I already had on hand, so naturally I had to whip them up.

I’m not sure I would have called them falafel burgers, but they were definitely delicious.  My boyfriend and I dined on them with a little toasted pita and some homemade tzatziki sauce.  To make the tzatzki, I just mixed a small cup of greek yogurt with some finely chopped zucchini, a tsp and some of dill, a half a clove of finely chopped garlic and a squirt of lemon juice.  The “Falafel Burgers” took awhile to cook all the way through and we ended up dubbing them hot, crunch hummus burgers because that’s really more what they tasted like.  That being said, they were definitely enjoyed by all and I have been eagerly enjoying leftovers these past two days.

To work this all off, I got to work on round two of BBG Week 2.  The arms and abs portion today was the death of me.

No workout should include both commandos and mountain climber push-ups.  But god was I proud of myself.  The first time I did this workout was in my shoddy hotel room in Las Vegas the morning before a work conference.  My weights consisted of an ice bucket and a water bottle for the squat and presses and I suffered from some severeeeee rug burn on my elbows from my embarrasing first attempt at commandos.  For those who don’t know what commandos are, it is when you go from a plank on your elbows to a plank in push-up position repeatedly.  They are not so fun.  But, lately, I have come to enjoy them in a love-hate sort of way.  I hate them because they’re so darn exhausting, but I love them because each time I do them I see improvements in myself.  When I did this workout the first time around, I was stopping every 4th commando to curse the high heavens and wipe the ever present sweat off my forehead so it didn’t blind me.  Then, by the last set, I would be all knees all day.  Today, however, was a horse of a different color.  Did I struggle with the commandos?  Of course I did, I am human.  But did I stop or drop to my knees?  No.  No, I did not.  I did 24 commandos non-stop holding plank position the entire time.  That feeling of accomplishment and being able to do something that you never thought possible is a feeling that can’t be compared to much else.  If you haven’t experienced this, I challenge you to pick something that is tough for you.  It could be holding a plank for a minute, doing 15 push-ups in a row, or holding a wall sit for awhile.  Practice it a little bit every day and then test yourself in a week or so to see how much easier it is and how much better you’ve gotten.

When I was pursuing music, they would always reiterate to us “practice doesn’t make perfect, perfect practice makes perfect”.  This couldn’t be more true.  Focus on your form and keep the practicing coming.  You won’t get better unless you put your all into it.  And the feeling that comes from doing something you never thought possible will be worth all of those practice sessions.

-sj