Summer Lovin’

Top ‘o the Mornin’ to ya Bloggies! 🙂  Happy 1st Day of Summer! 😎

I don’t know about you, but I was ready to get my day started bright and early with a workout.  Unfortunately, my time was strictly limited to 30 minutes this morning, so I had to make the most of it — and that meant some High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT).

HIIT is a specialized form of interval training that involves short intervals of maximum intensity exercise separated by longer intervals of low to moderate intensity exercise. Because it involves briefly pushing yourself beyond the upper end of your aerobic exercise zone, it offers you several advantages that traditional steady exercise can’t provide.

My HIIT looked like this:

Warm Up –        5 mins

Sprint @ 9.0 – 20 seconds

Walk @ 4.5 –    40 seconds

Repeat sprint/walk intervals for 20 minutes

Cool Down –    5 mins

It was quick but INTENSE.  I really enjoy doing the HIIT workouts, and I was definitely feelin’ the burn (not to mention the sweat!)

After sitting for about 10 minutes to try to cool down, (so I wouldn’t sweat throughout my whole shower) I showered up, got ready, and headed into the kitchen for some breakfast.

I present to you, one of the best oatmeal bowls I’ve had in a LONG time:

Craisin’ Raisin Oats!

In the mix:

-1/3 cup oats

-1/3 cup vanilla almond milk

-1/3 cup water

-1/2 smashed banana

-golden raisins

–Craisins

-1/2 tsp vanilla extract

-sprinkle of cinnamon

As usual, it was the toppings that stole the show with this bowl — a sprinkle of granola, a small spoonful of Skippy Natural Super Chunk PB, AND a new guest appearance:

A CranBran VitaTop

Last week, the company sent me a fabulous sampler pack with 13 different varieties of VitaTops to test out.  How fun, right? Thanks Vitalicious! 🙂

According to the website:

The VitaTop, a “one-hand” satisfying snack food with the portability of a bar, is easy to eat anywhere, anytime. At your desk or on the road, these handy muffin tops fit conveniently into a purse, briefcase, work out bag, backpack and lunchbox.

Finally, a healthy low-calorie, low-fat, all natural product that actually delivers what it promises:

• Taste – winner of the “Award of Excellence” from the American Tasting Institute
• Nutrients – contains 15 vitamins, minerals, soy and oat bran
• Control – only 100 calories per 2-oz serving
• Health – high in fiber (5-6g per serving)… and they are kosher
• Satisfaction – leaves you feeling full because fiber-rich foods take longer to digest
• Peace of mind – all natural muffin tops with no artificial additives or preservatives

My honest review of the CranBran:

I took it out of the freezer last night to defrost so it would be ready for the morning.  On its own, it tasted a little bit dry, but still had good flavor.  However, when it was crumbled on top of my oats, it gave the oatmeal a fabulous texture and flavor that totally melded with the cranberries in my oats.  So overall, as an oatmeal topper, these are definitely a WINNER!  I’d be interested to try them toasted too…?  I can’t wait to try some of the other varities. 😀

Along with my super creamy, absolutely delicious oats, I enjoyed a mug of iced coffee (with skim milk and PureVia) that Jay brewed up last night (he’s so good!) 😉

 In honor of the First Day of Summer, I thought I’d share a fun little idea with you all – A Summer Acrostic Poem!  To me, Summer is:

Soft serve ice cream with rainbow sprinkles 😛

Umbrella drinks

Many barbecues with friends and family

Mosquitoes — YUCK 😯

Excellent selections of produce! (hello tomatoes & corn on the cob!) 😛

Relaxing by the pool 8)

What would YOUR Summer acrostic poem look like?  Feel free to copy and paste yours into a comment – this should be fun! 🙂