Google Reader --> Bloglovin'

Several months ago, Google made an announcement that made me very sad. Apparently Google Reader wasn't popular enough, so they will be terminating it in July. I use Google Reader almost every day, so this was very surprising to hear. I follow A LOT of blogs, and having them all in one place makes it a lot easier to keep up with. As soon as I read the announcement, I knew I needed to find a replacement. I read a lot of blog posts about everyone's favorite new reader, and gave a few a try. Bloglovin' is where I ended up. It's very easy to use, and I like the format. I wanted to be able to organize everything based on unread posts and by each blog. You can create groups for where the different things you follow are organized. The one downside is that even though it advertises that you can switch everything from your Google Reader over, it didn't work perfectly. It took a week or so, of comparing what came in via Google Reader vs what came in through Bloglovin'. Now that I made the switch, I am very happy!

I just found out today that you can "claim" your own blog on Bloglovin'. Apparently you can get statistics based on who reads it through the reader, and how many followers you have. Here is how you can follow me through Bloglovin'!
Follow Me With Bloglovin'

What are all of you using as a reader?

Gym Doubleheader

Since I last posted, I have gone to the gym not once, but twice! Last night for a strength workout, and this morning for a run. Here's what I did!

Wednesday Workout: June 12, 2013

Assisted Pullups:
I moved to 70lbs assistance last night, and was pretty happy with how I did. Especially considering that I couldn't even do any at 70, the last time I tried.
70lbs assistance: 5, 4, 3

Assisted Dips:
90lbs assistance: 5, 5, 5

I did the workout I linked on Sunday! Joey gave me his expert opinion that on its own, it wouldn't be a complete workout. So I did a 10-2 ladder as a warmup.

10-2 Ladder:
Hamstring curls (stability ball)
21 guns (12.5lb DBs)
Lunge with twist (12.5lb DB)
Stability ball V-pass
Stability ball squats
Triceps dip (stability ball)
Squat and reach (stability ball)
Chest press (12.5lb DBs)

Super Sweaty Tabata Supersets (from Fit Fab Cities)

Tabata 1:
Burpees 20 seconds/ rest 10 seconds
Jumping jacks 20 seconds/rest 10 seconds
Repeat for 4 minutes

Rest 1 minute

Strength 1:
30 seconds pushups
30 seconds walking lunges
Repeat for total of 3 times through (no breaks throughout!)

Rest 1 minute

Tabata 2:
High knees run 20 seconds/rest 10 seconds
Side-side leaps 20 seconds/rest 10 seconds
Repeat for 4 minutes

Rest 1 minute

Strength 2:
30 seconds DB rows
30 seconds squats with shoulder press
Repeat for total of 3 times through (no breaks)

Rest 1 minute

Tabata 3:
Jump squats 20 seconds/rest 10 seconds
Mountain climbers 20 seconds/rest 10 seconds
Repeat for 4 minutes

Strength 3:
30 seconds reverse lunges
30 seconds planks
Repeat for total of 3 times through (no breaks)

Running: June 13, 2013

I had an early day in lab, and had to be in ~6:30. I finished up with what I was doing ~7:30, and then had a break until 11. I took that time to go back to the gym. I ran from lab to gym, which was ~0.8 miles. Then I did some running on the indoor track. I ran 1 mile, walked for a bit, then ran another mile. From there, I walked back home to shower (1 mile walk). It's so humid out, that just walking back into lab made me feel like I need another shower.
Running totals: 2.8 miles, ~9:20/mile pace
Walking totals (so far): 3 miles

Here's a note on a few things I'm thinking about doing here on the blog. Since Sunday is the day that I post my weekly finds (latest pinterest obsessions), I'm thinking about making Saturday my weekly garden update. Hopefully I'll have lots of progress, and in not too long will have actual veggies that we're harvesting. I also updated my workout basics page to include more descriptions, links and more. Hopefully that is helpful to anyone reading this. (Is anyone actually reading this???)

Running and Blueberries

After close to two weeks of no running, I finally got in a run today. There were a lot of things out of my control, like moving, and getting no sleep due to mysterious hives (they all went away and no new ones since Saturday morning, thank goodness), but I also just didn't really want to. Yesterday I started thinking that a run could be nice. I almost contemplated getting up early this morning to go on one, but stopped once I got into bed past midnight. I had originally planned on doing yoga this afternoon, since I have an experiment on Thursday. The summer instructor schedule changes every week, and I found out that my least favorite instructor was teaching today. That took yoga off the agenda, and I immediately decided to go on a run instead. I am such a baby about running in the heat (especially when it's 80+ and humid), so I went to the AFC instead. All of the good treadmills were taken, so I went upstairs to the indoor track. And there, I had a really nice run, which made me remember why I enjoy doing it in the first place.

I did 3 easy miles, in 29:52 (9:57/mile pace). Then I did some sprints - I went full speed for half a lap (~75 meters), then a slow jog for a full lap (~150 meters), and did that 3 times in a total of 3:55. I finished off with some walking, to do a total of 4 miles in 41:33.

Then I rushed home, showered, and headed out for blueberry and raspberry picking! There's a place called The Berry Patch ~30 minutes from UVA. They don't have a website, so you have to call their hotline to find out when the picking season starts, and what their hours are. I called this morning on my walk into work, and was very excited to hear that they just opened! They specifically said that the blueberries were great, but the raspberries were of poor quality and there weren't many of them. I covered all of my skin with long pants and long sleeves, to ward off the hives I normally get from coming into contact with fruit bushes and plants (I'm basically allergic to nature) and planned on getting lots and lots of blueberries. And that I did! We picked 10 pints of blueberries, and 2 pints of raspberries! The best part is that the total came to $17. It would have been at least three times that in the store.

Of course by the time I got home I was starving. After the gym I had a granola bar, some powerade, and a handful of dried fruit and nuts. Nothing sounded good to me once I got home. I was seriously considering cereal and ice cream until Joey gave me the idea of a sandwich. And that is how this creation was born:

Recipe: Mustard and Brown Sugar Tilapia Sandwich with Spinach, Tomato and Feta
From: Me
Yield: 1

Ingredients:
1 tilapia filet
~1 tbsp dijon mustard
1 tsp brown sugar
s&p
handful spinach leaves
2-3 big slices of tomato
2 slices feta (in brine)
your favorite sandwich bread/bun

Directions:
Preheat oven to 375 F. Line a pan with foil. Put the tilapia on the pan, sprinkle with s&p. Spread the mustard on top of the fish, then sprinkle with brown sugar.

Bake ~10 minutes, or until fish flakes easily with fork.

Assemble the sandwich in whichever order you would prefer, but this is how I did it:
Bottom bread
Spinach leaves
Feta
Tilapia
Tomato
Top bread

Slice sandwich (if you dare - it will be very tall) and enjoy!

Then for dessert I had a yogurt with my delicious raspberries! It was one of the new chobani flip yogurts - coconut greek yogurt with toasted almonds and dark chocolate. I couldn't think of anything better to go with it than my fresh raspberries. Yum.