There were times when it felt difficult and maybe uncomfortable.  Yet, I let myself be distracted by “Howie Do It”, and I reached the finished line. 

When I got off the bike, I was sweaty, but I felt a great sense of accomplishment.  I drank some Crystal Light and paused for a few minutes to catch my breath before continuing my day.

There was such a marked difference in my day.  I caught myself think about exercise as I was walking into work, and I was happy to realize that I had already completed my exercise.  I felt back on track with my plan.

EatingIntuitively.com is a paid affiliate of Nutrisystem, Inc.

The goal now is to do this every day.  I want to have this feeling every day.  It feels so crappy when I miss my exercise.

How does exercise make you feel?  Do you see it as a chore?  Does it energize you?  Is it a little bit of both?  Please share in the comments.

On another note, I received my NutriSystem Select frozen foods from Schwan’s.  The driver asked me if I had seen Schwan’s on Celebrity Apprentice.  When I replied yes, he shared with me a special that includes the two meals created on the show plus a dessert.  Since they are LiveSmart items, they are compatible with the NutriSystem Select plan.  So, I bought them, and I’ll try them soon.

Breakfast:  Harvest Nut Bar; Egg; Banana; Bread, oatmeal; Morning Coffee

Morning Snack:  Ham, low-fat; Banana

Lunch:  Chicken Salad; Zucchini, cooked

Afternoon Snack:  BBQ Soy Chips

Dinner:  Pasta Fagioli; Cauliflower, cooked; Mandarin Oranges; Oil, canola, olive, peanut, safflower; Barley, cooked

Dessert:  Blueberry Parfait

Drinks:  Crystal Light

Exercise:  30 minutes on recumbent bike at 138 bpm.  16.67% of weekly exercise goal is complete.

Pedometer:  ?

The phone rang this morning around 10:30am, and it was the Schwan’s delivery person.  I knew Schwan’s would be delivering today from the automated phone call and the e-mail, but he was calling to find out the best time to make the delivery.  It so happens I was home today, so he came over right away.

When I answered the door, he walked in with a big box and a small box.  Most of the frozen food is in the big box (obviously), and the smaller box seems to have only ice cream sandwiches. 

As though I have never ordered from Schwan’s before, he went on to describe to me the schedule and the catalog.  I must say he was very sensitive to the NutriSystem plan.  He offered other foods from the catalog, but he was sure to point out the healthy options called “LiveSmart”.  He convinced me to buy some breakfast steak and some frozen fruit cups.

EatingIntuitively.com is a paid affiliate of Nutrisystem, Inc.

The most important part is the new foods, and, silly me, I didn’t take any pictures of my own.  I’m afraid you’re going to have to go by my description of the meals until you try them yourself!

Margherita Pizza:  Schwan’s has really great pizzas.  I absolutely love their breakfast pizza.  I was happy to see this pizza in the big box.  I opted to follow the Conventional Oven instructions and baked the pizza at 425 for about 10 minutes.  The result was a crispy crust, melted cheese, and the taste of fresh tomatoes.  It’s a great lunch!

Peach Crisp:  I certainly like the idea of this dessert.  A frozen concoction of peaches, cinnamon and a streusel topping gets hot and delicious in the microwave within two minutes.  I’m afraid my microwave is too hot or something, because I feel I nuked it too long.  There was some splatter, and it was a little dried out.  Next time, I’m going to microwave it in 15-second increments until it is ready.

Asian-Style Beef:  This dinner has everything you’d expect:  beef, broccoli, red peppers, water chestnuts, rice.  The beef was tasty, but overall I think a little more flavor is needed.  I had some black bean sauce in the refrigerator that did the trick.   The water chestnuts are not my favorite, but they are typically found in some Asian dishes.  So, I’ll just work with them or around them.  The preparation in the microwave was really simple and no drying out!

I have plenty more new meals to try tomorrow, and I am going to take pictures!

Have you tried any of these frozen meals from the NutriSystem Select plan?  If so, what did you think?  Please post your thoughts in the comments.

Breakfast:  Apple Strudel Bar; Egg Whites; Banana; Bread, sourdough; Morning Coffee

Morning Snack:  Cheese, lowfat; Banana

Lunch:  Margherita Pizza; Cucumber; FF Dressing

Afternoon Snack:  Peach Crisp

Dinner:  Asian – Style Beef; Brussel Sprouts, cooked; Mandarin Oranges; Oil, canola, olive, peanut, safflower; Rice, brown, cooked

Dessert:  Chocolate Peanut Butter Bar

Drinks:  Crystal Light; water; Diet Pepsi Max

Exercise:  30 minutes on the recumbent bike at 138 bpm.  I’m at 33.33% of my weekly exercise goal.

Pedometer:  ?

Saturday is the designated day for my weekly strength-building exercises, and today I began to evolve my weekly session by doing compound exercises exclusively. 

I met with the trainer at 7am, and he introduced me to several exercises.  There was only one that I had already been doing.  Well, it was not the exact same machine, but it was the same exercise.

The new exercises work many muscles at once, rather than focusing on just one muscle.  I want to do compound exercises, so I get the most out of my one-hour of muscle building.

The greatest thing about the compound exercises are that they, by and large, require control.  Instead of just moving a weight along a track, as with a machine, I often have to balance the weight.  With the bench press, I lifted the weight up and down, and I spent some effort keeping the bar in balance. 

I have another appointment with the trainer next week.

What is your experience with compound exercises?  If you look at your routine, how many exercises are isolation exercises, and how many are compound exercises?  Do you get more benefit from the compound exercises?

EatingIntuitively.com is a paid affiliate of Nutrisystem, Inc.

On another note, I called NutriSystem today and converted to NutriSystem Select.  It took a little bit of time and effort, but I should receive my first NutriSystem Select order sometime soon.  I’ll get the prepackaged food as I normally do, and I should get a delivery from Schwan’s in February.  I can’t wait to get the frozen foods!

Breakfast:  NutriFrosted Crunch Cereal; Egg Whites; Raisins; Bread, oatmeal; Morning Coffee

Morning Snack:  Crabmeat; Cherries

Lunch:  Hearty Minestrone Soup; Lettuce, green or red leaf; FF Dressing

Afternoon Snack:  BBQ Soy Chips

Dinner:  Three Cheese Pasta with Chicken; Bell Peppers, red or green, cooked; Strawberries; Oil, canola, olive, peanut, safflower; Pasta, cooked al dente

Dessert:  Chocolate Chocolate Chip Pudding

Drinks:  Crystal Light; water

Exercise:  60 minutes of strength building exercises.  I’ve completed 83.33% of my weekly exercise goal.  I’m going on a hike tomorrow for at least 90 minutes.  That’ll put me over my goal for the week.

Pedometer:  ?

Had I done my due diligence (i.e., Google it!) at that time, I would have learned that Schwan’s and NutriSystem have partnered to develop frozen meals.  Here are the basic facts:

• The new line of frozen meals will be called NutriSystem Select.
• Schwan’s will deliver the meals through their delivery network.
• We can expect a full launch in the first quarter of 2009.

EatingIntuitively.com is a paid affiliate of Nutrisystem, Inc.

I have used Schwan’s home delivery service, and I like it.  All of the food is delivered frozen, and it can go from the freezer to the dinner table fairly quickly (except for the ice cream!).

Schwan’s has a LiveSmart line of food choices that are on the healthy side.  So, it will be interesting to see how NutriSystem and Schwan’s will position NutriSystem Select.  Will the LiveSmart line continue to exist alongside NutriSystem Select?  Or will it become one line?  Since the auto-delivery is so important to the NutriSystem Advanced plan, how will Schwan’s work with the auto-delivery?

Needless to say, I am a fan of NutriSystem Advanced.  It has helped me lose 76 pounds, and it will help me reach my goal.  I am sure of it.  I look forward to more ways to enjoy NutriSystem foods, and I hope this partnership with Schwan’s will lead to more great options.

So, how do you think this partnership will work?  Please post in the comments.

Breakfast:  Lemon Poppyseed Muffin; Egg; Banana; Bread, oatmeal; Morning Coffee

Morning Snack:  Crabmeat; Banana

Lunch:  Pasta with Beef; Cabbage, raw; FF Dressing

Afternoon Snack:  Cheese Puffs

Dinner:  Mushroom Gravy with Rice and Salisbury Steak; Broccoli, cooked; Mandarin Oranges; Oil, canola, olive, peanut, safflower; Sweet Potato

Dessert:  Chocolatey Nougat Bar with Peanuts and Caramel

Drinks:  Crystal Light; water

Exercise:  30 minutes on recumbent bike at 138 bpm.  33.33% of weekly exercise goal is complete.

Pedometer:  ?