Muscle Recovery Oatmeal

I woke up sore this morning after my legs workout yesterday.  Since setting a goal for this year to increase my strength I have been incorporating a more-disciplined strengthening regimen for the last week and a half.  Previously, I had just been working out at home and using what I had available (limited weights and equipment) or doing P90X workouts occasionally but I didn't have a consistent schedule for working out so I never really felt like I was improving in strength or fitness.  I'll tell you all about my workout below, but first here is my recovery breakfast this morning (along with two glasses of water) :

Recovery Oatmeal
serves 1

1/3 cup old fashioned oats (use gluten-free oats if desired)
1 cup water
1/3 cup egg whites (equivalent to 2 large egg whites)
1 tablespoon or so Chia seeds or Flax seeds
dash of cinnamon
drop of vanilla extract
packet of stevia (or two, optional, or substitute a little brown sugar or maple syrup)
handful of berries (I used frozen  blackberries, thawed for 10 seconds in the microwave)
small dollop of almond butter
small sprinkle of sliced almonds

Combine oats and water on medium heat in a small pot on the stove.  Once oats start to thicken, stir in egg whites and chia seeds.  Keep stirring and stir in cinnamon, vanilla extract and stevia (if using) to heat thoroughly until oats are cooked and oatmeal has thickened.  Serve topped with the berries, almond butter and sliced almonds.

Macro breakdown for Muscle Recovery Oatmeal (for oatmeal described above including 1/4 cup berries, 1/2 tablespoon almond butter, 1/2 tablespoon sliced almonds and 2 packets stevia):
Kcal 328  |  Fat 15g*  |  Carbs 34g total  |  Fiber 11g  |  Protein 14.5g

(*You could decrease the amount of fat by omitting the almond butter or sliced almonds but for me personally, I like a hearty and satisfying breakfast.)

Note:  It's best to eat your recovery oatmeal as soon as possible after an intense strength workout!

For the last week and a half, I've been doing Jamie Eason's LiveFit 12-week Trainer and yesterday was Day 8 Legs and Calves.  I've also been adding in a few extra exercises here and there where I think Jamie's program gives certain muscles short shrift, especially those where I know I'm weak (ahem - glutes, inner calves and hamstrings).

Yesterday's Legs and Calves workout looked like this:

Each exercise is completed 3 sets x12 reps with a 1-minute rest break in between sets.  I included the weights I used yesterday.

Leg Press - 110#
Leg Extensions - 75#
Wide Stance Barbell Squat (I performed these in the Smith machine) - 60#
Seated Hamstring Curl - 80#
Standing Calf Raise - 160#
**Seated Calf Raise - NP
*Standing Single-Leg Calf Raise, toes in - 40#
*Dead Lift (in Smith machine) - 40#
*Single-leg Lunge - #20

*I added these exercises to target specific areas of weakness I recognize in my body
**I did not perform this exercise due to not having the equipment available in the gym


It's a pretty straightforward workout, hitting all of the major areas.  Nothing groundbreaking here but I like having a set routine and I've been writing down my weights that I'm lifting each time I repeat a workout so I can see improvements over time.

Also, I should mention that I ran about a mile yesterday before my workout to warm up!  No foot/ankle pain!  After the workout I rode the stationary bicycle for 30 minutes at moderate speed/resistance while listening to a fitness podcast.  It was awesome!  I felt like I was accomplishing something while I worked out and it helped pass the time quicker since I usually feel that the bike is so boring.


What workout plan do you follow, if any?    Do you listen to podcasts?  If so, have you found any good ones that you can recommend?!!