It's something I've wanted for years, but we were waiting for the right time to make the leap. We knew it would be an investment, worth the wait, pricey but something to cherish. And now that it's here, I can't tell you how excited I am.
Naturally, I'm talking about my new Kitchen Aid Stand Mixer.
There's actually some interesting back story to this beauty:
For our wedding in 2011, we registered for a stand mixer, and we even received one as a generous gift from my Aunt Susan. After some research, however, and after we did not get the food processor we also registered for, we decided to exchange the stand mixer for the food processor. I don't necessarily regret this decision, as we have put the processor to good use over the last few years, but I've lusted after a Kitchen Aid since then. When I see them on cooking shows, I whimper a little.
Anyway, we had a few Williams-Sonoma gift cards saved up, and we finally decided to bite the bullet last week. With rebates and gift cards, we ended up paying very little for what would normally have been way too expensive, so it felt like a gift after all.
Of course, Williams-Sonoma was out of stock of the color we wanted, so they placed the order for us, and my new friend arrived yesterday. I e-mailed Terry at work and said I felt like there should have been music when I opened the box. He wrote back, "A choir of angels, perhaps?" This is why we're married.
Of course, I washed all the parts right away so I could make something last night, but we had an abundance of sweets in the house (brownies, homemade chocolate ice cream, you know, the usual). So I opted for some simple whipped cream, something that used to take up to 20 minutes with a hand mixer. And now I fear I will eat whipped cream with every meal because it's just so easy to make.
Anyway, I'm so excited for this addition to our kitchen. Even in our tiny place, we are willing to give up some counter space to leave it out for all the world to see. And it's just so beautiful.
Okay, back to real life. Today turned out to be super mellow and included a lovely catch-up lunch with Jenn and a killer workout with Terry. He's expressed interest in increasing his strength workouts (frequency and intensity), so I designed a lovely little doozy for him to complete after work today.
This workout would be great for almost anyone with a little strength training experience, but I kept my own workout more toned down (supersets with one cable and one stable exercise, 12 reps each, 3 times per set).
Note: I recommend a slightly more emphasized warm up (<--one of my most popular posts ever!) in this case because the exercises call for a heavy weight right off the bat. Here's Terry's warm up:
- 7 minutes incline walking on the treadmill (any cardio will do)
- 15 push ups (wide grip)
- arm circles, alternating directions
- 15 push ups (close grip)
- 25 crunches, legs up
And here's the workout:
Some notes:
- I tried to make it clear in the graphic, but you're doing each set twice. The first time, you complete 8-10 reps with a heavy weight (should be near fatigue by the last few reps). The second time through the set, you complete each exercise to fatigue with the same weight (unless you really feel the need to drop the weight a little for the sake of form).
- For each core exercise (*), you'll complete 25 reps the first time and then reps to fatigue the second time through.
- Since you're working the same muscles (chest, triceps, core) the entire time, be sure to rest as needed. No need to rush this one.
Later tonight, I got an "F-you, Julie" from my sweetheart of a husband because his arms were already so sore. It was one of the best compliments he's ever given me. :-)
Hope you like it, too. :-) Off to enjoy some of our favorite shows and more of that whipped cream!
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