Happy New Year! I hope that everyone had a safe and fun New Year’s Eve. I spent most of my day working followed by some baking and a very low-key celebration with friends.
I had to pick up some nice chocolate for my baking projects so I treated myself to a salad from the Whole Foods hot/salad bar for lunch. Then I had to patiently wait for my salad to digest so that I could workout and get out of the gym.
For my workout, I warmed up with two miles on the treadmill followed by the following strength circuit three times through.
15 sumo deadlift high pull with 35# kettlebell
10 decline pushups with feet on box
15 kettlebell swings 35#
10 lunges (each leg) with back leg on box
15 bosu crunches
10 bosu hip bridges
The workout was really nothing to write home about but something else exciting came out of it. I got the idea in my head that I was going to try to do a dead hang pullup when I finished running on the treadmill. I have actively been working on pullups for the last year. At the beginning of 2012 it was all I could do to just hang from the bar. I could do pushups forever but pullups were so challenging to me and I could barely do them with assistance from a spotter or a band. With a lot of practice and hard work I finally got my kipping pullups in July. Despite the fact that I had built a lot of strength and could kip, I still couldn’t do a dead hang pullup.I would give it a try every so often and it would never happen…no matter how determined I was.
Until yesterday!!! I went for it and it finally happened. And it wasn’t a fluke – I did four of them while I was playing around on the pullup bars. What a HUGE strength gain to end 2012! I cannot believe that I am strong enough to do a dead hang pullup. This is definitely a goal achieved!
Pullup videos and now pictures of Oreos…that’s how we roll over here. 😉 I wanted to make Oreo truffles for New Year’s Eve and couldn’t believe my eyes when I went to Harris Teeter to pick up Oreos and saw that they are now making Peanut Butter Oreos. There was no question that these were coming home with me.
Let’s talk about the magic of Oreo Truffles if you’re not familiar. Basically, you crush Oreos and mix the crumbs with cream cheese. You roll the mixture into balls and dip it in chocolate. It’s pretty amazing. (Although I make no nutritional claims about these!)
Oreo Truffles
18 Oreos, crushed
4 ounces cream cheese, softened
8 ounces bittersweet chocolate, melted
Mix together Oreos and softened cream cheese. I like to use a mixer for this to make sure it really gets combined. Roll the mixture into tablespoon sized balls and dip in melted chocolate. I find it easiest to drop them into the chocolate and then gently roll them around with a fork and carefully remove to a plate covered with wax or parchment paper. Place in fridge or freezer to set. This yields about 15 truffles.
I also made sugar cookie bars from a recipe that I saw on Pinterest but it turn out as good as I hoped. Oh well…I had the Oreo Truffles to make up for what these lacked!
I spent New Year’s Eve snacking, drinking wine and chatting with friends. It was exactly what I needed it to be. A quiet close to a year that I don’t even have adequate words to succinctly express my feelings about. I’m just glad it’s over.
Are you more low key or go big on New Year’s Eve?
Those truffles sound so good. Congrats on the dead hang pull-up! That’s amazing! Sounds like a great New Years for you, especially if it’s what you wanted. I usually like having a more laid back New Years with just a few friends, but actually enjoyed a pretty big one last night. It was actually really fun too.
thanks lisa! happy new year! glad you had a fun night out on the town!
That pull up is awesome…I could never do that! Glad 2012 is over. 2013 is going to be so much better!!
amen!
Oh my gosh I need peanut butter Oreos in my life! Those looks incredible. I usually have big nights out for NYE but I’m guessing I will start to do more relaxing ones starting next year. A nice dinner with friends sounds like a great way to end the year.
yes! love dinners with friends for special occasions.
Congrats on the pull-ups Jen! This is something I feel like would be a great goal for myself as well because I’ve struggled to do pull-ups and lack upper body strength. Perhaps this is a goal I will contemplate for the near future. I am a runner and don’t incorporate a lot of strength training and I think this is something I can work on as well which would help me in the pull-up department. Also saw you made the oreo truffles, I made these for Christmas and they were a HUGE hit with my families. There are several different kinds of Oreos to try the recipe with including birthday cake oreos!! The hardest part for me was dipping them in chocolate and despite them not being the prettiest dessert they definitely make up for it in flavor. Enjoy the rest of your day!
hey jackie – i can’t recommend strength training enough for everyone…especially women and woemen who run.
birthday cake oreos sound amazing! the whole appearance thing is the reason why i used sprinkles! 🙂
My New Year’s was a happy medium. Instead of braving the cold to go to a bar, I went to a house party in my neighborhood.
Those Oreo truffles look phenomenal!
that sounds perfect to me! 🙂
happy new year!
congrats on the dead hang pull up!!; I am working on kipping and am close but just cant get the ‘pushing’ part of the pull up and end up looking like a butterfly pull up, havent had time to really practice hard but will start!
i hear you hannah – the kipping motion is so hard to get down. it’s not exactly the most natural movement for your body. especially the whole idea of “pushing” away from the bar. you’ll get it!
Congratulations!! Huge accomplishment! I want to be able to do pull-ups so badly, so this was an awesome inspiration 🙂 Happy New year!!!
thanks laura! happy new year!
Congrats on the pull-ups, that is awesome! I’m with you in that I’m not sorry to see 2012 go! A year full of losses for me. Praying for a new year filled with love, success, and happiness for all!
i echo everything you said. hoping that it’s a good year for you! xo
I’ve been reading your blog for a couple years now and truly appreciate your effort to be authentic and real here as well as respectful in honoring to your self. It’s a hard balance on the blog I’m sure, but you’re an inspiration and your light shines bright!
Also, I’ve never made these truffles, but have eaten many! I make homemade Oreos more often than I’d like to admit, perhaps a homemade Oreo truffle next? Good heavens! Last night I made browned butter & sea salted rice Krispy treats from the Smitten Kitchen cookbook, yummy!!
ally – thank you. your comment means so much to me. i really appreciate you being a long-term reader and saying such kind words. it is hard to balance at times but in the end it’s all worthwhile because of the connections i make through my blog with so many amazing people.
omg…your rice krispies sound amazing!
You are awesome! Happy new year 🙂
:O! thank you! happy new year!
Oh my goodness I am craving a big Whole Foods salad after all the holiday sweets! Have a great New Year!
What are those delicious strawberry spinach kabobs?!
spinach, brie, strawberries, crushed pistachios and balsamic. yummy!
Congrats on the pullups! I have vivid memories from elementary school gym class of just hanging on the bar because I couldn’t pull my body up, but during my college basketball days, I was able to work my way up to doing one. Progress is progress. 😉 (Although I’m probably back to being able to do zero now!)
haha – oh the old days of elementary school playgrounds and presidential fitness tests! 😉
Peanut Butter Oreo’s are you kidding me? HA! And that recipe looks easy and delicious. I went to a friend’s apartment in Hoboken for a get together, but it ended up being kind of a lonely night for me. I’m hoping to make 2013 a much better year for ME. I need to, because life is too short.
do it girl! xo
I’m totally a low key NYE kinda girl. I was asleep on the couch at 8 battling a nasty cold and woke up to watch the ball drop and give my sweet husband a kiss before I went back to sleep. We made Oreo balls with Trader Joes Peppermint Jo Jos this year for Christmas. Did you know they are dairy free?! We subbed Toffuti “cream cheese” for the real stuff. No one knew these were a delicious dairy free treat! Wishing you the peace, happiness and joy you deserve in 2013 Jen!!!
aw, i’m sorry your were sick on NYE. there is so much crud going around. um…your version of oreo truffles sounds so good! happy new year to you too!
Kick Ass! I dream of doing one someday as well. Nothing beats the feeling of finally being able to do something you’ve worked so hard for! Absolutely needed to be rewarded with Oreo truffles 🙂
thanks girl! yes, it is an amazing feeling to achieve fitness goals…especially when they seem impossible at first!
happy new year!
Jen, I’ve been reading your blog for a while but I rarely comment. I just wanted you to know this post made me smile because it seems like you’re cheering up and that things are going better!! New year, new goals! I feel like I’ve been reinvigorated…so much to look forward to this year with spring coming and summer travel/beach. I’m trying to keep the happy times in mind and ignore the frigid cold here in D.C. Anyways, hope you have a great month!!
christina – thank you for reading and taking the time to leave such a thoughtful and kind comment. i am always waiting for warm weather and beach time. i just cannot handle the cold either! happy new year!
I love that you always inspire me! Your post on getting over the anxiety of going to a new yoga studio pushed me to go and i love it! I love how i feel and i can see other areas of my life improving as well. Ive been workin on trying to do a pullup for the past few months. Ive been slacking lately but youve inspired me to get back at it!:) thanks so much for all you do and happy new year !
aw, thanks! i’m so happy that i can provide a little inspiration! have a strong and happy new year!
I always find New Years a bit overrated. Friends and wine sounds about right. We were traveling and I was shocked how packed the airports were!
your trip looked incredible…worth traveling on new year’s for!
So proud of you for getting a dead-hang pull up 🙂 Isn’t that a great feeling? I’m the exact opposite of you– I’ve had a few dead-hangs for a while but I can’t seem to get the hang of the kipping motion. Not being able to do them diminishes my credibility as a Crossfitter, so I hope to get them soon!
thanks! yes, it was a huge and needed boost for me as i have been feeling physically unchallenged lately. you’ll get the kipping – it is just such an unnatural movement. i still have a hard time really stringing them together.
Impressive ! I have a strong upper body (lot of ashtanga yoga), but I’ve never tried this kind of move ! // Low key new year’s eve ! It’s the best, with a lot of bubbles !
anne – i practice a ton of yoga too (love ashtanga!) but the problem with yoga is that there are no pulling motions. it’s all pushing. so i’ve found that working pullups has opened a whole new world of strength possibilities for me!
hope you had a great new year with lots of bubbly! 🙂
Jen, congrats on the pull – up. This is one of my goals for the year. I would love to see what your progression was to achieve the pull up. Do you think you could post a progression of exercises that one could use to build to a pull up? Thanks!