Week 2

 WEEK II:

    A challenging moment from this week was when we tried making pancakes at Bowen's house. In all of our previous pancaking endeavors, we had used a griddle. This time, however, we were using a pan on a stovetop. The limited space and inability to set an exact temperature led to some troubles. Some of the pancakes merged into each other, some burned-- it was a mess. To make matters worse, when I was putting down the bowl of pancake mix after scooping in some pancakes one time, I accidently pressed the back of my hand into the pan and burned myself pretty badly.

    We didn't let this stop us, though. We carried through with the pancakes and made some eggs and turkey bacon to go with it. Although our pancakes weren't the prettiest, they tasted damn good once they were plated and ready to go. I was proud of the final result and of our group for pushing through the challenges we ran into. Later in the week, I went back to cooking pancakes on a griddle and redeemed myself by making some IHOP-worthy flapjacks.

   This week was also one full of learning. As well as perfecting the art of pancakes, I continued to work on improving my form and technique while working out. I watched some YouTube videos and read a couple articles on the do's and don'ts of several exercises (specifically the SA Dumbbell Row and Rear Fly) in order to prevent injury and maximize their effectiveness. I also learned some new exercises that we used to spice up our workouts. Two of my new favorite alternative for triceps, for example, are skull crushers and triceps kickbacks. I felt a really good burn while doing these and they were a good replacement for the triceps pulldown, which required us to be at a gym.

    In conclusion, I am really happy with the progress I've made towards accomplishing my goals this week. I discovered some healthy new foods I enjoyed, such as turkey bacon and the chicken stir fry, and made progress towards becoming independent in the gym by learning new exercises and improving on my technique. I am looking forward towards continuing on this path next week and am excited to see where I end up by the end of the project.