Three Things Thursday!

1. The Elf For Health Holiday Challenge has begun. We are on day 4 of the challenge and so far I have:

• Gone Meatless on Monday. This was the first time I had actually planned a meatless day and meatless meals. I have definitely had meatless days, many of them, but none of which were actually planned. I really enjoyed going meatless for a day and will be making Meatless Monday’s a regular thing in our house!
• Wrote a note to a friend – actually I wrote two. One was a note to a bestie of mine who is working her butt of to get back in shape after having baby #2. I wrote the note to congratulate her on her progress to date, to let her know how proud I am of her for her commitment to her health and encourage her to keep it up. I was awesome to take a few minutes and actually hand write a note – we text each other all the time – but I definitely think the hand written note was more meaningful. The other note I wrote was a thank you to a friend who helped me through my BodyAttack training. Unfortunately, I forgot to give it to her when I saw her earlier this week, so I will have to pass it on next week.
• Tried a new workout. I found this workout on Pinterest and did it after putting the kids to bed on Wednesday night.

  
  I needed a fun, quick, no equipment necessary workout, and this was it!

• Woken up early to do 15 minutes of meditation/ reflection. It was awesome just to have some quiet time first thing in the morning to get my thoughts in order and think about the past few days. At the end of the 15 minutes, I felt like a load had been lifted from my shoulders, I felt refreshed and ready to start my day. I will definitely be adding this to my daily routine. At least weekdays anyway, not sure I will get 15 minutes of awake time before the kids get up on the weekends!

So far I am totally loving the Elf For Health Challenge I have gotten some great ideas for Meatless Monday meals, new workouts and awesome support from totally random people – It’s amazing!

Here’s what’s up for next 7 day’s:

It’s not too late to join in for Round 2, click here for more info!

2. I’m super excited to start the Winter 100 Challenge on Saturday. Kristen from the-running-mom has organized a challenge to run/walk 100 miles between December 1st and February 28th. Although 100 miles seems like a ridiculous number of miles to run, if you break it down it works out to just over 8 miles (about 13.5 km) per week, which breaks down further into three 4.5km runs a week. I can do that! For sure 🙂

I usually slack off with running over the winter so I’m really looking forward to the accountability this challenge holds. I will be using my Garmin to track my miles, giving a weekly update on my blog, and tweeting my progress using #winter100challenge.

3. This week’s Frosty Fitness Challenge is complete 100 push-ups. So far I have done 72 (thanks to Tuesday’s BodyAttack class) and will be finishing off the last 28 tonight after the kids are in bed. Need a little motivation to stay active as the cold weather settles in…check out Push.Pump.Progress and join Michelle in her weekly challenges. You might even win a prize!

Elf For Health Challenge #1 – Go Meatless!

Today is Day 1 of the Elf For Health Holiday Challenge and today’s challenge is to prepare a meatless meal.

So, for dinner tonight we had Pesto Pasta with Fresh Veggies and it was delicious! I first had this dish last summer while visiting my sister and her family at their cottage. Not only did I taste amazing, it was quick and easy to make, and it’s healthy – my kinda meal!

Interested in making it….here’s how:

Ingredients:
3/4 box whole wheat spaghettini
2 tbsp Classico pesto sauce
2 cloves garlic
1 tbsp olive oil
1 lemon
White wine
Fresh veggies – peppers, broccoli, asparagus, snow peas, (or whatever fresh veg you like)

Cooking Instructions:
1.Heat frying pan
2. Add pesto sauce, garlic, olive oil, and a splash of white wine and the juice of 1 lemon.Mix well.
3. Add fresh veggies and cook for 5 minutes on med-high for crisp veggies
4. Pour over drained pasta in pot and heat for 2-3 minutes on low to combine it.
5. Add Parmesan or asiago cheese and salt and pepper to finish.

I love the idea of eating a least one meatless meal a week, so meatless Monday is going to be a regular thing in our house. With that, I ask…

What are your favourite meatless dishes? Share your recipes (or link up) in the comments section below!

Motivational Monday!

Be a true friend this holiday season and help a friend stay on track with their health and fitness goals 🙂

Elf For Health Holiday Challenge Starts Monday!

I am super excited to be a part of the Elf For Health Holiday Challenge being hosted by Lindsay at The Lean Green Bean and Elle from nutritionella.

The Elf For Health Holiday Challenge is a six week challenge that starts Monday and is designed to help you stay on track with your health and fitness goals over the holidays. There are daily tasks, daily winners, prizes, weekly newsletters, and a Facebook group for support.

As an elf, your task is to support your assigned buddy with their holiday health goals and the daily challenges. You will get a new elf buddy every two weeks to keep things fun and give you the chance to meet new people.

Here is a list of some of the daily challenges we will be doing over the six weeks:

Interested in becoming an elf and joining the Elf For Health Holiday Challenge? It’s not too late, you can jump in for round 2 – click here to sign up! Just tell them Erin sent you 🙂

Three Things Thursday Friday – Our Vacation!

So, not only is this post a day late, its going to be super short! Hubby and I got in from our awesome week in Mexico just after 4 this morning and i’m really hoping to sneak in a quick nap before the kids wake up from theirs 🙂

1. I ate like a PIG!

Seriously. I ate more tortilla chips with guacamole and Pico de Gallo than I ever thought possible! And the huge fajita platter that I devoured on our dinner out in Playa del Carmen, OMG, it was sooo good! Can’t forget about all the bacon, pancakes and pastries I ate for breakfast everyday! Know what the best part was – I LOVED every bite!

2. I laid around like a SLUG!

Other than walking around the resort, a little swimming and a stroll through Playa del Carmen, I sat on my butt, read 3 books and only felt a LITTLE guilty about not working out!

3. And I drank like a FISH!

Have you ever had a blue daiquiri? I’m not exactly sure what’s it, but I think I saw the bartender throw these some blue curacao, some rum, a little lime juice and a scoop of ice in the blender – in no fixed portions – and viola – liquid blue sweet-tart…can you say YUMMO!

It was an awesome vacation, and I’d love to show you pictures of it…but some jerk stole our camera 😦

Motivational Monday – What Lies In You?

Three Things Thursday – My Winter Workout Plans

1. I’ve decided to take the Winter 100 Challenge hosted by Kristen at The Running Mom. The challenge is to run (or walk) 100 miles – 161 km – between December 1st and February 28th. Since I normally slack off in the running department over the winter, I’m hoping that participating in this challenge will keep me on track. I’m heading back to work in just over a week, which means I will be running regularly with my fitness classes and I hope to get in a couple of RUNches each week (thanks Janice for that awesome word, love it!). Interested in learning more about the challenge – click here!

2. This past week I tried RPM, a spinning class offered at GoodLife Fitness and I absolutely LOVED it! The workout was amazing – I sweat so much I actually left a puddle under my bike – crazy! So, my plan is to try and get to at least one, hopefully two RPM classes a week. There are two gyms in my area that offer this class so finding classes that fits my schedule shouldn’t be a problem…and as an added bonus, I think I might be able to hit up a class or two on my lunch!

3. I am also going to try and and hot yoga to my workout routine. I’m thinking that once a week is reasonable, since I will most likely have to get a babysitter to go. I’ve never done hot yoga, actually, I’ve never really done yoga, but I’m thinking that it will be a nice addition to my workout plan – especially since stretching is pretty much NOT a part of that plan right now 😦

Ya, so, that’s my plan. Stay tuned for updates on my progress 🙂
What are your Winter Workout Plans?

Motivational Monday – You Gotta Work For It!

Three Things Thursday – The Countdown is On!

Seriously, I can’t believe it’s already Thursday – time is passing way too quickly!

1. 7 more sleeps! This time next week I will be on a plane for Mexico! I am so excited for a fun, relaxing, warm holiday with my husband! I cannot wait!

2. Only 18 days until I go back to work!

3. Which only leaves 10 days to get stuff done around the house! Yikes!

Friday’s tasks:

• Complete return to work forms
• Buy birthday gift
• Organize clothes to give away

This weekends tasks

• Summer tires away
• Lawn furniture away
• Get bed frame for Ryan
• De-clutter – get rid of all the junk!
• Get winter boots for the kids
• Prep meals for kids while we are away

Do you have any suggestions for toddler meals I can make ahead of time? I’d love to get some new ideas!

Am I Crazy?

So last week I received a call from a colleague of mine asking if I might be interested in returning to work early from my maternity leave. She is scheduled to have surgery at the end of November and wondered if I’d like to come in and cover her classes while she is off.

In case you didn’t already know, I am a high school Health and Physical Education teacher on leave with baby #2 (Tanner) until just after the Christmas Holidays . I am scheduled to return to work on January 7, 2013. I’m pretty sure I have the sweetest job in the whole world – my teaching schedule is usually made up of one Healthy Active Living class (a regular phys.ed class – team and individual sports and games) and two Fitness classes (weight lifting, running, TRXing, circuit training, tabata…you name it!). Seriously, how awesome is that!

So, after thinking it over, discussing it with my husband, and sorting out daycare for the kids, I was actually pretty stoked about the possibility of returning early. I say possibility because both my Principal and Superintendent still had to approve this request. Well, yesterday it became official – I’m heading back to work November 27th – 6 weeks early!

I think I’m pretty excited?!?

I am definitely ready to go back to work; to have adult conversations and get back into the routine I have followed for the last 34 years. I love my job and the people I work with, and have actually really missed both while being off.

I will definitely miss spending time with my kids, Tanner is learning new things almost daily, and Ryan is growing into such a sweet little girl. I am one lucky momma!

I’m also going to miss going to the gym everyday. While on maternity leave I have had the luxury of going to the gym in the mornings which has made dinner time and evening routines a lot less hectic! I have, however, on occasion, taken the kids to the gym for a 5:45pm class, and it has worked out okay, so that’s always an option, and will hopefully become a once-a-week routine when I get my own BodyAttack class in the near future!

I will also miss having time to prepare delicious and healthy meals. Although I will not have as much time, I think being back in my old routine will help me use the time I do have more efficiently. Shopping will have to be done on the weekends, meals will have to be planned, and the time I have between the end of my workday and when I need to pick up the kids will have to be used well!

So with that being said, I have a ton of stuff to do in the next three weeks – while actually, the next two weeks since Hubby and I are going on vacation from the 15th to the 22nd. My original plan was to send both kids to daycare part-time in December and paint our bedroom, paint the upstairs bathrooms, get rid of all the junk, sort through the kids clothes, move the kids play area to the basement and get someone to come in and help us decide how to (better) finish our basement so it can be used as a play area and family room! I’m pretty sure that is not all going to get done in the next few weeks!!!

Time to prioritize! I’m off to go through the kids clothes and get rid of some junk!