It’s Hump Day!

I can’t believe it’s only Wednesday…this week has been so busy, it seams like it should definitely be the weekend by now!

Monday’s are workout days with my trainer and Skinny Jeans Challenge group, but after a morning stroller run with my son Tanner and our dog Clyde, I just didn’t have it in me to go for a workout 😦

I think I’ve ALMOST reached my burnout point. I’m not sure I have actually had time to recover from my crazy busy week/weekend of the Women’s Sports School Conference and BodyAttack Training. In the last week and a half, I’ve been to 6 BodyAttack classes (and actually team taught in 4 of those), I’ve done a 20K long run and a 5K stroller run, and did 2 personal training workouts. I think that actually works out to 9 workouts in 10 days!

And I’m suppose to be tapering since my Half Marathon is in 11 days!

Definitely too much!

This week I have also put forth a better effort in terms of Clean Eating. Yesterday I made Hawaiian Pita Pizzas from the Clean Eating Magazine Classic Comfort Foods 2012 Issue..super easy and pretty yummy!

Tonight we will be having Sausage and Pepper Penne (Thanks Kim!) also from the Clean Eating Magazine Classic Comfort Foods 2012 Issue. Looks delicious!

On the menu for the rest of the week…

Kung Pao Chicken, Stuffed French Toast and Sticky Buns…YUMMO!

Happy Hump Day everyone!
Only 2 more days until the long weekend!

8 Week Progress Report

It has now been just over 8 weeks since I started my journey (and this blog)! Here is an update as to where things stand in terms of reaching the 11 goals I set for myself and the progress I have made since my last update.

Goal #1 – My Pre-pregnancy Body Back – So, I’ve pretty much reached this goal. I am back to my pre pregnancy weight, and fit into my ‘goal jeans’, although not quite the way I want. The muffin top HAS GOT TO GO!!

This week marked the mid-point of the Skinny Jeans Challenge which meant measurement time!

I am actually really pleased with my progress so far…I’ve lost a total of 10.4 inches! CRAZY!! I still want to improve on my percent body fat – I’m down almost 5%, but would like to bring it down by about another 2.5%.

Goal #2 – Run a Two Hour Half Marathon – Well, the Half Marathon is only 19 days away and I’m definitely NOT PREPARED!

I’ve still only ran outside 2 times – one fast 5K (which went surprisingly well), and a 16K run a couple of weeks ago with my sister.

Here’s how my training schedule looked over the past 5 or so weeks.

BodyAttack has taken over my life! I have missed so many runs to get to Attack classes, it’s crazy! I’ve missed a total of 10 runs in the last 5 weeks – 1 hill workout, 3 fartlek workouts, 2 regular runs, and 3 long runs! BRUTAL!

I seriously doubt I will meet my goal of a sub-two hour half. I’m disappointed, but still hoping for a good run.

I guess we will see how things look after my 18K this weekend!

Goal #3 – Improve my Upper Body Strength – I was actually doing well with is goal since starting The 100 Push-Up Challenge last month – that was until I got sick. Since then, I have done NOTHING, and as a result, I am STILL struggling through the Upper Body Conditioning track in Attack 😦 My plan is to start the challenge again…tonight! Anyone want to do it with me and help me stay on track? Please?

Goal #4 – Try Hot Yoga – Still haven’t made it to a hot yoga class, and its not looking like I will be heading there any time soon. Until I get my Attack Certification Video done, I need to go to another Attack class Thursday evenings.

I hope to get my video in by mid-June, so hopefully I will be able to get to a class soon after that.

Goal #5 – Eat Clean – this is yet another goal that has been shoved aside since becoming sick and getting super busy.

I definitely need to get back in track, and fast!

My plan is to check out the latest issue of Clean Eating Magazine over the next few days, and set out next weeks meal plan. After that, I will hit the grocery store and get at it! I still want to aim for at least 2, but hopefully 3 clean meals a week.

Goal #6 – Limit the Amount of Junk Food I Eat – I’m actually not doing too bad at this one, considering I really haven’t been eating clean, I’m not exactly sure what I’ve been eating! My plan of not bringing it into the house is working, and I’m going to continue to keep it that way.

Goal #7 – Limit my Chai Lattes to one a Week – FAIL! HUGE! I’ve actually already had 2 this week! Chai latte is what seems gets me through the day! Although I did choose a Chocolate Banana Smoothie over the latte today:) Might have to stick with it, it’s higher in protein and fibre…sugar too, but I still think it’s the better choice. Agree?

Goal #8 – De-Clutter – Again, this one has been neglected since getting so busy. I did paint my sons room immediately after my last progress report, but unfortunately, it’s not quit finished 😦 I know, I’m brutal!

So, I still need to:

1. Finish painting my son’s room.
2. Clean out the kids toys.
3. Sort through my clothes.
4. Go through our deep freeze and actually see what we have in there!

Goal #9 – Read More – since my last update, I have finished The Help and The Lucky One.

Up next…the Shades of Grey Trilogy… Apparently everybody I know is or has read it. Not sure what to expect…besides turning 50 shades of red!!! Have you read the trilogy?

Goal #10 – Save Money – I am actually doing quite well with this one! Sticking to a bit of a budget has been easier than I thought it would be!

Goal # 11 – Make time for Scrapbooking – Unfortunately this too has been put on the back burner since becoming so busy. Now that the warm weather is coming, I have no idea when I will get back at it. Hopefully I will make it to a Friday night crop sometime soon!

Overall, I am not quite where I was hoping to be at this point. I need to get back into my running and start eating clean again! Really, I need to manage my time better and make healthy living a priority.

How is your journey going?
Do you have any super easy Clean Eating recipes you can share to help me get back on track?

Three Things Thursday

1. I’m Sick! After my crazy weekend away, I came down with a horrible cold. I’ve had a fever and chills since Monday and pretty much no appetite at all. Things are finally starting to loosen up in my chest, so hopefully I am on the mend – although it doesn’t feel like it 😦 If I’m going to kick is thing, I definitely need to be going to bed earlier and drinking more liquids.

What’s your secret to quickly overcoming a cold?

2. I Skipped the Gym Today! Since I’m feeling so crappy, and yesterday’s BodyAttack almost killed me, I though I’d skip my run today and try and get some rest. I did get bit of a nap this afternoon, which was awesome, but I’m not sure one days rest is enough. I have a Skinny Jeans Workout tomorrow and a long run to do on Saturday. Maybe I can sweat this cold away!

3.My Secret to Drinking More Water. When I’m sick I have a hard time drinking water…it just doesn’t taste good. So, on the recommendation of my personal trainer, I picked up some MiO Liquid Water Enhancer from my local grocery store. I have to say, it did the trick. It’s easy to use (you just squirt it into your water bottle) tasty, and has no calories. I tried the Strawberry Watermelon flavour, but my store also carried Berry Pomegranate (which I think I will try next), Mango Peach and Fruit Punch. I also just noticed that there is MiO Energy which has some B Vitamins and Caffeine in it…might have to give that one a try on my next long run!

Have you tried MiO? What about MiO Energy? What did you think?

The Bad. The Better. The Best.

The Bad.

Monday is weigh-in day for the Skinny Jeans Challenge. YIKES! This weekend I consumed WAY TOO CALORIES! Although I didn’t actually eat too bad, I pretty much drank a whole case of Corona…maybe even a bit more!

The Better.

Although nowhere near caloric balance, I at least did a bit of exercise this weekend a burned a few calories.

Friday morning before my personal training session, I hopped on the treadmill and did this weeks ‘long run’ – a race pace 5k – and to my surprise, I did it in only 28 minutes 🙂

Right after that I had my training session where we did another new workout. This weeks focus was supersets. After a quick warm-up, we did 3 sets of each superset: Belgian split squats and push-ups, bent over rows and deadlifts, and double crunches and plank pull-ins. We finished up with a cardio blast and called it a day!

I also played a game of hockey Friday night and two on Saturday, which, again, didn’t burn many calories, it was at least exercise!

And lastly, in keeping with my 100 push-up challenge, I did workout 3 of week 1 (a total of 42 push ups) on Saturday afternoon. The best part was that my roomies did the workout with me 🙂 – which is kinda funny because I totally thought these girls would have been more likely to make fun of me, rather than join in! It’s a good thing no one else came by, they would have for sure made fun of us!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A total calorie burn of only 903 calories all weekend. I guess it’s better than nothing!

The Best.

This weekend was awesome! I had so much fun hanging with my best girlfriends and playing some hockey, that the extra 2.2 pounds and lack of sleep was totally worth it! All I can say is, thank God we only do this once a year!!!

Thanks for the great weekend Crushers!

4 Week Progress Report

Well, it’s been 4 weeks since I decided to get my act together and become a Happier, Healthier, More Fit Me. Let’s take a look at exactly how I’m doing according to the goals I set almost one month ago.

Goal #1 – My Pre-pregnancy Body Back – well, so far I have lost 5 pounds and have definitely noticed a difference in my shape. I still can’t fit into my favorite pair of Citizens, but I will definitely get there by the end of June (hopefully sooner)!

Goal #2 – Run a Two Hour Half Marathon – the race is not for another 8 weeks, but I did 22 of 23 scheduled workouts in the month of March. As great as that is, it’s too much for me to maintain. Since starting the Skinny Jeans Challenge on March 19th, I have worked out 13 of 14 days. I definitely need to change up my training schedule to allow for at least one day rest a week. My plan is to have that sorted out by this coming weekend.

Goal #3 – Improve my Upper Body Strength – I have noticed a bit of an improvement in this area, but really had nothing concrete to measure against. But I do now….last Monday at our  Skinny Jeans workout we did some fitness tests, one of which was a push-up test. I did 20 full body and 20 modified push-ups in one minute. Not too bad, but definitely room for improvement! I’m not sure if we are re-testing at the 7 week mark or just at the end of the 14 weeks, but I’m hoping for some big improvement!

Goal #4 – Try Hot Yoga – So far I have not had the chance to get to a hot yoga class. My husband is rarely home in the evenings which means I can’t go since I’m still a little nervous to leave my 3 month old with a sitter, especially around bed time 😦 I’m definitely going next time my husband is home on a Thursday night!

Goal #5 – Eat Clean – I actually am pretty impressed with how much clean eating I have done! I don’t really like to cook, but have made quite a few clean meals and snacks to date: Spinach and Turkey Sausage Pizza, Tilapia Stuffed Manicotti, Eat Clean Pancakes, Crockpot Oatmeal, Eat Clean Chocolate Hazelnut Crispy Squares, Bake-Ahead Breakfast Quiche, Skinny Coconut Cupcakes, and dinner tonight was Mediterranean Vegetable, Bean, Feta and Penne. My goal is to make at least 2, but hopefully 3 clean meals a week – which when you consider the leftovers, will pretty much get me through the week.

Goal #6 – Limit the Amount of Junk Food I Eat – I’m definitely struggling with this goal. I seem to do okay most days but there is plenty of room for improvement. Again, as long as I don’t bring it into the house I’m okay, and I’m getting better at saying no when my husband has treats.

Goal #7 – Limit my Chai Lattes to one a Week – I’m actually doing quite well with this goal. I think I’ve only had two in the past 4 weeks 🙂

Goal #8 – De-Clutter – I started off pretty good with this one…de-cluttered my car the first week and cleaned out our storage closet the second week. Unfortunately that’s where it ended 😦 So, to get back on track I’m going to lay out this months projects: 1. (not entirely clutter related, but something I’ve been meaning to do for months) Finish painting my son’s room. Before he was born we painted a jungle themed room, but we left the elephant untouched with the idea of painting it blue if our baby was a boy, or pink if it was a girl. Well, Tanner is now 12 weeks old and we still need to paint the elephant blue. Check out the pictures below, it’s a pretty awesome room!  2. Clean out the kids toys – Our living room seems to be taken over by toys, and now that we have somewhat made the basement into a play area, I need to put most toys down there and start using that space! 3. Sort through my clothes and give away those that don’t fit or that I don’t wear. 4. Go through our deep freeze and actually see what we have in there! I’m sure there are some yummy meals just waiting to be eaten!

Goal #9 – Read More – So far I have read three and a half books. I’ve finished the Hunger Games series and have read most of Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child (which I totally recommend if your kids are great sleepers). And I’ve just started The Help.

Goal #10 – Save Money – One thing that has really helped with this one is planning my meals. Before going shopping I sit down and figure out what I’m going to make for the week and only buy what we need. We are definitely eating better and wasting less.

Goal # 11 – Make time for Scrapbooking – I just had a day of scrapbooking this past Saturday and I’m hoping to have another day on April 21st. Since I now have an idea of what I want to do with my son’s album, I’m hoping to get a couple of pages done each week at home.

Overall, I’m pretty impressed with where I’m at. I have definitely made progress with most of my goals and know what I need to do to get on track with the others. I will be back to update my progress at the 8 week mark. Stay tuned!

Have you outlined your goals yet? What progress have you made? Do you have a plan to keep you on track and help you be successful? I’d love to hear how your  journey is going!

I Just Ate a Days Worth of Calories…

IN ABOUT AN HOUR!!

No joke! Today hasn’t been he greatest food day for me from the start.

Breakfast was an oatmeal pancake (with chocolate chips) and a glass of skim milk.

My morning snack, before hitting the gym for my Skinny Jeans Workout, was an Eat Clean Chocolate Hazelnut Crispy Square – which I whipped up this morning along with a pan of regular rice krispie squares (recipe to follow).

Lunch was a Turkey Chipotle Sandwich from Tim Horton’s.

Afternoon snack was another Eat Clean Chocolate Hazelnut Crispy Square.

Dinner was half of a McCains Ultra Thin Crust Chicken and Red Pepper Pizza.

Really, up to that point it wasn’t too bad, but 8 o’clock hit and I was crazy hungry. It was all down hill from there!

I started out with a few PC Mini Chocolate Eggs, which quickly turned into a small up full – about 300 calories!

And ANOTHER Eat Clean Chocolate Hazelnut Crispy Square – about 180 calories

Then I had a bowl of Red Pepper and Garlic Tostitos – about 220 calories

And then another bowl….another 220 calories

With a can of Coke – another 140 calories!

Yep, I’d say that’s close to a whole days calories in about an hour! Can you say DISGUSTING!!!

Back on track tomorrow….AGAIN!

Three Things Thursday…

1. My Fitness Pal – I absolutely LOVE this app! If you are at all interested in improving your health, then this app is for you! It is a diet and exercise log that has the most extensive database ever! It tracks your progress, allows you to connect with friends, and has a ‘news feed’ that highlights the accomplishments of you and your friends. It has a web component and you can sink it with Facebook and twitter. It’s available for iPad, iPhone, Android and Blackberry and the best part…it’s FREE!

Do you keep a diet and exercise log? What tool(s) do you use?

2. My Training Schedule – since stating the Skinny Jeans Challenge almost 2 weeks ago, my training schedule no longer has rest days, and I’m starting to feel it. My current training schedule looks like this:

Monday – 30 minute personal training session

Tuesday – Intensity workout – tempo/hills/speed/interval running

Wednesday – Cross Training -BodyAttack

Thursday – 4 mile run

Friday – 30 minute personal training session

Saturday – Long run

Sunday – Cross Training – BodyAttack

My original thought was that a 30 minute personal training session would not have much of an impact on my body and that I would be able to continue on as is…wow, was I wrong! After the first 3 sessions, I must admit that I have been sore for at least a day, more like two after each workout. This makes Tuesday’s hill and Wednesday’s cross training difficult, as well as Saturday’s long run following Friday’s workout. So, I need to figure out what I’m going to get rid of and how I’m going to hang in for 8 more weeks of marathons training.

Any suggestions?

3. It’s Me Time! – This Saturday I am leaving the kids at home with my husband (for the first time) and going Scrapbooking for the day. I can’t wait! I am looking forward to having some me time, hanging out with my sister and Scrapbooking. What makes it even better is that it’s a pot luck lunch…so many yummy things to eat! From what I’ve seen, the menu looks pretty good, I should be able to make some healthy choices. I’m bringing Skinny Coconut Cupcakes, Ryan and I will be baking them tomorrow afternoon so check out tomorrows post for more info 🙂 Here’s a little teaser!

Skinny Jeans Challenge – Day 1

Today marks the beginning of the Skinny Jeans Challenge at my local gym.

The Skinny Jeans Challenge is a 14 week program involving pre and post challenge assessments (weight, measurements, strength, flexibility, and endurance tests), 2 personal training sessions a week, a challenge success journal, weekly weigh-ins, weekly healthy recipes, motivational emails, and 24 hour email support from the trainer.

At the end of the 14 weeks, prizes will be awarded for highest percentage of weight loss, highest percentage of inches lost, largest percentage of increase in number of push-ups completed, largest increase in percentage of length of plank time completed, and most number of workouts. I have no idea what the prizes are, but I LOOOOOVE prizes!

Before we started today’s workout, I had baseline measurements taken. Despite being only 5 pounds from my pre-pregnancy weight, I am so far off in terms of body composition it’s scary! Having my measurements taken was a real eye opener, and definitely serves as a motivator for me to start eating healthier!

I’ve never done personal training before, and I’d have to say it was awesome! Today’s workout was fun and challenging. I can honestly say that if I did that same workout in my own, I would have definitely slacked off, maybe even quit before finishing. Kari (the personal trainer) is super motivating and made sure everyone (there were 5 of us) had a great workout despite varying levels of fitness.

Another part of the Challenge is keeping a food and exercise journal. Writing down what you eat definitely makes you more aware and accountable, but having to show your journal to someone else, wow, holy motivator! I definitely thought about what I put in my mouth today, and I actually sat down and planned healthy meals for the whole week. Tonight’s dinner- pork tenderloin, asparagus and sweet potatoes, and let me tell you, it was super yummy! Looking forward to leftovers for lunch tomorrow….that’s if my husband doesn’t get to it first!

So, ya, that’s the Skinny Jeans Challenge. I’m very much looking forward to Friday’s workout and a week of healthy eating! Stay tuned for weekly updates!