[FIRST] What I Ate Wednesday

Have any of you ever been over to Peas and Crayons? It's becoming one of my favorite blogs to visit. :) Well on P&C they do a cute little thing called What I Ate Wednesday! You post a blog on Wednesdays with pictures of a day's worth of eats! It's popular with this community to take pictures of Monday or Tuesday's meals and post them on Wednesday. So here are my Tuesday eats on What I Ate Wednesday.

Delicious! Now today is Ash Wednesday. I am giving up red meat (looking to give up all meat, but we'll see), and an hour a day of technology! Have a wonderful Wednesday!

What are you giving up for Lent this year?

Lost chihuahua and setting weekly goals.

So today is going to be 2 days of blogs in one. Friday was mega hectic, so I didn't get to post about my weigh in. and on Sundays I want to start making goals for the week so I can track more progress than just a number on a scale. So today is gonna be long, but good :)

Okay, so pretend it's Friday. YAYY! Get ready for the weekend. (haha, just kidding. Tomorrow is Monday.)

I weighed in and lost 1 pound. I decided on this blog I was gonna be honest. As painful as it is to be honest sometimes.. especially about such a sensitive topic.. I can't go through this journey lying to myself and to you guys. So let me go ahead and tell you, I was pissed that I only lost a pound. I wasn't surprised, but I was mad. I chowed down on Valentine's Day. I ate bread sticks, candy, creamy pasta with chicken, shrimp, and bacon, we had a large appetizer.. I ate way too much. And I woke up Wednesday morning feeling so guilty.. so I hit the gym. I was there an hour, and barely went 2 1/2 miles. I didn't push myself the way I wanted to because my feet were killing me. So I said okay, i'll go to Zumba tomorrow. So Thursday afternoon (after sitting around the house all day) I went to Zumba. And I barely made it through the class. My feet were still killing me! I have a high arch, and don't have arch support (I know, I know.. I need to fix that) and I have a history of getting stress fractures in my feet because of the lack of support. Friday, I didn't go to the gym because I wanted to rest my feet. Saturday, I was a little hungover.. so I spent the day sitting around. and Today, I did 35 minutes of Pilates. So basically, I haven't been pushing myself the way I know I can.. I've been resting too much. I WANT to do better. and I will. I just need to do it. So after being all sad about only losing a pound, I remembered that since I started this weight loss journey, I've lost 5 pounds. So I decided to check my handy dandy list and check what 5 pounds relates to:

I lost a chihuahua! Hollaaa! lol So I guess only losing 5 pounds isn't so bad. I don't have to carry around a little ankle biter anymore ;)

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Okay, so now it's Sunday. :)

I decided to set some weekly goals so that I can track my progress. This journey isn't just to a smaller me.. it's to an all-around BETTER me. I want to be healthy, smaller, fit, happy. So I'll just make a few goals each week to get me there!

This week's goals:

-drink at least 100 oz of water a day

-spend time with my husband and puppy each day

-find something that will make me smile or laugh each day

-take 80,000 steps a week.

So next Sunday I'll post again and let you know how many oz of water I drank each day, how much time I spent with my husband and puppy, what I found to make me smile/laugh, and how many steps I took that week. :)

I'm looking forward to gauging my progress with these goals! I'll see you all later this week.

How was your weekend? Do you have any weekly goals?

Dancing Queen and Olive Garden

Happy Day After Valentine's Day! :) Did everyone have a wonderful Valentine's Day with your loved ones? I have to say, this is the first year I didn't go crazy on the chocolate treats. My wonderful husband DID wake me up with a small heart-shaped box of Ferrero Rocher.. and as badly as I wanted to eat the whole box yesterday, I'm rationing them :) lol BUUUUUT, I did indulge last night. More on that in a minute.

First, I want to tell you about my very first Zumba class! Never heard of Zumba? It's like this:

^^this was my favorite song we did yesterday!

(Have you all taken a Zumba class? If not, look for one in your area RIGHT NOW! I had a blast!)

LOL! This picture cracked me up before, but now that I've actually taken a class, and I know how true it is.. I just can't stop giggling! Okay, I have a few things to say about my Zumba class, and I'll use numbers so I don't get all confused :)

1. STRETCH! Okay, this should be obvious.. But I'm a dumb-dumb and didn't stretch before. See, here's the thing. I have irrational fears and an s-ton of insecurities. I didn't want to stretch in front of everyone because I didn't want to look silly.. I didn't want people to laugh, point, and stare. I'm telling ya, I'm irrational.. but somehow I thought me stretching would result in ridicule. So when I got to the gym, I stood by the wall, Facebooking until everyone started to gather on the floor and class started. And I am REALLY paying for it today. My legs and knees are so tight. I am sore and stiff all over. No fun. lol I'll know better next time!
2. I am so glad there weren't mirrors in that room. I KNOW I looked silly. The best part, was for a moment there I was thinking "Daaaaaamn girl, you can dance!" And then.. I started paying attention to how my booty shaking looked and realized No.. No I can't. haha But it's not about skill! It's about getting out, doing something different, and having FUN! And yeah, I had fun!
3. DRINK LOTS OF WATER - If you're like me, and just getting back into the fitness game.. Don't be scared to fall out and take a breather and drink water when you need to. No one knows your limits better than you. However, that being said.. TRY to keep going. If you can do another 10 seconds, do them. And see if you can bump it up to 20 before falling out. See if you can make it the whole song without stopping. But between songs, DRINK WATER! Everyone in that room yesterday was sweating up a storm. I know I was! And you have GOT to stay hydrated. Being hydrated in the key to healthy living. :)
4. HAVE FUN! Don't go in to it with a poor attitude or dreading working out. Think of it as just getting out and dancing with some friends! Don't look at the clock or worry about how much time has gone by. Just enjoy it :)

Like I said, I loved Zumba yesterday, and I hope you all try it out soon. Or maybe if dancing isn't your thing, find another class to try out. I think it's important to make a schedule when it comes to working out and getting fit. What better way to adhere to a schedule than to take classes??

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Alright, so after I had a blast at Zumba. I quickly showered and got ready to go to OLIVE GARDEN! I decided that last night would be this week's cheat meal. What better meal to splurge on than Valentine's Dinner??! And boy.. did I splurge.. We got an appetizer, I got a chicken and shrimp carbonara with a creamy parmesan sauce. holy jeebus, it was delicious. and chock full of calories. I don't know how many, seeing as I didn't even dare to look at the calories when picking it (It's a cheat/splurge meal!!) but I can only imagine. Delicious as it was, I knew I'd have to work my tooshie off the next few days if I want to have a decent weigh-in on Friday. (Crossing my fingers!)

I hopped on the scale this morning before going to the gym, hoping it'd motivate me. and it did.. I am +.6lbs since Friday. Now.. seeing as how I KNOW I've lost weight this week, and I KNOW I gained a whole lot last night... I'm disappointed I didn't see the scale before my Olive Garden indulgence. lol I know I would have been pleased to see a low number. But maybe I would have been even more heartbroken to see it this morning if I knew my pre-Olive Garden weight. lol I'm just hoping I can bring it down before Friday.. And in an effort to achieve that good weigh-in.. I'll be attending another Zumba class tomorrow :)

How did you spend your Valentine's Day? Did you indulge or stick to healthy eating?

No Excuses!

I am notorious for making excuses. Until recently, I always had a reason why I couldn't work out or eat better. I didn't want to waste my time dieting if I couldn't work out. I couldn't go to the gym. I don't have the time. My bike chain is rusted. I don't want to walk alone. I don't have a dog to walk with me. I don't have a stroller to push around. I don't have a treadmill. There's not enough room to use my kinect or workout DVDs.

But what I've learned is.. there are no excuses.

If you have 20 minutes to spare, you have time to work out. And if you don't have 20 minutes to spare.. set your alarm 20 minutes earlier. YOU HAVE TIME! You don't even have to hit the gym. Here are a few of my favorite at-home workouts which involve calisthenics. Calisthenics are exercises designed to promote muscular tone using your own body weight. You don't need machines, you don't need weights. You just need yourself.

^^ This is my favorite one!!^^

So let's try to make less excuses and more progress!

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So anyway, it's Monday and the start of a new week! Is everyone feeling refreshed? Motivated? I'm ready to tackle a new week! I know this one will be wonderful for a few reasons.

• I got my thumb-lock wrist weights by Reebok in the mail today. I can't wait to try them out at the gym tomorrow :)
• I am attending my very first Zumba class tomorrow! FINALLY I'll be for sure going. :) I'll make sure and post about it Wednesday.
• Also, tomorrow is Valentine's Day and I actually get to spend it with my husband! We've been apart the last 3 years on Valentine's Day!
• We're getting our marriage tattoo tomorrow!
• I am looking in to taking an Aqua Zumba class! (more on this later in the week)
• I'll be participating in "What I Ate Wednesday" (more on this Wednesday!)
• It's my last full week with my husband before he goes to MOS school for a while!

And that's all I can remember right now. :) I might also post about my favorite "fitness items" as well as post a fun survey! It's gonna be a fun week, and I can't wait to share it with you all!

How do you plan to make this week better than last?

Taking it easy; Taking it slow.

Alright.

So those of you who know me well (and those of you who sufficiently stalk my Facebook), know that when I pick up a hobby.. I kind of go in to overkill mode. When I was younger and learned to latch-hook, I wanted to buy every latch-hook kit they made. Thank goodness my mom knew better and only let me buy one. which I never finished.. When I played soccer, I played soccer 6-7 days a week. When I joined band, I was thankful that drumline required so much practice. When Pinterest came about, I spent hours and hours (still do some days) pinning EVERYTHING. I learned to bake, cook, etc.. and I didn't leave my kitchen all day long. Okay, you get the point. It's just the way I am. I still LOVE doing all of these things (except latch-hook. I think i've completely forgot how to do it..), but I learned to do them as a PART of my day to day life instead of MAKING them my life.

That's what I'm going through right now. Once I started working out and eating healthy (keep in mind.. it's only been like 2 weeks), and learned that I actually LIKED it.. Well that did it, baby! I want to hit the gym, go hard, reach goals.. I wanna do it all. But because of this mentality, today I find myself sitting in my comfy chair, feet propped up on the ottoman, and pretty positive I won't be getting up any time soon. My legs are KILLING me. I've done some sort of walking/running combo every day this week. I've proven to myself that I can walk a 5k. I've braved the gym (two different gyms, actually) alone. I've lifted free weights. And because of all of this.. I feel miserable right now. Not saying that working out isn't WONDERFUL. Not saying I regret it at all. Not saying I'm going to stop... But I wish my overkill attitude had been at bay these past two weeks so that I could have been smart about this. Two weeks ago, I was literally sitting in front of my computer desk at least 12 hours a day... literally not doing anything. If I had a job or some reason I was REQUIRED to spend that much time in front of the computer, that'd be one thing. But I didn't. I was just lazy. lol I'll admit it. So for me to go from a complete couch potato to walking at least an hour a day.. it's tough on the legs. lol

So here is my vow -- I'm gonna cool it a little. I'm gonna take care of my body. I'm gonna have a rest day (don't ask which one yet). I'm not going to give up.

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Other news. I completed my FIRST day of Cool Running's Couch to 5k today. And.. by following this program.. I think I'll work up to running a 5k the SMART way instead of the Quinn way. That being said, I was VERY proud of myself today. I wanted to work out this morning, but didn't want to run in to all the Marines at the main gyms (my regular gym is only open on week days). So what did I do? Oh.. woke up at 5:30, hit the gym by 6. and let me tell you something.. It was awesome.

I had the whole treadmill room to myself. Well.. basically the whole gym. lol I think there were 2 other people and then staff. Which was AWESOME. lol I quite like having the gym to myself, but next time I have a gym session that early.. I'll go to sleep a little earlier than midnight :) and BECAUSE I had the gym to myself, I decided to try the couch to 5k. I've been meaning to try it.. but I was embarrassed of the way I jog, how hard I breathe, basically the whole idea of it sounded mortifying in front of others. lol (remember, i'm a BIG girl.. shit's not pretty when you're jogging.. hahaa) but I surprised myself with my endurance. I lasted the full 20 minute intervals (90 seconds walking, 60 seconds jogging) and didn't puke, faint, or die! #winning.

So because I was so proud of my accomplishments, and because I had started my day before anyone in their right mind should.. I hit up Starbucks.

Tall Iced Skinny Vanilla Soy Latte. (only 80 calories, and DELICIOUS!)

So I took my guilt free beverage home and started my day. And it's been a long one. It started early, was a busy morning, and a looooong, sleepy afternoon. I'll be making dinner soon, cuddling with the husband, and watching Breaking Dawn Part 1!

Are any of you adults also shamelessly in LOVE with Twilight? (Bueler.. Bueller..?) Nope? Just me? Alright, cool. lol I love this movie and I'm Team Edward all the way! I wish I could have gone to the midnight release, but when the nearest Walmart is 30 minutes away.. psh. Not happening.

I hope you're all having a wonderful weekend and taking extra super care of yourselves!

So tell me, what's your guilty pleasure? (Mine's Twilight. And Ferrero Rocher.)

"Runner's" High

Today I lost 2.2lbs! And instead of punishing my body with sweet indulgences such as brownies and ice cream (like I've been known to do in the past), I REWARDED my body with endorphins! I hit the gym HARD this morning by walking my first 5k! If you had asked me a month ago if I could walk a straight 5k, I would have laughed in your face and eaten another Chicken McNugget! lol Yes, I walked today's 5k, but that just made me want to build up the endurance I need to run one! So yeah, it's not really a "Runner's High" that I'm experiencing today, but more like a "Brisk Walker's High!"

At the gym I intended to slowly work my way up to my cap speed, and slowly work my way back down. Here's what my schedule looked like:

:00-:05 -- 2.0 mph walk
:05-:10 -- 2.2 mph walk
:10-:15 -- 2.4 mph walk
:15-:20 -- 2.6 mph walk
:20-:25 -- 2.8 mph walk
:25-:35 -- 3.0 mph walk << FORMER "cap speeed"

(but here's where it changed!)

I fully intended to stay at 3.0 mph for 10 minutes and then work my way back down at 5 minute intervals. But instead, at :30 I thought "hmm, I wonder if I can just bump it up to 3.2 mph" ..and so I did. And from :30-1:00 I walked at a 3.2 mph pace! I WAS going to work my way down! i was.. but good songs kept coming on and I couldn't bear the thought of enjoying such fast paced music at a slower speed. So I just kept on trucking. I'd tell myself "okay, when the clock his :40, I'll bump it down. Then "Sweat" (Snoop and Guetta! My official work out home boys) came on and I had to keep going! And.. so on and so forth until finally my music cut off at ALMOST 1:00 (remember, it's a 59.6 minute playlist) and I glanced at the distance. 3.3 miles!!! (I should have taken a picture, but I was a blog fail and forgot until I got in the truck to go home! Next time, for sure!) I was so happy and giddy!! and as soon as my treadmill hit the hour mark, the automatic cool down started. So I had a 5-minute cool down, texted the hubs to tell him I'm an official 5k walker!, and then headed home.

I rewarded my body with lots of protein (oats and peanut butter!) and caught up on my new favorite blog [[Onion in My Hair]]. While reading previous posts, I did a little free weight lifting 1 arm at a time and drank a lot of water! That consumed the better part of my afternoon. And then.. I started getting an itch. It was just after 4, and I NEEDED to get up and do something. I was THIS (>>-<<) close to going to the gym, but decided to get some Vitamin D and go for a family walk instead! Puppy and hubs in tow, we hit the pavement and went to the dog park. We laughed, played, and warded off giant dogs (no really, GIANT!) and then headed home. Since I knew today had been much more active than yesterday, I checked my handy dandy pedometer for a glimpse at my daily step count.



OVER 11,000! And it's not even dinner time! (Almost, not quite!).

Today is one of those days that I feel so pleased with the way things are going and I am just wonderfully happy! I am so proud of myself for not giving in to indulgences and for rewarding my body the proper way! However, I am enjoying a humble glass of dessert wine before dinner :)



Happy Friday, everyone!

What are your weekend plans?

What my days are starting to look like..

I decided to log everything I ate, and all fitness related junk yesterday so I could visualize the changes. Yesterday may have been a bad day to log and give a first impression because I did less than HALF of my normal time at the gym! I just bought new shoes, and they aren't broken in yet. So my feet were KILLING me after a mile. So I only stayed 20 minutes :( But I'll share it with you anyway:



My life on Thursday February 9, 2012


Supplement -- Roxylean for energy purposes mainly.
Breakfast -- ½ cup Oatmeal, 1 tsp Cinnamon Vanilla Honey Butter, 1 diced Gala Apple, 24 oz Ice Water
Gym -- walked 1 mile; 20 minutes at 3mph, 20 sit-ups 16 oz Ice Water
Snack -- Ants on a log, 24 oz water
Lunch -- Turkey, Swiss and Spinach wrap on a whole wheat tortilla with hummus!; string cheese and carrots in fat free ranch, 24 oz water
Snack -- large navel orange, 16 oz water
Dinner -- vegetarian spaghetti, 24 oz water
Snack -- Yoplait light Key Lime Pie yogurt, 16 oz water
Extra workout -- 40 sit-ups

Total Water: 144oz*
Total Steps: 5,042 (MUST do better today!)

*I try to drink 24 oz of water with each meal and take at least 10,000 steps a day. If you aren't used to drinking water in excess, start out slowly! I had to work up to my water consumption. You don't want to force your body to take in excessive water and become water logged.

Weekly Weigh In: Down 2.2 pounds since last Friday! I will be weighing in every Friday and posting the results here! Good or bad, rain or shine. :)



I also wanted to say a quick thank you to everyone who has been wonderful and has kept me inspired/motivated so far. I have some really wonderful people in my life!