MId-week update

This post is a little later than it should be. It's been a hectic week with quite a few meetings and/or appointments.

Food wise, I had a red pear (I don't remember the exact kind) as one of my new foods. It was really good! I bought some parsnips that I need to use as well.

I seriously need to get my motivation back with my workouts. It's BAD. I basically haven't been following my plan at all and am lucky to get 3 workouts a week in right now. I just need to set my alarm clock and get up and do the workouts. I think as I get into more of a routine working again, I'll be able to get back into more of a workout routine.

Week 5 fail!

Week 5 was an interesting week in the A. household! The painters came back Tuesday and I started prepping for Thanksgiving on Wednesday. Before I knew it, it was the end of the week! So, week 5 was an epic fail. I didn't even try to get in the 2 new foods... so, instead of dwell on the fact that it's a fail, I'm calling for a "re-do"!

Week 5: Try two new whole foods – Try a minimum of two new whole foods that you’ve never had before.

So this week, when I go to the grocery store, I'll pick up at least 2 new whole foods and figure out a way to prepare them in order to give them a try. I love artichokes, but have never tried to prepare one myself, so I try them in addition to the "new" whole foods.

I also missed the majority of the week of workouts and subbed in "easy" workouts. My goal this week is to follow my plan and get my butt back in gear!

Wednesday Thoughts

This week has been a very exciting week for me. Lots of things to be thankful for! Some day, I hope to look back at this week and think this very thing.

Paint is DONE!

I'm so excited. For the first time in 6 years, the house is PAINTED!!!!

Here's our bedroom:

And a little piece of our bathroom:

Workouts!

Today, I ran a 5k in 29:57. I was so excited to be sub-30 minutes again.

This past week, I started a 30 day cardio challenge with a few friends. I'm on day 5 and have been able to do *something* each day. I've even run 2 of the 5 days!

This week, I'm planning on running at least 2 more times (if not 3), swim 2 times, and bike 2 times. Back to triathlon training!

Week 4 Review, Week 5 Beginnings

I'm glad week 4 is over! It's one that I needed to do, as I love fried food. I know it's horrible for me, but I just enjoy it. Anyhow, I had one cheat meal. On Friday night, we went to a Mexican restaurant and I indulged in tortilla chips and chicken chimichangas. Every other meal I had had no fried foods. I also didn't go to a single fast food restaurant this week. This was kind of hard given that I had contractors in the house all week and couldn't use my kitchen for the majority of the week!

Week 5's challenge is to try 2 new whole foods. I have to go to the store early in the week this week, so I'll look for 2 whole foods I've never had before and go from there. I'm looking forward to this!

Week 5: Try two new whole foods – Try a minimum of two new whole foods that you’ve never had before.

In other news, we've been chatting a good bit about me starting my own personal training business. I know there are a ton of them around, but it's time to give it a shot! I'm looking forward to this adventure!

Paint!

This has nothing to do with working out, but we've had painters here all week. Everything except our master bedroom/bathroom is done. So, without further adieu...

Our 3rd floor foyer

Our guest bathroom

Stairs leading down to 2nd floor

Living room (need new curtains now!)

Living room and Kitchen/Dining room

Kitchen

Kitchen

Entry Foyer (we painted the blue color 2 yrs ago or so...)

It's amazing to me how the same color can look so different depending on the lighting in spaces. I'm so happy with it all! Now... to wait until Tuesday to get our bedroom/bathroom done! Can't wait for that one either!

Mid-week Inspiration/Reminder

I think I'm going to try to do a mid-week inspiration/reminder (if I remember) for a bit. Here's this week's...

This week, I'm really struggling with the 10 lbs I've put on since June. I can FEEL it. Workouts are getting harder because of it, I'm feeling pain where I haven't in a while, and all that jazz. I just really need to remember, my weight does NOT change who I am and I love who I am, so why should that change when I look in the mirror and notice the extra weight?

Monday & Tuesday's staying within the calories didn't go so well. I'm happy to say that Wednesday went much better. Hopefully today will as well.

I started a 30 day challenge with a group of friends to do some kind of exercise every day for the next 30 days. I need to figure out today. I should've gone to the gym this morning, but the painters were supposed to be here at 7:30... wellllll, they didn't show until 8. Annoying for sure, but I'll get over it. It just means I HAVE to do something tonight. Maybe I'll head over to the gym after my PT session with my client. We'll see how that all goes.

Week 3 review and Week 4 beginning

Week 3 SUCKED. There, I said it. It wasn't an easy challenge... and I actually did OK with it until Wednesday, when I had chicken for lunch and dinner. After that... all bets were off. Even then, I did ok and didn't make meat the "star" of any meal, but I wasn't keeping it to one a day. I'll have to try that one again at some point.

Week 4 is this:

Week 4: No fast food or deep-fried foods – No fast food or any foods that have been deep-fried in oil.

I'm hoping this one goes a little easier for me. The biggest challenge will be while Jon's gone on business and not going somewhere "quick" to grab dinner, or if I do to make it a smart choice.

Things I need to get out in the open:

1) I've been slacking on my cardio. I'm planning to resolve that this week. Today, I think I'm going to play a Wii game that involves me moving just to make it something different. Tomorrow, I'm planning on swimming and running.

2) My weight is currently on the rise and it's bothering the crap out of me. I'm back up to 146 lbs and I'm able to feel the effects of it. So, this week starts not only the no fast food/deep-fried foods challenge, but also a challenge to keep between 1200-1500 calories per day. It's harder to do than it should be.

3) I felt so good during week 1 and have let the fruit/veggie consumption slide. I'll be working to get that back up to help with problem number 2 on this list.

4) I'm starting to take on a personal training client (other than my mom). I'm hoping this will be a positive experience for us both!

Half Way Through Week 3

Week 3 is proving to be the hardest thus far and we're not even doing it "by the challenge"! I don't think I realized how much I do have meat at lunch time.

On Monday, I did a 30 minute bike ride and my 45 minutes of lifting. Yesterday, I ran to my polling location (1.2 miles each way) for a total of just under 24 minutes. Today, I lifted for 45 minutes. I might play a dance video game later for my cardio.

I really needed to see this today. I've got to stop snacking! It's definitely a weakness of mine. So, starting today, I'm going to try to stay within my caloric allowance on myfitnesspal.com. I have no idea why this is so difficult for me, but it is. It's definitely my biggest struggle of this whole staying fit & healthy thing!

Week 2 Moving into Week 3

Week 2 was a success for me, not so much for my husband. I had 1 glass of "homemade" diet coke from our Soda Stream machine, even with going out and going to a birthday party for my 3 yr old nephew. I will say that Jon seems to be "hooked" onto other beverages much more than I am. I like the occasional soda, but it's not my first choice. I also have to include an "alternative" milk in my drink list. Though, it's normally used on cereal and not so much as a drink for me.

On to the next challenge:

Week 3: Meat – All meat consumed this week will be locally raised (within 100-miles of your hometown). Meat consumption will also be limited to 3 – 4 servings this week, and when it is eaten meat will not be presented as the “focal point” of the meal. Instead meat will be treated as a side item or simply used to help flavor a dish.

We've decided that we're limiting meat consumption to 1 meal a day, to make this a bit more realistic for us. The 100 mile rule is ideal, but given that we missed this week's farmer's market, I'm not going to worry as much about that one.

I have a feeling that this one's going to be a bit more difficult, as we normally have meat at lunch and dinner.

I didn't do as well in week 2 about keeping up with my fruits & veggies. I was still adding more than I have in the past, but it wasn't necessarily 2 at each meal. So, I'll be making sure that I keep that up this week too.

I have been HORRIBLE at keeping up with my workouts recently. I'm not even sure why. This week is a "recovery" week, so it's the perfect week to get back on the horse. I think the mental drain of this past season is as good as over. :)

Sandy and Week 2

This week has been an interesting one so far. Monday/Tuesday was Hurricane Sandy. We had some very unexpected guests. Thankfully, that lasted about 24 hours and things were back to normal.

I made it to TNT both days this week. It's week 1 of 13 again and body fat checks! 142 lbs, 17.7% to start off this session. Gotta bring down both of those numbers, but it'll get there.

Week 2 of the 14 week challenge is to drink "real" drinks only. The only change we made to this is to allow Soda Stream made sodas. We tend to have it 1-2 times a week and 1 glass at a time, instead of 3 or 4 when we go out for dinner. The idea of this challenge is to make it doable and sustainable, so I'm ok with making minor changes to the challenge so that we're both on board. That being said, so far this week, I've had all water and one glass of tea. I've had almond milk in my cereal, but that's also something I won't give up (I can't do regular milk). So far so good!

Week 1 of the 14 week challenge

As a reminder, I've been doing this challenge this week:

Week 1: Two fruits and/or vegetables per meal – Eat a minimum of two different fruits or vegetables (preferably organic) with every breakfast, lunch, and dinner meal.

It's actually be a super easy change. I will say, I've been less hungry as the week's progressed. Also, the fruits & veggies are helping to regulate certain things. That's been good!

All week, I've also been doing week 2 without really thinking about it. Since Jon's been on travel, I haven't gone out to eat (which is usually when I'd have diet soda). This morning, I had some juice with breakfast. It was awful! It was also a "light" version of a juice.

Week 2: “Real” beverages – Beverages will be limited to coffee, tea, water, and milk (only naturally sweetened with a little honey or 100% pure maple syrup). One cup of juice will be allowed throughout the week, and wine (preferably red) will be allowed in moderation (an average of one drink per day).

I think I'll definitely have some tea next week!


I went for a run today. It was supposed to be a 5 mile run, but it turned into a 3 mile run. It was awful. My left Achilles was bothering me, which it hasn't been lately, so I'm not sure what's going on. I ended up walking a bit more than I would've liked. UGH! So, the run sucked. It is what it is... moving on!

So far this week

I got my insurance this week. Whew! One step completed! I think I'm going to try to write my mom a few week's worth of a plan and see how she does with it now that I'm "official".

I also applied to one of the local clubs. We'll see how that goes. I'm not too worried about it right now. I need to apply to a few other places, potentially in person.

I've also started on a few house projects that I've been putting off for a while. I painted the iron railings on one set of french doors, one more to go. I've completed both photo books for our vacations this year, just need to order them at some point. We decided to have the house painted (finally), so I've been deciding on colors too. I'm also finishing up my card books. It's been a busy week!

In other news, yesterday, I started on this:100 Days of Real Food 14 Week Challenge. I'm on day 2 of week 1, so far, so good. For week 3, I'll likely just limit the number of meat servings for the week. As much as I'd love to do local meats, they're a bit too expensive for our current budget. Also, when I get to week 11, I'm not 100% sure how that'll work. I need to look into the local winter farmer's market. We don't have a huge selection this time of year! There's also a trip to Disney to run a half marathon that'll be happening in this 14 week period (I think...), so I'll just have to make as good of choices as I can.

14 Weeks of “Real Food” Mini-Pledges

• Week 1: Two fruits and/or vegetables per meal – Eat a minimum of two different fruits or vegetables (preferably organic) with every breakfast, lunch, and dinner meal.
• Week 2: “Real” beverages – Beverages will be limited to coffee, tea, water, and milk (only naturally sweetened with a little honey or 100% pure maple syrup). One cup of juice will be allowed throughout the week, and wine (preferably red) will be allowed in moderation (an average of one drink per day).
• Week 3: Meat – All meat consumed this week will be locally raised (within 100-miles of your hometown). Meat consumption will also be limited to 3 – 4 servings this week, and when it is eaten meat will not be presented as the “focal point” of the meal. Instead meat will be treated as a side item or simply used to help flavor a dish.
• Week 4: No fast food or deep-fried foods – No fast food or any foods that have been deep-fried in oil.
• Week 5: Try two new whole foods – Try a minimum of two new whole foods that you’ve never had before.
• Week 6: No low-fat, lite or nonfat food products – Do not eat any food products that are labeled as “low-fat,” “lite,” “light,” “reduced fat,” or “nonfat.”
• Week 7: 100% Whole grain – All grains consumed must be 100% whole-grain.
• Week 8: Stop eating when you feel full – Listen to your internal cues and stop eating when you feel full.
• Week 9: No refined sweeteners – No refined or artificial sweeteners including (but not limited to): white sugar, brown sugar, raw sugar, sucanat, splenda, stevia, agave, corn syrup, high-fructose corn syrup, brown rice syrup, and cane juice. Foods and beverages can only be sweetened with a moderate amount of honey or maple syrup.
• Week 10: No refined oils – No refined or hydrogenated oils including (but not limited to): vegetable oil, organic vegetable oil, soybean oil, corn oil, canola oil, organic canola oil, margarine, and grape seed oil.
• Week 11: Eat local foods – Eat at least 1 locally grown or raised food at each meal. This includes, but is not limited to: fruits, vegetables, eggs, grains, nuts, meats, and sweeteners like honey.
• Week 12: No sweeteners – Avoid all added sweeteners including, but not limited to: white sugar, brown sugar, raw sugar, honey, maple syrup, date sugar, maple sugar, sucanat, splenda, stevia, agave, fruit juice concentrate, corn syrup, high-fructose corn syrup, brown rice syrup, and cane juice.
• Week 13: Nothing artificial – Avoid all artificial ingredients including, but not limited to: sweeteners, flavors and colors.
• Week 14: No more than 5-indredients – Avoid any and all packaged food products that contain more than five ingredients no matter what ingredients

Not Tri Related

I PASSED MY PERSONAL TRAINER CERTIFICATION EXAM!!!!!!!

I've been asked a million times since Wednesday what my next steps are.

Step 1: Get insured.
Step 2: Find a job or clients or something. I have no clue really.

For the time being, I'm working on doing some "house projects" that need to get done before I start working again. I've already gone through quite a few things and donated a lot of stuff, but there's a lot more that needs to be gone through. Also, I've been working on doing our Christmas cards, photo presents for our moms, and photo books from our trips this year.

Next week, I'm replacing silicone caulk in our shower and maybe the kitchen sink. I'll also be repainting the iron railing that's on the front of the house as long as the weather cooperates. I think I might also put an end to the snap dragons and get the pots off the back deck so that I can reseal that too (though, it needs to be powerwashed as well).

See... household "stuff" and then I'll worry about getting a job. I'm starting to look for places to work online and kind of look around to see what's out there. Nothing like putting myself back out there after almost 7 years!