A little help from my friends

You know what’s fun?  Well besides binge watching Mad Men, or chilling by the pool in Mexico, or finding a bonus $10 bill in your pocket.  Connecting with like-minded, motivated, awesome friends!

That has hands down been the best part of this bumpy ride to healthy living for the past 8+ years.  Friends. 

Once upon a time I surfed around the internet and landed up on the Weight Watchers Online forums.  A gaggle of gals were in there chatting about everything under the sun and it became a super fun place to be.  Eventually some of the less-lovely people were weeded away and what I was personally left with was a group of women I am still glad to call friends to this day.  Some of us have met in person and some of us haven’t.  Some of us talk every day and some of us barely keep up with each other’s Facebook feeds.  But all of us are there for each other whenever we are needed.

Through those gals I discovered blogging, then Facebook, then Twitter, and most recently Instagram.  That little snippet of photos keeps us in touch without more than a few swipes of a smart phone.  What a world!

These friends have motivated me to be a better me.  They’ve helped me step outside of comfort zones, reminded me to keep hydrated, shared a zillion and one healthy recipes, and supported me when I’ve hit a rough patch or a down day.  Because of this awesome network of ladies (and a few gents) I’ve found a little niche of my own in this great big world. 

Lately these friends have become front and center again so it’s not surprising that my fitness and healthy diet motivation have kicked back in.  My online family has made it easier for me to branch out and find more like-minded friends in real life (oh hello bootcamp, and friends I’ve made there) and I have no fear discussing my dietary concerns with co-workers, my boyfriend and otherwise previously ‘scary’ people.

So thank you so much to all of my internet friends….those of you whom I have hugged personally and those of you who are the bestest invisible friends ever.  You are all the best! 

Establishing a Fitness Routine

They say it takes at least 21 days to establish a new routine.  Nothing makes that clearer than starting a new workout and nutrition plan. 

Any of you that follow me on Instagram, Twitter, or Facebook probably know that last month I decided to tackle a local outdoor boot camp.  My fitness routine had been haphazard at best for quite some time, and even when I was dragging my ass to the gym it seemed like every little ache and body pain I had would sideline me.  I just could not get into a routine.

After hearing great reviews of this boot camp from a friend, and meeting the instructor in a social setting, I decided maybe she was exactly what I needed.  Three days a week, accountability, and a strict but simple nutrition plan…all things that would be easy to take on.  Plus it comes with a price tag…if I’m paying I’m going!

During week one I really killed it compliance-wise.  Even though I felt a little down that I was actually one of the least fit people in the group (when I thought I’d be in the middle of the pack) I showed up for every class rain or shine and ate just as I had been instructed.

…until about day 10.  Oh day 10, and 11, and 12, 13, 14.  What a rough week!!  I had nutso cravings, and was exhausted, and got sooooo grumpy.  Every time I make a big change to my diet I get super grumpy.  I still went to every class and felt good about it after the fact, but did bitch and moan a lot.  Eventually the grumpies passed…thank God!

By the end of the four weeks I had done a fair bit of cheating (stupid Easter candy) and was fairly certain I hadn’t lost any weight or any inches.  I knew I shouldn’t worry about the scale because I had seen my fitness level increase during the month, but you know how it is…you need to see some sort of tangible result!  Well for me, that was measurements.  I’d lost 9.5 inches overall.  Just think if I hadn’t cheated so much!

So I’ve signed up again and this time I’m feeling like now that I have conquered the first round grumpies and seen some success it will be easier to keep a good attitude and stay compliant.  On our rest week between camps it would have been easy to go off the rails, but instead I went to the gym and did three DIY boot camp-style workouts and kept my eating as close to on-plan as I could.  I enjoyed a few cheats for a few social engagements and got right back on track when camp started up again yesterday.

I feel confident that this is now mostly routine.  I’m past that 21 day hump, and it’s starting to just become ‘life’.  Here’s to a good attitude, hardass workouts, a great support system, and a healthy eating plan!  I can do this.

Moving Ahead

Hey y’all!

It was a busy week but soooo productive!  I’ve finally gotten through some of the simple basics on my to-do list…you know, like the vacuuming and dusting I never did in January (yikes).  It’s so nice to have a clear desk and polished dining room table again. 

It’s the little things…

I usually head out to Michael’s on Friday nights to spend the weekend, but every once in a while I take some ‘me’ time to tackle things around my place.  Nothing can ruin our weekend more than my brain racing with the list of chores not being done at home. 

This weekend I spent my Friday evening making freezer meals, meal planning, doing laundry, and clearing my desk of paperwork from my old job I no longer need.  And I loved it.  Saturday I tackled more minor household chores and took Chibi for a much needed walk throughout my neighbourhood.  When I arrived on Michael’s doorstep that evening, I was refreshed, felt accomplished, and was able to spend the rest of the weekend with him stress free.

We agree that this is one of the best things we do for our relationship.  Doing whatever it is we need to do to feel good about our own homes and lives.  We always feel better when we do this…even if it means we see a little less of each other that week.  He got his boys together for a long put-off poker game, so it was win-win!

I’ve also been tackling blog posts about our vacation…I’m almost done with cruise updates and will move on to New Orleans posts this week.  Take a trip over to my photo blog if you are interested.

Now I’m ready to start working on bigger projects from my to-do list… oh hello tax season.  Stay tuned for a kitchen reno ideas board on Pinterest, and some serious Spring cleaning around here.  My closets don’t know what’s about to hit them!

Maybe I even have some time for a new recipe or two.  Hmmmm.  Wouldn’t that be a kick?!

Have a great week everyone!

Jaime

Burning Up

Last week I was enjoying the treadmill so much, I went for an extra day just because.  What’s up with THAT?!  I’ll take it.

I’m sure it had something to do with wanting to play with my new toy.  I finally bit the [midnight internet shopping] bullet and bought myself a Polar Heart Rate Monitor.  Call it a belated Christmas prezzie to myself!

How could I resist a pink cutie like this?  I mean, come on! 

It’s so nice to finally have an accurate calorie count for my workouts…makes it so much easier to log and meal plan.  I also really enjoy watching my heart rate and planning my cardio days for low vs high intensity.  Totally worthwhile gadget!

So here we are a full month into my new gym membership and workout routine.  Yesterday was the very first day where a planned workout was foiled and I actually got grumpy about it.  My gym time is precious and I don’t like it being taken away!  I did everything in my power to get my make-up session today.  500 calories, take that!

Oddly, I think I look thinner on Day One.  I blame my stance. :)

Happy thoughts for this week:

• There’s always another time for a missed workout.
• I lost another pound.
• Hummus was on sale.
• I burn more calories than the gym equipment told me.
• Our vacation is just 16 days away.

Hitting My Stride

Here we are--now more than a full week into the New Year and it appears the resolution motivation has taken over the world!  Or, at least the world inside this little bubble of my life.  :)  Totally loving all of the excitement, challenges, happy faces, sweaty faces, healthy eats and workout plans that have taken over Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

I purposely haven’t set any written goals.  My return to the gym was a gift to myself--not a resolution.  No unnecessary pressure for this gal.  I have motivation and enjoyment in my corner, and that is everything I need right now.  All I need is to push myself just a wee bit harder every time I step in the gym door, and as long as I see even the teensiest of results each time I will be a happy camper.  Fitting the gym into my hectic schedule has been tough but it’s doable and making it happen is a priority to me.  And when I meet my priorities it’s easier to keep on going.

The one goal I did set is a weight loss goal for January because we are going on vacation in February and I will be a whole lot more comfortable in last Summer’s shorts if I lose a few pounds.  I’ll even treat myself to a new bathing suit if I can reach my goal.  You know, because bathing suit shopping is soooo much fun. *grumble  Bahaha!

Happy thoughts for this week:

• I’ve already lost more than a pound.
• I upped my weights for bicep curls and tricep kickbacks.
• I went from jogging 1 minute at a time, to 3 minutes at a time.
• My bum looks great doing deadlifts.
• We discovered a deeelish low-cal curry shrimp recipe. 

What keeps you motivated?  Did you set New Year’s resolutions?

Pre-January Joiner

Six months ago I lost my workout mojo.  Summer fun kept me out of the gym, and then I took on the full-time second job which all but ate up any extra time I had.  After four months of wasting my gym membership dues, I quit.  I knew at the time that it may be a bad idea to fully quit because then I had nothing pulling me to get back to working out, but at the same time the whole point of working two jobs is to save money so wasting $52 a month was counterproductive.

Since then I’ve done some research on other gym options around Victoria.  I need something cheaper, and more importantly something convenient.  If I’m going to fit a workout in between jobs and making sure my little pooper is looked after, then it has to be at a place I can get to quickly and easily.

A couple of weeks ago I came across an 8-Day Free Trial at Steve Nash Fitness World.  It’s so close to home I could probably reach out an touch it on a clear day. I took the quick intro tour of the gym, the manager set me up with my pass, and told me about the membership details, and I went on my merry way.  After almost exactly six months out of the gym, I was slightly terrified that my lungs might collapse and I wouldn’t be able to carry more than a 3 pound weight.

Thankfully I can still jog at a good pace, I can still walk a set of lunges, and I can still curl a couple of dumbbells.  I might have had to start with one set, and I might have needed a good epsom bath after only 24 squats, but I did it.  And I had fun.  And I went back three more times during that 8 day pass.

On my fourth trip to the gym, I signed up for a membership.  I don’t care that their gym is older and less fancy than Goodlife.  It’s less than half the price I was paying before, it’s so close to home I can’t very well use inconvenience as an excuse, and it has every piece of equipment or class I could ever want.  Next week I will take advantage of a free session with one of the personal trainers, get my body composition recorded and set myself some simple short term goals. 

By joining before the January rush I feel like I pre-empted any feelings I might potentially have about it being a New Year’s resolution that could fail.  Instead it’s just a lovely Christmas present to myself that I am looking forward to getting tons of use out of.  Merry Christmas to me, indeed!

Anyone else find their fitness mojo this holiday season?  Any suggestions for keeping the feeling going through the New Year?

Motivated Monday

I had a run of blog posts about Embracing Mondays a while back.  In which I would wake up with full enthusiasm for the week ahead...with a workout plan and a menu full of healthy meals.  I still have those thoughts on Mondays but the motivation wanes by Wednesday and my desire to think about cooking or making healthy choices is all but totally gone by Friday.  All I can think about is a fat glass of red wine, and curling up on the couch for 36 hours straight.

This weekend I had a little meltdown about this. 

I knew going in to my new job that I would probably struggle with maintaining balance, but my decision to keep my other job multiplied that situation exponentially.  I hadn’t taken into account the amount of time I was losing.  The time I would spend meal planning and preparing, recipe perusing, Tweeting, blogging, blog reading, and working out, is GONE.

Without spending a lot of time here whining about the situation, I decided that I just need to acknowledge that my days have changed and I need a new game plan.  Just giving up and going for convenience eating, giving in to cravings for unhealthy treats, and completely ignoring any form of working out is not me.  And after three months it hit me emotionally.

So I asked Michael to be my support buddy, I worked my brain around eating the same things for lunch all week to save time with batch prep, and I made a super simple at-home workout schedule.  That’s it.  Those three things are what will save me from myself.

Oh, and I told the girls at the office that I will be avoiding any and all snacks that I didn’t plan for.  That place is a sweet lover’s paradise (or hell!). 

What I ate today (and will eat tomorrow!):

• Green Smoothie inspired by #CLEANrestart – ice, banana, spinach, vanilla protein powder, flax meal, coconut oil, unsweetened vanilla coconut milk, unsweetened vanilla almond milk.
• Coffee with almond milk.
• Light Rye Wasa with TJ’s Sunflower Butter.
• Quinoa with roasted root veggies, wilted spinach, and goat cheese.
• Grapes.  Almonds.
• Scrambled eggs with yellow pepper, red onion, spinach, black beans, ground turkey sausage, cheddar, salsa and avocado.  With whole grain toast.
• Organic strawberries over plain yogurt with hemp hearts & grated dark chocolate.

All things healthy, quick to prepare, and easy to duplicate for another day or two.  And above all…delicious!

And now…the stretches my chiropractor gave me for core strengthening and a round of upper body weight training.  Thanks for listening…if anyone is still out there.  :)

Taking May by the Horns

Huzzah!  It’s May!

Happy May to you to all!

I know, weirdo over here getting all excited about May.  I’m trying to instil some motivation into myself, OK?  So if that means getting all awkwardly excited about a new month then so be it!  Riiiight?

• May means it’s thismuch closer to better weather (of course, our weather has been pretty decent, but you know what I mean).
• May means it’s not only Mother’s Day but also my Mama’s birthday (both on the same day this year).
• May means it’s my boyfriend Michael’s birthday (I see a request for Citrus Tart in my near future).
• May means a lovely Victoria Day long weekend for us British Columbians (which comes along with an up island getaway with Michael this year!).

See, I’m not completely nutzo to be all excited. :)

Also, I don’t know if you’ve noticed but I need some motivation up in here.  I’m not going to beat myself up over April being less than stellar on the whole workout frontier but let’s be honest, it wasn’t good.  Not so awesome April. 

But it does stand to reason that since May starts with an M it must be Motivated May.  Logical, no?  Just go along with it OK?  I’ve been kind of using May 1st as my do-over benchmark day and here it is so it must be true!

Roadblocks (ie: what I think derailed me)…

• Some stressful stuff going down at work.
• Headaches galore.
• Some weird vertigo-esque type ailment.
• Lack of focus.

Fixer-uppers (ie: what I’m doing about it)…

• Not letting work situations ruin my day.
• Visited my RMT for a much needed loosening up.
• Booked in with my chiropractor for neck and shoulder work.
• Focusing on keeping work separate from day to day lifestyle choices.

Good stuff (ie: happy happy fun fun motivators)…

• This weekend I was accepted as a FitFluential Ambassador!!  More to come on that but talk about the kick in the pants I needed.  Can’t be very influential about a fit life if I’m sitting on the couch drowning my sorrows in bonbons.
• A few positive work related opportunities have arrived in my voicemail helping to turn some stress around.
• I’m helping my Mom kick start a healthier daily menu and in turn it helps me to stay on track.  Working as part of team always helps!

So today I’ve already been out walking with the dog and started writing out this week’s menu plan.  Tonight I tackle a workout plan and lay out all of my gym clothes.  Tomorrow the treadmill is mine!

Anyone else need a kick in the arse?  I’m perfectly willing to dole out kicks wherever they are needed and happy to accept them in return.

Happy Motivated May!

#EmbraceMonday

Hey everyone!  Sorry for the delay on the Embrace Monday post!  I have to admit that I took it easy yesterday after a busy weekend and ended up tackling my chores today instead.  Tuesday is this week’s Monday!

Thankfully it looks like lots of you found great ways to take on the first day of your week!  Lots of positive vibes going down yesterday!

Oh Ali I knew exactly how you felt.  I might have had a wee nap myself!

Nice work everyone!  Just snipping these Twitter screenshots has made me feel all motivated to keep up with the chores and get a workout in!  Thanks for that!

Today I did cleaned my fridge top to bottom, restocked yummy fresh groceries, cleaned the bathroom, tried to fix my own toilet (wrong piece), vacuumed and mopped floors.  My apartment thanks #EmbraceMonday even if it is Tuesday. :)

Have a great week kids!

#EmbraceMonday

Hey everyone!  I know today is Tuesday but sometimes you gotta shake things up (or you know, fall behind and re-evaluate!).  How was your Monday?  Did you set some goals and work hard to bang them out?

As usual I was already thinking about my week before Sunday was even over.  I have to admit that because I spend my weekends at my boyfriend’s I sometimes feel overwhelmed by chores and things I don’t have the opportunity to take care of on Saturdays and Sundays.  But I really don’t wish to sacrifice our time together so Mondays are now my go-to day. :)

Ya, that filing has been on there for two weeks now.  And it’s still on there.  Talk about a chore no one wants to do!

Looks like a few of you were joining in the #EmbraceMonday fun with me this week…

Love that people are catching on via my other Twitter friends!

Hope the rest of your week is just as fulfilling and fun!  Have a great one and see you back on Twitter next week to embrace another Monday!!

Embrace Monday!

Mondays get a bum rap.  Everyone is always all “booo, my weekend is over…I hate Monday”.  But really, isn’t Monday one of the best days of the week?  I’m not crazy…I promise!

Mondays can be great because they mark the start of something new.  A new day to start over.  A new day to keep going.  A new day to make plans.  A new day to kick some ass.  Mondays are motivating!!

Last Monday I started my week full of energy, enthusiasm and motivation to get things done!  While I got organized and started checking items off my to-do list I was tweeting my way through the day, and wouldn’t you know but other folks noticed my motivation and started tweeting back at me.  Turns out I’m not the only one that starts my weeks out with a positive bang!

Those tweets left me feeling warm, fuzzy and well…extra motivated!  All weekend I looked forward to my pending Monday morning (and I was having a great weekend too!).  My to-do list started forming in my head, I looked forward to writing out my workout plan, my meal ideas, my grocery list.  I looked forward to writing this post and sending out another batch of tweets to inspire and motivate not only myself, but all of my tweeps too!

So everyone, this is where you join in.

Let’s make #EmbraceMonday a real thing!  Every Monday I promise to keep tweeting about my day, my accomplishments, and whatever else fits in the motivation boat.  But in turn I need you all to do the same thing!  I will collect up your tweets each week and turn out a post full of positivity and encouragement to keep us all revved up for the rest of the week.

Sound good?  OK, great!  We have a deal!!

Starting next Monday morning send out your tweets with the hashtag #EmbraceMonday (you can find me @balanceblog if you haven’t already). 

Not on Twitter?

• Post a picture on Instagram (hashtag it, or tag me: bi0nicw0man)
• Leave me a comment on Facebook
• Send me an email (embracingbalance at gmail dot com)
• Leave a comment right here

Let’s make Mondays the happiest day of the week! 

{Note: Previous tweets by me were tagged #MotivatedMonday but it turns out that tag is already is use so I had to create a new hashtag for us.}

Some Life Rules

Randomly I gave myself some new life rules this week.

• No more computer in bed.  I have developed a bad habit of catching up on missed TV shows and Google Reader after I crawl into bed each evening.  This leads to staying awake until 2-3am. 

For the last three nights I’ve gone to bed by 11pm and read until no later than midnight.  The result:  I’ve slept SO WELL.  Duh.

• No more late night snacking.  You know what happens when you stay awake until 3am?  You are starving at 1am.  And then you eat cereal, or crackers, or cheese, or all of the above.

For the last three nights I’ve been asleep so no wee hour snackage. 

• No more hitting snooze eleven thousand times.  Yeah.  That whole staying awake until 3am thing makes it really hard to get up when my alarm goes off at 8:30.

For the last three mornings I’ve been up, walked the dog, and poured my morning coffee by 9:15.  Yes, I do realize I have it good but hey man, that’s part of the reason I wanted this whole work-at-home gig.

• No more waiting until 11:30 to eat breakfast.  I always eat three proper meals each day but my timing has been ABSURD.  Eating in the middle of the night, combined with getting up late, and my usual sleepyhead bleary-eyed morning funk leaves me not wanting to eat right away.

For the last three mornings I’ve made a point of making breakfast as soon as I finish my first cup of coffee, then eating lunch by 1pm (instead of waiting until like 3pm after my workouts) and making dinner at a normal time.  All this with a couple of light snacks in between has left me completely satisfied.

• More reading, less TV. 

By not watching TV in bed I’m now behind on some of my shows but I’m not missing them too much since I have a couple of good books to read.  (Hunger Games anyone?)

None of these rules were on purpose really.  I had a good weekend and woke up on the right side of the bed this past Monday.  I felt motivated and my brain just formulated these plans for me without me having to really think about it.  I guess sometimes your body really does know what’s best for it!

Ever just wake up one day and feel like instituting some healthy new life rules?  Feeling motivated about life in general these days?  Share with us!!

Motivated Madness

Well folks…I have to come clean and admit here that I had another kind of crumby week as far as March Madness goes.  For the second week in a row I missed a few workouts and I let it get to me.  I had a couple of down days and a busy day that messed up my schedule and I let that make me feel like I had failed.

It’s totally dumb because I really didn’t fail at all.  I just didn’t bust it out of the park. 

SO WHAT?!  Stupid guilt.  I still had three pretty great workouts!

Monday – upper body strength training and quick cardio…

Tuesday – totally just didn’t want to go to the gym, so took a walk to the park.  Lots of outdoor bootcampers braving the chilly air!

Wednesday – decided to work at night to make time to fit in my lower body workout…

Thursday – super “blaaaahhh" day…just could not make time for the gym and a was grump all day.  Noticing the blossoms during a quick dog walk helped.

Friday – decided to be two hours late going to Michael’s so I could try out my new shoes and get in a cardio session…

There was no way I was going into St. Patrick’s Day festivities without a bit of a burn the night before! “Will run for beer” comes to mind!

We had a great weekend celebrating, hanging out with friends and family, eating yummy Chinese take-out and Sunday brunch, and just chilling out all day yesterday.  It was just what I needed to brush the slate clean and wake-up this morning feeling renewed and motivated.

I’m armed with a new workout plan for the week, a meal plan, fresh groceries and a good attitude.  It also helps that my back seems to have mended itself!  March Madness is Motivated!

Anyone else hit a rut in your workout mojo recently? Does an injury set you back?  Hit you hard mentally or emotionally?

Motivated Monday

So after a couple of weeks of just not giving a shiz about this whole balance thing I figured it was high time to knock that attitude to the curb.  Sunday afternoon I wrote out a tentative meal plan for the week and wrote up a proper, healthy grocery list before hitting the supermarket.

Since my blown disc seems to be rearing it’s ugly head again, exercise is yet again being limited so if I’m going to keep my jeans buttoning I’ll have to get back to managing things via healthy eating.

Mondays are always the easiest. Full of motivation and zest for the week ahead!

Gotta start with a green(ish) smoothie!  Funny how green and blue makes brown.  Blueberries, banana, spinach, flax, oatmeal, Amazing Grass, UVAB.

A little broiled grapefruit because I love it.

I sketched out SIX days at the gym this week but my back will dictate how much of this actually gets done.  Today I did upper body strength training with a modified core workout as planned but only made it through 15 minutes on the Cybex before my hip screamed “uncle”.

Bigass salad on the menu:  Baby lettuces, yellow pepper, tomatoes, cukes, cauliflower, sweet onion, and sunflower seeds dressed with olive oil and s&p.

Topped with roasted deli turkey for protein.

Afternoon snackie-poo.  Squirrelly Bread is in da house!!  And it’s BFF’s with TJ’s almond butter!

Dried cherries.

Dinner was yum!  Tom Yum Soup in fact!

Complete with the super thick coconut milk deliciousness!

A trick learned from Heidi during our Thai cooking class:  You should shake a can of coconut milk…it shouldn’t sloosh.  If it slooshes you’ll just get a milk the consistency of regular milk, but if it doesn’t sloosh you will get this amazing, thick coconut cream to work with!

My evening was spent gloriously alone and just chilling out with the pets.  I had planned to stare blankly at the TV but it appears I’m caught up on all of my shows so instead I got all productive and hung curtain rods and curtains.  Yay!

Yogurt and granola for nighty night snack.

And there we have it folks.  A motivated and functional Monday. Word.

Anyone else feeling the need to sort their shiz out these days?