Wednesday, August 22, 2012

Phew! How do you find time to workout?


I totally did just have the world's best cardio class.....and kicked 45 minutes in the A$$!!
 I can't believe that I actually DID the whole 45 mins.....usually at the 30 min mark I think "oh, that's ok...I've done enough cardio...I have a good sweat on, I can stop now"...but not this time...thank goodness...I forget sometimes how GOOD it feels to be FIT and have a great workout!! No complaints here.

PS...anytime anyone in Lucan wishes to join me...I tend to "push play" (as the instructor says) around 6am most mornings...feel free to join;)

Slowly but surely I'm beating my "mind over matter" issues that usually hound me....I'm a frequent stopper and then starter...mostly because my days tend to be quite hectic and the LAST thing I felt like doing at the end of the day (10pm) is workout!

I think I've posted about it in one of my earlier ones, but for those that are just starting to read this, or haven't gone back to read the past posts....I have "added" 2 extra hours to my day...and it'a amazing!

Quick Backstory: I am a SAHWM with 2 boys and a husband. I run 2 businesses out of my home so I'm usually "working" anywhere from 7am to 10pm (long, long days...but with big breaks in between sometimes).

At first I used to make my husbands lunch at night (yes, I do that...how else is he going to eat without spending a ridiculous amount of $$ every week!)  and hope that he would remember to grab it from the fridge (it was 50/50)....those lunches I made weren't very good...white bread or buns with highly processed meats, cookies, chips, pop and pepperoni sticks....wonder why he never had much energy at the end of the day....duh!
I had been "trying" for a while to lose weight, eat better and get back into shape...sort of hard when 3 nights a week the "fam" was eating pizza (frozen..not take out and because it was a quick meal) and the smells were just chasing me through the house...they usually caught up with me and I would scarf down anything that was left.

Then, I had my "aha" Oprah moment....why can't we ALL eat healthy and leave the "junk" food for special occasions/holidays etc....so I decided to change my grocery shopping habits...went to bed earlier (because really..I can watch the repeat news in the morning...) and got up earlier. The first morning I did that....I was amazed that I didn't think of it sooner....my husband had left for work...it was 5:45am...I was awake...the house was quiet...my kids were asleep...and daycare kids didn't start showing until 7:45am....I actually FOUND 2 hours for myself!! I could do whatever I wanted...be on the computer...start laundry....workout....anything!
Now, truth be told, some mornings I DO go back to bed.....I just listen to my body and do what it needs...but those mornings I still make sure I get my workout in at some point in the morning....I've tried to put it off until the afternoon/evening, and I usually find some sort of reason NOT to workout (thanks Bachelor/Bachelorette and Big Brother and so on...)

Luckily my children haven't noticed any sort of change...they were good eaters anyhow....they both love and will eat fruit and veggies (my youngest usually steals half of my salad)...their meat of choice right now is ham, but the small one will eat chicken too.

So in the end...it really hasn't been much of a change (except for the hubby, who would eat crap food every night if I would let him....but on the other hand he doesn't smoke any more, so I let him have his treats....just not everyday...once a week, or when he's really craving something)....and when I think you are trying to improve your quality of life with food and exercise...it shouldn't be a change...it should be something that feels right and fits right into your schedule...no matter HOW hectic. But...the biggest change......is how my grocery bill had decreased. Honestly. It has.  I'm using the foods I purchase each week more wisely and using ALL the food before it spoils. I now imagine a price tag attached to every piece of grocery item (fresh and packaged) and it just makes sense to USE it before it goes bad...or else I'm just throwing that money away....It does mean that usually I need to grocery shop every week....but if I want to keep on eating fresh foods...shouldn't I be shopping every week? Instead of getting what I think would last us 2 weeks, I get only what will last us 1 week...and we eat it...ALL. No waste....and I only buy what's in season, so it's also inexpensive, unless I can get it frozen, then I use the store flyers. To me...that's the KISS method at it's best...

how do you find time to workout and eat right?

happy health

Tuesday, August 21, 2012

High Five!!

  to losing weight!!


It's funny (or at least I think it is)...when I THINK and PLAN to lose weight...I don't lose weight.

When I don't think about it and just make better food choices and throw in some exercise...I do lose it.

The last time I posted, I had actually GAINED weight (and because the number was so horrendous I didn't want to post it...just know it wasn't good.)...and this time I weighed myself...DOWN 3lbs!! whoo hoo!! Even though Weigh In Wednesday isn't until tomorrow(which then I will post my numbers and will compare to the first time I've posted numbers)...I felt that my clothes were fitting a bit better and I just felt great!!...and I was interested to see if I had lost anything....I am quite pleased with the results!

I have been fairly regular with my TurboFire workouts and using my It Works products...last week I did ALL my workouts EVERYDAY and used my wrap once, defining gel all the other days, drank my Greens and used the ProFit as a snack when I really craved chocolate!! Something to be proud of for sure!! My eating was 80/20...and I still managed to lose.....a big high five!!

Now..the big test comes....our last camping trip. We are away for 4 days...I'm taking my DVD's again (and hoping for some good weather)...so let's see what gets done...I'm not going to guarantee that I will get the workouts in...but..I will eat better (taking salads, chicken, veggies fruit and nuts)...the way I look at it..as long as I don't GAIN anything, I'll be ahead of the game!

Hope everyone is having a happy and healthy summer...can't believe it's almost the end of August!!

j


Saturday, August 18, 2012

Even with a kink in my back...

I have still managed to complete my workouts!

Thursday was Stretch 40 which I totally needed....it's an amazing yoga/stretching session...was hoping that would release the kink in my upper back...which it didn't completely BUT I feel much better and can actually turn my head to the side!!

Today was supposed to be a Fire 45, but for those of you that know my youngest child...we had "one of those nights"...he was up since about 2am and I finally "got up" (those nights I sleep in his room...twin bed...while he plays and sometimes goes back to sleep...this time, not so lucky)
I took him downstairs at 5am because he was hungry...think it's a growing spurt, which is OK (again if you know him), made my husband's lunch and then proceeded to do my workout.

Of course, as I'm starting my workout....."mom, I hungree...mom, I need a drink..." (when I asked him before if he needed anything...his response..."no mum, don't worry about me..I ok"...so he let me squeeze out a 25min workout, which is OK, because my back was starting to hurt (pinched nerve I think...)...BUT at least I did a workout...still burned A LOT of calories....

I have decided to take the KISS approach to eating (...Keep It Simple Stupid)...sometimes I get too confused with multiple recipes, grocery lists and such...so just doing plain, simple recipes, nothing fancy dancy....especially with school just around the corner and hockey starting, I need things to be quick and easy....
Plus...I LOVE my It Works FAT FIGHTER, ProFIT and THERMOFIT and GREENS....helps me when I need it!! I've been finding that these products definitely keep me on track an minimize my cravings...and using MyFitnessPal....it's amazing the calories that you can consume without thinking about it.


This weekend we have absolutely nothing on schedule...which seems and feels weird...but it's good because it's the last quiet weekend before school starts for my kids.....so hopefully I will be able to sit down and do my grocery list, relax (because again, I've been up since 3am...thank you child) and enjoy the day......oh, and also get a workout done!

happy health!

Thursday, August 16, 2012

Back in the saddle....

again!
So...the last I left I went camping for 5 days...5 rainy, days. Needless to say, I didn't get my exercise in:(....BUT I did take my DVD's with me....at least that's a start isn't it? I ate Ok....still not the greatest, but I made a Big Salad  (remember the Seinfeld episode?) and ate it with each of my meals and didn't eat buns, bread etc...

The last few days I have been 100% completely EXHAUSTED....and I have no idea why. I would have no problem just lying down ALL day...and that isn't like me....sometimes though I think mind over matter beats me.
I'm a professional procrastinator...I put everything off until the last second, and then just scramble to get it all done in time....if there's anything I would like to change about myself...it would be that.

Yesterday was (yet) another start...or a continue...I didn't start from the beginning of my Turbo Fire schedule, something that I've done about 20 times...I think that was my problem, not being able to get past the start and if I missed a day, for some reason I thought I had to wait and start all over.

So...technically I'm in my 3rd week of the Turbo Fire Prep Schedule (it's a 60 day schedule to get your body  prepared for the more intense TF schedule...it's all the same discs, but just done differently..there's more toning and strengthening and stretching sessions with short cardio sessions)

I completely filled out MyFitnessPal's food journal...a first for me in a long time!! And it's not even exaggerating or anything....that was my day....and I felt awesome at the end of it too! I also did an It Works Wrap after my workout and I have since lost a total of 3 inches from my abdomen...if that's not motivation to keep it up...I don't know what is!! (ps...if anyone is in my area on Sunday and wishes to get more information about the wraps, feel free to stop by any time between 1pm and 4pm)



Where I find my downfall is....sitting and watching a TV show. The days that I completely ignore the Tube...the less hungry I am....

Why?? Because there are SO MANY junk food commercials that are played in general...it's kind of sickening if you think about it....and we wonder why we are obese??

I've missed weigh in Wednesdays for a few weeks now....but NEXT week I am back ON the scale and posting my numbers! I guess it doesn't matter how many times you fall off the healthy train...just as long as you get back on it!!

happy health

Monday, August 6, 2012

What the heck happened....

last week was such a blur!!
Not only did I NOT get any workouts completed...I ate like crazy!! And not in a good way:(

I have no idea what happened....and now I find myself face to face with Monday......and what did I do???

I got UP and did a WORKOUT!!!
This is me after a Fire 30 workout (but to be completely honest...I did 21 minutes of it  with the 10 minute stretch after....I find when I start "slow"....it works better)

This week is going to be a hard one...we are away camping for 5 days....my plan is to take Turbo Fire with me and get up early to do the exercises (using the portable DVD player in the truck...won't that be interesting...luckily our camp-site is quite secluded so not too many people will see me.)

I've had a lot of great people reach out to me in the course of this blog...sorry if I'm letting everyone down:((...but I never really thought about it before..but I think I could be addicted to sugar!!?? So, with that being said, I'm going to start looking into how much sugar I EAT and how much I should only eat and what foods to avoid....so if anyone has any advice (recipes, foods etc..) I'm all ears!!

Hope everyone has a great Civic Holiday today...I feel good now that my workout is done! Now just to make the rest of the day just as good!

happy health

Wednesday, August 1, 2012

Making Myself Accountable!!!

It's so easy to sit and plan an exercise and healthy eating routine....the HARD part is following what has been laid out!
no preview

I have had a terrible case of the "tomorrow's"....(as in "oh, I can get that workout squeezed in tomorrow...I can eat better tomorrow"...and so on!)...it's now Wednesday (yikes...guess I need to weigh in...oh crap! I already had breakfast...I like to weigh myself first thing in the morning before any food consumption)....and I have YET do get a workout in:(...but that was completely my fault...I didn't get to bed until after 11pm Sunday or Monday and even last night was 11pm when I got to bed...and getting up at 5am with little sleep doesn't help in the cravings and wanting to complete and exercise department!!

Today my house will be child-less for the next 5 days(well, my children anyhow)....whoo hoo...with a side of sad. They are going on vacation to Gramma and Poppas for the rest of the week and weekend....so I am going to use this time as motivation to KICK it in HIGH gear!! The biggest problem with working out at home....being interrupted...grrrr, nothing bothers me more then getting the kids all settled and then get 5 mins into my workout DVD, to hear "mom...I need you" (that's the little one....the older one tends to take care of himself for the most part)...and of course he won't let up until I see what he needs me for....which is usually a hug and an "i lub you mum" (melts my heart...then the next thing I know I've been cuddling with the mini-monster for 20 mins and all my drive to workout has fizzled....)

But truthfully I have been slacking in ALL departments....for some reason I want to eat more and more when I'm not having my "monthly visit" then when I do have it....and when I have my "visit" I want to workout like crazy, but not after.....I'm finding I get more headaches after then during...and my cravings are completely out of control....just wish it was the other way around (then that would be my 80/20 split!)

SO....my goals for the rest of this week...get plenty of SLEEP...would like 8 hours but will settle for 7, keep track of my day, DO my workouts (which I have re-scheduled the missed ones...today is Fire 45 and Tone 30) and make wise food choices....I already have chicken in the fridge waiting to be BBQ'd for lunch and then left over for dinner....done and done.

later today...after the kids have gone...I am REALLY going to make myself accountable....taking the dreaded bathing suit picture.....not the suit I reluctantly wear now (because my small child feels he doesn't need a life jacket or puddle jumper...I'm his PFD) but the suit that I would "like" to get back into....it's such a cute pink bikini (yikes.) that I got from Esprit (remember that clothing line? love..can it even be FOUND in Canada anymore?)...and I would LOVE to wear it again...at some point...before 40...and maybe a bit after...who knows....ugh....just haven't decided if I'm ready to "post a pic", especially THAT one....maybe I should take it and then put it on my phone as my screen saver as a reminder to myself...(that is so cruel, but necessary I think)

Alright....so back to putting down what I've eaten...feel free to follow me on MyFitnessPal where I will be putting all of my meals and exercise...http://www.myfitnesspal.com/food/diary/simplebeauty I have put in my breakfast and what exercise I WILL DO today!!

happy health!