December Goals

Good morning folks!

I hope that you all had a pleasant Thanksgiving holiday weekend. Ours was, for the most part.

Thursday morning, I got up early to get in a few miles before the notorious Thanksgiving calories were consumed. I was planning to do about 3.5 miles but I only got about 3.3 I was almost back to the car when I started having a sharp pain in my lower right calf. I wasn't sure if it was the actual calf muscle or if it was the Achilles injury rearing its ugly head again, so I stopped and walked about a quarter of a mile back to the car. I kinesio taped it when I got home and ice/elevated it later that night and Friday night. It was sore after bearing weight all day but seems to be a little better this morning. At any rate, I think I'll wait a few more days before I try running again. I don't need to be sidelined with a serious injury again.

After that, we went to visit my family. It's always good to see them. I got to be the official baby holder! I spent most of the day holding my sweet baby niece, Hallie. She is my sister's daughter and is the sweetest, happiest baby ever!!  Of course, I might be a little bit partial!!

This was the first year that I've had a completely gluten-free Thanksgiving. I have to say that I wasn't miserable and bloated feeling after the meal!!  It was great!!

And later that evening, we braved the lines at Walmart. I really wanted to be home in my pajamas with my feet up, but they had some good deals that I just couldn't pass up. We got up early Friday morning for more Black Friday shopping and completed the shopping trifecta on Saturday when we purchased our first REAL Christmas tree!!  I was so excited to get it home and set up, then I couldn't find the darn lights!! I went to bed disappointed that night. I found the lights last night but I wasn't feeling well, so it's still sitting there undecorated. Maybe tonight I'll get the lights on it. The good thing is we got a lot of our Christmas shopping done!

I mentioned last week that I had some exciting news. Well, as you know, I've been doing the Body Beast workout. And I'm making progress but not as much as I would like. That means one thing: that my diet isn't clean enough. While I try to eat clean about 80% of the time, my sweet tooth has been out of control lately. And I don't mean just a little bit either! I've cleaned it up before and cut out treats/processed sugars but I'm having a hard time this time. So, I decided that I would try the Team Beachbody 3 Day Refresh. I started it yesterday. At first, I was questioning my sanity. I didn't sleep well at all Saturday night, so I was very tired yesterday morning but I went ahead and started the Refresh. I'll fully recap when I complete it, but I was pleasantly surprised with Day 1. After I finish the 3 day cleanse, I'll try to adhere more to the 21 Day Fix meal plan. This isn't so much about losing weight for me as it is about cleaning up my diet. So, Operation Ditch The Junk Food officially started yesterday and is in full swing!

As far as my fitness goals, I need to get back on track with the Body Beast workouts. I missed my Saturday workout (Bulk Arms) because I was hunting for the Christmas lights. I might have a tendency to hoard Christmas things a little bit. My search for lights turned into a purge of sorts which ultimately led to a meltdown! Then last night, I was just too tired. I had my pajamas on before 7pm and was in bed, asleep shortly after that. So, tonight is supposed to be a rest day but it will be a combo of arms and back to get back on track. Tomorrow night will be Bulk Chest then we'll be back on schedule. Pathways is still on hiatus until December 8 but I will run "tweener" runs with my friends until we start back up. I was planning to run Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday but I think that this week I'll wait until Thursday to give my right leg a full week of rest. Then we'll go from there. I'm running the Hot Chocolate 15k in St Louis on December 14, so I need fresh legs for that. And, I've joined the Fleet Feet Sports Winter Warrior challenge. I chose the 100 miles challenge, to run 100 miles between Thanksgiving and Valentine's Day. I'm planning to train for the Rock N Roll New Orleans half marathon in January and if not that, then the Go Short, Go Long, Go Very Long 25k. And, I'll be working with Pathways during December and January. Their goal race will be the Sweetheart 10k in February. I'll do that double that day, the 5k and 10k back to back. So, those are my fitness goals in a nutshell.

Until next time--get up, get out, and get moving!!  Whatever you do today, make it ridiculously amazing!!

Your friend,

Theresa

What are your current fitness goals?
Have you ever done a cleanse??

Workout Wednesday--October Goals

Hello y'all!

 

Happy first day of October!

 

 

I've been super busy since our last visit!

 

My Pathways group is ramping up their mileage in anticipation of their goal race,  the Tulsa Run 15k.  We've increased our intervals to 10:1 and our pace to 12:00 minutes/mile. We've  had some pretty good hill training recently.  They  really dislike hills, I think! I have heard quite a bit of grumbling from some of them.  ;)  But,  overall, they are doing a great job! This has been one of the most enjoyable groups I've had the opportunity to work with.  I hope some of them are planning to run the Route 66 half marathon.  I have run it for the past 3 years. I wasn't really going to run it this year  but they have  changed the route again so I think that I'll go ahead and do it. I just hope the weather is better than last year. It was  so cold that it wasn't an enjoyable run at all!

 

Last night, before our run, I stepped on the scale at  Fleet Feet Sports Tulsa. I really can't recall the last time I weighed myself. I'm not really sure what I was expecting.  I haven't lost any weight. Actually, I might have gained 2 or 3 pounds. I was surprised when I saw  127.8 on the scale. Usually a 2 or 3 pound gain makes me feel fluffy.  But, not this time.  My clothes don't feel any tighter. As a matter of fact,  they may be a little more loose. I've been trying to watch my macros and keep my diet "clean" for the most part.  I plan and prepare, but I have a difficult time curbing my late day snacking. Somedays, I want sweets and other days I want crunchy and salty.  I know if I cleaned up my diet even more,  I'd see the results that I'm wanting to see. But in the meanwhile,  until I learn to kick the snacking for good,  I'll keep doing what I'm doing and just trust the process! Obviously, its working!

 

A new month means new goals!

 

This month, I'm planning to clean up my diet even more. I'm hoping to reduce my "treats" from a daily occurrence to 1or 2 times/week.

 

I've been better about doing my cross training / strength training.  And I'm planning to continue this trend for October.  My goal is to workout at least 5 times  / week.  I'm still doing the Body Beast and plan to continue it.

 

Sometimes,  time is a factor when it comes to working out. The  BB workouts are about  40 minutes each.  I'm always  looking for things to do if I'm pressed for time.  And that brings us the W.O.D for this Workout Wednesday.  I got this from one of my friends at work.  He said it's pretty intense. I'm eager to try it!  Check it out and let me know what you think!

 

 

Until next time - - get up, get out, and get moving! Whatever you decide to do today, be awesome at it!

 

Your friend,

 

Theresa

 

What are your fitness/nutrition goals for this month?

Workout Wednesday & Active Nation Day

Good morning folks!!

I hope that you're having a wonderful week so far. We're halfway there!!

We're having some fabulous early fall weather here and I'm loving it!!  The lower humidity makes for some wonderful running weather!!  Last night, Pathways did a 3.5 mile recovery run. They are such a great group to work with!!  After the run, I came home and did the 21 Day Fix Lower Fix workout. I felt really out of shape! Those squats kicked my butt, literally!!  I was sweating profusely! It was just more reinforcement for me that I need to continue to cross train consistently to build up my endurance and stamina.

Tonight, hubs and I are scheduled to do BB Build Back and Biceps. 

Its no secret that upper body, especially shoulders, is my favorite body part to work out. And my poor, sad little triceps need a lot of work!!  So, today, I've got an upper body workout for you. You can do this routine anywhere, home or gym. All you need is a set of heavy weights and a set of light weights. And you will need either a chair or bench for tricep  dips. Choose weights that are challenging but not uncomfortable so that you don't get injured. This is a good, quick routine in case you're pressed for time because it only takes about 25 minutes. It's easy to add to your current routine or can stand alone.

This Sunday, September 28 is Active Nation Day. Since I'm going out of town for personal business this weekend, I'll get me #Active on by running 7 miles with my group on Saturday morning. What is Active Nation Day?? Active Nation Day is a movement created in 2012 by Lorna Jane to help women live an authentic and active life. On 28 September 2014, we’ll be hosting events all over the world, where sporty sisters can learn and take part in a specially choreographed fitness routine. In just three years, the Active Nation Day sisterhood has collectively moved over eight million kilometres together. – that’s 21 times to the moon! And with this year marking Active Nation Day’s global debut, that number is set to soar.

Here's how you can participate:

Download the new LornaJane app to help keep you motivated and inspired!You can download the LornaJane app here:  iTunes app store or at Google Play. This awesome app is designed to help keep you inspired to follow Lorna Jane’s mantras of Move, Nourish, and Believe. To Move, you can choose from a long list of fitness choices, and the app will help you track your activity.  Nourishing yourself is easy, find information, encouragement and delicious recipes on the Nourish tab, and if you need more inspiration, updating the Believe page will offer up a variety of motivational quotes.

Move!! LornaJane has their own dance move for Active Nation Day. You can learn the LJ Move, share it on social media for a chance to win a $1,000 Lorna Jane Gift Card. To enter to win a $1,000 gift card to Lorna Jane Active remember to take a photo or video of you (and your friends if you want), doing the LJ Move. Post it to Instagram, Twitter, or Facebook and be sure to use the hashtags #ActiveNationDay and #LJMove. Then tag your friends and invite them to try out the LJ Move themselves!  Here are the #LJMove Contest Terms and Conditions.



Until next time--get up, get out, and get moving! Whatever you do today, be awesome at it!!

Your friend,

Theresa

How will you get active on Active Nation Day, September 28 2014??

Back to Reality

Hello, hello!!

I hope that you're all doing well and having a good week, so far. Hang on, we're almost there!!

Its been a great week for me, but its back to reality today. Hubs and I decided to take a little extended time at the last this past weekend and I am so glad that we did!! It is always so beautiful there but I was surprised at how peaceful it was. Monday and Tuesday were nearly perfect. There were very few boats, so the water was very calm. The weather was perfect! We had the campground all to ourselves. It was so quiet and relaxing! I could have stayed for days and days!!  Hubs got the chance to do a little fishing while I got to float and soak up the sun. The highlight of our trip was getting to see the goats on Goat Island. We've gone to this lake for several years now and just recently learned that this island is called "Goat Island" We heard there were goats on the island but we were skeptical, as we had docked there before and never saw or heard one. We've seen pictures of them recently but until Sunday, we had not seen them with our own eyes. We had a chance to see one of them Sunday and then on Tuesday, we saw them both.  Needless to say, it was a great week!

I didn't work out as much as I had planned. I probably ate way too much junk and consumed a few too many adult beverages, but it was all worth it! I think that we spend way too much time wrapped up in our daily lives-working, working out, watching what we eat, etc. Don't get me wrong, that's all very important. But I believe that if we truly want to be the best that we can be, we need to learn to lighten up and relax. Rest is just as important as exercise and clean eating!!

I packed my gym bag for a run after work today. And for the first time in about 6 months, I packed this shirt:

I have to admit that I'm more than a little bit excited about returning to coaching this group! It was such and integral part of my identity then I got injured and a little burned out. I've taken a break and now I'm looking forward to working with this group, preparing them for their goal race, the Tulsa Run 15k. I had such a fun group last fall. I haven't met them yet as I missed the first run Tuesday night but I'm hoping that we have as much fun, if not more! Some of our Pathways alumni have graduated to coaching, including my sweeper coach. It will be as much fun working with them too. Don't worry, I'll keep you posted with frequent updates and pictures!!  I just hope that I can keep up!!

 

And, back to reality for us includes back to our healthy habits: eating and working out. Of course I meal prepped when we got home yesterday. I fixed turkey sausage w/ potatoes, peppers and onions, baked chicken, baked sweet potatoes, salad and HB eggs. In addition to running tonight, I'll continue my strength training with an upper body workout.

 

OK, gotta go get ready for work now. I'll check in with ya again tomorrow!

 

Until next time--get up, get out and get moving!!  Whatever you decided to do today, be awesome at it!!

 

Your friend,

 

Theresa



Workout Wednesday

Hey y'all!  I hope you're having a great week so far!

We're already halfway through yet another work week.  I find that hard to believe.  But it has  been a busy one,  so far!

I meal prepped like a boss this past weekend.  We didn't go to the lake so I was able to take a little extra time prepping.  I fixed grilled chicken, turkey burgers, boiled eggs, ground turkey,  brown rice,  black beans,  sweet potatoes,  broccoli,  mixed veggies,  and fresh fruit. We tried something new for breakfast this week: chicken apple sausages.  They were delicious! So we're both fairly well on track with our nutrition this week.

I'm pleased to announce that hubs is doing the  Body Beast  workouts with me on a daily basis. We had a few misses the first week,  but we've been very consistent this week.  We're going on vacation in a couple of weeks,  so I'm not sure how we will manage that  but we'll figure out something. This morning,  I worked out at the gym it my trainer.  It was a good session.  It was obvious to me that I need to keep working to strengthen my core! I'm still weak in that area.

I'm still tracking fats,  carbs,  and protein in My Fitness Pal using the calculations from If It Fits Your Macros I'm getting a better understanding of the process. I still am not seeing the progress that I want to see.  I'm just going to keep with it though.  I really like the concept of not tracking calories.  I record all my daily food.  And,  if I still have room for a treat,  then I have the treat and don't feel guilty about it.  I haven't been on the scale in a couple of weeks.  I'm not hungry at all. It is isn't  restrictive at all.  I think that it  instills  a healthier  mindset than counting calories and watching the scale. Both of those methods can lead to eating disorders and body image issues.

Today is  Wednesday,  so that means it's Workout Wednesday.  I've got a quick,  total body circuit for you today.  You can either incorporate this into your usual routine or it can stand alone if you're pressed for time.

So,  that's all for now.  I'll have some super exciting news for you tomorrow  so stay tuned!

Until next time--get up, get out,  and  get moving! Whatever you do today,  be awesome at it!

Your friend,

Theresa

Monday Motivation~~Update

Hello, hello!!

Happy Monday everybody!!

I'm sorry I didn't post much last week. As usual, I had good intentions, but the life went sideways.

As you know, we've been dealing with my mother in law's failing health since her fall/hip fracture last month. It was just too much for her body to overcome. A couple of weeks ago, we took her home with hospice. I was hopeful that she would rally, but it was painfully obvious that she was fading fast, right in front of our eyes. Last Tuesday, my husband got the call that she had passed quietly and peacefully. The rest of the week was a hectic blur. I think we are both still numb. And now, we're going to have to be a greater presence in my father in law's life.

He is 88 years old and lives in an apartment about 13 miles from us. He was living with his wife until she fell. She was the chief cook for him. She made his coffee and warmed up his meals. She waited on him hand and foot. Now, we're concerned that he won't eat or take a bath, etc. We're worried that he will grieve himself to death. We thought about moving him in with us. But, we also want him to maintain as much independence as possible. We're going to try letting him stay in the apartment for now. When I meal prepped last night, I made extra so that he would have something that he can heat up in the microwave. His one request for the week was baked fish, so that's what he got. We're also going to have to include him in some of our activities, including the lake. I'm not sure how it will all work out, but we'll figure it out as we go along.

I did manage to stay somewhat on track with my fitness goals last week despite everything being pear shaped. I ran with friends on Tuesday and Thursday morning. Wednesday, I doubled up on my 21 Day Fix workouts: I did upper fix in the morning and lower fix in the evening. Thursday morning, after my run, I went to the gym to workout with my trainer. I feel like I got in a really good workout that day!!  And Saturday morning, I attempted a 3 mile run at the lake but the humidity was oppressive! I ended up walking with my husband.

I prepped weekly meals when we got home from the lake. This week, I prepped baked chicken, baked fish, hard boiled eggs, black beans, green beans, mixed veggies, salad, and mac/cheese for my father in law.

Tonight, I plan to check on my father in law on my way home. I'm planning to fix him a fried egg sandwich for dinner. After that, I'm going to continue the 21 Day Fix workouts for now. This is what I'm planning to do this week:

Monday: Total Body Cardio Fix
Tuesday: Upper Fix
Wednesday: Lower Fix
Thursday: Pilates Fix
Friday: Cardio Fix in addition to getting my butt kicked by my trainer!
Saturday: Dirty 30 and 3 - 4 mile run
Hopefully I can fit in a run on Tuesday and Thursday mornings as well.

That's all I've got right now. The next few weeks will be challenging until we settle into a new routine. I never dreamed that I would be caring for an aging parent. I will be reading and blogging about it and role reversal over the next few weeks. Hopefully we'll figure out some tips and tricks that I can share with you.

Until next time--get up, get out, and get moving! What ever you do today, be awesome at it!!

Your friend,

Theresa

Monday Motivation

Good morning friends!!  Happy Monday!!

Here we go again with a brand new day and brand new week!

Most folks grumble and complain about Mondays and sometimes I'm in that category. But lately, I've started to think of Monday as a day to get a fresh start. Now that doesn't mean that it's ok to completely "blow it" on the weekends however! 

We had a good Father's Day weekend at the lake. We arrived late Friday night and enjoyed the Friday13 full moon on the dock for a little while, until I got too cold. I went for a nice 3 mile run Saturday morning. After we ate breakfast, hubs got the boat out and we went out for a ride. It was VERY windy! We had a good time tying up and visiting with our friends. We made some new friends and enjoyed spending the evening on the dock visiting with our campground neighbors. It was just what my sweet hubs needed for Father's Day...a little R&R. He has had a lot on his mind recently with his mother's health problems.

She is still hanging in there, barely. Right now, we're just playing a waiting game. We're expecting the phone to ring any minute. Poor hubs is trying to be as prepared as possible but I know he is going to fall apart when it happens. It is so hard to watch someone you care about go through this. I'm thankful for my previous experience as a hospice nurse. It is much different on this side of it, but it helps that I have an understanding of what to expect. He keeps asking me how much longer and unfortunately, I just don't have an answer for that. :-(

We arrived home from the lake early yesterday. I was able to get all the laundry caught up, meal prep done and the dishes all done. It was a very productive day!!  I kept meal prep very simple this week because I'm sure it will be a disrupted week. I prepped baked chicken, ground turkey meat, mixed veggies, green beans, black beans, baked sweet potatoes, cut up lettuce for salad, and hard boiled eggs.

I'm on week 3 of the 21 Day Fix and still not seeing the results that I did the first time. But I'm going to stick it out and finish this round. Then I think that I need to shake up my workout routine. I'm scheming on something right now!!  I enjoyed Insanity when I did it last summer. It is a lot of cardio though and I'm interested in gaining strength and building more muscle right now. I'm thinking that I'm going to do a hybrid of Insanity and the Beachbody Body Beast program. But for now, here are my fitness goals for the week:

Monday--Run, Total Body Cardio Fix
Tuesday--Upper Fix
Wednesday--Lower Fix
Thursday--Pilates Fix
Friday--Cardio Fix
Saturday--Dirty 30

I have 3 more weeks with my trainer and I'd like to squeeze in another run or 2 in there somewhere. I have a feeling that I'm going to have to be flexible with this schedule this week and adjust it as needed.

So, that's it for me today. Until next time--get up, get out, and get moving!!  Whatever you do today, be awesome at it!!

Your friend,

Theresa

Workout Wednesday

Howdy folks! Happy Wednesday!

I hope you're all having a great day!

It's a short, but busy week here! I have a short work week, so I'm trying to cram 5 days of work into 3 days.

My goal was to do the 21 Day Fix total body cardio and upper fix last night after work. I was late getting off work last night and was experiencing some severe pain in my right shoulder, back and neck. I lifted for shoulders, back and biceps on Monday, but I don't think that's what caused the pain. I have a history of arthritis in my neck and shoulder. I'm pretty sure that sleeping in the wrong position it's what caused the pain. At any rate, I took some anti inflammatories and applied ice to it. I thought about doing yoga or pilates instead but decided that my body was asking for a rest day.  It's much better today, so I am planning to do the upper fix and lower body fix after work.

For "Workout Wednesday" I've got a chest and triceps workout for you.

Until next time--get up, get out, and get moving! Whatever you do today, be awesome at it!

Your friend,

Theresa

Quick update/recap

Hello, hello folks!!

I hope that you all had a fabulous holiday weekend! 

First, let me apologize for my recent radio silence. The past week was pretty busy with my mother in law being in the hospital in ICU. She was quite ill and for us, that meant several late nights at the hospital with her. The good news is that she is on the mend. I have requested a rehab eval for her. And I suspect that we'll be moving her either to rehab or back to the skilled  nursing facility by the weekend.

We spend most of our summer weekends at our "happy place" Lake Tenkiller near Tahlequah, Oklahoma. We've been going there for 3 years now. Memorial Day weekend is usually the kickoff to our "lake season". But, with his mother in the hospital, we weren't sure that we were going to go. We finally decided that we would go on Friday night and spend Saturday then play the rest of the weekend by ear. It was mostly my idea because I thought that hubs needed to get away from the ICU/hospital for a little while. We left Friday, stopped to check in on her on our way, bought some groceries and got to our little camping trailer close to bedtime.

I woke up early Saturday and went for a run. It was about 65 degrees with 99% humidity. I thought I had charged my Garmin but apparently it didn't make good contact and was dead. So I had to run "naked" I really have no idea how far or fast I went. I think it was between 2 and 3 miles. I forgot how hilly it is at the lake!!  That plus the humidity plus I haven't been running all that much made it a little bit of a rough run. I walked one of the bigger hills but I still enjoyed being outdoors!

After breakfast, we got the boat in the water, met our friends and headed to "Party Cove" It's like a giant parking lot for boats where everyone ties up and socializes with each other. There are usually wild shenanigans that go on out there. We like to stay on the fringe and people watch. It was a little bit cool and cloudy but there was plenty of entertainment!!  We had such a great time with all of our friends!!

We woke up Sunday morning, checked on his mom and found out that she was doing much better so we decided to stay Sunday too. We went for a nice boat ride then went to Party Cove to people watch again. All in all, it was a great weekend! It was just the break from our daily lives that we needed.

We got up early yesterday, put the boat up, packed up our stuff and headed home. We stopped to check on his mom on the way home. She was awake and they had a good visit. She's getting better every day! We started the laundry when we got home and went to the store to get the weekly groceries. After that, I did the weekly meal prep. I didn't take pictures this week, but I prepped:
baked chicken, baked fish, steamed squash, steamed asparagus, brown rice and HB eggs.

We did a shoulders, back and biceps workout and by that time, we were ready for bed!

I love the lake but it's a challenge to maintain all the hard work from the week. I hate to undo it all on the weekends! I try to get in a run at least one day that we're there. And I try to keep our food reasonably clean/healthy. I had a few transgressions last weekend but I don't think it was all that bad. I took rotisserie chicken and sliced turkey on the boat for lettuce wraps with guacamole and fruit for snacks. And we had grilled chicken for dinner both nights. Adult beverages are always an issue. They're just empty calories and are counter productive for muscle growth. I did partake in a few but again, I tried to keep them few and far between and on the lighter side. I think I did ok but the proof will be when I step on the scale at work. EEK!!

This week, my fitness goals are:

Monday--back, shoulders, biceps
Tuesday--Total Body Cardio fix and upper fix
Wednesday--LEG DAY!!  Lower fix and legs
Thursday--Dirty 30
Friday--Chest and triceps
Saturday--2-3 mile run

Until next time--get up, get out, and get moving. Whatever you do today, be awesome at it!!

Your friend,

Theresa

Workout Wednesday

Good morning folks!! 

Woohoo! It's Wednesday and that means that we're halfway there!!

So much for wishing for an easier week! I knew it was too much to ask for! Late yesterday afternoon, my phone rang. It was a strange number but I recognized the prefix. My mother in law is currently a resident at a skilled nursing facility (nursing home) in a small town near where we live. She went there for "therapy" Well, apparently she started having some complications on Monday and was sent to the local hospital there. The phone call was from the hospital telling me that she had been transferred to the hospital where I work because "her condition was worsening" This was all news to me! No one from the nursing facility or hospital ever notified my husband or me that she had been sent there in the first place. I'm beyond angry!!!  I've been a nurse for a very long time and I simple cannot imagine not notifying a patient's family of changes in their condition! Simply unheard of and unacceptable!!!  Maybe I'm just an old fashioned nurse or my expectations are way too high!!  Needless to say, some heads are going to roll when I get ahold of them today!!  Mother in law is currently in the ICU in serious condition. Thoughts and prayers would be greatly appreciated.

Monday night after work, I did a back/shoulders/biceps strength training circuit while watching The Voice. I missed the finale last night, but I know that Josh Kaufman won and deservingly so. He was very good!! I was planning to do Total Body Cardio from the 21 Day Fix after work last night, but with the current ICU situation, I missed my workout last night. :( Not to worry though, I'm planning to double up and get it done tonight!! Wednesday is my leg day so I'm planning to do the 21 Day Fix Lower Fix and then I'll probably do the Total Body Cardio that I missed last night. I have a feeling that I need to work up a good sweat and blow off some steam!! 

The point that I want to make for today's Workout Wednesday post is that despite our best intentions, we all have lives to live. Sometimes life gets in the way of our plans. The important thing to remember is that whatever the current situation may be, it is temporary. This too shall pass. It's important to not let life derail our plans entirely. Don't use life situations as an excuse to fall off the wagon. I've been guilty of this in the past. One thing I always tell the runners that I coach is "control what you can control" I obviously cannot control the situation with my MIL but I can control my eating and my workout.Yes, I missed my workout last night. But my eating was still spot on. And I've got healthy meals packed for today as well. I'm planning to hit it hard tonight but I also have a backup plan just in case the situation changes. I'm packing a gym bag and I can use the gym at work if needed. And this is my back up workout if need be.

 

 

"If you fail to plan, you plan to fail" Have a plan, don't fail today!!

 

Until next time--get up, get out, get moving! Whatever you choose to do today, be awesome at it!!

 

Your friend,

 

Theresa

 

Do you watch The Voice?

Who do you think should have won??







Motivation Monday

Good morning folks!!  Happy Monday!

The past 2 weeks have been the hardest, most challenging that I've had in quite some time. I'm hoping that this week might go a little more smoothly! I hope that you all had a good weekend!!

Saturday, I got up and did a chest and triceps workout. Then hubs and I did the weekly grocery shopping. We went to Ross and I got a pair of workout capri pants and a new pair of Nike Pegasus, too. We went out to a friend's birthday party later that night. Yesterday, hubs went to our place at the lake to do some work on our trailer and I stayed home to do the chores and weekly food prep. This week, I prepped steaks, yellow squash/zucchini, ground turkey meat, spaghetti squash, brown rice, baked sweet potatoes, hb eggs, and broccoli.

One thing that I really enjoy about blogging is the networking aspect. Recently, I "met" Danielle Prestejohn and I had an opportunity to work with her for the past 21 days. She is a Beachbody coach and gave several of us a chance to try the new 21 Day Fix workout program from Beachbody. I've tried other Beachbody programs in the past and really liked them, so I was excited about this opportunity.

This particular program includes an eating plan based on portion control. I believe that is where most people struggle on their weight loss journey. It is a very simple plan to follow. There are color coded containers that represent different food groups: protein, vegetables, fruits, starches, fats, nuts and seeds. You calculate that amount of calories that you need for the day and then you follow the guide that shows you how many color coded containers to eat for the day. For instance, the 1200-1499 plan includes 3 greens, 2 purples, 3 reds, 2 yellows, 1 blue and 1 orange. Super easy!!

As you know, I am already a meal planner/prepper. I weigh and measure all my portions. In all honesty, I didn't feel like I was eating enough. I felt hungry when I followed the plan. I noticed that I was loosing weight and that isn't my goal. I want to maintain and could actually afford to put on a few pounds of lean muscle. It was easy for me to adjust my intake by simply stepping up to the next meal plan. I think it was helpful for my husband to get a visual of correct portion sizes and how much food he should be eating as well as what types of food and when to eat them.

My favorite part of this program are the workouts. There are 7 different workouts. Each one is 30 minutes in length and are easily modifiable for beginners or if one is injured, etc. Although the workouts are short, they are effective. Scientifically, short bursts of exercise with short rest periods (HIIT) are highly effective for weight loss and fat burning. I love these workouts and will continue to incorporate them into my fitness regimen.

I'm pleased with my progress, so far.I'm seeing subtle little changes everyday.

Here's my workout schedule for the week:

Monday--Upper body strength training, back/shoulders/biceps
Tuesday--Total Body Cardio Fix
Wednesday--Upper fix
Thursday--Double day Lower fix and Pilates fix
Friday--Chest and triceps
Saturday--Dirty 30 (or 3 mile run if we are at the lake)
Sunday--yoga fix

Until next time--get up, get out, get moving. And whatever you do today, be awesome at it!

Your friend,

Theresa

What are your workout plans this week?
Have you tried the 21 Day Fix?

Workout Wednesday

Good morning!!  What day is it??  It's "Hump Day" aka my second favorite day of the week!!  It means that we're halfway through this work week and we all know that I'm just working for the weekend!!

Last night, I was scheduled to meet my new trainer for the first time. But it was not meant to be. I had to stay late at work and will have to reschedule with my trainer. It had been a long, frustrating day. All I wanted to do when I got home was crawl in my pj's and go to bed.  But, I didn't. I worked out instead. I doubled up and did Total Body Cardio Fix and Upper Fix from the 21 Day Fix program.

I've been more consistent with my workouts the past 3 weeks. I'm already starting to see some changes in my body and I love it! I'm excited about the changes I'll see in the future!
Today is leg day and I am planning to double up again. I'll do the 21 Day Fix Lower Fix with an additional core workout.

Another reason this is my favorite day, is because it's "Workout Wednesday" That's the day I choose one of my favorite workouts to share with you. Now that it's starting to warm up and summer is right around the corner, that means short sleeves and tank tops. We all want sexy arms that don't jiggle. So, for today's workout, I'm sharing my quick "Sexy, Tank Top Arms" workout with you.

Until next time--get up, get out, and get moving! Whatever you decide to do today, remember to be awesome at it x

Your friend,



Theresa

Wrappin' It Up

Hello, hello folks!! TGIF

Sorry about the lack of posts this week. It's been busy and I've had a bit of writer's block. I'll try to do better next week.

So, here's a quick recap of what's been going on lately.

I haven't really run very much. :-(   I have, however, been consistent with my workouts this week.  I mentioned earlier that I was trying out the 21 Day Fix from Beachbody. It's a nutrition plan based on portion control along with a workout program. I'm loving these workouts!!  They each 30 minutes in length and are easy to modify if needed. Even hubs can do them!!  Here's what I did this week:


Monday: Total Body Cardio Fix
Tuesday: Upper Fix
Wednesday: Lower Fix
Thursday: Pilates Fix
Friday: Cardio Fix
Saturday: Dirty 30
Sunday: Yoga Fix

Yesterday, in addition to the pilates workout that I did yesterday, I did an upper body strength workout at lunch and then I met a couple of friends after work for a little run. We ended up walking most of our 3 miles because Patty's leg was bothering her. And I was ok with that after doing the Lower Fix on Wednesday, my left quad was a little tight too. The pilates workout helped stretch that out a bit though.

So, for 2 weeks, I've been working out consistently and I'm happy about that. I've been thinking about my long term goals and I think that I'm going to take some time to focus on strength training. I love running but I'm tired of being an injured runner. I hired a personal trainer yesterday and we're going to take the next 6 - 8 weeks to work on strengthening my non running muscles so that I'll be ready to return to running, hopefully injury free, when that fall training programs kick off in mid-July. I'm taking a hiatus from coaching the 10k program during this time. I've agreed to be a substitute coach on an as needed basis only. I need more flexibility and I have my own agenda at this time. I feel like I wouldn't be able to be as dedicated to that runners as I should be, so I think it's best to take a break.

This weekend, we're going to Lake Tenkiller to get our trailer set up in our usual camping spot for the summer. It's going to be warm this weekend, so we're going to take the boat out and I couldn't be happier!! I'm definitely a warm weather girl! I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE warm sunshine and floating on the water!!  It soothes my soul! So, for the next 6 months, you'll find me at my happy place every weekend!!  We have some friends and family meeting us to go out on the boat, so this should be a very fun weekend! I'm been waiting for this since last September!!  It will be difficult for me to be very productive at work today! I've been trying to make out a list of food and supplies that I need and I'm discovering that boat snacks are going to be tricky this year since I've drastically cleaned up my diet. I still don't have it all figured out, but I will.

Until next time--get up, get out, and get moving. Whatever you do today, remember to be awesome!!

Your friend,

Theresa

Motivation Monday ~ Weekly Goals, New Plan

Hello folks! Happy Monday!

I hope that you had a good weekend.

Mine did not go as planned. I went to my sister's baby shower Friday afternoon. It was so nice and they were blessed with so many nice gifts. Afterward, I went to a doctor's appointment for some skin issues I've been having recently. I think I'm experiencing some hormonal acne. I never had breakouts like this when I was younger. This had been horrible, painful and terribly embarrassing. I was given a perception for oral antibiotics and a topical ointment.

Sometime during the night, I woke up ill from the antibiotics. I was supposed to get up and run later that morning but just didn't feel like it. As a matter of fact, I didn't feel well enough to do anything until about 2 pm. I forced myself to get up and go do the grocery shopping.

Yesterday, I was supposed to go volunteer at the Oklahoma  City marathon but again wasn't feeling well. I did get up at 0630 to watch the marathon on tv as I had many friends running it. I turned the tv on just in time to see that the start was delayed until 7 am due to severe thunderstorms with hail and lightening. They delayed the start until 7:15 and then again until 8 am. There was real danger of them having to cancel but the storms passed enough, that they were able to start at 8:15. It was so exciting to watch it on tv and made me sad that I there. But with the weather, I was glad I wasn't actually.

I did my house work while watching them run. Then I did meal prep. After ward, I did a total body strength workout and then yoga. I was finally able to sit down and put my feet up for a little while.

This week, I prepped baked chicken, ground turkey, stir fry veggies, brown rice, spaghetti squash, green beans, roasted sweet potatoes, hard boiled eggs, salad, and fresh veggies for snacks.

Our meal plan/workout plan is going to be a little different this week. We're trying the 21 Day Fix from Beachbody. It is a meal/workout plan that comes with multiple, colored portion control containers. Each container/color corresponds with a food group: red - protein, green - veggies, purple - fruit, yellow - carbs, blue - fats/cheese, orange - seeds/oils. You calculate your calorie intake and each day you're allowed x number of containers based on the required/desired calorie intake. I'm on the lowest calorie plan, so I'm allowed: 3 green, 2 purple, 4 red, 2 yellow, 1 blue, 1 orange and 2 tsp (nut butter)

It also includes a 7 day workout plan. Now, I have to tell ya that I cheated and started the workouts last week. I love them! They are led by Autumn Calabrese and when I'm done, I feel like I've done work! Each day is different and each workout is only 30 minutes. They are easily modified if one needs to.

I've joined up with Danielle Prestejohn and a few other bloggers for this challenge. You'll follow us while we do the program for 3 weeks.

I'm a little skeptical about the meal plan. I already do a good job of meal planning/prepping. And I measure all my portions on a food scale. I feel like this is something I've already got a
good handle on. So far, I'm not impressed with the "if it fits in the container, you can eat it" mindset. Especially when it comes to vegetables. When I was preparing my salad today, one green container of lettuce wasn't quite enough for my taste, so I'm going to have an extra green container today. There are worse things I could eat. :-)

We'll give it a go though and I'll try to be open minded about it.

My fitness goals for the week include the 21 Day Fix workout plan with 2-3 short runs included in there.

Until next time--get up, get out, get moving! And whatever you do today, be awesome!

Your friend,

Theresa

Weekly Wrap Up!

TGIF y'all! I'm feeling pretty much like the little girl in the picture. It's Friday, the weather is beautiful here, and I'm off work early today!

I'm leaving work at noon to drive to my hometown for my sister's baby shower. I'm super excited!

Tomorrow, I'm meeting a few friends for a 3-4 mile run in the morning. After that, hubs and I will be en route to Oklahoma City for the Okc Memorial Marathon. Neither of us is running it, but I'm volunteering at the medical tent. There is severe weather predicted for early Sunday morning. I'm hoping that it won't affect the start of the marathon. They have had to delay it for lightening and hail before.

I've been faithful about cross training this week. Last night, I did a pilates routine and really enjoyed it. I can tell a difference in my energy level. I think I've gotten out of my rut and plan on staying out of it!

Until next time--get up, get out and get moving. Whatever you do today, remember to be awesome!

Your friend,

Theresa

Workout Wednesday & Hump Day Motivation

Good morning friends!! 

Woohoo, we're halfway there!! We just have to get over this hump and we're on the downhill side!!

What? You need a little motivation to get over the hump? Well, you came to the right place!!  I certainly can understand the lack of motivation. I've struggled with that myself lately. But, thanks to good friends who believed in me when I didn't believe in myself, I think it's safe to say that I'm back at it!! 

Last night, after work, I got in a 3 mile run with my friends at Turkey Mountain in Tulsa. It was Karen's first run since having foot surgery, so we took it easy with occasional walk breaks. After I got home, hubs and I completed a good core and upper body workout, so I ended my day feeling quite accomplished. It feels good to have that fire re-ignited!!  Now, let's just hope that I don't burn myself out again. :-(

Wednesday is the day that I share one of my favorite workouts with you. So, here's what I've  chosen for Workout Wednesday this week: 10-x-10-climb-and-descend-upper-body-workout-challenge

 

Whew!!  That's a lot of reps y'all!!  It will surely give you those toned, sexy tank top arms just in time for summer!!  Remember:

 

 

Until next time--get up, get out, get moving and be awesome today!!

Your friend,

Theresa

Tuesday Thoughts

Hello, hello y'all!

I hope that you're having a terrific day so far!

Thanks for all the love and support about my food prep post yesterday. It's something that I think I'm pretty good at and enjoy sharing it with others. I would love to develop it into some kind of side business someday ;-)

How inspiring was the Boston Marathon yesterday? I watched an interview with Meb once and have been a big fan of his since then. He is such a talented and humble athlete, which is quite refreshing now days. I was thrilled that he won, he deserved it! I'm so jealous of my friends who are running the Garmin Marathon this weekend. Meb is the key note speaker at the pre-race dinner! I've met a few running legends and some day, I hope to get to meet him. I had a few friends there. It was fun following their social media and tracking them on race day. I probably wasn't as productive at work as I should have been. It's probably a good thing it only happens once a year, otherwise my boss might start to wonder just what I'm up to :-)

As you all know, I've been struggling with my motivation lately. I don't know exactly what the problem is. And, truth be told, it's probably a combination of things. But, I think I may have had a revelation. I've been talking to a good friend about my lack of interest and he's been trying to encourage me but I still really wasn't feeling it. A co worker suggested I try some vitamin D, which I am. But the real "Ah Ha" moment was a comment on my FB page that really resonated with me. I posted a picture of the weekly food prep. One of my friends commented that I was her hero. I asked her why and she said:

"You are so organized! You work out very faithfully, and created all this food for the week! I am happy when I have planned a menu!!!"

That's when it hit me! I try to lead be example and lately I haven't been setting a good one. I'm not practicing what I preach. I've been selfish and wallowing in some kind of self pity for who knows why. Well, all of that stops NOW! People are watching what I do. I've got too many people that I would let down, especially myself, if I don't get it together and start walking the walk again. I want to inspire people. I want someone to look at me and say "because of you I didn't give up".

The lesson learned here is, we all struggle from time to time and sometimes we need help from our friends, those who believe in us when we don't believe in ourselves. The important thing if you get knocked down, is to get back up and keep going. You never know who you might be inspiring!

With that being said, I got in a good total body workout last night. Tonight after work, I'll be running a few miles, then I'm going to do an upper body workout.

Ok, until next time--get up, get out, get moving, and be awesome today!

Your friend,

Theresa

Do you ever struggle with motivation? How do you stay motivated?
Did you know anyone who ran the Boston Marathon

Workout Wednesday # 10

Good morning folks!!

I hope that you're having a wonderful week so far!!  We're halfway through this work week and that makes me immensely happy!! :-) We all know that I'm just working for the weekend!!

Quick injury/running update--I posted that I was going to try to run a couple of miles Monday after work. But, I didn't :-( Sorry guys!!  I'm just a little nervous. Plus, the fact that my calves were mysteriously tight and tender over the weekend just exacerbated my apprehension. Knowing that I had an appointment with my chiropractor yesterday, I wanted his opinion before I got out there and hit the pavement. We talked about my tight calves. He said that he thinks my muscles, especially on the right tighten up in my sleep. I don't know why but I think I am going to try to roll my calves and wear compression sleeves/socks to bed for a while to see if that helps. He did ART on the calves and along the shin. He found a tight, painful spot in the front, so I got dry needled :/ The Achilles and peroneal tendons feel so much better so he gave me the go ahead and the reassurance that I needed to get out and get in a few miles!!  The weather is supposed to be fabulous tomorrow and again this weekend, so I'm looking forward to lacing up my shoes!! 

Meanwhile, hubs and I are still doing strength training consistently. I gave him a chest, back, and shoulders workout to do last night while I did the Jillian Michaels One Week Shred. I'm enjoying this workout and I think it would be a great addition to my routine. I think that I will alternate that workouts. That way I would do the strength M W F and the cardio on T and Th. I want to continue the Jamie Eason 30 day program too. I'm really starting to enjoy the strength training.

While we're on the subject of strength training, here's what I have for you today for Workout Wednesday:

Weight Lifting for runners

Best Weightlifting program for runners

I was really excited to find this article and even more excited to learn that strength training could improve my running!! I know that it's important to strengthen non running muscles to help prevent injury. And I know that balance is important in regards to proper form. But I never really correlated balance and weight training but after reading this article, it makes perfect sense. It makes me want to load my bar heavier!! Now, with that being said, just like with running, it's important not to do too much too soon. So, here's some good information regarding weight progression:

1. Meet the prescribed set and rep goal for the exercise.
2. Increase the weight being lifted for that exercise by the smallest increment possible.
3. Meet the set/rep goal again with this new, slightly heavier weight.
4. Increase the weight being lifted again by the smallest increment possible.
5. Repeat this process over and over again as often as you are capable of making it happen.

More information about weight progression and weightlifting in general can be found here: http://www.aworkoutroutine.com/weight-training-progression/

Ok, that's all for now.

Until next time--get up, get out and get moving!!

Your friend,

Theresa

Do you strength train??

Tuesday Musings

Good morning folks!

Monday is usually my day to coach Pathways, but I haven't run with them for nearly a month now due to this tendonitis issue I'm having. I'm hoping that I can get back at it before the session ends. I think they did speed work at the track last night. It was a beautiful night for a run, too!!  Since I am allowed to do low impact activities, I went to spin class. After I got home, hubs and I did our core and upper body strength training workout. I think we got in a pretty good calorie burn!! 

I had to wear my sunglasses on the way home from gym. I had almost forgotten what it's like to have sunshine in the evenings like that. And I love it!!  I like daylight savings time (sorry, Christy. I know you don't like it) I love the sunshine and thrive on it. It does my heart and soul good. I might have a touch of seasonal affective disorder. I feel more productive and more motivated on warm, sunny days so I'm definitely happy about the time change and am looking forward to spring/summer.

Tonight, we're scheduled to do lower body. I'm going to have to modify some of the exercises for hubs because of his knee injury. I'm enjoying this program so far and am eager to see where we are in 30 days.

Alrighty, I've got to get ready for work now. I hope that you all have a terrific Tuesday!!  Get up, get out and get moving! Don't forget to be awesome today!! 

What do you think of daylight savings time?

Workout Wednesday #8

Hello, hello y'all. We're halfway through another week already! I hope all is well with you!

I'm hopping on here quickly for a brief workout Wednesday post. I'm currently still on the running disabled list. I'm trying to stay active in other ways though. I missed spin class Monday night. I thought I had signed up for it and space is limited but when I checked, I actually had not and all the spots were full. I went home and did some upper body and core work. Last night, I got in a good cardio workout followed by dumb bell swings and weighted burpees. I finished with an ab workout. Tonight, I'm going to spin and Urban Fit bootcamp.

Yesterday, I was looking for new ab/core workouts to try and I found a site that I wanted to share with you. The Super Sisters have a ton of information on their website and they post free workouts on their instagram I combined a couple of their ab workouts last night for a very effective core workout.

http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=0ExsfdA46m0

So, check them out!

I'm keeping a close eye on the weather for my half marathon this weekend. So far, it's looking less than desirable.....cold and rainy :-(

Ok, until next time......get up, get out, and get moving! Have a wonderful Wednesday and rest of your week. :-)