Outdoor Fun!

This weekend was filled with birthday festivities since it was the first weekend back at school!

Friday night me and 25 of my closest friends went out to dinner.  We went to TGI Fridays because I knew that there were things on the menu that I could eat and not ruin my entire day!  I got the crispy green beans (probs not the best choice, but I shared) and the dragon fire chicken (one of the best under 550 calorie meals ever). After dinner we went back to St. Johns and hung out.  It was great to see everyone again and have a chance to catch up.

Last night we all went to St. John's for dinner, rented some skates, and hit the rink!  I am no professional skater, but it was really fun to mess around on the ice with friends.  And you can never pass up an outdoor workout.

All in all it was a healthy and happy weekend!

Until tomorrow :)

C

Get it written down!

As many of you know, I cannot say enough positive things about food logging.  So I am going to encourage all of you to get out a notebook and WRITE IT DOWN!

Tanee, one of the other bloggers I follow is sponsoring a 100 day food logging challenge.
Here's the link! Get on board!
https://www.facebook.com/events/790279237665779/

For me I hate writing down the bad things that I have eaten through out the day, but at the same time it helps me eliminate a lot of CRAP from my diet.

A lot of people have been asking my mom and I how I have done it and what I have really eliminated.  These four things are exactly what I try to avoid, but guess what?  I am human.  I cave and I make mistakes.   This first week back at school has been tough, but hey, I am surviving. And there is always next week to be better. There is no single formula for losing weight because we are all different.  I know for my parents they cut carbs and lost a ton of weight, but for me that just didn't work well.  This "moderation" style diet is the best option for me because I never short myself on food and I can eat almost anything, just in smaller portions.  But understand that what works for one person might not be best for you, so be willing to be flexible and take the extra time to find a program that works for you!

Another thing I wanted to address is illness.  Of course, I got sick on Tuesday, the day I was coming back to school.  I should expect it working in a class full of kindergartners, but it always surprises me when I get sick.  Sickness is your body's way of telling you that something is wrong and you need to listen to it.  As much as it kills me to say this my runs have been short and sweet this week, but I have added some extra yoga and toning to compensate.  Don't run your body down even more by killing it with super intense workouts.  Listen to what it is telling you and respond with healthy diet, lots of sleep and water, and good workouts.  Stay healthy and active while helping your body.

Until tomorrow :)

C

Getting back into the groove....bring it school!

Today was the first day back at school! Let the craziness of class and work begin.
Started my day with work.  It was so great to see the kids again. You forget how fun they are at that age.
A month is definitely too long to be away from work, I missed it so much.

Then I had two classes.  I'm going to get dinner with B and Annie, then off to a night class...joy.  

Eating has been really decent today for the first day back and being surrounded by temptations. I did get a latte this morning, but 130 calories are not going to ruin my day and obviously caffeine is always the answer.

All in all it has been a good day and to end it, I am going to do a little yoga after night class to unwind.

Here's a pic from today.  You can never go wrong with a flannel and a sweater to brave the snow and cold weather!

Until tomorrow

C

Birthday Week Part 2/Goals

So here was the low down for the rest of my crazy birthday week! 

Thursday, I made lettuce wraps for Kim and I for dinner! They were delicious and I think I have officially converted her recipe box to healthy! :) 

Friday I left Sparta at noon and didn't get home until around 4:30.  I was not exactly thrilled to spend that much time in the car, but there was a bad accident right outside of LaCrosse, so that definitely didn't help. 

After I got home I met some friends for dinner at Shanghai Bistro.  What can I say?  A little Pad Thai never hurt anyone....ever! I am so thankful to have such great friends to come and help me celebrate! 

Saturday I went to the Kieth Urban concert with my Mom, Lorie, Jenna, and Annie.  We got to go out for dinner, go to a pre-party, go to the concert, spend the night in a hotel, and go out for breakfast Sunday morning.  It was so much fun and the concert was great!  Kieth played for almost 2 and a half hours, completely unheard of! It was so fun!

It was an amazing week, but I am really glad to be back at school and into a routine. 

Here are my goals for the week: 

Get into a solid running program. 

Cut out treats. 

Eat more fruits and veggies. 

Increase water intake to 150 ounces at least! 

Workout every day, even for half an hour.  Get your butt to the gym. 

Get into a new routine with class, work, and workout. 

Keep this in mind!

 Until tomorrow,

C

Birthday week part one

Well, it has been a busy last few days. Along with the sub zero temps, I've braved the trip to LaCrosse, and got a nice run in! 

Here's my motto for the week. My birthday is on Friday so between birthday dinners, traveling, and desserts, I've got my work cut out for me. This week is my last week at home, so I'm letting myself splurge WAY more than usual. And this slip is okay! I let myself eat bad for one meal a day, that's it. Today that meal was dinner. I'm spending the rest of the week with Mark and Kim so tonight we went to a Mexican restaurant for dinner and of course we had to get ice cream after, it's tradition. I felt like I ate a ton of chips and salsa, but really who doesn't when they're in front of you, the I only ate half of my meal. Yippie! Guess who has lunch for tomorrow. I ordered shrimp and red snapper tacos, so delicious!!

I had to share this dessert from Monday nights birthday dinner with my parents. We went to Lake Elmo Inn and it was super good. This is a white chocolate tort, I could've forgone my dinner to just indulge in this....it was that good.

Monday morning I went to the indoor rec center and got a nice 4 mile run in. My knee still isn't 100% so this run was definitely a good way to end the second week of half marathon training. :)

I promise no more dessert pictures. Tomorrow's back to healthy me! Kim and I are making lettuce wraps, so I'll be sure to share about it!! 

Until tomorrow :)

C

Working out Minnesota Style

So if any of you have read any recent news headlines, you are well aware of the deep freeze happening here in good old MN.  Today's high is -4 with crazy cold wind chills...not the best weather for outdoor workouts or even leaving the house.

It has been hard getting good workouts in since I have been home since I am gym-less and it is sub-arctic here.  Yesterday, Mom and I bundled up and took Croix for a walk...needless to say we had to call Dad to come and pick Croix up so that we could finish our 3 miles.



Croix prefers blankets and heat to anything outside.


We also went shopping at Mall of America. Mom wanted to shop for some new jeans and the Silver store was having a sale so we couldn't say no and we also did four laps around the mall!

Today was even colder than yesterday, so we did what any suitable Minnesotan would do and legitimately walked up and down every single aisle of super Walmart.  Yep, I just admitted to that...we may have gotten some funny looks, but it was totally worth it!

I am very proud of us for not using the excuse of "it's too cold to work out".  We're Minnesotan's.  We CAN do anything.

STAY WARM!

Until tomorrow :)

C

Resolutions

The more I tried to refect on this year the more I was truly amazed with what I've accomplished.
I have become a better person.
I am a runner.
I am healthy.
I am almost to my goal.
I am a better friend and colleague because I am able to be more present and involved in what I'm doing.
I am constantly moving.

My goals for this year:
Reach my goal, 8 more pounds!!
Run a half marathon.
Sign up for a full by 2015.
Not worry about sizes, just how I feel.
Tone up!!

Here are some fun pictures from New Years Eve out on the town with friends.