I'm Lovin' It!

This week has been absolutely FANTASTIC!!!

To my surprise, it hasn't been a week of, "Can't have that...Can't eat that...". Instead, I have been totally confident in myself and have felt amazing! When I said that I was going to get down to business, I didn't realize that I would love it so much. :)

So, here's a few of my successes that I have had so far this week....

1.) I have only had ONE diet soda since Monday. The rest of the time I have been drinking WATER, WATER, WATER....and one coffee in the mornings. HUGE deal for me because I am a huge soda lover!

2.) I have worked out every day of the week for at least 30 minutes. I was especially proud of myself for getting up EARLY to work out on Wednesday because I knew my day would be packed.

3.) I have recorded all of my food intake for each day on MFP. Didn't miss a thing!!

4.) I have been under my "daily calorie" goal every single day, but still made sure that I had enough calories to be healthy. Plus, I definitely never felt like I was going hungry!

5.) I said NO to eating out! On Wednesday night, Seth was hungry and wanted to go to Taco Bell. I proudly told him that he was welcome to go and I would just sit and chat with him while he ate since I had already eaten a healthy dinner before church. It definitely felt good to be able to say "NO!".

I'm definitely excited for my weigh-in next Monday morning to see how my hard work paid off!

I am having a little "Hunger Games" party/sleepover at my friend's house tomorrow, and I know that there are bound to be lots of yummy fatening snacks screaming my name! However, I am fully prepared for it! I already have all of the calories planned for and I am ready to go! I'll let you know how it goes! :)

Work-ready!

Yummy and healthy lunch packed for work!

Remember when I said no more bummy days? Well, this is what my "bummy" days have turned into! No more baggy sweat pants and big T-shirts. Just a cute "yoga" outfit with scrunched hair :)

B's Motivation

Lindsay just posted about motivation, so I thought I would do the same. As I was thinking about what motivated me most, I started wondering what motivates other girls.

1. Other girls. Seeing peers or your boyfriend's ex always does the trick. You see the girls sporting bikinis or showing a little ab, and all of the sudden-you are RIDICULOUSLY ready to get serious about your fitness.

2. New beginnings. Every new year, we all make goals and the majority of people have LOSE WEIGHT somewhere on their list. That's actually what happened for me and Linds.

3. A new boyfriend. Every time you start seeing someone new, a little insecurity always seems to creep up on girls.

4. Breaking up with someone. Whether it's because of stress or knowing you need to be in tip top shape to find your next victim guy, is always a motivator.

5. Seeing old pictures of your more fit days. This happened to me today. Check it out. May not look like MUCH, but 15 pounds ago-that was me.

I want my new motivation to just be me. I want to do this for myself because I deserve it and I want it. If you make yourself the point of motivation, than things should always stay more consistent. Love yourself and your body!

Hope everyone had a good Wednesday. First day of classes here at OCU which means this girl gets to eat in the cafeteria from now on :)

Motivations!

Hello new me, new life, and new persepective!

So about mid-week last week, something just hit me. I NEED TO GET DOWN TO BUSINESS. It's kind of funny, because Britt was having the exact same thoughts. It was like it just hit the both of us at the same time! Yes, we have been trying to eat healthy and live better when it comes to a fit lifestyle, but we just weren't getting down to business. Speaking for myself, I would try really hard one week, and then just let myself slide a bit for the next week- just one big wishy-washy cycle! However, at that one "lightbulb" moment that I had last week, I decided that wishy-washy was no longer an acceptable concept in my world of fitness!

Along with this ultimate decision came some motivation searching. I thought to myself, "Ok, so I'm super ready to get serious and try really hard right now. But what happens next week when I want to cheat a bit and start being wishy-washy again?" So, I sat down and began to think of motivations for myself--MOTIVATIONS that would keep me going even after a week, or two, or three.

Here's what I came up!

1.) No more bummy days (Or at least a significantly fewer amount of them...)
     *This is VERY important. I am not exactly a morning person, so I usually sleep in as LONG as I can and then get up just in time to rush to get dressed and leave for school or work. This habit results in me not looking all that great for work or school...a.k.a. Bummy! I have learned that when you don't put any time into yourself, you naturally feel down on yourself. With me, I just think, "What's the point in making an effort?" With that attitude, no one would be able to be successful with trying to change their lifestyle for the better or lose weight. So, with that being said, I will not be having very many more bummy days. Now, occasionally, they are necessary. But this motivation will be huge for me, and my advice to you all is to do the same! Put some effort in, and feel good about yourself...no matter what size you are. :) If you're not happy in your own skin now, you still won't be when you lose weight or get fit.

2.) Non-food rewards
     Once again, VERY important. Think about it...when you were young, what was your "reward" for behaving or doing something nice? FOOD. I can't even begin to count the times when I was told as a little girl..."If you do this, I'll get you a candy bar!" It's not just from parents either, it's everywhere! Food is a common "reward". This "reward" does not stop when you become an adult, though. It especially creeps up in the world of dieting, and I have been caught up with it for as long as I can remember dieting. It goes something like this..."Oh! I had an awesome diet week! I didn't cheat at all, and I worked out every day. That means that I deserve to go get pizza and ice cream!" In reality, this is the WORST mindset you could ever have! True, you haven't necessarily completely cancelled out the good week that you had, but your putting a serious dent of damage in it! It's like a vicious cycle! So, with this motivation, I am going to start "rewarding" my healthy choices and perseverance with non-food related rewards. Come up with ones that will work best for you! A movie night, a manicure, a new pair of shoes...whatever makes you happy! (I know everyone has things that make them happy besides food!)

3.) Cute fall/winter clothes
     *This is one that pretty much every girl can relate to! My all-time favorite season is fall, and that includes my fall wardrobe! Right now, I have like half of a wardrobe that I can't wear because things are too tight or don't fit right. Just like many women, I don't want to give them up because I keep saying that I'm going to lose weight in order to fit back into them. However, month after month, that doesn't happen. So, this is my third big motivation to keep me going strong. I want to fit into all of those clothes that are sitting vacant!

What motivations can you come up with for yourself?

Happy belated Motivational Monday! :)

A run-down of my weekend via pictures......

My new Hunger Games Iphone Case!! :)

Shoe shopping! Love orange for fall!

Church with Miss Raquel!

Girl's Night at Olive Garden

Britt's "Arbonne Detox"...her taking shots of it! haha



So excited! Hair getting long!!!! :)

 

Day 2

Well it's Day 2 of my cleanse. I'm feeling good, but I haven't felt anything DRASTIC yet. Still waiting on that I guess. I did, however, make fiber 1 muffins that have been helping me cleanse :) Here is what I get to drink a liter of for the next 5 days.

In the past few days, I have found some EXTREMELY helpful websites. Jon and I have slacked the last week or so after having so much success with eating clean. Here are the websites I'll be using A LOT the next few weeks.

EATING CLEAN &WEIGHT LIFTING

I also wanted to take a few minutes to talk about how GRATEFUL I am that my feet are finally getting back to normal. Knock on wood. This is the first time since February that I've been able to run consecutively without pain. It was AMAZING. It's definitely going to help with my motivation because I don't want to take healthy and pain free runs for granted again! Ah. Makes me so happy.

Lindsay & I are going to be starting a new little game to let everyone know a little bit more about both of us. We are going to start the game tomorrow so be looking for it in the morning :) Sorry for the crazy posting times. Life gets crazy ya know? These guys help me get through it though.

On another HAPPY note, my best friend Ande came into town for the last few days. It was great getting to spend some good quality time with her and her lovely family! They got to see my apartment updates and meet the new Tuckster. We got to ride to work together and have lunch together! Just like the old college days. They are great! 

Is any one else up to any new diet or work out changes? Keeping it fresh is ALWAYS important! 

Day 1

Morning run was AMAZING. I love this weather and having to break out a hoodie to run in. Just a nice change and feels great when running. The crisp air makes it much easier to breath, don't ya think? I went with a veggie corn dog for breakfast. Sounds weird I know, but once I get back from running and I'm wide awake-I'm ready for lunch, not breakfast.

I started my cleanse today. It definitely LOOKED questionable. I'm supposed to drink it throughout the day so I will update you all tonight on the results for the day. Wish me luck!

Motivational Monday

If this weather doesn't motivate you to get outside & move-I give up :)

Seriously. This weather is gorgeous! So thankful for the last week of amazing weather! Thank you God! Cannot express this enough. Here are some shots of our daily hikes on our newly found trail.

Breathtaking...

My foot is so much better! I am running tonight & cannot wait. I'm literally sitting on the edge of my seat waiting to get home and strap on my running shoes.

I'm having a great diet day in spite of the fact that it's Scioto Valley Mocha's Birthday which means $1,2, & 3 drinks. Eek. Dangerous.

We also started redoing my kitchen. Check it out...

Holding the heavy table while waiting for Jon to come back with screws ! Notice the pretty aqua cabinet color we decided on :) Makes me happy,

O & Jon got a new car...

Here is a lunch I made us last week-Tuna Melts with Steamed Broc & a Sweet Potato-YUM!

Tucker had her first official training class. She did very good! We had a few funny incidents but we will see how far we get with training. I totally recommend Circleville Pet Services though! They are awesome! Troy is such a great instructor and makes everything make seem so simple and easy! 

Tuck waiting patiently to get started.

&& some more pictures of my little lovelies...

And last but not least of course...

ARBONNE PACKAGE!!!

Starting this tomorrow. Will definitely keep you updated on how it goes!

Have a great Monday. Get motivated and get out there!!!

Another Day Gone By...

This week has been an interesting one. Work is really picking up and I've been having a lot of stress and tension headaches. I have done surprisingly well with my diet though regardless of the added stress.

The #1 thing I struggle with is diet soda. I find myself STILL craving it after a good 6 weeks of going without it consistently. I have had a few times here & there, but for the most part I really play by the rules with this one. Soda & meat have been "bigger" things that I've given up. I know I'll never give up sweets ENTIRELY, so I've just found some sweets that are better for me. My friend Jillian suggested a dark chocolate mint bar. It comes in squares, so I just break of a few squares whenever I'm craving something sweet and have this for my treat. Dark chocolate, as most people know by now, has been proven to be very beneficial due to antioxidants. I actually just saw another finding today on yahoo-click HERE to learn more about that new study.

These bars were on sale for $2.50 each, but regularly priced is only $2.99 which isn't bad! Last night, I wasn't sure what to make for dinner so we had a smorgesborg!

I made my first ever baked sweet potato fries. I threw some salt, pumpkin pie spice, and olive oil on them and baked them for about 30 minutes on 450 degrees. We LOVED them. Definitely going to be a new regular recipe. So good for you too!

We also had vegetarian taco mix. Jon didn't even know it wasn't ground beef and he is the one who picked it out at Whole Foods! It was impressively good. I can't wait to get back to Whole Foods just to buy some more of that...and get another salad from their salad bar. Yum! No pics of that but trust me-it was delicious. 

I started this morning off with an Iced Green Tea from Scioto and some lovely time with the Guy. Love spending my morning with him and some quiet time. Ordered my Arbonne 7 Day Cleanse! I'll definitely be keeping you guys updated! Can't wait for it to get here and to start it ASAP!

Have a great Thursday! Friday is right about the corner :)

WARNING: Large Update w/ Lots of Pics

Okay, so I'll be honest. I have been slipping BIG time the past week maybe two weeks. My diet is slacking. I have Extensor Tendonitis in my right foot which is a pain and requires icing and rest. Surprise, Surprise...

Tucker loves to try and snatch my ice pack. She is getting huge. Meg and I found an awesome dirt path in a field that we plan to start running! Here are some pics...

This last pic is the thorn that Lona had stuck in her foot. Literally only the top non pointy end was visible, maybe 1 cm of it. Luckily Dr. Meg was there to help out...AGAIN. Poor girl. Surrounded by injuries by humans & dogs. So we had a blast. The weather is officially changing which is exciting! Lots of fun things are coming this fall-new nephew in 9 weeks! Jon's sister is having a little girl in November. Camping trips, Pumpkin Show, Snowshoe Mountain trip, and so much more! Cannot wait to see the leaves change colors while sipping on a hot cup of tea.

Here are some pics from when my family visited a few weeks ago. Had a great time & went ziplining at Valley Zip Lines. Click on their name to check them out. Brand new course-AWESOME! So much fun!

New phone case

Here are some of the healthy lunches I've had lately... We got salads from the salad bar at Whole Foods. Hands down the best salad bar I have ever seen. They have EVERYTHING. Our salads were so colorful!

Jon ruining his healthy salad with ranch dressing.
At least it's organic dressing, eh?

More meals...

New Arbonne products. Love my mini travel kit!

And my weekend in pictures than I promise-I am done with the pictures :)