Weekly Goals and a change of plans…

It is time to set some weekly goals and post them to my fridge!  This is always a great way for me to stay accountable and feel accomplished!  It is always good to set goals you know you can complete, and throw in some challenges as well!  Since I am trying to do one thing a day that scares me, I will throw in a few ‘scary for me’ goals!

1.  Do yoga twice this week, once outside in the early morning or late evening

2. Make an appointment to see my doctor or podiatrist to check out my ankle.  NO RUNNING until I get the final word that it is okay (which it should be)

3.  Run 5 easy miles on Sunday (if given approval from doctor).  Run early to avoid the heat which leaves me running slow and feeling weak/dizzy (I should not complain about this….)

4.  Go to gym (parent room) twice for minimum 30 minutes of hard HIIT training on elliptical and bike. This gives me anxiety because Gavin usually freaks out, but I am going to try to keep it positive and hope he follows suit!

5.  Sit down at table for my 3 meals a day (this is a challenge…I am always putting my needs last, so I am always doing chores or errands and then shoving down my meals while running around).

6.  Make healthy snack staples: tofu pudding, granola, date balls, pumpkin protein bars

7. Hang pictures that have been sitting forever.  Organize book shelf by my desk.  Organize night side table in my room.

8. This is the scary thing for me…do not weigh myself this whole week.  Not once.  This is like an obsession with me, so to avoid that scale is just asking for an anxiety attack.  I am going to teach myself that I don’t need to be weighed 5 times a day.  This may seem silly or insignificant to others, but this is huge for me!!!

So there we have it.  My goals for the week. Of course, there are the normal ‘getting back to school’ things that need to get done for James, but I am going to be organized without being obsessive!  My kids are watching me closely and I know they are picking up on my attempts to chill out.  It is rewarding to see them calm down a bit and have fun without worrying I am going to worry…what a horrible cycle we are finally breaking together!  It is a proud moment and I won’t look down on it.  Here’s a pat on the back for all three of us!

What are your weekly goals?

For the love of…Yoga!

Since I have already written this post twice, and WordPress has decided to publish it as a blank document…I am going to make it short and sweet this time….

I love yoga…I love the challenge, the excitement when I improve upon a difficult pose, the calmness, the ability to focus on something other than the stresses I may be having.  I enjoy sharing the practice with others and watching them move gracefully through a series of poses, that perhaps before was impossible to them!

I love doing yoga in pretty much any setting!  Something is pretty special about doing poses outside, in nature, with just a calm setting surrounding you.  It helps you appreciate where you are and what your body is doing!

I began teaching at Pilates Plus in Henderson, Nevada back in 2005.  I have since taught in Korea, Okinawa, Canada, and now Germany.  I held a retreat in Okinawa and it was one of the best learning experiences I have ever had.  I was able to really see how people can come together and unite even though they are complete strangers.  We used every type of setting while there: the beach, the grass, the sunset, the sunrise, the water…you name it, we enjoyed it!  I cannot wait to hold a retreat here in Germany!

I have loved all of my yoga experiences and trainings!  I look forward to practicing yoga all over Europe whether on my own or with groups of students!  I will be going to Paris for a day of Yoga next month!  My goal is to do something that scares me, which is being judged by others!  That being said, I will be doing some sun salutations and some of my favorite (and most challenging) poses at different place throughout the city.  It will be a like a tour of Paris through Yoga!  Escaping the fear of judgement, it will be my way of putting myself out there and experiences those places in a completely new way!

While I wait for classes to start at Sembach, I am going to work on the retreat planning, my home practice area, and my arm balances!!

New gear, motivation, and yummy treats!

So since it is getting colder and I was recently treated to some cold-gear, I realized I will be needing MORE cold gear!  I was looking around for some good items and then saw a few things at Old Navy that are not necessarily for the cold, but will work for the time being.  I plan on getting some thermal pants from our Outdoor Rec, and some more items from Santa!  Another realization came today…I can create my own adrenaline rush in order to get hyped for a workout when I am actually feeling dead on my feet!  PLUS, I want to share some of my favorite snacks that leave me feeling happy not heavy!

But first, the new gear I am going to try out, and am hoping works well!  I was browsing and saw that Old Navy actually has a new line of clothing for their active wear.  They are selling some highly rated compression pants, tights, tops and jackets.  Since I have issues with my legs, I have been wanting to really give these a ‘go’.  The fact that there was a 25% off sale on the items made me feel even more inclined to go ahead with the purchase!  Here is what I chose:

All three of these are the compression items.  When looking through the reviews, many people bought multiples of each item because of the great fit and quality.  Others commented that they have worn these in colder temperatures and have faired quite well!  I know it looks blah that I got all black, but I also have a few other items that are more colorful!  I am looking forward to using these for my running, hiking and my yoga/pilates classes that I will be teaching in my village (one weekly public class, and some private sessions).  I will be sure to report on these items as soon as I get them and have a chance to try them out!  In the meantime, go check them out for yourself and see if you think Old Navy is onto something good!  Now onto the purchases from Road Runner Sports!  I love these guys because being a VIP really DOES pay off.  Free speedy shipping, discounts on everything and there are always extra bonuses and specials!  Oddly enough the shirt I picked out and bought ended up as a recommendation from my Running Group and so now three of us will be sporting this bad boy for our runs!

I also got their compression sleeves to wear on my legs so I can get some relief from the calf and shin pain I seem to always suffer from.  The difference between now and 5 months ago is that I know it is just my legs getting used to these new miles + shoes, and I am not giving in!  I am icing and heating these bad boys, I am going to be taping them, and slipping them into these compression sleeves so the muscles heal faster in between runs.  I am sticking to my training and enjoying the muscle pain because I know it means I am working hard and pushing my body past the point of giving up!  Sorry suckas, you are not going to see me give in this time!

Hooray for new gear!  I will be waiting by the PO Box everyday!!  Now onto a little motivation for a tiring Saturday morning!  The hub was working (again), and after a horrible night sleep we both agreed that if there were a championship for tossing/turning, we would have won by a landslide!  I knew I had some strength/cross-training on the schedule for today, so I planned on a double dose of Jillian!  One round of the Shred and then Level 2 of Yoga Meltdown.  As I watched the time tick away this morning…well until about 9:30, I realized that I should just do the workout and hope for rest afterwards.  I jumped around a bit, put my workout clothes on, grabbed yoga blocks (for the boys to play with) and an extra yoga mat so the boys could work out with me.  I tried to get them super excited so I would also get excited…it worked well!

We were pumped and ready to go….until Gavin crapped out after the Shred.  He went for a nap, then James drifted off to do some Jump Start Learning on the computer…ah well, I finished strong on my own!  It made me feel really good to get the workout done and not put it off until ‘later’!  I also felt better about it because 30  minutes before I did the workouts I ate a little bit more trail mix than I needed!  I love trail mix, but it leaves my belly feeling heavy!  My treats of choice these days are therefore in the lighter category…

Tofu Pudding

Protein Balls Truffles

No Bake Chocolate Puff Truffles

…and Toasted Whole Wheat Pita chips with Natural PB and banana

 

So there you have it!!!  Some new gear I will review as soon as I get it, how I got my arse motivated to do my double workout this morning despite being exhausted (gotta love my boys), and some yummy treats that leave me feeling satisfied without a heavy belly!

What snacks do you favor?  What is a good way to get yourself motivated when you really don’t want to workout?  Any new gear or goodies that have you excited?

Tennis Tournament, Running, Eats, and living German!

So today I woke up (and slept in) feeling pretty good despite having some belly troubles throughout the night!  I was well rested, the sun was shining and Eric informed me that we were hitting up the Tennis Tournament in our village because our neighbor asked him to be his partner!  Our neighbor is seriously the most kind man, he reminds me of my Dad!  The whole family is amazing and they are my lifeline out here since they know everyone!  Through them we are meeting other people, finding walking paths, learning about our area, getting James some tennis, futbol and German lessons, AND we are getting more comfortable in our new country!

We hiked it up the huge hill to the Tennis Courts by our home and got to see Eric play in his first match.  They lost that one, but it is all in good fun!  We enjoyed some salad in the shade and I also enjoyed my granny smith with DCD PB for dipping.  Gavin was getting a little cranky after all of the playing and french fries, so I brought him home for a nap and took the opportunity of quiet to go for a nice run on the treadmill!  I got to get some cleaning and laundry done before heading back up for the second half of the day!  We were just in time to see Eric’s last match (apparently, he had three and not two games to play), Gavin enjoyed clapping and cheering on his Daddy.  We then enjoyed some homemade German cake…these cakes are like something you would see at a professional bakery…unbelievable!  Also unbelievable is that I did not have the camera when I got a piece, which means I have no photo.  Don’t be fooled though, this cake was so amazing I could have cried! 

We then met some other neighbors: An American in the Reserves, his German wife and their cute little boy (they actually live right across the street), a fellow Canadian whose son comes to play with James, and countless others who were more than caring and patient with my not so perfect German speaking skills!  It was a great time to meet the people in my village and make some nice connections!  I left feeling so glad I had made some friends and now feel even more comfortable in my new home and neighborhood! 

We had a great time and stayed the whole day and well into the evening!  I came home to look up some recipes and make a good healthy meal plan for the week, as well as a plan to make up some granola, homemade tomato sauce, homemade salsa, and a new recipe.  I love lemon poppy seed loaf…so much that I would avoid Starbucks because I knew if I went in (instead of drive-thru) I would cave and eat one many pieces of their delicious loaf!  So what if I could create a healthy alternative?  My idea will be put into action tomorrow once I get a few ingredients.  The plan is to make Lemon Poppy Seed Overnight Oats….this is an exciting prospect for me!!!

I need to rest up in order to be energized for my kitchen creations tomorrow, and for a nice afternoon trip to the theater for the boys to enjoy some Cars 2 action!  I am going to take the day off from running and then do some Yoga meltdown in the evening after a nice neighborhood walk!

 How are you spending your long weekend?

Back to Basics

I am spending the next day re-reading some of the posts that meant the most to me, both on my own blog and on some of my other favorites!  While getting through the stress and finally being able to start running again (resorted to getting a treadmill), I am taking things WAY back to basics to help me re-gain control!

Since our move I have gained about 5 pounds of stress…5 pounds of: not running because I have no way to run with my two kids, not getting enough rest without interrupted sleep from worrying, feeling overwhelmed in a new area, not being able to get my kitchen together for my baking (all appliances are the wrong voltage) and most of all ~ just getting away from making things as simple as they were…just enjoy the journey and go with what feels good…especially what makes the belly feel good!

So what feels good to me?  Being able to eat my Raisin Bran or Homemade granola over yogurt in the morning…even better, my amazing Oat Parfaits!

Setting a goal and achieving it…even better, setting my Monday goals and maintaining my progress throughout the week in order to reach them all!

Creating new things in the kitchen…even better, getting some old favorites and finally enjoy them again after not having the equipment to make them!

Finally getting to run again.   It might be on a treadmill, but I am just so happy to be running again!  A lot of stress gets sent away while running!  Running while listening to audio books (I read 4 books at a time…minimum, so this helps me knock one out of the way) clears my head and seems to release a lot of tensions in my body….it just feels good!

Taking my Yoga practice more seriously again.  I am really getting back into the relaxation of it all…lighting my candles, creating a warm comfortable (and quiet) area , taking my time and being patient with myself.  I am hopping into arm balances throughout the day for energy and just to remind myself how strong I really am!

8 Limb Pose…one of my favorites!Overall, I want to get back to simplicity of what makes me feel good, what makes me feel healthy, and what makes me happy.  These wonderful morning walks I take with my boys are becoming a nice little tradition for all three of us.  The yoga, the pilates, the reading before bed, these are all things that are helping me re-slow down my mind and get that calm back that I lost in the move.  Reading the blogs that inspire me have helped flick the switch back on so I can remember this is a journey and I need to take the bumpy roads to enjoy the smooth roads!  Most of all, I am going back through MY own blog to see what was working and what was not, and just learn what tweeks need to be made!  It’s all down hill from here (meaning things are just going to get easier)!

What ways do YOU get back to basics?  What gets you back in check with your own journey?  What is your favorite ‘go to’ workout or snack?

TRX Training and some GOOOOOD eats!!

So I mentioned going out to do a running/TRX/Pilates/Kettle Ball workout…we threw in some hills, lunges, planks and abs just to keep it interesting!  What a great workout a nice switch up to my norm which is good, keep that body GUESSING!!!

Huh? I thought we were only doing one workout this week...

So what exactly is TRX?  According to the official TRX website (I am nervous to post this so just google TRX and it will pop up): Born in the U.S. Navy SEALS and developed by Fitness Anywhere®, Suspension Training® is a revolutionary method of leveraged bodyweight exercise. Easily set up the portable TRX® Suspension Trainer™ and you’re in control. Safely perform hundreds of exercises that build power, strength, flexibility, balance, mobility, and prevent injuries, all at the intensity you choose.

Some of the moves you can do with the TRX bands

I was excited when Leigh mentioned it to me, I think my ears literally perked up!!  Give this girl an option of trying a new workout, and you will get my interest right away!  I love shocking my body and since that has been some new goals of mine, it was a great opportunity to learn something new before heading into a month of travel!  SO, we took it to the track and did the following 4 times:

• Run one lap
• 2 sets of bleachers (run up and down the stairs)
• TRX
• Kettle Bells, tubes (biceps), medicine ball (8pds) some pilates/yoga

Leigh doing some of the 'T' exercises (she was not in the actual position, my bad!)

Laugh through the pain 😉 Diagonal leg raises with weighted ball (8pds)

The tubes and kettle balls!!!

Then we took it to the hill.  About 20 walking squats, followed by a sprint up the hill, back down, back up and then abs work.  The first time we did (pilates) corkscrew, jack-knife and then reverse jack knife…these bad boys work EVERYTIME!!   We then ran back down, back up, back down, and back up for some plank work.  I did Rolling Side Planks, followed by extended side plank and ‘wild thing’ pose.  Then it was a few more hill sprints followed by one more lap and then a one lap walking cool down! 

Time to take them down until next Sunday!

It was an AWESOME workout!!  I cannot wait to do it again on Sunday, I might even try to get another one in mid-week (depending on how crazy it is here as we get packed up)!  If you have not tried this yet, GO TRY IT!!!!!  So for some eats I have been doing BIG towards a ‘Clean Eating’ over haul!  I am trying to do everything in my power to get my guts in order on my own; however, they are still in pretty rough shape.  That is okay, I will keep at my clean eating, food logging, and hope it will start to turn around after my system gets used to these new eliminations etc.  So I have been cutting out sugar (I use stevia in the raw or All Natural Fruit Sweet instead).  I have been following a plan from the Clean Eat Diet book that will help me get used to the changes gradually.  I have cut out anything processed, which is pretty much the same as I was doing before.  I have made the meals smaller and more frequent, and I have been careful about which foods I am eating together.  Here are some goods:

Chicken with roasted peppers, spinach and hummus on Organic 7 grain flax bread, plus grilled asparagus

My after workout meal: water, Strawberry Cocoa Oats, 3 egg whites

Grilled Chicken, peppers and spinach wrapped in a Whole Grain Wrap

My ever lovely date balls (1 cup dates, 1/4c almonds. 1Tb flax, 1Tb chia, 1Tb cocoa-mix in processor)

A protein shake before my morning workouts

Grilled chicken and flank (4 oz) salad with some asparagus, 1/2 ww pita, 1 Tb hummus

Obviously I am not eating this in order of appearance, but for an example my meals for the day (Sunday) are:

1. Protein Shake and banana
2. Strawberry Cocoa Oats with 3 hard-boiled egg whites
3. The chicken sandwich shown above
4. An apple with 2Tbsp Natural Un-Salted Peanut Butter
5. The Chicken Wrap shown above and 1 date ball

I still had belly issues, but at least I cut out a lot of bits of sugar and fillers.  Gonna keep at the food logging and show it to the surgical clinic on Friday when I go in for  my consult.  Hopefully I am on the right track and the extra bloating etc. will ease off when my body adjusts to the changes!  Besides, the eats are super yummy and I am not feeling deprived.  As weird as it sounds, I get EXCITED to eat my oat parfaits, date balls and tofu pudding.  I think I actually mentioned it about 10 times while doing the running/TRX….the girls will agree 😉

Any new workouts or meals to share?  Are you open to trying new things, or do you like to stick with ‘what you know’?