Weekly Review

 

That's me in my new snowshoes! I settled on the MSR Evo. Amazing for climbing. Very noisy on packed snow. Kind of look like weapons on your feet. I love 'em!  We snowshoed for about an hour on Saturday in -32 C (about -25 F) weather. Brrr.... but it is a pretty vigorous activity so you warm up fast (thankfully). 

This week was short due to the Canadian holiday and I worked a lot more than I usually do. As a result, my exercise suffered. I hit the gym on Thursday for Couch to 5K Week 8.1- running for 28 minutes. Still going at a better speed- between 4.7 and 5.0 (mostly running at 4.8). I also did some rowing, ice skating and some walking this week. But this has been my most slack week in months. 

Food was decent. Not perfect, but it will do. In the beginning of this "diet" I found it very easy to eat super healthy. But since I slipped up I have found it very hard to get back on track! I'm not sure why that is. I love veggies and fruit and healthy stuff, but I equally love junk. I find tracking calories a bit tedious, but I don't think I want to switch to Weight Watchers. I'm going to try really hard this week to track my calories every day. 

After Christmas, I bought an Elliptical machine that was on sale. I thought I would use it all the time, but I don't use it much at all. This week I am hoping to hop on it everyday, even if it is for just 10 minutes. I want to step on it everyday! 

Vitamins are still going well. If anything, they remind me to drink a glass of water in the morning. 

Speaking of water, I'm doing so-so on it. I am using the app "Waterlogged" on my iPhone. To be honest, the app is a little annoying. But it works once in awhile.

That's it for the review this week. I have lots of blog post ideas coming up. I just need to find time to post them all! As you can see, I re-designed my blog! What do you think?!?

Also, I want to thank all my lovely followers and readers for the great comments and support. I am really loving connecting with you all and reading your stories! Let's hit this one out of the park!!!

Mister's "Do it Right" Challenge

In my weekly review this past week I talked about how our weight loss can influence those around us. Well, I am even more convinced than ever!

Yesterday, my Mister set out a challenge of his own. He is someone who loves his beer, pizza, and cigarettes. He is not a fan of vegetables that have leafy anything and finds beans and pulses BOOOORRRRINGGG! You can imagine my surprise when he asked me to take part in a one month personal challenge!

The parameters: 
-Eat right- no junk or fast food, no cheats
-Exercise everyday- push yourself to go further everyday
-No alcohol (mostly him)

-No cigarettes (him, I'm a non-smoker)

He thinks the challenge will be a breeze. I think it will be a bit more difficult, but it could be the exact kick-start I need to get tighten the belt on my eating habits that have faltered in the past weeks.

Annnnd.... I went out last night and bought myself a pair of snowshoes for my -10lbs goal. I am super happy with them- hopefully I will get to test them out this weekend or Friday.

Happy Thursday Everyone!

Weekly Review

Here I am! Our Canadian Holiday is winding down and so am I. Time to get back into the routine of weekday life and blogging!

This past week has been good in my opinion. It feels like my new habits are becoming permanent changes. I don't think twice about going to the gym- I just know that I have to go and I do. My food is still a little loose on some days, so I need to keep track of it a little better. But, I am happy to report that I worked 3 days this long weekend and didn't eat loads of bad stuff from the work kitchen! I was please with the decisions I made about meals and snacks at work. I owe it all to the Cook who ordered loads of fresh fruit and hummus!

I worked hard on trying to get a lot of water into my system and tracking it- I even downloaded an app to help me out with this. I didn't always get 64oz, but I am working on it. This is a goal that I need to stick with because we all know how important water is to weight loss. 

As for exercise this week, I finished Couch to 5K Week 7 which is running for 25 minutes straight with a brisk walk to warm up and cool down. Installment 7.1 was difficult- I won't lie. I just wanted it to be over. I think I took two 30 second breaks and went between speeds 4.3 and 4.7- not very fast. The second installment was much much better! I went between 4.7 and 5.0 and didn't stop at all! I was so amazed with myself. I think the difference that time was that I covered up the time so I didn't know how far along I was. The last installment was between 4.6 and 5.0 and I breaked once for 30 seconds.  I also did 2 strength training sessions this week with the machines. I am starting to enjoy it and think it will really benefit me in the long run.

In a leap of faith this week, I sat myself down at the rowing machines. The rowers at my gym are very low tech- no TVs, no water bottle holders, all man power except a tiny black & white screen that displays a few different settings. The settings include the "fishing game". I am a little fish- I must eat littler fish and not get eaten by bigger fish. You row to move the fish up and down the screen. It sounds simple enough, but it is super fun and challenging. It is a complete body workout- abs, legs, arms, and back. Ten minutes of rowing at a moderate pace burns about 120 calories for me. I love it and I encourage everyone to try the rowing machines at their local gym or at least one machine that they have not yet tried and may intimidate them just a smidgen.

Does you eating right and exercising routine rub off on anyone in your family or circle of friends? Mine has rubbed off on my Mister. He has begun to eat less processed food, more fiber and fruits and veggies. I was shocked when he said he needed to go "healthy food" shopping and even more surprised when he said he loved all the healthy stuff he bought. He is a Larabar convert and is loving green juice!

As for the vitamin challenge, I WON! I took my vitamins religiously everyday last week. How did you do?

This week- my focus is on food. Must eat more fruits and veg and less peanut butter. Water is still a high priority and not eating out, but making my own healthy meals at home.

Since I am down 11 lbs, I have a choice to make...

These?

or These?

Have an AMAZINGLY BEAUTIFUL WEEK!