Hello Stranger...

Hi Guys,

Long time no talk! I know I know...it's me, not you.  I'm hoping to blog more regularly now.  You have to start from somewhere. So, here I am...starting!  Let's just get over this awkwardness and straight into this post!

So, after a year and a half, I finally made it to the gym.  Why, after a year and a half?  Let's just say mom life has kept me pretty busy. I'm now into a solid routine and ready to get back at it!  As far as baby weight goes, I still have 12 pounds to shave off. More importantly though, I want to gain my strength back.  I feel my body is weak.  I want to gain back cardio strength, core strength and upper body strength.

It's so weird...I use to work out all the time.  In college, I skipped classes to go to the gym. Adult life, I always made time for the gym.  Due to all this I have always had strength. Sure, I may not have been the leanest of individuals, but I was a healthy, strong person.  More important than losing weight, I want to feel healthy, strong and energetic. I want to be the Energizer Bunny (my nickname after college).

How am I going to get there:

• Balance (family time: my loves, work:  productivity)
• Healthy diet (cut the sugar)
• Exercise (combine cardio and strength)
• Happiness (cut the negativity out in life)
• Sunshine (feel the rays on my skin) - I have always been a sun person!

How is this blog going to help me:
I want this blog to hold me accountable with the "How am I going to get there". I also hope to share my experiences. My ups and downs. Show people that this is what life is about...ups and downs. I want to share my exercises, foods, recipes and outdoor adventures.  For now...this is good. Baby steps with everything (no pun intended).

What I need to ask of myself:  Be patient.  If I can only lift 10 lbs of weight, it's OK. I'm starting. I will only get better. Just be patient.

What I ask of you: Sit back, relax and let's learn together!

Oh yeah,

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!

PS:  We got this...

Good Morning!

Good Morning Everyone!

I know, I know...long time no post! So much has happened but let's cut right to the chase! I recently came back from a trip to Costa Rica. I had an extremely fun, adventurous time. I also ate. Let me rephrase... I ate A LOT! I came home and weighed myself and realized I gained 10 pounds since last year. Now, I did not gain 10 pounds in Costa Rica. I probably gained about 5 in Costa Rica :-p I do know in the course of one year I have gained 10 pounds.

My 10 pound weight gain is the result of not exercising regularly and definitely not eating right. So, this needs to change. I need to make a more conscience effort to eat right and exercise. I also want to do this the right, healthy way. Back in the day when I started my blog I was following Weight Watchers and documented everything I ate. In due time I lost a significant amount of weight. Documenting my progress on the blog really helped me out and that's what I plan on doing this time again.

With that said.... Look forward to more posts, healthy recipes and workouts!


How are you guys doing?

Back On Track...

HAPPY ST. PATTY'S DAY!!!

Yesterday I went right back on track from my little setback! I started my day off with a bowl of oatmeal made with 1/4c of oats, raisins, almonds, cinnamon and some coconut milk.

A couple of hours later I got hungry for a sweet treat so I grabbed a wedge of my favorite TJ's chocolate. This kept me satisfied until lunch time.

I usually bring my lunch to work but forgot yesterday. So, I went out and bought some brown rice sushi. I bought one brown rice california roll and one brown rice veggie roll. This was delish and kept me full
for a while.


mmm...sushi...



As much as I was not feeling up for a workout, I made myself go to the gym and get my 30 minutes of cardio in. The reason why I made myself do this is because I know I was only feeling sluggish from the day

before. If I did not go to the gym I would start to fall out of my routine and I do not want to lose this habit.



Dinner last night was a very filling smoothie! Now, I know what you're thinking..."Smoothie that's not enough for dinner", before you go on a tantrum, I made myself a vegetable smoothie. This was practically a

whole salad in a blender: 1 ripe banana, 2c of frozen spinach, 1TB of EVOO, 1c of coconut milk. This smoothie may sound weird but it was delicious and nutritious! I swear...you don't even taste the spinach.  I wish I had taken a picture. It would have been perfect for St. Patty's Day!

So, that was my day in a nutshell. Now I'm onto another!

Question of the day: I'm thinking about buying a Magic Bullet. What do you guys think of this product?

Getting Back on Track...

So, Thanksgiving is over. After feeling stuffed, bloated and a couple of pounds heavier, I knew I had to do something to get right back on track and I've done exactly that. We all know Weight Watchers works. It's worked for me and millions of others, but WW will not work if you do not follow the plan properly. That means, no guesstimating, no sneaking a bite here and there and not counting points. I know if I want to continue to lose weight, I really need to document every single morsel of food that goes in my mouth -healthy or not! I know I feel better when doing WW because I nourish my body with fruits and vegetables. I know to choose complex carbs over simple carbs. I've learned the importance of fiber and vitamins. With this, I have to say, if you want to get back on track with WW, you can, but you also have to be honest with yourself if you want to see results. Don't wait until January 1st to start treating yourself better!

So you've fallen off the wagon...

So, you've been doing really well and keeping up with your healthy lifestyle. All of a sudden life throws you a curve ball and one bad day rolls into another. Soon becoming a bad week which soon spirals down into a "how could I have let this get so out of control situation!!!". Ok, don't panic EVERYONE goes through this atleast a few times in their weightloss/healthy lifestyle journey. Yes, anything can deter you from your gaols, a business trip, a bad work week, personal issues etc. The important thing to remember is to get right back on track and not make your few bad weeks a permament way of living! Here are a few steps to help you get through your tough time and get you right back on track: 1. Weigh yourself, see if you've gained any weight. If you did, don't let it dissappoint you that much. Don't forget, the weight can come off. 2. Start taking action of your diet and portions. You know having an apple is way better than a Snickers bar. Make wise choices when choosing foods. 3. Re evaluate your snacks. Try to have only fruits, veggies and proteins (apples. String cheese, yogurt, almonds). 4. Try to keep your dinner light on the carbs. If you can make a dish with protein and veggies. 5. Get some exercise in for atleast half an hour, it will make it easier to take the weight off. 6. Try not to eat past 8pm