A Few of My Favorite Things

This weeks Inspirations

1. Pinterest

I am officially addicted to Pinterest! I could (and have) spend hours just browsing through and re-pinning things. I have somewhere around 10 different boards and have sent my friend and sister a number of wedding inspirations. I also love browsing Pinterest when I need inspiration or motivation for life, fitness, or nutrition. If you haven't joined, you definitely should! Check it out here.

2. Magic Bullet

I love the Magic Bullet! It is by far the best blender type appliance on the market and well worth the cost. I have been wanting one since I moved into the apartment I am in and had my own kitchen for the first time ever. My parents gave me one last week for my birthday and I am in love with it! I mostly make smoothies and use it to dice or mince when I am cooking. You can also make powdered sugar with it! AMAZING!

3. Exercise Ball

Exercise Balls are amazing! It challenges your muscles 10x more to do exercises with the ball and allows you to do more challenging progressions and variations for a harder and more effective workout. Mike gave me one for my birthday and I love it! Now I can do ball exercises at home!

4. Frozen Yogurt

Frozen Yogurt seriously might be one of my favorite foods! What is not to like?! Non-fat yogurt full of good things like probiotics and protein, add some nuts for more protein and healthy fats, some fruit for vitamins and antioxidants, and maybe a little chocolate on top for fun. All together you have a nutritious and delicious meal! (I am highly considering getting some CherryBerry for dinner tonight...shhh, don't tell!)

5. Cute Dresses

When it comes to clothes I am a girly-girl at heart. I love dresses! If I could wear a dress on a daily basis I probably would 5 out of 7 days in a week. However, because I am a nanny, wearing a dress to work is not practical, especially when you're taking care of an active 1 year old. Dresses are my guilty pleasure, I love buying new dresses (in fact I just bought the bottom middle dress in a coral color, its SO cute!).

What are your favorite things this week?

Sleeping for 100 Years?

In Sleeping Beauty, the princess pricks her finger and falls into a deep sleep for 100 years until a Prince (her true love that she has never met and let's face it, is WAY too young for her) kisses her and breaks the spell. Just think of all of the things she missed in life by sleeping for 100 years. Granted, it wasn't her choice and she didn't age any and neither did her family or friends stuck in the castle also asleep. But still, she missed out on an entire century of history and life.

Sometimes I wish we could just sleep through parts of life without aging. Ironically we often make comments saying that we wish we could skip different things or sleep through them without thinking about everything else we would miss in life if we were able to do that.

Regardless, I wish I could just skip the next 8 days and wake up having completed all of my tests, quizzes, papers, and assignments on time without the stress and hassle of going through it. I just have to keep pressing forward and reminding myself that after these 8 days of school are over, I have an entire summer off of school!

I wish I could run right now...running is my coping mechanism for stress, especially school related stress. Going to the gym this week has helped, however I am not a stress eater, in fact I am the opposite and always have been. Therefore I haven't had the energy that I am use to having when I am at the gym for 1-3 hours a day.

Yesterday's workout was pretty good though. First I went to a circuit training class at the gym. There were 3 different stations with 4-5 different moves. We rotated through each station 3 times, in 3 minutes intervals.

This is what it looked like:
Abs (with an exercise ball):

• Back Extensions
• Leg Raises
• Rolling Planks
• Crunches
• Tucks

Leg Cranks (no equipment):

• Squats
• Reverse Lunges w/Side Twist
• Jump Squats
• Jump Reverse Lunges w/Side Twist (the side twist was harder here)

Wood Chop Series (with a 10 lbs medicine ball):

• Diagonal Chops (chopping downwards)
• Side Chops (side twist motion)
• Straight Chops (chopping downwards)
• Slams (literally reaching up with your whole body and slamming the ball down as you crunch abs)

This is typically the type of circuit done during the 6pm Wednesday night class at Corrective Exercise, however I was struggle with energy levels more than usual yesterday. But I kept going. After class the owner helped me pump up the exercise ball I got for my birthday. Then I did 4 rounds of boxing, kicking, muay thai combinations on the new punching bag at the gym. I cooled down after that by biking for 10 minutes (have I mentioned that I HATE biking with a passion!!!).

(doing balanced squats)

I typically workout with my trainer Tuesday/Thursday at 5pm and then go to a class at 7pm. Sometimes I will go for a short run in between, or bike for a little bit when I can't run. But this week hasn't worked out for training or running, so I mostly have been going to classes, hitting the bag, and biking on my own. 

Okay, I have to stop procrastinating and get some school work done. I told myself if I got enough done, I could go to a class at the gym tonight (which is in an hour, yikes!).

Do you workout on a regular basis? If so, what do you do?

     

I {heart} Running!

I love running...I even had a mug and shirt made that say I {heart} Running! Its really a love/hate relationship. There are days where I don't feel like running or struggle through my run or have just an overall bad run. But I have never regretted a run and I ALWAYS feel better afterwards. My best runs have been when I have relaxed and just let myself enjoy running and the outdoors...and occasionally the runs that I have pushed hard and set personal records.

Anyways, I am going through withdraw right now. I haven't run since last Tuesday due to my knee injury and am starting to get antsy, restless, and depressed (when I think about running). I am in my last 9 days of school (for the school year) and am incredibly stressed. Usually if I am stressed or upset I go running, it helps me relax and work out the frustrations and emotions and balances out my hormones.

Because of the injury I have been reading up on alternative cardio workouts. Everyone I have talked to suggests biking (which I detest with a passion) or walking (boring). Monday is usually a day that I stay home from the gym and just run, but this Monday I decide to go to the gym for a class since I couldn't run. We did a small circuit with chest presses, resistance band rows, squats with weighted bar, and chops with a medicine ball. Afterwards I rode the stationary bike (yuck!) for 15 minutes and then strapped on my pink gloves and hit the punching bag for another 15 minutes.

Right as I started punching the MMA practice that runs in the evenings ended early and all of the guys started trickling out into the open gym area. I kept going and tried to ignore them, but I felt incredibly self-conscious punching the bag as all of these fighters were walking around (granted, I did know at least half of them, so it wasn't quite as awkward as it could have been. Not to mention my trainer and my boyfriend are in that mix). As I was punching I overheard Matt (the guy I train with) and another guy talking about their upcoming fights (May 3rd, GO MIKE (sorry Tyler)! May 5th, GO MATT!) and then heard the other guy ask Matt if I was a fighter too. Hahahaha! This made me smile and mentally laugh as I continued my punching.

(Mike's face after practice, this isn't even as bad as it gets, the guys generally leave practice with scraps, bruises, blood, fat lips, etc.)
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I am incredibly interested in HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training) along with circuit training and Cross Fit. They all have similar focuses, which is high intensity workouts in short bursts (generally 1-3 minutes). Research shown is that people who participate regularly in these type of workouts are getting in shape faster than people spending a long duration of time doing one single cardio exercise. Not only does it get your heart rate up, it builds your stamina, makes to pull energy from your body's reserve (to push hard and fast), but also tones and strengthens your body while giving you a cardio workout. Interval Training keeps your body moving and prevents adaptation due to the constant change in movement. Add weights, kettlebells, or medicine balls and you will be torching fat!

Nutrition is better this week than last week. I have been focusing on eating when I am truly hungry and still trying to make healthier decisions. Monday was so-so, I definitely didn't eat enough, but I was up Sunday night due to stress and was so tired on Monday that I just wanted to get through work and go home and nap. I started out great with an apple and whole grain cereal, but only had a few pretzels in the afternoon and then ordered pizza for dinner because I was too tired to cook.

Yesterday (Tuesday) was better, starting off with an apple and cereal, Wendy's chili for lunch, leftover pizza  (Mike talked me into it), and then a salad and a smoothie (strawberries, pineapple, and a little soy protein) after the gym.

(My salad and smoothie)


I think I would do better if I planned ahead and did as much pre-cooking and packing as possible, making it harder to have excuses to order pizza and such...although I had been craving pizza for two days.

In honor of my birthday last weekend, I went shopping on my day off and had a little too much fun playing dress up. What do you do for fun on the weekends?

Half Marathon Recap

The half marathon was much better than I ever imagined it would be. Mike and I ran 13.1 miles in 02:07:01 and are actually considering running another one someday...just not anytime soon. The first half of the race was great! We both felt great, we were maintaining a much faster pace than we had expected (about 9 minute miles) and hit the halfway mark at 57:40. However, it went a little downhill from there. Mike was great, he was a trooper and kept encouraging me and checking up on me. We agreed when we signed up for the race that we would stay together the entire time since it was a long race and our only goal was to finish. We prepared fairly well for the race considering we weren't sure what to expect. We carbed-up on Friday night, ate a high-energy breakfast, drank some water, and bundled up with our energy gummies in Mike's pockets (it was 40 degrees and I had no pockets). Unfortunately between mile 7 and 8 things went downhill when I started experiencing bouts of dizziness, followed by occasional muscle spasms in my calves. My energy levels suddenly dropped and the last 4 miles were rough. It turns out I was incredibly dehydrated and discovered that I need to carry water with me if I run another half marathon. We're pretty sure that we would have finished right under 2 hours if it hadn't been for my hydration problems.

Needless say, WE FINISHED!!! We are so happy and proud! Here is us right before the race started.

 Now we are going to focus on 5k races for the summer, which we will run on our own since its more about time. However, it appears that I hurt my knee somehow during the race and I currently can't run farther than 2 miles because of the pain running causes me. Thankfully it didn't hurt at all when I worked out with my trainer today (and we hit pads (like kickboxing) and did squats and abs). So I will be looking for cardio alternatives until my knee heals, which is sad because I love running.

This has been a tough week for my self-confidence. Taking it easy and carbing-up all of last week really took a toll on my body image. It has been hard for me to continue to push myself to stick to a healthy eating routine and not fall back into my old habits of eating like a rabbit. I am considering buying a membership to this nutrition plan that includes recipes and guidelines and tools to help you make healthy choices and makeover your lifestyle. I think the structure would be good for me personally, just to have something to follow that is fairly specific and that offers a variety of recipes. Not only do they focus on more basic, raw, healthy foods, but foods that are full of energy for your body. I haven't decided yet, its kind of expensive. I want to make sure it is worth it before I buy it.

I saw this picture with a saying on Pinterest yesterday that made me chuckle. Its might be slightly inappropriate, but amusing and true nonetheless. 

The Little Things in Life...Inspirations

This weeks Inspirations

1. Tone It Up!

The TIU trainers are awesome! They are young, healthy, and beautiful women who life healthy lifestyles and spend their time training and helping other women transform their lives. They have awesome workouts, workout reminders, and healthy recipes that they post daily! They also post inspiring success stories from real women who have transformed themselves! You can see it all here!

2. Coconut Cake

Sam's Club has THE BEST Coconut Cake and is seriously one of my favorite cakes! My birthday is next week so I have had this cake on my mind...it also has kept me focused on eating healthy so I have something to look forward to. Next week I plan on buying myself the cake and eating a nice big piece!

3. Pink Boxing Gloves

I LOVE my pink boxing gloves! They are as girly as boxing gloves can be without screaming "I'm a prissy whimpy girl!". I love working out and hitting pads, whether I am with my trainer, with my boyfriend, or kickboxing, it is one of my favorite workouts next to running! It is an empowering workout!

4. Half Marathon Sticker

With my first half marathon only two days away, I have been focusing on getting pumped and prepared to run for a VERY long time. Thankfully I won't be running it alone, but awesome boyfriend agreed to run it with me, even though he is not a long distance runner (he can run, he just doesn't enjoy long distance). Anyways, I cannot wait to get one of these stickers for my car! 3 years ago I couldn't even run a mile!

5. Beautiful by MercyMe

This song is my inspiration when I am feeling worthless, plain, and unwanted. It is a beautiful reminder that no matter what we face and the lies the world tells us, that we are perfectly and wonderfully made, beautiful and loved in the eyes of God. 

Goals, Hurdles, and Inspirations!

Hurray! I have officially reached one month of eating healthy and committing to recovery! Its been a difficult month...some days were better then others. I still struggle about every other day to keep pushing through this. There are so many days that I just want to give up and go back to my old habits and just accept that the disorder is a part of who I am. Its been really hard, some people are so critical and don't understand how real this is, they don't understand that recovery is more then just deciding to eat and actually following through, but actually an uphill battle. 

The biggest challenge (other than not giving up) has been finding the right combination of food and the correct portion sizes. The first week I was just trying to get enough food in my body, regardless of the nutritional value...needless to say I ate things I don't usually allow myself to eat, such as pizza, fries, ice cream, etc. The next week I started focusing on finding healthy meals that were full of nutrition and started cooking a lot more at home. I am still trying to figure out the best nutritional plan for me, and I have a feeling it is going to take a little bit to find what works, but I keep trying. 

Here are the top five things that I feel are the biggest contributions to success in ED Recovery:

1. Family & Friend Support: Without the support of family and friends, there is absolutely no way anyone will ever recover from their ED. The disorder rips away at self-esteem, self-respect, motivation, and rationality (when it comes to food and exercise), leaving that person needing the support of others to help them re-build their rational thinking skills, build them up, and especially keeping them accountable. I wouldn't be able to do this if I didn't have people keeping me accountable, especially my Mom and Mike, and even my boss Teri who asks me if I am eating if she doesn't see me eat at work.

2. Nutritionist/Dietitian: I have been so blessed by this woman! Cathy is a friend of my Mom's that she has known since college. Cathy is such a wonderful and strong woman, she is such an inspiration to me and I look up to her so much! She has been working with me through all of this, reading over my food diary, helping me choose healthier foods and get on an eating schedule. Not only this, but she has been such an encouragement to me in general, she is an amazing WOG! Someone with an ED needs guidelines and direction regarding their diet, without this it is easy to fall back into old habits because they don't know how to create new ones.

3. Exercise: Although this depends on the type of ED and the severity, I believe exercise is essential to recovery. It allows you to feel a little more in control of yourself and the endorphins you get from working out will help you feel better about yourself, cancelling out some of the negative. Running and hitting pads (like kickboxing) are my go to workouts when I am stressed or upset or feeling horrible about myself. I always feel better and I feel more focused about getting healthy. I am trying to create a healthy lifestyle and being active will always be a part of that.

4. Setting Goals: Setting goals is the best way to stay committed to recovery. Goals give us something to look forward to, something to work towards, and help us feel positive when we achieve these goals, no matter how big or small. Starting small is the best way to start recovering, for example, I started with the goal of trying to eat normally for two weeks. Even though it was a small goal, two weeks of eating is a lot when you have struggle with an ED, but short enough that you don't feel as overwhelmed. Just focus on your short term goals to start out with, anything beyond that seems impossible sometimes and could cause you to fall back into a destructive pattern.

5. Inspirations: Creating an inspiration board or just surrounding yourself with things that inspire you can help pull you through the rough days when you feel like you can't keep going. My inspirations come from blogs, magazines, people I know, things that make me happy, and hobbies. Not only do these things comfort, inspire, and motivate, but they fill your time and thoughts, leaving less room in your mind for the ED and give you the push forward. You've heard the saying; "It's the little things in life that matter."