Three Day Refresh - Results Are In!

I mentioned last time that I was going to do the 3 Day Refresh that just came out. A few different things came up that caused me to push it back, but I completed it two weeks ago and LOVED it! Seriously. It was so easy to follow, I was never hungry, and it really helped curb my cravings for sweets and chips. I really struggle trying to keep my sweet tooth in check sometimes (although Shakeology helps, especially the chocolate!), but I completed this program a week ago and have only had one cupcake in the time since it ended. When all was said and done, I lost 4 pounds and 5 inches and have been able to keep that weight off, and then some, in the two weeks since.

More importantly, I am regaining the confidence I had when I was vegan and at my lowest weight since (probably) high school. I can honestly say that I am genuinely happy and for multiple different reasons.

Another big aspect of my health journey is my willingness to push myself and strive for change. I still constantly struggle with planning meals, balancing meals, and motivating myself to work out and I don't think I will ever be the person to look forward to working out; it will always seem like a chore to me. But, I can see the changes in my physical appearance and more importantly my attitude towards life since I became a coach, especially during the past month. It has kept me motivated to stick with exercising and making sure I eat decently. I've been getting up at 6:30 if I know I won't have time to work out in the evenings and some days I've even worked out twice! There have been many times over the past few months where I thought about quitting coaching because "it cost too much money" but then I realize I am investing in my health. I live a pretty frugal lifestyle (so much so that my father has yelled at me to start spending money) and spending the $4/day is worth it to me to continue drinking Shakeology, sharing my journey, and hopefully motivating others to join me.

Here is my workout calendar for the month of July. As you can see, I focused heavily on Les Mills Pump since most of my workouts were either early in the morning or late at night. However, towards the end I started adding in some T25.

Tuesday I went for a walk with a friend from RWU along the Newport Cliff Walk. It is a beautiful path that is exactly as it sounds - along the cliffs of Newport. There are extravagant houses along the way since it runs behind many of the mansions and some unique buildings like the one below. It was a gorgeous night for a walk with good company.

Not a bad view, at all!

The Hardest Part About Going to the Gym is Going to the Gym...

We are all busy people. Work and life get in the way and it is hard to maintain a structured schedule. 

That is why I love working out at home!

I've never really been one to enjoy going to the gym; I've always felt like I would be judged by people who are in better shape than I am. But, as I've grown "wiser," I don't think that is the case. In fact, it is pretty self-centered to even think that! Regardless, I've never enjoyed that atmosphere and it really made the phrase "the hardest part about going to the gym is going to the gym" ring true to me! 

I don't love working out and it always feels like a chore, even when I am doing a program I enjoy, so cutting out the time it takes to get to and from a gym helps motivate me to get it over with. Plus, I am not spending as much time getting stuff together to drive to and from the gym. I frequently hear coworkers talk about how by the time they get home and have dinner on the table, it is 6:30 or 7:00 pm. By that time, I've already worked out, showered, and, in some cases, eaten! It takes zero minutes to get to my living room, so it leaves me with no excuse not to work out when I am home in the evenings! Plus, I can still get a great variety of cardio and strength training in in a very small space and time frame!

Do you feel like the hardest part about going to the gym is going to the gym? If so, what do you do for exercise? If not, do you take classes or workout on your own?

Story of My Life!

There is a Aldi's that was just built in Middletown, about 20 minutes away from me. I've been wanting to go for a while, but hadn't made it yet. But, this morning I had to get a ton of food since I haven't been in 3 weeks, so I decided to check it out. When I did a generic search for "Aldi" on my iPhone's map app, nothing came up in Middletown, so I checked the store website, put in the address, and was thrilled to learn it was closer than expected! I grabbed a quarter for my shopping cart, checked my cash, and brought my reusable bags and couldn't wait to see if the savings was worth the trip. However, as I approached the area where the store was supposedly located, there was nothing but trees.

Story. Of. My. Life.

It is not uncommon for me to look for eclectic restaurants only to drive out of the way to find out they are no longer in existence; it's happened so many times it has become a joke!

I ended up back in Bristol at the overpriced Stop & Shop that makes me hate life in Rhode Island (really, the only thing that makes me hate it out here!) and vowed to figure out where the heck this Aldi was so I could go after my appointment on Thursday. Common sense kicked in and I decided to put in the address with "Middletown" after to see if it sent me to the same address in a different city, and sure enough, that was the case! Freaking Rhode Island! This state is so freaking small but they have the same address in two cities that are directly next to each other! At least I know for the next time.

One of my goals over the next few weeks is to find recipes that diversify my vegetable intake and I am starting with a one pot pasta with zucchini and leeks in white wine lemon sauce (http://yupitsvegan.com/2014/06/11/one-pot-pasta-zucchini-leeks-white-wine-sauce/). I haven't eaten much zucchini over the past few years because I ate so much when I first went vegan that I couldn't stand to even think about it anymore. But, I am forcing myself to try these things so I can continue working towards a balanced diet.

I am also looking forward to starting my Refresh next week! I love that these programs provide meal plans to follow that really help take the guesswork out of how much to eat each day. If you are interested in details about this program, let me know!

I Can't Believe It Is July...

One of the things I am working on this week is a nightly "to do" list to keep me on track and help me remember to post twice a week. I've actually started going to a therapist to help me cope with my stress/anxiety and, even though my first visit was yesterday, I can already tell a difference. I know I can emotionally remove myself from situations because I can't control my tears (seriously, have a passionate conversation with me about health of the food system and I will tear up!), so I am trying to be more present and deliberate in my actions. It will be a journey, like everything, but I am looking forward to it. That being said, making a list will help to reduce my anxiety!

A lot has happened over the last two weeks, some of which I will discuss and some of which I will not. First, let me say, I am SO happy it has been cooling down at night! I can open my windows and let the heat out of my living room, which is always killer in the summer because of the western facing windows. The rest of my apartment seems to get fairly cool from the window ac unit in my bedroom, but the living room NEVER does. Because of it, I never want to do a cardio workout in the evening because I would be miserable. But, I've been sticking to Pump and occasionally throwing in some TurboFire Core on the weekends.

Last week I flew home to spend the 4th of July with my parents, which was a much needed break from the monotony of my life. I was (and still am) so overwhelmed with the love I felt while home! I had friends visit every single day, and some overlap of friends each day! It was a welcome surprise and really made me miss home. For as much as I love New England, it has been REALLY hard meeting people out here since I live in a small town and being around the people I know and love really made me miss home more than ever. So much so, that my poor parents have to end up dealing with me crying before we even leave the house for the airport!

Now that I am back, I am getting back into the groove of things and trying to find things to occupy my weekends, the first of which will be the RI Brew Fest next Saturday!

Also, next Monday I will be starting a 3 Day Refresh with my team, which I am VERY excited about! I've seen some amazing results since they've returned from Summit and can't wait to share my own with you next week!

In the meantime, enjoy these photos!

People are always amazed when I say I have a bird back home and, even though things aren't as easy as they used to be, I know Rudy still loves me! It takes some time for him to warm back up since I've been gone almost 10 years (where does the time go?!?), but I can always hold him without him biting me, which I take as a plus!

 This is the view of the lake my parents camp/ski at during the summer from their camp site. I took it as we were getting ready to walk to the park for fireworks - a 180 from the rainout the night before! While I disliked spending EVERY weekend here growing up (it took me away from my friends and all of the good weekend festivities!), I can't get enough of it now! Essentially, it is our summer home!

After Granville's fireworks (they're amazing!), I couldn't help but wonder what fireworks would look like from a plane. I actually considered booking a flight for the 3rd next year, just so I could see! But, flying into Philadelphia, I saw numerous shows! Some were the standard backyard fireworks, but some were longer, including what is shown in the picture below. I never imagined towns having their fireworks on a Sunday, but some must do and I am very appreciative of them. Also, a huge thanks to Granville for rescheduling their fireworks for the first (and only) time in 50 years! Seriously, it is one of the reasons I wanted to fly home over the holiday since Bristol's were disappointing last year. I will be making a donation to the Granville Foundation in support of the wonderful memories and our tradition!

 What can I say? I am obsessed with clouds. Just like I would like to live in the ocean, I would also like to live in the sky. I am sensing a problem...

 Last but not least, my workout calendar from June. The first two weeks were rough because of traveling to Texas then feeling sick after alumni weekend, but the later half was great! 

What types of stories would you like to see? If you have suggestions, let me know in the comments!

2 Week Update

I know, I know. It has been a long time since my last post. I think I need to start allotting 5-10 minutes a day to devote to posting since I can't get into a groove.

As I promised, here is my monthly calendar from May. As you can see, I did not do that well. But, it is still better than I have done in the past:

June also got off to a rocky start between a conference in San Antonio and RWU's Alumni Weekend. I was able to workout one of the days in SA, but not at all until after alumni weekend was over and I was so burnt out from everything that I had no energy the entire following week. A bad sun burn from an hour lunch outside this past Monday put cardio on the back burner. I couldn't even think about wearing a sports bra, so I ended up doing Pump since it is all weights. But, it may have been a blessing in disguise because I have ended up going to bed earlier and waking up earlier, which has challenged me to start lifting in the mornings before work! The sun rises so early that I've been waking up anyways and I think I can put more effort into weight lifting than I can cardio that early in the morning. Friday was my first go at it and it was successful! I've even set an alarm moving forward so I wake up if the sun doesn't get to me first.

In other news, my second mother is visiting me tomorrow AND I get to go home next week (thanks mom and dad!), which will be a much needed getaway.

I will leave you with some more pictures:

Tim and I went to NJ over Memorial Day weekend and stopped by a greenhouse that had pineapple plants! I loved how tiny they were!

The Alamo was only a block from the hotel in San Antonio!

 At some point last week, I busted the bottom of my lamp with my weights. Whoopsies!

 Bristol is getting ready for the 4th! I really can't get over how beautiful this town is, especially this time of year.

 This is why Rhode Islanders do not like driving. Seriously. It took me 45 minutes to get to Trader Joe's this morning. If only they would build a bridge from the East Bay to Warwick...

 I can't get over this view! I just want to sail.

 If you like Indian food and you haven't had this, try it. It is by far one of my favorite frozen meals. Also, if you are well versed in Indian cooking and would like to teach me how to make Tikka Masala (or could share a great recipe), I would love you!

 Finally, Mr. Cat hanging out this afternoon. Yes, I am a crazy cat lady and I don't care!

21 Day Fix - Part 2!

I've started another adventure with the 21 Day Fix and I have two friends joining me this time! I am going to have a few obstacles to overcome this time, since I will be traveling for a conference then returning only to work 72 hours straight over the weekend. I don't want to risk my Shakeology being confiscated during security, so I am going to take some chocolate Shakeo protein bars I made down to eat during the conference. I will also be taking my workout clothes so I can do my workouts at the hotel! I did my double workout today so I can take my rest day on Tuesday; my hope is to go to the Alamo that evening since my hotel (and the conference) is two blocks away!

RWU is holding their 4th Annual Alumni Weekend Friday through Sunday and I am in charge of accommodations so I am pretty much required to sit in a room for 12 hours a day. Again, I will be taking my workout clothes so I can sneak away for an hour for a quick workout and shower. At least this time I can take Shakeo with me!

One of my friends has started making fun of me because I can't stick to just one workout program. It is a little absurd, I will admit. But, I guess I like variety. I've been using my friends T25 and LOVING it, so I am going to try and finish that entire program. It is a quick 25 minutes a day which is easy to commit to and there is a lot of variety within the program, like Turbo Fire, so it is enjoyable.

I've always preferred working out at home to going to a gym. I always felt like people were judging me and, while it shouldn't matter, it is a "fear" I still have about running outside. I do miss going to the park to run, but it became a process and I felt like I wasted so much time getting ready, going there, finding parking, and getting started. By working out at home, I am literally done in 30 minutes and able to jump in the shower right away. Definitely a perk for me!

I forgot to take a picture of my workout calendar before I left home, but I will post that soon. It was a pretty disappointing month compared to the prior one. But, I am back on track again. I am not perfect and will always be a work in progress. Compared to where I was two years ago, any workout is good!

Back On Track

It won't come as any surprise that I, yet again, let life get the best of me. I stopped focusing on my nutrition and it shows. While I am still working out fairly regularly, I haven't been eating as healthfully as I should be. I was asked to teach my favorite class at my alma mater two weeks ago and I spent a ton of unnecessary time getting an I-9 notarized - I've NEVER heard of getting one notarized and went to three different notaries in RI before finding a fourth in MA that would do it. Needless to say, it was extremely frustrating and stressful. That class started today, so once I am done getting ahead (I barely had time to get this weeks materials posted), I plan on sitting down and really revamping my 21 day fix meal plans into meals that are full of variety and sustainable. I would also like to play with a vegan diet again, with the exception of when I eat out, which will force me to eat more vegetables again. More than anything, that is the biggest thing I struggle with. 

I bought a dry erase calendar so I could see what days I work out, what exercises I do, and the reasons why I miss days. Last month, I worked out more than half of the days, which was pretty exciting! You can see there was an entire week I missed working out because of vacation and another week that was pretty bad because of work and wonderful taxes (working jobs in two different states sucks). 

This past week my best friend and her boyfriend came out to visit, which was a ton of fun! We went whale watching and saw two types of whales, two types of seals, and dolphins. They were SO active - its was amazing! Check out my videos on Facebook, if you haven't already! There were tons of seagulls around and some of them would land on the whales mouths as they fed; I would like to think if I am ever (or was ever) a bird, I would be ballsy enough to surf on a whale!

We also went for a hike at Mount Hope Farm, which was beautiful! Here is a picture of the Bay looking out towards Mt. Hope bridge. Seriously, I am in love!

Our good friend, Kristie, took a picture of us, which makes me laugh because it totally sums us up. Robby was laid-back waiting for all of us, I was busy taking pictures every five minutes because you can never have enough pictures of the same water with the same bridge in the background, and Katie was looking for shells to take back for the children she babysits for. Needless to say, we couldn't have asked for a better day!

This was only the third time I had been to the farm (outside of the farmers markets) as I would usually go to the park to run. But, the farm is so much closer, so I think I am going to start going there after work once or twice a week to walk/jog. The other nights I will be going to the beach to study for the GRE then working out at home. I've already decided I will need to start taking dinner to work with me to eat at 4 pm so I am not eating at 8:30/9:00 at night. 

Spring, summer, and fall in New England are beautiful enough to make up for the crappy winters. Seriously, I've stopped considering moving south I love it here so much. I am sure I would reconsider at some point, but it is just so amazing here!