The 7 P's

Jan. 31st:

Its the last day of the month, and how fast it has gone by.  How did your month go?  What goals did you set for this month?  What goals are you planning to reach next month?  When you set your mind towards something and plan for it, you will achieve it.  Though you can't plan for everything, you can plan for simple things.  Plan what you will have for lunch the next day and pack it ahead of time.  Plan to spend ten minutes in the morning stretching.  When you set a goal, plan when you will execute it and it will get done.

Since it's the end of January, now's the time to hit up stores for all the fitness stuff that will be going on sale, because I know you aren't giving up on what you started.  And who doesn't like new workout clothes?!  (I love the bright colors that are often in workout gear, it makes getting ready for a work out fun)

The 7 P's stand for : Proper Planning and Preparation Prevents Piss Poor Performance

<3<3<3<3  Looking forward to what we will achieve in February!  I'm starting a 90 day plank challenge and a 30 day ab challenge.

Perfection is for robots

Jan 30th: my internets are broken and I'm trying to create this from my cell phone. It's quite the apt quote at the moment since I'm far from perfectly accomplishing the task at hand. Let's just say I've thought a lot of naughty things about Verizon FIOS. Back to the post though, the phone will suffice.  

Perfection is for airbrushed magazine photos. In real life there is no perfection, just awesomeness. Go out and be awesome and stop worrying about being perfect. Gotta wrap this up now before the battery dies. It will hopefully be a better post tomorrow. But this one has a dash of minion Awesomness so I'm redeemed a little. <3

Go Forward, Again

Jan. 29th:

And repeat.  After accomplishing what you have set out to do, find something else you want to do.  Losing weight can be hard and exhausting, mentally and physically.  When you get to the goal you set it's exhilarating.  All your hard work paid off.  Time to sit back on your laurels, right?  Sure, maybe for a couple days, but then its time to get back to work.  Now that you have done what you thought impossible, find something else that you think is impossible and prove yourself wrong. 

I reached my goal weight yesterday and woke up today feeling extremely unmotivated.  I'm there, why do I have to keep working so hard my groggy brain threw at me when the alarm went off at 4:30am this morning.  Because getting up early and working out is me time, and I want to see what I can do next.  Because if I stop now, what was all of it for.  Mostly I get up and keep going, because it wasn't about getting to this goal in the first place.  I wanted to live a healthier lifestyle for the rest of my life, so that I can do the things I want to do.  The reasons for starting have to be good enough to keep you going when you think you are done.

Once you reach your goal, its not time to stop doing all the great things you were doing.  It's time to take stock, just like when you started.  If you are happy with your weight, figure out how many calories you should have a day to maintain.  It will be more than you needed to lose weight, but make sure to increase your caloric intake in a healthy manner.   Keeping the good health you just attained will still take work, but you know you are worth it!

Early  morning sweat session <3

 

An Ode to Yogurt.

Jan. 28th:

So although its not an inspirational quote, I thought we should talk about its many uses anyway.  I seriously love nonfat greek yogurt.  It can be used in a myriad of ways, its high protein, no fat, and low in calories.  It's a beautiful thing when you are trying to get yourself into a healthier lifestyle.  Eat it plain, meh, not usually.  But dressed up it becomes amazing.  Some of my favorite yogurt uses are listed below:

1.  Smoothies!  My favorite go to for breakfast, recipe simplified, about 1/2c yogurt, 1/2 c of milk (I prefer almond, but that's because that's all I have in the house) and some kind of fruit ( I like banana as the base and have added strawberries, mango, blueberries...etc.)  

2.  Bedtime snack:  Travis and I both like a bowl of sauteed bananas (use coconut oil for a healthier cooking oil that doesn't muck up the flavor) on some yogurt with a drizzle of maple.  Good for bedtime because of the long lasting protein in the yogurt, the potassium in the banana, and the sweetness gives it the feeling of having a treat!  All around yummy.

3.  Substitute for sour cream.  Seriously.  Making one of those package veggie dips where the directions say add to sour cream, use an equal amount of yogurt.  No one will notice.  Honestly.  No joke.  I've done it.  Nobody noticed.  In the mood for nachos, dollop some yogurt on that stuff, or mix it into your avocado for a creamy guacamole that's packed with protein!

4.  Substitute for mayo.  Spread some on a slice of bread, salt and pepper it.  Bam, sandwich spread for your turkey, ham, or whatever sammich you're making.  Or spread it on a wrap.  I love the spinach mission wraps, and also the La Tortilla Factory tortillas are awesome for making wraps, low calorie, high fiber.  nomnomnom.  Other spread type ideas, take yogurt and chipotles, puree in blender or food processor, voila, spicy aioli type spread.  

So keep this stuff in your fridge!  It's amazing!  I <3 fage and I hope you do too.  <3

Anything ≠ Everything

Jan. 27th:

Ever get that worn out feeling?  Stretched too thin, like butter scraped over too much bread (Bilbo Baggins, Fellowship of the Ring J.R.Tolkien quote right there, you're welcome).

Do you know the cure?  The answer is no.  No, seriously, you have to learn how to say "no".  Keeping your sanity is worth missing out on an event, or whatever it is that is lining your dance card.  When you feel overwhelmed by all the things that need to get done, its time to start prioritizing.  Some things just have to be done (eat, for eg.) and some can wait (for me, its usually housework).

Everyone's stress load is different, so it is important for your mental and physical health to not be overloaded.  Yes, sometimes there is nothing you can do about a full dance card, but take at least 5 minutes for yourself on those days, meditate, pray, breathe, listen to soothing music, whatever makes you feel re-energized.  

Remember always that you are worth it! <3  

Time for a training montage!

Jan. 26th:

What you have to handle today is preparing you for tomorrow.  Sometimes we are not given the exact training for what we have to face, but if we work with what we have we can pull through. 

This quote reminds me of the stories where the protagonist has a kind of training montage before the climax.  Everything done before that point of the story is building the character towards it, and the character often doesn't know what the climactic showdown will be. 

It's okay to not know what we are being prepared for, just as long as we keep trying to learn from where we are at.  Take opportunities as they arise and get the most out of them while they are there.  Live your life like you don't know what tomorrow will bring and you will live with no regrets.

Something silly I do to push myself harder when I run, is to imagine that I may have to rely on my ability to run to save my daughter.  The harder I push myself today, the faster I will be able to run in the future.

On the other side of the coin, all of my past relationships helped teach me what to look for in my forever relationship.  Though it hurt at the time when they failed, I wouldn't trade those experiences for anything.  I appreciate what I have now because of them.

Work hard today so you can do more tomorrow with your new found strength <3

Patience!? How long is that going to take?

Jan 25th:

Oh Yoda, how wise you are.  Every time I think I have learned patience, I realize just how wrong I am.  Impatience steals joy from the now, patience is acceptance of the now and allows for inner peace.  It is a skill that I am trying to teach my daughter that I am still working on myself. 

While working towards a goal we must also be cultivating our patience while we wait to succeed.  So patience, young padawan, patience <3