Ugh, Monday!

Hey y'all.

So today was like a giant faceplant into the glass door called Monday.  This all started with me losing my work badge behind my nightstand, which caused me to be about 5 minutes behind schedule.

If you guys work for corporate 'Merica, you know that not having your badge is like the worst thing in the world.  There's no point in even going to work.  Access DENIED.

Ok so I get to work, literally like at 8:31, and there is no parking.  Yet another fail.

Followed by parking for our work shuttle in a cornfield with hay and cows and fire ants, which are the tiny ruin of all things good.

 Followed by finding out that that shuttle has broken down and that we all must walk to the office.  Imagine a caravan of people, with their nerdy backpacks trucking across a major intersection.  Big time nerd parade.

This is how I felt by around 9:03 AM

All of that aside, I did manage to make it to work, be productive, and even eat healthy all day. 

I usually meal prep a good bit on Sundays, but I didn't last night too far into the week because J was planning on busting out his new grill today and cooking up all the things.  He's an awesome grill master and takes his role very seriously. 

(This is his serious grill face while providing direction to his tailgating minions).

So now, I have more leftovers for the week.  YAY!  (Please ignore the half empty sweet tea and cream cheese icing, that was from J's birthday, but it's over now and so is the sugar rush).

I usually start off the week strong and then by Friday I'm like, yeah, ok I've done enough, I can slack.  My goal this week is to work out all 5 days and not wind up like this at 5 on Friday:

(Oh Kim Z, you are a piece of blonde wig work)

New goals, new mindset, all new blog posting schedule (let's not get jiggy, 5 days may not happen but I'm hopeful)....just all things new.  Kind of like a mid-year resolution.  

Because I am OCD and like to keep a list, here's my running list of things to do this week with regard to keeping it light and fit:

1. Eat all meals from home.  No takeout.  ZERO.

2. Eat all healthy snacks, fruit, smoothies and nuts only (no M&Ms, there is a girl on my team with jar full of them and they call my name twice a day)

3. Walk Boone/run/lift weights every single morning or night before or after work.  Maybe both!

4. Try to not lose my cool but maybe once this week because I'm in such a zen state of mind from aforementioned workouts.

5. No alkyhol until the weekend!

That's all for now guys.  It's been a heck of a Monday, but onto Tuesday and then eventually the weekend!

Weekend Recap and Plans for This Week

Happy Sunday y'all!!

I usually don't weekend recap until Mondays, but I know tomorrow is going to be crazy busy at work so, here you are, a weekend post.  

I really love the weekends after a really hard week at work.  Like yes, there's time for a little downtime, but most of the time, I like to keep myself busy.  So here's what I've done the past 2 days.

I got a massage! I had a gift certificate that I needed to use so yesterday was the day.  Massage is SOOOOOOOOOOO important.  I am guilty of not doing it enough, but it's really a good part of maintaining a healthy lifestyle.  Case in point, yesterday, the massage therapist was working on my shoulders and she was like "you have a great muscular structure, you should definitely have a massage once a month if you are working out a lot, it will help you recover faster".  DONE, sister, I'll be back in 4 weeks :)  I'm pretty sure that I can find a way in my budget to work this into my "Rebecca Fun" money.

Speaking of budgets, not to get all adult and all on a weekend, but ours was in need of some serious overhaul.  We just use our debit cards a lot and Mr. I Don't Like Leftovers definitely goes through a lot of drive-throughs.  Try being healthy around someone that eats at Taco Bell like 5 times a week.  UGH.  I digress... 

So I sat down last night, instead of throwing back shots (not like I'd normally be doing that), and I revamped our $$$ and decided we're going to try an envelope system for a bit.  We definitely need to use it for things like gas, groceries, eating out, and just small things like "oh, I want some new mascara".  As for Mr. Drive Through, I mentioned this concept. "So you'll get x amount of dollars each week and then when you run out, you can take turkey sandwiches and pretzels to lunch that I buy anyway each week! Doesn't that sound awesome?".  Queue the side eye :)

Just kidding, J is pretty good about letting me handle the money matters, but we needed some more self-control.  And we're getting rid of cable, something I've wanted to do FOREVER.   I think it's a good change though, we need more money in the bank account.

I cooked some yummy food!  Summer pasta with squash, goat cheese, basil and garlic.  OH and let's not forget the turkey bacon.  Which makes everything better.

This one is red curry veggies and will be my lunch for a few days over rice. 

I walked the dog...A LOT.  So since Boone has been feeling so much better, he LOVES a long walk.  And he like stares at me in the face from the floor until a I take him some days.  And I can't say no to this face.

Anyway, we walked the neighborhood twice yesterday, so that was about 4 miles.  And then I lifted some weights and did a small circuit on my porch in the morning and then this afternoon.  It was good times.

Right now, he just ate some rice from the trash and has rice all over his face and is twirling in a circle for no reason.  Meaning, must take the dog out before he twirls himself to death.

What do you guys do to keep sane on the weekends?  Do you totally chillax and veg out or do you keep yourselves busy, see all your friends and just keep on trucking right into Monday?

Upcoming plans for this week will be some updates on running, why it's important to lift weights, and just healthy eating and staying on track.  Until next time, enjoy your last few hours of freedom!

Did you miss me?

Hi.........................................

Did you guys ever think I would post again? Probably not, but alas, here I am, staying up and feeling inspired to start posting again after a long 6 month hiatus.  I just couldn't stay away. 

Since my last post back in 2007 :) lots has been going on.  I think I mentioned to you guys that I started a new position at work.  It's been super challenging every day of my life and I have traveled some over the summer to support some clients.  While it was fun to be in another city for a week, there's just no place like home.  And nothing beats an ocean breeze every day of my life!

For those that follow me on IG, you'll probably notice that I obsessively post pictures of my dog, because I'm biased that he's the cutest thing EVER.  He really is an awesome dog (when he's not howling or trying to eat whatever we leave on the counters).   Not sure if I explained much about his health story when we first got him, but he was heart worm positive and a little underweight and just very lethargic.  He scared us to death with his coughing fits at night.  We started treating him every month, and since he came to be in our lives, he's gained 13 pounds and can now go on 1-2 mile walks with me.  He LOVES to be outdoors and he's just a big ole baby.  We heart Boone.  I mean, this picture melts my heart every time.

Tink has been booted as the main pet...but we still love her and let her sleep in the bed at night.  She bites our toes out of spite for replacing her.

Fitness wise, I'm still trying to work out and not be a Chubby Spin Instructor :)  Truth be told, I haven't taught in months, but, I did ask to start subbing again this month.  Like writing this blog, Spinning is a huge part of who I am and I truly miss it.  I miss teaching and coaching people.  And it's SUCH an amazing workout.  I noticed another fellow blogger purchased shoes the other day and that is the true sign that you're hooked.  Because it's like the heavens open up and an angelic light shines on your bike and your feet say THANK YOU FOR SAVING ME!!!

J and I both started running again, which is great because we were enjoying too many craft beers and duck fat fries this summer.  We were eating all the things.  All. The. Things. Time to get skinny in time for winter :) 

Married life is good!  Now I will say, everyone told us the first year is the hardest.  And it's like someone told me that in Arabic, I was like "Ok yeah, I don't know what that means, but thanks for sharing bro".  But I quickly learned that year 1 is a big ole transition.  I learned that if you fight, you can't like go run home or hit up your BFF because chances are, they are probably fighting with their spouse too and they can't come to the phone right now :)  Just kidding, but in all seriousness, things like a new dog and job changes are great, but stressful experiences and a total adjustment.  Yesterday, I looked at my calendar and realized that 7 months had gone by.  I was SO surprised.  I feel like I walked down the aisle yesterday!  Where does the time go?  

That's pretty much all that's going on! Job, marriage, and life is rolling along at an amazingly fast pace.  I have missed sharing and quite honestly, posting has helped me be accountable! So......I'm back!

Tune in next time for some workout FUN! Even though I can go to my gym down the road, I've taken great pleasure in working out on my back porch most nights during the summer.  All you need are some weights and a little motivation!

See you guys real soon!

Clean Up in the Kitchen

No, I didn't spill something in my floor and need to clean it up.  I cleaned up my eating routine last week and guess what...I'm feeling amazing, super energized, and way less bloated.  Who knew that food really impacted how you feel?!?!?!?!

For those of you that have been following recently, I talked about joining my accountability group after deciding that I needed a change from the gym.  Recently, I joined a 5 day clean eating challenge that ended Easter weekend (thank goodness, because I needed a jelly bean or 20).  The challenge was within our group and it was amazing to see all of the recipe posts and pictures of delicious whole food that people would post.   We had a fun little Facebook group that kept us right on track with each daily meal plan.

Here is what I've learned about eating clean.  I feel like a lot of people out there are nervous to do it because it can be a little expensive (especially if you have kids), but it's not terrible.  It does require cooking and prepping, which is key. It's also challenging if your spouse/mate/partner in this thing called life is a bit of an unhealthy eater.

Let's take my hubs for example.  

You guys know J. (I love this picture, isn't he handsome with his Don Draper hair?)

Jarrett is like a straight up man's man, that likes to eat pretty much all things meat and potatoes. Or rice, he grew up with lots or rice, macaroni and cheese, and ham.  That was pretty much our Easter Dinner this past weekend.  Nothing wrong with that, but it's hard to cook like that all the time.  

He also like cigars and beer.  See? Man's man. 

Anyway, last week's challenge was interesting because I knew that J wouldn't love things like brown rice and spinach.  I tried to bulk up on the meat portions for him and reserve more veggies for myself.  You know what though, he did ok with it.  I can't really control what he eats outside of the house, but at home, he's mostly eating what I cook.  We eat lots of sweet potatoes now.  He does eat brown rice if I make it, I just have to cook it long enough.  Crunch rice = unhappy spouse.  I asked him what kind of veggies he likes and he's good with broccoli, squash and zucchini.  No asparagus or brussell sprouts though.  

The point I'm trying to make is that you can still eat healthy and meet the needs of your loved ones.  I'm not super extreme to the point that I force feed him green beans, but I do care that we live long and healthy lives.  Even on the days that we can't make it to the gym, I can feel good about the fact that I cooked a really healthy and hearty meal at night.

I read a blog post that said it best this morning "I'm eating for fuel".  SO FREAKING TRUE.  How many of us eat for comfort? Or because we are having a bad day? Or because we're just bored and want to shove office candy in our mouths?

It's all about control you guys.  When you're out of control in your life, you'll eat that way too.  You'll stuff your face and gut until you're miserable, and then keep going.  

So here's the deal.  This time last year, I went to my doctor and realized I was 30 pounds away from 200 pounds.  It was eye opening and super life changing.  Since then, I've gone through some extreme highs and lows of fitness and emotional eating.  I was supposed to go to my new doctor today and see how that had changed, but my schedule conflicted, so that's been pushed back to May.

Meaning I have ANOTHER month for the slim down, bikini/beach season AND to see what progress I've made.  Totally stoked, a little nervous, but I know that it will be eye opening to see how things go a month from now.

They say it takes 30 days to form a habit.  Well, I'm already a week in and loving how I feel.  How do you guys cook healthy and balance your life with whole foods? What's your new favorite recipe you can share that tastes good AND makes you feel good?

Happy Tuesday!