How quick will I see changes?

I AM SORE.  My butt hurts, my legs are stiff, my arms are sore, but damn does it feel so good! It’s that kind of soreness that means your body has been pushed hard. I had a great weekend filled with exercise.  Just as I planned, the Saturday morning training session with my roommate was cancelled due to being locked out of the gym, but I made up for it with an evening run after work.

Sunday was busy, a few hours of raking leaves and cleaning up the yard for winter, another run with Koda and then my first game of indoor soccer in 12 years.  I literally had to dust off my cleats, which still fit.

One changed I’ve already seen in myself after JUST ONE WEEK is my energy level.  I’m not nearly as tired as I was, I’m more motivated to want to be active or even just to do things around the house and I can actually wake up when my alarm goes off (something I’ve only had trouble with when living a lazy lifestyle).  Obviously I would love to step on the scale this Friday and it magically be at my ideal weight, but that is something that will take a little more time than just one week.

Truly some changes happen quickly.  Maybe the change isn’t on the scale, but maybe you’re now drinking 8 glasses of water a day, getting 30 minutes of exercise a day or maybe you’re just feeling happier.  Really its up to you to be the judge of what changes you see, whether they be physical, mental or emotional.

Besides having more energy already, I’ve made a change in meal planning/grocery shopping and meal prepping.  I’ve been planning out the menu for 2 weeks at a time.  This includes breakfast, lunch, 2 snacks and dinner.  This even includes a few dinners out that were planned with friends.  We then go shopping for those 2 weeks of food in one go and  then prep breakfasts, snacks and some lunch’s on Sundays.  It’s already been so much easier to not have to worry about what to make or grab for lunch last minute.  This has also helped me stay within my calories (or just slightly over) for the day on myfitnesspal.  I want it to be Friday already to see if I’ve had any results on the scale yet. Also to see who’s going to be the first to make the extra credit card payment, time will tell.

Quick Tips on Healthy Snacking

Since my holiday I’ve been trying to get back into the daily healthy eating routine I was in before I left.  It’s been a struggle with Xmas sweets starting to appear at meetings and people wanting to go for dinners, but here’s how I’ve managed to

Plan ahead– Make a grocery list of healthy items you need for a week or 2. See if you need small Tupperware or bags as well.

Pre-pack snacks– If they’re in a ready to grab container in the fridge or panty its much easer to grab a healthy snack. Buy a bag of almonds and count them out. Same can be done for any veggie/fruit.

Buy snack size– maybe you’re too lazy to measure out your snack. look for pre-packed snack size veggies, humus, cheese, nuts etc.

Pack you snacks with your lunch the night before– I find that if I pack my lunch right after dinner its much easier to eat healthy. I pack leftovers, 2 snacks

Keep some packed snacks handy– I keep some almonds in my car’s glove box, purse, at work in a drawer so that if I’m hungry and busy I don’t have an excuse to hit up a drive-thru.

Ask friends what healthy snacks they have– If you’re sick of the same snacks ask around, someone will have some healthy options you hadn’t though of.

Allow yourself an unhealthy snack from time to time

A list of my 150 calorie goto healthy snacks:

1. 20 Almonds
2. 1/2 cup grapes & 1/2 cup Cottage cheese (1%)
3. Medium apple with 1 tbsp almond butter
4. 10 Mary’s Gone Crackers with 1/4 humus
5. 1 cup veggies & 1/2 cup Cottage cheese (1%)
6. 16 baked tortilla chips & 1/4 cup Salsa
7. 3/4 cup plain 0% greek yogurt with 1/2 cup berries and 1 tsp honey

These can me mixed and matched, maybe you want grapes and almond butter, or crackers and almond butter just play around with tastes.

Veggies- your choice : carrots, peas, cucumber, peppers etc

Zombie Challenge week 3

I ran a total of 31.80 km this past week.

This puts me at a total of 63.49km  for the month so far and leaves me with 51.51km to run by February 28th!

I am going to have to pick it up this week and run at least 40 of those Km because I found out that Feb 24-26 I am now going on a Ski trip to with work to supervise the kids.  Cool that I’m getting paid to go to Jasper, AB to snowboard.  Not so cool that, that it  takes 3 full days out of my own time and wont be able to fit in any running.

now on to Zombie talk,

My team, Team Emma, came in second this week.  Even though we did very well in the physical challenge we picked the wrong story line option! you’ll see why when you read on.

Challenge #3

You go to Mrs. Grason and place your fingers on her neck to check her pulse. She’s gone.

You exhale loudly and turn around, sinking to a squat and resting your hands on your knees. You feel tears build up in your eyes. This can’t be happening.

A groan from behind you makes your stomach churn. A thump, as if someone has climbed off of the hospital bed behind you, suddenly reverberates through the room. Then a shadow slowly comes over you.

You hesitantly look over your shoulder, already knowing what you will see. Mrs. Grason, who had been lifeless just moments before, looking down at you like you are Thanksgiving dinner.

Everything suddenly seems to shift into slow motion as you jump, pulling your feet up, and head for the attached bathroom. But Mrs. Grason catches your leg right as you cross the threshold. You fall, feeling a sharp pain shoot through your ankle. It’s her teeth – they are buried in your flesh.

You roll onto your back and kick out as you crunch upward. You manage to dislodge her and crawl into the bathroom, slamming the door behind you and locking it. You sink back against the door and close your eyes.

It’s too late for you. You can already feel the virus spreading through your body. And an insatiable hunger growing in the pit of your stomach.

YOU MUST JOIN THE ZOMBIE TEAM NEXT WEEK

Complete your team’s exercise challenge below. However, you won’t have a choose-your-own adventure choice this week.
Start following the zombie team’s message boards on Monday!

Food: Keep your calories in the “green” every day this week!
Water: Drink 8 cups of water a day
Cardio: 150 minutes/ week (I recommend 30 minutes/day 5 days a week)
Strength: 135 Double Crunches-  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aj1GDtpv0t8
Agility/Combat: 135 Jumping Knee Tucks (If you march: right leg, left leg = 1 rep) – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PthbBczX7VY

 

It was a little disappointing to know that even though Team Emma did extremely well by coming in second that we still turned into zombies! oh well! I’m gonna keep at my calorie counting and working my butt off as Team Emma Zombie, because as of Sunday my wedding is 6 weeks away!!! 6 weeks to make sure I look better than ever in a swimsuit as my wedding is in Mexico!

Zombie Challenge Week 2

Week 1 Results from the Myfitnesspal Zombie Challenge

 The winner of the first week’s challenge is……(drum roll please!)….

Team Emma!   yup that’s my team!!!!!

Emma kicked everyone’s butt in almost every category:

Combined they lost a total of 52.2 pounds!

94.4% kept their food in the green for 6/6 days

94% drank 8 glasses of water every day!

They did 208% of cardio

They completed 227% of their strength training exercises

They did 301% of their Agility/Combat exercises

Here’s how I personally did:

I lost 2 lbs!

Water I drank 12 glasses EVERYDAY
Food I was in the green 5/6 days
Cardio 231 /100
Strength 135/45  (Dips)
Agility 120/ 45  (slalom jumps)

So now on to week 2, Challenge #2

You inhale deeply and take a step toward the bathroom door. On instinct you snatch a bed pan from the swivel table beside the bed. You know you probably don’t need a weapon, and a bed pan probably wouldn’t do much damage anyway, but something just doesn’t feel right. The hairs on your arms stand straight up. Another shout echoes from inside the bathroom. Your hands shake as you slowly reach toward the door knob. You start to turn it – but suddenly the door bursts open on its own and a little old woman wearing a tattered hospital gown falls outward. You step backward and lunge reflexively, your pulse racing. The bed plan clangs against the tile floor.

“Help me!” Mrs. Grason gasps as she collapses on the ground.

You immediately forget your fear and reach down to pull the woman back to her feet. She is heavy and your biceps protest, but you manage to get her back into the hospital bed.

“What happened?” You ask as you reach over the old woman and press the call button to summon a nurse.

Mrs. Grason looks at you as if you are stupid. “ Isn’t it obvious? I had to go the bathroom! You wouldn’t wake up so I just did it on my own.” A savage cough rips through her entire body.

“I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to fall asleep. I’ve just been so overworked.” You pick up the blankets from the floor and start to cover her up but she roughly pushes your hands away.

“No, I don’t want them. I’m too hot.” Her eyes narrow into mean slits. “And I don’t care if you’re sorry. I want to see my doctor immediately.”

You glance toward the door to her room, but no one is responding to your call. You press the button once again.

“ Didn’t you hear me?” Mrs. Grason is getting hysterical and her health looks like it’s taking a turn for the worse. The circles beneath her eyes seem darker and sweat drips profusely from her forehead. “I want my doctor now!”

“Ok, I’ll go get someone.” You start to run toward the door but Mrs. Grason suddenly starts gasping for breath. It all happens so quickly. One second she’s screaming at you, the next second she’s lying on the bed…lifeless.

Choice 1: Go to Mrs. Grason and check her pulse.

Choice 2: Run out into the hallway for help.

Food: Keep your calories in the “green” every day this week!

Water: Drink 8 cups of water a day (This is EVERY Day, you can’t make up days with water.)

Cardio: 125 minutes/week (I recommend 25 minutes a day/5 days a week)

Strength: 90 Crazy Eights (8 full curls, 8 upper curls and 8 lower curls = 1 rep. Rest in between sets as needed) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v-9T7I4H09I

Agility: 90 Curtsy Lunges

AND my total KM for last week came to: 25.26 which is about 4.74 kms less than I was hoping but what can you do! some days are harder than others and sometimes when I work 24 hours I literally don’t have time!

Day 4 of the Zombie Challenge

I’m on day 4 of this Zombie Challenge here’s the story line for this week:

A loud bang awakes you. You sit up straight, your eyes struggling to adjust to the dim light around you. It takes you a few seconds to remember where you are. A hospital room.

“Mrs. Grason?!” you holler. You push yourself up out of the hard chair you’ve somehow managed to fall asleep in. Mrs. Grason’s hospital bed is empty. A wad of IV tubing hangs off the edge of the bed, dripping steadily onto the floor.

Another loud thump echoes through the room, followed by a moan. It has come from the attached bathroom. Mrs. Grason had barely even been able to move when you had fallen asleep, much less go to the bathroom by herself. She’d been sick with some type of flu bug – a bug everyone seemed to have lately. You, a volunteer at the hospital, had been sitting with her to keep her company. But with the long hours you’ve been putting in and the sudden spike of responsibilities due to the flu bug, you had somehow managed to fall asleep.

You jump sideways over the puddle of IV fluids and stand in front of the bathroom door. The door suddenly shudders as something heavy crashes against it.

Choice 1: Open the door and investigate.
Choice 2: Go out into the hall and look for help.

Which would you pick?

This Weeks Challenge:

Food: Keep your calories in the “green” every day this week! Water: Drink 8 cups of water a day.
Cardio: 100 minutes of any cardiovascular exercise you like (I recommend 20 minutes/day)
Strength: 45 Chair Dips (I recommend doing as many sets as you can of 15 repetitions at a time, every OTHER day) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KyS5a_hKAZw
Agility: 45 Slalom Jumps (Right hop, left hop = 1 rep) (Again, I recommend doing as many sets as you can of 15 repetitions at a time, every OTHER day) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vTFQ-RId9H4

 

Here’s how my week is looking Mon-Wed so far

156/100 cardio minutes 
8+ cups of water daily (I’ve lost track after 12 cups a day)
90/45 chair dips
120/45 slalom jumps
under calorie goal every day so far

Suck it up

Weighed in folks

Current weight: 149 lbs

maintained, and I’m still under the dreaded 150 that I was stuck at for so long so here’s to a good week of eating starting today with my Salad a day!

 

Random tuna salad I made at work- yes they feed me here, it’s a perk as long as  there’s good healthy food.  Contains: 1 cup romaine lettuce, ½ cup tomato, ½ cup cucumber, ½ cup yellow pepper, 1 cup bean sprouts, 1/8 cup green onion, 1 tbsp sunflower seeds, 1oz mozza cheese, 2 tbsp light balsamic vinaigrette all for 389 calories.   not too shabby.  I’ll attempt a better looking steak salad tomorrow for dinner I think.  Also I’ve been eating this salad for 30 minutes already… not all at once I have been taking bites and typing this but that’s how huge it is!

ok also great success this am.  I’ve bitched and complained about how I’m not a 9-5 type of working girl but I set my alarm for 7am this morning (I know it’s not even that early) and was out the door for a 30 minute run by 7:15am! Way to suck it up, go me! I also felt amazing after, obvi right? always do after a workout, and I’ve packed my workout gear to hit the gym after work before I go help a friend paint.  BUSY, exercised filled day! my favourite!

Where’s all my motivation?

So I’ve been having trouble blogging lately.   Last year when I started blogging, I looked forward to doing it every few days.  It kept me accountable and on task.  Well I’m still accountable and on task of training for my half marathon but I haven’t being doing weight training as I’ve focuses solely on running to prep for the Half and I actually, and hate to say it, haven’t been eating well at all lately.

So I am going to get on blogging more.  I don’t want to give my daily meals or calorie intake, I don’t know if anyone cares if I consumed 1400 calories or not, but when I eat clean I’m going to mention it, or if I make a healthy delicious meal I’m going to post pictures and a recipe.  I guess I’ve been feeling busier than I was this time last year as I also have 3 jobs again.  This time last year I only had the one.  I work full-time as a youth worker, relief as a youth worker and then I also score keep for my hockey league.   I am going to make a huge effort for June, since May’s schedule are already out, to not work more than 60 hours a week and go weird in the head.  I’m feeling ADHD this morning even so please forgive me when I jump from topic to topic and my paragraphs are all over the place.

Any who, my motivation… one minute I’m in HIGH gear ready to work out for 8 hours straight, the next second I’m on the couch with chips.  I usually am a bit more motivated this time of year, but I think it has do with not having a yard yet.  Ryan and I just moved into our home in September and they have not yet completed our landscaping.  They are currently just building on one side of our house as well

 

the corner house on the left is mine but that’s what my yard looks like, dirt and construction

 I’m used to being out in the yard weeding, watering, raking.. you get the point and then going for a bike ride/walk/run… again you get the point.  I feel a little uncomfortable being outside right now as there are about 50 men a day at least working on my street.    I still have this sense of being watched and judged all the time, i hate feeling like that.  I also hate that I think that these men who are working are all stopping to check me out and judge me.  Wait, do you think that they are? just kidding.  I don’t really know get why it’s so uncomfortable for me, a few of the men have chit chatted with me about how nice a day it is blah blah blah when I’m on the deck doing some spring cleaning or bbqing and they’re just regular guys, so whats my issue?   I dunno. I’ll think about it and get back to you

Here’s a list of things that should be overly motivating:

•  I am getting married in less than a year on a BEACH!  BIKINI body is a must.
•  I am possibly running another half marathon in September with Life as I Know it Author Kelsey.  She has bravely already signed up, and I am being scared and waiting until this half marathon on sat is over.
• Someone suggested trying a Tri-Triatholon but I truly hate swimming and don’t think the competitive me would be happy about being a slow swimmer in a race.

Other motivation,

• I would still like to lose some weight and tone my muscles back to where they were when I was seeing my trainer Danielle twice a week.
• My work wants me to recert my Lifeguarding certificate so that we can take our kids place… back to the “I hate swimming”, yes I was a lifeguard a few years ago.  I CAN swim it’s just I’d prefer to wade in the water and play water games than do laps and rescue people.
• I want to continue living a healthier lifestyle.  I have more energy, sleep better, feel better when I eat better and work out.

What motivates you to stay healthy or get healthier?

-Next week weeks goals

Get up at 8:30 and be at the gym by 9 to do a warm up and weights.  If I work till 9, I will go from work to the gym.  I will do an hour of weights/routine that Danielle kicked my ass with.

Continue doing my 50 push ups a day- I did them, or made them up on the days it slipped my mind and usually made me want to do some dips, sit ups or just work out so that’s a positive.