Happy Thanksgiving Week!

Happy Thanksgiving to one and all!  If you think about it, Thanksgiving is really the pinnacle of Fall. Everything else is just kinda downhill.  You know what I'm talking about, don't pretend you don't.  Yes, Christmas is very exciting, and the anticipation and build-up for that day is palpable and exciting, but Christmas has always been anti-climactic (?) for me, probably because there's a certain expectation of gifts.  Maybe I need to grow up and get over it :-)

So, back to Thanksgiving.  I've always had a sizable family representation here in Utah, but now the majority has shifted, or maybe evened out between my maternal family and paternal family.  This year we'll be gathering with my dad's side of the family, where there will also be lots of little kids present for my girlies to play with, just like on my mom's side.  But what's exciting about this is that they're "newer" friends.  Works for me, just as long as I get to enjoy PIE.  Speaking of which...

...this is what I did today.  I'm in charge of contributing rolls tomorrow.  Yeah, I needed to make sure they were "done."  That's why there's a roll by the pies with a bite taken out of it.... :-)  I also volunteered to bring some pie, because I like to bake.  Also, I can count on somebody else to bring the pumpkin, pecan, and some fruit kind of pie.  But nobody else makes buttermilk pie.  And this stuff is GOOD.  Pair it with a good vanilla ice cream, say...Blue Bell, and you're making magic.  *drool*

Moving on.  Remember how I've been complaining about having a nasty cough clenching its fist around my lungs and suffocating me?  Yeah, turns out that the girls had bronchitis and I had a sinus infection to boot.  Soooooo after three weeks of that we're finally medicated and on the mend.  But first we had to go down to St. George for the weekend to infect our favorite family/friends--who apparently already had it last week.  But we all had lots of fun nonetheless.  And now you get to look at our memories :-)

This was taken at The Fractured Prune.  Have you heard of it?  Their donuts are AMAZING.  Miss {C} ate more than her fair share, and she's not normally one for getting her hands all sticky.

Naturally we did some shopping, and I always feel like it's a win when I remember to buy things for Brandon too :-)

And this picture just made me laugh.  She sat there for at least 10 minutes. just cleaning her feet with a wipe while we were driving home.  Weirdo.

Well, now that I'm on a few decongestants, ibuprofen, and antibiotics, I decided to hit the workouts a little harder.  And by that I mean still taking it easy on the cardio, so my respiratory system doesn't fail, and adding more weight training, because I enjoy it.

Bad news:  Because we were taking a vacation, and my birthday was yesterday, and tomorrow is Thanksgiving, I've been letting my vigilant eating habits slide....I'm basically back to where I was before I did 21 Day Fix.  But it's not too bad.  I thought I still looked decent for my birthday dinner with Brandon and the girls.

Guess who's 27?  THIS girl!

And you know, it wouldn't be a REAL birthday if we didn't indulge in cake, right?  We hit Sweet Tooth Fairy and picked up an Oreo Cream cupcake, an Apple Pie, Sweet Potato Pie, and Pumpkin Pie cupcake as well.  You know, 'tis the season :-)  They were pretty good, but my favorite is still the Strawberry Shortcake.  MMMMMMM.

Resolution:  I will be enjoying tomorrow and the rest of the weekend guilt-free.  Monday I start my week-long clean eating group, and I am gonna get back in the saddle.  And I know all of you are gonna fill your plates to overflowing, because that's the way to show gratitude, right?  Waste not and such ;-)  So, if you're feeling yucky come Monday, hit me up on Facebook, and I'll plug you into my group.  There is also a prize...so...yeah :-)

Blogging, Round 2.

So, I'm a rookie.  I was so excited to start this blog, and I had a plan, at least for 3 weeks.  Then that project was over and I was all...*crickets*...what do I write now?  So, I've come up with a plan, and maybe I can be better with my time management so that I can stick to it.  :-D  hopefully.

I've been doing T25 for the last 3 weeks, and I like the workouts.  Since I've started, my right wrist still hasn't healed, I rolled or tweaked my ankle in soccer, and I've had a disgusting cough.  Soooooo...I've been doing the modifiers.  Still get a little sweaty and raise my heart rate without ending up like a smoker dying from emphysema.  Winning! Kind of.

Just to show that I do still workout, here's a video from Tuesday; Miss {C} was more than willing to do the exercises with me, or without.  Just as long as I didn't get in her way :-)

 

I haven't been eating as well as I was during 21 Day Fix, but I've managed to maintain my weight alright.  I've visited the gym a couple of times, mostly for the weight machines and so the girlies could play with the kids a little more, as if they don't do that enough :-)

But yeah, food.  Costco has had the bagged avocados and clementines in stock for awhile, but we started buying them last week when they FINALLY looked to be the right ripeness for Brandon and me.  Which means that I've been eating lots of avocados and clementines  :-) Yummy.

Avocado, eggs and toast

Avocado with mesquite chicken and pepperjack on a pita "panini"

Thursday, if I'm remembering right, was the beginning of much cooler weather for us here in Utah, which means SOUP.  So, I got out a bag of white beans to soak/cook for my roommate's famous white chicken chile.  Mmmmmm.  Too bad I burned the first batch because I decided to workout while that was going on.  Whoops.  So, here's bag #2

and the finished product :-) 'licious

For the full recipe, check it out here

I have also been drinking my DELICIOUS chocolate Shakeology.  I'm pretty sure chocolate is just the flavor for me, because I can run to it when the chocolate cravings hit.  My favorite "recipes" have been chocolate with Girl Scout Thin Mint coffee creamer and chocolate with PB2 and a banana.  Yummers!

Along the topic of Shakeology, I've decided to more fully investigate the ingredients, so I can be more aware of how I'm responding to them and know more fully what it is that I love so much ;-)  

First ingredient I investigated? Ashwagandha.  It's fun to say.  Say it out loud, like an French person whispering sweet nothings in your ear: AshwagAHHHHNdha.

Moving on.  This is one of those ingredients that ups the awesomeness of whatever you pair it with, you know, within a reasonable range of whatever...you know what I mean.  Don't pair it with something to kill yourself.  Just like with anything else.

Ahem.  So--ashwagandha is supposed to help reduce stress and anxiety, boost your immune system, help you focus and other good stuff like that.  

The other good things I'm copying from here:

• Improves learning, memory, and reaction time
• Helps reduce brain-cell degeneration
• Stabilizes blood sugar

and

• Helps lower cholesterol

Who isn't interested in those benefits?  And that's just ONE of over 70 superfood ingredients.  (P.S. this information was also corroborated with webmd.com and general information on Wikipedia).  I know that in the 3 months I've been drinking Shakeology, I have definitely been more focused.  I've been able to make a game plan for different projects and not completely overwhelm myself.  I'm taking baby steps to do awesome things, and I'm making progress.  Also, I'm a little excited for my next check-up.  The last time I went to the doctor, my cholesterol was high.  I'm interested to see how it looks now that I'm eating healthier....Pretty awesome, huh?  Stay tuned next week for information on the next mystery ingredient ;-)

And just for fun: a story.  With pictures.

Tuesday, is that right?  Tuesday the new Halo for Xbox One came out and it has all the Halo games, some big whoop that my cute husband and my brothers-in-law were excited for.  That means that I went through all of our still packed boxes from moving, everything thrown into our little storage closet, and random suitcases posing as storage containers that are buried in the girls' walk in closet, looking for all of Brandon's Xbox 360 paraphernalia to sell back to GameStop so that he could have the new Halo game.  That was a successful endeavor, but here's the real treasure:

 

3rd grade me

and (I think) 5th grade me.

Laugh it up folks.  You're welcome.

Why the Gym Didn't Work For Me

I don't know how many of you readers on the other side of the interwebs know this, I think I've mentioned it before, but aside from being a Beachbody coach, I work part-time at a gym daycare.  I've been doing that almost 2 years now, and it's a really great job for someone like me who has small kids (I can bring them with me) and wants a little extra spending money.  The shifts are only 3-4 hours, for me anyway, and it's been a great way for my girlies to learn social skills :-D Also, I get a free gym membership.  Score!

And let's be real, that was the #2 reason I wanted that job in the first place.  Cuz who doesn't want a FREE gym membership?  That's the dream right?  (The #1 reason was I wanted money and not have to pay for daycare or work graveyard shifts.)

BUT there was a downside to having the gym be my solution for health AND fitness.  The gym provides the equipment, and the personal trainers, and the gym rats that I HOPED I'd look like some day.  But, I didn't have anyone keeping track of my efforts and I wasn't paying for a personal trainer to call me everyday, so I would go home and eat whatever I wanted, because I EARNED IT!

And I did earn it.  I'd run ~3 miles on the treadmill, do 20 minutes of weight lifting, I'd go to the classes, and I'd burn between 600-700 calories for the hour.  Not that shabby.  But because I thought I COULDN'T eat through those burned calories, I GAINED 15 lbs over the course of a couple of months. Ew gross.

That's why I'm so happy my cousin invited me to her challenge group!  It provided the things I was missing.  Sure the workouts were great, but I could handle that on my own.  What I was missing was clean eating, which I could also do a week at a time, and ACCOUNTABILITY.  I found those things in that group, and it was FANTASTIC to be working out and working to eat healthier WITH OTHER PEOPLE.  We were a team, and we supported each other and were held accountable.  No, we didn't get kicked out if we screwed up and ate a couple cookies for no reason.  Everyone empathized and then said, "yeah, I understand.  But REMEMBER WHY you want to change." We all had our reasons why we wanted to change, and that was another way we all bonded.  We didn't have to know each others' reasons, but we knew we had each examined ourselves and thought deeply about why we wanted to lose weight/eat healthier/get stronger.  Those "whys" propelled us when the going got tough.  Now, I love going to the gym, but it didn't give me these things.

And I'm not saying that you can't find these resources on your own to ensure your success.  I'm just saying it's nice and convenient, and all bundled into one simple package :-)  And THAT was what I NEEDED to be successful.  What do YOU NEED?