My workout buddy is back!

My husband is not quite so into exercising as I am. He generally needs a little kick in the pants to get going. We used to exercise together when we were dating -- for a while, we were regulars at this fantastic yoga class, and we've done a fair amount of swimming together.

But the past year or so, I've missed my yoga and training buddy. He's been working on some other stuff, and I've gotten involved with the swim team. And while we do the occasional yoga DVD together at home, it's not quite the same.

But this past week, he joined my gym! I'm really looking forward to doing some yoga, weight training and swimming together. I'll admit that it's nice having the time to myself, but I think working out together will be even better and a lot less boring.

We start tomorrow morning with a swim. He's already grumbling about being dragged out of bed...

16 Ways I Learned to Love My Body Health & Fitness: glamour.com

Well, considering the current state my body is in (i.e. pregnant), I've found myself noticing some changes that I'm not completely thrilled with and I'm sure there are way more to come.  I caught myself getting upset and feeling helpless.  This isn't a totally new thing for me - I've always found things I don't like about my body - but I don't want those feelings to get worse and then hate myself for the next 6+ months.  I know that's not healthy.

But the real truth is, my body is doing something AMAZING. In fact our bodies do AMAZING things everyday! Don't even get me going on human physiology :).  I just don't know why we as women have such a hard time respecting, loving and accepting our bodies...

I wanted to write this post, but I really didn't feel like I had a ton of insight on how to "love your body" so blessed Google helped me find this little feature which has some very positive suggestions:

16 Ways I Learned to Love My Body Health & Fitness: glamour.com

Enjoy!  And love that body of yours!!!

Temptations...

(You may have noticed a bit of a change with the background and set up of the blog. Don't worry, we are just trying some new things...)

For the month of February, it seemed that I was constantly surrounded by chocolate or oreo truffles or cupcakes or cookies...some sort of sweet.

So, because so many people around me were giving up things for Lent, I decided to join them and give up something I truly love. I tried giving up all sweets (no, I am not Catholic, but it seems like a good time to do something drastic). Le Fiance decided to give up chips.

I lasted about a week-ish. 

I know. Pathetic.

So maybe I can't handle such drastic measures. 

However, I did lost 2.7 lbs last week. It was torture, but that just proves how addicted I am to chocolate.

 

Le Fiance is still going strong, although he is trying to find alternatives to chips. He asked me if he could eat popcorn (he doesn't even like popcorn).

Instead, I am back to the whole moderation thing, which time and time again proves the way to go. I can enjoy my sweets, but still be in control. 

How do you guys keep in control when temptation is all around? 

Any tips?

I've got 22 lbs to go to reach my goal weight for the wedding. 

Trucking along...

  

An Announcement...

After a couple weeks of slacking, I am back. Seems like some exciting things are going on with these bloggers!

I myself have some exciting news to share...

I am just over 3 months pregnant! yay :)

But no worries, I will NOT turn this into a pregnancy blog. I would, however, like to share some thoughts about how I feel about my body now...

First of all, I've never been extremely obese, but nor have I ever been extremely thin (not in the genes people...). In fact, since I was a teenager I've been making some very conscious efforts to watch my weight. I've had ups and downs, but in the past couple years I've been decently happy with where I was at. I must say, that as excited as I am about this little bean I'm carrying, I am really dreading the weight gain. According to my doctor, someone with my 5'4" frame should only gain about 25lbs. And that should be achieved by only eating an extra 300 calories a day (which really isn't all that much). I just am afraid that it will be easy to spin out of control but be very difficult to get back into shape...

I'm trying to change my focus though: I'm not "eating for two", I'm not even eating for me - I'm eating to grow a tiny human. That's made me think twice about what I put in my body, because I want this thing to be healthy (doesn't mean I haven't splurged a little though :)). I think a lot of this journey will be mental - having a positive attitude, not focusing on "feeling fat", feeling "in control" of my body, not giving myself too many excuses to indulge or be lazy.

Any of you have thoughts, suggestions, advise, for a healthy pregnancy???

Let's talk about lentils

I love lentils. They're easy to cook, nutritious, filling, versatile and cheap. Oh yeah, and they're delicious. What more could you want?

Lentils are a staple in our rotation, and each time I make them a different way. A few weeks ago, I followed a recipe in one of my many cookbooks that yielded a sweet version of lentils with dried apricots. This week, I went a simple route using ingredients I happened to have on hand: onion, garlic, paprika, fresh thyme, red bell pepper and kale. I used French lentils, which I buy in bulk and always have in my pantry. They're more flavorful than most lentils, and they hold their shape better than other types that turn mushy more quickly.

I topped the lentils with a bit of nonfat Greek yogurt mixed with some saffron. I also love eating the lentils with a poached egg -- which always feels so luxurious -- on top. Add a piece of crusty bread, and that's a tasty healthy meal.

Changes...

My apologies for my lack of posting this week.

But in my defense, some major things happened.

1. Le Boyfriend was in town, and that always throws off my schedule

2. Le Boyfriend proposed to me, therefore becoming Le Fiancé

cue the happy dance

What better motivation do you need to get into shape than to fit into a wedding gown??

So I have been transitioning from getting fit to meet someone to get fit to keep the someone to get fit to marry the someone. 

This is exhausting. But a good exhausting. The kind that makes you want to accomplish your goal.

In preparation for this, my schedule for working out looks like this:

Monday- Run

Tuesday- Run

Wednesday- Run or Crossfit

Thursday- Zumba

Friday- Run

Saturday- Zumba or Crossfit

Here are some additional links for those of you who are looking to get into shape before walking down the aisle.

Buff Brides

Get Fit Moves

Workout for Brides

Motivational tools

Above is a photo of my breakfast today. It was just so good that I had to share. In that bowl is oatmeal made with almond milk and topped with ground flax seeds, fat-free Greek yogurt, chopped almonds, blueberries and raspberries. Over all of that I drizzled a good amount of honey. Delicious, filling, and super healthy.

On to the topic of the day: motivational tools. While training for that Miami-to-Key West relay, my friends and I discovered DailyMile, a fantastic and simple motivational tool for all sorts of athletes. The site, which features a Twitter-style feed, was originally created by and for runners, but it soon expanded to include all sorts of athletic activities: swimming, cycling, rowing, yoga, weight training, and walking to name a few.

Whenever you do a workout, you log it, and it shows up in both your feed and those of your friends. Not only is it great for accountability, but it's also a fantastic place to get positive encouragement on those days when motivation is low. Friends can comment on your activities, so when you have a great workout they'll congratulate you, and when you've had a crummy day, they'll remind you that you're doing great and it'll get better tomorrow.

In addition to the motivational benefits, it's also an easy way to keep track of your workouts, which is important to be able to look back and see what kinds of workouts helped you get that PR and what might have, say, caused an injury.

So if you're having trouble staying on track with your exercise plan, I'd definitely recommend joining DailyMile with a few friends. With a little accountability and mutual encouragement, you'll be sure to reach your exercise goals.