Here We Go Again!

Alright, so I did pretty badly the last week I was in Ellensburg. I was just too tired and got lazy because of it. So I went backwards a good amount. But instead of dwelling on going backwards I'm just going to work even harder now that I am back. I have realized that I'm not good at working out on my own. I definitely struggle with pushing myself when I am not in a group. I also have realized after working out this morning with the group that I end up being in a MUCH better mood on days when I exercise. I just feel better about myself and don't hate myself because I was lazy.
I will also say this...it's INSANELY difficult to eat healthy and live a healthy life when those around you and those you live with are not doing it too. It's amazing how just having the people around you doing what you're doing can really keep you on the right track. So that's something to keep in mind.
But even though I've had some set backs in the getting healthy department my head is still held high. This is part of the process. I feel great that I'm still sticking with it and not giving up or feeling hopeless. I also have a new hair color and cut and I feel ready to take on the world! I honestly believe that the better you think you look, the better you will feel. So don't be afraid to do something girly and treat yourself. Whatever that may be for you...just do it! You will instantly feel better.
So. All in all, I had a wonderful trip that helped me learn more about myself. I also found a lot of healthy food I like and learned more about taking pictures with my camera! So I call it a success!
Also enjoy these interesting myths I found on Pinterest! I'm not sure if they are all 100% true but they seem pretty good and like they could be. So take from it what you will!

Love Yourself

So today was just one of those days. I woke up and I worked out like always. I made myself a healthy lunch, which was a pita sandwich with chicken, hummus and a bunch of veggies and was going to try to go without any caffeine. That did not work. I got the worst caffeine headache today. It was very painful and I had a very difficult time getting through rehearsal. So at lunch I broke down and got myself an iced americano. I need to cut back.
But I guess what is nice is that I'm still on track. Plus I will wake up tomorrow, workout again and keep this going. Everyday is a new day to choose to be the person you want to be. This is a choice I make every single day. I truly believe that if I can do it and you are reading this you can do it too.  If you are wanting to make a change, just do it. Nothing is stopping you but you. YOU are the only guarantee in life, so make the choice for yourself. Do not do it for anyone but you. Do it so that you can look in the mirror and love the person you see. You don't have to even get to any particular weight, just get to where YOU are happy. That's it. In the end, you can make yourself happy. You can love you. That's the thought that keeps me going every single day. I want to love me. I want the body that I want. I don't care what other people want me to look like. I want to get to a weight that I love. I choose to love who I am everyday and I know you can too.
Now I'll stop preaching and head to bed. I hope that I've been able to help you if you needed it.

When Life Gets Busy

 Man when life gets busy it gets hard to update my blog. I need to be more diligent about it. Since Thursday I've been insanely tired and I can't figure out why. But I basically wake up in the mornings and workout, then I go to rehearsal (which during breaks me and a couple of the girls do some sort of workout-ish thing) then I come home and fall asleep. I've been trying to stick to eating healthy. It's going pretty well. Cooking always seems like so much work before I do it. But after I've started cooking, it really never is that much work.
I need to change my perspective. I think that's the solution. If I see cooking as something fun and helpful then it will seem less like a chore. I wonder if that will work for lunges...
Anyway I still am loving this life change. I feel great after a workout and terrible if I know I didn't push myself hard enough. The changes in my body and daily life keep me motivated. Plus, if that isn't enough I have a great support system to keep me motivated. I don't know what I'd do without them. Honestly, I think that is one of the biggest things you need. I am lucky enough to have a large support system. I have my family, which has a lot of people in it, my friends, my boyfriend, and my workout group. Like I said, I'm a lucky lady.
So here's to being more diligent and motivated to do the healthy things!

So this morning I did my Insanity workout because it is Wednesday. I worked out to the music of Zelda. It was epic! Then right after Insanity I did my ab challenge...I'm really feeling them right now!!
Today I also brought the laptop to rehearsal so I had to carry it for the whole walk there and back. The wonderful thing about Ellensburg is that if I want to go anywhere or get anything I have to walk. This I'm sure is good for me. Instead of driving, I walk. So even though it takes longer it is better for me.
Today I had a power bar, an egg sandwich, a roast beef sandwich loaded with veggies, two small chicken tacos, and some roasted potatoes.

Keep Going!

So I did my exercises for the day. I woke up at 5:30 and did my exercises from Grace and Arnie. Then immediately after, I did my ab challenge. This includes 25 normal crunches, 25 crunches on your left side, 25 crunches on your right side, 25 left knee crunches, 25 right knee crunches, 25 crunches legs only half bent, 25 crunches legs flat on the ground, 25 second plank hold, and 25 leg lift butt raise crunches. This challenge goes on for 14 days. I am on day two.
For breakfast I had an egg sandwich, for lunch I had soup and bread, for snack I had some chips and salsa and for dinner I made some Cornish game hen and roasted veggies.
Tomorrow is Insanity day! I just have to keep going!

I'm Loving It!

 Alright so I have lots of pictures from today. My breakfast start off with honey vanilla Greek yogurt with granola, strawberries and raspberries. Then I seared up some Ahi Tuna and put it on an Asian salad for lunch. Followed by some chips and salsa for a snack. And I am currently making Mac and Cheese for dinner.
I did my workout this afternoon. I'll be doing my ab workout after I post this.
I also have posted my pictures for this week. I'm not going to lie I'm feeling super inspired this week. I was worried about being back in Ellensburg but so far so good. It's been nice having the time to take pictures, make food, exercise and write this blog. And I still have some downtime. Ellensburg is treating me right!
It's amazing how much a life change like this can completely reshape your outlook on life. I feel like a much stronger and calmer individual than I did before this blog. But honestly I couldn't have done any of this without all of the wonderful and supportive people I have in my life. They continue to inspire me everyday to keep this up. To take chances. To put all of myself out there. So here's a big thank you to all of them for everything they do for me.

Shrimp with Cilantro Mojo

So today was my first day in Ellensburg. It's been fantastic! I went to the store to buy groceries and started with the outsides first!! (Which is one of the healthy habits). I bought a ton of healthy food to eat.
When I got back from the store I made fresh salsa. It's just the veggies, fresh lime juice, and some salt. Then I also made dinner. We had shrimp tacos. I took the shrimp with cilantro mojo from the Thin Kitchen cook book that Grace and Arnie gave me. It was AMAZING!!!
I used:

• fresh orange juice from 1 orange
• fresh lime juice from 1 lime
• 1/4 cup chicken broth
• 3 minced garlic cloves
• 3 tsp olive oil
• 1 tsp sugar
• 3 leaves of fresh basil (the original recipe calls for oregano but I switched it)
• 1/4 fresh cilantro

To make the mojo: combine orange juice, lime juice, chicken broth, garlic, 3 tsp of olive oil, sugar and basil in small saucepan. Bring mixture to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer for 5 minutes. Remove from heat, stir in cilantro, and cool for 5 minutes. Pour mojo into a medium bowl and add the shrimp, tossing well to coat. Let the shrimp marinate 15 minutes. Then cook.  (I edited the directions a little bit...this is exactly what I did). I put some shrimp on a corn tortilla with a little avocado and the homemade salsa.
I found this recipe absolutely wonderful. The two gents I ate with tonight also really enjoyed this meal! I call it a win! This is one I will for sure need to have again.
I cannot wait for the rest of this week! I think it's going to be great!

Beautiful Like Me

Well, my squat challenge is over!! I did it! Also I've started to see small changes in my body! It's wonderful! I looked in the mirror today and smiled! I'm loving the feeling of getting healthy. I love that I can feel muscles I didn't know I had. I love being able to be active for longer before getting tired. I just love the feeling of waking up and going to sleep everyday knowing that I am making a difference in my life.
So my Ellensburg adventure starts tomorrow! This will be the true test of the habits I have been building up. I'm arming myself with healthy recipes, workouts and motivation! I'm going to also start an ab challenge now that the squat challenge is done.
So here's to another step forward and hopefully not many back!

Portion Control

This morning kicked my butt! All of my muscles feel sore today. Which for me I absolutely love because it means I'm still working them hard enough to grow. It also makes me feel accomplished.  I'm loving every single moment of this road to becoming healthy!
My eating habits are probably the hardest part for me. I've been craving all of the worst food this week!! Before I go to work I think I'm going to swing by the store and pick up some healthy food to eat at work. That for sure is the hardest time for me. I'm hoping if I get a filling enough snack in me I'll feel a lot better by the end of the day.
Going along with my food issues I've included two different ways to measure portions.
I also have two days left of my squat challenge!! I can't believe the 30 days is almost up! This whole process is so exciting and wonderful!
My next biggest challenge is surviving my 2 1/2 week trip to Ellensburg! I have to keep ALL of this stuff up! I think I can do it!

PROGRESS!!!

So first of all I'm super tired so this will be pretty short.
But...today I saw my first real sign of progress!! I bought this pair of black skinny jeans when I first got my job. They were on super sale but pretty tight. I decided to buy them anyway. I haven't touched them since I bought them. They still had the tags on and everything. So this morning I decided to wear them to work and give my slacks a break. I was mentally preparing myself for the tightness of the jeans...BUT when I put them on and zipped them up...they were a little big!!! Big enough to where I needed to wear a belt!!! I was so excited!!! I might have teared up a little bit...it was very exciting.
I know this is a small win but I will take it. It was exactly what I needed to keep motivated. So here's to the future and more days where my clothes fit differently!!

These Days Will Happen

So...I'm not excited about posting my pictures today. It's been a day where I feel big. I know these days are bound to happen but today feels like a not going forward day. I feel like I've gone back ten or twenty steps. It's the first time in a long time I haven't felt like I am moving forward in my weight loss.
This means I just need to buckle down and do more. I need to make more time for this. I just have to keep reminding myself this is a process. There will be ups and downs but I have to stick with this and keep pushing!
Tomorrow is a new day and a fresh start!

Getting It Together

This weekend has been super long! It's been non-stop and I've gotten home very late the last three nights. So here it is I'm catching up!
So for the August healthy challenge I've done

1. Taking a daily vitamin
2. Flossing
3. Drinking more water
4. Eating Breakfast

It's going pretty well so far. I was a little bit nervous about the vitamin one because they used to make me nauseous...but so far so good!
My eating habits have stayed pretty good. I've been slacking a little bit on the healthy snacks throughout the day. That is something I could really improve on. The last couple of days I've found myself STARVING! I'm not entirely sure why...I might need more protein? I know I haven't been getting a lot of that. But one thing from yesterday that I discovered is that I love throwing edamame in stuff. Yesterday I put it in a salad and some pasta I made.
I've continued on the same workout plan. Today was the first day I fully got to sleep in. It was glorious! I needed it!
Other than that I'm starting to plan out my two and a half weeks away. I'm going to put together a meal plan, that way I know what to get at the store and I know I will eat healthy. I also believe Grace and Arnie will be giving me some exercises I can I do while I am there. I will be sticking to this whole plan while I'm away.
So today I will:

1. Make a meal plan
2. Make a packing list
3. Figure out how much I need to save for a car
4. Clean

I think all of these things will make for a much smoother week!!

August Healthy Habits Challenge

Alright. So I worked out this morning, continued squats and walked a lot at work. I am feeling the soreness in my body today. But I am still excited to do it again tomorrow.
Also since it is August I will be starting the August Healthy Habits Challenge. Today I started with taking vitamins every day! I hope that I can keep up with all of these healthy habits!

Sleep

So yesterday I slept through my alarm and then proceeded to sleep until 2ish. I did not get out of bed until then. That was my body's way of telling me it needed the day to fully rest. I didn't have work, so that's what I did. I rested all day and it was nice.
I didn't have breakfast since I slept through it. But I enjoyed some ravioli for lunch, shepherd's pie for dinner and some bread pudding for dessert. That was all I ate. I really enjoyed my day of rest.
I'll be posting again tonight for today's activities and food!