Day Four and GOING STRONG!

Hello!

I grudgingly woke to drink my 8 ounces of water, because I only had four hours of sleep, and I was not ready to wake up.  I need to work on my sleeping skills.

mini exercise..20 deep calf raises on the stairs with your heels hanging over the stair, all the way up to your tippy toes, then all the way down as far as you can stretch.  I then laid on my back and did 20 but raise and squeezes...

Breakfast...1/2 banana, blueberries, strawberries and blackberries, large handful of spinach, and orange and almonds...shared with my man.  See a pattern here?

I got to work and there was a beautiful apple on my desk right in front of my keyboard.  There was a note from my sweet friend Dee, who works in the office down the hall, and is also one of the exercise girls you saw a picture of yesterday.  She picked if from her tree and left it as a reward for my working so hard on my healthy new life style.  SWEET!

16 more ounces of water by lunch.  I had a meeting all morning, but sipped the water in there.

Lunch was a quick chomp down of leftover salad and salmon with a drizzle of olive oil an a squeeze of lime...YUM.

Another meeting, another 16 ounces of water.  See how that water sneaks into those meetings with you?

The afternoon was SWAMPED with work.  Luckily I like to plan ahead and chop up vegies, bag grapes and have little baggies in the fridge for the kids when they get home, and I take a ton to work with me to have on hand.

Today I grabbed a bag of peppers, I also sliced up the beautiful apple Dee brought...YUM!

Dinner consisted of roasted chicken stacks ( my family had the roasted chicken on rolls, I simply stacked the chicken, fresh tomato and onion on my lettuce leaves) and grapes.  Don't forget the nice glass of H20.

Exercise...ABS!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=acVU6HGmyVk

WE MADE IT TO DAY THREE!

JUMP UP~ drink your 8 ounces of water, because I know I just did!

Mini exercise consisted of 20 girlie push ups.  My arms are starting to feel strong...yay!

Breakfast was another smoothie.  That is the norm for Jeff and I.  It is quick, easy and packed with nutrients.  Today we had an apple, 1/2 banana, a couple of chunks of pineapple and a few strawberries and blackberries with almond milk and almonds, and the large handful of spinach...YUMMO!

I filled my water cup at work and sipped 32 ounces...16 before lunch and 16 after.

Lunch was a bit of pork and some frozen grapes.  I love the treat of the icy grapes!

Afternoon snack was a fresh tomato out of the garden.

Right after work I headed down to the wellness center at my work and had 60 minutes of KICK BUTT ZUMBA!  I LOVE IT!  The teacher really concentrates on your core, and YOU FEEL IT.  She adds a ton of squats and butt moves too.  I come out of there DRENCHED, but happy!

Dinner consisted of some grilled salmon with lemon squeeze and cajun seasoning and a fresh salad with romaine, garden tomatoes and my lemon cucumbers.  If you live near, PLEASE COME GET SOME!  They are taking over the garden!

Ended the day with 8 more ounces of water an a nice stretch session before bed....whew!

Day Two!

Hello!

I am behind on posting this wonderful adventure.  I woke up and drank eight ounces of water RiGHT AWAY, then brushed my teeth, showered and made a quick smoothie out of almond milk, a peach, 1/2 banana, berries and 2 cups of spinach with a squeeze of lemon and 6 almonds.  This was for Jeff and I, and it was fresh, delicious and quick.

I drank 16 ounces of water and worked away the morning until noon.

I then ran down to our wellness center and took a 30 minute weight lifting class.  It was HARD, but I felt STRONG, and I could lift more than I ever have.  We have a great program at my work, I feel LUCKY.  There are two ladies who come at the same time as me that are fun, positive, and great inspirations...Dee and Emily.  I told them about my 30 day challenge and they are nothing but supportive and fun to be around.

There are also my trainers.  They both push us to the limit, and they actually push me farther than I ever thought I could go!  Dan is the one who says "YES YOU CAN" when I tell him I cant do burpees, or push ups, or hold a plank.  I truly feel lucky to have this program right downstairs!

(sorry the picture of them is so dark!)

I headed back to my desk with a red face, pumping blood and a new strength in my step.  This is going to be such a great lifestyle change...I KNOW I CAN DO IT!  

I downed 8 more ounces of water and had some turkey sausage and some grapes.

I did a brisk walk around the big square of the hallways at my work 3 times for a quick afternoon break and had a cup of fresh swiss chard with a squeeze of lemon I picked on the way out the front door.  ( My kids thought it would be funny to plant chard in my front flower bed, but it actually turned out beautiful, and I LOVE IT!

After work Jeff and I took Riley out for his 19th birthday dinner to Outback!  They shared a huge cheese fry with bacon and cheese all over them and I munched on the cherry tomatoes out of Jeff's salad and sipped on my water.  I then had an amazing salad with grilled shrimp...yum!

We had already had Riley's birthday "cake" (brownies and choc chip cookie mix) Aug 29th, his real birthday...I shouldn't be talking about that, but I did bring it up because there was leftover gooey goodness and I didn't even have any!  WOOT WOOT for small successes.

Riley's thrill at being sung to:)

I ended the day with some yoga and it was NICE!
Yoga

Before bed I had another 8 ounces of water...I also got my water ready by the side of my bed for morning!

Namaste!

DAY ONE... THIRTY DAY CHALLENGE

This is it, this is really it!  I have planned and shopped, meditated and studied, and I have butterflies in my stomach knowing this is the start of a LIFESTYLE CHANGE.  I may not eat the Paleo diet more than the 30 days, but I do know that I will eat healthy, exercise, and take care of myself.  I feel the power within and it is SO exciting!

I put the glass by my bed full of ice the night before so I could drink 10 oz. of water before I even got out of bed.  It was still pretty cold, but wow, I think I may need to use the restroom first, THEN drink the first water of the day:)  I am old...but I've still got it!  (just not the bladder part).

I did 15 calf raises with my toes pointed out, then pointed in then straight.  I got a batch of fresh peaches cut and frozen for yummy snacks and shakes later when the days turn cold.  I got laundry done then had 8 more ounces of water.

I then made my delicious breakfast.  I prepared for the week by cooking up some turkey italian sausage.  It is in a container in the fridge ready to add to simple meals.

I sautéed 1/2 of a red pepper and some white onion with fresh basil from the garden and a new little zucchini and spinach from the garden as well in a bit of olive oil...

I then put 2 eggs and some of the cooked sausage in for an amazingly delicious breakfast...YUM!
I then drank 8 more ounces of water and headed out to work.

I filled my cup at work with water and sipped until lunch another 16 ounces.  The bathroom is clear down the hall, so I walk briskly every time I head down there!

Lunch:  I packed tuna with fresh garden cherry tomatoes, 1/2 of an avocado, some chopped red bell pepper and a lemon to squeeze all over it.  easy and very good.  I like to mix the avocado in with the tuna and use the red pepper chunks to dip into it like chips:)

After work I drank 8 more ounces of water, then sautéed up some white onion, a little more red pepper because I love the color and the nutrients, squeezed a touch of lemon and put some fresh lemon thyme in for a kick of flavor.  This was a quick sauté and this is supposed to be a cleansing dish.  I'm all for that.  I grilled up some chicken breast with cajun seasoning, grilled lemon to squeeze on and served with parsley and fresh garden tomatoes.  YUMMY!

We then headed out to watch Jocelyn play ball against her cousin Jayde's team. 

 It was SO MUCH fun and I actually feel great.  I have a bit of a headache, but I am sure I am detoxing.

The killer was coming home to do this work-out

Jillian Michaels

If I would have known how hard it was, I would have done it in the morning, but guess what?  I tried my hardest, was almost in tears and MADE IT THROUGH with a few modifications.

I downed 16 more ounces of water and headed to bed after rinsing off with a big smile because I am proud of myself.

What a great first day of the rest of my life...Go FIGHT WIN!

Last Week of My Twelve Week Challenge

Ok, this is the last week of the twelve week challenge I participated in at work.  As you can see, there are not many posts, and can I tell you something?  I was not motivated, and I fear that I was not successful.  I had to really sit down and take a look at why.  This is hard for me, because I don't like to admit defeat, and I am competitive person.  Here are the reasons:

1.  I did not commit to myself fully.  I knew that I wanted to lose weight, but the commitment was just not there.

2.  I did not plan ahead.  I didn't plan what I was going to do for exercise, what I was going to cut out, or not cut out with eating.

3. I let stress dictate my snacking.  I used food for comfort.

4.  I used excuses, the most common being, I will do better tomorrow, or next week.


What is the difference this time?

1.  My doctor basically gave me a time frame to lose weight.  I have health issues that are blaring "WARNING".  This hit me hard.  This is not a time to say "I can wait for tomorrow".

2.  I have a daughter I promised that I would eat clean as long as she was clean from an addiction of her own.  She is so important to me (as are my other children and husband), but food really is MY ADDICTION, and I really cant pretend it is not.

3.  I AM DOING THIS FOR MYSELF!  I am worth it!

4.  I have a cute niece that posted a 30 day Paleo challenge, and it hit me hard...I am TAKING THE CHALLENGE!  See her blog here: Challenge


5. I am ready to run, to play to live to laugh, to feel sexy and to wear cute jeans!

Want to come play with us?

I will be posting recipes, my exercise and my ups and downs...OH, and pictures weekly...AAAHHHHH.

Take the challenge!

WEEK ONE OF OUR SUMMER CHALLENGE...DONE!

We started a Summer Challenge at my work to help us through bikini season...HA HA!  I am very excited to share this journey with a few of my friends here.  The main reason is that I need to get back on track and be ACCOUNTABLE!

We are taking turns bringing a little gift to the winner of the week. This week my friend Cheyann kicked BOOTIE with 2.32%.  I am proud of her, she has been doing a great job...this is a challenge to her for this week...I'M Gonna take you down to CHINA TOWN sista:)

I will be posting a week one through week 12 side pic...aaahhhh! stay tuned!

Fennel...the food of gods

I came home tonight thinking I had a nice 9x13 of spaghetti to reheat from the other night that I made with Turkey sausage and fresh vegies.  The nice thing about the kids being home for summer is that they eat the left-overs and I know they are getting good food.  The flip side is that you are thinking dinner is prepared ahead of time and when you get home it is GONE!

Luckily, I plan enough ahead, that I just started cooking what I was planning for tomorrow night, and I am glad, because it was delicious!

The first thing I did was grab some chicken tenders out of the freezer.  I buy chicken when it is on sale, and I make sure I repackage into sizes that I can grab out of the freezer, thaw in the micro, and cook.  I usually buy a big bag at Costco so they are flash frozen and you can grab them individually, OR I put enough in the freezer package I prepare for @ meals, and cook enough chicken the first night to cover the second.

I took the chicken tonight, put a smokey, earthy seasoning I put together with paprika, garlic salt, onion powder, chili powder, cumin and a hint of cacao, and threw it on the grill when my roasted vegies were about 15 minutes out on their cooking time.

Here is the star of the show tonight...

ROASTED FENNEL and YUKON GOLD POTATOES with LEEKS and fresh THYME and OREGANO.

6 yukon gold potatoes, chunked
1 bulb fennel (keep the stalks and fronds for other meals)
one leek ( first one out of my garden for the year!)
one clove fresh garlic
2 T olive oil
1t. fresh oregano (chopped fine)
1t. fresh thyme(chopped fine)
cracked black pepper
1 t. butter
1/8 cup parmesan cheese
sea salt

Take the fennel bulb and cut in 1/2, or into thirds.  When Fennel grows, the layers get sand or dirt in between, so rinse well.  Chop into chunks the same size as the potatoes.  (do you smell the licorice smell?)

Rinse the leek well, as the dirt and sand gets in there too when growing.  Toss with the potatoes and fennel and olive oil to coat well.  smash the garlic and add, as well as the fresh herbs

I used my orange thyme tonight.  It smells like heaven...

Here is my oregano, it is growing like crazy.  These herbs are just mixed into my front flower bed...

Spread the vegies on a cookie sheet to roast.  The secret to roasting vegies in the oven instead of steaming, is to make sure each one is touching the bottom of the pan.  sprinkle with black pepper and put in the oven on 375 for 45 minutes, or until the vegetables are starting to carmelize, your house smells like heaven and the potatoes are fork tender.

Before: 

Pull them out and drizzle the one t. butter, melted on top, then sprinkle with parmesan cheese and sea salt to taste.

After: 

Riley (18 year old son) said about the fennel "That is a funny looking vegetable; I'll bet the carrots and lettuce make fun of it!"  I commented that it tasted like roasted candy and my husband said "Like roasted starbursts?"  These guys give me a hard time, but guess what?  There were NO LEFTOVERS...HA!

I pulled 1/2 the grilled chicken off and served for dinner, the other half was chopped and put in a gallon baggie for tomorrow nights dinner.

This was served with a simple fruit salad that was watermelon chunks, tossed with red grapes and blueberries.  (Sorry the picture got shaded...my poor phone pictures!)

Sigh...I love summer!