May25

5 for Friday!

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5 for Friday!

Raise your hand if you are incredibly glad it is a) Friday and b) a long weekend!! *raising hand so high, like that eager 5th grader, holding it so high, you have to hold it up with the *other* arm high, because you really want everyone to know your hand is raised wicked high*

;-)

I’m gonna keep it simple and do a little 5 for Friday action. Here you be:

  • 3 ‘fit’ things I did on my trip this week: I went on 3 strong runs, outside, by myself. And save for a few side cramps (I’m always less hydrated when I travel, just by nature of less readily accessible water. Probably my number #1 peeve when I travel!), they were good, strong runs. I wasn’t up in my head, I smiled, I looked around, my mind wandered, I smelled flowers, I heard birds, I breathed fresh air, and it was honestly the best way to kick start my day (especially yesterday, before my long trek home. Nothing worse than parking my a$$ on a plane all day and being inactive before it!). I took a barre class at a local studio I discovered on one of my visits last fall. Got a mini-barre fix but admittedly cannot wait to get back to taking and teaching classes today and this weekend!
  • 2 meals I ate: Well, let’s back up. I made good choices during all of my meals this week. Yep, all of them. People ask me how I still manage to stay on track with my ‘number’ when I travel and my answer? While I can’t be sure, most of the time, what the calories are in a particular meal (unless I can find it online and I am a pro at googling, myfitnesspal’ing and web site stalking to find it!), I can draw conclusions based on said googling or ‘like’ restaurants or meals and simply make a choice that will satisfy me – high protein, lottsa veggies, and as fresh as possible. For example, at lunch with my boss, I ordered a roasted chicken salad, which came with dates (YUM!), almonds, corn, chicken, shredded cabbage, greens and goat cheese. When it arrived, I evaluated the cheese serving – and it was perfect, just a few crumbles (given that could be a huge hidden calorie bust!) and I requested dressing on the side, and with all those yummies loaded in, I didn’t even need the dressing. Had some olives and white bean hummus that my boss ordered as an app and ya know what? I was completely satisfied all the way through that barre class I took, did not even need an afternoon snack. Go figure. My most favorite meal was the Jamba Juice apple cinnamon oatmeal I scored (thanks sis for highly recommending a la Naomi!), holy CRAP, it was so good, I honestly was blown away. SO EFFING GOOD. (Oh, and I always pack a few Dove promises as a little treat before bed (just like at home!)).
  • Coolest thing that happened while I was traveling: M bought a new car! I totally CALLED it last weekend when he just happened to mentioned being interested in a possible trade in for his SUV for a Mitsubishi Lancer and I said, ‘you’re going to pick me up at the airport in a new car, aren’t you?’ And yep, I called it. Brand new black Lancer…and he looks HOT in it, let me tell you ;-) Swoon!
  • Number 1 thing I am looking forward to this weekend: The official kick-off to summer, plain and simple. The weather is going to cooperate, and I have lots of outdoor things planned, including my sister’s bash for my brother-in-law’s birthday, the BEACH and perhaps even a day trip to Maine (game day decision!), or another picnic at the park. There’s something so euphoric about summer, isn’t there?
  • Best part about coming home from this work trip: That first hug and kiss from M. And the realization that after 3 work trips in 6 weeks, I am DONE *fingers crossed* for the time being, and my next trip…only for pleasure, at the end of June. I’ll share more details soon, but it may have to do with wine ;-)

CHEERS friends, I hope you have a fabulous long weekend and spend as much time as humanly possible outside! I know I will be!!

May23

Bits and pieces.

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Bits and pieces.

**Just some bits and pieces flitting through my brain that don’t quite make a post in of itself, but together, make a lil potpourri of thoughts that I don’t want to lose!**

~~

Can someone first explain to me, how is it *only* Wednesday? Whenever I travel, it feels like a time warp, backwards and forwards! Starts off with a bang and then mid-week, starts to wane, like whoa. I know I will catch my second wind for the tail end of my trip, but man, does traveling mess with me. Routine, baby, it’s where it’s at ;-)

~~

I am supremely amazed at how differently I’ve handled eating during this trip. While I have had several trips across three time zones since I started the barre n9ne challenge last year, which has made me more mindful and aware of eating when hungry, not out of habit or mindlessly, but this trip has just felt the most different of them all. For starters, I was *really* worried I’d be ridiculously hungry during Monday’s flight since it left at 8 am, and arrived at 2:30 pm (in my brain, but 11:30 PT) where I would have to endure what should be breakfast and lunch, yet only be barely lunchtime on the West Coast when I arrived.

For the first time, I forced myself to retrain my eating into West Coast times from the minute I stepped off the plane. And surprisingly? It worked! I wasn’t heinously hungry the entire flight, either. I scored some steel cut oats at the hotel (last minute score! Arm pump!) and just needed a banana to sustain me until I landed and could grab a bite once I got my car, maneuvered my way out of LA and go to my office, around 12:30 PT. That has seriously been my golden ticket this week. I haven’t woken up famished (hungry, but not wilting!), and I’ve generally been hungry at the ‘right’ times on the West Coast. Score.

~~

I ran outside – alone – for the first time EVER since  I started this job 18 months ago. (well, that’s not entirely true. I did run on the beach AT my hotel when I first started…but that doesn’t feel quite the same, since there were people everywhere. If that makes sense). I knew I wanted to finally run outside, when it would be light enough to do so safely (many of my trips up until this point have been during winter months where it was just too dark to do it previously). And so I would not get lost, I came up with a genius plan (if I do say so myself!). I ran FROM my hotel TO my office. Since I know the route by heart and it’s about 2.4 miles one way, making for a solid just about 5 mile route.

What most surprised me, beyond loving being outdoors and running IN Cali and ON flat, flat, FLAT roads was how PRETTY everything smelled. I smelled flowers everywhere. I heard birds chirping. I even heard the electrical wires above me buzzing. It was quiet, even on usually-busy main roads (it was 5:30 am, I guess I can see why). I LOVED it.

~~

We had our long-awaited event this week for work. (the reason I am out here this week) And it was SO cool to see an event come off without a hitch, one that my boss and I have been working on for months. It was fun to interact with those that arrived, from the students from a local college (that were part of the competition for this particular event), to my company’s executives, to the media that came, and to my co-workers, too. I finally felt comfortable chatting on the fly with people and not feeling like I stuck out like a sore thumb. Perhaps it goes back to feeling confident in who I am, for the first time pretty much ever, huh?

~~

This whole shifting focus, thing? Yeah, it’s REALLY working for me. I have not dreaded this trip much at all (besides the always hard goodbyes to M), I have looked forward to it. I have embraced the challenges, I have done new things (running alone, as I mentioned, for starters!), and I have just enjoyed the time and the opportunity. It has gone a long way, and I couldn’t be more glad, or more relieved at that.

~~

So far, it’s been a GREAT week. And I guess the bits and pieces flitting through my head culminates into more than I thought it would, huh? ;-)  

~

PS – THANK YOU to everyone for all of your feedback, compliments, and support on my post yesterday. It meant so much to see such positive feedback and enthusiasm. I was nervous to post before and after pictures for a number of reasons, but am so glad the message I wanted to get through as part of that came shining through, rather than it being uber focused on numbers and such. THANK YOU!

I wish there was smellavision (er, blogavision?!) – those flowers smelled GOOD!

May22

A year later: before and after: there is no ‘end game.’

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A year later: before and after: there is no ‘end game.’

Visualize the end game. The result.

That’s what you’re supposed to do when you set out on a journey, a challenge, towards a goal.

But at first, I never could quite visualize the end game, the result, from the opportunity I was granted a year ago for the barre n9ne 60 day challenge.

Why?

Because I didn’t quite believe. In myself. Or even in the challenge facing me. Or in all that it could be, if I set my mind to it.

I was used to going halfway and stopping.

I was used to the field goal.

I had never achieved the results I wanted or thought I could attain. I didn’t believe in “smarter, not harder.” I didn’t believe, even, (not fully) in lifestyle change.

On day one, this was the me I was then. Not quite believing…hoping, not unable to visualize. 

Frustrated with myself physically, feeling like a hamster on a wheel spinning and spinning but with little to show for it, not understanding that I had lost the ability to see moderation in my eats, and having lower self esteem than I ever wanted to admit or be faced with. Day one of the 60 day challenge was a scary day for me. Because it meant facing the things that I had ignored and pushed aside for fear of number fixation, the reality of the situation and doing something I’d never done before. *Not* stopping at the field goal…but going for the touchdown.

The last year has been a year out of my comfort zone, and not only has it taught me that I have the power to reach the goals in which I set for myself, for perhaps the first time in my life, it’s also given me an opportunity I never thought possible. To pay forward what I have learned, in lifestyle changes, the power of a barre workout and how to finally – finally – be comfortable in my own skin.

And, as a result?…this is the me I am now.

When I took this picture, I saw it for the first time. The end game that I never thought possible. I had achieved the ‘after’ that I always envied on infomercials (even pooh-pooh’ing the words these ‘success story’ spokespeople said…words like life-changing, being the me I always wanted to be, etc), losing the inches, pants sizes and weight. Perhaps the best part of seeing this picture? Besides the renewed gleam in my eye that speaks happiness, confidence and pride?

Realizing that there is no end game.This is the life I have built for myself.

And it is the life that I will continue. Moderation, real, wholesome, fueling foods, and a love for barre n9ne, from teaching, to taking classes.  This life. A life that rails against the word ‘diet,’ that focuses on real foods, no gimmicks and the magic bullet of consistency that has opened the door to the happy medium I never thought was possible.

And ultimately? This is a life that I will continue to pay forward.  Because this happy medium life is pretty damn good . Thank you, Tanya, for your belief in us, to my sister Jess in sharing this journey with me (read her post here on her results and thoughts on the last year!), to the barre n9ne community for being such a supportive family (and believing in us then, as the first ‘challenges’ and now, as instructors), and to all of you – my family and friends, for supporting, encouraging and believing.

**as I hit ‘publish’ on this, know that it took a lot of thought and decision-making on posting my before and after pictures…because as much as this journey has of course, been about weight and inches lost, that’s not *all* it has been. I think that goes without saying…but, I just thought it was worth mentioning again.**

May21

A blissful weekend…in pictures.

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A blissful weekend…in pictures.

As I trot off to California for the next four days, I will sear into memory a blissful weekend that I truly believe was even MORE blissful because of shifting my focus and not going into this trip with any sort of ‘dread’ (except for the goodbye to M, which is always, always so hard), but with perspective that it’ll be a fantastic experience, filled with growth.

Without further ado…

Another ‘happy miles’ run with M, even if a bee did chase me and I ran like the wind ;-)

got my sushi fix on Friday night, with a glass of wine on the patio

Impromptu trip to the lake on Saturday…check out that glisten.

got to dip my toes into the lake, not as chilly as I thought, either ;-)

a sister cookout at Jess and Scott’s, never complete without a photo bomb ;)

I <3 my sisters!

Complete with dinner on the deck and a crisp rose, and the weekend rounds out to a beautiful close…

And on a weekend that has marked the passing of my Nonna (May 20, 2009), I couldn’t help but think that this picture perfect weekend is her, smiling down, happy to see the happiness and love in my life, and in my sister’s lives too. I hugged my niece a little tighter, with her namesake (Isabel) and just smiled, my heart happy.

She climbed right up into my lap…and though it was just briefly, it’s captured.

~~~

May18

Running happy miles…as my 6 month run challenge nears an end.

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Running happy miles…as my 6 month run challenge nears an end.

I have one week left of my 6 month run challenge and it couldn’t be more fitting for this fabulous Friday to share that I finally – finally – feel as though I ran *all* happy miles this week. Every. single. run. Awesome. Each in different ways. I’ve come to realize that this run challenge has come down to exactly that: happy running. notsomuch about miles. notsomuch about getting back to thinking about running another half marathon.

Nope.

Just. Running. Happy.

I’m writing this after one of my best runs in quite awhile. With M by my side. And this was even after teaching a 6 am barre n9ne class (back-to-back with teaching two classes yesterday, too).

See? Happy Miles Faces!

The difference? I told myself I would ‘do’ as little as possible in class (save for upper body and ab work) and it worked out so well because a) I had a bigger than usual morning class so there was naturally more opportunity to walk around and correct and b) I am learning more and more my stride for teaching smaller classes where I ‘do’ bits and pieces but focus more on form corrections and motivation.

So, while I taught 5 classes this week, I strategically planned my runs to either not follow directly after teaching or taking a barre n9ne class, or on an ‘off’ day completely from barre n9ne. And it worked. Finally. It worked.

Sunday, I ran with M (about 4 miles) before I taught at 10 am. Tuesday, I ran 6 killer miles of intervals. And rocked them. Wednesday, I took b9 fusion class in the morning and met bestie Steph for a quick and speedy 3.6 miler by a nearby lake. Humid. But awesome. And today, 5ish (5.4 maybe??) miles with M where my legs didn’t feel heavy, even though it was my last run of the week and I expected them to feel a little lead-like at first. Nope. Felt strong, yet light.

This week I ran happy miles. And as I look to next week, where I set out for Costa Mesa bright and early on Monday morning (coming home Thursday night), I am confident and even a little excited to finally get a chance to run outside before work a few days next week. It’s going to be awesome. (did I just say that?!)

Happy weekend, friends. do something happy, will ya? I sure as hell plan to do the same :-)