Healthy Living Survey

Tina Reale’s Best Body Bootcamp is coming to an end this week, and she put out a little Healthy Living Survey that I wanted to participate in.

1. What did you eat for breakfast? I’m getting over an illness, so my eats have not been “standard” this week. Today I had two slices of whole grain toast smeared with Kerrygold butter and two poached eggs. I also had two glasses of orange juice to up my vitamin C intake!
2. How much water do you drink in a day? I have a big 20 oz. cup that I keep at my desk and I fill it up at least 3 times during the work day. I also usually have at least 1 cup of herbal tea and some water in the morning. I’d say my daily intake is about 60-80 oz. on a week day. I struggle to get water on the weekend, and I need to make more of an effort. On a weekend I bet my intake is closer to 40 oz.
3. What is your current favorite workout? I’m a little bit burned out on spinning and weight lifting, to be honest. I am LOVING interval runs on the treadmill and yoga.
4. How many calories do you eat each day? I do not track my calories, and my daily eats are not steady whatsoever. I definitely eat more than 2,000 per day.
5. What are your favorite healthy snacks? I love fruit and nuts! In fact, I really need to cut back on my nut intake.
6. What do you usually eat for lunch? A big salad with lots of veggies (cucumbers, peppers, carrots) and chicken breast.
7. What is your favorite body part to train? Arms!
8. What is your least favorite body part to train? Legs because I have sensitive knees.
9. What are your bad food cravings? Anything sugary. Especially chocolate! And ice cream.
10. Do you take vitamins or supplements? I take a daily vitamin D supplement (4000 IU total).
11. How often do you eat out? Once or twice a week. Keith and I used to go so much more often but we have been really good about cutting back.
12. Do you eat fast food? Not normally, but I have been known to stop for a McDonalds Shamrock Shake during the months of February and March!
13. Who is your biggest supporter? Keith is amazing. He tells me I’m beautiful every day, supports all of my weird diet phases, and is extremely supportive of my gym habit.
14. Do you have a gym membership? Yes, I belong to a local gym and it costs $19/month. I signed a two year contract and got a great deal! This gym has seven locations, tons of classes, and great equipment. Recently I also buy additional passes for spinning (maybe $30/month) and yoga ($99/month – OUCH!).
15. How many hours of sleep do you get at night? I go to bed around 10pm every night, and get up anywhere between 5am and 7am (depending on my days schedule), so anywhere between 7-10 hours a night.
16. Do you have a “cheat” day? I don’t schedule it, but I “cheat” a lot, and lately, way too often!
17. Do you drink alcohol? Yes, but my consumption has decreased a lot over the past year or two. I used to drink heavily Friday and Saturday night every weekend. Now, I will have a few drinks on Friday OR Saturday (not both) and some weekends I don’t drink at all. I feel much better this way.
18. Do you have a workout buddy? No, I prefer to work out alone. Sometimes Keith and I will hit the gym together on a Saturday or Sunday, but I consider working out my “me” time.
19. What is the best thing that has changed about your life since committing to a healthy lifestyle? My confidence has skyrocketed, working out is part of my daily lifestyle and it is a source of stress relief and something I look forward to (rather than feeling like I have to do it). Also, I have learned that I’m stronger than I think I am!
20. What is the last healthy thing you did? Like I mentioned above, I have been sick so my days have been very ice cream laden. But I signed up to go to a yoga event tonight and I’m really looking forward to it!

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Afraid to Fail, January Review, and February Goals

I know I am not a perfect blogger and that makes me stay away from this space.

I have these big expectations in my head about how I should act if I start blogging again. Self-induced pressure to do something the right way or not do it at all.  But a tendency of mine is letting the perfect be the enemy of the good, and that is something I need to continue fighting off because it tends to hold me back.  I have been scared to write here because I don’t know how to be the blogger I want to be, and it’s easier to not be a blogger at all.

So here I am in February showing my cards. I am not going to become a perfect blogger. I’m not going to gain a following and inspire people and create an extra income stream and blow the world away with my words.

But I’m going to try to show up here, anyways. Because I enjoy writing and because I want to chronicle my life.

There are some good things happening in this little world of mine, and I want to keep track of it here.

I decided to create my own sort of happiness project and have a different “focus” each month this year as I try to improve on various aspects of my life. The focus of January was fitness, and I have to say I blew myself away.  I logged 29 workouts in January (that’s only 2 total rest days the whole month). I signed up for Tina Reale’s Best Body Bootcamp and I have stayed committed and motivated, consistently meeting my personal weekly goals and pushing myself pretty hard through the weekly workouts. I spun, ran, kickboxed, yoga-ed, weight lifted, kettlebelled, and rowed in January. I developed some wonderful habits like planning my workouts for the week on Sunday nights and writing them into my planner like appointments. I tried some new classes, thought about which type of workouts suit me best, and pushed myself through some classes that I really didn’t feel like doing.

In four weeks, I have really improved on my physical fitness. Unfortunately, the results are not showing in my measurements right now. In fact, I have gained a pound (though I am convinced it’s muscle), only lost 1/2″ off my waist, and gained 1/2″ in my butt and thighs. Not exactly the results I had in mind. However, it’s the results of the four week fitness test that make me insanely proud. In four weeks, I shaved 2:03 off my mile pace.  I also was able to add 20 seconds to my wall sit hold, and 26 seconds to my plank hold.  In my one minute push-up test I added six reps, and in the one minute burpee test I added two reps. Those results are not something to sneeze at. I worked hard for those increases, and I’m proud of myself. It definitely takes some of the sting out of not losing weight and gaining inches on butt and thighs (UGH). I need to take the advice that I would give to a friend in this situation – I would say weight loss takes time and building muscle is so much more important; don’t focus on the scale, focus on how you feel. Sometimes easier said than done, but I’m trying to smile and keep pushing through.

Let’s talk about February! My focus in February is friends! I have struggled with female relationships and part of the reason is because I don’t always show up 100% for my friends, a habit I am determined to put to rest for good. When I don’t feel close with my girlfriends, it feels like a big part of my life and my happiness is missing. Some of my specific goals are:

• Reconnect with an old friend
• Make a new friend
• Plan a girls night with college girls
• Send two peices of snail mail
• Call Anne twice
• Skype with Chrissy twice
• Have a heart to heart with Amanda & Lauren
• Plan a girls trip for the spring

February is a dreary month, so focusing on having fun with my friends seems like a great way to beat the winter blahs!