Since getting derailed over the holidays, I’ve decided instead of jumping back on the Lean & Lovely bandwagon, that I’d go back to basics for a bit.  For my lifting sessions, I’ve been doing Squats, Deadlifts, and Bench Press.  That’s it.  I’ve also been adding in some yoga and running.  Keeping it simple for now!

After about a month of consistency, I’ll plan on adding more– perhaps just expanding on my basic routine.  Or perhaps going back and finishing Phase 3 of L&L, which is where I’d left off back in October/ November.  In any case, I’m currently just planning on staying with my basic routine until I stall out on these basic exercises.  The beauty of keeping it simple is that it’s easy to see gains and feel strong.

Reflections of Gratitude

I’m grateful for my yoga practice, which helps me feel centered and calm, reminding me that its’ about the journey and not the destination.  I’m so much less flexible and balanced than before due to years of endurance training and not practicing yoga as much as I’d like; however, I still find joy in each pose even if I’m not able to go as deeply or into as advanced as stage as I’d previously been able to.  I’m finding that the more I do yoga, the more I can appreciate other aspects, such as running and lifting, in the same manner.  It doesn’t matter that I may not run as fast or be as strong as I was before, but that I’m enjoying each moment while I’m participating in these activities.

Hello blog, it’s been a while.

I won’t make any promises that I’m back for good, but at least I’ve remembered to come in here and post something.

Needless to say, my big plans to get back on the fitness/ blogging/ blogging-about-fitness Bandwagon, have stalled.

It’s just the usual story.  I had great intentions, then when life got busy, my intentions went to the wind.  I went to Kentucky for a race and it messed up my workout schedule.  A few weeks later, it was a week-long trip to New York and a wedding.  A few weeks after that it was Thanksgiving, then Christmas.  Then New Years.  Now it’s February and I’ve succeeded in forgetting all my plans and gaining my holiday weight anyways.

Well, the least I can say is that I enjoyed the holidays and spending time with family and friends, even if it threw me for a loop in terms of sticking to my diet and exercise goals.  Now it’s definitely time to get back on the wagon of eating right and exercising.  Whether I record it in this blog, who knows?

But to lay it out there, here are my goals for February 2015:

1. Lift 3 times a week
2. No booze this month.
3. Pay attention to my macros – focus on protein, and limit carbs to around workouts.

Hopefully I don’t get derailed this time!

Reflections of Gratitude

I’m grateful for having the ability to get back on the wagon after I’ve fallen off.  Yes, I do need to hone in my skills of being able to enjoy friends and family while still staying on track with diet and exercise.  But life is a big learning process.  I’m just a slow learner!

I’m feeling so sad with this post.  It’s hard to think of something to be grateful about when I’m writing about not being able to participate in a sport I love!

I will say that I’m grateful to have so many other interests to keep my occupied when I can’t participate in triathlon.  I am enjoying being back in the gym lifting and doing yoga on a regular basis.  My only regret is that I don’t have the community feeling in those sports as I do with triathlon.

Perhaps I should look into befriending more lifters and yogis?

I’m thoroughly enjoying the Lean and Lovely workout plan!  So much so that I’m contemplating buying kettlebells for my mom’s house so that I can continue my workouts at home when I visit.

I love that the workouts are designed to be efficient.  Usually I only use 2-3 kettlebells in a workout.  I don’t have to wait around for equipment to free up, like the squat rack, or have to spend time changing out plates on a barbell when I want to change my load.  I feel like I get so much work done in the gym in less time.

It also makes it easy to NOT skip workouts when I know I can be in and out of the gym quickly, regardless of whether it’s busy or not.  Usually I avoid the post-work rush at 5-6:30 pm since it’s crazy crowded and hard to get a good rhythm going with so many people around.  The compact nature of the kettlebell workouts makes it easy to do my thing in a small amount of space even when there are tons of others on the workout floor.

I definitely plan on incorporating kettlebells into future workouts once I’m done with the Lean and Lovely program!

Reflections of Gratitude

Gorgeous fall days when I can walk around outside enjoying my neighborhood without being too hot or too cold.  I know everyone’s sad that summer is leaving, but I love fall so much.  BRING IT!

The next week will be a challenge.

I have SO MUCH going on.  I’ll really need to concentrate and manage my time wisely to get in my workouts and be pretty conscious to stay on track of my nutrition.  It’s SO EASY to get off schedule and off track when life gets in the way!  

With this weekend being Labor Day, I’m actually visiting my parents for the weekend.  It’s a great way for me to see family and relax/ recharge out of the city.  It’s a great calm before the storm.  

Tomorrow is Monday, but it’s also Labor Day.  And it’s also my birthday!  My friends are throwing me a birthday barbecue.  Most of my closest friends are coming, even ones that no longer live in Chicago and happen to be in town for the weekend.  I always say people aren’t around for my birthday because often folks go out of town.  BUT that also means folks are IN TOWN visiting as well!  It’ll be pretty fantastic being surrounded by old friends and catching up.  

Tuesday, I actually have a reservation for one of my favorite restaurants in the city, as an extension of my birthday celebration.  Wednesday I was meant to help out for an event with my triathlon club (of which I’m one of the volunteer organizers), but I was able to earn a reprieve from having to attend since another friend has agreed to take charge of that event.  I am, however, required to oversee an event on Thursday.  Then Friday through Monday, I’ll be in Madison camping and volunteering for the Ironman with my tri club!

To make sure I stay on track, I plan on lifting Monday (birthday session!), Wednesday (thankful for my reprieve!), and Friday (before heading to Madison!)  I won’t be too crazy about sticking to any nutrition plan for my bday bbq or the dinner on Tuesday and just enjoy the food and the company.  I’ll also try to squeeze in some runs or other cardio on Tuesday and Thursday, as well as doing a long run on Saturday while I’m in Madison.  I’ll also make sure to pack some relatively healthy snacks (fruit!!) for my camping trip and not fill up too much on S’mores!  

Reflections of Gratitude
I’m grateful to have so many friends and activities planned, even though it makes it hard to stay on track.  I’m excited to see my closest friends tomorrow, especially the ones visiting from out of town.  I’m looking forward to spending time with my tri club friends Thursday through Monday.  

Clearly, I fell off blogging pretty quickly after creating this blog!  BUT the good news is that I’ve been hard at work at the gym and planning my nutrition!  I think I’ve finally settled into a groove, and it feels great to be in the swing of things.  Blogging is definitely meant to be a supplement to the planning and a reflection of my follow-through.  Luckily my lack of blogging is not a good indicator of either of those things!

I will still try to be better about blogging, since it’s pretty easy to start slipping if I’m not checking in somewhere on a regular basis!  Part of it is probably due to logging my workouts in Fitocracy and my meals in MyFitnessPal.  If I do those things on a regular basis and things are going well, I don’t necessarily need to blog about my “struggles”!

I AM starting the Lean & Lovely program, though, and one of things she wants followers to do is daily reflections of gratitude.  So at the very least, I’ll try to log in here to post those even if I’m not blogging about my eating or workouts!  

I did do my first workout of L&L the other day, and I can already tell she designed the program with efficiency in mind.  It’ll be way easy to get a ton of work done in the gym with minimal time/ fighting others for equipment.  Once I’m done with the program, I’ll try to employ this sort of efficiency when I design my NROL-Supercharged Hypertrophy and Strength phases.  

Reflections of Gratitude
I’m grateful for having such a full life that I don’t always have the time for various projects, like this blog!  It’s hard juggling work, training, volunteering, and a social life with also maintaining an online presence!  I’m glad to be able to find a balance, even though the first thing that gets dropped is usually my online presence!