Fitness Plan for January 2015

This workout can be found in Oxygen Magazine January 2015 issue. 

I have had a subscription to Oxygen Magazine on and off for the past 3 years and I must say that I enjoy the constant inspiration and many fitness plans that they offer. I may not have a fitness model's body right now but I can with all the information that this magazine has provided me over the years. 

Yesterday I did a fasted run and ended up over eating by 700 calories!! Today I found myself sliding right back into poor eating choices and realized that if I continued to eat with abandon,  I would be countering my efforts gained from the past week. To get back on track, I steamed up some greens and am waiting until 6:30 p.m. to eat again. 

It is a little unsettling how quickly I can fall back into poor eating habits after one indulgent dessert/snack. 

The rest of this week, my workouts will consist of two more runs, a bike ride, and two full-body heavy-weight circuits. 

Happy Holiday! 

Making Goals into Reality

Health and Fitness Goals

This past few days I have been working making my goals stick for the long run. I am glad that I wrote them down in ink and paper and again by typing them. 

Apps I am currently using

I love my iPhone apps because they help me track and keep myself accountable for my current goals. These apps are: 

MyNetDiary 
RunKeeper
Welios

Welios is a newer app for me. It is a great app for motivating and inspiring you to reach your health and fitness goals. Users who are winning and struggling with their health and fitness goals post regularly and I have related with each end of the spectrum. 

So far I have upped my running and yoga practice in conjunction with my weight lifting because other users have reminded me through their inspiring posts that a combination of lifting, running (biking, swimming), and yoga are what works for me,  I have posted regularly for the past week and this also helped me to consistently eat healthy and according to my goals.

Family and Personal Creativity Goals

My boys have also watched less TV and we have had some additional quality puzzle, blocking building, and reading time together so this is also another win!

As for letter writing to my lovely friends, I have been working on sending personalized Holiday cards to friends and family, so another win!

Finally, my personal creativity goal is has not been as daily as I would like but I have seen set time for myself to journal so I am happy with this!

Screen shots and pictures from the past five days or so on choices I am making to achieve my healthy and fit goals. 

12 Week Goal Setting

12 Week Goals

Recently, I have been listening to No Meat Athlete Podcast and I love it! Each week of so they do a podcast on various topics or with a guest vegetarian/vegan athlete. Listening to these podcasts are a constant source of motivation to be the healthiest and fittest person I can be.  

Yesterday on my long commute to work (2-4 times a month I drive 3 hours drive to and 3 hours from for work!!!!), I was listening to their goal-setting podcast titled: "How to Use December to Avoid the New Year's Trap." From this I was inspired to begin to write out my goals for the year, and to even better than just goals for the year, but 12 week goals in 4 areas of my life: 

(1) Family/Relationships

(2) Personal Creativity

(3) Fit and Healthy Body

(4) Work/School

Family/Relationship goal is two-fold and not related to one another: 

• Limit boy's tv time--ESPECIALLY during the week and engage them in creative activities.
• Write a letter bi-weekly to one of my friend

Personal Creativity goal is for me to journal daily. I have a journal already for these purpose and now I will bring it with me so those spare moments when I would before get on my phone and browse the web/Pinterest/Facebook, I can instead write my thoughts and feelings and perhaps a poem. 

Fit and Healthy body goal is a little more detailed as that is the area that I have been struggling the most this past year, although I have had strength gains but no real fat loss. 

• Adopt a modified Eat to LIve Nutritarian 6-week meal plan.This is something I have been building up slowly to do and I finally feel that I can commit to the whole 6 weeks.  
• Currently, I am exercising consistently 3-6 days a week. The only alteration I will make to this part of my goal is that I begin swimming or biking once a week, on top of my 2 runs and 2-4 days of heavy lifting circuit/HIIT training. I currently am using 20 lbs/25 lbs/30 lbs dumbbells in my training so YIPPEE for strength building!

Work/School goal is to continue learning as much as I can from work and paralegal cert. classes. Last term was a success and this upcoming term will likely be a success as well. 

The Balance Act

Balancing these four areas of my life is challenging some weeks and that is okay with me. The first thing to fall wayside is my health and fitness goals which are usually just reduced in effort exerted in accomplishing them. I have accepted that this will happen from time to time. The most important thing for me to remember is that a few bad days during the week will not derail my healthy and fit body goals. 

One of the Fitness Facebook groups I am part of, the admin posted this and I loved it so I am sharing it on here as well :)

So yes, the next 12 weeks my goals are as outlined above. The concrete days are from December 18, 2014 to March 12, 2015. 

Heres to weekly check-in!

What I Ate (During Work) Friday: How I use my preplanned meals/snacksthroughout the week

This past week has been filled with a lot of delicious, and hearty meals.  Some indulges as well! I made an apple crumb pie that was really wonderful.  All the meals that I made this past weekend have been so helpful in cutting down the time it takes me get ready the night before and the morning of work.  

Breakfast was a 2 of the ginger nut/date ball that I posted the link at the beginning of the week, and 1/3 of a green smoothie that I made with cherries, banana, mixed baby dark greens, almond milk, celery, flaxmeal and MRM veggie protein powder.

Lunch was a white bean spread, alfalfa sprout, avocado, tomato, avocado sandwich on whole grain bread. I drank pineapple coconut water to help satisfy my sweet tooth. In the peacock mug is water with ice. 

The white bean  spread is the same as the lemony herb white bean dip that I made at the beginning of the week.  When I spread it on my bread and load vegetables on  top of it (eyes roll to back of head)) YUM! 

Post workout snack, after lunch, I went for 1 mile walk up and down the hills in downtown Tacoma.  When I got back to the office, I had lemon herbal tea and the other 2/3 of my cherry green smoothie from earlier. 

Final meal while I was at work was the cilantro-lime, black bean, quinoa dish I said that I was going to make made, except I put pineapple in in and did not add any added oils as the recipe that I posted indicated. I ate these with three warmed up corn tortillas. Also very flavorful mini meal. 

I hope the next post I do will be another workout. I had fun doing that!

6 Week Training Plan for End of April and the Month of May

April 28th to May 31st Strength and Running Schedule

Monday and Thursday

Goal: 12 minute Lower body workout in the AM and 2-2.5 mile run during lunch break.

Execution: 12 minute lower body strength workout—exercises including DB squats, DB lunges, hip raises, plyometrics, leg curls with exercises ball, DB deadlifts, kettlebell swings, ect. Pack clothes to bring to work to workout.

Tuesday and Friday

Goal: 12 minute Upper body workout in the AM and 25-30 minute walk or yoga sequence during lunch break.

Execution: 12 minute upper body strength workout—exercises including DB chest press, DB row, front/side/rear delt raises, DB upright rows, push-ups, assisted pull-ups, ect. Pack clothes to bring to work to workout.

Wednesday

Goal: Core workout for whatever time I have available.  

Execution: Wake up earlier if needed to fit this workout in.  Pack clothes to workout in if there is time available.

Saturday

Goal: Long run- 3-4 miles logged on this day.  

Execution: Eat a healthy meal Friday night and make a post workout drink at night to consume afterwards.

Sunday

Goal: Make up workouts done on this day or REST.  

Execution: If during the week I had to cancel a workout due to time restraints

or injury/sickness, this is the day to make it up.  If all workouts were completed during the week than no intense workout’s day.  

**The 12 minute strength workouts that I do, I am using heavy weights (15-25lbs- depending on body part worked) and I am resting only to transition from one exercise to the next**

The ultimate goal of the 6 weeks is to continue gaining strength and speed as an athlete in as little time as possible. 

A quick picture of me before I head out for a run during my lunch break. I 

Weekend Meal Prep for Weekday Meals- Links included for Some of the Vegan Meals

Having a general idea what I am going to make throughout the week is good.  If I actually take the time to prepared some of the meals ahead of time that is even better.  Most of the time I concentrate on making my lunch and snacks for the week ahead on Saturday and Sunday so that during the week I save as much time as possible in the morning and the night before work. 

Typically I make a salad mix, energy balls/bars, hummus/bean dip, sometimes a soup, and sometimes chia pudding or overnight oats. This week I have decided to make:

lemony white bean dip 

ginger date nut balls

black bean and quinoa salad with lime cumin dressing (a favorite of mine)

vanilla chia pudding that I will add fruit when I eat in for breakfast or snack

In the morning I  make my smoothies for either breakfast or after workout snack. If the smoothie is for breakfast I add along with my typically 3:1 vegetable to fruit ratio, nuts/seeds/coconut to make it more calorically dense.  An example of this would be: 3 cup of leafy greens, 1 cup of frozen or fresh fruit, 1 tbsp of nut butter or 2 tbsp of nuts/seeds/coconut, 1.5 cups of liquid (mostly nut/soy milk, some coconut water or water to thin out), and 1/2 scoop of plant based protein powder-- I am loving the taste and price of MRM Veggie Protein Powder right now.  I buy mine from Vitacost and that is where that link will take you if you are interested in trying out their product. If the smoothie is post workout, the 3:1 vegetable to fruit ratio remains the same, but then I do not add nut/seeds/coconut, and will use coconut water and water as a base with 1/2 scoop of the MRM veggie protein powder. 

As of this Saturday evening I have a general idea of what the Lewis clan is planning for dinner this week, I do believe we will make bean, rice, veggie enchiladas that should last two days and Thai coconut curry tofu sweet potato broccoli dish that should also last two or three days. The Thai curry dish is something that Lee usually makes and the enchiladas that I make is inspired by Healthy Girl's Kitchen: Kitchen Sink Enchilada Casserole.  We have those two meals about twice a month.  

My last two links I will post tonight are a workout and the the link to my 

Vegan Meal Planning page on Pinterest, which is where I keep all my recipe inspiration located. 

Here is the workout I did two rounds of while I meal prepping and typing this post up :)

http://www.pinterest.com/pin/273312271111272270/

Workout of the Week for April 19, 2014

I would like to introduce my first (of what should be many) 

Workout of the Week.

Each week or so, I hope to share one of my workouts. I am not trained or certified in personal training, but I have seen results in the workouts I create for myself. 

Perhaps these posts will inspire someone else to begin working out at home and that would be terrific. 

This is a dumbbell workout, targeting these main muscle groups: chest, back, thighs and glutes. The core, shoulders, triceps, and calves are secondary muscle groups being worked. 

My home gym equipment I am using today: 
             A fitness ball, 2-15lbs dumbbells, and a foam roller

The Workout:

Warm-up: I did a 3 minute warm-up of alternating jumping jacks and high knees.  

                  20 repetitions before switching off to do the next, repeating for 3 minutes 

Superset 1: Dumbbell (DB) Squat and DB Stiff-legged Deadlift

                     3 sets of 15 repetitions for each exercise.  I rested about 1 minute before beginning the next superset.  

Superset 2: One-armed DB Row and DB Chest Press on Exercise Ball

                     *3 sets of 15 repetitions for each exercise.  I rested about 1 minute before beginning the next superset.

Giant Set: Exercise Ball Leg Curl with Upright DB Row and 

                  DB Curtsy Lunge with Alternating Push-up with Foam Roller

                 *I did these 4 exercises back to back for 3 sets of 10-12 repetitions each.  

                  At the end of the Giant Set I rested for about 30-45 seconds before completing the set again. 

    

    

And that concludes my workout.  This took me about 35 minutes and I did stretch afterwards for about 5 minutes.  

Post Workout Nutrition: 1/2 scoop of MRM Chocolate Veggie Protein Powder mixed with water and about 45 minutes a PB and Berry Jam sandwich on whole wheat.  

For the most part I try to limit how much wheat I eat, but every now and then, a PBJ is where it is at!. 

Stay tuned for next post as I will cover what foods I make over the weekend to help me save time preparing meals during the week.  

Typical Nutritional Dense Day of Eating for Me

Beeakfast: Pineapple, banana, kale smoothie using coconut water and Vanilla Plant Fusion Protein Powder. 

*I started drinking it and remember that I wanted to take a picture*

Morning Snack: with Adams Creamy Peanut Butter

Lunch: Vegan veggie stuffed lasagna with a little Daiya cheese with a very large spinach and romaine salad. I added tomato, cucumber, purple cabbage, Kamala olives, and a homemade balsamic dressing.

Afternoon Snack: Hummus, carrots, celery. 

Dinner: Black bean and rice, veggie enchilada casserole. I added a little Daiya again and cilantro avocado lime cream. 

This post shows a typical NUTRITIONALLY DENSE day of eating for me. Recently, this is how I strive to eat most of the time. I do make my own hummus, lasagna, and cassaroles for the week on Saturday and Sunday. 

To help me cut dairy from my diet I have begin adding Daiya non-dairy cheese substitute to certain foods in order to help me transition back to not eating dairy. 

What does a healthy day of eating look like for you? 

Juggling Family, Work, and a Fit Lifestyle

The Adjustment Period

At the end of December I returned back to work.  I am a legal assistant at a small law firm in Tacoma, Washington. So far I am really enjoying where I work and the attorney I work for. Recently, I received a promotion and will now be working full time.  I am looking forward to the added responsibility.  

As the title of this post alludes, for the past five months I have been learning to adjust to working again and how to best prioritize my time to maximize family time, while fitting in decent workouts. The first couple of months, I worked on planning and eating nutrient dense meals and spending quality time with my family.  Slowly I begun to add in short and intense workout and a run every now and then.  

So that is where I am now. 

Links to My Favorite FREE Workout Sites 

I still LOVE Bodyrock.tv workouts and have also started using Hasfit.com as a source of excellent workouts, and Ekhart Yoga and other Yoga teachers that post their videos on Youtube.  I recommend highly to utilizing free workout sources on the web.  

My Fit Body

I have pretty much been the same weight since I last posted pictures  back in November. Sometimes a little less and sometimes a little more.  Now I am back to losing but that is because my dietary decision have been smart and consistent, especially during the week.

I am far stronger than I was back in November as I can do 5 sets of 10-12 beautiful push-ups  and my average mile per hour is less than 10 minutes if I am running without the double jogger.  

Saw the below picture on Pinterest and it reminded me that fitness and health goals should both be short and long term.  
Right now I am focusing on small short term goals about 2 to 4 weeks at a time. 

My Macro Meals

              Homemade miso soup

        

                         Miso soup 

    Carrot, avocado, brown rice sushi roll

 

Sweet potato, adzuki and red beans, and broccoli bowl with cashew cheez drizzled

Chickpea flour pancake with red pepper and green onion with cashew cheez and kalamata olives

I did not eat the meals above in one day, but over a few days last week. The rest of the days were filled with green mega smoothies, and vegan tofu and noodle soup, and the occassional pb chocolate chip cookie. 

I am posting this from my phone so I will update the links for the recipes soon. 

Be inspired and try a new recipe this week! 

Macro Meals and January Goals

The macrobiotic diet was first introduced to me when I read Alicia Silvestone's "The Kind Diet" in 2011. It is a lifestyle diet that is rooted in Japanese cuisine. Simple whole food meals that utilize the benefits of fermented foods and sea vegetables to maximize the nutritional profile of grain, tofu/bean, vegetable dishes. Miso soup is a part of most meals, fruit is an accent to dishes, and most important for me is that all the recipes I have come across are really easy to put together. 

For quite some time, I have wanted to move towards eating more sea vegetables. Think: wakame, hijika, nori, kombu seaweeds. Fermented foods such as sauerkraut, tempeh, miso paste are also staples in a macro diet. I have been a little distracted in incorporating those foods in my diet again as I have been baking cookies. Eating large quantities of cookies and candies have led to more poor eating habits. Moderation in indulgent eating is something that remains a mystery to me. 

Feeling lethargic is not something that I am used to but when I eat a lot of sugar and white flour containing foods, that is what happens to me. I have felt truely unmotivated to do even the basic of tasks. >>> I have a mountain of laundry that is not going to put itself away. <<<

So this is me creating a end of December  and January goal for myself: 

1. Get back to eating more Macro Meals! 

I need to replenish the dwindling supply of healthy gut bacteria by eating more fermented foods. 

As for eating more sea vegetables, I have a healthy supply of wakame, nori, kombu, and hijika in my cupboard so no need to buy any right now. I just have to USE IT! 

My workouts have been so-so, this past week fairly non existent but the week before I did 4 workouts. It is hard to have the desire to workout after eating 2 dozen cookies in 3 days. I know that once I COMPLETELY removed the sugar and white flour from my diet, my desire to workout will return. For now I will not make any sweeping exercise goals and just focus on eating more whole foods again. 

This is me at around 165lbs. If I was eating healthier around this weight I would not be so concerned; that is not the case. My weight has plateaued here for the past few months because of poor food choices; therefore, I am looking forward to recommitting myself to healthy eating habits again. 

Are there any dietary goals that you are looking forward to accomplishing in the near future? 

Day 30 of Bodyrock.tv Challenge and Losing Motivation to Workout and Eat Healthy

Last week was the end of the the bodyrock.tv challenge.  I fell behind a little bit so I am really on day 24, which is not a big deal as of all the gains I have made in strength and agility since the start of the challenge.  I have re-learned that pushing myself out of my fitness-comfort zone is much more important than I make it.

Two weeks ago, I had a major hissy fit with myself fitness and dietary-wise.  During the last week if October, in terms of diet, I  purposefully ate large quantities of Halloween candy and Earth Balance slathered whole wheat toast, and lots of apples and bananas.  I am not even sure that I made a proper dinner that week. Fortunately I had the maternal instinct to feed my little guys sensible and nutritious food even it I did not for myself.  As for my workouts', and the challenge I did 20 minutes of the 1 hour 15 minute workout on that Monday and did not do another thing until Friday when I took the boys for a 40 minute walk.  I just did not want to put any effort into what I was feeding my body and strengthening my body.  This happens and it is not the end of the world, it just makes for some low energy levels and constipation. I saw this meme on Bodyrock.tv one day and saved it because it is so very true. For example: puffy belly- too much sugar and wheat in your diet.

That next Monday, I added back fruit and greens smoothies and made a homemade red lentil and butternut squash soup that is so dreamy and scrumptious that I will be making again very soon. Around Thursday as if to rebel again I bought ice cream, chocolate cookies, tortilla chips, a bag of frozen French fries, and candy bars. This is me is full food rebellion stage. I KNOW my body needs greens, fruits, legumes, seeds, and filling starches for optimal performance. the problem is I am a little afraid to give up those sweets and treats again. I was not miserable without them, I am miserable with them. This past Sunday my dietary habits began returning back to normalcy and today I am back into full fledge plant -strong vegan meals and snacks. The game plan this Friday is to make a giant soup full of vegetables, a pan of roasted vegetaes, and black bean, quinoa, sweet potato patties. Along with a fruit and vegetable smoothie and a lovely bowl of oatmeal or chia pudding I should've go off the dietary deep end.

A wonderful romaine salad I had with roasted sweet potato, broccoli, cauliflower, and almond butter Thai dressing. 

Indian chickpea flour and vegetable pancakes with steamed green and onions. This looks messy but was so delicious. 

Those pictures hopefully with remind me of the nourishing and energy giving power whole foods have for me. 

Here's to staying consistent with healthy eating habits and exercise! 

Bodyrock.tv Challenge 1/3 of the way through!

It is Day 10 of the bodyrock.tv challenge and I am still going strong. I am seeing some noticeable difference in my energy levels as I am working out, and all other times. Something else that is noticeable is that fact that I am much stronger than I previously thought and it shows. Really starting to see the muscular definition throughout my body and less cellulite on the back of my hips and bum (three loud huzzah's for that one)!

Running is still a priority for me as I have cut a couple challenge workouts short, knowing that I needed to run later on that day.  I know I could probably do both the runs and the challenge a few times a week, but since the cardio component of the bodyrock.tv HIIT challenge is so predominant I am cautious to not overuse those muscles.  My knees and ankles have always been susceptible to injuries because of overuse.  As I get older, I am highly aware of the damage I did in during my high school athletic days and do not want to worsen those injuries.  This is working so far for me.

Eating nutrient-dense meals are very important for my to maintain energy levels and produce nutritious breast milk for my little guy.  Somedays I feel that my diet is higher in fat than it might be if I was not breastfeeding. Since the fats that I eat are whole food sources like nuts and seeds, I feel that I am truly providing my baby with milk filled with essential fatty acids for healthy brain development.  Dark, leafy greens, beans, and lentils also make up a a fair portion of my daily meals.

My favorite seeds to eat currently are hemp seeds, sunflower seeds, chia seeds, and pumpkin seeds.  I am planning on making a hemp seed salad dressing once my almond butter dressing runs out in a few days.  My husband and I get all of our hard to find foods like hemp seeds and chia seeds from Vitacost, which sells those items as well as gluten free items, athletic supplements, protein powders, ect.  Check them out as some of their items are really inexpensive compared to buying it at the store.  For example chia seeds are $8.99-10.99 a pound on Vitacost; whereas at out local WinCo, chia seeds are $13.49  per pound.

That is it for now, eat healthy foods and exercise often even if it is walking around your neighborhood.

Preparing Meals in Advance: Snack and Lunch Edition. Links to the foods that I made this past week

Back when I was commuting to school and gone from my house for 5-7 hours, 5 days a week, preparing my meals in advance always worked in my favor. Now that I am a stay-at-home parent, preparing meals in advance, although a little chaotic on the day(s) of preparation is wonderful for the next 3-6 days when food is just a few minutes away from being done and most important eaten.

This past week, I was heavily inspired by the Angela's OhSheGlows blog and made many of her recipes.  They all turned out so well as usual!

I made the following meals/snacks from the OhSheGlows blog:

PB banana bars

7 vegetable cheez soup

Chia bread

I did not take any picture of the food I made, so definitely click on the links to check out her amazing recipes!!

I also made this meal which were inspired from both Susan V's Fatfreevegan blog and Gina's Choosing Raw blog:

Chickpea salad (like a chicken/tuna salad) which I wrapped in raw collard leaves (this is the tutorial on how to use raw collard leaves as wraps.

Finally I made 3 salads in a jar which I was inspired by Kathy's Health Happy Life vegan food blog. My salads were very simple: orgainc romaine lettuce, purple cabbage shredded, edamama, homemade miso orange tahini dressing, and quinoa.

This week coming up I will make recipes from the blogs: Peas and Thank You and Heathy Happy Life and My Vegan Cookbook.

I hope that this blog post has introduced you to some of my favorite vegan food blogs and will also inspire you make some delicious vegan food!

Day 3 of BodyRockTv Challenge

This is Day 3 of the BodyrockTv 30 day Challenge and I am sore! Not crippling sore, but my muscles have definitely let me know that they have been working HARD these three days.  Well, really four days-I did a workout also on Sunday before the challenge started!

Recently my workout's have occurred in the AM rather than the afternoons like previously.  I am finding that working out within an hour of waking up ensures that my workout is complete and I can run errands, play with my children, clean, make lunch, dinner, snacks without worrying about when I will fit my workout in during the day. Today I was decided to do 1/3 of the workout from the challenge. This was 20 minutes of spider push-ups, squat and press, core work, step ups, clean and press (my favorite exercise currently), a lot of jumping rope, and lunges.  The workout was split into three parts 20 minute circuits and I was only able to complete the first 20 minutes before Rocket woke up from sleeping.  Once Rocket was awake I was more than sufficiently warmed up and pumped up from the HIIT workout to do a 25-30 minute run. I had a feeling that I should get my run in before the day truly began because there was a good chance that I would convince myself that I could put the run off until Thursday. My short run turned into a 55 minute run/walk. My total mileage was 4 miles--which is pretty awesome.  My average mile per hour was 13:45. I included a couple of walking breaks as I realized that once I had run 20 minutes that I wanted to run a long run.  As this run has been the farthest and longest I have run for, I knew that I should not push myself to hard so I walked .2 miles per 1 mile.

To fuel both workouts I juiced half a cucumber, 5 beet greens, 2 celery stalks, 1 apple, 1 beet, 2 carrots. I drank half before my HIIT workout and the other half before my run. Total I drank about 15 ounces. A little sweet so next time I will use half an apple. 

Below is a picture of the weights I am currently using while doing the challenge. I forgot to take a picture of one of my dinning room chairs as I also use that for step ups and tricep dips. I added a picture of Lex above since I sometimes use him as a weight as well

 ;-)

30 Day Challenge and Creating a Mindset for Success

Okay, last post I mentioned that I wanted to set goals for October and I was racking my head on what I wanted to accomplish this month. While I was on Pinterest I was looking through my HIIT (high intensity interval training) board and came across a pin from BodyRockTv that I have been eyeing to do. Once I viewed the video I was like "heck yes I will do this workout". 12 minutes later I was done and the workout was killer. 

After my workout I started looking through their current post and saw that they had a 30 day real time challenge starting October 7th. I read the instructions and thought to myself why not, this sounds like it would be really intense but I can do it! 

This morning after I drank a small glass of freshly pressed carrot, kale, orange, cucumber juice; set the boys up to be distracted (toys, puzzles, and some learning tv) and begun my workout. 43 minutes later I was exhilarated and pushed harder than I have been in awhile. Towards the end of my workout Lex had gotten restless so I picked him up and used him as a weight. He had fun and I continued my workout. He is nearly 25lbs now at 8 months!!!

As the day progressed, my shoulders, glutes, abs, quads began getting sore and I thought maybe I would do the 30 day challenge every other day. Finally it hit me that being pushed each day for 4 weeks WILL only get me STRONGER. Lisa the creator of the BodyRockTv 30 day challenge pointed out that their will be active rest days, yoga days so I am confident that although I will be pushed to my limits somedays, I will not injure myself. 

Likewise I remember that in basic training I was constantly being pushed beyond my limits sometimes and I was fine. The only injury I sustained was spraining my ankle which was because of rucking on uneven terrain. That will not be the case this time as my workouts will be done in my home or the gym. 

Running is still a priority for me. This months goal is to slowly get up to running 5 miles for my long run. Currently I am at 3.25. No need to rush increasing my mileage as the half marathon is not until March. Walking is completely permitted as my time on the road increases.

This week I am looking forward to doing a long walk/jog for an hour. 

Tomorrow will be an intense 50 minute HIIT workout. 

I last ran on Sunday for 25 minutes so Wednesday no matter what the challenge workout is I am running. I can already anticipate the sore body I will have. Sore muscles means stronger body. 

If there are any days that I have to miss because those things happen, I know it will be okay. 

Ready! Set! Success! 

(Adding links and pictures tomorrow) 

My 5k at the Bellingham Bay Marathon

Bellingham Bay Marathon 5k race was a fun and beautiful course to run. It was relatively easy although the terrain was not flat throughout. For me that made the race fun and slightly challenging. 

Race day was drizzly but not frigid. A long sleeve shirt, my neon blue race t-shirt and capri running tights were more than enough to kept me warm after I started running. 

As for the run itself, I did smashingly. I ran the 5k in 30:54, which is much faster than my goal of running 12 minute miles. My lovely friend who lives in Bellingham watched my kiddos for me during the race. Because I had no stroller to push, my pace was naturally faster so much so that my average minutes per mile were 9:57. A very excited whoop of laughter escaped me when I read that final race results online. 

Before the race, my friend and I snapped a couple pictures with my iPhone. Here they are: 

 

And one with me and my boys :-)

That is it for now. Next time my post should be about current training plans or November goals.