Thursday, August 16, 2012

Where did the summer go?!

I can not believe that I go back to work on Monday.  I have been in three days this week getting set-up so that I won't feel as overwhelmed sitting through meetings next week. Our first official week back allows for some time in the classroom and planning but is also filled with meetings, meetings and more meetings! Which means I spend most of those meetings thinking about the 1,000,000 other things I need to be doing! I have taken on a lot of extra responsibilities at school this year including team leader, IST co-chair, mentoring, student teachers, and oh yea...teaching! With all of that being said, I know that this is also a time of year for me where I tend to slack off on exercising and eating right because I am busy and overwhelmed and tired from settling back into days filled with chaos after having weeks of relaxation. So...I decided to bite the bullet and I signed up for a 90 Day Team Beachbody challenge! My very own Chalean Extreme DVD set came yesterday with my first month of Shakeology :)! I have a Team Beachbody coach to check-in with and a group that I am a part of to help hold me accountable. I hoping this will help me get through my Fall slump and settle into a routine of getting up at 5.30. Blah...I used to swear that I would never get up before 6.00. 6.00 is OK but 5.59...too early! But I know how easily I will be able to convince myself to sit on the couch and do nothing when I am getting home from tutoring at 7.00 at night. By the time I ate dinner, it would be 8.00 and if I exercise at 8.00, I will be awake until midnight. See I am convincing myself out of it before I even have to do it...haha! I am actually planning to start the 90 Day challenge on Saturday just so I can go through one of the workouts before 5.30 on Monday morning! I am also hoping with my new routine to be able to get back into blogging and reporting on here how I have been doing with the 90 Day Challenge!!

Update on the 1/2 marathon training...I'm still running but without as much pressure because I am unable to sign up for any races in the Fall because of weddings, bachelorettes and bridal showers. I originally didn't have anything the weekend of the Baltimore Half but now do so unfortunately, I will not be able to run it so I have shelved that goal for now :) Maybe I'll give the Frederick Half a whirl in the Spring :)!

Off for a fun-filled day of shopping with my Mom and Sister at the outlets!!!

Happy Thursday :)

Emily

Thursday, July 5, 2012

13.1 Training

I officially began training for a half marathon that I probably won't be able to run on Sunday. I downloaded an app and it trains using a run/walk method. So far I'm liking it. The only thing I'm not liking is it's EVERY DAY except 1 day is a rest day. 2 days are cross training. I have been having issues with not pushing myself too hard on the cross training days. This morning I took Libby for the run/walk and she wasn't having it so it turned into a fast 45 minute walk. She isn't a running dog. She continues to prove this to me every time I think I'll try to kill two birds with one stone. I am OK with doing today's workout as a fast walk because yesterday was only supposed to be 30 minutes of cross training and instead hubby and I went for an hour long bike ride. I don't want to push myself too hard at the beginning. I may have a bachelorette party the day of the half so I may not be able to do it but I felt like training for it would at least keep me motivated to do something this summer. So far I haven't been stressed about how far I am going just trying to go. For whatever reason I have been feeling run-down this week. There is really no excuse for this since it's summer and I'm not working but I have been very unmotivated and feeling incredibly lazy. Hoping next week will be better.

Yesterday was the 4th. I went to a friends house then to my parents house. I ate too much. I have a love/hate relationship with cookouts. Open food tables is a danger zone for me. I always end up eating more than I intend to and then I get mad at myself. I did OK yesterday but still ate more than I would have on a normal Wednesday. Cookouts are definitely something that I need to work on. They are beginning to stress me out like eating out stresses me out. It can just be so hard to make the right choices when you are being so tempted. And I do all of the tricks that are recommended like drink a big bottle of water (I drink a lot of water all of the time...so this one doesn't really work), eat something healthy and high in protein before going (doesn't seem to work...I'll still eat to the point of uncomfortable) and I've tried various other things but nothing seems to work :(. Suggestions are welcome on how to not overeat at cookouts :)!

Here is a pic of my favorite little man on his first holiday!




Happy Thursday :)
Emily

Tuesday, June 26, 2012

Summer Days :)

Today I got out of bed to 65*, breezy weather! Woohoo! Ran 3.5 miles in a little under 30 minutes not very fast but I was definitely enjoying the weather! I came home and dined on a Kashi Peanut bar, drank some coffee then headed up to sister's! I enjoyed the day staring at my nephew and being the most wonderful Aunt I know how to be :)! Went to the grocery store and stocked up on some Kashi cereal, Kashi bars and various things to try and make some green smoothies. Very mixed emotions regarding these green smoothies...I just don't know how I'm not going to be able to taste the spinach. But I'll give a go. I used it as an excuse to buy myself one of those plastic cups with a straw :) Came home from there and walked with my next door neighbor. We think we did a 3.5 mile walk around the neighborhood while enjoying this amazing weather! I love getting in exercise while enjoying myself! Trying pizza on the grill for dinner tonight. I bought a whole wheat pizza crust from the grocery store, layered it with diced tomatoes mixed with green pepper and onion and mozzarella cheese! Definitely looking forward to seeing how this turns out :) Sweet potato fries on the side. Yum! Off to enjoy that fun now!!!

Emily

Monday, June 25, 2012

Busy Life

Where to begin. In the past week and a half I have run a 10 miler, became an Aunt, worked some, worked out less and basically have no idea what I did the rest of the time. So let's back track to the 10 miler.

I signed up for the 10 miler before school was over and thought it sounded wonderful. As Saturday (6/16) approached, I got more and more nervous. That whole week leading up to it some muscle in my thigh was driving me crazy so I was nervous to run but then I was nervous to not run. Being the inner lazy girl that I am...I convinced myself resting it would be good for it and didn't do much besides walk that week. By the time Friday rolled around, I was trying to find ways to induce labor for my sister so I wouldn't have to do it. She was having contractions that Friday afternoon and I thought I had found my golden ticket but then the contractions stopped. By the time Sat at 5 am rolled around...I knew I had to do it! I hadn't slept well the night before. Libby barked the whole night and it was H.O.T in my bedroom (and Megan...I mean hot as in temperature...get your mind out of the gutter). I got up...ate my Cliff bar and headed on my way. I was so nervous. I knew that I would finish but I didn't want to take forever. It took minutes into the race before I got into my head. I started out wanting to finish then I wanted a decent time. Then I really wanted to beat 1.30 which I did! This girl finished her first 10 miler in (drumroll please) 1 hour and 29 minutes!!!!! My average pace was 8:59. Had it down to like 8:30 at one point but those last two miles were s   lllll   oooo   wwwww miles! But I did it and I maybe wouldn't mind doing it again!

Sadly though I didn't sleep much Friday and then Saturday night I slept 0 hours because we were awaiting the arrival of the most precious baby boy to be born into this world! That's right...1 week late we welcomed Scott Alan into our family! All 9.1 lbs of him :) My sister did great and is doing great! She is so strong and adjusting to Mommyhood quite well! I haven't missed a day of the sweeties life yet! I love how close we live to each other! I am constantly finding an excuse to pop up just for a few precious moments of snuggles! Can't believe the little guy is already over a week old! Crazy how time flies!

After Scott arrived, time seemed to fly. I have found time to run to Target like 600 times but can't seem to manage to clean a single toilet. ha. priorities. I would just rather buy new toilets then clean the ones I have ;)! I leave you with all of this chaos and hope that I can find the balance to begin posting regularly and not just to update on my life but about my daily life...eating and exercising because I do do both :)

Emily

Thursday, June 14, 2012

What happened to Me?

I started this blog out so ready to go and I did great the first few weeks...then life happened. The end of school, one of my best friend's wedding, waiting for my sister to pop, etc. etc. But I'm back! With nothing but time on my hands. Aside from an online grad class and 6 hours of tutoring a week, I have no commitments and I couldn't be happier! Hubby and I have actually eaten dinner together every night this week at a time that is appropriate to eat dinner! The weather has been so amazing that we ate on the deck the past two nights and tonight we even got in a walk with our cute, lovebug Libby after dinner :) Life in the summer is grand! I have plenty of time for exercise now and I am super happy about that. I am running my first 10 miler on Sat (assuming Baby T doesn't make his/her grand appearance @ the time of the race)! I am super nervous but super excited at the same time! I tried to take it easy this week but I am nervous because my running the last week of school was lame because I was so busy and preoccupied! Wish me luck on Saturday! I will be sure to give a post-race report :)! Scroll for pics from the wedding and the last day of school :)


We clean up well ;)




We got a workout trying to avoid being photo bombed!


Groom Stalkers ;)

Love working with these women! It is mandatory to take a picture of the team in this spot on the last day...I wonder whose crazy need that is ;)


And I will leave you with this pic to sum up the amount of fun I had at the wedding :)


Life has been good but hectic and I am glad to be able to spend more time dedicating myself to my blog and my various other goals! Happy Summer!

Emily

Wednesday, May 30, 2012

Random Thoughts while Running

I have learned some things about running over the past few days!
#1: It's never a good idea to stuff your face with granola and drink a bottle of water and then head out for a 3 mi jaunt. Cramping will happen.

#2: Running in the evening is far more difficult than running first thing in the morning...c'mon summer!!!

#3: Faster songs make running easier. I never remember any of the songs I hear when running though...

#4: I hate getting out of my neighborhood. There is no way to avoid beginning on a hill.

#5: Beginning on a hill will make the rest of the run difficult.

#6: Running on flat ground is WAY easier than running up and downs hills.

#7: I need new shoes.

#8: Stress makes running more enjoyable :)

#9: This was not intended to be a running blog but that all I seem to blog about.

#10: I needed a #10 because I didn't like the idea of ending on 9.

3 miles today!

Happy Wednesday :)

Tuesday, May 29, 2012

Running in a Thunderstorm....not a good idea!

So while sitting at tutoring...I noticed it getting darker and darker but I hadn't packed clothes so going to the gym wasn't in my plans for the evening. I wanted to come home and get in a quick run for the Runner's World Challenge. I wasn't hoping for much mileage tonight since my body feels like it's a Monday and I never get in much on Monday's. I decided as  I was driving home that if it hadn't started raining by the time I got home then I would go to the municipal park and run there so my car would be close by. I got home and shoveled in some Love Grown granola, changed my clothes and headed over to the park. It was getting really dark at this point but hadn't started to rain yet. 1.5 times around is a mile so I was hoping to squeeze that in. I got about 3/4 of the way around and then the rain hit. At first, I thought I could do it but then it started raining really hard. It wasn't worth the risk of my iPhone getting ruined in the rain. I hopped in my car but was unsatisfied with the knowledge that I wasn't going to get in a full mile on the 2nd day of the challenge. I wasn't liking the idea of driving the rest of the way to gym, sprinting in there only to do another mile or so and then leave. Fortunately, a friend lives nearby and has a treadmill so...I sent her a text and she responded right away! I got to chat with her while running an additional mile on her treadmill which allowed me to get in 1.7 mi for the day. Not much but better than it would've been had I let the rain keep me inside!!! Happy Tuesday :)

Monday, May 28, 2012

Run, Run, Run!

Happy Memorial Day everyone! While we should be thankful for our service men and women everyday, it's especially important to think about and remember them on days like today! I hope everyone has something fun planned for today!!!

Here is an overview of a whirlwind of the past few days :)

Friday night was date night :) Tim took me out to celebrate my 26th birthday! We went to a local Irish restaurant for dinner then to a frozen yogurt place for dessert! I was super excited about the frozen yogurt because it was one of those places where you self serve then pay by weight at the end. This place is about 2 mins away from where I work and I didn't know anything about it until Thursday afternoon...so of course trying it on Friday was a must! On our way home we stopped by my brother-in-law and soon to be sister-in-law's house! I hadn't seen it yet and we hadn't met there new adorable puppy Remmy! We chatted with them for a while then made our way home to get to bed early to get up and get our exercise out of the way before the 90* temps hit!

Saturday:
I think I may be clearing out of the exercise rut! I gave myself a wonderful birthday gift on Saturday...my best 6 mi time ever! 44:30 with a 7:13 min/mile pace! I have no idea where that speed came from but it definitely rejuvenated my love for exercise! Saturday was a great birthday :) After the run, I came home and showered then took a dress to be altered for the wedding I am in on June 9th! I got yelled at by the seamstress for ordering the wrong size (didn't order the wrong size just have lost weight since Jan when I ordered it!!!) I was treated to lunch by my sister and Mom then enjoyed a delicious chocolate lava cake for dessert courtesy of the best sister ever :)! After lunch, I headed to the Bride-to-Be's house to kick off her bachelorette celebration! We then headed into the city for the O's game (they lost :( ), dinner and a night of dancing at Power Plant Live! She had a great time and was definitely deserving of the fun night out! Can't wait for her wedding in 2 weeks!!!

The Bachelorette and I

These two weirdo's were there as well!

Sunday:
Yesterday morning, I got up and showered and headed off to NJ for the day to celebrate my cousin's amazing accomplishment! We offically have a lawyer in our family! Yay, Matt!!! It was a long day in the car and I was far too exhausted by the time we got home to do anything. We set out on a walk with Libby (who definitely needed it after being in the house all day) only to be greeted by a thunderstorm...so back into the house we went! We enjoyed what is quite possibly the most amazing thing I have found in a while...Ben and Jerry's frozen GREEK YOGURT! It was to die for! I tried the Blueberry Graham and Tim tried the Strawberry Shortcake. Both were absolutely amazing! I am defintely looking forward to trying Raspberry Fudge and Peanut Butter Banana!!! I was exhausted from the night before and the long day in the car so we watched a bit of TV and went to bed early!

Monday:
I popped out of bed this morning, eager to begin the Runners World challenge! Run at least 1 mile a day every day from Memorial Day to the 4th of July! I did a 4 mi run this morning to try and beat the heat. The humidity definitely slowed me down though! Hoping that that's not an omen for the rest of the summer! I can't believe how hot and humid it is already! I am excited about the Runner World challenge and about finally having some motivation to get out and do something every day! I will hold myself accountable by writing about it on here! I think I'm all caught up on the excitement of the past few days :)  Tim and I may be going to a running store today to get my fitted shoes (my birthday gift from him). But for now, I'm off to enjoy my Memorial Day and a day off work :)! 9 more days of school...not that I'm counting or anything ;)!

Happy Memorial Day!


Emily

Wednesday, May 23, 2012

In a Rut

Ugh! That is how I have been feeling for the past two weeks about eating and exercising! All I want to eat is Mexican food. Not sure what that is all about. Last night, hubby grilled chicken sausages and asparagus and just as it came in the house, I decided to make my new favorite taco salad. It was ALL I could think about!!! I have been mixing black beans, mexican blend cheese, fresh salsa and a handful of multigrain tostitos together, dropping a dap of sour cream on top and throwing it in the microwave. It tastes delicious but isn't very interesting. I feel like I could eat the same things all day every day! And for the most part I do. I eat a Cliff Bar for breakfast, some sort of granola around 9.00 (Love Grown is my new favorite), a whole wheat wrap that I dip in hummus and Chobani for lunch and apples and peanut butter around 4.00. Dinner is the only thing that changes day to day and now I am trying to make that consistent. I go through phases like this and then I will like something new and eat that every day for awhile. I would have to say that by nature, I am definitely a routine driven person so it's not surprising that I like the structure of eating the same things all of the time. I also think I fell into this habit when I was restricting my calories. It's a lot easier to count calories from day to day if you are just eating the same things. I no longer pay that close attention to that and don't even measure out the hummus or peanut butter. I just estimate what 2 tbsp. looks like. This is a huge feat for me and one that I am proud of myself for!!!

As far as exercise goes, I have not been in the mood for it. I am still exercising almost every day but it's something that I have been dreading recently. I am hoping that when school is out and I have more time and energy I will get back into the swing of it. I really wish that I could be someone who exercised in the morning but I have enough trouble getting out of bed to get ready for work. I can't imagine getting up at 5.30 to exercise before needing to start getting ready at 6.00. I definitely think some of my recent issues have been that I am tired of working out alone. A goal that I have this summer is to start trying some of the classes at the gym. Right now the times of those don't work with my tutoring schedule so I am hoping to attend some day classes once school is out for summer! Any suggestions on spicing up my workouts in the mean time??

Hoping to out of this rut soon and back into my usual exercise loving self :)! I am also hoping to find more things to post about more frequently (I think the lack of posting was part of this eating and exercise rut)!!! Happy Wednesday!


Emily

Friday, May 18, 2012

Gorgeous Thursday

Yesterday's weather was AMAZING! I couldn't wait to get home from tutoring to get outside and run. And then I got outside and ran... The first 1.5 were torturous. My legs were sore. My breathing wasn't normal. I was getting stomach cramps. I nearly stopped. But I kept pushing through and by mile 3 I was at a comfortable steady 9:something pace. Not as fast as I was hoping but my goal changed from getting it done fast to just getting it done. I ended up with 5.5 miles in about 48 minutes. Not to bad but not my best by far.

I had to stop by my sister's to pick something up and ended up talking to her for a few minutes. She had made taco salad for dinner and it smelled wonderful. So when I got home (at 8.30) all I wanted was mexican. Unfortunately, we didn't have everything on hand for what I wanted. So off the hubby went to Weis. On his way back, he heard my tire hissing. We had found a nail in it on Sunday but we weren't too worried about it because it was it was plugging the hole that it had created. Apparently the nail fell out and now air was just leaking out of the tire. So I ended up on making dinner duty and hubby ended up putting on the spare. Looks like I will be replacing my tires this weekend (I have needed them since Oct....nothing like dragging your feet on spending $800). After all of that excitement, we ended up eating dinner at 9.15 :( and then going right to bed. Thankfully, I didn't add much carb to the taco salad I made so I went to bed feeling satisfied but not stuffed. Sadly for us, it isn't untypical to be eating dinner between 8.30-9.30 at night. This is definitely something I would like to work on. Especially this summer when I won't be rushing from work, to tutoring, to exercising!

Ended up being a much crazier night than I had expected but I am thankful that I was able to drive my car to work today and that the nail didn't pop out when I was driving it. Hoping this amazing weather continues so I can get in a better run!!!

Emily

Wednesday, May 16, 2012

Buffet Situations

Our PTA is wonderful. They have dinners for conference nights and a Teacher Appreciation Luncheon every year. My first year of teaching, I lived for these nights and this day!  So much food...so delicious...so not good for you! I would fill my plate up and then go back for seconds. Then the left-overs are in our faculty lounge for us to enjoy for the next few days for lunch. The desserts overflow the counters and having the sweet tooth that I do...I couldn't get enough and would even take some a lot back to my classroom with me.  In situations like this I have a lot of trouble controlling myself because the amount of calories is not directly stated so I can pretend like it's not much in my mind. 


With that being said...today was our Teacher Appreciation luncheon. And now these situations stress me out a little a lot. 


I brought my own lunch with every intent of eating my standard. Whole Grain (low carb) wrap, hummus, Chobani and of course water :)! But in fear of appearing crazy in front of fellow staff members and parents, I opted to be smart with my choices at the luncheon.
Last year at this time I was limiting my calorie intake and so obsessed with what I was eating, I ate only fruit and veggies. Since I wasn't eating dinner at that time, I went to bed with a HORRIBLE headache that night. 


This year, I made better choices. I ate a little bit of roman noodle salad, caeser salad and then a helping  3 helpings of fuiji apple salad (minus the dressing). I bypassed the amazing desserts and ate a few (enough to give me a stomachache) mints. Everything I ate was delicious and I am pleased that I was able to control myself enough in this situation but not limit myself to fruits and veggies. I also now have a lunch prepared and already here for tomorrow!




Emily



Tuesday, May 15, 2012

My Story


I have often been known to describe myself as an under-eater or an over-eater but never a healthy eater.

Sometimes it's hard for me to believe that 5 1/2 years ago, I weighed 215 pounds. When I think about that time in my life...I'm not even sure who that person is. I am in disbelief that I ever let myself get that far. This is the story of how I gained that weight, lost it and am now attempting to find a healthy balance in my life.


I would have to say that growing up, I was average size close to overweight. I played sports my whole life and that was the only way I ever exercised. I graduated high school wearing a size 12 and weighing right around 150. I was never comfortable with the way I looked but also never really motivated enough to do anything about it. After graduation, any and all exercise in my life halted and I entered the wonderful world of college dining halls. I grew up in a house that had accessible "junk" food but was never really an over-eater. Life on the college campus was a different story. My meals consisted of an uncountable amount of calories. Thinking about that now...I am disgusted that I was ever able to do that. As my weight crept up, I became more and more depressed and continued letting these bad habits spiral out of control. By the end of my freshman year, I had gained 40 lbs and was showing no signs of slowing down. I moved back home and began sneaking food. I ate after my parents went to bed and often stopped and crammed an unhealthy meal in my mouth before returning home and eating with my parents. I had no concept of what I was doing to myself. In 2006, I went on a family vacation with, my then boyfriend, now husband. I could not have been more uncomfortable with myself on this trip. However, upon returning home, I rolled right back into my unhealthy eating habits. This carried on for another 3 months. 

Me at 215 lbs. Cruise 2006.


The Day My Life Changed for the Good...
In October of 2006, I went to work at my part-time job and saw brownies. I decided that day that if I could make it through that whole shift without eating one then I was well on my way to losing some of this unwanted weight. That thought spiraled out into months of dieting. I signed up for Sparkpeople.com and began counting calories and lost 12 pounds immediately. When the weight lose halted there, I began incorporating walking into my daily routine. Then things got a little unhealthy in the opposite direction. Over the next few months, I became so obsessed with calorie counting that I knocked my daily intake from 1,200 to 800. However, in 7 months, I had knocked off the extra 65 lbs I had gained after high school. I was wearing my high school jeans and I was thrilled. I continued on with this weight for the next 2 years and I was perfectly content. 

Unhealthy Habits Return...
Then I got married...I moved out of my parents home and into my own with my husband. Learning how to cook for two was difficult and being married to someone who was overweight allowed me to feel more comfortable eating more than necessary. I gained 30 lbs in a year and half. I was back up to 180 and creeping scarily close to the 200 lb mark again.

Christmas 2010.


Shrinking Again...
On New Years Day 2011, I decided enough was enough and asked my sister to start going to the gym with me. I also began counting calories again. This time I wasn't using a program just doing it mentally. Things once again got out of control and eventually I had stopped eating dinner. I was down to 200-300 calories a day and going to the gym every day. I have no idea how I had enough energy to function with 6 year olds every day. I was averaging about 2 lbs of weight lose a week and I was down another 50 lbs and was unable to see anything wrong with my means of losing the weight. My sister and my husband intervened and I slowly began including more calories in my day. Summer and Fall came and I gained about 7 of the 50 lost back. This is why I say I am either an over-eater or under-eater. When I would count calories, I would be so obsessed with it that I didn't eat enough. But if I wasn't counting calories than I wasn't caring enough to notice weight gain.

An Awakening...
On New Years Day 2012, my husband and I started South Beach diet. My husband has also always struggled with his weight and he needed a plan that would help him shed unwanted pounds fast. I lost the 7 lbs I had gained and began working out regularly. We have slowly let South Beach go and I have since been attempting to find a healthy balance for myself and my husband. I am trying to learn to pay less attention to the calorie number and more attention to whether or not what I am about to put in my body is good for me. Learning this balance is tricky for me and I'll admit, grocery shopping is often difficult. I catch myself looking at the calories on everything I pick up and admittedly put a great deal of things back because of the calories.  I have decided to document my (our) journey through the use of this blog.


Me. Now. (I have no idea why this picture is not rotated. I tried several things :/).


My journey has been long and is no where near over. I am looking forward to the challenges that lay ahead and hope this blog helps me stay on top of my weight maintance and continues to motivate me to eat healthy and exercise. 

This blog is by no means documenting everything I eat...nor is it a diet that I recommend for others. Just my story and my life.