Back from the Hiatus?

Okay, after a way too long hiatus, I'm back!

Great things are in the works.

1.  My Uncle is coming with two of my cousins next week - yeehaw!  We're going to do some skiing and have some quality family time.  I'm so excited.

2.  For some reason, I was inspired to sign up for a half marathon in my beautiful town, Steamboat.  I've done a lot of athletic things in my days, but never this so stay tuned.  I'm interested to see how I balance this, weights, and yoga for the next 12 weeks.  It should be fun and full of awesome outdoor activity!

3.  I'm going to the beach - SOON!  April 20 can't come fast enough :-D

4.  I promise to start blogging again.  Potentially with more fun fitness stuff... especially if I get a Garmin GPS watch?  We shall see.

5.  It's a library kind of day.  I'm mentally and physically tired, so I'm going to the library to get a book and sit outside and read.  Such an exciting life I lead!

So, stay tuned!

Hope all is well,

JJ

Goal Setting - Woot!

Hello there friends!

2012 is around the corner, wahoo!  I'm so excited for a new year full of friends, family, love, and good times in our amazing mountain town. 

One thing that I really believe in for creating a successful, fulfilling life is goal setting.  There is an art to goal setting - I am personally a fan of SMART goals.  These are goals that are
S - Specific
M - Measurable
A - Attainable
R - Realistic
T - Timely
... smart!  This is a system to help you achieve the things you actually want.  This system is real and it works.  You should also write down your goals.  Writing goals down helps you solidify them in your mind and gives you the opportunity to create your timeline, how you will measure the goal, etc.  Writing goals basically helps you create a "game plan" with the SMART system.

Sharing goals with friends is another great way to stay on course.  Sharing goals with friends makes them more "real" - mainly because you are making your goals known, and have an opportunity to be held accountable.

I'm pretty out of commission this week - I'm sick with a head cold that's going around my work.  Boo!  So in 2012, expect some blog posts about my personal goals. 

What are your goals?  What do you want to achieve in 2012 - personally, professionally, fitness goals, etc?  Please feel free to share, and start the accountability now!

Best,
J

Holiday Hiatus

Hello Friends!

The holidays have put a lot of things on hold for me - blogging, exercising, and clean eating to name a few.  I'm doing my best to keep it all together, but honestly, I have zero self control around all these delicious holiday treats.  Here are some of my favorites...

1.  Snickerdoodles
2.  Oreo bars
3.  Sugar cookies with sprinkles and frosting in fun shapes
4.  Pancakes and gigantic scrumptious breakfasts on cold mornings
5.  Delicious breads... banana nut bread, pumpkin bread, spice cake, etc.
6.  Trader Joe's Sipping Chocolate (thanks Mom!)
7.  Ginger snaps
8.  Have I said pumpkin bread?  And muffins?

Oh man.  The list could go on and on.

What I've discovered about myself is this:  In general, I eat pretty well, and when I start eating more sugar, I feel it.  Fast.  It really affects me and not in a good way.  It makes me feel awful.  I've also discovered that I have zero self control.  If there is sugar around, I have to have it.  Yikes!  This is bad for my waistline, for sure.

With all these things in mind, I've taken a few steps to get ready for 2012, the end of the holiday season, and returning to my normal lifestyle.

First, I purchased Tosca Reno's Eat Clean Diet books, which I am super pumped about.  I love culinary inspiration!  Tosca is all about eating whole, healthy foods, and I can't wait to spice up my weekly menus with some of her creative recipe ideas.

Second, I have accepted that I have a sugar problem, and after the holidays, I am purging my kitchen.  If sweets aren't around I have no problems, but if they're there, I go bonkers.  Therefore, it's time.  (I should probably pre-apologize to my man :-D).

Third, I AM TURNING TWENTY FIVE IN MARCH.  Oh my gawd.  And I'm going to the beach in April.  This is a serious double whammy.  I am determined to be as confident and awesome as this girl before I turn 25:

Greatest Nike ad ever.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Because - she is hot.

I am also excited because I have a few workout buddies now.  Yahoo!  I have a friend at work and another girlfriend in town who are interested in lifting weights AND go to my gym!  Yes.  I'm so excited.  This is going to be fun, I can feel it already.

Apologies for the lack of posting recently.  I'll be back full fledged in January.  Keep your eyes peeled for a 2012 SMART goals posting - I am a huge believer in goal setting!

Enjoy the holiday season!

J

Giving > Receiving

So this year's Christmas officially rocks!  My man and I are going on a cruise in April, so we wanted to keep Christmas low key.  BUT then we decided that we're part of this amazing community in Colorado, and that we wanted to give back.

After all, we're very, very lucky.  Actually, we're blessed.  We wake up each morning in a warm bed, in a warm house, with food in the fridge and (even though I don't always want to admit it aka it's fun to shop) plenty of clothes to wear... that can even potentially be fashionable (sometimes).

And we have each other.

Not everyone is this lucky.  Really.

My man remembers kids making fun of other kids in his elementary school because they did not have enough clothes to wear for the week.  Seriously, how heart breaking is that?  Kids are cruel and times can be hard.  His story put things in perspective for me.

So with that in mind, we decided that we wanted to help out a family who isn't as lucky as we are this year.  To do this, we reached out to our local United Way Holiday Wishes program.

Shopping for our family was SO MUCH FUN!  What made it even better was that the store was FULL of other people shopping for families in the United Way Holiday Wishes program, too.  Yay for being part of an awesome community!

We totally hooked up our kiddos - my man is an amazing shopper, so we managed to stay in budget and get them EVERYTHING on their list!  What's fun about this is that we did get to pick out some fun little girly stuff for our family (the girls are 5 & 6) - Dora coloring books, Candyland, etc.  What made my heart break a little... and made me feel forever grateful... was that we also got them warm bedding, pants, underwear, and a couple of other basic necessities that I know I take for granted.

So this holiday season, let's remember what it's really about.  And let's take a minute and meditate on an important word: gratitude.

Instead of worrying about what we don't have, or what we want, let's just reflect on what we do have.  And how blessed we are.  And maybe be inspired to pay it forward, if you can.
Peace, love, and joy to everyone this holiday season,
J

Remember Why You Started!

I love this quote - what an awesome motivation.

Right now I'm working two jobs just a couple days a week for extra money (aka paying off student loans as fast as possible).  Yesterday was my first "second" shift, and it was awesome.  I love my second job, the people that I work with, etc.  However, it makes it tough to stick to your fitness goals when you work 14-15 hours a day.  Let's face it - I left my house at 6:40am and did not get home until 9pm.  Now, I'm not complaining - I'm grateful for the opportunity to work, meet new people, and continue to move into a better financial position.  So, how do you reconcile all of that with your fitness goals?

For me, this is going to be mostly diet.  Diet is where I struggle the most anyway, and at 9pm when I haven't eaten since 4pm, the temptation to just go for what's handy is going to be difficult to overcome. 

This leads me to two conclusions.  First, I have to continue to always be prepared - make lots of food on the weekends (protein bars, protein pancakes, chicken breast, veggies, brown rice... easy things to reheat) and use the food I prepare.  Second, maybe I'll print this quote out and put it on the dash in my car and on my fridge.  That way, on the way home I'll see these inspirational words and reflect on WHY I'm exercising and eating well.  Then, when I get home and am reaching for something (potentially) naughty in the fridge (or cupboard?  that's where the double stuffed oreos are...) I'll see these words again.

Hopefully I'm strong willed, driven, and dedicated enough for these steps to help me stay committed to my April bikini-cruise goals.

Tell me... what keeps you motivated?  What are your inspirations?  Is it quotes, images, progress pictures, or a combination?  WHY are you working towards a fitness goal?  Is it to look good?  Feel good?  Be there longer for your kids or grandkids?  Avoid health problems?  Please, share here!

Happy Tuesday, and happy living!

J

Coolest Website EVERRRRR!! - A Baker's Paradise

Hold on folks, because this is going to be a wild ride!  I can't wait to make EVERYTHING on this website, including chocolate protein Twinkies.

My only complaint is some of the ingredients aren't regular household ingredients... but hopefully one bulk purchase will fix that.

Read on, enjoy, drool, bake...

Protein Pow(D)er!

This week I feel as if I've bumped into crazy news article after crazy news article.

Here is some food for thought.  This eight year old boy weighs 200lbs.  That's a lot for being eight without a genetic disease.  It's sad, it's crazy, it makes me want to pull my hair out, it makes me want to yell at congress for calling pizza a vegetable, but most of all, it breaks my heart.  This poor kid.  He's eight.  He doesn't know any better.  What are his parents doing (or not doing)?

Here is part 2 of this crazy story.  Child protective services took this child from his parents.  Yes.  Obesity is now considered neglect.  Read on for details: 200lbs 8 Year Old, Washington Post 2011

So here is the question.  What is more tragic?  That an eight year old weighs 200lbs, which really is only partially his fault since he's so young, or that the government confiscated him?  Or is it a good thing that the child is now in foster care?  I'm not sure I can decide.

But one thing I'm sure of, is that I'm tired of hearing this:  “It’s not only the parents or the child,” he said. “Obesity is an epidemic in the United States. As a society we’re all responsible.”  No, Dr. Naim Alkhouri.  Every day I choose exactly what I feed myself - from a candy cane, to a cookie, to an extra serving of vegetables, or waiting thirty more minutes to make it to my next planned meal.  Each bite of food I take is a personal choice. 

Is society today saturated with obesity?  Yes.  Do they make video games to help you get in shape?  Yes.  There is offiically no excuse.  WE have the outdoors, the gym, AND video games to help us.  Plus a wealth of information about fitness and nutrition on websites, blogs, videos, and in magazines, books, etc. 

Why did we decide now to get fat?  And what was the tipping point that made Americans realize we've gone too far?  I'm not sure I know the answer, but I did love "Pandora's Seed" by Spencer Wells.  It shed some light on the issue, and I recommend it if you're interested in learning about food, obesity, and our human history.

Part two of this problem, on the total other end of the spectrum, is photoshop, and it's portrayal of women.  Hello, real Kim Kardashian: Photoshop... KK and others.

What does everybody think?  Is the nutrition of children the responsibility of the government (ruled by lobbies, even in school cafeterias), parents (who sometimes don't know what they're doing or can't afford nutritious foods), kids regardless of age, society... who?!  How do we fix this?  We really need to save our youngest generation.

Opinions?  Please share!

J