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Weigh In Wednesday + Workout Playlist

By on February 20, 2013 in motivation, music

Weigh In Wednesday

So I am up 0.4 lbs over the last week and I am completely okay with it. Considering I took 3 days off tracking on My Fitness Pal and was only able to sneak in 3 workouts last week it is a miracle I did not gain more. Especially when you recall that my main food group over the weekend consisted of cupcakes. Lots and lots of cupcakes.

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(Cupcake taste off in the hotel room!)

I appreciate the return to normalcy all the more after consuming so many sweets. It is easier to let those sugar cravings go and focus on real food when you can no longer look at a cupcake without feeling a little sick. :)

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Does anyone think the same way? I never crave healthy food so much as the day after I over do it!

In other news, I’ve made it a priority to get to the gym this week despite many many other things going on. My workouts are condensed, yet challenging thanks to new moves from Tina’s Best Body Bootcamp. I did not follow the program as prescribed but I definitely picked up on some new exercises that will be incorporated moving forward.

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My favorite this week is the cross-over push-up!

New Music

Staying motivated is tough but I have found that the right playlist can push me through even the most grueling workout. For the strength portion I normally listen to the Kayne West Pandora station (because I am klassy, like Kim Kardashian). But when it comes to cardio, I am a bit more particular. I find that a mix of up-beat pop songs with high BPMs (beats per minute) coupled with slower, steadier music is the perfect combination to keep me moving forward.

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For long runs I have been loving all things Hans Zimmer and Blue Man Group. The music contains no words, just beats and allows you to focus on your breathing. I recommend you give it a try!


Question: What is your favorite workout song right now?

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Tomorrow is the day!

By on January 15, 2013 in motivation, self-talk, workout

Alright, I have just about had it!

I’m 10 days into my new job and have yet to wake up for a single morning workout.

Every morning I set my alarm for 5:30 AM and every morning thus far I have hit snooze. But wait, it gets worse. Last night I was super motivated so I went to bed nice and early. This morning, not only did I sleep through my workout alarm but I actually slept 15 minutes past my normal wakeup time! I’m regressing!

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(I want to be like this again! So motivated!)

I gotta get it together.

So I thought about it all day long. How am I going make this change? I know that if I can do it once I can start changing my habits. Here is what I have come up with:

1. Set my alarm clock and place it across the room. I figure if I actually need to get out of bed to turn off the noise I am more likely to stay up.

2. Lay out my clothes. The less thinking I have to do, the better.

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3. Make coffee the night before. See reasoning #2.

4. Drink wine at night. It makes me sleepy in moderate doses. :)

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That’s all I’ve got so far. Hopefully this plan of attack does the trick. Now that I am sitting here writing it out, I also think that publicly blogging my goals may help hold me accountable. I will let you goys know either way, I promise.

Question: What works for you?

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Thoughts for Friday

By on September 30, 2011 in excuses, motivation, quote, running, self-talk

I know I haven’t blogged consistantly in far too long and I apologize! I miss it terribly. We are scheduled to get Internet in my apartment next week so finger’s crossed I’ll be back to sharing too much information you never wanted to know in no time!

Today’s post is short but powerful. My work buddy Hal (Hi Hal!) lent me a copy of   To Be a Runner by Martin Dugard and despite the fact that I am only 40 pages into it I can already tell it is going to be a necessary addition to my bookshelf.

Ready for something deep?

“Excuses always lead to a reckoning. We find reasons not to take that first step out the door, just as we find ways to be-or not to be-our best. Weakness, doubt, and fear are parts of the human condition. Facing them instead of fabricating an elaborate rude to sidestep them-hoping to avoid them but ultimately carrying them in our hearts and mind and psyche until they whittle away at our being-give us a direct route to hope and dreams. Along the way, we reap all those other by-products that make suffering a tonic for our souls.”

Excuses are an all too powerful source that I find myself relying on like a crutch. In the moment, when we want something more than anything it’s easy to draw upon an excuse as a means of justification. But you and I both no that giving in it’s the quickest way to get nowhere fast.  I needed this kind of reminder today. I hope it helps you too.

 

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Three Things Thursday: Lil’ Wayne Edition

By on September 22, 2011 in blogger mention, D.C., motivation, music, new car, obsessed, random thoughts, running, running mistakes, smutha mutha

1. I’ve had a seriously productive last few days. Yesterday I got up at the butt crack of dawn (7am thankyouverymuch) and took myself and my little car to the DMV. The goal: not to come out until I had a new title, licence plate, and Virginia drivers licence in my possession. In reality I walked away with 2 of the three since I had no copy of my lease (yes, why I am a dumbass thanks for noticing).


(My apologies for the glare. But more importantly please note the HUGE stack of papers behind my plate. I brought every paper I owned that related to the car and then some. And I STILL had to call the Arkansas DMV for proof. That’s government at it’s finest right there.)

This morning I once again woke up early (I’m slowly but surely turning into Smutha Mutha who is the ultimate morning person) and motivated myself enough to strap on some running shoes!

(My Max HR adequately reflects just how out of shape I am right now. I’m a {rough} work in progress.)

New gear (much more on this later) certainly helped. I ended up running for a full hour (the watch was restarted 5 mins in) and thanks to my complete lack of internal compass I ended up at  Reagan National Airport.  For a bit of perspective that is on the other side of the Potomac River from where I live…uh yea… I kept thinking the trail would connect and what do ya know…it didn’t. Anyways it was actually a great run considering I also suck at figuring out technology and therefore have no idea how far/fast I ran. Let’s call it 5.5 miles and move on, ml?

2. I was thinking about who inspires me the other day (probably had something to do with Matt’s post) and I realized I really don’t give 2 shits what celebrities and professional athletes accomplish yet when one of the bloggers I read accomplishes something monumental I’m all motivated and geared up by it! Moreover blogs are where I draw all of my favorite motivational quotes from. This week Liz struck a nerve.

“Losing weight is about not lying to yourself. At the end of   the day, when you’re lying in bed, did you eat right? It’s a simple yes   or no answer.  For the last 6 months I’ve told myself yes, would get  annoyed at the scale, but the  reality was obviously no.

I’ve learned it doesn’t matter how many inspiring weight loss  blogs  you read, how many weight loss shows you watch, how many size  smaller  clothes you buy (ohmygod I have so many!), how many times you  say, I want to lose weight, until  you actually sit there  alone, and realize that at some point you will  have to not eat those  cupcakes when they’re offered to, not order the  side fries, not walk to  the kitchen for the late night snack, until you sit  there and make  that decision, and stop lying to yourself, you’re living  in this weight  loss world of wishing and hoping and not committing. “

This girl is seriously ballsy and I love following her story. I suggest you do it to!

3. And for a truly random 3rd thing for this Thursday I have to tell y’all what I have been listening to on repeat. I’m a bit ashamed (which of course means I’m going to post it on my blog).

(Oh I went there!)

I’m having a seriously Lil’ Wayne phase. Be gone tasteful music, my ears only want to listen to the sweet sounds of Lil’ Wayne rapping about sex, drugs, and love.

Question: are you a morning or night person? I think I’m a mix of both but lately my morning jolt from coffee is making me super productive in the AM.

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Inspired.

By on September 7, 2011 in binge eating, inspiring, motivation, running, workout

Every time I see a motivational or inspiring quote I save it to my desk top. From time to time I look over said quotes to get re-energized on this journey that I am on. Today I thought I would keep my words short and share my favorite quotes with you all. I hope you take a little something from these just as I have.

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(Shameless…but I think there is nothing wrong in loving a picture of yourself. If you felt good, use that to inspire you to work harder to get back to that place.)

What is your favorite motivational quote?

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The unofficial start

By on August 2, 2011 in Almond butter toast, decisions, drinking, goals, green monster, intentions, motivation, overeating, perspective, races, reflection, running, running mistakes, self-talk, weight, workout

As I mentioned in my last post, I’ve unofficially begun training for the Walt Disney World marathon. We are 23 weeks out, 158 days…but who’s really counting, right?

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Lately (as in since I moved) I’ve noticed running has become consistently more difficult. As a certified personal trainer, I know what to do and what not to do to make running enjoyable. Most of what needs to be done happens in the down time between runs. Things along the lines of eating the proper foods in the right portion, cross-training and stretching, and limiting the empty calories that end up as extra pounds that slow you down. All of that is a hell of a lot easier said than done.

I could go on for days with all the excuses. It’s been a little over a month since I said “eff it” and picked up my life to start over again. All things considered I’ve been very fortunate. Between the great job and now the apartment I’m still kind of coming to terms that this is in fact my life.

All of the newness has kept me quite busy. I’m still going to the gym 4-5 days a week, but you know as well as I do that you “can’t out train a bad diet.” And so here we are. On the cusp of marathon training and I’m feeling pretty out of shape.

Long gone are the 3 mile runs at a 9:30 pace. These days its more like 3 miles in 31 or 32 minutes with a couple breaks to suck wind. This is hard to come to terms with knowing how hard I fought to run 13.1 both times. But writing about this seriously helps. I know what it takes to get in shape. It takes a lot of sh!ttY runs before you get to the good ones. It takes accountability in your diet and social life (I’m looking at you alcohol).

And so it begins. A new level of accountability and awareness. Sacrifice and the will power to just say no to cupcakes in the office and alcohol fueled nights out. Because at the end of the day I want to be a marathoner more than I want the extra serving of food, more than another beer, and more than sleeping in on the weekends…more than anything. It’s time to stop talking about it and actually do it! So with that I am off to the gym!

Do you make sacrifices for exercise?

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