Go the Distance!

 I have been having a hard time waking up in the morning lately. With finals week drawing nearer, I am really becoming a zombie. I have found that a balanced breakfast really does set the tone for your day! For breakfast I always strive to eat a protein, starch and vegetable. To help cut out some cooking time, I prepared my eggs and red potatoes ahead of time. I love boiling my eggs because it is so simple, and if I am in a rush I can take them with me. Putting this meal together the next day took less than 10 minutes and it gave me the energy I needed for my workouts today.



 Cycle really kicked my butt this morning! Each of my classmates filled out a piece of paper with a 90 second interval of their choice. What we didn't know was that our instructor was going to have us do all them. Most people put sprints for 90 seconds...if I ever find out who those people are there will be consequences! (Just kidding...kinda..) The only thing that got me through class today was the Disney playlist she had us ride to. Seriously, who knew Disney music could be so motivating? (Hercules anyone?) If you find your workouts are getting too easy for you, try adding in intervals, they make a HUGE difference.

Begin Again

After completing Jamie Eason's 3 month LiveFit program I had lost 10 lbs, but I am not stopping there! Yesterday Jeff and I began doing Phase 2 again (we decided to omit phase 1 this time around). Yesterday was leg day, and boy was I feeling it in my cycle class this morning! Today we did a 20 minute ride at our fastest consistent pace and I was able to complete 5 miles! It is amazing what your body can do when you push yourself :)

This time around I am hoping to stay more consistent with the meal plan, I am the worst at forgetting to pack my lunch and snacks. I know that if I "fail to plan, I plan to fail." My keys for greater success this time around is to create a "grab and go" drawer packed with pre-made items that I can take with me when I am in a rush.

On another note, I recently ate at a new restaurant in College Station called Boneheads. It consists of mainly seafood, but has chicken as well. It was absolutely delicious and I highly recommend it for when you are wanting to eat out, but also eat healthy!

Have a healthy week!
XOXO - Kathie

M.I.A.

I have been so absent lately due to school and work stressors and it really had me in a slump. I had to miss some workouts to attend study groups or because I was called into work and it definitely had me slipping into some bad habits. I wasn't getting enough sleep, I was skipping meals or making quick convenient food choices. I was finally able to get back on track this week and recommit myself!

I am not Catholic, but I have always been so fascinated with lent. Every year I would give up something (bread, soda, Facebook) this year the idea came to me from a Facebook page that I follow 'Britney Eats Clean.' I had been getting so down because though I was seeing some physical changes in my body I wasn't seeing that number change. It was like I needed to see it go down to reassure myself that all the work I was putting in was paying off. I had become a slave to my scale, so this year I am giving it up. I weighed in on Tuesday at 175 and after Easter I will pull it out again.  

I am not defined by the number on the scale and I need to take a break from it to remember why I started this journey, to become healthy. So yes, so far I have only lost 10lbs, but back in December during a physical my blood pressure was 139/90... Today I donated blood and my BP was 94/66. If that isn't motivation enough to get off your couch, I don't know what is!

One day at a time

Some days I would rather sleep in an extra 15 minutes than wake up and take time to make breakfast, so when I am crunched for time my favorite on the go breakfast is a peanut butter and banana smoothie. It is so filling, plus it satisfies my sweet tooth craving. I use a MyBlend for my smoothies, it's convenient because you can just take the cup with you instead of having to transfer it to another glass (YAY for less dishes!)

For this smoothie I blended together:

•  12 oz of unsweetened almond milk
• 2 tbsp of PB2
• 1 banana 
• chia seeds
• 3 ice cubs

Jeff and I decided to do an indoor cycle class for our last Kinese credit this semester, and it is definitely challenging! I am still trying to get my butt acclimated to the seat...I'm told it takes a while. If you don't already have a workout buddy I highly encourage you to find one, and ladies, do not be embarrassed to work out in front of your boyfriends. Working out together is a great way to bond and I have found that it actually makes me work harder (I'm a little competitive)

 We did some interval training in class today and had to partner up (can you guess who I chose? haha) One partner had to lay on the ground and do pushups until the cyclists made it .25 miles, and then turn over and do situps until .50miles, and so on until they had completed one mile. We did this twice through, and let me tell you...nothing makes you want to pedal faster than knowing someone is going to be down there doing pushups and sit ups until you finish. At one point, Jeff's face was so pained that I just gave it everything I had so he could stop! Needless to say, my legs feel like Jello right now, but it was a great workout!

I was so excited because I got to test out my new polar ft7 heart rate monitor in my class today. I have been doing my research and this is one of the best on the market, I love that it has a chest strap to give you a more accurate reading of heart rate and calories burned. I am not a crazy person when it comes to calories, but I do like to have an idea of how many I am consuming/burning off. There are 3500 calories in just one pound of fat, so if you want to lose 1 lb a week you would have to burn 500 calories a day. This could be done with a combination of working out/cutting out calories (obviously if you are consuming 1200 calories a day, I am not telling you to eat 500 calories less...be smart about this).

If you are in need of a new song to stretch to, check out "I'm There Too" by Michelle Featherstone!

Phase 1 recap

Whoop! I finally got over that 176 plateau I was stuck at (for almost 2 weeks might I add). I have lost 8lbs since changing my eating habits and committing to a consistent exercise routine. 8lbs in 6 weeks may not seem like a lot, but for the first 4 weeks of my journey I was focusing only on strength training and no cardio. Now that I am in Phase 2 of Jamie Eason's Live Fit program I have added in 30 minutes of cardio, 4X/week. I am hoping that now I will start seeing more progress, while keeping in mind that:

"I did not gain this weight overnight, I will not lose it overnight"

This has definitely become a journey, and one that I am extremely proud of. I am subtly noticing myself getting stronger and am actually finding myself enjoying working out. Eating correctly has been a little struggle.I do not really crave things that are unhealthy, but I just have to make time to prepare my meals in advance. It is true what they say though, your body craves what you give it. If you are constantly putting empty calories into your body that is what it will want, and vice versa.

 

I am a lover of music and believe that it can really make a workout more powerful, here are a few songs I have been listening to this week:

• Mercy ~ Duffy (I love the beat of this song and it keeps me at a great pace when I run)
• Girl in the Moon ~ Everly (amazing harmonies, and great for a stretching session)

Make a change

Recently I went to Guatemala to participate in a build for Habitat for Humanity. There are so many words to describe this trip, but the word that sticks out in my mind is humbling. The worksite that I was on was in charge of building a home that was about 300 sq. ft...my duplex is bigger than that! My first thought was, "wow that is tiny," but compared to the conditions they were currently living in, it was definitely a step up. I loved getting to know each member of the family, especially the children. We come from such a greedy generation. We want more, more, more and are never fully satisfied. Yet, these children who have nothing; no iPhone or tablet to play with, no television, no car, these are some of the happiest children I have ever seen.

I have grown so much from this trip and have realized how much I complain about even though I have everything I need. I think each of us can relate to at least one of the "First World Problems" meme... I know I can! In the future I hope to be able to participate in more trips like this one, and am even planning on going back to Guatemala this summer to volunteer.

Please don't think you have to go to another country to make a difference in someone's life. There are plenty of people in your community who could benefit from your kindness. There are many things you could do: donate clothing, get involved with a Boys and Girls Club, give to your local food bank and get involved with Habitat for Humanity in your community!





 1 John 2:15-17 Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world—the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride in possessions—is not from the Father but is from the world. And the world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever.

 

Go make a difference! - XOXO, Kathie

New Beginnings

The new year always brings about a sense of hope and re-commitment to becoming healthy. Hundreds of people flock to the gym and everyone watches their calories....for the first month anyway. I have been very guilty of being this person as well, but until you decide how badly you want it, you will not follow through.

The important thing is to set realistic goals for yourself. When you put too much pressure on yourself to meet a large weight loss goal by a short period of time you are setting yourself up for failure. A healthy weight loss per week is 1-2lbs.

My health goals for 2014:

• Change my mindset about food from just eating for pleasure vs. eating for what my body needs
• Conquer my dependence on soda
• Cut my mile time down to 8 minutes (currently 11 min.)
• Cook more meals at home 
• lose 30lbs

Good luck with your resolutions!
XOXO- Kathie