Lone Yogi...

I made it to my 6:30 am power yoga class, but....seems no one else made it out of bed this morning! I was the only one there to take the class! I felt a bit weird at first, but it ended up being great because the instructor was able to assist me in correcting my moves and help me to align properly. It was like having my own private yoga session:)

I think I may be a little obsessed with power yoga...I practiced on Saturday, Sunday, Monday and today...and I am signed up for a class tomorrow:/ The owner of the studio is having a holiday workshop in December and is giving prizes to the 3 people who have practiced the most since September. She told me that I was up there....and I've only been going there since October! Maybe I should take a day off...I think my shoulders are needing some time off:) It would be pretty great to get a prize tho;)

I'm actually pretty excited for the holiday workshop...it starts with a 2 hour power flow class and then they are providing wine and food and raffling off class packages, yogi toes, and Lulu gear. Then Lululemon will be holding a trunk show at the studio...I guess last year they offered 30% off (have I mentioned my obsession with their clothing!) I hope they bring all sizes though...watch them bring all this great stuff for a discount and it's all size 2! That would be my luck:)

My plan for the evening was to do some strength training, but my muscles are pretty tired, so I may take the night off. We had a Thanksgiving dinner last Sunday with some family, so we are planning to use the stock we made from the bones and some of the meat to make a turkey soup tonight...yum! My boyfriend surprised me with homemade risotto with some of the leftover turkey and veggies last night...it was divine! (He is a phenomenal cook!) I will have to start putting up photos of food and such;)

Weekly Progress and Goals

Last week was pretty great. I ate out twice for dinner over the weekend, but only splurged the second night...at a local Mexican restaurant. I feel like it is pretty easy to order healthy Mexican cuisine, however, when they set that basket of death (read: free chips and the most delicious salsa ever!) in front of you right when you sit down...it is so hard to crawl back out! I ended up ordering chicken stuffed with a pepper and queso, but what I didn't notice was that it was going to come fried. I had a moment of panic when she set my plate down, but then decided to just let it be my splurge for the week. We split an appetizer and I didn't drink, so it turned out ok! As for my goals update...

WORKOUTS
Monday: Intervals and strength training - 6 am: Done! I ended up doing this workout after work.
Tuesday: Power Hour - 6:30 am: Done!
Wednesday: Intervals and strength training - 5:30 pm: Had a killer headache, but made up on Thursday after work
Thursday: Power Hour - 6:30 am - Done + Wednesday's workout
Friday: Jog 3 miles @ work - 4 pm (may take this day off) - took the day off!
Saturday: Run 30 minutes + Power Vinyasa - 9 am - Done!
Sunday: Yoga - 9:30 am - Done!

I only got to a little over 8 miles for the week, so that is something I will have to keep in check. I did 2 early morning workouts rather than the three I planned...another thing to continue working on.

FOOD GOALS
1. Track everyday and stay within calorie range - I tracked everyday, but was a little over on Sunday (Thanksgiving with some family)
2. One dinner out per week - had 2 dinners out on Friday and Saturday
3. 2 alcoholic drinks per week - Done! 2 glasses of red wine on Sunday
4. limit added sugar/unhealthy fats to 200 calories - Over on Saturday and Sunday:(

I think I need to work on limiting added sugar and fats during the weekends...it is going to be especially hard this coming weekend with the holiday:/

WORKOUTS FOR THIS WEEK:
Monday: Run 2 miles 3 pm, Power Vinyasa 6 pm
Tuesday: Power Hour 6:30 am, ST 5:30 pm
Wednesday: Run 3 miles, Power Vinyasa 9:30am
Thursday: off
Friday: Run 3 miles + ST 9 am
Saturday: off
Sunday: Yoga 4 pm

I am hoping to get one workout while I am out of town Thursday- Saturday..I think I can do it:)

I already ran 3.5 miles during work today, so I am off to a good start! I am noticing so much improvement in running and yoga, that I am starting to get excited each time I get to do it!

Avoiding Free Pizza

Yes, we had boxes and boxes of yummy, cheesy, free pizza today at work....aaaaaand I successfully avoided it! It was pretty tough with the glorious smell of pizza in my face, but I knew I had a delicious healthy lunch waiting for me. I had a side salad of arugula, spinach, cherry tomatoes and balsamic and made a sandwich on the foreman with whole wheat bread and this egg white salad that I bought at Treader Joe's this week. SO GOOD! I felt so much better than I would have eating a couple slices of greasy pizza.

I skipped my workout last night:(

I was feeling very headachey and tired so I went to bed early and got up for my morning yoga class. It was wonderful and I felt really good during the class. I plan to make up my missed workout tonight...so after work I'll be hitting the apartment gym for some speed intervals and strength training. I feel kind of blah right now, but I'm planing to just push through and get the workout done!

On a more exciting note...I made a couple of New Years Resolutions! I am planning a 5K with a friend who lives in NYC and one with my sister when she comes to visit me! We are going to train on our own since we all live in different states and then pick a couple of races to register for. I am also trying to get the boyfriend to sign up for one with me too...that would be 3 races for 2010:)

Rain or Shine...

The forecast this week is rain...EVERY day! This is my first winter living in Seattle, so I am hoping to be able to embrace the rain soon, but coming from sunny California makes it pretty tough!

I have been taking note of how I feel and my progress on runs outside vs. on the treadmill. When I first started running, I was a bit afraid to run outside, I think because people would see me and judge me, etc, etc...! There are A LOT of fit people in the Pacific Northwest and I felt like I would be a slow poke compared to them.

So lately, I have been going outside for one of my runs per week. It doesn't even compare to the treadmill...I feel so slow, like I'm not going anywhere...which, I'm not really I guess! The runs outside feel so much better and I even have a faster pace. So I think I've conquered that fear, but now...what to do with all this rain we've been having. I suppose I should embrace the rain and just take my runs outside anyway.

So a new mini-goal...rain or shine, I am going to run outside this Saturday before my yoga class and report back. Next obstacle will be running in the dark...scary!

I Made It!

I made it to my 6:30 am Pour Hour yoga class and it was glorious! I even woke up before my alarm...I guess some days are just better than others.

So with all my free time tonight, I am going to get some extra work done, spend a little time on the elliptical for an easy cardio workout, cook dinner with my boyfriend and watch the Office!!

On the menu tonight is homemade chicken and dumpling soup. The boyfriend roasted a chicken last night and made some stock out of it, so I am looking forward to using that in a yummy soup tonight. I am thinking about stealing this desert recipe from The Lindz...it looks so amazing!

I am participating in the Motivational Match-ups that Jen and Mizfit put together and have been matched up with a gal who is originally close to my hometown in Michigan...pretty cool (Hi Nicole!!) We've been talking about a plan to motivate each other and came up with sending each other our workout schedule for the week on Sunday night and texting each other motivational messages prior to the workout. I am hoping that we can pump each other up to have an awesome workout! We are also going to set a goal to complete in one month (by December 6). Aaaand...we're going to send I-tunes gift cards to each other for making our goal:) I think that is great motivation...I need a new playlist!!

So...my next task is to come up with a good goal. I'm indifferent about making a weight goal (I don't even have a scale!!!), so I am thinking of a few options to pick from. I may set a number of morning workouts I have to complete (Which would be super challenging for me!) or some kind of Jeans size goal. I will be back with what I decide tomorrow!

Planning Workouts

I had my alarm set once again for 6 am with the intention of running intervals and strength training before work. Did I wake up? yes...did I get up? yes...did I put my workout clothes on?...no! I decided I would crawl back into the warm cozy bed for another hour! Yesterday I was signed up to go to my morning power hour and hit the "off" instead of "snooze". I was sad, but was able to make up the class in the evening.

I really need to get motivation for this whole morning workout thing! I just think my day would be so much better. I wouldn't have to take two showers and I could read or cook a more extensive meal after work. I have the most desire to workout during the afternoon around about 2 pm. I would do that if i had a light day at work, but I feel like I need to be available in the afternoons at work. Also, I'm not sure how to go about getting all sweaty and then returning to work (no showers in the office). Does anyone else do this...any tips?

I figure I am going to try and look at morning workouts as prioritizing myself first thing, and then getting on with the rest of my day. I signed up for yoga tomorrow morning and am hoping to report back that I made it!

Breakfast Routine

I've been playing around lately with what I eat for breakfast. For about 4 months, I was regularly eating about a cup of Fiber One mini wheats and milk or multigrain cheerios with a banana and milk for my breakfast. I got really sick of cereal and I would get hungry again a couple of hours later.

This month I've been experimenting with an oatmeal-based (which seems to be what a lot of you are eating out there!) or an egg/veggie/english muffin based breakfast. With both of these choices I've noticed that I stay full up until lunchtime (or approximately 4 hours after breakfast) and there is a lot less mindless snacking going on!

My normal routine calls for about a 400 cal breakfast, 300-400 calorie lunch, 200 calorie afternoon snack and a 500 calorie dinner (+/- 100-150 for a nighttime snack)

Yesterday, however, I was in a hurry and had a cup and a half of Kashi Honey Sunshine and milk, which only came to about 230 calories. I didn't last too long and by 10 I had an apple, 12:30 my lunch (which was lower-cal than I usually eat at 280 calories) and 2:30 my yogurt. While eating my yogurt I noticed it tasted a bit "off" and saw the expiration was 10 days ago...YUCK! So that gave me an excuse to get a nonfat cappucino and raspberry oat bar from the local coffee shop across from my office. Maybe not the best choice, but I had been ravenous all day and that really hit the spot and I only had half the bar (WAY to sugary!)

I really believe that having a satisfying breakfast really sets the tone for my day and today I was back on track with a half-cup of dry oats cooked in milk with a smashed banana, canned pumpkin, a drizzle of honey and cinnamon. It was delicious!

Weekly Progress

This weekend was full of rain and gray skies...I guess I'd better get used to it living in Seattle:) So my plan for outdoor workouts didn't come through. I'm wondering if I should just suck it up and buy some rain gear for running in the winter...?

I did make it to a power vinyasa class on Saturday, which was AMAZING! The instructor chose to play some upbeat music during the more intense flow portion of the class and it really energized me to keep moving! I am happy to say that I am getting closer to my yoga goal of practicing the updog in instead of cobra during vinyasas. I practiced updog about 1/3 of the time during my class Saturday:)

My boyfriend and I celebrated our 2-year anniversary on Saturday with a nice dinner out at one of Tom Douglas' restaurants here in Seattle. I did ok with my food choices (bread basket: one piece with olive oil/balsamic, appetizer: split a half dozen oysters and a mushroom & tomato sauce dish, entree: halibut with lentils, desert: split a piece of coconut creme pie), but not so much with wine! I had a glass while waiting for a table and then we split a bottle at dinner. I went way over my 2 drinks per week, so that is something I will work on in the coming weeks!

So...all that wine=very tired Gina all day Sunday. I kept my calories pretty low, but I took the day off from working out and did some reading and relaxing.

November Fitness Goals - Week 1
1. Power Yoga 3x per week - I attended power yoga Tue, Wed, Thu, & Sat!
2. Run 10 miles per week - I got to 8 miles this week
3. Strength Train 2x per week - I did one day of ST (i kind of want to count all the power yoga, thoughts?)
4. Maintain a 10 min/mile for 3 miles - Still working toward this goal
5. Improve from cobra to updog during vinyasas - Making progress

November Food Goals:
1. Track everyday and stay within calorie range - I tracked everyday, but was out of range on Saturday (all the wine...oops!)
2. One dinner out per week - Only had dinner out on Sat, but had lunch out on Sat and Sun. I'm think about doing one meal out next month.
3. 2 alcoholic drinks per week - One drink on Friday, 3.5 drinks on Saturday
4. limit added sugar/unhealthy fats to 200 calories - Went over on Saturday

Overall, I think I am making great progress toward my goals and posting my progress really makes me want to do better this week! I am going to focus more on keeping the drinks and added sugars down and getting all my planned workouts in this week.

Do One Thing A Day That Scares You...

I LOVE Lululemon's motto...and today I did just that.

I didn't have time for a morning workout so I brought my clothes with me to work with the intention of going for a run sometime during the afternoon. I fought my internal battle all day leading up to 4 pm. Should I just get over my fears and go, or do I take it to the treadmill after work.

Whenever I do something new with fitness I get super nervous beforehand, whether it be a new class, a new route, a new activity, running outdoors, etc. So I searched some blogs that I follow for inspiration and found this one on Glamour by Margarita a couple days ago. I don't know if anyone followed her journey last year, but she was incredibly inspirational. She mentioned that her clothes are starting to get tight and confessed how she has gotten back to that uncomfortable feeling and why she needs to get back on track.

This hit me hard, because I am in that same boat and after reading through all the posts, I found the energy and courage to go change my clothes and head out of the office. I went on a great 3.7 mile run with a few hills and it felt wonderful!

I think this running outside thing may be for me after all:)

Morning Yoga...

Oh how I love thee!!!

My favorite yoga studio (Mountain Flow in Madison Park for anyone in Seattle) started offering a 6:30 am Power Hour on Tuesday's and Thursday's. I went on Tuesday and I wasn't so sure about the whole morning thing. My body was tight and I couldn't get as deep a stretch as I can in the evenings...plus all I could think about was going back to bed:( I got through the class and felt AMAZING the rest of my day...I even had enough energy to do some jogging and strength training after work!

So, of course I went again this morning! I felt a lot better this time around. *I got up and did an early workout yesterday morning as well, so I am hoping to train myself to switch my workouts to the mornings. It is just a matter of getting out of bed and getting my body used to moving first thing.* I worked up a great sweat...the room is heated to 80-85 degrees, which I love! I swear it warms my muscles up faster and I can get a much better stretch (plus dripping sweat makes me feel like I got a better workout in...and a little hardcore!).

Last night, I took a Restorative Yoga class, which includes about 55-60 minutes of power yoga and 15-20 minutes of restorative poses. I love the restorative poses, I always feel so great and really get good sleep after those classes.

After yoga, I went to this cute local market across the street and picked up some salmon, sweet potato and brussels sprouts. I roasted the potato and sprouts in olive oil, rosemary, thyme, salt and pepper. I broiled the salmon with a little honey, coarse mustard and wheat germ as topping. Sadly I got distracted on my computer and ended up overcooking the fish and burning the sprouts (left the sprouts in the oven during the broiling process...oops!). I sort of saved the sprouts by pealing off the burned layer, but the fish wasn't so lucky. Only about half of it was edible:( Oh well...I was so "zen" at that point (and starving) that it didn't mater!

I don't have any workouts scheduled for tonight, but I am planning to get back into the gym for some running and strength training tomorrow morning before work.

Relying on the Treadmill

I went to bed last night with the intention of waking up for a morning workout. My alarm went off at 6 am and by 6:30 I was out of bed and headed to my apartment complexes gym. Now, the gym only has 2 treadmills and I am always nervous that they will be in use when I get there. Some of you may ask..."why don't you just go outside for a run?" But the truth is, It is out of my comfort zone and I will have a separate post about that!

So I get down to the gym and BOTH treadmills are in use! The one girl had a pretty good run going, but the dude with her was reading a book while walking very slowly! Does this anger anyone else when you see this? I was angry. I had my mind set on the treadmill and felt that he was preventing me from my run.

I decided to use the elliptical and when they left 12 minutes into my workout, I finished the last 18 minutes on the treadmill and felt pretty good. I wanted to do more, but had to get ready for work. Maybe I will take it outside next time that happens....if I can get over my fear:)

First Day of School...

Welcome to my Blog!!!

I feel like it's my first day of school. I'm very excited and nervous to write my first post. There are so many inspiring blogs out there and I hope that my journey can inspire someone as so many of you have kept me motivated over the past year to stay on the right track to a healthy lifestyle.

After an initial weight loss of 35 lbs through diet and exercise, I have been maintaining the same weight of 165 lbs for over a year now and would like to break the plateau and get down to 150. I plan to use this blog to track my progress, so I would like to start by setting some goals!

Ultimate Goals:
1. Lose 15 pounds by April 2010
2. Run a 5K and 10K in 2010

November Fitness Goals:
1. Power Yoga 3x per week
2. Run 10 miles per week
3. Strength Train 2x per week
4. Maintain a 10 min/mile for 3 miles
5. Improve from cobra to updog during vinyasas

November Food Goals:
1. Track everyday and stay within calorie range
2. One dinner out per week
3. 2 alcoholic drinks per week
4. limit added sugar/unhealthy fats to 200 calories

I had a pretty great day on the health front today. I stayed within my calorie range and got in a great workout! I started out the day with a hour of power yoga and after work I jogged on the treadmill for 30 minutes (2.5 miles) and did about 15 minutes of circuit training with 5 and 10 lb free weights.

I am really happy with my meals today:

Breakfast: Finessista breakfast cookie
Lunch: Spinach and arugula salad with walnuts, goat cheese, tomatoes, dried cranberries, balsamic and a piece of cornbread
Snack: Cottage cheese and grapes
Dinner: Chicken & pepper quesadilla with salad and guac

I am planning to jog 30 minutes in the morning with a plank workout. I also signed up for Restorative Yoga at 6 pm (LOVE that class!!!).