Remember to keep yourself in check....if you want to

Hmm well after a fun weekend of overindulging which didn't make my head feel wonderful Sunday morning, and didn't make my scale squeel with delight this morning. It is time to have a couple good days! Well once I finally lost the weight I wanted to pick a number that if it creeped towards that number(well if it hit or surpassed it) I would get back on the bandwagon. Well this morning I was 1 pound shy of it. I was very proud of myself and didn't freak out about it or tell myself I was fat. I calmly accepted that I needed to behave;) So I ate lots of fruit and more veggies today, and had poached eggs for breakfast. I'm not sure if say I'm just retaining water and the scale will go back to where I would like it too in a day or so. We'll see, but I also feel way better when I eat healthier. I need to up my cardio too. I have actually been avoiding it! It's kind of cold and sometimes I just don't want to look like a dork in front of the neighbors. Whom I haven't met most of them and the ones I have don't seem all that intersted in me anyways. So why do I care? Well I'm not sure. I am looking into buying a spinning bike with my Christmas/bday money that I get this year. That way there is no excuse if I am watching tv I could also be exercising.

I'll take an Extra Large in the Sexy Panties....

Why do victoria secret's sexier underwear versions run so small?!? And the regular cotton ones run so big?!?! Are they saying that if we aren't teeny tiny we don't want to look sexy? I do realize that some cuts are going to fit different bodies differently, maybe I'm curvier and have a little bit of a booty:) Which I do like to be covered by my underwear.
My husband's work Christmas party is next weekend and I was searching for a bra to wear under my dress(as oppossed to on top of, lol) just kidding. Anyways I tried on all the bras I own and none of them worked. You could either see it in the front, see it on the side, or it was too big. Because we all know when you lose weight your boobs go too! I do consider myself blessed that they are still a C cup. So I hit up Victoria Secret without my dress(I'm hitting myself now) and found one that I thought was going to work perfectly. In a lovely silvery bluish gray, and then found some underwear that matched, and of course I had to buy two more pairs because it was 3 for $30:) Well I get home and discover that the bra isn't visible from the side but it is definately visible from the front. WHY?! Also discovered the underwear in a medium is way too small, even though one pair in another cut was a small and was a better fit. So I prob would need a large or extra large in the others for them to not dig in and give me not only a muffin top, but two butts as well. LOL ok so let's take this as a learning experience. Remember it is not your body, it is quite possibly the clothing that is not functioning properly! Sizes are not necessarily very accurate and definately not universal. Well I'm bringing the dress with me today and maybe I'll try those chicken cutlet thingies! I'm sure that's another story in itself:) Enjoy the rest of your weekend!

Hmm it smells like cookies in here!

With Christmas just around the corner I am well into my baking frenzy. I won't lie, I love to bake. I do like to make any changes to a recipe that I can to make it healthier. So here are some tips that I have used. Use organic if you can. Wheat flour instead of white flour, if you sift the wheat flour it becomes lighter in texture(however I'm not sure if this removes any or all of the nutrients) I have also read it's good to add more liquid when cooking with wheat, but be careful when baking because some recipes are not forgiving when you mess with them! I replace shortening or margarine with butter to remove any trans fat. Or Pumpkin and applesauce can both be used to substitute the fat(butter or oil) in a recipe. I've only tried this in cakes and breads. Both work but I preferred the results from the pumpkin. It was dense and moist. I also have added ground flaxseed in place of some of the flour. Another tip I use for cookies is that I make them pretty small so that if you want to try more than one kind you aren't blowing your entire calorie budget for the day. This year I am thinking about making some spiced nuts with some dried fruit as a healthier option to the cookies.

Relax a little bit before the weekend hits

Let's all take a moment today whether it's 30 seconds or 5 minutes. Find a quiet spot where you can be uninterupted(if possible) dim the lights, you can even light a candle. Find a comfortable position and close your eyes. Relax all the muscles in your face and work down all the way to your toes. Start focusing on nice deep breaths. On your inhale "I am happy" exhale "because I am" repeat for a few breaths and then let yourself be silent. Only letting positive thoughts in your mind, letting go of any negative ones or muscle tension, keep letting peace and happiness float in. Slowly start to wiggle your fingers and your toes and slowly open your eyes when you are ready. Enjoy the rest of your day and take time on the weekend to repeat this exercise if you feel you need it.

Holiday Interval Training

Burn more fat this holiday season with some interval training! The benefit is you don't have to maintain a high level of exertion the whole duration of your workout and you may even get better results. Go ahead and keep your workout around 30 minutes. If you have a heart rate monitor great if not you can just time your recovery. After warming up for 5-10 minutes: Pick up the pace and go all out for approx 15 seconds. Recover at a lower intensity until your heart rate returns back to 120-130 or approx 1 min 15 seconds. Repeat 10-15 times or until your 30 minutes is up allotting 3-5 minutes for a cool down. As you progress I'll add variations to this workout.

I'm dreaming of a white Christmas!

It snowed yesterday:) I was so excited, because I love snow! It's so pretty when it's white and sparkly outside. Since it is getting quite chilly outside I do need to invest in some warmer clothes, especially if I head outside for a walk or run. I recently purchased a fleece mock neck shirt and I love it! I saw a few other colors at Marshalls the other day and I just might have to go back and get them. The only thing I didn't like about it was that the neck hole was so small I had to really pull it on. So you can say good-bye to your hair-do if you had one. Have you ever had that problem? Other cold weather gear that's nice to have is something to cover up your ears! I love the wider headbands as long as they stay put. Over at athleta.com you can find them complete with a ponytail hole in the back for $19. I have never had one but I am thinking about trying one. I tend to put my ponytail a little higher. However I think the headband was designed to wear under a helmet too. Anyways it's very cute!
On another note we also put the Christmas tree up tonight and got those cute little candles to put in the windows. Starting to look festive around here:)

You Really Do Have Options!

So I want to put so many of you at ease. My friends, my clients, and probobly you too think that so many foods are bad or forbidden. Carbs are bad because of the low carb/protein diets. Fat is bad because of the low fat diets and all the food that advertises. Then there are certain foods that are just bad like pizza, pasta, potatoes, bananas, chocolate, fruit in general even! Guess what? Your body needs all three macronutrients. Carbs in all their glory, fat in all its shinyness, protein in all its buffness. You need it all to function at your very best. Yes their is good fat and bad fat, good carbs and bad carbs, and more optimal forms of protein. If it grows in the ground it's probobly good for you. The less steps from ground to your mouth the better. The less chemicals, processes, preservatives etc the better. There are healthier ways to prepare all foods. If you don't believe me leave a comment and ask me to help you out with your food item of choice.