jumping back on the bandwagon

I'm going to be the first to admit that it is soo easy to not worry about exercise and weight loss. It's so unbelievably easy to find excuses.
I was looking forward to this Burlington Girls Biggest Loser this afternoon - we were going to go for a run or walk or hike and then make smoothies together. Well everything kinda fell through and people bailed .. most for completely understandable reasons. However Corrie and I were the only ones that still had planned to attend this afternoon event.
Then both of us came up with excuses .. Corrie had lesson planing to do and things to buy for her art lesson and I had other excuses too .. including the fact I was exhausted, had a sore throat and realized reports were due in a week! We went back and forth all morning as to whether we were going to do it and finally decided we were both too busy (yep heard that one before).

Then I'm back from a full morning of grad school, eating my lunch just about to settle down with my report cards. Cell phone rings ... guess who it is ? .. Corrie .. she says "I'm just leaving the dollar store and I'm coming over. I'm in my work-out gear. We can't give excuses anymore!" ...I was quite taken back as she was dead serious. I'm very proud that Corrie did this .. especially because she find excuses just as often as I do haha

I also had to return my library books to the library so off we went .. Doing week 4 of the program which includes A LOT of running and we took the 3.6 km route to the library. The half hour program got us to the library. On the way back we took a short cut which we guessed was at least 2.4km. All in all I can confidently and proudly say we did a walk/run combo of 6km today...damn right! "Boom goes the dynamite" as Nick would say.

Feeling good and hope this motivation lasts. 3 weeks until we weigh in for the Burlington Biggest Loser challenge!

In honour of Corrie as my main source of inspiration today to get moving I have attached a picture from the cancer walk a few years ago when we both walked in honour of important people in our lives who had passed away from cancer. This experience also involved exercising together where we were both involved in 12 hours of walking - overnight! ... another moment where we motivated and helped each other.

wow apparently I disappeared for awhile?

So my lovely EA Toni had mentioned to me that she checked my blog and I haven't updated it. Corrie noticed too and so did Nick ... so people are noticing. Do I have people that may look at it and follow? I HOPE SO!. So maybe this means I need to get my ass back in gear and do some updates!

I'm not feeling great lately about my work-out routine going to crap (maybe part of the reason I haven't been inspired to blog). It is because of late night at work with report card comments and IEPS. However I can't use that as an excuse because that's life. Life can always get into the way of a healthy lifestyle, but it's not okay to use it as an excuse. I haven't been eating too badly ... but the exercise slowing down is what has put a damper on my goals.

I'm having a Burlington girls Biggest Loser reunion walk/run and smoothie making for a few hours on Sunday which I think will help bring up the motivation level because right now I just feel warn out, stressed with grad school and stressed with work. Basically there is always something else that needs to be done so I feel inclined to head home and work on it instead of go to the gym.

Anyways enough whining from me ... I should be celebrating ..I have lost 13.6 pounds so far ... yay! and ... I went to get a massage today ... and my massage therapist as she was massaging my back said that it looks like I have lost weight.... lol it was endearing yet creepy all at the same time ... but then I realized if anybody should notice it's the person that sees my whole body naked once a month ... lol

Here's to another month of more weight loss, lots of exercise .. healthy eating .. and another end of the month massage where my weight loss is noticeable? ha ha ....weird.....

Canadian Living and Katie Gougeon say it all!

Awesome article written by my cousin Katie for Canadian Living.... LOVE IT! Great tips! I think the last one on the list is so important. Sometimes we give ourselves excuses for eating unhealthy foods (well I went to the gym or I'm going to the gym so it's okay ...) I'm definitely guilty of that.

 Can also be read at: Amazing tips for maintaining a healthy diet while getting fitA busy fitness schedule can set your hunger ablaze. Discover proven ways to stay fuelled up before, after and during your workout.

Amazing tips for maintaining a healthy diet while getting fitA busy fitness schedule can set your hunger ablaze. Discover proven ways to stay fuelled up before, after and during your workout.

By Katie Gougeon

Do: Drink chocolate milk. It gets to your bloodstream immediately, unlike a nutritious meal that needs to be both prepared and digested, and it's undeniably delicious! It replaces the sodium lost through sweating, and it's chockfull of amino acids, which are essential for repairing damaged muscle tissue. If you're concerned about calories, you can dilute chocolate milk or substitute it with skim to reduce your sugar intake, and if you're lactose intolerant or vegan, opt for soy milk.

Don't: Bother with protein powder. "Powders absolutely aren't necessary. It's a synthetic food, and if you're consuming enough calories, you can get plenty of protein from a variety of sources, which has proven to be better for your muscles," Guest says. Also, your body doesn't register liquid calories well, so you'll be left feeling hungry if you drink a powder mixed with water or juice.

Do: Eat real food. After guzzling some brown cow, you still have to get a well-rounded snack or meal in you within two hours of dropping the dumbbells. "I'm a big fan of smoothies," Guest says. "You can get some good fats in there with flaxseed or olive oil, and it's a great way to get a good dose of fruit, antioxidants in berries, and calcium and sodium in the milk products." She also recommends egg whites as a pure, fat-free, carb-free source of protein – they're terrifically convenient when pasteurized and packaged in a carton.

Don't: Blow it! Burning an excess of calories gives many people a sense of entitlement when poring over a menu or wandering the dessert aisle at the supermarket. Just because you're coming under your calorie count, doesn't mean your side of fries isn't disastrously high in sodium, or your slice of pie isn't brimming with trans fats - causing far greater damage than an added belt notch or two. Remember that making the right food choices will only get you to your goal faster.