90dayenfjslay

[90dayenfjslay]

Day 8 - It’s a Stretch

It’s been awhile since I’ve blogged--mostly this week has been uneventful in terms of the diet and exercise routine, but I wanted to check in and report on my progress.

Last week I met my goal of working out 5/7 days. Diet was fairly good--went low carb (but not carb-less), lots of protein (salmon, chicken) and veggies!

I weighed in on Saturday and hadn’t lost any weight, but I can say that overall my mood and overall self esteem has been strengthened by the discipline.

After a week of healthy and low carb I indulged in some pizza on Superbowl Sunday. It was delicious. :p But I’m becoming more in tune again with how that kind of food makes me feel--which is not ideal. I definitely feel a bit more edgy when I consume processed food.

Stretching is BLISS

In addition I have been stretching much more consistently, for ten plus minutes, after almost every workout. Unexpectedly the stretching has been a new form of bliss in addition to my workouts. 

It’s not like I’ve never stretched before, but I forgot the peace those moments of feeling and sitting inside my body in stillness can bring.

That said, today it was 65 degrees so I went on a 4 mile run outdoors. I really felt like everything would be ok. I felt that peace, beauty, and serenity deep in my soul. And--I think in large part due to the stretching and the diet--my running form and feel was SIGNIFICANTLY improved. I felt like my body was moving with much more ease than it had previously.

(Pictures from my run--complemented by Sufjan Stevens, Joni Mitchell, green grass, and lots of springy-smells of wet cedar)

For someone who enjoys moving, the ability to do so more efficiently and freely is an excellent benefit. I’m excited about it. 

Planning on more ice skating tomorrow and weight training later in the week!

[90dayenfjslay]

Day 2 - Moving Differently

Today went alright, breakfast was eggs and toast, lunch was leftovers from last night. I noticed a significant positive increase in my overall mood this morning and throughout the day. Granted, it’s a Tuesday, and Monday’s are usually rough, so it will be interesting to see if the trend continues. 

I also started my gratitude journal last night (aiming to document 10 things I’m grateful for each day) and I feel really good about it.

My job just moved to a new office, which has a gym in the basement. I’ve been foam-rolling and stretching the past two days when I’m struggling to focus, and it seems to be helping a lot. Plus I’m being reminded of the way my body positively responds to being pampered and cared for. There is an essence of gratitude in each slow movement.

Moving Differently

When I told Juan that I’d been feeling down, he actually suggested we go ice skating. I actually love skating so much, I took lessons a few years ago--but I was training for long-distance running, and the pressure on my knees made it hard to do both.

Anyway, I loved it, as usual. Even though the Zamboni hadn’t come through in hours and the ice was a bit bumpy, the way gliding quickly on the ice makes me feel in the cold air does bring me joy like few other things do.

Even though my heart is heavier than usual, I’m grateful that I’m able to do the things I love, and be free. Embracing the process feels good. I don’t need to feel better by a specific date, but, still, I’m trying to embrace the good moments as they come along with the rough ones.  

#90 day challenge #90dayblogilateschallenge #blogilates #fitness #health #healthyliving #leadwithyourheart

[90dayenfjslay]

Day 1 - There Were Easy & Hard Parts

Started my 90 day challenge TODAY! I would like to say it started with a bang, but I would say it was more of a fade in. My foggy-headed self with some kind of nasty sinus virus has been struggling to wake up in the mornings. And on top of it I’ve been feeling SAD. Seasonally sad. Sunlight is limited this time of year, but it seems to have been particularly minimal as of late.

Morning

I woke up and cooked breakfast, two eggs and a piece of wheat toast. Not really following the Blogilates diet to a t--I kept the yolks in the eggs for the health and energy benefits (egg yolks have b-vitamins galore). I usually feel energetic and much less ravenous when I have a hearty breakfast. Breakfast was easy. Journaling was hard.

Getting myself to sit down and meditate in the rush of the morning is proving to be the most challenging part so far. I did manage to read a few pages of a book as I ate breakfast.

I find that the most difficult thing with eating for me is frequency. Between breakfast and lunch I had a sugar free  Keto+ Hawaiian Protein Cookie (see here https://cookieplusprotein.com/products/keto-hawaiian).

Lunch/Workout

For lunch I had a yummy Miso Kale Salad from sweetgreen, loaded with root veggies (pictured below). 

My Workout (1 HR)

30 minutes of jogging 10 minutes walking 15 minutes of ab strength training exercises 5 minutes stretching. 

For abs I did three sets of-- 20 Regular crunches 20 Raised-leg crunches 10 Reverse crunches 20 toe-touches. I always struggle most with core workouts because they engage the entire body, which is of course why they are awesome prep muscle exercises for any sport.

Dinner

Eating healthy can be hard, but I cheat in small ways to make it more bearable. Today for dinner Juan and I had chopped chicken stir-fry with broccoli and carrots with a few tablespoons of Trader Joe’s Soyaki sauce. PRO-TIP. Soyaki sauce is amazing. 

I think true exercise buffs would probably say no-no (it’s basically sugar and salt), but a little goes a long way and adds a lot of flavor and interest to otherwise bland chicken and veggies. But hey, sustainability is key!

Last thing on my list is my gratitude journal which I plan to start tonight! And more water, I definitely need to drink more water.

The exercise and the food are challenging but not the hardest part for me--it’s the inner work that requires the strength and habit-building for me, so if I can do better at that AND feel better overall I will definitely consider this 90 days a success.

#day1 #90 day challenge #90dayfitness #90dayblogilateschallenge #fitness #healthylifestyle #healthyeating #healthyeatingtips

[90dayenfjslay]

Weigh In/Pics

Trigger Warning: Weight Loss - Numbers/Pics

Had to wait until this morning to do my body-fat percentage to make sure the numbers were accurate. Not going to lie I was not worried about the body fat percentage but I did NOT want to look at that scale!

Numbers when it come to weight loss are complicated--as human bodies vary immensely due to bone structure, and how and where we hold our weight. In a healthy way, they should be used to give yourself a benchmark to where you are at (especially body fat). 

Skin Fold Test

My boyfriend gave me a skin-fold test, using a caliper (you can get these from Amazon or GNC) and inputted the numbers at online here, which calculated my body fat percentage.

Currently I am 18.63% body fat which is in the lean category (as shown in the body-fat percentage below). That said, you may be surprised to know that I am also 133 pounds, which would be considered healthy/average 22.1 BMI on my 5″5 frame. I personally think the skin-fold test is a better barometer of health than BMI.

So my starting numbers (for reference).

18.63% Body Fat 133 Pounds

Measurements (Inches) Calves: 13 3/4  Quads:19 Glutes: 39 Waist: 31 Abdominal: 26 Chest: 31  Shoulders: 36 Arms: 10 3/4 Neck 12 3/4

My goals for the 90 day challenge are to lose 5-7 pounds and about 1% body fat

First picture below--was hard to take, but that just means the final photo will be even better! 

90 days starts tomorrow and will run through April 25

I’ve actually been feeling under the weather for the past week so I plan to officially start the challenge tomorrow now that I have my benchmarks. So today I will be resting and feasting on strawberry waffles (my kryptonite) in celebration of this new journey! 

Feeling a little nervous, but excited to kick my butt into gear and start the new year off right.

#fitnesschallenge #90 day challenge #90dayfitness #blogilates90daychallenge #blogilates #fitness #healthyliving

[90dayenfjslay]

90 Day SLAY/Wellness Challenge

I was watching Cassie Ho, the fitness guru/developer of Blogilates on a video yesterday talk about her 90 day personal transformation journey toward elevating her physical and mental health, and man oh man I was inspired.

I don’t usually ascribe to short-term fixes or fitness fad dieting, but something about the way she described it seemed to be less results-oriented and more process oriented (although results are important to an extent), her process was intended to bring her back into congruence with her true self, physically AND mentally. 

That said, I figured, what the heck--what’s 90 days when it comes to refocusing and realigning my goals regarding my mental and physical well-being. 

So this is what I’m thinking:

For Diet

I plan to use the Blogilates diet plan, and adjust to suit my particular body needs (as a runner, I tend to need a decent amount of protein and some carbs.) The meal plan is here: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/10gF6aRy1reUdnc4JUzWE2Df7n4wF7Iu_kht9L7TDJCQ/edit?hl=en_US&hl=en_US#gid=3

For Exercise

I intend to amp up my ordinary routine. I usually do cardio 2-3x a week and some lackluster weights. I plan to up my routine to 5 days a week, maintaining the cardio (making sure to stretch!) and adding dedicated strength, and or HIIT training 2-3 days a week. Tomorrow morning I will be weighing in/taking measurements and setting intention for body fat and weight goals. 

For Mental Health

I’d been struggling to commit to a better mental wellness routine so I’m taking this opportunity to throw that in the mix. I wanted to keep it simple so I don’t overwhelm myself. Each night I plan on committing to writing 10 things I’m grateful for in a gratitude journal to start, and doing one prayer devotional every morning.

I want to add meditation in but I’m trying to take things slow. I feel like the worst thing you can do is try to take on TOO much and end up feeling like you can’t handle it. So I’m committing to a trial and error approach.

Other Things

The Blogilates 90-Day Plan has a few other stipulations that I feel are good wisdom so I plan on working those in: 

1. You must drink 3-4L of water EVERY DAY. 2. You will eat every 2-3 hours throughout the day.

The full Blogilates plan is here: https://www.blogilates.com/blogilates-90-day-challenge-meal-plan-workout-calendar/

I will be adhering to it for the most part, with my own workout variations!

Tomorrow I will be doing a weigh in/measure in (with photos) to get a sense of where I’d like to be at the end of 90 days--stay tuned!! 

#blogilates #90 day challenge #90dayfitness #blogilates90daychallenge #90daywellnesschallenge