Girls Love Shoes

I have been needing shoes for months now...too many months now! And with this purchase, I wanted to get properly "fitted" again. I think it is very important to get your running/walking shoes fitted when you can. Unfortunately, I don't have a local running store that does shoe fitting, and haven't been fitted for shoes since 2010 when I first started running 5ks.
I am on an overnight business trip and decided to check in to running stores while I was in a bigger city. After a bit of web browsing, I discovered there was a running store a couple of miles from my hotel. After check-in, I headed over to see what brands they sold and what type of evaluations they did. I was so impressed with Montgomery Multisport! The awesome guy that helped me went above and beyond to make sure I was happy with my shoes. He started by asking questions about my current workouts and goals for the future. Then he measured my feet, did a digital foot analysis to measure my arches, and  watched me run on a treadmill (and gave me a few pointers on form). After all that the real fun started.  I got to try on a ton of shoes!  Seriously, he just kept pulling out shoes for me to try by walking around the store and jogging on the treadmill. I think I tried on at least 10 different pairs of shoes. It was a tough decision, but I chose......(drum roll please...)

The Mizuno Wave Enigma 2!! And I love them!
If you haven't been fitted for shoes, I encourage you to do it! So worth it!

Finding My Spark

I have always adored Shannon. Honestly, her blog is what motivated me to start my little blog several years ago (after stalking hers for many, many months). And when I finished my first 5k, she was my first person to msg. I was so excited, and I knew she was sharing my excitement all the way from Alabama to Utah.  And even though both of us have been away from "blogland" for awhile, we have kept in contact though Facebook.  I always love seeing little comments from her. Through thick and thin, she has been an inspiration to me!
Earlier this week, Shannon put out an all call to her friends and former blog buddies for us to make a comeback and be the community of supporters we once were. I wanted in on this! I do my best work when I have support from the blog community. But, when I would open my blogger window, it would sit blank. I didn't know what to say or what to share. (A secret, I feel this way quite often...I love reading blogs...and have never stopped reading what is going on with you guys for more than a week or so at a time...but often I feel what I have to share isn't very exciting or "read-worthy.") I sent Shannon a msg yesterday explaining to her that I was having trouble jump-starting my old blog. She was as encouraging as always. And shared this picture that had been shared with her. I love it!

So guys, I am here again!
I am up 7 pounds during the holidays, and a total of 15. My plan is to erase those 15 first, and then try to lose 30 more bringing me back to my  "happy early 20s weight." HAHA  Guess what? I will be 33 next month!

I also want to focus on running again. I only did two 5k events last year, and I want that number to increase again! Few things  feel as good as crossing that finish line feeling strong, and I want that feeling over and over again in 2013. Last year, I got really discouraged after the weekday evening Zumba classes at my gym got cancelled. I jumped from one activity to the next trying to find something I enjoyed as much. But now I am turning back to walking/running and Zumba will be my "dessert" on the weekends. There is a Zumba Studio that I will go to on Saturday mornings. It will be my reward for hard workouts during the week. The Zumba Studio has always been an option, and I have attended several classes there, but always felt guilty about spending the extra money on Zumba and having my gym membership. But I know there are other places I can cut back, and $5 a week for a Saturday morning Zumba class won't break me! Plus I know that I will love it and look forward to it!

Thank you guys for the support over the years. I appreciate it more than you know, and I am looking forward to feeling that support again!

Monday Monday a fresh slate!

I had a really great week last week. I had awesome workouts Monday-Friday including 2 zumba classes, 2 count down workouts, more cardio and some WEIGHTS! I am really trying to get in the habit of including weights in my weekly workouts, but I need to do better!!! I have printed out some exercises to do with the weighted bars, and will go from there. How do you make weights a part of your routine?

Now it is Monday and we have a fresh slate. I can be proud of the workouts I had last week, but I have to keep moving and have even better workouts this week.

In other new, the scale still hasn't changed. I have had 3 weeks of killer workouts that I am so proud of, and when I step on the scale and see no change, or a gain it is hard not to feel down. I have also been tracking my food very carefully...I so want to see a change!!! I just have to keep going!

Count Down Workout

I am always looking for ways to spice up my gym time and last night I had fun doing a "Count Down" workout. It looked like this...

12 minutes on upright bike
10 minutes on Incline Trainer  (this machine KILLS me...always has!)
8 minutes on upright bike
6 minutes on Incline Trainer
4 minutes upright bike
2 minutes on Incline Trainer

I didn't start the 12 minutes on the upright bike until I was at my target heart rate. I finished in about 45 mins which included the time to change machines (they were next to each other) and hit that initial THR.

I cooled down with about 5 minutes on the treadmill.

And according to my HR monitor I burned about 700 calories!

I will definitely be doing this again!

I also bit the bullet Monday and drove to the sister gym in the next town to get in a Zumba class. I MISS ZUMBA. I will do this atleast once a week, but I hate the longer drive home at night!

The Good and the Bad...a Binge Confession

Today has been a really good day. Food was very good! And an amazing sweaty workout this evening. Ooh and that stretching after the treadmill hurt soo good :) Wish they could all be this easy!

Friday was a different story!!! Friday I had a conference a day trip from home. The morning started out great. I packed my breakfast to eat in the car. I knew that my conference included a "lunch and learn" with lunch provided, but there was no mention of what the menu would be. I usually allow a cheat item per week and had decided that I would allow a cheat meal so that I could eat whatever was served and forget any guilt. Since January, I have tried to be very carb conscious. This lunch KILLED ME. A deli sandwich, pasta salad, and brownie. EEK! I ate my sandwich and pasta salad and took a bite of the brownie and wrapped it up. At this point, I should have tossed the brownie, but I put it in my purse. After the conference, I got a text from T that he was helping a buddy move and would grab dinner on his own. WHAT WOULD MY DINNER BE? I had no plan. I started tossing ideas around. My first thought was sushi. I LOVE sushi, but T hates it. But then I thought about the carbs and decided I should have passed. I so should have just got the sushi, because I could not find anything to subside that craving. Friday night I had more PB that I have had in months, pretzels, popcorn, and a spoonful of chocolate frosting. When the frosting went into my mouth, my senses came back to me. WHAT HAD I DONE? HOW MANY CARBS WAS THAT? I threw out the frosting! (I had bought it to make a cake for a friend.) BINGE!!! My first in months. I was so frustrated with myself. But I allowed Saturday to be a new day instead of extending the binge as I have done in the past. The rest of the weekend I was back in control. And for that I am thankful!

Three Things Thursday

1. This has been a great week at the gym! My friend and co-worker, Jaimee, has joined my twice this week! Isn't it nice to have a gym buddy? I feel like the time flies by with her there! And it is nice to have someone to help motivate you, too! She was at the gym when I completed the pinterest workout on Monday, and it was nice to know there was someone there to pick me up if I were to fly off the treadmill. LOL :)

2. The tunes on my ipod are worn out! I am so over them. It is time to mix it up! What is on your playlist currently?

3. I have a day conference tomorrow out of town. I am thinking about heading to Fleet Feet for some new shoes after the conference ends. It has been over two years since I have ran in "fitted" shoes and my current shoes are about to their mileage limit.  Hmmmm....the answer would be so easy if I had a few more dollars in my bank account :) haha

Pasta Substitute

Do you guys like broccoli slaw? I had heard about it around the blogs, and bought some several months ago. I added it to my salad and HATED it! YUCK! It just wasn't my thing.I thought my days with broccoli slaw were over.

Hubby has been wanting me to make spaghetti for two weeks, but pasta is one of my trigger foods. I lose all control when it comes to pasta. There is no moderation for me...I always want More, More, More!!!! I needed a pasta substitute! I have posted before about spaghetti squash, and it is okay, but I needed something a bit quicker ( I don't like the spaghetti squash in the microwave.)

I hit the store following my workout this afternoon to pick up a small pack of spaghetti. My plan was to make noodles for him and have my sauce over broccoli. I was in the produce area picking up some bell peppers when I got the idea to try sauteing the broccoli slaw and using it as a pasta substitute. IT WAS PERFECT!!! Have you guys tried this before?!?  I googled sauteed broccoli slaw after dinner and found several recipes similar  to the way I prepared it (cooked with a bit of olive oil and garlic). I also added a bit of shredded cheese on top stirred in with my marinara sauce and it was a perfect meal :)