Food & Fitness & Updates Galore!

Hello everyone!! I hope everyone had a wonderful weekend. I can't believe Monday is upon us yet again. Last week was a challenging one for me. But God gave me the strength to pull through. Work was stressful and I was so happy to recharge this past weekend. And now I'm so ready to take on this new week!! I did a lot of meal prep tonight and am glad to be able to reach for healthy options throughout this week. I made my infamous sausage and tater bake, boiled some eggs, and made a new recipe with bananas, oats, and walnuts! That, and my pumpkin gingerbread recipe, will be on the blog soon!!

I'm also doing the Love Your Body challenge with Tone It Up (www.toneitup.com), and have reached 20/100 for my 100 miles by Valentine's Day challenge. Im feeling pretty good about that and hope to get more miles and toning in this week!!

But first, the foodie plan :)

Pre-workout options: Hard boiled egg Banana Oat Nut protein muffins Gluten free toast w/nut butter Banana w/nuts or nut butter

Breakfast: Oatmeal Scrambles Hard boiled egg Sausage and taters

Lunch/dinner: Sausage and taters Salads Turkey taco meat Leftovers

Snacks: Carrots w/hummus Banana Oat Nut muffins Larabars Nuts Turkey taco meat

I'm looking forward to my options for the week! I think it is so important to make sure you look forward to eating your food. Food should be enjoyed!!

And now for the workouts:

Monday: run/walk 2-3 miles, personal training session (probably leg day!), Yoga in the PM

Tuesday: Arms and cardio mix 3 miles (usually I do the bike, elliptical, and some walking) or stair master if I'm feeling brave!

Wednesday: circuits in the AM with Hanna, possible workout with the fiancé in the PM which will probably be some kind of cardio and toning!

Thursday: run 4 miles

Friday: personal training sesh #2 for this week, cardio mix 3 miles

Saturday: run 5 miles

Sunday: logbook workout from my trainer, cardio mix 3 miles

My goal is to reach 40 miles for my 100 by Valentine's Day challenge. This is kind of a big goal, but why not right?? Dream big or go home :)

I'm pretty excited about this week. I'm also a little anxious, since I struggled a bit this past week with my food choices. I know I shouldn't be hard on myself, but I also know I shouldn't overdo on indulgence. Balance is always difficult to find, but it's a journey worth taking!

I am also taking on the Tone It Up challenge this week of not weighing myself for 10 days! This means not till NEXT Wednesday! I'm pretty excited about it. I had given up the scale a bit ago, but that bad habit of weighing myself too often has crept back up on me. Why do these silly things get a hold of us? I don't know, but I know that only I am giving it the power it does NOT have.

I've also kept up with my no counting calories goal. I got my app back a few times in moments of weakness, but have quickly deleted it again. I am definitely still calorie conscious, but to be honest I do miss the structure of counting. I love numbers, planning, and figuring out puzzles, which is basically what counting became. I know, however, that it is not a very sustainable habit for me, and I hope to be able to continue on my no counting streak. I will obviously keep you all informed on the happenings in this department! :)

Ok. That's all for now! I hope you all enjoy these last few hours of the weekend!