Whole30 Week 4 Update (+barre3 Challenge)

Today is my final day of Whole30 and I'm so excited! I can say that I did this. I will admit right here to having a real latte a day or two ago. It was so good. I was in yet another coffee shop and the idea of having black coffee or an almond milk latte literally turned my stomach. Before I knew it, I had a short latte in my hands and happiness on my lips. So maybe I didn't do it 100% perfectly but I'm counting it as done. 

This was the perfect reset for me. I curbed my sugar cravings. I returned to food prep. I learned that I comfort myself with food way too often. I lost just over 9 pounds and gained so much energy. I'm planning to taper to an 80% Whole30 20% Non-Whole30 plan as I reintroduce foods. I need to lose more weight and I love my energy levels but I can't eat Whole30 100% of the time. It is just too restrictive for me. 

As for the barre3 challenge, it was great! Tomorrow is the last day and while this week has been a bust for workouts, it did help me get myself back on the exercise train. I was sick this week which made getting to 6 a.m. barre3 classes a struggle. My goal this year is to exercise 4 times a week (minimum). Some weeks (like this one), I am not going to do that but I think if I try for it most weeks, I'll do great. I love exercising and I plan to join ClassPass again soon to try out some new options. I'm also hitting up CorePower Yoga, Orange Theory and another studio for their free weeks soon. I want to mix up my workouts to keep them fresh while still continuing on with barre3. 

And with that, two goals have been crossed off my 2016 Goals! 

Whole30 Week 3 Update (+barre3 Challenge)

I'm just 6 days away from completing two of my goals for the year and I am psyched! I am most excited about the end of Whole30. I am loving how I am feeling and I have really re-set myself but I am feeling the pressures of the restrictions. We like to go out to eat on Saturday nights for dinner and now my husband just sighs and says, "where can you eat?" While I anxiously look up menus and say, "not there. Nope. Not that. UGH!" I have discovered some great places to eat. For instance, the Portage Bay Cafe has this really awesome Farmer's Hash made with a variety of fresh vegetables, roasted onions, potatoes and herbs along with eggs and different meats. So good and so Whole30. You can even leave out the meat if you'd like to go for a vegetarian option.

I was telling Scott that I am enjoying a lot of things about Whole30. One is getting back to Prep Day. It really helps our week if I can take a hour or two on Sunday to prep ahead for the week. I pull meat of the freezer, I roast vegetables, I make hardboiled eggs and some salads in jars. I'm definitely going to keep that up. The salads in jars are key. Those salads mean I have a good, veggie filled lunch which I really enjoy.

I've been enjoying barre3 class as usual and it has been awesome having a goal of 4 workouts a week. I've been doing it too even with the challenges of Scott's travel, sick children and other mis-adventures. My biggest lesson is scheduling my workouts and committing to at least 4 workouts a week. I have some ideas on how I'm going to shake up my workouts in February but for now, I'm thrilled with getting my 4 barre3 workouts in a week.

I actually got in 5 workouts this week which was awesome! I attended a SoulCycle Pop-up Event which was sponsored by Target. It was so, so, so hard and I keep thinking about what a fun workout it was. I mean, I thought I was going to die at the 22 minute mark but I made it the full 45 minutes with only one stop to shake out my numb feet. My feet always go numb in spinning class which drives me nuts. I wonder if I'm doing something wrong.

Have you tried SoulCycle? What did you think of it?

Whole30 Week 2 Update (+barre3 Challenge)

This was a good and bad week. Good in that I ate pretty well, thanks to my stellar prep session on Sunday. Bad in that getting in enough barre3 classes was a struggle. I skipped class on Sunday due to my 14 hour travel day on Saturday. Monday, I got into the studio for a great class (and Maggie rocked childcare) and Tuesday, I woke up early and did an online workout. Wednesday, I wasn't feeling so hot so I promised that I'd workout on Thursday which lead to me promising to workout on Friday which didn't happen. I did go to a studio class today which was awesome as usual and will be attending another one tomorrow. Luckily for me, the barre3 challenge goes from Monday to Sunday so I'll be eeking in with my 4 workouts.  I'm looking forward to getting 5 in next week since Scott will be in town and won't be messing with my early morning schedule. 

I had some great meals this week.  Alice Currah posted this awesome Thai Curry Soup recipe with veggies instead of noodles on Facebook this week and I literally ran to the store for the ingredients. It was so good! 

I also made some barre3 chocolate truffles to have on hand for snack attacks and they were so helpful on Tuesday night when we arrived home late from swim and I was starving! I popped one of these in my mouth and it kept me going long enough to make a delicious dinner. I'm halfway through this journey and while there have been many times I've wanted to quit, I haven't. I have already learned that most of my issues with eating good food is 1) time and not prepping in advance (salads in jars have been a lifesaver this week!) and 2) eating due to boredom or wanting a treat. I can solve those issues. 

The barre3 Anywhere Challenge Starts Here!

I got up this morning and attended my usual 6 a.m. barre3 class which kicked off my barre3 Anywhere Challenge! I've prepped for the challenge by signing up for all my classes for the month of June, purchased a sweet turquoise core ball to enable at home workouts and planned my first barre3 challenge recipe. 

The girls and I hit up Costco to load up on veggies and fruit. Tonight we're having Summer Tacos with Mango Pico de Gallo and since we have ballet this afternoon, I decided to prep ahead. I made the Mango Pico de Gallo and some Pico de Gallo (sans Mango) for me. I shredded the cabbage and have the chicken defrosting in the fridge. When we get home from ballet, I'll cook up the chicken and start assembling tacos! 

Tonight I'm going to cut up some fruit for snacks and get some veggies prepped for the week ahead. We all eat better when I have fresh fruits and veggies prepped. I'll hard-boil some eggs too. What tricks/shortcuts help your family eat better? 

I'm ready for the challenge! 4 barre3 workouts, at least one barre3 recipe and One 10-minute online workout each week. You in? 

The barre3 Anywhere Challenge

The weather this week has given me a glimpse of Summer and I am so excited. I am also super excited about the upcoming barre3 Anywhere Challenge! 

The challenge starts on June 1st and runs though June 28th. To complete the challenge you need to do four 60-minute workouts, one 10-minute outdoor workout, and make one summery barre3 recipe. 

I've been attending barre3 studio classes regularly since last December and go four to five times a week so I've got the studio classes down. The challenge for me will be completing the outdoor workout and trying some new recipes. I'm excited about the recipes though since we are in a serious food rut. I need some new, exciting and healthy recipes to add to my usual meals. Molly and Maggie are going to dig having me workout at the park while they climb on the jungle gyms and swing from the monkey bars. The exciting part of this challenge for me is that if you already have an online subscription or have a studio membership, then the challenge is free! Though I did order a turquoise barre3 ball for some at home workouts when I can't make it into the studio. 

barre3 7 Day Body Blast

photo credit: barre3

Today I started the barre3 - 7 Day Body Blast! The goal is to take 6 classes in 7 days all while eating healthy. After the month that March was, I'm ready to leap back into barre3. 

photo credit: barre3

I'm ready to take on the challenge even though I think I either have a cold (sigh) or allergies (NOOOO!). I'm not going to let either take me down though. I was excited to jump back into classes this morning. Our instructor lead us through a challenging workout which really jumpstarted my day. What are you doing to challenge your body and yourself today? 

Challenge Completed! The barre3 Challenge

Five weeks ago, I decided to start taking barre3 classes. Four weeks ago, I began the barre3 challenge and it has changed my life. That sounds a bit dramatic but it is true. I had lost my spark and I found it through regular exercise. I'm now doing 4-5 barre3 classes a week and taking the kids on walks almost every afternoon (the sunshine is really helping on the walks front). 

I was talking to a friend the other day about barre3 classes. She's been going 4 times a week for the past year and she said she has never felt stronger. She's someone who has run 1/2 marathons (and maybe a marathon?), completed many triathlons and hikes all the time with her kiddos on her back. She's already strong but barre3 has made her really feel alive. I instantly connected with her words because barre3 makes me feel strong, stronger than I've felt in a long time. 

I decided to keep the momentum going by purchasing a three month membership to barre3. It isn't cheap but the more I go, the less each class ends up costing. Since I am a cheap, cheap woman, this will inspire me to keep going as well as my love for these classes. 

I'm thrilled that as of February 1st, I've crossed two things off my Getting My Sh*t Together Goals list. I'm 20% done with my goals and I'm definitely getting my sh*t together. 

Week 3 - barre3 Challenge Check-In!

Hello, my name is Rebecca and I'm a barre3 addict! I'm actually leaping out of bed at 5:15 a.m. because I get to go workout. Seriously guys! LEAPING OUT OF BED! OK, part of that leaping might be that my children have not been sleeping well and keep ending up in our bed and I might be running away from their kung-fu kicks but let's not factor that into this situation. 

I felt the addiction on Sunday when I missed my workout because I had been out way too late the night before. Even though I needed the sleep, I still wanted my workout! That night I did a 10 minute barre3 workout while the girls were taking a bath. Molly didn't like how I was doing my plies and got out of the tub to school me. She's been taking ballet (she's had three classes) so she is an expert on plies.  

I really felt the addiction when my instructor told me this morning that she planned a lot of carousel moves for us. I got a little excited. The excitement level did go down a tiny bit when my legs were burning after 100 billion carousel tiny moves. 

I'm also loving my challenge sheet where I get to stick stickers on my calendar when I've completed a workout. I'm considering using stars on a calendar when the challenge is over because I don't plan to stop my barre3 workouts! In fact, I'm planning on signing up for a 3 month unlimited membership to keep on keeping. I'm also thinking about running and how I want to work that into my life again. I probably won't start on that until Spring though as I need to continue to rebuild my fitness level and I want it to be warmer!

I've completed two workouts of my four this week with three more scheduled (Wednesday, Saturday and Sunday). I'm planning on doing the 10-minute workout on Thursday and Friday to get through the end of the week slump. I was disappointed that this week's recipe doesn't fit into Whole30 but I found another one that I think is going to be awesome - Winter en Papillote. I'll let you know how it goes. Oh, and those Chocolate Truffles were amazing! I still can't believe they were Whole30!

Week 2 - barre3 Challenge Check-In!

It's almost the end of week 2 of the barre2 challenge and I am still so pumped about this workout. I just finished 5 straight days of barre3 in-studio workouts and every single one of them was awesome. I took this morning off to rest and catch up with some things at home but I'm missing my workout and my barre3 buddies.

The instructors at my studio challenged themselves to NOT repeat any of their workouts and so far they haven't. It's been awesome doing different routines and moving different body parts. I can feel my body strengthening in so many different ways. After my first class, I joked that my abs were missing but now I can feel them screaming deep inside. I've awoken them and they are angry. 

I'm also finding that barre3 allows me daily time to myself. I have an hour each morning (when I go) purely alone where I don't think about anything but "down an inch, up an inch" and I badly need this. I have a hard time shutting off my thoughts and just being in the moment. 

I made the recommended smoothie last week and did not like it. I tried so hard to choke it down and finally just gave up. I'm not that big of a fan of smoothies and I'm not surprised that I didn't like it. This week's recipe, Chocolate Truffles, looks awesome though and is Whole30 friendly. I have groceries coming tomorrow morning and I plan to make these with Molly. I'm also planning on hitting the 10 minute workout this afternoon to re-energize and get some of Molly's wiggles out. She has so many wiggles. Two weeks down! Two to go! (though I'm pretty confident that I'll be continuing on because I'm addicted!) 

barre3 Challenge Check-In!

Monday morning at o'dark o'clock, I started the barre3 challenge. I woke up at 5:15 a.m. to get to a 6 a.m. class. While the studio is only about a 15 minute drive away, I need a wee bit of time to wake up before leaving the house. The soft, gentle snores of my family greeted me as I awoke and dressed in the dark. I left the house and it was so dark, so rainy and so dark but I still headed to the car. I munched on a larabar as I drove to the studio full of apprehension. 

I got to the studio a bit early! In fact the doors were still locked so I sat in the car for a few minutes thinking about my endeavor. One of my friends has been doing 6 a.m. barre3 classes for the past year. I ask her how she does it and she says it is often the only hour she gets completely alone in a day. She also likes that when you make a reservation, if you don't attend, you still get charged a fee unless you cancel an hour or more before the session, which she'll never do since she's not up at 4:45 a.m. to cancel. She's pretty much committed the night before when she heads to bed. 

Another friend joined me on Monday for the 6 a.m. class and we looked at each other like we were insane. Who gets up at before the sun to get a workout in? We had a HARD session and as we were stretching at the end, I realized that I am now a person who gets up before the sun to get a workout in. I felt amazing (tired but so energized). I felt even more amazing when I arrived home to find my rambunctious children awake and poor Scott looking exhausted. I quickly made everyone a hearty breakfast and set Scott toward the shower.  Since Monday, I've done two more 6 a.m. classes and this feels right to me. I get a precious hour alone to focus on me before anyone else is awake. I don't have to worry that anyone needs me or that Scott is going to get caught at work and not make it home in time for me to go workout. In fact, both yesterday and today, I made it home before anyone else in my house was even awake. This is awesome and fantastic! 

I did the 10 minute workout portion of the challenge with Molly. She was running around the house like a crazy person so I decided to wear her out. It was hilarious watching her attempt carousel but she kept up with me, like a champ! I haven't yet tried this week's recipe, Spiced Winter Greens Smoothie but I have a grocery delivery coming tomorrow with the ingredients. The nice thing is it fits right into my Whole30 diet. I'm just feeling a little unsure about the actual smoothie but I'm going to try it with glee.  

I have three more weeks for the challenge and then I'm feeling confident that I'll keep going. We'll have to see what the next three weeks bring! 

Happy New Year!

2015 is finally here and I have high hopes for this an adventurous year. 2014 ended with a bang as my best friend had a delightful baby boy. He arrived a wee bit early but I think he wanted to bring some joy to 2014. He brought a lot of joy to the end of 2014. He's sweet and squishy and I can not wait to meet him.

Scott and I started Whole30 this morning with a big breakfast of Fried Eggs, Sweet Potato Hash and Bacon. It filled me up and I feel fueled for a morning of fun with the kids.

Later today, I'll be heading over to Barre3 for a class. I started almost a week ago and I think I'm becoming an addict. I took a day off and missed it! As Scott said, he can think of worse things to be addicted to. He's been a great support and encourages me to go to class. I've also signed up for the Barre3 Challenge which starts on Monday. I spent some time yesterday scheduling classes to figure out next week. I'm going to try some 6 a.m. classes, some 8:15 p.m. classes and some mid-day classes to figure out when works best for my schedule. Ideally I'd always take an 8:45 a.m. class but that is just not in the cards for my daily life.

How are you ushering in 2015? Are you excited for the New Year?

Forty (40) or The Year I Get My Sh*t Together

I turned 40 a few weeks ago and while I honestly still feel like I'm 25 with all the confusion that goes with being 25, I also feel quite grown-up. I have two kids, own a home, take care of my Mother, usually show up to things early and try to take care of myself. This past year though I really stopped taking care of myself. I just had too many other people who needed my care more than me (or so I told myself). This coming year though, I plan to get my sh*t together again and start taking care of me, again.

I stopped exercising before Maggie was born (due to pelvic pain) and stopped eating healthy once she was born. I comforted myself in sweet treats and savory snacks. And that went just as well as one can guess. I started feeling lazy and icky, I gained weight and I lost the bounce in my step. I need to find the bounce again.

I'm taking charge of the road ahead of me by making goals for the year. I am a goal-oriented person so this is what will push and guide me through this process. I recently had my yearly physical and my doctor (the most awesome doctor ever) really spurred me on. She reminded me that I once had my sh*t together and that she knew I could do it again. And so I shall.

Getting My Sh*t Together Goals

1. Complete the Barre3 Challenge from Jan. 5 to Feb. 1 - I purchased a one month unlimited membership to jumpstart my fitness. I plan to continue Barre3 after the challenge but have not yet determined exactly how I want to do this. I might do class packages or more unlimited memberships. I have already started taking classes to begin preparing for the challenge and I love going. More on this later!
2. Complete Whole30 in January - I plan to post more about this shortly along with my menu plan for the month. 
3. Build a Capsule Wardrobe for all 4 seasons - I will take this season by season but after two pregnancies and some weight gain, my wardrobe really needs a revamp. I love the idea of limiting my wardrobe to a few key and inspirational pieces.
4. Start Purging the House with the Bowl Full of Lemons 14 Week Plan - This link is to her old plan but she is launching a new one in January. I did this in 2013 and it was really helpful. I look forward to clearing out some stuff and simplifying again this coming year. 
5. Complete Four (4) Day in the Life Challenges
6. Get back into running by doing Couch to 5K and running at least one race. (this is a repeat from last year) 
7. Revive the blog by posting more regularly and thoughtfully. I've been thinking really hard about this goal and I don't have an specifics in mind just yet but I do have a whole lot of ideas. 
8. Complete TKGA Master Knitting Level I - This is a goal that I've been working on for almost 10 years. I think it might be time to finally knock it out of the ballpark. This will be a challenging goal for me to accomplish given the amount of time I have and the amount of time I think this goal deserves. 
9. Become more thoughtful about how I consume products and produce waste. I want to compost more, recycle more and produce less trash. 
10. Grow a kick-ass Garden! I want to have a Spring, Summer and Fall Garden this year. I want to plan it better and eat more of our abundant produce. I can not wait to dive my hands into the rich earth and grow something. 

These two little energetic girls are my inspiration and will spur me on through my loft goals. A happy and healthy mama means a happy and healthy family. Here's to getting my sh*t together! (Photo Credit: Sweet Peeks Photography)