Motivation Monday #9

What a beautiful Monday!

I hope everyone else enjoyed their weekend as much as Phil & I. When I said we wanted to get back out on the mountain and prove ourselves  (to ourselves), I wasn’t lying. We took it relatively easy Saturday and totally blew past where we thought we’d get to on Sunday…with a little help from our friends. After a lunch time pow wow we decided to join our them yet again and tackle some tougher runs. We dove in head first and went down some of the more challenging terrain – it felt great! I of course couldn’t have survived the 6hr ski days without my yoga practice – starting the morning with some mediation / light vinyasa and finishing the day with some yin to stretch things back out. Now, it’s back to the power yoga grind with 11 classes this week (2 advanced, 1 beginner, 8 all levels).Obviously there is no shortage of physical activity here, haha, but the dietary routine is on point too…it has to be to stay happy/healthy! We’ve got 7 more weeks to make some real changes & it’s feeling great!

Week 9

“You’re off to great places. Today is your day. Your mountain is waiting. So…get on your way”

Exercise Routine

• weights/cardio 3x wk + yoga 2x wk (Phil)
• daily yoga + cycling/jogging 3xwk (Me)

Dietary Routine

Breakfast

• Banana Pecan Bread
• Multi-Grain Cereal w/banana & lowfat milk
• Scrambled eggs & veggies and sprouted toast

Lunch

• Vegetarian Taco Salad
• Tomato Soup w/parmesan crutons
• Grilled Chicken or Shrimp w/brown rice & veggies

Dinner

• Protein Shake
• Squid ink pasta w/garlic and herbs
• Mixed greens w/pumpkin seeds, almonds, dried cranberries, feta & homemade dressing

Snacks

• Popcorn
• Apple w/peanut butter
• Hummus w/cucumber & pita chips

 

’til next time, keep smiling! 🙂

 

 

 

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Motivation Monday #2

Welcome to another wonderful week friends!

I hope everyone had an awesome weekend and are gearing up for another amazing week! Phil and I are feeling energized and ready to tackle week 2 of our diet and exercise routine. We took some time to indulge in moderation this weekend with a little post yoga lunch out in the Mission and it felt perfectly satisfying – a little vegan french onion soup and mushroom, gruyere grilled cheese…perfect on a chilly Sunday afternoon.

Homemade Salmon Burgers w/sweet potato chips, sprouted bread & slaw

One of the biggest parts of our ‘change’ is leaving time for rest and not depriving ourselves of anything…it’s more about making the healthy choice most of the time and allowing for a little wiggle room. We’ve got such a busy week with Phil traveling for business and me working the yoga journal conference but we’re committed to sticking with our routine. If you are in the bay area and haven’t gotten your passes for Yoga Journal Conference this coming weekend use code NEW YOU at check out to get 15% off your passes. I am so excited to be a part of everything and I hope to see some of you there too!!

“PUSH YOURSELF! No one else is going to do it for you.”

Week 2

Workout Routine:

• 35 min. cycling or running  3x/wk
• Body Weight Intervals  3x/wk (4x w/30 sec. btwn rounds)

1. 10 push ups
2. 10 burpees
3. 10 lunges
4. 60 sec. forearm plank
5. 10 jump squats
6. 60 sec. mountain climber

Each morning starts with 15 min of meditation/stretching and detox tea

• Breakfast:

1. Greens powder water & oatmeal with apples and pecans
2. Greens powder water & cottage cheese and apples

• Snack:

1. Hard Boiled Eggs
2. Celery w/peanut butter

• Lunch:

1. Vegetarian Chili with multi grain tortilla chips & cheddar cheese
2. Grilled Chicken or Tofu with brown rice and veggies

• Snack 2:

1. Hummus w/cucumber & pita chips
2. Trail mix

• Dinner:

1. Mushroom and Fennel pizza w/cauliflower crust
2. Salmon Burgers w/sweet potato fries
3. Carrot Souffle w/tofu nuggets

• Dessert:

1. ‘Almond Joy’ protein shake
2. Dark Chocolate & Cherries
3. Avocado Chocolate Mousse

 

 

’til next time, keep smiling 🙂

 

 

 

 

 

Wedding Rings and Yoga Things

Happy Hump Day!

Phil and I went wedding band shopping the other day…totally crazy! I know our wedding is like a month away so it shouldn’t be so surprising BUT there was suddenly this feeling of “WOW, this is really happening!” There was something about putting that band on that made things feel REAL…I can’t wait to be Colleen April! Anyway, we’re working towards the wedding day by day and last week I shared our skin prep secret – Lush face masks, so totally amazing! This week I’m sharing a little about how we’re working towards our wedding ready bods! Coupled with regular yoga (duh!) I am keeping things interesting with different forms of cardio – cycling, interval training, light jogging, and today I’m jumping into The November Project. I am not sure what to expect but I’m looking forward to the adventure!In other news, I have been enjoying teaching yoga in San Francisco and can’t wait to teach more and more. I get so nervous each time I teach – questioning my flows, beating myself up if I stumble over my words, worrying if people hate it – but the more I put myself out there the less I question, beat myself up and worry. Tonight I am teaching my first corporate yoga class and I hope it’s the first of many! I know if I keep putting myself out there and takings steps forward, good things will continue to unfold!As a fun little yogi motivation this month, I’m doing an Instachallenge! Chicago Yoga Lab’s September Splits Bits Info Challenge to be exact…day 1 is in the books and I would love it if you’d follow along this month on my Instagram!!

’till next time, keep smiling!! 🙂

Taking life in steps

Happy Tuesday Friends! Last week was full of surprises!!! I got a last minute, mid-week day off and my girlfriend Brianna from  Yoga Medicine teacher training came to visit from Arizona! It was so much fun to have a sleep over (Phil slept on the floor in the corner since we still don’t have any furniture beyond our bed and two bar stools) and spend time with someone who just ‘gets it.’ She and I went to an AM yoga class and I had my first positive yoga experience in San Francisco. I will admit, I enjoyed some of the classes I took at the studio around the corner from Pasta Gina but this class at Union Yoga was amazing…AND they told me to email about being added to their sub-list…YAYAYA!!!!!!!! As an added bonus, Sophia (also a yoga medicine girlfriend..who happens to be doing the 500hr Spine module with me in August) came up from Menlo Park and the three of us had a GIRLS DAY!!!!!! Totally necessary not only because I have nearly no friends here in SF but also, I needed a perspective shift…there is nothing like some wonderful yoga wisdom to reset my perspective.This week is all about gearing up for this weekend…Phil’s brother’s Wedding! I am so excited to have a brother and sister-in-law soon and I love that their wedding gives us another excuse to head back home! While I am not looking forward to the swampy heat of summer in the city of Philadelphia, I can’t wait to see everyone!

’til next time, keep smiling! 🙂

Back to life…

Welcome to another wonderful week friends!

Phil and I had a nice weekend, minus the the dose of food poisoning I got from brunch yesterday! I should have known not to get poached eggs, whats more I should have ordered something else when I had to send them back for being underdone, but of course I tried to eat it and I shouldn’t have…OH WELL! Like the perfect man he is, Phil took amazing care of me and I am happy to be feeling more alive today.Things have been going really well! Work is great and I am super excited to be making a home at such a unique place. I’ve been riding to and from work every day so the built in cardio is helping balance our delicious pasta dinners! My body needs simple carbs for easy fuel and my soul enjoys the comfort food!

’til next time, keep smiling! 🙂

Making it work

Getting back into a groove with my diet & exercise regime has been challenging – I recently started a new job at an artisan Italian shop where the hours can be long and the food is incredible. Pasta Gina focuses of fresh pastas, raviolis, sauces, spreads, soups, salads, and classic entrees; so as I am sure you can imagine, taking home dinner every night is quickly becoming routine. I have been careful to avoid the tiramisu, cannoli, and other tempting treats BUT still need to be sure our pasta dinners are carefully balanced with the right amount of cardio and less wheat/grains throughout the day.

Today I woke up with some yoga, road my bike to work, and plan to squeeze some mid afternoon yoga in as well…I may not be able to dedicate 90 minutes to practice or 60 minutes to cardio but 30 minutes a few times a day adds up!

’til next time, keep smiling! 🙂

April Beginnings!

Happy Easter Monday Friends! Life has been a little bit hectic the last two weeks so I haven’t been able to post, sorry guys 😦 Phil and I thoroughly enjoyed our trip to Philadelphia – seeing family was great and of course it felt too short – we were both sad to leave, but know the weeks until our trip back in May will fly by!

We have also started, albeit slowly, our wedding restart diet! We have been trying to eat smarter and do a little cardio everyday! Since we’re both trying to get back to our healthier selves, and have seven months until the wedding, we’re going to slowly build a healthy habits. It’s never easy coming back from a period of indulgence, but it’s always good to take it slow so that the healthy changes stick!

‘Til next time, keep smiling! 🙂

Next Chapter!

Happy Tuesday Friends!

I hope everyone had a lovely Father’s Day weekend! My Dad’s Birthday happened to fall on Sunday this year, so we had a double celebration! The good times continued last night with the US win over Ghana (FINALLY) in the first round of the World Cup! Anyone who follows soccer knows this win is HUGE & to win in such a well played game is especially sweet!

As the title suggests, I am starting a new chapter in my holistic health and wellness journey! I enrolled in Tiffany Cruikshank’s Yoga Medicine 200Hr teacher training program for this coming fall. I applied awhile back, it was one of my action steps following the Yoga Conference in March, but I didn’t get my acceptance email until a few weeks ago! I am both excited and nervous to be starting this next chapter but I am confident if I follow my heart things will fall into place!

I am definitely stepping up my yoga game in the coming months to prepare for this fall, but that won’t keep me from open water swims, long bike rides & the interval training my body needs to stay balanced! Tonight I will be joining a client for an open water swim through French Creek Racing but not before sneaking in an interval workout in the park…wish us luck!!

 

Wellness Wednesday

Happy Hump Day!

After a long weekend of coaching, I took some time for primary food last night and got a massage. As mentioned in a previous post, I recently signed up for Hand & Stone‘s lifestyle program. This was my second massage since signing up and I was quite pleased…how can you go wrong with a massage?!?!

I used to go every 12-14 weeks and require lots of deep tissue work due to long hours sitting at a desk coupled with regular yoga/cardio. Now that I am going every 4-6 weeks, I have reduced tension in my neck/shoulders as well as fewer incidents of headaches; which for me is a Godsend! (found this awesome photo reading an interesting article about the correlation between happiness and your weight – click here to read if you’re interested!)

 

In other wellness related news, my second bulu box arrived!!                                    I am excited to try most of the products in the box but I am a little nervous about trying the instant coffee that is supposed to be slimming (primarily because I don’t drink caffeine) and the bottle simply labeled Energy. I mean, I guess its intended use is self explanatory but I am a little wary of products such as this, so I will do my research on all the ingredients and get back to you! Otherwise, as a sinus sufferer I am looking forward to giving Rootology’s breathe free a try and seeing how the Bodyglove Surge effects my next long ride (planned for this weekend weather pending!)….but more on all these wonderful samples after I’ve given them a try!

Also, just as a little side note, today is Phil and my first anniversary. I am not the type to acknowledge these sort of things until its forever, if you know what I mean, but March 19, 2013 was our first date. Of course, I had to get a work out in beforehand so I was running twenty minutes late…not to mention I went to the bathroom for like 10 minutes immediately after sitting down because I was overheated from rushing and couldn’t stop sweating. I kid you not, I took my top off in the bathroom stall of Pub & Kitchen and did my best to dry off with some paper towels. AnYwAy, after the rocky start things went really well and I knew this was something special. It felt amazing to realize this could be my last first date ever and every time I look at him, I still feel the same way I did one year ago today! I love you babe!

 

 

Bulu Box and Life’s Blessings

I feel particularly blessed today!

The sun is finally shining, temps. are up to 46 (I NEVER thought that would bring me such a thrill), and I had a lovely lunch with the ever inspiring Kristin Ritter of Nourishing Storm. While we aren’t able to get together nearly as much as we’d like, it feels like no time has passed every time we do. I feel as though we could spend hours talking in circles about life, love and the journey we’re each on but alas, I can only take an hour for lunch!

In other exciting news, my first bulu box came today!!! I came across this site randomly during my typical health and wellness searches online and was intrigued by the premise. There are a ton of similar companies, but for the price I thought I would give it a try. Plus, I am familiar with a lot of their affiliated brands/spokes people, so I felt comfortable enough to give it a whirl. Each month I will receive a few different wellness samples and coupons for purchasing full size versions of the products I like.

As I use each of the products, I will post my feedback in the hopes to inspire all you other wellness fanatics out there to mix it up! I don’t know about anyone else but I find myself getting into a routine with the same products when there is a whole world of wellness to enjoy!

Has anyone else tried bulu box before or something similar? How did you find your experience?

Stay well & Happy Thursday!