Motivation Monday #13

Happy Easter Monday!

What a beautiful weekend! We had such a lovely time enjoying the sunshine, taking things slow, and celebrating the culmination of Easter Week. Friday night was quiet and low key (in observance of Good Friday). We had some fish po’ boys for dinner and hit the hay early. Our weekend kicked off with a trip to guitar center to buy Phil his long overdo electronic drum set. We spent the afternoon enjoying delicious wine at our winery’s spring release event, and afterwards some shopping & pizza night! Yesterday was mass, an eggs benedict & mimosa brunch by yours truly,  and rooftop yoga/ an evening of grilling & enjoying the sunset. We’re almost finished the month of March and even though Phil and I have been making healthier choices we still don’t feel like we’re kicking it up enough. So with three weeks left in our 2016 challenge we’re thinking we might extend things a few extra weeks and try something a little different. Starting next week, so with two weeks left in our original challenge, we’re going to start simplifying our diets & kicking up the healing treatments – epsom salt baths, heat/ice, evening and morning stretching, and myofascial  release. We’ll be doing this through the month of May but will still report our results 16 weeks in. Keep working along with us or put your own spin on what we’re doing!! Let me know how it all works out…I would love to hear from anyone whose taking steps week by week to make healthier choices! We’re heading into OUR month with energy and enthusiasm….who else wants to make April their best month yet!

Week 13

“Say NO to can’t”

Exercise:

• Phil: 55min cardio/weight lifting 3x/wk, 55min yoga 2x/wk
• Colleen: 55min cycling 3x/wk, 55min yoga 6x/wk
• Both: 20min morning/evening stretching & 30min myofasical release 7x/wk

Diet:

• Breakfast – Green Juice, Protein Shake, or Oatmeal
• Lunch – Grilled Chicken or Shrimp w/mixed greens & quinoa, or Tofu Stir Fry
• Dinner – Veggie Sloppy Joe’s, Tofu Nuggets w/carrot sticks, Grilled Veggie Sandwich

 

 

’til next time, keep smiling! 🙂

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Motivation Monday #5

Welcome to February Friends!

Can you believe the first month of 2016 has already come and gone?!?!? I think I must have blinked and missed it because I sure can’t! January was full of so many exciting visits, adventures, and exciting career opportunities I can’t imagine how February is even going to compare.One thing is staying the same though, and that’s our commitment to healthier choices. We made it through one month of more conscious living: eating well, exercising, making healthier decisions, etc… and even though there was indulging, like these amazing desserts from dinner at Delfina when my parent’s visited, we’re both feeling lighter, leener (see what I did there 😉 ), and full or energy!

Week 5

“If you are persistent you will get it. If you are consistent you will keep it!”

Exercise

1. Running 1x wk 45-55min
2. Cycling 1x wk 45-55min(Bike in the shop until Wednesday 😦 )
3. HIIT 1x wk 30min (45on-10rest 6x w/25sec rest btwn rounds)
   • Squats
   • Mountain Climbers
   • Lunges
   • High / Forearm Plank Transitions
   • Side Step Wide Legged Squats

Dietary Plan

Breakfast: Homemade Chia Bars OR Oatmeal w/banana and nuts

Lunch: Ground Turkey Burrito Bowls OR Mixed Green Salad w/Tuna

Snack: Hummus w/Pita & Cucumbers, Protein Shake, Multigrain Tortilla Chips w/fresh pico, trail mix packs, OR apple w/nut butter

Dinner: Salmon Burgers & Sweet Potato Fries w/ zesty slaw (I know we eat these all the time but they are sooo good, I promise I will get more creative soon), Mixed Mushroom Marinara w/ whole wheat penne, OR 1 of 3 Plated meals being delivered later this week (check out Foodie Friday this week for some delicious meal ideas)

 

’til next time, keep smiling! 🙂

Motivation Monday #3

Hello Friends!

I am filled with love and excitement from such an incredible weekend at Yoga Journal Live San Francisco and I can’t wait share everything I absorbed with my students! This week is going to be a little crazy with Phil traveling AGAIN  and family visiting but we’re both doing our best to stick with regular exercise and smart dietary choices. 
Our routine for the week is going to be a little harder to follow but we’re happy with how things have been going and excited for the weeks to come as well! Yoga is obviously at the center of all I do, but I’m doing some cycling to supplement this week and emphasizing simple foods to see how that feels.

“If it’s important to you, you’ll find a way. If it’s not, you’ll find an excuse.”

Week 3

Exercise:

• Yoga everyday
  & Cycling 4x/wk

Diet

• Breakfast: sprouted toast w/pb and greens powder
• Lunch: Salad w/pumpkin seeds, feta cheese, and balsamic dressing
• Dinner: Salmon burger, carrot sticks & sweet potato fries
• Snacks: Popcorn, Protein Shake, Apple, or
  Walnuts
• Dessert: 4-6 oz red wine, dark chocolate

 

’til next time, keep smiling! 🙂

 

 

 

Meditate and Motivate

Happy Monday Friends!

I hope everyone had a wonderful weekend! Phil and I really enjoyed our weekend but I think the best part was our bike ride through Golden Gate Park to the beach on Saturday. We ended up riding around 20 miles and just when I felt like I wanted to quit, the road opened up this is……I mean seriously?!?!?!!?!?!? I feel like that has been my reaction A LOT to the sights surrounding my new city…every time I turn around I feel like I see another picture worthy view and I’m overcome with emotion. Each time, I’m reminded of how far I am from home, & I’m also reminded of how far I am from my own personal success. When you move your whole existence thousands of miles from where anyone knows your name you have to rebuild, re-establish, and revive; which is exactly what I am SLOWLY doing. 

It’s in moments when I feel unsure that I turn to a simple but powerful mantra, Soham, or I am. It’s important to take quiet time to breathe deeply and say ‘SO-HAM'(Hum) – Remind myself: I AM enough, I AM strong, I AM beautiful, I AM perfect, I AM powerful, and I can do ANYTHING.

’til next time, keep smiling! 🙂

Motivated Monday

Hello WordPress Family! I hope everyone had a lovely Mother’s Day and wonderful weekend! This weekend was so much fun but definitely indulgent…I haven’t had that much sugar in so long…I was bouncing off the walls like a little kid! Seeing as the weekend was full of delicious sugary drinks & delightful cheese plates, today’s post is dedicated to some motivating reminders!

I love this one because I constantly shift or cancel my workouts for other plans – work, social or otherwise. If I look at my workout sessions as important business meetings (the business of taking care of my body), I’m less likely to cancel.

This is one thing I remind myself all the time – it doesn’t matter if you indulge a bit on the weekends, miss a work out or just have a bad week because each day is a chance to begin again!

This is the final one and its a good reminder that eating well, exercising, etc.. isn’t a diet, fad or temporary means to an end…its a lifestyle! When you take good care of yourself, inside and out, it shows!

 

Pose-a-day: The weekends shots are up on instagram & today’s Pincha Mayurasana (forearm balance) will be available for your viewing pleasure this evening!

Daily Eats

• Breakfast: Greek Yogurt w/Walnuts & Strawberries
• Snack: Cucumber
• Lunch: Pasta Salad w/Tuna
• Snack: Apple
• Dinner: Seared Scallops w/Arugula Salad
• Dessert: Fruit

Weekend of Whimsy

What a wonderful weekend…I didn’t want it to end! I took some extra time lingering around the apartment this morning and lazily preparing for the day ahead…it was awesome! I highly recommend starting your Monday’s off with some ‘me’ time, whatever that may look like for you – it sets such a positive tone for the week!

Anyway, the weekend couldn’t have been nicer! Phil & I got to spend lots of time with our families, met up with some friends for dinner, had a leisurely afternoon out and about in the city, & even made time for a little picnic/ bike ride just the two of us – it was glorious! We definitely indulged a bit but we had lots to celebrate: Phil passed his ASLI test which he has been studying hard for over the last several months (I’m so proud of him), I took my final test for school & am an official Institute for Integrative Nutrition graduate (yay!), Phil sold his apartment (only on the market for a week), I reached 250 followers (thank you!) which means Phil is taking us to Vetri (my ultimate favorite restaurant I have never been to) & oh yea…EASTER!!

 

Just because it was a weekend full of celebrations doesn’t mean I didn’t make time for fitness: I had a great ride Friday, an intense hour and a half yoga practice Saturday and a solid thirty minutes of circuit training Sunday…I feel great and even though I took today to rest, I’m already planning the weeks workouts in my head – gotta get that six pack before memorial day, haha!

 

This week will be interesting with Phil away for business most of the week & me leaving for the yoga conference on Friday. I’m going to miss my man 😦 but I’m totally excited for my weekend in New York & to get things done around the apartment (having a handsome man around isn’t very conducive to cleaning)!

 

Daily Eats

• Breakfast: PB & Banana Smoothie
• Snack #1: Greek Yogurt w/Blueberries & Pumpkin Seeds
• Lunch: Balsamic Strawberry Mixed Green Salad w/Almonds & Goat Cheese
• Snack #2: Carrots & Apple
• Dinner: Quinoa Salad w/Roasted Portobello Mushrooms
• Dessert: Cacao Almond Fudge Bars

Is there anything you’re celebrating & want to share?!?!

Foodie Friday

Welcome to the weekend folks! Since its Good Friday, a solemn day of fasting to commemorate the crucifixion of Christ, today’s Foodie Friday post has a little bit of a spin. It didn’t seem congruous with the holy day to post tempting treats or even clean eats, so instead, I’m offering more of a motivational reminder!I will post more progress pictures of my own toned tummy soon, but I’m saving those for week 20 (memorial day) so the results are more obvious….I digress, haha!

Anyway, we all understand, in theory, that our body’s are sacred temples. These glorious vessels that carry us through everyday life are only as strong as we choose to make them, both through fuel and fitness! I watch people do hours of exercise only to scarf down a post-workout cheese steak and fries…not gonna cut it…you wouldn’t put regular gasoline in your high performance sports car, would you?!?

I’m all about indulging…pass the pasta & pinot please…but only on occasion & definitely in moderation! While creamy plates of pasta and luscious red wines trigger sensory responses that make us feel happy, excited, sexual & alive, they’re the same pleasure sensors triggered when a drug addict indulges in their fix of choice. Once the hormone that’s excreted dissipates, you’re left wanting more…so you find a reason to indulge again…and you keep putting junk in your body!

Make no mistake about it, food is a drug – It can be used as medicine to fuel your body & bring you to your optimal sense of being! It can also be used like a street drug -getting through to the next ‘fix’ – leaving you on an emotional roller coaster with a whole host of medical issues & a much larger waistline…NO THANK YOU!

Even though its the weekend, don’t treat your stomach like a waste basket and indulge responsibly!

 

* No Daily Eats since its Good Friday *

 

Happy Friday!

Little by Little

We’re one more day closer to the weekend people!! Time to celebrate with a little fitness motivation…Believe it or not, I am actually close to being able to hold this pose! I can’t wait for the day that my motivational photos are of me…little by little!

In an effort to mix things up I am going to my first pilates class in 9 years! I haven’t done pilates since college but a friend asked if I’d like to go to class with her and I happily obliged…isn’t it always fun to work out with a friend!?!?!? I think so!!

I’m assuming since this is a mat pilates class I shouldn’t have too much trouble but I’m a little nervous…mostly excited though! I don’t know about anyone else but stepping outside my comfort zone always makes me a mixed ball of emotions! Sometimes I feel like I’m a little kid, irrationally running through a spectrum of emotion out of shear inability to get a grip! Maybe that’s a little dramatic…haha!

Is there anything new you’re super excited about?!?!

 

Yes, I can!

I’ve shared in past posts that life and all its wonderful trappings have been negatively effecting my fitness and diet. I used to be more disciplined about regular exercise and thoughtful consumption but over the last few months, not so much! I have been logging 1-3 workouts a week and eating more indulgently than I should – its not a treat if you have it every day!

I am a big fan of ‘all things in moderation‘  but it is time to get myself back on track! Since I am not trying to kill myself here, I came up with a few simple changes to get  back on track:

• Step #1: Yoga and Cardio 3x a week – balancing and maintaining my exercise is great for the body and mind!
• Step #2: No alcohol during the week – while delicious, my nightly glasses of wine are slowing my metabolic rate!
• Step #3: Indulge on the weekends – chocolate isn’t a multivitamin, I don’t need to have it everyday!

No weighing myself every week or obsessing over every little thing I put in my body, just positively reminding myself ‘Yes, I can!’ when the voices of doubt creep in!