Weekend Getaway

Tim and I have a Marriott Credit Card that gives us one free night a year. Typically we visit my sister in Canton and use the night then. Since we share a cabin with them, we have been meeting them there instead. Anyway the free room was going to expire so we decided to use it this weekend.

We made a day of it. We dropped Ralphie off at a boarding place and then headed over to the Cincinnati Premium Outlets.  We shopped around and then ate dinner and Dingle House. Both were very fun even though the outlets were a little crowded.

Dinner at Dingle house was pretty good. Although I did break my Whole30 again by accident. I got grilled Salmon, asparagus and sweet potato fries. Doesn't sound bad but the salmon had butter all over it, and the sweet potatoes were sprinkled with sugar. If that is not bad enough Tim talked me into getting a drink. Which I at least went with something that I thought was gluten free. So much for complete body healing.

I do have to admit that I think I bit off more than I can chew. I removed grains, legumes, dairy, sugar and white potatoes, and alcohol cold turkey. It has been really hard trying to keep myself from falling off the wagon. I must say this has made me aware of everything that I do eat that is not good for me. It forces me to pay attention to all of the places that extra sugars and grains can hide. I am still happy with my progress. My goal wasn't to lose weight but since implementing the new way of eating I have lost about 7 pounds. 

But I digress, we stayed at the Marriott Residence Inn in West Chester. We managed to get a suite, which was really nice. It had a kitchen and living area that was separate from the sleeping area. The bed was comfortable, and the shower was roomy. I would highly recommend staying at the Residence Inn, if you need a hotel in the area. I can't forget about the complimentary breakfast! Everything, was great and the staff were really friendly!

It was nice to "getaway" even if it was only one night....

Whole30 Update

I had been doing really well with the Whole30 until I ate gluten by accident. It didn't hurt me I didn't have any strange reactions to it but it did break my plan. 

We went out to dinner with some friends the other night at Smoq and I got the Buffaloaf. It's one of my favorites. I should have reconsidered my choice but I didn't think about until it was too late. Meatloaf is made with bread crumbs and bread crumbs contain gluten. How could I have been so stupid?

The whole purpose of my Whole30 is to allow my body to heal and I already screwed up. I guess I shouldn't be too hard on myself considering my past eating habits. I am 99% better than 14 days ago. I haven't had any slip ups with sugar or processed foods. I stick to drinking water which is easy.

All in all I am doing well. I feel better and I look better.

Time for a Change

I know I haven't posted for a while so here is what changed since then:

The deck we were building for my mom is finished! So glad to say that it passed inspection and is no longer our responsibility!

Tim and I adopted a dog (Ralphie). He is now 6 months old and losing his puppy hair! A happy addition to our family.

We had a successful Halloween Party as always. We dressed up as the Pink Nightmare and the Leg Lamp from "A Christmas Story".

I officially changed my diet. I have started the Whole30 program.

I have not had the courage or energy to begin such a journey until now. I realize that I need to change my habits in order to change my outcome. I have had some questions as to why I am doing this and its hard to explain in a few short sentences but I will give it a shot.

The majority of this post and following posts will be discussing my progress on the Whole30 program. As you may recall from previous posts I have PCOS which can increase the risk of heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and a host of many other diseases. PCOS symptoms can be eased or even eliminated by a change in diet. Basically I am doing this for better health and a better chance at getting pregnant. I am trying to change the things that I have control over: my diet, stress, sleep, exercise, even my attitude. All of these together can help me be the best possible version of myself.

In the month of November I am challenging myself to a complete 30 days of no alcohol, no sugar, no grains, no legumes, no processed foods, no dairy and no white potatoes. It will be difficult because I have cravings for many of the items that I have removed from my diet. I am hoping that the cravings will ease the farther I get into the program.

I started on November 1st so I am only 5 days into the program. I can't say I feel any different yet after all my body has many years of bad eating habits to break and lots of repairing to do. I try to keep my meals simple. A good portion of meat, lots of veggies, some good fat and the occasional piece of fruit. It hasn't been hard as much as a hassle especially with regards to eating out. We have to have much more fresh food in the house as well as a variety of meats so I don't get bored with the same meals.

In addition to the Whole30 program I am going to continue my exercise routine. I purchased Kettlebells for Busy Moms a few months ago and really enjoy the workouts. I know I am not a mom but Holly is a woman and she created these workouts for women! (The last time I checked I am a woman too. So these fit perfectly into my life.) I have been neglecting my workouts more and more so I am also going to set a goal for exercising 3 times per week in November using this kettlebell series as my base.

For now, I am excited to start this journey. I hope it takes me to my optimal health!

My New Main Squeeze... Kettlebells

As you may or may not know, I recently bought 3 kettlebells. It took some time because I had to convince Tim of their value. I am not sure why because I bought them with my birthday money. Yes, I still get birthday money. I also bought the heavier set in case he wanted to join in the fun. I know super thoughtful of me.

My strength training routine was boring and repetitive. I was not getting the results I expected and thus it was a time for change. I have had my eye on a set of kettlebells for quite some time. I like to sit on a purchase just to make sure its something I really want or need. I picked up my Kettlebells Wednesday night and I also downloaded an exercise routine from the web. I burnt the files to DVD so I could follow along in real time.

I set my alarm for 6:30 AM and went downstairs to warm-up. I popped the DVD in and learned the exercises without weight before I did the full routine loaded. Proper form is very important to avoid injury. Many of the moves involve your lower back, hips, and glutes. Some of the moves were in my previous strength training routine. Some examples are Romanian Dead Lifts, Goblet Squats, and Lunges. There were a few moves that were new to me, High Pulls, Halos, and Sling Shots. I love the new variety of exercises along with the different equipment. The set that I purchased has 3 phases and you stay on each phase for 4 weeks before moving on.

I am not overly sore but nevertheless I do have some muscle soreness. Its just the perfect amount, enough for me to know I worked my muscles efficiently but not so much that I am too sore to exercise tomorrow.  I can't wait to see the results!

Spring Training Part 2

So it turns out that I can't run the half marathon I was planning on. I was a little disappointed when I realized I had a wedding conflict. I was also relieved at the same time. I have never trained for something this quickly. 12 weeks doesn't seem that quick but I haven't been running very long which leads to many, many sore muscles.

I am taking this opportunity to reassess my goals. There is a 5K in May that I am planning on running and possibly a 10K in July. Once I hit these goals I may re-think the idea of running a half marathon. My legs are thanking me as I write this.

It's not that I don't want to run the half marathon. I was actually looking forward to trying to run 13.1 miles, to stepping outside of my comfort zone to accomplish something very different.  I guess I was just excited about the opportunity to run with my sister. We ran the Thanksgiving Day race a couple times in the past together but it has been a long time since I have been in running shape. I told her the news yesterday. We agreed to try to find another race to run together. Got to love family bonding!

Since I will be dialing back my training regimen I can start cross training again. I was worried that I wouldn't be able to handle both and I hated the idea of sacrificing my resistance training. I was beginning to miss the soreness from one too many squats. I guess I don't have to worry about that anymore.

Spring Training

I think I may have taken on more than I can handle. My sister recently sent me a picture of my niece and nephew passed out in the jogging stroller after a two mile run. (Aren't they adorable?) I then proceed to ask if she is training for something. She informs me that she is running a half marathon and asks if I would run with her.  So many thoughts run through my head but the one that makes it out is, "Sure. Let me see if I can run two miles without dying." 

To my surprise I did run 2 miles without dying Friday morning and another 2 miles Saturday morning. I ran much slower than I anticipated but I guess that was to be expected. The only hiccup I ran into, (pun intended) was a minor blister on my toe because of my shoes. I switched them out and Saturdays run was perfect.

I only have 12 weeks to train for those unforgiving 13.1 miles so naturally I started training immediately. Today marks the first full week of training and I will run a total of 7.5 miles.  I couldn't even tell you the last time I ran 2 miles before last week let alone 7. Oh well all in good time.

I did tell myself I would be in running shape for this years Thanksgiving Day Race so this is a good way to prepare myself.

Wake Up Call

I love working out in the mornings! I make better choices throughout the day and I have time to sit and relax in the evening. The only problem is dragging myself out of bed.

I was in a great habit about 6 months ago of getting up but something happened and my routine changed. I can't pinpoint what exactly but here I am hitting the snooze button 15 times before I actually get up. I barely have enough time to shower, get dressed, and get to work on time let alone exercise.

A few days ago I had an epiphany! Move your alarm clock so you get your lazy butt out of bed. I mentioned this to hubs to see how he felt about it. He was not as enthusiastic as I was about the idea. I couldn't possibly understand why not. The logic made perfect sense to me. If i had to get up to turn the annoying beep off then I would already be up and it would be downright silly to go back to bed.

While the hubs was out last night I decided to move my alarm clock anyway! I put it on his dresser which is across the room for me. He didn't even notice it when he walked into the bedroom, mission accomplished. I set my alarm clock to wake me up with enough time to exercise and still get ready for work. It was amazing. I got up walked over turned it off and went straight to the bathroom to change.  I had broken past my will to sleep. I do enjoy a good sleep but I like the feeling of accomplishing something before I even start my work day.

I don't think he was very annoyed because he probably slept better without the beeps every 5 minutes. Score: 1 for me and alarm clock 0. Let's see if I can do it again tomorrow.