Feel Good Inc.

I forgot how wonderful that song is (and HOW appropriate for our little blog).

WELL.  I've been staying strong with my morning workouts (for the most part).  I was blindsided early this week by a terrible cold that will not leave my body and by a humongous assignment I had to complete for school.  Despite the setbacks, I still managed to work out Monday morning and this morning.  I have class on Tuesdays from 5-8, so that takes up any potential free time for the gym.  I woke up Wednesday morning completely exhausted and drugged up from the Benadryl I popped the night before, so I stayed in bed and got a pedicure with Mary after work.

My eating has been great this week! I've stuck to very clean options and have consumed hardly any processed foods.  I'm using my old thermogenics diet as a general frame for my eating right now.  I have a wedding on April 25th, so I'm using that date as a time frame for my dieting.

I WILL BE HAPPY IN A BIKINI THIS SUMMER. I WILL BE HAPPY IN A BIKINI THIS SUMMER. I WILL BE HAPPY IN A BIKINI THIS SUMMER.

^my mantra for the next two months.  You can borrow it, if you like. :)

Good Morning, Metabolism!

After two consecutive mornings of working out before work, I can say that I don't know what took me so long to commit to doing this. As for whether the enthusiasm will last, I really hope so, because by all accounts it's made a world of a difference.

• My day starts on a positive, productive note.
• My metabolism gets a jump start, and my body starts burning cals right away. 
• I don't have the dread of having to get to the gym after work/before I can start dinner, and subsequently, don't feel the guilt when I inevitably bail.
• I have more energy, and I'm motivated to make healthier choices throughout the day.
• I sleep really well.
• I can make all kinds of after work plans because MY WORKOUT IS COMPLETE already!

My goal is to keep this momentum going (three morning workouts per week) straight through to the honeymoon. That, combined with yoga 1-2 times per week, will hopefully get me beach ready (I'm not looking for a miracle here, just wanting to feel more toned and sexy for Europe!).

One for the Laughs!

Goodbye, February Funk! Hello, March Madness!

WELL it's been nearly a full month since we've posted here.  In our defense, it's been a crazy, full month for all of us.

My parents went through a kidney transplant on February 10th, and our family came in town and visited the prior weekend.  I moved out to the farm to take care of them while they recovered, and I just moved back into my own house this past weekend.  My parents were in the hospital for almost a whole week, so I spent my days and nights out there.  We also had a full week of ice, sleet, and snow, which shut down most of the city for days on end.  And when we were in full recovery mode, I was responsible for taking my parents to and from the hospital for check-ups and making trips to the grocery store for food and such.  As you can imagine, my eating and workouts took a backseat during all this, mostly because I was too spent to devote any type of energy towards anything but that.

The great news is that now I'm back in my own house with my own things, it's more convenient for me to go to the gym, I'll be back in my regular routine again, and we're starting off at the beginning of the month! Wahoo!

I sat down with my brother last night, and we came up with two-three different workout plans for me to follow when I'm at the gym, so that's going to make a huge difference in my productivity while I'm there.  I also took an inventory of all the food I have in the pantry, freezer, and fridge, and lo and behold!  I have like two weeks' worth of meals in there, ha!  And all healthy and clean things: veggies, chicken, turkey, herbs.

SOOO HERE WE GO, YOU GUYS!  Here's to a new month!  *clink with the protein shakes!*