50 days

this post is a little late. i was suppose to do it on saturday. but then i decided laying on the couch all day and being lazy sounded awesome. and well. it was ok. im use to being active, but the weather change down here has got me feeling a little under the weather. boo!

anywho. 50 days. starting on saturday, nov 1st. i started my own 50 day diet. 50 days will bring me right up to a big event. itll also carry me through my birthday and thanksgiving. ill definitely give myself some wiggle room on those days, but i dont wanna just go all out and binge, like ive been known to do.

so whats involved in this 50 days?

well one thing is eating right. im trying to get a whole30/paleo/clean eating thing going. what i eat is a big part of losing weight for me. (as i guess it is for anyone, abs are made in the kitchen) im gonna try and develop new recipes to fit in my diet. im even making special dishes for thanksgiving that i can eat and share with my family. i want to spread my healthy knowledge :)

ill also keep on with my running and about to add in my strength training. i feel like itll help my running a whole bunch. i feel weaknesses in some spots since i stopped lifting, so im ready to back to that.

ill only be weighing in once a week. which is kinda big for me. with me and he husband both on diets we weigh about every other day (he can win money for his diet, so more power to him) ill be sure to update my page with all that info for ya. i did measurements like a month ago, and just gonna assume they are mostly the same. and i also took pics. but ill save that for a later day.

i have 2 goals in mind: 1. fit in a little black dress that i have hanging up in my closet now, for my birthday in a few weeks. youve seen it before. i was able to zip it up after my first whole30. i dont really know if that goal is attainable, but ill sure try to get there.

 this one. its my shocked face that it even zipped up!

2. keeping myself accountable til the big event on day 51 (which i still cant share yet. i know, im mean). plus. who wouldnt wanna look good for the holidays.

though i made up this challenge and doing it on my own, i encourage anyone to join. i wont be checking in everyday, but you can always comment or email me (lacesandladles@gmail.com) if you want to join in. dont let yourself gain those 10 pounds during the holidays. give yourself a present and be healthy and fit for christmas. then you dont have those pesky new years resolutions to get fit anymore. you are worth it and owe it to yourself :)

heres to 48 more days

consistency is key

happy friday friends! i hope youve all had a lovely day, since its about 7pm here. ive had things on my mind today, and im just sitting with my feet propped up watching Nightmare Before Christmas, so i thought i thought id chat with ya.

when i got on the scale this morning, i was quite surprised. it was a number i hadnt seen in awhile. it was number i barely saw a glimpse of when i did my last whole30. it got me way excited. so i started thinking about how i got to this number.

lately ive been trying to be pretty consistent with what im doing. besides this week (because i decided i needed a break) ive been running pretty consistent in the last few weeks. so i have that going for me. but im also trying to make better food choices. like when the secretary brought donuts this week, i glanced at them and that was it. i basically only went in the kitchen for lunch and water. im trying to cut out alot of sugar from my diet, so it was a no brainer for me to not touch it.

i think alot of it came from meal prepping. i kept to my breakfast and lunches. and i even kept up with dinner. even tonight which is rare for me to cook on fridays. im usually done by the end of the week and just want a break. so im pretty proud of all that. and i can see the results im getting with it.

no, i dont always make the best choices (i had a small piece of pumpkin cheesecake today, but who could pass up something with pumpkin!) but i try to make the best choices most of the time, like passing on the donuts. yes, sometimes we treat ourselves, but treats are becoming few and far between lately. im trying to get back on a paleo diet.. mostly 80/20. the more better choices i make, the more progress ill see. sure, my progress may be super slow, but atleast its going somewhere and the scale is going down. and thats all i can ask for.

day in the life: my new normal

ive always loved reading the "day in the life" post on other blogs. but my life was always far too boring to even try to do one. it was basically get up, go to work, come home. repeat.

but i actually had a semi eventful day, enough to talk about anyways. so here we go :)

5:00 am: turn off my alarm, and try to decide if i really want to go run

5:02 am: check facebook and instagram to try and wake myself up

5:08 am: get up, go to the bathroom and make my way to the kitchen

5:10 am: eat banana (my normal prerun fuel) and play on phone still trying to wake up

5:15 am: get dressed to run and down some water

5:26 am: head out the door to run. and its colder than i thought.

6:30 am: get home from running 4 miles. super proud that it wasnt as bad as i expected it to be. besides having to dodge big groups of college runners. yay for living behind a college stadium.
 

6:32 am: chug some water

6:38 am: hubs gets back from his run so i chat with him for a bit

6:42 am: start cooking breakfast. eggs and sausage.

6:50 am: eat

7:00 am: head to the shower

7:12 am: get read for the day

7:42 am: leave for work

8:00 am - 12:00 pm: work

12:02 pm: go to my docs office to get flu shot

12:15 pm: get frustrated that im still sitting there waiting, its just a shot!

12:17 pm: go up to counter to see how long itll be and the lady gives me answer i coulda punched her in the face for, so i told her to take me off the list, and leave

12:20 pm: head to kroger. i need sweet potato for food prep

12:40 pm: get back to work and eat left over hot pocket i had in the freezer (dont judge, i needed something quick that wasnt fast food one day)

1:00pm - 5:00pm: work some more

5:10 pm: get super frustrated at how bad traffic is

5:22 pm: get home

5:30 pm: get to workin on food. put egg and lemon juice in blender for homemade mayo, cut up potatoes and get chicken ready to go in the oven for lunch the rest of the week, brown ground meat for chili the next day

5:50 pm: randomly pick up things around the house, im determined to keep my house clean

6:10 pm: finish making homemade mayo, then make dreamy avocado dressing

6:30 pm: finally start on dinner. pork chops and salad

7:00 pm: eat dinner and watch tv with the hubs

8:35 pm: drag myself into the kitchen to fix my lunches for the week, load the dishwasher, and refill my water bottles

9:00 pm: drag myself into bed and check facebok and instagram again

9:30 pm: make one last bathroom trip then off to dream land i go...

so ive been running..

the good news is.. my kness arent hurting.. but they sure are bruised all nice and pretty. ah well.

but yes, im back into my running groove. im doing 2 short runs during the week and 1 long run on sunday. this is how my last 3 runs have looked:

 

 

yep. i did 5 miles yesterday. never have i done miles before. and it kinda makes me feel like a badass. yes im training for something, but ill keep that a secret for now in case i fail miserably until its closer to time.

i love how with each run my avg min./mile gets shorter n shorter. squee!! i guess training does pay off. and another thing i love:

remember how i wasnt feeling well and wasnt working out. i felt my fitness going downhill fast. and was worried how long it would take me to get back in the groove. well shockingly.. it only took me about 2 weeks to get back into my running pace that i was in. it was the little boost of confidence i need to know that i am doing good and that i can do it. its the little things.

this week im gonna get back into my strength training routine and try to kick some ass.

btw, my hubs is doing awesome on his weight loss.. but i think im getting his weight.. why do i have to love food so much! #thestruggle

well thats all i have for now.. have a great manic monday!

an update

yess.. i see the cobwebs and hear the crickets.

ive been having a hard time updating the blog. life is busy. i havent worked out much, and well.. i never take pictures of my food anymore it seems. but as i try to get things back in order, you may see a slight change in the blog. i started this blog to follow my fitness journey, which has been such and up and down battle recently. so the blog just stays the same. but i do have so much more to say. soo ill be talking more than just health n fitness on the blog in the future. home projects, life, randomness. itll be all of me, instead of just getting healthy :)

so whats been going on lately?

well, im trying to get back to exercising and eating right. remember i said i could join another contest? well i took my before pictures, and have been trying my best with it, but we shall see. im almost back to where i was when i stopped working out in august, so ill start the weekly reviews when i get to that point again, i dont want to repeat the posts.

also, my husband has started his diet for work, so its giving me an extra push to get my butt in gear, and create healthy meals for us. hopefully we will both do well over the next few months to reach our goals.

speaking of exercise, i went for a run on sunday. and i was doing awesome, until i tripped and fell.. boo! i busted up my knees, jabbed my phone into my chest (where i have a pretty bruise to show), and scraped up my hands a lil. i still had 2 miles to get back to my car, so i had no choice but to keep going. my knees were hurting by the time i got back! but they are slowing healing, but turning ugly colors.. hopefully this doesnt affect my running this week.

how my knees were looking yesterday

well i guess thats all for now. i have some posts ideas that i hope to be back soon with!

Five for Friday

1. i havent forgotten about this little space of mine, just havent had much to say, than a bunch of curse words for how i felt and that i wasnt exercising. so i thought id save you from that. youre welcome :)

2. i hadnt exercised in a month, but this week i ran twice. its nice to get back in the game, but man did that month off wipe me out. hopefully ill get my endurance back soon.

3. since i didnt work out for a month (i am feeling better for the most part now) that kinda of bumped me out of the contest i was doing, but luckily they just posted another contest. should i give that contest a go??

4. i ate honey crisp apples (my favorite) as a treat last night. not ice cream, or cookies. an apple. who does that?? the new me, thats who. :)

5. ive been very careful about what ive been eating this week. its basically a whole30/clean eating kind of eating this week. and it has done great things to the scale. so im gonna keep on keepin on.

lunch this week

no review

well. if you are a regular reader (thank you if you are!), than youd know i was suppose to do a review yesterday of my workouts. well. i didnt. and let me tell you why. i havent felt well. and by mid of last week, exercising became uncomfortable. ill be making a doctors appointment this week to try and figure out whats going on.

but i have to laugh. i went into week 4 very motivated. week 4 is where i always stumble and fall. and here i am, doing it again. but.. i was pushing through even though i didnt feel good for like a week, so i guess it took its toll. im not sure. but im so ready to get back into working out. how are my mucles suppose to grow??

also, this past week/weekend have been hectic and never went as planned. so eating was a big ole miss. im so ready to get back on the healthy eating train. itll be better for my wallet too.. (eating out is so expensive!)

well. thats all i have for now. hope you had a great labor day!

She Sweats 12-Week Run Builder: Week Three

i cant believe i already finished week 3. the weeks are kinda flying by. i had to adjust the plan a few days to fit my new schedule. after i finished week 2, i had about 3 days to wait to start week 3 so that my running training could fit the upcoming weeks. i orginally started the program kinda on a whim, and didnt make sure it matched up with my training. i stayed active in the 3 days though. i shaved 2.5 mins off in my 3 mile run.

week 3-5 are the same workouts. good thing im really enjoying them. stage 2 is "the pace setter" stage. the strength workouts are done circuit style. and, i kinda love it. my favorite day is leg day. having that sore-cant walk feeling is just the best to me. arms is becoming a new favorite too.. especially after flexing in the mirror today :) (what.. you know you do it too!)

this week started adding in HIIT workouts. which. i kinda hate. they are hard. (i guess thats the point? lol) im using the turbo fire 25 HIIT for my workouts (if you have an xbox, its on xbox fitness, which tracks how you are doing and get more points the harder you work, pretty cool). i didnt get any runs in this week, which.. kinda sucks. i was suppose to go yesterday, but things didnt workout well with timing (i overslept and then it was too hot to run). but ill make sure to add in an extra run this week so i can keep building my base. 

my eating is about 60/40 right now. but i prepped my food for this week, so it should go much smoother. and there aren't any more cookies in the office, so thats a plus. im starting to see my body change and strengthen, so i wanna feed/fuel it right. 

off to start week 4!

*happy dance*

why am i dancing? well.. ive gotten all my plans to align. found a better race training that will work better for me. AND it gives me some extra time to lose some lbs before i start training and to get my eating on point.

im focusing more on myself than what other people are doing around me, and i just have this great feeling about everything.

i made no excuse yesterday when i wasnt feeling well and did my workout anyways.  this is the motivation i wanna keep up.

thanks for listening to my rambles. :)

She Sweats 12-Week Run Builder: Week Two

i survived week 2 you guys. im really loving this program so far. leg day is such a killer. i love it. my butt hurt for days!

this week i fueled properly. what a difference. i felt stronger, and felt like my recovery was better. however, i did get a bad side cramp when i did sprints, maybe i wasnt hydrated enough? usually if i drink water during a run i get the worse side cramps. so maybe it was from all the fuel i ate. my cardio days are a banana and rice cake, and my strength days is a protein shake, banana, and rice cake.

 About Time Whey Protein Isolate, Cake Batter flavor

my run on day one was slow. but i cant beat myself up like i usually would. im proud of myself for even getting up and doing it. i wake up at 5:30 in the mornings to get my runs in. and when i get a response of "your crazy" or "whew i could never do that" it makes me feel super committed to what im doing. if you want something, youll make the time.

on my lifting days i tried to up my weights on most workouts. im surprised how much i can actually lift sometimes! my arms and legs are my biggest insecurities (um hello, i can cover up my stomach with a shirt!) and i cant wait to see them start changing. lifting heavier weights on arm day made me feel good, baby steps!!

so, i guess what im trying to say is.. i loved this week. and i can tell im getting stronger. things can only get better from here :) though, my eating isnt what it should be, i can feel my body changing. but just to be sure.. i took progress pics this morning. this is a  2 weeks difference. im kinda surprised at the changes i see. but love seeing them! btw. these pictures are totally embarrassing for me, and it took alot for me to post them. but its part of my journey and im going to embrace it. im proud of the progress i made. so i shall flaunt it. please be kind with your words.

i hate food

ok. thats a lie. i love food (warning: im about to ramble)

me loving food is the problem. these past 2 weeks, ive done good during the week with my food prepped. but with nothing prepped for the weekend, it turns into a big pig out session. its horrible. and it makes me feel horrible. and i feel alot of times i cant get things under control. its something i struggle with all the time and im ready to get it under control.

im about to sound like a broken record... but i think im gonna do a whole30 again. its the only way i feel in control and get results. yes i wanna lose weight, but i really wanna do this whole30 (60?) to get my eating habits under control. i hate how food can be so addicting. i need to be addicted to the right stuff.

ive been busy on pinterest looking for more whole30 recipes so i dont get bored with what im eating. i will be super prepared for this whole30. cuz failing to plan, is planning to fail. and i just wont this time. ive been doing really well with my workout program, and i feel like im sabotaging it with my eating. and i just wont have that. i dont wanna put in the work to see no results.

so for the next 2 months im challenging myself to get my eating right. probably with a whole60. you will not control me anymore food. im talking to you cookies and chips!


 

She Sweats 12-Week Run Builder: Week One

you guys, im so excited to be doing this program. it feels so good to get back to exercising and in a routine again. and ive felt sore ALL week. like the good kinda of sore. the kinda that makes ya want more ya know?

 obviously i cant tell you what all is in the program (you can buy it here) but i can tell ya how its going for me.

weeks one and two are "the starting line" stage. its weights and running. boy, i sure did miss lifting weights. i never made it through their other program, but im loving the lifting sessions more this time (they are slightly different in this program)!! ive been sore everyday. my soreness last a few days for each different lift day (arms, legs, chest and back). but i love being sore, lets me know its working. and im feeling stronger already or maybe im just more confident, who knows.

i had to switch up the days a little this week to fit my schedule and i think it really affected some of my workouts. they really mean follow it to a 'T'. next week shall be better. my running was only good on my mile run on day one. i can think of a few reasons why this is: 1) im a morning runner. this louisiana heat gets to me too much when i run at 5:30 pm and its 100 degrees. i prefer the cooler mornings and im not worn out from the day. 2) i havent been fueling right.

i never paid attention to my fueling that much, but im starting to realize how big of a deal it is. i didnt fuel right for most of the workouts this week, and it showed. but i have ordered some protein powder that comes in today (woohoo) and im heading to the store this weekend to stock up on easy fuel i can just grab.

speaking of food. im doing really good with my eating this week. i activated my bodymedia again, so im back to tracking. im following a somewhat of a paleo diet for breakfast and lunch, and trying to eat a fairly clean dinner. i feel so much better when i eat clean, so im gonna try and stay on this track and hopefully see a few pounds drop before the muscle weight starts coming on :)

 

mexican rice bowl

every now and then i like to splurge. who doesnt? well.. one of my favorite meals is mexican rice bowls. yummm.

Mexican Rice Bowl

Ingredients:
1 lb ground meat (beef or turkey)
1 taco seasoning packet
2 tbsp olive oil
1.5 cup white rice
1 cup tomato sauce
1 cup water
1 cup chicken broth
a few sprinkles of onion powder
cheese, corn, sour cream, salsa, avocado, black beans... any topping you would like


Directions:

1. Brown ground meat, drain if needed, and add seasoning packet (follow directions on packet). Cook til combined and set to the side.

2. Put olive oil in pan and add rice. Stir to brown rice. Mix water, chicken broth, tomato sauce and onion powder in bowl. Once rice has browned some, pour in mixture. Bring to a boil then reduce to simmer til liquid is gone, about 25 mins.

3. Put rice and taco meat in bowl and top with any toppings youd like! Enjoy!

one mile

i havent ran in 2 months. but before that i had run off and on. if youve read my blog for a little while, youd know running is such a mental game for me. sometimes i have the focus to just do it.. and sometimes i dont. probably why even though i keep training for a 5k, i can never RUN the whole thing. i must be more of a walk/run person.

but this morning i had a one mile run on the schedule for the training program i started. i seriously was dreading it since i got the program. cuz i havent ran a whole mile in a long time. im sure if it woulda been fine if i had to walk some of it. but I would know that i didnt run all of it.

so i set my alarm for 5:30 to get up and get ready to run. i got up, took my before pictures, while eating a banana and drinking water. suited up and hit the pavement. i did a quick warm up walk.. then took off running. it was so uncomfortable. but then i finally got in a groove. i told myself i just had to run the whole thing. on a normal day, that was setting myself up for failure. but something clicked today. i wasnt horribly out of breath. i wasnt in any kind of pain that i had to stop. so i didnt. as i saw the distance tick by, i got more confident in myself. and i surprised myself. with how i did, and my time. i usually only get a time like that when i have quick walking breaks. but not today. not freaking today. and im just so excited. and happy. and PROUD!

caught in a comparison trap

i feel like social media can be the devil. you get to see everyone business, though, usually, only their good business. they never express what their life is really like, all the behind the scenes. people like to embellish things in their lives, probably to make up for the bad things. but i forget this, and although i should know better, i only see how much better they are than me. and i start comparing myself to them. and instead of being happy for them, i get annoyed that i dont have what they have. except, i actually do.

i dont just compare body image either. i compare things like my marriage and how much i make compared to others too. and i just beat myself down.. so i have to remind myself of what i do have.

ok.. so i dont make as much as that person with the really great job. but i have a degree and make enough for what i need. i have a great house in an awesome neighborhood, food, clothes, and everything i could really need. so what if i cant go out every weekend to do something fun or buy material things. im wealthy with happiness.

ok.. so my husband doesnt take me out on dates and or buy me flowers all the time. my husband just doesnt show love that way. he helps me when i need, and we spend hours on the couch enjoying time with each other. we surprise each other with random gifts. and he takes care of me. what more i ask for?? im wealthy with love.

ok.. so i dont look like all these people on "fitspo" or whatever its called. but im on a journey to better myself and my health. im eating better than i have in years, and i love working out. no, i dont look the way i want to right now, but im getting there. weightloss/fitness doesnt come easy for me. but im working for it and im wealthy with health and determination.

i forget that i have a loving family, sweet nieces, great friends, a job with bosses that actually care about me, a job that i actually enjoy doing, a husband who loves me and that i love too, and a heart full of love. those are things that are too awesome to be forgetting. so im going to make an effort to not compare myself to others. they arent me. so how can i even compare myself to them?

learn from my mistake. dont fall in to a comparison trap. no ones life is just like yours. no one has all the things you do. be yourself, and love yourself. your life is pretty awesome if you just look round and count your blessings!

The rest of colorado

i promised a finished recap of my colorado trip, so here it is! (see the first recap) (this one is slightly long and picture heavy also)

 after i finished the blogging on wednesday, i ate a sandwich and chips (unpictured) and then proceeded to nap. naps are acceptable on vacation right? that night me and the hubs werent too hungry and really didnt feel like going anywhere. so we ran down to a gas station so he could get some energy drinks, and i grabbed a lunchable and a oreo ice cream. by this time, all the eating out and not eating any veggies except french fries (does that count?)  had takin a toll on me and im feeling quite... blech.

on thursday i decided to get out the dang hotel. so i went and found the most expensive mall ever. i did some bargain shopping as always, got a shirt for 14 bucks and 8 bucks. woot. but then one of those dang hair straightener people sucked me in and convinced me to buy a new straightener (my chi is almost 10 years old and hasnt been working that great lately, i knew it was time for a new one but, not while i was vacation) i kept walking away and saying no until she gave it to me at the lowest price possible. #winning

i was still at the mall around lunch time, so i stopped in at the cheesecake factory. can you believe ive never eatin at one?? i ordered four cheese pasta (id been craving pasta all week!) and then i got a reeses cheesecake. holy yum!

no worries, i didnt eat it all. i ate half and brought the rest back to split with jamie. when i got back to the hotel, i napped. this was a good habit i picked up :) that night we decided we had one last night to go out to eat, so we went to a place jamie has been wanting to eat at. the tilted kilt. let me show you my reaction to this place...

this place was similar to a hooter or twin peaks. half naked girls everywhere. but oh well. the food was decent. i got the fish and chips and a margarita to help calm me down. :)

their garlic fries, were so. good.

after we ate we walked a little in the downtown area. walked through larimers square and a lil down the 16th street mall.

we didnt really stop in anywhere, just looked. cuz we had one more stop to make. :)

 when looking for places to eat online before we came, this place popped up as a go to place. and when we got there we had to wait in a long line for 15-20 mins. the ice was really good, though i didnt love the salted caramel peanut butter cup in the waffle cone as much as i did taste testing it. but i love ice cream, so i ate it anyways :)

the next morning was the last chance to do anything before we had to head to the airport to catch our 5:45 flight. so we went to the number one attraction: mount evans. this one was different than the rocky mountains. you basically drove up the mountain, with basically no stops along the way, and much scarier roads. as in we almost saw someone fall off the mountain (!) and then you had to hike up the last 1/4 mile to get to the top. this one wasnt as steep to climb, it was gradual so we made it up without being too worn out or out of breath. and the views were goreous!

when we got to the top, a ranger told us weather was coming, so we took our pics, took in the view, and headed back down. shortly after we got the car it started raining. so we timed that well.. we ate a sandwich i had picked up at target, wheat thins, and left over cheese cake on the way down the mountain. we then headed straight to drop off the rental car and head to the airport.

our flight wasnt delayed this time and we only had a to wait an hour or so for the flight. this flight was much better for me. i guess cuz i knew what to expect.

by the time we landed and got to our car it was 9:30. my bedtime. but we drove back the 2+ hours home with a stop to eat at jack in the box. cuz not many places are open at 10 to eat. we made it home around 12:15. we were so glad to be home!! our cat was glad we were back too :)

we took video of things, and lots of pictures too. my hubs is suppose to be putting together a video of our trip. ill be sure to share it once its done :)