summer is here!

Happy Monday Tuesday!!!

How is the long weekend already over?! It was phenomenal... seriously... I feel so renewed! It was exactly what I needed...

It's funny how things change, at my last gig, I felt as lethargic on the weekend as I did during the week, and now, I'm out there, doing my thang.

I can tell I'm ready for new beginnings, I'm organizing, getting rid of crap, committing and just doing lots of projects.

The weekend started off with a 7.5 mile run... Grand Rapids marathon what?!

The only project I was able to complete (unfortunately the others are still in progress)...

5K key chains! I made them for my 5K group that ends tonight... how have the 10 weeks already passed?! Insanity and I hope they like them... I'm a wee bit partial to them myself!

Busy, busy week with multiple engagements pretty much every evening.

Have a great week!

Barre Obsessed

I'll admit...I'm a bit bored with my routine right now. I've dropped strength training because I've been feeling drained on days where I run once, if not twice and since I incorporate HIIT with it, it's not like it's a low intensity activity.

Or maybe we dropping my strength training also has to do with the fact that I am super bored with my workout room. I miss attending a cooled gym, some fun fitness classes...yes, I miss having a gym membership.

I bought a groupon back in January for some barre classes, which I started taking 3, 4 weeks ago and to say I'm obsessed is an understatement. Maybe because it's new, maybe because they take place in schwanky gyms, or maybe because despite not dripping in sweat, I leave the facility with a burning in my muscles. I leave spent but energized. I've been able to incorporate it into my schedule on days where I train without me feeling ueber-exhausted. A huge plus right now as I'm trying to balance two very different aspects of my life.

Have you tried any barre classes?

There are so many different variations out there and each instructor has been so unique. It's been fabulous..

I'm sad to say that my class days are almost over... I'm about to exhaust my last introductory special tomorrow and then I'm on the hunt for some DVD's as class packages are ridiculously expensive... ranging from $15 - $19 a class depending on the package you purchase and drop in fees are typically $20!

If you are a barre enthusiast...any DVD's you can recommend?

and then it was over

it's been a crazy week...

i'm finally back to feeling like myself.

i haven't weighed myself in over a week, with the 5K being this past Sunday, I was on survival mode since last Thursday. I already feel pudgy, I don't need to be in the dumps about what the number.

marathon training has been a bit in the dumps...however, there is a long run scheduled for this weekend. 6 or 7 miles depending on how i feel and how hot it is.

I've just signed 2 more clients which means at this point, all my evenings are booked. edited to add:  this is fabulous! seriously.. i couldn't be more thrilled with how things are turning out for Train with Purpose!

i'm ready for the fricken weekend....

Marathon Training: Week 1

you didn't know I was training did you?

I'm torn about whether or not i actually am...technically i am... but not really.

so what am i doing? i coaching a future marathoner.. which means, I'm running all of her long distance runs with her. that by default means I'm training for a marathon too right?

except, i'm not sure if i'm ready to take the plunge and sign up for it... if I do run one it will be the Grand Rapids Marathon, mostly because I had planned that as my Fall Half.

I need to rework the schedule if I do commit because mine would be considerably earlier than my clients which means I need to hit the distance a wee bit harder than she does.

God.. am I drinking the Kool-Aid?!

Week 2

Despite a gain of 1.5 lbs from last week, last  week was actually a pretty darn good week.

I exercised 6 out of 7 days, not by choice, and I think had it not been for the all the eating out we did...pretty much Friday through Sunday, it would have been a pretty stellar week, however you can't control everything so I'm just going with the flow. I'm so tired, I can't even bother getting all worked up about it.

How is it only Wednesday? I feel like it should be Thursday and I wish it to be Sunday at 3 PM. The season will be pretty much over and I'll have a slight reprieve in my schedule.

I'm fighting the good fight with plenty of workouts scheduled for this week, but we all know food is 80% of the weight loss puzzle, and as I'm about to log off to head to work, none of my food is prepped.

Happy Hump Day!

does owning your own business mean weight gain?!

It’s tough admitting to weight gain, and although I’ve carried about 15 extra lbs on my frame for a while now, it became truly apparent to me that I needed to take action once I hit the 20lbs gained.

I used laziness yesterday as to why I stopped doing certain things/habits but a lot of it has to  do with how busy I’ve gotten.

I hate talking about this weight gain. I feel so ungrateful. Ive accomplished all my business goals  Ive set out to do and yet here I am complaining about a few pounds Ive packed on along the way. But I'm feeling the pressure to look a certain way and although I may never have the physique of a ballet instructor, I looked pretty darn presentable 15 lbs ago.

I’m struggling to find the balance between newer acquired responsibilities with work as well as launching Train with Purpose. I feel like I’m busy all the time. I wake up, prepare to train a client, train the client, get ready for work, work, and after work I’m usually working on more Train with Purpose stuff/leading my training group. Yet, I’m not even getting half the stuff I want to get accomplished, accomplished. I’ve pretty much cast any routine I had in place aside just to try to keep afloat on these two responsibilities.

When this all started, I figured the struggle would be finding a venue where I could grow a following (I have two groups signed up for the summer already!) but it's becoming more apparent that finding the work balance is my struggle. Making room for important stuff like washing clothes, cooking a meal (and I can't remember the last time I cooked a meal!), cleaning the house is where I'm failing, right now.

The point is: I know I can do this, live a healthy life, continue on with my professional goals, I just need to work it out. Like I tell my clients, you just started running, focus on the distance ahead of you today, not the distance that you want to run down the road.

Baby steps...all along the way....

Week 1

I was supposed to have written a prequel to this post but I'm still somewhat surprised it's already Wednesday, this week has been chock-full with events, last minute disasters getting ready for our GOTR Spring 5K.

long story short: i need to lose 15-20 lbs.

last week i got my shit together and started committing to healthy living again. nothing wild and crazy, just small changes that i got out of the habit of doing. basically when laziness took over and it became too much to request no tortilla strips with that salad, or the dressing on the side. little shit that really does add up to bigger changes.

i've stopped running for my own training. i'm still running 4, or as of this week, 5 times a week with my clients.

i purchased a groupon a while back for barre classes and started cashing them in. i love it. it's challenging and not too sweat inducing although by the end of the session every single one of your muscles is screaming bloody murder.

i lost 4 pounds this week. i'm ecstatic about it for that extra little push and motivation it has given me.

it's never the beginning that is hard, but the follow-through.

happy humpday!

party of the decade!

holy cow.. how has it been 13 days since my last post?! seriously... it doesnt even feel like May 4th!

so...whats happened since I've last posted...

Let the festivities begin...

Champagne bar

the table

Good times...

The party was awesome except that well, I probably shouldn't be planning a party in March with 80 degree weather when I know the temps in April may be chillier...yeah, we were all huddled around the patio heater and then around the fire pit.

Regardless it was a lot of fun except that I am still paying for it almost 3 weeks later with poison ivy on my ass...