Recap of Weekly Goals for June 23-29

Wow, is it really Sunday already?  This week flew by, which officially makes it feel like summer; and we're finally enjoying some nice weather which makes me oh so happy.  Last week seemed to be a trying week, full of ups and downs.  I saw this pic on Facebook and loved it!!!  I'm going to focus on the ups of last week since the downs always fade away pretty fast. 
 

I just got back from Calgary where Cody and I had a great time visiting with our friends Marshall and Heather and shopping around before he had to fly back to Fort Mac.  I am looking forward to spending tomorrow with friends, gotta love a stat!!!  Cody is back to work and I'm prepared to be at odds for his first week away until I fall back into my independent routine.

Here's a quick recap of how I did with my goals... 

RECAP OF WEEKLY GOALS FOR JUNE 23-29

1. Burn 300 calories per day doing something active, 5 days this week - I didn't do as well at this as I had expected, this is the run down:  Sunday, June 23 340 cals; Monday, June 24 110 cals; Tuesday, June 25 119 cals; Wednesday, June 26 241 cals, Thursday, June 27 short walk, no h/r monitor; Friday, June 28 walk, no h/r monitor on; Saturday, June 29 Calgary... shopping should count as calories burned, right!?
2. Do 2 tbsp of apple cider vinegar in water before dinner - Aced this one!  And I really do think it's helping my stomach.  It also is really thirst quenching!!!
3. Write and mail out thank you cards to my awesome friends for the amazing and beautiful gifts they gave me on Sunday at my bridal shower <3 - They are written, but haven't been sent out yet.  So I guess I get a half point for this one.
4. Keep my eating clean - don't give in to temptation or laziness - A big check mark for this one.  Although my week felt slightly out of control, I was able to make healthy choices due to our stocked kitchen.  Really really happy about this.  I did indulge a little while we were in Calgary, but not to the extreme, and not because of laziness.

I feel overall that my body needed this break from it's normal routine, needed to not be working out too hard, and I'm happy I listened to it!  I feel a lot more energized this week and ready to take on my normal expectations again.

To help ease into my "alone" weeks, I try to create extra focus on my food choices.  I also do things like clean the house from top to bottom, catch up on laundry, and find a good book to read.  This time I'm going to make sure to work on wedding decorations and spend some time in the evenings reading my text book for school.

Hope everyone is looking forward to Canada Day tomorrow!!!

XO - Michelle

Friday Recipe Find - Maple Cinnamon Almonds

I LOVE RECIPES!  It is quite possible that I'm addicted to reading blogs and trying out recipes that other people have posted about.  I am not a good recipe developer, but I am a good recipe follower!  I have found that my skill lies in rooting around on the internet and in various cookbooks for the perfect recipe.  I decided that maybe I should share some of my finds... So here is the first official Friday Recipe Find!!!

This recipe hails from my best pal Danielle's blog, Eating Running Living.  She has been blogging for a really long time and just recently told me about it!!!  I've been enjoying reading what she has to say, and hearing her perspective on things.  It's also pretty cool to see my name or picture pop up from time to time :) - almost famous hehe.

I saw this recipe on her blog last week and decided I had to try it, so glad I did!!!  I've been munching on these almonds all week, using them as my morning snack... and throughout the day/evening to stave off any sweets cravings.

Maple Cinnamon Almonds

1 tin Almonds

1/4 c Shredded Coconut
2 tbsp Maple Syrup
1/2 tbsp Cinnamon
1 tsp Olive Oil
1 tsp Sea Salt

Mix all together in a bowl * and spread out on a parchment covered baking sheet.

*Note, I kept adding almonds until they were all lightly coated.  Use less almonds if you like them heavily coated, and more if you like them lightly coated like I do!

Bake for 30 mins at 250 degrees.  

YUM

XO - Michelle

Not According to Schedule

I'm a planner, a lister, a little bit obsessive, and that's just the way it is.

When we moved into our rental house in May, I thought that I would be even more organized.  While this is true in some ways, I would say my organization has been put to new use.

These days I spend a lot less time obsessing over budgets, and a lot more time obsessing over workout plans and food choices.

Since moving into our house, I have become very strict on having a weekly meal plan.  We only live about 20 minutes from town, but I hate to have to go grocery shopping more than once or twice a week.  I want to be living in our cute little house in our cute little neighborhood, not driving to and from it all the time!!  So I make meal plans every week, and then a grocery list based on the meal plan, shop once... maybe twice, and that's the way it is!  Packing snacks and lunches are the rule, and take out meals for dinner are a no-no.  This requires determination and organization.

This summer is a busy summer though, and this is the week that is kicking off all the other busy weeks.  I was expecting this, planning for it, nervous for it, and now it's here... and my meal plan has already gone to s***.

The silver lining, and one I'm darn proud of, is that although the meal plan is not going to be followed, we have tons of healthy food at our house that will not be going to waste, and I have learned the art of adapting!  I feel like rebelling against the meal plan time came just when it needed to.... maybe my life needed some food excitement.  All the clean eating plans that I struggled over in the beginning, and later whipped up in no time at all, have taught me how to piece together a day of healthy and whole foods - sans the chart on my fridge.  I am also really lucky to have Cody at home right now, picking up the slack and taking care of making dinner.

Healthy eating does not have to be hard.  It takes time to learn, and more time for it to be second nature, but it's so worth it!!  A few months ago I would have been really stressed out by my current scenario, but I actually feel fine about it, maybe even a little excited to see how I do ;) It's like a challenge that I am determined to succeed at.  I am so happy to be at this stage of the clean eating journey, and hope that anyone feeling frustrated by it right now can gain some hope by reading about my experience.

Example of my rebellious meal week:

	The Plan	The Reality
1	Crock Pot Apple Crumble Breakfast Pudding	Turkey Sausage with Egg Whites and Veg
2	Banana Protein Shake and Maple Cinnamon Almonds	Banana Protein Shake and Maple Cinnamon Almonds
3	Tilapia with Sweet Potato and Veg	Chicken Fingers with Sweet Potato and Veg
4	Paleo Blueberry Muffin	Paleo Raspberry Muffin
5	Clean(ish) Pulled Pork Sandwiches	Eat Clean Chicken Tacos
6	Egg Whites and Avocado	Egg Whites and Avocado

So you see, it isn't the end of the world.  Looking at this it's more like a re-arrangement of main meals.

XO - Michelle

June 26 Group Workout

I just love Wednesday workouts.  For the past few months my girlfriends and I have been getting together on Wednesdays and working out together.  We take turns planning a group friendly workout, and then either meet at the local college track or -if it's raining- at someone's house.

I think it's become a favorite for everyone involved.  I've never really had a consistent gym buddy, but after participating in this type of activity I can see how it's really conducive to a good workout!  I mean, I have to show up or my friends know I'm fat assing it on the couch at home, and when I want to quit part way through my friends are there to help push through the tough stuff.

We have done a variety of workout styles, ranging from interval running to tabata to cross fit inspired to body weight workouts, and we have enjoyed them all!  Anything that gets me moving and burns calories is beneficial.

Today it is my turn to plan the workout.  I feel more confident basing my plan off of something I've read online or in a magazine.  Today I'm planning for us to do the following:

Wednesday, June 26 Group Workout Plan

Warm up by walking around the track 2 times

20 sec Run
10 sec Rest
x3
25 Pushups

20 sec Squat Jumps
10 sec Rest
x3
25 Crunchies

20 sec Run
10 sec Walk
x3
25 Tricep Dips

20 sec Jumping Jacks
10 sec Rest
x3
Plank x3 - 40 sec ea

Cool down by walking around the track 3 times   

I loosely based this plan off of one I read here.       

I've got my fingers and toes crossed for a sunny day, but if it's not in the cards I can sub in skipping or more jumping jacks etc in place of the running.

XO - Michelle

Goals for June 23 - 29

I've recently started creating a few goals for each week, just to help me stay focused.  I like to have a few things to strive towards.  My downfall in the past has been to make the list too big and too intimidating, which was just setting myself up for failure.  I've been trying to change this and really love to have a few attainable things to work on.

WEEKLY GOALS FOR JUNE 23-29

1. Burn 300 calories per day doing something active, 5 days this week
2. Do 2 tbsp of apple cider vinegar in water before dinner
3. Write and mail out thank you cards to my awesome friends for the amazing and beautiful gifts they gave me on Sunday at my bridal shower <3
4. Keep my eating clean - don't give in to temptation or laziness

XO - Michelle

A Quick Overview of Simply Me

My name is Michelle and I have spent the past few years trying to get back to myself.  I feel like at the age of 18 or 19, I kind of went off the rails and forgot what I was truly about.  Not that I was bad, or particularly rebellious, I just wasn't me.  I was funny, and sociable, and fine, there was just something missing - I don't even know if anyone else would have noticed.  After floundering for a couple of years I have been working on getting back to myself.   Now at 25 I feel like I've come a really far way from the old days, and want to keep these good times rolling.

Every day I feel just a tad closer to being the person who I want to be.  Some days it seems like it's taking a lot of effort and heartbreak, and other days it seems so simple.  I think it's part of the process of finding oneself. 

Things I've done to get back to being simply me:

• I left the town I grew up in, all of my wonderful friends and family, and basically my whole comfort zone to go work in northern Alberta.  My goals when I left were to pay off debt (I've found that an unhappy Michelle spends a lot of unavailable money) and to figure myself out.  Being alone there gave me the opportunity to contemplate my life and figure out who I wanted to be.  I found that while still at home, I was tired of being classified a certain way, but didn't know how to break out of that mold or really what I would be left with if I did.  Almost as soon as I had some time to myself, in a place where no one knew me, I figured out what kind of interests I gravitated towards and what kind of lifestyle I was hoping to live.
• I fell in love!  What an eye opener!  Before I could be in a healthy relationship, it was my belief that I needed to love myself.  Knowing that I had found someone I wanted to spend the rest of my life with made me really strive to figure out who I was as an individual.  I will forever be thankful for the chance to meet my now fiance, Cody.
• I made my health a priority.  This by far has had the biggest impact on my life to date (probably aside from being born ;)).  I have found that my food choices paired with getting some movement every day has effected every single facet of my life.  This is a huge part of what makes me tick, and it's something that I will never stop learning about.
• I quit my job up north and moved home to face my fears and make health an even bigger priority!  I opened myself up to the love of my friends and family, and now take more time to appreciate the beautiful place I live in and the amazing people I spend time with.

There are more things... big changes, little changes; but these would be the headliners if I had to choose.

My hope for this blog is to document my journey.  Some days I wish I had started it that fateful February of 2011 that I drove off to Fort McMurray.  But I have my thoughts and my memories, and this seems to be as good a place to start as any.

Most of this will be health and fitness related, but since I'm a believer that those two just coincide with life I assume it will just be a huge mix of whatever.

XO - Michelle