Back from Paris!

We are back from Paris and it is time for me to get back on track with my program. This is going to be a short and sweet post for today. My focus right now, reaching my goals!!

I will get straight to it :)

Goals for November 7th - November 11th

1. Juice daily
2. Focus on lean proteins and veggies. Same plan that has worked SO many times for me.
3. Walk for 30 to 45 mins daily. Working up to running again soon! YEAH!!
4. PT work and stretching
5. LOG RESULTS!! As of late I have a habit of doing well and then not logging my results for accountability.

That is all for today :) Time to make it HAPPEN!! Wishing you all a beautiful and blessed day!

Goals for today...

I am really wanting to get back to strength training, I miss it so much!!! Obviously with my back injury I cannot do too much at this time, but I can at least try my best to do all I can....something, that will take me closer to my fitness goals. So for today, my goal is to do 10 military pushups, and least 15 mins of Yoga and 15 mins of upper body with bands and my 5 lbs DBs. I know it does not seem like much  but to me, this is a big deal.

I will report back later today with my results!! :) Hope you all have a fantastic day!

On track....

This true actually :) Hope to start back soon!!

Doing VERY well. On track with my goals and my back is feeling better!! I went to the chiropractor again tonight and in addition to the therapy, I had acupuncture. I am sore but I know it will be worth it.

Icing my back now!! I CANNOT wait to get back to my workouts!!!!! :)

Have an awesome day!

M1 - GGMS and chia seed and flax pancakes!
M2 - same as M1 they were so good!!
MDS - Banana and PB - classic :)
M3 - Raw Meal protein shake with berries and banana

Daily Results 10/21 -

Today was my first day back tracking my goals. I did well. Just trying to take it one day at a time right now. I am SO VERY happy to say my back is getting better with each passing day. Thank the Lord! I just need to be smart and do everything I can do to help it get back to 100%. We have a trip coming up in 12 days and I really want to be fully over this injury before hand. We are going back to Paris, one of my favorite cities and I want to be well so I can fully enjoy this special time for us ;) 

Nutritional Goals - 

1. AM Adrenal drink - Singing Canary from THM and GGMS - DONE! 
2. LIMIT coffee - I did well though I had more than one cup :( Trust me, that is really good for me. 
3. Shrinker tea during the day - from THM - DONE! 
4. Juice and blend for lunch and dinner - NO :( will do better tomorrow. 
5. Continue my clean eats with a focus on lean proteins and greens - DONE! 
6. Log meals daily but do not count calories. Just focus on eating clean, healthy foods - DONE! 

M1 - SC and GGMS from THM.... wow, that is a mouthful :) along with grilled chicken and avocado and a small greek yogurt with chia seeds. 
M2 - Shrinker tea and more GGMS and chicken with apple. A pumpkin, hemp seed muffin I made...super good! 
M3 - A bit of spelt pasta and more grilled chicken with a very small about of rice
M4 - More GGMS and more of the pumpkin, hemp muffins I made. Very good made with canned pumpkin, hazelnut milk, almond flour, flaxseeds, hemp seeds, honey and coconut oil. VERY good!! 

Fitness Goals for the week -

1. If my back allows aim for a 30 mins walk - I walked a great deal today but not a straight 30 mins, a bit less. 
2. Yoga for Back Care - Did not do. I went to my Chiro today and he did a few treatments on my back. 
3. Upper body band work - YES!! DONE!! It was very light, but I did it. I used a band and 5 lb DB's and did a massive amount reps. It burned and was light enough to where it did not hurt my back. Slow and steady right now :) 
4. Foam rolling for PT - Wanted to wait to see what the doctor said. He said I can try but to be careful with my back. 

Goals for this week.

I am still struggling with this pulled muscle in my back but I am very happy to say that I was able to walk for a little bit this weekend and I truly feel I will be back to 100% very soon. Even though I am having to take it easy, I feel I can still strive to make my goals for this week. No matter how small, it is about setting a goal and doing all I can to reach it.  As far as my sickness, I am SO much better. After nearly a month of being sick, my coughing is so much better and I have much more energy. I went to the doctor and the main concern now is my voice. I have laryngitis and so I was told not to talk and to rest. ME....not talking?? I think this may be my hardest challenge yet :) He told me to try and stay warm, rest and hopefully it should improve. I am drinking all kinds of teas and warm drinks to help as well. I am also taking the time to let my body heal.  I truly feel that my body is trying to tell me to slow down and so we are doing all we can to help my immune system and my Adrenals get stronger.

Nutritional Goals for the week  -

1. AM Adrenal drink - Singing Canary from THM and GGMS
2. LIMIT coffee - This is going to be a hard one for me, but I am going to try and keep it to ONE cup only. Wish me luck ; ) I hope my Adrenals will thank me for this sacrifice I am making!!
3. Shrinker tea during the day - from THM
4. Juice and blend for lunch and dinner
5. Continue my clean eats with a focus on lean proteins and greens.
6. Log meals daily but do not count calories. Just focus on eating clean, healthy foods.

Fitness Goals for the week -

1. If my back allows aim for a 30 mins walk with the back brace daily this week! This will be a huge goal for me!!
2. Yoga for Back Care - Rodney Yee dvd
3. Upper body band work - light and easy while my back is healing.
4. Foam rolling for PT

These may seem small, but to me, it will be a huge accomplishment if I can reach all my goals this week. I can sit and do nothing while I am hurt and sulk, feeling sorry I am not out running, or I can just buckle down, do what I can to get myself back 100%. I must realize that I am not the same girl I was last year and that is ok. I am recovering from an injury and trying my best to get my overall health under control. If I know there are things I can do to help my Adrenals and immune system be stronger, than I need to do all I can. I cannot focus on the past but I have to look forward and realize that this hard time IS going to make me stronger. I will be better all around as a result.

Moving forward, one goal at a time....


September 2013, Norway
                                                         

First post since July!! Goodness...

I think this may be the first time since I started this blog in 2007 that I let so much time pass between blogs. I have so many things to share, I do not really know where to start. I guess I have a lot of blogging to do to catch up with you all :)

The short summary.....

In July we went to the Greek Islands for 2 weeks. It was a very, very special time for us as a family. After we came home, my Mother-in-law came to Norway to see us!! She was here for 3 weeks and it was truly amazing!! We took her around this region of Norway and then we all flew over to London. It was a dream come true for her and we all had a blast! After my Mother-in-law left, my husband then had to go to the US for a business trip. While he was gone, I got sick and then my little girl followed. So now, we are both held up in the house sick and counting down the days til my husband is back home! It has been a very hard time with him gone but I am SO VERY thankful for my dear friends here in Norway who have helped me out getting me food and calling, texting to check in on us. I feel so blessed to have such special people in my life.

I am VERY excited to finally be back to a normal routine. My goals for this fall look very different than before but I am excited about a new phase of my journey. It is one based on balance, something I have longed to have for sometime now.  After I get over this crazy bug, I will be back posting but for now, my focus is getting through this and keeping us healthy.

I hope everyone is doing well. For all of you who wrote me to check up on me, thank you so much!!

Keep pressing on :)

The precious gift that was today....

I gave today all that I could. I am laying here about to go get some much needed rest and I can say with all my heart that it feels amazing knowing I am ending this day with all my goals reached and knowing I pressed harder than I thought I could. There were times I wanted to stop, but I did not. There were times it hurt, but I found the fight inside of me to keep pressing ON! And now....it feels incredible!

Today I did an ST workout at home along with a HARD spin session. My husband has moved my spin bike into the living room so I can spin during the day while my girl and I are together. It has helped me so much.  I think my greatest joy today came from watching my sweet Kayla interact with me as I was working out. By now, she is used to Mommy doing crazy things to workout but as I was spinning today, she was saying to me..."Be careful!! You need a helmet"I just thought it was hilarious! At one point she heard me breathing heavily and yelling out as I was so pumped up on the bike she said to me..."you need some water!" Then she proceeded to the kitchen and got me one of her cups and filled with water for me. She just thought this was so much fun so she kept bringing me more and more water! I will NEVER forget it!

When I was doing my ST outside she was there right beside me trying to ride her little bike and amused by the TRX as always! Ever since she was baby sitting in the swing watching me workout and laughing at me jumping up and down to my Cathe dvds, I have loved that I can share this time with her. She was once again laughing at me today doing the crab walks with the bands while doing upper body work with my Db's.

All in all, it was an incredible day! I feel truly blessed....

Regarding my results, for ST I did a combination of spinning as a warm up, then a high, very high rep set with minimal rest. I was lifting to songs as opposed to counting reps so there is no telling how many I did but my sets were as follows....

Deadlifts
TRX rows
Bosu ball pushups
MB chops with squats
Squat press with plates
BB curls to overhead press
BB rows
KB swings
Crab walks with the band and Db's - curls/press
Burpees
High knees
Plate chops
DB curl to squat press

For my spin session I did a mix of hard/slow climbs along with a few higher tempo climbs and high RPM intervals trying to keep my working resistance high while keeping my RPM's over 100.

HRM stats...

ST workout with spin warmup - 47 mins, 351 calories burned, AHR - 142,  MHR - 168
Spin session - 74 mins, 655 calories burned, AHR - 152,  MHR - 181

Total calories burned today - 1,006

The weekend of rest did a great deal of good for me. I feel ready to face this week head on and I will do ALL that I can each and every day to make the most of this time God has blessed me with.

This  morning I was reading about the terrible tragedy with the 19 firefighters who lost their lives. It is just so very sad and my heart hurts for their families...I cannot imagine the pain they are feeling. We once again have a brutal reminder of how fragile and precious this life is.

Focus on the time we have been given and let's work hard to really make it count. Let go of past failures. Rise above pain, doubt and fear. Reach higher and harder than you have before. Pray for those who are hurting and love one another. We are all in this together. This amazing gift called LIFE. Let's live with a purpose in our hearts to be better each and every morning we are blessed with.

God bless you all.

The last workout for the week is DONE! Let the rest days begin!!!

I had another fantastic spin class tonight! I tell you, I am really getting addicted to this. I love it. It has helped me in so many ways. I feel stronger, leaner and encouraged that this type of training is really helping me with my knee issues and can perhaps, lead to great things in the future!! 

The only downside to tonight was that I had more trouble with my HRM but it was settled soon after but as a result my numbers are low. 411 calories for the spin, 55 mins....should be more...maybe I am just getting so fit :) AHR - 148, MHR - 178

Post spin was incline intervals on the tread ranging from 6% to 15% and 6.0 to 7.0 kph - 25 mins, 203 calories AHR - 146, MHR - 186 
614 burned for today........I'll take it. 

Saturday and Sunday are rest days for me, then Monday I will be back!!!! I am going to measure again on Monday too. I did take a look today and I have gone down a bit in my measurements, so I am happy! :) 

Schedule as of now for next week. 

Monday - ST circuit plus spin intervals 
Tuesday - Morning spin 
Wednesday - Morning ST then Evening spin 
Thursday - Morning spin 
Friday - Rest 
Saturday - ST and spin intervals 

I hope you all have a truly blessed weekend! Work hard. Stay on track and above all, cherish every moment you are blessed with!

Burn! Burn! Burn!

What a ROCKING spin class this morning! WOW...the energy there was just amazing. I left it all there...everything, I really did give this class 110%. I literally had tears in my eyes the last interval I was pushing it so hard. I was in an incredible zone. I closed my eyes and could see my goals in my mind and it pushed me through to the end. When it was over, I was just so overwhelmed, I was in tears.....tears of joy!!

The instructor this morning was incredible. The energy she brought to the class was incredible. She was saying these things in Norwegian....like a drill sergeant and I have no idea what she was saying but WOW was it ever motivating!! Towards the last few intervals she wrote on the board -- PAIN IS TEMPORARY and starting cheering us on til the end. When the class was over I was talking with her and you can see how committed she is to motivating and encouraging everyone. I tell you what, I will be first in line to take her class again. Isn't it awesome when instructors give so much of themselves to help us reach our goals! Amazing... 

Here is the board from our spin class! Love it.... 

The only negative of today was that my HRM was acting up and for the first few minutes it was not reading my HR, then my HR when bonkers -- too high, then back to normal, so my caloric burn is off.....low I think for how hard I pushed. Based off of my RPE I say I was around 500...maybe 550, but my HRM was showing 461 -- so for the sake of numbers ( I am a numbers person) lets just say 500 for today for a 50 min spin with cool down. 

I am super excited about my spin class again tomorrow night then I have to be honest, I cannot wait until the weekend as I am taking a much needed REST!!!! I am going to be one lazy lady this weekend....but when Monday comes around, getting ready....I WILL BE BACK!!! ;) 

Keep pressing on! Blessings and many thanks again for your support!

Over 1,200 calories BURNED today!! I truly gave this day my all.

I am so tried. I am going to try and stay awake as I write this blog! It is 9:13 pm here in Norway and I am ready for BED!! I started off this morning at the gym and found my way in spin class thanks to a friend who was there to give me an added push! I worked hard in the class, then after headed over to the treadmill for some intervals and finally some ST. I worked out for 79 mins this morning and burned 721 calories. 

After the gym, my girl and I headed to a playdate with a friend of mine. We walked to the lake to feed the ducks and on the way back we took the trails back home which included some pretty challenging hills. It was amazing and so very beautiful out there. Using MMR it was about a 3 mile walk. I was not wearing my HRM but from the hills and pace we were walking I say I burned around 150. After our visit, I headed back to the gym for ANOTHER spin class! My friend was leading the class which was motivating and I was a bit late so I had to sit right in the front row. I was nervous as by this time I was SOOOOO tired and my legs felt like lead getting on the bike but fueled by motivation ( and the awesome red energy drink from the gym) I proceeded and made it through 48 mins and burned another 412 calories. 

I came home, fueled my body with an awesome salad with lamb, turkey, cabbage, carrots and cottage cheese along with 1 piece flax bread and PB and a small amount of yogurt. 

I am VERY proud that I gave today my all. Truly, I did all I can now I get to reward myself with some much needed REST before the morning comes and I have another spin class. Oh my.... 

Whatever I am doing is working. The scale is down, I feel amazing ( though tired now) and I am so very encouraged that my journey is back on track!!!!! 

Wishing you all a very successful day! REACH....really reach high today!! You will end the day SOOOO happy that you did :) 

Stats for today...... 

Spin class - 33 mins - 305 calories burned, AHR - 155, MHR - 179 

Incline intervals on the tread followed by ST - 46 mins, AHR, 153, MHR 180 
On the tread - 20 mins@ 6% and 6.0 kph then 5 mins @ 10% and 6.0 kph followed by 5 mins @15% at 6.0 kph and then a final 3 mins @15% at 6.5 kph.....WOW! I had to hold on but it did not matter, I do not think I have ever walked a 15% @ 6.5 before........until now :) 

After the tread I did a circuit of pushups, TRX rows, low rows, band work and crab walks with the bands. 

Afternoon walk - aprox 3 miles from MMR and around 150 calories burned ( not wearing HRM) 

Evening spin class - 48 mins, 412 calories, AHR 150 and MHR 177 

Totals for today - From the gym - 1,133 and with the walk around 1,283!!! Happy ME!