Veg Italian Night

Week 5 of p90x is almost over. So far I've exercised four days this week...hopefully I can convince myself to do either kenpo or legs and back tomorrow. This morning I ran with Bishop...I love love love running with him...he is so excited and happy to be outside that it makes my run more enjoyable. Plus, the fact that he is calmer the rest of the day is an added bonus. =)

Last night I made a really yummy Italian dinner (vegetarian of course)...I got some whole grain organic penne from Trader Joe's (which was so cheap...only like $1.39/lb) and a bag of their meatless meatballs. I sauteed some onion, garlic, and mushrooms and added some fresh parsley from the garden. Then I added a jar of sauce to the veggies (we like Classico Fire Roasted Tomato and Garlic) and put the meatballs in to simmer (all of this while the pasta was boiling). By the time the pasta was done cooking, the meatballs were warmed through! I mixed the pasta with the sauce and meatballs and then added some fresh chopped basil from the garden (all garden veggies are courtesy of Jan). Voila! It was really yummy. Jan and Chris were both here for dinner...both self-proclaimed carnivores...and they both loved it (or at least they said they did)! There was only a tiny bowl left of pasta (and one lonesome meatball) so I'm taking that as a sign that they really did like it.

I'm super tired right now. I had a hectic week at work and then had to sit through an LCSW prep class all day yesterday and half of today. It was definitely helpful...but boring. At least now I'm ready to really start studying so hopefully I can pass this exam in a few months and be done with studying foreve!!

taco night

I'm halfway through week 5 of P90x...and shockingly I'm still doing it consistently! For the past five weeks I've worked out at a minimum of 4 days each week...and I feel really good about that. I've also been doing weight watchers now for almost two weeks and that's going well, too. I'm finding that I can find a healthy balance between eating healthy and treating myself. It's great that I can eat as many fruits and veggies as I want, because I load up on the fruits during the day. I'm not feeling deprived...because if I eat something that is high in points then I just eat healthier at the next meal. I don't know if the number on the scale is moving (I haven't checked) but I feel better and that's more important to me anyways. I think that this is a good combination for me.

Tonight I'm going to make veggie tacos. I'm using morningstar soy crumbles...which I hope are good. I'll put some taco seasoning with those, and then make a mango salsa w/some mango, onion, lime juice and avocado to go on top. Chop up some onions and tomatoes and it's taco night!

Tomorrow and Saturday I have to sit through two full days of a prep class for my licensure exam. I'm not thrilled about it, but I'm hoping it will help prepare me to take the last test I'll ever have to take! We get lunch on our own, so I'm going to have to scope out some places around that have healthy options. I will be so glad when Sunday comes around so I can sleep in!

Going strong...

So this is week 4 of p90x, which is the recovery week. In the past I've always slacked on the recovery week, thinking that since I'm "recovering" it's okay if I don't work out. This time I haven't done that! I did Core on Monday, Yoga Tuesday, and CardioX yesterday. Tomorrow is supposed to be XStretch but I'm going to go for a run with Bishop. I learned in school that it takes 30 days to maintain a habit...and after this week it will be 30 days of doing p90x consistently! I'm super happy about that because I've been really dedicated about waking up in the mornings to work out. I don't even give myself a choice anymore...at 5:15 the alarm goes off and I'm up (regardless of how much it sucks) because I know how much better I will feel afterwards.

3 days of weight watchers and I'm going strong! Haha. I still have a while to get to 30 days...but so far it's going well. Since I am doing p90x everyday I'm getting a lot of activity points which is helping me eat enough and not feel deprived. The real test will be this weekend. But I've been good about measuring stuff and tracking my points so I'm just going to put 100% effort into doing that. Plus I'm saving my weekly bonus points for the weekend so that I can treat myself a little. =) I feel really good about this and that is an awesome feeling!

weight watchers

Well I've been tossing around the idea of starting Weight Watchers again (I've done it several times in the past and it's always been successful). I usually just start tracking points without actually joining weight watchers and paying the money. But yesterday I was trying on dresses to wear to a friend's bridal shower, and felt like nothing looked good. Even with doing p90x and being vegetarian I am not in the shape I'd like to be in. I think it comes down to eating habits because it's the little pooch in my stomach that I want to go away...and that's where I tend to gain weight first (which hopefully means I will lose that weight first). So yesterday I, sort of impulsively, joined weight watchers online. It was $53 for three months (they are waiving the sign-up fee right now) and I figured if I'm going to do weight watchers I may as well really do it and be serious about it. My wedding is in 4 months so now is a good time to make a commitment to working out and eating healthy. Let's go!

Restrictor or Permitter?

Week 3 of p90x is almost done! I've had a good workout week with 5 days logged so far. I've followed the p90x schedule except for today when I ran 3 miles with Bishop instead of doing legs and back. I still did abripperx though and I'm starting to see my 2 pack again! So if I wake up tomorrow and get some sort of exercise in that will be the second straight week of working out 6 days! Go me!

I'm still having a hard time with healthy eating. I'm doing the best I can and I'm constantly thinking about it, but I have made some bad eating decisions. Between date nights and Memorial Day bbqs, healthy eating went out the window. I'm actually thinking about starting Weight Watchers on Monday (for some reason it seems easier to start new diets on a Monday). With the points plus program, you can eat as many fruits and veggies as you want for zero points, which is usually what I snack on during the day. I'm just going to need to make sure I'm getting lot of protein (to go w/the p90x workouts) so I may make myself a protein shake everyday. I made a really yummy shake today after my run...one frozen banana, some strawberries, 1/2 scoop Jay Robb's vanilla egg white protein powder, and 1 cup almond milk! Delish.

I read Geenen Roth's book "Women, Food, and God" awhile back and she talks about how most people are either restrictors or permitters (restrictors do well on diets because of the rules and guidelines, permitters feel like they deserve treats every now and then). I'm definitely a restrictor and I think it's because it makes things black and white, which makes things easier for me. But then on the weekends I turn into a permitter, giving myself all the treats I want to reward myself for the hard work of the week! So counterproductive. But, knowing I'm a restrictor gives me confidence that weight watcher will be successful!

Here's a link to a quiz on Oprah to determine if you're a restrictor or permitter....

http://www.oprah.com/spirit/Are-You-a-Restrictor-or-a-Permitter_1