Everyone has a bad not-so-healthy week once in a while... It was delicious. It was fun. It was so naughty! It made me gain half a pound. But it was temporary. Let’s not get carried away about it. For weeks—even months—I’ve avoided most fattening foods in restaurants. However, in the last week, I have eaten a buffet breakfast (at a Fairmont hotel no less), Indian food and Chinese food! This isn’t my typical diet. And while it wasn’t really holiday eating, I admit there was a bit of that … [Read more...]

Why are so many of us drawn to challenges for 30 days, 60 days, 90 days? I once did a 10 km running clinic, which was kind of a 10-week challenge, culminating in a 10 km race. I did it. And haven’t really run much since. I regret not keeping it up, but back then I felt like I’d reached the goal. This week I’ve had to be reminded of the goal of this “90-day challenge”: to break the notion of these challenges all together. This week, life happened. What a week! You know the ones: chock … [Read more...]

A Dream Weekend I have wanted to go on a yoga/spa retreat from the moment I first read about them in a fitness magazine. You know the ones: yoga, hiking, walking, healthy food (prepared for you!), all in a beautiful setting like the Arizona desert or the Rocky Mountains. The photos in these articles are always serene, the descriptions idyllic, the prices...out of my league. But when I realized I desperately needed a break, I did a search, and was thrilled to find there was such a thing right … [Read more...]

When I start my week with a good, tough workout at Blitz, I feel more confident that I can keep it up all week. This week was like that. Despite two Thanksgiving dinners with family, I had a pretty good week activity-wise. I was thankful for that. Giving Thanks for Physical Abilities I’ve noticed myself being more appreciative of my abilities lately, and less hard on myself for any limitations (I have a chronic sore lower back, and now my left shoulder is bothering me—both I attribute to … [Read more...]

When life’s a blur... Ever had a day--or a week--where you wondered what the heck happened to the time? Like you literally can’t remember quite what you did. It happens sometimes when you drive the same route to work every day. You get there one day and realize you don’t remember a thing about the drive. This week was like that for me. I met Chris at the end of this last week, prepared to tell him that I didn’t want to quit, but that I was really struggling to find the time to exercise. I … [Read more...]

Week 3 Before I started this 90 Day Challenge, I created what I called “Project Me,” which I would post about on Facebook. Project Me was the title I gave to the activities I was doing to work toward my health and fitness goals. I was doing it first and foremost for me, but also to set a good example for my girls, and perhaps to motivate my friends, who were dealing with some of the same issues I was. It was also called Project Me, as I literally scheduled in my time as I would work for a … [Read more...]

Week 2 Ok, so I confess, this isn’t going to be easy. Even on week one, while I was crazy motivated, life can get in the way. Sure, I could beat myself up in this blog post (and a former me probably would have), but I’m not going to. Rather, I’m going to be honest about the week and celebrate the successes. Diet changes yield instant results First, I committed to not eating bread or baked goods, and to cutting out refined sugar. I also committed to track my food and aim to eat more lean … [Read more...]