Summer

Summer... it's coming right? It has been a long, long winter. To entice summer into coming earlier... I've made some plans, I've signed up for 3 5K runs; the Electric Run, the Color Run & the Dirty Girl Mud Run. I've got Edith talked into the mud run (didn't take much convincing) And Her and I along with some family & friends are going to run the Color Run. I can't tell you how excited I am for these.

The first run is the Electric Run on June 6 in Minneapolis, the girls from work and I are aglow (pun intended). We want to be as bright as Griswold house at Christmas time. Glow in the dark everything! Shoe laces, funky shades, paint, etc. you get the picture. A giant glow-in-the-dark party. Three of us have agreed to get out and start tranning, as soon as it heats up. In July, we have the Color Run, I can't wait for this.. my creative side has kicked in and I want our team to have matching t-shirts... I really think this run will be a blast, can't wait for the before and afters. The mud run...you can't imagine how pumped I am for this one, a full-on obstacle course, all girls and as Edith put it.. looks empowering. So much fun!

I've started running about a month ago. Slow... I run slow, not much faster than a herd of turtles, but, I RUN! I've worked myself up to running a full mile non-stop, my plan is to run a full 5K before the first run. I'm super excited and trying to keep moving everyday. I'm down 12lbs. since my first weigh-in back at the beginning of the year.
 
I understand now when people say it gets addictive, it does. There are some days that i can't wait to get on the treadmill and see how far I can go. I'm up to 20 minutes. I know right...I surprised myself! I found a trick that works for me, I count backwards, and for whatever reason it works! I feel fantastic.

In all reality, winter has been around too long for me. I want to get out and run on something other than my squeaky treadmill, it does the trick, but some fresh air would be well received! I'm excited to get moving, to just get outside. I want to bike and swim and just enjoy the sun.. Soon...summer IS coming!

Motivation = Success?

So here's my little dilemma...does motivation actually equal success? About a month ago I was getting my hair cut, as I was getting ready to leave, we started talking about my next appointment. We both agreed, it's time for a little colour. I've been dying to give red a whirl. I've been fair skinned all my life, as a kid, I had an abundance of freckles, not as many anymore but I've always had that red-burnt-takes-forever-to-tan kinda fair skin, I've learned to accept it, it's what I'm blessed with and truly the freckles, I've grown pretty partial to them. So, I cleared it with my stylist...{"How about red? Could I pull off red?"} She was definitely on board. I'm not sure who is more excited her or me. So it's set! December 10th I'll go from blonde to red.

When I got home that night, I decided with a new 'do on the horizon, I really needed to get down to business. I grabbed a calendar and figured out how many days 'til my next appointment, it turned out to be just over 30 days and with that, a plan started to form. I had a few days to get organized, I'm the type who needs a good game plan. I rooted through the dusty DVD collection, got my hands on a copy of Jillian Michael's 30-Day Shred, promptly dusted it off and set it strategically on top of the TV stand. When I crawled into bed that night, I was giddy. The next day, I made myself a giant 30 day countdown calendar, apparently I'm also the type that does better with visual reminders, the calendar is prominently displayed on the bulletin board.

30 Day Countdown Calendar

I still had a few days before the start of my countdown, I got online and started looking for something to give me a little edge. I came across an episode of Dr. Oz, they were doing a spot on a weight loss supplement called Garcinia Cambogia. It's an all natural supplement that is suppose to increase weight loss significantly. I can't remember exactly how it works, but with its claim to fame...well I was sold. I found a version that had all the Dr. Oz recommendations. So, I decided to add that to the workout regime and call it a day. It claims to help without any diet or exercise, well in that case it might double maybe triple my results. I was excited!

I started the thirty-day countdown on November 11 and started the supplement on the following Tuesday. I felt good, I had stepped up my eating habits, well there's definitely room for improvement here, but way better than the month before. I weighed in right before I started on day one. I took my measurements and was ready to push hard for the next month. The next Monday I hopped on the scale ecstatic to see my smaller number. Nothing, it was absolutely nothing. No change, not even an ounce. I was annoyed, I had skipped past devastated quickly and headed straight for annoyed. "Ok, it's just a fluke" I told myself. I got off the scale, let it reset and tried again. Still nothing, ok it's has to be the scale, I grabbed up anything in reach to add extra weight to see if the scale would register a different number. Yup, that did the trick. So, now there I was stripped down standing in my little washroom thinking "How is this possible. I've worked hard this week". I was ready to quit, be done with the whole thing, but I thought ok it was one week. Just keep going.

Week two, well again nothing, week three still nothing not an ounce. Not. One. Little. Ounce. I've felt pretty defeated this past week.  I've decided the supplements aren't for me, not to say they won't work for someone else, but I'm not convinced. So, no more supplements...I'd love to say the supplements are at fault, they must to be the reason the scale hasn't moved, but that sounds like an excuse, and I don't have room for excuses. They aren't my first attempt with some diet quick fix that I found online and probably won't be my last. I'll keep them in the arsenal...just in case.   

I have 8 days left in my thirty day countdown. I'll take my measurements on day 30 and see if there has been any change. I'm not optimistic about any change on the scale, but I will say this...I have not quit. I diligently get up and workout everyday and for me, this is success. In 8 days, when I'm sitting in that chair getting my hair coloured, I will be proud of myself. I may not have dropped a pound by then, but I have proven to myself that I can follow through with a plan, set a goal and finish {a few days still to go}. Motivation hasn't always been there, trust me it has wavered, my giddy first night disappeared pretty fast. I've been incredibly frustrated, I've wanted to quit, I've given myself every excuse I could come up with, I realize pushing through isn't necessarily motivation, it's just making the choice. Do we put too much emphasis on motivation? Is it more just getting out of our own way, maybe it's seeing success before motivation joins the party. Would it have been easier if the scale moved? Absolutely! I'm putting in the effort and that is a success for me. The scale will move, I have no doubt in that. Having almost reached my 30-day goal, I am ready to set another goal. So with that said...Motivation might not always equal success, but I think success always equals motivation.

~Tanya

The Debut

So this is it...time to skinny down! Well now, not exactly that, but time to get healthy. Time to motivate ourselves and hopefully a few others in the process. There's really no time like the present, we can all make the excuses, but if we aren't taking care of our bodies, it's because of just that...our own excuses. C'mon we're stronger than that!  Sure sometimes it's going to suck, sometimes it's going to hurt, and it's never going to be over, truly over...let's be real, this is a lifelong commitment.  We won't reach our goal and quit, we'll make a new goal. Continually striving for better.  It's never going to truly end so along the way we're going to find ways to enjoy it

We had a blast creating this blog, we aren't going to lie, we did if over plenty of unhealthy snacks and a lot of laughter. We love food, we love the way a warm chocolate chip cookie wafts through the air and settles into every fibre.  We love the way warm spinach dip melts on your tongues (yes, this is our vice) or even the way a summer BBQ hits you like a wall when you're walking down the road. We love the way a conversation is had over a mixing bowl or a cutting board; the way great memories are often centred around good food. We aren't going to stop indulging...oh no we are not! We're going to find our balance of healthy alongside the vices. We're going to learn to enjoy each, the good and the bad, in that way that keeps us healthy, but also keeps us satisfied. Food is a part of life. Neither one of us has ever used food in terms of eat to live...noooooo, we're firmly on the side of live to eat!  When we plan a road trip it's not what should we do first, it's never let's go to the mall and shop for this or that, definitely not which sights to stop at along the way, nor is it what activities to get to; sure the conversation usually gets around to those but never before we talk about which restaurants we should hit up while there.  It's habit, and probably not one we'll break out of anytime soon. 

We've signed up for this journey, each of us for our own personal reasons.  We've committed to this, we know it's going to be a hard, but along the way were going to try and enjoy (wait...enjoy? let's go with accept) the ride as best we can letting you in on our ups and downs, our triumphs and our set backs. When we hit those milestones its incredibly rewarding, we've both been there and we know the benefits. And truly any negativity is always outweighed by the benefits. We've seen each other put in tremendous effort and know that we are capable. We each bring our own strengths and weaknesses to the table. And with those, hopefully we can keep each other on track and motivated. In the end, it comes down to choice. We have the choice to put in the effort and reap the benefits or to choose not to, but we're the only ones who can do the work. We know what we've chosen. Now, what will you choose?

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