Last night I joined Silvia's Springwall class at Create Balance. When I arrived at the studio I was feeling tired and grumpy. The first face I see was the beautiful ray of sunshine Megan. As usual  he had a big simle on her face even as she shared the details of the stressful day she had. I am a big fan of Megan's. Check out her blog at: http://www.thejellybeanexchange.blogspot.ca/

Then I moved into Silvia's class where I was made to feel like a famous person. The ladies were talking about me, my blog and my Journey! With their worsd of incouragemet and Silvia's challenging class I was on cloud 9 b the time I went home. Thank you ladies for your kind words! Thank you Silvia for a good workout - you kicked my but. Seriously, my glutes are talking to me today!

I've come to love the Create Balance studio from the instructors to the participants. Collette and Renee (the owners) have created a community feel in this quante Pilate's Studio. It is such a calming atmosphere with bodies of all shapes and sizes, men and women (mostly women) and a talented team of instructors. I am definately in good hads to reach my goals! 

Dinners...why are they always a challenge?


We had ingredients, yet Kayla and I stood in the kitchen for 15 minutes yesterday trying to figure out what to make. After all that time debating we came up with a standard, chicken, broccoli and brown rice. I sauteed 2 tomatoes, garlic, basil and a handful of lettuce in a bit of chicken broth after the chicken was done cooking to give a bit of moisture to the chicken. It was good, but nothing fancy.


I find we get into to ruts with dinners. Even now that I am actively thinking about our meals, I still get stumped with dinner. Part of the problem is that Troy is a good cook so we have high standards for dinner. When he gets inspired with a recipe, it is amazing - but he needs to be in the mood. It also does not help that our girls (me included - but not as bad) are not very adventurous when it comes to food. Our youngest is very picky - she won't even eat corn!


So it's lunch time and I am thinking about dinner.

Today's Lunch:
Tuna Lettuce Wrap
See recipe page for details

The sun is shining and I'm feeling good today! I had a private Pilate's session this morning with Collette at Create Balance so I'm feeling strong! It is amazing how much clearer your mind seems to be when you start your day with physical activity.


As I was getting ready for work this morning I was thinking about my blog and what I would write about today. My mind kept going back to my success at concurring my first challenging week. I mentioned in my last post about how tough my week was. It was the type of week that would have made me give up on my health plans, eat fast food and go to bed at 8:30. But that did not happen! I ate well and moved more!


There are a few reasons for keeping my goals last week. Obviously I now have accountability with this blog and the Create Balance Team, but the big motivator was my energy. Usually the kind of stress I felt last week would have made me physically exhausted. Which did happen, however after a 5-10 minute break, clear my head, "un-wind" and I was able to get my energy back. My nutrition plan is responsible for this change and I am thinking was a good way to start this journey. You need the nutritional support to get more active.


Krista's nutrition evaluation found that I had issues dealing with stress (big shocker!) and provided me with supplements and food recommendations to support my body and give me the energy to get through my day. 


One of the big changes I've made to my nutrition is eating more throughout the day and added more protein. I've added a morning and afternoon snacks and making healthier choices for lunch keeps my blood sugar levelled all day and my body no longer feels the need to store everything I eat. See my nutrition page for more details on what I'm eating each day.


Another more recent change is the addition of vitamins. I am taking a multi vitamin and a B-vitamin. Since stress is a predominant factor in my health issues I am focusing also on foods that are rich in B-vitamins. Such as leafy greens and fish. I've been cooking with an olive oil that also has flax oil in it. 


So far these additions have been easy. Strange to think about adding food to your day when you are trying to loose weight. The great thing about eating a healthy diet, you get addicted to it. It is simple, back to basics - eat well, feel well!

What a week, I'm so thankful it was a short one. It was a stressful week at work, my life this week kept challenging me to deviate from my plan. I am happy to say I did not deviate and feel great as a result! I ate well, had good snack choices at my desk to keep me energized and made time for fun!
Wednesday I went to the Market for lunch and had a tuna salad sandwich  on multigrain bread.  Strolling through the Market is a nice escape in the middle of the day, smelling fruit, browsing the vendors - it's like a little holiday over the noon hour. My afternoon was busy at work. I had planned to leave a bit early so I would not be rushed for my 6:30 jumpboard/reformer class with Megan at Create Balance. At 4 :30 and employee asked to talk, which ended up making me much later than I planned. We did not get home until 5:45, barely enough time to eat. The good news, I was not as hungry as usual so I made myself a shake and drank as I got ready to go. Made it to the class on time and really enjoyed it. My body is in worse shape than I had thought - I found the workout more challenging than I expected, but I did it!!
Thursday was a travel day - visiting 2 of our branches. My purse was full of snacks and I stopped for lunch at Milestones. Normally I would have had fast food. It felt nice to stop and take the time to eat a good lunch - I had the California salad with chicken and dressing on the side. It would have been better if the wait staff had not made such a big deal about me eating by myself. Then for dinner Troy and I walked to Dolcetto http://dolcettoristo.com/, split a bottle of wine and vented about the week we were having. It was such a beautiful night. At 9:00 the temp was still in the 20's. After diner we came back home and went for another walk with the dog and our youngest. 
Friday - Reformer class with Renee, she kicked our butts and my ab's are feeling it! I took the day off to get some running around done. It was much more leisurely than I had planned. Troy had to deal with work all day so I planned to take care of diner  - BBQ'd chicken, roasted potatoes and salad. Right now we only have the charcoal BBQ so you have to be prepared and start the charcoal about 20 min's before you're ready to start cooking. I was so proud, I got the charcoal going in plenty of time, had a snuggle with my girls and heard about their day's, boiled the potatoes and prepped everything while the coals heated up. I'm feeling good - I'm BBQ'ing and letting my hubby relax, a regular 1950's wifey. I pour out the coal into the bottom of the webber, spreading it around just like Troy does, only I had left it in the chimney for more than 20 mins and some of the coals had already turned to ash so I had to push all the active coals into a small area. Long story short I did not have enough coal so I had to crowd all the food in a small area, and ended up burning some of the chicken and drying it out. Diner was edible - but not my best work. I'm no 1950's wifey - and I'm ok with that! 

Diner Monday night;
Grilled Haddock,
 roasted veggies
and a glass of VEEDAH
Go to my nutrition page for
recipes.

Monday was a good day. Quiet, did some odd jobs around the house had a lovely meal - (prepared by my talented hubby) and enjoyed a nice walk with Kayla (my eldest daughter). Right on track with my journey!


Tuesday was a challenge. I was prepared with my meals, but almost abandoned my diner plan. It was a crazy day at work. By the time we got home and ready to prepare diner, it was 7:30 and I was tired. I was so tempted to pick up the phone and order pizza, but I didn't! I changed the pattern. First I snacked on a few red grapes, then I put my feet up for 5 minutes. It was just what I needed. I cooked up some quinao and added the leftover over veggies  from Monday night's meal. Everything was ready in 15 minutes and it was delicious!!! I also had 4 chocolate covered peanut butter pretzel's (I think they are a presidents choice product). I felt I deserved a treat and 4 was just enough to not feel guilty!!!


Tonight is chicken burgers, and a Reformer/Jumpboard class at 6:30 with Megan at Create Balance www.createbalance.ca. I am looking forward to it!

  mmm... Mary's Organic Crakers. Delicious and good for you! Love to scoop up hummus or red pepper dip with them or spread peanut butter on them. If you haven't tried them, you should.

Just about every Monday for the past 6 years I've planned to start eating better, making my lunch every night and exercise at least 3 times a week. Inevitably by Wednesday I've given up on my plan for various reasons, not organized enough, busy at work, not feeling well...and the excuses go on!


This Monday I am breaking that cycle with the help of my girls at Create Balance www.createbalance.ca thru Pilate's group classes and private sessions I will reach my exercise goals. Krista Dolbear, a registered Holistic Nutritionist and Stott Pilate's instructor at Create Balance has provided me with a nutritional assessment and guidance to ensure my body is getting what it needs to support my goals of weight loss, improved energy, and enjoying a more active life style. Visit Krista's Facebook page at Welcomechange Fitness and Nurtition.


My story is not unique. I was a size 6 before I had my daughter 7 years ago, I'm now up to a size 14 and weigh 160lb (WHAT??? How the %$#@*& did that happen?) and I have a million excuses why I haven't gotten myself back to my pre-baby weight. The excuses stop now! I'm tired of being tired, it is time to change my life style. This journey will involve so much more than just exercise. I will not go on a diet, I will improve my menu options and make healthier choices and in fact I will end up eating more throughout the day. Most importantly I will make more time for fun with my husband and 2 girls.