jeans

it's time to put away the summer dresses, cute tanks and swim-suits. all things that were motivational and kept you getting your gym on. but don't crawl into a ball and eat ho-ho's on your couch. hot sexy jean season is approaching. and quickly. no time to waste. skinny jeans, i'm afraid, are here for one more season and slowly i sense those oversized loose shirt/dress things are going out and slim fitting tops are coming back in. focus girls. feeling hot, even in winter clothes, is still important.

slackin'

..it's been awhile. i know. or at least it feels likes it's been awhile. august has been full of great excuses as to why the gym has taken a back seat. "i need a break" "had to work late" "had to work really late" "it's so nice out i'll run or walk or blade outside" which i have done. promise. i haven't been sitting on my couch staring into space. the walks and blades and jogs outside have been peaceful. a nice break to my sweaty painful workout routines at the gym but i fear it's time to go back to the grind. now. i mean soon. very soon. i promise. i think. 

i just need some new motivation;)

 look for new motivational posts coming soon!

what i don't recommend...

what i don't recommend is taking 3 consecutive weeks off from the gym. after a weak effort at the gym before taking off for RIO for 10 days of vacation my return to the gym has been brutal. 

of course i didn't intend for this to happen. going to one of the most athletic cities in the world where biking, running and skating trails are abundant. where everyone works out before, during and after work. where locals wear their pumas and nike sports bras to get beers and dinner. a place where people play soccer and volleyball and surf at the beaches from sunrise to sunset. but it did. it happened. i have to admit it. i am now out of shape. 

we did a lot of walking. a lot. and by the end of each day my legs were jello and all i wanted to do was cook dinner, drink brazilian beer and dance in my flip-flops at street festivals. so i did. hey...it's vacation right?

and it an excuse. and now it has been so hard to get back into the zone. i know i can. i keep telling myself.     i    know   i    can.     i've been there before. i can do it again. give yourself two weeks, give it two weeks. 

so now....i work, hard and slow and keep repeating "i know i can" like that darn little blue engine

a little at a time....just believe.

 

it's crunch...i mean CRASH time...

26 days and counting until my feet hit the sands of the sexiest beaches in the world.  will i have the body to blend in? the confidence to act like a victoria secret model? i better. it is my 30th birthday celebration after-all. i am traveling 14 hours by plane to absorb, party and and live up my last hours of the 20's in a country that appreciates a good time and oozes beautiful people.  i MUST MUST MUST look hot. program...2 hours a day...no skipping. it crash time... and crunch time... 

new shoes

new shoes. they are squishy and bouncy and light-weight. they are practically begging me to run.
the excitement to put them on and GO! comes so easily everytime i catch a glance at them.

feeling sluggish. buy a new pair. they could jump start you again.

grapefruit

fruit. i love it. i think i love it because i love sugar and well...fruits have lots of sugar in it. my recent favorite is the grapefruit. its bitter and tangy. i different taste then the usual sweetness of other popular fruits.  

here are it's health benefits! eat up!

---it's filled with tons of vitamin C and is juicier then oranges. 

---it's a cold fighter (though i have a cold right now)

---aides in cardiovascular health

...and, best of all, it fills you up!

cheap way no more

   the day i "retired" from playing collegiate field hockey is the day i stopped running. i loath the activity. sprinting short distances i can handle but running long distances are a bore to me (not to mention it never fails that i get shin-splints).  yes! for the past 9 years i have kept in shape by avoiding the activity. doing everything but- skating, elliptical, swimming, walking, spinning, and lifting. 

   this seemed to be working out well, that is, until the other day as i was listening to the radio on my way to work. the radio guys were holding an interview with jillian (the trainer from the biggest loser and my new favorite workout mentor) they asked her what machines at the gym gave you the best workout and she responded "the treadmill, always the treadmill." they continued with "what about the elliptical" to which jillian laughed. yes! she laughed at one of my all-time favorite machines at the gym. i was shocked. she continues to express her dislike for the workout by declaring it "a joke" and "a cheap way out". 

  stunned and ashamed i began my day and that night at the gym i tried running again for the first time in a long time. and guess what....i hated it. it's still a bore.  but guess what...it felt harder and i sweated more. i ran 10 minutes and decided to be proud of myself. that was last week. this week i am up to 12 minutes. baby steps...baby steps.  i've been supplementing my short runs with incline walking and (shh) the ellipticall. (hey...it's worked for the past 9 years...if i love it...why stop?)