Return from Vacation and back to normality

We've been back from our trip for a few weeks now. We actually got a lot of walking done due to the exploring. We did eat a lot of bad food though, but hey we've been really good with our diet prior to then! Have to live it up every so often, right?!

Thanksgiving wasn't so bad in terms of over consumption. Just one plate of food is what I limit myself to on that day and a nice desert.  Brock had family over and of course his Mother had to cook one of his favorite dishes and we STILL have leftovers!

I've actually lost about 3 or 4 lbs. I was sick for a few days and hopefully it's not just due to that but due to my controlled eating and working out! This week we've started back into our old workout routine. I have started Zumba at home, I needed something for the winter since it's a lot colder outside now and darker in the evenings, making it harder to run. We're also going to be joining one of the local gyms next month. We tested out Inlet Fitness - which was awesome but out of our budget and Planet Fitness, you guessed it Planet Fitness is our choice because it's so cheap. That way I'll be able to use actual weight machines and different cardio equipment. Currently I'm just using my elliptical at home and doing free weights.

My next fitness goal is within reach and only a couple of pounds away now! It's really exciting looking at the progress we've been making and how we're both changing physically and mentally.

Vacation Planning

This time next week we'll be in Europe visiting my family! We'll be out and about most of the time but we're not letting that stop us from running! We've planned a couple of routes for while we're away in my parents neighborhood. There won't be any weight training though - I don't think my Dad has any weights on hand anymore.

What concerns me the most is food! There will be so much good food - we'll be in England, Scotland and France. I'll just have to be sensible and really pay attention to what I'm eating in terms of nutritional value and stay away from the home comfort food.

We'll be stocking up on healthy snacks when we get there - almonds, dried fruit.

I'm tired from our long run yesterday, experienced really tight leg muscles throughout the run. It was a pretty slow pace and I was so thirsty - definitely looking into getting one of those special water bottles that are easier/lighter to carry.

Most likely this will be an annoyingly long week before our vacation.

Guilty Pleasures

I'm almost at another weight milestone which is great - weighed myself this morning for the first time in a few weeks and I'm heading back down again. Hopefully I'll be past that hump in a few weeks so I can aim for my next milestone!

Today was a good food day I think. We did end the day naughty but hey it's that time of year right? Started out with cereal and almond milk as usual. Snacked on Almonds and Walnuts at work mid-morning, had a turkey sandwich and some pita chips for lunch, followed by a yogurt for my afternoon snack.

Our weekly interval training was tonight - weather was absolutely beautiful today, did our 8 sets of 200 meter jog/sprint combos (2 miles total). Came home and did my usual weight routine which we're thinking of mixing up quite soon.

For dinner tonight we had some spaghetti and meatballs while watching our guilty pleasure "Jersey Shore: Miami", why is Sammy so stupid? Anyway... NAUGHTY us decided to check out Dairy Queen on the way home... SURE ENOUGH, Pumpkin Pie Blizzard was available... so we both got a small one of those! Who can resist? And they are for a limited time, give us a break! I guess that will be our weekend splurge!

Tomorrow we're aiming for a 5 mile run on the Boardwalk. Hopefully it won't be too cold but last week I invested in a lightweight jacket and long running pants (Target C9) that will keep me warm and dry in the upcoming winter months. I think us running the Boardwalk will really help us work towards the Shamrock and get used to the surfaces. We have been doing a lot of trail running lately which I strongly believe has really enabled us to easily increase our distance. Our long run on Sunday will be on the trails though. it is the best and honestly I love the feeling of just being out there with all the trees and the beautiful inlet views. It's best when the sun sets though! We were discussing how long our long run really is, we thought originally it was 6.5 miles. Now we're wondering if it's actually 7 - we need a Garmin watch!

Not long now until I see my family!

Another Milestone

After our long run last night we decided we'd do a shorter distance this time and closer to home - just under 3 miles. This was one of the routes we ran when I first got back into running and I always hated it. Fortunately today I shaved almost 10 minutes of my time and I couldn't be more proud of myself! After the run we went home and I did my light weight routine.

New clothes have been coming in the mail (ordered online) for our upcoming trip to see my family. Everything fits so much better now!

My day in food

For Breakfast today I tried some new cereal - Kashi Go Lean Crunch with my usual Almond Milk. I also had an organic apple and a large glass of water with my multivitamin. My mid-morning snack was a handful of walnuts and 4 slices of dried unsweetened mango (Trader Joe's). For lunch we decided to go to Tropical smoothie, we both had Blimey Limey's with Splenda and whey protein, when I returned to work I ate the lunch I had brought in today, some leftover homemade stew. I didn't have anything for afternoon snack.

I was bad today and ate two Almond Hershey Kisses at work! But the good thing is I avoided those awesome Strawberry Shortcake Cookies at Tropical Smoothie!

For dinner we had some leftovers - pasta and turkey sausage. Then I had to sneak in my obligatory Nutella on bread snack for dessert!