fit train friday

well, folks, starting monday there are going to be some drastic changes in the belle and beau household.  we are going vegan...until dinnertime, that is.  i've written on here for awhile now about my attempts to get healthier and more in shape, not just for the wedding, but for life.  i've always been a skinny girl and by all measures, i still am.  but i'm not healthy, or at least not nearly as healthy as i should be. 

what i haven't written about as much is how much the beau wants to do the same.  as a college athlete, he was used to eating anything and everything he wanted {and in very large amounts} with it having zero effect on his weight.  but since he is nowhere near as active as he was in college, those eating habits have caught up.  i mentioned to him today over lunch that i was considering adopting mark bittman's vegan before dinnertime approach and he said he would like to join me.  i am shocked that he wants to do this, but thrilled at the prospect of having a partner to help keep me accountable and encourage me. 

we're not following any strict rules and realize that the first week or so will probably be the toughest, as we adjust our eating patterns and our pantries to this new lifestyle.  trust me when i say neither one of us will be going full-fledged vegan or even vegetarian.  he loves bacon way too much {i would wager second only to me} and well, there's no way in hell i could ever be convinced to give us cheese.  but we do recognize {or at least i do} that this way of eating is not only better of us, but better for the planet.  win-win situation.

i would love {and really need} to have any suggestions, recipes, etc. that you have, sweet readers.  i don't really know where to start, so i really need some ideas for some yummy, filling vegan breakfasts and lunches that can me made rather quickly. help me, please!

happy weekend, darlings!

fit train friday: small victories

this morning did not start off well.  the beau is {thankfully} on a renewed kick of wanting to get healthy and in shape, not just for our wedding, but for life.  so last night he decided that one of the steps required is getting himself on a regular sleeping pattern: in bed by 11pm, out of bed by 7am.  since he has a bad habit of turning off his alarm clock iphone and rolling over for another hour, he also set our actual alarm clock to go off a few minutes after his phone as a back-up.  well, at 7am when his phone starts going off, he stumbles out of bed, over to our actual alarm clock, and starts yelling at it that he doesn't know how to turn it off.  nice. day one wake up FAIL.

he had also decided that another one of the steps was to get his work-outs done in the morning.  with his current work schedule, that's really the only time he has and he says he always feels better for the rest of the day.  even after the epic wake up fail, he manages to make it out the door with a healthy breakfast {whole grain bagel + organic, no-sugar added PB + a banana} in time to get to the gym.  20 minutes later i hear him walk back in the door.  he has a flat tire.  not a happy camper. 

by the time we've finished dealing with all of this, i have approximately 30 minutes to pack our lunches, take the dog out and feed him, and get ready for work.  i don't like being rushed, so now i was not a happy camper.  until...

i grabbed the first pair of jeans i saw.  starting to put them on, i realize they are the jeans that i haven't really been able to wear since i put on the love weight.  as in, i can get them on, but it ain't pretty and it ain't comfortable.  so i've just avoided them.  this morning, i put them on. and they fit. not to tight, nothing spilling over the top, and nothing riding up where it's not supposed to. hallelujah!

as i did a little dance of joy in my closet, i also realized that i am starting to form some truly healthy habits and overcome some of my bad ones.  in the past, when running late like this morning, i would have hit up the mcdonald's drive thru for my go-to breakfast of an egg mcmuffin and a large diet coke {maybe white trash, but soooo delicious!}.  today, i packed a little kashi go lean! crunch {honey almond flax, yum}, some organic 1% milk, and some english breakfast tea to take with me to the office.  healthier, cheaper, and still satisfying.  go me.

it's so nice to start finally seeing some results {even small ones} from the changes i've been making in my life. running at the gym or run/walking outside with the pup, making nutritious meal choices throughout the day, and even adding some light weight lifting {in the spirit of full disclosure, i lift my weight while i watch barefoot contessa}.  i feel better, i look better {i think}, and my jeans fit. not a bad way to start the weekend!

fit train friday

feeling much better {thank you for asking}.  but since there weren't a whole lot of gym hours logged this week, i thought this week's fit train post would be better directed to other things i do in the name of vanity health.

sunscreen. a daily must.  i've worn some form of spf on my face, neck, decollete, and back of hands religiously since i was 14 or 15 and i'm hoping that pays off in lack-of-botox dividends someday.  i was a devoted olay complete gal for years and years and years, but as i become more concerened with purchasing products that aren't tested on animals and are all-natural, i've switched over to burt's bees radiance day lotion and haven't looked back.

multi-vitamin. another daily must, although this has only been in the past year.  my doctor told me these were basically a form of health insurance.  not to take the place of eating a wide variety of fruits and veggies, but a back-up for those day where the only fruits and veggies i eat are in the from of milkshakes and burger toppings.  ahem.  i've been a flintstones complete girl, but after alice + gwynnie's recommendation, i may be switching over to the new chapter prenatal vitamins.  good thing these are kept at my office or else the beau may panic...

omega-3s. the newest addition to the team.  after reading this article in my winter 2011 martha stewart weddings, i was a believer.  i take 2-3 omega 3 supplements a day {i take the sundown naturals brand, since kroger, cvs, and/or food lion ALWAYS seem to be running a buy one, get one special}. helpful hint:  if you take them at room temperature, you will get a mean cause of the fish burps.  store them in the freezer, and the fish burps disappear almost completely.  i've also been grinding flax seeds to sprinkle over my breakfast {either a homemade smoothie or kashi go lean! crunch}.  i will say i haven't seen a huge difference in my skin yet, but my hair is so much softer and shinier.  so i'm sticking with it!

water.  another fairly new addition.  i've had a BAD diet coke addiction since college.  i'm down to maybe one a day, sometimes none at all.  i've replaced the caffeine with a morning cup of tazo awake black tea and spend the rest of the day chugging water like it's my job.  right now my goal is to drink 60-65 oz. a day.  so yeah, i use the little girls' room pretty frequently, but i can tell a huge difference in how i feel.

what about y'all?  what do you do in addition to diet and exercise to look and feel prettier? i'd love to know your secrets!

fit train friday

let's talk a little nom-noms today, shall we?  i think everyone knows that the basic equation to lose weight is eat less + exercise more.  i have no troubel with the exercise more part, in fact, i enjoy that quite a bit.  but the eat less part? not so much.  the good news is that you don't necessarily have to eat less in quantity {in fact, in some cases, you can eat MORE}, just less in calories. 

i am pretty much hungry all of the time, and i love anything cheesey, salty, and/or crunchy.  i don't really have trouble coming up with healthy meals, but snacktime can be my downfall.  so i'm always on the lookout for some yummy, non-flabby snacks.  i was flipping through the january issue of shape last week and bingo!  check on this amazing list of snacks! i am already completely obsessed with the sonoma snack and the peppery pear crunch is next on my must-try list.

what about y'all?  any yummy, healthy snacks you depend on that i should know about?

fit train friday

i find that i am always more motivated to do things when i can figure out a way to work shopping into the picture.  i've signed up to run a 10-miler at the end of march.  which, with my pitiful current mile time, means i'll be running for somewhere around 2 hours.  not OK.  time to kick the training into high-gear.  and new shoes ALWAYS motivate me to kick it into high-gear.  so i bought myself some new kicks {bonus points because i bought them on sale}:

the asics gt 2150. 

just a few more days on my trusty nikes, circa summer 2009.  now if only someone would come up with a supportive {read: absolutely no movement from the girls} AND stylish sports bra for those of us who are overly endowed, i'd really be getting somewhere.

bon weekend, my dears!

fit train friday

this week has absolutely CRAWLED by and i am so excited that it is the weekend in less than 3 hours!  although the beau is working all weekend {i'm a coaching widow until may}, i'm looking forward to some nesting and birthday preparations for him.  his is quickly approaching! at his request, i'm making p-dub's lasagna for his birthday dinner, so i'm planning on using tomorrow to make it and put it in the freezer to make things a little easier on myself {his birthday is on a weeknight}.  i'm also planning on doing a little present shopping.  i'm putting together a big gift basket for him, so i'm hoping to pick up a few items.  can't wait to show y'all the finished product!

i haven't posted on fit train friday in awhile, so i thought i'd update you on where i stand.  i'm following this 6-month workout plan i found on the knot.  i'm just finishing up week 3 and i've also been following the couch 2 5k plan.  i'm starting week 5 today.  i'm also starting a spin class on monday night.  i've taken them before and loved them, but they were never offered at a time that worked for me.  a friend of mine is teaching a class this semester on monday and wednesday nights in an ideal time slot.  i'm not looking forward to the achey legs and butt the first week or two, but i'm definitely looking forward to the 700 calories burned per class!  i've signed up to run a 10-miler at the end of march, so that's my motivation to keep going.  if i use the wedding as a motivation, i start to think that it's so far away from now that i can slack and it will be fine.  not good.  i'm still not happy with my weight or shape right now, but i'm trying not to get so wrapped up in numbers and focus more on getting healthy, toned, and comfortably back in my jeans!

hope y'all have a fabulous weekend and stay warm, east-coasters!