Blogger writing catch-up (again)

As the summer is slowly coming to an end my work schedule is beginning to lighten up too. However, this week has been one of the busiest as it seems many people are trying to get in their last few swim lessons before school starts again! I’ve been happy enough just to make it home in one (water logged and wrinkled) piece! So much like my previous post, in a trend I’m hoping to end soon, here is another mini catch up post for the Fitness Cheerleader’s August Healthy Living/ Fitness Blogger Writing Challenge!

Famous person I’d like to work out with? The USA men’s swim team. Yes I love to swim and it’s really ever the only workout I want to do… and then this…

 

Favorite junk food? All of it. Seriously, sugar is my vice, big time. If I had to choose… oreos and Sonic’s milkshakes (strawberry and hot fudge!!)

Motivational quote?

 

What if… I don’t let myself get caught up in those thoughts. I’ve found that some people can get so stuck in the what ifs of the past that their present cease to exist. Instead of what if I…. I try to think of what will I…

First 10 songs on the ipod…. Nothing. Seriously. I’m a pandora type of girl.

Kicking up your heels and catching up

 

Why haven’t I posted in a few days? Simple. I’ve done nothing. Ok, maybe NOTHING is a bit over dramatic, but when it comes to anything worth talking about in a healthy living/ fitness blog… nothing. Work was a little busier than I anticipated and because of that any “grand plans” that I was getting ready to set in motion stayed still.

To catch up to speed on the August Healthy Living/ Fitness Blogger Writing Challenge here goes:

Breaking through a plateau? The only experience I can talk about with this would be a mental plateau, being excited and all revved up and then just sort of feeling meh and losing that drive. The one thing I try to do it not be too hard on myself  and get discouraged and think “well if it’s already been so long whats the point of trying again”.

Worst injury? My toes. My poor poor toes. The combination of being a little klutzy mixed with working in a pool (flip flops year round…) has proved quite lethal. I broke my big toe once, with the xrays to prove it. Then the big toe nails… things have been dropped on them and stubbed and just… my poor toes. The nails have been cracked, fallen off completely, and let me tell you when you want to try and get motivated to work out and you don’t have your entire toe nail… 10 minutes with shoes on will kill that motivation. My mom still laughs about the time we went to get a pedicure and the poor man doing my nails had to superglue the cracks shut and at one point glue my nail down on my toe. Lovely.

Body image and media? I try not to pay much attention. Don’t take life too seriously, you won’t make it out alive.

Which brings us to today… 5 weird things I like!

1. Matcha (green tea powder). I worked at Starbucks for a few years and I noticed that matcha seems to be one of those very polarizing things, people either LOVE it or think it’s the most disgusting thing they’ve ever had. A few scoops of matcha in a nice big cold cup of milk is one of my favorite drinks!

 

2. Crocheting. I am not-so-secretly an old lady at heart. For me, there are few things more relaxing than grabbing some yarn and whipping up something fun! From hats and stuffed animals to blankets and slippers… if I can find a pattern for something, I want to make it!

    

3. Ketchup on my eggs. I don’t think it’s weird but other people seem to…

 

4. Painting my nails. Anyone who has wandered over to my other blog can tell that I love to do my nails. Working at a pool doesn’t really allow for me to dress up for work that much, so my nails are the way to make things just a little fancier!

  

5. Homemade deodorant. I was searching for an aluminum free deodorant and wasn’t finding out I liked. When I realized I only needed a few ingredients to make your own I decided to give it a try and I LOVE it! It is very strange to not use an antiperspirant (especially when I work out!) and really feeling what it’s like to sweat, but it’s been a few months and I have no plans of going back!

Don’t drink your calories

Out of every set of lists or rules of what-have-you of ways to get healthy, the one from Bob Harper has made the most sense to me…

When it comes to rule 2, don’t drink your calories, this is something I think I actually do quite well! I know some people have a huge weakness when it comes to pop (or soda…) but it’s never been my thing. One thing that I love is tea, and I’ve always preferred my tea unsweetened. After my sister got me a cuppow as part of my last birthday gift, we have an overload of mason jars floating around our house.

               

Every morning I use my wonderful electric kettle to make some teas and toss them in the fridge so we can grab them throughout the day. I like to use fruit teas and I think they are tasty without any sugar, a nice option instead of fruit juices. I also love to mix green tea and peppermint! Plus it adds some nice color to the fridge…

Highs and Lows from This Year

So, I’m jumping on the bandwagon a little late (which will probably be a theme as time goes on…) but thanks to my cousin and her blog I have decided to try the August Healthy Living/ Fitness Blogger Challenge just like she is!

And today’s is a pretty easy one to write about, highs and lows from this past year…. One of the highs is really easy, I “ran” in the Color Run this year! So much fun even though I’d say I probably walked more than I ran (but I also did zero preparation so what did I really expect?) This actually ties in quite nicely with one of my biggest lows from the year… seeing all the “plans” I made that never became anything more than an idea. I have some pretty scary BEFORE pictures I took last February and look exactly the same. Realizing where I could be at this point if I had just stuck with all the ideas I had can be disheartening, but I try to not dwell on the what could have been and focus on what will be!

I think one of the greatest highs you can have when it comes to trying to live healthier is simply showing up. Signing up for a 5k or anything like that  is one thing, not chickening out (even when you’re not prepared) and just simply showing up and giving it the best you have at that time is something I think should be applauded. Personally, I took the Color Run, which has more of a focus on fun and isn’t even officially timed, as a nice and pressure-free sort of restart to the whole getting in shape thing.

A pretty constant high for me is swimming. It’s the one physical activity that really makes me feel accomplished and like I’m doing more than the average person. I think everyone has that “one thing” that is kind of their working out super power, and I think I was born with fins!

Day One… Again

Time to dust off the keyboard and get to blogging again. Along with trying to get my beauty blog Unnecessary Necessities back on track, it’s time to start a new chapter. As I started to say in my About page, I’m trying to get healthier and using this blog share what happens.

A little more about me… I’m firmly in my mid-20s and have never really been healthy or in shape. I swam when I was in high school (I picked that sport as a freshman mostly because it involved no running) and the amazing thing from that is I discovered my love for the water! I now work as a swim instructor and a fancy health club and I have to admit that I do love my job!

I love sugar. And bread. And snacking all hours of the night. And I know that’s a huge part of the reason I’m in the shape I am now (hey, circle is a shape, right?). I think it’s all common sense what needs to happen… eat less, exercise more. It’s not some mystery that eludes everyone, it’s just hard. Like, crazy hard. I feel like I’m finally to a point in my life where I am up the challenge, so here we go!

I have list the “categories” for this blog as feelings, fitness, and food, because I feel like those are the three things that are the key to success and failure in all of this.