Motivation Monday

I've been hitting it pretty hard this week, running 5k every day but Saturday. It's working too as it's brought my weight loss to 7lbs. That hasn't all been from running of course, it's being very careful with diet as well. The diet is much harder than the running but it's a must. 

The beginning of getting the diet under control is always hard because you're hungry darn it! You're used to eating more and your stomach's wondering what's up. Once you've have three or four days under your belt (haha) it starts to get easier...you're stomach expects less and it's demands quiet down. The cravings never go away though and allowing yourself to get too hungry is dangerous.....that's when the gorging happens. I find if I keep myself not quite full all the time, that seems to work best. I'm always just a little bit hungry but not ravenous. If you can keep your diet within those perimeters and throw some hard sweating exercise on top of that you're golden.

Music is key for me to keep running when I want to quit. This Avicii song called Wake Me Up really keeps me going strong.

Any runners out there? What pushes you to hit the pavement?

Fall wish list

Fall fashion is my favourite. Big chunky sweaters, boots, scarves and endless combinations of layering. If you follow me on Pinterest you may have seen some of these already but here's what I've been loving lately.

This sleeveless cardigan from Anthropologie is so cute. A little out of my (currently meager) fashion budget but I like it enough to include it anyway.

This colour block sweater from Gap is much more budget friendly on sale for $32.47

I love grey and this seed stitch raglan sweater from Everlane looks so comfy

Speaking of grey...I'm a big fan of this Platoon Jacket from Aritzia. To be perfectly honest..I would take it in any of the colours offered. It looks warm and comfy and I think it would get a lot of day to day use.

A puffy vest is a great fall/winter staple and this one from The North Face is a classic.

Leggings are a must, they look great with sweater or shirt dresses and boots. Theses TNA Equator ones from Aritzia fit the bill perfectly.

And boots! Ah boots.... :)

Hunters for the rain

I LOVE these boots so much but they are pricey.

I also love these boots, but they are even pricier than the first ones.

Ok, back to reality. ;)

These boots are on Hautelook right now for half price ($60). Love the buckle detailing.

I really like this cuff bracelet on Etsy, one in every colour please!

I love online shopping now that I have kids. I have had to give up my "want it now" for the ease of shopping without taking the littles into stores with me while I try on clothes.

Follow me on Pinterest here.

Have a great weekend!

Reflecting...

Do you remember Baz Luhrmann's Everybody's Free to Wear Sunscreen song from the late 90's? I like the whole song but one line that really sticks out to me is:

"Don’t feel guilty if you don’t know what you want to do with your 
life…the most interesting people I know didn’t know at 22 what they 
wanted to do with their lives, some of the most interesting 40 year 
olds I know still don’t"

I think I like it because I feel like I still have time to figure out "what I want to be when I grow up". At the moment I have a lot of little things going on in my life and all these little things add up to a big life but I feel like there's more...I just don't know what yet. I feel like there is this dissatisfaction going on, and I feel almost guilty for saying that because my life is really good and I'm surrounded by wonderful people who love me. I'm even struggling with how to put this into words because I am so lucky and blessed to have the life I do that it seems wrong to say I want more, like I'm being disloyal or just plain selfish.

Quotes like this are encouraging...

Are you doing what you love? Does your life feel full? What was the turning point for you? How did you know "this is it"?

Motivation Monday

I cannot believe it's Monday already. I haven't exercised in four days because I've had a nasty head cold and barking cough. When you can't breathe out your nose and everything makes you cough it's kind of tough to run. :S

I think I have turned the corner a bit today, my voice sounds a little less rough so it's a start. I am bone tired though so I think today will just be a quick ab workout and then back at it tomorrow.

So sick and bone tired....super motivating hey? haha

Despite being sick and tired I actually feel good and motivated to move forward, it's all about the attitude.

I feel a change coming on too. I don't know what it is yet...but there's something in the air....

How are you feeling today?

Curing what ails you and some randoms from around the 'net

I'm home with sick kids today. They aren't throwing up thank goodness but lots of coughing and runny noses and while they probably could have gone to school I think a rest day is in order. A rest day requires big pots of soul healing chicken soup like this one here

Cuddles on the couch while watching favourite movies...ours is Babe

And lots of Vitamin C (and tissues!). What do you do to battle a cold? Any tried and true family wisdom to pass on?

Are you a big James Bond fan like I am? Then you might think this website is pretty cool. Anything and everything Bond, from clothes to cars and gadgets food and travel...it's all here in one spot.

Looking for some new running tunes? This is a great alternative playlist.

Love this...

A new discovery made in the Amazon....what is making these "picket fences"?

Have you ever seen a Fairy Wren? So beautiful...

Love this jacket.

And this fun colourblock sweater

These Golden Pheasants are glorious...

This guy was in our yard eating apples on the weekend..

On my current Sephora wish list is this Give Me Some Lip collection...

Ok, I'm back to snuggle kiddies...have a great Thursday!

Fitness and nail polish colours

I have two bits of good news this morning....the first being that I finally finally managed to budge another pound which makes four in total. Losing weight is hard. I have been exercising every single day, mixing up a 7km walk, a 5km run, or an hour and a half mountain hike and it's still so slow to come. I just need to back the eating off a bit more, although I haven't felt like I have been eating that much really. I think unless you are a marathon runner you have to really be careful with your caloric intake. The last week and a half has been all about getting my hunger under control and yesterday was the first day I felt like it was. When you are used to eating more your body wants more...it's all about training it.

 My other piece of good news is that my sister has agreed to run the Miracle Beach 5K with me..yay Chantal! It's now here for the world to see my sweet girl so you can't back out. ;)

Saw this quote come up on Pinterest and I just love it..so true..

I'm loving all the fall colours coming out in both clothes and make up. I'm trying to decide which colour to polish my nails...which do you like better?

Navy:

or Burgundy:

Let me know what you think. :)

Motivation Monday

I took Saturday off other than a family walk but on Sunday I laced up my runners and headed out the door to put in my 5km. I threw in a couple of walking breaks but ran harder overall and did it in 37 minutes. I know this is not a fast pace but I'm new and slow and right now I'm still amazed I can run for five kilometers so it's pretty darn awesome to me. The trail that I run is always busier on the weekends so the running harder was much easier...I just can't run slowly by other people (I think it's that first born competitive streak...).

There is a 5K race coming up at the end of October that I think might be fun to do. It's a couple of hours away but I have family close to where it's at and I've been trying (without success) to get someone to run it with me. Timing is bad for some and others just plain don't want to. That's ok though, I'm happy to do it on my own and it's not like I make a great conversationalist when I'm running anyway. ;)

I love having a goal to work towards (again..classic first born) and having that race at the end of October will help keep me on track (get it? track?). I just need that little something extra to get me out the door and that race should do it.

Have a great week everyone....go get your fit on!

Cheers to the weekend!

Nothing makes you appreciate the weekend quite like a busy week, and this weekend was most welcome.

I start every single morning with a hot cup of tea and it's so nice to drink it slowly while still in my pj's on the weekend. A little less rushed, with no lunches to pack and no kids to get off to school. Pure bliss....

I usually have another cup in the afternoon to pull me through that late in the day snoozy feeling and occasionnaly I'll partake in a nice cup of herbal tea to send me off to bed at night.

The last couple of mornings here have been foggy and just so very fall like which really puts me in the spirit to bake all things pumpkin/apple/spice and make great big pots of steamy soup.

Baking of course is hell on a calorie aware diet so if I can find these yummy eats with less calories I'm all over it. I follow Gina at her Skinnytaste blog and when she posted these Skinny Pumpkin Chocolate Chip muffins they instantly became a must bake. They did not disappoint...crazy good, and I highly recommend you try them for yourself.

I took yesterday off from exercising other than taking the dogs for a bracing morning run with the family. They had the bracing run, not me...I ambled along with a three year old asking to ride on my shoulders and just enjoyed the morning. 

I love this shot Chris got of Ella and the dogs..

I will be putting in a 5k run today though. It will probably have a couple walking breaks however as my derriere is still slightly sore from Thursday's mountain hike.

Hope you're enjoying your weekend!

Randoms from around the 'net

Normally Friday would be Pinspiration Friday here on the blog but with the craziness of getting the kids on a school and after school activities routine I haven't had much time for projects. Once things settle down a bit I am hoping to get back to them...they are so much fun!

I've been hitting the exercise hard this week and even did a hike to the top of Mt Tzouhalem yesterday which is always a good workout and yes...my butt hurt this morning, but I still put in a 7km power walk...sweat everyday! ;)

I have some fun odds and ends to share with you today. Starting with this girl who set the world record for back flips...check it out:

Loved this video of these mountain bikers doing a "staycation" here on my Island, check it out here.

Have you heard this weeks iTunes freebie? I love it.....Chocolate by The1975

A hot apple toddy sounds like the perfect drink at the end of a cool fall day.

I've started my book list and have begun with World War Z....just a couple of chapters in so far but it's good. Anyone else doing the list with me? What book did you start with?

Addicted to this little bit of deliciousness from Big D's Bees.

Love this personalized wooden rolling pin I found on Etsy.

How great is this Halloween dog collar?

Hope you're having a great Friday...it's almost the weekend! 

Making it happen

Today is day three back on track and I'm down 2.8lbs as of this morning. I know it's mostly water weight and that's ok, it's always encouraging to see it come off no matter what or why the reason. 

Monday morning I power walked 7km, Tuesday I ran 5km and this morning I power walked another 7km. Let me tell you, I was very surprised to be able to run 5km after not running for the last two months. I think once you've done it, it's much easier to go back rather than completely starting from scratch. I was red faced, hot and sweaty (it's hot summery weather here this week) when I got home but I felt awesome. It took me a long time to figure out my breathing and pace when I first started running but now that I know how to run I no longer feel like I'm dying...it just feels like a workout. 

 I'm generally a treadmill runner which is easier than running outdoors, but this run was outdoors and it was so nice. There is a lot more to distract your mind from your workout when the scenery is constantly changing, plus with the leaves starting to change colour as autumn gets closer it's really beautiful.

I've been changing my eating habits back to good ones too....a little less clam chowder and a little more grilled chicken and veggies.

I've also started taking a liver cleansing supplement again as well as a probiotic if I feel like I need it, and I've gotten a lot of sleep the last two nights...9 hours on Monday and 8 hours last night. I had serious sleep debt going on and it was starting to tell. My body is already thanking me profusely for these changes.

How is everyone else doing in the getting fit and healthy department? Anyone have some great new running tunes for me?

What do you wear to bed?

I know... a naughty title right? ;)

I was getting ready to go to bed the other night - which means folding the pile of laundry that I had dumped on it earlier in the day before running to the next chore - when I looked down at myself and my typical going to sleep ensemble. I was wearing faded cotton pajama pants that were too short for me and one of Chris's huge old white t shirts. Super sexy... I know. It got me thinking about what we wear to bed as we get comfortable with our partners. Gone are the cute little nighties (does saying that word make me sound MUCH older than I am??), boxer and cami sets or anything with lace. You care a little less and just go for easy and comfy (I know I'm not the only one, I've been asking around!). I knew there must be a way to combine comfy with sexy, I don't want full on corset, bustiers etc...I want to be able to sleep in my nightwear (eek! another old lady word...I'm on a roll today...my husband is a lucky man :S) as well as still look like a woman rather than that lump of laundry I was folding that somehow managed to slip itself under the covers.

I really like what I came up with and if you follow me on Pinterest than you may have seen some of these already.

This striped chemise from eberjey is so cute. It's light and airy for summer (or if you just run hot), and has just a touch of girly pretty with the lace lining.

eberjey had so many cute chemises that I had to include a few more..... 

 Here's the Lady Godiva

Free Bird

And Belinda

This is just a few that they carry, I would wear just about every one they have...super cute and the above range in price from $66 to $84.

If you want something a little warmer then J Crew has this great Night Shirt on sale for $66.

If you are looking for something in a slightly lower price range Victoria's Secret has some cute ones too.

This Ultrasoft Sleepshirt is great if you prefer to have your shoulders covered for warmth and is on for only $28 (or 2 for $45).

How about the Cotton Mayfair Slip? It comes in a ton of different colours and is only $29.50

So there you have it...all manner of price ranges for really cute outfits to wear to bed at night, there is no longer any excuse. ;)

Motivation Monday

Today's topic is discipline. It's something that doesn't come easy of course but then things worth having never do. It's that day in and day out grind to make something happen that is the difference between having a wish and making that wish a reality. This applies to anything in life but Motivation Monday posts are about getting in shape and boy does discipline apply to that. Once you get yourself on track the hard part is staying there....being careful with your food intake, getting exercise every day...even if it's too cold, too hot, raining, snowing or you just plain don't want to, and most of it is in your mind.

If you can get beyond that voice in your head telling you that you'll do it "later" (after the weekend, next week, next month, after that party) than you are off to a good start and if you can maintain that than please tell me how! The mental game is a tough one.

What do you do to motivate yourself when you're struggling?