Mid Week Motivation: My Current Health & Fitness Routine

Hello everyone!

It is July 1st! Can you believe it?! Lets take some time and enjoy the view.

Felt this would be the perfect occasion to bring back the "Mid Week Motivation" series (if you missed the previous posts search "Mid Week Motivation" on the search bar to your right).

Today I want to chat about what I am currently doing for my health, fitness, and lets be honest- my sanity! I don't know about you but maintaining a fitness routine helps me be more focused, motivated, excited, and disciplined with pretty much everything going on in my life. As the saying goes, when in doubt, work out!

[Workouts:]

Honestly, I am not doing anything crazy. For the past several months (pretty much since the beginning of the year) I've kept pretty consistent with the cardio portion of my workouts. During the past month or so, I have been incorporating weights and strength training in to my routine, as noted in this post.

CARDIO: So basically, 5-6 times per week I am at the gym. I have found that hitting the gym at around 11:00 am-12:00 pm on most days is what works for me the best (I currently work from home during the first half of my day and then head out to my other job in the late afternoons). Find the perfect time that can work for you and make it happen. Remember that all you need is at least 30 minutes of high intense cardio. 

My routine is currently at 45-50 minutes plus a cool down. I use the elliptical for about 15-20 minutes and the treadmill for the remainder. 

I proudly wear my Spartan shirt to the gym when I want to feel fierce. Little do people know that race almost killed me. But I made it out alive :-D

WEIGHTS: I do workouts incorporating weight training and strength training about 2-3 times per week. Either Monday, Wednesday, Friday OR Tuesdays and Thursdays depending on what I may have going on in a particular week. I have been using my workout DVDs but strongly considering signing up for a gym class incorporating weights at a local gym. I enjoy working out at home but it would be nice to  break the routine a bit, and meet new people while I'm at it.

Post-workout shameless selfie

[Food:]

I dislike being strict with what I eat or denying myself anything. I simply made a decision to make a conscious effort to eat something that is good for my body each time I eat a meal. I currently eat 3 times a day (breakfast, lunch, dinner) PLUS snacks whenever I am hungry. I don't believe in starving to death waiting for a next meal- that's something that can simply set you up for failure. If you are hungry, eat something! Just remember to make a conscious effort to make it healthy.

I cook, I bake, and I love to eat {if you think I'm lying just scroll back to prior posts, there is a good amount of food involved, and more to come}.

Restriction is not for me and allowing myself to eat well is something that has worked for me tremendously in terms of getting fit, maintaining a healthy weight, and keeping cravings at bay (don't get me wrong, I still get cravings but definitely not as much as before). Plus, I never feel like I am depriving myself.

Just yesterday I was watching a show about this "new" diet that allows beer and drinks in moderation. Some idiot on the TV show (one of the hosts) said "oh wow that is genius". I am sorry, but having things in moderation is something people have known for....ever....some people just choose to ignore it seeking the easy way out. I know the word idiot sounds harsh but I'm just being honest. It's been common sense for a while. 

Ok peoples, thanks for reading. What is YOUR current fitness routine? Or, if you plan to start one soon, what are the plans??

Love,

Mabelle

Fortunate Fridays {Great Week Edition}

Hey Everyone!!

Hope you all had a great week. I have LOT's to be thankful for this week. One thing I was to point out is this: nobody's life is perfect. No one's. Although I do go through ups and downs, like the rest of the world--- I CHOOSE to focus on the positive and enjoy sharing what I feel fortunate for each and every week with all of you, in part, with hopes of inspiring others to also focus on what is good in their lives and strengthen the positive. Thanks for reading and for sharing the good with me.

So this week was great. I cant complain. Had a lot going on and although I am not working at the current time I am constantly wondering where my time goes and trying to approach time management as effectively as possible. Making progress but nonetheless, still a work in progress.

Without further 'ado here is my fortunate-for list of the week:

1. The Angel that is ALWAYS protecting me from HARM and who is next to me when amazing things happen. This week I received yet another revelation that someone is always by my side. I have gone through some stuff in my life where the fact that everything turned out okay and that I am good and well can only be explained by something above and beyond what the eye can see. Thank you! 


2. Picking up my Cap and Gown (Ahh!!! Need I say more??) I could but I'd probably go on and on. Definitely a proud moment. All I could do was look up to the sky and thank the lord! MBA, here I come.

3. Amazing Lunch date with my two favorite ex-co workers-- Passed by my old job this past Tuesday and was able to have lunch with two of my favorite people. We went to Hale and Hearty, had a yummy lunch and cached up on life. Had such a great time. Definitely miss these girls:

4. Spontaneous trips with good friends.
After finals,  I made a spare of the moment decision to accompany a good friend of mine up to Albany for one of his good friend's graduation celebration. He had invited me a while ago but I couldn't make up my mind because I had so much going on with school and everything else. However, I am glad I ultimately decided to go. Albany, NY is where my Alma Mater is located so I had a great time reminiscing on my good old college days. I cant believe next year will be 10 yrs since I received by bachelors degree. Crazy! Here are some photos of the trip:

On our way!

Reminiscing on the good old college mall days:

 

Being Silly:

 

Road towards campus!

Being silly (again!) at some random store we found at the mall:

Posing in front of the mall:

 

Finally Dinner (@ Unos):

 

 Infamous Bathroom Pic:

5. Keeping up my fitness routine!!! Worked out pretty much every day and feeling stronger after re-incorporating Jillian 30 day shred in to my routine again. I love her and that's my favorite DVD of hers!

6. Getting my hands on Almond Butter!!! Let me just say Almond butter is a "Staple" at my apartment and living without it for almost a month was unheard of! Grabbed two jars during my recent trip to Trader Joes:

7. Finally found a place to live in DC for the summer! After a good amount of headaches in trying to decide where the heck I was going to live for the summer (guys-- I still have to catch up you guys on this one). I am just happy the search is over! Excited!!! Note: If you are a blogger or reader from the Washington, DC area please email me. Would love to meet you!

8. An AMAZING final meeting with my consulting team and the CEO of the company we consulted for this semester. This has to have been the best project I worked on during my entire MBA career. Definitely felt fortunate for the experience from beginning to end:

So, this week's Meme or "saying of the week" is something I created myself. This week I had an "Aha" moment after having a conversation with someone which serious opened my eyes about the infamous saying: never take anything personal. Ladies and gentleman, life experiences have taught me that if there is a list of "top 10 sayings in the world that are absolutely and 100% true" the "never take anything personal" one is on the very top of the list. The experience I went through inspired me to come up with the following:

 

...And that's all folks. Thanks for reading. And remember: ALWAYS look at the bright side of life. Never give up. Keep on reaching for your goals and as hard as it may be to see this sometimes: There is ALWAYS something to be thankful for. GOD IS GOOD!

Tell me, whats your favorite quote? do you enjoy road trips? anything exciting hapenning this weekend?

With love,
Mabelle