I'm Back Baby

It's been over a year since my last blog post. Things got busy, I was concentraing on our professional blog, www.roughleyoriginals.com and I just decided to give this one up. I did make the decision, I didn't just let it slip away. But I never did delete it, because you never know.

And here I am, back again! I miss having a place for my personal musings, my writing, somewhere I can see what I've done. I have been keeping a travel journal, but it just doesn't feel the same.  Let me catch you up on our life the past year:

We had an unbelievably busy summer in 2010, working full time, and becoming increasingly busy with our photography. It got to the point that we were working seven days a week. It was intense, hard and tiring. We had our eyes on a prize though: travel.

In December Gareth and I said good-bye to our family, friends, and our home. We rented out our place, and we took off. We headed first to the UK, where we spent a month with G's family, visiting and catching up. Gareth's mom taught me how to make some Roughley tasty treats.

We had a fun trip, which included New Year's Eve in Edinburgh for Hogmany

In the blink of an eye, it was time to say good-bye. Our next stop was Hong Kong, where we spent a week. I'm not gonna lie, it was a rough start. Jet leg and culture shock completely overwhelmed me, and all I wanted to do was go home. We made a bad decision to go out as soon as we arrived instead of sleeping, and then we visited the oldest part in Hong Kong, which literally takes you back 100 years. Markets filled the streets, selling dried fish, dried seahorses, dried lizard...it was overwhelming.

With some sleep and some deep breaths, I sorted myself out and ended up really enjoying our time there.

A Sampan ride!

Next up was Tasmania! We were back in the country we met, and it was a fantastic feeling. So was the sunshine! And so was seeing some really good friends from Tassie, whom I met when I was 18 and travelling Australia. We only get to see them every few years, and we always have the best time.

From Tassie, it was time for our final destination - New Zealand. Gareth and I were armed with work visas for 1 year, and we here to live the life.

It's now July; we've been here for about 6 months and man we have been through a lot. Buying a van that was ready for the graveyard, living in the van which is smaller than a queen sized bed, hot days, long hikes, cold nights, and some very interesting jobs. I have learned more about myself than I will ever be able to describe to anyone in this time. I have been thrown out of my lovely little comfort zone I made for myself, into a world unknown. I have realized that I loved my little bubble, and I don't do that well outside of it. I hope to learn how to change that very soon! I think we're all caught up. I'm so excited to get writing on here again.

S xx

Be Grateful

I am, by nature, a negative person. I have the tendency to think the worst, blow things out of proportion, and assume doom and gloom. It’s true what they say, things run in the family, because this is the way my dad is, hands down.


I try to keep this under control. I try to be positive, upbeat, and always think the best of people and of situations. Does it always work? Heck no. Some days...weeks....sometimes (hopefully not often) months, I get wrapped up in the worst of everything. It drags me down, makes me tired, keeps up me up at night, and puts a lot of strain on the atmosphere of my little home. Last time this happened to me, Gareth started writing me little notes and leaving them on stickies in random places where I would find them. It totally helped lift my mood! It made me stop and readjust my attitude. The reminder to be positive was much needed.

I have been reading Jillian Michael’s book, Making the Cut. The book is, of course, about weight loss, exercise and eating (seeing as how it’s a book written by Jillian Michaels). BUT she deals with what most of us struggle with that is so linked to our health...our mental state. One thing in particular she stresses? Mantras. So here’s mine for now:

Be grateful.

Man oh man, has it ever helped! Whenever I get sad, or down, or worked up about something, I visualize something to be grateful about. If I’m sad about a friendship gone sour, I stop picturing that person, and instead picture someone who is amazing to me. If I stress about work, I think about something great I did during the day. In short, stop agonizing about things, be happy...and BE GRATEFUL!

So...here’s a few things, I’m grateful about right now:

~ My super hot husband who also happens to be the nicest guy on the planet.

~ My crazy awesome friends who pick me up, make me smile and show me constant love.

~ Eating salads every day because everything is so fresh and wonderful.

~ Having the ability to ride my bike to work, partly through the river valley. I’ve spotted some cool photo locations!

~ Having the gym right beside work so I can go at lunch. I don’t know what I would do otherwise!

~ Sleep coming back.

~ Sunshine.

xox
Shauna

Acid & Confidence...Random Much?!

Hello friends! I’m sure some of you have lost faith and jumped ship, but I'm still here! I haven’t exactly been in the “share my stories cuz my life is so awesome” zone lately. It’s been more of a “what am I gonna do?” kind of zone lately. Sometimes my mental attitude reverts to that old adage we’ve all been told, “if you don’t have anything nice to say, don’t say anything at all.”


BUT maybe you can help me out. I’ve been BIG TIME suffering from the likes of acid reflux lately, and it sucks. Fruit and veggies are too hard on my system, and it makes it worse. I’m pretty much been forced to revert to bread and pasta to sop up the acid. And trust me THAT doesn’t make me feel the greatest. This is how it usually goes...I stop paying attention to my eating for a few days...I eat a little more dairy, fat and spicy foods than I’m used to. Some wine usually gets thrown in, and before I know it, I’m up night after night, unable to lie flat because of the acid. THEN I can’t eat fruits and veggies because they hurt too bad, so I can’t get back onto my healthy-eating track, reverting me to heavy substances to settle the...dust. IT SUCKS!

So...any suggestions??

Another reason I have been MIA is that Gareth and I have been focusing big-time on our photography. I’ve been doing a lot of reading, and a lot of practicing. I’ve always been 100% confident in Gareth’s ability, but much less so in mine. It was only recently that a friend took the time to come with me and let me practice on her, without Gareth, that I got a jolt of reality. She said to me, “Shauna, YOU took these pictures. Not Gareth, no one else, YOU. And they’re great!” This really struck me, because I get the feeling that most people assume that Gareth’s photos are the only ones we use from photo shoots. The reality is that we usually use 50/50, or close to it. But knowing that people assume I’m not very good has hindered my confidence. We both have different styles, and while he’s much more informed and knowledgeable than I am, I have learned enough to finally call myself a photographer.

It’s so nice to have that person in your life who if your total and complete cheerleader. My friend has been interested and supportive since we’ve began this journey. She comments, she asks questions, she tells me what she likes and what she doesn't...and she has helped me learn that that's ok! Constructive criticism is so helpful, if it's delivered properly. There are people in my life who I would have expected the same from who haven’t pulled through, but having that one person who is sincere and honest (because she is DEF sometimes brutally honest!) has meant more than having 10 fake cheerleaders.

So here’s to friends, to honesty, and to confidence!

Have a wonderful weekend,
Shauna

A Bit About Me

Hi all! Are you wondering where I've been? Well, check this out! Mine & Gareth's new photography blog: http://www.roughleyoriginals.com/

We've been working on it for a while, so my blogging time has been focused on that. It's finally finished, and up and ready! Please follow along with us as we document our work, and any fun photos we may take.

Just a quick rundown on our photography. Gareth has been a photographer his whole life. He's owned an SLR since he was 10 I think, when he was so short he used to cut everyone's heads off since his line of vision wasnt that high.

Fast forward to him moving to Canada and settling in. All of our friends knew he was an amazing photographer. When some of our friends were getting married, they asked him to do their wedding photos. Gareth agreed, and we soon thought, hey, you're going to need a second photographer! That's where I came in! Gareth gave me some speedy lessons, and I was learning SLRs...and loving it! Learning on a digital SLR makes your learning curve extremely steep, and I learned pretty quickly. Just the basics, sure, but I discovered something I had always thought about myself...I had an eye for photography!

The wedding photos turned out great...and the rest is history! Since then we've got into photographing couples, kids, babies, moms-to-be, and of course, the wonders around us that Gareth started with. I LOVE photographing people. When I see an amazing landscape, I think about what it would look like with someone in it. I think Gareth still has a first-love-affair with landscape photography, but he loves the challenge of people-pictures as well. All in all, it's a love for both of us. And one day we'd love to do this full time. With some hard work, I think it will happen!

That's all for now, I'm sure you're sick of hearing about me! I'll be back soon to tell you how training & clean eating has been going.

Have a GREAT weekend!
Shauna

Bucket List

I asked Gareth what was on his Bucket List the other night. He told me:


1. A pail
2. A shovel
3. The ocean

Thanks, babe.
We’ve both been thinking about our Bucket Lists. Once we decide on a list, we’re going to post them in our house so we both can look at them, and make those things happen! I’ve been thinking about mine, and looking over my blog, as I have those lists on the left. I am combining some of them to make my “Big Dreams” my Bucket List. I know this list will continually be changing, being added to, priorities will shift. But for now, this is my list, and I’m a-lovin it!
~Visit Paris (was close! Been to France)
~Spend New Year's Eve somewhere other than Canada
~Go to Churchill to visit the polar bears
~Go to Africa
~Go to India
~Move to New Zealand for a year
~Live in the UK for a period of time
~Travel Europe
~Travel Southeast Asia
~Visit Fiji
~Publish a photography book complete with descriptions & stories
~Drink wine in every wine region in the world
~See Mardi Gras in New Orleans
~Become a published writer-on a regular basis
~Skydive
~Live in the Okanagan
~ Be a mom


There is so much to do in this wonderful world. What do you want to do?

Shauna xox

Remember...

I would just like to take a moment to say, you're beautiful. Don't ever forget that. Don't let the pressures of your life, or the insecurites caused by a total surface only, plastic society, tell you any different.

You are unique, and that is a good thing.

You are wonderful, because you are you.

And you are beautiful.

Shauna
xox

Clean Eating Update

Hello friends.

I promised last week that I would update you on how the clean eating is going. All in all, I would say is going decent. I'm not doing amazing at it, but step by step, I think I'm catching on.

What I have taken on board is that I'm eating at least 5 times a day. Unless I'm skiing. Because let's face it, I hold everyone up enough with my constant bathroom breaks, I'm not going to hold them up for snack breaks too! But, on a normal day, I am eating less at a time, more often. I almost always eat a complex carb along with my protein, and I think the combination of that, and my training, is paying off in the muscle department. I am starting to get more definition that I am noticing. I have actually gained weight since I started training, but not inches, so the muscle is definitely packing on!

I am eating a lot of beans, quinoa, chicken and veggies. I tried the tofu thing, and I just can't do it. I think I'll add it to my chili I'm going to be making in the next week, because I just don't love eating it. I tried!

I can't quite let go of my sugar eats. I do love sugar. I've cut down, but I haven't let it go completely. I'm hoping that these small changes will make a difference, and slowly I will cut back. I have decided though, that I will live my life and enjoy my small pleasures. And if that's a really nice glass of wine I shall with my hubby, or my buddies, or my mom (which I did last night, even though it was St. Pat's and I should have been drinking green!) that is what I will do. I love it, so I will do it!

All in all, I feel better, and to me that's all that matters.

I am BEYOND excited to start riding my bike to work, which I have yet to buy! But I will soon. I cannot wait to get my workouts outside, and enjoy the QT outside and forget that I'm exercising.

All in all, life is good! I'm dog sitting this weekend, so we'll be heading down to the dog park that's right across from my house as much as we can.

Cant wait for spring!

Shauna

x

Quote of the Day

Work hard...


He who is carried on another's back does not appreciate how far off the town is.

------------->African Proverb

Weekend Getaway

There aren’t too many things that can hold a person’s attention anymore. There aren’t too many things that captivate our over-stimulated, short attention-span brains. There aren’t too many ways to get a person to stop dead, take a minute, and really take a scene in.

For me, that one thing is Canada’s Rocky Mountains. I have been a lot of places in my life. I have travelled a fair bit, and I have seen a lot of different places, but I have yet to find a place that takes my breath away, time and time again, never fail, like the Rockies do. No matter how many times I go there, it never gets old. I have been going steady since I was five years old, at least once a year. Now, as an adult, I make a point to make it out at least twice a year to go skiing. We are on our second trip of the winter right now, and we have one more planned.

The Rockies are the very definition of “awesome”. They are grand, majestic, overwhelming, daunting and undeniably beautiful. They take my breath away; make me feel like a little spec on our massive earth. They put me back into perspective. They calm me, overwhelm me, and awe me all at the same time.

Lake Louise

I have never, ever grown tired of looking at them. I can guarantee you that I never will. The Rockies are incredible to me. They make me proud of my country. They make me smile. They make me believe there has to be a higher power, because they couldn’t have happened by accident.

Something that beautiful had to be in someone’s plan.

me and the beautiful weather on Saturday

Nicole and I soaking it all in

Sid right in the middle of the crazy powder we got to ski

And the boys, having a blast! Once again, Gareth and I didnt get a picture

 
I really dislike winter, but I really do love skiing.
 
Shauna xox

Quote of the Day

As a writer, I find it REALLY annoying when people use big words, when small ones will do.

When people take 100 words to say something that could be said in 20.

When poeple make themselves feel smarter by  making sure no one understands them.

Because at the end of the day, aren't the smartest people the ones who speak to their audience? The ones who use the plainest language to get their point across?

Hence, my quote for the day:

"Speak properly, and in as few words as you can, but always plainly; for the end of speech is not ostentation, but to be understood. "

William Penn

xox
Shauna

Up The Ante

Good morning!

Good “sore” morning for me! I was with Leah this morning, my lovely trainer (can you hear me gritting my teeth when I say that?!). She is catching onto me, and today proved how far she is willing to push me. She definitely upped the intensity today, and my body is tired tired tired!

I forgot to post last week’s workout, I think it’s because it was a toughie and I couldn’t do it on my own. It involved a tractor tire, flipping it across the gym, and a large rope...and a skipping rope. It was the first time I was SORE the day after. Leah’s caught on to my limits, and she’s pushing them.

Today:
Warm up on the track:
Jog ¾ of a lap, sprint the last ¼.
Do v-sits for 1 minute.
Repeat Twice.

Into the gym
Shoulder presses with 15 pounds. 15 reps
Arms at your sides, keeping them straight lift them straight up to the side. 10 pounds. 15 reps
Repeat both twice
(This was super hard and I was SHAKING!)

Onto the Bench Press
65 pounds today!
1st set I did 10 reps (BARELY!)
2nd set I did 8 reps (Barely!)
In between I did twenty leg raises while lying down, raising them from side to side (ab workout)

Then onto Legs
50 squats with the yellow kettle bell. Do as many as possible at a time, take as few breaks as possible.
Walking lunges around the combative room.

Back to arms. She lined up 3 bosu balls in a row. I went in front of them
1 push up, then hand walk to the side to the next one.
2 push ups, then hand walk to the side to the third one.
3 push ups, then hand walk to the side back to the second one.
4 push ups, then back to the first
5 push ups.

Took a break (OBVIOUSLY, I was dying!) then back to it. This time, I did the push ups ON the bosu ball, and did:
1, 2, 1, hand walking in between them.

Leah then had me sit on the bosu ball for 1 min, with my legs up, for abs. Twice. Then I was DONE!
Thank goodness. It was a really hard day. But I’m startin to get me some muscle definition, which is always awwwwwesome!

I’ll be back in a bit to let you know how my clean eating is going.

Shauna xox

Dress to Impress

I would like to discuss something with you that I have been wondering about for ages.
Why do people dress in clothing that is less that flattering on them?Why do people get dressed in the morning, and think "This will do"? Why don't people want to look fantastic all the time?

Don't get me wrong. I'm so guilty of this. I have those clothes that I wear to work that are "doable", "wearable"; I have those pants that don’t quite fit right, but I always think, "whatever they will do".

My first question, how do these items make their way into our closets in the first place? Why would we ever buy things that are just okay, just fit okay, things that are not the best but they'll do? Why do we spend our money on these items?!

There are those items that used to fit. They have either stretched out, lost their shape, or our shape has changed. Gained a few pounds, lost a few pounds, maybe we have some pants in our closet from high school when hips were unheard of. Whatever, they don't fit anymore. WHY DON'T WE GET RID OF THEM?!

And yet I also have those work outfits that I look rockin’ in! And I don’t wear them anywhere but to work. I always want to switch up my wardrobe, to wear something different, and yet I have these great outfits, these clothes that fit well and look great, that I don’t wear when I’m around my friends and family, because I wear them all the time. SO?! If they look great, I should be wearing them ALL THE TIME!

When I lost weight a while ago, I cleaned out my closet with the help of Gareth. Anything I questioned, I asked him his opinion. I decided that I wanted to look GREAT in my clothes. Every outfit that I put on I wanted to be flattering, beautiful, and suitable to me. Not okay, not fine, GREAT! Too much to ask? I don't think so.

And yet I still have items in my closet that are "fine". I wear them, I don't feel great in them, but I do it anyway. Why?! We have to get dressed in the morning, one leg in those pants at a time, so why not pull on a pair of pants that fit perfectly, as opposed to that pair that sit a little high, ride up a bit, are maybe a bit too short. Why not put those legs into pants that make us look taller, slimmer, that show off our best assets, instead of walking around all day feeling “okay” because of what we’re wearing?

One of my problems is that all of my dress pants have been tailored to be worn with heels. They're all hemmed to that length, and with the amount of working out I've been doing lately, some days my legs are just too tired and sore to bear wearing heels. So I hope I've solved this by hemming a couple pairs of dress pants to wear with flats.

Next on the list is to buy a couple pairs of new flats are "great". That way on those days that I'm too sore to wear heels, I'll still have nice shoes to wear.

I've also banished wearing hoodies to work. They can be great, but I don't want them to have a place in my work wardrobe (Ok, unless I'm sick or I'm going to be cleaning out a storage room!)

I also no longer wear my holy sweats to the gym. I'm trying to utilize the nice things in my wardobe. The holy sweats can be worn around the house. Don't get me wrong, I'm just wearing yoga pants instead, but they look just a little better than those awful sweats.

My goal, from now on, is to be super aware when I'm buying clothes. I want to think to myself, ‘Will I wear this a lot? Does it fit well? Is it flattering?’ Some days I really don't know where my head's at when I'm buying clothes. There is a definite possibility I will always ask someone else’s opinion when I buy something, or take a picture of myself, to see how I actually look, since that mirror image can be so deceiving.

So that's my goal! To look as good as I can, as often as I can. It's not 100%, it won't happen all the time, but what's wrong with wanting to put my best foot forward, as often as I can?

Shauna xox

Clean Eating

I'm trying something crazy. I've said it before but never **really** learned how to do it right. I'm attempting to eat clean.

I borrowed the book The Eat Clean Diet from the library, and it has enthralled me. It makes so much sense! Eat with purpose, know what you're putting into your body so that you can get the results you want. You know I'm working out with a trainer, so I'm working hard in that department, but I really wasn't seeing many results. So...I'm going to try to kick it up a notch with clean eating.

The book is amazing. I read it in 2 days. It gives so many great tips and tricks of how to do this in the real world. It's going to be very tough at times, but I really, REALLY want to succeed at this.

The basis is that you eat 6 times a day, and every meal has a lean protein and a complex carb in it. When you eat the two together, I guess amazing things happen. You also eat whole, real food you can recognize. What a concept! The nice thing is that you can eat whole wheat bread, you can have whole wheat pasta and rice noodles. But no white flour and minimal sugar. Doable!

I'm on day 2 of it right now. yesterday I ate wayyyyy too much! I measured, I followed her "typical day" eating, but I had to sub a few things as I didnt have everything. Didn't work out the greatest.

Today is going MUCH better! I cut back a bit on my portions, because I think it's going to take some juggling to figure it all out. I've eaten 2 meals already!

If everything goes according to plan, I'm going to get the body I've always wanted, finally!

Wish me luck!

Three Cups of Tea

...anyone?

I am so behind on updating my blog! Jeepers.

I have long since read "The Cups of Tea" by Greg Mortenson.

Go out. Buy it. Read it.

It was amazing. This man is amazing.

The jist of it is this American man went to Pakistan to climb K2, the world's second tallest mountain. It didn't work out, he had to turn back. He lost his guide, was seriously ill and he ended up in a tiny remote village called Korphe. The village chief took Mortenson in, and in return Mortenson promised to build the village their first school, which was desperately needed.

From there, the story is full of crazy hard work, total ignorance of how to get this school built, and more heart than I ever thought could be packed into 1 book.

The book totally and completely got me when they announced the towers crashing on 9/11...while Mortenson was in Afghanistan.

Read it. Do it now.

Shauna

xox

By the way, Mortenson's project to get 1 school to Korphe has turned into the Central Asia Institute, which has since constructed more than 50 schools across rural Pakistan and Afghanistan. I'm really lookingo forward to reading his second book, Stones into Schools.

For Today

A little quiz kinda thing I read on someone else's blog. Thought I would give one a try since I never have before.

For Today:

Outside my window ... There is some sunshine! The window beside my desk at work faces a parking lot, so it's not very exciting, but just seeing natural light makes me happier.

I am thankful for ... Having an amazing husband who puts up with me!

I am thinking ... About how I want my life to be. I'm not meant to sit at a desk every day...

From the kitchen ... Healthy, tasty food! For dinner last night I made a salad full of veggies, roasted potatoes, chicken and cheddar cheese. It was delish. Gareth made homemade veggie soup, which I had for lunch today. Again, amazing!

I am wearing ... A suit my mamma bought me, a dress shirt my Nanny bought me, and boots my aunt bought me. So....my family dressed me today!

I am creating... Project boards for work. More exciting than a lot of things I do!
I am going ... Crazy!! hehe, just kidding. I am going to get my eyebrows waxed tonight! It's essential, the eyebrows frame the whole face ;)

I am reading ... The Last American Man, by Melissa Gilbert right now. It's great! She wrote Eat Pray Love, which I adore, so I was very curious to read something else she wrote. I haven't been disappointed.

I am hoping ... to find my passion very soon. I haven't found the one thing that I LOVE to do yet. I'm still searching.

I am hearing ... Michael Buble on the radio. Love him.

Around the house ... I'm really trying to keep it tidy. It's clean, it's just messy, and cluttered. I'm also trying to make it beautiful with what we have, without buying anything more for it. I'm trying to not buy "stuff" just to buy it.

One of my favorite things ... Summer. With that sunshine is a major factor. And warmth. I LOVE being warm. And being outside. And the lake. So many things in the summer make me happy. I'm not-so-patiently awaiting summer!

A few plans for the rest of the week ... I'm freelance editing, and I need to get some of that done. Workout. STOP watching TV during the week (I was good last night!) Spend some time with my man.

This is wonderful, it reminds me of the things that make me happy.

Shauna xox

Quote of the Day

This is a quote I've had on a sticky note on my computer at work for a few weeks. I think it's great. It reminds me that I need to work hard to get what I want.

We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act but a habit.

-----------> Aristotle

Makes sense, right?

Have a fantastic day,
Shauna xox

15s!

Hello lovelies!

Once again I'm tired today from my workout yesterday. It was a little different than most Tuesdays. My trainer had to work the desk at the gym so she wrote me up a workout, and I did it by myself.

It was great!

I pushed myself hard, and I'm feeling the effects today. I'm down 2 pounds, I'm eating better again, and I'm feeling great! It's amazing what a few healthy choices can do for you.

One thing I can say for sure, I am DESPERATE for summer! I can't wait. Seriously. I might self-combust if the snow doesn't melt and the temperature shoots up soon...and I get to play outside again.




Here is my workout from yesterday.

15s!

15 minutes on the stair machine @ 75 steps per minute

1)
15 walking lunges along track with 30lb bar behind head
15 squats with 30lb bar behind head
15 Clean and Presses with 30lb bar
15 Bicep Curls with 30lb bar
15 Tricep Extensions with 30lb bar

2)
15 walking lunges along track with 30lb bar behind head
15 squats with 30lb bar behind head
15 Clean and Presses with 30lb bar
15 Bicep Curls with 30lb bar
15 Tricep Extensions with 30lb bar

15 V-Sit with Medicine Ball toss
15 Santana Push ups (no weight)
15 minutes on Eliptical

It was great! I was exhausted by the time I got the eliptical. Maybe because I had to use the 35lb because the 30lb bar was being used.

I went back at lunch and did 30 minutes on the eliptical.

Today I did 1 hour on the eliptical this morning, and I'm just heading back at lunch to do weights-the program my trainer made me. Not sure how well that will go since my body is tired.

I know a lot of people think I'm crazy for going twice a day, but it's 2 shorter workouts instead of 1 long one. And this way, I can eat right after my cardio as I'm usually STARVING! And then I get to eat before I go do weights. This works well for me because I have the most energy possible. AND, I think the best thing is I get out of the office at lunch, and I don't spend money going out for lunch all the time. All around good things.

Have a great day!

Shauna xox

Quote of the Day!

If you know at all, you know that I LOVE quotes. So I thought I could start posting the ones that catch my eye. Here's one!

No one is in control of your choices but you.

Feel Fabulous

Hello hello!

I am sooo happy that it's Thursday! I have been super tired this week, and I can't seem to get enough sleep, so I'm really looking forward to the weekend (even though it's gearing up to be a busy one!).

I have a feeling that my lack of tiredness is from cutting back on caffeine. Yes, I've been drinking coffee...I love it! What can I say!

I'm sad to say that it doesn't seem to love me back. But I already knew that. So I'm TRYING to cut back AGAIN.

I've also been tired since my trainer session Tuesday morning. It was a tough one! I can't say I love Tuesday as my workout day, as I feel like I can't push too hard on Monday, or I'll be too sore for my workout. And Wednesday, I'm way too sore and tired. I really wish it was on Monday, Wednesday or Friday, so I could do weights those days and have rest days in between. I'm bad for not always going to the gym on the weekend so that would be best for me. My trainer is a student so I'm hoping once she graduates we can move to one of those days.

I barely got up this morning, I was really tired, but I did it! I was late getting to the gym, but I still managed to get in 55 minutes on the elliptical, so I'm happy about that.

Another thing that's been going on with me is I'm trying really, really hard to eat "clean". I'm trying to eat all whole foods, foods that come from the earth, or that I can recognize. So pretty much, fruit, veggies, nuts and meat (and a liiiittle bit of cheese). I'm trying to cut out sugar (I'm addicted to sugar, once I start I can't stop), and only eat whole grain bread. I decided this on Tuesday afternoon, and so far I've been doing pretty well. We even went out for dinner last night and I managed it! I had a sirlion steak salad from Brewsters, and it was delish. It had pommogranite seeds, orange, carrots, feta and almonds in it. Had it with no dressing, Gareth grabbed the bread from it as soon as it landed on the table (thanks babe!! I would have been really tempted otherwise) and I was good!

I have a challenge coming up in this. My friend's birthday party is tomorrow night, and there is promise of cake. And snacks. So fingers crossed there is a veggie platter and maybe some fruit. I'm going to say NO to the cake right now, and hope and try to make that happen.

I am allowing myself minimal alcohol, because I love wine and I think that can be my desert.

I'm doing this so feel the best I can, and I feel the best when I'm eating well. When I stuff myself I feel gross and who wants to feel gross? I want to feel fabulous, as Carrie Bradshaw would say ;)

Have a fabulous day,

Shauna xox

Another Workout

Hey friends!

Hope you didn't miss me too much last week. I didn't go see my trainer. A very lovely lady in my family passed away and I took the week to deal with that. Things went well, and I'm feeling better about everything. I gave myself a week to grieve, and sort thigns out. I didn't stress about the gym, I ate some comfort food, and I slept a lot. My week is up! So of course, I was back to my trainer this morning!

The more time I spend with her, the more I love her! She's fun to be around, and she keeps me occupied while I feel like I'm dying during the crazy workouts she has me to, with stories.

Today was 1 minute of hell...again and again and again! Every exercise I did below for 1 minute, rested for as little time as possible, then went onto the next workout. I'll put descriptions of the exercises below. I used 10 pound weights for all of the exercises that required weights.

Leah had me warm up with 10 minutes on the elliptical to start out.

1 minute Goblet Squats
1 minute Mountain Climber
1 minute Single Arm Swing (left)
1 minute Single Arm Swing (Right)
1 minute santana push up
1 minute Split Jump
1 minute Bent overrow
1 minute Pushup Row
1 minute Lunge & Twist
1 minute Shoulder Press

After all these, we did some core work, with the 6 pound medicine ball. Leah threw me the medicine ball, I leaned back but didn't quite touch the ground, and came back up...while holding my legs up. Did that twice.

Went over to the TRX, did the ab move where I was in pushup position, then brought my knees to my right side then my left. 10 on each side, repeat twice.
One we were done that she grabbed me a 25 pound weight. I held onto that out in front of me, and ran 3 laps on the stairs. Hard!!

So that was my workout! I'm def hoping I'm sore tomorrow! My next step...stop eating crap! I'm working on it.

Alright, the descriptions for those workouts are below. Have a great day!

Shauna
xox

1 minute Goblet Squats: Held onto the 10 lb weight the same way I hold onto it to do a tricep extension, except out in front of me (so my elbows are sticking out to each side). Squat.
1 minute Mountain Climber: Bring knee up to chest area. Back and forth. Not a "running" one, more of a "walk".
1 minute Single Arm Swing (left): Stand in squat position. Hold the 10 lb weight out straight in front of you. Squat down, bring the weight down in between your legs. When you come out of your squat, bring the weight back up in front of you. You will have to use some momentum from your squat to get the weight back up.
1 minute Single Arm Swing (Right): Same as above, switch arms.
1 minute Santana Pushup: Push up, then raise on hand to the ceiling, twisting your body to the side as you do so. No weight.
1 minute Split Jump: Lunge, then jump to put the other leg forward. Lunge, jump again.
1 minute Bent Overrow: Bend knees slightly, bend over, keeping back straight. Have a 10 lb weight in each hand. Lift straight up, then lower. Alternate arms.
1 minute Pushup Row. With 10 lb weights in each hand, go into pushup position. Do a pushup, then raise 1 arm straight up to shoulder. Alternate arms.
1 minute Lunge & Twist: Hold 10 lb weights in each hand. hold out in front of you. Lunge, twist to the right. Lunge, twist to the left. Repeat.
1 minute Shoulder Press: Shoulder press for 1 minute! Yikes!

Work it!