goals

Fitness Friday 05.17

| The Bee Life

Happy Friday!  I just wanted to share a quick check-in on my fitness progress this far. Since the beginning of February I’ve been religious with my workout routine, sticking to my 3-days of bootcamp and enjoying every minute of it, well almost every minute of it. It’s hard to think that it’s been almost 4-full months meaning the big day is now only 6-months away.

Since results have been a bit slower, than I was hoping, I’ve started to work to get a few more workout sessions in, including Wednesday doubles. But like clockwork, as soon as I’m getting into a rhythm and groove, it’s going to be thrown off with a trip or a weekend full of parties and places to be.  This is when we are challenged the most, are we going to maintain and stick with our habits that we’ve worked so hard to build? Or are we going to slowly fall off that ladder and fall back into old, easy ways?
Fitness Friday 05.17_the bee lifeAnd this is when we’re reminded, that in order to maintain this healthy lifestyle, to continue to feel good and be healthy – we need to push through the obstacles that face us. We need to wake up early, we need to eat better, we need to pick up that heavier weight, and we need to push ourselves a little harder each workout.  There is not finish line or point when it stops, it might just change.

I’ve gotten to the point where I am tired of the excuses and I’m ready to continually kickass every day so that I have no more excuses.

Happy Lifting!

 

Fitness Friday 04.17

| The Bee Life

Happy Friday!

With this being the end of month three, and although my second assessment didn’t show any progress and was disappointing, I remained consistent to my last check-in.  Knowing all of that, I’m still feeling awesome and finally back into that workout groove that I’ve been working and longing for.  The lack of progress gave me a wake-up call that although consistent, I still have A LOT more work to do to keep reaching my goals.Fitness Friday 04.17 - the bee life
And, I’ve finally realized the sentiment of the above mantra.  It is so easy for us as humans to wish for things; wish for a new job, wish for a better body, wish for people to change, etc. and it’s so just as easy to sit and complain about those things and make excuses.  But it isn’t until you start working towards those things, that you’ll actually receive them.

A lot of the biggest success stories in our history and life are based off of hardwork and determination – that shouldn’t change no matter what you’re working towards, especially if it’s working to being and feeling your best. If we are not our best selves for us, we cannot be our best selves for others.

Here’s to more work!

10-Miler Recap – 2017

| The Bee Life

This past weekend, B and I ran and finished our third 10-Miler! This year I was fairly confident going into the race, as I have been the last two years, having minimally trained and relying heavily on my cross training.  The weather was surprisingly perfect for a late April run, all signs were pointing to an easy race, we just needed to get through those ten miles.

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Mile One. Photo credit: Hermes Road Racing

Well… even with all the confidence and perfect weather conditions, this just wasn’t my race.  I started out strong within the first five miles, but it quickly went down hill from there. The mental game was strong and I couldn’t fight it. By the time mile eight rolled around I was over it *smiles* and ready to be done and at the finish line.  I went from being well paced with 9-minute miles, slowing down to 11-minute miles with my intermittent walking.  But I made myself finish strong and ran that last mile with all of my might, and crossed the finish line with sore, angry legs!

Bentley and his brother, of course killed it and ran most of the race together (leaving me in the dust!)  Another friend didn’t finish too far behind me and we were all feeling the weight of those miles.  It was great finishing the race, but definitely one of the harder ones I’ve ran.  Training for our upcoming half-marathon will definitely be happening if I want to make it 3.1 more miles!

Here’s to finishing!

Friday Fitness 01.17

| The Bee Life

This year I have full intentions of focusing on being healthy – inside and out, because to me being healthy is being happy.  And being happy touches every single part of my life, but the part I am most concerned about is my life at home and being happy and content, being the best me.
healthy-2017Being healthy is more than eating right and working out, being healthy is pausing, turning off the noise, taking a few extra deep breaths, a break from ‘reality’ … from the office, it’s focusing time on the important things, the things that makes you whole and happy.

Here are some ways you can achieve healthy too! 

  1. See It – Broken record Bee again; but if you write it down and see it, you will be/do it. Write down those things that are important to you, the things you want to focus on or spend more time doing. Make it colorful, or write it on some nice paper and make it into art, post it in the bathroom or kitchen so you see it every day!
  2. Workout – For me, this is going to be boot camp. This is my workout that challenges me, makes me stronger, pushes me, and gets me into the shape I want to be and keeps me engaged and doesn’t make me bored. Set your workout goals and stick to them – but even before that figure out what works for YOU.
  3. Mental Breaks – Whether it’s the weekend or a 20-minute walk in the middle of the afternoon, take the mental breaks. Know when it’s time to stop and say time-out. Mental breaks could also include time with friends, family or your sig-o, laughing and sharing moments with these important people in life, can just be what the doctor ordered.
  4. Spa Day – This takes that mental break one step further. And helps with a mental and physical break. Taking care of your body inside and out is just as important as anything else on your list.  Be sure to take a break and plan these out so you won’t forget!
  5. Give Back – One thing B and I have talked about doing more of is volunteering and giving back, this is definitely something we are going to work and carve into our regularly scheduled lives – we definitely have a few afternoons to spare and help out those in need. Wanting to give back more? Look for local organizations or a local parish and reach out to see how you might be able to get involved!
  6. Time for Hobbies – This can tie into that mental break category, a great way to give that brain a break is to spend time on things you love to do. For me it’s scrap-booking, DIY-ing and writing. Even if it’s one Sunday a month, make time to spend an afternoon focusing on the things you love to do!
  7. Balance – Work to find your balance this year – whether it’s balancing your burger to salad ratio or life to work, start figuring out those stresses that trigger or conquer these battles in real time. Say no, say yes, or wait to decide. Writing these down and knowing possible feats ahead of time will help conquer them this year!

How will you achieve a healthy 2017?

My 2017 Goals!

| The Bee Life

I am a firm believer in writing down your goals, whether they be short term or long term! I generally make goals at the beginning of each year to help keep me focused and plan of the course of the year. My 2016 goals were all accomplished except one that has truly been an ongoing struggle these last few years – my workout routine, but since it’s officially my wedding year, I’ve got a lot of added motivation!

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  • B and I are already signed up for a half marathon, so as long as I train like I need too, this should be an easy check off the list, however it’s been 3-years since we’ve done a half! Ouch.
  • I had an epiphany over the holiday break about what I need to be successful in my workout, and it’s a challenging group class with strong instructors – which is my beloved boot camp, I’ve gone in spurts these last few years but always stop because of the cost.  But I’m going to make an investment in my health, because I need it and I love the class.
  • One thing I miss about my old job is being down the hall from some of my best friends. We’ve made it a point to see each other for lunches, coffee dates and weekends but it’s easy to get busy and not make time. Going to continue to make it a point, along with making trips and weekends with my BFF.
  • I don’t want our wedding planning to get in the way of getting out of town and taking a trip even if it’s a quick weekend getaway! Although I wouldn’t mind a longer trip… or two *winks*
  • I want to continue to challenge myself in the workplace, work at personal challenges I face and also continue to be creative at work and at home by prioritizing what is important and ultimately helping in my number one priority of being healthy and happy.
  • Hoping that I remain level-headed during the wedding planning, especially when it comes to things like the bride shower and bachelorette party… but also choosing which decisions to stand-by and what things to let go of. It’s all about the detail!

As I have mentioned recently, 2016 was unexpectedly AMAZING. I am trying not to have as high expectations for 2017 and hoping it has an opposite affect, but that is kind of hard when it’s the year of your wedding *smiles*

If you’ve never written your goals down, try it! Even if it’s just on a post-it or notes in your phone.  Put it someplace you’ll see it often to be reminded, you may be surprised at how successful you are!

Fitness Friday no. 21

| The Bee Life

Guys & Gals. How are we doing? It’s Friday yet again and we have one more week of September left before it’s October, woah!

I will admit heading into month 10 of 2016; I was hoping to have made better progress and be more consistent with my workout routine. I know for any of you who are keeping up that I am sounding like a BROKEN RECORD, I know.  Anyone want to just shake me and yell, JUST DO IT ALREADY?? Yeah, me too.  But since joining the professional world, finding that balance and continuing the same level of work I used to put towards my body and health has shifted drastically.  And from that perspective I have not been happy.
fitness-friday-no-21-the-bee-lifeI will also be the first to admit I have not been nearly as proactive as I preach or want to be. I could definitely be more proactive… I WILL be more proactive.  The statement above rings true for my mentality lately, I’ve been able to find a million excuses to justify why going home after work or not waking up early and telling myself I’ll do it later. In fact I started off with an excuse of work/life. Being fit, and healthy IS important to me, lazy is just getting in the way. Not to mention, I am pretty sure I am stressing myself out more about not working out than I am actually working out. Not proactive. Not helpful. No good.

Here are ways I plan to be proactive this fall!

Fall 2016 Goals:
– 2-morning workouts a  week
– 2-lunch workouts a week
– Weekend walks/runs/Barre3 on rainy days
– Continue to eat better

Already Planned:
– 5k scheduled for mid-October
– Gym membership purchased
– Weight Loss Challenge with B – starting Oct 1st

Here’s to pushing through, getting off our asses and pushing ourselves to be the people we know we can be and being happy with ourselves at the end of the day in all aspects.

Travel: Kansas City

| The Bee Life

This past week I was in Kansas City for a company wide retreat with my new marketing firm.  One thing I don’t typically bring to my blog is my work life, which is intentional *smiles*.  So to keep it brief on the work stuff; in short this retreat was an eye opener in a lot of ways.  Which is good.  So please enjoy my KC highlights!

KC Highlights:

  1. Hotel Sorella in the Plaza: I am a bit of a hotel snob, however, this place definitely did not give me much to complain about, or anything at all. It was modern and beautiful and had a great restaurant and rooftop pool area.
  2. The Guild: This is where we spent most of our time on the retreat and it’s a beautiful event space.  If I lived in KC, I would probably want to get married here.  The chandelier is a statement, not to mention the room is finished with black and white subway tiles with an open industrial feel.  They also had an amazing outdoor space that had strung lights over the sky – it was perfect.
  3. Time With Coworkers: Since I was with most of these people for nearly 3-days straight, I first, got to meet a lot of people I’ve worked with for the last 3-months and second, I got to have some one-on-one chats with people when it’s normally all business. Working with people across multiple time zones in multiple countries and states as definitely been an adjustment so I truly appreciated the more personal time and chats to get to know my coworkers.
  4. Being A Part of Something Great: I am pretty sure I hit the jackpot with my new company and I am excited for the opportunities that I have and the future. Transitioning has been a bit harder than I thought so it was great to feel inspired and hopeful that this is truly something special.

    Kansas City is a cool city and I hope one of these work trips I’ll be able to be a little bit more of a tourist and explore more parts of the city. All-in-all, it was a good trip, but it was great coming home to Moz and B and sleeping in my own bed.  I’m feeling recharged and motivated for the start of this new week!

Fitness Friday no. 19

| The Bee Life

Happy Friday!! This week flew by, woah! I don’t even know where it went, not to mention a lovely summer cold has also greeted me this week. It’s kinda of the worst especially with this humidity. Anyways! Enough negatives, onto the positives. I wanted to do something different for this FF, especially since the last  Fitness Friday (No. 18) I’m still feeling not so hot about myself. So I wanted to focus on the positives, along with ways to grow and ways to get there.

My Week’s Highlight: Ran a total of 8-miles, B and I got out twice this week and ran together. The mileage and running with B are two things that haven’t happened in a long time and it felt great!

Area to Focus: Continue to eat and plan meals better.

Active Change: I’m going to rearrange some things in my finances and change my spa membership to a gym membership. Body and mind over nails (sorry nails).

Inspiration for the Week:
17Ultimately we have to do things that keep us happy and healthy while finding a balance in doing just that and pinpointing what is manageable. I am happy with a lot of things, but I could definitely be happier with the way I feel about myself, mainly because I know what I am capable of vs. what I have actually been doing.

Cheers to an active weekend to work into the upcoming week!

 

Fitness Friday no. 18

| The Bee Life

Hello gems! It’s Friday again, oh sweet, Friday.

I’m writing today feeling defeated, overweight and discouraged.  Which I will admit doesn’t happen too often since I’m pretty darn stubborn and relentlessness when it comes to personal goals and keep pushing forward. It’s not saying I’ve given up, I just need some different… better inspiration, maybe even some tough love… I need to take my fitness from average and inconsistent to kicking ass and not wanting to miss a day of sweat. 16One thing that has been pushing me through, especially this week, is my silly little fitbit. I am new to fitbit’s, and received one at my new company since health and wellness is ingrained into the culture with fitbit challenges and quarterly fitness outings, along with some other cool perks! It wasn’t until I had a fitbit that I realized how little I actually walk throughout the day. Getting to 10,000 steps without consciously making decisions to be active or go for a walk is hard when you’re mostly confined in an office from 8:30 – 5:30. I’ve realized I need to get a walk in the morning, a longer walk at lunch and then a medium-to-long walk in the afternoon/evening to hit 10k. Regardless of how ugly the fitbit is *giggles* it has definitely made me more aware to take advantage of the little opportunities and get up and walk more. I’ve hit 10k steps 3 of the 5 days so far this week! Which is a significant upgrade from my previous weeks.

Although walking isn’t my workout of choice, with busy night plans and hot humid summery days (and nights), small walks throughout the day have been all I’ve been able to squeeze in. Knowing I’ve even been doing more of that, it’s still not enough so here are a few things starting August 1st (Monday) I am going to start doing … I’m hoping B will help me along the way too.

  1. No eating out Monday – Friday
  2. Limit the snacking between meals
  3. Buy spin classes or gym membership
  4. Run 2x a week in the morning
  5. Boot camp 2x a week
  6. Barre 2x a week
  7. No beers with weeknight dinners
  8. No breads/bagels/pastas
  9. Weekend workouts are not an option, they’re a must.
  10. Take 1-hour of me time, work towards goals each weekend

I really need a full makeover of eating, working out, and my health life. August is going to be a big month (news to come) and other milestones in months to come that don’t allow for lazy, average, trying to figure it out attitudes. It’s time to not only start but continuing doing and always doing more!