Getting that ass back in shape

Everyone goes through weird phrases of life, right?

A month where you're really into peppers, or will only eat peanut butter if it's refrigerated, or will be completely obsessive over your fitness tracker... but then after awhile that random preference fades.

I've had this with SO MANY THINGS.

What side I part my hair on, if I like painted nails or natural, wearing stud earrings or not, shaving my arms for God's sakes, refilling a water bottle instead of using plastic ones, if I wanna be a blonde or a redhead, if I like rings on my fingers or not, making a smoothie per day, healthy eating, and unfortunately, working out consistently.

Life is an ebb and flow, and we change our minds, need new viewpoints, and get busy and distracted with a hundred zillion different things.

I'm making a HUGELY conscious effort to make healthy eating and living an ingrained ritual instead of just a passing habit.

This is all I did last week:

Spinning Monday night

Weight training Tuesday 

BodyPump Wednesday night 

Taught Spinning Thursday night

Friday rest day, took a walk

Taught Spinning Saturday morning 

Sunday hiking! 

Case mountain in Manchester, CT.
2.3 mile hike to the top and back down.

Overlooks Hartford and Manchester, some say you can see all the way to Springfield, MA.

Looking pretty douchey posing in front of rocks. Also, why do I look so short? Oh yeah, cuz I'm a 4 foot 10 inch chicken nugget. 

Man-made waterfalls are so pretty, but nothing compares to the beauties we saw in Costa Rica. 

See why I maybe have a reason to be proud of myself? You wanna know what I did to make sure all that activity happened last week?

This is the secret.

You have to plan it all out on Sunday night.

That's really it. I used to wing it and just think I'd find time to exercise throughout the week. Not true. Hah.

If I put it on my schedule, somehow, it magically happens.

Planning is the key to success. 

Guess what, it works with eating too. Last week Lucas and I meticulously pre-cooked an absolute shit ton of meals. Do you know what I had to eat? An absolute shit ton of brown rice, veggies, chicken, salad, eggs, and fruits. So many peppers.

Lucas grilled up this sexual buffet on Sunday since it was 78 degrees and we were praisin' the good Lawd for the spring weather. Chicken, pork, onions, green & red peppers 

Sunday afternoon egg muffin creation with peppers, tomatoes, Swiss cheese, and spinach. Yummy in the tummy and perfectly microwaveable. *thumbs up emoji*

Do you know how many pounds I lost?

5 lbs. in 6 days. 

I don't know if that's normal and I do realize that a lot of it is water weight and bloating decreasing because I'm no longer eating 4 servings of loaded mac & cheese and an entire Moe's chicken burrito with 2 cups of sour cream spread on top. But I have been 20 pounds overweight since getting in a car accident in November so this is really really really exciting news for me.

#30DayCleanEatingChallenge for the win.

Again, planning is the key to success. How are you going to succeed if you need to get your ass back in shape like myself? Plan it out, and watch results zoom on in.

20 Ways To Make Your Monday Less Garbage

Hey you, happy Monday! In lou of a weekend wraparound, I'mma chat about Mondays and why they don't have to be garbage. 

This week is full of positivity and new beginnings because this Monday marks the starts of a #30DayCleanEatingChallenge!

I'm so into fresh starts, it's somewhat disturbing. 

In honor of my pastel-colored, sunshiney and hopefully not too annoying attitude, here are 20 ways to make your Monday a little more enjoyable, healthier, happier, or just plain less sucky.

1. Drink a lemony cup of tea in the morning, in your favorite mug of course.

2. Drink water first thing when you wake up.

3. Save time by spending less of it on your makeup. The trifecta (for me personally) is glowing skin, clean eyebrows, and fluttery eyelashes. DONE. 

4. Tell yourself you're going to have a good day. Believe it. 

5. Don't check your phone as soon as you wake up.

6. INSTEAD, open up a book or listen to an interesting podcast. 

7. Do some stretches, any kind of stretches. People don't stretch enough!

8. Breathe in through your nose and out through your mouth. Slowly. Even slower.

9. Wear your go-to everything. Favorite socks, underwear, bra, outfit, accessories. Who cares if you've worn it a million times before? 

10. Make yourself laugh in any way. Thinking about a funny memory. Look at cat memes. Listen to a hilarious podcast like this one. Anything you can possibly think of to start your beautiful Monday off with laughter.

11. Make someone smile in any way. Compliment them. Get way too excited about their new haircut. Hold the door open for them and give them the most genuine smile they'll receive all day.

12. Don't forget to grab chapstick on the way out. 

13. Plan out your entire week of workouts and meals (if you're feelin' super ambitious). Easiest way to fail is not being prepared! Even if it's just on a crumpled Post-It note that you stick to your desktop at work. Still great, still prepared. 

14. Put a piece of fruit in your lunch bag.

15. Leave for work 10 minutes earlier than usual. Use the extra time to sit in your car and listen to your favorite song. 

16. Repeat a mantra. I am radiant. I am positive. I am light as air and full of sunshine. or something more like I am a boss ass bitch. Nothing can stop me. Today, I am a badass capable of anything. Whatever works for you :)

17. Go to bed 30 minutes earlier. 

18. Cap off your day with a few pages of a book and another hot cup of tea.

19. Stretch before bed. Your muscles will be so happy and relaxed.

20. If you have a bulletin board, write down one inspirational quote. If you don't, write a quote in your notebook, planner, iPhone notes, text it to yourself, whatever. Just surround yourself with inspiration in any form. 

Hope everyone is having a killer Monday. Find your mantra and live a better day. We don't have to have a case of the Mondays... we CHOOSE to. Choose to wake up on the right side of the bed, because every day is one unique gift after the next ya'll. And we don't get a second chance.