6 Things to Do Now...

Have you ever fallen overboard when it comes to your eating plan?  That is exactly what has happened to me over the past couple of weeks.

I have not been taking the time to plan my day's meals... and not cooking real meals, but snacking way too much.  I feel like I am drowning and really need to get back on board and make some positive headway.

I have been at this healthy eating game for many, many years and I know that setbacks happen, but I get so annoyed with myself and feel like I should know better... why oh why do I keep making the same mistakes over and over again?  This past year I have gained and lost the same 10 pounds more times than I would care to admit.

I finally sat down and had a little chat with myself about why it's happened... and made some definite plans to set myself a new course of action.  My why's are not likely the same as your why's and so insignificant really in this context... but I know that the things we need to do to climb back in the boat and take command of the helm are really common to us all.

Here are 6 things I am going to do NOW....  today...  They are positive and they give me a sense of control and yes, even hope.  I am sure they will help you, too.

1.  Forgive Yourself

Everyone has setbacks.  Everyone.  What happened is not really important.  But what IS important is that we forgive ourselves and look forward.  Think about progress not perfection.  If you keep berating yourself you are setting yourself up for failure.  Your thoughts become your actions. If you think you are a loser and cannot succeed, believe me... you will not succeed.  Be as kind to yourself as you would be to a dear friend in the same situation.

2. Recognize Your Successes

Think about how far have you come since you first started on this journey.  What positive changes have you made?  Maybe you have given up sugary sodas... maybe you have started eating more colors of the rainbow every day.  You may have even lost some weight.  Pat yourself on the back! Give that beautiful face looking back at you from the mirror a big kiss.  This self-recognition and self-love  is a huge motivator to keep moving forward.

3.  Go Back to Basics with Your Food Plan

It might be low carb. It might be counting calories. It may even be Paleo or even giving up sugar. Right now for me it is carb cycling within my Weight Watchers Smart Points budget.  I have reread my program material and readied my food diary for tracking and journalling. I have also made some plans for meals this next few days and done some shopping. Try to anticipate your next few days' activities and decide how you are going to avoid or navigate through the dangers.

4.  Clean Up/Out Your Refrigerator and Pantry

If you have good food in your fridge, you will eat good food.  Get rid of the things that are not on your food plan. Hide them or donate them or even discard them if you like.  Ask those people that you share spaces with for some help. If your husband loves Hawkins cheesies and you cannot handle being around them, ask him to eat them in another room, or offer him a substitute that he would be happy with. People will usually help if you ask them.

5.  Reach Out

I do belong to Weight Watchers so I can always go to a meeting or sign on to the web site to get support from members or leaders.  But what if you are on your own?  Well, I also join challenge groups on Facebook to help hold me accountable. I have had great success with some of these groups. If you use My Fitness Pal or Sparks People, there are supportive groups there as well. It is a good way to get tips and ideas for staying on track, and you might make some new friends as well. You can also use obvious hashtags on Twitter and Instagram to find like-minded people.  #weightwatchers #paleo #vegan #sugarbusters   are just a few that I know.

6. Learn From Your Mistakes

If you think about why you fell out of the boat in the first place, you may learn some effective ways for preventing it in the future.  For example,  I know that I need to do a lot of planning to stay the course. If I push that aside and don't take the time to do it, I get into trouble. I snack too much, and on the wrong things.  PLANNING is key for me.


So, if you have fallen overboard and find yourself swimming with the sharks... get back in boat and set your sails for success!

Has this ever happened to you?

How do you get re-oriented when you stray from your eating plan?

Over the Moon About...

It's hard to believe that February is nearing an end. I have really enjoyed being a bit self-indulgent this month and taking care of my own needs. Yes, some basics... like a haircut, eating well better, exercising regularly, and even a few luxuries, too, like self-mani and self-pedi. ( I just cannot get myself to let someone else tend to my toes after reading a newspaper article a few years ago about unhygenic/dangerous practices at salons and spas.)

And to go along with spoiling myself, here are some things I am truly over the moon about right now.

These new Tommie Copper Micromodal Compression Dress Socks.  I cannot TELL you how excited I was to get these socks in the mail to try.  I have been longing for a nice soft, lighter pair of plain black compression socks to wear with dress pants/shoes and under tights.  When I work, I am standing and walking on concrete floors.  My legs get tired. I wore these new socks to work on Saturday and ended up keeping them on well into the evening. Love LOVE LOVE!  Tommie Copper never disappoints.

They are somewhat easier to get on that a regular, athletic compression sock, and are a nice, light, soft and luxurious fabric that looks good with a dressier shoe.  And they stay up, never slipping a bit. Win, win.  Check them out at the Tommie Copper website here.  

I don't normally talk much about skin care or makeup here but this is something I am quite excited about.  A while back I joined a Canadian group called Chick Advisor and sometimes get products to sample and review.  These Garnier Skin products arrived last week and I have been using them since, and really am quite happy with them.

The Micellar Water is a makeup remover/cleanser and is quite fabulous!  It easily removes every trace of makeup and doesn't need to be rinsed away.  Leaves your skin soft and refreshed.  Nice surprise and great price, too.  The Clearly Brighter is a moisturizer with an SPF 15 and the more I use it the more I like it... took me a few days to see any difference from my regular moisturizer but I do find it makes my skin feel softer... the brightening effect?  Not so sure on that front yet.

I am so pumped about this new workout series I just purchased!

This is a follow up to the Metabolic Aftershock I bought last year and have been really loving.  This new one has the option of adding weights or resistance bands to the bodyweight exercises. It is a 12-week program so we are going to wait till we come back from our little Rocky Mountain getaway in March to tackle it.  But I have been looking at the workouts... and WOW!  

I have been thoroughly enjoying the Manitoba Harvest Hemp Hearts Bars that came in the mail a couple of weeks ago.  I did a review of them for Sweat Pink that you can read here, if you like... taste great and good N.I. as well.  I love the texture, too.

And I am still really loving the Premier Protein Vanilla Shakes that I was given to review through FitFluential a few weeks ago.  These shakes, along with the Chocolate are available at Canadian Costco stores through the end of March.

I like to keep a few in the fridge and use them when I am in a hurry for a nutritious snack or take along on a walk or to run errands.  Really tasty Vanilla flavor and great N.I. too.

And one more thing... Spring has arrived at my house!  When I came home from my Saturday morning Weight Watchers meeting, there were a few vases full of daffodils here and there.  Love that The Captain thought to surprise me with these cheerful blossoms!  It doesn't even matter that he couldn't find the flower vases and used mason jars instead!

Wouldn't you love a pair of lighter compression dress socks?

How are you spoiling yourself right now? 

Manitoba Harvest Hemp Hearts Bar Review

I was given an opportunity to try these Manitoba Harvest Hemp Heart Bars through my association with Sweat Pink.  I was eager to get them as I am a big fan of Hemp Hearts and use them regularly in a variety of ways.  The bars come in 3 flavors... Vanilla, Chocolate, and Apple Cinnamon.  I received Chocolate and Apple Cinnamon for this review.

I was not disappointed!  The flavors are subtle but tasty, and the texture of the bars is kind of creamy, yet still kind of chewy. Very nice.  

They have a good amount of healthy fats, proteins, and fibre, along with a bit of sugar.  I used them as snacks on the go, and found them satisfying and convenient.  

If you are interested in trying them for yourself, Manitoba Harvest is offering an introductory discount code to get 15% off your order. Use code hhbarlaunch1015 at checkout until March 31, 2016.

Manitoba Harvest is also sponsoring a photo contest.  You can check out the details here.  Just tag @manitobaharvest and use the hashtag #fuelledbyhemp to be automatically entered.  Good luck!

Have you tried them yet? 

What is your favorite flavor?

Loving Lately... The Valentine's Day Edition

I have been focussing on self care this month as most of January I completely ignored my own needs! I decided it was high time I started taking care of myself again and have been devoting February to being quite self-indulgent.

Here are some of the things I am loving lately...

First of all.. I am loving my husband!  We celebrated our 25th wedding anniversary on the 5th of February... and yes there was a wee bit of champagne involved!

I am loving being back on track with my workouts!  I have been running about once a week and walking almost every day, but  now that we are more settled in our new apartment, I am working out again.  We have a fitness room in the new place and Friday I grabbed a yoga mat and one of my 21 Day Fix DVDs and headed down there.  It is really quite-well equipped  with machines, free weights, stability balls, mats... and has a wall to wall mirror on one side and plenty of room in the middle for free exercise and to lay down mats.  I will take some pics next time... but the best thing is a large screen TV (with cable) and a DVD player.  It felt great to get sweaty with Autumn Calabrese again!

Oh yeah, there is a bookshelf too, with lots of magazines so I brought a couple home with me to have a look through.

I am also loving being back on track with my food plan.  I have been really loving the new Weight Watchers Beyond the Scale program. Along with food and fitness, it now emphasizes fulfillment and this third component has really made a difference. If we are happy we are more likely to take care of ourselves, right?

And, since I am a huge proponent of carb cycling for weight loss and maintenance, too, I was thrilled to finally get my hands on Chris and Heide Powell's newest book.  I have had it reserved at the library for many many months.  I love the simplicity of it all... but mostly love how effective it is.

Lately I am loving being able to get out and explore my new neighborhood on foot. There are so many huge old Victorian mansions nearby....

and Spring has arrived in my little corner of the World and I am loving the increasingly warm temps and blossoming flowers.  Even if it does happen to rain, it's warm!

I hope you have a Happy Valentine's Day and are enjoying some self love and happiness too!

What have you done for yourself lately?

Sunday RUNday at Rithet's Bog

It was barely above freezing and kind of damp outside when I first woke up on Sunday morning... I knew I wanted to get in a short run but I also had a few other things on my to-do list so gave I it some thought over my morning coffee and came up with a plan to incorporate it all.

One of the errands on my list was picking up a few registration forms from the Weight Watchers Store to take to one of my Thursday meetings this week, and there would only be someone there till about 10:30 a.m. There is a grocery store in that same strip mall that had cauliflower on sale for 2/$5 which is a phenominal price as they have been as high as $6.95 each lately, and I wanted to check that out.  So... where to run.

I remembered that there is a waterfowl conservation area a few blocks away... called Rithet's Bog... and even though it is low-lying I know that the gravelly dirt trail that loops the perimeter is well-maintained and sits a bit higher than the bog itself.

So, I made us some breakfast, packed some water and a chilled premixed Premier Protein shake for us to share after the run, and we dressed and set off in the car for the 15 minute drive.

This map is from the Rithet's Bog web site

I particularly like that there are no horses or bicycles allowed on this trail... it is just not wide enough for that.  There are a few small hills and lots to see.  Several small ponds on the inside of the trail loop provide habitat for mallard ducks and red winged black birds, and we have also seen deer and the odd racoon as well.  Most people that walk the trail with their dogs are very careful to keep them leashed.

I had thought that we might run into some washed out spots but there were none so we did the 2.8 km loop in just over 23 minutes and then stretched while we shared the water and Premier Protein shake that I had packed.

The Captain, back on the street near our parked car

After that we headed to the strip mall a few blocks away where I was able to successfully complete my errands and score some lovely heads of fresh cauliflower!

Are you a trail runner?

What is your favorite Sunday morning distance?