Now What?!?!

Do you ever just feel like "Hey, now what?!" "What is my next adventure", "What should I be doing with this grown up life of mine?"  Don't get me wrong, my life is very blessed and I wouldn't trade in any of the things I have for the next adventure, but instead of finding this "Nailed it... happily married with an adorable baby, awesome friends and a job I really find value in- feeling" I find myself struggling with an inner voice that is full of restlessness.  Life has always had a path with some major checklist milestones: High school, college, Graduate school, professional career, get married, have kids AND.... what comes next? What happens once you check all those boxes?  

I guess the really amazing and terrifying answer to "What next?"  is-  anything I want! And BOOM there it is .... the really big question. 

Time to set some new goals and find a way to follow through.  I have always been a procrastinator, I work best under pressure, so when there is no externally imposed deadline I kind of suck at follow through, which means all the things on my "to do " list just stay there... trapped, sad, wishing I would come along with my dry erase marker and free them from their months of purgatory on the white board in my office.   Time to start setting some goals and crossing them off, we only get this one beautiful life and I don't want to miss a minute of what it has to offer. 

What's the saying... "A goal without a deadline is a wish"  for this girl, it's time to wish less and do more.  

xo

Nic

Broccoli Quinoa Casserole

Hi All! 

It's been a fun filled weekend of just a little too much.  A little too much booze, a little too much junk food and a little too much time to recover.  Nothing like a cheat weekend to motivate your workouts for the week.  Getting a little too old for day drinking in my undies but we did it for a good cause- Cupid Undie Run- look it up!   

Just a quick post tonight for one of my go to recipes. 

Filling, protein and only about 115 calls per serving.  

I'll call it Broccoli Quinoa Casserole

Ingredients: 

1 cup Quinoa

2 cups Vegetable stock

1/2 cup shredded cheese ( I used organic sharp cheddar)

2 cups chopped Broccoli or one large head of broccoli - steamed 

2 eggs

small sprinkling of breadcrumbs

salt to taste

pepper to taste

garlic to taste

Prep: 

oven at 365

cook the quinoa in the vegetable stock ( 1 cup rinsed quinoa - 2 cups veg. stock) 

steam and chop the broccoli

combine all ingredients except the breadcrumbs

combine in greased casserole dish or 8X8 pan.  

top with breadcrumbs

Bake at 365 for 25-30 minutes 

Enjoy!! 

So good even the babe eats it! 

Patience Is a Virtue... just not one of Mine

Amen!  Quick google search of Motivational Fitness Quotes and this was the first one to pop up and it is exactly where I am.

I did it. I officially dropped all my baby weight!  Confetti did not shoot out of the scale and instead of feeling elated I have felt off for a few days.  I have been chasing this number on the scale since Sutty was born and was really hoping that my flat tummy and toned arms would just magically return at the appearance of this number ... however.... this is not the case.  My body is weird.  9 pounds lighter which is awesome but weird.  I have this band of fat around mid back where my bra is, my cup size is still enormous and not in a cute Pamela Anderson ish way- more in a "National Geographic, dear God thank you for Plastic surgeons" kind of way and my tummy looks, well like a baby used to live in there.  I am on a path towards fitness but apparently this is a slow path for me and I'm not a slow and steady wins the race kind of girl.  

So here we go - Phase 2 of P90X3 !  

Rockabilly girls night. Fake tats and chucks.

4 miles done in 9 degrees.  Yep. That happened. 

This kid. 

Anyone short on motivation this week- Keep going! We can totally do this. 

To those full of motivation- keep going! It's motivating to watch. 

xoxo 

Nic 

One Pound Away !

The Scale: 

I am officially one pound away from being done with my baby weight and that is no small feat considering I delivered my little dude at 198 glorious pounds.  Yep.  Almost 200 hundred pounds people!  I'm sort of hoping that confetti will shoot out of the scale when this major moment happens.  I have a total love hate relationship with the scale. I love when it moves, I hate when it doesn't. In those moments when it doesn't, I take a good hard look at what I've been eating and if I've been drinking enough water ( the answer is usually no).  In keeping track of my food right now, I realized all my snacking and bites of Sutty's food was not helping me have an accurate calorie count and I realized that on some days when I was busy being a mom and therapist I was eating way too little which doesn't help either.  This might not work for everyone, but weighing in daily and journaling my food is helping.

I've tried to lose this baby weight since Sutty was 6 months old he is now 14 months old, so needless to say I tried and failed many , many , many times before.

This time feels different. I feel like I am just living a healthy intentional lifestyle rather than a diet (cliche' yes, but also true).  I shoot for about 1,500 calls a day.  Sometimes more sometimes less. I still eat guacamole and the very necessary ice cream sandwich it's not always organic or homemade, but you know what life goes on and I'm only human.

The Food:

Shakeology! I cannot say enough good things about this.  Both the hubby and I are drinking it daily.  It's full of super foods and nutrient dense, I drink the vegan chocolate and strawberry.  It tastes delicious and is my go to quick easy breakfast when I need to get out the door with the kiddo.

My big secret in this department these days is ..... portion control.  Guess what, you can still have crackers but not half a box, or if you must ( and some days you must) have chocolate a single serving of Sundrops ("healthy" M&M type candies) is 180 amazing tasting calories and I always have them in my house to keep me from a Snickers bar binge.

I'm a vegetarian and a relatively picky eater, I could eat the same foods on rotation every week and often do. I read that people who are successful with weight loss eat this way.  I still have pizza, crab cakes, fish tacos I just make them at home so I can control the portions.  I follow lots of food blogs, food pages on Insta and FB to keep me motivated. I will post some of my favs soon.  My biggest change with food is I don't throw it all away on the weekends.  No more late night Taco Bell and huge stacks of pancakes for this girl.  I literally pulled a Kind bar out of my clutch this weekend on a group night out.  I was hungry so I ate- just not pizza.

A few go to meals from the day:

Veggie wrap. Lettuce, tomato, olive oil mayo (GASP), cheese, shredded carrots 

a few organic wheat crackers

Green Smoothie- this was in addition to my morning ShakeO. Blueberries, strawberries, almond milk, ice and spinach. So yummy! The kiddo drinks these too.  

Dinner: Risotto, quinoa burger, steamed broccoli, roasted sweet potato. 

The Workouts: 

My workout schedule has gotten a little more aggressive this week. My amazing sister has convinced me that getting back into running is a good thing.  We are running a half marathon together in Brooklyn in 13 weeks.  I've run a full Marathon before, so I have ran 13 miles many times but I stopped once I found out I was pregnant.  So for the next 13 weeks,  in addition to 6 days a week of P90X3  I am adding in three runs.  Two 30 minute runs and one distance run per week ( I follow the Jeff Galloway school of running).  It's a challenge for sure. I went out for my first distance run this weekend and it felt amazing. I did 3 miles and felt like I could have easily kept going much longer.  13 miles I'm coming for ya.  

pre run selfie... because this is my blog and I can :) 

Colorado is a beautiful place for a Sunday run. 

Whew! We made it to the end of the post.  Thanks for hanging in there.  

xoxo 

Nic 

Self Care and Learning to Say No.

I saw this on a friend's Pinterest a while back and I pinned it onto my board "healthy me" and never really gave it a second thought.  Then last week I had just an overwhelming week at work. I work as a  home based pediatric therapist.  Feeding therapy, behavior therapy, parent education and mental health. It's amazing but can be very stressful and very tiring.  Since having my little peanut, I do this very part time, which usually protects me from feeling like I have nothing left in the tank at the end of the week- but last week was a reminder that I need to get better at "saying no without explaining myself".   I have the hardest time saying NO to clients , the guilt of canceling a session makes me offer insane times that I don't really want to work or I end up working longer days and leaving my little guy in Daycare for a full day which I would rather not do.  After last week, I decided this habit of explaining my every no and apologizing profusely when I put me and my family above work needed to end.  

I'm focused on total fitness and total health and for me, that means self care and managing stress. 

Therapist, wife, mom , friend , daughter, sister, person.... they all take up their space in my day and that space isn't always peaceful.  

Stress used to mean watching TV and eating whatever chocolate I could find ( or if I'm being totally honest would go and get)  I used to think I was "decompressing"  but what I was really doing was just self sabotaging and completely checking out. 

I'm only into my third week of this adventure but the mental changes are a breath of fresh air and this space to just purge has been an accountability I truly needed. 

YOGA TODAY: trying to find my inner Zen and trying to figure out how the heck to do the crow without face planting. Baby steps!  

focused

"um how do you do that handstand"

sadly this is now all the hubby sees. workout clothes all the time! 

xoxo

Nic 

Chubby Laundry

Don't you just love a Sunday?  Today's Bronco win made this one especially sweet.  

Let's sum up the week shall we?  

I'm down a total of 7 pounds in two weeks which feels great considering I'm not starving, I've had some (GASP!) chocolate and a delicious margarita.  I'm not really calorie counting, but I would guess that I'm right around 1,500 per day.  I've been weighing in daily, more out of curiosity than anything else- starting to notice what certain foods - um hello Gluten- do to my progress.  Shakeology is a staple of my daily routine usually breakfast and again in the afternoon if cravings are bad and I need something quick.  A friend asked me this week "why I'm so obsessed with the stuff"  I will dedicate a whole post to that this week - I know, I know the suspense is killing you.  

Okay as promised here's a brief summary of the rest of the workouts from the week: 

Day Four:  The Challenge

This is 30 minutes of push up and pull ups, plain and simple ( or not so simple... ) I am using the resistance bands with the over the door attachment -still getting a great burn in the back and chest since pulls up and this girl do not go together (yet!) You pick a number of push ups and a number of pull ups that you aim to do for all the sets and modifications. Standard, wide grip, chin ups and military are just a few of the variations you can expect.  The boys on this workout don't mess around, they are pull up machines.  I'm doing 10 push ups and 15 "pull ups" which leaves me so sore for two days that my blow dryer feels like the world's heaviest object. needless to say Friday was a dirty bun day- girls you know what I'm talking about. 

Day Five: CVX

LOVE This workout.  Cardio moves with a light weight. I'm using 3 pounds and Tony recommends no more than 12. This is all about getting a full body burn there's jumping and squatting  and doing jumping jacks while pressing the weight straight up in the air.  Everything is just a little bit wobbly when this one is done.

Day Six: The Warrior

This sucker is hard.  The hubs and I did this one together today and It was brutal.  This is the workout that Tony H. takes around to the military bases.  Upper, lower, core, cardio AND repeat.... If I could only fit one workout in a week It would be this one it's killer.  

Cue some pics : 

 Crab cake salad. Whole Foods 

 Pink pants helping me get through CVX. 

 Setting a good example for my little dude. Watching me do The Challenge 

Post The Warrior breakfast -Free range Organic eggs of course!

Feeling great going into week three.  The workouts are non negotiable and focusing on intuitive eating is getting easier and easier.  I'm determined to get this tummy flat again and live a healthy lifestyle that my kiddo can watch and follow.  Being tired and stressed and a wife, mom , therapist (you name it) can easily become an excuse as to why I can't be on the top of my own list and I tried that strategy.  Not taking care of myself started stealing the joy from my days,  I was only thinking about food, what I would eat next or how I "shouldn't" eat anything. The feeling of my jeans cutting into my tummy while playing on the floor with my kiddo is a sensation I decided I was ready to be done with - so here I am, airing my chubby laundry on a blog and it feels great!  

Happy Sunday everyone! 

xoxo 

Nic 

Day two and three.

Checking in on Day two and Day three of this week to review the workouts.  So far I'm down 6 pounds! Happy dance Happy Dance!  I'm not big on the scale and I know there are far far better ways to measure success like inches and pant size and mental and physical health ( all of which are also improving) but the scale and I have been fighting since my little peanut was born and to see it moving effortlessly toward my pre baby weight is so exciting.  

So.... 

Day Two: Agility X 

Other than Yoga this is my favorite. Two tape lines on the floor to help guide your moves. You're lunging, squatting, toe tapping and running around those suckers for 30 delightful minutes. This one is a sweat fest but the tush and legs feel just the right amount of sore the next day. There is a mix of speeds and modifications as needed. These tape lines are my new best buddies and our living room has never looked better ( kidding) 

Day three: Yoga 

I'm a yoga novice so I'm not sure the "type" but it flows from move to move relatively quickly and even has some tripod handstands included ( which for the record I cannot do).  I snuck this one in today with my kiddo running all over the place, so while I did get the workout done, I'm not sure I got the relaxing zen-like state I was hoping for. He's a pretty cute little yoga buddy if you ask me. 

Here's my most current photo ( Selfie alert!)  Starting to feel a bit smaller but this mommy tummy and I are going to have to battle it out I can just tell.  

Thanks for being on this adventure with me!  Holding myself accountable to this space is helping so much more than I could have imagined.  Horribly scary putting my life out here in this way, but in reality, my mom and my close friends are probably my only "readers" and they've already seen my mommy tummy. 

xoxo 

Nic 

Day One- Total Synergistics

Start of week two today which means it's Total Synergistics with my main man Tony H.  30 minutes of pull ups, planks and moving some weights.  This program is seriously so fun it's the best of P90X but in 30 minutes. Yep that's it.

What you can expect:

• Pull ups or modified pull ups with the resistance bands
• combo moves, think shoulder flys standing on one foot, then bending over into warrior
• some abs! rows and planks - brutal but necessary
• squats with weights while on your tip toes
• with moves like the Glamour Hammer and Squat Rockers it's sure to be a good time.  

Following the lead of one of the Beachbody coaches I follow on FB-  I also started tracking my calories today and to my amazement I was coming in WAAAYY too LOW. That's right low.  Too little calories won't help you lose weight either, so I added a bonus Shakeology (can you tell I'm obsessed with this stuff?)  Before I found this magical shake, I trended towards Binge eating and craving all sorts of crap - for me it has really taken the cravings down a level where I can make a better choice and not act like a lunatic at the Target check out aisle- I suffer from York Peppermint Patty Target Shopping Syndrome -in my mind they go together, it's a problem.  

I also started using these crazy tools called measuring cups to make sure that 2 tbs is really 2 tbs, what a difference a measurement makes.  Tonight I made a super Yum caesar salad ( yes Caesar) for only 180 cals - I did skip the croutons but I had parmesan cheese.  I don't do well one a diet plan that says you can't have certain foods , it only makes me obsess. Intuitive eating people I'm on a mission. 

That's all for today! This girl is ready for some Scandal watching with the hubs.    

xoxo 

Nic

WEEK ONE BABY!

Oh Sunday how I love thee.  Today is rest day or Dynamic Stretching if you're up for it.  I opted for brunch with my girls and was very proud of myself when I did not totally embrace today as a day off.  No mimosas or buffet for this girl- at least for now.

Week one: 
the awesome:

• I'm down 4 pounds! I'm sure mostly water but who cares it's motivating and awesome.
• I'm drinking a ton of water so my skin is looking amaze. 
• I'm sleeping great. 
• Cravings left after day 2 for the most part 
• The hubby is doing it too- no excuses in the Walter house right now
• 30 minutes is totally doable.  I'm a full time mommy and wife and work part time as a therapist and still make it happen.  The hubs works full time and has an hour commute and has nailed it every day this week.
• getting messages and emails from people supporting me along the way is such a boost of energy so thanks! 

the not so awesome: (and yet totally, completely worth it!) 

• giving up dessert was/is hard- I have a genetic curse of chocolate love.  MMMM chocolate! I'm still struggling when at the store to not grab a little treat. 
• I'm sore- like hard to blow-dry your hair sore
• speaking of hair - washing it every day is now a must
• I'm getting more Hangry- you know, the state of rage you hit when getting too hungry. Poor hubby. More scheduled snacks with protein will be making an appearance moving forward
• more laundry - those workout clothes add up with two people X 6 workouts. 

Pics from the week: 

Here's how we've been keeping tack.  Very motivating to see the other persons letter.  Fit fam!

Truly babe I am.  

My Little workout buddy. They do what you do. 

My new pal - don't I look tough? 

I'm pumped to head into week two tomorrow!  Planning to blog daily to review the workouts for any of you thinking "hey I wonder if this P90X3 business is for me?". 

xoxo 

Nic 

Stress!

Does anyone else use any excuse to sabotage your healthy efforts?  Is "tomorrow" the magical day where you will really start your diet?  

I was having a chat with one of my besties today about this and it's definitely something I struggle with.  "Oh I have a long stressful day today" naturally this means I am entitled to donuts for breakfast and once I have this donut it's an "effed day" so I proceed to have all the "cheats" or "bad food" I can get into one day and vow to "start again tomorrow" and round and round we go.  I have been in this cycle now for months gaining and losing the same 15 pounds.  There's always that nagging internal voice that says "you can't" or "give up" or "you deserve that chocolate".  This week, I've been telling that voice to shut the hell up. The first few days that voice got louder and stronger and frankly that voice became a real bitch.  That voice might always be there but for now my voice (and Tony Horton's) are winning this battle.  

Almost done with week one of P90X3 and it's amazing. 30 minutes of hard work and a meal plan that forces you to learn about food and portion sizes instead of prescribing certain rigid recipes.  

I'm down 3 pounds already and feeling sore every morning is a great motivator to keep going. 

So... to any of you who struggle with that internal voice that says you can't - you CAN - that bitch is a liar.  

Thanks for being on this journey with me.  

xoxo 

Nic 

Hearty Vegan Chili

Today was a cold, big sweater wearing, hot tea drinking chili eating kind of day.  So naturally after working this morning and getting my P90X3 on, it was time to cook.

obsessed with this chunky striped sweater

Here's one of my go to recipes for when's it's cold and we want something healthy and filling.  All organic and vegan.  This time I made it with organic non GMO Tofurkey but I often make it without as we do very little soy around here. Even my meat eating hubby likes this meal.    

Tonight I served it with a few roasted sweet potatoes as a  "fire extinguisher" for the spice.  I usually use corn bread, but southern style corn bread is not helping this girl get a flat tummy.

Ingredients: 

- 1 yellow onion chopped 

- 3 cloves minced garlic

- 1 orange bell pepper chopped

- 1 quart vegetable stock

- 1/2 small can tomato paste

- 1.5 cups canned crushed tomatos - make sure you get the kind with no basil 

- 1/2 package tofurkey - I like it for texture but optional 

- 1 can of black beans rinsed 

- 1 can of chili beans or kidney beans rinsed

- 1.5 cups of frozen corn 

- 1 package of spicy chili mix ( I usually use the whole foods pre packaged kind) if you want to make your own :  cumin, chili powder, onion powder,  red pepper flakes, salt, pepper , cayenne  if you like it spicy.  I usually make this to taste.  but a rough guide would be 3 tbs of chili powder, 1/2 tbs of cumin, onion, pepper, salt, red pepper and a tsp of cayenne. 

I choose all organic ingredients to avoid GMOs but to each their own.  

Preparation:  

- sauté onion, garlic and bell pepper in olive oil or coconut oil 

- add everything else  

- bring to a boil then reduce to simmer covered.

- 20 minutes it's ready.  I like to let mine simmer for 1 hour on a super low heat. 

- adjust the flavor as needed - you can always kick up the heat but you can't go the other direction so use those red pepper flakes sparingly 

onion, pepper, garlic, coconut oil

ingredients

simmer for an hour

served with roasted sweet potato 

Enjoy! 

xo 

Nic

Let's Do This Thing

Okay so here it is... my pledge to finish all 90 days of P90X3 and write about it here.

Several months ago I signed up as a Beachbody Coach - mostly for the discount on Shakeology which I am now completely addicted to, but also because I thought if I can get myself in shape maybe I can help others do the same.  THE PROBLEM IS... I have yet to finish ANY program - and I own them all.  T25- awesome but only made it 6 weeks.  Les Mills Pump - amazing but after two weeks I just stopped.  The only thing I've ever been consistent with in working out was training for my Marathon and then just totally stopped running after finishing.  Who does that?! This girl.  But no more!

So you - all one of you reading this ( hey mom)  are my accountability buddies.

Here we go.

Day 1:  Total Synergistics  - great workout. I'm modifying using the resistance bands instead of the pull up bar ( for now anyway).  Perfect nap time workout today. Tony Horton is funny as always and other than feeling totally uncoordinated during a few of the combo moves, I'm going to say I nailed this workout today.

Nutrition:  the meal plan for this program is all about intuitive eating.  I know, I know - "what if my intuitive eating says eat only chocolate"  luckily there is a food list. Sadly cheat meals and alcohol are a don't for the first 90 days.  I'm doing the 1,800 cals a day option according to the included meal plan.  That feels like a ton!


No blog post would be complete without some pics right?  So here are a few recents.

Me and the babe post workout having lunch. 

New Year's - 7 pm with friends and the babe.  Rocking my new Michael Kors bag. 

Yes it's a selfie it happens

 Lumberjack plaid for a friend's birthday.  Love that Colorado Style.  

Stay tuned:  I'm not sure I will post every day but I promise to include at least a weekly check in.  I know I know you're just as pumped as I am.  

xoxo 

Nic