Be Realistic…

On my last post, I was talking about doing a morning challenge and it sounded great in theory. Yes I was able to do it in the past but I was also working a 9-5 job and had a set schedule which made it easy to keep my routine. Fast forward a few years and now I work ridiculous hours…sometimes I wake up at 3:30 in the morning and sometimes I wake up up at 11 am….There are also days when I don’t get home until 10 at night and don’t get to bed until midnight or later…so was I being Realistic? HELL NO!

Was I able to stick to my challenge? I did manage to workout 6 times in the morning and 2 days in the afternoon.

Do I consider this a failure? Nope, because I did what I could when I could….

I am still planning to workout in the morning WHEN I can but I am not going to beat myself up about it. I know that I am doing what is working best for me at this point in my life…

One thing that still remains consistent is that I do love my veggies!!!!!

Ayer for breakfast I had an egg white cheddar veggie frittata

I trained during the day and then had to be back at the gym in the evening so I did a quick 45 minute circuit when I got home and then refueled with sautéed tofu, chickpeas, onions, peppers, and sesame seeds in a spicy peanut butter sauce…

After I trained my last client, I was lucky enough to get a ride home and made a quick din din…roasted Brussels sprouts and chickpeas in EVOO, salt and garlic with cranberry dressing and a black bean burger with mustard and ketchup.

Moral of the story? the past was just that…the past!!! do what works best for you…NOW!

Namaste…

CHALLENGE!!!!!

Till this day whenever I hear the word “Challenge” I think of this scene from the Cosby Show, where Bill Cosby and Mr. Sandman have a tap battle

“CHALLENGE!!!!” nothing beats classic 80’s shows….

So what exactly is this post about? I have been struggling with morning workouts lately which is so unlike me. The old Mari could wake up with no problem and have a great workout but lately all I want to do is sleep until the very last moment that I NEED to get up for work. I have been able to workout through out the day but I miss how great I feel when I have a morning workout. So with that said…I am going to have a morning workout challenge in February!

My goal is to workout at least for 45 minutes in the morning, EVERY day in February. It can be any sort of workout, including Yoga, Cardio, Strength Training etc. (the only exception is when I train clients 7 am or earlier).

In theory it takes 21 day to make something a habit...I have 29 days  (LEAP YEAR WOOHOO!)

Who wants to join me in my CHALLENGE! (insert sandman voice)

Namaste…

Where Is The Love?

Lately I have been battling with running…I remember when I used to run for fun…where I didn’t worry about pace, training, pr, mileage,satellite etc.  Every morning it is a struggle for me to get out the house and go for a run. My sister mentioned that perhaps running was a “Phase” but I refuse to think that…I just hope I am going through a rough patch and soon it will pass. They always say that the only run you regret is the one you didn’t do, which I am starting to believe because every night I go to bed, thinking “why didn't I get up and just do it!”. I used to love it so much….

On that note, I did sign up for my favorite race (it was my first race ever) Coogan’s, in hopes that it will rekindle my love affair…::fingers crossed::

Working out should be fun and NOT something you dread so I decided to pop in my Turbo Fire 60 DVD this evening (Guaranteed to always make me feel amazing) and just went HARD! After I was done, I still had energy so I did 30 minutes of suspension training (have I mentioned how much I love this!) and burned 715 Calories! BAM

After I was done, I refueled with Sea Cuisine’s Honey Chipotle Salmon and fried rice (my first attempt at making it)…All I did was mix together garlic, onions, pineapples, soy sauce, hot szechuan paste, and brown rice…and it actually turned out pretty good…

Is there a workout or sport that you loved but then all of a sudden had no desire to do?

Namaste…

Resolutions vs. Goals

Most of you know how I feel about resolutions (FAIL!) and believe that goals are far more better. In 2010 I made a goal to run my first race and in March of 2010 I did Coogan’s 5K,  in 2011 I decided to qualify for the NYCM and I did…

When my friend Brett told me that he wrote an article about this very subject, I knew that I had to share it with you guys..enjoy!

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Resolutions vs. Goals
by Brett Cohen

New Year’s Resolutions
The New Year is here! As one year bows out and a new one comes in,
we’re prompted to reflect on our lives and about what we would like to
achieve or change in the New Year. I often hear the phrase: “New Year,
New You”.... but sadly, the vast majority of people fail to capitalize on this reflective phase of their life, and the wishes of a New Year’s resolution inevitably falls back to normal routines and all remains the same... “New Year, Same You”.

Why do so many people that “resolve” to make changes in their life fail?
We start with good intentions but it takes more than good intentions to
achieve sustained change.

Resolution
This is the time of year when many people begin to “resolve” to: “be more
healthy”, “lose weight”, or “eat better”. However these statements are
abstract, immeasurable, and indefinable. The definition of resolution is; a formal expression of will, or intent. Forget resolutions! They don’t work,they lack accountability.

Resolutions do not have a strategy, a plan. Instead work on setting goals.

Goals
Goals, on the other hand, are clear, measurable and time bounded. Goals are the result of achievement toward which effort is directed. Goals provide you with a roadmap to go from wherever you are to wherever you want to be.

Here are some tips to help you reach your goals.
A goal is most powerful when written with the following attributes:

• Specific: “I will to lose 30 pounds in the next 3 months.” rather than “I want to lose weight”. Or, “I will drink 1/2 my body weight in ounces of water every day.”, rather than “I want to be healthier.”
• Measurable: You can cross it off a list. If you set a goal of exercising 3 days per week and schedule it in your calendar you an easily see if you’ve reached your weekly goal.
• Affirmative: They should be affirmed with positive statements like: “I
exercise 2 times per week.” vs. “I want to exercise more often.”
• Realistic: Your goal must be realistic. If it’s not, you are setting yourself up for failure. If you aren’t exercising at all and you say you’ll get to the gym 4 days/week that is not realistic and as soon as you begin to fall behind you will get discouraged and likely quite altogether.
• Time Sensitive: By when? Always state the date you intend to complete your goal by. If no deadline exists there isn’t much incentive to achieve them.

If you’ve had challenges making changes in the past and you are serious about your health and fitness, you may consider the services of a coach to help you establish and reach your goals.

A coaches job is:

1. Assess exactly where you are now.
2. Clarify where you truly want to go.
3. Identify obstacles and how to overcome them.
4. Provide a framework that allows you to build a bridge between them that becomes the roadmap to your success.
5. Document progress and accomplishments.
6. Encourage you to stay the course.
7. Help you get incredible results!

At ITS Coaching is available to anyone who needs help in determining what goals are realistic for you and in creating a customized plan of action that will help you succeed.

-Brett Cohen is a Sports Performance Coach, Holistic Lifestyle Coach,
Fitness Presenter and Education and founder of:
www.integratedtrainingsystems.com

What goals did you set for 2012?

Namaste…

Almost There…

Sooooooo I got the best email ayer…

All my hard work in 2011 has paid off and I qualified for the ING NYC 2012 Marathon!!!!!!!

I have to be honest though because this blog is my place to spill my emotions and fears…I am terrified of doing this. These are the doubts going through my head:

“Will I fail?”

“what if my knee blows out like at the half marathon?”

“Will my hip be okay?”

“Am I ready for all this training?”

“Will I let everyone down?”

and last but not least

“WILL I FINISH??”

I have spent sleepless nights and may or may not have googled “Am I ready to run a marathon”….

I will keep you guys posted on my decision but I also want to thank all of you for following my journey and hopefully you will follow my steps all the way to the starting line…

Namaste…

Achoo!!!

Just when I thought I was feeling better…BAM my cold comes back in full blast! I was doing great until yesterday….and it could be because…

Yesterday I woke up bright an early to attend homefries school trip. When I heard they were going to a kid’s gym, I knew I had to chaperone. I popped some zicam and dayquil and headed to her school.

We rode the bus together…and made silly faces…I have no shame!

We arrived at Kids in Shape and coach Bob went over the rules…basically go crazy and try not to kill each other!

Did I mention that they had a zip line? (I wanted to try it BUT you had to be under 5 feet…sad panda)

After the trip, I rushed back home…sidenote while I was waiting for the train, they were doing work on the tracks and I was seriously freaking out when the guys were just standing there as the train approached…and of course I had to take a picture (again…I have NO shame!)

I came home did Turbo Fire 45 and then shoved some leftover thai tofu before heading to the gym to train my clients…

I worked at the gym until 9ish and then took the bus home and let me tell you people it is COLD out here…I seriously thought my ears were going to fall off. I guess I over did it because I was up until 3 in the morning coughing and sneezing and my voice sounds like a 13 year old going through puberty.

This morning I got to sleep in, thanks to the note I left my neighbor ayer “can you please lower your alarm clock radio because I keep waking up at 6am to 1010 wins”. For the past couple of weeks, I have been going nuts…my neighbor’s alarm goes off at 6am and stays on until 7:30 and all morning I hear the weather and news every 10 minutes! Me banging on the wall didn’t giver her the hint to lower it so I had to leave a note underneath her door =)

So what happens when you get to sleep in? You have energy to do a morning workout WHAT WHAT! I still felt like crap so instead of cardio, I stuck to some strength training and popped in Personal Training with Jackie (even though I train others, there are times when I don’t want to think about it and just follow a dvd)

Ever since last night, I have been craving a frittata and could not wait to have one this morning for breakfast. I made a CHEESY Veggie Egg White Frittata (and made enough to have some tomorrow)

I topped it with some hot sauce and paired it with some french press coffee with skim plus milk and splenda…deeeeeeeeeeelish!

So how do you deal with people? Do you hate confrontation?

Namaste…

What Is Your Vision?

Happy New Year loves!!!!! I hope that 2012 has been kinder to you than she has been to me because she has been a ho bag to me! I brought in the new year, sick in bed! This was the first new year’s eve that I didn’t spend with my family which was pretty depressing but I knew there was no way that I could stay out and celebrate and I refused to bring them down….

On new year’s day I decided to finally make my vision board….

I gathered my magazines and got to work…

My little helper would get rid of the scraps for me…

He had a lot of work to do…

I wanted my board to focus on health and fitness so I made sure to include:

-nutritious foods

-fitness images

-Yoga (I have been seriously slacking)

-fitness clothes (hey I am a girl, and I love to shop)

-ING Marathon images…(I can’t believe I am actually doing this! eeeek!)

I also want to be in a loving relationship so I included an engagement ring photo and a image of a car with “I just got married” written on the back window

some other things that I included:

-Vacation images

-bull dog (so adorable!)

-SUV

-New bike

 

Soooo how am I doing in the nutrition front?

This morning I started my day with a green monster

For lunch I had Amy’s Enchilada

And for din din I made Thai Style Peanut Curry Tofu and Veggies which I paired with Trader Joe’s Masala Naan

And for dessert I had Edy’s All Natural Fruit Bar

Today was a pretty good day…I am going to press repeat tomorrow!!!!!

What do you see for yourself in 2012?

Namaste…