Spring.




Been sorta MIA on this bloggidy-blog lately. Work has really picked up since we’re less than two months out from my major fundraiser. Lemme tell yah, planning for 1200 guests isn’t an easy task.
By the end of the day, my head is swimming with names. I dream about names. Names start to haunt me at this point. It’s kinda freaky how you start to recall random names in the middle of the night.
So needless to say, my weekends (when I’m not working) are filled with as much relaxation as possible. Not too much is getting accomplished in the way of inspiring blog posts and I’m fine with that.
I’m sure I’ll have plenty of things to share AFTER May 8. Wish me luck! I’ve got a big goal of $1 million looming over me.
NBD. Sheeeeesh…..
I’ve recently had some decent success on good ole WW lately, so I thought I would mix things up and try going Paleo whilst on WW to see how I would feel for a week. WW regards meats and nuts as higher point values so it’s going to be a challenge to stay within my point limits, but I think I should be able to stay pretty close to my target. I will also be curious to see if our grocery bill skyrockets. We usually don’t buy a ton of meat and we all know nuts aren’t cheap…I love me a good experiment though!
Here’s my game plan:
Breakfasts
I’m usually an oatmeal and hot grains cereal kind of gal so this will probably be the most difficult meal for me. I’ve penciled in egg and veggie scrambles and bacon plus a few pumpkin paleo pancakes. I’ll also have to wake up a bit earlier to make sure I have enough time to cook in the AM. Ugh. Oh, and buh bye coffee. I can’t drink it black so it’s onto green tea.
Lunches
I figured salads with interesting veggie combos and nuts plus these turkey BLAT roll ups will do the trick. I won’t have to venture too far off my normal meals for lunch thank god! I might have to look into soups too – I suspect there’s a way to make some paleo versions out there.
Dinners
Can you say fish or meat and veggies? Yeah, that’s going to get old real fast. I’ll have to do some research in regards to paleo friendly sauces and such to help with these dinners. I do plan on mixing up my proteins so hopefully that will keep it a little more interesting for me. Even though I come from a family of fishermen, I really don’t eat that much fish. Time to start buying salmon again.
Snacks
I think I’m going to like my new snack selection! Jerky, guacamole, fruit, veggies, nut butters? Sign me up! I will have no problems in this department!
I think my biggest challenges will be giving up coffee and dairy, especially cheese and full fat greek yogurt. And beans, glorious beans. It will be interesting to see how I feel after some time on this meal plan.
Have you gone paleo lately? What are your tips and tricks to success? Any favorite recipes you’d like to share?
Working out in Seattle just isn’t cheap. We’ve got literally one gym “sort of nearby” our house on Beacon Hill and all of the gyms near my office on Capitol Hill are $70+/mo! Get outta here. I guess I didn’t realize how spoiled I was with my $30/mo. Gold’s Gym membership back in good ole K-town. Those were the days……
So instead of forking over the big bucks and having to choose just one, I’ve been keeping a close eye on those pesky deal sites in hopes of snagging some discounted memberships. I’ve been pretty lucky lately and have kept myself in a semi-regular workout schedule so far.
MODE Fitness
$45 for 2 months at their gym – includes four 30 minute personal training sessions
The good: near my office, usually not crowded, clean facility, cable TV!, free parking nearby
The bad: personal trainer didn’t always seem super excited to be training me and did not ask much about my goals and experience level, self motivating gym – not always my cup of tea
THE SWEATBOX
$50 for 2 months of hot yoga classes
The good: super cool teachers, never overly crowded, later class times, that heat! guys in those tiny, tiny shorts 🙂
The bad: $4+ parking, bathroom doors in actual studio (seriously weird layout), not near my office and a 20 min. drive from home
PURE BARRE
$100 for 10 classes
The good: near my office, lunch time classes, THE HARDEST WORKOUT EVER
The bad: THE HARDEST WORKOUT EVER, classes move along really fast sometimes so it’s hard to keep up
STAIRS
FREE.
Beacon Hill location – S Lucile Street & 18th Ave S
Capitol Hill location – Lakeview Blvd E & E Howe Street
The good: free, free parking, close to home
The bad: getting yourself motivated, the last set (though your butt will thank you later!)
And just for fun…..
NY TIMES SCIENTIFIC 7 MIN WORKOUT
FREE.
The good: free, easy to do at home whilst watching TV, it’s only 7 minutes people!
The bad: getting yourself motivated, it’s only 7 minutes?
I’ve done this workout a few times now and although it doesn’t seem like much, but I’m always sore the next day. I actually do this 3 times so I wrap with about a 30 minute workout. Not bad for free!
Watching: (As of Sunday….)the Olympics! As a non-cable household, it’s pretty darn exciting to have something interesting to watch each night. Curling? Sure. Skeleton? Great! Ice skating? Hells yes! I love the personal stories that are woven into the programming too. Unfortunately, since Russia is so far ahead in time zone status, I usually know what is going to happen before I watch, but hey, that’s OK.
Loving: That spring is just around the corner (I think….) My yard is telling me that, so I’m going to go with it. I’ve been shopping for rain barrels online recently, half of my seeds are purchased and I’m just waiting a few more short weeks to plant the indoor starters.
Listening to: Ma new shuffle! I somehow broke my nano a while back only after a few uses – so annoying – so my man got me a purple one. Hopefully it will be hard to break that little thing, though I can see it getting washed :-/ Alt J, QOTSA and Jay Z are buzzing in my head again when stomping out those stairs!
Doing: Stressing out a bit about work. I’m usually a pretty stress free gal, but for some reason, my big event is making me nervous. Things just aren’t lining up like they have in previous years. We’ve got a big goal to make and I’m feeling some added weight on my shoulders. Fingers crossed that it’ll all pan out, but for now, I’m stressin.
Reading: Still nothing….I can get about as far as people.com these days. It’s a sad, sad thing when one does not read. I do hope to start the final GoT book though. My hairdresser said I can’t come back until I’ve read it.
Eating: 26 +/- some points each day. Ah yes, the Weight Watchers tracking system. My old, annoying friend. Trying to stay on the train with the help of lots of fruit, eggs, salads and the such until our engagment photos this weekend. I haven’t been uber good, but the scale slowly keeps creepin’ down so I’m sticking with it. (Sorry, not sorry homemade peanut butter cookies).
Thinking about: Next year ie. what it will be like to NOT have to plan and save for a wedding. Vacation days that won’t go towards wedding organization, monies that won’t have to be spent on flower arrangements or DJs, weekends that don’t include the trying on of dresses. Ahhhh….that will be a glorious time. I can’t wait.
**This blog post was inspired by http://sometimessweet.com/ – check her out!