Tag: fitness fridays | Baby Doodah!

Fitness Fridays – A Slightly New Direction

Posted on August 1 by Jillian416 • 2 Comments

Fitness Fridays is BACK!!

Last week, I took a very short hiatus from Fitness Fridays. I decided to take the time to regroup and refocus on what I wanted out of these posts, because what I previously had wasn’t really working. Well, it was working, but it wasn’t what I had in mind when I decided to revive these from the dead.

I find my Fitness Friday posts to be very motivational and inspirational because I am forced to come here and report to the internet at large, what my goals are and whether I met them. There is nothing that holds me more accountable than not wanting to report a failure to my readers (or anyone, really).

I decided to keep these weekly posts light on the advice (with the occasional advice post, when I have something I really want to share) and heavy on how the week went for me, what worked, what didn’t, etc. I don’t want that to be relegated to the very bottom of the post. For me, the whole purpose of this is to be like an online journal where I share my trials and tribulations, keep myself motivated and maybe inspire someone else in the process.

So, I’m hoping you’ll join me on this new and improved expedition!! There won’t be a link-up at this time, but I’ll re-evaluate that as time marches on.

For now, I hope that you can except my brutal honesty towards myself and support me as I do so. Ready? Set… GO!

Fitness Fridays…… Renewed!

Week of 7/26/14 – 8/1/14

This was a hell of a week! It was my first full week back since being on vacation and I wasn’t happy about that, so I was really caught up in the emotions of work and not really paying attention to my eating or exercise. However, I did manage to keep my nutrition to at least a 7 (out of 10), for the majority of the week.

I got back into drinking my Shakeology, which keeps a lot of my cravings at bay, but I was still wanting salty / carby foods, thanks to PMS. I did manage to eat lots of veggies all week long, which helped keep me full and away from the junk. I didn’t weigh-in this week, because I just didn’t want to face the music AND I’m considering taking the scale out of my life, at least for the near future, (more to come on this in future posts).

But, while my eating was around a 7 all week, my exercise was a big FAT 0. 🙁 I felt low in energy all week, and just couldn’t find the get up and go to get a workout done. I did walk with Emmett a lot, but no intense sweat sessions. I do realize, that if I had worked out, that low energy probably would have gone away, I’d have felt amaze-balls (yes! I did just say that). 🙂

I do want to say one thing, and it is a REALLY important thing. I refuse to beat myself up any more, for anything. Whether it be a lack of motivation to workout, or the way I naturally react to a situation. I’m sick and tired of always hating the way I am, or the way I look. In order to overcome that I need to change my mindset, and realize that I am okay the way I am. I’m not saying no to self-improvement, but I am saying no to beating myself up for not being 100% amazing RIGHT NOW.

Fitness / Food Goals for the next week:

Complete the 3 Day Refresh! I start on Monday! I’m kind of nervous, but I can do anything for 3 days, right!?
Workout 4 times. Beachbody recommends that you do light to no exercise during the refresh, due to the lower number of calories you’re taking in, because of this, I am aiming for 4 workouts, instead of 6 or 7.
I will keep my nutrition at a 7 out of 10.

Your turn!

What do you think of the new (again) format of Fitness Fridays?

Share one or all of your goals in the comments below, let’s hold each other accountable!!

Have you heard of theSkimm? No?! You need to! It’s an online, daily email newspaper, that shares all the important stories from the previous day. It’s free to sign-up, and you’ll start receiving the newsletters daily (Monday-Friday). You can check them out, and see what they’re all about by clicking here.

Filed Under: All About Me, Food & Fitness

A Couple Things

Posted on July 25 by Jillian416 • 7 Comments

Hey everybody! It’s been a little while since I’ve done one of my “couple things” posts. I thought I’d take this opportunity to do just that.

1. Fitness Fridays – They’re going to be a little different around here. Kathy, my co-host has decided to take a break from writing on her blog for a “to be determined length of time.” If you were an avid reader or visitor of her blog, be sure to stop on over and wish her well!!

In the meantime, I am planning on continuing with Fitness Fridays, with a break today because I wanted to cover a couple things. 🙂 I also will be doing some brainstorming on how to make it bigger. I don’t want anything huge, but I’d like to reach more blogs, get more people to link-up or get involved. If you’re interested in teaming-up, feel free to comment below or email me at jillianokeefe1022@gmail.com

2. TheSkimm – I am deeply in love with TheSkimm. Every morning, Monday-Friday, I get an email in my inbox, BRIGHT AND EARLY, with a rundown on the day’s news. Now, you’re probably wondering why you would want to sign-up for something new when you have the internet at your disposal. Well here’s the answer, #1 TheSkimm is free to sign-up for and #2, the news descriptions they provide are brief, to the point and explained in a manner that anyone can understand. I have felt tremendously more educated about the world’s events since joining them. Below is a snapshot of what their daily email looks like.

3. Beachbody – I am slowly but surely working and learning the ropes of the Beachbody community. It’s a lot of fun and I’m learning SO much. I actually just ordered the 3 Day Refresh and PiYO. I can’t wait to receive them!! I also have a 13 day clean eating challenge beginning on August 4th. If you’re interested in learning more about it, please comment below or email me. I’d be happy to send along the information, I just need commitment by July 28th.

4. A GIVEAWAY! Yay! My final update for today is that I’m joining Logan from Logan Can… in celebrating her 2 year blogaversary! She’s hosting a really great giveaway that you NEED to be a part of. Enter using the Rafflecopter widget below and be sure to stop over to her blog and say HAPPY BLOGAVERSARY, Logan!!!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Your turn!

What are a couple things from your world?

What was the best part of your week?

Filed Under: All About Me

Fitness Fridays – #5

Posted on July 11 by Jillian416 • 5 Comments

Can you believe with in our 5th week of Fitness Fridays?

All I need to do is get through today, and I will officially be on vacation for 12 glorious days!! I’ll be busy on some of those days, but there will also be plenty of relaxing. I deserve it!

Alright, let’s get down to business, first things first, I’d like to thank Hanna Lei for linking up last week. I’m really digging her blog. First of all the layout is simple, and I love that. It looks so fresh and clean and is easy to follow. Secondly, her posts are relevant and fun to read. I’m a big fan of the post she linked up about Sports Bras and a Confession (go ahead and click there, I’ll wait).

You can follow her on: Instagram, Bloglovin’ or Pinterest.

Keeping Your Diet Clean and Healthy Can Be Hard

If you read my blog frequently, you know that I’ve struggle with Binge Eating Disorder. For a long time I had no idea what it was that I was dealing with, and I assumed there was no way of overcoming it. Thankfully I was wrong!

I started writing about it on my blog, doing research, reading everything I could get my hands on about the disease and realized that with hard work, I could beat B.E.D.

It has been a long slow process, and I still occasionally find myself craving junk, but for the most part, I am now able to ignore those feelings, and fuel my body in healthy ways. You’re probably wondering what has helped me get to this point, right?

My Tips to Keep Your Diet on Track

1. Hard Work and Dedication – There’s a quote by Theodore Roosevelt that resonates true here.

[Tweet ““Nothing in the world is worth having or worth doing unless it means effort, pain, difficulty. -Theodore Roosevelt”]

There are so many times when I’ve reached for junk food, and had to talk myself out of actually eating it. Telling myself that isn’t how I lead my life now. I am conscious of my decisions! It is a constant struggle, happening multiple times a day, but each day it gets easier to tell myself no and to enjoy the fresh food I bring from home.

Eating better and fueling my body appropriately is well worth it. I have been feeling amazing and so positive! I feel like I’m on top of the world. 🙂

2. Surrounding Yourself with Supportive People – This is HUGE! I have several people in my life that I trust entirely, and that I feel 100% comfortable with. I share everything with them, every single success, and every single downfall.

For instance, when I ran an errand in the middle of the day and managed to come back without stopping at McDonald’s or any other fast food place with a drive-thru.

To some people that may seem insignificant, but to a food addict, being able to go out on your own, and come back without junk is one of the biggest accomplishments you can have. Having someone to share that with, that understands how HUGE that is, and celebrating with you is one of the biggest things that will help you through this.

3. Drink Shakeology – Okay, I know you probably think this is a cheap shot, added for a sale. But I swear to you, that it is not. I simply want to share what has worked for me.

I’ve been drinking Shakeology for a month now. In the beginning I didn’t notice even the difference and I really thought that all the hype was just that, hype. However, now a month in, I realize it isn’t. It has been life changing!

Prior to drinking Shakeo, when I’d think of a Big Mac or Quarter Pounder, my mouth would instantly water (I’m being 100% truthful). Now, a month out, when I think of those foods, I think of all the grease and fat involved and how awful it made me feel. That type of thing NEVER phased me before, I didn’t care what was in the burger or that my blood pressure would raise and my fingers would swell, I just wanted the burger. A bad food day to me now, is something like a salad or turkey sandwich at Panera.

I’m not touting it as a miracle drug (it’s not), but the different nutrients and herbs involved truly help stave off cravings. And it is now clinically proven to…

So yes, I’m smitten with Shakeology and I’m not afraid to scream it from the rooftops, so that everyone knows it.

I haven’t had a binge in 4 weeks!!!!

I want that to just sit there a second, because it feels amazing. I’ve never gone more than a few days, even on previous diets.

If you would like more information on Shakeology, you can email me at jillianokeefe1022@gmail.com or check-out the Shakeology website.

Those are my 3 tips that I proudly standby and support!!

Now Onto the Goals

Amount of Weight Lost

I’m happy to share a success with you…

I lost another 2.2 lbs!! Bringing my grand total to 7 lbs, which means I can get my manicure. 😀 I think I’m going to wait until my nails are a bit longer, though. I just trimmed them and they wouldn’t look very pretty painted so short. I can’t wait!

Exercise Goals

Last week I set a goal to continue with the 21 Day Fix and workout with it 6 times and then 2 additional workouts of running or biking.

COMPLETE! Boom! I sure did do six days of 21 Day Fix workouts and 2 run/bike workouts. I am on FIRE!

Next week I am going to stick with the same goal – six days with 21 Day Fix and 2 run or bike workouts.

Food Goals

Last week, I stated I wanted to continue with the 21 Day Fix Meal Plan and Shakeology. Another success to share, I ate on point and followed the meal plan perfectly, with only 2 handfuls of m&ms all week. Goodness it feels good to share successes!

I’m going to stick with the same program because it is working and I’m not bored.

Okay, that’s enough from me for today. 🙂 Be sure to share you posts with us in the link-up below. We love featuring new blogs!

Kathy at The Panda Post|Bloglovin’|Facebook|Twitter|Instagram

Your turn!

What are some the ways that you keep healthy food in your diet?

How do you avoid giving into your cravings?

An InLinkz Link-up

Filed Under: All About Me, Food & Fitness, Link-Ups

Fitness Fridays – #4

Posted on July 4 by Jillian416 • 2 Comments

Oh yes, folks – It’s Friday!! Though, a lot of folks had off today, so yesterday was their Friday.

I’m so excited for this long weekend! We don’t have a lot planned, but it is shaping up to be productive, purposeful and fun. 🙂

First up, I’d like to thank Rebecca from Flex and Shout Fitness, for stopping by and linking up. Please stop on over and give her some love!! She has a great circuit workout on the post I linked up there, make sure you pin it for future use.

This week’s Fitness Fridays is a bit different, Kathy is taking a week off, but I wanted to post this week for two reasons – number 1 being so I can talk about my weight loss (we’ll get to that in a bit), and number 2 is because I want to keep the routine going. I tend to get lazy if I stop a routine. So, here I am!

This week week I decided that I would talk a little bit about…

[Tweet “How I Find Motivation in the Darkest of Moments.”]

It’s no secret that I have struggled with depression, I’ve talked about it on here and in my in personal life. My moods swing up and down, but lately, they’ve been swinging more UP! I’m really happy that I can say that it isn’t just happening, I’m working hard at it. I am doing things to make my life better and stronger!

Here are my Top 3 tips I use to keep my motivation for life UP!

1. Wake-up and Make No Excuses! On those days when I wake up at 4:30 in the morning and I don’t feel like doing anything but hitting snooze and the pillow, I literally force myself out of bed, I won’t except no for an answer. Once I’m up and moving I tell myself that I need to move around, make my coffee, sit at the table and think, anything but lay on the couch for at least 10 minutes. 9 times out of 10, once that time has passed I’m awake enough to get my workout in and don’t feel like laying down, wasting the quiet time. That workout is KEY to my happiness, right now!

2. Follow Health and Fitness Accounts on Instagram. If you’re about to consider eating that doughnut or skipping that workout, open Instagram and skim through the hundreds of thousdands of motivational pictures there. You have inspirational quotes, before and after photos and even short videos of people working out. People post healthy recipes, or short-burst workouts, the motivation is endless. I use IG a lot to find my motivation when I’m struggling. Something about other people accomplishing their goals moves me to mine. You can follow my IG account here: Jillian41681

3. Surround Yourself with People that Motivate and Inspire you. I know this seems like a given, but so many people don’t understand the necessity of having people who like to workout and eat well in your life. These are people who are a walking billboard for health. They’re the ones that kick your a** when you say you don’t feel like working out today, or that you’re going to eat that delicious cupcake. They’re also the ones who praise you and high five you when you do EPIC sh*t! 🙂

Those are my top three! I’d love to hear about yours in the comments!

Now Onto the Goals

Amount of Weight Lost

Are you ready for this…………..?

3.2 lbs!! Bringing my grand total to 4.8 lbs! I am .2 away from my first reward. Yay!

This is what happens when you work the program. I’m still following the 21 Day Fix (if you’re interested in learning more about the program, please email me at jillianokeefe1022@gmail.com), and it is working AWESOME!

I haven’t taken my measurements yet, but I will as soon as I get a chance. However, I know I have lost lots, because my tight pants are no longer tight. WOOHOO! 😀

Exercise Goals

I wasn’t completely successful, but I am not disappointed in the effort that I put in. I did 6 workouts, but only once a day. I just couldn’t squeeze in that 2nd workout. I need to work on that!

Next week’s goal is to continue with the 21 Day Fix, doing 6 workouts and then 2 days of running or biking outdoors. Getting outside and in the sun will really benefit me.

Food Goals

Before I go into what my goal was and will be next week, I want to share that I have not had an emotional binge or any other type of binge in 3 weeks. That’s not to say that I haven’t had some junk foods (ie: pizza), but I did not binge. I ate a normal, healthy amount, and felt no guilt! THIS IS HUGE! I’ll be talking more about this next week. I honestly truly feel like I can attribute this curbing of cravings to Shakeology. The stuff is so darn good, makes me feel good and has cut out most of my cravings. And the ones I do get, I am getting better at ignoring, or finding ways to cope with them.

Alright, last week, I stated I wanted to continue with the 21 Day Fix meal plan and Shakeology. I did both to a T! Go me!

Next week, I will continue to stick to the 21 Fix Meal Plan and Shakeology (love this stuff!).

If you’re wondering the reason for me continuing with the 21 Day Fix Meal Plan, it’s because it is so easy to use. The different colored containers and the lists of foods that you can eat, make it completely fool proof.

If you’re interested in learning more about 21 Day Fix or Shakeology, I can provide you with information on both. Please email me at jillianokeefe1022@gmail.com I’d love to hear from you!

Okay that about does it, be sure to link-up your posts below, I love reading them and highlighting your blogs on mine. Let’s grow our followings together!

Your turn!

What’s your favorite way to keep your motivation up? Share in the comments below!

An InLinkz Link-up

Filed Under: All About Me, Link-Ups, My Finds Friday

Fitness Fridays – #3

Posted on June 27 by Jillian416 • 0 Comments

Welcome to this week’s Fitness Friday!

This post contains affiliate links. Thank you for helping to support my family.

I’d liked to give a quick shout-out to Rebecca from Flex and Shout Fitness for linking up last week! We loved having you, and we’d love if everyone made a stop over to give her a visit. 🙂

Every week, Kathy and I decide on a topic that we’re going to discuss on our Fitness Friday blog post. So without further ado, this week’s post…

Fitness Apps that Keep Me Motivated

1. Pact

Without any doubt in my mind, my number 1 favorite fitness app is Pact. Never heard of it?! Well, now you have! It’s an app that PAYS YOU to workout. Yep, you read that correctly, you earn money simply for setting a weekly goal, and then meeting that goal. I’ve been a member of pact almost since it’s inception, and I adore it! I have made about $150, simply by working out. Currently, I have a goal of working out 5 days a week, and if I miss a workout I’ve pledged to pay $50. I don’t know about you, but $50 isn’t chump change to me, so that means I workout at least 5 days a week. It’s available for iPhone and Android devices… I highly recommend you check it out and download, today!

2. Fitbit

The Fitbit app is another big favorite of mine. I love tracking things! So being able to keep track of the steps that I take with an app, and then produces a weekly report of my highest step days really motivates me to take that extra lap around the building. You do need to have a FitBit device in order for the FitBit app to work, which makes sense. A FitBit is like a hyper-powered pedometer, I adore mine (I have the FitBit zip). Plus you can connect with friends and compete to see who get the most steps each week, it keeps a running total for the past 7 days. I’m not super competitive but I will admit to trying to get just a few more steps than my friends have on occasion.

3.RunKeeper

One of the easiest GPS tracking apps I’ve ever used. There are ton of apps out there that can track your location and mileage and I’ve given a lot of them a try, out of them all RunKeeper is my favorite. It is very easy to use, you can connect with friends and it sends you fun little reminders when it’s time to workout, especially if you’ve been missing for a few days.

Onto the Goals

Amount of Weight Lost

1.6 lbs!! Woohoo!! Feeling so awesome about this! I was focused most of the week and it paid off.

Exercise Goals

My goal last week was: “I am going onto my 3rd week of 21 Day Fix. I’d like to continue with that and get 7 days worth of workouts! On the side, I’d like to take some more walks with Emmett and get to the outdoor pool with him a few more times.”

I did 5 days of workouts, went to the pool twice with Emmett and took a nice long walk with him last night. I’d say we had a pretty successful week.

Next week, I would like to continue with my 21 Day Fix and in 2 days of double workouts (so one in the morning and one in the evening).

Food Goals

Last week: “ I want to continue following the 21 Day Fix Meal Plan, and drinking my Shakeology. I look forward to reporting a loss next week.”

I did really REALLY good sticking to my meal plan. The only day I didn’t was for a luncheon that my work team had on Wednesday, but I still avoid most gluten and was able to enjoy some yummy food! Another success!

This coming week, I would like to keep up with the 21 Day Fix Meal Plan and Shakeology. I figure, I’m feeling great… Why mess with a good thing!?

Kathy at The Panda Post|Bloglovin’|Facebook|Twitter|Instagram

That about does it for this week! Be sure to join us and link-up your posts below and be sure to give Kathy and I some love. 😉

Your turn!

What are your go-to fitness motivation apps?

An InLinkz Link-up

Filed Under: All About Me, Link-Ups

Fitness Fridays – #2

Posted on June 20 by Jillian416 • 2 Comments

TGIF, friends! It’s finally Friday!

Who remembers watching TGIF on ABC on Friday nights?? Anyone? I’m sure I am not the only one! I used to look forward to that night of TV more than anything. Well, that’s not entirely true, I did look forward to the night Full House was on. I’d love that show, still do (and I still watch it today).

Anyhoo – I completely veered off topic there. We’re in week #2 of our Fitness Friday link-up and I’m really excited because we had two great blog posts link-up with us.

Meet Brianna from Hungry Gator Girl!

Meet Katie from How to Make the Sun Shine.

Thanks for linking up ladies!

Last week, I explained that we would be picking a weekly theme to talk about on our blog. Last week’s theme was ensuring you fit exercise in while traveling, this week we decided that we’d discuss how to keep motivation for working out when the newness of a fitness program has passed.

Staying motivated when the newness has passed

If you’re like me, it’s can be really difficult to stay motivated to eat right and workout hard, but there are ways to overcome your slowly waning drive.

1. Assess the Workout You are Doing. Consider the workout you’re doing, is it something that you enjoy or do you find it boring or repetitive. If you find that your answer is yes to either of those, PICK A NEW WORKOUT! There are so so many options out there for staying active, don’t ever let yourself get bored and fall off track.

2. Have You Plateaued? If you’ve been doing the same routine or type of exercise for some time, it’s possible that you’ve plateaued. When that happens, you can get frustrated and have a hard time keeping your focus. Switch it up, try something new, take a different running route, anything that will shock your muscles back into action.

3. Are you getting lazy? Yes, it may sound harsh, but are you getting lazy? Is your motivation disappearing because you just can’t “find the energy” to get up off the couch and put your sneakers on? Then stop making excuses, put the sneakers on and just work out. Even if you convince yourself to do 10 minutes, that 10 minutes is better than keeping your butt on the couch.

Onto the goals

Amount of Weight Lost

Last week I maintained, this week I gained 3 lbs. I’m not really surprised, I had pizza Wednesday night and on Tuesday, for lunch, I had pulled pork and pasta salad (at a work meeting). Neither lend itself to being healthy, so I gained.I need to get focused next week!

Exercise Goals

Last week I said I wanted to keep working out, using the 21 Day Fix and I can share that I have continued to stick with it and I am enjoying the workouts so much. I got through the entire 7 days and I loved them all, even the hardest day, Total Body Cardio Fix. Yikes! That’s a toughy!

This week, I am going onto my 3rd week of 21 Day Fix. I’d like to continue with that and get 7 days worth of workouts! On the side, I’d like to take some more walks with Emmett and get to the outdoor pool with him a few more times.

Food Goals

I set a goal to continue sticking with healthy eating and drinking my Shakeology, and I partially completed that. I had my Shakeology every single day (I am loving it!) and I stuck to the 21 Day Fix Meal Plan about 75% of the time. It’s a wonderful feeling, I just need to get to 100%. 😀

Next week, I want to continue following the 21 Day Fix Meal Plan, and drinking my Shakeology. I look forward to reporting a loss next week. 🙂

Alrighty, that about does it for this week’s Fitness Friday – We’d love it if you shared your awesome fitness related posts with our link-up below.

Kathy at The Panda Post|Bloglovin’|Facebook|Twitter|Instagram

Your turn!

How do you keep your motivation up when you’ve been working out for awhile?

What are some of your exercise and food goals for the next week?

If you want to start your Monday off on a generous foot and want to support cancer research, donate to my ride. I’m riding for Roswell Park Cancer Institute and their Ride for Roswell. Anything will help me reach my goal, and further advance cancer research. Just click HERE to donate.

An InLinkz Link-up

Filed Under: Food & Fitness