April in review

Um what? April is already over?! How the hell did that happen?!?

1) I'm not that prepared to post May goals for tomorrow, so I've been racking my brain with what they should be 2) I seriously did not realize that the month was already over and thought I had so much more time to cross things off my list... meaning, I didn't do as well as I had hoped for only 30 days ago :(
Well regardless, here's how it all went down...

•Get NY state I.D./drivers license (this might be a challenge considering I work M-F) Yeah nope! I seriously don't know how I'm going to get this done, ever, with my work schedule. I guess I'll have to use a vacation day somewhere down the road...


•Run 30-35 miles (at least 2 times/week) I think I averaged about one run per week, but I ended up only running ~19 miles. I attribute my lack of running to my increase in spinning... keep reading!

•Try 1 brand new dinner recipe Again, I seriously did not realize that the month was almost over. Technically, I made a pureed veggie soup with an ingredient combo that I'd never used before (red onion, yellow onion, garlic, orange bell pepper, carrot, celery, red potato, broccoli, asparagus, zucchini, kale and spinach). But pureed veggie soup is not new to my standard menu, so I'm not sure if I should count this.

•Try 1 Harlem restaurant YES! I went to Harlem Public- a cool pub only a few blocks from my apartment. The vibe and the atmosphere were really great. My friend and I shared the mac n' cheese as an appetizer... omg I died. It was ridiculously delicious. I got their classic burger and added maple bacon, avocado and cheddar cheese with tater tots. The burger I thought was just "eh". I'm not a big fan of combining my bacon and syrup at breakfast, so I'm certainly not that interested in it on my burger. Yes, I read the menu, I just decided to try it anyway. Definitely won't be getting it on my burger next time. I'll definitely be back here, just with lower expectations.

 (photo credit: harlembespoke.blogspot.com)

•Eat peanut butter no more than 3 times/week (my PB intake has gotten a little out of control!) I think I did better with this, but probably not by much. I finished off the jar that I had at my desk, so that definitely helped me from eating so much. BUT I found a company that makes it in powder form, so I've been putting it in my chocolate protein shakes.... HOLY YUMMMMM! Thankfully, the powdered form is significantly lower in calories so I feel a hell of a lot less guilty about it.

(photo credit: oregontale.wordpress.com)

•See how long I can go without eating bread I'm not one to waste, so I didn't want to throw away all the bread I had in my fridge. It wasn't until April 25th that I finished off my loaf, so I didn't really complete this one. I'm definitely moving this one onto my May goals. It took me almost the entire month to get through that one loaf, so I think I can do this!

•Spin at Revolve at least twice/week CHECK!! Make that more like THREE times/week! I bought an unlimited month at the beginning of April, so I really wanted to make sure that I got the most out of it. I ended up going almost every Monday, Friday and Saturday or Sunday. Read back in February about my first class there just to get a tiny idea of how much I LOVE Dyan... The most amazing spin/group class instructor I have ever encountered. She is one of the top 3 reasons I got my butt out of bed at 4:30am every Monday and Friday. Loveeeeeee her!!! (p.s. if you're in NYC and want to try a class at Revolve, message me and I'll send you a code to make your class free!)

•Put together family/friend photo wall in bedroom Nope. Fail.

•Track daily food intake on MyFitnessPal (at least M-F)
         ◦If you're on there, find me! photorunner BOOM! DONE! This was way easier than I had predicted 30 days ago. I definitely don't track what I eat Sat/Sun- not really for any reason, it's just ridiculously easier when I leave the tab open at my desk at work, it's a constant reminder to write every little thing down. I realized a few things this past month by doing this: 1) I do not eat as healthfully as I thought I did 2) In some regards, I don't eat as bad as I thought I did. 3) I don't drink as much water as I should- this really shocked me, because I feel like I get up every 5 seconds to pee! 4) Some of my workouts do not burn as much as I thought they did. 5) HOLY CRAP! I eat WAY more sweets and junk than I realized.
As of yesterday, I am attempting to not eat any processed/refined sugar for at least a week. I'd like to keep it going longer if I can, but I'm only on day two, and Girl Scout cookies just showed up at work and I'm struggling! Mind over matter... I think I can, I think I can, I think I can...

•Finish Gabriel's senior pictures (sorry buddy!!) OMG, I'm a terrible sister!! This still isn't done! Wahhhhh!!

Just for good measure, here's a picture of my cat, Beefcake. And because my sister says I don't show him off proudly enough. So there you go. Meow.

Come back in a day or two to see what I'm setting myself up for in May!



March in review

March 2013: Results

• Eat sweets (in general, not just the S&S peaches) at work no more than 2 times/week - I don't feel like this is something I should be allowed to cross off. I'm addicted to sweets, and after my 1/2 marathon, I really let go of my diet and ate whatever I wanted to. Working in this office is really making resisting temptation even harder, but I am going to keep trying! I'm hoping that by writing down everything I eat will help keep me accountable... we'll see!

• Finish the NYC ½ marathon with a smile on my face :D - HELL YES! I've been meaning to post my 1/2 marathon blog, but it just keeps getting so wordy that I've been putting it off. I promise to post soon though. Just know that it was an AMAZING experience, and I am so thankful I did it and can't wait for the next one!

• Foam roll at least once/week - Nope. I really wish I made more time for this, because I know my body needs it, but I neverrrrr do it. I think I maybe did it 3 times the week before the race, but that's probably it.
• Try at least 2 brand new recipes for dinner - Check! Well, 1/2 a check... I forgot that I said "dinner", but I did make chili from scratch for the first time ever (huge success) and banana oatmeal bread (not such a success)!

• Finish editing and print cruise pictures - Edits are done! I plan to upload them to be printed later today.
• Go to at least one “NYC only” restaurant that I’ve never been to before - Check! You can see my review of Back Forty on my Yelp page. Seriously one of the best burgers I've ever had!

• Go to the public library - I'm really sad I skipped this one. Especially since I had this past Friday off for Good Friday and was planning on going, but instead stayed home and was a bum all day long. Maybe next month..
• Go to yoga at least once (I was not so good at this for Feb. and I hate yoga in general, but I know it’s good for me- so I’m trying….) - I'm going to stop putting this on my to-do list, and maybe it will actually happen. I even mentally made a plan to go last night and had completely forgotten about it until almost 9 o'clock at night... oops.
• Go to spin at least once - The bad news, is that I didn't even go once. The good news is that I just purchased an unlimited month of classes at Revolve! I went this morning for the first time since my last review (February). I'm really looking forward to this!!
• Add vegetables to my meals at least twice/day - Ok, I knew this one was going to be hard for me, but woah. I think I managed to eat veggies once/day- about 5 days/week. If you are like me, and don't loveeee veggies, adding them to your meals is really a challenge! I'm a little disappointed that I didn't do better with this, however the meals that I prepare for myself nowadays are so extremely different than what I was eating 10 years ago, hell, even ONE year ago- so I need to give myself a little credit. Trying new recipes definitely helps, so if any of you have any suggestions, please send them my way! I'm hoping that I'll make prepping my food for the week more of a priority for April, which I know will help a lot.

 kale chips, steamed broccoli for morning eggs, spicy shredded chicken, and roasted cauliflower & broccoli

Ok, so I only crossed off 4 of the 10 things I wanted to accomplish for March; but I'm also being really strict with myself. If I did something half ass, I'm not allowing myself to cross it off. All or nothing!
I will post my goals for April tomorrow! Stay tuned :)

The best spin class I ever experienced

With training for the NYC 1/2 marathon, it's easy to let my cross training fall by the wayside, so by putting my goals on my blog I hoped that I'd somewhat force myself to go by put it out there for all the world to see.
The gym that I belong to offers spin on Monday's and Wednesday's, but I can't ever go on Wednesday's because of Cheer NY and it's difficult for me on Monday's. There are a couple of spin studios around the NYC area that I've been wanting to try (SoulCycle and Flywheel), but with a $30+ per class price tag, I just can't justify going when I can pay $20 for 4 classes at my gym. Very recently, brand new studio named Revolve, just popped up next to where I go tanning, and ever since, I've been wanting to go in, just to check it out, but was concerned it would likely be as expensive as its competitors so I always kept on walking.
Luckily, one day I was reading Missy Maintains, as I do almost every other day, when I saw that she posted a review of Revolve! I was eager to read what she thought of their studio, but what really got me excited was at the end of her post when she left a coupon code for a free ride with Dyan!
I wasted no time trying to find someone to come with me (though, I would have had no problems going alone) and started by poaching my teammates. Being on an athletic team of cheerleaders who are required to wear crop top, spandex uniforms, you'd think I'd have half the team coming with me! But alas, I was only able to recruit my friend Jessica.
After a morning of dealing with the oh-so-dependable NYC subway system, Jessica and I made it to the Revolve studio just in the nick of time to rent our shoes and hop on our reserved bikes. This studio requires that you wear shoes that clip into the pedals, which I had never done before, and Jessica had never, ever taken a spin class before! Dyan and the rest of the staff at Revolve were SO helpful getting our bikes adjusted and our shoes clipped in.
The class started promptly. The lights went down, the music went up, and we were off! For me, music can really be a deal breaker when it comes to a workout class, with this class, it's a lot of what sealed the deal. Dyan's play list was SO great. Dyan's energy and encouragement was so helpful throughout the class with constant reminders of "I can! I will! I am!" keeping me going, even through the weight section in the middle, all the way through to the end. I felt the class had the perfect balance between hills, sprints, and resting intervals. I decided to use the 3lb weights since I hadn't taken the class before- and so glad I did. She definitely had me using muscles I haven't used in a while!

Jessica, Dyan and me after our kick-ass class!

The 45 minute class ended before I knew it and even though I had just finished an intense class, I loved it all so much, I had wished I could stay for the class immediately after.
I really do think that having a friend come with me made a big difference, but I know that even if Jessica hadn't been there, I would have enjoyed it just as much. Although the price tag on their classes are just as much as the other spin studios in NYC, I may just have to hunker down, suck it up, and pay for it.
Dyan- thanks again for giving me the greatest spin experience! I can't say that I'm a "spin expert" but I've taken enough classes to know that I hope every one I take in the future was just like that one!