New Year, New Me

New Year, A New Me --
This is something we always hear around the beginning of every year.  I've never been one for having a resolution like loosing weight or starting to workout because I generally am pretty active during the year.  This past year was different, though, since I was pregnant the first half the year.  My baby girl born on June 20th.  I actively did crossfit until about May when it became too hard on my body.  I truly thought I was going to be that mom that was back in the gym as soon as my doctor gave me the go ahead.  But during my maternity leave I was instead packing up our house in Maryland to move back home to New Jersey.  Once I got the official 'cleared' from my OB, I just didn't have the time or motivation to get back to the gym.  I wanted to snuggle my baby as much as I could.  Plus with breastfeeding, I felt like I could barely leave her because she was so unpredictable.

Well, here I am six months later and haven't gotten back into any sort of workout groove.  I think I ran maybe a mile once or twice so far.  While half of me is upset at myself, then other half is perfectly content with this new life I created.  I have chosen to spend my time with my little one and husband rather than at the gym.

Two years ago, I tried Beachbody, more so, Shakeology and the 3-Day Refresh.  I didn't really get into the workouts because I was going to crossfit.  But now I've come to a place where I'm thinking that this may be my solution.  Now I have never been one to do at home workouts, I honestly just plop down on my couch instead of pressing play.  I'm hopeful that I'll be able to commit and squeeze these workouts in around time with my girl.  I signed up and am awaiting the arrival on my Shakeology and accessories.

Their new program is called 80 Day Obsession and it's what really caught my eye.  I had a huge success with the macro diet while crossfitting before my wedding.  So the fact that this nutrition plan seemed to mimic what I learned with that made me believe in it's capability.  It won't be as intense as counting every single gram of protein/fat/carb, which this new mom appreciates.  All the details for the program come out on the 8th and I can't' wait to fully read about the nutrition plan and workouts!

This year I also want to really get back into running!  I miss it.  I have a jogging stroller, but she was too little to go in it before.  I'm hoping big spring she'll be ready to see the streets because I'm ready to get back out there.  I'd love to try another half marathon, but I know we want to grow our family some more, so only time will tell about that...

Yoga

Andrew and I have been going to LA Fitness once or twice a week to do yoga.  He really needs it for his flexibility and I need it to relax.  I am enjoying it much more than I thought I would!!  My main issues is that it’s so late. Okay, okay… 8PM isn’t terribly late, but when get up for a brutal CrossFit class at 6am and plan to do it all over the next day, I need my rest and sleep.  CrossFit also had an instructor come in for a yoga session this past weekend.  It was different than the yoga at LA Fitness.  He focused much more on technique.  The class didn’t really flow as you would imagine a yoga class would, so I would definitely love to see how one of his actual classes, because he was so informative!  I’m crossing my fingers CrossFit decided to bring him back for a regular thing.  I also believe that Andrew and I would benefit more from a yoga instructor that takes into consideration that we CrossFit.  For example… a couple weeks ago we were squatting really heavy and we went to yoga that night and we had to hold so many chair poses and warriors and my leg strength was just gone, they needed a rest!

I have been looking into getting some Yoga DVDs instead of going to the gym.  This would not only allow me to press play whenever I want, but would save us some money from having two gym memberships.  Does anyone have good recommendation?  Thanks in advance!

Shakeology

Okay so I’ll admit that when I first heard about Shakeology a long time ago, I thought it wouldn’t be for me.  There was no need for me to have a meal replacement, I would just eat a healthy well-balance meal.  I drink protein shakes any day that I go to the gym and I tend to get enough protein throughout the day.  So why would I need Shakeology?  Well.. did you also know that I’m slightly addicted to coffee?  Almost everyone knows that I need my morning cup as soon as I wake up or I am not a happy person.  I tried to always stick to one cup per day, but that didn’t always work.  Some days I found myself drinking two or, if I was really tired, three cups.  I did one of those “tea detoxes” last summer.  Awful.. absolutely NOT worth it.  I would never recommend them because although they were tasty, I never felt the same as I did with coffee.  It was also supposed to help with bloating and did not help at all.  I looked the same on day one as I did at the end.  And I found myself counting down the days until I could get back to my morning bliss.  Anywho…

I decided to give Shakeology a try after seeing so many great results from groups I was in on social media (granted I know I don’t really need to lose weight, but I do want to get toned).  And they had just release a Café Latte flavor – sounded delicious!  So I ordered it and couldn’t wait to give it a try.  I will be honest, when I first looked into the nutrition, I thought that it had more carbs than I would prefer in a meal replacement.  But after I started drinking it, I realized why.  To give me energy!!!  I have not had a drop of coffee in a week… A WEEK!  That is insane, people.  And I have so much energy!  Now I know I won’t stay off of coffee forever, but to not be relying on it is a blessing.  I also never got the headache that comes when you don’t drink coffee, added bonus!  I’ll also be honest and say that my body was not used to Stevia.  I not only don’t use artificial sugar, but I don’t really eat much sugar (unless in the form of a chocolate bar or the occasional baked good).  I definitely don’t add it to my coffee or tea or anything like that.  So it took me a couple days to get used to it, but now my body doesn’t seem to notice.

I’ve tried a few of the recipes that came with my bag of Shakeology.  Honestly, it’s super tasty with just water or a cup of unsweetened almond milk.  But if I want something a little more substantial, I’ll add in half of a frozen banana or a tablespoon of natural peanut butter.  I’ve also done a teaspoon of honey.  I may explore a couple of the other recipes, but when I have a couple of good “go to” ones that are easy it is hard to change it up.  What I truly love about Shakeology is how easy it is.  After a rough morning workout, I need to be able to shower and get out the door for work.  I can just put a scoop of Shakeology in water in my blender cup, shake, and go!

I cannot wait to try a couple other flavors!  I’ll review those later!

Shoe Battle

In 2013 I was fitted for running shoes the first time.  I was really neat to see the process at Road Runner and I became a VIP there since I knew I’d be back.  I went in the beginning of this year, to a different location, and I got a completely different reading.  Before I was told I was a neutral runner.  This time the man told me I needed a stability shoe…  “But I could do neutral, too.”  I was very confused after speaking with him.  My husband and I did lots of research in the next week about running styles, over pronation, arches, and we came to the conclusion that I may have been fitted wrong.  I know they say your feet can change over the years, but I did two runs in the shoes they recommended and my shins started to hurt.  It could be because I hadn’t run in a while, but that never happened to me before.  So the next week I ordered some neutral running shoes from their website.  And cue the snow.  There goes my shot of testing them out on the road!  Currently I have four pairs of running shoes sitting in my closet (two being the same shoe in two different sizes – I forgot New Balance ran a little snug).  I’m down to two, and they’re both a neutral shoe.  I’m heading to Jersey this weekend, the store that originally fit me.  So I’m going to return two of the shoes and have them retest me to see what they say.

What type of running shoe do you wear?  What’s your favorite brand of running shoes?

3 Day Refresh Review

During the summer of 2015 a friend had told me about the 3 Day Refresh.  It spiked my interest, I researched it a bit but then I forgot about amidst planning the wedding.  Now that my life has calmed down I decided to take another look at it.  I ordered a challenge pack, which included the 3 Day Refresh, along and the new Café Latte Shakeology (review to come later).  I received in on a Thursday and planned to start Monday with a couple people, but with blizzard Jonas approaching I was worried that I wouldn’t be able to start.  Out grocery store happened to be open on Sunday and we ventured out so I could get the ingredients I needed, and got “real food” for the hubby.  The food wasn’t too far off from my normal, just more veggies and less protein (but that’s what they shakes are for).  I was excited that I would be able to start on Monday, and even better, I happened to not have to go into the office!  I would be able to gauge how I would feel without being at work – I can be super grumpy when I’m hungry, so I was nervous for my co-workers.  Here is a breakdown of my three days on the refresh…

Day One:

·        8:30am: Woke up and drank my water.

·        9:00am:  Drank my Shakeology and ate half of a banana.  Then I went out and shoveled snow for about an hour with my husband.

·        10:00am: Had a nice hot cup of Lipton Mandarin Green Tea.

·        11:00am:  Fiber Sweep.  I was really scared to drink this because most of the reviews I read said this was the worst part.  Even my coach said to just chug it.  I mixed it with cold water and after I took the first sip, I realized I didn’t mind it that much.  Sure it was slightly gritty, but the taste was a lot more pleasant than I anticipated!

·        1:00pm:  Lunch time!  I mashed up some avocado and cut up a red pepper.  Then I blended together my Vanilla Refresh, banana, and a handful of ice.  This was super tasty!  And I was really full after eating.

·        3:30pm:  Afternoon snack.  I had cucumbers and hummus, which I was looking forward to!  I hadn’t had hummus in forever and I love hummus!

·        4:30pm:  Afternoon tea, same kind as the morning.

·        6:15pm:  Dinner.  While my husband ordered dumplings and an egg roll from my favorite Chinese place, I had the Coconut Steamed Veggies.  I actually found it really tasty!  I could definitely see this as regular with a little protein on top.  I also put in a dash of cinnamon into my Vanilla Fresh and loved that!  I gave my husband a sip and he said he liked it

, too.

The rest of the night I just drank my water and relaxed, knowing that my snowed in time from the blizzard was coming to an end.  But I will say that I was surprised how good I felt.  Not too hungry and energized!  No headaches, which was one thing I read in other reviews and I was afraid of.

Day Two:

·        7:00am:  Woke up and chugged some water.  Decided to hop on the scale, just to see if there was any movement.  I was the exact same weight, but was not discouraged either.  The world wasn’t built in a day!

·        7:30am:  Had my half of a banana and Shakeology before heading back to work after a long, relaxing weekend.  My husband drove me since our roads were still slippery, but it was also his birthday so I was happy to get to spend a little extra time with him!

·        9:30am:  Morning Tea.

·        11:00am:  Fiber Sweep.  I still found this to be okay, not complaining about it!

·        1:30pm:  Lunch.  I’m boring and don’t mind having the same thing days at a time.. So my meals are going to be repetitive (also is easier to meal prep in bulk).  Peppers and avocado, but since I was at work I just ate the banana and drank the Vanilla Refresh separate.

·        I was not hungry at all for my afternoon snack.  So I asked my coach if I should squeeze it in or just skip it.  She suggested if I wasn’t hungry to just skip it and add some extra veggies to dinner.

·        6:00pm:  Dinner.  Tonight I made the Cucumber and Tomato Salad.  I really enjoyed this salad; it was full of flavor and filling!  I can definitely see myself making it on the regular.  Then I blended my Vanilla Refresh with some cinnamon and ice.  I ended up making it a tad too think, so it took forever to drink.

I could not believe how full and energized I was today!!  No headaches or lightheadedness today either.  Looking forward to finishing up tomorrow and see the results on Thursday!

Day Three:

·        7:00am:  Woke up (well I was rolling around since 6:00, in and out of sleep, but still felt refreshed) and chugged some water.  I wasn’t going to, but I weighed myself again… down 1.5 pounds!

·        7:30am:  Had my half of a banana and Shakeology.

·        9:45am:  Morning Tea.  I more so needed this for warmth than anything else.  But does anyone ever get “work tired?”  I’m not tired at all and I’ll be full of energy as soon as I leave work.  But while I’m at my desk I just seem to have no energy!

·        11:45am:  Fiber Sweep.  I just couldn’t find a second to leave my desk at 11:00.  So I was a little late drinking this today.  Last one down, and I still didn’t mind the taste.

·        1:30pm:  Lunch.  Same as yesterday.  Peppers, avocado, banana, and Vanilla Refresh.

·        Skipped my afternoon snack again – what?!  No hunger here.

·        6:00pm:  Dinner.  Tonight I made with the Spinach Salad.  I thought I would have loved this dish, hence why I saved it for last.  But I was not a fan, and I won’t be making this again.  I think for me it was the dressing, wasn’t feeling the lemon-y flavor.

Results:

I was so excited to wake up on Day 4 that I was up before my alarm!  When I started 3 Day Refresh I weighed 128.6 pounds.  That morning the scale said 125.8!  Wait - what?!  I thought that I would stay around the 1.5 mark… but almost 2.8 pounds.  I was amazed.  I lost a quarter inch in my waist and a quarter inch around my hips.

The Day After:

I was so worried that I would instantly put back on all, if not just some, of the weight I had lost from eating “normal” again.  So of course I had to weigh myself on Day 5 (Friday).  125.6 pounds… that was .2 pounds less and brought me to an even three pound loss in a week!  I’ll tell you what a typical day looks for me though (lunch and dinner will always vary):

7:30:  Shakeology with frozen mini banana, peanut butter, water and ice blended.

9:30:  Tea

11:00am:  Triple Zero Greek Yogurt

1:30:  Chicken, ketchup, cucumber, mashed avocado (leftover from the 3 day refresh), and a small gala apple

6:00:  Egg whites, cup of broccoli, ketchup, and a little granted parm cheese

7:30:  And because I could I had a handful… a BIG handful… of semi-sweet chocolate chips and a tablespoon or two of peanut butter.  The peanut butter is a normal night time thing for me – but not the chocolate.

Would I do it again?

Definitely, I would.  If I needed a kick in the butt, like I did after this blizzard, to get back on the healthy eating bandwagon, I would definitely do another. 

Would I recommend this to others?

Absolutely!  The program is so simple to follow, which makes it so much easier to stick with!  And you just have to tell yourself that you can do anything for just three days.

Final thoughts.

If you ask my husband, he’ll tell you that I need to eat every two hours to be a pleasant person.  And I think these past three days has proved that wrong!  I will say that I put all my food into My Fitness Pal, just to see where I was each day.  I was low on calories, but my carbs were around what I would eat on a typical “rest day” from my Macro diet.  That could have contributed to why I felt so full, but regardless I loved the 3 day refresh!!

**Disclaimer:  I am a Beach Body Coach, but I did pay for this product and this review is my honest opinion.  If it sparks your interest enough to try it… you can email me (mpleczynski@outlook.com), leave a comment below, or find me on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/coachmarybpoppins/).

Blizzard Jonas 2016

Sometimes all we need is a little snow.  But there are other times it is just entirely too much snow.  It's hard to tell exactly how much fell at our house because of the drifts, definitely 2 feet, if not more.  Sadly, my parents were supposed to visit last night through today but there was no way they would have made it.  Not sure when they'll make it down next.  Andrew and I took the morning to relax, which we both needed (especially him since he shoveled twice during the storm on Friday to get a head start).  We decided that we wanted to finish setting up the dining room since we painted it last weekend.  The furniture was put back in place and then we hung a clock we've been dying to put up for months and a wine rack.  That inspired us to hang a couple other pictures and canvas painting around the house.  And it also made me want to reorganize the kitchen.  In all fairness, I've been wanting to do this for a while, so the inspiration from the wine rack was the push I needed.  I feel like I've been using the kitchen for almost a year and I know what works and what doesn't... does anyone ever feel the need to reorganize often?

The snow comes at a bad time, though, because I just got new running shoes in the mail.  I want to try them out, and I don't own or use treadmills currently.  I think today I'll try them during a home workout to get an idea if I like them, but running will be the ultimate test.  My right arch still irradiates me on some days and these new shoes seem to have really good arch support alone, and I'm adding in custom insoles so hopefully that doesn't the trick!

I'm hoping I can get out to go food shopping today.  I was hoping to start 3 Day Refresh tomorrow!! I'm thinking that  I may have to push it to Tuesday, which happens to be Andrew's birthday.  I feel bad I'll be doing it on his birthday, but he doesn't like to make a big deal about that day anyway.  We just have plans to go to Fogo de Chao on Friday night, his favorite!

I have been drinking Shakeology since Thursday.  I'll admit... I was a little skeptical since I'm already a healthy eater and use protein shakes almost daily.  So far I am in love!  The Cafe Latte flavor is amazing!  It''s like a tasty cold  latte if just shaken with water, and like a frappuccino when blended with ice.  Yesterday I mixed with water, almond milk, banana, and peanut butter... OMG heaven!!  I can't wait to try a bunch of new recipes with it.  AND  I have not had coffee since my cup Thursday morning.  That is a huge deal for me, the person who needs at least one cup daily.  But I've been having a cup of tea instead (mostly for the warmth).  I'm not saying I'll forever give up coffee, but it's nice feeling like I don't need it every single day.

New Year

Okay, so I don't even know if anyone reads this because I'll admit I'm not the best blogger.  But as I've always done, I'm going to write for me.. for my own memories.  But if you happen to read this, I would love to know!

Last update was September 2014 (has it really been that long?!).  I attempted using WordPress but I wasn't a fan.  Plus all my memories are here.
In August 2014 I moved to Maryland to be with my (then) boyfriend.  We got engaged on November 8, 2014.  We got married on December 5, 2015.  It was honestly the best day of my life.  I'll do a post just for a couple pictures later.  We went on an amazing honeyumoon - two days in DisneyWorld and then eight days in Jamaica.  And better yet we had friends get married the week after us and they and a couple of their friends met us at the same Sandals resort in Jamaica after their wedding.  It was so much fun!

I've been back at crossfit since December 2014.. because of the move I had about a four month leave.  It was difficult getting back into it (the soreness was insane), but I found an awesome gym here with amazing people!  I've let running slack a little since all the wedding craziness.  I did the Hot Chocolate 15K in Philadelphia back in April 2015 and the Annapolis Running Classic 10K in November.  They were both fun, and I didn't really train for either so no PRs for this girl.

One thing (besides getting married) that has changed my life was a challenge we did at the gym.  It was called the Fall Transformation Challenge.  It wasn't about losing weight.  We instead focused on our eating habits and losing body fat.  Our coach put together an amazing template to teach us about Macros.  I was amazed to learn that what I thought was healthy before was actually hindering any changes from happening.  I actually came in third in the challenge!!!  I lost 3.7% of my body fat.  I did not think that would happen because I honestly didn't think I could lose that much.  But I'm definitely going to continue to use this knowledge forever.  Now I just want to see if I can mix that and 21 Day Fix together.  21 Day Fix is just so much simpler to follow in a busy day.

Now I'm toying with the idea of running the Disney Marathon in January 2017.  I'm nervous and scared because to me that just seems like a really long time to run.  But I'm also not throwing out the idea of just doing the half.  I just have to see if it's even possible for me to get off work at that time since it's our busy time of the year (cross your fingers!).  Until then I'm considering a local half or 10 miler to see how it feels to be back at running.