As you probably know, ever since I chatted with Bob Green, I’ve been on a make-fitness-a-priority kick ever since. So, temporarily living with friends and changing my schedule was the perfect opportunity for me to step-it-up instead of letting my workouts go by the wayside.
For the next two weeks, while living with Dave and Marie, I’ve decided to visit Healthworks every morning to exercise. It’ll definitely be a challenge for me, but I need a little butt-kicking every now and then! 
Breakfast
For breakfast, I packed a pineapple-flavored Chobani with peanut butter Puffins, granola, and a banana. I’m also planning to drink an iced coffee with chocolate soy milk on my long-ass, early morning commute to Healthworks. The thought of a delicious iced coffee will get me out of bed and give me a little energy for my workout. 
Fiona’s Challenge
Healthworks ladies: Are you going to the Fiona’s Challenge Kick-Off Party on Tuesday night? I’m planning to attend to see if my team is picked, so I thought it would be fun to meet some HW members and CNC readers too. Drop me an email (tina@carrotsncake.com) if you plan to go!
Just Keep Truckin’
When I first started my weight loss journey, there was a lot of climbing on and falling off the motivation wagon. Of course, I was motivated in the beginning, but after a few weeks of “good” behavior, I started to go back to my old ways. If you’ve ever tried to lose weight, you know that old habits are hard to break!
So, what kept me truckin’ when I was faced with tough situations that tested my healthy habits? Here are a few strategies that– to this very day– help me keep truckin’ on my path to healthy living.
- I don’t let myself feel guilty about indulging a little too much. What’s the point in beating myself up? If I over-do-it, I brush it off and make it a point to practice more restraint next time. To balance out the extra cupcake/wine/pizza calories, I make sure that my next meal is super healthy and fit in a sweaty workout– eventually, it all evens out!
- I make exercise a priority. Like most people, I occasionally get into exercise funks– I skip the gym one too many times and I don’t move as much as I should during the day. I’ve learned that I need to change my thinking and perspective about exercise. I shouldn’t try to “squeeze in” exercise. Instead, it should be a top priority in my life. And there are times that I just need to give myself a little “tough love” and tell myself to just do it. The old “exercise for 10 minutes” trick works every time!
- I don’t let the scale ruin my day. I used to get really upset when the scale crept up a few pounds, but all of that worrying never did me any good. Now, I think differently about the scale. To me, it’s just another number to keep track of and it doesn’t tell me the whole story– like how much muscle I have built and whether my body is retaining any water weight. How I feel and how my clothing fits is a much better measure of my weight maintenance.
This post is sponsored by Propel® for the You.Propelled Program.
I wanted to let you guys know that I will be participating in a new community called You.Propelled on DivineCaroline.com. It’s all about helping you live your life with passion and momentum– something I strive for every day.
Propel’s mission is to enhance your life, give you the ability to move through obstacles and live a more streamlined, energetic life. Propel really seems to be invested in us, the consumer, in more ways than just drinking their drinks, so they’ve launched this community to help people connect with others trying to enhance their lives.
Question of the Day
How did you enhance your life today?
Chime in every day at You.Propelled on DivineCaroline for another chance to win $5,000 to pursue your dream. The more friends you bring, the better your chances of winning.
{ 51 comments… read them below or add one }
Next Comments →
I enhanced my life today by…running!
The weekend is always fun. Good food…good times of hanging out with people…but I’m always ready to start the new week feeling fresh and energized. A morning run is my secret weapon.
love your just keep truckin’ thoughts – your relaxed but healthy perspective has been a positive model for me for a long time.
congrats on the you.propelled opportunity – i love their philosophy!
Great strategies. I make a point not to weigh myself if I feel like I’m having an especially upbeat day. Odds are I’ll find something wrong with the number, so instead I just assume I’m at my perfect number rather than ruining a good mood!
Great tips, I to get caught up on the scale numbers sometimes, which I need to not because up and downs are normal! Running is defintely life enhancing to me everyday!
Very good post Tina!….love the honesty….it’s refreshing…thanks!
this morning i made a green monster- loved making those- it gets some of your veggies in for the day before 9 am woohoo!! i personally also try to avoid the scale as much as possible and just go with how i feel / look.
This morning, I had what I wanted for breakfast instead of what I “should” have had. I got some brown rice sushi from my grocery store instead of my “shoulda” oats.
I knew my legs were still not ready to run again this morning, so instead of being lazy I walked over to the fitness center and did 40 sweaty minutes of strength training! And I’ll be enhancing my life again tonight with a nice hour massage!
Thanks for the reminders…so true! That’s great that you have another community to bring your insight to….I don’t know where you find the time!
@Shannon: Me either!
great post, great way to start the week!
I wish I could go to the Fiona’s challenge kickoff, but we will be in San Francisco. I love love love Eastern Standard though!
I propelled today by banishing a cranky Monday mood and enjoying the beautiful day on my walk in. Instant pick me up for the rest of the day!
Amen to this post- you do have to just keep on truckin’!
great tips tina! i could definitely use them more often instead of getting worked up over something dumb like a cupcake! oh well….
I’ve been drinking my iced coffee with vanilla soy milk but I really think I need to try the chocolate kind if it tastes as much like a milk shake as you say!
I know what you mean about falling off the motivation wagon. I experienced that as well when I started to lose weight. Now, I am in the habit of going to the gym everyday no matter what! I’m actually excited to wake up in the morning and go!
I enhanced my life this morning by giving my knee a rest. Instead of being stubborn like I usually am, I decided its better to give it a break and heal, rather than make it worse. Got to listen to your body
Great looking bfast to start the work week. Awesome job with the early A.M. Workouts, I love them!
I overindulged a bit last night on homemade berry cobbler and delicious roasted chicken at a picnic. Mostly all “good for me” foods, but probably not so good for me in the portion sizes I ate. Ooops! I made a point to walk the long way to work this morning (2 miles), and I’m going to try not to skip my planned workouts for the week. That feeling of overindulgence will dissipate through my normal activities… no reason to deprive myself!
I got up early to take in a spin class at my new gym!! I’m moving into a new place later today which is NOT going to be fun. So it was important to get a fun workout in this morning before the madness began. Definitely worth it!
you are always so good at motivating! i love it!
thanks for that cause i totally felt like i needed a little bit of a pick me up after alot of indulgences this weekend! 
I enhanced my life today by sleeping! I got up early every day last week to exercise and I knew that today my body just needed SLEEP. So I went with it
@Cait (Cait’s Plate): Love that!
I enhanced my day by starting off with a nutritious and delicious breakfast. Kashi waffles, greek yogurt, maple-agave syrup, and raspberries I picked last weekend, yum
I love your ideas about how to keep trucking. Somedays just come and go with the motivation but to keep at it is key for me.
To enhance my life today I am going to purchase a new iPod to replace the one I lost so that I can enjoy some awesome music on my runs. I need the relaxing combo of music and running.
I’m enhancing my day by having waffles full of fruit for breakfast
and by putting on shoes and making myself go get some sort of exercise after breakfast.
Great post! I sometimes get too caught up in feeling guilty for a little splurge.
I’ll be enhancing my life this evening with some alone time on my Spinning bike with my headphones on. Great for my body and my mind!
good job making working out a priority – i’m working towards that, too
i enhanced my monday today by making myself an awesome + healthy breakfast.
i had a healthy bfast! cornflakes, raisins, dried strawberries, blueberries, and sliced almonds with fat free milk
yummers!
btw, your puppy is ADORABLE
I got an early morning workout in. Great way to start the week!
Amazing post Tina! Thanks for all of your tips! I get way too caught up with the number on the scale instead of the way that I am feeling, I am trying to work on it! Enjoy your day!
Loved this post!
Thanks so much for this post. I was in a little funk this morning after weighing myself after being on vacation. Although the scale didn’t go up, I was still frustrated with the number. But after reading your post I decided to “enhance my day” by not letting it get me down and heading out for a great strength workout!
Thanks for the motivation!
Courtney
Adventures in Tri-ing
Today I packed a healthy snack to eat – an apple, grapes and a piece of cheese. Much better then the cookies that are everywhere in my office. Love the post!
I on the other hand have been over working my body a little and hence decided to skip my early morning workout and just do some strength training during lunch at the Gym. I gave my body a much deserved break and thats how I enhanced my life today!!
Tina, thanks for writing this post. It’s easy to forget that even people who seem to “have it all together” have their times where they need to kick themselves in the arse once in a while.
Now I am going to kick my bloggers-butt over to my old-school nordic track (yes THAT ONE) to do some HIIT so I can feel good about the start of my day!
I am planning on enhancing my life by going to Super Circuit group fitness class at the gym today! If I like the class I am going to make it a permanent part of my schedule so that I can be accounted for for exercise on Mondays!
I am planning on going for a run and doing some strength training today in between my two jobs.
Love this post, Tina! I enhanced my life today by calling in late to work (with the promise to make it up on the other end of the day) so that I could get an extra hour of sleep, go to the gym, and have coffee with a family member with whom family relations haven’t been so great. I was really feeling great about all of my choices until I arrived to work and learned that nobody got the memo that I was coming in late. They left worried messages on my cell phone asking if I was alright. Their panic wore off on me a bit, clashing with the good vibe I’d set for the day!
I love your thoughts about the “just keep truckin” mentality…I think you always have such good advice…my issue is that I am recovering from EDs and I am trying to find balance between not working out at all and working out all the time nonstop with an obsessive mentality. I can’t find a balance between eating healthfully and not eating at all or working out regularly and working out like a fiend…how long did it take you to find the balance and maintain it?
I enhanced my life today by FINALLY seeing a Dr. for a shoulder problem that’s been bothering me for a while. He diagnosed the issue and I’m so happy I can finally get some relief!
Great post topic today :O)
go girl! way to get in those early am workouts!
iced coffee with chocolate soy milk?! yummmm
I enhanced my life today by thinking of others; I just finished a 4hour volunteering shift at a hospital.
Very timely post for me! Thanks for the great tips!
Great tips! Thanks for keeping your readers as accountable and motivated as you.
PS- Loved the cute pictures of Murphy earlier; especially that last pic of him clinging helplessly to Mal!
wonderful advice…the scale really isn’t a good measure – it’s amazing how many different sizes i’ve been at the same weight….
Great Advice!!! Love the article!!!
I avoided all the cookies in the office kitchen! The last thing I need after a weekend of “enjoying” myself is to start the week off with unnecessary sugar-laden junk food!
Tina,
I know this is a little strange but I am trying to create a blog and I am not the best at it I am coming to find out. You are my inspiration and one of my favorite blogs. I am curious how I get people to read my blog since it is brand new. I am so passionate about everything you blog about and am embarking on the journey into grad school next year hopefully for public health. I would love some feedback and information on how to get my blog up and running for people to pay attention too, the best place to create the blog if google is not very good etc. I hope you have a great day and keep up the good work
I went for a swim after work and then enjoyed a nice glass of heart healthy wine with dinner!
Hi Tina,
I’m considering joining Healthworks, myself. In joining, do you receive access to all the clubs? Or just the one you signed up for?
Next Comments →
{ 3 trackbacks }