Week 1 & 2 - My Transition to Organic

Two weeks ago I decided to start Body Revolution over again and update my blog with the progress. I also decided that now would be the time to finally start running. I have to say that it was a huge success!
 

I’ve decided not to post anything about weight loss or how many inches off my waist I’ve lost for the simple reason that I’m not keeping track. To me this entire thing is about a healthy lifestyle and that is my main goal not weight loss. At the end of the 90 days I may post before and after pictures but I’ll decide that later. Although I do highly recommend this program for anyone who is looking for weight loss.

Exercising

The first week was a great start! Jordan even worked out with me for the first 3 days. We had so much fun together! The program comes with Cardio DVDs that you do on Wednesday and Saturday. Unlike the rest of the DVDs that you switch every 2 weeks, the cardio you only switch every month. I didn’t really want to do the cardio ones again as I wasn’t the biggest fan of them and I’m kind of sick of them now so I decided I’m slowing going to work my way into running on my cardio days. I’ve been pushing off running for so long as there is always an excuse – "When my cardio is just a little better I’ll start running" or "When I get to this certain point in my fitness routine or achieve this milestone then I’ll be ready to run". I was listening to one of Jillian Michaels’ podcasts and she advised a caller to stop putting it off and to just do it right now. I really related to that and decided to stop pushing off running and just go out and do it. Wednesday was just a walking day since Jordan came with me so we had a nice time just walking around the Drake Landing neighbourhood and looking at all the houses on the ridge. Saturday was my first official running day. It went so much better than I expected! I ran more than I ever had before in my life! Usually I would run for maybe a block…maybe before I had to stop and walk for a bit. I still needed to take breaks here and there but they weren’t as often or as long. I got to a certain point on my way home and challenged myself to run the entire way room and I did it! I was so incredibly proud of myself! Each day my workout circuits are 30 minutes but my run only lasted 20 minutes so next time I’ll have to plan a longer route.

Exercising for week 2 went just as well as week 1 if not better. I still gave 110% in my strength training on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday. I haven’t missed a single day in the first 2 weeks! Other than Sundays which is a rest day. The only thing that made week 2 difficult was my shin splints from running on Saturday. I was limping around pretty good from Sunday to Tuesday. By Wednesday my legs weren’t hurting as bad but I decided to keep with last week and go for a walk. Since Jordan wasn’t with me I went for more of a power walk. Again I only walked for about 20 minutes so I’ll need to plan out a longer route next time.

 

Saturday it was cold and misty out so I decided to run inside on the treadmill. I really wanted to run outside but really didn’t want to run the risk of getting sick which would put me behind in my circuits. I decided for the 30minutes I would do half running and half walking at the highest incline. I ran the entire 15 minutes without stopping! Another major accomplishment for me. While I was running I just kept telling myself that I could do it. Normally I run for a maximum of 2 minutes before I tell myself I can't do it and then I lower the speed. I then realized that all of my previous notions that I can’t run was all just fear in my head and telling myself I couldn’t do it. Sure my cardio isn’t the best and my shin splints feel like they limit me sometimes but that doesn’t mean I can’t do it! As long as you tell yourself you can do it you really can. Did my legs hurt the entire time? You bet! But again I just kept telling myself to keep going and that the soreness was only temporary and wouldn’t last forever. Me quitting on my goal of running is what would last forever.

Nutrition

With starting over I also made a goal for myself to lead a healthy lifestyle. I just want to be clear that this is not a diet at all, just eating healthy to take care of the body that I was given from my Heavenly Father. Watching the Biggest Loser really helped me to realize the importance of what foods I’m putting into my body. As well I have been doing a lot of research on organic food. Before in my attempts to eat healthy I’ve allowed the weekend to be my cheat days to eat whatever I want. This time, I am trying to go the whole 90 days of my program eating a healthy lifestyle. I made it through my first week! We had birthday cake at work for a colleague’s birthday and for Easter for my nephew’s birthday and I was able to pass on both. I even decided to try a little bit of organic and bought some organic bananas. That’s all Wal-Mart really had for organic produce so that is what I went with. To be honest, they tasted so much better than regular bananas!

For week 2 I decided to branch out a little more in my organic buying and went to Superstore where they have more variety. I got organic oranges and apples this time as well as a few other items in the all natural section like spaghetti sauce, quinoa, and olive oil. My sister Katie has been vegetarian for 3 months now and has just recently transitioned to vegan so she was telling me about quinoa this week. I’ve been wanting to buy protein powder to add more protein into my diet but I didn’t want to buy some uninformed so I figured my sister was a good source since she needs to supplement protein into her diet with not eating meat. I’m glad I didn’t go ahead and buy it as she was able to give me some great tips such as quinoa which is really high in protein! I made it into a Greek Salad this weekend with homemade lemon zest dressing and it was fantastic!

http://www.artoflivingwell.ca/recipes/salads-sandwiches-a-wraps/290-quinoa-greek-salad

As well, for the apples and oranges, to my surprise again, the organic tastes so much better! I haven’t tried the spaghetti sauce so I will have to let you know on that one next post.

 

I don’t know if it’s all in my head but frankly I don’t care because to me it tastes better and is a healthier option. Yes it does cost more but Jordan and I have meal planned so well these last 2 weeks that we’ve barely eaten out at all which has helped cut down on costs that we can put toward buying organic. Plus if it tastes better and helps my body to feel better than an extra dollar or two is worth it to me.

 

Katie also got me interested in all natural food so I decided to check out the All Natural Foods store in Okotoks. They have an amazing selection of stuff! I really wanted to find healthy all natural snacks for the weekends so that I’m not feeling completely deprived and setting myself up for failure. I found all natural trail mix and popcorn that I really enjoyed having this weekend for snacks while watching General Conference. I love having snacks for Conference so this was the perfect alternative to candy and chocolate. The popcorn especially since Jordan and I went to the movies and the smell of popcorn almost did me in. I love movie popcorn! Now I can still have what I love but in a healthier option. They also had a good selection of free range meat that I’m interested in trying. So far the experiment with organic and all natural is going really well! I really liked having conference this weekend as it gave me a chance to make some really good and healthy breakfasts. Saturday morning I made whole wheat pancakes with strawberries and Sunday was eggs and turkey bacon. Apparently Jordan loves the turkey bacon but me not so much. I really prefer regular bacon but this is definitely a healthier option as it created no grease in the pan! This weekend I also made some healthy dinners for us like an apple and honey pork roast I found on Pinterest (http://mycrossfitpaleojourney.wordpress.com/2012/07/05/crockpot-honey-apple-pork-loin/) and a Sausage and Goat Cheese Pepper pizza recipe I found on The Biggest Loser website (http://www.biggestloser.com/nutrition/recipes/sausage-and-pepper-goat-cheese-pizza).

Both were really good but I think I would use less meat on the pizza next time and add more veggies. I was really confused because the recipe said sausage but the ingredients only had ground turkey. When you mix the turkey with all the spices it actually does taste like sausage! I’m excited this week to try making spaghetti using spaghetti squash for the noodles (http://www.biggestloser.com/nutrition/recipes/jacksons-spaghetti-squash) as well as a "fried chicken" recipe (http://www.biggestloser.com/nutrition/recipes/winning-fried-chicken) again from TBL website. Seriously, that website has not let me down yet after trying about 4 recipes so far.

 

Brand New Year! Brand New Me!

I think I am officially the worst blogger ever! It's been just over a year and absolutely 0 posts. Not a single one. Now I'm to that same point that I get to when I've lapsed in my journal writing - "Where do I even start?!"

So I'm going to do what I do with my journal and just start from today - or this year. I know it's a little late to have a New Years post but I'm going to do it all the same.

For 2013 I've made a few goals for myself. I didn't make too many because I'm a firm believer that you can make new goals every day and try again every ever day or new week.

Goal #1 - Become a runner!

I've watched the people outside in the summer going for a run or jog and I've always been jealous. My cardio has never been great and I'll run 2 blocks maximum before I'm done and need to walk. And to add to it I see all these posts on Facebook of people doing marathons and I get even more jealous. So this year I have become determined to finally be able to run!

Last September I bought the Jillian Michaels Body Revolution. I had starting noticing that my clothes were no longer fitting and I had probably gained about 15 pounds. So I had bought this program to try and get back into better shape. With all of my travelling back and for to Edmonton for work, I wasn't consistent in the 90 day program. So as of Jan 1 I started over at the beginning again. I've had a lot of trouble in the last year with shin splints but this program has absolutely taken care of that problem! The first 4 weeks are fairly low impact and works it way up so now I can be confident that I can become a runner without worrying about shin splints! Aside from that, I am completely loving this program. Watching The Biggest Loser gives me inspiration to be a runner too. If they can run a few miles then so can I! It also has helped me to understand the importance of what foods I'm putting into my body. I'm doing much better with eating healthy and can happily say I've lost nearly all of those 15 pounds and starting to gain a bit more toning. Loving it!

Goal #2 - No excuses!

I don't think I would label myself as a lazy person but I will definitely say I make a ton of excuses! Especially with the busy work schedule that I have it's easier to make these excuses. "No Excuses" has become my new motto and I find myself way more productive than I used to be. A few expamples are - I wash the dishes more often now instead of using the dishwasher all the time, I make lunches for Jo and I, I wake up every morning at 4am before work to exercise, and this week I have started meal planning! I've even applied it to work so I'm giving 100% every single day. I feel so much better at the end of my day that I've accomplished so much and I find I'm sleeping better too because I've been so active. I've always been someone who wakes up every hour or so but lately I have been sleeping right through the night which has been so much better!


I have many other things that I try to work on consistently each day/week but these are my 2 major ones for the year. And of course I'd like to keep up to date with some blog posts and maybe even develop my blog look to be a little more more personal instead of the standard templates. Any tips?

Merry Christmas!

Jordan and I had our very first Christmas together; not just as a married couple but as a couple. We started dating in August so we’ve never had a Christmas together. It was so wonderful to spend the holidays with my best friend.

Christmas Eve we went over to Jordan’s Aunt Sarah’s house for brunch with the family. It was so good! Jordan and I even got to watch our wedding video for the first time. It made me want to get married to Jordan all over again! Ok really I just want to put the dress on again haha. In the evening we went back and had a bonfire outside roasting hot dogs and marshmallows. I started hearing fire trucks and everyone else started to get excited. The next thing I know I’m hearing someone yell “Hurry before we miss it”, Jo grabbing my hand, and then we all started running. There were police cars and fire trucks all lit up with Christmas lights and playing Christmas music. Santa was even on top of the fire truck. I tried to take a video of it but forgot to press the record button so all I have is a picture. I’ll be doing a post soon filled with just pictures from our trip to Ontario, Utah, and Christmas. It was so exciting though!!! I already can’t wait until next year to see it again!

Christmas morning I woke up at 4:00am and put Jo’s surprise present under the tree. I’ve had it hidden in our closet for a couple of weeks and luckily he never found it. I tried so hard not to make any noise and ruin the surprise. After that I couldn’t really get back to sleep. I tried to get Jo up at 6am to open presents but he made me wait until 7 haha. He was totally surprised by the extra gift by the tree. We took lots of pictures opening the presents my family sent from Ontario so we could share that with them later. Jo did an amazing job picking out presents for me. I loved everything he got me! One of my presents was a sapphire and diamond ring, necklace, and earrings set. It looks kind of like Katie Middleton’s ring but obviously a lot smaller. I love it!!! One of our family gifts was a Star Wars puzzle that we found in Utah. The set came with two puzzles and we put the smaller one together before church. We had a lot of fun together and sharing our love of Star Wars (seriously this guy is perfect for me – which I obviously caught on to very early in our relationship).

The Christmas program at church was amazing! I felt the Spirit so strongly during the choir numbers. We did the four-handed with organ arrangement of Angels We Have Heard on High and I always love playing that. I love playing any music that includes the organ and makes a statement and this song definitely does that. After church we got together for Christmas dinner with Jo’s family and then Skyped with my parents and Katie in Ontario. I think Skype is one of the best inventions! It makes it so much easier to see my family back home. I am definitely going to be taking advantage of that more often! We got together with my side of the family for Christmas dinner on Boxing Day. It’s so great to spend so much time with family!

I have to say that my first Christmas with Jo was amazing!! We both had two days off from work and spent a lot of time together and with family. Each day I remembered just how grateful I am for him. He’s always helping me with the cleaning and offering to help make all the meals and even makes them himself sometimes if I’m busy or tired. He holds my hand when I’m walking outside in my high heels so I don’t fall and to help me get into the Sorento since it’s higher up. He makes the bed every morning. He tells me I’m beautiful even when I definitely don’t feel that way. He watches Say Yes to the Dress with me (and doesn’t even complain about it!). Jo does so much for me that I’m so grateful for. There is no one else I would rather have spent this Christmas and every Christmas with in the future.

Merry Christmas from the Martins!

It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year!

I haven't posted a blog entry since June 29! Can that really be right?  Wow how time flies. My roommate Kristi updated her blog today (I'll miss you too! And you too Chantelle! You girls were the best roommates ever!!) and I realized that mine needed an update as well.

I'm getting married! Most of you probably already know that by now but I just really like saying it :) Only 24 days to go and I will officially be Mrs. Megan Martins. I can't wait!! So here's the story of how we met and our whirlwind romance...

Jordan and I met at an IRC Fireside on August 21 (see, those programs really do work!). A few months before at Battle of the Bands I was standing there with my roommates and this random guy waved at me like he knew me. I looked behind me totally confused cause I had no idea who he was. So at the fireside I decided to finally say hi and see who he thought I was. I definitely wasn't who he thought but we had a good laugh about it and it kicked off a great conversation! He was hilarious and I really enjoyed talking to him so we met up at institute that week. We went on a couple of the most amazing dates ever (I even skipped double gym for him! I know!) and by September 5 we were looking at engagement rings at Spence Diamonds and knew we wanted to marry each other. We went a couple of weeks later to Ontario so he could meet my family and ask my dad for permission. On September 21, one month after we met, Jordan proposed. He had me leave work a bit early and meet him outside my house. He drove me out to Kananaskis where he had arranged for a helicopter to tour us around the mountains. We landed in a grassy area of the mountains and went up into a grove of trees. That is where my best friend in the whole world told me how much he loved me and got down on one knee and asked me to marry him. It was one of the best moments of my life.

Jordan and I are going to be sealed for time and all eternity on 5 November 2011. I'm so excited and can't wait to marry the best man I've ever met. I've never been this happy in my entire life. Ok, I promise all the mushy stuff is over now haha

Wedding planning has taken up all of my time for the past month. My dress was surprisely easy to find and fits perfectly! It's exactly what I was looking for! Our flowers are ordered and the reception planned. We even found a place to live this past weekend! That was probably the most stressful part - looking at places and having none of them work out. It's a great condo in the NE of Calgary and I can't wait to live there with Jordan. Even though I'll miss the Franklin Park Ward and living with my amazing roommates, I can't wait to start this next part of my life with Jordan.

I'm the luckiest girl in the world :)

Always in a Hurry...

Why are people always in such a rush?

I'm wondering if this is generational thing or the nature of human beings. I think I'm leaning more toward the generational idea. In a world of smart phones, internet, and microwavable dinners it's almost unavoidable for it to become part of our nature or atleast our expectations and assumptions. We want the "all American dream" and we want it right now. Nevermind that it took our parents years to accumulate what they have now, we want the house, the car, the vacations, the extravagant camper but we want it all in the next five years. Five years...I think that's pretty much the extent of our patience if we're lucky.

So what brought on this little rant of mine? Drivers that are in a hurry.

Yesterday I had two experiences with these type of drivers. First, on my way home from the bank. I was coming up to the line that was formulating at the four-way stop when this car starts squeezing past all of us on the right shoulder to get to the front so they could turn right. He/She narrowly missed sideswiping all of our cars because they couldn't wait the extra two minutes in the line. And please don't get me started on people who go out of turn at four-way stops. Second, I was walking through the parking lot at Superstore after being at the gym and a car stopped for me to cross. As I politely wave thank you and start to cross, another car comes speeding around from behind the other because he didn't want to wait not realizing the car ahead of it had stopped for a pedestrian. Luckily he still had enough time to stop.

Now I will admit that on more than one occasion I have been one of these drivers in a hurry. But for all of you who have heard the story of my accident will now that I have since learned my lesson. I was on 16th Ave on my way to return an item at Bed, Bath, and Beyond before the institute fireside started. I was in a rush to get there so I wouldn't be late. Not wanting to wait for all the traffic and lights on 16th Ave I decided to take 18th Ave. I was going the speed limit but I'll admit I wasn't driving as carefully as I should have. Whether it was my lack of attention or the sign not being visible but I completely ran through the Stop sign without seeing it and hitting the back bumper of the Nissan Versa crossing through. My dad has always taught me that it's better to arrive safely and late. I now have firsthand experience with that.

Why do we have so much trouble waiting? Why do we feel entitlement to have what we want right now without the much needed work? What unnecessary hardships are we placing on ourselves because we are unwilling to wait? What great opportunities or blessings could we be missing out on?

Life is Made of These...

Since I haven't blogged in awhile I figure as a way to catch up on things I'll make a list of 5 things that have made my life so much better lately and that I'm really grateful for...

1. Roommates
I love my roommates! They are the most amazing group of girls. It's so great knowing that I have some awesome friends to come home to at the end of the day, especially when the day has been challenging. They have really been a great support and example to me. I love our games nights, dance parties in the car, staying up late talking, and spontaneous cookie making (HALF....HALF CUP.....haha good times).

2. The Temple
Last Saturday we had a ward temple trip and picnic afterwards and it was a great time.
Before meeting up with everyone else, Chantelle and I went early to the temple to do a session in the morning. I love everything about the temple and especially those quiet moments that you get. The one temple worker kept making me laugh so hard and I was trying not to but how can anyone laugh in a whisper? haha. Temple trips always bring the ward closer together. After the spirit that was felt in the temple, we went to a nearby park for our picnic. Sister Veroni made amazing food. I was afraid I’d having nothing to eat with being vegetarian but there was tons to choose from. On the way home I had a nice little race with Chris. I won of course :). Although it was touch and go for awhile when I tried to pass him and once my car hit 130km/h my traction control went crazy and my car starting decelerating even though my foot was to the floor. So I turned the traction control off and I was on my way!

3. Body Pump

I’ve always been someone who likes exercising but of course I still find it hard to go to the gym regularly. I discovered Body Pump at the end of March and I love going! I hate it when I have to miss a day! I love being able to push myself and finish the set or track when I feel like I absolutely can’t. I’m disappointed that when the new schedule comes out next week the Thursday class has been replaced with a different one so I’ll have to go to one of the other gyms in Calgary to make up for. Totally worth it though!

4. That One Best Friend

Have you ever had that one best friend that just makes your life better? The one that you talk to about everything and anything? The one that you can fight with and have disagreements with but you still know you’re there for each other and you get through it? I love my best friend.

5. The Book of Mormon

I love this book. There is no book like it at all. Every single time I read it my testimony of how true it is grows a little bit more. I only have to read one verse and immediately I feel comforted and at peace. In the past couple of months my testimony of the Book of Mormon has increased dramatically and I have no doubt that it’s true. I feel it and I know it.

A Little Retail Therapy

Not gonna lie that whole "30 Day Photo Challenge" thing just wasn't for me. Plus my Mac was having issues with my pictures and I ran out of patience. So on to bigger and better things...

Retail Therapy! :)

I know you're probably all tired of hearing about my car (well atleast my friends, family, and coworkers are) but for some reason it's been such a huge trial for me. Every day I get up hoping that today will be the day I get the phone call that it's finished but each day passes and I'm still taking the bus home. But yesterday I decided it was finally time for some much needed retail therapy!! :)

I was planning a trip to Europe in October but due to other circumstances that trip has been postponed until next year. I've barely spent any money on myself at all lately because I've been trying to save up as much money as possible for the trip. So last night I decided I didn't really care what the cost I was going to shop and buy some things I've really been wanting lately. Check out what I got...



I didn't even see these until Chantelle pointed them out! They're perfect for summer and exactly what I was looking for! Thanks Chantelle :)





(But in light pink)

 I'm so glad Chantelle came shopping with me. It was so much fun to just hang out and shop and eat Sushi :) It's nights like these, dance parties in the car on the way home from FHE, and going to Institute with friends that makes me so grateful that I moved so I could get to know all of these girls so much better!