I Am Not Perfect

So it's been a few days since my last post.  It was pretty busy with not the most active of activities. And a bit of cheating in the food department.

Here is the summary:

Exercise - I continued to follow the program I found on pinterest ( http://backonpointe.tumblr.com/post/16345333497/heres-my-promised-and-requested-spring-break ), but no cardio. Also,  I did go golfing on Sunday (just 9 holes but still).

Today was awesome though! I upped my intervals to 4:3 run:walk. It was to push myself. To follow this progress check out Twitter (@MsAKonrad)

Food - I am still following the isagenix diet which included shake days.   Dinners included home-made pizza and Apple Pecan salad (Friday); sirloin steak, potatoes with sour cream and fresh chives,  and grilled zucchini, peppers and butternut squash seasoned with Cajun spices (Saturday); flank steak, corn,  perogies and salad (Sunday).  Cheats were Cappuccino yogurt (friday), some yogurt and chive kettle chips (Saturday), and a slice of sour cream rhubarb cake with cream cheese icing (sunday).   The problem with cheat days are that I am not supposed to consume sugar. So I will be better... But that yogurt will be eaten. What I am doing when I cheat is I am at least using portion control, which has been a struggle for me when previously watching what I am eating. So,  this is still a small victory. ☺

As for food today,  it is a cleanse day so I  will be hungry. Good news is that I am not as hungry as I was last time (last Monday). So maybe it is getting easier?

Well,  that's it for now.

Take care,  polar bear

It's Not Always Easy

I didn't mention yesterday but I have no intention of sugar-coating anything.  I will be honest if I am having a bad day or if something isn't working for me.

Although I am only on day 2 of this blog, I am on day 6 please my 30 day health revamp care of Isagenex.

Here is how it works :

At the very beginning you take a whole bunch of measurements. (mine are listed below)

Days 1 & 2 are shake days.   This means that 2 out of 3 meals are replaced by shakes. (Meaning that the only time that you will consume food NOT on the plan is that one meal.   Should you need something to snack on you can consume one of the snacks that is part of the plan.)
Days 3 & 4 are deep cleanse days.  As you may have guessed,  this means no food - just consuming the various drink mixes that are part of the plan,  and some snack nutrient supplements that are also part of the plan.
Days 5-9 are shake days again.
Days 10 & 11 are deep cleanse days again.
Days 12-30 are, again, shake days.

*You can redistribute the cleanse days so you go without food for only one day each week for 4 weeks as well.
**Isagenex works on the philosophy that you are getting ALL of the nutrients you need, because many of us don't get everything we need everyday.

I am on day 6.  And I would be lying if I said I hadn't cheated. I ate cherries as a snack on days 1 and 2, I had a mini muffin and cherries on day 4 (which I am OK with considering I went to a family bbq and ate nothing there!), and I had some cottage cheese before going on a bike ride with Scott.

As you can see,  I have not been perfect but I am working on that.  My mom (who has made this whole thing possible) has set me up with some higher protein shakes that will help get me through the day,  and keep me going when I exercise.

As for exercising,  some days are better than others.   I didn't do anything on days 1 & 2 because it was just so darn miserable outside.  I ran very little on day 3 but much more on day 4. Yesterday I road my bike for 10 miles,  but today my legs felt like lead so running was not very successful.

The plan for more successful cardio is (a) those high protein shakes I mentioned earlier and (b) dynamic stretching before actually going for my run. I think this will work as day 4 was the only day when I did my other exercises earlier in the day then went for a run (later).

So I will keep you posted! Follow my cardio progress on Twitter (@MsAKonrad).

Measurements on day 2:
Neck - 34cm
Upper arm - (L) 31.3cm(R) 32.4cm
Chest - 108.8cm
Diaphragm - 97.4cm
Waist - 90.5cm
Abdomen - 107.6cm
Buttocks - 120.5cm
Upper thigh - (L) 71cm (R) 72.1cm
Calf - (L) 44.5cm (R) 45.5cm
Upper knee - (L) 49.5cm (R) 49.5cm

Conclusion: I am seriously uneven. Lol☺

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Why Am I Doing This??

This blog is going to be about everything I get up to over the course of the summer and upcoming year.  Why?  Because I am trying to change my life (some of which has changed for me).  For example, I have some time on my hands since I am a teacher without any prospects for the upcoming school year so there isn't much prep work I need to do.  So what the heck, why not write about my life?  I'm busy with a lot right now - health makeover, planning a wedding, gardening and cooking up a storm - so I will write like this is like a journal than anything else to keep track of my learning and progress.

People are always changing but this particular change started way back in my childhood.  My stepmom did an online numerology test for each of us in the family and it said that my defining year would be 2010.  I didn't put much stock into it but clearly the idea stuck in my head since so many years later I can still remember.

What happened in 2010?  I didn't think a whole lot did - I was already dating the guy of my dreams (who is now my fiance), I was halfway through Education at University, I had already had my 21st birthday... seemed relatively unremarkable.  Looking back, a few things that did have a resonating impact on my life included:

• I didn't go to Thailand to teach for 3 months
• Instead I go a job with the Department of Education writing Independent Study courses
• I was placed at a great school for my second teaching practicum

During my year at the Department I worked on three of the mathematics courses offered which gave me a lot of breadth in understanding curriculum (since we were rolling out new curriculum).  Also, my practicum was unreal - I learned so much and made connections that I have maintained to this day.

Because of all of this 2011 was set up to be crazy - I went to Thailand, got a permanent contract, and moved out to a tiny town that not too many people have heard of.  

Thailand was great and I got to go with some marvelous women who I am now good friends with.  As for the teaching in a tiny town - although I was sceptical at first, it turned out to be far better than I could have wished and I stayed there for two years.  Only reason I left - too far from the city which meant too far from Scott and activities for me like soccer.

So we bought a house last year and I spent the summer painting, unpacking, and prepping for my new job (in a school not so far away).

Turns out this was a really tough year.  I struggled to build relationships with the students and felt like nothing I did could possibly get them to engage.  Plus I was swamped with an entire load of courses that I had never taught before.  I brought this frustration home with me, and it got to the point where I was grumpy all the time at home.  And I gained 18 pounds!

So the school year is over.  I am not returning to that school for my mental and physical health, and the health of my relationship.  AND IT'S SUMMER!  So I am going to rebound from this tough year by implementing some changes:

1. Tattoo!  To symbolize my commitment to this.
2. Isagenix.  My mom got into this all natural health and nutrition program last year and loved it so much she started selling it.  I finally caved and have decided to try the 30 day program to help me get the toxins out of my body and kick-start a healthier lifestyle.
3. Maintenance.  Keeping my house and garden maintained to build habits that I can continue when I go back to work.

If you have stuck with me so far, congrats!  I don't intend to write this much ... pretty much ever... but I figured it would be good to trace back the path that has gotten me to this point.