Affordable Workout Gear I Love!

Good Morning!  I'm about to start my workout for today, Lower Fix from The 21 Day Fix and I thought I would share some of my favorite workout gear with you.  I should mention that I like sharing recommendations for products I like, but nobody is paying me to recommend this workout gear, I just like it, so I thought I'd share.  I like that most of these items are very affordable and easy to add to your collection!

First, let's talk about Old Navy Go-Dry Racerback Tanks

I ABSOLUTELY love these!  I have 4 of them and I'm definitely ordering more.  They are incredibly lightweight and the air flows through them very easily.  I also find the cut to be very flattering.  They are long and flow enough to cover your tummy (generously) and most of your bum which is great when I am wearing tight yoga pants.  The coverage just makes me feel like my lower half is less on display while I am trying to tone and shrink it!  I also like that the cut nips in at the waist a bit - just enough to make the top look feminine and not baggy.  Some colors are on sale right now for under $10!  There are some others colors for $16.94 but I noticed that today (07/15) the entire Old Navy website has a sale going on.  Type in the code REALDEAL at checkout and you'll save 35% off regular-price styles and 30% off SALE styles!  It's a really good time to try these!

Danskin Now Front Close Plunge Sport Bra

I discovered these YEARS ago and I really can't stand wearing any other sports bra.  These bras snap closed which means one important thing - you don't have to wrestle them off like a boa constrictor!  There's something really gross about peeling off a sweaty, sticky sports bra and pulling and twisting it over your head after a good workout.  Some may say it's the workout after the workout, but I'd rather snap, remove and move on with my day.  These are also very affordable (under $15) and mine have held up very well over the years.  They also are lightly lined and give a good amount of coverage and solid medium support.

Polar FT4 Heart Rate Monitor

I know there are all sorts of workout gadgets and gizmos out there.  I have some other ones, but I can honestly say that I enjoy wearing this one the most.  I really think it's important to keep a close eye on your heart rate while you are training.  It's always nice to know what is normal for you at different levels of your workouts and it helps you to get to know your body and how to push it best.  I also love that this seems to give me a fairly accurate idea of how many calories I have burned.  You can save all your workout data and go back and review as well.  They have many different colors and they are all under $60 right now.

90 Degree By Reflex Yoga Capri

I love that these pants are super-comfortable, breathe easy and they are reversible!  They also have a sewn-in front pocket for little things like hair ties or a few dollars.  They have a ton of great patterns too!

I hope you try some of these ideas.  It's always fun to have new workout items.  What are some of your favorites?  I'd love to hear about them!

Ultimate Reset - Day 3

Day 3 was weird.  I didn't even feel like writing about it, I was so exhausted.  It started pretty well.  I enjoyed Day 2 breakfast, I made it again.  I like that you can repeat meals or swap meals as long as they are in the same phase.  I didn't take a picture of it again, so here's the one from Day 2.  It was just as delicious I assure you!

My morning was going great, but I was very busy at work.  I had a 2:00pm chiropratic appointment and I had hoped to scarf down lunch sometime before then.  Well, I never did get the time to eat.  It was insane.  I was ridiculously hungry until about 1:00, then miraculously, the hunger wore off.  It's a good thing it did, because I wouldn't eat until a little after 2:30 when my appointment was over.  I scarfed down my micro-green salad and lentil lime salad in my chiropractor's parking lot!  It looked a bit like this:

I don't mean the cute little girl in the front of the cart.  I'm pretty sure I looked like the little boy hovering over the pretzel!  So lunch was decent.  The microgreen salad was filling and this time I got to add some toasted pumpkin seeds which added some good flavor.  I didn't take a picture of the salad, but it looked like the one I ate the other day.  Here's a picture of the lentil lime salad.

It was pretty flavorful.  I've never had lentils before, so this was a first. As if eating late wasn't hard enough, I forgot my Alkaline supplement at home.  Oh well.

I had to stop at Lowes on the way home which I knew would only prolong dinner, but I needed to use a $10 off coupon before it expired.  It had to be done.  But hey, the guest bedroom gets a new ceiling fan!

Pretty, isn't it?

Now, on to dinner.  It was another night like last night.  I had to slice and dice and bake and roll.  My husband said his theory behind this cleanse is that you lose weight because you get so stressed and crazed in the kitchen, it just revs up your metabolism!  Ha ha.  Could be.  The funny thing is, one goal I have for this Reset is to be calmer again and to be able to deal with stress better.  Well, I definitely need that to happen soon!  So, here are some dinner pictures.  

Prep seemed to be going well.  I didn't really understand from the instructions where I should put the rice.  I also was determined to use my new sushi mat.  Apparently, I should stick to my EZ sushi maker.  I think I will break that out next time.

This is the Japanese Cucumber Salad.  This actually turned out pretty well.  I didn't let in marinate in the fridge for an hour because, well...

Sorry, I had to!

I stuck it in the fridge until I was done making the soup and attempting to roll the sushi.  Nothing I was doing could keep the sushi together.  I finally decided to eat the sushi roll burrito style.  Even that didn't work, so I used a fork.

The miso soup was delicious, as usual.  The baked tempeh in the nori roll actually tasted really good.  I loved the flavors.  I would definitely eat that all by itself.  

I have to say that one thing I absolutely LOVE about every Beachbody program I have done is that you can always find a wonderful, supportive challenge group online.  I found mine on Facebook for this Reset.  You can also find them on www.teambeachbody.com.  I've been able to find people that are going through a program at the same time as me, or maybe they have already been through it and let me know what to expect.  I honestly don't know if I could get through some programs without this support.  I told my group about my Nori Roll challenges and I found out I am not alone. I got some good tips from people that finally mastered it.  I got good advice that I don't have to do absolutely every meal they recommend.  It's acceptable to swap meals, and they even have a list of quick meals you can substitute.  I was going by the recommendation that I had to try everything.  Trying all of these new foods would be ideal.  I would definitely do it if I had the time. I don't, so I will just the best I can. 

Ultimate Reset Day 1 - It Begins

I had an extremely filling breakfast as part of my first day on the Reset.  I scrambled up two eggs, and had those along with a piece of toast (I chose Ezekiel Sesame) and some steamed Kale.

There was just one thing missing from breakfast.  It was a very important thing to me.  I can't even tell you when the last day was that this thing was not a part of my morning.  You have probably guessed it by now.

COFFEE! 

I can't have coffee for 21 days.  I already miss it so.  I hadn't realized just how addicted I had become to coffee, since it doesn't really seem like it could be bad for you.  It's all what you put in it, and for me, that would be nothing.  I drink it black! Still, the Beachbody Gods say no.  

I'll get over it though.  I think.

So that's how breakfast went down.  I'm drinking some delicious Tazo Passion Tea (Caffeine Free) this morning instead.  At 12:30 I'll get to try the miso soup I made this morning and my microgreen salad.  More on that later.  Have a great day!

Time for a Change - Ultimate Reset

Well, I haven't blogged lately as I planned to.  I had hoped to share my super healthy fitness journey while working out and eating healthy.  I really wanted it to be motivational to people.  I was working out and eating super healthy for a couple of weeks.  I know that doesn't sound like much.  I generally eat pretty healthy anyway, so mainly I just focused on portion control and getting proper nutrients.  That was going well.  I mean, I was a little hungry now and then and I also missed cheese, but I was OK.  I could have a tiny bit of cheese, or almonds, or avocado each day, but never all three.  That made me sad.  Anyway, it's the working out that really was hitting me hard!  My back wasn't quite right before working out, but I did lots of yoga and stretching and it seemed a little bit better.  I jumped in to working out because I knew the scale was creeping up and I had to do something.  I felt really good during the workouts.  I was energized, and even though I needed to follow the modifier a lot in the workout videos, I got them done.  The next day, I could barely walk or move my arms.

(Don't worry, I went to work..smelling of Icy Hot and tears! lol)

Now, for the first week, I considered this normal.  After that, I figured that my body should be adapting.  Working out the next day seemed to loosen things up.  Temporarily.  Hours would go by and my muscles would tighten up again.  My hamstrings felt like rubber bands about to snap. Getting up from a chair was a long and ugly process.  Long story short, I finally went to a Chiropractor and found out I was terrible out of alignment.  The muscles I was working had to work so much harder since my poor skeleton was all crooked (not using professional terms here if you couldn't tell!  lol).  I'm still working with the Chiropractor, but basically, working out is not a weight loss option for me at this time. 
As I said before, I generally eat pretty healthy, so you wouldn't think that weight gain would be a problem.  Well, my metabolism has seemed a little sluggish for quite awhile.  Also, I had picked up the awful habit of smoking in the past few years.  I know, I know, stupid.  Well, 7 months ago I quit.  I just got fed up with how it made me feel and quit cold turkey.  Don't get me wrong, it wasn't easy, and that certainly wasn't the first time I tried to quit.  It was simply the time I was READY to be DONE with smoking, and I truly believe that is why I succeeded.  Honestly, that was a big victory for me, and it proved to me that I do have willpower and I am capable of changing myself.  Well, I am going to need to hold on to that feeling and mindset, because I gained about 15 lbs since quitting.  Keep in mind that was when I was already trying to lose weight anyway.  Time for a change.
If you are still reading this, you deserve a medal or something!  Thanks for hanging in there.  Now I will get to what I plan to do to start a positive change. 

I'm starting the Ultimate Reset from Beachbody.  I signed up to be a Beachbody Coach almost a year ago.  I did it mainly to get a discount on my Shakeology and any workout programs that I chose to buy.  My friend Karen is my coach and she (like many others) had an amazing experience with Ultimate Reset in the past.  It really got her on a true and clear path to eating right and exercising.  She said that she lost inches all over, felt amazing energy, and even noticed better results from her workouts after doing the Reset. When I told Karen I was sidelined from working out, she suggested that I do the Reset.  Well, I have been wanting to do this ever since I heard about Karen's results.  The Beachbody Gods must have been looking down on me because the program went on sale for March!  I guess it was a sign!  

So tomorrow, it begins.  I'll be taking the supplements that should help clear some gunk and toxins out of my system.  I'll be eating 3 healthy meals a day with one healthy snack. The meals are specific to the plan, and they call for some unique ingredients that even this foodie has not tried. I'm looking forward to that part.  I am just nervous that I will be super hungry and turn into this:

 It may not be a pretty journey, but I will share it here on my blog in case you would like to follow along.  If you would like to jump in and join me, you can check out the Reset on my website - 

www.ultimatereset.com/colleenmac  If you want to wait and let me be your guinea pig before you buy it, I totally understand!  Feel free to follow along, hey I can always use some moral support.  I'll be back tomorrow to let you know how Day 1 went.  Wish me luck!