Grumpy Monday

I have bipolar feelings about Mondays. Some weeks, I couldn't be more excited for a fresh start, to get stuff done, to take care of business. Others...I'm grumpy, demotivated, and bitter because the weekend is over.

Today is grumpy Monday.

What's getting me through this Monday?

Biggest Loser and Castle are on tonight back to back.

I found this in my stash of Victoria's Secret loot. Eyeshadow heaven.

My hair was semi-cooperative this morning.

My husband made me laugh this morning. Smiling just thinking about it.

I have a double-chocolate Muscle Milk chilling in the fridge at work.

I got a decent parking spot, so I won't have to walk a long ways after I get out of class.

Chris and I get to start CTS360 today! (Post on that later)

***Update: I read this talk by Elder M. Russell Ballard. Warm fuzzies. Read it!***

How To... + A Disclaimer

How To... posts are tricky. If your not an expert, should you write a How To... post?

Well, I've had a few people ask me what my tricks are to getting up early to go to the gym. 

Now, I'm no fitness expert and I don't have the body to prove it, but if there is one thing I am consistent at, its my workouts. So, if you like working out in the morning, but struggle getting out of bed and to the gym-I hope this helps.

I wrote a very similar post back in October...when I had barely been doing this for a month. A lot of the ideas are similar, but my perspective has changed and I do some things differently.

1. Make sure that your alarm clock is out of reach, preferably far enough away that you have to get up and out of bed to turn it off. I use my iPhone as my alarm and have titled my morning wake-up call "Get Skinny." Having to get out of bed and see that is hard to say no to.

2. Have your gym clothes in a convenient location, all ready to go. Part of my nightly routine consists of gathering my gym clothes and putting them to the bathroom-because the second my alarm goes of I head there. For me, getting dressed and ready to go is the hardest part, so I do that ASAP.
3. Start your car. After I get dressed I run out and get my car started. This is especially beneficial in the winter months because your car can defrost and warm up. This also puts me on a time table to finish getting ready and get out the door. I don't want to waste gas!

3. Eat and/or drink something. This helps give you energy for your workout and helps you to finish completely waking up. I usually eat an apple or banana and my preworkout N.O.Xplode.
4. If you can, have a buddy to go with you. Last semester I went alone because my husband had to be in class at 6:30. This semester he has been going with me, and it has made a world of difference!
5. Put your brain in zombie mode. It is easy to talk yourself out of going. On those mornings where I'm struggling to get motivated, I try my best to turn off my brain. I try not to think about why I don't  want to go or how much I want to get back into bed. I fall back on my routine and hope that it can get me there. The first few weeks will be hard- leave yourself notes in places you'll see them as you're getting ready reminding you why you are up at such an ungodly hour.
6. Go to bed early. During the week, my husband and I strive to be in bed by 9:30 at the latest. It seems super early, but that's only 7.5 hours of sleep. I also look at it this way- if you're getting up earlier, you're getting more time out of your day. You'll be more productive and be able to go to bed earlier. 

So, there you have it...happy early mornings!

"Motivation gets you started, habit keeps you going."

A day when...

Valentines Day is a day when you...

 sleep in and only workout for half an hour,

run around the apartment like a mad woman, hoping to pull of a surprise for your sweetheart,

cuddle and then cuddle some more,

eat too many rolls at Texas Roadhouse,

 go to a furniture store (or two) and sit on couches even if you don't have a couch or room for one in your studio apartment,

watch a movie in bed,

...

& spend the whole day with your #1.

I meant to post this yesterday...but I was having too much fun with my husband to blog. I hope you're all enjoying your sugar hangovers!

If You Give a Girl Some Ice Cream

If you give a girl some ice cream, she'll definitely want some caramel and crushed Oreos to go on top.
Once she's eaten the ice cream with the caramel and crushed Oreos, she'll be craving something salty to counteract the sugar.
When she thinks of something salty, french fries immediately come to mind.
If she goes through the drive-thru at Wendy's, she's going to want to get a hamburger to go with it.
Once she's eaten the hamburger and french fries, she's going to feel sluggish.
If she feels sluggish, she won't be able to do anything productive.
If she is unable to be productive, she'll lay in bed and watch Grey's Anatomy on Netflix.
If she starts watching Grey's Anatomy on Netflix, it's likely that she'll be unable to stop until her husband comes home from work.
Chances are, when he husband gets home from work he'll be tired and want to unwind by watching Duck Dynasty.
She'll probably just watch Duck Dynasty with him.
While she watches Duck Dynasty, she'll realize she's hungry again.
She'll mention said hunger to her husband, who also realizes he's hungry.
He'll get up to find them something to eat, and he'll return with a carton of ice cream.
Despite the unproductive, sluggish day...she'll eat the ice cream with her husband-wishing she had saved some crushed Oreos and caramel to go with it.

#petpeeve

#Ijusthavetogetthisoutofmysystem.

#hashtagsarefortagging

#notforlongphrasesthatshouldbeusedinyourcaption

#hashtagsdontworkonfacebookoronyourblog

#Phew. #Thanksforlisteningguys.

Quinoa Quinoa Quinoa

At first, I didn't know how to pronounce it...so I thought I'd do you all a favor. :)

I've been hearing a lot of quinoa chatter on pinterest and amongst healthy people. I was curious to know more, and I wanted to try some. A good friend of mine gave me a recipe and came over last night and helped me make a delicious salad.

 

It was super easy! All you do is prepare 1/2 of quinoa to 1 cup of water/ chop up a red onion, a tomato, a green bell pepper, and a red bell pepper/drain a can of black beans/combine in a bowl/ refrigerate/ add spices to taste.  Its virtually zero calories and is so yummy. 

My Apologies

My apologies to anyone who follows me on pinterest. I'm sure the floods of running advice, diets, and fitspirational images are getting slightly annoying.

The truth is, my motivation came to a screeching halt mid-January. It was cold. I was feeling fat and useless-a horrid combination. This resulted in too much TV, not enough homework, excessive snacking, and no progress on the scale or with the measuring tape.

Its quite frustrating when you feel like you are putting in adequate effort and nothing is happening. I was going to the gym every morning at 5am...that should be enough, right?

Welp, not so much if you end up binge eating around 4pm and resort to watching Friends re-runs for the rest of the night.

So, I'm trying to recommit myself and put in the effort in other places. 5am workouts don't do much if you eat them away. Trying to get a 4.0 isn't going to happen in front of the TV.

Even if I tread water for the next few months-not making any significant progress...it is still 100% better than watching the scale climb and the grades drop.