July Favorites

I don't normally do these since I can never think of a list of things to post. This past month I have thought of a handful of things I am loving and thought you should know about!

1.  Yasso Frozen Greek Yogurt - I love these! I have tried the Mint Chocolate Chip, Chocolate
     Fudge, and Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough. They are 80 calories for one bar! Plus they are helping
     my ice cream cravings. Delicious!

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2.  Minion Glass - Two of my favorite people, Addison & Nylah (Lyndsey's daughters) gave me a   

     minion glass for my birthday! LOVE IT! How can you not love minions? 

3.  PB&J - Yes. I am serious. For some reason I am back to my 1st grade years and I am eating 

     Peanut Butter (Creamy Jif & strawberry preserves). I felt like a giant kid on Sunday with my 

     PB&J and minion glass. It's easy and delicious. 

4.  Quest Bars - The Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough one is my favorite, but I am loving them! When 

     I went through one of the most difficult weeks these were the only thing that I could eat. I like the 

     Cookies & Cream, Chocolate Brownie, S'mores, and more. I have a White Chocolate Raspberry to 

     try later this week and I would love to get my hands on a Strawberry Cheesecake. :)

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5.  Rachel Platten - I love her "Fight Song." I can't stop listening to it. 

What are you loving? 

Feeling Switch

Happy Tuesday! I got a beautiful surprise at work today! My friend Angie sent me flowers! They were even my favorite flower... Roses! As you can see below I definitely stopped to smell the roses. She has been an amazing friend through this whole process. Don't know what I would do without her and my other family & friends!

This evening I came home and again I did NOT work out. Why? I didn't feel like it. Is that an excuse?  Absolutely not!! I came to realize something while sitting here watching TV and coloring though. I am avoiding trying to feel my emotions. I am so tired of dealing with all of these raw emotions that I have been distracting myself. I napped, read, watched TV, and colored most of last week and the entire weekend. I did have a cold so I didn't go out like I had initially planned to avoid getting others sick.

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I am tired of feeling everything! I have asked multiple people if there was a way to just stop feeling, even for just a day. There isn't. So I have been distracting myself. Most of the time it has been TV and coloring. I am watching a TV show while focusing on coloring and the colors I am using. This is generally while also texting friends and family. So I shut my coloring book and turned the TV off tonight. I picked up some clutter that has accumulated and cried for a while. It sucked. I am not going to lie, but I did it.

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It may be hard, but I am going to try and stop distracting myself right now. Allow myself to feel and try to be okay with how I am feeling. I don't know what this means for my workouts and eating. Working out always makes me feel better; however, I believe I have been avoiding it because of what I think about during that time. I need to get back on the wagon though. I just need to remind myself I am strong and I will get through it. I have a feeling it is going to be me picking myself up and falling for a few more months, but I will NOT QUIT!

Run Against Hunger 5K

I decided to sign up to run a Run Against Hunger 5K alone on July 11th. It was something I wanted to do on my own without any support. At least I thought I did. My Mom and Aunt Mary decided to come and cheer me on that morning. Thank God! I really needed them there more than I knew.

I started to get nervous the night before and was even more nervous that morning. Thankfully the 5K was only a few minutes from my house. I did get there around 8:00 am to pick up my packet and get mentally prepared. My Mom and Aunt Mary showed up about 5 minutes before the race, which really made me feel great! It was nice to have someone there cheering me on after the past few months.

I started the race hoping to get under 40 minutes. The couple other times I ran outside I ran under 40 minutes; however, I wasn't sure how I would do. The times I did run outside I walked more frequently, but I believe I was running faster than on my treadmill. My plan was to just do my best. In the end I ran the race in 39:08:17. My best time yet!

Considering everything that has been going on in my life since the beginning of May I am really happy with this time! I am proud that I signed up for the race and did it! I have definitely fallen off the wagon and have been struggling lately, but I refuse to give up. I promise there is a post coming soon on what has been going on these past few months. 

What have you done recently that you are proud of? Let me know in the comments below!

Running

This Saturday I have a 5K. It is the first one I have run in two years and I am nervous. I have been running/walking on the treadmill since the first week in January. My time has definitely improved over the past six months, but it is definitely different then running outside.

Multiple people have told me I would run faster outside. To be honest I have no idea what speed I am running while cruising around the neighborhood; however, I think it is faster. :) I am walking a few more times than when I am on the treadmill, but my time has been under 40 minutes for the 3.12 miles for the first time.

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I have one more run outside planned this week, but I will have to see how I do on Saturday. I hope to just be able run most of it and do it in under 45 minutes. I would really like to do it in 40 minutes or less though. 

I hope you all have a great week. Let me know if you have any big things coming up soon!

Happy 4th of July!

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I hope you all have a Happy 4th of July! Have a wonderful day no matter what you may be doing and please stay safe.

July Goals & June Recap

Good Morning! I hope you have all had a wonderful week. Mine has been pretty good. The weather in Michigan has been great! Plus considering the past two months of grieving I am feeling a little better. I will have to wait and see what the future holds. I know I will continue to have ups and downs. 

June Goals:

• Workout 3-4 times per week 
• Start cooking and eating healthy
• Track meals in MyFitness Pal daily

In June, my goals were to just get back on track for the most part. I didn't do great, but it wasn't horrible. As far as working out 3-4 times a week, I do not think I made it every week, but I have definitely picked it back up again. I am tracking in MyFitness Pal. My plan to eat healthy was a joke. I still ate pizza, ice cream, cake, cranberry & vodka, cheeseburgers, and more. Ugh! I ate like crap and I have felt like crap. 

I do not feel one bit guilty. These past two months have been some of the hardest of my life. I am having to adjust my daily living and I have just started to feel I am ready to begin to pick up the pieces. I am taking it moment by moment, day by day. 

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In July, I am going to start picking those pieces. One at a time. I am not in a hurry. I know I need time to heal and rebuild. I am strong and I will get through wherever this road takes me. I am just focusing on myself and finding peace.

My July goals are listed below. Let me know in the comments what one or more of your goals are for this month!

July Goals:

• Workout 3-5 times per week 
• Eat healthier & cook/prep food more
• Blog 2 times a week
• Sign up for DietBet & try to hard to win