Healthy Rewards = Pretty Shoes

Thanks to everyone who has weighed-in on Operation Motivation. I'm proud to say that for the last two nights, I've power-walked throughout the neighborhood for at least 45 minutes. Doesn't sound like much, but I'm getting there. And, for dinner last night, I made a very healthy chicken dish. I marinated the chicken in a mango-curry sauce, and served it with asparagus and apples, along with a cucumber and tomato salad. Had to also include some angel hair pasta tossed in olive oil for the kids. Two thumbs up!

So, after I post this, I plan to go for another walk, perhaps throw a jog in as well. Again, baby steps.

Don't you think I should reward myself with some new shoes for this effort? Seriously, I think these Multi-bellie sandals from Canafora are a must-have for this gal.

I saw these babies on Summer is a Verb's blog post the other day and fell into complete lust with these darling shoes. Alas, me thinks I would need to run a complete marathon to justify the reward of said sandals. Oh, well, a girl can dream, can't she? Besides, shoes adorned with bells are not very practical when you're trying to sneak up on your kids to see what kind of mischief they're up to. Yeah, need something more stealth for those missions. :)

Happy weekend, friends!

Image courtesy of Canfora Capri Sandals





Motivation Needed - Suggestions Welcome

What motivates you to exercise and eat healthy? To just get up and run? Besides the obvious benefits, how do you muster the strength after a long day at work, caring for your kids and all of the other aspects of life that make it difficult to find time to focus on you?

A group of us at work are going to start using the livestrong.com method to track dietary and fitness endeavors, but without an actual person saying, "Get off your butt!", I'm worried that I won't keep up with recording my meals, my exercise, etc.

So, dear friends, if a regular fitness routine is part of your life, how do you fit it in? What activities do you do? Do you prefer early morning or evenings? (Sorry, I won't ask about late morning/midday, because that's just not my reality.) And, have you ever used (for a fee) an online fitness consultant, such as Beth from Shut Up and Run?

And, hey, if anyone is willing to try a "virtual" fitness motivation effort, I'd love to hear from you guys. Perhaps we could chat via email each day to discuss what we've done, what we need to do and urge each other to get moving and eat healthier. Let me know if you're up for that. Too bad so many of us are spread across the globe - I think a walking club among several of us would be such fun! Seriously, can you imagine the laughs we would have? :)

It's Thursday, friends...I'm scratching and crawling my way to Friday. It's been one of those weeks. Sigh.
Image from thefashionfrugalista.wordpress.com

Step Away from the Candy and Get Off the Couch…

My new down jacket from The North Face - love it!

So, 2010 begins this Friday and yet again, I’m resolving to get in shape in the New Year. With the cold weather and gray days/dark nights setting in, it’s very easy to just crawl under the covers, watch TV and pack on the pounds (a recap of last winter). But, this year I’m determined not to let that happen. For one thing, I received some great workout clothes to motivate the style maven in me. Who wouldn’t want to work out in cute clothes?

Seriously, though, I wanted some warmer workout clothes to brave walks in the neighborhood in colder weather, you know, when I actually pull my sorry butt off the couch. So, Mom gave me some fabulous fleece pants and an extra soft fleece pullover, both from The North Face. At first I thought they wouldn’t keep me too warm, but I had to take them off in the house after a while because I broke out in a sweat! So, should be great for the outdoors. Then, Hubby surprised me with a wonderful down jacket, also from The North Face, that is perfect for running around outside. It is so warm and comfy. I wish I had a full bodysuit made out of the material! Prior to this Christmas, I’d never owned anything by North Face – just thought it was a fashionable outdoorsy brand. But, I’ve been impressed so far. What do you think of The North Face? Like/dislike? Any other active wear brands you would recommend? (I had tried ordering some items from one of my favorite retailers, Title Nine, but unfortunately, they didn’t have many sale items left in my size.)

Get this: I even brought my running shoes to work this morning so I could run the stairs during lunch. Wow, I must really be getting into this. So, after eating my peanut butter and jelly sandwich this afternoon (lunch of champions), I’ll hit the stairwell. Really, I swear. :)