Blog Archive

Monday, January 31, 2011

Motivation Mondays: How Do You Measure Success? & LuluLemon Picks!

I got a question on my formspring page today asking me whether or not I've lost weight or inches from working out.

I've definitely lost inches on my body---and gained muscle mass--- but I only know this because of how I look and how my clothes fit. I don't weigh myself or take measurements.

I'm not on a weight loss journey like some health and fitness bloggers are, so weigh-ins and measuring are not part of my life, nor do I want them to be.  When I watch shows like The Biggest Loser or Heavy, I completely understand the weigh-ins because they really have to track their progress to make sure that they are losing the amount of weight they should be and to ensure their eating and workouts are effective.

When I made the decision to work out regularly, I did it for my health of course and to improve the look of my body by toning it.  So, that's how I assess my progress nowadays---by what I see in the mirror and how I feel

In the past, I've weighed myself regularly and measured myself and I became obsessed with the numbers and that's not where I want to be

I want to feel good about how hard I work and in order to do that, I can't obsess about the numbers on the scale or how much my hips measure. I've been there, done that---and I never feel happy because I feel like I'm not getting results (even when I am.)  Now, all it takes is just looking at myself and pulling my skinny jeans on to know that the results are there.

I was shopping at LuluLemon with Candice this weekend (and OMG do they ever have amazing stuff out right now!) and I even proudly flexed in the mirror as I tried a tank on.  That's how I measure success these days

How do you measure your workout success?  To clarify, I'm not saying I never weigh myself---I do. Maybe once every 3 months or so.

Speaking of LuluLemon---hello gorgeous!  I'm absolutely loving all of the stuff they have in store right now and I'm tempted to pay a visit again next weekend and make a purchase or two.

Here are my top picks:


 

Wunder Under Crop- Organic


Speed Up Tank



I just love that minty green color they're featuring in a lot of their styles right now! It's so fresh and pretty! They also had these adorable pleated mini skirts (or skorts, I think).  If I played tennis more often I'd definitely have bought one!

In more health news, I finally switched to regular oatmeal for breakfast and I LOVE it!  In my last post where I mentioned it, a lot of my lovely readers encouraged me to switch because the flavored formulas had so much sugar in them.

This morning I tried the Quaker brand rolled oats for the first time and they were awesome.  I prepared them just with water, put it into the microwave and then I added some honey and cinnamon powder.  To top it all off, I also added fresh blueberries and strawberries. YUM!  The best part? It kept me full until lunchtime at 12:30 p.m.

Isn't it so pretty!?  I'm really glad I made the switch and thank you to all the ladies who pushed me in this direction!

I had my veggie soup for lunch, almonds as a snack, peanut butter with Kashi crackers as a snack, some chicken and pasta for dinner and a few bites of H's cinnamon bun for dessert (I had to restrain myself from eating the entire thing!)

Since my colonoscopy is next week, I want to start eating well now and continuing to eat well after "the great cleanse of 2011." I'm praying the cleanse will eliminate my sugar cravings.  I can hope, right?

Thanks for reading!

xoxo,

Veronika.