Cameron Family Fall Trip: Day 2

my beautiful sleeping bear keeping me company while I blog

 I am surrounded by adorable sleeping bears!  One is a very big bear who makes loud bear snoring sounds.  And one is a very tiny, new bear who makes quiet bear snoring sounds...so should being my first children's book!

view from my bathroom window - not bad

it's a foggy rainy one

pulling up to the Keltic Lodge

Adam stayed up literally all night while we were at the Chanterelle Inn with a terrible head cold.  He tried alternately to take hot and steamy showers to relieve the congestion and watching Netflix to take his mind off of his misery.  With him up and down and my little man doing his squirming routine beside me, this mom and pop did not get much sleep last night.  

Right now, we are at the majestic Keltic Lodge Resort and Spa and my bears are both out cold!  I am hoping that if I just let Adam sleep, then the cold or flu or whatever will leave his system.  Meanwhile, Boone and I are healthy and I feel a little cooped up because it's raining (no hiking) and if I leave the room, Boone will wake daddy up (no exploring or gym use for me).  Sooooooooo, I have to be creative in this lovely large room we have.  

Here I sit on the floor with my beautiful little bear sleeping beside me as I type and pray for Adam's speedy recovery.

Dinner is in the Highland Sitting Room this evening, and with any luck, I shall get a workout in today and tomorrow in the gym here.  Not to mention, hiking!

Cameron Family Fall Trip: Day 1

we stayed in the main lodge

We just had the most wonderful experience for our first night on the Cabot Trail.  We heard about Chanterelle Country Inn from a friend who said they did locally sourced, delicious meals.  Well, they lived up to the hype!

last night's supper: pork roast, corn bread pudding, sauteed veggies

The setting here is absolutely gorgeous: 140 acres of farmland where you can find the namesake mushrooms.  

Something that I am really starting to appreciate when I travel, is the absence of televisions and phones in the room.  You just feel instantly relaxed when you step into a room where the only technology is some old lamps!

we are ready for bed!

 Now we are ready to hit the road again.  Next stop: Keltic Lodge Resort and Spa in Ingonish!

How are you planning on enjoying the changing colours of the leaves this autumn?

Training plan: progress report

seeing some definition!

Progress report! I just finished the 6 week Alpha round of T25 and started the Beta round today. I am 14 weeks post partum now. 

did my hair and makeup too!

 I've been carb-cycling as well, following Chris Powell's plan as laid out in his book Choose More, Lose More for Life. I am so encouraged by my results! I still have my donut of fat around my belly button because this is where my fat is stubbornly stored on my body (the boobs are because of breastfeeding!). 

Let's have a look at my inspiration photo again for comparison's sake.

I still have a little ways to go but as I'm holding my 4 month old in my arms and looking at my photos, I feel pretty darn proud of myself!

I stopped tracking my weight and inches because, well, I just don't really care.  I have never been a fan of the scale and I'm more concerned about how my clothes fit and how good I look in the mirror!

Anywho, I can't wait to see more definition come out. Hard work certainly pays off!

Goal pants

shirt Old Navy/ necklace Forever 21/ watch Guess/ pants Club Monaco/ shoes Target

 

 

 

 

 

 

Victory!  I am into my goal pants.  I have had these beautiful Club Monaco stretchy, skinny black pants hanging in my closet and waiting for my body to get svelte again for almost 2 years!

I originally purchased these pants about 2 summers ago while I was completing my Basic Officer's training in Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu.  Montreal is close by, so I shopped until I dropped!  Because the pace and intensity of basic training is so, well intense, I was tiny!  When I tried on these pants for the first time in the store, I felt like a hybrid supermodel/rockstar (basic training is also good for confidence).  They have these sweet zippers on the front lined in leather and make my legs look long and lean.  Naturally, I bought them.

Soon after basic training, I got back into school and gained weight and I actually split these pants in the bum!  Fortunately, I had a talented tailor repair them because I just knew that one day, I'd be back in them!

Fast forward to today, pregnancy and 3 months post partum, and the goal pants are back on!  I felt so good zipping these up that I paired them with these killer heels from Target.  I call them killer because while they look fierce, they also kill my feet.  Oh well, we were sitting a lot because we went to the Strollers and Stars show at Cineplex cinema where they welcome parents and their littles.  Adam and I love this weekly show because we love going to the movies and are so glad that we can still do this with Boone!  Notice, Boone is wearing his first pair of shoes too!!

Clearly, T25 Focus and my diet are working!  I will be posting my final results pics soon as the final two days of my 6 week challenge are here!  And I will be celebrating with an awesome reward meal...I'm thinking burger and ice cream...

What are your goal pants?  Maybe goal dress?  And how do they make you feel?

Saturday workout: TRX

I have the marvelous blessing of belonging to a fitness group for local mammas called the No Excuse Moms.  There are chapters all over North America with the goal of inspiring moms to make their health and fitness a priority.

bridges with heels in the straps - great hamstring exercise

One of the great things about this group is that they regularly organize free group workouts!  This past Saturday, it was a TRX workout hosted by an awesome local gym, Cyclone Fitness.

TRX Suspension Training is an adjustable strap system. It is hung from a fixed place and you can do innumerable exercises with it.  I had done TRX pre-prego and I loved it but this was my first time back in the straps since giving birth and it seriously kicked my trash!  I find that it really works my core - so important after baby!

Cyclone Fitness was so generous and gave us free water bottles and 5 trial classes for us and a friend!  I am seriously looking forward to checking out their other classes like Kettlebell, Spinning, and Barre!

It was so good to throw in a different type of workout because I find that my body can become accustomed to my workout routine and then I feel like the results plateau.  I am still hard at the T25 Focus, and will post my final results at the end of this week!

What kind of workouts are you trying these days to shake things up in your fitness routine?

Family vacation time

 We are having our first family vacation, as a real little family!  It fills my heart with such joy to be able to enjoy beautiful sunny days and little adventures with our little man.

We are visiting Adam's family in New Brunswick and we leave tomorrow morning to meet up with my aunt and grandma on Prince Edward Island.  We are going to stay at Dalvay by the Sea which, from the website, looks like an absolutely gorgeous hotel!  Apparently, William and Kate (the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge that is) have visited this historical place.  Well, we will just have to wait and see if it is up to Cameron standards!

Boone has been loving our walks

Then we are back to Halifax for Monday for Labour Day as Adam is on duty.  I love vacationing but it is always good to get back home and back into a routine and reality.

Not to mention, my diet and workout routine has completely derailed for the past 4 days or so.  It is almost impossible to maintain a certain diet when you cannot control your food environment and your schedule is all wonky.  Oh well, I have been running with jogging stroller and niece the past few days and it is awesome and challenging...hopefully compensating for my less than stellar eating!

Now it's time for bed.  Gotta get up early, get packed, and hit the road for the island!

Wishing you and your family a beautiful long weekend!

Healthy and fit on route 66

blueberries/Quest bar/whey protein powder/almonds

 Don't you just love the title of this blog post?  My hubby's idea.  He is such a weaver of words, a wordsmith if you will.  English degree going to work.

Anywho, we are about to leave for our end-of-summer vacation - a mixed bag of emotions, a little bit of sadness and a little bit of excitement.  We will be driving to New Brunswick to spend some wonderful family time with Adam's famjam and then to Prince Edward Island to enjoy a weekend at a picturesque hotel, Dalvay by the Sea.

I am trying to eat really clean because I am currently in the middle of my FOCUS T25 challenge.  I am starting to see some results and I don't want to derail my progress.  Well, if 6-pack abs start in the kitchen, then healthy snacks are a must and preparation is key!  It would be all too easy to stop at gas stations along the road and grab a yummy slurpee and a bag of chips (what cheat days are for).  

What I'm packing:

1. Whey protein powder - hubby just got me this cute shaker cup with a removable powder compartment, it's genius!  There are no blenders in our car so I can load a scoop of the powder into the bottom of this cup and wait until I'm ready to mix it with some water.  We buy whey protein isolate from Costco, by the way. 
2. Quest bars - these are sooooo yummy.  High protein, low carb, high fibre, and come in many delicious flavours!  I feel like I'm treating myself when I eat these and I constantly have one in my diaper bag for when I'm out and about and can't find a healthy snack.  The combination of protein and fibre is very filling and keeps me satisfied for a while.
3. Blueberries - delicious and nutritious, enough said.
4. Almonds - a handful of raw nuts is a wonderful source of healthy fat and fibre which satisfies my hunger pangs.  Note they are raw nuts, not roasted, not salted, not toffee covered.

   

   Quest bars (prego belly)

Of course, I'm also packing a big cup of water filled with lots of ice and lemon slices.

Now I'm set for the trip and will arrive at our destination feeling satisfied and happy that I stuck with my diet.  Good start to what will no doubt be an awesome family vacation.

What do you pack for snacks during long car rides?