June Challenge: Ease Into Summer

I feel like an old lady today. I did a few wimpy pushups and squats yesterday, and now I can hardly move. Clearly I'm not in very good shape!

The first thing I did this morning was rush down to the gym in my building to weigh myself (last week, in a fit of decluttering, I donated my scale to charity). The scale revealed a very scary number, but not a surprising one. It's time for me to get my butt back in gear! It's time for a challenge! :)

This time of year, there are all sorts of workouts/diets floating around that target getting yourself ready for swimsuit season, but that's not really what I'm looking for (not to mention that I would need wayyyyyy more time, and perhaps plastic surgery, in order to really be "bikini ready").

No, my challenge is all about being kind to myself. I've had a lot to deal with the past few months, and I want to take care of myself with healthy food that won't make me feel like garbage. I want to ease into summer gently.

For the month of June, I'm not going to track my meals or count calories or points. I am, however, going to do my best to eat really healthy food. At this point, I'm planning to use Joshi's Holistic Detox as a guideline. When I followed the detox last year, I felt amazing. I want to feel that way again.

Since I'm "easing" my way back into healthy living, I'm making a few modifications to the detox:

• I'm not giving up my coffee (let's face it: depriving Katie of caffeine isn't being kind to anyone). 
• I'm not giving up fruit.
• I'm going to allow myself two splurge meals each week. For example, tomorrow I have plans that include a free pizza lunch. I'm not passing that up!

I'm mainly keeping Joshi's Detox in mind because I'm familiar with it, and it will give me some rules to follow so my challenge isn't too vague.

As for exercise, I am getting back into a routine. However, I'm not going to make it a formal part of my Ease Into Summer challenge. One thing at a time. :)

Now, there's a chance that I won't be able to maintain this challenge as I've set it out once we officially put the condo up for sale and start showing it... but I'm going to try my best and modify my guidelines as necessary!

I printed out a June calendar so I can give myself a sticker for each day I keep to the challenge! I'll be weighing myself again at the end of the month. I can't promise daily posts with pictures of all of my meals, but I'll try to update often.
How are you easing into summer?

Back to Balance

Well, bloggies, it's been awhile.

The past few months have been hectic. I want to thank everyone for their kind comments after my father died. Obviously, it was a difficult time for my sister, my mother, and I, but we all pulled together and had a lot of support from friends and family.

In other news, I'm done school! I'm very proud of the fact that I was able to complete my B.Ed. successfully. The last few weeks up in Thunder Bay were extremely difficult for me. Thankfully, I was almost done my coursework, and my professors were very good about giving me extensions. I came back to Toronto for March Break and then completed my final five-week student teaching placement.

For the past few weeks, my mom and I have been doing a lot of packing and cleaning at our condo because... she's selling it! We're still in the cleaning/painting/repairs stage, but it will hopefully be listed soon. This means there are lots of open houses and showings in the near future... not to mention finding somewhere else to live! My mom is probably moving out of the city, so I'll be out on my own once again.

In other news, I will be returning to my old job (teaching college math) in a couple of weeks. I'm really looking forward to getting a paycheque again!

In terms of healthy living habits, I have not had many the past few months. I've gained a LOT of weight and have had to buy new, bigger clothes (more than once...). But now that school is done and I've had some time to rest and relax, I feel ready to get back on track. I don't know yet what that will look like, but I have exercised for two days in a row. I've also found myself eating some Joshi-like meals.

Tonight's dinner consisted of a tofu and veggie stir fry with brown rice! I mixed in some arugula at the end for extra greens. It was delicious!

I also realized today that June 1st is approaching. I'm toying with the idea of some kind of June challenge for myself, but I'm not sure what that should consist of. I'm afraid that if I make it too strict (such as follow Joshi's Holistic Detox for the entire month), I won't be able to succeed. We will likely be showing the condo a lot in June, and there will be times when I won't be able to really use the kitchen. I don't particularly want to join Weight Watchers again, either (partly because I can't really afford it). Any ideas?

At any rate, I hope to blog more frequently now! Stay tuned...