Fitness Friday: Snowshoeing, Yin Yoga and BodyPump!

Ahhh, I'm sorry for the radio silence over here...and therefore, the almost back to back 'Fitness Friday' posts. Such is life. But...I actually have workouts worth sharing this week, so let's jump right into it!

My week (which for the sake of these recaps begins on Saturday's) started off with a bang! In case you missed it, although I'm not sure how, since it's my only other post from this week (har har!), you can read all about my weekend in the mountains here.

Saturday: 10km snowshoe hike with a 310m (1017ft) elevation gain! I also walked/hiked a total of almost 15kms that day (22,331 steps).

Sunday: 75 minute Yin Yoga class (my new favourite style of yoga!) and a 3.2km hike. Also hit 11,738 steps that day!

Monday: BodyPump with Ange at Goodlife Fitness. The new release was killer. (8209 steps).

Tuesday: Off. Spent the entire day cuddling and napping with a very feverish toddler. Which would account for only 1585 steps that day - yikes!

Wednesday: Off again. But got in 7915 steps.

Thursday: BodyPump with Ashley for her very first class ever! I'm so happy to have awesome friends to go to the gym with! (12,015 steps!). I upped my weights today in class so we'll see how that feels tomorrow.

Friday: no plans yet. My house needs some serious housekeeping done, so we'll see how that goes first....ha!


YOUR TURN!

Best workout this week?

Favourite style of yoga?

Any fun plans for the weekend? I have some fun plans for being active this weekend, but I can't share them yet as they include my husband and it's a surprise!

*Linking up with Kris from Canadian Girl Runs for Fitness Friday and 

Jill Conyers for Living a Life of Fitness Health & Happiness! 

Alberta Adventure Girls Weekend Retreat

This past weekend, I had the incredible opportunity to join a bunch of fantastic ladies on an Alberta Adventure Girls retreat in the mountains! The Alberta Adventure Girls are a group of women from all over Alberta who share a love for adventure, the outdoors and the mountains. While there have been some smaller meet-ups for members, such as hiking, snowshoeing and axe throwing, this was the first ever weekend retreat!

The retreat took place in Kananaskis, and started out with a morning snowshoe hike to Chester Lake. I met up with Ange and Jen early Saturday morning to carpool and we arrived at the trail head just before 10a.m. The hike up to Chester Lake was intense as it's a pretty steady elevation climb of 310m (1,017 feet) and I'd be lying if I said I wasn't huffing and puffing for most of it! The good news is, it's all downhill on the way back! It's a 10km return trip and it took us about three and half hours including a half hour break at the lake and several stops to catch our breath and take some photos.

It was probably one of the most challenging winter sports activities I have ever done as snowshoeing while climbing a mountain is no nature jaunt. Snowshoeing seems to require use of different leg muscles than I'm used to, probably because of the wider gait and pointing of your toes to engage the crampons. It's a fantastic workout though, and is quickly becoming a sport I really, really enjoy! Here's my favourite photos from the hike. It was hard to narrow it down!

Once we got back to the car, we headed to the Delta Lodge at Kananaskis to check into our hotel rooms. Then we hightailed it over to Woody's Pub to celebrate with a beer and some much needed carbs in the form of a warm pretzel!

We had about half an hour before we had to meet the group for pre-dinner s'mores and Hot Toddy's, so we took advantage of the hot-tub in the hotel to soothe our muscles and get rid of the mountain chill that had set in.

Dinner was held at the hotel restaurant, The Fireweed Grill, and my meal was fantastic. I went with the Katsu Chicken and while I thought I'd be saving half for the next day, I ended up eating it all. Snowshoeing makes you hungry! Oh, and another beer was also enjoyed.

Post-dinner, I joined a few ladies for a dark walk around the hotel grounds before changing into my pyjamas for the pyjama party! More food, wine and girl talk were enjoyed before I crawled into bed shortly after midnight.

Sunday morning, we had a private yoga class which was such a fantastic way to start the day! Our instructor Sarah Elliot lead us through a 75 minute Yin practice and I think I found my new favourite style of yoga! So peaceful, calming and just what my tired body needed.

Up next was a delicious brunch buffet! I was famished and had no problem polishing off most of my plate.

After brunch, and once we had checked out of our rooms, we headed to do one last trail hike before heading home to the city. Troll Falls is a 3.2km return hike with very little elevation gain. It was perfect for stretching our tired legs while breathing in the mountain air. I say it every time I go to the mountains, but there's just something so healing and rejuvenating about being in the mountains. It does my heart and soul good. We didn't explore around once we hit the falls, but I plan to return one day to do so!

And that was my weekend! I walked/hiked almost 23 kilometres this weekend, I spent time with good friends and made some new ones, and I got in some much needed mountain time. Thanks to the Alberta Adventure Girls and Delta Lodge at Kananaskis for putting on such a fun weekend retreat!



Tell me something you did this weekend!

Do you prefer the mountains or the ocean? (I'm a mountain girl at heart!)

Favourite winter activity/sport? 

Linking up with Her Heartland Soul for Weekend Snapshots!

Fitness Friday

Today, I'm jumping on the Fitness Friday recap bandwagon. I've been thinking lately that I want to start keeping track of my workouts in hopes that it will keep my accountable and motivated week to week. I know some people enjoy these types of posts, and other's won't. That's ok, I hope to provide some inspiration or motivation if I can, but ultimately these posts are probably for my benefit.

That being said, I'm not really sure how I will approach said recap posts. Whether or not I will post weekly ones, which day of the week I will post them on, what I will call them, or if I will switch up the title posts. So many decisions! (Also, any input is always appreciated!).

Since this is my first ever fitness recap post, I'm just going to jump right into it. Also, while I'd love to have started this at the beginning of the year, I didn't, and my brain won't allow me to go that far back in time to recall all of my workouts. So I'm starting from last Saturday and working forward from here on out!

******

Saturday: my official return to the gym! I took in a BODYFLOW class at GoodLife Fitness which is a mixture of yoga, tai chi and Pilates. A great hour of waking up my dormant muscles. Plus the seven minutes of relaxation at the end of the class are the best!

Sunday: the return of my beloved BODYPUMP! I met up with some good friends for this class. I've never before had friends who go to the same gym as me, so this is a really nice treat!

Monday: off. So sore from BODYPUMP! I started a 7-day foam rolling challenge on instagram.

Tuesday: off again. Still sore, and so incredibly tired. Got in my day 2 foam rolling challenge.  I actually went to bed at 9 p.m. for the first time in months.

Wednesday: BODYPUMP. This time, sadly, I had to go alone, but it was a great way to end my day.

Thursday: 30 minutes of hill walk/run on the treadmill, followed by the infamous 8 Minute Abs video that Jo and Kaella have been talking so much about!

Friday: 30 minutes walk/run on the treadmill.

******

This upcoming weekend I'm heading to the mountains with the Alberta Adventure Girls (AAG) for a girls adventure retreat! We'll be snowshoeing on Saturday and yoga-ing and hiking it up on Sunday (amongst some other fun things)! To say I cannot wait is an understatement! I haven't been this excited for a weekend away since I went to Waterton on a bloggers retreat last fall!

Make sure to follow along on our adventures this weekend on instagram (and search hashtags #AAGRetreat & #AlbertaAdventureGirls) and on snapchat (user name: slicebrie)!


How was your week of workouts?

Group exercise classes: love it or hate it? (I LOVE IT).

Anything fun planned for the weekend?


*Linking up with Kris from Canadian Girl Runs for Fitness Friday, and Jill Conyers for Living a Life of Fitness Health & Happiness!

This post was written as part of the GoodLife Fitness Blogger Ambassador program. 

All thoughts and opinions are my own. 

Weekending: The Return of Body Pump, Meal Planning & New Books

Happy Monday, friends! Before we get into it, I want to congratulate Becky for winning my Blogiversary Giveaway! And thank you again to everyone who entered!

So anyway, I'm sitting here, looking in my day timer at how busy my week ahead is going to be, trying to figure out which meals I've picked out for the week to make on which days, and where to squeeze in some workouts at the gym. This past weekend, while not a very exciting one in the grand scheme of things, it was a pretty great one for me. I found myself back in the gym after a very long break (too long I might add), and I realized how much I really did miss group exercise, especially my beloved Body Pump.

But let's back up.

On Saturday, I took in a Body Flow class which is a mix of yoga, tai chi and Pilates, and it was such a great way to "wake up" my body and dormant muscles. At the end of the class, there are seven minutes of relaxation with the lights off, where you are just one with your mat, and I was shocked at how many people leave right before this. I get that people are busy and have other things to get to, but it's only seven minutes, and I feel like the relaxation part after a yoga/mind-body class are SO important. I also couldn't help thinking that maybe these early leavers just aren't mom's and don't realize how precious seven minutes of silence and calmness truly is!

Once I got home, there was no way we were going out anywhere, thanks to the nearly -20C weather! Instead, we finally got around to hanging pictures in our house and a new mirror that I bought like five months ago! It feels so good to check some things off the never ending house to-do list. I also finally took down all the Christmas decorations and Christmas tree. Wait, don't judge me! Ok, I really, truly do hate taking down the Christmas decorations, so I put it off for as long as possible. But this year, Sully has been over the moon to come downstairs each morning and turn on the Christmas lights all on his own, and I just couldn't take that joy away from him right away. Then of course, this morning he wasn't even phased by the lack of tree or lights so I guess I could have taken them down a lot sooner! Toddlers, I tell ya.

I also got my meal-planning done a day early since I knew I wanted to get out for groceries after the gym on Sunday morning. I really struggled to find/think of recipes for this week, and I'm actually finding that the hardest part of it all is deciding which recipe to eat on which day. I have to take into consideration ingredients I want to use up from the previous week, what activities we have going on during the day and therefore how much time I will have to make dinner, and what needs to be defrosted . It's been a big learning process, but I've been on track for two full weeks now and it's making a world of difference for us!

Here's a look at what we ate this past week leading up to the weekend:

Creamy Spinach Artichoke Pasta from Budget Bytes. Add this to your meals to make list. I will definitely be making this again. I threw in some chopped chicken to up the protein!

Creamy Chicken Curry. My aunt gave me a photocopy of this recipe from an old Walmart magazine, and I loved that it was simple and was all cooked in one pan on the stove top.

Cheesy Gnocchi Skillet from Budget Bytes. Another super easy, affordable recipe. Unfortunately, this makes a lot and I personally don't enjoy leftover Gnocchi (and neither does Sully), so I'd probably half this recipe if I ever make it again. (Also, food pictures, in the evening when there's no natural light aren't very pretty, so I apologize for that!)

Honey Garlic Salmon from Rasa Malaysia with Cheesy Baked Cauliflower from Healthy Recipes. This  salmon recipe was a bit too vague for me. I'm a pretty good cook, but when trying a recipe out for the first time, I like a little bit more direction. And some of the instructions were conflicting. I couldn't get the "glaze" like it said I was supposed to so my salmon dried out a bit. Still yummy, but didn't make for very good leftovers. The cauliflower on the other hand - DELICIOUS. Would also be good if you subbed the cauliflower for broccoli, especially given the price difference! Six dollars for a head of cauliflower right now! Which seems ridiculous, but then I can't help but think how most of us have no problem dropping 5-6 dollars on ONE drink from Starbucks, yet balk at the cost of produce.

Mini Chicken Pot Pies from Be What We Love---- which were little muffins of heaven. So quick and easy!

All of these recipes are pinned on my pinterest page as well!

Sunday, I was up and out the door by 10am so that I could meet some friends for a Body Pump class. It's been over two years since I did this class and even though I'm pretty sure I will be sore for the rest of the week, it felt so good to be back at it! I've missed this class, and to be able to do it with some awesome ladies made the experience that much better! Afterwards, we had a healthy brunch at Freshii and I had a delicious Teriyaki Bowl with chicken which I devoured.

{Jo, Jen, Saba, Ange & Me}

The rest of the day was spent reading books (both mine and Sully's), playing, listening to music and sorting through Sully's old clothes. I don't even feel like I buy him new clothes that often, yet I'm amazed at how fast the outgrown items pile up!

I started reading this book on Thursday night thanks to a bunch of you who recommended it after this post, and it is SO good, but it's also getting incredibly sad. My heart is so torn while reading it that I had to set it down last night and take a break.

Also, this book has been on my radar ever since Jo started mentioning it on her blog, so I took advantage of the free top-up points from Chapters last weekend and ordered it, and it arrived on Friday (the other two are still in transit). I'm not sure when I will have time to get to it, but I'm really looking forward to it.

Anyway, longest "weekend recap" ever, am I right?!


Tell me how your weekend was!

Best meal you ate? 

Book you're reading right now?

Body pump - have you tried it? Love it or leave it?

Linking up with Her Heartland Soul for Weekend Snapshots! 

Currently…{January}

I'm not sure how you guys feel about these posts, but they are some of my favourite to write (and to read on other people's blogs who do them), so I hope you enjoy them!

It's a new year, a new month and so here's a look at what I'm currently up to:

Thinking about: my mini-goals I made for January and how while I'm rocking some of them (meal-planning - still going strong!, read 3 books - almost there!, go snowshoeing - check!), I'm failing miserably at the go to bed by midnight one. And while I hate to use the word fail, I honestly cannot think of a better word to describe the situation. Because not only am I not making it to bed with the lights out before midnight, I'm not even close. For some reason, my bedtimes have been out of control this past month! We're talking 1am, sometimes 1:30am. And it's starting to take it's toll on me since I still have to get up in the morning with a toddler. I wouldn't call it insomnia, far from it, because it's not that I'm trying to fall asleep and can't, it's that I'm literally just not going to bed until after midnight because I'm not tired. Of course, come morning, I am, but in the evening, I feel like I could stay up all night. Sigh, what is wrong with me?!

Reading: I just finished Bird Box (scariest book EVER!) and I'm actually not sure which book to read next. I'm deciding between The Light Between Oceans by M.L. Stedman, The Pact by Jodi Picoult, or The Husband's Secret by Liane Moriarty. Tell me which one I should read!

On the topic of reading, I've also been thinking about how I'd love to have a little on-line book club here. While I love reading, it's the most rewarding and enjoyable when you have someone (or people) to talk to about the book afterwards (or during even!). This is one of the things I like most about a book club. I can let you guys know a book I'm going to read in February at the end of this month, and then at the end of February I'll post a little review and we can discuss the book in the comments. We could also do a link up if people wanted to write their own post. I'm open to suggestions! Eventually, we could even vote on a book to read so that I'm not always the boss ;)

Listening to: So, I'm a HUGE Pitbull fan, like, his songs never get old for me and they are my go-to workout playlist songs. When I got my new vehicle, it came with a free 3-month subscription to Sirius radio and there's a Pitbull station! It's pretty much the only station I've been listening to this entire time, haha! This song is an oldie, but I just can't help but want to dance every time I hear it come on.

Watching: The Bachelor!! Ben is just adorable and the girls are as crazy (maybe even crazier?) as usual! I love that my husband is just as into this show as I am. It's too early to pick my top favourites, but so far I really like Caila, Amanda, and Lauren B. And I can't wait to see more crazy from Lace and Olivia!

Eating: I still have a long way to go with completely cleaning up my diet, but I'm happy to report that all of the cookies, sweets and chocolates that made it's way into the house over the Christmas holidays is almost all gone. I've been consistent with my meal planning since the beginning of the year, and that definitely is making a difference in eating healthier dinners and then healthier lunches since there's always leftovers for the next day. On the weekend, I whipped up a big batch of baked oatmeal which takes the guesswork out of breakfast and also ensures that I eat something nutritious and filling in the morning.

Wearing: At the moment I'm wearing one of my brand new Victoria's Secret bras that I talked about buying in this post and I'm not sure I ever want to wear another bra again! This thing is so comfortable! And what I love about their sports bras for maximum support is that they have built in cups so you're still left with so much shape, but tons of support. No more pancake boobs for me!

Looking forward to: Snowshoeing in the mountains next weekend with some good friends!

*****

Your turn! Tell me: 

Are you a morning person or a night owl?

Which book should I read next? The Light Between the Oceans, The Pact, or The Husband's Secret?

Would you be interested in joining me for an online book club? I promise it will be super casual, and you don't have to have a blog to participate! 

If you haven't entered my blogiversary giveaway, what are you waiting for?

Happy Blogiversary to Me & A Giveaway!

I can't believe it's been 4 years since I started my little blog. Technically, my blogiversary is on January 2nd, but with the New Year and all the goal talking posts I wanted to get out there, I thought I'd hold off until this week to have a little celebration!

When I started my blog 4 years ago (then called Eat Books), I really had no idea what I was doing. The beginning of a new year seemed like a great time to start, and while I had wanted to start a blog for quite some time, I didn't put a lot of thought or planning into it before jumping in. Somehow I survived and navigated my way around the blogosphere and html. It's amazing what you can learn to do from a simple google search! In hindsight, I'd probably approach blogging from the get-go a bit differently, but I'm grateful I took the leap in the first place! 

I initially started Eat Books because, to be honest, I was too scared to write about my life and put myself out there. I also wanted a way to remember and cherish the books I was reading and somehow I had stumbled upon a whole world of book bloggers (something I didn't even know existed until then) and I was inspired to start a book blog. You can read my very first post ever here. (It's hard not to cringe at our early selves, isn't it?) Eventually, I realized that writing book reviews and limiting myself to just posts on books was getting tedious and a bit boring. It started to feel too much like school work and I wasn't enjoying it anymore. I also was beginning to feel more motivated and inspired to start blogging about other aspects of my life, not just the bookish side of it. Eventually, I took the plunge and changed my blog name, created a Facebook page and started to re-brand myself, if you can call it that. 

I'm definitely no expert or big-shot, nor do I pretend to be one, but I'm proud of this little corner of the Internet and how far I've come. I enjoy writing and sharing my writing and I'm forever thankful for the people who read what I have to say.

I haven't made a big ado about any of my past blogging anniversary's, mostly because, despite being a blogger, I don't like to draw attention to myself (I know, makes no sense!), but this year, with where my blog is at and with all the friendships I have made because of this blog, I knew I wanted to give away a little something.

So, after putting a lot of thought into it, and thinking about where this little blog all started from, I knew I wanted to incorporate some bookish aspect into this little giveaway.  I love, love, love to talk about books and give book recommendations to pretty much anybody who will listen. Last week, I shared my best reads from 2015 (there were 8 of them!) and I'd love to give one of those books to one of you! Of course, my favourite way to enjoy a good book is with a hot cup of coffee so I'm also including a $10 Starbucks gift card (you can spend it on tea or hot chocolate if that's more your style!). 

The winner will get to choose between these 8 books, and the book will be shipped to you via The Book Depository, and the $10 Starbucks gift card via email. In the hopefully unlikely event that you've either read all 8 of these books or feel strongly that you would prefer a different book, I'm sure we can arrange something! :) 

I can't thank you all enough for your support over these past 4 years - for reading, for your comments -and from a lot of you, your friendships! 

This giveaway is open internationally and ends on Sunday, January 17th at midnight MT. Good luck and thanks for entering! 

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1 week down, 51 to go!

Did everyone survive their first week of 2016? Are you still feeling motivated by all the goals you made for yourself? This is my first time really taking my goals seriously. I know it's only been one week, but I don't ever remember having this much awareness or motivation in the past when I've made goals. Maybe it's because I'm older now and since having a kid, time passes by even faster than I ever thought possible and so I'm more aware of how precious time is, especially the time I get to myself? Remember when we were younger, like college days young, and the days in-between a weekend were the longest days ever?! It would feel like eternity until the next weekend rolled around. I want that feeling back.

Anyway, in my neck of the woods, it's been a pretty great week. I kicked off last Monday morning with a trip to the grocery store, armed with my grocery list made from the meal planning I actually did the night before. I have to admit, I felt like a real grownup, perusing the grocery store with my list and crossing things off. And I didn't even stray which is HUGE for me. Of course, grocery shopping with a toddler takes a lot longer and while my little companion was a great sport the entire time, I'm thinking I'll try to get out on Sundays for groceries when I can.

{snack monster…strawberry stains and cookies!}

Some of our meals from the week:

Tomato & Basil Crustless Quiche - this recipe I got from one of my favourite cookbooks ever, Quinoa 365. I've actually made a lot from this book and we've loved everything I've ever cooked. This one was no exception, but I definitely need some work in the whole learning what eating a normal serving size feels like, because I felt like I could have eaten 3x this amount. This recipe also heated up really well for lunch the next day.

Baked "Oatmeal Cookie" Oatmeal from Budget Bytes. This actually wasn't even on the meal plan menu, but Saturday I felt like making something warmer and savoury for breakfast and I quickly stumbled upon this recipe on pinterest. I love recipes that require ingredients that are already pantry staples for me. I added chocolate chips and some walnut pieces to mine. I'm already looking forward to breakfast this week since this makes a lot!

Friday night I went out to my book club to Smuggler's Inn, which was really the perfect restaurant to tie in with our book, The Revenant. All day I knew I wanted to get steak, and so steak I did. Although, while there was nothing wrong with my meal, I always find the steak sandwich at restaurants to be a little underwhelming. And a whole lot of brown on the plate! Included in our meal though, was the salad and soup buffet so I did get in some greens and veggies beforehand, just no pictures.

Mid week, a really good friend of mine was passing through town and stopped in to spend the night with us. I've decided that mid-week visitors are a great way to break up your week! Carol and I have been friends since nursing school, and while our lives have taken us to different cities, when we do get to see each other, it's like no time has passed. That's the best kind of friendship if you ask me.

Carol is also one of my most adventurous friends and she brought along her snowshoes. She's so smart though, that when she bought her pair, she bought two pairs so that someone never has an excuse not to go with her! Brilliant. After Sully's nap on Wednesday, we bundled up and headed to Fish Creek Park where I crossed one off the ol' bucket list (and my January goals list!). I'm not really sure what I thought snowshoeing entailed, but it's much easier than I expected, and I already can't wait to go again.

I also got on the treadmill four times this week and ran for the first time on Saturday. Into the mix, I also threw in some quick little workout videos to compliment my hill walking. I feel like it's been so long since I regularly worked out that my new approach is going to be to gradually increase my workouts (both in length and intensity) in hopes to build a habit of being active instead of just a phase. I think I often jump in 100% head first without any acknowledgement to my muscles or body. But this time, I want to be kinder to my body and accept that I'm essentially starting from zero right now. Which means I can only go up, right?

Other exciting news:

I finally bought new sports bras. My boob size has been all over the map since getting pregnant. First they got really big. Then after the first several months of nursing they seemed to deflate a bit back to normal, but then I couldn't really remember what my "normal" size was anymore. Throw in a bit of weight gain, and they last thing I wanted to do was invest in expensive sports bras when I didn't know if I was at my new normal size. So basically, I've just been wearing a regular old bra with a crappy old sports bra on top. Shameful and not very comfortable! I finally got to the point where I realized I was avoiding working out some days because I DREADED putting on my two crappy bras. So ya, long story long, I took advantage of Victoria's Secret sports bra sale today. With the purchase of a sports bra, you get a pair of leggings for free! And I definitely don't need anymore leggings, but you guys, when I tried them on, I was sold - the higher rise holds everything in real nicely and they were just comfortable all around. AND, as a pretty short person, they aren't too long! Only bummer was they were so picked over in colours that I had to settle for pretty much black everything.

And thanks to Becky and Leigh for telling me about this tank…of course I couldn't go home without it!

Friends, tell me how your first week of the year went!


Best meal you ate last week?

Favourite type/brand of sports bra?

Have you been snowshoeing before? Love it or leave it?