I decided that July was going to be dedicated to focusing on health….mainly mine. I needed to step up my fitness goals and revamp my/our eating habits a little despite the fact that it’s summer, HOT and all that sounds good is eating out and having ice cream on a daily basis.

Just because we have “Coconut Pancakes in Pajamas” on our summer to-do list doesn’t mean that I have to stray from my goals and lose focus. I had seen these Biggest Loser pancakes on Pinterest and decided to make those for when we had our friends over for breakfast last week.

I’m happy to report that they were reeeallly good. They were dense, hearty and filling and with a few fresh berries, some coconut and a little sugar free syrup, totally satisfied the flapjack craving. I will most certainly make these again, doubling the recipe to make extras for easy, microwavable breakfasts during the week.

As mentioned, too, I am taking part again in {45 Miles in July}. Same gist as June, but Marta upped the mileage to 45 in July…I went a little crazy last week and attacked the pavement and the elliptical. I’ve been walking up to our clubhouse {2 miles round trip} and doing 5 miles on the elliptical while I’m there! I can do 5 miles in an hour ~ one hour {plus about 30 minutes walking} out of my day for ME. For me to think, reflect, plan, daydream, reminisce, cry, sweat. Yes, I am tired at 7:00pm when I take off, but once I am out the door and in motion, I am invigorated. It also helps that I have a slew of Instagrammer friends that cheer me on and keep me motivated. Their sweet comments and likes as I report my daily mileage are just the fuel I need to get me out there every afternoon or evening and KEEP GOING.

And this weekend I told my self that just because it IS the weekend doesn’t mean it’s OK to take a break. Olympic athletes don’t not train on Saturdays and Sundays so why should I?

True story…yesterday I watched Cupcake Wars whilst on the elliptical for an hour. To some that may be the ultimate fitness fail, but it kept me striding along because I just had to see who won the battle of the buttercream! Hey, whatever works, right? I’d rather watch others bake and decorate than do it myself and be tempted.

Perhaps America’s Next Top Model would be more appropriate. Next time.

And previously I would take the weekends to bend the healthy food rules a bit and chalk it up to {it’s the weekend} and tell myself that I would start strong again come Monday morning. Uh, easier said than done, of course.

This weekend we enjoyed our town’s first Summer concert in the park and while this is usually a time when I spend the afternoon preparing a fun picnic, this time we ate dinner before we went and just brought some snacks for the kids and ONE adult beverage to sip. We did indulge in a scoop each of good old fashioned Thrifty {Rite Aid} ice cream afterwards. I am logging my meals and snacks into an app called My Fitness Pal and had a thousand calorie deficit for the day, so I treated myself…

{Yummy Circus Cookie!}

I didn’t feel guilty for having this. I had worked for it all week and it was worth every calorie.

And yesterday we grabbed a quick lunch at Chipotle before catching a movie. Chipotle is my fave. Like I could eat their salted, limey chips and guac multiple times a day fave. Jay and I sometimes will share a carnitas burrito, but I’m sure there are still gazillions of calories in a half as those things are bricks wrapped in foil! Yesterday I decided to get a salad with chicken ~ no tortilla. no rice. no cheese. no sour cream. no guac. no chips. Just lettuce, black beans, fajita veggies, chicken, corn salsa and hot salsa. I got the dressing on the side and just dipped my fork in it from time to time. It was delicious and I had no urge to sneak a chip or ask Jay for a bite of his scrumptious steak burrito.

These are all baby steps. Baby steps that will hopefully add up to one big step towards a healthier & fit me.

Yes, it’s hard because I am someone who loves to try new comfort food recipes and bake s’mores brownies, but it’s harder to get further and further away from your health and fitness goals as each year passes.

*****

It’s only been about 8 days, but I’m already feeling better. My head is clear and I am focused.

One baby step at a time.