Hey guys! Hope you all had a FANTASTIC Christmas/Holiday weekend. Mine was incredible. I am very blessed with a beautiful healthy family, wonderful friends, and a great boyfriend who knows me all too well. I received such cool goodies- theyre going to surely be used big time come 2012. Some of those goodies included a vacuum, baking pans, crock pot, large grill, blender, my first pearl necklace, an AWESOME pace/running watch (Soleous) and some cash money to spend at lululemon- my favorite workout gear store. If it wasnt clear before, its clear now that my late twenties will be devoted to becoming a better cook 
It was great to be around everyone, especially since I could focus on family- happy that I was sticking to my plan. I made sure to get my workouts in (some at home- including kettle bell squats that left me quite sore for the road trip to Chicago) and I was able to eat great colorful, nutritious food despite their being option upon option of heavy comfort filipino food.
I adore the feeling associated with a long table adorned with gorgeous dishes everyone throws together with their own tender loving care, however I know the way my body would feel if I were to dive into these dishes every day of the holiday weekend. Ive been there before, and its not worth it. Personally I was very proud that I went through the holiday feeling great not beating myself up for the treats I did consume because I felt in control. I didnt feel relieved that the holiday was over because I was sick of eating, I was actually just excited to get back to my food/favorite dishes that I whip together to suit my own personal taste. Fortunately I had plenty of shrimp, rice, vegetables, and oatmeal concoctions to keep me satisfied throughout the holidays.
Regardless if you stayed on track or totally got off the train, hopefully you really enjoyed quality time with your family and were able to honor the reason for the season- whatever that may be. Here are some fun pics we took over the weekend:
Now for this week’s blog, as we are finishing up 2011, I wanted to recap what made my year incredibly fulfilled, ie my Top Ten Tools of 2011 that helped me reach my Health and Fitness goals!
1. Heart Rate Monitor. I purchased the Polar heart rate monitor so that I could better estimate my calories burned during the workout. It helped me work harder throughout my workouts and also gave me a much more realistic view of what I needed to consume each day whether that be to lose weight or to maintain my weight. The little skin irritation it may cause is the only downfall because I wear it often, however if you dont wear it EVERYTIME and use it as a guide, you shouldnt encounter this problem.
2. Road bike- I bought my women’s trek 2011 road bike at Bicycle Garage Indy after my old vintage Bianchi bike had been stolen. One of the best decisions ever. It was light, comfortable, and I was able to be the fastest Ive ever been (computer to track pace etc). I enjoyed long rides for a workout with partners and had tons of fun racing to the various finish lines.
3. Triathlon Races- Some of the most fun Ive had in my life. Swimming in choppy open water, biking to the best of my ability, and striding to finish on foot. I trained here and there but doing one every 3 weeks was really the only training I needed. I was able to maintain my group exercise schedule, add swimming to my workouts, and kick some butt in Indianapolis, Chicago, and Nashville. I started out thinking I could do some Sprint distances to see how they felt, but after LOVING the Olympic sized distance, I know 2012 will incorporate a few longer ones. I also had such fun celebrating afterwards with some of the coolest of gals. Aint no party like a party with people who thrive off of competition! Quite the definition of “Work hard, play hard.”
4. Hot Yoga Classes- I cannot claim such beautiful positions, yet, but I have totally fallen in love with the straining efforts, concentration, meditative peace, deep stretch and message behind these classes. Its such a wonderful combination to add in a rigorous workout schedule. Part massage part high intensity workout. Im very excited to get stronger and longer with this addition to my routine.
5. Sweaty Bands- Hands down the BEST head bands ever. Nothing has ever stuck to my head through sweaty workouts or just bad hairdays like these. THE BEST. Wearing it here amidst a hiking adventure. www.sweatybands.com
6. Shakeology - I talk about this all the time and yes I sell it. However it took me a long time (3 years) of having it in my life as a nice treat before I realized what drinking it every day did. Its eliminated my cravings, gives me energy and holds off my hunger. I can only eat so much in a day, and from 3:00 on I really only consume liquids, I dont eat dinner until 9:00 at night. As someone who also calorie counts, not only does this 150 calorie snack/meal replacement taste like a milk shake, it provides such key nutrients (over 70 ingredients) much of which youd find at a whole foods store. Need stronger skin, nails, hair? Need more energy? Need your muscles to recover faster? Need help with digestion? I will continue to introduce people to it because it is wonderful and the people who drink it daily like me reap SUCH rewards. You can always let me know if you want a sample or if you want to get in on any challenge where we commit to drinking it every day.
7. Blender- Thered me no shakeology for me if there wasnt something that whipped it up in my specific fashion- frosty/frothy! I love that it tastes like a Wendy’s frosty, only better, and Ive actually had my share of testing out blenders. As much as the cuisin art helped me out, and the ninja does the trick, nothing makes it as smooth as Kitchen Aid. Kitchen Aid would definitely be my recommendation- unfortunately I got it for my mom instead of for me. But it will be my next blender purchase since I use it everyday Im sure that wont be far from now.
8. Beachbody Gloves - take my Turbo workouts up to that extra notch. Helps me scorch an extra 100-200 calories every class and helps work those upper body muscles. I dont necessarily lift weights. I just punch hard!
9. Dr appointments (Dermatology and Dentist)- So whats the point of working out super hard and eating right if youre not getting your check ups? My skin and teeth were something this time last year that I wanted to address. I did it and my skin has never been clearer, and many of you may or may not know but I actually am going through invisalign right now. I didnt have braces growing up because my teeth were relatively straight and I didnt NEED them. As an adult, my wisdom teeth were continuing to crowd and the small imperfections were something that drove me nuts. I realized that if I didnt do something about it, I would need to shut up about it. Instead of shutting up, I got the braces and cant stop talking about invisalign and how excited I am. My advice is that if you feel strongly about something and it will help you shine in the way you know you can, go after it. Make sure you are coming from a place of love for yourself. I could have apologized and told myself “Maria you dont need to do this for yourself, its silly” but instead I told myself “why the heck not, Maria you NEED to do this for yourself, be a little selfish, vain even, and get that smile you’ve always wanted”. Invisalign has been great. I cant wait to show you the end result!
You may be able to see up close the “invisable” braces.
10. This Site and YOU GUYS- Being able to share with you all my story and hopefully have it help you has been such an inspiration for ME. Im not sure how it affects everyone else but I know I love reading certain people’s blogs and realizing that there are so many resources. So many people are just like you and me, normal human beings with busy schedules, but still make their health and fitness dreams come true. I have accountability in sharing my tales with you all and I love being accesible in this format to address questions I get from you all left and right. I wish I had more time after class to talk to everyone and facebook is wonderful, dont get me wrong. As I pursue my future in health and fitness, I thank you guys for giving me a reason to try new things, stay true to myself, and put my best foot forward so that I can be the best Maria possible. I know 2012 will be INCREDIBLE and I am so stoked to see what all we can experience together.
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!
xoxo, Maria, Like the Lettuce, Romaine
[...] reading on Maria’s blog that Sweaty Bands were one of her best purchases in 2011, I had to give them a try. So I went to their site and found a local store that carried them and [...]