The Weekly swEATS – Sweats & Eats

As I mentioned last week, Theodora and I have teamed up this month to be accountability partners.

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We both have found that when life gets in the way, we often sacrifice our wellbeing. I tend to grab unhealthy snacks and dial in the workouts while Theodora says that her downfall is wine and takeout.  These unhealthy habits can lead to unwanted pounds and lack of energy.

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Inspired by Roni and Carla, the women behind the #wycwyc movement, during the month of June, Theodora and I are holding ourselves accountable for the things in our control: eating healthy during the day and working out. Our goal is to workout daily as we both get huge energy boosts when we work out regularly. Instead of taking a rest day, we will take an active rest day or two each week, when we practice light yoga or go on a long walk or easy bike ride. This will allow us to clear or mind daily but ensure that we don’t injure ourselves. In regards to food, Monday through Friday, we are focusing on healthy, wholesome food for breakfast, lunch and snacks.

Treat your body and your mind right with healthy foods, exercise, rest and relaxation. I promise you will see greatness and have a Healthy, Happy & Smart Life. #HealthyHappySmart

I am lucky to have amazing friends and colleagues who have filled my June calendar with fun evening events, many of which include happy hours and dinners. Instead of feeling guilty about a glass of wine, or two, that I enjoy with them in celebration, I’m committing to remaining in control of what happens during the day.

In order to stay accountable, I’m taking pictures and keeping track of my food and workouts. Each week this month I’ll give you an overview of my food, in the form of notes and images in addition to my regular workout roundup.

SWEATS

  • Monday – Walked through Dublin all day, covering at least 7 miles! Heck, we had to power walk just to make it to the Guinness Factory before it closed!
  • Tuesday –  A post-work 3 mile run
  • Wednesday –  4 mile interval run on treadmill
  • Thursday – CXWorx class + 10 minutes running at 8:20 pace
  • Friday – Easy 3 mile morning run along the lake + 60 minute yoga + meditation class after work which will go down in the books as the weirdest class ever taken!
  • Saturday- 6 mile run with my speedy friends Sandra & Amy
  • Sunday – 5 mile walk through Geneva with my parents

EATS

Breakfast:  In addition to my to-go mug of French press coffee, I brought one of the below breakfasts with me to work each day last week. My routine is to enjoy my breakfast for ten minutes while sorting through my emails.

  • Greek yogurt + 1/4 c Kind Protein Granola + Banana
  • Greek yogurt + 1/4 cup oats + 8 chopped strawberries + cinnamon + dash vanilla extract
  • Large gala apple + 25 almonds
  • Greek yogurt + 1/4 cup oats + 1/2 banana + sliced almonds + cinnamon

Lunch: Our office has a large canteen or lunchroom which features cold and hot options. I stick to the salad bar 99% of the time since it’s often a healthier option. However, I caught myself loading my salad up with multiple servings of healthy fats and proteins. This month my goal is to keep my protein portion to one and healthy fat portion to one. The rest of the salad is filled with lots of fresh vegetables. I add some spice and flavor by topping it with lemon juice, balsamic vinegar, fresh chives, and spices from our spice bar.

Snacks: During this challenge, cleaning up my afternoon snacks is one of the biggest challenges. I found myself snacking aimlessly sipping a second coffee and a sweet snack each afternoon. I’ve swapped the coffee and cappuccino habit for a cup of green tea. My favorite is Twinings Gingerbread green tea paired with one of the below snacks.

So there you have it, week one of my swEATS! In the future, we’d like to make this a group challenge, but for now, we’re taking things one step at a time. This month our goal is to share our workouts and meals with you, which was a popular request during last week’s giveaway.

Want to join in the challenge? Let us know what goal you want to be held accountable for this month!

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13 Comments

  1. Abby @ BackAtSquareZero June 3, 2015 / 1:54 am

    That is amazing. I know when I get stressed I tend to reach for all the wrong foods, having an accountability partner will be wonderful.

    • ashleyd June 3, 2015 / 9:58 am

      Stay strong Abby and make sure to PLAN so you have the right foods!

  2. CARLA June 3, 2015 / 9:24 am

    I NEEEED ACCOUNTABILITY EVERYTHING TO MAKE ME GET BACK TO THE YOGA MAT
    (When Im there I wont shout 🙂 promise)

    • ashleyd June 3, 2015 / 9:57 am

      Watch what you ask for! I’m the queen of helping hold others accountable! 🙂

      • Theodora June 4, 2015 / 2:18 am

        Carla, she is not kidding.

  3. Christen June 3, 2015 / 12:43 pm

    Sounds like a great plan and having a friend do it with you is even better!

  4. Gianna @ Run, Lift, Repeat June 3, 2015 / 3:54 pm

    I just started working with an RD (more to figure out Crohn’s food issues but also to help drop a few more) but my accountability comes with boredom eating. When home at night for a long stretch after work I just start grazing! I think it is great to have an accountability partner!

    • ashleyd June 7, 2015 / 4:09 pm

      Good luck Gianna! It really does help to have an RD or accountability partner!

  5. Lily Lau June 3, 2015 / 5:20 pm

    I definitely need to print this and take it with me everywhere! 😉

  6. Angie June 11, 2015 / 9:25 am

    I love this idea and would like to join as have been really struggling to stay accountable with my sweats and eats too!

    How did you and Theodora decide to become accountability partners? Maybe it’s just me, but no one seems to want to talk about this stuff, when it’s actually really important.

    • ashleyd June 11, 2015 / 11:20 am

      Hi Angie! We talked about it more in the first week’s post but basically we both knew that this month was going to be a busy one and staying on track – Theodora before marathon training and me before the move, would be tough. It helps so much to have a friend!

  7. Brittany June 11, 2015 / 4:11 pm

    LOVE this as much as I love you and Theodora. 🙂

    I’m all about having an accountability partner — it really helps.

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