Let’s play catch-up

I feel like I haven’t blogged much about my life in the last little while, except for the odd workout routine report. My schedule was jam packed this month. So it was a little overwhelming both in personal, and work life.

The night of “The Event” (call no event planners. I’m IT.). 200+ guests = 2 months of planning, designing, ordering. Everythang. Off the hook for another year!

Add to the fact that my Boyfriend has to work every single weekend up until Christmas (not fun!). I felt like I haven’t had any time to catch up, with all of the giveaways happening last week and again tomorrow.

I decided to take a week off working out to just do things at home. So no CrossFit journal this week!

What I did instead:

  • I made some Lemon Poppy seed muffins.
  • I vacuumed out my oven (lol… I really need oven cleaner)

  • I painted some ceramic piggy banks for my nephews for Christmas.
  • Then wrapped Christmas presents.
  • Organized the house a bit.

  • Decorated for Christmas (and my office too!).
  • Organized my closet and purged some clothes.
  • Ran 4.5km

  • Walked Alfie in the snow

  • Came inside to bake some breakfast cookies (they taste healthy… so they’re not my favorite haha)

  • Walked 4km with Alfie to bring the breakfast cookies to the boyfriend at work

Sometimes you need to take a step back and really adjust yourself. I did manage to keep up with the push up challenges every day (day 33 today!!). 

I also felt like NOT going for a run this week just because it was on the Saturday and not our regular Sunday morning run. Steve the guy who is coaching me texted me on Thursday mentioned that it’s important to keep the routine going, and get me used to a regular weekend run.

(Saturday morning view! About to head out on the run)

So I did, we went for a 4.5km run and honestly? It was one of the best runs. Steve told me I took 40 seconds off my pace from last week. So that made me smile so huge, and definitely made me feel like a million bucks.Last week I mentioned my pace was averaging 7 minute/kilometres. Saturday? 6:20min/km (which is still a 10:11min/mile). Bam! It’s still not as speedy as I would like. But when I used to run faster, my breathing was also a concern. Now I’m slowing incorporating controlling of my breathing, with the distance and add in speed after the fact. Guys… I could go on about running for a whole entire blog post.

Moving on. I can’t believe I’m saying this, because I have way too many samples and cancelled all but two subscriptions (I’m with TopBox & GlossyBox for now). But I re-subscribed to Glymm again. At least for the month of December. I was sucked in by KayleeBob‘s tweet saying that there are gift cards in the December box, and you’re guaranteed at least a $10 voucher for their online shop. Which I’m obsessed with, since I get to use all of my referral points for such goodies. In fact, I recently purchased the Stocking Stuffer Holiday Special for $35 which has a value of $135. Each bag has 10 travel sized samples, a gorgeous gold makeup clutch, and a $40 gift card to Glymm’s Online Beauty Boutique. You’ll have to purchase it by Wednesday December 5th in order to get it for Christmas.

Anyway, so there ya go. A lil’ long recap of what’s been going on in my life :)

I think I’ll save all the winners from last week’s giveaways and just do them all in one blog post. How does that sound?

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This is My Better: My fitness journey

I guess it’s about time I explain why I’m posting all sorts of photos of me hoisting up goodies that Sport Chek sent me, all while using the hash tag #MyBetter on twitter.

I am now part of the Sport Chek campaign called #MyBetterMVP / #MyBetter. They have contacted some Canadians and sent along an inspiration kit to help us reach our personal bests. My inspiration kit has already been featured on my instagram and twitter (@spiffykerms for both).

Sport Chek has reached out to a lot of athletes in all sorts of areas of fitness. Everyone has all sorts of goals when it comes to being healthy and fit. I’m here to help people stay inspired and motivated.

These are “my” sports: climbing, soccer, running, CrossFit, and hiking.

I’m not training for anything in particular. I am however, training to be the best person I can be. I want to stay healthy, fit, and happy. I’ve tweeted numerous times that I’ve been in cranky moods, feeling lazy or just have a headache. I head to CrossFit and after a long hard workout, I’m feeling on cloud 9 again. You never hear someone say they regret a workout, do you?

What inspired me to begin my fitness journey?

I don’t think it ever really started anywhere. I’ve always been quite active in my life, ever since I was a kid. I was involved with soccer, dance classes, my Dad teaching me baseball in the back yard. Being the only neighborhood girl, as I had all boy neighbours to play with thus me being quite a tomboy as a kid – I had to keep up with them. It wasn’t out of the ordinary that you’d see me hanging upside down from tree branches!

 Or even now, years later — just doing handstands at home.

It wasn’t until I was in my teenage years when the local climbing gym opened up, that’s when a passion started burning in me and that was when I was full-tilt doing my “hobby” which also worked out as exercising. Bonus! It was my hangout place, and I’ve met most of my long-time best friends at that climbing gym, who now read my blog on the regular since I live a 3 hour flight away.

Some amazing friendships have come out of climbing. Hi friends, you know who you are!!

Johanna and I. May 2012 at the climbing gym back home in Newfoundland.

Lori (my first climbing partner ever, circa 1995!!), me and Kerry. We always meet up for a climb when I fly home.

My bestest friend in the whole world, Trevor. Anytime I fly home, I immediately go to his house and hang out with him. He’s the funniest person on the planet. He’ll probably read this and be embarrassed (I hope not! Sorry! lol) that I’m posting a shirtless photo of him here on my blog. Here we are circa 2005-ish. Taking a break from bouldering.

I took a break from climbing for about 5 years after moving to Ontario (I’m from Newfoundland), because there wasn’t a climbing gym around me. That all changed, during summer 2011 when four local guys opened up a climbing gym here in my city.

From there I kept up soccer throughout high school, and still play now. Occasionally I throw in a random sport whenever I feel myself getting bored of my routine. I started CrossFit on a whim, because in the winter’s is when I usually slow things down a bit. My “running buddy” introduced me to CrossFit back in February 2011, and I’ve been hooked since.

I feel like if I don’t work out on a regular basis, I get in a bad mood. That doesn’t mean I work out every day though, because that too puts me in a bad mood (ha!) since I feel like I’m rushed in the evenings and feel as if I don’t have time for anything else.

I’ve recently gotten into Yoga as well. I had a two week trial membership at the local YMCA. But didn’t want to go buy a $60 month membership when I’m currently spending almost double that to attend CrossFit monthly. My local CrossFit box is now incorporating Yoga, starting in October. You betcha bottom dollar I’m excited for that to start.

I absolutely LOVE my job – it doesn’t feel like work at all. I’m a Graphic Designer/Marketing Assistant, and sit all day at my desk from Mon-Fri: 9-5, so I need some physical activity. I have tried to work out in the mornings but I’m really not a morning person, and I’m quite lethargic if I try to do so. I save my workouts for immediately after work, and then come home to make dinner, do some chores and hang out with my little family of my Triathlete boyfriend and our Pomeranian dog.

So. That my friends is #MyBetter, my fitness journey. This is just the beginning, for both you and me. Sport Chek is allowing me to host giveaways to help you reach your goals too.

A few questions:

What do you do, to stay active and lead healthy lives?

How do you stay motivated?

What do you do, to get out of a bad/cranky mood? Do you workout?

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Not-So Wordless Wednesday

These are MY sports. I enjoy what I do, and luckily it doesn’t ever feel like a chore. This is #MyBetter

  • Climbing: Since 1995— check out my very first belaying card (the white one was my first lead belay)!
  • Soccer: Since I can remember
  • Running: I started up “for real” in 2008/2009
  • CrossFit: Just passed my 1½ year mark
  • Hiking: whenever my boyfriend and I travel out West. 

Speaking of soccer. I’m officially coming out of soccer retirement tonight. I was invited by my CrossFit coaches to play on their new co-ed indoor soccer league this winter. Soccer is the only sport that makes me sick to my stomach nervous (besides signing up for running races), until I get on the field.

I think I’m going to hurl. We got our schedule on Monday and it’s pretty jam-packed from September-March. The reason why I get nervous with soccer, is because I know what I’m capable of, and if I don’t play to my full potential I get annoyed with myself. I know, it sounds so ridiculous and you’d think I’d get over it with time, and sometimes I do. But I haven’t played in about a year and I hope I can show my team mates how I can do, tonight.

How do you stay active?

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