Things I'm Leaving Behind in 2017

Here's to a New Year.

2017 was difficult my me and my family. In the past year my husband and I have tried to overcome many obstacles within our personal life and with his own health struggles. Year after year it seems that our relationship is tested and with every overcoming test our relationship strengthens. While we've been so wrapped up in ourselves the year seemed to just fly by and I don't feel as though I accomplished a lot.

It was a quiet year on my blog, as I post little bits and pieces of my own life on this blog I'm not going to start posting about other people or struggles between myself and my husband on here. My husband is an extremely private person and doesn't like to be present on a lot of social media platforms. He's been struggling this past two years with an injury that hasn't allowed him to go back to work and we've been fighting with the insurance company so he can get the best treatment possible.

I've been saying a lot in 2017 "I don't have time for people who wish to bring negative energy to my life", I've been much more choosy about who I've been spending my time with. So here's a list of things I'm trying to give up this year so my family and I can be happier, to help shed the weight on our hearts and to have more peace going forward.

1. Give up the need to impress others
2. Give up complaining
3. Give up the need to control the uncontrollable
4. Give up the need to always be right
5. Give up blaming others
6. Give up excuses
7. Give up negative attachments
8. Give up toxic relationships
9. Give up the saying "I'm too busy"
10. Give up my fears

I'm hoping for a year of lighter hearts, I wish to take more quality time to spend with my family, I want to smile, laugh and do more things that I love but continue to put off because "I'm too busy". It's time to take the focus off of the negative and put more energy into my family. It's time to slow down and enjoy all the positive things in life.

Here's to all the good times ahead - HAPPY NEW YEAR!

What I've Learned From Being A Victim Of Crime | Lifestyle Update

It has been so incredible hard to sit down and put into words what happen to me & my family in December. If you saw my Fitness Update post from February, you would have seen that I mentioned I was the victim of crime.

I don't want to share too much detail as I am pressing several criminal charges against the person whom attacked my home...twice...but I do want to share some of my experience as I felt very alone and like there was no one around to help me during this time. Perhaps sharing what I've gone through could help someone who has been the victim of crime recently or help someones home security so they do not become a victim of crime.

Our attacker came to our home twice, I'm still not clear on what they were hoping to accomplish, before I was able to have them arrested....and even then it was a very long month before things were somewhat resolved. Unfortunately because the first attack was on a Friday night and then the next attack was on Sunday night I couldn't do a lot over the weekend. Monday was really the first day I could run around and ask questions and beg people to help me. I am very sad to say that the person whom damaged our property and threatened us is a family member of my husbands.

By the time Tuesday rolled around I was heading downtown to court to get a warrent for the persons arrest....which was granted but unfortunately our attacker ran and was able to outrun the RCMP. As he was not a high priority person of interest I was told I would have to wait until he resurfaces in order for the arrest to be executed. This took 24 days.

I lived for the next 24 days in compete panic and fear of my families safety. We were completely unaware of if this person was going to return to our home, if more damage was going to be caused to our property,ect. I didn't feel safe leaving the house period. I wasn't even leaving my home to walk my dog and I never wanted to be left alone for any reason. Basically this meant that if my husband needed to go out I would be calling up a friend or family member to come and sit with me.

On the 24th day when this person resurfaced I was told that my warrant had expired...which was in the fine print of my paperwork which I should have read more carefully and I would have to go back to court to obtain another one. I returned to court and my warrant was executed that day....THANK GOODNESS! Finally a feeling of relief.

I know that this is all far from being over but at least we have taken a step in the right direction to keep our family safe.

I am so thankful to say that even though we had several thousand of dollars in damages done to our property my husband & I were very lucky unharmed. We did receive verbal death threats and my husband was physically threaten with a weapon but thankful some ice on the driveway saved his life. Basically when his attacker lunged at him with a hammer he fell to the ground and allowed my husband a few seconds to get out of harms way.

Being a victim of crime can really put your life into prospective. This experience has put some several things into perspective and has shown my family that we are NOT prepared with our home security.

I used to be one of those people who thought....this would NEVER happen to me. We didn't have any sort of surveillance or security system in place - but now we do. I think this is so important now, even though you don't think you need it it's not a bad idea to be prepared. You don't necessarily need to bring in a home security company and spend a lot of monthly fees. Honestly figure out what's important to you and find a self monitoring system. It's a lot cheaper and it just gives you that piece of mind.

Be careful who you trust with information. Unfortunately our attacker (being a family member of my husband) knows a lot about our home. We trusted him with privileged information and he even knew our daily schedule. Be cautious with whom you give out information to.

Have an emergency family plan. The first thing that I did when I figured out that someone was breaking into our home was panic! I knew that we had weapons in our home to defend myself but I couldn't find them and I even struggled unlocking my phone and calling 9-1-1 during the incident. Having a emergency family plan and knowing where everything was and what I should do could save your life. Even if this wasn't a family member but someone just breaking into my home the police suggested that the better thing to do would have been to flee my house with my animals. Knowing the safest way to flee your home, how to defend yourself against an intruder and a family meeting place are all important things that I never sat down and planned out with my family before.

Our Puppy's 5 Month Update | Ms Pam Blam Life Update

Our puppy, Bear, is now 5 months old....WOW! When did that happen? It feels like we just got this little guy. Bear came into our family at the end of August, you can check out my post Our Family is Growing  for some cute puppy pictures of when we first brought little Bear home.

Bear has been a wonderful addition to our family...we've had our ups and downs with training but all and all my husband and I are very happy to have this little guy as a part of our family.

Bear did give us a little scare at the end of September when he decided to eat some mouse poison. I had to rush him to the emergency vet where they had him throw up so he his stomach wouldn't breakdown and absorb any of the poison. It really didn't even seem to phase Bear at all...he was back to his mischievous ways within hours of being home. 

Bear and our 5 year old cat, Max, have been getting alone OK. It really depends on the day and Max's mood.

We've been training Bear to have some self control when around Max and we are teaching him it is NOT ok to chase Max around the house or eat his food. Bear is doing much better than he was when we first brought him home.

Bear went on his first road trip in the middle of October - 12 hours in the car with a 15 week old puppy! My husband and I were a little nervous bringing him for such a long trip but we didn't want to leave him at home with a puppy sitter so we risked it...turns out Bear is a great travel companion and he does great in the car.

Bear got fully vaccinated at 16 weeks which was near the end of October. Once he was vaccinated we started taking him everywhere to get him used to different environments ,people, animals, ect.

Bear has been to several different pet stores which he loves because we always run into people who gush over him and give him treats. He have also meet other dogs and animals at the pet store...Bear always loves saying hello to everyone. Bear has been for a few trail walks which again be loves because we run into wild life and other people...who again always stop to pet and gush over him.

But Bear's favorite outing is probably to the dog park. We starting taking Bear to the dog park when he turned 4 months old -he LOVES it there. I know that taking your dog to the dog park can be a little controversial...I will admit my first dog was repeatedly attacked by dogs as early as 6 months at the dog park by aggressive dogs which made her have behavior issues for the rest of her life.

However, I found a park that is an extension of our local Humane Society. You must be a member in order to bring your dog to the park and it is advertised as being a fun and safe way to socialize your dog. The whole park is fenced in so we can let Bear off the leash (even though we don't trust his recall 100% there is no way for him to run away). They have a zero tolerance for aggressive dogs so you know when you go there that all the dogs in the park are friendly and they aren't going attack your dog.

Honestly it is a great place for Bear not only to go and have fun and socialize with other dogs but I also like to train while we are at the park. There are a ton of distractions so it's great to test how well your dog actually listens to you. We practice loose leash walking, recall, leave it and stay.

Bear officially turned 5 months old on November 26th - it's amazing how much this little guy has grown! When we got him at 8 weeks he was about 8lbs....at 5 months he is now 37lbs! We have no idea how big he's going to be when he's full grown but we have loved to watch him grow. 

I hope you've enjoyed our adorable puppy pictures - follow me on Snapchat [mspamblam] if you want to see more of my day with Max&Bear. 

Our Family Just Keeps Growing | Learning To Be A New Puppy Mom

 We got a puppy!!! On August 29th we adopted an adorable 9 week old puppy. This was not planned but I been wanting another puppy since my last dog passed away 2 years ago from old age, she was 12 years old.

If you read my last fitness update you would have seen me mention him, we got this guy a few days before my race which wasn't ideal but once my husband and I met him we knew he was going to be perfect for our growing family.

We named this little guy "Bear" because he is so cuddly and loves people. He is a Black Lab/German Shepard so he's going to be BIG.

Having a big dog was something my husband and I both wanted. I'm very used to having big dogs as my last dog was as Border Collie Cross and was very high energy. I trained her to be my running partner and my hope is that this little guy will love to run as much as she did.

If you've followed me for a while you will know that we already have a cat named "Max" who just turned 5. We got him from my husbands grandpa's farm and we are his 4th home....he was the cat that no one wanted.

Max is a very depended cat who loves to be around people and hates going outside....basically he couldn't hack it as a farm cat and the other homes he went to just didn't work out.

He's surprising been very patient with Bear and they have had several very positive interactions.

Obviously we didn't give Bear the run of the house imminently as we are still potty training him, all of Bear's and Max's interactions have been supervised and we keep them pretty short.

Bear has been a wonderful addition to our family, however, I haven't had a puppy for 14 years so I'm a little out of practice. We've had to learn each other routines and his signals he gives me when he wants something.

Everyone who has met Bear says he is the cutest, cuddliest puppy they have ever met...and most of the time he is. However, we have already started training him as I can tell he is starting to develop some behavior issues already that we would like to nip in the butt.

Bear is now 11 weeks and he can...
-let us know when he needs out
-sit
-lay down
-come
-stay
-shake a paw

We are working on
-not barking when he's alone
-play nipping
-being gentle with Max
-not barking when he's bored or wants attention

If anyone has any tips or training tricks for new puppies please leave them in the comments below.

Bear will be going to puppy school but he wont be able to go until he gets his final vaccination at 16 weeks. 

Also I'm curious as this is our first male dog...let me know in the comments below on your thoughts about getting your dog neutered? Are you pro or con and why?

I hope you've enjoyed our adorable puppy pictures - follow me on Snapchat [mspamblam] if you want to see more of my day with Max & Bear. 

What I've Learned Working From Home | Blam Bombshell Fitness

Time Management is Key
I figured I would start with the most important points first.  Without time management I would  be lost with my business. Working from home is both a blessing and dream come true, but it's not something that comes easy for a lot of people. I have no boss, I have no one telling me to be at work for 8 and if I don't show up there will be consequences. I have the luxury to sleep until noon and watch TV all day....but that's not going to help me with my business and it's not going to make me money to pay my bills and put food on the table. Time management is so key in business, it helps keep me on track and achieve my goals for the day.

I like to end my day by sitting down and writing out my next day's detailed schedule. This includes what time I plan on getting up, when I plan on taking breaks, working out, spending time with my family, ect. I write down everything and I assign a time line to my day. I make sure I cover everything I need to do for my business that day.

Then at the end of the day I evaluate what took longer than expected, what took less time, what still needs to be done, what are the most important things to be done and I make a new schedule for the next day. It's sort of a never ending cycle. I wont plan more than one day because you never know what's going to happen day to day. Sometimes I have emergency that will pull me away from my work and some items don't get done so I bump them to the next day.

There are so many fancy ways to plan and make schedules, I guess I'm old fashion because I use a pen and paper to make my day to day schedules. I date each page at the top and I write down my list of what needs to get done that day and I make a timeline. Throughout my day I will check things off as I go and make notes....find what works best for you.

Get Organized
Another key point! Organization is so important, when I'm making out my schedule for the day I give myself very limited time to complete tasks. For example I might only give myself 30min to respond to new customers. If I'm unorganized and I can't find my computer, loose my customer list, forget who's inquired about products it could eat away precision time from my 30min.

I need to be able to sit down and pick up where I left off to maximize my 30min to connect with my new customers and get them connected with products, signing them up for upcoming events, ect.

Moving seamlessly from one task to another will allow me to get the most out of my day.

Take breaks
I'm a workaholic...it's my best and worst skill. I will work and work and work and then realize that it's 1 in the afternoon and I haven't had a glass of water or stopped for a bathroom break all day! It's important for your health, your sanity and your concentration to stop and take breaks.

I found that when I'm at home I get distracted during my breaks so be careful with this. I might say ok between 10 - 10:15 I'm taking a 15min break....but then when I walk away from my computer I notice that the laundry isn't done and then the floor needs to be cleaned and by the time I realize it I've wasted 2hours cleaning my house.

To stop this from happening I'm very specific with my time. Instead of a 15min break I will say 15min snack break or 15min laundry break. If your like me I need to always have a clean house...so since your working from home give yourself some cleaning breaks. I think it's so therapeutic. That way I can work from a nice clean home and still stay on track. Just remember the more breaks you take the longer you have to stretch your work day. Instead of working 8-5 and taking minimal breaks you might work 8-8 but be taking several breaks throughout the day.

It will all balance out in the end, do what works best for you and your family. If you have small kids in school you might end up breaking up your day, for example work 5-7 before your kids get up, then 9-3 while they are in school and then 9-11 when they are in bed (for course you could shorten this by taking fewer breaks).

Working at home is a luxury, take advantage of the opportunity and make a schedule that works for you & your family.




I have to say that I LOVE working from home. For me and my family it is really a dream come true! It really is a gift that I have to take advantage of, these are just a few tips and advice I can give someone either starting out on their work from home journey or someone who is struggling with their current routine.

I would love to hear any advice that you have for me! If you work from home please let me know in the comments below, what have you learned working from home?

June Life Update | Ms Pam Blam & Blam Bombshell Fitness

Hey!

It's been a while since my last life update, June has been just a roller coaster ride of fun, stress and home projects.

If you saw my Facebook or Instagram post from today, I mentioned that I've missed a lot of my workouts this month.

The weather here finally cleared up and my husband & I took advantage of that to start building our fence. This is our first summer in our new house and there are a ton of outside projects we want to get done...but number one on the list was to get our fence up. What we thought would be a simple weekend project turned into a month long project. Let me tell you putting up a 54 foot fence was no picnic. It was a TON of manual labor and being a non stereotypical housewife I pitched in as much as my husband did when it came down to the actual work.

I feel that being a non stereotypical housewife gets me a lot of weird stares thrown my way when we're out working in our yard. People find it very hard to believe that I pitch in as much as I do when it comes to hard manual labor but it just how I was raised...everyone pitches in and helps when it comes to big projects like that.

Our fence is about 90% done, there are a few final touches we need to put on it.

The days that we spend on the fence were long and exhausting. There were many times that I would collapse at the end of the day into bed and fall asleep for a good 12 hours. Working out was out of the questions. But now that we are wrapping up the project I am getting back into the swing of things!

You would also know if you follow me on Facebook that my home business with Beachbody has been very quit. There have been little to no posts on my page and that's of course because my time has been directed else were...but I'm back now! Super excited to gear up my business and run some new online fitness groups!!

Big things are going to be happening in July! It's hard to believe that June is already over but July has to be my favorite month of the year. It's the month that I got married, it's my birthday month, the weather is always hot, there are a ton of festivals and events to go to, plus it's a great time to take summer vacation!

Leave in the comments below...what are you looking forward to in July?



June Goals

Things to look forward to in June:
- Father's Day
- Spending time outside in our yard
- First summer in our new home
- Putting up our fence
- Home projects
- Planning our July trip
- Going on long road bike rides with my family
- Running the HEAT
- Moving my at home workout space from my basement to my backyard
- BBQ at our new place 

Things to work on: 
- Laughing more
- Changing up my hair
- Relaxing
- Giving myself more me time
- Time management
- My patience
- My friendships
- Letting the little things go

Things to let go of:
- Guilt
- Anger
- Fear
- Negativity
- Nervousness
- Judgments
- Anxiety


What are you looking forward to lately?
Happy June my friends,

7 Things Marriage Has Taught Me

1) Your a team but teamwork takes practice
In a marriage you have to work together, together you are stronger and will accomplish more. But like any team sometimes you have to practice working together. As much as I would love to say that working together comes naturally once your married - unfortunately it doesn't.

2) Communication is key
I don't know about your house....but my husband & I like to stay very busy and active. This means that I might not see my husband all day everyday so we have to communicate and let the other person know what's going on, where we are, who's responsible for making dinner that night, who's going to make sure they stop by the bank and pay the bills on time, who's going to be at home waiting for service call, ect. The only way a busy household can function effectively is if you communicate with each other.

3) Date night is still important
This is something that I like is so important. If your house is like ours and you are busy, busy, busy, it's good to take a night off together and go on a date night. It doesn't have to cost you a lot of money. Just staying in and having one person cook a romantic meal followed by a walk is nice. Sometimes you have to put the pause button on life and reconnect with your significant other. Catch up with them and ask how has their week been. Help them resolve any issues they may have stumbled across and praise them for all the hard work they've put in. I feel like some couples miss this step and they are so busy and wrapped up in what they are doing they sometimes forget to connect with their partner which can cause issues down the road.

4) Fight fair
Every couple has fights....if anyone claims they don't fight with their significant other than they are lying. A lot of couples fight differently, I know when I fight with my husband we don't tend to yell or throw things. We fight pretty civil but sometimes we get very heated and passionate about what we are fighting about and very hurtful words will come out of our mouths that we really don't mean. When you get into a heated argument present your side and why you are so passionate about it but also let your partner express their side. No one can win all the time - remember to compromise. If you find yourself at a dead end agree to take a 5min break - take a break and revisit the argument, sometimes you just need a few min to think about it and come up with an alternative solution

5) Show your appreciation
You are in this marriage together. It's nice to be appreciated for your hard work and effort so if you want your appreciation acknowledged then show your appreciation for your partner. Thank them for the little things they do that contribute to your household. Anything from picking up milk, unloading the dishwasher, mowing the lawn, washing your car, vacuuming, ect.

6) Life sometimes doesn't go as planned
I feel like this is the universes cruel joke. I feel like every time I make a plan something happens to derail us. Our vehicle brakes down, someone gets sick, the weather doesn't cooperate, the event we were going to gets cancelled. I guess after having an unpredictable life like ours you learn to let things go and try to laugh about it - I mean what else am I supposed to do? The old version on myself would have breakdown when plans fell through - the new me lets the little things go and moves with the flow. Instead of dwelling on the bad I try to problem solve and figure out what to do instead.

7) Support your spouse for who they are
My husband is who he is, I can't change that and nor would I want to. I feel in love with him for who he is and not who I wanted him to be. Yes he does things that annoy me....I'm sure I do many things that annoy him too...but those little things are part of the package and I love him for who he is. I feel that is it very important to support your spouse for who they are. Any goals or life dreams they have should be encouraged - never screw up your nose at your spouses dream no matter how out there their goals may be.

Fitness & 21 Day Fix EXTREME Update | Blam Bombshell Fitness

Happy Fitness Friday!!

It's been a hot minuet since I've jumped on my blog and shared my fitness update. If you read my last marathon & 21 Day Fix Update you will know that since I got very ill in February I've had to change up my plans....still trying to let that disappointment go.

I am still working on my goal and I'm training for the ITU World Duathlon qualifying race.

Lately my bike has been my best friend. I am still working on getting my lungs back to being healthy and strong like they were before I got sick. I've been able to just get on my bike and spin in a low gear for hours - this seems to be easier on my lungs than running so that's what I've been sticking with.

Just within these past two weeks have I been putting on my runners and heading out on LSD (long slow distances). Trying to work my way back up to my fitness level I was at before. I will say that even though it hasn't been easy I'm glad I've been taking it slow rather than jumping back into a rigorous marathon training program.

With my new training program of course I am still using Beachbody programs to help with strength and increase my fitness. Lately I've been using 21 Day Fix EXTREME, which I love...but this program defiantly kicks my butt. I love that each day it mixes up the workouts - one day will be upper body, then lower body, then cardio, piyo, yoga, ect. I always feel that I'm a stronger and fast runner when I'm using these programs so I've added it into my daily training.

Along with the Beachbody programs, running, spinning and Shakoelogy that I've had in my program I've added something new - the Beachbody Performance Line. Lately I've been using a product called Energizer & Recovery. I've noticed that especially if I'm training later in the day I need a little pick me up before my training sessions and I don't like to sit down and eat a meal before training - because typically it makes me want to vomit! I've been using the energizer pre workout, it allows me to get through my workout with feeling starving and then I can eat after.

Post workout along with my meal I've also incorporated the Recovery drink....at first I thought this was a little gimmicky but I've noticed that especially when I do a leg workout, if I don't take my recovery drink my legs feel tiered for longer. The recovery drink helps me shorten the period that I have my tiered/sore feeling in my legs...which is awesome because then I can keep my training intensity up!

All and all I've been very happy with how training has been going and like I said in my last update I'm going to be doing mini races throughout the summer to before the world qualifying race, I've found a 5km race May 15th I'm going to be signing up for! This will be my first mini race and it'll give me a good idea of where my fitness level is currently at.

Make sure you subscribe to receive notifications for my next fitness update!

Thanks for stopping by.

Marathon Training & 21 Day Fix Progress Update Week 7 | 2016 Goal Races

Set yourself up for success!

When 2016 rolled around I set 9 goals...some life, fitness, work and personal related goals all mixed together. One of those goals was to run a marathon.

If you've been subscribed to my blog you have seen my week 1, week 2, week 3&4, week 5 and week 6 updates. I was committed to train and run the Calgary marathon at the end of May. I was on an 18 week training program and things were going really well until the beginning of February when I got really sick.

I was off training for a very long time, at first I was so exhausted and sick I couldn't get out of bed. Then when I thought I was better enough to start training again my doctor said no running. Even when  my chest infection cleared up I had a really nasty cough that lingered around for a month.

Finally last weekend I was convinced that I was ready to make a comeback! I felt pretty weak but at least I was getting my training done. Then I got a reality check on Saturday when it was time for my long run. In my week 6 update I mentioned that I was supposed to run 16km but because I had missed so many long run I only made it 5km and my chest was really feeling it.

Taking a look at where I am, where I should be, and how much time I have left to train for my marathon I've had to make a very difficult decision.....I won't be racing in the Calgary marathon as planned.

This was a very tough decision for me to make but it's not worth continuing down a road when I know I'm not going to be ready. I've ran marathons in the past so this isn't new for me. I know it takes hard work and dedication...you really can't miss any of your long runs or it's very tough to get back on track. I've taken a look back at my old training log....yes I keep training logs...I was MUCH further ahead by week 7 than were I am now.

Even though I'm disappointed I've decided the best thing to do is try NOT to dwell on it and move on. I've put together a new training plan (fingers crossed this time I don't sick anymore this year). Another goal of mine is to qualify for Canada's ITU World Duathlon team. I made this team back in 2012 and competed in the 2013 World Duathlon Championships....it was an amazing experience.

The qualifying race will be held here in Edmonton Sept 3/4 weekend.

I've made a new training program that combines interval training, Beachbody programs, road biking and mini races through the summer to get prepared for the qualifying race! I have 25 weeks to train which is more than enough time to get ready.

Even though I'm feel a little discouraged for abandoning my marathon goal this year I'm trying to move forward to get myself pumped up for my new training plan!

I'll continue to post weekly updates here on my blog throughout my training so make and you can also head over to my "Follow Me" tab to find all my social media accounts.

Happy fitness Friday!

Marathon Training & 21 Day Fix Progress Update Week 6 | Making A Comeback?

Is it a comeback? If you haven't caught up on my weekly training updates please go check out week 5 blog post....life has been a little crazy these past 6 weeks and training has NOT gone as planned. 

I posted last Saturday on my social media that I was making a comeback. I woke up early just to head out on my long run which I was DETERMINED to complete. My training program called for a 16km run, but if you've been following me you'll know I've been very sick with a chest infection and I've missed my last 3 long runs.

Unfortunately I only made it to 5km...my lungs were really feeling it! This is just my personal opinion but I feel that yes it is good to push your body, but only to a certain point. I know that 16km was a very unrealistic for my Saturday run but I have to say I was disappointed with only getting in 5km.

The rest of the week went pretty well. I completed all my Beachbody workouts at home so I can mark that down as a WIN. I'm really feeling so much stronger since I've started combining Beachbody with my marathon training. Plus it gives my legs a rest from just running, running, running every single day.

The rest of my runs during the week were pretty slow. My goal recently has been just to finish my workouts - without killing myself. I didn't do anything spectacular this week but I got it done.

That's pretty much it for this week! Sorry it wasn't anything too crazy exciting but slowly I am making a comeback.

Please check back next week for my week 7 update! Thanks for stopping by

Marathon Training & 21 Day Fix Progress Update | Week 5

I would love to tell you that I killed in week 5 and just got completely back on track with my training - BUT - the reality is it's been a slow recovery week. I can't believe I've been almost sick for the entire month of February! If you check out my week 3&4 update you'll know that I had a really bad chest inflection and I am still feeling so tiered and run down it's just ridiculous.

Since my last update I've only been able to get in a few workouts. Saturday was supposed to be a long run of 13km...which didn't happen. I spent the entire day cleaning and disinfecting my house. I want this infection GONE. I scrubbed everything that I've touched and washed all the bedding. My energy level was so low, I had to take numerous breaks while cleaning because I got so tiered. I thought to myself - there is no way for me to go out now and run 13km. I would just be setting myself up for failure. Also as per my doctors instructions I am not to be out running while I still have my cough. Unfortunately over the weekend my cough continued. I stayed home and rested the entry weekend and continued to disinfect the house.

Finally when Monday rolled around I was able to do a workout from 21 Day Fix. My energy level was still pretty low. The workout was Piyo Fix which was perfect because I feel Piyo is pretty low intensity (compared to some of the other 21 Day Fix workouts). I got through most of the 30min workout...but I'm not gunna lie it was tough.

Tuesday should have been interval training but honestly I had to sit that one out. I just felt exhausted!

Then on Wednesday I got back on track with other 21 Day Fix workout, Upper Fix.  By the time Wednesday rolled around I noticed that there was FINALLY an improvement with my cough. I definitely wasn't cough as much or as bad as I was before. I managed to get through my workout and most of day with a very minimal cough. I could tell that there was finally some recovery progress being made - which of course made me thrilled.

When Thursday hit I felt confident enough that I could go for a run!! I didn't want to kill myself - keep in mind the last day I was out for a run was February 4th which was 21 days ago. The plan was to run 8km tempo....I honestly looked at that and I thought if I can just run around the block I would be happy. I ended up running 4km...and it was nothing crazy or fast, just a steady tempo run.

Friday I was exhausted and had to take a day off so I could ramp up for Saturday which was my long run! Next week I'll update you on how that went  in my week 6 update. Make sure you check back next week on Fitness Friday.

Thanks so much for stopping by! If you have any questions please feel free to leave them in the comments below.

Marathon Training & 21 Day Fix Progress Update | Week 3&4

Hello!!

It's been a while since my last update.

I have to admit not a lot of happened since I've posted my week 2 update on February 5th.

It's been incredible frustrating and disappointing these past 2 weeks...based on my health I'm really questioning if it's a good idea to continue on my training plan as I currently have it laid out. I might have to make some significant changes in order to continue on.

Basically what happened is I came home from work on Friday and my husband said he wasn't feel well. He rarely ever gets sick so when he admits to not feeling well you know he's REALLY sick.

Because he broke his wrist over Christmas break he's been going for a ton of follow up appointments at the hospital. They've been monitoring his recovery and sending him for follow up tests. Earlier that week he was at the hospital getting some paperwork filled out and we are assuming that's where he caught this awful viruses.

All Friday night be was coughing and coughing. It was really bad and I barley got any sleep. He didn't want to get me sick so he moved to the spare room but I was up about every 2 hours checking in on him. It was a really bad night for both of us.

Saturday morning I was supposed to go out for a 10km run but we were having a maintenance guy come look at our dishwasher....my husband was just too sick and I told him to rest and I would wait. Well it took this guy until about 2pm to show up! Technically I could have gone for my run while waiting for him but I didn't know when he was coming and I didn't want to miss him.

By 2pm my husband was VERY sick and I took him to the doctor that afternoon. Sure enough we had a chest and sinuses infection. Needless to say by the time I was done running around getting his prescription and grocery shopping I was exhausted! My run didn't happen....but I wasn't worried. I convinced myself that I would do my 10km run Sunday instead of taking a rest day.

Well that didn't happen either. By the time Sunday rolled around I had caught my husbands chest and sinuses infection. I have honestly never been so sick!

I went to the doctors so I could also get a prescription, in the waiting room I caught someones stomach bug. My husband & I spent the rest of Sunday in the bathroom sick to our stomachs.

Basically my entire week was a write off! I went from being able to run 10km to not being able to walk down the block. I spent a week home from work and didn't even check into any of my social media accounts.

Finally within the past few days I've been venturing out of bed and going back to work but I have literally no energy.

My doctor has advised me NOT to run until my cough has gets better. So basically this past week all I've been able to do is walk.

With that being said there is a bit of uncertainty on how effectively I will be able to continue my training plan. I may have to sit down and make some alterations in order for my goal to be achievable by the end of 18 weeks.

Things don't always go as planned....but our success lies in how we deal and overcome obstacles that get in our way. At this point I could give up....or I could adjust my plan and continue on!

That's pretty much it for this week. Sorry this update wasn't too exciting as there wasn't much to update you on.

Please check back next week for my week 5 update and I'll let you know how I'm doing at getting back on track!

Thank you so much for stopping by.

Marathon Training & 21 Day Fix Progress Update | Week 2

I am very happy to report that I had a very successful week 2 of training!!! I am dead tiered but at the same time I feel incredibly strong.

If you didn't read my week 1 update please go check it out!! Make sure you are subscribed to my blog so you can follow my full 18 week journey.

Last week when I posted my update I hadn't completely finished my full first week. Friday I still had a 21 Day Fix workout (which went great) and Saturday I had to run about 10km - which I finished but it was difficult.

I started my 10km pretty late in the day - around 11am. It was a nice day for a run and I got to explore my new neighborhood...which I got lost a few times and had no idea where I was lol. But that's ok because I had a blast! If you follow me on Snapchat (mspamblam) I even stopped to Snap a few pictures of my community.

The point of a long run is to just go slow and complete the distance. I wasn't doing intervals, or any speed drills. While running I like to listen to some Beachbody coaching personal development...listening to audio books helps me keep my mind off of "how much further", "I'm getting tired", "my legs are hurting" and it helps me stay in the present and focused on what I'm doing.

Not going to lie thought - it was no walk in the park. After about 8km I went home to drop off my jacket and grab some water..I almost didn't finish my last 2km. Luckily I had a very encouraging husband who motivated me to head out and finish! Which I did and I was VERY happy when I was done.

Sunday was REST DAY! The best day of the week. I think that it's very important to give yourself one day to rest and let your body recoup.

Then on Monday I head back to work with 21 Day Fix. Monday was Pilates....perfect for coming off a rest day and still recovering from my 10 km run. It was great to be able to stretch out my body and slow my training down.

Tuesday was running intervals...these are probably my favorite to do! I love speed drills, which makes sense because I have a sprinting background. Most of them around 5min pace, which was the same as last week. So I didn't get any faster, but I didn't get any slower AND this week I had less rest in between intervals. Overall when I compare week 1 to week 2's times I've very happy with the results.

Wednesday was about 21 Day Fix workout. CARDIO FIX!! This was really tough after intervals but I got it done!! If you follow me on Instagram you would have seen a short video demonstrating 1 of the moves.

Then back to running on Thursday which a tempo run. I was really dreading this workout...I was very fortunate to have my husband come with me! It's so much more motivating going out for tempo and interval runs when you have someone beside you. We really pushed each other during the run, we really traded off who lead...sometimes he was in front and I was falling off the pace....sometimes I was in front and he was falling off the pace. But we managed to finish together and in an ok time - it could have been better. I definitely have room to improve with my tempo.

That's it for my week 2 update!!

If you have any questions about my training/progress please feel free to leave them in the comments below and I will answer them next week.

Happy Fitness Friday