I’m pleased to announce my results are in! I weighed myself last Wednesday, so in order to accurately track my progress I will be weighing myself every Wednesday until Thanksgiving. Drum roll, please. A total loss of three pounds this week! Yay! I finally broke the plateau I was stuck at for over three months.

How was my week during the detox? Well, the first few days were the hardest of course because your body goes into shock-mode, but having an end goal or vision really helps you prevail from moments of weakness. I also had to keep up with my training program so there were times where I felt a little tired, but I pushed through and made it happen – I have no choice in the matter. If you want to start an exercise program I suggest you sign up for a race. There’s nothing more motivating than having no choice but to follow the training program or you won’t make it to the finish line – it’s brilliant!

I’ll be honest; weekends are definitely the hardest part – for me – because I’m used to pretty much splurging and “cheating.” Not being able to do that or cheating with a fruit has really made quite the difference. Like I said earlier, if you cheat every weekend that’s nearly half of the month and you’ll never make progress – I learned that the hard way.

Is it easy to change your habits? No – it’s not easy, but anything worthwhile doesn’t come easy!!! I had to run 4.5 miles yesterday on the treadmill (sprinted the last quarter mile) – that sure as hell wasn’t easy even though I’m on my fifth week of training. The bottom line is you need to push yourself out of your comfort zone. No one likes to diet or detox or run (and if they say they do, they are lying) but what they do like is the outcome and the feeling of accomplishment – knowing they have pushed themselves to the limit and ultimately survived – because you will survive!

My first 4.5 mile run: (the hear rate is off because I wasn’t wearing a hr monitor)

“It always seems impossible until it’s done.” 
- Nelson Mandela

Happy Hungry Hump Day

Free at last! In honor of this fabulous day I’d like to share another recipe that I found from the same blog I cited yesterday.

Pumpkin Spice Pancakes – Paleo Style

Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup coconut flour
• 4 eggs
• 1 tbsp coconut milk
• 1 tbsp pumpkin pie spice
• Cinnamon to taste
• 1/4 tsp baking soda
• Earth Balance

Nutrition Facts: (Makes 4 pancakes)

Another fun weekend has come and gone, which led to some bad food decisions yesterday, but that usually happens when you don’t treat your body right the night before!

The Good:

I was prepared for a sloth Sunday, so I decided to run my first ever four miles on Saturday. The last mile was slightly brutal, but I pushed through!!

Celebration with great friends

“Making a thousand friends is not a miracle.  A miracle is making one friend who will stand by your side when thousands are against you.”

Too much of this: (birthday shots)

Leads to that: (weird fish faces)

And that: (too much fun!)

Never underestimate the power of good company.

“The happiest people I know keep an open mind to new ideas and ventures, use their leisure time as a means of mental development, and love good music, good books, good pictures, good company and good conversation.  And oftentimes they are also the cause of happiness in others – me in particular.”

Definitely never underestimate the effect of late night extravaganzas the following day – or maybe I”m just getting old :/

*A lovely new addition to the Boudouvas and Konstantopoulos family. 8lbs 21 inches – a big prince was born. BBB – Baby Bobby Boudouvas!

The Bad:

Food, nap, food, nap, more food and more nap. That’s pretty much how my Sunday flew by.

Meal 1 of 100.

I didn’t have the energy to do my 50 minute cross train yesterday, therefore today I’ll be using my “rest” day for XT day.  Happy Monday. Oh, the joy.

Be well

We can all get easily discouraged because the truth is it’s much easier to sit on the couch and watch TV than it is to exercise, but the bottom line is that we all need to move – for the rest of our lives. Period. This is just non-negotiable, so below are some images from pinterest.com that I found to be very motivating last night as I had a few five handfuls of kettle corn - told you it wouldn’t last longer than two days! As I read a few of these, I found myself walking to the garbage can and dumping out the rest - oh, yes I did!

I’ll be honest, yesterday I was feeling really crappy. Massive headache all afternoon and it was the first day of my 10K training, but I didn’t let that stop me. When you have a goal you really just need to do it. I completed 2.5 miles which means I get a gold star on my training calendar The easy way out would have been to use my headache as an excuse, but no one ever accomplished anything the easy way and the feeling of accomplishment is so worth the pain!

When I got home after my run, I went straight to the kitchen to make some steak fajitas – with Feta (truth be told, I eat Feta with everything. I’m Greek - it happens.)

• Breakfast: buckwheat waffle with peanut butter, frozen blueberries and a drizzle of raw agave nectar.
• Lunch: my quinoa salad with shrimp.
• Unnecessary snack: kettle corn.

I don’t count calories because I would lose my mind and it seems to have the opposite effect for me. Again, there’s no one method that works for everyone - as we are all different, so do what works for you! Instead of counting calories, I sort of just eye-ball it.

Example: If I eat a heavy breakfast or heavy lunch my dinner will be lighter or if I eat a lot of starchy carbs for breakfast and lunch my dinner will be more lean and green. You know when you are over-eating better than anyone else, that’s why it’s hard for me to say only eat this or that. My best advice would be, through trial and error, figure out what keeps you full throughout the day and eat off of a small plate – just don’t keep going back for more

Words of Wisdom:

  WORK IT – WORK IT!!!

I’m not gonna lie, I’m jealous of all the people who have flawless skin – naturally (like, born that way naturally). This is coming from a person who has mild rosacea among other things, like the occasional stress pimple or the oily forehead syndrome by lunch break. So, now that I’m at the ripe age of 26, I’m starting to take skincare to a serious level. Anti-aging.

I don’t know about you all, but I spent spring breaks and summer breaks basking away in the sun. I applied sunscreen approximately once throughout the whole day and it was a level 15 max. And let’s not forget the baby oil. Apparently, the only way to prove you had an amazing vacation was to come back looking like a piece of burnt coal – and that I did, my fellow friends. Fortunately, it’s never too late to reverse some minor sun damage and get back on the right track. The track to healthy, smooth, and wrinkle-free skin!

You know, skin is the largest organ of the body. I know what you’re thinking… “duh.” Well, as painfully obvious as that may sound, it’s really easy to forget and neglect! Anyway, for the past few years I have been in search of the best skin care lines out there and I found myself asking “to go organic or not to go organic?” That is the question.

Let’s address that question, shall we? Okay- so here is my unprofessional conclusion. Before I continue, please note that by no means am I a dermatologist so please do consult yours before you make any rash decisions! Moving on. My conclusion is this: it is incredibly hard to find a product that has zero chemicals in it and the ones that don’t have any seem to never soak into your skin – or at least my skin. There is always this layer of residue left and who wants that? True- we don’t want to have toxic chemicals in our products either, but there are tons of “natural” products out there formulated without toxic chemicals.

Here is what you don’t want in your products:

- Parabens
- Sulfates
- Synthetic Fragrances
- Synthetic Dyes
- Petrochemicals
- Phthalates
- GMOs
- Triclosan

Look at the ingredients listed on your products. I repeat, READ INGREDIENTS. If you have sensitive skin, like I do, you most definitely need to stay away from those ingredients listed above. Especially people with dermatitis – stay away from sulfates! An easy way to look for skincare products is to go to sephora.com. They actually put “Sephora‘s natural seal” on all of the lines that meet their requirements and you can see what each product is formulated without.It really is a case of trial and error when it comes to skin care. Believe me – I have drawers filled with half empty jars of product, but it’s the only way!

Now, on the topic of… anti-aging. For those of us who are too sensitive to the prescribed “Retin-A” or even retinol in over the counter products- anti-wrinkle or firming serums without it will work just fine.

Here is my guide to the most effective way to get maximum benefits:

Step 1: Remove all make-up. Yes, even if your dead tired before bed. (Neutrogena make-up remover cloths are quick and easy)

Step 2: Wash your face with a cleanser – targeting your needs. I use Caudalie Gentle Cleanser – LOVE IT.

Step 3: Apply a serum targeting your concerns: anti-wrinkle, firming, or sun-spots. Caudalie has a great gentle one!

Step 4: A nourishing face cream that will keep your skin hydrated – not oily. I’m using Caudalie Moisturizing Cream. (Ones with antioxidants are great because they fight free-radicals, which helps preserve your young- sexy- skin.) You don’t need to worry about “anti-wrinkle” in your cream (just yet) since you’re using a more potent serum for that

Step 5: Apply an anti-wrinkle or firming eye cream.

Step 6: SPF. At least 30. Non-Negotiable. Case Closed. (I know you’re thinking – well my moisturizer has SPF. If it does- great, but remember it needs to be at least 30!)

There you have it. Six steps to healthy-flawless-sexy skin. I know it sounds like a lot, but if you think about it – at night it decreases to five steps because you won’t need SPF. And in the morning you won’t need to take off your make-up because you were good and followed step 1 the night before. If you want results ladies, you need to work. Beauty is pain – but well worth it!!

Some natural skincare lines that I like are: Caudalie, Korres, Boscia, and First Aid Beauty!

If you don’t want to go the “natural” route and prefer skincare by well-known dermatologists, my good friend, Georgia is a consultant for Rodan and Field’s new line(s). If that name sounds familiar to you, that’s because they are the founders of Proactive- so if you loved proactive, you will surely love what they have to offer now! Yes, this includes anti-aging! Check it out here. They are doctors after all

PS: I made my “power protein pancake” this morning and substituted the Amazing grass and peanut butter for 2 T. of organic pumpkin. AMAZING! It’s like fall in your mouth