New Years

Happy 2016! And crop tops!

| cheriarmour

First off, HAPPY 2016!  What did you do to ring in the New Year?

We did our usual, we threw a little shindig for our friends, but if you could believe it, I was having so much fun I forgot to take pictures of the night, and you’re just going to have to take my word that it happened 🙂

The highlight of the night was Austin and some of the boys cracking open some Chinese liquor that Austin got from the last time he was in China, from a vendor.  They all took a shot from the bottle, sniffed it, put a drop on my tongue, and decided that this was not the alcohol for me.

But shouting out the countdown was really fun, and staying up and talking late to friends, especially when it seemed like we were sort of every which way for the holidays.

Time for a right turn as we zoom, head first, into 2016.

How do you feel about crop tops?

I love crop tops.  I don’t get to wear them as much as I used to because I’m an adult and self-adornment by crop top is highly discouraged in any professional setting.  But I was gifted an extremely cute crop-top from my boss at a studio in Cary, and my love for crop tops was reignited a few weeks ago.

But, I wasn’t always that way.  Until I lost a few pounds, I was convinced that crop tops were only for skinny people with gorgeous stomachs.  I waited until I lost a really decent amount of weight to venture into H&M and I purchased my first crop swing, a top that you seriously could wear with anything and look good.  It wasn’t until recently that I realized something.

My body, your body?  It’s not for someone else’s consumption.  Therefore, if you’d like, you can wear a crop top at any size or shape, with reckless abandon.   Because what someone else might think doesn’t matter!

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Pretty sure this was my first crop top 🙂

I work hard in the gym.  But these days, I’m really trying to work harder on not being so hard on myself.  Meaning, not spending time looking at my tummy in the mirror, turning to the side, and checking to see if I’m developing a beer gut.  Not really picking myself apart as much.

How was your New Year’s Eve?

Will you be wearing a crop top this year?  

New Year’s Resolutioners

| cheriarmour

I have a big, big problem with us fitness people, and it centers around the talk regarding New Year’s Resolutioners, or, the reason the gym is packed with folks essentially swinging from the chandeliers in the months of January-March.  Which, I guess, for folks really dedicated to the gym, can seem sort of annoying, but this type of talk is extremely problematic for a number of reasons.

First and foremost, I used to be a little bit heavier than I was now, and I never worked out.  At some point during undergrad and into my first year of grad school, my metabolism could no longer efficiently handle the crap I was shoveling into my system, and I gained somewhere between 30 and 40 pounds.  When I finally lost it and started feeling comfortable in the gym, I was one of those new people.  Sure, my active-lifestyle awakening didn’t quite occur at the stroke of midnight on January 1st, however, had folks been rude and unwelcoming, perhaps I would not be sitting in my job where I am now.

So as you’re mumbling and grumbling about how “annoying” resolutioners are, and how you won’t worry because “they’ll be gone in two weeks anyway,” remember a few things.

  1. You didn’t pop out of the womb nailing squats on the squat rack.  At some point, you were the new kid too, and just because you fancy yourself a pro now doesn’t mean you can side-eye the new guy or gal.  Of course, if someone is breaking gym etiquette or seems completely clueless, feel free to politely inform him or her of their party foul, but play nice.
  2. They’ll [resolutioners] keep you on your toes!  So all the cardio machines are used up.  Maybe today is the day you try a new class or go for a run outside?  Who knows?  The fact that your favorite elliptical in front of your favorite tv is in use isn’t the end of the world.
  3. What about your goals?  What if someone grumbled to you that they thought your 2015 planner was stupid and that you’ll ditch the thing by March anyway, so not to bother.  That would be rude, right?  Especially given that you take that resolution very seriously.
  4. And finally, you should be encouraging of anyone who is making steps and changes to create a healthier lifestyle.  Mentioning that they’ll be gone in a few weeks anyway is negative, and not encouraging for folks just checking things out, and hoping to learn to love working out.

Don’t be a hater…

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And I say this every year, but here’s to 2015 being the year that everyone nails their goal and sticks it out at the gym!  We’re looking forward to having you!

Lifelong Resolutions

| cheriarmour

I kinda never make resolutions.  I’ve always thought that resolutions are a way to set oneself up for failure, but there are some changes I really want and need to make now, not just the moment the clock strokes midnight on January 1st.  These thoughts are thoughts that sort of started out foggy in my mind over the past few months, and have become clearer and clearer as I’ve run trails and started to outline my training plans for the past few months.  To be clear, I wholeheartedly wish there was a word I could use, other than resolution to describe what it is I would like to do more of, but that’s all this is – a list of things that I’d love to do more for the rest of my life, not just for 2015.

  • Spend more time with my husband.  Me and my husband are both super active, and on a normal day, we wake up, go to work (very very hard), work out at some point during the day, sometimes more than once, and by the time we get home, it is sometimes past 8pm.  We cook dinner, and by the time all is said and done, we’ve barely spent 30 minutes together.  We went on a trail run together on Sunday, and while running, we decided that if it means that we need to get up early to work out together at least one day a week, we will do that to make sure we get to spend sometimes together.  I love spending time with him.
  • Continue being more responsible with my money.  My husband is awesome with money, and helped me start doing everything Ramsey-style.  I now operate nearly 100% in cash, and am limited in what I spend each week.  In addition to utilizing my cash envelope system, I would like to continue either working at Fleet Feet one weekend for a month, or start earning some sort of supplemental income in order to help me pay down my student loans faster, and to completely pay off my car – especially in the event that my dear 2008 starts to go and I need to consider buying a new car.
  • Grow my business casual wardrobe.  I can get away with some of my more fitnessy pieces at work, especially given that I teach a ton of classes, but I need to grow my business casual wardrobe.  I’m 27, and wearing Nike and New Balance head to toe doesn’t fly at Director’s Meetings.  IN ADDITION to this goal, I MUST get better with packing my gym bag.  So when I wear my fancier pieces to work, packing a bag with some makeup and workout clothes is a must.  Which ties into my next life goal….
  • Getting up early enough/going to bed early enough so that if I want to work out in the morning I can, and so I won’t be rushing around like an animal in the mornings like I always am.  I know I’m going to have to start with baby steps – you can’t just lay down at 9 and expect to be dead asleep, but I figure if I try going to sleep at least 30 minutes earlier than usual, even that will help me.
  • Be and stay more organized.  This means making full use of my Sugar Paper planner (which I’m not a million percent sure I’m in love with yet), and full use of my Google Calendar, which I’ve been using a ton since starting the new job.   Additionally, this means pre-scheduling a lot more of posts here.  I have made some use of that feature, and it saves so much time and allows me to focus on reading other blogs when I actually do it!  I have made baby steps toward becoming more organized, but would like to continue to grow in this area.

So that’s my list of changes I’d like to make.  These are so important to me, not fulfilling these goals is not optional at all.

What are some of your goals for the next year, or maybe, the rest of your life?

Happy New Year!

| cheriarmour

Goodbye 2013.  I’m not too sad to see you go.  And I feel like everyone I’ve talked to had one of the most intense years in their life.  And for me, it was no different.

But enough about all that.

Last night, we threw one heck of a New Years Eve party to say goodbye to 2013 (good riddance kinda), and usher in 2014, in what I hope will be one of the best years ever.

NYE
We made some nachos that we (I) inhaled for the festivities.

This is all we have left of a night that was full of laughter, music, champagne, and these amazingly stunning cupcakes that a friend made and brought.  They were tangy and champagny and awesome.

Cupcakes
The guest who brought these said she was planning on these for her sister’s shower. Can I get an invite please? They were so licious!

I only had one of these.  I also stole two extras and hid them in the fridge where no one could find them.  Woops!

So I’m embarking on my first run of 2014, and feeling loved, happy, and extremely hopeful about the upcoming year.  I am so thankful for good friends, good cupcakes, good running, and good alcohol.

 

New Years Resolutions

| cheriarmour

First and foremost, Happy Birthday to my mother, who will kill me if I post her age or a photo of her here on a public forum. Rest assured, she is an attractive lady…I didn’t make these good looks on my own knowwhatimsayin?

Then, Happy Independence Day to Haiti! We gained our independence 208 years ago from France! Woop woop! And onto New Years!

I’m not sure how I feel about things like New Years Resolutions.

I think it’s because I thrive and succeed on setting little baby goals for myself, and then accomplishing them in a matter of weeks or months. It’s how I started running and working out and losing weight, and that’s what I’ve found works for me. When I set huge, elaborate goals, I feel like I may be setting myself up for failure, so I set them, and then break them down so I can check on how I’m doing in a month or so. It’s how I’ve gotten better at almost everything I’m good at.

So my baby goals for 2013?

1. Spanish! I’m super annoyed I didn’t learn it as a child, because it makes communicating very difficult and I think my adult brain is far too dense to be conjugating verbs. Nevertheless, it’s something that needs to be done. I think it’s absolute ignorance that I have not done so already.
2. Positivity.  I can be extremely sarcastic, and a few years ago, a friend of mine interpreted that as me “always being angry”.  I made a conscious effort to, even when I’m not feeling like it, say nice things.  I try not to text, Tweet, or Facebook nasty or negative things, and I try to smile a lot more.  I promise, it has made the hugest difference in my happiness.  I’d like to continue on that path.
3. And finally…drumroll please? Housekeeping.  I am the worst housekeeper on the face of the planet.  That’s not to say that my apartment looks like a pigsty, it’s just to say I have to move mountains to keep it clean.  I’m like every normal person not featured on Hoarders, I like things neat, smelling fresh, and orderly, but to keep in that way is a feat of titanic proportions.  And then I have these friends like Alexa and Kelly, and you walked into their duplex any time of the day and it looked gorgeous and always smelled wonderful.  Jealous.  I’d like to work more at maintaining order around my home.

What’s your New Years resolution?