Friday, I'm in LOVE!

I've been so tired this week! Last night I was pretty much out by 9pm. I'm sure it's because I was up late watching the Duke game Monday and at Bite Club Tuesday, and never fully recovered. I did something bad though, and skipped Body Pump last night. I literally was having to make an effort to keep my eyes open driving home from work on the highway. Not good! 

I also think there's a possibility that the excess of chocolate and over-eating all weekend kind of ruined my week. I don't know why at the holidays I seem to throw it all away. It's seriously one of my biggest vices. I feel like it's my free-for-all and it won't count... but it does! I'm pretty sure I gained 2-3 lbs. from last weekend. Some water weight, but many, many excess calories. 

So this weekend, I've got another body/mind/soul clean weekend planned. After I had a bad week a few months ago, I deployed this strategy, and I felt so much better (here's the post) the next week up until last weekend. While I eat very little processed food and alcohol in daily life, about once every few months I have a bad weekend, and with last weekends wedding+easter, there was a lot of junk, which I feel like has dragged me down all week. So the next weekend I was extremely diligent to keep my food clean, exercise a lot, drink tons of water, and spend time reflecting. 

I am so proud of myself for being able to make it through the better part of the year with daily exercise, moderation in food and living a healthy life, but I still really struggle with events, occasions, and holidays. I guess in my mind since I work so hard every other day to keep things in check, it's my time to let loose. The next week or two I spend feeling gross and trying to get rid of the weight, and then I'm good for another month or two. Why I let this process keep happening, I don't know. I have made progress, but when I let go, I really let go.

Maybe in my reflections this weekend I'll find some answers...

So what will my weekend entail? 

Well, there's the normal weekend routine stuff - laundry, deep cleaning kitchens and bathrooms, grocery shopping, church and farmer's market, washing my car, bank and post office.

Then there's the body part - mani- and pedicure (done by myself, of course), and dying the hair (i'm prematurely gray, with my sister visiting in a week, gotta be sure to get that covered!). 

For exercise I'm planning on a 7 mile run Saturday and maybe trying out Jillian's Yoga DVD. Sunday I'm planning on a 4-5 mile run and maybe a shred workout. It's been ages since I've shredded. 

For my spirit, I'm planning to spend some time in my garden, potting my herbs that I started from seed, weeding and prepping my new plant beds and getting some more seeds started. While many people may not think of garden time as spiritual time, for me it is. Gardening is something that is important in my family, it's been passed down from generations, and my dad has always instilled the gratitude and wonder of what a tiny seed can produce in my sisters and me. It still boggles my mind to look out and see how much my plants grow each day! 

Also, I'll be attending church Sunday, as always, and lots of cuddle time with my dogs. They always bring my spirits up, and since the week days are hectic, I try to give them extra love and affection on the weekends.

Ok, finally, my little indulgence for the weekend evenings is this....

I have so many friends that talk about it all.the.time. And from what I've heard, season 1 was just awesome, so I'm going to spend my evenings watching a few episodes on hulu. 

I hope you all have a lovely weekend!