Coming Back...

I definitely took a looong hiatus! It was a result of a few different reasons, mostly time management.  I did miss blogging though.  I missed the motivation that comes from connecting with others that are invested in fitness, training goals and healthy pursuits all while balancing motherhood and everything else life has to offer.  I regularly visited my reading list of blogs for tips, tricks, recipes and motivation and I am thankful to those writers and health enthusiasts who kept the motivation coming!  And then I decided to dust off the old blog, make some updates and give it another whirl.  Of course, I'm returning with some realistic expectations of myself.  I'm not anticipating earth shattering daily, weekly....or even monthly posts, but I do look forward to getting in the groove with this source of healthy motivation again.

So, what's been happening? Well, a few things but here are some highlights:

1. We did participate in a Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) share for the 2011 summer/fall season and I would highly recommend it!  We had an abundance of vegetables and it took some getting used to in order to ensure food wasn't wasted.  By comparison, we did not sign up for the CSA for the 2012 year as I thought a weekly trip to a farmer's market might work better for us, but I missed the CSA.  The CSA is like signing up for a gym membership versus saying you will pay as you go....you're committed, the veggies are waiting for you in a basket with your name on it....you have to cook them and eat them or they will be wasted.  I definitely think we ate healthier the year we purchased the CSA.  I am already researching for this year.  We are also planning on expanding our own garden so I am trying to find the best fit for us.
2. I finished my first Olympic Distance triathlon!  Truthfully, this was not a case where I had this amazing motivation to step up my tri training to new heights.  The training time just wasn't there.  My favorite race that I have been competing in since 2008 always offered both a sprint and Olympic distance....until this year.  Early in 2012 I reviewed the registration information and to my horror the sprint distance was gone! It was now go big or stay home....what's a girl to do? I signed up.  Thankfully, with the help of a couple training buddies, I got in as much training as I could although not nearly as much as I wanted.  I comfortably finished and it was a great experience....even with the scorching, humid heat wave that was bestowed upon us on race day.
3. We participated in the 10 days of Real Food Challenge.  Towards the end of the summer, I realized that organization was slipping...and packaged foods were making more of an appearance than I would care to admit in our lunches, especially for the little one.  Again, time management was the culprit!  So, I asked for the family's support to get back on the wagon with a 10 day pledge.  It went really well.  The food was delicious.  I felt better.  I think we all felt better.  Is it possible to eat as clean as the 10 day pledge all the time? No, but it definitely brought back a much healthier balance.  More on the great things I learned during this at a later time.

So, that's a quick recap.  As the holidays approach, I wish everyone health and happiness during this very busy time of year! Take care and be healthy!