Have A Lovely Weekend

As of after work today I am officially on holidays! I am so excited to take a week to recharge, spend time with those I love, and enjoy my city (even if the beautiful weather missed me by a week - darn!)

The above photo is from my weekend adventuring last weekend with Amanda. We went to Drift Sidewalk Café and then wandered the Saskatoon Farmer's Market and the nearby Garden Architecture & Design store. Amanda and I tend to wander that store (especially the outside portion) whenever we're in the Riversdale area, it's just so fun - as shown by the interesting piece pictured above!

What are you up to this weekend? Anyone else on holidays?

Fitness Goals

No - this isn't me (#fitnessgoals)

My Fitness

I used to consider myself a fit and active person, but the last few years have been a slow decline of denial until I recently realized I just don't feel good anymore. Don't get me wrong, I know that I am not overweight, I'm just not as active as I once was and my body is starting to feel it as well as show it.

The problem is, I kind of hate exercising. I don't mean I hate being active, but I hate going to the gym. Running for 45 minutes on a treadmill followed by lifting weights or trying to use those scary machines as if I actually know how just sucks. I grew up dancing, and for quite a few years I was dancing 6, sometimes 7 days a week. Now that I'm considered an adult and have to pay for my own activities dancing 6 days a week just isn't an option, both in terms of time and money. (Even paying for just one dance class a week makes me realize how awesome my parents were to support all of my years of dancing!) 

I try to keep an active lifestyle in little ways, some of which are going for walks, parking across the river and walking 20 minutes into downtown for work, and playing recreational soccer (not going to lie, my boyfriend really encouraged me to join his soccer team and I originally did it just to be nice, but I am loving it now). These efforts, while awesome, just haven't been enough. I constantly find myself wishing I could take more dance classes, or wishing I actually liked the gym since I have a free wellness center available to me through work; neither of these are a reality for me, though.

The Program
In the past year or so there have been quite a few people on my Facebook feed that have gotten into the whole Team Beachbody thing. I was happy for them, seeing their results and how happy they were, but all that I could remember of Beachbody was the Turbo Jam workout that I had purchased years ago (possibly before they even had the Beachbody coaches? Not totally sure) and that was terribly boring for me. I actually had some amazing results when I kept at it, but I felt like I was working out when I was doing it, and that didn't cut it for me so I stopped doing it. With that in mind, I cheered them on but stayed away.

That was until Beachbody recently brought out the new Cize program. This program is all dancing! And it's hip hop style, which is not my forté... I'm a ballerina through and through, so I was pretty sure this would be a challenge for me, even if I am already a dancer. I watched a preview and knew I wanted to try it out. So I placed an order and started as soon as it arrived!

My Experience
I have only done two days so far, but wow! I was right, it is still a challenge for me, but it is SO FUN! The time flies by because the program keeps a steady pace, working on one move at a time and building up to the point of being able to perform a short dance clip. I don't know how, but when it comes time to Cize It Up at the end I have a huge burst of energy and just give it my all. It's very similar to the feeling in a dance class when you've been working on a combination and then in the last 10 minutes you break into groups to perform it for each other.

I really like how this program doesn't talk down to you - they move at a pace that is fast enough for a dancer like me, but they repeat steps and go over how to do them enough times that even the most beginner of beginners would be able to keep up. Also, since it's dancing, as long as you keep count you can easily jump back in if you miss a step or get off a little bit (which I definitely did a few times).

A worry that I had about the program while I was waiting for it to arrive was that I might master a dance in one workout and not want to go back to it again in a couple days, but that's totally not the case. I was able to dance each dance by the end of the workout, but I definitely have not mastered them yet, and I found them so fun that I am excited to do them again.

My Goals
So, I titled this post "fitness goals" and what kind of title would that be if I didn't actually share my goals? I am aiming to follow the 4-week plan that comes with the program that involves working out 6 days a week. There are three DVDs in the Cize DVD Package, so the first week you alternate between the two workouts on the first DVD, then the second week you alternate the workouts on the second DVD, and then the third week you alternate the workouts on the third DVD. If you go with this kit, in the fourth week you do each workout once more. I went with the Cize Deluxe DVD Package (I think you have to sign up for a free Team Beachbody account to be able to purchase it, but I could be wrong!) so that I could get a few more workouts included. With this one you do the next-level dance courses in your fourth week.

I'm looking to become more active, increase my energy, tone up a little bit, and lose some extra weight I carry on my stomach and sides. I'll let you know how it goes!

How About You?
I just had to share about this program because I am so excited to keep at it! Have you tried any Beachbody programs? Are you trying out the new Cize program too? I'd love to hear your experiences!

**This is not a sponsored post. As always, all opinions included are 100% my own**

Tough Decisions: Housing

This past year has been pretty tough in terms of living situation. Don't get me wrong! I love my roommate Annie, but she had to move to a different city for her job at the end of April, and while I've been very happy with the person I had living with me for the summer, she has to go back to school in a different city at the end of August. Since there has always been a third room open, I've been searching for a third roommate since October, and for two since Annie left and I just haven't had anything work out. I considered only renting out one room and keeping the other for an office for myself, but it just wasn't financially prudent. I finally realized that I had to look at the reality of the situation and start thinking of other ways to deal with it. Even though I love the place I'm renting, even though my landlord is fantastic, even though I live right across the street from my boyfriend, even though my drive to work is quick and simple, and even though I really enjoy the neighbourhood that I'm in, I realized it was time for me to move on.

I considered finding other women that were looking for a roommate to move in with them, and I came across a few good options, but they just didn't sit well with me. I was kind of at a point that if I was renting I really only wanted to rent from my landlord (he really is that great!) and I also have my whole living room, kitchen, and dining room set up that I'd have to figure something out for. After much praying, thinking, deliberating, procrastinating, and pro/con lists, I have decided to move back in with my parents to be able to save and hopefully purchase my own home much sooner. If I moved in with other roommates somewhere else, it was very likely I would have to store most of my stuff at my parents' place anyway, and I'm just at a very transitional point in my life where I feel great peace about being able to rest in the safety and love that my parents, and their home, provide.

I have a little less than a month left in my home, and it is definitely sad, but I plan on taking advantage of having my own space as much as possible while I still can. :)

And now, some photos of my home for the past year!

The Living Room/Dining Room

 The Kitchen

 The Guest Room/Storage Room

 My Room

My room has gone through the most transformation over the past year. I had a desk and bookshelf in there at different points, but the bookshelf was moved to the guest room and then to the living room when I had my summer roommate move in and choose that as her room. My desk moved in to Annie's old room when I made it a bit of an office... I was covering rent for both rooms for a couple months, so I figured I would at least make use of the space!

Prior to me moving in to the suite, my landlord painted all the walls and trim, replaced the bathroom tub and tile surround, and installed great window coverings that let the light in a bit in the kitchen and living room, but were almost blackout in the bedrooms. Also, I love how much sunlight this property gets! My bedroom and the guest room are east facing, and waking up to natural light is one of my favourite things. Annie's old room and the kitchen face south, and the living room gets to experience the sunset to the west. All so great!

All in all, for my first rental, this place has absolutely been a gem and I am so pleased with how much and how fast this felt like home.