Monday Inspiration

Mondays are rough in general, but especially after a holiday weekend.

http://www.pinterest.com/pin/85216617923931957/

I hope you all had a great time with friends and family this past weekend. I can't wait to tell you all about my weekend in Connecticut with Kevin's Grandparents on this Thursday's post!

But in the meantime, here are some great inspirational quotes from Pinterest to get you up and motivated today! Even if you are exhausted from traveling like I am, it is good to jump back into things, with great energy, to pursue your dreams and reach your goals this week!

What gets you motivated? Share in the comments!

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Would you like some more inspiration? Check out my pin board for some more thoughtful and insightful pins! http://www.pinterest.com/missmallory11/quotable/

Mal and Kev's Excellent Adventure

The alternate title to this blog could be "Ode to Roadtrippers" because let me tell you, that site is absolutely amazing!

Kevin and I were feeling bored and were aching for an adventure, but had no clue where to start! And really, where do you go to start an adventure? Well, I had subscribed to this awesome site called www.roadtrippers.com but hadn't actually used it yet. They send you fun locations around the world that are unique and a little off beat. It was perfect for me and Kev. So, when we had an open Saturday with no real plans, (when has that ever happened?!) we decided to take advantage of it and explore Northern Virginia.

I decided to search for a destination a few hours away, and then build a road trip down there. We found a fabulous location about 3 hours away, and then added 8 stops in-between. We got up, packed our healthy snacks and salads.

The first leg of our journey was about an hour a half. We had a beautiful journey through the Virginia country side. We saw more farmer's markets and veggie stands than I had seen in a long time! It was so cool. Our first stop was a giant roller skate and we continued on down to a winery, saw a large chicken, a nutcracker, ciderey, and brewery. We had to skip a few stops so that we could make it to Foamhenge in time.

If you are interested in doing our trip for yourself check it out below!

4/12/14 | My new trip on Roadtrippers.com!

This was just on the side of the road! We had to do some creative jimmy-rigging to get this picture!

We are super sophisticated wine tasters, obviously. 

Here is the Rooster at the diner called Lumpkins. We were totally gonna stop and eat here, but it was closed. boo!

I am not sure what Virginia's obsession with giant things is, but I love it!

This Hard Ciderey had free tastings and a great refreshing beverage!

We did a beer sampler! So good!

Kevin loves his beers!

After we left, we realized we had to rush to get to our destination!

Pretty sure this is the best place ever*

*Side note: The whole time I was secretly hoping that Kevin and I would get sucked into the past like in Outlander. (Sorry annoyed friends who read this I couldn't help myself)

Want to see more pictures from my adventure? Follow me on Instagram! http://instagram.com/miss_mallory

Getting Motivated and In Shape

Hello!

As most of you know by now, I am getting married in 68 days from today! So excited!! There is still lots of little things to do, but the planning is coming along so well. The hardest thing, for me, is eating healthily for an extended period of time. I have been working out in the mornings before work for a month and a half now. I am definitely beginning to see some results, but I wasn't feeling better. I was still sleepy, sluggish and just overall unchanged.

I have decided to kick up my healthy lifestyle reform and add a change of diet into it too. My parents tried the Dr. Oz 2 Week Cleanse, and have had great success with that. It is restrictive, but there are so many foods that you are able to eat as much as you want of. I was hesitant at first, I mean I really love bread, but I wanted to see better results. 

I wanted to do something that was sustainable, but that would help and be effective. I have loved the transformation so far. I have just started my 3rd week of it and have lost 4 pounds total. I am pairing it with morning workouts. I do a hybrid of P90X work outs (their cardio based work outs like Plyometrics, Cardio X, Kickboxing, YogaX and their Ab ripper X) and I have combined it with Chalean extreme's work outs. 

The weird thing is, that I have really come to love my morning work outs. It has turned from a chore to something I am beginning to cherish. Though I should totally rephrase that. I don't think I love the work out, though I am finding I love Wednesday's Fat blaster Chalean video. It is more that that has become me time. I am reading books, answering emails, writing, or reading many of the blogs I follow in those early hours. I feel set up and productive for my day. 

I also am noticing on days when I can sleep in before work, I feel rushed, and not quite in the zone. The mornings I spend with my work out then lounging are becoming part of my routine and I am really coming to love that. 

So at the end of week 2 I am feeling good, the diet is sustainable. I am feeling full and happy. There are a few things I am missing though. Chips, bread, cheese and coffee. I basically used to live on those (though I wondered why I wasn't losing weight as fast as I wanted!). After the wedding I am thinking that I will be able to slowly bring those back in. Maybe try to go gluten free and see if I can keep the weight off and still get a few carbs in! But in the meantime, I am looking for some great alternatives to chips and other goodies!

I am so excited about my ever changing body, and am working hard to get stronger and healthier!