speaking of..

making a routine... keeping up... still working on it. it's been hectic, but then when isn't it? i'm trying to teach myself to manage with what little time i have, and be resourceful to maintain a good diet and exercise whenever i can. as the warmer weather starts to roll in i tend to snap back into my rucksack totin' lifestyle... even if i have a home, i barely go to it in good weather. so i suppose it's safe to say, i have evolved into a seasonal vagabond...

that being said, i can't neglect my health and diet just because i'm constantly on the move. in the winter it was actually easier to find a routine because i went home right away after work each day. i'd run in the cold because it would keep me warm.. but now that it's warming up there's so much to be done, and it's far more effort to get in the extra runs and workouts that i need to keep up with the weight loss. the diet part too, if i'm not always going home it's hard to keep up with making shakes, so i'm working on what types of foods travel well and provide what i need in terms of energy and nutrients for the day.

speaking of shakes, the ViSalus was too hard on the guts after a while, i should have known... freakin whey! so it's back to the Vega. they've improved their recipe since last i used their products, and it appears that i shouldn't have to use as much, so the cost won't be too much higher. it is truly the best protein mix i've had, the most well rounded plant based protein mix out there. i also picked up a bag of cracked chia.. i remember liking it before, and my only regret is not replenishing my supply sooner.

and although i haven't been running every day, i've still managed to be on foot all over town.. i couldn't get a bus pass all week because their card machine was down, so i hoofed it to work most days, and then spent the afternoons on our first nice days geocaching and deploying munzees all over town.. so hooked on GPS treasure hunt games! of course in my wanders i've been scoping out different resources for a mobile yet healthy lifestyle. the one and only downside to working straight days is that i have been missing the farmer's market. i only make it once every week or two, when i used to go three times a week. so i've had to find other sources of fresh and/or local food. also living out of a backpack can be inconvenient at times to have something fresh and healthy on hand, but i'll get into my resources in another post.

for now, i'll share a collage from the alley downtown that i like to check out every time i go, it's ever changing and always bright. while the trails are busy thawing and being a soupy mess, i get in some urban hikes, utilizing pedestrian pathways, boardwalks and cut-throughs to navigate the concrete jungle.. gotta keep the adventure alive!

ps.. coming soon, a list of healthy power-ups, the ones i have, the ones i'm using, and the ones i plan to get.. and i will record when and how i incorporate each into my diet and lifestyle.

shake it up..

it seems meal replacement shakes are the thing these days. i've used them in the past, and then i gave up my healthy lifestyle for a while when i was distracted with other things. now that i'm getting back on track, i've decided to try something new. meal replacements are hit or miss with me, so i wanted to try this one for a while before writing about it.

i heard about it from my roommate, my bus driver, by friend's aunt, and then my manager. it had gone viral in my mind, so i had to give it a try. a company called ViSalus makes a meal replacement protein shake called Vi-Shape. i started the recommended two shakes a day to help with weight loss about 10 days ago, which may have contributed to the 8 pound loss this past month.

i got my kit in the mail, and i was excited to try it. opened the bag and noticed it smells like cake mix.. oh man, this is gonna be dangerous! haha. i tried it based on it's plain milk instructions, and i wasn't a fan. it took the addition of some fruit to the blender, and switching out 1% for almond milk and coconut water, but now i can handle the taste. i can also handle the few extra calories the additional ingredients give, as without them i feel like i am starving. i do burn a lot of energy during the day at work so i need enough to keep me going.

i'm following the guidelines for the Body by Vi 90 Day Challenge, which replaces two meals a day with shakes and small healthy snacks to give you all the energy and nutrients you need, and i finish my day with a lean healthy meal. i augment the shakes with snacks like vegetables and dip, raw fruit or cheese and whole grain crackers, and keep my dinner portion small, making sure to drink lots of water throughout the day.

i started with my first shake on February 5th, and i set my goal for 15 pounds by the end of the ninety days. so i think it's fair to say my start weight was about 198 at that point. i lost my first four pounds before the shakes [in over 2 weeks] and the second four pounds in the 11 days i have been using the Vi-Shape. i will continue to try this product for the remainder of the 90 days, and if i see results i may continue. if not, i may switch back to a blend i've tried in the past by Vega. an amazing vegan protein product, not so hot on the taste. but something that good couldn't possibly taste like cake haha.

anyhoo.. now that i'm confident i can stand to ingest this stuff for the next few months, i decided it's a good time to mention. pros: breakfast just got a million times easier.. i get up super early in the morning for work, well before the sun, and sometimes i was missing breakfast for lack of time to prepare it. throwing a few things in the blender and hitting the go button is a guaranteed breakfast.. and lunch! cons: it still has a noticeable after taste [to me, i\m picky] which i'm hoping won't become intolerable over the next while, because other than that, i'm loving this product so far.

well that's all i got for now, i tried out a more intense resistance training workout today for half an hour, and i decided to take a break to post. i think i might finish off my day with some stretches and yoga.. and pray the sun comes out long enough to soak up a few rays. ta!