I cannot believe how quickly this month has FLOWN by. My parents always used to say that time speeds up as you get older and I was hesitant to believe them. 5 year old sometimes (almost always) impatient Emily used to think that a minute was the longest time period ever and wanted time to speed up. Those time outs my parents used to put me in for talking back? 5 minutes on the timer felt like a lifetime. There was too much to do and see and I couldn't just sit there! Now 24 year old Emily feels so much differently. Staying still is not my strongest suit but I still want to soak in every second and I'm not completely ok with feeling the days and weeks flying by. Time flies when you're having fun and I'd certainly say I've been loving every second of it!
At the beginning of this month I ran my first official 10K. Looking back that seems like a lifetime ago. I completely NAILED my goal time which felt so unbelievably good. I wanted to prove to myself that I could still run 6.2 miles. While I was training for my half 6.2 was my happy place and to know that it's still a happy place is a huge relief. I also absolutely LOVED having my favorite cheerleaders waiting for me at the finish line, even though it was a struggle to find them.
This month was filled with a special visit from friends, actual school work (wait what!?), and the chance to attend a wedding of two incredibly special people. With all of the joys that this month brought, somehow my summer internship snuck up on me! My program allows us the opportunity to complete a 10 week internship wherever I would like. The homesick puppy that I was quickly chose to go to New Orleans for this incredible experience. Somewhere along the past 6 months Knoxville has started to feel like home which makes my heart incredibly torn in two. I know I'm a lucky girl to have two such special places to call home but that never makes leaving either one of them any easier. I leave for Louisiana tomorrow and I was not entirely sure how I would take teaching my last spin class until August. I like to think I powered through but I made my spinners take a sweaty and cheesy picture with me all the same. I'm not ready to not see my spinners sweating their booties off as I tell them to push that tush back half an inch in hand position 3!
All of that being said- after my 10K my fitness goals hadn't changed (I WILL be one giant muscle) April was mostly getting in as many spin classes, runs, lifting, and piyo days while I juggled the many trips, visits, and trying to keep my diet as balanced as possible. I knew it was going to be hectic (and we know how I LOVE a challenge) but I'm so grateful for every opportunity that April brought. Views as stunning as this are my favorite.
After the craziness died down, I decided to buckle down and start the 21 Day Fix Extreme. Last time I did the 21 Day Fix I decided to be an over achiever (or an idiot) and overtrained which meant I usually ended up overeating and not properly fueling my body. This time I'm sticking to only her workouts and MAN Lower Fix Extreme has me sore in all of the right places. I feel my body changing and I like it! I'm doing the Countdown to Competition Plan which means my first experiment with true carb cycling. My particular calorie bracket has me eating 7 proteins and 1 carb and 4 vegetable servings for two days and then the regular eating plan with only 4 proteins, 3 purples, and 3 carbs and 4 vegetable servings. It's a weird feeling that I'm trying to form into coherent words but I am amazed at how your body can function without carbs. Do I miss my fruits and extra carb servings!? Of course! But I know that I can stick to it for just 21 days and see what could potentially happen to get me closer to my goal.
Sticking to this program gives me such a sense of accomplishment and as always I am incredibly excited for the next 16 days! :)
