I feel like yelling a great bit “Hallelujah” because Friday is FINALLY here!!!! Seriously. Could this week have been any slower? Monday and Tuesday seemed to zoom past, but then I kept thinking it was Friday on both Wednesday and Thursday. I guess I really want the weekend to get here. I have a little something to look forward to after all…

Last night, I decided to go ahead and pick up my race stuff. I was glad to see a Thursday afternoon pick-up option because it meant avoiding Friday afternoon traffic in Atlanta. I can assure you that is never fun to get stuck with. I still had to deal with some traffic though and was happy I had an easy dinner planned for when I got home.

BBQ Tofu Wraps again! We had them just two weeks ago, but I seriously can’t get enough. I never thought the day would come that I would crave tofu. Now? Devoured!

After dinner, I went ahead and organized my playlist for the race. A bit random, but they are all songs that get me going. I picked something motivational to start me out and then things that make me push it to keep me moving at the end.

• Our God – Chris Tomlin
• I Gotta Feeling – Black Eyed Peas
• Raise Your Glass – Pink
• Livin’ On A Prayer – Bon Jovi
• Firework – Katy Perry
• Survivor – Beyonce
• Fighter – Christina Aguilera
• Gives You Hell – Glee Cast version

Now, today I plan on taking it easy so my legs can feel fresh and ready tomorrow morning. WISH ME LUCK!!! And since tomorrow I plan to share my race recap, I will now bring you the FFF Features a day early. Happy Friday!

Featured Workout: Cathe CoreMax DVD

I plan on resting my legs today, but I figured it would be a good time to break out an old favorite abs workout. I rarely do abs exercises besides planks a couple times each week because abs get worked during so many other activities. It’s still fun to do a session of core work at times though, and Cathe always delivers.

Featured Meal: Yogurt Bowls

Still OB-SESSED!

Featured Cuteness: Getting So Big!

He’s growing, growing, growing! Part of me is excited that he’ll sit up on his own, crawl, and more before I know it. Then, the other half wants to put it all to a screeching halt.

Featured Quote:

When the world says, "Give up," Hope whispers, "Try it one more time."
~Author Unknown

Featured Reading: Beth @ Beth’s Journey – Breaking The Cycle

If you enjoyed my post yesterday about food balance, then you will love Beth’s very real and open sharing of her own experience. She is an inspiring lady!

Brittany @ A Healthy Slice of Life – Healthy vs Low Calorie

The debate on whether low calorie makes something healthy. Brittany lays it out so well.

• What song would you HAVE to have on your workout/race playlist?

You all are such a fabulous resource for racing tips! Thanks for the great suggestions in my last post. Some popular ones included:

• don’t go out too fast
• hydrate the day before so you don’t have to drink too much before the race <--- my weak bladder appreciates this one
• get enough sleep the night before
• believe I can do it

I am so excited for Saturday! Now, hopefully the weather will hold off from storming. Any tips on how to change the forecast? 😉

So, yesterday I had a nice little mid-week lunch date with Peter.

We had yet another Groupon to use up before its impending expiration date and I figured breaking up the week with a meet-up could serve us both well. We visited The Rising Roll – a “gourmet” sandwich shop found in the metro Atlanta area and a few other locations in Texas. They had a wide variety of sandwich choices, but one kept drawing my eye back to it. Clearly, I had to order it.

The Rhythm & Blues on multi-grain bread. Chicken salad topped with blue cheese, bacon, lettuce, and tomato.

It involved many of my favorite sandwich components all in one sandwich. Yes, please! On the side I had some delicious carrot salad with carrots, cranberries, walnuts, and apples in a light dressing with a hint of cinnamon flavor.

We picked up a brownie to split as well. They looked too decadent to not try one! And they were. Super fudgy inside with a nice chew on the outside and a bit of crunch from some nuts on top. Perfection.

This made for quite the pick me up during a rather standard day and week. In my opinion, little moments like this truly make such a difference.

On the drive home from my lunch with Peter, I got to thinking about how differently I approached that meal compared to years ago. Even though I currently am working towards achieving my “happy weight” post-baby, I felt no need to deprive myself of what I wanted for the sake of ordering something “good”. I originally did plan on eating one of their lighter sandwich options and did not anticipate having any dessert. Then, when looking at my options I knew I really felt like what I ended up ordering. I feel no guilt for it, either.

Beforehand, I would have found myself in a binge from this scenario. I would have felt so deprived and restricted from not ordering what I wanted that I would inevitably binge out of frustration. Or, on the other hand, I would have felt so guilty for “blowing my plan” that I would have just given up on trying to “be good” that day and binged as well. Now, I know that consistent choices for my health brings me my progress. Consistently not going overboard, paying attention to my hunger, honoring cravings reasonably, and not putting myself down will work to my advantage. I know I can have special meals and treats like this on occasion because on the whole I still make very wise decisions with how I choose to eat.

I enjoy my food, don’t allow myself to feel deprived, and therefore keep up my healthy habits, which bring me progress. Please don’t think you have to eat super strictly and never indulge to make progress on your fitness goals. If you can’t achieve a goal with some fun along the way, then you are probably working towards an unrealistic one. That’s my two cents anyways. Now, go find a moment of fun while working towards one of your goals today. I promise it is possible.

• What is a goal you’re working towards? How do you keep it fun/exciting?