What I wore to Pure Barre:
Alo coated high-waisted leggings (medium)
Let’s Get Physical tank | Courtesy of Barre Socks (medium)
sportsbra – probably C9 from Target, I have 4 of these that I’ve had for 5 years
5:30 AM : alarm goes off, I snooze it for 8 minutes then get up. Take a CLEAN probiotic with water when I go downstairs, get the kettle ready for coffee and take Dagny outside.
6:00 AM : Get on the foam roller for 10-15 minutes, prepare my coffee (black, in a Chemex pour-over), and then sit down to write my morning pages (I use evernote for this on the computer, I tried writing by hand and my fingers cramped up LOL, and I write only what I have to say, I don’t try to do it for a certain number of minutes or whatever).
6:30 AM : Start working – eat half or 3/4 of a Macro bar for breakfast. I’m not usually very hungry in the morning – it depends on how much, what, and how late I ate dinner the night before, but I have to eat something before Pure Barre.
8:00 AM : leave for my 8:30 Pure Barre Class (it was platform – cardio – yesterday. oy)
9:45 AM : home from class, prepare my shake/smoothie: CLEAN nutritional vanilla shake mix, 1/2 tsp Ashwaghanda (because Gwyneth said so), 1/2 cup frozen organic blueberries, 1/2 cup coconut water, 1/2 cup water, and as much spinach as I can stuff in the container (it’s usually about as much as one of those prepared bags of spinach – 3-4 cups worth). I drink that and finish the rest of my bar. Then I work for several more hours.
Noon : ate half a vegan/gluten free italian cream cookie because I was hungry and it was there 🙁 – at this point, I would usually take Dagny out again for a few minutes (or as long as she wants, let’s be honest), but Leo was home so he did it. Took a shower, got dressed. Actually didn’t take a photo of my outfit, but I was wearing Frame Le Garcon jeans, Everlane muscle tank and Organic by John Patrick potato sweater.
1:00 PM : ate lunch – leftover dinner last night: roasted chicken (I just can’t eat very much meat, maybe half a serving) and cauliflower that I steamed and then tossed in melted butter (an indulgence, but it’s so good…we use kerrygold grass fed butter), with lots of curry powder and lime juice with some roasted cashews. For dessert, I ate an apple and drank some green tea.
Worked a bit more, then went to the post office. Came back and set up my “studio” for SLOWRE photo shoots in the garage and photographed new arrivals for today.
3:30 PM : snack – about 3/4 cup 2% Fage Greek yogurt with Apricot preserves (no sugar added, just fruit) and almond butter. SO GOOD. I try not to eat yogurt every day (I used to) but eat a little every once in awhile for the calcium, and fat. This combo, with a little fruit and the almond butter, keeps me very satisfied for several hours. It’s the kind of thing I eat and then completely forget about food for a long time, which is good, and not normal for me LOL. I usually get ravenous for something crunchy at around 5 – 5:30, but wasn’t yesterday.
4:30 PM : took Dagny out for a quick walk between rain showers
6:00 PM : started making dinner – this fish chowder. and ate around 7. The chowder was SO GOOD. Even Leo liked it, and he’s not easy to please. It was also super-easy to make, although I subbed lite coconut milk for regular and added a little vegetable broth. And used more fish (I used sustainable cod). Next time I make it I’ll make more because there wasn’t enough for both of us to have leftovers for lunch today 🙁
7:30 PM : ate 2-3 small squares of 70% dark chocolate and drank some peppermint tea. Sat down to watch an episode of the Grand Tour with Leo and tried to work on a crossword puzzle, failing miserably. I’ve been trying to work a crossword puzzle or REAL puzzle while I watch TV so I don’t fall asleep as soon as I sit down…it works, but I’m still ready for bed at 9.
9:00 PM : went upstairs, read for a bit, fell asleep 🙂 A few nights a week I soak in a hot bath with lots of epsom salts and read or watch something on Netflix.
So, that was my day yesterday. It’s a pretty typical day for me in terms of food/exercise, except when it’s sunny, I’ll take Dagny out at 4 for about a 45 minute walk. I go to a Pure Barre class at least 5 days a week, sometimes 6, and try to make Platform (the cardio class) two of those classes. I follow the teachers I like between the two studios I can go to with my membership, so I sometimes go to an 8:15 class, sometimes 8:30 and sometimes 9:45. I am most productive for work between 6:30 and 9:30 though, so I’m going to have to try and do exclusively 9:45 classes again, but that will mean having to “settle” for teachers I like less. Not a significant problem, but some teachers push me harder than others, and they choose more challenging routines, so I gravitate towards them.
Notes on food/nutrition, and some other things I eat during the week;
- Quinoa with dried fruit – I cook 1/4 cup quinoa with 3/4 cup coconut milk, some maple syrup, dried fruit (without added sugar), TONS of cinnamon, some ground cardamom, and cashews. I always want this to turn into a porridge, but it doesn’t, it’s more like regular quinoa with fruit in it. Not bad, but I’m going to keep trying to make it creamier.
- Lentil dal with sweet potatoes
- once a week for dinner I make these meatballs, but with grass-fed beef (because Leo won’t eat turkey). I serve them with Cauliflower or broccoli, or if I’m feeling fancy, I’ll cook some brown rice pasta and serve them with pasta and sauce
- I always have carrots cut up in the fridge (try cutting up “real” carrots instead of using baby carrots, it’s SO WORTH IT. They actually taste like carrots!) that I eat with hummus as a snack sometimes. I love the Whole Foods brand hummus. I’ve made hummus myself many times, but I like WF better! I also eat some Mary’s Gone Crackers with it, or maybe a rice cake.
- Vitamins/etc., that I take (the Prescription for Nutritional Healing is my BIBLE – right now I’m focusing on getting my body ready for going through menopause – not that I am, I’m just trying to get ready…): CoQ10, Calcium, multivitamin, Vitamin d, Evening primrose oil and a probiotic in the morning. I use Whole Foods brands for most of my supplements.
- In general, I try to eat as clean as possible, meaning I avoid dairy, corn, wheat, and sugar. I feel better when I avoid those things, especially corn – I don’t eat popcorn or chips & salsa anymore. And dairy + sugar is the END for me; that combo makes me feel horrible. Gluten in general doesn’t bother me much, in moderation, but I don’t eat it every day, at most I eat it once a week.
- Sometimes for lunch I’ll go to Panera and get their 1/2 modern greek quinoa salad with an asiago bagel. Only on platform days though, because whatever calories I eat I’ve already burned off. I tell myself that anyway LOL
- What seems to work best for me, is eating between 200-250 calories at a time. I just can’t seem to handle more than that on a regular basis. Specifically, I have a problem with too much protein or fat in one “meal.”
- sometimes I’ll make a “tea” of apple cider vinegar, lemon juice, hot water and TONS of ground cinnamon and ground ginger
- When I have these vegan/gluten-free/no sugar-added cookies, I’ll eat one or two with some tea in the afternoon for a snack. They’re SO GOOD, and only available at one grocery store here and I don’t go there that often.
- I always have a bar (any of the Macro Bar flavors are good) with me for “emergencies” because I tend to get hangry and I won’t just eat whatever
- my biggest “treat” is NadaMoo “ice cream” and I usually will buy a pint for the weekend and eat some Friday and Saturday nights. It’s my favorite non-dairy ice cream and I appreciate that they use agave, or coconut sugar in their flavors, which are all good. It’s a local product though, so not easy to find outside of Texas. Believe me, I try …
- I’ve been making this paleo bread every week lately – it’s good toasted in a pan with some apricot preserves on it.
If you had asked me ten years ago, or even five years ago, if I thought I’d be able to lose weight and keep it off, I would have laughed in your face. I have spent YEARS – most of my life – loosing and gaining THE SAME weight, and then gaining even more, so I didn’t have high hopes for changing that as I entered my 40’s, but here I am, and I’ve hovered at around 140-150 pounds for 4 years. I could lose more, but my body seem to be happiest at about 140 and it becomes nearly impossible to go lower.
What has worked for me is two things, but also taking a lot of “choice” or chance out of it – I do the same exercise and eat the same things every week:
- finding an exercise routine I can stick with daily, that I enjoy, and truly shows results. Pure Barre has been that for me, more than anything else I’ve ever tried. Our focus in class tends to be on thighs, seat and outer thighs, which are my biggest “problem” areas. Doing Pure Barre for nearly five years has changed my body in ways I never thought possible. It’s also my community, and a “constant” from one city to the next, and part of my daily routine.
- changing the way I eat. This has been the weirdest thing. For some reason, I’ve just been able to shift my thinking about food a lot over the last several years. I will eat a “treat” every once in awhile, but it has to be worth it, worth the calories and worth how I’ll feel after. And honestly, now, nothing, not even sour jelly belly jelly beans (my biggest weakness), is worth the calories or the way they make me feel, so I just don’t eat them anymore. Or WANT them. Another thing that helps? Not shopping at Trader Joe’s. There are too many snack-y things there I love and would eat if they were in the house, but that make me feel bad, so I just stopped going.
So there you have it: what has worked for me. I’m still rather shocked when I look in the mirror at my relatively new body; I honestly never thought I’d live in a body I felt so good in. Yes, I like the way I look, but more than that I just feel SO GOOD; strong, healthy, sore a lot of the time from Pure Barre, but overall, just GOOD. I wish that for everyone, and I am so grateful I’ve been able to find what works for me, so far.
What has worked for you? Have you found an exercise/nutrition routine that makes you feel good?
Hi Gretchen, You are such an inspiration. I’m glad you shared all of the truly healthy things that you do so take care of yourself. I’m going to try eating more like you and see if it helps me to have more energy. I’m interested in Barre but am intimidated by the price and by how hard it looks! But dang, girl, the proof is in the pudding as you say and you make it look really good! Lots of love to you! xx Jillian
I was inspired by the coconut fish stew recipe & made a 1/2 recipe with shrimp for my lunch today – fantastic!!
yay! it’s so good, isn’t it? and easy. and really, you can use whatever you happen to have at home for it
Grechen – that’s amazing! Thanks for sharing. I crave new things – but when I’ve been able to lose weight or maintain loss, it’s because I take a lot of the variety out of my meals. But since cooking is my favorite way to de-stress at the end of the day – I don’t want to take it away, either. I struggle! But I can still be a creative cook when I limit to lots of veggies & lean proteins, which is what I try to do for at least 5 dinners a week (lunch is always leftovers, and I tend to do a spinach/sweet potato/egg bake for my breakfasts – I need breakfast, at 8am which is once I get to work, so I want something portable)
I keep thinking I want to try Pure Barre- there’s a studio close to my office – but my office is not close to my home and my commute/work hours vs class hours have always been a gym issue for me 🙁 Only time I was consistent in my exercising outside the home is when I was going to a private training studio – I went 3X a week. Paying someone else to kick my butt works, but I still got bored after 18 months….
[yes, I did take Ritalin as a child, why do you ask? ;-)]
This is awesome! I love taking a peek into someone else’s day (and closet)!
The exercise program/habit that has worked for me is getting up early (5 AM/before my husband and son) every weekday and doing something active. It’s ranged from running, walking, videos (hello Jillian Michaels), weight training… Right now I’m really into yoga. I’m trying to combine it with a round or two of the seven minute workout (well.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/05/09/the-scientific-7-minute-workout/). I don’t love getting up early but it’s the only non-guilty time I can carve out for myself.
I don’t have a very specific nutrition program other than eat real food as much as possible. I love to cook so we eat at home a lot. I try to pack my lunch to take to work most days. Right now I’m having smoothies for breakfast most mornings with some sort of protein/greens powder but that doesn’t really fit into my “real food” philosophy. Trying to sort that out for myself. My down fall is snacking.
I think your lifestyle sounds great Grechen! And it’s obviously working for you. Keep up the good work! 🙂
snacking has always been my downfall also. i learned i’m not going to stop snacking – in fact, i like to have “snacks” throughout the day instead of “meals” – so i just try to have better snacks on hand. and like i said, not shopping at trader joe’s helps LOL – and just not having snacky things in the house…
And then I find myself at the fridge with a spoon and the jar of peanut butter!
Currently talking myself out of going to buy a cookie an into an apple or banana instead. Like you said, at least choose better snacks.
i sort of like to cook – i like to bake more – and i used to think that i needed variety, but it turns out that’s not true for me. i do best when i DON’T have variety (in my food choices, that is LOL) and when i take a lot of the ability to choose out of it my daily food/exercise routine. i just have certain things for the week and that’s it. what i like to eat during the days depends on the season (salads in summer), but generally it stays mostly the same. and honestly, if leo’s not eating dinner with me (sometimes he’s at the gym, or he prefers to eat a portioned frozen meal), i’m cool with carrots and hummus and some crackers for dinner. or sometimes i’ll have a second CLEAN shake.
i don’t know… we each just have to figure out what works for ourselves. i am lucky that i’ve settled on something for now, but maybe that will change? i can’t believe i’ve stuck with pure barre for almost 5 years, but they’ve made a lot of changes the last year and it stays very challenging, so i don’t get bored. maybe you just need to try lots of different things every year? to keep it interesting 🙂
and yes, paying for class, and having to go to a group class really helped to keep me accountable in the beginning. i needed that.
yes! sometimes i get desperate too lol
you know what’s the most astonishing thing? it shocks me every time: even when i give myself “permission” to buy a cookie, or candy, or whatever, or if i’m starving and have been “good” overall, and all that’s available is a cookie, i don’t eat it. i don’t buy one. i think i just know i won’t feel great afterwards (after eating a “regular” cookie). and anyway, like i said, I ALWAYS ALWAYS ALWAYS have a bar or two in my bag. for hangry emergencies. i don’t know who i am anymore…who would have thought i could train myself this well??
thank you jillian 🙂
yes, pure barre is really expensive, and that’s part of the reason i started going as often as i do – to get the price per class down to under $10, which is something i could justify. and it’s SO HARD. still. but also SO GOOD. i really think everyone should give it a try. 5-10 classes at least 🙂
Look at you skinny girl 🙂 I love Alo too, I have their high waisted crop that I wear to pilates or as athleisure. Thank you for sharing. I’ve been unhealthy for the past year in both exercise and diet so I found this inspiring and also you gave me some nice snack/meal ideas.
Love Pure Barre! I just signed the 100 barre the other week 🙂 It’s so addictive because it gives me that runners high (that I never got from running). You have to focus so hard in class that it becomes a 55 minute meditation.
Anyway, was curious if you know more about Alo Yoga. I love their styles but feel a little guilty buying from them as I don’t think they’re ethically made. But, maybe they are ok?
I am SO out of shape right now! Believe me, you’re smart to get healthy, be active, and then stay that way going into the changes that menopause and….let’s call it what it is….middle age (UGH!)…bring. I’ve been plagued by injuries, illness, and surgeries, and every time I feel like I’m getting it together, along comes another medical issue. I DO try to eat healthy, since I figure even if I can’t get a lot of exercise, I can at least do my best with food. But the weight doesn’t budge. It has shifted since menopause, haha! 😉
You really are inspiring, tho! Keep up the good work.
I love seeing your dedication to clean eating and working out. I need to ease myself back into working out more. I’ve been sick and tired so it’s been rough. But I know I’ll get there little by little.
Thank you for the recipe for the chowder. It looks simple and great!
they’re not ethically made as far as I have been able to determine. but i feel about alo, the same that i do with james perse, and other brands that may not necessarily be sustainably/ethically made, that as long as they have a long-term place in my closet and stand up to wear for years, they are “sustainable.”
part of shopping consciously and making the fashion industry more sustainable in my opinion, is buying high quality items that you will wear/use until they fall apart – and hopefully that won’t be for a very long time. i have all my pure barre clothing on heavy rotation since i really wear the same pieces 5 days a week for as long as i can, and i know alo pants work for me. my oldest pair is my moto leggings, which i’ve had for about a year, and have worn 52 times so far; and they’re still in great condition. i can see myself wearing them for 2-3 more years.
when i find a pair of more ethically made/inherently sustainable leggings that will hold up for years, i’ll definitely let you know! i’ve tried some brands that are made from recycled polyester and i didn’t like them long term at all – even short term – they didn’t even warrant 5 wears, which is a waste of money as well as un-sustainable. i do have a pair of girlfriend collective leggings on order, not sure when they’ll get here, but hopefully those will prove to be better.
Question about foam rollers – Did you/ is is worth it to splash the cash out for the LoRox roller? I’ve decided I need to commit myself to foam rolling after reading your raves. I haven’t been Goop’d, I’ve been Grechen’d. (Grech’d?) Seriously, you are a great role model.
i have this one from amazon (the 6×36″ version) and it works wonderfully for me. i don’t honestly know what the difference is in more expensive ones though, so i can’t say for sure, but as a “starter” roller, the one i have works fine. I DO NOT like the gaiam ones you can get at target, they don’t last very long at all, and are much too soft. i definitely recommend a high density one.
i do have that lorox tiny travel roller on my wishlist, but haven’t bought it yet. i have full-sized rollers at my mom’s house and my dad’s house, so most of the places i travel, i’m covered 😉
lol – grech’d 😉
I just got the Girlfriend Collective leggings last month! They are super high waisted (which I love), and I think made from recycled materials. I know Beyond Yoga is made in the US- but they are pretty pricy.
Totally agree that conscious consumption is more than just ethical brands. Heck even if I buy a dress for a dollar at the thrift shop, it’s not really sustainable if I’m just buying it for the fun of owning a new piece just to wear it once.
I bargain with myself and say – ok, you can have peanut butter, but you have to have it on an apple or celery. That way, I can still overserve myself, but it’s messy to eat 3 tbl peanut butter off an apple slice vs a spoon and I hate getting pb on my fingers. Baby steps!
I am pretty good about menu planning & sticking to a grocery list – rarely impulse buy (at least snack food – I impulse buy craft beer regularly, which is another issues….) If it’s not in the house, I have to make something when I’m hungry – and it at least slows me down 🙂 My husband’s favorite snack is popcorn, which I don’t love, but even if I do steal a handful, it not a bad hit, calorie wise….(he makes it on the stove)
Thanks for sharing, I too love getting a peek into other people’s routines! I have a question about your eating though, specifically how you chose CLEAN and those supplements. Did you rely on the book you mention above for recommendations? I have a routine with my eating that I’m pretty happy with, but as the middle years are creeping upon me I’m feeling like I could be doing more to manage sleeplessness, digestion issues etc., just not sure where to start to even how to sort through advice!
i rely completely on that prescription for nutritional healing book for supplement recommendations, i totally meant it when i said it’s my bible!! – and CLEAN: i have been drinking the clean nutritional shake for years and love it, so decided to try their probiotic and like it fine. i don’t generally have any “stomach” issues, other than during my period, which isn’t really a period, more like some hormonal imbalance for a few days. and i think the probiotic has helped to mediate those “issues” a bit, so that’s good. other than that, i’ve always been good about eating/drinking fermented foods so i feel like i get enough probiotics in my diet, but thought i’d try. it can’t hurt, right? at least i hope not…
as far as eating – CLEAN just made sense. i read the book and knew before reading it that all of our biggest health issues are inflammatory issues, so it made sense that removing things from my diet that could cause inflammation couldn’t be bad. i never did a cleanse or anything, just eliminated things from my diet and just started paying a lot more attention to what i ate. now if i have any sort of “issues” outside the norm, i can relate them immediately back to something i ate.
i also LOVE this optimum nutrition bible, which has a TON of information in it as well.
as you can tell, i’m a nutrition freak. i have come to understand how much of our health is influenced just by what we eat/drink. also nutritionfacts.org is a good resource. he skews heavily vegan though. fyi.
i would absolutely recommend all those resources, also, i keep meaning to order this book on hormones, because along with diet/nutrition, i know hormones really mess stuff up…!
“Grechened”…I love that! 😉
I learned SO MUCH about your favorite snacks and meals. Thank you Grechen. (I’ve never even THOUGHT of putting almond butter in my yogurt!)
it’s so weird, but good 🙂 i don’t even remember how i thought to do that…
Sorry it has taken me so long to repond to your thoughtful answer, but thank you! You’re really the best 😀 I will definitely be looking into those books and cooking that coconut fish stew this week!
Wonderful post! I love posts like this .. diet/exercise/day in a life .. lol. I’m so nosy when it comes to how other people spend their days.
It has taken me years to figure out my diet (I’ve pretty much tried every diet on the market) and it seems that I feel best as a flexitarian. I love vegan food, but can’t sustain myself on it exclusively and eating animal protein at every meal becomes a chore – so an in-between-diet seems to work for me.
You’re looking great ~ keep up the good work 🙂
Monica.
I know this is an older post but can I ask how you got to this point of eating so healthy? Did you ever crave sugar/carbs/junk?
I’ve been working out and feel great and I really would like to eat better. But all I want is sugar and chocolate.
hi kelly! it was really hard, and i still struggle with it, all i can say that helps is trying to NOT eat any added sugar at all. it’s so true that when you do eat it, or a lot of “white” carbs in a day, you continue to crave them all day. i absolutely notice that on days i give in and have a bagel or something, i continue to want more carbs and sugars the rest of the day.
thank you!