Looking Back and Looking Forward

2015 was a mostly focused year. Moving was not a part of the original plan when the year began and so it was difficult to pack and move and keep up with my resolutions as a whole. As I look ahead to 2016, I am ready to jump back in with fresh hope that I can persevere.

After reading my resolutions from last year, there aren't really any that I want to change. I think I would like to be healthier both spiritually and physically and simpl continue to work towards those.

This fall, I enjoyed the Bible Study I was in by Linda Dillow. It was such a good study and challenged me beyond any other study that I have done. It was so practical and helpful. I hope that I can experience this kind of personal growth again this year.

Health wise, I would love to run at least 3 5k's. They are good goals to keep me focused. I would also like to figure out how to mix in the 21 day fix exercises so that I can also gain muscle in the process.

As 2016 approaches, what are some of your goals for the year? 

Exercise Is Not My Thing

When people say that I should find something I enjoy and do it when referring to exercise,  I simply smile and nod.

I enjoy sleep. And unfortunately that doesn't count as exercise.

Not many of the things I enjoy doing would count as exercise.

So if I waited until I found something that I liked there is a chance that I never find anything that would count as exercise.

That is one of the reasons I chose to run. It's quick. Mindless. Focused. And burns calories.

For me, I had to just choose something.

Because in order to be healthy, I need to be active. And being active means doing more than sleeping.

Sunday, I ran my 1st 5k of the year. The Graffiti 5k. My bestie Annie and I found a pretty good deal on groupon and grabbed it while we could. My Dad decided to join us as well.

I have to say how proud I am of my Dad. He made time to train for this race and like me has never been a runner nor enjoyed running. He lost 20 pounds during the training! He pushed himself the whole race even when he was super parched. He finished strong. I know I said it a thousand times, but Dad I am so very proud of you and I cannot wait to hear which race you sign up for next.

My bestie Annie also impressed me. She is about 18 weeks pregnant and still ran. That first trimester is so exhausting and yet she stuck with her decision to run and kept up the whole time. Proud of you too, Annie!

This race was super fun and charged with energy. There was not a moment that I was bored or dying and wishing for the end. Other than needing more water stations during the race, I have no complaints. The more I thought about it, the more I realized how much I enjoyed myself. It was such a fun time. If you are thinking of trying out running for yourself, I highly recommend a color run as your first race.

With all of that being said, instead of waiting to find something you enjoy, I say "Get up and do something!" You may not enjoy it. You may hate every moment of it. But your body needs it. Your body wants it. Get up off of the couch. Don't waste another second. You won't regret it. Get up and do something!

21 Day Fix

For the last 21 days, I did the 21 day fix and it was awesome. The program is based on the concept that it takes 21 days to form a habit, giving you 21 days to form good habits.

It is by far the best program I have ever done.

Since the healthier eating was going to be something I knew I would struggle with, I decided to get the challenge pack through beachbody that included Shakeology. Shakeology is their meal replacement shakes. I got the chocolate and really liked it. I added spinach to it and it helped me get some veggies in for the day and it really didn't change the flavor at all.

The workouts were amazing. I love the 20ish seconds between workouts to get water and I love that Autumn is so encouraging and pushes you to do more. She is constantly saying "you can do anything for 60 seconds" and she is so right. The workouts were difficult and I was constantly sore and sweaty which are both great things in my opinion.

The eating plan was so easy to follow and while I missed my sweets at first, I really didn't struggle with cravings at all. I did cheat a little in that I had 1 tablespoon of creamer in my coffee everyday in spite of them saying not to. I skipped the nuts and seeds too. Since my goal wasn't to torture myself, but to change my bad habits and make a better eating lifestyle for myself, I kept my creamer and skipped the seeds/nuts.

My results were pretty great in my opinion. I went down two pant sizes in the short amount of time. I lost 7 inches overall and 5 pounds.

After some debate, I decided not to post my before and after picture here. However, if you are interested in knowing more about the program and would like to see the picture, send me a message on facebook and maybe I will send it to you.

I loved every aspect of this and I will be doing this again in a couple of weeks. My first 5k for the year is coming up and I need to train for that, but once that is behind me, I will start doing this again because it definitely brings results.

Where are you at?

Good morning readers! I hope you guys are having a fabulous Friday.

Just thought I would check-in with ya'll to see how you all are doing with your own resolutions for the year and let you know where I am at with mine.

My first goal was to work-out 4-6 times a week and I am so happy to say that I have done this every week! Some weeks have been super busy so squeezing in 4 work-outs was a major stretch, but it definitely has gotten easier. Losing weight has been a slow process, but that is because I am gaining muscle in the process. Even so, I have lost 6.4 pounds since Jan 4 which is the day before I started my work-out goal. Since January I have lost 7 inches in my waist alone so I know I am making better progress than the scale wants me to think.

Thinking patterns are so hard to change. Honestly, I have spent some time praying for Adam and the girls, but could still use a ton of improvement in this area. I haven't been working near as hard on this as I would like. So, this goal needs to take a higher priority in my life for sure.

As far as the daily life goes, keeping the house picked up comes in phases depending on our busy schedule. I have done alright. The toys are always picked up before I sit down to relax at night. The dishes and kitchen floor have been the bigger struggle. It simply depends on the day and how exhausted I am. I am not giving up though! In January I went to extreme efforts to stay in budget and I went over by $4 because I had bought some snacks at Target that I forgot I had bought and since Target is not my usual grocery spot, I didn't even think about that receipt having groceries on it when I was calculating how much I had left in Jan. In February I stayed in budget, but it was a shorter month. March is in full swing. Not sure how the month is going to go. Especially since I am trying super hard to eat better foods and that can get pricey.

Overall, still finding the balance in all of these things.

How are you guys doing? The year isn't over! So, if you have found that your goals are already a thing of the past, you can dust them off and start again today! You can do it!

New Year's Resolutions and What Not

Well, new years has come and gone.

But I still have a ton of resolutions for this year. When I look at my list, it is much more than my usual 3 items, but I am not overwhelmed by it.

This year I am also taking on a word. My friend Annie does this every year and this year the word "balance" kept coming to me when I thought of my resolutions.  I need balance in so many areas of my life. Those areas are where I have my resolutions as well.

First, is health. I want to eat well and feed my family nutritious foods, but also enjoy food that may not be nutritious. I want balance in not going to one extreme or the other. My personal goal is to lose 15-25 pounds by my anniversary in June. Adam and I have been married for 10 years this year and I want to look my best when we celebrate. I also want to work-out between 4-6 times a week all year. Now that I have 1 5K behind me, I want to continue to run. My first 5K of the year will also be my first 5K with my parents. After a lot of conversation and convincing, they have agreed to do this run with me and I am extremely excited to have them join me. My resolution is to run 2+ 5K's this year. Ultimately, I want to finish the year feeling good in my skin.

Next, is my spiritual walk. My thoughts tend to be "glass half-empty", pessimistic, and negative towards others around me. I want my thoughts to be more focused on God and that of Philippians 4:8. This one leads to my next goal of praying for Adam and the girls on a regular basis. I also want to find more joy in my children and to laugh and have more fun with my family. These things are important to my spiritual walk because God has blessed me with this little family and since He is the giver of joy, I know I need to look to Him for this.

Lastly, is daily living. This last year I struggled to stay in budget. I hope to stay within budget on groceries for 9 out of 12 months this year. Something else that seemed to get away from me was my house. I want to keep up with it better, making time for quick clean-up every night and quick deep clean once a week so it stays clean overall.

What are some of your resolutions and goals for 2015? Do you have a word for the year? 2015 is going to be a good year. Looking forward to sharing it with all of you!

Do you run?

Up until about 2 months ago, my answer to this question would have been, "Of course I run. Every time someone rings my doorbell and I am still in my pajamas, I run to hide or put normal clothes on."

I have always hated running and the idea of running. I am sure at some point in my life someone must have laughed or teased me about it because one of the main reasons I hated it is because I felt like I looked ridiculous doing it. I am also pretty slow. And for someone as competitive as me, I hated it when we would have races in elementary school P.E. class.

There you have it. My history. I am not a runner. And have always hated running.

Enter in my brother.

When I went to visit he and Rachel in October, I was challenged to do more about the lifestyle of laziness that I had chosen for myself. Some would argue that I was still in the first year post baby and that I have plenty of time to worry about that later, but it really had nothing to do with the sweet little girl I was chasing around and everything to do with my own struggle with sin.

I just want to sit around and eat sweets and never get off of the couch.

Sounds pretty lame when you just type it out for the world to see, and honestly I have never verbally said those words, but that is the underlying thought.

So, back to the story. Michael and I were discussing laziness and then jokingly I said, "Maybe we should run a 5k together." Michael was supposed to laugh and say something snarky, but instead said something to the effect of, "yeah, that is a great idea."

Somehow my friend Annie got wind of this semi-decision, and sent me a link to a 5k that was about donuts. This girl knows the way to my motivate me. Donuts. I registered before I changed my mind.

Today, I ran that 5k.

I ran today to prove to myself that I can get off the couch and don't have to be the lazy girl that I don't want to be. And I highly recommend the cto5k app. 8 weeks ago, I couldn't run for 60 seconds without feeling like I could die. Today I ran 3 miles in 35 minutes and 30 seconds only slowing down for donuts of course. If I can do it, you can do it!

Start

Finish

Spinach Muffins

In light of the new year and not being pregnant anymore, I am determined to get back into better eating habits as well as exercising.

So began my hunt on Pinterest to find things to eat that may actually taste good even though they have things in them that I normally would not touch.

Enter this recipe for spinach muffins from http://thegreenforks.com/.

Spinach Muffins

Author: Laura Machell

Serves: 16 muffins

Ingredients

• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 cup whole-wheat flour
• ¾ cup sugar
• 2 tsp baking powder
• ½ tsp baking soda
• 1½ tsp ground cinnamon
• ½ tsp salt
• ¼ cup canola oil
• ¾ cup milk
• 1 (6 ounce) bag fresh baby spinach
• ½ cup mashed banana (from about 2 bananas)
• 2 tsp pure vanilla extract

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350°F and line two 12-cup muffin pans with paper liners.
2. Whisk together dry ingredients in a large bowl: flours, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt. Set aside.
3. In a blender, place oil, milk, and spinach. Blend on high for about 30 seconds or until completely puréed. Add banana and vanilla; blend on low just to mix.
4. Pour puréed mixture into dry mixture and fold together with a rubber spatula until completely combined.
5. Fill muffin cups about ⅔ full and bake 18-20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.

Notes

You can use 2 cups whole-wheat pastry flour for an all whole-wheat option. You can possibly use spelt flour too.

After buying all of the ingredients, I was certain that I probably was going to hate the muffins. But as Daniel Tiger says, "You have to try new foods because they might taste good!"

The batter looked disgusting.

The smell was a little offensive at first, but after adding the banana, was much more pleasant. They turned out to be surprisingly good!

The green color makes them fun!

Ease:
These muffins were super easy to make. They did not have a ton of ingredients so they were quick to make as well.

The family test:
Everyone really enjoyed the muffins. Adam was definitely skeptical about trying them because of their color and because I told him what was in them, but he was surprised that he liked the flavor. The girls loved them and wanted to eat them all. I enjoyed having these for a quick to grab breakfast.

Will I make them again?
Yes! Definitely! Soon! I am planning on taking out the oil and putting in applesauce and switching out some of the sugar for brown sugar as well to see if they still taste just as good. 

30 Day Shred: Complete!

Over these last couple of weeks I did finish my 30 Days of the 30 Day Shred and I was super pleased with the results. I didn't lose as much weight as I would have liked, but honestly I see such a huge difference in my body I don't really care that my number didn't go down more. I feel better in my own skin and that is what matters to me.

Final Results:
Butt -3 inches
Hips -4 and a 1/2 inches
Waist -6 inches
Thighs -5 and a 1/2 inches
Neck -1 and 1/2 inches
Weight -3 pounds

I am hoping to continue the Shred. It works and since there are 3 levels, I can rotate them in and out. I won't be committing another 30 days straight any time soon, but I want to keep working out 3-4 times a week to help maintain where I am at and hopefully continue to gain muscle.

The Last 10 Days

First, I have to admit I skipped a day. My stomach was in knots because Ella had been sick and it makes me sick seeing her sick so yeah I skipped a day.

So these are my last 2 check-in results.

Sadly, day 15 did not bring any good changes. In fact the only change that happened was gaining .6 pounds. I moved up to level 2 so I attribute the .6 pounds to the change in muscle usage.

Day 20 is today. Here are my results:
Butt -1/2 an inch
Hips -1 and a 1/2 inches
Waist -1 inch
Thighs -1 inch
Neck -1/2 an inch (SO weird to measure my neck, but thanks to myfitnesspal it has me all curious now)
Weight - .8 pounds

I sort of expected more weight loss because the whole time Elanor was sick I was living on toast and water, but I also was not pushing myself hard in my work-out. But hey it is .8 pounds. :)

This week I am taking time off of calorie counting. It is just such a pain to do. BUT I am still trying not to completely overindulge. Don't want my shred to go to waste. Too much work to not really put forth 100%. Starting Monday, back to calorie counting.

5 Day Check-In

My 5 day results made me super happy! I worked hard and it really paid off!

Butt: -1 and 1/2 inches
Hips: -1 inch
Waist: -1 and 1/2 inches
Thighs: -1 and 1/2 inches
Neck: -0 inches
Weight: -3.8 pounds :)

I think the biggest thing that helped was adding another 32 ounces of water to my day. I hate water so I have been adding some flavor to make it easier to handle. Thank you Propel for your kiwi strawberry.

Also, I have only had ice cream once in the past week. This is definitely God helping me overcome the temptation to eat it. Ice cream seriously is my weakness.

Only 9 pounds to go to reach my goal weight.

The Weight

Sad to be writing this. But hopeful that by writing this I will be more motivated.

Last year I lost 22 pounds. And I felt awesome. I finally liked the way I looked. I was no size 2, but I have never wanted to be that small. (I like my curves just fine thanks.) But I felt pretty good in my own skin. I didn't look at my body in the mirror and hate it.

Well, sadly, November to January were TERRIBLE months for me and I gained back 12 pounds. YIKES! So easy to gain so quickly. It takes months and months of work to shed it, but seriously only a few weeks to gain it back.

My doctor told me that eating healthy and exercising will help me feel better and will help my mood. That is great and all, but my mood makes me motivated to lay around, not work-out and eat better.

But thankfully I have friends willing to help me out. My friend Annie is making monthly pledges that are designed to help her do more of the things she would like to do throughout the year instead of just making a once a year "resolution". One of her pledges this month is to do the 30 Day Shred for 30 days straight. She asked me to join her. Well, I started on Jan 31 and after 5 days, I have already seen some results. My plan is to measure and weigh every 5 days during the shred since it is a nice even number of times. I am also taking pictures, but you will NOT be seeing those. Ha.

Pause. Let me say that while the 30 Day Shred is not for everyone, it does wonders for me. It is by far the hardest work-out I personally have ever done and is awesome for my body type. It really tones all the areas that I have had issues with my whole life. (Hello, bubble butt and child-bearing hips.)

When I get to my goal weight, I am going to get a new swim suit. I have had the same suit since 2008. It is stretched out from when I was pregnant with the girls and I really could have used a new one last summer.

Ok so here are my results:

Butt: -1/2 inch
Hips: -1 inch
Waist: -0 inches
Thighs: -1/2 inch
Neck: -1 inch (I only measure this because myfitnesspal keeps up with this.)
Weight: +2 pounds

So I was a little sad that I gained 2 pounds, but most likely it is muscle since I have let myself get into such terrible shape the last few months. I was most excited about the inch off the hips. Hello, better swimsuit body.

Recommendations?

So a while back I posted about my motivational dress. In June I was finally able to put it on and not feel fat and frumpy. Here I am in it during my prime work-out time. Felt fabulous about myself and was so glad to see my hard work pay off!

Sadly, I traveled a lot over the summer and the work-out regime went down the drain with the healthy eating and while I have not put much weight back on, I am feeling quite jiggly again. I want to feel good about myself again and now is as good of time as any. RIGHT?!? All of that to say, Adam and I started our competition/challenge back up on Tuesday of this week. We have added our own personal goals to be met at the end or we cannot receive the yet to be determined super awesome motivating prize.

With that being said, do you guys have any recommendations of good scales that our moderately cheap? I don't need one to tell me that I am 97% fat or anything. Just a simple, you weigh ###. By cheap I mean like in the $30 or less range.

Healthy Eating Challenge

Several people have requested to have my spreadsheet for Adam's and my "Healthy Eating Challenge".

The best thing for me was coming up with prizes worth winning that did not cost an arm and a leg. Our first competition (4 weeks long), the prize was picking the next movie that we went to see in the theater. I won so Adam whined his way through "The Vow". This competition (8 weeks long) ends this weekend, but I have already won it and it is an entire day to myself. This one was way more important to me to win so I am super excited about it. Right now, Adam is done with the challenge for a while. I think he just needs a little break from counting calories. I, however, am hoping that since we have been doing it for so long that it will just be a natural part of my day from here out. We have some friends that want to take us on and Adam said he may be up for it in a few weeks. We will see I suppose.

Anyways, here is the spreadsheet if you want to try it for yourselves. Good luck!

If you have any questions, feel free to email me. Thanks!