September's Plan

SO. The last couple of days, I've been MIA. That's been partly because I have been BUSY. Work this week was outrageously productive, but I worked a few late nights and by the time I got home, I was too tired/lazy to type out any coherent thoughts. 

Today, I've got some time. Sundays are spent at worship and with family, but also it's a day of rest. I'm currently in my bathrobe watching an 80's movie marathon on VH1. It's 5:30 pm. I'm that cool. 

Tomorrow begins month 2 of my journey. If I had to give myself a grade on my first month, I'd give myself a C. I need to improve on CONSISTENCY... with working out and what I eat. But honestly, I can already feel some changes and I couldn't be happier. 

- When I wake up and run first thing, I have this amazing jolt of energy to my day. If I don't get up, I feel the effects on my energy and mood all day. I can also feel and see the muscles in my legs changing. 
- Shaun T. is a cruel Mistress (Mister?). He's a Beachbody trainer that leads the T25 workout. He's pushed me hard this month (although again, consistency is not my strong point) and I've been feeling some amazing differences in just about every aspect of my health. This includes my sleep, y'all. 
- My FitBit helps me track sleep, water and food intake, and daily active minutes. It's a constant reminder of my activity each day and it's helped to keep me accountable. 

Tomorrow is September first and I'm about to amp it up. The thing is, I'm a Beachbody coach as well. This means that I can talk to you about all those fun infomercials you've seen on TV... T25, 21 Day Fix, Insanity, P90X, and PiYo just to name a few. There are TONS. I can also talk to you about Shakeology. I've blogged about it about before, but this is one of the BEST purchases/decisions I've made in recent history. I'd love to chat with you about Beachbody products in general and how they can help you get to your goals. 

This means, I'll be more present on Facebook regarding Beachbody. I'm not sorry about that, but I DO promise that I'll be as charming and fun as possible. Not some salesy crazy person peddlin' my wares on social media.

Outside of the physical benefits and how Beachbody will help me get to my personal PHYSICAL goals, don't forget that my blog has a FINANCIAL aspect to it. Beachbody can help me, as a coach, reach some financial goals such as:
 -  Paying off my student loans and some other debt my husband and I have. 
 -  I have a personal financial goal of paying a mortgage each month When we buy a house.
 -  Increasing our savings account balance. 

Those are my basic goals for now- I plan to build on those. YOU can help me get to these goals! I know many of you are curious about Beachbody and the products we have. You guys, WHAT'S STOPPING YOU?! There's NOTHING BUT GOOD that can come from it and I'd love to speak with you!

Get ready September! I'm comin' for YOU!

Life is like a Box of Chocolates...

Hey everybody! It's 7:30 in the evening and I'm just getting started on today's post. Usually I work on it little by little but today has just been LONG. Today's one of those days that out of the ordinary things kept going on. All day. So, I guess "Mama" was right, "Life is like a box o' choc'lates. Ya never know what your gonna get."

I overslept this morning. Not because it was raining (for once) but because I'm pooped, y'all. Every muscle in my body is in shock from my double workouts the last several days. Oh, it's only Wednesday, you say? I know. It's only Wednesday and my body is screaming for help. It'll take some time to get to regular two-a-day workouts.

I did finally get up and moving. It was a process, but I thought, "Thank God for today! I'm looking FORWARD to this day! I'm THANKFUL that I woke up with the blessing of another day with a job and an amazing husband! Let's ROCK TODAY!"

At that point, I hobbled out of bed and got ready to run. Friends, my legs HATED me for this decision. But once I was out in the cool air that was mildy rainy, I got a strange surge of energy and I was in full on Forrest mode.

I ran for the better part of an hour! I couldn't help it. I was so pumped to finally be running after several days off because of morning thunderstorms! I kept a solid pace and kept rhythm with my breathing. I hit a great stride and I was feeling AWESOME.

I love running in the suburbs. People rushing to work in their Audis. Parents waiting at the bus stop in the car with their kids because it was "raining." Seriously- it was a few drops of rain here and there. Ridiculous.

The most interesting thing I've observed on my runs is suburban dog owners. These people. I tell you what. There is no more spoiled animal in the universe than a lap dog in suburbia. Their owners are so accommodating. They carry the dogs on walks. What IS that?! There are people that have dog carriers! Baby carriers FOR A DOG. I'm actually, literally embarrassed for your dog. They have no control over that nonsense. Let your dog be a dog. You look like a crazy person. <end rant>Anyway, I ran about 2.5 miles, but I pushed myself hard today! I'm outrageously proud of myself. I take my phone with me on my run, for safety reasons but also because of my Audible app with which I listen to books while I run. Who needs music when you can focus that time on a little intellectual development? I realized it was getting pretty late in my morning, so I headed back.

Today at work I had a huge project I was working on. I love that creative focus I get when I'm working on something design related. I was so focused, I pretty much sat all day, didn't drink a lot of water and pretty much obsessed over this project until it was done at 7:00PM. I came home to my husband pulling dinner out of the oven. Seriously, I am so blessed. While I know I should workout, my brain actually hurts from staring at a computer all day (continuing into the evening). I'm going to snuggle up and spending some overdue quality time with my better half.

Before I go, let it be known that I got through this "Chocolate" Forrest Gump themed entry without once actually craving chocolate. Progress. Be proud. 

The Pants Project

I wear pants almost every day to work. I have lots and lots of dress pants hanging in my closet. To look in my closet, you would assume that I'm quite the professional. However, most of those pants are neglected, hanging and waiting to be worn.

Sorry, pants. I can't get you over my hips. They don't lie.
Anyway, today I pulled on a pair of my trusty gray slacks. They fit and can be passed off as business casual and those are about their only redeeming qualities.

Honestly, I hate them.

I have tons of clothes, but those that actually fit are a small portion of my wardrobe. I keep the others around so "when" I fit into them again, I will have a fresh wardrobe all over again even if they are a bit outdated. At this rate, by the time I can fit back into them, they'll be back in style again.

So, I'm working to change this nonsense. I want to wear cute things and not feel like a frumpy dump. I want to accidentally stumble into the maternity section at Target and find nothing that fits. I want people to genuinely compliment me or ask where I got my cute skirt or SOMETHING.

Yesterday while I was doing my T25 Lower Body Fix and I was squatting and lunging my life away, I decided I would start the Pants Project.

Remember those SlimFast or Weight Watchers commercials with thin people standing inside their formerly large and in charge pants? I'm taking my inspiration from those. I'm working my way towards this overly happy thumbs-up photo!

So, I had my husband take a photo of my pants this morning... I still am always shocked when a picture of any sort is taken of me. I still can't believe my size sometimes. I know that my size may not seem like a big deal to most of you and certainly some people deal with larger hurdles when it comes to weight loss, but I am the biggest I've ever been and it's my blog, so I'm allowed to talk about it. 

These are my pants. They are shapeless but comfortable. They are ugly but they fit. They WILL be too big for me by the time I revisit this subject. Today is August 26 and I will post again about this topic on September 26.

I also love hearing from all of you. Whether it be in private messages, Facebook notes or comments on the blog, it's wonderful to know that I have your support and encouragement. Keep 'em coming!

Learned Truths and Really (really) Salty Food

Today was sort of backwards. I didn't workout this morning because when I woke up at 6am, thunder and lighting were havin' it out. The last time there was lightning around here, Randy witnessed the field next to our apartment (yes, we live by cornfields #Iowa) being struck by lighting. No thanks.

So I got up and because I had a leadership meeting at work, I fixed a lovely Shakeology breakfast and started getting ready for my day.

I got home after work and immediately made dinner. I had an early lunch and because of the meeting, didn't get a snack when I normally do, so I was hungry. HUNGRY. So I made this little creation with some pork loin we had in the refrigerator. It was...interesting. Good, but since I made it up and it's the first time I made this, it could use some tweaking. (note: I'm not putting this in my recipes section because it's not perfect, but I will tell you how I made it below.)

Careful with my portions AND my carb intake, I wrapped my concoction in lettuce leaves! After eating, I waited a few minutes and THEN I worked out. I told you today was backwards! Today, I learned a few truths about myself, so of course, I want to share.

1. Running in the morning makes me a better person. I was restless all day without it.

2. Under no circumstances does any recipe that involves soy sauce require any additional salt. (please read this point again and commit it to memory. It's vital.)

3. Lettuce leaves instead of tortilla shells make that disgusting I'm-so-full-I-need-my-elastic-pants feeling non-existent.


Sweat is literally dripping of my face and Reba wants a belly rub. -_-

4. Yogurt is the best after dinner snack. It gives you the sweetness and creaminess of ice cream without the guilt. Again, I realize I'm late on the bandwagon, but whatever. I'll own it. I used to eat Yoplait, but decided I like AE (Anderson Erickson Dairy, for you non-local folks) better.

5. Yoga stretches after a Shaun T. workout are a-ma-zing. They are necessary, therapeutic and wonderful. But then, I'm a closet yogi. Also, a truth about Reba (my foster cat niece) is that she too, loves yoga. She does not, however love anything overly strenuous. She's actually quite lazy.

6. I actually LIKE lower body workouts. Guys. Really. This is truly amazing. Squats, lunges and the like are hard and my muscles are going to PAY for this tomorrow but I felt like I did some WORK today.

7. I crave my morning Shakeology. And water. Some people in the meeting got a can of pop in the afternoon for that after lunch pick me up. Usually the sound of a can of sugary carbonation fizzing open makes me crave it, but I totally didn't. I even surprised myself at the amount of water I drank. Bam. Changes are happening, y'all.

This journey is helping me learn many things about myself and I'm sure this topic will be recurring. The way to LEARN these things, however, is to actually be consistent enough to notice changes. :)



Ok-- here's my recipe. I really just threw some stuff together- there are no measurements here! I wanted to make Korean BBQ Pork lettuce wraps, but I didn't want to go to the store. So I took some flavors that I love in my sushi and made this delicacy.
Preheat oven to 350. Take 1 pound of pork loin with the fat trimmed and slice it into medallions. In a bowl, create a rub of pepper, garlic powder, ginger, (and I used salt. DO NOT do this.) Toss medallions in the rub, coating as well as you can. Add about 2 Tablespoons of low sodium soy sauce, 2 Tablespoons of brown and spicy mustard, 1 Tablespoon of olive oil and dash or two or sesame oil(this is powerful stuff, so you don't need much). Toss the medallions in that as well. Put the pork in baking dish large enough for the pork medallions to lay flat. On the top of the medallions, slice 1-2 apples (I just did one because that's all I had). Bake for about 25 minutes or until cooked. Once cooked, slice into smaller pieces.

I used a cheese grater to slice some cucumber and fresh ginger and made that into a slaw, of sorts.  (That actually helped balance some of the big flavors in this!). Additionally, I made a little sauce of Kraft low-fat Asian Sesame dressing (this is a serious must have in my house), spicy brown mustard and a LITTLE soy souce. I also had some basmati rice in my refrigerator that we had from a meal last week, so we used that in the wrap.

In a lettuce leaf, add a spooful of rice, the pork/apple mixture and cucumber mixture. Top with sauce and a few sesame seeds. Voila!

Quality of Life

Today's entry isn't about my fitness or my health. This isn't about me at all,  although it is about a woman that has had a huge impact on my life.

Today, I took the day off work. I didn't work out. My main focus was not on eating healthy. Instead, my mom and I took the day to go see my 92-year-old grandmother, who is my only surviving grandparent. She's recently been placed in hospice care and is being given incredible care around the clock to ensure that she is comfortable. She needs assistance for nearly everything.

She is not the grandmother that I knew growing up-- the one that fed us exactly one egg, one piece of bacon and a gulp of pulpy orange juice for breakfast while we listened to Paul Harvey on the radio before my grandfather read the daily devotion from The Daily Bread. She wasn't the same grandma that let me play on the staircase on rainy days with toys from my dad and uncles' childhoods. She wasn't the same grandma that made us chocolate malts after a day of running around chasing barn cats and playing in the timber. She wasn't the same grandma that laid my sister and I across the bathroom vanity to wash our hair in the sink. Today, she was a frail, changed woman.

Her condition now raised questions of her current quality of life. Is she getting real QUALITY of life? It's easy to think that she's not. But as I gave her a manicure this afternoon and talked to her about happier times with my grandpa or of her as a girl while I moisturized her frail, paper-like hands, I began to think differently. This woman has had quite a life.

Born in 1921, she was one of eight children in a Danish family. In 1940, her father had arranged for her to ride to California to see her sister and brother-in-law in a car that was being taken to California to be sold. In the car with her was a young Swedish guy from Stanton, Iowa. While the details of their courtship are a little fuzzy, the Danish girl and the Swedish boy were married in December of 1942.

In 1945, after my grandfather's discharge from the Army, they moved back to southwest Iowa to farm and remained there indefinitely. Those now frail, paper-like hands raised boys, opened and notated in her now well-worn Bible and prayed daily. Those hands managed a household for decades; maintaining a large garden year after year, hanging laundry on the line to dry and whipping up her famous brownies from scratch. Those hands made those chocolate malts that absolutely no malt in the universe can rival, gave hugs and clapped with joy when my siblings and I would sing songs we learned in chapel to her. Those hands wiped tears and held my
hands when I needed her most. To this day, those hands are still strong.
 
My grandparents have left quite a legacy. Seventy years of marriage. Four sons. Eighteen grandchildren. Twenty-two (almost 23) great-grandchildren. When my grandfather passed away last summer, there was time before the funeral that my grandma (who laments to anyone that will listen that she never had any daughters) was shuffled into a Sunday school room in the basement of the church by six of her granddaughters to make sure she looked just right on the day she had to bury her husband. During that time, we laughed, joked, cried and circled around as a family to pray. If that's not a testament to this woman's lasting legacy on her descendants, I don't know what is.

My grandfather has already passed away and my grandmother is 92. Neither will ever read this blog or probably really, fully, grasp the impact they've had on my life. If you know me, you know that I'm immensely proud of my family and how absolutely marvelous each member of it is. Carol and Mary Peterson are a huge part of that. They gave us memories to last forever. They gave us roots. They gave us heritage.

At the end of a person's life, sometimes, you can't take it for what it is at face value. You have to remember (and in some cases learn) how many amazing things they have done in their simple life to appreciate them. And to me, that's true quality of life.

Intentionally Healthy

A few photos from my effortlessly thin days

For a long time, I was naturally thin and I didn't have to do much to stay that way. I didn't intentionally exercise and I didn't eat especially well. In fact, I ate like crap. After years of that and of working at jobs where I sat for the bulk of my day, I became overweight.

This kind of scenario is what a LOT of people deal with. They weren't brought up with intentional exercise or cravings for healthy foods. Instead, we live in a culture that loves binge-watching Netflix and fast food. Where speed eating pies will get you a medal and watching athletic events while huddled around a TV eating fried food is fun. We stock up on processed food "because it's on sale" and it's "easier" to buy/store/prepare than healthy food. And then, all of a sudden, we can fit into our favorite pants. And we have the audacity to wonder why! 
Don't misunderstand, I'm totally in this camp. Now I'm working like crazy to back pedal and lose a bunch of weight so I can feel like myself again. Conversely, I can't seem to stay on track. Consistency is key and if you know me, I always misplace my keys. We obviously can't do anything about our past decisions but what if we grabbed our health by the reigns and showed it who's boss?! What if we just DID what we needed to do to make sure that we were the best version of ourselves? What if we simply went after what we wanted?


Here's an example of intentionality. I didn't get married until I was 27. If you're familiar with Midwestern culture, that is on the far end of the age range for marriage here. I went through periods where all my friends were getting married at once and then had kids at once. During that time, I did some really cool things,  but I got to a point where I was back living at my mother's house and working at a place that employed and served mostly women. Any men I met there were married fathers and therefore, obviously, disqualified. I was sick of being single and seeing everyone move along with the milestones in their lives. When I complained, well-intentioned people would calm me down and try to figure out what the rush was and to calm me by saying that I "just haven't met him yet." Dating was hard when you worked all the time and only hung out with women. I couldn't wait around for some magical meet-cute at the grocery store or something.

I had a friend that had luck with online dating. She encouraged me to try it out because one site had a free 30 day trial. Up until and even during that experience, I thought online dating was just... weird. Unnatural. Something about it didn't sit right with me. Most the guys that messaged me were 50 year old weirdos that just wanted to "hang out." Then I met a guy whose profile said he was a Christian that goes to church every Sunday. Turns out, he was a solider currently deployed in Afghanistan. He wasn't coming back for another two months, so we got the opportunity to take our time and get to know each other. By the time we actually, physically met, it was like we had known each other for years.  We both had discussed a desire to get married and thought we should continue down the path towards that goal. We agreed that if at any time we felt like we weren't going to marry each other, we would end it.

That Christian soldier became my husband 2 years later and I've never doubted our dating process. We were not satisfied with where we were in our personal lives and we both made an intentional choice to change it. There was no nonsense moving into it-- we both knew what we wanted and the steps we needed to take to get there. It was just a matter of figuring out if this was the person we wanted to walk down that road with.

We had a goal. We intentionally went after achieving it. We met our goal and have never been happier.

Think of this example in health and fitness terms. You want to be healthier/skinnier but you are currently floundering between sometimes working out and having a flip/flop diet with lots of "cheat meals." Basically, you're not being consistent. It's like dating just to "see where it goes." Trust me, I did that since I was 15 and it got me nowhere. The moment I decided what I wanted and INTENTIONALLY went after it, I found what I was looking for.

What if you invested your time and energy into being intentional rather than flaky about your choice to be healthy? What if you started saying no to dessert and soda? What if you made a choice TODAY to be the best version of you and to not let any value meal get in the way?

That's my intention as of TODAY. Work towards it. Be proof that consistency in healthy diet and exercise WORK. Beachbody workouts and Shakeology do that, and if that's something you're interested in, I'd LOVE to talk to you. I know that these products are going to help me to get to the best version of myself and I plan to prove it to you.

WHAT IF you joined me?! This is my journey to 30 and I want to be in phenomenal shape on my 30th birthday. I know many of you are staring down the barrel of a milestone in your life-- want to look and feel freakin' awesome when you get there?

Wednesday (pt. 2)

Whhhhaaaaatt? Two posts in one day? I feel like I owe it to you, since I tend to be blog-lazy on the weekends!

So I felt like I left the last post off on a sour note. I told you from the beginning that I would try to be as positive as possible throughout this process, but not all the time. It's impossible.

I came home and found my T25 and completed it. I didn't complete it WELL, but I did complete it. It was a total body workout and it was hard (reference the grumpy cat picture from the last entry). I was dripping in sweat and winded. Shaun T. is the trainer for this workout and he gets all up in the camera and talks to you like he can see you. It pushes me for sure!

Anyway, here's my accountability photo post-workout. The lighting must have been pretty great because my face was BRIGHT RED. I looked like Bob the Tomato from VeggieTales.

Now I'm going to clean my house, do a little laundry and watch a few episodes of Who Do You Think You Are on TLC. I'm so cool. I'm feeling better about my day and I am looking forward to another successful day tomorrow! Bring it, Shaun T.!

Wednesday

This post is titled 'Wednesday' not only to continue with my super creative post titles this week, but also to remind that today is in fact, Wednesday. All day, I've kept thinking that it's Tuesday because it's just been one of those weeks, people.

I've been feeling pretty awesome lately. Planning healthy meals that we've been sticking to, the hubs and I have been keeping each other accountable in the diet department but also in the money department. We no longer use just any ol' excuse to eat out... we make it home and figure it out from there. I'm more consistent with my workouts and as a result, I have more energy and sleep better.

This morning, I was determined to get up early and go for a long run. I was up at 5. That's right-- 5 AM. It was pitch black out and I heard thunder. For me, hearing thunder when I'm still in bed is like getting permission to hit the snooze button and pull the blankets up for another cozy 20 minutes of rest. But not today!

I stepped out on my deck to check out the weather situation.. it was dark and thundery and it had obviously just rained pretty hard. I decided not to run because I didn't want to get struck by lightning and because I could tell it was going to storm again. (<---a benefit of living in Iowa is that you just know when some things are going to happen with the weather. We can "feel" rain and "smell" snow coming.) Luckily though, I witnessed a beautiful sunrise before the clouds covered it again. A benefit of waking up early, y'all.


So I didn't run this morning. We are in the process of moving a bunch of crap around our apartment and I couldn't find my T25 DVD set either-- only the cardio I did yesterday. So, I decided to try a little experiment. I'm on Pinterest quite a bit (did you know I have a page for my Beachbody stuff? Because I do) and I find these adorable little workout memes all the time. I've pinned a few in the past, so I thought, why not? I'll do a little circuit to get my blood pumping and that'll be a nice morning workout.
I haven't really focused on ab workouts at all lately. Just mostly focusing on cardio to drop a few pounds, as you well know. So I came across this little gem and decided to try it out. How hard could I be?

Hard. It was like the universe said, "Good morning, feel like dying today?"

Ok, so it wasn't THAT bad, but it was hard. My abs are pretty soft so it was a big challenge for me. Planking sucks. Burpees suck. Mountain climbers are even worse.

WAAAAAA! Working out is HARD.

I have to do this to get to my goal and YES. It's super hard for me. I don't think I'm ever going to be one of those people that will choose exercise for fun if given a choice between a run and say, a movie date with a big bowl of popcorn. I just don't think I'm at that point yet.

I wasn't always like this-- I enjoyed exercise and saw fast results when I committed to something. That's not the case now and it's easy to get discouraged and frustrated. For now, I exercise as a way to get to my goals, lofty as they may be. I think once I truly start seeing results, I'll get some momentum rolling and be more excited about it.

Until then, I really would love to lose five freakin' pounds. IS THAT TOO MUCH TO ASK??!

Tonight I'll try to find my T25 workouts and sweat my life away for 25 minutes and I know I'll be back to feeling awesome. :)





 

Tuesday.

Me as a RA. Check the old computer!

I was an Resident Assistant (RA) in college for one semester. I went to a college where it was required to live on campus during freshman year. After that, most people either moved into one of the new "suites" or "apartments" or they found a place off campus. Needless to say, there were mostly freshman in our residence hall. In a building of mostly freshmen, I lucked out and got the floor with upperclassmen.

Each week, the RAs on staff got together and hashed out issues that occurred or were ongoing and planned for the week ahead. In a building of mostly 18 and 19 year old college students, we had our fair share of issues. (Some highlights I remember were hunting down a guy we *know* we heard on a girl's floor after hours only to find him cowering in a girls' closet. Another was a guy from top floor that had a habit of throwing food he didn't want or was finished eating out the window. He hit someone with a plate of nachos once. WHAT. IN. THE. WORLD.) It was a weird job that didn't prepare me in the least for "the real world" but it was free room and board and it was a lot of fun.
Anyway, in an effort to balance the otherwise stressful and unnecessary hard work that was babysitting young adults full time, the Residence Hall staff would start each meeting with "Happies and Crappies." This was always my favorite part because you got to learn about other things happening in a person's life outside of work and sometimes things got a little silly.

So, in an effort to relive that weird time in college and show you some of what I balance. I try to be as positive as possible on social media (including blogs) because negativity isn't worth broadcasting, but hey-- sometimes crappy things are going on. That's life, right? Ladies and Gentlemen, I give you Tuesday's Happies and Crappies:

+  Happy: I slept like a ROCK last night. At least, I felt like I did! My Fitbit tells me I was awake once last night and restless 13 times. Whatever. I woke up totally refreshed. Win.
- Crappy: I slept SO well, that I slept through my alarm, which means I woke up too late to run this morning.
+ Happy: I have my own office at work, you guys. It's my first ever and I'm thankful for it every day. I can spread things out and get a ton of work done without being interrupted too much. It's awesome.
- Crappy: I didn't drink enough water today. I did get to come home and do a T25 workout, but I struggled. Badly.
+ Happy: My workout this afternoon (cardio), while a smidge dehydrated, was awesome. I was drenched and winded. I feel a true sense of accomplishment when I finish one of those workouts.
+ Happy: Dinner tonight was AMAZING. Check the recipes tab for crock pot tacos... it's seriously so delicious. It makes a ton and is arguably even better reheated. We will have leftovers for a couple of days.
+ Happy: I started a new book tonight. I'm all about personal development books lately. I'm listening to How The World Sees You by Sally Hogshead on Audible during my morning runs (highly recommend, btw) but tonight, I started in on the book my husband got me for our first wedding anniversary in June. It's called Real Marriage: The Truth About Sex, Friendship and Life Together by Mark and Grace Driscoll. SO good so far, you guys. It's a Christian book writtenby a minister, but it's not jsut throwing Bible verses at you... it offers real life issues that even people in a Christian marriage struggle with. Get it. Read it. Tell yo' friends.  

So as you can see, my day was generally HAPPY. As most my days are. I don't have much to complain about because really, life is good. My big discouragement today was missing my morning run. And you'll always find discouragement during a journey like this. The lesson here is to focus on all the good.. trivial as it may seem. Your life is pretty stinkin' awesome. Admit it to yourself and the "bad" things will start rolling off a little easier.

Continuous Motivation

Everyone needs motivation to work out. At least, I do. When I started it was a giant SHOVE in the right direction to work out. Now, it's a gentle nudge and a reminder of how truly wonderful it feels to exercise.

This morning, I was laying in bed half awake and debating if I should get up to run. It's Monday and at 5:30am, it was still dark outside. I was warm and totally cozy in my bed, with my husband by my side and our little foster cat niece at my feet. It would have been EASY to hit the snooze button and enjoy that perfect comforting nest. Six months ago, I would have done just that. But now, even though I would never call myself "a runner" by any stretch of the imagination, I kind of love it. I love the solitude. I love listening to personal development books on Audible. I love the feeling of accomplishment just after sunrise.

I say I "kind of" love it, because running isn't easy. The last time I ran consistently, I was about 20 pounds lighter. Running came more easily. Now I feel like I'm back pedaling a little and trying to get on track. It's not easy or fun, but I love it.

After a few months of this, I can more easily motivate myself to exercise and eat healthier. Both are coming more naturally. What's a challenge for me now is motivation DURING a workout. For example, when Shaun T. has me jumping until I think the balls of my feet are actually screaming at me or when I'm at the bottom of a long, gradual hill on one of my runs, I need some encouragement. Here are a few things that sometimes work:

- "Only another 30 seconds of this (insert exercise here). You got this."
- "Just run to that light pole/mailbox/driveway." I set short goals to get to a bigger one.
- Focus on breathing. When I'm getting really winded, it's probably because I need to have a few focused, rhythmic breaths to set me straight. I did yoga for a few years and breathing almost always gets you on the right track.
- I sing. In my head of course, but I just sing a verse of whatever some comes to mind... it could be Girl on Fire by Alicia Keys or it could be Jesus Loves Me. Really, whatever gets me through that particular challenge.
- Clearing my head. This one is difficult because in the heat of the moment, all you can think about is the sweat faucet you have going on down your back or how much your muscles hurt. I try to clear my head and picture myself after I've reached my goals. I visualize what wearing (something super trendy) looking younger than I do and happy with myself. Sometimes I picture myself with Carrie Underwood's legs or Cameron Diaz's arms. I know, I should compare myself to others, but in the heat of the moment, I'm not really comparing myself.... I'm striving towards it. That's different, right? I'm gonna go with that.

What I'm looking for now are other tricks of the mind to set me straight-- strengthen my mind to help strengthen my body. I need to know what works for others. I've learned that I can't mindlessly jump in to something... I need to think on it. I know that weight loss isn't easy. Not only is it not easy, it's downright hard. This girl needs all the motivation I can get so my "during" mindset is just as solid as my "before."

Angel vs. Devil

It's Friday. And on Fridays there's nothing I love more than going home, slipping into something a little more comfortable (preferably something with an elastic waistband), pouring m'self a glass of wine and flipping on the ol' boob tube for several hours before I decide to call it a night.

NO MORE!

Tonight, I came home and ran 3 miles. And I actually ran it. I was a jiggly, sweaty mess the whole time, but I RAN IT. It was actually pretty awesome. Not because I had great form or ran super fast. Honestly, it was a slow jog and nothing about it was pretty. It was awesome because I do my best thinking when I run.

The things is, I actually enjoy running. I know... I'm a weirdo. Here's why:
- It clears my head and organizes my thoughts.
- It makes me feel GREAT-- if I'm feeling tired or my muscles are tight or I'm feeling a bit under the weather, running makes me feel better 100% of the time.
- The act of running makes me feel great, but finishing a run is even better. Every run is an accomplishment in itself.

Tonight's blog entry is about what went through my head during my run. Excuses. I can justify not working out all the time. I can justify eating out or eating unhealthy meals all the time. But why? None of that lines up with the goals I've set for myself! SO, I came up with a little list of excuses that I think are pretty common and some things you can do to mentally negate those. I bring you, the angel and devil on your shoulders...

Devil: "But I don't want to! The couch looks better"
Angel: Yes you do. An accurate list of things you don't want to do is: wear pants all summer again, stress out about an upcoming event because of how you look, dread shopping (especially the fitting room) and regret not taking this step towards your goal. Work your tushy off for 40-60 minutes and THEN sprawl on the coach like you've never sprawled before.

Devil: "I've had a hard day. I'm too tired for this"
Angel: You got this. You can OWN this workout. It's only a small percentage of your day. Knock it out now and you'll have plenty of time to sleep. In fact, you'll probably sleep better ater you work out.

Devil: "I don't have time to work on this today.. I've got a packed schedule!"

Angel: Really? Be a grown up. Plan ahead. And if you want this, you'll make time for it. Most of that stuff on your to do list today probably isn't for you... it's probably a list of things you are doing for other people. How are you supposed to become the best version of yourself if you never make time for yourself? Wake up a little early, squeeze in a lunch time workout, or make a hole in that schedule this evening. You CAN do this... you just have to be smart about this.

Devil: "Healthy food is so expensive."
Angel: Healthy food CAN be more expensive, but remember, healthy food has nourihment-- not empty calories. Look for sales, sneak veggies and tuna in with that mac and cheese instead of eating it by itself. Focus on protein and veggies. Get creative on how this can work for you instead of giving up and buying stock in Cheez-Its.

Look, I'm not saying my way is the best way for everyone, because it's not. It's the best way for this tight budget, busy schedule, on-the-go household and somehow, we make it work. I'm working on being creative with my diet AND my budget and that can get tricky. We're going to probably start couponing soon. I don't plan to be one of those crazy lady savers that hoard 10 dozen cans of tuna for the sake of saving a dime, but I will be using coupons in our favor and keeping an eye on sales. No excuses!

 

Hey, I'm Just Being Honest

You guys. Part of my Beachbody coach life includes weekly "team calls."  Honestly, this is something that I usually miss. Mostly because I forget, but also because I have something else to do or I feel like I'm overwhlemed with Beachbody stuff to begin with and I don't want to hear all these uber successful coaches talk about how great they are.

Hey. I'm just being honest.

In my adult years, I've struggled with, well, being an adult. While my friends were getting married, I was going to happy hours with my co-workers. While my friends were having kids, I was living at my mother's house - still single. I'm now married and my husband and I are living in an apartment, not a house whereas most people I know have a mortgage. I still love things like Disney movies, Christmas morning and unexpectedly getting ice cream on the weekends.For crying out loud, I'm re-reading the Harry Potter series currently. Sheesh. My point is that I've had a hard time accepting the fact that I am, in fact, a grown woman. You guys, it's been incredibly difficult for me to see all my friends successes and accomplishments and not be incredible frustrated that I'm "not there yet." I see their houses and cars and gorgeous children and I run the gamut of emotions from anger to jealousy to frustration.

Hey. I'm just being honest.

Thinking about this recently, I regret not being simply joyous for my friends during their times of happiness. And I am/was happy for them. I was simply so caught up in being annoyed that I wasn't "quite there yet." I didn't have the car/boyfriend/job/body/exciting travel life that others did. Comparison has brought down my ownself esteem and that's my fault.

Now I'm doing this Beachbody coach thing and I'm learning as I go. It's a company that I believe in that has a mission that lines up with my own values. I'm in this group of coaches that seem to have nothing but time to work on growing their business. They are posting on social media and always outrageously EXCITED about their lives. I mean, dang ladies,don't you ever have a bad day?

Hey. I'm just being honest.

So back to the coach call tonight. The topic was comparison. *It's really amazing how God puts the right message at the right time in front of us, isn't it?* Anyway, My SISTER was giving the presentation! She spoke about how comparison isn't just the thief of joy (Teddy Roosevelt reference) but the thief of strength and success. Interesting. All this time I've WASTED comparing myself to others when my biggest asset has always been in the mirror. I've inadvertently pushed away friends because they are on a different path than me. I've turn friendship into competition and that's made me bitter.

Hey, I'm just being honest.

Moving forward, I want to focus on only myself as my competition; only compare me to me. I want to find happiness within myself and contentment with "where I am" in my life and for that to shine through to others. I want to work on being the BEST version of myself, while helping others become the be best version of themselves. It CAN happen, and I intend for it to! <3

Hey, I'm just being honest.

Why Shakeo?

I've spoken often about Shakeology and the wonderful effect it's had on my body and my life. Shakeology is a meal replacement shake you drink once a day to get best results. It comes in powder form and in many different flavors: Chocolate, Vanilla, Vegan Chocolate, Strawberry, Tropical Strawberry and Greenberry.

The benefits I've seen are pretty incredible. Personally, I've seen weight loss, appetite control and portion sizes have become a healthier size as a result. Just in the first month I drank it daily, I lost 7 pounds. I've seen my skin clear up (because honestly sometimes I think I have the face of a teenager) and my digestive system is more regular.

Shakeology is PACKED with nutrients and goodies. It's got protein, antioxidants and vitamins in it. It can help you lose weight, increase your energy throughout the day, increase digestive health and lower cholesterol. In the graphic I've posted here, you can see all the goodness that goes into it! On top of that, it's flavored. I always get vegan chocolate and now I crave it. Honestly... it's amazing.

When you order Shakeology, you receive 30 days worth of Shakeology recipes for the flavor you bought. This is specifically designed for you to stay on track and so you won't get bored. If THAT doesn't interest you, look to Pinterest for tons of Shakeology recipes including Cheesecake Shakeology, Peaches 'n' Cream Shakeology and Chocolate and Peanut Butter Shakeology Bites. Seriously, you cannot go wrong with this product.

I've had a lot of interest in Shakeology and then almost immediate hesitation when a person discovers how much money it costs monthly. I invite you to think about this a little further... how much are you spending on purchases that are putting you in an unhealthy state to begin with? Go ahead, take a look at your bank account and look at coffee runs, fast food stops and convenience store purchases. Funny how those last minute purchases are non negotiable, right? People snap at you like a rabid dog when you suggest their Starbucks habit is really costing them hundreds of dollars a year.

Ok, ok. I'm no math whiz, but let me break this down. Let's say you go out to eat every day. Daily Finance posted an article about the cost of eating out. It says the average meal costs $5 to $7 per person. You eat out for lunch every day while at work, because it's just "easier" and that's a cost of $25-$35 per week or $100 - $140 per month. If you eat out every work day in a year (there are 260 work days in a year) you could spend anywhere from $1,300 to $1,820 per year.

Now, if you sign up as a coach, you get a discount on all things Beachbody. This includes Shakeology. With the discount, you spend about $97 per month on Shakeology. It's recommended you drink it once a day, so that's about $3.23 per shake. If you buy Shakeology each month for a year, that totals to $1,164 per year... a savings of $136 to $656 PER YEAR.



A graphic from another coach that NAILS it!

I hope I haven't lost you with numbers. Numbers and math totally aren't my thing, so I glaze over a little bit when people talk like this, but this is important so LISTEN UP.

Lots of people had to give a little up to get a LOT back in return from something as wonderful as Shakeology. A popular Beachbody coach wrote a similar blog to this and did some guerilla research on her own Facebook page. There were 132 comments on that post, talking about the LITTLE habits people gave up so they could make a healthy switch to Shakeology in their lives. Here are a few of their answers that may give you some ideas...

See? Easy. I know, caffeine habits die hard, but you don't HAVE to give it up. Think smarter. Plan ahead! It's WAY cheaper in the long run, I promise. And, everyone once in awhile, have that Starbucks.

If the monetary savings aren't enough to get you going, let's think about your waistline. You know, the one you always complain about when swimsuit season comes close or there's any occasion to wear something strapless/sleeveless/short/backless? THAT ONE.  I found this handy little graphic on my Pinterest page.  It not only compares PRICE, but it compared the calorie count as well. I love greasy, salty French fries just as much as the next person, but I HATE how I feel after I eat them and I always regret the purchase.

If your goal is to shape up, live a healthier life and maybe lose a few pounds along the way, Shakeology is a great way to start. My sister drinks it regularly and her children (ages 3 and 22 months) love it as a snack too. She may or may not bribe them with it as a treat if they finish their dinner! HA! Shakeology is safe for breastfeeding and pregnant moms, it travels well and it's the BEST meal of the day. You can't go wrong!

I also realize I wrote Shakeology about 100 times in this post. Sorry I'm not sorry.





The Tools I Use To Do What I Do

On my run this morning, I was thinking about all the tools I have and use daily to work toward my success. These are all things that I use all the time to not only make my life easier, but they do double duty to get me to my goals.

So first let me say, these tools aren't for everyone, nor are they feasible for budgets of all sizes. However, since I have the best husband in the universe and we are putting a priority on our healthy lifestyle, we have decided these are justifed tools.

Starting with the basics, one of the MOST important thing I own to help me in my journey, is my shoes. I use them for everything I do and it would be easy to take them for granted in my life, but I don't. There are so many things that go infinitely better when you have amazing shoes. I have high arches so great support is essential for me. I am prone to shin splints also and when I bought them, the salesmen told me about some high tech something-or-other that's in this shoe to help with that. I think he called it magic. Either way- they are incredible shoes. You should know what you're looking for in a good shoe and any kind of shoe you plan to exercise in is worth the investment. Go to a specialty store where the sales people are knowledgeable and get their feedback.  TRUST.

The other staple of my world is Shakeology. I've been drinking it since April 2013 and it's changed my life. It's stabilized my cravings and portion control, it's controlled break outs in my skin, regulated my digestive system (I feel like an Activia commerical when I write that) and since I drink Shakeology for breakfast, it has made my mornings MUCH easier and smoother. The first month I drank it, I lost 7 pounds right off the bat, just because I was getting healthy portions of superfood, rather than chowing down on crap food.  I'm actually a better person because of it.

My FitBit is a new tool, but also becoming kind of wonderful. I look at it all the time since it's on my wrist and I work at a computer for a living. It serves as a constant reminder to get up and move around. I can log my sleep, water intake and food. It measures calories burned, steps taken and miles walked. It's the bomb. Yes. The. Bomb. Since my husband and I got FitBits for our birthdays, I've noticed so many people that wear them... 2 people in my office alone! I get really excited for all my FitBit friends! Woop!

 My fourth "tool" if you will, is my Beachbody business/family. This keeps me in check and moving towards my goals. The other coaches keep me motivated and they support me when I'm feeling discouraged. I've been a Beachbody coach for a year now and I'm just starting to get rolling with it-- not because that's typical, but because that's how long it has taken me to get serious about this business and using it to reach my financial and fitness goals. I have business cards and everything. I'm so fancy.

Finally, my biggest asset (no, he's not a tool-- ha, ha) is my husband. *cheeseball alert* He's always on my team 1,000% and he always, ALWAYS wants what is best for me and us. He's my encourager, supporter, motivator and the one to give me a friendly reminder of my goals and promises I made to myself. If you don't have a Randy, that's totally cool. My point is you NEED NEED NEED encouragement and a friend to balance you. An accountability partner, if you will. If you don't have one, I can be that person for you! (pick me! PICK ME!!) A person to tell you that pint of ice cream on a Friday night after you've "had a hard week" is not the best decision. A person to encourage you to head out for a 30 minute walk/run rather than watching that rerun of Friends for the 100th time. A person to lift you up and let you know that YOU CAN DO IT.

That's what tools are for, friends!!!

*I was serious about letting me know if you need an accountability partner though. For real. Also, if you do one thing--- buy Shakeology. Your whole body and your fast food budget will thank you. CONTACT ME and let me know if you have questions!