September Goals

The last day of August...wow that month flew right on by!!  My son is back in school, seems like he just finished the school year in June yesterday....summer gone in a flash.  Life is short, goes by way too fast, blink and you will miss it.  Make the most of the days you have here on earth, it can be taken from you in a heartbeat as Ive found out too many times in the last few months...gotta make the most of your time!!!

That said, its time for new goals for September.....I did the no soda August challenge and I'm SO PROUD to say I am 31 days "clean" from soda as of today.  WHOO HOO!!  So I kicked that goal's ass in a big healthy way.  Not gonna run out and drink a soda just cause the challenge is over...as far as Im concerned, my ongoing love/hate relationship with soda of any kind is OVER.  perhaps down the road I would be able to enjoy one here or there very rarely, but past experience has shown that one sip, and Im hooked again on the habit.  Mind you I dont drink coffee either, so I am basically caffeine free as well.  Not missing it, not needing it, hell I run circles around most coffee addicts/soda addicts on a daily basis...so it's obviously not a necessity to get thru the day!!!  :)

I feel so much more in control of my eating habits now that I have given up the soda roller coaster.  Not getting the highs and lows of feeling like I NEED sugar, or NEED a coke.....its much more even-keel all day long...and notice more when I am actually hungry and need to eat, rather than watching the clock and eating because "its lunchtime" so to speak.  Much more in tune with my internal body cues and wanting healthier choices when I do eat.

Goals for September:

Meatless Monday
Fish with at least one meal per week
Tackle the "boy's room" at the Y - aka the free weight room.  Always seen as the meathead room, primarily guys, slightly intimidating.  Gonna lift hard, get my squats in on the smith machine, do lunges, bench press...the works.  Time to stop screwing around and get serious for serious results.  Making an appt with a trainer at the Y to go over form, exercises, and get set up on any other machines Im not currently using in the room with the weight machines (ie: assisted pull ups, pec deck, etc).  Gonna BRING IT and mean it!!
No bread after 2:00 PM daily
Continue increasing protein intake
Eat "real food" 90% of the time
1 new healthy recipe each week - to avoid meal time boredom/falling into to a rut
Weight train 4 times a week
Cardio minimum 4-5 times a week (need to do SOMETHING daily even if its just a walk...usually NOT a problem!!)
Incorporate daily stretching into my night time routine at home.......active isolated stretches and sessions with my foam roller.  Possibly even a Pilates DVD a couple nights a week at home

Yup, another decent sized list of goals for the month.  Some are continuing on from last month, some are new.  Important to set realistic, small, obtainable goals....write them down, re-assess constantly, tweak them, add new ones.  Consistent effort with small goals, adds up to big changes down the line, and makes that BIG goal seem not so daunting.

HAPPY FRIDAY everyone!!  3 day weekend ahead....planning on hitting the beach tomorrow with extended family for a day of fun in the sun and celebration (Happy Big 3-0 to Joe Salinas!!) and enjoy the other two days of this extended weekend with my boys at home.  Make your weekend a great one too!!!

Sidetracked

My my my...how very very easy it is to get sidetracked.  From anything in life really.  For me, its been work that has "sidetracked" me from my efforts/focus on the gym and healthy eating since the end of last week (let's say oh, Thursday-ish).

So.....I let things slide a little, didn't care what I ate at the water park with James on our day off last Friday (a last hurrah fun day before school started on Monday)....that carried over into Saturday, no workouts over the weekend...I went Monday morning, slept in yesterday morning which was STUPID since my Pearland Y is doing renovations in the cardio and weights rooms today, tomorrow and Friday, so I CANT go in the mornings now until the weekend - well, EARLY mornings till Monday.  Bright move Renee.....so did I go at lunchtime yesterday either?  that would be a big ole NOOOOOOO cause I wasnt feeling it.  Craved a soda SO bad at lunchtime, fought that off by getting a Wendy's chocolate shake (seriously??)....and called the boys on my way home, asked what they wanted for dinner, and we all decided on Burger King.  Talk about a freakin AVALANCHE yesterday.....good lord!

But you know what?  Today is a new day...that is all behind me......my friend Tanya (who also had a shitty day yesterday) and I are definitely hitting the Y at lunchtime today, I've got stuff to do around the house tonight after work that will keep me moving and busy after dinner (and not planting my ass in my recliner to watch the young and the restless on my DVR...since I will now watch it on the treadmill at lunchtime...hee hee).  So no need to beat myself up needlessly over yesterday (and the couple of days that were attached to it before that...LOL!)

Got my list of goals for September almost finalized, which I will post by this weekend.  Cannot BELIEVE its almost September, fall is right around the corner - cant wait for that so we are OUT of this freaking ongodly heat and humidity here in Houston.  Almost made it thru my no soda August challenge (got a little dicey there yesterday but I got thru it and remained at not even a sip for 28 days - today is day 29).  Set goals, meet them, set new goals.  Little pieces at a time, not so overwhelming....conquer them and add new goals...it all adds up over time into big lasting changes.  :)

Happy middle of the week y'all!!  Gonna make the rest of my week awesome!!!

Hello Wednesday

Been a few days since I last posted, keeping busy and staying focused.  Looking at changing up the workout routine, going to meet with a trainer at the gym and have them set me up on the machines that I havent gotten access to yet (they have a system called fitlinxx attached to each one that tracks your reps, sets, weights, what the seat gets sent on, all that....its SUPER nice)....machines like assisted pull up machine, the pec deck, a couple others. And going to have them give me a refresher on proper form, and different exercises to do in the free weight room.  Making sure Ive got plenty of variety to change things up often, not get stuck in a workout rut, and keep my body guessing as to what Im gonna throw at it next.  :)

Motivated, focused and driven....keeping my eye on the prize...working my way there with small goals to get to the big goal at the end.  Taking it one day at a time, rolling with the punches that "life" throws into the mix from time to time, and not letting minor setbacks throw me outta whack completely...those days are over.

Happy Wednesday everyone!!  Halfway thru another work week, and one day closer to the weekend.  One day closer to school starting for the kiddos too!  James goes back on Monday, my big first grader...still blows my mind that he is going in to third grade....seems like he just started Kinder yesterday.  Take advantage of every day, becuase they truly do go by at lightning speed......make each day count!!!

My amazing son......

OK I've been waiting to post this since this morning...I am SO DAMNED PROUD of my son James today I've been grinning from ear to ear and had him on my mind all day long....here's why.....

He had a follow up appt with his pediatric opthamologist this morning....we've been patching his right eye daily for 2 hours a day, in an effort to strengthen his left eye by making it work harder when concentrating on "close up" tasks such as reading, etc.  Been at this for just over a month now.  Before starting the patching therapy, he had been wearing his glasses since mid May (mother's day weekend actually) and even WITH glasses, he was only able to be corrected to 20/30 in the right eye (good eye) and 20/50 in the left barely, hence the need for the patching therapy.

Well today we found out he is able to see the 20/50 line of letters on the chart no problem, and was able to read most of the 20/40 line.  So progressing right along!  Patching is doing it's job. Going to step it up some and do an extra hour a day now for the next two months to speed it up a bit.

So I go to drop him off at KinderCare and was talking to the Director there, asking her how James was doing in the reading comprehension program we've had him in there over the summer.  My goodness, she was just beaming when she told me that he is like a totally different kid since the beginning of the summer!!  Said she thinks (as do I) that a lot of his issues were due to the not seeing well, that man.....he is so much more attentive, he reads no problem, and now when she asks him afterwards to retell what he just read, he explains in very good detail what he read...whereas before it was like pulling teeth to get him to remember any details at all.  I was ELATED!!!!  James was right there when we were talking and he got the biggest proudest smile on his face, and I hi-fived him and told him great job buddy!!!

He then went on in to join his class, and we closed the door and kept talking. She told me she has also has noticed a difference in the kids that he hangs around with/plays with there as well over the course of the summer.  Before he got his glasses and started the patching, he always hung around with kids his age or younger (his room, mind you is ALL school age kids, various grades from kindergarten up thru 5th grade)....well now when they are allowed to play their DSi games and such (1 hour or so a day) he is playing with the OLDER kids and jumps right in, they are conversing, trading games and playing together etc...and this continues thru the day in other tasks as well. That to me was another great thing, as it shows his confidence is building and strenghtening more now as well.

The last thing she said to me before I left was that she feels like he has grown and matured and basically blossomed over the summer there, and she was so proud of him!!!  I will be honest, it brought tears to my eyes!!  I fought back proud happy tears as I made my excuse to have to hurry on to work...and hurried out to my car and was overcome with emotion.

I'm SO SO PROUD of my son!!!  He is such a danged trooper...thru all the testing at school for various learning issues in the past, and then needing glasses, and then needing to do the patching therapy, and us starting him on a vitamin and tuna oils daily regimen that my chiro suggested for him...he has taken each of these in stride, and goes with the flow and does what is expected.  He truly amazes me with how much he has matured these last months, it truly does seem like he has blossomed overnight, and does seem like a totally different kid.....makes this momma very proud.

Very anxious and excited to see what the new school year brings, as he will be re-tested for his reading level and comprehension level and all that. 

My boy.......the light of my life, love him more than life itself........and he's growing up so fast. He is a big inspiration behind my wanting to drop the extra weight once and for all...to be healthier and stronger, so that I can be around a long long time to see him grow up and have a family of his own someday...want to be here for all of it.  Its been such a joy watching him grow and mature in his 8 and a half years so far.....definitely dont want to miss a minute of the years to come.  I LOVE YOU JAMES with all my heart, always.....

Choices.....

Every day we are faced with choices.... What to eat, what to wear, the list goes on.

Today my son has a follow up eye doc appt at 8:50 that both my husband and I are taking him to then going on to work later. Perfect!! That meant I could get to the gym at 4:15, and take my time, even stay past 6:00 AM if I wanted....yes!!!! So I set everything out, turned on the alarm and even went to bed pretty early last night.....

Well the best laid plans and all that jazz.......I ended up waking up TWICE last night and staring at the ceiling both times....the second time being around 2:30 am. I thought well hell....by the time I fall back asleep....IF I do....the alarm will go off shortly thereafter. I know my day at work is going to be nuts once I get there...I'm realllllly quite from DOMS (delayed onset muscle soreness) from hitting legs really heavy with my weights yesterday and the three workouts I had in less than 18 hours the day before.....

In that moment, I thought nope.....the sleeping in will do me more good than blearily hitting the gym at 4:15 and being exhausted and even more sore once I do get to work.

Sure, had I gone would I have been able to "shake it out" of my legs with an easy cardio session? Quite possibly...... But now having slept in till my body was naturally ready to wake up, take my time getting ready, had time to have breakfast with my boy and now having a little down time before taking off for his appt.....I'm feeling refreshed and ready to face the day head on.

Choices.....sure, i need to stay focused on my goal and my routine....but there are just those days where "life" and let's be honest.....SLEEP over-rule. As long as its not constant, it's all good...and rolling with the punches is all part of the game so to speak.

So onward and upward into Friday!! Gonna make it a great one, got LOTS to do around here this weekend that will give me a non-gym workout, and I will hit the gym this weekend as well.

Make your Friday and weekend a great one too....and make the choices that are right for you. :)

Fuel

I had someone email me recently and ask what I cook for breakfasts and lunches for the work week.  While this varies from week to week (or 2 weeks actually as that's usually how far ahead I do my bulk cooking and freezing ahead of time)...this is pretty standard right now.

Breakfast:  Breakfast tacos - consisting of egg whites, browned ground turkey, a sprinkling of shredded cheese, and tortillas.  I scramble up and cook an entire carton of egg whites plus usually 2 or 3 whole eggs for a little color and extra umph from the egg yolks, and a 1 lb chub of Jennie O ground turkey that I brown, drain and rinse of all grease.  throw all in the pan, mix it up, sprinkle some cheese over the top and using my cooking spoon...put one spoonful into a soft taco sized tortilla...roll each one up and wrap in wax paper, put those in a large ziploc....one bag full for the first week, freezer for the second bag full for the second week.  My last batch I managed to get 19 of them out of the batch...im gonna aim for 20 next batch.  :)

I then either eat one of those with a protein shake (1 scoop protein powder mixed with 8 oz almond milk)....or I will just eat 2 tacos.  Either way, my breakfast is between 400-500 calories and I am FUUUULLLLLLL and satisfied.  This is after I am back from gym trip #1, showered, ready to go...and yes will admit, sometimes gets eaten on the way to dropping James off at KinderCare. 

3 and a half hours later, I mix a cinnamon oatmeal packet with a half scoop of vanilla protein powder and water and eat that as my mid morning snack/pre-workout fuel before workout #2 on my break.

Lunch consists of steamed broccoli, steamed brown rice with maybe a half a teaspoon of reduced sodium soy sauce on it for flavor, and a 3 oz piece of chicken.....lately Ive been baking a 3 lb batch of chicken breasts or things in the oven, and topping them with a little BBQ sauce.......once I burn out on that, will change the seasonings or whatever.  Again, I steam enough broccoli for 5 lunches at a time, same with the rice and chicken.  Assemble into plastic containers, and its grab and go in the mornings when I pack my lunch - lunch container, medium sized apple, bottle of water for lunchtime gym session, and I have the oatmeal packets and protein powder already in my drawer at work.

Apple and sometimes a little natural peanut butter around 3:00 to stave off that afternoon slump...then home to figure out what healthy dinner we want to make that night.  That's my only variable to my day right now.

And as much as I love food, and all different kinds of food...I thought ok Im gonna get sick and tired of the same thing every day.....I can honestly say I havent......that I treat breakfast, lunch and snacks more as FUEL before and after the workouts etc.....and I enjoy dinner a lot as that is when we as a family decide what we feel like that night, still keeping it on the healthy side of things.

That's probably the hardest part for a lot of people is breaking that "love affair" with how YUMMY food is...especially the stuff that is really not good for you.  But once you start treating it as fuel, and you see how positively your body responds to eating healthy....it gets really easy, really quick.

Time to get thru the rest of my day......before I do, here's some stuff to ponder....

Im finding this is true more and more every day as I incorporate more and more healthy recipes and items into our daily life, and cutting out the junk....

My pantry and fridge are getting more and more towards this goal every time I do another big shopping trip...less and less boxed/processed stuff, even down to stuff like taco seasoning and what not......

And been successful so far at keeping to the good stuff 90% of the time, and allowing a little of the fast, cheap, easy and fake stuff about 10% of the time.....even then I find myself choosing better than I used to, and in much much smaller portions.

Happy Wednesday y'all!!!  Make it a great one, eat right and get up and MOVE today for a while....you will be glad you did!!  :)

14 days in

And still NO SODA!!!  Y'all have no idea how freakin proud of myself I am on this one.  Seriously..not even a sip.  I've even gone and gotten one for Freddy and there was some on the lid from the cup being too full before putting the straw in it and I put a napkin on top of it to soak up the excess instead of grabbing the cup and slurping it off the top.  Again, huge for me.  And feeling tons better in so many ways because of it.

One of those being so much more energy, and off the roller coaster of sugar highs and lows.  Compound that with my workouts that have been awesome, and other than feeling a bit worn out after workout number two after lunch.....its feeling pretty damned good all the way around.  Sleeping great, waking up for the early workouts no problem, getting after it, putting in the time and seeing the results.

Had a co-worker friend of mine that hasnt really seen me since I started getting serious about all this as of August 1st, well she saw me in passing in the hall today while talking to another co-worker.  So she sent me an email afterwards that said "BTW – I just caught a glimpse of you as I was trying not to be rude to Scott R, but looks like you've lost some weight? I know you said you've been hitting it pretty hard. Seems to be paying off. "

I was so excited to hear her say that, because let's face it...its only been 14 days, and just over 5 lbs lost. However, I can say that it seems that the biggest change so far is in the belly region (dreaded) and the fact that my skin is a lot happier now being off the sodas.  Im a lot more comfy in my pants I wear to work (they are getting a bit on the looser side once again)...but for her to already notice, it totally made my day. 

And probably motivated me a little more for my lunchtime workout #2 for the day today...I KILLED IT seriously on a new (to me) machine I had shied away from before, because I heard it was pretty tough.  Well it WAS, and I didnt let it phase me and I pushed myself thru my 30 miuntes and was a sweaty worn out mess afterwards.  And felt SO GOOD!!!  Nothing like the feel of a great workout, getting your ass kicked in the gym and feeling it afterwards....I can feel another "loss" coming my way this week!!  And made a new "best friend" at the gym....Im gonna start using that one for my morning cardio sessions cause I was a bucket of sweat afterwards......

Also had someone the other day tell me that I was NUTS for getting up so early to workout, why do I do it, when do I sleep, they just knew they could never ever do that, they dont have the time during the day let alone that early, and then me spending all that time cooking ahead like I do and planning it out and taking the same stuff to work for lunch all week and what not, etc etc blah blah BLAH!!!!  Good lord if I had a dollar for every time I hear that I would be rich, seriously.

Ok, I do what I do food wise because on almost a daily basis...there is something like this tempting me here at work in the breakroom...that I walk thru a million times a day to fill my water cup etc.

But I ignore it because yes, while it would taste good in the moment, it wont help me with my goal long term.  Im not saying I dont indulge in stuff (save it for my cheat day on Saturday)...but its THERE in my face almost daily, begging me to take just a bite of this, or a one of that, or whatever.  So yes, the cooking ahead, bringing lunch and snacks to work every single day...huge piece of the puzzle.

And what do I say to those that could never get up and workout before work, and god forbid go again at lunchtime since I cant get my weights and the amount of cardio I want to do daily done in the morning before work?  This is what I say.....

So DONT go early in the morning like I do.....go when you normally would plant your ass on the couch and veg out watching tv instead.  I choose to do mine in the mornings so I DO have time in the evenings to relax and time with my kiddo and what not.  But that's my trade off.  If you cant get up early, let your trade off be TV time...make it GYM TIME instead.

Because at the end of the day......

Just sayin.....  :)

Balance.....

Coming to the close of a productive yet fun weekend. It's been a scorcher outside here in Houston....yet my son wanted to go to the zoo yesterday, so off we went.....EARLY....like 9 AM right when they opened....and only stayed till noon. Lol!
But, we had a ball, I got in a good long walk, and got some sun. Had a dinner date with him last night and split dessert with him. Saturday is my "cheat day" where I allow myself to indulge in a craving or two and not sweat the calorie counting etc. enjoyed every bite.

And that to me, is important in this whole journey to getting healthier and dropping weight....it's all about balance. Eating wisely all week long, giving up things that are not healthy, staying focused on the big picture, but also taking time out to enjoy, splurge a little, and know that afterwards, it's not the end of the world and a complete disaster but to jump right back on track. Gets easier and easier each week....and I find myself not craving the same things I would have wanted almost every day before. I have the whole not drinking sodas thing to thank for that (12 days down) I really do....again I can't begin to say how different my "hunger" is now without the highs and lows from the sugar and caffeine controlling my food thoughts.

Today has been the productive side of the weekend....cooked up a batch of ground turkey, egg whites and a little cheese for breakfast taco filling. All wrapped up in tortillas, all 19 of them....froze most, kept out one for each day next week to go with my protein shake and apple and water for breakfast. Divvied out half scoops of vanilla protein powder into baggies, to mix in my 9:30 AM oatmeal snack. Baked a pan of chicken, made brown rice and steamed broccoli and that's all portioned out into containers for lunches at work all week. Meat is cooking in my crock pot now for dinner tonight, leftovers will be another dinner this week. Did all this between 9:30 am and noon today, while washing and cutting up veggies and fruit for grab and go this week. Who says eating healthy is hard, too time consuming, a hassle? It's really not...it actually saves me a lot of time during the week. And allows me to stay on track, and save indulgences for Saturday "cheat days".

Long hot soak in the tub now...then it's time to get 8 sets of clothes set out and one set packed for lunchtime gym session 2 of tomorrow. Rest of the week it's dump out daily used gym
clothes, replace for next day lunch session and stuff is already set out for the 4:30 am session before work.

Take the time to prep beforehand, and it makes it sooooo easy! Again, balancing the free time I have on the weekends, with the tired, busy evenings when I don't feel like doing all that.

You just gotta MAKE THE TIME if it's a priority....everyone HAS the time, it's how they choose to use the time, and how they balance it all.

Ok...time for some closing inspiration. Hope y'all are having a great weekend and here's to a great week ahead!!! FIND THAT TIME!!!! :)

Lost....

TWO MORE POUNDS THIS WEEK!!!  :)

That's a total of 5.2 so far, since I got back on track a couple weeks ago.  I will take it!!

Aiming for a good steady 1-2 lbs per week, not in a rush to drop it all in 3 months....dont want to deal with sagging skin and all that jazz with dropping it too fast on some fad gimmick, diet pills, the latest gadget or diet plan.  NONE OF THAT will keep it off in the long run...and that is my goal, again...I'm not trying to lose weight, I want it GONE forever, with no intention of finding it ever again.

Anyway, so that's my awesome start to my Friday morning......even knowing the scale is not the only indicator of a good week as far as "loss" goes...it's still a fabulous start to a morning when you get on that scale and see a loss...and Friday's are the only day I really "count" what the scale says..it's my official weigh day...any other time its random, and because Im curious/want to see on a whim where I am for whatever reason.

Onward and upward to a fantastic Friday, a great weekend and another successful, on track week ahead next week!!!

My weekend will be spent staying active, and prepping for the week ahead.  Time to do the "payday grocery run", restock the kitchen with healthy foods, prep all my veggies and fruits and have them ready to grab and go, cook meals ahead and freeze for the coming weeks.......and James and I are hitting the zoo tomorrow morning for a good 3 hour walk around the zoo checking out the animals.  Hey, it all counts and when he said he wanted to go cause we havent been in a while on our passes, I agreed......a 3 hour walk, time out in the sun before it gets too unbearably hot by lunchtime, he has a blast, and a great train ride around Hermann Park afterwards...Im all for it.  Fun and exercise at the same time, and spending time with my little man...can't beat it!!

HAPPY FRIDAY Y'ALL, and here's to a great weekend!!! 

As always, leaving with some inspiration.....

Oh yeah, and.....DAY TEN FOR ME WITH NO SODAS, as in not even a sip.....YAY!!!  Can honestly say I dont even miss them at this point...and feel so much better, sleep better, more energy, less crazy hunger swings and cravings.....here's a glimpse of what all they do to you health wise....DITCH THE SODAS EVERYONE!!!  Grab a water, so much healthier!!!

It's amazing......

Managed to get back in the swing of things again this morning....3:55 AM workout alarm rang, I was up and at 'em excited to hit the gym for my workout after a brief sideline of a couple days from my ankle issue.

It's amazing how much better I feel after a good workout first thing in the morning...and makes me wonder WHY IN THE HELL do I let myself get in a rut now and again and let the workouts go and not care.  Working out is such a huge piece of the puzzle in feeling good, not just about myself, but about life in general...my whole outlook changes when I am in the groove and on a good role with my workouts...why in the heck would I ever not make time to workout?  Why would anyone not make time?

The answer to that of course, is a little thing called life....and it can throw you a curveball (or two or more) when you least expect it.  And knock you first for a loop then often times square on your ass and you have no desire whatsoever to pick yourself, dust yourself and tell life to go to hell, that you are bettter and stronger than what life can throw at you.  So many times I've let the workouts slip, when in all reality its the ONE THING that would have most likely helped me to pick myself up and move on a hell of a lot quicker.

Live and learn ya know? Often times over and over and over again. I'm sure this last hiatus I took will not likely be my last....again that crazy thing called life, 'ya never know when its gonna get ugly again and TRY to knock you down once more. I'd like to think I would "shake it off" quicker the next go round, but I guess it all depends on WHAT it throws at you that determines that, and how deeply it shakes you at the time.

Bottom line is....I'M BACK ON TRACK....I can feel it, and it feels awesome!  Even more so cause this time, I'm not focusing all my efforts on just one thing (run, run, run, run and then run some more...with the occasional light weight lifting sessions and some abs work).  I'm going for the more well rounded approach this time, focusing on converting to more muscle, to in turn burn more fat...and going to constantly change things up in my workout routine to keep my body on it's toes, keep it guessing.  Key to staying off the dreaded plateaus as much as possible.  And taking it each day as it comes...some days may see weight loss...some may see weight gain (bound to happen when converting to muscle)...but it's all a part of the process to get to where I want to be......and nothing to be afraid of, or ashamed of.  More focused on how I feel, how my clothes fit, how my body changes way more than any number on the scale.  The number on the scale has never been a big issue with me, as I know there are other factors involved in changing your body....so while yes, I weigh at least once a week (usually on Friday mornings)...I dont let it shake me if one Friday its up a little bit.  As long as Im seeing changes in my measurements, or clothing fitting looser, or feeling stronger in my workouts etc...that's what's important...and the scale will follow suit, probably the next week or the week after.

Feeling good, ready to tackle whatever comes my way, and if along the way I inspire even ONE other person to follow my lead.....well then that's pretty damned cool too.  :)

HAPPY FRIDAY Y'ALL!!!  make it a great day, stay focused, determined and chasing those goals!!  Here's some inspiration for this awesome Friday morning......

 I KNOW that I want it, been wishing waaaaay to long for it, so Im setting out to MAKE IT HAPPEN...NOW!!!!!  For as long as it takes.......

Making that choice is not always easy, but once you do......stick with it, take the good days with the bad....and remember this every day and make that choice!!  Get that workout in, every minute of effort you put forth gets you closer to that goal!!

Happy Healthy Wednesday!! :)

So the ankle is feeling a ton better today!! So glad cause I was about to lose it not being in the gym the last two days...bring on the Y at lunchtime!!

Managed to cook ahead last night for breakfasts the rest of the week. Ground turkey, egg white and some cheddar cheese breakfast tacos. Mighty tasty and only 238 calories per taco!! Mmmmmmm.....

And for inspiration today....here is an official reminder to DRINK YOUR WATER!!!! Picture attached shows the many reasons it's necessary and so good for you. Have a great Wednesday y'all!! :)

Quick one

Read this article and thought it was a great reference!!! Posting it here on my blog to share, and to refer back to later....good stuff!!!

http://mollygalbraith.com/blog/weekly-reader-question-1-what-to-eat-to-get-abs/

And a little inspiration while I'm here.... :)

Off Day.....

So, wrestling/rough housing with a 75 lb, 4 year old black lab "puppy" probably wasnt the brightest move on my part this weekend...even if Bailey and I WERE having fun dang it!!  Until she head butted my left knee really hard, causing me to catch my balance with my right foot...and apparently I twisted my ankle weird cause today Im hobbling around work with my foot bandaged up and a sock over that on one foot, shoe on the other. Fashion statement I tell you.  Hey at least I borrowed a black dress sock from Freddy, to go with my black and white print dress and one black sandal.  LOL!!!

Anyway, so down time today obviously for me...no 4 AM wake up call for the gym (hell I barely make it and get home in time to shower and get James to daycare as it is...let alone hobbling along)...no lunchtime cardio either.  But am I letting it get me down?  NOPE!!!  Just means I gotta watch the food intake that much more today, drink lots of water, ice the ankle and keep it propped up (no easy task trying to prop it up UNDER my desk).....and staying positive.  Resting the foot......taking it easy, necessary in the long run/big picture of things.

Setbacks happen...and its how you roll with them, that counts.  Suck it up, move on......do what's necessary to recover from the setback, and tomorrow is a new day...will see how that one goes when it gets here.

Happy Monday everyone....hope your day is a great one!  :)

Motivation

A couple thoughts of the day that caught my eye....signing off.....time to relax and enjoy the beginning of the weekend! :)

Your "burn"

Saw this posted on one of the many facebook pages I follow....thought it was worth sharing....  :)

Your "burn" isn't just about the NOW, it's about the AFTER.
Don't be overly focused on the calories the machines say you burned. Not only are they often not calibrated correctly, but if you're trying to lose, or get lean, you need to see your whole picture which means, what are you burning when you're done with your workout?
Steady state cardio will only get you so far as your body adapts quickly to the same amount of stress every week. What you're doing is essentially training to be an endurance athlete.
You need to think about workouts that will help you burn when your body is "at rest". Adding weight training is essential to building metabolism as well as building the strong muscles that burn around the clock. HIIT (high intensity interval training) is another way the body burns even after you're done moving.The nontechnical term is called the "afterburn" effect and is actually more important than the calories burned during the workout.
Round your workouts. It shouldn't be just cardio, or just weights. You can do steady state, but also include intervals. Keep your body moving at different speeds, with different weight and in different positions to keep it burning all the time.

-Heather Frey

Shake it off....

My new motto......and this past week is prime example of what I mean by that....
Had one day this week I went across the street to the Y at lunch for some cardio....realized I forgot my shoes at home....right where I left them from my early AM workout....
Had a "schedule change" in morning ritual as hubby had to take care of his mom overnight on a different day than usual....so I forgot to set my alarm for the morning I don't usually get to hit the gym.
This morning.....alarm didn't go off on phone at 3:55 either....what the heck...I set it last night? Ummmm yeah but forgot to plug in phone overnight to charge...and the battery died overnight
SHAKE IT OFF!!!! Yup that's right....laugh and move on. The old me would have said well, screw this week, messed it up, might as well go eat (something not so healthy)....I will start over next week.
Nope, no more. Now I take a setback, own it, move on and back on track right then and there. Way tooooo easy to come up with excuses to "let it roll" till next week.....more rewarding to own it and move on.....
Besides I still lost a pound this week from no sodas the last three days and healthy choices I made.....so it's not an "all or nothing" deal....every new smart choice has an effect.
Weekend on the horizon!! Easy time to slack off and say ah heck, can start over on Monday....uh NO MORE!!!! Determined to stay focused over the weekend, stay busy and no mindless eating out of boredom. Make your weekend count too!!!! :)

And now....

Trying to get this to sync to facebook automatically when I update my blog.....testing...testing.....  :)

My journey

OK so while Ive been here before, swearing that i was sick and tired of being sick and tired...and tired of carrying around extra weight, blah blah blah, etc etc etc.......I had fallen in to yet ANOTHER slump since returning from San Diego in June...and just getting back on the right side of things a few weeks ago or so. Sure it was not a fun trip home, and that probably did not help sure, but dang it.......its SO PAST TIME for me to get with the program so to speak, stick with it and embrace a new lifestyle that I can live with long term....get this weight GONE once and for all...and stop coming up with excuses as to why I stop when i am totally on a roll.  I'm not going to just LOSE weight..cause I have NO INTENTION of finding it again later this time....hee hee!!  I want it gone, and gone for good this go round.

So, after pairing up with my friend Tanya at work, who shares my desire to see the extra lbs go away and never return, a couple brainstorming sessions and research sharing...we are pushing each other and supporting one another in this thing on a daily basis.  Hitting the gym across the street from work at lunchtime for a quick cardio session, and me getting up early for a pre-work workout, she doing hers after work.  We've also come up with a list, and August goals challenge so to speak....she made hers, I made mine...some stuff is similar, some not.  But it's good cause one thing might work for one person, and not another.  But we've written down these goals, made ourselves accountable to each other, and now to everyone as she has her blog, and I have mine.

Here is my list for the month of August:

*600 rep challenge - consists of a list of exercises and amount of reps to do (burpees, mountain climbers, squats etc) and the goal is to do these on the first of the month every month...time yourself...then track your progress as the months go by and you get stronger.
*NO SODA AUGUST CHALLENGE - a biggie for me...tried and failed at this many times...day two behind me with not a drop
*Eat one salad a day....either a "meal salad" or a "side salad" with a meal
*No carbs (other than the amounts in veggies) after 2 PM daily
*Up my protein intake significantly - I knowfrom past experience that this is how MY body performs its best, and how I best lose weight. Not going all Atkins crazy or anything, but the proteins, good fats and good carbs are the rule now.  Aiming for as close to 1 g of protein per pound of bodyweight as I can daily
*Weight train 4 times per week, split between upper and lower body (so 2x each)  And Im not talking little 5-10 lb weights, I mean true weight training....for true results.
*Cardio sessions for 30-45 min per session, 4-5 times per week.  To include 30 second sprints repeated 5 times, in each session
*Eat "real food" at least 90% of the time each week. Allows for a tiny bit of wiggle room...but back to shopping the perimiter of the store where the "real food" is primarily
*Try at least one new healthy recipe every week.  Avoid the boredom of the same ole same ole....

Big list....I realize this...but it's time to stop playing around and tackling this half assed and only "when I feel like it".

I will be updating my blog often, either with inspirational stuff, links to awesome workout stuff or recipes, or stuff that I have tried and liked, and want to share.

Eventually, when im more comfy with the idea, I may even share my "before" pics...compared to some new ones down the road "in progress"...and for sure with the "after" photos :)  Not quite willing to bare my soul quite that much yet though.......

So....anyone that wants to follow me down my road back to "me".....welcome!  If you dont want to, then that's fine too.....this is not about me bragging or thinking Im better than anyone...Im doing this as a central place for me to track my progress, recipes, info etc....and also because 'Ive had a number of friends tell me that my facebook posts about working out etc have inspired them.....that's who this is for.
I will end this first post with a few of my favorite links:

Once a Month Mom - Freezer Meal Menus
Six Sisters Stuff
Skinny Taste
Skinny Ms
I See Fit People
My Fitness Pal
Endomondo


And a few thoughts for the day: