2014

Is it just me, or is anyone else in denial that another year is over? I can’t believe how incredibly fast 2013 flew by. 2013 was a good year for our family, and we are excited for what 2014 will bring; especially the newest member to our family! This is the first year I’m not devising a new meal and exercise plan…and not gonna lie, I miss it! Because of some issues with spotting and placenta placement issues, I can’t do anything hardcore and sometimes even walking causes issues, so baby and I are taking it easy until April. I am beyond excited to get back into the hardcore, sweaty, heart pounding workouts as soon as I can. Since I’ll be having c-section #4 as well as a tubal ligation, my recovery is expected to be around 6-8 weeks.

That being said, I do have some goals for myself for this year. Not resolutions, just goals for myself. Not all are fitness related, but still fun to look back on at this time next year and see how I did.

1. It’s about 85% certain that I’m a Type 2 Diabetic, which means as long as things go the way I intend, I will be able to control the Diabetes with diet and exercise alone. My #1 goal after delivery is to get off the Insulin. I HATE injecting myself with insulin every time I want to eat.

2. Pay off our credit card debt. We have racked up a bit of debt over the past few years and I’m sick of shelling out money every month on cards we no longer use. That money could be going towards anything else!!

3. I passed my Personal Trainer exam in September, so I would really like to focus more on that this year. Since I will have a newborn (and three other kids), I plan on doing most of this online. I’m excited to get going on this!!

4. Crochet more! I just learned how to crochet and I can’t wait to learn more patterns and make all the things!!

5. Read. I have set a goal to read 100 books on Goodreads this morning. I set the same goal last year and was 1 book away from reaching that goal. Dang it.

These are my main goals for the year. What about you? Feel free to share them in the comments!

This Is Weird For Me

I only have about 4 weeks until the Orange County Half, so most of my spare time has been eaten up with training and enjoying the lovely weather we’ve been having.
Last week I ran 3 times–a short 3 miler on the treadmill, a 5 miler along the beach, and a brutal 8 miler at the end of the week. Total mileage for the week was a little over 16 miles. The thing that I love most about running is that there are little improvements each time I go. I get a little faster or run a little more each time. I still walk and this is something I’m working on. I think it has to do more with my focus (lack of focus) more than my level of fitness.
This week I have started out strong! I ran 3 miles on Monday and 6 miles yesterday. I won’t run again until Friday, I have 9 miles planned. Hopefully, I can make it.
The reason for the title of this post is because meeting my fitness goals and mileage goals is weird for me. I usually set goals and then don’t meet them, and totally rip myself up in my head over what a disappointment I am. I started to get down on myself the other day about how I wasn’t doing what I was supposed to be doing and I had to stop because I AM doing what I am supposed to be doing. Am I doing it perfectly? Well, no, but seriously, I am making the best effort that I can right now and that is HUGE for me. Am I a super model? No. And that’s ok. I am happy with where I am at right now. I may not be at my goal weight but I am working hard and I have to be happy with my effort for now.

5%

When I first joined Weight Watchers on October 1st, I noticed in my weight record book that there was my starting weight, 5% goal and 10% goal. At the time, the only thing I could focus on was reaching the 5% goal and even that seemed overwhelming.

But, on Saturday morning, I did it. I set a goal and I accomplished it. Was it a lot of weight lost? Nope, but it’s enough to keep me motivated and encouraged to keep going. I now have my sight set on my 10% goal and will focus on that until the golden 10% keychain is in my hot little hands.

I left that meeting feeling on top of the world. I also left with a package full of new materials for PointsPlus 2012 and though the changes aren’t huge changes, it’s a way of sprucing things up and getting us all excited to make 2012 a fabulous year!

Last Week Weight: 203.6

Current Weight: 201.6

Total Loss: –11.6

December

I’m getting old. The years are flying by faster and faster and there isn’t anything I can do about it. The last time I blinked, it was July and I was here.

Doing a lot of this

And now it’s December, the Christmas tree is up, lights are up, decorations are almost done and I wonder how to slow time down!

But, since there isn’t a way to slow things down, I can soak up every thing I love about December and enjoy the ride!

Along with that and because I need a challenge in my life, I’m posting some goals for myself.

1. There are 2 milestones I’m very close to making and when I hit those, I will be celebrating. My goal is to reach those milestones by the end of the month.

2. It’s no secret that exercise is my downfall. My goal is to reach 300 minutes of exercise this month.

Since it’s the season of giving, I have 7 giveaways that will be coming your way very soon (the first one will be today); here’s what I will be giving away (keep in mind some will be coupons, and some actual product) and also some will be from my personal stash and some will be coming from the company directly.

1. Mamma Chia

2. Primal Strips

3. Veggie Patch and Tribe Hummus

4. Artisana

5. Bella Bars

6. Larabars

7. Bakery on Main

I’m very excited about each of these giveaways because I genuinely like each and every one of their products and I hope you will too!! So tell your friends and come back later today for the first giveaway 🙂

32 by 32

Today I turn 31. In honor of my birthday, I have come up with 32 things I want to do before turning 32.

1. Train for and run a 5K
2. Train for and run a 10K
3. Train for and run a half marathon
4. Train for and run a marathon
5. Build up my blog and make it the best it can be
6. Read 32 books
7. Reach my happy weight
8. Complete a 90 day round of P90X
9. Complete a 90 day round of ChaLEAN Extreme
10. Complete a round (can’t remember how long it is) of Turbo Fire
11. Become better organized with my home
12. Start yoga
13. Attend a blog conference
14. Attend a fitness convention
15. Learn how to better use my camera
16. Work on family relationships
17. Buy a new lens for my camera
18. Work on friendships
19. Work on myself
20. Go to new restaurants
21. Order something new every time we go out to eat
22. Climb the sand dunes at Silver Lake Sand Dunes
23. Climb the giant sand dunes at Sleeping Bear Sand Dunes
24. Stop talking about selling photos and actually do it
25. Print some of my own pictures to hang in the house
26. Get caught up on family scrapbooks
27. Start a garden
28. Can vegetables and possibly fruits from my garden
29. Organize a Michigan blogger meet up
30. Meet more blogger friends
31. Learn how to take a compliment
32. Be the best wife, mother, friend, sister, daughter I can be!!!

I Think I Can

You know what I love about reading healthy living blogs?

• No one is starving or existing on miniscule amounts of food.
• Motivation. I love opening up my google reader and reading about someone beat a personal record, someone ran “X” amount of miles or went to Yoga or another group class.
• Healthy living is more than existing. IT’S LIVING.

Reading these blogs gives me motivation and encouragement that one day, I will be in the same boat. My ultimate goal for this blog is to show that a large amount of weight CAN be lost and maintaining said weight loss can be done. I am determined to get this weight off and HOPEFULLY encourage others that healthy living is the way to live.

Like I have mentioned before, I’m a very visual person and tracking things really keeps me motivated…including the dreaded scale.

I know it can taboo in the healthy living world, but for now, I need the scale- good or bad. I know some people can tell weight loss by how their clothes fit, but unfortunately, I don’t really have that option. The only clothes I have are “fat” clothes. Clothes that fit me after I got married (10 years ago…) are long gone, but that is the size range I’m aiming for. In 2007, I managed to go from a size 18 and about 210 pounds to a size 8 and just under 160 pounds and then found out I was pregnant, that baby is now 3.5, and I’m right back to that same size. At that time, I was aiming for a really low goal weight, but I’m pretty sure I will never get to that number and I’m ok with that.

All that being said, I’m the type of person that needs a goal and something to strive for. For now, my first goal is to break the “200 pound” barrier. It’s so close!!!

I’ve been working hard on my September goals that I set for myself, and I’m excited about the progress I have been making.

Until I reach my happy weight, here are some things that will be featured on the blog (will be making separate pages as soon as I hit publish on this post.)

• Weekly weigh in. I have decided to use Mondays as my official weigh in.
• Monthly pictures, because I know that the scale will not always be kind, but pictures show the difference the scale doesn’t show.
• Monthly measurements; again, in my experience, the scale doesn’t always show the whole picture.
• Weekly workout plans.

I’ve rambled on long enough, but before I go, look at what I found on my banana this morning.

Will do, Dole. Will do.

September Goals

Anyone else in disbelief that it’s September already?! I’m trying not to focus on the scale these days, but more about how I’m feeling, eating well, getting exercise, etc. That being said, I’m NOT at a healthy weight. At all. I’m seriously overweight and thanks to some bloodwork done recently, I’m headed down a dangerous path. One I don’t want to be on.

Looking back, I used to be so active. I danced, was a competitive cheerleader, was a runner after high school and then I got married, got pregnant shortly after that, and everything stopped. I stopped taking care of me. I stopped thinking my happiness mattered.

IT DOES MATTER.

My September goals:

1. Drink enough water to drown a fish. I haven’t been drinking enough water in a very long time, the last few days I have made a conscious effort to do so and it’s making everything feel a lot better.

2. Burn an obscene amount of calories. I am a visual person. I love tickers, calorie counters, etc. Buying a heart rate monitor that shows how many calories I have burned was the best gift I ever bought myself. I play a game to see if I can beat the previous day’s calorie burn and I am a total freak in that I can’t have the burn be an odd number, it has to be a nice, round number.

3. Up my vegetable and fruit intake.

I have a whole bunch more, but I don’t want to overwhelm myself. Like I’ve said before, I don’t want this to be just a weight loss blog, but the reality of my life is that I need to lose a significant amount of weight to be healthy again.

I’m not sure what my ultimate goal weight is, but I’ll know it when I get there. It’s not just a  number on the scale that I’m concerned about, it’s how I feel inside and out and I’ll know it when the time comes.

I want to smile again and mean it.

This is turning out to be way longer than I planned!! Hope you all have a great weekend!!!