Hello everyone! If anyone is still out there! I can't believe it's been almost a year since I last wrote a blog post here. The time just flies. Wow. Many things have happened over the course of the last 9 months and it's been rewarding to say the least. Wonderful events with family, friends, holidays, birthdays. Good things, bad things. Just life in general. Experiencing life is just a wonderful blessing, isn't it?
I'm happy to say that I'm coming back with a different focus. I love doing my little crafting, furniture re-do's and am starting to get that "itch" again to create. It's been dormant for too long. My little family has definitely come front and center for my attention and it feels like the time is right to start focusing on some other projects.
One project would be my health. I'm not sick or anything, don't worry. But, I am living a very unhealthy lifestyle right now. I had a great run with a diet and a wonderful online exercise routine that sustained me for awhile last year. But, I let it slide and the weight all came back. So, this year I want t make a LIFESTYLE change. I don't want to try a diet or exercise routine just to have it backfire on me a few months later because I let it go. I want to make legitimate changes to my diet and exercise that I can sustain for the rest of my life. One of the ways to begin this process is for me to be accountable to someone. And that someone is you. Or, this blog.
So, I will share my ideas, thoughts, suggestions, trials, errors, worries and fears on my little old blog here. And hope that having a forum on which to report will help me keep track of my goals and encourage me to keep going.
I have designated the month of February as the "let's do this" month. I'm beginning a new eating plan called the Super SHRED. I ordered a workout video (because I really hate gyms) from the creator of Insanity called T25. Shaun does basically what he does in the long videos, but condenses it down to 25 minutes. I need a short workout time frame, considering I'm trying to do this with an almost 2 year old following me around all day and a kindergartner who comes home around 11:00 a.m. from school. Shaun has a month long program, but then a longer, sustainable program that I hope to switch over to after a month.
I know this contradicts what I wrote above, that I don't want the diet and exercise plans, but I need to start somewhere. The SHRED books has some great suggestions for everyday eating and snacking that I hope to make a lifestyle change after the diet is initially completed. He also has another book called SHRED Revoluationary, that involves more of a lifestyle change that I'm hoping to get an implement as well. Really, I just need a jumping off point. So, this is where I jump. Let's see where I land.
I was thinking I should have some goals on here, but since this is a "lifestyle" change, I don't want to limit myself. But, hey, lets just shoot some vague goals out there, just to satisfy the Type A personality of me, shall we?
Goal #1
Lose weight (duh). Lemme explain. At first, I wanted to lose around 20 pounds. This would put me back in the weight range I was at before I had kids. Then, I started thinking, "wait, I've had kids." There is just no way my body is the same body I had before those traumatic events (and I don't mean that in a negative way, having a baby definitely puts your body through trauma). My hips are wider, my ribs are wider, my bust is definitely not the same. I'm just a different shape then I was and I need to accept that. So, my goal is to lose weight, because I can definitely stand to lose some, but to let it come off naturally in my journey to change to a healthy lifestyle. So, what I end up doing, food-wise, will indicate what my weight will be. I would love to lose inches, but I want to be realistic.
Goal #2
Work out every day. This is going to be a hard one for me. But, I know it will ultimately effect my whole, entire day. When I workout, I have energy, I shower (for all you moms with young kiddos, you know how precious a shower can be), I sleep so much better (for all you moms with young kiddos, you know how precious sleep can be), and I just feel better about myself in general. Now, I live in the frigid mid-west and like much of the nation, we are experiencing record low temperatures. Like, cancel school, record low temperatures. And this just depresses me to no end. To the point where all I want to do is sit by a warm fire and read novels, eating marshmallows with hot chocolate and toast all day. I'm not kidding, I have done this. The thought of getting into workout gear, with the record low temperatures, just has me shaking my head in an emphatic NO. But, I need to get past this. Hence, the goal.
Goal #3
Do NOT eat fast food anymore. Period. I am the Queen of All Things Lazy and one of the laziest things I do is drive through somewhere for lunch. In my head, this makes perfect sense because then I don't have to make lunch AND dinner for my family, the kids get a toy, I get fries, all is well in the world. But, not only will this be better for my health, my children's health (and sense of entitlement), it will definitely help with the budget as well. A win-win. Go team! While I am whole-heartedly on this bandwagon, I am not going to give up diet soda. I know, "whaaaaaaat?" How can you expect to have a healthy lifestyle and NOT give up soda?!? Of any kind??? Well, here's my reason.....I'm human. And I have flaws, weaknesses. One of them being a need for diet soda during my day. It's sort of something of a treat for me, something to look forward to, when I am forced to eat another salad instead of a burger. I need something, folks, and I've picked diet soda. The only restriction I will make in this instance, is to limit it to ONE per day. Whew! Cue the shakes and sweats, lets hope I can stick to this goal!
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