Dancing Queen

Well.. maybe not, but I'm trying my best every Monday night. Several of my girlfriends meet up to do Zumba together 5 days a week. I can only get there on Monday night usually, but it's a blast!

If you don't know what Zumba is, it's basically a latin dance-based workout. OMG. It's hard. It's also really fun! (minus the older guy that leads the class.. he's fairly creepy.. and when he speaks in Spanish he uses a really low voice that makes me think he probably used to be a star in a Latin soap opera.)

Can I just say that latin women must be freaks of nature with the way they can shake their hips. It just isn't natural. My non-latin heritage shows.

Since it's Wednesday, I braved the scale this morning. I was 133 last week... and... 132 today! Another pound dropped. I'm really excited, but man.. I'm working so hard! The other day a friend said, "Hey! You look great!" and I said thanks, but was really wishing she'd have said, "Hey! You look so hungry!" Because I am. It's so much more enjoyable to eat all you want and be as full as you want. I keep reminding myself to eat to live, and not live to eat. I'm doing my body a major service by feeding it properly instead of feeding its never-ending hunger with trash.

The water drinking is better, but still isn't where it should be. *sigh* I'll get there.

Finally, pants are starting to fit better again! That's what helps me keep pushing through. I used to live like this and it was easy... it's amazing how a few months of letting it all go can really make it hard to go back to what used to be normal.

Hope you're working towards some healthier goals this week, too!

Wednesday Weight Check

The health kick continues! This past week I took the kids to the grocery store and we nearly cleaned out the produce department. After watching Oprah's episode devoted to Food Inc. and other healthy eating books, I realized that I've really got to be more deliberate about what I feed not just my kids, but myself.

We filled our cart with 100% whole wheat products (bread, crackers, flat bread, etc) along with healthier cereals (no Marshmallow sugar puffs allowed) and, as I said, tons of fruits and veggies.

When I got home from the store I began the dreaded process of putting things away. This time, however, I took Rachel Ray's advice and cleaned, cut, and stored my fruits and veggies so that they would be easy snack options. Like so:

fruit bowl - everything washed and ready to grab

small portion of the fruits and veggies that I washed, cut up into snack sized pieces, and stored in tupperware. (stick a papertowel under everything to keep them fresh and avoid sogginess.)

Lunch for ALL of us - celery sticks, strawberries, healthy trail mix (sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, raisins, cashews, almonds) and the only unhelathy thing - cheese crackers per kids' request.

So, the health kick is going great. I'm really feeling a lot better! The kids have better behavior.. which is an amazing side effect of proper nutrition. (hear that schools?!) My energy is up, which is great because of the exercise routine I'm doing. Running some nights, Zumba with the girls one or two nights a week, power yoga, weight training... just to name a few.

I weighed myself this morning - the last time I weighed I was 135 pounds. That was about 2.5 weeks ago. This morning.... 133! Down two more pounds! Woot!

My biggest struggle has been drinking enough water. I'm really having to be deliberate about it. I'm thinking of sticking several prefilled water bottles (not the disposable bottles.. but the reusable kind) in the fridge and making sure I drink them each before the end of the day. Anyone have any tricks they use to make sure they drink enough water throughout the day?

Operation Loved and Lost Pants

I have no fewer than 5 pairs of jeans, pants, and capris in my closet right now that I cannot fit my behind into. Well, my behind and my belly.

I am trying to prevent this. You're welcome

They fit as few as 8 months ago... and then somehow my dad dying and my work exploding, going through all kinds of crap to become foster parents, and my battle with depression all took a toll, and now.. they don't fit. Humph.

I don't know if any of you have ever battled real depression before... but it totally sucks. Within two weeks of my dad dying, it hit me. The immediate hyperventilating, shock, omgosh what just happened feelings started to go away, and a new, deeper, darker "I'm here to stay and I'm your new best friend" feeling took its place. That feeling is numb. It's almost a complete void of feelings.

For me, this led to a lot of mindless eating, mindless sitting around, and the inability to give a diddly-squat about much of anything. I even, many times, almost closed my business. I didn't want to do anything, and it seemed overwhelming.

Fast forward, because I know this is getting depressing to read in itself, and I'm feeling a lot better! Hallelujah and praise Jesus! *said in my best Mrs. Sister Christian voice*

If you can look at this picture and not laugh - we cannot be friends.

Now I'm left with what I did to myself - when I wasn't caring about diddly-squat.

I finally stepped on the scale about two months ago, for the first time in 8 months. I knew it wasn't gonna be pleasant. I knew my clothes didn't fit. I knew my one chin was really trying to become two... but hey, if you don't see the scale - you can really convince yourself "it's just water weight."

I stepped on.. held my breath and sucked in as much as I could.. you know.. because the air in your lungs offsets the fat in your thighs.... *drum roll please* 140lbs. "O-M-G"

It was only one cupcake..I swear!

Okay, I know the average woman now a days weighs much more than that, but for me, this is A LOT. This is a size or two bigger, and I see FAT FORMING where it's never formed before. "Why did I let this happen?!"

So, I got back to work. On top of running with dogs all day, I got back to my power yoga a few nights a week. Weights have been dusted off and used. I'm drinking water again - instead of living on pure Coke Zero all day. (Kidneys.. I'm sorry for the abuse you've suffered..) I'm hungry.. ugh. And, don't give me the "oh you don't have to be hungry" crap. Yes I do... you just don't know how big my appetite is. If I'm never hungry, I'm not losing. Three smaller meals and one snack a day - this sucks but it's working.

A week or so ago our good friends brought over their Wii Fit (and their super adorable baby boy) and I bravely stepped on, and let it weigh me, in front of everyone. Who cares, right?

**Drum roll please** 135. I had a mix of "Thank God... 5 pounds gone!" and "Seriously? That used to say 125!!"

So, slowly but surely I'm getting back to where I once was. It's hard when you're not officially "overweight" and you, to you, aren't at your goal weight. Everyone wants to convince you to just chill out.. but when you know how good you DID look - and how good you CAN look - you just don't want to settle for anything else. Type A personality.. right here.

Do the tree pose 40 times a day and eat nothing but carrots

 and you too can look like us!

Is anyone else in this boat with me? Trying to just drop those last few "vanity" pounds? Isn't it hard?!

Exercise = Hunger

We finally broke down and bought a new elliptical machine. I've been without mine for around a year now I suppose... oh what a hard year! I was a faithful elliptical-a-holic for a glorious 7 years before I finally snapped a resistance band and it went kaput. My nightly routine of getting the kids into bed, slipping on my shoes, and working up a sweat to my favorite show on DVR was over. I had to trade it in for jogging and doing workout dvds.

Fast forward to this week - IT'S BACK! Okay, not the same one, but a new one. And I'm thrilled!

The first night hubby spent his whole night assembling it for me. Even though it was already 9:30pm when he was finished I hopped on for my first 30 minute workout. I thought I'd have a heart-attack by the time I was done, but in a weird way that felt so good!

The next day I did a great 40 minute workout while Sam napped (yes.. instead of cleaning pee off of bathroom floor like I should have been doing..) and followed that with a whole hour of sweating that evening while I watched The Biggest Loser. (if they can do it.. I can do it! Great motivation!)

Enter this morning. I wake up to a sick child at 5am and after settling him down, I crawl back into my comfy bed only to hear my stomach growling. Well, more like roaring. I was STARVING.

I finally dozed off right as the alarm started to go off - that'll make you feel good.

I am typically  not a breakfast eater, at least not until a bit later in the morning. This morning, however, I felt as though I'd be sick if I didn't find food immediately. Thank God instant oatmeal only takes a minute and a half to cook in the microwave. Usually that fills me up and I'm good 'til lunch. But not today!

I let myself get too hungry by lunch time and I scarfed down an embarrassing amount of cheese sticks. (Hey, the sick 5 year old requested them for lunch.. what kind of mom doesn't fill a sick child food request?) Of course this made me feel like crap and now I'm ready to hop back on the elliptical to work off these calories.. and work up another huge appetite.

I forgot how much more I feel the need to eat when I exercise this hard. I've also forgotten how I used to cope with this back in the day when I was a size smaller and 5-10 pounds lighter. What was it I used to eat? What did I do?!

How do you handle the viscious exercise/hunger cycle? More carbs? More protein? Suffer in hunger?

Ridiculously Easy Steps to Help You Lose Weight

It's a brand new year, and I have no doubt that roughly 90% of people I know have vowed that THIS is the year. The year they will get fit, get healthy, and shed any extra pounds. I know that I am definitely in this mix of folks - so I thought I'd post a few very simple steps that anyone can do each day to help reach these goals.

Easy Step #1 - Drink More Water

Did you know that drinking water is one of the most important things to do in order to lose weight? How easy is that? When you drink proper amounts of water each day, it not only cleanses your body, getting rid of old, nasty water that your body has stored in fear of drought (which is pretty much the #1 reason people get bloated - dehydration), and helps carry toxins out as well - but it actually changes the way you metabolise fat. Without enough water in your body each day, you CANNOT get rid of stored fat. Is anyone else running to the faucet right now? For a quick and great read on this topic, click here.

Easy Step #2 - Cut Out One Unnecessary Snack

If anyone out there is like me, you reach for snacks for many reasons other than your body needs more calories. My snack-attacks usually occur when a favorite show is on, one of my kids is whining and I need IMMEDIATE relief, I'm tired, I'm happy, friends are over, I'm lonely... the list goes on!

Cutting out even just one of your usual snack binges can equal MAJOR body changes. Depending on your current weight, even just cutting out a minor 300 calories a day can equal some pretty cool weight loss each week. (couple this with the increased water intake.. you're a fat burning machine!)

Be careful when you snack.. don't kid yourself with the 100 calorie snack packs. 100 calories of white flour and sugar is still 100 calories that immediately convert to fat. These snacks often satisfy your immediate craving, but only leave you hungry and craving more and more. Instead, satisfy your sweet tooth with a half of a banana topped with some sugar-free Cool-Whip. (or a fruit of your choice.) This is our favorite dessert around here... almost no calories, fat, or refined sugar. Your body will be so thankful that your thighs will shrink.

Easy Step #3 - Write it Down

Keeping a food journal has been proven time and again to help most people choose more healthy foods. For me, writing down what I eat from time to time helps me evaluate the TRUTH about my daily choices. At the end of the day I can often find that I ate a ton of carbohydrates and almost no protein. Some days I see that I only ate 2 servings of fruits and veggies... no wonder I was craving that Snickers Bar...

Even if you don't keep count of calories, fat, and all that jazz... just seeing food choices on paper will often help you face the truth about what you're putting into your body. Most Americans know what they need, and most of us know what to eat. What we typically do is manage to trick ourselves into believing we're doing "a pretty good job" of keeping our insides healthy when we're probably lacking a ton of vitamins and minerals each day.

Easy Step #4 - MOVE YOUR BODY

Do you know what burns fat? Muscle. Do you know how to get muscle? MOVE.

Exercise is a dirty word for a lot of folks, and boy have I been in that club! Some days I still have to make myself get up and get active. On the worst of days, when I really just cannot make myself do any cardio, I simply pull out my hand weights and do a few sets of different exercises while I watch my favorite shows. I can do pretty much anything as long as the TV is entertaining me. You can always start small and only committ to lifting during commercial breaks. I mean, you're probably only channel surfing during those anyway.

Here is an amazing site I stumbled upon the other day. I plan to search through it each day to find new moves to incorporate to my regular routine. Boredom is the #1 reason I give up on exercise so I have quite the collection of dvd's and outdoor activities to choose from.

Easy Step #5 - DON'T GIVE UP

You know at least four insanely easy steps now. You know what you can do. You know that if you do these things you'll feel so much better in a week. In a month you might just be amazed at how your body is changing, and how you actually feel proud of yourself.

Stop looking at diets. Stop trying to lose 7 pounds in a week. Do it RIGHT this time so this will be the last time. Small steps that are manageable and don't overwhelm you are the perfect way to begin. Adding these steps to your on-going routine can just give you the extra boost you're looking for.

Find a friend to do it with you, comment here if you're looking for someone to support you and help hold you accountable. It's a new year, and maybe it's time for a new you. A you that is caring about you.

Fit Mommy Wanna-Be

In these quiet hours of the night I can finally sit and reflect on the past few weeks. Gathering all of the information swirling in my head and organizing them into actual categories is beginning to take place, and one category keeps sticking out over the others: DIET/EXERCISE

It is amazing to me that I have all of the right information to be a super healthy and fit mom, I know exactly what to do, and what not to do, yet I still struggle. Why is that?

I tend to do one area really well, and blow the other. When I'm eating super healthy and cutting out the bad carbs, I tend to get more lax on my exercise. When I'm exercising like I should be, I swear my appetite is through the roof and I eat like I've not seen food in days. What gives?

Over the past month or two I've been getting into the exercise known as jogging. ("or yah-ging.. might be a soft J... apparently you just run!" - for any Ron Burgandy - Anchorman fans..) When I first started I could barely do one lap (1/4 of a mile) without feeling like one of my lungs might collapse. Now, such a short time later, I'm up to five entire laps before I have to take a walking break! I must say, I'm proud of my persistance to stick with something that has always been very difficult for me. I've never been good at jogging long distances. (not that a mile is a "long distance".. but it is on my scale!)

I did not anticipate that all of the intense cardio I was doing would simply amp up my metabolism, which would make me want to eat like a 200-pound man. Of course, I never crave healthy foods in these hunger fits, oh no! I want chocolate, cereal, crackers, chips - anything that will give me instant fuel.

I've now realized that I'm working really, really hard just to stay the exact same size. Phewy. I've got to get this eating under control. I feel like it's a constant battle in my life. How can something like food be such a joy and such a burden all at the same time?

My new plan is to keep up the jogging (and weights a few times a week) but add more lean protein into my diet, and a lot more fiber to help keep me full. Whole grains, chicken, and turkey... here I come!

This really shouldn't be so difficult...

Healthy Lunch #2 - Plus Dessert!

This is a super easy, super healthy lunch and dessert combo! Many of you mentioned loving this quick and healthy meal yourselves, so I thought it was definitely one to post. PITA PIZZA!
All you need is:
*Whole Wheat Pita Bread (I could only find pocket pita bread, but some say it's best to use the non-pocketed type.)
*pizza sauce (or go super healthy and make your own!)
*grated cheese (I bought mine already grated b/c I'm lazy)
*turkey pepperoni (Hormel is my favorite brand!)
*any veggies you like! (I admit I hate veggies on pizza.. but it's so much better for you to add lots of veggies to displace the cheese if you like them.)

So, simple directions. Put sauce, cheese, and other topping on the pita bread. Bake in the oven on 350 degrees F for approximately 15 minutes, take out, cut up, VOILA! The pizza shown here is super filling (due to the whole grains and fiber and healthy protein!) and only 290 calories! (possibly less.. didn't add it all exactly)

If you're like me and dessert after a meal is your weakness, let me give you a great weight-loss and healthy secret. Keep non-fat Cool Whip in the fridge! Top your favorite fruit with it and you've got a completely guiltless dessert that is amazingly delicious! I also use this as a snack for that crazy 3:00 time of day. Everyone's hungry, school's out, but supper is soon... this snack rocks for times like that!

We chose to use peaches, strawberries, and grapes in our bowl-o-goodness. All fresh and all ripe right now! Get those peaches and strawberries NOW before they're back to being hard, green, and blah this fall. I just sliced it all up, threw it into bowls, and topped it with 2 tablespoons of non-fat cool whip. (and the no fat kind is GOOD! I just switched to that from light and it's great!) This dessert has truly almost no empty calories and is a great way to help keep your insulin levels at an appropriate level. (not great for most diabetics, though.. even natural sugar can be harmful for you guys and gals! Just go easy on it!) Who says healthy eating can't be super yummy?

Healthy Lunch #2

Just like the last lunch idea, this one is super fast, easy, and HEALTHY! If you're trying to watch your weight, struggle with conditions like diabetes, or just want easy and healthy ideas for feeding your family, here ya go! This is one of our favorite hot-day lunches. Wraps!

Our favorite healthy wrap includes:

-Flatout brand WHEAT flat bread
-Organic Romaine lettuce
-Organic celery
-Organic carrots
-Bell Pepper
-2% American Cheese
-Sliced Turkey
-Ranch Dressing (not pictured)

In our house, we have two kinds of wraps made with these ingredients. Madison's favorite: The Veggie Wrap.

I simply peel a carrot's skin off and then continue to peel the rest of the carrot onto a plate. Then I thinly slice a celery stick, chop some Bell Pepper, and break off a couple of lettuce leaves.


Pile it into an open piece of flat bread and drizzle on a bit of ranch dressing. (I use fat free for mine, regular for the kids'... remember, kids NEED FAT for brain development! HEALTHY FATS!) Roll it up, slice it for easier eating, and serve with your choice of healthy sides!

Here is Madison's plate. Today our sides were sliced strawberries (it is the perfect time to buy strawberries! They are fully ripened and on sale in most stores.) and blueberry yogurt for dipping the strawberries. This is an amazing source of all kinds of vitamins, minerals, protein (from the whole grains in the flat bread and the yogurt), and calcium!

For my own wraps, I like to throw some turkey breast into a nonstick skillet. (nothing added) I simply brown it up for a minute or two, melt 1/2 a piece of sliced cheese onto it, and throw it into the flat bread. Then I pile on lettuce and bell peppers for flavor. (I also like to cook onion strings with my turkey if I have it.. yum-o!) My sides of choice were sliced strawberries and celery and carrots with a side of fat free ranch dressing.

This was A LOT of food. The kids can typically only eat one half of a wrap (so it's a cheap and very healthy meal!) and if I eat a whole one, I'm full for hours! This meal is basically free of all empty calories. Your body can use nearly every single thing you ingest with a lunch like this! You will feel full, not bloated and yucky, after eating something like this.

Hope you give it a try and let me know how your kids (and husbands!) react! Healthy eating does not have to be expensive or a ton of work. You can do it!

Kids' Favorite Healthy Lunch

When thinking of what healthy lunch options to post, I knew I had to do fast, easy, kid friendly ideas. This one is super simple, quick, and one of my kids' favorites! What kid doesn't love pasta?

To make any pasta dish healthy, simply substitute refined white pasta for whole wheat pasta. My favorite brand is Heartland. It is much softer, smoother in texture, and more like white pasta than any other wheat noodles I've tried. (and I've tried them all)

Simply boil the pasta in water - simple! (my kids love angel hair pasta best!)


While the pasta is boiling, I take organic baby carrots and slice them in half to make for even faster cooking. Though steaming is the healthiest cooking option for veggies, I admit to boiling my carrots. I've never been able to steam a carrot and make it come out right.

**I buy organic whenever possible.. especially veggies that I am not peeling. Hard to find many in this town, but the selection improves over time.

The other veggies (typically broccoli, sweet peas (or sugar snap peas), and any other vegetable I have in the freezer) I put into my Pampered Chef microwave steamer. This thing rocks! If you don't have a steamer, no problem! Put them into a microwavable glass bowl with a bit of water in the bottom (about 3 tablespoons), cover and microwave.

It all cooks in about 15 minutes. Super fast and super HEALTHY! I also cook boneless, skinless chicken breast in a skillet (just spray skillet with nonstick spray, season chicken, and cook. No oil, no butter) and add it to this dish. All of my chicken was frozen this day and I was too hungry to wait for it to thaw.

Even without the chicken, the whole wheat pasta is a great source of protein. (7g per serving.)

If you really want to get healthy, and get your kids healthy, a dish like this is a really fast and easy way to start! I simply put a bit of salt over the top of each dish of food before I pass it out. No butter, no oil, no nothin'. This is a great way to start shedding pounds, gaining energy, and gaining HEALTH.

**Got kids that hate veggies? Sprinkle them with a touch of sugar before cooking to bring out the natural sweetness. Gradually use less and less as they begin to eat them.

**Remember, it can take 10 times of introducing new foods to kids before they even taste them! Keep offering, keep trying!

Staying on the Fitness Track

The past several weeks have been pretty tough on me when it comes to eating right and exercising. For me, the two go hand in hand, and without one, I struggle to do the other.

With a big part of my business being dog walking, I was walking several miles a day with clients' dogs when I suddenly found myself injured. I have had trouble off and on with a tendon in my left ankle flaring up when over worked, and boy.. did it flare up! For about one week I could barely walk at all, and after two weeks I was finally barely limping on it. Now, four weeks later I've rested a lot and am feeling much better.

Along with physically being off the exercise band-wagon, my healthy eating went right out the window, too. As I said, I struggle to do one without the other. After a solid month of not watching my food very closely and not exercising (other than lifting light hand-weights a few days a week) I found myself up about 3 pounds. Ugh... it's so easy to put on.. so hard to take off. Not only did I gain a few pounds, but I felt so tired, sluggish, and even moody! It's amazing how exercise can lift our spirits and how eating well can boost our energy. The opposite definitely proves true, as well!

So, here I am getting back on track. My ankle is healed and I started today with a great oldie but goodie workout - The FIRM. Oh how I love thee... I feel healthier already! I'm drinking a ton of water to help my body flush out all of the junk I've poured into it and am having to hold myself back a bit. I'm so eager to be back to my regular daily activities.. but I have to go slowly to avoid hurting myself again.

I'll post a few of my favorite healthy lunch plans and snacks soon - I was asked to do that by a few people several months ago and I miserably failed at doing so. This time, I'm on it!

Is anyone else finding themselves having to get motivated to stick with a healthy lifestyle?

Canine Corrections - Dog Walking Service

After my free trial week of dog walking, I've decided to go for it! I loved it, and so did the dogs and their owners. I'm trying to be as cheap as possible, yet still making it worth my time. I'm only charging $5 a walk. I aim for a minimum of 40 minutes of fast paced walking. If rain or bad weather prevents a walk, then there is no charge. If anyone is interested, drop me a comment or leave me an email at caninecorrections@gmail.com and let me know. I am currently offering three days a week - Tues, Thurs, and Friday. More days may come if necessary.

How cool to get to get some of my exercise in while hanging out with my favorite animals!

Do You Ever Look Back?

I was thinking back on the past few years and realized that I have the ultimate journal right here on my blog. I went back through some of my old archives and laughed at some old things and cried at seeing pictures of all of my babies when they were much younger. I stumbled upon this post and remembered how hard my fitness and health life was for me back then. That was 2007, when Samuel was only a couple of months old. I had so much weight to lose. I felt defeated every single time I tried on a pair of jeans, stepped on a scale, or caved and ate way too much. I really thought I was just always going to be "that size." That post was the start of a slow turn around for me. Slowly I started exercising more, eating less, and eating better. I'm so glad I did. If I would have given up back then, I'd still be exactly where I was then - now. Actually, I probably would be up on the scale even more.

It can be so hard and so overwhelming to start a healthier lifestyle. (especially if your results are not immediate and occur over a long period of time - like mine.) But WOW. I had almost forgotten how it felt to be in that place in life. It's so much easier now! It's just a part of what I do and I rarely give it much thought. I'm excited about new exercises, new healthy recipes, and even going shopping for clothes. (boy.. that used to be so depressing!)

I felt the need to post this because I know that soon, the New Year's weight-loss excitement will start to fade. Will-power alone never keeps anyone on a healthy track. Determination is the name of the game. Self-control. Self-worth. Pride enough in who you are and your physical body to take care of yourself. That is so hard to conjure up for so many people. I know it was for me. When you spend so much time taking care of your family, working, rescuing others... there is little time to check on yourself.

So, if you're feeling defeated already or your momentum is starting to waver, pick yourself up and dust yourself off. So what if you don't want to exercise today? DO IT ANYWAY! So what if you'd rather eat pizza than baked chicken and brown rice... EAT IT ANYWAY. Why? Because you will love and thank yourself for it a year or two from now, and you'll feel awesome at what you've accomplished!

Wish Me Luck

After resting yesterday, I am back at it tonight. I will be tackling Bob Harpers Biggest Loser Workout: Bootcamp. I did the 'easy' workout from the options a couple of days ago, due to being way too sore after Jillian kicked my rear the previous evening. Tonight, I'm going to try not to flake out and do the intermediate workout. I thought I was pretty in shape.. but apparently I don't know the first thing about REALLY lifting weights and REALLY doing cardio. If you're sitting on your behind reading this.. the least you can do is drop and give me 20; in honor of the torture I'm about to endure.

30 Day Shred - Review

I posted yesterday about the two new exercise DVDs that I picked up from Wally World. Last night I decided to try the 30 Day Shred by Jillian Michaels.

First off, I love how the main menu is set up! It's clean and simple, very easy to understand. Often times newer DVDs have around 10 options to click on and it takes me forever to figure out which one simply starts the workout! Not a problem with this one. Even better, you get to select what workout you want to do! No kidding... it has three seperate workouts... for $9!! You can choose from option 1,2, or 3. Option 1 is the one you should start with, especially if you're newer to exercising. Once you can complete option 1, you move up the numbers. The higher the number, the more intense the workout. The coolest thing - each workout is only 20 minutes!

Ignoring the directions, as I always do in life, I went straight to workout 2. I was afraid this would be a workout that was way too easy, way too short, and leave me feeling annoyed I bothered with it. IT WAS NOT!

I loved this workout. LOVED IT. I could not believe how incredibly simple, easy to follow, yet completely muscle burning, heart-pounding, and sweat producing it was. The moves on this DVD were like none I'd ever done. It was a cool combination of some yoga moves with classic strength moves for strength, and for cardio it was really simple, non-dancy, moves that I sometimes wondered if I'd make it through! I love her 3,2,1 method. 3 minutes of strength, 2 minutes of cardio, 1 minute of abs... six times throughout.

I liked everything about this DVD. It has already become a fast favorite workout of mine. Jillian as an instructor is awesome. She's so honest, it's refreshing! She says stuff like,

"You only want to spend 20 minutes a day working out? Then you've got to WORK for 20 minutes.. NO REST!"

"This is not fun... but it works."

"You need motivation to make it through? Think of going jeans shopping! Or worse, bathing suit shopping!"

"This is your last section of cardio.. I want you to feel like you are gonig to DIE!"
(and I did...)

If you want a workout that's no nonsence and WORKS... pick this one up! You can die with me every other day.

Tonight, I plan to try the one by Bob Harper: The Biggest Loser - The Workout: Bootcamp.

I Resolve To...

If you're like me, each year you make a New Year's resolution that you really intend to keep, only to completely forget what you had even resolved to do (or not do) a few weeks later. This year, I've got my mind set! Though I have numerous personal goals, I feel that the main two will help me with all of the others. So, my two big resolutions for the year of 2009 are to:

1. Read the New Testament in a year. (see Lou's blog for a link to the reading plan.)

2. Get back to tough and regular workouts.

I think I can, I think I can, I think I can....

To help with each of these, I have a few tools. Tool #1 was given to me from my church on Mother's Day, along with all of the other moms. It's called The One Year New Testament for Busy Moms. It breaks the New Testament down into mini sections that only take about five minutes a day (or less) to read. If you do it each day (or play catch-up if you miss a day or two) then you will have read through the New Testament in one year. Pretty cool!

Tool #2 is actually probably going to end up being several tools. New exercise DVD's. I have quite a collection of great exercise videos and DVD's. From Pilates to Yoga, strength to cardio... I've got it all covered. The problem is that I've gotten really bored of most of them simply from doing them for years on end.

To my delight, I saw a $9 rack at Walmart full of exercise DVD's! All brand new! (at least to me.)

Tonight, after a leader meeting at church, I ran into Walmart, with all of my kids, just to grab one or two of them. In reality, I wanted them all! I settled for the two I thought looked the most legit. 30 Day Shred by Jillian Michaels and The Biggest Loser: The Workout by Bob Harper.

I'm going to tackle the Jillian Michaels one tonight. I shall report back, if I am able to move enough body parts to make it to the computer desk tomorrow. I wonder how many workouts a woman that's had three children needs to do in order to acquire a six pack like hers?

Is anyone else on the get healthy, fit, or lose weight band wagon now that the holidays are up and it's a New Year? Want to try out these videos with me while they're so cheap? I need a workout buddy.. even if it's purely cyber! My four-legged jogging partners only work when it's not raining.

Back on Track

The holidays are over (almost.. one more round of Christmas to go for us...) and I can honestly say that I am tired of eating! By the fifth Christmas dinner, five days in a row, I felt like I might develop sudden on-set high blood pressure or Gout from consuming way too much, in much too short of a time span. Each night I went to bed feeling completely sick and vowing to not eat that much again the next time. Each following day, I failed to resist eating ALL of the yummy food, and so suffered again another night of sluggishness and stomach pain.

Now, we are almost done visiting people, and entertaining people, and I am getting back to my normal eating pattern. I've started back with what I call my "feel good" shakes, that I get from the Shake Shack. I have one for breakfast almost every morning and it just starts my day off so well. I've also managed to lose several more pounds since trying them out! So, back on those for breakfast... and I feel the water weight starting to melt away. When you cannot get your wedding rings off after your third day of crazy eating... you know you're eating way to much!

Clayton, the kids, and I headed to Petco when we were visiting my mom for Christmas and picked up two Dog Backpacks to try to drain Brooklyn's - our Pittie girl - energy on walks. So, she and I have been one walking-jogging duo the past couple of days. When she sees the backpack, she just sits down and waits for me to hook her up. It's amazing how it calms her immediately! The one thing it doesn't cure, unfortunately, is her wanting to chase and kill cats. Ugh... this issue is the ONLY issue she has that I have not made a dent in. She's the first dog I've ever had that I have, so far, failed to stop the cat crazies! This might actually cause me to give her back to the pound... it's a serious problem that's taking a ton of time. When I think of all of her progress though.. I just cannot give up on her, yet!

Life is slowly getting back to normal for us here... especially in the eating department. I think back a couple of years ago when we were trying to get pregnant with Samuel and how I used to eat like that several days each week. It was what I turned to when I was sad, frustrated, disappointed, etc. It also became what I liked to do when friends were over or I was happy! I felt so awful, all of the time back then. Low energy, expanding waist-line, and the lack of caring to do anything about it. I don't know what kicked me in the rear after Samuel was born, but I am so thankful to be back to my old self! Feeling good feels good!

Pantry Revamp

In a quest to save money I have been trying to spend much less when shopping for groceries. This is no small task in today's economic climate. I reluctantly stopped paying double for organic apples, yet stuck to my guns on cheaper organics like carrots, celery, raisins, applesauce, and other veggies. Cutting back on items we typically keep in stock did help us save money. Sometimes, quite a bit of money.

The problem with all of this saving money showed up yesterday. While standing in the kitchen, going back and forth between the refrigerator and the pantry, I finally threw my hands into the air and asked aloud, "What's all of this crap?!!" My once healthy and colorfully festive fridge shelves and drawers were now much more bare and only held things like hot dogs and cheese. The pantry that was once full of dried fruits and whole wheat snacks was now housing off-brand potato chips and cheap, sugar-filled, bagged cereals. "What happened here?!"

So, deciding I would no longer settle for such poor quality foods for my family, I carefully wrote out a shopping list for this morning. Time to get back on track! I planned out the meals I would make, complete with healthy proteins, veggies, and whole grains. Then, off to Walmart I went, afraid of what the cost would be at the end.

I walked the aisles, looking for my once regular healthy words on labels. I opted for Whole Wheat Ritz crackers over the regular. (same price, just healthier!) I paid a bit extra for some organics, like those mentioned above, but not enough to break the bank. I swapped regular hotdogs for turkey franks (much fewer calories, no fat, and great taste!) and white bread hogdog buns for whole wheat buns. Cereals were carefully examined for sugar and fiber content and picked according to what tasted the best, for the best health value. Amazingly, the ones I selected were the same price, or cheaper, than the sugary alternatives.

Now comes the budget breaker. THE PRODUCE SECTION. It is astonishing how much certain fruits and veggies can cost. I scanned each row carefully and decided to save some money by picking Romain lettuce that was simply tied up and unbagged (the less packaging on any product, the cheaper it will be) that I can wash and chop myself. I spent a bit extra for the organic raisins and such, so I figure it all balances out.

I had some larger purchases to make as well, like a huge bag of dog food. (about $18 for Maximum Nutrition.. which is probably the best brand Walmart carries and very comparable to high dollar Feed Store brands.)

I walked to the checkout line, with my stomach feeling a bit knotted with fear I would have spent way more than usual. As I put my healthy purchases on the conveyor belt, and watched them all being scanned, I held my breath. Checkbook in hand, I almost wanted to close my eyes when I knew the total was about to flash. $140 later I had stayed close to our budget (dog food included!) and had a basket full of healthy food. This will feed our family for the week - breakfast, lunch, supper, and snacks. Hooray!

I could have gotten more food for the same amount of money if I would've gone with the choices I was making over the past few weeks. However, this amount of food is plenty for our family... we'll just have to re-learn how to balance meals and snacks and not allow constant eating "just because."

Has anyone else realized they are settling for less quality for better prices when it comes to food shopping?

The Last Five

So, I've been comfortably sitting on the last 5 or so pounds I want to lose. It's amazing how, when you have a larger amount of weight to lose, 5 pounds is barely noticeable. Once you get close to your goal weight though, 5 pounds can make a world of difference.

I've slacked off on my exercise a bit in the past month or so due to my increased time spent writing. Now, it's time to incorporate my workout routines back into my daily life along with writing. One thing at a time. I've picked jogging up again, taking the kids and the pups jogging a bit after supper each evening. Carter likes to run beside me for a while before retiring into the double stroller with Samuel, and Madison loves to beat me in races on her bike.

The evening family jog is so important to me. I'm really thankful that I can take the kids, and the dogs, right outside our front door each evening to get some fresh air and exercise. I pray that exercise is always just part of my children's lives and that they see it as fun, not an evil thing that they feel guilty for not doing later on.

My step-mom and I used to do fun exercise tapes together when I would get home from school, from the time I was in Junior High until the time I got married and left home. It was a great time to not only get fit and healthy, but to have our best girl talks. Do you ever notice how people tend to open up a little more, especially kids, if there is something for them to do besides stare at your face? I know my kids and I have great talks each evening as we sweat together.

Eating is a hard thing for me to get under control. I'm super proud that I've managed to keep off every single pound that I've lost up until this point. That is one huge benefit to losing weight in a slow and healthy way. I've heard it said, "Slow to lose is slow to gain." I know that many of us have definitely experienced the opposite of that statement. Losing weight quickly typically means being overly restrictive with food. That type of weight loss method sends your body into "starvation" mode.. then when you finally cave and start eating again, you gain a ton of weight back. Probably more than you lost in the first place. Oh.. the vicious cycle!

So, I'm going to continue to confront myself on my eating habits. God gave me this body, and it is the only body he will ever allow me to have. Not taking care of it could possibly send the signal to the Big Man Upstairs that I'm just not that thankful for the body he's given me. That definitely isn't the message I want transmitting from my actions to his heart! So, fruits and veggies in the house, cookies and ice cream out. I can always have those fun foods when people come over or when we go out for something special.. but not daily. I have no self control and therefore cannot even have it in the house most of the time. That is something I'm working on!

My update

Some of you may remember my post baby posts about trying to drop this pregnancy, and trying to get pregnant, weight. Well, I'm happy to report that since I started trying to lose weight (when Samuel was about 8 weeks old) I've lost 17 pounds! I have 5ish to go to get to my goal weight. I am THRILLED! I am back into single digit sized jeans, which just shocks me. I really thought I'd never get down to this size again. I still have a lot of toning to do and those last 5 pounds really will make a big difference, but I'm really proud of myself. It's so hard to make time to exercise and to make myself work out when I'm running on so little sleep. Eating healthier is tough because when I'm nursing my cravings are just insatiable. But, I'm doing it! For a LONG time I just enjoyed eating more than I wanted to lose weight. lol Not anymore! I forgot how good it feels to feel this good. :) I still enjoy my treats. I'll never give up my Coke Zero or two a day. (zero calories, just not the healthiest thing on the planet) I just have finally learned some self control. My mom saw me a week or so ago and said, "Wow! You look like Mandy again!" I have to agree. I feel like "me" again too!

Why I've been absent

Hello Blogland. Yes, it is I... the missing one. Why have I not been blogging, you might be asking yourself? It seems that lately my life revolves around a handful of activities that I just do over and over and over again.

1. Feed people
2. clean
3. feed baby
4. clean baby
5. play with kids
6. repeat

"Clean" is to symbolize all things housework. You know: dishes, laundry, floors... oh-my-the-floors... Can someone please tell me why I have to wash towels twice a week when we have not one but TWO cabinets FULL of towels? Don't get me wrong, none of these things are bothersome to me. I typically actually REALLY enjoy cleaning, feeding the fam, and of course playing. The thing is, all of these things, especially when done one right after another for hours and hours on end, really are quite time consuming. I checked my email yesterday for the first time in about a week and had over 200 emails! Yikes! Guess how many were from actual people... go ahead.. it's okay.. guess. Like 6. Six out of 200... how annoying, right?! I want to send an email to the Viagra people to say something along the lines of, "when I grow a penis that experiences ED I'll be sure to let you know..." or to the dating services, "Married with 3 children.. probably will not appeal to the masses." Why do I get these crazy junk emails? (even with my junk mail filter supposedly on "high"... whatever) So, these things are all taking up my oh so precious time so I've had none to blog or even visit all of your blogs. Forgive me. I'm in the process of finding time to play on the puter again. Oh... one good thing that's taking up my time... exercising! Yep.. the hour I used to spend during Sam's nap filling you all in one me and seeing what was going on with you I now use burning and firming. So, hurrah me. Single digit jean sizes, here I come. Eventually...