Truth Tuesday!

When I first started this blog and this journey that I"m on, I had decided that Tuesdays would be more dedicated to Transformations.  How I have transformed, how friends have transformed, random stranger I've met, etc.  But today, I think I need to work on Truth Tuesday. 

There have been so many times that I've decided that I'm going to work on improving my fitness and more often, my nutrition.  You see, I'm pretty good at being consistent with working out.  It's the food that goes in my mouth that is NOT consistent.  I love food.  I love sweets.  I love salty, crunchy things.  So, when I say that I'm going to make a change, it lasts for about a week and then something happens and I get stressed, or annoyed, or just bored and decide to grab something that just isn't good for my body.  The 21 day fix is such an awesome program.  I did great with eating for the one week, and then honestly, I was frustrated that I hadn't really lost anything during that week.  So, instead of sticking with it and seeing it through ALL of the 21 days, I quit.  That's right, I quit.  Why?  Why would I think that quitting gets me closer to my goal?  It doesn't.  Plain and simple! 

That's why, I'm writing this post.  For once, I want to be accountable to not only myself, but also to those who rely on me to hep them with their fitness.  So far, I'm two days in to following the 21 day fix nutrition.  I've been consistent with my TurboFire workouts (which I LOVE).  It's going well so far.  I'm just waiting for that moment when I get too stressed, or annoyed, or whatever.  This time though, I don't want to just give up and grab that chocolate, or chips.  I want to fight through and know that I'm doing this to better myself.  God gave me this body and I need to take care of it.  Not only for myself, but for my family too. 

So I'm asking you, hold me accountable.  When you see me, ask me how I'm doing.  I want to be held accountable.  I want to live my life in truth and really follow what I encourage other people to do.  Together, we can do this. 

AHHHHH.........

Life seems to go really fast day by day!!  It isn't that I haven't thought about this blog, it's more that I have not really had a minute to sit down and figure out what I actually want to say to all of you.  

Last week, I started a new workout program, TURBO FIRE!!!!  I love it!  That's kind of an understatement!  When I lived in Chicago, the gym that I used to workout at had a Turbo kick class.  I loved it and I miss it so much!   I was thrilled when I learned that BeachBody had a program that was the same as the class.  I jumped on ordering it and have not been disappointed.  I love that I can be working out but still have a blast while doing it! 

This workout is intense and high energy, but throughout the week there may be a longer workout (45-55 minutes), a HIIT workout which is only 15-20 minutes, core work for 20 minutes, etc.  So as you can see, it keeps you on your toes as far as what you're doing and it does not get boring! 


This post is so disjunct and unfocused, but wanted to let you know that I'm here and still working out and striving to be healthier every day.  That means, not only physically, but emotionally and mentally too. 

Organizing for Success

Once again I find myself at the weekend wondering how the week flew by and why I didn't finish all that was on my to do list.  Lately, it's been hard to find myself getting in a rhythm where I can not only get my workout in, but also, my meals planned, laundry washed, dried, folded and put away, house cleaned, and still have time to play with my kids are relaxed. 

I know for me, organizing my schedule is the key to my success.  When life seems chaotic, which is often the case with two kids and two parents working, I have to keep a list going and a schedule so I know what needs to be done and who needs to be where.

I have decided that Sundays are going to be my new meal planning and weekly goal planning day.   I will sit down, figure out what I'm eating when and also what my family is eating, write down my workout schedule and goals for the week and then also make a schedule of what we have going during the week so we can all be prepared each day/night.  I will also add on my schedule what day I'll be doing what chore to keep my home organized and cleaned too.  (as clean as it can be with two kiddos on the go). 

Like I said, life gets chaotic.  We can't always plan ahead for things that will come up, but if we CAN plan for the things we know are going on, the more success we can have.  When it comes to fitness and nutrition, we need to plan.  If you fail to plan, you plan to fail.  That's the saying, right? 

How do you plan for your week and for success? 

Transformation TUESDAY!

Normally, on a transformation Tuesday post, I want to take a story of someone who has transformed their life/body/spirit through diet and exercise.  Today, however, I want to look more at how we can transform our attitudes.  I think attitude goes hand in hand with our determination to succeed in other areas of our lives too.

I will be the first to admit that this winter KILLED my attitude.  I was and still am grumpy and just having a harder time finding Joy in the small things.  My kids were (and are) getting on my last nerve and everything I seemed to try to do, just failed.  Sometimes life just seems harder than other times.  I know that every mom feels like a failure to her kids, husband, co-workers, friends at one time or another, but this winter, I just couldn't kick that feeling. 

It's hard to feel like nothing goes right, or that your kids never listen, or you never have all of the groceries you need for that meal that you planned.  Every year, I try to go to Hearts At Home, a conference for moms.  This year, one of the sessions that I went to talked about changing your mindset to change your attitude.  Sounds easy, right?  Well, the idea is to look at things from a different perspective.  I'm trying.  Really, I am.  Some days it is easier than others.  I have a handful of scriptures that I've tried to focus on when I can feel my attitude siding down in the dumps.  It helps when the sun is shining, or my kids are obeying, or dinner is in the crockpot, but I also want to remember that my attitude doesn't HAVE to be dependent upon those things. 

Taking a little time to exercise helps my attitude, or eating the right foods can help.  If I've eaten a bunch of crap for the day, my attitude is probably going to follow.  Getting the right amount of sleep helps!  (for both me AND my kids!)

My point?  Well, my point is that WE can transform our attitudes.  We can choose to look at something and just see the bad, OR maybe we can look at it and really look for the positives.  Is it teaching me something?  Did I pray for patience and this is God's answer?  Am I teaching my kids something in the process?  Transform our thinking and we can transform our lives. 

What are ways that you work to transform your attitude on those "bad" days? 

Meatless Monday

I'm always looking for recipes that are clean eats, but that my family will love and any time that I can have a meatless recipe to save money, the better.  I love Pinterest for this reason! 

Recently, I made Lentil BBQ and believe it or not, my family ate it up.  Even my kids ate it up!  Just a quick post today to share this recipe with you.  I'd love to hear your favorite meatless recipes! 

BBQ Lentils   

*Recipe taken/altered from: http://www.healthfulpursuit.com



Vegan, Gluten free, Dairy free, Refined sugar free, Yeast free, Corn free
A vegan approach to the classic pulled pork sandwich. Save time and money by cooking the lentils in your slow cooker!
Yield: 4 cups of barbecue lentils

Ingredients

Quick and Easy Smoky Barbecue Sauce

• 28-oz canned crushed tomatoes
• 6oz can tomato paste
• 1/2 cup blackstrap molasses
• 1/4 cup white vinegar
• 1 medium-sized sweet onion, quartered
• 2 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
• 3 garlic cloves
• 1 tablespoon coconut sugar
• 1 teaspoon dry mustard
• 1/2 teaspoon Himalayan rock salt
• 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 1/4 teaspoon to 1/2 teaspoon liquid smoke
• 1/8 teaspoon cayenne

Lentils

• 4 cups cooked green lentils

Directions

1. Place all sauce ingredients in the crockpot and stir.
2. Add lentils 
3. Cover and cook for 3-4 hours on high or 6-8 hours on low.  
4. Stir periodically.  

Finding Time for Yourself.

I don't know about you, but the weekends just seem to fly by.  I mean, it's the weekend!  Time to relax, take some time to read a book, go on a long walk or run, play outside with the kids.....but somehow, the weekends always fly by.  This weekend especially.   Not only do we have our usual baseball game on Saturday, but we also had dance dress rehearsal and dance concert AND on top of all of that, I'm also on worship team this weekend which means a long morning at church BEFORE the dance recital. 

Last night I went with a small group of girls to see the movie "Mom's Night Out."  If you haven't seen it, I highly recommend it.  It was funny, but also had a very touching moment in it as well.  There was a point when the main character just felt like she had given all she had to give and tried to help everyone, but she just wasn't ever good enough.  The character she was talking to just asked her, "Good enough for who?"  The point was that we don't have to be good enough for anyway because we are good enough for God.  He gave us these kids and this life we're living.  If he gave them to us, than we must be enough for them.  As I watched that scene unfold, it reminded me that life is chaotic.  It always will be (at least for awhile) and that's okay.  I need to find joy in the chaos.  I need to find time for myself to get away so that I can refresh.  I need to let some things go. 

Now that's all easy to say, right?  BUT, in real life what does that look like?  Well, I think for me, it looks like this.......My daughter has her dance recital tomorrow.  This year she is in Mommy & Me, which YES, means that I am dancing with her.  Not my favorite thing in the world, but maybe I can learn to appreciate being with her during this dance recital.   I won't always be allowed to be backstage with her and helping her get her hair and all of that ready.  This is her FIRST dance recital.  I need to remember that and savor that moment, even in the chaos of all the glitter and hairspray and bobby pins tomorrow. ;)   My son has a lot of exciting things going on right now; baseball, end of school, field trips, etc.  He has a very difficult time dealing with excitement of things and calming himself down.  Structure is his friend.  I very easily get frustrated with him in his excitement as he typically disobeys during these times.  Instead, maybe I can learn to appreciate his joy and see the smile and laughter that he brings during these times.  He may not always be thrilled to have me accompany his field trips, but for now, he loves it! 

It doesn't mean that I will always have a smile on my face or that I will be loving every minute of the chaos.  What it does mean is that maybe I need to slow down, find joy in the small things and stop myself when I'm reaching my "paralyzed by stress" mode.  

I realize that I kind of got away from my topic here of trying to find time for yourself.  Part of finding time for yourself though I think, is realizing that even in the midst of the chaos when it seems that your joy has been stripped away, its important to stop and realize that you are ENOUGH.  God designed you and He loves you!  Take a small walk, ask a friend to coffee after the kids go to bed, watch your favorite movie, take a bubble bath.  Yes, I know, there are dishes in the sink and noodles stuck to the stove and more dirt on the floor than you care to express, but you know what?  Your kids won't notice that.  They will notice that you are more refreshed and you have taken care of YOURSELF so you can take care of them. 

Find some time for yourself today.  What will you do?  What refreshes you? 

Throwback Thursday

I am jumping on to "throwback Thursday" this week and sharing a few pictures of me at my "almost" highest weight.  I wanted to remind myself how far I've come since these pictures.  Sometimes I think we get stuck in the routine of the every day and we get down on ourselves for not doing better.  BUT, when I look back at these pictures, I know I have come so far over the last almost 7 years. 

This picture was taken about 1 week after I had my son.  When I went in to deliver him, I couldn't believe the number that I saw on the scale.  I was so embarrassed and knew that it was MY fault that I had allowed myself to gain that much weight.  I knew that I had a long road ahead of me as I started my journey to lose weight and be healthy for my son. 

My son was born in April of 2007 and in September of 2007, my friend and I ran (I use that term VERY VERY loosely) a half marathon.  It was my first half marathon.  I remember running across the finish line and I was in tears.  Mostly because I was so relieved that it was over, but also because I had completed it!  I had run 13.1 miles, something I never thought that I would do.  At that point in time, I never thought I'd do it again.  Funny how our minds work, right?

This is not the best picture of me as far as the angle, but my son took this on Easter of this year.  I think over the last 7 years, I have come a LONG way.  Am I super confident in how I look? No!  Has my self-esteem improved over the years?  Yes!  Do I still look at other women and wish that I looked like them?  Yes!  But, my point is that I can look back on the past few years and see a progression.  I care more about my health now.  Not because I want to be skinny, or wear a certain size (although i do have one in mind), but because I want to be a healthy role model for my kids.  I want to let them see me working out and eating healthy and having fun with them, so that they know that being healthy is important.  I don't want them to look at food as good or bad.  I want them to look at food as nourishment for our body.  As a Christian, I know that God called me to take care of my body, so that I can glorify Him.  So, looking forward, that's my goal.  Am I glorifying God with what I put in my mouth?  With how I work-out?  With how I see myself?  That's where my focus lies today!

What is your goal in losing weight or in gaining fitness?  Why do you want it?  You have to know your WHY first so that when times get hard, and we all know they will, you can look to that WHY and keep pushing yourself! 

You've got this!