Why Hello! Long Time No Anything (But That is About to Change)

Hey there! It got a little crazy staying on top of this blog (and my diet for that matter) with the play and the busy days and late nights that came with it (and not wanting to eat before the show, so waiting until after at like 10:30 p.m....yikes! I did always work out a little while after eating though). I am happy to report, however, that I stuck to my daily workout routine (and added to it with the activity level and dancing that being in a show brings), and three weeks ago, I added running to the mix (and I can honestly say I am beginning to LOVE it-if you know me, this is really saying something)! I will be posting my progress monthly rather than weekly and those posts will include before and after pictures. I will also be posting workout routines and meal plans that I find work and that I love. So stay tuned! Today, I would like to share my running schedule with you.

 

I am following a running plan that is supposed to build you into being able to run for a half and hour straight in 8 weeks. I am sure this sounds pretty easy to most you, but for me it started out as a real challenge and is quickly becoming a challenge I LOVE! I feel happier and more positive (especially with my sometimes frustrating toddler), and have noticed I get a lot more accomplished on the days that I run and that I have a lot more energy to do those said things. I have also noticed I crave healthier food, eat less in my portions, and drink a LOT more water. I am very happy with my results thus far. I can already see and feel a difference, and adding it to my interval training has been AMAZING with the two working together. I used to go with a bunch of lady friends in the neighborhood, but I am happy to say that Ben and I started going together a couple of weeks ago and really enjoy our time running together. We bring our son, Jayden and dog, Caleb along with us and it makes for a fun family outing, that  puts us all on a road to better health (although Jayden just enjoys the fresh air from the running stroller I just got, and love by the way). I always bring along my headphones to play my workout remix and I find it is a good way to detox emotionally and to just think and escape to my mind to sort things out and just think for a little "me time". My reward for finishing out a week strong is to buy one new song from I-tunes-it is the PERFECT motivation since I get to play my new song the following week as a reminder that I made it through the prior one. I visit with Ben for the walking and listen to music while I run. It really helps to motivate me. Okay enough on why I love it, and all the other random things I always tend to include. Without further adieu, my 8 week running schedule!

 

Week One:

Monday-Walk 2 min. Run 1 min. (7x)=21 min

Wednesday-Walk 2 min. Run 2 min. (6x)=24 min.

Friday-Walk 2 min. Run 3 min. (5x)=25 min.

 

Week Two:

Monday-Walk 1 min, Run 3 min. (7x)=28 min.

Wednesday-Walk 1 min. Run 4 min. (5x)=25 min.

Friday-Walk 1 min. Run 5 min. (5x)=30 min.

 

Week Three:

Monday-Walk 1 min. Run 6 min. (4x)=28 min.

Wednesday-Walk 1 min. Run 7 min. (4x)=32 min.

Friday-Walk 1 min. Run 8 min. (4x)=36 min.

 

Week Four:

Monday-Run 8 min. Walk 1 min. Run 9 min. Walk 1 min. (2x)=38 min.

Wednesday-Run 9 min. Walk 1 min. Run 9 min. Walk 1 min. (2x)=40 min.

Friday-Run 9 min.. Walk 1 min. Run 10 min. Walk I min. (2x)=42 min.

 

Week Five:

Monday-Run 10 min. Walk I min. Run 10 min. Walk 1 min. (2x)=44 min.

Wednesday-Run 10 min. Walk I min. Run 12 min. (1x)=23 min.

Friday-Run 12 min. Walk 1 min. Run 15 min. (1x)=28 min.

 

Week Six:

Monday-Run 15 min. Walk 1 min. Run 15 min. (1x)=31 min.

Wednesday-Run 15 min. Walk 1 min. Run 18 min. (1x)=34 min.

Friday-Run 18 min. Walk 1 min. Run 20 min.  (1x)=39 min.

 

Week Seven:

Monday-Run 10 min. Walk I min. Run 21 min.(1x)=32 min.

Wednesday-Run 10 min. Walk 1 min. Run 23 min. (1x)=34 min.

Friday-Run 10 min. Walk 1 min. Run 25 min. (1x)=36 min.

 

Week Eight:

Monday-Run 26 min (1x)=26 min.

Wednesday-Run 28 min (1x)=28 min.

Friday-Run 30 minutes (1x)=30 min.

 

 

 

 

 

Feel free to join me and tell me what you think!

Transformation Tuesday

My grade for myself the past week-

Diet: 50%

Exercise: 50%

Total Grade: A (100%)

Weigh in-

Weight: I have lost three pounds. I can finally say I am lighter than when I started that thanks to turning fat into muscle and now getting that muscle leaner. YAY! :)

Measurements-

Neck: stayed the same as last week

Upper Arm: I stayed the same as last week

Forearm: I stayed the same as last week

Bust: I lost .5 inches

Waist: I lost .5 inches

Stomach: I lost .5 inches

Hips: I lost .5 inches

Thighs: I lost .5 inches

Calves: I lost .25 inches

Total inches lost:2.75 inches this past week! It is slowing down but I am happy with my results for my first month! :)

Transformation Tuesday!

Well, as you may have noticed, I missed last week. It was crazy busy that day, and I kept forgetting to do it later, so this will be an update for both weeks totaled.

My grade for myself the past two weeks-

Diet: 50%

Exercise: 50%

Total Grade: A (100%)

Weigh in-

Weight: I have FINALLY started losing weight! I have lost two pounds (which still puts me at a couple pounds heavier than where I started), but hey-weight loss is weight loss! :)

Measurements-

Neck: stayed the same the past two weeks

Upper Arm: I lost .5 inches

Forearm: I lost .5 inches

Bust: I stayed the same

Waist: I lost .5 inches

Stomach: I lost .5 inches

Hips: I lost .5 inches

Thighs: I FINALLY lost some-a whole .5 inches

Calves: stayed the same

Total inches lost: 3 inches! It is slowing down, but at least I can also say I lost 2 pounds the past two weeks. :)

Transformation Tuesday!

Now that I am caught up with this blog as my check-ins are on Tuesdays, I have decided to call this weekly post "Transformation Tuesday!" This past week was a bit harder. It was an emotional one, which always makes dieting that much harder. I did however, find it easier to exercise intensely to vent the stress and frustration. As much as I hate to admit it, I did cheat once this week. It was after a particularly hard day, I ate past seven after a rehearsal. In my defense, I still tried to be a little healthy (just definitely not as healthy as I should have been).

 

Ben and I had both had downer days for various reasons, so we made a little trip to our local Wal-mart and got some yummy treats in hopes of feeling better (oh, you terrible comfort food!).  We filled our cart with the delicious Lloyd's BBQ pulled pork and hamburger buns (I actually still went for whole wheat, bad mood and all-go me!), crab salad with Ritz crackers (not so healthy), and then came the really bad ones-root beer, Oreos, and frozen crinkle cut fries...I know, I am terrible, and I felt that way after eating/drinking them too. I only had one sip of the root beer and it was so sweet it was disgusting to me! I only had three Oreos, and a few fries, but still...I felt awful! I got a headache (happens when your body has not had sugar or high carbs in ten days and then you try to have some), felt nauseous, gross, and even noticed I still did not feel good and had a hard time with my workouts the next day. Needless to say, it was not worth it, but it definitely helps me with my determination to stay true to my goals now that I know what cheating them does firsthand. It definitely helped me to curb those "naughty cravings" (as I call them) the rest of the week. Sigh* Live and learn, right? Even if the perfectionist in me absolutely hates not being perfect to begin with! :)

 

Although I cheated on my diet this week, I am happy to be able to report that I did not miss one workout all week, and I am proud of that!!!

My grade for myself this week-

Diet: (41.7%)
Exercise: (50%)
Total Grade: A- (91.7%)

This means that I missed one day of eating right all day long and sticking to my goals, but I did not miss any exercise all week. I am a work in progress, but am shooting for 100% next week! Keep your fingers crossed that I stay strong. Especially with those late and tiring rehearsals that can make a girl SO hungry! Should not be too hard after cheating and paying for it with not feeling well for a day this past week.

Weigh in-

Weight: I gained another pound. I really, really don't like this, but know it is common as you turn fat into muscle (hence the whole muscle weighs more than fat thing), before getting to the lean muscle you want, but let me tell you if that scale does not start going down soon, I am going to start get depressed. I know you should not let the scale govern your health, but lets face it. It is SO rewarding working your tail off and having it show on the scale. Am I right, ladies? Don't get me wrong...I am still very happy to be losing inches, looking/feeling better, and fitting more nicely in my clothes, but I just want some pounds to start falling off too. Is that too much too ask?


Measurements-

Neck: stayed the same as last week
Bust: stayed the same as last week
Waist: I lost 1.5 inches more
Stomach: I lost .5 inches
Hips: I lost .5 inches
Upper Arms: stayed the same as last week
Forearms: still the same
Thighs: I lost .5 inches
Calves: I lost .5 inches

Total inches lost: 3.5 inches! Still an improvement week (even with cheating and gaining a pound), so cheers to that!
 

 



Weekly Check-in!

Here is the part that makes me the most nervous about doing this blog-accountability and sharing my results! Ha ha! As much as I hate it, it will be good for me. I will be posting weekly updates with a picture (yikes!) before and after post monthly. Stay tuned!

My grade for myself for the week-

Diet: (50%)
Exercise: (50%)
Total Grade: A (100%)

 I did not miss one day of staying true to my diet and exercise routine, and let me tell you my results were definitely worth the hard work and sacrifice!

Weigh in-

Weight: I gained a pound, but I lost inches and muscle weighs more than fat, so it is still a week of work and health to celebrate!!!

Measurements-

Neck: I lost .25 inches

Bust: I lost 1 inch!

Waist: I lost 1.5 inches!

Stomach: I lost 1.5 inches!

Hips: I lost 1 inch!

Upper Arms: I lost .25 inches

Forearms: stayed the same

Thighs: I stayed the same

Calves: I stayed the same

I lost a total of 5.5 inches overall!!! I was so surprised I could lose that much already that I double and triple-checked myself just to be absolutely sure. I always measure in the same places on the same day of the week and at the same time of day. I also use an app on my phone called fatsecret to track my calories-both those consumed and those burned with exercise. I find it really helps me to keep track of things and get used to portions of food and the amount of exercise it takes to burn those calories. Once I get a good feel for it, I will probably just do without it, but for now it is nice.

 This is SO exciting to me! I can tell a big difference in how my clothes fit and in my muscle tone, strength and endurance already, even in the areas where I did not lose any inches. I am excited! Hoping I can continue to lose inches, and get to where I also start losing pounds!

The New Changes in My Life That Will Lead to a Change in Me!

As many of you know, I am in the process of trying to get healthy and therefore reaching my biggest goal of being happier! There is a lot that goes into this resolution of mine and I have had several people ask just what I am doing as far as nutrition goes to be able to hit the goals I have for myself. So, here are a 5 of them.

#1-I make sure I balance my carbs with my protein. When I had gestational diabetes, I got really good at doing this. Basically, for however many carbs you have you need half of that amount in protein to balance it out. So for example, if you eat 30g in carbs you will want to eat 15g of protein to balance it. Now, the trick it to do this in the most healthy way possible. Sources I love for carbs are vegetables (especially leafy greens), fruits, whole grains, etc. For protein I like fat free milk and cottage cheese, fish, chicken, or turkey (rather than beef), but if you balance your food your body does not go into fat storing mode, your sugar levels do not get high, and you will feel better after eating, because it is the balance your body needs.

#2-Learn to trade foods you are used to eat with healthier options. Here is a list of foods that I have switched out for healthier and more balanced nutrition that will lead to a more fit me. I have also found that you really can eat healthy on a budget by eating the right amount of food and focusing on fresh fruits and vegetables.

Margarine to Butter (but I use this sparingly)

Table Salt to Real Salt (also used sparingly)

Sugar to Truvia (this I use very sparingly to sprinkle on grapefruit, etc.)

Concentrated Juices to 100% Juices

Processed and White Grains to 100% Whole Wheat (this includes bread, pasta, etc.)

White Potatoes to Sweet Potatoes

All drinks (other than an occasional glass of skim milk or fresh squeezed juice) to WATER
salty chips and fries to salted steamed veggies
sweets like chocolate and goodies to a serving of fresh and delicious fruit

#3-You will notice a certain word is in all caps above and that is because you need to make it your friend and drink a lot of it! It helps flush toxins out of your body, and is very important considering it makes up such a large portion of our bodies. It is irreplaceable for our organs and body to function properly, so don't replace this important part of our diet with soda, sugary concentrated juices, or even a lot of milk. They say to take your weight, divide it in half, and that is how many ounces of water you need a day. When you have a headache, ninety percent of the time it is because you are dehydrated and need water, so try a glass of water before going for that pain killing pill. And did you know that most of the time when you feel hungry you are actually just thirsty? So, always reach for a glass of water before going for those comfort foods or snacks. I like to even add a little lime to mine, which I have noticed also helps to curb hunger. I have noticed a HUGE difference with drinking more water. I don't get the munchies as often, and don't have headaches. I usually get headaches all the time. I am talking a couple of times a week, but I have not had a headache in an entire week! I am telling you water is your BEST friend folks!

#4-Exercise! Now, you may be wondering why I am bringing exercise up when I said I would be talking about nutrition, and the reason is this-it really affects nutrition for me! I have noticed that when I am exercising and active, my body actually craves what is good for it, and does not want the junk food. I also drink a lot more water not only while exercising (obviously), but throughout the rest of the day. Another problem exercising fixes for me is the same for a lot of us. A lot of us eat when we are bored or we are down to make us feel better (hence the term "comfort food"), but let me tell you, if you get up and workout, not only will you fix the boredom problem, but you will actually be happier and feel better than you would if you had resorted to food to solve the problem. Bottom line? Exercise is the answer for boredom and difficult emotions, NOT food! This is a VERY new concept for me (as many of you know), but trust me-it works!

#5-Okay, this last one is definitely the MOST important even if it sounds a little silly. You have to LOVE yourself and REWARD yourself through and for all of your hard work! This one is probably the hardest one for me personally. No matter the scale, or the inches, or how well you complete a workout, how healthy you eat, or what people say to you or how they make you feel. Think positive about yourself and life!!! Negativity is your WORST enemy when it comes to change. So love yourself and be proud of yourself for who you are as you are working towards your goals, and reward yourself for your progress. What is hard work without a little reward after all? Try to avoid rewards that cheat you on your new goals. Speaking of cheating, if you are really craving something like that cookie, some chips or that ice cream, try to have just a little bit of it earlier in the day so your body has a better chance of burning the calories, and so you don't just give up, cave, and binge later. A little bit won't hurt as long as you don't make a habit of it. If you stick to your goals, I promise that you will eventually find that those foods no longer appeal to you and you even get sick eating them. Try rewards like a new purse, a night out, new songs off of  i-tunes to work out to (this one is HUGE for me), new clothes (especially once you start hitting those goals)-get CREATIVE and have FUN! This is so important! When I am craving junk food, I also like to take the money I would have used to get that fast food or sweets and get something else instead like a necklace, or any of the other reward ideas I just mentioned. You could also save that money and put it towards a bigger reward like a trip or something big and new you have been wanting for the house. Find healthy foods, and workouts, and rewards that you enjoy and I promise you, the change will come SO much easier. Become mentally tough and really push yourself to be the BEST you, you can be INSIDE and out!

 I hope these five tips help you out as much as they are helping me out. Good luck with your health, goals, resolutions, and most importantly loving yourself! Ta ta for now!

My New Year's Resolutions (and the reason for my new blog)!

Well, I can say that I only have one New Year’s Resolution this year and it is this-BE HEALTHY, and even more importantly with that BEING HAPPY! That includes all areas of health: spiritual (being at the top of the list), emotional, mental, and of course that oh-so-popular health area (especially when it comes to New Year’s Resolutions)-physical. Now, even though it is one single goal, there is a LOT of lifestyle change, and mini resolutions that come with it. This blog is a place where I plan to document what I do and the results I find, and lets be honest a place to hold myself accountable to my new goals for my new life. So here are all the areas as listed above in more detail.

Spiritual: Live in a way that is more centered on the Gospel and my Savior, so that I can find the added peace and joy that comes from making the spirit the biggest part of my life. I will be making this a focus by saying morning and evening prayers (individual, family, and couple’s), reading scriptures daily (as a family and personally), and focusing on filling my life with wholesome and uplifting influences.

Emotional: I will achieve being more emotionally healthy by really focusing on being more positive. Simple concept. I know, but for me it has always been more like rocket science. I really try to be positive around others, but struggle silently and inwardly. My hope this year is to make it more of a natural occurrence inside and out, rather than the forced one (at times) it has felt in the past. I am pretty sure that by focusing on my other three areas of health, this one will come a lot more naturally. I plan on really focusing on my blessings to help alleviate my struggles with anxiety and depression. I am hoping that this will replace fear with faith and despair with hope.

Mental: I really want to constantly be learning and growing and developing throughout my life, and so I hope that this year I can pursue this passion and put this goal into action. I plan on making reading a part of my everyday life. Whether it be to escape to a magical world and set my imagination free, or a book to learn and grow as a person and spirit, or to get further ahead with our business by developing myself and my mind and setting my gears up for success!

Physical: This is not the most important one per say, but it definitely affects the others that are more important to me. Most women hate their post-baby body, but ironically enough I actually see mine as a goal to aspire to. The picture below is me two weeks after giving birth (left), and the then two years after giving birth (right). See what I mean? Maybe it was the fact that I lost more weight during my pregnancy than I gained due to being so sick and being on a gestational diabetes diet for the last third of it. And maybe I have gained so much since having Jayden because of all of the stress the past two years (trust me, there has been a LOT), never working out, and eating terribly, but it is time for no excuses and work, work, WORK! I have never exercised or eaten healthy regularly in my entire life! Sad, right? I mean I have been active with music-dance-theater and such, but I have never had a regular routine of my own. Yup! I am turning 27 this year and I think it is high-time I start taking care of my body if I want it to keep taking care of me.

So how do I plan on achieving this? Well, let’s just say that although this goal may not be at the top of my list, it is definitely taking the most time and is the reason behind 75% of the changes I have made to my life. Starting last Monday, I am focusing on…

…and…

all while eating six small HEALTHY and balanced meals/snacks a day, and not eating past seven p.m. I am also drinking 10 cups of water a day! My bladder is going crazy! Ha ha! I drink an eight ounce glass before every meal which helps me to not overeat.

I am also working out six days a week with 20 second fitness (LOVE it). It is intense but short and sweet, so it is bearable. I also do crunches and pushups every day. I do them until I am sore and then I do thirty more crunches and ten more pushups, to really burn fat and get those muscles into shape. And I top it all off with 1-3 hours of cardio with Zumba and dancing at play practice to keep my metabolism kicking! I do enough to make sure I am burning what I eat, so I don’t have excess calories, carbs, and fat to burn. Let me tell you, this past week about killed me, but I am already noticing a difference in how my clothes fit and my muscle definition after just one week! WOOT!

Guys and Dolls (the show I am currently in) is a HUGE incentive to stay on top of my physique with determination, focus and drive! Considering I am a hot box dancer in it, I want to look good opening night! That is the goal! Also being in shape tends to help when it comes to dancing and singing at the same time. ;)

 

Well, there you have it! My New Year’s Resolution that entails tons of mini resolutions and lifestyle changes. I will be checking in here regularly with my progress. Wish me luck!!!

 

 

*all photos (other than the ones of me) are compliments of Google Images.