Goodbye 2011. HELLO 2012!!

Goodbye 2011.

You have brought me many things this year:

• New friends - I have met lots of new friends through my kids and my gym.  They have all helped me realize how good life is.  Many of them brought me new inspiration to continue to improve my life and achieve my goals.
• New strength - I have learned that I am both mentally and physically stronger than I had previously believed.  This is just amazing to me!  While it is more fun and I push myself harder when working out with my sister, I know that it is all up to me to do it for me.
• New knowledge - This year, I have learned a lot about how my eating effects not only how I feel physically, but emotionally as well.  Knowledge that I can feel better, I can eat better, and I can reach my goals.  Knowledge that writing done goals and reading them goes along way to helping me achieve them.
• New freedoms - One of the goals my husband I made this year was to gain our financial freedom, and we have made huge strides!  Another goal was to improve my health, and through the time I've put in at the gym and the kitchen, I have begun to reach those.  I gained the freedom of having more options for places to shop for clothes through this.  To me, these have been the biggest gains of all!

HELLO 2012!!!

New year, new goals!

• Better eating - I am going to start off 2012 with a 30-day Paleo Challenge to jump start my eating.  My focus this year is to consistently eat fresh vegetables and fruits, healthy meats, and healthy fats with most meals. These meals will also be prepared at home with the help of my family.  
• Better exercise routine - I will continue doing CrossFit workouts at least 2 to 3 times per week.  If I am not able to make it to the gym at least 3 times, then I will commit to doing a workout at home (or where ever I may be).  Since I work better when I have something to push myself towards, I will sign up for at least two races this year.  The first one will be at the end of January, and my goal is to finish faster than my previous 5K of 42:10.
• Continue to improve my families financial situation - I will achieve this by focusing more on the budget and making sure they my spending stays within our budgeted amounts.  The first step will be to pack my lunch (this goes hand-in-hand with my first goal!).
• Focus on improving me from within - I will continue to read books that will help me grow from within.  Books that will keep me motivated and help me to find what I am meant to do in life.

These are my commitments to myself and my family for 2012.  Be on the lookout for my updates on my goals!  Hope you all have a happy and healthy 2012!

Oops, I'm slacking!

Miss me? I realized I have been slacking on my updates, so I thought I would post a quick one.

I made it through my 30 day Paleo Challenge!  I managed to lose a whopping 15 lbs!  I was pretty proud of being able to make it all the way through with no cheats (except the last weekend when we took the kids out for pizza).  I'm still waiting to hear the results of who won the challenge at my gym, but I'll update when I know for sure.

I have slipped more than I planned since the challenge is over.  In fact, I have pretty much gone back to eating the way I did before. :-(  I'm trying to get back into it, but it has been difficult since both of my kids are playing summer ball which keeps us running most nights.  This running is also preventing me from going to the gym as much as I was too.  So, tomorrow morning, I'm going to attempt to head to the gym for the 5:15 am class.  Wish me luck getting out of bed that early!

WooHooo!

Yesterday, I was at the gym working out, and it was just me and like 5 guys.  Talk about intemidating!  The workout consisted of several rounds of man makers, wall climbs, and 200 m runs.  (If you don't know what these exercises are google is your friend!) That in and of itself had me concerned, but knowing that I was doing it next to several rather fit men got me a little more nervous.  But, I'm happy to report that I made it through most of the workout.  (I think the coaches noticed we were dying in the humidity, so they cut us off at 25 minutes.  I only had one round left, but was glad they cut it!)  Afterwards, the guy I was working next to commended me on my wall climbs saying that I was flying through them.  Now, I'm not totally sure that he realized who he was talking to cause I didn't feel like I flew through them, but I'll take a compliment when I can get one!

To top it off, I jumped on the scale this morning, and I am only two pounds away from being down 30 lbs since I started this in December!!  And I have been getting compliments from many people on how good I am looking!  So, I treated myself to a little shopping last night (mostly because I no longer own any shorts that fit!), and it felt so nice to be able to shop in the Misses section instead of the Womens!

Yay Me!!

Half way through the challenge....

I've made it half way there!  So far, so good.  The only bumpy days are the ones where I didn't have time to pack something for eating, especially when I have a busy day ahead.  I've had a few cravings for non-Paleo foods, but they have only been when I didn't get enough to eat the rest of the day.  Last week seemed to be the week that everyone else on the challenge decided to slip, but I'm proud to say that I didn't give in (even though I REALLY wanted to on Mother's Day!).  I'm not sure how many inches I've lost so far, but I do know that I've lost in the neighborhood of 8 pounds!!  I spent this past weekend going through my closet and getting rid of some of my "fat" clothes.  That felt great!  Here is a picture to mark the halfway point:

Day 10

Ten days into the 30 day Paleo Challenge.  Things are going good so far.  I had a rough time last Saturday.  We had a lot going on and I didn't plan very well, so I ended up only eating a banana for breakfast at 8, followed by lunch around 2.  Not good!  Then we went out to dinner, and we had a hard time finding a decent item on the menu that fit into the challenge.  I did end up getting some grilled chicken and vegetables (all which tasted very bland); poor John got a burger (which he only ate the meat patty).  Needless to say, neither of us were satisfied, so we both ended up with a strong desire for some ice cream afterwards.  I learned my lesson!  The beginning of this week was a little rough as my stomach was not happy, but it seems to have settled down now.  So, I'm back to feeling good.  The "downside" so far (other than the small craving of ice cream) is that I've shrunk enough that I desperately need to go shopping for some more pants! I went from being able to deal with the slightly baggy pants to they are now falling off in a matter of 1 week!  The tough part is I don't want to buy new one's if I am going to keep losing.  Oh well, I'll deal with it!

Day 4

Four days into the 30 day challenge, and things are going good so far.  No sugar cravings, no headaches, no pains.  So far, it isn't as bad as I thought it might be.  John and the kids have joined in, so I think that is helping.  Sterling isn't completely on board, but he is trying.  Valerie is really trying hard.  I am so proud of them all!  And myself too!  I've noticed that I have more muscle soreness than usual from my workouts, but nothing intolerable.  My biggest challenge came today when we had a food day at work for a co-worker who is leaving.  The whole area smelled of SUGAR all day!  I didn't have a problem passing up the cookies, doughnuts, and cakes, but it was hard to pass up the peach cobbler!  So far, we've been eating all the leftover Easter eggs, grilled chicken, grilled burgers (no bun), lots of salad, and various nuts.  Definitely need to find some good recipes soon!  As soon as I find some, I'll try to post my favorites.  Stay tuned....

Day 1

Today wasn't as hard as I thought.  I was able to stick with the plan.  I didn't feel too hungry throughout the day, and didn't experience any headaches.  Although, I made the mistake of taking the kids grocery shopping afterward, and then was badly wanting a glass of wine!  Don't worry, won't make that mistake again!  And I don't think my sister will make the mistake of meeting me at the grocery store again if she knows I have to bring the kids! HA!

Last Supper

I'm sitting here eating my "last supper" (so to speak) and trying to figure out what in the world I am going to eat for the next 30 days.  Being Easter, I have over indulged on the sweets, but the next 30 days should all make up for it!  So, as a start, here is an update on my journey to health as of 4/15/2011 I have lost 16.6 lbs, 12.75 total inches, 3.4% body fat!  While, I'm very happy with how far I've come since December, it is also very sad that I have farther to go!  So, tomorrow I start the Whole9 30 day challenge.  I will try to keep you all updated daily with how I am feeling.

Here is an updated picture to show how far I've come so far, and where I am starting at with the challenge:

Ready to take my eating up a notch

FitBodies CrossFit is getting ready to start the Whole30 Challenge.  This is a 30 day Paleo challenge with no cheating!  I'm excited about this, but a little nervous at the same time.  In order for this to really work for me, I'm going to have to get the rest of the family on board a little, and that has not always been easy.  My son refuses to eat most vegetables; my husband is only willing to try so much.  My daughter is a little easier than the boys, but she also will only try so much.  I know that what I put in my mouth is all up to me.  The one thing I am interested to see is how the change in eating affects the way I feel.  I'll keep you posted, but I don't think I actually start the challenge until we get back from vacation (may be too hard to change my old ways while on vacation).  Once I start, I will be sure to blog often on how I am doing.  Until then......

I can't believe what I can do!

I've been doing CrossFit for four months, and some of the things I am able to do now just blow my mind!  When I started, I couldn't do any pull ups (even with the assistance of a big black band), and yesterday, I was able to do 3 rounds of 12 (with the black band)!  I was so surprised.  The last time I did them, I could get to 10, but it was tough.  Somehow yesterday, I was able to do the 12 with little trouble.  Then today, I decided to give ring dips a try (with the assistance of a band).  I was pretty worried cause dips have never been easy for me even just doing them on a bench.  However, I actually did 4 rounds of 5 of them! All I can say is WOW!  Even in high school when I was playing sports all the time I was never able to do pull ups or dips, granted, these are assisted, but knowing that I am getting stronger and will one day be doing them without help seems so much more real!  I'm going to keep pushing.  This weeks goal is to try to push at least one exercise every workout to the next level!  Wish me luck!  I never know what tomorrow's workout is until tomorrow, so this will be a good challenge!

A little out of sorts

I'm not sure why, but I have been feeling a little out of sorts the last few days.  I've had a really hard time concentrating on anything, and haven't been feeling like I fit.  You know, where it doesn't matter if you are sitting in a room full of people that you have known for a long time, but you just don't feel like you belong there.  I'm not sure where this is all coming from either.  I must be just a little burnt out and need of a good vacation.  Fortunately, I only have two more weeks to wait until my kids finally get Spring Break! (What school waits this long to give the kids Spring Break? Ours.)  We are going to take a short trip, and we are all REALLY looking forward to it.  Here's to hoping that we all don't go crazy before we leave!

Focus, I need you now!

The kids summer activities are already starting to ramp up.  I've been fearing this point for the last few months.  The week has shown that I'm really going to have to focus on my goals to make it through the next couple of months.  Due to scheduling, I'm already losing 2 days a week at the gym.  Getting dinner in at a decent hour is also getting more difficult.  This week we haven't been able to sit down to eat dinner together until 7:30 pm!  It has helped that we have tried to plan our meals for the busy nights, but we still need to work on figuring out a good schedule for eating earlier.  This has always been a problem in our house.  Hopefully, we can make good adjustments this summer, so I don't slide back into old bad habits.  Wish me luck!

Working out alone is not fun!

I got stuck late at work today, so I missed going to the gym.  I was a little worried about that because I don't have the best track record for working out on my own at home.  Fortunately, my brother-in-law was here, and I was able to get in a run while he entertained the kids.  I did a one mile run, stopping at the half-way mark to do 30 lunges.  I then finished with 30 more lunges, and played some 2-hand touch football with the kids.  It was a good time!

Tomorrow, no gym again, so hopefully, I figure out how to work in some exercise after my daughter's softball practice.

Great start to Spring

After a very stressful weekend, it was nice to have a productive day.  I was able to accomplish a lot at work, and then went to the gym for a good hard workout!  I love it when my week starts like this!  To top it all off, we had beautiful weather!!  Hopefully, the rest of this week will be just as good!

Have a happy week!

Back to the gym...

So, I finally made it back to the gym yesterday after almost a week of not working out.  While I was REALLY looking forward to getting back, it was REALLY tough!  Most of my normal workout crew wasn't there, so I had a really tough time getting through it mentally!  Thank goodness everyone at the gym is so friendly and cheers each other on!

Here was the perscribed WOD:
"Nancy"
5 Rounds for Time
400m Run
15 Overhead Squats (95/65)
Time to shoot for????? 11:30 min?
STRENGTH:  Overhead Sqats 75% X 5, 80% X 5, 85% X AMRAP
CASHOUT:  3 Min AMRAP
10 Abmats
5 Ring Dips

Here is what I actually did:
2 Rounds of 400m Run and 15 front squats(45lbs)
3 Rounds of *200m Run and 15 front squats(45 lbs)
*I think my trainer saw how bad I was dying after the first two rounds!

Got it done in 15:12 though!  Not bad for a fat girl who can't run!

CASHOUT:
I did 10 box dips instead of the 5 Ring Dips (just can't muster the muscle for those yet!)
I think I accomplished somewhere around 6 or 7 rounds (lost count due to lack of oxygen!)

No workout tonight, so I will have to force myself back to the gym on Saturday morning!

Just for my fan

After two and half months of my commitment to me, this is what I'm looking like:

Not the best of pictures, and the look on my face is due to the pain from my neck (as well as not being sure when Valerie was going to take the picture)

Another day...

So, I have been sidelined from working out for the past couple of days due to a very sore neck.  I haven't been able to move my head!  Fortunately, I have a great chiropractor, and it seems to finally be getting a little better.  I'm really hoping that I can get back to my workouts soon!  I miss them!

I keep looking forward to the next little reward for myself.  When I lost the first 10 lbs, I treated myself to a pedicure.  So for the next 10 lbs, I am treating myself to a nice facial!  It's been a long time since I've had one, so I can't wait.  Then, if I can lose another 5 or so lbs by Mother's Day, my loving husband has agreed to treat me to a night away from home and a professional massage!!  You better believe I'm going to bust my butt for that one!!

Wish me luck!!

Just Getting Started

Thought I would give this a try.  My name is Jamie.  I have a wonderful husband and 2 great kids.  I love them dearly, but there are times when I would give anything for some alone time.  So, after nearly 14 years of marriage, I find myself unhappy with my body and ready to make some changes.  I want to get not only myself in better shape physically, but I also want to teach my kids healthy habits that will last them a lifetime.

Fortunately, I have many wonderful friends, and several of them have dedicated their lives to improving the health and well-being of others.  It is through them that I get my inspiration! 

So, for the past year, I realized that I wasn't living the life I wanted.  I had no energy and was tired all the time.  I would get home from work and only feel like sitting and watching TV.  I didn't want to go out and play with my kids, and I definitely didn't want to get up and make dinner.  My family was eating a lot of fast food and very little fruits and veggies.

All the while, I was going to these talks that my chiropractor was having about nutrition and living a more healthy life.  Crazy, right!  So, one day, I get an email from a close friend that includes a link to her blog dedicated to her taking her body back after 4 kids.  I was so inspired!  So, I decided right then and there to take my life back!

Since Christmas of 2010, I have been trying to make small changes that have turned into big improvements in my lifestyle!  I swore off all soda.  I eat at least one fruit or veggie with every meal.  I now drink water all day.  I joined FitBodies CrossFit gym.  I am happy to say that I am now completely addicted to CrossFit!


I have lost a little over 10 lbs since starting the CrossFit just before Christmas!  Not sure on the inches.  More importantly, I have SO MUCH energy!  I get done with my workout and come home and immediately start making dinner.  Occassionally, I have even talked my kids into a little workout in the living room.  While my son doesn't get very excited about it, the energy that my daughter shows for it is amazing!  She is the one that keeps me inspiried the most!