Remembering 9/11

 

This morning I woke up at 4:30 am (I decided yesterday that lunch time workouts are no longer for me with my new schedule so I went back to morning workouts) and made it to the gym by 5. The whole way there I thought about 9/11 and decided to dedicate this workout to those who lost their lives. I am still here living and I need to live my life to the fullest and as healthy as I can.

 

 

I finished up my glutes and ab workout and was done with my day... but I decided to take it just a bit further.

 

 

Say hello to my little friend!!!

 

The Twin Towers each had 110 flights of stairs... 220 total. That is 2640 steps to climb. Holy heck!

 

I decided to try and climb at least one of the towers!

 

 

It was TOUGH and I was DRIPPING sweat... like after 2 minutes! I quickly remembered that I hated this machine. By about 8 minutes in my knee started to ache, stupid knee. I hit 10 minutes and 21 flights of stairs and needed a break.

 

I got off the machine, rode the bike for 5 minutes and recovered. Then I gave it another go! This time I decided to stay at a Level 1 and not play with upping and lowering the levels like I did the first time. That seemed to help some. I completed 10 more minutes for another 21 flights of stairs and I had to call it quits.

 

 

1. I needed a break again

2. It was 6am and time for me to head home

 

I have tons of respect for those firefighters, cops and civilians who climbed those buildings rescuing people. It was no easy task at all... I did 42 flights of stairs, about 1/3 of one of the buildings... and I did it in an air conditioned building with no extra weight of gear or people I was helping, not fighting for my life, or breathing in toxic air. It gave me a whole new kind of respect for 9/11...

 

I will never forget....

 

 

Logging my food

Do you log your food? Do you like logging your food?

 

I really HATE logging my food. Think of something (or someone, haha) you REALLY hate and that is how much I HATE logging my food.

 

Seriously... HATE IT!!!

 

Now that I have made my point... I have started logging my food.

 

WOMP!

 

I really want this weight off. My eating was so relaxed while I was pregnant and it continued to be that way after having Dax. I started to clean it up here and there but nothing hardcore. Now I am doing this challenge and I really want to kick some booty at it. I decided to bite the bullet and contact my favorite fitness friend, Jamie, and ask her for help with my eating.

 

Guess what her first question was... ARE YOU LOGGING YOUR FOOD?

 

She knew the answer already but asked anyways. She told me to log my food for the next couple days so we can see what is going on. She said she was going to play with my macros and see what I need to change. She said that I was probably eating too many carbs and not enough protein.

 

 

 

GUESS WHAT... She was right!

 

I logged my food for a couple of days and quickly realized that the amount of carbs I have been eating have been BONKERS high and my protein was BONKERS low! We have played around with some of my meals, changed up my bars I have been eating as a snack (switched from Cliff bars that have 43 grams of carbs to Quest bars that have 20 grams of carbs) and added protein shakes for snacks.

 

I have now been logging my food for 4 days and I have to admit, I am feeling much better. I am feeling thinner, not as bloated, I have more energy, and I am sleeping better.

 

AND the plateau that I have been on, I finally broke it. I weighed myself this morning, well because I love to weigh myself, and I have finally dropped another pound!!!

 

So moral of the story, while I really HATE logging my food... it works! I guess I will continue to log at least until I am able to get a handle on my nutrition again.  

 

 

Slow Progress

We have all heard it a 1,000 times...

 

I think I have heard it so many times that my eyes now roll themselves when I hear it again. In today's society we want FAST results. We have things like e-mail instead of snail mail. Text messages instead of passing notes. Paying for overnight delivery instead of waiting the 3-5 business days. The list goes on an on... and I am the worst at waiting. Seriously, I have NO patience. NONE!

 

When it comes to weight loss everyone (including me too) wants to eat one salad and be instantly skinny. You want one gym session to turn you into a fit swimsuit model. Sadly it doesn't work that way. One meal/gym session wont make you skinny/fit just like one bad meal wont make you fat.

 

So we say... Slow progress is better than no progress... and we go on with our lives pushing forward.

 

That is where I am now... pushing forward and repeating this horrid saying to myself.

 

I struggled getting started after having Dax. I wanted to be one of those moms who has a baby and instantly goes back down to her before weight. Well, for me that is just not the case. I have to fight for it and it pissed me off. So I half assed the process and hoped that I would wake up thin. Guess what, it didn't work.

 

(July 12 to September 9, almost 2 months difference... most of which I half assed. This dress is much looser on me now than before and I can tell my stomach and my booty have shrunk)

 

 

Then I found Kelsey Byers Skinny Jean Challenge and decided to really commit... I am not sure what went off inside of me, maybe it was because I was going back to work and none of my clothes fit me, who knows... BUT I am glad whatever it was, happened. Because here I am 3 weeks into the challenge, actually started week 4 today, and I am starting to see progress! It hasn't happened over night, it didn't happen after one healthy meal, it didn't happen after one hour at the gym... no, it happened after 3 weeks of hard work and a healthy lifestyle. Do I wish it was more, well I would be lying if I said no. However after snapping some photos today, I am happy with the progress I have made so far.

 

(Top picture is my before pictures from the KB Skinny Jean Challenge taken on 8/19. The bottom was taken this morning 9/9, exactly 3 weeks later. I will show the full photos next Wednesday when I complete week 4)

 

 

So I am going to sit here drink my protein shake and repeat over and over... slow progress is better than no progress.... CHEERS!

 

(Total Boy Mom photo...)

 

 

I am back...

I am back!

 

Back to work that is...

 

Being back to work means my life is going to be more structured. There is something about work that keeps me in check with my eating, my water intake, my gym sessions, and my blogging. I always slack on these things when I am at home on the weekends or for holidays.

 

This morning I set my alarm for 4:30 am and headed to the gym for my morning workout. For those of you who do not know, I am currently doing the Kelsey Byers Skinny Jeans Challenge. It started August 31st, but I started it on August 19th. It is a 12 week challenge that includes workout plans and meal plans. You take before and after photos and write a essay and send it to Kelsey by December 1st for a chance to win some awesome prizes. I am in it to win it!!! You know I mean business when I start logging my food... yep, I started logging my food. I hate logging my food.

 

 

I will be hitting up the gym Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday at 5 am. Thursday and Friday I will be getting my swole on with the husband at lunch time (those are his days off). Saturday we will go between 8-1pm (when childcare is open). Sunday we will rest!

 

Stay tuned because once I finish my 1st 4 weeks, I am going to post a blog with pictures, measurements and weight loss. Along with my meal plans and just some random thoughts I have about the program. Week 4 starts tomorrow and will end the 16th... so make sure to check back then!

 

On another note... being back to work has been okay so far. I will admit I have cried twice this morning. Once on the way home from the gym and once on the way into work. I am trying to just remember that I am only working part time and Dax is at home with his Daddy... that seems to be helping out with the tears. Another plus to working part time is that I am still able to take Caleb to school each morning and pick him up every afternoon... he will never even notice I am working, other than the fact that I will be wearing business casual clothes to drop him off at school instead of wearing my workout clothes!!!

 

Here are a couple of pictures helping me get through the day... Sweet boys oh how I love thee!!!