Missing the treadmill

I find myself missing the gym and all things related to working out. I miss Zumba. I miss swimming laps in the pool. And when I have the okay to work out again post partum, remind me of what I am about to say........I even miss the.....TREADMILL!

I miss the endorphins of working out. I miss the feeling of (literally) sweating my buns off.

My body is turning to mush and I am losing my "good" curves that I was starting to get back.

For health reasons this will be my last pregnancy. I am so grateful that I am able to conceive a beautiful baby and carry her in my tummy. And I am over the moon excited that we broke the Gardner curse with getting prego with a girl.

But, I find myself having twinges of jealousy when Dan goes out to ride his bike. Or when I see a Zumba commercial, I honestly feel depressed.

So please remind me in August, when I have recovered from the c-section, and I am cursing the walls of the gym.....please remind me how good it makes me feel. And remind me how much I missed it. ;)

Pregnant at holiday times and attemtping to make good choices

So, I am trying to get out of the mentality of good food vs bad food. As Paula Dean once said, "If I ate this type of buttered and fattening food every day, I would be 400 pounds and having a heart attack. This food is not for every day food. " Not her exact words, but you get the idea.

My main goal to work towards, pregnant or not....is portion control and stop eating when I am full. And to not beat myself up for eating a cookie. But to stop at 1 or 2.

It helps that I am still in the first trimester.
Nauseous + Low energy = No desire to eat or cook.

But those sugary temptations creep up on me. And it does not help that when I do have a desire to eat, holiday food is out in full force. Every commercial and Costco sample is trying to get me to eat fudge, cookies, or nougats.

Oddly enough, last night at Costco I wanted a big bag of brussel sprouts. Not so surprising, is that the bakery section won the battle of the day with cookies and bagels making their way in to the cart.

This explains so much!

I am pregnant! Due July 4, 2011!

Here's to a healthy pregnancy!

Back from low point

I had a really bad experience at Zumba about a month ago. I have not gone back since.

Long story but it can be summed up by saying this - A rude and mean lady was telling her child to beat up mine. Another lady chimed in her bold opinion. Race was also brought up. I left in tears.

Just as I was gaining back my self confidence. Zumba toned my body and helped me lose inches so easily. Of course my muscles were killing me at times and I was sweating like a pig........but I had so much fun, it did not feel like exercise. I was down 12 pounds!!!!

I looked forward to attending the class. I did not feel like the biggest gal in the class. I felt a unity with the women that attended the class with. Military wives that lost themselves were getting their groove back. And it felt good.

Now I find myself back in a slump. I went to a friends wedding. I felt huge. I wore an unflattering shirt that I did not realize was unflattering until 2 minutes before leaving for the wedding. So there was no time to find another shirt because I was on I vaca away from my closet. Because I had to travel 8 hours to the wedding, I was also bloated and retaining water. It happens every time I travel. Unfortunately I had no time to lose the water weight before attending the wedding.

So, I went through a few weeks where I was not exercising and eating horrible processed, sugary food. I gained weight. And then I felt like all the hard work of Zumba was a waste. Then something snapped in me and said, "Hey! Get it together! Stop eating all the crap!"

So, had I blogged 2 weeks ago....... I would have said I was at a very low point. But, today I am working on getting my groove back.

So basically back to ...
Step 1. Starting with making healthier choices. And what a time to choose right? The candy month? But I am actually proud of myself. Listening to my body when I am full. And I am also working on eating healthy snacks. Now to master the portion size situation.
AND
Step 2. Working on being more active with the boys and Dan. Trips to the park and doggy park. Getting out of the house. Turning off the TV.

I am back baby

Life has been busy. But I am now officially back to blogging. I am not sure if anyone follows this blog anymore. This will at least help me to stay focused on my goal.

I am slowly becoming more comfortable in my skin. I am working on taking more full body pictures with my family. I still feel like my middle area is my most insecure area. I am working on not hiding in pictures. I think I did okay in this one. This picture was taken this past Saturday. My hubby, the boys, and I, all went to a Rodeo on the Army base we are living by. More active family outings is another goal I am trying to reach.


I am so happy to say that I am down 12 pounds since June. I have lost 6 inches off my waist. And a few more off my hips, legs, and all over.

It is about getting healthy. Bottom line. I have to find what works for me and keep working toward my goals.

Right now it is making sure I get off my tush each day(except Sunday) and exercise. Get up and do something. That is my goal each day. Cutting back on the ice cream and pizza has not hurt either. :O)

Checking in

So a few days ago, the hubby and I made a huge decision. We decided that we are going to move to a bigger place. We move on Saturday! So exercising has temporarily switched from lifting weights at the gym to lifting boxes at the house. Still trying to be as healthy as possible. For the next week, we are eating out more than I would like. But this helps us pack faster. It eliminates dishes. And we are in paper products mode right now. So, I have to work extra hard to make smart choices. But, I am still trying!

Our house is filled with fruit from Costco, and bottled waters. Mini crystal light travel packs are ready. Trying to not drink any soda. I just threw away Halloween and Christmas candy!!!! Drinking protein shakes in the morning. And the boys have healthy snacks.

Does anyone have any smart ideas or tips for staying healthy during a move?

*Megan - Good luck with Weight Watchers! Thank your for the comments. The support really helps me!

Back to life...Live the Life that is!

Wow.....September! That is the last time I was on this blog! It was probably also the last time that I had the desire to stick with healthy eating and exercising. After my stroke in September, I was told by my Neurologist, that I was not allowed to do any working out... AT ALL! Until they figured out what was going on with my body. This frustrated me big time. I was on a roll. I was down 12 pounds. And I was feeling GOOD about myself! And then fast forward to today and I am like the opposite of that feeling.

I know that when I work out, I have the desire to eat healthy, and toss the garbage/processed food out. And when I don't...well lets just say..... I gained back the weight I had worked so hard to lose and then some! Dan having surgery, the holidays, football food, and my birthday, did not help matters either! Boo! I have been so down on myself. Low point..... However, my wonderful husband has inspired me to get back and get healthy with him. He is also at a low point when it comes to self esteem. He has also gained a lot of weight from poor eating choices and not being able to work out post surgery. He helped me turn things around. A Christmas present from him to me was Your Shape for Wii. Then my birthday presents were focused on a healthy lifestyle.

Well, today we are fresh and ready to go! Today is day 1, week 1 of our Live the Life program. Dan has also purchased his Men's Health big book of exercises. He will be following the work outs from that book. I will be following the exercises from the Live the Life book in moderation. (Until I get the EEG, I am being smart about not over-doing it.) And as for food, well I am on meal 3/day 1.... and clean food never tasted better! Sugar makes my stomach hurt. Fried and greasy foods just make me feel yuck. Clean eating gives me energy and a desire to be healthier!

So happy that Dan got me a new IPOD for my birthday! My old one broke a few months back. Oh, how I missed you hot pink IPod! Dan and I are hitting the free family gym on base in a few minutes. The boys can play in the play area. And Dan and I can work out! And when Dan is at work, I can use Your Shape Wii fitness work out and dumbbells.

5 pound dumbbells - another birthday present from my wonderful hubby! So to anyone who feels down and is tired of starting over AGAIN and AGAIN. I say that I feel your pain! But, the fact is that if I want to be that healthy example to my boys and active person that I miss......then I need to get my booty in gear! Let's get it in gear together!