Late Night

This morning it was time for exercise class again.  Alex came in and woke me up to go.  But then I noticed that Logan wasn't awake yet.  Poor kid.  Last night he laid in bed FOREVER and couldn't get to sleep.  He finally shoved a note under his door 2 1/2 hours after I had put him in bed that said "mom, come in my room.  Logan."  It was SOOO cute.  He obviously didn't want to get in trouble for coming out but wanted me to come talk to him! :)

Anyways - so since he was awake so late the night before, I told Alex that we weren't going.  I put a show on for him and climbed in my bed to read scriptures.  A few minutes later Alex came back in and said "mom, are you ready to go to exercise class?"  I again told him we weren't going because Logan was sleeping.  He came in a few minutes later and said "mom, how come you're still reading your scriptures??  We need to get to exercise class!!"  I AGAIN explained about Logan! :)  He came in again a few minutes later, handed me my exercise pants and said "here you go mom.  Now you can get dressed for exercise class."

Logan didn't end up waking up in time to go, so we missed it.  But I LOVE that it's rubbing off on my kids.  Like I said, we were always walking in my family (especially on vacation :), and I'm thankful that it "kind of" rubbed off on me! :)  And I hope that it will rub off on my kids!

I'm dying...

So... I am officially old.  I didn't realize it until it was pointed out to me this morning. :)  Tony always jokes about me being old since I'm 6 months and 3 days older than he is.  I also notice all the gray hairs poking out every time I look in a mirror.  But in my mind, I'm still a youngin' and always will be! 

But today sure made me realize that while I may still be a teen in the inside, I am DEFINITELY not on the outside.  I woke up this morning and went to exercise class.  Even though I was sore and still out of breath from last night! :)  About half way through, I was convinced that I was going to throw up!  I went home and collapsed on the couch.  PK fell asleep and I literally just sat on the couch and didn't move.  I took Logan out to the bus and then put Alex down.  I again sat down on the couch and didn't move.  Jen came over to bring Rani.  I opened the door, wrapped up in my blanket, then sat down again not saying anything.  Poor Jen was like "uhhh... are you okay?!?!" :)  NO - I'M OLD!!!! :)

Anyways - it's crazy how that happens.  Natalie and I were talking this morning that our body's are sure not what they used to be.  It takes a longer time to recoup from sore muscles.  We can't exercise as often.  We CAN push ourselves as hard, but we pay for it longer and harder afterward.  Isn't it crazy how that happens!?!?

OH WELL - at least I have enough strength to write this post.  So next time - instead of working out Tues morning, REALLY hard Wed night and then hard right again Thurs morning, maybe next time I'll go a little bit easier on myself.  The goal of this journey is to lose weight and feel better, not kill myself.....

Extreme Cardio #2

So Tony was home tonight - YEAH!! (he was actually home because he was sick so I can't cheer too hard!! *sheepish grin* :) :) but he was home nonetheless...) so I went with Erica to Whitney's Extreme Cardio class again.  This was my second time going.  (The first was exactly one month ago.  I'm not even sure I have recovered since that one.  ha ha)

Anyways - we were a little bit late and when we walked in she said "we haven't done much so you haven't really missed anything."  Both of us groaned and thought "dang, we should've come even later!" :) 

I'm not gonna lie... this one was SOOOO hard!!  Even harder than last time.  For one full hour, she does NOT stop moving.  And she expects you to not stop moving as well.  In fact near the end, after one workout we all stayed on the ground after (I think we had just done about 75 minutes of pushups and jumps... at least it felt that way...) and she yelled "what are you doing?!?!  Get up, get up, get up!!" 

Also, she gave us a "water break" and I put that in quotes because there was NO break involved.  She should've said "I will give you exactly 2.3 seconds to take a sip of water before I continue on my slaughtering rampage."  Anyways, Erica and I hadn't brought a water bottle so we both ran out into the hall.  When we got back, we were politely asked to bring water bottles next week since she had already started the next exercise. 

**As a side note - I realize I'm probably making her out to be a Nazi.  And... she is!  I'm not gonna lie... :)  But she's a VERY nice Nazi.  I love her!  She is INSANELY good and talented.  Just VERY serious about exercise! :) :)

This was a lot like last time, but she added more plyometric stuff... The actual definition of plyometrics is this.... Plyometrics (also known as "plyos") is a type of exercise training designed to produce fast, powerful movements, and improve the functions of the nervous system, generally for the purpose of improving performance in sports. Plyometric exercises may also be referred to as explosive exercises.  Yes, I was about ready to explode....

Anyways - at the end, she said we were going to do 16 burpees (not sure how to spell that, but it's where you jump up, go down like a frog and jump out, then repeat.)  She said to go and do them SUPER hard and that this was our last thing.  One of the girls confirmed "so this is our LAST thing so we can go all out."  She said "Yes."  Well after doing all those, she then had us plank for a while and then stomp planking - and then one more thing but my mind is fuzzy and I can't remember what it was!! :)  Halfway through I said to my neighbors "what part of LAST THING does she not understand!??!"  ha ha.  Also at the end, everyone was thanking her.  In between my gasps, I said "why is everyone thanking her?  What do you have to be thankful for?!?"  ha ha - apparently I'm the exercise class clown.  Although I have to admit, I was in between 2 hilarious girls who kept it VERY fun for me!  MUCH better than last time...  Erica was one and I don't know the other girl's name.  I didn't have any breath or energy afterward to introduce myself.  Guess I'll have to go early next week to make a new friend!

I left the church that night DRIPPING wet with sweat.  I don't ever get like that, so that was quite a feat for me.  Then Erica and I stood outside and talked for a full hour after.  So by the time I got in, I was barely moving.  But it felt great!!!

Wow!  Here's to extreme cardio....

Slowly Dying

I swear Heather's goal lately is to just kill us!  Or at least one part of us!! :)  Today she said we were going to focus on our arms.  And focus on arms we did!!!  All of the exercises revolved around different arm exercises.  And instead of saying "okay, we're going to do 20 on the right bicep, 20 on the left, 20 on the right, etc..." she decided to do the workout more like... "okay, let's do 3,000 on the right and then when you are completely and utterly unable to move the right side anymore, we will then move on and do 3,000 on the left."

It was fine until we left.  Even just pushing PK's stroller home was KILLER for me!  After that I went grocery shopping.  I'm not even lying.  I barely made it back in the door with my dead arms.  It was INSANE!!  I practically had to bring in all the bags of groceries one at a time.  SOOOO pathetic!!! :)  Let's just hope I see results from this killer workout soon!

Curse You!

I swear Pinterest it out to get me.  Why is it that every time I log on, there are DELICIOUS looking morsels starting at me... just waiting to be pinned??  They also have such power in their look that I want to run out and make them right then!  You try telling me that pinning a veggie tray spread or spinach wraps is EVEN HALF AS FUN as pinning Triple Layer Fudgy Mint Oreo Brownies, Chocolate Chip Cookie Delight, Butterfinger Blondies, Oreo Stuffed Cookies, Twix Trifles, Churro Cupcakes or Key Lime Coconut Cake.  Go On!  I DARE YOU!

Curse you Pinterest!!!!!  

Encouragement

So workout goals are usually a bust.  My guess would be 9.7 times out of 10.  That's why everyone jokes that America is it's healthiest during the month of January.  Because by February, everyone is back to their normal, regular routines.

I'm REALLY impressed with myself that I'm still sticking with it 8 days into March.  Okay, so I'm not quite as careful or as diligent as I was in the beginning.  But... the point is, I'm still trying.  For me this is GREAT because I have a tendency to get bored with projects and want to move on. 

There are a few things that have REALLY helped me stick with this goal (although I need to recommit and do even better...) but the things that have helped are...

1 - A future goal.  All my life I've said I want to lose weight and look better.  Doesn't everyone?  But I really do have a goal in mind.  I REALLY want to look good for my UNKNOWN reason in September. :)  I want to look and feel better at that point.

2 - Friends to chat with.  BY FAR one of the biggest reasons I've stuck with this goal is having friends along the path of my journey.  Cheryl annoyingly :) texts me every Tues, Thurs and Fri morning to see if I'm going to class.  I honestly can't even count how many times I've woken up and said "nah.. I'm good.  I'll do something at home.  I'm not going today."  Knowing full well that I probably won't get around to it.  Also, talking to friends and family on the phone, over email, outside and on this blog.  I LOVE hearing your success (and sometimes not so successful :) stories.  How about I just say - the successes and the attempts! :)  I LOVE it.  And I NEED it!  It helps me through SO much!

3 - Good music with a good beat.  Nuff said! :)

4 - Lastly - encouragement from my kiddos.  NOTHING and I mean NOTHING beats watching Alex and Nani grab a set of 2 pound weights and jump on a step with us and say "look mom, I'm healthy."  NOTHING beats Logan, Alex, Tanner and Nani on the edge of the stage screaming "GO MOM, GO MOM - BEAT THE OTHER MOMS!" as we're running across the gym floor.  This happened again on Tuesday morning while we were running.  This morning was the step class so we weren't running.  But Logan came up and begged us to run across the floor so they could get up there and cheer.  All the kids usually start out cheering for us, but by the end, only our four cute kiddos are left.  They LOVE yelling, cheering and dancing for us.  Nothing can beat that!

Keep up the encouraging words.  And keep sharing your stories with me so we can continue to succeed together!!

Breakfast Goal

So - is anyone else trying the breakfast goal for this month?  I've tried two things already and I'm enjoying it.  I LOVE breakfast foods and so does my family.  Tony doesn't appreciate it for dinner like me and my boys do - but... sometimes we sneak it in anyways!! :)  I also love to cook breakfast foods at any time because my picky eater Alex LOVES breakfast foods.  So that usually gets him to eat more.  I love to add pureed veggies, applesauce, flax seed, etc. in those meals to give Alex the extra vitamins / minerals that he's missing from not being willing to eat too many other things.

I made some pumpkin oat muffins which had wheat flour, oats, plain pumpkin, apple juice.... Logan, Tony and I all loved them.  Alex didn't get a chance to eat them as Tony took the rest for the next day's breakfast. :)  That's okay - I'll make them again.

I also have made my fav sweet potato pancakes.  Sweet potatoes are REALLY easy to play around with.  You can put them in lots of different recipes.  They have worked in every pancake recipe I've tried them in.  From scratch or not.  This time I did Bisquick since I had that.  Then I just add milk and cinnamon and there you go!  I also threw in flax seed.  That's always an easy thing to add for extra nutrition.

My BIL makes quinoa and eats that for breakfast.  I'm still trying to decide whether or not I should give that a go.  That is definitely a healthy breakfast though! :)

What other ideas do you have for delicious, healthy breakfast foods?!?

"You Did Awesome!"

This morning I woke up feeling REALLY sick.  It started last night.  Stomach pains.  I felt sick, nauseous, greasy, etc.  I didn't sleep very well and seriously felt like absolute garbage.  But when that annoying text from Cheryl came at 8:20, :) I realized I had to make a decision.  I have missed SO many exercise classes in the past few weeks and really need to get going again.  But at the same time - I felt SOOO gross!!  Well, I made a decision - the theme of this season of The Biggest Loser is NO EXCUSES (side note - this is NOT a good season of the show so if you haven't seen it before, DO NOT start watching now... you'll never want to come back...).  Anyways, so I told myself that even feeling sick was NO EXCUSE!  So I got up and went. 

Well, it didn't go very well.  I was SOOO sick there.  She wanted to do a Fit Cardio rotation.  We would run 12 times across the gym, then do 12 lifts with the weights, 12 jumping lunges, 12 tricep dips (or push ups) and then 12 crunches.  Each time you did it (we did it 4 times), you're supposed to go faster.  Well, I couldn't even do a full set.  I VERY lightly jogged across the gym.  I did the lifting.  The jumping lunges turned into light-non-jumping-lunges.  The tricep dips were okay but I totally vetoed the crunches.  I knew they would make me vomit.

Then she followed that up with another 30 minutes of exercises.  Needless to say, I very limply did SOME of them.  I felt pretty dumb but was just glad that I hadn't puked.  The whole time I'm working out I'm trying to think of why I was sick.  I knew it wasn't the flu (I didn't have any other symptoms), I didn't think it was a food allergy (they usually hit me differently than this even though I do think I have a new, undiscovered one...), I didn't think it was from a greasy meal (we had eaten really healthy the day before), I didn't think it was food poisoning (no one else in my family was sick), ... I couldn't figure out the problem. 

Then it hit me like a ton of bricks!!!  It's what I have affectionately termed my P.S.S (POST-STRESS SICKNESS!)  I have figured out a pattern in my life.  Every time I go through REALLY stressful times, my body somehow finds a way to pull through and be strong.  I live on less sleep, grosser foods and lots of anxiety.  But I'm able to survive and be strong.  BUT... after that, my body crashes.  I feel like I can't get caught up on sleep and I get really sick to my stomach.  I have been to multiple doctors about this and every time they ask "are you going through a stressful time?"  I always say "no - I just got over one for the past 3 months, I'm FINE now!"  But for some weird reason, my body reacts this way.  It's almost like it's punishing me for putting it through so much stress! :)  And yes, the past month has been VERY VERY stressful!!!!

ANYWAYS - once I figured this out, I knew I would be fine and just had to get past it... but man, I sure feel like garbage here and now!!  As soon as the class was over, the teacher came up to me and said "you did AWESOME today Kristi.  Awesome job!"  I thanked her, but inside I was laughing SO hard!  Really, an AWESOME job?!?!?!??!  I've only been working out here for the past 3 months.  I really HOPE I don't look like I did an awesome job today!!! :)

I know she was just being nice, it just made me laugh.  Anyways - I still feel like garbage (although better after the Gatorade and Saltines that JenK brought me) but I'm SUPER proud that I made it this morning.  Victory for me!

March Healthy Nut

Here is the newsletter that I wrote back in March of 2009.  I'm actually REALLY excited for this month's goal.  I have had several ideas on my mind for a while, but since I've been SOOO busy, I haven't been able to get them done.  So here's my chance....  Let me know if you have any great ideas!!

LOOOOOOOOONG Break!

So... I'm back!  Did you miss me?!?! :)

I went to exercise class this morning for the FIRST TIME IN TWO WEEKS!!!  The old me would've said "oh, that's normal."  The Trying-To-Be-New-Me is shocked that it's been that long!

The night of my KILLER workout, Logan had an ear infection.  He was up a lot during the night.  Poor kid came in and asked for medicine.  Apparently my sleepy self told him to just lay with the hurt ear up.  Really?!  What kind of a mom gives that kind of advice!??!?!  I have to put a disclaimer on my sleepy self...  Anyways, he came back in in the morning and said "mom, the way you told me to lay is NOT helping my ear."  I didn't even know what he was talking about at first.  Poor kid!  So I gave him medicine and he fell asleep about 20 minutes before I was supposed to leave for class.  So I didn't go.  Which was fine because I was REALLY hurting anyways.

Over the next two weeks, I didn't go because I had sick kids, then I was sick, then I had about a week of dizzy spells... and... I tore my IT Band.  Wow - that was painful!!  But it is all healed now and I'm doing much better!  So finally I got to go back to exercise class.  Actually - Tony and I did the P90X Ab workout last night.  Shockingly, I did pretty well - considering I haven't worked out in two weeks and I have no ab muscles.  I tried doing push ups after and could tell I couldn't do as many. 

I HATE THAT!!  Oh well... onward and upward....

But... here comes "getting back on the horse" for March!!!

KILLER!!!

Tony said he was actually going to be home a little bit earlier tonight which means I could go to the night exercise class.  I was SOOOO excited!!  Whitney does a GREAT job and I really wanted to attend her "Extreme Cardio Class."  Even though I was shaking inside at the thought of her teaching anything with Extreme in the title! :) 

It was a GREAT class.  She is FABULOUS!  We did a little bit of everything.  I was already SO sore from the class yesterday morning that it was even a little extra hard for me.  But I pulled through and felt GREAT after.  Don't get me wrong - I was DEAD!!  I came home and literally collapsed on the floor.  Tony asked if I wanted to catch up on a White Collar episode.  I said "tv's probably the only thing we can do together because I'm NOT moving from this spot!"  And I didn't.  For the next hour I just sat there.  The only thing moving was my diaphragm. 

The class definitely isn't as fun as the morning classes.  The night group is a lot more serious.  In the morning class, we're all talking/joking, groaning and moaning about the things required of us... and all cheering on each other's successes.  But after Whitney's killer warm up when she said "okay, now that we're done with the warm up, let's move on..." and I said "what? I thought we were done now!!"... I felt that I got looks like "hey, if you can't stand the heat, get out of the kitchen."  Yep.  I felt pretty dumb at that moment.  At least I was able to do everything required so I really didn't look like I sounded.  ha ha.  Oh well -

The other thing I love about Whitney is her vast knowledge of fitness.  I explained to her about how my core is absolutely non-existent.  It was never really there, but even more so now after 3 c-sections.  So my problem now is that as I'm trying to turn a marshmallow into... at least a slightly hardened marshmallow (yeah, I don't even feel that I can justify using the word rock! :)... I feel that as I'm doing this, I'm hurting my lower back.  So she gave me 5 different exercises that I can do to strengthen my lower back.  We really are blessed here at the courts to be surrounded by SO many people with SO many different backgrounds.

Well - here's hoping that tomorrow I can even breathe without cringing in pain.....  

Vday

I started out Valentine's Day in a totally different way than I ever have... with a workout.  ha ha ha.  Yep, I know.  Pathetic!!!  It was nice though to work out in the morning.  I know, I know - that sure doesn't sound like me.  I HATE getting up, but I LOVE having my workout done and out of the way early on.  Although I can't wait until it's warm again when I can start running again at night.  Love. That.

Tony said he had dinner taken care of for tonight but I had to do the treat.  I wanted to do something healthy but yummy!!  I looked at a million things, but in the end, decided to go with what I made last year.  It was DELICIOUS and even more important, Tony liked it - so why not?!?! 

It's a soy milk parfait.  I know - that doesn't sound like a delicious VDay dessert, does it!??!  But it REALLY is good.  You mix light chocolate soy milk with a pudding packet and a little bit of cinnamon.  Then you alternate the pudding in a cup with angel food cake chunks, light whip cream and strawberries.  VERY good and compared to most VDay desserts... VERY healthy!

I ran into my cousin at Deseret Book the other day.  We chatted for quite a while.  It was GREAT to catch up with her.  But we started talking about holidays, diets, etc.  She talked about how they've been trying to eat healthier and it never really hit her how many of our holidays surround food.  It's SOOO true though.  From October to April - there is a big holiday EVERY month that, sadly, mostly revolves around food!  And the problem is that traditions and food are usually intertwined.  For example, Christmas to me is egg nog, peppermint ice cream, mint brownies, the weird cathedral windows :), caramels, etc.  Valentine's Day is all about conversation hearts for me!!  Although I don't love them now that they've changed their formulas.  (And yes, I'm pathetic enough to have written the company about it.  They did write back though and apologize but said it was necessary.)  ha ha.  I also love all the delicious cinnamon candy at VDay.  Easter is chocolate eggs, cadbury eggs, peeps, etc.  Thanksgiving is pumpkin pie, pumpkin pie, pumpkin pie and Grandma Gregory's rolls!  (1 roll, not bad.  The 10 that I crave - not so good.) :) 

Anyways - so I'm hoping that we can find yummy, healthy foods to start new holiday traditions - like this soy milk parfait!  Let me know if you have any ideas...

Small Stuff

So I have a new catch phrase...

Don't sweat the small stuff - celebrate the small stuff!!!

Meaning this... don't sweat the small stuff... the things you can't change, the things that cause you so much stress, the things other people do that may annoy you, bad choices in the past, last night's junk food fest... :) ha ha.  I need to do better at controlling my stress levels.  My friend Natalie suggested chewing ice.  Brilliant idea!!  I need to get a smaller ice tray though so I don't kill my teeth on the huge honkin' pieces my tray would make.  We both were saying we wish we had a "pellet" ice machine!!  I LOVE to chew on that ice!

Second part - celebrate the small stuff!!  This hit me today while I was also talking to Natalie.  I have not been very good about my food the past few weeks.  I mean, I'm doing better than I was - but I'm also not as perfect as I was the month of January.  And, I haven't been tracking my calories very well.  Honestly, I got bored with it and hated doing it.  There - I said it! :)  BUT... I realized that instead of feeling guilty every day that I'm not doing as well as I should - I need to celebrate the small things I'm doing.  For example - not taking seconds on a dessert that I loved and wanted more of, doing 5 extra push-ups today, choosing a healthy dinner option, watching Alex walk up with a weight and say "gotta do my exercises mom."  These are the things to celebrate.  And on top of that - I have been VERY consistent with going to exercise class.  For me, this is DEFINITELY something to be proud of.  Just like my monthly newsletter goal - make small, healthy swaps every day.  Don't sweat the fact that you ate too much yesterday or haven't lost anything yet (yep, that's still me....).  Just start over again today and be proud of what you can accomplish today!!

So.... let's all try harder to not sweat the small stuff while at the same time celebrating the small stuff!!!

New Class

I went to the Friday morning class today.  It's REALLY hard for me to go on Fridays since Logan has early school.  I can't even stay to the entire class because I have to get him home and on the bus.  And... because it's hard enough for me to get all of us up and ready twice a week.  But I was excited to try it since I've heard SUCH great things about Whitney!

Her class is called "tone and sculpt."  I was nervous walking in since I've heard she's a killer.  I started to get even more nervous (although this time about the clock on the wall... not about her...) because it was 9:20 and she still hadn't gotten there.  I knew I would be annoyed if I didn't get a good burn after forcing myself to get up, out of bed and everyone ready.  Can you tell I was a ray of sunshine this morning?!?!? :)

Anyways - she showed up and got started.  (She had some family problems.  I actually felt really bad for her - she seemed really flustered.  I definitely know that feeling... the "mommy fluster!")  Well, she got going and boy was she amazing and VERY professional.  She is GREAT!

In the 30 minutes I was with her, I was DEAD! :)  We worked on shoulders, biceps, quads and calves while I was there.  I heard she killed the class even further after I left!!! :)  I seriously felt weak but really strong while walking home.  I was glad that I went!

Wahoo!  Friday Morning Workout - 1, Warm Bed - 6,994,823,091.  (Okay, okay.  I'm weak... but at least the workout won this once!!) :)

Fitness Test

Wow!  Exercise class was a KILLER!!!!!!!!!!  I was SOO excited to go today, but I pretty much think I ended up TOTALLY regretting it!!! :)  It was our fitness test.  My first one!  Last month, the class did a fitness class and today was their day to compare.  Today was my day to set records that I can TRY to beat next month!

First - step up on the scale.  Still haven't lost a stinking thing.  Oh well - my day is coming..  Second - warm up.  Third - FITNESS TEST!!!  Every exercise was either going as hard / fast as you can for 1 minute or seeing how long you hold up. 

Exercises for a minute included - sprinting across the gym, sit ups, push ups, cherry pickers, lunges, bicep curls, tricep lifts, etc.  (Can't remember what else?)  The "long-as-you-can" exercises included wall sits, and... I can't remember what else.  ha ha - guess the fitness test toned my body and fried my mind!!! :)

I was absolutely dead when we left, but I feel like I did pretty good.  I just can't imagine doing any better next time!  And I can't imagine that I'll be able to get out of bed in the morning..... :)

Stress

I'm a very stressed out person.  Yep - I know you all know it, but now I'm admitting it!!!  I do have a lot of stress.  My life looks like this...

I'm on a constant roller coaster.  The problem is my roller coaster doesn't go from no stress to lots of stress... it goes from medium stress to above-the-charts stress!!!  I'm still working on how to control it.  I definitely am not very good at mastering stress.  I definitely overbook myself.  I keep saying that needs to change - but honestly, it probably never will.  (At first I typed in "I'm a very stressful person."  HOPEFULLY you don't think that of me!!! ha ha :)

But.... instead of you all just reading about my stress issues - the point of the post is this... I read an article the other day that was talking about weight loss and stress and how it affects everyone differently.  It mentioned one part in particular that I loved because I knew they were talking about me.  The said that a lot of people carry stress in their jaw.  So they eat to work out that stress.  The chewing helps relieve some stress.  I really believe this is me.  I LOVE to crunch!  I've always loved crunchy foods - and sometimes when I am SUPER stressed, I totally feel that need to "crunch."  Even when I'm not hungry.  Hence the reason why a lot of people - especially including me - tend to overeat a lot of times - or do "mindless eating" at nighttime.  Not only is dessert a stress reliever - cause we all know what desserts spelled backwards is...... :) but also by eating, stress is leaving our jaw and hopefully the whole body!

Now the obvious solution to this would be gum.  Gum allows you to chew and chew and chew without taking in any calories.  Well - FIVE calories to be exact if you are choosing Extra. 

But sadly, gum doesn't always work for me.  I'm completely open to suggestions about what is great to crunch and munch on.  Let me know your favorites!  Kari pointed out rice cakes.  I LOVE the little ones from Quaker.  I think I've only had the cheddar ones and the caramel ones - they are both good.  If I'm in a healthier mood - I love carrot sticks (I like the really long ones better than the baby ones - but baby is usually all we have...), sweet pickles, raw cauliflower, ruffles potato chips and a little bit of lowfat ranch to dip it all in.  Yes, I've had this combination multiple times.  ha ha

Jen loves to eat gogurts frozen.  They may not be the healthiest kind of yogurt out there, but the goal this month is making healthy switches and choosing yogurt instead of ice cream is a GREAT switch!  Not to mention - eating things frozen is a BRILLIANT thing to do.  It takes longer so a lot of times you feel full before you're even done eating.  I remember one time Alex didn't want the frosty in his kid's meal.  I put it in the freezer and ate it a couple days later.  It's just the teeny one (from the kid's meal) but it took me forever to eat because it was frozen.  And usually you can down one of those in seconds. 

Chips and salsa is a RELATIVELY healthy thing to eat.  Okay, the chips aren't.  But I read in an article that it's a great snack idea if you pile salsa on each chip.  Then you're getting plenty of veggies in - salsa is really low in calories - and still getting that crunch from the chips.  Just limit the chips and pile on the salsa!

I had already started this post when I received an email from Kelli.  It had a link to another site where the girl wrote 100 healthy snack ideas.  Here's the link... http://www.sixsistersstuff.com/2012/01/fresh-food-friday-100-healthy-snack.html.  Her first item was "frozen grapes."  I've heard from a lot of people that this is fantastic.  It seems too weird to me!! :) 

Kelli also mentioned eating homemade peaches and cream.  Slices of fresh peaches in a bowl with milk and a little bit of sugar sprinkled on top.  Also good with fresh raspberries.  This sounds really great.  Also, if you buy strawberries that aren't that good, you can take a teeny bit of sugar, sprinkle it on them, let it sit for a few minutes and eat.  As good as new!!

Cheryl has a GREAT recipe for granola that I really like.  As I've mentioned, I LOVE crunchy things.  This granola is SO easy to make and I eat it plain or mixed with yogurt. 

One of my ABSOLUTE favorites is the 100 calorie packs of popcorn from Orville Redenbacher.

They have Butter if you're in the mood for salty or Kettle if you're in the mood for sweet.  Plus, you get SOOO much for just 100 calories.  Most crackers / chips reach 100 calories in just a few pieces - but these give you a pretty big bowl.  I also love Fresca.  And while I don't drink much pop, a Black Cherry Fresca with a bag of this popcorn - I feel like I've had a VERY good, big treat and it's only 100 calories. 

THAT is the kind of snackin' I'm talkin' about!!!

Stretching

I. HATE. STRETCHING!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Could I be any more specific?!?!?  I HATE HATE HATE stretching!!!

I know why you have to do it - I just hate it.  I don't mind stretching before I work out - but the after-work-out stretch is worse than the workout to me. 

This post really isn't about stretching... I just wanted to vent for a minute.  ha ha ha ha ha

It's actually about doing exercises right.  It's ESSENTIAL to follow exercises perfectly and make sure you don't cut corners.  Cutting corners is WAAAAAY worse in the long run.  If exercise is painful... wait, exercise is ALWAYS painful.  ha ha - but it shouldn't REALLY hurt.  It should stretch your muscles, pull your muscles, make you hurt in a good way... but should never rip, tear, or send shooting pain up any part of your body.  It's very important to stop IMMEDIATELY if you are hurting.

That should seem pretty obvious.  What isn't as obvious is doing an exercise the wrong way that will hurt a few days later.  Case in point... I don't have ab muscles.  They're there, but they are TINY!!  Not to mention, 3 pregnancies and 3 C-sections have really taken their toll on my already non-existent abs.  I really am not that strong when it comes to ab exercises.  I'm working on it.  Especially since I know that having a strong core helps your entire body.  You have better balance, better posture, your back won't hurt as much, etc.  A strong core helps you all the way around!

But for right now, I'm still very weak in my core.  We were doing ab workouts on Thursday after our normal step aerobics.  The combination of having already been killed on the step (we did some high intensity intervals), and not having an ab muscles, I was done!  Course I couldn't look like a wimp in front of the rest of the class, right?? :) :)  So I pushed through it, but used more of my back to twist and pull rather than my abs. 

Saturday morning, I woke up and couldn't even move.  My lower back hurt SOOOOOO bad.  I thought I was going to die.  Tony was around for about 5 minutes - so he rubbed my back for a few minutes before he had to leave.  It hurt like the dickens!!  Fortunately, it warmed my muscles up enough that I could move.  But I seriously have been paying for "showing off in the wrong way!" :)

There are 2 problems with what I did.  First, I was in a lot of pain.  But second, it COULD have been a lot worse!!  If you aren't doing stretches and workouts properly, you can severely damage your muscles.  Which then makes it so you can't work out in the future - which then makes you frustrated because you can't meet your goals - which then leads to eating more junk food to try and feel better - which then leads to more weight gain and no way to work it off......  yeah, it's a vicious cycle!!!

Note to self - to keep from severely hurting yourself in the future.... learn when to call Uncle!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

February Healthy Nut

Here is the healthy newsletter I made for February...

**PS - just as a follow-up warning... when my brother and I tried the Weight Watchers Root Beer Floats... we found out they were gross.  But the theory is great.  Our suggestion would either be to use regular root beer with the cool whip or diet root beer with ice cream / frozen yogurt.  Either one of those tasted great and were still better than the original.  But the diet root beer with whip cream was NOT good!!!

Revenge

So to make up for missing so many days of exercise in a row, I went to exercise class this morning.  It was REALLY hard to get up.  Harder than normal.  I was super emotional last night (see my regular blog) so I didn't get to bed until REALLY late.  Plus I had to get up to feed PK.  So it was REALLY early for me. 

The combination of not having exercised for 5 days, staying up WAY too late and... it being my time of the month.... (cough, cough) today was ROUGH for me.  I seriously felt like the weakest in the class.  Last time I could do EVERY push-up required.  Today, I couldn't do any.  I had to do every single one on my knees.  (Not that it's a bad thing AT ALL, I just have been working hard at doing them "regular-style".)

So I left the class feeling defeated... but really glad that I got back on my horse and am back to exercising.  The pathetic thing is how quickly you can return to old habits.  It's SOOO hard to make new ones - and SOOOO easy to fall back into them.  One time on The Biggest Loser, I remember one guy saying "I've been eating healthy for 4 months now.  I haven't had sugar for 4 months and I've been exercising every day for 4 months.  I'm not going back to my old habits."  The doctor tried to slow down that thinking in telling him that even though he'd been working hard for 4 months - by just going on vacation for one week (eating bad and not exercising) - he could be completely back in his old habits.

Bottom line - IT'S NOT FAIR!!  But that's just the way it is. 

So stinking it up in exercise class today was I guess my body's way of showing revenge for neglecting it this past week.  Oh well.... exercise class 1 - Kristi's body - 0.

Lost

Did you think I forgot about this blog?  Did you think I forgot about you??  Did you think I forgot about my goal of eating healthy and exercising??  I bet you thought I was off all weekend partying, eating garbage, being lazy and basically reverting back to my old self.  Although - maybe some of the faithful / hopeful readers gave me the benefit of the doubt and knew I was still eating healthy and exercising - I was just too busy to post. 

Well, if you are the faithful reader - GOOD FOR YOU!!  Thanks for giving me the benefit of the doubt.  If you are the skeptical reader... well... all I can say is... you know me too well!! ha ha.  That is EXACTLY what I was doing!!!! :)  I haven't exercised since Wednesday and I haven't been watching what I eat.  I'm definitely not proud of it, but hey.....

It's impossible to be a DuVall without knowing something about horses.  So one of the important things I have learned in my "cowboy trainings" is this...  you have to get back up on your horse!!!

So here I am... getting back up on my horse and hopefully hanging on a little bit tighter this time....

Recipes

I'd love to do a post with low-calories snacks.  I have a million ideas (if only I ate this way all the time....) :)  but I would LOVE to hear your ideas as well.  Give me some ideas to share with everyone else.  I will post this next week.  You can reply here or email me at tkgregory3@gmail.com.

One thing I would love to do better is eating more veggies.  You and me - right, Rita?? :)  Tonight I made a DELICIOUS stir-fry recipe that I got from Holly back when I visited her in Arizona the first time.  I LOVE it!!  It's easy to make, very filling and gets PLENTY of veggies in my body!

Healthy Fried Rice
1 8.8 package cooked brown rice
1 16 oz pkg mixed frozen vegetables
1 cup frozen peppers and onion stir-fry vegetables
4 tsp canola oil, divided
3 eggs
1/2 tsp crushed red pepper
Lime wedges
3 Tbsp stir-fry sauce

Heat 2 tsp canola oil in a large nonstick skillet on medium.  Whisk eggs and add to the skillet.  Cook, stirring occasionally to break up eggs until set.  Remove from pan.  Add remaining 2 tsp oil to the skillet and then increase the heat to medium-high.  Stir in the frozen vegetables; cook for 5 min or until tender.
Add stir-fry sauce and crushed red pepper to the skillet.  Stir in rice and heat through, the mix in the cooked eggs.  Let your kids squeeze on lime juice to give the dish extra flavor.

You can obviously change things according to your own taste - it's very versatile and very "giving" to change!  Can't wait to hear your delicious snack ideas!!!!

Lessons from a cat

I went to PK's doctor appointment today.  We were talking about his weight and how I LOVE my chubby little baby.  He is the chubbiest baby we've ever had!  I LOVE IT!!  (He actually is only in the 24% of weight...) but I can't get enough of his chub!!!  He is super tall as well - he's in the 87% of height.  His doctor made a comment about it being a good thing it wasn't the other way around! :)  Then he said it reminded him of a quote from Garfield when he said...

"I'm not overweight... just undertall!"

That's totally me and my new philosophy to live by!! :)  Too bad chub on a baby is SOOOO dang cute!!!! - while chub on an adult is just.... not.  Why is that??  Muffin Top's should be the new fashion statement!

Who's with me to make that the new national standard!!!! :)

1 + 2 = Success!!!

So... I made it to exercise class this morning.  WAHOOOOOO!!!  That is a HUGE accomplishment for me!  I sure felt great afterward!!  Tired - :) - but great!

I've realized something in the past few days.  I KNOW what will bring me success.  I know this equation will bring ANYONE success!!!!!

It's 1 + 2 = SUCCESS!!  You dying to know what the numbers stand for yet??.... :)

Well, I'll tell you what they're NOT!  Neither one of them stands for exercise!!!  Surprised??  Yeah, me too. :)  Especially after the fact that I just bragged about going to exercise class this morning!! :)  Exercise is SUPER important.  It's VITAL to a healthy lifestyle.  In fact, part of the reason I am exercising is because of my future.  I want to be a mom that's running up and down the soccer field with my boys.  I want to be the mom that's keeping up with my kids as they run around theme parks - and even with my grand kids for that matter!  I want to hike the Appalachian Trail with Tony.  I want us to be an active family.  Some of my absolute best memories with my family involve exercise.  Hiking the mountain behind our house while watching Logan lead the way and NOT GET TIRED the whole time!  Going snow-shoeing with Tony on his bday up donut falls and being able to go all the way up to the falls!  Climbing Mt Olympus for my birthday 2 years ago - (it took us 7 1/2 hours) - but we did it!!  Competing in the team triathlon with Tony and Kelli - we rocked!!!  Running and riding bikes to the library or Subway and back.  Beating Tony in a pool with a kick board (that's my claim to fame and pretty much the only thing I can beat him at... besides mini golf and Skipbo!! :)  I  mean, if you know the DuVall's - then you know that vacation really is spelled W-A-L-K-I-N-G...  I LOVE that and it's an ESSENTIAL component to a happy, healthy life. 

But, that's NOT what will bring me success right now in my quest to rid myself of my muffin top!  The 2 numbers stand for this...

1 - COUNTING CALORIES.  You all know I HATE doing this.  I seriously despise it and probably right now don't hate anything more in my life (except waking up early for exercise class! :)  But it is a LIFE-SAVER!  The absolute worst thing anyone can do is "eat out of a bag".  Night time eating while watching tv will kill you!  Mindless afternoon snacking while surfing the web is terrible!  Starving yourself during the day so you binge at night is AWFUL with lasting consequences.  You can exercise all you want, but it won't make a lick of difference if you aren't reducing your caloric intake.  In fact, here's a simple math equation.  One night you sit down in front of the tv.  You have 2 choices - 1) do an hour of aerobic exercise or 2) catch up on your latest favorite tv series (my latest is White Collar) while eating M&M's.  So my aerobic tracker (just a free thing online) says that in 1 hour of HIGH IMPACT aerobic exercise, I burn 411 calories.  Sounds good, right??  Then I look at this same app which tells me that in 1/2 cup of M&M's, there are 420 calories.  SERIOUSLY!??!  So... I can either work my tushie off for an hour to burn those calories - or... I can just sit down to watch tv and eat NOTHING!  It's the SAME THING!!!  (Again, if you're gasping here thinking I'm telling you not to exercise, calm down, take a deep breath and read my paragraph above!)  All I'm saying is - it's shocking how long it takes to burn calories and how quickly you can put them back in your body.  And in reality - who can stop at just 1/2 cup of M&Ms!!! :)  So... that's the first thing.  Monitor your portion size and calorie intake.  It WILL SAVE YOUR LIFE!!

The second number in the equation is..... 2 - PERSEVERANCE!!!  My mom and I were chatting about this last night.  I was explaining how in 3 1/2 weeks of being AWESOME and healthy, I have not lost anything.  I feel good, but other than that - no difference.  It really is discouraging.  BUT... we both agree that our bodies work this way.  We seem to work and work and work with no difference.  Then all of the sudden - maybe even 2-3 months down the road, we REALLY start to notice changes.  I think it's that way with A LOT of people!  I remember in a nutrition class in college, my professor talked about how this is specifically the case with women (although it can be just as true in men as well...) that we work and work and work and nothing happens.  So we give up!  RIGHT before the "SOMETHING" was about to happen.  It's like running a race and giving up, assuming you won't win because the fog is blocking your vision... so you sit down - or you turn back around to the starting line (NO - PLEASE DON'T GO!!!)  But if only you could see that the finish line is actually just 30 feet away!!!!  I HAVE to keep going!!!  Regardless of the lack of progress!!  2 summers ago when I was running with Jen and Melanie every night - (although granted instead of doing it for weight loss, I was doing it to help them run since I tricked them into believing I was an expert runner... ha ha ha...) it wasn't until the end of the summer that I realized I was looking much better in my clothes.  But that was after 4 straight months of running 5 nights a week!  (And PS - another benefit to exercising at night... it cuts down on the nighttime binges!!!)

So - keep in mind my new formula...

Calorie Counting + Perseverance = SUCCESS!!!

I KNOW WE CAN DO IT!!!!! 

(Any success stories or TEMPORARY failures you would like to share???)

Morning

So... as much as I DESPISE admitting this, morning time really is the best time for me to work out.  By the end of the night, there is just too much to do... or I'm too tired.  Especially lately.  I hope that when summer time comes, I can get back into running outside at night.  I LOVE that!!!  But for now, I need to stick with what works.  And morning time seems to work.  Even though I HATE it!!

In fact, I'm going to bed now in hopes that I might be able to drag myself and my boys out in the freezing cold snow in the early light of day to grudgingly make it to exercise class.  (Did you catch the excitement in my voice?!?!?)

Jen sent me this tonight and I thought it was extremely appropriate...

Let's hope I can pull this off tomorrow!

Back to bed...

I was thinking about going to the exercise class again this morning.  I thought they would REALLY die of shock if I showed up two days in a row!!  I still was feeling pretty good last night before I went to bed - so I thought that maybe I could make it.

Well, I was wrong.

I got up at 4:30 because PK started crying.  I thought "if I run and put his binkers back in, he probably will go back to bed."  So I jumped out of bed, took off running to his room, put his binkers back in, he fell right back to sleep, I fell right back to a deep sleep and woke up in time to go to exercise class.  Aren't you proud?!?!

Oh wait... I'm sorry - that's what was SUPPOSED to happen.  What really happened was... I jumped out of bed to go to PK's room, took one step, felt my calves collapse under me and ended up right back in bed.  Yep - I collapsed back in bed.  I actually started laughing.  My calves hurt SOOOOOO bad.  Usually when I work out a muscle, the whole thing feels sore.  Not this time!  My calves both felt like they have torn in two with a big, huge, PAINFUL rip up the middle. 

Yes, I managed to hobble into PK's room for the binkers and yes, I managed to hobble back to bed for more sleep.  But nope, I most definitely didn't make exercise class this morning.  I couldn't move!!!!  So, back to bed I went - and I stayed there for a LONG time!!!!!  I tried to hold still... as... much... as... possible...!!  (Wait, don't breathe... that will make my legs move....)

I figured I would blame the teacher and put it off as punishment to her making me hurt so bad!  ha ha.  Yeah, cause I KNOW she's really sad and depressed that I'm not there...... :)

And one, and two...

After months and months and MONTHS of my friends begging me to go to the exercise classes they have at the church - I FINALLY went for the first time this morning.  It's from 9:00 - 10:00.  The problem... that's just TOO stinking early for me!  I know that most people think that's CRAZY!  The problem is, a lot of times, my boys aren't even up and moving by that time.  (Well, in time for us to all get ready and to the class by 9:00.)  My family has always been on a later schedule than most.  Which I'm okay with since I'm a night owl... but it's never been conducive for exercise class.

But I FINALLY went.  (Tony was home this morning so he stayed home with PK and Logan who were both still sleeping and I snuck out with Alex.)  It was step aerobic day.  Heather did a FANTASTIC job as the teacher.  Since I've really amped up my cardio, I was pretty much able to keep up with her - which I was super proud of.  But I'm sure I looked TERRIBLE!  ha ha.  This was my first time ever do step aerobics.  My coordination - not so great.  It was fun though.  I was EXHAUSTED by the end.  And then she went into a 15 minute ab workout.  That JUST. ABOUT. KILLED. ME!! 

The best things about going this morning:
1 - My main exercising was now done for the day!  Wahoo!
2 - It was SUPER fun to be with friends!  Even with Cheryl pridefully mocking me for ACTUALLY being up early!
3 - I got a REALLY, REALLY good workout in.  Better and longer than I've been getting at home.
4 - The fresh air on the walk to and from was awesome!
5 - I was awake and ready to start the day full of lots of energy (despite the fact that Heather tried to kill me.)

The worst things about going this morning:
1 - Now they're going to expect me to go every morning - (not knowing this was a one time thing.) ha ha
2 - It was too early.
3 - It was too early.
4 - It was too early.
5 - It was TOO STINKIN' early!!

So we'll see what happens - but truly, nothing beats working out with friends!!  Great start to a great day!

Ice Cream vs. Burrito

One thing that is TOTALLY different about Tony and I is our definition of a treat.  Our joke is that whenever we want to "go out and chill" one night, my definition of that is to go out for ice cream.  His definition is to go and get a burrito! :)  That's why I have good sisters and girl friends.  Because I need people that I can go out and eat ice cream with!!

Today when we were at the store, Tony left for a while and came back to tell me that he got me a treat.  It looked like a donut bag from the bakery, so I was super excited.  My mouth started to salivate just thinking about eating that donut!!

Yummy!!!  We dropped him off at school and then came home to unload the groceries.  Alex was sad about something, PK had a blowout and was hungry, I had melting food in the car and I was STARVING!  Not a good combination of events.  I was pretty stressed for a moment.  Plus I was making dinner for someone that night and knew I needed to get started on part of it.  Anyways - I took care of Alex, cleaned PK and put him in the tub, got all the food out of the car and into the fridge and started the dinner.  By this time, I was SOOO ready and excited for that donut.  There was NO MORE WAITING!  I ripped open the package.  And there was that super delicious, chocolatey, ooey-gooey don....

Oh wait....  

It wasn't a donut.

It was a bagel.

My didn't quite look like this... but you get the point...

Now granted, it WAS a cinnamon sugar bagel.  And Tony KNOWS I love those.  But come on - I would NOT classify a bagel as a treat!!!!  Was I let down??  Yep!  Was I surprised??  Yep!!  Okay, not really!  This is my burrito-loving, sugar-hating husband we're talking about here!! 

In all fairness - I TOTALLY appreciated his kind gesture.  And yes, I devoured and loved EVERY second of that bagel.  I haven't had one like that in YEARS - so it really was extremely thoughtful of him.  I just let "visions of donuts dancing in my head" linger for too long! :)

I can't remember if I blogged about this - but one of the first nights I started this "reducing-of-calories-thing" (instead of saying DIET - that crazy curse word!!) we were sitting at the computer working on his paper.  As I sat there, I just kept tasting our salty dinner in my mouth.  The taste got worse and worse.  That's why I LOVE to eat something sweet after dinner.  I love to have a chocolatey or fruity taste sitting on my tongue rather than a salty one.  I finally stopped and explained this predicament to Tony asking if he even slightly agreed.  He didn't at all.  In fact, he said he couldn't even taste the dinner anymore.  Which absolutely shocked me because it was an overpowering taste in my mouth!

Something must be genetically wrong with me!!! ha ha We decided that one day we're going to do a scientific test on this theory.  So if anyone wants to participate - let me know!! :) I definitely wasn't born like Tony.  I love, crave, want, dream about and even worship sugar!!!  I'm glad I'm me... I think it's just about "reigning me in a little bit!" :)

Are you CRAZY?!?!

Today was a CRAZY day for me!!!!  I got my exercise in this afternoon when both PK and Alex were in bed.  I rode for 30 minutes on the bike.  I REALLY didn't want to exercise, but knew I needed to - so I figured the bike was the best way to go.  This way I could exercise and still "chill" while watching a movie. 

Later that afternoon when Logan got home from school, Cheryl called and asked if I wanted to go walking around the court while the kids were playing outside.  It was great!  I was proud that I was getting another exercise in!  We walked around and I pushed PK and Alex in the stroller - extra weight to push up that hill!

That night we had the nacho night at the WCC.  It was a disaster and by the time the kids were all in bed, I was an ornery mess.  The funny thing is, I felt the need to exercise.  Which is SUPER weird for me because usually I just like to eat my stress away.  Anyways - I got back on the bike and did 30 more minutes while I watched another show.  SERIOUSLY!?!??!

THREE TIMES IN ONE DAY!!!  That's UNHEARD of for me!!!!!  My legs were dying at the end of the last bike ride.  I've been doing it on a program that mimics going up and down hills.  Killer!  But I sure felt good after.  And I went to bed bragging in my head that I did THREE in one day!!  Yep - I'm CRAZY!!!

You Are What You Say!

I taught the RS lesson today.  It was entitled "Love Thy Neighbor As Thyself."  After going into all the ways we can love our neighbors, we talked about the second part of the title - loving ourselves.  I asked the women for ideas on how they can love themselves.

TeElle raised her hand and told about a story that happened to her just this week.  She said her sister was over with her 4 year old.  Her 4 year old turned to TeElle's son and called him chubby.  TeElle's son didn't like that very much.  Her sister said "son, we don't call people chubby, except little babies.  Other than that, we don't call people chubby."  Her little boy looked at her and said "well mom, you call yourself chubby!"

We need to change the mental image that we have about ourselves.  I'm reminded of the Mormonad that I saw for the first time when I was really young - (maybe it was when YOU were young Shirl - before I was born...) :)

I LOVE this and wish more women (including myself) would live by this.  Most people would look at this and say the daisy is out of place.  But there are others that would look at this and think the bouquet is ruined because it only has one daisy!  The point it - we need to recognize the differences we have that really and truly make us special.  In the case of this blog - no matter your weight or fitness level.  I really hope I can remember this.  I struggle every day with my self-esteem and self-image.  I'm trying to do better and hope that despite my failures and shortcomings - I will always keep in mind that I really am my own kind of beautiful! 

Happy Reunion

Oh - what a GLORIOUS night it was!!  I had a reunion with my best friend from years past.  What a GREAT night!!  The second I saw my friend, so many sensations came rushing back to me - a massive flooding of memories, a huge rush of adrenaline, that all too familiar smell - a giant burst of happiness welled up inside of me!!  All of that came rushing back this evening when I ran into my old friend - the swimming pool!

We went swimming for Jen's birthday.  We went to her aunt's pool in Bountiful.  This was Tony's first time.  It was also PK's first time in the pool.  He LOVED it!  (Except when crazy brothers splashed him in the face!)

But I loved being able to swim again.  I didn't get to do it for very long - since I was having too much fun holding PK for his first time - but it was nice to be able to exercise with my old best friend again!

Swimming is one of the absolute best ways to exercise.  It works out your entire body.  Not many sports can boast that!  There are hundreds of articles on the internet about the benefits of swimming.  Here is what one said...

Swimming is an activity that burns lots of calories, is easy on the joints, supports your weight, builds muscular strength and endurance, improves cardiovascular fitness, cools you off and refreshes you in summer, and one that you can do safely into old age. There's really nothing like it to combine nature, health, fitness, mental clarity and that pure bliss feeling of lying on your back, floating in the sun or in the pool with no worries in the world!

Benefits of swimming:

• Physicians recommend swimming to that people who have any problems with backbone and heart. In water a person moves almost in conditions of weightlessness moreover in horizontal position, and there is no loading on backbone. And if the back hurts, you can also "pull" it.
• Swimming works your whole body, improving cardiovascular conditioning, muscle strength, endurance, posture, and flexibility all at the same time.
• Without overworking the heart it improves the body's use of oxygen and increases lung function.
• It is recognized as a terrific low impact exercise for those who don't like the effects of jogging on their knees, because while in water you are non weight bearing.
• It helps to burn calories. During 30 minutes of swimming it is possible to burn 260 calories.
• The most important benefits to swimming have been psychological. Whilst under water you are away from all the noise and distraction of life on the land. The monotony of the strokes up and down the length of the pool have a sort of meditative quality that can be very calming, and of course there is something soothing about being in water. 

It helps to burn calories. During 30 minutes of swimming it is possible to burn 260 calories. The most important benefits to swimming have been psychological. Whilst under water you are away from all the noise and distraction of life on the land. The monotony of the strokes up and down the length of the pool have a sort of meditative quality that can be very calming, and of course there is something soothing about being in water.

I agree with all of this - especially the last one.  I did some of my best thinking, planning and daydreaming :)while swimming laps in high school / college.  Swimming has always been very calming and de-stressing to me!  Again - it's a GREAT sport for anyone of any age, with any health issues, and for any fitness level.  Plus - it can be done all year long thanks to indoor pools. 

Gotta love swimming!!

Preparation

Today I volunteered to make dinner for a few families that were needing help.  So, I figured the easiest way to do dessert for that many people was a big sheet cake.  I found one on Pioneer Woman that she calls "the Best Chocolate Sheet Cake Ever."  How can you resist making something with a title like that?!?!  I knew I would be eating cake later in the day, so I planned my day accordingly.

It sounds weird and annoying - but I've actually found it's not that big of a deal.  On top of that, then when I do sit down for a delicious dessert with lots of sugar and butter (yes, I'm talking about you "Best Chocolate Sheet Cake Ever!") then I can eat it totally guilt free!

I didn't get any exercise in today with running around all day... well, I guess I DID exercise - I was running around all day... :) - just no formal workout.  Gotta make sure I make up for it tomorrow.

Guilt

Today was a workout day out of absolute, pure guilt!!  Nothing else!!!  We worked on Tony's master's paper for most of the day.  When he left for his rotation, I had SO much to get done in just a few short hours.  So I didn't get to work out.  I planned to do it after the kids were in bed.

Cheryl came down about a quarter to 10:00 to pick up some books I borrowed for Logan.  She asked if I had worked out today.  I told her that I hadn't.  She told me to get going!!!  (I'm SO thankful for annoying friends like her... ha ha ha).  I told her that I had a huge headache and was going to go to bed.  Thankfully, she let me off the hook.

My head was pounding and I hurried to finish washing PK's bottles before bed.  Then the guilt started in.... I knew that she had worked out for 45 minutes AND THEN went to play basketball for 90 minutes.  And here I was - with not even a push up under my belt.  Yep - I knew the guilt was getting me and there was no way around it.

Contrary to what it may seem... I REALLY did have a massive headache and I really was going to work out before it got too bad.  But I knew I couldn't go to bed now without doing something.  I knew I couldn't do aerobic - my head wouldn't survive the jumping.  So, I hopped on my bike.  I ended up riding for 30 mins and actually felt better after.  I found a SUPER cheesy Jane Austen knock-off to keep my mind busy while riding. 

Afterward, I texted Cheryl to tell her that I HATE her!!  But also to thank her for guilting me into my exercise for the day.  Since we decided we're both going to die trying to get fit, our new motto is "all for one and one to fall!"  (Although it really should be ALL to fall since we're both going down!!) :) Like it?!?! :)

Well, I'm done with my work of dread,
My headache has NOT fled,
I've already taken my med
So me and my pounding head
are headed straight to bed! 

Wow - obviously my head isn't hurting enough to keep me from ending with an awful poem! :) ha ha.  GOOD NIGHT!!!

Bad Day

Today was a BAD day.  I had three things come up unexpectedly that threw off my routine.  But it's totally okay because I was happy to do the three things.  Unfortunately, that changed everything and made it so that by 10:00 at night, I still had HOURS of work to get done, I had been eating poorly all day due to the crazy change of plans and I hadn't worked out.

For the first time since I've started, I literally felt as if I couldn't do any sort of workout.  But.. I knew I HAD to.  So... I changed it up a bit and did what I could.  What could I give?  Only 5 minutes.  Okay, so I decided to work out hard for the 5 minutes I had.

I did 15 push ups, then I did 1 minute of football runs, 1 minute of tire jumps, 1 minute of jumping jacks and 1 minute of ski jumps.  Then I finished with 15 more push ups. 

Not the best workout I've ever done, but I was proud that I did something!  And I STILL ended the workout breathing hard!  Maybe I only burned 30 calories - but at least that's 30 calories I'll never have to see again!

Now - off to work.....

Winner!

This morning, the boys were asking for pancakes.  I haven't made breakfast in a while so waffles and pancakes both in one week is quite the accomplishment!  My favorite way to make pancakes is to add sweet potato puree into the mix.  It gives the pancakes a great consistency and adds in the great vitamins and minerals that sweet potatoes have.  I usually add cinnamon as well to take away any sweet potato flavor that may happen.  My boys have NEVER been able to tell but they love them.  Sweet potatoes are such an easy thing to add to most recipes.  I also love this puree with french toast.  I mix egg, milk, sweet potato puree, flax seed and cinnamon.  Then I dip the bread in it and cook it like normal.  GREAT way to make regular breakfast foods into super foods!  Obviously the only recommendation is to watch the syrup which can really pack on the calories.  I don't mind sugar free or light syrup.  Tony prefers regular - so I usually buy both.  No matter which one you're using, just make sure to go light and make sure your plate doesn't look like Logan's did at the end of the meal...

Before lunch, Alex was in bed and PK fell asleep.  I was hungry but also needed to get my workout in for the day.  I thought this would be the perfect time.  Well, perfect... not so much.  Working out everyday is a HUGE sacrifice for me.  I have PLENTY of other things that need to be done.  Particularly at this time in my life - on top of regular chores, I have Tony's master's paper to correct, a video to finish, finances for the upcoming year to prepare, as many hours as I can get of my job in, my lesson to prepare as well as multiple service projects I need to get done.  It's CRAZY!  And I know my life is no different than anyone else's.  We all have busy lives.  But as my sister pointed out - we HAVE to make exercising a priority.  It HAS to become one of those things that NEEDS to get done everyday.  So... I'm trying..

Anyways - I was feeling pretty confident and popped in a new BL DVD.  I had the choice of which workout to do.  I chose the low intensity cardio and then because I was feeling confident - chose the high intensity cardio as well.  A total of 50 minutes!  Wow! 

I survived and it was great.  The funny thing is - I actually had an easier time with the high intensity cardio.  My cardio has always been pretty good my whole life.  I can not run for months and months and when I start running again, I'm basically back to where I was after just a few days.  But my strength and endurance - not so great.  So the slow lunges that really stretch the muscles... that's what kills me!  Now you know why I was MUCH better at the 500 meter race in swimming as opposed to the 50!

Alex came in and joined me during the workout.  After a few minutes he looked like this though...

Dead on the floor!!!  Wish I could join him!!! :)  He then started playing with his cars on the couch.  After a while he said "mom, that guy said "when you lose, you win!"  I laughed SO hard at this and the fact that he picked up on it.  He continued to repeat it the rest of the day. 

Great advice Bob - "When You Lose, You WIN!!" 

I just need to remember this...

Example

Once you know things about nutrition and exercise - the best thing you can do is to share it!  And one great way you can share it is by being an example.  My mom was sure an example to me.  My Grandma loved to take the family to Chuck A Rama.  Afterward, I always remember the whole family coming home to crash - and mom coming home to get on the treadmill.  Family vacations were not vacations - they were walking triathlons.  Walking to school - we would get dropped off and mom would continue walking for miles and miles after that.  She's always been a great example to me. 

I hope to be that for my kids.  Tony is definitely that way for them.  They see him always working out and playing racquetball.  But I don't want to sell myself short.  I constantly get told my kids will be athletes because of their dad.  While that is MOSTLY true, I am an athlete too!  I just go in spurts! :)  I was a runner and a swimmer all through junior high, high school and college.  Okay, so I complained a lot (especially 6:00 AM swim training) - but I did it and I was good!  I lettered in swim and got multiple awards my senior year. I've also ran a lot of 5K's and I've competed in a team triathlon.

I just need to get that back.  It's hard now with kids.  I can't just go swimming whenever I want.  One day, I will do it again.  But until then... I'll try to be the best example I can be at home.

It made me feel good tonight when I left the room to get PK and came back to find Logan like this...

He was working out with my DVD using weights.  What a HANDSOME boy!!!

It reminds me once again that even though I was disappointed earlier today, it's okay!  I've been watching the Biggest Loser for 11 out of the 13 seasons.  The first week is always amazing!  They lose 10, 15, 20, even 40 pounds! (Moses, an LDS man from Idaho, lost 41 pounds his first week.  WOW!)  I know this is an extreme.  And I wasn't expecting even close to that number.  Just one teeny, tiny pound instead of gaining one, huge, ugly pound! :)  Again - just a reminder that this is NOT about losing weight.  Even though that is a MASSIVE perk :), it's about being healthy and feeling great about myself.  Not to mention, advice from my amazing, inspirational cousin Jeni...

Your pants will show results before your scale will!!

The BEST gift!

Another day, another week, another Monday!  Okay, I can't sound that annoyed - it's only my SECOND Monday!! :) 

I didn't get my workout in this morning because Tony had another late night rotation so I was trying to keep me and the kids quiet and out of the house while he slept.  As a side bonus - I found a lot more cool, cheap Christmas clearance items.  ha ha

So I came home in the afternoon and ate another taquito.  (They really are good.  Whether you like vegetarian food or not!)  I then ate a bite of the chocolate cake from yesterday.  I then realized I hadn't weighed myself yet.  I called Cheryl and ran up to use her scale.

I got the BEST gift on the scale today!!  Are you ready?  Are you excited?  Are you just waiting with bated breath to know how much I lost?!?!?!?  I thought it was going to be a pound.  What do you think????........  Regardless of what you thought - I bet you are wrong!  I didn't lose a pound.  I didn't lose 2 pounds.  I didn't even remain the same.  I GAINED a pound. 

No, really!

I did!!!

Seriously?!?!?  How in the WORLD did that happen?!?!?  Okay, okay - I know the logistics.  I weighed in after eating, wearing shoes and jeans, after drinking lots of water from running around all morning... heck, it could even be Christmas junk food catching up to me.  Whatever the issue - REALLY?!?!?  I thought I would at least have just stayed the same.  Not GAINED a pound.

Well, I did what any sensible girl would do that hates to exercise (but still did it not 4, not 5 but SIX times last week), HATES counting calories (but did it EVERY day last week), hates limiting junk food (but did it EVERY second of every day last week even with my sweets looking at me with their mocking eyes) and who just found out she gained a pound.

I went back downstairs and ate the rest of that piece of chocolate cake I had a bite of after lunch!!!! :)

No, really!  I did!! :)  Pathetically, I did!  BUT... it was just a piece (a delicious chocolatey, velvet piece of heaven).  AND... I felt guilty after so since PK was sleeping and the boys were in the middle of their 25th argument of the day, I sent them both to their rooms and started my workout. 

I started the PowerSculpt DVD today.  I'm not quite a big of fan of it as I am of cardio.  First, because my one knee pops whenever I do certain lunges and I hate hearing it (ahh my wrists and neck Ju! :) - and second, because I have a really weak back and certain moves with the weights tend to hurt my back.  But I suffered through it.  All the time cursing that extra pound and cursing that piece of cake.  Okay, really I was dreaming about the cake and even thought Jillian's face slightly resembled a chocolate cake.... :)

Well... time to stop whining and keep moving on.  Several movie quotes come to mind at this time.  First - Dory's "Just Keep Swimming" from Finding Nemo (ironically on tv today.  Disney must've known I needed to hear it.)  The other - Hilary Duff's dad in A Cinderella Story has the quote "Never let the fear of striking out keep you from playing the game" on the wall in his restaurant.  I haven't thought about that quote in a VERY long time.  But it randomly came back in my mind today.  (A lot of random things happening today.  Coincidence, I think not!)  I DID strike out today.  I thought I was going to blog tonight about my loss and impress everyone (including myself) with my progress.  But guess what?  It's okay!  I've laced up my shoes even tighter, grabbed a different bat and I'm headed back out to play!

Because... I'm in it to win it!!!