Today was a good day!!

Happy MLK Day!! Since the girls were home today, I decided to take it easy this morning! No rush to get the girls out the door & then onto the 25 things that "had" to be done today. When they're out of school, I only schedule what is absolutely necessary to do. Even at 7&9, it's still a hassle to accomplish tasks with them in tow! I slept until 7:45, enjoyed some coffee, did the dishes & started doing laundry. Then it was time for a little exercise.... I did my 15 minutes of Yoga (flexibility today) and after that I started on the 30 day plank challenge. Thanks Pinterest for the plan!! http://media-cache-ec0.pinimg.com/1200x/b2/6e/5f/b26e5f18b4f29ae9d52eb84994420bbe.jpg (hope this link actually works!!)

I knew when it started at only 20 seconds that this planking thing was going to be tough! My core started shaking after 17 seconds but holding for another 3 was no problem. Hopefully by the time I get to 240 seconds, I will be MUCH stronger :)

I didn't stop there... After that I ran!!! I did 2 miles in 28 minutes, which is nothing to brag about but in my defense I ended up doing my warm up walk for almost 10 minutes because Google Play was all messed up on my phone & I was messing with that. I did walk twice during the 18 minutes of running but considering I haven't ran in 2 months, I'm pretty dang proud!! Oh & I did all this on a treadmill!! Yuck ;) I can still remember back to September when I started the Couch-2-5k program. I could barely run 1 minute straight. Sometimes I forget how amazing my body is, when I don't let my brain get in the way. I also have a respect for my body & don't set unrealistic expectations for it... If I can barely breathe, it's ok to slow down a walk for a minute to catch my breath, then back to running again! I think this is how I found happiness in running. That and I quit comparing myself to my marathoning husband! Enjoy the picture of me post run.... All hot & sweaty :)

Week 2

Well, no current picture since I didn't think to do another selfie if me! So instead I will share a picture of me & Kevin after we completed the Warrior Dash last October. It was the toughest physical challenge I have faced so the victory was SO sweet! I was so proud of myself because there were times during it that I seriously questioned if I could finish!

I have done yoga everyday since the girls started back to school. All but 1 day when my alarm didn't go off, I woke up early to do it before they got up! That is HUGE for me. I'm not a morning person so waking up early for anything is an accomplishment in of itself... Let alone giving up sleep for exercise :) I  only did Zumba once last week. The other 3 days didn't happen b/c of office payroll & a meeting, a dr appt in Nashville & substitute teaching at the Middle School. I'll be better this week, or at least I will try to ;)

Week 1

This week has been a transition week. I'm still trying to get my head & heart on the same page to making lifestyle changes! It started out as one of the coldest weeks in history (-2 actual temp on Monday morning!) so that was not the start I was hoping for! I ended up cooking dinner all 4 nights, which is a rarity these days. I did not cook "health food" but I did use healthier option. We'll except for Nacho Night! When the girls ask for a meal, I make it. They rarely request a meal. Plus that guarantees me no complaints of what's for supper that night :) On Nacho Night, I didn't eat very much so that was healthy.

I also started doing yoga this week. I got this awesome app, Yoga Studio (thanks Starbucks free app of the week!). It has all these classes set up but I can also create my own. Last week & this week, I'm doing the 15 minute beginner series.... Strength, flexibility, & combination. I've been getting up early (for me!) & doing it before I get the girls up. I'm really enjoying it. So far it's not too much so I can just do it in my pj's. Workouts don't get much better than that :) Thanks to the girls being out of school for "cold days" I only went to Zumba once. That was the first time in a month & I was struggling the last 2 songs! I'm working on making good exercise habits first... Then comes the good food habits!

I took a selfie after my first yoga session on Monday. It was so cold outside that even inside felt chilly so that's why I'm wearing the scarf! As for the hair, I let it do its own thing since we didn't go out that day. Sometimes you just have to let the curls loose!! I'm going to take a picture every week to document my journey.

Have a blessed week!

Well, it's been a looooonnnnngggg time!

I vaguely remember keeping this blog & it actually took about 30 minutes just to find it, then I had to reset passwords, change Google accounts, blah, blah, blah!! So and hour + later, it's a new year & a new journey and once again I'm on the weight loss journey. Praise the good Lord above, I am not all the way back to where my journey began over 5 years ago but I still have a journey! To be totally honest, I really don't know how much weight I need to re-lose because it has been many months since I've stepped on a scale :/ I just know I have to get my butt in gear & now!

I do good when I write stuff down to keep myself accountable, so here goes nothing!  My word for 2014 is PEACE. I'm trying to focus on PEACE in all areas of my life... to be at peace with my body, at peace with my health & habits, at peace with my family & most importantly- to receive peace from my Savior! Here is what I want to accomplish for 2014: I will complete my 2nd Warrior Dash in under 1 hour and do it as a St. Jude Warrior. I will complete my 2nd half-marathon and do it as a St. Jude Hero. That means I have to raise $1300 at least! Kevin will do both along with me so that means we have to raise $2600 together... for y'all that don't like math! To achieve these it means I have to up my exercise & do some fundraising! I will exercise no less than 4 days a week- running, Zumba or Yoga (trying something new here & got a handy new app to try it... thanks to Starbucks "free app" of the week!). I've learned to enjoy doing 5k's thanks to the "Couch to 5k" app but realize I'll have to do more if I want to run 13.1 miles. I've already got a pile going for consignment/ yard sale. That will NOT raise us $2600 but it's a start. Maybe have a bake sale/ lemonade stand during the yard sale?!? If you have any ideas... please, please, please share them with me!

I'm going to be honest. When I set out on this journey the first time, I was mentally ready & willing. This time... not so much! I know that means this journey will be a lot more difficult & have more set backs. I also know that once I get a taste of success, that's just the jump start I'll need to get on a role.  I'm not doing weight watchers again this time (even though I know how well it works) or at least not yet. Right now, I'm upping my exercising (which is really easy since I've worked out 4 times in the month of December!), making healthier choices, planning better & writing down the process to keep me accountable.  I'm actually kinda hoping that nobody will read this, so if you are- thanks for keeping me on track!


Here's to me being at PEACE with 2014!