Positive Thinking and planning ahead

Positive Thinking: A lot of what I'm writing about has been taken from what other people have said lately. It could've been one little statement that got me really thinking! One...is about positive thinking. I think we try hard to be good to others and say kind things to/about each other, but what about ourselves? How can we be so kind to others and so unkind to ourself? (at least, that's how it is for me). So lately I have tried to stop my negative thinking and focus on the positive. I am not going to be so hard on myself...saying things like, "I hate my arms...it's my worst feature!" instead I can try, "I am excited to tone up my arms!" And that goes for everything...including, "I have been the worst mother today...(or this week)" and try saying something like, "This hasn't been the best week, but I'm going to make some new goals and try harder to be a better mother."

Planning Ahead: Caryn R. said something the other day on her facebook account that made me think. She said we should plan on how we're going to eat on the weekends, and also plan our workouts! So many times we focus on Monday through Friday...eating right and exercising. Then we get to the weekend and throw it all away by pigging out and not exercising. It's true! So when I make my goals, I am going to start making it so I PLAN on exercising 6 days a week! Some people are okay exercising on Sundays, but I've made the personal decision not too. It's just me! Anyway, so it's nice to know that come Saturday...when I could easily say, "Oh, it's the weekend, I want to just relax..." (or whatever other excuse) I will have already made the decision to work out and eat right on the weekend.

**One more thing, my new goal is to motivate others to workout! So I announced on Sunday to the Relief Society that we will be working out on Tuesday from 8:00-10:00PM. I didn't think anyone would be that interested, but I had two women (like in their late forties/fifties) say they were so excited and were planning on coming. I have been so excited about that! Hopefully more women come!!! Oh, and I'm trying to make it so I can do a 5K on October 10th...I'll keep you all posted! Yay!

New goals

Has it really already been a week? Here were my goals from last week...

1. Exercise for 5 days for at least 50 minutes (I only worked out 3 times this week because I got a head cold...and still kind of have it)

2. Track my water intake and drink at least 64 ounces. (did pretty good!)

3. Eat at least 3 servings of veggies a day (I usually get my fruit intake, but
not veggies as much) (I'd say I did very well this week)

4. Help my kids get more exercise (going on walks, playing on the playground, doing the Jillian video with them) They love doing workout videos! (didn't do a workout video with them at all, but we were outside more often)

5. Read my scriptures every day along with saying personal prayers every day!!! (didn't do as good as I should have)

New goals for 09/27/09-10/03/09

1. Work on those personal prayers and scripture reading every day!
2. Watch my carb intake! Make sure I'm getting more fruits and veggies and less carbs. AND make sure I'm getting enough protein every day.
3. Encourage people in my ward to join our workout group once a week!
4. Exercise 5 days for at least 50 minutes

**a few sucesses I've had this week:

1. Gwendolyn finally said she likes red bell peppers. She really does like veggies, but that's one she's never liked! But today she exclaimed she likes it! And Chloe said she LOVES yams! She also told me she doesn't like sweet potatoes...shhhhh...I won't tell her if you won't!
2. My friend Lisa and I started up a workout group every Thursday night. I'm going to announce to all the women in the ward, and hopefully we'll get a lot of people to come. From 8:00-9:00 we do a workout video, and from 9:00-9:45 we do Yoga (instructed by Lisa). I'm just hoping to encourage people who are in a funk to get out of it and start making healthy choices!
3. I actually jogged 3 miles yesterday without stopping! Woot woot! A big thanks to Lisa for pushing me along!
4. I haven't had ANY desire to snack or eat junk! It's not even a temptation. The less junk I eat, the less I want to eat!
5. Eating right, exercising and all that it entails has made me happier! I am not where I want to be (as far as my body is concerned) but I'm happy that I'm on the correct path.

I will do my stats tomorrow morning! Going to bed now!

Recipe...

I've decided that every now and then I am going to post a healthy recipe that I've had success with! Perhaps once a week??? This is my new favorite meal!


Maple Roasted Chicken with Sweet Potatoes
1 3 1/2 to 4 lb chicken, cut into 8 pieces
1 yellow onion, cut into 1 inch wedges
2 small sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1 inch wedges
2 tbsp. olive oil
1 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. black pepper (I didn't measure, I just put it all over the top of it)
4 tbsp. light maple syrup
6 sprigs fresh thyme (or 2 tsp. dried)

1. Heat oven to 400 degrees (F). Rinse the chicken and pat it dry. Arrange chicken, onion, and sweet potatoes in a 9-by-13 baking dish.
2. Drizzle the oil over the chicken and vegetables and season with the salt and pepper. Toss to coat.
3. Drizzle with the maple syrup and top with thyme.
4. Roast, stirring the vegetables once, until the chicken is cooked through, about 1 hour, 15 minutes. Let rest for 10 minutes before serving.

Lost and Found

Found the measuring tape...well, John did! I weighed myself today and I am happily at 131! (my lowest has been 132!) And here are my measurements...

LAST WEEK:

Inches:
Arms: 11.5
Thighs: 21.25
Hips: 37.5
Waist: 29.0
Butt: 38.25

Today:
Arms: 11.5
Thighs: 21.25
Hips: 37.0
Waist: 28
Butt: 38.0

Got up and had an awesome workout today! It's such a high!

Goals 09/19/09-09/26/09

What good is life without goals? You'll get mine once a week!
1. Exercise for 5 days for at least 50 minutes

2. Track my water intake and drink at least 64 ounces.

3. Eat at least 3 servings of veggies a day (I usually get my fruit intake, but
not veggies as much)

4. Help my kids get more exercise (going on walks, playing on the playground, doing the Jillian video with them) They love doing workout videos!

5. Read my scriptures every day along with saying personal prayers every day!!!

Don't think, just do!

Yep, my measuring tape has officially disappeared! Looks like we'll have to wait until next week to get my stats! Very frustrating! Anyway, but I will tell you all about my week! These were my goals from last week:

09/11/09-09/18/09
1. Work out at least 5 days a week for 45 minutes or more
2. Drink more water (keep specific water bottle and track how much I'm drinking)
3. Plan meals out so I have all the ingredients for healthy recipes.
4. Start out my day with prayer, because without it I'm not going to accomplish much!

1. I worked out 6 days in a row for 55 minutes every day! Woot woot! I did Billy Blanks (just fyi)
2. I should've been better at tracking my water. I still drank a lot, but I need to track it more.
3. We ate pretty healthy...
4. I've had some good prayers in the morning!!!

I'm pretty happy overall! The more I worked out, the more I've formed the habit. One day my alarm was set for 4:55 so I could get dressed, start up the movie, get my water, and start right at 5:00! My new motto is, "Don't think, just do!" That was especially important this morning because it's Saturday and I could've said..."oh it's the weekend, I don't have to workout today." But my alarm was set for 5:15 and when it went off I started thinking of all the reasons I didn't want to get up! But immediately the words popped into my head, "Don't think, just do." You can't give yourself time to talk yourself out of it. Just get out of bed!!! And last night I had a meltdown (for a few random reasons which I will not go into right now) but because I was so emotionally drained, my workout this morning was incredible! My workout felt purely emotional. Yes, I was working my muscles...but I needed it emotionally! It was the best workout this week!!!

Anyway, since I am exhausted right now I am going to take a nap! Ta for now!

Well...

I am due for my latest stats...it being Friday and all! However, my kiddos have misplaced my measuring tape. They were playing with it (my bad) and it is gone. So I will give my stats hopefully sometime today or tomorrow. I will not post a picture though. I've decided that I will do that every other week. As far as my weight is concerned...I am a pound up. BUT...when I weighed myself this morning I was super engorged (since Noah is on a nursing strike)! So I'm figuring without all that milk inside of me, I might weigh less! My weight will be more accurate once I stop nursing! Blah!

So until later...I will leave you with this quote...

"You've got to give some, to get some." -Billy Blanks

Balance

One thing I've learned in my life is that there has to be a balance in everything. It's something I struggle with a lot!!!! For instance, kids! I could play with my kids all day, but have a disaster of a house! OR, I could clean all day and not play with my kids, and have a beautiful house and neglected kids! So...balance! One thing I need in my life is structure...without it I am a basket case! So I am working hard at finding a balance with every aspect of my life.

I need to feed myself and my family. I need to work out for at LEAST 45 minutes every day. I need to read my scriptures, say my prayers, clean my house, do laundry, clip coupons, make budgets, organize, run Gwen to and from school, work on my calling, have some down time to blog...or whatever on the computer, etc etc etc! It can get overwhelming, and too often things get left until the next day! I've just had to let a few things go! If my house isn't 100% spotless when I go to bed, I can't freak out! My top priorities are the Gospel, my family, and myself! I need to be there for my family and I need to make sure I am working out every day to stay fit, and I can't neglect my spiritual nourishment that I need every day!

So all I'm saying is that I'm trying! I'm not perfect, but it's going pretty well so far. I've gotten up three days in a row to workout before my kids get up, and it really does start my day out great! This morning after I worked out I had some time before I had to wake up the kids, so I got down on my knees and thanked Heavenly Father for blessing me with health! I'm sure there are many people out there who wish they could see, walk, talk, run, jump, etc! I will never take those things for granted!

Okay, enough rambling out of me! Balance people...tell me what you do to find balance in your life! :)

Make a choice!

Reasons why I didn't want to work out today:
1. Way too tired
2. Too sore from hiking on Saturday
3. I was afraid Noah would wake up and need to nurse in the middle of my workout
4. My stomach was acidy
5. I wanted to snuggle John!

Reasons I DID work out:
1. I had John telling me, "just do it Amy, you'll be glad you did!" (he was pushing me out of bed while telling me that)
2. I knew I would be proud of myself
3. I knew I wouldn't regret it.
4. I knew that even if Noah woke up and inturupted me, I'd still finish after I fed him!

Benefits of me working out at 5:00AM this morning:
1. It was my time...how often do I get time just for me?
2. Working out early starts my day out right. Now I will eat healthier and feel more confident all day long.
3. I feel happy
4. I was able to work out, shower and be ready all before Gwen and Chloe got up. That's a good feeling for me!
5. My girls saw my workout stuff and asked if I had been working out! I am setting a good example for my kids!

**Billy Blanks always says, "Your mind put you where you are today!" Yes I had John giving me a good push this morning, but I could've easily gone back to bed. Nobody can force me to workout. My mind put me where I was today, and that can happen every day if I work hard.

Stats

I apologize for the quality of these pictures. John was at work and the girls were sleeping, so I had to take them of myself using my "self-timer." Next time you'll get better shots...but I'm leaving out of town until late tomorrow night and I wanted to get this done. So this is what'cha get!
Lovely stretch marks...I think it was Laura Young that coined the phrase, "Flames of Passion!" Yes, there's nothing I can do about those!...unless I have surgery!

Oh...and I'm wearing earrings because I had already gotten ready for the day and didn't take them out for the picture. I don't usually workout with earrings in. Ha ha!

So...consider these my "before shots!" Like I said, I never took pictures of myself right after I had Noah because that's just down-right depressing! HA! When I was at my peak with Noah I weighed 162. Here are my stats!

Weight: 132 lbs (yes, I have lost 30 lbs!!!)

Inches:
Arms: 11.5
Thighs: 21.25
Hips: 37.5
Waist: 29.0
Butt: 38.25

I didn't measure bust, because I am nursing...and I'm generally a different size all throughout the day! :) I know my weakest spot is the "saddle-bag" area, or the "muffin-top" if you will! I am going to get rid of that darn muffin top, and I am so excited for it. At first I was nervous to post these pictures, then I remembered why I'm doing all of this. I am going to be fit...forever! And I'll want these pictures to show proof that I did it!

And as far as my goals, I have long term and short term:

Long Term:
1. Get down to a good weight, between 115-120.
2. Continue to eat healthier.
3. Tone my body (flat stomach, no flabby arms)
4. Fit into size 4 pencil skirt comfortably.

Short Term: 09/11/09-09/18/09
1. Work out at least 5 days a week for 45 minutes or more
2. Drink more water (keep specific water bottle and track how much I'm drinking)
3. Plan meals out so I have all the ingredients for healthy recipes.
4. Start out my day with prayer, because without it I'm not going to accomplish much!

Thanks everyone!

Support

Well I woke up this morning with an achin' back so I wasn't able to work out! I could barely walk, let alone work out! SO...I got hooked up to the DRX (Decompression Unit) today at John's work and I feel a lot better! I am going to do the Olyptical Machine tonight for 20 minutes and then I will attempt to jog on the treadmill for 20 minutes. I am treading (ha! no pun intended) carefully when it comes to running because of my back, but I will just see how I feel while I am doing it. I don't want to push myself. If it is hurting, then I will follow up with at least 100 crunches! (Dr.'s orders, 100 crunches a day) for my back!

Anyway, so two thoughts for today:

1. John asked me why I wanted everyone to see my progress as I lose weight. He thought it was kind of a personal thing. Good question! I just want to be a part of a support group! I KNOW that I'm going to do well, but it's always better to have people cheering you on along the way! Right? And not only that, I hope to inspire others too! The thing is....nobody can force you to lose weight. Nobody can force you to exercise or eat right. It is a choice made only by yourself! So I could do all this on my own without the help of anyone, but I think we can all be in this together. Even though we're all making our own personal choices in regards to our health, let's together try to support each other and get healthy!!!

2. My second thought is...I am excited for this step in my life. It is very likely that we are done having kids, and I can really focus on my body! I am ready for tight abs, non-flabby arms, and an overall muscular body! I don't want to be a body-builder, but I want definition! This will happen! I am not a big person and I'm not looking to lose a lot of weight! I do, however want to define and tone my body! Tomorrow you'll get my stats and a picture. And you'll also get my goals!

My Achin' back

So some of you heard my story about my back, but I will just sum it up! When Noah was 4 months old I took him (plus his car seat) out of the car and my back started hurting. Then progressively throughout the day it started hurting worse! It got to the point where I literally could not move, it was so painful! I was sobbing! I called my mom and she ended up staying for two days to help me out. Turns out it was a disk in my back that was...well, hard to say exactly but it was either herniated or inflammed! Either way, ouch! So after a few weeks, my back finally felt better! And since then I've been working out most every day and having no problems. Then the other day (on Gwen's birthday) I was moving couches around and lifting heavy things, and I re-injured it again! BLAH! So there have been many nights where I've been in tears because one...it hurts! And two, I have it in me to work out every single day...but yet, I keep getting set back because of my back! It's very frustrating!

Anyway, so John (my Dr. John) has instructed me to just go do the Olyptical machine over at the clubhouse, followed by lots of crunches. The more I strengthen my core, the better off my back will be! So I'm trying to follow doctor's orders and do just that! Anyway, so Monday and Tuesday of this week I haven't worked out at all...which I've hated! Tonight I have mutual, followed by cutting John's hair! So it's not going to happen today unfortunately! But I will find time for lots of crunches in-between feeding children and cleaning house!

My hope is to get up early tomorrow morning and do Jillian. It might be all I can do tomorrow, but it's better than nothing!

Welcome one and all...

to my new website! This is going to be my fitness journal, if you will! I will be tracking my weight loss, logging my inches weekly, etc. I will also be tracking my own work-outs and what I'm doing to get fit! I am keeping it private only for the fact that I will be taking pictures of myself...and well, I want that private!

This website is to help inspire myself, and hopefully others! A lot of you have been an inspiration for me and I am so grateful for that! I will be also going over the things I'm doing to train for this Marathon coming up! So feel free to check as often as you like! I will try and do a post every Friday to go over my stats...and then whenever else I feel like posting. I will even be writing about frustrations I'm having that pertains to getting fit, and I'd love any advice! So thank you everyone!