Morning Bliss.

So, I actually woke up at 4am ready to go this morning which is 15 minutes earlier then what I set my alarm for. I busted it pretty good at the gym. I've cut back on my evening workouts because I just don't feel like it at night right now. Summer is so short here. I'm going to show you a picture of me all sweaty after a typical 1100+ calorie burning morning. Do I enjoy these pictures? NO! Why am I posting them to cyberspace you may ask...because I want you to see that I am just an average person with a goal. Yes, I earned every stitch of that T-shirt I'm sporting, and I wear it with pride. So here goes, me in all my morning glory! Have a great day, keep in mind it's all in your head. Anyone can do it if you set your mind to it!

The Workouts (and tips too!)

The Workouts (and tips too!)

Plan a budget....yikes.

Okay, it’s no secret that I enjoy my workouts.  I’m addicted.  They make me feel great!  I have hit this huge plateau that is driving me crazy.  I bust my ass everyday (well almost every day) and burn INSANE amounts of calories.  I’ve got that down.  From crazy cardio, to weight lifting to Shaun T’s Insanity.  I burn them and I burn them properly.  Now, that being said I struggle every single day with food.  The clean eating bit should be simple, right?  For me, I could list off a gazillion reasons why I fail at it.  What it boils down to is improper planning.

 So, I’m an accountant.  There are stereotyped accountants and then there is me.  I have horrible personal planning skills.  In fact, I hate to plan ahead.  It comes from a very messed up past but in my mind I somehow have put it in this category of if I plan ahead, I am setting myself up for disappointment.  Yes, I’m sure I can get some sort of counseling to fix that but that is definitely the number one reason I’m a piss poor planner.  I plan for something that I feel should be very successful or exciting, and when the event comes up; it doesn’t turn out as my control freak self thinks it should, and I get majorly bummed out.  To avoid the bumming, I fly by the seat of my pants on most things.  In trying to be a responsible adult, this mentality doesn’t work too well.  Anyhow, where I’m going with the entire planning bit is BUDGET.  I suck at food calorie budgets, store budgets and personal budgets for my home.  I know I suck at it, and I know how to change it.  The problem is that entire planning ahead thing bites me in the ass every time. 

Clean eating.  To be successful at clean eating, you have to plan ahead and budget your daily calories.  I was able to do it for about 3 months while I got in shape and did Shaun T’s Insanity by Beach Body.  So, knowing I conquered it before just means simply repeating that behavior weekly for the rest of my life.  UGH!  Plan out your meals and be accountable for them.  If you pack your lunch and snacks for the day, you don’t binge eat.  Look at your calories and plan accordingly.  I like protein shakes and I like fresh veggies.  That should make some of this easier on me.  The entire planning a weeks worth of dinners part sucks.  It’s just like preplanning your outfit the night before.  I can pick out something to wear, but when I get up…..me not being the shining star in the morning…..may not feel like wearing what I picked out because I just don’t feel like it.  That is kind of the same thing with my taste buds.  How do I know what I will be in the mood to eat 5 days from now??  Well I have some financial woes to back up this damn preplanning bit.  When you go to store every 2-3 days to buy dinner, you don’t just buy dinner products.  You buy more cereal or milk and fruit and this and that because you are getting low.   In the past, I haven’t had a grocery budget per say because groceries is a must have.  That being said, my grocery bill has gotten out of control, to where it interferes with other monetary areas of our lives.  The only way I can reel this monster back in is to plan out meals and go to the store with a list and stick to the list (and leave the kids at home).  This shouldn’t be rocket science, but it isn’t easy either for me.  I’ve came up with a fun idea for this next week of planning out my menu and incorporating clean eating.  I’m going use my handy dandy Fitness and Self magazines and Pinterest to make my meals at night more entertaining.  I will plan out my menu and make my meals per recipes I find and share them with you all and give you a dollar amount.  This should make it more entertaining for me, the only person that can disappointment me in this genius plan is ME.  J

Okay enough of this serious stuff.  I set a goal of making it to the gym every morning this week and so far so good.  I am a better person for getting my ass out of bed and doing this.  Shaun T has been calling my name but I have been ignoring him.  He’s an exceptionally crazy man, but I love him.  Reading through Pinterest fitness section only leads me back to Insanity.  All the exercises in that program are fat blasting miracle body transforming (which a lot of the exercises are pinned in one way or another just not altogether like Insanity) and I just need to suck it up and get back to the program.  I’ve managed to stick to Les Mills Pump and I absolutely LOVE it.  My arms are toning up nicely.  In fact, I have a picture of me holding a baby and I can see muscle tone where flabby cellulite use to wave hello every moment of the day.  What I love about this weight lifting program is it’s to music, it works different muscle groups and you feel the burn but it’s not so overpowering that you fall to the floor exhausted.  It can be completed at lunch which is a huge bonus for my busy life.  No I don't sell Beach Body products but I endorse the hell out of them because I have tested them and they work! 

The chest/upper body part of Les Mills, anyone can do this from home. No excuses.

A typical lunch workout for me.  Beginning of a squat following Les Mills Pump dvd



 I made this wonderful Halibut Olympia last night.  I actually ate two pieces of it, and wonder why I’m not losing on the scale. J  This halibut had butter, sour cream, mayo, red hot, Monterey jack cheese, and cheddar cheeses.  I made this recipe up all by myself.  Comfort food for the fall in July weather we are experiencing in the Banks.    I could post my recipe, but if you really want it email me because I'm not going to promote eating this way haha.  I did pair it with a wonderful tossed salad but the second piece was not necessary.  Moderation, moderation, moderation…..work in progress or WIP as us accountants say. 

Alaskan Halibut Olympia caught 7/10/12

If only I would have stuck to this nice portion...

Life is going so fast right now.  Our summer in Alaska is flying by; the time of year we want to last forever is slipping away.  Last week was really hard for me to focus on my normal routine.  Amazingly enough, I was able to get a 7 mile run in on Saturday morning with the kiddos.  Big D really handles sitting in the jogger well for long periods of time.  I think he enjoys the scenery.   The two older boys rode their bikes and followed all the traffic rules very well. 

A typical weekend run.  :) Big D is only 2 as of 4/25 and his long legs are almost too big for this jogger. 

Sunday we had a gazillion people over for a joint birthday party for my son Christopher and my niece Taylee.  I tried out another Pinterest inspired recipe.  I made a watermelon cake and it was definitely a huge hit.  I also ate far too much Spongebob cake.  My sister in law has a gift for baking and she outdid herself this time on this cake.  It was probably the best cake I’ve ever had. 



This party favorite is easy to make, just set aside some time to do it...not a quick project.



My S-I-L is uber talented.  This was the best cake and the kiddos loved it!

Today, I was back at it.  I burned over 1,000 calories this morning.  People ask how I burn so many calories.  Well first, I’m 5’9”.  Second, I’m still trying to lose weight…so the heavier you are the more you burn when you are working it.  My favorite calorie burner is hills.  If you crank that treadmill to the highest incline and increase your pace a little each week, you will burn insane amounts of calories.  I want to run again in the mornings, but my heel is giving me grief so I’m finally going to go to the orthopedic specialist and figure it out this week.

It's all in your mind.



My Goals this week are to restart Insanity for the 4^th time and stick to it all week, and not miss one day at the gym.  I have noticed a huge difference in my appearance with the added weight lifting.  Les Mills Pump is the bomb.  My stomach is noticeably flatter and I can see muscle tone in there which I haven’t seen since my hard core athlete days (a long long time ago).    So my persistance and dedication are starting to show and I can appreciate that.  Here's to a healthy, beautiful day.

Pinterest, love it and I'm never disappointed

Okay, so I’m easily sucked in to the crazes I see on Facebook.  I now am a regular on Pinterest.  I absolutely love this site.  I scan the food, health, and do it yourself sites.  LOVE IT.  I finally decided to put my pins to the test last night and man oh man….DELICIOUS.  I made the Monterey Jack Chicken and Sweet Potato Wedges along with a salad.  Sweet Potatoes seem to be the new big deal in health food.  They have been around on holidays packed with brown sugar and marshmallows forever.  I have never been a huge fan of them but after reading in Fitness magazine and various other places their nutritional value to your diet, I decided to give them a whirl and I love them.  We all loved them.

Here’s the 411 on Sweet Potatoes: 

1.  High nutritional Value-1 cup provides 65% of your daily dose of vitamin C, they are also high in calcium, folate, potassium and beta carotene.

 2.  Sweet potatoes have low glycemic index of only 17 (doesn’t spike your blood sugar). 

3.  Good for your skin..many skin products use beta-carotene  which helps with skin aging

4.  Sweet potatoes are high in potassium, so they can help alleviate muscle cramps.  When you are stressed, your body uses more potassium so eating sweet potatoes can help from the negative health effects of tension

5.  You can grow these things EASILY in your garden

Okay enough of the Sweet Potatoes 101…just thought I’d share how great they are for you.  I got the educational bit from the web.  www.naturalnews.com  I’m very resourceful when it comes to researching things out and I will try my best to note my sources as I share things. 

Sweet Potatoes
I cannot find the pin on this one..I will update link later

Okay, the other thing I made was Monterey Jack Chicken.  This recipe was sinfully good.  My kids loved it.  In fact, it’s what I’m eating for lunch today.  J  I will provide the links for the recipes if you are interested. 

Monterey Jack Chicken
http://pinterest.com/pin/5488830766499745/

I had every intention of doing a 6 mile run and the Les Mills abs last night…it was a no go.  I spent some quality time with my husband and no children (this never happens).  Like I said, some sacrifices are worth it to me.  So this morning I did my killer cardio and burned over 1,000 calories.  I will do Les Mills Pump at lunch and then tonight celebrate the 6^th birthday of my son Christopher and probably indulge in some homemade chocolate cake with no run again.  He’s worth the no run, but maybe he will want to join me for a few miles on the feet.  We shall see…out for now and go ahead and try those recipes, you won’t regret it!

A little honesty....

Over this last year, I have learned to turn my negative feelings and bad stuff into exercise.  Before, I sulk or get mad or depressed and eat and drink booze and just bury stuff.  Now, the newer healthier version of me takes my shit to the gym. You would be amazed at how good you feel after a good cardio session.  I can release a lot of negative energy at the gym and absorb a lot of positive.  It's amazing what a little adrenaline can do for you.  I would be a complete liar if I said life is good and truly meant that in my mind all was good and my life is great.  Now the facebook version of me is fantastic.  I have a great life.  My children are great, my husband is awesome and life is grand.  Who the hell wants to post negative garbage to their entire friends list on facebook?  Well I can tell you who, those who are looking for attention.  It drives me crazy!  I have been guilty of posting having a bad day boohoo crap, but you and I both know it's just looking for people to feed off it.  I now make an effort to only post good.  So, life looks peachy as it should for a social networking site.  For the most part, my family and I do more than most families.  We have all boys at home.  I like to keep active and I like to show my children how to enjoy the great outdoors.  We do lead very active, fun lives but it definitely isn’t all roses.  I think it’s important since I’m on a blog to be truthful and honest about what I want to share.  I believe honestly that we are all great actors.  We have to put on our good faces because who wants to be around negative people plagued with financial, relationship, work problems??? NOT ME!  I guess the direction I will go from this point forward is just honest me. 

The last week really wore on me physically.  I had a lot of relationship issues that are quite personal that really put me in a bad spot.  Knowing that I tend to drink and overeat, I reacted quite poorly.  I didn’t exercise or eat for about 4 days.  It was incredibly hard on my body.  I went from devastation in my personal life, to camping and family fun for a good week.  This last week of traveling and enjoying the simple life with little technology and lots of bonding time led to unhealthy eating and total lack of exercise.  BIG BOO to that!  Monday was a recovery day from lack of sleep and just total body drain.  Tuesday I was back at the gym in the morning for my hour cardio in which I did all uphill on 15 incline at a brisk 4.4-4.5 walk.  I burned a lot of calories.  I went home and pumped the weights for 30 minutes and I also rode my bike to and from work.  I went to bed at a decent time, and woke up at 4:15 this morning and hit a brick wall.  My body is soooo incredibly sore and hates me for what I did yesterday after my brief sabbatical.  I didn’t go to the gym.  I hit snooze then I turned it off and decided screw that gym today I will run outside…then I fell asleep and did nothing.  In turn, I got up at 7:15 ready to strangle the first person that looked at me wrong.  I think I’ve said I’m no morning person.  I completely started my day off wrong.  Lunch is a no go for a work out, because apparently I have some issues I need to work on so I can actually be as perfect as I make myself look on Facebook  (wink).  When you have little guys at home, lunch breaks during the day are times for appointments, errands, gym etc.  Today, appointment, tomorrow who knows.  So, I guess what I’m getting at is…even though I’ve made great strides on my health….I’m a huge work in progress.  This is testimony to routine.  Don’t get too far off routine or you screw yourself.  I will now bust my ass the next 4 days to make up for Monday and now Wednesday and maybe lose weight this week.  I’m still off the booze and intend to stay that way so I’m hoping that will help my goals out.  Get into a routine, keep it.  If you can’t keep the routine, at least make healthy choices.  Pack healthy as you would eat at home, then you don’t have the bad food choices even available.  Yes, I read those fitness magazines…maybe I will actually do the picnic table stair step routines next time I’m camping…baby steps people…baby steps…. 

First week in July...great family times are worth more than the gym and health food.

Perfect fillets of salmon if I do say so myself!

Copper River Red Salmon Chitina, AK  pure awesome!



Big D getting ready to go fishing in Valdez, AK



My soon to be 6 yo Son Christopher cooked the perfect marshmellow at Fielding Lake.




 



Chitina, AK Fish Wheels on the mighty Copper River



My Dutch Oven Dinner, one of the reason I didn't lose weight this week.  ooops



Dutch Oven cooking in Chitina, can't beat it. 



Port in Valdez, AK 



Cody and Christopher on Grandpa's Boat in Valdez

 So....long long weekend.  I decided I was going to kick the booze to the curb.  It was interesting going camping with our best friends while they partied like rock stars and we drank our water and watched.  I was still very amused and enjoyed myself...AMAZING right?  My diet for the weekend consisted of Reeces peanut butter cup smores...mmm mmm mmm.  Potato chips, marshmellows, heavy pasta in the rain and breakfast made for truckers heading up the highway for days...yes all of these are staples for camping.  I did eat carrots and sweet peas DUNKED in ranch dressing made with real sour cream.  Needless to say, I didn't really exercise this last week while traveling across Alaska on our great adventure.  I did however come home with a lot of healthy fish to cook up over the next year.  So this week I will start my healthy eating all over again and exercise...tomorrow that is.  We rolled in to the house around 10:30 pm and I had to clean up puke from the two year old several times.  Didn't make my gym date this morning but I didn't beat myself up either for getting that extra needed sleep.  This is the all in moderation part and taking it easy on myself as tomorrow is another day.  I do have to give a quick shout out to the almighty watching over me and my family.  Thank you for bringing us together and allowing us to enjoy each other and blessing me with such wonderful boys. 

My accountability....ouch

So I decided I will post a picture from this morning after my brutal cardio workout.  To date I have lost 53 lbs.  It's been up and down since May.  Did I mention the inspiration for my diehard dedication is that I freaking turned 40 in May??  Well, I did.  I spent my 30's pleasantly plump and I certainly do want to spend my 40's that way.  Well at any rate, I was a Beach Body addict through my initial weight loss.  In order to be successful at this program, you have to change your eating habits and cut out alcohol (WHAT???)!  Yes I did...no beer.  I enjoyed not drinking actually.  What I have found is that I still bust my ass and eat healthy, but I lose maybe a 1lb here and there with that poison.  So, in order to meet my goals, bye bye ol friend.  So here goes, my accountability....I will post pictures of my progress on the last part of my weight loss journey  for all the world to see. I think this will help keep me on track and maybe help someone out there see that I am just a girl with a goal and you too can do it.  I guess I can look at this picture and not totally be disgusted with myself today.  I actually can see a curve and a belly button.  There are not rolls jiggling all over so yes I've come a long way. 

People ask what I do.  It's not easy. I have 4 boys.  3 of my boys are young.  8, 6, 2.  They require a lot of attention and I work full-time.  In order for me to make time to at least guarantee that one workout, I set my alarm for 4:15am.  Now, ask anyone that knows me...I am not a morning person.  My head will spin around and I think I may even breath fire if not I definitely spit it.  I don't enjoy people breathing my air nor do I like to be spoken to in the morning.  Now that I have been honest about my mornings, I can tell you that this new routine has changed a lot in my life.  I go and sweat and get my blood pumping through my veins.  I do a minimum of 60 minutes every morning before work.  It makes me a better person.  I am in a good mood when I get home.  I am smiling and ready to start my day.  I go home and cook breakfast and pack food for my husband and help get him off.  I use to to yell and shout in the mornings.  This has changed the dynamics of our house for the better.  Everyone gets started off on the right foot for a positive day.  Now, this is not the only workout of my day.  It takes work and dedication.  I try to workout every lunch hour and after work too.  I do have things that get in the way of that, but for the most part this is my routine 5 days a week.  I will give you more insight to that as I go on. 

My first blog...initiation

7/2/12
I've been wanting to start this blog for some time.  The big set back is I was just too busy to figure out how to set up the blog.  I will improve this as I spend more time on it.  I originally wanted to start this to track my weight loss and share it with other people who struggled.  I wanted to show you that when you set your mind to it, it can be done.  There are many set backs along the way but keep at it you will get there.  Now I have lost over 50lbs in 5 months.  That is quite a feat.  I have a very complicated, busy life and if I can do it, you can too.  I'm still trying to lose another 50 pounds.  Don't worry you will get to take that journey with me.  I was brave enough to post these crazy pictures to show you I'm a real person with real struggles.  I am a big fan of Beach Body. Beach Body is a program that you can do in your living room with discipline and you can follow the healthy eating tips they suggest and modify it to meet your needs.  I am  currently doing Insanity round 2 and Les Mills Pump.  I will give you little blurps about this and that and will talk about my life in general.   I'm not sure what direction this blog will go in.  I know I like to share recipes and weight loss stories and I like talking about the most important thing in my life....my family.  So I guess come alone with me on this journey and we will see where it takes us.