Try Again?

180/300

SOO I only got a little halfway over my goal. I blame my laziness when summer started.

Excuses- I didn't want to take the kids with me to the Y bc they are too old for 2hr babysitting & ball rooms only open in evenings, I enjoyed our 1 mile walks out the road from the house but drivers are CRAZY, & no point in taking kids to park bc they just want to PLAY. And I'm def not leaving them alone. 

SIGH

I look back & wish I would've kept pushing myself. Think of what I could've accomplished if I kept it up! I was on a roll! 

Just goes to show ya that everyone fails at something. If you can't do it right the first time, TRY AGAIN. 

SOO yeah, I'm here to tell you all....I'm going to try again. I have to do something. Ted even said he'll go in evenings with me & maybe do a class! Haha We'll see on that one ;)

I might do Weight Watchers again. This time with my sis. I lost a lot of weight after having Cody doing it but then Emma came along! So we'll see & I'll for sure blog about it. I miss sharing my ups & downs lol

I'm a worrier!

150/300

I've not been walking much, but when I do I haven't been posting! 

I'm WAY behind on my goal....so all of you all who doubted me, well, there ya go. You were right so go gloat somewhere else please. 

I'm unsure if I want to give myself a goal for next year. I don't want to fail again. 

But the year isn't over yet & we still have our BIG trip coming up so maybe I'll get some mileage in then. 

Ya never know, but I'm bummed bc I didn't push myself. Honestly I'm not going to let it get me down because I'm just NOT a perfect/athletic person. I worry WAY too much about my weight, what others think, blah blah blah....and I need to just start enjoying my life. That's a goal for next year...ENJOY YOUR LIFE. 

Camping!

136.7/300

We did A LOT of walking past 2 days at Camp Arrowhead for Boy Scout camping! I'm giving myself 3 miles. I'm sure we walked more, but I just lost track. 

The kids got to shoot BB guns, bow & arrow and go fishing. We even camped out in 40 degree temps....maybe even cooler than that! 

But just being able to give my kids and our Cub Scouts this experience was TOTALLY worth it! 

I will need my Aleve & my heating blanket on my back tonight & tomorrow tho lol

I'm ready for more camping tho! Nothing like watching my kids have fun & enjoy being outdoors :)

Chilly walk

Well I didn't get to do water Zumba this morning bc I had to take my oldest child to the dr. He's been sick for about 3 weeks now w/on & off fever, LOTS of coughing & feeling crummy. But he was a trooper & kept goin to work! 

Oh yeah, I'm talking about Ted... LOL 

But he's got good meds now so hopefully he'll get better quick! 

We took advantage of the nice/chilly evening & took a family walk! Even Rufus & Marki joined us :) 

+1.62

133.7/300

Before & after...

My friend Mary from school has invited me to water Zumba this morning. Don't get me wrong, I LOVE water Zumba but I DONT WANNA GO!! My body hurts already, I feel a headache coming on, I barely got sleep last night bc Ted coughing & Emma coming over & kicking me most of night....AAHHHHH!!! 

It's been WEEKS since I've been to the Y. It's been that long since I've been motivated to do ANYTHING toward my goal for the year. I've gained all my weight BACK that I lost....I'm just frustrated!!! 

Why is this so stinking hard?!

Why can't I loose weight easier?!

Why do I always feel judged by EVERYONE around me?! 

------------------------------------------

Ok so that is a little embarrassing to read, but it's real. Totally shows I'm not perfect. But it was EXACTLY how I felt this morning. It shows how stinking WHINY I am too lol 

BUT!!!! I went to water Zumba! And I even stayed for the toning class after!! 2 hours of being in the water was...just AWESOME. I love swimming. It reminded me of how young & engerized it makes me feel! And no it wasn't because of all the older (than me) ladies in the class with me ;) 

I am SOO thankful for Mary being my motivator today! I've got some amazingly awesome friends in my life :)

132.08

Imma slacker ;)

Soo yeah. i have totally been SLACKING on my walking. I have walked tho, a couple times with the kids out the road & even jogged to try & keep up w/Ted helping Cody ride his bike w/no training wheels. 

I need motivation. 

My excuse? I'm EXHAUSTED. I've got a lot going on...but that shouldn't stop me. I know. I'm hoping to get some big miles in soon tho! My cooler weather is coming back:) 

130.08/300

Cody Update!

Saw Dr. V this morning. Both of Cody's tests came back normal. Thank goodness!! I was nervous, but deep down I knew he would be OK. I guess it's a mom thing to get OVERLY nervous. 

But no meds. I'm going to continue no food dyes & the fish oil & see what happens after school starts. 

One good thing is, I got to talk w/his teacher the other day. Getting it all off my chest & ALMOST crying (lol) to her made me feel better. It's going to be a good school year. It has to be bc all this emotional crap is starting to drain me. 

123.08/300

Tree Hugger lol

So we lugged around more of the tree today. I gave myself a couple of miles lol And with our track we built, I walked it twice day before...it was .05 miles lol 

122.08/300

I found this interesting post on Facebook today. (Thought I'd share)

 I like Mr. Oliver. I'm glad he is pushing for a change! 

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=282738521867456&set=a.174667692674540.40864.174666972674612&type=1

Last day of July!

Took my crazy, super energetic kids for a walk this evening. I don't think it wore them out, but they ran most of way & I had to keep up!! 

This is my kinda weather to walk in :)

I started this challenge in colder weather & I like it :)

I've added a couple miles for all the walking & lugging tree limbs around the yard....

Thankfully all we have left is the trees to cut up & the fire wood will be gone by this weekend :)

119.96/300

Color Splash 2013

I walked my 2nd 5K yesterday! It was a FUN one! 

I had a couple great friends who walked with me too :)

116.67/300

Cody Update :)

Cody had his EEG & EKG done finally. He thought both tests were "cool." I'm glad he didn't freak out because it would've made it harder on me. I probably would have cried WITH him lol

But it's over! 

He sees the dr in August to get the results :)

 Enjoy the pics...they were his idea to share :) 

We did walk the yesterday. It wasn't a pretty day, but it wasn't HOT or raining so that made it perfect :) 

112.55/300

Chocolate plz ;)

Well obviously Day 1 was it for posting all meals & snacks for the day. Yeah, I'm not perfect! Plus it honestly stressed me out. Who knew that keeping everyone updated on what my kids ate would be stressful?! 

It's just not me to do that. 

But I will share my kids FAVORITE meal, that they actually eat daily...drum roll...

CHOCOLATE PEANUT BUTTER & JELLY SANDWICHES! 

Yep :) 

Ted & I even eat it! It has All Natural ingredients 

Go to www.ilovepeanutbutter.com & they have a white chocolate PB I want to try!! 

This momma LOVES all kinds if chocolate!! (HINT: My bday is coming up! LOL) 

REMINDER: I'm walking the Color Splash 5K at KDMC this Saturday morning. If you want to walk with me, LMK! 

Register at www.tristateracer.com

I've got 3 other friends walking w/me so far :)

Day 2-4

Last 3 days have been a BLURR. I can tell you we had Mexican Tuesday to celebrate my parents anniversary & Wednesday night we had pizza, but that's it lol

So I'll start back up w/today...Day 4

Breakfast - toast w/honey & glass of milk

Lunch - light lunch of cheese and crackers (it was just with me and Emma, Cody had lunch at Chinese camp)

Dinner - leftover steak and more cheese and crackers...lol 

Both kiddos had yogurt for a snack.
This whole challenge has been hard to be honest. I'm beginning to doubt myself. I don't see a change in Cody at all. Maybe he's just acting like a typical boy and I'm overreacting? My biggest fear is when he starts school. School is where his lack of attention shows A LOT. At least it did in Kindergarten. SIGH.....

I'm starting to get anxious for his tests he's having done next week. I know they aren't bad & will give us important info but still.... 

I worry too much.

Day 1

I really started this on Saturday but Ted decided he wanted IHOP after church Sunday morning &...yeah.

So Day 1 w/no artificial food dyes. 

Breakfast - whole wheat toast w/chocolate peanut butter. Cody decided to add raspberries on his toast :)

And of course a glass of milk, vitamins & 1/2 tsp of fish oil.

Lunch - turkey sandwich w/strawberry lemonade. Yogurt for dessert 

Dinner - beef tenderized w/white bean hummus spread on top (looks kinda gross but tastes YUMMY!), corn & potato salad 

For dessert we got creative w/our banana :)

YUMMM!!! 

Snack - We made Strawberry Lemonade popsicles today :)

I'm hoping I can keep all this up this week! I almost learned too late that the kids normal easy-quick breakfast has Red 40 in it..no nutrigrain bars this week. 

Already this new challenge has opened my eyes to WHAT I am feeding my kids. And myself. 

So yeah, I'm going to be "that mom" that I always didn't want to be. lol

Carrageenan.....

Has anyone ever heard of "Carrageenan?" It's used in a lot of milk products.


And you are wondering why I care and I'm sharing, right? Well, my mom brought it to my attention the other day on the back my kids FAVORITE milk boxes. Yes, the Horizon milk that you can now get a Sam's and it has 6, yes SIX, Box Tops on them!!! lol

 

 

And I also found it in Nestle products (milk mixes, Carnation breakfast.....) and in Yoplait & Dannon yogurts. (one or both also has the dyes in them)


Anyway, I didn't think much of it but when I was shopping for food with no dyes in them, I noticed a lot of juice and yogurt I normally buy for my kids has it in them. I came home and did some more research. I found this blog post written by a guy named Jonanthan Bechtel..... http://blog.healthkismet.com/carrageenan-cancer-health-inflammation


If you don't want to read it, that's ok. It pretty much says that Carrageenan is bad for you...
"Because carrageenan has a long and notable history of significant correlations to different types of cancer and acute-inflammatory responses which are not good for you, to say the least."  If you want more info, read the blog. He did his own research and proves it.

That terrifies me about....all of it. And I just bought the 15 pk of the Horizon Milk with the 6 Box Tops on it at Sam's! :/

So what's an alternative? We are drinking Silk Pure Almond. It even comes in DARK CHOCOLATE.....YUM! (Thanks Mom ;)

So yeah, both of these milks are kinda expensive and it's not our choice of drink everyday with every time we are thirsty. We do drink a lot of water around here. My kids love to drink water out of refillable water bottles. They love it because I will allow those to go in their rooms lol 

SO just in case you are thinking, "Really, there's stuff in all our food that's bad for you." Yes, I know this. I'm sure the Pizza Hut pizza we had the other night has all kinds of bad things for us, but we can indulge, right? I know I can't keep my kids from all bad things, but if I can keep my kids eating & drinking mostly healthy now, I will feel better about trying to be that good mom.
 

New Challenge

As if just walking and trying to eat healthier for myself isn't hard enough for me to do, I'm now faced with another challenge. This one involves my kids.

For those that don't know, I took Cody to a doctor this week to start the process of testing him for ADHD. He was super nice and asked lots of questions, Cody even answered some. He was nervous though. I had Emma crawling all over my lap which helped me hide my nervousness. SO when they dr mentioned MEDICATION, that's when I became super nervous. I'm not totally for meds (unless absolutely necessary) and he gave me that classic dr answer "these meds have over 20 years of being FDA approved as apposed to the only a few years of trying natural way to treat ADHD." My mom has done her research with books and online and has helped me find natural ways to treat ADHD. Honestly, it's all been overwhelming. SO much info to learn and read and to add to our lifestyle......

I'm not gonna lie, I was an emotional mess leaving there. Some may ask WHY?! Ummm, this is my BABY.  The dr mentioned tests....an EEG and an EKG.  I know now (after freaking out and calling the office 2 hours later to ask more questions) that the tests are nothing to worry about. The EEG can actually help find brain waves that show ADHD.

Again, not gonna lie, I'm STILL super emotional about this. We all want our kids healthy and have no problems, but that's in a perfect world. HA, I'm definitely not living in one of those. So I'm putting my trust in God and hoping I can get this all figured out.

SO my new challenge.....

Because I don't want to do meds, I'm trying some natural ways to help Cody. I'm starting SIMPLE. (at least I thought simple...lol)

My mom found some orange flavor fish oil. Yes.....orange flavor. My kids actually like it SO THAT is a blessing!! They take that every morning with their multivitamins and their probiotic, which we've already been taking those for the past year or so.

Another change is NO ARTIFICIAL DYES.  Like Red 10, Blue 1, Yellow 5.....and so on. I went to Walmart today to find some snacks for the kids to eat and OH MY....
I don't normally read labels. I look at Calories but that's the extent of it. A lot of their fav snacks....no more. It's amazing how many juices and cereal, and yogurt have those food colorings in them. And I thought it would be simple.....WRONG. It was hard saying NO to GOGURTS! Those are Cody's favorites :(

So now I'm going to be "THAT MOM" that is particular about what her kids eat. I'm not going to let my kids have food at birthday/school parties, the in laws, or anywhere else that I know has those dyes in them. I'm going to be picky. My kids will probably cry and be upset, but I want them HEALTHY!

HONESTLY....should I be so picky? Should I let it slide a couple times or should I put my foot down and say no? I hate the thought of making other people watch what they feed my kid, when I know it's stressful for myself. I know I deal with food allergies with my friend's kids and kids at school so this is no different, right? As long as I just bring my own food for them....so then I'll look like their food is not good enough.......

I'M TOTALLY WORRYING TOO MUCH ABOUT THIS, RIGHT?!
Just put me out of my misery and tell me already....I can take it.

Beautiful Day

To go for a walk w/the kiddos & my parents. It was HOT. But it was nice to get out of the house for a little bit :)

Now it's time for some ICE CREAM! 

(For the kids.....of course!) 

109.95/300

We went exploring!

Well, hiking. I used to LOVE hiking. Don't get me wrong, I still do but OMG. I'm SOO out of shape. 

It didn't help that Ted & the kids decided to CLIMB A HILL. I mean like THE SIDE of a hill! I won't lie, I was terrified. I have the dirt on my pants & under my fingernails to show it lol

So was Emma but I hated to freak her out more so I kept quiet lol 

We made it. I survived. I DID IT! 

I'm not sure how many miles we went but I'm giving myself 2. 

107.95/300

2nd walk this week :)

Ted walked w/me this evening. I wasn't going to go bc it felt soo humid out, but I pushed myself!! And having Ted with me helped. It's been awhile since we've been for a walk together :) 

+1.31

105.95/300

OK, so I want to hit 200 miles before my bday, August 10. That's only 94 miles! If I don't hit it, I want to be CLOSE. Think I can do it? We'll see!! 

I just need to keep pushing & motivating myself to keep going. 

Walking buddy needed :)

+2.05 miles alone this evening

104.64/300

I have so much stress in my life right now. I thought that last month of school was stressful.....but being home ALL DAY EVERYDAY with my kids is a pain! I love them, but they know how to drive me NUTS. My patience is being tested & I don't like it. I've thought about it. Maybe this is God's way of giving me a push to GO WALK. Walking is my stress relief & I get a lot of thinking (& talking if I have a buddy) done. 

I need a serious walking buddy. Someone who will plan days to walk with me & be my motivation, as I will for them! 

I like to walk by my house, at the Y or in Central Park in Ashland :)

OH, they PAVED out the road from my house! No more walking on gravel :) 

(Yeah, it's the little things lol)

Over 100 miles!!!

+5 miles 

102.59/300

I've walked over 100 miles! 

I'm a 1/3 of my way there!! :)

I gave myself 2 miles for walking all over Easton this weekend. We walked back & forth shopping everywhere. Wore me out but I had A LOT of fun!! 

The 3 other miles were from week before I walked at the Y. I'm goin to miss my Y days, but hopefully I can still go some this summer! 

I'm hoping to start walking daily w/the kids. Even if it's just out the road from our house for only a mile, I'll take it! Anything helps me get back on track to get my goal :) 

Starting my week off right :)

Walked 2.4 miles w/my mom at the park today :) 

97.59/300

I had some much needed girl talk w/my mom today. We don't get it much so it means a lot to me :) 

I'm excited to continue going to water Zumba this week. I have stuff at school to do Monday & Wednesday mornings but other days, I'm SOO there! 

Water Zumba!!

My friend Britney took a water Zumba class w/me this morning. I LOVED IT! I'm totally going to more classes. It was a good workout too. 

Before class I walked 2.33 miles on the treadmill. So when I came in to work at 10:30, I had SOO much energy lol 

I needed to work off some stress. 

I'm glad I found a class I like that won't hurt my ankle too. I just hope this summer I can still keep at it. 

ANYONE WANT TO COME JOIN ME?! 

2.33 miles on treadmill 

1 mile Wednesday

95.19/300! 

It's been too long...

Wow. It's been 3 WEEKS since I walked last! SOO much has been keeping me from it. I feel like a complete failure in my challenge now because I'm WAY behind on my goal....BUT I did walk today!

2.2 miles on the treadmill 

91.86/300

I wasn't even on the treadmill 10 minutes & I started sweating like a pig!! I had it set to 1 incline & was only walking 3.1! I walked like that for 45 minutes.....I never know how fast I walk. I haven't used a treadmill in YEARS. I love that the Y has cardio room w/WINDOWS. I think I'll be using it a lot more now.

I JUST REGISTERED FOR ANOTHER 5K!!

Want to join me?!
https://www.tristateracer.com/RaceInfo.php?RaceID=1161
 

3.64 miles :)

My motivation level was nonexistent this morning. I barely got my kids to school on time. I forgot breakfast for myself so I ended up eating a blueberry bagel from Tim Hortons, which was SUPER yummy & a lot cheaper than Starbucks!

I sat in my truck till Tish got what she needed done this morning. In my mind I was goin to walk, but my body was like NO! SIT!
lol
But she came and we walked. And we talked about...stuff & next thing I know, it's time to pick up Emma & we've walked around 3 times.

IT FELT GREAT!

3.64 miles :)

89.66/300

I love walking in the morning

2.4 this morning at the park :)

86.02/300

My legs were SORE this morning! No idea why. Maybe they were trying to detour me from walking lol
It took a lot for me to walk tho. I sat in the truck for 20 minutes before venturing out.

I'm exhausted. Didn't sleep well last night bc I had a rough evening w/Emma. (That's another blog post lol)

I didn't jog today. Well, I tried, but my pants kept falling down! Literally! It's hard to jog & hold them up...I tried. Plus I probably looked HILARIOUS.....lol
But I think it's time to retire those yoga pants to just lounge pants till I can't keep them up period. They are MY FAV.
So now I need a new pair of yoga pants.

What's your fav ones & where did you get them?

I'm lapping the couch potatoes :)

I'm not on track w/my goal right now & I'm kinda bummed.

83.64/300

I was hoping to have more miles by this point but LIFE happens daily. lol

My last walk/jog was Sunday evening. It was nice & getting cooler.
I am proud of myself for keeping it up & not giving up tho. I'm doin more than those sitting on the couch! I keep reminding myself that.

I'm not perfect at this. I'm still learning how to change my eating habits. I can't totally cut out my fav foods so I'm trying to deal w/eating them LESS lol It's hard I tell ya!!!
But w/the support of friends & family, I CAN do it :)

Pain is weakness leaving the body....

That is what I kept telling myself this morning.
It's been over a week since I've walked. I kept telling myself all week (Spring Break) I was goin to walk but I never did!
I totally felt like a complete failure. Still do. But I walked/jogged today! And I'm totally proud of myself!!

+2.42 miles today...

81.09/300!!

I know this sounds dumb, but I love to sweat lol Makes me feel like I'm actually doin something right.
I did start to jog today. I only did small intervals tho. It was PAINFUL the first 2 but after I could tell it was getting easier.

THANK YOU Lindsay for that suggestion.

I don't have a goal for jogging a mile or anything. I just want to sweat haha

HAVE YOU WALKED TODAY?

Beautiful Day :)

78.79/300

Yeah yeah. I said I wasn't goin to walk till next week but it was a BEAUTIFUL day! I only walked 1.64 miles but at least I walked.

I miss walking.

I have turned into one of those people that I used to HATE (secretly) for saying things like that. For real. It just makes me feel good!

Anyone else get some outside time this weekend?

HAPPY EASTER!

5K

76.55/300

I'm a week late writing this post, but better late than never, right?!

I walked my first 5K last weekend! Well, I speed walked lol  I totally walk SLOW. I'm not in as good of shape as all the other people running/walking. It really affected me. I have told myself all week that I need to step it up. But I didn't go walking AT ALL this past week.
Here's my excuses,
My week started off with my ENTIRE body in pain from Saturday. I went to my chiropractor, she helped with my back pain, but everything just kept hurting. Plus my ankle, on the leg where I broke my leg, has (STILL IS) been bothering me. It just throbs if I don't elevate it and if I'm on it for too long. Totally sucks.

I feel like a HUGE slacker this week. I literally feel HUGE too because I haven't been counting my calories either. I'm going backwards, not forward and I feel like everyone who doubted me with my challenge is saying, HAHAHA told ya she couldn't do it!! Maybe its me saying it to myself too..........

I'm not perfect. I knew that this would be a hard journey for me. I just never believed that I would feel this low about getting off track. I started blogging because I thought it would help me, but I'm still failing.
ENOUGH negative.....

Monday starts a new week. I'm going to enjoy my family this weekend and eat all the good food! I'm not going to worry about my challenge or my calories. I'm going to enjoy myself.
Hopefully I can find my ankle brace and I can go walking Monday. I need to MOVE.

Who wants to get moving with me?!

one mile

73.55/300

So I woke up this morning feeling MUCH better than yesterday. Decided to go walk at the Y. I felt fine till about 3 laps in.....it's 14 for a mile....about halfway I felt like I was going to pass out. Thankfully I remembered to grab a Gatorade this morning. It helped me finish my mile.

Yeah, major lesson learned this morning. Don't jump back into walking/exercising until you feel 100% better. I don't think I sweat so much just walking a mile before!

Last night I watched the Biggest Loser finale. I cried like a baby!! I have watched this season faithfully and Dani was my FAV since the beginning. I am SOO happy for her! She looked AMAZING! (besides her fake tan and hair...not a fan lol)
So this morning when I got up I totally felt like a failure. I thought about how awesome all the contestants did and how awful I look and feel still. That was my motivation this morning. But I should have ignored it because I'm just not over this sickness yet. Or maybe I'm just being a big baby?! idk. lol

I need ideas on some tummy exercises! I feel like my "mom belly" is just sticking out like a sore thumb these days and it's embarrassing. Esp when I walk in the room and that's what everyone looks at first instead of my face. I envy the moms that don't have this problem and can wear a regular bathing suit to the pool and wear cool designer jeans that don't have the Tummy Tuck Technology in them. SIGH

Tomorrow is another day. It will be an awesome day too!

It's a rainy Monday....

No walking today or all weekend. I think I have finally caught what everyone else in my family has had. I've got a fever, body aches, constant headache....nothing else yet. I REALLY hope I get nothing else because I don't want anything else.

I'm so over this time of year.

Someone PLZ go walk some miles for me. I'm feeling pudgy and drained today. I want my energy back.

Rough morning

+2 miles
72.55/300

Oh that was a rough 2 miles this morning. It's really hard when I forget my earbuds at home...rough, I know lol
But really, my body hates me right now.
I saw my chiropractor yesterday bc I started getting that pain down both legs...now...and my feet feel numb more often. Yes, I'm stretching! Thinking maybe my bulging disk may be bothering me again....

For those that don't know, 3 years(?) ago I had really, I mean REALLY bad lower back pain. It got to the point where I couldn't even go to bathroom alone w/o either crawling or having someone help me. It's was rough bc I couldn't even take care of my kids. Luckily my chiropractor got me in to see a dr that specializes in back pain. THANKFULLY he gave me my options and I chose the injections. THAT was Scarry but after the 3-4 of them, I felt A LOT better.
I don't want to go through all that again.

I'm thankful this morning for Lindsay being my motivation!! I got moving! Lol It wasn't as much as my normal but I did something :)

Proud of Myself

+4 miles at the Y this morning :)
70.55/300

I don't have a hard time GETTING to the Y. I don't have a hard time going in either. The first mile was....OK. But starting on mile 2 I started feeling like I wanted to stop. I did too. Only it was because I already drank a whole bottle of water and I had to go. I've got that "mom bladder" where if you don't go right then.....it's not good. lol
But that short break was pretty much what I needed though. It got me through the remaining 3 miles. Weird how that happens.

But I did it. And I'm proud of myself :)

15 pounds :)

I've been dealing with a sick baby girl and husband all weekend, but we did take a relaxing walk yesterday. We didn't go too far for fear that one of them would need the toilet, but it was nice to get out and enjoy that WARM weather we had!!!

+.73 miles takes me to 66.55/300 :)

I was sad to see our warm and dry weather leave us today. I had my morning all planned out, but Emma decided to get sick while eating breakfast. SO no walking for me today. That's ok though because after dropping Cody off at school, we can home and took a much needed nap! Then I got started on going through all of the kids clothes and toys. Planning on a rummage sale soon at my house.

SO I told myself that I wasn't going to worry about loosing weight. I just wanted to challenge myself with my 300 miles and trying to be healthier with my eating habits. Well, I've sneaked a peak a few times at my weight on the scale. I checked it Friday and................

I've lost 15 POUNDS since January 1!!!!!

How awesome is that?! So proud of myself.
I had to check it, because I kept getting comments on my weight and they way my clothes look on me now. Curiosity got the best of me. But now I'm hoping I don't obsess over it. It's not what I'm wanting to focus on right now. All other times that I have tried to loose weight, that was my main focus and it ALWAYS got me discouraged and I gave up. I didn't loose as fast as I thought I should've.
I'm not wanting to be that mom taking bikini pics and posting on facebook, I just want to be that mom that can play with her kids and not feel worn out after 5 minutes. I want to feel comfortable enough to just be me.  I haven't had that for a LONG time.
If you are truly wondering what my goal weight loss is for myself, I set it at 55 pounds. I'm 27% there :)

A little more about me :)

 I am sure you were just thinking you wished you knew more about me. So read up  and pick 2 to 5 bloggers and pass it on. I want to know more about my new friends. Starting this blog has opened up a whole new world of friendships for me and I'd love to know more :)

All you have to do is say who you received this Tag and who you’re Tagging.
 

I've been tagged by.... Cindy's Grand Adventures

Then answer the 25 questions by copying from here and pasting to your blog. 

1.    Where were you born?  West Virginia
 
2.    Were you named after someone? Not that I know of lol
 

3.    How many children do you have. I have 2, Cody and Emma

 

4.    How many pets do you have?  3, a turtle, Henry and 2 dogs, Rufus and Marki
 

 5.    Your worst injury. 7 years ago I fell and broke my right leg. I have no cool story to tell. It was just a 6 inch step and I guess I came down wrong....no fun.
 

 6.    Do you have a special talent? This one is really hard for me to answer. I honestly cannot think of any special talents I have. If you are reading this and know of any, please let me know lol
 

 7.    Favorite thing to bake? COOKIES :)
 

 8.    Favorite Fast Food. Fast Food is the DEVIL. It's the reason I have a hard time loosing weight, but I can never stay away from Dairy Queen. Chicken strips and ice cream in the same place....YUM

  

9.    Would you bungee jump? No way. if you would have asked me 7 years ago, I'd totally go for it though.
 

10. What is the first thing you notice about people? their smile/teeth lol
 

11. When was the last time you cried? Last week. It was a bad week.
 

12. Any current worries. Oh where do I start.... bills, my kids, figuring out what to wear tomorrow, paying tuition, wondering if ___ is mad at me bc she wont talk to me, where to have my sons bday party and can we afford it....I could go on....
 

13. Name 3 drinks you drink regularly. water, Pepsi Max, Moscato
 

  14. What’s your favorite book/Author? I don't have a favorite author, yet. I'm still exploring and reading anything interesting lol  My fav read so far has been the Sookie Stackhouse series.
 

 15. Would you like to be a pirate? YES. I want a parrot on my shoulder too
 

 16. Favorite smells.   Vanilla, fresh baked cookies, my husbands deodorant (seriously) lol
 

 17. Why do you blog? I blog because I want to motivate and be motivated to get myself healthy! I want to share my ups and downs and here others lifes stories
 

 18. What song do you want played at your funeral?  Goodbye by Avril Lavigne
 

19. What is your least favorite thing about yourself? my weight

 20. Favorite hobby.  I love being crafty, I just never have the time. I also love to walk and swim
 

21. Name something you’ve done, you never thought you would do? Have 2 kids, 3 pets and drive a TRUCK lol

 22. What do you look for in a friend? 
 I look for someone who makes me laugh, laughs at my stupid jokes, honest, loyal, truthful. (I liked Cindy's answer so I'm leaving it)

 23. Favorite fun things to do? crafts with my kids, play soccer, jump on the trampoline, swim, take walks, have Girls Night Out

 24. Pet peeves. Kids who are old enough to talk with pacifiers still, people who talk bad about me behind my back &/or start rumors, liars

 25. What's the last thing that made you laugh? Looking up YouTube videos to answer the question about song played at my funeral LOL

 

I AM TAGGING...

 

 

 

DeBie Hive
 

 Giggles And Screams

i am mama lola

 

9 more miles!

I walked 2x this week and I forgot to blog about them!
Tuesday I walked 4 miles with my friend Jenn. First time we've walked together! :)
Thursday I walked a mile alone and then Crystal joined in for the other 4 miles with me.

65.82/300 :)

I totally enjoy walking with my friends. It's such a stress relief to talk and just let out....stuff.

This week has not been the best for me, BUT it was better than last week. That's a positive. I just hope my weeks just keep getting better. I need some more positive. Especially with all the sickness that keeps coming in our house.

So this week my motivation has been my friends. What motivates you?

Belated Post

I walked 3 miles at the Y last week.

56.82/300

It has been a ROUGH past 6-7 days. I feel like God is testing me to see how strong I am. All I am doing is asking WHY?!?! Why is all this happening to me? Why am I being punished? As if it was for me, Father Noe's sermon was on this topic of asking Why? when things seem to be going wrong. I feel like I am being punished. But I'm not.

Like my friend Jenn reminded me,
"He always knows what we can handle! Especially when we don't know what else to do. Like Father Noe said, there's always one more move in the game of life."

To be honest, it's REALLY hard to think that right now. I'm sure when it all blows over and it all gets right, then I will look back and see it.

Throughout all this, I only walked once and it was a miserable 3 miles. I literally just could not let go of all my negative energy and emotions. I usually leave everything at the Y door but it followed me in that day. Not even some Lady GaGa could cheer me up. It was a huge let down for me and since that Tuesday, it all went downhill :( I've also been eating bad too. Not counting my calories. And I feel miserable emotionally and physically.

I'm hoping to make this next week better. It HAS to get better.

I'm thankful for my few close friends and the family that I still have who love and care about me. I'm thankful for those that let me "vent" text...lol You know who you are and I LOVE YA!

And of course I gotta give a shout out to my new "bloggy mom" friends. Thanks for cheering me up on Twitter ;)

Outdoor walkin'

53.82/300

3.12 miles today outside! Its been a few weeks since I've walked outside bc its been COLD. It felt great. Love walking in the sunshine and enjoying nature.

Only bad this was the Sunday morning drivers coming home from church. Yeah. But it's ok lol

March 23 I will be walking a 5K in Huntington, WV at Ritter Park. It's for the Children's Hospital at Cabell Huntington Hospital. Anyone want to join me?
It starts at 10AM (reg at 9) Give me your email and I will send you the registration form.

It's a Beautiful day! Are you walking today?

Mom Confession in this one ;)

No walking today, but I did play some basketball w/the kids & Ted!
Oh and I helped one of my best friends pack stuff to move today. Didn't do a lot of lifting but hey, I was moving! lol

Last year, Well lets say before January 1, 2013, I was LAZY. Not kidding.
MOM CONFESSION: All summer I would make excuses NOT to take my kids outside. If we did go outside, I would carry a chair w/me & sit. My kids would ask me to play & I would say no. I would say I'm tired, my back hurts.

I'M DONE DOING THAT!

I haven't lost much weight since I started my challenge, but I have noticed I have a lot more energy. I've noticed I don't sit around like I did. Yes, my back still hurts, but I play & do what I can.

It has been a BIG challenge with eating healthier. I love my Pepsi Max. I live for snacking....and CHOCOLATE!!

Know what I mean?!

I'm totally not saying that I'm all perfect go getter momma now. I don't walk everyday. I don't count my calories everyday. I still sit & watch tv & be lazy, but not like I was. I'm on a mission to organize my life and my house lol
(I'll keep yal updated on that one lol)

I want to know what motivates you!
Comment, FaceBook me, Tweet me & let me know! :)

PLUS 7 MILES TODAY :)

Yep, you read the title correctly lol
I am soo proud of myself. I feel AMAZING! I didn't even need motivation this morning. I was actually looking forward to walking! SOO weird for me!

49/300 miles ;)

I've been over stressed with things and I kept trying to plan to walk but things just kept me from going. Let me tell ya, blaring some Three Days Grace Pandora Radio while walking is A-M-A-Z-I-N-G. I recommend it, but try NOT to sing outloud...lol  Yeah, I did this morning hahaha I'm sure the old ladies didn't mind but I didn't plan it!

HAVE YOU WALKED TODAY?

HAPPY FAT TUESDAY!

I had Fat Monday! Ted decided to make MONKEY BREAD last night. OH. MY.

I walked 2 miles last Thursday & 5 miles today at the Y.

42/300! I'm 14% closer to my goal :)

I've been thinking a lot about what I'm giving up for Lent. As I was walking this morning, SWEETS was all I could think of....really?!?!
I want to keep challenging myself to be healthier so cutting out sweets may be what I need! I'm doing all this walking but yet I'm still eating A LOT of sugary foods. To make it easier on myself, I may choose something specific lol Just need to figure out WHAT tho. What are you giving up for Lent?

HAVE YOU WALKED TODAY?

Getting back on track!

I am super happy with myself today. I walked a total of 6 MILES!!

36/300!

I was only planning on walking my normal 2-3 miles. I was actually extremely tired this morning. Didn't get to bed till late and I just wanted to go take a nap lol Thankfully my friend Crystal started off with me then when she had to leave, I walked last 2 with my friend Tish.

Walking with friends is GREAT therapy. Plus it makes the miles go by really fast. I love it ;)
So this is my invitation to anyone reading this, if you want to go walking, let me know! If you don't have a Y membership, we can always walk at the park, down the road or anywhere. Let's motivate each other!!

HAVE YOU WALKED TODAY?

2 miles today :)

I had some time after soccer pics to walk! It felt SOO good!
I only got 2 miles in but in 36 minutes!!! I'm HAPPY with that :)

28/300 :)

I got some new shoes!!!!!
I went to Ungers in Ironton. The guy who helped me was SUPER nice. I've never had anyone tell me the reason for the extra eyelet lol AND he told me things about my feet I didn't know haha Def worth the money & time spent :)

Failed?

OK. It has now been A WEEK since I have been able to walk. It seems like life is throwing everything at me. I have all these excuses (too cold, Book Fair, sick kid, soccer) and I literally feel like CRAP. Its amazing how much you can actually MISS working out.

Anyone else feel this way?

I WAS starting to feel a difference in my jeans. I got real excited. But then today, I noticed they are getting tight again. Sigh :(

I'm feeling defeated. I'm feeling like a failure. Maybe I should have tried harder?
Mentally beating myself up has caused me to eat eAT EAT!!
I don't want to be THAT person who goes back on their New Year's resolution. I don't want to quit. I want to finish my 300 miles and MORE. I want to be that motivation for myself and my friends and family and whoever else reads my blogs.

I'm sorry for those of you who read my blog and expect me to help motivate you but I'm not perfect. I will tell you, after this week (after Book Fair) I WILL get back into walking.

I have been doing some simple exercises before bed every night. I'll share...

Squats! I have a hard time doing them, BUT I'll get better. I have to, right? haha

Not sure what to call the other one, but I either stand or sit straight, turn(twist) my upper body side to side. While doing this, I breathe out real quick (when I'm turned to the side.) When I first started I didn't feel a thing. The next morning I woke up and I could totally feel it in my stomach!

I've also started STRETCHING every morning when I wake up. It wakes me up and I actually feel better. I move around a lot easier too.

What are some simple exercises you do at home when you can't work out?

HAVE YOU BEEN WALKING?

No miles today...

Today was my day to walk at the Y. I didn't go :(
I feel like I've walked though. I set up book fair at school all day then worked in After School w/my little kiddos. My feet are killing me!

I'm still bummed I didn't get to walk. I really look forward to my "me time" lol It's so stress relieving walking. At the Y, they are doing a walk/run challenge. I'm goin to sign up for it! I know I won't win, BUT I want to keep my challenge going! Plus get a tshirt LOL


HAVE YOU BEEN WALKING?

Thankful for the Y

Brrrrrrrrrrr it's a COLD one today!
I walked 3 miles at the Y this morning. I'm SOO Thankful that we can afford for me to be here.
I'm hoping to start some water classes soon. Anyone want to join me? ;)
26/300!

ARE YOU WALKING TODAY?

Only a mile today

I walked my mile while Cody had soccer practice this morning. I could've gone a second mile, but I love watching him practice!

I can't complain too much because my total miles this week is 10!!!!!! My goal for each week to make my overall goal is 6 miles a week so I'm happy with that :)
So I'm 23/300! Woooo!! :)

HAVE YOU WALKED TODAY?

I hope this is motivating you :)

+4 miles today for 22/300!

My morning was rough. THANKFULLY a fellow mom at school decided to go walk with me at the Y. I honestly do not think I would have went if it wasn't for her. We were slow walkers today too. 2 miles in 2 hours. We talked A LOT haha
But that is what I needed! Walking and venting...multitasking!

Afterwards, I decided to go to the park. I WAS planning on taking a nap (no joke) but I got my booty out of the car and walked. My mom and dad joined me also.

This challenge is harder than I thought and I'm sure it's going to get harder. I have book fair coming up and I'm starting to work in the After School Program at school more. Both I am going to enjoy doing, but I'm going to be exhausted. I am going to prove to myself and all who don't think I can do it, that I CAN. I may not get the miles I need every week, but at least I can say that I tried.

One last thing. The past 2 days I have told 2 complete strangers about my challenge. I don't know if they really will or not, but BOTH told me that they are going to start their own challenges too! I was so excited to actually hear that. I just hope that I am being a motivator to my friends and family too :)

HAVE YOU WALKED TODAY?

Bad Morning But Awesome Workout :)

Oh it was a rough morning in the Willhelm household. I dressed to walk, but I was so aggravated with my kids, I just wanted to shop for my therapy. Honestly. I was going to head to walmart and go crazy. I was even planning on buying CANDY! Seriously. That would have totally messed up my calories for the day. I don't want to go back to the old me. I don't want to feel bloated after devouring a whole bag of....anything.
Both ladies I walk with sometimes, were unable to go with me, so that didn't help my motivation either. But when I pulled away from the school, without even thinking about it, I found myself heading to the Y. Funny, huh. It had to be God being my motivator this morning. I was almost in tears as I finally got Emma in the school, I was an emotional mess this morning. Oh wait, that's almost daily. lol

I decided to just go in the Y and just walk a mile. I got my first mile in, then before I knew it, I was counting laps toward my 2nd mile. I felt great. I was hurting though. My legs were sore and my neck was hurting. (I pulled a muscle yesterday, no idea how)
I got a tweet from a lady I have met online. I fellow mom, and just her saying, "you can do it" totally gave me a bump of motivation. I think the other walkers thought I was looney because I just had a big smile on my face. AND one of my fav workout songs came across my Pandora.

I got my 3 miles walking in this morning :)

But there's more. haha I got on the elliptical for 10 minutes. I did a mile!! Why can't I walk that fast? lol  I was a red faced, sweaty mess and I honestly loved it. I love the feeling of working hard.

So adding my 4 miles gives me 19.15/300!

HAVE YOU WALKED TODAY?

A new week :)

 

Today was rough. I didn't realize it had been since Thursday I walked last! I had the motivation, but once I started, my legs just felt really weak. But I pushed myself to walk 1.31 miles.  At least I walked that much today! It's a start to my week. ;)

 

15.15/300!

 

 

 

 

Today is the last day of warmer weather also.  I heard on the news, it's supposed to start getting COLD tomorrow. I'm kinda happy about that, I like walking in colder air, but that also means, snow and ICE on the ground. I don't do well with those.

If you remember my first blog post, I am accident prone. lol  Need more proof? I stepped on the deck last week to walk to garage one morning and about fell! There was ICE from where it had rained the previous evening. Ted didn't believe me because he said it wasn't there when he got home...(at 4am) LOL  But I KNOW it was there and walking on ice/snow in my sneakers makes me nervous.

 

Speaking of sneakers, I need a new pair. Any suggestions on what brand/style to get? I need a lot of support. I like a lot of cushion too.  Any help would be appreciated!

 

HAVE YOU WALKED TODAY??