Working out, what happened?

So a couple months ago I was all inspired and crazy about working out and I was all gung ho. Then you just didn't hear anything again. Well as much of an excuse as it may come off as, life just has been busy. Between getting our orders and everything that comes with moving around the world. And just simply trying to get my body back to itself after the baby things just didn't go as planned.

I personally love working out, but I had some medical situations that needed resolved before I was going to be able to push myself as hard as I would like. Now that I have seen my doctor and I am back on meds I was on during the pregnancy, the are slowly getting back to normal. And I can't wait to get things back on track as far as working out as soon as we are out of hotels. So expect by this time next month a whole new workout update!! I think I am going to start mixing it up more and also have plans for possibly doing a video about working out with kids!! 

So if you enjoy my workout blogs as it appears many people do, stayed tuned more will be coming back soon! 

Working out like a beast: 1 month

So a month has passed, and I have to admit I didn't stay working out as frequent as I wanted to, but for the largest part of the month we have eaten at home and eaten very healthy!! We obviously have had our moments where we cheated but I feel like we have made a lifestyle change.

Here is my 1 month photo results:

And here is the new inch measurements: 

Belly: 40inches starting; 38 inches currently

I lost 2 inches here and I think that is obvious.

Butt:43.5 inches starting; 42.5 inches currently

1 inch off here think I need to do more squats lol

Thighs:23.5 inches starting; 23 inches currently

Half inch not huge but still progress!! 

After one month down a total of 3.5 inches that's pretty awesome!!

I can't wait to keep up with it and hopefully as I adjust more to the kids schedule, and the weather gets warmer that I will become more active and make even more progress towards the muscles I am trying to achieve!!

Starting to workout

Hey guys welcome back. I hope the like 15 of you who regularly read my blogs have been enjoying all the blogs I have been writing. Somehow now that I am busier I have learned better time management, funny how that works!! Anyways at the beginning of every month I sit down with my planner on the monthly page and write down everything we have planned and on the notes section I write out what blogs I want to write than look at my calender and schedule my blogs!! So I know exactly what and when I am going to write!! This year I have been trying to do a few different blogs on a more regular bases so you know when to expect them. Of course seeing as my blog writing time usually occurs during times both kids are asleep they may get missed occasionally. But I try not to miss them as its my time to just write and relax, it also helps me keep my mind busy and organized, if that makes any sense.

Haha probably doesn't seeing as this blog was supposed to be about starting to workout again and I haven't even mentioned it once in the first paragraph!!

But now I will. So starting in March, which I can't believe is this weekend boy is time flying by,I am going to start working on getting back in shape. In order to do that I will have to start scheduling my workouts into my busy days. But I am so ready to, because it gives me more energy and makes me feel healthier over all. Dustin and I have already started cooking healthier meals so this is just another step.

For now I am still going to be taking it rather easy. In March I have two workout calendars I am going to try to follow every day along with going on 20-30 min walks with Dustin and The kids on the weekends. The first calender is withe beginner calender from Blogilates which I will be doing before bedtime once at least Kyra is asleep. It is a lot less difficult than the regular Blogilates workouts were that I used to do, but I expect to see progress!! And the other workout is a really quick HIIT workout calender from BodyRockTV. I am just going to try to squeeze that in sometime during the day when little man is happy and not expecting to be held!! I am so excited to start being more active again.

Belly: 40

Butt:43.5

Thighs:23.5

Stay tuned at the end of March I will post a progress picture!!

30 Day challenge!!

I started a 30 day challenge with a wonderful group of family and friends!! We are doing a special workout calender for 30 days and of course some cardio!!

Just in one day of being back on board I feel way better. I also got a big water bottle that has measurements on the side to make sure I am drinking at the very least 64 oz of water a day!! That is my big trick to weight loss!!

This is the first time Dustin and I are both doing a challenge together and it is great :D We have added a 30 min walk after dinner to our normal routine now and it's great!!

Headed to the gym in like 40 mins. I haven't been in there in like a year. And it makes me nervous because I never really know what to do with myself!! But gonna get on the eliptical or treadmill and run a mile and than try to do some lifting, whatever is available in our limited family room in the gym!!

Okay just a quick check in!! Can't wait to share more of my journey with you!!

Getting back on the bandwagon!

I never thought I would be considered a yo-yo dieter. I think it's sad that most women have to fight to keep weight off. And honestly a full lifestyle change is really hard to obtain. Specially as a foody. I love food ANY kind of food and I swear I am always hungry!

I go months upon months of treating my body amazing I work out daily loose weight and inches and feel amazing about myself. Than I get busy and off track generally in the spring when its nice out and I want to be outside doing things all the time, which leads to not being home during meals and eating food I shouldn't!

So I am trying my hardest to climb back on the bandwagon starting the 1st of April with the encouragement of friends and family! We are starting a biggest loser of sorts competition amongst us as a 30 day challenge to get healthy for the summer season!!  Here is to hoping that I will stick with it and be proud of my body again, I am not happy with the way it fits in clothes again!

2 months of Blogilates!!!

So I am not sure all that much has happened as far as weight loss in the last month I have lost maybe 2lbs.

But from the day I started doing Blogilates until today I have lost 14.75 inches from around my waist, stomach, hips, and thighs! These number mean so much more to me than weight loss and I am glad I can finally see that!

Although I am proud that I am only .8lbs away from reaching the 150s. Weight comes off slow because I am gaining muscle but also because the weight that takes time to get rid of stays off!! So I am happy with my slow progress!

How to love working out!!!

1. Set goals.

Make goals that you can achieve I understand for some people they have their mind set on loosing 20-50 lbs but this can often lead to disappointment. It is healthy to loose only like 1.5 pounds a week that is only 6 pounds at the most each month.  So if you take that into consideration you can see why having your only goal being to loose that much weight, it is going to take a long time to reach that and often causes people to fall off the band wagon!

So I think that in order to really start loving the idea of working out it is better to set smaller goals that are easier to achieve. Goals that are great?  I want to loose 5 lb this month. I want to loose inches each week. I want to improve my endurance. I want to drink more water each day. I want to have no excuses and push out my workout everyday.  I think these goals work great because they are easily measured and can be achieved weekly.  And every time you reach one of your goals you will be able to pat yourself on the back, re-evaluate, and set your next goal a little bit higher so you push just a little bit harder!!

A great example of this would be giving yourself a fitness test at the beginning of a month. With things as simple as crunches, push ups, and burpees. Set your stopwatch for a minute see how many you can do of each. Than after a month of pushing yourself hard retest. You will probably find that your endurance has increased a lot and seeing that on paper is only going to encourage you to keep on keeping on. And before you know it you will get closer to your ultimate goal!

2. Know your options

So I think this is the biggest part of fitness that traps people and makes them feel inadequate. It can be the kill all for those just starting out without any guidance. You really need to learn what your body can handle. Some workout regimes advertise these wonderful results guaranteed. But when it comes down to it, the workout is actually suggested to used by athletes or people who have done that form of exercise for quite sometime. With that being said a beginner can't step up straight into Insanity or the such and expect to rock it out from day 1, and keep up with the instructor and everything. That is not logical. Although they may show you edited moves that can make it a little easier, it really isn't beginner level. And that is just gonna make you very upset when you are dying after a couple days and can't get the courage to even press play.  

I had a similar problem myself. I knew I wanted drastic change and wanted something that would challenge me so I thought I was up to it. I have always felt that once you push play you can't just stop in the middle of the video you have to go all the way through. But there were points where I was so exhausted I couldn't barely move. You want to be sore and feel your workout but you wanna be able to finish it. I also came to find out that Insanity and all its jumping around is just too high impact for me I have always had weak joints and Working out is supposed to improve your life, not make you hurt in a more than sore kind of hurt. I never did finish insanity It was not worth the damage to my joints when there are infinite options of workout that have combinations of Cardio and Toning that are more up to what your body can handle. And I am still challenged everyday!

If your not sure about your options here is a list of few different types of working out you can do and links access the videos!

Beachbody: They have TONS upon TONS of different videos ranging from High/Expert Level workouts to help push athletes to train harder outside the gym, to far easier programs for beginners. Follow this link BEACHBODY. and Shawn Adkins a great friend of mine would love to answer your questions and set you up with a program fit for you. She has fun challenges that push you and is always available to keep you on track along your journey!! Or if you would like to contact her personally visit her website where she has tips, and all her contact info!! http://www.shawnssweatshop.com/


Blogilates: Cassey Ho as I have mentioned in other videos is a Pilates instructor. She has a website BLOGILATES.    Where she posts new workout videos every week, has fun themed work outs, awesome cheap clean eats, and even has 2 workout calenders. One for each month for once you have the hang of Pilates (which can be quite intense, its low impact and looks like it should be easy but you move slow and really focus on the movement of each muscle) and she has a beginners workout that incorporates beginner moves to teach you how to understand the movements, and swings in some harder videos to add a challenge.

DailyHIIT: High Intensity Interval Training aka HIIT. This website provides new videos daily which is grand for those of you who like to keep it fresh. The idea of HIIT is to do a few moves each workout but hard and fast quickly switching between each move. The videos tend to be shorter and you should probably do a couple of them a day so you get up to 20-40 mins of exercise, but they work fast. The only thing I found about this page they do often work with weights and I am still challenged by body weight workouts so I wasn't quite ready. But if you already have a good muscle base and just want something fun and fresh each day DAILYHITT is the place for you!!  

Youtube: There are tons of other things and other fitness instructors that are all over YOUTUBE. They make videos all the time and range from kickboxing to yoga!! Do what is right for you body. If your not sure what is right for your body try a few videos from different categories and do what is fun!!! You don't wanna just do a workout because you sister is. You don't have the same bodies what works for one person may not for another. Your never gonna stick with a routine if you hate it. It shouldn't be a chore.

3. Learn about the benefits.

Man I could go on and on about how good exercise is for you. Not only does it help you reach a healthy weight. It can do so much more. I don't even do it for the weight loss I am just so thrilled about how it helps me in other ways. Here is a simple list off the top of my head there is probably a billion ways that exercising is good for you.

Weight loss
Strong Muscles
More Energy
Ward of diseases (if your family members have diabetes this is a really good reason to start working out)
Amazing Social Network
Improved lung function
ENDORPHINS (Who doesn't like to Feel GOOD!)
Live Longer
It is fun
Helps you sleep

If that isn't enough to get moving, your favorite hobby be it scrapbooking, dancing, or photography are all improved by being in good physical condition. Imagine having a strong enough back to sit up in a chair to scrapbook for hours without having a sore back for the next couple days. Dancing is exercise in itself, wanna go to the club and be the rock-star who doesn't need breaks all the time? Workout and your stamina will increase. Photography? Simple if you wanna get the amazing angles, you may have to bend over backwards or climb a tree, don't wanna hurt yourself in front of a client do you?

Long story short there is NO downfall to getting your sweat on.
 

4. Schedule it like an appointment. No more excuses.

I think having a planned out workout for at least a week in advanced if not the whole month is a great idea. You are so much more likely to stick with something if you know what is coming and that it is going to happen everyday. Once its already on your calender your less likely to just skip it and come up with a reason why you did. Its a commitment to yourself. Some people even go as far as to set a certain time to do it. I try to my workouts during my daughters nap. But I do like to live more of a spur of the moment kind of life, and have a hard time committing to a certain time of day each day. But I know which videos I am going to do each day because they are written out on the calender (whiteboard) and if I erase it with out doing it by the time I go to bed. THE ONLY PERSON WHO IS GONNA FEEL BAD IS ME! 

 If you can't make a commitment to yourself for yourself, than you aren't enjoying it and its time to switch up your workout so that it isn't something you dread. I often find myself excited when my daughter is getting ready to take a nap knowing I get to do my workouts and improve myself!

5. Track your progress

I know you may not want pictures of your before self floating around on your computer, and if you are really uncomfortable you could at least do it with flattering clothes on its just a wonderful thing to be able to look back on. Some days you are gonna feel like you are getting no where and having that picture to glance at will show that, that is not at all true. Even if the scale isn't showing it (Muscle weights more than fat) you are bound to see a difference if you are pushing yourself.

An even better idea is to take your measurements. I only do the small of my waist, the widest part of my waist generally straight along you belly button, the widest part of your hips where you butt most protrudes, and each thigh. Those are your biggest muscle group areas so they will see the most changes. And even if you don't take these measurements but once a month you are bound to see a difference. Down days will come but nothing helps like amazing numbers to get you right back on working out!!

6. Eating healthy is so important.

Last but not least Food. I am not a physical trainer, I am not a nutritionist. All I can do is tell you what I have learned and what works for me. Eating healthy doesn't have to mean being vegan. It means making sure you get your veggies, fruit, and lean meats. No one is gonna stop you from eating carbs, steaks, bacon, and junk food. Honestly in moderation all of those things are perfectly fine. No one is going to stick to a diet unless they have a chance to indulge. Be it a cheat day weekly, or limited amounts of bad calories a day. Don't cut the stuff you love to eat completely out or your gonna be miserable and craving it all the time.

And one thing I can't stress enough because you need it and because it helps melt off fat is water!! Drink Drink and than Drink some more. I have a culligan dispenser and I drink an 8 oz cup when I wake up, one before each meal, 2-3 during workouts, each time I pee, and right before bed. Cold Water takes longer to digest so is good to help make you feel fuller. And room temperature water is better for during workouts or after workouts as it takes less effort for your body to get it into your system and rehydrate all that sweat you're putting out!! 

For more on my diet read my blog Diet Vs. Eating Right

Workout til your happy!!

So lately I started a new workout routine, and I am getting some awesome results that my friends and family are noticing!! Since so many people have asked how I am doing it and what my trick is. I have previously done an article on my diet Diet Vs. Eating Right.

But now I am dong Blogilates with Cassey Ho. I downloaded her app on to my IPad and for only 99 cents a month I get a new calendar with 2-6 videos to do a day, and somedays even have fun things to do like paint your nails, or water drinking challenges!

Her best quote: "Working out should be fun, it shouldn't feel like a chore or you will always hate it!!"

Plus Cassey is just super amazing. I love the variety of having new combinations of videos each day!! I also love that she has lots of cardio that I can do from home!!  She does have a beginners calendar also for people just starting out!! And her videos will make anyone want to keep going as she has this super outgoing fun personality and encourages you the whole way through. 

I am super impressed with how my body is changing. I HAVE ABS!!  And also my love handles are just melting off its the workouts I have been looking for for a long time. In just one week I have already lost 1.4 lbs and 1.75 inches from my body! Other workouts I have purchased were just to repetitive often with 4-5 different videos that you replay throughout 30-90 days. And to me doing the same thing over and over was bad cuz when a day on the calendar had a video I had done 10 times and hated I would dread that day, and or just make that day my rest day! And the other website I had been attempting to use was great and some day I will end up going back to it, but it was far to advanced for me right now.

I am in no way sponsored by Cassey Ho at Blogilates.com I just really want to give her a shout out for the awesome videos that she puts out almost weekly and how much it is helping my fitness goals!! And I have already got 2-3 people from my Facebook world trying her stuff and loving it!! Feels great to help out people with something at is working!! 

Here are my results so far!! I hope to keep this up during class this fall, and next fitness blog might just be an awesome picture of abs!! Here's for hoping!!

What is going on around here.

Alright just as a really quick update on our life...I am writing this after just having written a 3 page response to my Psychology homework. So if I seem a bit formal in my writing that should explain it.

So what do I have going on currently?

Lets start with my Physical goals: I am trying to run a mile 2 times a week and increase not only my time but how much of it I run. This is a simple goal and helps me to de-stress a bit from school, and everyday life. And it takes less than 15 mins of my day. Along this same area I am trying to make sure that I put in an average of around 2 miles a day. This includes walks with the dogs, and Kyra during the day also. Learned my lesson last week tho and will only be walking in sneakers my feet are all sorts of blistered from doing so in other shoes.

Now onto my goals with Kyra and Shade: Kyra and I are working on her using her words. She knows a lot more than she says but has been doing much better about asking for what she wants. Though even though I don't use signs with her for much, she does sign somethings which always gets me pumped up. Starting in September, MAYBE depending on where we are and what is going on, I want to start potty training and hopefully it will go smoothly As far as Shade, she has a long ways to go. She is your run of the mill average puppy and acts accordingly. She needs to be socialized more so I have planned out a dog park visit once a week with her friend Dexter. They both just love the chance to run around and play in the mud. But during the evenings is her big training time. Her and I go on a long walk and work on heel, sit, and stay. She does well until we come across another dog and she looses her focus. Also trying to work on her peeing in the house and chewing on things she shouldn't. My mom just sent a box full of toys for her so hopefully that will help with the chewing thing!!

School and household: I think my biggest challenge in all this is time management. I have never been able to manage my time well and with the invention of Facebook I spend far too much time wasted. I fully intend to get 100s all semester and pass my classes with high remarks. But at the same time I have to make sure I don't just let all the housework go to the way side, as a messy house is not a productive one. Plus I wanna keep coming back and talking with you all!!! So you are gonna get my late night after class ramblings haha!!

So If all of that wasn't enough the army just threw us a nice curve ball, that I intend to hit out of the park. This one leaves Dustin headed on a mission for 6 months in the states at very little notice....which of course means RIGHT IN THE MIDDLE of my stinking semester. Which is gonna be a pain in the neck when it comes to term papers and finals. But I know with help from my awesome neighbor and other friends I will be able to pull it off. Him leaving for 6 months also gave me an opportunity to go home for an extended amount of time. And I am so excited to start making the plans soon. The only challenge to this is going to be deciding if I should take a class next semester and if I do which one would be best and will I be able to either take the final while I am stateside or if I will be back in time to take it here?

1 mile goals

So as to not to overwhelm myself during my first semester back in the school game, I am transferring my normal high intensity interval training which can take anywhere from 20-60 mins to get through to simply going on a run after Kyra goes to bed! For the time being it is going to be just a mile until I am able to run the whole mile. This is more challenging than it seems as the route I am running is on a hill so part of it is up hill. Last Monday I ran it in 12 mins but did walk quite a bit. I am hoping having my friend Candice running with me will help me to push myself to another level. Once I can run a mile non stop or manage to get my mile under 10 mins than, I plan to extend my run to a different 2 mile route.

I am hoping the running will help me continue to burn calories without taking as much time as a full workout would. Maybe doing all cardio workouts will just burn off the fat like I need it to than when school is over I can work on gaining muscle.

All this while trying to maintain as close as humanly possible to a 4.0!!

Diet vs eating right

So I wrote saying I was starting a diet, but in reality I am simply adjusting to eating a 1200 calorie day with healthier food aka no more fast food junk, only lean meat, fresh fruit and veggies, and less carbs. I split it up between five times a day, and have to say I am rarely hungry now. I enjoy feeling full and having my metabolism running constantly! So far my only issue has been wanting sweets but I curb that with either a protein bar from Special K as a snack or tea with honey before bed.

It is going to be a way of eating I plan to keep up with. The best way to track what i am eating that I have found is myfitnesspal app. It tracks both your foods and exercise. I think it is an ideal tool for maintaining weight as it shows you how many calories you should eat at your size. It than adds extra calories to your allotment when you add exercises. So if your trying to loose weight you only wanna eat your original amount or you'll be eating the calories you just burned off.

An example of my meals if you would like to have an idea of where to start, here is what I ate yesterday:

Breakfast was a packet of fruits and cream oatmeal made with hot water.

Snack 2 hours later was a protein meal bar from Special K.

Lunch I had 3 slices of turkey lunch meat on whole wheat bread with a little mustard and a slice of Swiss cheese. With a banana.

Second snack was a slim fast shake.

And dinner was two salmon filets, half cup of rice, and a cup of boiled spinach. Delish!!

And near bedtime I was craving sweets so I had a cup of sleepy time tea with honey to sweeten it.

It really is easy to eat healthy like this most of the thought process is in portions. And eating every 2-3 hours!! Hope your weight loss journey and my own go as well as planned.

Starting Slim in 6 challenge

    If you follow me you see that I really like to workout, just tend to quit when things get hard!! I did complete the Insanity Asylum which was really hard and I was so proud of myself for getting through it. And in the past I have been very successful with diets!! So this time I am starting a program with the support of my friend Dawn and we are going to go the whole 6 weeks with diet and exercise. We have plans to be in shape by summer time. Lots of work to do but if you think you can do it you can!

    I am starting today with eating 3 meals and two snacks every 2 hours and only stuff that is good for my body. It may be hard the first couple days but my body will get used to it and start showing how well its working. The benefit of me going on a healthy diet is my family will also be eating more good stuff also. Kyra already eats only stuff that is good for her, but whether he'll admit it or not Dustin could use a little bit of a healthy streak himself. Not that I can really control what he eats, but when he is home for dinner he will be eating what I do, or fend for himself.

   I am sad to see how far back I have fallen since the last time I posted an update. Taking over a month off from working out show. Specially the way we were eating.

   My measurements are currently:

Weight: 162
Chest (measured at the nipple level): 36 in
Waist (measured at the belly button): 38.25in
Hips (measured at the biggest part of my butt): 43.5in
Right Thigh: 24.75in
Left Thigh: 25 in
Right arm: 11.5in
Left arm: 11.25

This go around I am going to only provide pictures for this starting blog, at 3 weeks and at 6 weeks rather than weekly I want the results to show! I may come back and write about how I am feeling and if I think I am making progress. But I won't be obsessing over the inches and weight like I usually do. More about how I feel and look!

Not pretty I know!

Survived!

    So I came into Insanity thinking after I did Asylum I would be able to go through this like a boss!! But than I was slapped with reality when I came to find out that Insanity is 90% cardio where Asylum is more about toning!! I have to say that I am still really out of shape no matter how much I think I have improved. But the cardio has been awesome to my body I measured myself this week and I like what I saw I have lost:

.75 inch on chest

1.25 on my waist

.5 on my hips

and 1.25 off each thigh

Turns out Cardio does burn off fat!! That is a total of 5 inches in a week. I mean HELLO that is freaking awesome. Just what I needed to kick it back into gear this coming week :D And I am down from 35% Body Fat to 33% according to Army standards :D

Here is a progress picture from End of December to today!! Look at them love handles melt away!!

Pump up the volume

   So I took a week off from doing Asylum, and I have to say I have never felt so lazy since the first day I turned on the workout video. I did go to the gym 2 times and ran a mile both times, and was doing Pilates and other like workouts off of youtube. But was NOT feeling accomplished like I had pushed myself out of my comfort zone. I don't think you can really get more in shape, or loose inches if you are doing what comes easy.

   With that being said. I got my hands on a copy of the Original Insanity videos. So starting tomorrow Monday, February 3, 2013 I am going to start 60 days of Insanity. With hopes that by April 5, 2013 I will be in such great shape that when I go to do The Asylum again it will feel like nothing.

      I am going to set my goals, and get myself measured tonight and will update this blog with the number so that I can see "officially" where I started, and where I "ended." I will measure at both 30 days and 60 days! If this all works out and I keep up the 1 mile m-th also I can expect to be the happiest I have ever been in my skin!! And just in time for summer and swimsuits :D

      I was thinking about doing 2 a days aside from the running. But I think it is probably best if I just do 1 workout and 1 run. I don't want to over do it and either deprive my body of a chance to rest enough to advance, or end up injuring myself. I'm sure since Insanity has so much Cardio worked in vs. Asylum that I will be more than pleased with my results!!

chest:39.75
L bicep:11.25
R bicep:11.5
waist:32.5
hips:43.5
L thigh:23.5
R thigh:23.5
L calf:13.75
R calf:14
weight:158
BF %:35

My goals are: take my mile time down to 8 mins, loose inches from my waist and hips, and get my Body Fat under 33%

  

Finished The Asylum

So I have to say that I did quit the program like 2 days early due to my knees not being able to really handle the jumping around and squats. I loved the program but now we are going to work on doing some yoga, and Pilates to tone up more and take it easy.  So that being said I am so super proud of my progress!!! You can totally tell there is a difference. And according to the scale this morning I have finally lost 2 lbs yeah that is not much, but  you can tell I have gained muscle!!!

So here are the final pictures :) I'll show you a month from now how the new workouts are treating me too!! Thanks for sticking with me through Insanity!! I loved all the support I got!!

Must admit

Well guys I must admit this week was not my best week. I ended up only putting in 3 days of Insanity. With my relief day on Thursday. Than we left town bright and early Friday. So bright and early that I simply packed workout clothes and well no gym shoes. So the idea of going to the gym while we were at the hotel went out the window. So I took the 3 days off and enjoyed the trip aside from a few quick laps in the pool, nothing worthy of being considered a workout. This being said I am not going to be taking any pictures of progress as I doubt there will be any.

This coming week I am going to be doing 8 days straight with no relief day, going to be pushing into the finish line as my last week until I graduate from The Asylum!!! After the Asylum I am going to go into doing a hybrid of Jillian Micheal's 30 day shred. If you are a long time follower you may have read I tried this once before. But that is why I am going to be doing it a bit differently so I don't get bored with doing the exact same video day in and day out. Well that is  a bit down the road so we'll get there when we get there.

On a totally different note. A great friend of mine is doing a thing called the 52 challenge or something like that. She is a professional photographer so my pictures will be no comparison so totally check out her link. http://armywifealongfortheride.blogspot.de But I am going to go ahead and try out doing the challenge also. As I am trying to become one with my camera!! Haha and taking 1 GOOD picture a week is more like something I can keep up versus any of the 30 day challenges. So keep an eye out for those. As I am already 3 weeks behind so they may come on different days until I catch up. But those will probably be a Wednesday or Thursday post :) See you all in a few days!!

And of course with that little hint at our vacation I will be posting about that too when I get the time!!

2 weeks of Insanity done!!!

Another quick blog to see where I am going!!! This week's workouts although the same as the last weeks seemed so much easier!!! Today was a relief day and I enjoyed being able to just stretch. But makes getting back into the working out on a Monday that much harder :S. But I will get up and push play and not regret it!!! This week I did the Game Day video which is where the other videos are supposedly training you for. It was way longer and really hard but at the end I was super happy to have finished it with very few stops!!!

The results are starting to come in my opinion. And It is making all the work worth it!!  Here is the picture from before, and now at week 2 done :)

1st week update

    This is just going to be a quick update. Finished the first 7 days of Insanity Asylum. I am very proud that I have managed to keep up with it. And I feel so much healthier it is wonderful. Plus every time I do each workout (2 if of which I have repeated already)  I feel more confident and able to finish it with less struggle. That allows me to push myself even more. Today I let my head touch the ground doing push-ups and the puddle that ensued would normally gross someone out but I felt so happy about knowing I am working my ass off literally! Just as a way to track my progress I am going to post pictures from before, and one current to see when/if you can start seeing the difference. 3 more weeks til I graduate Asylum Stay tuned to see how things continue to go.

I don't feel that there is much difference. And I haven't lost any weight yet but, that will NOT discourage me from pushing just as hard everyday!!

Starting 2013

     So here comes the end of the year only 51 mins til we all spiral into the next year here in Germany that is. And well needless to say tonight is the night everyone eats the most JUNK and drinks til they feel like puking. We decided that wasn't the way to go. We haven't done anything too wild for New Years in a long time. Yes ringing in a new year is exciting but, who wants to wake up feeling shitty about themselves and hung over? That is really not that way to start a new year.

    So instead we had a healthy dinner of chicken breasts, red potatoes, and pasta. And also started Insanity today. I would like to say that we are not doing that as our resolution. As we have both been working hard to loose weight for the past month too, we chose to do it more for the fact that we didn't wanna have to join the rush of the crowds at the gym of people who ARE making their resolution to loose weight or work out.  But boy I can tell you this next month is going to end in a lot of days where i can barely walk but since we are doing it as a couple we are gonna push ourselves to finish it!!

    So now to the point of this blog. I want to tell you what my true resolutions are!! I have picked two and both are ones that I am not going to fail within the first few months. Who wants to set a goal they are likely to give up on. It really should be worded to make them feel good all year long as long as they are still TRYING.  A good example would be: Instead of saying eat healthier cuz the next time you pick up a soda or pizza your gonna hate yourself. Say something like "Eat more Veggies". This is something tho you may not ALWAYS eat as much as you should, if you are remembering to eat more in general you are still getting somewhere, and don't feel like you failed so you are more likely to continue to try to eat more veggies.

 My Resolutions:

1. Be more Positive: I tend to let the little things make me upset. And than once I am upset I get so negative it probably just turns people away. I plan to look for the good in everything, and do what is best for my family. Stop worrying about what makes others happy.  Also not  get wrapped up in any drama or things I have no control of...I hope that this Resolution will allow me to have a LOT less stress in my life this coming year.

2. Get our finance straight: Now not to say we are always broke but boy would it feel nice to have a bigger savings to be sitting on and not have to worry about if we can afford something we want. We have 2 things we owe money on and I would like to get them all but paid off so that the money we are paying towards them each month can be going into our savings instead. Specially since we live here in Europe I would love to use some of the extra money to travel while we have the chance.

So I feel that both of my Resolutions are easy to achieve throughout the next year. Hopefully you will be able to follow/notice my progress as you follow my blogs. I know I will be using this as a place to talk about how we are doing with our goals. Also have decided the main direction I am going to go with this blog and hopefully starting this new year you will all like it and continue to follow me :)

I would like to wish you all a Happy New Year!!! So what are your New Years Resolutions?

Post baby weight loss

        It seems impossible when you look at how big my belly was at just 36 weeks pregnant and to think I still had 5 weeks after that. But within 2 weeks after her birth I had lost all the weight I had gained during the pregnancy.  At 6 weeks after birth I took a picture to show that all though the weight was gone what was still left was sitting in really gross spots and you can tell I was very uncomfortable in my skin.

      My ultimate goal weight is 145 and after the birth I was down to 165. So I set to working out as soon as my doctor gave me to the go ahead. I have had a few days where I pushed myself really hard but for the most part I just tried to be very active by starting a walking group and getting out as much as possible all summer and fall. And in doing that my body feels so healthy and I have made it down to 155 a weight I haven't seen in years. Although my core is still squishy from how much stretching it had to do to hold my little 10 lb 12 oz baby.

     My goal is to reach my UGW by the time she turns 1 year. That is 10 lbs to go in 3.5 months I think it is possible as long as I push myself to eat right and workout more often!! But even if I were to end up just getting really toned and in shape I would be happy with that also!!!  So stay tuned to see how the rest of my journey goes!!