brainstorm

I am super excited for this time of the year!! I love the fresh start feeling that comes with New Years. I have already written out my resolutions, which I am also super excited about! :) I want this new year to be a good one! My awesome husband got me a crap load of art supplies. Which, believe it or not, I think will help me in my weight loss goals! I haven't painted in such a long time and I am so excited to have something new to occupy my time.

I want to go into more detail of what I want to accomplish as far as fitness goals go, and I am just brainstorming ideas of how to accomplish this. I've tried a lot of things, and by tried I probably just mean I made a plan and didn't stick to it. I think you could make weight loss work if you just stuck with it. So, I have got to make it stick this time!

Ok, so here are some ideas that have crossed my mind of what I want to do:
No eating after 7 pm. Only water!
Juice once a day. (to get those nutrients and veggies and fruit, and use the pulp to make muffins and stuff!)
I think a huge part of my success is going to depend on portion control, so I must measure and track everything I eat!
Obviously exercise/being more active will be a part of all this and these are the ideas I have about that: at least walk for 30 min a day, do fitness classes at the gym (as long as they are free!), run, do stairs, bike, hike, spin class!, strength, paint, keep the house clean, yoga?

man, I totally just had one of those nostalgic feelings. I remembered how I felt at the gym, lifting weights and running and spin class, getting all sweaty and then walking outside in the cold and feeling so good. I miss that feeling so much. and how it felt to have jeans that were loose. that is why I want to do it again!

mostly I just want to do new things this year. I really don't want to look back and wish I had done more things. what I am afraid of is letting myself down again. which really is pretty silly because I am in charge of my decisions, so you'd think that I would choose to do the things I want to do! the problem is I have had many days that I just don't want to do anything but sit at home. it is those days that I really need to work on. it is okay to have them once in awhile, but I definitely had more than I should have.

anyways, I tend to ramble a lot but it helps me work through my thoughts and motivates me to do better. I'm really doing this blog for myself and I don't really care if anyone reads this or if you think I have issues. ;) this is for me and if it in anyway benefits someone else then great!

gosh, I am so ready for a change!

Moving Forward.

We are all searching for happiness. We think we can find it if we lose weight, if we get a better job, when the house is paid off, you get the idea. I realize that too much of my happiness has been based off of "things" this past year. Things that I haven't done, things I regret doing, etc. Truth is, we first have to love and accept who we are. If we don't like who we are, we need to take a hard look at ourselves and find some things that we can do differently and also look at the things that we may not be able to change and learn to love them.
This has been such a hard process for me because when I look at all the things I am not doing, I get discouraged and start feeling inadequate and depressed. But without looking for things to do differently, I will continue living like I always have. I think happiness really comes when we make an effort and we accept it as an effort that is good enough for now. Improvement comes with time.

Last year I didn't make any real resolutions. I tried to say my resolution was just to be better, which is very very vague. I think I was just lazy and also thought to myself that I usually forget what my resolutions are a month into the new year anyway, so why do it? I think I also felt discouraged about the economy and the future, and I think i just really had a hard time.

Well, not that I hated 2012 or anything... but it just wasn't the greatest year ever. So, this time I WILL do some resolutions and this time I WILL have the greatest year ever.
I want my life to be happy and its not going to happen if I sit on the couch watching netflix. Maybe I let myself give up a little last year, but I haven't really given up, and I refuse to. So, I'm back.There are so many things I want to do!!

Therefore, here are some things I am looking forward to doing in 2013!
1. Use my gym pass. I bought it and I have only gone a handful of times.. not anymore!! Working out feels so good, and is such a great way to take a load off my shoulders.
2. Go on a hike/bike ride/something outside away from home once a month!
3. Go visit Brooke and the family in Washington for spring break!
4. Spend more time with family playing games, making crafts, whatever.
5. Have more quality time with my husband, doing things he loves. Watching movies, playing video games and regular games, etc
6. Go to the temple once a month. I need this sacred time more than ever!
7. Become more involved in our ward. I love it so much already and I barely know anyone!
8. Cook healthier meals. I love food, too much. But I need to learn to cook healthier in order to lose weight like I want.
9. Lose 65 lbs. Yes. This year. Must.
10. Volunteer somewhere. I will need to research what is out there, but I feel like I need to reach out to others somehow.
11. Journal. I will write in my journal about my progress as a constant reminder of my goals.
12. Picture a day. My friend Laura started this and I think it is a brilliant idea. Take a picture a day! It will be a great motivator for me to do more and also a great way to paint a picture of the year.
13. Paint/draw/anything artsy! My visually creative mind has not had an outlet for a couple of years, and its time to get it back out again! Possibly even sell some of the things I make? That would be cool!
14. Start trying to have kids. (This will be more toward the end of the year since my goal is to have healthier habits before I decide to take care of a mini me!) I will also need to talk to cody about this one.
15. More sex. Yeah, I am putting it out there! Plus it will increase the odds of the above happening. Plus cody will like it. :) hehe
16. Grow a garden! I am not sure where yet, but I LOVE homegrown veggies and fruit. Plus it will save us some money.
17. Spend less money on random things, especially eating out. I am not sure how to do this yet, because I like shopping. so much. but, its not good for our bank account. And on top of this, do more to get out of debt.
18. Make some things from piterest. I have so many pins, and haven't done any of them.

Some of these are pretty general, and I will need to break it down a little, especially losing 65 lbs.. haha. I love doing things like this, even if I don't fully reach every single one because it makes me feel good about the future and what I can accomplish if I just set my mind to it.

More to come. :)

Choose your hard

So, I don't always exercise, but when I do something good usually comes of it. Well to be honest, as of late I hardly EVER exercise... haha. I'm trying to change that though. I decided to go for a walk today, and it was so beautiful outside! It probably turned into more of a photo shoot than a workout, but hey! I love the fall sooooo much, I wish the weather and the colors could just stay forever. I just took it from an ipod touch, so the quality isn't the greatest.. I think I need a nicer camera. Anywho, here are some pics!

I really do love the outdoors! I don't spend nearly enough time out there, and I don't even know why. It is definitely something I want to change.
Today I was looking for some motivational quotes to get me going again, and I found one that hit home for me. "Eating healthy is hard, exercising is hard, and staying healthy is hard. But being unhealthy and overweight is also hard. Choose your hard." Uhm, wow! I hadn't ever really thought of it that way before. I often complain about trying to lose weight and get healthy, and how I hate how long it takes, how sucky it is to limit sugar, etc. But I also complain about how crappy I feel in my skin right now. Either way I go, its going to be hard! So I may as well choose the healthier road, so that at least my body is being taken care of!

I think getting healthy and fit is more than making a plan, or scheduling out your month's workouts and limiting yourself to kale and lemon water. (although it is important to eat right and exercise, and it does help to have a plan!) I think it is just making better choices each day and doing simple things like going for walks or playing ball with your kids in the park. It's getting enough sleep, going for bike rides, finding healthier substitutes in your meals.

We can't expect ourselves to withdraw completely from life, and the good things that come with it and become obsessive about what you eat and how many hours you spend at the gym everyday. (Maybe for some of you it works, I guess, but definitely not for me!) It is a mental thing too! You have to find joy in what you are doing or the motivation is not going to last. So, it is a hard road. There are frustrations, let downs, splurge days, and laziness that get in the way of success and make things hard. But if we can't find joy in the journey, we need to change our efforts and attitude. And by we, I mostly mean I! 

Color Me Rad

I am sooo excited! I just signed up for my second race that I have ever done in my life. The first one was a 4.01k race for my bank several years ago. It was fun, but THIS one will be even better! 
Have you seen the pictures where all these people have explosions of colored powder all over themselves and wondered what sort of event this is? Well, this is one of them! It is a race where you get to throw colored corn starch all over each other! So fun! I will be doing it with my sister and her husband as well as my aunt Julie and whoever else decided to sign up for it. 

It is only a 5k, so I don't think it will kill me or anything! ;) 

November 10, 2012

10 am @ the old St George Airport. 

Helloooo...

Today is a particularly good day. I feel good! Not because I have lost any lbs or reached a major milestone, just simply because I do! I am sure keeping track of my calories and doing some strength training had something to do with it!

I LOVE a good workout. For some reason it seems so difficult to get out there, but once I do and I'm done, I feel so much better about myself! Well, I don't have much to say for now, other than here is the ab workout I did. Pretty sure I should have some sore abs tomorrow!! :) Something I am actually very excited about.

Conquering the Monsters: #1 = Sugar

I love this. It is actually a shirt. The cookie monster binge!
shirt can be found at shirt.woot.com

I do love chocolate, and cookies, and ice cream, and brownies.. but I love them a little too much! I have come to realize I have a serious sweet tooth that needs to be tamed! I tend to turn to sweets when I am extra stressed or bored or happy or sad.. basically whenever I want. Its not a good thing! My husband tells me all the time I am going to get diabetes if I keep eating sugar like I do. Even though I never tell him he's right, sometimes I really am scared that he is! So here's the thing. I am going to try to tame it. Yeah. Good luck!
When you grow up with sweets all around (I still love you mom and sisters!!) it is hard to say no. But the fact is, I don't want to end up with diabetes. It is also not contributing to my weight loss much!
So week one of getting this sugar monster conquered, I am going to track every little sweet thing I eat this week. I won't be doing that here, however. It will be on sparkpeople.com. (This is a fantastic website if you ever wanted to start keeping track of your progress, and it is 100% FREE!)
You can however look at what I am eating here:http://www.sparkpeople.com/mypage_tracker.asp?id=%2ACRYSTALICIOUS%2A&dte=9%2F5%2F2012

Scary! I doubt many of you would seriously want to study what I am eating, but if you want to, feel free. And tell me if you see patterns or have any suggestions... with that said. Just be nice about it.. hahaha! ;)

My hope is that I can turn this sugar/cookie/sweets monster into a healthy one! I love that there is still a cookie in this picture. :) Which also means, that yes, I am not giving them up entirely! I think it is still perfectly okay to have something sweet now and then. At least for now!

It's time!

I have been soooooooooooo inconsistent with my health in the last 3 months. I weighed myself today and guess what. I've gained yet ANOTHER 10 lbs. This sucks. I'm done. It is time for me to change. I don't have any excuses. It is starting to cool down, I have a set work schedule (now with plenty of time to exercise!), this is my health and my happiness, and I can't let myself keep going in this direction. I know I have said that before, but sometimes it takes a punch in the heart to get going.
Enough talk. It's time to move!

Coming to terms

Ugh.
That is exactly how I feel. You know what is super disappointing? When you set all these goals, you feel excited about them, and then you fail. time and time again. Aaaah!
I am not writing this for pity or for anyone to tell me its okay. I just need to vent. I am so tired of not achieving my goals. I have this problem with setting so many goals and setting them so high and firm that when I don't reach them I feel like even more of a failure each time it happens.
I try to take on too many things at once. I thought I understood that it was going to be hard, but I realize now that it is more than just setting a goal and doing it. There are other factors that play in, things that I failed to address or admit as a problem.
I know what I need to do to be healthy, the simple things. Eat healthy, get good sleep, exercise. But there can also be issues locked up inside that need to be dealt with. That is what I don't know how to deal with yet and I feel like I will never truly be successful at this until I come to terms with those problems on the inside.
Pretty sure I am a stress eater. When I feel like I am starting to fall or things are bothering me, I turn to food. It is not a healthy way to deal with my problems, and I need to face them head on. I want to set goals and feel successful but I am not sure I know how to start small. I don't know how to let go of all the high expectations I have set for myself. I am torn between pushing myself hard, not giving myself a break or allowing myself to be something less by setting low goals. But in doing so, I am destroying myself and my confidence. It needs to stop.
I need to find out what my triggers are throughout the day, the emotions I feel and when and what kinds of food I choose to eat at those times. So here is my new plan!

All I am going to focus on is writing what I eat, when, what feelings I had/have and the struggles going on inside. Thats it. No tracking calories, no tracking how many workouts and how long they last, just writing. Also, I am going to start reading about positive ways of dealing with stress.

I know I am going to run into a problem.. that is, I am not used to writing everything down. I barely write in my journal once a month. So how am I going to do this multiple times a day? And what do I need to do if I forget, or just don't do it? Well, I don't know other than just trying again the next time.

Coconut Banana Smoothie

I love sweets. It can be a problem and a hold-up for me in my weight loss. So whenever I create a treat of some sort that is semi-healthy I get really excited!! I usually use a banana, milk, the Breakfast Essentials chocolate powder and some ice cubes to make a chocolate smoothie. I don't know that it is super healthy, but its good! I figure its better than a full blown chocolate shake though!

Yesterday I had to improvise a little because we didn't have any milk. But we did have vanilla coconut milk! I also ditched the chocolate powder. I don't really like the coconut milk by itself or even with cereal, but this little smoothie of mine was actually pretty good! It reminded me a little of a horchata, those yummy white drinks in Mexican restaurants.

All you need is:
3/4 c vanilla coconut milk
1 banana (frozen or fresh)
ice cubes for desired consistency
dash of cinnamon

And for your nutritional info: 165 calories, 4g fat, 20 g sugar (but it is a more natural sugar...!)
Not too bad!

Strength Training!

Weight lifting.. isn't that for men? Women don't need to do it because we don't need big muscles, right?
Let me just tell you how WRONG you are!
Weight lifting is actually very beneficial for women. Don't worry, I'm not talking about going out and bench pressing 150 lbs 50 times a day. Unless for some weird reason you want to I guess!
I was thinking back on all that time I spent running on the tredmill, trying to work my butt off (literally!) to lose weight. For two months I did this pretty consistently and guess what. I never lost a darn pound! How frustrating is that!? It was still good for me to get that cardio exercise and I am not regretting it at all, but it sort of dawned on me a few weeks ago that I hadn't incorporated any strength training! Then I remembered the time about 5 years ago (yeah, it's been that long..) that I had lost a good 15-20 lbs. What was I doing? Yeah, I was running my heart out. But I was also doing strength training!
Thus, my little spill on why this is good for not only weight loss but for health too!
Did you know that strength training...
Increases your metabolism?
A study was done showing that women who did strength training 2-3 times a week gain 1-2 lbs of muscle and LOSE 3-4 lbs of fat.
Burns more calories per unit of time, even while at rest?
For every pound of muscle you gain, you will burn around 40-50 extra calories per day! The more lean muscle you have, the more calories you will burn!
Which facilitates body fat loss?
Which is why I lost weight much faster several years ago.
Makes your bones stronger, decreasing the risk for osteoporosis?
Yep, weight lifting increases your bone density making them less brittle.
Improves balance and athletic performance?
Well, obviously!
Reduces risks of injury, back pain, and arthritis?
Well, minus being sore for a few days after the workout.. :) But I think this is talking about more serious injuries.
Fights depression?
This makes me laugh a little, because I know that I work out a little harder when I am mad or frustrated, and it does actually make me feel better!
Reduces risk for diabetes and heart disease?
It lowers your LDL (bad cholesterol), increasing HDL (good cholesterol), lowering your blood pressure, and improves the way your body utilizes sugar! Who knew!?
Creates a feeling of confidence?
How could you not have a little boost of confidence when you feel like the Hulk? Ok or maybe just Wonder Woman.

So, if it has all of these benefits, what the heck are you waiting for? Go pump some weights!

I'm back!

Well folks! I'm back! I told you I would be! :) I have been working for a month and a half and payday is finally tomorrow! woohoo! Which means, I am getting a gym membership and I am gettin back on the wagon.
I feel embarrassed that I lost rack so quickly, but it happens. I am going to get back up though! I have been doing some reading and thinking and I have realized that I may have been a little vain... not that looking sexy is a bad reason to workout! Because I want that too! But I am realizing it is SO MUCH MORE than just losing pounds.
Our bodies literally do not function well if we are not giving it the nutrients it needs or taking care of it through exercise. So I will probably be posting a lot more nutritional information I learn as I go!
As I read, it motivated me to change the way I think about exercise and food. Not only do I want to look good, but I want my body to feel good and function more properly. Its a little silly because the things I have read about I have always known but it never motivated me enough.
So instead of just trying to lose a certain amount of pounds (which I am sure will happen with time!) I am going to set goals month to month that are more health oriented rather than weight loss. I am also going to be sure and reward myself if I reach those goals! And with each month my goals will get a little bigger!

So here are my goals for Month 1:
Reach 1000 fitness minutes (that is about an hour workout 4 days a week)
Track my food 20 days (that would be about 5 days a week, so probly mon-fri and then sat and sun I can take a break)

Thats all! If I reach those goals, then I will reward myself with something I really want. (Which will most likely be a smartphone, but we'll see at the end of the month!)
I don't want to overwhelm myself with a crazy amount of goals to reach as I have done in the past. I have this tendency to want to change a whole bunch of things all at once and I get frustrated when I run out of steam. So those are my only goals for the month and then I will do a weekly challenge. I will still do weekly weigh-ins and I will also probably somehow keep track of how my physical endurance is improving. I haven't figured out what yet, but it will come! Maybe it will be the time it takes to run a mile and my heart rate and blood pressure. I dunno, but it'll be something like that!

I am SO STOKED to get the gym pass tomorrow and my husband told me he wants to get in shape too, which is great because I am going to need support!

Oops.

Ok, so I have been putting this post off because I keep telling myself I am going to start getting back on track and it keeps not happening, haha.

Since the summer has started it has gotten too hot to exercise during the day when I usually do and I haven't trained myself to get up any earlier... I am working on getting a gym pass somewhere, or figuring out how I am going to get my workouts back in order.

I feel silly posting this but I just want you all to know I haven't given up! Life happens like I said in my last post and I am still trying to adpt to the circumstances. :) Once I am settled and have my workouts planned then I will start posting again about what exactly I am doing.

In the meantime, here is a nice little thought for you. (And me!)

This is something I have to remind myself of OFTEN! I sometimes get so wrapped up in what I want to happen in the future that I forget to do the things that will get me there today.

Also remember to ENJOY today! You may not accomplish all that you planned for in a day, but it is important to slow down and remember to spend time doing things you love too!

Anyway, sorry for the delay in my postings. I promise I will get back up here soon!

Obstacles

Ok, so I knew that this would happen and it sure did. Usually about 2 weeks into starting a new program I start to lose motivation... haha. 


Some of you know I have been job hunting and I have good news! I got a job!! Wahoo! I work at a financial aid office at the college. It is a great job and I work with great people, thank goodness! :) There is a lot more to financial aid than I thought, and so my brain for the past week has been a little bit crazy! 
(which basically means I didn't exercise and ate more sweets.. haha) 


So this is what I want to talk about.

Obstacles.

While I was on my mission, we occasionally did our own version of a 40 day fast where we wrote down things we were going to give up that were holding us back from our full potential for 40 days. Its a lot harder than you think! For two reasons: change can be hard and once you set a goal, expect the devil to tempt you.


I think a big part of success comes from accepting setbacks, but not letting them stop you. You can't look at those obstacles as a reason to stop and go back to your old ways. We are going to make mistakes and we can't expect perfection. (Though I think a lot of us, including me, still do) Those moments happen to all of us and we need to look at them as something temporary to overcome and work through. 

I don't know who said that but I am a firm believer of it! Growing up I had a tendency to be super hard on myself and I came to realize that it wasn't helpful at all to talk negatively to myself!

I think the best way to overcome obstacles is to believe that you can! It's okay! Give yourself some room to breathe and realize tomorrow is another day! :)

So, I will try again tomorrow! 
Well maybe monday, since tomorrow is sunday.. :)

Week 1

Week one of mission slimpossible is over! Wanna know how it went?

Here is the results!

1 lb lost! 

(woohoo!)

I tracked my food everyday and here is what I learned:

The weekends are hard to eat healthy as I didn't get my veggies and fruit in... :/ and ate pizza and hot dogs. oh and movie theater popcorn... haha! Which was okay, but I went over a bit too much on my calories on those days. So next time, I will try to plan those things in to keep better track. 

I did pretty well on reducing my sweets, which was SUPER HARD! I don't know if any of you, except maybe my family, know how much I love them! I let myself finally have a brownie (that I made with applesauce instead of oil)* with two small scoops of ice cream! I loved every little bite. 

How I got through is I bought the dove promises dark chocolate with almonds and allowed myself 2-3 everyday. Trust me, I wanted more than that! But it was just enough to get me through. I usually waited until the evening after all my meals have been eaten to have it so that I could brush my teeth right after and be ready for bed.

One other thing, I felt hungry almost constantly! I guess when all of the sudden you start working out and lowering your calories, your body freaks out and thinks it is going to starve! I asked what other people do when this happens and here are some good suggestions they gave me:

1. Drink lots of water! Sometimes we confuse hunger with thirst. If you are still hungry 20 min after drinking water, eat something with protein or carbs with high fiber.

2. Eat more veggies, nuts, and protein

3. Eat 300 cal meals 5 times a day so that your body always has food to digest.

4. Chew gum

As far are exercise goes, I learned something here too:

DON'T OVERDO IT! 

That is what I did those first 3 days and then I was so sore I skipped my workouts for the rest of the week. I tried to run 7 miles, and walk 2 in between days plus 30 min of abs and arms strength training in 3 days. 

That was a lot for my body to handle all at once, especially when one of those nights I was up until 4 am and then tried to run in the heat of St George the next day!! Not too smart on my part haha! 

I need to learn what my limits are and not push too hard this time! The thing is I am trying to train for a half marathon and I have to train hard in order to make it!! 

Also just a side note, I haven't switched up my running route yet and I can tell my mind and body is ready for something fresh. It's good to switch things up! 

I feel like overall it was a good week. I learned alot! I had my moments of frustration and disappointment, but this is only week one! I have found that I really enjoy taking pictures of this new lifestyle, especially when I am out running and watching the sunset!

The quote on this picture is from Walt Disney, and I think it is very inspiring! here is the full quote:

"Around here, 

we don't look backwards for very long.

We keep moving forward, 

opening up new doors and doing new things, 

because we are curious... 

and curiosity keeps leading us

 down new paths."

  

*btw, I am sure a lot of you have heard this but you can replace oil with applesauce in a lot of cake recipes. It was still pretty good with the brownie, but it did change the texture a little. Just replace the amount of oil with the same amount of applesauce and then add 2 tbs of oil to help the texture. I think it works best with cakes though!

Nutrition: Tracking, Portions, and Moderation

First off, I am here to tell you that I am nowhere near perfect at this weightloss stuff! 

One of the things I have been trying to do is track my food. 

Here is an example of one of my tracking sheets:

I also use the Sparkpeople website to log in what I eat. It is quite handy! You can map runs, add workouts, log your meals, log your weigh in, and it will give you feedback on what you've done versus what your goals are. You can also edit your nutrition goals to add in vitamins if you want to see what you might be lacking. Seriously, there is alot you can do on this website!

I have read in so many articles how important tracking your food and workouts are. Research has shown that those who track what they eat are far more successful with weight loss. 

It is also important to track EVERYTHING you eat. 

It is a bit tedious and obnoxious to do but it is good for several reasons:

1. You want an accurate count of what you are eating

2. It will help you see patterns in what you are eating and when, 

so you can spot trouble times and do something to conquer it.

3. It makes you want to eat less, because it sucks when you have to write in 

how many chocolates you've been eating!

4. It teaches you to be honest with yourself nutrition wise.

5. Since you can track nutrients, you can also see what vitamins you are lacking! (and find out what might be the cause of your tiredness or digestive issues!)

I have done it on and off through the years, and there are lots of creative ways to do it. I have heard of some people who take pictures of their plate before they eat it so that they can get a mental picture of what they are eating. The more colorful, the better! 

Here is an example of what your plate should look like:

for a clearer picture and a better description, click here

Half of your plate should be vegetables!! 

Who does that!? It hasn't been me! I am learning all this too, so don't worry! :)

I'll be the first to admit this isn't what I am used to nor am I good at it! I also am a firm believer that you have to include foods you love once in awhile, or you are going to be miserable. Learning moderation and balance is key. I think it is perfectly okay to have some pizza and ice cream once in awhile. What I need to learn is portion control. Have what you love, just don't eat the whole bag of candy or a whole carton of ice cream! 

When I took a nutrition class I was 

blown away at how small one serving seemed!

To give you some examples of what a serving size looks like: 

I am positive all of you reading this have heard these things many times! What I am trying to do is learn how to apply it to my own life! 

That is the tricky part! 

Track your food.

Track everything!

Learn portion control.

Eat in moderation!

My Running Tips 101

I have run 4 miles twice now! Last night I did it in 57 min 33 sec!  I have to admit I thought I'd be a little faster than that, but its ok. I definitely pushed myself hard, but I also checked my heart rate as I went so that I didn't have a heart attack and pass out! Although it felt like I was going to anyway a couple times!


(Btw, if you are looking for something to help you map out your runs: www.mapmyrun.com is a great website! It even tells you the elevation of your run, and you can write down what kind of route (trail, road, bike, etc) it is! After you run it you type in the time it took and it will give you your speed and minute mile! It's pretty cool, I recommend it!)


My Runner's Advice:
If you are like me, running isn't all that fun while I'm in the middle of it. So what I did yesterday is took pictures while I ran! (Ever seen yes man? I love Zooey Deschanel, and this is what she does on her run in the movie) 


While you are out running, look around! Like this picture says, soak in your surroundings! I love nature and while I am outside trying to break a sweat I feel rejuvenated when I can look out and see the sunset going down behind the mountains. Nature refreshes me! Next time try it out. Breathe in the fresh air and feel the breeze passing as you go. I promise you it will make you feel better!

A silly thing I do while I run is watch my shadow. If i look down and see myself hunched over ready to pass out, I realize I better straighten my body out!


It helps me make sure I have good posture.


I'm pretty sure that when you are pushing your body to change, you need to make sure it is in a good position! You don't want yourself coming out looking like young Frankenstein! (haha, I just had an image of myself looking just like him while trying to run.. I probably look closer to that than I would hope for!) 


For your  information, I found this picture from pinterest. Just some advice on posture while running:

Good luck remembering all that info! ;)

Lyrics from One Day Remains --Alter Bridge

Ok and lastly, this is my most favorite one: Music & Uplifting thoughts.

For me the most important thing that keeps me going is the music I listen to as well as what thoughts I am thinking. if I am thinking how hard this is, how slow I am going, and how hot and sweaty I am; I am going to run out of energy FAST! But if I am telling myself how awesome I am and how much farther I can go, I am much happier. You gotta believe in yourself, and that YOU CAN DO IT! 

take the advice here-------------------->

I love the moment in my run where I realize I am ALIVE and I am succeeding!! It is an awesome feeling. 

The music I listen to has quite an influence on my runs as well. Some of it is just positive lyrics I can focus on, and other times it is either a constant beat or something to get me going my fastest. 

A few songs from my playlist:

One Day Remains - Alter Bridge

Young Blood - The Naked and Famous

Bangarang - Skrillex (for those who like dubstep)

Cinema (Skrillex Remix) - Benny Bennassi (another dubstep)

Kings and Queens - 30 Seconds to Mars

Time of Our Lives - Paul Van Dyk

Song 2 - Blur

Start the Machine - Angels & Airwaves

Shake It Out - Florence + the Machine

Somebody Like You - Keith Urban

Sexy and I know it - LMFAO

Panama - Van Halen

How to train Your Dragon - John Powell (shut up, I like it!)

Soccent Attack - Steve Jablonsky

I Don't Think Now is the Best Time - Hans Zimmer

Fireworks - Harry Potter Soundtrack

(you should seriously try running to intense soundtrack songs. its like you are in a movie!)

Whelp, good luck and happy running! :)

(disclaimer: I am by no means a running expert, I am just telling you what has worked for me.)

Mission Slimpossible!

Alright, here is the part I dread. but maybe if I post my fat pictures it will motivate me more! 

I even edited them to show you just what I'm gonna do!

As you can see I have some work to do! 

This is me checking in at 200.2 lbs. 

Yep. That is THE MOST I have ever weighed ever in my life! 

I have gained 20 lbs since I got home from my mission in September 2011. 

What the heck!?! So frustrating. But I did it to myself! Now I need to fix it. 

A nice side view for you. Yep, gonna do everything I said in this picture. How you ask?

Training for a 1/2 marathon: 

4 days of running per week

Strength training and walks in between!

And my least favorite...

Yuck! You don't ever really see what your back side looks like, and its probably a good thing!

On top of making sure I get my exercise, I also need to revamp my diet.

I am NOT going to go extreme, but I do need to eat healthier.

I haven't totally made a diet plan yet, but in general:

Breakfast options: 200-300 cal

(an hour before I workout)

yogurt, fruit, and toast or bagel

whole grain cereal w/ milk

scrambled eggs with veggies

smoothie with toast/bagel

(basically anything breakfastee protein and carbs)

Morning Snack: 150-200 cal

(usually after a workout)

fruit w/ peanut butter

cottage cheese w/ fruit or veggies

string cheese & green veggies

nuts & dark chocolate/dried fruit

Chocolate milk (reduced fat) & banana

Lunch: 300-400 cal

1/2 tuna sandwich

1/2 pb&j sandwich

strawberry chicken spinach salad

lean burrito w/ salsa

healthy whole grain nachos

homemade pita pizza w/veggies

(carbs, protein, and veggies/fruit)

Afternoon Snack: 100-200 cal

(choice of previous snacks or:)

granola bar & fruit

yogurt with berries

smoothie 

veggie sticks & hummus

whole wheat chips & salsa

Dinner: 400-500 cal

Anything, just keep portion control decently healthy!

Preferably lean meat, veggies, whole grain, and fruit. 

Desserts: no more than 100 cal

(this will be my hard spot!)

1 small chocolate/hard candy a day or a very healthy fruity dessert!

Chew lots of gum to keep me away from sweets!

Total daily calories: 1200-1600

I will stick to this program 6 days a week.

The other day, probably sunday, will be my free day where I will still try to eat healthy but I can allow my mom's rolls and a good dessert! :) 

And it is the ultimate day of rest for my body too! 

I am excited and it is going to take some serious 

motivation, persistence, and discipline. 

I am going to keep this all updated as best as I can.

 I can do this!

A good place to start

Alright folks, it is time for me to get healthy! I've got the motivation and I have got the time! 

Notice I've said healthy, NOT skinny! 

(Although I am quite sure that my body will look and feel significantly better) 

I want to make sure that I don't become obsessed with wearing a size 4 or whatever. 

This is about making lifestyle changes that will benefit my mind and body, not stress me out to the point of despair and exhaustion!

I hope to include (and I say hope because well, lets be honest, sometimes I don't follow through on everything I say) recipes, fitness tips and workouts, and probably some rants and rejoicings because I know this is a journey. 

Like life with its ups and downs, this will be quite similar. Though for the most part I will try to keep it positive and make it fun! :)

Also, since I need motivation more than anything, your comments of encouragement, advice, and sympathy is greatly appreciated! 

I'll be posting my before pics and goals tomorrow!