Holy Cow!!!

I have been increasing my steps per day...gave up pretty quickly on the Couch to 5K...couldn't take the pain of the shin splints.  So, now, I am getting at LEAST 10,000 steps per day.  I am using the Fitbit.  Have you guys seen this thing?  I LOVE it.  Highly recommended.  I do not think it is counting my calories burned correctly, but it does monitor my steps pretty accurately.  Love.  Love.  Love.  And, if you have a fitbit, you can "sync" with your friends who have one.  A little friendly competition?  If you have a fitbit, please join me on fitbit.com!

Short post...I am off to finish off my 10,000 steps!

What is your excuse?

Today is brought to you by:  My Nemesis!!!   http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H9faYaGdLS4

So....Today, I attempted to do Week 1 Day 2 (W1D2) of the Couch to 5K.  Annnndddd....my nemesis returned!!!  SHIN SPLINTS.  I am so aggravated.  I could only complete 1/2 of the run.  Good thing:  my breathing was completely fine.  I could have run forever, I think...if only my legs didn't feel like they were going to EXPLODE!

So, I am currently researching shin splint taping (again) and icing down the front of my legs.  Might be time for new shoes, too.  I will try again!

Ooooooh...my neme neme...my neme nemesis!  (I encourage you to listen to the song.  It is quite catchy.  Maybe I will add it to my running play list.  ;)  )

What is your excuse today?

Goodbye August and hello September!

I did a fairly decent job of sticking with my healthy eating plan...until the last week.  I am going to start over.  As my good friend recently told me, every time you put food into your mouth, you have to make a conscious decision.  So, there you go.  That is what I am doing.  Looking for FUEL for my body...not just comfort.

I do have to say that I have begun craving fruit.  I LOVE that.  So, I am keeping fruit stocked in my fridge.  Sam's Club has had amazing fruit this year! 

The best part about the small changes I have made are that I am seeing a difference in what my children are eating.  On a recent, unexpected road trip, I stopped at a food mart so the boys could pick out snacks for the long drive.  Guess what they chose?  Pretzels, grapes and pistachios.  What????  Totally their choice.  I in no way encouraged, persuaded, etc.  I did tell them how proud I was of their healthy choices.  :)

So, today, I started the Couch to 5K program.  Have you heard of this?  I did about the first three weeks a couple of years ago.  I decided that my health needs a healthy kick in the butt, so why not a program of tortuous running?  I am sure it will get better...I am just a lot heavier than I was the last time I did it.  My legs were like lead!  But, I will keep trying...as long as I can walk tomorrow.  :)  If you want to read about the program, you can find information about it here.  I HIGHLY recommend you download the app to your iphone, ipod, etc.  You can play your favorite music and the app will tell you when to run, walk, etc.  It is very helpful.  :)

After making it through my first running day, I was extra motivated today.  So, I took my boys out for a walk/run.  Well...I walked...they rode a bike and a scooter.  :)  Good day.

What are your fitness goals over the next week?  Here are mine:

1. Complete the first week of Couch to 5K (1 day down, 2 to go!)
2. Follow a healthy eating plan 4/7 days
3. Begin stretching or doing some light yoga 3/7 days.  My legs are TIGHT!

Have a healthy week!

Well...August is definitely in full swing!  Can't believe my boys go back to school next Thursday!  Wow.  So much for all of my summer plans.

Here is a trivia challenge for you....why does my weight go down after I eat out, but when I stick strictly to my diet, I lose nothing?  I have yet to figure this out.  If anyone reading has any bright ideas, I am all ears!!!  Does anyone else have this problem?

I did manage to get in a 45 minute walk tonight.  Didn't go near as far as I wanted (only 2.5 miles), but there were some small hills involved.  :)  I am thinking that I would have walked a greater "distance" on a treadmill, but I just do not want to go to the gym.  I am going to have to get over that.

My goal for the upcoming week:

1.  Stick to my diet 5/7 days
2.  Go to the store to buy healthy snacks (i.e., fruit)
3.  Walk a minimum of 30 minutes 4/7 days.

What are your fitness and/or health goals for the next week?  Make some!  We all have to start somewhere.  Or start OVER for the 1000th time.

Here is a recent family pic...

I love it for many reasons....It has my beloved family.  It is on my favorite campus (University of Missouri).  And, I am in the BACK!  sigh.

This is our first time having pictures taken by this photographer.  I think she did an excellent job.  Her business name is Lollipop Photography and you can find her at the website here.

Make your health goals with me!  What is your excuse?

Well...hello there August.  How did you get here so quickly?

Yea...busy mom...busy wife...busy life.... heard it before, used it as an excuse.  I REALLY need to get out of the excuse pattern thing...  That is the whole reason I started a "weight loss" blog...or "fitness blog", or whatever this is.  Maybe just an attempt to take my personal struggles a little more public...hoping to find some similar souls who struggle daily with weight and the feelings of inadequacy that sometimes come with it.  I want to scream in frustration.  I don't remember a day past 10 years old where my self-esteem regarding my body hasn't been in the toilet.  Being 36 now, that is just...well...sad.  Yet, here I sit not doing a whole lot about it.

The good thing about sitting, is that I have done a lot of self-reflection and self-analyzing...which honestly, that can be good and bad.  My summer has been very rocky with lots of health issues which has limited my attempts at being active.  No, that is not another excuse, but life's funny way of sabotaging my efforts of making myself better.  I am getting over it...

I did participate in the Columbia Slim Down Challenge.  While I didn't lose the weight that I pledged to lose, I DID lose about 6 pounds, so I am focusing on the positive there.  I will take it.  I have also joined a fun and easy-to-use weight loss/fitness/nutrition web site called My Fitness Pal.  You can find it here.  My awesome friend, Kenna is "partnered" with me on this site, and she sends me encouraging messages frequently.  It is amazing to see my motivation change when I have cheerleaders!  My whole life the whole "weight" thing was very private and not discussed...at least it seemed this way.  Being overweight is a negative and almost shameful thing.  Now, please know that no one in my family has ever said they were ashamed of me because of my weight.  I most likely internalized all of those feelings, and that is how it feels.  (See...this is where that self-reflection thing really sucks.)

Anyway, you should check out My Fitness Pal.  There are apps, so it is very portable.  I really like it so far.  If you do try it, my nickname is "JacqueJo"...partner up and we can keep each other motivated!  I am finding I like cheerleaders!  If it is something that I honestly talk with others about, it doesn't seem so shameful.  Why has it taken me 36 years to figure this out?

Now for some fun pictures.  My wonderful husband and I celebrated 10 years of marriage yesterday.  <3  Here is a picture from back in the day.

This is in 1991.  I was 15 years old and I think this was 4th of July weekend...right before my husband left for the Navy...for EIGHT years.  Needless to say, our dating relationship didn't last that long at this point.  But I was blessed enough that we crossed paths again several years later and the rest is history.

Two main reasons for posting this picture...well three.
1.  I LOVE this picture.
2.  In honor of our 10 years of marriage.
3.  As a reminder that, yes...I wasn't always "fat".  Although to be entirely honest, I really felt completely obese in this picture, as that is how I saw myself.  I bet I weighed a whopping 120.  Egads!  But you can see my poor body image.  It is the 4th of JULY...in Missouri...and I am wearing a SWEATSHIRT and have my arms crossed over my body...  Totally hiding.

This crap is so psychological.

My pledge to MYSELF:
1.  continue on My Fitness Pal, or at a bare minimum, log what I am eating everyday to keep track of what is going in my mouth.
2.  Begin walking again on a regular basis, with a goal of at least 3 x / week or 9 miles / week.
3.  Stick to my "exchange program" of 5 starches, 5 meats (protein), 4 fruits, 2 veggies, and 2 milks per day.

Ok.  Extremely long post over.  Had to catch up from my self-reflection.  :)

No more excuses!!!

Exercising with a purple ankle

In an attempt to get active before I can start walking again, I took some time this afternoon to do some simple leg raises while laying on the floor.  Unfortunately, for some reason my laptop isn't letting me download/upload pictures.  I probably have another stinking virus.  This is actually the third time I have tried to complete a blog post...It can be done!

Anyway...simple workout requiring very little space and just a few minutes:

3 sets of 10 of the following:
1.  straight leg raises--lay on back; straighten knee and lift leg at least 12" off of floor
2.  side leg raises--lay on side; lift leg on top with a straight knee (great for hips)
3.  side leg raises--lay on side; lift bottom leg a few inches off of floor (great inner thigh exercise)

In addition, I am using my time of not being able to walk or vigorously exercise to make sure I stretch my hamstrings.  SO important!  Did you know that tight hamstrings can change the position of your pelvis and cause low back pain?  total craziness...  More can be read about tight hamstrings here.

Or...the best.  Get yourself an awesome trainer, like the trainer I worked with, Amber.  They can stretch those hamstrings!  I sweat the worst during stretching!

On a side and very sad note, I am very sad to hear about the passing of little baby Avery from Avery's Bucket List.  I had been following her story for a few weeks, and was shocked and sad when her dad blogged about her death.  I know Avery touched many lives in her short time here.  If you pray, send her family a prayer for comfort and peace.  <3

How to exercise on crutches (Part 2)

So, who knew?  I googled my above title, and actually came up with some exercise tips for those who use crutches.  So...here you go!

Crutches #1

Crutches #2

How to lose weight on crutches


So, I guess I have my next mild exercises ready to go!  Stay tuned!

How to exercise on crutches....

Anyone know?  :)

My doctor informed me today that my ankle may need to be re-xrayed next week to ensure there isn't a break.  :(  She further informed me that I will probably need my crutches for about 3 weeks and that my ankle wouldn't be back to normal for about 6 months.  WHAT???  Crap.

Sooooo....I am looking at my calories and trying to really pay attention.

Have you guys seen the Hungry Girl website?  I have heard people murmur about it, but hadn't checked it out.  It is a totally cute webpage, but I will say, a little confusing to navigate.  I haven't had  a bunch of time to actually sit down and look through it (I am busy, even with my feet up!), but it does look like it has a lot of nice recipes.  You can see the Hungry Girl page here.  You can sign up for free daily emails.  I did.  Hopefully, they will pass on some great diet wisdom that I have yet to find.  :)

In addition,  have you checked out (or even heard of) Sparkpeople.com?  My MIL (mother-in-law) suggested it to me.  You have to join to read the information (membership is FREE), but I will say that the information is very user friendly and a quick read.  I especially LOVE the motivation page.  I need constant motivation!  They also have quizzes you can take, recipes and diet plans, etc.  I am looking forward to spending much more time on their page.  You can find their page and sign up here.

Ok.  Back to work.

What is YOUR excuse for not working out today?

AHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!

OK.  That is over.  I realize that we all, especially busy moms, have to vent a little and have a little stress reduction.  We also have to take time for ourselves (hence the purpose of this blog).  After my little guy was so sick last week, I was nervous about leaving him at home with his dad and brother as I went to a national conference and visited my grandparents.  Well, he is fine (thank goodness!).  And, my visit with my grandparents before conference started was WONDERFUL.  

I am so blessed to have ALL FOUR of my grandparents still in my life.  Three of them will turn 85 this year (if I am doing my math correctly).  I was so fortunate to be able to see them this week.  I had the opportunity to help them out a bit, which is so important to me because I live so far away.  So, it was in the attempt to be helpful that I was so worried about my grandmother (all 4'9" 93 pounds of her) falling, that I followed her all around the basement ready to "catch" her if she fell.  Turns out...I needed someone to catch me!  Yep!  I FELL DOWN HER STAIRS.  How completely embarrassing, and not at all graceful.

Results of my fall.

My sweet almost 85-year old grandfather took me to the ER in their small little town.  No breaks, but LOTS of swelling!  So, I am officially laid up (and in desperate need of a pedicure).  Not a real lucky start to this blog thing, but things can only go up from here, right?  I am glad I have some core workouts for the floor!

In more fun news, I joined a team and am participating in the Columbia Slimdown Challenge.  I am very excited.  I think working on a team will be GREAT motivation for dropping some "L-bees".  (lbs)  You can read more information regarding the challenge here.

When I can walk again, (hopefully soon) I will again log my walks on an app I downloaded on my phone, map my walk.  You can use their website or download an app.  I LOVE this app.  I hope to purchase some of the accessories so I can get more precise measurements.  When I do, I will let you know!  To find out more information on the app, click here.

My goal before my next post:  Complete another set/round of ab exercises from previous post.

I will work my core even with a swollen and sore ankle!  What is YOUR excuse?  :)

I am still here!  I am NOT giving up already!  I have just had a TERRIBLY sick kiddo and am dealing with finals week on top of it.  I will post my workout soon!

Remember how I posted that I am REALLY good at coming up with excuses to NOT exercise?  (Or at least I intended to write about that).  Well...I outdid myself today.  Not only did I have an excuse to not exercise, I used food as a comfort.  Sigh.  What a journey, eh?

My youngest started getting sick last night with a bad flu.  He narrowly escaped hospitalization for dehydration this afternoon.  So between cleaning up messes, administering meds, and rushing to the doctor, I decided I was just too worn out to work out.  Truth be told, I could have probably still worked out...especially with the short ab routine.

BUT...I agreed to let my husband bring home fast food for dinner because I did NOT want to cook.  So, I don't think an ab workout will go well with the hamburger and curly fries.  I have cleaned up enough puke today...

So, there it is...three days in and full of excuses and emotional eating.  Tomorrow is a new day.  :)

So, what is YOUR excuse?

Top position for the Crunchy Frog.

OK....I did it!...Well, at least partially.  

I tried the ab routine that I printed from the internet. 

See the laundry in the background?  Yep!  I am a REAL mom with real chores and things to do, yet am trying to carve out time for ME.

Top position for In and Outs.  My feet are off the floor, though it is difficult to tell.  Lots of laundry waiting!!!

So, what about the workout?  I decided the best way to do this was to answer the same questions for each workout I try.  These are the questions I am going to start with, but I am open to suggestions!

1) Did I do it?

2) Could I finish it?

3) Was it hard?

4) Did I sweat?

5) How long did it take?

6) Did it require extra equipment or a lot of space?

So here is my review:

1)  Yes.  I partially did it.  I completed 7/9 exercises.  My reasons (excuses) for not finishing:  my doggie Waffle (see below), and it hurt!  I got dizzy quickly.  (Can we say sad?) And I have some chest tightness (tight pecs...not heart) that I had to work through.  But I did most of them!

2) Nope.  not yet.  But I will work on it this week.  I plan to do this routine 4/7 days this week.

3)  Hell yeah.

4) Yep.

5) Less than 30 minutes.  Definitely do-able in a busy schedule.  I might try it first thing in the morning when I am not quite awake and don't realize the torture.

6) No extra equipment (with the exception of my kiddo taking pictures).  Very little space (ex: next to the laundry waiting to be put away...my next exciting event for this day).

All in all, not a bad little workout.  Of course, not comprehensive by any means.  But, a little something is better than nothing!  My favorite was the Hip Butt Ups.  Really awkward at first (and quite an obscene picture--don't want to attract THAT crowd), but I found it worked my core the most.  You can check out the work out at the link from my post on April 14.

Waffle, my little rescued dog, LOVES when I am on the floor. He can't help himself.  So, although the laundry is mentally distracting, Waffle is VERY distracting.  Oh well.  Doggie kisses make me happy.  :)

Till my next report!

Waffle is just WORN OUT watching me work my core.

Wait...mom?  You are on the floor????  Yes!  Time for some Waffle lovings!

My spoiled sweet boy (one of them, anyway).

Ok...So here is the deal. 

I am a working mother and wife.  I am constantly amazed and in awe of other women who work just as much as me, have more children, and are incredibly fit or are in better shape than they were in high school.  That is SO NOT me.

In reviewing pictures of a recent family vacation (see pic with Daisy Duck), I realized that I am not in many pictures.  And there is a reason:

1) I won't let go of the camera (I am a scrapbooker, people!)
2) When it comes down to it, I don't want any pictures of myself.

Hmmmmm...  Wake up call!  I am slowly accepting the fact that I don't want to be in pictures because I don't want to see myself!  How sad.  This is exactly the type of body image that I did NOT want to pass on to my children (which you can see by the picture do NOT take after me...they are stick thin).  See?  Wow.  I so automatically put myself down.

So this is how I got to a blog.  Thanks to a friend since 7th grade, Jessica, who pointed me in this direction, though I think she suggested something about a new recipe blog.  Oh well.  Sorry, Jess! :) 

Although I may comment on new recipes I try from time to time, I realize that the only way I am going to drop some poundage (and bra sizes) and get more fit is by a combination of the following:

1) move more.  This may include increasing my 3x/week walks even though my shin splints make my legs explode (excuse #1)
2) stop sneaking the Easter candy out of my boys' Easter basket (or Halloween bucket, or Christmas stocking...you get the idea).
3) Actually try to eat fresh fruits and (gasp) vegetables.  I grow a garden for goodness sakes.  I should start eating some of my produce instead of only making it for the kids and my husband!

I am sure there are MANY others, but this is at least a start for me.

So, here it is...my goal for this blog...  IF I get any followers, I am going to take fitness "challenges" or recipe "challenges" (be nice people!).  I will try the fitness plans for at least one week and comment on how easy it was to fit it into my daily routine, how I felt, etc.  I get bored easily, hence the one week schedule.  I know fitness is a greater commitment than one week, so that is why I hope to get suggestions of other fitness plans from followers.  I will be honest regarding the fitness plans (meaning how much they sucked or made me feel better...or both)...a working mom and wife's perspective!  I also hope to try new recipes that are more healthy.  I plan to feed them to my family, so the reviews will be thorough!

I promise to get over my aversion to pictures, and post pictures of me engaging in said fitness routines.  My husband doesn't know it yet, but he will act as the photographer.  What a bonding time!  :)

For my first fitness attempt, I am going to engage an ab and core workout I found on Pinterest of all places.  Here is the blog/website:  ab workout--Fitness Challenge #1

Here we go!  Well...I am starting tomorrow.  :)