God is with us each and every step of the way...

Hi everyone! I hope you didn't think I would be gone for too long. Although I won't be blogging as constantly as I was before (daily) I still plan to check on and share my experiences with diet/exercise and life as a full time working mom/wifey.

Things are not good for us right now, but they could be worse. Totally unrelated to all of the financial problems, we have to move and we have 15 days to do so (such bad timing). Life has been stressful, but I still have a smile on my face, because I know that God is with us each and every step of the way. Money doesn't dictate whether I have a smile on my face, and it shouldn't (maybe at first it's scary but after He calms my heart, I see it is nothing). It's just paper and has no power in His eyes, so why should I give it so much power in mine? I am being completely public about it because I am not ashamed. I didn't do anything wrong. We don't live beyond our means. The state we live in sucks and my hubby's past mistakes haunt us both here (whether he lived beyond his means once upon a time before we got married, doesn't really matter anymore). The judgment against him affects me because I married him. For better or for worse, ya know? The fun part is that this is all new, and it can only get better! Who knows what may be at the end of this dull colored rainbow?

Anyway my "break" (I say that like Ross does on Friends--"we were on a break!) didn't last long. I think instead of calling it a break, I just needed to slow down for a few days and get my priorities together. Family is a priority. I just couldn't stay away from my cabana boy aka exercise for too long, no matter how hard I tried. I spent all year, last year committing to it and fitting it into my life, so it's too hard to just let go of it that easily.

I thought of exercise constantly (the "what to do" not the "ugh, I have to do") but it felt good to not have to do it for 2 days. Anyway this is what I have been up to:

Friday and Saturday were like the complete rest days--I didn't do much, typical everyday stuff including some heavy cleaning and I wore my pedometer out of curiosity on Saturday.

Saturday: 5656 steps
Sunday: 16,000 steps exactly! (work)
Monday: 15,485 steps (work)
Tuesday: 15,395 steps (work)
Wednesday: 32 Wii Fit minutes
Thursday: 33 minutes of just Wii Boxing (love it!)

Today: 13 minutes of just Wii Boxing and some of Turbo Jam Cardio Party (25 minutes)

I will be doing a lot of walking looking at apartments and such again today, so I'll update my pedometer reading (3865 steps--not as much as I thought it would be).

I think when things slow down after moving and the lawyers, I am going to start doing the photo/measurements, because it was a good source of measurement, from where I have been, to where I am going. It is a pain in the butt to do, but TOTALLY motivating and rewarding!

Oh! I almost forgot. Totally caved on the sugar thing, but if you know me, it was inevitable. I think it's something I really need to take baby steps with, to make sure it sticks, the way I did it with exercise. A big problem w/ it is, if I say I can't have it, I want it even more and seek it out. If it's allowed, I don't care so much lol (I guess it's that 3 year old in me). I have gone 15 days w/out soda of any kind and drink a ton of water again. I forgot how great that feels.

My son's 3rd birthday is on Sunday! I can't believe how big he is getting. My birthday is the Saturday after that. Oye.

Hope you all are well! Thank you for all of your wonderful comments and well wishes. You guys are awesome!

I can do this. I am a star.

It's time for a break

I need a break. I think that I bit off more than I can chew by trying to do 2 years of exercise in a row, and I think it's just too much. I talked to my family and they all agree. I just have so much going on, and instead of relieving stress, it's become a stressor. Over the past year I have learned what it takes to make a positive lifestyle change, and how to have the dedication and determination to do it.

This "break" doesn't mean that everything will stop. It means that I need to give myself the chance to do it on my own, and not because I have to (that's the difference in my mind with this resolution). So yesterday, I took a much deserved break. I didn't exercise. I exercised for 365 days in a row and then some. I proved to myself that I can do it, so I will never say to myself again, that I can't. It hung over my head like I was forgetting to do something all day, but at the end of the day, it felt good to let go.

Yesterday I still watched what I ate, and I wouldn't really call it, "watching" because it's just what I do now. I am so used to knowing to look for the numbers and that's a good thing. It's apart of my lifestyle change, and I don't find myself craving calorie filled junk anymore, like I used to. Knowing those numbers makes it hard to enjoy the food. I also want to focus more time on the Sparkpeople plan. It teaches some great stuff for lifestyle change, and I just want to do the whole thing over again, w/out any added disruptions. I think I had too much on my plate to fully absorb the great info (I learned a lot, but I can learn SO MUCH more).

I also still plan to keep up the no sugar/no soda thing. It's so hard with the no sugar, but easy when it's not around (it's those "around" times that are a pest!), and I will still continue to talk about that, because so many people struggle with it too, but the no soda thing I think I have in the bag. It's more like a soda/strange chemicals ban.

Anyway I didn't weigh myself or do my measurements, like I said. Sorry. I spent a lot of the day trying to recover financial damages (so stressful). In 2009 I started out at 215lbs and at my lowest I got to 183. I have since gained 10lbs but I'm not upset because it will eventually be lost too. I now weigh about 193lbs. Having this goal made me obsess over my weight more so than usual, I think, because it was measurable by that number. I still plan to lose more weight this year than last, but I won't and can't obsess over it because I have other priorities that are more important.

Work and exercise is hard. All of you working peepz out there know this. I was spoiled at the beginning of my resolution because I was a stay at home mom. I had A LOT of time on my hands, more so than now (even on my day's off because I'm playing catch up). Once I started working, the exercise thing got hard, and I stopped enjoying it. It became a chore.

Anyway, I still struggle and am still going to blog when I can, but I think I need a rest from blogging daily, and trying to catch up on the days that I didn't blog. It's just too much.

I hope you all are well! Thank you again for all of your support!

I can do this. I am a star.

I am selfish...

Today was my day off (have to work again tomorrow) and I got up early to exercise. As soon as I go on the Wii Fit balance board, the Monkey Boy woke up. I had the volume turned all the way down, so he definitely didn't hear it. He just has that, "mommy-selfish-dar," he knows when I am being selfish.

It's so hard to be in "selfish mode" with a toddler around. Yes, exercising is selfish. It totally should be because it's about you and no one else. You may choose to exercise to look pleasing--we don't see ourselves the way others do--literally...we aren't a third person (duh). We may (should) choose to exercise for our health, so that we may be around for generations to come. Any reason, we have to do it ourselves, no one else can do it for us (awe man!).

So because I know now that it's getting hard for me to exercise when The Boy is awake, I am going to tweak my goal. You have to tweak your goals to be successful at them, if you see that no doing so will compromise your success. I still plan to blog/exercise early everyday, but I think putting a 2pm limit on it, is hard. Some days my son doesn't even take a nap until 4pm. I also know that exercising when my hubby is here is A LOT harder, so I think I am going to make his ETA my new goal mark. He usually gets home around 5:30pm. I know if I haven't exercised before he gets home, I resort to squats and/or push ups before bed, when he is already in bed. I think this tweak to my goal is more realistic and will help me to stay successful with the new changes I am trying to incorporate for 2010.

My son took a small nap and I was able to get 32 Wii minutes in on the Wii Fit. I did the skateboarding one and the obstacle course, both, over and over again. I also did an hour of heavy cleaing.

Staying away from sugar is SO MUCH easier at home than it is at work. Home is a controlled environment and I just don't have it here. At work, everyone has it around so it's tough. Today I haven't thought about wanting it at all, so that is good progress. Cutting out the soda has helped me to re-own an old goal of drinking a lot of water a day.

As the fresh beat band sings...it was a great day, the very best day, and nothing could be better.

Make it count!

I can do this. I am a star.

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At least we didn't crash...

Today was so much busier at work than yesterday. We had 5 discharges almost back and then 3 admits almost immediately after. The day went by quickly, which was a blessing both because I was able to finish everything on time and because my body is just so darn tired.

I got home and checked my pedometer to find 4 steps; I left it sitting on my bed. Lovely :). I'm just gonna call it the same as yesterday although I know I walked a heck of a lot more today. All good. I hope I don't forget it again on Wednesday. It makes me so mad when I forget it!

I had a common theme today and it was kinda funny to me--driving at work. Everyone that I transferred in a wheelchair today mentioned my "driving." I guess being a fast walker w/ a wheelchair isn't as fun as I thought it would be? lol. One guy even asked me if I had gotten my license back back from my DUI cause I drive crazy. lol. It's not that bad. (totally joking as I say this next part) You know old people. Everything slows w.a.y. down for them, so they ALL over exaggerated. My response to all of them were pretty much, "at least we didn't crash into anything, right?"

I have tomorrow off, but I have to go back again on Wednesday.

I did good with the sugar and soda although I had HUGE temptation w/ the sugar at work. It was in my face all day and I even went over and started at it for a while. I picked it up and read the ingredients and put it down (first one was "sugar"). A co-worker even teased me for doing that. I'm just glad I was able to push passed it. I really thought for a second I was going to cave. That's all it would have lasted too--a second of fruity-chocolately goodness and a year of guilt.

I am so tired. I fell asleep twice during Heroes, so thank goodness for the DVR.

Off to bed. See you in the morning, hopefully bright and early!

DLTBBB!

I can do this. I am a star.

Short 'n sweet...

Today was a long day and I have to do it all over again tomorrow.

I worked today and am about to jump in the sack. I am exhausted.

Gonna make it short 'n sweet...I walked 14,679 steps (6.95 miles) and did my work thing.

I did well with no sugar/soda today, but there wasn't really any temptation at work. Yaay.

Ok see ya'll tomorrow after work! Take care!

I can do this. I am a star.

So far so good...

I am really making an effort to blog/exercise early. It's not before 2pm, but we have been pretty busy all day. At least I'm blogging at 3:30pm. When I said "before 2pm" on my day off, I know it's something I am going to have to strive for, rather than a "no sugar or soda" or "exercise everyday" type thing. The fact that I am here now, is progress lol.

I just did 30 Wii Fit minutes. My plan was to do more but the hubby is barking at me because we have more errands to run. I will get back on and finish what I started when we get home from the store and my mother's house. I also want to get on the treadmill.

So far so good on the no sugar/soda thing. Soda really isn't a problem for me, so it's kind of a freebie (?). It doesn't bother me like sugar, but it's a good thing to cut out nonetheless. We even went out for breakfast and my first reaction was to order "the same" as my hubby (diet soda) but I remembered and ordered an iced tea instead. Not my fav, but I used some Splenda and a lemon and it was tolerable (lol). I also had whole grain whole wheat pancakes w/ sugar free syrup, turkey bacon and egg whites.

My plan is to lose more weight this year, than I did last, so I am motivated.

I'll update later with what else I do.

Have a great Saturday! Make it count and don't give up on your goals! Just adjust them to make them "doable" and build from there :).

I can do this. I am a star.

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