I have decided to do a Whole90, I started on November 24 2014, so I have been at it for a little over a week. I successfully completed a Whole30 in September of this year, I loved how I felt when I was eating so clean. I lost 10 pounds, 5% body fat and lots of inches. After I completed it, I fell right back into some bad eating habits, I don't know why, it just was normal. I didn't want it to be my normal. I decided to start another Whole30 that started right after Halloween and would be over the day before Thanksgiving. It was an epic fail on the second round. So after two weeks of eating so, so, I decided I was ready again to give it a real go and I wanted to do it for a longer period of time because then maybe once I complete it, everything will be so much more of a habit.
I decided before I started that I would make Paleo Pumpkin Pie for Thanksgiving, technically not compliant on a Whole30 or 60 or 90 or whatever. You are not supposed to recreate things like pies, cakes, bread etc. The only ingredients that were in it that isn't compliant was honey and maple syrup. I figured that if I made the choice to eat that it would be so much better than if I had a piece of traditional pumpkin pie. I am also going to make a Paleo Coconut Cream Pie for Christmas. And if other things come up that I need to make something that is Paleo but not Whole30, I am ok with that.
We are also dealing with some intolerances/allergies with Skylar, she currently is not eating/drinking any milk, soy or gluten. So it's perfect that anything I eat is safe for Skylar.
Another "rule" while on Whole30 is to not weigh yourself, the whole time. This has always been pretty much impossible for me. I am planning on only weighing myself on days 30, 60 and 90. So far I have done it! I hope I can make it!
What do I hope to get out of it?
I hope that if I eat clean it will help all of my hormones get in balance and I will finally get out of adrenal fatigue.
I hope that I start sleeping really well again. (by the end of my first Whole30, I was sleeping great)
I hope that my eating habits and cravings will permanently change.
I hope to truly reset my metabolism.
Because I will be overall healthier, I hope that I will FINALLY get to pre-kiddo weight AND stay there.
So here we go! I plan on checking in every 30 days! Wish me luck! :)
Wednesday, December 3, 2014
Friday, October 24, 2014
A season of Races!
A super fun season of races is coming to an end and I'm a little sad. I thought it would be fun to reminisce on the races a bit.
I would like to thank all of my friends and family that help me out to make not only the events happen but the hours and hours of training it takes to prepare for the races. Dave and Bertha Woodworth, Dick and Jane Hall, Tanja Covington, Sally Crawley, Michelle Farnsworth, Kim Trupp, Kyann Covington and so many more. But most importantly Dan Hall and my poor kiddos that spend so much time in the jogging stroller and bike trailer, Zoey and Skylar.
This year the fun all began 2 or 3 weeks before the RAGNAR Trail-Zion. My good friend Michelle sent me a message asking me if I could fill in for a runner that dropped out. My answer came with absolutely no thought...YES...I really wanted to do this one when she was building a team but couldn't commit. After I told her yes, I tried to remember the last time I ran...couldn't remember...oh well...I'll push through! To say this race was one for the books is underselling it by a ton! It was by far one of the most fun yet craziest experiences of my life and guess what folks...I'm all set to live it again next year. First of all, Zion..I LOVE it there..B-E-A-Utiful! Camping...LOVE it. Running on trails=way better than running on roads! So we get there late Thursday night set up our tents and try to keep the excitement level down so we can get some sleep so we can kill it in the morning. When picking which runner we wanted to be I tried to be strategic and picked my legs to go in descending order. My first leg was 8.something and it was long and hard...as I was running I went through all the emotions...why do I do this to myself, I really should have ran on more trails before this, I can't run that narrow! (some sections of the trail were the narrowest single track I had ever seen), where is my bike? I LOVE this, wow it is gorgeous, I can't wait for my next run! It was time to rest up and get ready for my next run. I think it was 4.something. IT WAS STRAIGHT UPHILL! Well for part of it...and then it was straight downhill, but at least your lungs don't burn going down! It was my night run, it was dark and it was AWESOME! One of my most favorite things is to be out on the night run and see all the lights bobbing up and down. It is so cool! I wrapped up my run and got all snuggled up in my tent hoping to catch a few minutes of sleep before my last leg. And then I heard rain...awesome. For a few hours it rained and rained and rained and poured AND THEN IT TURNED TO SNOW! What!? Oh wait, this is Utah, not so unusual. I finally got myself out of my warm sleeping bag and trudged thru the mud to find the runner that was about to go out and to help evaluate the situation. She was up for the 8 miler. We made the decision that we needed to wait it out a little bit to see what was going to happen with the weather. We headed back to camp and had a team meeting. We were at minimum going to wait for daylight, it just wasn't safe to send her out. About 45-60 min after out decision, the race got canceled. IT WAS CRAZY! When I finally started to take my tent down there was about 6 inches of snow on it. So much fun! Can't wait till next year!
Next up, The Little Red Century Ride. 100 MILES! That is a long, long way! Again SO MUCH FUN. Tanja and I headed up for the ride ready to battle! We were camping in the big field and were not expecting the temperature to drop so low! We ended up spooning by morning :) Tanja forgot her helmet and bike shoes but with the help of some random strangers she got all geared up and was ready to roll. We started off with some anxiety of the feat that was looming ahead of us but we forged on and set up a nice pace. When we were half way we enjoyed a delicious subway sandwich for lunch...the thought of doing another 50 miles just wasn't sounding so great, but we lubed up and reapplied sunblock and saddled up anyways. After our lunch stop we encountered a hill that just WOULD NOT end. It went on FOREVER! After we made our descent at death defying speeds(Neither Tanja and I are huge fans of going too fast downhill on those itty bitty tires) we went a few more miles before we hit THE junction. Go straight for 70 miles, turn left for 100 miles. We turned left and then rode and rode and rode until finally getting to our next aid station. It was too far away in the heat of the day, I ran out of water, I had a camelback on and two water bottles on my frame. Once we arrived I had to sit still in the shade for about 20 min before I could drink eat or move, I'm pretty sure I was starting to experience heat exhaustion. I was so hot buy had goose bumps and was shaking, I was pretty sure I was going to puke all over the place. But...we had gone that far, I was going to finish it! After a good break and feeling as decent as it was going to get we took off again. We had one more steep hill and then if was flying on flats from there. We finished! WOO HOO!
The first Tri of the season was the Rockcliff Triathlon at Jordanelle. It was Michelle's first triathlon ever and I was super excited to be there for it. We did the sprint. We started out after the race director gave us a very, very enthusiastic speech ending in breaking a megaphone. The water was great. It took a few minutes for exposed skin and our heads to get acclimated but after that it was great. Michelle doesn't love swimming like I do so this was a HUGE thing for her and she did AWESOME! After we pulled ourselves out of the water and hoped on our bikes I started realizing how not ready my legs were...one week, not long enough after a century ride! It was smooth sailing until we turned to go back, the wind that we experienced was insane, I was terrified to take my hands off the handlebars so I didn't drink or eat anything for the rest of the ride. We pulled into transition 2 and I was seriously unhappy that I was going to have to run. I'm not a huge fan. One day I will be good. I have convinced myself of this! Michelle was great and endured my slow pace and we finish it together! I had not done a triathlon in a long time and my hunger for them ramped up after that race! Michelle and I have big plans for bigger and better in the future.
The first half marathon was the American Fork Half. Only one week after the triathlon. I met up with Michelle and her HOT runner crew to bus up the canyon and wait for the start. Michelle was trying to keep it easy due to a knee injury so she said she would start with me, I knew it wouldn't last long, not much will hold that girl back! After a rough start of getting my legs ok with the situation at hand I did really well and even got a PR! I did do half the race with my eyes teary though. The race is to raise money for cancer. A lot of runners have tshirts with pictures of people on their backs...some with two dates! ugh. It was rough and my Brighton Family weighed heavy on my mind as well as a couple close friends who have parents fighting. I think that's what pushed me to keep my pace up. It was an amazing run and I am sure I will do this one again.
Next up, the ECHO triathlon. Again I did the sprint. It was a gorgeous morning that started out with a moose sighting. My nutrition going into this was very poor. I just didn't plan right. I felt tanked the entire time. But I made myself push on and I ended up getting a PR! What?! Made me realize that I actually am getting in overall better shape and even though my nutrition wasn't right and I had no gas the whole time...I am stronger and faster. That was a great feeling.
Sally and I signed up for the Wildflower Trailfest, we did the clinic but since it was an organized event I feel it still makes the list for races. :) We got split up into skill levels and took off, immediately I felt like I was in the wrong group, I just couldn't keep up climbing up the hills. This was my first ride on my mountain bike since last year and I had my clipless pedals, which I have always struggled with. (I made the decision on a Moab trip a cpl weeks ago that I will NEVER ride clipless again, best decision ever!) Once we got to single track I actually started feeling better and was starting too keep up. I was finally able to get in my pedals. But wow it was a lot of climbing. Finally it was time to go down. I'm not that much more comfortable going down on my mountain bike than on my road bike, but I had the clinic leader behind me coaching me through the switchbacks, so much fun!
My third triathlon of the season was Bear Lake Brawl, another sprint. It was my second time doing this one and I love this course. It is great. Water is clear. Bike is fast. And running is, well running. The whole family went up for this race, I was super excited because Dan and the girls had not been able to be at any other finish line. It was FREEZING in the morning! SO, SO cold. If Dan and the girls weren't there I might have just crawled back into my sleeping bag. I got myself up and down to the bonfires to warm up. It was a great swim, I felt really good about it...the water was about 30 degrees warmer than the air. I transitioned super slow because I couldn't feel my hands or feet and its really hard to pull a tight layer on top of your super wet layer. The bike was cold but fast. The great scenery helps make it go by faster I'm sure. When I went into transition I realized I didn't have my bike shoes tightened down...oops...maybe I could have gone faster! I took off to run but I couldn't feel my feet! I ran until I got to Dan and the girls and then walked for awhile. Finally about halfway though I felt my feet and ran the rest of the way. It so awesome to see my family at the end, absolutely loved it! Guess what? Another PR!
ST. GEORGE MARATHON! The race that had been taking up so much time to train for was finally here! Michelle, Sally and I headed down to St. George ready to rock. We took our time and made purchases at the EXPO, dropped some fuel on the course, we ate dinner and got all of our stuff ready to go and got ourselves in bed and hoped for sleep! 3:45 am comes so fast! We got out the door and on the bus to get to the start line. That is the longest bus ride ever. EVER! Sally and I had a plan, stay together as long as it feels good. And Michelle...well you have learned by now that she is a much better runner than I and we told her we'd see her at the finish, after her nap. And we were off! I told Sally we needed to get past Veyo hill together, we needed each other for that damn thing! I was feeling awesome! (well except for a nagging feeling in my foot.) We got to the bottom of the hill and decided that it would be a good time to get some food out and munch, no sense running up that beast! Once we finally slayed it I asked Sally how she was doing...I was ready to go! I took off but could see her until mile 13 then I didn't see her for a little bit. At mile 15.5 my stomach took a turn for the worse. I had to stop at mile 16 to visit the porta potty. After about 10 min I came out and saw Sally coming, I grabbed our stuff that we dropped and started walking with her. She stopped for a bathroom break and I took off again. The going was slow. If I ran my stomach killed. If I walked my foot killed. I just kept pushing. At mile 22 I turned and saw Sally coming up. I had never been happier in my life to see her. I needed her support. Not long after we helped a cute old man up that fell down. Poor guy...just out of steam! We passed the cutoff point, which was one of Sally's concerns and started winding around town. By this point I was delusional and started singing at the top of my lungs! MONY MONY! We finished strong together and it was great! We found Michelle resting by a tree and made our way back to the hotel. We showered up, ate some yummy food, sat in a lovely hot tub and passed out! And then the next day, because we are cool and crazy chicks, we hiked Angel's Landing! LOVE that hike!
The Haunted Half. Only two weeks after St.George!! The silly things Sally and I will do for a cool medal! It was a good race and a fun course. Sally and I both battled some issues. My foot started acting up at mile 1 and around mile 6 Sally's leg decided that maybe it was done and it just wasn't going to do it any more. But she is so much stronger than she thinks she is and we fought on! We finished and I was so lucky to have Jane bring my girls to the finish line. Seriously best thing ever. The worst part about the whole race...no food or water left at the finish line! Wow!
The only thing I have planned for the rest of the year is the American Turkey Trot. A 5k! Now that sounds nice!
Next year I am doing RAGNAR trail-Zion, RAGNAR Wasatch Back AND Bear Lake Brawl Half Ironman!!! I'm sure there will be others because I seem to enjoy paying for punishment! It is an illness I tell you!
Again, I am so grateful for a the people in my life that make all of this possible!
I would like to thank all of my friends and family that help me out to make not only the events happen but the hours and hours of training it takes to prepare for the races. Dave and Bertha Woodworth, Dick and Jane Hall, Tanja Covington, Sally Crawley, Michelle Farnsworth, Kim Trupp, Kyann Covington and so many more. But most importantly Dan Hall and my poor kiddos that spend so much time in the jogging stroller and bike trailer, Zoey and Skylar.
This year the fun all began 2 or 3 weeks before the RAGNAR Trail-Zion. My good friend Michelle sent me a message asking me if I could fill in for a runner that dropped out. My answer came with absolutely no thought...YES...I really wanted to do this one when she was building a team but couldn't commit. After I told her yes, I tried to remember the last time I ran...couldn't remember...oh well...I'll push through! To say this race was one for the books is underselling it by a ton! It was by far one of the most fun yet craziest experiences of my life and guess what folks...I'm all set to live it again next year. First of all, Zion..I LOVE it there..B-E-A-Utiful! Camping...LOVE it. Running on trails=way better than running on roads! So we get there late Thursday night set up our tents and try to keep the excitement level down so we can get some sleep so we can kill it in the morning. When picking which runner we wanted to be I tried to be strategic and picked my legs to go in descending order. My first leg was 8.something and it was long and hard...as I was running I went through all the emotions...why do I do this to myself, I really should have ran on more trails before this, I can't run that narrow! (some sections of the trail were the narrowest single track I had ever seen), where is my bike? I LOVE this, wow it is gorgeous, I can't wait for my next run! It was time to rest up and get ready for my next run. I think it was 4.something. IT WAS STRAIGHT UPHILL! Well for part of it...and then it was straight downhill, but at least your lungs don't burn going down! It was my night run, it was dark and it was AWESOME! One of my most favorite things is to be out on the night run and see all the lights bobbing up and down. It is so cool! I wrapped up my run and got all snuggled up in my tent hoping to catch a few minutes of sleep before my last leg. And then I heard rain...awesome. For a few hours it rained and rained and rained and poured AND THEN IT TURNED TO SNOW! What!? Oh wait, this is Utah, not so unusual. I finally got myself out of my warm sleeping bag and trudged thru the mud to find the runner that was about to go out and to help evaluate the situation. She was up for the 8 miler. We made the decision that we needed to wait it out a little bit to see what was going to happen with the weather. We headed back to camp and had a team meeting. We were at minimum going to wait for daylight, it just wasn't safe to send her out. About 45-60 min after out decision, the race got canceled. IT WAS CRAZY! When I finally started to take my tent down there was about 6 inches of snow on it. So much fun! Can't wait till next year!
Next up, The Little Red Century Ride. 100 MILES! That is a long, long way! Again SO MUCH FUN. Tanja and I headed up for the ride ready to battle! We were camping in the big field and were not expecting the temperature to drop so low! We ended up spooning by morning :) Tanja forgot her helmet and bike shoes but with the help of some random strangers she got all geared up and was ready to roll. We started off with some anxiety of the feat that was looming ahead of us but we forged on and set up a nice pace. When we were half way we enjoyed a delicious subway sandwich for lunch...the thought of doing another 50 miles just wasn't sounding so great, but we lubed up and reapplied sunblock and saddled up anyways. After our lunch stop we encountered a hill that just WOULD NOT end. It went on FOREVER! After we made our descent at death defying speeds(Neither Tanja and I are huge fans of going too fast downhill on those itty bitty tires) we went a few more miles before we hit THE junction. Go straight for 70 miles, turn left for 100 miles. We turned left and then rode and rode and rode until finally getting to our next aid station. It was too far away in the heat of the day, I ran out of water, I had a camelback on and two water bottles on my frame. Once we arrived I had to sit still in the shade for about 20 min before I could drink eat or move, I'm pretty sure I was starting to experience heat exhaustion. I was so hot buy had goose bumps and was shaking, I was pretty sure I was going to puke all over the place. But...we had gone that far, I was going to finish it! After a good break and feeling as decent as it was going to get we took off again. We had one more steep hill and then if was flying on flats from there. We finished! WOO HOO!
The first Tri of the season was the Rockcliff Triathlon at Jordanelle. It was Michelle's first triathlon ever and I was super excited to be there for it. We did the sprint. We started out after the race director gave us a very, very enthusiastic speech ending in breaking a megaphone. The water was great. It took a few minutes for exposed skin and our heads to get acclimated but after that it was great. Michelle doesn't love swimming like I do so this was a HUGE thing for her and she did AWESOME! After we pulled ourselves out of the water and hoped on our bikes I started realizing how not ready my legs were...one week, not long enough after a century ride! It was smooth sailing until we turned to go back, the wind that we experienced was insane, I was terrified to take my hands off the handlebars so I didn't drink or eat anything for the rest of the ride. We pulled into transition 2 and I was seriously unhappy that I was going to have to run. I'm not a huge fan. One day I will be good. I have convinced myself of this! Michelle was great and endured my slow pace and we finish it together! I had not done a triathlon in a long time and my hunger for them ramped up after that race! Michelle and I have big plans for bigger and better in the future.
The first half marathon was the American Fork Half. Only one week after the triathlon. I met up with Michelle and her HOT runner crew to bus up the canyon and wait for the start. Michelle was trying to keep it easy due to a knee injury so she said she would start with me, I knew it wouldn't last long, not much will hold that girl back! After a rough start of getting my legs ok with the situation at hand I did really well and even got a PR! I did do half the race with my eyes teary though. The race is to raise money for cancer. A lot of runners have tshirts with pictures of people on their backs...some with two dates! ugh. It was rough and my Brighton Family weighed heavy on my mind as well as a couple close friends who have parents fighting. I think that's what pushed me to keep my pace up. It was an amazing run and I am sure I will do this one again.
Next up, the ECHO triathlon. Again I did the sprint. It was a gorgeous morning that started out with a moose sighting. My nutrition going into this was very poor. I just didn't plan right. I felt tanked the entire time. But I made myself push on and I ended up getting a PR! What?! Made me realize that I actually am getting in overall better shape and even though my nutrition wasn't right and I had no gas the whole time...I am stronger and faster. That was a great feeling.
Sally and I signed up for the Wildflower Trailfest, we did the clinic but since it was an organized event I feel it still makes the list for races. :) We got split up into skill levels and took off, immediately I felt like I was in the wrong group, I just couldn't keep up climbing up the hills. This was my first ride on my mountain bike since last year and I had my clipless pedals, which I have always struggled with. (I made the decision on a Moab trip a cpl weeks ago that I will NEVER ride clipless again, best decision ever!) Once we got to single track I actually started feeling better and was starting too keep up. I was finally able to get in my pedals. But wow it was a lot of climbing. Finally it was time to go down. I'm not that much more comfortable going down on my mountain bike than on my road bike, but I had the clinic leader behind me coaching me through the switchbacks, so much fun!
My third triathlon of the season was Bear Lake Brawl, another sprint. It was my second time doing this one and I love this course. It is great. Water is clear. Bike is fast. And running is, well running. The whole family went up for this race, I was super excited because Dan and the girls had not been able to be at any other finish line. It was FREEZING in the morning! SO, SO cold. If Dan and the girls weren't there I might have just crawled back into my sleeping bag. I got myself up and down to the bonfires to warm up. It was a great swim, I felt really good about it...the water was about 30 degrees warmer than the air. I transitioned super slow because I couldn't feel my hands or feet and its really hard to pull a tight layer on top of your super wet layer. The bike was cold but fast. The great scenery helps make it go by faster I'm sure. When I went into transition I realized I didn't have my bike shoes tightened down...oops...maybe I could have gone faster! I took off to run but I couldn't feel my feet! I ran until I got to Dan and the girls and then walked for awhile. Finally about halfway though I felt my feet and ran the rest of the way. It so awesome to see my family at the end, absolutely loved it! Guess what? Another PR!
ST. GEORGE MARATHON! The race that had been taking up so much time to train for was finally here! Michelle, Sally and I headed down to St. George ready to rock. We took our time and made purchases at the EXPO, dropped some fuel on the course, we ate dinner and got all of our stuff ready to go and got ourselves in bed and hoped for sleep! 3:45 am comes so fast! We got out the door and on the bus to get to the start line. That is the longest bus ride ever. EVER! Sally and I had a plan, stay together as long as it feels good. And Michelle...well you have learned by now that she is a much better runner than I and we told her we'd see her at the finish, after her nap. And we were off! I told Sally we needed to get past Veyo hill together, we needed each other for that damn thing! I was feeling awesome! (well except for a nagging feeling in my foot.) We got to the bottom of the hill and decided that it would be a good time to get some food out and munch, no sense running up that beast! Once we finally slayed it I asked Sally how she was doing...I was ready to go! I took off but could see her until mile 13 then I didn't see her for a little bit. At mile 15.5 my stomach took a turn for the worse. I had to stop at mile 16 to visit the porta potty. After about 10 min I came out and saw Sally coming, I grabbed our stuff that we dropped and started walking with her. She stopped for a bathroom break and I took off again. The going was slow. If I ran my stomach killed. If I walked my foot killed. I just kept pushing. At mile 22 I turned and saw Sally coming up. I had never been happier in my life to see her. I needed her support. Not long after we helped a cute old man up that fell down. Poor guy...just out of steam! We passed the cutoff point, which was one of Sally's concerns and started winding around town. By this point I was delusional and started singing at the top of my lungs! MONY MONY! We finished strong together and it was great! We found Michelle resting by a tree and made our way back to the hotel. We showered up, ate some yummy food, sat in a lovely hot tub and passed out! And then the next day, because we are cool and crazy chicks, we hiked Angel's Landing! LOVE that hike!
The Haunted Half. Only two weeks after St.George!! The silly things Sally and I will do for a cool medal! It was a good race and a fun course. Sally and I both battled some issues. My foot started acting up at mile 1 and around mile 6 Sally's leg decided that maybe it was done and it just wasn't going to do it any more. But she is so much stronger than she thinks she is and we fought on! We finished and I was so lucky to have Jane bring my girls to the finish line. Seriously best thing ever. The worst part about the whole race...no food or water left at the finish line! Wow!
The only thing I have planned for the rest of the year is the American Turkey Trot. A 5k! Now that sounds nice!
Next year I am doing RAGNAR trail-Zion, RAGNAR Wasatch Back AND Bear Lake Brawl Half Ironman!!! I'm sure there will be others because I seem to enjoy paying for punishment! It is an illness I tell you!
Again, I am so grateful for a the people in my life that make all of this possible!
Tuesday, August 6, 2013
Let's do this!
Wow time flies. Been a long time!
Our family has welcomed two new members in the time since my last post. In addition to our beautiful, go get-em 3 year old daughter Zoey and our laid back, ready for action 5 year old chocolate lab Koa, we now have a new daughter named Skylar (10 weeks) who is following in her sisters foot steps of being an extremely chill awesome baby and a crazy 1 year old white/yellow lab Kea (who doesn't follow in Koa's footsteps of being chill!).
The time has come for me to start documenting my journey to be a super fit, healthy and happy Mommy, Wife & person. I am a happy person, but I will be MUCH happier when I achieve my fitness goals.
The last time I finally was ready to be fit I didn't document any of it and it is something that I have regretted. So here we go!!
I actually started my journey 4 weeks ago. Skylar was 5 weeks old and I decided it was time to start reclaiming my athletic body and healthy lifestyle. Dan has been very supportive and even a little competitive. :) I need to be accountable to myself but it is easy to slip up if that is the only person you are accountable to. So Dan and I have started a little challenge to help me get back on track and to help keep him on track. (why is it so easy to let it slip?) We have said that it is a 12 week challenge, but I'm pretty sure he and I both agree, this is the way of life!
On Monday July 8th 2013
I took before pictures, I am so not brave enough to post them yet...maybe once I have some pictures that I feel more comfortable with and you can really see progress...maybe...I will post them.
I had Kim measure me, girth & body fat %.
I wrote down my scale weight.
I started logging my food and exercise.
Dan and I talked a lot about what we wanted "the challenge" to be like. These are the guidelines we are following.
FOOD
Eat 4 or more servings of protein in a day
Eat 4 or more servings of veggies in a day
Eat 3 or less servings of fruit in a day
Eat 3 or less servings of starchy carbs in a day
Eat 3 or less servings of dairy in a day
Eat 3 or less servings of fat in a day
Drink a min of 64 oz of water per day
No soda or alcohol beverages
*we have a list of approved foods that we eat from (this was made for a challenge that we did at the gym about a year ago)
EXERCISE
We didn't set a hard guideline on this but the basic thought is get out and do as much as we possibly can, solo, together and as a family.
OTHER
Get 8+hours of sleep a night (good luck to me! I will probably be hated for saying this....but I either get it or get really close...remember I said Skylar is a good baby.)
Take a multi vitamin daily.
Take fish or flaxseed oil supplement daily.
All of that being said...these are our guidelines...not hard set rules...but if followed, results WILL be seen. As this is the way we want to live, we don't punish ourselves for eating out, for going to hang out with friends and BBQ's and eating things that aren't on our list. We just are aware of whats going on and try to make wise choices with the choices we have.
There have been a couple of things that have happened with Zoey that have shown that our efforts of a healthy lifestyle are working...the first was when she was eating a churro, that we got while at a soccer game, she decided she wanted an apple instead. The second was when she didn't want a rice crispy treat...she wanted a hard boiled egg. Dan and I laugh and smile and think...damn we are doing good. You see, we don't try to deprive her of these unhealthy treats, I actually told her to give the rice crispy treat a second try, but we are so happy that when she has a choice she will choose what we eat on a normal basis. Don't be fooled, that girl can polish of a glazed doughnut like she was born to do it. But, she really doesn't like most unhealthy snacks.
My plan for success:
Follow the guidelines above.
Make working out a social/family affair.
-I try to make several "dates" a week with friends to get out and go on a run, go for a bike ride, go on a hike...that way when I'm not feeling it...I go anyways. :)
If I have a craving for something, go ahead and have a little, I have found that if I don't... I will end up binging on it later.
Log my food and exercise.
Surround myself with supportive people. I am lucky that this isn't a problem for me. I have a super supportive husband. I have an amazing boss & friend that trains me two times a week for very little in return, and who doesn't mind random texts asking questions. I have supportive family on both sides and I have supportive friends. :)
I sign myself up for running biking events. This year I plan on doing the Red Rock Relay, Ride to Lave and the Halloween half. If I have something to train for, that gives me the extra push to get out the door.
This may be a strange one but, I am so excited to clear out my closet and get rid of things that are too big and bring out clothes that I haven't been able to wear!
How is it going so far?
So far, so good. :)
Yesterday was the start of week 5. Dan took pictures of me this morning. I will have Kim measure me next Monday.
I can see change in the pictures.
I have already shrunk out a pair of shorts. :)
I have lost 8 pounds-I can't wait for BF% and girth measurements.
I want to see the pounds shed faster, but I know that in the long run, it is better for it to be slower and consistent. My lose-it app says I should reach my goal in February....that is really not that far off! (on a side note...that is just my initial goal. At that point I will see what my BF % and re-access..ultimately I would like it to be 15-17%.
It is hard for me to know when I am really hungry sometimes, because I am breastfeeding there seems to always be a feeling of hunger. Hopefully that will work itself out and the pounds will continue to shed.
Our family has welcomed two new members in the time since my last post. In addition to our beautiful, go get-em 3 year old daughter Zoey and our laid back, ready for action 5 year old chocolate lab Koa, we now have a new daughter named Skylar (10 weeks) who is following in her sisters foot steps of being an extremely chill awesome baby and a crazy 1 year old white/yellow lab Kea (who doesn't follow in Koa's footsteps of being chill!).
The time has come for me to start documenting my journey to be a super fit, healthy and happy Mommy, Wife & person. I am a happy person, but I will be MUCH happier when I achieve my fitness goals.
The last time I finally was ready to be fit I didn't document any of it and it is something that I have regretted. So here we go!!
I actually started my journey 4 weeks ago. Skylar was 5 weeks old and I decided it was time to start reclaiming my athletic body and healthy lifestyle. Dan has been very supportive and even a little competitive. :) I need to be accountable to myself but it is easy to slip up if that is the only person you are accountable to. So Dan and I have started a little challenge to help me get back on track and to help keep him on track. (why is it so easy to let it slip?) We have said that it is a 12 week challenge, but I'm pretty sure he and I both agree, this is the way of life!
On Monday July 8th 2013
I took before pictures, I am so not brave enough to post them yet...maybe once I have some pictures that I feel more comfortable with and you can really see progress...maybe...I will post them.
I had Kim measure me, girth & body fat %.
I wrote down my scale weight.
I started logging my food and exercise.
Dan and I talked a lot about what we wanted "the challenge" to be like. These are the guidelines we are following.
FOOD
Eat 4 or more servings of protein in a day
Eat 4 or more servings of veggies in a day
Eat 3 or less servings of fruit in a day
Eat 3 or less servings of starchy carbs in a day
Eat 3 or less servings of dairy in a day
Eat 3 or less servings of fat in a day
Drink a min of 64 oz of water per day
No soda or alcohol beverages
*we have a list of approved foods that we eat from (this was made for a challenge that we did at the gym about a year ago)
EXERCISE
We didn't set a hard guideline on this but the basic thought is get out and do as much as we possibly can, solo, together and as a family.
OTHER
Get 8+hours of sleep a night (good luck to me! I will probably be hated for saying this....but I either get it or get really close...remember I said Skylar is a good baby.)
Take a multi vitamin daily.
Take fish or flaxseed oil supplement daily.
All of that being said...these are our guidelines...not hard set rules...but if followed, results WILL be seen. As this is the way we want to live, we don't punish ourselves for eating out, for going to hang out with friends and BBQ's and eating things that aren't on our list. We just are aware of whats going on and try to make wise choices with the choices we have.
There have been a couple of things that have happened with Zoey that have shown that our efforts of a healthy lifestyle are working...the first was when she was eating a churro, that we got while at a soccer game, she decided she wanted an apple instead. The second was when she didn't want a rice crispy treat...she wanted a hard boiled egg. Dan and I laugh and smile and think...damn we are doing good. You see, we don't try to deprive her of these unhealthy treats, I actually told her to give the rice crispy treat a second try, but we are so happy that when she has a choice she will choose what we eat on a normal basis. Don't be fooled, that girl can polish of a glazed doughnut like she was born to do it. But, she really doesn't like most unhealthy snacks.
My plan for success:
Follow the guidelines above.
Make working out a social/family affair.
-I try to make several "dates" a week with friends to get out and go on a run, go for a bike ride, go on a hike...that way when I'm not feeling it...I go anyways. :)
If I have a craving for something, go ahead and have a little, I have found that if I don't... I will end up binging on it later.
Log my food and exercise.
Surround myself with supportive people. I am lucky that this isn't a problem for me. I have a super supportive husband. I have an amazing boss & friend that trains me two times a week for very little in return, and who doesn't mind random texts asking questions. I have supportive family on both sides and I have supportive friends. :)
I sign myself up for running biking events. This year I plan on doing the Red Rock Relay, Ride to Lave and the Halloween half. If I have something to train for, that gives me the extra push to get out the door.
This may be a strange one but, I am so excited to clear out my closet and get rid of things that are too big and bring out clothes that I haven't been able to wear!
How is it going so far?
So far, so good. :)
Yesterday was the start of week 5. Dan took pictures of me this morning. I will have Kim measure me next Monday.
I can see change in the pictures.
I have already shrunk out a pair of shorts. :)
I have lost 8 pounds-I can't wait for BF% and girth measurements.
I want to see the pounds shed faster, but I know that in the long run, it is better for it to be slower and consistent. My lose-it app says I should reach my goal in February....that is really not that far off! (on a side note...that is just my initial goal. At that point I will see what my BF % and re-access..ultimately I would like it to be 15-17%.
It is hard for me to know when I am really hungry sometimes, because I am breastfeeding there seems to always be a feeling of hunger. Hopefully that will work itself out and the pounds will continue to shed.
Friday, February 3, 2012
I knew there was a reason I didn't do this before!! :)
Yep, I'm not so good at this thing! So lets see...to catch everyone up real quick....last summer/fall I participated in: The Bear Lake Brawl-Olympic Distance, St. George Marathon, I finished! can you believe it? I'm not sure that I can! The Las Vegas RAGNAR, so much fun, can't wait to do another RAGNAR, I didn't walk AT ALL on my three legs, another amazing feat for me! The Halloween Half, love anything that you dress up for! And the Turkey Trot, it was refreshing to only do a 5k!
Throughout all of those races there was a lot of training, a lot of playing with Zoey and hanging with Dan!
On to current things!
I signed up for the Salt Lake City Half Marathon today, I suppose I should start running again! I stopped initially to let my IT band heal, I think it's time to start hitting pavement again! I do so much better when I have a race coming up, so let the training begin!
That's all for now, I will try to keep this more updated!
Monday, July 18, 2011
Swim a 'lil, Bike a 'lil, Run Run Run!
I have officially signed up for the Bear Lake Brawl!! :) I am going to do the Olympic distance; 1500 meter(one mile) swim, 24.8 mile bike and 6.2 mile run. My first Triathlon ever was the Honolulu Tri, also an Olympic distance, I was on a cheap Wal-Mart Schwinn mountain bike with slick tires, it was super tough! I have since done about a dozen tri's, but I have not done one in about 5 years! I am very excited! Since I am training for the marathon and that is the number one goal for the summer, I am just trying to get in at least one swim and one ride a week. Last week was the first week of trying this and I got it in! YAY! This week I am going to do an open water swim with a friend at Herriman Reservoir and hopefully get in a rode ride with another friend on Thursday. I feel like I would be able to complete an Olympic distance tri tomorrow, but I am happy that I have a little over a month to get better prepared so I will be able to function after I complete it. Since it is at Bear Lake, I am sure a motivating factor will be enjoying a yummy raspberry shake after completion! Sure it doesn't fit in with my healthy eating, but when in Bear Lake....you must enjoy a raspberry shake! ;)
Friday, July 8, 2011
Not So Easy
I am a Personal Trainer...I should have the perfect, cut. lean, fit, crazy low body fat percentage body right? Well let me tell you, it is not so easy! I should be eating perfect, healthy, no sweets, no soda, no nothing foods right? Not so easy. I am a Personal Trainer...but...I am a human. I have periods, which as every women will admit makes you desire chocolate like no other!! (those of you who say not so much...I want a lie detector test done!) I have hypothyroidism. Sweet foods taste good, fatty foods taste good. They don't hand out a new set of taste buds with your Personal Training Certificate. I wish they did. THAT would make it a lot easier! Let me start at the beginning, which is really the middle...
When I graduated from High School I was a lean mean swimming machine, I had NO idea what it was like to be overweight, I really couldn't empathize with the emotional and physical issues that come along with being overweight...my thighs never touched and I could eat what I wanted..in fact I couldn't get enough food in my mouth to maintain weight! Not long after HS graduation I was diagnosed with mono, boy was that a treat. I was told I needed to take a break from swimming, they were concerned with my spleen bursting at the seams...I was also diagnosed with a stomach infection, which made me unable to eat..what a weird thing for me! Not being able to swim was heart breaking as I had dreams of walking on to the University of Utah Swim Team. That summer I managed to maintain my weight because I couldn't eat very much, my stomach just wouldn't tolerate it. As soon as I starting feeling better, right around the start of classes at the U, I started getting my swimmer appetite back. I am sure I knew better, or least I wish I knew better, you can't eat like a swimmer while not swimming!! I decided to go ahead and talk to the swim coach to see if it was too late to walk on the team, he took a look at my times and liked what he saw. If you swam with me in HS, then you know that I was never a great workout swimmer, but I was not to shabby off the blocks. After three weeks of the hardest swimming sets, dry land workouts and weights I was cut from the team. I never got a chance to show what I was capable of in a race. I was so out of swimming shape from taking the summer off! DEVASTATING! Welcome to emotional eating! As I started gaining weight my Dad suggested I get my Thyroid tested, he has hypothyroidism, it is a hereditary disease, I am grateful for getting tested and treated when I did, because I am sure things could have gotten far worse. Where I think I was lucky that freshman year by dodging the 15, it was more like 10, I slowly gained about 50 pounds by the time I graduated from college(it took me 6 years), all while completing a Exercise & Sport Science degree. Mind baffling right? Two weeks after graduation I decided to take the American College of Sports Medicine Health Fitness Specialist test (Personal Training) by far the hardest test I have ever taken in my life. I passed the practical and missed the written by 2 points. I later passed the written. I moved to Hawaii to pursue my dreams of being a SCUBA Instructor outside a land locked state, I may be an extremist as I chose to live on an island! :) It was in Hawaii that I finally really saw what had happened to my body...WOW...I was FAT!! And so extremely out of shape. I was embarrassed to tell people what my degree was in, I was ashamed to admit that I was a Personal Trainer. I didn't think I would EVER actually train because really, who would take me seriously? The first year I was there I joined 24hour fitness and tried to eat better. The second year I joined Weight Watchers and a Triathlon Training group. I started doing Tri's, 5k's & 10k's. I saw amazing results. I lost 47 pounds! After living there for 3 years I decided to join Dan in Bozeman, Montana. The long distance thing was just not working for us anymore, and lets face it I was playing on an island, he was enrolled in school. While in Bozeman I maintained my weight loss within about 10 pounds, I fluctuated depending on how freezing it was outside! I had an active lifestyle, I skied, swam and biked a lot. We moved back to Utah after living in Bozeman for 3 years. We got married, we got a house, Dan got a big kid job, I got a job as a Personal Trainer! WOOHOOO Finally I was using my degree! I mean teaching SCUBA & skiing are sport's so technically I was using it all along! I was so happy in my life and so busy that I just didn't really pay attention to what I was putting in my mouth like I should. I'm telling ya, I even look at chocolate and it goes straight to my Ass! I gained about 10 pounds in a year, I was starting to fell uncomfortable at the gym. I started working out more and watching food again and low and behold...I started to gain control of my weight again. Then we got great news, pregnant! Pregnant! I continued to workout and have an active lifestyle, but wasn't not watching the food as much...I was pregnant, when else was I going to be able to eat what I want right? Wrong! I gained 40 pounds! Which wasn't to far off of what is an ideal weight gain, but as I have found, baby weight loss is a different ball game. And let's be honest I haven't given it 100% all the time. I dropped 20 pounds rather quickly, breastfeeding is great! Then we found out Zoey was allergic to breastmilk, that weight loss train stopped in a hurry. So here we are, for the better part of a year I have been hovering around a very unideal weight. I have had wonderful changes in girth measurements and Body Fat %. but my scale weight just isn't budging. I am not going to lie, it is my diet. I workout like a champ! 4-6 serious cardio bouts a week and at least 2 resistance workouts a week. My current struggle is getting my nutrition under control. I need to walk the walk, so I can talk the talk! It is time! I am ready! I recently decided to join weight watchers again, it worked before, it will work again, it was hard, I had to let go of a lot pride to walk in there and tell them I needed help, I am a trainer, serious! Yes, I am serious, having to weigh in front of someone helps out so much, it is all about accountability, and until I break down some walls and be accountable to myself, I will be accountable to someone else. So there you have it in a nutshell, my heart on my sleeve for everyone to read. I struggle daily when I go train others. I have hopes that I will get things under control and I won't worry about people wondering why I am training people when clearly I can't do it for myself.
When I graduated from High School I was a lean mean swimming machine, I had NO idea what it was like to be overweight, I really couldn't empathize with the emotional and physical issues that come along with being overweight...my thighs never touched and I could eat what I wanted..in fact I couldn't get enough food in my mouth to maintain weight! Not long after HS graduation I was diagnosed with mono, boy was that a treat. I was told I needed to take a break from swimming, they were concerned with my spleen bursting at the seams...I was also diagnosed with a stomach infection, which made me unable to eat..what a weird thing for me! Not being able to swim was heart breaking as I had dreams of walking on to the University of Utah Swim Team. That summer I managed to maintain my weight because I couldn't eat very much, my stomach just wouldn't tolerate it. As soon as I starting feeling better, right around the start of classes at the U, I started getting my swimmer appetite back. I am sure I knew better, or least I wish I knew better, you can't eat like a swimmer while not swimming!! I decided to go ahead and talk to the swim coach to see if it was too late to walk on the team, he took a look at my times and liked what he saw. If you swam with me in HS, then you know that I was never a great workout swimmer, but I was not to shabby off the blocks. After three weeks of the hardest swimming sets, dry land workouts and weights I was cut from the team. I never got a chance to show what I was capable of in a race. I was so out of swimming shape from taking the summer off! DEVASTATING! Welcome to emotional eating! As I started gaining weight my Dad suggested I get my Thyroid tested, he has hypothyroidism, it is a hereditary disease, I am grateful for getting tested and treated when I did, because I am sure things could have gotten far worse. Where I think I was lucky that freshman year by dodging the 15, it was more like 10, I slowly gained about 50 pounds by the time I graduated from college(it took me 6 years), all while completing a Exercise & Sport Science degree. Mind baffling right? Two weeks after graduation I decided to take the American College of Sports Medicine Health Fitness Specialist test (Personal Training) by far the hardest test I have ever taken in my life. I passed the practical and missed the written by 2 points. I later passed the written. I moved to Hawaii to pursue my dreams of being a SCUBA Instructor outside a land locked state, I may be an extremist as I chose to live on an island! :) It was in Hawaii that I finally really saw what had happened to my body...WOW...I was FAT!! And so extremely out of shape. I was embarrassed to tell people what my degree was in, I was ashamed to admit that I was a Personal Trainer. I didn't think I would EVER actually train because really, who would take me seriously? The first year I was there I joined 24hour fitness and tried to eat better. The second year I joined Weight Watchers and a Triathlon Training group. I started doing Tri's, 5k's & 10k's. I saw amazing results. I lost 47 pounds! After living there for 3 years I decided to join Dan in Bozeman, Montana. The long distance thing was just not working for us anymore, and lets face it I was playing on an island, he was enrolled in school. While in Bozeman I maintained my weight loss within about 10 pounds, I fluctuated depending on how freezing it was outside! I had an active lifestyle, I skied, swam and biked a lot. We moved back to Utah after living in Bozeman for 3 years. We got married, we got a house, Dan got a big kid job, I got a job as a Personal Trainer! WOOHOOO Finally I was using my degree! I mean teaching SCUBA & skiing are sport's so technically I was using it all along! I was so happy in my life and so busy that I just didn't really pay attention to what I was putting in my mouth like I should. I'm telling ya, I even look at chocolate and it goes straight to my Ass! I gained about 10 pounds in a year, I was starting to fell uncomfortable at the gym. I started working out more and watching food again and low and behold...I started to gain control of my weight again. Then we got great news, pregnant! Pregnant! I continued to workout and have an active lifestyle, but wasn't not watching the food as much...I was pregnant, when else was I going to be able to eat what I want right? Wrong! I gained 40 pounds! Which wasn't to far off of what is an ideal weight gain, but as I have found, baby weight loss is a different ball game. And let's be honest I haven't given it 100% all the time. I dropped 20 pounds rather quickly, breastfeeding is great! Then we found out Zoey was allergic to breastmilk, that weight loss train stopped in a hurry. So here we are, for the better part of a year I have been hovering around a very unideal weight. I have had wonderful changes in girth measurements and Body Fat %. but my scale weight just isn't budging. I am not going to lie, it is my diet. I workout like a champ! 4-6 serious cardio bouts a week and at least 2 resistance workouts a week. My current struggle is getting my nutrition under control. I need to walk the walk, so I can talk the talk! It is time! I am ready! I recently decided to join weight watchers again, it worked before, it will work again, it was hard, I had to let go of a lot pride to walk in there and tell them I needed help, I am a trainer, serious! Yes, I am serious, having to weigh in front of someone helps out so much, it is all about accountability, and until I break down some walls and be accountable to myself, I will be accountable to someone else. So there you have it in a nutshell, my heart on my sleeve for everyone to read. I struggle daily when I go train others. I have hopes that I will get things under control and I won't worry about people wondering why I am training people when clearly I can't do it for myself.
I'm no natural runner
I am convinced that there is a running gene, and this gene has absolutely dodged me. I hate running! Running hates me! (as long as the feeling is mutual right!) To convince my body that it does indeed like running I have decided to run a marathon...not the smartest thing I have ever thought of doing! To train for a marathon you need to run on average 500 miles! WHAT?!? That is JUST to train for it...isn't running 26.2 miles enough!? I have paid for the marathon already so I guess I must truck along. I don't really think what I do can be called running...more of a wounded animal trying to escape it's untimely death walk/run. I am working on changing my mind about running and I try to enjoy each training run I go on. It is starting to work, I'm sickly looking forward to the 7 mile "long run" I have this Sunday. To further punish myself I have committed to run the 2011 Vegas RAGNAR, which seems a lot more do-able for this wounded animal. I am in fact currently wounded, I have a strange mass that has decided to take up residence on my shin. I am not ignoring it though, I am a good girl seeking therapy for the new alien in my body. Hopefully it will be resolved soon and I will continue to smile through the training runs instead of wincing in pain. St. George here I come!!
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