Get some sleep

I am not sure what your bed time is but I am a bit of a night hawk.  Unfortunately.  For whatever reason the last couple months have been horrible.  I find it impacts my day negatively when I stay up late.  I am bad for putting the kids to sleep and then thinking "ah now I can have some me time" to clean, read, fold laundry, watch a movie, etc.  I have come to the realization that yes it might be time when I am alone and can do what I please but I need to use this "me time" more wisely.  When I was seriously focused on losing weight back at the start of the year I was really good about making sure I went to bed early (mainly because I was getting up every few hours to breastfeed).  Well now I am usually only up once in the night to feed Jonah or help Marley go potty and what am I doing?  Going to bed at 11+/- and wasting some great sleeping hours!  I have struggled a bit lately with eating right and balancing my moods, etc.  Yesterday when I was having an almost breakdown (sick feverish baby + tantruming toddler = losing it!) I had an "aha" moment!  Yes crap will always happen, kids will be sick, things will get lost but why the heck am I almost losing it with little things?  WELL IT'S BECAUSE I AM TIRED!  And why am I tired?  WELL IT IS BECAUSE I DON'T GO TO BED EARLY ENOUGH TO GET A GOOD NIGHTS SLEEP.  Even if babies wake up you still get a better sleep if you go to bed at a decent time!  SO last night when the kids went down (round 8pm) I finished doing dishes and cleaning up a little then I made a conscious effort to get ready for bed.  I plugged my phone in the kitchen instead of my bedroom because heaven knows I will waste time on it as I lay in bed.  Left the TV off while I was cleaning up so I wouldn't get sucked into some show that didn't really matter.  I left my computer off as well.  I grabbed a couple of books from downstairs and a bottle of water and headed to bed at 8:45pm.  I know what you are thinking~you haven't gone to bed that early since you were 12 but I am a thinker.  My husband is blessed with fall into bed asleep genes and he is literally out within seconds.  But me ~ I think, I worry, I review the day, I plan, I have little panics about what I think I forgot to do and on and on and on.  SO my goal with laying down around 8:45pm with a book was to give my self some calm down time.  Some quiet mind time.  Had some water, read some book and then turned off the light.  I fell asleep quickly (also helps that Dina kicked my butt at Excel!)  I was up only once with Jonah around 4am then back down until 7ish!  I woke up in a better mood and felt better all day.  Even when Jonah had a mini meltdown.  Not only did I feel better but because I was better rested I made better decisions (ie. no coffee as I didn't feel as tired).  Lately I for sure have felt guilty because I have been a little more short with my kids than usual.  I have felt more tired and just not as happy as I would love to feel.  My hope & hypothesis is that if I force myself to go to bed early and get a good rest for the next while I will be happier, more successful with my weight loss, and an all around nicer (& patient) mama.  Life will happen as it does and I expect someone will have a bad night or Jonah and Marley will tag team me and take turns minimizing my sleep but I need to make sure I am taking all the steps I can to take care of my sleep.  More sleep = less stressed out over stupid things = better results at the gym and better eating habits = a happier ME!
My challenge to you (if you are like me) is keep all your electronics off and OUT OF YOUR BEDROOM for the next 3 weeks.  Make a conscious effort to create a sleep friendly environment (i.e. lights dimmed, a book).  From what I have read online ~ you shouldn't watch TV, play on your phone/computer for 3 hours prior to bed as it is just that stimulating (just like making sure you don't eat 3 hours prior to bed as well).  Maybe it is time for you to hit up the library:)  It takes a little planning and a conscious effort but I am positive this will help us in so many ways!  To be continued...  

Getting Motivated

Everyone has to start somewhere.  I know sometimes it is daunting to start at a new gym, start up a new meal plan, attending a yoga class.  It can be uncomfortable.  Now in my last post I talked about how "uncomfortable" I was wearing the clothes I used to wear.  This is a different kind of uncomfortable.  This is the good kind ~ it just takes once and then it is done and you have accomplished the first of many steps towards your health goals.  I challenge you to get uncomfortable and sign up for a bootcamp, try a new recipe, go for a run around the neighbourhood.  Tonight I did a spin class ~ now I don't know if you have tried a spin class and what kind of spin class that was but this is a sweaty, work your butt off type spin class.  No slack option!  And about 20 minutes into it I felt tired but knew I still had another 30 to go.  It was UNCOMFORTABLE ~ my legs felt tired but were working hard.  This is typical in my workout hour ~ I go in pumped up, get to work, get uncomfortable, get sweaty, and get it done!  I would rather be immensely uncomfortable in a gym class/bootcamp then be uncomfortable in a pair of pants!  Back to the topic at hand ~ getting motivated to get uncomfortable.  Now here are my recommendations that worked for me:

• Find a gym/bootcamp/training facility that you LOOOVEEE going to.  I wish every city was fortunate to have a place like Excel.  It is completely class based ~ classes are small so really it is like having a personal trainer.  They know your name, they know your history, they help make modifications.  Maybe you don't like class based fitness ~ so find a trainer that inspires you and motivates you.  Too expensive?  There are a ton of things at home that you can do with no equipment or super basic equipment.  Really you could do a lot at home but for me I like having the motivating environment to go to everyday.  I like someone pushing me.  I like someone critiquing me.  It comes down to training~I am training to become stronger, faster, leaner, healthier.  I guess you really have to figure out what it is worth to you ~ for me the feeling I got after I lost my initial 25 pounds was priceless.  I have "gone to the gym" since I was 13!  I have never ever ever ever! had results like this nor have I ever worked so hard!  Maybe save up, do some research and find a trainer or facility that you find AWESOME.  If you don't have a gym that you want to go to ~ try a bootcamp with a highly trained pro ~ this will get you started and after the 6-? weeks is up you will have hopefully set the stage to keep it going.
• Get a new water bottle!  Now you might laugh at this one but when I started my 60 day challenge back in January I bought 2 cool looking water bottles from Lulu Lemon.  I have used the metal ones with the twist top for ages but finally realized I just was not drinking enough water everyday ~ and the reason: twisting the top off was not an easy thing to do when holding babies so it just never got done.  Time is of the essence people!  So the 2 water bottles I purchased are the squeeze ones that are leak proof (and they are!).  I literally have them filled with water all day.  One is on the living room table, one is on the kitchen counter and my kids and I sip all day long.  When I go to the gym one comes with me!  I go downtown ~ one is in my diaper bag!  It made it way more accessible:)  Seriously if you are not drinking enough water go get a easy water bottle and drink up! http://shop.lululemon.com/products/clothes-accessories/water-bottles/Purist-Cycling-Waterbottle-II?cc=12015&skuId=3504475&catId=water-bottles 
• Read THE METABOLIC TYPING DIET and stick to the foods that fuel your body best.  You can find the link to this book here http://eatburpeesleeprepeat.blogspot.ca/p/resources.html  
• Make a motivation board and hang it in your bedroom.  I have mine beside my bed and I look at it when I wake up and when I go to bed.  Even if it is a subconscious glance I am still reminded of what I have achieved and what I WANT to achieve.  I post measurements, before pictures, after pictures, people I found inspiring, pictures of my babies, quotes, etc.
• Gear!  Get a good pair of running shoes (I like the Running Room because they help direct you after checking out your feet and walk) ~ if you have easy feet you might not need the extra help but my feet are a mess.  
• Clear out the JUNK!  Get rid of all the bad foods and drinks in your house.  You will survive without them ~ I promise!  If it isn't easy to grab then most likely you will not bother.  Toss it out or give it away but get rid of it.  When you go to get groceries stick to the list (that doesn't mean if you add Oreos to the list you can get them lol!)  It will be cheaper on your wallet too so it is a win-win:)
• Goal jotting!  Every Sunday write down what your plan is for the week ~ doesn't have to be much ~ keep it short and sweet!  Then when you do it during the week cross it out/check it off.  This is a way of keeping you accountable and a bit of a rewarding feeling when you check it off.  It is also a great way to keep tabs on your progression.  
• ROCKS!  When I started my 60 day challenge I filled a mason jar with the number of rocks that equalled the number of pounds I had hoped to lose.  It had a little sign on it that read "Weight to lose".  I decorated it too but I am a bit girly and crafty.  No pressure if that isn't your style!  Then I had an empty mason jar that read "Weight lost".  After every weigh in I would move the rocks where they needed to be ~ lucky for me I kept on moving them to the "weight lost" jar.  It is a great visual reminder and feels SO GOOD to fill up the "weight lost" jar.  Pinterest is who I have to thank for that idea (type in weight loss jars for a lot of ideas)!  I had them sitting on top of my microwave in the kitchen so if I veered accidentally into the kitchen for a little indulgence I would see my jars and be reminded that it just wasn't worth it!
• Reward!  If you are like me you work harder when there is a sweet reward involved!  Of course, simply losing the weight, body fat, and inches is a pretty sweet reward in itself but I made my extrinsic reward to be a dinner date with my husband.  So after 60 days we got to sit down and have some yummy food and a drink.  It was sweet and romantic.  Maybe yours could be a little trip somewhere you have been meaning to go?  Or that outfit you will look awesome in?  Or a spa day (yes men even you would enjoy a spa day!)?  It could be anything ~ once you decide write it down somewhere and post it in a good place like your fridge.

Sometimes getting motivated takes a little effort ~ but the pay off is huge.  You can do it ~suck it up and get uncomfortable:)

 

Reset

Do you ever wish you could just push the "reset" button and start the day, the week, the month, the year, the last bunch of years over?  I do:) And you know what? I push that button often ~ let's be honest here.  I have realized you do have to start fresh sometimes, you do need to forgive yourself and try again.  If you had a little too many treats, didn't drink all the water you should have, didn't get exercise in for the day ~ it is okay.  That is the beauty of your life (most of the time) ~ you are in charge of starting over, changing NOW, pressing "reset".  I know I am someone who has a guilty conscience ~ I will eat something that I know I am not supposed to and feel bad while doing it.  When your will power is strong and has been for quite some time then sure it is okay to have your "indulge" day.  But I am talking about when you go a little beyond the indulge day.  After completing the 60 day challenge I proved to myself that I do have the will power to keep it clean.  I had never gone so long without giving in to a temptation here or there.  And you feel so much better than that second of glory eating whatever your weakness is.  It is all about the snowball effect.  It can be negative where you hold off, give in, eat because your stressed, don't exercise because you got "so much" going on.  It never really improves~you just keep cycling~eat bad, feel bad, no exercise, feel guilty so you eat something bad and on and on!  On the other hand, the snowball effect can be a positive one as I experienced during the 60 day challenge.  If you keep it clean for one day ~ try for two.  If two works ~ go for three ~ and so on.  That is my challenge to you (and for myself).  How about we aim for 30 days?  Always remember it takes 3 weeks to make something a habit.  When would you like to start?  Tomorrow looks nice but how about right now?
I don't know what time it is at the moment you are reading this ~ could be mid day, your feeling a little tired, looking to reach for that little pick-me-up (my mid-day devil used to be blended coffee drinks).  Or maybe it is late at night ~ you finally have a little time to yourself to chill and look at your computer and you are a little bored so those brownies that are sitting on the kitchen counter are whispering your name (Honesty time: I had a couple 2 bite brownies last night ~ but I pressed reset before I went to bed and drank a crap load of water then had a healthy eating day today~don't judge me:).  It could be any bazillion situations made up of time, place, stress, worry, relationships, emotion.  Before I full on committed to improving my health and fitness I know I sometimes had that feeling of "oh well, what's one more" or "I will go for a run this weekend".  Or possibly you feel so in a hole that there doesn't appear to be any light at the end of the tunnel.  But I hope you know or soon discover that there is light.  I have for the most part been floating between average to a little heavy my whole life.  What is average?  Well it was a size 10-12 for me.

BELOW IS A PICTURE OF MY "a little heavy" VS. CURRENT

The picture on the left was taken about 4 years ago prior to any pregnancy.  Weighed around 165+/-.

Had muscle obviously that was hidden.  Current picture on the right is following 60 Day Challenge + 4 months of maintaining healthy eating and exercising.  Weight around 139 ~ down to 136 by August.

PLEASE NOTE:   I was ALWAYS a girl with a bum and big thighs & hips…ALWAYS ~ as you will see in the following pictures ~ even when I was leaner and more toned I still could not target that area of my body.  AND I NEVER EVER HAD A SPACE BETWEEN MY THIGHS ~ ever until recently.  And you know what?  I still have a bum and thighs and hips but it's a squatters lower half and it is strong and toned:)   

SUMMARY OF MY JOURNEY SINCE 2006ish

1.  Ate clean and ran with husband a lot ~ goal was to get in wicked shape for wedding

So the picture on the left is about 3 weeks after our wedding ~ probably the first time in my life I was that lean.  Like I mentioned above I couldn't seem to target/change the bum and thighs as much as I have in the last bunch of months!

2.  The picture on the left is taken a year after we married ~ lost the leanest I had achieved for our wedding ~ still not targeting bum and hips!  AND THEN I decided to sign up for 12 WEEKS OF BOOTCAMP.  I ended up getting in the best shape of my life up until that point.  Was super stoked and then the last week of bootcamp I found out I was pregnant!  I think my healthy change really helped me conceive and it helps starting with a healthy foundation so it was all good:) 

3.  Had my daughter Marley (she is a cutie!) ~ picture on left is when Marley was about 6-7 months old.  Picture on right is a few months later ~ I had started going to EXCEL FITNESS (Thank goodness they opened ~ I needed them!) and was making great progress getting back to pre-marley weight.  About 140lbs.  Little did I know I was newly pregnant in the picture on the right ~ Marley was just over 9 months old.

4.  Then CABLAMOO!  Paul and I are obviously good at getting prego because we did it again!  SO I did get to my pre-pregnancy weight and was getting toned and strong ~ then I found out we were expecting again.  I kept going to excel up until about 5 months pregnant as I had a HORRIBLE pelvis left over from Marley's pregnancy and the extra weight and hormonal changes was causing it to flair up to the point I had trouble walking (let alone exercise).  SO I tried to eat healthy and would do as much as I could physically without hurting myself.  END PREGNANCY weight was about 180ish.  I can't believe my stomach was so "out there".  The human body is AMAZING!  Bottom left picture is about 10 weeks post partum (Jean size was 34-36) and I was pretty much that way until I started the 60 Day Challenge on January 6, 2013.  Jonah was 4 and a half months old.  Bottom right was a Easter ~ shortly after finishing the challenge ~ I had never fit into those jeans before (Jean size 28)!  And now I can proudly say "I AM IN THE BEST SHAPE OF MY LIFE!" Yay!  

After the birth of my son I was roughly 175lbs and I just found I felt so uncomfortable.  Clothes didn't fit right and it was just frustrating getting dressed everyday.  I was patient with myself as I had just given birth to a beautiful boy 18 months after I had my daughter so I knew my body had been thru a lot and I completely respected my body for  growing, nurturing, delivering and feeding 2 little beings.  On the other hand I wanted to feel comfortable, I wanted to feel strong, I wanted to feel energetic.  Being a parent is tiring and eating crap, not exercising and not taking care of yourself make the job way more incredibly difficult.  I wanted to (and continue to want) be the best mom I can be for Marley and Jonah.  Hence, I decided to commit.  I decided to press reset after a few months of postpartum settled in.  And I am so happy I found somewhere that helped me achieve a healthier me.  Losing weight, eating right, fitting into some smaller clothes, being able to lift weights, running up stairs, etc. ~ focus on what you will ~ the FACT IS YOU ARE HEALTHIER!  Don't focus on losing weight ~ have it as PART of the overall goal of just getting HEALTHIER!  To be honest, things are just easier when you are not carrying around extra weight.  Carrying groceries out to your car, taking that flight of stairs, doing yard work ~ things are just easier.  For me getting dressed is easier because things don't feel uncomfortably tight, don't dig in, you don't need to pull up your pants constantly or pull down your shirt.  And when life is a little easier in some ways I find I deal with other situations better.  So it becomes a win-win.  Get healthy, get your life back.  This isn't a practice round so treat your body good and do something good for it.  It is NEVER too late!  Eat for fuel, exercise, hydrate.  Press reset and give yourself a break:)

The set of pictures at the top are at the start of the challenge and the last day of the challenge.  The bottom 2 pictures I took at the end of September to help document my journey on the 6 month THIS IS LIFE Challenge:)

Ready…Set…GOAL!

We made it!

My last large goal was to complete the Spartan Beast race ~ it is a 21km obstacle race that took place up at Sun Peaks Ski Resort.  Here is the information for the 2014 race ~ check it out! http://ca-en.spartanrace.com/event-details-32  Once I successfully completed that race I took a couple weeks off in terms of had a couple "indulge" days (aka. "cheat" days but I don't like the word "cheat" because to me you are not cheating…you are simply enjoying something that you don't regularly have).  Either way I have strayed a little off course and am looking to get back on track like I was.  I pretty much went from January 6, 2013 until Sept 28, 2013 being very strict on my eating habits, working out 4 to 6 times a week, and limiting my "indulge" days greatly.  It was nice to take a bit of a break and relax ~ working out 3-4 times a week.  And I think my body appreciated a little rest, especially after the Beast! A little over a month and a half have gone by and I have mostly just "maintained" my current weight.  Where do I want to be in 3 months you ask?  Well I would love to jump back into my 60 Day Challenge mode with keeping workouts to 4-5 days a week.  Mainly restricting some indulgences (sorry french vanilla cappuccino!) and sticking to super healthy.  Another aspect of my life that I have to keep in mind is I am still breastfeeding my son (thought he would move on after a year but turns out he has different plans!)  I am completely okay with continuing to breastfeed but I cannot restrict calories as one could if they weren't feeding a babe.  During the 60 Day Challenge I was also breastfeeding so I know I can keep my calories at a healthy level and really put the focus on getting the most effective workouts in.  In terms of weight I would like to drop about 15 more pounds ~ lose more inches ~ and cut a couple more % of body fat.  If I didn't drop as many pounds as I am looking at dropping but the inches have changed and the body fat has changed I would be completely fine with that!  I am a muscular girl by nature so it's all good!  I would like to do the Spartan Beast again and see if I can beat my old time ~ hmmm…something to train for?  I think so!

Pre-New Year's Resolution

I know that January 1st is usually the day people make big promises to themselves regarding changing their lives in some shape or form.  I am guilty of it and I know you are too.  After a few months of sticking to whatever plan you have formulated you veer off of the path and out the window it goes.  Some really follow thru and some don't.  Before you know it the New Year comes along and you pretty much repeat what you did the year before and do it all again.  My challenge for you right at this very moment is to start.  Don't wait until midnight on December 31st to decide.  Think about it right now, decide on a plan of how to conquer it and get your butt moving!  

Here's mine:)  I will continue to train, continue to fuel my body with nourishing food, drink lots of water and learn as much as possible about health and fitness as I can.  That is where this blog comes in!  Too often I learn things, do things, hear things, read things and sometime after my brain focuses on something else and I forget the details of all those important tidbits, know-how, etc. Life is extremely full and I feel that having one place to document these important things will help me (and hopefully you) to achieve health and fitness goals.  I think it is also a good way to be accountable (and yes I will be completely honest even if it's not good news).  I also think that the people I am surrounded by day-to-day are SO knowledgable and I am ready to be a sponge and soak it all up.  

What can you expect?  You can expect to hear stories including mine of fitness and health journeys ~ inspiration and motivation.  Tips, ideas, information, how-to and how-not-to-do ~ straight from the awesome team of professionals I work with on a daily basis.  Amazing things that are happening at my training facility Excel Fitness in Vernon, British Columbia, Canada ~ http://excelfit.ca.  Any research I come across that I find interesting and worth while knowing.  

Here's to learning, improving and much success.  Now go drink some water:)