Well holy moly folks, yes I’m still alive!
I’m not even going to say I’ve been busy because that’s just the norm these days! Sometimes this poor little blog just gets neglected. 🙁
One BIG reason my blog has had crickets chirpin’ lately is my laptop computer conked out!!! Wha!??! So sad, scary, frustrating and stressful at the same time!!
It’s been acting up a little bit the past couple months, but last week I got a little bit of water in it (long story) and it killed it. Thankfully, I was able to recover all of my data. Phew. So, for now I’m using Kev’s little computer and I’m in the process of finding me a new one.
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Last week I also went to New York City with my darling momma and little sister!
You guys, we had so much fun and it was such a memorable trip! My mom just turned 78 and walked all over that city! She was/is amazing and I’m so glad I got to enjoy this trip with her and with my sister. I will write a blog post ALL about our trip soon! Promise.
Oh how I LOVE New York City!! <3
We also headed up to Idaho the weekend before for our darling niece’s wedding. It was beautiful and so nice to spend time with family.
I snapped this selfie of Kev and I at the temple after the wedding and I thought, “Man, when in the world did we get so old!??!”
This whole aging thing seriously blows my mind! It’s funny because I don’t feel any older and I’m certainly not much more mature than I was as a teenager, but somehow I’m slowly transforming into an old lady. I see new wrinkles, age spots and white eyebrow hairs showing up all the time.
Super weird.
I don’t really mind getting older though. I’m definitely nostalgic, but I know that gettin’ old is just part of life. It happens to all of us.
It’s a good thing life is hard (um wow, that sounds weird?) because although I would love to go back in time for a day or two, I’m usually happy to be done with the various stages of life that I’ve gone though. I’m happy to be moving forward. I try to remind myself to enjoy and cherish every stage in life. I KNOW that I will look back fondly to these crazy years that I’m livin’ right now and I will miss them so much.
I also like to remind myself that life would be very boring if we all just stayed the same all the time; we never grew up and never moved forward.
Anyway, to sum it up….we’re gettin’ old and it’s weird.
I also went on a fun little preschool field trip to the farm with my baby a couple weeks ago.
We had such a fun time and OH how I love this little boy!!! However, it’s so interesting to be the “old mom” now. It’s actually really nice to not have to bring a baby or toddler along with me every where I go and I love that I can just focus on this last little boy, but it’s just crazy.
Most of the other preschool moms seem much younger than me and a lot of them have another little baby other than their preschooler. As I sat at the Preschool Open House last month, I looked around the room and quickly realized, “Maaaaaan, when in the world did I get so old!??!” I still feel 25!
Again, I really don’t mind getting old (there are definitely some perks!)…it’s just trippin’ me out!
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Speaking of getting older, I’ve been feeling more and more motivated to be committed to my health lately. It really seems like the years are flyin’ by and I just keep getting older and older and heaven help me I want my body to keep up with me as I age!
I want to always remain mobile, agile and active. I want to maintain a healthy weight, which usually equates to maintaining healthy blood pressure, cholesterol levels, insulin sensitivity and a healthy body!
Soooo, I’ve been trying to make some permanent changes to the way I do things. I’ve just been holding myself to a higher standard and have just been trying to take my typical healthy living up a notch.
As y’all know, I’ve been doing this Oxygen Challenge the past couple months. I’ve been loving it and I’ve learned a lot. In fact, it’s been my favorite exercise program out of the three Oxygen Challenges I’ve done.
It’s just been awesome and feels effective. FYI, the first 6 weeks of this challenge focused more on traditional weight training and strength and the last 6 weeks are more about power moves, a little more cardio and combining weight training with functional movements. It’s been so good and just feels empowering. I may even start it over and do it all again after I’m done.
However, I’ve struggled a bit with the nutrition part of this challenge. I’ve talked about this a lot already, so I won’t go on and on. I’ve just been trying to find a nice, reasonable, long-term, practical eating plan for myself; one that will help me feel good, lose a little weight, have energy and just be healthy!
I’ve just been trying to be mindful and aware of what I’m putting in my mouth. I haven’t wanted to count calories or macros. It’s been working great for me as far as feeling good and having energy, but I just haven’t been seeing any actual results! I’m still sitting about 10-15 pounds from where I want to be and it’s driving me crazy.
Quite frankly, I know exactly what I need to do to lose that weight, I was just hoping I could do it in an easier, less intense way. But….no dice. I really am not surprised. I must say that in the past, whenever I’ve wanted to lose weight, I really have to be “all in” or I get nowhere. Simple as that.
Soooo, I’ve decided to be “all in” now! Woot! It seems like a switch just flipped in my head and I thought, “Girlfriend, you gotta get serious.” If you want to see actual results, results that can lead to long-term health…you gotta step it up.
So, I’ve set up some new “harder core” goals for myself and I’m feeling very committed and stubborn.
I still think my goals are reasonable and livable, but they do take more discipline and sacrifice…enough that I’m thinkin’ I’ll see some actual progress!
I also want to mention, that whenever I get really serious, I actually write down my goals. I’ve recorded my goals in my phone or apps in the past, but I actually prefer good ‘ol pen and paper the most.
Soooo, when I was in NYC, I picked up this darling, overpriced notebook that I love!
Isn’t is cute?? There is something that’s just so satisfying and therapeutic about physically writing down goals and than carefully keeping myself in check! I love going back and seeing my progress along the way too.
Oh, and I’ve decided to commit to my goals for one month and I plan to continue after that as well. I just like to identify a specific time frame and one month is a good length of time; long enough to see results, but short enough that it’s not too overwhelming. I plan to evaluate my goals at the end of the month, maybe take a day or two off and then start up again for another month!
Sooo, here are the official goals I’ve set for myself.
- Intermittent Fasting every day. Basically I’m going to eat during a 6-8 hour window and “fast” for a 16-18 hour window every day. Really, it’s not that hard, but I love how I feel when I do it! I have more energy, my appetite chills and it just simplifies the whole “healthy eating” thang because I only have to think about it for 6-8 hours a day! Game changer.
- I’m not going to have any obvious sugary stuff. I’m going to stay away from cookies, candy, cake, chocolate, soda, you name it…even chocolate chips! I may have a little Halo Top Ice Cream or something like that when a craving hits, but just a bite or two! I’m committed to this one 100% because I KNOW it makes all the difference!
- I’m going to stay away from most processed flours. I’m not going to have bread, pizza, buns, etc. I will allow Flatouts or Joseph’s Lavash and Pita Breads.
- I’m not going to have any french fries, even sweet potato fries. I know that sounds funny, but it seems like when I stay away from sugar, I allow myself to have fries sometimes. Welp, not this time!
- I’m going to have a protein shake or green smoothie every day! Really, my protein shakes are just like green smoothies with some form of added protein (protein powder, cottage cheese, plain Greek yogurt, etc.) I love making this a goal! I can’t say I love green smoothies or protein shakes, but it’s just such an easy way to get a lot of good things in the body! I made this a goal several months ago too and noticed some good things from it!
- I’m going to strive to get 7-8 hours of sleep every night. I know there will be some nights where it just ain’t happenin’, but I’m going to make it a priority. I’ve learned time and time again that adequate sleep is absolutely vital to healthy living. Vital.
- I’m going to stick to my typical workout schedule. I always listen to my body and life though; if I’m seriously worn out or have a crazy day, I’ve learned that sometimes it’s “healthier” to skip a workout. I always make exercise a priority and get my workout in most days though!
- Right now my schedule is: Monday; yoga and an Oxygen workout, Tuesday; HIIT class, Wednesday; killer weight training class, Thursday; either a Boot Camp class or an Oxygen Workout, Friday and Saturday; Oxygen workouts or my own weight training, Sunday; off.
- I usually end up getting 5 of these 6 workouts in a week.
- Right now my schedule is: Monday; yoga and an Oxygen workout, Tuesday; HIIT class, Wednesday; killer weight training class, Thursday; either a Boot Camp class or an Oxygen Workout, Friday and Saturday; Oxygen workouts or my own weight training, Sunday; off.
- I’m going to drink warm lemon water every morning. I just heat up a glass of water in the microwave and add 1/2 teaspoon baking soda and the juice of half a lemon to it. It’s refreshing and feels detoxing to me. It’s a very simple thing to do and apparently has a bunch of health benefits. Google it!
- I’m going to drink loads of water every day! I try to drink a gallon a day, but I don’t usually measure it. Drinking water has never been a hard thing for me; I actually crave it! I’m just going to make sure I get plenty in my body!
- I’m going to floss my teeth every day! Sounds funny, but I know this is actually really important for good health. I’m usually hit and miss with flossing, but when I make it an actual goal, I get it done!
I think that’s it! This might sound like a lot, but I’m already do a lot of these things in my day to day life. It’s just nice to make them actual goals and make sure I get them done! The biggest challenge will be staying away from sugar, flour and fries! Everything else just takes a little planning and discipline, but they’re not super hard.
I feel optimistic that my goals will be challenging enough to produce results, but livable enough that I won’t go crazy! I will keep you guys posted on my progress! I’m so dang sick of just spinning my wheels and getting nowhere…I’m ready to see some actual results and then I plan to protect those results and make them permanent!!
Well, I gotta hit the hay! I love y’all!!! xoxo
Sounds like you’ve been having a wonderful time! You’re not alone, the whole aging thing freaks me out as well. But then it’s just part and parcel of life I guess 🙂
Ha ha, yes we’ve been having a great time, but have just been busy!!! This whole aging thing is a trip for sure. I’m glad to know I’m not alone, lol!