Lost

There's no sugar coating this post, it's going to be as real as it gets. I lost a friend last weekend...he passed Friday after a long battle with cancer, and frankly, I'm devastated.
He was too young.  He had such an amazing family.  He was a talented architect.  He was so many things, and he was taken from us too soon.  I'm writing this as I'm preparing to head off to his funeral, and while I know that this is going to be so very difficult for me, I can't bear the thought of what his wife and children are experiencing right now.  I was blessed to have had the opportunity to know him as a friend and co-worker, and my life is so much better for it.
Dan taught me to live every day to it's fullest.  Even when he was at his sickest, he made every effort to make good memories with his family.  They went on an "ice cream tour" for the kids spring break after having to cancel their planned vacation because he was too sick...I loved seeing his smiling face eating ice cream every day of the week at a different spot.  He knew how to make the most of any situation, and to not take things too seriously.  I hope that I can live half the life he has.  
He was a good man.  
He will be missed.
We love you Dan. 

Fit by the Fourth

So….I’ve been a little MIA from the blogging world, I know.

Life is a little crazy around these parts! Work is keeping me busier than usual, and we’ve been doing some minor work on our house too, so all of my free time has been going to those little odd projects in an effort to get my house back to normal as soon as possible!
What does that all mean? Well I’ve been admittedly slacking on my diet and exercise L

I’m not perfect, I’ve never claimed to be, and the reality is that life happens and sometimes we lose focus.  The important thing is acknowledging that small things do still add up, and that every little effort we make towards a healthier lifestyle DOES matter, it’s not an all or nothing attitude.

I needed some inspiration this morning, so I was looking through my last 21 day fix challenge group results…these women did AMAZING!!  Even those that admitted they weren’t perfect with their food choices still lost tons of inches and a few pounds too.

Some women lost 4 pounds, a few lost 6 or 7 pounds, and a few more lost OVER 10 POUNDS!! This is exactly the motivation I need to kick my butt back into gear, so I’ve decided to start a new 21 day fix accountability group that I’m calling “Fit by the Fourth”.

I’m going to start it next Friday, June 13^th so we end the day before the 4^th of July, so email me asap, you’ll have to get your order in by tomorrow if you want to join us! babebeforebaby@gmail.com

I’m ready to go into this summer strong, how about you??

#sharesomethinginspiring

Last week, a friend invited me to a challenge on Facebook….now normally, I ignore these things, because frankly, I have enough on my plate and I don’t really need to add any more stress to my life.

But for some reason, I decided to look at the details for this one..and I’m so happy I did!

You see, this isn’t your normal challenge..it’s actually a twitter based challenge put on by Lorna Jane and Fit Approach, and the concept is pretty simple: share something inspiring each day.  There’s a daily “topic” to share about, but if you can’t figure something out, you just share whatever you want that you feel is inspiring.  

There couldn’t be a more meaningful challenge.

This is what it’s all about isn’t it? Inspiring others to live a healthy, active lifestyle?

So I’ve taken on this challenge, and I’ll be trying to participate daily by using the hashtag #sharesomethinginspiring, both on my Instagram and Twitter pages (I’m Babebeforebaby on both).  I’d love for you to follow along, and share something inspiring of your own!

Lost: Motivation

Truth: My motivation to eat healthy has gone out the window this week.

I’m doing great with my workouts, getting up early and getting them in before work.  But then someone offers me a cookie at work.  Or I go out to celebrate a friend’s graduation.  Or we have a happy hour to celebrate a co-worker’s upcoming wedding.

I’ve said this so many times before, but I know that I can’t out train a bad diet, and I’m already feeling sluggish and gross after just a week’s worth of eating poorly.  I know life happens, and there will be times I’m not 100% on point, but I really need to focus in again so I don’t start going in reverse!

I usually have a saying that I live by: free food is fat food! So if someone brings in food to work, I keep away from it…I don’t usually have any of the daily treats like cookies, cake, or bagels that end up in my office so often, and I need to remind myself of that rule, since it really does make a difference for me! I also find that if I limit my indulgences to the weekends, and that I don’t keep them in the house (IE, I have to go out to get ice cream as opposed to having a half gallon waiting in the freezer), that I am way more successful.

So now we have a 3 day weekend coming up, and I’m hoping that I can be a little more active, a little more diligent about my food choices, and hopefully I can un-do some of this bloat that I’ve put on this week!

I know that motivation is in there somewhere, I just have to dig deep to find it! 

How do you get back your motivation when it takes a vacation?

I'm a home fitness addict!

I’ve turned into a home fitness addict!! I can’t stop buying new programs, I love them all, want them all, need them ALL!!!

I told you that I bought PUMP last month, and decided last week I needed more Chalene in my life so I purchased ChaLEAN Extreme too!

I tried my first Chalean workout this morning and I really liked it, but I have to admit, it’s a huge change of pace for this self-proclaimed cardio junkie!

It feels wrong not to be constantly jumping/moving/drenched in sweat, but the more I use weights the more I see changes in my figure, and the scale certainly shows that as well.

This week I’m going to stick to Chalean and running, with a few 21 day fix workouts thrown in since I’ve fallen in love with Autumn too, and maybe I’ll do a PUMP workout this weekend!

The best part about having all these programs is the variety, I don’t feel obligated to stick to one program now, I’m mixing and matching and getting a good range of training in from all these different options, which is perfect for me since I do tend to get sick of things easily (not to mention the fact that changing up your workout keeps your muscles guessing which means progress!!)

The key to all of this though is my nutrition…I’m still following the nutritional component to the 21 day fix, since I know I won’t see any results if my diet isn’t in check!  That’s actually the reason why the 21 day Fix is probably the best program out there…the nutrition is so critical to seeing results, regardless of what fitness program you’re following, and you really can use the fix with anything else you’re doing (hence the idea that you’re creating a healthy LIFESTYLE change, NOT a diet!!)

Someone suggested this morning I do a review of the difference between ChaLEAN and PUMP (thanks Amy!) which I’ll definetly consider doing, but I want to get further into both of the programs before I try to sound like an expert on either of them J

 My mission? To burn off some of this body fat and change my composition, even if I can't get the scale to move!

How was your weekend?

Confessions of a Fat Girl: Mother's Day Edition

Yesterday was a tough day for me.

A day when most of the world has a reason to celebrate.  But I’m the exception to the rule.

My mom isn’t a part of my life anymore, and while I don’t want to get into those details here, it makes days like yesterday especially tough, when I see a million and one posts about how amazing people’s Moms are, and how thankful they are to have them in their lives.  I’m happy for them, I really am…which is why I feel that much worse for resenting this holiday and the fact that I don’t have the same reasons to celebrate.

So..Confessions of a Fat girl, I had a little pity party with my food this weekend…I ate my feelings on Saturday night and then again on Sunday….not my proudest moment, and while I wish I could say I have my emotional eating under control, I have tough days like this still that feel like a HUGE setback in my progress. 

But that’s why I’m writing this post today.  Because in the past, that pity party would have carried over into today.  And today would have turned into another week…and I’d let myself slip back into my bad ways really quickly.

This time it’s different; I had a bad day, I am acknowledging it, and I’m moving on.  We can’t be perfect 100% of the time. 

Fall down 7 times, get back up 8, right?

So, with that said, even though I have a pretty crazy schedule ahead of me this week, I’m going to plan as much as possible and be as close to 100% with my food as I can.  I’m going to try to get in more steps this week, and maybe even throw in a few double workout days too!

I’ve said this before and I’ll say it again.  I’m not perfect…but find me someone who is? A bump in the road won’t derail this train, not this time! 

What’s YOUR plan for success this week?

Feeling Zen?

Bad blogger of the year award, I know, I know!

I’m here still I promise, things have just gotten a little crazy around these parts with all of my various time commitments, and I haven’t had a chance to write any posts lately so I’m sorry!

I started a new round of the 21 day fix this past Monday (Round 3 for me); I’m hovering right around my all-time low weight right now, so I’m hoping this round will push me to a new number, and my lowest weight EVER as an adult! I’m growing stronger every day, using heavier weights, pushing for one more rep than last time, running faster than before, and I know it’s because the nutrition component is finally in check for me, something that I’ve always struggled with throughout this journey.  

It’s finally clicking for me this time, and I really think the nutrition plan that I follow with the 21 day fix is something I can do over the long term (with modifications for a few indulgences here and there of course!).  In general, the guidelines for the eating are so spot on, that I think I’ll even use this plan if and when I ever do get pregnant, because the idea of feeding my body with the healthiest food possible while growing another life inside me has always been super important to me!!

I have to admit that the idea of getting pregnant has terrified me when it comes to my weight; what if I become a statistic and gain 50+ pounds?? What if all my hard work these past few years has been for nothing?? With the 21 day fix, I’m FINALLY feeling in control.  I feel almost zen about

the whole thing…I know, it’s cheesy, but it’s true.  Before this program, I was stressed about counting calories…tracking every bite, breaking down my macros, eating at very specific times and specific combinations of food, and watching the scale stand still (or even worse, go up in some cases!)

Now, I know what the proper portion sizes SHOULD be, I feel more in control if I go out to eat, and I’m not pulling out my phone every time I take a bite of something to track what just went in my mouth!

It’s simplified this whole process for me, and I’m so grateful for it, because only good things can happen from here!!