Morning friends! Well, it has happened...leap day has fallen on a Monday. It will only happen 15 times in a 400 year period. So, today is a special day.
Ok, ok. Today is also a special day because it's now less than a year that I turn 40. Yep, I turned 39 yesterday! I started this blog and FB page to help motivate me to get healthier and enjoy life more as I turned 40 - the countdown has officially begun.
I decided I would take the rare 2/29 on a Monday as a good "restarting" point to get back on track to being Fabulous by Forty. So, at 4:30am this morning I got up, read my devotional, social media and then started working out at 5:00am. Day one in the books.
I am a good starter, but a horrible finisher. I am going to approach each day with a focus on that day - not dwell on yesterday and not think about tomorrow (sorry Scarlett O'Hara!). So, today has started out good. I'll celebrate that today.
Happy Monday my friends! Until next time...
Remember me?? I'm still here. I'm still working on me and I am finding that old habits die hard.
I was so excited to see a difference between my first of January pic and my end of January pic. I should have been so encouraged that I hit February in stride and really got those inches dropping. But...life happened and instead of hitting the gym hard, I hit the floor hard.
I made conscious choices not to exercise. I found excuses, but they were still conscious choices. I ate a lot of candy (like a lot). I wrestled with most of those decisions too. It wasn't a, "pop this in my mouth without thinking about it" thing. It was a "I know I shouldn't, but by golly, I'm going to eat it anyway" kind of thing.
So, the past week I've had a pity-party for myself. It's ridiculous and I'm ashamed, but it's the truth. I think it's human nature (or at least I hope so because that makes me feel better to say that) to dwell on our misfortunes instead of looking past them, or better yet, finding teachable moments. I get so focused on how bad I feel about myself that I forget just great I have it and I need to pull up my big-girl pants and move on.
The teachable moment. I'm not perfect. I'm not going to be 100% perfect all the time, even though that's the expectation I've set for myself. I'm proud of myself for not gaining all the weight back. It's also a step in the right direction that I actually wrestled with food decisions instead of mindlessly eating junk. I mean, I still ate the junk, but at least I debated myself about it!
I'm less than 2 weeks away from the year count-down to my Fabulous Forty. I hope I can revisit this blog next year and thank myself for pushing on when I just want to drink a big 'ol glass of chardonnay and eat chocolate.
Thanks for reading my blog. I am picking back up with the 28-day FitGirls challenge. It's a great program and I encourage you to check out their Instagram and webpages.
Until next time.
Well, the "28 Day JumpStart" that I am doing from FitGirls has come to an end. I am happy with the progress I've made, even though I had some missteps.
First of all, I've learned to "like" meal prepping. This is something that I haven't done and it makes all the difference in my eating. It's also been a positive on my budget! I've found that we are eating out less which helps not only the waistline, but the wallet as well. There was a distinct difference in the weeks where I meal-prepped vs the weeks that I did not.
Secondly, in order for me to be compliant on exercising, I fare better when I do it first thing in the morning. But, I like my sleep. I really like my sleep. I'm still trying to work on that one. I've been a little addicted (ok, a lot) to playing the X-Box with my hubby (darn you Star Wars Battlefront), so I've not been getting to bed as early as I should. I also had a set back by being sick the last week and a half, so that put a wrench in things too. I'm excited to start a new round of FitGirls and get my Fitness back on!
Third, and maybe most importantly, is I've adopted the motto that each minute, each second can be a new start when I don't eat what I should. The old me would just throw in the towel. I've already eaten badly, might as well just dive right in head-first. It's been encouraging to continue to remind myself that one bad choice does not give me permission to keep making them...the next second is a new start.
So, my Fabulous Friends, this brings me to the Fearless part. I've promised photos of my before and after the 28 Day JumpStart. I've been stewing about this for the last few days. What if there isn't a noticeable difference? Am I really comfortable putting my fat rolls out there for all my Friends and Family to see? Well, I've promised to be true to my blog and that includes all the not-so-pretty things that go along with getting Fabulous by Forty.
So, without further adieu, my pre- and post-28 days pics are below. The before is on the left, after on the right. I'm happy that I can see some progress, but understand that I've got a ways to go. Next month, I'll turn 39 and the real count-down to 40 will begin. I'm happy to get a head-start on being Fabulous. Have a good week.
Hi, Friends! What a week this has been weather-wise. Snow days are the only days where I envy you teachers. I haven't a tenth of the patience you do to work with kiddos on a daily basis. I am a little jealous of your snow days.
So now is about the time I start lacking the follow-through on my diet and Fitness goals. I start out strong, but about 2-3 weeks in, I fall straight off the ledge. This year, I vow to be different. I have not been perfect and have not followed this diet plan to a "T", but I am encourage enough by this my Family, this blog and your words of kindness to get back on track when I stumble.
If you are like me, once I eat something I shouldn't, I am so hard on myself that I continue to do it. I have that mentality of "well, this day is gone, so I might as well eat whatever I want." I still struggle with that. I read something recently that said that Monday may be the start of a new week, but don't wait until then; the next second is the start of a new minute. I've tried to adopt that mentality.
I am getting ready to start the last week of the 28-day Jumpstart with FitGirls. I really like this program and I can honestly say that I've eaten consistently healthier than I have in years. I've lost a little weight, but I can tell that my clothes fit a bit better. I've struggled working out this week due to a head cold; but I did go out in what felt like sub-zero temps to brave the gym before I got sick. I tried to find many excuses not to go (who needs more than sub-zero temps??), but my husband helped push me to go. I do wish I had been more compliant than what I have, but I'm still on the train so-to-speak and that's a better showing than in the past. I'm still a work in progress.
This coming week starts a decent amount of traveling for my job. This is going to be the ultimate test. There is a lot of eating out and I really struggle with making good choices. I'll report back to you next week on how I fared. Preparation, preparation, preparation.
Have a good week!
Well, the first (almost) couple of weeks of 2016 are in the books. We've seen our first snow (finally) and the kiddos are back in school. It's been a busy couple of weeks so it's been hard to find some time to write a quick blog about how I'm working on getting Fabulous by 40.
First, Fitness. The adult child and I continue to do the FitGirls meal plan and exercises. I never thought I'd eat so much spinach...and like it. I actually craved the sweet potato/spinach/chicken tacos I had for dinner tonight! As far as exercise, I do really well at the beginning of the week. By Thursday (today!) though, I am beat and my energy level is not great. I need to work on knocking out more exercises in the morning or during my lunch as I am less successful when trying to do so after a long day at work. I will add that I might have swiped a few Blow Pops from the candy jar (didn't want one of my co-workers to call me out on that).
Faith. I am enjoying reading a devotional that is sent to me every morning. We are studying Jesus' teachings. I am trying to be diligent about having some quiet/meditation time in the mornings.
Family & Friends. I have been awestruck lately at how quickly children grow up. I used to roll my eyes at that notion. The more they age, the more I realize that every generation behind us was right - enjoy the moment now because it goes so fast.
Fearless. I've got a little over 2 weeks before my first progress pics and I am nervous. The original pics are not pretty. However, if I am going to stay true to this blog being an inspiration to others and a motivation to myself, I've got to do it - back fat and all.
My goal for next week is to not hit a wall by Thursday. I also have some traveling coming up in a couple of weeks, so that will be a challenge in itself. That's what usually derails my fitness efforts (yes, among other things).
I hope you all have a good rest of your week. ;)
Happy New Year friends!! Welcome to 2016!!!
Undoubtedly, many of you have or are making resolutions. I am too. Even when I try not to, I still do in my head. And that's ok. Yes, there are dire statistics out there that say roughly 8% of people achieve their resolutions; but, hey, it's not zero!!! I think we, by nature, are recharged with a sense of renewal. Why not embrace that? At first I thought about the "resolutions" we make. Some are lofty; some are general. But, most (if not all), help us strive to be a better, well, "us"! The thing that is most
important in "resolutions" or "goals" or just trying to better yourself
in a world that constantly wants to drag you down is to remember that
it's ok to fail as long as you get back up and try again.
Now, I know there are many of you - myself included - that roll
your eyes or make a wonderfully witty comment about resolution'ers. I
get it. Like I said, I've been one of those people on the sidelines
(while still resolution'ing behind the scenes) who smirk when I hear or
read about NY's resolutions. But, in retrospect, there has been an
effort and a desire to improve oneself. Isn't it better to have tried and just fallen short of the goal than to not try at all? Aren't you inherently better at a "just fallen short of" goal than staying stagnant at where you are?
Let me share with you a story that illustrates my point. I love sharing this with my folks at work as it illustrates the power of pushing others, including oneself to a higher level. It's told by Viktor Frankl - a fascinating man who survived the Holocaust and became an acclaimed neurologist and psychiatrist. While he and I might not share the same views on everything, I enjoy reading some of his perspective on life (it's on YouTube if you're inclined to watch). Here's my paraphrasing of his story:
There is a term in aviation called "crabbing". If a pilot sets out to fly straight to his destination (let's say point "B"), he will likely drift into a lower spot than intended due to crosswinds (point "C"); however, if a pilot sets his mark higher than the intended destination (let's call this point "A"), the crosswinds will push him to his desired spot (point "B"!). Frankl applies this to humanity and says that if we take man for who he is right now, we often times make him worse. However, if we overestimate her (ourselves!), then we promote her to who she truly can be.
You and I might not be the 8% this year; but if we almost get there or kind of get there, we're 100% better than where we started and that is Fabulous!
Hi, Friends. Christmas is in two days!!! I can't believe it. Sadly, I don't know that I remember ever feeling so "non-Christmasy" as I do right now. I am going to blame it on the weather - and - approaching full moon. That's got to be it. People are just downright nuts out there! They are angry and rude and hateful. I wish I could carry around a wand filled with Christmas cheer so I could bop some little bunny scrooges over the head!
Ok, glad I could get that off my chest. :-) Seriously, though. I'm currently wearing a shirt that says "Keep Calm and Merry On." Why have we gotten to a place where the holidays have become a burden instead of a blessing? I get family dynamics and cleaning and cooking and the like; actually, it's just another example of getting caught up in life and not taking a step back to enjoy it. Enjoy. This. Moment. How many are we guaranteed? And, we know this but still let "noise" consume our thoughts and energy. I hope I can continue to find ways to live more in the now and not be consumed by the tomorrow (or the yesterday for some).
Since we last visited, the "almost adult" is no longer "almost" - she's an adult now. I was feeling a bit nostalgic this weekend thinking about the last 18 years. I remember when she was a baby, sitting there holding her and daydreaming about what she would be like when she got older. I couldn't wait for her to grow up and now she's grown and I'm wondering where it all went. If you're like me, you rolled your eyes when you heard an "elder" say that it goes so fast. I guess it does. But, time flies when you're having fun, right?
Goodness, deep thoughts there. Anyway, onto my getting Fabulous by Forty. Food: I was not good (at all) about purposefully choosing what I ate this week. I gained a couple of pounds, which in hindsight, is pretty fantastic given that I ate my weight in chocolate at The Melting Pot on Saturday. Then, there was the Cheesecake Factory and Olive Garden on Sunday (yes, on the same day - birthday weekend celebrations). I'm glad she doesn't turn 18 every weekend!
Fitness: My exercising has been non-existent the last week. I've worked late most every night this week and I've yet to find that right combination of getting my work-work, my home-work and my life-work done each day. But, that's what this journey is for. Fabulous doesn't happen overnight.
I will have to say, I have noticed a difference when I am eating cleaner than when I'm eating processed foods (that are so much quicker to fix). I'm still following FitGirls and I'm enjoying the recipes. I really do like spinach!!!
Thank you for taking the time to read my blog. My challenge over the next week is to find some time to exercise. It's going to be a crazy week, but I've got to make it happen. I hope that you can squeeze in a couple of exercises too. Even if it's just a few teeth brushing squats (yep, squatting while you are brushing your teeth). Yep, I do that on occasion.
I want to wish everyone a Fabulously Merry Christmas this week. I'm hoping you can find some Christmas cheer and get a chance to spend time with Family and Friends. Remember, it's a celebration of a very important birth and I'm so thankful He loves me, even on my un-Fabulous days.
Phew! What a week. If you are anything like me, these past few days (and weeks!) have flown by. Christmas programs, shopping, decorating, traveling, year-end work stuff, etc., etc. All those things can really bog you down and make you wonder where the day went. I'm feeling that way. I've vowed to not let life drag me along, but I failed miserably this week.
As far as the FitGirls food plan, I'm following that fairly well (a Christmas party and some business lunches) and I'm enjoying the food. I'm starting to get the hang of the recipes and so I'm lesser annoyed at the food prepping part. Notice I said "lesser"; it still annoys me - just not to "no end". :)
Exercising has been the real challenge. I told myself last week that I was going to let my body heal one more week before I started in on the exercise portion of FG. However, yesterday and today I did not go. I had the opportunity tonight, but I chose to play Animal Crossing on the Wii (it's my go-to game to relax). It was my first night in a while that I didn't have work-work that I needed to do and my brain checked out. So did my body. I need to work on that. I'm sure the gym would have made me feel better than catching a horse mackerel and selling it to Tom Nook.
Weight-wise, I'm down about 12 pounds since I started the blog. So, that's a victory! However, I'm still chronically weighing; yes, I'm trying not to. It's like it calls me name. Precious (in the Gollum voice) - come here, my precious. My scale and I are in a love-hate relationship; well, mostly a hate-hate relationship.
I want to send a special "Happy Birthday" to the inspiration for my blog. She started the year posting her workout updates and weight-loss strategies by using the #fitbyforty. I'm proud of her accomplishments and I know she's going to be a Fabulous Forty chic. I'm encouraged by her hard work and her candor and I'm thankful she's my Friend.
It's less than 10 days until Christmas. Let that sink in. I can't believe it's here already. I pray that you have some time to enjoy Family and Friends and celebrate Christ's birth. Thanks for hanging with me and I look forward to chatting with you next week.
Here's a parting thought...
We've got this!
Hi, Friends! I hope you've had a good week. Mine was good; I mentioned last week that I was going to be out of commission for a few days due to a medical procedure. I'm happy to say that it went well and I'm on the mend. Thanks for keeping me in your thoughts. On to Fabulousness...
Well, last we chatted, I mentioned that I was going to start a challenge with the almost adult called the "Fitkini Challenge" through FitGirls. Our first week (last week) was the pre-challenge "Detox." The basic premise is to introduce you to meal prepping and clean eating (which I do not do well). I have to say that, while I did not stick to it 100%, I did fare much better than I expected. And, to top it all off, I drank spinach. Yep, sure did. My drink was green and it was thick and I liked it - I really liked it. It was hard to gauge energy levels as I was in bed a couple of days; however, I do feel really good (and it's Monday!!!). Here's a peek at one of my "spinach drinks" from last week.
So, today started the full-on "Fitkini Challenge." Actually, it pretty much started yesterday as there was a lot of meal prep to be done. Meal prep. I hope I learn to love meal prepping. I'm sure I will (dripping in sarcasm). The almost adult and I did it together which was nice bonding time; however, I could think of a lot of other things we could have been bonding over besides cooking. Alas, we prepared our lunches for this week and we both lived to see another day. No, I don't know where she gets her strong personality...maybe it's her Fabulous genes!! Here's a pic of our "prepped" meals.
So far, I've had sweet potatoes and lots of veggies and some very awesome little peanut butter/oat bites. By day 3, though, I'm not sure how great steak and sweet potatoes are going to sound (luckily it alternates).
The exercise portion would not have been terrible (ok, maybe it would have been) had I not just been out for a bit; so, I had to modify it. I'm hoping that in the next week or so, I'll be able to hit it full force. That's when the real fun will be had.
Anyway, I hope you have a great week. I'm excited to share how my first full week of "Fitkini" goes with you next week. I continue to hear from some of you that you are getting back to the gym or watching what you eat. I'm so excited to hear that! It encourages me! Please keep that feedback coming.
Here's to working towards being Fabulous by 40!
Hello, friends. I hope you've had a Fabulous week full of Family, Friends, Fun and Fellowship. I love Thanksgiving - you all but have to stop and think about all your blessings - which, is easy to forget when you are caught up in the chaos of life. I don't do "thank therapy" enough and it's at this time of year that I remind myself that "thank therapy" is a Fabulous way to remember that I'm ok.
What is "thank therapy" you ask? This is where no matter what life throws at you, you find a "thanks" in it. For example, my eyes are burning right now. They've burned and watered all day and I'm about over it. It's minor, but it's irritating. However, using "thank therapy", I am thankful that I have eyes to burn and water - not everyone does. See how that could help? I was super-sore from working out with the almost adult this week and I whined about the fact that my legs felt like a horse kicked them. But using "thank therapy," I'm thankful I have legs that get me around. I need to better at this.
So, last week I left you with a few goals I had placed for myself. I knew it was going to be a tough week with Thanksgiving nestled so snug in the middle. I went into this transformation knowing that I would need to combat Thanksgiving and Christmas (and New Years!); but, I didn't want those to be excuses as to why I should wait until January 1st. First, I'll talk about working out. I worked out a couple of days - but did not reach my goal of 4+. I did, however, walk about 20 miles on Thanksgiving evening and Black Friday morning shopping (maybe a slight exaggeration).
I am happy to report that I did NOT eat two pieces of pumpkin pie; I barely at 2/3's of one. I am not going to talk about the two glasses of wine that my sister-in-law poured down my throat as she was holding me down. I wouldn't want to blow her cover as one of the most easy-going people I know. Just know that I'm building muscles to fight her off come Christmas time (love ya SIL!).
I am also happy to report that I am going to only get the scale out bi-weekly. It's a step; I'm a work in progress and I'm hoping to eventually move to once a month to none at all. As I move away from the scale, I will start updating the blog and the FB page with progress pictures. This is where that Fearless part will come in!
Alright, so I'm guessing you're wondering about the "detox" part of this entry's title. Well, I have (albeit slightly begrudgingly) agreed to do the "Fit Girls" "Fitkini" challenge with the almost adult (side note - she will be "the adult" in less than 3 weeks - she keeps reminding all of us of that fact). Starting tomorrow, we will be doing the "detox" portion before we hit the challenge the following week. On the positive side, she loves meal prepping and already has our lunches ready for the next two days. On a not-so-positive side, I held back gagging at the smell of the seaweed that is part of my lunch tomorrow. I'll report back next week on if I was able to keep it down.
I also want to let you know that this week, I am having a minor outpatient procedure that will keep me from working out as I'd like. I debated on whether or not I should share, but I didn't want my working out only 1-2 times next week to seem like a step back. After reading the sad, yet amazingly loving post by Rory Feek about his wife today, I realized that sharing has its benefits, if not just for an extra prayer or two. So, on Tuesday, if you can remember to throw me in your prayers, I would appreciate it. It's nothing major and it's not cause for alarm; will just take me out of the gym for a few days to a week (darn!). I mean, who wouldn't want to hurry up and get back to the gym just in time to start a program called "Fitkini"?!?!?
On a last note, I want to say thank you to all of you who have reached out and given me encouragement so far. I truly appreciate it and you are part of my motivation.
"A year from now, you will wish you had started today." ~unknown
Well, I'm at the end of week two of getting Fabulous before Forty. It's been a week of challenges; some to which I've arisen - some-not so-much. The leader in me tells me to start with the positive, so that's what I'll do.
Defeating the gym excuses. I am not, by nature, a gym lover. I feel Fantastic (Fabulous!) after I've gone, but getting there is more than half the battle. I don't loathe it; but, I certainly don't love it. You saw on my FB page earlier this week that I had to battle my brain and my body to go to the gym on Monday. I went; but, only because I knew I had to tell you if I didn't. The blog is certainly holding me accountable for the most part. I made a goal to get to the gym more than the two times I had the week before. I'm proud to say I went THREE times and worked out at home once - yes!
Ok, now for the not-so-positive. I started out the week losing another couple of pounds (hey wait a minute - why is that in the negative section?!?!?!?). I ended the week up .5 pounds (oh). I know that weight should not be the sole measure of success. I'm "working out" and couple that with hormones, I shouldn't be fixated on the scale. But, I am. I will work on this and start incorporating inches in my blog so that I can help myself take the focus off just what I weigh. It's innate, though and will be a work in progress.
I am happy to say that I got a chance to work on another couple of areas - Friends and Family. I had an impromptu coffee date with two of my best good friends yesterday. It was cold and windy and getting dark and I was snuggled on the couch under my covers. But I went and I love these two women dearly. I enjoyed the Fellowship (and the homemade pumpkin bread - darn you half pound!). We also enjoyed a Family game night where the about-to-be-an-adult was even here. It was the best Saturday night I've had in quite a while. I am blessed. Also, I have two Friends who live north and south of me who kept me laughing all week long with not-safe-for-my-blog texts. If you don't have a "Few Good Friends" (you can't handle the truth!) that you can just be you with, I encourage you to start looking.
My eating was so-so, but I stayed out the candy jar again. Then, this happened:
Yeah, so I might have eaten 200 grape Tic Tac's in less than 48 hours. Remember - work in progress.
This week is Thanksgiving, so I'm not going to make crazy, unattainable goals. My goals this week are to go to the gym at least three times, drink more water (getting there) and to not eat two pieces of pumpkin pie. I think that given the holiday, these goals are realistic (except the pumpkin pie - worried about that one). Happy Thanksgiving and blesses to you all!
The first week is in the books on my challenge to get Fabulous for my Forties. I've had some triumphs this week and some not-so-bright spots. I have to remember this is a journey; and, I'm happy to have you along with me.
So, let's start out with a triumph. The candy jar. The beloved candy jar that calls my name around 2:30pm in the afternoon. Sometimes it's a fruity craving; sometimes it's chocolate. Sometimes it just doesn't matter as stress takes over and I need to eat something. This week, I challenged myself to stay out the candy jar. It is full and there are reserves waiting when it starts to empty. Dang the person who filled it (me)!!! I am happy to report, though, that I made it all week without touching it (yay!). Now the Halloween candy at home is another story for another time. Whomp-whomp!
I did make it to the gym twice, but had a tummy bug to contend with later in the week that prevented me from going any more. I'll work on that this week. My eating was so-so (I avoided a chocolate chip cookie from Subway so I didn't have to blog about it) but still not fantastic. Azzip Pizza on Friday was delicious, but I also ate the zip sticks too and that was just uncalled for.
All-in-all, I know I'm not going to make fabulous choices all the time and this is a slow process. Happily, I'm down 4 pounds. So, this week, I resolve to (on-top of staying out of the lustful office candy jar) 1. hit the gym at least 3 times this week; 2. drink more water each day (diet Mt. Dew anyone?); and, 3. have a mid-week blog update to help keep me accountable (and so you don't forget about me!).
Feel free to let me know about your journey too! See you mid-week.
"Never let a stumble in the road be an end of the journey." ~Unknown
Well, hello there! I created this blog because I recently turned around and realized that life was passing me by at an incredible pace. My oldest is almost 18 and I'm still trying to lose that "baby weight!" I work a lot, am constantly running with kids and sometimes say "hi" to my husband. I eat horribly, make attempts to work out and, by the end of the day, am exhausted. What was it that Susan Powter used to say - "Stop the insanity!"??
So, this is where my blog comes in. I'm knocking on 40 and I'm ready to live life rather than life dragging me along. I'm ready to face this next phase of life "Fabulously!" Inspired by a dear friend who started a fitness program the year she turned 40 and pledged to get #fitbyforty, I am vowing to make my 40's Fabulous.
Just how do I plan to do this? Well, I'm going to work on getting Fitter by watching what I eat and trying to be more consistent with exercise. I'm going to tackle some of my Fears by going outside my comfort-zone and seizing life-advancing opportunities (starting with this blog!). I want to sharpen the bonds with Family and Friends by looking for ways to reconnect. And, most importantly, I want to strengthen my Faith by relying on more reading and prayer.
I plan on updating this blog weekly with an update on my success and failures at trying to live life Fabulously. I will update Facebook throughout the week and look forward to each of you providing encouragement to not only me, but to each other. Most of all, I want us women to live life Fabulously - no matter what season of life you are in. Let's do this together.
"The only impossible journey is the one you never begin." ~Anthony Robbins
