i joined a gym...

I don't like to run on the street. When I first started out running and I was pushing a double stroller, I didn't want to worry about dodging cars or trash cans and having to go up and down the curb...that's why I went to the track. And since we moved, I go to a park that's close by that has a path around it. {Yeah I know...I drive three miles there, run for three miles, and then drive three miles back home...but it's worth it to me} 

Anyway, I used to take the kids with me when I ran. I would go during Conner's morning nap time and he would take his nap while I ran and Owen would be chill with goldfish and his apple juice. It worked out perfectly.

But then Conner stopped taking morning naps. And Owen finally noticed that there was a park there, so he was done with the whole staying in the stroller thing and he just wanted to go play.
And that's when I went from running three days a week to one...if I was lucky.

About three weeks ago I realized that without running I hardly had anytime to myself. So we joined a gym.

Best. Thing. Ever.

They have an amazing daycare and the boys love going. {And they're socializing with kids their own age, which is something that they desperately needed.}
I'm working out regularly again. And getting a few minutes to myself a couple days a week. Priceless.

paleo

In November of last year, I was kinda stuck in a rut with the whole weight loss thing. I plateaued and was starting to lose interest in counting calories. I was on Pinterest and saw that one of my friends had shared this link:

30 Day Paleo Challenge

I had heard of Paleo before, mostly just from seeing it on Pinterest, but I didn't really know what it was. After doing just a little bit of research on it I decided to give it a try. 

{I didn't really follow the challenge word for word, though. We were on a tight budget and I didn't have time to get too fancy with my meals. For breakfast I mostly just did two eggs and two slices of turkey bacon. Then for lunch and dinners I would do either tuna with avocado or grilled chicken and a vegetable.  If I got hungry in between meals I would have a banana or a couple of almonds. And I drank A LOT of water.}

I did it for about three weeks and I lost 10 pounds. It was hard for me to stick to it though. After the three weeks I started having "binge days" when I would have a piece of toast or have some pizza. It would make me pretty sick and I would always feel like crap afterward, but, as much as I tried to resist, I still did it.

I went to Arizona for three weeks around Christmas, and during those three weeks I ate anything and everything I wanted. And I paid for it. I gained those 10 pounds back plus a couple extra. But when I got back home in January I started at it again (except for a week at the end of January when my in-laws came to visit) and I have, for the most part, stuck to it since then. It's gotten a lot easier now that I don't really crave the crappy food anymore and -thanks to Pinterest- I'm finding more Paleo recipes that satisfy the cravings that I do have.


BTW-- highly recommend the Jillian Michaels 6 Week Six-Pack workout. Such a good workout! So hard though...I would honestly rather go run four miles than do that video...but it works!

how i did it...weight loss part 3

**just a little disclaimer...I am in no way telling you what to do, I'm just sharing what I did and what worked for me**

It was in October of 2012 that I started running. I weighed 225 pounds. 

I went to the doctor in March of 2013, I stepped on the scale and saw that I was 212. I had only lost 13 pounds. It was better than nothing, but after five months I kind of expected it to be a little more.
That's when I realized that I needed to keep better track of what I ate. {And that I also needed to buy a scale!}

When I got home I downloaded a calorie counting app on my phone and I started counting my calories the next day. For the next six months I kept track of my calories {I stayed around 1200 calories a day} and continued to run a couple times a week. On September 18th I weighed in at 178 {3 pounds away from where I was when I got married...yay!} and I was so excited! I worked so hard to lose those 34 pounds!
I know that a lot of people are able to lose weight faster, and it is possible to lose more weight than that in six months. But for a mom of two toddlers who can't even pee by herself....I thought 34 pounds in 6 months was pretty darn good!

One of the biggest things to remember when you're trying to lose weight is to not get too discouraged when you step on the scale. Those little numbers can fluctuate a lot. Which is why a lot of other blogs that I read said to only weigh yourself once a week. But for me, weighing myself every morning helped me keep on track. If it wasn't changing, I worked harder. If I was losing, I worked harder.

Now I weigh 165...which is what I weighed when I graduated high school! {Of course I have it in different places now that I've had kids--my stomach used to be flat-- and I'm not nearly as muscular as I was then, but I'm working on it!}

I know 60 pounds in 17 months doesn't seem like that much, but I am so glad that I started when I did! The time will pass whether you're doing something or not, so you might as well do something!

And now...just for you...here's my before and during picture! I've lost a few more pounds since then and I'm still going!

running

Like I said before, I always thought it would be cool to do a marathon. I had never really run before though, and I never thought I would. I did track in high school, but there wasn't much running involved with shot put and discus. 

When I had tried running in the past, I would just run for as long as I could. It was hard and boring. I would do it once and then not even think about it again for months. 

But with the app that I downloaded you start slow...super slow. This is what day 1 looks like:

When I first saw it I thought running for 1 minute would be easy. I mean really...how hard could it be to run for a minute?? But running for one minute six times while pushing two kids, one of them in a car seat, in a double stroller that wasn't made to be pushed so fast....I thought I was going to die. 

But I did it.

And before I knew it I was able to run for two minutes, and then five, and then...gasp...I ran a half mile without stopping. It started getting easier. I was getting stronger. And it got to the point where I would actually look forward to doing it....never thought I would see the day!

And in July of last year I did my first 5K! Crossing that finish line was pretty much awesome, it made all the hard work so worth it!

So here are some of my tips for running:

 {again, I am definitely not an expert, this is just what I have learned and what helps me. I'm not anywhere close to where I want to be, but I'm a heck of a lot closer than I was two years ago...}

download an app. There's quite a few of them and it makes it a little easier. It's almost like having a trainer with you telling when to walk and when to run. It helps. A lot. 

listen to music. When you first start, it really sucks. But when you listen to music, especially your favorite songs, you don't think about it so much. I used Spotify, it's about $10 a month but it is so worth it!

good shoes. Good running shoes are rather expensive, but it can make such a huge difference! I highly recommend going to a running store and having them fit you for shoes. You don't necessarily have to by them there, they might be a little more pricey, but they should be able to help you choose the best shoe for you. {I absolutely love Aesics, but that's just me! They're not very stylish but I love em!)

keep going. There were a lot of times when I really had to convince myself to go run. But you never regret going, so just do it! 

don't get discouraged. It's hard. I had to repeat a couple of the weeks on my app because I wasn't quite ready to move on. And when we first moved to Texas a year ago I went about two months without running and I had to start over again. It's amazing how fast you can lose your endurance.

And lastly...just do the best you can! It's always going to be better than not doing anything at all!

why i did it...weight loss part 2

One of the major points that I want to get across here is that, in my opinion, the most important thing is how we feel abut ourselves. That is the main reason why I decided that I wanted to get healthy...I didn't feel good about myself. I didn't have the energy to take care of my boys. I never wanted to go anywhere. I was extremely irritable. I wasn't happy with myself. 

I would log on to pinterest and scroll through the health and fitness section, and just say to myself "one day I'm gonna do it." I was looking for a quick fix though. I would see something like 'how to lose five pounds a month' and I wouldn't read anything else about it cause I wanted to lose more than that. So I kept looking for a quick fix...

What finally did it for me was deciding that I wanted to run a 5K. 

As a mom, I very rarely have time to do something for myself. My world tends to revolve around my kids. But I realized that not taking time for myself, and doing something just for me, was keeping me from being a better mom. I had always wanted to run a marathon, but it just seemed so far fetched that I never really did more than occasionally think about it. But one day I downloaded a couch to 5K app on my phone. The next day I loaded up the kids and the stroller and drove to an old high school football stadium and walked/slogged around the track. 

After a few weeks I started to notice a huge difference. I had so much more energy. I was more patient with my kids. I started eating better {because I wanted to and not because I felt like I had to.} I just felt happier. 

The whole running thing really sucked at first. But finally feeling good about myself again was all the motivation I needed to keep going.