Family Affair

I had to post this picture... the girls woke up while my husband and I were working out and joined in. Love R1's choice for shoes for jumping jacks.

Yep, here I go … again!

by Susan

I have been in hiding for the past several months and now it is time to face reality. I haven’t looked at Fat Bottom Mama’s not wanting to face that I have done absolutely nothing to lose weight let alone prepare for a 5k that we were suppose to complete in March. Believe me I can give a lot of good and justifiable reason why I have stopped everything but bottom line is I was just being lazy. That frustrates me.

Now here I am 15 lbs. heavier than what I started the year out. Grrrr…. I don’t know what it is going to take for that light bulb to click in my head but I have to try.

A month ago my husband and I started the P90X workout. DANG!!! That is what I have to say about that. Because of his work schedule and wanting to make sure we don’t interfere with the time we spend as a family we have been getting up at 430a! Did you catch that, 430 AM!!!

Of course I feel like I should be a skinny minnie now that we have been working out for a month and only losing 7 lbs. hasn’t really encouraged me to do more but my husband has. He make sure I get up in the morning, he got me a cool watch so I can keep track of my calories burned and my heart rate best of all he is right next to me helping get through it.

We have both been counting our calorie intake. I have been keeping mine around 1200 – 1300, him 2000. I have also been going by an 80/20 rule I heard Jillian Michaels talk about. Basically you eat right 80% of the week but allow yourself to 20% of the week to have a little more. I use this rule for Thursdays and Sundays. These are the hardest days for me to stay on track so I plan for that. So far so good.

I am once again determined to keep myself motivated and working towards my goal.

Shamrock Run...Here we come

by Susan

Do you like our new blog background? I know I am skipping over a couple of great holidays, like Groundhogs Day and Vanlentine's Day but I decided to go for some inspiration. Jenn and I are preparing to "run" in the Portland Shamrock Run 2010.

Hot Tip Tuesday: Stop feeding...Stop starving...

Ever feel like a total and complete hypocrite? I often feel that way when I write Hot Tip Tuesdays. It's much easier to write tips than to follow them, that's for sure! Today's tip, however, is one that I really don't want to let slide even for a moment. In fact, if I can hang on to this one, all of the other tips will fall into place. Ready for it? (insert drum roll here)

"Stop feeding what you want to die and starving what you want to live."

I know, I know, it sounds a bit more philosophical than our usual tips, but it really is applicable!

For example, I want to a desire for healthy foods to live and constant want of fat food to die. So, why do I keep "feeding" the desire for indulgences by watching the food network more than anything else on TV (I really, really love the food network). I can justify the fact that I like it for the competition shows all I want, but the truth is, it just makes me think about food A LOT. How could I feed a healthy appetite? I can start reading healthy cookbooks (yes, I AM that nerdy), health magazines or blogs about healthy food.

Another example, I want to have high, sustained energy rather than getting tired after cleaning the floors or grocery shopping. So how do I feed an energetic life? I build stamina through food, water, and exercise. How do I starve a lazy, tired life? I avoid things that cause me to sit longer than I should (like too much computer time, TV, etc). Does this make sense?

This week's challenge (don't forget, WRITE IT DOWN): What is one habit/quality that you really want to see thrive in your life? How are you going to feed it? What is one habit/quality you really want to see die in your life? How are you going to starve it out?

Let us know what you're thinking! Comment, comment, comment. :)

Weigh-In Wednesday - What kind of example are you setting?

by Susan
I was watching The Biggest Loser last night and I realized the majority of parent/child teams, the child out weighs the parent. It made me sad and I spent the rest of the night feeling guilty and thinking about what kind of an example I am making for my girls. I know that the "kids" on the show are now adults and make their own choices of the food they now eat but what kind of example were their parents growing up?

My daughters are young and I am sure haven't thought twice about what they see or not see me eating but I need to make some changes now. Don't get me wrong I make sure I feed them healthy meals even disgusting things like bananas but they don't see me eating all the fruits and veggies

This brings me to our "Weigh-In Wednesday" topic: What example are you setting for your kids when it comes to health and exercise? What are two things you can change today to set a good example?

My two things I will change:
1. Eat the same fruit and vegetable servings I give my kids
2. Include them in my workout time instead of waiting for their nap time.

Please post your comments on what you are doing or can change to set a healthy example. I know I could use your ideas.

Hot Tip Tuesday: Take Smaller "Bites"

You didn't think I'd write a post and then not leave a tip did you? Here is my hot tip for the week that goes along with my last post.

CUT YOUR GOALS UP IN TO SMALL BITES. Just like we're supposed to eat with smaller bites, it's much easier to accomplish your goals if its split into smaller steps.

For example, I am currently not looking at 13.1 miles (oh, Lord, help me) as my goal. I'm working on a "Couch to 5k" plan (I think that's around 3 miles) which will be accomplished by the end of March. Then within the C5K plan, I have weekly goals to accomplish. (C5K plans can be found all over the Internet)

Challenge: 1. Make a goal 2. Write it down 3. Split it into smaller less daunting pieces

I'd love to hear from you! What are your 2010 goals?

PS. If you've decided to lose your mind along with me and are interested in my running plan, send me an email and I'll send you a copy.

I'm back...and I'm sweaty

Hello all! It's been far too long since I've written. Life has been a cycle of traveling, unpacking, laundry, repacking and traveling for the last month, but I'm back...oh, and I'm sweaty.

That's right, as I type this very moment I stink and my head is spinning/pounding slightly. You see, I've been keeping a secret from all of you and decided to day was the day to bring it all out in the open. I, Jennifer Rebekah, am going to run a half marathon AND today was the day to start training for it!

I know what your thinking "YOU'RE CRAZY!" You're absolutely right, I am. When I realized my insanity I even tried to get my money back. I discovered, however, that the kings of running know their fickle constituents fairly well and they do not offer refunds. So, here I am, about to embark on a new journey...running. (groaning inwardly)

So, today, I asked my husband for the running schedule he made for me (upon my request, he would NEVER push his love of running on me) and started getting ready. Little did I know that just getting dressed would be an adventure. Trying to squeeze my post prego/nursing/weightgain girls into a pre-prego/nursing/weightgain sports bra was a little traumatizing. Needless to say I spent the entire run wondering if the ladies were going to cave in from being squeezed and suffocated so tightly or going to revolt and split the bra in half in a dramatic explosive-like event.

Once a got the boobage under semi-control I laced up my tennies, grabbed my cell for safety and (oh the horror) slapped on my hubby's 20lb running watch that's the size of a laptop so that I could keep track of my 60/90sec intervals. Not only was my vanity destroyed, but I'm pretty sure my arm will be sore tomorrow just from lugging that thing around.

After all of the prep hoopla I ventured out. Things started out great as I inwardly chanted the rhythmic mantra of "I can through Christ" in order to keep steady pace. It quickly got ugly, however, as I began to gag from the necessity of breathing in cold air through my mouth (my easy gag reflex is a whole other blog topic), my head started spinning and I'm pretty sure one of my feet fell off somewhere between home and our local middle school track. This was the worst of it and it only lasted a few minutes. I recovered, and although uncomfortable, was able to finish my first jaunt with a sense of accomplishment.

Now that I'm done the endorphins must have kicked in because I'm already semi-looking forward to tomorrows run/walk. Who-du-thunk?

Question of the day: I'm going to accomplish a half-marathon (13.1 miles), what are you going to conquer this year?