2012 New Years Resolutions!!! Making it happen!

In previous years, this was me and my husband.  Except the roles were reversed. I have always been a "list" person.  I am the kind of person that lives off a to do list and I actually really enjoy checking things off my list.  I have a planner that contains pretty much my entire life.  My husband...not so much.  He is very much a "go with the flow" kind of guy.

This year is different though.  This year, we sat down together and discussed our goals for 2012 as a family and we are both very excited for what this year holds for us :)

Much like one of my favorite bloggers, Fat Chick Fed Up, we broke down our goals into categories.

Faith

• Spend time in the Word every day.  In 2011, I made a goal to read the bible in 1 year and I made it happen! (although at one point, I was 2 months behind because I was an exhausted sleep deprived mother.)  But I made up for it and by Dec 31st, I read the entire bible in 1 year.  Now it is a habit to read a little bit of the Word each day and I want to continue doing this.  I am currently reading THE STORY which is excellent. I HIGHLY recommend it.  It is a really fun way to read the bible.  My husband has committed to spending 30 minutes of quiet time a day studying the bible as well.
• Improve my spiritual walk by reading Christian books. I really didn't read much last year and I LOOOVE to read.  I haven't read much in the past few years because I was in nursing school and let's face it...you have no life in nursing school.  In 2010, I picked up reading again, but after having a baby in 2011, goodbye books!  I am currently reading "Hind's Feet on High Places" which is soooooo gooooood! 
• Tithe.  We have always tithed.  But somehow the past few months, we have fallen off the bandwagon.  I just plain forgot to bring the check and would intend to bring it the next week and forget.  I have set up an envelope system that will ensure this doesn't happen again.
• Bible Study with the hubby.  The hubby and I have committed to spend Monday evenings doing a bible study together.  We are both pretty excited about this :)

Family

• Date night.  So often after the baby is in bed, the hubby and I cuddle up on the couch and watch something on the Dvr.  And with so many good shows (Once upon a Time!, House, Fringe, Person of Interest, Chuck... the list goes on), we always have lots of good options.  But what happen to the days of long ago when we would play a board game, or sit outside and just chat, or play cards, or sit with guitars in hand and sing, or have a candlelight dinner in our own kitchen....well, those days are coming back!  One night a week the tv will remain off and we will have a date night in our very own home.  B.B (Before Baby), we had a going out date night once a week.  But A.B (After Baby), that isn't as easy so why not have date night in our own home. ;)  Thanks to good friends and Parents Night Out at Church, we can still have going out date night about twice a month, but date night needs to happen weekly ;)
• Establish Career and Move. This goes for both of us.  Hubby will finish up his PhD this spring and we will most likely move over the summer.  Hubby is hoping to become a professor and I hope to work as an RN with either an oncology unit, cancer center, or hospice center.
• Little E needs a sibling.  This is a BIG ONE! Once the hubby finishes up his PhD in May and we get all moved, we plan to go for #2.  We don't plan to start trying til late this fall.  But it is in the plans!!

Finance

• Budget.  We live debt-free and that is an amazing, freeing feeling.  But we need to focus on saving this year.  We have a system set in place that involves a budgeting app on my ipad called Ace Budget 2, logging receipts and being more aware of where our money is being spent.  We will also have a monthly meeting about our finances to review how the budget is working and what changes need to be made.

For Me

• Read.  As I mentioned before, my reading has been lacking the past few years.  And I miss it sooo much.  This year, I want to read, read, read.  I LOVE pinterest and thought of a fun way to track my books I read over the coming year.  I have a Pinterest Board for Books I want to Read, Books I am Currently Reading, and Books I have read.  If you follow me on pinterest, then  you will find that I read several books at once.  I always have read many books at once.  I think I got that from my mom.  She does the same thing!
• Blog.  I have so enjoyed my fitness blog and loved to see it grow.  It has been the best accountability partner I could have asked for.  For some reason, this works for me.  I would love for both my fitness blog and my craft blog  to grow and to help and inspire others.
• Craft Often. And blog about it.
• Learn to Sew.
• Cook Often. 

Fitness

• Spring Chick Challenge - I am super excited for this challenge.  There are guidelines, mini challenges and goals to meet for the challenge itself, but you also design the challenge to meet your own goals as well.  I have joined a great community of bloggers that are so supportive.  It is so fun getting comments from everyone and commenting on thier blogposts.  It is so encouraging!  My big goal for this challenge is to log 122 workouts by March 19th.  That is ALOT of workouts, 2 a day 6 days a week.  I plan to make it happen. :)
• Track.  Both the husband and I have committed to tracking on Myfitnesspal daily.  I even set an alarm on my phone to remind me!
• h20.  I really want drinking 64 oz of water a day to become a habit that I don't even have to think about.  Right now, I still have to think about it.  21 days to make a habit, right?
• Exercise 6 days a week.  I have a plan that involves jogging, ab workouts, turbofire, zumba, biking, circuit training and brazil butt lift.  Perhaps other workouts too?  It sounds like alot.  But really, I work out an hour and half to two hours a day...during Little E's naptime!  The hubby has plans to do circuit training, jogging and swimming, as well as racquetball and biking.
• Blog.  I know, I know, I already mentioned this one.  But I really want to blog at least 3 times a week.
• Video Blog.  I really want to tell my story about dealing with severe negative body image issues on my blog/fb page.  I feel very passionately about this subject.  I am excited about this project!
• Run a 5k this spring.
• Lose weight.  My original goal weight was 125 lbs.  But I think I am going to make that goal 120 lbs.  On Dec 23rd, I was 133 lbs.  I think it will take a little more than 8 lbs to lose the love handles and the thunder thighs. ;)  Especially since my body is so different post baby.  My ideal weight is 118 lbs so I am thinking 120 lbs is the ultimate goal.  My husbands goal for this year is 220 lbs and he is currently at 255 lbs.

So there you have it.  

Week 1 Spring Chick Challenge GOALS: The TMI Version!!!

Week 1 Spring Chick Challenge SPECIFIC GOALS

So there I was.  All excited and ready to start this challenge (I still am!).  A New Year.  A New Day!  And then (TMI), New Year's Day arrives and Aunt Flo makes her appearance.  Sometimes its not so bad, but other times, she tries to kill me.  This time, she is trying to kill me.

TMI Alert, right? 

Well, on this blog, I'm open and put it all out there.  

I am the girl that had to go on birth control in high school to help get my cycle on somewhat of a schedule and help alleviate some of the pain that comes with the oh so lovely cramping and nausea.  I get cramps in my back, my abdomen, my thighs....I pretty much die.  Well, I chose to not go back on birth control after the birth of my son this year.  When I went on birth control many years ago, my boobs and love handles grew exponentially.  What the heck?  So I went off of it this year so I have one less thing to battle while trying to lose weight.  It is my choice to have to deal with feeling like death for 1 week of each month, and it sucks.  But its a choice I must deal with!  So these days, when Aunt Flo visits, you can find me curled up with a heaty pad and a blanket.  And I try to stay there and not move. ;)

So my goals for this week are not what I had originally planned.  I already commited to 122 workouts over the course of this challenge so I will have to make up for any missed workouts elsewhere.  I still plan to workout this week, but the plan I had already created included alot of cardio and with my nausea level where its at right now, that would not be a good idea!!  I shall revamp my workout plan!

The SCC challenge of the week talks about having SMART goals.  I have copied over the details of what SMART stands for so you too can put them to work in your own goals.

Specific: A specific goal has a much greater chance of being accomplished than a general goal. 

To set a specific goal you must answer the six “W” questions:

*Who:      Who is involved?

*What:     What do I want to accomplish?

*Where:    Identify a location.

*When:     Establish a time frame.

*Which:    Identify requirements and constraints.

*Why:      Specific reasons, purpose or benefits of accomplishing the goal.

       

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Measurable - Establish concrete criteria for measuring progress toward the attainment of each goal you set.

When you measure your progress, you stay on track, reach your target dates, and experience the exhilaration of achievement that spurs you on to continued effort required to reach your goal.

To determine if your goal is measurable, ask questions such as……

---------How much? How many?  How will I know when it is accomplished?

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 Attainable – The third term stresses the importance of goals that are realistic and attainable. While an attainable goal may stretch a your abilities, time, etc in order to achieve it, the goal is not extreme. 

An attainable goal will usually answer the question:

• How: How can the goal be accomplished?

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Realistic- To be realistic, a goal must represent an objective toward which you are both willing and able to work. A goal can be both high and realistic; you are the only one who can decide just how high your goal should be. But be sure that every goal represents progress.

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Timely – A goal should be grounded within a time frame. With no time frame tied to it there’s no sense of urgency.

A time-bound goal will usually answer the question:

• When?
• What can I do 6 months from now?
• What can I do 6 weeks from now?
• What can I do today?

My weekly Goals

• Drink 64 oz of water per day and track on waterlogged 
• log at least 8 workouts this week (12 will be my normal weekly goal but considering I feel like death, I'll shoot for 8!)  These workouts will consist of non high impact workouts until I feel better :(  
• Track my food in MyFitnessPal
• Drink shakeology 5 times this week.
• Blog about at least 1 chapter of Body Clutter by end of this week
• Blog my New Years Goals by end of this week.

And on a side note, I will not be weighing in until I get home late next week.  I was 133 lbs on Dec 23rd when I last weighed myself on my scale before I left to visit my family for a couple weeks.  We will find out if that has changed when I get back home late next week ;)

Spring Chick Challenge

Spring Chick Challenge


It's just what I need.  A challenge (which runs from Jan 2nd-March 19th).  I am a nerd and I loved homework when I was in school. I miss college! This challenge will be that "homework" that I need to stay on track! I'm pretty excited about it.  Enter the SPRING CHICK CHALLENGE hosted by The Big Butt Theory.

Homework session #1- Share focus points

So here are the focus points for this challenge:

1. Commit to a NSV (non scale victory) to be assessed at the start and the conclusion of the challenge.  
• Log 122 workout sessions by March 19th.  That is 2 workouts per day with one day of rest per week.  I will log into the WOWY Supergym to track and also keep tally on the blog.
2. Commit to a set of nutrition parameters and track via MyFitnessPal or Sparkpeople or WW. Whatever tracking works for you. IF you are on maintenance and do not really track. What nutrition goals do your have?
• How many calories daily or weekly? - 1400 calories daily with one day that I can go slightly over (but not by much!) tracked on Myfitnesspal
• How much water will you drink daily?  64 oz per day tracked on Waterlogged
• What items, if any, will you limit? I will continue to not eat fast food at all and will limit fried foods to once every 2 weeks (if that).
3. Commit to a set of exercise parameters. These can be as loose or as flexible as you feel work for your personality, schedule, etc.
• I will be joining my friend Janelle to do Zumba 1-2 times a week.
• I am currently on week 5 of Turbofire and will do the 20 week program.
• I am going to also start Brazil Butt Lift (but I have to order it still!)
• I will do core/ab workouts 3 times a week
• I will jog 1-2 times per week.
4. Commit to blogging at least twice weekly and 1 of those times must be you check in with a complete up date on your progress. All other blogs could include new insights, results of weekly challenges, or just letting others know how you are doing.  Will do!!!
5. Commit to support... both giving and receiving. Check others blogs and comment as you feel motivated to do. Not a problem!

2011 starting weight at end of pregnancy - 190 lbs

Current weight - 133 lbs

Target goal- 120 lbs

And here is my info as well:

Name: Stephanie
Blog URL: www.rn4fitness.blogspot.com
Email: Reeloo1611@gmail.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/rn4fitness
Age: 26
Location: West Texas

Weighing in with Him

It's been awhile since I have posted a weigh in post.  I am really going to get back in the habit of posting that weigh in because it keeps me accountable.  I have been weighing in, just not taking the time to post.  I'm sorry   :(

It's the holidays. And that means that I am running around like a crazy person, trying to stay sane.  And let's just say...I don't feel like I am doing a good job of staying sane...at all....AHHHHHH!  So much to do and no time!! A friend reminded me today that Christmas is in less than 2 weeks....initiate freak out mode. Ya.

Weigh in!!

Last week: 132.8 lbs
Today's weigh in: 133.0 lbs

Ok so I am pretty much the same. Maintaining.  Like I have been for pretty much the past 3 weeks.  That's good. Except for the fact that I wanna be in the 120's by Christmas! I got alot of work to do.  I don't know if I can get rid of those 3 lbs by Christmas or not...but I sure as heck am gonna try!

While I was in St Louis for Thanksgiving, I did some Black Friday shopping, which included shopping for myself as well.  I seriously had no winter clothes that fit!  I have added some items to my wardrobe that actually were size Large, instead of Extra large! Whoohooo! I also FINALLY found some jeans at American Eagle that fit me in the booty! I have been on a month long jean adventure and sometimes it just wasn't pretty.  I will post about that this week ;)  The booty post. Look for it later this week. ;)

I did measurements this week as well and here were the changes.

Right arm- 11 1/4" (same)
left arm- 11" (down 1/4")

Chest- 38 1/2" (down 1/2")

Waist- 36 1/2" (FINALLY got away from that pesky 37" --> down 1/2")

hips- 36" (down 1 1/2"!!!!!  I had bought some yoga pants a couple weeks ago that fit wonderfully and are now falling off. No wonder!!)


So there is still progress! Also check out last weeks work outs I completed:

Monday- Christmas tree up and Christmas decorations up.  Ya. I am going to consider that a work out...lots of lifting, squatting, and reaching!

Tuesday- Fire 45, 20 min extreme abs, and Chalean Extreme Push 1

Wednesday- Fire 30, Zumba 20

Thursday- Fire 30, 20 min abs, Zumba 20 and Chalean Extreme Push 2

Friday- no work out :( I was feeling awful as my monthly visitor appeared.

Now time for the hubbys weigh in!


Last weeks weight: 158 lbs
This weeks: 154 lbs

He had two big changes in his measurements:

Waist- 45 1/2" (down 1/2")

Hips- 45" (down 1"!!!)

Way to go hubby!!!

Non scale Victories for the week

1) I tracked on myfitnesspal all week...then I didn't track over the weekend! Dang it! Well, 5 days is better than 0!

2) I drink my 68 oz of water for 6 days of 7.  So close!

3) I did my 3 out of 4 planned Turbofire workouts.

4) I did Chalean Extreme twice last week.  This week, I am aiming for 3!

5) I did abs 3 times last week :)

6) I drink my Shakeology 4 times last week for breakfast.

7) Had coffee with a dear friend and chatted about 5k training, cross training and making a plan to get fit together! And we plan to start running together in the new year!!!

This week's plan

1) We have Christmas parties on 5 days out of the 7 days of this week! Holy cow! Now to avoid porking out on those tasty Christmas goodies that will be found at each party.  MODERATION!

2) Continue drinking my h20 and logging it into waterlogged.  Hubby and I started our water challenge again!

3) Drink shakeology 4-5 times this week.

4) Track on Myfitnesspal

5) Blog 3 times.

And I already have my workout schedule planned for the week.  Check it out!

Monday- Fire 30, Chalean Extreme Push 1, Zumba

Tuesday- Hiit 15, Zumba and 20 min Extreme Abs

Wednesday- Fire 30, Chalean Extreme Push 2, Zumba

Thursday- Fire 55, 20 min Extreme abs

Friday- Fire 30 and Chalean Extreme Push 3

What's your plan for the week? :)

Goodbye November...Hello December!

That sad (but adorable) little puppy looks how I feel right now... (in the sad way, not the adorable way).

At the beginning of November, I had created a blogpost with very specific goals to rock the socks off of November. Cue Pac man's little getting-eaten-by-the-ghost soundbyte .... EPIC FAIL.

Let's review those goals:

1. Track on MyFitnessPal EVERYDAY on my iphone ----FAIL. Although, I seriously watched my portions and I am still not eating fast food (since June!)
2. Drink 68 oz of water EVERYDAY and track with WaterLogged on my iphone - FAIL. I was sick with some nasty cold/sinus infection/chest cold and I didn't feel like drinking much.
3. Make a calander for workouts so I have a visual and so it is planned out ahead of time! FAIL. I just plain didn't do this.
4. Do Turbofire workouts 4 times a week- HALF FAIL (or should I be more positive and call it a HALF SUCCESS?)- I did this for 2 weeks of November until I got sick.
5. Do Chalean extreme 1-2 times a week.- NOPE. Didn't do this either...when you are sick, you really don't feel like exercising.
6. Jog 1.5 or more miles on each jog 3 times a week. - FAIL- Hard to run when you can hardly breath because you are so congested and your lungs fill like they could burst!
7. Do ab work outs 3 times a week with either Tony Horton's extreme abs or Turbojam/turbofire's ab workout - ONCE AGAIN- FAIL
8. Make a weekly meal plan on Sunday night. HALF SUCCESS- I did alot of crock pot meals this month.
9. walk 1-2 times a week, depending on the weather- HALF SUCCESS. I did walk a few times with Little E, but often it was just to cold to take him out.
10. Drink shakeology 4-5 times a week. - HALF SUCCESS- I drink it about twice a week.
11. Commit to 3 blogposts a week. EPIC EPIC EPIC FAIL

Not to make excuses, but I was genuinely sick. And pretty much felt like a zombie...The Walking Dead (I could have been a zombie cast member this past month). And while the old me would look at all those "epic fails" and get extremely discouraged, I am looking at it as a challenge to do better this month. And although I had many epic fails this past month, I have also had successes.

1. Before I left for Thanksgiving vacation to visit my family for a week and a half, I was 133.6. So I have maintained all month. We shall see what I am when I return home to Texas this weekend.
2. I started to feel more human again shortly after arriving to visit my family. While I have been here in the past week, my hubby and I did our very own Turkey Trot, completing 3.5 miles in 50 minutes and battling some massive hills. And we also ran 2.77 miles (hills again!) on Monday. Now I am dying from shin splints again...I really must do some more research on how to alleviate this problem.
3. Thanksgiving---what a day for temptation. But I did so good! I successfully "sampled" everything and did not go back for seconds. My plate was 10X less full than it had been during past Thanksgivings ;)
4. The most important success of this month: My MOPS presentation went beautifully (by the Grace of God!)...The Crafty Christmas Gifts presentation I gave was super fun but more importantly, the body image presentation was a success! Even though I cried nearly the whole time I spoke (for about 45 mins!) on negative body image, my battle with it and how to overcome it. I'm pretty sure some of my audience was in tears too ;) And it was a touching experience to have the girls come up to me afterwards and relate to my stories and say "I really needed to hear that. thank you." Oh that gives me goosebumps!

So what's on the agenda for December? All the same goals I had for November. Except this time, I am really going to strive to meet those goals. I am so close to my goal of 125 lbs (9ish lbs away). I honestly don't expect to get to that by Christmas but I really am aiming to get out of the 130s. I am also very much considering doing a video blog on my fb page and sharing what I shared at my MOPS presentation. I really think that sounds fun (not to mention very vulnerable but that's ok---I would so do that for you lovely readers!

So while I started as that super sad, but adorable puppy, I choose to be this puppy. Yes, that's MY puppy. That is Cali and that is her exact personality in a picture. I choose to not look back at the month of November and see only epic fails. I choose to look back (briefly!) on November and see that I also had successes and I will move forward and make December a great SUCCESS!

November's goals: Change Ahead!

That's right folks! Change ahead! Big change! This is the month I push myself!! I am 10 lbs away from my goal weight and I want to reach that by the end of the year. For the past month, I have been working out 3-4 times a week, and it has mainly consisted of jogging and walking. But now its time to PUSH and DO MORE. So here is how I am going to do it. My November goals are huge (to me), but I am going to make it happen!

1. Track on MyFitnessPal EVERYDAY on my iphone
2. Drink 68 oz of water EVERYDAY and track with WaterLogged on my iphone
3. Make a calander for workouts so I have a visual and so it is planned out ahead of time!
4. Do Turbofire workouts 4 times a week
5. Do Chalean extreme 1-2 times a week.
6. Jog 1.5 or more miles on each jog 3 times a week.
7. Do ab work outs 3 times a week with either Tony Horton's extreme abs or Turbojam/turbofire's ab workout
8. walk 1-2 times a week, depending on the weather
9. Drink shakeology 4-5 times a week.
10. Make a weekly meal plan on Sunday night.
11. Commit to 3 blogposts a week.

I am quickly running out of clothes that fit me because of my weight loss and my body shape changing! What a terrible problem to have, right?I need a new wardrobe but I refuse to buy a completely new wardrobe until I reach that goal weight. So if I want to be looking good by Christmas in my new wardrobe, I have alot of work to do!

What are your goals for November? Set them and stick to them!

Weighing in with Him

Weighing in!

Weight at last weigh in: 133.4 lbs

Yesterday's weigh in: 135.4 lbs (Ack! GAIN!)

I am not pleased with the increase, but I am also not depressed about it. I am STILL 10 lbs lighter than before I had Little E. This is the kick in the rear I needed to get myself to start really PUSHING myself. So I will take those 2 lbs with a "forced smile" lol and get to work!

On the positive side, despite the 2 lb weight gain, I did my measurements again, with the last measurements being done on Sept 14th. Everything remained the same except the following:

Upper right thigh- 20 1/2" --> down 1 inch

Lower right thigh- 17" -->down 2 inches

Upper left thigh- 20" --> down 2 inches

lower left thigh- 17 3/4" --> down 1 inch

Chest- 37" --> down 1 1/2" inches

So that means I have lost a total of 6 inches in my legs! 3 inches on each leg. My legs are starting to look so much better. And a total NSV here, (but also frustrating), I have no pants that fit! My waist and legs are smaller and I can hardly keep pants up on my bum, even with a belt! I have been trying to wait til I hit my target goal to go shopping but I am pretty sure no one wants to witness my pants falling off... Although I may not be burning a zillion calories with jogging, it is certainly changing my body's shape and for that, I am thankful! My chest is down also. I can tell my cup size has changed because my H cup size bra is to big now. And I no longer have to go on the loosest link on the back. I have to use the tightest! I have retired those larger bras and I am fitting into my "skinnier" bras that have been sitting in my closet for a year now. Oh I love being able to feel the changes in my clothes!

Now on to the husbands details:

Last weigh in: 250 lbs

Current weight: 253 lbs

He admits that he has been working out less the past 2 weeks because of a deadline at work that was requiring late nights at the lab. But that deadline is over and he will be getting back in the game this week.

His measurements remained the same except for the following:

Waist- 46" --> down 1 inch

hips 46" --> down 2 inches

chest 43" --> down 2 inches

Way to go hubby!

Non scale victories

• Biggest NSV of the week --> I finally caved and bought a pair of jeans because for the past 2 months, my closet full of clothes is beginning to be to big. I used to be a size 15/16 in jeans and this new pair of jeans I bought.... size 9/10!!!!!!! Sweet victory!!!
• I have been wearing compression leggings when I run which has made such a difference. I don't feel like my shins are going to snap in half so I have been able to increase my distance without stopping. I am sooo happy about that!

I will post my goals on the next blogpost because its gonna be a whopper!