So today's workout was pretty rough! I have actually taken the last couple of days off from my workouts because I've been in so much extra/added pain. I don't really have an explanation for it either. Usually I can pinpoint the reason I'm in so much more pain, like I overdid it in a workout, or a trip or fall, or I didn't sleep good, I could go on and on ... but I have no legitimate reason for the increased pain today.
But, enough 'poor me' rambling - we need some inspiration. So, let's move on ... for the most part, I refuse to take too many days off and today was no exception. I had taken yesterday and the day before off so I had to do my workout today and when I weighted myself this morning, I had gained a pound back. So, obviously none of this is very good, but I have learned over the years that if I push myself too hard with my back it only makes it worse and I have to take weeks off as opposed to a day or two.
So, with that said I did go and get dressed and went out to the garage to do my workout ... but to accommodate my injury and the pain, I shortened the time that I walked, the intensity and the distance. That way I'm still doing some sort of workout, getting the blood flowing at least for a little bit and being loyal to myself that I at least did something.
Today was my cardio day and I normally walk on the treadmill for cardio - walking for 30 minutes and almost 2 miles but to accommodate the pain today, I only walked for about 15 minutes and walked a distance of .60 miles. Now obviously this is about half of what I normally do, but the old adage is true "something is better than nothing". And I definitely believe that - any exercise at all is better than doing nothing and just sitting on the sofa watching TV.
So, I really hope today's experience was helpful or inspiring and gave you the motivation to get up off the sofa and go do something - anything! Believe me, it wasn't easy, there were several times during my 15 minute workout that I just felt like breaking down and crying because it hurt so bad. But I really try not to let the pain get to me that bad ... I'm not always successful, but I try!
At the end of the day, if I can do it, so can you! I have a broken back and I can (most of the time) push through the pain enough to at least do something physically good for my body, mind and soul. So, I sure hope my story of struggle has helped you today and inspired you to get up off the sofa and go do a workout! Until next time, stay happy, healthy and strong!
Saturday, November 22, 2014
Thursday, November 20, 2014
New tip for moms
So, I realized recently some fascinating things about my kids. I have always been under the impression (because this has always been what I've read in everybody book, in every blog, in every Mother help line) that if your child is too tired, he/she won't sleep any better than if they are just 'normally' tired. Now, I kind of learned this early on with my first daughter, if she was sooo tired, she wouldn't sleep as long or as well. However, I have realized recently that now that she is almost 2.5 years old that is no longer the case.
I have been having trouble with her waking up too early in the morning lately (I believed I wrote about this in my last 'tip' blog); like 4:30-5 am. And I thought I had a handle on it for a day or two, but then she reverted right back to waking up at crack of dawn. So, yesterday she only got a 45 minute nap (circumstances) and believe it or not, she slept until almost 7 am this morning. So, maybe that whole "If their too tired, they won't sleep" thing is only for the very young, because usually she naps for 2 hours during the day; however, with only a 45 minute nap she slept in until almost 7! I'd say that's a victory.
Now the truth will be in the next coming nights, or mornings, to see if she sleeps in until a normal hour in the morning even with the shorter nap time or if she reverts right back to waking up early again. So we will see.
But I wanted to bring this new little tip I discovered to light in case any of my other mother's out there were having trouble with their toddlers. Now when it comes to my 1 year old, she sleeps until 7 am regardless of how long her nap is, so for her it doesn't matter yet. But hopefully I've found the solution to this problem, so we both can get a few more good hours of sleep in the mornings.
So, I hope this tip will help, at the very least, and at the most, it will get your little one to sleep longer in the morning, which in turn will give you either more sleep, or more workout time, or more time for just about anything you want. I hope this helps, please let me know and tune back in soon for some more tips. Until next time, stay happy, healthy and strong!
I have been having trouble with her waking up too early in the morning lately (I believed I wrote about this in my last 'tip' blog); like 4:30-5 am. And I thought I had a handle on it for a day or two, but then she reverted right back to waking up at crack of dawn. So, yesterday she only got a 45 minute nap (circumstances) and believe it or not, she slept until almost 7 am this morning. So, maybe that whole "If their too tired, they won't sleep" thing is only for the very young, because usually she naps for 2 hours during the day; however, with only a 45 minute nap she slept in until almost 7! I'd say that's a victory.
Now the truth will be in the next coming nights, or mornings, to see if she sleeps in until a normal hour in the morning even with the shorter nap time or if she reverts right back to waking up early again. So we will see.
But I wanted to bring this new little tip I discovered to light in case any of my other mother's out there were having trouble with their toddlers. Now when it comes to my 1 year old, she sleeps until 7 am regardless of how long her nap is, so for her it doesn't matter yet. But hopefully I've found the solution to this problem, so we both can get a few more good hours of sleep in the mornings.
So, I hope this tip will help, at the very least, and at the most, it will get your little one to sleep longer in the morning, which in turn will give you either more sleep, or more workout time, or more time for just about anything you want. I hope this helps, please let me know and tune back in soon for some more tips. Until next time, stay happy, healthy and strong!
Tuesday, November 18, 2014
Today's workout and pics!
A picture is worth a thousand words, or so they say, and I thought I would take a couple of pictures of what I do everyday. So today was a weight lifting day ... I don't know if I clarified that or not, every other day I switch off between weight lifting and cardio. It's not a good idea to do too much on one day and you want to give your muscles time to heal after a good workout, so it's a good idea to switch off. Now some people who don't do cardio workouts, for example, will do upper body one day and lower body the next day... But for me and probably most of my reader's, weight loss AND cardio is the way to go. You need the weight lifting to work and tone your muscles, to get a nice lean look and if you are like me and have excess skin from the weight you've lost, lifting weights will help build your muscles and eventually tighten the skin. And you need the cardio to lose the weight!
This exercise is called a bench press, and I am lifting 40 pounds of weight - the bar is 20 pounds and each weight is 10 pounds. To start, you lay on the bench and lift the weight bar off of the stand. It should look like the first picture to the left, you want your hands shoulder wide apart, with your shoulders just past the stand.
The next picture, shows the weight bar about half way down to my chest. You always want to lower the weight slowly and push up quickly. That way you have more control over the weight on the way down and reduces the likelihood of injury. To complete one rep, or repetition, continue to lower the bar all the way down to your chest and push up swiftly.
I usually do 10 reps and 4 sets; a 'set' is a specific, predetermined number of reps. Keep in mind that you might not always do 10 reps in each set if your muscles start to fail, for example, then you would only lift what you're able to lift. The bench press is one of five weight lifting exercises I currently do and is the most weight I lift.
Even though I am trying to currently lose weight, with my goal about 160 pounds, I use to be a lot heavier than I am now. I was at one time, about 6-7 years ago, 355 pounds ... I did the same type of workout routine as I am doing now, along with a very strict meal plan and I lost 195 pounds, reaching 160 pounds which is my current goal. I was at my healthiest with very minimal back pain during this time frame. I then relaxed my meal plan, had my beautiful girls and one thing lead to another and gained some of that weight back. So, trust me when I say I know how to lose weight - I'm kind of an expert at losing weight (which isn't really a good thing, but makes me knowledgeable none-the-less).
The other weight lifting exercises I do include the tricep curl, bicep curl, fly, and calf raises. All of these I do with 10 pound weights and will soon be moving up that weight on a few exercises. I will also continue to post pictures of each exercise, every other day when I do my weight lifting days, just so I can continue to share what I'm doing and hopefully that will help you, my reader's, see that it's not difficult and you can do it too!
Real quick before I sign off for the day, my pain is pretty bad today. I'm not sure why it's been so flared up lately and I'm still waiting for the VA to schedule a doctor's appointment down here in Arizona for me so I can hopefully get some help soon... But, I just hope that through my pain and suffering and sharing all of it with you, that I can inspire you to push yourself just a little bit more, get up and do the workouts, do one more set, five more minutes on the treadmill, or only eat half of the candy bar!
I added one more picture, below, that is pretty much the same as the others, I just really like it and wanted to share one more with you. So, I hope this post will help and inspire you to start a workout today, even if it's one set, or five minutes walking ... It's something and that's a start! So, until next time, stay happy, healthy and strong!
Monday, November 17, 2014
Weekly tips for moms!
So, I thought it would be helpful to start talking about weekly tips to help with the little ones, not only for when you (moms) want to work out, but also just tips with other every day issues our children can have. I'm no expert by any means, but I have two young children that we had back to back, which was difficult; almost like having twins... Arizona had just turned 1 and less than two months later we had Savannah, so I have a lot of experience and hopefully some of those experiences will help other moms out there!
For starters, my two girls have been having issues with sleep, pretty much ever since we moved down here to Arizona. They are also having two separate issues, Savannah has been waking up a few hours into the night, hysterical and crying the whole nine yards and Ari has been waking up super early in the morning around 4:45-5 am and is awake to start the day.
So I tried a couple of different things initially; however, they were all unsuccessful. I then decided to start feeding them dinner later in the evening. I use to feed them around 5:30pm and I moved that back to about 6:30 and then moved their bedtime from 7-7:15 to almost 8 pm. I also switched up their nighttime snack. Ari use to have a cup of milk and some gold fish crackers or some dry cereal and Savannah would get a bottle of milk.
Well, they still both get the milk, but I switched up the snack to include more complex carbohydrates and protein. This switch is not only healthier but the protein and complex carbs should keep them fuller for longer, which in theory would keep them asleep longer. So, what I feed them is a slice of whole wheat bread each and a couple teaspoons of peanut butter. This has worked, for the most part, with both girls! Savannah has been sleeping through the night again and Arizona, while still waking up pretty early, is staying asleep until about 5:30 - 6 now.
I must add that I consider myself an expert in getting kids to sleep through the night ... I had both girls sleeping through the night from about 3.5-4 months old. So, for them to not sleep through the night any more is a big deal. I also wonder if now that they have their own room, if that isn't a contributing factor. Which I might still try putting them back together if Arizona keeps waking up so early. It's so funny to me that my husband and I have worked so hard to move our family, our children, to Arizona to give them a better life, like ... a bedroom of there own ... and now possibly they can't sleep in a room of their own! It's just kind of funny!
Anyway, moving on ... I want to try and provide as many tips and ideas as possible to help other moms out there with their little ones and keep their sanity. So, we just talked about a couple of tips to help the little ones sleep through the night, so I'll go into one tip that will help during workout times to get every mom off the sofa and on the treadmill.
So if you are lucky enough to live in a neighborhood where you can walk outside, I always recommend that just because of the fresh air, meeting and talking to people, getting some vitamin D from the sun (which will also improve your mood), exposing your children to the outdoors, the list goes on... but if you cannot walk outside and must use a treadmill then you need a safe way to contain your kids but still keep them happy.
I use to bring the girls' playpen out to the garage with their absolute favorite toys and then put them in it. It keeps them safe from all the yuckiness of the garage, they can hang out with me in the same room (which for my kids with 'mommy separation anxiety' is a big deal), keeps them happy and then I can do my workout.
I really hope some of these tips help, as I really love helping other moms. I can't even count how many times I've given advice to my friends; it just makes me feel so awesome when my tips are successful. I remember helping one of my best friends with getting her son to sleep through the night, he was 8 months old and she hadn't had a good night sleep in as long of time ... I remember crying when my techniques helped her and her son started sleeping through the night. So, I hope you too can have some success with these tips and have one less reason to put off that workout until tomorrow! So, until next time, stay happy, healthy and strong!
For starters, my two girls have been having issues with sleep, pretty much ever since we moved down here to Arizona. They are also having two separate issues, Savannah has been waking up a few hours into the night, hysterical and crying the whole nine yards and Ari has been waking up super early in the morning around 4:45-5 am and is awake to start the day.
So I tried a couple of different things initially; however, they were all unsuccessful. I then decided to start feeding them dinner later in the evening. I use to feed them around 5:30pm and I moved that back to about 6:30 and then moved their bedtime from 7-7:15 to almost 8 pm. I also switched up their nighttime snack. Ari use to have a cup of milk and some gold fish crackers or some dry cereal and Savannah would get a bottle of milk.
Well, they still both get the milk, but I switched up the snack to include more complex carbohydrates and protein. This switch is not only healthier but the protein and complex carbs should keep them fuller for longer, which in theory would keep them asleep longer. So, what I feed them is a slice of whole wheat bread each and a couple teaspoons of peanut butter. This has worked, for the most part, with both girls! Savannah has been sleeping through the night again and Arizona, while still waking up pretty early, is staying asleep until about 5:30 - 6 now.
I must add that I consider myself an expert in getting kids to sleep through the night ... I had both girls sleeping through the night from about 3.5-4 months old. So, for them to not sleep through the night any more is a big deal. I also wonder if now that they have their own room, if that isn't a contributing factor. Which I might still try putting them back together if Arizona keeps waking up so early. It's so funny to me that my husband and I have worked so hard to move our family, our children, to Arizona to give them a better life, like ... a bedroom of there own ... and now possibly they can't sleep in a room of their own! It's just kind of funny!
Anyway, moving on ... I want to try and provide as many tips and ideas as possible to help other moms out there with their little ones and keep their sanity. So, we just talked about a couple of tips to help the little ones sleep through the night, so I'll go into one tip that will help during workout times to get every mom off the sofa and on the treadmill.
So if you are lucky enough to live in a neighborhood where you can walk outside, I always recommend that just because of the fresh air, meeting and talking to people, getting some vitamin D from the sun (which will also improve your mood), exposing your children to the outdoors, the list goes on... but if you cannot walk outside and must use a treadmill then you need a safe way to contain your kids but still keep them happy.
I use to bring the girls' playpen out to the garage with their absolute favorite toys and then put them in it. It keeps them safe from all the yuckiness of the garage, they can hang out with me in the same room (which for my kids with 'mommy separation anxiety' is a big deal), keeps them happy and then I can do my workout.
I really hope some of these tips help, as I really love helping other moms. I can't even count how many times I've given advice to my friends; it just makes me feel so awesome when my tips are successful. I remember helping one of my best friends with getting her son to sleep through the night, he was 8 months old and she hadn't had a good night sleep in as long of time ... I remember crying when my techniques helped her and her son started sleeping through the night. So, I hope you too can have some success with these tips and have one less reason to put off that workout until tomorrow! So, until next time, stay happy, healthy and strong!
Tough day and tips!
Today was a rough day. It's only 10:40 in the morning, but wow it's been a rough day so far. I haven't been sleeping to well lately (for numerous reasons) and my back pain has been through the roof! It's been really intense lately, hard to walk with a stabbing feeling in the lower left side of my back. I haven't wanted to do my workouts at all. I woke up this morning and didn't feel like doing anything, in fact, I wished I could just take a day off, put my feet up, and do nothing! I eventually remembered I was a mom and can't do that, but it was a cute thought! And then I remembered I had to do my workout today...
Trust me, I know how hard it is to find the dedication and motivation to work out every single day, especially when you're in pain, or tired, or any other excuse under the sun. You just have to dig deep, dig way down deep and find it somewhere in your heart. It sometimes takes people a while, years sometimes, to hit that 'point' where you've had enough with the way your life is. For me, it took a few years ... My husband and I had both of our children, back to back, and it has taken me a year to find the right motivation to make a change. That motivation was I wanted to make sure I could pick up and play with my kids and I was starting to get to the point where I was having trouble picking them up. That broke my heart, so I decided to make a change.
It's also important to remember that this doesn't happen overnight. You didn't, for example, gain all the weight overnight, so you won't be able to lose it all overnight. It takes time, hard work and dedication. You have to really want it and for me not being able to pick up my kids or chase them around the house, or walk down to the park, teach them to ride a bike, etc., was my motivating factor.
So, what did I do? I got up, got dressed into my workout clothes and went out to my treadmill and turned it on! I turned it on! and I walked! I made a promise to myself that I would lose this weight and work hard to be healthier so I can enjoy my children as they get older and so my husband and I can walk along the beach when we're 60 holding holds. But it's not easy ... I wish I had less pain or better pain control or something to make it easier but then again they say, something worth having never comes easy.
Well, I think I've rambled enough today! I do want to say that I will post later about some tips to help the moms out there with little ones and working out. I know how hard it is to find the time and means to work out with little ones, but if I can find the time, so can you. So, from now on I'm going to write a weekly thread on tips to help you deal with the little ones and hopefully increase your motivation!!! So, be sure to tune in later and every Monday for tips that have helped me! Until next time, stay happy, healthy and strong!
Trust me, I know how hard it is to find the dedication and motivation to work out every single day, especially when you're in pain, or tired, or any other excuse under the sun. You just have to dig deep, dig way down deep and find it somewhere in your heart. It sometimes takes people a while, years sometimes, to hit that 'point' where you've had enough with the way your life is. For me, it took a few years ... My husband and I had both of our children, back to back, and it has taken me a year to find the right motivation to make a change. That motivation was I wanted to make sure I could pick up and play with my kids and I was starting to get to the point where I was having trouble picking them up. That broke my heart, so I decided to make a change.
It's also important to remember that this doesn't happen overnight. You didn't, for example, gain all the weight overnight, so you won't be able to lose it all overnight. It takes time, hard work and dedication. You have to really want it and for me not being able to pick up my kids or chase them around the house, or walk down to the park, teach them to ride a bike, etc., was my motivating factor.
So, what did I do? I got up, got dressed into my workout clothes and went out to my treadmill and turned it on! I turned it on! and I walked! I made a promise to myself that I would lose this weight and work hard to be healthier so I can enjoy my children as they get older and so my husband and I can walk along the beach when we're 60 holding holds. But it's not easy ... I wish I had less pain or better pain control or something to make it easier but then again they say, something worth having never comes easy.
Well, I think I've rambled enough today! I do want to say that I will post later about some tips to help the moms out there with little ones and working out. I know how hard it is to find the time and means to work out with little ones, but if I can find the time, so can you. So, from now on I'm going to write a weekly thread on tips to help you deal with the little ones and hopefully increase your motivation!!! So, be sure to tune in later and every Monday for tips that have helped me! Until next time, stay happy, healthy and strong!
Saturday, November 15, 2014
First week back in the saddle!
My first week back; first week back to working out, walking, lifting weights, watching what I eat, taking my weight loss supplement and generally, over-all, trying to get back to a healthier 'me'. There is so much that goes into being 'healthier', and for me it's even harder because my back makes things far more challenging.
So, this past Monday, the 10th, I started working out again and started on the weights. I'm doing a bench press (40lbs), Tri and Bi curls (10 lbs), Fly (5 lbs) and Calf Raises (10 lbs). On every other day I do cardio on the treadmill, shooting for at least 25 minutes. Everything is going okay so far, my back is hanging in there without too much added pain and my spirits are high. The pain is getting progressively worse, so I need to be careful.
I started taking my protein shakes again, right after my workouts, when your muscles need that nutrition the most to help repair themselves. Now, I also take a weight loss supplement called Hydroxycut Elite, to assist with the weight loss; hopefully it will help. I also weighted myself yesterday and I was 217.5 pounds, which is about 10 pounds lighter than when I weighted myself right before we left Sacramento. So at least on that front, I am making significant progress. Now, my goal is to get back down to around 160 pounds. So, that's about 57 more pounds to go and then a lifetime of maintenance.
Now, I use to have to work out at night after the girls went to bed, because as any other mom's out there know, it's practically impossible to do a workout with two toddlers running around. And that was almost being set up to fail because when you get up at 5-5:30 am everyday and you are just running constantly, non-stop all day with two toddlers, by the time 8 pm rolls around, all I want to do is put my feet up, eat some dinner and take a deep breath. So finding the discipline to go work out was extremely difficult. These days, in Arizona, at least while my husband is off work, I have been able to work out during the day, while he watches the girls for an hour... so I have a little bit of a break here, but it won't last much longer and I will soon be returning to my late night workouts.
This was also about the time that I decided I wanted to write a blog about my 'life' if you will, because I realized that there is no way I am the only mother going through this and if I can find the strength and will-power to do it with a broken back, then maybe I can inspire other mothers to do it and we can all be healthier and happier with our bodies and our minds together (But that's a whole other post right there that, trust me, I will dive into).
So, I really could keep writing a novel here about everything that I go through on a daily basis just to workout, maintain my health, care for my children, etc., but I have to leave something to write about tomorrow! It's been fun and I hope you've enjoyed reading ... until next time, be healthy, happy and strong!
So, this past Monday, the 10th, I started working out again and started on the weights. I'm doing a bench press (40lbs), Tri and Bi curls (10 lbs), Fly (5 lbs) and Calf Raises (10 lbs). On every other day I do cardio on the treadmill, shooting for at least 25 minutes. Everything is going okay so far, my back is hanging in there without too much added pain and my spirits are high. The pain is getting progressively worse, so I need to be careful.
I started taking my protein shakes again, right after my workouts, when your muscles need that nutrition the most to help repair themselves. Now, I also take a weight loss supplement called Hydroxycut Elite, to assist with the weight loss; hopefully it will help. I also weighted myself yesterday and I was 217.5 pounds, which is about 10 pounds lighter than when I weighted myself right before we left Sacramento. So at least on that front, I am making significant progress. Now, my goal is to get back down to around 160 pounds. So, that's about 57 more pounds to go and then a lifetime of maintenance.
Now, I use to have to work out at night after the girls went to bed, because as any other mom's out there know, it's practically impossible to do a workout with two toddlers running around. And that was almost being set up to fail because when you get up at 5-5:30 am everyday and you are just running constantly, non-stop all day with two toddlers, by the time 8 pm rolls around, all I want to do is put my feet up, eat some dinner and take a deep breath. So finding the discipline to go work out was extremely difficult. These days, in Arizona, at least while my husband is off work, I have been able to work out during the day, while he watches the girls for an hour... so I have a little bit of a break here, but it won't last much longer and I will soon be returning to my late night workouts.
This was also about the time that I decided I wanted to write a blog about my 'life' if you will, because I realized that there is no way I am the only mother going through this and if I can find the strength and will-power to do it with a broken back, then maybe I can inspire other mothers to do it and we can all be healthier and happier with our bodies and our minds together (But that's a whole other post right there that, trust me, I will dive into).
So, I really could keep writing a novel here about everything that I go through on a daily basis just to workout, maintain my health, care for my children, etc., but I have to leave something to write about tomorrow! It's been fun and I hope you've enjoyed reading ... until next time, be healthy, happy and strong!
A quick update!
I really thought by now my blog would be in full swing, talking in depth about my workouts, health, weight, back, etc.; however, with the big move across state lines, I have been so busy that not only have I failed to write about the topics promises, but I haven't even been able to keep you up-to-date ... so this is going to be a quick post updating where we are and then I will get back into the swing of actually blogging about the important topics!
So, two weeks ago today we made the move to Arizona. It is absolutely wonderful here and we couldn't be happier; everything seems perfect. I mean the move itself was a little rough and did not go exactly as planned, but does anything really go as planned? It felt like we had one disaster after another getting down here. BUT, that's all over now and focusing on how wonderful it is down here is far more enjoyable. Other than the freakishly warm weather (which you'll come to know, I don't really like the heat - it's the only downfall to moving to the hottest state in the country) it is absolutely breathtakingly gorgeous down here.
We are pretty much settled into our new home ... putting away the final boxes, hanging the finishing touches, etc. The girls are settling in okay - they still are having some issues in the middle of the night, but otherwise, they seem to be doing well! And Goodwin (the Cat) is settling in well also, losing weight quickly which is good for him - those stairs are really seeming to kick everybody's butt.
I started full swing into my workouts again this past Monday and everything has been going pretty well until this morning... which I'm not going to go into too much detail, as I will really go into this later in another post! But, it's been going okay so far, we got another bottle of the Hydroxycut Elite, which has helped with the weight loss and when I weighted myself yesterday for the first time since leaving Sacramento, I was far lighter than I thought I'd be.
Furthermore, Bill and I have been working hard on some of our entrepreneurial endeavors ... making videos of field stripping firearms, his football YouTube channel is going well, and I'm finally finding the time to work on some of my crochet and crafting ideas/videos.
So, now that I have given a little update for you my next post will surely dive right into my workouts, my weight, my back (and the VA), how the girls are playing a role in all of this and how successful I've been so far only four days into it. I hope you've enjoyed reading, because I've surely enjoyed writing. Until next time ... Be happy, healthy and strong!
So, two weeks ago today we made the move to Arizona. It is absolutely wonderful here and we couldn't be happier; everything seems perfect. I mean the move itself was a little rough and did not go exactly as planned, but does anything really go as planned? It felt like we had one disaster after another getting down here. BUT, that's all over now and focusing on how wonderful it is down here is far more enjoyable. Other than the freakishly warm weather (which you'll come to know, I don't really like the heat - it's the only downfall to moving to the hottest state in the country) it is absolutely breathtakingly gorgeous down here.
I started full swing into my workouts again this past Monday and everything has been going pretty well until this morning... which I'm not going to go into too much detail, as I will really go into this later in another post! But, it's been going okay so far, we got another bottle of the Hydroxycut Elite, which has helped with the weight loss and when I weighted myself yesterday for the first time since leaving Sacramento, I was far lighter than I thought I'd be.
Furthermore, Bill and I have been working hard on some of our entrepreneurial endeavors ... making videos of field stripping firearms, his football YouTube channel is going well, and I'm finally finding the time to work on some of my crochet and crafting ideas/videos.
So, now that I have given a little update for you my next post will surely dive right into my workouts, my weight, my back (and the VA), how the girls are playing a role in all of this and how successful I've been so far only four days into it. I hope you've enjoyed reading, because I've surely enjoyed writing. Until next time ... Be happy, healthy and strong!
Monday, October 6, 2014
Happy Birthday!
So today is my birthday! I'm not big on celebrating my birthday anymore these days, I think because it's just a reminder of how much older I am getting! LOL. I am just going to start counting backwards, so next year I will turn 34 again, then 33, etc. I love celebrating my kids birthdays, in fact we just celebrated my oldest daughters 2nd birthday ... She had a blast!
This is Arizona at her birthday in her Elsa princess dress from the movie Frozen! We got her a crystal crown and everything, she didn't like the crown too much and kept taking it off, but she loved the dress.
She would play with the skirt a lot that day, dancing around - it was out of this world adorable!
And this year, compared to her 1st birthday, she actually helped me blow out the candles on her cake. She wasn't sure what to do initially but after I showed her, she got it! I helped a little bit, of course.
She is growing so much it is crazy! I can't believe my little angel, my first born, is already 2 years old. It doesn't seem real that she's been here that long, in my life ... I can't imagine life without her now!
Anyway, back to my birthday (uugghhh), I believe my mom and stepdad, Marshall, are coming up to take me and the girls out to dinner! Bill can't go because he has to work and couldn't get the day off. So that will be nice. I feel like I am repeating a lot of thoughts in this blog or rambling even and I apologize for that!
I will post a few more pictures from dinner maybe, if we take any, so we'll see! Thanks for listening and I'll be back soon to update!
This is Arizona at her birthday in her Elsa princess dress from the movie Frozen! We got her a crystal crown and everything, she didn't like the crown too much and kept taking it off, but she loved the dress.She would play with the skirt a lot that day, dancing around - it was out of this world adorable!
And this year, compared to her 1st birthday, she actually helped me blow out the candles on her cake. She wasn't sure what to do initially but after I showed her, she got it! I helped a little bit, of course.
She is growing so much it is crazy! I can't believe my little angel, my first born, is already 2 years old. It doesn't seem real that she's been here that long, in my life ... I can't imagine life without her now!
Anyway, back to my birthday (uugghhh), I believe my mom and stepdad, Marshall, are coming up to take me and the girls out to dinner! Bill can't go because he has to work and couldn't get the day off. So that will be nice. I feel like I am repeating a lot of thoughts in this blog or rambling even and I apologize for that!
I will post a few more pictures from dinner maybe, if we take any, so we'll see! Thanks for listening and I'll be back soon to update!
Tuesday, September 30, 2014
Time for pampering!
Usually the VA, Veteran's Affairs, are not on their game. I have more trouble with the VA then any other aspect of my life - including my Toddlers! However, today I had an appointment with a dietician up at the Mather VA Clinic to help me attack my weight loss from one more angle and I found out some pretty good news.
First, I was finally approved for pool therapy twice a week for eight weeks, which never happens, so I'm happy about that. I think pool therapy will be great for my back and my emotional health as I love to swim and be in the water. Anyway, I also found out from the dietician that they have Yoga classes, free to vets, twice a week! This is wonderful news because I love yoga and it's also a great weigh loss component to help me lose weight, and it's just fun!
But the great news, which really is just fun news, is I found out they have a "Day of Pampering" for their women veterans once a year. They have makeovers (hair and makeup), massage, facials, stress management classes, yoga, healthy eating classes, employment opportunities, meditation, Tai Chi ... and they feed us breakfast and lunch while we're there and they have a huge raffle apparently! It just sounds like a lot of fun for me. With all the stress lately I think a day without the girls (as much as I love them I need a break sometimes too), filled with pampering and yoga and good soul stuff will do wonders for me and my confidence. Add that to the fact that I was approved for my pool therapy and now I have an opportunity for Yoga twice a week ... hopefully my attitude will sky rocket and my weight will plummet!
Today has been a good day! I found out some great useful information from the dietician, got some great recipes and meal ideas, was approved for my pool therapy, found out about yoga classes and was signed up for a day of pampering... I don't usually have days that go this well. So I'm going to savor in that and head to bed. Goodnight!
Monday, September 29, 2014
Welcome to FergieTown!
So, to introduce myself I will start with a little background. I am married to my wonderful husband, Bill, for almost three years now and we have two beautiful girls, Arizona or ‘Ari’ who is a little over two years old and Savannah who just turned one a week ago. I just graduated college with an AS degree is Liberal Arts with emphasis in Arts and Humanities. I served in the U.S. Air Force as a Military Police Officer for four years, leaving in 2003 with an honorable discharge and a severe back injury. Three of my five Lumbar discs are severely herniated with two pinched nerves, facet joint problems, degenerative disc disease and moderate scoliosis. I live with constant, severe pain which makes working out far more challenging and requires even more dedication; however, losing weight and being healthy helps with the pain.
My husband and I just accomplished one of our biggest dreams ever and moved
across state lines from Northern California to Buckeye, Arizona. We’ve always
wanted to make this move and it took us years to accomplish, but we finally did
it and we LOVE it here! We couldn’t be happier and feel like this move really
changed our lives for the better. So enough about me, onto the blog … I really hope that I can inspire and motivate other woman to live a happy and healthy lifestyle even as busy as we all are! I want my blog to focus on being healthy, working out, losing weight, strengthening the core muscles and finding the motivation to accomplish those goals. That also entails my children… because accomplishing those goals with two toddlers running around all day is quite a task! Another important aspect of my life, and one I will talk a lot about, is firearms. I love to go shooting and hunting and it’s something I’ve done most of my life; however, this also requires a healthy lifestyle!
So, I think this is a pretty solid introduction to my blog … I hope I provided a glimpse of who I am and what my goals are and hopefully I can elaborate on those goals and really inspire other woman to recognize and obtain their goals. Until next time … Live happy, healthy and strong!
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