Sunday, March 23, 2014

And now, a moment of revelation!

The other day, I made lemon pepper chicken with a side of broccoli quinoa bake for dinner. Every facet of the recommended meal plan was covered - protein, veggies, carbs, and... a pile of cheese.

I was feeling a little guilty about this. Then I realized that even though I planned on enjoying some cheese that evening, I shouldn't feel like I'm throwing away all my hard work at this "healthy living" thing. Two of my meals every day are incredibly healthy, a good portion size, and super easy to prepare. With that in mind, I am automatically eating better than I was before I started using these products 2/3 of the time!

Of course, I still try to prepare as healthy of meals as possible. Our household has been evolving slowly, building and growing into a "clean" household. That in itself is an improvement to my/our health, because we no longer put chemical-filled foods into our bodies (fluorescent orange processed cheese, anyone?). But my only point here is that instead of worrying about preparing three clean, healthy meals every day, I only have to worry about one. And if, on occasion, I decide to enjoy something that is not exactly recommended for a healthy lifestyle, I shouldn't feel guilty about it and then binge on junk for the next week because "I've already fallen off the wagon, I might as well keep going..."

It's a lifestyle, not a life sentence!

Saturday, March 22, 2014

A Moment of Reflection

Spring has just begun, and the weather has not yet received the memo.  Therefore, I decided to take a moment to think and write about my journey over the last year.  Last winter, I realized that I had slowly been changing.  I had been an active young girl, I always had energy for "one more horse" or "one more hay wagon," or even something more conventionally "fun." I had deteriorated into a homebody that barely had the energy to get through a workday, let alone ride my one horse, and I could generally manage to make something for dinner every night.  That's it.  I had gained weight, and on top of it I was miserably unhappy and couldn't figure out why.  My fiancee (then-boyfriend) was sometimes annoyed because he could tell my whole personality had changed - the person he had met and fallen in love with was missing.

When I came to this realization, I knew that something had to change.  I wasn't happy with how I looked, or felt, and I knew I didn't want to feel like this anymore.  So I took a good, hard look at what the two of us were eating, and slowly started adjusting.  I started using my Wii Fit (though I quickly realized this was not a viable option when our poor 110 year old home's living room floors were flexing under all my bouncing, hopping, running in place.  Believe me, it doesn't make you feel good when your home struggles under your weight).  So instead, I joined a gym.  Slowly, diligently, I worked at helping myself get better.  More and more veggies worked their way into mealtimes.  I felt myself getting physically stronger. It was great!

At least, I thought it would be great.  I still had a muffin top - partially exaggerated by today's clothing styles (why do jeans these days exacerbate the muffin top?).  I had lost a little weight, and I had a little more energy than before, and I continued struggling on.

In the meantime, I kept seeing posts on Facebook, from a friend I had known since childhood.  She had a very optimistic outlook on her adventure.  She had some AMAZING posts.  She had been posting little comments about how her life was improving, the exercises she had accomplished, and the goals she kept accomplishing.  What finally made the decision for me was when she posted pictures of herself over a two month period and you could actually SEE the amazing changes she had experienced.  I wanted to experience it for myself!

I committed to 30 days in August and lost several pounds and inches (though at the time, I thought I could maintain on my own so I didn't keep track of the actual numbers).  I just got back on the bandwagon a little over a month ago, and I will be sure to keep you updated as to my progress!

Friday, March 21, 2014

Worst Blogger Ever for the Best Possible Reason

I am the worst Blogger ever. Two posts in, and then nothin'. But the truth is, that I haven't been sitting long enough to write! Since I've started my 30 day I have found that I have limitless energy, and I no longer feel like I would rather sit at home on my computer. It's a beautiful thing :)

Now that it's getting nice out, this newfound youth is especially useful! I can work all day, go to the gym, go ride my horse, make dinner and more without flagging. I don't even suffer the post-lunch crash anymore, it's great!

The past two days, I tried deep cleansing for the first time. That's right, I didn't eat anything for two straight days. The best part was, I wasn't hungry OR malnourished (I take that back - the best part is that this cleanse is not a "dirty" OR "I'm going to feel sick all day" type of cleanse).  The cleanse product I use encourages your body to "turn on" the fat burners to accelerate weight and inches loss. Since last Saturday, I cut 6.4 pounds and 7 inches from my body! That's pretty incredible. What's more incredible is when I measured myself last Saturday, I found I had mostly maintained my results from my first go at this system, back in August 2013!

I am ready for whatever gets thrown at me. I am leaner, more healthy, and I'll be ready for summer in no time!