Getting back on Track!

At the end of 2013 I decided it was finally time to take a more proactive approach to my health.  My lab results at the doctor were always good, but lets face it I was overweight.  I approached the process completely differently from where I normally would have, with setting up and being consistent with an exercise program not a diet.  In my life I've always struggled with my weight and before the first thing I'd do would be to find a diet program.  I've done them all, even the crazy ones like the cabbage soup diet or the cans of slimfast for meals.

When I was younger and swimming 5 days a week it was easy to get exercise in, but once I left life at the pool it was really hard.  I was left not knowing what I'd like.  I can't run because after 6 knee surgeries that's just not an option, besides I find it tedious and boring.  I hate gyms!  As a PTA and Athletic Trainer I find myself distracted at the gym by people using poor mechanics or lifting way to much.  It makes me want to hand out business cards, which might be a good marketing strategy, but it's not a way to focus on your health.  My anxiety level left group fitness classes mostly off the list, the idea of going to one by myself was too much.

So what did I do?  I started walking the dog 30 minutes a day.  It might sound simple, but it got me going.  I put an earbud in(just one because I want to know what's going on around me), turned on the ipod and went.  Maddie was oh so excited to go everyday and begged me until we went.  It was good for her and me too.  After a month or so one of my dear friends started to teach a yoga class at our church.  It was a safe place for me to go where I didn't have to be intimidated about being new or not being able to do everything.  The best part: I found I love doing yoga.  Mind you my body will probably never let me do armstands and I can't twist myself into a pretzel yet, but it works for me.

The results after a year: I'm down 40lbs.  For the first time in a very long time my Doctor said she was proud of what I had accomplished.

So as 2014 came to a close I found that stress(like my hearing about my elbow work injury being postponed for the 5th time), several elbow injections and the cold weather made it very hard to stay consistent with my exercise program but my body continued to crave exercise.  This week as the new year came I started anew.  I'm doing yoga daily this month and still walking.

Here are a few of my favorite things:

1. www.yogawithadriene.com  I love her classes and they're free!!!!!! She has a great sense of humor and makes it fun to work out.  I'm currently doing her new 30 days of yoga series that started Jan 1.  The series will be up after the 30 days are over so you can start anytime.

2. www.grokker.com it's also free and has tons of different classes to do: yoga, pilates and many more. A great place to start and try different things until you find what works for you.

3. Green and Peppermint tea: I brew this by the gallon to have in my fridge.  It's great to drink and has no calories. I usually drink this instead of just plain water when I workout.

4. Workout clothes from target and walmart.  As I have lost weight I've treated myself to some new workout wear along the way.  I love the clearance rack at target and walmart has danskin and avia brands that are very reasonable in price.

5. My yoga blocks from Walmart.  They allow me to do poses that my shortwaisted upper body would otherwise have difficulty with.  They are one of the few places that sell a two pack for under $10.  Most single blocks are that much at other places.http://www.walmart.com/ip/Lotus-Yoga-Blocks-Pink/28132534

So as this new year starts start something good for you!  As my favorite yogi, Adriene says,"Find what feels good".  For me it's yoga and walking.  For you the possibilities are endless.  Just take that first step, trust me it will be worth it!!!

PiYo Review

In the last couple weeks I have tried out PiYo.  Started with online videos and then got to attend a class that my dear friend, Jessica Ubel was the instructor of.  It's taken a little while to come to a conclusion on what I think of PiYo.  Disclaimer: This is truely only my humble opinion, if you love PiYo great!

Things I like about PiYo:

1.  It definitely gets your heart rate up and burns calories.

2.  I like following an instructor.  I prefer having a leader so I can focus on what my body is doing.

3.  The music kept me going and I liked the fact that each of the songs had a different emphasis.


Things I didn't care for:

1.  The name: PiYo.  It's misleading, having done both Pilates and Yoga this was not really either.  After talking to Jessica she had the best description of what it is.  It's bootcamp on a mat.  Yes there are a few sun salutations and a warrior sequence, but it's not the majority of the time

2.  The lack of pauses during the class.  Without a little pause there is no real time to properly hydrate during the class.  I found that I missed things trying to get a much needed drink because I was sweating so much.

3.  The speed of the moves.  Here's probably where my background skews my opinion.  I found it very difficult to use proper mechanics in the moves and felt like I had to "cheat" a move to get to the next one in time.  For me this is a huge issue.  I have crappy joints(not afraid to admit it) and keeping myself from creating more injuries is a problem.  If you have good joints this probably wouldn't be an issue for you, but be careful.

4.  The intensity.  This is a hard class.  I'd say 90% of the people in the class were my age or younger.  I'm looking for things that I can sustain long term.  This would be a good jump start if you've already been exercising, but to start with PiYo I'd think you were crazy.  This goes back to the speed of the moves.


I'm going to stick with regular yoga and pilates it's what makes my body feel good and allows me to fully participate in the classes.  One of the yogi's that I follow has a mantra,"Find what feels good".  If PiYo makes you feel good go for it.  Whatever you do get out there and do something.  In just adding a daily walk with my dog plus strength training with bands or Yoga/Pilates I've lost 40lbs since January.  Thankful for all my fit friends that have been an encouragement to me.  I'm not at my goal yet, but am definitely headed in the right direction and feel so much better in general.

Starting on the Right Foot

Hard to believe another new year is starting.  I started last year with all the best intentions of blogging every month, setting goals and sticking with them.  Well, that lasted about 3 months.  The last year has certainly continued to be yet another roller coaster both emotionally and physically.  In setting some goals for this year I decided that not only did I need to set ones that were necessary, but I needed to set some fun ones too!  I hope by doing that I'll be able to stick with more of them.

To start out right I've decided to clean the whole house before I start the goals list.  It doesn't do me any good to say I'm going to keep this or that clean if it's not clean to start with.  That's just setting myself up to fail from the get go.  Also, I decided to start out with clean eating habits.  I'm going to do the Dr Oz 48 hour cleanse.  Now before you start thinking I'm crazy this is not one of those only drink water with weird things mixed in.  This is eating real food that is designed to help reset your system.  Thinking I'll do it this week so that next week I'll be ready to start with the goals.

So here they are:
1.  Do the dishes daily- this is a carryover from last year, got it going and was doing really well until I had shoulder surgery.

2. Make a chore list- I know many friends who have these for their families and just because it's only me doesn't mean I shouldn't get myself organized.

3. Finish projects I start- I can honestly say I come by my lack of follow through naturally(I love you Dad!)  I did a great job of starting my master bedroom and have enjoyed it this year, but I still need to do the closet and light fixture to finish it, neither are hard to do, but I get distracted too easily.

4. Keep up the exercise- I started before the holidays and need to get on track again.  I feel so much more energy and sleep so much better when I'm doing it so why is it so hard?

5. Cook 1 meal from each cookbook I have-  I love cookbooks. I read them and collect them, but I find that I don't cook from all of them even though they have great recipes.

6. Take a Technology Break- Take a break 1 day a month from all technology.  This includes the TV, internet and phone.  This may be one of my more challenging ones.  Living alone I find I really like to have noise around me.  It will be good to learn to live in the quietness.

7. Be more intentional with my friends- I have dear friends that I love very much, but sometimes I feel like I only talk with them on facebook.  I want to spend real "face time" with my friends.  Whether it's in a group or  individually I want to be a real part of their lives.

8. Use the library-  I live 5 blocks from a great library that I haven't used in years.  There is no reason for me to by a book when I can check it out for free!(well not free, I pay my property taxes)

9. Finally remodel my kitchen!-  I've hated my burgundy kitchen since day one of owning this house.  It's small, inefficient and lacks a dishwasher.  I've already gotten the cabinets and my design plans.  This is the year it gets done!

10.  Get back to work- Not that I really have much control over it, but it is my goal.  2 1/2 years since my injury, 2 surgeries and countless days in PT.  I'm ready to move on, but my arm isn't yet.  Hoping to finally get on the right track with it soon.  I miss seeing my patients and co workers!

I'm looking forward to seeing what this year has in store for me.  I believe that God has amazing things planned for each of our lives.  I want my friends to ask how things are going with my goals.  We were designed to be in community with each other and I want people to hold me accountable.  What are your goals for this year?

How does your garden grow?

 If it's like mine it's growing out of control.  This is the first year I've been really serious about my veggie garden.  I bought the raised beds a year ago at Costco, but never got anything done about them.  Thanks to my cousin Scott, I got a tilled space and they were filled up with dirt.  Then it was "What do I plant?"  I thought I'd start small this year and see were it went.  Well, that was before I got to Lowes.  I came home with tomatoes, peppers, zucchini, yellow squash, broccoli, cauliflower,cucumbers, walla walla onions and eggplant.  Then there were the seeds: beets, carrots, lettuce, radishes and fennel.  Here's what the first planting looked like.

Things I've learned this month:

Radishes need thinned out a lot otherwise they just grow leaves(which I've been enjoying on my sandwiches) and the size that the package says they should be planted apart should probably be followed.

Here is what it looks like after 1 month:

Contemplating another bed.  I have the space and the dirt to fill it.  We shall see.

Particpating in Lent

I've decided to participate in Lent this year. Growing up in a Baptist Church it wasn't really talked about, but as I have gotten older I'v found myself thinking that only celebrating holidays such as Christmas and Easter on one day each doesn't portray the significance of these events in my life. I believe that God sent his son to be born as a baby, live life on earth and then be crucified for my sins on a cross. This is the core of who I am and how could I not spent more than 2 days a year thanking God for this. Today is the start of Lent, Ash Wednesday. I didn't even really know the history on Lent, I knew that people gave up things for it and only ate fish on Fridays so I did a little research
.
Here's a link to an article on Christianity Today:The Beginning of Lent Christian History

Lent is meant to be a time of self reflection, a time to acknowledge that we are sinners and need repentance. I am going to be participating in an unhurried pilgrimage through Lent. This is a study through done by reFresh ministries. I've been a fan of them on facebook for awhile now and decided today to go for it. You can find the link on my facebook page if you want to participate.

I'm looking forward to this unhurried path of preparation for the Easter season and can't wait to see what God has to show me on this journey.

February goals

So in my year of setting goals for myself every month I've learned a bit about setting goals. First and foremost, goals are only acheiveable if you have a plan starting out. I set 5 goals for last month. 1 was easy for me, that was to pay cash for everything. I had already started working on my dishes daily so that also was easy. With my Mom's help I've almost finished a complete transformation of my master bedroom. The last 2, tackling the paper as it comes in the house and putting clothes away daily, were very hard for me. I found that because I didn't have an organized system for doing either one that it was hard to even start them. Once I got laundry baskets in my bathroom and bedroom I have been able to easily put things away. Still haven't got my office organized so the paper thing is still going to be a work in progress. Overall I feel like I'm making progress and learning that the clutter in your house/life really has an impact on how I feel. Before I redid my bedroom I would spend very little time in there. Since I have done it I feel very relaxed in there and have spent more time in there and also sleeping much better!

So here are February's goals:

1. Get an organized system for paper in my house: this will mean having my office organized so that when things need filed or shredded there is a place to do that easily every time.

2. Put shoes away: I prefer to be barefoot inside. So my shoes end up dropped wherever I kick them off when I come in. This month they go back in the closet!

3. Dust and Vacumn the Master Bedroom weekly: It's nice and new so it needs to be kept looking that way(and the glass topped sidetables are dust magnets).

I'm looking forward to seeing(and feeling) what happens as I continue to decrease the clutter in my life. Realizing that I can't have room for what God may have in store for me if every nook and crany of my life is stuffed with things that don't matter.

Making Progress: Master Bedroom

So here are "After" and "Before" pictures of my bedroom. It's been a while coming. The inspiration for this room are the prints that are on the wall. They were a wedding gift my grandparents received when they got married.