Another month down

Well, it's March.

This year seems to be flying by, especially compared to last year, when I was dealing with Mark's deployment. I was miserable, for sure.

Things are looking up this year for sure. Mark's home, our families are healthy, our sweet dog is healthy, and we're actually going to be able to celebrate our anniversary together! I'm very excited!

Also, my work outs have been going well. I slacked a little this week, didn't push myself like I should have, indulged more than I should have, but I'm still seeing progress, so I won't beat myself up over it. In fact, my wedding ring is now too big, and because of the design, it can't be resized without the possibility of messing we decided for my anniversary gift, we'd look into getting a new ring, and boy, did Mark deliver.

I got my new ring set today, and it's just unbelievable. I adore it. My original ring is very very valuable to me, and my dominant right hand has always been larger than my left, so I'm hoping I can wear it still as a right hand ring.

Tomorrow would have been my off day, but I took yesterday off instead, so back to business tomorrow!

Work hard, play hard, workout even harder

I'll be honest.

I had one of the best workouts ever today. I was at the gym for TWO. HOURS. I just wanted to keep going; I legitimately ENJOYED my workout today. I spent forty minutes going as fast as I could on the elliptical,  spent about fifteen minutes on the bike at a high intensity,  did about fifteen on the treadmill, then another thirty on the elliptical.  My friend Andrea and her fiance came while I was there, and she and I did a little lifting before they left.

That inspired me. Tomorrow,  I'm going to do my hour of cardio, then I'm going to spend the rest of my time on weights.  I'm starting at the lighter end, until I get better at my form, but I'm really looking forward to the challenge. Maybe I can get my hubby to come with me, he's been trying to get into better shape too.

I'm usually a Pilates kind of girl, so I will probably still do that as well, but I would love to really get into weights. So I'm altering my workout plan for two weeks to see how it goes. I'm stikl working the same areas on the same days, just lifting weights instead of Pilates to see if I get better results! I'll post a before and after when my two weeks are up!

Stay healthy!

-KJ

The Power of Positive

There's a basic rule, in my opinion,  that you have to follow in order to live a happy life.

You have to surround yourself with positive people. People who will build you up, not make snide comments at you, people who will challenge you to be a better person, not make you feel like you have to be better than everyone around you to be a better person. People who will honestly be happy for your achievements,  not trying to make theirs sound greater, and yours lesser.

Earlier this week, after a lot of drama on Facebook (I won't go into it now, maybe another post), I realized that someone I had considered a good friend, and trusted, was not what I needed in my life. It made the sadness at what happened hurt a little less, because I realized how much negativity this person brought into my life, how they were always making everything a competition,  and how much they had brought me down from the person I should be.

I realized that I haven't been putting everything I have into my workouts,  or things around the house,  because I was so worried about what people would think about me. I realized that I am a  moron. And finally getting that made me both happy and sad, because I have wasted so much time.

Today marks the beginning of a journey for me. Not only in regards to my health,  but in my life.  I'm going to try to be a better friend, daughter, sister,  wife,  person. The more positive you put into the world,  the more you will get back.

I'd like to take a second and say thank you to my husband, Mark. He has put up with so much during our marriage so far, and he knows I'm far from perfect, but supports and loves me the way I am.

My final thought:
The only person you should try to be better than is the person you were yesterday.

What drives you?

Whatever your goals are, whether you want to lose weight, gain muscle, or just be healthy, you need something that drives you, that pushes you, and inspires you to reach your goals.

It could be something as simple as wanting to lose a size or two, or to fit into that new dress for your class reunion, or that new bikini you bought for a vacation this summer.

Maybe you're trying to start a family, and want to make sure you're healthy for your future children, or the ones you already have, or your parents, or your spouse.

Something a lot of people don't consider, is when you make a commitment to get healthy, lose weight, and/or get in shape, you have to do it for yourself.

You have to want it more than anyone.

People have asked what my motivation to lose weight is, what drives me.

I want to do it for myself. I want to do it for my husband and my family. I want to be an inspiration to my mom and my dad and my entire family, I want to have confidence in what my body can do, and I want to be the best version of myself that I can be,

I want to wear my new bikini on our cruise in November. I want to feel confident in shorts and tank tops this summer, in that little black dress I bought to wear for our anniversary, in my own skin, no matter where I am or who I'm with. I want to live a long, healthy, full life.

What do you want? What drives you to do what you do?

Hard work equals big changes

Since my copy of Insanity is still messing up, I've kind of moved on from it in order to keep progress going.

Last night, I sat for an hour and a half going through workout after workout from Blogilates and a few other places trying to devise the perfect workout routine for me; I needed something challenging, enjoyable, with lots of stretching in the end.

What I came up with is a little bit frightening to me, but I think the results are going to be fantastic!

A lot of you have been asking for a workout schedule. Let me just start by saying that I am no fitness expert. I don't have a degree, I don't even have a boatload of experience like a lot of the popular bloggers do. But I love to learn and research like you wouldn't believe, and this is the plan that I think I can get the best results from, because its going to genuinely push me to the limit. This is what I think will work for ME. It may be too tough for you or not challenging enough.

I've incorporated straight cardio, Pilates, Jillian Michael's 30 D.S., and my favorite, yoga. Here's the schedule.

MONDAY- 1 hr. run, 30 d.s., 50 min total body from blogilates, yoga.
Tuesday- 30 d.s., 50 min upper body/arms/back from blogilates, yoga.
Wednesday- 1 hr. run, 30 d.s.,50 minutes abs from blogilates, yoga.
Thursday- 30 d.s., 50 min lower body from blogilates, yoga
Friday- 1 hr run, 30 d.s., 50 min total body from blogilates, yoga
Saturday- 1 hr run, 30 d.s., yoga
Sunday- yoga



I chose to do yoga on Sunday instead of just resting because we usually go for a walk together that day and some stretching after would be very relaxing for me.

In addition to this, I will be dog Blogilate's 90 day meal plan challenge, with a few adjustments here and there, and I have a few cheat days scheduled, like Valentine's Day and our anniversary. Mark was deployed last year so we didn't get to really celebrate, so I'm not missing out on anything this year!

Let me know if you have any questions, I would love to hear feedback!

-KJ

Here's to a healthy lifestyle!

Hey y'all!

I've gotten quite a few questions the last few days and decided to address them. Most of them were along these lines:

How can I easily lose weight? How strict does my diet have to be? How can I lose a lot of weight fast? When will I see results from working out? How long do I have to work out to lose weight?

I've come to realized that our culture is into putting in the least amount of effort possible in order to achieve their goals.

In my journey to become a healthier, physically fit woman, I've drawn the following conclusions:

1. Weight loss is not entirely based on the gym and your workouts. 70% of your physique comes from your DIET, the other 30% from your physical activity. You can't eat whatever you want and expect to lose weight, no matter how much you workout, which leads me to my next point.

2. When it comes to counting calories, not all calories are created equal. It's not completely based on how much you eat, but also on WHAT you eat. 300 calories of lean protein and some veggies is much better for you than 300 calories of French fries from McDonald's. You are what you eat, and I'd rather be a lean mean machine than a fried potato.

3. If you count every single calorie every day for the rest of your life, you will probably lose your mind. It is ok to enjoy a piece of cake every once in a while. And when I say that, I do not mean every weekend. Be healthy, don't overindulge constantly, but don't become so strict that you can't or won't enjoy some dessert on your birthday or a piece of chocolate on Valentine's Day from your sweetie.

4. Don't give yourself an easy out. Don't stop working out for a week just because your abs hurt or your legs are sore from squats! Please please take care of yourself if you are sick or injured, but don't stop because it hurts. It's supposed to, to a point. My philosophy: if you're not puking, fainting, or dying, don't stop.

5. It will not always be fun. You will be sore, you will not want to get up and workout, you will want that piece of cake at the office party, and you will probably say you're giving up more than once. But don't. Be frustrated, cry if you have to, and move on. If you want results, you have to work for them, and have to put in the effort. Don't give yourself excuses, give yourself results that you've worked hard for.

You are worth it. I know that, now go prove it to yourself!

-KJ

A new Start

I'm finally not sick.

After two straight weeks of feverish chills and aches and just plain feeling cruddy,

I woke up this morning with no stuffy nose, no sore throat, nothing!

 

THANK GOODNESS!

 

I barely worked out while I was sick, I was active but I didn't push myself.

 

No more.

 

 

I woke up this morning, had a glass of water, made myself a quick meal-replacement shake,

put my shoes on, and then I remembered.

 

Our copy of Insanity is messed up.

 

Boo.

 

So I decided to do 30 Day Shred twice to make up for it.

 

Um. I'd forgotten that it's actually a pretty intense workout, especially when you've done

nothing really for two weeks.

 

I'm hooked again. It sucks that we haven't been able to finish Insanity, but until we get another copy,

I think I'm going to stick to 30 Day Shred, cause it worked great for me last time.

I think I'm going to include more cardio, though.

Which is why I'm so excited to say I got my bike all fixed up! Just need to air up the back tire and fi the brake line that popped out the front part, and I'm golden!

 

I'm also starting to do some of +Blogilates  workouts again. They're an awesome kind of

pick-me-up workout when I don't have a ton of time but need to do SOMETHING.

So when I was going through and making a list of my favorite workouts so I can bookmark them,

I re-discovered her 90 day Challenge.

It's a really intense meal plan and workout schedule. The meal plan is

EXTREMELY strict, but I think that's just what I need. So whenever we go grocery shopping, I'm getting the things I need and I'm going to start it! If you've never heard of the 90 Day Challenge, head over to http://www.blogilates.com/ and check it out.

 

I will be starting it Feb. 15th.

 

And depending on the results, I may extend it out past 90 days, because I need some big results, because..

 

We are going on a cruise!

 

I'm so excited! Mark's aunt and cousin are celebrating their birthdays in November with a cruise,

and since he hasn't seen them in ages, we decided to go! I'm very excited, as this will be my first

time leaving the country, and I'm dying to go to the Caribbean. My plan is as follows:

to spend the entire week in a bikini, with a fruity-drink filled cocounut with crazy straws and umbrellas in my hand, not doing ANYTHING but relaxing and enjoying time with Mark and the family.

 

I'm determined to be swimsuit-ready by summer, and then anything after that is just the cherry on top.

 

 

 

 

 

I'm also going to be investing in a new pair of running shoes soon. What are your favorites? I'm a big Nike fan, but if there's a better shoe out there, I want to know!

 

Email me or comment with your suggestions and questions!