A Little Bit of Everything

Piggy-backing off my post a while back about being SCARED....well, what I feared at that point, finally caught up with me! Crap :-(

I was STUNNED to see a 0.8 lb weight loss after completely dropping all activities and eating habits to stay healthy while we were getting ready for our big move. It breaks my heart to report that when I stepped on the scale a week ago, I saw 213.2 lbs. NO...#*$&*$^#*%...WAY! At the time, I honestly wasn't quite sure how to feel about that number, or process what that number was. That number....that's the heaviest I've ever weighed in my ENTIRE life.

You could say that ANGER was definitely one of the immediate emotions I felt. Just angry at myself. I have NO idea why I struggle with going back and forth with this weight loss journey I'm trying to focus on. This is the THIRD time I've fallen backwards since I committed myself to this journey almost two years ago. Something's gotta give! I can sit here and try to think of a million reasons why it got to this point. But I don't want to. Plain and simple. I stopped. Yeah, I was in the middle of a major move, the holidays are here, I've been learning how to adjust to our new life here, the weather is awful and I don't have a treadmill to keep up with jogging....but honestly, why couldn't I go for a walk? Why couldn't I keep up with my jogging when I'd come so far before we moved? Or try to find some indoor workouts?

I may never figure out the answers to those questions.....but what I do know is that if I want to keep up with the changes I want to see in myself, I need to make motivation a first thought at the beginning of every day. I want to transform, I need to transform for my sake and my family's sake. That's honestly all the motivation I need. Thank you for that food for thought Tim :-)

Speaking of Tim and Tim Arndt Fitness...you guys have heard me talk about Tim before. I've known Tim for quite some time and I swear he has the best timing with things! When I made the BIG committment to losing weight back in May, shortly after Tim came out with his limited time Transformation sweatshirt that I just had to buy because that's exactly what I wanted, to transform myself. Me in my Transformation hoodie! :-)

Even though this hoodie is no longer available for purchase (as far as I know), Tim just came out with an entire new collection of shirts and bracelets that I LOVE LOVE LOVE! His new tag line is PERFECT...

"Fitness is SIMPLE, it's just not EASY" - this is SO true!!!

How many of you out there wanted to get fit/start your fitness journey, but didn't know where to turn or what to do because of being overwhelmed by all the information out there!? Let me be the first to raise my hand! I still, to this day, get incredibly overwhelmed on what route to take. Should I start a jogging program? Weight training - where the heck to start? What kind of eating program should I try along with my fitness program? Etc, etc! As Tim puts it amazingly...

"it's a tag-line I've used for quite some time now.  I started using it because the more I learn about fitness and exercise the more I realize that it isn't that complicated.  Even so, hardly anybody is doing it!  What gives?  Well, the honest to goodness truth is IT'S HARD!  And guess what?  The human body does not like this!  It likes to take the path of least resistance in just about anything.  For example, how many of you can honestly say your reading this with perfect posture right now?  That's what I thought!  It's SO much easier to let your shoulders hunch forward, relax your muscles and let your body's structure (bones & ligaments) keep you upright.  Imagine what that does to your daily calorie burn!  There's some food for thought.

Too many of us are letting ourselves get caught up in the complexity of health and fitness.  Things like muscle confusion, super slow training, slow burn, Crossfit and a host of other marketing programs have made it difficult to figure out what is the "best way" to get in shape.  I've had many who were really motivated to want to transform their bodies or improve their health but didn't do it because they didn't know how to go about doing it.  Uh, try walking!  Seriously, it truly is a simple concept!  I've helped hundreds of clients transform their bodies and health through the most basic workouts.  The key was they worked hard during them.  I'm pretty sure in the old days farmers and hunters were pretty healthy and in good shape and they didn't give a single thought about what the best way to get healthy or fit was.  They just worked and worked hard!

Think about it this way, running is simple, we all know how to do it.  But a 100 meter sprint or running a marathon is not easy.  That's why I decided to make some shirts and a hoodie with this tag-line on it.  To be a constant reminder to you to keep your workouts simple but to push yourself at the same time.  This my friends, is the secret to getting results!" - Tim Arndt

Okay, be honest, how many of you sat up straight after reading the first bit of Tim's newsletter?! hahaha! I know I did!! Tim has a FREE newsletter where he offers fitness tips for FREE of charge! Who doesn't like free stuff?! If you liked what Tim had to say above, I highly recommend signing up now, you can do that HERE!

I absolutely did NOT hesitate purchasing something from his new line! Here's the shirt and bracelet that I just purchased...

*also available in BLACK

Check out all the other Tim Arndt Fitness swag available HERE! There are zip up hoodies, men's shirts and women's crew neck shirts available too!! :-) I seriously can't wait to get my hands on my new items! His presale is happening NOW and all items are discounted so get your FAST before it's too late!!! :-)

For more info about Tim Arndt Fitness and the services he offers, check out my "People/Sites/Blogs I Love" page for Tim's Facebook page and more!

As much plugging as I've done for Tim, NO - I am not getting paid to do this in any way shape or form! I'm just THAT passionate about Tim's philosophy regarding fitness and the help that he has given me and continues to give me for free is just incredible. It's a no brainer that we all need to make a living, which is why I'm very thankful for people like Tim that are just as equally passionate about helping people succeed and achieve their goals, that they're willing to do stuff like this. I can sit here all day and rave about it, but you should take the time to check it all out for yourself ;-)

If there is anyone in the same boat with me, experiencing the frustration, please feel free to share and vent to get that frustration off your chest, like I have, to hopefully help you move forward with your goals! :-)

HAPPY FRIDAY EVERYONE! :-)

Guest Post: Melissa Gets FIT!

With all the chaos of moving that has happened is still happening I have felt SO "out of whack" with my journey to becoming healthier and it's unnerving. When I was REALLY starting to feel pretty disconnected, in a funk, a dear friend of mind posted her before and after photos of her progress and BAM! It was the perfect motivation for me that came at the BEST time!! :-) I am SO unbelievable proud of this girl for what she has done to make herself a priority to feel great. She is a first time Mom and I don't think it's one bit selfish to make sure that she does what she needs to, to be the best person she can for her son and family. Not a lot of people realize how hard it is to even find the time to exercise with a kiddo, let alone how hard it is just to sacrifice some time from them to workout. I get it. It's like you're between a rock and a hard place, struggling with the guilt you sometimes feel when doing something for youself when you think you should be spending that time to do things for you family. It might sound silly to some, but for mothers, it's our daily reality to put ourselves LAST.

I want you to meet Melissa! She has graciously taken the time to write me a little something about her journey because I feel like it will inspire someone out there! :-) So, it's about time I stop blabbing so you can read about Melissa's story.....

You know being a mother and wife, you tend to put yourself last. Everyone else seems to be more important. When my son was born I put myself first, for once. I set a goal for myself to lose 50 pounds. Yes, just having a baby you'd think there was more important things to worry about, but I was unhappy with myself before I got pregnant and wanted a change and it was the perfect time.

I started out slow. Having just had a baby there were limitations. I started out by walking around the block for about ten minutes or so each time. Then my walks got longer, walks turned into runs, runs turned into races. I also added circuit training videos for when my son was napping. I then added an app on my phone to help me count calories. Simple changes make the biggest impact. Of course I had to sacrifice things that I loved to eat but it was worth it.

Now my son is eight months old and I've have reached my goal of 50 pounds! I feel amazing! It wasn't so much the way I look but the way I felt. I felt...well, bad before. Now I feel I can take on the world. I have so much energy to play with my son and do things with my family. If I can give anything from this experience it is...never give up. Only you can change what brings you down in your life. My dad once said something that I keep with me daily. He said "You know, turtles are amazing creatures. To get anywhere they need to stick their neck out." Hence, my obsession with turtles now :-) I hope my story can help you in your journey. If it's not weight loss but for life in general. Never give up and make sure to make yourself important. 
 
Much love,

Melissa Strohe

Thank you so much Melissa for taking the time to share with my readers! Now the moment you all have been waiting for, Melissa's before and after pictures.....

Just. Stinkin'. Awesome!

The biggest thing that sticks out to me about what Melissa said is starting SLOW! One of my favorite quotes or sayings out there right now is, "it took time to put on the weight, it's going to take time to get it off." In Melissa's message, it's also important for YOU to WANT to make that change, it won't happen otherwise ;-)

I know speaking for myself, Melissa has given me hope that things happen in life and that great things like this take TIME and effort. I hope I'll be this girl posting before and after pictures, soon enough!

HAPPY MONDAY!! :-)

Scared

When you are a wife, mother to a toddler, run your own business, have a job as an apartment manager, volunteer as a Financial Adviser for TWO sororities and prepare for a major move across state...it is definitely a struggle to make yourself and your health a priority.

I haven't stepped on the scale in over a month, and let me tell you....I was SCARED! Scared to death is a more accurate description. I haven't been eating very well, started drinking pop again (thanks to our bosses that supply A LOT of junk during peak season when we're turning over apartments during the busiest time of year) and I stopped running altogether. I decided that I needed to face the music of my poor choices rather than continue to avoid them.

I find it quite entertaining that when I had the sudden urge to get on the scale tonight, I was holding a large glass of milk in one hand and cookies in the other! HA!!

I walked into our bathroom, turned the scale on, and took a deep breath. When I stepped forward onto the scale, I closed my eyes and held my breath.....I opened one eye to see what the "ugly" number was looking back at me and.....

I LOST .8LBS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 

 AHHHHHHHH! I screamed so loud my daughter jumped 10 feet in the air. I weight myself two more times just to make sure that I was really reading 196.8lbs!

 That makes my total loss 12lbs (down from my heaviest at 208.8lbs) on the nose but 7.8lb loss for MFP when I originally joined that site before I gained all my weight back and then some. I'm going to take this .8lb weight loss as a little gift or a "reality check" and run with it! LOL!

I plan on recommitting to my running/eating routine after we get settled from our move (I know, lame excuse, but I'm barely holding onto my sanity enough as it is with everything else that's going on and I know that running is suppose to be therapeutic, but it's more stressful to find the time to actually do it at this point). I saw this tonight on a friend's Facebook that made me laugh...

I've been really "re-inspired" this week, by my friend Susan. She just started her own journey to getting healthier for her little munchkin and watching her work towards her goal and celebrating her victories with her, makes me miss having my running routine or making better food choices and working on my journey. We've been actually talking about getting together to do some fun stuff that includes exercising with our kiddos! I know I'll get back on track when our lives have a little more stability. I canNOT wait for more stability and routine, let me tell ya! :-) I may have to adjust the end date for my goal a little...but I'm okay with that. I'm only human and life happens ;-)

Hope the rest of you that are out there trying to get healthier are doing amazing!!!

Much Love,

Caty

Vacation Jitters

I get REALLY scared when it comes to keeping on track with my eating when I'm about to go on vacation. My little brother was recently married on June 30th and I stay with my family for over a week and a half.

Time and time again, when I visit, I never fail to eat (what feels like) my body weight in food very quickly when I stay there. Even though I'm 26 years old, there's just something that happens when you stay at your parents house where you feel like a kid again and great food is in abundance ;-) Do you know what I mean? Not to mention, I usually end up eating out of boredom (not that my parents house is boring, because it's not AT ALL) when people are gone during that day and have to work during part of my visits. It gets lonely, so I eat.

I made it a goal of mine to make sure that I did NOT fall into this pattern again! And here's what happened when I put my mind to it...

HECK. FREAKIN. YES! That's right! I LOST 2.4 lbs while I was on a vacation that included a huge wedding celebration with AWESOME food and the left overs of that awesome food the next day! LOL! I'm so stinkin' excited and proud of myself for FINALLY conquering that urge to just indulge in all the food that's in front of me when I visit.

I won't lie, I was extremely surprised that the weight came off because I didn't get to run at all during my visit and then when I returned home, it's been absolutely GROSS with these high temperatures, so I have absolutely no motivation. I also can't bring myself to get up early to run because I stay up so late getting to all the stuff I avoided to do all day because it was too hot to want to do anything! YIKES! I'm convinced that the past three days I've just been sweating off the pounds.

Thanks so much for checkin in on my and reading my update! I know I've been slacking on the blogging but life is happening and it's great ;-)

Life Happens

Life has totally gotten in the way this week and I haven't been out to run since Saturday :-( I had a couple huge sewing orders for my business that I had to finish in a shorter amount of time than normal, so I had to dedicate all my time to getting them finished by today, but that meant I couldn't get a run in edge wise. I know that sounded a little bit like an excuse, but my husband can vouch for me! ;-) I have never had a problem making time for a run, but it was definitely impossible with the time crunch. But last night, I was going to get out for my jog. I was determined to fit it in....

Well, yesterday I had what, HOPEFULLY, is my last dental appointment for at least 10 more years! When I showed up to the dentist, it was my second visit in two weeks to have fillings replaced that were put in about 10 years ago. I looked at the dentist and said, "I don't want to come back for ANOTHER visit, so just do what you gotta do to have me done TODAY please." It was only hours later that I would totally regret that request. It felt like someone took a baseball bat to my head. Not to mention that shortly after my appointment was over, I was SO numb, I couldn't feel the entire bottom half of my jaw because for some reason my face didn't want to get numb with the first round of Novocaine, so they had to give me a second round. I couldn't form words when I talked and I couldn't stop laughing because of how I sounded.

{source}

I wish I'd looked this good with the way my face hurt, but I definitely didn't! LOL!

As you can probably guess, I did NOT get to run like I wanted yesterday no matter how determined I was to do it. With every step I made, my head THROBBED :-( And on top of that, I pretty much blew my calorie intake out of the water! :-( I felt pretty guilty already for missing my run, but then to consume so much food....I was feeling pretty low.

BUT, it was just one day. I hadn't planned on making it a daily happen and I felt like it wasn't even a moment of weakness. For some reason, my body just wasn't satisfied. My stomach kept growling like CRAZY! Sometimes to the point of hurting if I didn't eat. I made good choices throughout the entire day, but the saying is true, that you can have too much of a good thing sometimes ;-)

If you have a "bad" day like mine, it's okay, you're allowed to beat yourself up a little but don't DWELL on that fact that it was a bad day (which was tough for me to not to but I got through it). It matters what you do to pick yourself back up after the bad stuff happens. What will I be doing?? As soon as I publish this post, I'm headed out for a run ;-) Damn you "Runner's High", you're addicting!!

To end this post on a good note, aside from my struggles yesterday, this has been a great week for me. I jogged three straight miles for the first time in my life doing interval training, I hit 30 days in a row for logging onto My Fitness Pal (this is the most in a row I've ever logged in before and I plan to crush this number haha) and my weigh in was Monday...I LOST 3lbs!!! WOO HOO! :-) 

HAPPY HUMP DAY! :-)

Bye Bye Couch to 5K

Just to get this out there right away, I'm NOT giving up running! LOL! I don't plan to anytime soon :-)

I've come to discover that the Couch to 5K (C25K) program just isn't for me. This week was super tough and I refused to give up so I did more research on other plans/programs out there. I'm also a part of a running group that meets every Saturday and has all different skill levels of participants that range from walkers all the way up to marathon runners.

Yesterday I asked the group for some help and a member suggested this 10K Program to me. You're thinking, "is she nuts, going from a 5K to a 10K training program?!" I thought it was a little crazy as well, but I didn't want to knock it before I tried it. So, today when I went on the group run for the first time, one of the running group gals, Diane, helped me through it and most of the ladies in the group (if not all) love this method or some version of it. Basically, that all around thing that most love is the short jogs paired with short walks. Here's the program so you can take a peek for yourself...

10K Training Program

Today, Diane and I did a slight variation. Since I felt 1 minute jogs weren't pushing me enough, we did 1.5 minute jogs with 1 minutes rests instead! We did this for 3 miles! I had to walk the last half mile because my left groin muscle started to act up and I didn't want to create a bigger problem by pushing through the pain of it. Either way, that's the most jogging I've ever done at one time. Not once did it feel tough or make me want to stop, like the C25K program did.

On a random note, I weighed myself this morning (I know, I cheated since weigh in isn't until Monday) and I was another 2lbs down!!! I know I can't take that to the bank until my weigh in Monday, but still amazing to see! :-)

Much Love!

Small Victories

Sorry for those of you that have already seen this on my personal blog, just felt that it was more at home here on this blog :-) 

Restarting my fitness journey has seriously never given me so much clarity! I know that sounds corny but to be honest, I'm almost really happy about the fact that I had to start over with my {One Year, 52lbs} goal because I have such a different mind set about everything involving health and weight loss compared to the first time I started back in July 2011. 

It all started when I saw this quote last month, that I shared in another recent blog post...

There was just something about this quote that "lit a fire" in me. It was almost of feeling of anger, because I was SO disappointed in myself for having to start over after working extremely hard to get where I had been. When I started my original goal of losing 52lbs in one year, I was down 18lbs by Halloween and once the force of holidays hit, I lost my focus, and discovered that I gained all that weight back when I weighed myself again on May 21st of this year. But what has turned into anger, has turned into drive, motivation, and commitment.

I wasn't sure HOW to start over...so I took a step by setting a goal to do the {No Junk Food Challenge & From Couch to 5K} Training Program on June 2nd. I've had absolutely NO cravings for any of the junk foods listed (which is amazing in itself because I had a nightly ritual of eating chocolate after dinner) and today I'm on Week 2 Day 5 of my C25K program.

When I started the C25K program on June 2nd, the very first day of the program you have to do a 5 minute walk, 2 minute jog, 5 minute walk. If it wasn't for softball, basketball or warming up for weight lifting back in high school, I never ever ran a day in my life. Period. I honestly used the word "hate" whenever people talked about having me go running with them. I was one of those people that just never did it for exercise because I disliked it so much. I hated the way I felt during running and how I felt after I had ran. My lungs would hurt, my shins would hurt, everything felt like it hurt. So, I started doing some research. My dear friend Kat, that you all have heard me talk quite a bit about (because I just love her that much!), pointed me in the direction of a looking at videos about correct running form so your body doesn't end up hurting like mine was.  I quickly discovered that I had the WORST running form, which caused my shins to constantly hurt. Here's one of the videos I came across if you want to take a peek :-)

Here's the link to the video on YouTube, for some reason blogger is acting up and won't let me embed it :-(

Run Right with Newton Running

When I headed out for my first run, I was crazy nervous but kept a positive attitude. The 2 minute jog was tough but I got through it surprisingly well, even if I was breathing like I was dying when it was over! HAHA! But, I survived! WOO HOO!

On Monday (Week 2 day 3) for my C25K run, I had to do a 5 minute walk, 4 minute jog, 5 minute walk. I was a little nervous again because when I had to do a 3 minute jog just a couple days before, it was tough, but I think the cold weather played into why it was so tough too. Derek and Miss K went with me to help me out/be my cheerleaders. When I started the jogging portion, before I knew it, Derek was saying "you're over half way done with your jog". I found myself smiling from ear to ear and kept smiling until I was done. Not only was that the EASIEST two minutes of jogging I had EVER done, the entire 4 minutes was cake! I was ELATED, to say the least. That was my small victory moment - realizing how far I'd actually come in just two short weeks - a two minute jog that I struggled with...was - - EASY! :-) What was even more fun was that the next day, I came across this...

Great timing for this, huh?! :-)

I just can't help but continue to celebrate because for someone like me that never would have run for exercise, I'm absolutely loving the rush I get from it. I know, who am I, right?!

So, after all this writing, what I'm trying to say to all of you is CELEBRATE THE SMALL VICTORIES! Please! You'll do yourself so much more good if you do. I've seen too many people (me being one of them in the past) have unrealistic expectations, set insane goals for themselves or expect immediate results and when they don't see anything happening fast enough, they get discouraged, quit or resort to crash diets, etc. If you want results, it takes TIME.

If you want to do it right, DO THE RESEARCH. If you're not sure about something, ASK! :-) If you traveled a mile, walking, jogging or running, celebrate! Don't be mad because it was easier for someone else or because some do it faster or travel farther than you. If you lost one pound, celebrate! Don't be made because it was "just one pound".

If you need help, ASK! Asking for help was the hardest part for me. I felt that I had some obligation to know more than I actually did before asking someone for help. Thankfully, someone from my hometown has made fitness his career and he has been so helpful...Tim with Tim Arndt Fitness.

I started out by signing up for his free newsletter where he gives free tips and advice to anyone who will read. I've learned so much just from those newsletters, but I wanted to get my hands on all the information I could, so I finally got the nerve to contact him through his Facebook page and asked him some questions and asked for recommendations for a nutritionist in our area. I felt bad about reaching out to him at first because I couldn't afford to hire him as a trainer so I didn't want him thinking that I was just trying to get what I could for free. I know that sounds awful but that's how I felt and that's why I was scared to ask for his help. With Tim, it was the exact OPPOSITE! He was SO willing to help, that his willingness to share his knowledge of fitness, blew me away. Shame on me for even thinking he would look at me as one of "those people" who abuse a good thing ;-) haha! What started out as just a recommendation from him has turned into something awesome. I mentioned to Tim that once I'm at a comfortable place with running, I'd love to get back into lifting weights again, but wasn't sure how to go about this since I don't want to be "just a runner" or "just a lifter" and he recommended this book to me..

Purchase Book HERE

I haven't found a negative review on this book YET! Check out the reviews for yourself but what I love about this book is that the author addresses questions that people ask and he backs up the answers with credible research. This book is amazing for people like me, that didn't know where to start, didn't know much about running to do or how to incorporate both cardio and weights in my life. It breaks down the questions to where they're an easy read AND it's also a great book for athletes who are more advanced with the exercise routines. The other big thing I like about this book is that you don't have to read it from cover to get the information you want. Find the question that you want answered, skip to that page and get it! :-) I was finding the answers I needed within 5 minutes of picking it up! I can only sit here and tell you so much about how awesome this book is, but you need to get it and see for yourself :-)

We all have to start somewhere, so for those of you too scared to go to the gym because you don't look like the rest of the fit people working out in there...they had to start somewhere, now it's up to you to take that step and go for it! If you feel like that by stepping in that public facility, that you'll be judged...bottom line: who cares! haha! It only matters what you think :-) Show those people that when you walk through the door, you're there to do WORK! And let me be the one to tell you, most people will admire you more for getting yourself in there to be a better version of yourself. Do it for YOU, not for everyone else :-) Just start somewhere.

If you were interested in subscribing to Tim's newsletter, go HERE. Just scroll down to the bottom of the home page and you'll see where to enter in your email address and info :-) Let me know if you do subscribe to his newsletter, would love to have new people to talk about it with! :-)

*I was in no way paid or compensated for sharing any sites or products in this post. All of the above is my own opinion and shared on my own terms*

WELCOME!

Hey All!

I want to thank you so much for taking the time to check out my blog! I've committed to making a change in my life, that change is to get fit and be the best possible version of myself. I want to share my journey with all of you because I want to help inspire people to also want to be the best possibly version of themselves! :-)

I will be sharing every little part of my journey from my own progress, to fun stuff I find and more!

Take some time to check out all the different pages I offer that are listed above.