Life's Whirlwind Adventures

So I haven't really gotten back into my blogging but I am working on it so here is my update, on my 12 week challenge a 1/4 of the way through. I had a rough start, I caught some nasty flu the first week so I couldn't do many workouts and eating, well that was pretty much out of the question for a whole week. I did get two workouts in and I lost quite a few pounds I just wasn't really sure it would stay off since it came from being sick. The second week was better but I was still dealing with illness and my lower back has been killing me for four weeks.  I had trouble bending or putting my legs straight so I had to modify most exercises but I made it to the gym three days and I was starting to feel stronger and better. The third week went amazing, I still feel incredibly busy, but we are making it work so I am positive it's developing into a routine. I made it to the gym 4 times this past week and meals have been going great. Even with Thanksgiving happening I do ...

The last time I was on a challenge like this, the meal plans were provided but I struggled with making substitutions because I didn't know what could work for a substitution and some of the meal suggestions were yucky, well not yucky but not to my taste. This time around we are working with macros, so we can eat the foods we like and build our meal plan that way, but we have to track our macros. Not our calories, but our macros.  So this is a new thing for me, but I was able to go out and shop and now I have meal prepped for the week.  I have a plan for suppers, I have my lunches, breakfasts and snacks packed and my SIX cups of free Veggies.  SIX CUPS!! I like veggies, but I like veggies and dip and dip is not on the menu! I guess it could be if I watch the sugar content and let it count as a carbohydrate or fat whichever is higher on the nutrition label.... but that seems like a lot of work for so little reward.  I've figured out my macros for the day will inc...

I'm actually going to write about this blog before I update all my summer blogs, I just feel like for my success I need to be writing my blog entries on this challenge in a timely manner as it will increase my accountability, and it will hopefully get me back into the habit of writing. So after leaving you all in the dark, unless you follow me on other social media platforms, of what happened this summer here's a look at what I am going to be doing for the next 12 weeks. My very good friend Tamara joined Fit Body Boot Camp around 8 months ago, and she's had amazing results, her husband got on board as well and has seen a huge change, he doesn't work out at the gym but does his own workouts at home.  Men don't seem to have the same problems with losing weight that women experience, biology sometimes does not work in our favour ladies. I considered joining a couple times, but the only time I have been successful, like really successful at losing weight I had don...

I started my 30 days again.  But this time I was really following the meal plans so that I could track how effective this plan was for me. My starting weight was 205 pounds, I had gone up a few pounds, but I was ok with that.  Fluctuation isn't the worst and all things considered my clothes were still fitting very well.  I was also a total of 344.25 inches which is still lower than they had ever been so you know I believe the scale lies and also I was heading into my monthly cycle. I had a couple Instagram posts showing my packing of my foods so that I had an easy week, it was a lot of prep work but really it wasn't that much and made my mornings getting to school so much faster so worth it.  My mornings are a blur, getting up working out, doing my hair, make up getting lunches packed for the kids and getting the kids ready to leave the house.  It is go go go here, so anything to make it easier I will take it. My first week was amazing, everything was going...

There are so many diets out there, like as many diets as there are people I would almost hazard to guess.  So how do you know which one you should follow?  How do you decide? I am not here to tell you what you should do and that this diet is better than another diet.  I am only going to explain why I chose a macronutrient diet and where you can find more information if you'd like. Now I have tried many diets, low calorie, portion control from Dr Phil (this was very successful for me ten years ago), paleo (that didn't last long at all in my house), South Beach, Atkins (not really I love Carbs), and most recently I've been doing the clean eating with Arbonne ( and this one fits nicely with macronutrients).  All had some degrees of success but none were long term options.  None really taught me how to make the changes with food that I needed to make.  And it was my relationship with food, my boredom snacking activities that I had to change. So I worked o...

Yes I just made my weight loss journey a comparison to breaking down a mountain because somedays it feels like I am trying to move a mountain in doing this and seeing very little results. I am so result driven that I have to remind myself (often) that this is a journey, it won't happen over night.  It's part of my logic also to only weighing and measuring myself every two weeks.  It can be very discouraging if I were to do those every week and so very little results. For the past two weeks I have been working the big muscle groups Abs and legs with some arm work.  I was doing so well then I pulled a muscle in my back and had to slow down.  Let's look back at where I was in the beginning. Total Inches 388.25 Total pounds 220. Bicep curls 10lbs 1 set of 15 reps after two weeks 10lbs 3 sets of 15 reps Tricep Extensions 5 lbs 1 set of 15 reps after two weeks   10 lbs 3 sets of 15 Shoulder raises 5 lbs 1 set of 15 reps after two weeks   10 lbs...

So I may have over done it yesterday.... I was so sore today and I am sure it will be worse tomorrow, but I made it through the day. And I kept trying to talk myself out of everything.... no run at lunch legs too sore... no walk after school have to get ready for swimming.... oh I already climbed into bed so no yoga tonight..... But then this other voice came into play, it was small but it was ferocious!!! "Get your butt out of bed, put on some workout clothes and just do Day three of yoga!!" The louder, excuse making voice kept making it's excuses, but the small voice it got louder and louder and finally I got out bed put on the yoga routine and just did it. It was very Horton Hears a Who-esque.... but you know what?? I feel so much better now that I did that workout, not more energetic but more relaxed, more centred. I love how I feel after yoga, like I've just had the most extensive workout but the most wonderful release of all those negative things. That...

It's going to take some work, but I think I can, I know I can do this!! I woke up today and I meditated, I woke up today meditated and did YOGA!!! Whooohooo!!!! I am really loving Yoga with Adrienne  its a nice relaxing way to start my yoga practice and get my butt in gear. I then worked all day but knew I had a soccer game I had to go to that evening.  It was up on the North end of town and really not too far from my house so I decided to be extra healthy and bike there. Now I used to love biking, I would bike everywhere as a kid.  It was great! And then I had kids and I am terrified of biking with a baby seat on the back and I've never had a bike trailer so for many years we did not bike.  About four years ago my husband bought me a bike for Mother's day, it's a fun cruiser bike and I love it!! I rode it all of four times, and I have not ridden in almost 3 years. Things you forget when you haven't ridden a bike in FOREVER...... those muscles in the insid...