Back on Track

So, I've been MIA for a bit. We went on vacation and it has been a rough go ever since. I didn't gain any weight, just a few pounds of water weight that came right off. But, I also haven't exercised. I NEED to get back into it. So, I took the plunge and joined DietBet: https://www.dietbet.com/games/15609 That's the game that I'm doing. I'm nervous. 6.5 pounds in 28 days is a lot for me. I'm also restarting INSANITY. It's where I've had the most progress.

Before & after my first round of Insanity.... 

And my before picture now... 

I just need to keep myself motivated... and eat clean. I know that I can do it if I put my mind to it. I'm tired of being fat, and I'm finally gaining some much needed self confidence. I just need to stop sabotaging myself! 

Starting weight on my dietbet: 163.
Thankfully, I'm positive that my Beachbody community will help me through all this... and they also helped me get that awesome new tank I'm wearing in today's picture.

Pseudo-progress

So, I feel like I've had progress in some areas and weaknesses in others. I signed up for a 5k! I KNOW that I can beat my time from last time if I just get my head out of the clouds and focus on my breathing. I know that my body is capable of it. It's what, a half hour? That's only half of the craziness that Shaun T put me through and I made it through Insanity!

My eating has been out of control lately. I need to stage an intervention on myself. I don't even like sweets and it seems that all my body wants is chocolate, chocolate and chocolate. So, I need to revamp something. Eat more fruit, drink more water, drink my Shakeology later in the day. I don't know, something.

My friend found a recipe for making her own laundry detergent. She gave me some to try. If that works, then it is one step closer to self-sufficiency. Call me crazy, but if you can make something cheaply at your house that is just as, if not more, effective- why wouldn't you? Pretty sure I'm becoming a hippie.

That is all. I'm pooped out from the day.

30.

I cannot believe that in just a few months I am going to be THIRTY. Thirty! God, that was always so old to me! By thirty, I wanted to be married, with two kids... Have a house, travel the world and be a psychologist. While I've reached the majority of my goals (Let's face it, I will never get my PhD and I'm ok with one kid for the moment.) I feel like there is so much more to obtain. I want to go into thirty feeling accomplished. I have always wanted to be an athlete. I've strived for it and I feel like deep down in there an athlete is finally surfacing. Here are my goals to reach by August so I can go into this new chapter a happier me.

1) No longer be obese. This is a HUGE (no pun intended) goal. In order for that to happen, I need to lose about 20 pounds in 4 1/2 months.

2) Run a 5k and beat my last time. Shouldn't be hard to beat considering I "ran" in 45 minutes the last one!!

3) Be more self-sufficient. This includes growing our own food, canning, freezing and making our own cleaning supplies. Pinterest has been great with this! (Fond me! My username is: nalie31 / Natalie Robinson)

These are the major ones. I don't want to make too many that they are not obtainable. So, here's to thirty...

Routine, routine, routine

That's the name of my game. Literally, Monday through Friday goes like this:

6-630am: wake up, shower, dress
6:30-8:15: get daughter ready for day, husband up, breakfast, lunch made & leave for work. Squeeze some play time in there somewhere!!
8:15-5:30pm: drive to/from work & work
5:30-8:30pm: play, dinner, play, clean up, bath time, snuggle then daughter to bed.
8:30-11pm or so: work out, shower, chores, decompress, bed.

Because my days are so rigid sometimes the evening Mommy time turns into a lazy blob on the couch. Then, it's 10pm and it's a huge dash to get everything done before it's too too late. (Ahem, tonight.)

I know an adequate amount of sleep is also essential to weight loss. Why can't there be like eight more hours in a day??

Note to self.

Sometimes you get some rough news that would normally spend any sort or progress you are making into a tailspin. That's my normal reaction to things. Going good, going good then BAM, something crappy happens and I want some ice cream and some trashy TV. Well, NO MORE. This is a destructive behavior that needs to change... and now.

Just because something does not go exactly as planned, does not negate all of the progress that you have made. It is beyond easy to focus on the negative, but what good does that do? Just bring yourself, and everyone around you, down. 

Instead, let's try something new... together. 

Take the rough times in stride. Keep your head high. Do the best you can with what you have to work with and live each day to the best of your ability. Focus on the happiness of yourself and those closest to you. 

It won't be easy. We will slide into old habits... but we will try, and try and try. 

And be better people because of it.

Because life is too short to not enjoy it.

Review: Healthy Living Market & Cafe

www.healthylivingmarket.com

So, in perfect timing - just as I was complaining that Trader Joe's was not very close to us, I get a pleasant surprise this past Thursday. An organic grocery store opened in Saratoga Springs, and Thursday was the opening day! I went to check it out during my lunch hour, so I had a quick browse and grabbed an awesome lunch.

First, it is huge. It is so much bigger than Trader Joe's (or at least the one in Albany.) There were several aisles of groceries, fresh food, meat, seafood, bathroom supplies, vitamins, soap/perfume/skin care. Can we all take a moment and experience the excitement that I felt?! I was in heaven.

When you walk into the building this is the first site... and I was in awe...

This is literally rows of organic flour, polenta, grains, lentils, rice, etc. I literally just stood there and went "whoa" for a moment. Behind me were rows just as big of organic coffee beans and to the right is a table of spices, where you take what you would like out of containers.

Their fruit looked gorgeous - so fresh. Their prices were not very impressive, but really, I would not expect them to be cheap. It is hard to judge because it was their grand opening. I will definitely be making regular stops here to see what they have going on. We are actually going back tomorrow just to spend some more time there.

For lunch, I had a wrap made from spinach and filled with fresh mozzarella, portobella mushrooms, pesto and balsamic vinaigrette. It was delicious. I also bought chips made from Hummus, that were pretty awesome. Their salad bar looked good and fresh, also - but I did not get anything from there.

It is convenient that it is located in the mall,because there are really zero options until now of eating healthy at the mall. The prices for lunch were definitely reasonable.

They also offer cooking classes and learning opportunities that I will be looking at taking advantage of. I am so excited that they opened in Saratoga!

Welcome

Welcome to the never ending journey of improving yourself. Here, we explore ways to make our mind, body and soul healthy. It is a continous journey that only you can control. We will do this together.

I decided to finally commit to changing my lifestyle for a New Year's resolution. I've always wanted to do this and I spent well over 2 years doing all the reseach. I had the information and knowledge, but not the drive and motivation. Well, after having my daughter, I wanted to ensure I did everything possible to be here in this world as long as I can for her and my husband.

I became an Independent Team Beachbody Coach to inspire others and pay it forward. Without finding the support that came through their company, I would probably still be on the couch spinning my wheels. Instead, I've completed Shaun T's Insanity program - something I only used to watch Infomercials for and say "yeah right!" Through that process, I lost 22 inches throughout my body. Now, I've begun Les Mills Combat and have also been running on my day off.

I've also been exploring clean eating and cooking healthier. I will be posting recipes that I find and create for you all to share. My hopes and dreams is that this blog becomes a community of like-minded individuals that all wish to better themselves in some form of way. Whether you take the Beachbody Challenge or simply want the encouragement to just put down the ice cream - I'm here.

Let's do this together.

As crazy as it is to look at these pictures side-by-side - I immediately see everything wrong with picture #2. Hence the name of this site - it's a journey, not a destination. And never stop trying to better yourself - it really is the only way to live.

 

Until next time...

October 2012

March 2013

\\\