April Goals & 4 Weeks Fit Challenge Results

I swear just yesterday it was March 2nd and now here we are saying goodbye to March and hello to April.

I set goals at the beginning of the month, one I can proudly check off and some I didn't do so well with. I'm excited to take a look at how I did and set some new goals for next month.

1. No soda at work & 64oz of water. I had a slow start but I think I KILLED this goal considering March 9th was the last day I had a Mountain Dew. I have only had diet soda when eating out and that was only twice this month. I have had 76-100oz of water a day every day! Yes, weekends included. I can't tell you how happy crushing this goal makes me!

2. Hit the gym 2x/week. I've kept up with my Monday night Body Pump class but I have been skipping the gym outside of that. No reason other than laziness. It is so much easier to come home and be a couch potato. Definitely something I need to focus my energy on changing now that I've mastered the no soda/drinking water thing.

3. Meal plan and prep Monday nights. Meh. Meal planning and prepping is tough when you feel like you have no idea what you're doing. I think this is something I would learn better by actually being with someone while they do their meal planning and prep. I struggle with knowing how much to buy and make because sometimes I easily get sick of eating the same thing repeatedly in one week and other times I'm all for it. Again, this is something I need to focus my energy on changing. More effort into trying rather than throwing my hands up and saying I don't know.

4. Blog 2x/week. Um yeah about that... Again I'm lazy and even though I can easily blog while being a couch potato I just didn't put the effort in to get this done. I thought a lot about blogging this month but I didn't actually execute.

1. Hit the gym 2x/week. I will not stop making this a goal until I meet it!

2. Reach my step goal 2 days/week. Lately I have been lucky if I meet my 5,000 steps/day goal just one day a week. This month I want to really work on moving more. If I go to the gym twice a week outside of Body Pump I will have little trouble with this goal.

3. Meal plan & prep. Failure to plan is planning to fail. So true! My diet is so much better if I have a plan. Not just once a week either. Knowing what I will be eating for breakfast before my head hits the pillow greatly increases my chances of eating breakfast.  And packing my lunch before going to bed is a huge help in ensuring that I take a lunch with me to work. Otherwise it is highly probable that I will run out the door without anything to eat. Not the smartest idea for anyone.

4. Be up and out of bed by 6am 3x/week. Bringing this goal back from February because I need to work on my morning routine in the worst way. More often than not I'm staying in bed way too long and then am forced to rush to get myself ready and out the door. And as I mentioned above, it's highly probable that I will run out the door without anything to eat. I also want to work on putting myself together better for work. I've been skimping on the makeup and hair routine to save time. Not that I think I have to wear makeup and have my hair perfect every day but it's nice to feel like I'm rocking it.

Come back tomorrow to see how I'm doing in the weight loss department. I'm super excited to share how I've been doing. (Hint: it's been going so well!)

I Confess...

It's Wednesday which means we're half way through the work week. Can I get a heck yeah?!

Wednesday also means hump day confessions with Melissa. So here we go, I confess...

...that I am addicted to cappuccino.  Until recently it was french vanilla but now I'm all about the English toffee. And yesterday morning I saw a vanilla bean flavor that I will have to try soon.

...that I am easily hooked on commercials. The Sprint commercial with the narwhals? Yeah, I sing that over and over. And some oldies but goodies, the Geico commercial where the pig pays his bill and then goes back to vacation mode and sings boots n pants and we can't forget the AT&T commercials with the kids sitting at a table with that one guy. My favorite was the island made out of candy and the little boy that asked, "What about the animals? What would they be made of?" I randomly bust out with commercial quotes. Drives my mom up the wall!

...(speaking of my mom) to being extremely jealous of her vacation. She's on her way to Myrtle Beach with a friend to visit another friend. The weather is actually shaping up here in Wisconsin so it's not the nice weather I'm so jealous of but what she gets to do while she's there. Drinking at beach bars when I'm at work and seeing pit crew practice at Stewart Haas. (Yes, I'm a NASCAR fan. :) )

...that I am LOVING the spring like temperatures we've been experiencing lately. It is so so nice to not need a jacket or the heated seats and to be able to open the sunroof in my car and windows in my apartment.

...I wrote this post on a post-it note at work yesterday.

...that I had a rough first week of March as far as my goals for the month go. Up until yesterday I was back on the Dew all day every day.  I skipped the gym last week outside of Body Pump Monday night. Once a week I'm "treating" myself to Chinese takeout when it should be more like a once a month treat. Meal planning was poor horrible which made my grocery shopping trip terrible and then my meal prep non-existent. And I only blogged once. But it's a new week so I'm working on turning things around.

...I've been skipping the scale and posting on Weigh In Wednesday because I feel like I'm repeating myself because I keep losing and gaining the same few pounds over and over again. I have thought about weighing myself less, like only once every two weeks or once a month, but I'm not sure if that would be a good idea for me. Sometimes I let the scale get me down, like today, and I know that's not a good thing. But I also think the accountability of having to step on the scale every Wednesday could help me make better choices. What are your thoughts on weighing in? And here's to turning things around going forward.

SW: 222

Feb. 4: 219.8

Today: 224.4

Change; +4.6
Overall Loss: +2.4

March Goals

Is it really March already??  I know that February is a short month but it seems like those 28 days just flew by.  Please tell me I am not alone in that feeling!

But with the start of a new month comes a time to reflect and set some new goals.  I surprised myself a little bit with how I ended up doing with my February goals.

1. No soda at work & 64oz of water.  I didn't do well with this goal.  Whether I succeed or fail at this goal is all about willpower because I can drink 76-80oz of water no problem these days if I skip the soda.  I would definitely say I had soda at work more often than not and as a result I definitely did not have 64oz of water a day.
2. Body Pump every week.  Done!  I went to my usual Monday night class three times and tried a 5:30p Wednesday class.  I did not try the 4:30p Wednesday class, or try two classes in one week but those were bonus points had I done them so not required to earn a check for this goal.  It feels so good to be able to check this goal off of the list!
3. Hit the gym 2x/week.  I only accomplished this one week.  The rest of the month I was just lazy and only went once.  Here again it is all about willpower to overcome the urge to sit around and be lazy.
4. Be up and out of bed by 6am at least 3x/week.  I didn't do a good job of tracking whether I accomplished this goal every week or not so I'll give it a half check.  I know I was better at this earlier in the month than I was the last week or so.
5. Take makeup off before bed every night.  Here again I didn't do a good job of tracking whether this was accomplished but if memory serves me right I did a pretty good job of this. I may have skipped a night here and there but they were pretty few and far between.

It felt good knowing I had goals for the month.  I wasn't just blindly going at making this lifestyle change with no structure.  Now my goals for March I've decided that some will stay the some and some will be swapped out.  Can't have things getting boring now can we?

1. No soda at work & 64oz of water.  I know that I can check this one off the list this month.
2. Hit the gym 2x/week.  Another goal I didn't check of last month that I just know I can if I buckle down and actually try.
3. Meal plan and prep Monday nights.  I have a good hour at home after work before I have to leave for Body Pump.  Rather than spending it watching Dr. Phil I can decide what I will eat for the week and make a grocery list.  And it has sort of become some what normal for me to make a stop some where after Body Pump on Monday nights so making a stop at the grocery store a regular weekly thing won't be hard at all.  This month I really just want to work on actually buying food to eat for the week. Recently I have been living off of frozen waffles and other items that I can hang onto for a long time.  But I am tired of seeing all of the amazing food pics on Instagram and blogs while missing out on the fun.  Plus real food tastes so much better.
4. Blog 2x/week. I started strong in February that first week but then I obviously quickly fizzled out.  Blogging is a hobby that I enjoy but not one that I take a lot of time for.  Here's to changing that this month.

While I was catching up with my blog reading over the weekend I came across the perfect linkup hosted by Erin from Love, Fun and Football and Kristin from Mama and Mou.  It is a #4WeeksFit challenge that couldn't fit more perfectly into what I am trying to accomplish with my monthly goal setting.  I am looking forward to seeing what everyone else is going to be working hard to accomplish during the month of March.

Do you set new goals every month or do you repeat some from the month before?

Weigh In Wednesday: February 4

Well it's been a hot minute since I have posted a Weigh In Wednesday post but don't worry I'm back! Must be that new "ready" feeling I have to accomplish my goals that I mentioned yesterday.

To catch you up here's how my last couple of weigh ins have gone.

Dec. 10: 215.6

Jan 14: 222 (+6.4)

Jan 21: 217.4 (-4.6)

Jan 28: 218.2 (+0.8)

Up and down as usual it seems. But overall January wasn't a bad month for me besides seeing that two twenty something number up there. Just goes to show that little changes can go along way and add up to something bigger.

Now for today's weigh in...drum roll please!

Height: 5'7.5''

SW: 222

Jan 28: 218.2

Today: 219.8

Change: +1.6

Overall Loss:

May the scale be ever in your favor. :)

February Goals

I've found that part of being successful at just about anything in life includes making goals for yourself. My last post was all about how 2015 is going to be the year of me and I made some goals for the year. The trouble with that is they're all long term goals. In order to make those goals seem less daunting I need to break them down into smaller goals so I've decided I will make monthly goals.

1. No soda at work & 64oz of water. A coworker and I have been encouraging each other to drink more water and to skip the daily soda. I did really well for four days and then came back to work the next week and only made it two days before we ordered pizza and we caved to having a soda and it was all down hill from there for me. Starting today I'll be back to drinking water like it's my job.
2. Body Pump every week. Last night was my first time back at Body Pump in two weeks. And it was tough! Wishing I hadn't taken those two weeks off now. I have no excuse to skip Body Pump this month since they have now added a 4:30pm class on Wednesdays that works perfectly with my schedule and will give me less time to talk myself out of going by myself. (Mondays I meet my mom at the class.) I may even try going twice one week just to see how it goes. Who knows, it could become part of my routine!
3. Hit the gym 2x/week. Last week I signed up for a 6 month fitness membership where I've been taking Body Pump classes. I realized that if I continued to wait for perfect sidewalk conditions during these winter months I was never going to get out there. Now I can walk, run, bike, or jump on the elliptical during the rest of the week which has previously been all about me being a bum watching Netflix.
4. Be up and out of bed by 6am at least 3x/week. This one is pretty self explanatory, I'm spending too much time hitting the snooze button in the morning. Being out of bed by 6am will help me feel less rushed and stressed in the morning, allow me time to make breakfast and pack a lunch, and take a second to care about my appearance for once.
5. Take makeup off before bed every night. Another self explanatory goal here. Makeup removing cloths make doing this a breeze. Now it's time to be disciplined about doing it.

I'm not sure why but this year feels different than years past. I feel ready to tackle these goals and do what it takes to reach them. I'm looking forward to the challenge I've set for myself with these goals for the month and am feeling confident that they will be reached.

Do you set monthly goals to help breakdown your long term goals?

The Year of Me

In case you missed it, it's 2015.  New year = fresh start! I'm taking full advantage of this fresh start too!

I'm declaring 2015 the year of me.  All of these goals/resolutions (whatever you want to call them) are going to better me.  They are for me. They are what I want.

First up, leave the past in the past. After some self reflecting I realized that I reference the past a lot, and not in a good way. I think about my failed past attempts at losing weight, eating right, and getting fit, etc. and I dwell on the fact that I failed or I let the fact that I failed before negatively affect my mindset for the current goal that I am trying to accomplish. As of this moment right now, no more! I am going to focus more on the right now and what I can be doing to further myself in my goals. Some reflection on the past is good and a learning opportunity though so I am totally on board with that.

Drink more water! At least 64oz a day will suit me just fine. I've been using Crystal Light to flavor my water lately because it makes it just a little more enjoyable to drink water all day.

Eat better. I'm not going to choose a diet to try or start things off with a detox. I'm just going to take baby steps and make healthier choices. I am going to try to stick to the outer edge of the store and only say no to the junk once by not bringing it into my home. Part of eating better is planning. When I don't have a plan I eat a lot of junk. I'll track what I'm eating using My Fitness Pal just to keep things in check.

Move more. I've been going to Body Pump once a week and I'm really starting to enjoy it and am trying to increase my weight on some tracks. But Body Pump once a week is not enough. I am going to join a gym so I can get back to running and doing more activity. I'm thinking just a 6 month membership since I really only need to get through the winter months before I can take my running outdoors again.

Being an adult is expensive so this year I want to do a better job at spending mindfully. Paying for insurance (of all kinds) isn't cheap and I've only added more deductions to my paycheck for 2015 so I need to be a bit more mindful of where I'm spending my money and on what (needs vs. wants). I want to do a better job at budgeting and tracking my spending this year as well.

This year I will turn 25 and I think it is high time that I establish a skin care routine. (And stick to it!) In my 24 years so far I've established some pretty bad habits regarding skin care. I go to bed without taking my makeup off and I wash my face regularly only every now and again. I'm horrible at remembering to apply lotion to my body. My poor feet take a beating and the only time they see any care is when I get a pedicure. This is the year to change it all though!

And finally, be clutter free. I want to take the time to find a place for things in my apartment rather than leaving them out in the open on some surface that isn't "in my way." I also want to organize my bathroom shelves and put clothes away after they're clean and dry. I have a wonderful personalized planner from May Designs that I want to use along with my cell phone calendar to keep track of appointments, birthdays, and maybe even blog posts!

If you missed the lose 50 pounds by December 31st goal that's because I didn't make it. While I would love to reach my goal weight by the end of the year I've decided to take it in another direction.  It seems like I'm not the only one that has decided to take the focus away from the scale in 2015 as I've read some other blog posts recently that have avoided the lose x amount of pounds by x date goal. If I focus on eating better, moving more, and drinking at least 64oz of water a day the weight loss will follow.

I have a good amount of weight I would like to lose and focusing on that number is overwhelming and discouraging sometimes. Taking the focus away from that number and putting it on the steps that need to be taken to achieve results should be more beneficial to me.

My fresh start begins now. I'm feeling motivated and hope to finally find the elusive determination when that motivation fades. I'm ready! 2015 is going to be my year.

Christmas Traditions

As if you didn't already know, Christmas time is here!  Like really, really here considering it's just two short days away.  And being that it's so close it has me thinking about my family traditions.

Growing up lunch on Christmas Eve was always at my great grandma's (my grandpa's mother) with my mom's family including my grandpa's brother's family.  But as my great grandma got older that tradition faded out. It just became too much for her to cook a big meal for every one.

These days Christmas Eve is rotated between my parents', my aunt Pam's, and my aunt and uncle Maureen and Scott's.  This year we're at Scott and Maureen's.  We've also changed things up a bit and only do snack type foods instead of a full sit down meal.  This year I'm in charge of bringing the crab!  I always look forward to Maureen's mushrooms.  (I wish I had a name for them!)  Of course presents are exchanged.  And once all the gifts have been opened we get comfy and watch a movie together.  A few years ago we watched Bridesmaids.  I'm sure you know how funny the movie is but I think the funniest part was watching my great grandma (my grandma's mother) not quite understand what was going on (she can't hear well) when the girl in the wedding dress sits down in the street.  We all tried so hard to not laugh and we came up with something to tell her... I think.

Christmas Day we all gather again, this time at my grandparent's for lunch.  We fill our tummies with ham, mashed potatoes, corn/broccoli, and of course dinner rolls.  With full bellies we get comfy once again to watch another movie together and just hang out.

I'm sure you're all wondering what my immediate family does for Christmas traditions.  To be honest, it's changed over the years and hasn't always been staying the same.  Growing up we always got a real tree but the last few years my mom has adopted a little three foot fake tree.  The little guy just fits better into our living room and doesn't require solving a puzzle to find where furniture can be moved to in order to fit a full size real tree.

We used to always open presents Christmas morning and sometimes we still do.  But then there are times like last year when we opened our presents on Christmas Eve after we get home from whatever house we were just at.  I think part of it has to do with whether or not my brother has to work Christmas morning.  Or maybe it has to do with what church service we're planning to go to.  I'll be honest, sleeping in is one of my favorite things to do even on Christmas morning.  Sometimes it's easier for us to not have to worry about getting everyone (everyone but my dad will sleep in like it's no body's business) up in time to open presents and eat breakfast before having to shoo everyone off to get ready for church.

So maybe our tradition is that what we do is always changing?

Are we the only family that has changed our traditions or that doesn't stick to the same thing every year?