Personal Challenge

Last week I did not post about my personal challenge. The reason being, which is a terrible one, is that I had not lost any weight. So this week, I am coming to you with some official results. I have lost two more pounds and am now 22 pounds lighter than my pre-pregnancy weight.

I am still cutting my meals in half and am walking every day. However, this last week I started something new! I began to wear this each day:

This is a pedometer. It tracks how many steps you take. On average, a person should take 10,000 steps in one day. This may seem like a lot, but don't let me fool you... it is! Towards the end of my first day wearing this sweet little device, I felt done and was only at this number:

I don't even want to go into detail about how I tried to hit 10,000 steps before bedtime that day. Let's just say that I did not make it. 10,000 is a lot of steps; even for a mom who is constantly doing laundry, shopping, cleaning up, and going on walks with your baby. So, I have found a website that has really helped me find hope in achieving my goal.

It says that a "reasonable goal for most people is to increase average daily steps each week by 500 per day until you can easily average 10,000 per day." Since I was able to begin at about 5,000 in one day, then I should have a goal to hit 5,500 for that week. Then the next week, my goal should be 6,000. Eventually, I will make it to the big 10,000!

Walking has already made a difference in my life. I feel more motivated and more happy! I highly recommend everyone trying the pedometer thing. It is a cheep way to get some exercise!

Personal Challenge

I am sorry that I have not posted in a few days. There have been many other things occupying my time.

For today, I feel that I should probably do my weekly update on my personal challenge. Overall, I did pretty good this last week. I am down three more pounds; making me 20 pounds lighter than my pre-pregnancy weight.

Many people, on and off the blog, have asked me how I am accomplishing this. If you are wondering whether I am doing this the healthy way; have no fear! I am. I do eat at every single meal, BUT I have resorted to cutting my portions in half. For those of you who really know me, you know that I love my food; and I can eat a lot of it. That is why this challenge has been so much of a... challenge for me. I am not doing P90X, but do go on plenty of walks during the day. I also do too many squats bouncing Ryker, and I run up and down the stairs a bazillion times a day while holding that 15 pound bundle of joy. See, I have got workouts in disguise.

So there you have it, my plan! Now, some of you may think that there is no way to lose 20 pounds by just doing that. This brings me to my body... I have always had the tendency to lose weight fast; when I really try to. This is a curse in disguise; seeing that it goes the other way as well. I also have the ability to gain my weight back even faster. This motivates me to just stick to doing what I am doing and to continue keeping myself busy during the day. Go, go, go is my mindset... which fortunately brings the calories with it!

Satisfied? I hope so! I also hope that you all have a wonderful weekend! Be good.

Items of [Busy]ness

I sure do love my little family. There is never a dull moment over here; especially for Austin. Yesterday, Austin was at home for a total of about 55 minutes. Yep, he is that busy. So while he was off playing basketball last night, I went to the Chandler Mall with my Mom and brother. I had Ryker in the baby carrier the entire time; which really took a toll on my back. Luckily, it feels fine this morning. Then, I went and said goodbye to my little sister who is going to Georgia with her boy this weekend. They are so cute together. Remember when I set them up on a blind date? Who knew they would end up in love. Any-who, I don't really know where I am going with this post. I guess I might just be rambling on to get to some points.

Point number one may be that I lost my list of blogs. Can you see on the right side of the blog where it says, "Our Blog List"? Well, when I was redesigning our blog, the whole list disappeared! I was very sad because that is where I go to read all of your fun posts! So, I am asking if you could all just leave a comment with your blog address? That would be wonderful! I just love reading everyone's blog so very much.

I believe point number two could be that I am still going strong on my personal challenge. Last week I was 12 pound lighter than my pre-pregnancy weight. This week I am 17 pound lighter. I have gone down five more pounds this last week... Wow, who knew eating those ice cream bowls would really pay off?? Could it be because it is lactose-free ice cream that I have been eating? Either way, I am happy.

Well, I guess I really don't have a third point... But I do have a way cute picture from yesterday that just makes me smile so very big. Let's just say that Ryker has really gotten a kick out of looking at himself in the mirror recently.

Oh, and here are some other fun pictures from yesterday as well.

Have another happy Tuesday!

Personal Challenge.

The personal fitness side of a pregnancy can really modivate a woman to get into shape. Of course, some women are able to stay fit during their pregnancy; but to my misfortune, I was not one of them. I am not just talking about pounds here, even though it is a large contributor, but am talking about the ability to feel physically healthy. I definitely did not feel healthy when I would: lose my breath when walking up the stairs, need help standing up after sitting on the floor, need help getting out of bed, etc. There are so many other circumstances that I can think of, but we don't want this post to take all day long to read! Anyways, I do realize that there is a very large and heavy tummy attached to the front of you; but to me, it does not make a difference. You still feel like your physical health is suffering. By the end of my pregnancy, I was ready to feel physically fit again.

So, what will I do to feel physically healthy once more? The solution comes from P90X.

Again, I am not just exercising to lose the pounds, however it is a nice bonus, I am doing this program to feel good again. And I haven't felt the way I want to since my high school years when I was doing cheer. This involved running, lifting, and lots of exercising. During these years, I just felt healthy. I was able to go hike up any mountain I pleased [to a certain extent], play tennis for hours on end, and run around the golf course in my neighborhood with my good friends. If I tried any of these activities now, I would be done after twenty minutes. Yes, I hate to think of this.

So, endurance and strength is what I hope to accomplish through this program. My first day was yesterday, exactly one month after giving birth, and I practically died in the first twenty minutes. I couldn't even do half of the exercises that the men and women on the video were doing... My goal? To be able to do every single exercise well by the end of the 90 days. I have confidence that I can make it.

I cannot wait to feel great again. In order to keep myself motivated, I will post my weekly progress report on the blog. That way, I know I need to do it. :]

Wish me luck.