Weigh In and Week Six

 

 I have accomplished FIVE weeks of the forty week plan which means it's weigh in time!  YAY! I can say that I feel healthier already.  Going up and down the stairs to our home isn't as hard as it was at the beginning, my knees hurt MUCH less and I feel that I have more energy.  I really feel that drinking more water has been key...as well as doing exercises that help my body prepare for working out.  I'll put the link here to a workout that I found online from a woman I spoke of before named Janelle who is on TV and in the midst of a healthy lifestyle change herself.

The fun thing about the weigh in was that it was on my monthly anniversary weekend!  (Again, I'm a newlywed so I celebrate each month on the 9th).  I was very nervous to weigh in, my loving wife was with me and she didn't look which was very nice cuz I'm not ready for her to know my weight.  However, I am happy to report that I have lost TWELVE pounds.  Not bad for five weeks.

 

The 1st pic is the one I posted under Week One, the 2nd pic is the one I took this weekend.  I tried to get them as close to the same in size and position as possible.  We even tried taking some photos outside but they came out way too bright to see my face.  So here is my 12 pound loss photo comparison, personally I see the change in my face a little as well as in my arms and waist. Oh and I had to wear the shrug because it is the fall season and cold even indoors.

My wife and I went shopping at Target and found the cute baby items we wanted to buy.  We chose a couple fancy pairs of socks: one is striped and the other has a dinosaur on it which we both loved.  We look through all of the rattles to find an "old school" one but we just could find it so we chose one that went with a theme of Ocean which we right now agree upon.  My wife then suggested we look at maternity clothes and price them, she found an awesome purple maternity top that we got on clearance which I can't wait to wear!  The other "baby" item we have are flashcards...yah I know it isn't really a baby item but my wife wants our kids to have Presidential flashcards that include President Obama.  I think it's really cute :-)

 

To celebrate our anniversary my wife and I went to Barnes and Knobles and picked out a winter puzzle by Jane Wooster Scott, a puzzle artist that I love.  We do one puzzle a month which is a really fun activity to do as a couple.  We also went out to eat at the chinese restaurant we went to on our honeymoon, very romantic!!!  I am very lucky to have a wife that is both romantic and practical.  I love every side of her.  On a cute note my wife never did enjoy taking pictures in public so it was really sweet that she took pictures of me in public for the comparison photo and had fun with it, such a bummer that the sun was so bright.

To close this post I will state that my goals this week are to drink four glasses of water which with my size of drinking glasses will meet the 64 ounces of water each day.  I will also be on the gazelle which is a type of elliptical each day burning at minimum 50 calories but hopefully more than 100.  Also, I will start an arm workout daily because I'm loving the change I see in my arms and want it to continue!

Here's to week six!

Late: Week Five

Sorry this blog is a week late!  It's been a busy and fun couple weeks.  To recap we had Halloween which was a lot of fun.  I carved the pumpkin which was smelly and messy and awesome.  My wife and I put out candy for the kids so they didn't have to walk up the stairs to get to our door...and then a few hours later when we checked someone had taken not only the candy but the nice purple bowl that held the candy.  Gotta love it :/

I stayed on target with my goals...however I had an injury at the beginning of the week.  I worked out too hard and didn't stop when my body told me to and I ended up with a sore hip, sore knees and shin splints.  Sooo it took t to recover from that and be able to walk normally.  Luckily I have an amazing wife who kept bringing me my water so I met my daily water goal lol. 

I decided awhile back that instead of getting a "reward" at the end of each week for meeting my goals that I would wait until five weeks had passed and get a bigger reward.  So check out the blog that will be titled "Weigh In and Week Six" for the pictures of that reward.  For now here are the pictures of the pumpkin carving extravaganza :-)

Week Four

Wow this week has gone by quickly!  This Thursday it's Halloween, then in a blink of an eye it will be Thanksgiving!  Time is flying by and I am enjoying everyday...the picture below is from this morning.  It's taken from my balcony facing a nearby hill which the fog has blocked.

With working out daily my body has been sore almost constantly and I couldn't figure out why.  I haven't been pushing myself too hard, in fact I feel that I've been at a very easy level of workout but the pain is daily.  It's mostly my lower back and right knee that is in pain.  Even though it's been rough I've been working out and stretching hoping something would change soon so then I wouldn't need Tylenol or ice.  Then I watched an awesome clip online. 

I'm a big fan of TLC channel and love their shows, one of their shows is called Sister Wives which is about a polygamist family.  While I don't believe in there religion that calls for more than one wife (I love my monogamous marriage) I do enjoy watching their show.  It's just fun to watch a show about something so different from my everyday life.  One of the women on the show is named Janelle and she is overweight and on a life journey to become healthy.  I really relate to her ups and downs in fitness and eating as I have been there too.  Well on the TLC website she posted a video about a workout she did to prepare her body for regular workout

I think I have the same problem she did.  I did the workout she suggested and it didn't hurt my back. Yay!!! The workout is a hip thrust: laying on the floor with your knees bent and your arms out to your side at a 45 degree angle you lift your rear off the ground to where the top half of your body is a straight line (not straight up, it's more diagonal) lower to almost touching the ground then lift again.  It's supposed to help your back posture if you have any curve due to a large stomach or sitting for long periods at work or home. 

I also did the hip rotation exercise and the plank.  The great thing is my back and knee feel normal!!!  I'm going to do these three workouts daily mixed with walking only for the next few weeks until I feel my body is up to a more strenuous fitness regime. 

This week I have met my goals of workout, drinking water and eating healthy.  My goals for week four are to maintain my goals from last week.  This healthy lifestyle is not an overnight change but it will be a permanent change. 

 

On a fun note my tomato plant is growing cute little cherry tomatoes!  I am LOVING watching them grow each day :-)  Also want to share a pic of my fun dinner last night, steak salad!  My wife prepared the lettuce, I cut the carrots and prepared a healthy portion of steak for each of us.  It was yummy!

I hope everyone had a fabulous week. Next weekend I will post pictures of my pumpkin carving adventure.  Here's to week four!

PS...are there any workout outs that you enjoy best?  Share below :-)

Week Three

Hello blog readers!  Yesterday was my 30th birthday!  My wife made it her mission to make this birthday great, she declared it my birthday weekend!  I have never celebrated my birthday for more than one day...all the attention had always made me feel awkward anyways.  However, with my wife it felt wonderful to take some time to celebrate turning 30. Friday morning I was surprised with a gift of the coupon organizer I had been wanting and a trip to get some wonderful coffee.  She also spoiled me with making lunch and buying dinner.  I got to chose the tv shows and movies we watched, it was fun and she was a trooper with my choices.

 

On my actual birthday we went to a pumpkin patch!  I completely LOVE pumpkin patches!  It was sooooo much fun to walk around looking at all the cute pumpkins and choose the right one for us.  Then my wife gave me the greatest gift ever...which she doesn't even know she gave me.  As we were looking at the cute train ride they had for kids my wife turned to me and said that she couldn't wait for us to have a baby and bring our kid there; that she could picture herself on the train ride with our child having fun.  Knowing my wife is so excited to have a child with me makes me feel very special.  It's an incredible feeling to know that she loves me so completely and wants me to be the mother to her children.  I truly cannot wait to have a baby with my wonderful amazing wife! 

 

At the pumpkin patch we bought one big pumpkin, two little ones and some baby Indian corn.  My wife took me to get coffee and breakfast then we lounged at home watching my favorite tv shows.  My wife bought me my favorite pens, I love to write and I have a very specific pen that I use and I was out...I love that she knows me so well and knew that if I could have anything I would want notebooks and pens!  My other treat was to once again be spoiled with not having to cook...and we also had chocolate cake. (It was my birthday so cake is a must lol)  We watched movies and cuddled all day :-) It was an amazing weekend!...

That night after my wife fell asleep I lay awake almost laughing that I was in pain on my birthday.  Yup, throughout this weekend I battled "Aunt Flo".  What horrible timing right?!  My loving wife had adjusted my birthday surprise plans to fit in lots of time for me to rest.  She knows the first few days I need meds, a heating pad and rest.  So my birthday ended with me up til past midnight reading blogs about pregnancy and weight loss as I battled awful back pain and cramps.  No matter the pain I was in this weekend...this was the BEST birthday because I have my wife to celebrate with me.  I told her that every holiday and birthday this year will be the best because we're together, all hell could break loose and I will still feel it's the best...even if Aunt Flo comes to bother me! 

On the whole Pre-pregnancy plan I didn't do too well, I blame the timing of the month so I'm not gonna beat myself up over the lack of workout.  My body was dealing with a lot this week.  For next week I will strive again to workout once a day and drink four glasses of water daily.  That's all the goals for this week.

Here's to week three!

Week Two

It's week two! One week down and thirty-nine more to go.  The hardest obstacle this past week was the weather, it's very cold. I can only speak for myself but the cold weather makes me want to curl up under a blanket with a cup of hot chocolate and read a book. It definitely does NOT make me want to go outside for a walk...especially on the day it rained here. I did keep to my goal of three glasses of water despite the cold weather. The fruits and veggies I have eaten have all been served cold, however I stocked up on some canned veggies to keep me warm.





A little about my life, I love to grow things, edible if possible and I am growing spinach at the moment.  A surprise for the past week was I got to see my spinach plants burst from the ground,it is supposed to take 38 days from seed to harvest.  I am also growing cherry tomatoes.  I thought the spinach and cherry tomatoes would make for a healthy and tasty salad. 

This past week I have enjoyed celebrating my monthly anniversary of marriage (I'm a newlywed so I celebrate each month on the 9th).  Looking back I remember wanting to be married so very badly, I hated being single.  I briefly stayed with my brother, his wife and two kids. Watching my oldest brother and his wife laugh and share their day made me realize I wanted someone who I could talk to like that each day.  I wanted a friend not just a romantic relationship. Someone who I would want to be with on happy, sad, grumpy, mad or sick days for the next fifty or so years.  Thankfully that desire lead to me meeting my wife and I can say that my wife is my best friend. Each day we have things to talk and laugh about with each other.  I'm a very lucky woman to have such a wonderful best friend who loves me and supports me in all my life goals!

My goal for this week is to do some form of workout each day. I have a gazelle machine in my place so that is one option which is easy on the knees. Another option I may include in this weeks workout is yoga and sit-ups. I took a yoga class a few years ago and really enjoyed the workout, you are left feeling tired yet peaceful. Wonderful feeling.  Hopefully this cold weather eases up a little so I can enjoy a walk outside.  :-)

I hope everyone has a marvelous week! Here's to week two!

The Beginning

Hello anyone reading this :-)  I created this blog as a personal project or rather to motivate me to continue my personal project.  I'm a newlywed, happily married and enjoying life with my beautiful and wonderful wife.  We are looking forward to having many adventures together, one of which is starting a family.  At this point of our life we feel it's appropriate to focus on each other and building the foundation for our future.  That being said...I have baby on the brain. BIG TIME!

 Literally I think about becoming a mom at least once every hour that I'm awake...and then I sometimes dream about being a mom.  Luckily for me I have a loving, caring and patient wife who happens to like that I'm wanting to be a mom because so does she.  We both know the reasons why we are waiting...somewhat patiently...to begin the process of my getting pregnant.  One of those reasons is that I want to be healthy when pregnant and I just don't feel I'm there yet.  I'm overweight, still smoke some, love and can't live without my caffeine, don't drink the right amount of water each day and I run from exercise...which doesn't count as actual exercise. 

I could come up with many excuses: I sprained the tendon in my right knee and ankle...eight months ago so exercise hurts but it's healed so I should work to get it strong again, I don't like the way the water tastes where I live now...but my wife buys me water from the store so that takes care of that, my wife smokes so I smoke with her...but she never makes me and doesn't care if I stop, I love the taste of coffee in the morning it's something I've had for years and really don't want to live without...my wife pointed out they make decaf which is true.  So you see my problem...I've run out of proper excuses. Poor me ;-)

Thus, this new project came to mind.  I am combining my never ending baby on the brain with a goal of being the healthiest me.  A full term pregnancy is 40 weeks in length, for this PRE-pregnancy plan I will spend the next 40 weeks becoming a healthier version of myself.  This project began on October 5th and will continue until July 12th at which I will be a 40 weeks older but healthier me ready to begin the process of becoming a mom!

 

When I told my wife my idea she jumped on board.  To kick off my first workout she surprised me and took me to Babies R Us.  We walked up and down every isle of the very large store talking about what we would want for our future children.  When I actually felt my legs tiring we went home.  It was a fun way to start the Pre-pregnancy plan.  We also found a wonderful Mexican market.  Before I got married and moved I lived near several Mexican markets where I bought all my produce and groceries.  The food here is so very expensive at a regular market so I feel very blessed that we found an affordable place where I have fun shopping.  We bought fruits and veggies that we like which were: peaches, pears, spinach, carrots, celery, tomatoes and potatoes.  We also bought chicken and beef.  Making breakfast, lunch and dinner is fun with fresh food!

I also talked to my sister (who is a mother of three who runs marathons and is training constantly) about my project and she suggested that I have a weekly reward for meeting my goals.  The rewards she suggested would be baby related such as: rattles, clothing or toys.  My wife and I discussed this idea and she's on board, as long as we're honest about meeting our goals. At the end of these next 40 weeks we could have up to 40 baby items ready for when we start a family. 

My goals will begin small and grow each week.  This week I want to workout three times with a duration of 30 minutes each, eat some type of fruit or veggie each day, and drink at least three glasses of water daily.  I feel that if I give myself too many goals or take away things that I like right off the bat that I won't make it the 40 weeks.  Instead I'm going to be realistic about my goals and each week the goals will grow and be another step towards a healthy life.

I look forward to tracking my journey on this blog.  Here's to week one! :-D