Back to Work

If you opened this thinking, "WOW, she got a job while Paul is away-good for her!" WRONG! I have a full time job called CEO & President of all travel both foreign & Domestic at the Huston 6 Corporation! When I say Back to Work I mean on me & my healthy life style that I let slide when Paul came home last May from deployment. When the husband is home we just eat different period end of story. It happened the minute I said "I DO" fifteen years ago. The man loves his red meat! I was practically meat-less all the way through college. One- I never craved it or liked it much. The texture is weird to me. Two- we all know that while in college all extra money should be spent on your social life ,i.e. going out! Anyway back to a healthy new start which is what this post is about.

I have had an infatuation with fitness & nutrition as far back I can remember. My mom has always instilled it in me to watch what you eat, try to make it healthy. If it can't be healthy because everybody needs chocolate now & then! Then it should at least be in moderation.About three years ago on the second deployment I picked up my pace on Clean eating & working out. It was a very stressful deployment & hitting the gym helped keep my stress down. I loved it so much that I paid a lot of money for a Personal Trainer who to this day I would pay AGAIN to work out with- Jaime was amazing! She made me push harder & keep on going on the days I really wanted to punch her or anyone in the face! I even got into the International Sports Science Association courses. Completed all the required test & quizzes to be an ISSA Personal Trainer, except the final. Grrrr, I could kick myself for not finishing that portion up.But once Paul got home my priority shifted to reintegration & family time. I went back to eating more red meats and junk . I went from looking like this.....

 

Super fit & healthier then I had been even in college.

Back to eating poorly cutting back on work outs etc so that I gained back the hard loss weight of fourteen pounds. I no longer look toned & healthy. Paul has never said anything about my yo-yo self. He loves it when I am super fit or a little "squishy" as I like to call it. Or like Bridgett Jones says with "jiggly bits"-YUCK! 

It's me who hates being un-toned & just not feeling like I have energy what so ever. I hate seeing pictures of me & my arms look to heavy & my face looks to round. I worked so hard to be healthy & eat clean. I want to set a good example to my boys in a time when the world says "Super Size" is Ok. I want them to know it NOT Ok, it unhealthy.It's not about the size jeans I wear or about how thin I am. It's about how I feel energy wise & attitude as well. If am fit, eating clean,& working out I feel better period! 

With that said I have jumped back in with both feet for about 2 weeks now on eating clean & upping my work outs. It has been hard & painful. I mean seriously when your body gets use to tons of carbs & sugar it's hard to cut them out! I actually crave them in the evening when its quite & it stinks! I've joined a friend on Facebook taking a 90 day challenge to Eat Clean . I am enjoying it, but it's work! I will track my progress here on occasion just so I am held accountable by my friends and family. I am not in a race to get "skinny" nope I just want to be back to that girl who feels as good on the inside as she appears on the outside. Below you will see yesterday's food & work out please feel free to throw out some ideas to tweak my nutrition or work outs. I love new ideas & honestly am always looking for new healthy foods . I hope you enjoy watching as I get back to Healthy Me! I am saying goodbye to feeling sluggish & just depressed all the time.It has always helped me get through past deployments so I hope it does the same this time!

Here is my starting photo- I covered up in a pretty dress. But my arms lack the tone I love & the dress is two sizes larger then the one in the picture above. 

 

It's not a bad picture, but it's not me. I actually made my son take four pictures before I found one I thought looked half-way decent. that's when I realized I am not happy with me inside or out! It was time to get back to me & being Healthy so here I GO!! 

Thursday Workout:

I did 30 minutes on the elliptical for a total of 4.30 miles I stopped while in my Fat Burning Zone. I was sweating buckets!

Went into lunges 3 sets of 15 with 14llbs weight

Squats using a bar with one leg extended  3 sets of 15

Glutes with 40 pound weights on my ABs- I call them the "Glute Squish" I know there is a techincal term but have no Idea what at the moment. I'll have to ask Jaime. 

Then I jumped onto the mountain Climber because I was not sweating thus out of my Fat Burn zone- did 4 minutes & pushed my mileage for the day up to 4.56miles

Then continued with 3 sets of side kicks on all fours with a 5llbs weight tucked behind my knees.

3 sets of fire hydrants with 5 llbs tucked behind my knee

3 sets of up/down off a bench with 14llbs

Then I pulled the mat out & did Core hold for only 40 seconds- that is AWFUL for me.

2 sets of 15 side push-ups that work your abs- once again I'll have to find the name.

2 sets of 15 crunches in the little hanging position chair need name agian.

By then I was exhausted so I did my 3 minutes of stretching & called it a day. It was a good work out I was sweat soaked. But I know that it can be so much better based on my past. I hope to eventually get my endurance up & add Plyo back into the workouts.

I also need to get my ISSA books back out & brush up on all the names for certain exercises-lol

Nutrition for Thursday:

Breakfast: oatmeal with raisins & 1 piece of whole grain toast with a 1/2 cup of fat free milk.

After work out: Choc/half banana Protein Shake. I used the GNC Protein & cut up half of a banana to put in it. YUMMY! I got my chocolate fix!

Lunch:

Six pasta pouches filled with squash,tomato & zuchanni covered with 2 tbl Light Olive Oil & 1/4 cup fresh cooked Halibut

Dinner:

Baked salmon with olive oil & dill

Wild Rice & steamed carrots.

Snack:

1 piece of whole grain toast with 2 tbl of peanut butter

I found myself still starving so added the peanut butter toast for more protein. You never want to let your body feel as thought it is "starving" or you will slow down your progress & actually gain weight.

Now I know it's not perfect but it's way healthier then I was eating when the husband was home. So I am happy & moving onto the gym later today for Arms & Abs today mixed with cardio!

Have a blessed Friday & I'll check back in with another Post on how I'm doing in a few days.