So I realize that I have been MIA once again. As you can all imagine life with 4 kids and running to and from school and running my daycare leaves very little time for typing on my blog! But here it is. I feel inspired tonight so I want to share.
It has been over a month now since I last talked to you. Let me update you on my soda diaries....I am still drinking the occasional soda but have limited it to once or twice a week rather than five a day. So I am still very proud of myself. I don't feel like I have failed at this because I've cut it down by more than half the amount and I never said I couldn't have it every once in awhile like a treat. Some people have ice cream and I have an occasional caffeine free diet coke.
I have NOT been working on training for a marathon like I had said at one point but would still like to do that. A friend of mine is doing the Couch to 5k program and I want to try it too, but feel I need to be in just a bit better shape because I have been sedentary for many many years. So first I thought I'd try my workout videos. Which leads me to the fact that I have done nothing in the last month in way of losing weight. Besides drinking less soda, I have not eaten better or worked out even once. Until now....
This week has been a transition week for me. I realized that I'm 30! Yes it's true I am. Close your mouth. As shocking as that is, it brought a realization to mind that in 10 years I am going to be 40 and even less able to lose weight and be healthy. I am extremely fearful of dying of a heart attack in my late 40's or 50's. Heart disease runs in my family, especially in women, and that being the number one killer of women causes me to worry. I have extreme amounts of stress in my daily life....loading and unloading kids in my 15 passenger van, ages 1-7 (10-11 of them) is more stressful than you can imagine. My body and spirit can't take it much more. I feel my heart racing and I just imagine one of these days it bursting. Not healthy. On top of that stress I don't get nearly as much sleep as I should, which is another risk factor for heart attack. In addition to both of these things, people with larger middles are also at higher risks for heart attack because it causes greater strain on the heart. See where I'm going with this?? So fearful of my life being cut short by such a horrible health problem, I have determined to try and be as proactive as I can. I'm going to make an appointment for a full physical and lose weight and eat better to lower cholesterol and get fit.
You are probably thinking that these are many people's goals, but I feel so fearful of my future health risks that it spurs me on and motivates me to keep pushing myself. So this week, after watching a documentary about heart risks and problems, I started logging my food and trying to estimate my old Weight Watchers points. I figured even if I can't afford to do the program, I have all the information from when I did it after having Judd that I can at least estimate and that would be better than doing nothing at all. Then tonight I pushed myself even further. With my Christmas money I had bought three workout dvds. Biggest Loser Cardio Max, Biggest Loser BootCamp DVD, and Jillian Michaels 30 Minute Shred.
*Side story*...With each consecutive pregnancy my abdominal muscles got more and more separated until they permanently separated. This is technically a muscle tissue injury and I literally have NO abdominal muscle left. This is partly why I look six months pregnant all the time. Nothing is holding my belly in. It's called a Diastasis Closure. Because my abdominal muscles are so weak, it is the cause of all my lower back trouble and my back going out (to the point that I am laid up in bed for 3 days straight on muscle relaxers). So due to these issues I started going to a Physical Therapist once a month. She taught me a bunch of moves but said whatever you do, don't do situps or crunches, etc. cause that causes it to re-separate. So I can only do the exercises she gave me to do for now until this problem hopefully heals. Which takes a super long time! So in my workout videos I cannot do the specific abdominal workouts. I can do knee lifts and that sort of thing, but not getting on the floor doing crunches, etc.
(On with the story). So tonight I tried to do my Jillian Michaels video, but she has a whole segment of ab workouts, so I turned that one off and pulled out my Biggest Loser Cardio Max. I did the warm up, Level 1, and cool down, for a total of 30 minutes. I did the WHOLE thing and am already so sore I couldn't walk up my basement steps. But I feel good. I love that work out soreness, so I'm not complaining. Hopefully if I can keep it up I will notice big changes very soon. They say heavier people lose more weight initially...so here's hoping. My oldest sister is getting married probably in early November, so that gives me a 9 month deadline to lose as much weight as possible to look good. I don't want to be the fat sister standing up there. So follow my journey of weight loss cause I am back on track and feeling good. I will have ups and downs, but am hoping to lose at least 30-50 pounds by then if not more! So say prayers and think positive motivating thoughts for me! I want so badly to do this.
So here we go!!!
