42 Days to Fit Week 4

Technically we started the week four, 42 Days to Fit challenge on Monday. However, after week three I have only lost four pounds (total since I started), and I was feeling a bit tired of trying so hard (I least feel like I'm trying hard). I should be happy that I'm trending downward, but it seems like I'm saying 'no' a lot and the results are minimal. But if I were to stay this course for the entire year, I would be more than 52 pounds lighter.

That being said, I went totally off track on Monday night at dinner. We had Mexican food. Chips, burrito, and DESSERT! And the brownie sundae was awesome (read sentence in a sing, song voice to get the full effect).  I had been pretty good about the 'no dessert' rule up to that moment. Which brings me to my next point, since we haven't been eating much sugar, when I do eat sugar it's way more potent.

So here's the wrap up of last week: I met all of my exercise goals, but cheated on my eating. I've lost 4 pounds and a few inches. But most of all, I really do think I'm developing better habits and am making intentional decisions about what, when, and how much I eat.  I also seem to have more energy.

Week four's food challenge: eat a healthy lunch & dinner, watch portion sizes. Jeremy said that was code for start counting calories. So he has started using the Lose It app. I'm going to just be mindful of my food choices, striving to stick with more fruits and veggies. I want to finish this program out before I hit it hard with calorie counting. But (sigh) I see that stage on the horizon (in say, two weeks).

Perhaps the hardest thing (for me) about trying to make positive lifestyle choices is dealing with stress in a healthy way.  And life is just full of stressful moments which make me want to eat an entire... 10 boxes of Girl Scout Cookies. I'm very thankful for the gift of life, for each new day full of it's joys and stress. I'm learning to let things go (I create my own needless stress sometimes). Perfection is not mandatory. In fact, seeking progress over perfection should be deemed success.

"Perfection is not attainable, but if we chase perfection we will capture excellence."

~ Vince Lombardi

Jackson's First Birthday Party Posted on His 2nd Birthday

Only one year late, I present Jackson's 1st birthday party. We used The Very Hungry Caterpillar  as our theme. It's amazing how much kids morph in that first year, so that book is very fitting!

We used paper lanterns to make our caterpillar and hung it with fishing line and push pins. 

Caterpillar with a photo from each month of Jackson's first year

 We only served the food mentioned in the book.

We got a little pie maker to make the cute little mini pies with the number 1 cut out.

These were super easy to make!

 For the ice cream cones, we baked cup cakes in the cones in the oven and decorated with icing, sprinkles, and a cherry.

 Yay presents! He didn't really get it then, and still doesn't a year later.

Besties! Gabi and Jackson getting ready for cake!

We made matching shirts- aren't we cheesy! 

 The Isley men.

 Throwing back a bottle after a long day of partying.

I'm one!

I choose to not look at the camera because I do what I want. Eventually my parents will realize this.

Praise God for blessing us with our miracle boy. We are so grateful for the opportunity to care for this little man. Children are truly a gift from the Lord.  Now bring on the Elmo Party!

A Mom's Valentine Gift to Herself- Jackson's 2 Year Photos

Jackson turns two this week! Wow! He is a very independent, strong-willed, busy, bossy, leader-to-be boy. Yay boys!

I went to his valentine's party at school yesterday and he was definitely the child leading the class into chaos. I promise I do work with him on listening and obeying the first time. He can even say that phrase. But he doesn't do it, and usually not even after the tenth time.

Anyway, being the awesome mom that I am, I decided that I needed to document this momentous birthday by setting up an appointment to get photos taken at Photo Innovations. I had never tried this studio, but I had a coupon ( Photo coupon expires 2/16/14) so I thought, why not.  I'll tell you why not...

This morning (our appointment is at 9) Jackson wakes up at 5:30 a.m. (after being up through out the night and then sleeping in my bed) with a poopy/ pee soaked diaper. ON MY BED.  ON A PILLOW! Good morning to me. So we get up, change him, me, and the bed and start our day. I give him a quick shower and dress him for his photo shoot! We practice saying 'cheese' and everything. He's got it, and he looks super cute! After wrestling him into his car seat, we get to the studio. Then, even though I had an appointment some people walked in right before us and got to go first. They were adults. I have a toddler! So we waste twenty minutes waiting for one of the workers to come and start taking Jackson's picture. Disaster. He wasn't having it. He did not like the lady. And honestly, I wasn't that impressed with her either. She finally decided we just needed to reschedule. She also said, 'he's just a really clingy boy.' Obviously she doesn't know my son. He just wasn't impressed with her. He knows good people.

So I tried to coerce him one last time to sit on the block marked '2' and Jackson said, 'NO, bye bye'. After spending two hours getting my child ready for his pictures, driving him over, waiting our turn, and then trying to get him to sit for just ONE photo, what do I have to show for my efforts?! Nothing!

Happy Valentines to Mama, Love Jackson.

Maybe next year. 'Sigh'

Here is a photo of us last year at his first birthday.

42 Days to Fit Week 3

Week three has begun, but I am definitely behind. Last week was rough, not necessarily because of the new food challenge (eating a healthy breakfast), but because Jackson and I both got sick. You'd think throwing up for a day and then not eating for a day would be helpful. But I think my body was designed for starvation mode, because I still only lost three pounds this week. I guess something is better than nothing. And I didn't really complete the exercise challenge (cardio 3x & strength training 2x) because we were sick.

Enough excuses. Week three, here we go... So we are still watching sugar (primarily in dessert form), eating a healthy breakfast, and now we are adding an eating curfew (three hours before bedtime). Because I'm not always super good about going to bed at a certain time, I'm setting my kitchen curfew for 7 p.m.

As for exercising, this week I'm going to try to actually do all five workouts for the week. I know, I'm setting the bar really high. I'm just trying to be realistic and hoping that, three weeks into the program, I will actually follow all of the guidelines this week without cheating. Fingers crossed.

One of the authors of 42 Days to Fit comments in week three that motivation is 'fickle and unreliable'.  Her comments are what spurred me to look up the definition of motivation: a force or influence that causes someone to do something.  This made me think about various character qualities that could be of more use than motivation.  So perhaps better tools for achieving success might be determination, commitment, diligence, planning , and preparation. Rather than assessing your desire to workout and then making a decision based on that feeling, treat it more like any other responsibility in life and 'just do it'.

"Desire is the key to motivation, but it's determination and commitment to an unrelenting pursuit of your goal- a commitment to excellence- that will enable you to attain the success you seek." 
~ Mario Andretti

42 Days to Fit week 2

I survived the birthday party with only one bite of a cupcake. I count that as a success. I also did well at the Super Bowl party. My doom came on Monday when I walked passed the leftover cookie cake sitting in the kitchen; it was whispering my name. I stayed strong until the afternoon hit. Then I gave in and ate some! (I should have just thrown it in the trash or given it away!) But, now I'm back on track. The moral of this tale, make sure your guests (especially the really skinny ones ;) take the junk food home with them after the Super Bowl party so you don't end up eating all the cookie cake.

So this week in 42 Days to Fit, Jeremy and I are just adding a healthy breakfast to the previous week's food challenge. We've been eating a healthy grain, protein, and fruit each day for breakfast. And since we are doing it, so is Jackson. Plus we are doing a circuit workout together as family twice a week. Jackson watches us and tries to do shoulder presses, squats, and wall sits. It's so cute!

As far as seeing visual changes in our bodies, Jeremy lost five pounds the first week. I lost ZERO! But I'm trying not to get too discourage. We also remeasured our bodies and I lost a minimum of 1/8 of an inch everywhere. I'm counting that as progress. Jeremy is very self disciplined. Whenever he sets his mind to do something, he almost always goes through with it and achieves success. Progress is success. So I am not surprised at all with his success. I, on the other hand, struggle more with persevering through the hard times. It's fun and exciting to start something new, but about half way through I think 'is this really worth it' and derail myself. I think that's why doing this program with a partner is very important for me. Jeremy motivates me on a daily basis to stick with making healthy decisions. As long as we are trending downward, even if it is only 1/8 of an inch, we are heading in the right direction. I also meet with a friend bimonthly. She is a great encourager and motivator as well.

I'm already two days into week two and have had a giant misstep yesterday (cookie cake). But today is a new day, and I am determined to stay the path.

"They always say time changes things, but you actually have to change them yourself." -Andy Warhol

saying, 'no, no temptation!'

Jackson doesn't have a wide vocabulary as of yet (he isn't even two), but he can say NO, NO clearly and emphatically. In fact, I often overhear him telling himself 'no, no...(insert indistinguishable jibberish here). When I sneak over to see what's going on, many times I see him standing by the stove or holding a spoon aimed to drum on a wall or about to dump his milk on the floor. He sees the temptation and tells himself no, out loud. Not such a bad idea...it doesn't seem to always help him make the right decision, but at least he's trying. Perhaps I can learn from my sweet and sassy toddler.

It's only been two days since I've started 42 days to Fit, and I've already had to exercise my self-control muscle several times. Now that I'm trying to steer clear of 'desserts', I realize how often sweets are presented to me throughout the day...in the teacher's lounge at school, at the bank, on a friend's coffee table, at birthday parties, in our own pantry. They are everywhere! The flip side- they are everywhere! I don't need to feel like I'm being deprived when there will be plenty of opportunities for me to eat some m&ms tomorrow or the next day, etc.

In fact, I'm gearing myself up for two big celebrations this weekend: a toddler birthday with cupcakes and ice cream, oh my! And, of course, the Super Bowl. I'm not going to completely deprive myself at these events, but I think coming up with a strategy and food limit will be wise for me. I don't want to derail myself and undo all of the hard work I've put in this week.

I've also done some meal planning. Here is a link to the meal planning template I chose to print out: Meal Planning Template

Here are two new recipes that we plan on having again on 'meatless Mondays':
Portobello Pasta and Angel Hair Pasta with Artichokes, Zucchini, and Lemon

Both of these pasta dishes have subtle flavors, but my family enjoyed them. I like having something light and refreshing for dinner.  And the angel hair pasta was delicious in my lunch the next day. I even shared some with a friend who also had positive things to say about the recipe (we didn't have any portobello pasta left-over).  Nummy! (That's what Jackson says.)

Fitness Test- 42 Days to Fit

I survived the fitness test. It really wasn't too bad, but definitely showed me how out of shape I currently am. Jeremy did it with me (what a supportive husband). The first exercise was to see how many push-ups we could do in a minute. So I measured a stack of books to equal three inches from the ground to make sure we were pressing close enough to the ground.  Jeremy went first and it didn't look too hard. Then I got on the floor to assume the 'real' push-up position...Yikes! I felt like that should have counted for something! My goal was to do one and I did it, but I'm sure I looked pathetic. (I definitely felt pathetic after watching Jeremy doing his first one seemingly effortlessly). However, Jeremy was encouraging and I ended up getting a whole 4 pushups (nose to the books and all) in just 1 minute- ha.  I definitely think I have room to grow in this area! So here were the rest of my stats:

1/2 Mile Walk/Run:   9 minutes 8 seconds
Push-ups (in 1 minute):       4
Tricep Dips (in 1 minute): 24
Wall Sits (hold as long as you can): 1 minute 30 seconds
Sit-ups:  Level 2 (Arms folded across your chest-complete one full sit-up with elbows touching thighs,  
              heels can not leave the ground)

Pretty pitiful! I don't even have a good excuse like I just had a baby or major surgery or something. Oh well, I've got to start somewhere. The good news: I have plenty of room for growth! I just keep telling myself, "Practice makes progress!"

42 Days to Fit

I'm trying out a new fitness program called 42 Days to Fit. Each week there is a food and exercise challenge that snowballs into the following week up to six weeks. The hope is that by making gradual changes each week you build good health habits over the course of the program. Plus the changes aren't so radical that you end up completely giving up after two day (supposedly-I'll keep you posted).

This week I need to take the fitness test...nothing too scary. As for the week one food challenge: no desserts and only water to drink (I'm going to drink 1 cup of black coffee in the morning-that's permitted). I'll be doing a cardio work out three times this week for 20 minutes and some strength training on two additional days.

Overall, this seems like a program that will fit with my life. The real problem is sharpening my self-discipline and self-control skills. It seems like I always have a reason for not working out or for 'celebrating' something with food. It also seems if I don't think about whether or not I want to get up and work out, but rather just do it (like on autopilot- or like going to work) then I will find success.

So my six week fitness journey starts today. If anyone wants to join me, come on! I seem to do better when I know other people are denying themselves that delicious piece of chocolate cake (or that second piece).  If you have any great motivational tips on how to get healthy, please share...I need all the help and encouragement I can get!

Feel the burn, y'all!

Christmas Plague 2013

Now that we have a baby, time seems to pass so quickly. I barely have time to eat, potty, and shower before another month has passed and I've yet to accomplish any of the goals on my 'to do' list. But it's a new year so I've resolved to get out my list of goals from 2012 and get to work on that list rather than making a new one.  One of those goals is to try to better document what's happening in our crazy life. Christmas is a great place to start.

The original Washer 6, plus spouses and children, minus Jeremy Washer, celebrated Christmas at the new Isley house. We moved the second week of December (in freezing weather) and thought it would be a great idea to host Christmas. This deadline helped us to prioritize our unpacking and get the house some-what set up and livable. 

Christmas was so much fun this year because of the kids. They get so excited about Christmas...it makes it more magical for the rest of us. Jackson still doesn't seem to understand how to open a gift, but it didn't matter because Eva Grace was busy unwrapping ALL the gifts in an attempt to find her presents. Thankfully Santa still comes for all of us (despite our age-thanks Santa). And this year we attended the Christmas service at St. Paul's Church where the kids acted out the Nativity. Jackson and Eva Grace were both angels (ironic ;).  Christmas Eve was filled with chaos and crying (Thomas and Jackson were fighting over trucks) lots of food and fun had by all. We had a great time playing a game called Nouns in a Bowl (or something like that). David explained the rules and, in typical Washer fashion, we kinda listened/followed instructions. Nonetheless, we had a great time laughing at one another! I took some good pictures of this game, but Laura made me delete them. BOO!

The Christmas break was filled with many more magical moments, but also what I'm calling Christmas Plague 2013. Eva Grace and Laura started the epidemic that spread through the entire family. The flu did not discriminate based on age, race, sex, eye color or anything else. We all got it, including my in-laws who were only at the house for a few hours on Christmas Day. Through experiential learning, I think we've all gained a complete understanding of how the plague can wipe out an entire village. Thankfully none of us died, we just felt like we might for about nine days.

We definitely won't forget about our involuntary participation in the 2013 Christmas flu microcosm, but we also won't forget celebrating the birth of our Savior with almost(we missed you Jeremy Washer) all of our immediate family. I'm so thankful that everyone made an effort to travel all the way to dusty, West Texas for Christmas...who knows when we will all be together for Christmas again!

(Jackson fell in love with Aunt Sophie, who he calls Shoop)