The Nothing Fits Him

So my kids watch this show on Netflix called "Bo on the Go."  There was an episode on the other day where there was a poor little character called "The Nothing Fits Him."  Bo had to try and help this guy find something to wear so that he would stop taking everybody's clothes.  

I have to say, sometimes I feel just like "The Nothing Fits Him."  I don't take peoples clothes, but I buy clothes in the size I want to be and realize they don't fit!  

I'm on the straight and narrow of clean eating and exercising, but sometimes it can be depressing to think that it's gonna take time to get unwanted pounds off.  Especially after having a baby.  I have a closet full of clothes that don't fit.  I change my outfits a billion times because nothing feels comfortable. 

Yesterday, was one of those days.  I was at the gym working my butt off and thinking about how I still miss In N Out Burger, while total babes with bodies I wish I had, walked right by me.  Sometimes when I'm at the gym working out like a beast, I think I look just like those gym rats with perfect bods, but then I somehow get on the weight set next to them in front of a mirror and realize how not even close I am!

I even took a picture of myself in the mirror, at the gym, in the moment of feeling defeated. Right after some girl with a figure winning body finished her squats right next to me.  This is just for you: 

I haven't had much of a victory yet.  I'm not sure if it's because I'm nursing.  I seriously feel like nursing is comparable to hibernation.  When bears hibernate, they store up a whole bunch of fat to keep them warm and keep their bodies satisfied for the winter.  When mother's breastfeed, we keep fat on us so that we can produce straight up cream to fatten up our babies!  Okay, that's not a fact, but that's what I tell myself.  Either way, the scale has pretty much stayed the same and sometimes it discourages me.  But I'm not going to give up!  I'm going to keep my commitment and keep logging my goals on my chart on my bathroom wall.  I WILL have toned arms and I WILL get rid of my love handles no matter how long it takes! Alright, I feel better.  

Here is a good link I wanted to share.  Tosca Reno is a clean eating author.  I found a link from her books that has perfect "how to's"  for anyone else who is interested in a clean eating life style.  

http://www.eatcleandiet.com/uploaded_files/downloads/ECD_JtR_ExcerptEdition.pdf

I also strongly recommend watching "Hungry for Change" on Netflix.  This documentary is very educational and extremely motivating. 

Here's to a new week of goals, challenges and hopefully...a VICTORY!

The Fight

Question:  Are you like me?  And what I mean is, are you like me in the fact that you are not blessed to be naturally skinny? Have you inherited the "gets chubby easily" gene?  If you eat too many carbs and sweets and don't work out, do you gain weight pretty quick?  If your answer is yes, well then... we are in the same boat.

Most of us who are over the age of 21, or who have had babies have to REALLY TRY HARD to be at their goal weight and size.  I just had a conversation with a couple of my friends the other night.  We have all just had babies and had shared our thoughts about how it doesn't seem fair that we give birth and sacrifice everything and our bodies come out a mangled mess.  The author Jen Hatmaker puts it best, "There were so many elements of parenting I was unaware of when I signed up for it.  In the earliest stage, my romantic notion of motherhood was hijacked by such delights as breast pumps, sitz baths, and hemorrhoids.  Everyone forgot to tell me I'd still look six months pregnant after I delivered and I'd need to wear diapers for three weeks.  I found it troublesome that my hair fell out in clumps and my nipples looked like ground beef."

Fluctuations and changes in our bodies can be depressing.  It's hard to put forth so much work to feel comfortable in our own skin.  Us women are wired to feel insecure and compare ourselves to the "skinny girl."

I have had my share of bad decisions, weak moments, binging, and laziness.  I have never let myself go out of control.  I vow to never be obese, but  I have never been that girl who eats whatever she wants, never exercises and still looks great.  I have to FIGHT FOR MY SKINNY!  Yes, it would be nice to be at my ideal weight and pant size without ever having to think about it or try, but I wouldn't be as mentally and physically smart or strong without the body I was BLESSED with.  This is the body I was given and I embrace it.  I want you to do the same.  Let's do our best with what we've been given. 

-Did you eat a whole bunch of junk this weekend and you know that it's gonna go straight to your butt if you don't do anything about it?... FIGHT FOR YOUR SKINNY, get a good workout in today and make good eating choices this week!

-Do you have a soda addiction and deep down you know that you would be healthier and probably thinner if you cut back?... FIGHT FOR YOUR SKINNY, try going one day just drinking water!

-Do you hate running and working out because you just feel weak, or insecure about where you are physically?... FIGHT FOR YOU SKINNY, start with something simple, go for a long walk or a quick 20 minute run.

It's attainable.  Sometimes it is NOT fun, but it IS attainable.  The other day this is what my workout looked like:

Was it interrupted 50 billion times by needy kids? Absolutely.  Did I regret my efforts and the fact that I finished it?  NO WAY.

Let's all FIGHT FOR OUR SKINNY. And I want to be clear that in this post, my definition of "skinny" is the body that is healthiest for you.  The body that you feel most secure and fit in.  The skinny you attain to be.  NOT the number on the scale.  Remember that you are like me AND tons of other women who feel the same way.  Let's motivate each other to FIGHT FOR OUR SKINNY, FIT AND HEALTHY BODIES! No matter what it takes.  I promise that you will NEVER regret your decision to try.  

Starting From Scratch

After having baby number 3, I have been anxious to get back to the gym just to find out just how out of shape I am.  Looking at myself lifting weights and doing the stair master for the first time since having this baby was tough, I'll admit.  I am squishy all over and much wider than I realized.  I especially hated seeing my chub roll hang over my pants every time I did a dead lift.  I kept trying to tuck it in, but it would work it's way right out of the top for everyone to see.  I even took pictures just for you:

lovely, right?  I may regret this later. Anyway...

How many of you feel like you have a long road ahead of you with your weight loss and fitness goals?  I want you to know that you are NOT alone.  It doesn't matter how great of shape we get in or how skinny we are, as us women grow older and have babies, our bodies will fluctuate.  Why?  Because that's the life of a woman and a mother! We may be in a rut of not working out for a few months, we may become a convenience addict and usually the reason for this is life gets crazy and busy.  Us mommy's put everyone else before ourselves. BUT we have the power to change that whenever we want.  Where there's a will... there's a way, right?

 Here I am, six weeks after having my 3rd baby and 2nd c-section and I'm starting from scratch again.  I have gotten into some bad habits.  This recovery was rough, so me and convenience have been best friends.  I think my kids had cheese crisps, or macaroni more times than I could count.  If I had a super long day and I was craving chocolate chip cookies, well doggonit I ate those chocolate chip cookies.

I want my readers to know that I am not a fitness instructor who is like those fitness guru's who eat perfect and go to the gym every single day.  I am a fitness instructor who appreciates the value of a good cheeseburger.  I know that it's hard and I know that it can be depressing starting from scratch again, but YOU CAN DO IT.  I'm in it with you.  I can barely run a mile right now and I'm going through sugar withdrawals, but I'm ready to start fresh.  Here I go.....Who's with me?!

The Female Training Bible

I get a lot of questions about training and supplementation for women.  Women ask me all the time how they should train, but not get big and bulky.  I got this article from bodybuilding.com.  It answers a lot of those questions you may have about how you should eat, or workout.  Hope this helps!

http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/womans_lean_sexy_bible.htm

It's Official

Well, I am happy to announce that I have become a Certified Group Fitness Instructor through the American Council on Exercise.  It took a lot of time, a lot of studying, and a lot of discipline to finally get it, but I'm so glad that I am certified and that I am more qualified to help people reach their fitness goals!  If you are interested in doing a boot camp or workout with me please let me know!  I am really excited to start training people again. cnmgymnast@gmail.com

It's a good feeling

Alright people, I hope you never take my posts as bragging about my healthier life.  My hope is to motivate others.  That is the whole reason I started this blog.  I hope you keep that in mind!

I'm loving this healthier lifestyle change.  I DO NOT do it perfectly, but I love being more aware of the dairy and meat that I intake.  I feel great!  I am loving my efforts both for me and my family!  The husband hasn't liked my creativity in meals too much, but he appreciates the good intentions and he eats it anyway. (Thanks hun.)  We have had lots of vegetable substituted for meat-meals.  We have had spinach and chickpea patties instead of chicken.  We have had lots of raw vegetable and fruits with every meal, which has helped me and my kids digestive systems quite a bit.  Now for the confession: I did go to Hawaii on a trip last week, and lost all sense of my morals, can you blame me? I mean chocolate covered macadamia nuts, pineapple ice cream, and you have to eat some Hawaiian BBQ when you are in Hawaii. Right?  But I actually didn't do too bad.  I still tried to make healthy choices and stay away from dessert for the most part.  And like I always say, it's all about moderation in all things.  I will never cut things out completely, but I will always be aware of my intake and make a majority of good choices.  That's what healthier living is all about!

As for exercise... I can't live without it.  What a great feeling it is to make exercise such a part of your life that you actually miss it and need it.  When I was pregnant with my son (who is now 2) I had a lot of problems and didn't work out one single time during my pregnancy.  I became depressed and gave up on my eating habits as well.  I gained 50 pounds with him, but I decided after I had him, to not let anything be an excuse..  For 10 years I was a competitive gymnast.  Athleticism was easy for me.  Push ups, back-handsprings, pull-ups; you name it, I could do it, but I lost a lot of that while pregnant with my son.  After that pregnancy I was trying to get out of the swimming pool and my arms were shaking trying to pull my body weight out.  THIS HAD NEVER HAPPENED TO ME BEFORE!  It was embarrassing that I was weak, for the first time in my life!  I decided right then and there to get that athleticism back.  I wanted to be strong and fit again, no matter how long it took.  I encourage my readers to do the same.  It's not too hard to change your weaknesses into strengths.  You can do hard things!  You can get back to finding the things about yourself  that you used to love.  It doesn't matter your circumstance, or your age.  You can do it! Make the change!

As you can see, I'm back to my athletic self again.  It was great to feel that way in Hawaii.  I felt like I could do anything I wanted to do. Its a good feeling :)

Mostly Good

The month is almost over and well, I've been mostly good... :)  I've had some fails, but a ton of successes!  I've had something sweet only once a week, (4 times) which I'm very proud of.  I've been eating TONS of fruits and veggies.  Haven't had anything to drink except water all month.  I've worked out 5 days a week every week.  Yes, I've had some fatty foods every now and then, but for the most part I've been strong willed!  (Except for a specific time of the month... darn period.) And just like I tell my boot campers /readers; you have to brag and celebrate about your small successes!  Be proud of your one month of "mostly good" choices.

 This is a proud month for me.  I feel better about myself than ever before.  I'm more comfortable in my skin than I have been since before I had babies.  Why?  Well, I've said this before... when you start to love your habits, you start to love yourself.  When you are pursuing good habits, you may not be losing big numbers on the scale, but you are losing the guilt you subconsciously feel when you make bad health choices.  Stick with those New Year's resolutions.  Celebrate your "mostly good's" and do better next month.  The more you try, the stronger you become!

London's Run is tomorrow!  I'm anxious, nervous, excited... and ready to get it over with.  No, I'm not doing the half marathon.  You marathoners and half marathoners are amazing!  I admire you.   My next race is where I want to conquer a half and then hopefully a full marathon.  But for now, I am perfectly happy with perfecting my time this year and doing the 10k again.  This is one of my New Year's resolutions and I'm ready to tackle it!  Wish me luck!