1000 Words

 1000 Words

Great Reminder

 Great reminder when staring a new fitness routine...

This Mug

 Anyone else need a mug like this in their life?

I mean, I don't want it as a Mother's Day present... or an anniversary present... or a Birthday present... or a Christmas present.

But, for Fat Tuesday, this would make an excellent present to give me for Fat Tuesday.

Chuckle

This made me chuckle... except mine is 5lbs 13 oz.

Yup.

Yup.

 

Different Challenges

I'm sharing this video for fun and to remember this stage of life.

I normally workout at about 4:15am... and this is why.  Yesterday, I let myself sleep in, and I did my workout mid-morning but it certainly had different challenges than a 4am workout does.

Hope you get a laugh.

New Diet

I've been needing a new diet with this crazy school-working mom schedule and I think this might fit the bill.

 

We Conquer

We Conquer

Seems Reasonable...

I read this a few weeks ago, and it seems really reasonable to me.

 

So True

This is so incredibly true its not even funny...

... But it really is funny.

 

 

Chickens...

As our little twinsies are eating more and more... and as Hubby and I are making efforts to eat healthier we are beginning to understand the reality of feeding a family of five... and we think our next family additions might need to be chickens.

Cool To Realize and Remember

I follow a group on facebook called Twiniversity for parents of twins and multiples.  Sometimes they have funny posts or useful articles or just statements that make me realize that I am not alone on this crazy journey.

Yesterday, they posted the below picture and it was such a blessing to me to remember.

My body will never be the same after having carried and birthed our twins.  I would not trade that experience or them for anything... but I don't always see the changes in my body with the joyful memories I could.  This post helped change my perspective yesterday.

A New Love

I have never loved my body.  Over the years I have come to appreciate my body -- how I am healthy, strong, fit, able-bodied, etc... but no matter my size or shape, I have never loved my body.

Even in recent years, I have come to really understand and identify with the joke, 

"I'd love to be the weight I was when I thought I was fat." 

Even at my most fit, I have never looked in the mirror or tried on clothes and been satisfied with my size and shape... I have always wanted a flatter stomach, fitter legs -- all in all, a more slender shape.

Now, for the first time in my life, I have a new love for my body.  Now, I do not look in the mirror and love what I see -- especially with many postpartum changes still occurring, but for the first time in my life I love my body.

In the past two years, I have grown, nourished, carried, and birthed three children.  

My body has housed them safely... and for one pregnancy, it safely grew two at at time.

My body produced the breast milk nourishment for my first child for well over a year.

My body is now producing breast milk nourishment enough for both the twins.

My body not only carried all three children to a safe pregnancy gestation, but it spontaneously went into labor and allowed me to labor and birth all three children without pain medication.

Although I had a little pitocin to help begin my labor with Tracey Ann, my labor and birth of the twins was completely unmedicated.

My body was able to do its job and deliver both Tracey Ann, and twins, Howard and Caroline the way it was designed to do and without anesthesia.

My body has recovered beautifully and very quickly from childbirth with the twins.  My body did its job -- it grew the twins, labored and birthed the twins, now is producing milk for the twins... and yet it has bounced back to the physical endurance I had before pregnancy.

Physically, I do not look in the mirror and see a body that I love or think is beautiful and perfect... but for the first time in my life, I look in the mirror with great love and appreciation for what my body has been able to do.  My body has produced my dreams come true -- my children.  My body, as of now (thankfully), is working the way God designed the female body to work, and, for the first time, I look in the mirror and appreciate what I see -- beauty and love. 

I look in the mirror and do not love what I see -- my size and shape, but I look at my children and I fiercly love what I see, and my body was instrumental in their existance, and this I love.

Good For Them...

I have a love/dislike relationship with running... I would say love/hate, but I'm trying to lessen the word "hate" from my vocabulary.  I don't want to "hate" anything but the Devil and his work... but that's a post for another time.

As I was saying, I have a love/dislike relationship with running.  I want to love running.  I love the idea of running.  I love the thought that I love running.  I love the feeling of being finished with running for the day... but more often than not, I dislike the actual act of running.  But I'm trying to work on that.

It's been a challenge to re-train my mind in how I think about running.  First of all, when I was regularly running in my twenties, I used to time myself and carefully keep track of my distance.  I used to push for a longer time or farther distance with each run.  When I was in the habit of running regularly, I used to enjoy finding races in my area and training for long distance races -- 10ks, half-marathons -- and I did a couple.

When we got Lloyd (our dog), I loved the idea of running with my dog.  The actual practice of running with my dog was a little more complicated, and my running times were suddenly much longer because he complicated my runs.  First he was a puppy... and now he's older and better at running with me, but runs are always slower with him.

Then, I had Tracey Ann, and running became even more complicated.  To begin with, I was larger, and less in-shape than I had ever been in my life.  Then, I would put on my running clothes and I would look huge, and feel huge.  Then, in addition to feeling and looking large in my running clothes, I was now running with a dog, and a jogging stroller, which, let me just say, you don't realize it's hard work to push something while you run, until you do a run NOT pushing something, and... pushing that jogger is REALLY HARD.

So, all of these factors caused me to find reasons not to run, for months.  I looked too big to go running, I was very out of shape -- too out of shape to go running, and whatever muscle and physical fitness I was gaining was lost because I was now pushing a jogger (and running with the dog) so I felt like my "running" was sort of a slow-motion walk.  Lloyd could walk at the same pace as my "run".

But one day, I saw a person out running, while I was driving, and I realized that I have never in my life seen a person running outside and judged them... and, I'm ashamed to add, I can be a very judgmental person.  But never in my life have I ever looked at a person running -- regardless of their size, shape, speed, or outfit -- and thought "Wow, Buddy, a little slow there, aren't you?" or "Good thing you're out running, Lady, because you sure need it."

I see a person running, and I immediately think, "Good for them."  Then, my next thought is usually, "That looks like fun.  I should go running today.  Good for them."

And, ironically, the larger, or less physically fit, is the person running, the greater my admiration for them.  Clearly, this run is not easy for this person.  This person is not a natural athlete who has run 10 miles every day for the past decade.  This person is working hard for this run, and they are doing great.  Good for them.

So, in re-training my mind about running... well, jogging - I jog now, I have learned and accepted that my runs these days are not about speed or distance.  I have a dog and a jogging stroller with a toddler in it, my runs are about enjoying time outside, enjoying doing something good for my body, and making sure my daughter (and my dog) are learning that good physical fitness is a priority... and that good physical excursion is fun.  My runs these days are usually 45 minutes, but only about 35 minutes of that is jogging.  Between Lloyd and Tracey Ann, and the killer hill in my first mile, there are a few stops and walks on our run... but we are out there doing it.  Good for us.

My Dad told me that he just read an article in the Wall Street Journal which reported on a study out of Britain, that the health benefits of jogging 1-2.4 hours each week are equal to those of people who run 20+ miles each week.  I tried to find both the Wall Street Journal article and the British study to add a citation, but wasn't able to (Daddy, maybe you can email me the name and date of the article, please?).  This article didn't talk about running at a certain pace, or to a certain mileage (or being able to fit in a specific running outfit)... simply jogging for 20-30 minutes a few times a week to a total of 1-2.4 hours/week, can drastically improve my health.

As I have spent the last few days thinking about this post, I kept remembering the movie, What Women Want with Mel Gibson and Helen Hunt.  Mel Gibson is able to hear women's thoughts, and, with this superpower, he and Helen Hunt created an amazing Nike commercial, which centered around a woman running.

Its with that commercial that I want to end...
and now I really want to head out for a run.

A Good Thought

I saw this picture yesterday, and I think this is a really good thought:

Oh, You Know...

Oh, you know...

That time when you try to go for a simple 30-minute, 3-mile run with the baby and the dog... and then the baby starts crying 1.5 miles along ... which is when you realize you forgot her pacifier.

Your next 1 mile is spent balanced between getting her out of the stroller to comfort her, calling hubby to please bring you a pacifier -- but he is in a work meeting, so you're on your own for at least 30 minutes, and putting her back in the stroller and running as fast as you can thinking that maybe you can make it home really fast (while she's wailing).

Finally at 2.5 miles, you surrender.  The baby comes out of the stroller, and you walk the .5 mile left of the way home, with her on your hip.  Dog leash and stroller in one hand, and baby bouncing on the other hip.

My 30-minute run became a 60 minute excursion --  20 minutes of running, 20 minutes of soothing, and 20 minutes of walking.

Workout?  Yes.
The one you expected?  No.

Embracing "If Only I Knew Then..."

The other day I went running... with Lloyd and Tracey Ann.

Gone are the days when I head out in any weather, music rocking, and get lost in my own world for 30-60 minutes.

Running with Lloyd and Tracey Ann is exercise -- not just physical exercise, but probably more so, a mental exercise.  In fact, I think I have officially crossed over from being a "runner" to a "jogger."  Tracey Ann's in the baby jogger, Lloyd's on the leash, and all three of us are maneuvering sidewalks, crosswalks, overgrown shrubbery, any anything else that crosses our path.

During my recent jog, I began to think of all that TIME I had before I was a mother.  Why hadn't I treasured the chance to run without company all those years?  If only I knew then what I know now, I would have savored those solo runs.

But as I was having those thoughts, I just stopped myself in my tracks.  What is past is past.

Today, I have one child, and one dog, who behave very well while I'm jogging.  Instead of focusing on what I should have known two years ago, I need to focus on the blessings of the situation now.

Chances are, a time is coming when Tracey Ann will weigh more than she does now.  She might not enjoy riding along for a jog like she does now.  Lloyd might have a little brother where I'm trying to run with two dogs.  Or, Tracey Ann might have a little brother or sister where I am physically exhausted from being pregnant, or pushing TWO children in the jogger, not just one.

Chances are, my runs are going to get more complicated before they get less complicated... so I am learning from the past, embracing life as it is, and not thinking "If only I knew then..."

Fit Mountain Millers

JOIN US!

I'm stepping out into a journey and I'm wondering if you might like to join me.  Since baby Tracey Ann entered my life, I have found that my usual ways of staying fit, getting to the gym, and running are increasingly difficult to accomplish.  Plus, I have these pesky added pounds of baby weight that don't want to go anywhere.

Starting Monday, June 2, I will be committing to doing an at-home workout program, 25 minutes/day, 5 days/week.  Are you interested in making a similar commitment and joining me?  The program I will be doing is called T-25 by Beachbody, but Beachbody sells many other at-home videos as well (such as TurboFire, Insantity, P90X, Slim in Six, and many, many more).  Workouts are available through this website:
 www.beachbodycoach.com/FITMOUNTAINMILLERS 

You may even have a Beachbody workout already, and just need the incentive to dust it off and start again.  I am committing to T-25 because I think I can make 25 minutes/day at home happen as a first step toward making this a habit.

I will be starting a private accountability group on facebook for anyone who makes the commitment to join me on this fitness journey this summer in order to encourage one another and track our progress.  If this is something you're interested in, please let me know and I would love to talk to you more about if this is a good fit for you now, and which Beachbody program might work well for you.

Don't delay, Start day is Monday, June 2!  This might be a great way to head into the summer.  We don't have all the answers or the perfect "before" and "after" pictures... but we are on this journey -- join us.

The time is now to shed some weight, but most importantly, become a healthier you and be the difference maker in your family for the future!

Comment for more information!

I Hate This Post

I really did not want to write this post, which is one reason I'm posting it on a Sunday because I think people keep up with blogs less on the weekends than week days.

Today, I am writing for some accountability in working out and weight loss.  Tracey Ann is seven weeks old and the first 25 pounds came off IMMEDIATELY -- like within two weeks of birth.  The second 20 pounds have been much more inclined to stick around than I would prefer.

I know it took nine months for my body to grow to its eventual size, and it will take more than six weeks for my original size to return... but I'm getting impatient.

All that to say, I have begun my postpartum workout routine, T25 from Beachbody.  Hubby gave me this routine for Christmas, at my request, because I was hoping it would become my post-baby fitness routine.  This workout routine is 25 minutes a day, 5 days a week for 10 weeks.

via

I think this is going to be a good fit for me because I can squeeze in a full 25 minute workout even with Tracey Ann.  Sometimes I do it when she's napping, and sometimes she sits in her little bouncy seat, and my jumping around makes the seat vibrate.  This is also a good plan for me because I am notorious for keeping a good workout routine Monday-Friday but totally slacking on the weekends.  With T25, I am allowed the weekends off!!  :-D

Also, I have 11 weeks left until school is out for the summer... and, 20 pounds of pregnancy weight still hanging around will make my summer tough -- both in not liking how I look, and not fitting back in my wardrobe.

So, one week down, nine to go.
Five workouts down, forty-five to go.
Two-and-a-half pounds down, seventeen-and-a-half pounds to go.

I will keep you posted.

Building Strength

I love it when the Lord uses average events in my every day life to teach me lessons of faith.

The lesson this week was inspired by my changing exercise programs.  More accurately, I intensified my exercise program.

I have maintained a pretty regular 4-6 times/week exercise routine since the first of March, but I'm sorry to say, it is not a habit yet.  They say it takes 21 days to form a new habit -- well, 21 days of taking vitamins at night = a new habit for me... 21 days of exercising, on the other hand -- I still have to convince myself the importance of exercising on that 22nd day.

Throughout March and April, I completed Jillian Michaels RIPPED IN 30 DVDs twice -- once in March, once in April.  I lost about 7 pounds in March, and kept it off (but didn't lose any more weight in April).

Starting this week, knowing that summer is just around the corner, and my family is meeting in Seattle in early June for a celebration, I wanted to kick my exercise up a notch for these last few weeks in May before the end of the school year.

This past Monday, I started ASYLUM, a 30-day Beachbody workout with a really intense trainer, Sean T.  I tried a few of Sean T's work-outs last year, and they always made me cry.  Literally, cry!  He encourages you to do crazy things with your body... and just when you've got the hang of that, but you're exhausted, he makes the move crazier and harder... and just when you think you can maybe handle that before you collapse, he makes the move even harder and crazier!  By the third craziest, hardest set (a year ago), I was in tears.



Seeing this mental and physical weakness in myself last year specifically made me eventually want to conquer one or more of Sean T's work-outs.

I am now 10% of my way through ASYLUM, and I have not cried once!  I haven't even come close!  I still think the moves are crazy, but I'm excited to try them.  I try my absolute hardest, and if I need a 5 second break, I take it before diving back into the hard, crazy exercises.

This post is not just about working out, I promise.

What the Lord revealed to me this week was how strong I had become by doing an easier workout consistently for 2 months.  I had not lost tons of weight and I did not feel in tip-top shape, but, in fact, the discipline of giving my all to these workouts 4-6 times/week had not only prepared me physically, but had strengthened me mentally for this more intense workout with a tougher instructor.

Have you ever had a season of reading your Bible where you just aren't hearing the daily revelations as you read that you used to?  Have you ever had a season where you feel that God is speaking to you less than normal?  Stay in your Bible every day.  Continue to pray every day!  In these habits, you are getting stronger.

When a tougher challenge comes, that daily discipline of reading your Bible, and the daily habit of talking to the Lord and knowing Him intimately will have strengthened you for the new challenges at hand.

In working out, keep at it.
In seeking God and studying His Word, keep at it.
Not all benefits are revealed until a harder challenge comes along.

P.S.  If you have summer fitness goals, THERE IS A BEACHBODY FITNESS PROGRAM FOR YOU!  There are crazy insane programs like the one I'm doing that range from 30-day, to 60-day, to 90-day, and there are programs to help you ease back into getting in shape, like a 10-Minute A Day workout, or Slim in 6.  Visit my beachbody website to check out some programs and comment on this post if you want to talk to me about all your options.