Avoiding the “Freshman Fifteen”

Ok, I’m not actually a freshman, but last month I went back to school (Texas State) as a transfer student. Interestingly, it has actually allowed me MORE opportunity and motivation to work out. How is that possible, you ask?

First, I have a 1.3 mile walk from my parking lot of choice to my 1st class. I COULD use the shuttle service, but I’ve found it is faster to walk than wait for the shuttle. Oh, and it smells nicer, too. (All those bodies on one tiny shuttle: woah!) So, I choose walking. And it’s not a straight, even path either. There are LOTS of steps, both up and down, as the campus flows with the natural hill country landscape.
Second, I’m taking advantage of the fact that my tuition includes a membership to the campus rec center. It is amazing! There are plenty of cardio and weight machines, a nice free weight area, basketball courts, racquetball courts, even a couple foosball tables. They also offer group fitness classes like yoga, cycle fit, guts & glutes, TRX, 30/20/10, Zumba, bootcamp, etc. So far, my schedule has only allowed me to use the main gym area (free weights and cardio and weight machines) and to participate in the yoga classes, but I’m hoping I can get in the 30/20/10 class at least a couple times this semester. 30/20/10 consists of 30 minutes of cardio, 20 minutes of strength, and 10 minutes of abs and stretching. My gym routine has been 3 days a week, 2 of which I am focusing on lower body with this 12 week program that I found on Pinterest. I like it because it combines heavy weight/low rep with light weight/high rep to get the best of both worlds. The middle day, I have been doing upper body weight training, but I have not yet found one “routine” that I like the best, so I’ve just been switching it up.

Some of the exercises in my lower body program

The final thing I have been implementing is moderation in my eating. Sure, I occasionally get a Starbuck or add waffle fries to my Chic-fil-a Salad or Cool Wrap. But I don’t go crazy about it. My favorite breakfast lately has been a container of Noosa Yoghurt and 2 of Jamie Eason’s Carrot Cake Protein Bars. If you haven’t tried Noosa and you like yoghurt (or yogurt), I highly recommend it!

That Strawberry Rhubarb! YUM!

So, 5 weeks in, how is this new schedule and routine working? I’d say quite well. The first week, I didn’t lose any weight, but for the next 3 weeks I consistently lost 0.4 pounds per week. I’m not necessarily looking to lose weight as much as I am looking to build more muscle and lose a little of the extra fat that I had gained from being more sedentary than I used to be. I’m not sure on any weight loss for this week as I don’t weigh myself every day. I won’t be upset if I didn’t loose anything as this week I have not made it into the gym or yoga due to studying for 4 tests (2 down, 2 to go). I have continued to eat in moderation, which has helped me avoid stress eating, which I can sometimes be prone to.

 

So, to sum it all up, here is my personal solution for avoiding what many experience as the “freshman 15.”

1. Walk or use steps when you have the option.

2. Exercise. It doesn’t matter if you can do a little or a lot, just use your body and you will get stronger.

3. Make healthy eating choices; eat in moderation. A treat here and there is not going to sabotage you. In fact, it may keep the binging tendencies at bay if you are prone to them.

 

Now I’m off to continue to study for the 2 tests I have next week. Wish me luck! 🙂

My Big “Fat” Secret

I haven’t posted in a LONG time, I know! Life this summer has been super busy.

The kiddos have been randomly participating in the Super Smash Bros Brawl tournament that is put on each summer by the Austin Public Library. ‘A’ has made it 3 rounds in once and the other 2 have both lost in the first round each time so far. They are troupers though, and keep going back for more.

We are also planning a move in the next couple weeks. Currently, my husband is driving from Austin to San Antonio every day. Depending on how light or heavy traffic is he has anywhere from a 90 minute drive to a 3 hour drive, one way. That’s a LOT of driving. In the fall, I will be attending Texas State University to work on a Bachelor’s degree in Family and Child Development. So, we will be moving to a small town in between his workplace and my school. The house we have chosen is amazing! The details are still being worked out, so I will post more on that when it is a done deal.

Oh, and we just got back from vacation! We spent the first (and largest) part of in in the Outer Banks of North Carolina for my in-laws’ 35th Anniversary. (We also spent a day and a half in our beloved city, New Orleans.) It was the first time in 5 years that the whole family was able to get together. We had a blast! I’m pretty sure my favorite (and the scariest) part was crab hunting on the beach at night. So fun!

Photo Credit: Paula Payne at http://inpayne-paula.blogspot.com/

 

The pictures taken that day are part of my reason for posting this blog today. And I’m sorry to say, it’s not exactly a fun one. You see, another picture that was taken that day, and has recently been added to Facebook was one of my husband and I.

Photo Credit: Paula Payne

I seriously wanted to cry when I saw this picture. At the time when I first looked at it, all I thought was “look at how FAT I have become!” Now, you may be saying “Are you crazy? You’re beautiful! You’re in a beautiful place with a man who loves you.” And you’d be right. Those things are true. But to me, in that moment, that wasn’t MY truth. My truth was that over the past couple years I have gained about 20 pounds and have “let myself go” so to speak.

The problem was, I did a mental flashback and compared this picture to one from 5 years ago. Then, I actually placed a real picture from 5 years ago next to this recent one. This was the result:

July 2009 vs July 2014

The thing is though, I had to remind myself that in that picture from 5 years ago, there is a LOT that is not seen. What you can’t see here is that I was silently suffering from an undiagnosed eating disorder, depression, and anxiety. I had starved and overworked my body to the point that I had to supplement my baby with formula because my body didn’t have enough fuel to make enough breastmilk to feed him. What you can’t see here is that in the picture on the left, I thought I was so FAT and GROSS when I looked at myself naked in front of the mirror before stepping into the shower. The woman on the right sees her image as curvy and feminine and beautiful. That girl on the left gave into those demons that whispered lies about her body and her worth. The woman on the right knows she is worth so much more; she believes that she is full of strength and dignity (Proverbs 31:25) no matter what the camera might reflect.

A little over a year ago, I came across a blogger named Amber. She had posted a blog called Cellulite: It’s Time We All Just Get the Hell Over It. Everything she wrote really resonated with me. I read some more on her site, Go Kaleo (Kaleo being a joke about Kale and Paleo diets) and joined a Facebook group that she started called Eating The Food (ETF) that was kind of like a support group for people who were dealing with eating disorders and body image issues or were just trying to quit the diet-cycle and needed encouragement. I have learned so much over the last 16 months of trying, succeeding, failing, and trying again at ETF.

One big thing I learned was that I was not eating enough. I went here and calculated my BMR (basal metabolic rate) and my TDEE (total daily energy expenditure) based on my age, height, weight, and daily activities. BMR is basically the number of calories that your body would need daily if you were in a coma. TDEE takes into account all of the activities you do each day (exercise, housework, walking from place to place, etc.) and the amount of calories needed to fuel that amount of activity. My BMR is currently 1,367 calories. Honestly, 5 years ago my goal was to be UNDER 1,200 calories a day AND I was working out for at LEAST an hour each day, usually more like 2 hours. No wonder I was in such a mess psychologically!

I probably do a lot more that this daily, but this gives a pretty good idea.

Another thing I have gained from ETF is a heck of a lot of body positivity. That group is amazing! I don’t post a lot (cause I’ve got 3 kids who keep me super busy and away from Facebook), but when I do they are always so encouraging. For example, this morning I posted about my body-image dilemma about how my body has changed over the last 2 years, and especially compared with pictures from 5 years ago. Here’s some of what they wrote to me:

 

I’m going to be totally honest, you are smoking. Your figure is HOT. I know it’s hard for you to see, I’m the same way with my old pictures, but you look amazing now. You’ll get to that happy place, it just takes time.

 

Jen, I know I’m looking through different eyes, but you look great in that photo. You are also standing with a man that you love in a beautiful area. 

 

When I get into these moments, getting active somehow is the best way for me to break out of the negative ED headspace. Your body does amazing things! Taking a walk, doing a little yoga, etc., reminds me of that, somehow reconnects mind and body to work together 🙂

 

I don’t particularly like my picture taken, but something another member of this group said on someone else’s similar post has really stuck with me: when you try to take a picture of the moon with a camera, do you notice how different it looks than in real life with your own eyes? The moon never looks as beautiful in the digital representation so I’m taking the same view. I will never look as good in photos as I do in real life where my awesomeness aura can be measured on the Richter scale!

 

Try not to look at it as heavier = worse. Heavier can also be just a different version of yourself. Not better or worse, just different. You know how sometimes we enjoy changing up our hair color or playing with different styles? You are right now enjoying the experience of being this size instead of that size. You are still you underneath and are, as always, beautiful!

 

Jen, a lot of us have been through what you’re experiencing right now. 

What I like to tell people is to take more pictures!!!! For a while, I was taking pictures of myself daily. Then study the pictures – post them here if you want – study them and find all the POSITIVE things in the pictures. Soon, you’ll see pictures of yourself the way we see pictures of you. You’ll see the beauty and health and happiness first.

 

Both bodies are good bodies and I think you are already making progress in recognizing the state of mind you were in for the left photo. 

 

Seriously, how great are these people! They also have a TON of experience in all kinds of fitness from running to yoga to crossfit to you name it.

 

So there it is. I’m posting it out there for everyone on the internet to see. My big “fat” secret. I’m posting it because I don’t want to be ashamed of how I used to treat my body. And I don’t want to feel ashamed for my now healthier, properly fueled body. I’m also posting this as encouragement for anyone out there who is currently dealing with an eating disorder and/or body image issues. It does get better, if you let it. Yep, there are times when those urges attack at full force, but my hunger for life (and delicious food) gives me the strength to just say “no” to ED and say “yes” to ETF.

Today I have learned to look at this picture this way:

‘Smiling on the Outside, Dying on the Inside’ vs ‘Smiling on the Outside, Joyful on the Inside’

The woman on the right looks different, not only on the outside, but also on the inside. And that change on the inside is the most important change of all.

 

Be blessed, my friends.

End of the School Year Business Part 1

I wrote in my post the other day that I would share about how I have been so busy lately. Turns out that when you have kids in school, May can be as busy as November and December. Add the end of year school business to everyday life, and wow, it is a busy life for me!

So, what have I been up to?

For starters, I’ve been teaching my youngest child to read. I am using the same book I used with his older brother and sister, Tech Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons by Siegfried Engelmann. I am so excited to be able to say that I have successfully taught all three of my children to read. My older children will sit and read for hours. My youngest doesn’t quite have the enthusiasm for reading as his older siblings (he’s like his daddy that way), but he is still very proud of his accomplishments.

Here he is reading a book for fun. I can’t even describe in the right words how happy this sight makes me!

 

 

I also spent a day recently with my daughter doing a couple of activities that we both enjoy: running and shopping!

We started our day out going for a run with not one, but both of our dogs. We have a 62 pound Plott Hound named Roux-B (pronounced Ruby) and an 18 pound Beagle named Katie. Now I can’t hold both leashes at the same time while running (it is a skill I have yet to master), but O wanted to bring both dogs along. She was confident that she could run and hold Katie’s leash. So, I entrusted her with our smaller dog and off we went on our run. The first route we took was 1.83 miles. After that, we dropped the little dog off and took a water and potty break before heading out for our second run of the day. That route was 1.22 miles. O did an excellent job running! At one point when she had Katie’s leash, she tripped and fell, bumping her knee and chin on the cement. I asked if she wanted me to take the leash and head back home, but she just smiled and said, “No. I’m okay. Let’s keep going.” She is such an inspiration to keep going no matter what happens. Not just in fitness, but in all areas of life.

 

Then, we went shopping. O had some money that she had saved from her birthday that she wanted to spend on new summer clothes for vacation. So, off we went to Old Navy and The Children’s Place to check out the sales. She ended up getting a total of 4 pair of shorts, 4 shirts, 2 dresses, and 1 pair of sandals.

After shopping, we went to Starbucks of some Frappuccinos (decaf for her). It was a fantastic day spent with my little girl who is growing into a fine little lady.

 

Next up on our schedule was the school talent show. A, my oldest, did a comedy routine with his friend. The boys made the routine up themselves and it included green whipped cream “pies”.  Here is the only picture I took as I spent the whole time trying to figure out all the 5th grade boy humor that all the other children thoroughly understood and enjoyed.

 

 

My daughter also participated in the Talent show. She did a hula-hoop routine that was a big hit. She stood on 1 leg and jumped during parts of it. The song she used was ‘Let it Go’ from the movie ‘Frozen’.

Here she is during her routine:

 

 

That is only part of what we’ve been up to lately. I don’t want this post to be too long, so I will be making this a 2 (maybe 3) parter. Stay tuned for more updates from the Payne family including a trip to an Austin museum, my classes I’ve been taking with N, our Beagle’s medical problems, and last but certainly not least: graduations.

Workout Journal – April 18

I’m posting this a day late. I dropped the ball on typing it up. Sorry! I’ve been pretty busy with my children’s activities, so I’ve only been doing 1 type of workout per day (as opposed to running in the morning and P90X in the afternoon). I would like to have time to do two workouts a day again, but not at the cost of spending time with my family. Saturdays and Sundays will pretty much always be one workout kind of days because my children are home all day, but the weekdays have been pretty busy for us as well. So for now, one a day is how it needs to be.
Here’s what I did:

Saturday, April 12 – P90X Legs & Back

Sunday, April 13 – P90X Kenpo-X

Monday, April 14 – P90X X-Stretch

Tuesday, April 15 – Rest Day.  I picked up our van, which is now transmission fluid leak-free, and my 1st grade daughter had her first school concert in the evening. She had a speaking part that she was very nervous about.  Her daddy and I went over her line with her over and over again. She did a fantastic job! She was completely adorable, too!

Wednesday, April 16 – P90X Chest, Shoulders, & Triceps.

Thursday, April 17 – I attempted a 3 mile run plus intervals. At the 2 mile mark I was at an average pace of 9:55 minutes per mile and then I had my first asthma attack in 2 years. So disappointing and scary. I was able to recover and walk slowly home. I’ve been drinking Breathe Easy tea and Nettle tea to help with the chest congestion and allergies.

Friday, April 18 – P90X Back & Biceps

So there’s my week, nothing too exciting workout-wise, but I got in some type of physical exercise 6 days, so I’m choosing to be content with that. Hopefully my lungs will clear up so that I can get in a few more runs next week.

How have you been exercising this week?

Workout Journal – April 11

This week I had a small family emergency Monday evening. Because of the work involved with dealing with the emergency,  I didn’t workout at all on Tuesday or Wednesday. Also, my GPS hasn’t been working correctly, so all that progress I thought I was making so quickly wasn’t quite accurate. I was a bit discouraged, but I’m not going to let it get me down. I’m back on track now, but my workout journal is a little light this week. Here is what I did:

Saturday, April 5 – P90X Back & Biceps

Sunday, April 6 – P90X Yoga-X

Monday, April 7 – 4 mile run / walk

Tuesday, April 8 – Rest Day

Wednesday, April 9 – Rest Day

Thursday, April 10 – 2 mile run / walk plus 3 20-second interval sets

Friday, April 11 – 5 mile run / walk

Even though my workout schedule was a bit light this week, I still lost 1.3 pounds, 1 1/2 inches off my hips, and 1/2 inch off each of my thighs since my last weigh-in and measurements. And I had a margarita with a burger and fries on Thursday night while watching a friend’s band play. I know there’s that meme out there that says, “You can’t out-exercise a bad diet.” But I say: A “good diet” can’t do for you what exercise and moderation together can do for you.

Here’s a couple pictures from our night at The Oasis on Lake Travis Thursday night.

My friend Ashlee and I with our Margaritas (hers was mango, mine was sangria).

The beautiful view we had.

Such a gorgeous sunset!

Go ahead and share what you did to move your body in a healthy way this week in the comments.

Setting Goals

Goals are SUPER important!

At the begining of the year, my husband and I set a goal to have a larger vehicle by the end of March. He worked side jobs almost every weekend in January and February and a few in March. All of the money he made doing that work went into a savings account and on March 30, we bought a van. We paid for it outright and have no payment weighing down on us. There are a couple issues with the van, so now we have a new goal which is to save and pay for the repairs before we go on vacation.

Another goal I have in my life is to be able to run (without a walking break) for a full 10K (6.2 miles). I’ve gotten up to 2 miles non-stop a couple of times recently. The progress is slow, especially as the Texas temperatures rise, but I am working hard to achieve that 10K goal.

I just finished a group study of Beth Moore’s So Long Insecurity. In the Group Experience companion book, she writes about Paul’s ultimate goal in Philippians 3:7-14:

The apostle Paul is both the ultimate idealist and the ultimate realist. He sees so clearly the fundamental goal of all who believe in Christ: to be found in Christ, to know Him, to become like Him. In other words, to be transformed! But Paul is honest enough to note that he’s not there yet. He doesn’t dwell on what is past, but he strains with all his energy to move forward. May we share his passion and his forward vision as we seek to leave a strong legacy for those behind us.

So now, like Paul, I’ll be honest: during the time of saving for a car, we were not always diligent.  There were times that we went out to eat when we should have put that extra money in the savings account. There were times when I bought a new lipstick or nail polish or shoes when I could have put that extra money in the savings account. There have been days that I didn’t get out to do my run first thing in the morning and I didn’t fuel my body properly so my run was not as successful as I’d have liked. But I can’t dwell on those things, I have to move forward toward the goals that I have set.

There are some goals, like Paul’s goal “to be found in Christ, to know Him, to become like Him” that are life-long,  ever changing, ever evolving goals. These are goals that, while alike in theory, they are very unique to each individual and situation as they are carried out in real life.  One such goal of mine, as a mother, is to see my children grow up knowing and loving and serving the Lord Jesus. It will not forever be my role to discipline and direct them, but I will forever be responsible for setting an example as a more mature believer and as their parent.

I’ve made so many mistakes already as a mother. I will make countless more as my children grow and mature. However, I won’t let those mistakes define my years as a mother. I will continue to grow in Christ, and therefore continue to grow as a mother. I will “press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 3:14).

Workout Journal – April 4, 2014

Happy Friday!

It’s time for my weekly workout journal, so I’m just going to get right to it.

Saturday, March 29 –  I was planning on having today be a rest day because my legs were a little sore on Friday. However, after playing at the park and flying kites with the kiddos, I felt really good. So I decided to go ahead and do P90X Legs & Back.

Fun flying kites!

Sunday, March 30 – 2.01 miles at a pace of 10:35 minutes/mile. I had planned on doing Kenpo-X later in the day, but my husband found a van online and we went to check it out. It took longer than expected, but we bought it. Yay!

New van!

Afterward, my husband and I played some Frisbee Golf for 9 holes, so that was some active entertainment. The Frisbee MAY have gotten stuck in a tree for a moment or two, but we had a lot of fun together.

Monday, March 31 – P90X Kenpo-X

Tuesday, April 1 – Rest Day. I was planning on my 5 miles today, but then I found out about Breakfast with the Easter Bunny at Whole Foods. I just had to take my youngest, so that left no time for an a.m. run. My scheduled P90X workput was X-Stretch and I knew I’d want to do that one after my 5 miles, so I took the rest day that my body needed anyway. Plus, how cute is this kid?!

Wednesday, April 2 – I ran/walked 5.03 miles at a 10:26 min/mile pace. I ran all but the last two big uphill sections. My goal was to get it in under an 11 min/mile pace, so I am very pleased! I also did P90X X-Stretch and it felt REALLY good after that run.

Thursday, April 3 – I did 3 miles, plus 3 20-second interval sets. My total distance was 3.38 miles at an average 11:03 min/mile pace. It wasn’t my best, but I got it done. I also did P90X Chest, Shoulders, & Triceps. It’s still pretty hard for me. I’m working on increasing my wrist strength and flexibility so all those pushup variations will be a little bit easier.

Friday, April 4 – I didn’t get a run in this morning because my husband is away working so I couldn’t leave my little guy alone in the morning. I did do P90X Plyometrics though. That’s a rough one for me sometimes. I have to modify many of the moves so I don’t wreck my fragile knees, especially with all the running I’m doing now. Even with the modifications though, it’s still an intense workout!

I’d love to read what you’ve been doing this week to exercise your body. Feel free to leave a comment about it.

Have a fun and healthy weekend, friends!

Workout Journal & Flex Friday – March 28

I’ve decided to start posting a workout journal and sometimes participate in #FlexFriday. I’m going to be posting what I’ve been doing as far as exercise. And occasionally, like today, I will be posting some muscle progression pics (#FlexFriday). I’m excited to be back to blogging so I can do this and hopefully encourage others while also holding myself accountable.

Because I’m working on a 10K training plan, there will be quite a bit of running in my workout journal. I’m also loosely following a P90X plan. By loosely I mean that I will take a day off if I feel like my body needs the rest and then pick back up where I left off the next day. So, for example, I’m on day 32 today which is Yoga-X. If I felt like I needed the day off to rest, then I would just do day 32 (Yoga-X) tomorrow. Some days I am also replacing the plyo and kenpo with Brazil Butt Lift workouts.  Make sense? Hope so!

Since this is my first Workout Journal post, I will just start from last Saturday.

My Week of Exercise:
Saturday, March 22 – Rest Day
Sunday, March 23 – 2.22 mile run/walk at 10:57 minute/mile pace in the afternoon
Monday, March 24 – P90X X-Stretch
Tuesday, March 25 – 4.06 mile run/walk at 9:47 minute/mile pace in the morning and P90X Chest, Shoulders, & Triceps in the afternoon
Wednesday, March 26 – 3.42 mile run/walk with 3 miles steady then 3 sets of 20 second fast intervals for a final pace of 11:02 minutes/mile in the morning and Brazil Butt Lift Bum Bum and High & Tight in the afternoon
Thursday, March 27 – P90X Back & Biceps in the afternoon
Friday, March 28 – 4.03 mile run/walk at a 10:56 mile/minute pace in the early afternoon and P90X Yoga-X later in the day.

Something I learned (twice, I’m a slow learner I guess) this week is that it’s a bad idea to sleep through my morning run and do it later in the day (see Sunday and today). I end up running while not properly fueled and I miss that morning burst of energy and my performance suffers. But, at least I got it done. It is also cooler in the mornings, which will be very valuable to me in a few months when I’m running in the Texas Summer heat.

Of course it wouldn’t be Flex Friday without a muscle picture! I’m super proud of how my shoulder muscles are shaping up. Here’s a picture I had my husband take last night:

I'm loving the definition that's coming back!

Here’s another shot that I managed to get in the mirror:

Delts & Traps!

My Plott Hound, Roux-B also has a Flex Friday contribution as well. Here she is after our 4 mile run in the 80° Texas sun:

"What have you done to me?!"

I finally managed to tire her out…for a little while at least!

What have you been up to for exercise this week? Leave a comment and let me know!

I’m Back: A Whole New Look for A Whole New Me

 Welcome to my new blog!

 

It has been way too long since I have blogged, I know. So much has happened in the past 10 months. I’ll try to sum it up as briefly as possible, and then I will get into why I have started a new blog with a new name.

 

Last I blogged, I had just moved to Austin from New Orleans. It was a stressful move and my husband’s new job was not exactly as wonderful as his employers had made it seem in the interview process. We had been told that Austin was very similar to New Orleans. Not quite. Sure there’s good food, but it’s BBQ, Tex-Mex, and Breakfast Tacos rather than Po-Boys, Seafood, and Beignets. Austin is the self-proclaimed Live Music Capital of the World (or something like that), but New Orleans has way more (and better) live music. I had thought New Orleans drivers were bad, but Austinites are just ridiculous! Austin’s slogan is “Keep Austin Weird” (I have no idea if that is official or not). I came to the conclusion one night while out on a date with my husband that Austin is kind of like New Orleans’ nerdy little sister: it’s often just trying way too hard to be cool and it is very obvious.

But Austin is growing on me and there are some very good benefits to living here and there are a lot of things that I do like about living here. For one thing, I LOVE that our neighborhood is very multi-cultural. New Orleans is still very culturally segregated, and that really makes me so very sad. Austin also has a LOT of hills, which have been very beneficial to my running routine. I already mentioned the BBQ, Tex-Mex, and Breakfast Tacos. We have found an amazing church where my husband is now on staff as the Technical Director. It was a huge blessing for him to be able to take the job there. We have started making some amazing friends. The kids have awesome teachers at their new school and even have a few classmates/friends in the neighborhood that they play with on the weekends. And most importantly, this is where God has told us we are to be. Oh, and the Texas sky is just gorgeous at almost any point in time.

See what I mean?! Gorgeous!

 

When we first moved here, I had just started on a low-dose birth control pill that the doctor had insisted was the only thing that would help my would help the hormonal problems I had been having. Against my better judgment, I started taking them because I let her degree cause me to second guess myself. It was a disaster! It fixed a couple of the physical problems (by masking them) but caused even more emotional problems. It kicked me into a major depression and I gained almost 20 pounds. I ended up quitting the BC and reading The Hormone Cure by Dr. Sara Gottfried. It took a while to get myself straightened out after the BC, and I’m still tweaking things a bit, but I have begun to lose some of the weight I put on as well as add back some of the muscle I lost while depressed and not working out. I have completed a Couch to 5K running plan and now I am onto a plan that will (hopefully) have me running  a 10K in under 60 minutes. I am well on my way there as I ran 4.06 (that 0.06 is important, yo!)  miles this morning with a pace of 9:48 minutes/mile. Most importantly, my emotional state is so much better! It is more steady and not so up and down like it was while on the BC and just after quitting.

 

Ok, so now onto WHY I have changed my blog name and focus:

 

Honestly, the reason I changed blogs is because God told me to. My old blog was mine, and only mine. This blog belongs to Him. You see, when I started up my old blog, I was focused primarily on the external aesthetics (mainly mine). But God wants my focus on the internal, because that’s where His focus is. He cares more about my spiritual state than my physical state. He cares more about my attitude than my performance.

This new blog is going to focus on all the areas in our lives that we need to nourish and work out. Yep, keeping our physical bodies healthy is important, but it is not more important than being spiritually healthy or having healthy relationships or being emotionally healthy or having a healthy control of our finances or… well, you get the idea. Food and fitness are just one part of a very big picture. They are just one part of my very full life, a life I would like to share with you.

My goal is to post at least twice a week. Some will be short while others will be more in-depth. I will still mainly be posting about my fitness routine and foods, but I have some other areas I’d like to blog about as well. My old blog felt very restrictive. I made it into a place where I didn’t feel I had the freedom to branch out into other areas. I’d pigeonholed myself.  Now, I will be blogging about faith, family, friends, fitness, food, and fun!