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HIGH Fitness Instructor Certification

A few months ago, my good friend, neighbor, and High Fitness instructor Holly and I started discussing the idea of me getting certified to teach High and possibly team teaching together. I went back on the forth on the idea for a while, unfortunately I waited too long and the Utah one filled up and passed by. Then I realized there was one in Arizona right around our anniversary, so I decided to sign up for the training and make an anniversary weekend out of it with TJ!

It was the first time TJ and I had left the kids together before; the first trip without kids we’ve ever had since having kids. We did leave Eva for one night when I was in the hospital having Finn, but that’s it. So, I think it was time! We left out of Provo on Thursday, and I couldn’t get over how easy it was to fly with my kids! It’s been FIVE YEARS since I’ve flown sans kids. I literally had a small carry on (which TJ carried) and my book. BTOML. I read 100 pages on the airplane and didn’t have to change a diaper in the teeny airplane bathroom. I still can’t get over it.

Thursday night we met my brother and his wife for dinner, then relaxed outside for the evening. Friday we spent the entire day being incredibly lazy. Well, TJ worked a lot. But I laid out by the pool and read for hours. Take me back! Friday evening we met our good friends Ryan & Kacy for dinner and stayed up way too late talking about our funny college memories.

On Saturday, moms got free French toast at Kneaders so we headed there for breakfast (Kacy & I gave the toast to our husbands lol… I wasn’t about to eat unlimited French toast before working out all day long), at which point I headed to the gym for the High Fitness class before the training. The class was amazing. A packed house taught by Amber, one of the creators of the class and a bunch of other great instructors.

My friend Natalie got certified with me so it was really fun having her by my side the whole day, it really took away a lot of the nerves! Fun fact: Natalie and I were in the same Stake back in Kentucky, so we kind of grew up together and we sang in a children’s choir together for a bunch of years. We both moved out to Utah and have done 21 day fix together this year and now are both doing High! Yay!

After the class, we had a lunch break so Natalie and I went back and took a quick shower and changed (we were soaked after the first class). Then from 12-7 we were in the training learning choreography and pretty much what it takes to become an instructor. We then broke into groups and had to teach the rest of the class songs, while we were being graded. I passed with flying colors… hurray! It was a nerve-wracking day but one of the best ever. I literally held back tears several times because I was just so excited and happy for this new stage of life!

To celebrate, Natalie and I headed out to dinner right after at Grimaldi’s (I really wanted to eat at Shake Shack, but their grill was down… WHAT?) and split a pizza and canolli (we were starving after working out all day)! It was a perfect ending to a perfect weekend!

It was Mother’s Day when we came home, and I was so happy to see the kids! We sure missed them but were so grateful they were safe and happy with their Uncle & Aunt (who sent me lots of snaps per my request!). I definitely cried a lot when we left, it was so hard to leave Finn for some reason. But the weekend away with TJ was so needed and the training was an incredible experience!

High Fitness Class

I’ve been really enjoying going to High Fitness classes recently. I’ve been going to them about three times a week, one week I went four times because there was an extra class to raise money for our friend’s daughter who is fighting cancer. It was so amazing to see how many people showed up to support this sweet girl. There was also a special class the Thursday before Halloween where we all dressed up in costume. It was my kind of Halloween party! Come with me next class!

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Simply Nourishment

 

Food is just food. Yeah, simple enough, I know. But it’s one thing I’ve learned doing the 21 day fix. Before, food was my reward. Food was my treat. Food was what was stopping me from reaching my health goals. It wouldn’t matter how much exercise I would do. If I ate junk, I’d feel like junk, and ultimately, I wouldn’t lose weight. So, no. Food is not a reward. Food is just food. Once you wrap your head around that, you’ll be able to break the cycle!

As I mentioned before, I’m starting a challenge group for 21 Day Fix starting on one week from Monday (so, the 27th!). It’s basically just eating clean, exercising everyday, and having a support group to push you to do your best. Want to jump in? Message me!

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Giving Yourself Grace

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I’ve been thinking about this topic a lot recently. A lot of times we talk about how we need to give ourselves a break, give ourselves some grace now and again. I definitely think that’s true, heck, I wrote all about it a couple months ago in my anxiety triggers post. But then again, I also think at times that can lead us to settling. Being toooo easy on ourselves, if you will, can also be debilitating. So, if you give yourself TOO MUCH grace, you’re doing yourself an inservice. And if you give yourself TOO LITTLE, you’re also doing yourself an inservice.

Where’s the balance?

A couple months ago, TJ and I were eating dinner and talking about our health, diet, weight, etc, which pretty much has been the constant conversation piece since January as both of us have been trying to get healthier. I told him that I was done. I’d try and eat healthy when I could, but I deserved treats because sometimes life is hard. And chocolate is delicious. It’s just too time consuming to worry about it all the time. I told him I was going to be content where I was and just move on. He said he understood, considering how often I had been talking about it, he probably was relieved.

The next day, literally the next morning when I was trying to find an outfit for the day, I was in tears over how nothing was fitting me like it used to. How I had a huge closet of cute clothes, yet nothing fit like I wanted. TJ asked why I was in tears, I gave him the rundown (as if he had never heard it before). He asked what happened to how I felt last night? I couldn’t say I was going to be content, but then cry when all of my clothes weren’t fitting.

That was a wake-up moment for me. I either was going to settle where I was right then and there. But if so, I couldn’t cry anymore about my clothes not fitting. I couldn’t look in the mirror anymore and think I wasn’t good enough. My other choice was to do it. Stop making excuses each day. Stop giving myself TOO much grace. Stick to a plan consistently and lose the weight. It’s not magic, it’s science, but it’s hard.

To put it simply, I could either do this hard thing or not.

Well, that was two months ago and I’m incredibly proud of how far I’ve come and I’m glad I didn’t settle. Yes, I still occasionally give myself grace. If I sometimes sneak a little cookie or miss a workout, I move on and try harder but it doesn’t derail me. I just do better the next day or even the next hour!

We can do hard things, we’ve just got to push ourselves!


I’m starting a challenge group for 21 Day Fix starting in two weeks from tomorrow (so, the 27th!). It’s basically just eating clean,  exercising everyday, and having a support group to push you to do your best… let me know if you want in. Email me here.

21 Day Fix: End of Round 1

I mentioned a bit back that I was doing 21 Day Fix this month. I’ve been trying to lose weight since the baby and I’ve had some success but would gain it back eventually because I didn’t really have a plan, nor was I working out. But I had seen my good friend Lelia from back home and how healthy she had become through 21 Day Fix so I thought I would give it a try. She made us think of why we wanted to do it. At first, I said that I wanted to fit into my clothes. I was sick of looking at my closet with tons of cute clothes but nothing that fit me right anymore. She said that was good but to dig even further. I thought about it for a couple days, made a couple drafts but then came up with this. I posted it on my fridge and made a copy for my car so I would see it whenever I was tempted to eat something I shouldn’t.

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This is really personal, obviously. But now at the end of the round, I’m ready to share it! When I wrote this, I was still really struggling with being happy everyday. I found myself having a hard time dealing with my anxiety and not appreciating each day with my family. I would look in the mirror and have terrible self-talk. That’s what I want out of this. That’s why I want to lose the weight. I want to be able to relax, have more energy, be healthy, feel better about myself, so I can be there and be the happy mom for my kids and for my husband.

Lelia also had me make a mood board of inspirational pictures to help me have a virtual goal. I chose pictures from when I felt happy, energetic, athletic, and at my fittest. I do think it’s important to note that, just because you’re skinny, doesn’t mean your healthy! Skinny is not my goal…. healthy and fit is my goal!

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Well, it’s the end of the 21 days tomorrow and as of this morning I am down 8.5 pounds and feel terrific. I worked out every single day, which has given me something to be proud about personally! I drank at least 80 ounces of water each day, usually more. Ate clean and healthy food every single day. Rarely snacked after dinner (that was the biggest amazement for me because usually I would gorge in front of the TV at night!). And the biggest surprise… I found myself so happy each day. Somehow I had more energy. I was able to play outside with Eva much more and not get tired as quickly. TJ and I got along so well this month and I found that I only had two anxiety moments, which I was able to recognize and try and move past (news flash: it always is triggered by being late!). So, 8.5 pounds, more energy, more muscle and strength (I don’t have to modify on the workouts nearly as much as when I started)! It’s been so great I’ve decided to do it another month! I was going to call it good, but I’m still not where I want to be physically, so I’m gonna keep at it!

Since Sunday is the last day and I start the next round on Monday, I’m letting today be my cheat day! We were going to go to Cheesecake Factory for our anniversary, but TJ is sick so that will be postponed for another day. Instead, I’m taking Eva to the movies and I’m getting popcorn (as long as I get my workout in first!). I don’t miss much food after the 21 Day Fix, but movie theater kettle corn will ALWAYS be my biggest temptation.

Here’s to a healthy and active life! Having trouble with anxiety in your life? Try to exercise. I know, it sounds miserable, and there are days when I still don’t want to do it. But the accomplishment you feel after doing it is so worth it and so good for your mental health!

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Thursday Three

  1. We got VidAngel a couple weeks ago and it’s awesome. As you may know, it edits movies and TV shows for you after you purchase them, then you sell it back. So, it only costs $1-2 a movie. We’ve gotten to watch a lot of movies we’ve wanted to see but never did because of their rating. (Gone Girl, Revenant, Slumdog Millionaire!) But also, gotten to watch regular movies (as in, not an R 😉 ) without having to go to Redbox. They have a HUGE selection of movies, as much as Redbox, plus more. And wayyyyy more than Netflix. Netflix is the worst with new movies. So, get VidAngel. There’s an app on my AppleTV and Amazon Fire Stick for it, so I’m sure you can find it on your system too.
  2. We’ve got family pictures coming up this weekend! Today I’ve got to figure out what we are going to wear. The kids are mostly done, but trying to coordinate with them (and the extended family) and then like what I’ve picked out for myself is another matter.
  3. I’ve had a couple people ask me how I make my roasted veggies, so I threw together a quick video. We’ve been eating fish and veggies for at least two or three meals a week around here recently, and it’s been great for weight loss. The tilapia I have here is frozen from Smith’s and you just open it up and stick it in frozen so there’s no thawing, no thinking ahead, great for a last minute meal! So easy. We’ve also gotten fresh cod and salmon from Smith’s (they do the same at Kroger). You tell them what seasonings you want or ask them for their suggestions (tell them to not add butter, it doesn’t need it), and the bag they give it to you in, you put directly in the oven. Also, incredibly easy. I get easily freaked out when preparing fish, so up until now, I hadn’t cooked it much. But you really should give it a try! Easy, healthy dinner in 20 minutes!

Biggest Loser Competition Results + Info for Round 2

Our biggest loser competition finished this week and two winners lost 7.92% (Way to go to my cousin Cordelia in Australia!) and 6.64% (Nice work, Lisa!)! Each loser is getting $120! I wish I could say one of those scores was mine, but I’m still content with my month and happy we all did it together!

After seeing all the results, it has motivated me to host the competition for another five weeks, so if you want in, read the details below! We were sick for the majority of January so I didn’t work out much nor did I have the energy to keep up with all my meal planning since we were taking care of sick kids so much. But this is the month. We can do it!

  1. It will be on the honor system (so, honest people only, please 🙂 ).
  2. To enter, send $10 to my PayPal Account by Monday, February 22.
  3. Personally record your starting weight on Monday, February 22.
  4. I will post how many people entered the competition on Tuesday, February 23, meaning you’ll find out how much you could potentially win-giving you the motivation you need to lose!
  5. Personally record your ending weight on Monday, March 28.
  6. Calculate your weight loss percentage by dividing the number of pounds you have lost by your beginning weight, and then multiplying this number by 100. For instance, if your starting body weight was 200 pounds and your present weight is 180 poundssubtract 180 from 200 to get the total sum of pounds lost, which in this case is 20 pounds. Now divide 20 by 200 to get the 0.1. Then multiply 0.1 by 100 to alter it to a percentage, which in this case is 10%.
  7. Email me your percentage by Wednesday, March 30.
  8. I will announce the top two winners on Thursday, March 31.
  9. Winners will receive their money by Friday, April 1 through PayPal.

When you are just too tired to carry on…

Last week Finn got ear infections and a respiratory infection. He was inconsolable at times, up tons in the night, and only wanted to be held. At times I thought I was just too tired to even get out of bed. But here’s the thing. I also have an active four year old who wants to play all the time and also needs attention. I can’t just lay in bed watching Netflix all day long. So, I figured out a couple things that helped me wake up and get into “mom mode” every day.

  1. Wake up and immediately take a shower. On the days I shower and get ready for the day (even if it’s just to throw on a clean set of sweats) it helps me feel so much better!
  2. Drink tons of water and a big breakfast.
  3. Make your bed. Not only will it make you get out of bed physically, you’ll feel like you accomplished something and won’t want to mess it up by getting back in.
  4. Going along with number four, accomplish a couple things off of your to-do list so at the end of the day you feel like you actually did something. I mean, we tend for our kids all day long and that’s a huge chore in itself. But by accomplishing something like vacuuming or emptying and loading the dishwasher, then you’ll have some physical evidence of your work!
  5. Get down and play with your kids. Once you start to get out of your rut of laying around and being lazy, you just feel better. Even if it’s just for ten minutes!
  6. Drink a diet coke, duh.
  7. Get up when your husband gets up. It probably varies from family to family, but TJ wakes up a little earlier than the kids to get ready for work, but always has about twenty minutes of extra time to eat breakfast and such. This morning I had him take the kids downstairs for breakfast while I showered. Usually, I just lay in bed and savor those final moments of sleep, but then I don’t have time for a shower and I feel gross all day. So, use the time your husband is home wisely!
  8. Pray, pray, pray! I’m so terrible at saying my morning prayers. Nighttime I’ve got down. But usually I wake up to Eva by my side with so much energy, asking for breakfast, and Finny Babe begging to nurse. Well, this morning when I got in the shower and the kids were downstairs, I actually used that time to ponder and pray. I prayed for patience, and most importantly, the energy I needed to be a good mom for the day! It may not be as good as praying down on my knees as soon as I wake up, but at least I got an uninterrupted prayer in!
  9. Ask for help and set up a schedule. If you have family around, ask them to help tend your kids. About once a week, we crash at my in-laws help for a little break. The help is so great and I have a chance to recharge physically and mentally. It also helps to set up play dates and co-ops so you can have something fun for your kids to do and possibly take a nap if they’re at someone else’s house.
  10. When all else fails, when your house is a wreck, you watched a whole season of Sophia the First, and the kids just ate cereal all day (this never happens in my house…….), tell yourself you’ll do better tomorrow. Sometimes you’ve got to give yourself a break!

 

Biggest Loser: Week 1

Guys, we are ONE week down. How did it go? Have you lost weight? I did really well in the beginning of the week, planned out my meals and workouts but didn’t plan it for the weekend. And guess what? I did terribly this weekend and probably gained a pound back (I’m too scared to check!). But I learned my lesson. To have success, you must plan ahead. I also learned a couple other things this week. Found a couple things that really worked and thought I’d share them with you!

  1. Like I said earlier, success starts with planning. So, plan out ALL of your meals and snacks ahead of time. Then prepare as much as possible ahead of time. Also, schedule your workouts. Side note: I went to a fitness dance class this week and it was so fun! I was the most out of shape person there which was kind of embarrassing, but I still enjoyed it!
  2. Make snack bags! Last Monday, I cut up and bagged up all the veggies I wanted to eat every day. Then each day, all I had to was grab the new baggie and just snack on those through the day if I was getting hungry. I also washed my fruit ahead of time and bagged up servings of grapes too. Snacking is really what gets me in trouble so having those baggies ready really helped.
  3. Drink tons of water. Whenever I felt hungry for a snack, I tried to drink a big glass of water first.
  4. Keep track of what you eat. I use the app MyFitnessPal on my phone (you can also do it on their website) and track everything! It looks at the nutrition breakdown too, which gets really addicting. It turns out I eat way too much sugar (duh!), never enough potassium, and at first not enough protein. So, to fix the protein deficiency, I decided to add more to my breakfast. I’m one who typically skips breakfast or just will snack on some dry cereal. But this week I really made an effort to eat a big breakfast everyday. Most days I ate a hard boiled egg white, turkey sausage links, light & fit vanilla Greek Yogurt sprinkled with oats (I like that for the texture), and a cup of carbmaster chocolate milk. That big breakfast prevented me from snacking every day in the morning/early afternoon,gave me a lot of energy, and got me 100% of my DV of protein! Seriously, get the app, it’s awesome. And add me as friend on there!
  5. Have a support system! I got TJ on board with me (he’s not doing the competition though because if we BOTH won, it would look like we rigged the whole thing haha!) and was open and up front with him about my weight. I don’t know if I have ever told him what I’ve weighed in the past, it just has seemed embarrassing. But he told me his weight, his goal weight, and so I did the exact same. Then when we have success we can cheer each other on and also find ways to eat healthy and exercise together! Oh, and talking about success… he’s down two pounds and I’m down five! Yeah!

Good luck on week 2! I guess I shouldn’t be sharing what worked for me because I don’t want you guys to beat me! But hopefully you all can share with me any other tips you guys have… Maybe you can give me tips on how to do well on the weekend. I have it in my mind that weekend=cheat days but if I cheat for 2.5 days a week then I’m going to definitely fail. Help!

 

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The Aftermath of Having a Baby

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Like many women, I’ve had some postpartum anxiety and sadness (I don’t want to say depression because I don’t think it’s ever gotten to that point) since having Finn. Nothing to be too concerned about, but it is something I finally came to terms with in December and am trying to deal with everyday.

Since realizing I’ve got these postpartum issues, I’ve been trying to figure out the triggers. Obviously my emotions and hormones have a lot to do with it, but there are definite things in my life that make it worse/better. Here are some of the things that give me the most anxiety:

  1. Running late
  2. Dirty house
  3. Lack of sleep
  4. Getting everything done in the day
  5. Finn screaming

I feel like figuring out those five biggest things was a really good step because I can now be aware of them (and let TJ know about it) and learn how to relieve the stress that comes with each.

  1. Running late: Prepare better and give myself a break! Wake up earlier, take my showers at night when the kids are asleep, plan out meals and activities ahead of time. And when all else fails, tell yourself, “It’s okay! So, you’re ten minutes late…. It’s fine.” One Sunday I was taking both kids to church by myself (TJ was already there early to pass the Sacrament) and we were running late. I found myself yelling, telling Eva to go faster, in tears because of how stressed out I was. Then I told myself, “It’s okay. You’re doing your best. At least you’re going to church. God sees your efforts.” It was such a huge relief. I just need to give myself a break sometimes. And the next week, get my church clothes and bag all ready to go so we are out the door earlier.
  2. Dirty house: Do a little each day and… give myself a break! I used to have one day a week where I did a deep clean. I spent hours working on it but those days are long gone. I can no longer spend four straight hours cleaning the house now that I have a newborn. So, I’ve got to do a little each day. I used to never ever leave dishes in the sink at night but now, if I have so many things to do like tending Finn, reading to Eva, getting my work done for my Dad, sometimes I’ve got to tell myself, “They’re just dishes. I can do them in the morning.” Why does that cause me so much anxiety? Why do I even have to tell myself that? I just need to give myself a break! Happy kids are more important than a clean house. BUT it does need to get done because I cannot live in a dirty house. I’m in no means a clean freak, but I definitely feel stressed when there’s clutter, dirty floors, or laundry to be done. I’m still trying to find a balance with this.
  3. Lack of sleep: Go to bed earlier, eat healthy, take naps. I love watching TV. That’s not a secret. At the end of the night, I just want to lay in bed and watch episode after episode of whatever series I’m currently binge watching. I also have it in my head that anything before midnight is too early to go to sleep. I’m just a night owl! But with a new baby, this is completely ridiculous. Go to bed, Katie! You’re nuts! I’ve also trying to eat healthier and drink more water (Thanks Danica for that resolution idea, instead of saying drink less diet coke, just drink more water!). I’m sure the more I do this, I’ll feel better and more awake each day!
  4. Getting everything done in the day: Make a to-do list. I’ve started making a to-list on my phone and it has been awesome! I write everything down, including just “take Eva to school” so at the end of the day, I can check lots of stuff off and feel like I really got a lot done! And then the things I didn’t get to that day, I can finish up the next. Scheduling my activities and meals ahead of time also has helped with this. I’m trying to waste less time and get things done like a boss! And on the days I’m tired (see number 3), give myself a break (see number 1 and 2).
  5. Finn Screaming: Hmmm…  Yeah this one is still a huge anxiety trigger for me. If I’m trying to get out the door on time, Finn is screaming in his car seat, and Eva is being a crazy four year old, I almost LOSE IT! Like 75% of the time I start to cry. You’d think I’d be used to his crying by now, but I’m not. I just want peace in my life, kids! I find myself shouting, “SERENITY NOW!” (Seinfeld, anyone?) It’s so hard sometimes, it’s worth it, but it’s hard. I think working on numbers 1-4 though should help number five because my life will be more organized and I’ll have more time to tend Finn and be happier when doing so. In the end, just lots of prayer and singing lots of hymns… those are the the two biggest ways to help me deal with this.

There you have it. My five biggest anxiety triggers right now and how I’m trying to deal with them. I haven’t written about my New Year’s Resolutions yet, but a lot of those are centered around these five things so I can be happier everyday and try to relieve stress in my life! Motherhood is a journey (and hormones are a major B), but it’s worth it. I know it is.

I’d love to hear your stories about your postpartum aftermath and how you’ve dealt with it! Feel free to leave a comment or send me a message.