Brooke- just dessert

Hello Family. I have been having the hardest time keeping to the exercise! And my food strategies are flying out the window! Having house guests for a month now has had devistating results on my exercise devotion!
Exercise has been off and on. For sure not getting in the 6 times a week! Chad's brother and his wife and their two children are living here with us until they find jobs and a place to rent. So my regular routine of getting the boys to bed and then exercising has been inturrupted several nights because Eric and Joy want to talk or sit in the hot tub. I have resisted a few times and exercised. Tonight they went out to the RV and all I really wanted to do was just put on my pj's and crawl into bed.  I decided to read the blog and post and get inspired to work out. I am in my workout clothes and may make it back out to the tv to exercise...

 The past week was crazy with two birthday parties and guests over that of course brought dessert to share. Chocolate molten lava cake for my sister in law's birthday, Black berry cobbler with friends Friday night (ala mode of course), and Garrett's birthday cake Sabbath after church. I have been eating these delicious treats all week!! Not helping on the weight loss!! Haven't gained a ton but I know that if I don't stop and get back to work on my health it is only going to get me in trouble.

Off to burn some dessert calories!

Kathy - Good Info

In our monthly newsletter at work we got the following mini-article:

"Changing the Way You Approach Fitness" by Jesse McFarland

1)  Your Mindset:  If you're not absolutely ready to make a change...sorry, but good luck.  If you're not telling yourself that I HAVE to make a change, then when you get off work on a Tuesday you most likely are going to choose a glass of wine and Seinfeld reruns over going to the gym.  Choose your words:  "I have to" is stronger than "I need to" or "I want to".  Also, don't negatively enforce your thoughts, "I can't be this way anymore," "I'm fat", etc.  Be positive, "I will make a change.  "I will lose weight this year!"
2) Your Goals:  When thinking of a fitness goal be simple, realistic, and specific.  I can't help but roll my eyes when somebody tells that their goal is "to get fit."  Honestly, over half the people that I first meet tell me that this is their goal.  "Get Fit" couldn't be any more vague.  Make your goals specific.  When a recent client told me his goal, "I want to be able to play basketball with my son without getting tired,"  I instantly knew that he would succeed.  Make your goals simple, "I want to lose 5 lbs by spring,"  I want to be able to run or walk a 5K."  Make your goals realistic,  Saying you want to start working out 5 times a week, is not realistic when you are first starting out.
3)  Your Lifestyle:  Guess what?  Everybody is busy.  Just hoping to fit in 2 or 3 workouts a week will not work.  Time management is everything.  Be specific with your amount of time.  Choose your exact days.  there's a reason you see the same people Monday, Wednesday and Friday at 6pm at a gym.  These people make a schedule for their workouts.  Choose the days, the times, and how long beforehand.  Then, make it happen!  Lifestyle can be so many other things.  These things are usually connected to your mindset.  For example, if you refuse to stop eating fast food everyday.  Your mindset might need to change with your lifestyle.     

In conclusion:  Motivation comes from you!  Motivation can't completely come from a trainer, friend, parent, or spouse, but it does come from within yourself!     

Jesse McFarland has a website for further help:  jessemcfarland.com.

        

Kathy - Polar Trekking

The plunging temperatures and snow accumulation have turned our daily tromps into something resembling polar trekking.  When we went to the lake last evening it was 5 degrees and the snow was knee deep at best, thigh deep in places.  It was snowing as we trudged through the darkness, the light from my headlamp illuminated the snow wells made by FL's boots. The majestic beast ignored our trails and surged through the deep whiteness with effortless strength. All in all, yet more reasons to love outdoor time every day. 

The thing about trekking at the lake at night is that with only my headlamp I become hopelessly disoriented.  This can be rather exciting because it feels like I am forging (floundering) through an uncharted wilderness, but it can be rather disconcerting also, as when I wondered why the creek was making such weird sounds only to realize it was really waves of the lake washing up against the snow!

Just a note about fatigue:  It seriously undermines resolve and totally unravels resilience.
Take home message:  Get enough rest! 

Weather report:  Sunny, beautiful and 19 below!

PS:  The beast slept ALL night last night - I have a new lease on life!

Kathy - LOTS of exercise...

...for the beast!  It has been a weary week.  FL and I are exhausted.  Not because we have been exercising so much, or have been overly busy, but because of lack of sleep.  The beloved beast has us trained to let her out twice a night (at least!)- around midnight and around 2:30 a.m.  In the past she has done quite well, only wanting out once a night, or even sleeping completely through - but recently she has wanted to explore the wonders of the night and we have suffered for it.  Last evening, in our sleep-deprived state, we concocted a plan.  During our tromp we would call the beast back and forth between us.  This would give her lots of exercise because I am usually quite a ways behind FL.  We discovered that the most effective way to accomplish this, as the beast got more and more worn out, was for me to flop dramatically in the snow and call for help.  The noble beast would come galloping to my rescue - the snow flying! I managed to remarkably recover just before she reached me and then FL would whistle and the beast would go running to him!  We had one tired puppy at the end of the tromp!

(The plan was a failure - she has unfortunately gotten into horrible habits, so last night we began her reformation by ignoring her 2:30 a.m., 3:30 a.m., etc. pleas entirely.  She soon settled down and slept.  Hopefully this plan will be more effective).

Four times with the KB this week!  Two more to go.

I encourage you all to be faithful to fitness!!

Kathy- A Fun, New, Site

Check out Healthy Girl's Kitchen.  Good stuff!

Kathy - Working the Plan

Reporting in on the plan of doing a kettlebell routine 6 days a week.  Started off Sunday strong, one day down.  Monday FL, KB and I headed to Boise.  I actually did the KB routine in the hotel room instead of using it as a doorstop!  I had a planned break Tuesday night - knew we would be getting back late.  We actually ended up getting back at a reasonable time, but we were exhausted from nasty winter-time travel and I was grateful I had planned a break.  A bit discouraging to only be halfway done this evening, but I did it! Also took a tromp, marched on the treadmill, and threw the blue doughnut for the beast (doubt that counts!).

Happy Health to each of you! Keep up/Get back to the good work!  

Brooke- sculpting isn't easy

Hello fellow body beaters... well beating our bodies into submission. So I have been keeping to my charted routine except for two days. I have done the Biggest Loser Power sculpt video a few times and yesterday I did the entire routine...all 45 mins of it!! Let me tell you my pectoral muscles were screaming at me today. Every time I picked up Garrett, moved laundry, took dishes out of the cupboards, and in general just moved I was 100% aware that I had worked my muscles. I took a 45 min walk today to allow some down time.

I hope all of you are working at getting fit and feeling great.

NO PAIN, NO GAIN... or something like that.