Treadmill...I'd rather not.

There are definitely days when the last thing on the planet I want to do is go running or pop in a workout dvd or get on a treadmill that is for sure! So on days like that, such as yesterday for me, I try to do other things that will burn just as many calories, but aren't your conventional exercise. So yesterday I got up, not wanting to exercise, so instead I mowed the lawn, weeded flower beds, washed my car, scrubbed the whole inside of my hosue and played with my girls. Did all of these things take ten times as long as a 20 minute Jillian workout? Of course. But I got a ton done and still burnt calories. And I feel really good today. I got to wake up to a clean house, pretty lawn and a clean car. But of course today none of those things are availiable to do today so I have to do one of my normal workouts! But that's ok because I will be doing it in a clean house. And man alive that makes me happy! What are some ways you burn calories that aren't necessarily conventional?

Just do it!

It's funny how that little Nike slogan can apply to so many different things in our lives! Of course the obvious, EXERCISING! The hardest part is just starting. Whether it's getting out the door for a run or flipping on the TV to do a video or hopping on the treadmill, we(and when I say we I mean I) need to just do it! Because we all know that once we have done it, those endorphins go shooting through us and we are happy and feel so accomplished! Because as Elle Woods would say, "Exercise gives you endorphins, endorphins make you happy. Happy people just don't shoot their husbands, they just don't!" That quote has so much relevance for me! HA! My husband could testify that I don't get after him nearly as much on the days I have worked out versus the days I haven't. So moral of the story. Just do it. That also applies to so much more than just exercising. So many times we tell oursleves that we can't do something. That whatever it is, is out of our reach or we are just not capable of it. But that way of thinking is completely false. We can do things that are out of our "normal". You are so much stronger than you think you are and capable of so much more. (I'm telling myself this as I'm telling you.) We just have to make that decision to get up and do it. One of my favorite quotes says, "Do accomplish things we have never before accomplished, we must do things we have never before done." We can't go on doing the same old things and expect different results. So I am off to exercise and get it done! And that my friends, makes me happy! What do you do to get off the couch and get moving?

Rough week followed by excitement!

This last week was a real rough one for me. My youngest sister got married which was wonderful but lets face it, with weddings comes yummy food, good friends and family, and did I mention yummy food? Yeah, well, let's just say in the war against yummy food I lost the battle this last week. Then the day after the wedding some good friends of ours came into town and that's always a recipe for disaster. So today is a new beginning. I am back on the wagon folks. I have learned to not be too hard on myself. Health is a lifelong journey, not a destination. I am one of those people who will have to be forever working on it. I can't just be complacent about it at all or I pay for it. And I pay in pounds! But that's ok. It feels even better when I do accomplish my goals because it is that way.

But I also have some really exciting news!!! Because I have had such great success on the TSFL program I want to help others have the same success in finding health! So I have become a health coach for TSFL! I am really excited about this! I am still on the program myself so I will be right there struggling with those I will be trying to help. I think that's how life should be in general. We all need to help each other along this crazy thing called life. And if we have found something wonderful I think it just gets better when we share it. So if you would like me for a Health Coach and are ready to get healthy and happier then just go here. I can't wait! I know how hard it is. I have been there (and am still there) myself, and have family members that have struggled with this their whole lives. It's so hard to watch them struggle when there is a much fuller, happier life just waiting for them if they would take the plunge to really get the life they deserve. So if this sounds like you, please let me help you live your happiest life!

I am working on getting my website up and running, so in the mean time just come visit me here on the blog for stories and updates.

Weekly Weigh In

Yesterday as I was coming to my epiphany about being an emotional eater I forgot to update on the weigh in. I weigh in every Wednesday morning and yesterday was no different. I came in at 193 so 3lbs down. woo hoo! It is always motivating to see the scale go down. I think it even makes you feel lighter when you see what the scale is saying. It's great. So I was up early this morning to get things done. I have already done the dishes, ate my first medifast meal, have already drank 17oz of water and am about to go and do a Jillian Michaels workout. I have a love hate relationship with her. She is amazing and I would love to look just like her. Her body is amazing! But she hasn't had any kids right? haha. That's always my fall back. But no more excuses right? So I'm off to have Jillian kick my rear! And that my friends, makes me happy.

Interesting day

Well yesterday was an interesting day to say the least. We are getting ready to move and the current lease we are in doesn't end until Oct 15th. So I had called our landlord and pleaded our case to get out early so that my daughter could start school in the new area instead of having to switch a couple weeks into the school year. The wife said that would be fine. So we proceeded to find a new house to move to and we did! So I called our current landlord and told them we would be moving out this week. Well appearently she didn't tell her husband the whole story and he freaked out!! Anyways, long story short. We aren't moving quite yet. There was nothing I wanted more yesterday than something choclate and yummy on that stress-filled afternoon. I gave myself every excuse under the sun about how it would be okay just this once and give in to my cravings because it would make me "feel better" about the situation. As I was debating with myself a lightbulb turned on! I AM AN EMOTIONAL EATER!!! I had never really considered myself one before, but it's true. Food makes me feel better. But only better for a moment. Then comes the guilt and the feeling of being a loser for giving in and all those other terrible things we tell ourselves which of course aren't true. So instead of eating something chocolate, I drank a bottle of water. And guess what? It still wasn't as good as chocolate that's for sure but it called me down and the craving and gave me a chance to take a step back and remind myself of my goal. So I will continue to try to notice my triggers of what sets me off and in turn be able to combat them. Don't you just love when you have one of those ah hah moments? I do! And that my friends makes me happy.

Here I am...

Well world here I am and it is time to get serious about who I want to become! My name is Stephanie and I am on a journey. This blog is starting off a few months after my journey began, but I really want to document it for myself and also for others to have the courage, or drive to do it themselves. Because if this crazy mother of three, four if you count the husband, can do this, anyone can.!
I have struggled with weight my entire life. I am not the girl who can eat whatever and never have to pay for it. I look at food and gain five pounds. However, I wish I could go back to my high school self and tell that girl who thought she was fat that she looked amazing! I would kill to have that body again. But wouldn't we all right? Well, it's not about going back to high school anymore, but it's about becoming the best version of myself now. My body is different. My metabolism is different. The demands on my time is different. And for sure my age is different! I turned the dreaded thirty this year and I can't believe I actually wrote that! It has been a struggle to come to grips with that little factor by the way. But hey they say thirty is the new twenty so here's to getting to feel like I am in my twenties again!!!
Well let's get down to the nitty gritty of it all. This all started for me back in the middle of April. I was the heaviest I had ever been in my life coming in at a whopping 229lbs. What the?!?!?!?! That is horrible! I remember seeing that number on the scale and thinking horrible things about myself and what I had let myself become. I have three beautiful daughters whom I love more than anything, but bringing them into the world was very hard on my body and having a husband who can eat ten cheeseburgers a day and not have it effect him certainly didn't help. I had let myself go. I had become what I always told myself I never would. I was fat. Luckily, I had a dear friend who happened to be thinking of me at the time. Her name is Karli. And it is safe to say that she was the answer to my most heartfelt prayers. She called me to tell me she was going to help me. She was becoming my health coach and was going to get me back to the person I wanted and needed to be. The program was called Take Shape for Life. I love it. You buy their food and eat five of their meals a day and then have a lean and green meal with lean proteins and yummy green veggies. I can't tell you the grattitude that I have for her and what she has done for me over the past few months. And now that I am headed in the right direction I want to become a coach myself to help others achieve their goals. I am far from my goal weight and still have a long way to go. I am currently weighing in at 196 and will be updating my weigh ins as I go. So I have come a long way but still have a heck of a challenge ahead. But by sharing my struggles and triumphs and a few funny stories along the way, maybe, just maybe, it will help one of you. Good luck everyone and good luck me. I know I can do this and so can you. And that my friends, makes me happy.