laterallygator

FIVE DAY CHECK-IN This week has flown by! I feel pretty good about my progress so far, despite some added stress this week. Do Better: Take the stairs going UP at work at least once per workday (4 stories) - I've been doing much better at this than expected, averaging 2-3 four-story treks per day. My heart is still racing and I'm slightly out of breath by the time I make it up all of the flights, but I'm doing it, and that feels great. I also took a half-hour walk on Tuesday, which is half an hour more than I usually walk. So there's that. Eat Better: Meal plan better, and make work lunches the evening before to avoid eating junk out of laziness/convenience - Well, the meal planning didn't go quite as expected. I got my period and have insane cravings and aversions thanks to those wonderful hormones, but I did "splurge" on 90/10 beef instead of 80/20, whole wheat/grain products instead of simple carbs, and I bought 5-lb bags of frozen veggies so I have no excuse not to eat them. I also snagged a giant bag of frozen blueberries, which has really helped relieve some of those candy cravings during the day. I "cheated" and picked up a pint of Halo Top ice cream, but considering that I'm working it into my caloric budget (and the fact that it's pretty low in sugar compared to even a fun size candy bar), I'm okay with that this week. Limit candy to one piece per day. - I've managed to do this! Every day! I keep a candy bowl at my desk, and this is a major source of temptation for me. A couple of days I managed no candy at all. Heck. Yes. Feel Better: Use one creative power every day (drawing, singing, sewing, etc). - I could do better. I sat down with my youngest child on Wednesday and colored in my adult coloring book while he colored freestyle. It was a fun bonding experience, and I really enjoyed doing something that wasn't a chore. Still, one day out of five isn't that great. I need to step it up and make sure I take the time for self-care here. BONUS: Come up with realistic goals for improving the house along with costs. Week One: My Bedroom. Week Two: Kids' Bedrooms. Week Three: Bathroom. Week Four: Outdoor Space - This has been on the back burner, but I did start a list of goals for each location and pinned some items that I'm interested in. I also hung up or folded and shelved a bunch of clothes in my bedroom that were lying on the floor, and I rehung a curtain that had slumped. My mini goal for this weekend is to sort through more of the floor clothes and move "donate" stuff to the trunk of my car. I desperately need to see my bedroom floor again, but I know trying to do it all in a day will overwhelm me.

You're doing a great job! Despite stress (I hear you, I had a "hope it's not cancer" appointment this week as well), you've been keeping your eye on the ball and that's something to be really proud of. I'm not sure how the weather is by you, but where I am we're expecting a beautiful weekend, which makes being active so much easier. Here's to a great weekend!

A litter later than intended thanks to general spaciness, but here we go! Since this is my first challenge, I'm mostly trying to set up good habits rather than dive headfirst into hardcore training. Do Better: Take the stairs going UP at work at least once per workday (4 stories). I'm hoping this will be an "easy" one, since our floor's bathrooms are under renovation for two weeks, so we're forced to walk to other restrooms. Eat Better: Meal plan better, and make work lunches the evening before to avoid eating junk out of laziness/convenience. Limit candy to one piece per day. Feel Better: Use one creative power every day (drawing, singing, sewing, etc). BONUS: Come up with realistic goals for improving the house along with costs. Week One: My Bedroom. Week Two: Kids' Bedrooms. Week Three: Bathroom. Week Four: Outdoor Space. If this goes well, I'll add more to each segment and delve into some of the nitty gritty details with my next challenge!

Philly area fitness nerds...They DO exist! I'm just north of Phoenixville and work in KoP. Maybe some of us could get together at Valley Forge sometime?

Thank you, thank you! I am 100% up for a challenge! It sounds fun, and accountability is totally one of my biggest downfalls. The 19th is pinned on my calendar.

Hurray, introductions! After a whole 10 minutes of lurking (okay, maybe a little longer), I can tell that you folks are some awesome badass nerds. And I love you for that! Hopefully we can be badass together. A little about me: Hi! I'm Ally! I just turned 30 in December. Yep, I had that milestone like a brick wall. Coincidentally, so did my metabolism. I'm a married mom of two awesome young kids, a noisy Siamese, and a lovable oaf of a pitty. I work a desk job and live in the 'burbs. I've made some stellar milestones in my life over the past few years, like quitting smoking, getting my credit from "poor" to "good", owning a house, and securing a job that has longevity. I'm incredibly proud of these accomplishments, but the one thing that has taken a serious back burner has been my health. Before I had my daughter (she's almost 8), I was on the small side of size 4/6 and weighed something around 110 pounds. I'm 5'2" on a good day, so it was a good weight, but I maintained it in the least healthy ways possible (eating disorders). After my daughter was born, I lost around 45 preggo pounds and ended up around 125 and somewhere between a size 6 and 8. My jobs had me on my feet all day and I lived in the city and walked everywhere. After marrying an amazing guy, we moved out into the suburbs and were way more car-dependent and with scant income, we couldn't go out much and ate like crap. After my son was born (he's 4), I shed most of the baby weight, but stayed around a solid 135 pounds until I landed my current desk job. I've been here for about 2 years and am currently at about 195 pounds and barely squeeze into a size 14. Yikes. I feel slow, have hardly any energy, and generally just feel *blech*. Recently, my son said "Mommy, you just keep getting bigger!" (kids and their honesty, amirite?) and it made. my. heart. sink. A few months ago, I had been really gung-ho about hitting the gym (I have a prepaid membership for one year, thanks to my awesome employer) and eating right. It was literally my first gym-going experience, but I used that 20 seconds of courage to step through those doors and onto the cycle (and subsequently the weight machines, which I seriously enjoyed). I didn't see any fast results over the month and a half I was going at it, but I did feel stronger and I had more energy. Schedules changed a bit and my post-work and lunchtime workouts suddenly became impossible. That left.... the dreaded morning workout. I've been once since September. Ouch. And the progress I had made has fizzled away. So, here I am. Humbly asking that some of you kind folks can give me a BIG 'ole kick in the ass and help me motivate myself to get bag on ye olde wagon. I have all the reasons in the world to want to be healthier and no excuses. All I have to do is... well, do. Thanks for all of your amazing stories that I've read so far, and I really look forward to joining your leagues of awesomeness! I've attached a (public bathroom, ha!) picture of me from today. Let's hope it's the first of many steps toward much better.