Happy Birthday to Me!

The past few days have been filled with so much awesomeness!  I was blessed to be able to celebrate the gift of another year on the 16th and it was only fitting to keep the party going alllll weekend. Here are the top six reasons my birthday weekend was off the chain.

1. Best. Brunch. Ever.  I love food and no real celebration (for me at least) is complete without good eats.  I have been wanting to check out Batter & Berries for a while so when my sweet parents offered to treat me to a bday brunch, I knew exactly where I wanted to go.  Hands down, it was the best brunch I've ever had in my life! First, we shared a french toast flight with different flavors--blueberry, white chocolate, raspberry and more!  For my main dish I tried the deconstructed chicken fajita omelet with cheesy hash browns. Words can't explain the party that was going on in my mouth!  The food was delicious and the service was unlike any I've experienced in a long time.  I'll definitely be hitting B&B up in the near future.  If you are from the Chicago land area, you should too! You will thank me later.

 

2.  Sunshine.  Besides the random clouds on Friday (boo), the weather this weekend was beautiful! I am convinced that I am at my absolute best self when the sun is shining.  I made it a goal to be outside as much as possible to take advantage of the weather and it did not disappoint.  I had some great outdoor workouts (no days off!) and in some very weird way, I think I might be starting to enjoy running.  Just a little bit though, lol.  This might sound corny, but I really felt like God was smiling down on me through the sunshine this weekend. Thanks Lord!

3.  Pink Berry.  I know, I know....another mention of food....but ya'll already know! I have totally been sleep on this place. There was a line out the door and it was definitely worth the wait. I tried a small cup of coconut frozen yogurt with kiwi, mango, blueberries and yogurt chips.   So yummy and pretty healthy for a dessert.  Just like B&B, I shall be back very soon.

4.  Better BMI.  I went for my annual check up and got some great news:  Thanks to consistency with working out and eating more healthy, my Body Mass Index (BMI) is officially under 30!  BMI is measure of body fat based on height and weight.  A BMI over 30 is considered obese.  Yep, I was obese.  I'm still not where I want to be, but am praise dancing all over the place for the strides I have made to get healthy and thus lower my risk for all kinds of terrible health conditions.  I hope you catch the vision too.  You won't regret it!

5.  The Dress.  2 months ago, I saw a dress that I absolutely loved but was too small for me at the time. I decided to buy it anyway and set a goal to wear the dress on my birthday.  Well, I wore the dress (see below) and I can't lie....I felt darn good in it! Hard work and dedication pay off and don't you ever forget it.  Time to pick a new goal dress!

6.  My Peeps.  Birthdays are always a time of reflection and a reminder of how blessed I really am.  I am thankful to my family and friends that helped make my birthday extra special.  Your love and support means so much.

There are some things that I'm not pleased with in life right now, #nofilter, as I think the kids say these days, lol.  But in the midst of it all, I know that I am blessed. There is purpose in pain and God has a plan. The joy of the Lord is my strength.  Flowing from my heart is gratefulness.  (*Warning: Prepare to go in while listening to this song...I know I did.)  Glory to God!

Keep on Trucking!

Loosing weight is hard.  Apparently, so is keeping this blog updated.   I had such high hopes to keep this thing fresh and now it's been months since my last post.  Boo.

I have enjoyed every second of every post that I have written so far.  So why the crickets?  The sad but true answer is that I haven't been the best steward of my time.   I've found myself spending more time on things that have been depleting my energy vs. giving me the refill that I  need to live a fulfilled life.

I had lunch with a friend a few weeks ago who helped me see that perhaps I was spending too much time maintaining who I am today vs. investing in the person I want to become.  Boom.

I'm in the process of identifying the things that feed my soul and working on rearranging my life in a way that allows me to do more of that stuff and less of all the other crap.  I am purposed for more than what I am currently experiencing.  It's up to me to take action.

So on to what you really care about.  How am I doing with my fitness journey?  Well, I'm still on it.

My birthday is next week and according to a post from January, I was supposed to be 50 pounds lighter and in a two piece bathing suite by then.  Yeah, um....that's not going to happen.  My comfort level in a one piece is still questionable.

However, I'm doing a lot of things right.  I exercise 4-5 days a week and eat more cleanly, but there is definitely room for improvement in the food department.  My "cheat days" have gotten a bit out of control.  I guess I started feeling myself and forgot that all it takes is a trip to White Castles, Dairy Queen or any type of Italian or Mexican meal for me to gain a pound, or two or three with the quickness. Anyway, I'm back to allowing myself one cheat day a week.

So far I am down 35 pounds and overall, I feel great!  I can see more muscle definition and I feel major strength and endurance improvements.  For example, running a mile when I was heavier felt like death.  Now I can run 3 miles non-stop.  That's gotta count for something.

The picture on the left was taken last March when I ran (quite slowly and painfully) the Leprechaun Leap (5K).  The picture on the right is a gym pic from about a month ago. Definitely not where I want to be, but I'll keep on trucking!

While it's too early to fully celebrate, I think it's important to acknowledge the mile markers along the way on this fitness journey.  While I'm not going to hit my goal in May, I will get there at some point.  And perhaps there will be photos to prove it.

Enough is Enough

So....it's been a while since my last post. Life got busy and I allowed the blog to take a back seat, but I'm bizzzack!

So much has happened over the past several weeks, including loosing five more pounds.  That makes a total of 30 pounds lost!  Yes folks, I have now shed the equivalent of a small child from my body. Woo hoo!

Like many people whose weight fluctuates, my closet is filled with a variety of sizes.  You know--the "fat" and "skinny" clothes.  Before I started getting serious about weight loss, I reached a point where the "fat" clothes were skin tight.  Talk about depressing.       

That brings me to a memory of a very humbling moment in my life.  As nothing I owned fit, I needed some new clothes.  I must have gone in ten stores in the mall and tried on hundreds of outfits to no avail. I looked terrible, and felt even worse.  Defeated, with tears in my eyes, I began to make my way back to my car.  On the way out, a store caught my eye and I reluctantly made one last stop.  

I walked in and was greeted by a very nice woman who asked me if I needed help.  I told her I was just looking.  Fifteen minutes later with a few shirts in hand, the clerk came over and asked if she could get me started in a fitting room. As I followed her to the back of the store, she uttered four words that I will never forget:  "When are you due?"   You guessed it-- I was in a maternity store.

How did I answer her?  I lied.  With a smile on my face, I told her I was four months preggers.  

Oh, and I was having a girl.

The clerk was so nice, telling me how I was "glowing" and that I was barely showing.  All the while I was dying inside.  Sure, I was dissapointed in myself for lying, but the truth is, I was too embarrassed to let her know that I wasn't pregnant---I was just fat. I thank God for that experience as it was a catalyst to change.  It wasn't too long after this day that I decided enough was enough and started to get my health and fitness in order.

To the right is a picture of me from last summer wearing one of the four maternity shirts I purchased that day.  My sister was the photographer and recently sent it as encouragement for how far I have come. The picture below was taken at the end of January of this year. Obviously there is a physical difference, but what you can't see is the story behind the pictures.  Sure I'm smiling in both photos, but the woman in the orange was sad and spiraling out of control. The woman on the right, still far from perfect, is stronger, more disciplined, joyful and working to better herself each day.  Praise God for progress!


We all experience valley's in life and I believe we must embrace those low moments. The key, however, is not to stay in that place--you must learn and grow. I hated the way I felt in that maternity store, decided that I never wanted to feel that again and took action, one step at a time, to move in a better direction.  

When will you decide enough is enough? 

Business Travel Struggles

While traveling for business this week, I found out just how challenging it is to maintain a healthy lifestyle on the road.  As I looked at my agenda for the trip, I knew it would be difficult to fit in gym time, so I packed resistance bands and a jump rope--- my go-to pieces of mobile gym equipment that I have grown to love.  The hotel actually ended up having a great gym and I made time for three workouts during the four day trip....even if it meant waking up extra early or going to bed a bit later.  The workouts weren't on the intensity level of my kickboxing classes, but they got the job done and I'm proud of myself for making it happen.

Eating, on the other hand, was a different story.  To give you a sense of the struggle, I was on the Daniel Fast to kick off the new year coming into the trip and now I'm not. While I ate as many fruits and veggies as possible, there were some days when NONE of the food options were Daniel Fast friendly (just imagine the typical conference junk...yuck!)  I just couldn't see how I was going to be able to keep my energy level up during the trip without food in my system.   I'll will definitely give the fast another try when I'm back home and can prepare my own meals. 

Another thing that makes staying healthy on the road (especially for business trips) difficult is that your sleep schedule is usually jacked up. While it was a productive and fun trip,  I was running around like a mad women and only getting about 4-5 hours of sleep per night.  There lots of research around how people who don't get eight hours of sleep on average weigh more than those who do. It annoys me when people brag about grinding so hard they don't sleep.  I don't think that's anything to be proud of.  Get your butt in the bed. 

Anyway, I can't wait to board this plane in a bit---please believe I will be all the way knocked out.  After all, I'll need to rest up for the intense workout I will be putting  myself through as soon as I get home.

Declaring My Goal

It's the third week of the new year and according to research, you've likely folded on at least one of your new year's resolutions. An info graphic developed by Betterment, an online investment company, shows that while 45 percent of Americans make promises for the new year, only about 8 percent actually achieve them.  Even worse, 25 percent don't make it past the first week. How's that for a 'Happy Monday' fun fact?

I recently met someone who had 50 resolutions for the new year.  While I commend that type of determination, I've chosen to go with quality over quantity in 2013.  While I'm not a fan of new year's resolutions per say, I do believe in on-going reflection and goal setting to become the best person you can be.  After much thought, I narrowed what could have easily turned into a long laundry list down to three SMART goals: Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic and Timely.

Sure, I have big dreams for my future, but these three are the priorities; things that hands down, I must make tangible progress on this year. And if I'm honest with myself, some of them are are repeat offenders to the goal list.  But that's OK. The past is over and it's never too late to make a change! One of the things I appreciate most about my list is that I believe the realization of these goals will have positive ripple affects on almost every other area of my life.  Let's give it up for building a solid foundation!

I've obviously been pretty transparent about one of my goals through this blog: to improve my health & fitness. I'm not going to lie, loosing 25 pounds feels amazing!  I went to the gym this weekend and picked up a 25 pound weight.  That thing was heavy! I couldn't believe I used to carry that around. While I'm proud of myself, I refuse to get comfortable. It ain't over yet. But let's be honest: it never will be.  This is about lifestyle change.

I haven't been specific about a number, but I know you are curious. So here it goes:  I want to loose 25 pounds by May 16 (my bday).  Oh, and I want to feel comfortable in a two piece bathing suit this summer.  I'm thinking of it as a bday present to myself.

There, I said it.  I'm both empowered and terrified.  But I'm focused. Five pounds a month is totally doable, with discipline and hard work. Each day, I will move in the direction of this goal, sharing with you along the way. You have now officially been enlisted as my accountability partner. 

If you are making progress on your goals this year, keep up the good work!  If you slipped, don't be too hard on yourself--no one is perfect. The key is not to give up. Every day provides a new opportunity to prove the statistics wrong and be part of that 8 percent!

Let's go get it!

Holiday Report Card

My holiday break was wonderful.  I rested, reflected, and spent time with some of the most important people in my life.  I also ate. A LOT.

As much as I tried to follow my own advice, I have to admit-- I slipped up on the nutritional front.  If I had to estimate, I probably made the wrong food choices 4 out of 10 times.  Mom's ribs called, and I answered--more than once. There were so many celebrations (engagements, reunions, etc.) that were of course accompanied by high-calorie, fattening food.  And I caved under the pressure.  

 Saying goodbye to my mane.  I 
am not my hair!

However, the holiday's weren't a complete bust.  I'm proud that I made exercise a should vs. a must.  Probably because I secretly knew that eating would be struggle city.  I worked out all but two days over the past week and a half. So what happened on those two days you ask?  I got my hair done the day before, lol.  Oh the plight of African-American hair and working out!

P90X and the YMCA were good friends this holiday season.  I also got creative with custom cardio routines and resistance bands when traveling.   Even so, I really missed my kickboxing routine as Keller's Martial Arts closed for the holidays.  I can't wait to get back into the  groove tonight!

So where did I net out?   This morning, the scale said that I maintained. I'd give that a B minus.  Could be worse, but definitely room for improvement. If you made some bad choices over the holiday's, don't beat yourself up.  Learn from your mistakes and keep it moving.  I'm realizing this journey is not about perfection but rather balance.  Especially if you are in it for the long run.  Happy New Year and New YOU!

How did you do with your fitness journey over the holiday's? How do you plan to start 2013 off right for a new you?