Best of Intentions

So I had the best of intentions when I decided I wanted to work out 3 times a week. The first week went by and I worked out twice because Evelyn started teething and was a pill. Second week went by and I still wasn't really working out because I got sick. Third week I didn't work out at all and I don't even have an excuse for it. Here I thought I can do this, I can devote 30 minutes 3 times a week to working out even if it's just a walk around the neighborhood. Guess I was wrong.

Looking back this is how it always goes for me. This happens in all areas of my life not just exercising. Commitments to get my daily devotional time on track, commitments to prayer, commitments to taking care of my house. They all start out with a heart full of good intentions then fizzle out not long after.

I want to break this cycle. I can't tackle them all right now though. I think the best plan of action is to get my daily time praying and reading my bible (or going through a devotional book) back on track. I need to make that a habit before I can begin on all the other stuff. If I have time for all the other stuff great! But first and foremost I need that time with God. I know that if I can get that area of my life back where it should be then the rest will fall into place.

Maybe I'm just a little on the depressed side today. I don't know. But all of this has just got me down. For right now though I'm going to try to focus on the positive and look for the joy God has given me.

Tightening Our Bootstraps

I have tried to not hide the fact that we have fallen on hard times financially. Nick has been out of full-time permanent work since last May. (I blogged about it here) After over a month of just helping his dad remodel the home they are moving into he's back out on Base working temporarily. (I'll blog more about that whole situation later.)

We have given up a lot lately as far as extras. In doing my part to help us save money I have tried to be very intentional about how much I spend on groceries and make things that are not only inexpensive, but also make leftovers for lunches.

My way of being intentional means planning 2 (or so) weeks of grocery shopping at a time. Now I usually have to go back to pick up more fresh ingredients once or twice, but over all I do the majority of my grocery shopping twice a month. I've found that not only does this help cut down on gas driving to and from the grocery store, but it helps me utilize all of the things I buy. For example if I buy a bag of tortilla chips I try to use them for at least 2 meals so that I can actually use the whole bag verses throwing half of it away because we never finished it.

I also have a buffer in my grocery budget so that I can buy extra of certain things when I see them on sale. One of the things I do this often with is cheese. I refuse to buy it full price unless I absolutely have to. So that means when I see it cheap I stock up on the kinds we use the most. You have to make sure you are buy things that last quite awhile when you do this or be planning to freeze things. I haven't started freezing cheese yet, but it's suppose to work pretty well if you shred it first.

This being intentional has also meant I have to be intentional about getting dinner ready. Because we all know that if dinner gets left to the last minute running to McDonald's is so much easier then cooking anything. So this has meant that I have started to use Evelyn's napping to not only get the house cleaned up, but I try to have everything at least prepped for dinner before Nick ever gets home. For example tonight we are having Crockpot Taco Soup. I have the soup cooking away already and I also have all the toppings chopped up, shredded and waiting in the fridge for dinner time. Now all I have to do is pop some biscuits (from a tub, ha!) into the oven just before we want to eat. Not only does this make dinner easy, but it also leaves me with lots of time to spend with Nick when he gets home. (Since we go to bed when the baby does I try to make the most of my time with him.)

All of this has taken some getting used to. Honestly I'm probably not all that used to it. Some days I still forget about dinner entirely and it's a rush to get something on the table before 6. I'm trying though and it is getting easier. I'm hoping I can just start making this a habit!

Not Going As Planned

So I've hit a stumbling block in my plans to work out 3 times a week. I got some kind of cold. It came with a sore throat & stuffy nose. Thankfully I'm feeling better.

Unfortunately now my child has decided that she wasn't going to sleep very well so I have no energy for anything. Plus it's snowy so I couldn't go for a walk. Which means I'd have to do my Pilates dvd anyways, which I'm not a fan of. I know, I know, listen to all my excuses.

I'm still gonna try to work out at least a couple of times. Even if that means I do my Pilates dvd. But for today I'm gonna take it easy.

Off to a Slow Start

So I had meant to work out this last weekend. Didn't happen. Instead I took care of teething 3 month old while my husband was on base both days for drill.

Needless to say my working out goal has gotten off to a slow start. But alas I did manage to go for a 25 minute walk today with the baby.

Hey you got to start small I guess.

Baby Weight...Ugh!

At first I was super happy with how quickly all my baby weight came off. Not to mention very happy that all my puffiness was gone. I was someone who looked bloated the whole time I was pregnant. I'm talking slight double chin and everything. Now though I'm really starting to realize that weight is just a number. I feel (and look, at least in my opinion.) super out of shape.

As of now I weigh less then I did when I got pregnant. I have Christmas last year & a January trip to Mexico with free drinks (Hello free pina colada!) to thank for the extra 10 pounds I was carrying when I got pregnant. And while I was never really an "in shape" person (I've always hated working out.) before pregnancy, I didn't feel like I looked completely out of shape either.

Maybe it's all my old insecurities coming back (I struggled with crash dieting as a teen, to the point that long time I was eating one or less meals a day.) or maybe it's just hard to adjust to my post pregnancy body. Whatever it is I would really like to start making and effort, no matter how small, to start working out.

So I'm gonna try to work out at least 3 times a week. I'm also going to try to eat better. More like I ate with my gestational diabetes, because lately the leftover Christmas treats have been killing me. I'm gonna be more focused on the working out less focused on the food, because that's healthier for me. I'm planning to use the blog as a means of accountability. I plan to blog each day I work out, even if it's only to say what I did.

Well here goes it! We'll see how long this lasts...

Edit:

25 min. walk around the neighborhood with Evelyn in the stroller. I was right I'm out of shape!