a new year, a new you!

it's january!

that means it's time to get right. there are new workout plans. new fad diets. new, crazy "lose weight fast" plans. i've gotten plenty of fliers requesting me to join their gym for a nominal fee. i've also seen plenty of "runners" out on the street. and don't forget about those weight watches and jenny craig commericals.

i am happy for anyone who wants to make their body right. but it's hard work. it's a commitment and a lifestyle change. there is nothing "fast" about it. i've been doing what i've been doing for almost two years now and i still tweak it and change it to keep improving myself.

i have no huge goals for january or this year, other than to keep kicking ass [pretty great goal, eh?]. although, here are a few things i will be working on.

my strict workout plan:
i still do bodyrock.tv everyday. currently they are doing "HIITMAX" each day they post a video that is at least 12 minutes long. you start with workout 1 on monday. then on tuesday you will do workout 1 again and add the new video, workout 2. then on wednesday you will do workout 1, workout 2, and add workout 3....and so on until friday. it's really tough. i haven't been able to complete all five videos at one time, if that tells you anything.

here is the link for the first HIITMAX: workout 1 [if you'd like to check it out]
that post will explain the format in greater detail.

here is a link for the current "season". each "season" is 4/5 weeks long.
HIITMAX - season 3: workout 51 [start with fit test] and workout 52

in addition, each month bodyrock posts a calendar challenge, such as situps and pushups, or burpees. each day [or week] it progressively gets harder/more intense. i never choose to do them. well, this month i am. it is a combination of burpees, pushups, squats, and skipping [jumping rope].
check it out here: dailyhiit blog - january "just go" challenge

food:
for the most part, i've always maintained a good eating regime. almost all homemade, organic, and clean diet. this month i want to eat as clean as possible. that means packaged foods. no pretzels, no tortilla chips. no beer [gasp!]. no eating out [although, we have a few farm-to-table restaurants that i could probably eat at].
the few things i kept: vanilla yogurt, whole milk, and coffee.

it takes a lot of planning to make sure there is enough food to feed this hungry face. especially when it all must be made from scratch. ALL OF IT. but it's fun to create new recipes and things to eat.

other thoughts...
i want to challenge myself more physically. so we will be looking to sign up for more 5k races, even if they are silly in nature. the first race? hopefully cupid's undie run in raleigh. and no, i am not kidding.

we also are going to join the gym [yes, even after i made the smart ass gym comment]. that probably won't happen for a couple of months due to other life events. we want to make sure we are using what we are paying for. so my best guess is april. we want to be a part of the gym for access to more things - variety of cardio machines, weights, classes, racquet ball, indoor pool, outdoor equipment [kayaks!]. this will also amp up our exercise regime and performance.

whew. that's a lot for just january. i'll follow up in february. but so far, so good. :)

do you have diet/exercise goals for this year?

xoxo,
ks

Healthy LIFE

my fitness journey started almost a year ago. april 8, 2013 to be exact. how am i able to remember the exact date? it was keith's first day of his then new job. prior to us moving out to greenville i had fallen off the fitness wagon. the stress of moving, packing and finding a place to live trumped keeping up with my workout regime. once we moved and got settled in, i figured we had this new life, so it would be a great time to start over with a new me.

laziest, but cutest workout buddy ever ;)

april 8, 2013

i started off with 10 minutes a day. it's all i could find motivation for. i would do pieces of my insanity videos. some strengthening and core. it probably took me two months to make it a routine. two months of light workouts to make it an essential part of my day. but then i realized, "hey i don't have a job. i need to maximize all the free time available to me." i started working out anywhere between 30 minutes to 2 hours a day. during this time my workouts consisted of any combination of cross fit, dailyhiit, and insanity. no wonder i could workout for 2 hours! i decided i would make working out my life...until i found a job.

well, august 2013, i found a job. and guess what? working out is still every bit as much a part of my life. because i had spent 4 months working so hard to get in shape and lose weight, i wasn't going to stop now. there were still goals to reach. i want to be strong and look strong. i want a six pack. i want to feel confident in my body. so, i still workout.

in december, keith and i ran a 5k. it was a fun run. but it was nice to be able to go out for a 3 mile run and feel fucking awesome. plus, it has motivated me to want to run more. just another type of exercise for me to add to my regime.

the long winter months got tough. motivation wore thin. being inside and frigid cold for 3 months made exercise challenging. it was difficult some days to convince myself to change out of warm, cozy clothes into my workout clothes. but i knew if i didn't workout...that would feel worse. so, as hard as winter was...we plowed through it.

and now, april 2014, one year later. my motivation soars. a day without a workout feels awful. i haven't quiet figured out how to have an active rest day. i know my body needs rest and i do my best to listen to it. i don't have a weekly schedule. i just go with what feels right for that day. i try to workout between 4-6 days in a row before taking a day off. some days are more intense than others. some days are long workouts. some days are short. every day i try to give it everything i've got.

in october i posted my measurements before i started the bodyrock.tv 30 day real time challenge [RTC]. i never shared with you my 'after' measurements. i will today. they are for me and for you. i am well beyond the 30 day RTC, but it always great to review your progress. i am not a believer in checking in everyday as i feel that can be discouraging if you don't see results 'fast enough' or 'high enough' or 'large enough'. i think it is more important that you are comfortable in your clothes than what the scale says. i'm not much for sharing before and after photos, so this will have to do ;)

before measurements                         current measurements

bust: 34                                              bust: 33
chest: 29.5                                         chest; 27.5
waist: 28                                            waist: 26
hips: 35.5                                           hips: 36
right thigh: 21                                   right thigh: 19.5
left thigh: 21.5                                   left thigh: 19
left arm: 11.5                                     left arm: 12
right arm: 11.5                                   right arm: 13

i lost about 2 inches almost everywhere [wow! awesome!!]. i fully expected to gain inches in my arms and legs due to gaining muscle. so i am kind of surprised that my thighs lost so much. i should check my measurements again in another 3-4 months to note any additional changes.

it's been a year since i began this journey and i am in the best shape of my life. i am still searching for those 6-pack abs. but i think about it, true peak fitness is difficult to achieve. think of ALL the years of junk food and alcohol and couch surfing i have done [more than i care to discuss]. i have given my body some bad stuff. toxic stuff. we all have. so, to erase all of that, to get rid of fat and build muscle, well that is going to take a long time too. and i am in it for the long haul.

and to have a healthy body isn't just all about exercise. i could workout as hard as i wanted to every single day, but if feed my body crap, all my efforts will be rendered useless. abs are made in the kitchen. your diet has to be as great as your workout plan. ask anyone close to me, and they'll tell you that i am kind of ridiculous about what is in my food. when it comes to your food choices, less is more. lisa, [the bodyrock.tv host that i LOVE], suggested doing a 1-ingredient challenge. so basically you only eat foods that have one ingredient [apples, chicken, lettuce, bananas, rolled oats]. you, of course, can combine 1-ingredient items to other 1-ingredient items [ex: apples, bananas and milk to make a smoothie]. i love this idea. it's tough, but it will tune you into what you really should be eating.

so, by being physically fit and maintaining a healthy diet, it quickly spills over into other aspects of my life. i sleep better. not that i ever had trouble sleeping, but now i feel like i have a deeper, more meaningful sleep. i am less stressed. again, not that ever feel stressed, but by feeling healthy, the little things in life that i might have worried about, don't seem to wrinkle my feathers as much. i am happier. i am, by nature a happy person, so my being healthier has had an exponentially positive effect on my happiness.

when you feel good about yourself, inside and out, it will transfer to the rest of your life. just the same as if you felt poorly about yourself. that is why the saying goes, "love yourself first...". it's so true. there is only one YOU. love it and care for it the best way that you can.

now that i finally feel "in shape", it is sometimes hard to stay motivated. it's like, "ok, now what?" but i constantly remind myself that getting into shape was just the beginning. staying in shape and staying healthy for the rest of my life. but in order to do that i have to keep goals. for now, i have pretty basic goals. eventually i'd like to take my fitness level to a more competitive nature.
my healthy goals for this year?
run 2-3 5ks [and hopefully an 8k]. try to find another sport to get involved in [biking or kayaking...maybe]. find more local foods to eat. continue to make as much food/meals as we can from scratch. 

i can't really put into words how amazing this journey has been. a healthy lifestyle is just that for me...my life. any other choice is now no longer an option.

except for cupcakes. ;)

xoxo,
ks

no spend month

....well kinda.

this idea came from another blog and i wish i could find it to give the author their due credit. here is an example of one family's journey through no spend month. if you google "no spend month" TONS of blogs, articles and website come up. imagine that.

now, don't get all excited thinking "how can you go a month without paying your bills?!" i wish. do you know how much money we'd really save up!?!? we'll still pay our bills. you know, so we can keep our roof over our head.

here's how our no spend month works:
it consists of $250 cash for the essentials. for the month. that's it. simple rules. our essentials? food and gas. if we can't buy it within our budget, it will have to wait until next month. or walk to work.

we did make an error at the beginning of the month by failing to make sure both cars had full tanks of gas. so we were out $35 by day 3. ugh. not a good start. so tip #1, fill up your gas tank(s) before your no spend month starts.

initially we had a hard time figuring out the food piece of it. a typical week costs consists of $23 towards papa spuds and then $40-60 in other groceries. That amount would be far too high to be successful at no spend month. so this month we are not doing papa spuds. that eliminates $92 right there! also, we are new members of BJs wholesale club. we thought we could get a month's worth of groceries from BJ's all under $100. That would leave us some extra money for things we forgot or might want throughout the month and for gas. Well, in order to stockpile groceries, we had to plan out our meals for breakfast, lunch and dinner. what a task! however, now that it's done...it's done! FOR A WHOLE MONTH. plus, i only spent $91 at BJ's today. it felt so good to spend only $91 and come home with SO MUCH STUFF.
the most beneficial part of my trip was that i had a list. i always do, but it was specific to our needs for the month. i couldn't deviate from it due to the budget. having a set budget was another great thing about my trip. i actually calculated my costs before i went to check out. by doing that i realized i was going to be over budget so i had to rethink buying some items. i had to be strategic in what i bought. i didn't just throw things in the cart because "it looked yummy" or because "i wanted it". everything i bought serves a purpose.

we have had 2 doctor visits this week totaling $65, including prescriptions. do we include this as part of our no spend month budget? in my opinion, no. our no spend month budget is for only food and gas, our essentials. however, each family can designate their budget to be larger or smaller and to include whatever they'd like. for example, we could have made our budget $400 and that would have also included doctor bills and drugs and other miscellaneous expenses. however, with our no spend month plan we simplified our costs and put them into three categories: food, gas, and bills. basically all of our fixed costs (meds, rent, utilities, etc) we considered a bill. a doctor visit and prescribed medication, whereas variable, does not fit really into the food or gas category. it most closely lines up with the bill category, sorta. for our purposes that is where it will go. for your no spend month you can designate your cost however it fits your budget best.

as we left the doctor's office today, we were hungry. we knew it would be easiest to stop and pick up something to eat. especially the deliciously smelling chic-fil-a that is located right next door to our doctor's office. and of course, we have the option to do that, we just have to deduct that cost from our remaining budget. after all, a fast food lunch definitely falls into the food category. however, we weren't willing to lose $12 of our budget to just one meal. so, as yummy as chic-fil-a sounded and smelled, we passed on by.

even though we are only 5 days into january, i will say we are off to a good start. we are really excited about it. also, having cash makes you very aware of how much you have to spend. when it's gone, it's gone. no spend month has also made us very aware of our spending choices. we can't just by things "willy-nilly". we actually think about what we are buying and why we are buying it. does it have a purpose? do we need it? can it wait? will i starve without it?

i think our next challenge for the month will be: being social without spending money. suggestions? friends and family, what would you like to do this month?!?!

xoxo,
ks