Running in a Thong

When I hear someone say they don't have time to workout or eat healthy, I cringe.  I cringe because I used to operate on the same mentality - too busy, too tired, too this or too that.  Excuses fuel the CANNOT DO mindset and then in turn, confidence is lost.

Today, rushing from one thing to the next without breathing room is very typical.  It's easy to get lost in the hustle and bustle of life.  I know that once my alarm goes off (and sometimes even before), my brain starts going through the list for the day.  Then, as we get ourselves dressed and ready for the day, we are also getting the kids going, packing the day bags, making breakfast, and of course, making coffee.  By the time we head for the door, we are feeling ready for the day and frantic all at the same time.  It's easy to take care of everyone else and put ourselves last, right moms?

I really feel that the biggest mistake moms in particular make is not putting themselves first.  Then, when we don't accomplish our goals, that's when excuses come in to play and we use those excuses to make it "okay" to not accomplish our goals.  Every time another goal falls through the cracks, a little piece of us goes with it.  In no time flat we are left deflated, defeated and lacking worth.  We can hide those feelings for a long time until one day we realize how unhappy we have actually become.  

The best thing I ever did for my family was to put my health first.  Three years ago was the first time I seriously embraced my fitness and health for more than just the vanity of it.  After losing 50 pounds and feeling the best I've ever felt, I knew I was on the path to changing my life.  Then, after a bout of laziness while pregnant with our now 1 year old, all of that has been put back into perspective for me again.  I found after gaining the weight back that I was blue, even during the happiest time of my life.  Starting back on our weightloss and fitness journey has helped me find my confidence and happiness again.

Just like everyone, I'm busy.  I rush from one thing to the next, but I no longer make excuses - I pack my healthy snacks, I pack my workout clothes, and we plan our workout times.  I get tired, I am sore, and I sometimes just "don't wanna", but I'm not letting excuses hold me back anymore.  I am important.  

And yes, I've forgotten "certain" workout clothes and had to run in a thong.  Not my brightest moment but also, not as uncomfortable as one would think.

Make your health a priority.  

No excuses in 2014.

Anora13.myvi.net

Time to Change it up!

First, this is a tough week and I truly appreciate my friends reaching out to make sure I'm okay.  Thank you.  Your outpourings of love keep me smiling.  

As you know from my last blog, I have been stuck.  My good friend Jodi did some research and suggested that I change my routine.  So I'm bringing back the couch to 5K app and passing on the meltdowns (sorry to my meltdown buddies...we shall meltdown one day again).  Really, I just need a break from meltdowns - 6 months is awhile to do the same exact exercises.

Today I was back to day one of Couch to 5K.  It went great.  I'm sure I won't be saying that in a couple weeks, I have to say it was a great change of pace (ha) and my body feels energized yet worked.  It won't be easy the entire time.  It'll get more difficult.   But I'm up for a new challenge.  Last night as I was Watching Seamus waddling as he learns to perfect his walk, it was a great metaphor for me - I just have to keep trying...keep doing and never give up.  

A Peek Back

Coming up on the near end of our second 90-day Challenge, I'm finding myself looking back to 6 months ago to our first day.  For those who haven't heard the story, David (my brother) and I along with our spouses decided to start a 90-day challenge through Challenge Fitness with ViSalus.  I set up a time to meet with Dean and the four of us went to the gym.  I reassured my team that it was just for us to get weighed, measured and pictures.  Oh was I wrong.  Well, we did get weighed, measured and pictures....but we also endured our very first meltdown.  Let's just say it was a VERY quiet car ride home. That day changed us.

So here we are almost to the end of our second challenge.  I needed a comparison pic.  I needed to see my success - lately I've been feeling so frustrated over this plateau I've reached.  Over four weeks stuck at the same weight.  Busting my ass at the gym and making smart food choices yet still stuck.  I know it's not just about the scale, but when I've still got so far to go, seeing the same damn number on the scale week after week is a bit unmotivating.  Gah.  So I'm going to take my own advice and just keep on keeping on.  Changing up my workouts and helping others work towards their goals, keeps me interested and inspired. 

Two years ago around the six month mark of losing weight, we somehow stopped caring and starting gaining the weight back.  Then I got pregnant and complacent.  I allowed the plateau to take over and discourage me so much that I gave up.  Today, I recognize that.  I see we are at that point again and this time I am not going to stop caring.  I will continue to believe in myself.  I believe I will see the results I want.  At the beginning I told myself...give it a year, then check the results.  I'm only (almost) halfway.  I may be stuck but I'm not stopping.  Not this time.  

Thank you to so many people who inspire me, support me and encourage me.  I love you all!  Jodi...special recognition to you <3

If you are ready for a change...come meet with me and Dean on Dec. 17 at 7 pm at the new Challenge Fitness location.  Click this link for more info: https://www.facebook.com/events/517790498316403/

My comparison pics

Breaking Cycles

Thunder thighs, pudgy and other fat names still echo in my ears from childhood.  Additionally, this family member would pretend the room was shaking as I walked in.  This, coupled with teasing at school, forever altered my self image.  This low self image was the breeding grounds for self hate, feelings of worthlessness and skewed ideals of beauty.  

My husband was picked on in school and was the kid who always got blamed for the altercations and therefore punished.  Between the relentless teasing and unhealthy role models, he found himself in the kitchen for comfort.  Causing a vicious cycle of emotional eating to form.  

First and foremost, this is not a blog to make anyone feel bad.  Patrick and I both know that hindsight is 20/20 and if our families had a redo, it would be different.  With that said, we also know that our family's unintentional messages forever loom in the back of our minds.  Therefore, we are doing our best to be intentional with our children.  Clearly, as humans, we make mistakes and we can only do the best of what we know.  So our best is cooking healthy meals together, working with them at the gym, discussing smart/healthy choices and also doing our best to listen.  As parents, we have to set boundaries with discipline; these are the years of shaping and developing, we can be friends later in life.  However, with discipline still comes loads of love and encouragement.  

We are breaking the cycles that were trained into our families.  We are stopping the cycles with us.  No more McDonalds or fast food for dinner because we're in a hurry, no more eating fatty food as a reward for good behavior or accomplishments, no more eating based on emotions.  We are starting new healthier habits.   We are helping our children make smart choices and we discuss with them when they make poor choices.  We have learned and now we are choosing different for our kids.  

In what ways are you breaking cycles?

This is me in high school:

Day (almost) 100

Confession time: I skipped the gym today.   

Yes, I feel a little guilt inside.  I worried about what my workout buddies think.  I was concerned how this would be received by my "followers."  However, with all the things happening (which I can't wait to publicly share), plus doing two meltdowns a day, 5-days per week....I needed a little extra break.  So I took one.  

Now it's the end of the day, and as I reflect on my choice to play gym-hookey, as much as I missed it, I think it was good for me at the same time.  Over the last five months, I've been super dedicated and stringent about going; by skipping today and ultimately forcing myself to be okay with that, it was a big step in showing myself that I'm completely imperfect and that is perfectly alright.

Tomorrow will be my 100th day at the gym.  Coincidence?  We shall celebrate with two meltdowns (Patrick suggests three if we can squeeze them all in before Akira's dance class).  

I like cottage cheese now

So here's the thing, when I was eating crap food, my body craved crap food.  Or at least my brain told my body that it craved crap food.  I mean, I was never like "Oh my gosh, you know what sounds amazing!?  BRUSSEL SPROUTS."  No, it was more like "pizza, French fries, carbs."

Now, since I've been eating healthy, that's what I want.  I took the kids to dinner a couple weeks ago and when asked if I wanted fries or onion rings with my sandwich, I denied and asked for a salad.  

I'm not going to say I never crave junk, because sometimes a Reese's or French fries do sound good.  Or when I walk into the office and the team has donuts or cupcakes, I cannot lie and say I'm not tempted.   However, I know that those foods are not going to help me to reach my goals. 

So awhile back, I decided to give cottage cheese another go.  I never really liked it before.  Well now, I love it.  My friend Dean convinced me to try a little yogurt with it, wow.  It's so amazing!  My favorite is strawberry yogurt with cottage cheese.

Point is...eat right even if you don't think you like it.  Our tastes are not set in stone and by eating more of a particular food, you'll learn to enjoy it and you'll retrain your brain.  Perhaps I should give fish another try.....

What foods do you crave?

-Anora
anora13.myvi.net

RESOURCE:  http://www.womansday.com/health-fitness/7-things-you-didnt-know-about-your-taste-buds-119709

Make Attainable Goals

There's a dress on a hanger in my livingroom.  I originally bought it to go out to a celebration of some sort after our second 90-day challenge (in December). Two weeks ago I put it on and it zipped up!!  I got super excited and decided to pump up my workouts to help slim down my "trouble areas."  I had a new goal to wear the dress (size 10) to the event I have on the 27th of this month.  

Last week I did one meltdown per day, plus weights and mad dance.  This week I'm doing two meltdowns per day.  Oh, and by "I," I mean Patrick, Tom, Jodi, Spencer, and Katie...

So here we are, a couple days before the event.  The last two weeks, I have been confident it would fit just as I imagined.  I put the dress on just to see how close I was...only to be disappointed.  The dress fit.  It zipped.   But it didn't quite look as I imagined it.  It wasn't bad, but it wasn't fantastic.  I felt the tears building up...I have worked so hard and felt I should look different...

I realize now that even though I worked harder than ever during workouts these last two weeks, it was still too late of a start and honestly the goal was very unrealistic - ambitious, but unrealistic.  I JUST got back into a 12, how could I possibly believe I'd be in a 10 that quickly.  What I've re-learned here is that it's great to make goals, to be ambitious and work extra hard for something; but in that same vain, I need to be realistic. 

So, not devastated anymore.  I am proud of my accomplishments (see the pic below of what I wore to work the other day!!).  I will fit into the dress, just as I imagined, in December!  

Anyone want to celebrate with me? 

Anora13.myvi.net

I'm *not* Normal, and I'm really okay with it

I started a blog all about how I'm just a normal person losing weight.  Then as I kept typing, I realized...you know what...no!  Fuck that, I am not "normal."

I am not busting my ass every day at the gym, and adding extra cardio once a week with mad dance just to be normal.  The American norm is sitting at home watching TV eating pizza or running from kid event to kid event and grabbing McDonalds in between.  That is not us.  We pack healthy home-made meals to take for in between kid events.  We gym, walk, mad dance (or other cardio), we do random push up contests at home or pull ups on our open back stairs.  We try new ab workouts on my exercise ball...Not normal.  

And truthfully, I am completely okay with that.  I've always been a little socially awkward, may as well be abnormal too.  

I want to inspire others to stray from the "Norm" ...  We could create a new norm. One that will enrich our lives, and help us to become all that we really can be.  

I can and I will achieve my goals.  So join me in being "not normal"....You will likely find me at Challenge Fitness M-F at 4 pm sweating like a champion.  

Xo - Anora

anora.myvi.net

Our First 90

Confession: I'm extremely embarrassed to post this because I am mortified by my before pictures.  However, I keep reminding myself, that's the old me.  I will never be her again, because I am sick of starting over. I will only keep going. 

This....is why I go to the gym 5-days a week.  

This....is why I Mad Dance every week. 

I can do things now that I have never been able to do my entire life, even including two years ago when I lost so much weight - I lacked lean muscle.  I can do an entire workout based around push-ups, side kicks through an entire dance song, planks, 130 squats and still going...I will finish the squat challenge and complete 250 squats......push-ups, push-ups, push-ups!  As my husband says, "Doing things you have never done before, in your entire life, is AMAZING."

I ViSalus not because it's a magic shake that will make me lose weight.  but I ViSalus because I know I have issues with food and ViSalus takes the worry out if eating.  It is convenient, healthy, easy to make and cheaper than eating out for lunch.  I never, not one time, have felt guilty for drinking a shake.  I know my body is getting fueled properly.  I know that by eating within my calorie allotment, I will be where I want to be.  

I will reach my goals because I believe in myself so I know I will see the results!

Our first 90-Day Challenge is complete. I have lost 13 inches and 18 pounds.  Patrick has lost 12.5 inches, 15 pounds and he's gained a lot of defined muscle...I assure you ;)

Let's see where 90 more takes us. 

Anora:   anora.myvi.net

Patrick:   pmo.myvi.net