Constant Beginnings

Chris and I began a new adventure last night--Crossfit. I first learned about Crossfit when we lived in Massachusetts, but I was too busy being pregnant, dealing with life as a new mom and work to take the plunge. It intrigued me. I read blogs documenting the journeys of overweight, stressed Mamas who transformed themselves both mentally and physically through this activity. I love exercise. I love trying new things, but hate feeling incompetent or less than. It's a psychological war that plays out in my head. It's just a matter of if I let the fear paralyze me or not. Crossfit is popular here. It seems to be the "new thing" in the fitness world. A new gym opened in our little village, which offers crossfit classes. Chris and I took the leap. Our first class was a success. Being a new gym, their membership is low. That meant Chris and I were the only ones in the class. Of course, I didn't desire all the attention, but at the same time, it allowed us to not feel c...

Hold onto your seats for what I am about to say is shocking. Here it is. Are you ready? Don't faint in disbelief, but I have gone to the gym (and worked out ;) 7 times in the past two weeks. YAHOO!! I debated about posting because exercise and I tend to have an on and off again relationship since children. But, I really need to reclaim my body so I can have more kids--a bit contradictory but who wants to be lifted by a crane into the hospital bed or have to wear a moo moo their entire pregnancy? Not me! Back to the gym...I don't do a whole lot because, after all, who wants to watch the post baby flab bouncing up and down while they are running? I know I don't. Lovely picture, I know. I am sure my husband is shaking his head right now. On a side, if you've ever worked out at a gym on base you know what I am talking about. It isn't the typical experience where you've got fatties and skinnies. Oh no. I am/was by far the biggest person there. Not good for the self-e...

So, we were four weeks into P90X when our lives were flipped upside down by the house sale and move. It has been a crazy few weeks and although I am not wanting to get back on the wagon, I hear my body screaming at me--telling me to get off my big tooshy. I have my "skinny jeans" hanging on the door (a helpful tip from my pal Ali) and I'm ready to go. Tomorrow will be day 1 of my 53 day plan to eat healthfully and exercise. Yippee!! Jessica and Nate's wedding is just around the corner, so it seemed like a good marking point. I can hold off on eating the bag of mini cadbury eggs sitting in my cupboard until the April 26th at which point I will most likely eat the whole bag (Chris leaves for his year long deployment and I will be off on my 365 day journey of single parenthood with no family supports nearby--thank God for friends and family that will fly here at the ring of a phone!). Anyway, I've spent some time thinking about this tour at Hanscom and things I'd...

is a food scale. such a scary idea, but the food scale is a great little tool. i have "dieted" in the past, but followed the rules of thumb, such as 3 oz of meat being approximately the size of the palm of your hand. this method was far from exact, which is probably why my results on those diets were a bit slower to see. anyway, part of the diet portion of our plan specifies exact portion sizes. needless to say, we've been becoming slaves of the scale--food scale that is. it has been slightly eye-opening just how few cashews you get in 1 oz. or just how much 1/2 cup of rice actually is. we've been doing really well. weighing our food is pretty impressive in my opinion, but i am even more amazed at our willpower. we've held strong to our diet and workouts (although I'd rather not talk about the yoga--i think i only made it 20 minutes.) i don't think we've actually gone without eating take out food for two weeks since we've been married and i am pr...

We are four days into our new exercise/eating plan and this is what we feel like: We are TIRED! I have never done so many different types of push-ups or squats in my life. I am being thrown back to the hell of my preseason basketball days. Definitely a pain I've never wanted to relive. My muscles are screaming. Despite our physical pain, the eating part is rather easy. We've eaten fish, chicken, turkey, egg whites galore, low fat cheeses and lots of fruits and vegetables. Things are looking good. I've even made Claire ice cream with chocolate (MY FAV!!) and opened a lunchable for her only to find a delectable Hershey's Peanut Butter cup inside (mmm...mouth watering at the thought :) without having a bit!!. That is monumental. I am holding strong! Yahoo! Can't say I've noticed a difference on the scale yet, but realistically, I probably won't. I think I'll have to focus more on how my clothes are fitting as I will be turning this fat into muscle. I wi...