Motivate Me Monday - 5/5/2014

Happy Cinco de Mayo! 

I hope this post finds you well! 

Every day we are faced with choices. I've been focused on my daily choices and how they affect my personal health and wellness goals. So when I saw this image today on Pinterest, I knew it was meant to be to share it here. Because, also (ironically) I've also started up again doing Jillian Michael's DVDs again. 

Saturday I did a few circuits of No More Trouble Zones and on Sunday I did Level 1 of her 30 Day Shred. I also went for a 4+ mile walk with my friends. 

Feeling great and continuing to choose the right choices for my goals. I'm about 7-8 pounds from my goal weight now and for the first time in a few years I'm ready to welcome spring and summer without feeling overwhelmed by skirts, shorts, tanks, tees and even (gasp!)  bathing suits!

~Carly

Ghosts of diets past & Day 4

Morning!

It's Day 4 of Cinch and I'm still loving it.

In doing this program and just in general, it's made me think back to my past efforts which I shall call:

Ghosts of Diets Past

Unfortunately, blogger doesn't offer any scary looking fonts. 

:sigh:

Since I've been actively dieting for well over a year now and nothing has really been working.

It's truly safe to say that hormonal weight related gain (or loss for that matter) is a completely different beast (oh yes. BEAST) to lose as opposed to me just getting regular fat.  And, by regular fat, I mean being lazy, overeating horrible foods, etc.

Pregnancy-related weight gain seems to be a huge issue for quite a lot of moms out there - look at all the chat boards like Cafe Mom, Baby Center and more who have boards dedicated to weight loss.  There's lots of sites out there geared towards losing the baby weight.  Well, at least everywhere I look anyways.

Just to re-cap for my own purposes here's what I've tried and have been unsuccessful at this past year:

1. Relying on chasing two toddlers and breast feeding to lose weight
2. Going low-carb (a few times) to see if I could drop a few pounds
3. Working out with Jillian Michaels DVDs and going to the gym 3-5 times a week
4. Tracking and closely monitoring every calorie I ate via my iPhone - first on the Lose It! application and then switching to MyFitnessPal (since July 2011)
5. Adding in a daily green smoothies (or at least every other day)
6. Eating more whole foods and less processed foods in general
7. Consciously not eating off of the kids plates, finishing their snacks or eating any of their leftovers
8. Staying away from added sugar unless it came from fruit, veggies or dairy

And, most recently, to add to this list:

9.  I've switched to eating a Vegetarian style diet for the last three weeks.  I guess I would consider it a lacto-ovo vegetarian diet meaning I am eating dairy and egg products.
10.  In conjunction, I have just started the Cinch Inch Loss Plan - four days ago now.

I'm hoping a plant based diet and Cinch is just what I need to finally lose some pounds and inches and finally lose this stubborn baby  toddler weight.

Have a great day and I'm off now to make my Cinch breakfast shake!
~Carly

Happy Leap Day & a word about BPA

Hello!  It's snowing here in Connecticut - after being close to 50 degrees yesterday.  I'm longing for the warmer weather!

I recently read a book that I borrowed from the library by my fave Jillian Michaels called Master Your Metabolism.  I highly recommend reading it!

It was a quick read and offered loads and loads of practical advice.  One of which is to rid your diet of chemicals, sugars and other toxins.  We've all heard about unsafe plastics and chemicals such as BPA and how we need to avoid these as much as possible.

Luckily, there are companies and products out there that have hopped on this bandwagon of being BPA free and they are becoming widely available.  I recently ordered from a company called Lock&Lock because I purchased an online promotion from Plum District.  I actually work for Plum District as a District Consultant.  If you haven't heard of Plum District - let me tell you. It.is.Awesome.

Okay - short schpeel :)  Plum District is an online daily deal site whose goal is to "Make Mom's Day" by offering great discounts on restaurants, beauty, clothing, accessories and products both locally and nationally.  Check them out and sign up for your area today.  Trust me, you won't be sorry you did - I promise!  I'm not just saying that because I work for them.  I'm not just an employee, but I'm also a customer :)

So, anyways - back to my Lock&Lock order that arrived today! Check it out!

Here's my order containing: one spatula, one pretty green water bottle and 17 pieces of food storage containers and lids from their Simple & Easy line.

I am seriously blown away at the look, quality and how pretty they actually are!  I love the orange color and it's got this pretty leaf design on the lids, too!

They're easy to clean, use and store.  And, the best part is, they are BPA free and offer a high level of food safety to keep food both fresh and safe.

I cannot wait to use them and get rid of my old containers!  I certainly can't wait to use my new, super pretty green water bottle with leaves on it.

Lock&Lock also has some really awesome home, bath and kitchen products too.  I plan to spend more time on their web site and order a few more things soon!  I really want this EcoMug! (Ahem, hubby if you're reading this) :)

So, here's a few things for you to consider adding to your to-do list:

1.  Get rid of all your BPA products.  If you're not sure use the "when in doubt, throw it out" motto I've come to know and love.  Then, check your local store for some new ones or just check out Lock&Lock.
2.  Next time you're at the library or are browsing on your iPad, nook or kindle - check out Jillian's book.
3.  Sign up for Plum District.

Have a great Leap Day!
~Carly

Squeeze in the Exercise

Happy Tuesday!

It's really hard to fit in "me" time once you have kids.  Like, really hard.  I was guilty of this before having kids - thinking things like "Oh, come on.  How hard can it be to grab a coffee with your friends or go out once in awhile? They are just babies and kids, how hard can it really be?"

Um. Yeah.  Silly pre-kiddo me thinking those crazy thoughts!  It is really hard.  And it's because it's not just the mere fact that you have kids.  It is way bigger than that.  It's your entire life that shifts and your priorities change to ensure these precious beings become the focus.  And yes, the needs of myself and my husband take the back burner for a bit and our kids become the priority.  It's not a bad thing.  It's just the way it is for us.  I'm finding it's the case for some other parents I know also.  We don't intend for it to happen, but somehow it does. (As they have gotten older, I'd like to note we have gotten some of that time back, but are working on getting more!)

So, how do you get back on track?  How do you sneak in those well-deserved and much needed "me" moments?  And, if those "me" time moments include a focus on getting healthy, or exercise - like it is right now for me - how can it be accomplished while keeping all the other balls in the air from crashing down around you?

Well, it's not easy, but with some planning, it can be done.

During the day, it's hard to do.  I've recently re-joined a gym here in town and they have babysitting while you work out.  It's been wonderful - I get some "me" time while I work out.  It's a double win for me.  After that, it's back to taking care of the kids, squeezing in work here and there, cleaning, household tasks, feeding the kids, feeding the dog, feeding myself, activities with the kids, etc. etc. But, I look forward to that time now that it's become enjoyable and fun for me again.

However, if you don't have the luxury of joining a gym, what do you do to fit exercise in?  After I had my first child, I relied on nap time and some great work out DVDs.

But then, one day, I made an awesome discovery that I'm not sure too many know about or don't realize they have access to.  And, it's on your TV.

If you have cable and the "On-Demand" programming feature, there's a section under the free areas called Health and Wellness (note: names of these may vary depending on your cable provider).  Under that section is something called Exercise TV and it has quite a few work out choices on there - ranging from 10 minute workouts to 45 minute ones.  There's dance, cardio, strength, yoga and pilates.  They feature some popular workout trainers too - including Jillian Michaels, Bob Harper and more!

Here's a few more tips:

• If you have an iPad, tablet or a lap top computer - you can find tons and tons (and tons) of free online workouts from Shape, Fitness Magazine, Prevention and even videos on YouTube and more.
• When it's warmer weather, grab some friends and a stroller (nothing fancy needed) and get out and hit the trails or your neighborhood for a walk.
• I know it sounds silly, but when you're folding laundry or washing dishes or doing any of the chores around the house - add in some squats or suck your belly into your spine and contract your abs for intervals of 30 seconds. 
• Run up and down the stairs a few times
• When you put away the groceries, do a few bicep curls with your jarred goods or the milk jug
• If you're on the floor with your kids, play airplane with them (safely of course and if they are old enough) by laying down on the floor with your knees bent.  Then, place the bottoms of your feet, grabbing their hands with yours and letting them fly through the air by you extending your legs in the air.  You can even make them go up and down in a leg press motion.  My kids love this and I work out my legs a bit!

Just remember, any little thing you can do can help squeeze in that exercise!


How do you fit in exercise in your day?  I would love to hear your tips and tricks, too!

If you can't beat 'em...

Yes, that old saying "If you can't beat 'em, join them."  We've all heard that used in reference to all sorts of situations.

A few months ago, feeling frustrated that (yet again) another day would go by without me exercising, I decided to pop in a work out DVD and do it with my kids in the room.

This may sound silly and ridiculous - but as any parent knows - the minute you sit down on the floor, couch, bed, chair or anywhere - if your kids are anything like mine - they plant their cute butts right next to you, on you or climb into your lap (or general vicinity).

The scenario pretty much went like this:

I started putting on my running/exercise shoes.

My three year old daughter enters the room and sees me doing this and says: "Where are you going?"
Me: "Nowhere."
Daughter: "Why are you putting on shoes?"
Me: "Because I'm going to do some exercise!"
Daughter: "Why you going to do some exercise?"
Me: "It's good to exercise - keeps you healthy and strong."
Daughter:  "Okay, Mommy. You go do exercising."  She wandered into the other room, then came back a few seconds later when she heard me putting on the TV.

Daughter promptly returns to room and continues with her line of questioning.
Daughter: "Mommy, who's that on the TV?"

Enter two year old son to the scenario.
Son: "Who 'dat, Mama?"
Me: "That's Jillian.  She's going to show me how to do exercises." (The DVD was Ripped in 30 for those who are curious)
Son: "Jill-ee-ann?"
Me: "Yes, Jillian."
Son: "Otay, Mama.  You do esserssisses."
Me: "Thanks, sweetie.  You want to do exercises, too?"
Daughter: "I do! I do!  Mommy can I do them, too? Can I?" I literally thought she was going to explode from excitement.

Here I was this entire time thinking I couldn't exercise because they were around.  My palm-to-forehead moment.

If I can't exercise without them, why not include them?

Brilliant!

So, that's just what I did.  They hopped around, did jumping jacks, crunches and other moves with me.  Did I almost hit them in the head a few times as they paced in front of me with my 4 lb. hand-weights?  Almost.  Were they "in my way" a bit? Of course.

But, it was an amazing moment for me as a mom - why would I NOT want to exercise around my kids?
I love that they see me taking time to exercise and work out.

I couldn't believe how long I had purposely avoided this!

So now, when I tell them I'm going to do exercises, they are actually my biggest supporters!

It's highly motivating to hear my daughter or son ask me "Are we doing exercises today?" or "Mom, can we go to the gym?"

How do you say no to that?