I will...

I will

 have a six pack.

I'm not sure when, 

but I'm on my way.

I've never had one.
I've never challenged my diet or my body.
After reading this info I KNOW I CAN do this.

So, someday I'll have a picture to share.

Almost there.

Uni-cycling.

It's a family sport.  

Jeff has bought one for each of us.

Now a few of us have to master a few solo revolutions.

I'm almost there.

Can you buy bubble wrap in yards?

♥

Feeling good

Clothes get me super motivated to exercise.

I have a scale but it doesn't measure muscle gain.

I have a gray shirt I love.

But if I put on 5 or 10 lbs.

I don't love it anymore.

Goal clothes for spring and summer.

In my college years I learned to love exercise.

Before then I'd always give in when it hurt.

Last August I was feeling very trim and 

healthy.

Then fall and winter came.

I ate too much. 

I didn't make time.

My jeans got too tight.

I couldn't wear my saucy white shirt.

In two weeks time I'm starting to turn it around.

I get super excited to feel change to see change.

Healthy living takes day to day effort.

Here's a rundown of what I'm doing.

• Whenever I go anywhere I jog from my car to and from the place I'm going.
• clean and move fast at home. (Like bounding up the stairs.)
  
• never drink pop, or juice, and very little milk.
  
• drink tons of water.
• Hummus for a spread instead of mayo.
  
• eat carrots like a rabbit.
  
• stock my fridge with seasonal fruits and veggies.

  

  So happy these are in season!

• Eat 5-6 times a day. Healthy stuff.
• Never skip meals and always stay satisfied.
  
• Eat carbs if they are high in fiber low in sugar and only after I work out.
  
• Eat lean protein the size of my palm
  
• Play racquetball with my hubby for 2 hours
  
• Spin class 2 times a week
  
• Zumba once a week Image via Wikipedia
• Interval training with Jillian Michaels 30 day shred.  
• Trying some Tabatas the next few weeks.
• Never buy bigger sizes - unless I'm expecting.  I thrift shop so sometimes I buy smaller if I like it and know I can get into it with some work.
• Never get sucked into quick fixes. More than likely it will fry my metabolism.
• Foot races with my kids.
• Bike rides.

Being fit is important to me for lots of reasons. 

I love feeling tight. 

I like feeling good in my clothes. 

I love keeping up with my family and my husband.

Admittedly I'm a a little vain,

I think I look funny with a chubby face. 

Mostly its just really nice to be fit and I want to stay this way until I'm an old lady.

Where would my kids go?

July 2010 Scorpion Hunting  with a black light.

 I watched Raising Helen today while I worked on the elliptical.I got a spin class in too.But, I washed the same load of clothes 4 times.I started the load on Saturday.Ever do that?Anyway, Raising Helen working out and totally bawling.Watching that show gets me a little nervous.I've never prepared any papers in case Jeff and I die.I need to.I've wanted to, over and over I'm just not sure where to start. 


♥

Turn Back Tuesday

December '08
In shape.
Jeans fit great.
Triceps were tight.
Hair was longer.

April '09
Broke my collar bone.


June '09
Want the December Kim back.
Working on it.

♥

Exercise- I've GOT TO fit it in SOON, like ummm today.

This is part of a comment I posted on Marilyn's blog. - Its time for me to get back. I NEED to exercise!!!

I was thinking about you yesterday...If your anything like me it was very and IS very difficult for me to exercise and eat well and blog and be a mom and a wife and... and ... It takes a lot of time and I know with me it something that I tend to put on the back burner-like I have for the last 3 weeks. I think that's why I've been so whacked out with little stresses. Exercise and eating good is like medicine for my body and soul. I feel like I can conquer the day when I make it a priority. Coupled with prayer and study of coarse. Your intensity and diligence will pay off. Love ya!!!

“Top Ten Reasons” for getting up with the early birds to get moving:

The last few days I've failed to get my sleepy self out of bed to do the morning ritual I started 3 weeks ago. This morning I rolled out of bed at 4:45 to make Jeff a lunch and when I finished I put my exercise clothes on turned on the computer. The first thing in my inbox was a much needed article from Sparkpeople.

1. Exercising early in the morning "jump starts" your metabolism, keeping it elevated for hours, sometimes for up to 24 hours! As a result, you’ll be burning more calories all day long—just because you exercised in the morning.
   
2. Exercising in the morning energizes you for the day—not to mention that gratifying feeling of virtue you have knowing you’ve done something disciplined and good for you.
   
3. Studies have shown that exercise significantly increases mental acuity—a benefit that lasts four to ten hours after your workout ends. Exercising in the a.m. means you get to harness that brainpower, instead of wasting it while you’re snoozing.
   
4. Assuming you make exercise a true priority, it shouldn’t be a major problem to get up 30 to 60 minutes earlier—especially since regular exercise generally means a higher quality of sleep, which in turn means you’ll probably require less sleep. (If getting up 30 to 60 minutes earlier each day seems too daunting, you can ease into it with 10 to 20 minutes at first.)
   
5. When you exercise at about the same time every morning—especially if you wake up regularly at about the same time—you’re regulating your body's endocrine system and circadian rhythms. Your body learns that you do the same thing just about every day, and it begins to prepare for waking and exercise several hours before you actually open your eyes. That’s beneficial because:

o Your body’s not “confused” by wildly changing wake-up times, which means waking up is much less painful. (You may even find that you don’t need an alarm clock most days.)

o Hormones prepare your body for exercise by regulating blood pressure, heart rate, blood flow to muscles, etc.

o Your metabolism, along with all the hormones involved in activity and exercise, begin to elevate while you're sleeping. As a result, you’ll feel more alert, energized, and ready to exercise when you do wake up.

6. Many people find that morning exercise has a tendency to regulate their appetite for the rest of the day. Not only do they eat less (since activity causes the release of endorphins, which in turn diminishes appetite), they also choose healthier portions of healthier foods.
   
7. People who consistently exercise find, sometimes to their great surprise, that the appointed time every morning evolves into something they look forward to. Besides the satisfaction of taking care of themselves, they find it’s a great time to plan their day, pray, or just think more clearly—things most of us often don’t get to do otherwise.
   
8. Exercising first thing in the morning is the most foolproof way to ensure that other things don’t overtake your fitness commitment, particularly if you have a hectic family life. (It’s so easy to wimp out in the evening, when we’re tired or faced with such tasks as rustling up dinner and helping with homework.)
   
9. More than 90% of those who exercise consistently have a morning fitness routine. If you want to exercise on a regular basis, the odds are in your favor if you squeeze your workout into the a.m.
   
10. Non-morning people can always trick themselves in the a.m. Having trouble psyching yourself up for a sunrise jog? Do what I did—tell yourself that you’ll still be so fast asleep that you won’t even remember—much less mind!

The above reasons are exactly why I get out of bed so early. My workout takes a little over an hour and then I do my morning prayer and scripture reading. It does help that I'm a morning person. I always have been. When I was in high school I had to change sprinkler pipes on our 11 acres, go to early morning seminary, and have enough time to get ready for school and look good. My sister and brother who were also in high school used to get so mad because I was their ride and sometimes I took a little longer than I should have primping in the mirror. My sister was not a primper, still isn't. She isn't a morning person either. Even though it is a little easier for me to rise in the morning it definitely still takes quite a bit for me to get out of my soft, warm bed and know that I will be sweating and feeling a bit uncomfortable for the next hour. It is paying off though, in so many ways. I love being up before my kids and feeling like I've already conquered the day and most of all I'm ready to calm morning squabbles without adding to them. Yesterday, I didn't exercise and I could see a HUGE DIFFERENCE. I was not a happy mommy yesterday morning. I definitely did not help the morning squabbles... in fact, I added to them!

The most difficult thing I've ever done and its paying off

Its been 2 1/2 weeks since I began slim in six and I'm already getting great results!! I'm so excited. It hasn't been easy though. I've been getting up at 5:00 most days and doing this hour program six days a week. My sister Sherri used this program herself and told me that if I eat like I'm supposed to and follow the recommendations for the workout I couldn't help losing fat and toning muscle! She was so right. In the time I've been doing it I've been able to get into my 1 of 4 skinny jeans that have been in my closet for almost 2 years waiting for me to get sick of being comfortable with my flabby self. I feel strong and I have a lot more energy. This morning I got out my own music and worked even harder and sweat was dripping off my face and onto my yoga mat. It was awesome!!!! I've NEVER done something so hard and it feels pretty amazing. In high school I always gave up when it hurt. I didn't understand that I had to feel the pain to get the results I wanted. Since my Ricks days (thanks to all my beautiful roomies:) I've had a whole different attitude towards exercise and fully believe its the antidote for most health problems. I'm trying to prevent future problems by eating whole nutritious foods and getting my body into shape.
The other day I was finishing up my workout with some stretches and doing some yoga. Mr. E was watching me and he said," Mom, your tummy is getting skinny"!! HELLO, music to my ears. I've been keeping the kids updated on my progress and think its so important for them to know that exercise is a priority in my life. I know that I'm a much happier mom and wife when I'm taking care of myself. When I got done this morning I actually said aloud to myself, "Wow Kim you actually did it, you're awesome." Then I started crying. Because it was really hard and I did want to give up a couple of times but I knew how disappointed I would be if I didn't finish. I knew that not finishing would make it that much easier to quit again the next day. This is a big step for me. I know I can do all six weeks. My last day is November 10th. After I'm done I think I might do Power 90.