Yes, I struggle

I've written lately about how I've noticed some progress in the body transformation.  My clothes are looser. My face is thinner.  I've even donated some larger sized items to Goodwill.  You know you're serious when you start getting rid of clothes because you don't want to ever fit into them again.  While it's awesome , I've had this nagging feeling lately that I'm definitely not doing enough.  And to be honest, I really don't know why.  I was super motivated about a month ago and then all the sudden I was like "meh, I'm good."

 

 

 

I'm always baffled when this happens.  I LOVE to work out.  It's a mind-body thing for me.  If I'm having a bad day, I am usually the first one to leave the office, put on some workout clothes and just pound the pavement or the gym floor until I'm sweaty and feeling better.  I guess I started to see some changes, got all excited and then decided I was good for the moment.

 

The one thing I'm realizing about blogging and putting my story out there is that this holds me accountable. I noticed that my WOD and running posts were less.  That's fine, because I had other things to say.  Like giving a shout out to my Granny on her b-day.  She deserved it after 94 years.  But all in all, I hadn't written any good workout posts lately because quite frankly....deep breath....I haven't really been working out.  I know....I know....I'm shaking my head right now too.  I'm a spin instructor for crying out loud.  But that doesn't mean anything at all.  Anyone can start their own journey, it's just staying on the right path that is the challenge.  I feel like I definitely got derailed here recently for about 2 weeks.  It's not like I gained 10 pounds, got depressed and started shoving donuts in my face.  I just felt unmotivated.

 

  So let me bring you guys back to my homeslice Ashley.  Remember this chick?

 

 

I'm not sure what happened to her brain, but out of nowhere, this girl became a fitness fanatic.  I mean, we're talking boot camp, body pump twice a week, running here and there, and eating really clean.  And it's not like she had weight to lose, but she is a lean little machine these days.  Her eating habits are way better and that's the hard part about getting in shape. The place where we both work has a tendency to put out some really amazing food all the time and here lately, she's all "DO NOT EAT ALL THE THINGS!"

 

 Last night I took a long walk with my good friend Stef.  Probably close to 4 or 5 miles, and that was the start to feeling good.  Today, Ashley asked me to go running with her and then do body pump.  And she was all happy about it too.  Like I think she almost orbited into outer space when I mentioned I brought workout gear.  I really wanted to bail on the body pump part after our run.  Like get in my car, buy some wine, and go veg at home.  I have to say, I'm super happy that she pushed me to go to the gym.  We had a great class.  I'm sore as crap right now.  But I need the push.  And right now as I write this, I feel like I'm on the road to being my crazy workout self soon.  I just needed someone to step in and say "Hey! Let's go be all fit and stuff!"

 

The hardest part is just showing up.  I plan to show up now. 

 

 

Night y'all!

 

How to tailgate...like a boss.

So most of you guys know that I love a little thing called college football.  With a passion.  I love it! 

 

Oh really? No....you don't say!!!! I just thought this chick maybe pretended to like football because her fiance is a football fanatic.

 

This weekend was an epic football shenanigan-filled time full of tailgating, some great food, and even better company.  I don't normally sign myself for road game road-trip, but being as Jarrett and I have never done that and had tickets this time, we headed off for Athens, GA.  The ride to Athens was mostly cow pastures and big farms, so not much in the way of scenery, but downtown was pretty cool.  We perched ourselves right up on a little hill and proceeded to have a grand ole time.

 

 

Now, I write this post today because normally, tailgating has previously lead to the demise of my waistline, firm buttocks, and given me some batwings.  Since the wedding is coming up, I made a promise to myself this year to not chug multiple beers and eat horrible food every weekend. 

 

I can hear my mom going "Oh honey, don't drink beer, it's not ladylike and makes you fat."

 

It's really hard beacuse how can you not want to dig into sausage dip, buffalo chicken dip, pizza bites, chicken nuggets, brownies, cakes...oh and then wash that down with an ice cold beer?

 

 

Well, this year, I learned to tailgate smarter.  I noticed that in the past, I would wake up on Sundays with awful bloat (and gas too, ew!) and feeling ridiculously tired.  Not this year.  2013 changes everything. 

 

This is how you tailgate...LIKE A BOSS. You're welcome.

 

1.  If you are going to eat, ingest a good bit of protein.

 

Eat a burger.  Eat some meat on a stick (like from the Chinese place, those things are GOOD).  Eat some chicken.  Eat some wings! Eat a hotdog or a bratwurst (turkey if you can swing it).  I know it's not like eating some pork tenderloin and a side salad, but you will fill up faster and all meals need some protein if you're going to try and remain lean.  If you're at a breakfast tailgate with some sort of eggs around, EAT THOSE FIRST before you hit up the melty cheese dip.

 

2.  Try to eat some fruits/veggies if they're around

 

If someone is awesome enough to bring a veggie or a fruit tray (and we usually have some), put that on your plate along with your protein.  If you're going to graze, let it be on the fruits and veggies.  Chips and salsa are good choices too.   

 

3.  Liquor before beer...you know the rest! (Ok Mom and Dad, this is just advice, it's not like I'm college tailgating like old times)

 

 

Ok so we all know this saying.  If I drink more than a few beers at a tailgate, you may as well put me in a chair for a few hours.  I'll be so full, sluggish and sick it's not funny.  Now, that being said, that doesn't mean you can't have beers.  Try the MGD 64 or Bud 55.  It works.

 

If beer is not your thing, there's always liquor.  This does not mean go buy all the Jose Cuervo and start doing shots. NO.  We are not in college anymore and you will not make it to the game.  I'm talking to my girls here.  Get yourself a cute/sparkly/girly cup and try to stick to the clear liquor (white rum, vodka, etc). Mix it with a good bit of some low calorie flavored waters, Vitamin waters, heck I've even done Gatorade.   I really love these things, they're also usually on sale anywhere you go:

 

 

 4. STAY HYDRATED!!!

 

These first couple of games are super toasty (if you live down south).  Make sure that you drink water/Gatorade and always carry some extra cash so that you can snag a cheap beverage on your walk to the stadium.  8 glasses a day isn't just for the weekdays. 

 

5. Get yourself a cute hat to protect your face from the sun (and so you don't have to do your hair).

 

Put that crap in a ponytail, throw on your cute hat and rock it all day long.  I watch these girls with perfect hair, short dresses and cowboy boots and I'm like "yeaaaaaaaaaaaah I sweat too much to look that perfect". 

 

I got this at Cracker Barrel.  Do yourself a favor and get one.  I may eventually rock the cowboy boots, but ain't nobody got time fo dat in 90 degree heat. 

 

 

 6. Last but not least HAVE FUN!

 

I mean come on, you're really going to avoid the sausage dip? Have a few bites, just don't stand by the crockpot for an hour. Want a beer? Ask your buddy to trade with you and make them a fancy drink.  Bring some champagne and celebrate! Have a brownie, but don't have 5. Just don't go overboard with it.  There may be a game or two where you get a little crazy, but don't let 4 months derail all your hard work.  It's not worth it. 

 

All in all, it was a blast.  We came back on Sunday slightly tired but not completely out of commission. 

Hope you guys are enjoying your fall! I'm burning a cinnamon candle tonight to make my house fall all fall-ish...meanwhile, it's still like summertime out there. 

Happy Tuesday!

   

 

 

 

Healthy Post and Non-Scale Victories

 

Hey guys! One more day until the weekend WOO HOO!!!

 

So I'm going to start with a little comparison of the ole' face tonight, because it's where I can tell the most difference in the weight loss when I actually see it in pictures.  Prepare to be shocked and amazed (not really, but maybe shocked, because I was).

 

Here's me in March 2013 at a wedding. Ugh.  Notice double chin, AKA The Meat Necklace, pasty pale skin (ugh, sorry, I just don't tan anymore, don't love the skin cancer), the roundness of the face and the out of control hair.  Ok so that doesn't have a thing to do with being larger, but I can also see some massive FARMS (fat + arms = FARMS!) going on in the shoulder region.  I cropped out my boobs because...well they were just out of OOC. 

 

Exhibit FAT:

 

 

This picture made me sligthly sad.  How could I not know? I mean I feel like I look pretty happy in this picture, but I remember picking out this dress because it was the only size that didn't make me want to cry.  I also bought it from ROSS, which I mean come on, you guys all know that store sells clothes that fit only 13 year olds.  But still, I see my face in this picture and think DANG, wow, I let myself go. 

 

Let's fast forward to 9/1/2013.  Also known as this weekend as I noticed my face was skinny for the first time-day.

 

Exhibit GETTIN' THERE!

 

 Yes, this is a selfie in my car.  Yes, I fixed my hair a few times and just had my makeup done.  Yes, I was grinning from ear to ear and feeling pretty!  Here's the big point with all that.  This past March, I was sporting the world's biggest girdle/big girl panties to that wedding to hold in my gut.  My hair was a mess because I was sweating...in March....when I shouldn't be sweating.  When I waved bye-bye to people, not only did my hand move, but so did my fluffy tricep/bicep.  I did not feel radiant, I didn't feel pretty, and I didn't feel like myself.  I felt like a big, blue blimp that was hiking up her girdle to her sternum.   In this picture, I am wearing clothes that are too loose and a smile that won't quit.  You know you're never fully dressed without a smile... #namethatmusical

 

I finally am feeling good about me.  I want to do things like shop, or buy new makeup, or get my hair done, or show off my muscles.  And I'm ok with that.  Is it vanity that has found it's way into my life? Not at all. It's a newfound sense of being proud of my accomplishments.  I still have a ways to go, but I'm SO happy with the progress.  It's fun to buy smaller pants and shirts.  I even fit into a medium shirt recently and almost did cartwheels in Old Navy.  Normally, the amount of back/shoulder mass, accompanied with a larger stomach would cause me to buy a large.  I used to buy things that camoflagued all my flab. And the fact that my boobs are....well, they're not small.  But NOW, I'm able to fit back into some mediums and I could not be happier.  I've cleaned up my diet, I've revisted the running game, and I am going to start hitting the weights again after a 2 week hiatus.  CAN'T WAIT for BEAST MODE. 

A lot of you guys have requested a WOD post, so happy Thursday, here's tonight's WOD.  Remember how I deemed one of these "deceptively hard" recently? Yep, that would describe tonight.

 

Exhibit WOD

 

 

 IN case you can't see this one, here it is:

 

Descending and then ascending reps: 8,7,6,5 (at this point, grab a heavier weight), 4,3,2,1.....

 

(breath) 1,2,3,4 (lighten up the weight), 5, 6, 7, 8

 

Descending is awesome! Ascending SUCKS!

 

The workout was ALL legs tonight: Goblet squarts, burpees, sumo squats with a high pull, plank with dumbell rows, and reverse lunges with plate overhead push.  Start with 8 reps, work your way down, grab MORE weight, then work your way back up, eventually unloading some weight.  This results in rolling around in the floor in a pool of your own sweat on the last rep.  Yep. I did it.  I had floor things stuck to me and didn't even care because I was too tired to think. 

 

As you guys know, I haven't worked out in about 1.5-2 weeks.  I traveled for work, have not felt great since my trip, but I have been running and I've also been watching the food intake.  Tonight, this workout was hard, BUT, I'm in better shape than I thought I was.  I finished with about 5 other people left to finish, so about half of the folks had already finished right in front of me.  That's such an amazing feeling to know that I haven't let myself go like I did so long ago. 

 

 Do you guys feel this way after reading this?

 

 

 I hope not! OH and if you're wondering where I got the term "Meat Necklace", please hop over and check out Brin at Bold Butter Baby.  She is my blog girl-crush and super hilarious.  Meat Necklace is one of THE funniest posts I've ever read.  Talking about how to disguise your fat is a post that most all women can relate to.

 

Hope you guys all enjoy a wonderful start to your weekend! I will be back next week with some weekend recaps, as I'll be traveling to Athens, GA tomorrow for what may be the most epic football weekend ever.  There will most likely not be a blog post this weekend, but there probably WILL be lots of fun Instagram/Facebook updates.  Stay tuned!

 

Shenanigans and how I was lazy on Labor Day

Hi lovelies!  So it's the day after Labor Day and UGH, going to work this morning was so hard! I'm sure a lot of you felt that way today too. This is how I felt today, only make it 4 days since it's a short week...

Anyway, my holiday weekend kicked off with the most wonderful time of the year...next to Christmas...and my birthday. :)

COLLEGE FOOTBALL IS BACK! (insert happy dance here)

Like I've mentioned before, I'm a huge, crazy fan for USC (that's University of South Carolina, not the California school) football.  I've been going to games since I was 5 and have managed to remain a huge fan throughout my adult years.  Fall is one of my favorite times of year because it means 4 months of weekends spent with friends and family, eating good (ok bad for you) food, weather cooling off so I can wear boots and leggings, and just enjoying watching one of the greatest sports in the world.  

So this is what our Thursday looked like:

CAN YOU FEEL THE EXCITEMENT!

This is what Jarrett looked like (he's so going to kill me for posting this):

So to explain, it was literally one million degrees outside. The last few weeks had been very fall-like, cooler temps in Charleston than normal, but hey, I'll take 85 degrees and low humidity any day of the week.  Thursday dawned HOT and gross, 95 degrees, heat index of 102...let's just say there was lots of swass and swoob going on that called for a long, hot shower later.  Cold towels on heads were a must last Thursday.

Here is my game day hat...it stayed on the whole day due to the heat and sun.  Loved it and will definitely be wearing it again!  Great for covering up day old greasy hair or just sweaty hair if it's hot out.  

All in all, a GREAT way to kick off the weekend, even though I had to go to work on Friday (that was super rough times). The one AWESOME thing about seeing folks I haven't seen in a year at our tailgate is that I got several shout outs on the blog.  People are reading this thing, which shocks me and makes me smile all at the same time.  And then I was all like "OK welllllllllllllllll leave me some comments so that I feel loved!". 

 Just kidding, but thanks y'all.  It makes this girl happy to know that someone is stopping by her little corner of blog world to read about weight loss, bad days, wedding planning, weekend shannies...and now, college football. 

The long weekend did give me a chance to rest and relax and visit the MAC counter.  I even got a free makeover and felt refreshed and rejuvenated.  

 I took the idea of not laboring very seriously and took multiple naps, went to the pool, and shopped.  It was quite wonderful and I wish every day were Labor Day. 

So I haven't done a healthy post or WOD recap in awhile, but trust me, they're coming back.  I actually have been running more, which has been amazing and I've just really been enjoying getting out and hitting the pavement.  In my early to mid-twenties, I was a bonafide runner.  I ran every 5 and 10K around, I worked on personal bests, and I was really, really skinny.  I loved how I felt and how I looked.  When I gained weight, I did not feel like slugging around for all the world to see.  I was ashamed and carrying 170 pounds around at a fast pace felt like I was getting beat to death with mallets with each step.  But since losing some of that weight since April, I've rediscovered my love of running.  It's the best free stress relief and I feel so much better now that I'm lighter.  My 2-3 mile runs have turned into 4, almost 5 miles at times.  I love knowing that progress is happening.  I know I still have to do weights at some point, but for some reason, running has crept back into my routine and I'm loving it.  

That's all for now you guys.  I am planning on a WOD tomorrow early in the morning and this girl needs her beauty/fitness sleep.  Until next time, take care and get your "fall" on.  Enjoy these last days of summer with your friends and family as the days grow shorter.  

Good night!