If you don't have anything nice to say...

Well...we all know the rest, right?  Right?!?!?  Believe it or not, no...not everyone does.  At least that's been my experience lately.

I've at times been overwhelmed by some of the things people say to me.  More than a few people have actually said that I am an inspiration to them.  I have motivated them.  They want my help.  They want to know my 'secrets.'  They say I encourage them by the way I keep at it...even at times when I don't feel like it.  Even days when I'd much rather sleep in than get up early and workout in the living room or (if I'm lucky enough that my husband was off the night before) head to the gym before 6 a.m.  That if I can do it with my schedule (I work full time and then some, have a 20 month old toddler, and a husband that works a shift opposite mine) then they should be able to do something as well.  I love to hear all of these comments.  I'm surprised.  Still.  But to know that I have actually inspired people to do good for themselves, something I have never done before...well, that just feels good.  It really does.   And then....

And then...

And then there's my family.  Doing the best they can to negate all of the positive comments I've heard from so many others with their own negativity.  Funny how just a few words from just a few family members, negative words at that, can stick with a person more than all the good from everyone else.  Sad, really.  What do I hear?

"You're too skinny."  "You need to quit."  "When are you going to stop?"  "You cannot lose any more weight."  And so on.  I quit listening, if I am to be honest.  I heard enough with the first few comments and am doing my best to shut out all the rest.  These few comments, though, are enough to make me really want to avoid being around them...not hard to do, actually...but with some events coming up over the next several months, I'm sure that's bound to piss off people.

Let's think about this though:

• "You're too skinny."  Since when is a few pounds over 130 on someone who stands 5'5 too skinny?   
• "When are you going to stop?"  Stop what?  Exercising?  Eating healthy?  Um...this was not about dropping a few pounds and then reverting to an unhealthy lifestyle.
• "You need to quit."  See comments above.  

Really I don't get this at all.  I'm not underweight.  For the first time in years, I'm not overweight.  for the first time in a long time, I'm not feeling shitty because of my crappy diet.  I'm not hating myself because my clothes look like crap on me (although I am not hugely excited about the fact that I've had to replace my entire wardrobe a few times over the last year).  I've gained confidence in myself by getting healthier, getting in much better shape.  I look at my family history of health problems and see how much of it is tied to an unhealthy lifestyle...why would I want to stop or quit...and go back to looking at a future full of health problems tied to weight and unhealthy habits?  What am I missing here?  And now that I think of it...not one person in my extended family has said anything positive...at all...about my transformation.  Nothing.  Not one thing.  That kind of makes me sad.  I did this for me, I did this to set a positive example for my daughter.  And apparently my family would rather me be fat miserable unhealthy unhappy.  Sad.

Me = SLACKER!!

Okay...not really, just with this blog...but still...I'm slacking on it and I didn't want to!  Work is getting in the way (we are so crazy busy it ain't even funny...but that's a good thing, right?  RIGHT?!?!?!?), the little one is constantly, constantly on the go - from the moment she wakes up until she is down for the night it is go go go, and any time left after those two time sucks, well...the whole exercise, cooking, getting fit and healthy thing is filling any remaining gaps.  So yep...that's it in a nutshell what I've been up to.

And now, the latest addition to my growing collection of new fitness toys:

Yep...a BOSU ball.  While other husbands may buy their wives flowers, sweets, perhaps even lacy lingerie for Valentine's Day...mine buys me this.  And honestly?  I much prefer this.  I was actually going to buy it myself, but didn't like the price tag.  So now our living room is on the verge of being totally taken over with exercise equipment:  the BOSU, my exercise mat, my kettle bells, dumbbells I've brought up from the basement, my husband's bike with the trainer (for indoor training....that whole triathlon thing), etc.  I would love LOVE to finish the basement and just turn it into a home gym and I think I've almost got him into that idea...because seriously, the living room just isn't cutting it!

Despite all the equipment we now have at home, I still put in plenty of time at the gym.  Still utilizing the Skimble app (I have a few favorite workouts right now - the Brazilian Butt Workout and Core the Pilates Way.  Both of these I can do at the gym or at home and with the Brazilian Butt thing, I've made a few modifications (essentially adding more squats and weights to some of them).  I also did this arm workout this morning:  Bi Tri.  Okay...that one was a little brutal and pretty sure I'll be feeling it tomorrow!  I've also been testing the waters on another site recently.  What I'm finding really helpful on this particular site is the database of exercises - strength training, cardio, plyo...all kinds of stuff as well as different plans, forums, etc.  I'm just now really starting to use it so I can't really speak fully on it yet, but I came across this the other day and I gave her shoulder/abs workout a whirl yesterday...not bad!

And lastly, yesterday I started week 7 of the C25K.  I am amazed with myself that I have made it this far.  I've stuck with it and am doing it!  I did finally tell my husband last week because I think I've reached the point where I am not going to fail and I'm pretty sure he's happy I'm doing this!

And what else I've been up to...

I haven't given up on my whole fitness journey.  Actually, I'm considering taking it to another level (CrossFit), but haven't made the decision to do that yet, so won't discuss that any further right now.  I have now completed four weeks of a C25K program (couch to 5K) and so far, so good!  I'm planning to start week 5 tomorrow.  What I'm most excited about right now, however, is my latest toy:

Since I got my husband the GPS Garmin 910XT for Christmas, I had been using his old Sportline and, well, I was not a fan.  The damn thing confused me, had too many functions I had no clue what they did and it was big, bulky...and pretty much made for runners (while I am trying a running program, I do not consider myself a runner).  So after doing a little research, etc., I settled on a Polar FT7...it's for crosstraining.  As you can see from the picture, at the end of the workout, this is what I can see.  I've been learning more and more about heart rate training...specifically the different zones, training smart, etc. and this watch is a tool to help with all of that.  I'm an instant fan of the watch.  Set up was very easy.  There are some additional tools that can be purchased to accompany the watch (and at least one free app to compliment).  I'm just disappointed I didn't have it with me at the Y tonight for my kettle bell and spin classes.

So yeah, this is what I've been up to.  And work.  Lots and lots of work.  Nonstop.  Behind.  Huge piles on my desk.  Insane.

I've been doing more cooking!

Now granted, that's not why I've not been keeping up with blogging...I've just been too flippin busy between work, the kiddo, the husband, planning an actual vacation (seriously...it is booked, I've ordered a passport, I have requested the time off work...we will be nowhere near NW Ohio the day I turn 40), stepping up my game at the gym to make sure I can rock a bikini on my birthday on a cruise ship far far away, etc.  And cooking.  I've discovered that I kind of actually like it.  So far, this whole paleo thing, the recipes haven't disappointed.  And have been easy.  Even fun.  Some of the highlights:

Spaghetti Squash & Meatballs

This was seriously simple.  And seriously good.  I cannot recall ever having spaghetti squash previously, so wasn't really sure what to expect.  What went into this?  Well, besides the spaghetti squash...I made the meatballs from ground turkey with various spices, onions, etc. thrown in and a tomato sauce/paste combo with, again, various spices thrown in as well as onions and garlic.  If nothing else, Stella certain enjoyed playing with it!  I was going to throw a picture of that in here as well...but really, I don't want to overkill the toddler making a mess out of spaghetti sauce thing!

Apple Streusel Egg Muffins (I think that's what they were called):

I got up early one morning to make these...figuring I'd get these started, in the oven and I'd do a yoga video while they were baking.  I underestimated the time I'd need to prepare!  By the time I had them in the oven, I needed to get a shower or run the risk of being late for work (actually, the fear these days is getting Stella to daycare late, but that is a story for a different day).  These were good...definitely...I think was expecting something a bit more sweet (given the apples involved) so wasn't sure what to make of them initially when biting into one.  However, once my taste buds readjusted, I realized they were quite good.  And from what I understand, Stella thought so as well...eating one in three bites before dinner that night.

Blueberry Lemon Muffins

Yeah, these definitely didn't disappoint.  And so simple!!  I made these up Saturday morning...and Stella and I definitely had our share Saturday!

I made up other dishes...a few repeats, a few simple items using typical paleo ingredients.  We always have a bag of chicken breasts in the freezer so if we aren't planning something specific or whatever, just defrost a few of those, cook them up in coconut oil and throw whatever spices catch my eye at that point.  Since we've started experimenting with this, seems we always have veggies in the fridge ready to go for a side dish.  For the most part, I haven't had much difficulty finding the necessary ingredients to keep with the paleo diet.  All of the recipes so far have come out of the two cookbooks I posted previously but I have a couple of additional paleo cookbooks downloaded on my kindle and my husband bought one that is specifically for athletes.  Given that most of the dishes have been simple to make and tasty, I haven't had much problem getting him on board with this.  However, we haven't gone 100%.  I love my morning oatmeal at work as well as a bowl of granola with almond milk at night and a few other odds and ends.  I have, however, given up most dairy at this point as well as bread and pasta.  I am also giving seriously consideration to getting into crossfit and seems that a paleo diet seems to be a big part of the crossfit lifestyle.  I'll keep you (whoever 'you' may be) posted from time to time on this paleo thing. 

If you (again, whoever 'you' maybe) are at all interesting in finding out more about paleo, I have a few links posted on my blog (just look to the right...under the heading "What I find interesting...").  I'd also recommend doing some additional research on your own.  The two cookbooks I have purchased would be decent starting points...especially the 'Practical Paleo' book.  It includes a section that has several 30-day meal plan to meet individual (health, medical fitness, etc.) individual needs.