Bachelor Food, a Wedding & CCRN

Wow! A lot has happened since I last posted! I will start from the beginning....

Once upon a time...

Oh wait, not that beginning...

The week I posted last was wedding week for my sister-in-law Abigail! Somehow, through all the parties, hangouts and dinners, I was able to workout on the days that I had planned! Monday and Wednesday we went to the gym for cardio and weights and Tuesday I did some yoga. Wednesday at a family dinner, my sister-in-law Lindsay asked if I had done my weights and cardio that day! Talk about accountability! Thankfully I had...and I made sure to do my yoga on Thursday since she was keeping track of me ;). This accountability is a good thing since I don't like to disappoint people or not do what I told people I would. So thanks Lindsay!

A healthier lunch. Avocado toast & tomato basil soup! Yum!

Friday was the big day and I wore a pink dress I got for Christmas and hadn't worn yet because I wasn't confident in it. I felt so much better over the six months of trying to be healthy. I was able to relax and enjoy the day and how BEAUTIFUL Abigail was as a bride and how glad I am to be a part of the Westfall clan!

Abigail and her 5 brothers!

Saturday and Sunday I worked so didn't do any workouts. Monday and Wednesday we went to the gym and did weights and cardio again. I like to do the elliptical. The little blips in the screen with 2 dots on it mean I pushed myself for a minute. Haha, kind of pathetic, but it was a good workout! I also did a run/walk routine on the treadmill which pushed me, kept my heart rate up but was easier and more manageable because I had an end in sight for the difficult, faster running. I also did some Jillian Michael's Yoga on Tuesday and Thursday.

Saturday we were taking a trip to Westport to see family! We left on Saturday, which meant we had to do some sort of exercise. I had to pick up some CCRN study books from someone at work. My solution? Let's walk there! So Matthew and I walked the mile down the steep hill to work and then hiked the hill back up! It was fun to walk some neighborhoods and get a little exercise! Then we were off to Westport! We had a wonderful and relaxing time, yummy food and a cute doggie too! On Sunday we walked along the beach to the rocky spit and back, collecting sand dollars along the way. This was 3 miles total! We rewarded our walk with some sandwiches and a cute coffee shop called Tinderbox!

We got back from our little vacation and exercising did not occur. I was doing some last minute studying/cramming for my CCRN exam that Wednesday. I literally studied from waking up to going to bed. I even studied while I ate. Wednesday came and I was so nervous, anxious, and surprisingly ready to take this on! I took the test and walked out of the room where the person who worked there looked at my printed results. He paused, looking confused, and said, "Soo...do.....you want....the....good news?" He smiled and then stated, "Congrats, you passed!" YIPPEE!! I have been studying since January with more intense studying the last month or two. It's over! (For those that don't know, CCRN is a certificate for nurses who care for critically ill patients. It certifies a deep understanding of pathophysiology and how to treat those with critical illnesses. It is nationally recognized and gives a small bump in pay ;) I celebrated with Chipotle and then went back to work for four days.

On Saturday, after my third of four days, I came home exhausted to an empty house. I was so hungry and couldn't find the time or energy to make some yummy healthy food. So I made some dinner and sat on the couch to watch America Ninja Warrior. My husband calls and asks what I was doing. I pause and look at what is on my plate.

"I am watching Ninja Warrior and eating...Umm......uh... microwaved tortillas with some cheese...."

"Wow," he said, "You sound like a bachelor right now."

Yeah...so maybe I need to have a better plan for alone dinners after work....

So here I am on Monday, with NO STUDYING to do! Yay! I am determined to get back in the groove and plan to due some weights and cardio today. Maybe some zumba? Yeah :)

Even though I had a week off from exercising, I like how me getting back to my "normal routine" means I am exercising and eating better. This has started to become my normal activities that I return to instead of trying to initiate. Sometimes life happens and you have to enjoy it and get back to the routine and workout when you can.

So here's to making exercise a routine! And to no more cheese tortillas for dinner....

Scheduling the New Plan

I have been MIA. I'm sorry. I have been complacent and comfortable with having my "healthy lifestyle" switch to cruise control and coast without being accountable and working hard.

But that is not why I started this blog. I have heard from several of you about how you share the same struggle as me and need encouragement and accountability as well. I want us all to be healthy and successful in this journey. I don't want to let myself, my husband, or you all down! Let's do this!

So....how do I restart?

My husband and I took out our calendar and wrote in the days and times we are going to exercise. It will take some sacrifice such as having to workout after a long work day or having to make a simple meal that will be ready when we are done working out. But we have a plan. A solid plan.

Every Wednesday we workout when Matthew gets home from work. We do cardio and weights at our gym. Every Thursday when I got home from work, we do something "lighter" such as stretching or yoga to help with toning. Then, each of us have to find two days to workout on our own: 1 day of weights and cardio, the other "lighter" like walks, stretching, yoga or pilates. Mine will be Monday and Tuesdays. THEN every Saturday I don't work, we will sleep in a little and then plan a fun exercise date such as hiking or longs runs.

We planned all this last week and started our new adventure into health with a hike to Rattlesnake Ridge. We fueled up and took healthy snacks (blueberries, Gatorade, sandwiches and saltines with low-fat peanut butter). It was a good hike and I didn't pause as much as I thought I would. The view was amazing, as always and we enjoyed our picnic lunch at the top.

Then we hiked up a half mile and stood in the exact place where Matthew knelt down two years earlier and asked me to marry him. It was a wonderful way to top off our new exercise adventure.  After putting in the hard work, the end, the view and the conquering makes it all worthwhile.

We went to the gym on Wednesday as planned, but didn't do Thursday as it was fourth of July and we had some celebrating after I got off work.

Saturday.

Oh Saturday.

I thought it would be super fun to do some running down at Chamber's Bay since we had never been before. It was warm out, but I thought we could drink water and there would be enough shade. The time we were able to go was after Matthew got off work, around 4pm. What a mistake.

We walked down the first big hill to go to the bathroom, stretch and get some water. Then we were to run/jog a mile, walk 1/2 mile, and run/jog the rest. 0.8 miles in, I am already over heating and exhausted. If I were a car, I would have broke down in smoke and made you pull me over to the side of the road and die. Then we came to the first hill. Correction, mountain side. Those aren't hills people, they are mountains for HIKING. We hadn't gone a mile so Matthew made us "run" up the hill. I think I was making as much progress as someone running up the down escalator. I literally felt as if I wasn't going anywhere. Somehow, I think Matthew physically pushed me part of the way, we made it to a flat spot where my Iphone chirped "one mile" and I stopped. Thankfully, we were at the hills and were able to walk/hike up the rest of the horrible, mean, grueling hills. At the top, it was a half mile so we (I) began to run/weakly jog the rest of the way. It was so hot and I was so tired, but somehow we made it to the car.

It was terrible. I had a headache the rest of the day and was so hot. So, Duh lesson number 1, do NOT exercise in the MIDDLE of a summer day! It will just set you up for failure.

Next time we do that, we are going DOWN those hills in the evening on a cool day. And hopefully I will be more in shape to CONQUER them, instead of having the course conquer me.

So, here I am, starting yet again. But each time I start, I have new lessons, new ideas, new motivation. And I am never going back and restarting from where I was months ago. No, I make healthier and healthier choices that I can still fall back on, even when I have a rough moment...or month.

So on to my new adventure of exercising, and of course counting calories and eating healthy. The one major goal I have is this (and now I have to do it since I am telling you all and already agreed with my husband). September we will hike Mt. Si. I have been so intimidated by this hike as it is 4 miles UP with an elevation gain of 3,150 feet. I am going to work out and be strong so come September, I will stand on the top of that mountain and say, "...." uh...something profound I am sure.

So hold me accountable. Mt. Si, here I come!