January 2014 Workout Plan

As promised – below is the workout plan I’ve put together. Since today is New Year’s Day – it’s a rest day. I didn’t go to any crazy parties last night (unless you call snuggling with my babes watching cartoons crazy!) but it is a holiday and I wanted to relax. We’ll start strong tomorrow! If you’ll notice, it’s nothing crazy, just some simple, quick exercising 5 times a week. My goal is at least 30 minutes of exercise 5 days a week with 2 days of rest. Wednesdays are my busy days so that’s why I added resting there and Sundays are my days to relax. If you have other days you want to swap, fine. My main focus this month is core and legs. That’s why two days out of the week I am simply focusing on ab and leg workouts. In addition, these days have a little extra time designated for whatever else you want. I may bike some or yoga or more crunches. I also added days for yoga as it is supposedly a stress reducing technique. I’ve tried it before and loved it. It was my go-to workout after having my kids. I had two c-sections and my stomach was destroyed. The light, easy moves that yoga provided helped strengthen my muscles slowly during those first few weeks after baby. I highly recommend it for that reason. There are so many different yoga classes available online, through podcast, etc. I actually found one that I really like and have been viewing it since my son was born 5 years ago. It is called Yogamazing and I really like the instructor, Chaz. I’ve been viewing his podcast (available on iTunes). He also has videos and unlimited streaming available (find out more at www.yogamazing.com). He offers a variety of sessions (long and short) ranging in experience level. I am by no means an experienced yoga person but I do his more advanced sessions, just as my flexibility and strength allow. I’m not big on in person fitness classes – mainly because I look like a goof. I run goofy, job goofy, ride my bike goofy, all the above! I’m much more comfortable in my own home so I watch the Yoga videos from my living room on my own mat. The only people who get to see that is my family and possibly my neighbors (sorry to them!). I also have a stationary bike for the days I’ve designated as bike days. When it warms up, these will turn into outside bike rides. This plan is just a guideline of what my goals are. Some days I may end up doing more than that day requires or less if I’m having a bad day. It’s flexible, the purpose is just to get that daily exercising in to help feel good about yourself and be healthy! 

Happy New Year!! (and our 2014 goals!)

It’s almost 2014 – that means resolutions! We aren’t doing resolutions this year…. I’ll be honest – I usually don’t anyway. Sure I get the idea that it’d be nice to have a resolution but ultimately it’s not important enough for me to stay at it. Before January is up, I’ve forgotten about it. I decided that we would have New Year’s goals instead.

We survived the cold!

2013 proved to be my hardest year yet. If you don’t know, check out my story here. In all honesty, the last few years have been a struggle that has just gotten worse. I now know why my body is fighting itself constantly and why I feel so terrible all the time. That’s a great start for the New Year. It has been hard for me to accept the fact that I’ve gone through so much with little results up until recently. I have spent over a year getting tested for everything under the sun. It’s pretty exhausting. I’ve learned that dwelling on the negative is one of my biggest hurdles to healing. So my #1 goal for 2014 is having a more positive outlook on life and my healing. This includes stronger faith, patience and hope.

We went fishing!

We soaked up some rays!

#2 is to take better care of myself. This includes taking help when it is offered. I’m pretty independent but I just can’t do everything on my own right now (it’s been hard coming to terms with that). So yes husband, I will stop fighting your help every day (or at least try to). I’m also going to completely embrace my new diet, nutrition counseling, etc. I know that next week when I go to my first nutrition appointment my world will be rocked. I know the first few months of this year is going to consist of me letting my body heal – which also means giving up practically every food I’m accustomed to for a while. It’s just food – I can do it.

#3 goal is to control my stress better – at work, at home, etc. I love cooking as a hobby but it’s hard to enjoy cooking when you can’t eat much so temporarily I’m going to try other outlets to reduce stress. I’ve never been one for exercise – I figured chasing kids was exercise enough. I know that I need to stay fit though…. Most people think that since I don’t weigh a lot that I’m fit. Not the case – I’m pretty puny and weak. If I’m going to be scrawny, I might as well be stronger and toned. I’m going to share my exercise plans each month, starting with January.  These will be simple, easy plans that I think others will be able to use. I’d go ahead and call these beginner plans. My husband is active so he helps me out when I need advice. This is a plan I’ve come up with to help me but it is simple enough for others to use. I’m also going to try and get more organized – in every way possible! That’s got to reduce stress right?!

We rested...

We got "more married"

#4 is to save more money. We had a nice little cushion for a family our age. We’ve worked hard for what we have but as the saying goes “you spend what you make”. I’ve also learned the hard way that your “cushion” can be gone real quick. Ours went to pay medical bills. We’d been saving for a nice little vacation or mini honeymoon we’ve never had. That didn’t happen but what a blessing it was to have that little bit saved so we didn’t have to sacrifice anything that makes us comfortable! It made me think though… good grief we have a lot of junk! This goal is simple – don’t waste money on things we don’t need. I’ve got it figured up and I’ll also post our savings plan. We already keep a budget each month that I reconcile often. We go over budget each month but not on our items we need (utilities, etc) but on things we want (clothes, entertainment, etc). I may end up with a few more goals before January is up but they are all attainable and realistic. If you have any ideas for good goals or tips I could use with mine – let us know! It’s always nice to share thoughts and ideas that can help one another!

We had birthday #5!

and birthday #1!

To finish this post, let me just say that I hope your 2014 is full of love, happiness, blessings, faith, strength, etc. Regardless of how you feel about 2013, it is over and behind us! Let’s make 2014 the best year yet and if not, try to enjoy it anyway!!

Things weren't always great....

But we love each other anyway...

Sweet Potato Skins

For Christmas this year, my mother-in-law made these great looking little potato skins for an appetizer. They were just potato skins, stuffed with bacon, cheese and onions. I of course couldn’t eat them because of the cheese and onions so I decided to make my own! We don’t eat a lot of white potatoes and I’m currently on a non-dairy diet so I modified this quite a bit. They turned out really great though. They would be perfect for a game day snack or party food. Plus they are made with more natural ingredients so you don’t have to feel as guilty for eating them! This makes 8 potato skins.

4 small sweet potatoes

1 Tbsp olive oil

5 slices of turkey bacon, diced

½ cup shredded cheese (I used Daiya DF cheddar)

1 Tbsp chives

1 Tbsp coconut sugar

Paprika

Garlic salt

Black pepper

• Bake sweet potatoes as desired, oven or microwave, until just cooked. Cut baked potatoes in half, lengthwise and carefully scoop out insides, leaving about ¼ inch layer of potato in shell. 
• In a large skillet, cook diced bacon pieces until cooked through. 
• On a large baking sheet, lay potato shells and brush with olive oil. Sprinkle coconut sugar, chives, paprika, salt and pepper onto potatoes. 
• Sprinkle turkey bacon inside potato shells and top with shredded cheese.
• Bake at 450°F for about 15 minutes or until shells are crispy and cheese is melted. Serve with ranch or sour cream.