One Mama Gets Fit

I've been frustrated by different rounds of injuries my body has gone through lately. One day I will have strong pain in my wrist that I can't lift weights or do push-ups…or my love: plank. The past couple days I've had knee pain that I've had to do lighter cardio and then yesterday the pain was so awful as I climbed in bed last night that I knew I needed to lay off completely or something worse could happen. I think the knee pain is from a longer run on Saturday.  Not too sure about the wrist pain (it's gone away now). Add another round of mastitis last week and I'm frustrated. I just want to feel 100%. Oh, and I want sleep. (A girl can dream here.) I have goals I want to meet (badly) and I feel sad when I can't get in the gym and give it my all. Anyone else? This is another one of those "I thought I would never be one those people" posts, apparently… One thing I do have to remember though is that living a healthy lifestyle i

I never thought I would be one of those people that special requests items on a menu. Until recently, I ate what everyone else did.  I ate the lasagna that the grandma brought to the church picnic.  I ate pizza at small group night.  I would go out with friends and get ice cream. Even going to someone else's home - I would just eat what was offered. Until now. Friends have invited us over for dinner and I've asked what's being served or if it's all right if I bring my own food. I requested clean, non-processed, non-sugar items for an upcoming conference and because the food is being cooked for lots of people - that's not possible (and I can understand that).  I was sent the menu for the conference and I will be honest - I almost got sick looking over the options. I honestly never thought I would be one of those people that requests special items or says "no worries, I'll make my own food and bring it". But here I am doing that. After le

Today is day 1 of a clean eating and fitness challenge that I am participating in. It's 4 weeks long. We eat clean in our family and workout 6 days a week - but there's something about adding in the word "challenge" that makes you up your game. Over the weekend I received the menu for this week, grocery shopping list, and all the recipes for the meals.  Plus all my workouts for the week.  Well, 2 sets of workouts - one for if I workout at home or if I workout at the gym. Martin Nutrition & Fitness is hosting this challenge (my friend, Stephanie, who I wrote about last time - this is her business).  And, girl brings it when she writes out the menu & workouts. No joke here. I feel like my workouts get varied up and are challenging at times - but she knows how to write out workout plans that really help you take it to the next level. One part of the workout this morning was 30 minutes of cardio - your choice (swimming, running, walking, elliptical)

About 18-20 years ago I started to baby-sit for this wonderful family at church that had 3 of my most favorite girls in the world. We rode bikes, went swimming, played with their dog, watched some movies, and just well...had fun. What made it even more fun was that our two families were good friends so we spent good time together. I have enjoyed watching these girls grow up.  After going away to college, I didn't see them as often and every time I would have an opportunity to see them - I just felt like they grew up so quickly. The three sisters now are obviously all adults and they are all just so lovely, talented, kind, educated, and beautiful women. The reason I'm sharing this with you is that the youngest sister, Stephanie, has blessed my life in more ways than she'll probably ever know. Steph is a nutritionist and a personal trainer.  She's also a wife, mom, chef at heart, motivator, & excellent encourager. When I first started to change my eating

Oh wait.  Chips?  That's what you all in the States call french fries. Burger & fries? It's a meal that I used to love. A good cheeseburger with mayo, lettuce, onion, pickle, tomato on a warm bun.  Add in some fries with ketchup.  Ok, and let's be honest…add a coke.  Oh, a cherry coke. My type of comfort food. When we started to change the way we ate, I knew that in making this a lifestyle, that I was going to have to have my type of "comfort foods". For the first 6 weeks of changing how we ate, I had my friend & nutritionist, Stephanie, plan all our meals.  It helped me get to know what type of foods to eat, portion sizes, and just help me out with meal  planning and prep work. It was bliss. She even wrote out all my grocery lists of things I needed to buy at the store for the week.  Talk about a  mama's dream.  It was heavenly. One of the meals she planned out for me were these chicken avocado burgers. Oh. My. 'Lanta.  (Yes, I

"Sarah, I'm not concerned about your weight." "Oh, really?  I should be losing weight.  I should be doing that." "You will lose it when you feel loved and secure." Silence. Grace extended.  Love given. Those words from a counseling session have stayed in my brain for many years now and have given me hope. When I really thought about that phrase of "when you feel loved and secure" it seemed silly a bit to me. I have been loved my whole life. My mama has loved me well. My grandpa…loved me well.  (Can't even type out that sentence without tearing up.) So many friends have loved me well. I have never felt unloved. Thank you, Jesus. If I feel loved, then why haven't I lost weight and taken care of myself? Enter my husband. Kyle has loved me so well. He has tried to love me like Christ loves His church. Each day I have been married to him is better and better. Each day I have been married to him I have be

Three notes before I begin: 1. I'm not perfect at eating clean all the time.  I have my splurge items.  And…confession: I like that. 2. I am not an expert on this subject in any means.  I am learning all about this as I go.  I have learned almost all of this information from my friend/nutritionist/personal trainer, Stephanie.  If you want expert advice, I can put you in contact with her.  She's lovely :) And the most important one in my book… 3. This is a lifestyle.  Not a diet.  I have never once used the word "diet" to describe how I eat.  I think one of the biggest reasons eating healthy has gone great in our family is because it's just natural…normal.  When you think of it as a lifestyle and not a diet - I think you find freedom. One of my top questions I get asked: "So, what do you eat?" Quick response: "Um, food." Seriously. Almost sounds sarcastic.  I don't mean it to sound that way at all.  Sometimes I just don't

A New Year.  A New You. It's a pretty popular phrase right now.   It's a great time to start fresh for the new year.  Make promises to yourself.  Set goals.  Dream big.   I actually have never really made resolutions for any new year.  Maybe when I was in high school but I don't remember them and I don't remember sticking to them.   When I was thinking about upcoming goals for myself for 2015 - I was relieved that I wasn't making a new resolution.  Yet I was just continuing what I've been doing this past year.   I don't like to make new resolutions.  Well, I should be specific.  I don't like to start something new on a popular day that everyone else is.  I'd rather start something on just a normal day.  Seems less pressure.  Maybe it's just my personality.    (And in writing that I realized that I picked today to start a new blog.  Ha.) But, for all purposes, it's not totally new.  I have another one that I have ke