One Mama Gets Fit

A week ago I parted ways with our bathroom scale. Adios. Kwaheri. So long. See ya later. It didn't say what I wanted it to...so I tossed it out. :) True statement. But, a bit more to it than that. In about 10 days time, I gained 5kg. Folks, that's 11 pounds. Honestly, it's just not possible. Ok, maybe it is possible in a certain setting. But, I wasn't eating food like that to gain that weight or it wasn't like I wasn't not working out. It didn't make sense. Lack of sleep. (Tried to nap today.  Kyle declares me the worst napper ever.  He says I'm worse when I nap.  Thanks, love.) Stress. Sick.  (Just found out that this nasty lingering cough/tiredness for the past 6-7 weeks all of us have had is walking pneumonia.) Maybe it was my RA meds?  I've been on them for a while but maybe something shifted and that caused the weight gain? Maybe something else? I don't know. It was so depressing to know I just dropp...

There was a movie years back with that title, I think. Basically wondering how a mom could balance all the different area of life and keep it looking pretty good. Here's the answer: she's not doing it all. It's just not possible to "have it all together". Gah. Why do I try? Because I'm human.  And I'm ridiculous.  And I think I can. My kids keep me in check most of the time. Oh mom, you wanted to blow dry your hair in the morning?  And have that extra time to shave your legs in the shower? Mom, you're crazy.  You are just hanging with us.  No need to dry your hair or shave your legs!  Plus, I need you to hurry up and get out of the shower and tell Daddy that I can have chocolate for breakfast.  Puh-lease! Somedays I wonder why I even have a beautiful dry erase board to write down all my tasks for the day.  They just don't get done. What do I do all day then?  Where does my time go? (We won't go here because most parent...

December is months away. Months. Like 7 months. But, I'm starting to think about December 3rd now. Planning and preparations are in the early stages. Planning and prep work are key in life, I think. (But, I also love a good big white board, post its, and sharpies.) With eating well, prep work is key.  It's really a must have. If I don't plan my week out with what we will eat, I could overspend at the grocery store or end up eating out because it will get to 4:30 and I'll think "There's nothing to eat.  I forgot to defrost the chicken.  Ok, let's just go out." Planning my week of meals has been key for me the past 3 years.  I've gotten into a pretty good system too.  We tend to have a couple meals that are standard and then once (maybe twice, if I have the energy) I'll try out a new recipe.  Others, we'll just rotate through ones that have become staple.  We do like Friday night pizza and movie and Taco Tuesday (or some var...

What? Did my 5 year old just ask me that? How did he find out about McDonalds? "Oh, buddy, what's that?" (Yea, good one, mom...play dumb.) "It's a place where you get a hot wheels car with a cheeseburger." "Oh!" "So, can we go?" "Well, Andrew, the food there isn't very healthy and I can just go get you a hot wheels car at a toy store without buying food there." "How did you learn about this place, buddy?" "Youtube." Of course ;) Well...we made it 5 1/2 years without that conversation (which, of course, was bound to happen).  #becausekidsknowstuff He asked us again tonight at dinner if we could go to McDonalds when we go to Singapore again (a frequent place for us when we have to leave our country because of visa issues).  I told him "ok, Andrew, if you want to go...I can take you and show you.  But, you know, they don't have hot wheels all the time...it's just certai...

Big news today (other than the fact that my husband will be home today!!) Well, a couple things first. This week has kicked my butt. Husband gone for 10 days. Everyone in the house sick. A lingering cough that will just NOT GO AWAY! Bugs.  Little critters that I despise that torment me at night and make me feel like I'm having a heart attack have decided that my house is oh so lovely.  You are not welcome, little critters. Mastitis.  Yea, let's just add that to my list of things to deal with when husband is away. It was my first time with 3 kiddos alone. Great news: everyone is still alive!! Did we eat the same things on repeat?  Yep.  We love eggs! Did we do a ton of stuff?  Nope.  (Sickness) Did we watch more movies than I would have liked?  Yep. But, we made it. I was nervous about this week with eating and working out.  Nervous because Kyle was gone and I'd just eat because I miss him and nothing to do in the e...

Burpees. Yea.  8 rounds of those suckers AT THE END OF A WORKOUT (including a run). Done. I survived, obviously.  (I'm here writing it down.) Steph says when the workout is hard..."yea, but did you die?!"  Ok, ok... :) I've been a bit nervous about starting off these last two weeks with this 30 day Shred program with Kyle gone (feeling lonely eating??) and so busy with kids that workouts won't happen.  Only on the 3rd day with him gone and so far - so good.  Sticking to it. (It helps too that at night I don't want to go into the kitchen at the risk of seeing little critters that think they can enter my home.) #thatsanotherstory I did a weight check and inches check this morning and happy to say that I lost 3.9 pounds this past week and 7.5 inches total. What brings my heart happy is that I am now 2 pounds away from my pre-pregnancy weight.  Man, that feels good.  But, I'll be honest - my body doesn't look like what it did before sweet L...

I made it one week trying to "re-jump" things after hitting what feels like a huge plateau.   4 3/4 inches down. 2.6 pounds down.   Confidence gained.   And...huge news here: no pain at all related with RA.  (yay for drugs working!)  Fave recipe of the week was this delish salad (for 1 serving): -toss fave mixed greens on plate (2 cups-ish) -add 1/3 cup quinoa (a bit more if you are a male) -sprinkle some fresh basil and 1 oz crumbled feta cheese -throw in a handful of cherry tomatoes  -top with 4 oz of white fish (6oz for men) -oh, and about 3/4-1 cup roasted broccoli Pour this dressing on top: -1/8 tsp minced garlic -1/8 tsp dijon mustard (we just used reg mustard) -1/8 tsp fresh lemon juice -1/2 tbsp olive oil -1/2 tbsp balsamic vinegar -pinch of salt -add stevia if you want (we don't have that here, so I did the smallest bit of honey) Toughest exercise?  Still burpees.  I know there will b...

That's how long it took to stand up from using the bathroom. Too personal? Probably. Probably not that long but I did say a little "oww, that hurts" trying to stand. You know, that's a good feeling. Soreness. Not too much, but a little is nice. Those muscles needed to be worked. #legday We are two days into this 30 day Shred program from Martin Nutrition & Fitness. (Interested in joining?  Let me know.) For 30 days, I'm following a bit tighter on my nutrition and definitely up'ing my game in the workouts. I think the goal is to get "summer ready". Basically I just want to be "ready".  Whatever that means. I just want to feel strong. Feel comfortable. Part of the program is to take "before" pics, take all kinds of measurements, find out your lean body mass, etc, etc. Mine came back "obese". Yea.  It's been over 2 years since I've heard that word. I wondered if they take in...

She's been laying low for a while. I almost think she is gone. Let's be real.  I'm afraid she is gone. You know the girl that pushed her body to the max. You know the girl that was getting physically stronger daily. You know the girl that for the first time in her life liked to look at herself in the mirror. The girl that was fit. Felt capable to conquer anything in her path. Where is she? Somewhere deep within me.  But, I'm afraid she is gone. Delivered a beautiful baby girl last fall.  Hello, extra weight. Developed RA.  Hello, extra weight due to steroid medication. Moved family overseas.  Hello, stress.  (Stress + losing weight = well, it doesn't happen for me.) Little sleep.  (Another factor not in my corner right now.) However... There is something moving. There is a stir deep within me. Can I get back to where I was and even beyond that? I've shared this fear with dear friends. Be patient, Sarah.  ...

How in the world are we not all walking around at 500 pounds plus? This is something that I have been thinking about so much lately. I pay attention to what I eat. I like to look at how much sugar, fat, protein, saturated fats, calories, etc I am taking in. I like knowing if I am getting enough water in daily. I love moving and getting a good sweat in and feeling strong after I work out. Months back, I pulled up what I used to get at McDonalds for breakfast years ago. Around 1,000 calories.  Plus all the other ridiculous amounts of sugar, fat, sodium, etc. I almost threw up at that thought of what I was consuming FOR BREAKFAST ONLY. And then perhaps I could go out for dinner that night.  Or maybe lunch.  Or maybe I'm "good" and I eat at home for the other meals...maybe something like a sandwich on white bread with mayo spread on it and turkey and cheese.  With potato chips.  Maybe for dinner I'd do fish and some vegetables and a white potato wi...

Two recipes in one week? Yep. Tonight I had minced turkey I wanted to use and so I went through the kitchen looking for other items I could toss with it and make some meatballs.  We paired the meatballs with roasted broccoli & a bit of mashed sweet potato with cinnamon sprinkled on it. They turned out so good!  Here's what I did.  If you try them out, let me know what you think. Turkey Meatballs (made 12; 83 calories per meatball - if you want to know that info.  sorry i don't know the other stats yet) 1 pound minced turkey 1/2 onion, diced Couple cloves of garlic, minced 1/2 tsp ginger 1/4 cup diced apple Handful of arugula, chopped finely 1 egg 1/3 cup rolled oats (GF or not) Pinch of salt & pepper 1/4 tsp (or more depending on spice level) crushed red pepper Mix all together and roll into small to medium sized meatballs.  Bake at 350-375 until done or put on skillet and cook until done.  (Ha, I'm so official on the time - jus...

One of my resolutions was to blog once a week. With that in mind...I'm sharing a recipe that I have made I think 3 times in the past 4 weeks. It makes a lot so there will be plenty of leftovers. Pair it with a side of grilled asparagus or roasted broccoli!  Yum!  I also paired it with these amazing buffalo chicken sausages (thin n trim is the brand name - found them at Kroger).  Kind of a weird pairing - but one sausage link and a cup of this soup was a great lunch! If you make it, let me know what you think.  It's a good one for these cold days we've been experiencing in Indiana. SPINACH LENTIL SOUP 1 onion 3 or 4 large carrots (do 4) 4-5 cloves garlic 2 cups dry lentils (brown or green - i've been using green) 15 oz can diced tomatoes (or fresh.  i actually have been putting in a can of fire roasted diced tomatoes and this has been awesome!) 4 cups vegetable broth (or chicken or beef.  whatever you have on hand.) 3 cups water 5 oz spina...

Let's just lay this out.  My number one goal for 2016?  Get back to Kenya. Hands down that is my number one priority. Our family needs to be home in a routine.  I'm excited for so many things back in Nairobi.  I'm looking forward to greeting all our friends (ok, not looking forward to certain friends that will have already left the country or will be leaving the country!), meeting new people, going back to my Bible study group (oh ladies!  i have missed you deeply!), hosting folks in our home, and the list could go on and on. For Andrew, I'm excited for him to start school.  I think this kid will ROCK school.  He loves learning and soaks up everything he reads and hears.  Plus, just for him to be around his friends more often will be wonderful.  I know he has missed them so much (looking at you Matt, Jonathan, Emmanuel, Matthew, Joel, Aly, Ezzie, and Larsen)! For Nattie, I'm just so happy for her to have a bit of her own space.  ...

How was your 2015? I have been doing a lot of reflecting on this year - easy to do this time of year - and thinking about my goals and things I have my eyes set on for next year. To be honest, the past couple of days my mind and heart has been heavy at thinking of all the people I have known that have passed away this past year. Husbands, a wife, children...my own grandma.  All I can do is pray for these families that have lost a loved one. This year has been full.  For sure. We started off in Kenya and are closing out the year Stateside. Nattie traveled to the States for the first time. We all visited beautiful Switzerland for a missions conference and were thoroughly thrown off by the sun being out past 11pm. Kyle represented BlueSky and SIM at conferences and traveled to a couple different countries for meetings and trainings. We traveled to 18 different States in the fall while sharing with friends and churches about our work and life in Kenya. Andrew t...

I have gained 8 pounds in one week. Yes, you read that right. If you were with me at my doctor's appointment this morning when I saw that number on the scale - you would have seen me bawl my eyes out. I had another RA appointment today.  My doc wanted to go over how meds have been the first week, review more blood work done (which apparently I need to get used to...2 more rounds of blood work were ordered today), and go over the results of x-rays I had done last week. Diagnosis of RA was even more solidly confirmed today.  He put my level of severity of the disease on a scale of 1-10 at a 6 or 7. He also prescribed more medicine to take in addition to the ones I'm already taking. Swell.  (Yes, that is sarcasm.  Yes, I am using that.  Yes, generally I am against sarcasm.) Cue tears. I started to read a bit more on RA this past week.  I found a blog that I really like on this disease.  I have heard from so many folks that either have this...

I remember having chicken pox as a child. It was the only time growing up that I got to miss church.  I think my sister and I thought it was so amazing that we were still in our pajamas on a Sunday morning. Is chicken pox a disease? (I am no medical person but I'm putting it into that category for the sake of this post.) In Kenya, I have contracted malaria. That's nothing to joke about.  That disease is awful. Besides that, I've been generally healthy my whole life (well, if you exclude being obese.  And what a disease - epidemic that is in our nation.) But, yea, I've generally been able to stay away from doctor's office and hospitals. I am grateful. Since giving birth to Natalie, I've had numerous little things that have popped up that have affected my health. My knees giving me pain where I can't walk up or down stairs normally. Intense amounts of pain in my feet that I can't walk or move or workout or anything like that. I...an...

I'll say this first: I'm writing this from a perspective of receiving medical care overseas (which, of course, is different).  So, with that said... I have been looking forward to having a physical done for a long time.   Strange, yes.   I had a lot of questions about things that have happened to my body over this transformation, I want to know all the details on my numbers from blood work, talk about things I can improve on, etc.   But, nothing.  None of that happened. It was an in and out visit. Where's the getting to know the patient?   I didn't even get a chance to tell them I lost the weight.  Don't you think that would be a key factor in some of the other things going on? No "you're in good health". No "your heart rate is...." No "blood pressure is...."  No "what line of work are you in" No questions about if there's stress in your life. No questions about if I...

Mostly for this blog I wanted to write about nutrition and exercise. This one.  Hmm, maybe not so much. Folks, I am losing my sanity. Since June 19th, we have been living out of suitcases. That's 136 days, friends. A lot of days. I'm not even sure how many different beds we have slept in since we left our home. At each new place we visit, Andrew asks "Is this our new home?" Oh buddy. Andrew and Natalie's favorite game to play is "let's fly to Kenya in a plane". Andrew asks us frequently when we are going to go back home. I answer him with we are praying right after Thanksgiving and then Christmas and then we will be back home. But, what if it's delayed more than that? When we were in Charlotte for a debrief time with our sending organization, we learned we have significant more monthly financial support to raise.  With that, we cannot purchase our plane tickets to return home until we hit 90% of our support needed. So,...

Tomorrow begins my 36th year of life. My 35th year of life has been nothing short of amazing. One year ago on my birthday, my husband and I sat at our favorite little sushi and Korean restaurant in Nairobi and we together declared this year as the "year of me". Ha. Sounds a bit narcissistic, eh? Selfish? At first I was like…this is silly. But it wasn't. Not even in the slightest. In my 35th year of life, I decided it was time to take care of me and learn how to be healthy. I am beyond thankful for my husband who has supported EVERY SINGLE DAY of this past year.  He has encouraged me beyond measure.  Only uplifting and positive words have come from his mouth this entire year.  He pushes me.  Motivates me.  Challenges me.  Tells me how proud he is of me and how much he loves me. I am blessed. Learning about nutrition and how to properly fuel my body has been life-giving.  I am forever indebted to Stephanie Martin (check out her ne...

well, first.  sweet 2 months later I'm writing.  eek.  i would have thought i would have more time to write stateside.  hmm.  not so much.  oh well.  it's probably just as well too - means i'm spending great time catching up with folks.  and well, that is just lovely. 2.5 months ago my sister mentioned doing the indianapolis women's half or 5k with her and mom.  i didn't think we would be in the city at the time so i declined.  plus, i was just getting over a stress fracture in my foot and didn't really want to press my luck running. but, over the past 2.5 months my foot has felt better and better and my running outside has increased. i decided i could do a thanksgiving day race with them and my husband and also a race in december.  actually, there's a race in december that kyle has wanted to run that's a half but i have been a bit sheepish about doing that distance so i've been settling to do the 5k of it. a half just seeme...