One Mama Gets Fit

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...