Tuesday, August 14, 2012

Help out for a good cause!!

So we had to change our 5K plans :(...but the good news is...we found a different one to do right here in Beloit!! The bonus is that it is for a very very good cause that helps out many young women and couples. The Heart Choices/Heartbeat Pregnancy Center is putting on a the 2012 Walk/Run/Ride for Life for Heart Choices. It will include a "Duathalon" where it combines a 16 Mile Bike Race and 5K Run! It also includes a 1 mile Walk and Kid's Fun Run. It will be a great event with lots of great people participating. I have set up a Donation page where you can go and make Donations for the Heartbeat Pregnancy Center. Click on this link http://www.ministrysync.com/event/website/?m=1049632 and donate away! :)

Thank you in advance!! If you want to come join in on the race you can go to Heart Choice/Heartbeat Pregnancy's Facebook page and find out about the event, or go to this link and register http://www.ministrysync.com/event/website/home/?e=2525

If you want to do this, but think "Man there isn't a long enough time period to get ready to run that far". Think again...There is the ever so popular C25K training guide that will have you ready just in time to make it to this race!! Pin It

Wednesday, August 8, 2012

Life is never a given...

"Cherish your yesterdays, and dream your tomorrows, but most importantly, don't forget to live your todays."

Last night after our 2 year anniversary dinner and as Shelby was rocking our sassy little girl to sleep, we watched TV. Just a normal night at home that Shelby didn't have to work. The show was a new favorite of mine...NY Med. Usually ends up causing a few tears and reasons to give my baby an extra hug and kiss before bedtime. Last nights was a little different. It struck a major personal chord for me. A woman had come into the ER complaining of chest pains and shortness of breath. Now I'm sure doctors and nurses hear these complaints and they turn out to be something minor 90% of the time. As she was moaning in pain and the nurses were trying to decide if it was legit or not, she coded. No pulse, nothing. They called time of death. The culprit? A Pulmonary Embolism. That floored me. She was just laying there screaming out that she was hurting. She was living and breathing 2 seconds before that. How is she now gone? Within a matter of seconds. I knew that they are extremely dangerous, and have a very high chance of turning fatal. But man...I almost couldn't say a word. I just sort of sat there in a blank stare, thinking..."What if that was me...what if that had happened when I was pregnant with Lenae? What if they had not caught it quick enough, and it had become larger and detached?" Then I had to stop myself before I went into a full blown panic attack.

I reminded myself, "They did catch it. It did not happen to you, you are living and breathing right now. You have a beautiful, ornery child that came from that nightmare of a pregnancy completely unscathed. Quit with the "What if's" and worry about the "What nows". "What I am doing now is hopefully going to lessen the possible health issues that could arise in a future(very distant) pregnancy. I am taking every step I can to ensure that I will live a long life(God-willing) for my family. While I'm not entirely sure if the PE was caused because of my weight(may have been from spraining an ankle, developing a clot in my leg, and then moving up) I am treating it as if it was...as just one more source of motivation. All of it served as another serious wake up call to cherish the time I have right now. Tomorrow is not a guarantee. I could be doing all of this work to ensure a healthy future for myself, without the assurance that I will in fact have that future.(I'm still not going to stop working for it though!) So today I have to love who I have in my life...and make sure they darn well know it. Try to stop worrying about the tomorrows or the next weeks..because as my husband ALWAYS says..."I could walk out this door and get hit by a bus tomorrow." Would you be happy with your yesterday or today if you were to meet that bus tomorrow??

I have also successfully(okay it's only been 5 days...but still) given up my love of Diet Coke/Pepsi. I have not had one since last Thursday. Honestly...it has not been much of a struggle. I have had 1 or 2 cravings for it, but I quickly got get a glass of water, or tea...and forget about it. I feel a lot better and less poisoned(probably more of a mind thing) than I have in a long time. I love it!! Now whenever I want one I will just tell myself...you have 5 days behind you...do you really want to start all over again???? Nope. Sure don't.

On the weight front...as of this morning, my scale read that I am now down 17 lbs :). I know this is a good accomplishment...but I am holding out until that 20 lbs to a heel kick and fist pump! 4 inches off my waist feels pretty good too.

Okay...gotta go...the kids are waking up...and we have some playing to do!

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Thursday, August 2, 2012

Life Happens...

"Life is what happens to you while you're busy making other plans..."

I allowed myself to become busy the past week and a half. I was doing so good, working out everyday, and eating decently healthy. Then mom and dad went on vacation, Shelby was working, and my sister was busy. So...there went all of my options on who would watch Lenae while I went to collect my 1.5 hours of sanity for the day. I know...it's somewhat of an excuse, but in every mother's defense, there comes a point where you start to feel guilty for pawning off your children constantly. And add on the fact that my husband works at night(police officer) and sometimes works ungodly long shifts that are as unpredictable as the mood of my toddler. It can sometimes be more of a struggle to find a babysitter to go workout for an hour, than to just say uncle and plop back down on the couch. If anyone without children is still shouting the word "EXCUSE" at the screen, then I will try as hard as I can to keep my mouth closed in a few years if you find yourself in this predicament. I would feel incredibly horrible picking up the phone and saying to a friend, or non immediate family member, "Can I pawn off Lenae on you, even though you are probably incredibly busy yourself, so that I can go and get my 1.5 hours of "Joelle time" in today? Oh what's that? You haven't had any you time either...well maybe you can after you watch my child." See where I'm going with that? Okay...sorry. Soapbox. Off. So I think for the sake of my own conscience, and for some much needed one on one quality time with my missy, we needed that week and a half off.  We also made some time for us this weekend. In his line of work, after he gets home he wants to stay home. (I do too, mostly). Can you blame him though? Everytime he leaves the house it is always a constant work opportunity or reminder of what happened last night at work. So we went to the lake, hung out with some pretty awesome friends, stayed out WAY too late(normal hours for him), and slept in the next day. It was incredible. I haven't laughed that hard in a long time. So I guess I'm starting to L.I.V.E. BUT I did still run and lift at least 3 times during that period. I am considering it a break because it wasn't a consistent schedule of workouts. I started back in last night running 2 miles, and was going to lift weights, but again Shelby needed me home so that we could go run a couple of pressing errands.

This comes to my inexplainable fear of stepping on my scale. Since I began this a few months ago, this morning was the first time I was ever really scared to see what number would be staring back at me. You want to know what? I didn't lose, or gain.(I'm still not comfortable making the actual number public yet...but when I am you will know) Why was I scared? Because I didn't drink my normal amount of water everyday(I still drank at least 64 oz/day), and I didn't eat as carefully(but have payed much better attention to portion sizes). The daycare kids and I have been going on a walk every other morning too, which includes me pushing a stroller with 1 arm, and pulling a wagon that has 2 toddlers in it with the other arm. So I think I have figured out a good start at maintaining, which will be vitally as important when I reach my goal of weight loss.

And I know that in today's society, people want proof. People want side by side pictures of before and after to know that the way someone is going about losing weight is actually working. Well be patient, I am working on that. We are having family pictures done sometime in the very near future, so I will put up the last set of pics that Lenae and I had done a few months ago, and the new ones. But for right now, you will just have to settle for a pretty cute couple of pictures of myself and the oh so colorful personality of my 1 1/2 yr old child. Seriously...she is a complete replica of Shelby and I both, just put together. Now for those of you who know us, that is completely terrifying. :)

Her 1 yr old pics(more like 14 mo) She looks so sweet and innocent..right?!

We had a little photo shoot of our own, I told her to smile. This is what I got. Seriously, her personality kills me.




And finally...this is Lenae...at her finest.


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