Dr. Scholl's® Massaging Gel® Insoles - Giveaway!

You all know I am exercising and trying my darndest to be healthy.  Part of that means being more active throughout my day.  I could have a very sedentary job if I didn’t challenge myself to get out from behind my desk.  The Dr. Scholl's^® Massaging Gel^® Insoles provided relief for my aching feet since I now stand up for the majority of my work day. {you know to burn extra calories}  I have been in need of new work shoes for quite some time now but I have been procrastinating buying new ones.  With the Insoles it was like getting a brand new pair of shoes with the extra support they provided. 

 

Designed to fit your everyday shoes, these insoles are made with two types of gel to double the comfort in your shoes for those with foot discomfort and absorb shock all day long.  They come in men and women's sizes and can be found in the foot care aisle of most drugstores, grocery stores and discount mass retailers.  Best part is, you can try them RISK FREE.  Dr Scholl's offers a money-back guarantee. 

Lauren loves to wear my shoes around the house.  She says they are so soft now it is like walking on a cloud because they are so squishy.  She cracks me up!

The nice people at Dr. Scholl’s partnered up with bzzagent.com and were kind enough to send me a pair of insoles to try along with some coupons to share!  If you are interested in trying Dr. Scholl's^® Massaging Gel^® Insoles leave me a comment about how you think these could help your tired feet. Make sure to have your email in the comment or at least where I can reply back to you and I will pick a few this weekend and mail you the coupons so you can experience this comfort for yourself!

**I was provided a free pair of insoles as part of bzzagent.com to try and provide feedback on.  All opinions are solely my own!

Don't Get Discouraged

These past few weeks have been a little rough.  I am not sure exactly what my problem is but I just cannot stay focused.  I was doing really well and then for the three weeks I have gained a pound one week, then lost three the next, then gained a pound the next week.  WHAT GIVES??  This week I am going to set my goals first and then at the end I will recap last week.

 

 

 

 

 

After not being pleased with my weigh-ins two out of the three weeks it is hard not to get down on myself.  I can make excuses of why I haven't been focused, its been that time of the month and I haven't necessarily been sticking to my plans but I won't.  I didn't put the work in as far as my eating habits go.  STRAIGHT UP.  I stayed under my calorie goal but I didn't always make the best choices.  And I know it.  So my next two goals are set accordingly. 

 

No snacking, no over indulging NOTHING.  Just eat clean, healthy, well thought out meals. 

 

OK so after going back and checking my calorie stats on my fitbit and myfitnesspal I actually didn't do so bad for the week with my eating as far as the numbers go.  This week I want to focus on eating healthy items AND stay within my calories!  {these recap posts are so helpful for reflecting!}

 

I did so well on this and then I got busy at work and didn't get as active throughout the day.  It has warmed up and rained quite a bit so we haven't been walking after dinner as much.  First it was just a day in a week and then two days.  Out of the month of June I have missed 5 days so far.    Well not this week....I am going to hit my 10,000 steps every single cotton picking day!  Preferably I will do this before I come home from work and then the after dinner walks will just be bonus steps. 

 

Brian and I have watched a couple documentaries in the last week that have me really thinking about the food I put into my body.  Hungry for Change talks about the unhealthy processed foods that our grocery stores are stocked full of and how they effect your body and your mind.  It was very eye opening.  We also watched Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead.  Joe Cross' transformation in this film was nothing short of spectacular. It was very motivating and thought provoking.  He goes on a 60 day juice fast, drops an extraordinary amount of weight and basically cures himself from a debilitating illness all by juicing and then eating healthy.  Now I am not saying I am going to run out and buy a juicer and not eat solid food for 2 months but I am definitely going to look into the juice fast and clean eating idea. 

 

 

So that is what I am planning for this week, now let's recap what went on last week.

First off my goal was to plan it out.  I did this with my workouts and meal plan.  I did exercise every day but I deviated from my plan.  I finished up the 30 Day Shred and am moving on to Ripped in 30 for the next month along with additional cardio and occasional strength workouts.  I also started Aqua Zumba last week. 

Eat every two hours.  I did well with this for the biggest part of the week.  I really only had one slip up with really bad eating and that was Sunday which I mentioned in my post last week but the rest of the week I didn't necessarily eat what I should even though  I managed to stay under my calorie goal. 

Use small plates.  This one was easy peasy and really helps me to manage my dinners.  Lunches are all preplanned and I can't go back for seconds.  At home  during dinner it isn't so easy but really a full small plate helps keep me in check. 

 

 

I hope you all have a great week!!

Just Start

I have lost and gained weight more times than I care to count or for that matter remember. It is such a daily struggle and honestly the emotional side of this journey has been so much harder than the physical side of it.

If you are starting out on this journey for the first time or for the 100^th time the best advice I can give you is to JUST START. Start making healthy choices in all areas of your life.  You can start out slow and build up.  Actually this is probably a more effective approach so you don’t go all in and burn yourself out in the first few weeks.  Take a walk each night after dinner, then start adding in healthier food choices, then start some other type of exercise on top of the walking. JUST START DOING IT!!!

Find others who are also trying to lose weight.  I have joined a couple of groups on facebook and the ladies on there are a huge motivator. We talk about struggles and our successes. What works and what doesn't. Being able to share what I have been going through with someone who knows what it is like has been so helpful. I also read a ton of weight loss and healthy eating blogs.  I love reading about what others are doing for exercise, how they are losing weight and what they are eating.  It gives me lots of ideas of things to try. 

Another thing that I have changed this time around is my mindset.  This is not a short term solution until I reach my goal weight.  This is a lifestyle change.  I am always going to need to exercise and eat healthy or when I reach my goal weight so that I can maintain my new body.  If I were to stop working out and eating right I WILL gain the weight back.  I have already proven that to myself many times.

This time around...I have been brutally HONEST about my struggles with everyone...if they ask but for sure with Brian. He had no idea about the emotional ties I had to food and how I felt about myself and my body.  Once I started to tell him all those things a huge weight was lifted {no pun intended} and I have been able to do things in the last few months I haven't been able to do previously. Losing weight this time around feels so much different than last year too and dangit if I am not losing those same pounds I worked so hard to get rid of this time last year. But I am working on the mental side and working to get that fit too.

 

With that being said I still struggle.  There are days I have to force myself to start my workout.  There are days I do nothing but crave the unhealthy foods I know will go straight to my bum.  Some days I still give into those temptations but I put on my now way too big panties and get right back at my exercising and eating right.  The old me would have let those days throw me off course and I would have binged for days, weeks or even months until I had gained back all the weight.  This is how I know it is different this time.  I am able to keep going.  I am breaking chains in this horrible yo yo cycle bit by bit. 

I have been trying to contain posts about my weightloss to once or twice a week because it is not my intention to turn this into a weight loss blog.  But I blog about my life and a huge piece of my life is my weightless journey.   

If you are trying to lose weight yourself please let me be an encouragement to you. You can do this.  Yes it will take some work and some sacrifices but I promise, it WILL BE WORTH IT.  Reach out to me.  I am an open book and you can ask me any question you like.  I hold nothing back. 

 

Plan It Out

Good Monday morning.  I am excited for the week ahead and am ready to get this party started!  Let's recap last week and how I did.  Honestly I struggled.  I really feel like I could have been more focused.  There were several mornings I suffered through the 30 Day Shred instead of kicking it's butt!  My eh hem...time of the month should be this week and for some reason the week before I want to eat my arm off.  I did pretty well at not overdoing it and actually weighed in on Friday down 3.2 pounds!  Then Sunday rolled around and I couldn't seem to control myself and I over did it.  But I still got my workout in so it's all good!  Now with last week behind me I am moving on to this week. 

 

 

There are four weeks left in the 10 week challenge and over all I really feel like I am doing well.  I may not be exactly where I thought I would be but I am learning so many things about myself and my body along the way.  I know these things will help me to sustain and keep losing weight until I reach my goal. 

This was actually the mini challenge in the 10 week challenge last week but I didn’t use it as one of my goals. This week I am. I like to plan things out. I meal plan already but I am going to try something new with my exercise. Since I have been doing the 30 Day Shred I know at least what half of my workout will be each day. I do the 30 Day Shred first and then go from there either Zumba, running, the elliptical…whatever I feel like. For the next few weeks I am going to plan out what I am going to do each day instead. I am hoping this will keep me moving and motivated to get up early and get my workouts in before work.

 

One thing I have learned about myself and my body is I need to eat and eat often. If I let myself go too long in between meals I get ravenous and don’t make the best choices. I tend to binge or overeat because I am so hungry I can’t seem to get full. That is not how I like to get and in the past this has been a HUGE issue for me. Plus I get hangry when I haven’t eaten recently! I am not pleasant to be around when I am starving. I have started splitting up my snacks that have two parts. I feel this helps me make it to the next meal without wanting to chew my arm off!

 

 

I have been doing this during dinner but I’m going to start with everything. Using smaller plates/bowls tricks your mind into thinking you are eating more than you are because your plate is full. Good thing I have little people in my house so I can swipe their bowls. J Colton’s shark bowl was perfect for my cottage cheese.

I hope you have a great week!

Workout Like...

If you have been following any of my weekly goal posts on Monday mornings you will know I have been doing Jillian Michael's 30 Day Shred.  If you have watched the Biggest Loser you know she can be pretty intense. In fact at the beginning of the DVD she says people call her TV's Toughest Trainer. 
I thought this would be an appropriate reminder even when I am not doing any of her workout videos!

She definitely pushes her contestants to the brink and she gets amazing results.  I am almost through with the 30 days but I am going to keep using the DVD.  All three levels are a great workout and I have definitely seen results.  I have another kickboxing DVD and I think I will throw that in the mix too!

What is your favorite workout?