Today is a special day in my life. It is the day that I went from being a lonely only child to a big sister. Michaela and I have fought, we have laughed and we have become best friends. Seventeen years have flown by.
I am so thankful for January 31st, the day God gave me my sister, my shopping buddy, my friend. Happy Birthday Michaela!
To go along with all this working out and drinking endless amounts of water, I am also trying to make a conscious effort to eat better as well. I have always thought that I hated almonds, but after trying them, I actually really like them. (Somewhere in Brazil Jenna’s heart skipped a beat and she doesn’t know why). I am also attempting to incorporate more veggies and fruits as well.
As I told you yesterday www.livestrong.com is becoming my new best friend. Not only is it helping me track my food and fitness, but the recipes on there haven’t been terrible yet. Tonight we had a Cream Cheese Alfredo dish. It was surprisingly good.
Here is the link to the recipe if you want to try it…
http://www.livestrong.com/recipes/cream-cheese-alfredo-2/
I actually used whole wheat noodles instead of protein noodles (because honestly I have no idea what those are.) I also added some garlic pepper, which is my go to spice of choice for almost anything Italianish.
If you try it or can think of anything to make it healthier/better let me know.
One pound at a time…
Ok so as I mentioned at the beginning of this year, I am making fitness a priority. So far it is not too fun. I am enjoying my aerobics class when I am not dying. I even enjoy doing random exercises throughout the day, I think my main problem is the food aspect of my healthier living. I LOVE FOOD! I think it is something that has been engrained in me since birth. I am a southern woman and southern women like to eat.
Yesterday I went to the Chiropractor who just so happens to also be a Nutritionist. He is a super nice guy and set me up on www.livestrong.com in order to track the things I am eating. This is going to help me pinpoint my problem areas and will hopefully help me correct my ways. The website has tons of recipes, one of which I tried tonight. It was a veggie sandwich. Not too bad, but I would much rather have been biting into a big juicy burger. Knowing I have to type in what I am eating, also keeps me more accountable. It also makes me think twice about eating a snack whenever I get the whim.
I am not excited about all the sacrifices, but it will be oh so worth it when I slip in a pair of jeans a few sizes smaller. I love shopping so I suppose I can look at this as an opportunity to buy a whole new wardrobe. That in and of itself is almost more motivating than being thinner.
I will post more updates on the weight loss, until then, Drink some water and be healthy!
It is that time again…time to go back to the books, back to class, and back to not having a life. Today I feel the same way I felt the day I started college. Unprepared, overwhelmed and a bit alone….all for completely different reasons than I did 4 years ago. I don’t have a single class I am excited about. Normally there is at least one that gets me through the semester, but this time around…NADA, NOTHING AT ALL!!!!
I am taking Astronomy with the Lab online (snooze fest) I have no idea what the man is talking about and I fear that even my husband who has to be better at science than me, won’t be able to help me understand measuring angles and finding constellations. Then I have Business Computer Apps, also online. This one doesn’t seem too hard, just not exciting. Then I have Spanish II, not fun but tolerable since I have a few people I know in there. And last but certainly not least, the kicker, PUBLIC SPEAKING (insert shrill horror movie scream here). I am not opposed to speaking in front of people, I have no problem with that at all, it is the professor that has me all discombobulated. For some reason, the man feels like talking down to students is an effective method to getting his point across…not the case. That my friends covers the overwhelmed part.
As for the underprepared, I don’t know the first thing about Astronomy…why do I do this to myself? I don’t have time to write a 9 page paper complete with 3 paragraphs on why I am taking Public Speaking…I have to, that is the reason. How am I to expound on something that is pretty cut and dry?
Then let’s move to the alone part…I am 22 years old and most of the kids walking around here look to be about 14. On top of that it seems that every person I started out with has graduated. I know it doesn’t matter how long it takes me to finish as long as I finish, but it would be nice to have a kindred spirit.
So that is where I am today…a bit discouraged and not offering much encouragement to the 2 or 3 people who actually take the time to read this. Sorry folks, maybe it is the dreary weather, but it is just that kind of day.
I am going to go ahead and admit, that I am not the most technically savvy gal. Having said that, I would just like to share how said technology is changing my world. As stated in a previous blog, I am now one of those smart phone people. There are very few times you will see me without my phone, because quite frankly once I figured the thing out it became vital to everyday life. Want to know what’s playing at the movie theater? In about 30 seconds I can tell you. Who played the priest in The Princess Bride…just let me check my IMBD app. It is amazing what a small piece of plastic can do.
Beyond the love of my phone, I am now an avid lover of Skype. I have never really had a use for it, because the people I want to talk to are generally in the United States and I can just call them. Enter BFF Jenna who is on a forever long mission trip to Brasil. I am so glad she is getting this experience, but not being able to see her face and call her anytime I want, is simply no fun at all. This is how Skype has changed my life. Thursday morning I was able to eat breakfast with Jenna. Me at my computer here in Alabama, USA and Jenna in Vitoria, Brasil. It was amazing (once I figured out how to make my microphone work). I got to see Brasil at 9:30 in the morning and she got to see me at 5:30 in the morning. I am pretty sure I got the better end of the deal. It is amazing to me that this technology even exists, but I am not going to lie, I LOVE IT!!!! and I plan on using it again and again over the next 4 months.
Jenna will be traveling with a group of missionaries in the next week to another location in Brasil to share the gospel. Pray for clarity of thought, and that God will use her to change the lives of all those she comes in contact with.
So I do not make New Year’s Resolutions, but so far this year I have made a greater commitment to fitness. Looking back on some pictures from the past decade I realized I am HUGE I am not at fit as I once was. I think it has been a slow progression of me being a lazy bum me getting married and still being in school. There are simply not enough hours in the day. Yoga is my exercise of choice, but the class I like to go to is on the days I have school. This past semester I worked out sporadically but now I am making a commitment to faithfully attend a step aerobics class at the Y. Yesterday was the first time I had been to the class since before Drew and I got married. It helps that my boss Marla teaches the class, because she will keep me accountable.
I didn’t do so bad yesterday. I thought I was going to die a few times, but I didn’t and once I was done I felt really accomplished. Today I still feel accomplished, but I also feel incredibly sore (ie. like an 85 year old woman with arthritis). It is amazing the muscles that you discover after you work out. Things you didn’t know could feel sore suddenly scream at you asking “Why are you doing this to me?”
Tomorrow I go back to class…let’s hope I live to blog another day.
