Mind, Body and Soul Manifestations

I'm finally starting to notice a change in myself this week. I had my first weigh-in with my trainer today and I am happy to say that I have lost a little over a pound AND 2.6lbs of body fat! That was the biggest goal...to lose the fat! When someone tells you that your body is 41% body fat, that is terrifying. (It's even scarier to share it with all of you; however, I think it's an important thing to know about yourself and I can honestly say that I am making changes to improve this factor in my life.) In 6 sessions of personal training and 3 weeks of working out, I have dropped 1% body fat and 1lb. While that is slower than I'd like, I'm just happy to see some progress! I know this weekend will be a challenge because Ben and I are going out of town and it's Easter, but I'm going to try to make good choices food-wise and squeeze in workouts when I can. I'm praying for nice weather so I can get outside! I can't wait until next week because I'm off...

So, today Ben and I went to Bob Evans for breakfast with my family and then did a "Taste of Solomons" this afternoon. I picked what I thought were healthy choices: a garden harvest omelette full of veggies (which I only ate half of), home fries (only ate half of these too), coffee...but the biscuits were what did me in. Who knew those things were almost 300 calories a piece! Yikes! (I'm not gonna lie though, they tasted amazing.) Then, at the Solomons restaurants, the "Tastes" were small portions and I didn't think I was consuming too many calories. I've been trying to keep my calories at or under 2,000 per day. I definitely went over a bit. However, I do remember that when you don't know exactly what goes into things, it's super hard to estimate calories. Today was the first "free" day I've had in weeks, so I'm not going to beat myself up about it. I just have to keep in mind that I should keep eating out to a minimum and try t...

I know it's been a while since I've posted. Life has been pretty hectic! I know I don't have kids and I'm not married yet, but working 2 jobs, giving art lessons and trying to finish my Masters program are sucking up most of my time. I have been committed to my trainer at the gym though. I've done about 4 workouts with her so far and I've managed to squeeze in a few on my own. I'm noticing a shift in my thinking since I've actually stuck with my workouts. Before, when I got home from work or school I would snack or have a cocktail and I didn't put much thought into what I was eating for dinner. While I'm by no means "perfect" in my eating habits, I think I'm improving. I'm trying really hard to actually think about what I'm putting in my mouth. I don't want to ruin all of the hard work I'm doing at the gym. I'm also motivated by my wedding and my other friends who seem to be shrinking or continuing on a healthier...

So, a few weeks ago I fell down my parent's steps. I didn't think I hurt myself because I just ended up with a  massive bruise on my behind and some slight discomfort in my lower back. That went away, but for the past couple of weeks I have had a lot of pain in my right foot. In between my second and third toe and the outside edge of my foot have been extremely sore. I tried propping it up, only using the exercise bike instead of the elliptical or treadmill, soaking it in Epsom salts and not wearing heels. None of it seemed to be making much difference so I went to the Dr's today. He x-rayed it and tested it out and determined that I have a neuroma. I guess I pinched a nerve in there somewhere. This means that for 3 weeks I can't do any "pounding" on my foot. This means, no treadmill or elliptical and I have to be careful what shoes I'm wearing. IT seems like I am constantly taking one step forward and two steps back! Literally, exactly one year ago, I inj...

Well, I have really fallen off the wagon the last couple of weeks. I have not been in a good place mentally and that is majorly affecting my eating habits and my working out. I woke up this morning with a snow day and am trying to get a better handle on things. I have an appointment with a personal trainer tonight at 5:15 and am hoping that once I talk to her, I will be more motivated to keep up with all of this. She was also in physical therapy before she got her personal training certificate so I'm hoping she can help me with my ankle and knee issues as well. One another note, I got to talk to my Godmother on Saturday. I was expressing to her how I felt overwhelmed and I wasn't sure I could handle all of my jobs and grad school and planning the wedding. She stopped me and said, "Wait, what kind of woman are you?...a strong one! You can handle anything." I think I had lost sight of that. I think about when I was working 4 jobs and living with my parents to try and ...