mommycanrun — Mamavation

Bitter Sweet: My Top Five Lessons I’ve Learned from Being a Mamavation Mom

March 14, 2012 By mommycanrun 10 Comments

5. Stress can do funky things. Even if you are doing everything perfect with nutrition and exercise, stress can really affect how your body responds to it all. Figure out some ways to take care of your mental health, first and foremost.

4. Don’t sweat the small stuff. Do what you can. Forget the rest. Sometimes you cannot get it all done and sometimes you just have to deal with it. As someone that likes to plan and likes to determine my own fate, it has been difficult to let go of control and roll with the punches. It has become easier though. I am learning.

3. Don’t worry about tomorrow. Forget about yesterday. You can’t change yesterday and tomorrow will take care of itself. Live in the moment and make the most of each one. When you make a mistake, move on. You cannot change it. Tomorrow is a new day. Don’t get stuck in the mistakes of today.

2. I feel so much better eating right and exercising. Everything is better when I take better care of myself. Sleep is one of the most overlooked priorities. I learned that getting enough sleep has to move up in my priority list. I have to take care of my WHOLE SELF.

1. Life is about balance. For every minute spent on one thing takes away from something else. Time is precious and limited. I will forever look at my time differently. I have to think carefully about what I spend my time on. Even exercise is something that takes away from spending time on something else—like spending time with my family. Time must not be squandered and must be balanced.

17.5 inches GONE! 6.4 pounds—GONE!

Thank you EVERYONE that has supported me on this journey! I would like to thank Alysa from InspiredRD and Pete Cohen from Weight Loss Guru, the Sistahood, Leah, Mark, Megan and Meagan. Thank you to my fellow Mamavation Moms Lolo and Andrea! You two have made this journey so special! I cannot wait to meet up with you both in person someday soon! XOXO

Filed Under: Featured, Longterm, Mamavation Moms Tagged With: @mommycanrun, Alysa Bajenaru, health, mamavation mom, nutrition, weight loss

One Step at a Time

March 8, 2012 By mommycanrun 4 Comments

This week has been full of challenges! It is just proof that getting through the Mamavation campaign does not stop for any life moment. I have been sick for the past two days, unfortunately, so I have been eating soup and sleeping, in between throwing up. It is a glamorous life.

Earlier, Andrea, Lolo and I had a conference call with Leah, where she checked in with all of us. I cannot believe we are in the last two weeks of this campaign. One thing I will cherish after this campaign is over, is that I have grown close with so many incredible ladies, including Andrea and Lolo. It has five weeks of ups and downs. I am excited and nervous about the campaign coming to a close. It will mean that I will be on my own again and for that, I am equally excited and nervous. Having my mentor and my fellow Mamavation moms by my side every step of the way has been a great experience.

Saturday, I ran a 15k with the running group. A 15k is 9.32 miles, but I clocked the course at nearly 9.5 miles. There was about a mile to walk to and from my car, so add that on top of that. I had over 27,000 steps on Saturday. My performance on the race was not fantastic. I did not run as fast as I used to, but I was so proud to have run that far!

Mamavation Week 6

Thank you Mamavation, my mentors Megan and Meagan, and Leah and Mark for all of your support. Thank you also to Alysa’s from InspiredRD for the food plan and Pete Cohen for your Weight Loss Guru program. And a special thank you to my fellow Mamavation Moms Lolo and Andrea. I couldn’t do this with out you and wouldn’t want to!

Filed Under: Featured, Longterm, Mamavation Moms Tagged With: alysa bajenaru RD, Inspired RD, mamavation, mamavation mom, nutrition, Pete Cohen Weight Loss Guru, weight loss

Perfect Practice Makes Perfect

March 1, 2012 By mommycanrun 8 Comments

This week I worked really hard on getting my nutrition and my fitness in synch. It was hard and sometimes it was not perfect, but this is all practice. I know it will all come together.

I am down a total of 7 pounds since the campaign started. I am more excited, however, of my measurements! I have lost 17.5 inches! Woo hoo! I was doing a happy dance all over the place! I am pleased to say that my jeans are fitting a little looser and my workout clothes are definitely fitting a bit better.

I am on the fence about pursuing the full marathon training. I have enough training completed that I could easily do a half marathon by June. I question my time constraints and my physical condition. It has been a lot of time spent on the training and it will only increase. I can continue to train with the track club and continue my half marathon training until June and choose the half marathon, rather than the full. I do question whether or not my ankle can withstand the constant pounding of the marathon training until June for the full marathon. Decisions. Decisions.

I am starting to feel a bit under the weather today, whether it is due to fatigue, PMS, or actual sickness remains to be seen. I have a horrible headache and stomach ache. I have a low grade fever and my throat is scratchy. Ruh roh. Time to load up on my vitamins!

Thank you Mamavation, my mentors Megan and Meagan for all of your support. Thank you also to Alysa from InspiredRD for the nutrition plan and Pete Cohen for your Weight Loss Guru program. I also want to say that my fellow Mamavation Moms, Andrea and Lolo are my rocks. Thank you both for being so wonderfully supportive all times of the day or night when I have a question or just need an ear to listen.

Filed Under: Featured, Longterm, Mamavation Moms Tagged With: alysa bajenaru RD, campaign 11, health, mamavation mom, pete cohen, weight loss, weight loss guru

Balance and Consistency Week 4 Mamavation Mom

February 23, 2012 By mommycanrun 9 Comments

This week was all about finding a way to balance everything and being consistent. I learned how to get as much done as I can and not sweat the rest. I had to let go of some control and realize that I cannot be perfect every day. I have to do what I need to do and not worry about the little things that do not get done—like the household chores that are driving me crazy. Taking care of my own health and fitness has become more routine than it has in a while. That, I would say, is progress.

The scale was unkind this week, but that was to be expected in some ways. Change is stressful and stress can hinder weight loss, I am learning. I have to trust the process and focus on the bigger picture. Also, I got injured and had to take a couple of days off from exercise. Sitting out was difficult. I wanted to be productive and really, being productive meant a couple days of rest. It was tough to accept.

I am learning my way around the nutrition program. It is starting to make sense, which is starting to make getting good quality food in the right proportions a little easier. I am more consistent, more focused, and expecting great results.

It about the journey, not the destination, right? So far, I have lost 5 pounds as a Mamavation Mom and I know I can do better—much, much better.

Filed Under: Featured, Mamavation Moms Tagged With: @mommycanrun, alysa bajenaru RD, InspiredRD, Laura Lohr, mamavation mom, nutrition, pete cohen, weight loss, weight loss guru

Spinning Wheels—Mamavation Week #3

February 15, 2012 By mommycanrun 10 Comments

So, here I am in week three. I am feeling spent. I feel like there are important aspects of my life that are suffering right now because I am being pulled in so many direction—spinning my wheels, but not really going anywhere.

Honestly, I feel tired and run down. I do not feel like there is ever time to recharge my batteries and I am in desperate need of some recharging. It is not that I want to throw in the towel; I need a break and there is none in sight.

I feel like the meal plans are going well. We have definitely had some successful meals. With the help of Mr. Bear, I have kept the cupboards stocked with all the yummy ingredients I need for our meals. We are all enjoying our meals.

This week’s weigh in was discouraging. The scale was down .5 pounds for the entire month. I find myself feeling frustrated by my lack of progress, but seemingly endless effort. I know the stress is playing a major factor in the almost complete stall of weight loss.

I know next week will be a better week. For right now, my baby girl and my bed beckon me. Have a great week!

Here’s my video for the week.

Thank you Alysa at Inspired RD, Pete Cohen The Weight Loss Guru, and the Mamavation sistahood for getting me through the past couple of weeks! Your support means so much!

Filed Under: Featured, Longterm, Mamavation Moms Tagged With: @mommycanrun, alysa bajenaru RD, fitness, Laura Lohr, mamavation, pete cohen, video confessional, weight loss

Mamavation Mom Week 2—It’s All About the Planning

February 9, 2012 By mommycanrun 10 Comments

The first week of the Mamavation Mom campaign was a bit more stressful than I anticipated. There was a lot of information to process and I found myself feeling a bit overwhelmed. It’s almost the end of the week and I am feeling a bit more secure about what I need to do. Today is the day I am going to get a complete grasp on the meal planning and meal preparation. This week is going to be a great week!

I ran a 10k on Saturday and I am really proud of my progress with activity. I feel stronger with the Mamavation workouts and I feel like am better able to fit everything in. Exercise is going really well!

I have some goals this week!

1. Keep watching my water intake! I am going to make sure I have water in my hand every chance I get.
2. Meal planning—I am going to get my meals planned out for the entire week and follow everything exactly.
3. Leave the scale alone. I have a bad habit of weighing myself everyday. That gets me really frustrated.
4. Don’t sweat the small stuff and know that it is all small stuff!

We got the program from Pete Cohen, Weight Loss Guru. It is the emotional component of the program and I am really excited to dive head long into the information. Also, I am going to bury myself in the information I got from Alysa from InspiredRD. It is all really great stuff! Thank you to my mentors, the Mamavation ladies, and Leah. This week I know will be a great one!

Here is my scale picture. Womp, womp, womp.

It is not a true reflection of things, as I usually gain 6-8 pounds during my period. I am down a total of 6.5 pounds, so I cannot complain!

Here is my week two video.

Filed Under: Featured, Longterm, Mamavation Moms Tagged With: @mommycanrun, alysa bajenaru RD, exercise, fitness, fitness program for moms, health, healthy living, Laura Lohr, mamavation mom, pete cohen, vlog, weight loss

Swept Up in the Whirlwind and Loving It!

February 1, 2012 By mommycanrun 18 Comments

Wow! The past 48 hours seem like they slipped away so quickly. At the same time, it feels like days, not hours that the Mamavation Moms were announced. The past month went by so quickly between the campaign and the two week challenge. I have been so inspired by past Mamavation Moms and all the ladies in the Mamavation Sistahood. I am in shock that I made it to the finals—eventually I become a Mamavation Mom myself.

Before I get too far into this post, I want to say thank you to everyone that voted, that supported me, that showed me love, and those that may have thought this was a crazy idea but gave me their support anyway! I feel so blessed and loved. I promise to make you all proud and soak in every opportunity this affords me.

This is all so surreal and it is happening to me! Someone pinch me. I cannot believe it!

This week was busy, busy, busy! I managed to get all the workouts in I needed to, but the scale refused to budge yet again. That is okay though. It seems like every other week is my thing and I am completely okay with it, because inches are steadily disappearing from my waist, hips, thighs, arms, legs, and everywhere in between.

I am in the midst of marathon training. On top of the Mamavation workouts, I run 5 days a week, including one track workout where we do a different workout every week. Some weeks we do tempo runs. Some weeks we do relays. Other weeks, we do 400 meter repeats. On Saturdays, we do a long run. Every week the time on our feet increases by 20 minutes. The combination of the two workouts is exhilarating!

I do struggle getting it all done, however I am a lover-of-lists. I have been breaking everything down and getting it done, one step at a time. Somehow, it gets done! Sometimes, it gets done late. The important thing is that it does get done!

Here is the part I cringe to talk about. DUN! DUN! DUN! My stats and BEFORE pictures are below. This is my story today and I know I have to embrace it. It is my job to make this story different and more of the story I can be proud of. Until then, here is where I am starting:

You may not know me yet. In time, you will find that I am a dork and below I do not mind showing it.

Without further ado, here is my first Vlog—ever, I believe. I am not comfortable on camera yet and I am pretty sure it shows. Everything in good time.