Believe you can and you’re halfway there.

May 8, 2013 By 9 Comments


The title of this post is a great quote from Theodore Roosevelt. When I see it I think it fits nicely with where I am right now in this journey. Half the battle is trying. Half the battle is choosing to fight. So right now, we are halfway through this boot camp, and because I chose to apply and believe there was some slight sliver of a chance I might be chosen, I told myself I could do this. And look, I am doing it!!
This past week was my third week as a Mamavation Mom. I will tell you this week was hard. It was hard for a few reasons. I was sad to hear my friend and Mamavation Sista Lindsay had injured her back and was unable to continue the boot camp. Of course, I wish her well and I know she will continue to have success in her weight loss journey. The other reason this week was hard had more to do with my mental state. After a couple of weeks of pushing my body further and further into an uncomfortable territory it was ready to give up. I was exhausted. Each day I would get up and psych myself up to do my workout. I found that focusing solely on getting through that one workout was what allowed me to break past the exhaustion and the desire to give up. And as soon as the workout was done, I was good to go again. The other wonderful thing I was able to do to get past these moments of frustration was to talk with the other Mamavation Moms, past and present, about how I was feeling and what I was struggling with each day. Having someone as an accoutability partner when you are developing a new routine is a great way to set yourself up for success!
I have always heard that a habit is formed after repeating something for three weeks. I think that this is where I am right now. I am forming these new habits. I get up and do something right away. I might work out, I might run; but in any case I am burning calories before the sun is shining. Well maybe shortly thereafter! I am not skipping meals. I am thinking about what I am putting in my mouth. And please don’t let that statement fool you. When I say thinking about what I am putting in my mouth, I don’t mean obsessing over calories and that kind of thing. I mean being thoughtful about what my meal is composed of, and eating as closely to nature as I can. All of these things have been simple changes to make, little things. But put together, it has made a very large impact. I feel amazing and I am losing weight!
Speaking of loosing weight, I lost another pound this week. Bringing my total weight loss to 7 lbs since applying to be a Mamavation mom. I am just about halfway to my goal weight now. I was also very excited to note that since I got my scale after joining Mamavation in January I have lost 20.2 lbs!
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And while this weight loss was thrilling, it was not my only victory this week. We had some non-scale victories as well. Starting right here:

Start Week 1 Week 2 Week 3 Week 4 Week 5 Week 6 Week 7 Total Change
Weight 158.6 153.8 152.6 151.6
Bust 36 35
Waist 31 30
Hips 39 38
Arms R-11.75 L-12 R-11.0 L-11.0
Thigh R-20.5 L-19.5 R- 19 L- 17.75

So in 3 weeks I have lost 7 lbs and 7 inches!! I am pretty pleased with my results thus far and cannot wait to see how much further I can push my body in the coming weeks! Where would you like to be in three weeks? “Believe you can and you are halfway there.”

Filed Under: Featured, Longterm, Mamavation Moms, weight loss Tagged With: , , ,

Eating More to Weigh Less-For Real!

May 2, 2013 By 12 Comments

 

 

Hello -it has been another exciting week around here at Mamavation. Although personally this week has been a bit rough now that I am back in the full swing of things at work and keeping up with all my resposnibilities of being a Mamavation Mom. Yet, despite the crazy feeling I am really loving that although the program is tough (it isn’t called boot camp for nothing) it is managable in real life.

Shockingly one of the most manageable pieces has been the food. Alyssa (find her on Twitter and Facebook) started out by giving us exchanges-Each food we eat equals a carb, protien, fat etc. We were assigned a certain amount of each at each meal and snack. Then this week to help us out she gave us a few meal plans to work with. This has helped emensly because I am always looking for new food options. The craziest thing about the whole food plan is how much good I eat and all of it-wait for this-is full fat. Like I am eating real peanut and almond butter, avocados, and healthy oils. Shocking right! Well there is a whole lot of scientific mumbo jumbo about why this works Let me tell, who cares. I am eating good food that I know is good for me and my body is loosing weight. Yeah! So before I get to the down and dirty of my totals for this week I thought I would include a sample menu for you to take a peak at-I have including a few food porn pictures for those of you into that stuff!

Breakfast: 6oz of Almond yogurt, 1/2 cup granola, 2 TB unsweetened coconut, and 1 cup strawberries

Breakfast

Lunch: 3oz Chicken breast, salad greens, four TB of Avocado, 1/2 cup black beans, and 1/2 tortilla with and apple not pictured

Lunch

Snack (not pictured because I am eating this as I type) 8 almonds with 10 baby carrots

Dinner-3oz pork loin chop, roasted fresh golden and regular beets, and grilled pineapple

Dinner

Night Snack-Small banana and 1TB of almond butter

Sounds and looks yummy right-Seriously I ate food like this all week and lost 1.4 pounds for a total of 4 since starting. I also apologize my phone was being cranky so I had to call up my weight post WI-hence no toes in this photo

 scale week two

Date Weight Weekly Loss Total Loss Waist Chest Thigh Hips Arm
Application 227 - 40 44 30 51 15
2-WeekChallenge 229 _ +2.0 38.5 43.5 30 51 15
Start of Campaign 227.4 -1.6 +.04 38 43 29.5 50 14.5
April 19th 224.6 -2.8 -2.4
April 26th 223.00 -1.6 -4

Hope you all have an amazing week and I am hoping my hard work pays off in another nice loss

Filed Under: Featured, Longterm, Mamavation Moms Tagged With: , , , ,

Week 2- We like to Move It Move It

April 24, 2013 By 13 Comments

463178_10151593044733312_779983103_oSo This past week has been great. I have followed the diet plan given to me by Alysa and the workouts I received from Mr Bookieboo. Can I just say that this week has been eye opening? I am really starting to get a handle on the diet, but before I share anything about that with you I’d like to talk about the workouts.

You might be wondering what kind of grueling workout the Mamavation Moms go through each day. Are we running miles on end, repeating dozens of sets of squats, burpees, and lunges? Are we spending hours a day in the gym and neglecting our homes, children, and jobs? No! That would be totally unrealistic, and unreasonable as well. The point of the Mamavation campaign is to help moms everywhere lose weight and to share their new healthy habits with their families and friends. As ambassadors for Mamavation, it is our duty to show other moms that weight loss is not only attainable (in a healthy way), but attainable to anyone! These workouts that Mark has provided are a perfect example. All of the exercises can be done in the comfort of your own home, and the workout takes very little time. It is definitely a high intensity workout, but in a short amount of time. So there really are no excuses. Short on time, no problem, you only need about 20-30 minutes! No weights at home? Use water bottles! It really is very easy to incorporate a small amount of exercise into your daily routine. And in order to make a lifestyle change that will help you to permanently shed the pounds, it’s critical!

The plan calls for 6 workouts throughout the week, in addition to making sure you walk at least 10,000 steps each day. Three days we do a workout called Build It, and the other days we do Burn It. Build It is all about building lean muscle mass. Burn It does exactly what it sounds like it should, and leaves you dripping in sweat. The most amazing thing about these workouts is that they can be done anywhere and in a short amount of time. I found that for myself the best time of day to workout is definitely in the morning. It sets the mood for my entire day and I feel more accomplished. I get up at 5:15 am, get the kids ready for school, and usually by 7:20 am they are all off to school  and I’ve had a cup of coffee and I can either go for a run or workout. Then I have the rest of my day to do all the things I do as a mother of five busy kiddos!

Here is a sample of what the week one workouts looked like:

Burn It:

Burpees x 10

Alternating Lunge x 16

Squats x 10

Kick and Lunge x 10 on each side

30 second rest then you repeat this set 3 more times, but the reps increase a bit for sets 2 and then 3, and repeat these reps for set 4.

Build It:

Warm Up: Cross punches 5 sets of 10 right, 5 sets of 10 left

Push-ups x 10

Shoulder Press x 10

Triceps push-ups x 10

30 second rest then you repeat this set 2 more times, but the reps increase a bit for sets 2 and then 3.

It was definitely a good first week. If you recall last week I weighed in at 155 lbs. This week when I stepped on the scale I was down 1.2 lbs! That brings me to a total of 4.8 lbs down since applying to be a Mamavation Mom!

photo

And I painted my toenails, no more hideousness!

Results

Start

Week 1

Week 2

Week 3

Week 4

Week 5

Week 6

Week 7

Total Change

Weight

158.6

153.8

Bust

36

Waist

31

Hips

39

Arms

R-11.75 L-12

Thigh

R-20.5

L-19.5

Filed Under: Featured, Longterm, Mamavation Moms, Uncategorized, weight loss Tagged With: , , ,

Sweating courtesy of Mark

April 23, 2013 By 24 Comments

 

IMG_0508I can’t believe that week one is already over! It has been such a CRAZY week with lots of learning about good food and fitness! Speaking of fitness, my awesome personal trainer for the next 7 weeks, Mark, is totally kicking my booty! I sure am sweating, and sweating A LOT! Our first 3 weeks as Mamavation Mom’s consists of a combination of  cardio and  weight training that is alternated each day.  I really like how this is set up because I found in the past if I did cardio everyday I would get burned out pretty quickly.  This seems to keep my body guessing and I am loving it.

The Really cool thing about this campaign is that I do not have to leave my house to do it! No fancy gym need, which saves a ton of money. Plus, I was never motivated to get there. My gym is now my home, so there are NO excuses! No excuses AT ALL!  What I find interesting about working out at home is that my family joins in with me. My little guy will see me getting my shoes on and ask me, “Are you going to workout, Mommy? Can I do it too?” Heck yes, he can. This also motivates my little girl to get up from the t.v. and try it will us!

 

photo (5)My husband even got in on the action this week. He took one look at that days plan and said, “Oh, is too easy!”  Well, guess who was just as sweaty as me and complained today that he is sore and told me the workout is making him feel so hungry all the time. Yep. That’d be my husband.

My favorite exercise so far would have to be the weight lifting.  I always feel so strong when I finish that workout.  I also found that I had to up my weight this week for the dumbbell curls. I WAS using a 5 lb weight and upped that to a 10 lb weight. Still thinking I need to up it again. 5 lbs is fine for the other exercises so I guess my biceps are stronger than I thought! My least favorite exercise, BY FAR, are the burpees.  Good thing I have Mark’s voice in my ear telling me, “Guess what, the burpees just called and said they love you!” I may not like burpees but I keep hearing that I will love the results that I will get with them so I am going with that!

Anyone that knows me, knows that I love sleep and REALLY despise mornings, so you will never see me waking up early to workout. I NEED coffee before I can do anything in the mornings and I drink my coffee with breakfast.  I usually wait until my breakfast is settled and the baby is down for his morning nap to get my workout on. Then I get my eat on because as my husband says, “I am starving!”

 SO I know everyone has been waiting for the weight in, am I right?!

IMG_0518

Weight chart

A very special thank you to @MrBookieboo for making me sweat and being so encouraging during this process! I can’t wait for the big reveal in 7 weeks! 

Filed Under: Featured, Longterm, Mamavation Moms Tagged With: , ,

7 Weeks of Gratitude & Change

March 7, 2013 By 17 Comments

THIS IS IT! Week 7. WHAT???!!!??? Where on earth has the time gone?

Get Pumped!

Get Pumped!

I have been engulfed by a whirlwind of activities, and I seriously had no idea that we were ending. It is much better this way — I can focus on how truly amazing Campaign 15 has been rather than dreading any measure of “good-bye.” Never you fear – - I am NOT going anywhere; I am here to cheer on the next batch of recruits and applicants! The love continues. :)
How can I describe all that I have learned and acquired from being a Mamavation Mom? There simply are not enough words in the English language to convey how grateful I am to Leah (@Bookieboo) and Mark (@MrBookieboo) for the existence of Mamavation! I found this organization just when I needed it the most, and the leadership gave me what I needed most – MY LIFE. The Mamavation Moms were basically granted All Access passes into the lives of Leah and Mark, and gained priceless mentoring and knowledge.
IMG_4176[1]
I learned from Alysa (@InspiredRD) how to plan, prepare, and pair the perfect foods for my dietary needs.  I never starved during this Campaign! In fact, I originally thought that she was nuts for expecting me to eat so much food. Little by little, my body adjusted, and started doing what it needed to do – - consume enough fuel to operate and burn, and use the protein to help repair and build muscle. I was the number 1 skeptic at first, but now I understand and appreciate all that Alysa and Leah sought to teach me. I not only shop and cook smarter, but I am prepping my own backyard for a garden again. Me? Really? Yes, really.
IMG_4171[1]
Stephanie (@fitmomtraining) got the party started with Hazing, and Mark took over with the actual Campaign workouts.  All of the exercises were designed to tone and strengthen, although they often felt as though they would cause permanent damage ;)  I worked out 6 days per week, and saw myself grow stronger as the Campaign progressed.

Shannon (@ShannonMSander) & Shelley (Momma_Oz) kept me on track, organized, and supported throughout the application, hazing, finalist and Campaign stages. All girls need great girl talks, and funny stories to help us bond. Believe me – - the stories have been HILARIOUS, and yes, oh yes, we have bonded. We are stuck like crazy glue! Speaking of crazy – - it simply defies logic that anyone can find such amazingly deep connections in such a short amount of time, but that is precisely what happened. My sisters for life, Rebecca and Joanna, captured my heart.

I learned that I could push myself harder than ever, and even if the pain increased, I would not break. I learned that life could throw some pretty devastating curve balls, but I could persevere, and I would not shrivel up and give up. I pressed forward. I didn’t look back. I didn’t dwell on any of the challenges or setbacks of the past. I just kept going. My commitment to change my life meant that some situations and relationships had to be left behind.  I didn’t just shed weight; I cleared my life and thoughts of the old way of doing things. I lost 43.8 pounds, but I gained a new life.
IMG_4169[1]

Week 1 Week 2 Week 3 Week 4 Week 5 Week 6 Week 7 Change
Chest 40 38 37 36.5 36 35 34 -6
Waist 35 36 35 34 32 32.5 32 -3
Hips 44 43 42 42 40.5 39.5 39 -5
Thighs 25 24 24 22 23 23 22 -3
Arms 12 13 12 13 13.5 12 12 ——–

My Mamavation Mom journey would not exist had Rachel (@rachhabs) not bravely shared her story. She was my inspiration, and encouraged me to step out of my comfort zone to complete the application video. So, THANK YOU, Rachel!!! I made that video, and never looked back.  I hope to pay it forward by encouraging all those who think of applying. You CAN do this! Take a leap of faith, and you  may very well find yourself on a 7 week express train to a new life. I look forward to cheering you on!

Until next time,

XOXOXOXOXO

 

Filed Under: Featured, InspiredRD, Longterm, Mamavation Moms Tagged With: , , , , , , ,

Change Is A Good Thing

March 6, 2013 By 14 Comments

HOLLA , my fellow Mamavation Sista’s and to everyone else reading this.  I for one can not believe that we are already at the end of Campaign 15. This has been the fastest 7 weeks of my life and I really thought they were going to be loooooooong. I have learned so much about myself and what I can really do. I have met great people who really want the best for me. I have figured out that my body wants to sweat it wants to move.

Leah ( @bookieboo ) has brought out the Lioness in me the woman who can raise a family, break a serious sweat and still look cute. Mark ( @MrBookieboo ) has introduced me to my new friends , burpees, push ups, foot fires and criss cross jumps. Not to mention new muscles that I now have. Alyssa ( @InspiredRD) gave me personalized food choices and ideas that aren’t a diet but a lifestyle. Shelley ( @momma_oz ) & Shannon ( @ShannonMSander ) have been my lifeline if I had a question or problem they had the answer. Then there are the Sistas of Mamavation who I could not list because there are so many you know who you are who anytime I asked they answered. That is what Sistahood and Mamavation is all about. I now know there is no excuse not to workout. I have started a mad love affair with running I thought we would never mesh but we did. Mark made lifting weights fun with Pyramids that at first I did wrong but now LOVE them and have the callouses to prove it. I now have a waistline, defined thighs and mini FLOTUS arms. I see a difference in my face I have a chin again before I had a couple of them. This is not only my journey but my families because now we are going to be fit and fabulous together. Like Taylor Swift would say ” We are never ever ever getting back together ” that is my song to fat. I would so recommend Mamavation to everyone out there who doesn’t think they can do it. But be warned you have to want it. You have to be the one to do it. Most importantly you have to be committed to doing it. Real life happens people get sick, die, feelings hurt and there is no time for excuses or whining. So a strong mind is a must have. Last but never least are my 2 Soul Sisters, my Ride or Die Chicks, My Destiny’s Child, My Supreme’s , My Bangles, Joanna (@way2gomom ) & Jeanae (@jeanae) who took this 7 week journey with me and who I can say are the most genuine real women around THANK YOU. Thank You for allowing me to go on this ride with you ladies I look forward to a long , fit and fine friendship for years to come.

 

 

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  Week 1 Week 2 Week 3 Week 4 Week 5 Week 6 Week 7   Total
Weight 200.1 202.8 198 190 187 183.6 178.8 -25lbs
Arm 14 14 13 13 13 13 13 -1
Chest 40 40 38 35 34 34 34 -6
Waist 38 38 35 34 34 34 34 -4
Hips 49 49 45 45 45 44 44 -5
Thighs 27 27 25 24 24 24 24 -3
Filed Under: Featured, Longterm, Mamavation Moms Tagged With: , , , , , , ,

The Best Things in Life

March 5, 2013 By 16 Comments

healthy breakfast Family. Friends. Health. Sound about right? I am BEYOND thankful right now because I have received the greatest gift I didn’t even think was possible. Through the past 7 weeks, I have watched in awe as the Mamavation Mom Bootcamp tools, which on the surface look pretty straightforward – specifically the eating plan and workouts, have transformed not only my weight, but also my health, my family, and given me the gift of my girls, Rebecca and Jeanae. Thank you Leah, Mark, Alysa, Shelley, and Shannon – I will never be able to thank you enough for letting me hand myself over to you for this bootcamp.

To recap Campaign 15, I will say this – absolutely amazing. With the help of Jeanae and Rebecca, we laughed and cried our way through the bootcamp. We were sleep-deprived, sweaty, gross, and still laughing our butts off. It was awesome. I would definitely, definitely recommend this program to others. I would caution you though, make sure you are ready before you apply. Make sure you are ready to learn how to balance your life completely differently, to really take on all of the requirements of the campaign before you sign on the dotted line, and to really give your life over to the campaign. If you do, you won’t have regrets, you won’t have to step down, you won’t have to watch from the sidelines. But if any part of you is not ready, it will be a struggle. I wasn’t ready the first time I applied, and I know that if I had been chosen back then, I wouldn’t have done well. But now, combined the three of us have lost over 100 pounds. If that’s not amazing, I don’t know what is…

There will definitely be some aspects of the campaign that will stick with me. For instance, the food. I do not have a single question about what I’m going to eat anymore, which is awesome. And my family is now eating the same with me – I started the campaign making separate meals, and now we are all eating the same things. Even my baby loves to eat salads now! It’s awesome. I am so, so thrilled to be setting such a strong foundation in the health of my children. It’s amazing. In fact, the food is part of the reason my husband has been dropping pounds too. Not only have I lost weight during this campaign, but my husband has as well. He’s down nearly 30 pounds also! Crazy, isn’t it? So yeah, this is definitely sticking. And then, of course, there’s Rebecca and Jeanae. They already know they can’t escape me.

BIG PUFFY HEARTS ALL AROUND. I love you guys, and not in the drunk-off-your-ass way that college students say it. But in the honest-to-goodness, mean it from the bottom of my shoes to the top of my ponytail way. <3

way2gomom's week 7 weigh in

way2gomom's measurements for week 7

Filed Under: Featured, Longterm, Mamavation Moms Tagged With: , , , , , , ,

You Think You Know

February 27, 2013 By 9 Comments

But you really have no idea. Hey Mamavation another week has come and gone. I don’t know where the time has gone. We are already on week 6 of Campaign 15 which means we have one more to go. I know you are thinking oh no I will never see Jeanae (@jeanae) , Joanna (@way2gomom) again or me @RUtheMOMof again. Don’t you worry your pretty little heads we aren’t going anywhere.

This week it is all about what we have learned and what we thought we already knew. I have read so many books & magazines and watched so many shows that I thought I knew everything there is to know about working out and eating healthy. SURPRISE !!! I didn’t know squat and what I knew was all wrong. I always thought that you should eat less calories and limit your fruit intake because of the sugar. You should workout for a long period of time and exercise wasn’t made to be fun it was work. This campaign with the help of Alysa (@inspiredRD) , Mark (@MrBookieboo) & Leah (@bookieboo) showed me that I was dead wrong. Alysa gave us a book on what to eat on a Low Glycemic diet and it opened my eyes to all the great food choices we  have. Also, how less isn’t always more when it comes to eating right.

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Food should have colors

002

anywhere anytime no EXCUSE

Mark gave us customized workout plans that if done right didn’t take hours to do but at the end of them had you sweating bucket loads. Leah well she should as that even though we are Moms and we all know what that means real life problems there is NO EXCUSE not to workout and take care of ourselves.

My Best Friends

 

Real life happens whether you want it to or not. The thing that surprised me the most is me being able to give up control of myself to complete strangers and believe that they knew what they were talking about. Once this happened and I saw the results it just showed me that it doesn’t mean you are weak or can’t do it. But be real if we all knew how to do this on our own we would all be in shape & healthy. I also learned that family isn’t just who you are born into but who has your back. In the process of losing weight I have gained 2 very special Sistas that has made this journey that much easier and better. All the Mamavation family because we have to include Mark :) is what makes this thing called Mamavation the best thing since apple pie a healthy version of course . Here is the results of believing , listening and doing.

014

 

Filed Under: Featured, Longterm, Mamavation Moms Tagged With: , , , , , ,

Lessons Learned as a Mamavation Mom

February 26, 2013 By 9 Comments

Wow, it’s week 6 of the campaign already! Where did the time go?! I’m so not ready for this to end, but I have definitely learned quite a bit as a Mamavation Mom! Check out my brief roundup here:

So my favorite things that I’ve learned so far (in no particular order), are the low glycemic diet, that I CAN do awesome levels of exercise (including running), and that I have some totally amazing Sistas from other Mistas! Here’s the low down – I have been wanting to learn about the low glycemic index before, but it seemed like a total mystifying thing to me. Thanks to Alysa (@inspiredrd), I think I actually kind of get it now! I’ve had some awesome weight loss, but the best part wasn’t the workouts (although those are awesome). To me, having Alysa to call when I get stuck, give me ideas when I need them, and to explain the exchange stuff was totally priceless. For me, that knowledge far outweighs any swag!

I applied to the campaign back in December, and the last week of the month was when I started the Couch 2 5k running program. I had started it before then, but without much success. This time, I totally rocked it. Until I had a breakthrough one day when I was able to run even farther and SMASH the wall in front of me. It was amazing. Ever since I’ve been totally a fan of running. Which is not something I ever expected to happen in my life! The endorphin rush is just amazing. Running isn’t for everyone, but it totally is for me! And, of course, being able to say that I can do 55 pushups (on toes) in a row with no break, well that kind of makes me feel like a badass!

big puffy heart love rebeccajeanae big puffy heart loveLast, but certainly not least, I learned more about the awesome support of my Sistas from other Mistas. Rebecca and Jeanae have been there with me from the start. We dealt with confusion, frustration, and everything in between together. We laughed, we cried, we became FAMILY. Can you imagine anything better? And, they totally don’t mind my weirdo sense of humor, which always helps! So yeah, mad props for this campaign and for Mamavation because I LOVE what I’ve received from the campaign, and the swag I didn’t even realize we were going to get was awesome, the other perks were why I really wanted to be in the campaign.

On to the details! This week I lost… 2.6 pounds! That brings me to a total loss of 28.4 pounds! HOLY CRAP!

way2gomom week 6 weigh in

Filed Under: Featured, Longterm, Mamavation Moms Tagged With: , , , , , ,

It’s a Family Affair!

February 21, 2013 By 7 Comments

We made it to Week 5! WOW! This Campaign is flying by, and we are still going strong.

This week, we are discussing our families, and how being Mamavation Mom impacts them. My family has adjusted well to the demands of the Campaign, and I am continuously amazed by how even the smallest changes I make can affect my household.  For example, one of my favorite excuses for not working out daily was my office schedule, and the stress it induced. I realize that many moms do not have the option to work from home, and yet many of them still manage to get to the gym. I somehow could not.  Seriously,  I couldn’t.  Some emergency or deadline ALWAYS came up. Now that I am no longer on lockdown in the cubicle jungle, I not only celebrate my freedom to make my own work schedule, but I also have no excuses for not maintaining workouts during the week. I have a set schedule for my individual exercises, and I also make time to get active with my child.  This can range from taking a jog through our subdivision, walking our beast of a dog, playing tag, to breaking out our best moves with our Kinect games. We have great bonding time just by getting up, and moving together.

Best Friends 2


In addition to making time to exercise, I also concentrate on preparing fresh, rather than boxed or packaged meals.  This takes considerably more time, and some would argue more money, but the long-term benefits far outweigh any arguments to take short cuts. I recently heard someone say that buying fresh, organic produce may cost a little more, but it will always be less expensive than medical bills from poor health.  Thankfully, I have been able to find several recipes that work for the multiple allergies of the household, as well as make the taste buds happy :) .  There is nothing worse than hearing someone emphasize how healthy a dish is, and it ends up tasting like dirty socks! I don’t know about you, but I have encountered several dishes of the sort, and I vowed to NEVER introduce them into the meal plans for my family.  My husband and son have very distinct food preferences, and we have been able to find the healthiest versions of everything that they desire.

eat your colors!

eat your colors!

fun with fruit

fun with fruit

Real life didn’t pause just because I became one of the Mamavation Moms. When challenges arose, I had my biological family, as well as my Campaign family, rally around me. I am grateful for their support, as it is not only vital to maintain enthusiasm and commitment for this lifestyle change, but to also be able to accomplish all that is required in the face of adversity.  My heart was broken last week due to the death of a loved one, but the love and support of my Campaign Sistas and Mamavation leadership helped pull me through the darkest moments.  Previous encounters with trials and tragedies typically led me to abandon exercise plans, and eat whatever brought comfort for the moment. Thanks to all that I have learned, as well as my Sistas Rebecca and Joanna, I didn’t have a desire to undermind my progress. I am eternally grateful for this Campaign because it has given me the opportunity to not only change my life, but to influence the healthy choices of my family.

And now, it is time for the real reason you read these updates. Here are the numbers:

Week 5 Weigh In

Week 5 Weigh In

Week 1 Week 2 Week 3 Week 4 Week 5
Chest 40 38 37 36.5 36
Waist 35 36 35 34 32
Hips 44 43 42 42 40.5
Thighs 25 24 24 22 23
Arms 12 13 12 13 13.5

Total weight loss since applying: -34lbs.

I hope that you will find fun and simple ways to get moving with your family.

 

Until next week,

XOXOXOXO

Filed Under: Featured, Longterm, Mamavation Moms Tagged With: , , , , , , ,