Why Do You Sweat?

This is for you Spunky

I sweat for my family.

I sweat for my kid(s), so I can keep up with them and play with them and not just sit on the couch and watch them pass my by.

I sweat so I can LIVE.

I sweat to show the real me.

WE SWEAT TO SHOW THE REAL US!

Both Spunky and I have talked about this before.

Yes, I want a nice toned, beautifully muscled athlete body, but what I really want is to be the cute little ball of energy that I have inside me!

Spunky wants to show the true her as well! That cute little blonde jogger who is FULL of life and spunk! 

She is all of that already. I look up to her so much. She just wants to show it on the outside. She wants her outside to match her inside. 

I do too.

I'm sure you do as well.

Keep it up Spunky! Those 100 lbs will be gone in no time!

What do you sweat for?

Until Next Time,

Spicy!

Workout Wednesday!

Alright, so yesterday I was still trying to get in the swing of things after Memorial Day so I didn't get to post about the ab challenge. I was a little disappointed that I couldn't do as much as I wanted to last week when I started so I took it down a notch. Being fifteen weeks pregnant I know I'm going to have to cut back on ab exercises like these soon so I think what I did was great!

I did each exercise 10 times instead of doing the first one 25 times, and having it pretty much get worse from there on out. I didn't do the Scissors or the Leg Climbers. Both of those exercises I do not like. I like to MOVE and Scissors doesn't give me enough movement and I can't get my leg straight which drives me bonkers! And then there are Leg Climbers! Why on earth would I want to "climb up my leg"? Plus, then my leg gets in the way of my growing belly and it's just not a comfortable move. I've done these exercises before when I wasn't pregnant and they are fine, but I always resented them.

I was able to do the whole workout, minus those two moves, with ten reps each move. That may not seem like a lot, but I felt it! I also listened to my body and took the necessary breaks when needed. I am thankfully pretty in tune with my body, I listen to it all the time. When I felt my stomach or my uterus tighten to much, I backed off for a bit. I talked to my doctor and she said I am fine to keep doing this as long as I listen to my body which I am doing.

The squat challenge is still going good and strong. I'm happy to say that I have a rest day from the squat challenge today. Yay! My hamstrings and butt are SORE! That could have to do with my gardening yesterday too. It's amazing how many muscles you work doing that.

Workout Wednesday today is me posting yesterday's workout. It was a good one. So... let's link up!

Quick update on Skinny Meg and Mama Laughlin, they are getting together for the Pretty Muddy and want to meet people! I am so jealous that I don't have the funds to go meet them. Now I don't drink so that part of the night I would probably end up being the designated driver if I could go, haha. ;)

Seriously though, if you can make it, you should. Those two ladies are rock stars.

Now for the workout. 

I started with the squat challenge and the ab challenge then went on to do this...

This BURNS!

Squat, Bicep curl, Shoulder Press, repeat for 3 minutes (I used 10 lb weights)

1 Leg Deadlift Left Side - 1 minute (I used 10 lb weights)

1 Leg Deadlift Right Side - 1 minute (I used 10 lb weights)

Shoulders - Lift arms out to sides until aligned with shoulders then lower, lift arms front to shoulder height then lower, bend at the hips and perform a butterfly (mama laughlin demonstrates this move here). Repeat for 3 Min (I used 5 lb weights, I have a weak shoulder from an injury)

Bent Over Rows - 1 minute (I used 10 lb weights)

Plank - 1 minute

Repeat 3x's

I feel really dumb for not knowing the names of those other two moves in the Shoulders part of this exercise, but my mind is blank. I really can't think of them. They are actual moves, I promise, haha. I hope I described them well enough so you understand. Anyway, enjoy the workout! It was a good one. ;) 

Until Next Time,

Spicy!

Family Visit

We had such a great time visiting. This picture is all of my siblings and me. My brother (who is leaving for two years) looks amazing! He is so tall he rests his head easily on top of mine (I'm pretty short though). We decided that we all want to be fit by the time he returns. I told him I was going to lose 100 pounds! I've got my work cut out for me. Wish me the best and wish my brother the best on his time in El Salvador and Belize!

Spicy is the one in the yellow and blue, I'm the one in the blue and purple.

If I Won The Lottery/Link Up

I happened to stop by Hang On, Honey when I was reading Holly's blog and I saw this Link Up posted a couple days ago. I thought it would be a fun, light hearted post after my heavy one on Thursday. Plus, like Beth said, who doesn't think about this?!
Now I don't play the Lottery or buy the tickets or whatever you wanna call it, so I won't ever win the lottery, but I can still dream about having that kind of money.
I'm probably really weird compared to most people because my dreams of having that much money and what I would do with it aren't like most peoples. A lot of people want a big house, live on a beach or near one, you know... luxury stuff.
Unfortunately, and fortunately for The Hubs, I'm kind of a tom boy. Yes, I have a major girly side. I would love to have a closet full of cute, well fitting clothes and racks full of boots, but when I do my hair and makeup (even if I do it every day, which I don't) it's all for The Hubs. I would be happy almost never wearing makeup and throwing my hair up in a ponytail most days.
So without making you wait much longer, this is what I would do with a LOT of money.
1.) Pay off our house mortgage, then sell our house.
2.) Buy a LARGE plot of land (I'm talking like 200 acres) with lots of trees and land for so many different things.
3.) Build our dream house on said land, similar to this...

With many different dream features, but HAVE to have a giant library. 
4.) Bring my family and the hubs family to said land and build our own little community. Each having their own home. Plenty of  trails for running/walking and areas on the outskirts of our land to even go camping! There would be a park in the middle of the houses. A large gaming home with a pool table, ping pong table, a workout room, a pool! And a giant garden we would all work in.
5.) Build my dream barn with neighboring sheltered arena. Own many horses!
6.) Own many BIG dogs. 
7.) Whatever money we had leftover we would put away into savings. 
We live a pretty simple life and probably still would even with that much money. We both love our families and both my sisters and his sisters have talked about all living on the same plot of land near each other. I could live without either family, I love them both so much. 
So, what would you do?
Until Next Time! Spicy

300 Ab Challenge

The Petite Athlete put this workout together. It is a challenge that really targets the core. You're core should be worked very often because it helps you do everything which means having a strong core (stomach, back, and sides) is very important.

The challenge is based off Ab Ripper X from the P90X video's and it has always been a favorite of mine. I remember I loved how much it hurt the next day after doing it. I haven't done this workout in a long time though. 

The Challenge issued by The Petite Athlete was started by a few bloggers I know and love yesterday, but you can always start a challenge, no matter how late to the game you are. I'm starting it today.

Being pregnant I don't know how much of this I will be able to do, so I'll post later on how it went. I am currently 15 weeks pregnant which means I should finish this 30 day challenge before my halfway mark.

Please remember I have a very low risk pregnancy and not all woman should be even attempting this workout while pregnant. Please ask your doctor first and listen to your body. 

The 300/30 Days Ab Challenge

For the details on this challenge and a demonstration of the moves please hop on over to The Petite Athleat's blog and check it out, here.

Check back later for an update of how this pregnant lady did. 

*~*~* Update 5/26/2013 *~*~*

This took me a LONG time to do. I'm not in best shape so maybe for someone who was already in great shape this would be fine to do in 15 minutes, but not for me. I'm not sure how long it took me exactly, but I didn't do all of them either. Each exercise was different for me. I was able to do all of them, but the amount of times I was able to do was different each time. I will be doing this again tomorrow and I will keep track of everything this time and let you know in tomorrows post. Again, I have a VERY LOW RISK pregnancy and I listened to by body VERY closely on this exercise. I am NOT a personal trainer of any kind yet PLEASE talk to your doctor before doing this!

Until Next Time!

Spicy

Am I Really Ready For This?

Those of you who have more then one kid, I have the highest respect for you! Even those of you who have ONE kid, I have very high respect for. There are just some days that are so difficult! I love LW with all of my heart, but I think he is entering the "terrible two's" stage. He screams about everything! We are also working on his throwing things... oh ya... that's fun. Oh! And his hitting. 

There are some days when I think having two babies will be fine! No problem! Then there are others when I am utterly terrified. I woke up utterly terrified today.

I am trying to get my life in order.

You see... I stink at time management. I get distracted way to easy. I'm really good at distracting myself until I forget what I was supposed to be doing, then I get mad about an hour or two or three or four later when I realize I still haven't accomplished anything. 

I want a clean and organized house.

I want our painting project in our kitchen and hallway to get done.

I want to be able to spend a brief hour every morning cleaning and then have the rest of the day to do other things.

I want to be able to write my book without feeling guilty that I'm taking a moment for me and my over active imagination instead of working my fingers till they hurt with cleaning.

I want to be able to organize my time enough to still be able to practice my music, to have an orderly and flowing garden, to actually PLAY with LW and not think I should be doing something else (mommy guilt anyone?)

I want to be able to workout in the mornings before LW gets up and go to bed earlier so I can (I'm a night owl... not a morning bird). Struggling through a workout while he is awake is often times a pain.

See?! I know I can do all of these things if I can figure out a way to get my head in the game and my butt moving and just get organized about my time. I've written down hundreds of schedules in the past and they all seem like they should work and then I never do them. Ugh. How do you wonderful woman who I look up to SO much do these things? 

Many of you have more then one child. Many of you do have a clean/organized house, Skinny Meg has awesome paint jobs! I love all the cute organized pantries I see, all the fun craft projects, my mind goes crazy with ideas when I see all this stuff then I realize I have so many other things I have to get under control before I do something fun. I know many of you workout during the day with your little ones all over you too and you don't mind! Maybe I'm just weird when it comes to that? 

All in all, I'm glad I can still find time for some things while I'm working on getting my life in order. I respect all of you who can do what you do and if you have any tips or advice, send `em my way! I will gladly take it!

Do you go crazy about these things sometimes too?

Random rant/tangent done. :)

Until Next Time!

Spicy

It Feels Like Monday/Workout Wednesday

It feels like Monday today. I didn't even realize it was Wednesday this morning until I got online to check out a few of my favorite bloggers sites. I was fully prepared to talk about last weeks goals, which I may do anyway. Then I saw Workout Wednesday! I briefly thought, SkinnyMeg hasn't posted in almost a week? Then I looked at the date, then at the date on my computer, then back and forth between the two until my tired brain realized what I was looking at. That TODAY is Wednesday!

You see, today is really my first day back in Utah since EARLY Saturday morning. The Hubs, LW and I flew out to Kansas to have a family get together. We flew back in yesterday night and I'm a little travel logged and keep thinking today is Monday. Whew, I hope that goes away soon.

After we landed two of my sisters and one of my brother in laws picked us up. I wish I had a video or picture of my reaction when I saw them because I'm pretty sure it was awesome. It's been a long time. Then we climbed into a car and headed to their house. This is what happened on the way home.

LW and The Hubs fell asleep

I chatted it up with my sis, then a few hours later snapped this shot.

LW sitting on a chair waving to family members. The person sitting next to him is our one and only Spunky!

These are the only pictures I have on my phone, but MANY were taken. I will try to post more about our weekend. :) 

Just a quick overview of my goals last week. I didn't have a third walk/run, but I did get two in. I went on a walk with one of my sisters yesterday. It was nice! I am going to go on a walk/run today and again on Friday. So I will get three in this week!

Water I did great on! Except while in Kansas. I still drank pretty good, but not as good as I should have.

Lifting weights. Um... Hello? Did you not see my workout last week?! Haha, yes I lifted weights. I want more though!!! Is that greedy? ;)

This weeks goals (even though I know it's a short week for me):

1. Walk two more times

2. Keep hydrated!

3. Eat five meals a day (new thing I'm going to start doing, we'll see how it goes)

Alright so... My workout of the day... what should I do... hmm....

Well, I have my squat challenge which I'll be doing 70 squats. I'm also going on a walk/run. Which will probably be about three miles, maybe a little more. Let's do this:

High Side Plank Reach Through - 15 reps

Single Leg Dead Lift - 10 lbs. & 15 reps

Walking Pushups - 5 reps

Temple Tap Abs (a favorite move from Melissa Bender) - 15 reps***

Workout Ball Inner Thigh Squeeze - 15 SLOW reps, 15 sec hold at end

Elbow Plank - 60 seconds (that's my goal)

Repeat 2 - 4x's

*** Temple Tap Abs are a flat back exercise! I have been cleared to continued doing these kind of workouts until I am half way through my pregnancy which is 20 weeks. PLEASE consult your doctor BEFORE doing this! These workouts are what works for my and my VERY LOW risk pregnancy. I will be listening to my body A LOT on these. If I feel even the tiniest bit uncomfortable I will stop and do something else and I will update this post and let you know. Listen to your body and consult your doctor!

Have a GREAT workout!

Until Next Time!

Spicy

Workout Wednesday - Making An Already Awesome Workout My Own

So... last night I had a super giddy, dorky moment. I started giggling like crazy and the hubs looked over at me and asked...

"What?"

Well, then I obviously had to explain EVERYTHING! I told him how there is this Mommy Fitness Blogger I really really admire and look up to. She's lost tons of weight, looks amazing, and is way funny and just plain awesome....

And she commented on my post(last weeks workout link up)!

ME! 

WHAT?! 

I'm still getting giddy, haha!

Now, obviously this said Fitness Blogger would be Skinny Meg! Who I'm linking up with again today, because she is awesome and she read my blog... and commented on it! 

Sorry... I'll try to calm down now...

I briefly explained, and not to well I might add, what my workout was last night... but I really did take it to a whole new level folks! I'm here to tell you exactly what I did in this awesome workout linkup

As for today, I'm taking a semi-rest day. I'll be doing some yoga to stretch out my sore muscles from the past two days and the squat challenge. Nothing too exciting, unless you really like yoga like me.

Yesterdays workout consisted of Mama Laughlin's Arm Workout which is amazingly awesome and my own flare as well. I mentioned I like making things whole body instead of just targeting one area. That's exactly what I did.

If you need videos on each of the basic moves without my added awesomeness, Mama Laughlin has some great videos on her post with them being demonstrated. I'm just not cool enough yet to post videos. 

This is my Pumped Up Version

Set One

Hammer Curls - 10 reps w/ 10 lb. weights and alternating lunges

Shoulder Press - 10 reps w/ 10 lb. weights and a wall sit

Butterfly - 10 reps w/ 5 lb. weights and dead lifts

Squats - 5

Repeat 4x's

Set Two

Bicep Curl - 10 reps w/ 15 lb. weights ( had to drop to 10 lbs. on last set)

Walking Pushups - 4 

Squats - 5

Repeat 3x's

Set Three

Tricep Press - 10 reps w/ 10 lb. weights and ball squeeze (straddle a workout ball like your sitting on a horse and squeeze with your inner thighs as hard as you can each time you lift the weight)

Chest Fly - 10 reps w/ 10 lb. weights on ball. Shoulder blades on ball, keep body level like a table (works the core really good)

Tricep Pulse - 30 sec. pulse w/ 5 lb. weights - 45, 48, 45, 49 (OUCH!)

Squats - 5

Repeat 4x's

30 sec. front plank on forearms

30 sec. left side plank on extended arm

30 sec. right side plank on extended arm

STRETCH!!!!

This hurt so GOOD!!! The 5 squats at the end of each, repeated that many times will give you 55 squats total which was my challenge number for yesterday. I will let you know. I am going to be so sore! I'm tight as I'm typing this and that always turns into soreness. The second day is always worse for me which is why I will be stretching and yoga-ing like mad today. I also have to drop the weights  to 5 lbs on butterflies because of an old shoulder injury. 5 lbs is even too much some days. Listen to your body! Don't push it if it's telling you not to (not your brain, that's different). Enjoy the workout and don't forget to check out the other awesome ladies on Skinny Megs Workout Wednesday Link Up!

Disclaimer - I am NOT a personal trainer (yet). 

Please talk to your doctor/physician before beginning any workout program or exercise. 

LISTEN TO YOUR BODY! I can not stress that enough. 

This WILL get your heart rate up! I don't have a heart rate monitor, but I can tell you my heart rate got up there. That can be dangerous for some pregnant woman. I have a VERY LOW RISK pregnancy and my doctor told me to use the talk method. I was holding a steady conversation with the hubs during this workout so I knew I was okay.

I workout from home so all of this can be done without a gym membership. 

This is just what I do that works for me, but people are different. If it works for you, then great! 

Have a fabulous day!

Until Next Time!

Spicy

Thirteen Weeks and Getting Back on theTrain

Last week I gave my very first post of staying fit while pregnant (Keeping Fit Through Pregnancy Part 1). I may not have mentioned though that unfortunately I didn't workout for over a month! I found out we were expecting while experimenting with my workouts and trying to find what best fit me. Then the nausea hit. I couldn't do anything in fear I would toss my cookies(although I didn't eat practically any cookies). The second I started moving around, just cleaning the kitchen, I'd feel it coming and have to sit down. I would rather sit on a couch all day then be working to get things done and have to run to the bathroom to bend over the porcelain throne every ten minutes. No thank you! I lost a LOT of muscle tone and that saddens me, but I'll get it back. So over the last two weeks I've been working hard to get back in the groove of working out because my nausea stopped! Also I'm not feeling like I need a nap every hour. Yay!

My workout yesterday consisted of a 3.5 mile walk/run, the squat challenge, and cleaning house. Not that intricate I know, but I was TIRED after all that. Whew!

Oh, I'm also bummed out because I was totally going to link up with another blogger yesterday and then never got around to it. I'll still do what the link up wanted me to do after I'm through with this, but it won't be the same.

Without further daddling...

How Far Along? 13 Weeks
Total Weight Gain/loss: 1 lb gain.
Baby's Size? Currently a lemon, about three inches
Maternity Clothes? Lol, no. I tried to wear a maternity shirt this last weekend and it looked funny on me. Not there yet, but there is a nice hair tie holding my pants together at the button.
Stretch Marks? No new ones. I have a lot from being so overweight at such a young age, growing quickly in certain areas, and I did sustain a few with my first pregnancy, hoping I won't have as many or none at all this time. I'm lotioning up like a crazy person.
Best Moment This Week: Um... Oh, officially ending my first trimester!
Miss Anything? Not really. I'm feeling pretty much normal again so I'm good.
Movement? Sometimes I think I feel something, but then remember I'm only 13 weeks and it's probably just a gas bubble or my tummy digesting.
Food Cravings? CHINESE!!! I always love chinese, it's probably my favorite food, but lately it's all I want! To bad we can't have it every night. :(
Anything making you queasy or sick? The smell of eggs cooking is gross and same with anything being fried, especially onions. Thankfully it doesn't make me feel sick anymore though.
Have you started to show yet? To me, yes. The the rest of the world, I just look like I'm gaining weight in my stomach.
Gender? Hoping, hoping, hoping for a girl. We will find out in a little over a month!
Labor Signs? No! Thank goodness, that would be bad.
Belly Button in or out? In, but I have a major inny anyway, it never popped out with LW. It does feel weird though, it's not the same as it was 13 weeks ago! ;)
Wedding Rings on or off? On, I'm hoping it will stay that way this time. I stopped being able to wear them last time around twenty weeks.
Happy or Moody most of the time? Happy! I'll randomly feel really upset about something and then I remember it's the pregnancy hormones talking and that makes me roll my eyes, then I feel better.
Looking forward to? Finding out the gender!!! Duh!

Woop! There ya have it! My workout for today is focusing on arms and core, plus the squat challenge.
I love Mama Laughlins arm workout she posted here. I'll be using my only dumbbells of 5 lbs and 10 lbs. I wish I had some 8 lbers. Maybe someday soon. Or maybe I'll just skip over them all together, ha! I tend to throw in some full body movement too though, like lunges while I'm doing curls or hammers, or squats, or wall sits, it's good for you and works a lot more, try it! I'll also be doing a few moves my mom (who's a personal trainer) gave me, but I'll be using bands making it hard to describe  Maybe one day I'll post a workout video on here and show you. I'll keep my core tight throughout it all and do some plank work, a good safe core workout for pregnant ladies. I love moving planks, multi-level planks, side planks, all of them! They burn so good! I also am doing a lot of yard work right now trying to get our garden ready for the quickly growing plants we have indoors which is taking a lot out of me. Pregnant ladies tire quickly! I'm focusing on eating better because I'm not working out as much and I believe it is helping.

Now, yesterday's link up was going to be about goals. Setting three goals for the coming week. My three goals are:

1. Walk/run three times this week. 1 down 2 ta go.
2. Drink LOTS of water - I struggle with this already, but being pregnant I have to drink even more. I don't know if I'm running to the bathroom every 15 minutes because the baby is sitting right there or I'm drinking so much.
3. Lift some weights dang it! I miss doing that and I NEEEEEEED it. So I'm getting back to it.

If you stuck through all that, then I love you. Tell me what your goals are this week! I would love to hear them!

Here's some cuteness for you! Isn't he adorable? Love this kid.

Until Next Time,

Spicy!

What has been going on?

It's Spunky again! I know it has been a long time since I've posted. I was keeping track of my walking and that was getting super boring and actually causing minor injuries because I was trying to increase my workouts so fast. So, I got a gym membership! I did really well the first two weeks (90-120 minutes 6 days each week). Going after teaching all day and coaching cheerleading put me home at about 8:30pm. But, I am determined. Then, I pulled my hip flexer muscle while coaching and have been unable to do anything but daily needs for two weeks! UG!

This week, I am back in the gym. Back to late nights. Back to it. I'm going to start slow this week (45 minutes) and listen to my body. I'll write again later this week.

Finish the sentence...

So, I'm doing another link up! Holly is also someone I follow around on Blogger. I don't know her in real life and love her posts, but at the same time... Little missy... may I just say your gorgeous! And I would almost kill to look like you. Seriously! The post you did the other day about your shorts, PUH-LEASE! You  look great. No saddle bags or turkey legs from six flags that I can see. I'll switch you any day. wink wink. Now that I've thoroughly embarrassed myself, how about I finish these fun sentences for ya'll.

Unlike my siblings (that I love very much)... They all know I'm the prettiest and most talented *wink wink* (so not true, I think the opposite of myself actually. Spunky is SO beautiful, inside and out! And that is only one of my four siblings! Your mind would be blown away if I mentioned the other amazing things they all could do)

My best friend says... What best friend? I joke. The people that are closest to me all know I'm really crazy. And the biggest nerd around. Hello? What wife goes around quoting Star Trek with her husband and or recognizes almost every Star Trek quote he says? Mostly from The Wrath of Khan. Oh dear... now I'm really showing my true colors.

People call me... A lot of people think I'm really mean when they first meet me, BEFORE talking to me. I don't know why they think that, it kinda hurts when I find that out, but usually the only ones who tell me that are WAY close to me now so that helps a little. I promise I'm not mean. 

I most often dream... Weird things people. No joke(must be the writer in me, my imagination goes wild). And I tend to think during them too, which is just odd. I'll have dreams that someone in the family is trying to set me up with some random guy and in my dream I will be thinking "I'm married." or telling them "I'm married" or asking where the hubs is. Last night I had a dream where I wasn't pregnant and the whole time I was thinking "I'm pregnant" or "where did my pregnancy go". Pretty sure the whole 'thinking while sleeping' is not healthy. Hey, at least I'm not torturing people with fire pokers in my dreams... (you better get that Heather)

The best part of my day... Aside from when my wonderful handsome man gets home (which really is the best part of my day, I love that man) is when LW takes a nap. I don't know if that makes me a bad mom or not and sometimes I seriously wonder if I'm cut out to be a mom, but really... don't you all have those moments or those days? I love my little guy, but I NEED some MEEEE time, please.

I really don't understand... HAHA!!! A LOT! :S

I get really annoyed... when I tell people I'm a write/aspiring author and they go... "are you published?" or "well lots of people want to be authors" or "they don't make very much money" (or a whole SLEW of other things said). I mean, really people!? It's my dream! You don't hear me dashing your dreams! And besides, I don't want to be an author for the money! If you want to be an author for the money you are doing it for the wrong reasons! I write because I love it and if it gives someone else, even ONE person out there some joy, then that right there is worth more then any amount of money.

There's nothing like a... Nice long rain storm with lighting and thunder. love.

Lately, I can't get enough... SLEEP! Or TIME! Seriously way to much to do and being a person of current previous procrastination and trying to get better with time management .. the lack of time in a day is discouraging. How do you other stay at home moms do it(it as in; clean, spend time with the kid(s), yard work, workout, and self time)?

One thing I am NOT is... a girly girl(even though I'm a licensed beautician). I've always been more of a jeans, t-shirt and ponytail kind of gal. I would love to have a bunch of cute clothes and shoes to wear and an hour and a half to get read everyday, but truth be told... I don't have that kind of money or time. And you can't wear cute clothes and shoes without doing SOMETHING with your hair and makeup. 

I spent too much money on... Uh... Um... Food? I don't do a lot of shopping. Sorry. Trying to eat healthier though is making me go a little over our monthly food budget. Oops.

I want to learn... SO MUCH! Oh man... I can't even tell you all the things I want to learn! It would take way to long, but I'll list a few things. How to manage time, be a pro gardener, curl my own hair the way I can on clients (ya, I know that's ridiculous), Italian, Latin, Ice skating, be the perfect homemaker, play the viola, play the piano WELL, archery, diy stuff like Skinny Meg... etc. See? I have a bunch more off the top of my head too. Seriously, I never want to stop learning, I have to much I want to know.

If I ever met               , I would...  Skinny Meg! (she's the first person I could think of after skipping that one and then staring at it a long time) I would want to be her friend, dive into all of her weight loss/fitness secrets, and tell her that I both LOVE her style and think it's extremely weird, haha. 

I can't stop... uh... mind went blank... Haha! I know. Procrastinating!!! Lol.

Never have I ever... Had an alcoholic drink in my WHOLE life! Not once. Never have. Never will. Not my thing people. Has nothing to do with my religion, which doesn't approve of drinking anyway, it's totally a personal choice. It's just not appealing to me. I've been in plenty of situations where I could have, but no thanks. Ya'll can keep your nasty drinks. :P haha

Reese Witherspoon... is an awesome actress in Sweet Home Alabama (along with other movies), she is just so cute and sassy in that one and I love it. Herself in person... meh, I don't know. I don't follow celebrity stuff. Don't care. However... her name Reese... really makes me think of Reeses... darn it.

Ta Da! Link Up Done!

Now I'm going to go workout. 

Until Next Time!

Spicy

Pregnancy Workout/Link Up!

This is my first Link Up! I'm way excited! I LOVE Skinny Meg. 

She makes me smile and I love how real she is. I also tend to go back to her older posts and read all about her. Sorry Skinny Meg. I may be a mini stalker. ;) I joke, I joke.

Anyway, I thought a link up would be the perfect way for me to get started on blogging about my Pregnancy workouts! And a good way to get me to blog for at least two days in a row. 

I know, shocker, right?

Hey, I'm working on it.

Well, first off I'll tell you what I'm eating for lunch at this moment. 

4oz. Salsa Chicken (recipe curtosy of He And She Eat Clean), 1/2 cup brown rice, nearly a whole cucumber (LW took some of it) and a handful of baby carrots dipped in ranch. I don't know if I'll eat the whole cucumber what with my stomach having less room in it, but I'll do my best. VEGGIES PEOPLE! You NEED them. :) 

Haha, LW just saw another cucumber and called it a "cookie", I love this kid. Anyway.

ASK YOUR DOCTOR BEFORE STARTING ANY WORKOUT PROGRAM. ESPECIALLY WHEN YOU'RE PREGNANT!!! With that said, I was told by my OB/GYN that I can do anything I've already been doing, and just to listen to my body. Once at 20 weeks I need to stop doing flat on my back exercises, which I don't do a lot of anyway. 

So this is what I'm doing today.

Day One of Squat Challenge - 50 Squats

Workout (repeat 2x)

High Knees (or Run in place) - 30 Secs

Close (arms to your sides) Pushups - 10 on knees

Walking Lunges - 20 reps

Plank - 30 Secs

Three Point Lunge Kicks (lunge back[1 rep], side[2 rep], front[3 rep]. kick after each then swith and repeat) - 12 reps ea side

Slow Mountain Climb with Knee twist - 15 reps

Left Side Plank w/ Lift - 15 reps

Right Side Plank w/ Lift - 15 reps

Wide Pushups - 10 on Toes

DONE!

Wooh, I'm tired. Typing that out was hard work. ;) Haha.

Please, remember to refuel after your workout. Drink LOTS of water and STRETCH!

That's it for today! 

Until Next Time!

Spicy

Keeping Fit Through Pregnancy Part 1

My first pregnancy went extremely well. About the best it can, I would suspect. I didn’t ever have morning sickness. I rarely was nauseous and I felt pretty much normal until the last few weeks (when you’re really huge). I lost fifteen pounds the first month being pregnant because I instantly went off sugars and soda when I found we were expecting. My family has a long history of diabetes and I knew that exploded my chances of developing gestational diabetes. I did NOT want that.

Pushing 187 lbs at 6weeks, Sucking in worth everything I had... I was sadly attempting to look skinny. My face and arms tell it all though... and my lifted chest in holding a huge breath.

 I told this to my OB/GYN at the time and he explained that it was alright because I wasn’t doing anything wrong and I was just losing extra weight that I had to lose. That hurt. It stung. I knew I was overweight, but it wasn’t like I was THAT overweight. Sure I was barely tipping the BMI calculators to Obese, but it wasn’t that bad. After losing that ten pounds though I was on the “overweight” side of the calculators. So, the doc was right. It was weight I could afford to lose, but still… ouch!

14 Weeks, arms at a good angle to hide the flab, but I'm not sucking in too much here.  This was after the first month and -15 lbs.

I wasn’t huge on working out then and I did not have a clue about eating healthy. I knew basically that the less candy and sweets and soda’s I took in the less I would weigh, right? WRONG! But it’s not a bad place to start and yes, the less of that sugary junk the better, but it’s not everything.

Well… guess what. We’re expecting again! YAY! Watching my lower abdomen expand is freaking me out, let me tell you. I’ve been focusing so long on making it shrink! I got below 30 inches on my waist! My lower abs dropped about 5 inches… so having it go the other direction. Very. Hard…

6 weeks with baby #2. Not sucking in. MUCH better.

 I currently look like I’ve just been eating too many donuts, which doesn’t help. I wish I would “pop” so it was obvious I was pregnant. If I was thinner it would probably be more noticeable, but let’s face it. I may not look my 170 lbs but I definitely have room for improvement. (No current pic sorry.)

I’m facing so many things I didn’t have to worry about with LW. I had nausea up the wazoo! I never threw up, thank goodness, and it’s gone now. I was tired like someone who hadn’t slept in a week, but I’m getting my energy back. I’m craving foods (specifically Chinese, which I love anyway so that doesn’t help) like mad! I feel really moody and LW rakes on my every nerve it seems. I just want to scream most of the time. Bah! Not. fun.

Here’s what I have noticed though. On days during my first trimester when I could get my body to allow me healthy foods (which was pretty much never, I lived on breads people),  I felt better. On days when I could drag my exhausted body up to the corner and back I felt pretty good. So… now that I’m feeling better anyway I have a new plan.

I’ve seen Mommy Fitness bloggers that post throughout their pregnancies and you see them beautiful as ever up through their birth. But they don’t really tell you what they did throughout it to stay healthy. They’ll give you little details sure! Like… I ate mostly healthy throughout it or I continued lifting weights/working out. And throughout their pregnancy they might post something here or there.

I want to actually document what I’m doing and eating. I’m not supposed to lose weight while I’m pregnant, but I already informed my currently OB/GYN that I’m eating smaller meals, more often, and they are healthy. I’m working out. Those two combine may make the scale drop a little. She nodded and told me that sounds great. I just can’t be going for BIG numbers and I can’t be “trying” to lose weight. Which… I’m not.

With starting out at an “overweight” … um… weight, it’s recommended I gain between 15 and 25 pounds. I shooting for only 15 lbs. With LW I gained about 20 lbs. For my first trimester. I gained… 1 whole pound! Woot! That made me feel GREAT! Especially since I was eating pretty much ALL breads for over a month. It was the only thing my body could handle. Ugh. It was ridiculous.

So.

My Goals.

Gain 15 lbs of healthy baby weight.

Eat five times a day. Small portions, healthy food.

Do SOMETHING active seven days a week. Sunday is the Lord’s day so I rest on that day, but stretching is good every day and I’m okay with that on Sunday.

I’m not a fitness model by any means, nor am I starting at a healthy weight or really anywhere near one. (my healthy weight range is between 108 and 145) So my “keeping fit through pregnancy” will be different from someone who is already in tip top shape. I promise though. My next pregnancy (yes we want more kids) I WILL be in tip top shape.

This Is What's Up!

Hey Everyone, Spicy is Back!!!

Life has been crazy here! The Hubs and I haven't had a truly relaxing weekend in almost a month and it's gonna be another month until we get a weekend to ourselves again. So much is going on! LW is causing havoc wherever he goes, but is still the cutest darn thing ever so I'm having to learn how to discipline a toddler. Trial and error people... trial and error!

As far as my workouts are going... they haven't been. With the crazy weekends and life in general I've been so exhausted. At the moment my workouts have been TRYING to keep the house clean, unpacking, and repacking for our next event, oh and attempting at yard work in-between all that. WEEDS!!! (need I say more?). Bah! It's crazy.

My food intake hasn't been the greatest either. My body went crazy for about a month and only wanted breads. I'm not saying I was craving them. I'm saying that's all I could eat! Blarg. I can't even express how sick of bread and crackers I am. It's getting better though and just over the last week(ish) I've been eating better and starting to feel better again. Thank goodness!!!

I did happen to be around a scale yesterday so I hopped on it to see the damage a month of bread had on me. 1 pound gain! I was so happy to see that! Plus it was at like... 4 pm which isn't the best time to weigh yourself anyway because you'll weigh more. I know I've lost muscle tone, but I can get that back. It's all part of the journey! :D

How have you been doing?

Until Next Time,
Spicy