what’s that, you ask?

So what is this picture you ask?

Oh, nothing.

Just the blurry (sorry, Jillian makes my arms wiggly) sweaty-hot-mess face of a Mama of two after completing DAY 30 of The 30 Day Shred.

That’s right! I did it. It took me 32 days (one day off at Gwen’s party and one other day off after doing a big long hot walk with C-Biscuit), but I did it.

So, excuse me while I write a completely braggy post. I’m sorry, I just have to. I may need to look  back on this someday and remind myself that I CAN DO IT. Also? I want this to serve as an encouragement to any of my readers who may be in the place that I was a month and a bit ago and let you know that YOU CAN DO IT, TOO. You really, really can.

So, here’s the first thing I’ll say … if you are starting a workout/diet program and you want to see results, TAKE YOUR MEASUREMENTS AND BARE BELLY BEFORE PICS. Really, do it. Even if you never intend to show the pictures to anyone, you will want them for your own comparison. Unfortunately, I didn’t take any before pics (wish I had) but I am SO thankful that I stopped on Day 3 of level 1 to take my measurements. Had I not done this I would not have any tangible results.

Because, you see, the scale has not budged.

I stopped drinking Pepsi regularly over two months ago. Within three weeks, I had dropped 8 pounds. Other than walking more, and trying to eat better overall, this was completely a result of no pop. And then, a month ago when I started the Shred, I stepped on the scale to see that I had put 4 pounds back on, resting at 4 pounds below my original starting weight.

And guess what?

Today, I am only 1 pound below that weight. The thing is I am far leaner and more toned than I was a month ago. I can see it and feel it. You know what they say, muscle weighs more than fat, right? So, take before and after pictures and take your measurements.

The second thing I’ll say it DO IT. YOU CAN DO IT. The beauty of the Shred is that it is intense but it’s do-able. Let’s face it, I wouldn’t have success in joining a gym. I live in a rural area, so going to the gym would be a trek. And then there’s the whole ‘when do I go’ thing, since not that many gyms around here have a childcare program. That’s what I love about the Shred. I can always find 20 minutes to slot it into my day. It meant that some days I was working out at 9pm, but so be it.

The last thing I’ll say is TELL PEOPLE YOU’RE DOING IT. If you’re anything like me, if you tell people, you’ll stick with it. I am far too proud and stubborn to give up after telling everyone and their neighbor that I’m doing a workout program. I checked in with my mom, husband, best friends, and sister nearly every day of the month. I knew if I didn’t Shred people would be ON MY BACK.

I’m not going to share my actual before/after measurements because that’s just too personal, but I will tell you how much I lost in each area:

Before measurements taken May 29, 2013 (day 3 of The Shred). After measurements taken June 27, 2013 (day 30 of The Shred)

Butt – lost 0 inches (baby got back?)

Arms – lost 1 inch

Thighs – lost 2 inches

Chest – lost 1 inch (womp, womp)

Hips – lost 2 inches

and, wait for it… here’s the killer:

Waist – LOST 5 INCHES!!!!

So that there in itself has proven to me that it’s been worth it.

Next up? Ripped in 30. Bring it, Jillian.

(recovering?) Pepsi Addict

Yesterday marks three weeks since I have had any Pepsi.

Or any pop for that matter.

You read that right. Three weeks. Twenty one days.

This may not be a big deal to some (most?) of you, but to me, it’s huge. This is the longest stretch I’ve gone in a long time. Maybe even in forever? Well, I mean, since I started drinking Pepsi, which was before high school. I was typically a Pepsi a day girl. Sometimes (too often, really) more than one. It was the love of my life. It kind of feels like I’m breaking up with my soul mate, you know?

All around, I am feeling some major differences since cutting it out. I am feeling so much better. I’m not nearly as draggy, I have way more energy and my body feels good. Maybe some of this has to do with the nicer weather, but I’m sure not entirely. And, as an added bonus, the number of pounds that I’ve lost in three week isn’t awful, either. (I should also add that I have been making some other pretty big changes in my eating and exercise habits, too, so the weight isn’t entirely because of the lack of pop). 

I’ve been very careful and strict with myself so that I don’t just end up replacing the missing Pepsi with extra coffee. I allow myself a maximum of two coffees per day (okay, once or twice I had three..but only because it’s dollar iced coffee days at McD’s and people always insist on bringing them to me) and other than that I’ve been drinking water like a crazy person. It’s become a challenge to myself to see how well I can do with this and how long I can go.

I won’t say I’m quitting forever, because I am likely not, nor do I really want to. I mean, I love the stuff. It tastes dang good.  I’d like to have it again. And I like having treats sometimes. But that’s the key word. Sometimes. Right now, I am working hard to get myself to a place where I can view it as that – a treat and not a necessity. We have a cottage weekend coming up and my plan was to take a few to indulge in on vacation but I’m not so sure. I kind of feel like continuing in this little competition with myself. I guess we’ll see.

To be honest, though, it hasn’t been nearly as hard as I expected it to be. Definitely not as hard as other times I’ve tried to “quit” or “cut back”. Maybe because this time I was serious about making a change? The last time I had a Pepsi, I didn’t even know that it would be my last. I wasn’t really planning on stopping but after a very unsuccessful evening of trying on clothes that ended in tears and some major self evaluation, I decided some things have got to change around here. And by around here, I mostly mean around my waist line. It’s time to become a healthier version of myself.

Realizations

My sweet baby is not doing so great this week. The poor thing has a runny nose, a cough, and is just out of sorts all around.

On Wednesday night, we had a little episode that scared me bad. I won’t go into the details, but she did some weird stuff in a 20ish minute span that made me wonder if we should take her to the hospital.

Evan came home and after some debate we decided against going in because she had returned to normal (well, I’m-sick-with-a-cold-and-not-too-happy normal) and we had her regular 6 month appointment scheduled for Thursday morning anyway. We watched her closely through the evening and night and she seemed to be okay.

At her appointment, after talking to the doctor, he suggested that what happened might possibly have been a mild seizure. Not for sure. It’s just a possibility. He assured me that as a one time, isolated incident, it is not something to be concerned about. It could have happened as a result of having a low grade fever, being congested, fighting an infection, being tired, lacking oxygen for a short time, and so on. He said if episodes like this occur in the future, then we would certainly want to check it out, but for now, everything seems to be fine, aside from her having a common cold.

During this I came to realize how blessed, truly blessed, I am to have a healthy, thriving child.

Over the course of one evening, where my baby seemed to be not doing so well for a few short moments, my mom heart got all torn up. In a bad way. It hurt my heart to see her like that. And, in reality, it was nothing. Nothing in comparison to what some Mamas go through.

We’ve made it to the six month point without having to have any doctor visits aside from her normally scheduled checks. (Mind you, she has been under the weather at two of these appointments – girlfriend just loves to get sick the day before so we can get it all done in one fell swoop). Aside from a few colds, runny noses, coughs and sneezes, she’s been in perfect health. No high fevers. No ear infections. No flu bugs. No major health concerns. This week is the first time that her health has caused any changes to her temperament. Generally speaking, she is a healthy and happy babe. And this is not to toot my own horn – it’s only by the grace of God that she’s remained so healthy. It is not because of anything I’ve done or haven’t done. Babies get sick. It happens. Especially this winter. Oh yes, it happens.

But, somehow we’ve escaped most of that. And realize that we are so blessed.

I have realized that our trials are so miniscule compared to those faced by many families.

And that the gift of a healthy child is one to be cherished.