My New Health Blog!

Follow what I am doing to get healthy and happy here! I will be posting what I do for nutrition and exercise, recipes, tips, weekly check-ins, and monthly photos (yikes!). I am really excited about not just the new diet and exercise routine, but lifestyle! I am already noticing a huge difference in how my clothes fit, my measurements, and most importantly my attitude and drive. Cheers to getting happy and healthy! :)

My New Year’s Resolutions

Well, I can say that I only have one New Year’s Resolution this year and it is this-BE HEALTHY, and even more importantly with that BEING HAPPY! That includes all areas of health: spiritual (being at the top of the list), emotional, mental, and of course that oh-so-popular health area (especially when it comes to New Year’s Resolutions)-physical. Now, even though it is one single goal, there is a LOT of lifestyle change, and mini resolutions that come with it. This blog is a place where I plan to document what I do and the results I find, and lets be honest a place to hold myself accountable to my new goals for my new life. So here are all the areas as listed above in more detail.

Spiritual: Live in a way that is more centered on the Gospel and my Savior, so that I can find the added peace and joy that comes from making the spirit the biggest part of my life. I will be making this a focus by saying morning and evening prayers (individual, family, and couple’s), reading scriptures daily (as a family and personally), and focusing on filling my life with wholesome and uplifting influences.

Emotional: I will achieve being more emotionally healthy by really focusing on being more positive. Simple concept. I know, but for me it has always been more like rocket science. I really try to be positive around others, but struggle silently and inwardly. My hope this year is to make it more of a natural occurrence inside and out, rather than the forced one (at times) it has felt in the past. I am pretty sure that by focusing on my other three areas of health, this one will come a lot more naturally. I plan on really focusing on my blessings to help alleviate my struggles with anxiety and depression. I am hoping that this will replace fear with faith and despair with hope.

Mental: I really want to constantly be learning and growing and developing throughout my life, and so I hope that this year I can pursue this passion and put this goal into action. I plan on making reading a part of my everyday life. Whether it be to escape to a magical world and set my imagination free, or a book to learn and grow as a person and spirit, or to get further ahead with our business by developing myself and my mind and setting my gears up for success!

Physical: This is not the most important one per say, but it definitely affects the others that are more important to me. Most women hate their post-baby body, but ironically enough I actually see mine as a goal to aspire to. The picture below is me two weeks after giving birth (left), and the then two years after giving birth (right). See what I mean? Maybe it was the fact that I lost more weight during my pregnancy than I gained due to being so sick and being on a gestational diabetes diet for the last third of it. And maybe I have gained so much since having Jayden because of all of the stress the past two years (trust me, there has been a LOT), never working out, and eating terribly, but it is time for no excuses and work, work, WORK! I have never exercised or eaten healthy regularly in my entire life! Sad, right? I mean I have been active with music-dance-theater and such, but I have never had a regular routine of my own. Yup! I am turning 27 this year and I think it is high-time I start taking care of my body if I want it to keep taking care of me.

So how do I plan on achieving this? Well, let’s just say that although this goal may not be at the top of my list, it is definitely taking the most time and is the reason behind 75% of the changes I have made to my life. Starting last Monday, I am focusing on…

…and…

all while eating six small HEALTHY and balanced meals/snacks a day, and not eating past seven p.m. I am also drinking 10 cups of water a day! My bladder is going crazy! Ha ha! I drink an eight ounce glass before every meal which helps me to not overeat.

I am also working out six days a week with 20 second fitness (LOVE it). It is intense but short and sweet, so it is bearable. I also do crunches and pushups every day. I do them until I am sore and then I do thirty more crunches and ten more pushups, to really burn fat and get those muscles into shape. And I top it all off with 1-3 hours of cardio with Zumba and dancing at play practice to keep my metabolism kicking! I do enough to make sure I am burning what I eat, so I don’t have excess calories, carbs, and fat to burn. Let me tell you, this past week about killed me, but I am already noticing a difference in how my clothes fit and my muscle definition after just one week! WOOT!

Guys and Dolls (the show I am currently in) is a HUGE incentive to stay on top of my physique with determination, focus and drive! Considering I am a hot box dancer in it, I want to look good opening night! That is the goal! Also being in shape tends to help when it comes to dancing and singing at the same time. ;)

 

Well, there you have it! My New Year’s Resolution that entails tons of mini resolutions and lifestyle changes. I will be checking in here regularly with my progress. Wish me luck!!!

 

 

*all photos (other than the ones of me) are compliments of Google Images.

New Year’s Eve and Day: Welcoming 2014!

First of all, can I just say that I canNOT believe how fast time goes by! Ben and I will be married six years this June, and our little Jayden will be three this September. Don’t even get me started on Ben turning 28 in a couple months or me turning 27 in August. CRAZY! Well, here is a goodbye to a pretty good year. Ben finally got a job with the Post Office to help us have something steady and reliable while we build our business. I also finally finished school (which had been haunting me for years), so yay for that! It was also the year I dipped my toes back into performing and rediscovered myself, and my passion for music. Performing is my happy place. It has been a tough few years, but I really feel like things are starting to look up. I just hope I did not just jinx that good vibe…;)

 

It was a big year for our little not-so-little-anymore Jayden who went from toddling around the house to running around the house! I have said goodbye to a baby and a toddler all in a year! He also went from saying a few words, to talking our ears off and copying everything we say! Yikes! We really need to watch ourselves now. We don’t ever say anything most people would consider bad, but when your two-year-old says “butt” right after you inform your hubby that your workout made you sore in that certain spot, you quickly start using words like “tooshy”. He has also gone from snuggling on the couch to running around on all sorts of adventures. Makes me a little sad, but it is SO very fun to see him growing into the cutest little boy! I am happy to say he is still a HUGE Momma’s boy! My favorite things? The big  “Yay Mommy!” that welcomes me every time he sees me after I enter the room. I am also a big fan of the “Hold you?”. This is a constant phrase that makes me feel so good, even if it does make it a little hard to get dinner ready, the laundry done, or the house clean, but you know sometimes those things need to take a backseat when it comes to a cute little boy wanting time with you. Don’t get me wrong, my OCD still gets the job done, but while he is sleeping or napping. Heaven help my house when we have more than just Jayden needing their mommy. Either I will be exhausted, or the house will be a mess-probably both, either way it will not be too pretty. Kudos to having an amazing hubby who helps out, and still makes me feel like a princess when he comes home to an exhausted, frazzled woman, with sweats on and no makeup, waiting to welcome him to a home full of toys and clutter, and all too often dinner not quite ready. That will come in handy in years to come, I am sure! I have decided that Mommy-hood is all about losing yourself and finding yourself time and time again. Needless to say, it is a balancing act I am still trying to master.

 

Well, enough on 2013 and parenthood (ha ha, little tangent there). What is 2014 looking like? Well, with a lot of prayers, faith, and hard work, we are hoping to finally be pulling out of this financial slum we have been in since getting the surprise of being pregnant with no insurance, Jayden’s cute, but emotional and expensive cleft lip experience, Ben’s company selling out and the new one not paying him what they should, Ben being out of work for six months while trying to build a business that we could actually make a profit and living with with a little substitute teaching on the side, and all that comes with three years of…well all that. Between this good steady job that actually pays(!), building our business and life of financial freedom and making others lives better, and the really good chance that Ben will become regular with the Post Office (which will double his pay with wonderful benefits), we are really hoping that 2014 is the year! Good vibes and prayers are appreciated. :) I am also currently in my first musical since Beauty and the Beast back in 2009. I am a hotbox dancer in Guys and Dolls at Terrace Plaza Playhouse, and I am LOVING it! Five years away from the stage has been WAY too long! I am also hoping to be starting up a business with my friend Kyle Bybee as a wedding/event singer! Good things are happening folks, and I am finally feeling like my old happy and spunky self again. I am looking forward to living and not just surviving, and replacing doubt and despair with dreams and determination to make them happen! I am confident that no matter where we go that this year will be our BEST yet! Because lets face it…life is what you make it, right? I will say one thing that is a positive blessing from all the hardship. It has definitely brought our little family closer than ever, and has definitely made us a lot more grateful for our blessings-especially that of the Gospel in our lives and a loving Heavenly Father, Savior Jesus Christ, family and friends who have been with us every step of the way. I would be SO lost without all of these many blessings!

 

And with that…I give you our New Year’s Eve and Day partying! Bring on 2014!!!

P.S.-With this post I am officially all the way caught up with this blog! WAHOO!!! I have been looking forward to this day since last February! Seriously that deserves a huge WOOT WOOT!

Since Andrea spent the night, we spent New Year’s Eve Day with her. Jayden was one happy little camper! He is a pretty big fan of that Aunt Andrea of his.

We all spent the morning bouncing on balls while singing our classis “bounce” song, watching movies, and baking cookies for the party at my folks that night. It was so much fun!

Can you just hear his enthusiastic “Cheese!”?

This little guy sure loves his cookies!

Someone kept trying to sneak into the cookie dough. Okay…maybe two of us were guilty of that.

New Year’s Party at my parents house. Such a fun tradition! Can’t beat dancing, good food, games, and great company!

I may or may not have snuck a New Year’s kiss a little early.

My famous dill pickle dip, and my Mom’s famous fruit dip and crackers and cheese ball-YUM!!!

Jayden was entertained forever with rolling a ball down the railing. Oh to be so easily amused and young again.

Both of my boys got pretty tuckered out before the end of the night…

While the boys napped, I got my hair trimmed-finally! It needed it bad!

I took over for Hilary so she could sneak off to Ryan (who was still stuck at work-lame! That is usually Ben), and WON!

Jayden LOVED the whole “lets make a lot of noise” tradition this past New Year’s! He was a hoot!

Poor Jayden did get a little scared of the fireworks however.

Happy New Year’s, Babe!

A bunch of little sillies! I told them all to close their eyes for the picture below. Of course Jayden had to hold his closed with his finger. The ironic part is that he closes them better without little Mr. fingers help.

A little after midnight, Ryan FINALLY made it to the party! Sure love these two and am SO excited for their baby GIRL coming in May!!!

Good thing I drove home…

…of course the goodies and movie I had planned for Ben and I got him to wake up. :)

Our toast to 2014! Cheers!

The next morning we had Dill Pickle Dip, Chips, and Pizza for a scrumptious breakfast of champions (considering we slept in quite a bit, we dove right into lunch). Yup! That happened!

Love my little love…

…and my not-so-little loves.

We even let Jayden watch a movie in his room for nap time. He loved it! The rocker glider with the ottoman makes a perfect little lounge spot for our favorite little guy.

After Jayden’s nap, my brother Kyle and our good friend Kyle came over for games and food and fun and more celebrating with our favorite Kyles’!

We know how to party on a budget! Large $5.99 carryout from Domino’s anyone? Oh and this root beer is amazing and can be found at Wal-mart for a deal of 84 cents. It tastes like homemade. We love it!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!! And may 2014 be your BEST year yet!!!