My Fitness Journey Update

Get up at 5 AM to workout most days (two days on, one day for resting). Eat breakfast. Get ready for work. Go to work. Drive home. Fix supper. Play with LMW. Give him a bath. Put him to bed. Do laundry or dishes. Watch a little TV. Go to bed.

Repeat. Repeat. Repeat...

That's my schedule lately. I'm tired, but so glad I'm making a little time for myself even if it is at 5 in the morning. It's become my routine now. Sometimes I snooze a few minutes but I pretty much get up in between 5 and 5:15 and workout. I honestly think I felt more tired when I WASN'T working out. Even though I was getting about 30 minutes more sleep, I felt awful all the time.

But now? Now, I feel stronger. I have more stamina. Working out is almost...almost...like a cup of coffee. But doesn't taste as good. Actually, I haven't even had a cup of coffee this morning and I feel fine. Granted, LMW slept the entire night and only woke up once because his pacifier fell out of the bed (easy fix).

Graphic taken from here

Also, I'm keeping my calorie count under 1600. I've had a few days when I've gone over, because everyone deserves to cheat every now and then, but I'm pretty much staying on track. I feel like I eat all the time though because my portions aren't as big, so I don't stay satisfied as long so I end up snacking. But I'm eating pretty healthy snacks and staying under my calorie budget, so it's all good. More smaller meals (even if it's just a protein bar) throughout the day instead of three big ones. This has taken some getting used to because I'm not generally a snacker. I eat my meals and I may have a yogurt or something in between breakfast and lunch but that's it. So, it's been an adjustment. No sodas and I honestly don't crave them anymore. I still need to do better about fruits and veggies, but old habits die hard.

So, have I made any progress?

I've lost 4.4 pounds since March 28. It's coming off slowly, but surely. My pants are a little loose and I seem to be in between sizes. That's pretty annoying because I still can't fit into my pre-baby pants even though it's the next size down. My body definitely isn't in the same shape it was before I had LMW even if I'm only about 10 pounds away. Even if I lose that 10 pounds, I don't think those clothes will fit the same. Ah, the joys of having babies.

I bought two dresses for J's wedding and the sizes are my pre-baby size. However, they may just run big. But they look great on. I also bought two tops at Old Navy in my old size. So, I'm getting there. It's mainly the pants size that is still different. But, I'm doing exercises that focus on legs and on arms and some cardio. I'm still doing the 30-day challenge and I have about 5 more workouts left to complete it. I am interested in measuring (I measured beforehand) to see how many inches I've lost.

Most importantly though, I feel better. I'm eating better. And when you do those two things, you look better. I have more confidence in my appearance. Looks aren't everything, but when you don't feel good about yourself, it shows. When you do feel good about yourself, that shows as well. And I'm starting to feel a bit better about this ole body I'm stuck with.

And the stamina thing is very important because I have a little boy who is desperately trying to walk and when he does, he will be running. That means I'll be running after him. So, being in shape is really a must. My back hasn't hurt hardly at all since I started working out. That's great!

Also, I'm proud of myself for being diligent. For taking on a task and not giving up after two tries. For not giving up when my ankle hurts. For being in for the long haul, because getting fit is something that won't happen overnight. My goal weight should be reached by October, if everything goes as planned and I'm going for it! And it's really more about how I look, how healthy my body looks, rather than the number on the scale. How I fit into my clothes and how well they look on me. That's what I care about.

I'm reaching for the stars. Are you?