The Ward's 1st Family Camping Trip

What a whirlwind of a year it has been! I can't believe my lovely hubby and I have been married a whole year. In order to celebrate our 1st anniversary, and just because we didn't want yet another summer to pass us by leaving a long list of things left undone, we decided to pack up the dogs and go camping.  I will preface the rest of this post by saying that overall, we did have a pretty darn good time, however many hurdles we had to jump over to get there. So, in the best way I can think of, here is the series of Facebook Status Updates I would've posted during our camping trip (times have been approximated for dramatic value):

3:03pm: All packed up and ready to hit the road.  Rock Creek, here we come!

4:09pm: There's a space... oh, too close to the road? Ok, we'll keep going...

4:37pm: Yeah, I think we should go back and get that space we saw a while back.

5:01pm: Phew... it's still available! And actually, it's pretty good, let's get this camp set up... where did the sun go?

5:35pm: Camps all set up! What time is it? It seems to be getting really dark. Have fun fishing, babe!

6:02pm: Is that thunder?

6:05pm: Yep, that's definitely thunder... and it's getting close... maybe I should go grab Burt.

6:07pm: Oh good, didn't have to drag him out of the river, he decided he didn't want to get electrocuted.

6:10pm: And it's raining...

6:17pm: Wow, that storm is getting REALLY close, should we go sit in the car? Nah... let's just stand under this really tall tree.

6:23pm: Is that?... Hail? Perfect...

6:32pm: Hmmm... maybe we shouldn't have set up the tent in the lowest part of the campsite... hopefully the water doesn't get any deeper.

6:47pm: Phew, storm seems to be moving away, I hope the sun comes out.

6:53pm: No, I said SUN, not WIND... and I'm soaking wet.

6:57pm: Beer? No, I didn't bring any beer, you didn't ask me to buy beer...

7:02pm: Ah... here comes the rain... again...

7:12pm: Oh I agree, a beer WOULD be good right now.

9:02pm: Ok, all dogs in kennels, time for bed!

10:45pm: Hmm... I definitely should have brought my other air mattress, this mat is not very comfy...

12:12am: (**Boom of thunder**) Yep, not gonna sleep much tonight

3:30am: Kallie... seriously, stop whining and go to sleep

3:52am: Kallie, be QUIET

4:17am: KALLIE!! I'M GOING TO (**removed due to explicit nature**)

6:45am: Well, I might as well get up

7:02am: Mmmm... Coffee

7:07am: Mmmm... Oatmeal

7:23am: Mmmm... More coffee

8:23am: Burt? Hey, you gonna get up?

9:02am: THE SUN!!! Hooray!!!!

12:20pm: Yeah, you're right, it's pretty hot, let's go home and go floating...

Thanks for joining me on the journey of our first family camping trip! We definitely learned a few things, like:
1. I'm getting to old to "tough it out" and need to remember to bring my nice camping mat
2. Kallie gets to sleep in the car next time
3. Camping ALWAYS equals beer

“Skinny Girl” Lessons Learned on Getting Healthy

So I'd like to start with the caveat... these are my own lessons learned over the years, and I know I have lot left to learn, so please feel free to share your own lessons, too!

So, here it is… my lessons learned over the years on getting healthy, some of which may seem glaringly obvious (trust me, we could ALL use reminding sometimes), some of which will be just plain gross, and some, which you might ACTUALLY find helpful. Take ‘em or leave ‘em, they’re my gospel truths:

·         Have a Goal – I don’t care if it’s weight loss, a trip, a new pair of jeans, or a physical goal, like completing your first 5k, but for me, the motivation is in the results.  Set yourself a goal, and then hang it somewhere where you’ll look at it every day.

·         Have a Schedule – once you have your goal, you need a schedule of workouts to strive for.  Make sure your calendar is at your level and progresses in a healthy fashion, and that it includes some down time for your muscles (and your mind), or you’ll burn out.

·         Gym membership – to me, this is an important one… it needs to be somewhere I LIKE and somewhere that’s just a little out of the way; a place I have to actually go to.  Some like the convenience factor and that works for them, not for me, for me, it’s all about making it a PRIORITY, setting aside the time, and making myself get there.  I like places with a good facility AND fun classes, but it’s all up to you. 

·         Pilates ball and hand weights – I don’t have a lot of fancy home workout gear, but these two things really do make all the difference when I’m trying to do workouts at home.  You can look up tons of strength training or strength/cardio mix-ups online, or I have a few fun DVDs, but these to are my “go to” workout at home tools. 

·         Have FUN – Like Wii/Kinect? Use fun dancing or Zumba games as one of your weekly routines.  Like to go outside and hike? That’s great exercise; just make that a priority weekly (no matter the weather).  Miss all those fun elementary games we used to play, like kick ball, or wall ball, or jump rope? Those are all great, too! Grab a friend/partner/roommate and get off the couch. Even just jamming up the tunes and dancing around your living room is a great alternative (singing along is a bonus… clothing is optional…)

·         The Magic Bullet - REALLY is magic… (all right, sicko, I’m talking about the KITCHEN appliance, not that OTHER Magic Bullet) Amazing for morning smoothies or mixing my homemade juice with some protein to make it a meal… plus, I also make a killer Frozen Bellini as a treat when I’m doing well! Tip for quick smoothies? In this order: one banana (broken into 2-3 pieces), one cup of yogurt, mixed frozen fruit to the top of cup, one scoop of protein powder and fill with whatever juice you have on hand (I usually use OJ), it takes 47 seconds, you can screw on the lid and take it with you, and it’s delicious, and the tall cups or smoothie cups are the perfect size!

·         Juicer - A very close second to the Magic Bullet is my juicer.  These are really great to make juices for detoxing, juices for energy, juices for ANYTHING! My personal favorite combination is 2 small apples, 2 medium carrot sticks, 1 celery stick, half of a medium beet.  I also mix in some wheat grass powder, or juice a little fresh spinach to get some green in there. It’s amazing, it covers the “rainbow,” so to speak, and for a liquid, it’s pretty filling (although you should add some kind of protein if you’re making it a meal). My only caution? This juice, when it makes its way “to the other side” may cause you alarm the first time, as those pesky beets truly do make the ENTIRE journey to the other end… no, you’re not dying, it’s just dyed.

So you'll notice that my first step is goals.. right now I have two going on: 

1. Run the Missoula Half Marathon (now in 62 days!) - I have workouts goals and a schedule

2. Complete the 4 Weeks to Healthy Living, supported by Arbonne Essentials products, and lose 5+ pounds - I am currently on day 8, and going strong.  I helped myself out with this one by setting up an accountability group with some of the other women doing the program so we can all hold each other accountable.  

Good luck, everyone! Please feel free to share your own thoughts! 

"Skinny Girl" Changes Tactics

Ah, the irony of the title of my blog right now... 3 things I have dedicated not to eat for 28 whole days.

All right, so all the self-talking, motivating, and good-willing to just exercise and hope to get back to where I was wasn't working, so after my annual Arbonne convention, I committed to trying a 4-weeks to healthy living plan, that includes maintaining a healthy diet while cutting most of my favorites out of my life, such as gluten, dairy, alcohol, refined sugar, vinegar, MSG and sweet fruits. After 5 days, I'm feeling a little tired, but I'm starting to notice a few small changes...

I'm also 65 days out from the Missoula Half Marathon (YIKES) and I haven't run anything longer than 3.5 miles.  Tomorrow, I'm bumping it up to a slow 6er, and then hopefully getting back on track and upping my mileage over 20 miles a week.

In my next 23 days of no alcohol and no eating out, I'm starting to find out that I've forgotten what else there IS beyond gluttony.  And P.S. with limited funding, so, if you have any ingenious ideas, please send 'em my way!

Happy May! And here's to a trimmer 2012!

"Skinny Girl" Climbing the Hill... Slowly

I went to bed last night before 10pm, barely able to keep my eyelids open.  I woke up this morning, and although I contemplated popping a couple of Advil, I refrained, and opted instead for some delicious coffee. I got to work this morning in the first day of the new year where it even "felt" like it was below zero, realizing I was only wearing a light coat because I hadn't checked the weather in my groggy haze.  I'm a little tired, but I finally made it to Day 4.
It's been a rough start to the new year, the plan, and sticking to it.  The phrase "1 step forward, 2 steps back" moderately begins to describe it, but I'm finally getting into routine.
I don't know what it is that has made this so hard. Is it the fear of "Week 2" and all its sore muscles, tired eyelids, grumbling stomachs, and no-turning-back-now-ness that keep me continuously reverting back to "Week 1"? Is it the finalization of not being able to let go of a decade of moderate lethargy with only minor consequences that, although only mildly fulfilling is still comfortable and cozy? Is it the fear of becoming a social laggard, as I greatly reduce or completely obliterate some of the things in my daily life which I use to relate to others? Probably a little of each, I suppose.  Or, part of my demonstrated pattern of self-sabotage and procrastination.... that too...
Nevertheless, I continue on, proud that I made it to Day 4 (kept getting stuck at Day 3), and hoping it's all downhill to Day 5, and then to Week 2, and then beyond!