M.I.A.

Well yep right after I said I would be on top of all this blogging my baby girl goes and gets sick. Tonsilitis and ear infection, woo hoo. So this is me getting back on the bandwagon.

Tonight I went to my first yoga class since I was pregnant and it was heated. Woooza. I have found that I sweat EVERY where, gross right? Wrong! Just think, all that sweat means all those toxins came out of my pores and onto my mat! My mat needs some major Cloroxing but hey it was so worth every drop. I now remember why I loved it so much.

Then I got home, gave baby girl a bath, took a shower, rocked her to sleep and had a fab dinner. Breaded baked catfish with romulade sauce, sauteed spinach and asparagus. Yumtastic. (And two pieces of Ghirardelli chocolate. Shhhhh)

So on my FB I said something about baby workouts. What I did was doing was taking Aspen in my arms and doing biscep curls, lifting her up and down, bench pressing her, whatever I could do to get an arm workout in, as if carrying her isn't enough. Then following her up the stairs several times. I wasn't really raising my heart rate but my arms were getting weak! I have also been doing calf raises while I brush my teeth and doing a few stretches while I get ready for bed. I am pretty sure that every little bit helps.

So after slacking this week, I am getting back on the train, getting back to my routine and really aiming for my goal. April 28th here I come.

Thursday and Friday all wrapped up in one!

Yep I know I said every day, thanks for the reminder Mary! Ok so for Thursday's workout.
Leggie leggs (actually my fave)
So 10 mins on level 3 on the elliptical and I went as fast as I could.
Then I did leg press 3 sets of 12 with 50 lbs. Yep it was a bit much but I waited in between each set, no circuit here.
Then on to 3 sets of 15 of leg curls and leg extensions
Then I alternated between stationary lunges with one leg on a bench and calf raises on the bottom stair. 10 each of the lung and 15 raises.
Lastly, I did squats with an 8 lb medicine ball which I raised as I dropped my butt. :) 3 sets 15 each.

AND I am not sore today! And the soreness from the past two days is finally going away. YAY.

As for Friday, yep I slept in. If 6 am is sleeping in. I needed it and feel WAY better today because of it. And I splurged today with a milkshake from Chik-fil-a. But that's ok. If you treat yourswlf once in awhile you will stick to your plan easier.

Speaking of which, last night I made yummie food. Soy Teriyaki Tuna steaks and broccoli with cheese. Yes I had to look up how to spell teriyaki and no these two items do not really go together but sometimes you just want some favorites. So the reason I am mentioning this is because for those of you that do not know about Bragg's Liquid Aminos, seriously you are missing out. You replace your soy sauce wih it and lower your sodium intake and get16 amino acids wihout losing the soy flavor. Best stuff EVER. You can go to www.braggs.com and check out their stuff. I even think they have free samples. Ok there is my plug for my favorite product.

So from now on I am going to try my hardest to get my blog going every day but don't shoot me if I combine two in one. :-)  But definitely bug me if it is getting late in the day on day two.

Ok so who is ready for the weekend? What are you going to do to stay healthy or get a workout in? I need to figure something out. I am thinking about going to the music fest at the beach and riding my bike around. I think Big A would enjoy it.

Here's a pic of my tuna and broccoli. Yum!

Well they can't be all good.

And today was definitely that. My workouts come mostly from my brother because he is good like that but today's workout was not meant for me. It was upper body and while I do need upper body workouts this one was more tailored for someone who already works out. So here is the breakdown.
Dumbbell shoulder press
Dumbbell lateral raises
Medicine ball push ups
Dumbbell flies
Dips
Inverted row
Underneath pull ups
He said go light on weights and do three sets of 10-20 (whichever felt right). Well how does one inverted row, 3 dips and 2 pullups sound for you? I can't do the whole lift my entire body weight yet. So I added some lat pull downs and biscep curls.

With all of that said, I suppose I am going to have those kind of days. On top of it I am sore and super sleepy. I crawled back into bed when I got home. It's not fun getting up in the dark, with a sleeping husband and baby in your bed to come home to the same scene. And still woke up in super grouchy mood. It is now 10 am and hasn't gone away. Things are getting on my nerves more than normal, I am still sleepy and I am unmotivated to work but have piles to do. Do you ever have these types of days, when you just feel the need to close the door, put your head down and have a good cry? That's me today.

Feeling like I just dropped my ice cream on the ground and I am standing there with just a cone in my hand. Booooo.

Day 2, First Day of Spring

Well day two goes off without a hitch. I actually got to the gym in a reasonable time and did a full workout. Here's what I did. 10 min on the elliptical as fast as I could go, leg raises on a bench (20 reps), plank front (30 min), plank each side (15 min), flutter kicks (30 reps), supine bicycle (20 reps), plank with knee to opposite elbow (10 reps). Rest for 30 sec and then go again, total of three circuits. Boy does my butt and hips ache already. But that just shows progress right.

So now that my workout has been posted, I have to talk about something so I am not posting a small paragraph. 

I have actually been doing quite a bit of thinking lately on where my future is going. I love my job, the people here are awesome and I am finally appreciated for the work I do but it is no where close to what I went to school for, interior design. There is a chance that I can move from the admin side to a graphic artist position here but it wouldn't be very creative. I mean how creative can you get when you are just replicating a car in Max 3d? Not very but it would help me hone my skills in Photoshop and 3d which can be used elsewhere. Problem is there really aren't that many job in Jacksonville for home interiors. So my plan as it stands is to just keep my eyes on the future and on the wanted ads, while keeping my skills honed by doing some design work in my free time. I have a few ideas on ways to make some money (but keeping it to myself for the time being) and keep up my love for home interiors and crafting. Which leads me to my next topic, finding time. . . .

I know that most of you that are reading this, and thanks for sticking with me this far, are mommas. We have such busy lives. I mean I wake up at 5 am just so I can get a workout in! By the time I work 8-9 hours, get home, feed Aspen and get her ready for bed, it's almost 8 pm. Sometimes we fit dinner in before she is off but it is a struggle. With only an hour or so left before I have to crawl in bed before I passout in the middle of the kitchen, when do I find the time to work on all those passions of mine? It's such a struggle because you become torn between doing the piles of laundry, relaxing on the couch lost in Once Upon A Time, or doing one of the many crafts I have pinned on Pinterest. Usually TV wins, sometimes a late night run wins (which is really nice, when it does happen) or passing out by 9 pm. (By the way, where did all those nights go where I could stay up all hours of the night and still work the next day?) I just needto find more time, or more energy. I am thinking a coffee iv drip!

So another plan of action is in the works. . . Get yo butt in gear woman! Every week I am going to tackle one project that I have been meaning to get to. First, I am going to finish all the projects that I have started but never completed. Oh that may take some time but it has to be done. Plus, I need to work on Marcie's shower and Aspen's first birthday stuff.

Saying out loud (well typing it out, in public view) will make me more motivated because then someone can check up on my lazy butt. Hehehe. Ok back to work. Tell me what you have been lazy about and what you plan to do about it?

Bringing Sexy Back

Oh yes, I said it. I am bringing it back, my sexiness. :) Well mostly I am bring back healthy me, a better feeling me, a happier me. And it is about time. No more excuses like I just had a baby, there is no time, I deserve a treat. . .Nope! No more. I need to whip myself back into it's old glory. I know I will never get back to the body I had after bootcamp or my tour in Iraq BUT I can get close! So here is the plan.

My goal is 135 lbs by April 28th. Easy enough right? That's 2 lbs a week.

Action Plan:

Work out 3 times a week.

Run at least 2 times a week.

Get back into my yoga practice.

Weigh myself once a week.

Judge weight mostly on how my clothing fits.

Eat more veggies and fruit, less carbs.

I know that I am weak when it comes to starches, sweets and coffee so I need to cut back on these items and really focus on what's good for me. I will encourage those around me and offer my solutions and listen to other's solutions to their weightloss. I want to make this as positive of an experience as possible.

My other motivation will be to post here and on Facebook my workouts, meals, set backs and motivations. I think posting to the world what I am doing will push me to do better.

So for this morning, I got up, had a bit of a late start but still went to the gym. Had a granola bar on the way (you should have something on your tummy before a workout) and did 5 min on level 5 on the bike then did 3 sets of 15 kettle ball squats, 3 sets of 15 step ups, and 3 sets of 15 bench dips, 20 walking lungs with weights, plus scissor kicks, and planks with leg lifts.

Hopefully, I will get more than that in on a workout but at least I did something. I will need to do some walking today and maybe some running tonight. One thing that I do every day is sit on a yoga ball instead of a chair. I love it because I can bounce to music and if I feel super motivated do a few crunches here and there. Pretty fun if you are an antsy pants. So my motivation this week for all of you following, try something new to get you in the mood to move. Here is a picture of me after the River Run. Another goal of mine is to finish it next year in 90 min. Yep that will get my butt out to run!

Sittin,Thinkin, Wishin, Hopin

I am such a slacker on this whole Blog thing. :) Its ok at least you get little blurbs from me.

So here is the newest that is going on in my brain!

I have been reading Eat, Pray, Love and I am IN LOVE. Have you ever read a book, saw a movie or heard a song that just completely meshes with your way of thinking? Well this book does it! After high school I realized that I was not built for religion. There are too many unanswered questions and too many do this and not that rules that I never understood. Plus, I am not a labels person. I don't like being labeled something I am not 100% behind. So I have labeled myself spiritual and found that it fits me best but now I have found a better word, cherry picker. One thing that I never understood about religion is how they can state they are "peaceful" but religion is one of the main causes for strife in our world. The main reason I see behind this is because they believe they are the only ones that have a connection with God. Well that's just plain stupid in my book. Every person in this world has a connection with God, with or without religion, why do we have to label it? So here are my thoughts on the subject.

While I haven't researched all religious attributes, I do know a small amount about a few, but plan on researching more and finding pieces of each to create my own world of becoming closer to God. My relationship with Him is private and personal, why can't we create a relationship all our own, just like every relationship I have? I want my relationship to work for me, not what works for the next person, I am not that person.

So here is my plan of action. I am going to the library to do some light research on some religions and see what touches my heart. I would like to read and understand more about ways to find peace in the mind and heart too. I am going to start doing meditation, small steps with this, like 10 minutes and then gradually add time. I am going to continue my yoga practice. I am going to continue to look inward to find peace, instead of looking for it in others or activities. I would like to try to remove my negative thoughts and replace them with better thoughts. And try to just be a better all-around person. Get Jason involved with my progress. He is a big supporter of me and they things I want in life.

Small steps are definitely needed in my progress to a better relationship with God. I know I can do it I just need to get more focused. FOCUS FOCUS!! :)

So today starts a new outlook, a new direction and a new me!

Hello 2011, its so nice to see you

YAY! 2011 is finally here. Last year was neither great nor horrible, just one of those years that you deal with, so here I am in 2011 hoping this year is GREAT, FABULOUS, TERRIFICAL! Come April it will have one fabulous addition, Miss Aspen Noelle Brantley will be making her debut! I should also be graduating from The Art Institute with a degree in Interior Design. Almost a decade in the making but at least I never gave up.

So on to the purpose of this blog post: goals for 2011! (If I write them down somewhere public people can get on me if I am not doing them.)

1. Get to California - ticket is bought, so this should be an easy one ;)
2. Finish school
3. Eat healthier, not going over board but actually making wiser choices in food.
4. Get another room renovated in the house - Aspen's room does not count
5. Work on crossing off some of my 30 before 30!
6. Work on my craft projects. Make some extra cash!!
7. Get a job I appreciate and that appreciates me back.
8. Weed out the bad people in my life. I need more two-way relationships instead of one-way relationships.
9. Get active. . .pregnancy has given me an excuse to be lazy.
10. Put together my recipes.

I think 10 is a good place to stop. These goals aren't set in stone and I am sure some will just get knocked off but these are some of the things that have been needing to get done so there we go.

For 2011, I need to keep telling myself that I am important and worthy of everything that I want. I need to be more selfish with my time and quit wearing myself thin trying to please everyone. I also need to realize that I have feelings and I should express them instead of wearing the happy face all the time. Its important to express myself and quit worrying about how people perceive me. If they want to be a friend they should understand all aspects of me instead of just the good. I am a GREAT person! I just need to remind myself of that!

As I sit here and write this I realize there is so much potential for this year, the things I can do and create. I am ready, bring it on, there is nothing holding me back. Bring it on 2011. I am ready for whatever you have for me!