Tone It Up {Week 1}

Thank goodness its Friday, even though this was only a 4 day week, it kind of seemed like a 6 day week. I'm ready for the weekend!

I corralled a few friends to help go through this 6 week fitness challenge (through Tone It Up) with me so its been fun to check in with them everyday (I'm looking at you, Becky!)!! This week's workouts had me just as sore as I was after my first half marathon, which I was NOT expecting! Not that I'm a big "runner" anymore, but that's all my muscles were really used to. I hadn't done workouts like this that were so targeted to specific areas (other than lifting), so it felt good to be trying something new.

The workouts have been so different day to day, which is definitely keeping me on my toes. Some days it's all about toning the abs, or the legs, or a rough 45 minutes of cardio. I think my favorite part though, has been tackling the different 5 moves each day! Sure, I'm exhausted and as sore as ever, but I know if I skip a day or put it off, I'll fall off track! So it feels really great to follow through on it all week!

In the past, the hard part has not been working out, but in eating clean. I can workout like crazy but then ruin it with a donut the next morning, so this New Year was really exciting as a clean slate, to do better! I know I mentioned earlier in the week, but Caleb and I have been cooking together more, and it's been so fun. Even when its something as simple as tacos, being in the kitchen together has been awesome. Here's what we had for dinner this week:

Sunday: taco salad

Monday: garlic herb chicken breast w/ asparagus

Tuesday: quinoa w/ chicken & kale
Wednesday: teriyaki shrimp w/ brown rice & fresh green beans

Thursday: lemon pepper salmon w/ asparagus & brown rice

Friday: TBD! Probably something involving shrimp because apparently we're on a shrimp kick ;)

Caleb and I both have small goals we're trying to hit, so we don't get overwhelmed with the big picture, and once we do, we'll finally have ourselves a little cheat night (which is Texas Roadhouse because duh gift cards and hellooo loaded sweet potato)!

I have to say I've slept like a rock most nights this week, I have more energy, and best of all? I haven't had a headache all week. I normally get them regularly, but cutting out a lot of the caffeine/sugar has helped, I think!

I hope you have a fun weekend planned! Enjoy, friends! :)

Operation wedding weight, here we come.

Caleb and I are officially trying hard to lose a few pounds. The last month or so we've been "so so" with our eating, prepping, etc.! Yet we still found ourselves indulging in donuts, fast food, and late night treats more often than not. I can hardly fit into any of my pants, and its pretty dang depressing.

I'm honestly not sure what happened with me, but last Fall I just started losing control of my eating. In a matter of 6 months, I gained 15 lbs. Basically skipping lunch and instead heading to the gas station to gorge on candy for the rest of the afternoon. Indulging in pop for basically every meal, and definitely not exercising like I had been in previous months. I kept saying I'd start fresh "tomorrow" with my old healthy lifestyle, but tomorrow kept getting pushed off. I constantly told myself "everything was fine in moderation" (which I do believe) but lets be honest, I wasn't eating in moderation, I was eating until I was FULL and until it hurt.

Instead of complaining about how we feel constantly, we decided that we can do this. We're in charge of our own lives. We can hold each other accountable. WE can make the change.

We have a date in mind to get back to our wedding weight, but more than that, we're focusing on making this a lifestyle change as well! I don't care so much about the number on the scale as I do about how I feel. But, by the end of July when we go on our trip with the teens from church (like we did last Summer), we want to feel more like our "old selves". This means getting back into a routine of being more active. Waking up to hit the gym, staying outside a little longer to enjoy the sunshine, prepping our lunches in advance, etc.!

I'm a happier wife when I'm a healthier wife...and in order to serve my husband best, I need to be the healthiest version of me that I can be! There's something about taking more control of your life in one area that just makes it trickle down into the rest. Caleb and I are saving money, eating better, working out more, and in turn its making us feel less stressed, which I love.

If you have a favorite meal you prep in advance for the week, please let me know! I'd love to add it to our work-lunch rotation!

A much needed break!

I don't know about you, but I really needed those few days off. Thanksgiving was awesome, as usual. We ate too much, laughed too hard, and tossed too much football. JK that's not possible ;)
I'm so thankful for the time I got to spend with family that I don't see enough, and the weather was incredible, so that helped!

It was pretty funny when Caleb and my brother showed up in the same OSU shirt, too!

We did our usual Black Friday/Christmas shopping and had a blast. Friday we did a whole lot of relaxing and then I met up with Lyndsie for dinner. I'm glad she decided to hang even though she was really sick, we had a great time, as usual!

Saturday, we enjoyed watching OSU win their game, and then we decorated our home! It's honestly one of my favorite things to do with Caleb! Deciding where to put the tree, placing all of our awesome ornaments, hanging all of our decorations, etc.! Of course, we had the "Pop Christmas" station on and I sang a little too loud when N'Sync came on ;)

We didn't do anything fancy the remainder of the weekend, just grabbed dinner at our local favorite Mexican place, and spent a lot of time cuddling on the couch watching a lot of football. It was my favorite, and it really has me itching for our stay-cation week mid-December!

Also...WHO DEY!!??!?!! 9-2 feels SO good! We celebrated the win by tossing football outside for well over an hour. I hope everyone had an amazing Thanksgiving and got to spend it with all of your favorite people!

I started this morning with this youtube workout video that rocked my world - although the trainer was a little silly, her voice kept me going. She kept reassuring me my glutes would look great after ;) I really need to make some changes in my daily lifestyle, both big and small, and this was a great start on this Monday morning. Here's to a new week!

End of week rambles!

I put a post on instagram this week talking about the type of person I wanted to be...how I want to be the type of girl who wakes up before the sun to read her Bible and actually enjoy breakfast at her own table instead of in her cube at work...how I want to know my worth fully, instead of letting jealousy creep in, and how I want to begin hitting the gym more, even when I feel like skipping and being a lazy bum... so I've made some changes this week to make sure those things happen. I realized that no one but ME was stopping me from doing those things, and it makes me pretty happy!

We hit the gym hard a couple times this week and last night Caleb nearly killed me. My arms felt like limp noodles driving home, but it was kind of awesome.

We made some pretty delicious (& might I add, healthy) dinners this week on the fly, and they all turned out amazing! We had enough for lunches all week and it made me feel better knowing I was treating my body well!

I got so many sweet gifts/cards in the mail the past week or so, and one of them was this hilariously awesome, unique bracelet; "You are better than unicorns and sparkles combined, and you're prettier than a superstar". When I wear this and look down to read it, I've gotta say, I feel pretty darn awesome.

Caleb also forced me to spend my couple birthday gift cards this week. I don't find it very easy to go shopping. Even when I budget for it, I have a hard time spending the cash on t-shirts and flats, etc...so it was nice having money set aside for a specific location to ensure I left with stuff! I got some amazing stuff on super clearance that I'm really pumped about! Marshalls for the win!!

I hope everyone had a great week!!!! We have some fun low key plans tonight, a wedding to photograph tomorrow and hopefully a day to relax on Sunday. Enjoy, friends!

New & improved

Last night was my first day back at the gym... in over 8 weeks. Did you read that correctly? In over EIGHT WEEKS! I've noticed a recent trend lately in my overall personality... I'm always tired, I'm always feeling gross, I'm always eating whatever I want... well, that stops now! It has to stop... as I said last night on my Instagram, I'm just "sick and tired of feeling sick and tired". No more excuses.

It's time to get back in shape. Hardly any of my pants fit comfortably, and that's just not acceptable anymore! I've already been logging my food, cutting out pop and I'm saying no to treats more often because they should be just that, the occasional treat! NOT something I have after nearly every meal just because I feel like it. I've gained quite a few extra pounds since the new year and I don't like that at all. Time to be a better ME!

I'll admit, my little trip to the gym last night was anything but pleasant. Our apartment complex was having a "resident appreciation night" and selling $5 pizzas in the parking lot, my run sucked and I found out halfway through my stay at the gym that someone left the flippin' HEAT running on an 80 degree day! I thought I was going to die...but you know what? I didn't. I completed almost 2 miles and walked uphill for some of it. Like I said, it wasn't the most amazing workout, but I still don't regret it!

Something about getting one part of your life back in order makes you just want to be better in all areas...so Caleb and I are calling this a new beginning for us. We want to be the best US we can be... in every part of our lives. That means making more time for reading instead of netflix binging, more time outside and less time on the couch (which we have been pretty good about already, yay), more healthy meals/meal planning rather than sporadic trips to Chipotle/Donatos. We're excited about these small changes and think that they'll make a huge difference in our overall habits.

What are YOU doing to be a better you this month?

Match my stride.

This Sunday marks a month since I dedicated my body to working out 4x/week (again...springtime made for a pretty lazy Kayla...which was more like 1-2 workouts/week if I was lucky). Its definitely been hard, but SO so rewarding being back in the gym. I think I'm finally at the point where working out is exciting again. Caleb is the best 'trainer' ever and helps me every time we go to the gym with free weights, the machines, etc. I'm almost confident enough to go in there alone.... almost.

Yesterday I was sitting in an extra long meeting at work, and entertained myself by feeling a new muscle I found on my arm. I went home, showed Caleb, and was so happy. I'm beginning to see some definition!

I've also started THIS a couple times a week at home, on top of my usual workouts. What did I like about it? It wasn't just another video...it was a few photos showing a couple easy, quick, simple workouts to work your core. This isn't the whole photo, but seriously...click the "image" caption below and do it...your abs will thank you :) ...and hate you all at once.

image

I've been running a ton lately, and the furthest I've been able to go was 4 miles. Truthfully, I'd like to sign up for another half marathon soon. We shall see ;)

Speaking of running, a while back I wrote down a quote I saw on Pinterest...actually it's a prayer, and I found it written down in my journal. I read it the last minute before running and it absolutely helped me keep going when it was tough to continue.

Run by my side, live in my heartbeat...

give strength to my steps.

As the cold surrounds me, as the wind pushes me,

I know You surround me.

As the sun warms me, as the rain cleanses me...

I know You are touching me, challenging me, loving me,

and so I give You this run.

Thank you for matching my stride...Amen

In other random news...MY HAIR WILL BE DARK BY TONIGHT!! Eeek!!! I'm equal parts terrified and excited, and I can't wait to see how it turns out. Yay for taking chances!