What is this core you speak of?

Growing up, I was in 2-4 dance classes a week plus some gymnastics work here and there; and, though

I was too young to know better at the time, I was great shape. After high school, I didn't maintain that same level of fitness. I just did what I had to do to get through college (which involved daily taco bell and the new-found glory of Starbucks coffee) while working full-time or close to it. I worked my butt off to achieve career goals, but let my physical activity level dwindle into oblivion. 

Right after college (I mean two weeks after graduation), we were married and had our first baby within two years of that time. We had another baby every two years after and while I may have dropped pounds, my actual fitness level never really improved. Ever hear of skinny fat? Yeah. 

Anywho. I couldn't even do a sit-up without a medicine ball because my core was seemingly dead. Gone. No where to be found. I thought maybe that's just how it was going to be after four babies stretched my stomach into uncharted territories.

Over the last two weeks, I've been dedicated and determined to move through the PiYo fitness challenge, without missing a day. I've been successful so far and while I haven't taken measurements yet (waiting till after week 4), I can totally tell a difference already. I am confident my core strength will return! My balance is still there. My agility and flexibility is improving with every workout. And, guess what? Last night, I did sit-ups WITHOUT a medicine ball. You have no idea. I've tried SOOOOO many times since having kids, and I just couldn't do it. It was like someone was holding me down. 

Because I'm a slave to the scale (I know this isn't good, you don't have to tell me), I do know that I'm down 5lbs since starting PiYo! 

But, I have to remind you of something reeeeallly important. Have you ever heard the saying: Abs are made in the kitchen?  I totally believe that, too. In addition to being really strict with PiYo, I maintain a clean eating, vegetarian lifestyle - including one Shakeology a day. 

Don't forget to follow me on Instagram to see what I'm eating and for more tips and tricks! Want to know more about PiYo or Shakeology? Just email me and I'll send you the info on how to order. 

I'm in love with PiYo.

I think it was some time last winter when I saw Chalene Johnson make the long-awaited announcement, via social media, that there would indeed by a PiYo DVD series. At that moment, I followed every waiting list, announcement list, IG account, twitter handle and Facebook account that would send me more info because I DID NOT want to miss the big release date. I absolutely love Chalene's videos, for one, and for two... Pilates + Yoga??? It's like she invented this routine for ME. Goodness.

My videos came in the mail last week and I set them aside until after vacation because...honestly? Why ruin a good start to something with vacation ice cream, road trip McDoubles and hefty servings of are-we-there-yet ice cold Coca-Cola. Can I get an amen?

Besides, there was a PiYo challenge group starting the day after we got back in town anyway. I wouldn't want to be an over-achiever and get ahead of those guys (insert eye-roll, here).

Anywho. I tore open the videos on Monday morning and WOWEE!!! If you think you think pilates/yoga is for wimps, you are sorrily mistaken! PiYO makes use of your own body weight for strength training while defining your entire body. It's basically amazing and I can't wait to see the change that 30 and 60 days will bring. I can tell it's working already and, the best part? I actually look forward to PiYo-ing each day. Awesome. :)

I really enjoy strength training, but unless someone is telling me what do to and how often to do it - I might as well just lift soup cans 200 times a day because it would probably be just as effective. Chalene's instructions are very detailed and easy to understand. The best part? No extra equipment is required. Your body. Towel. Water bottle. And, of course, the DVD. Well, a DVD player might help, too... I love, love, love this video series and I hope you'll try it out, too!

Interested in learning more about PiYo? Message me and I'll be happy to tell you more, help you order and coach you as we go! 

Order your copy of PiYo here!

The last 30.

I shielded my eyes from the scale through all my prenatal visits with baby #4. When I showed up to my 6wk check-up, though, I wanted to know if I'd actually made any progress with my blindfolded postpartum weight loss mission. So, I asked. 

"How much did I weigh at my last prenatal visit?" 

"222," The nurse replied. 

Insert, big sigh.

Thinking back to when I got pregnant with baby #3 just two years before, I weighed 144 and was still losing - nearly to my original pre-pregnancy weight. I wasn't doing anything special, but I was focused.

Big sigh. I'd made it down to 198 in six weeks after baby #4, but the amount I had left to lose was terribly daunting; my days were consumed with this number and how every bite of food, step taken or not, affected it. Every time I get dressed, I think about it. Every time I see my reflection, I think about it. It's strangely discouraging and encouraging all at the same time. If I'm honest, I'll tell you that this just made me want to eat more. 

In September of that year, two months after my baby girl was born, I started eating clean. This meant no refined carbs or added sugars. Basically no white stuff - bread, rice, potatoes, flour, etc. This worked really well for me. So well in fact that I was able to get back into the 150s. I have gained weight back here and there, but I've been able to keep weight off better than with any "diet" I've tried in the past - and I've tried them all. I've struggled with binge eating and sugar addiction for as long as I can remember, and ultimately that's stopped me from reaching my final goal. 

I can't even tell you how many weekends I've been overwhelmed with this journey and needed a break, which ultimately lead to me eating whatever I wanted with a Monday start-over date. Sometimes that Monday got pushed back a week or two, hindering my goals once again. I'm not talking about over eating a few meals; I'm talking about eating many times over my daily caloric intake - not because I'm hungry, just because. Binge eating is an eating disorder and if you're doing it, you need to be well-aware and learn how to stop it.  For me, it's accountability through MyFitnessPal and avoiding sugar. The moment I stop paying attention, is the very same moment I start making poor choices and get off track. 

I don't have that daunting number in front of me anymore, friends. I don't have 92 pounds to lose, but after re-connecting with my scale this morning, I see that I do have 30. I would like to finish this up so I can stop being discouraged by this bite-by-bite life and start living for real.

Here's to counting calories.

Here's to clean eating.

Here's to being active.

Here's to another Monday.

Here's to commitment. 

Here's to being aware.

Here's to accountability. 

Here's to the last 30 pounds.

Who's with me? 

30-Day Yoga Challenge

Baby even joined in the yoga fun!

Last fall I was doing a good job running and working out; after settling into a full winter of doing nothing but trying to stay away from the freaking polar vortex, baking cookies and wearing 3-5 layers of clothing plus fuzzy slippers each day; while doing so, my bones and muscles retreated to, well, a less than agile state. It's not quite warm enough (for this girl) to start running outside again (I don't even like outside, remember? It has to be just right). While I'm waiting on the sun to show up, I thought I'd start regaining some muscle movement with a 30-Day Yoga Challenge that I found on YouTube. I took Yoga in college (I know; that's an exceptional use of tuition dollars.) and I couldn't believe how much agility I'd lost in the few years following high school that I'd done nothing but go to school, eat lots of food, work lots of hours and hang out with my hubs-to-be. Yoga was great to get back in the program...and much better than those geology classes on my schedule that I wasn't actually going to.

Who doesn't love YouTube, right?! It has everything. Who doesn't love yoga?? It's almost like working out, while napping, but it does actually do something! I mean...I have four kids. Any time I get to close my eyes for more than 30 seconds, I consider it a nap. Zzzzzz....

If you'd like to shake off the winter sludge with me, check out this challenge! I'm only on Day 2 so you can catch up! The best thing about yoga, is can be a pretty inexpensive workout and you can do it at home if you don't have time for classes. You can also do it if you have ZERO flexibility (that's why you do it!) I do want to try Hot Yoga eventually, but making the time to go is difficult. So, I'm aiming for some time this year. :) I think that sounds like an attainable goal...maybe.

If you don't have a yoga mat and you'd like to get something inexpensive just to see if you're actually going to love yoga (and I know you will), try TJ Max for mats, blocks, and towels. Also, getcha' a weighted jump rope while you're at it! I've been pinning jump rope workouts and I'll be blogging those sometime soon, too.

Here's the 30-Day Challenge instructor's FB page: https://www.facebook.com/erinmotzyoga

Here's Day 1 of the challenge:

Let me know if you decide to try it!

I've decided something...

As disorganized as I can be sometimes, I totally thrive on structure. I know that doesn't make sense, but let me tell you something....since our kids have been back in school, this whole eating better and exercising thing got a lot easier. Like, a lot a lot. All of the sudden we have a schedule again. Weeeee! It's like some light turned on and I know how to shop for healthy food and workout again. So, hopefully, I'll start seeing results again. I've been stuck in the same weight range for like six months or something crazy. I'm hopping to get into the next 10 pound range very soon.

Here's what I'm going to do to get there... (are you ready for this?)

• Eat clean.
• Drink water.
• Exercise.
• Praise God.

I know. Nothing shocking there. It feels SO good just to take those simple steps toward progress when you've been off the radar for a while. I actually enjoying working out (I know...something must be wrong) and I'm searching Pinterest with a fresh-food frame of mind, lately...instead of scoping out the latest cookies. I've been doing Couch to 5k with a friend and it's been going really well so far. I'm hopefully to be able to run the whole darn 3.1 miles for once and for all. The scale hasn't been moving just yet (it usually likes to mess with me like that when I throw in exercise) but I feel focused and energized. 

Here's what else I know. 

These vegetarian protein (made from rice, pea and soy protein - also GF) shakes are really good! You can check the company's website for your local retailers. It's an easy way to get a good, healthy meal in when you're in a hurry...or when you're just out of ideas.

Lysa TerKeurst is a pretty smart cookie and this quote of hers is really sticking with me this week!

My friend, Karen, made us some super delicious granola. I've been having it over greek yogurt at lunch - so simple and satisfying. I love granola, don't you?

I still love coffee and my delicious un-clean coffee creamer just as much as ever. At least it's not crack. Right?

Perhaps I should blog something.

But I've been busy - cleaning the house; changing diapers; taking a million bajillion photos with my new camera; reading; did I say laundry?; having birthdays for half our kids; living up the last of summer; shopping at my new favorite used book store; hugging on my babies who are getting so big; waiting for friends to have their babies so I can go hug on them, too; going on my first girls night out since 2011 - yeah, I'm a neglectful friend like that; wearing my flip-flops thin; thinking about working out, but not actually doing it; listening to the new Derek Webb album (which is awesome, btw); getting ready to send the kids back to school and, of course, not eating what I'm supposed to. Oh, yeah, and more laundry.

I promise to up the blogging ante once my littles are back in school. Summer is basically a free-for-all when it comes to our schedules. For now, I'll leave you with something completely random. The other day, a friend of mine told me she wanted to try out Trader Joe's. If you've read this blog for more than a hot second, you probably know that I big-warm-fuzzy-heart TJ's. I love it so much that I made her a comprehensive shopping list to make her trip more enjoyable. This is big, you guys, because I don't shop with a list. I wouldn't stick to it anyway; so, why bother? SO, all TJ's stock different things, but I think I've listed some of their staples, here. Check it out and happy shopping. PS. The aisle designations are from our TJ's and likely won't match up to yours. PPS. This isn't meant to be a "clean eating" list.

Notes about shopping TJ's: 

• No, the prices aren't out of control.
• Yes, it's kid friendly. I take all four kids by myself and make it out alive every single time. They have lollis and stickers at the checkouts. 
• Yes, they have bags, but it's cool if you bring your own.

Aisle 1 (all the way to the left and left of the fruit)

• Ezekiel 4:9 cinnamon raisin bread
• Oat bread (for the kids)
• Hummus quartet
• Mild salsa
• English cucumber (aka seedless/burp less)
• Bananas
• Clementine Oranges
• Other fruit, veggie, eggplant, avocado

(Opposite side of first aisle)

• Almond butter
• Honey
• Maple syrup
• Many clove garlic sauce
• Brown rice pasta
• Brown basmati rice
• Marinara sauce
• Marinated artichokes

(Dairy aisle along back wall)

• Eggs
• Butter
• Almond milk
• Greek yogurt
• The chocolate pudding is pretty much amazing

(Aisle 2 - Frozen foods)

• Orange chicken
• Sockeye salmon
• Cat cookies (cinnamon) - look on the shelf above frozen foods
• Chinese potstickers and/or egg rolls
• Strawberry coconut milk ice cream
• Coffee and cream latte bars (these are SO good)

(Aisle 3 - Snacks and such)

• Olive oil popcorn
• Veggie chips
• Quinoa black bean chips (all 6 of us eat these) - good in the hummus
• Hot tea, if you like tea

(Aisle 4) I can't remember...I think it's soaps, toothpaste, protein powder, etc. I don't get any of that there.

(Back wall cereal aisle)

• Puffins (original and PB) all of our kids and the hubs and I love puffins!!
• Chia seeds
• Oats

(Far wall with meat)

• Love the Bool Kogi (for the grill - it's TJ's version of Korean Bulgogi)
• Hebrew National Hot Dogs - safe alternative to regular hot dogs
• Chicken breasts
• Any other meat that looks good
• Havarti lite cheese
• Dubliner Irish Cheddar
• Cheese sticks
• Turkey breast, salami, etc.

If you like adult beverages, the Newton's Folly hard cider is delicious. Trader Jose's beer is good, too. 

Now, if you'll excuse me, I hear the laundry room calling.

Even my eyelids feel fatter.

I'm not even kidding.

I got on the scale this morning (because I know my summer break eating has gotten a weeeeeee bit out of control). Guess what. It's not happy news, and my eyelids probably are fatter. I've gained SIX pounds. SIX! Do you know how disciplined I had to be to lose that six pounds over the last few months? Ugh. More disciplined than I want to be right now. I'm not writing this post so you can pat me on my fat-back and say it's okay to enjoy indulge now and then; I'm writing it because, after-all, this blog is called Daily Ups and Pounds. If you ever wondered why, now you know. For me, and probably the majority of the world's adult population, weight is a daily battle. Sometimes it goes really well (those are the ups), and sometimes our eyelids and elbows and toes and collarbones do, indeed, feel fatter (those are the pounds).

Most of the weight I gained previously was due to anxiety. The weight I gained over the last couple months, however, just flat out recreational eating. Summer is a super difficult time to maintain control. Even my husband, who happens to weigh about what he did in high school, admits this. SOOOO, now is not the time to sit down and cry with a box of Entemans chocolate donuts. It's time to login to My (freaking) Fitness Pal, get on a workout schedule, and show the scale who's boss (again).

Amen?

It's Monday. It's the first of the month. There's really no better time to start a new regimen for us OCD folks - let's go! Here's what I'm going to do to make it happen:

1. Eat clean - first and foremost. Eating clean is the best thing you can do for your over-all health - no added (or artificial) sugars and no processed foods. I love eating this way, but every now and then I am tempted by some good old fashioned junk food. 
2. Track calories and activity using My Fitness Pal - I really hate doing this, but I know it works. I'm a big list maker/chart checker/rule follower, so...while I hate to record every bite, lick and taste, I just have to - for now, anyway.
3. Workout - OH, there's something else that I don't care for. If I have thirty minutes of time to do something for myself, I'd prefer it to be something I like. For example: reading a book, snapping some photos, drawing, thrift store shopping or garage sale-ing. However, none of those things are helping my current situation. My "plan" is to do Beach Body's Turbo Fire. I have a 30-day schedule for it already and it starts on the first (darn it). I might as well just do it.
4. Drink Water - I don't drink my suggested daily intake of water because I'm mostly just inconvenienced by having to pause life and go to the bathroom so often. That's all. I love water. I just don't like to visit the bathroom so often. 
5. Quit Coffee - Ok, I know. You all just gasped. I've quit coffee before, and here's why... I love flavored creamer (you know, the kind that's filled with all sorts of artificial crap that I shouldn't be ingesting? The kind that tastes like candy and cakes and pies and all sorts of wonderful in a warm cup of happiness?). Yeah. I have no idea how many calories I pour into my cup each morning. I suppose I could measure, but I could also just do what's right and get it out of my diet completely, too. I'll manage, I'm just not sure how I'll be able to work out without it...

So, friends, that's my plan. What's yours? 

Yes, I bought something from an infomercial. Yes, it works.

Once upon a time, before birthing  four little channel-flippers, I used to watch TV. Admittedly, I watched some pretty cheesy made-for-TV movies, flicks from the 80s and 90s and, you guessed it, infomercials.

Now, I don't order all the As Seen on TV junk that comes across the screen, but there is one thing that I saw on TV, own, and actually love! It's Turbo Jam! Oh...I guess I have a Snuggie, too.  That's two things. But, today, we're talking about Turbo Jam and a similar series, Turbo Fire.

Turbo Jam and Turbo Fire, both lead by Chalene Johnson, who encourages viewers, offers intensity options for all fitness levels and has contagious enthusiasm that just makes you want to keep burning calories! The videos in each series are all great; they contain many different workouts (that are varying times - 15min, 25min, 30min, etc.) The workouts will definitely get your heart rate going and time passes very quickly as the class and music are both engaging. My favorite workouts FIRE30 and HIIT20 because they are fast, fun, and burn a lot of calories in a short amount of time.

My main reason for joining a gym in the past was to be able to participate in group fitness. Sometimes, though, those classes are at really bad times (like when I'm making dinner, putting kids to bed or sleeping in the wee hours of the morning). These video series sets are as close as it gets, for me, to group fitness, however. I highly recommend them and suggest that you stop by BeachBody's website to check them out. Yes, they are on the pricy side, but they are worth it. And, no, I'm not a BeachBody Coach, but I could recommend one if you're looking. :)

It's totes tubular!! A cheap piece of workout equipment you NEED!

Ok, kids, I've had a pretty sweet piece of exercise equipment in my possession for a while now and I didn't even realize it! I can't wait to tell you about it, but here's a little story first.

Ok, so, if you've been reading this blog a while, you know I can be completely irrational nervous about some things. One of the things that bugs me, is the thought of one of my kids knocking one of his or her siblings in the head with something heavy...like dumbbells (wait, I just heard an excuse not to workout...did you?). So, I've avoided bringing free-weights in the family room (where I work out) for that reason. I have my 10lb set put in a closet way up high where not even I can reach them (that's helpful for my triceps, isn't it??). However, this afternoon, I pulled out one of the Turbo Jam discs I hadn't tried yet; it's the Totally Tubular workout. I didn't pick it on purpose, it was literally just the first one I found that wasn't a cartoon. I thought nothing of the name...you know; I just thought it was going to be a cool enough workout to be deemed tubular! When the dvd fired up, however, I saw that Chalene and her posse were going to use the tubes to workout with. What?? I dug around in my bag of workout junk and, guess what??? I found some tubing! My friend let me borrow it a while back and, apparently, I hadn't found a use for it yet. Quite honestly, I've seen the tubing in the fitness aisle at Target; I thought it looked like a gimmicky piece of equipment and never thought twice about picking it up. Amazon has them here.

Once we got into the workout, I started seeing the many awesome uses for this piece of stretchy tubing. Alas, my fear of free-weight mishaps can be over. This stretchy tubing adds resistance much like a workout done with weights. In fact, you can use free-weights with this workout instead, if you want (some of the people in the video do). The tubing works for arms and legs and is adjustable to suit anyone's fitness level.

And, I can pretty much guarantee you that I'll be sore tomorrow. 

Run, run, run!

I know my last post was about being a terrible baker and, I promise this isn't going to turn into a self-loathing please-throw-me-a-pity-fest-blog, but I'm a pretty terrible runner, too. I want to love to run and, maybe the fact that I'm super pregnant and looking forward to running after the baby gets here is a sign that this form of torture exercise is growing on me, but it's definitely not my workout of choice. It's hard to get into, hard to build up endurance, hard to make my short legs move quickly, hard to breathe through my jackknifed nasal passages, and hard to keep at it; In all honesty, I'd rather just do another easy workout for thirty-minutes a day and get it over with even if it's no longer effective because it's the same routine I've done for the last 2,389 workouts prior.

Nonetheless, my inner-fit-girl thinks it's fun(ny) to register for 5K races. So, we run (walk...run/walk). We get the t-shirt. We promise we'll never do it again. And, we get sucked in and ultimately register again. Why, you ask? Why are you repeatedly doing something that's uncomfortable for you? Well, I'll tell you. It's good for me.

I compare running to the daily walk with Jesus. The day-to-day isn't always comfortable; sometimes we're in a position that we don't understand or that's difficult; and, sometimes, we just feel like doing the same old thing because it's safest and easiest. We fail to step out in faith when we're being called and we meander about in our own little comfort zones hoping for the best. Hopefully, we more often realize that challenges are good for us and will bring us closer to Him. All things we experience - comfortable or uncomfortable - are for the best when done for His glory! Stepping out in faith is an excellent exercise and should be practiced and built-upon all the time! And, it's good for me!

To put this picture in a nutshell... When I run, I am building strength, endurance, and improving my overall health. I am stepping out to do something that makes me uncomfortable, but is ultimately good for me. When we run full-speed with Jesus, no matter the hurdles, the outcome is like much like it is in running; He gives us strength, He gives us endurance, and we manifest a healthy relationship with Him.

If you need to take those first steps of faith today, friends, I'd love to pray for you on your journey! Send me a message or leave a comment below (so other readers can pray along) to let me know how to pray for you!

When it comes to workouts I'm a watch watcher, not a clock watcher. Got it?

Yeah, I realize that's a confusing blog title...but that's how my last few days have been. I came down with the dreaded, the painful, the super contagious strep throat this weekend. Thankfully I'm feeling a lot better now, but a few days went by where I'd be thankful just to get my shoes on the correct feet and to stay awake for more than 10 minutes at a time. Strep is rough stuff!

Even though I was only super sick for a short time, it got me thinking about my health, my family's health and things we can do to improve. I run a slightly different show when I'm pregnant...my diet changes and...you guessed it...my workouts don't really happen change. When I'm not pregnant, I really enjoy high-impact cardio, free-weights, the occasional run, and almost nothing else related to exercise. Those things aren't baby-belly friendly and, therefore, I become a gym-quitter for 9-12mos at a time every couple years. I am, however, making better attempts this time by using the elliptical machine (sometimes) and basically moving around more than ever before. My diet hasn't been completely out of control either (notice, I said completely, so no one can comment otherwise). As a result of being a gym-quitter, I have a lot of work to do once I go back to exercising. One of the BEST workout tools I've found, I'd recommend to anyone who wants to get serious about shaping up.

900 Calorie Burn from Cardio + Strength Training

No matter what your workout goals are - a walk around the block or marathon training - you have to check this out; it's so awesome in fact, that I pinned it recently. That's right, I have a hard time working out without the Polar FT7 Calorie Counter / Heart Rate Monitor watch.

Now, maybe calorie counting isn't your preferred method of weight loss/maintenance, don't tune out just yet. It works for me better than anything else, but if you don't use count calories to lose weight, you can still check the intensity of your workout by watching the watch. Get the title now?  By using this monitor (that I feel is much more accurate than those built into gym equipment or general numbers that come from apps because it very consistently measures your HR and takes your other stats into consideration), I can gauge the intensity of my workout by the second, no matter what I'm doing. If I do a workout DVD and then hit the elliptical for 15 minutes, it's all recorded and, therefore, I know how I'm doing for the day. Honestly, I probably would have stopped lifting weights after the first day if I didn't see how many calories lifting burns. I felt like I was doing so little for a short amount of time...not so! If I'm not putting forth enough effort while doing the DVD, I know it because the # on the watch shows. If I usually burn 600 calories in an aerobics class and halfway through I'm only at 200, I know that I better start moving to keep up. It's really shaped my workouts while shaping me it at the same time.

This watch keeps track of everything - even allowing you to save and export workout records. You'll also be sporting the barely-noticeable/adjustable elastic strap (that goes around the top of your rib cage) to monitor your HR and produce the calorie count/HR. Check it out; I think it's worth the investment for sure. If you have any questions, let me know. :)

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This post is linked up to Mommin' it Up's Pin for the Wednesday blog carnival. 

Head on over to check out the other awesome pins posted by Mommin' it Up followers.