#VegLife

A year and a half ago when I was #paleoforlife I would have laughed at the thought of going vegetarian. I wasn't a hater but there was no way I was jumping on that bandwagon, all them veggies and no BACON? No thanks! Ha Ha Ha, never say never Sheri!
I am currently 8 weeks into the vegetarian (pescatarian) life. Yup, you heard me, I don't eat no meat. Everyone and their mother continues to lecture me about proper protein intake and weight gain. I don't care what "diet" you choose, there is always the opportunity to eat crap or eat in excess. Being a vegetarian doesn't mean I over indulge in bread, pasta, and sweets. I still am trying to eat clean. I have not gained any weight in the 8 weeks. (I haven't lost any weight either but I haven't been working out until recently.) I did not do this in an effort to lose weight. I literally woke up one day and was like, lets give it a go. I have no idea if it will be forever or temporary and right now I don't care.
I am not vegan as I still eat fish, a limited amount of dairy and eggs every once in a while.
The important thing is I feel good, and I think I'm starting to see some benefits from eliminating meat.

The movie Forks over Knives spoke volumes to me. Now I don't believe it's the end all be all, it's only one side of the spectrum, but it raises some good questions. As does Food Inc.

Forks over Knives

Food Inc.

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Finding balance

I think we all know what we need to do to be healthy. I mean it's not rocket science, you can't think eating junk all day and not being active is going to give the results you want. (Unless you're a freak with a super fast metabolism.) After regaining some of my weight I finally got to a place where I knew something needed to change. I felt lazy and sluggish all the time, because I was eating junk and not moving much. Thanks to the revamp of our garage I've been working out about 5 days a week. I'm way more active then I have been in a long time. And because it's all equipment I wanted for such a long time I'm excited to use it. No more dreading going to a super crowded gym, and only doing a half ass workout because it's so busy. So in that aspect I'm doing much better, I feel better.
The food part has yet to follow. Some days are great, I eat super clean and feel really lean. Other days I eat whatever I feel like eating. I guess I just haven't gotten to a point where I'm ready to really dedicate to my diet. Or maybe this time I don't feel the need to be so strict. I guess I'm just trying to find a balance right now. I haven't seen much weight loss on the scale and my clothes fit about the same, but I know I can't expect rapid results, nor can I expect a ton to happen if my eating habits are not that great. It is what it is, like I said it one of my very first blogs, it will always be a lifelong journey for me.

Do what you love

There are constantly infomercials on TV for the latest and greatest workout craze. Every day there seems to be something new, or something better. People looking to get fit often times don't know where to start because there's just so much out there, it's overwhelming. You constantly have people telling you do this not that or "my crossfit gym is better than your globo gym." People need to calm down. I have my own opinion about what I think is best, but living a fit life is something that should make you happy. You should look forward to your workouts, it should bring you pain and joy. If you feel best when you go to Zumba 5 times a week, then my goodness dance it up!
I love the Life as RX brand, I have some of their apparel but I am not a fan of this design...

If you are making an effort to work hard and be healthy then there is no "fail." If it makes you happy and gives you the results you are looking for it's a win. I personally love crossfit style workouts, I like lifting heavy and I like hiking/trail runs. Those things make me happy, I feel good when I finish one of those activities. And I'm aware that what I enjoy is not for everyone.
I didn't discover that I loved these things without first trying them. I tried something new. It can be terrifying but because I've been willing to try new things I've gotten to experience so much and truly know what it is I love. I encourage you to push yourself out of your comfort zone, to try something that might seem scary right now. I also encourage you to be confident in what it is you enjoy. Don't let anyone tell you that you should be doing something different or that what they do is better. That's just rude.

The highs and lows of the journey...

Spring is here and last weekend was pretty toasty. Steve came home from work on Saturday, looked at me and asked why I wasn't wearing shorts. Ready for my answer? "I don't have any that fit." UGH! Really Sheri?! I am kicking myself for pretty much having to start all over again. That was a low.  The amount of things that don't fit currently outweighs things that do.
Anyways, I'm really struggling this time around with changing my eating habits. It used to be so easy for me to say no to things, to pass up on the kids snacks. I was motivated to food prep and plan ahead. Now i'm just lazy, THAT has got to change. I see a major shopping trip in my near future. I'm even thinking of busting out the juicer I've had for a year and never taken out of the box.  I know what I have to do and I want to make it happen but there still seems to be some sort of disconnect between the two. I'm trying to be positive, I'm trying to remind myself that it's a process, but there are days that I just can't help but feel discouraged.

On the happy side of things, Steve and I are currently transforming our garage into a gym. We finally were able to splurge a little on something for ourselves. We'll be able to do quite a bit with what we just ordered. Once we have a squat rack and pull up bars it will pretty much be complete. We got it all set up last night, put some flooring down and got rid of some stuff we had been storing in the garage. I can't wait to workout in there tonight! I'm hoping doing something I enjoy will get me even more motivated to workout. And really what's my excuse gonna be now, that I don't want to walk to the garage? Haha.

Back in the swing of things, sort of.

Not being in the gym is one of the things that contributed to my steady weight gain. I blamed Steve's new work hours for no longer allowing me to do 5am workouts. But early morning are not the only time a person can workout and instead of making time I just kept up with the excuses. Part of getting back on track means adjusting my schedule to create time in the evenings to be in the gym. I'm happy to say that even with having the kids I've been able to get my workouts in this week and my food for the week has been much cleaner/healthier. Tuesday I ran 3 miles right after work. Wednesday and Thursday I headed to the gym around 7:30, once everyone was fed and dishes were done. It's not an ideal time, I mean who doesn't want to veg out after being at work all day and then doing the nightly routine at home? But my health and happiness are more important to me then the tv shows waiting for me on the dvr. The good news is I've seen the scale drop a few pounds. But my true indicator of change will be when my clothes start to fit better.

Getting back in to running has been quite interesting. As I'm out there, feet pounding hard on the pavement, feeling like I'm barely moving all I can think is, "how the heck did I run a half marathon?" This 3 mile loop I've been doing is kicking my butt. I spend the entire time trying to get in a groove, trying to settle in to a good stride, but it just doesn't happen. I struggle the entire time. But I tell myself it will get easier, the more I do it the more effortless it will become. Right?
That right there is what motivates me. Getting back in it and having the desire to improve.  Just a small taste has me wanting more.

Getting Fit...Again!

Things are about to get real, I'm about to be painfully honest with you. My blog seemed to be what really helped me keep on track during my weight loss journey. I had a way to keep myself accountable by sharing with my friends and fam. And then...I got lazy. I'm not going to make a list of excuses, I'm just gonna give it to you straight.

(Don't judge my cleanliness by the bathroom mirror, the kids can't seem to keep their hands off of it.)

2/25/14 Current weight: 145*GULP*
15 lb weight gain since last May

I can't even believe I have the courage to post this but I have to be honest with myself and with you! THIS is what lazy looks like. THIS is what complacency looks like. THIS is failure to prep, failure to dedicate precious time for MYSELF, failure to be committed. I feel like I totally failed myself. I have been struggling for several weeks now mentally, the weight gain is to the point where things don't fit, at all. I've had to buy a couple new pairs of pants and let me tell you, I am not happy they are a size 8. Everything I currently own is a 4/6 or a small and its all just sitting there in my closet looking sad and neglected. That is no winter fluff you see in the picture. And yoga pants and sweatshirts are the only things I truly feel comfortable wearing right now.

Now don't get all "but you're still beautiful" on me. I'm awesome no matter what, I know this. But I went through a pretty life changing journey a couple years ago and now here I am, all my hard work gone to waste. It makes me angry. I can't even comprehend how I let myself get so out of control. I don't even feel like "me" anymore. 

So what is the point of this post? To tell you that I messed up. I'm not happy. A change MUST be made and the blogging and the working out and the clean eating all start today. It's going to be really hard, the beginning is always the hardest part but I am not about to go out and buy new summer/spring clothes! I'm back!

My goal