Checking in ... and check out this giveaway!

So much for my attempt at staying accountable by blogging.  That hasn't happened!

I have finished up my personal training sessions and am now working out on my own.  Actually, I am not working out so much on my own, but keep thinking that I will.  I want to take classes at the gym, but I am just not a morning person.  And I am becoming a homebody.  I need to stop that.  I have also wanted to bike ride with the kids, especially since this is "bike to school" month, but this is also teacher appreciation week and we have been driving our teacher gifts to the school.  Hopefully tomorrow will be better!

I have also decided that I need to eat better.  I think that we eat fairly well.  We don't eat out that much.  I don't buy too many processed foods.  But I love sugar!  I keep hearing about people who go off sugar and how much better they feel, but I love sugar!  I can't imagine giving it up.  Thinking about giving it up makes me want it even more.  I do need to cut back on my sugar intake.  (Even writing it makes me sad and want to eat something sweet right now.)

But, eating good food does make me feel good, too.  One of the good things I love is eggs.  I usually buy organic brown eggs and love them!  I was excited to come across a fun egg giveaway from Land O' Lakes on this blog.  Check it out if you are interested in "all natural" eggs!

The Biking Family

Is that what we are becoming?  Maybe ... at least we all have bikes now, thanks to Craigslist.  And we went for a bike ride together tonight.  I was still the quickest to give out.  I know, I have been working out for over a year, and I am still out of shape!  Aaargh!  I am just getting back into regular cardio.  And I did an intense leg workout yesterday.  But I was still disappointed.  But I do like riding the bike!  I think it will be a good investment and for our family.

Being a tough chik

So, I found out about this cool giveaway on a blog that I follow, Slow is the New Fast.  The giveaway is a baseball cap from a company called Tough Chik, and it is pretty cute.  One of the ways to get entries is to post a comment about what makes you a touch chik.  That one made me stop and think.

I often feel soft and fluffy and not tough.  But, when I do make it to the gym and get in a good workout, I do feel tough.  I am often proud of the physical things that I can accomplish when I am working with a trainer.  I can push myself and do more than I thought was possible on my own.  A lot of this is because of the strength that I draw from the trainer.

But more importantly in my life, when I am mothering my children and I handle a difficult situation with patience, calm, and wisdom I feel tough.  But I have to admit that I also feel completely dependent on God during those times, too.  I know that I am not patient, calm, and wise on my own strength.  Just like I draw strength from the trainer (and friends) when I am working out, I rely on God for strength during the tough times of life.  Immediately I think about parenting, but marriage, friendships, extended family, church, etc. all have rough times as well.  When I try to push through those tough times on my own, I feel weak and often depressed.  When I turn to God and the support system He has provided for me, I feel His strength.  I think that is probably what makes me feel the most like a tough chik.

How about you?  And don't forget about the giveaway if you would like a chance to share your toughness with the world.

Hike-ho, hike-ho

A hiking we did go!  We hiked up the Twin Falls trail today as a family.  It was our first hiking outing since we moved here, and we all enjoyed it!

I am sad to say that I realized that I am more out of shape than I thought I was.  I can make it through Zumba, but this family-friendly trail kicked my booty!  I have decided that I need to get serious about doing cardio so that I can keep up with Steve and the boys.  I hope that this is the first of many family hikes to come!

Giveaway opportunity!

I am not doing giveaways now, but Slow is the New Fast has a great product giveaway right now that you could win!  I hope that I win, because I would really like to try this product myself.  I have tried so many headbands that promise not to move, but they do.  There are a lot of great reviews on Sweaty Bands, from people who wear them for all sorts of different activities.  I hope that I win, but I also want to pass along the information and opportunity to you (whoever reads this blog).  And hopefully I can get back to Zumba soon and try the sweaty bands out for myself!  But again, go here for the review and how to enter for yourself!

Murphy's law ...

apparently should be renamed "Melissa's law".  It has struck me again.  Shortly after I wrote that I was settling into a good routine, I managed to slice a chunk out of my index finger with a rotary cutter.  It took a while to stop the bleeding, but thanks to my ER nurse friend who talked to me on the phone, I was able to get it stopped.  I am supposed to work out with a trainer in the morning.  I am hoping that she will be able to train me without making it start bleeding again.  Hoping and praying ...

Getting into rhythm

I am glad to be able to report that my working out has settled into something of a routine.  I have been able to get at least 3 good workouts in each of these last few weeks.  I would like to get in 4-5, and am working to that.  So far the routine looks like this:
Monday - Zumba class
Tuesday - 1 hour of personal training
Wednesday - Zumba class
Thursday - 1 hour of personal training
Friday - spin class
Weekends - playing with the family

Of course, there will be days when I can't make one of those things.  For example, tonight Joel has a program at his school and I can't miss that, of course.  But there's plenty of opportunities that should get some good workouts in each week.

Eating is ... okay.  I am trying to find some new, healthy meals to shake things up.  The whole family is not on board, but they will join us or be really hungry.  I am trying to get some healthier snacks going, too.  Coffee is still a "staple" in my daily diet.  I am trying to cut down on the amount of sugar in each cup, though.

We seem to be getting more settled each day, and I am glad that I am settling back into a healthy routine.  I just need to remember to not feel too settled, or complacent, in this journey.

Long time, no see ... (and a giveaway!)

So, I haven't been on this blog in quite a while.  Things got busy with the move last fall and winter.  I was trying to get in a lot of work-outs while dealing with a few sicknesses, too.  We survived that time and are enjoying living in Seattle now. 

While we lived in the apartment, I was pretty good about walking around the city.  I didn't do as much once we moved into the house, but I tried to walk to the bus stop a few times each week.  I finally started back at the gym last week, and that was actually nice.  I have done a couple of Zumba classes and worked out with 3 different trainers.  I now have 1 regular trainer and 2 appointments each week.  Since I have my workouts in something of a schedule, I suppose I should get better about my eating habits.  They have been up and down since the move, and I would like to be more regular with eating healthier.

One exciting bit of news is that I got a bike today!  It has only been used 3 times, but the previous owner is moving across the country.  Sad for her, but it was a great deal for me.  Since the boys are so excited about biking these days, it will be nice to be able to bike with them!  They can bike much faster than I can walk.  Hopefully I will be able to keep up with them a little better now.  They wanted to have a race when we got home tonight from picking up the bike, but I was only able to test it out briefly before I cooked dinner.

Through a friend on facebook, I found out today about this cool giveaway for a SPIBand.  I had never heard of these before, but they look really cool!  I can totally see using these at the gym (since I am currently having issues toting my keys to every station when I do personal training) and for walks and for bike rides.  They are reasonably priced, too, in case I don't win one.  You can check out the giveaway at the blog of Slow is the New Fast.  Good luck and hope to be better about writing on here this year!