tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33357079166155292032024-03-13T21:36:30.283-07:00Journey to 100A journey to reach 100 years old, by living healthy.Kathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17661495172918387184noreply@blogger.comBlogger126125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3335707916615529203.post-69689167329764685352015-04-21T15:45:00.005-07:002015-04-21T15:45:50.297-07:00Moved<div style="text-align: center;">
I have moved my blog. Here's the newest post.</div>
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<a href="http://bit.ly/1ECZltM">http://bit.ly/1ECZltM</a></div>
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Sorry for any inconvenience and I hope you will continue to follow me. Thank you :)</div>
Kathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17661495172918387184noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3335707916615529203.post-90050610951603455122015-03-16T19:34:00.000-07:002015-03-16T19:34:46.831-07:00K.I.S.S.I have been struggling for the pass couple years to get back onto a good healthy life pattern again. I have tried tracking calories, being strict about the type of exercises I do and the times I go, being part of paid challenges and unpaid challenges. Everything ends up the same way - it works for a while and then I quit. I need a long term, life style change.<br />
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That's when K.I.S.S. comes into place. Keep It Simple Stupid <br />
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Here's the deal.<br />
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<li>Move at least three times a week. Doesn't matter the length, doesn't matter what I do, I just need to move.</li>
<li>Eat better food for me. Sometimes this might be a vegetarian meal, some times it might adding a vegetable to our normal dinner, and it might be just having a simple healthy snack.</li>
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That's it. A simple concept, so I won't be too overwhelmed. If I miss a day, no big deal to get back to it the next day. If you have any tips, please post!<br />
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<br />Kathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17661495172918387184noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3335707916615529203.post-16890217719022385222015-02-06T05:45:00.003-08:002015-02-06T05:45:49.095-08:00Week 1 of 4All right, so week one of the DietBet competition is done. Unfortunately it's been a bit of a crazy week. A couple projects for work were due and we had a death in the family, so between finishing up projects and spending time with family, it's only left a little bit of time to work out. In addition to that I haven't been eating to well. That said I did lose some weight:<br />
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<span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><b>0.7 lbs</b></span></span></div>
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I'm not thrilled about that, since I need to lose about a pound a week, but it's better than not losing anything. This week I'm going to try to really hard to make significant progress.<br />
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One benefit of participating in DietBet is that it is bringing my health back into the forefront of my mind. Back when I was healthy, my health was considered multiple times a day. This is how it happen this week:<br />
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<li>Late at night I was thirsty. I thought about drinking some juice, but I thought about the sugar and instead I had water. </li>
<li>I'm a librarian so I spend most of my work day sitting. This week I made sure to get up almost every hour and at least take a few steps, if not take a walk around the building. </li>
<li>Lastly, a week ago, I had a super busy day. Normally I would have just skipped working out, but because of DietBet, I squeezed in Joanna's 15 minute workout. </li>
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In other news, this girl walked into the library the other day. She looked healthy and fit. I thought, man I can't wait to get back to my healthy weight. I don't want this change to be all about my weight. The most important thing it about my overall health, but I seriously can't wait to lose the weight. I'm thinking back to us in Chicago, like in this picture. This weight would be the best.<br />
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<i><b>Have a happy, healthy week everyone!</b></i></div>
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<br />Kathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17661495172918387184noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3335707916615529203.post-84841003886138565062015-01-28T21:53:00.002-08:002015-03-16T18:30:09.945-07:00Starting OverOne good thing about living, if you mess up you can try again.<br />
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I have fallen off the band wagon. Hard. Like in-a-comma-is-she-going-to-make-it? hard. There is pretty much no exercising and no healthy eating. I'm tired all the time, I got sick twice this past fall/winter when I used to never get sick, and I've gained weight (unfortunately I now weight the most I have ever weighed).<br />
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It has been months of "next week, I'm going to start" and "tomorrow will be better" and finally I have reached my breaking point. Something is going to change now. Luckily I have two challenges coming up to help.<br />
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1. My work is doing a Biggest Loser type challenge it goes from February-March. At the end of two months whoever has the highest percentage of weight lost gets a big prize. The rest of the participants get entered in drawings to win other prizes.<br />
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There are some others at work that are going to join me, so that will help keep me and them motivated. In addition to that, I think the two month timeline will help me develop and cement some good, healthy habits.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Meal prep, FTW!</td></tr>
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2. Dietbet Challenge by <a href="http://www.joannasoh.com/" target="_blank">Joanna Soh</a>. This challenge is only for February. You put $30 into a pot, then try to lose 4% of your body weight. At the end of the month, whoever lost 4% gets to split the pot.<br />
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Mike <i>might</i> join me on this, so that would be a good motivation for us both. Secondly, we are saving for a down payment on a house. The thought of getting the money I put in and perhaps even more will be an excellent motivator.<br />
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This challenge is open to anyone, so if you need some motivation or a challenge sign up!!! Informational video is below.<br />
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I have been going back and forth about writing in here again. I don't have a lot of readers, so if I decided to stop it's not like I'd be disappointing a lot of people. I'm really busy so it's hard to consistently write. However I have journaled a lot through out my life and I used to want to be a writer, so I figured this would be a good way to keep writing. Plus it will be a good way to keep me accountable on getting back to a healthy lifestyle. My goal is to do one post a week...so hopefully I can keep up with that.<br />
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Also hope to do an overhaul of this blog. I don't find the design very motivating, so some change needs to happen.<br />
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I'm excited - talk to you soon!Kathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17661495172918387184noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3335707916615529203.post-1131886259285874462014-08-29T07:03:00.001-07:002014-08-29T07:05:20.161-07:00In the GrooveAnybody remember that dancing video game? <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/In_the_Groove_%28video_game%29" target="_blank"> In The Groove</a>? It was so awesome!<br />
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What?! No I'm not a nerd!! Anyway....<br />
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I finally got in the groove this week and so far it is really kicking butt! I finally scheduled in my workouts and guess what? <b><i>I'm actually working out!</i></b> It's the best! I decided to do my workouts in the morning. It's pretty rough because I'm not a morning person and I'm getting up at 6 am to fit my workout in, but leaving the workout for after work wasn't working - there always is too much going on; mornings are a sure bet. However to be successful at morning workouts, it takes a little prep the night before. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjW2kEzX2ZN3fTEyaikN3VLFe_x7UyQ0i59PxQgcZuwr9g0zDM_tmOQxho_vcm2KH2HF95X8jSDpGESIvssAIXlDUCO5-4byjwvTNrBBTymgpd4qV_i5GUgNxxgtnUdizJlTkA1-8oSBhU/s1600/running+selfie.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjW2kEzX2ZN3fTEyaikN3VLFe_x7UyQ0i59PxQgcZuwr9g0zDM_tmOQxho_vcm2KH2HF95X8jSDpGESIvssAIXlDUCO5-4byjwvTNrBBTymgpd4qV_i5GUgNxxgtnUdizJlTkA1-8oSBhU/s1600/running+selfie.JPG" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">7 am and just finished my workout!!!</td></tr>
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First thing, I had to set a bed time. Lights out at 11 pm, so I'm getting seven hours of sleep. I know eight hours would be better, but eight hours doesn't work with my schedule, so seven it is. The second thing, is putting all my clothes out the night before. I put them in the bathroom so I don't disturb Mike, who is still sleeping. Plus when I wake up, everything is ready to go, there is no reason to not workout!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtG62eCT_1elnokTsMr9gAhOZUgEZH8JPuLhxv8Ew5zvO5gk1F6xKEZ7T70tz20KtaHHoRNpqMSpafEHPs44ZawSH1Z1wuOOFUXeQp04ddQ5aIgpGUOR245lscSjoZdd8J2Zwf6bNAePU/s1600/workout+clothes.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtG62eCT_1elnokTsMr9gAhOZUgEZH8JPuLhxv8Ew5zvO5gk1F6xKEZ7T70tz20KtaHHoRNpqMSpafEHPs44ZawSH1Z1wuOOFUXeQp04ddQ5aIgpGUOR245lscSjoZdd8J2Zwf6bNAePU/s1600/workout+clothes.JPG" height="320" width="180" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ready to go!</td></tr>
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My workouts have been all cardio based. In the future I'd like to add some weight lifting, but for now, this is good. I've done mostly youtube workouts, which I will share below, in case you want to try them. I think that every Friday I will try to check-in here with my workouts, weigh-in and measurements. Unfortunately, some of the other blogs I read that do this I find to be a bit redundant after a while, but I think this will help keep me accountable, so here goes!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGDVl79lxmyNuIMhjFxOZcQfShppdFXtqxY8R5CTkK4Dc3KpfOXQv9rMX3ftE4DQees08AbG5vrsvjMvaRcKDqMZp7TUDx75x-2GK3F10Pl6IWwqLH99EsUHeeJ_wM3TW0-lV_8lGu_rs/s1600/tv+workout.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGDVl79lxmyNuIMhjFxOZcQfShppdFXtqxY8R5CTkK4Dc3KpfOXQv9rMX3ftE4DQees08AbG5vrsvjMvaRcKDqMZp7TUDx75x-2GK3F10Pl6IWwqLH99EsUHeeJ_wM3TW0-lV_8lGu_rs/s1600/tv+workout.JPG" height="180" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tell me what to do TV Lady</td></tr>
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Monday - nothing. Didn't have my plan in place yet.<br />
Tuesday - <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L3E8Ad2RPeg&list=PLByIRcfeelxt0oSvZGxBcUfe4w6fnipC-&index=1" target="_blank">30 minutes of zumba</a> (did 30 minutes of this one) & 15 minute run outside in the super heat, even at 6:45 am :)<br />
Wednesday - 45 minutes of zumba (can't find the one I did :/ )<br />
Thursday - <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vve4BVTZ0QU" target="_blank">25 minutes of kickboxing</a> & <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FCbeWDx2euc" target="_blank">15 minutes of zumba</a>. Bonus - 20 minute walk on break from work.<br />
Friday - <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-wxgR_LP90E&list=PL6C824293747F37C6" target="_blank">30 minute zumba</a><br />
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As you can see, I'm all over the place in the time lengths and what I'm doing. I wanted to keep it simple so the goal is to move from when I wake up til 7am, some days that's 45 minutes, so it's only 30. Right now as long as I'm moving, I don't care.<br />
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Weight: 0 lbs gained or lost. Same from last recorded weigh-in <br />
Waist: 0 in. gained or lost.<br />
Hips: 0 in. gained or lost.<br />
Thighs: 0 in. gained or lost.<br />
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<b><i>So are you working out? How do you fit it it?</i></b></div>
Kathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17661495172918387184noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3335707916615529203.post-6642498090219087742014-08-15T19:04:00.003-07:002014-08-15T19:05:38.571-07:00Still Figuring Things OutI cannot believe it has been over a month since my last post. Time is moving way too fast. I always think once I get to the next chapter of my life - things will slow down. One of my old co-workers told me that it never does slow down and I'm beginning to realize that is true!<br />
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Anywho, a quick update on my progress from my last post and then onto some new realizations. In my last post, I talked about how I need to simplify my health plan. Two very easy things to focus on: choose better stuff to eat and move 5 days a week. So far I have not made any real progress on this.<br />
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The weather has been unseasonably cold this week, reminding me that Fall is just around the corner. It seems like it was yesterday when I was moving into Fall/Winter clothes realizing that they didn't fit me because I gained too much weight over the summer. Pledging that by summer 2014, I would lose it to fit better into my shorts...now I'm staring down the end of summer, realizing that soon I will be in the same place I was last year - unable to fit into most my Fall/Winter clothes....pledging to do something about it by summer....<br />
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But what to do? That realization that I mentioned above has the answer.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Stupid sweet tooth</td></tr>
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I was driving through East Grand Rapids yesterday. For those not familiar with the Greater Grand Rapids area, East Grand Rapids is a rich area of town. Lots of gorgeous houses that I have loved for many years. As I was driving around, I noticed the gorgeous houses, but also how busy and alive the area seemed. There was tons of people, families, couples, kids out running, walking themselves or with dogs, riding bikes. And for some reason I started to feel sad.<br />
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It took some driving for me to figure out why I was feeling sad, but I think this is the reason.<br />
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All those gorgeous houses and happily content people represent a life I really want (whether or not this representation is accurate does not matter). They represent a happy life, maybe with kids, pets and in a house my own with a yard. They represent health. All things that I want to have but don't yet. And the biggest realization - they represent people who have their crap together.<br />
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I was sad because I felt that those were things that I was never going to have. I think because Mike and I aren't activity doing anything to obtain those dreams. I felt sad because I can barely keep it together with my life right now. I only have a two bedroom apartment, no kids or dogs. How will I make it work in a house, with kids and dogs?<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMwgYW_OJcYQR-HJPSLUWhH0IIbsgAxbp26WkDSH96-0V-sKHewv-npr6joJ7ceVwMsDFYSIQWRjiXJDmaxqnTfDR1KXGf8TrTKtufxHe81fG6DrHVOnRPxByMHgUXXdNPJznBcnBvPd0/s1600/IMG_20140106_185250.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMwgYW_OJcYQR-HJPSLUWhH0IIbsgAxbp26WkDSH96-0V-sKHewv-npr6joJ7ceVwMsDFYSIQWRjiXJDmaxqnTfDR1KXGf8TrTKtufxHe81fG6DrHVOnRPxByMHgUXXdNPJznBcnBvPd0/s1600/IMG_20140106_185250.jpg" height="320" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Time to start planning</td></tr>
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I am really pretty good at planning things, like an event. I make a list of what needs to be done, some times I make additional lists to help me get through the steps on the first list. I get a plan in place and I go after it. I know this is contradictory to what my last post was about, but I think I need to make a life list, a plan on how I am going to get to those things above - a house, kids, better health (God willing of course), but I also need to make sure to plan in rest time, relaxation and fun.While keeping in mind, that if one day I can't get my list done, I can't stress about it.<br />
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I have said this before about people I know and work. Your dream job is just not going to come knocking at your door, saying "please apply for me!" You have to plan the steps and do the work to get there. It's time for me to apply my own advice to my life. Time for planning and hard work to get the life that I want.<br />
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I'm not sure what this will look like, but I will try to share it as I figure it out. There is one major thing that I need to work on right now and that is moving five days a week. This weekend I will take some time to sit down and schedule in my workouts. Leaving it unscheduled and having the "I'll fit it in whenever" mindset, leads me to not do it at all. I'll keep you guys posted on how everything goes!!Kathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17661495172918387184noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3335707916615529203.post-8053530935544243792014-07-09T21:12:00.002-07:002014-07-09T21:12:34.391-07:00Back to HappinessHello all. Recently I have been pretty upset/bummed/angry. I haven't really been able to nail down what the issues are, but today I took a break from work, took a walk and figured some things out.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHtGOlKQ5I_EAuJIV7oFk_4NBVYzqj5-IVszv1VylxHb-15jRtwujJgYpwU-aMAfZ8AkEWzSSl4KVfbkKwwiBfkMf6rQr8IwwShv-_eRzgka0SqDnnedzd1xCqh3OqnrySngeE4IUvn6A/s1600/IMG_20140709_160111.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHtGOlKQ5I_EAuJIV7oFk_4NBVYzqj5-IVszv1VylxHb-15jRtwujJgYpwU-aMAfZ8AkEWzSSl4KVfbkKwwiBfkMf6rQr8IwwShv-_eRzgka0SqDnnedzd1xCqh3OqnrySngeE4IUvn6A/s1600/IMG_20140709_160111.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Time to walk the trail by work!</td></tr>
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First, I have been super stressed out. My life is busy - that's nothing new and is never going to change. I keep thinking if I had only made more to-do lists and stuck to them, I'd be feeling happier.<br />
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Realization: No, I wouldn't. I love to-do lists and will always be a list maker. They help me get things done, but I can't structure every second of my days around a to-do list. I need to have time to do fun things, relaxing things, and nothings. I mean it's already <i>July</i>. <b><i><u>JULY</u></i></b>, People!! And I have barely did any summery type things. I have to enjoy this weather while we have it. I don't want to waste all my summer washing dishes and folding laundry. Bottom line is that there are always going to be things on the to-do list and I have to be okay with not getting every little thing done.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdPT-v7aCqRVabSCDzE_F7NIvdO40ca8Ca3cdEMX3opxtzq4f7oYyXeiC6COi_mCrJx5Omxmr85FHE__9_5gJVZk92pnNZEU_XVUnj3XepJJKRYftJxHiznBBB35nEAC2Hwf7gFDQbno4/s1600/20140709_192323.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdPT-v7aCqRVabSCDzE_F7NIvdO40ca8Ca3cdEMX3opxtzq4f7oYyXeiC6COi_mCrJx5Omxmr85FHE__9_5gJVZk92pnNZEU_XVUnj3XepJJKRYftJxHiznBBB35nEAC2Hwf7gFDQbno4/s1600/20140709_192323.jpg" height="180" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Can you spot the hawk?</td></tr>
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Second, I have been really upset about my <strike>health</strike> weight lately. I gained weight, as you may know if you are a reader of this blog. I have been "trying" to lose it, but I have not been very committed, which is crazy since every morning when I get dressed for work and my clothes are snug, I am immediately mad at myself and disappointing in myself for not trying harder; for not having more of this weight gone.<br />
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Realization: K.I.S.S (which equals Keep It Simple Stupid, in case you didn't know). You may remember from my last post this complicated plan I made involving tracking my calories and working out. Forget it. Time to simplify. For now, I'm focusing on eating better-for-me foods/making smarter choices and moving each day (M-F). Moving might be a gym workout, but it also might be a walk through nature.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlaCFQJ58A0k_NEEz9_q9RL5MN2YBEu2OAG4g67WVSH4BMLyW-Gt40VPN49QcRmZMx_3FAoFxheVC4c0YH_EFIO4U2ik6_O6oIvknIQKzfk3z08qslAKyM8dTTZX6cMnJXwTWxJnwQRLU/s1600/IMG_20140709_191248.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlaCFQJ58A0k_NEEz9_q9RL5MN2YBEu2OAG4g67WVSH4BMLyW-Gt40VPN49QcRmZMx_3FAoFxheVC4c0YH_EFIO4U2ik6_O6oIvknIQKzfk3z08qslAKyM8dTTZX6cMnJXwTWxJnwQRLU/s1600/IMG_20140709_191248.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">From Mike's and my walk tonight. No filter needed</td></tr>
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Which brings me to my last point. When I first seriously started this journey and shortly thereafter started this blog, I was happy and excited to be on the journey to a healthier lifestyle. Eating good-for-me foods, exercising and researching about health topics made me happy. These days, it's depressing. I'm not feeling inspired by the blogs I read or the life I'm living. So for now, if taking a nature walk makes me happier than going to the gym, I'm going to do it. If just eating better foods, rather than tracking my calories makes me happier, I'm going to do it. <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">From my work break walk :)</td></tr>
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I'm going to try to get back to that happiness factor. After all, what's the point of living to 100, if you're not happy?Kathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17661495172918387184noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3335707916615529203.post-826116153891500132014-05-01T20:24:00.002-07:002014-05-01T20:28:03.354-07:00Working Out - Rock On ChallengeIn a few weeks, Mike and I will be going to this huge rock festival in Ohio called <a href="http://www.rockontherange.com/" target="_blank">Rock on the Range</a> (ROTR). This will be our 5th time going (had to miss last year due to our wedding - finances and time off work didn't allow us to go :( ). I was hoping to be down back closer to the weight I was when we went two years ago, but so far this year I haven't been as committed as I could be. With ROTR only a few weeks away I knew I needed something to get me motivated.<br />
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You know what motivates me? To- do lists. I freakin <i>LOVE</i> to-do lists. Something about crossing items off when I complete them brings me a great sense of accomplishment and happiness. So I designed a to-do list for my workout goals which I titled, Rock On Challenge. Get it? Because we are going to a rock concert?<br />
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Oh, okay you got it. Good. I formed the list into a calendar so I can keep track of the days as we get closer to Rock on the Range. Each time I complete one of the tasks, I X it out. <br />
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So what's on the list?<br />
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<b>MWF - Cardio, Legs and Abs: </b>I know the best way to lose weight and to have a healthy body is to do both cardio and strength training, so in addition to cardio I'm doing Legs and Abs on M, W, F. Your leg muscles are your biggest muscles and the more muscle you gain, the more energy (fat) they need to sustain themselves. Abs are my weakest muscle. For those reasons these get three days a week.<br />
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<b>T & TH - Cardio, Arms and Yoga: </b> My arms are probably one part of my body that I'm decently happy with, so they only get two days. I'm adding in a 20 minute yoga work out to help strengthen my core. I know yoga is really, really good for you, especially to help strengthen muscles. At my new job I share multiple desk chairs with multiple employees, so it's hard to adjust them to the right spot for me and it's causing a bit of back pain. I'm hoping yoga will help. I'm using a free app called Simply Yoga.<br />
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<b>M-F - Met calorie goal:</b> I'm back on MyFitnessPal. I'm tracking everything I eat M-F. I'm not tracking on the weekends, because I'm hoping to not burn myself out. My goal is to be under or met my calorie goal on any of my tracking days.<br />
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<b>M-F - Extras:</b> I'm giving myself X's in extras for anything I do outside of what's listed above that helps me towards my goal of getting back to a healthier weight. Examples include getting up from my desk chair and walking once an hour for the whole day, taking a walk on my break, turning down a bakery item or other junk food, parking farther away in a store parking lot. If I do multiples in a day, I get multiple X's! And that makes me happy :)<br />
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<b>Weekends:</b> I have no set plans for the weekends. This is for a few reasons. 1. To keep me from burning out. 2. Weekends around here around crazy so it's harder to plan for all these items. 3. To keep it a bit more flexible. Maybe I am super booked and only had time for a 10 minute workout - on the weekends that's good. 4. Having a rest day. Mike's and my life is always. crazy. busy. so having a day to chill out is definitely needed for our mental health. <br />
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This week I'm rocking out my to-do list and it makes me so very happy! I'm hoping to feel my clothes fitting better soon!<br />
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<b><i>What do you do to keep yourself motivated?</i></b></div>
Kathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17661495172918387184noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3335707916615529203.post-76950965708081822722014-03-31T21:00:00.001-07:002014-03-31T21:00:27.281-07:00Kickin' it into High GearThis year kicked off a year of me getting my life back into a better, healthier lifestyle after last years reversal of my healthy life. Mike and I got a gym membership at a gym by our house and we were hoping to eat better. It has been about 2.5 months since we started, so I thought it was time for some reflection.<br />
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<b>Fitness:</b></div>
We are doing okay with it. Each week we are going to the gym on average 3 times a week. However, if I am being honest with myself, I'm not doing as well as I could. Some weeks I work out more than 3 times, but some days, I just don't feel like going and those weeks end up with less than 3 times. I need to muscle through that so I can get working out 5 times a week.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_exNLFVkLwZWBXLRqhbmZrGVrd7eWwQHmEIGGsd5_ghqwdXvxSkrEPYwx7QJ5eJAff8sFYoqAGhv41exNhVjOHKbHkCeseNCJ5LNIVMeuwL2Fv4li3yGCSgWKUEtHbnkKTr3goi_WHxA/s1600/1335924728847.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_exNLFVkLwZWBXLRqhbmZrGVrd7eWwQHmEIGGsd5_ghqwdXvxSkrEPYwx7QJ5eJAff8sFYoqAGhv41exNhVjOHKbHkCeseNCJ5LNIVMeuwL2Fv4li3yGCSgWKUEtHbnkKTr3goi_WHxA/s1600/1335924728847.jpg" height="180" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Can't wait to start riding my bike!</td></tr>
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<b>Food:</b></div>
We are doing okay-ish, this previous weekend excluded. We have been eating home cooked meals, however they haven't been well rounded and sometimes we are just throwing stuff together, because I have no plan. Ideally, I'd like to meal plan and cook things over the weekend so we are ready with healthy, balanced meals and snacks for the week.<br />
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Since both those are only going okay, the weigh loss is going worse than okay. I'm stuck at the same weigh from the end of February. Very frustrating, so it's time to kick my health into high gear! It's time to aim for five workouts a week. It's time to make sure that I'm doing cardio <i>and </i>weigh lifting. It's time to meal plan and it's time to focus on eating balanced meals throughout the day.<br />
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Let's do this!!<br />
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<i>How's your healthier year going?</i></div>
Kathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17661495172918387184noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3335707916615529203.post-33203796495788331422014-02-19T19:57:00.000-08:002014-02-19T19:57:00.377-08:00Realizations of Weight LossI haven't loss anymore weight than the last time I posted, however there are a few realizations that I have had while losing those five pounds from before.<br />
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<b>1. Food lasts longer when you go by serving size.</b><br />
Duh, right? At my old job (I started a new one last week) I'd keep a box of Triscuits at my desk for snacking. This year when I started focusing on my health, I started eating serving sizes and I was amazing at how much longer my box of Triscuits lasted! Which also means, I'm saving money by not buying as much! Bonus!!<br />
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And this takes us into the next.... <br />
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<b>2. Tracking calories sucks, but it really helps with portion control.</b><br />
I HATE tracking calories. It is the worse! However, I don't realize how much I'm eating when I don't track, so tracking is a real good idea for me. Even if I only do it for a little while to learn. I haven't been tracking for the last two weeks, but I learned from the weeks previous, what I can make for lunch and still been in the right calorie range. I am hoping that in future weeks, I can get back into it, get a good grasp for portions and move on, so I don't have to do this forever.<br />
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<b>3.You don't need as much food as you think.</b><br />
Okay so I'm trying to do the whole three meals a day with two snacks. Sometimes my lunch would look so small, but it would be right where I wanted it to be calorie-wise. That small lunch would keep me full, until snack time. I'd have my snack and then be good 'til dinner. I didn't need my lunch to be as big as I thought it did, since I had the snacks to get me through.<br />
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And the most important realization... <br />
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<b>4. I feel better when I work out</b><br />
And I don't mean, the whole "I have more energy" "I'm sleeping better" type feel better. This past fall & December every time I'd put clothes on or look in the mirror, I'd just see how much weight I gained and I'd feel terrible. Terrible about how I looked, how I felt and how I disappointed myself by letting go of my healthy lifestyle.<br />
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However, the DAY I started working out that changed. I still looked the same, my clothes fit the same terrible way, but the difference was I was doing something about it and I knew the state I was in was only temporary. Guys, that is the best feeling.<br />
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<b><i>Do you have any realizations that have come from a lifestyle change? </i></b></div>
Kathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17661495172918387184noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3335707916615529203.post-69631497027722706512014-01-30T20:56:00.002-08:002014-01-30T20:57:37.582-08:00Health ChallengesIn my last post, I mentioned that have some Health Challenges to keep me on track with my goals. Three challenges to be exact, with different groups of people. I'm really excited to have so many people in my life that want to live healthier!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZXr14KPZkcIdmQ8pVfJlWsl7CDWcuBcHNb11rHdevnh2EU6GzlSpjNPM4euRELB4C4444JkjJsOUTy7FG5Etr4tivDRKP0MQMEA8nSUZpNjwZ0iiOWz-TQeCsZ3jFEXjlKhjvZMSJi1Q/s1600/facebook_like_thumb.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZXr14KPZkcIdmQ8pVfJlWsl7CDWcuBcHNb11rHdevnh2EU6GzlSpjNPM4euRELB4C4444JkjJsOUTy7FG5Etr4tivDRKP0MQMEA8nSUZpNjwZ0iiOWz-TQeCsZ3jFEXjlKhjvZMSJi1Q/s1600/facebook_like_thumb.jpg" height="274" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://hamiltoncityschools.com/fairwood/2013/11/06/like-fairwood-on-facebook/" target="_blank">Birthplace</a></td></tr>
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<b>1. Couples Weight Loss Challenge</b><br />
My friend, Hillary, and her boyfriend, Nick, wanted to lose weight and thought it'd be fun to have a competition with Mike and I to see who could have the highest percentage of weight loss. Mike and I agreed and Nick's bother and fiancee (Chris and Brittany) joined us as well.<br />
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<i>The rules:</i><br />
It's super easy. Hillary made a Facebook group and each week we post the percent of weigh our team has had so far in the competition. It started on January 1st and it ends on April 1st. Winner's get a night out to a local supporting event on the loser's coin. But really we are all winner's because this is getting us healthier.<br />
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For me this challenge has been really awesome at kick starting my weigh loss. As you know if you have been reading, I've gained all the weigh back that I lost, nothing fits, etc. so this Challenge has been great for getting my butt into gear! AND I've already lost 5 lbs!<br />
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<b>2. Staff Workout Challenge</b><br />
A group of us at work wanted to start challenge to motivate ourselves into a healthier lifestyle. We decided to base this challenge on the amount of times we work out.<br />
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<i>The rules:</i><br />
Every time we workout, we draw a star next to we name on a big chart that is hung up in the office where everyone can see it - thus motivating us to workout! Whoever works out three times a week for at least twenty minutes gets their name into a drawing at the end of the month for a gift card to a sporting goods store. In order to participate we each kicked in $5 to go towards the prize. The money also is a motivator. This challenge lasts for three months.<br />
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For me this challenge has been great to get back into a routine of working out. I fell out of that routine, over a year ago now, but this challenge has made me fit it into my daily routine. Doing this for three months will definitely make working out a habit, so hopefully I won't slip back into my lazy, couch potato ways.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPMQydA6EQO6hEjOQOrVie5melyyHDv0fvyPTz8mjsEUJRNzx4JMnu-Kwyr3AhaNFQP3z6MTS2SjyymiUu_uTrou3YZEs3qMvITWYyhyflPGM_TnDfc06DGgmljrmCCtKDf-vhYOnSnMQ/s1600/1101-healthy-habits-logo-m.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPMQydA6EQO6hEjOQOrVie5melyyHDv0fvyPTz8mjsEUJRNzx4JMnu-Kwyr3AhaNFQP3z6MTS2SjyymiUu_uTrou3YZEs3qMvITWYyhyflPGM_TnDfc06DGgmljrmCCtKDf-vhYOnSnMQ/s1600/1101-healthy-habits-logo-m.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.cookinglight.com/healthy-living/healthy-habits/cooking-light-healthy-habits-program-00412000069559/" target="_blank">Birthplace</a></td></tr>
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<b>3. Cooking Light's 12 Healthy Habits</b><br />
Our Health and Wellness department is doing this challenge campus wide this year. We know that the success rate to do a complete, overhaulin' change is pretty small, however if you make one small change at a time, the success rate is greater. Cooking Light's Challenge focuses on that.<br />
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<i>The rules: </i><br />
Each month there is a new challenge or healthy habit to incorporate into your life. Adding a new healthy habit to your life each month equals a super healthy year and a brand new you full of healthy habits that are ingrained into your lifestyle. <a href="http://www.cookinglight.com/healthy-living/healthy-habits/cooking-light-healthy-habits-program-00412000069559/" target="_blank">Join along on this challenge</a>! <br />
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For me, this is really going to help with my diet (diet meaning everything I eat, not like a fad diet). Most of the challenges focus on food and that is something I struggle with. Especially right now when I'm really focused on losing the weight I gained; I'm seeing the food as the calories and not as nutrition. January is over and I haven't started this challenge yet, but that's okay. It's never to late to get healthy!<br />
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The best part of all these challenges is that they aren't hard, they don't cost much money and anyone can set them up. If you a few people you know are looking to get healthier this year - try setting something like this up!<br />
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<i>Are you a part of any challenges this year? </i></div>
Kathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17661495172918387184noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3335707916615529203.post-72669971500247487032014-01-14T20:42:00.000-08:002014-01-14T20:42:37.321-08:00Shut Up and Change It!<br />
Hello everyone. I hope your January is treating you well. Many bloggers kicked off this year by sharing their New Year's resolutions or their goals for this year. I'm finally getting around to sharing mine. In addition to thinking over what I wanted to accomplish this upcoming year, I also glanced through my blog and reflected over the posts.<br />
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I changed the title of this blog from <i>Health Nut - Hold The Nut</i> to <i>Journey to 100</i>, which better reflects my life. I'm not what you would consider a "Health Nut", but a journey of living healthy to try to reach age 100, reflects my life perfectly. My healthy life is a journey that has it's ups and downs. Lately more downs. Looking over my recent posts, they seem to say the same thing: I'm not working out, my life is busy, I'm not eating great, I'm gaining weight. And this goes on for MONTHS!<br />
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My lovely husband, Mike, used to complain about the same thing over and over and over to me. Eventually I said, "You know what? There's only one thing to do, Shut up and change it!" I have been complaining to Mike about the same things that I have been writing on this blog and one day he said to me, "I'm going to tell you what you told me once, 'Shut up and change it!" After reading back over my posts, I felt like yelling it at myself!<br />
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So this year, the basis of my goal is "Shut up and change it!"<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">New shoes from my sister!!</td></tr>
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<a name='more'></a><b><br /></b><br />
<b>1. Work Out Regularly </b> <br />
One of the biggest thing I have complained about to the amount of weight I have gained. I have complained to Mike, on my blog and to my friends, but you know what? Even with all that complaining, I still haven't lost any weight! Imagine that! The only way to lose the weight I've gained, is to get back into an exercise routine. My goal is to work out at least 3 times a week, with a mix of DVDs, gym, outdoor running and possibly Zumba. And have a plan to do this in busy times, rather than neglecting my workout, which is what I usually do.<br />
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<b>2. Eat Better</b><br />
This is another aspect that Mike and I talk about a lot. This involves a few different things for me. My goal is to eat more veggies and fruits and to watch my portions. To help with these, I'm using MyFitnessPal again. I hate tracking calories, but if I don't, I tend to over eat, so for now it's back to MyFitnessPal. Find me on there, if you'd like - Seifkat.<br />
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<b>3. Be more organized</b><br />
This one isn't one that I have complained about on the blog, but it is important to my mental health. I am a huge procrastinator and this leaves me running around at the last minute, pulling all nighters to get things done. I'm going to try to become more of a planner. To do this, I hope to sit down at the beginning of the week and plan out what needs to get get done for the week and on what days. I also hope to meal plan.<br />
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I also have a few Health Challenges I am participating in which will help me stay on track with my goals. I will share the Challenges with you soon! <br />
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<i>What are your goals for this year? </i></div>
<br />Kathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17661495172918387184noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3335707916615529203.post-57692389325369757372014-01-08T21:25:00.001-08:002014-01-08T21:25:49.541-08:00WIAW #29 First One in '14 EditionHello Everyone! It's Wednesday and I decided to jump into What I Ate Wednesday again. I really miss doing these posts, so I'm hoping to keep doing these every week. So without further ado....<br />
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<b>Breakfast:</b><br />
I ate most the oatmeal before I snapped this photo, but I had Cinnamon Apple Oatmeal by Better Oats (I love Better Oats!) and half an cinnamon raisin english muffin with butter on it. Not picture is a glass of juice which I drank with my vitamins.<br />
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<b>Lunch:</b><br />
A ham, cheese and mustard sandwich on a sandwich thin, a dill pickle spear, a small apple and a mug of green tea with honey.<br />
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<b>Snack:</b><br />
Triscuits! I LOVE the new flavors they came out with. Plus Triscuits don't have a ton of ingredients and I can pronounce most, if not all of them, so this makes it a snack I'm happy to eat! Not pictured was a snack I had later in the day of a Fiber One chocolate peanut butter granola bar and a Skinny Cow cookies and cream ice cream sandwich.<br />
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<b>Dinner: </b><br />
More Triscuits, another small apple and chili mac with a light sprinkling of cornbread crumbs. The chili I used is a <a href="http://backtoherroots.com/2012/07/10/freezer-cooking-101/" target="_blank">Slow Cooker Vegan Beer Chili</a> from <a href="http://backtoherroots.com/" target="_blank">Cassie at Back to her Roots</a>. I love the savory taste of the chili, mixed with the sweetness of the cornbread!<br />
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Well that's it for me. I'm exhausted, so I'm off to bed. Make sure to visit <a href="http://www.peasandcrayons.com/2014/01/what-i-ate-wednesday-155.html" target="_blank">Jenn's page</a> to link up with some great recipes and people!!Kathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17661495172918387184noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3335707916615529203.post-85389143796376800972013-12-09T20:11:00.003-08:002013-12-09T20:11:29.438-08:00Holiday Crazyiness<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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You guys, it is the 9th of December. THE 9TH! I'm in full holiday mode with last two weekends being not stop activities and the week days filled with to-do listing. I'm already thinking about how fast this month is going to fly by. The sad fact about how busy I am and how fast the time is going, is that I have yet to work out. I still haven't got to a store to buy new workout shoes! (I lost mine in the move to the apartment, you know...in August.)<br />
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At work we are doing the Hold The Stuffing Challenge. I got weighed in on the Monday before Thanksgiving and I have to maintain my weight through the holidays (within two pounds). The last TWO years I was not able to do this. I guess that was part of my journey to gaining all my weight back. <br />
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Oh yeah, in <a href="http://journeytu100.blogspot.com/2013/11/dissapointment-anger.html">this post</a> I was four pounds away. Now depending on the scale, I'm pretty much all the way back to the weight I was when I very first starting losing weight. Excuse the French, but D*MN IT!<br />
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Anyway, so today I was thinking about all of this and I know that something needs to happen. I have GOT to get some sort of exercise in or by New Year's Eve, I'm going to be 50 lbs heavier! I did some research and I found some helpful links that I wanna share with you guys. They make getting healthier during the holidays much easier. It's not too late for us to have a healthier holiday!!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">InstaTree</td></tr>
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<a name='more'></a><br /><a href="http://www.womenshealthmag.com/fitness/work-out-anytime" target="_blank">The 15-Minute Anytime, Anywhere Workout, by Women's Health</a><br />
All you need for this workout is a towel, a floor and 15 minutes. Done! If you are traveling over the holidays, you can do this. If you have no time, like me, you can do this! I might not even need shoes for this work out! I'm thinking about even using this exercise on activities-on-top-of-activities days.<br />
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<a href="http://www.mensfitness.com/training/build-muscle/3-quick-and-easy-holiday-workout-ideas" target="_blank">3 Quick and Easy Holiday Work Out Ideas by Men's Fitness</a><br />
Men, these quick workouts mean you too! This is another workout that doesn't take much equipment, if any. Easy to fit these into your day. <br />
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My favorite quote of this article, "You may not go to the gym as frequently during [the holidays], but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t work out.” SO TRUE!<br />
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<a href="http://www.womenshealthmag.com/fitness/15-extra-minutes" target="_blank">Free Minutes: 15 Ways To Find 15 Minutes For Exercise Every Day by Women's Health</a><br />
No excuses people! If you are thinking you absolutely can't carve 15 minutes/3 times a week, read this to see how easily you can find 15 minutes to work out.<br />
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<a href="http://www.womenshealthmag.com/fitness/benefits-of-15-minute-workouts" target="_blank">The Benefits of 15-Minute Workouts by Women's Health</a><br />
We have all heard that workouts need to be a certain time length, 30 minutes, an hour, etc; but this provides lots of evidence that even at 15 minute workout can be beneficial. <br />
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This article has a lot of great information, but #3 and #6 were really shocking and motivating. Lately, I'm so focused on exercising and eating better to lose weight, but I really need to remember to focus on the health benefits and my long term goal of living to be 100!<br />
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All right so let's do this guys! Okay? We can maintain this holiday season, instead of gain! <br />
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<i>Got any tips to share for having a healthy holiday? </i></div>
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<br />Kathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17661495172918387184noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3335707916615529203.post-11774997358227220192013-11-15T08:33:00.001-08:002013-11-15T08:33:31.763-08:00Dissapointment & AngerWell ladies and gents, I looked closely in a mirror and saw a bulge and then I hoped on the scale and saw the needle go up and up and up.<br />
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I am about 4 pounds away from my highest weight. <br />
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The highest weight, which I was a few years ago when I was like, it's time to stop. I need to lose weight. A few years of hard work gone. Not only that, but I'm almost 20 pounds heavier than I was in February, just a few months back. <br />
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Disappointment, anger, frustration, regret and disgust are some of the emotions I've been dealing with the past few days. I'm so mad at myself for letting me get to this point. It didn't need to be this bad. I could've been more organized - gave myself time to cook, plan out times to exercise, on busy days at least fit in a walk, but that didn't happen. I look in the mirror and I'm disgusted. Most my shirts looks terrible on me. I can barely fit into any of my pants, but I'm refusing to buy new ones. Yet everyday, I slide a pair on and I'm upset, because I know I could be better than that.<br />
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Of course as I'm typing this, I'm sipping a grande peppermint mocha from Starbucks. One moment while I check the calories.....410. That's like a meal. Rough.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I do a lot of good thinking while on walks</td></tr>
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<a name='more'></a><br />
So my<a href="http://journeytu100.blogspot.com/2013/10/enjoying-life.html#more"> last post</a> about making a plan needs to happen. I think I need to focus on a couple things to be successful:<br />
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<b>Tracking</b> - I learned last year at a work seminar that you need to make your goals with steps that you can track, steps that are very specific. For example, I could say I need to start working out. Okay that's great, but a better goal would be I need to work out three days a week for at least 30 minutes. This is a goal that I can easily track, which will make me more likely to succeed!<br />
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<b>Simple</b> - I have posted on here before how being healthy needs to be a lifestyle, which to me means it needs to be simple, not to be confused with easy. I do not want my workouts to be easy, because if they are, they won't work. Simple meaning that I need to make one or two small changes rather than completely upsetting my life. Change is easier when you do it in small bit size pieces. Simple also meaning that I can't do a long drawn out complicated plan with one million steps. I need simple recipes and workouts that can be done in a hour or less - do to my hectic schedule. <br />
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<b>Not getting discouraged</b> - I need to remember that I am going to mess up. I'm going to miss a workout or have a cookie or two, but I can't let that get me down. I'm one that once I mess up, I get discouraged and will give up. No one is perfect and one off day is not going to ruin the rest of the week's good days. This is something I really need to remember.<br />
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With these ideas floating in my head - I'm off to strategize a plan of attack. Kathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17661495172918387184noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3335707916615529203.post-11591488979707100102013-10-17T10:38:00.002-07:002013-10-17T10:38:39.127-07:00Enjoying LifeI thought after the wedding, Mike's and my life would be different. I thought we'd spend lots of time together doing fun things. Instead it seems that we are just as busy as before and time is slipping by while we sit by and watch. I mean we have already been married over two months! Before we know it, it will be Christmas. In addition to trying to figure out our life as newly weds, I'm also trying to figure out a workout schedule again, while trying to maintain our apartment and cook healthy meals.<br />
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I've been pondering this for a few weeks and I know that I need to get into some kind of routine...some kind of schedule that will help me to get done what I want to get done. It was more than that though. Around the time I thinking about this I read a couple of my favorite blogs, that had posts that really spoke to me.<br />
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First was a post by Jenna at <a href="http://www.eatliverun.com/slowing-down/">Eat, Live, Run</a>. Her post was about slowing down. It was about taking time to enjoy your life. This was exactly what I needed to hear! This is what Mike and I need to work on. We need to try to slow down a bit. Take time to take a walk, to enjoy a beer on our deck, or go on a date. Spending time together, even doing small simple things like taking a walk is what we are missing in our relationship. It was hard to see that, since we see each other every day, but just seeing each other is not the same as spending time together. We are going to be working on doing more of that.<br />
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The second post is from one of my most favorite blogs,<a href="http://backtoherroots.com/2013/10/06/recommitting-to-me/"> Back to Her Roots</a>, by Cassie. In her post she talked about making time for herself. Making a plan to fit fitness, nutrition and self-care in her life. It's exactly what I need to do. I need to schedule in time during my week to work out, to make healthy lunches and dinners.<br />
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These two posts couldn't have come at a better time. I'm going to work out a plan for my life; try to get some order in the chaos that I seem to be living. As soon as I have a plan, I'll share it with you :) I'm excited!<br />
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<b><i>The world we live in is such a busy place, do you have any tricks to make everything fit in your life?</i></b></div>
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<br />Kathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17661495172918387184noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3335707916615529203.post-90950749672089446912013-09-24T23:47:00.004-07:002013-09-24T23:48:09.687-07:00Hello againWell it has been a while since I have posted so I thought I'd catch you up on has happened since my last official post. <br />
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Let's start with the most recent. My sister and I started feeding a stray last winter. Elvis is what we named it. Elvis had gorgeous markings, strips and spots, but unfortunately is completely feral, so we couldn't take Elvis in, but we continued to feed him to help survive the winter. As it neared spring, Elvis came around with a fat belly - turns out he was a she. Momma Elvis had one kitten and before the kitten was old enough to be away from her mom, Elvis got pregnant again and had a littler of five! From that second litter, Mike and I got a kitten. His name is Link, after the Zelda character in the video game. My husband is a huge gamer and he got to pick the name.<br />
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He is super cute, full of energy and gets into trouble, but we love him. How can you not fall in love with a little kitten?! Our other cat Graice and him and starting to get along, so that is great!<br />
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In my <a href="http://journeytu100.blogspot.com/2013/05/my-challenging-summer.html">last official post</a>, I talked about My Challenging Summer. I didn't realize how true that title of the post was. With all the planning that happened this summer, I didn't follow through on either of the challenges I signed up for. I was pretty disappointed in myself, but by the end of summer, I had bigger things to worry about so I didn't let it get me down and I'm hoping that next summer will be better!<br />
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Lastly, and most importantly, the bigger thing I had to worry about - I got married on August 10th!! Mike and I had a great wedding and a fabulous reception - except that the DJ was terrible.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo by <a href="http://asogphotography.com/">ASOG Photography</a></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This was one of my favorites of us. We had a photo booth :) Photo by <a href="http://asogphotography.com/">ASOG Photography</a></td></tr>
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We followed it up with a week in Jamaica at an all inclusive resort that was gorgeous and super relaxing. We stayed at Couples - Negril and I would recommend that resort to anyone if you are looking place to stay. Mike and I really miss the Jerk Chicken.<br />
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Since we've been back, we unpacked all my stuff that I moved in, tried to find places in our apartment for all our wedding gifts and are getting used to living together and the married life. It's been great :) Well until next time.....<br />
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<i>Any advice you have for newly weds?</i></div>
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<br />Kathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17661495172918387184noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3335707916615529203.post-51529514200550428222013-09-09T21:26:00.003-07:002013-09-09T21:29:11.265-07:00My Return!<p>I will be making a return to this blog. I have lots to catch you up on. Please bear with me for a little longer, while I fix my computer and update the blog. </p>
<p>Thanks, you guys rock :)</p>
Kathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17661495172918387184noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3335707916615529203.post-31032247214983589592013-05-30T19:59:00.001-07:002013-05-31T06:06:49.354-07:00My Challenging SummerThis summer is already crazy busy. Mike and I have a lot of weddings to attend, not too mention that our wedding is in August. My work life is crazy because we are moving into a new building. Plus it's summer in Michigan, which means I'm trying to spend as much time outside as possible, since we don't have many months of good weather around here.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Gorgeous sunset in Ludington, MI</td></tr>
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When I get busy, like I am this summer, I tend to neglect myself. This means eating healthy, working out and taking some time to myself go on the back burner while I try to get everything else in. Life doesn't seem to be getting any less busy, so I need to learn to add my well being into my list of priorities. This summer, I have two different challenges that are going to help me do this.<br />
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<span style="color: #e69138;"><b>First</b></span> is a challenge that goes all summer long and starts this Saturday. It's called the Super Summer Challenge and it's brought to us by Cassie from <a href="http://backtoherroots.com/">Back to Her Roots</a>.<br />
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<a href="http://backtoherroots.com/2013/05/23/super-summer-challenge-how-it-works-printables/"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjspXA6a_I8q3XSc3gTR_CrKDqCTw21MUhAUAeJzkaephnS4LRkNamBowiZUE9ll6UDm_A_jE1o-50zro2quoyRJNiO8RgKjOP99Ryg_NSXOIFlCuUGusTPIwx1F4xCTRM_qyQExSTrEsM/s1600/SuperSummerBTHR.jpg" width="308" /></a></div>
This challenge will require me to set goals dealing with both mind and body. Each task gets points, harder tasks will be worth more points. The goal is to reach 10,000 body points and 10,000 mind points. There are a couple things I like about this challenge. First I like that I can make my own goals. It really allows me to tailor this to myself and therefore makes me own it more. I also like that it is not only body health, but mind health too. I haven't outlined all my goals yet, but some of my mind goals will deal with becoming more organized and taking breaks to do things that make me happy.<br />
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Cassie is working with <a href="http://www.committedcoaching.com/">Krissie from Committed Coaching</a> to help us with the Super Summer Challenge. She did a <a href="http://backtoherroots.com/2013/05/28/super-summer-challenge-lets-talk-goal-setting/">fabulous post </a>about setting your goals. I would highly recomned reading it, even if you don't want to be a part of this challenge. It could really help you with changes you want to make. However, I do encourage you to join this challenge! Visit <a href="http://backtoherroots.com/2013/05/23/super-summer-challenge-how-it-works-printables/">Cassie's blog</a> to find all the details!!<br />
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<span style="color: #e69138;"><b>Second</b></span> challenge will be for the month of July. It's more of an accountability group. It is by a friend of mine, Tom.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.sirpizzamadison.com/">Birthplace</a></td></tr>
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He creates a facebook group and we are required to post each day the workout we did. We can follow any workout and diet program we want, even if it's something that we are just doing on our own, we just have to post every day. Rest days, we post that it was a rest day. In addition to that, once a week we have to send him our weigh and our measurements. Mike and I participated in one of his groups in February. It really got our butts moving, but when the group ended so did our motivation.<br />
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Like I posted before, with all the wedding stuff, it's been really hard to make working out and cooking healthy meals a priority. I really think these two challenges will help me change that; help me make my dreams into habit. If you would like some motivation to live a healthier lifestyle, please feel free to join me in these challenges! The first challenge you can go to the blog to get involved. The second challenge, get at me and I'll get you hooked up.<br />
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<b><i>I'm ready for a super summer!!! How are you making yours super?!</i></b></div>
Kathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17661495172918387184noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3335707916615529203.post-64554661178498051492013-05-20T15:01:00.000-07:002013-05-20T15:02:06.498-07:00AccountabilityAlright folks, here's the deal. I need to get back on track. Big time. And you guys are going to help.<br />
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The track I want to be on is a healthy track. I want to get more fit, I want to work out, I want to make my own food, I want to eat more fruits and veggies, I want to be mentally happy and healthy. All of these take a lot of work. They say that to make big changes you should make a little change and then another little change and another, and soon that will add up to the big change you want to make. This is what I am going to try to do.<br />
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What does that have to do with accountability and you? I'm taking a page out of my favorite blog -<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://backtoherroots.com/" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjE3zTiRSOH7QSb7x-KVVvcv29WUyHuGNDdOAy9fwnE4vdCGmOwXuU9SwZtgqEDbYL_zGuK2u_zCbsWPjc5WjDq072oC-2IkozXxwaEQLTekAXxIVaSP630PwbgyFvZEa8Pq6Bbv606hCc/s320/BTHR.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Click to go to blog!</td></tr>
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<i>Back To Her Roots</i> and will be post an <a href="http://backtoherroots.com/2013/05/05/accountability-update-12/">accountability update</a> on my blog each week. Cassie was nice enough to let me steal her idea (Thanks so much lady! You rock!!). Also go check out her blog. Seriously, she's awesome!<br />
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By knowing that I am posting for you guys to read, I think it'll help me keep in check of what I need to be doing. There are a lot of things I'd like to change, so I'm going to break them into big groups:<br />
<span style="color: orange;"><b>1. Eating Healthier</b></span><br />
Some of my goals are to eat more fruits and veggies, eat out less, make my own food/cook meals, meal prep, try to eat locally when possible, add more meatless meals to my diet....things like this.<br />
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<span style="color: orange;"><b>2. Fitness</b></span><br />
For fitness my main goal is to get into a weekly workout routine. I went from working out 5/6 days a week back in February to never working out in March and April. I need to find some balance. Another goal is to tone my body. I'm not really looking to lose weight, but I have my problem areas that are flabby and I'd like some toned muscles. I'd also like to work on being more active in my non-workout time. Going for walks, bike rides, shooting hoops just for the fun of it!<br />
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<span style="color: #e69138;"><b>3. Mental Happiness</b></span><br />
I'm a work-a-holic and a social butterfly who needs to be busy all the time. I need to remember to do things for me, like just relax, enjoy nature or spend some time reading a book. Health involves the whole body so my mental happiness also needs to happen. Right after the wedding. Hahaha just kidding. I need to work on some of this before the wedding.<br />
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At the beginning of each week, I'm going to post my accountability update. It will be a recap of how I did last week and what I'd like to focus on for the upcoming week.<br />
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<b>Last week:</b><br />
<span style="color: orange;"><b><span style="color: orange;"><b>1. Eating Healthier</b></span> </b></span><br />
<span style="color: orange;"><span style="color: black;">This week I slowly broke into my new habits by trying to eat homemade meals. I did some meal prep last Monday night:</span></span><br />
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I made turkey tacos, goulash with ground turkey and salads in a jar. Swapping ground turkey for ground beef is a easy way to make good home cooked meals a little bit healthier. Not to say that I don't eat ground beef, because I do, but I try to eat lean proteins more often than red meat. Having meals ready really helped me to stay away from buying food on the good and eating out of a vending machine. both of these are not good for my health or my wallet.<br />
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<b>This week:</b> I want to focus on more meal prep and including more fruits and veggies in that.<br />
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<span style="color: orange;"><b>2. Fitness</b></span><br />
<span style="color: orange;"><span style="color: black;">Slow week for me getting back into a work out routine. Well actually I have been doing 2-3 hours of manual labor at work lately, so I have been counting that as my work out, but in addition to that I did take some 10 minute walks on my lunch breaks and on Saturday I ran a little over 2 miles!</span></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbQYFJgA-M_YbjmjTJaCsjB6re28JUgIEzEhzYzuKaFaXUGtFuYrHPFhsWQmrP-vG1wJiQ05LNScnCOTtqctDHBOggXXhroMZuaTAPUzTYQmn1_R8-qRGyn36embjbLS-EN9hixvDzDT4/s1600/running.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbQYFJgA-M_YbjmjTJaCsjB6re28JUgIEzEhzYzuKaFaXUGtFuYrHPFhsWQmrP-vG1wJiQ05LNScnCOTtqctDHBOggXXhroMZuaTAPUzTYQmn1_R8-qRGyn36embjbLS-EN9hixvDzDT4/s320/running.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="color: orange;"><span style="color: black;">I was at a 12 minute/mile pace - not the best ever, but for not running for most of winter, I'm okay with it. I also ran through the grass on this bike trail, not on the cement, which made it better for my knees, but a little bit harder to run.</span></span><br />
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<span style="color: orange;"><span style="color: black;"><b>This week: </b>Someone I work with asked me to work out in the mornings with her so we are going to start that on Wednesday. I'll let you know how it goes.</span></span><br />
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<span style="color: orange;"><span style="color: black;">I'll have another update next week for you guys on Sunday or Monday and hopefully I'll have some mental happiness to report back on along with happy news about my food and exercise.</span></span><br />
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<span style="color: orange;"><i><b><span style="color: black;">What do you do to keep on track of your healthy lifestyle? </span></b></i></span></div>
<span style="color: orange;"><span style="color: black;"> </span><b> </b></span><br />
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<br />Kathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17661495172918387184noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3335707916615529203.post-54967714379587841832013-05-17T13:38:00.000-07:002013-05-17T13:38:54.662-07:00Blogging Patterns and LifeMarch was a really good month for myself and blogging. I had a good amount of posts spaced nicely throughout the month. Then came April and that all went down the tubes. The amount I blog seems to correspond with my life. The busier I am the less I blog. [duh?] Hobbies seem to be the first thing that I drop out of my life when I get busy. I guess I deem them as less important, which is somewhat true, but probably not the best thing for my mental health.<br />
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Since I haven't been blogging throughout the last month, you may be wondering what <i>have</i> I been doing. Lots and lots of stuff.<br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><b><span style="color: #e69138;">Moving</span></b></span><br />
Well sorta. This all started a few months ago when Mike and I found an apartment we liked. We turned in our applications, got approved and was put on the wait list. We asked to move in May or June, with May being our ideal month. On April first I got a phone call from the apartment complex that they had a cancellation and the two people ahead of us on the wait list couldn't take it, do we want it? We had to make the decision by the next morning.<br />
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After much discussion, we decided we would take it and man was that the right decision. The first week we had the keys, we moved a few things in, but nothing too major. The second week we moved a lot more, but here's the kicker - Mike and I never had a full day off for moving. Mike was working both his jobs most days and I was working every day which meant two weeks of working a lot of hours and then moving. Moving a lot of times was at midnight and 1 am. I think if we would've done this closer to the wedding the stress might have killed me hahaha. but seriously.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieSuXm3b2YtuIeThFRMVLpRvDvldfN5BMb3m754zkpoeT2Xvo_vGuwNIHVJzCIhNgC70pmcCsoxsSwshHSk6yw6iHKzawTyiJkexyPeh0C0sWo2aHJhxblM9u6zj3PLuifxuYounrhSGY/s1600/apt.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieSuXm3b2YtuIeThFRMVLpRvDvldfN5BMb3m754zkpoeT2Xvo_vGuwNIHVJzCIhNgC70pmcCsoxsSwshHSk6yw6iHKzawTyiJkexyPeh0C0sWo2aHJhxblM9u6zj3PLuifxuYounrhSGY/s320/apt.jpg" width="180" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Us in our apartment!</td></tr>
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I previously decided that I didn't want to move in with Mike until after the wedding, in August, so for now I have some things there, a lot of the big furniture, and then I will slowly move other things until August when I will fully move in. Mike on the other hand pretty much fully moved in. I am so happy to have this off my to-do list!<br />
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<span style="color: #e69138;"><b>Wedding</b></span><br />
We have a little over three months til the big day. THREE MONTHS which does not seem very long, however when you think that the wedding isn't until August which means we still have most of summer to get through, it doesn't seem quite so <strike>terrifying</strike> short. I am a procrastinator. I work best when I have a deadline and so I made myself a deadline of May, which a second backup deadline of June to work really hard at getting all the rest of the wedding stuff done.<br />
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Working hard, under the pressure of a deadline for me, means being on a sleep diet. I'm trying really hard to get 6 hours a night. Naturally my body sleeps for 9-10 hours of sleep, so 6 is not optimal, but I have extra time to get stuff done. I have been averaging 5-6 hours a night and then an 8 hour night usually follows to catch up on sleep. I figure, I'd rather lose my sleep now than lose it the month, week or day before the wedding! Not that I am thinking that I am actually going to sleep the night before my wedding....<br />
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In April we really focused on getting the centerpieces together and the save the dates out. Unfortunately they are going out later than I wanted, but better late than never, I guess. <br />
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<span style="color: #e69138;"><b>Dealing with Sickness</b></span><br />
The week after we moved most the stuff in to the apartment, Mike was down for the count with the cold from H. E. double hockey sticks. He spent pretty much a whole week laying in bed and on the couch in our apartment. I have never seen him so sick. My sister was also out of town this week, so I had to feed our cats. This meant, I'd leave work, go home feed the cats, then drive to the apartment and take care of Mike. There was also many trips to the store. The apartment is closer to work so it was a lot of drive time. I was happy to be able to help him though :)<br />
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<span style="color: #e69138;"><b>Flooding</b></span><br />
If you're not from Grand Rapids, MI you might not be aware of the extreme amount of rain we have got a couple weeks ago, which caused flooding in many parts of Grand Rapids and the surrounding areas.<br />
<a href="http://wgrd.com/grand-rapids-flooding-photos/">Here's</a> a good collection of photos from downtown Grand Rapids. None of the buildings were actually built in water, in case you aren't from GR. <br />
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Our basement hadwater in it. Luckily my Mom and Dad handled most of the work, I did have a couple shop vac sessions. Just add it to my to-do list. ;)<br />
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I think this sums up my week last week the best:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWa5K2avIgLi4TzecYgaIjv5odlg0dJ8aMK0tOJuqkutY1o0sLIjbz7QIvH-sDwZcWnZi2vbyoHuHiD9M3C5vBaa6u9kaEzNoLC3W1CTiuhT9dxi6oWSi1rZzBPYqIG9JaMH8IJM4YqUQ/s1600/FB+status.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="135" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWa5K2avIgLi4TzecYgaIjv5odlg0dJ8aMK0tOJuqkutY1o0sLIjbz7QIvH-sDwZcWnZi2vbyoHuHiD9M3C5vBaa6u9kaEzNoLC3W1CTiuhT9dxi6oWSi1rZzBPYqIG9JaMH8IJM4YqUQ/s400/FB+status.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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What has been missing from April has been any shred of a healthy lifestyle. I can't tell you the last time I worked out, my eating habits have gone down the tube and I bet if I hopped on a scale, I'd be very upset. In May, I'm going to to try focus on getting some healthy lifestyle attributes back into my life.<br />
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<i><b>So...what's been going on in your life?</b></i></div>
<br />Kathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17661495172918387184noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3335707916615529203.post-61710207811438662032013-03-26T17:28:00.004-07:002013-03-26T19:48:16.490-07:00Dreaming Big -Eating Healthy<div>I have big dreams about my life; what I want to do and what I want it to look like. My dreams are always down the road. "At some point in my life, I want ______." Then I realize, I'm 27 years old and will be turning 28 this year. That's only two years away from 30. I'm getting married this summer. Although I don't feel like it - I am an adult. So what better time than now to make those changes I want to make?!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiP54IYkDvToyk-CIinjbPYZz8Th9LztJeSHi2rwPfLIYASQMV3npesOaj5fw3R_6no7IITqQFLORkryxo-ZdsXzSDhWnw5z7HDIdaAHEX3If3dXBGydjfwNeGbQIEuaEj6q-Ep6_hiLP4/s1600/IMAG1799.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiP54IYkDvToyk-CIinjbPYZz8Th9LztJeSHi2rwPfLIYASQMV3npesOaj5fw3R_6no7IITqQFLORkryxo-ZdsXzSDhWnw5z7HDIdaAHEX3If3dXBGydjfwNeGbQIEuaEj6q-Ep6_hiLP4/s320/IMAG1799.jpg" width="320" /></a>The biggest change that I want to focus on right now is the food that I eat. The concept of "healthy eating" is something that I am struggling a lot with right now. I'm trying to lose a few pounds so I'm counting calories, but just because I get below my calorie count, does that mean I'm eating healthy? I don't believe so. I can tell you right now that my diet for the last couple months has not contained enough fruits and veggies.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuUiT8uXG1DapKJm-80QImcxRLi_s_EN25R8iwpbz3LgMh_ZSzlvKRghlapZigb2W5mzp6IwdMEX0IWJj5Js-SUAj6WGXYWZOBBb4OrKNAycSAxvn9Fgiv8iqYLdO_Rnm4w_iLdkThO0Q/s1600/FA5117-LeanStuffSandSW-Veggie-Detail.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="157" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuUiT8uXG1DapKJm-80QImcxRLi_s_EN25R8iwpbz3LgMh_ZSzlvKRghlapZigb2W5mzp6IwdMEX0IWJj5Js-SUAj6WGXYWZOBBb4OrKNAycSAxvn9Fgiv8iqYLdO_Rnm4w_iLdkThO0Q/s320/FA5117-LeanStuffSandSW-Veggie-Detail.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://aldi.us/us/html/product_range/2744_6964_ENU_HTML.htm">Birthplace</a></td></tr>
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And what about processed "healthy' food. Today I had a southwest veggie stuffed sandwich made by FitActive, which is supposed to be Aldi's healthy food. I love them - they taste great, have veggies, but the ingredient list is crazy long and full of things I can't pronounce!<br />
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From what I have read in health books and on blogs, I think the best diet is one that is plant-heavy and mostly homemade. By that I mean fruits, veggies and whole grains are the majority of the diet and animals based products are a smaller part. In addition to this, most of the food should be homemade rather than store bought. Both of these ideas seem to be very contradictory to a modern American diet. Which reminds me, portion control also needs to be added to a healthy diet.<br />
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What does this translate into for me? Time. Which I don't have a lot of and, as of late, I don't seem to manage well. I'm thinking in order to incorporate eating this way into my life, I'm going to need to meal plan and meal prep on the weekends for my week. I don't mind doing that, but I just need to make sure I have the time for it.<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaqyGhz7xwJtKfsr2jmlhcpW6k_SRv7hIilRl8Gu1XiKOOG5hyphenhyphenGao5fo8fMywd0uojxkTtt-OOYs4fryE2lnKVyYDXKvkcJWX9XMeLvAiajcaDqpxF45htlIUU3iae4cpo5wB3IZbic6c/s1600/IMAG1492.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaqyGhz7xwJtKfsr2jmlhcpW6k_SRv7hIilRl8Gu1XiKOOG5hyphenhyphenGao5fo8fMywd0uojxkTtt-OOYs4fryE2lnKVyYDXKvkcJWX9XMeLvAiajcaDqpxF45htlIUU3iae4cpo5wB3IZbic6c/s320/IMAG1492.jpg" width="180" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Gotta use my planner!</td></tr>
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So this is the thing I'm going to work on for the next couple weeks. I don't think that in a couple weeks I'll be a pro at it, but I'm going to at least take some steps towards this. I'll keep you updated on how it goes.<br />
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*Healthy diet here does not mean like Atkins, I just mean the entirety of what I consume. Diet also often implies temporary. I'm talking about a lifestyle, people!<br />
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<i><b>Do you meal plan or cook food on your weekends? Any tips or ideas you can share with me? </b></i></div>
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<br /></div>Kathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17661495172918387184noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3335707916615529203.post-83413737277352415022013-03-13T16:15:00.001-07:002013-03-13T21:43:51.565-07:00WIAW #28 - It's been too long<div>Hello fellow What I Ate Wednesday party-ers! And hello to those who are not WIAW party-ers! According to my records, the <a href="http://healthnutholdthenut.blogspot.com/2012/10/wiaw-27-series-times.html">last time I partied</a> was back in October! It's been way too long! I'm really trying to focus on my food this month and I'm tracking calories. That being said I am happy to say that I am <i>actually proud</i> of my eats today (even though they don't live up to the green theme)! Check it out and see what you think:<br />
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<a href="http://www.peasandcrayons.com/" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh44bcjrUDQ_8DDnbmGf5aeWPHxgr0yLB9CaAPbi7X3X8pCqOQGD7D_-moeOHiTe4S5yLxrpkbC7FhKxaU8K1NmvS_gzoyIC2w3rGXUFsUUt3Ysm21EkliPkV-Rm7ARsv5MDOtqO4LtnK95/s1600/WIAW+GOES+GREEN.jpg" /></a></center>
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<span style="color: #e69138;"><b>Breakfast:</b></span></div>
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I have had a seriously craving for bagels lately. This may or may not be <a href="http://www.peasandcrayons.com/2013/02/what-i-ate-wednesday-109-love-your.html">Jenn's</a> <a href="http://www.peasandcrayons.com/search?updated-max=2013-03-08T10:16:00-05:00&max-results=4">fault</a> <a href="http://www.peasandcrayons.com/2013/03/what-i-ate-wednesday-112.html">;)</a> Anyway Mike and I went shopping while I was starving, which is always a bad idea. I bought two packages of Bagel Thins. Everything and Cinnamon Raisin. I have been having them like every morning with cream cheese and today was no exception. It's like the best breakfast ever!<br />
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I continued my breakfast after my workout, with one link of Erkrich Farms Cheddar sausage and a raspberry Nutrigrain bar.<br />
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<b><span style="color: #e69138;">Lunch:</span></b></div>
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I finally made myself a smoothie! I've been wanting to incorporate smoothies into my diet as another way to get fruits and veggies in me. Usually I would say especially veggies, as they are the hardest for me to meet the daily requirement. However lately my diet has been void of fruits. This smoothie helped that by having 1/2 a frozen banana, some frozen mixed berries, plus plain no fat Greek yogurt, vanilla protein powder and a little vanilla almond milk. Oh and the smoothie has a reusable green lid and straw! How's that for green?! <br />
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<b><span style="color: #e69138;">Snack:</span></b></div>
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My own 100 calorie snack pack of salted peanuts! <br />
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<b><span style="color: #e69138;">Dinner:</span></b></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYIuWqIoYvab7e4wOvb-aoRw8GhGxNGvDCdb41dJZ-6_jckYeGdqmh5GhT6_eLijAPm6yry7HCD2iDSL0Kmr8i3tGTGYdUc2o2KKTffdyjFWuvI8y-hfQBY2kGQCrPPSE7u6g6zooVGJg/s1600/packshot_grillers-original.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYIuWqIoYvab7e4wOvb-aoRw8GhGxNGvDCdb41dJZ-6_jckYeGdqmh5GhT6_eLijAPm6yry7HCD2iDSL0Kmr8i3tGTGYdUc2o2KKTffdyjFWuvI8y-hfQBY2kGQCrPPSE7u6g6zooVGJg/s1600/packshot_grillers-original.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.morningstarfarms.com/products/burgers/grillers-original">Birthplace</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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I forgot to take a photo of my actual food because I was too busy stuffing my face, but here's a stock photo. Morning Star Farm's Griller on a white bun (lame. I don't know why I bought white instead of wheat), with sweet pickle relish and mustard and a side of canned pears in 100% juice!<br />
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So what I did pretty good right?! I am happy with it. Don't forget to go visit <a href="http://www.peasandcrayons.com/2013/03/what-i-ate-wednesday-112.html">Jenn's party</a>, meet some new friends and get some yummy food ideas!! <br />
<br /></div>Kathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17661495172918387184noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3335707916615529203.post-65032369326493927182013-03-08T11:14:00.000-08:002013-03-08T11:14:34.065-08:00The SUN!!!HAPPY FRIDAY! I don't know about you, but it's <b>TGIF</b> for me! <br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjy6Gfan5J5yI-K6OSABMF3SXUzPkFobBturSrbOzPZyG1z69G5HNXS6SbfyW212nC5fIQ-YJ7rkE2B_ZUp4i9wEuEAfLTBWjgODq_-rc9H-Efxp3A9OSZh81bjksdxU146cnZwRUt6NKk/s1600/eff+s+oclock.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="224" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjy6Gfan5J5yI-K6OSABMF3SXUzPkFobBturSrbOzPZyG1z69G5HNXS6SbfyW212nC5fIQ-YJ7rkE2B_ZUp4i9wEuEAfLTBWjgODq_-rc9H-Efxp3A9OSZh81bjksdxU146cnZwRUt6NKk/s320/eff+s+oclock.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.someecards.com/usercards/viewcard/MjAxMi03OTllNjA1YjQ0NjhmYWJj">Birthplace</a></td></tr>
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Sorry for the swearing, but that just cracks me up! It's winter in Michigan, but the sun is shining, which is really rare. Winter in Michigan means a lot of months of cloudy, deary days. Once the sun starts to come out again, I instantly get happy and really start getting spring fever.<br />
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I feel like when I get out of work that I should be able to walk outside with no coat on, have a bonfire, talk a walk or go running outdoors! Oh running outside, how I miss you! <br />
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Then reality hits<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNBojy2t55KP1Ypvlo8QtFTmJNhFWMK4TqlcTmV1iEc5KaEaqY65jXoO0cwwu-BtElTk7_PNRO9aYezU0JvaqS6yc3xCp0fOKa3yyKhAqRB-USmu8XcDZhkW-s44GWIkitpdFY25ZTiqA/s1600/March+Temp.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNBojy2t55KP1Ypvlo8QtFTmJNhFWMK4TqlcTmV1iEc5KaEaqY65jXoO0cwwu-BtElTk7_PNRO9aYezU0JvaqS6yc3xCp0fOKa3yyKhAqRB-USmu8XcDZhkW-s44GWIkitpdFY25ZTiqA/s1600/March+Temp.jpg" /></a></div>
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*Le sigh* Soon it will be warm though and that is going to be awesome!<br />
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We'll be riding bikes! <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_exNLFVkLwZWBXLRqhbmZrGVrd7eWwQHmEIGGsd5_ghqwdXvxSkrEPYwx7QJ5eJAff8sFYoqAGhv41exNhVjOHKbHkCeseNCJ5LNIVMeuwL2Fv4li3yGCSgWKUEtHbnkKTr3goi_WHxA/s1600/1335924728847.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_exNLFVkLwZWBXLRqhbmZrGVrd7eWwQHmEIGGsd5_ghqwdXvxSkrEPYwx7QJ5eJAff8sFYoqAGhv41exNhVjOHKbHkCeseNCJ5LNIVMeuwL2Fv4li3yGCSgWKUEtHbnkKTr3goi_WHxA/s320/1335924728847.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
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<span id="goog_859059831"></span><span id="goog_859059832"></span>Wearing flip flops, shorts and tanks!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisBzaTuJyRsNBxrNgA5y0IqXtVR0wZmGvLpVraSZzgNkO9IZFB_YlDlr67e1dSeQ3k2SBnM6GHkEQlnE9u9-xlIrxFq2cro1gJOoYUh2m4hMBkjIYC5RF90Ms-WaZRYxxOoPJ8BuyT4Hc/s1600/IMAG1323.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisBzaTuJyRsNBxrNgA5y0IqXtVR0wZmGvLpVraSZzgNkO9IZFB_YlDlr67e1dSeQ3k2SBnM6GHkEQlnE9u9-xlIrxFq2cro1gJOoYUh2m4hMBkjIYC5RF90Ms-WaZRYxxOoPJ8BuyT4Hc/s320/IMAG1323.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Enjoying the great outdoors!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUFVMlu1OdAqDqPxVHZKi3enck5JPCdfASBi-hH-MS8luCx2y73crKy_FKJS6SIufPf1xep4rWH9U7-RYi79nfsSX3WeaiNDdD4Wbn5TtZjyNBL-UABs1YljmUCgnES8-wYmFblGvmgbw/s1600/horse.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUFVMlu1OdAqDqPxVHZKi3enck5JPCdfASBi-hH-MS8luCx2y73crKy_FKJS6SIufPf1xep4rWH9U7-RYi79nfsSX3WeaiNDdD4Wbn5TtZjyNBL-UABs1YljmUCgnES8-wYmFblGvmgbw/s320/horse.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<span id="goog_859059839"></span><span id="goog_859059840"></span><br />
Camping at<a href="http://www.visitludingtonstatepark.com/statepark/category/camping_campgrounds__rv_parks"> Ludington State Park</a> - my favorite place in the world!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjf5KCaDIi9PG2YaWgRqU6ANVvmYe1ZsrkV79DNBHPbTdCnYYawi2l6-k0qN20dT4Ky43YkGdh8OIfKevb2yFAx7im6cDpZnfSLdjrrlHJbZubGT1-fcT24uBB9n9Cg2uv4mqbXFawD3cc/s1600/dunes.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjf5KCaDIi9PG2YaWgRqU6ANVvmYe1ZsrkV79DNBHPbTdCnYYawi2l6-k0qN20dT4Ky43YkGdh8OIfKevb2yFAx7im6cDpZnfSLdjrrlHJbZubGT1-fcT24uBB9n9Cg2uv4mqbXFawD3cc/s320/dunes.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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And enjoying gorgeous sunsets!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4v6_SqGwlGyL2bHLFcIs5fXbGBtp9a156j0lfqUn8ZnCDG55wF5QBKNeH2xreJmEOSwOzTvJnzuMZyCsT3omvKNQlR_e3vi80MczEtAXKGso05XiYkjVwuYcgFaTjAkrQbWw5H7uH3eA/s1600/Lud+sunset.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4v6_SqGwlGyL2bHLFcIs5fXbGBtp9a156j0lfqUn8ZnCDG55wF5QBKNeH2xreJmEOSwOzTvJnzuMZyCsT3omvKNQlR_e3vi80MczEtAXKGso05XiYkjVwuYcgFaTjAkrQbWw5H7uH3eA/s320/Lud+sunset.png" width="240" /></a></div>
Summer <i>please</i> hurry up!!!<br />
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<i>What do you look forward to about summer?</i></div>
<br />Kathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17661495172918387184noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3335707916615529203.post-56463394229958581332013-03-06T12:40:00.001-08:002013-03-06T12:40:46.656-08:00I'm living to 95 years old!I have one email that I send all my freebie offers to. I think everyone has one of these - their junk email where items just collect and collect and collect. I'm working on trying to stay on top of that email and slowly deleting the old emails. All 6535 of them. My brother once said, "Katie why do you care? It's like it's taking up space in your room or something." I don't know why it bothers me but it does. I am an information/paper hoarder, but I need to work on the organization of that information, including the digital clutter. <br />
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Anyway, I was working on going through some old email and I found something really cool!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaqyGhz7xwJtKfsr2jmlhcpW6k_SRv7hIilRl8Gu1XiKOOG5hyphenhyphenGao5fo8fMywd0uojxkTtt-OOYs4fryE2lnKVyYDXKvkcJWX9XMeLvAiajcaDqpxF45htlIUU3iae4cpo5wB3IZbic6c/s1600/IMAG1492.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaqyGhz7xwJtKfsr2jmlhcpW6k_SRv7hIilRl8Gu1XiKOOG5hyphenhyphenGao5fo8fMywd0uojxkTtt-OOYs4fryE2lnKVyYDXKvkcJWX9XMeLvAiajcaDqpxF45htlIUU3iae4cpo5wB3IZbic6c/s320/IMAG1492.jpg" width="180" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My planner - key to my organization!</td></tr>
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<a name='more'></a>I found a Life Expectancy Calculator! It is made by Northwestern Mutual, so take it with a grain of salt. I'm not sure what their credibility is on life expectancy although I picture them using this to decide whether or not to insure people, like Ben Stiller's character had to do with the adventure guy in <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0343135/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1">Along Came Polly</a>. (Anyone besides me see that movie?)<br />
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The calculator has you answer 13 questions about your lifestyle and then gives you your age. I gave it a whirl and look what I got<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9tGHDnIva3i0NglCEutu4jbfAXURz8eE8Gp1gl2vBaxcGsguooyyGo7_ye500l3X8baXKBxNwapZMyHrjzBnmDTm90D9PXENLoyh21v_z-nQ_iUYU6ZC6nQB36giBnXea3G6MH6NAOow/s1600/Life+Expect+Calc.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9tGHDnIva3i0NglCEutu4jbfAXURz8eE8Gp1gl2vBaxcGsguooyyGo7_ye500l3X8baXKBxNwapZMyHrjzBnmDTm90D9PXENLoyh21v_z-nQ_iUYU6ZC6nQB36giBnXea3G6MH6NAOow/s320/Life+Expect+Calc.jpg" width="202" /></a></div>
95 years! I don't know why but for some reason seeing that pop up and it being closely aligned with my living-to-100-years-old-goal, made me really excited and validated. Like just because this little calculator says 95, I'm definitely going to make it that far! Even better once I increased my exercising and my intake of fruits and veggies, it bumped me up to 99 years old!!!<br />
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I know in my head that I want to live the healthiest life possible so I can live as long in possible. I have a goal of living to 100 years old, but I know in reality that God is in control of that, not me. However seeing the upper 90s for my life expectancy, really gave me a boost in my confidence. This could really happen! <br />
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After my <a href="http://healthnutholdthenut.blogspot.com/2013/02/february-its-on.html">February Challenge</a>, I have observed a few areas I need to work on, which I hope to incorporate into my health plan for the next few months. A couple of those areas is the food I eat and my exercising. I'll share my newly developed plan soon, but in the mean time try<a href="http://media.nmfn.com/tnetwork/lifespan/"> this Life Expectancy Calculator</a> ! Share your age and thoughts on it below!<br />
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Kathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17661495172918387184noreply@blogger.com0