If you follow my on Instagram, you know that on Sunday, I hit my pre-pregnancy weight!!!!!!! One day before Hamp turned 4 months. Talk about cutting it close to my goal! Do you know how excited I was? I did a happy dance All. Day. Long. Just ask my husband who looked at me like I was crazy. It was a very happy day.

I have still been working out and running this week and plan to continue it. I am currently participating in Tone It Up’s 60 by Spring challenge. We are trying to run 60 miles in 30 days before the official day of spring. I’ve clocked in 23.4 miles so far. I’m still working hard to tighten my core back up. It still isn’t quite back to normal but I am getting there. Slowly but surely I will get there.

My diet has been a struggle this week. I gave in to chick fil a. My weakness. As well as some m&ms. My other weakness. I’m hoping to lose about 7 more pounds to get to my absolute ideal weight, so I’m trying not to give in to any more temptations. As long as I stay focused I feel like I can accomplish this goal. My fitness pal app has still really helped me, but it’s so much easier when I just eat healthy- fruits, veggies and protein. I not only lose weight but I seriously feel better and more energized when I eat really well.

If you are part of the TIU community, please find me on Instagram where I check in daily! I’d love to follow along on your journey as well. Good luck with your fitness goals, ladies! You can do it!

I was really sad to see the Tone It Up Love Your Body series come to an end. I really enjoyed it and can’t wait to do it again next year. It helped me lose 13 pounds and several inches. I’m only 2 pounds away from my pre-baby weight and I’m so excited/proud of that.

My ultimate goal is to lose 10 more pounds. I figure if I’ve done this well in 6 weeks, why not keep it going? I’ve been eating a lot healthier and I feel so much better and stronger. I’ve gained a lot of my confidence back which is an awesome feeling. I definitely feel back to myself. Funny thing is, I’m actually starting to enjoy my morning runs. I have always hated running but it is quickly becoming my favorite part of the day. I really want to run my first 5k this year! I would love to do it sooner rather than later but I need to work on my time a little more so I don’t embarrass myself.

I’m looking forward to participating in the Bikini Series coming up in a couple more weeks. Please join me in it and join the Tone it up community! You won’t regret it!

I had a pretty exciting week. Not only did I lose another pound, I can officially fit into my pre-pregnancy jeans!! I tried them on Monday morning and they fit! It was a huge milestone. Hampton turned 3 months on the 24th, and 4 months is the goal I had marked in my head to lose all of this weight. I am really excited to have made it this far! 8 pounds to go in less than 1 month. Can I do it (fingers crossed)? The Tone it up challenge has definitely helped me achieve my weight loss and helped me tone up a good bit in the last month. Most importantly, I feel so much better. I feel stronger and have so much more energy. It makes me excited and I actually look forward to the workouts every day.

Because of our snow days, I wasn’t able to make it to the gym (roads closed) and so I did Zumba several times this week. Zumba is awesome and you can burn a ton of calories doing it. I am definitely looking forward to getting back on my running schedule.

As far as nutrition, I am still trying to eat more fruits and vegetables than anything else. I’m not really dieting, just trying to eat healthier in general. I’m also still mostly drinking water (and coffee of course).

How was your fitness this week? Any nutrition tips you want to share?

Happy Fitness Friday!! How are you doing with your fitness goals this month? You haven’t given up on those NYRs yet, have you? I sure haven’t!

I discovered an amazing website a couple of weeks ago. Tone it up is a fitness/nutrition program that gives you challenges and goals every week. Right now they are hosting the Love Your Body challenge. You must complete 100 miles by Valentines Day and they also have workouts for you to do every day to help you tone up.

I am loving this program so much. It is fun and exciting and the best part is there is a whole community of women who encourage you to reach your goals along the way. I started a week late so I’m a bit behind on my miles, but as of yesterday, I’ve completed 38.8 miles in just two weeks! That is pretty awesome for me! Not to mention the workouts on top of that. I have also lost 3 pounds! I only have 9 more to go but I still have a lot of toning to do to get back to where I was before the pregnancy. I am very proud of the progress I’ve made so far and can’t wait to continue to see results.

You can follow my fitness journey on Instagram where I’ll be checking in daily. Did I mention they give out all kinds of fun prizes and workout gear to people who check in regularly? They sure do! I highly recommend you join this FREE program! It is so much fun and I probably would have accomplished everything I have if I had not joined.

Happy Friday, y’all!!

Via

Hello hello my loveys! I’m so excited to start Fitness Fridays again! I’m mostly excited that I can get into a good work out routine! Like so many, one of my 2014 resolutions is to lose weight. Most of you know I had a baby 2 months ago and I gained quite a bit of weight. It shed off of me pretty quickly probably due to breastfeeding, but I am really struggling to lose these last 12 pounds. My goal is not only to lose weight but to also eat healthier this year. I didn’t do so well last year as far as diet goes. If you remember last year when I started this series, I told y’all that I HATE hate hate all these fad diets that so many people get into. I hate to hurt your feelings but they don’t work (I’ll talk more about this next week). They may work temporarily, but they do not help you keep the weight off long term. The only thing that will help you shed weight and keep it off is through regular diet and exercise.

Via

Does that D word scare you? It terrifies me. Confession time: I love junk food. I am a chocoholic and I hate the idea of not being able to eat what I want. That word makes me feel restricted and I don’t like that at all. That’s why I trick myself by eating whatever I want for lunch and keep it healthy for breakfast and dinner. I do some serious portion control however. I’m trying to shrink my stomach back down after eat all those cookies during my pregnancy (terrible craving, I know).

So how am I going to lose this last bit of weight and keep it off?

Plan of attack: Diet

Breakfast: 1 cup of fruit and coffee

Lunch: Whatever I want as long as I keep it within my allotted calorie intake based on my weight and how much I want to lose.

Dinner: 1 cup of Vegetables whether it is Veggie Soup or sauteed or grilled veggies, salad etc.

Drink: Water only

I’m going to limit my sugar intake(with the exception of fruit and creamer in my coffee).

Exercise:

This week I started a pretty good routine.

Sunday: Rest
Monday: C25K and strength exercises
Tuesday: Zumba
Wednesday: Eliptical and walk
Thursday: C25k and strength exercises
Friday: Zumba
Saturday: C25k and strength exercises

I’m using the C25K app and MyFitnessPal app for Iphone.

My routine will change because I like to keep it fresh so that I don’t get bored. For now and the next couple of weeks, this will be my workout schedule.

I knocked it out of the park this week with both my diet and exercise so I’m pretty fired up and really ready to shed these last few pounds so that I can feel better and fit into my skinny jeans again.

I’m hoping my plan of attack works. I am not only trying to lose weight but also to tone up. I am in a wedding in April and want to look my best for my favorite 2014 Bride. I’ll keep you updated with my progress and give you tips on what I’ve learned based on my experiences.

What is your fitness plan for 2014?

*Please note that I am not a professional. I have been trained in several styles of dance and danced most of my life. I was also a dance instructor for several years, but I have not been professionally trained in fitness. I will only give you tips and advice based on my experiences.*

How far along? 32 weeks

Baby Size: 4lbs. 19 inches (What to Expect app)


Weight Gain: 30 lbs. (yikes)


Button: Still in but only slightly. 

Feeling: Excited and nervous. I’m so ready to meet baby H but getting anxious about the delivery. 


Maternity Clothes: YES! Moms-to-be, give in to the maternity jeans. They have been a life saver. I also bought some black and white pants for work and they are great!

Sleep: I’m sleeping okay. I still wake up multiple times a night, but I’m getting used to it and maybe it will help me be prepared for those first few months.

Miss Anything? Being able to tie my own shoes without using extreme acrobatics.

Movement: All the time! He is getting stronger every day.

Looking forward to: My baby shower next week!


Bump: If you follow me on Instagram, you’ve probably seen pictures of my growing belly. It’s definitely out there now!

Exercise: Still walking and swimming. I’ve also tried this prenatal Pilates series thanks to another blogger’s suggestion. That has been a nice change.  

Anything making you sick: Unfortunately, my morning sickness has come back. I’m hoping it will go away soon but I’m not holding my breath. It has mostly been in the mornings, but has hit me at night a couple of times. 


Nursery: Still waiting on our furniture to come in. I’m starting to get a little antsy, but they assured me it would be here within the week. We will see…

Via

Exercising while pregnant is not easy – especially when you get to the third trimester. During my first and the beginning of my second trimesters, I had no problem walking 2 miles every day, swimming, doing barre exercises, etc. That has all changed. I’m 30 weeks pregnant and I’m doing good if I make it a mile at a strolling pace. I just have to keep telling myself that anything is better than nothing.

I have found that it is so much easier to swim. It takes the pressure off of you and makes you feel light which is a wonderful feeling at this point in the pregnancy. It is so much easier on my back and I still get in a great workout.

I’ve looked into prenatal yoga and it is great for meditation and relaxation, however, I’m more of a cardio girl. I enjoy upbeat workouts that make me want to push myself, and yoga just doesn’t do it for me. I enjoy yoga a lot more when I’m not pregnant and can actually bend.

Bottom line: Anything is better than nothing. There will be plenty of time to push myself and work off these pounds after baby H gets here.

What worked for you during your pregnancy?

Hello lovely ladies (and gents?)! I hope you are all having a wonderful week. It’s almost Friday! Whoop whoop!! I don’t know about you, but the month of May is always so packed full of exciting events for us and our families. The craziness is starting this weekend and I can’t wait. We will be celebrating graduations, birthdays AND we will find out the gender of our baby! I can hardly contain my excitement!

I have been feeling so much better this week. I’ve only thrown up about 4 of the last 7 days which is AMAZING. I feel like I can actually do things again. I also started pilates this week. I’ve really enjoyed it so far. It’s a nice change when I don’t feel like walking. I’ve still been craving tomatoes and eating about one or two a day. At least it’s a healthy craving, right? Although I’m afraid our baby will come out red.  The baby is 3 inches long and is the size of a lemon according to babycenter. I go back for another appointment next week and will schedule my ultrasound (EEkKK)!

On another exciting note, I traded in my car for a SUV last Friday. It’s been an adjustment but a really good one. We have been wanting a SUV for a while now and with the baby on it’s way, and enough money saved up it seemed like the perfect time.

Well, I am happy to report this week has been much more successful! I worked out every weekday which was my goal, and guess what? I have lost a pound! I’ll let you in on a secret: when I was working out and trying to get beautimous for our wedding, I only lost 1 pound a month. It’s tough for me to lose weight, but I lost a pound in 3 weeks! I’m pretty excited. It’s always encouraging to see positive results. 🙂 On a side note: 30 Day Shred kicked my butt! It’s a really great workout and I’m really excited to keep doing it.

I’ve still been drinking fruit and veggie smoothies for lunch which has really helped my diet stay more healthly and balanced. I did mess up and get Zaxby’s for lunch one day, but trust me, this southern girl needs a little fried chicken in her life, otherwise, things could get ugly.

Via

Let’s talk about running. I can see why so many people love to run. But as for me, I’d rather do Insanity than run. I hate running. I love to walk, do the elliptical, dance but no running for me, thank you. I have tried to fall in love with it, but it’s just miserable to me. And it kills my knees (thank you, dance). This is why it is important to find a workout that works best for you. It is easier on my knees to do aerobic-type workouts like Zumba the elliptical when I go to the gym. I can still get great results and burn plenty of calories without having to run all the time. I do try to run every once in a while because it is very healthy for you but for the most part, I just prefer other work outs. I guess that was a long winded way of saying you don’t have to be a runner to get a runner’s body. Find something that works best for you.

Workouts I completed this week:

Friday: 1.5 mile walk/run
Monday: 30 Day Shred
Tuesday: 1.5 mile walk
Wednesday: 30 Day Shred
Thursday: 18 minutes on the elliptical, .6 mile walk, 50 crunches

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Now, on to some exciting news!!! Tarole from Island Livin’ with One Haole Girl and I are starting a blog hop that will be held every Monday. It will be called “Monday Mingling.” We are very excited about this new adventure and I hope you will all come help make it a success by linking up. Feel free to spread the word and grab our button below:

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See you Monday!

Hello everyone! If you recall from last week, I talked about how I was going to start this fitness series to keep me accountable on my daily diet and workout routines. If you missed my first post, you can check it out here.

This week did not go as planned. I’ve been sick with this crud that doesn’t want to leave me and that threw off my workout plans. I did workout yesterday and plan to today so please don’t judge me based on my lack of performance this week. We will see how it goes next week. I did however meet my goal to eat something green every day! That’s something, right?

Via

Ryan and I love to watch The Biggest Loser. It is so motivating to me to see these 300 pound people running on a treadmill, doing the stair climb and throwing around a weighted ball. When I watch them do it, I tell myself “Logan, you have NO excuse. If this guy can do it, why aren’t you?” This year they are tackling childhood obesity. It warms my heart to see them really getting the word out about how bad obesity has plagued American children. Although I am not a parent yet, I do want my children to be healthy one day and live a healthy lifestyle. I can’t help them do that if I’m not setting the example.

One of the Biggest Loser’s trainers, Jillian Michaels, has come out with several work-out DVD’s. Thanks to Tarole’s suggestion, I bought the 30-Day Shred! I’m so scared excited to start this DVD on Monday!

Via

Let’s talk about diet for a minute. I am the chocolate queen. Put anything chocolate in front of me and I will not even think twice before I dive in. It’s a weakness. Do I plan on giving it up? NO! Why? because you can eat chocolate, sugar, pizza, Mexican food, Chinese food, etc. as long as it is in moderation. In fact, did you know it is good to eat a bad meal every week? It throws off your body. If you eat healthy food all the time, your body starts to get used to it and that healthy food becomes the norm. If you eat a bad meal, it throws off your body and makes it work over time to process what you ate, which makes your metabolism go into overdrive. You’re welcome. 🙂

Here are the workout(s) I completed this week:

Thursday: 15 minutes on the elliptical, walked .6 miles, 50 crunches, 15 push-ups

Taken with my iphone while working out. Please excuse the blurry quality.

Sad, but better than nothing. I’m starting to feel a little better, so I’ll get after it this week!

Goals for this week: Eat more protein, complete 30-Day Shred workouts every day.

Good luck to you this week! Kick your workouts in the hiney! And don’t forget to eat a cookie (again, you’re welcome).