who i am

September 1, 2011 in Blog, Family, Friends, Kids, Marriage, Workout

It’s almost the weekend.  Hooray!!  Feels like this week dragged along for me.  I’m thankful to have a couple of days to focus on family and rest.  And two more hands to help out with the kids.

After last week’s guest posts (which landed me a few new readers – hello new readers!), I thought it would be a good time to take a cue from Bonnie, and tell you guys WHO I AM!  I love Bonnie’s blog…almost as much as I love her, so I just had to steal this idea, Bon.  Consider it a complement!

WHO I AM:

I am a daughter of God.

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This was number one on Bonnie’s list and I think that’s why I love her so much – we are sister’s in Christ.  I was fortunate enough to grow up in a Christian household and have been able to grow in God throughout my life.   I am a sinner.  Plain and simple.  But I am also REDEEMED by a Great God, who loves me regardless of anything I could do.  His Grace is laid thick throughout my life and I am reminded of it daily as I look around at the beauty that He gives.  Every day, I am given a chance to spread His love to other people.  It is my DEEPEST desire to become more selfless and follow God’s will for my life.  I am so very thankful that I am His chosen one.  Plain and simple.

I am a wife.

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Travis and I have been married for 6 years, together for 9.  Marriage has been the biggest blessing of my life!  Travis and I have so much fun together; we make each other laugh, we build each other up, and we challenge one another.  We are complete opposites, yet we compliment each other so well.  God designed it that way.  Travis is sloppy, I am clean.  Travis is patient, I am most certainly not.  In college, he helped me with math homework, while I edited his papers.  He is the BEST father to our children, constantly involved and always eager to make everyday happenstances into life lessons.  Travis challenges me to be the best ME that I can be.  And he believes that I can be that person, even when I can’t believe it for myself.  I am super blessed – he’s a keeper!

I am a mother.

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Travis and I were married for almost 3 years before we decided to get pregnant with Henry.  I can confidently say that we NEEDED that alone time together before babies, and at the same time, we were missing something.  When Travis’ job transferred us from Denver to Chattanooga, a mere two hours away from both sets of would-be grandparents, we knew that the time couldn’t be more perfect to start our family.  Three years later, and we now have two kids, Henry and Clara.  The plan has always been to have 3 or more, whether biologically or adopted.  Mothering has been THE MOST CHALLENGING, yet REWARDING thing I have done so far, and just like I couldn’t imagine my life without Travis, I would never want to go through this life without children.

I am an athlete.

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To say that I’m competitive would be an understatement.  I’ll be the first to admit that when I sign up for a race, I usually know that I can win.  That’s not arrogance, it’s confidence in my running ability, and more significantly, my competitive nature.  While racing, I really like to “pick” people off and I count them as I do it (that is odd, I admit).   I’ve always been pretty active.  In high school, I ran cross country and track, and played basketball.   Now,  I like to weight train, run, hike, walk, you name it.  I just like MOVING, I guess!

I am a sister, daughter, friend.

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My parent’s have been married for 30 years.  They put their ALL into raising my sister and I, sacrificing money, time and energy, so that we could have opportunities to grow as people.  I like to think we turned out pretty well, so they must have done something right!  My sister, Katy, is a math teacher and baker.  She’s also getting her Master’s in Mathematics, while teaching full-time.  Pretty inspiring!!  She does MANY MANY things much better than me.  Except being goofy – I’m much better at that.

I am a goofball.

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I’m not sure if it comes across in my eloquent writing or not, but I’m terribly uncoordinated, clumsy and forgetful.  FOR THE MOST PART, I don’t care what other’s think and I don’t mind making a fool of myself (especially for the sake of a joke).  I’m the girl you see dancing on Aisle 9 to the elevator music…only it’s slow, and I’m dancing super fast.  I just can’t help it – it’s the way God made me.

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I hope that you feel like you know me just a little bit more.  Writing a blog is such an ODD thing (really, it blows my mind that people would want to read about other people’s daily life, but they do – I do!).  I am CONFIDENT that I’ll meet some of you fellow bloggers in person one day.  Until then, reading about each other will have to suffice.   Like I’ve said before, I’m just as awesome in real life as I seem on the blog.

So not really awesome at all.  Ha!  Beat you to it, Travis.

A Question:   WHO ARE YOU???  What are a few words that describe you? 

splendid…lindsay

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words of wisdom

August 31, 2011 in Blog, Dinner, Workout

I don’t know what it is, if Henry bonked my head one too many times with his fake golf club or what, but I have major writers block today.  So I’m just going to ramble about some random stuff and see where I land.

Lucky you.

Some of my random observations, paired with Lindsay’s “Words of Wisdom”.  List style, to make it even easier on my mommy brain.  If you use these gems on your own blog and don’t link back, I’ll sue you.

“If you don’t blog about it the minute it happens, you won’t blog about it.” 

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Clara’s first birthday is over and done.  We had a pretty big party for her like two weeks ago.  My mom keeps asking when I’m going to blog about it, but it’s really too late now.  The highlight of the party was Katy’s Cupcake Bar!!  She made chocolate and vanilla cupcakes, like 10 bags of buttercream and dark chocolate icing, and let everyone decorate their own! 

I think I’ll just go back in and edit one of the birthday posts and include pictures.  When I have the time.  Next month.

“It’s best to change things up.  And keep things the same.”

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I actually thought about showing you guys this whole workout, but I’m not even sure if that’s legal.  If you want more info, go to Self.com.

I’ve been attending A LOT of fitness classes lately.  When I say a lot, I mean at least two per day, sometimes THREE!!  And while I absolutely LOVE each and every class, I miss working out in the “real gym”.  You know, where the man stuff is, i.e. weights. 

Last night, I didn’t attend a class.  I texted Katy to see if she was free, and we went and worked out together, like we used to.  I LOVED it!!  I miss spending that one on one time with my sister.  And I’m sore in new places today.  Win-win.  By the time today is over, I’ll have two classes under my belt.  But I would like to make one on one workouts more of an occurrence. 

“Give credit where credit is due.”

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Ok, I’ll admit, that one wasn’t mine.  And neither was this recipe.  But I wish I’d thought of it first.

If you haven’t bought Sarah Matheny, aka, Mama Pea’s new cookbook, “Peas and Thank You” yet, YOU SHOULD!!  It’s chockfull of amazing, meat free recipes that your whole family will love.  And my whole family DID love her Black Bean Burgers!  Travis ate three.  The recipe made four.  That’s the sign of a good recipe.  And that Travis is incapable of sharing.

and lastly,

“Some things never change.  Facebook told me so.”

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Yep….still true!  Only I’d amend it to say, “…under NO circumstances should anyone walk on the greenway with their shirt off OR their shirt ON if it has a picture of fake, cartoon abs and pecs.  I actually think I prefer the no shirt option.

 

splendid…lindsay

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goals revisited and why wearing five fingers to step class is a bad idea

August 30, 2011 in Step Aerobics, Vibrams, Workout

Longest post title ever, no?

Not quite as long as my Advanced Step class felt last night, while wearing my new Five Fingers.

To say that it was brutal, would be an understatement.  But more on that later…first, a recap of how well I did with my goals.

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Last Monday, I posted my goals for the upcoming week.  Something to hold me accountable to – if it’s written on the World Wide Web, it’s law.  I even made a professional table and everything.   See, that high school computer class DID pay off.  Dating losers – not so much.

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Let’s see how I did:  (black font is what I wrote last week, red font – my additions today)

DAILY GOALS

  • Floss teeth – I do this maybe every other day.  Yep – 5 out of 7 days isn’t half bad.  I can get better at this.
  • Drink 120 ounces of water – Yep – I think I just forgot to put a check mark on Tuesday.  Drinking enough water seems to be habitual now.  Water and Unsweetened Vanilla Almond Milk are really my only go-to drinks.
  • Eat one salad – My greens intake has been lacking as of late. I’m blaming it on my failure to plan ahead. So today at the grocery store, I bought organic spinach, broccoli, and cauliflower. Add homegrown tomatoes and green peppers and I’ll make a huge salad and dip out of that all week.  Major fail!  I’m not sure what happened – I had all the ingredients at hand, but when it came to meal time, I would choose another option.
  • Read Bible - My bookmark is in Acts, but it’s been probably two weeks since my last read. Major fail! – Not anymore!  I’m consistently reading Acts pretty much everyday.  I’m also reading a great book, “Radical” by David Platt.  A must read!
  • Attend at least one fitness class – I’m not sure if I even made this “blog public” yet, but I got the fitness instructor job that I applied for last week! I’ll be teaching a couple of classes per week and doing personal training. Just part-time. I’m super stoked! – Success!!  Most days, I attended a 9AM AND 5:30PM class!  Next week, I will start teaching MY OWN Aqua Power class (water aerobics).
  • Brush Henry’s teeth – Sadly, this needs to be made into a better habit. We usually have something going on EVERY SINGLE NIGHT and by the time we get home, we rush through bedtime chores and Henry’s teeth suffer the consequence. – 6 out of 7!   I really can’t take credit for this one – Travis puts Henry to bed, so Travis brushed his teeth most nights.

WEEKLY GOALS

  • Clean off back porch – It’s as if a small angry wombat was let loose out there. Not pretty. – FAIL – didn’t even think about it….in fact, I read that I put this on the list and laughed out loud.  I’ll get to it eventually.  I think it helps (or rather doesn’t help depending on how you look at it) that it’s out of sight.
  • Bleach teeth - boy, I’m obsessed with teeth. Thanks, hygienist Mom. – SUCCESS!  I bleached my teeth three times, maybe more, and am on my way towards a Toddlers and Tiara’s smile.
  • Take car to have it cleaned – Nope.
  • Put all of Clara’s presents away – Yes.  This was an easy one.  I think I included it because of the fact that I knew I could get it done and have a nice check mark.
  • Finalize new website – More on this to come… – Yes, for the most part!  It’s still a work in progress.  I’m still getting bills from Lars, my web guy.

All in all, I think I did pretty well!  I think what helped the most was having these goals VISIBLE!!  And being able to go to the list at the end of the day and evaluate my progression.  I highly recommend printing out your goals and putting them at eye level!

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And now for the “piece de resistance”.  Wee wee.

Another goal for the week was to wear my Vibram FiveFingers to some of my fitness classes this week.  Last night was Advanced Step.  I hadn’t really read up on whether or not this was a “suggested Five Finger activity”, but apparently, it isn’t.

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It’s hard to see but I have five tiny little blisters at the crease of where my toes and foot meet.  Hours of unmedicated childbirth had NOTHING on the way my feet felt during that class!  With each “knee repeater” and “Right Basic”, my toes rubbed up against the shoes in a really bad way.  I actually thought they were bleeding.  I actually thought about just taking them off and doing the class barefoot.

And I actually might be a bit of a drama queen.  But seriously, lesson learned, do not wear Five Fingers for bouncing and jumping.  Running, yes.  Jumping, no!

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Now I’m off to the gym again, this time in Asics, to do a full-body workout with Katy.  Then quickly come home, shower, and go to a Recipe Swap!  I made Kristin’s Mexican Rice – I’m sure it will be tasty.  Have yourselves a great evening…and do me a favor, walk outside and feel smell the air – it’s almost FALL!!  Autumn Mix time!

 

splendid…lindsay

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body after baby

August 29, 2011 in Blog, Body, Kids, Workout

By now, you guys should know that I have two children, Henry and Clara.  Of course you know…they’re pretty much all I talk about. I’m guessing by my descriptions, you have these mental images: Clara – angel baby, Henry – toddler of terror…..

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…yup, that’s about right.   Pictures don’t lie, people.

I’m often asked how I got back in shape after each pregnancy.  To be perfectly honest, with hard work and determination.  I’ll be the first to admit that I can be VAIN!  And it isn’t always vanity for the sake of what OTHER’S think – I just don’t like letting MYSELF down.  Like most women, I worried about whether or not I’d look the same, whether I’d be able to get into “those” jeans, and if I could somehow make stretch marks the “new black”.

I think the biggest challenge with each up and down cycle was trying to come to grips with the fact that I would never get my old body back….

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…So I just went ahead and got a better one!

Before:  40 weeks pregnant with Henry – Summer ‘08

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After:  9 months later – Summer ‘09

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Before:  41 weeks pregnant – Summer 2010

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After: One year later – Summer 2011

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Pictures might lie a little.  You can’t see the vein that popped in my forehead from flexing so hard.

What worked for me:  Body After Baby

Breastfeeding

I’m sure you’ve heard it before, but it bears repeating:  nursing works!!  Breastfeeding burns an average of 500 calories per day!  That’s as many calories as some workouts, and you aren’t doing anything except what God made your body to do!  Another advantage from nursing is that it causes your uterus to contract and your stomach to flatten/tighten.   Extra calorie burn = more cupcakes to eat.  Plus a flatter stomach!!  I’ll take it!!  Cuddle time with your children is just an added bonus!

Exercising throughout pregnancy

I had two healthy pregnancies and was fortunate enough to continue for the entire 42 weeks.  I remember taking a step class the day before giving birth to Henry.  The gym manager gently put her hand on my shoulder and in the nicest way possible said, “Please don’t let your water break on my floor”.  I smiled… and kept working out.

While I did alter some exercises (core work, chest press on the ball instead of a bench), I continued exercising at the same intensity that I did while not pregnant.  I also allowed for more rest days in between workouts.  I listened to my body, and my body told me to keep it up.  I really believe that it helped me get the weight off quicker afterwards, because I wasn’t trying to start over at square one.

Weight Training

Like I said, I kept weight training throughout each pregnancy, with some modifications.  After each delivery, I would take about 6 weeks before getting back into the gym to lift.  The benefits of doing weight bearing exercises are VAST!  A raise in metabolism for HOURS afterwards, increased flexibility and muscle tone, better balance, less likelihood of injury….the list goes on and on.  I lift 3 times per week, alternating upper and lower body, and work my core every other day.

High Protein, High Fiber

Protein and fiber help to keep you fuller longer, so I try to incorporate both at every meal. Plus, you’ll need protein to help repair those muscle fibers you’re tearing while lifting.

For me, exercising is the easy part.  Controlling my diet proves to be MUCH harder.  I don’t like people telling me what to do, therefore, sticking to a diet is not for me.  I try to eat intuitively and listen to my body.  About 80% of my “diet” consists of lean proteins, fruits and vegetables, and healthy fats.  The remaining 20% is made up of daily indulgences, i.e. brownies.

Support

Having the support and help of Travis has been CRUCIAL in finding time to workout.   Everyday, when Travis gets home from work, he watches the kids and lets me go to the gym.  He HAPPILY does this because he knows how important it is to me.  When you take care of a newborn all day, it is quite refreshing to be able to leave the house, clear your mind, and SWEAT.  If it weren’t for Travis and his support of my passions, I’m sure it would have taken much longer for me to get back down to my goal weight.

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And there you have it!  I’m proud to say that after two pregnancies, I weigh less now than I did when I got married.  Not only that, but I have more muscle, eat a more balanced diet, and just feel better overall.  I guess that’s what reading fitness and food blogs will do to you!   INFORM and INSPIRE!

I hope that after reading this, you are just that: informed and inspired!!

splendid…lindsay

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