MY Journey. I'm getting excited!!

I am old school. I like to write things down in a notebook rather than use an app. I took that screenshot of Jessica Enslow's plan, and plugged in my own info. She uses iifym.com to calculate her macros. It's very simple except at the end after it asks where to send your macros, enter your name and email, but continue on the site. Use the sliders to adjust your percentages.

This is exciting! It's already empowering to see this start to come together. This mama is no longer in autopilot. I am owning this!!

Now, I need to plan my workouts.

Check out Jessica Enslow's plan on her YouTube video HERE.

Making the Journey Mine

Okay. Here it goes...

Last year was great. Last year, I started seeing that I could be stronger and more fit than I thought I could be. I started weight training. I started learning about macros. All of my progress came to an abrupt halt due to circumstances beyond my control. Then, I just slowly quit. I quit calculating my macros. I quit working out. I quit blogging. I just got so discouraged.

Well, I'm ready to move on now and make my health and fitness journey my own. It's very good to give credit where credit is due, but as one of my midwives taught me, the greatest coaches teach you that it's all about you, and you don't really need them to succeed. The greatest coaches empower you; they don't use you to promote themselves.

So, I've gained 15lbs over the last 9 months, and I've lost any muscle development I'd gained. All the kids are odd numbered ages now:13, 11, 9, 7, 5, 3, and 1.5; and we recently joined the YMCA as a family. It's nice. Free childcare makes a huge difference!

I have to do this. I will do this. I put too much stock in a person and I gave that person way too much credit for my success. The truth is that I worked my butt off last year. I pushed myself. I dedicated myself to following a meal plan. I am grateful for the tools that were given to me to succeed, but I did the work. It is important for me to remember that.

I found another mom of 7 on Instagram named Jessica Enslow. She is in amazing shape, and since she's a little older than I am, a little shorter than I am, and has had as many babies, I feel like what she does is something I could do too. I am going to start here.

I also signed up with Plexus today. I hope these health products help me have more energy and maybe I'll be able to even get off my antidepressant. Who knows. I just know that my body needs some recuperation after 14.5 years of pregnancies and breastfeeding for almost all that time.

I have to prove this to myself, and I will. I hope you're all doing well. It's really nice to be back.

Here are some pics from this evening. I did legs and abs with Isaiah. Selah got in on it too!

Baby Fist Bump! Let's do this!

Why Am I Doing This? ~ Reassessing My Goals

I'm taking this journey farther than I've ever
been before, and I feel a little like Samwise here!

I am in my size 6 jeans. I'm 5 lbs away from my goal weight. I feel pretty good about myself, but I'm losing my drive! For the past 14 years of my life, I've been in a constant pattern of: Get pregnant. Lose baby weight. Get pregnant. Lose baby weight. Get pregnant. Lose baby weight. Repeat. Repeat. Repeat.

This time, I chose to step things up a notch with personal training.  My life so far has not required a long term fitness attention span because as soon as I lose my weight, I'm pregnant again. Well, I'm not pregnant, and nothing is a guarantee. I can't live my life in limbo. I want to take charge and continue to choose my oxygen mask. I want to be strong inside and out! So, excuse me while I give myself another little pep talk. . .

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I'm in pretty good shape. I'm fitting into my skinny clothes again. I'm stronger. It's not like I'm a competitive body builder or anything. Why not just quit now and get back to normal?

Although all those things are true, it's more than just losing my baby weight this time. Here are my top five reasons to keep at it:

1. I chose to make fitness part of my life this time, not just for a short term weight loss goal.

2. I want to inspire my children to take care of themselves, and show my children that women can be strong.

3. I want to avoid physical problems as I get older, and physical fitness is a major key to that.

4. Being a mother of 7, I will probably have a lot of grandchildren someday, and I want to have the energy I need to enjoy them fully! I want to be an active grandma: babysitting, running, playing, and keeping up with those grandbabies!

5. I want to be confident! I don't want my body or self esteem to hold me back at any age. If I am confident and happy, my children most likely will be too. Not to mention the way my husband is enjoying my growing confidence!

So, little voice telling me to quit, you can hush now. I have a bright future ahead for me and my family. I have goals that will make my dreams come true. I've got this.

And on that note, here are my 14 week progress pics:

Lots and Lots of Good News to Report!!

Hi!! I really just want to catch up with you all. So much to share with you!!

My kids continue to be absolute rockstars. They are such a huge support to me, and I could not do this without their support. Here are a few pictures of us working out last week:

At this point, with my fitness, I am amazed at how quickly my body is changing. I want to share this photo with you. These were taken just 1 week apart. When I saw this comparison, I was blown away! Yay mommy muscles!!

And here are my official 12 week progress pics!!

 I went to my first bootcamp at the gym, and it was great! I didn't expect being in a group to be that intense, but it is! He put me with Rick. He's a little older and bigger and stronger, but because we were a team, I pushed myself to try to keep up with him! Here are some pictures from bootcamp taken by my trainer:

I am so excited that Matt is going to start training tomorrow!! I am so proud of him for taking this huge step in his own self care. He constantly denies himself for me and the kids. Now, he's going to take some well deserved time to focus on himself. Go, honey, go!!! 

I LOST 5 POUNDS LAST WEEK!!!!! After a month long plateau, I am down to 135, just 5 pounds away from my goal! It's weird to say 130 is my goal since I was always skinnier than that, but this is the new muscular version of me, and I love it!! Here's a picture of my victorious weight loss chart:

A little collection from a photoshoot with my babies:

Have an awesome day, everybody!!!

Quick Update With Pics

I have to go to bed because I'm getting up and going to the gym super early tomorrow, but I'm not tired yet. So, here's a little update while I hopefully get sleepy. 

Yesterday, I did my new home workout routine. It took me almost 3 hours, but next time, I'll pace it better so it doesn't take so long! When he says we're stepping it up, he's not kidding!! Holy cow! It was pretty fun, though. I love this new road I'm on, building and building on my progress. Here's some pictures with captions from yesterday's workout:

My sweaty face after doing a million and a half step ups

My Plie' squats were on point!! Pretty proud of them. :)

New weightlifting exercise! Stiff legged deadlift 20lb dumbbells

Side Plank. Look at my leg muscles!!! Yay!!

Multitasking: Breastfeeding while doing lying leg lifts. ;)

Selah held my finger while I finished my workout with "Superwomans"
It was very sweet.

Also, I totally forgot to blog about lifting the barbell a couple weeks ago! It was awesome. It made me feel weak, but strong at the same time. Here's some pictures from that day:

I was looking at my reflection, and thinking,
"Wow, I look so strong. I can't believe I am doing this!"

The faces I made in these crack me up. Super heavy for me,
but he wanted me to feel what heavy weight felt like. 
We will work up to this. I think it was 105 lbs total.

Okay, I really need to go to bed and get some sleep!! 6:45am training session tomorrow!! I will leave you with this video Matt made of me jumping today. This is significant because I thought I couldn't do it at all. Well, I guess I can.

Sometimes, You Just Have To Prove It To Yourself

I went on the elliptical machine today and loved it. I burned more calories than I've ever burned! I love how I completely control my pace instead of having to keep up with it. I remember the first time I came in to the gym and tried the elliptical. I thought I was going to die after 15 minutes. Today, I went 3 miles in 45 minutes and burned over 400 calories!

I bought my ticket for the bodybuilding competition! I'm excited to support my sweet new friend, and at the same time, I am really nervous that I will see all the "perfect" bodies, and be really depressed about myself. So, I decided that I am going to train extra hard. If I know I've worked my butt off, I know I'll be a lot more confident. I started this journey to reach my goals, and I am determined to reach them. I was really encouraged today to see my gradual, yet huge progress over the last 8 weeks. It means so much to know that I am having success because I'm working hard and committed to following my nutrition plan. Sometimes, you just have to prove it to yourself. These photos are so encouraging to me. If you decide to get yourself in shape, do yourself a favor, and take pictures. Seeing your progress will be the fuel that keeps your spirit burning. 

The Little Mama That Could

1. My muscles are teeny. 2. Daisy works so hard!
3. First time successfully doing a plank with my feet on the
stability ball!! 4. 5 minute bridge! 

I've had a cold the last few days. Mucinex is how I am surviving. I haven't missed any workouts, though. Friday, Matt and I went to the gym and did some cardio. I did about 20 minutes on the stair stepper while Matt was on the treadmill next to me. Then, we went over to the bikes. It's crazy how much slower you burn calories on the bike compared to the stair stepper! It was nice having Matt with me. Saturday, I crushed my lower body routine at home! I doubled my reps for the squats, and I added 5 reps to all the other sets. I also did my core routine. So, yeah. I felt pretty awesome. Then on Sunday, I went to the gym, and spent 40 minutes on the stair stepper. I still wasn't feeling 100%. So, I didn't push myself to beat my record. Monday, I did upper body. I had to use lighter weights for some of the exercises. So, I felt a little wimpy, but it was because I am still sick. I don't feel too guilty.

My favorite meal:
rice, taco seasoned tilapia,romaine lettuce,
baby spinach, 1/2 avocado, and tomato slices
with lime squeezed all over it.

Today was a training day! Matt came with me. It was great. I forgot to get pictures of us! All legs. The leg press is fun. That's how I move furniture! Hey, my calves are getting defined, by the way!

I'm down 16 pounds since I started training 6 weeks ago!  That puts me 22 pounds away from my original goal, but since I'm weight training, that end goal will probably change due to muscle weight gain.

I'm working so hard, but my hemophilia gene is showing. the sides of my thighs, especially my left thigh, is all bruised up from the weights. I'm pretty sure that won't look nice in a swimsuit! Any hemo carriers reading this have tips on bruising less??

Progress Pics!!
First pics taken on April 8th.
Pink shirt pics taken today, May 17th.
In 6 weeks, I've lost 16lbs, and I've gone from large pants to medium!

Surprise!! The Kids are The Best Part.

I am amazed at how making my health and fitness a high priority is such a wonderful thing for my children. I honestly didn't realize how much they'd love this. I have 7 children, and they all support me 100%. They are excited that I am getting stronger. They love to hear when I beat my record on the stair stepper. Probably, the most important thing is that they like to jump in and exercise with me when they can.  Isaiah brought my weights and yoga mat upstairs today so I could workout while the kids were playing outside. Isaiah, my main coach, took a bunch of pictures.  Halfway through, they all came back in, and I had a room full of coaches, teammates, spectators, and cheerleaders.

Moms, we constantly feel guilty for choosing to take care of ourselves, but we are wrong. I am seeing the proof of this right now. When we put on our oxygen masks, our children can breathe easier.

Less importantly, I had a great weekend. Friday evening, I went to the gym. Since the stair stepper was taken, I improvised on the treadmill by getting it up to 8.0 incline. On Saturday afternoon, while my mother in law watched the kids, I went to the gym, and broke my record on the stair stepper: 123 floors, 50 minutes! Then, today was a home workout. So, I decided to do my lower body workout (in pics above). I was going to do core too, but it's late now (you know, for a mommy).  :)