Project Refresh: Month 2

So month 1 of my project is coming to an end and I'd give myself a 'C+' for accomplishing my goals. I am definitely taking more photos (at least one a day) so that was a success. Sticking to a schedule has been tough since every day is different, but I have been more productive whenever Oliver is sleeping, so that one's a mixed bag.

Clearing the clutter was the one I was most excited to dive into, but I just haven't had any time. We've been really busy with photo shoots, which means I spent most of my free time in September with my BFF Photoshop. Being a perfectionist means our clients get beautiful looking photos, but it also means I spend way too much time editing to make each photo amazing.

So onto October. I thought it would be better to break my goals into more specific tasks instead of all-encompassing objectives.

Project Refresh: Month 2

• Find the perfect gift for my sister's 18th birthday
• Book and shoot 2 senior sessions
• Lose 3 pounds (I hate random numbers like that, but I don't think anything above 3 is realistic. lol) by eating less carbs/more veggies & working out 3 times a week
• Get the guest bed cleared off by selling or donating everything on it (I cleared out our office closet and stuck all the random stuff on the bed to deal with later. It's been there over a month now)
• Pick out a cute Halloween costume for Oliver (bonus points if Derek & I dress up this year too!)
• Go through my bedroom closet & dresser to organize and purge clothes I don't wear or like
• Take Oliver to get his first haircut (I know, I love the curls too! But I think it's time to lighten the load on his head. haha)

I like that these goals are simplified and measurable, instead of a vague 'organize the house' which could take a year to complete and is never really done. So better luck for month 2, eh? :)

June update

I really suck at this blogging thing, my apologies! I only think about updating when I'm at work or out & about, never when I'm actually on my computer with some free time. So here's the latest:

Oliver
He's turning 13 months tomorrow and walks around by himself like a champ. He's really good about sitting down if he feels off balance, instead of falling over. He loves to eat and will try anything we put before him. We haven't found anything that he hates yet, knock on wood! He still has rice cereal everyday, but is mostly eating whatever we are and loving it. He is very independent and has no problem playing with his toys by himself for long stretches of time. He is still such a great sleeper and for that we are so grateful! He's usually down by 8pm and wakes up around 8am, unless he has to go to grandma's for the day. We are having so much fun with this little guy :)

Work

I've worked at a local bank for the past 2.5 years and will be losing my job in September. I'm really sad about leaving my co-workers since they have become like family, but I am excited to stay home with Oliver for at least a few months :) I'm also looking forward to getting back into accounting and hopefully making more money than I currently make. I see this as a positive opportunity and am hoping for the best.

Health

I'm still walking on a regular basis (usually 30-40 minutes a day) and am trying to squeeze in some exercise after I get home from work, but it's tough. By the time Oliver's in bed, it's about 8 and I just want to relax a little (aka waste time on Pinterest. haha) and go to bed. So that's definitely something I need to work on. My diet's about the same, but I've been eating more veggies & cooking at home more. I planned our meals ahead of time this week and it really made a big difference. Doing the prep work the night before meant I could just throw everything together when I got home from work and dinner would be done in 20 minutes. I also want to use my crock pot more often, I love that thing!

House

Our tentative goal is to put our house up for sale spring 2015. The housing market hasn't been kind to us and we owe much more than our house is worth right now, so we're going to spruce things up and keep our fingers crossed that we break even in 2 years. I have a huge list of little projects I want to do around the house and am eager to get started on it once my job ends in September. I have no idea what I'm doing, but plan on documenting it to provide some entertainment for my 2 blog readers (lol)

Etc.

There's not much else going on around here. We're just keeping busy with work and Oliver and photography stuff from time to time. I'm looking forward to taking more family walks and trips as the weather gets nicer. We're hoping to add another kid to our family in the very near future, but we'll see if that works out :)

I'll do my best to update a little more often, I just don't have any ideas on what to write about or much time to post. Come September, though, I won't have much of an excuse anymore :)

I'm still here :)

I'm not a good blogger, if you haven't figured that one out yet :) I have good intentions but always forget to update.

I've been busy planning our son's 1st birthday, among other things. I have been regularly exercising and eating healthier stuff, I just haven't been on here bragging about it. lol. I usually walk 3 times a day during my breaks & lunch for about an hour total. It helps that Oregon has been having gorgeous weather lately so it's not such a chore to get my exercise in.

I think I've lost a pound or so, but not much of a difference to post updated photos or stats or anything.

Maybe someday I'll get better at posting more, but at the moment I'm just busy with other things, like this cute little guy :)

Hot pink

I've found my motivation to exercise! How adorable is this bikini?! It will be mine once I'm in shape enough to wear it out in public. haha.

And with that, I'm off to put on my yoga pants and get to work :)

Baby steps

Any guesses on how many times I've worked out since my last blog post; the one where I swore I was going to get in to shape? That would be 1 time and it doesn't even really count since I didn't work up a sweat.

I tend to put so much pressure on myself before I even start that I convince myself that I'm heading for failure. So I never quite get off the ground and end up giving up a few days or weeks later.

I'm the type of person that needs to be pushed, be held accountable, have an attainable goal and action plan. I'm 0 for 4 on those things. I need to get back to basics and start from scratch on this one. Just saying I'm going to get into shape obviously isn't going to work.

So here's the plan: Every Sunday, I will (attempt to) post an entry about how often I worked out and for how long. Once a month, I'll post my newest stats and possibly a photo. I want to start taking walks again on my breaks at work, but with the cold/rainy weather, I don't know how likely I'd be to stick to that plan. So I'll start doing workouts on the xBox kinect for the time being to ease into this.

For every week that I exercise 5 days for 20 minutes or more, I'll take $20 out of the bank to spend on myself, on whatever I want (except for food/snacks). I'll continue to increase the amount of minutes per day once I get a routine set that I can stick with.

I'll be starting this February 1st and will have my 1st update next weekend. Feel free to send me lots of photos of in-shape ladies to prevent me from sitting around eating candy all day. lol. That sounds more likely than me working out, but I'm hoping by starting small that I'll get into a groove and keep going with it.

Thanks sista!

My sister-in-law Amber mentioned me in her blog entry about getting into shape. Now I feel guilty for being lazy and not following through on the fitness goals I've set for myself. So now that I've been called out, it's time to get back on track and tone up!

I leave for California on August 14th and am determined to work out every. single. day until that date. I worked out last night for the first time in weeks, so that's a start. I figure if I can make it until August 14th, I will be motivated to continue when I come back from vacation.

Since we all need a little visual stimulation, how about a few photos from (you guessed it!) pinterest. If these won't make you get off your lazy ass, I'm not sure what will :)

7/10 body update

Guys, I have failed miserably at this exercising/getting in shape thing. By the time I get home from work, I'm too tired to work out, so I sit around and watch tv or read magazines. I really, REALLY need to start moving even if it's just a little walk around the block. I have been eating healthier though, but it still doesn't make much of a difference since I've always had a decent diet.

Here's my latest stats, compared to when I started in May. Hopefully these next few weeks I can get motivated to work out and start toning up. Fingers crossed, right? :)

• A little over 5'3"
• Weight: 113.5 --> 112
• Chest: 33.5" --> 34.5"
• Waist: 26.5" --> 25.5"
• Between waist & hips: 33.5" --> 32"
• Hips: 35.5" --> 35.5"

6/19 body update

I'm terrible at this blogging stuff, I apologize :) Life has been crazy lately, but then again, it seems to always be like that. I just need to make more time to post updates here.

So let's check in with my measurements from Sunday. It's been 2 1/2 weeks since I last updated them, but I want to compare from the beginning (aka May 22nd).

• A little over 5'3"
• Weight: 113.5 --> 113
• Chest: 33.5" --> 34"
• Waist: 26.5" --> 25.5"
• Between waist & hips: 33.5" --> 32"
• Hips: 35.5" --> 35.5"

Not much of an improvement, but honestly, I haven't been working out as much as I had intended. Still only a few times a week, when I was hoping it would become a daily thing. I have to remind myself that starting small is better than nothing at all. I'm not an athlete in any sense of the word, so thinking I could go all out, every single day from the very beginning was pretty unrealistic.

With the weather finally getting nicer here in Oregon, I'm looking forward to going for more walks with our dog and more long bike rides with my husband. Those activities don't feel like exercise to me, so it's easy to burn calories without even realizing it.

I really will try to update again in the next few days with all that's going on around here, mainly the fact that my older sister is coming to live with us in 2 weeks. That would help explain a lot of the craziness in my life right now :) So much to do, so little time.

6/5 body update

It's been 2 weeks since I posted my measurements & vowed to exercise like crazy in order to tone up and lose some inches. So how did I do the past 2 weeks? Eh. I did exercise a few times each week, but wasn't as consistent as I'd like to be. I haven't worked up the courage to go running yet since I'm dreading the 3 days soreness that is sure to follow. lol.

I'm thinking I might go for some long bike rides instead since they are easier on my knees and are a lot funner (for me) than running. So we'll see. Let's compare measurements, shall we? (5/22 numbers are first, followed by 6/5 numbers)

• A little over 5'3"
• Weight: 113.5 -->113
• Chest: 33.5" --> 34"
• Waist: 26.5" --> 26"
• Between waist & hips: 33.5" --> 32.5"
• Hips: 35.5" --> 35.5"

My main goal was to get that area between my waist & hips down by an inch and I accomplished that! So I'm happy. My goal for the next 2 weeks is get my waist down half an inch and continue working on that dreaded mid-section that I hate so much. I don't have a photo this time, but I'll have one in 2 weeks to compare to the before photo. I'm hoping for a noticeable change, but who knows :)

My body: Before

This is the post I've been dreading since I decided to start this blog. But it's also the entry that I'm hoping will give me the kick in the ass I need to make a change. Let me start by saying I'm aware that I'm not fat. But am I happy with how I've let myself go? Not at all!

I'll save the backstory of my struggle with weight for another time, but I am putting myself out there in hopes that I will be motivated to actually do something instead of just feeling sorry for myself. I am lazy, I will admit that :) I work out once or twice, don't see a difference, and give up on it. That's unrealistic and stupid, yes, but isn't that how a lot of people are?

I'm really determined to see this through though. Being in shape and feeling good about myself will directly effect many other areas in my life.

So onto my stats as of yesterday morning:

• A little over 5'3"
• 113.5 pounds
• 33.5" chest
• 26.5" waist
• 33.5" (between waist & hips -- my main problem area)
• 35.5" hips

I'm generally happy with my body, but the area between my waist and hips is just getting worse. I gain most weight right around that area, so while I'm not overweight, I still have that round, pudgy mid-section.

Since I need a goal to work towards, I've decided that I'm not going to focus on the weight. I'm going to work towards reducing inches. My first goal: lose 1" in the area between my waist & hips in 2 weeks. Is that do-able? I have no idea :) I am withholding the cute new clothes I bought until I reach this little goal. I figure 1 new piece of clothing every few weeks should motivate me to work hard and push myself.

Right now, my main source of exercise is the Xbox Kinect. I play Your Shape: Fitness Evolved and really enjoy it! It makes exercising fun and I don't have to leave the house to do it. I plan on doing that 4-5 times a week and running (aka jogging/speed walking) 2 times a week. I'm not going to worry about my diet at this point because I think I'm doing just fine with that and don't want to do too much at once. I love my food, so I'm willing to work a little harder to maintain my eating habits.

Ok, so I promised I would post a before photo and I'm burying it at the bottom in hopes that no one will have read this far ;) Like I said, I'm not proud, but I am determined to get healthy and toned and be happy with my body. I will post another photo in 2 weeks and hopefully there will be a little bit of a difference. So here goes nothing :)

With that, I'm off to work out! Have a good week everyone.