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 :)

I heart Ikea

(Excuse my lack of fitness updates. I was really sick for a week and am finally starting to get my energy back, so the exercising can commence!)

Derek & I spent President's Day up in Portland at one of our favorite places: Ikea. Just walking up to the building makes me giddy and I always get so many great ideas there. The last time we were there, I was big & pregnant and mainly looking for organizing stuff. This time, we went a little crazy in the kid section and wanted to buy every single thing for Oliver. We really had to show some restraint, let me tell you!

We're big into to bright, colorful stuff if you didn't pick up on that already. I love everything, but my favorite item of the day had to be the art cards (2nd from last photo). How fun and playful are those?! I can't wait to frame them and get them up, once we find the perfect spot for them.

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.

Post-baby body update

I've been putting this post off for months, but it's time to get motivated and get to work! I'm just about back down to my pre-pregnancy weight, which doesn't mean all that much since things have kinda shifted around. lol. Gaining 35+ pounds and having a baby messes with your body; who knew?! ;)

This is me, May 2011, a few months before getting pregnant.

Stats:
Weight - 113
Chest - 34"
Waist - 25.5"
Hips - 35.5"

This is me now, January 2013, 8 months after having a baby.

Stats:

Weight - 115

Chest - 35.5"

Waist - 27.5"

Hips - 35.5"

I don't look all that much different, but I'm still holding onto extra junk in the middle that is driving me crazy and causing a not-so-awesome muffin top. So my main focus is going to be working on my mid-section in hopes I don't have to buy all new loose-fitting shirts :)

I really don't have a plan of attack this time around. I KNOW what I need to do, it's just hard to get the energy and motivation to do it. Working full-time and being a mom to a very energetic little boy is exhausting. The last thing I want to do when I put Oliver down to bed is work out, but I know it has to be done. I also need to tweak my diet to include a lot more fruits/veggies and a lot less carbs/sugar, but just the thought of all that menu planning/grocery shopping/cooking makes me tired.

Exercising outside is pretty much out of the question since I hate the cold/wet weather and I will just find excuses to not do it. I'm thinking it's time to dust off the old xBox Kinect and at least get moving a little more each day. Once I get a routine going and start eating healthier, I'll check in again in a month or so and see if there's been any progress. Or to fess up if I quit after 2 days and went back to eating donuts. lol.

So there you have it. Embarrassing bikini photos AND a vow to put down the chocolate & get my body moving. How much worse can this day get?! :)

Wish me luck!