Back on the Wagon...

For the last month I have been on a very serious fitness and wellbeing journey. I did not want it to be the same as anything I have done before.

I did not want to jump into a workout routine and force myself to perform. I really wanted this time to be more effortless. I wanted it to be more convenient.

With my middle child in prekindergarten from 9a.m. to 12p.m. Monday through Friday I am able to workout. My youngest child comes to the gym with me.

I do not workout at home because it is a distraction. I clean and cook and stare at the clock. However when I am at the gym all of my distractions are eliminated.

So, once I wake the kids, get them ready for school in the mornings my day begins.

I have everyone fed, clothed, and delivered to their respective schools on time and that allows me time to get to the gym.

I am very fortunate that I have friends that workout with me. It started out as a casual suggestion.
Someone said," Hey, we should all workout together."

I agreed and we started. I took time off from cardio and focused on weight training (lifting) instead. For the last month I have been improving in strength of mind and determination.

I never want to miss a workout!

My three week results were satisfactory. My measurements are as follows:

• waist starting: 46"   Waist ending: 43.5"
• hips: 50" hips          Hips ending: 48.5
• chest: 42                  Chest ending: 40"
• Right arm: 14          Right arm ending: 12.75
• Left Arm: 13           Left Arm ending: 12.75"
• Right Thigh: 30      Right Thigh ending: 30
• Left Thigh: 29       Left thigh ending: 29

And I lost 5 pounds total. I went from 225lbs to 220lbs.

I am pleased with my results because I did not have them a month ago. This week I am adding Cardio back into the fold. I did my first "two-a-day" last night. I slept like a sedated person last night. It felt so good to add cardio back in. I had more stamina and endurance. I completed the workout with a few rests between segments. I am proud of myself. I am however, very sleepy. 

So, while my son is asleep for nap I will attempt to nap also. 

Bloom where you are planted....

I am still on my fitness journey. It's a process. The mental struggle is the worst part for me. Any time I am challenged mentally or emotionally I want to eat.
I could be full and should something unfavorable happen I run to the fridge. So, my question to myself is... how do I break that habit.

The saying goes, You can't out run your fork. So, what do I do? Right now i am at a loss. I have no earthly idea what to do. I could try will power but being in a compromised emotional state the chance of that working is slim to none.

I could stand to eliminate some stress but... how.
As it stands I am under a great deal of stress and for whatever reason I add different kinds of stress to take my mind off other stressful things in my life. But never eliminate anything. This year I MUST learn to say no without explanation. Whether I truly have a "good" reason for not being able to do something or simply don't want to do it, I need to be able to feel free enough to make the decision.

I guess that's also part of my problem. I feel bound by a lot of things. But I also feel like it's necessary bondage. I mean, if I don't mother my children, who will? I'm sure there are plenty of moms in the world that would jump at the chance but I want to be a great mom to my own kids. A great wife to my own husband.

So, what do I change? What do I delegate and to whom? I don't have a bad life. Not by any stretch of the imagination. I just feel a little lost in it right now. Like there is a lot going on and nothing going on all at once and I am spinning around in circles but nothing is getting done. I run out of energy too fast or one project leads to several others and I just can't catch up.

One day, I would like to be all caught up on my housework. I want to know what that feels like. What's it like to have all the laundry done? No dishes in the sink? No filth to be found anywhere?

Fact of the matter is, I may not find out until my children are grown with kids of their own. hahahaha. And, you know what... that's perfectly alright.

Life isn't perfect. I'm not perfect. and that's ok.

to be continued..... I have to tell you all about the new business I started. I know. I know... more stress. But this is fun stress!

Enter the Dragon Lady...

You see that dragon?? Yeah, that's me today. I cleaned my kids' room and over the course of a few weeks have watched it become progressively worse. I mean it is a horrid mess. The clothes I washed and put in baskets to put away later found their way to the floor, there is trash of all kinds including food, and toys EVERYWHERE! So, I have decided I had enough. 

Yesterday I told my kids to go clean their room. They did a decent job. But it wasn't "MY" kind of clean. But it was clean enough for them to see the floor. Today, you can't even see the floor. What were they doing in there??? Only God knows. 

So today... I became the dragon lady. Originally I went into their room to find their karate belts because they have class today. In order to find them I had to start cleaning. I found them and became angry which lead to a decision... Today, they will clean this room. No television, no playing, no music, no nothing! And so it is. The Dragon Lady has awakened and she will not rest until that room is clean. Not kid clean... MOM CLEAN.  I don't care how long it takes them to clean it. The silence will continue until it is done. 

I know this is a fitness blog so let me explain why I am writing about this...

I have been feeling disorganized and overwhelmed for quite some time.  I felt like I couldn't keep up with the house work, cooking dinner, watching my children, preparing my toddler for preschool, potty training my son, keeping the dog walked, church obligations (which I enjoy), and my own health and wellness as well as my husbands. What a run-on sentence, right? Well that's how I felt. Like a run-on sentence. Out of place and out of sorts. 

I preached one thing and lived another entirely. So, I had to stop. I began with getting my workouts in consistently. Now, I am working on my eating habits and getting my home to reflect the woman I am and the family I have. We are not slobs. We are not spoiled brats incapable of keeping house. We are proud, clean, and courteous. And that's what my house needs to reflect. 

Besides, what good is it to reach bikini season, reveal my bikini, and still have a house in disorder? That doesn't match. So, I am cleaning all areas of my life not just my physical health and well being. Children are fully capable of cleaning up after themselves. It is not too much to ask that they play with their toys without destroying the room. So, the tide has turned here in my home. And I must say... I am loving it. 

I encourage you to examine your life. What areas need special attention? What are the underlying reasons for those things being out of sync with the way you want to be? How do you fix it? 

For me I was over weight, my house was a mess, and I had checked out of everything including being a parent. I felt terrible about the way I looked and that lead to depression and feeling like I didn't deserve the basic things in life: a clean home, clean car, organization, nice clothes, and mindful children. But thank God All Mighty for friends and family that wouldn't let me fall through the cracks. I know now that i had to do better by Starla and then take control of everything else systematically. And you can do the same! 

Until next time...

#StayFocused 

**************** COMING TO A LIVINGROOM NEAR YOU*****************

Help! I've fallen and I can't get up!!

So this week I simply didn't try. I have to be honest. Life didn't happen. To say that would be a cop out. I just didn't try. I thought about working out. But didn't. I didn't eat badly but I didn't drink much water either. Another weekend is upon us and I have not lost any weight. As a matter of fact I may have gained a quarter pound or so. I have to get back on track a.s.a.p. if I fully intend to wear a bikini this year with any confidence. I am dangerously close to reliving years past where I started but did not finish. So what will I do? The correct answer is get busy. Workout. Hit the gym. But the honest answer is: I don't know.
To be continued...

Believe half of what you see and none of what you hear.

"Believe half of what you see and none of what you hear," My great gramps and many others.

Yesterday was interesting. I had a small event happen and that rocked my emotions and it took a moment for me to recover. I'm not fully over it yet but I am so much better than I was.

I went on Instagram and noticed a woman liked my post and then started following me. Well, I'm a follow for follow kind of girl unless you're trying to spam me. So I went to her Instagram page and saw that she had recently been on the same journey I am. Or so she posted.

She had a link that directed me to her blog and upon reading her blog I found out that she took Forskolin, improved her eating habits, and worked out. These steps helped her lose 60 pounds in 10 weeks.  Or so she posted. I was skeptical because that is a ton of weight to lose per week consistently without hitting a plateau. But I googled the Forskolin and sure enough, it is supposed to help with fast fat loss. So I thought I would order the free trial. Why not, right? After all, I am human and this road is tough. I will take any healthy help I can get.

Upon returning to her blog today I discovered the same, exact, verbatim post but the supplement had been changed. Now she is promoting Pure Carallum Extract. Now I several red flags have been raised. Now I believe she is a liar. She says she was called cute names for fat kids as a youngster, she felt she wanted to lose weight and get the body she deserved, etc....etc... blah blah blah...

Now I am sitting at my computer like what a liar.

But this is the Internet so you really can't believe much of that you read. There are a few people that still believe in helping people. I am just using this as a means to share my experience with this weight loss journey. I say when you are reading blogs, surfing Instagram, or Facebook, or watching YouTube or Periscope.. do your due diligence. Research everything you are being told. Make sure you are not being lied to. Because apparently... people are not above it when it comes to taking your money.

Until Next Post...
#StayFocused

Sugar Addiction and the struggle within.

Hi! I'm Starla and I am addicted to sugar.  

Fortunately I am not diabetic. But I love all things sugary. I like bread, cookies, cake, butter cream frosting, pie, custard.. pudding... the list goes on. 

Here is my dilemma:

I want to be in a bikini this summer. I want to weigh 145lbs. I want to be able to run miles without stopping. When I close my eyes I picture myself running on a long scenic road enjoying the sun and cool (not cold) breeze. 

Sugar makes me ultra sluggish. I hate how I feel after I eat it. I feel guilty on top of being tired and lately a little nauseated. The nausea comes from the guilt I feel when I eat things that are antithetical to my goals. It literally makes me sick to know the right thing to do but do the wrong things anyway. I am trying, however, to steer clear of developing a negative relationship with any food item. I don't want to be so anti-sugar that I become radical and annoying. I also don't want to end up depriving myself so drastically that I binge. I have done that in the past. 

It is difficult for me. It is a constant mental battle because I have a husband who has a sweet tooth and 3 small children. Yesterday my husband asked me to make him some oatmeal cookies with craisins and raisins in them. I got the idea to make the kids some chocolate chip cookies also. So I made both. I ate 4 cookies and immediately felt gross. I wanted that sugar out of my body almost as soon as I put it in. 

I have quite a bit of work to do mentally and physically to get to my ultimate fitness goal. Last week I had made some really great progress. I would hate to sabatoge it all this week by eating the wrong foods, missing workouts, and just being lazy overall. 

Part of me wishes I could afford a personal trainer and nutritionist. But, I know noone can do this for me. I cannot delegate my health and wellness to anyone else. I have to focus, exercise discipline and maturity, and stick to the process even when I physically do not want to. 

I just want to encourage you, before you see a picture of  me in a bikini along side my before picture, to know and understand this journey is not without its hurdles. Sugar is my first hurdle. It seems like the biggest, longest, and hardest one to overcome. 

But with practice it can and will be overcome. I will be triumphant. I will be victorious! 

I must be. There is no room for failure this year. 

It's pretty early in my day. I have plenty of time to make up lastnight's workout and do tonight's as well. So, until next time... 

#StayFocused! 

YOU CAN DO ANYTHING! DON'T WORRY ABOUT THE DETAILS, JUST GET BUSY GOING IN THE DIRECTION OF YOUR GOAL. NEVER STOP. NEVER GIVE UP. NEVER QUIT! 

ORDER YOUR COPY TODAY!!!!!! 

What is T-25??

Honestly I could spend an entire post raving about how awesome T-25 is and how you should have it in your workout library at home and how it is the best workout for those of us who are pressed for time and just want to get in, get busy, and get done. But... this video will do a much better job so.. check it out!