Working Out

Well, my first workouts were not too terrible! I did get a little nauseous/light-headed at first, but that wore off after I was done. It seems to be correlated with my heart rate.

I am doing two workouts a day right now. In the morning, I am doing my Biggest Loser Power Sculpt DVD that I've had for years. In the evening, I am doing either C25K, or my Sweating to the Oldies video which is even older! {I got that VHS tape when I was in 8th grade}

I want to do a 5K on Thanksgiving, so I need to start training now. Jogging wasn't awful, but I can definitely tell I haven't done it in a long time. Also, my allergies were getting worked up in just the 30 minutes I went walking/jogging. Anyone a runner? Any tips or advice for allergies? I am open to suggestions!

Also, I'm not too terribly sore this morning, which made my morning workout a lot easier. And, in all honesty, if I was hurting too much, I would have just skipped it. That's how I roll ;)

I feel like I need a new workout mix too, just to get something fresh. Do you have a playlist? What songs get you moving?

Happy Tuesday!

Carb-Cycling Update {1 Month Progress}

Now that I have done carb-cycling for a full 4 weeks, (the whole cycle according to my book), I thought I'd do a quick update to tell you my progress. On my next update, as long as things continue to go well, I will start including pictures :)

The Breakdown:
- I am currently doing the Turbo Cycle from Chris Powell's book, Choose More, Lose More for Life.
- I did not work out intentionally the last 4 weeks so that I could get used to the meal prepping and portion control side of this lifestyle.
- Even though this was the Slingshot Week for my cycle, I was sick Friday, and I could not eat on plan because I barely ate. This was the only time I strayed from the plan.
- I am taking vitamins everyday, but I will be including a calcium supplement starting Monday.


Struggles:
- Having to go to multiple grocery stores. (or purchase online), to get what I need to be successful. It's more annoying than anything really.
- Trying not to eat after my kids
- Having Phil offer me a treat, and forgetting that I am saying no for a reason. Being asked once is hard enough, but multiple times? Forget it! I'm usually less polite with my "no" after the second or third time. {Sorry honey!}


What's Been Easy:
- I actually do well with a structured meal plan. I like being told what to eat, when to eat it, and how much I get.
- I don't mind eating basically the same meal/snacks everyday.
- My guilt-free reward day is always great. Even when I get to satisfy any cravings, I usually don't pig out because I'm so used to my portion sizes already!


Non-Scale Victories (NSV):
- I can put on and zip up my jeans without having to suck in at all.
- Some of my undergarments are loose enough, I should probably stop wearing them.
- I can drink 1 gallon of water a day without feeling waterlogged.
- I have the desire to workout, and look forward to it.
- Staying on plan despite traveling, and being out of town.
- Finding like-minded inspirations on Instagram so that I can continually be encouraged.
- Getting great support from my parents, as well as my husband :)


The Nitty-Gritty Numbers:

{Starting Weight} - 225.6
{Current Weight*} - 210.8

I will start recording measurements next time.

*This is after a day of hardly eating due to being sick Friday. If I go by the number of the scale Friday morning, my current weight is 212.0

Overall, I would say it has been a successful month, and I look forward to see what next month brings!

Let's Wrap This Summer Up With A Bow

I failed to mention that we were taking one final trip this summer. Phil was able to go to my parents' house with us this year, so no one was home to watch over the house. We made it back from Wisconsin in one piece. It'll be the last time I see my folks before Thanksgiving. Well, unless the Royals do well post-season again. {Another reason to cheer 'em on!} It's always good to be with them, and the week always feels shorter than normal. I guess that's a good problem to have though!

Even though we have a few more weeks until Jillian is in school again, Summer is basically over for us. No more out of town trips, or special BBQs. No more pool parties, or fireworks in our plans. We are winding down for school. I do, however, have a special night planned for next week. I haven't decided what day it will be, but we're going to play outside, then let Jillian and the parent of her choice sleep in our tent in the living room. She's been asking for a few days, so I thought she'd like to do it before school starts :)

Speaking of school, I recently got all of Jillian's school supplies. There is always one item I can't find exactly what they are asking for. It's frustrating, but I guess it's close enough because no one said anything to me last year. We are having the "Meet the Teacher" day next week. It's definitely an exciting time! Jillian has been asking to go to preschool for a few weeks now. It'll be nice to finally send her off to be with friends! It will be a little different because she won't have her hearing clinic preschool class to go to. She will be in school 3 mornings a week, which is plenty for now!

As I look back on our summer, I feel mixed emotions. We did several things, but I worry my kids were bored most of the time. All in all, I know when we did do things, we had fun. Lots of things have changed this summer, me included. There is so much I want to say, but there is a time and place for everything. Instead of unloading it all now, I will wrap up Summer 2015 in a sweet box, and be thankful for everything that did or did not happen. There is so much to look forward to for the rest of the year. It's hard to keep from smiling :)

July Highlights

July went by quick for us! I'm sure part of it had to do with trips, doctor appointments, and stuff like that! Here are a few highlights from our month:

 

{We started July off by having a HUGE slip'n'slide at church! The kids had a blast eating pizza, and getting soaking wet :)} 

{Speaking of wet, it literally pours rain. We go through periods of horrible heat that are broken up by sudden downpours. It has certainly been an interesting summer weather-wise!} 

{Phil and I got a date night to see Jurassic World together. I took this picture for my dad who is pretty excited about this movie ;)} 

{We made a quick trip up to Tulsa to see fireworks by the river. We can't seem to find a good spot at home, so we may just stick with Tulsa for a few more years. We had a good time!} 

{We stopped by a local attraction for some soda! The lemonade was Jillian's, but it was too sweet for her. Note to self: Jilly likes her lemonade sour} 

{We got to visit with my brother and his fiance for a few hours! It was great to see them, especially since they live so far away. Jillian had a great time, but fell asleep just as they were leaving. Silly girl!} 

{Getting ready for my mission trip this year was hard because I had to pack a bag for everyone in the family! Phil was headed to KC for the weekend, Jillian was heading to Wisconsin with my folks, and David was going to Tulsa with Phil's parents. Lots of organizing, but luckily I love to make lists :)} 

{David got his first haircut! It's still curly-ish, so I'm happy. He looks like such a little man now!} 

{My instagram got hacked by some pretty cool chicks in SD ;) These three girls are a part of our youth group}

{Jillian really loved her bed that Jemma made for her. They don't have a "bed" for Jillian, so she made this. It's pretty neat!} 

{The house my crew (plus another crew the last 2 days), worked on. We scraped, primed, and painted the whole exterior. We even put new siding up on the side of the house pictured in the second photo. It was hard work, but we did great! I'm proud of my crew, and of the kids from our church. We did a lot of good that week!} 

{I cuddled this guy a lot when I got home. He got sick the last part of the week I was on my mission trip, so he got extra snuggles :)} 

{In an effort to make up for being gone, I let me kiddos play with chalk in the kitchen. (It washes off real easy!) I just LOVE these footprints <3} 

{We tried a new (to us) play place in town, and had a great time! Well, minus a rude mom as we were leaving, but we will be returning regardless!}

{This boy and his smiles :) He is also obsessed with our wagon. I'm not sure if it's because the wagon is red, or because he likes being outdoors}

{Jillian got to go to her first movie theater movie! She had a great time, and Phil was excited she asked to go with him. I guess that means I get to take David to his first movie ;)}

{First attempt at meal prepping! I am thankful that Phil was able to help me. Hopefully this will continue to be easier/faster!}

{<3}

{Jillian was finally ready to try her tricycle! It went really well for a first time, and I know she's ready to master it :)}

{We had a fun time at a LOFT (youth group) swim party! Jillian was even able to "swim" with her floatie all by herself! David was a little unsure, but had fun. (And don't worry, he was completely safe in my hands!)}

Carb-Cycling Week 1

For anyone who is interested, here is a quick vlog about my first week of carb-cycling. I am not that knowledgeable yet, but this is just part of the journey :)


Week 1 of Carb-Cycling Vlog 7/30/15 from Courtney on Vimeo.

Catching Up

Holy Moly! Here we are towards the end of July, and I have no idea where my summer went!

No, I take that back. I know exactly what happened. We have been insanely busy. In fact, a friend of mine recently said something along the lines of "We put everything off for the summer when we have time. Then, we put so much off for the summer, there's no way to accomplish it all." So very true.

So I'm going to do a quick overview of what I've been up to the last few weeks :)

1. Health -
I usually see most of my doctors for a check-up during the summer. This means I've seen the dermatologist, the eye doctor, the primary care physician, the chiropractor, and the dentist is in two weeks. I should be done with the chiropractor after my appointment this Wednesday. My primary care physician is actually wanting to run some blood tests which means I need to avoid breads, pastas, pizzas, etc., and stop taking Metformin until he sees the numbers. He suspects I may have a thyroid issue, but he won't know for sure until the test. I will get the test done in mid-September. Until then...

2. Eating -
I get to start carb-cycling/meal prepping! I tried carb-cycling before, but I didn't do the prep work beforehand. I felt like it was too time-consuming, and stopped after about 2 weeks. This time, I actually prepped my lunches and such. I'm not far into it, but so far I feel pretty hopeful. Well, definitely more so than before! The real trick will be when we go out of town to visit my folks in a few weeks.

3. Hair -
Not only did I get a refresh on my hair, but David got his first haircut! It's still wavy/curled, so hopefully it'll stay that way :) I'll do a separate post on his first haircut soon.

4. Mission Trip -
I had the opportunity to go to Mission, SD for a mission trip. It was another Native American reservation. This year was a little harder for a few reasons: a) David got sick with a high fever, but he was in good hands. I still wanted to just hold him :( b) Poverty, drug use, and alcohol use were pretty prevalent on this reservation. It was not easy to see. c) My car ended up needing a new alternator while I was gone. Yay expenses we were not prepared for :-/ d) My normal mission trip buddy did not go this year. Despite that, it was overall a great week! We got 49 homes completed, all of our kiddos had a good time, and I met some awesome kids in my crew :) I'm so thankful I get the chance to go on these trips every year. Not sure where we'll be next time, but I know it'll be fun!

5. Melting -
I don't know about y'all, but it is hot hot hot here! Not just the temperature, but the humidity is 1000%. Hopefully things will cool down a little. I am certainly thankful for a working air conditioner :)

So there you have it. Now we only have 3ish weeks before our youth kids start school, and then Jillian starts preschool on September 1st. Before we know it, it'll be birthday season! (aka December)

Do you have any end-of-summer plans?

New Recipes FTW {Sushi Salad}

This recipe may not be for everyone, but it is one I have now made twice this month. Each time, I've really enjoyed it!

I love sushi, and this is really similar to if you got a sushi roll and it just fell apart. {I know I made that sound so appetizing, but bear with me here!}

A few years ago, I watched Hungry for Change, and then went to the Food Matters website. From there I got a juicer for my birthday, and a cookbook from Food Matters. Not all the recipes have been a big win for me, but this is definitely a win!

I did not take pictures of this dish when I made it. For a picture of this recipe, look here at their Facebook page.

Both times I did some similar alterations to the recipe. I will write those changes or notes in italics when necessary.

Sushi Salad

Ingredients:
1 ripe avocado, chopped
2 small cucumbers, halved and chopped (I use one regular cucumber, and I deseed it)
1 unroasted nor sheet, cut roughly with scissors into bite size strips (I could only find roasted at the time, and it's been ok. Also scissors are much better to get this into bite size strips!)
A handful of your favorite sprouts like alfalfa, watercress, or sunflower (Watercress has been my sprout of choice)
1 carrot, shredded finely with a mandolin (I use my grater)
1 TBSP naturally fermented tamari or shoyu (Tamari is what I use)
1 TBSP sesame seeds
2 tsp no MSG fish sauce
2 tsp finely grated fresh ginger

Method:

1. In a pan, dry-fry the sesame seeds, stirring constantly, until they are just slightly golden. Remove from heat.

2. Juice ginger by squeezing between your fingers, and discard pulp. (Note: I actually just grate the ginger into the salad and keep the pulp. It's been good to me) Mix all other ingredients in a bowl.

3. Adjust seasoning to taste (more tamari or fish sauce if needed). Sprinkle the toasted seeds over the salad.

Serves 1-2.

Again, I know this won't be for everyone, but I certainly enjoy it! Give it a try :)

.......

I feel like I have to add a few points of information...

1) I do not consider myself crunchy. I might be slightly chewy, but definitely not crunchy. If something is good for me, I will try it once. I try to implement certain things/foods/habits in my life if I think it is truly beneficial for me. Before I do anything, I usually research. A lot.

2) I am not on a specific diet. No, I take that back. I'm on a human-omnivore diet. It's not specifically Paleo, clean, vegetarian, low-carb, low-fat, etc. Again, I research lots of stuff, and what I have started doing this past month or so is try and really do right by my body. I'm also not going full-throttle on a particular diet because it's unrealistic for me. If I were to completely cut out processed foods, or extra sugar, or carbs, or fat, or anything, I would not be able to do certain things. I don't expect my entire family, (immediate-extended-church), to completely change what they serve. For example, if I were to go to a child's birthday party after I've cut out all carbs and extra sugar, I would not be able to eat even a small slice of cake without my digestive tract giving me pure hell later. I'm sorry, but that's not how I want to live my life. I want to do right by my body 80% of the time, and give myself a break the other 20%. You may disagree, and that is perfectly fine. Unless you're willing to come cook and prep for me and my family, I'll be making the decisions :)

3) In the summertime, I usually lose my appetite to a degree. If I had to cook 3 warm meals a day in the Oklahoma heat, I usually just make whatever someone else wants and just snack. I can't cook like that when it's 95+ degrees outside with a 30% humidity going on. This recipe will last me for two lunches. I usually eat something with it like fruit. Otherwise, this alone will fill me up pretty nicely.