SMHJ weeks 22 & 23 | Four of my Favorite Things to Watch While Working Out

This week we're settling back in at home after a great week at the beach. I'm focusing on getting back into the swing of things with good diet and exercise. Not easy after vacation but we'll get there! Last week, getting my steps in was pretty easy - thanks to all the walking we did on the boardwalk and around town. This week, I've been getting in some good walks and trying to consume as much water as possible. Anyways. How's your health stuff going? What kind of exercise have you been doing in this hot summer heat?

Today I thought it would be fun to do something a little different and share four of my favorite things to watch while working out. These fun things hold my attention so I can keep my eyes off how much longer I have to go.

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1. Fixer Upper

Man, I love Chip and Joanna Gaines. I love their style. I love the way they interact with each other. I love how positive and fun the show is - totally drama free. The episodes are just fascinating from start to finish. You can watch their full episodes here. These are especially good when I have a lot of steps to get in since the episodes are about 45 minutes.

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2. The Pioneer Woman

I think Ree Drummond is so sweet. She's incredibly funny and so full of kindness with everything she says. I've read her blog for a long time and now I enjoy watching her show. I'm usually not super into cooking shows - but this one is pretty unique and really enjoyable. I watch the episodes on Netflix since we don't have cable.

Another fun video I watched recently was this talk Ree gave at a BlogHer conference a few years ago. It was so much fun to listen to her share about her blogging story.

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3. Girl Meets World

This is a pretty adorable show! I love the original, Boy Meets World, and think this spin off has a lot of charm. It's sweet and really silly. The shorter episodes are nice for giving myself challenges, like running in place throughout the entire show.

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4. Design Ramblings

These are short videos, usually around 10 minutes, but I really love them. I know Kriste through a few mutual friends. I think she is amazing and has such a beautiful heart. Kriste and Marian (AKA Miss Mustard Seed) talk candidly about a specific design topic in each video. They seem like such a good team! If you get a chance, check out Design Ramblings and Kriste's blog, Rosemary & Thyme, sometime.

And with that, I'm off to clean up the house a little bit and get the rest of my steps in for the day. And hey, Luke just got home! Nice surprise. Do you have go-to shows or entertainment that you enjoy while exercising? Or do you like the quiet time to think? I'd love to hear from you!

Love,
Bonnie

SMHJ Weeks 20 & 21 | May 20 - June 2, 2015

Happy Wednesday! How's your week going? This has been a fun week for our family. We're getting ready to go to Gettysburg for a few days to celebrate our sweet friend Kirsten getting married. I'm one of her bridesmaids and I can't wait to watch her expressions and joy all throughout the wedding weekend. She's a great friend and a woman of such deep, beautiful character. I love her so much! We are so happy for her and Dave! What are you up to this week?

Weeks 20 and 21 of my health journey are officially done! I've been looking forward to sharing this post all week.

A couple small steps that have made a big difference...

• I've been buying more produce at the store so we have more fruits and veggies for snacks. Having enough fruit to last throughout the week has been a big help to me when I get a craving for a HUGE milkshake. :)
• I've been adding variety to my exercise routine. It's only been since January, but I've found that about every 3 months I need to do this. It's like a breath of fresh air and makes exercising really fun again. This past month I'm doing Refit Revolution dance fitness at least a few days a week. If you haven't checked out Refit yet, I'd highly recommend it. The videos are free to watch on Youtube (click here for the playlist I love to use). I totally can't dance but I still have so much fun with them. 
• I gave myself a new challenge to do 30 squats and 30 ab twists (I'm not sure what else to call them) a day in addition to my other exercise. Yesterday I tried planking for the first time... that was tough! I think I'll try to do that when I think of it.

The second thing I want to share today is an exercise log from the past week. I don't know if this will be really boring to read, but I've always loved hearing from other people what works for them. It's one thing for me to tell you that I get 10,000 steps a day... but how? What does that look like on a normal day?  

Here's what I did to get my steps in this week:

Week 21 Exercise Log

Wednesday 5/27 - 10,337 steps
Walked around kohl's and marshalls for maybe 10 minutes total
Did about an hour of Refit Rev using my playlist
Ran in place just about 10 minutes to finish up

Thursday 5/28 - 10,100 steps
Ran in place for 10-15 minutes while watching a tv show
Took about a 30 minute walk with Bekah around the college campus
Ran in place for about 15 minutes while watching a sermon
Did 3-4 Refit Rev songs to finish up (two were considered high intensity)

Friday 5/29 - 10,208 steps
30-45 minute trail walk along the creek with our friends
15-20 minute walk around campus with Bekah (combined with a trip to the mailroom)
10-15 minutes running in place while watching a Ree Drummond talk

Saturday 5/30 - 9,543 steps
I can't remember exactly what I did (updating this June 3rd) but my chart says I got most of my exercise in at night - a mix of Refit Rev (about 10 songs) and running in place.

Sunday 6/1 - 6,817 steps
This was an awesome and busy day with my friends and family.
Did some weeding at our family housing community garden
Took a walk around campus with Luke, Bekah, and my friend Katy

Bekah was a big fan of Katy!

Monday 6/2 - 5,090 steps
I took Monday a little slower - some walking scattered throughout the day.

Tuesday 6/3 - 10,044 steps
Just a little walking around while doing daily tasks during the day - pretty inactive
Ran in place for two tv shows (about 21 minutes each) with a small break in between
Ran in place for about 8 minutes while watching this great little video by Lara Casey

If you look at my chart, you'll notice somewhere around 10:45pm I decided to exercise after all :)

I hope that was encouraging to read today. As you can see, it's all pretty simple stuff. Just keep moving. :) It's been a good journey so far!

I hope you're having a great week. If you ever have questions about this health journey I'm on, about why I love my FitBit, or anything related (or un-related) - I'd love to chat. Leave a comment here or get in touch with me via email or Facebook. I'm not an expert by any means and this is all so new to me, but I really like hearing from friends about what works for them. It's always encouraging!

Cheering you on,
Bonnie

SMHJ | Weeks 18 & 19 | May - Unexpectedly Good

I loved this Kashi Ad in Real Simple last month - how do you make the world your gym?

Weeks eighteen and nineteen are all done!

Things are going well! I'm hanging out with my sleepy, sick, little girl right now. It's kinda fun and comfy to type with her on my lap like this. If she was fully awake, she would be taking control of the keyboard and somehow discovering the right combination of keys that she could press to close every window at once. Haha I don't know how she always does it... she is amazing! :)

May has been a cool month. It actually started out pretty rocky - Bek has been sick a few times and, like in every other part of life, sickness in the house shakes up routines and switches around priorities and all that. So I had a few days or maybe even weeks where I felt nervous that I was loosing my dedication to this health journey. But, each time there was a good decision, like eating an apple instead of a cookie or going on a short walk instead of sitting on the couch, that faith started building in me again that I'm headed in a good direction and I'm gonna win this thing. Haha. Not sure what winning is... not giving up, I guess? :)

Another reason May has been cool is that we have some special events coming up really soon! My friend is getting married in about two weeks and I get the privilege of being in her wedding party. I remember back in the first few weeks of this journey, I was motivated by the idea of feeling more comfortable in my bridesmaid dress after a few months of taking better care of my body. Now that it's almost here, I'm reminding myself that ultimately I've gotta choose that confidence/peace no matter how I feel in that pretty dress on June 6th - but it was a really fun, practical motivator as I looked forward to celebrating with my friend.

Then, the day after the wedding, we're going to the beach! Yay!!! Today I started trying on swimsuits which was.... well, it was trying on swimsuits... in a poorly lit dressing room. Haha! Does anyone else feel like they look like a totally different person in dressing rooms? Anyways, I saw a big change in my thoughts in that dressing room compared to past years. Usually when beach-time rolls around each summer, I feel really guilty about how little I exercised that year and how I should have "tried harder"... but I didn't allow those thoughts this year because I have been working at it. But, no matter what, don't let yourself feel guilty this year - just take little steps in the right direction as you're able and enjoy the beach. This year, I'm thankful for my body and thankful for all the fun (and not fun) workouts it's made possible over these past 20 weeks.

How are you doing? What fun things do you have going on as June approaches?

Love,
Bonnie

I titled this post a little differently today just to try something different - if you're reading for the first time (hi!), I try to share weekly or bi-weekly posts about my health journey. You can click on the "my health journey" link in the far right sidebar under "what I write about" to read the rest, if you'd like! 

Sharing my Health Journey | Weeks 16 & 17 | 5.6.15

You might have noticed I skipped last week's health journey update. The day after I shared my week fifteen post, Bekah came down with some kind of virus. Her fever spiked, she had a sick tummy, and for a good five days or so, everything was Bekah-snuggles and learning clever ways to get her to take her medicine. I'm happy to report that she is doing really well now. All the sickness seems to be over and done with, but we're keeping an eye on her as things are getting things back to normal. Oh, and her cute little third tooth showed up last night!

The week Bekah was sick, I was very laid back about fitting in my exercise. It was a good choice that helped me go with the flow as we focused on caring for our girl. Bekah and I did a lot of lounging on the couch. I don't think I'll ever forget how sweet that was. Bekah has always been "on the move". She is so fun and adventurous. She really only falls asleep in her crib or in the car. It was such a rare, sweet thing for her to snuggle up to me and fall asleep while she healed up. I hated that she was sick, but those cuddles were awesome.

Okay! Back to this health thing! Distracted by baby snuggles. Ya know, there have really only been three or four times throughout this journey that I've felt like I had to make a real intentional decision to keep going. I think this past week was one of those times. After getting out of my newly built habits for a few days, I've noticed how important every little choice is. Not in an obsessive way at all, but more in an empowering kind of way. One short walk, one healthy food choice, one set of squats... it does so much in encouraging me to keep moving.

I think a big takeaway for me this week is to just keep choosing. Choose to keep moving. Choose to focus on the victories rather than the "failures". Choose to be kind to yourself. That theme has been really prominent the last couple weeks. Maybe it will encourage one of you who needs some encouragement in your health journey. Don't give up! We're making progress!

How are you doing this week? How's your family and how's your health? :)

Love,
Bonnie

Sharing my Health Journey | week fifteen 4.22.15

Week fifteen is all done and, hey, we're even a couple days into week sixteen. :)

As I'm writing, it's almost 11pm on Friday night. I'm heading to bed before finishing my exercise goals because tomorrow we have a really special day! We're going to Luke's grandparents' cabin to spend the day with our family. It's one of our favorite places to go, so I already have a little bucket list of things in my head that I want to do while we're there.

read in the hammock, take a walk in the woods, sit around the camp fire...

This will be Bekah's first visit and we can't wait to show her all the stuff we love about that place.

But first. About week fifteen...

My favorite part about week fifteen... was yesterday night (so technically week 16... but eh) when I had to run-in-place for 30 minutes straight to reach my step goal by the end of the night. I didn't think I was going to finish my goals for the day but had a change of heart around 11:25pm. Haha! I needed like 4,500 more steps. Luke was right beside me, watching tv in bed while I ran in place like a crazy person, watching Fixer Upper to keep myself going. I had Luke do the occasional step check for me on the Fitbit app and he cheered me on. During the last ten minutes or so, I realized I was so close that I might miss the goal by something as small as 100 steps. So I turned my run into a sprint of sorts and felt crazy! I must have looked nuts. Even my skin hurt. It turned into such a funny moment between Luke and I. I'm not sure I've ever been more intense than when I realized I only had about 2 minutes till midnight and 300 or so more steps to get. Finally... the clock struck twelve and I was about 20 steps short for the day. Haha! Anyways... it was a sweet, fun time and it really didn't matter that I missed it by that little... we had fun.

The most challenging part of week fifteen... was going for my first outdoor run in my new shoes! I actually tried to make a video before and after the run to share some "in the moment" thoughts and feelings I was working through. The "after" footage disappeared somehow... so... no video. I've shared before that running kinda freaks me out. I think it has to do with how bad my asthma was as a kid. When I feel short of breath it scares me, even though I know I'll be fine. The other night when I went for that run, it felt like a real victory for a couple reasons.

First, just getting out the door to give it a try was a victory. Second, I felt like I knew how to pace myself a little better than before. I didn't feel so out of control. I took my time and slowed down when I needed to. Finally, I got the phrase "perfect love casts out fear" (1 John 14:8) going in my head, to the beat of my feet as they hit the pavement. It was such a good reminder that, because of Jesus, I don't have to be afraid.

A big root of the fear I had was coming from this idea that if I couldn't run a long distance, I'd be a disappointment. When I reminded myself that God loves me no matter what and that my value has nothing to do with how long I can run, I could just have fun with it and enjoy it. It was hard, but good! I'm looking forward to my next run outdoors.

How was your week? Tell me about some victories you're celebrating. :)

Love,
Bonnie

** You might have noticed some changes to the look and functionality of my blog. There are a few bugs to work out, but there are improvements, too! If you look at the right hand column, you can browse through posts by topic - a really fun, easy way to find posts that might interest you! xo

Sharing my Health Journey | week fourteen 4.15.15

Hey friends!

I'm happy to say week fourteen is all done and, despite being sick most of the week, it was really good. I went on a long walk with Bekah this afternoon and we took a break halfway through to swing at the playground. We met another 10 month old girl and her momma while we were there. Having their company was a nice treat. I loved watching Bekah's expressions as she went back and forth on the swing - she is crazy about that thing! Watching her red hair blow in the wind is so sweet. We'll definitely be making more trips over to the playground this spring. 

My allergies got pretty bad on Friday night but today I feel like there's an end in sight. Not the end of my life... just an end to this sickness. The overall yucky feeling of being sick caused me to adjust my exercise a little. I just needed to take things slower and be patient with myself. It ended up being a good learning experience.

That reminds me of something else that Luke and I were talking about last night. I had one day in particular this week where I kept letting the thought "I feel fat" run through my head. That thought is so deceiving. What does it even mean anyway? Just because that thought entered my mind, I felt so disappointed in myself. Then Luke started telling me he was noticing a lot of change in me this week and I was shocked to hear that. I told him how I'd been feeling - like all my physical progress had been lost - and he totally disagreed.

I had convinced myself that I wasn't making progress and that I had been lazy with my exercise (just because of that dumb thought). Meanwhile a pair of jeans that felt too tight a couple weeks ago were now much more comfortable and I was keeping up with my goals. Feelings can be so deceiving, huh? All that to say, I'll be more careful about questioning those thoughts that come into my head. That one was just silly and discouraging. And even if I had put on some weight, it really doesn't matter. I've just gotta keep moving.

On another health journey-related note, tonight Luke and I bought new running shoes! We went to Dick's Sporting Goods and ended up choosing the same pair totally by chance, in the men and women's versions. These shoes are crazy comfortable and so lightweight. I'm laying on the couch right now still wearing them at 10:55pm. Here's the pair I chose... and here's the men's version that Luke chose. After we got home tonight, we took a walk around campus to test out our new shoes. You know a pair of shoes is good when just looking at them makes you want to exercise. Now that we've got the shoes, we're extra ready to get some good use out of them with outdoor family time. 

How's your week going?

Love,

Bonnie

Sharing my Health Journey | week 12/13 | 4.8.15

If I were writing this post two days ago, I would have said things haven't been going so well with my health journey. If I wrote this post yesterday morning, I would have said things are good (because I got a good workout in). This morning, I'm saying this has been a funny week, with both good days and not so good days.

We had such a good Easter weekend. Luke had an extra day off work and we got to visit both sides of our family. We even bought a new car! We finished the holiday weekend feeling so grateful for all that good stuff and for how God had provided for all our needs there. Since it was a holiday weekend, we spent a lot of time traveling and sitting on the couch with family. That made it sorta tough to reach my exercise goals for a couple days, but that time with family was so so good. On Easter afternoon, I even got to take a walk with my mom, sister, and Bekah.

A few weeks ago, Kimbre commented on one of my posts and what she said has really stuck with me. She encouraged me to do all this exercise and health stuff as a way to support my mission - instead of viewing it as an idol and obsessing over it. For me, I feel like my mission is to care for my family. When I remember that, keeping the right heart about exercise and health becomes much easier. If I'm spending all night stressing about reaching my steps - that's not really fair to my family. What's the point of reaching my step goal if I did it with an attitude or under a ton of stress? One way I feel like I can serve my family right now is to manage my time well. I can move around my schedule a little bit and make things work out so I can exercise and care for my family all in the same day. Those are always the best days. I have more energy for being a wife and momma and that's so fun.

Anyways, Kimbre's comment has been a huge help to me in keeping the right perspective. My friend Jenn has also reminded me that this isn't a race. If I miss a day or have a whole week that's totally nuts, that's okay. This health journey is a lifestyle change. Thinking about that this morning is a big encouragement to me. I don't feel stressed or sad or disappointed in myself anymore. But that's a minute by minute decision.  I really do see that in the past 13 weeks, my lifestyle has changed. I have done the math a couple times in my head, and numbers-wise, I'm about 8-10x more active than I was before starting this journey (based on my number of steps and time in active exercise).

I guess what I want to share with you today is to just keep moving. If you're feeling disappointed in yourself or like another attempt to be healthy has failed so you should give up - don't go there. Encourage yourself and talk to yourself like you would to a friend who was struggling. Don't pick at all the mistakes you've made, but think about the good steps you've taken and the goals you have. Think about the stuff that matters, like setting an example of health and hope for your family.

Keep moving and have fun! Thanks for still following along with this journey. :)

Love,
Bonnie

Sharing My Health Journey {week eleven 3.25.15}

Today for my week eleven post, I want to share with you just four simple things that keep me motivated to move during the week. Week eleven was the fresh start I needed. I had a couple days where I felt like I was slowly sinking and loosing motivation, but then things really turned around. I've noticed a few things that help me to keep going when it's the last thing I want to do. So, in no particular order, here they are:

1. Thinking about Running around with our Kids

I love how the Bible describes Abraham's life as long and satisfying - that's exactly how I want mine to be. When I think about living a long life with all my loved ones, it helps me to see the bigger picture behind these daily decisions. I can't wait to run around the yard with my sons and daughters and be actively involved with them in the things they'll love to do.

2. The Pioneer Woman's FitBit Updates & Other Blog Posts

The Pioneer Woman's blog posts about her FitBit were a big motivator for me in getting a FitBit. If you've never read Ree's blog, you should go check it out - thepioneerwoman.com. She is so funny and she seems like she has the kindest heart. I love reading her stories about life on a cattle ranch with her family. Ree wears a FitBit and often shares about the walks she takes to reach her 10,000 steps. What I love about reading her posts is that they're so down to earth. She loves her family so much, and even in the middle of all the cool stuff she does, she's caring for her health one walk at a time.

This post called 'Motivation' is soo soo good.

I also really like this post by Emma of A Beautiful Mess about her fitness story. Her writing is always so nice to read.

3. Putting an Encouraging Picture in my Head

So here's the thing. I don't know how to write this one. I feel awkward every time I try to explain it to myself. But I've gotta share it because it has helped me push through exercise when I really wanted to give up. Sometimes I'll imagine myself in warm weather, playing with Bekah, wearing jean shorts and a t-shirt. It sounds so silly, but the way I feel in that image is comfortable and care-free. I feel my best when I'm exercising and taking care of my self, so that picture, as simple as it is, can be just the boost I need to keep going.

4. Giving & Receiving Encouraging Words

This applies to every part of life, ya know? I'm so thankful for all my family and friends who let me know they believe in me and in this health journey. I had a bunch of these experiences last week and it made me want to be generous with my kind words, too. The nurse at Bekah's pediatrician has been like an angel to us from the very first appointment. She is so fun to be around and is always really kind to me. During difficult appointments I find myself joking around with her a lot and it eases so much of my nervousness. Then I feel like I can be a much better comforter to Bekah. For a long time, I had been meaning to tell Alicia how thankful I am that she's in those appointments with us. I finally got around to it this week. She's been a real blessing to our family. Hopefully those words encouraged her to keep going with her work as a nurse - I'd be so sad to loose her!

Last week when I needed a fresh start, being aware of the things that motivate me was a big help. I'd encourage you to think about what those motivators are for you, in whatever tough stuff you're working through. And hey, if you think about it and want to share your motivators with me - I'd love to hear all about them!

Love,
Bonnie

Sharing my Health Journey {week ten 3.18.2015}

I'm in the double digits with my health journey and this week Spring weather officially arrived. The beautiful weather feels right on time. Things have been going pretty well with my goals, but I don't think it would hurt to take a fresh start in a few areas that are feeling sorta shaky.

How about you? Is there anything in your life that needs a fresh start this week? Remember to be kind and encourage yourself about whatever it is. Speak kindly  like you'd encourage a friend.

I'm keeping this list really simple so I actually remember to do it. Here are a few things I'm giving a fresh start and another try this week:

1. Taking two simple steps for accountability with my food choices. 

Having someone to answer to can be a really, really good thing when you have tough choices to make. Sharing my health journey here has made the daily decision to exercise much much much much (too many much's yet?) much easier. It feels like I have a big group of friends who are in this thing with me. So the two steps I'll take this week for food intake accountability are: Recording my food choices on the MyFitness Pal phone app and asking a couple friends (or my sisters) to ask me what kind of choices I've been making every once in a while.

2. Drinking enough water.

The water in our area has had a strong chlorine-y taste the past couple weeks. I pushed through it for a while but then I noticed a big decrease in my daily water consumption. Hopefully the problem will go away soon, but for now, I just need to invest in extra cases of bottled water. ;)

3. Running outside. The ice has finally melted away!

4. Starting the day with movement, prayer, and scripture. 

Now that I'm feeling all hopeful and fresh, I'm really looking forward to working hard in week 11.

So what are you up to today? Today's been a fun day for me. I got together with my friend Kelly (and our babies who are only a week apart) for breakfast and tonight I'm going to a big consignment sale with my friend Izetta (and our babies). Busy days with friends and babies are the best. And I'm not sure there's a much better way to get in those 10,000 steps than by thrifting... ;)

Love,
Bonnie

Sharing my Health Journey {week nine 3.11.15}

I said goodbye to week nine with a walk around a lake and some much appreciated outdoor exercise today. This was another great week! There was more variety in our day to day schedules, and that added fun challenges and changes to my exercise and food choices. Last week I shared this "bucket list" of activities I wanted to complete over the course of week nine... let's see how I did.

1. Walk to the mailroom

2. Go on a walk with a friend 

3. Take a family walk after dinner

4. Walk on the treadmill for 20 minutes one morning. 

5. Try out a new healthy recipe

6. Take a walk outside (even if it's cold)

7. Do a REFIT workout 

8. Run in place for a 30 minute stretch 

         I did this one tonight but forgot to take a picture

9. Take a "just for fun" trip out of the house and carry Bekah in the Ergo 

10. Choose something healthy over a dessert option

11. Do a FitBit challenge with my aunt and sister

12. Narrow down new running shoe choices

13. Try a new, healthy, easy snack

14. Dance with Bekah when we've been sitting for a while

Not too bad! Once the middle of the week hit, I kind of forgot to look back at this list. I think I'll give some of these uncrossed items a try again this week. The past four or five days have been a little nuts for us. Our car officially died so we had to make an unplanned trip back to our hometown to do car shopping and get things in order. Everything seems to be working out well so far with getting a replacement. We feel so loved and taken care of by all our family and friends who helped this almost feel like a non-issue by helping us get to home and work as needed. God is such a faithful provider.

I wasn't sure if I'd be able to keep up with my health goals these past few days with all the changes and travel. But it's been a fun challenge and I'm really happy to say I've kept moving and I'm still reaching my main goals. I went to a nearby housing community with my mother-in-law, niece, nephew, and Bekah this afternoon. We did a bunch of laps around the lake and absolutely loved the warm weather. I wore Bekah in her Ergo carrier and she napped while I got my steps in. The exercise and fresh air seem to be so good for her, which is such a sweet thing for me to see. When we came home, the two of us sat on the swing outside for a few minutes. I think exploring the outdoors with her this spring and summer will be so much fun.

A few other good things about week nine?

1. I ate a lot of kale and liked it much more than I expected. This week I want to try to make kale chips. Have you tried them before? What did you think?
2. Luke and I took a couple good long walks together this week. One around town tonight and another, a few days ago, while the sun was setting on campus. That's one of our favorite things to do together - good prayer times and conversations happen on those walks.
3. My niece is really into playing tag right now and I joined in a lot quicker than I would have before. I have more energy and I feel less self conscious when it comes to being active.
4. My baby turned 9 months!!! That isn't really related - but, man, she is the best.  

How was your week? You should tell me some good things that happened. :)

Love,

Bonnie

Sharing my Health Journey {week eight 3.4.2015}

I'm checking in late tonight after another pretty good week. :) The exercise is still going well. Most of my exercise is happening inside and towards the end of the day. It's all working out pretty nicely that way - but I wouldn't mind finding ways to spread it out throughout the day.

The other night I was talking with Luke and I told him I felt a little weird about the past 3-4 weeks all looking about the same. I was wondering if that was a bad thing, but he really encouraged me with his response. He basically reminded me that I'm building habits and if every week were completely different, that might not be so good. Things in this journey still feel strong and steady and I'm thankful for that. I think taking some time to learn about making healthy food decisions would be a good next step.

We had one of our "every 21 days" celebrations this week (a couple weeks late). The three of us went out to dinner and had such a nice time. I think the next celebration will be going out together to buy new running shoes. Both of us are due for a new pair pretty soon- my last ones were bought in the middle of high school - and the new shoes will be added motivation to get out there and exercise... with comfy, well-supported feet. :)

By the way, in very important exercise-related news: Bekah is now a crawler!! Well, she's about 98% there. It's sort of an army crawl but it's the coolest thing to watch her move around and chase after stuff. Yay Bek! You're awesome!

This week, I thought it would be fun to make a bucket list of activities and healthy choices for the week ahead. I'll still complete my daily FitBit goals, this will just help me add some variety. The FitBit goals have served as such a good standard each day. Having measurable daily goals has been a huge help to me. If you want to chat about my experience with the FitBit - feel free to ask any questions! I love that thing. :)

1. Walk to the mailroom

2. Go on a walk with a friend

3. Take a family walk after dinner

4. Walk on the treadmill for 20 minutes one morning. 

          Quick side note - our neighbors gave us a free compact treadmill. It was so, so nice of them!

5. Try out a new healthy recipe

6. Take a walk outside (even if it's cold)

7. Do a REFIT workout 

8. Run in place for a 30 minute stretch 

         I did this one tonight but forgot to take a picture

9. Take a "just for fun" trip out of the house and carry Bekah in the Ergo 

10. Choose something healthy over a dessert option

11. Do a FitBit challenge with my aunt and sister

12. Narrow down new running shoe choices

13. Try a new, healthy, easy snack

14. Dance with Bekah when we've been sitting for a while

It's your turn! If this seems like something that would be helpful to you, share your list with me! I'd also love some healthy snack and meal suggestions. It's always fun to get recipes from friends. :) I hope you're having a great week.

Love,

Bonnie

Sharing my Health Journey {week seven 2.25.2015}

Week seven is all done. It was another really good week even though it was still very cold and icy. If I had to describe the week in a word, it would be steady. The good exercise habits feel really strong and engrained in me. It's hard to write about a week that just felt normal and good and steady, so I thought this week I'd just share a bunch of thoughts with you. Here are a few thoughts that kinda describe where I'm at on this health journey, what I'm looking forward to, and how I'd like to challenge myself this week. So here we go!

1. I have no idea what to expect when the time comes to start running outside. That scares me a little. I don't know if I'll be surprised or disappointed with my endurance - but I'm definitely excited to try it out. I've been running in place, inside, for a couple weeks now and I really like it. I've been doing longer running intervals every so often to push myself. Maybe this is the week to get outside?? We'll see! I might just need to brave the cold - I miss you, sunshine and changing scenery!

2. A couple weeks ago we were driving through Valley Forge National Park and saw a bunch of runners on the paths. The views there are just amazing. When the warmer weather comes, I'd love to do a running date there with Luke. I can't remember if I've told him about that yet, but I think he'll really like the idea, too. 

3. I've been thinking about what makes a good "every 21 days" celebration. I thought buying something every twenty one days would be motivating, but I think I'm just more motivated by quality time. Celebrations like going out for a family dinner, or maybe even doing a date at one of those big trampoline parks, would be a lot of fun. We still due for our second celebration so maybe we can make one of those happen in the next week or so. I'd love to hear your ideas for good quality time celebrations.

4. Last night was the first night I just went to bed instead of finishing my exercise or writing this post. That felt really weird but it was a good choice, I think. I was so worn out and, as a result, super emotional - it was pretty clear I needed a good full night of sleep. One cool thing that came out of that whole situation was that I wasn't as hard on myself as I would have been in the past. I didn't feel guilty or lazy or anything like that - I just knew it would be good as a wife and a mom and, well, a person if I got some rest. So I browsed through The Nesting Place  again and fell asleep peacefully. :)

5. One of my goals for this year is to run a 5k. Each year my family does the Turkey Trot on Thanksgiving morning. I've shared here before that running seemed terrifying and absolutely not fun to me in the past, but with all these changes happening, I think this would be a great year to join them for the race. 

Alrighty. I've said enough! :) How was your week?

Love,

Bonnie

Sharing my Health Journey {week six 2.18.15}

Goodbye week six! You were good!

Another week is done. I've been wracking my brain for the last day or two trying to think of what to share in this post. It was a really good week. Nothing super special happened, but it all felt normal and like real habits are being formed. I continued to meet my exercise goals each day (getting in at least 10,000 steps and over 30 minutes of "very active" exercise) and switched my rest day to Sundays - which I think will be a better fit. I'm still sort of on the fence about how to move forward with making better food choices. I didn't end up tracking my food like I had planned to last week. I was kinda disappointed in myself about that and really struggled with how to share about that here. I feel like the best way to move forward is to just learn from those mistakes, be kind to myself, and make one decision at a time. My friend Jenn mentioned something a couple weeks ago about all the little decisions we make adding up for big results - when I look at it that way, it feels way less overwhelming. Haha - anything that will help me turn down the extra ice cream. :)

The weather was sooo cold and icy this week so I've still been exercising inside. I've been running in place for 5, 10, or 20+ minute stretches and I am actually having a lot of fun with it. I run in our bedroom, often while Bekah sleeps, with my computer on the dresser so I can listen to a podcast or watch a show. My back faces a wall that has a long mirror on it, and sometimes, when I need a change of scenery, I'll turn around and run facing that direction. It is really cool seeing myself change in the mirror. From what I can remember, this is the longest I've stuck with something like this and it is crazy rewarding in more ways than I would have expected. I like the stuff that's going on in my heart when I exercise and I like giving myself little challenges, like running longer or faster. I smile a lot and I feel my endurance building and that's a really neat feeling! I'm still trying to figure out how Bekah feels about seeing me run in place. She seems a little suspicious.

It's hard to believe but our next 21 day celebration is coming up on Sunday! I wrote about those celebrations, and why we do them, in this post. Luke's helping me decide how we'll celebrate this one. Hmm... I've got some thinking to do. Hopefully next week I'll share about that celebration and the incredible amount of time I was able to spend outside ;) (come on, Spring!). Hello, week 7!

Have a great rest of the week, friends! Thanks for reading.

Love,
Bonnie

Sharing my Health Journey {week five 2.11.15}

Another week is done! This one felt so different than the others. Last week I shared that a big struggle for me was the amount of time it was taking to get my 10,000 steps each day, mostly because of the types of exercise I was doing. I expect it to take time, and putting in the time is really important - but it was getting to the point that other necessary stuff was getting pushed to the back burners. I asked God for wisdom about that situation and ended up with a sort of funny solution.

Running has always scared me. I think it might have something to do with dealing with asthma as a kid - that feeling of not having enough breath was too common and so unpleasant. In my post for week four, I mentioned that I had given running a try again. It was freezing out that day and the cold air burned. During every little portion of running I thought "this is the last one - I don't think I can run anymore after this". But sure enough, when I went back to walking, I'd catch my breath a little and feel a real desire to run again. That was a pretty cool feeling and I felt that some new hope and joy was developing there.

I found an old, free copy of Jesse Owen's (a 1936 olympian runner/broad jumper) autobiography in our school library. I started reading it around the day I tried running again - and then that night I had a dream about running. And it was so fun! I think this has been one of the coolest parts of this health journey so far. I'm getting excited about something that has always scared me and felt off limits before.

It's been very icy the past week or two, so there haven't been a ton of opportunities to run outside. So the funny solution? Running in place (not with Bekah - I just liked that picture). Sometimes for 5, 10, 20+ minutes at a time. I'll watch a video and just run. Haha - I sort of feel like I'm cheating the steps or something... but I guess that's not really possible? I feel stronger and like my endurance is better each day with that. I get sweaty and happy and excited to run outside. Hopefully the ice will melt away for good this week and next week I'll have some outside running reports to give you. :) I'm still mixing in REFIT dance fitness and having a lot of fun - but I was ready for a little variety.

Another thing that really encouraged me this week was when my parents visited on Saturday. My mom (who is always so encouraging) said that she saw such a difference in my energy level that day. It was so sweet to hear because I was feeling that same thing! In past visits, I felt like I just wanted to melt into the rocking chair when they were here. Just because, ya know, with your parents you can kinda put down your guard and be honest about how you feel. But Saturday was so different. I wasn't discouraged. I wasn't feeling low about the tough stuff of being a mom. I was energetic and able to enjoy our visit so much more! I'm so thankful for that. If eating better and living a more active lifestyle can help me be more present during family time - then both those things are so worth holding on to.

A couple things I want to work on this week? 1) Eat less sweet stuff/junky food, more whole foods, keep track of food 2) Get outside and give running a try again and again 3) Start the day in prayer and praise and check my attitude/heart first thing.

Thanks for following along again this week! I'd love to hear about any kind of health or habit changes you've been making, too.

Love,
Bonnie

If you'd like to check out the previous posts in my health journey - here they are!

 

 

Sharing my Health Journey {week four 2.4.15}

It's February! And week four is done!

Wow. What a week. In one word this week was: emotional. No idea why, it just hit me like a ton of bricks. I was able to make my main goals every day (minus my normal rest day and the day I had a stomach bug) - so that was good! I think the biggest challenge this week was feeling discouraged. The funny thing is, if I was hearing this from a friend, I'd ask her what she had to feel discouraged about - she met her goals and stuck it out! The discouragement hit me at really weird times during exercise. I felt like my head couldn't connect with my feet and it was frustrating. Occasionally, during a workout, I wanted to flop on my bed and cry. Haha - I know. so dramatic.

I think the reason I was feeling so low came down to a couple things...
1. Exercise has been taking a lot of time each day. Good stuff takes hard work and time, so I'm okay with that. The tough part is figuring out how to balance some of the other things that keep getting put on the back burner. I am trying to not be too hard on myself about it - all throughout life we have to adjust to new schedules and figure things out. That's totally okay. I'm looking forward to making some small, baby step progress on this area in week five.

2. I've mentioned before that I'm working on eating healthier portion sizes. This has been a good change - I enjoy food more and even feel more thankful for it - rather than feeling like I need to rush for seconds. This week I wasn't consistent with logging my food intake on the FitBit app, and I wonder if there were a few days that I should have been eating more calories. I felt slow. Nursing a baby burns something like 500 calories a day and I often forget that. I want to make sure I'm taking good care of this body and putting enough food in it that helps and doesn't hurt.

source: annvsokamp.com via facebook

I want to celebrate a little before finishing off this post today (mostly because I want to kick this discouragement thing in the butt) I made it another week! I am so excited about that and feel like this is totally God's grace and kindness helping me stick it out. I'm not sure I've ever stuck with new health habits for this long. This week I even tried running. Running has always freaked me out but I gave it a try yesterday and I'll keep trying it.

Having this place to share and keep me accountable each week is really good. During tough moments throughout the week, I think a lot about what I'll share here. So thanks for reading. :) I'd love to hear about what's going on in your life, too. And of course, if you have any tips about things that have worked for you in these areas, please teach me!

Love,
Bonnie

Sharing my Health Journey {week three 1.28.15}

Week three is done and today was my rest day!

It was a really great week. There were a handful of moments during exercise where I just felt sleepy and blah and unmotivated. I learned that if I would just smile a little more or challenge myself to do the hard REFIT song, I would end up so motivated and excited about what I was doing. I've reached my 10,000 step goal and 30+ very active minutes goal every day (except on my weekly rest day) and love the FitBit so much for keeping track of all that.

One of my favorite moments of the week was when a friend told me she had noticed a difference in my appearance. That was crazy encouraging. I feel a big difference (in so many ways), but seeing physical fruit of the work is really, really cool too. So thanks, friend, for your kind words. They really meant a lot!

Another thing I loved about week three was getting out of the house and taking long walks around campus. We had a few days that were cold (but not too cold), so I was able to bundle up a little and get my steps in outside. I am really looking forward to the warmer weather and all the exercise opportunities that will open up. But for now, I'm liking winter. Finding ways to exercise even on the super cold days is kind of fun.

Sunday will mark 21 days since I first reached 10,000 daily steps. Luke and I decided that every 21 days we'll do a little celebration. I think this week we'll go out to dinner together, but I'm trying to brainstorm some other fun reward ideas. I am taking this health journey one day at a time - it helps me so much to look at it like that. They say it takes 21 days to build a habit, so every 21 days we're going to celebrate, have fun, and thank God for these new healthy habits that are forming.

Thanks for following along again.
Loved ya, week three. I'm ready for week four!

Love,
Bonnie

Sharing my Health Journey {week two 1.21.15}

So the second week of my health journey has come to a close and I'm feeling good.

The changes and new habits look pretty much the same as they did last Wednesday, but I feel like I'm learning more day by day. For example, at first, trying to get the 10,000 daily steps felt like I couldn't focus on anything else all day. But each day I started to get a better feel for what I could do in the morning, during nap times, and just with free chunks of time here and there to get in extra exercise.

I am still having so much fun with REFIT videos. I even got over a bunch of my shyness and now allow Luke to be in the room when I'm doing them. Haha! He has been so encouraging and gives me "dares" - like doing the two hardest songs back to back. I think those challenges really help me push myself and I end up having more fun.

In general, after a week with the new habits, I have more energy and I'm eating better, too. For a while I've known that the portion sizes I was eating were just too big. I've been tracking my calorie intake on the FitBit and doing pretty well with that! This week I'd like to focus on getting more greens into my diet and incorporating fruits or veggies into every meal.

Two days ago, I completed my 10,000 steps and some other goals for the 8th day in a row. I was feeling good but it seemed like my body was saying "Bonnie, you're going to need rest soon". The next day (yesterday) I woke up and just felt weird. Kinda achy, really sleepy, a little sick feeling. Honestly, I was worried about taking a rest day. I was afraid that if I took a day off I'd feel guilty and loose my motivation. But it was pretty clear that I needed a day to regain strength. I got some advice from my sister about how she approaches days off from exercise and that helped a lot. I told Luke at the beginning of the day that I wanted him to correct me if I started speaking badly about my body during the day. That yucky self-destructive talk sneaks in so quickly. I hadn't struggled with it all week but then the day I chose to rest, that spirit of accusation (you're lazy, you're unhealthy, etc.) tried to take over. This verse is so powerful... I shared it last week and thought about it when those "I can't do this" thoughts nagged at me.

When I only encourage thoughts that match Christ's character it makes a big, big difference.  

So just to sum up the week: it was a great week! I am loving the exercise, enjoying food much more (in healthier portion sizes), and I'm really thankful for what I have. I had a great day off where my body regained some strength and I remembered how important it is to rest. Choosing to rest is a trust thing - it makes me remember that God is the one carrying me through this and it's not about what I can do in my strength. Today starts a new week. I'm looking forward to a great week three!

Thanks for joining for me this journey.

Love,
Bonnie

Leaving you with another super fun video from REFIT REV today. Let me know if you try it out! 

And here's my playlist again if you want to see more. 

Sharing my Health Journey {week one 1.13.15}

A few months back I became interested in getting a FitBit. I did a little research and it seemed like something that would encourage me to become (and stay) more active. Well, some time passed, and a couple weeks ago Luke used Christmas money to buy me a FitBit Flex. He's so nice. :) I've only had it for a handful of days, but I am loving it so far. And even better, I'm seeing a lot of my habits improve!

My plan is to wear the FitBit on my wrist everyday and try my best to reach the goals suggested on the FitBit dashboard. If you're not familiar with what those goals look like, here's a screen shot of the app that tracks my activity, food, and water throughout the day:

The first is Sunday - it's a pretty good reflection of what a day looks like when I don't put much focused effort into being active.

The second is Monday - it was the first day I reached the steps goal. Big difference!

Then the third dashboard is this morning around 8:30am after morning Refit

Monday afternoon I told Luke that I'd like to start sharing my health journey here on Strong and Sweet. After 23 years with this body, I have been through plenty of ups and downs about how I view it. I've hit lows of self hatred and highs of contentment and thankfulness for the body God gave me. One common theme I've noticed is that when I'm caring for my body, I am much more thankful for it - even if there are still things I'd like to see change.

So here's the plan: I'll aim to share a weekly post here about my health journey. I'll highlight some of the highs, the lows, and the other things on my mind about the week. Consider this a conversation, so if you want some encouragement on things you're working through, too, I'm your girl!

1. Monday was the first day that I met the 10,000 step goal. That felt so good and satisfying. I was pretty surprised by how much extra effort I had to put in to reach the goal! My legs were good and wobbly Tuesday morning. 
2. Keeping a big, refillable water bottle around makes a big, big difference in reaching my goal of 64 oz of water a day. Special thanks to my bro-in-law, Jackson, for my 24.7 oz water bottle that makes this easier. (He also got Bekah a matching one... ah!!)
3. I've been using the ReFit Rev youtube videos and I'm enjoying them so much. I made a playlist on YouTube with some of their videos. It's kinda like Zumba. I just pull it up on my computer and do the exercise routines in the living room or in the bedroom if Bekah is still sleeping. I try to do 4-6 songs in the morning and then a bunch more in the evening. It is really, really fun. I am totally not a dancer but I still find myself smiling as I loose my breath and feel the burn. Give it a try! I'll link to one of my favorites and my playlist below.     
4. I was worried about getting enough exercise during these cold winter months, but I found a fun (and kinda weird) solution. I take walks around the halls of our apartment building. I think yesterday I did like 6-7 laps through the halls and even ran into a few friends along the way. :) That mixed with Refit Rev and just generally trying to stay active most of the day has, so far, been getting me to 10,000 steps (and wobbly legs).
5. Tuesday morning I woke up feeling not so excited about starting over at zero steps. There was some discouragement there so I've been trying to be pretty proactive about catching those thoughts and replacing them with encouraging thoughts instead. Sort of like 2 Corinthians 10:5. 

Alrighty, friends. Bekah is napping and I've lunch to eat and dishes to do. If there's any take away from this, I think it's that there is a way to move in the direction of our goals and better health. This is an area where I've struggled for a long, long time, so it feels good to be moving in the right direction, even with simple changes. Thanks for being a part of that by following along!

How's your week going? Any tips on how you stay active on busy days? 

Love,

Bonnie

Oh! And here's one of my favorite ReFit Videos if you'd like to try it out. Click here for my playlist.