Goals, goals, goals!

Weekly Update:  I officially got over the 35 pound marker 'hurdle' after being down then up the same 2 tenths of a pound the past two weeks.  Down 1.4 for a total of 36!  My goal for next week is 8 tenths (or more) to get me under the 200s.  I plan to get there by tracking my food, drinking 100oz of water a day and working our daily.  

If you know me, I'm big on goals.  No matter what your 'ultimate' goal is, you need to set manageable time bound goals to help get you there.  This will help with motivation and long term success.  If I had only set one goal to 'lose 100 pounds' imagine how overwhelming that would be?!  Instead, I go for SMART goal setting to help me get me to my ultimate goal and enjoy the progress along the way.  

If you enjoy my blog, I'd love to have you in my private (women only) Facebook Group dedicated to health, fitness and nutrition: https://www.facebook.com/groups/FitandHealthyPrivateGroup/ 

The SMART acronym is an awesome tool.  It gives you a way to hold yourself accountable in a very easy to follow way.  'Lose 100lbs' is relevant (I need to do it to be healthier) and measurable (100lbs), but it's not very attainable without placing some mini goals along the way.  It's also not specific in what I plan to do to acheive it, nor is it time bound - how long will it take me?? I have a long term goal off 'lose 100 pounds in a year through fitness programs such as the 21 Day Fix, T25 and Body Pump' but it's way too big to consider realistic without some other goals. 

So this led me to set some other goals:

My first goals were set in July when I started this journey.  I wanted to lose 20lbs and waterski by the end of the skiing season (September).  Very specific, time bound, relevant, attainable and measurable.  They were aggressive but I was determined.  I hit both by August 31st, losing 22lbs and skiing several times.  Reaching these goals wasn't as overwheming as the thought of 'losing 100lbs' and achieving them motivated me to keep pushing.  

My second set of goals was to finish the Hartford Half Marathon and get 'below' 200 pounds by Race Day (October 11).  I hit the race goal, and came very close to the weight goal (201.8lbs).  I continue to push towards my goals and feel that I'm being realistic but also pushing myself - the fact that I came so close on my weight goal I consider a huge accomplishment even though I didn't hit the goal.  To me if I am consistently overachieving it means my goals are set high enough to keep pushing me to a stronger, better self.

I now have officially set my 'year end' goals which are a little less aggressive given the holidays (staying attainable). I plan to lose 15 more pounds in the upcoming weeks as well as drink 100oz a day and workout 10-30 minutes at least 6 nights a week.   I am tracking my water intake through a free app 'waterlogged' and using my 'Body Pump' calendar to track my workouts while I complete the 90 Day Pump Challenge.

Here is a photo I found reminding me of what I'm marching towards each day.   I value health most importantly because of the fun opportunities it affords me to participate in!  Here I am zip lining 4 years ago.  I love hiking, waterskiing, running and being adventurous in general.  For those things, I need my health.

Changing subjects to some food news, I made these for a MOMs club event last week and wow were they both easy and delicious! So much that a fellow mom asked me several times for the recipe!  She went and ordered Shakeology through me as a result and I'm so excited that she'll be drinking it as well as making these snacks for her family!  I used almond butter to avoid peanut allergies and they were just as tasty.

And this was a super easy 21 Day Fix friendly fajita salad.  Peppers, onions, tofu (you could do chicken), lettuce, cheese, rice & seasonings! 

Similar to my water challenge a few weeks ago, I'm starting a 7 day 'MOVE IT' challenge which challenges members to move 30 minutes a day for 6 of 7 days.  I Ioved this quote as it's a reminder something is always better than nothing.

More business news, here are some of my favorite mamas and babies in our last outdoor Pilates in the Park series.  Next up, we find an indoor venue!

More about me:  http://www.beachbodycoach.com/esuite/home/chapmaki

Contact: fitandbalancedmom@gmail.com

Momentum

This week my big struggle has been momentum.  The past few months, I've been so motivated by my successes that they've been pushing me along.  However, I'm starting to get a little complacent... This actually happens after any half marathon I've ever done, so I'm wondering if that's it.  I'm struggling to be motivated to do my workouts, even though they are only a small portion of my day and I feel a LOT better after I do them.  I'm proud of myself, however, for still 'pushing play' every night even if it's just a 10 minute video.  This week Tony Horton's 10 Minute Trainer has been my secret weapon.  I can't talk myself out of 10 minutes, I mean it's ONLY 10 minutes - there's no excuse in the book that would make up for skipping it.  I was actually really terrified of my weigh in this week, but I know from experience if I skip it, it becomes a really slippery slope and I end up 10 or more pounds in the hole, so I went anyway.  I was actually pretty surprised to have 'only' gone up 0.2 pounds.   I actually attribute this two the fact that I've been hitting my water goal of 100oz a day consistently for 2 weeks now.   That's no excuse, and I'm back on the wagon this week!  I got Les Mills Body Pump in the mail yesterday and started it...I'm already in love!

If you enjoy my blog, I'd love to have you in my private (women only) Facebook Group dedicated to health, fitness and nutrition: https://www.facebook.com/groups/FitandHealthyPrivateGroup/ 

These photos are from a friend 90 pounds into her journey, she had this success in just 30 Days doing the 10 Minute Trainer, so I keep telling myself if I can push play for 10 minutes (no matter how unmotivated I am), that I'll still be helping myself to acheive my goals!

Asside from my night workouts, I'm still keeping up with my Pilates in the Park series and on a serious hunt for an indoor venue now that the dark, cold weather is fast approaching.  Please comment if you have suggestions! I've tried churches, elks clubs, libraries, dance studios, parks & rec.... They are all way too expensive or don't have availability.  

Here is my little guy enjoying some snacks whole we set up for class.  This has been a great way to socialize with other moms, get me back into teaching (I taught 7 years before having my son - up until I was 36 weeks pregnant!) and has gotten me so excited in general.

It's funny, with all the fitness stuff I've been up to, I think I'm creating a workout monster, here he his having crawled upstairs and into my workout space.  He picked that 5 pound weight up like it was nothing!  The he kept walking around and grabbing other fitness equipment.  

With all the 'work' we needed some fun too.  Family Day at the Zoo during an unusually warm October day!  We did a lot of walking and had a great time together - it's not always about the prescribed workouts - sometimes family time is just what the doctor ordered :)

Another thing I'm working on is making sure I keep my AFFAA certification up to date, so I decided to sign up for an online continuing education course to maintain my AFAA Personal Trainer certification.  It means diligence and self study - let's just say I'm counting down the modules until I'm DONE!  After this I'm definitely going back to classroom training, the online course work is definitely not exciting.

I've shared this recipe before on my Facebook Fit & Healthy page, but it needs to be shown again because it's that good.  It's 21 Day Fix Friendly (so is regular pizza but you get more of this and it's great!).  Basically instead of 'dough' you use a mixture of cauliflower and egg.  I'm not going to lie and say it tastes like dough, but it definitely holds really well for toppings!

And with that I'll close...next week I WILL break 35 pounds!  I'm currently sitting at 34.6, it's so close I can see it.

More about me:  http://www.beachbodycoach.com/esuite/home/chapmaki

Contact: fitandbalancedmom@gmail.com

Hartford Half Marathon

WEEKLY UPDATE:  Down 3.4 this week!! That makes my total 34.8lbs since July First.   I'm so happy that I finally broke my plateau.   I didn't give up and it was well worth it, and if I average this week with the two weeks I remained flat, I'm still down on average over one pound a week which is pretty awesome for over 3 months into my journey.   One thing I did differently this week, I started a 7 Day Water Challenge group where I challenged a group of 20 people to drink 64-96oz of water a day (depending on their current intake and weight, everyone set a daily goal).  As a result of running this group, I started tracking my water and realized I wasn't drinking close to the 100 I should be, I'm sure that's what helped break my plateau.

On to the marathon....

I did it! I finished!!  I really felt like 'me' again - I was even wearing my typical race outfit (a little snugger than usual - but it's my race shirt and yoga pants).   I felt so much clarity being on the road again with all those other runners.   My time was basically double my 'old' race time, but the fact of the matter is, I made my way through 13.1 miles no matter the speed.  I ran with a good friend and we vowed to stay together - I did a lot of running and shuffling the first 10 miles, but then around mile 10 decided to do a little walking too.  It was all downhill from there.  I have to remember that for my next race, walking (especially in the rain) totally kills your momentum!    Regardless, I finished and got my medal.  I was definitely motivated by that medal as silly as it sounds.   

This is a little collage I made to compare a photo from this summer when I was just starting my journey back to fit and then one from this weekend.   At 1/3 of the way there, I'm pretty happy with my progress (both on physical appearance, but more importantly on physical strength!).  Can't wait to post more about my future races!

If you enjoy my blog, I'd love to have you in my private (women only) Facebook Group dedicated to health, fitness and nutrition: https://www.facebook.com/groups/FitandHealthyPrivateGroup/ 

Here we are pre-race, I was so excited!

...and post race, wet and tired but also very very happy.

I also started a fun new tradition after the race.  As I was driving home (and having difficulty due to foot pain), I decided we needed a much earned reward.   These are two of my all time favorite things - Starbucks Lattes and pedicures!   While the medal was motivating, I think knowing I had these two things at the end of the race would have motivated me even more.   I strongly recommend this combination as a reward after you finish your next fitness endeavor!   

A side note: My feet were really what kept me back on this race, and so I learned my lesson: Never buy shoes based on the color.   I was so excited about this race, that I went and bought the cutest sneakers I could find - bad idea!  My feet are still in pain 4 days later while my leg muscles barely hurt after!

And of course, as all Mom's do, I shared my prized medal with my son.   He was having a ball playing with it.  Although, in the past few days he's retired the medal and is now hooked on the free water bottle I got at the end of the race.  He's very proud of himself for being able to drink out of it all by himself.    Maybe he's the family's next marathoner?

More about me:  http://www.beachbodycoach.com/esuite/home/chapmaki

Contact: fitandbalancedmom@gmail.com

Grattitude

Weekly Update: This week, similar to last, it appears I'm at a bit of a plateau.  While I expected it last week, I wasn't expecting it quite so much this week.  I am down .2, and in my prior life would have used that as an excuse to go off course, have a pity party and ultimately sabotage myself.

What I am most proud of myself for is not letting this get me down, frustrate me, or cause me to lose sight of the goal.    This week I took some time to think about what things I'm grateful for despite the lack of a 'big loss'.  I'm grateful that I did not gain weight and the fact that I am down over 30 pounds in total.  I am grateful for the physical strength I'm continuing to build every day.   Just yesterday, I found myself using 12 pound weights for an entire 30 minute workout.  A short two months ago during the same workout I was struggling using 5 pound weights.  The number on the scale is what we typically use to measure that strength, but I'm realizing that a number doesn't tell close to near the whole story.

If you enjoy my blog, I'd love to have you in my private (women only) Facebook Group dedicated to health, fitness and nutrition: https://www.facebook.com/groups/FitandHealthyPrivateGroup/ 

An example of this is something I plan to do on Saturday.  This weekend will mark my 5th and slowest half marathon ever.  What makes this race different from any other is the journey it represents for me.  This race will involve running, but it will also involve walking and probably plenty of it.  It may involve tears, but it will also involve extreme pride and a sense of accomplishment.  In the past my half marathons have always been either a couple seconds above or below the 2 hour marker.   My goal for Saturday is different.  My only goal is to finish and I have accepted the fact that it will potentially take me up to 4 hours (well past when the water stations close, and the finish line is wrapped up).   I am OK with that, because for me this marks a huge milestone in my journey back to fit.  Prior to becoming pregnant, running was one of the things that defined me.  I loved running, I would run for miles to clear my head and I was always looking for the next race to get involved with.   Finishing the Hartford Half Marathon on Saturday is a symbol of the 'new' me reconnecting with the 'old' pre baby me.  I can't wait to update the blog next Thursday with how I did!

I love this quote, and it is so true.  Even with the prior races I have run, you always have a journey and it's unique to you and often varies from run to run.   My journey on Saturday may involve tears of physical pain and will most likely also involve tears of emotional joy.   I love the spirit involved in races, knowing everyone there is running for their personal journey, and they have miles and miles of time with themselves to discover what that is.

While I haven't specifically trained for the race like in prior years (building up mileage every week one mile at a time), I have been training daily in my home office and I am confident the workouts will pay off.   I signed up for the race about a month ago, 20 pounds into my weight loss journey (now down 31.4 with much more to go).  I knew I didn't have time to 'train' in my typical fashion and that I wouldn't be running the whole race, but even walking it would be an accomplishment from where I was only a few months ago.   

Below is my workout studio, it's not big but it's exactly what I need to get this body back into shape.   What you see on the walls are my accountability calendars, marking each day of my workouts (I love sticky notes to prove I did a workout!)

In addition to my nightly workouts, I also spend about a half hour to an hour every night working on motivating others and engaging with my Fit & Healthy Facebook page.  I recently got this shirt in the mail as a free gift from Beachbody.  It makes me happy just to look at it!

Here is a quick little photo of my little guy, reminding me what this blog and my journey is all about.  He is my reason for pushing play every night on that DVD player, he is the reason I make sure I pick up the water and drink 100oz daily, he is the reason I spend time researching recipes and balancing our meal plans.  I want to be there as a role model for him for many years to come!

In other news, things are starting to move along nicely with my business (name to be disclosed as soon as the Secretary of State makes it official!).  While I'm extremely anxious, I'm trying out a new 'me' where I don't let the 'what ifs' stop me from doing something I know I'm good at and I know I'm passionate about.   I'm not going to play it safe and never try to follow my dreams.  I'm going to try my hardest and see where it lands me!   I took the plunge on Tuesday and officially filed with the State of CT for my LLC, as well as finalized my logo (a good friend of mine is working on it for me).  

It feels so weird that I'm doing this!  It sort of reminds me of when I first became a mother.  That feeling when you realize they are going to let you go home with this precious little commodity and the doctors completely trust you to take care of him.   The thing about that day in the hospital, is that they were right - I WAS capable of being a good mother, and I am a loving, caring, and sometimes exhausted mother every single day.   I have to remind myself that I can do this too.  I know I can teach and motivate others, and I know I'm good at it. I am lucky in that I already have a small following of friends who have pushed me to pursue this dream.  I already have clients which is such a cool way to start out!

My next endeavor is to work on finding an indoor space for this winter so we can keep our fitness classes going.   I'll be on the look out, but would love any suggestions!  Please feel free to comment or email me at fitandbalancedmom@gmail.com.

More about me:  http://www.beachbodycoach.com/esuite/home/chapmaki

Contact: fitandbalancedmom@gmail.com

Me, a small business owner?!

Until I hit my goal, I plan to start these Thursday posts with an update on my weight progress, up or down I'll share it all.  Just like all of you, I'm human and if I'm up one week it doesn't make me 'bad' and doesn't mean I should be 'embarrassed' or quit.  It means I am on a journey and every journey worth traveling has road blocks, detours and obstacles.  I am sharing with complete honesty in hopes that it will remind those reading this that just because you have a road block, doesn't mean it's time to give up or hide - it means it's time to grow despite that obstacle.

This week was a challenge for me on several occasions.  I went to a Fair and had 'Fair Food', I forgot to eat lunch one day (very unlike me!) and ended up gorging on dinner rolls as a result, and I got into 'I'm starting on Monday' mentality and let a few extra things slide.  That being said, I did recommit on Monday, so that's something to be proud of.   As you can imagine, I was very anxious about my weekly weigh in with Weight Watchers.   To my surprise, I was exactly flat from the prior week.   I consider this a HUGE success.  I am in the same place I was, and maintaining during a 'rough' patch is something I am proud of!   

If you enjoy my blog, I'd love to have you in my private (women only) Facebook Group dedicated to health, fitness and nutrition: https://www.facebook.com/groups/FitandHealthyPrivateGroup/ 

Now on to this week's topic!

I'm finally pursuing my dream.  

Since my original weight loss journey started in college and I 'found fitness' about a year in, I have been extremely passionate about health and fitness.  I made some small steps incorporating this into my 'career', like becoming a Pilates instructor in 2007.    I always wished that I had found this lifestyle sooner and gotten my degree in health and nutrition.  Over the years, I have spread my enthusiasm with those around me in any way I can - and I am willing to share from my experiences and personal research to help others see success.  I've often tried to figure out a way to do this professionally, but it never seemed possible.  That is, not until now.

About a month ago, a few of my mommy friends who knew about my background teaching encouraged me to set up a mommy & me Pilates class.  They told me that I would be doing them a favor, they asked several times and finally I realized that this was my opportunity.  What was I waiting for?  Why not take the plunge?   I'm currently working a part time schedule with my corporate job so that I can spend more time with my son, and teaching mommy & me Pilates classes allows me to spend that time with my son while building relationships, helping others and bettering my own health.

Teaching some friends casually is one thing, but as I started to think about it, I realized that I have a lot to offer other mothers and not just fitness related.  As a new mother, I've struggled finding that 'Balance' and part of what has kept me going are the bonds I've created with other mothers over the past year.   It occurred to me, I could have a business that helps mom balance more than just their Fitness.

This is my dream.  This is my goal. I will do this!

I am just starting to iron out the details  of what this means - I'm educating myself with Twitter and Instagram.  I'm learning how to make myself be known.  I'm growing every day along this journey, and not just my weight loss journey, but also my journey to finding my ideal job!

More about me:  http://www.beachbodycoach.com/esuite/home/chapmaki

Contact: fitandbalancedmom@gmail.com