Healthy Hump Day-A crazy weekend recap

Things have been a bit quiet on ye olde blog since it has been crazy around ye olde house.  Here's how our weekend and the next few days played out.  When something goes wrong with my kids I tend to shut down.  It's hard for me to focus on anything else.

Friday:
6:00 pm:  J-man slices the heck out of his heel running around outside and it is bleeding everywhere.
6:30:  stitches or no stitches?
6:45:  Dr. down the street checks it out and says to go to urgent care to be on the safe side.
8:00:  Urgent care does a thorough cleaning and closes it up with steri strips.  It's more of a flap than a deep cut.
9:00:  Kids are asleep and I'm thankful that it was just a cut and nothing worse.

Saturday:
9:00  Roo has a soccer game in the morning and the ball came to her a couple of times so she actually kicked it.
*I don't remember the rest of the day.  But I think it involved some crafts down at the neighbors' house.  See?  Hard to focus.

Sunday:
10:00 am  J-man sits with me at church during worship because of his foot.  Then tells me the whole time that his ears hurt.  I tell him they are just full of gunk and that he's fine.
The rest of the day we do everything to keep him off of his foot.  It's torture, I tell ya. (for all of us)

Monday:
8:00 am:  Send J-man to school but get a work in appt. for the doc for his ears and by now he's coughing.  Since he has asthma, it puts me on alert.  At least she can look at his foot too.
9:45:  See a different doctor than our regular pediatrician.  She doesn't even take the bandage off his foot and says it's fine.  Whatever, I already know that.  She changes his allergy meds to a super duper one I've never heard of that is expensive but says his breathing is fine.
1:00am:  "Mommy, I'm coughing really loud and it hurts."  He sounds like a seal and is freaking out.  I pull out all of the asthma guns and put him in a steamy bathroom.  He sounds better and falls back to sleep while I lay in the guest bed waiting for him to cough again.

Tuesday:
8:00: Roo relishes in her independence to walk down to the neighbor's house that morning by herself while I keep Justin home for observation.
The rest of the day is steamy bathroom visits (more torture) but he's doing better.
8:00pm:  He is sounding worse and has now lost his voice.  I sit with him in the steamy bathroom to monitor his breathing.  Unfortunately, I know what labored breathing looks like in him.  He's not laboring just a horrible cough.
9:00: We do another breathing treatment while I pray.  I put him to bed and sleep in the guest room again.  He coughs throughout the night but never gets up.

Wednesday:
8:00 am:  Home again for observation and he's only missing the 4th grade program that he is playing a xylophone part in anyway.  He's not too sad.
8:30:  I sit down to write a Healthy Hump day post since it's Wednesday.  Wait, what was I writing about anyway?  Focus Kristen, Focus.  Oh yeah, you should take this when you feel like something is attacking you.  It might help!

{click on picture for a link}

Healthy Hump Day-Challenge yourself

 How did a week go by already?! The long weekend threw me off, I guess. We spent our weekend in Austin so hubby could run the Tough Mudder race in Central Texas. The kids got some time with the grandparents and we got a night out with some friends after the race.

What does all of this have to do with Healthy Hump day? It's about challenging yourself! While I'm not going be the first to sign up for Tough Mudder (too much mud!), hubby and I got to talking about doing a different kind of obstacle course/race together. Two years ago, I would have never even entertained the thought of such a thing! And the reason I can now is because of Insanity and completing other Beachbody programs before it.

Hubby knew I could do it and challenged me. He tells me all of the time "See, I just wanted you to know that you could do it, too!"  I'm so glad that he did.  I now have the confidence that I could complete an obstacle course, little marathon, or do P90X2 (coming out at the end of the year).  I just have to challenge myself and train for it!

{See the big guy on the left?  

He's challenging himself to run the race again next year 100 pounds lighter!}

What could you challenge yourself to do? 

Whether it's a new workout program, bringing lunch instead of eating out, or giving up coke, every little challenge, little or big, is for the better.

Healthy Hump Day-Workout clothes

Today I want to share with you some of my workout clothes.  But rest assured they are not fancy and none of them are brand new.  I don't spend a ton of money on workout clothes because all of them get worn so fast anyway.  Most of mine are easy on the budget and from Academy or Target.  Also, they must be comfy!  I'm a firm believer that if you feel better in your workout clothes, you do a better job and are more likely to actually workout.

My absolute favorite pants are from Target.  They are the perfect length and not too tight but still conform to my body (you can get them in short and long length).  The waistband is wide and awesome because it gives me a little help in the sucking in department and doesn't "cut me off" in the midsection.  You can find them here:

I often pair it with a sports bra and a simple tank from Old Navy.  I can wear this to the store and start my workout right when I get home.  Bonus.

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I got this at Target too and I wanted to show it to you because of the flared out bottom.  It's slimming on the top but takes care of having to suck in on those days I just don't feel like doing it!  Find it here:

And this is what you would see me in most days lately because of doing Insanity.  I'm just getting used to showing my legs off a little but it's a necessity to wear shorts while doing this workout.  I sweat like crazy and it is SO hot here. The shorts are from Target too.  Do I go anywhere else?!  Find them here:

The thing I love most about these shorts is the waistband.  See how it is not too "elasticky"?  I hate too much elastic because it cuts me off and who wants to feel their tummy over their shorts while working out? Not me.  I'm glad that I bought three pair of them!

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I should stop here but let's talk socks for just a minute.  Oh my goodness, I never thought socks would make that big of a deal.   I recently bought the Champion brand short socks at Target and they are like heaven on my feet.  (They are kind of like this but these aren't the Target ones)  I said goodbye to my flimsy ones forever.  And a side note, short socks make your legs look longer.  Why did I ever wear the fold over socks with shorts?  

It's taken me a while to figure out what makes me feel good while I work out.

I hope this gives you some ideas the next time you shop!

To learn more about my healthier lifestyle, click here!

Healthy Hump Day-portion control

I've had portion control on my mind since hubby made burgers the other night.  We had family in town so  he made a few smaller ones to freeze.  I chose one of those smaller burgers on a whim and, wouldn't you know, I didn't stuff myself to the max!  I was satisfied.   After a quick search for portion control, I found the following pictures for guidelines.

(yep, my burger was only the size of my palm and not my whole hand.)

And the following article from the Teambeachbody website is especially helpful when we are out and about.   I highlighted the ones that I personally find the most helpful.

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29 Tips for Keeping Portions Under Control

By Debra Pivko

When it comes to food portions, size matters. In a world filled with "supersized" options, all-you-can-eat buffets, and extra-large pizzas, it's no wonder people overeat. Have you ever found yourself in one of these situations?

• Eating snacks straight out of the bag while watching television, or even grabbing a second bag to munch on because your show is still on.
• Continuing to finish your food at a restaurant because others are still eating, even though you're full.
• Arriving at a party starving, so your dinner consists of fried appetizers and mayo-laden salads.
• Eating an entire packaged item only to realize later that it actually contained multiple servings.

I know I've been there. Once in a while is OK, but doing this too often can supersize your waistline and your risk for medical complications, including heart disease and type 2 diabetes. With just a little bit of preparation and planning, you can keep your eating habits and your portion sizes under control.

At restaurants

1. Doggie-bag it. Don't finish your food just because it's there—or because you're still at the restaurant waiting for others to finish. Most restaurant portions contain more food and calories than you need for one meal. Bring your leftover food home, or allow the busboy to take it away early. Even better, have the server pack half of it to go before bringing it to you. It seems like an odd request, but it's not uncommon these days
2. Share with a friend. When you split a meal, not only do you cut the price in half, but you cut the calories in half, too!
3. Order the lunch or appetizer portion. Lunch and appetizer portions are cheaper and contain fewer calories than full-sized portions.
4. Avoid buffets and all-you-can-eat specials. If you're like me, you want to try everything when you go to a buffet. That's why it's better to avoid buffets when you're trying to control the size of your portions. When you have no choice about where you go (like a large family gathering or party), find the smallest plate and fill it up with the healthy stuff like grilled chicken and vegetables first. If you must go back for more, allow yourself one trip. And only get what you really want. It's such a common habit to take a bit of everything, but if you can savor one reasonably sized serving of your favorite item, you'll enjoy it a lot more.
5. Choose items with large portions of veggies. Or order salad or fruit on the side instead of fries. If you're starving, you can fill up on high-nutrient, low-calorie food to keep full.
6. Eat your favorite "indulgence" foods every now and again. Totally denying yourself the foods you take pleasure in is a surefire way to set yourself up for failure. So go ahead and treat yourself once in a while to avoid feeling deprived. But eat a smaller portion, and savor every bite.

At home

7. Hang up fridge visuals. Don't swing the fridge door open mindlessly. Think before you eat. Hang up a picture of how you once looked, that one piece of clothing you wish you could fit into, someone who you want to look like, or even someone you don't want to look like. Take a moment to think about what you're really hungry for and about your weight loss/health goals before you grab something out of the fridge. I've gone as far as putting up a "closed after 9 PM" sign on mine, since I can't seem to find a fridge lock with a timer.
8. Preplan your groceries. Don't shop when you're hungry and you'll be less likely to bring unhealthy food home. Stock your house with healthy foods and snacks that are easy to grab when you're hungry, such as fruit, cut-up vegetables with hummus, or light cheese and crackers. You can also purchase single-serving snacks. I love The Skinny Cow^® ice cream sandwiches. (Mint chocolate is my favorite.) They're less than 150 calories and are preportioned so I know when I'm finished.
9. Don't eat straight out of the box or bag. If you do this, odds are you'll finish everything in it—or at least eat more than one serving. Instead, fill a small container or baggie with a single serving and leave the rest in the kitchen.
10. Break leftovers down. Instead of putting leftovers in one big container, break them down into single-serving meals or snack-sized portions before storing them.
11. Hang wall mirrors. We tend not to eat as much when we see ourselves.
12. Use smaller plates. If you can't fit as much food on the plate, you're likely to eat a smaller portion. Even better, use non-microwavable plates so you can't heat up seconds—lay down a sheet of wrinkled-up foil, or use one of Grandma's metal-glazed dishes; both are considered unsafe for microwave use by the USDA.
13. Don't put serving bowls of food on the table. Fill your plate in the kitchen and put your leftovers away promptly after they cool so it's too much of an effort to go back to the kitchen to get seconds.
14. Look at the serving size listed on the package. You may not realize you're actually dishing out a double serving of packaged food for yourself. Make sure you look at the nutrition label so you aren't overeating without even knowing it.

At work

15. BYOL (bring your own lunch). When you make your own lunch, you get to control the portion and exactly what's in it. Cook a big batch of food on Sunday, like pasta and veggies or chicken and brown rice, then refrigerate or freeze portions to take with you.
16. Keep healthy snacks at your desk. When you have healthy snacks at your desk, you won't be as tempted to head over to the vending machine for candy or chips. I love Pirate's Booty^® Aged White Cheddar baked corn and rice puffs at 130 calories per serving, or Kashi^® TLC Honey Sesame snack crackers. Make sure to divide them into single portions in baggies so you don't overeat. And keep them tucked away in a drawer rather than on top of the desk in plain sight.
17. Keep protein bars handy. Protein bars can be a lifesaver when you don't have time to run out to get food, or a meeting postpones your lunch for a couple of hours. Watch out for bars that only have a few grams of protein and seem to taste more like candy bars than meal replacements.P90X^® Peak Performance Protein Bars are jam-packed with 20 grams of protein. My favorite flavor is the chocolate fudge. They save my stomach from growling louder than the speaker in meetings and can replace a meal in an emergency.
18. Research healthy lunch places near work. A few minutes of research can save you calories in the long run. Some places have light menu options with smaller portions that contain fewer calories. Plus, you can look up the nutrition information for many popular restaurants online even if they're not posted on the menu. And, of course, remember to avoid those all-you-can-eat specials.
19. Stock up on Shakeology^® single-serving packets. (You can get more info here)  I actually set reminders in my email calendar for 3:30 each day so I remember to have a Shakeology shake as my afternoon snack. It keeps me from raiding the fridge like a maniac when I get home for dinner. Shakeology single-serving packets not only contain protein and fiber that help you feel full, but also whole-food ingredients to nourish your body—all with only 140 calories a serving. I know that whether or not I eat healthily throughout the day, as long as I have my Shakeology, I'll be getting all the nutrients I need, and I'll feel full so I won't overeat.
20. Drink tea—and lots of water. If you're filling up on zero-calorie water and tea, you'll feel fuller and eat less when it's mealtime.
21. Log what you eat. Hold yourself accountable for what you eat. If you're a Team Beachbody^® member, you can track your meals here or keep a notepad handy if you're not near a computer. Keeping track of everything you eat will help you take a closer look at your eating habits so you can make better choices.
22. Don't always have your cake and eat it too. There are about 300 people who work with me. If I ate cake every time there was a birthday, I'd have it almost daily. (Fortunately, Beachbody discourages people from bringing sweets to the office.) It's OK to treat yourself to some cake occasionally, but don't always eat it just because it's there. Make sure that when you do choose to indulge, you stick to your nutritious meal plan for the rest of the day, and just augment it with a small slice of cake.
23. Bring healthy snacks to meetings. If you're hosting a meeting, instead of the usual donuts and pastries, provide fruit, veggies, hummus, cheese, and wheat crackers. If you're not in charge of food-planning for meetings, break room, or vending machines, request that healthy food alternatives be made available at your office. After all, a sugar crash 30 minutes after the morning meeting isn't going to boost anybody's productivity.

At parties

24. Pre-eat. Before you leave home for a party, eat your own healthy, nutritious food. When you arrive at the party, you can focus on the people and the festivities instead of making a beeline for the buffet table. You can still enjoy tasting the appetizers, but you'll be satisfied with less.
25. Be a healthy host. Hosting a party? Serve healthy food. Your guests will thank you—plus you'll probably burn a ton of calories running around playing host!
26. Wait 20 minutes before going back for seconds. Sometimes, especially at extravagant parties, there's an endless variety of delectable food you'd never make or buy for yourself. Make sure you sit down with your first plate and eat slowly. It's okay to go for seconds, but before you do, take your time enjoying your food and conversing with fellow partygoers for at least 20 minutes while that first round of food digests. After you do, you may realize you've already had enough. And if you do decide to go back for seconds, don't restock the plate with everything on the table. Just take a small amount of a few of your favorites.
27. Don't hover around the food table. This is a recipe for disaster. I've found myself picking up olives and crackers as if my hand had a mind of its own. Take a cracker and run—far, far away from the food table. If you're still hungry, walk back over—but don't hover. Your waistline will thank you.
28. Treat yourself with nonedible rewards. It's natural for people to associate events and personal accomplishments with food. Holidays, weddings, football games, movies, job promotions, housewarmings, school events, communitycelebrations—customarily, they're celebrated with food. Instead, though, try treating yourself with nonedible rewards. Work out, watch a TV show, get a massage or a manicure, buy a new outfit, or phone a friend to share your excitement. Focus on the reason for the celebration rather than the food.
29. Dress to impress. Don't wear clothes that let you overeat without feeling or showing it. If you wear extra-loose, über-comfy clothes—or ones with an elasticized waistband—you might eat more. Instead, try wearing an outfit you look great in—if possible, one that's a little bit formfitting. Then there's less room to get away with eating too much. Besides, you'll get deluged with compliments that'll make you feel so great you won't want to overeat.

Mastering portion control will give you more control over your body and your life. Whether you're at a restaurant, at home, at work, or at a party, there's no excuse. You have the power to set yourself up for success. Being mindful of your portions will help you feel better right after each meal, which will help you manage your weight more effectively. You'll learn how to enjoy your favorite foods, boost your health, and even save some cash by eating less. Now isn't that worth a little bit of effort and planning ahead?

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Thanks for reading today and I hope that you found this helpful.  I'm thankful for the reminder that was given to me.   Less of this and more of that keeps my cholesterol in check and my heart healthier.  Have a great day!

Please consider joining Teambeachbody to start a healthier lifestyle with me.

Healthy Hump Day

This one is easy!  One that I will do today, right now.  I will choose to chew gum instead of snack, snack, and snack the afternoon away.  Usually I'm finishing up my workout right when it's time to get the kids.  So when we get back home, I'm needing a snack too.  But lately I've been convincing myself that I can have a little more and then a little more because, you  know, I'm working so hard at Insanity and all.  But today, I'll have my designated snack and then chew some gum and hope that it stops me from grazing.
p.s.  This is my favorite kind right now.

Orbit Bubblemint.  

You can blow great bubbles like you are a kid and it's not too sweet and just a little minty.  

Healthy Hump Day #9

I'm trying to bring back Healthy Hump day now that school is back in session.  

Here's an easy substitution that I do. 

 Exchange this:

on your sandwiches for this:

 

It's not a huge difference in calories and fat but I like to think that I'm making a little progress.  Cheese is by far my downfall and I wish that I could just do without it but I'm not there yet.  Plus, the Laughing Cow wedges have more flavor and are downright fun to open (-:

Healthy Hump Day tips #8-Inspiration

We all need it and I have a few videos tucked away to watch when I get down and need some motivation.  Pretty much, you can google "Tony Horton video" and find something inspriational.  He's not all about the looks, he wants and loves to help people feel better.  Chalene Johnson is another trainer to google.  I promise she will get you fired up!

Click on the picture to watch my "go to video" lately since she uses all three of my favorite workouts.

Have a great day!

Healthy Hump Day tips #7

Pre-washing your lettuce makes it so much easier and quicker to fix up a salad.  I don't wash it right when I get home from the store because, let's face it, I'm good to get the cold stuff in the fridge and I usually have to do the other bags later.  It works for me.  But whenever I take that head of lettuce out to tear a piece off for my hubby's sandwiches, I try and clean the whole head and put it in a big baggie with a paper towel.

The lettuce should last for about a week.  

I timed myself and it only took me three minutes to do.  

To be honest, this is one tip that I need to remember to do more!

Have a great day and I encourage you to think about some of the ways you are already making your life healthier and concentrate on those.  Be proud of those!  I have read a few blogs lately where the author is so down on herself (for basically not being perfect) and these women are on my mind today.  We can only do what we can do and God asks us to come to him everyday for forgiveness and grace.  He loves you so much for who you are and not what you do.  I have no idea why lettuce has led me to this but I hope that someone might get some encouragement today.  I know that I needed it this morning and I got it from a blog I read earlier.  It's like a big wonderful circle sometimes.  

Healthy Hump Day tips #6

Do you pack snacks?  Most gals don't leave home without their favorite lip gloss but I actually have heart palpitations if I don't have a snack in my purse.  Usually it's a health bar or whole wheat cheese crackers, pretzels or soy nuts (in my favorite bowls).  My blood sugar levels go all crazy and fast so sometimes I need a little pick me up to keep going.  The snack also helps me stay focused so I don't forget half of what I need to do and what is on my list!  Not that that has happened or anything.  I've gotten to the point where I really try and not let myself get too hungry.  This way I don't gorge myself when I do get to eat.

So what to do if you're out and about and don't have that snack to keep you on track?  If you are at the store or Super Target, buy a banana when you get there!  So cheap and so easy.  It's usually about 32 cents and the cashier will look at you crazy- but whatever.  Did you know that you can buy cheese sticks and hard boiled eggs at Super Target too?  Go on, walk right by the Food Avenue and straight to the deli and look for the prepacked lunches and stuff.  They're in there.  Now you're ready to shop!

You can go here to learn more about me and my journey to healthier lifestyle.

Have a great day!

Healthy Hump Day tips #5

It's not really yellow in here.  The first pic is a better paint color pic.

Hi all!

Why in the world am I showing you a picture of my unfinished windows on healthy hump day?  To help you say "I will!"  I had a different post scheduled for today but I changed my mind when I was working on my windows yesterday.  I can't even tell you how much of a pain in the patootie these windows have been to me.  I'll get into more detail about them another day but the point of the story is that I could have kept going with them (like maybe finishing one more!) but I didn't.  I hadn't worked out yet that day and let me tell you it wasn't easy getting that sucker up there.  In my mind I kept telling myself that -whatever -my workout didn't matter as much as those windows.  But in reality my windows don't matter as much as my workout.  So after a fun TurboFire 30 workout, I felt the stress of that stinkin' project disappear.  Chalene Johnson, creator of TurboFire actually says in one of her videos, "Don't say 'I'll try and workout today', say 'I will workout today'".   You are more likely to make it a priority.  

Also, I use the WOWY supergym on TeamBeachbody to keep my daily workouts fun!  With every workout, I'm entered into the system for a chance to win $300 or some other fun prizes.  Shoot me an email or message if you want to learn more about TeamBeachbody and the WOWY Supergym.

NOTE:  Apparently Blogger isn't letting me post pics right now!  Ugh.  I think I need another workout.... I'll try and post them later today in the hopes that someone will have pity on me and tell me how to finish out those windows!            

Have a great day!  

Healthy Hump Day tips #4

     Hi all.  Sorry I've been so quiet lately.  We've been on vacation touring the Texas rivers.  I'll be posting about it soon!
     Now for the tip:  Go buy these for snacks:

I'm really careful to not "take the bag with me" or let my kids have the bag of whatever they are eating.  My girl would sit there all day with the bag and continue to eat while watching tv. This way, when they're done, they're done.  It goes for my hubby and me too.  At night, when I need a little something, I just put some in my little bowl and don't go back for more.  (Just don't put ice cream in them (-:)!  It cuts down on the overeating for all of us.  They have a tight lid for travel and since they are so cheap, I'm not worried about losing them.  

Healthy Hump Day tips #3

Howdy.  Today's post is brought to you by my legs.  We are walkin' family.  For me, I think it mostly started when I was in college.  I lived far off of campus in a house and the bus didn't even come out that far.  Every day I drove to park in a lot a few miles from my main building and walked to class.  Rain or shine.  Don't feel sorry for me, I loved it (most days).  It was such a special time to collect my thoughts and get ready for class.  I didn't have much time to exercise because of working and going to school so it was a great way for me to stay in shape.

     After getting married, hubby and I have walked miles and miles around every neighborhood we have lived in.  At our first apartment, while he was in training, we went over his emergency procedures while walking and wondered where life would take us.  Then, in our first house we walked and talked about having babies. Then we walked and walked with babies in strollers.

We walked every night while hubby was in another training and we lived in an unfurnished apartment with only a futon, beds, and a card table to eat on.  We needed to get out!

We borrowed the incredibly nice neighborhood right next to us and pushed J-man up steep hills while he took a late afternoon doze.  We looked at all of those houses and dreamed about one day living in one.
We then went to another (I know, right?!) training in Alabama and I begged hubby to take the stroller.  We were strapped on space but it was my saving grace to have it.  There, we lived in a one-room (not one bedroom) apartment/scummy hotel room.  J-man and I walked almost twice a day for 6 weeks while Daddy worked and studied.  We would stop at parks and look around and explore.  That base was right on a beautiful river and had the most gorgeous old base houses.

We moved on to a double stroller and two other houses and continued to walk.  All the while giving us a chance to hash out life decisions, the easy ones and the oh so hard ones.

(This was J man's last ride in this stroller since his legs were almost touching the ground)

I don't know what has helped us more, the physical or emotional side to walking as a family.  I have to say that we haven't been walking much as a family lately because of much needed earlier bed times but I hope to make it a priority again.  I'm now off to walk to the school for end of the year parties.  I could drive but I think I'll walk and take the time to reflect on this year and be joyful.