Mas vale tarde que nunca!

Well, better late than never! I know it's been quite a while since I last wrote on this blog, but I'm trying to finish school and it really takes up a large part of my day. Marissa's due date is May 29, so we're getting excited for that. Also, we're looking for a place to live and a place (for me) to work in the Davis County/Salt Lake County area. But, I just wanted to give a quick update for how things are going. I've lost about ten pounds since I started, and I'm feeling pretty good. My diet is still a daily struggle and I find it harder and harder to work in a daily workout. Marissa isn't quite able to do some of the more strenuous workouts and so I try to push myself a little extra when she's not around, but it's hard to exercise without my workout buddy. I'll keep going and hopefully I can be a little more consistent with this blog. Wish me luck. See you soon.

The Good, the Bad, and the Japanese

Well, I've been bad. I know its been a few weeks since I've posted, but I've got my reasons. March has been an extremely busy month. My MBA projects have kept me busy outside of class and class takes up a good chunk of my week. Also, I just got back from Japan, after spending ten days in the Land of the Rising Sun. It was great. Before leaving, my exercising and eating were doing good. Marissa is seven months pregnant so it's getting harder to find workouts that we can do together. Our routine mainly consists of elliptical workouts and walks around Logan. In Japan, I actually got some good exercise by walking a lot, and we even hiked in the mountains one day. It was a great experience. The food was also awesome. I think I might have gone a little overboard, but when's the next time I'll be in Japan? Anyways, I'm hoping to get back on track this next week and we'll keep working towards our goals. I've been feeling good the last four weeks and I like the progress I'm starting to see. These last two days I've been struggling with some jet lag, but it will pass. See you in ten (take or give a few) days.

Quick Update

Well, the last ten days have, as usual, been full of ups and downs. This last weekend has really been hard as we've had breaks from work and school with the holiday. Our exercising has been pretty consistent and eating wasn't too bad. I have lost a few pounds since starting back in December, but that's really not my goal. I feel I've been making good progress towards a complete change in lifestyle. My bigger goal is to be able to make eating right, exercising and being healthy a bigger part of my life. I really feel that is happening. We'll see how this goes over the next few months. We're making good progress! See you in ten days.

Revisiting My Goals

I know I'm a few days late, but this last week has been super busy. School is really busy right now and I've just needed to find some time to sit down and write. I've decided that this week, I want to review my progress with some of the original goals I set.

1. Lose 20 pounds by June 30, 2012. One pound every ten days. This has been going pretty good. I've lost about 6 or 7 pounds so far. It's hard to know exactly because of fluctuations.
2. Be fit enough by June 30, 2012 to run the Kaysville 4th of July 5K race in under 30 minutes. My in-laws have a tradition of running this race every year. I've just recently started working on this one. It's coming along ok. For me, I don't enjoy running. It's hard to get excited to run. I'm slowly working on my ability to run longer distances. 1/2 mile, 3/4 mile, 1 mile, etc. I hope to reach 5K by July 4!
3. Exercise for at least 20 minutes 4 to 5 days a week. This one has been going pretty good the last new weeks. I can't say I've been 100% but I feel I've been reasonably consistent. It's been nice to be able to workout both at home and at the gym.
4. Cut out fats and sweets as often as possible from my diet (as often as possible does NOT mean completely cut out). I hate this one. Move on.
5. Drink more water. I'm trying to replace as many beverages as I can with water (for those of you who don't know me, I LOVE soda. It is one of my favorite things in the world). This one has been good. We don't buy any soda so it's not a big temptation. I've decided that soda every so often isn't too bad. I sometimes drink it on the weekends when we're at my parent's house.
6. Post to this blog every 10 days with a recap of the previous 10 days. I'm hoping this will keep me motivated. So far, so good. It might not be exactly every ten days, but I'm working on it.
7. Stay positive. I tend to complain. I don't want to be known as a complainer. The choice is mine. I'm feeling good about this one. It's hard, but worth it.

So, there you have it. I'll keep working on my goals throughout this process. See you next time!

7 Habits of Highly Effective Weight-Losers

So, as I've endeavored yet again into the world of diets and exercise, I've tried to establish habits and routines that will help me live a more healthy lifestyle. I decided to come up with a list of the habits I'm attempting to create in my life that will, I hope, lead to weight loss and better overall health. In no particular order, here they are:
1. Wake up earlier (usually around 6:30 or 7:00)
2. Drink more water.
3. Drink less calories (soda, juice, etc.)
4. Eat more fruits and veggies.
5. Exercise daily.
6. Walk, take the stairs, be active!
7. Eat less sweets and carbs.

I know, generic list. But it sure helps when these things are swimming around in your brain. If I'm craving a snack, it helps to have my goal of eating more fruits and veggies in mind. At school, maybe I could just take the stairs to go up two floors. I truly believe things like this will make a difference in my life. Exercising daily helps me relieve stress and feel better. Drinking more water keeps me full after meals and makes me feel better as I exercise. Waking up early has surprisingly been very helpful in exercising and getting a great start to my day. I feel more energized and ready for the day. Also, it helps with homework and other aspects of my life. I'd have to say I'm learning a lot as I go through this experience. I hope I can keep it up as things like employment, children, and other service begin to play a larger role in my life. I'm excited to see where this goes. See you in ten days.

Getting the Show on the Road

Another ten days down and things are going pretty good. Marissa and I have a pretty good routine going for exercise and diet. We've been pretty good about going to the gym or for a good walk during the week. Weekends are still a little tough, but I expected that from the start. Marissa has been a real champ in the kitchen. She's a great cook and I've really enjoyed her healthy cooking these last few days. I was actually really surprised  with how many vegetables and fruits we've added to our diet. I've enjoyed the structure of school, and I really think it's helped put things on the right track. I have class most of the day on Tuesdays and Thursdays, as well as Monday nights. It's helpful to know that Monday/Wednesday/Friday mornings are open for exercise. Tuesday/Thursday are a little tougher, but we've been working hard so far. I know diet and exercise plans always have great starts, but I'm hoping this one will be different because of the non-drastic changes I'm trying to make. I still enjoy the food I eat, and I find time for exercise whenever I can. It's been a good experience. I'm trying not stress too much about missing a day of exercise or eating something I probably shouldn't. I'm going for a gradual change that will eventually become my lifestyle habits. I think that will be the key going forward. We'll see how the next ten days go!
 

Mardi Gras- Ten Day Style

So, another ten days down. These were ten HARD days for anyone trying to eat well and exercise. I'm convinced that Santa is fat only because he visits around the holiday season. I titled this post "Mardi Gras" because that's pretty much what I've done for the last ten days. No, not taking my shirt off and getting wasted, but eating extremely poorly as I get ready for the school year, where I hope the structure and schedule of school will help control my diet and exercise routine. As taken from the source of all knowledge, Wikipedia describes Mardi Gras this way "Mardi gras is French for Fat Tuesday, referring to the practice of the last night of eating richer, fatty foods before the ritual fasting of the Lenten season." That's basically how I've eaten over the last ten days. I guess that's how everyone is around this time. In all reality, I've had a good break with family and friends. I can't say I really regret regressing on my diet and exercise plans, but I'm ready to start making some major changes in the next few weeks. My exercising has been off and on. Marissa and I got a good workout in on Christmas eve, and we've exercised a few times over the last ten days. I'm also hoping that a little more structure in my life will stabilize my workouts. I truly believe the next ten days will be extremely important in setting the tone for the remaining time from now till June 30th. We'll see how it goes!