Sparkly: A Work In Progress

So I haven't made time to write much lately, but my post about Las Vegas will be up soon.  It will be long, but funny.  And have a lot of commas, I mean it.  I'm comma crazy!  I got sick the Wednesday before leaving for Las Vegas.  And when I was still suffering from a sore throat on Friday, I took myself to the doctor so I could get some medicine.  I also was determined to not miss a Stars game with my friend, Brittany.  Sunday I flew out to Las Vegas and it was great!  I drool every time I think about that Beef Wellington I had at Gordon Ramsay Steak.  More on that later, though...

I went to two hockey games this week and have another one tonight.  Oh!  I also randomly got a job in a spa, so that will be fun!  I will just be working a few hours on the weekends so that I can dump money in savings.

I think the biggest thing is that I have been really sticking to my workouts, Shakeology, and clean eating.  I love the results and I cannot believe how well it's all been going.  I shared some of my journey on my facebook and have received so much encouragement from my friends.  I didn't really put out there that I was working on my body because I didn't want to add the pressure of expectations.  Only a few close friends knew that I was really working hard and they have been so great.  But now that I am in the midst of my program I do want to share some photos.  It's been a lot of hard work, sacrificing, and commitment.  There are days when I fail, but I dust myself off and move on.

This is from August of 2013.  The day I first started my p90x Lean program.

This is 30 days after I started p90x.

I had a back injury in November and had to stop my workout program.

In January of 2014 I changed how I ate and started a low carb, clean eating diet.  

So for 3 months all I did was change how I ate...

This was March 6, 2014.  I had just started back on p90x on March 1.

This is April 4th, a little over a month on p90x and two weeks in to Shakeology.

This photo I took on Tuesday, April 8th.  

I heard from an old friend yesterday and they told me that while they were proud of my success, they didn't want me to think my value should come from a scale.  I DON'T WEIGHT MYSELF.  I REFUSE.  In fact, when I go to a doctor, I turn away from the scale and ask for the nurse to not tell me my weight.  I have been ruled by the scale before and I think it's unhealthy for me to see the numbers.  

What I do is live a healthy lifestyle and know that by eating well and exercising I am bringing glory to my God.  He gave me this body and I am responsible for taking care of it.  Yes, I have more confidence because of losing weight and looking better.  But My worth is in Christ, not in what others think of me.  I want to share this as an encouragement to others.  

I didn't grow up living a healthy lifestyle, it's something I have to WORK on every single day.  I had to retrain myself.  It didn't happen overnight.  The biggest and most important thing I have learned is to not freak out when I cheat.  I totally will admit to having a burger from Sonic this week.  LOL  But I also know that it was one meal out of how ever many I eat during the week.  I don't hold the bad choices over my own head.  

I also made sure to adjust myself to my new eating habits BEFORE taking on an exercise program.  I knew in January that if I tried to do all these changes at once then I would get frustrated and overwhelmed and then quit.  I kept my community group in the loop as I started the process and they have been so encouraging.  I remember going out to dinner one night and I ordered first so I asked for some grilled chicken and broccoli.  All my friends made the decision to order healthy, too!  It was really great to see a new trend starting.  

If you are reading this and think you can't make all of these changes, you can!  I promise! Just follow some easy steps:

1.  Have a support group of other healthy living friends.  Surround yourself with others who can help you stay motivated and encouraged.  not ones who will try to derail what you want to accomplish.

2.  Take it slow.  You don't have to make every change overnight.  Start slow.  Cut out your sodas and sugar.  Then start incorporating more veggies in your diet.  Have a salad a couple times a week at lunch instead of fast food.  Once you get in the routine you'll begin to feel better and see a difference in your energy level.

3.  Pick an exercise program.  If you like to run, then do it!  I hate running so that will never work for me.  But pick something you like and will commit to.  If you hate it, you'll make up excuses to skip it.  Also, that's why I don't crossfit with all my friends, or at the place across the street from me.  

4.  Don't give up.  As I said, I fail sometimes.  Maybe I'm busy so I don't do my workout.  Or I eat something that I KNOW is unhealthy.  Don't let one failure set you back and be a reason to quit.  

5.  Pinterest as your recipe book.  I didn't know how to cook low carb before January, but I learned via Pinterest.  I started an entire recipe log on my google drive with fun new things to try.  I have had so much fun learning how to cook in a whole new way.  

I certainly hope that this encourages you and shows you that no matter where you are in life you can make a change.