Mar 14
2014

A New Baby!

Yay! Friday is here! I cannot even tell you where this week went or what I even got accomplished! 
The Grits Blog

But the week started out amazing with becoming an aunt for the 13th time!!!
(Yes, I am sweaty nasty from my bootcamp class before going to the hospital)
Easton Elwood…..such a rockstar already! Just love him & absolutely LOVE being an aunt! 
The only other super exciting thing is that yesterday I started the Advocare 10 day cleanse. Hoping this will get the toxins I totally pollute my body with out of my system & give me a little jumpstart! I just gotta stick to it! 
I am not really sure why I started on a Thursday…with my WW meeting being in the morning, my meals & everything is all screwed up on those days since I won’t eat or drink anything until I step on the scale there….I mean, duh! Why would I? So, I wasn’t perfectly on point with eating meals at the correct time or a protein when I should have….but I tried. So that works, right?! Here is a tiny summary of my day! I am going to try to really document my eats this time….just not yesterday…it was too busy! As if today will be better?! Whatever; it sounds good!
Until Next Time~
*krisha*
Posted By at 1:31 pm Leave a Comment
Mar 7
2014

Friday – It is Here Finally!

Is that enough said? This has been one of those weeks that I’m even more thankful for the weekend arriving! Although the weekend will be just as hectic with me running around with my head cut off tackling it all….but at least I don’t have to drag my big booty to work!

This week I think I’ve made some progress. I have tried some new foods….such as green smoothies!

These things always scared me before….I mean, really, how can you NOT taste the spinach. Verdict – I really liked them. I just need to play around with the ingredients a little more…which will take some time……what in the world is that? Like I can find any extra of it?!

Even though that brat of a scale still is bouncing around in the same 3 pound range as it has been for-like-EVER, this week was the first time in a super long time that I didn’t want to vomit when I looked in the mirror. The scale may not be telling me good job but my body is changing! In fact, my girlies picked out this sweater from The Limited for me for Christmas….its that very clingy material. At the time, it looked AWFUL on me…way tight. I didn’t have the heart to return it since they were so excited about it….well this week I wore it & I felt great in it!

No that is NOT my horrible wallpaper at home…this would be my bathroom at work!

This picture below I took on March 1st to show my changes at the end of the month as one thing I am doing is the “Little Black Dress” 30 day challenge & I wanted to see the changes after the month. When I posted it up in a group, someone pointed out my abs…never noticed, but I do believe I might be finding some again! Some motivation for sure!

Last weekend thanks to the kickoff of my running club I joined, I had my first ever winter run! I was nervous as all heck! Thought I would fail needing to run four miles & have not ran outside since October! It was a warm 10 degrees here, but the sun was shining & I was fired up! It was fantastic! Although very hilly route, I was pretty happy with how it went! 

Now for a FIVE mile run this weekend! I am going to keep trudging forward kicking some a** & hope some day that stupid scale stops being a brat & joins in on my fun!

This is my first Little Friday Link-up today! It is time for me to keep on bloggin’!  

The Grits Blog

Until Next Time~
*krisha*

Posted By at 3:17 pm Leave a Comment
Mar 5
2014

The Journey of Many, Many Miles.

Yesterday I took a moment to look back….all the way back to the very first step of this healthy living journey. Over 5.5 years ago….


I walked into Weight Watchers that Thursday morning with my mom by my side & carrying little Miss Laynee who was two weeks old in her car seat. I remember my heart sinking to my toes when I saw my starting weight that morning.

I wanted to cry. I was so mad at myself. I felt regret. I felt anger. I was sad. I was scared.
I was afraid I would never get where I wanted to go. I was afraid I would fail.

I remember it seemed to take forever for my body to start losing. My mom would remind me every week that I had just had a baby & my body had a lot of changes to go through. I did not give up; that isn’t my nature.

I do know for the first year I was on WW, I never had a gain for a week. I had maintains, I had losses of just 0.25 but I was focused enough that I was losing. Slowly….very slowly, but the number was getting smaller.

I collected all of my awards – my 10% key ring, my 25 lb star, all the 5 lb stars for every 5 lbs gone, eventually that 50 lb medal & then came the goal weight & lifetime awards. Oh that sense of pride I felt every time!

Throughout my losing weight, I had to get active. I was an athlete in high school & a pretty decent one. But, running was NEVER a thing for me. In fact, it was punishment at my practices – if we ran it was because coach was ticked off!

But, I had to move. I started with pushing little Miss Laynee around our development in her stroller. That first step, those first steps…honestly, working up to walking a mile. I remember feeling embarrassed and ashamed that I was once a solid athlete & had let myself get to this point. Eventually I was walking a mile or more consistently. But, then I tried running….just a little here & a little there. I felt like a complete fool praying none of my neighbors were home looking out their window as I’m sure I looked ridiculous! At first, those run intervals were literally a couple steps….

But then again, doesn’t every journey begin with a single step?

There was a day I ran a mile….a very slow mile. But I was proud. There was a day I ran two miles without stopping. Eventually a five mile run became my normal – the first time I ran 5 miles I jumped up & down with tears in my eyes – I felt amazing!



I look back now after having backtracked slightly on the # on the scale & the running. Up until recently I was feeling so ashamed, mad at myself & feeling like a failure that I had allowed myself to slide a tad backwards.

But, then I remember, that sometimes life happens. Sometimes we do lose sight of our goals. Sometimes we get too comfortable. Sometimes we stop pushing ourselves out of our comfort zone to see what else we can do. Sometimes we move ourselves down to the bottom of our list of priorities when we should be at the top.



This is my year of stepping out of my comfort zone. I’ve joined an incredible fitness center, Mommy Fit Club, where I’ve already found amazing support & encouragement. I joined their running club when previously the thought of running with a group scared the heck outta me…..you know, because I’m SO SLLLLLOOOOOOOOOOWWWWWWWWWWWWW! But, if I don’t step out of my super comfy comfort zone, I am holding myself back from building anything of true beauty.

So, this week I’m looking back, I’m reflecting; I’m remembering how many miles I have already traveled here with pride; and I’m looking ahead to how many more miles I have to travel with excitement.

Weigh In Wednesday

As for WIW….my scale is a liar! I know my inches are moving in the right direction, I’m toning – I’m building strength. My scale this morning wanted me to throw her through the window apparently…So, right now I’m not letting that # control me. I took pictures on March 1st…I’m anxious to see those change at the end of the month!

Until Next Time~
*krisha*

Posted By at 7:01 pm 2 Comments
Jan 29
2014

Stuck…..

Well, long time with no blog post….this time we will make this a habit! 

I haven’t blogged in forever because, quite honestly, I just feel STUCK. Stuck in everything; every aspect of life. The problem is that I cannot seem to find the motivation, the energy, the focus to change anything and get UNstuck! 

First thing first….I can’t change the weather. This was my car on the way to work yesterday:

Really? Never in my lifetime, and by that I mean only 33 years, do I remember a winter this bad! Yes, I am fully aware I live in Michigan, but I still don’t have to love the winter! This weather makes me so depressed; we are on our 8th snow day of the year & 3rd in a row for the week! The being stuck at home because the roads are too bad, the never knowing if school or events are going to be canceled, the it is way too cold to even send the girls outside to play, the I’m sick of running on my treadmill…. simply put, no routine or schedule equals I’m a lazy mess. 

Then, I cannot seem to be excited about working out. There was a point in time during this weight loss journey where I LOVED it….but now it seems that I put it at the bottom of my “to do” list. And well, since I only cross a few of those many items on my list, I never get to the workout one! Not to mention I’m bored: I hate running on the dreadmill, I tried T25 & I could not get into it at all – I don’t like it!

I have been told & have inspired other women I know to get healthy….I feel like a fake right now & am stepping away from some of those places I “inspired” until I can inspire myself again.

So….I’m moving on. Stupid lame excuses, anyway! Over it. Time to get UNstuck…because the place I am in right now, I do NOT like one little bit.

Thankfully I have a pretty amazing hubby who has allowed me to try out a Mommy Fit Club near us for a month & see how I like it. It is a bit of a drive & the classes are in the evening, which means the hubs has to help out with the girls for me! Then, I believe I have decided to run the half-marathon by me in April – girls only race, how perfect is that?! The Mommy Fit Club also has a running club that starts March 1 that I’ve signed up for too on Saturday mornings! And, other than that, I’m going back to my trusted Chalene Johnson & TurboFire & ChaLean Extreme…Mr. Shaun T does not do it for me! 

Now….to clean up the food & go back to that Weight Watchers honeymoon phase! Pulling out my lovely tracker as I type! The good news is this:

So….I’m throwing away my excuses. I am going to get myself UNSTUCK now. I cannot control the weather, the crazy schedule right now because of the weather, BUT I can control how I act towards it. I can change my mood & change my list of priorities! 

The good news for WIW is that I was down 1.1 from last Wednesday! 

Pretty Strong Medicine

Until Next Time~
*krisha*

Posted By at 4:01 pm 3 Comments
Nov 6
2013

Long Week & a New WIW

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This week I have made zero progress…in fact, you could say negative progress because I have definitely gone backwards. WIW was not pretty, my only hope is I can make some progress today before I jump on the scale at my WW meeting tomorrow!

This week, I spent all of Monday thru Tuesday morning in the hospital with my baby. Yes, by “my baby” I mean my five year old! When Laynee was seven months old she had stomach surgery due to horrible reflux that was doing damage & she started to associate pain with her food so getting her to eat was becoming more difficult. Those seven months before surgery were very tiring & stressful as the poor girl never slept at night because that was when the heartburn was the worse. She & I would sleep in the chair sitting up just so she could stay upright. Everywhere we went, the diaper bag suitcase we carried had about 5 extra outfits for her & typically at least 2 for me! She had two other cousins the same age as her & it would break my heart at family outings that they other two were always picked up & snuggled before her.

That precious little girl was a whole new girl when we came home from our week stay in the hospital. She was happy, she was eating, she was playing, she was being held, she was no longer chocking every time she ate, she was no longer fussy & uncomfortable! I am still in amazement looking back!

When we had surgery, we knew there was only a 5% chance she would ever be able to throw up again. My dad had the same procedure done in his 20s & falls into the 95% that cannot. Well, little Miss Laynee can throw up, which is great! The issue is that her stomach takes forever to learn how to function properly again….so she like triples the number of time she gets sick compared to everyone else.

For the second time on Monday, we ended up in ER with a seriously dehyrated little miss. This time they made us stay thru the night as well. It is so sad watching her – so sick & weak to talk let alone move. I tried so hard to be proactive this time, but when you can’t get her stomach to hold anything, you are basically at a loss cause. I spoke to two different doctors on this visit & both agree that with her stomach & her body build, this might be the common occurrence for her. I am praying the flu stays away from her for quite some time!

Today, I am restarting with my current weight & using that as my start weight. I will not feel this way about myself when I welcome in 2014! So next week for WIW I’ll be letting y’all know how much I lost!

Weigh In Wedneday

Posted By at 4:39 pm Leave a Comment
Oct 30
2013

So What Wednesdays…

So here we are, another month ending, another goal not reached…..But honestly, I should have known better than to set a weight loss goal with my half-marathon. I know my body, I know research shows it is a hard thing to do, I basically set myself up for failure! Oh well…I ran my first half-marathon, maybe that is what I should be focusing on!


Life After I DewSo today I am going to try my hand at So What Wednesdays…. Yikes!

So what if all of my Halloween ideas came from Pinterest, which would include my treat bags for my nieces & nephews as well as my Jacee’s costume.

So what if every morning this week I have shut my alarm right off, as opposed to hitting snooze, which has resulted in zero morning workouts.

So what if during ChaLean Extreme, Chalene Johnson is totally rocking her 25-pounders & I am rocking out to my like 8-pounders.

So what if every week I tell myself “no more Starbucks” & then at the start of every week I’m making a trip there.

So what if I will never be a mom who is super organized & her kids are to school early every day, 5 minutes before class starts is considered “early” right?

So what if the hubby & I typically have a mini-date night on Wednesdays while the girls are at church & tonight, instead, we have a “Lets clean the house while the girls are gone” date because it is on the brink of disaster zone (what’s a full-time working mama to do, right?).

So what if I participated in a weight lost challenge & for the final weigh-in today I was up 1.2 pounds from the start of the challenge….it could have been up 5 pounds, right?

For WIW, I’ve resumed my relationship with my scale for now. I got goals I gots to hit! So back to it I go….weighed in this morning & we shall see where next week ends up! 


Weigh In Wedneday 

Until Next Time ~
*krisha*
Posted By at 8:44 pm 1 Comment
Oct 25
2013

My First Half Recap

Yup. “It” finally happened! It has been in the works for three years!
2011 – I started saying “I want to run a half-marathon. I’m going to do it.” But, in reality, I was too chicken to sign up.
Too afraid of failure.
2012 – I signed up SUPER EARLY. I was training. I was passionate about running. Then, my shoulder (from years & years of softball pitching) become unbearable & I headed off to the surgeon after putting it off for a few ten years. The problem with running was that I had a pinched nerve in my neck from my shoulder injury that when I ran caused an incredible amount of pain that shot down my back. He told me I was done,  no more running.
So I deferred my race registration to 2013.
When I did that I had no idea that after seven months of no running allowed I would hate it when I started.
I never once stopped to think I would have to start back over with working up to one mile.
When I first started running on this journey, it took awhile to find that runners high, that love.
I was so flippin’ mad I had to go through that all.over.again.
So I struggled.
I struggled with running.
I struggled with wanting to run.
I struggled with how slow I was (and with that I fully acknowledge that I will never be fast).
I struggled with sticking to the training schedule.
But this was a goal I had set three years ago.
I am not a quitter.
Never have been, never will be.

Prior to race day, my longest run was 10 miles. You can read that here….it didn’t go real well. A couple days after that run, I started struggling with a strained hamstring. So from that run until the race, the furthest I had done was a five miler. Otherwise, after resting my leg for about a week, I did little “baby” runs, two or three miles, tops.

I had some serious anxiety wondering if I would be able to cross the finish line. 
I had some serious self-doubt. 
Here is how I prepared mentally because I knew it would come down to the mental aspect as well as my amazing buddy, Kingsley, that I run for through an organization called I Run 4 Michael.

After carb-loading Saturday evening (I should run half-marathons more often) I woke up Sunday morning at 5, three hours before race time. 
I went to the kitchen to drink my Spark and found myself singing, “I’m gonna run a half-marathon. I’m gonna run 13 miles.” over & over.
I was pumped.
I was focused.
I was just praying I was ready.

As I was waiting in the chute for the race to start, I was so inspired looking around seeing all the different shapes, sizes, & ages of the runners. All there to accomplish the same thing – cross a finish line. I was so ready! I reviewed my game plan, which was full of thinking about Kingsley & running for him & promising myself I was going to start slow & make sure I had enough “gas” in my tank at the end!


And we were off.
Immediately, people were passing me left & right. At first, I let it get to me. 
But, I kept checking my Garmin for my pace & reminded myself of my game plan.

Miles 1-3 flew by so fast. I maintained my pace, enjoyed the scenery, jammed out to some music, read cool shirts, smiled at others.
Miles 4-5 – I kept saying “wow, I feel really good. I am really going to do this, huh?”
Mile 6- I was feeling awesome. I knew then I was going to be just fine because it was mile 6 in my 10 mile training run that my legs were tight & it was my worst mile. But, I was feeling sweet!
Miles 7-9 had some inclines, nothing huge, but inclines. Just after mile 7 I saw another porta-jon. Not knowing where the next one might be, I knew I had to stop. It was a five minute wait – ugh!! Note to self: was super glad I had that kleenex in my running belt….it was out of t.p.! Finally, took right off running again. This stretch was when I really started passing people, which felt amazing & my pace was still pretty good (minus the bathroom stop that I wish for my own reference I would have paused my Garmin).
Miles 9-11 I don’t really remember much. Other than a ton of random thoughts I had…..those were like a blur! I know these were the super tough mental miles. I was not running physically here, it was mentally. It was the quotes I had used all week. It was my own quotes I use during softball season. It was me telling myself that I was going to do this.
Mile 12…that was when the legs became ON FIRE! I was starting to struggle. But, up to this point in time, I had not walked at all. I was super proud of that & had already been thinking about telling everyone how I didn’t have to walk. I wasn’t gonna stop, I had to keep running, as I chanted “Kingsley, Kingsley…” over & over again in my head. 
But boy, they were TIGHT.
As we turned into the final stretch, I picked a couple of people up ahead that I could tell were struggling. I made a goal to get passed them….and yes, as I was passing some of them, some of the FULL marathoners were passing me…those peeps are amazing!
I finally stopped my music as there were spectators again yelling, you could hear the announcer talking, I saw the flag for Mile #13….”I’m really going to do this.” Right as I got to the flag, I heard my girls cheering me on. Wow…what a moment to look over & see them so proud & excited. I picked up my pace & sprinted through the finish line.


I did it.
I ran a half-marathon with no walking.
I felt amazing.
I felt proud.
I felt like my legs were on fire….oh wait, they were!
I got my medal with the biggest smile ever.
I got my drink & found my family again.
“I didn’t have to walk. Not at all.”
My girls smiled big & I could see how proud (and shocked) my family was.

My question a few moments later was, “when is the next half-marathon.”

I will run one again.

This is my youngest daughter in the bottom with her arms up in the air for “Mommy!”
And you better believe that this baby went up on my car right away!!! 

Until Next Time~
*krisha*

Posted By at 5:59 pm Leave a Comment
Oct 16
2013

The Mental Side Of Running & Me

So, as I have mentioned in the past, I also coach High School Varsity Softball. One of the biggest ideas I preach to my softball girls is that the game is mostly mental. If you are weak mentally, you will fail. My main saying to them is, “I can, I will, I’m GONNA.” So much that one year we had it printed on the back of our t-shirts. We don’t even need to mention the millions of times I have talked about visualizing success.

SO…………….If I preach it, why don’t I practice it?! Ever since I have started running again…or trying to get running again…since having my shoulder surgery last winter my mental game has been my BIGGEST weakness. I never give myself credit, I continually knock myself down. Instead of saying, “wow Krisha, you did great today. You got done 3 miles without any walk breaks,” I will say “wow Krisha, you stunk…you used to be able to run 3 miles faster.” I know this is doing absolutely NO good for me. Not to mention while running, I will hear myself say “you can’t complete this run today, you have gotten so out of shape.” Instead of something positive, “your body is strong, you can finish today.”

I’m preparing my mental game this week for my first half-marathon on Sunday because right now I know this is my weakness. Yes, I will admit & I do know that I’m not in as good of shape as I was a year ago. But, there are reasons for that! When I was finally able to start running again once I was healed from surgery, it was starting all the way back over again! So, I am forgetting how fast I once could run a mile (which, in way is it really fast…but I was proud of it) & I am no longer remembering how far I could go without a break.

Here are some of my mantras I am reading again & again this week!

Love this first one!
 A little different take on the I’m Possible idea:
 TRUTH.
 Unfortunately, this one is my biggest fear! Because I didn’t “train” really & I wish I would have now. But I’m sure there will be another half in my day! 
Today is WIW….the scale & I are still on a break-up. I plan to weigh-in at the end of the month. But, I can tell you that I’ve lost inches. My jeans fit much better & my belts have all gone down a hole! 

Weigh In Wedneday

Posted By at 1:04 pm 2 Comments
Oct 1
2013

My First Double Digit RUN!

So I’m currently on my plan that I have called: “oh, shoot! You have only 24 days to prepare for a half that you haven’t ran for let alone trained for What. So. Ever. Just going to try to cross the finish line on just my 2 feet and not crawling on all 4s!” 

This weekend I never had a good chance to hit the road running for a long run. So I did it last night. I told my hubby I needed to do a longer run than 5 miles & my goal was to run for at least an hour & a half to help build up my mileage to try to catch up to training plans. Secretly, I was thinking how awesome it would be if I could hit the 10 mile mark but refused to say it out loud because of  my fear of failure. The longest I have ever ran is a little over 8 miles last summer. 

But, the beauty of your out & back running style is that you have to finish. Especially when you are on a trail run where there are no shortcuts & no one can come pick you up! So I turned around at 5 miles knowing I had to finish that 10 miles. 

The first 5 miles went great; I felt great. Then, I hit mile #6 and I am quite certain that each leg weighed at least a hundred pounds each. It was rough BRUTAL. Mile 6 felt like it would never end. Then I  hit mile 7 and then “Girl on Fire” came on my iPod & I felt amazing again. I was about to do something I had never done before!

Yes, I had some 15 second walk breaks in there (note to self- next time bring the entire box of Kleenex with you – ugh!!!) & some stupid stop & pick up my water bottle that fell out of my hydration belt for the 50th time moments. I also had some stop & stretch out my calves during the last 3 miles. 

But, I continued putting 1 foot in front of the other. Slowly, yes, but I continued on. There were moments I wanted to quit & just shut off my Garmin & walk back to my car. There were moments I wondered if I would be able to do 13.1 miles in 20 days. There were moments where my calves felt like they were seriously ON FIRE! But, I didn’t quit….the word “quit” is not in my vocab. I stopped worrying about how much slower my pace was than what it was a year ago when I did consider myself a “runner” & just did it. 

When I was done, I was hurting. In fact, I went home & took my first ice bath – that’s how on fire my calves were. Um….those things are NOT fun! But I felt better & I was afraid this morning that my calves would feel awful – but I feel great! I am still sitting here feeling darn proud that I ran 10 miles. Never in my life, before last year at age 31 thought of ever doing something like this. In my school days, I was an athlete, but running was always something I hated! 

One of my fave things about running is that it is the ONLY time this mama gets all by herself! As a full-time working mama who runs around most days with her head cut off, I sometimes forget to enjoy the beauty around me every day. Running on this trail allows me the chance to enjoy it! Especially fall – I can’t wait for those leaves to change even more in color! 


Off topic….yesterday my hubby sent me flowers at work. This is HUGE y’all! He doesn’t send flowers – I can’t tell you the last time I got any! But, they surprised me & brightened my day & I did need the message on the card! 


Must run for now…..back to getting some work done today! 

Until Next Time~
*krisha*

Posted By at 2:54 pm 1 Comment
Sep 18
2013

Why You Started….

I saw this image on Pinterest yesterday & it sat heavy on my heart…..

Why in the world did I start this journey 5 years & 2 months ago? Yes, I remember exactly when I started because I walked into a Weight Watchers meeting on a Thursday morning with my 2 week old baby.

Lately, I have struggled with motivation when I had an abundance of motivation during my 55 pound loss & the maintenance of it for over a year and a half.

Now I begin to ask myself such self-sabotaging questions, such as “why bother?” “The scale is going to go up anyway.” “I will never be able to keep it off forever.”

But I know why I need to bother; I know I can keep the scale down & I know I can keep it off forever with some work.

So, time for some remembering as to why I started:

– I felt miserable
– I looked awful
– I had ZERO self-confidence
– I didn’t have any self-worth
– I was so down on myself that I was not a good wife
– I needed to be healthy for my baby girls
– I wanted to hide myself
– I was always on the sidelines, not actively involved in life
– I wouldn’t take a picture with my girls
– I was unhealthy
– I used food to make me feel better
– I felt disgusting
– I wanted to hide from my husband

Did I mention that I felt awful & wanted to crawl into a hole every.single.day? I did. Here I was a married mama to a beautiful 3 year old girl & a newborn girl. I was not a role model to them, I was a bad wife. I didn’t want to actively live my life….I wanted to sit on the sidelines of life & miss out because all I wanted to do was hide.

How can I forget about this time? Some of these old feelings have worked their way back up in my mind, in my heart, with gaining back weight.

So to move this to the positive side, I need to list my advantages to losing the weight!

– I will feel amazing
– My self-confidence will increase
– I will feel sexy for my hubby
– I won’t want to hide behind my hooded sweatshirts
– I won’t stay on the sidelines of life
– I will take fun pics with my girls & hubby to treasure someday
– I will be a positive role model
– I will be healthy
– I will be proud of myself
– My family will be proud of me
– I will feel confident wearing anything I want

Sometimes you need those lists to move back to your focus. 
To remember why you started. 
To remember why you will  not give up.

Today for WIW….I’m up 0.4 from last week but very close to being back out of the 160’s…again! I’m getting out for sure by next week & never going back!

Weigh In Wedneday

Until Next Time~
*krisha*

Posted By at 1:35 pm 3 Comments