I think it's time we catch up!

You guys, we have so much to catch up on!

So for my anniversary, my husband bought me the fit journal that I've really wanted!

I filled out the first week, but by the end of the 2nd day I got crazy "woman" sick.  Boo hiss.

Luckily my husband is amazing, and asked me if I'd start my 12 weeks over and do them with him.  Hallelujah! The time has come!  Yay for a future fit couple!!!

So today was our first day.  

I woke up a little late because we went grocery shopping at 12:30 a.m. so I missed breakfast.  

I had a healthy lunch though.  It was 530 calories and fit within all my dietary restrictions. 

Can I just say that fruit is delicious.  One of my favorite things right now is a banana with peanut, almond, or cashew butter; and sprinkled with cinnamon, nutmeg, and/or cardamom.  It's so good!

Then it was time to workout today...

I went with Zumba Max because I wanted a good 45 minutes of cardio.  It was amazing, fun, intense, and exhausting in a great way! After my workout I tried Almond Milk Light for the first time ever in a post workout fruit & yogurt smoothie... and it was amazing!

After getting cleaned up and cleaning my house I made some homemade hummus for dinner.  It's been warm outside and I didn't want to have to cook anything today.  So I had some turkey, light string cheese, pita, and hummus (with sriracha hot sauce of course)!  It hit the spot!  And the whole meal was only 520 calories. 

I hit 10,000 steps today, 50 active minutes, and burned around 700 calories total.  It's been a great day and a perfect start to the next 12 weeks.  I really look forward to seeing where I'll be in 85 days. 

It's going to be tough sometimes, but it's going to be worth it! 

Much love my dah'lings! 

Mwah!

HealthyMychal

Monday Motivation & Inspiration Anyone... ?

Who needs a pick-me-up?

I do.  

It's Monday. Who doesn't need a little pick-me-up?

The thing about Monday's though...

I love them.

Why? 

Because it's a clean slate, a fresh start, a new beginning.

We get to set the tone for our whole week off of one day.

We get to choose if we'll let it break us, or make us.

That's AWESOME! 

This Monday is a great Monday! 

Know why?

Because I'm going to change my life again.

How?

I'm getting back to basics.

I've been so focused on my "physical" health lately... that I've lost

 track of how important it is to have well rounded health.  

Mental, emotional, spiritual, and physical.

I hadn't realized how poor my emotional, spiritual, and mental health had 

gotten until the past few days.

I genuinely took note of the fact that I felt broken.

The kind of broken I promised myself I'd never let happen again.

I let the heartache of my miscarriages and the determination to get healthy enough to try again cloud my mind to the point that I was nothing but an angry, lonely, bitter, resentful, and sad person.

I was so preoccupied taking care of other people... that I forgot to take care 

of my husband and myself.

I focused so much on berating and beating myself up physically and nutritionally... that I forgot all about nourishing ALL of me.

It's no wonder I haven't made any progress in any of my goals... I'm not working on them; 

I'm working on one.

We all have to find our balance.

No matter how long it takes.

And when we do... we can't be too hard ourselves.  

Not emotionally, not mentally, not spiritually, and not physically.

The great thing about life...

We can always change it.

We can always change ourselves.

We can always change our attitude. 

We can always change our heart.

We can always change our habits.

We can change anything we put our mind to!

All we have to do is try;

and never, never ever, give up.

I love my Powerful "P" words.

We have to be positive, patient, and persistent!

We have to have the right perspective.

Always be proud of who you are, how far you've come, and where you're going.

Persevere through anything life throws at you.

Be passionate about your life and your goals.

Be proactive and never stop progressing!

AND

learn, remember, and love your purpose.

Life is beautiful. 

Life is wonderful.

Life is full.  

Life is rich and it is decadent.

Life is meant to be tasted, to be tested, to be triumphed over.

Life is meant to be LIVED.

So live it.

Live it the way you want to. 

Live it wholly.

Live it completely.

Live it without regret.

Live it with love.

Live it with joy.

Live it because it matters.

You matter.

Your life matters.

Live your life the way it's always been meant to be lived.

Back to Normal... ish

Hey my dah'lings!

First of all, let me wish you all a very HAPPY LOVE MONTH!  I've never been much of a Valentine's Day fan. If I'm being honest... I hated getting Valentine's Day gifts for my birthday.  People with birthday's around Christmas or Easter can relate I'm sure...

But now that I've grown up and gotten married... it isn't so bad.  I guess the romantic fire in my heart has been sparked.  So... HAPPY FEBRUARY Dah'lings! 

Let's catch up!  It's been a few days.

How've you been!?  What've you been doing?  Are you making progress changing your life?  How are your workouts going?!  Are your New Year goals and resolutions still going strong?!  I have faith in you!

As far as my life goes... 

I'm a bit disappointed in myself. 

I know it's been a few days since I blogged.  Let me explain why.  I'll be brief.

I had some things in my personal life that threw me for a loop last week.  The circumstances I found myself in, along with my husband working long hours, triggered my depression again.  I could hardly get out of bed for a few days.  I didn't want to wake up, I wished I hadn't been born... I didn't workout, I didn't want to eat... I locked myself in my house alone and wallowed in my sadness and depression.  It was... it was bad.

I'm sorry I let you guys down.  I'm sorry I let myself down.

My husband was really supportive when he was home.  He'd hold me, let me cry, take care of feeding me, put me in the shower...

I have to be honest, I don't deserve such a wonderful and loving husband.  He literally is the best man I have ever met and I couldn't be more blessed to be his wife.  

Slowly but surely he helped me work back to getting normal.

I had a few conversations with some close friends about what had happened and why I was struggling. I also spoke to my ecclesiastical leader who counseled me on how to handle my reactions to the situation. 

Needless to say, after a few days I'm almost completely back to normal.  I still have trouble and bouts of sadness, but I'm not letting them incapacitate me anymore. 

I worked out for the first time in 5 days yesterday.  It felt good and I am SORE.

Sometimes... we struggle.  Sometimes life gets hard.  While we may fall down and writhe on the ground in pain, we can ALWAYS get back up again.  It might take a few days and it may require great effort, but we can always get back up.  We MUST get back up. 

Life is about growing, learning, progressing, and changing.  We must keep moving forward.

Thank you for being awesome!  Thank you for listening to me put my crazy into words.  Thank you for supporting me, for understanding, and for sharing your dedication, motivation, and inspiration with me.  

Until next time my loves!

Mych

Growing Up

I've done a lot of growing up this month, and this is what I've decided:

Growing up is not fun. 

Growing up hurts. 

It hurts a lot.

I don't like it. 

Growing up means you learn that people are liars. 

Growing up means you will fail at things. 

Growing up means learning that parents aren't super heroes. Parents are people; and sometimes people suck. 

Growing up means making sacrifices. 

Growing up means paying for your own health care, which blows.

Growing up means health problems.

Growing up means bad shit will happen, and people will die. 

Growing up means mortgages, car payments, insurance, and other bills deplete your bank account regularly. 

Growing up means you have to put your own bandaid on your cuts and scrapes. 

Growing up means you have to do your own laundry and clean your own house. 

Growing up means making your own Mac N' Cheese. 

Growing up means buying your own gas. 

Growing up means a whole lot of responsibility, stress, frustration, and fear. 

In other words... Growing up sucks!

Don't do it!

Don't do it unless you also can deal with the fact that:

Growing up means you will fall in love. 

Growing out means you get to discover yourself.

Growing up means having your very own pet. 

Growing up means starting your family. 

Growing up means you get to be a super hero, at least for a little while. 

Growing up means accomplishing your goals and living your dreams. 

Growing up means you get to choose what you eat.

Growing up means mom will never pick your underwear for you again. 

Growing up means wearing only your underwear in your own house.

Growing up means making your own bedtime. 

Growing up means your finally get to own and control the remote. 

Growing up means becoming your own hero. 

Growing up means you can watch R-rated movies. 

Growing up means buying what you want when you can afford it. 

Growing up means independence. 

Growing up means a growing waistline too. Be careful about that part. Make sure you workout. 

Growing up means making lasting friendships. 

Growing up means traveling and sightseeing. 

Growing up means moving away, physically and emotionally. 

Growing up is exciting, fulfilling, confusing, and intimidating. 

But growing up is worth it.

I'm growing up, and while it is easier to focus on the negative aspects of the evolution and progression of life... There really are so many positives that I forget that are right under my nose. 

So grow up, but never grow away from your youth. Never grow away from the ability to see the world through the eyes of an adolescent. Don't lose that connection that colors the world in brilliant shades of carefree splendor. 

Growing up is required, but growing up and choosing to enjoy it with childlike optimism... that's optional. (And it's much less depressing.) 

Love,

Mych

A Quick Blurb

The scale is moving!  I'm trying really hard to not weigh in until Saturday...

Well it'll have to be after Saturday because I'm going out of town; but none the less, I am trying to utilize patience and not weigh in for a few more days.

It's amazing how watching that number finally move has impacted my mood and attitude today.

I won't lie about how much of a struggle it has been the past few weeks to have the motivation and dedication to not give up.  Between illness and watching how nothing was changing no matter how good I was... it was hard to want to keep going.

But I did.

And I'm glad I did.

This year isn't so bad.  I can lose 50 lbs this year.  A pound a week.  Let's do this!

My journey is about being the best me.  Your journey is about being the best you!

We can do this.  We deserve to do this.

Much love to you guys!  Please keep me updated!

MWAH!

Mych

A Friendly Monday Reminder

Okay dah'lings,

It's Monday!  So we get to start fresh again!  Who doesn't love a good week's restart?

Probably everyone, because no one likes Monday.

I'm writing a blog post right now because I'm feeling overwhelmed this morning already.

I have been sick and lethargic all weekend; as such I haven't had the gumption to clean my house or catch up on laundry.  My house is a mess.  If you haven't heard yet... I'm OCD.  So it's kind of melting my face off.

The problem is, I can't exercise until I clean my house.

Why?

First, I like to workout in a clean and organized environment.  I was really picky when I was picking gyms in Utah.  I like things to be clean and organized.

Second, I can't relax and exert full attention and effort to my workout until I clean my house.  I like to put my all into my workouts so I feel like I'm really pushing and changing my body.  Having a messy house will leer in the back of my mind and drive me crazy.  No bueno.

Thirdly, a messy house STRESSES ME THE EFF OUT!  I exercise to release tension.  If I exercise before... I'll be stressed afterward because I'll still have to clean.

So today I'm prioritizing based on my emotional and physical needs, not just my physical needs.  And that's okay!

Sometimes you have to do what's best for your mind, heart, and soul first; and sometimes those things will be different than what your body physically needs.

Have balance in your life.  I've found that's what makes me happy.  Take care of your physical body, take care of your heart, mind, and soul.  They're all linked and they all deserve to be taken care of.

So take care of yourself today my loves!

Relax, workout, be happy, smile, hug someone, accomplish something, be amazing, have a glass of your favorite drink.  Whatever you do, just make sure you're doing it for yourself.

You deserve it today.

You deserve to love your life.  Make it so.

Love,
Mychal

Struggle Builds Strength

I've been trying really hard to stay positive since it's the new year and all... but life is not making it easy to do that.

My husband and I have been struggling with our health since December.  Illness has run rampant in our house; apparently stress helps colds/the flu creep into your body and not let go.  Not to mention the fact that I've been struggling with getting my body normal since we found out about the insulin resistance and hormone imbalance.  It's been tough.

My husband also was injured at work the other day and the cut got infected.  The doctors were concerned it was a strain of staph so they put him on antibiotics.  Can't catch a break, right?  *sigh*

Then, this morning I woke up with nausea and abdominal cramps.  While my body is handling the birth control and other medications better, I'm still not used to it.  So I'm sick today too! UGH.

In case anyone is wondering, it is REALLY hard to have the desire to workout when you don't even want to get out of bed.

Thank heaven for pain killers and anti-inflammatory medications.  Midol and Aleve are my best friends right now.

I don't even want to eat! You know things are bad when I don't want to eat.

I was really looking forward to this weekend's weigh-in too.  But not now.  My body is bloated and retaining water.

It's hard to keep my chin up and be positive when life seems like it's kicking my ass all the time.

So this morning on my Instagram accounts I posted the following posts.

First this, because I was frustrated:

Then, in the midst of my wallowing, I happened to see this photograph on Facebook.  It struck me pretty profoundly and pulled me out of my self-pity pit of despair.

So, I guess that's all I'm trying to say today is...

It's okay to have a bad day.  It's going to happen; and it'll happen more than we think is fair.

We will struggle; but struggling is part of the journey.  Struggling is part of our story.

We can't give up.  Ever.

We are too valuable to give up on.

We have too much to do, too much to offer, too much to give.

So chin up.  It'll get better.  I promise. I know.

Much love to you my dah'lings!

~ Mychal

What I've Learned

So, I was sitting at home and decided I'd write a blog post, but was sans post ideas.

As such I reached out via Facebook for a topic that people would be interested in reading about.

A dear friend and complete inspiration encouraged me to write a blog post about what my fitness and health journey has taught me.

I've pondered upon it for a few days and have a few things I wanted to share.

1. If you set your mind something, you CAN achieve incredible things.

If you truly dedicate yourself to your dreams, your aspirations, you goals, and your happiness you can have everything you've ever hoped for, imagined, and desired.

2. You deserve to be happy.

Never sell yourself short. You should never settle. If you want something, work for, attain, and appreciate it.

3. You are more remarkable than you give yourself credit for.

Oftentimes we demean ourselves, we lower our value, or we allow social standards to measure our worth. We too often see ourselves as far less than we are.

4. Being healthy DOES make you happier.

I'm not talking about weight loss, I'm talking about general health & wellness. Knowing that your body can do what you want and need it to do. Pushing yourself to your limits and feeling the power and utilizing the genius design that is the human body... there is nothing more fulfilling.

5. Eat right!

Portion size, fruits, vegetables... eating nutritional food makes your body feel MUCH better. Binging out over the holiday wreaked havoc upon my body. Nothing feels better than eating right and exercising. It makes an enormous difference in how you physically feel.

6. Never give up.

There are ups and downs. We're only human. Your weight will flux, your going to miss a few days of working out, you'll get sick, or you'll get hurt, there are holidays, vacations, injuries... late nights at the office... you have to make peace with it and keep moving forward.

Lastly, don't compare yourself. Ever.

You need only to live in a way that makes you happy. To work out and be a weight that makes you feel good. Your value isn't measured by a number. You are worth more than a number can ever say. You worth isn't based on your dress size and you don't have to have the body of a model. You are beautiful. Reality is beautiful. Be you. Be real. Be healthy. Be HAPPY.

My last little tidbit is this: YOU ARE RADIANT. Let the brilliance of your existense shie bright enough to dispel all shadows of doubt and fear.

You can do this. You have the power to be who you've always been meant to be. To be the person you've always wanted to be.

Much love my dah'lings!

Mych