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.

A Helpful Idea

I know it's been awhile since I posted anything...

It's been an interesting few months.

March was tough on me because I struggled with my depression again.  But I overcame!

Then, in the middle of April my Grandfather passed away.  It was really difficult and both led me to some pretty stupid dietary decisions.  I guess depression and emotional trauma do that to a person.

Everyday gets a little better and I happened across a photo on Tumblr that has helped me keep my workouts fun, fresh, and spontaneous.  I thought I'd share it just incase anyone else needed a little boost in their daily health routine.

What I did was this:

I know it doesn't look like much, but bear with me.

I wrote every workout, from every workout program I own, on a popsicle stick.  I threw in a few miscellaneous ones (for my Kangoo Jumps) and a few "Your Choice!" sticks into the mix as well.  

The idea is this:

When I don't know what workout I feel like doing, or if I don't feel like working out, I draw a popsicle stick.

There can never be the excuse of boredom, or disinterest... I draw a routine... I DO IT.  No questions. It might be 25 minutes, it might be an hour.  Regardless, I do it.  It's been awesome!

You can do this for workouts at home or workouts you have through your gym.  Just write them down! 

The sticks I bought were $1.25 at Walmart, the sharpies were on sale for $3.29... and the mason jar was FREE in my cupboard.  

My workout popsicle sticks include:

1. Insanity

2. T25

3. Hip Hop Abs

4. Zumba Exhilarate 

5. Zumba Incredible

6. Elliptical/Treadmill workouts

7. Kangoo Bouncing Shoes (run or dance)

8. Wii Zumba (2, Core, or World Party)

9. Wii Just Dance (2, 3, or 4)

If you don't have any of these... that's OKAY!  If you don't have any that's okay!  

You can list ideas like this:

1. Jog around neighborhood

2. Squats & Lunges

3. Jumping Jacks

4. Sprints

5. High Knees

6. Pushups 

And so on and so forth... (also, you may want to add a minute value to each exercise to help yourself be more accountable too!)

The best part about this is the fact that you can ALWAYS add to it!  There will always be new workout programs and routines or activities to add.

So if you need a little push or some motivation... try it!

Much love to you, my darlings!

Confession of Obsession

I have a confession.

And I'm really ashamed of myself.

I've developed an unhealthy obsession.   Let me explain...

One element of my goals for the year was to have a "weekly weigh-in" in order to track what I thought was evidence of success with my new lifestyle.

In theory it was an amazing idea!  I thought it would motivate and push me in my health and fitness goals.

Unfortunately, it had very adverse effect on my journey.

I've become obsessed with weighing myself.

Yesterday my husband had to take the scale and hide it from me.

I've been weighing myself 3+ times a day.  I had to sneak around the house or lock the bathroom door and fake being sick when my husband was home to peel my clothes off and hop on the scale without being caught.

You guys... I was waking up and sneaking into the bathroom into the middle of the night to weigh myself.

The numbers on the scale were impacting my mood and my life more than I thought they ever could.

My weight was making  me afraid to eat; it made me depressed when I saw them fluctuate up and down.  I was consumed by it.

I started looking for quick ways to lose weight fast.  Super foods, diet plans, supplements, programs... you name it I started researching it.

It was BAD.

I don't know why I finally told my husband what was going on... but I just told him what I'd been doing.

He was shocked, to say the least, and he was worried.  He immediately took the batteries and the scale and hid them in separate locations which he won't divulge to me.

We had a long talk about it, what our family goal was, and how far I've come so far.

Zach told me that he loved me, that he was proud of me, that I'm beautiful.

I've grown to understand, and I'm still learning to accept and understand, that the number on the scale doesn't fully represent my health status.  It certainly doesn't reflect my value and worth.

I'm learning to love my body, regardless of it's weight or appearance.  I'm honestly trying to focus more on my health and wellness now, not on my weight or desired weight loss.  It's time to stop hating on and being afraid of my body.  It is the most precious thing I will ever own.  It doesn't matter what other people think of it.  It matters what I think of it, how I use it, and how I care for it.

I need to be better.  I deserve to treat myself better.

So, take it easy on yourself guys.  It's true when they saw we are our own worst critic.  I don't think we really understand how much value we put on things that we are told are important.  We hold ourselves to societal standards more often than we realize.  Instead of focusing on getting to a place where we are our healthiest and happiest... we focus in on that place where we think we "should" be.

I think we should be exactly where we are at this moment.  There is a purpose to everything.  The entire journey is important.  There is never and end, not even when we reach the destination.

All we can do is keep moving forward.

Never give up.  Ever.

Home Gym!

Oh my gosh.

Emotions.

So many emotions.

MY HUSBAND IS THE BEST HUSBAND IN THE HISTORY OF HUSBANDS!

Well, he is definitely the best husband for me; much like your husband/wife is the best person for you.  Funny how life works out that way?  Am I right!? *huge smile*

For a fusion of my Birthday & Valentine's Day gifts, my husband has put together the most awesome sauce gift of all time.

1. ZUMBA CLOTHES!



Love all the Zumba clothes!  I got 3 pairs of pants, 3 tops, AND a pair of shoes.

*SWOON*

Did I leave out the part where he also bought me Zumba Incredible?  Yeah, that's the new Zumba program with a step.  Yes, you read that right... A STEP people!

*SWOONING MORE*

He knows me too well.

2. He built/installed me a home gym too!  

Now I have my own workout space.  Complete with rubber flooring so the cement doesn't hurt my back.  A cabinet for my weights, bands, yoga mat, and Zumba step.  Installed a shelf for my DVD player and workout DVDs. Put my Elliptical in the corner.  Mounted a TV on the wall for me... and put an iHome out there for my music when I'm not using one of my workout DVDs.

I am literally in shock and awe.

*SWOONING AGAIN*

For a brief workout DVD recap, I now have:

• Zumba Exhilarate
• Zumba Incredible
• Insanity
• T25
• Hip Hop Abs
• Rockin' Body

I also have three Zumba and 5 various other exercise games for my Wii.  My husband also set up the TV for quick installation of my Wii if I decide to move it out there too.

I am seriously such a blessed woman.

Life is wonderful. 

I'm ecstatic!

Tomorrow my husband and I are having our first 5am Duo/Family Workout... I AM LITERALLY MORE EXCITED THAN ALL THE CAPS IN THE WORLD CAN EXPRESS!

That is all.

Much love my darlings!

XOXO

Mych

Home Gym

Being a newlywed (I still consider myself that since it hasn't even been a year yet...) means lots of things; namely it means you're poor.

WOO!

So as many of you know, I work out at home because my husband and I can't afford a gym membership.

You may also know... that I really loved the gym.  I miss 24 Hour Fitness in Utah.  That place really changed my life.

You may have heard that I REALLY enjoy working out with people.  Working out by myself, while it can be occasionally cathartic, can also be really lonely and depressing.

As such... my husband has concocted the most incredible plan to remedy all of the above problems.

Ready?!

A HOME GYM.

For a hybrid Birthday/Valentine's Day gift, the love of my life is transforming one bay of our 3 car garage into an at home gym.

He will be installing a foam floor (so that we won't be on concrete), insulating the garage doors and installing a heater, mounting a TV and DVD player, and adding a cabinet for my workout DVD's and accessories.  I already have an elliptical in the garage, and we both have free weights... so Wilson Gym is on it's way.

It should only cost us around $300 and it should be done in about 1-3 months or so!

The best part about this whole situation!?

Working out WITH my husband.

I really like working out in the morning... and my husband happens to get home really early in the morning.  So from now on when he gets home, he will wake me up and we can go down to the gym and have a workout buddy!  I can do Zumba, Hip Hop Abs, or Rockin Body while he uses the elliptical, or we can do T25 & Insanity together (since he isn't much for "dancing" workouts... hehehe).  We can also strength train and lift weights together.

Our family motto/goal is to be happy & healthy.  Our home gym will provide us both with the place, the motivation, and the partnership to workout and live the lifestyle we're aiming for.

I'm so very blessed to have married such an incredible man!

I'll be sure to post pictures of the Home Gym's progress and completion!

Much Love,
Mych

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

Finding the good...

2014 continues to be the bane of my existence...

Sadly, now it is leeching into my nuclear family.  Nothing about this year is looking up.  

It's been hard to feel motivated to continue with my health and fitness goals.  When you're in emotional duress it's easy to feel the desire to give up.

Between battling bouts of sans-baby blues, acclimating to my husband's new work schedule, and dealing with immense family drama (and the subsequent emotional baggage of ALL those things...) I have very nearly been ready to throw in the towel and give up. 

But it's hard to give up. 

My mother raised me to be a fighter.

And I've developed a taste for fighting.  I've developed a desire to work for & attain my goals.

I've developed a voice.  I will stand up for myself and for the people I love; and I'll do it, even if it means it may hurt other people.  

I am tired of allowing myself to be drowned in other people's misery.  I am tired of standing on a sinking ship while I feverishly try to get everyone in their life jackets.  Sometimes you have to save yourself before you can save others.  There is a reason YOU have to put on your oxygen mask first when the airplane gets gnarly.  You can't help others if you haven't helped yourself first.  You can't protect others if you haven't protected yourself. 

So what life lessons have I learned in the past week?  How have I grown amidst the drama, heartache, and grief? I've accepted a few hard truths...

1. Life can be disappointing. 
2. People will hurt you. 
3. You will struggle. You will grieve.
4. And life will go on.

BUT, even with all the heartache, the sadness, and the confusion there is always something good.  There is always something positive. With God all things are possible. We are never too lost to be found. We are never broken beyond mending. We are never unloved. We are never alone. He is always there, He is always waiting. We need only to reach out, to ask, and to allow Him to lift and carry us. He loves us. He wants us to be happy, to succeed, and to be whole and at peace. He is a loving Heavenly Father who fills our lives with blessings too numerous to count. Life is such a wonderful blessing. How grateful I am to be a child of God. You are stronger and more remarkable than you give yourself credit for. Your spirit can never be broken. Never lose hope. Do not despair. Trial and tribulation last only a small moment of this miracle we call life. Your existence is too important to be bogged down by grief. Your journey is too valuable to halt for sorrow. Hold your head high, keep your heart strong, and never stop moving forward.

Keep your chin up.

It'll all workout. 

Keep moving forward.

Love,

Mych