Commitments. (Skinny Bitch or Bust, #2)

Well, I've done it.

I've signed up for Beach Body's Combat challenge. It's centered on Les Mills' Combat workout, which is a series of mixed martial arts, somewhat choreographed moves. The focus is toning and strength, and because it's my goal to be svelte (isn't that a good word?) instead of skinny (because really, skinny's never going to be an accurate descriptor when you have shoulders and hips), this feels right up my alley.

Yes, it's expensive up front. Yes, if I keep up the Shakeology stuff, it will be a monthly expense that I'll need to incur. But guess what: I'm here to tell you all that I'm making a commitment, right now, so that I can deflect that cost and hopefully break a few rather bad habits in the process. And here they are:

1) No more Starbucks (admittedly, I don't go all that often anymore, but still).
2) More importantly, no more snacks at Barnes and Nobles on the weekends. (Please note that there's no way in hell I'll ever stop going to B&N itself, but I can save the cash I spend there every weekend, for sure.)
3) No more eating at the cafe at work for more than about once a week.

(It goes without saying that I'll have to cut back on eating out, in general (which, again, doesn't actually happen that often, but the point is, it happens, and if it doesn't, that's money saved.)

That, in and of itself, will save the majority of this initial, up-front cost. It would cover my entire monthly commitment if I keep going with the Shakeology portion of this challenge.

I've taken "before" pictures. I'll be taking measurements on 6/30, and intend to take regular measurements after that. I've gotten my husband to agree that he's also going to try the work out, so we can move forward on this together.

I've existed long enough in that, "eh, I look fine" phase. I want to feel (even more) confident. I want to work toward something. I want to be where I want to be in the next year or so, if possible. I want my husband to see me at my best, and because he loves me, he wants that, too. I want to be fit NOW, while my child is small, so that I'm healthy and have the energy it will take to run right alongside her.

I've found my motivation in Pink. Yes, the singer. Laugh it up, but look at this woman's physique:

 

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No, I don't want to be QUITE that ripped, but you get the point, right? Toned everywhere, and she has a toddler at home. Besides, I generally think she's pretty bad ass.

Anyway. So. Challenge begins 7/1. By the end of June, I plan to get back to drinking water the way I should and want to have largely kicked sweet stuff to the curb (that last one will be difficult, but I can do it). Yes, there will be some cheats - there are a couple VIP birthdays in July, including my daughter's 5th - but that's the point: they'll be cheats, not regular occurences.

There's been a quiet shift. I can feel it. This is going to make a big difference.

And quite frankly, I can't wait.

Skinny Bitch or Bust, #1

It's been a couple weeks since I blogged. Sorry about that, O Devoted Readers. All four of you. ;)

Today's post deals with a lot of business that's often just no fun to talk about: health and fitness.

Short version of a very long story:

In February 2012, I decided I was going to get healthy. I've always weighed significantly more than people assumed, and I wanted to change that. I was going to lose the weight I wanted to lose so that I could feel better about myself, and I was going to do it through diet and exercise, but mostly diet, at least at first. And through a series of stops and starts that began in March, I made a lot of progress. By the time June came around, I'd lost about 10 pounds. By the time October arrived, I'd lost 26ish, and that put me significantly closer to where I wanted to be.

And then life went a little batshit crazy on me, and I just... stopped. Stopped eating well, stopped exercising regularly, stopped drinking water. I just stopped.

Well, anyway, I've had a few false starts since then, but it is my goal - no, not goal...

In June, I'm going to get back to where I was. I'm going to watch what I eat, I'm going to exercise, and I'm going to do it without a bunch of excuses. Yes, there will be cheats - it's summer in Texas and sometimes, there's nothing more delicious than a margarita. But those cheats will be just that - special treats. At some point in the near future, I want to make the move to organic, non-GMO foods, but at this point, that's not a realistic option, so for now, I'll just focus on eating well.

I'm blogging because I want to take a few minutes to discuss my five goals for the month of June, with the intention of checking in on July 2nd to see how well I did, and the reason the title of this post includes #1 is because I want to make this a regular theme here, if only for my personal record keeping:

1) Start and finish the planking challenge I found on Pinterest. 
2) Drink at least 40 ounces of water a day. I did it before and I know water intake is the KEY to my losing and keeping weightoff. 
3) Take actual measurements so I'm aware of more than just what the scale says and how my clothes fit. 
4) Find a cardio routine I can do at home that works for me. Do it 3x a week. 
5) Find a leg toning routine that actually works and do it 3x a week as well. 

That's a lot, yo.

But honestly?

I'm worth it.

Skinny Bitch or Bust,
Ang