MeasuringLife: Getting Healthy & Fit

Monthly Accountability Measurements are good overall, but my weight is annoying because I have my period. What the scale doesn’t show are the 27 days in January I did some type of exercise and 15 of those days were more than walking! I attended 2 group fitness classes as a participant and 4 @f45_training classes in addition to teaching 2 BodyPump classes. I ate within my “healthy eating zone” 17 out of 23 days. Yes I know January has 31 days, but I didn’t get back on program until Monday, January 9. I’ve also been re-upping my hydration since I got a little out of habit with the colder weather and as I’ve shared my sleep has been great. I’m averaging 9+ hours a night and I can really feel the difference. Plus I did a “damp January” where I only drank 1x a week. I’d rather see or workout right now and drinking can negatively impact both. I plan on meeting also these habits in February and beyond! https://www.instagram.com/p/CoJPbN_NIMa/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

2022 Gratitude Word Cloud I did my gratitude monthly this year so less entries, but still just as powerful! https://www.instagram.com/p/Cm4nZqJPzoy/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

I wanted to get my last workout in today before posting this! I did some form of activity 306 days this year. 159 of those days I only walked. I worked out with my trainer @kcarterfitness 76 times and I taught 24 group fitness classes! I love how walking (more than 20 minutes for me to “count” it) is a baseline. I really want to up my activity outside of walking (any hikes I did counted toward a workout as opposed to walking). I had 147 days this year that I did worked out beyond walking. I’d like to push it to closer to 200 days, which means averaging 4 days a week of activity. In addition to wanting a regularly weekly BodyPump class to teach this year, I want to get back to being a group fitness participant - I miss kickboxing and spin! #fitness #fitnessmotivation #ww #activelifestyle #active #moveyourbody #moveyourbodyeveryday #weightloss https://www.instagram.com/p/Cm2e2LQLQEx/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

New Years 2009 vs New Years 2022 https://www.instagram.com/p/Cm2DHisr1eD/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

Accountability post! I started the year at my lowest adult weight for my wedding and within 10 days of the wedding I gained 10 pounds back. Then I gained/lost the same 5 pounds all year! I spent the majority of the year in the mid 170s. In fact thanks to my Fitbit scale I know my average weight for the year was 173.6! Last year my average weight for the year was an even 170. I like looking at my weight year to year and even month to month as opposed to week to week. I’ve learned 169 is my happy weight in addition to my “healthy BMI” weight. Anything lower requires was too much effort for little reward. I really want to get to a place of weight maintenance. I’m pretty good with overall consistency - but I want the maintenance mindset. I’m so thankful I embarked on my health and wellness journey back in January 2010. I hopeful for another year if good health and building strength in the year ahead! #weightlossjourney #weightloss #fitness #fitnessmotivation #accountability #measuringme #ww https://www.instagram.com/p/Cm1_hfxLaJd/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

#newyear #newyears #newyearsresolutions #wordoftheyear #yearlyintentions #intentions #focus #goals #goal

It’s the most wonderful time of the year!! End of year accounting and 2023 goal setting!! First things first - side hustle income stream totals! I spent this year cutting back on side hustles like resigning as a WW coach at the end of June and cutting back on all overnight/in house petsitting. I did pick up an extra urban hiking class in the fall and added assisted living dog walking which gave me a bump. I was targeting $10K in side hustle income streams and wound up with over $13K. After January I will be completely done with all petsitting/walking and I will be going back to just 1 urban hiking class per semester. I do hope to teach more group fitness in 2023 and ideally pick up a regular class. I’m targeting $7.5K for 2023 with my remaining side hustles. As a reminder my “Income Generation” is my catch all of credit card cash back rewards, FB marketplace sales, Poshmark sales. In closing it’s wild that over the last 4.5 years of side hustling that I’ve added over $75K of income! All this side hustle income has covered the cost of the interest on our home renovation loan as well as allowed us to pay off the loan in just 2.5 years. It paid for our wedding and honeymoon in full. It covered my personal splurges like manicures, massages, and facials. It also has helped contribute to our emergency fund. In 2023, I am going to focus more on making my expected income work smarter as opposed to focus on generating extra income. Already planned is maxing out my 401K - in addition to my HSA that I already maxed out starting in 2022. #personalfinance #sidehustle #incomestreams #endofyear #financialgoals #financialfreedom https://www.instagram.com/p/CmzVwhFLDDS/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

Between my Texas trip and Halloween the end of October got a bit off track. But I’m back to my regularly scheduled eating program! . #accountability #measuringme #weightlossjourney https://www.instagram.com/p/CkbI-YjLPZF/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

Missed last month, but here I am staying accountable (a few days early due to traveling). https://www.instagram.com/p/CjGLlr1LEQ9/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

In other news we welcomed an Alaskan Klee Kai puppy to our family yesterday. Her name is Savi and our Yorkie mix, Louie, is showing her the ropes!

Monthly accountability! . I’ve been doing my measurements monthly, but not always posting them here. In part because I’d forget and in part because I didn’t love the numbers. . As I’ve shared I gained 10 pounds right after the wedding that I’ve struggled to get off. I got about 5 pounds off by mid-February, but then those 5 pounds yo-yoed on and off for moooonths. . In late June and early July I buckled down for my honeymoon and our wedding portraits 2.0 in Portugal. Although I was still 8ish pounds heavier than the wedding I felt and looked beautiful back in my wedding attire. I had lost 3 pounds in the few days before the wedding (likely due to stress) which shot me down to my lowest adult weight of 163 and honey made my dress just a tiny touch loose on our wedding day. . I’ve learned the 160s are my happy place 165-168 is all good. So my goal is not to get to 163, it’s to get back to the 160s and stay there (which I was successful with for many months prior to the wedding). . While I planned to splurge over the honeymoon after our portraits which were on our second day of the trip, I actually found we only regularly ate 2 meals a day, did a lot of walking, and the second half of the trip I had pretty bad food positioning which dampened my appetite and desire to drink alcohol. So I returned from our 10 day honeymoon weighing exactly what I weighed when I left. . My stomach and appetite were both not fully back to normal for the first few days I was home either - it was a solid week of food poisoning. . This past Monday I got back on that WW tracking train and a return to my normal. During my honeymoon I even had 2 weeks off my my trainer which I think was good for overall muscle recovery, but I’m glad to be back in action with her. . I actually saw the 168.8 over the weekend, but the scale happened to land on 170.0 this morning which is fine. Yesterday was a busy day (more in that later). . My birthday is this Thursday and I’d like to enter my 39th year seeing the 160s on the scale which I’m confident will happen! . My goal is to write here at least weekly this month, I’ve missed this space! . #weightloss #weightlossjourney #accountability https://www.instagram.com/p/Cgt3Iezr7IR/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

Late to the mid-year party, but here is a quick check in on all my 2022 workouts. Each color represents a different workout - including walking which is most prevalent (orange). https://www.instagram.com/p/CftnkLhL_8W/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

Did my first big shopping trip in months! Honestly the only clothes I’ve bought in the pandemic were wedding related or work-out clothes. . I did all my shopping at TJ Maxx, Ross & Marshall’s which’s means lots of different brands - and sizes. I went into shopping with an open mind. I tried on mediums, larges, some smalls and sizes 10a, 12s and a 14. . I’m excited about all the bright bold colors for my upcoming honeymoon in Portugal! https://www.instagram.com/p/CfnYZwHNASM/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

Today is my last day as a WW Coach. . It was a great 1.5 years, but I’ve decided to step down in an effort to accommodate other schedule changes in my life as well as give myself some more time back for me. . I will miss my members who invested in me in and I invested right back. But I’d be lying if I didn’t say I’m also excited for ~8 hours a week back in my life and 1 less e-mail account to check! . I still will continue as a @ww member - it’s a program I believe in and it works well for me. . #ww #weightlossjourney #wellnessjourney #fitnessjourney #balance #alignment https://www.instagram.com/p/CfKFYFHLGff/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

Today I tried on my wedding dress for the first time since my January 1, 2022 wedding. I’ll be wearing my wedding dress again in 1 month for portraits we are taking on our Honeymoon in Portugal. Truth be told I’ve gained ~10 pounds since my wedding. I was actually 2 pounds under my wedding goal weight on our wedding day (likely due to all the stress). But I’m thrilled to see the scale doesn’t really mean anything. I still feel strong strong and beautiful in my wedding dress. The picture on the left is a bridesmaid dress I tried on for a friends wedding before I joined WW in 2017! It’s a good reminder of how far I’ve come. https://www.instagram.com/p/Ce32eMYLdwz/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

I CANNOT WAIT TO CUT MY HAIR NEXT MONTH! . ideally I’ll take it up to graze my shoulders like this. I grew my out for the wedding - through 2 postponements (Oct 2020>Jan 2022). And then another 6 months since we are headed to Portugal next month for our honeymoon and to take wedding portraits there in our clothes so I want my hair still long. . But it’s been driving me NUTS especially since the wedding I want it gone! I love playing with styles and colors but I’ve kept it consistent for ~4 years so I’d have the color and length I wanted for the wedding. . I’m getting my color done the day before we fly out and I plan to stay with course with my color, but in a few months who knows what I may pivot to for fun! . My hope it to actually get it cut WHILE in Portugal so I can enjoy the second half of my honeymoon with short hair like this! https://www.instagram.com/p/Ce3XalgrD82/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

Sometimes Lou needs breaks on our lunchtime walks, but that’s okay. I actually often just scoop him up and carry him for a few minutes while he gets his second wind. . I recently bumped up my daily step goal from 7000 (which I set once I started working from home and 10K was hardened to reach). I have bumped in up to 7500 steps and likely will push even further to 8000 because reaching a goal everyday is no longer a goal it’s a routine. Lou and I are here to push, even if we are tired! https://www.instagram.com/p/Ce17ooCrN6k/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=