Category: Healthy Lifestyle

Workout Gear

You may or may not know that I teach reformer Pilates at Midtown Pilates here in town a few days a week before and after work. I fell in love with Pilates in January last year and decided to get certified not too long after that. One of the main reasons I love it are the clothes. I LOVE being in comfy clothing as soon as I get home from work each day and on the weekends. Pilates clothing lends itself perfectly to my lounge style. 
As you know I have started up my #Arnold500miles challenge so I am using my workout gear even more these days and I can use most of my Pilates gear to get outside while walking. My workout style consists of a good pair of crops, soft top, seamless sports bra and if I am walking I of course wear tennis shoes and ankle socks. Most of all comfort is key in every facet of my life. I cannot stand to be uncomfortable in my clothes or shoes! I always look for good studier fabrics that can stand to be washed over and over again and not pill up. Also, pick fabrics that have wicking properties for those hot workouts! Here are some of my favorite workout pieces that are necessary for my job and my active lifestyle!
A good workout outfit must start with a well fitting sports bra like this one from Under Armor. I love it because it is seamless and has no scratchy feeling as I am on top of my head in Pilates class. As you know here in the south it’s warm most of the year so you can find me in tanks similar to this one by Athleta constantly. I love how soft it is and it is also flowy without being billowy which I hate. If it is chilly I will pair my tank with a pop-over like this one from Old Navy. I love it as it has the little thumb holes! My staple workout outfit would not be complete without skinny black crops. I own this pair from Old Navy in every color they make as they fit my body like a glove and are so incredibly comfortable. To finish up I like to lace up these Ghost 6’s by Brooks. I have owned tons of tennis shoes in my lifetime, but none have been more comfortable straight out of the box like these. Worth every penny! Finally sometimes I need to keep stray hairs in place and I use one of these great Sweaty bands to do so. They are so comfortable and versatile as I use mine every night to keep the hair out of my face while removing my makeup!
As you can see, most of the items I have listed are quite inexpensive. I shop for most of my workout gear at Old Navy, Target and larger sport stores on the clearance rack of course. There are always sales going on these items so I do not recommend paying full price but instead waiting for a little bit for a better deal!

Anniversary!

So yesterday while on a run during the most beautiful weather we have had here this year I realized that March 1, 2011 marked a very important day for me. It was the day I started taking control of my life and began eating with a purpose and exercising regularly. Now one year later I am 33 lbs lighter, down 4 pant sizes and am a new and improved person inside and out! I could not have done it without some very special people in my life. Mike for his constant support, praise and those compliments I need on the days where I don’t feel so hot lol. Also for going along with all of the new foods and exercising with me as I could not have done this without my love! Ann Marie for her constant support throughout each day and keeping me sane at work! I have made an amazing life long friend/partner in crime through this journey! And finally to Meghan for her resilience during the end of last year she is a testament that you can do anything you put your mind to if you want it bad enough, she is an inspiration 🙂 My family has given me praise and support as well from far away! And they feed me the bad stuff when I am home(which I am grateful for)! I am not going to lie, that picture above is pretty amazing to me. I can see so much of a difference I cannot believe it! I feel so proud in this moment I hope this feeling lasts forever! I am so glad I decided to put those two together so I can visualize it myself. Now I am kicking myself for not taking starting measurements(I was too embarrassed of course)! Here are some more pics from the last year and the journey that I have been taking! I will start with some before pics so you can see(and I can be reminded) of just where I came from! Bear with me because I made these a little larger so you can hopefully see them a little easier 🙂

Before Pic Christmas 2009
Before Pic Summer 2010
Here I was after losing 8 lbs
Same Day, Mike and I were celebrating one month of
healthy living with a cheat meal and a trip to Jackson
Fast Fwd to May 1st for Mike’s
surprise Party
I think I had lost about 12 lbs here
Sallee Anne’s Bachelorette Party
Myrtle Beach
Disney Trip May 2011 Down 15 lbs
Same trip…goofing off
Made my goal of losing 20 lbs for Sallee Anne’s big day!! July 2011

Neshoba County Fair end of July 2011
Caught my first Mississippi catfish! August 2011
Trip to Auburn/The Andrew’s Sept 2011
Trip to Oxford, MS Sept 2011
Spontaneous Disney trip! Was down about 27-28 lbs here.
Right after my birthday. End of Sept 2011
Another from that trip bc it was so much fun 🙂
Oct 15!! Such a special day for me. Not only were my Gamecocks
in town but I hit the 30 lb loss mark! Perfect day :):):)
Oct 29 First 5k with Mike and Meghan!! 
Same day as the race! Halloween Party!
Thanksgiving(Day after)
Getting the Arnold Christmas tree
Christmas 2011 I felt beautiful here!
Christmas in Miami
New Year’s in St. Pete
Before our 3 year anniversary dinner! Feb 16, 2012

Those are just some of the memories I have had this past year. I hope to have many more in the year to come and I still have some things to prove to myself! I cannot wait to see what the near future brings for us 🙂

Stay southern,

Winter Vacation

View Larger Map

Wow I am behind…here is is almost February and I have yet to blog about my holiday trip. Oh well I have been busy and life is getting crazier by the minute! As you can see on the map above we had quite the journey over the holiday season. It was about 3200 miles and a lot of fun. We spent time with friends and family and it was just good to get out of here for a while. I have been recovering from this journey for a few weeks lol.

On another note, the new year has come and gone and I am back on the healthy train(although I really never got off). I maintained my weight loss over the holidays(YAY). And I am well on my way to making my January fitness goal I set for myself which entails going to the gym 20 times this month. Which I should surpass! The scale has not budged even though I have eaten like a bird for the most part. I have to figure this out soon before I go crazy!! I have started going to Zumba again twice a week and I am so enjoying it. If you know me then you know I love to dance so this is more fun for me than traditional workouts.

Other than that nothing is going on with me. On the other hand Mike is busier than ever. He has worked harder than I have ever seen him. He has been staying up late finishing his thesis and getting ready for his defense which is scheduled for Feb 3! I am so proud of him already and cannot wait for all of this to be over so he can have this off of his chest.
I am going to try to blog more especially because I think this year is going to be important. Hopefully we will move and start a new chapter of our lives together what I believe will be the most important one yet!

Happy Times :)

For the past few weeks we have been quite busy. It is starting to get chilly here in Starkville(finally) and we have enjoyed the cooling down of the temperature. It is a nice break from about 5 months of 85+ degree weather! On October 29 we participated in the Race For the Cure in Tupelo. This was significant because it was our first 5k that we were every going to run but it is one that I have wanted to participate in for years. The Race for the Cure is dear to my heart because of the cause that it supports and the fact that I could actually participate in memory of the single most influential person in my life. As I get older I realize that the things I miss most about my mother are not only having her around for the big moments but for her wisdom and grace and also her sense of humor. I long to know more about her as a person and how she was at my age. As I say this I feel cheated out of all of the comfort and knowledge that I missed out on by not having her around. On the flip side, from tragedy comes triumph(bad cliche but is true) and I think I have become a very independent, grateful and resourceful young woman because of the circumstances I have experienced since I was13 years old. As I grow older I realize that can be proud of the woman that I have become/are becoming because I have pushed through the adversity and the sadness and came out happy in the end. I love my life and I am the happiest I have ever been. That is in fact because of the people who love me including Mike, the Arnold’s and my friends have all made me feel special and whole again and for that I am eternally grateful!

On another note…the same night we hosted a Halloween party at our place. I think it was a success as everyone seemed to enjoy themselves. Everyone(for the most part) came in costume and it was a lot of fun!

The football season is winding down and we only have 2 😦 home games left this year. Although I am ready to move I think I will miss football season and tailgating the most when I leave Starkville. Living in a college town has it’s pluses and minuses but the fun we have on those Saturday’s will be missed by both Mike and I!

As I am writing this I am getting more excited by the day about Thanksgiving and getting to go on vacay. Vacation these days pretty much means going home but we take full advantage of everything we can when we visit. We have a lot lined up and I know it will be a lot of fun seeing family and friends. Living away from my home has made me realize how much I miss mountains and I am excited to see them as I am driving up the road to my house. I also miss palm trees and I am ready to head to Florida over Christmas break to finally see where Mike was born and raised! Plenty of pics will be taken 🙂

Stay southern,

Transitioning

Last night after a long boring day at work we set out on foot to map out a route as we are going to move our C25K outside. I am a little nervous about this because we have been doing so well while running on the indoor track. However, I do not think that it is financially responsible to pay to run when I have God’s green earth for me to explore for free! So we have found a good route right outside our front door that we will attempt soon(as in Friday). I hope to prove myself wrong and embrace running outdoors.

On a side note Mike, Pumpkin and I had a picnic this past weekend at the Noxubee Wildlife Refuge. I had never been there before so I was excited to see it. It was a beautiful day and we had a great time. I am just glad that we didn’t see any of the huge alligators that live there as Pumpkin would have probably freaked(and I would have too)!

As I should probably note in case some of you do not already know this. Pumpkin is my 6 1/2 year old dog-child that I adopted when she was just 8 weeks old. I will probably post many pictures of her as she is one of the loves of my life!

Stay southern,

Inaugural Post

So I have finally decided to bite the bullet and blog about my new adventure. Starting March 1st, 2011 I have embarked on a new healthy lifestyle. I am not calling this a diet per say because I feel like it is more a lifestyle change. This is no quick fix, but a change that I will be making for good and for the better. I decided to start keeping a food log and counting my calories along with starting the Couch to 5K program. My boyfriend(bless him) is doing this with me and is my greatest supporter! We have both made a healthy change in our lives and we are both embracing our new outlook on life! So far I am down 11 lbs and I am currently on week 7 of Couch to 5K(which means I can run, well more like jog slowly for 25 min straight)! I am hoping this blog will serve as a creative outlet for me and also a way to keep in touch with my friends and family that I do not see as often as I would like. I am also hoping that it holds me accountable. So here it is, my journey and my new life! I hope you will come along for the ride 🙂

Stay southern,