Fit 4 Christmas - Week 4

Let's just start with this: I have been a terrible blogger this week.

As much as I love this little 'ol blog of mine, sometimes other things are more important. As much as I love and need my workouts, sometimes other things are more important.

Last Friday, I woke up feeling "off". By the time I went to bed, I felt like death. I was put on antibiotics right away this time and they have helped tremendously, but there have been zero workouts. On top of being sick, again, work has been craaazzzy with no signs of letting up. I work in the construction industry, and we are getting into our busy time of year. Then, Wyatt has had a bad case of the "terrible twos" this week which doesn't mix well with a sick mama. It's been a challenge seven days and I am so relieved it's Friday (even if I do have to work tomorrow.)

I owe everyone participating in Fit 4 Christmas an apology. I have been absent in the blog, the Facebook group and IG this past week. As well as way behind on responding to emails. That doesn't mean I haven't been following all your inspiring posts! Not to mention, I planned to have Week 4 up before 8 this morning, but my work cell started going off at 5:20 this morning and is just now slowing down. Waahhh. That's what happens when it's -2° outside. If only I could move my desk closer to the fireplace....

Enough rambling. On to what everyone is really here for today:

Starting Weight: 175.6

Week 1: 171.8

Week 2: 169.2

Week 3: 168.0

Total Loss: -7.6

Week 3 Loss: -1.2

Finally back to my lowest weight! I went into the week completely planning to break past that dreaded number, but I'm not disappointed in the results. For as long as I can remember, I have struggle when I'm sick. I don't stress eat. I don't eat to comfort emotions. My main food struggle, is with physical pain. When I am sick or having a bad pain day, I tend to eat to comfort myself. It's been that way since I was a little girl. I have struggled and struggled to overcome this for a few years. This is the first time I have stayed on track with my food when I'm not well. It's such an accomplishment for me and I'm so proud of that 1 pound loss. Now, I'll be even more determined to stay on track next week so I can finally break past that 168!

On to week 4:

Push ups! These are going to kill me. Upper body strength is my weakness and something I am continually working on. Please keep in mind there are sooo many variations of the push-up. Ways to make it easier, or harder. Do whatever you need to do to challenge yourself.

You may need to go to your knees, or maybe a standard military push up is enough for you. If you can breeze right through military push ups, try lifting a foot off the floor, or do crow push ups. If that is too easy, try my favorite: scorpion push ups. It doesn't matter what level you're at as long as you are challenging yourself to be better.

Food challenge for this week: Plan your Thanksgiving dinner in advance. I would be lying if I didn't say I wasn't scared about next week. We will be leaving next Wednesday to head out on an 8 hour drive to spend Thanksgiving at my dad's. I'm cooking Thanksgiving dinner for the family this year! This helps, because I will know how things are prepared. However, my dad will be cooking the other days, and I'm horrible about munching in the car. I plan to go into the holiday completely prepared. 

Am I going to allow myself some pumpkin pie? You bet. But I have planned small portions and what foods I'm going to allow myself to splurge on and what I'm not. Go into the week with a plan in mind, and do your best to stick with it! 

Good luck with Week 4 everyone. I know you will all do great!

Lupus: My Journey - Part 1

I was sitting in American History my sophomore year of high school, concentrating on that day's pop quiz, when my right hand started feeling ice cold. Perplexed by the weird sensation, I stopped to look at my hand. All fingers from the knuckles up, were black. Being in the middle of the classic teenager syndrome, "I'm invincible," I chucked to myself. Ha! Look at my black hand! By the completion of the quiz, it was darker and common sense started to kick in. This can't be normal, right? Still, not understanding the possible seriousness, I walked up to my teacher and casually said, "Hey, look! My fingers are black. Isn't that cool?"

He stared at my hand, and back up at me like my casual reaction was completely ridiculous. As he picked up the phone, he said, "I'm calling the nurse. Get to the office NOW." Honestly, I was taken back by the reaction. What's the big deal? I feel fine. The nurse's reaction was even more severe. My mom was called and I was headed directly to the hospital.

My doctor back home was a friend of the family, and met me out in the waiting room. He took one look at my hand, started mumbling a bunch of medical terms to my mom and told her I was being sent to Billings, MT immediately. It wasn't until this point that fear and reality started to set in. When I woke up that morning, I was a typical 15 year old teenager. When I went to bed that evening, I was someone completely different.

After only 5 minutes with the doctor's in Billings, I started to receive some answers, though none that were reassuring. I have Reynauds. While scary at times, and I'm going to have to be careful, I can handle this. Those were the things going through my mind. However, as I started giving more of my family history and revealing that I have Fibromyalgia, the doctor's face started to look more and more concerned. Then, I heard the one little word that would turn my life upside down, Lupus.

Lupus is difficult to diagnose. It's a sneaky disease. There are times that Lupus appears to be non existent, even when it comes to labs. For this reason, I started the year long process of official diagnosis. Every couple of months, I went back to visit my Rheumatologist. I'd spend an hour down in the lab being poked prodded to check my levels. Only one of these visits in a years time came back negative for Lupus, all others were positive.

At the end of the year, a sixteen year old girl sat in her doctor's office and heard the words she'd dreaded, "You have Lupus." Honestly, after that one sentence, my mind shut off. I didn't want to hear about the disease. I didn't want to hear what he was telling me. I wanted to pretend this year had never happened. I heard a few words, "dialysis, adoption, miscarriages, pain management, immune system." All words that terrified me.

Words that would terrify anyone.

Words that turned my world upside down. Words that could change all the plans I had for my future. How do I go on from here?

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I've lived in denial off and on for over 10 years. During my high risk pregnancy and delivery, I had to start coming to terms with my medical condition. A condition I had known about for over a decade, but refused to accept. Until the past 2 years, I went through an amazing 4 year period with no flare ups. It made it easy for me to forget that my body is attacking itself inside. As the flare ups have returned, and my immune system has dropped, I'm finally dealing with emotions that I shut off in the doctor's office that day. 

I've struggled internally with this for two years. Never talking about it or addressing it to any of my loved ones. Mainly because, I don't quite understand my own feelings. Partly because I never wanted to be one of those people constantly complaining. 

However, I've decided that going through the process and talking about it, is something I need to do for myself. So, I've decided to do a series on my journey with Lupus.

Please understand that in no way am I feeling sorry for myself or thinking I have it rough. That is not what this is about. I just hope that by telling my story, I might be able to help myself and in turn, maybe help anyone who had been through something similar.

Oops - My Absence

Sorry for my absence yesterday on Motivation Monday... I dropped the ball on that one this week.

Friday afternoon, I ended up sick - again. I've been back on antibiotics since Saturday and they are working their magic. Each day I'm feeling a little bit better, and I hope to be able to be back to workouts tomorrow. This also means I have not done a single day of Week 3's challenge. So, I plan to double up next week to make up for it.

Just a quick explanation today. I'm taking most of next week off to go to my dad's for the holiday, so I'm swamped with work! I'll be back as normal tomorrow.

Have a great day and keep it all the hard work, everyone!

Fit 4 Christmas Challenge - Week 3

Two weeks down and you all continue to amaze me! A big part of weight loss success is accountability and support. Come share your progress over in the Facebook Group.

Starting Weight: 175.6

Week 1 Complete: 171.8

Week 2 Complete: 169.2

Total for the week: -2.6
Total for challenge: -6.4

This next week will be huge for me. If you have followed along with my journey at all these past few months, you know I've been stuck in a rut, fluctuating between 168-172. For months. This is the week I break that cycle!

Truth be told, I had something completely different for this week's mini challenge planned until I saw this...

And I laughed. Out loud. Far longer than it really warranted.

It really got me thinking... the mention of  a 10 pound gain probably isn't too much of an exaggeration for most Americans. It definitely isn't for me in years past. This year will be different - I'm positive of that.

In 2 weeks we are going to be surrounded by family and friends that we may not have seen in some time. I want us all to be in the best possible shape by then. This thought process brought me to scratch the original Week 3 for another time, and to up the challenge a bit this week. Who's with me?

 

Week 3 is a combination of weeks 1 & 2, with the added cardio bursts to make one super-set. This is more than a mini challenge, it's a mini workout. I want all of you (and myself) to burn as many calories as possible this week! I want you all to look and most importantly, feel amazing for the holiday. Break it up through the day if you need to. Make sure you go at your own pace, but try to really push yourself. 

Your reps for the squats, reverse crunch, bicycle crunch, and scissor abs will increase each day by 5. Cardio will remain at 1 minute increments (unless you want to increase that, then by all means.. do it.)

If you've done the first 2 week's mini challenges, these moves should all be pretty familiar aside from the squat jacks. If you are unsure of those, watch the video below: Blogger doesn't want to find the video, so you can watch it HERE.

The other side of the challenge, is to take this quiz and determine what body type you have. Everyone is made differently, and it's so hard to not compare yourself to other people. Knowing your body type will help give you better expectations as well as help you understand how your body loses/gains and why. 

Under the extra poundage, I fall into the mesomorph category

Keep up the great work everyone. I can't wait to see everyone's progress!

Have a great weekend!

Non-Scale Victories - Inside Transformation

As I worked yesterday morning, I had an internal debate going on. To run or not to run. I'd been icing my knee all morning and was weary about working it too hard. As I wrote yesterday's post, I decided to lace up on my lunch break and at least attempt it. Even if I had to walk the entire time, it was better than nothing. Lunch time rolled around and I picked up my running bag just to drop it again about 10 times in a 5 minute period. Yes, I'm going to do this. No... I have work to do and my knee hurts. Around the merry-go-round I went.

Finally I just sucked it up and geared up for the cold. The first quarter mile was painful, honestly. Then, I just got into a groove. This is something I haven't experienced since recovering from my last illness. As I was nearing the end of the first mile, I glanced at my phone to check my time. I was set to PR! Once I reached the mile mark, I stopped to take a screen shot. It seemed too good to be true so I wanted proof for myself.

I'm so competitive with myself, especially when it comes to runs. Sooo close to be under a 9 minute mile. Even as an athlete in high school, I couldn't run a mile in that time. I finished one more mile and then headed home for a quick lunch. This one moment made up for all the other stress and overall crappy week I've had. Had I listened to the Negative Sally in my head, I would have missed out on that experience.

Despite the added work stress and other things going on this week, I have managed to stick pretty close to my workout schedule (I did skip my evening workout yesterday to rest my knee) and have been right on point with my eating. There was a time, not so long ago, that I would have taken this opportunity to order all the fast food and skip all the workouts. I would have justified it by telling myself it's been a bad day and I deserve the junk and nights spent on the couch.  The new me looks at it differently: Yes, it's been a rough week. I deserve to take extra good care of myself.

And that's exactly what I've done. No matter what obstacles have been thrown my way this week, I have stayed the course. I'm proud of that and feel as though true transformation is finally taking place. Knock on Wood.

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Check back tomorrow for the Fit 4 Christmas Week 3 Mini Challenge

Working Out With a 2 Year Old: The Risks

My excuse for continuing my lazy, unhealthy lifestyle the first 2 years of Wyatt's little life was the same as many others. There's no time!

Here's the deal, Wyatt's birth story is a doozy - literally a week long labor, pushed for 2 and a half hours and eventually had to give in to an emergency c-section. Afterwards, my liver started to fail and it was just a big 'ol mess and I quite honestly have blocked much of the first couple of months of his life from my memory.

I had just become single a month before his birth. My world was turned upside down and nothing was what I imagined it would be. Due to the single status, I had to go back to work one week after having a c-section to ensure a roof over our heads, food on the table. You know, silly things like that. I worked 9 hour days, with baby in tow for 6 months. When I got home, there was no one to help with the baby so I could work out for a little bit. There was no one to change a diaper for me or hold him so I could cook a healthy dinner. I'd crash on the couch by 9 and be up bright and early to do it all over again.

I struggled to come to terms with the change in plans. This wasn't the life I pictured for my son. It wasn't the life I pictured for myself. It was a very difficult time for me. Having a new little miracle... such a miracle... in my life should have been the highest, happiest point in my life. But, to be perfectly honest, it was the lowest I've ever been. Please don't mistake that for not being happy to have Wyatt. I was unbelievably grateful for him. He is what kept me going every, single day.

I start with this part of the story, not as a "poor me", but to point out there are times where some excuses are valid. I don't feel guilty for not getting my health in check during this time. It was not my priority and looking back, I can honestly say I could not do it at that time. Mentally. Physically. I could not.

Once he started daycare at 6 months, and I started to come to terms with life and settle into a routine, I often thought about losing weight. But there was always an excuse... this time, unreasonable excuses. He's too young. I'm too tired. It's too soon. Blah. Blah. Blah.

When Wyatt's first birthday rolled around and I looked at the party pictures, I was disgusted with what I saw. I was ashamed of my 200 pound self. Without ever giving it a shot, I just knew there was no way I could workout when Wyatt was awake, so I'd try to workout around 9 after he was in a bed. After a couple of days, I'd be so exhausted, I'd give up. Wyatt has always been up for the day around 4:30am, so morning workouts weren't an option. Again, excuses.

Last Spring, I ordered JMBR and decided to just try working out with Wyatt awake. I went into that first workout expecting a complete disaster. To my surprise, Wyatt absolutely loved it. Our evening workouts became his favorite part of the day. It has become a very special bonding time for us.

I feel so blessed to have this time with him. He is learning to live a healthy lifestyle and sees that mama makes it a priority. This is hugely important to me.

However, working out with a toddler comes with it's risks.

Wyatt was lifting with me last night, because he's "supa song" and all. Also, super cute, if I do say so myself.
Unfortunately, little Wyatt is in a "everything is a ball and must be thrown" phase. I was lunging and Wyatt threw a dumbbell right into my knee. It was feeling better before bed, but I woke up to a very swollen and sore knee. I'm icing this morning, and hoping to still get a couple miles in at lunch, even if I just have to walk them.

Yesterday, I worked a 10 hour day, survived a bomb threat, picked up my future body builder, made dinner, laundry, clean up, play time, bath time, worked on a minion hat order, and got a 40 minute workout in. My point is, if something is important to you, you will find a way to get it done. The old me would have skipped a workout on a day like yesterday, but not this time. That's not me anymore.

Fit 4 Christmas - Week 2 Workout Schedule

I started the week off strong yesterday!

Water - Check
Healthy Eats - Check
Workouts - Check

We have a bit of a warmer week until the snow returns, so I'm taking advantage of it and getting some miles in on my lunch breaks. Yesterday was a short 2 miles. I'm still struggling to get my consistent 9.5 pace back after the illness. For now, I'm contributing it to cold air hitting my lungs and tightening my muscles.

The evening brought JMBR Disk 7 (shoulders, chest, triceps, abs) followed by day 2-4 of the ab challenge. I learned a little something last night: days are not as easily made up with abs as the squat challenge. It was rough, but I got through them, with the help of my workout buddy. The added 35 lbs crawling all over me made for an extra good ab workout. I was expecting to wake up extremely sore, but it hasn't hit... yet. 

Even Wyatt was pooped afterwords...

This week's workout schedule:

Monday

2 Mile Run
JMBR Disk 7
Abs

Tuesday

3 Mile Run
Abs
*Possibly JMBR Disk 8. Might be moved to Wednesday

Wednesday

 3 Mile Run
Abs
JMBR Cardio 3 OR Disk 8

Thursday

JMBR Disk 7
HIIT
Abs

Friday 

JMBR Disk 8
Week 3 Mini Challenge

Saturday

Insanity
HIIT
Week 3 Mini Challenge

Sunday

Week 3 Mini Challenge

If I put it out there for everyone to see, that means I have to stick with it - right?

Motivation Monday - Staying Motivated

Yep, Monday has arrived once again. Grab a button and come link up with us!

<center> <a href="http://www.thefittrain.blogspot.com/"><img alt="MotivationMonday" height="400" src=" http://i687.photobucket.com/albums/vv234/Wendy413/MotivationMondayCrew2.jpg" width="600"></a></center> </div> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br />
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I've been thinking a lot about motivation the past couple of weeks. As I lost motivation in my weight loss journey, I also lost motivation in other areas of my life. Work, the blog, home, hobbies... everything became a chore. It's not a pleasant way to live: going through the motions day in and day out. 
Determined to pull myself out of this "funk", I started the Fit 4 Christmas Challenge and slowly, but surely, my enthusiasm is returning. However, it hasn't come without it's struggles or been overly easy. My mind is determined to be lazy, but my heart is doing it's best to fight it. 
Thursday was one of those days. Everything went wrong from the time I rolled out of bed. I was exhausted, stressed, irritated and all around ornery. Before I got off work, I had  decided to bake cookies for dinner and sit on the couch for the entire evening. So healthy, Tiffany. The second our coats were hung up, I was making the cookies and pre-heating the oven.
Right as I sat down to consume a ridiculous amount of calories, I got a notification on my phone. My #irun4 buddy, Dakota had sent me a picture of himself along with a simple message:

Hi Ms.Tiffany,
I had a good day today. I had a good week. This weekend I am going to camp. We will fish. We will play games. We will eat lots of good food and have a talent show. I am going with my special friends. I like to sing songs at camp. Have a good weekend.

 — with Tiffany Hultgren.

I've mentioned Dakota a time or two before, but a quick recap: Dakota is 17 and has cerebral palsy. He rolls to get where he needs to go, so is unable to run for himself. Physical activity, in general, is limited for him. So I run and workout for Dakota.
This simple message, from a boy I've never met but love dearly, brought tears to my eyes. Dakota has daily challenges that I can't even begin to comprehend, yet he is always smiling and encouraging. How can I sit here, stuffing my face with cookies, and feel bad for myself? 
I put the cookies away and got a 40 minute workout in for Dakota that night. 

I started this journey for a host of reasons, but mainly for my son and to do my part to improve my health. 

I have an incurable autoimmune disease. But, I decided to stop letting that define me. Doctor's may not be able to do much to help the pain, but maybe I can. Doctor's may not be able to do much to prevent the constant illnesses, but maybe I can. 

And by taking better care of myself, maybe that will make me a better mother. 

That was my thinking last spring. I had my doubts, but knew there was nothing to lose. I jumped in with both feet. I've learned a lot along the way; with so much more yet to learn.

 Living a healthier life and dropping some pounds hasn't fixed everything in my life. I still get sick, often. However, believe it or not, it's better than it was a year ago. There are still days where I feel like I'm a failure as a mother, but I believe we all have days like that. But, I do know that I am a much more present and active mom. We play hours of tag, wrestling, soccer and baseball. These are things that were few and far between 25+ pounds ago. 

Sometimes we get so caught up looking at the end goal, that we forget to look at how far we've actually come. Sometimes we forget why we started in the first place. Don't forget to take a minute from time to time to sit back and reflect. When you feel like giving up, remember why you started.

Even if I wanted to forget why I started, I know that Wyatt and my buddy Dakota would never let that happen. I am on this journey, not only for myself, but for them. When I want to give up, they will keep me going. 

Fit 4 Christmas Challenge - Week 2

What an awesome week 1! I feel on fire right now. I'm a 100% motivated and on track for the first time in such a long time. This is hugely, in part, to all of you joining me on this challenge. Thank you, all!

Your posts on IG and the Facebook Group have been so inspiring. You guys are killing it!

 Remember to keep using #fit4christmas on social media, and join the Challenge Facebook Group, if you haven't yet. Come share your week 1 progress with us today!

Results are in:

Starting Weight: 175.6
Week 1 Complete: 171.8

-3.8 pounds lost

I'm relieved the majority of the gain seems to be water weight and am ready to bust through that dreaded 168 in the next couple of weeks.

So, let's get right to it with the Week 2 Mini Challenge: ABS. I hate working abs, so I rarely do. Overall, your abs get attention in nearly every exercise you do, as long as you are using properly form. But, to set aside a certain amount of time for strictly abs? Blah - not my thing. Which is why I have such a love/hate relationship with this upcoming week already. I'm torturing myself (and all of you), but out of love. I cringe just thinking of next Thursday. As long as I won't have to laugh, bend, sit or get off the floor, I'm sure I'll make it through the week just fine.

The nutrition challenge is to try a new healthy recipe or food. If it's a success, I hope you share with us all!

Good luck with week 2 and keep up the awesome work!

Non-Scale Victories

It's been quite awhile since I've linked up for Non-Scale Victories. Quite frankly, there haven't been many NSV's to share for a good month and a half. That's a-changin', folks!

I have had an awesome week, health and fitness wise. I've got my mojo back and I'm runnin' with it. I'm a Wyoming girl (in case I haven't mentioned that enough). We have 2 seasons in Wyoming: Summer and Winter. Winter arrives the beginning of October and ends the middle of May. I went through all of October with one good pair of jeans and one pair ready to fall apart at the seams if I moved just wrong.

This called for an emergency jean shopping spree on my lunch break yesterday. I really dislike jean shopping, or shopping for clothes - period. I grew up with all brothers and boy cousins, fashion has just never been my thing. Anyways, unless I wanted to flash all my employees, I had to get it done.

I'M DOWN ANOTHER SIZE! I was over the moon excited. Currently, I'm sitting here in the smallest jeans I've had on in over three years. Silvers are the only jeans that fit me correctly, but they use the waist/inseam sizing. I have a goal to fit back into a 6, so I did grab a pair of other jeans to try on just to see where I'm at. I fit comfortably into a 10 right now. When I started this journey, I was in a very tight 14. Progress.

NSV #2: I'm back to working out consistently and feel like me again. Last night's workout was a quick (and difficult) 20 minute tabata routine I put together. I finished up with 95 squats to catch up on the week 1 mini challenge.

That's this week's Biggest Loser in the background. Let me tell ya, workout out with Jillian yelling at the contestants in the background is great motivation!

NSV #3:  Nutrition. I've been spot on! No splurges. Plenty of water. I haven't even been tempted to dip into Wyatt's left over Halloween candy.

NSV #4: I feel like I'm in a much better place about this journey, mentally, than I have ever been. My hiatus was a big eye opener for me. Not just in how going off the wagon affects my body and emotions, but in having realistic expectations. Before I got pregnant, I had lost around 50 pounds. It fell off easily at that time. But working out was my life. It consumed me. Exercise became an addiction, and not in a healthy way. Someday I will go further into that...

 I started this journey expecting the same results. Reality check, Tiffany. You're a single mother now. It's okay to miss a workout from time to time. It's okay if it takes a little longer to get back into those 6's. It's okay if there is some loose skin and stretch marks that weren't there before. Honestly, I feel accepting these things is the greatest Non-Scale Victory I could achieve at this point.

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If you are joining me in my Fit 4 Christmas Challenge, (if you haven't yet, it's never too late!) I have opened up a Facebook group so we can all offer support and share progress/struggles throughout the challenge. You can find the group HERE. Please post and encourage one another! People with a support system are much more successful...

Don't forget to check back tomorrow for Week 2's Mini Challenge!

Fit 4 Christmas Facebook Group!

I've opened a Fit 4 Christmas Facebook Group so we can all share workouts, recipes, progress etc... Come join in for added support! Fit 4 Christmas Facebook Group - HERE

Happy Hump Day, All!

Workout Wednesday - Tabata Workout

Tabata HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training). Aw, how I love you. Short, challenging and effective. Dr. Tabata discovered this type of interval training provides greater results than any other aerobic training. Originally, this type of training was used only for hard-core athletes. In the past couple of years, it's become more mainstream and fairly common. (In large part to the rise of Crossfit, I'm sure).

So, how does it work? You push yourself as hard as you can for 20 seconds then rest for 10 seconds before moving on to the next exercise. The key to this is, you do as many reps as possible in that 20 seconds. Tabata is meant to leave you completely drained at the end. Once you finish a round, you can take a one minute rest before repeating, if needed.

Tabata is my go-to on busy days, such as tonight. This is on my schedule for tonight's workout:

 If the last set is not near impossible to get through, you aren't pushing yourself hard enough!

There are many interval training timer apps out there for free. I use the "Round and Workout Timer". You can customize the settings with number of rounds, time of exercise and time of rest.

An alarm will go off letting you know when it's time to rest and continue exercise. Love it!

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How is everyone doing on their week one mini challenge for #fit4christmas? Don't forget your squats! I ended up with some unexpected company last night, so I have to make up yesterday's today. Eeeek!

Don't forget to check back on Friday for Week 2's Mini Challenge!

Fail to Plan - Plan to Fail

You can make as many goal and wish lists as you'd like, but you will never accomplish them without a plan. Failing to plan is planning to fail. I lost sight of this simple statement over the past month.

In the past I had all my meals planned. There was never any question as to what was for lunch or dinner. My kitchen was stocked with healthy options: easy peasy. Then, life got stressful and I made it even  more stressful by forgetting to plan ahead. When you get home from a 9-10 hour day at work and realize you didn't thaw the chicken for dinner, odds are you're going to go for whatever is quick and convenient. That's exactly what I'd been doing.

It reminds me of the "If You Give A Mouse A Cookie" book. Please tell me you have read this book, otherwise you need to relive your childhood. Brad had never heard of it.. whaaat?! I digress...

If you give a mouse a cookie, he's going to want a glass of milk. If you are fueling your body properly, you're going to have a stronger desire to workout and vice versa. Right? I was stuck in this "eat like crap/feel like crap" viscous cycle.

Well, I'm breaking out of that. I've set my goals for Fit 4 Christmas, and am working on a plan to achieve them.

{ONE}

Stick to my workout plan. NO EXCUSES

I'm scheduling workouts 2 weeks at a time according to the weather man (which seems like a waste since he's usually wrong). I refuse to run in anything below 20°, thank you very much.

{TWO}

Meal plan. No fast food, no junk (well... until my small slice of pumpkin pie on Thanksgiving, because that WILL happen)

{THREE}

I want to be back to my lowest (168) by Thanksgiving.

{FOUR}

162 by the close of the challenge. That means I will have to hit a 2 lb loss a week through December, which isn't always easy at this point in the game. But, it's not impossible by any means. I want a challenging goal for those last few weeks to keep me in check on Thanksgiving and with all the holiday treats.

{FIVE}

Push myself, but don't be too hard on myself either. Positive self talk. I struggle with this... I think we all do at times.

I hope you all have some goals in mind for the challenge. Get specific and really challenge yourself. You want to lose weight? Okay, how many pounds by December 20th? You want to lift more or run further? Then how much? What are you going to do to achieve these goals?

Motivation Monday - The Ugly Truth

Happy Monday, everyone! You know what that means... time for Motivation Monday! I hope you'll come link up some motivation, workouts, recipes, advice... whatever you got!

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Honesty is always the best policy, right? My birthday was the last week of October. Instead of indulging on a little cake that day, I had a week (or two) full of splurges. I'm not talking a little bite here or there. I mean I ate aalll my favorite things in large quantities and could not stop myself. It was ugly. I could feel myself going down a very slippery slope if I didn't do something about it and quickly: enter Fit 4 Christmas.
I didn't weigh in for this two week period. I knew I would hate that number staring back at me. Prepared or not, Friday did arrive. I cringed as I stepped on the scale and saw 175.6 blaring back at me. 7.5 pounds higher than my lowest since starting this journey. The highest I've been since probably July. For the past several days, I have been beating myself up over this. You know better, Tiffany. What were you thinking, Tiffany? That's not the attitude I want. All the negative self-talk puts me in a bad place. We are all our own worst critic. 
My new "before" pictures made me angry and there was that old part of me telling myself, what's the point? I have wallowed in this for 3 days and let it control my mood far more than I should. I debated holding off on sharing my weight and some pictures until the end of the challenge. But, it's a new week, and I've decided to look at it from another light. By sharing my struggles and my before pictures now, I'm letting myself let that go. I'm putting it out there to everyone, and now I feel I have more to "prove". 

The picture on the far left was taken after I'd already lost 10 pounds. Middle was at the end of the 30ds challenge and I was right around 172 (if I remember correctly). Between then and now, I had lost 4 more pounds and continued to fluctuate up and down between 168 and 172. The far right was taken Friday.

One of the main things I noticed was how much tighter my stomach was at 172. I was working out consistently and being very careful about the types of food I put in my mouth. The picture on the right may only be a 3 pound difference, but it looks like so much more. Workouts had been few and far between and the quality of food I'd been eating was just plain horrible.

Instead of letting this picture beat me down, I'm using it to motivate me during this challenge. I'm sticking this to my mirror in my bedroom where I can stare at it every day while getting ready and working out. I will never look like this again. That's a promise I'm making to myself and everyone else.

My running partner on Saturday

Fit 4 Christmas Challenge Kickoff - Week 1

Sorry for the late post... we had some crazy weather last night and the internet is not cooperating very well this morning...

The big day has arrived: Fit 4 Christmas Challenge kicks off today. I don't know about you guys, but my super terrifying weigh-in this morning has me so excited for this! Just think, come December 20th, you'll be on the road to an all new you. Probably the best Christmas present you could get, right? Don't forget to weigh-in and take your "before" pictures today. Measurements are optional, but I highly recommend them. Save today's info in a safe place and submit them all together with your "afters" at the close of the challenge.


{ONE}

An update on people participating: By rough estimate, I'd say we have 60-70 people that have let me know they are participating so far. So awesome! Anyone and everyone is welcome to join! Blogger, non-blogger... it doesn't matter It's never too late to get on board. If this is the first you've been here, welcome! You can find all the details, as well as what the prize pack has to offer HERE.

{TWO}

Feel free to steal the button to let people know you're participating, if you'd like.

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{THREE}

Don't forget to use hashtag #fit4christmas on all social media. We want to hear and see what you're doing to get fit for Christmas. Nothing motivates me more than seeing others working hard and eating right. The main focus of this challenge (other than to shed some pounds or tone up, whatever your goals may be) is to offer support to each other. Feel free to post to my Facebook page. You can also find me on Instagram and Twitter @thefittrainblog.

{FOUR}

I will be posting weekly "mini challenges" that you can choose to try out. Just a little extra motivation to get through week to week. If anyone has any suggestions for a weekly challenge, I've started a thread on my Facebook page. I'd love to hear what you think!

On to our Week 1 Mini Fitness Challenge:

Squats.

Squats burn more calories per rep than almost any other move, targeting many muscles all at once. They improve running, jumping and endurance. Did you know squats promote more muscle growth across the entire body than any other move? Basically... you can't go wrong with some extra squats in your life. (Who knew the word "squat" could be used so many times in a paragraph).

Make sure you use proper form! Knees over ankles. As you go into your squat, your butt should go back toward the wall and bend at your knees. If this move is difficult for you, just modify it a bit. Don't go as far into the squat. If it's too easy, add weight. Holding dumbbells in your hands will make it more difficult. If that's still easy, then double your reps. There's almost always a way to modify a move to make it more or less impact. 

Nutrition:

WATER water water. You should be drinking half your body weight in ounces. So, like the example above, a 160 lb person should be drinking 80 oz of water per day. Increased water consumption will aid your weight loss. Don't skip it!

I'll post the new mini-challenge every Friday!

{FIVE}

Stepping away from the challenge for some adorable little boy talk...

The women and children's clinic put on a really awesome trick-or-treat last night. You walk room to room and get candy at each door. The first several doors asked Wyatt if he'd seen any elk. Finally, Wyatt started walking up to people with candy and saying, "Ticky tweat. NO ELK!". He proceeded with that greeting for the rest of the night. Love this boy!

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Good luck on week one! I can't wait to keep in touch with everyone throughout the week and see what you're doing to get Fit 4 Christmas!!