30 Day Body Forward Challenge : Prequel

So I needed to make some big lifestyle changes and realized it all of a sudden. I'm always tired. My clothes don't fit. I eat too much. I don't exercise enough. There's a whole host of reasons. And none of them are new. But I never do anything one second before I want to do it, so I committed to doing this 30 Day Body Forward Challenge.

It's a lot. It's expensive. It's intimidating.

But I need a change, a big one. So I went to the pros, literally. My friend Val is a figure competitor and "Busy Mom Gets Fit" of FB, IG and international fame. She's also a really cool, down-to-earth mom that I used to drink wine and eat delicious German food with. She had a goal, she met it, she's positive and uplifting and she has over 350k followers. She's partners with Erica, of Sisters in Shape and National Bikini Competition fame. Who might know more about fitness for women than the two of them? No one I know personally, which is why I chose this program. I needed something I could TRUST, something that WORKS, something I had to PAY for. I've started all kinds of "free fitness" challenges and you know what? I wasn't invested in them, financially or mentally so definitely not physically.

I needed it ALL. Up until now, I've been piecing together nutrition advice, meal plans, workout plans (I use that loosely), the Gallon Challenge (truth: I always fail), portion control, and a myriad of other bits and pieces of advice and plans. This plan gives me a PLAN. For every day of 30 days. It gives me SUPPORT for every day of 30 days. It gives me shakes and supplements and snacks for every day of 30 days. It gives me a way to plan my meals...yes...for every day of 30 days. It gives me an app to track my progress, a workout plan for every day, videos of the exercises so I understand proper form and technique.

Most importantly, it gives me a plan for AFTER the 30 days. This is meant to be a CHALLENGE, a jumpstart to fitness, wellness, good choices and a new body. Because this one? Is old. It's worn out. It needs a recharge and deserves to be better maintained. My favorite part (without having started!) is the Body Forward Habits, aka, what I should takeaway from this challenge. Not a certain # of pounds or inches lost, not a target number on the scale, but habits I can form over 30 days to take with me when the shakes and supplements and workout plan are exhausted.

*I schedule workouts into my calendar - this is so important. I need to make a date with myself to be better.

* I drink 3-4 L of water a day - hydration is ridiculously important and I need to embrace it without artificial sugars and sweeteners

* I limit my intake of juice and soda- see above

* I always eat breakfast - this I am already good at!

* I have tools to help me stay consistent even when I'm busy or "life happens"- I'm hoping I like the shakes enough to keep them on hand for times like travel season when eating healthy is almost impossible

* I rarely eat out more than 1x a week - I definitely need improvement here!

* My cupboard has few "red zone: foods (cookies, chips, ice cream) - this is hard with a family that loves treats but I can do it!

* I have tools for inevitable cravings - plan!!

* I strength train at least 3x per week - this is my ultimate goal

* I have a friend, spouse or family member who is active with me and supports my lifestyle - my cup runneth over here. I have a SLEW of friends cheering me on from the sidelines, by my side and at my dinner table

When this 30 days is over, I will not be the size I want to be. I will not eliminate from my real life the things I'm eliminating from my life for 30 days (wine, cake, coffee, french fries) but I hope to add them back moderately and see the difference it makes to NOT have them so frequently. I hope to learn to love new vegetables that I have previously dismissed. I hope to inspire myself. One day I may hope to inspire myself. But today, and for the next 30 days...it's all about me.

New Food Fridays: Squash

And it's a winner! But I guess anything would be better than bland oatmeal, right?

I chopped, steamed, pureed and froze some fresh squash from my aunt's garden and we tested it out. She likes it!

Where does the time go?

Hayden is six months old today! I can't believe how fast time goes by. He is half a year old and has had so many adventures already. We can't wait for the next six months!

We have almost successfully completed a test run on all the vegetables (we finish up with carrots tomorrow) and then we're testing out oatmeal. Since he's hit the six-month mark, we're also going to try out the cup! Hayden has a doctor's appointment on Tuesday so we can see how much he's grown, and get ready for another round of shots. He's doing really well on the bottle and formula, and we're getting into a really good schedule. His sleeping habits have really improved since we've been back home, and that makes life a lot easier! By the time Jay gets back from the field, we hope to be on a solid feeding and napping schedule that will make things run more smoothly around here.

We've enjoyed keeping everyone updated with Hayden's growth and progress so far. I hope the next six months are just as much fun!

Hayden's first veggies!

Once we were back home and settled we decided to start Hayden on his first veggies! We got out the high chair, the bibs, the baby spoons, the baby wipes, stage one veggies and baby bowls. I decided since green beans are both mine and Jay's favorite we'd try those. Since it's what I ate most of while pregnant and breastfeeding, I figured it would be the one he might recognize most. We were pleasantly surprised that Hayden not only gobbled them up, but seemed to digest them just fine! We let him play with the spoon a little and he managed to get it in his mouth most of the time.

We did green beans for three days to make sure he didn't have any problems with them, and then moved on to green peas. He ate them but definitely didn't care for them as much as the green beans. Just like mommy and daddy! After a few days of those we tried out squash today and he seemed to really enjoy those. We'll see how they go! Thanks to the green veggies we had our first "green diaper" a few days into the process.

We also decided to start weaning him from breastfeeding to formula, and he's doing very well with that. It's a long process, for both of our bodies, but we're taking it slowly and it's going fine. After we test out all the veggies we'll move on to try oatmeal (we vetoed rice cereal) and fruits. Our little buddy is growing up!

Hayden is getting very good at pushing up on all fours, rocking back and forth and moving around. He's scooting, usually backwards, and has had a little bit of forward movement. He's not quite to crawling yet but he's close! He also loves his new jumperoo, and has a blast with all the lights and music and things to play with. The weather has been nice, so we got to take a few walks with Oscar in the field, where everything is in bloom. Unfortunately the bugs are out too, which means ticks for Oscar and mosquitoes for me. Luckily Jay and Hayden both escaped any little critters.