I'm Starting 21 Day Fix

I know it's super cliche to kick off a fitness goal at the beginning of the year. I also know I've said every year that I'm going to get healthier. But this year I HAVE got to make a change and I've been inspired by many friends/acquaintances that I've seen with amazing before and after photos. 

I didn't gain a freshman 15. I actually was the skinniest I've ever been during my freshman year of college. I maintained a decent weight throughout college, but something just happened after I got married. My best guess is that I increased my snacking and decreased my activity. I've set out to get healthier many times before and I would be successful for a while, but nothing has ever been long term. I laugh now thinking about how I actually was REALLY motivated about 2 years ago. I wrote a blog post and everything and then I literally took a pregnancy test that same day, found out we were expecting, and all that fitness stuff went out the window.

Before becoming pregnant, I was already at my highest weight. While pregnant, my weight gain was average. Now, I look back at pictures from after Baby K was born and I looked better then than I do now-thanks breastfeeding! Once I stopped pumping, I steadily gained weight.

**I have some confessions. I still wear some of my maternity clothes. 98% of the time I wear leggings or yoga pants. I can't fit into the majority of my clothes. I refuse to buy pants in the size I would need because I can't believe I'm that size. I stepped on a scale the other day and was shocked. I have to do something!**

Enter-the 21 Day Fix. I had been considering Weight Watchers. It worked for my mom and I'd followed the program on my own and it worked for me as well. I also just considered counting calories which is also something that has worked for me in the past. A couple of problems with Weight Watchers for me was that it would involve a monthly payment and while you are encouraged to eat healthier and watch your portions, processed foods are an acceptable part of this program. I knew I'd have to be very self motivated to just count calories on my own. 

image from Beach Body

I heard about the 21 Day Fix and really liked the simplicity of the containers. With counting calories, there's always some guess work about how many calories you're taking in and if you're eating the right portion. I also liked that the program came with workouts. This program encourages real food which is the way I'd prefer to eat.  I'm hoping that after losing the weight I'd like to lose, I'll have created healthier eating habits and made them part of my lifestyle.

I went shopping yesterday and I barely ventured into the inner grocery aisles. My cart was colorful and full of healthy foods. One of the reasons I wanted to go back to blogging was to share about my journey with 21 Day Fix (and what I hope will be a lifestyle and physical transformation). I hope it will help keep me accountable. Along with posting occasionally on here, I'll probably post more often on my instagram. I hope you'll follow along and if you're on a weight loss journey as well, I'd love to know about it!!

I'm Back!!!

Well hello everyone! I honestly thought my blogging days were over. I had no intentions of reopening this blog.

I don’t want to go into all the details, but life has thrown us A LOT of curveballs since you last heard from me. Let’s just say it’s involved multiple heath issues in the family, moving halfway across the country in the summer and moving back to my hometown in the fall, losing jobs, and in some ways losing hope (not to sound too dramatic, but it sort of feels like any of our plans for our life aren’t going to come to fruition). 

I started blogging during my last spring in college-right before I got married and moved away. I wanted to use it as a way to keep my family and friends updated on my life. I also just enjoyed writing out my thoughts and feelings on certain topics. For about a year, that’s all my blog really was. Then, I started seeing a few people I knew being “real bloggers” and I became interested in doing this as well. So, I started growing my blog. I did sponsorships and link ups and commented and was active on social media and tried to make my post pinnable and all the other things you’re supposed to do when you grow a blog. IT. WAS. EXHAUSTING. Around the time we were expecting our daughter, I began to get burnt out-which is why I slowed down my blogging A LOT (that plus being pregnant). Then, after having Baby Hall it was all too much. So, I made the decision to quit blogging. I even made my blog private and deleted my blog Facebook page. However, I missed the writing part of blogging. I missed sharing my ideas. There were so many times something would happen or I'd think of something and I thought about how I was going to blog about it---and then I remembered I don't blog anymore. 

It hit me one day that I could continue to blog as long as I went about it with this mindset-I'm blogging for myself. I don't want to focus on the numbers. I don't really care if people are reading. I don't want to feel like I have to blog so many times a week, promote myself constantly on social media, comment on other blogs, create pinnable images, participate in link ups, etc. I want to write when I have something I want to share. If only 5 people read it, then only 5 people read it. That is how I started out and it was so much more enjoyable that way...

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I will probably share on Twitter when I write a post and I'm going to try and use my Instagram account more often. I won't be recreating a Facebook page because it was pretty useless anyway. I'm also very active on Pinterest if you're interested.

Children's E-Book Review and Giveaway: Candy and the Cankersaur

**I received an electronic copy of this book for review purposes. All opinions are my own.**

Reading is one of my favorite things to do. I hope to instill my love of reading in my daughter and any future children. Even though she's just under 5 months, I read to her every night as part of our bedtime routine.

Even though I still love holding a book in my hand, there are definitely benefits to having e-books available for your children as well. They are easy to travel with and you can have them on your phone (which you always have with you) to entertain your child on demand. 

Today, I'm teaming up with Jason Sandberg to give away 10 copies of his e-book, Candy and the Cankersaur.  

Candy and the Cankersaur is a picture book about a girl who receives a dinosaur as a gift and her determination to train him to be a good pet.  It's a fun homage to Syd Hoff and will make all dinosaur-crazy boys and girls happy. 

You can learn more about Jason Sandberg on his website or you can view information about Candy and the Cankersaur or more of his e-books on his e-book page.

As it was intended, this book reminded me of books from my childhood. The illustrations are eye catching and the story is simple while still teaching a  few good lessons. I like that even though the main character, Candy, is showered with gifts from her rich father, she is not spoiled. The story points out how she shares her fancy toys and she is quick to forgive. I think these are important qualities for children to see in a character. I also like how the "bad" character doesn't stay bad. The events of the story change him and he's redeemed in the end. As a teacher, I see a lot of opportunities in this story to make predictions, analyze characters, and make inferences.

Now, it's your turn to win a copy of this e-book to share with your little one(s)! Enter using the Rafflecopter below. 

a Rafflecopter giveaway