January Week 1 Recap

My first recap of the new year! HOW EXCITING! Big changes are coming your with with me and my site. I am taking this blog to the next level. More information to help you succeed in your goals. And you are truly going to witness my changes. And I am going to share what I am doing every step of the way. Oh and speaking of steps, thanks to my new FitBit Charge I am going to be showing my total steps for the week! Again I say, HOW EXCITING!

This last week has been an eye opener for me. I have had enough of my clothing feeling too tight, upset tummy and just watching my face look more and more bloated. I am not a happy camper in the Becky weight department and I have put my foot down. I am done. I am changing my life. I will only have special foods on special occasions and not every day will be a special occasion. I am changing the way I eat, following my nutritionist given eating plan and I will achieve my goals because this is the year I take control of my life.

I am staying busy with exercising regularly now, I seriously have kicked it up a notch since 12/26. I am already feeling better and have lost 4 lbs of just bloat hanging on me since 12/26. Starting today me and a few friends are part of a clean eating challenge so it is not just me that is making this huge change with eating. (wanna join, let me know!) Oh and my Facebook page now has 200 followers. And it is because of people like you that I write. Thank you so much for reading and following along!

Mason: Mason graduated in church and went from being in the nursery to going to his first classroom setting of learning. He is now what is called a Sunbeam in our church. He goes to singing time and a group lesson with all the older big kids then for the last hour he goes to his classroom for a lesson just for his age group and playtime with snacks. He took off down the church's hall yesterday between classes, typical Mason. His teacher in hot pursuit. It was funny. He just ran right past me. It was super cute. He still has a huge obsession for Dinosaurs and loves all the dinosaurs Guppy and Gummy got him for Christmas.

Collin: Collin is crawling up a storm. He is super fast. He is also starting to pull himself up to standing. It is kind of scary because that means walking is just around the corner. I bet he will be walking sometime next month or so, but it seems he is happy as long as he can get around and follow big brother and the dog. He loves eating food. We are doing baby led weaning. He is getting a mixture of puree and table food, with supervision. He doesn't enjoy rice in a puree form but likes it normal. It is pretty fun to watch. He has finally learned how to roll over from his back to tummy. It takes him a few tries but he is getting better and he is a super happy vocal baby. He moved to his crib in his room last week and this momma is GETTING SOME MUCH NEEDED SLEEP! He is waking up once in the middle of the night and early morning and that is it. We are both sleeping so much better now!

Working Out: 
I am going to go back to Friday 12/26 because I didn't do a workout recap last week.

12/26: 2.55 miles mostly walk. - 18:10 min/mile. I was just getting over a cold.
12/27: 4.63 miles - 15:57 min/mile
12/28: rest
12/29: rest oops, I missed a Monday!
12/30: 2.90 miles - 16:41. I call this the hill from Hell run because a hill totally kicked my butt!
12/31: rest
1/1: 3.14 miles - 16.41 min/mile. New Year's Day 5k. I ran with a new friend and helped complete her second race ever with a smile on her face and learning something new about running!
1/2: 2 miles  walk - 18:00 min/mile. Recovery walk from race the previous day.
1/3: 4 miles - 14:46 min/mile. I call this my redemption run. Showing that I can do a faster min/mile race.

Total Mileage: 
Dec 26 - 27: 7.18 miles
Dec 28 - Jan 3: 12.04 miles

Oh and the FitBit total steps for 12/28-1/3: 
Total Steps: 59,422 - equal to 27.41 miles
Total Floors: 115

Things to note: over the last month my speed has gotten faster and easier. Saturday 1/3 my comfortable feeling speed on the treadmill was 5.0. Whereas in November I was pushing it to go that fast. 4.5 was my comfy speed, so I am happy with that.

Shins are killing me. But this is what happens when you go from being sick and no exercise to kicking up your mileage. So BAD Becky in that regards but it needed to be done!

Goals for this week: Start increasing my running intervals. I can do it I just keep whimping out so no more. I start pushing myself now because I have a goal for my 10k next month and I will get it!

Ditch The Junk Food

Oh man! I am still dealing with the after affects of "too many cookies for Christmas!" So to help get me out of my bloated, irregular and icky feeling state I am going to eat clean. Yep, I'm taking the plunge in cutting out the junk food and eating whole foods. No more processed foods for me here!

And I need your help! Studies have shown that people who have friends going through diet and exercise together are more likely to succeed than those that go at it alone.

So I am hosting a 5 day clean eating challenge on a private Facebook page. If you are just like me and trying to clean up what you are eating and ditch the belly fat and bloating send me a message and I will get you added on the group! I would love to have you help me out!

You know what, You are worth Fighting For!

My 7 Favorite Stretches After Running

Stretching is a must, especially as you start to add more mileage on. Your body takes a beating and it needs to relax. Stretching should only be done after the muscles are warm. So don't wait too long after you finish running to stretch. I try to do it within 30 minutes of running. Really right after I finish at the gym I tend to go to the stretching and plop down and do it, and if I do outside running then I stretch right as I walk in the door, and take off my shoes of course!

So here are my 7 must have stretches after running. Please listen to your body and don't bounce. Hold each stretch for a good little while. I count slowly to 30 or 45 depending on how much I need the stretch. Check out this AWESOME article about THE BENEFITS OF YOGA, ACCORDING TO SCIENCE by Jen Reviews!

1. Standing Quad Stretch

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Just like you did in Jr. High school. Kick the heel of your foot up to your butt and hold. Do not pull the foot to your outside leg or let your knee flare out. Tuck your pelvis under and use a couch or chair for balance if you need. You should feel this in the front part of your thigh. Do both sides.

2. Standing Single-Leg Calf Stretch

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You can use a wall to lean against, like the picture shows, or you can just brace yourself on your front knee. Place the right foot in front of you and extend your back leg back, you are doing like a mini lunge. Do not let your front knee go in front of your ankle. Keep a 90 degree angle on your front leg. Try to plant your left heel on the floor. You will feel the stretch in your back leg calf area. Repeat on other side.

3. Standing IT Band Stretch

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You can use a wall for balance as in the picture. But I just cross my right foot in front of my left and bend to the left. You can raise your right arm up and over your head for more bend in your waist. You will feel this on the upper side part of the leg that is being crossed over. Repeat on the other side.

4. Straddle Stretch

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Time to sit down. Your standing is done. I do it in this order cause if I got down on the ground I would not get up! Just like in dance growing up, just spread your legs out to the side. I like to lean over one leg to stretch each leg individually then go to the middle for the final stretch in this pose. I grab my toes so that I feel the stretch in the back of my legs on the hamstrings.

5. Pigeon Pose

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My favorite yoga pose. I could seriously stay in this position forever. It feels so good! Bring your right leg in front and make a 90 degree angle bend at the knee with the foot turned in. Straighten your left leg behind, almost like a half split. Try to sit into that position and you can even lean forward over your bent leg in front. You will feel this in the IT band area, the upper part of your side leg that is bent. Repeat on the other side.

6. Lying Hamstring Stretch

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Now going all the way to the ground. Lie all the way down. Raise one foot, flexed or flat, into the air trying to keep the other foot on the ground. Don't round your lower back. Keep that planted on the ground too. Hold your leg at your thigh or calf or grab a towel and sling it over your foot and pull on the ends of the towel to reach more easily. You will feel this in the back of the leg that is straight up in the air. Repeat on other leg.

7. Lying Hip and Glute Hug

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Still lying on the ground keeping your lower back panted down, foot on the floor and cross your right ankle at your left knee. Grab the back of your left thigh and pull your legs to your chest. Also try to push your right knee out to the side and you will feel the stretch more in your butt and hips.

8) BONUS STRETCH! Corpse Pose

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Lie all the way down on the ground. You can keep your arms to the side of your body or above your head. Just relax! Try not to fall asleep. If you have a 3 year old, this position can be dangerous because he will come and jump on your belly right when you aren't expecting it! TRUST ME! 

~Hope these help you! I just want you to start your year of running off right and taking care of your body, especially after a run, is the way to stay injury free and enjoy years of running! Happy Stretching! ~

Want more daily motivation and inspiration? Click here get free advice, support and encouragement + a free copy of my Clean Eating guide to help you get started on your health and fitness journey! Don't forget to follow me on INSTAGRAM and FACEBOOK!

Shin Splints Recovery Tips

I have Shin Splints down the inside of the leg on my right leg only.

Now that I am picking up my milage and actually running more the dreaded SHIN SPLINTS have made their appearance. Oh yes, such a wonderful painful experience if you have ever had them.

Shin splints can be caused by a couple of things. Poor foot support, meaning you need new shoes and increase in mileage too soon for your body to get used to it. Personally my shoes are only a year and a half old and I haven't had too much mileage on them. I did have a baby and my feet changed while I was pregnant and I still have some excess pregnancy fat between my legs so I know that my stride is a little different and that has some to do with my current shin splints. But they are in the same spot they were a year ago. And that tells me, personally me, that it is just from a lack of training! I give it another 2 weeks of regular training to get my legs used to the abuse I am putting them through.

In the mean time here is what I am doing to help me recover from shin splints.

1) R.I.C.E, is the first step. REST, ICE, COMPRESS, ELEVATE. So after I run now first thing I do when I come home is stretch and try to foam roll, or rolling pin works well too. Then after a shower, I grab my ice pack and sit up on the couch, put some pillows under my foot and elevate my leg with the ice pack resting on it. I then put on a good show.

2) Get compression socks to help while running or exercising for support. Might as well get fun ones! Check out these from A-Swift.




3) Get a massage.When I am training hard I get my monthly sports therapy massages! It is part of your self care to take care of your body. Or use your partner to massage your sore muscles.

4) Take a hot epsom salt bath to soak your muscles. My favorite epsom salt is Dr. Teals Epsom Salt Soaking Solution in Eucalyptus and Spearmint. Not only does it help my muscles but totally relaxes my body and mind!


5) STAY CONSISTENT! Don't take too many days off in a row.Make sure you walk the next day to help keep your muscles limber

6) Stretch, stretch and stretch some more! They are tight because and need to be loosened up. A good stretch after you get back is key! My favorite post workout and run stretch it Pigeon Pose.

7) Invest in new shoes if you think your shoes are problem. Go to a Running Shoe specialty store to have them look at how your run and fit your foot with the right shoe. Go in with your running log and show them how often you run, where the pain is and such and they should be able to help you out too!

disclaimer- I am not a medical professional. Please know I am just giving advice that has worked for me in the past. If you have any questions please seek the help of your medical professional. Do not continue to work out if it is causing you too much pain. There is discomfort and there is pain. I am just in typical shin splints discomfort.

Want more daily motivation and inspiration? Click here get free advice, support and encouragement + a free copy of my Clean Eating guide to help you get started on your health and fitness journey! Don't forget to follow me on INSTAGRAM and FACEBOOK!

From Fat to Fit

This year is THE YEAR that I am going to get my eating under control and make a difference in myself. I have been saying this for months but it is finally time I get off my butt and actually do it! Not just dream about it. I have gone from being overweight to thinner then back up and down now for 4 years. (I was just overweight for years before that!) Yes I am calling myself overweight because I am considered overweight by BMI and I am frankly just carrying around way too much fat on my body. As you have heard me say a lot over the last 2 weeks, I AM HURTING! My body hurts. I am trying to do something good for it, exercise, and my body HATES me right now! Does that mean I am going to stop? NOPE! I refuse to. I am going to kick my sweet tooth, and not overindulge in pastries. I am going to feed my body the food that it wants and needs.

~2002, I wasn't thin but wasn't fit either.~

Here is my story. I was diagnosed with PCOS 10 years or so ago. It's been a really long time. I went to my doc and they said if I want to get pregnant I need to just lose weight. I never did. I just stayed around the same weight.

~2008~

4 years ago I decided I needed to make a change. We were married for 8 years and hadn't had a kid and I was getting worried and upset and I really wanted to have children So I found and worked with a great personal trainer. I lifted weights, I did cardio and after months of little change I decided to do a test and tried a controlled diet of Slim Fast, I lost 20 lbs in 2 months. Then I started to run and continued to workout a ton.

~December 2009, about 2 months after I started with my personal trainer~

I stopped lifting weights and I just did 2 hours of cardio. I figured out that I burned more calories on the elliptical so I was doing 2 hours a day, 6 days a week, 1 hour in the morning and 1 hour at night. It killed me! It was hard. But I lost weight and I looked and felt like I was in the best shape of my life. I had lost 33 lbs. I was under 200. I was going to a fertility doctor and doing the shots so that we could do an IUI. A few months later I got pregnant with Mason. I was so freaked out about losing the baby that I stopped exercising and basically just relaxed for the next 9 months.

~July 2010 a few months before I got pregnant, 200 lbs~

I gained back the weight I lost while pregnant in about 2 months and I gained 35 more on top of that. So I was now up 50 lbs what I started. I had mason and tried to exercise when I could but my husband was deployed to Iraq (left when Mace was 3 days old) so exercise really didn't happen.

~Morning of my induction for Mason, child #1. 1 week early~

I refused to have my husband come home to me looking like I was. Still 40 lbs over what I was when I got pregnant. So, I found a nutritionist and followed her diet. I was eating a clean diet. I was eating more food at one meal than I had ever allowed myself to eat before and the weight fell off of me. It was magical. I was eating what my body wanted and trying to exercise more and I lost weight. After about 6 months I got to 203.

~April 2013, 2 weeks before miscarriage #2 and before I started running again. Started gaining weight here.~

Then I just let myself go. I thought, "Wow! I did it. I could do it again." Boy, was I wrong. I stopped watching what I ate and I ate breakfast really well, but eh not really the rest of my day. I started eating the foods I wanted to eat because they tasted good and that is what I wanted. I then got pregnant and miscarried twice. And I stopped exercising every time.

~Day after my first 1/2 marathon, so healthy and barely gained weight at this point in pregnancy.~

After my second miscarriage I gained more weight and was pissed that it was happening. So I started running. And kept running. Ran while pregnant. Did really well for the fist 30 weeks while training.Then I started to gain weight with the pregnancy

~2 days before baby #3 Collin arrived. 40 weeks 5 days was when he hatched~

Flash forward to now, to after second baby and I can't lose the weight. I'm stuck and have actually gone up not down in weight and size. Have I given up pastries completely? NO. Do I love ice cream and sweets? Yep. So the change happens now. Tomorrow is the grocery store and on Monday I start clean eating with my group and we are going to do this together. I know that if I want another child, which I do, I have to lose weight. That is just how my body and the hormones in my body work. I need to be exercising and smaller weight for the right hormones to work when they need to work to get pregnant.

~Here I am now, plus a little more weight, thanks to the holidays!~

So...Where does that leave me here. Well, if you ever been like this. Had PCOS. Have or had a hard time losing weight. Been overweight, lost weight, then overweight again. Yo-Yo diet. Tried everything. I am going to share what I have gone through and we can do this together! Let the journey of 2015 BEGIN! I AM worth fighting for!

2015 Goals

Yesterday I posted my recap about my accomplishments and needs improvement on my 2014 goals. I am so happy with how well I did so I thought that I would share with you all my 2015 goals!

1. Run a race a month! Yep, I want to stay in constant training mode so I don't go into a funk and stop running or take too much time off from running and such. I want to do a mixture of local and "bigger" races to help with fees because let's face it, running races can get pretty pricey pretty quick! I am happy to report that I already have completed January's race, (New Year's Day 5k, yesterday.) And I am registered for February's and March's race as well. I know what race I will do in April. Don't have May's race yet. I will probably do the Wounded Warrior race in June and the 4th of July race in July. Looking for August. September will be the Woman's 4 miler. Need a September and October race. November the DISNEY WINE AND DINE 1/2 MARATHON and a local turkey trot and December I will probably do a local Jingle 5k. Super excited so far!

2. Potty Train Mason. My goal is to have Mason potty trained by his 4th birthday. Yep, 4th. It just isn't happening. He is one of those types of personality that it won't happen until HE wants it to happen. We have an incentive for him right now, a Pachyrhinosaurus (Pack-E-Rhyn-O-Saur-Es) dinosaur toy for him when he is potty trained but so far that has only lasted 1 day.

3. Be more diligent in Mason's preschool between January and May to help him prepare for official preschool in September. I think we are going to do it and enroll him in school. We have noticed that he does better when it is not Mom or Daddy teaching him and it has been quite a struggle for me. Dude just likes to say NO to me right now. So now my goal is to make sure he is proficient in his alphabet, colors, shapes, numbers to 50 and starting to read by September. Tall order but it is what it is.

4. Lose 20 lbs in the next few months. I know this seems fast and all but I know that if I stick with my nutritionist based diet that the weight just falls off of me, quickly! I just have to stick with it. Why the weight loss? Well, we want to add another little one to our family and I do not, DO NOT want to get pregnant at this weight! It hurts when running and I frankly don't want to carry around another 15 lbs of baby on top of what I am already carrying around. What about my races if I get pregnant. Well I know I will defer the Wine and Dine a year if I am pregnant, depending on how pregnant, because I will not run another 1/2 when I am super pregnant again! I have the turkey trot as my back up for November.

(ummm, Mason just locked himself in the bathroom. Hoping he is going poop! Nope false alarm, just locked himself in!) Just keeping it real!

5. Continue to grow my readers for this blog! I love that I doubled my daily and overall viewing of this blog this past year and I want to do it again. That means, more meaningful content and with the help of you I can grow this blog! I love doing it and it is so fun and a great way to stay accountable for what I need to do! Working out has kind of become my job and I need to do better at it and I will this year. I KNOW IT Because I am WORTH IT! I AM WORTH FIGHTING FOR!

Along with that I do have a clean eating group starting Monday the 5th! If you wanna join comment below or send me an email at connectthedotsginger (at) gmail (dot) com.

2014 Goals Recap

HAPPY NEW YEAR! It is the start of a great year and I am so looking forward to it and to my goals I have. First though I wanted to take a look back at my goals I had for 2014 to see if I accomplished them or not. So here is a look back!

Here are a list of my goals for this year:

1. Weight loss/Staying Healthy-
I was pregnant so this was hard on me but I DID IT! I continued to exercise while pregnant and only gained 15 lbs while pregnant. PRETTY GOOD for this food lover! It was after I had Collin that I struggled. I kept a pretty good diet while pregnant but then fell into eating poor foods after about 3 months postpartum. That has resulted in me ending the year gaining weight from when I had him and that is just not cool! So I did great for the first 6 months, it is the last 6 that I struggled. So I give myself a C+ on that one. And breastfeeding never helps me lose weight. Awful rumor to say that it will cause it does nothing for me! 

2. Exercise-
Yep, did pretty well with this one for most of the year. I ran all the way till 30 weeks pregnant (the week after my half marathon) And also again at 40 weeks started walking and doing some runs to help Collin come out. Then I had a LONG recovery after Collin to the point that any time I ran ) even after 3 months I would bleed heavily for a few days. I think those days are over but it has really messed with me mentally and wanting to get back into running. I was getting frustrated with my body for not listening to me and for fighting me for exercising. But I have pushed on and it seems (cross fingers) that it is getting better. 

3. Blog pageviews-
YES! I have doubled my views since last January and it has been AMAZING! I have had almost 25k total page views since I started blogging and that is AMAZING! Thank you so much for reading and it is still a goal of mine to continue to grow in my readership, which means for you, yes you my friend, to pass my blog on to your friends! 

4. Be a Better Mother-
Well, not sure about this. I question it most days if I am being a good mom or not and Mason will even say, "Not bad mommy, good mommy!" It is kind of cute, but I am still trying to be better. We do our little "homeschooling" most days and he is talking so much now and is doing great with numbers. January I plan on starting to help him color more and then hopefully transition into trying to write. Plus working on reading words. So we will see. Oh and he will be potty trained by July! 

5. Continue to grow my piano studio-
CHECK! YEP Totally did this! As of January I have 10 students! How awesome is that! I am so proud that finally after 2 years I finally have a full studio! The only thing is I have to keep it now, so I am always looking for more students to make sure that my studio stays full!

I have written 316 posts including this one since I began blogging and I love it. Thank you so much for staying with me and getting to know me! Hope your day and beginning of the year is a great one! 

QOTD: How did you do with last years goals? 

New Year's Eve Eating Help

Are you going to a New Year's Eve Party? Here are a couple of tips and tricks to help you get through to midnight without letting your eating get out of control! 

1. Check out this portion reminder! As you go to get food from the buffet keep this in mind. Opt for the small plates if there is an option. Fill your plate with fruit and veggies and go from there.

2. Make a promise to yourself that you will only get food at 7pm and 10:30pm (if you need to) for a light snack. Try not to graze the whole night long, 

3. Limit your alcohol. There are so many wasted calories in alcoholic drinks. Stick with water as much as possible to stay hydrated. 

4. Don't go hungry to your party. Make sure you eat a nice healthy filling dinner before you go so that when you do go eat you will only eat snack sized. Chicken, broccoli and rice would be a perfect dinner to help you feel full! 

5. Have fun! New Year's parties are so fun to talk with your friends and make new ones! So even though you might be taking it easy on the food and drink you can still have plenty of fun! Happy New Year! 

New Year, New Resolutions

As we come up on the end of the year I start to think about my resolutions. I am not going to share all of them quite yet, waiting till Jan 2 for that but I thought I would off a little help to help you think of new ones for you!

1. Put you first. It would be great to have world peace and there are some things we can do to help with that but not a whole lot. Your new year resolution is YOURS. So make it personal. And if it is personal than it is more likely to stick. Make your new years resolution personal. Not just, GO TO GYM MORE. That isn't going to help much. More like, I want to go to the gym more because... and make your point. Make it personal. Make it deep. That is how you will achieve your resolution.

2. Learn to love yourself. Find a way this year to add in learning to love yourself for how you are today. Not how you will become if you lost x amount of pounds or after you have another kid. Embrace your flaws. You must first love yourself and work on yourself before you can help anyone else.

3. Don't forget to add something about service. Service is a great way to learn to love others and to help you love yourself better. It keeps you humble. It keeps you appreciative for what you have. You recognize more blessings in your life. Trust me try to find a place to add this in!

I have made the lists in the past and I barely do any of them. But they always contain items that are more: of do this, not that. I have never made them personal and have my WHY! Very important.

2014 Year In Review

Here we are! At the end of an amazing year. And what a year it has been. This year has been full of so much joy and accomplishment, as well as needing to give myself a kick in the BUTT! So here it is.

January marked me passing my half way point in my pregnancy. And training going strong for the ENTIRE MONTH! I had to train for my first 1/2 marathon. And I did it all while pregnant.

February had me planning for our Disney Trip and training and some days questioning my sanity to run in a 1/2 marathon at 29 weeks pregnant! And actually completing my very first 1/2 marathon. And doing something that I never actually thought I would ever do! (next time regardless of how I feel, I WILL take a great happy shot of my medal. Kicking myself over that one for sure!)

March was all about baby and getting ready to have one. Getting the room set up and feeling more prepared.

April was about tying up my studio for the year so that I could take 3 months off from teaching. Looking back, I really think that this month was pretty good for me. I also became an Ambassador for Girls Gone Sporty! I love being part of networks with like minded people and I have learned so much from the amazing awesome women who are part of this!

May, I felt like I was the white rabbit always checking my calendar and watch for when baby will arrive. And even did some late term pregnancy running to GET THE BABY OUT! And thankfully we welcomed baby Collin into our family and he was healthy and happy after just a short little scare. But all was well. I had my no drugs needed labor and was able to get up and walk to the NICU, unassisted, 30 minutes after having him to be with him.

June and July I rested and recovered. I did help out with the local Woman's 4 miler training program and another local race on July 4th with Collin in attendance. I didn't start actually running until after August though. I also became a Beachbody Coach to help motivate people one on one  and to achieve their weight loss and lifestyle goals!

August I started running again, as best as I could with still recovering. And I ran in the Woman's 4 Miler again!

September, I became an Ambassador with FitFluential. An origination that I had been trying to be part of for a year! I love working with them and so thankful that we are working together and love meeting and reading all about my fellow ambassadors.

October, November and December have been a roller coaster of training and not training. Still dealing with my body not liking me running, still have issues to this day, more on that later. I have lost motivation and gained it. I have not lost my baby weight either. But I am not perfect. I am human. I am still trying everyday to do better and some days are better and some not so much. But overall it has been a pretty AMAZING year for me!

I am so excited for the amazing goals I have set for 2015 and can't wait to share all of them with you. I am so thankful for the wonderful blessings I got in 2014 and for my healthy family. Thank you so much for joining me on my journey because I love hearing from you and knowing that someone is reading. Here's to 2014. And because it is worth fighting for let's make our dreams come true in 2015!