21 Day Fix

I've kept it kind of quiet about this lately, but yesterday I started the 21 Day Fix! I've been counting my carbs for about a month or so and the scale wasn't budging. After being frustrated over and over again, my mom saw this program on tv and asked if I was interested in trying it. After reading a lot about it and asking some questions, I decided to give it a go!

The premise is to eat well (lots of veggies and less processed foods) and exercise. It's nutritionally sound and doesn't have a lot of gimmicks to it. Just what I was looking for. I joined a challenge group hosted by one of the sweetest girls I knew in high school and we're already on day 2 of the challenge!

It is a lot of prep work with planning and portioning out meals, but it's worth it to not have to wonder what I'm eating next and just shoving my face with whatever is around the house. Plus, I get to workout at home during naptime which is super helpful since my little guy won't let me leave him with people he doesn't know well.

I'm really looking forward to seeing the results and can't wait to see how it affects my blood sugar and A1c. I am drinking a shake once per day since it's part of the challenge group, but honestly, I was drinking a protein shake many days before so this isn't much different.

Right now I'm sore and tired, but I know it will get better soon enough. I'm pushing myself through one day at a time.
 

Running

In high school I was part of the cross country team so I ran a lot. Being the slowest on the team didn't matter, all that mattered was that I ran and did my best. I never won a race or got any points for my team, but I worked so hard and loved it. It was challenging and really helped to release stress and clear my head.

Two years ago I really started working out and getting back into shape. Even when I lost 30 pounds I still couldn't run and I was so disappointed. No matter what I tried, it would hurt so bad and I couldn't continue. Running even 1 minute was torture, but I craved it. Then I got pregnant and stopped all exercise until recently.

My family in California is really into running. My step-dad has run most of his life and trained my sister to do so as well. My mom just started running a few years ago and has completed two half-marathons to date and she never ran before that. My other sister just started running a few months back with a run/walk program and is now up to 1.5 miles! Being around all of these people I was definitely inspired to try again so I did.

The first night I went out and ran 1/2 mile without stopping! It was hard, but I did it and made sure to continue and keep it up while I was out there. My step-dad bought me a couple of pairs of running shoes and my mom gave me some compression socks so that I would be able to run and hopefully have less pain.

The past two or so weeks that we've been back have been hard to get into running. I'm still making sure that I do, but the heat and humidity are making it difficult paired with the fact that I'm slow as molasses and my calves tighten up and hurt. I'm determined to do this and I'm trying to not get frustrated that I'm only able to do a little bit and that my time/distance aren't improving much. I'm still getting out there.

I love how much running can help to clear your mind and help me de-stress after a particularly rough day. Have I mentioned that my baby is on day 3 of super fussiness?

Either way, I'm working on doing my best and that's all that counts.

Living with PCOS and Follow-Up Visit

Being diagnosed with PCOS has given me a lot of answers. I used to wonder why I had twinges throughout my cycle, was exhausted no matter how much sleep I got, was hungry all of the time, had a hard time losing weight, why I gained most of the weight in my stomach, why I was irregular, and why I crave carbs and sugar like no one's business. Being diagnosed with PCOS gave me answers.

source

Since being diagnosed, I've been doing a lot of research. I want to know what PCOS is and what we can do to manage my symptoms. I also want to know what we can do to help me get pregnant.

I saw my fertility doctor for my follow-up appointment last Thursday to find out what we can do. We decided to put me on Metformin ER to help manage my slightly elevated HbA1c levels so that I do not become diabetic. It will also help to regulate my hormones if it is successful because they all work with the insulin levels in my body. In addition, we are going to start treatment with Clomid. In two weeks, I will be going in for my baseline ultrasound and blood work to make sure that everything is good to start. If I respond to the clomid, we have a chance to get pregnant. If not, then we will change my dosage and pray that it works. They will give us 3-4 months of trying once we can get me to ovulate on clomid. If it works, then we continue care with my OBGYN, if not, we switch medications, which will likely include injections.

At this time, I am making sure to do what I can with eating well and working out until my appointment next week. It's so important to continue eating well and working out to help the Metformin work at its best to reduce any insulin resistance and to help me continue to lose weight since weight loss can help ease and control symptoms as well.

I am still learning a lot about my diagnosis and I have two books waiting for me at the library to continue to learn. I am doing my best to consider this a blessing. God made me this way and I strongly believe that I can use this as a platform to help others in some way.

Please keep me in your thoughts and prayers as we work with the doctors to try to start our family!

Getting Fit- 30 Day Ab Challenge {Husband Edition}

Since I've been working on getting fit and healthy, my husband has been working on it too! It's so great to have such a wonderful support system at home and to know that he's in it with me and I'm not alone.

My husband and I each have our own different goals for getting fit. Mine is to lose weight and tone up and his is to take his super lean body and add muscle. I focus on more cardio and he's focusing on muscle-building exercises. Since I know more about fitness, he's enlisted my help to get him started. 

I've read that a few bloggers have had great results with the 30 Day/300 Ab Challenge so that's what I wanted him to start with first. I don't know about you, but I think that a man with toned abs is hot! So, with lots of guidance, my slightly uncoordinated husband got through the first workout. 

Every night since the first day, he's been religiously doing the Ab Challenge. I am so proud of him and he's already completed the first week!

Here are his results so far...

The picture on the left is Day 1 and the one on the right is Day 7.

As you can see, he's super lean. I'm not sure if you can tell in the pictures, but we can already see a difference! He's definitely getting more toned already and I'm so happy to start to see his abs coming through.

In addition to the Ab Challenge, he's now incorporating push-ups and squats alternating days to get more definition overall. 

My husband has inspired me to do the Ab Challenge and I have completed four days so far! Unfortunately, I have a little more fluff than my husband so my pictures won't show as much of a difference.