Mom's Worst Nightmare

Okay maybe for some this isn't the absolute worst scenario but for me it's high up there! Wait for it... Trying on a Bikini! Let alone actually walking out with a purchase! My husband and I decided to walk the mall this past weekend and I saw Victoria Secret was having a sale on the swimsuits. I wasn't even going to bother to look, even-though they looked so cute! But next store to Victoria Secret was Game Stop, which Blake had to go in, and there was no way I was going in there with our daughter, who seriously wants to grab everything in that small store. It seriously gives me anxiety. So in to VS I went... All these tiny girls going nuts over the Bikinis, just made me feel even worse about myself. As I was glancing at this one cheetah print bikini, one of the sales girl came over and saw the disappointed look on my face.

"First time looking at swimsuits after a baby?" Was it seriously that OBVIOUS? When I looked at her you could tell she had a "mom" body herself. I told her about our Vegas trip coming up in May and how much I have been trying to work out. Yet, I still do NOT have the confidence to even try one on. She continued to ask me what my fears were on certain parts of my body. I seriously pointed to almost everywhere! With a quick chuckle, she went to town pulling all sorts of tops and bottoms. Lady did you not hear me? Unless you have a full on head to toe cover up swimsuit, I ain't getting in it. I called Blake to get Olivia so I can try on these "bikinis" and next thing I knew, I was standing in front of those changing room mirror thinking you can do this.

I tried on the one bottoms, with the cheetah print, that originally caught my eye. They are high wasted (which I have never tried before), instead of the low rise style. It has open sides with a bunch of ties. I thought for sure all of my love handle would seep through the cracks. But NO! It looked amazing and even made me look skinnier! Is this a trick? Maybe the mirror tricks your eye into thinking something else. I would be lying if I said I didn't get tears in my eyes. I tried on a couple black top pieces and finally found one that hid, what I like to call second boob. You know the part in between the armpit and breast? The almost impossible spot to slim down. Anyways, it hides that and... Ladies, it has a push up in it! Not the ones teens like to wear to over compensate but a NORMAL push up! The ladies have never looked better!

Long story short I ended up purchasing my first swimsuit in almost 3 years! And I felt great in it! I may need a little tan before I flaunt this look because I don't remember the last time my stomach saw sunlight.I want you to encourage yourself and go to a place like VS that measure you and find a swimsuit that actually works for you! Everyone doesn't have the same body no matter how big or small you are. That's something I am learning and figuring out. What fits me for this new body of mine. Some may say I'm not fat but for me, going from a size 2/4 to a 6/8 is a big deal for me. Even with no ounce of fat, my hips will always be wide now. My mom likes to tell me "you mean you have a woman's body now?!" She is right though. I'm not a teenager anymore and I need to except that.

Two Months Down; Keep Going

I don't know what was up with this month but so much has happened!It's like one thing after another. I went to go visit my sister in the first time in 5 months! It was an awesome trip but OMG, I seriously gained all of that hard work back. We ate beyond unhealthy and the portions were out of control! It's fine though since it is a rare occasion. You should treat yourself here and there. When I got back home our dog's breath smelt so bad! I could have sworn he had something rotting in there. Well.. He did! His teeth. The vet had to put him under for a cleaning and had to extract 4 of his back molars. Seriously poor guy! He isn't even 7 years old yet and already dealing with some health issues. Hopefully now he will start acting like his age again.

Love and miss you beyond words Sis!

Fast forward another week and my husband's (Blake) car decided it wanted to not work anymore. I couldn't exactly blame the car. It is a 2002 Acura RSX with almost 200k miles on it. It was a great little car but it doesn't fit our family any more and the cost to repair it would be more than what it was worth. We started shopping for cars and found an amazing deal for a 2015 Subaru WRX. This car is my husband's dream car and who would have thought we are able to afford it now? So weird to walk into a dealership and say "I want that one!" It's been a couple weeks now and that smile from Blake's face when he see's "his" car is priceless. 

Love that smile!

So after the typical everyday stress of life and overcoming the flu, that everyone caught in our home. Things have just gotten in the way of my fitness progress. I've been trying to keep up with my Stroller Strides group as much as possible and exercising on my own time, but I'm going to be honest. My diet could improve and well... The fitness part needs a little talking to. Luckily I have friends in the Stroller Strides group that will text me and get my butt to class but it's hard. Being a mom, doing every day errands (groceries etc.), play-dates, keeping the house together, and more.. Fitness is so hard to keep up! I did, however, loose another 3lbs! Wow so much... Can't you hear the sarcasm leaving my mouth? I should have better results but you get what you work for. And this month wasn't very great. 

Starting to somewhat see some definition and toning in my stomach!

Both my stroller and jogger decided to break on me this past week, which led to a purchase of a City Select Jogger. I'm extremely excited! It makes jogging with her easier. I only have 9 more weeks before I get myself in a bikini and I'm not sure if I can do it. I can't give up now! I just can't! I have so much to prove to myself. Even eating a little bit healthier has made my skin look better and I already feel ten times better. More energy to keep up with the little one! Don't all of us moms need more energy? I know I do! 

One Month Progress; Plateau

I was hoping to share the BIG news we are so excited about but of course if got postponed until next week, the 16th to be exact! I seriously want to shout it to the whole world but I don't want to jinx anything. It's 99.999% done deal... So close! What bothers me are family members sharing with other people without asking us first. It's kind of our news to tell but oh well time to move on! Things have been crazy over here. Blake started his new job (that he loves!), I joined a mom work out group called Stroller Strides, last year I started a Facebook group for local moms to meet (SCV Young Moms), and I am planning our first Valentine play-date (thankful for my help from my other admin Andrea). On top of those things we are going through literally everything we own and downsizing, getting rid of stuff. Which also leads to changing Olivia's nursery into a "big girl" room and I started a project for her new room. Can't wait to share the step by step instructions with all of you! Makes me sad though, she is already potty trained herself at 20 months old (except for nights) and now this. Wish time would slow down!

Onto my 'Vegas Motivation'.. Not exactly what I was hoping for from a month of working out. I guess I somehow miracously expected my six pack to be back already. One can dream, can't I? The first two weeks I wasn't sore and was pushing myself hard. These past two weeks I have been lacking mental motivation. Stroller Strides meets up three times a week and on my off days (except Sunday) I walk up this humungous hill that is by us and jog for 2.5 miles, while pushing a 25lb baby! OW! Yes I am dying (not literally). I'm not sure if it is because I am getting older or the fact I gave birth, but I didn't know you could hurt in these places! 

My biggest weakness right now is food. God, I love food! Between Birthday parties and Blake's boss giving him a $100 gift card to Cheesecake Factory, for welcoming him to the team, I'm going to stay fat. I know what you are thinking... I didn't need to eat the chip or order the Oreo Cheesecake but could you blame me?! YUM! After eating so crappy, I felt crappy too. I started to brainstorm on how to stop myself from all these temptations. I came across meal prepping! Sunday I spent a good hour making salads and "snacks" to prevent me from caving in. Don't get me wrong though, every time I drive by In-N-Out a little part of me dies. I know they have a healthier option their like protein style, but I am trying to just stay away from fast-food altogether. 

We actually made a couple changes to our Vegas trip. As in, changing the dates and the hotel. With Blake's new job he can take time off during the week in May and we got a better deal on a hotel. We ended up getting a suite with strip view at the Mandalay Bay.. Ekkk! Can May come any sooner?!!! I can't wait to just relax, lay by the pool and be us. As much as I love our daughter and can't get enough of her, I need some me/us time. Our dates changed to a little bit later in May, which gives me more time to 'fix' myself. I can't believe after a month I don't see a difference, but as promised I would share my journey. So here it is...

I'm not giving up and trying to understand the meaning of patience. Which I seriously lack of. Thankfully I have family and friends to help push me... And the occasional Pinterest browsing with all those flawless women! Seriously? Have you looked under the health & fitness category? Maybe one day I will be one of the "them". But for now... I'm taking one day at a time (or at least trying to)!

Vacation Motivation

Finally VACATION! You have probably already guess it by now but the Hubby and I are headed to Vegas for a 3 day vacation in May! I know to some it doesn't seem like a big deal but for us it, clearly, is. Before we had Olivia we would take off to Vegas just for the weekend and stay with my cousins out there. Blake was in the military before so it was extremely hard to plan anything. We would plan something and then the military would screw it up with unexpected, random plans. My husband refers it to the "green weenie". I don't get it but all the guys use that phrase. Anyways! We haven't gone on a REAL vacation. Of course we have gone places but we normally stay with family (which we don't have a problem with) or we go with family on a trip. So you can imagine how exciting this is for us. We got a two night stay in a strip view suite! We are going all out this trip. Shows, concerts and more! 

Which leads to my worst nightmare right now... ... Getting into a bikini for pool time! Yikes! I know I'm not "fat" but in my eyes I'm definitely not what I used to look like. Before Olivia I had a six pack, no joke. I would hike every weekend, on top of working out and eating healthy during the week. My husband as well was crazy into the healthy lifestyle before our daughter. It was nice being each others motivation. It kind of ended up being a good competition. Well, I fell into the typical "mom" trap where I didn't pay much attention to what I was eating and working out was me chasing our daughter around. As weird as this sounds for some reason booking this trip made me realize how unhealthy I have been and how much I missed feeling the way I did before. It wasn't just about how I looked (which I had no complaints) but how I felt. I had so much energy and even my skin looked better.

Also I am noticing my bad eating habits are already affecting Olivia. So I don't want to call this a diet but more of a life change. A permanent life change! We have always done the Paleo diet in the past because that is what fits our life style more. Olivia has had eczema problems on her face and stomach problems from diary. Which is all new to me since no one in my family suffers these problems. So fast forward to two weeks (which I call the bloating stage) and my stomach seems to have already slimmed down, but don't be fooled. This is typical results from your body detoxing all those "bad" foods. I cannot believe I am going to post my stomach on social media but I hope to motivate some of you as well. And I'm not ashamed of how I look after having a baby. If it grosses you out then don't read my post. 

So this is only 2 week progress but I wanted to show you how much your stomach  slims down after eating healthy. This is normally when you see the bloating go down.

I do exercise as much as I can. It is harder with a toddler but think of things you can do with your kids or at home. I don't follow a DVD but at home I do jumping jacks, kettelbell squats, push up, crunches, planks, lounges, and more (hopefully you get the idea). I go on walks/jogs at least 4 times a week. Even walking for 15 to 30 minutes improves your overall health, especially your heart. So on top of eating right I do exercise. I hate to break it to you but even with one of those fade diets, you need to still work out. At least if you want to see 100% results. Just remember your body is addicted to sugar and fast food and to break an addiction it takes 21 days. After 21 days the new life style becomes an obsession (trust me) and those bad cravings become into good ones.

I'm going to keep updating you guys with my progress and maybe occasionally I'll post a recipe that I absolutely love. Don't be ashamed of how you look and embrace it! Don't diet to loose weight but to be a BETTER healthier you! And don't forget to share your results.