As of this morning, I am exactly 3 months away from turning 35.
Yikes.
I don’t exactly feel old (except on nights that Jack wants to have an eating party at 3am), but I definitely thought I’d be in better shape by time I hit my mid 30’s.
I’ve never really been into the whole eating super healthy and working out thing. I had a period of time in my early 20’s where I actually went to the gym on a regular basis, so I was in pretty good shape. However, settling into ‘happy marriage’ mode means that some extra poundage has crept onto my body.
And as nice as it is to have an awesome husband who loves what he sees, sometimes I feel like this video is almost exactly my life (with one kid instead of three, of course):
He may see a saucy mama (who wears way too much eyeliner), but I see a frumpy mom running around like a mess!
Before the baby, every so often I’d decide to drop some weight by working out like a fiend and eating nothing but veggies and air to get some quick results. I’ve tried the Special K diet, the 4 day diet, the eating nothing yummy diet – and {surprise surprise} they don’t work long term. Wow, such a mind-blower, right!?
I didn’t really have an incentive to get in shape before I got pregnant because I was just going to gain pregnancy weight anyways. I actually dropped what I gained while carrying Jack pretty quickly without doing anything special and am now within about 5 pounds of my pre-pregnancy weight. However, it seems like everything shifted around a bit and I’m not so happy with the results.
Since I have my birthday coming up, in addition to a baby who will soon start eating actual food and emulating my eating habits – I feel like now is the time to make a permanent change.
My goal isn’t to get super skinny. I happen to like my curves; I’d just like them to be a little… less.
Like that Tim McGraw song, “My next thirty years, I’m gonna watch my weight. Eat a few more salads and not stay up so late.” I need to start making better choices instead of just having whatever I want. So, I’m using this opportunity with my quick three month deadline to push myself to get back into shape. Or at least, START getting back in shape.
No quick fixes this time. I’m combining a few different things together to make my own fitness plan. Which I’m calling Get in Shape, Girl (imagine that Chelsea Handler is saying it, that’s how it sounds in my head). And yes, for any kids of the 80’s I named it after the super awesome pink and purple workout program of my youth:
Now I kind of want a fun ribbon to spin around with and some weight bracelets… Anyways, moving on.
Here’s my 1-2-3-4-5 plan to being a hot mama:
- Now that Jack is able to control his neck/head and I can use my jogging stroller, I’m going to get back into running. To keep me going, I signed up to do one of my favorite 5k races with a girlfriend in the Fall.
- I work on an incredibly beautiful college campus and I’m going to start taking advantage of it by taking walks at lunch.
- I’m joining a local group called Stroller Strides, which offers outdoor workouts WITH your baby in his stroller. From what I can tell, it’s a mix of walking, running, situps, pushups, etc. I’ll take my first class on Friday and can’t wait to try it out! If I like it, I’m going to go to classes on both Friday and Saturday mornings.
- I picked up a copy of the Jillian Michaels Ripped in 30 DVD – which has awesome reviews (including the super buff mom next to me at the Target that credited the DVD in part for her awesome body). The workout is only 30 minutes long, which is great to fit in when I don’t have time to suit up and go out for a full run.
- I’m going to go back to eating a lot healthier. Not super-dooper-life-sucks-because-I-can’t-eat-anything-good healthy, just more fruits, veggies and whole grains. And less soda and sugary snacks. I’m not saying that I’m going to cut out all the “bad” food, just put it back into that “in moderation” column, instead of the “I’m hungry, get in my mouth NOW” column.
So, that’s my plan. My goal is to lose 15 pounds by September 19th.
By telling you all, I’m hoping to hold myself accountable instead of sticking with a diet for a week or so and then reverting back to soda and French fries.
Wish me luck! Change is always hard, but I’m hoping that I’m able to make some permanent lifestyle and eating changes that stick with me for the long-term. Not only do I want to achieve “hot mama” status, I also want to set a good example for Jack to look up to.
And yes, I totally referenced three different songs in this blog post. If only my life was like that musical episode of Scrubs with everyone singing instead of speaking. Without the brain tumor though, that would be a drag.