Yeah, so I lived life outside of the blog

I did this thing called ‘living’ over the last month.  While I was ‘living’, we enjoyed visits from my in laws and some good friends.  We experienced new sights, new venues and created fun memories.

I also took on a challenge; a weight loss challenge.  And to be honest, you can’t really lose weight writing in a blog.  Hence why you haven’t heard much from me!  I started working out, running and changing what I eat and drink.  What’s hilarious is that I thought I had sleep problems; nope, just needed to be more active during waking hours.  You know, if we would all just listen to some pretty handy medical advice every so often, we might get somewhere.  In my case, my doc kept telling me I should work out more as the endorphin’s would really help my mood.  Or try changing up and making my diet more healthy; it’s good for you!  Did I ever mention that I’m really stubborn?

All this happened because I paid attention to the interaction between me, my son and my husband.  Our son wants to run wild and explore because, well, he’s a toddler!  My husband and I were just beat and spent all the time.  I just couldn’t go on living like that.  I didn’t want to hold Lucas back from all the adventure he wanted and truly needs.  So I decided to change pace and make the most of our very brief summer.  I’ve been taking Lucas on my runs, we play in our community park, we have a weekly walk group, I am involved in yoga therapy and most importantly, we all sleep through the night and invest in better foods for more pure energy.  I sometimes want to smack myself for always being so damn stubborn!

Needless to say, I LOVE LIVING!  If you are reading this, it better be in audio format while you are enjoying the great outdoors!

I want to see the world, all of it, and not from my couch

Every June and July, my husband’s company starts a program called Boeing on the Move, where they wear a pedometer and are challenged to take at least 5,000 steps every day.  They will receive rewards at the end for doing so, but really, it’s to build healthier habits and get you ‘on the move’.  They are nice enough to send a new pedometer every year so this year, I used my husband’s old pedometer and decided to challenged myself!  And it led to this: Help Chrystal Reach Her Goal Weight!

I am now challenging myself to drop 65lbs by my 29th birthday (02/10/2013).  I want to do this to create more energy for myself, feel better about myself and to always have energy to keep up with my son.  I never want to hold him back from doing any activity he wants just because ‘I’m too tired’.  So not only have I been managing at least 5,000 steps every day, I have been doing different workouts each day and going on walks/hikes when the weather allows.  One day, I reached over 21,000 steps!

I created the Facebook event to have people cheer me on, give me tips and just see how I’m coming along.  I really need the support and accountability so knowing that others are watching and wondering if I’m going to complete the goal really makes me strive for that goal.  I can’t tell you how good it feels to get going on this.  I’ve been thinking about it for a long time, but I always come up with some excuse that detours me.  But this time, I told myself, “I’m not getting any younger; it’s only going to get harder to lose the weight; you deserve better than looking like you don’t care about yourself.”

I’m challenging you to join my Facebook event and cheer me on!  It might even motivate you to take up the very same challenge!