Baby To Bikini Progress–4 Weeks to Go!

There is only one thing I hate more than people who hang onto cardio equipment (for the record you burn up to 30% less calories when holding on. And you look ridiculous. There are no hand rails on the road) and that is excuses.  Excuses make my skin crawl. That being said, let’s talk about the last 4 weeks for me.  I traveled to Atlanta for 5 days for work training.  I resigned from a job.  I accepted a new job in a position that will require an immense amount of training (translation- am I cut out for this gig??).  We closed on a house. We moved.  My son was sick for the first time.  I had two weeks of new hire training that had me in training for 12 hours a day (along with a painful 2.5 hour commute each day).  It was a tough month.  Are these excuses?  No, this my friends is what we call life.  And sometimes life’s a bitch.

Now let me give my little head a shake and look at it this way….

What an unbelievable 4 weeks I have had!!  I was offered and accepted an AMAZING opportunity that I could only dream of!  The training I have had thus far has been the best I have experienced in my sales career and I learned more than I could have imagined in two short weeks.  Dave and I also had a dream come true and we closed on a new home!!  We absolutely love the suburbs and the idea that Madden will soon be able wreck havoc in our neighborhood rather than the ramps of a parking garage!  Well worth any commute. As for Mad getting sick?  It’s called immune system building baby!  Sometimes all we need is a solid triple venti sized shot of perspective to realize that life happens and I’m an a$$hole for feeling so sorry for myself when I am surrounded by so many blessings!

So this takes us to week 8 of my training.  I registered for The Texas Shredder Classic today.  It’s official.  I’m in. One thing about living a healthy lifestyle, which is at the end of the day what this is all about, is that after the past month although I may have felt set back I don’t feel out of the game.  I continue to try and make the best decisions possible to set myself up for success but I don’t beat myself up or feel like a terrible person for eating a cookie (or the chocolate chunks off the top of a brownie last week.  Yep, that happened). One of the best pieces of advice I can give is to find your ‘person.’  God bless her my person is also my trainer, Melissa Merritt.  What does this person do for you?  They are your source of accountability, your rock, your support, your sounding board and most importantly your confessional.  I have a fist of guilt punching me in the face that forces me to tell Melissa about my latest slip up, but having her there also helps me avoid temptation more often than not!   She is not my enabler; rather she supports me and helps me get back on track when I stray.  So when you decide to climb a mountain, don’t go it alone.

I honestly cannot believe how time has seemingly flown by!  Often times when we create goals they seem so far out of reach.  The important thing is to take it day by day.  I always say to aim for one great day, then two, then three and so on.  Pretty soon the idea of clean eating and consistent exercise will morph into your lifestyle and you will look back and realize that in a few short weeks you have transformed into a different person!  When I saw the two pink lines 15 months ago I could have NEVER imagined being where I am today…with the most perfect 6 month old baby boy, crazy supportive husband, 4 weeks out from a NPC Bikini Competition and I can honestly say in the best shape of my life.  It was so easy for my head to go to a place of ‘life as I know it is over’ when I got pregnant.  ‘Peace out abs! No way will I have time for the gym now!’ And you know what I was right, life as I knew it was over…and it is so much sweeter now!

So let’s recap.  Happiness and fortune are often a matter of perspective. There are no acceptable excuses for not finding time to put yourself first and live a healthy and clean lifestyle.  Life will inevitably throw you curve balls and it’s your choice to knock those suckers out of the park.  Find your person and hold on to them tight.  Let them be the wind in your sails when you just can’t muster it on your own.  And please, if nothing else let go of the rails!!

And if you are commitment and plan free on April 14th, please come cheer a momma on!!  The kiddos will have so much fun cheering the competitors on!
http://www.texasshredderclassic.com/

Baked Oatmeal Cups!  I am straight obsessed with Pinterest!  I mostly find recipes on there that are so delicious and decadent that I could never make them.  However every once and a while I find a gem that I tweak slightly and try and make even cleaner!

Here is my base for Oatmeal Cups!

3 cups dry oatmeal
2 very ripe bananas, mashed
1 tbsb. baking powder
7 egg whites
1tsp cinnamon
1 tsp vanilla
¾ cup Vanilla Almond Milk (35 calories per serving)
Mix all ingredients and divide in muffin tin.  Bake at 350 for 20-30 minutes, oven times will vary.  I look for edges to brown.

***ADD Ins*** Fresh or dried fruit, 2 spoons of dark chocolate chips, granola…get creative!!***