Healthy is Beautiful

February 27th.  Today marks the first day of many changes I'm making in my life.  I'm very excited about this.  Saturday Kyle and I were having a little husband/wife heart to heart and he said, "This time in your life is really when you have the chance to be in the best shape.  If you took a picture of yourself and looked back on it in the future would you want to say, 'this was me at my prime?'"  Obviously, you know the answer.  No, I would not want to look back at a picture of me today and say that this was me in my prime.  Wake up call.  So, I'm making changes and I'm glad I have his support.

1.  The first change I am making is waking up early and exercising.  I'm starting P90X again (the lean version).  If you have ever done P90X then you know that by the end you pretty much hate Tony and it might just be me, but I end up hating Dreya too.  The lean version of P90X Day 1 is Core Synergistics - every exercise involves strengthening your core.  There are exercises like Banana Rolls which if you just heard the name you'd think, "Yum, banana rolls," but they are not like they sound.






 Pretty much you start like this and hold it for 10 seconds.  While staying in this position you roll to your right side, again holding it for 10 seconds.  Then you roll to your stomach, hold for 10.  Then roll to your left side, hold for 10. Then you are back to the first position on your back and repeat it all again for who knows how long.  I tend not to watch the time because it's kind of like watching a pot boil. 

There are also Bow to Boats.  These are rough, especially on Day 1.  Last time I did them I was a pro by the end, but I was reminded today of how difficult they are when you are out of shape and weak. 

So basically you start like this (bow) and hold it for 10 seconds.

Then you roll over and get in this position, boat, (quickly, mind you) and you hold this for 10 seconds.  Then you roll back to bow and repeat this numerous times.









It's killer but the results are great and I'm ready to get my butt in gear and make these changes. 






2.  The next change I am making is drinking water and water only.  To help me in my effort to drink water only and more water than I usually drink, I purchased an Aladdin Insulated Tumbler.  I have had it since Thursday and has been one of my favorite purchases.  I drink way more water when it is cold and when I have a straw and this tumbler has been awesome.  I've already been drinking way more water and this morning I added slices of cucumber to my water to give it a fresh taste.  Yum.




3.  What goes with exercising and drinking water?  Eating right.  This one is very difficult for me because I really like certain foods (chips, breads, cheeses, etc) that are not really the best for me.  I'm pretty sure that I am pretty normal in that I don't eat enough vegetables, so that is one of my changes with food.  I eat pretty well, but I could stand to eat more fruit and vegetables.  So, today I started off my day with a piece of whole wheat toast garnished with cottage cheese and cucumbers.  Sounds kind of yucky, but it wasn't bad.  And it was an easy way for me to get some greens.  I think tomorrow I will put tomato and spinach instead of cucumbers for a different twist.  Lunch is really the trickiest meal of my day because I'm usually in a rush to eat quickly before I leave for work and so I want easy meals.  I think today I will do a salad and some turkey for lunch. 

Americans often think, "Oh, I will just not eat as much at my three meals and I will lose weight."  Wrong.  The best thing you can do is eat small meals but about every three hours.  So for me, I had my breakfast at about 8:30 (got a little late start - normally it will be about 7:30) and at about 11 I will have an orange and some almonds.  Then about 2:00, I will eat my salad and turkey.  Then at about 5 I will have a couple carrots, then at about 6:30 or 7:00 I will have some chicken and veggies.  Really, you don't have to eat a lot, just eat more times throughout the day.  When you don't eat for so long, your body goes into starvation mode and starts to store stuff thinking that it might need it later.  So for all of those people who say, "I will just have a big lunch and I'll be fine," good luck.

Those are my biggest changes I am making and I'm super excited about them.  I want to be healthy.  It's not about being skinny (though I want to look good) because skinny is not always attractive.  Perfect example:  Angelina Jolie at the Oscars last night.  It doesn't look healthy.  So for all those people who look at overweight people and make comments about how unattractive or gross they are, look at the other side of the spectrum.  Too skinny is not good either. 

To me, Zooey Deschanel is one of those women that I'd like to be like (physically). She looks healthy.  She looks like she takes care of herself and that she doesn't overdo it. 


That's what I want to look like, healthy.  Not like a twig.


Love,

Nicole

My Bouquet

Today I was making some changes to my facebook today and in doing so I went through some wedding pictures. (Courtesy of Brad and Hayley Trone* -Use them they are awesome)  I'm completely serious when I say that I would do it all over again every month.  Every one tells you when you are engaged that it is so stressful or "just elope," but I wouldn't trade that day for anything in the world (except maybe if someone was holding Kyle hostage and said, "It's either your wedding or Kyle." I'd hesitate, then choose Kyle.)

There was so much about that day that I loved.  It was truly everything I had ever dreamed of it being.  It's true that as little girls we begin planning our wedding at a very early age.  We have a home video of me dressed up like a bride: dress, shoes, veil, and garter.  It was something I couldn't wait to do.

The first thing that made it so incredibly wonderful was the man that I knew would be waiting at the front of the church for me.  I mean, who wouldn't want to marry this guy?  The fact that he is handsome is just a plus on top of his many qualities.  He is hilarious.  He makes me laugh all the time and I love to be around him while he is making others laugh too.  He is smart - almost too smart.  He will explain something to me and when I don't understand it, he will say, "How can you not understand this?"  I think he forgets that I'm not as intelligent as he is because I'm so smart about dumb things that he doesn't know.  He is sensitive.  He doesn't show this side to very many people, which is what makes it so special to me.  He really treats me like a princess, which is what you hope for when you are a little girl.  And by princess, I don't mean he buys me jewels and fancy gowns.  There is more to our love than material things.

The next thing that made my day so very special was having Kyrie as my Maid of Honor.  Since 2nd grade she has been there for me when ever I needed it.  At every age, she was there.  She is a wonderful comforter and has a heart of gold, pure gold.  She is also absolutely gorgeous.  She was honestly way out of my league as far as best friends go and she was definitely way too popular, but that's one of the reasons I love her most; she didn't dump me ever for cooler people.  I loved having her there. 

The other part of my day that made it so special was my family that was there.  It was such a gift from God to have my 90 year old grandma be there with me.  I didn't cry all day until she walked in the dressing room to see me and she said, "Well, you just look beautiful."  If you know my grandma at all, you know that she is just about the sweetest thing on the planet; however, she is not really one to compliment.  I think I get that from her (which I'm working on.)  So, for her to say that to me was the best.  I not only heard it from her but in her voice I heard it from my granny who I miss all the time, my sweet granddad who I loved so very much, and my two grandfathers that were taken way too soon - before I could meet them.  I was so incredibly blessed to have my grandma, my dad, my mom, my brother, and my extended family there with me that day.  My one regret is not getting a picture of just me and my grandma. 

My favorite material thing from that day (besides the cake that was so delicious) was my bouquet.  I got the idea from a Facebook friend's blog and I knew I just had to have that.  I kept wavering on what flowers I wanted and what color to have in the bouquet.  I was not very into it at all so when I saw the idea for my bouquet I was so excited.  I had my mom and her friend Jerri help me construct it.  My favorite part about it is that I was able to put family jewelry and brooches on it.  I have stuff from my grandma, granny, great-grandmothers, great-great-grandmothers, and Kyle's grandparents too.  It's pretty special that the pocket watch is his granddad's.  It was so heavy, but so worth it.  I absolutely loved it and thought it was so very "me."  I encourage others to take the idea and run with it because it is also great that I get to keep it forever and pass it on.



*http://www.hayleyrheagan.com/

Extremely Loud and Incredibly Annoying

One of the perks of my new job is free time and more specifically, free time to read.  The book I finished last night is Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close by Jonathan Safran Foer.  If you've watched TV at all recently you've seen the previews for it:  Sandra Bullock, Tom Hanks, 9/11, etc.  So basically it's about a boy who has lost his father in the terrorist attack on 9/11.  

The child's voice in the previews was extremely annoying to me, but I wanted to see the movie anyway.  However, I really like to read the book before I see the movie.  Side note:  The book is ALWAYS better.  

I had a lot of mixed feelings about this book when I finished it last night.  The kid is EXTREMELY ANNOYING in the book.  He talks 90 mph and is really matter of fact.  Once I got over that I was incredibly interested in getting to the end of the book.  I really like the way the author wrote this book.  He uses three character's perspectives and intermingles their stories.  


The other cool thing about this book is how you feel like you are a part of the story at times because of the way the book is put together.  The child is always inventing things in his mind and I've got to say he (the author) has some really good ideas.  For instance, a hole in mattresses for your arm to be in when you lay on your side.  Best. Idea. Ever.  I really think that would be useful because my arm gets sore after laying on it so much.


I liked the book but when I finished I kind of thought, "That's it?"  It left me with so many questions.  It was an okay ending but I felt like I was missing out on a lot of stuff.  The sensie (Scrubs reference) in me was hoping for a major twist in the story or to find out that the dad really didn't die.  Those things did not really happen for me, but a good read nonetheless and a very easy read.


After seeing the movie The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, I've decided to read that series (The Millennium Series) partially because Kyle is dying to know what happens next.  They are SUPER long though so I'm kind of dreading it a little bit.  


Before I start though I am going to read a little feel good, easy read:  Winnie the Pooh.  I've never read the book and I absolutely love Winnie the Pooh (classical).  If I have a little girl, her room will be all Classical Pooh decor.  

Eeyore was saying to himself, "This writing business. Pencils and what-not. Over-rated, if you ask me. Silly stuff. Nothing in it.