A Weighty Issue

hi!  Hope you are awake after the Christmas induced coma!  I plan on doing a Brody's First Christmas post but this requires uploading pictures and, once again, importing pictures from 4 different cameras/phones will just have to wait!  I still haven't learned!  Anyway, this Christmas, I received two items that will change my life: a sewing machine and a treadmill!!!!!!
New Year's is coming up and that means a fresh start....resolutions....creating goals.  Now, a lot of times, resolutions are a crock and are thrown out the window by February.  BUT!  I am planning on doing things that I have done in the past that I know work for me!  I also have pretty good self-control and am pretty accountable to myself when I really set my mind to it.
Here are my goals:
1.  Be healthier-mind/body/soul
2.  Learn how to use my sewing machine and make awesome stuff!
How I will get there:
1.  Mind--this correlates with #2--finding a hobby that I enjoy where I take time for myself to create and make cute things for my house and son.  RELAX
Body--this is where the treadmill comes in.  I have one. in my garage. waiting. it was not free. no excuses.  I must use it.  I have lost weight in the past successfully and have been happy with my body.  I am hoping it will work again!  This was a combination of exercising and eating healthy...DUH!  This included running/aerobics and yoga.  I upped my endurance level to burn the calories and then did yoga to strengthen and tone.  Really, yoga is amazing and gets such a bad rep.  I see it as an awesome total body workout that completely relaxes me for an hour.  It's just stretching and muscle burning.  awesome.  I am planning on doing some form of exercise everyday except maybe one or two days to give my muscles a rest.   Also, one day a week, I am not going to do your typical exercising but rather CLEANING!  This burns so many calories and makes the house looks nice! BADA BING BADA BOOM!  I mean full on cleaning not just picking up.  This produces great results on both ends.  Cleaning should produce sweat :).  How am I going to be motivated to do these things?  BY DOING THEM.  TAKING ACTION.  I have learned that you have to exercise to get motivated to exercise some more.  It's a conscious effort.  I noticed in the past that after getting into a regular exercise routine, like running every day at 4:00, my body will remember this and at 4:00 I will actually feel like exercising.  My body will have extra energy it needs to burn.  Our bodies are way cool like that.
Okay, and here's the eating healthy part.  This is where a lot of people get turned off.  But really, what you eat is the most important decision you can make to successfully lose weight and be healthy.  If you eat high fat foods, you are going to have a high fat body.  If you eat bright, fresh fruits and vegetables you are going to look and feel fresh and bright.  High calorie foods taste sooooooo good but they make me feel like CRAP 30 minutes later.  I am listless and heavy.  BOO!  I used to eat a vegan friendly diet.  You must think I am such a crunchy hipster--I cloth diaper, breastfeed, do yoga, and was vegan.  Really, I am the type of person that LOVES to research stuff.  Cloth diapering is cheaper and better for the environment and my baby's bum, breastfeeding jumpstarts his immune system and bonds me with my baby, yoga strengthens and relaxes the body and eating a vegan diet is detoxifying and can actually reverse a TON of diseases and cancers.  FACTS, ladies and gentlemen.  Okay, I digress.  I know from experience that eating a plant-based diet made me feel like a million bucks.  Everyone always asks, what about protein, aren't you always hungry, etc.  But there are plenty of other sources of protein that aren't coming from animals and guess what?  It's better for you!  No cholesterol, low fat, antioxidants, low calorie, high fiber...mmmmm what's not to love.  The best part--I don't have to count calories and can eat as much of it as I want because of all the awesomeness I mentioned above.  Really, if you're interested you should read Skinny Bitch (life-changer and really funny) and The China Study (research based findings on the relationship between diet and health).  Anyway, I will get off my soap box now.  Even if you don't adopt a plant-based diet, try to incorporate more fruits, veggies, beans, and grains!  DO IT!
Okay and last----soul.  Ahhh.  The most important.  I really need to strengthen my relationship with God.  I know I will be a better wife and mom for doing so.  This means reading the Bible more and finding a place to serve at my church.  It is the best feeling to help others and I want to do more of it.  I want to start now so that when Brody is old enough to model after his parents, he will see positive, uplifting people who trust God in all things.
Alright folks.  Those are my goals.  Let's see if I stick with them!  I was considering posting a 'before' picture so we can all track the progress together but then I thought you guys might barf.  So, I may take a picture now for my own keeping and then once I reach the 'after' body I am hoping for, I will post both so you can think, 'phew. good thing she doesn't look like that anymore.'  It's been over a year since I have done serious exercising and watching what I eat.  Wish me luck!