Ok enough sitting around already, it is time to get this regimen/lifestyle back on track! After my vacation, driving for over 24 hours in 5 days, hiking up 330 feet, my body needed a rest. So, I gave my body the rest, and today I get back into the swing of things. Have a walk planned with my sister, and I am using the app "Sworkit Pro" to do some exercises, yoga and stretching. My gym membership is all wanky right now, so I have to do the stuff at home. I really miss Planet Fitness though.

Getting old sucks! But the up side is people don't believe me when I tell them how old I am, they always say I look way younger. I'll take it

Well, time to start doing... using my motto "Lets Do THIS!" and getting back on track!

I went away for an awesome vacation with just my sons and me. Our first stop was to my mom who lives 2 hours south of us. We had a great time hanging out with her and her S/O. We stayed with her from June 29, to July 1. I ate relatively healthy, as we ate homemade meals prepared by my mom. Her S/O did spring for some ice cream, and since that was free and my weak area, I took him up on it. We did a lot of walking around and most everything was on a hill.

We then left there, and drove another 7 and 1/2 hours south to Pigeon Forge, TN, were my brother and his family, my sister and her family, my dad, and my sister-in-laws parents were awaiting our arrival at this AWESOME cabin my brother rented for us all. This thing was HUGE! 5 floors, 6 balconies, 6 bedrooms, a movie theater, an indoor pool, hot tub on a balcony, and nestled in the beautiful Great Smoky Mountains! We stayed there from July 1 to July 5. In those few days, my boys and I hiked some great trails in the mountains. We climbed up to Clingmans Dome which is located at the highest point of the Smokies, and was located in North Carolina. We then traveled to Cades Cove and drove through the flat land with the beautiful mountain ridges in the background. As we were traveling to our final destination, Laurel Falls, we stopped off at one of the little side of the road parking spots, and the boys got to go swimming in the river. They had to climb down a small rock wall to get there, but it is an experience they have never had, and will not soon forget. We then headed to Laurel Falls and walked the path to the beautiful 80 foot water fall. It was so worth the walk. The boys got to go on several different types of go-carts; we walked the strip in Pigeon Forge, saw some bear in a gift shop, had a late night snack at Happy Days Diner, and retreated home with a 9 hour drive.

The walk to Clingmans Dome, I would not have been able to do if I were my former self. It was quite hilly and steep angled, as it was I had to stop several times on the way up, but that doesn't matter. What matters is that I DID it! We hiked for over 90 minutes and I burned almost 1,000 calories doing it, which is a successful day for me!

I think I may have gained a pound, but it is hard to tell right now. Why? Because whenever I travel, I retain a lot of excess water, and I am still getting rid of all that. I didn't track my calories or really watch what I ate while we vacationed, but really the only horrible rotten thing I did was drink 5 Budweiser Margaritas in one evening while relaxing in the hot tub. I'm okay with that, because that day it was worth it!

Me at a rocky area on the path to Clingmans Dome (July 3, 2014)

My Boys at Laurel Falls, Great Smoky Mountains (July 3, 2014)

Clingmans Dome 6,643 Feet up - highest point in the Smokies-

Cades Cove- Great Smoky Mountains

     Well I seemed to have hit a slump, again. I was stuck at 219 fory 3 weeks, and now I've been stuck at  216 for 2. I think I put too much pressure on myself to hit certain goals, then I self sabotage by not exercising as usual or eating too much. I wanted to be down to 212 by Tuesday, but that is clearly not happening, because I seriously doubt I'll be losing 4 pounds in 2.5 days. Some people can, but I can't. I'm not gonna beat myself up too much about not hitting my goal though because I did lose another 1/2 inch off my waist, so that is down from 42.25" to 37.5", and that I am darn proud of! My goal is waist to be 30", that seems to be a comfortable fit for my body, and puts me into a size 10-12 which is PERFECT for me!

     Speaking of sizes, I put my bathing suit on, the top is a 20w and the bottoms are a 22w, and I was drowning in them. Unfortunately, I have to continue to using that suit for a while longer, because I couldn't find one I liked, and I don't want to buy a bunch of bathing suits. I'd rather drown in this one for a bit until I can get one in my goal size.

     Tomorrow, my boys and I will be heading out of town to visit with my mom. She lives about an hour and half away, then Tuesday, we will be leaving to go to Gatlinburg, TN. I plan on hiking a lot, and getting some awesome nature photos. I only have one thing planned, and that is the boys and I are going to go tubing down Litter River. I've always wanted to do that and the boys seemed pretty stoked, so I'd say it is a win-win. I'll post next week, maybe with some waterfall pics!

I have hit my first milestone of a 10 pound weight loss Hip Hip Hooray! I am so stoked! The journey seems to take forever, it seems if I want to gain weight I can gain 10 pounds in an hour, but shedding it is tough work. I do love the fact that my kids ask me what I am doing today and they throw in "Walking, going to the gym and yoga, right?" I hope if nothing else that my dedication will show them that if they work hard toward a goal they too can achieve it.

Overall, I have lost 36 pounds, and I have about 51 more to go. Chunk it away a pound at a time. It has taken 9 weeks to lose 10 pounds; I am excepting the remaining 51 to take 6 months to a year to lose. Saddens me that it'll take that long, but I am up for the challenge.

Sometimes I do get discouraged and want to say "forget it" and eat a whole bag of junk food, but I know that is not the right way to handle it. Cravings were really hard for me at the beginning, and I did the number one mistake of depriving myself. Now I know I can have a sweet treat if I do 2 things, eat a smaller portion, and work a little harder in my workouts to get rid of the calories. I try not to deprive myself, but I only allow a treat one time a week. I dream all week for what I am going to have, and then when the time comes, I have no idea what I really want. Last week I was drooling over a Reese's Peanut Butter Cup blizzard from Dairy Queen, and ending up have a bowl of Cocoa Puffs cereal instead. It all worked doubt well the, because the calories and fat were way less in the cereal and milk than they would've been in the blizzard.

Injuries have not been an issue until this weekend. I think I over stretched my hips and low back, and they were really sore and tight yesterday. Yesterday I took as a day of rest, I worked out for 6 days, one day off is very much needed. How do you cope with any injury when you are working out? Share your thoughts!

GO CHECK OUT MY PHOTO GALLERY TO SEE MY PROGRESS IN PICTURES!

With the weight that I have lost, the excursing and healthier lifestyle I have been able to stop 4 of my 5 medications. Pain medication, muscle relaxer, blood pressure and type 2 diabetes. The one medication I still take is Levothyroxine for hypothyroidism, but WOO HOO! My blood pressure is the lowest and most regular it has ever been, even when I was taking medication(s) for it. My A1C levels are in the healthy range, so no more Metformin, and even though I still have aches and pains, I welcome them because they are from hard work and dedication. The pain that I lived with before was different and very excruciating to say the least.

I am on the right track to getting fit and healthy. I know nothing will change overnight, but every little improvement helps! I was skeptical of being able to stop the diabetes, but then I read this article on WebMD and was a lot more confident that it was not impossible. http://www.webmd.com/diabetes/features/reversing-type-2-diabetes. Then when my A1C test results came back, I was so excited!

I really hope that some of this awesome news and information is helping someone else out there to realize that if you just start to move a little bit every day, your life WILL CHANGE! There is no reason to sit sedentary any longer. I mean, personally, I deal with fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue syndrome, scoliosis, degenerative disc disease, and 3-4 herniated discs, and if I can do it so can YOU! Even if it is just going to the mail box and back to start with at least you are starting! So Get out there and get MOVING!

With the hot sticky weather and thunderstorms I am losing my motivation. It’s hotter in my house (no a/c) than it is outside, so you'd think I'd rather be out there. This week I just can't get my butt moving. I have slated a gym rendezvous for later this evening and I will feel so much better once I get there, but getting there.... Really I am not complaining about working out, I am complaining that even though I am seeing results, I do not understand why I can't stay pumped about working out.

Anyone else out there go through slumps? Do you have any suggestions to help me? PLEASE!

There is one thing that is bothering me and that is my upper arms, since I topped out at 252 pounds, my upper arms are pretty flabby. I am working on toning and definition, and I see improvements, I am just worried that there will be excess skin, and I really do not want that. I had heard that if you take the weight loss process slow and are gaining muscle that there shouldn't be too much of a problem with the skin. I really hope this is true, because I want to wear tank tops, strapless dresses, and sleeveless shirts. Does anyone have experience with sagging skin after weight loss? Any suggestions on how to NOT have excess skin?

Yesterday while I was wasting time on Facebook, I saw this rather inspirational 2 1/2 minute video of a Mother/Daughter duo trying to transform their lives by getting fit and losing weight. They used a website called giveit100.com, the site lets you declare your 100 day challenge, and everyday you have to post 10 second videos of your thoughts, you in action, or whatever. I was moved by the duo and decided that I wanted to kick my workouts up a notch and incorporate yoga into them. Now mind you, I have been rather dormant for the past 4-5 years so I have no flexibility what-so-ever. That is part of the reason I want to do the challenge, to gain balance, flexibilty, and overall a sense of accomplishement that I finished something I started.

This morning was the first real day of the challenge, as yesterday was just the idea of, "Hey, lets try this!". I got up at 4:50 and started the yoga workout at 5:00 and did it for 30 minutes. I picked a really hard one to start with, which was dumb on my part, so I switched to one that was a little easier, it was in a Self or Fitness magazine from a few years ago. This particular yoga sequence focused on stretching and breathing more than the first one I attempted, which focused on trying to tie me up like a pretzel. 

25 minutes of yoga with 5 minutes of pilates to tone inner and outer thighs and I have my first day in. I am so amped up about this personal challenge/goal I have set for myself, and even more excited that Giveit100.com helps hold me accountable (I need that)! Here is my profile link for giveit100.com, come check it out and follow my progress- https://giveit100.com/@Shanaf13/mi7loz" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">https://giveit100.com/@Shanaf13/mi7loz

My new mantra is- Let's Do This!

Evacuating ones bowels is not only necessary but it is also vital to weight loss. Many people, especially women have problems with this. The results are ugly; bloating, gas and chronic constipation. There are many natural ways to make sure you get your bowels moving, personally, spinach has been the key. 1-2 cups of spinach a day, and your pooping problems will go away. I eat raw spinach daily, usually in a salad or a smoothie, and it helps me to extinquish bloating and constipation. I have also heard that fresh squeezed lemon in water helps with the bloating as well. Everyone’s body works differently, so you might have to experiment with different things, but stay away from vegetables like corn, that sit in your bowels unchanged for long periods of time.

Eat your spinach boys and girls, it will aid you in your regularity and your weight loss goals!

Let me start off by saying that in the past, I was very inactive, lazy, and in a lot of pain. The doctors kept telling me that if I moved a little more I wouldn't hurt so much, but how do you move when even breathing is a difficult task? I was stuck in this mind set for almost 4 years. I laid on my couch while we lived in paradise (Naples, Florida), I couldn't even swim because that hurt, too. It was a horrible 4 years. Then in December of last year (2013), I re-dedicated my life to Christ, and boy have things really changed! It wasn't over night, but with a lot of prayer, 2 or 3 healing prayer sessions, 1 week of communion at home, and many, many praises to God later, I am the most active I have been in over 4 or 5 years. 

God has heard my prayers and healed me from (almost) all pain. And if I do encounter pain that isn't a direct result of working out, then I ask to be healed once again, and by the next morning the pain is gone. Even exercise pain does not linger. God is so good to His people. One day I want to be able to help people understand that truly ALL THINGS ARE POSSIBLE THROUGH CHRIST! I am living proof!

If you are in the same boat that I used to be in, submit a prayer request to me, and I will pray for your recovery and healing. I can attest that I wasn't just healed from physical pain but mental as well!

Matthew 10:8 Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out devils: freely you have received, freely give.