Brace Yourselves

I seem to post at very odd times. I have tomorrow off work so I am up a little later than usual. I had a little bit of vacation time I had to use before the end of the year.  I also get Thursday off for the Holiday. A nice little weekend in the middle of the week!

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I joined a group in Skinny Meg's Challenge. I am #teampinkrocket and I'm already excited for the new year! The best part is that K is on board. We both already started eating better.

Christmas Survey

I know I haven't blogged in a while. To get back in the swing of things I did this Christmas survey from Amanda at Amanda Unbidden  I hope everyone has a Merry Christmas and/or Happy Holidays!

Favorite Christmas Movie? My husband LOVES Christmas movies. My two favorite to watch with him are Elf or Christmas Vacation. I also love watching White Christmas

Favorite Christmas Song? White Christmas 

Favorite Christmas Tradition? Making Christmas cookies with my mom and sisters

Do you celebrate on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day? Both. We go to my husband's grandpa's house and my mom's house on Christmas Eve. Then we go back to my mom's house Christmas Day (for  just my mom, her boyfriend, and all the kids and grandkid) and we also do something we my husband's parents, his siblings, and all the kids on Christmas day. 

What's the best Christmas present you've ever received? Technically she was a present for my husband, but probably our dog Angel. I appreciate the time together most of all, so there isn't any presents that stick out. I have enjoyed many of my present though. 

What's the worst Christmas present you've ever received? I'm not going to put that here haha. 

Fake tree or real? Real. It smells so wonderful.

 Open presents on Christmas Eve or wait until Christmas Day? Mostly Christmas day.

Leave Christmas Shopping to Nov/Dec or do throughout the year? I wish I did it throughout the year. Most of the time it doesn't work out. That's a good goal for next year!

And some fitness/healthy living questions:

Workout on Christmas Eve/Christmas or take the days off? Probably days off. Maybe workout Christmas Eve.

Stick to healthy eating or go all out and make up for it on January 1?  Half way in between? I try to stick to a plan, but that does include indulging a bit. 

Too cold to build a snowman

It is sooo freaking cold out! I tried to take the dogs to the dog park today. My face was instantly frozen. We stayed about 10 minutes but at least they got a little bit of a run! 

After that I made some whole wheat pasta with chicken and broccoli for dinner. I added a little pesto to mine and K had alfredo sauce. We've been really trying to eat at home this week. We're doing pretty good so far! Sunday I made a beef roast in the crock pot and yesterday we had pork loin chops. 

Backwards before and after

It's been a while. I've been really struggling to stay healthy lately. I need some focus and determination. I know how to do this and I know I can do this! This a backwards before and after. Hopefully I can go back to my before! 

Weekends go so fast.

This weekend went by so fast! I had a family picnic Saturday. Sunday I went on a walk with my mom, bought some work clothes, and took my stepson out for his 18th (!!!!!) birthday. 

Next week I'm traveling for work to Washington, DC. I haven't been there in a few years and I'm excited to go. DC is definitely one of my favorite cities. 

I am a little embarrassed as I will see coworkers I haven't seen in years. I've gained quite a bit of weight since I've last seen them. I know it will be fine. I guess I'll never get past the high school type fat shaming I've experienced in the past. 

New gym

I'm just now starting to feel better. The last two days have been miserable. The worst partis I couldn't even sleep because I was sooo congested!

I am excited that K and I are joining a gym closer to our house. We were members at LA Fitness and I really liked the facility. However, it was just a little too far away. Another bonus is that the new gym is open 24 hours. I'm excited to get more physical activity in!

Taking my breath away

I had a blast taking my dogs to the pooch plunge yesterday. 

However, K has been sick and I knew yesterday morning I getting sick too. I felt pretty bad last night. I woke up this morning and felt terrible! I could barely breathe! I ended up taking sick leave from work and slept most of the day. Hopefully I'm feeling better tomorrow. 

10,000 steps

I've had a Fitbit for a while now. I have the Fitbit Flex. Since I work from home and spend most of my time at a desk if really struggle to get 10,000 steps each day. I know I could set a lower goal, but I know 10,000 is possible. On days I travel I usually get closer to 11,000! 

I really made an effort yesterday to reach my goal. However, today I'm looking at my Fitbit at 11:30 PM and I'm nowhere close to 10,000 steps. 

This made me really what one of my biggest downfalls on this journey to healthy has been, inconsistency. And too much inconsistency leads to me pretty much giving up. 

I've decided from now on I need to make a plan. I'm going to make up a calendar and set solid goals. I'll share more about this tomorrow. 

4 days

I had yesterday off work for Labor Day. While it is nice to have a four day week, it will probably be a busy four days. I don't travel again for another couple weeks so that helps things. 

I'm really excited for this coming weekend. Toledo Unleashed is holding their annual pooch plunge. Basically they let dogs swim in a city pool the day before they shut it down for the year. Last year was a blast! 

I've also been trying to walk the dogs more. It's not easy with two strong labs, but they are learning. Tonight we even saw three deer. 

September

Hello September!

This year seems to be flying by. I've had some personal things going on lately. No excuse not to blog, but I've let the excuses win a little bit in general.

I've decided I'm going to try to blog at least 5 days per week. I have high hopes!

I'm excited for fall, cold weather, and more blogging!

Water!

Note- This post was from several weeks ago and when I edited it changed the publish date :-) 

So, I woke Saturday morning to K saying something about the water. I didn't think much of it. He had woke up early and I wanted to sleep in a little. At about 8 I checked Facebook on my phone. I had messages from multiple people about water. I figured there was just a boil advisory, though I'd never seen that in Toledo before.

As I started reading I realized the news articles said not to drink, shower, or basically use the water at all aside from flushing toilets. They also stated pets could not drink the water either. I immediately went downstairs and pulled the dogs' water. 

When I turned on the news they were reporting on the shortages of bottled water already occurring. I also learned the water was deemed not drinkable due toxins from algae blooms in Lake Erie. Read more HERE. Luckily, K was able to get a gallon and some single bottles. My main concern was the dogs. 

Later the mayor's office said it was okay to shower. However, I ended up taking a shower at someone's house with well water. The water was declared drinkable today. I still haven't used it. I think I'm going to let the system flush out a little more. Also, I'm keeping some water because I doubt this is the only time this will happen. 

Motivation

This summer has been a busier one with work. One of my coworkers retired and they are still in the process of getting a replacement. It's meant a little more travel for the rest of us. When I took this job I thought travel sounded exciting. Now I don't mind it but sometimes I just want to be home. Never the less, it is a good job and I am happy to have it.

I have been doing the Skinny Meg Challenge. So far it has went really well. I found the best motivation for me is having someone/something to be accountable to. Knowing that I posted my before picture really motivates me to do well as I do not want to post a pathetic after picture. Sadly, I am not brave enough to post my weight on a blog, maybe someday.

Walk it Out

This was supposed to publish last week. I was trying to schedule the time it posted since I wrote it late at night, but I guess that didn't work out..

I went on a walk with my sister yesterday and it was soooo humid. I was sweating about after about the second step outside the front door. I don't think it helped that there wasn't much of a breeze either. I told her we should find somewhere to walk around that is inside and air conditioned. I don't think I could be a mall walker (too crowded) so I was thinking maybe the art museum. I wish there was an Ikea closer. They are huge and seem to be fairly empty during the week. The weekends are a whole different story.

I was messing around on Twitter last night. Follow me @ekaty84. I've had a Twitter account for a while now but I've never really got too into it. I started following Courtney from the Biggest Loser on Instagram and she had a Twitter thing last night during the episode of Extreme Weight Loss. Did you watch it last night? It was a very inspiring episode! Anyways, I ended up following more Biggest Loser contestants on Twitter. I found a great Youtube channel, My Fitspiration, by the winner and the runner up of BL Season 11, Olivia and Hannah.

Less money, more stress?

So, I'm a little stubborn and a little set in my ways. When I was single I paid EVERY single bill on time, had zero balance on my credit card, kept too much money in my checking account (as opposed to a CD or savings account), and was just generally pretty overly concise about money. Marriage has changed some of that. Some of that is OK. No one can go through there husband having four serious surgeries without stretching their finances. 

However, I've had a little trouble excepting that. I've REALLY been trying to accept that money is just money. It really hit me tonight. I was talking about medical bills with my sister and her husband. They have also had more than their fair share of medical expenses.  The conversation really made me realize you can't control EVERYTHING. 

Instead of just worrying about everything, I'm going to take the time to budget and save. I need to just know I'm doing what I can and keep in mind I can't control things that come up in life. 

I really want to find ways to eat healthier on a budget. I'm going to work things out the next couple weeks and have a budget set for July. Hopefully this goes well! 

Wish List

Here are just a few things I would love to buy on this Friday the 13th.

1. Chalk markers- I've seen some great idea on Pinterest for fun chalk board ideas. These chalk markers would make it much easier to write on a chalkboard.

2. Active wear from Old Navy- I really like the quality for the price and most of it is on sale right now. 

3. Petsafe Social Pet Camera and Treat Dispenser- I would already have this if I didn't work from home. I am still thinking about getting it for when we do leave the house.  

4.  Pool basketball net- my mom's pool used to have one of these and we definitely need a new one!

 

5. A fun workout bag- I think this is something I will get for myself as a reward for reaching a goal. This bag is a possibility. 

Delayed

I flew for work this week and on the return flight ended up sitting on the Tarmac for almost two hours. As if the 2.5 hour flight wasn't enough time crammed in a plane! 

My brother-in-law was stuck in the same storm, just a little further north. I think his flight ended up being delayed 6 hours. I want to get there safe and all, but flying does suck sometimes. 

I got home around 10:30 PM after leaving my hotel at 7 AM. Needless to say I got some food and headed to bed right away. 

15 Things About Me

I was so sad to see that Holly at Where We Can Live Like Jack & Sally stopped blogging. I started following some of her sponsors recently. One of them was Lindsay at Bourbon, Lipstick, & Stilettos. I'm a sucker for surveys and she posted 15 things About Me recently. So I decided to give it a go.

 1. What’s a nickname only your family calls you? My mom calls me Katamia since my middle name is Kathleen.

2. Do you have any weird habits? I'm sure I have several, but one is that if I am wearing heals or flip flops I take my shoes off when I am driving. 


3. Do you have any weird phobias? I have a fear of getting my hand cut off in a garbage disposal. 


4. What song do you secretly love to blast and jam out to when you are alone? No one song, but I love to put on my headphones and dance to Pandora's "Today's Hip-hop and pop" channel. 


5. What’s one of your biggest pet peeves? Bad drivers that do not pay attention and think they own the road (no turn signals, cutting people off, texting, not maintaining a constant speed.) You know the type.

6. What’s one of your nervous habits?I pull the collar of my shirt over my nose so my shirt is covering half my face. Strange I know.

7. What side of the bed do you sleep on? right

8. What was your first stuffed animal and what was its name? I think it was a bunny because I was born near Easter.

9. What drink do you always order at Starbucks or Dunkins? Peppermint frappuccino with nonfat

10. Which way do you face in the shower?  towards the shower. I didn't even realize people face the other way. I love the feeling of the water on my face.

11. Do you have any weird body skills?  I'm really flexible for a bigger girl especially. That sounds slightly dirty, but it's not, for the most part ;)

12. What is your favorite comfort food that you know is bad but you eat it anyway?  

Five guys. Last time I lost like 100 pounds I NEVER ate anything like that. My treat was something like Panera or a ice cream cone. Five Guys came to Green Bay and I never went. I moved back to Ohio and now we go like once a month. 

 

13. What is a phrase or exclamation you always say?I say "yeah right" a lot. I'm sure there are more. I should've probably asked K for this one.

14. What do you wear when you go to sleep?  A comfy t-shirt and shorts.

15. What did you used to wear that you thought was cool, and now realize it wasn’t? plenty of things. I used to wear some weird patterned dress pants in middle school because I thought jeans were uncomfortable, but I don't know if I thought they were actually cool.

Flying

This weekend flew by. I didn't do anything too exciting just a little swimming, Costco trip, babysitting, and letting the dogs run. It was pretty hot here. It's crazy how we had such a bad winter and now I wish it wasn't so hot.

Sorry, not sorry, I'd rather have it be cold than hot. You can always cover up. I do enjoy swimming, so I guess that helps in the warmer weather.


I did sign up for the Influenster website. So far I've just been figuring it out and hoping that I can get some free stuff to try out!

Happy Memorial Day!

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I hope everyone has a wonderful Memorial Day weekend! The weather is wonderful here. I have already went on a walk with my mom. Later we are taking my dogs to run around. We might have a cook on Monday and I am excited to make the fruit pizza recipe from Skinny Taste.

Are you doing anything to celebrate Memorial Day?

Stepping up

Soooo, posting more obviously hasn't happened yet. It is going to happen! 

I'm traveling for work this week. I'm in California and it is very hot. It was 100 today. I didn't work yesterday since I was flying all day. I still managed to get almost 10,000 steps in. Most of it was running to make connection in Minnespolis. Today I headed to Ikea to look around and get some more steps in. I'll probably head to the hotel gym after dinner. And then I'm up at about 5 for an early flight. 

I'll be traveling more this summer. One if my coworkers retired, so we all have a few more trips for a bit. I like traveling for the most part, but it gets hard being away from home frequently. It's also hard to maintain a exercise and workout routine. Hopefully I can figure that out better this summer! 

Keep on trucking

This week I flew to Philadelphia with my mom. We got a one way flight so we could help my youngest sister and her boyfriend move. They lived in a row house there with THE worst stairs.

Luckily, my sister had moved the majority of their stuff to the first floor. My mom and I mostly helped clean, put boxes in the truck, and disassembled furniture. I also helped drive my sister's car part of the way. They had a moving truck and her car, so they were also grateful to have a passenger when they were driving. It took us about 12 hours, with several stops, to get from Philly to Toledo.

I was really glad to be able to help them. It was pretty tiring though. We got back late Friday night and I am still tired!

The drive really made me think about all the times driving from Green Bay to Toledo. It was about the same distance. I do not miss that drive, especially going through Chicago. I like Chicago, but when you're just trying to drive through it sucks.

My sister has been running. She ran 3 miles before she picked us up for the airport. It makes me want to run. I just don't think I can be a runner. Maybe I should start walking more and build up to being a jogger.

New start

I changed the name of this blog to A Healthier E. I really want to focus on living a healthier lifestyle. I know how to do it, I've done it before. I just really need to commit and I think blogging can help with this.

I turned 30 on Friday. Not my favorite birthday. I decided to make a list of 30 things I want to do while I'm 30. I've seen other bloggers like A Girl and Her Mutt do this. So here's my list: 

1. Lose 40 pounds. 

2. Visit Washington D.C. 

3. Participate in a 5K

4. Try Crossfit

5. Read one book each month

6. Save $100 a month

7. Reorganize my office

8. Help raise funds for dog park

9. Make 12 recipes I've pinned 

10. Get a manicure with my mom

11. Keep up on this blog (at least one post a week)

12. Take a weekend trip with K

13. Get a face wash/beauty routine down

14. Taper down to one diet soda or less a week

15. Plant a garden

16. Refinish a piece of furniture 

17. Start practicing yoga again

18. Detail both cars

19. Take Reagan and Angel to refresher obedience training 

20. Organize our basement

21. Switch from cable to Internet only

22. Save points/gift cards/ money for a new laptop 

23. Volunteer for a charity

24. Improve credit score

25. No extra shopping for one month

26. Finish Christmas shopping by December 10

27. Update home decor in living room

28. Exercise each night while traveling for work

29. Take a hobby (art/cooking/craft) class 

30. Go to a Halloween party

So we'll see how this all goes! 

Candy crushing

So, we went to Bob Evans today (Midwestern chain restaurant). There was a woman at the table across from us playing candy crush on her phone. No big deal, except for the fact that the volume was turned up so loud the ENTIRE restaurant could hear it. I admit I occasionally play candy crush. It's great at an airport or during those boring nights at a hotel. However, I NEVER have the volume on at all. Mainly because it is the MOST annoying music EVER. Imagine sitting through that an entire meal. 

It's funny because I hear complaints all the time about young people on their phones/iPads/kindles. Surprisingly, this woman was at least 60. She also left her purse and phone unattended while her and her husband went outside to smoke in the weather that feels like -2. So, winners all around! 

Happy New Year!

I realize it's a few days into the day year. I think it's acceptable to say Happy New Year for about a week?

No crazy resolutions around here, just the same resolve to get healthier. I did get a Fitbit Flex for Christmas. It's making me realize the small amount of steps I take while working from home. It should be interesting to compare steps at home vs. when I am on a work trip. I am visiting my sister in Philadephia next weekend, so that will be a good comparison. 

We got about 10 inches of snow with another 6-10 coming tomorrow. I feel like I am back in Wisconsin again! It has made it hard to get in more steps. I was really hoping to walk to dogs more as well. My mom and I took them to the park today, but they only had one path clean(understandably).

I hope everyone (or anyone?) had a nice time over the holidays. It was very fun to see all my nieces and nephews enjoy Christmas.