2014 Recap

Wait? What? Yes...I've not been very good with my blog other than update race pics. :P Forgive me? Seriously, it's just so much easier to post to Instagram.

HOWEVER...we have officially ditched our satellite which means the kids have their cartoon DVDs and Disney movies to watch OR whatever I can find online and hook my laptop up to the t.v. So, this should allow me to have a bit more "down time" to get some blogging done. Maybe. ;)

So for my lack of posts, here's a quick recap of January-April of 2014, pics included.

January 2014

New Year's Eve; My husband actually had the night off and for the first time since I can remember I got dolled up and we went out. The next morning I took this picture and put it together with an old one. I was astonished by the change in my face.

Finally my friend Kayla got me on the mats for Krav Maga after CrossKick class. I had so much fun and discovered I have much more strength than I realized. Later on, during the kids karate class, I discovered a battle wound. We had worked on gun defense and it's likely the "gun" scratched me open during one of our drills. I text it to Kayla and she was relieve to finally know where the blood came from on her body. LOL. She was freaking out because she couldn't find a scratch on herself.

This place, Premier Martial Arts - Kansas City, became my second home. We spend 5 days a week here between CrossKick, Krav Maga and Karate for the kids.

January hit me in the gut. I had developed a great friendship with Kayla, and I helped her weight train as she prepared to join the Marines. We bonded over our fitness and self defense classes. The kids loved her as her karate instructor and she just "fit" in our family. Then I got a text that she was shipping out the next morning, unexpectedly. Two weeks before she was supposed to and it just killed me. Not being able to hug her goodbye, wish her well...it just tanked my mojo.

Soon after she left, her mother and I began training together and we have become great friends. We rely on each other for motivation during our lifts, we take her puppies & the kids on walks, and I have her running 5k's with me...and soon her first 10k in September. It has been great to have her around, yet I still miss my dear friend. Soon enough she will graduate so I can give her that damn hug.

February 2014

February sucked hairy balls. Seriously though, my training was great. However I have to admit I cannot out exercise that bad food choices. They weren't mistakes. They weren't cheats. They were decisions I made and have to live with. Too many meals, like above. Too many pizza's. Too much of the kids treats. You name it. Food has haunted me.

I did find a new healthy love, which I still have to tighten my reigns on so I don't eat a jar in one sitting. You Fresh Naturals, it's an easy way to add some healthy almond/coconut fat to my nutrition plan. I typically have a tbsp on my Ezekiel bread for breakfast or a tbsp on my sweet potato. Yummo!

And then I have to keep telling myself this, despite my terrible food choices; How am I to know what I can achieve if I quit? It's something that is sticking in my brain despite any "bad" choices I make.

March 2014

Being down on myself is taking its toll. Not seeing the scale move is a real motivation killer, so I did this pic up for Transformation Tuesday. So, I haven't seen much weight progress in a long time. I have seen muscle definition, muscle mass and added strength. I have seen my pants becoming bigger and bigger and baggier and baggier. Clearly what I am doing is making a difference regardless of the scale.

I also have to note that my husband was floored by this collage. He looked at me and said "I did not realize you had gotten that big." He didn't see it, because he loves me, his wife. He saw me day in and day out...but there have been some obvious improvements over the last two years for certain, even if I am not seeing what I think I should be. ;)

My new BFF. I purchased my ISObag from Flex Till You're Famous and it was one of the best decisions EVER. This baby is so flipping useful. It really helps on Wednesday's when we go from class to home, to pick up the kid, back to their classes. It makes is a LOT easier to stay on point and keep me out of Subway where those damn cookies find their way into my belly.

April 2014

And this my friends is day 6 of poison ivy. I contracted it the day before my birthday and after a massively swollen/stiff arm, two trips to the doctor, two scripts for steroids, a script for anti-itch and a script for an antibiotic, it put me out of the workout zone for the past few weeks. As long as it was weeping I wasn't allowed to workout. Sweat irritated the condition and of course that agitated me. I am nearly healed at this point. I still have visible scars, and one wound trying to heal over; I am cleared for workouts now. I have to wear long sleeves when I run outdoors for a while to keep the sun off me, but at least I can get my mojo flowing again. And, no I did not touch the ivy. My dad was cutting vines with his chainsaw in a fence row.  The oils went airborne (which I didn't think of at the time) and poof! I've always been super sensitive to it and I pray I never see the stuff again.

So I am back to sweating my booty off during CrossKick, hopefully I can hit up Krav on Thursday. Easter was hard on me, no matter what I tried the kids Easter candy kept jumping my mouth. So I'm trying to locate my will power again. Today was day 1 with no candy!

2014 has been rocky to say the least, but I am a stronger person for it and I will keep forging on.