{h o t m a m a}

hot mama (n): a mother who exudes confidence, 
is full of energy, leads a healthy lifestyle 
and is beautiful inside and out.

   hello everyone! i hope i find you well this fine tuesday. today i'm going to talk a little bit about where i'm at mentally and physically. this past weekend we had the pleasure of going up to st. louis for graham's cousin's (hi corrie! hope you had fun in paris!) wedding and while there we got to do so many fun things. i'll post more about the trip specifically later, but i just wanted to share where i'm headed with some important things to me and am hoping for your encouragement and support. 

   
   you see...


 we did lots of active things this past weekend and i quickly began to realize how out of shape i am. and i'm not talking about had-a-baby-six-weeks-ago out of shape, but just weak. and i hate feeling like that. we went to this awesome museum on saturday and i kept finding myself out of breath, then we played at an aerial arts studio that graham's other cousin and his wife own and run (think cirque du soleil...ropes, fabrics, trapeze) on sunday and i could barely do any of the stuff i was doing, let alone had to sit out on a lot of the tumbling i wanted to do so badly.


  i found this so aggravating that my body is no longer capable of doing all these things that i really enjoy. on top of all that, when i went to my chemistry lab on monday morning one of my fellow classmates asked me when i was due. ugh. and she had just had a baby in january so she was not a young, ignorant student. she was a mom. 


   a new mom. sheesh, was i embarrassed.


 and for the cherry on top, i went to a dance class last night. super great teacher, amazing song and choreography and i just couldn't do it. i tried my best and never quit, but the fact of the matter is i'm weak. not just my belly where the baby was. but my ankles, arms, feet, hips, shoulders, back, everything. 

   any of you who know me well, know that i have been a dancer for many years. i love it. can't get enough of it. so you can imagine how disappointed i felt after leaving that class last night. but the good news is i also left with so much motivation. i'm sick of being unhealthy and out of shape. it's time to take back this body that God has given me and make it healthy once again. 

   you'll notice i have defined "hot mama" at the top of this post. that is exactly the type of hot mama i want to be!


  it's not just about losing pounds and looking good in skinny jeans (although that is important...) it's about feeling good, too. 

so...what am i going to do about it you ask? well i'm going to start with my slow carb diet again and be a lot more strict this time around, but also add in some exercise. in the same book i've mentioned before,  the four hour body by tim ferriss, he talks about different exercises you can do if you are small on time, but need big impact. that's what i'll be doing. but then the next big step is blogging about it. i find it much easier to come up with excuses to not exercise or eat right with no accountability, but if i know i am going to be "weighing in" for y'all on a weekly basis, that's a gamechanger right there folks. i hope that just by knowing that a few people read this, it will really help keep me committed to getting healthy this time around. and i know it's not just about doing it for other people...i think this time around i'm doing it mostly for myself. in the past i would want to look good for my friends or my husband or my family, but this time i can tell a difference. i want this for me.

i want to enjoy my dance classes more. 

i want to challenge myself to learning the trapeze.

i want to mentally be healthy and confident in myself. 

i want to be the mother that has enough energy 

to wrestle with her boys.

   as i walked through the grocery store yesterday shopping for healthy foods, not once did i find myself wishing i could buy some coke, or donuts, or chips. i was so turned off by all that junk. and i am so thankful that this time i'm in it for me. one hundred percent.

   so i'm starting this four week (at least, it may turn into eight weeks) journey with you guys. i'm going to be posting pictures and stats weekly and will be blogging about how i feel. 

  

 if anyone would like to do this with me you are more than welcome! 

i would love to have some company. ;-) 

   
  feel free to check out the four hour body and let me know if you're interested. we could swap stats and photos or even post them on the blog if you'd also like the accountability and commitment. 

  
 thanks for letting me share that and hope to see you on the other side of four weeks healthier and stronger!

   

s t a r t

weight: 161 lbs

measurements:   

right arm - 11.75"

left arm - 11.25"

right leg - 25"

left leg - 24.5"

chest - 36" (not too sure what'll happen here..cora fayne loves those muks!)

waist - 39"

hips - 42"


exercise: (this is here to help me track my progress, sounds kinda funny i'm sure!)
 flying dogs - 15 on each side, 30 total
 cat vomit - 6 sets at 10 seconds each
 butt ups - 20 total
 kettle bell swings - 17 swings at about 15 lbs
 - do these on monday, wednesday and friday

photos: (this is quite embarrassing, but i think it'll be worth it!)