Fit Family Challenge Days 6-9

I am not going to lie.  I have had moments in these past few days where any one of the above excuses could have worked.  I am PROUD to say that I have been pushing through.  The whole family has been.  It's actually been kind of inspirational.  It helped that the girls already had pre-planned activities, but they have been god about making sure the hubs and I made time for ourselves too.

So, since last we met, this is what I have been up to:
Day 6: walking
Day 7: swimming and walking (mini me crushed 2.25 miles with me on our walk)
Day 8: rest
Day 9: walk

Now I know what you might be thinking...um, hello, did you see Day 8?  Yes, I did.  i lived it.  But after an hour of lap swimming and a 2.25 mile walk, I was starting ton get some pain back in  my hip and didn't want to totally derail my ART therapy from the day before too so I opted to rest...just aiming for my step goal.

This has been a pretty great week.  I have been monitoring the food much more closely and making time for myself, as well as fit time for the family.  I think it may be starting to stick for the kids too.  They are learning that just because they have soccer everyday or dance they can still do other activity as well.  I mean, on day 7...we all swam together as a family for an hour, taking turns doing laps and swimming around with mini.  And THEN we all had other activities after that as well.    It was not so long ago that the kids would comeback at us with something like "But I had gym today" or "I should really save my energy for practice."  Even THEY are cutting back on the excuses as they see the benefits they are getting.

My oldest...is down almost 15 pounds and looks stronger then I ever remember.  We are taking advantage of this weekends Tax-free holiday here in Ohio to buy her all new jeans for school.  I was so proud when she stated that she needed a size bigger in her skinny jeans to fit over her "muscular thighs."  And mini me...she is crushing things in acro that two months ago she didn't' have the strength to do, the swimming is really making a difference in our arm strength.

So today starts day 10, just over a month to go before vacation and the hubs and I have a swim date planned for tonight while the girls are at dance/soccer.  If it's just the two of us we can just focus on doing laps and building our strength and lung capacity.  I mean, whew, I have an all new respect for swimmers.  It's hard.

What are your plans for the weekend?

Image IS Everything

     Over the past few weeks I have been giving a lot of thought to body image.  I have noticed how much better I feel about myself and how I look after a few good workouts.  This whole foot surgery business has gotten me down.  I have not been good about my workout routine, at least not as good as I was.  I have felt flabby and lazy which has made me angry and sad and hard to live with.  Add to this the pressure of going on vacation (not quite at the fitness point I had hoped for by then), and the Olympics!  It's a perfect storm for self doubt.  I have to admit though, the vacation part was eye opening to me.
     I am not the type of person that flaunts regardless of what kind of shape I am in.  I tend to hear my mother's voice in the back of my head when I get dressed with the new addition of my oldest daughter (who has made it clear that she NEVER wants me to be dressing like a teenager) so I tend to err on the side of caution with my fashion choices.  I have a selection of what I consider to be classic pieces that I have stuck by over the years.  Granted when I started losing weight (before my wedding especially) I did try to highlight my nipped in waist and tone(r) legs...but never just putting it out there. 
     When we were on vacation, I reached a point where I asked my husband "Am I a snob or a prude about fashion?" and his answer was "yes."  I caught myself silently judging people in clothing that I didn't think was right for their body type.  SHAME ON ME!  Then, as I skirted around a pool in my skirted little bathing suit I thought to myself...who am I to judge?  I don't know their stories.  They obviously have far better body image then I do, and instead of silently chastising their choices I should be applauding them and trying to emulate them more.  It was a  great learning experience for me.  It reminded me that you don't have to be the societal picture of perfection.  You do have to be comfortable in your own skin (no matter how much or how little) and that was the part I was missing.