Ericka: I Want to Ride My BICYCLE!! 10.10.14

This morning I rode a bike for the 1^st time since who knows how long, probably since our trip to Chicago summer 2013 when Chris and I decided to brave the busy main streets. What were we thinking?!

I started my workout with my solo C25K week 6 day 2 jog (two 5 minute jogs, one 8 minute jog, and two three minute walks in between- 10 minutes for warm-up and cool down). Yes a solo mission because once again my husband couldn’t pry himself out of the bed to jog with me. In light of yesterday’s battle with the dogs, I decided to stick to the well lit main street.

The plan was to get on the elliptical to finish off my hour of exercise, but then I discovered a bicycle I could actually ride. When I saw the bike, all I could hear was Queen's "Bicycle Race".  I’m so over the elliptical, and this bike provided the much needed change up.

Last weekend I attempted to ride my dad’s bike…no bueno. My dad is 6’2 and I’m 5’3. I needed assistance just to get on the bike. I didn’t even make it out of the driveway without falling off, and by falling off I mean laid out on the ground. Of course I blamed my husband for not helping me off upon request.

Even though the bike I rode this morning was closer to the size and frame I need (thanks Casey for forgetting your bike at our house), I was still a little gun shy after last weekend’s debacle. But hey, it’s second nature just like riding a bike right? Wrong. For the first block I actually had to keep turning the wheel left to right just to steady myself. I felt like a 5 year old learning how to ride for the first time, but then Daft Punk’s “Lose Yourself to Dance” came on and it was at that moment that I hit my stride.

I  was feeling so good that I decided to give riding with no hands and with my head tilted back  with eyes closed so I that could feel the breeze and revel in all of the morning’s tranquil glory.

I raised one hand, started to veer off into a curb, and was reminded that I am not good at this, yet. In fact, I've never been able to ride with no hands, or pop a wheeley. I’ll add riding with no hands to my bucket list, along with learning how to double dutch, and roller skate backwards.

I have two more jogs to get in to complete week six. I don’t want to go into week 7 with a week 6 jog still looming over my head. That’s why I have to do four jogs this week versus three because I didn’t finish week five.

Until next time.

Here is some Happy Friday music for your listening pleasure!

E

Ericka: FIGHT OR RUN 10.8.14

On August 18^th, I exercised for the 1^st time since my miscarriage in April. Yes, I had a miscarriage, and I allowed it to derail my journey to becoming fit and healthy.  Before you think this is a woe is me post, it is not. I just want to fill you all in on what's been going on in my life. The good, the bad, and the not so pretty.

The day I learned I was pregnant I happened to be with two of my friends and of course immediately told them. One of them then went on to tell me that she too was pregnant. We were so excited. I didn't think I could be happier, but then a couple of days later I learned another dear person was pregnant too, and we were all due around the same time. My first thought was of happiness and excitement. My second thought was the odds were not in our favor. I made a deal with God: if someone had to lose a baby, let it be me.

Everything was running smoothly, well smoother than my 1^st pregnancy. No morning sickness, no cravings, nothing. That’s when I started to worry, because it was the opposite of my experience with my 1^st pregnancy. When we were told that the baby’s heartbeat was lower than normal, I did my research and knew this little one had a 50-50 chance. I tried to exchange my realistic viewpoint for cautious optimism. As the weeks went by, the baby kept chugging along despite his low heartbeat and his slower growth progression.  I continued to exercise, but not strenuously and never to the point of exhaustion. My husband was optimistic, and towards the end I even allowed myself to believe we may beat the odds. I had a bit of scare the Friday before the miscarriage, but I saw the heartbeat and was told everything was fine; I felt encouraged. I started to believe the other shoe was not going to drop, because I was just one week away from being out of my 1^st trimester. My research told me that the baby’s odds of survival would go up to 70% if I made it out of the 1^st trimester. But by that Monday, there was no more heartbeat.

FIGHT OR RUN. I chose to run. To ostrich really. I buried my head in the sand and succumbed to my sadness, I ate. I drank and I ate some more.

After a month and a half of binging, I decided to stop emotionally eating. I thought to myself, if someone had to go through a miscarriage, at least it was me. However, I learned a week later that another one of us was losing her baby. It’s still just so surreal. I cannot help thinking about all the people who have children and not value their children’s lives. I get so angry every time a hear about a child being abused, neglected, abandoned. It’s not fair that we are going through this again. Knowing how hurt I was and still am, I can’t imagine how someone who is going through a worse situation handles it.

FIGHT OR RUN. I chose to run again. Turning to food and wine caused me to gain 20 pounds over 5 months. Clearly that is not the way to handle your emotions. I was just so angry at God for letting this happen again.  I thought we had a deal. 

FIGHT OR RUN. After awhile I stopped running. The turning point was talking to the other person who lost her baby. She told me that as soon as she was cleared by the doctor she started working out again. I did not even know about her lifestyle change until she told me she lost 11 pounds by exercising and eating smaller portions. She started with taking walks with her husband. It was their time to talk and process things. Then she began the Couch to 5k program. I was so proud of her. I am still proud of her. She didn't let life knock her down. She is my inspiration. She is the reason I finally chose to fight again. My husband and I started with walks, beginner Nike Training Club workouts, and a no whites detox diet for the first two weeks. We exercised about three times a week. After two weeks, we started the Couch to 5K program. I've never made it to the end of the nine week program, but I am determined to make it through this time. We're on week six now.

FIGHT OR RUN. Today I had to jog for 20 minutes straight. I had been putting it off for three days. I was nervous. I was scared of finding out that my body could not do it. At the age of 30, correction 32 ( I am going to stop lying about my age), I had achy knees, which has always been a problem, but extra weight does not help, plantar fasciitis, and just overall completely out of shape. To say the task was daunting is an understatement, but somehow I did it. Well there was a 45 seconds stop within the first 10 minutes of the jog. Have you ever been faced with decision to either literally run or fight when being charged by two dogs?

I wish I could say this was the first time this has ever happened to me, but alas, it was not. About 15 years ago, I was out in the country for a family picnic. My cousin, sister, and I decided to take a walk. Our walk turned into a run for our lives scenario when a pack of wild dogs started chasing us. We darted into an abandoned shed of some sort to catch our breathe. My cousin saw a car and made a mad dash for it. He didn't even tell us he was leaving. My sister and I ran and hopped into the stranger’s backseat. On top of his glove compartment was a gun. We did what any would do when faced with whether to get back out and run brave the dogs or stay in the car with a stranger with a pistol…we stayed in the car. I’d like to take this opportunity to say thank you to the kind stranger for not robbing us and for returning us to safety. It’s funny now. Hell it was funny then.

FIGHT OR RUN...somewhere in between.The difference between now and then is 15 years, 80 pounds, and the realization that there was no way in hell that I was going to out run the dogs. So I stood there, quickly checked for a weapon I could grab without making the dogs any angrier, of course there was none, and I silently cursed my husband for not joining me for the 5am jog. I resigned myself to having to fight. Who am I kidding? I neither fought nor ran. I resigned myself to getting mauled and hoping for the best. Ha! Luckily, the neighbor/owner of the dogs ran out of his home and shepherded his dogs back inside. He told me “They really are friendly dogs.  They just wanted to say hi.” Ha! I’m sorry, I can’t trust that they are friendly when they charge me while barking and growling. It was not funny then, but I can chuckle about a little bit now that I am relaying what happened.

Despite the false start, I fought through it. I even got on the elliptical afterwards for 20 minutes. Not only am I fighting now, I am on my way to actually becoming a runner. So far, I’ve lost about 8 pounds, give or take a pound or two depending on the day, and I am on my way to consistently exercising 300 minutes again. For my birthday, I started the day off with yoga and then a jog. Last Saturday, I returned to that boot camp style step class from hell for the 1^st time in a year. It was not a pretty sight, especially when she made us run around the studio three times, do 50 jumping jacks and then repeat until we did 400 jumping jacks. Well until they did 400 jumping jacks. I am not about that life, well not yet. I was proud of myself for keeping up pretty well for the jogging portion. I’ve also made some strides with my eating habits, but I must admit, changing my diet is a lot harder than adding exercise into my regime. 

My husband and I do plan on trying to get pregnant again, but for right now, I'm focused on getting healthy. I wasn't 10 pounds lighter the second go around; a goal I had previously set. I am determined to get there for the next pregnancy if that's in our cards. FIGHT OR RUN...DO BOTH!

Wish me luck guys. I hope you are all doing well. Sorry about the long hiatus and sorry about this extra long post.

Until next time…

P.S. I’d like to give special shout outs to Daft Punk (Around the World) and Disclosure (White Noise) for getting my jog started on a good foot. To Taylor Swift (Shake It Off) and Rich Homie Quan (Lifestyle) for helping me tough it out during the middle, and to Kiesza (Hideaway) for putting some life back into my jog for the last 4 minute stretch. Honorable mention goes to Charlie XCX; Boom Clap was the perfect cool down song.

P.P.S. 

Deuce Updates:

1. He tells me I embarrass him...he is still only 2
2. He is completely potty trained at school, but tells us he prefers pull ups at home
3. He is going through a superhero obsession. He pretends to talk to Commissioner Gordon. Apparently the joker has kidnapped 100 of New Orleans' finest citizens and something about central lock up

 Family Updates:

1. In one month Chris and I started new jobs and sold our house. That was only three months ago. We now live on the Westbank with my family while we look for a new home/fixer-upper. 
2. Plan A is to look for a fixer-upper in either a good neighborhood or an up and coming neighborhood that is at the tail end of transitioning into the next (Bywater, Marigny, Treme, etc). I know a fixer upper is a huge undertaking, but it's my second home and I want to put my own stamp on it. Plus I'm committed to finding a home in the city, not in the burbs or burbs adjacent.
3. If you know anyone who wants to unload blighted property in the nicer parts of Treme and Mid-City holla at your girl :). No seriously, please let me know.

-Ericka

Ericka: Catch the Wall Girl (3.8.14)

I had the most amazing work out this morning. Dancing Grounds grand re-opening was today, and in honor of the opening they had free sample classes from 10a-4pm today. I met up with a friend of mine and went to a class called "Work It Out". It was basically a hip-hop fitness class. The fitness level was basic. The class was made up of professional dancers as well as non-pro dancers of all ages and sizes. We started with a warm-up dance, then some isometrics, and then another dance that she kept building on. It didn't matter whether you caught on or not, as long as you kept moving. Towards the end of the class, the instructor, Laura, put on a bounce song. I'm ashamed to admit this as a native Nola girl, but it was the 1st time I've ever caught the floor or the wall. I must say it was a killer leg and calf work out. Then we got in a circle and she called people out to free style in the middle. Unfortunately, I made eye-contact, and I was one of the (un)lucky few to hop in the circle, so to speak. At the end of the class, she taught us the beginning of choreographed routine. On my way out of class, I checked in on the Salsa Sweat class and that looked like fun as well. It was salsa moves to hip-hop & R&B songs. They also have Bollywood lessons, ballet classes and more.

What I liked about the class was that the instructor was extremely friendly, the music was current, the dance moves were great, and it was a judgment free zone. I immediately signed up for a 6 month $33/month membership. I didn't even have to pay up front the entire amount. They're just going to automatically deduct it.  If you want to drop in on a class, the 1st one is only $5; normal drop-in rate is $12.

Dancing Grounds is located at 3705 St. Claude St. in the Bywater area. Here's a link to their page with the class schedule and other info: dancinggrounds.org! What prompted me to go was watching a few of their YouTube videos. When I saw them dancing to Grown Woman and Partition, I was sold. There's also a youth program! I'm thinking about signing Deuce up. If you like to dance, and don't want to feel like you're exercising, this is the place for you.

If you don't live near the Bywater area, there's also Dance Quarter on Toledano Uptown. I hear their dance trance class is phenomenal. http://dancequarter.com

Till next time,
E

Ericka: Debauchery, Repentance, & Penance (3.6.14)

When I last left you, I had just started my workout regime. Fast forward 2 weeks later, and I got sidelined by the doctor. I kept getting the same sinus infection, because A. I never took the medicine I was prescribed, and B. I didn't give myself enough time to get over the infection. The doc told me to take it easy. Well taking it easy to me meant no exercising. What's worse is when I don't exercise, I don't diet. Exercising gives me the extra push to be more mindful of what goes in my body, because I don't want to undue all of my hard work. So for the last few weeks I've been tail spinning into debauchery of catastrophic proportions. I'm talking sweet potato pie, ice cream, loads of potatoes, fried food, chips, chips n dip, chips ahoy, pizza...well you get where I'm going. It got so bad, that I started to crave healthy food. One day all I could think about was a kale salad topped with a little quinoa, black beans, cilantro, almonds, & avocado. all of my debauchery came to a head on Mardi Gras, and I started to rethink what I've been doing i.e repent.

Lent is my opportunity to hit the do over button. I, like most other people, use it as the chance to x out some of the bad habits from my life. My penance for my acts of gluttony is to give up the following: (1)Carbs after 3 (2)Soda (3) Unhealthy Desserts & (4) Alcohol. In addition to giving up those things, I vow to go to church once a week. I also aspire to do volunteer work or do something extraordinarily nice for someone else. Once I get the clear from my doctor to go back to exercising, which I'm hoping to get Tuesday, I vow to exercise at least 3 times a week.

So what are your Lenten vows?

Ericka: Run Jack Run/Funky Nola/Jogging w/an Amazon

Run Jack Run
Who knew a half-marathon would bring out the emo in me? This past Sunday, my friend Jacqueline participated in the Rock n Roll half-marathon; a feat she had been training for, at first in secret, over the last few months. For those of you who don't know, a half-marathon is a little over 13 miles. That's not just a physical challenge,it's also a mental challenge. After the 1st 5 miles, hell the 1st 1 mile if I was the participant, it becomes a battle of the wills. I and another friend of ours set up shop at the 12 mile mark to await her arrival. I saw a mother and son duo, he looked about 10 years old, and I teared up. I saw a father pushing his sick daughter in a jogging wheel chair; more tears. I saw an elderly gent keeping up with the best of them, and I welled up. I saw a woman who looked about 7 months pregnant, and I... had a moment of invidiousness, followed by a moment of "you go girl", and then a few tears. When I saw my friend come my way, I was filled with so much pride. She set a goal, and she was on her way to accomplishing it. Of course I shed another tear. By the time the man dressed as a banana rolled through, I was damn near bawling like a baby. Jack calculated that she would finish in 2 hours and 10 minutes. The marathon keepers estimated a finish time of 2 hours and 20 minutes. Jack beat both estimations, and finished in 2 hours and 4 minutes. Of course after witnessing Jack and all of her glory, I turned to my friend M and said, we are doing this next year. Two hours later I texted them and informed them if I couldn't complete it in 2 hours and 45 minutes or less, then I will have to graciously bow out. I just see myself jogging for what seems like 10 miles only to find out it's only been 3 miles after an hour. I also see myself saying "this is stupid" prior to exiting stage left after learning such tragic news lol. Nonetheless, despite my trepidation, I really do want to train to participate next year. First stop, teaching my body how to jog again. Second step, train for a 10K.

Side Note: Some of the participants did a full marathon, over 26 miles. They all run together, but when the half-marthoners stop, they keep going. I'm sorry, but seeing other people accomplish their goal while I still had another 13 miles to go would take the sails out of me. Kudos to those folks who kept going.


Funky NOLA
Monday I finally joined my friend Margaret for a Zumba class located at Funky Nola (1700 N. Broad). It was a great way to reintroduce my body to moving. The music was fun and selections included Latin, African, Reggaeton, and Hip-Hop. The instructor, Danielle Burrell, was really upbeat and kept a smile on her face. The class was all women, and their ages ranged from mid 20s to 60s. I would say the intensity level is moderate. You will definitely burn some calories and sweat. Classes are Mondays at 6 p.m., Thursdays at 7 p.m., and Saturdays at 9 a.m. A drop in class is $10, but for $60 you can purchase a 10 class punch card. I will definitely go again. For more info go to www.facebook.com/Zumba.Danielle1

Jogging w/an Amazon
Last week my co-worker/friend and I decided that we should start going for 30 minute power walks/jogs 3 days a week at 4:15 p.m. Ev is a working mom like myself, and has had trouble finding the time to exercise. Working parents have a lot against them when it comes to finding time to exercise. Evenings are hard because there is only one gym, that I know of, that provides babysitting care. That gym is not convenient to get to because it's all the way in Harahan. Besides, even if I went to that gym in the evenings, I would be taking my kid from one daycare to another. I would probably get to the gym at 6:00 p.m. at the earliest, pound out an hour and then head home.  I would then get home around 7:45, then cook, feed Deuce, give him a bath, and then send him to bed. Even though  my husband and I split the household duties, I still wouldn't get a chance to spend any quality time with my kid or my husband. The other option is of course waking up early in the morning, but rest time is so valuable. However, I am still going to work my way up to doing that. So getting in a quick 30 minutes in the afternoon is a great compromise. When I used to go at lunch, I would spend an hour and 20 minutes on walking to the gym, working out, showering, and then walking back. I would then have to make up that time by working late. By going around 4:15-4:30, I can just go home afterwards or even go back up to my office for a little while, because I usually don't meet with clients after 4, since our office closes at 5pm, and my co-workers are heading home for the day.

Ev is tall, has long legs, and is not a southerner. If you're from the south, especially from New Orleans, you know we tend to walk a little slower. I blame our stroll on the heat and humidity as well as our devil may care attitude. Yesterday was our first day. We started off with a 5 minute warm-up. I thought we were walking at a fast paced, but apparently we were not by Ev's standards. After the 5 minute warm-up, I told her that I was going to jog 60 seconds then walk 90 seconds for 20 minutes. She then responded that she will pick the pace up on her walk to keep up. Here I thought that was her fast walk. My jog was only a few paces ahead of her walk, and by the end, her walk was neck and neck with my jog. Ev's power walk didn't even seem that fast. It wasn't like the power walkers you see in the neighborhood or at the mall. I  blame her long legs, and my slow jog trot. At the end of the jog, my legs were burning.  Afterwards I tried to go to the new Whole Foods to pick up a few things to make myself a nice healthy salad. When I exercise, it compels me to eat better too. However, the lines were ridiculous, and I had to leave without getting anything, much to the dismay of my kid who started crying and screaming "I want some food". I instead I had 2 fresh spring pork rolls from Pho Orchid; not the healthiest, but not bad either. This morning I made myself a nice smoothie, and I brought beef pho for lunch today. I only ate half, and I'm saving the rest for tomorrow's lunch. 

Ev and I met up again today, and my jog trot did not get any better. However, Ev was a great motivator, and she helped me to push myself. Thanks Ev! We plan on doing it again tomorrow. 

Side Note: This morning, I woke up with delayed muscle soreness, and it has stuck with me throughout the day. I love that feeling. I could go for a nice deep tissue massage, because it hurts so good. My workouts these 3 days weren't even that strenuous; that's a testament to how out of shape I am. I can't believe just last August I could do 20 minutes of straight jogging, but now I'm winded after a jog/walk. I can't dwell on what could have/should have been. I just have to keep moving forward.

Thank You
Finally, I would be remissed if I didn't say thank you to the countless emails, text messages, and social media comments offering tips to help me stay on track and offering to be my work-out buddy. Thanks for the encouragement. I really appreciate it. 

Good Night,
E

Ericka: The Game Plan 1.8.14

Lack of preparation gets me every time. You can't just get up and say, "I'm going to make a change" without the tools to actually help you accomplish your goals. Well, at least I can't. For me, the battle of the bulge struggle is real.

Healthy Food Choices:
The first thing I need to attack are my food choices. Two weeks ago, I went to the grocery store and purchased all of this healthy food. I pretty much stuck to the outer aisles, i.e the fresh fruits & veggies aisles. Although my refrigerator was stock piled with a lot of food, every time I opened the door, I didn't know what to cook and didn't have any quick go to snacks. I ended up making a delicious salad (my go to for the last 2 weeks have been a caprese salad, a kale salad with avocado in it, and a red cabbage salad with cilantro and Asian sesame dressing) and devouring the entire salad at once. Lessons learned: (1)Plan my meals prior to going to the grocery store, and (2) add protein to salads to make them more filling.

Exercise:
Here is my dilemma. I no longer have a gym membership. Chris' membership was paid in part by his last job, which took some of the financial burden off of us.We were members at Elmwood Downtown with access to the main gym on the weekends starting on Friday evening. It was convenient, because I could walk to the downtown location and get in a workout on my lunch break. In addition, the main gym had childcare which was very helpful on Saturday mornings. So now that a gym membership is no longer in the budget, I have to figure out other ways to make time for exercise. I am an early riser so in theory I could work out first thing in the morning at 5:30 a.m. In actuality however, getting out of my nice cozy bed that early is not very appealing. It would be easier if I had a partner that was getting up too, but Chris is definitely not a morning person. However, I am making it my mission to commit to waking up early 3 times a week and exercise for at least 30 minutes. This will require packing all of our lunches and picking out my work outfit the night before. Oy vey! When I get home from work, all I want to do is chill out and decompress. I also want to get back to jogging. I swear I lost the most weight when I adhered to a jogging routine. I always felt a sense of accomplishment after a jog. I could measure my success through my jogs. I saw myself go from walking most of the jog to jogging the entire 30 minutes.  Now I have to start all over again. I'm considering working through lunch twice a week in order to get off a little early for a jog through downtown. Right now, I'm all about free exercise.

Support System:
As aforementioned, I like a work out buddy. I hate to admit this, but I am a misery loves company kind of gal, at least when it comes to exercise. I don't want to get up early in the morning and watch my husband sleep blissfully as I put on my workout gear. I want Chris to be my workout partner, but I don't think he is mentally ready for it. When we did have a membership, he rarely went during lunch. In fairness, although the gym was close to his job, walking distance even, it would take him 15 to minutes to get there vs my 5 minute walk. Driving wasn't an option, because by the time he got out of the garage and parked, he wasted 20 minutes. He did make it sometimes, but he never went to the HIIT class I begged him to go to with me. He went once, walked out of the class after 15 minutes and never tried it again. Yes the class was intense, but it was doable. I think he got intimidated. He blamed it on his head cold. We were doing the Saturday thing for awhile, but working out once a week is not going to cut it. Every once in awhile he joined me for a Nike training routine, but  we couldn't get it in most evenings. It just isn't feasible. Between picking up Deuce, spending time with him, cooking, and preparing for the next day, our evening is over before it even starts. In the summer and spring I could take Deuce to the park after school and push him in my jogging stroller, Chris usually didn't join me. But going to the park in the evening is not an option right now, because it gets dark so early. So what am I going to do? Chris has his weekly bowling league; I need something for myself. Perhaps my sister would be interested in meeting up once a week to exercise at each other's homes. I also need to learn how to motivate myself without the support of others.

If you guys have any ideas, be it healthy meal suggestions, how to fit exercise in a busy schedule, or meetups please feel free to comment.

E

Ericka: Resolutions 1/3/2014

It's a New Year, so why not take this time to reflect on the good and the bad of 2013, and resolve to do better in 2014.

2013:
The Good:

• 9 weddings. While that seems exhausting, and it was, it was also quite beautiful to be among the few who were selected to witness such a loving commitment between 2 people. 
• My son- humble brag alert: Deuce has proven to be a force to be reckoned with. He is intelligent, funny, silly, inquisitive, loquacious, and bad as hell. The boy's vocabulary has expanded from about 10 words by the time he turned 1 to communicating using 7-8 word sentences by the time he turned 2 in November. Some of the words have been choice words, and while it can be quite embarrassing, he sure knows how to use the words and phrases appropriately. At first blamed I my dad for my child's foul language, but after taking an inventory of my own communication skills, I realized I am to blame too. But then again, I am my dad's child, so it's still his fault! I am so proud of my little boy, and he embodies the phrase "Love is you."
• My husband- Chris has stepped out of faith and left a very good job in order to pursue other career endeavors. 2014 is your year baby, and I am proud of you. 
• My Family- We have seen each other through some good times and  tough times. The Garnett-Windon-Smith-Stanfill-Cunningham clan is still in tact and closer than ever. 
• Myself- I've started to take my career by the horns by networking, which I loathe, and even creating a new program at my job. This blog, based on the feedback from a lot of folks, has shown me that I have another talent. While physical fitness is still my goal, I may incorporate a lifestyle aspect to this blog.

The Bad:

• This year I've learned being content and happy with the status quo. The only way to get to where you want to be is by pushing yourself to do better and be better.
• I didn't meet my fitness goals, but I am going to keep on trying. Nothing beats a failure, but a try.
• I've lost some loved ones this year, and I miss them dearly. However, I have to believe there is something bigger than us in order for me to cope with these losses. 
• Watching your loved ones deal with the loss of the child and not knowing how to help. A child represents hope and bright possibilities. When you lose a child, you lose a little bit of your heart. However, my loved ones who are going through this are proving to be quite resilient. I know they will have another baby one day. 

Not too bad. Clearly I have room for improvement, which we all do. I am a work in progress.

2014 Resolutions:

My friend suggested writing down what I want to accomplish, and perhaps that will make me stick to it more. I would hate to be making the same resolutions on January 1, 2015. 

1. Get Healthy- Eat better, live better, and exercise. I definitely want to restart exercising at least 300 minutes a week. When I had a goal, it was a great motivator. I also want to try out new & revisit various exercise programs. Bikram yoga, jogging consistently, and maybe even crossfit, are all on my to do list. I have to start going to my Saturday morning class more often. When I went last Saturday, I was seeing stars and my lower back started getting sore after the 1st 5 minutes; a sign that I am out of shape. 
2. Treat My Hair With Respect- I decided to stop getting a relaxer back in May of 2009. I love the versatility of natural hair. If I want to wear it big, I can. If I want to wear it sleek and straight, I can. However, the maintenance is the same as when I used to get relaxers. I have been lax in the maintenance department. I go longer than I should between washes, I don't do nearly as many deep conditioning treatments as I should, nor as many trims, and I do not have a proper night time routine to prevent breakage. If I want the really big hair that I crave, I have to do better. I may do a 30 days of protective styles challenge. We shall see.   
3. Get Pregnant- Yeah that's on my list, and I slipped it in at 3rd. Hopefully my mom doesn't read this and get too excited. (Mom, if you are reading this, don't get your hopes up and no pressure).This resolution is out of my hands for the most part. What is in my hands is preparing my body for pregnancy through eating right, exercising, and getting on a consistent vitamin routine.
4. Be a better wife, sister, friend, daughter, granddaughter etc. I noticed that I am not good at keeping the lines of communication open. I am usually the callee/textee not the caller/texter. With my husband, I leave my problems at the front door, which is my coping mechanism. However, I need to share all aspects of my life with him. He is, after all, my partner. 
5. Cook more and eat out less. Self-explanatory.

Here's to making new memories in 2014. Happy New Year!

And now a glimpse of 2013. A retrospective in pictures.