30, Flirty, and Thriving...

When I was young I remember one birthday of my mom's. It was her 30th birthday. I remember that she did not like it. Chad and I tried to make her feel better and tell her all the good things about her and why turning 30 was good.

This year, on a hot August 9th morning, is that same birthday. A year ago I wasn't happy that I was in my last year of my 20s. I am not that young of a pup anymore. I am getting older, I can't bounce back like I was in high school or college. I get tired sooner and I get worn-out faster. I am not saying I am falling apart but there definitely is a difference from my early 20s. And I just wasn't happy where I was in terms of my body, I used to be runner and I was a bit chubby and not running or anything.

So the month before my 29th birthday I decided on a present to myself. I wanted to get back in shape. Back to my running days weight (lose 20 lbs by the time I turn 30), and back into running like I used to. My body screamed at me when I started to run. I was only running 4 minutes at first, and my body hated every second. It felt like forever some days, because my body hasn't ran for 8 years. I slowly, and I mean s-l-o-w-l-y, lengthened my run. I only went longer when my body felt like it could handle a change.

The other hard part was finding the time to run. I can't run with a jogging stroller (and there is nothing against those that use one, its just not my thing). So finding the time to run without the girls was tough too. David has a crazy schedule, and sometimes I am running at 6 AM and other times I wait till late morning or evening. So I really had to be tough some mornings. But in the summer those early mornings are nice.

At first I was not seeing any results. Just my body aching in places that I really had no idea could ache, and my legs were hating me and revolting. I felt like I was getting tired at night sooner then normal. I decided to add in some weight training with some good old "Core Secrets" I had from a few years back. So the days I don't run I do 45 minutes of "Core Secrets." Now I was starting to see some results. My body wasn't revolting against me, it was actually feeling good during my runs. I think it was because my muscles were stronger

Then I decided I needed to change some eating habits, of course after I let my body get over the shock of running. This took some major self control. I cut out night time snacking! This is really tough, and on occasions I still have something (especially the nights when David takes out a sleeve of girl scout thin mints to watch a movie- he knows my weakness -thin mints with a glass of milk). I have even turned into a label reader. I used to think that it was crazy to do it. But now I am aware of what I am eating, and if I should or shouldn't eat it. And it has also helped me make healthy choices for my family (modify recipes to take out unnecessary ingredients or make substitutions). I still have 3 meals a day and eat snacks with my girls, so I am not starving myself.

What were my results? Did I meet my goals? Can I give myself an awesome present that only I could give myself? I sure did! I am back to my college/wedding weight (132 lbs). I am back down to a size 4 (I was a borderline size 12 a year ago, mostly 10 though). I feel so good, and I like how I look. And exercising is just apart of my life now, if I miss a day I feel crappy (and I believe my family would tell you I am even crabby when I miss), and of course Sunday I don't-that is my nap day. The only draw back to losing my 20 lbs, I lost a good amount in my chest. I am sad to say my B-R-A (haha mom and kits!!!!) is back down to an A cup, Grrrrr. And despite all my efforts, I still have a little tummy pooch, but its okay!

BRING ON MY 30s!!!!!! HAPPY 30th BIRTHDAY TO (the new) ME!