drop it LOW

W.O.W.


seriously pathetic, how long it's been since i last blogged anything. a LOT has been going on. jim being home now is like he never left. crazy, how that is. we've been doing a TON of remodeling which has been extremely stressful and overwhelming. i was without a kitchen for a super long time and had to blend my shakes in my bedroom vanity area and wash dishes in my bathroom sink. SO glad we are past that now. i will never take for granted a working kitchen ever again!


zumba has continued to be my passion and my escape. i am so grateful i found my beloved friend, michaela. honestly, if it had been any other instructor, i am not sure i would have gravitated to it as much as i have. she was there for me, bringin' the sweat and the smiles during the most difficult time in jim's deployment and i am forever grateful to her...for her talents, positive nature and friendship. i never thought an instructor at the gym would turn into one of my best friends, but she has. i've also made other friends which i can easily say will be lifelong ones.


i've been stuck around 130+ pounds, which has been highly abnormal and annoying for me. even with all my exercise, something wasn't working. i finally splurged on a heart rate monitor and discovered what i was *actually* burning. you see, when i'd work out, i'd assume i was burning 800+ calories per hour, and so i would eat my calories. the garmin on my wrist told me otherwise. i felt defeated...even thought it was broken?! haha... nope. i had to face the fact that i am on the smaller side and just don't burn that many calories when i exercise. in reality, i burn 350-400 per hour. my turn-around was the combination of: zumba, shakeology, heart rate monitor & myfitnesspal.com. myfitnesspal has been an excellent resource for tracking my weight, calories, water, etc. BAM. the weight began to come off. i am pleased to say i have lost about ten pounds, which is exactly what i wanted. 


remember my BEFORE photos? 

here i am now, at 121 pounds:

                    

i still have a bit of side roll going on, but i am going to faithfully continue what i've been doing because - it works!! and if you want to join me at zumba sometime, let me know - i'd love that!