Do Whacha Gotta Do!

Last Wednesday our baby boy, Roman, had surgery to have his tonsils and adenoids removed. It was heart breaking to see him in so much pain.  But I have to share a special moment that I will remember for a long time.  First of all, let me backtrack to last year when Michael had to have surgery to get tubes in his ears. I remember the whole day just being so troublesome because I was so uncomfortable in my own body.  I remember trying to sit in the chair next to his bed and try to get as close to him as I could. It was so difficult because I couldn't even fit in the chair properly and I was too big to lean into the bed, therefore not being able to comfort him as I so badly wanted to.  Well this year at the hospital, as Roman recovered from his surgery I was able to actually get in the bed with him and cuddle with him and bring my child the much needed comfort and cuddles he needed and deserved from his Mommy.  It was such a huge blessing!  Sometimes I get a feeling of guilt come over me that Gabrielle didn't get to experience the healthier me when she was younger but I quickly try to refocus and be grateful for the amazing future we get to enjoy together (Lord willing!)  Here is a picture of me with Michael in the hospital last year, and one of me and Roman this year:

Last week I only made it to the gym one day because of Roman's surgery.  I was too exhausted to get up Thursday and Friday at 5:30am to go to the gym after keeping an eye on him all night.  But I realized that there are so many things we can do around the house to workout and keep fit.  I am blessed to own a Wii Fit but I know not everyone has one of those.  One night last week after the kids were in bed, I took out the Wii Fit, put the balance board on my step aerobics "step" and did a free step for 30 minutes while watching one of my recorded shows from that week. I also held on to my 5lb hand weights while doing the steps and did a bunch of lifts with them while stepping.  It was intense!  My arms were killing me after and the next day my calves were killing me.  It hurt to walk.  It's weird because I do the treadmill and bike at the gym every time I go, but obviously steps use a different muscle that I had not been working out before.  It felt "good" to be in so much "pain" though! haha  The next night I took out my exercise mat and did a bunch of push-ups, sit ups and again used my hand weights for some other core exercises.  If you have stairs in your house, you can go up and down them a few times, stopping on each one to do leg extensions (stand on the edge of the stairs on your tippy toe and go up and down).  Or jump up each step with both legs at the same time.  If you have toddlers, pick them up and raise them above your head - they LOVE it and you get a work out!  And then there's the good, old fashioned WALKING!  With the nice weather coming now, there's no reason to not get outside and be active!  Even if you're over 300lbs, just moving will help you lose weight.  I know that this might sound like the pot calling the kettle black, but I really wish I had tried harder to get moving outside when I was at my heaviest.  It doesn't take a lot to get the calories burning when you are at such a high weight, but I always had an excuse.  Some of them were valid excuses like severe back pain.  But there comes a time when you need to push through it.  It's just a matter of doing what ya gotta do!  This spring and summer, I plan to do as much outdoor activities with my family as possible.  It's not only healthy physically, but it builds strong family bonds and creates memories for a lifetime!

Today was a gorgeous day. I decided to take Roman for a short bike ride to a park a couple blocks away. My bike wasn't working properly so I walked while he rode his.  It was so nice to reflect back to last summer when walking was a lot easier after having lost 40lbs and then to think how today walking is so much easier than even last summer with now over 140lbs gone.  I'm so excited about all of the activities I will be able to do with my family this summer with this new, healthier body.  In one month I will be doing my first 5K race.  I'm really looking forward to it!  I'm also hoping to sign up for a couple more 5 or 10k races that the kids can do with me.  They love running and think it's cool to do it with Mommy!

Well this past week I lost 1lb for a total loss of 143lbs.  I'm still hoping to lose a total of 159-165lbs by the time we go to Alberta in July.  It's doable - just gotta stay focused!

I took my monthly picture a couple of days late, but better late than never!  Actually, Gabrielle took them for me!  So here is my monthly progress picture.  It was getting too long to post every single month so here is every second month from August on...

Before signing off, I want to give a shout out to my sister and brother-in-law who just completed a 9-week challenge in fitness.  They did fabulous and look fantastic!  Here is the link to her blog if you'd like to see the results! http://sculptureofstrength.blogspot.ca/2013/04/the-stats-are-in.html

Have a great week everyone and stay active!

Total loss: 143lbs