How to Get Started

With a new year fast approaching, we all get excited about a fresh start and tend to focus on our health a little bit more.  I am by no means an expert nor do I have all of the answers, but am honored that a sweet friend came to me for some help on how to get started with a running plan and lifestyle change.  There are so many resources out there that it can definitely be overwhelming.  Here are the top 10 tips on how to get started.  Again these are just tips that helped me get started and have helped me maintain this new lifestyle for the last 18 months.

1.  Set a 'reasonable' and 'measurable' goal, as well as a non-food reward!  
    ~  Sign up for a race
    ~  A weight loss goal.  If weight loss is a goal make sure that you not only record your weight, but also your measurements (i.e. chest, hips, waist, hips, thigh, calf, neck).  Through this journey there may be periods of time where your weight may stabilize (or even slightly increase), that's why it's good to have your measurements too.  Also, please make sure that you don't weigh yourself more than once a week.  It is so easy to allow this area of your life to become an idol and we can easily get obsessed with this number.
    ~  An increase in distance or speed by a specific date
    ~  Make sure that your goals are high enough that you must develop consistency in your lifestyle to achieve, but not too high that you set yourself up for failure.
    ~  Once you reach your goal, quickly establish a new one so that you stay motivated and focused.
    ~  Establish a reward for yourself when you achieve your goal.  This could be a new outfit, new gear, a trip to the spa, a quiet day to yourself etc.

2.  Establish Accountability!  
    ~  Find a friend working on the same goal.  Workout together or find a time where you can touch base to check on each other.
    ~  Sign up on www.dailymile.com.  This is a great site to record your workouts, hold yourself accountable and encourage others on their journey.  If you get signed up on there, please let me know and we can help encourage each other!
    ~  Put your workouts on your calendar.  This can be done an app, on the calendar on your phone or find a weekly planner.  I just recently ordered a life planner from Erin Condren and will be putting my workouts, meal plans and goals in it.

3.  Establish Workout Plan!  
   ~  The Couch to 5k Program is a great app for beginner runners.   
   ~  Cross Training and Strength Training are just as important as running.  They help build strength, prevent injuries and help prevent boredom.  This could include biking, walking, weight lifting, push ups, sit ups, jump rope, circuit training, etc.  Make this fun!  I currently spend 3 days a week running and 3 days cross/strength training.
  ~  Establish Consistency - If possible workout at the same time every day while remaining flexible when 'life' happens.
  ~  Establish 1 or 2 rest days (days where you don't workout at all) a week to allow our body to recover.  These days are just as important as the days you workout!

4.  Meal Plan with the 80/20 Rule!
  ~  Take baby steps in adjusting your eating habits.  I plan on 80% of my meals being healthy.
  ~  There are a lot of great resources out there to help you find some great healthy recipes.  Here's a few of my favorites.
      * Dashing Dish is a great resource.  Katie has a ton of great recipes where she's created healthy alternatives to the foods and dishes we love!
      * Clean Eating magazine is a great resource too. 

5.  Gear - Take care of your feet!
  ~  Shoes - Good shoes are one of the most important things you'll need for this journey.  There are a lot of different brands out there.  Brooks have definitely been my favorite.
  ~  Mileage - It's also important to keep track of the miles you put on a pair of shoes.  It's recommended that you don't put more than 400-500 miles on a pair of shoes.
  ~  Socks - I also find a good pair of running socks to be equally important. Pearl Izumi socks are my absolute favorite running/workout socks.  They are fairly expensive for a pair of socks, but worth every penny.

6.  Get your family involved.
  ~  Go for a walk together
  ~  Workout together
  ~  Plan your meals together
  ~  Run a race together
  ~  Let your kids watch you workout (there's nothing like my four year old asking me how my run went).

7.  Track your progress.
  ~  Write down your progress in a journal
  ~  Share your success and failures with those closest to you for encouragement, prayer, and support.

8.  Don't let a busy schedule, weather or traveling cause you to get off track.
  ~  Most hotels have a great fitness area.  I have found utilizing them makes travel much more bearable.
  ~  Explore the great outdoors when on vacation.
  ~  Stay flexible in your schedule.  If there's a day where you can't get a run in, then change it up where you do various circuits where all you need is your body (i.e. push ups, sit ups, squats, jump rope, planks, etc.)

9.  DRINK WATER.
 ~  Quite simply drink water and drink a lot of it.
 ~  I would strongly encourage you to cut out ALL soda through this journey (including diet).
 ~  Most resources recommend that you drink a minimum of half your body weight in ounces on a daily basis.  For example a person who weighs 140 pounds should drink at least 70 ounces of water each day.
~  If you get bored with water, try adding some fruit to it (oranges, lemons and strawberries are my favorite).  I take a little time on Sunday afternoons to slice fruit to go in my water for the week.

10.  Enjoy the journey and take it one day at a time!
  ~  Find a bible verse or quote that you can memorize, post and just keep you motivated and encouraged.

As most of you know my favorite bible verse for my health, fitness and spiritual journey is Hebrews 12:1-2.

The key to my success has been planning!  Sit down think about these tips and develop a system that will work for you and your family!  If there's anything else I can do to help you get started, feel free to contact me!  I truly enjoy sharing my journey :)

Blessings,

Krystal

Pumpkin Protein Muffins

As I recently shared, I'm beginning the Holiday Shred by N Her Shoes on Monday.  I've enjoyed getting organized and ready for this over the last couple of days.  I've also spent today grocery shopping and prepping my meals.  I've previewed the workouts for the week, looked over the meals and enjoyed reading all of the introductions of everyone in my group.

One of the recipes was for some Pumpkin Muffins, which called for a pumpkin muffin mix from places like Whole Foods, Trader Jo's, etc.  As I've shared before, we live in rural America and sometimes these items are difficult to find.  I was so excited about the Pumpkin Muffins, that I went to the internet and began searching for healthy pumpkin muffin recipes and was so excited when I came across the recipe below.  These are so good!  I'll definitely be making them again.  And moms, the kids really like them too!  This recipe was adapted from www.dashingdish.com.

Pumpkin Protein Muffins

Ingredients:

1 Cup Canned Pumpkin
1/2 Cup Applesauce (usweetened)
1/2 Cup Low-fat Vanilla Greek Yogurt
3 Egg Whites
1 3/4 Cup Old Fashioned Oats
1/4 Cup Vanilla Protein Powder
12 Packets of Stevia
1 tsp Baking Soda
2 tsp Baking Powder
1/4 tsp Salt
1 1/2 tsp Cinnamon
1/2 tsp Pumpkin Pie Spice
1/4 Cup Dark Chocolate Chips (cold substitute raisins or nuts)


1.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Spray a 12-cup muffin pan with non-stick cooking spray.  Set aside.

2.  In a food processor, mix all the ingredients together.  Blend until oats are ground and mixture is smooth.

3.  Divide mixture among muffins tins, and place into pre-heated oven.  Bake for 15-20 minutes or until tops are lightly golden brown.

4.  Cool muffins before removing from pan.

I'm really excited about this journey!

Blessings,

Krystal

A New Plan

After running a couple half marathons, I've been on the search for a new and fresh workout and meal plan in an effort to not get burned out and/or prevent getting bored.  I also don't want to get distracted from this journey during the Holiday season.  I've followed Bobbi with N Her Shoes for quite some time.  There's so many areas of life that I can relate to with Bobbi and I've enjoyed getting to know her through her blog.  She's a wife, mom, runner, enjoys cross training and is also a christian.  I've seen her share multiple times about her 'Shred' programs and decided to check it out.

With her 2013 Holiday Shred Program she provides a running training plan, cross training workouts, meal plans, shopping list and support!  I'm so excited to try something new while still maintaining the effort up to this point.

I love how God can use technology to bring inspirational, positive and Christ centered individuals into our life.  I'm so excited to have a plan this holiday season so that I can take care of my health journey, while focusing on more important areas of my life! 

Blessings to you this Thanksgiving and Christmas season,

Krystal

Stress Free Family Photo Planning!

As you have probably noticed a lot of my recent posts have been around finding contentment and reducing stress while living in rural America.  With the exception of about 4 months, I have lived my entire life in Rural America and I wouldn't change it for anything.  I lived in the panhandle of Texas until I was 10, in western Kansas from ages 10 to 19, and then I've been in Eastern Colorado for 12 years now.  Every where I've lived there's never been a Wal-Mart or clothing shop down the road and that is OK!

My husband and I both work outside the home so weekend trips to stock up on groceries, or go clothes shopping is just not a great use of our time and quite frankly we don't really enjoy it either.  If we leave town it's usually to go see family, go run a race or do something fun, or just enjoy some time together.  And all of the other times we would rather just enjoy some quiet family time at home!

Here's a list of reasons we do so much of our shopping online:
1.  Save on time
2.  Save on fuel expense
3.  Save on eating out while shopping
4.  Save on impulse buys
5.  Save on Sales Tax (we don't have a local sales tax where our house is located so IF we do have to pay sales tax, it's only state sales tax, which is 2.9% as compared to 7.4% in say Brighton)
6.  Convienience of having our purchases delivered to our door, plus the ability to shop a variety of stores all at once.
7.  More and more vendors are offering free shipping

And the list can go on...

I shared a facebook post sharing about how we buy a lot of our household and grocery items through www.walmart.com and www.amazon.com.  We have arranged an area in our storage room to store some products in bulk and it makes daily living so much easier!

This leads me to my newfound appreciation for Stitch Fix!  I shared last month about my first 'fix' and how it all works.  I was so happy the first time, that I signed up for another fix.  Having family pictures taken every fall is something that is so near and dear to my heart, which unfortunately results in stressful planning for outfits.  I remember last year I was in tears and stressing about what everyone was going to wear the very night before our pictures.  I remember having clothes for everyone thrown all over my bed, trying to mix and match everyone's clothes.  I did finally get something put together AND we have an incredibly talented photographer, Cherished Snapshots, that helped cover my defeat in planning!

I typically pic a couple colors to work with when planning photos (but am by no means an expert).  We've done red & black, teal & purple, teal & denim, etc.  This year I wanted to do brown and olive/army green.  I love picking out clothes for my kids and my husband, but have always gotten stressed over picking out my own clothes.  I went out on a huge limb this year and let Stitch Fix help me out this time. When scheduling my second fix, I let them know I was planning family photos and what colors we were doing.  I also knew that if it didn't go well with Stitch Fix, I wasn't going to have a whole lot of time to come up with Plan B.  After losing 30 pounds, I'm still rebuilding my closet over time, so I don't have a whole lot of green items that would work for pictures.

I could not have been more thrilled with what they selected for me.  They chose this olive green jacket (which also has a drawstring on the inside) on the top left in the picture below, which I plan on pairing with a brown/cream shirt, some skinny jeans and boots.  I didn't even give the Stitch Fix shopper a picture of what everyone else is wearing, and I think she nailed it!!!

They also gave me a couple other items as a back up in case I didn't like the jacket.  They included this adorable brown cardigan and infinity scarf, which I could have put together completely different outfits together as well (and yes, I kept these items as well).  Sorry for not including pictures of me trying them on, just didn't have the energy to set up the tripod and all that fun stuff!

I still need to add a couple accessories and finish planning the rest of the details for everyones outfits, but the major decisions are done and ready and I couldn't be more excited for family pictures in a couple weeks.

A huge sigh of relief for this mom!  Also, don't forget that Stitch Fix has a great referral program too. For every friend that uses your referral code and receives their first 'fix,' you receive a $25 credit towards your next fix.  A great way to share your experience with a friend and make your next fix a little easier on your budget!

Blessings,

Krystal

A Little Spot of Joy!

My family and I have been so busy the last several months, that I haven't even had a chance to get some of my fall decorations out.  This evening I needed just a little time to put together a little corner of joy in our dining room.  Our dining room is definitely one of my favorite rooms in our home.  My mom always made it a priority for us to sit down and have a meal together each and every evening and for that I am grateful.  We also make that a priority in our home and it's such a special time to reconnect from the day.  I will admit there are still evening meals where the kids are flopping in and out of their chairs and evenings where we might be terrified if we counted how many times we have to ask our kids to 'eat their supper,' but it's worth every minute!

My dear husband gave me such a hard time for purchasing a new house plant today as I haven't had the greatest history with keeping them alive, but I'm determined to prove him wrong!  So here goes...  Last weekend the kids and I went to Kansas to visit my Mom & Dad and while we were there, my Mom, Kylee and I went to Salina to surprise my sister in law on the opening day of her store CJ's Creative Marketplace.  While we were there, I found this cute 'FALL' banner.  It was such a joy to see the smile on her face on this special day!  If you're in the Salina, KS area, I highly encourage you to check out her store!!!

This table has some other very special pieces placed on it.  My mother gave me the bread basket in the picture below, the milk glass was my great grandmother's and this camera was my great grandfather's first camera.  My grandparents told me a couple years ago that they had this old camera.  They knew how much I loved pictures and cameras, so when we were there this summer we looked and looked in their basement to find it and the pure joy I had when we found it was absolutely priceless!

What may just seem like a table is a very special corner of joy for me, full of love, memories and the encouragement to create new memories!  Thanks for letting me share just a little corner of joy from my home.  May you also enjoy a little corner of joy in your home!

Blessings,

Krystal

Another Half Marathon!

Back in June I ran the Slackers Half Marathon race, which was such an incredible experience.  I also learned so much from that race.  One of the difficult lessons I learned was that I must be careful when choosing a race to run.  I have to be cautious for both my spiritual and physical health.  As I've wrote about in the past, I got a migraine two days before my first half marathon race due to stressing over the race and allowing my fitness to become an idol.  What was a way to relieve stress became my stress.

Like many runners, I am much more committed and dedicated on a daily and weekly basis if I have a goal to works towards, which is one of the many reasons that races are so valuable.  A dear friend and fellow running pal came across US Road Running, which is a site dedicated to virtual races.  The way that it works, is you register for a race (which they have all sorts of different themed, monthly, team races, etc.) online.  The fee is really reasonable, simply to cover the administrative costs and costs of the medals.  With some of the races they mail you your medal right away and you can have it ready for race day and others you log back in after your race, record your time and then they mail you your medal with your name and time on the back of the medal.  You can then run your race at any location (indoors or outdoors) at any time (within the guidelines of the chosen race).

I absolutely loved this idea for so many reasons.  Living in rural America it can be a challenge to travel to the larger races, therefore a virtual race is less expensive, easier on my family and a lot less stressful for this runner and yet, still gave me a great goal to work towards.  A group of us then picked a date, picked our distances, set our goals and got registered!  I registered for the Movie Madness Half Marathon, which is a virtual half marathon that you can complete anytime during 2013.  I was so excited to receive my medal in the mail and then I sat it on the shelf to wait for 'race day', which I happen to receive the same day as a new pair of running shoes.  Oh happy day!!!

I didn't feel near the anxiety in the days leading up to the race that I did for my last half marathon.  I'm not sure if it was the fact that I had already proved to myself that I could actually run the distance, the fact that I was able to sleep in my own bed the night before or the fact that I had an amazing group to run with and support each other.  God truly has blessed me with an incredible group of supportive and encouraging people along this journey and the fact that we never get tired of talking about 'running' with each other is a bonus.

Race day finally arrived!  I usually run really early in the morning, so waiting to run at 8:00 am was a bit of a challenge, but it was just too cold for us to start any easier!  We went a little early so that the kids and I could create a finish line.

Then it was time for a quick picture before we got started!

We had such a sweet supporter who set up a water station for us and the greatest little guy rooting for us as we went by!  And just look at the fall colors we enjoyed on this run!

My very sweet husband traveled around the various locations taking pictures, while also being there to love and support me on this race.  He blessed me so much by making me feel like this race was just as important as a race that had 10,000 people running!  I just love him so much!

I made a 4 mile loop around our small town several times and then finished the last 1.1 miles on some side streets! At mile 8 my dear husband had a water bottle ready for me.  He also drove around to various spots so that him and the kids could encourage me and make sure I was doing okay.

Because of this being a virtual race, my precious girl was able to join me for part of my half marathon.  

Her original plan was to run the last mile with me, but after about 1/2 a mile her little tummy was hurting, so she headed back towards Daddy and celebrated coming across the finish line as well, while I finished out the final portion of my run!

I made it and my little dude had my medal at the finish line.  There's nothing sweeter than the loving support of my dear family at a finish line, even if it's a finish line that only a few have crossed and one we drew out with sidewalk chalk.  I'll take it!!!

 

I finished this half marathon in 2:20:21 (average pace of 10:42), which was about 7 minutes faster than my first half marathon race.  My goal was to keep my average pace under 11:00 minute miles, so I was excited!  

I love this little guy, he cheered for mommy and was the first one to say 'good job mommy' after crossing the finish line.  Those words my friends, make every single strike to the pavement worth it!

It brought me to tears when this sweet girl came running up to me to join me for part of my race.  She's definitely starting to enjoy this support.  Although I would love for her to enjoy running the same as I have come to do, my real hope is that she see's how running has changed her mommy's health, life and the way God has used it to draw me closer to Him!

God used this race to teach me once again!  A lesson in contentment!  I don't need a big racing event with a lot of people, a fancy venue, multiple water stations or an overnight stay somewhere to enjoy a great run (although those races are fun too).  All I need is God's strength, great friends, an incredible family and an open heart to enjoy the view of where I'm at right now!  Well... and a good pair of running shoes.  I can't wait to do another virtual race.  Now to put another race on the calendar!

Blessings,

Krystal

Yet Another Project

About 8 years ago my husband and I rushed into the idea of having a home.  The struggle at the time was I was still finishing school, we didn't really know what we wanted and we were new to the entire concept of being a home owner.  As most home owners, if we could go back there's a lot of things we would do differently, but for now we're just taking one project at a time.  Over the past several years we've done a lot of planning, saving, dreaming and working on various projects.  This last year we've made a lot of progress and getting closer to having our 'big' projects done.  Our focus recently has been on completing our wrap around porch and finishing our mud room.  I think every house has an area where things just get dropped off, everything from coats, bags, sunglasses, hats, gloves, papers, etc.  We have definitely had that issue in our house (and these pictures are from a good day)!

My dear husband is so incredibly talented at so many things that it's extremely difficult for him/us to hire some of the work to be done.  After some discussion, Joshua agreed to have the cabinets in our mud room custom designed and installed.  First thing we needed to get done though, was repairing the walls from where we used to have the washer and dryer and the doggie door.  Then it was time to texture the walls and paint them!  I think we make a pretty good team :)

Our mud room is one of the smallest rooms in our home but to me it's one of the most important rooms. So much love and encouragement can come from this one little room.  This will be the main door that my precious family will leave from and return to.  It's the one room where the coats, hat, gloves and shoes that keep them warm and protect them will reside.  And soon one of the walls will contain a verse of encouragement for them to see each and every time they walk into our home.  And last, but certainly not least, it will be the room that will help save the insanity of this Mama :)

I'm not sure who was more excited about getting this space put together.  The kids...

Or there Mama?!?

The room isn't completely done just yet.  The company needs to come back and fix a few things, the trim needs to be put up, the crown molding on the ceiling needs to be added, but we can at least begin using it.  After Joshua got the hooks installed anyway.

This makes a Mama's heart happy!  Being able to be organized in my home makes my heart happy and helps me serve my family on a daily basis.  I have definitely learned that organization can ease daily stress and frustration for everyone in our home.  Truly blessed!  We're excited to work on the finishing touches of this room and have another project completed!  We also had a broom closet added to the opposite wall, which I'll share after we completely finish the room :)

And now some of other other space can be better utilized, for example the kiddos have their homework table back!  It's the little things that make us smile!  Growth chart by Heritage Designs.

I truly feel that maintaining my home and finding ways to serve my family is crucial for me to be the wife and mom that God has called me to be!

'By wisdom a house is built, and through understanding it is established; 

through knowledge its rooms are filled with rare and beautiful treasures.'

Proverbs 24:3-4

Stay tuned as we add the finishing touches~

Blessings,

Krystal

A Personal Shopper ~ Stitch Fix!

I've been talking to several of my close friends about how I actually enjoy shopping for clothes now, but to find the time to do so is such a challenge.  Plus I get so frustrated going from store to store and from one dressing room to the next.  Some of the items are a little expensive but I also factor in the fact that I saved on fuel, time, meals and additional unnecessary impulse buys of traditional shopping!  I also have absolutely no fashion sense and definitely need some help in that department.

After reading a blog post written by Candace Cameron Bure (DJ from Full House) about the company Stitch Fix, I was SOLD!  Here's how it works:

1.  You sign up and provide them information regarding your size, body shape, style preference, the type of items you're looking for, your preferred budget by item type, etc.  The more information you provide, the better experience you have.  You can even give them the link to your fashion board on Pinterest so that they can see the outfits/style that you like!

2.  You then schedule a 'fix.'  This requires a $20 design fee, which can be deducted off of your purchase on an item(s) in your 'fix.' You can also decide on the frequency of your 'fix.'  It could be monthly or it could be a couple of times a year, it's entirely up to you!

3.  Then the fun begins!  Your personal shopper at Stitch Fix picks out 5 items based on the information you provided.

4.  Once you receive your fix you have 3 days to try on the items with other items in your closet (in the comfort of your own home) and decide what you want to keep (oh, and it's free shipping both directions).  My first fix consisted of a necklace, a pair of skinny jeans, two tops and a sweater/jacket.

5.  You also get two styling ideas with each piece, which is what I so desperately need!

6.  Then you log back into Stitch Fix and check out.  You decide what you want to keep and give specific feedback on each piece.  This feedback helps the personal shoppers improve on your next fix.

7.  Also, after you sign up, refer your friends and receive a $25 credit towards your next fix!

I REALLY enjoyed my first fix and have already scheduled my next 'fix.'  And this time I let them know what colors we're doing for our fall family pictures.  I can't wait to see what they come up with!!!  It's going to be so much fun overhauling my closet... gradually :)  

I enjoyed this process so much, that I just had to share!

Blessings,

Krystal

A 17 Year (and counting) Journey!

As women, we all go through periods of life where we find ourselves feeling unworthy, lacking beauty or undeserving of God's blessings.  In hopes of helping just one woman understand that she IS beautiful and that God loves her even more than her spouse could possibly love her, I would like to take you on a little trip down memory lane and how my journey over the last 16 months has impacted my marriage.  As you can see over the last 17 years Joshua has always been pretty fit and incredibly good lookin' (yes, I'm a little biased), but over the years I was up and down a lot, but how he loved me and treated me never every changed!

1996

2000

2001

2002

 



2003

2006 

2007 

2008



2009

 

2010

2011



Fall 2011 

June 2012

 

Fall 2012

 

2013 has been another incredible year full of blessings but not absent from challenges either.  I've lost about 32 pounds since beginning this journey in May of 2012 but it's what I've gained that's been far more praise worthy.  Not only did I learn that my husband has always loved me and has always thought I'm beautiful regardless of my weight, size of clothes, exercise routine, etc.  But the change that my husband has noticed and has enjoyed is my change in attitude!  When Joshua shared this with me, I don't think he quite understood just how much his comment touched my heart.  God used this man to speak directly to my heart!  No matter what we look like on the outside, God cares more about our heart and chances are, so do those that are closest to us.  Part of me feels like I wasted so much time (even years) feeling inadequate, unworthy or lacking beauty.  The other part of me is so very gracious for this journey that God has brought me through.  God can (and does) use all sorts of avenues to change our hearts and draw us closer to Him.  I never dreamed He would use my fitness (or the lack of) to change my heart forever!  No matter where you are in your journey, please take a few minutes to look back, reflect on where you've come from, be encouraged to where you're going and simply thank God for every step!

Our marriage is even stronger now and I couldn't be happier to stand next to this incredibly good lookin' guy!  Thank you Joshua from the bottom of my heart for ALWAYS loving me and ALWAYS thinking I was beautiful.  I love you... more!

 

I can't thank this man enough, as he has supported me on this journey.  He's even improved his fitness and health as well.  In January of this year he quit drinking pop completely, periodically runs with me too (and lost over 20 pounds), and we've enjoyed running several races together.  AND he's not afraid to try some of the new recipes I've been cooking either!  Ladies, keep it up... you never know who's life you're touching.

Chances are, it's those that are closest to you.



Blessings,

Krystal