what we eat.

soooooo we eat like total shit 90% of the time. This makes me extremely sad. I mean...we're the only ones that can change that or do anything about it and yet we don't. 



most recently, we've been trying to buy fresh fruits and vegetables, increased organic ingredients, make smoothies, eat less processed foods, eat all the salads - although, we can never eat it fast enough and then it seems to go bad:/ - cut down almost entirely on fast foods...but itttttt.isssss.hardddddddd! There are so many days that become 'the last day' we: go to Subway/eat ice-cream/feed the kids Mac&Chs for lunch. And then we vow to start all over again the next day...only to fail miserably all over again after a day or two!

our biggest motivation for continuing to try and make better food decisions are the kids. I mean...Jacob and I can hardly remember eating out during our childhood. McDonald's was a serious 'treat'. So why has it become a bi-weekly habit for us now? Well, we are lazy assholes, is the answer to that. And our kiddos deserve better. It kinda makes me ill to think of the shit I'm putting in their bodies daily because of pure laziness on my part! They deserve better and I damn sure can do better! 

anddddd we're in our 30's (VERY early, younggggg hawt 30's;) and some of this shit is going to start catching up with us. My husband has one of those stomachsssss/belly's??? and it's not a vanity thing...we both just want to be able to run and play with the kids - and not feeling the need to wear Tshirts in the pool would be cool too;). 
And I'm having babies in my 30's and I need to be healthy...as much fun as it is to gain 55lbs per pregnancy...it's just not necessary;) AND being healthy in those pregnancy months has a lot of benefits, overall - healthier baby/birth/recovery!

anyhoo.

where I think we're failing is...overwhelming ourselves. Every time we come up with a plan, it's like 2 pages long. I think we need to be a bit more focused on one area and go from there. Make some small goals, implement them and then build upon them.

what I'm hoping to do - and I'll let Jacob in on this as soon as he gets home;) - is:

- exercise at least 3 days a week
whether that be a quick run (no better time of year to be starting:), 10min of yoga or any googled work-out that you can follow, an hour long walk...blah, blah:)
I've found a lot of these 10min workouts to be amazing...I can get the kids down for a nap, do my workout and still sometimes get a nap in myself...OR if your kids, like mine, hardly ever sync up nap times...10min is the perfect amount of time before everyone is balling;)



- MORE water

- cut a few things out entirely
NO fast food. NO soda (which is something we already cut out of our household a few years ago!!!!) - Although, I do still drink soda if we're out to eat - pizza and water, ewwww!?!?!?;) or at a get-together but now I'm cutting that out as well. NO ice-cream.
What will this life BE without Ben&Jerry's?!?!?!?!! SAD.FACE:(
BUT an alternative way to look at it isn't by what you can NOT have...but what you CAN have. Start brainstorming replacements. If I can't have ice-cream in the afternoon - really;) - what can I replace that with? Fresh strawberries...frozen or dried bananas...yogurt, etc.

- ONE cheat day per week
I don't want to set us up for failure. I realize that it's going to be hard. It's been hard...SO, I'm allowing a slip-up once a week. I'm not sure if we'll put guidelines on that or not but once we cheat, we mark it on the calendar and must get another 5-7 days under our belt before we can cheat again.

here's a simple video that kinda helped motivate me. 

and really...when I really think about it...this has been a long time coming. I want to make these changes. I want our days to be healthier. I want us to feel better and FEEL all the benefits of being healthier!!! 
And just getting up a tad earlier in the morning. Meal planning. Being more active. I feel SO amazing when I do these things. So why am I not making that a daily priority? And bottom line...you are what you eat and so that means we are, basically, a bowl of Mac&Chs with an added can of Cream of Mushroom Soup - HOLY SHITTTTT!?!!?!;) EW.

i'll report back on our progress. I know it's not going to be easy and a lot of this we're already doing on some level but I want to REALLY start being intentional about this list. 
And there's something about putting our goals out there, feeling like you guys are holding us accountable, that motivates me.

i'm hoping that the next time you hear from me, I'm sitting on the couch at noon, writing up my follow-up blog post, with my gallon jug of water sitting next to me - 1/2 empty;) - after having just finished a quick work-out;)

PLEASE share any tips, healthy recipes/treats/snacks and your goals!!!

- casey