Spring Fever: Walk it off!

Almost a year ago I reviewed a pedometer.  A really nice pedometer.  A Fitbit pedometer.  Several months later, I reviewed their "new improved" version as well.  I love it.  I wear it every day.  I catch myself, several times a day, pushing the button to see how many steps I've taken.  Some days it's a lot, some days not so much.  I'm not going to embarrass you by telling you how awesome I am today, but let's just say you'd be blown away...or not!

Shortly after I received the pedometer, my kids started asking me randomly throughout the day how many steps I'd taken!  I'll tell you what, nothing's more of a motivation than having your kid ask how well you're doing...except giving that same kid a pedometer of her own!  About a month ago we received a GeoPalz pedometer in the mail for Little Lou to test out!  I thought it'd be a super fun Spring activity to start a little "contest" between the two of us to see who walks further on an average day: a 1st grader or her stay at home mom!

GeoPalz are super cute kid-sized pedometers, built to encourage kids to get moving!  Encourage they do!  Little Lou loves wearing her pedometer!  She especially loves that most days (when she remembers to wear it...which is most days) she walks more steps than I do.  She loves the cute design.  She also loves showing it off to her friends at school!

I love that it has a cover, so Little Lou doesn't accidentally hit the buttons while she's playing and reset it or change any of its settings!

The GeoPalz pedometer is pretty thin, so it doesn't get in her way when she's running, climbing, playing...being a 6 year old!

GeoPalz also has a really good website, where you can not only log your own steps, but those of your family members as well!  My Fitbit monitor links to the GeoPalz site, so it can automatically upload my steps!  It's a really neat program.  We have had occasional "glitches" on the website, but nothing terribly major, and they've all been rectified!

One of Little Lou's favorite things about GeoPalz is that for every mile she walks, she earns a "point."  Those points add up, and she can pick prizes!  We haven't ordered any prizes yet, but she is SO excited to do that!

The one thing I don't like about the GeopPalz pedometer is that the clip hold SO tightly that it's really hard to get onto some clothes.  I love that it holds tightly.  It makes me feel more secure that the pedometer isn't going to fall off of her waistband during a day of play.  Little Lou just gets tired of standing still while I struggle to get it onto her pants!

Would I recommend the GeoPalz pedometer?  I've considered cashing in some of my swagbucks to get an amazon giftcard to buy one for Bugsy!  I would most definitely recommend it!  I love that, from a very early age, it encourages kids (and families)! to get moving!

Want to win your very own GeoPalz pedometer?  Stay tuned on Sunday...there'll be a GeoPalz pedometer (ARV $25) up for grabs as a part of my AMAZING Spring Fever package!

I was given this product at no cost to me in order to facilitate a review.  I was not compensated in any other way.  All opinions are 100% my own.

21 Day Mommy Blogger Weight Loss Challenge!

It's February!  You already know it's time for the All for Love Valentine's Event (yay!) and you already know I chose an "I love ME!" theme for my giveaway package!  What better way to celebrate than to start a brand new weight loss challenge myself?!?

Dustin Maher of Fit Moms for Life has issued a challenge to mommy bloggers.  You see, mommy bloggers tend to sit on their backsides.  Believe it or not, most of the time when I'm writing here on this page I am sitting.  When women people do a lot of sitting, they tend to...spread.  People that sit get fat, pure and simple, unless they're actively doing something about it!  Dustin's challenge?  Try, for 21 days, to see if changing your diet and exercise "plan" might just change your life!

I'll be amping up my workouts, more careful about my eating, and trying to get more sleep!  I'll also be trying to increase my water intake, although the 50ish ounces I've had so far today have me running to the potty every hour or so!  (There'll be some other "changes" too, like a food log, which I likely won't share with you because I doubt ou really want to see it!)

One of the "challenges" of this...well...challenge...is to show you before and after pictures of my 21 days.  I can TOTALLY do that, and I'm not even (too) embarrassed because of how far I've already come!  Just to refresh those of you who have been with me for the last 8 months, and to bring the rest of you up to speed, I started a journey to healthify my life (I'm allowed to make up words, folks--this is my blog) last June.  On June 1st I weighed in at 191.8 pounds and I looked like this:

I wore a snug size 16 pants, Large or XL tops, and didn't realize how lousy I felt!  This morning I weighed in at 141.8...a 50 pound weight loss!  Today I wear a size 8 or 10 pants, small or medium tops, and feel great!  This is what I look like today:

People, I don't know that the front view is all that noticeable, but check out the difference in those side views!  Wanna see them right together? Here you go:

 

 

WOW!!  

Today I am sitting 6.8 pounds above my "goal" weight, but have decided that I'll increase that goal to another 16.8.  I have TONS of toning to do as well, and if I could figure out how to get rid of that hangy belly skin and tone those arms, I'd be in heaven!!

My goals for the next 21 days are to lose 5 pounds, lose at least 1 inch from my body, and be able to do at least 15 push-ups.  (Today I could do 12!)

I'll be taking you along on my 21 day journey!  Are you a blogger as well?  Maybe you'd like to join me!  Check out www.mommybloggerweightlosschallenge.com!  If you send me an email (mythisnthatlife [at] gmail [dot] com) with your blog url and beg just a tad, I'll give you a code to get in on March's fun for free!  :)  You won't be able to get in the February challenge, but you'll definitely be able to get in for March!  Why wait, though?  You can go ahead and start TODAY and be so far ahead come March!

www.mommybloggerweightlosschallenge.com

I am doing this program at no cost to me in order to advertise on my blog and make a change in my life!  All opinions are my own.

What? 42? For real?

Four months ago today I set off on a new adventure, a life-changing journey.  Four months ago today I began to follow the LeanGreenMama blueprint.  I joined the LeanGreenMama 6 Week Weightloss Bootcamp.  I decided it was MY time.  I decided I needed to finally make the commitment to do it for ME.  And I agreed that, for at least 6 weeks, I'd share my journey with all of you!

And it's been 4 months.

And I'm still sharing with you.

Which means I must be doing SOMETHING right, right?

I want to remind you (and me!) of where I started.  For those of you who don't know me, I'll quickly share a little background.  I'm mama of 3 kids, ages 6, 4, and 19 months (yes, already)!  There have been losses of children, losses of jobs, (maybe a little loss of sanity?), medical diagnoses, 9 surgeries in 4 years, 5 houses in 7 years (and we've lived in this one for over 5)...a lot of stress.  This mama is a stress eater, and she had the hips...thighs...belly...booty...to prove it!  Here, let me show you:

Yep, that's me in all my chunky glory.  I'll admit it to you now, I was "obese."  Eeek.  See that belly?  Ugh.  Not a pretty picture!  But I followed the LeanGreenMama blueprint and started dropping pounds!  Just changing my eating made a HUGE difference!

Then I started adding in exercise.  I increased my "workouts" to WiiFit step on a 4" step, 30 minutes a day 3 times a week.  And then I added in Zumba classes 1-2 times a week.  And then I found FitBit.  This handy little tracker was like a pedometer on steroids!  Amazing little device that made me want to move more!  It tracks steps, miles, sleep...you can use online tools to track your calorie intake and exercise.  This is a great tool for anyone who is interested in being healthy!

Pounds started falling off.  They took inches along with them!  Pounds and inches just plunking down all around me!  I promise some days I could feel them disappearing.

And today?  Today, my friends, I am 4 months into a lifetime of change.  4 months into a lifestyle change that has already made a huge difference in the way I think and feel.  4 months into forever.  What has 4 months earned me?

4 months has earned me a THREE size reduction in pants size!  (Girly pants are funny.  I was a 16 then, and I'm a 10 now!  That's 3 sizes.  Go figure.)  It's earned me the need for a new blender because my blades are dull and not blending anymore.  It's also earned me the need for a new food processor, because the little 3 cup cheapo just doesn't cut it!

4 months has earned me a 25.5 inch reduction in my overall body size!  That's just measuring my chest, waist, hips, and thighs!  I wish I had measured my arms.  I know there's a difference.

4 months has earned me a firm spot in the "healthy weight range!"  That's right.  I am now .2 pounds below the very top of the healthy weight range for my height!  (Maybe that's not so "firm" but hooray!)

So, again, here I am, 191.8 pounds:

And here I am today, 149.8 pounds:

Friends, 4 months has earned me a 42 pound loss!  Forty two pounds!

I have LeanGreenMama and FitBit, in huge part, to thank for that huge change!  Thank you so much, both of you, for all the help and support you've provided along the way!  I can't wait to be able to tell you I've reached my goal (14.8 pounds to goal!) or that I've surpassed that goal and set a new one!

You've got LeanGreenMama and FitBit to thank as well.  You knew it was coming, didn't you?  That's right!  It's giveaway time!

LeanGreenMama has agreed, VERY generously, to give EVERY ONE of my readers a 42% discount on her LeanGreenMama 6 Week Weightloss Bootcamp in celebration of my 42 pound loss!!  If you've been thinking about joining, now is the BEST time to do it!  It'll be a while before you see another deal like this!  You'll need to follow THIS LINK and enter the coupon code THISNTHAT (all caps).  Hurry, though!  You only have through Tuesday, Oct 11, to take advantage of this amazing offer!

FitBit has agreed to send one of my super lucky readers one of the brand new FitBit Ultra trackers!  The FitBit Ultra was JUST released on Monday, so you'll be one of the very first to try it!  It's just like the original FitBit, only with a ton of new features!  You'll love it!  (I'll be reviewing it next week.  What I can say so far is that it is AWESOME!!)

We're going to make this a quick giveaway, because I think 42 pounds in 4 months is pretty quick.  We're going to run this thing for 4 days, in honor of the 4 months of hard work.  And we're going to make it an easy giveaway, because I think 42 pounds in 4 months has been pretty easy.  We're going to rafflecopter it, and we're going to have just 2 entry options.  Are you up for that?

Enjoy, my friends!  I'll update you again on November 8th!