Wednesday, February 5, 2014

6 Months!

Talk about the fastest 6 months of our lives....

We have gone from this:

4 Days Old



.....to this:



6 months

Ever since he was just a plus sign on a very early pregnancy test, Baby E has been our greatest blessing. Seeing the changes in him every day is mind-blowing! It seems with every passing day, he's gotten bigger, more active, developed more personality, etc. etc.!!

Baby E continues to be what we call a "ham and cheese sammich" :) This boy is constantly cheezin' and hammin' it up!! He is rarely without a smile and he has the greatest belly laugh! He's great at sitting up unassisted, rolling all over the place, crawling backwards and in circles (still working on forwards!) and does some killer planks and downward dogs too. He "talks", blows raspberries, and coos constantly. We supplement his bottle feeds with purees once or twice a day now, and he likes everything so far (apple, strawberries, bananas, pears, carrots, sweet potatoes, green beans) except for peas. He continues to sleep fairly well....between 3 and 5 months, he got in a habit where he was getting up at least once in an 8-hour stretch, but in the last couple weeks, he seems to have transitioned back to typically making it 8p to 4a, dreamfeed/change at 4a, then going back down for about 2 more hours. He powernaps during the day (15-30 minutes, two or three times) and still has unbridled rage for the carseat :( Baby E loves bathtime, books, and picking any and everything up within his reach (and it usually goes straight into the mouth).

We have a pretty decent flow/schedule and keep things very regimented Monday through Friday (it's what works best for the three of us). Weekends are spent trying to soak up every second we can together...there are no words for how hard it is to leave your child at daycare 50 hours a week. S.U.C.K.S.

We had a scary time right after Christmas when Baby E had two seizures but we're hopeful that they were febrile and never happen again. He was "off" (not himself, diarrhea, etc.) for 2 weeks afterward, but then came back around. It was terrifying but both Timothy and myself kept cool heads throughout the whole thing *proud of us*

Speaking of us - we've settled into parenthood quite nicely! We jokingly refer to ourselves as "rookies" and sometimes we make new-parent mistakes, BUT....Baby E doesn't seem to mind (or loves us anyways). We've gone out for a few hours a couple times just the two of us, which is good and healthy, despite the fact we end up talking about the baby and how much we miss him the entire time :) Most of the time, if we want to do something, we take him with us! He does great in the Ergo, although lately he's big and strong enough to just sit in a stroller or cart! Haven't been comfortable enough to leave him overnight yet, but we'll get there.

Since we are health/fitness coaches and this is technically a healthy living blog, I suppose I should give a "Body After Baby" update! :) I've tried to be intentional about giving my body the time it needs to "bounce back" from pregnancy. I know certain parts of me have permanently changed at the bone-structure level (i.e., HIPS!) but I lost the 30 pounds I gained during pregnancy within the first couple weeks, and my focus since then has been rebuilding lost muscle! I continue to be so so SO proud of my body (and mind!) for giving birth naturally....definitely more incentive to treat it right and take good care of it. :) I workout 6-7 days a week....but could certainly be more strict on my nutrition.






In summary, Baby E is just as perfect as he was on Day 1, if not more so! The love for your child is something that cannot be appropriately described or matched, ever. Being his parents is a complete honor and privilege and we strive to do the best we can by him, for him, always!

In Health,

Lindsay and Timothy
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Friday, January 24, 2014

FitBit Flex Review

Notice: FitBit did not send me a free Flex to review and I am not getting paid for this review; however, should FitBit or any company want to send me any products for free in exchange for my opinions, I would gladly accept :)

My dear husband and business partner, Tim, gave me a FitBit Flex for my birthday. I had been eye-balling FitBit for some time, but didn't want to wait for the Force (which is still 1-2 weeks back-ordered at the time of this post), so the Flex seemed perfect!

Here's how FitBit describes the Flex: "This slim, stylish device is with you all the time. During the day, it tracks steps, distance, and calories burned. At night, it tracks your sleep quality and wakes you silently in the morning. Just check out the lights to see how you stack up against your personal goal. It’s the motivation you need to get out and be more active."

The reason I wanted it was to have a better check on my general activity level throughout the day (and I was admittedly curious about seeing the sleep quality thing too). I workout 6-7 days a week, BUT I spend 5 of those days practically chained to a desk between 7:30am and 5pm. Yeah...it sucks.

So I've had the FitBit Flex for a week now....here are my thoughts:

1. Simple as pie to set-up. Took all of 5 seconds on the computer (we're Mac users, so no problems there) and I downloaded the free app onto my phone as well.

2. It's slimmer than a watch and thus very easy to wear. It's suggested to wear it on your non-dominant hand, so you can't really wear a watch when you wear the FitBit (unless you wanted to be a hipster and double-up!) but that didn't bother me....that's what cellphones are for! :)



Source
3. It holds charge like a champ! I let it charge on a Sunday afternoon, and after wearing 24/7 for 5 days, it still has half the battery life left!

4. The website says it's sweat and water resistant (not proof!), so I do take it off when I shower, but that's it....and so far, so good!

5. It certainly does what I got it for, track activity and sleep! I still use my heart-rate monitor during my workouts, since that's the only true way to know exactly how much I burned, but this has been great to see my activity during all other parts of the day! I didn't realize how hard it is to get 10,000 steps, even though I consider myself an active person! DAMN DESK JOB!

And the sleep tracker is interesting too....I love to see the difference in nights when the baby sleeps through the night:

Looks like I barely moved

 ...And when he doesn't sleep through the night:

Yeah, 2am munchies! :)

All in all, in my opinion, the FitBit Flex is certainly worth the money. If you want a device to help ensure you are more intentional about your activity, this is perfect. I check the app on my phone throughout the day, see how many steps I'm at....if I'm low, I know it's time to sneak away and get some walking in! If it's buzzed 4-5 times in a little rhythm...I know I've hit the 10,000 mark and I do a little happy dance :) 

Questions? Comment below or contact us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube...we're everywhere!

In Health,

Lindsay

Thursday, January 9, 2014

Why Isn't It Working?!


How many times have we said that....or at least felt that way?

Losing weight is truly a science. Your body loves stabilization. It likes to be safe. It likes to be the same. So in order for your body to change....you're going to have to really work at it.

Here's are some of the "usual suspects" when it comes to possible reasons why you're not losing weight:
    • You're not active enough
    • All you do is cardio-based exercising
    • You're under too much stress
    • You're not getting enough sleep
    • You are full of excuses
    • You aren't eating as healthfully as you think
So the next time you aren't losing the weight you want to lose, take an inventory. Do you see where the problem might be?

SPECIAL NOTE: We are advocates and promoters of putting becoming healthy(ier) above everything else, but we realize a lot of folks are interested/in need of actually losing poundage, weight. So all you high-horse, drama-causing trolls....before you go ape shit, chill out. :)

In Health,

Lindsay and Tim
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Wednesday, December 18, 2013

Chocolate Milkshakes Without Guilt!

Making shakes/smoothies is a great way to nourish your body. They're quick, portable...just generally very easy and convenient! 

B.U.T. - you can turn them into sugar-laden, fat and calorie BOMBS if you're not careful. So....

Here are the recipes to our Top 3 Chocolate Shakes. Each of these is meant to be a meal (and quite often, it's the healthiest thing we'd consume in a given day!) Drink up!



Chocolate Mocha

1 cup cold coffee
1 scoop Chocolate Shakeology

Add ice (to your preference), blend until smooth

Reese Peanut Butter Protein Cup
1 cup milk (dairy or non-dairy)
1 scoop Chocolate Shakeology

1 scoop Isopure Chocolate Whey Protein
1 TBSP all-natural peanut butter
Add ice (to your preference), blend until smooth

Veggies Shouldn't Taste THIS Good Chocolate Berry Shake

1 cup milk (dairy or non-dairy)

1 scoop Chocolate Shakeology
1 cup berries of your choice
1 cup spinach or kale
1 TBSP honey
Add ice (to your preference), blend until smooth

If you want to know more about Shakeology or need to purchase some, here is the link!

In Health,

Tim and Lindsay
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Monday, December 9, 2013

Find What You Love...No, Seriously. Find it. Then Do It.

When people reach out to us for fitness coaching or advice, they are often surprised that we actually have a lot of questions for them first....

That's because when you are trying to make a permanent lifestyle change in fitness, you have to find something you love.

It's like when you decide to marry someone.....you've tried others in the past and for whatever reason(s), it didn't work, but then you met "The One" and you learned about each other, things clicked, and BAM, you're ready for a life together.

Same concepts apply to making a lifetime commit to health and fitness. For something to theoretically last forever, you have to really love it!!

Dabble around....try the gym, try at home workouts, try group fitness classes, try CrossFit. Even though we are a "fitness duo", we are pretty different in our fitness love lives: he is 99% CrossFit and 1% running/biking, while Lindsay is 99% home workout programs and 1% miscellaneous (usually CrossFit).

Moral of the story is this: when you dabble around and try some or all of the different options related to fitness, chances are, you'll find things you really enjoy and you'll find things that you probably won't ever do again :) That's the point....find what you love, then do it.

In Health,

Tim and Lindsay
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P.S. - Lindsay needs this shirt for Christmas:

Thursday, December 5, 2013

Simmer Down!

 


Seriously. Everybody just needs to simmer down!!

People almost have a coronary if they see us eat unhealthy foods. Like we are suppose to be some kind of alien life forms who only consumes boiled chicken and broccoli out of Tupperware containers. 



While we use our blog and our presence on social media to promote a healthy lifestyle....our MAIN GOAL is to show people the way to integrating a balanced approach to nutrition and fitness into their lifestyle. Fast food once in a while won't kill you. Cookies or chips once in a while won't derail any weightloss goal you might have. SIMMA DOWN!

Granted....if you are just starting to consider dipping your toe into diet and exercise, it might be a real struggle for you to be able to maintain balance. We were certainly way more strict when we first began our journey. B.U.T. - if you truly want something to last, to be maintainable with ease....you have to find the balance.









In Health,

Tim and Lindsay
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Tuesday, December 3, 2013

If You're Waiting For Perfect Conditions, You'll be Waiting a While


Good morning, y'all. It's just Lindsay, today :)

I saw the above image on Pinterest this morning, and it spoke to me.

I've seen that quote (paraphrased) several times before, but today, it just hit me stronger...

Maybe it's because my social media newsfeeds are FULL of posts and messages about people saying something along the lines of "I'll just wait until after the holidays, then I'll start [insert healthy living objective here]".

Or maybe it's because the quote made me flashback to when Timothy and I kept pushing off trying to conceive because we wanted everything to be just right before we had a baby (little did we know, getting pregnant wouldn't be so easy).

Whatever it was the made this resonate with me today doesn't really matter...
What truly matters is that it is RIGHT. It is TRUE.

We can't keep pushing off what we need to do for these laundry lists of reasons excuses.
We can't keep saying things like: I will do it when things slow down, or I will do it once the busy holiday season is over, or I will do it when the baby starts sleeping better, or I will do it when we have more money.

If you've been telling yourself you'll do it once the conditions are perfect, go to the mirror right now and tell yourself "Self, that's a load of bullshit and what I really mean to say is that I'll never do it." Because that's what is truly going on....if you're waiting for perfect conditions, you'll never do it.

Start today. Start this very minute. Take the plunge. You just might surprise yourself :)

In Health,

Lindsay and Tim
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