Well, hello there!  I am back in the blogosphere!  I can't guarantee that my writing will be as frequent as it has been in the past...at least not for the next few months.  This is because I AM GETTING MARRIED!!! 

 Yep, I will be a wife on July 9th.  Of course, I am working on a goal of looking svelt for the wedding.  So...I'd like to share with you some of the tips I find along this 8-week countdown.


You know, I used to think that adhering to a strict diet meant you couldn't risk "going out" to eat.  In fact, I just told my fiance that we would only be eating out at Subway for the next 8 weeks.  HA!  Well, I found out today that as long as you order things the way you want them, you can still go pretty much anywhere healthily.  Now, some regard Panera Bread as a "health-conscious" restaurant (they do post all of their calorie counts on the menu, etc.); however, as a frequenter of the chain, I know full well that they pretty much shove carbs down your throat any way they can!  In preparation, I went online prior to my visit tonight and did some calorie-counting.  I was able to eat a very filling dinner for around 300 calories, with only 2.5 grams of fat and a whopping 31 grams of protein!  I simply had to do my homework and bring my own fat-free dressing.  Woohoo!

That's right, folks.  I am beginning a 15-week challenge!  "What is that?" you may wonder.  Is it an official program?  Is it a weight-loss challenge?  Is it a fitness challenge?  Well peeps, it is both...and while it is by no means "official" it IS officially 15 weeks until the half-marathon I'm run/walking.  Soooooo, it is high time I got down to business! 

I am in the midst of creating my work-out and eating schedule.  I will launch full-force into it this coming week...so, yay fun!  I will be keeping you all posted on my running stamina in a widget on the right-hand side of this page.  I'll be updating it weekly to let everyone know what my longest run-times are (i.e. 3 minutes without stopping to walk, 10 minutes, 30 minutes, etc.).  My goals for times are not too lofty, but they are goals nonetheless.  I would consider myself a novice runner, but I want a way to hold myself accountable.  So posting my times is my plan to do so!

Sorry I have not been on here over the past week or so.  I have had some computer charging issues (broken power cord) and limited time to post.  The first hurdle was remedied today, and the second will be (somewhat) in a couple of weeks.  I am hoping to be a more regular poster (ha, ha...poster!) this year.  Yet another in my stack of goals! 

• Try to take three footstrikes for every inhale, and two footstrikes for every exhale.
• As a beginner, try to run at a pace at which you can breathe easily. Use the "talk test" to figure out if your pace is appropriate. You should be able to speak in full sentences, without gasping for air.
• Slow down or walk if you're running out of breath. If you relax and slow the pace, breathing problems often take care of themselves. Don't overthink it!

Breathing Tips for a Beginning Runner

Practice Deep Breathing

Breathing Patterns

Start Slowly

Practice Running to a Beat

Stand Tall During Your Run

I'd like to do a little free advertising today for E-Mealz, the "Mealtime Makeover" recommended by Dave Ramsey.  I have mentioned Ramsey before, as he is the country's foremost leader in the debt-free movement.  I simply adore his radio show, and I am striving to implement his money makeover plan this year.  However, since this is a blog mostly about health, I thought I'd take the opportunity to promote this site.

E-Mealz charges members a mere $5 per month in order to provide the most amazing service.  They will plan out your meals for the month according to whatever "plan" you choose.  The plans are as follows:

• Point-System Meal Plans
• Low-Carb Meal Plans
• Vegetarian Meal Plans
• Couples-Only Meal Plans
• Low Fat Meal Plans
• G-Free Meal Plan

The stores where you can shop with these plans are listed below:

• Kroger Meal Plans
• Publix Meal Plans
• Wal-Mart Meal Plans
• ALDI Meal Plans
• RALPHS Meal Plans
• Any-Store Meal Plans

Here are some of the amenities that E-Mealz provides to users:

1. A family-friendly, concise 7-day dinner meal plan for 4 to 6 people, or a 5-day dinner plan for 2 people - with concise and easy to follow recipes and directions.
2. A complete, corresponding grocery list - just print and go!
3. The member's only option to participate in E-Mealz Refer-A-Friend!

So, please follow this link to E-Meals and see if it might work for you.  I am not currently using the service, but I would highly recommend that you check it out if you are cooking for more than one person.

Thanks for reading!!!

I am really hooked on the band Everlife right now.  This is a group made of three real-life sisters who got their start on the Disney music circuit.  These young ladies are strong believers who have some really great stances on purity, modesty, and authentic beauty.  Bonus: because they are sisters, they have super-tight harmonies--which of course I dig!  Today's blog is just me publishing a video of one of their songs.  It's actually a mini-interview about how to find contentment in Christ rather than in the world's view of us.  It's called "What's Beautiful," and hopefully it will encourage you all!

Season 11 of The Biggest Loser begins this Tuesday night on NBC!  From what I hear, it will be Jillian Michaels' LAST season on the show.  YIKES!  I'll have to be sure to glean some final words (or barks, rather!) of wisdom from her this season. 

I will be following closely the journey of 20-yr-old Kaylee, because her starting weight is 233...much closer to the average "overweight-ness" of watchers of the show.  While it is great to watch the dramatic change of the 400 lb+ contestants, it'll be neat to follow the weight-loss of the "smallest" contestant.  After a few weeks on the show she'll be close to my weight, and I'll be able to see if I can keep in step with her progress.  Since I work on Tuesday nights, I'll be following BL on Hulu...but that's okay.  I just love it that they start the new year with a bang and a new group of losers!

Anyhoo...hope your Sunday is blessed.  Talk to you all again tomorrow! 

Does anyone out there remember that zany yet lovable television show from the early '90s called Dinosaurs?  I DO!  The featured character in the family of dinos was this little baby going through the "terrible twos" for most of the series.  Weekly, he would smack people on the heads with pots, pans, wooden spoons, etc. and scream, "AGAIN!!!"

Well, you may be wondering why I would bring up such an obscure TV reference.  I bring it up to declare the following:

THIS IS THE YEAR...SERIOUSLY.  AGAIN!!!
I started this blog last January after I had been on a 3-month weight-loss kick already.  I purposefully entitled my site "This is the Year" in order to indicate a new year of healthy living in 2010.  (If you are interested in refreshing your memories of my first post, here it is!)  As most lifestyle changes go, though, it often takes a long while to settle into new habits.  I settled into them...I struggled...and then I settled right out of them.  I'd love to say I maintained my entire 35-lb weight loss over the course of 2010, but alas I did not.  I have not gained all of the weight back; however, I have not been on the downward slope for quite some time! 

Corletta, I love you, girl!  Thanks for being totally honest about your same struggles and for giving me the courage to admit a bit of failure myself.  The reason I am plugging away (AGAIN!!!) in 2011 is because my healthy journey is not yet finished.  In fact--on this path we trod, we must not see a finish line.  Life is just that: LIFE.  Taking care of these bodies the Lord has entrusted to us is a lifelong battle.  We will relish our successes, and we will bemoan our failures.  Therein lies the rub!

So, to all of you out there who have seen me adrift from the blogosphere for the past few months: I am back!  You may ask, "Seriously?"  My friends, I do not jest--rather I answer back with a rousing "SERIOUSLY!"
I do not declare this "game on" simply out of a desire to be more beautiful, more fit, more desirable, more strong...though these things may well result.  I am pursuing health in a response to God's call on my life to abandon being "comfortable."  God did not call me out of the pit of my sin and despair in order to leave me on the comfy couch of slothfulness and selfishness.  (Wow...that's a tongue-twister!  I LOVE ALLITERATION!)  He has called me in order to conform me to His will FOR my life, in all areas OF my life--no stone left unturned, no sinful urge left unchecked.
So...friends, I encourage you to join me anew in this journey.  Feel free to leave your comments--be they encouragements or snide remarks.  :)

May this truly be a HAPPY new year to everyone out there.  I implore you to draft your own goals for 2011--not mere "resolutions," but real goals with clear-cut, measurable, and attainable steps.  I can't wait to get "back in the groove" with you all!  One of my goals is a May 7th half-marathon in Indianapolis.  Woohoo!  Let the games begin...AGAIN!!!