"The Paleo Diet Solution Cookbook" FREE on your Kindle!

Wow, what an awesome deal! Head over to Amazon right now and check out "The Paleo Diet Solution Cookbook." It's absolutely free to download on your Kindle (normal price $9.99!)  I already have this book on my Kindle and I can recommend it. While I do not follow a Paleo diet, I do eat completely gluten free (post about that coming soon) and I use a lot of Paleo recipes. The book has great reviews, so download it while you can get it for free!

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My New Workout Routine - Update

I bet you probably think I stopped working out! Don't you? No, I didn't! I cut back on the 30 Day Shred for a few days, because Amy ordered it, and I was waiting for hers to arrive to start back with her. So we can hold each other accountable! ;-) I gave in today and went ahead and did it though.


Either way, I have still been working out. I've added a few more workouts to my collection, and I've been doing a wide variety exercise. Today, I started the morning with a quick 10 minute workout (crunches, squats, push ups, etc). I also started using a video by Leslie Sansone called Walk Away the Pounds. I've read amazing reviews on her walk-at-home program, so I figured this would be great for me to do every day, even if I can't fit in another workout. I found two of her videos on YouTube. Apparently, both combined equal a 2 mile walk. I'm not too sure about that, but I know it's a straight 28 minutes of walking, which is fine by me. I eventually would like to purchase her whole collection, but until I have a few more Amazon gift cards from Swagbucks, I'll stick to the YouTube videos. I've been doing Part 1: Start Quick & Easy and Part 2: Burn Fat & Back it Down. Each video is a little over 14 minutes long, so it's a nice workout just under a half an hour. If you feel like you want to ease your way into working out, this is perfect for just that!

I've also been doing at least 10 minutes of Tae-Bo every day. It just makes me feel better, and even 10 minutes of Tae-Bo is a decent workout. I read on a website that just 10 minutes of Tae-Bo burns over 100 calories. That's amazing to me! Billy Blanks has a way of keeping you moving.

I also picked up a Denise Austin Pilates video from the Goodwill that I started doing. It's based on the work of J.H. Pilates, and although I think I like yoga over Pilates, it is a great workout. She does incorporate more yoga more in the second half of the video.

Anyway, that's an update on what I've been up to. Today I managed to do my 10 minute morning workout, a 2 mile walk, and 30 Day Shred, so I'm definitely feeling the burn. And I'm loving every minute of it!

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Tracking Food and Excercise

I have a good friend that is a Beachbody Coach. I told her about my new workout routine and she pointed me in the right direction to hit my goal weight. She told me about a website where you can track your food, excercise, weight, measurements, and more! It's called My Fitness Pal. This site is amazing! They also have a great message board where you can join monthly or weekly "challenges", for motivational purposes. I've already joined at least three. I love the food tracker too. When I go to add something that I've eaten, it's there! Word for word. Lucerne Soft Cream Cheese. It isn't an estimate, it is exactly what I ate and the correct calories! It's great. If you're trying to lose weight and are sick and tired of counting carbs, check out this website! You won't regret it.

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My New Workout Routine - Week One Update

I've been doing Jillian Michaels: 30 Day Shred for over a week now. I only took a break on Thursday, because we were gone ALL day, and on Saturday because we got home so late and I was tired. I didn't end up doing the workout yesterday either, because I was so shook up from the earthquake. I've never experienced an earthquake, and I just couldn't get in the right mind frame to workout. So, in the last ten days, I've done 30 Day Shred for seven of those days. Not too bad for my first week. I have moved on to Level 2, which is much more challenging for me. So far, I really like the workout. It is challenging but I'm still encouraged to get up and do it every day. Jillian is very energetic and she keeps you moving and helps you "push through the pain". I really like her style of training.

I never really took the time in my first post to explain how Jillian Michaels: 30 Day Shred is designed. It is designed in three different levels. Level 1 is for beginners and is approximately 23 minutes long. It starts with a warm-up, and has three circuits which each consist of 3 minutes of strength, 2 minutes of cardio, and 1 minute of abs. After the three circuits, there is a cool down. This is where you start your workout. Once you feel you're ready to move on to a harder routine, you step up to Level 2, and eventually to Level 3. All three levels are around 20-23 minutes each, and consist of the same warm-up, three circuits, and cool down. Jillian suggests you move at your own pace and move up when you feel ready. There are also modified versions of almost every exercise in each level. If you can't do the full version, you can do the modified version. This is great for beginners! I've read on many forums and in some reviews that Jillian Michaels suggests you do Level 1 for ten days, Level 2 for ten days, and Level 3 for ten days. This would mean you are doing the 30 Day Shred for 30 days straight (which does make sense), but I've also read that you shouldn't be doing the same routine for so many days straight without a rest day. Therefore, I've been doing various other workouts on my rest days, to keep my body moving.

I know I planned on doing Great Buns Guaranteed every day, but right now my strength just isn't there to do it every day along with 30 Day Shred. It is a killer on the legs!! So, I've done it on my off days, and I plan on doing it every day for a month after I'm done with 30 Day Shred. Hopefully, by then I'll have enough energy and strength to do a regular workout and the 11 minute Great Buns routine.

My Progress So Far...
Starting Weight (8/15/11): 149.5 lbs
Current Weight (8/24/11): 147.3 lbs
Weight Lost So Far (in 10 days): 2.2 lbs
Goal Weight: 125-130 lbs

I am very interested in yoga. I practiced it for a while right before I found out I was pregnant with Jake. I continued it for about the first 3-4 months until it became too difficult. I have Denise Austin Power Yoga Plus and Gaiam Yoga for Beginners with Patricia Walden. I really like the Power Yoga Plus, but it's not the best for beginners, since she moves so quickly from one pose to the other. Yoga for Beginners is definitely for beginners. She explains every single pose and takes the time to get into the pose and hold it. The only thing I don't like about Yoga for Beginners is that it's such a long DVD.
I've never been able to get through the entire program. I just don't have the time with two little kids.

Denis Austin Power Yoga Plus is broken up into two segments. The first segment is 20 minutes long. "...Power Yoga, is a series of traditional Yoga poses performed in a flowing style designed to generate power
and stamina."
The second segment is also 20 minutes long. "...Power Pilates, is an invigorating series of Pilates moves which challenge the abdominal muscles and tones the buttocks, hips and thighs PLUS combines 3lb weights to sculpt the arms, chest and shoulders."


Diet and Nutrition:
I think I'll be purchasing a book some time soon to start eating a little healthier. I have never been on a diet and I don't plan to start. I would however, like to pay more attention to the foods I am cooking and feeding my family. I've read great things about Naturally Thin by Bethanny Frankel. I saw a great review of the book YouTube. She helps you change the way you think about food, so you don't end up starving yourself or neglecting the foods you love because you want to lose weight. She also has The Skinnygirl Dish, which is 320 pages of just recipes. I still need to read a few reviews before I decide which one is more worth it right now, and I'll update later.

Honest Reviews:
If you are looking for honest reviews on books, workout DVDs or types of workout routines, I highly recommend checking out TaylieTotGetsFit on YouTube. She has over 60 video reviews on health, nutrition, and fitness. She also has a great 11 minute video on her Top 5 Favorite Workout Videos of 2010Naturally Thin by Bethanny Frankel, if you want to hear what she thought of the book. There are hundreds of reviews on YouTube for anything you could think of. Just type in "(product name) review" in the search bar and results will pop up.

Anyway, I've made this post ten times longer than I intended to, so I'll end it now. I will keep you posted on my workout progress and my weight loss.

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Meagan's Starting Measurements

I told you I would update with my starting measurements, so here they are. I'm going to be taking my measurements every Monday, but I'll only be posting my updated measurements every 30 days.

Taken on August 16, 2011:

What to Measure	Measurement
Weight	149
Waist	36
Hips	38
Chest	38
Right Arm	11
Left Arm	11
Right Thigh	17
Left Thigh	17

If you are unsure how to go about taking your measurements, check out this video. It is a great tutorial on how, where, and when to take measurements. Good luck with your workout routine.

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My New Workout Routine

So, Jake's 1st birthday is in a little over two weeks. I definitely don't look as good as I did on Luke's 1st birthday, so I have been working out to lose some weight. While I was in NC, I got up early every few days and went for a run while everyone else was still asleep. Being by the beach, this was something I could do every day. Well, now that I'm back home (and not by the beach), I can't find the motivation to wake up before everyone and go for a run. So, I spent a few weeks reading hundreds of reviews on Amazon to find the perfect workout DVD for me. I decided on Jillian Michaels: 30 Day Shred. It received 4.5/5 stars, with over 2,000 customer reviews, so that was pretty good proof for me. I know that Amy had success with The Biggest Loser Ultimate Workout for xBox 360, and I've heard great things about Jillian Michaels. I watch The Drs every day on TV and Jillian Michaels is on the show at least once a week talking about health, nutrition, and fitness. She is great! So, after weeks of debate, I finally decided to order 30 Day Shred. I had a few Amazon gift cards from Swagbucks, so I just used those to purchase it.

I started the 30 Day Shred, Level 1 workout on On Demand yesterday, since my DVD hadn't arrived yet. Let me tell you, I was shaking for about 45 minutes afterwards. It felt so great to workout again! My DVD arrived this morning and I can't wait for my boys to take a nap so I can do Day 2. I've read many reviews about the 30 Day Shred, and many people have suggested you alternate between this workout and other Jillian Michaels workouts. I think I'm too much of a beginner to try her other workouts so soon, so I'm going to be alternating between Jillian Michaels: 30 Day Shred and Great Buns Guaranteed by Beachbody. Besides yoga, these are the only two workout DVD's I currently have. Besides, who doesn't want a great butt?



This is what my workout schedule is going to look like:

	30 Day Shred	Great Buns
Monday	ü	ü
Tuesday	ü	ü
Wednesday	û	ü
Thursday	ü	ü
Friday	ü	ü
Saturday	û	ü
Sunday	ü	ü

This will result in about 36 minutes of excercise 5 days a week, and 11 minutes of excercise the other two days. I planned on doing 30 Day Shred 7 days a week, but I read many comments saying that your body needs to rest from this workout at least 1-2 days a week. So, hopefully I'll be seeing some results in the next 30 days. The great news is, Jillian Michaels: 30 Day Shred claims that you can lose up to 20 pounds in 30 days! Great Buns Guaranteed by Beachbody claims that you can get tight, toned buns in under 30 days. Hopefully I will see these results. I'll be taking my measurements later today, and posting them tonight. Wish me luck!

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Getting back into shape - Day 2

I honestly didn't intend to blog about this every day.. but who knows, maybe I will? It gives me motivation to actually work out. I really hope that I can show other moms that you absolutely can MAKE time to work out, even if it's just 10 minutes here and 10 minutes there. Today went fairly well. I did 20 minutes on the Biggest Loser workout game for the Kinect. If you have a Kinect, BUY THIS! You can even use swagbucks since it is sold on Amazon. :) Check out my swagbucks guide here. Anyway I was weighed on a digital scale and it turns out I weigh 135, not 134. :) I go back to this same scale in 2 months so I think my "goal" is to be 120 by then. That is still 5 lbs above my pre-pregnancy weight so I think it's doable! So that is my long-term goal, and these are my current every day goals:

Drink more water and less of everything else that I drink. This is hard because I really just don't like water!

Do at least 20 minutes on the Kinect at least 5 days a week. I am starting with 20 minutes at a time for now and will bump it up if I feel okay. I am still only 4 weeks postpartum.

Eat healthier, make more meals from scratch. We have been doing much better at this lately, it was just crazy the first couple of weeks after Mikaela was born.

So that's it. If you are currently trying to tone up/lose weight/get healthier, feel free to post your goals and/or tips!

Tip of the day: Carry around a bottle or jug (reusable of course) of water with you. That way it is handy if you get thirsty. You will end up drinking much more water this way, especially if it's not usually the first thing you reach for when you realize you're thirsty.

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Getting back into shape.. Day 1

Well today was day 1 of working out and (hopefully) eating better. It didn't go exactly as planned but I feel like I accomplished a little bit. I bought The Biggest Loser game for the Kinect and did the "fitness test" today. I started working out a little after the test but my sister-in-law showed up to help us put together our swingset. I did 15-20 minutes total, which isn't terrible. However I did spend most of the day outside working on the swingset, so that probably helped a little. As far as eating better, other than using Barilla plus pasta for my lunch I didn't do much. I still had a couple of sodas. There is always tomorrow.

Tip of the day: Remember that you don't have to be exercising to get your heart rate up or burn calories! Chasing kids, yard work, housework, laundry (especially if you put it on the line-very green AND thrifty,) and many other things can count toward a daily total if you can't sneak in some actual exercise.

I need to post some starting stats and pictures but I haven't gotten around to measuring myself or taking pictures so I will try to do that tomorrow. I did weigh myself yesterday and I was 134, my goal weight is 115 although while I am nursing 120 would be just fine. I know that doesn't sound like much but I am not very tall and have a very small frame. I will only weigh myself occasionally because I don't even own a scale. My main goal isn't weightloss anyway, I just want my clothes to fit! Feel free to post any post-baby tips that have worked for you, or let me know if there is anything else that is fitness related that you would like to see on here!

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What is coming up this week..

almost 4 weeks old already!

As of tomorrow I will be 4 weeks postpartum. I feel great and have for weeks now so I am going to start exercising tomorrow. I still have 17 pounds to go to my pre-pregnancy weight and 19 for my "ideal" weight. This might not sound like much but considering I dropped all the weight I gained with my son in less than two weeks, it sure seems like it to me! I am going to include as much of my progress as I can in the blog and also include workout and healthy eating tips. I am a certified personal trainer and aerobics instructor but I've never had to workout myself. I think it's time to start! If you have any specific questions feel free to post them! It's hard to find the time to exercise when you have kids/work/school/a house to keep clean (I have all of these!) but I am out to prove that it IS possible! Starting tomorrow I will post a picture and will post my progress and tips at least twice a week. I don't plan to "diet" since I am breastfeeding and I honestly could never diet anyway, but I do want to eat a bit healthier. I've been drinking a lot of soda (I need caffeine!) since Mikaela was born and I really need to cut back. I hope my little project will inspire other moms to exercise whether for weightloss or just general health. It really does make you feel better! Just for fun, here is a picture of Mikaela. :)

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Just a quick update...

I totally agree with Amy. I've also been horrible with posting in the last week. So, here's what I've been up to...

Last Thursday (May 19th) was my last day working outside of the home. Friday I took the boys to a play at Toby's Dinner Theatre. It was Winnie the Pooh, and they loved it! Monday was Luke's first day of preschool and the first day I officially started working from home. Needless to say, it has been a busy week around here! Luke is loving preschool and I'm finally getting into the groove with working from home again.

As for Amy's ideas... I am all for them!

Meal Plans:
I love the idea! I'm pretty good about this one as it is, but I'd love to inspire some others to start doing this.

Getting in shape:
This is something I've never really had to work at, but I'd love to tighten things up a bit now that I have two little ones. I'm definitely not as toned as I was pre-babies! I was actually just talking to Amy earlier today about how I'd love to start running in the morning. This is a good one!

Make it Monday:
I'm working on a few ideas right now for great DIY projects.

I will definitely be posting sometime tomorrow. I'm thinking of posting some meal planning tips, to inspire some moms out there. It really is much easier to have a plan when it comes to dinner every night, and it's a great time saver!

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Checking in..

I have been horrible at keeping up with this blog lately. I've been busy with the newborn and I also recently started working from home a few hours here and there. Here are some of the things that have been on my mind and I will probably be blogging about this week!

Meal Plans

I know a lot of people plan out their meals a week (or more) ahead of time. We don't do this but I think we need to. We always wait too long and then don't have certain ingredients or don't have time to thaw the meat, etc. I am fortunate in that my husband likes to cook (now if only he liked to clean..) so he will have a big part in this one.

Getting in shape

I have quite a way to go with losing the weight I gained while pregnant with Mikaela. You may think I'm crazy because it's only been 3 weeks, but with Kainan I had lost it all at this point. Since our blog is about natural (healthy) living I'd like to check in once or twice a week with my progress, as well as tips. Most people don't know that I'm a certified personal trainer as well as an aerobics instructor so the knowledge is there now all I need is some motivation. Comment if you'd like to see fitness tips become a regular part of the blog!

Newborn pictures

I need to take Mikaela's newborn pictures NOW. I will (of course) be posting a few when I do. :)

Lots of reviews and Make it Monday

I have lots of reviews that I am going to work on in the near future. I also need to figure out what I am going to do for Make it Monday next week.

Well that is what has been going on with me, hopefully I will be able to make the time to be around more!

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