Progress not Perfection.

I have had a good amount of questions about this 90 day challenge I am participating in, and I am sorry I have not had a chance to answer these questions. My intention was to write a blog post about it, but alas I am RARELY on my computer anymore because I have a rambunctious 13 month old running around. Between playing, dancing, trying to workout, and trying to WORK while being a stay at home  mom, I haven't had a chance to blog. But that's okay. "You can do anything but not EVERYTHING." So I choose to scoop my dear little one up, take walks when we can, attempt an art class (haha- "Rebekah DON'T EAT THE TISSUE PAPER!") - or heck, since I get up many mornings at 5am, take a nap.

So what exactly is the 90 day challenge?

Simple answer: It's a weight-loss/ transformation challenge my gym LIFETIME FITNESS hosts twice a year.

Long answer: It was my challenge to myself to lose the last of my baby-weight and to improve my body fat, by eating clean and also getting my BUTT KICKED at the 6am bootcamp I started to attend at the end of January.

So some of you may have read about my weight-loss journey on my blog before. I like to talk about it here because I KNOW how hard it is after you have a baby to feel good about your body. I was in great shape before I had my daughter, and I didn't expect to feel so horrible about my body. Looking back I realize I was borderline depressed because of the SHOCK of how my body looked. It was the only thing I had an issue with. I felt HOPELESS. I started at a healthy weight and I only gained 35 lbs, and yet after I had my daughter it didn't just fall off for me.

I found myself constantly comparing myself to these Mom's who had lost the weight in 3 months, 6 months, 9 months. And who not only lost the weight but had six packs to boot! Sometimes it motivated me - sometimes it was a depression obsession.

But things are different now. So here is an update! I was up to 159 after the holidays, (I had got down to 151 but stayed there for MONTHS - like 4 or 5 months!!!!!) So with the INSANE plateau, the stress of training for a half marathon (November) I was DONE. I had kind of given up, but also knew I just needed a mental break. I knew after the holidays, and weaning my daughter I could begin again.

And so I did.

I am now down to 147 after A LOT of hard work. Not perfect eating. Not perfect routines. But also NOT finished. Just consistently putting one foot in front of the other. My new year resolution wasn't about weight loss but instead bodyfat and also how many times I work out a week. Being someone who was already working out, my goal is to work out 5 times a week at minimum. I am finally starting to feel like myself again. I can see some definition in my arms, and legs again. My clothes are getting loose, and I can fit my pre-preger jeans over my hips and butt (they don't fasten just yet but I can see that happening in the next couple weeks).

As much as I would like to say I have done it all on my own, that would be a lie. I have to give credit to my trainer Bryan at Lifetime, and my FitFam (6 am bootcampers at Lifetime). I joined the 6 am bootcamp class mid January (with my amazing sister in law) to start the new year off right. I had two "free" weeks of bootcamp, and I honestly told myself I was just going to do the two weeks because 1.) It was at SIX IN THE MORNING and that meant waking up at 5!!! 2.) I didn't want to pay for it, but it would be a great jump start. No I am not cheap, but I don't have an endless budget like a lot of people who work out at our gym. But alas, I did the two weeks, almost passed out and puked the first class, but now I am addicted. I love getting up, getting my workout it, sitting in the steam room at 7:15am and getting showered, home and ready for the day by 8:30. It's a great feeling. I am getting stronger and stronger. I am doing things I NEVER thought I could do nor did I even know existed.

The energy of our bootcamp class is amazing. We are truly a little family. Competitive but encouraging. We push each other, we show up and we work. And it's something that I didn't really know existed for adults - it's the same feeling you have when you are part of a sports team - your teammates depend on you, and you grow a fondness for each other, realizing one another's strengths and weaknesses. I know a lot of people don't think they need or can't afford these types of things, I was one of those people. But it isn't even a matter of cost anymore. I have basically cut out my clothing budget, and some other things, to pay for the additional expense of the class. Why would I want to by more clothes that I don't really feel like my best self in? That's a small example but my point is... it's worth the investment and the sacrifice.

Seriously... "Love your body it's all you have".

That's what I am trying to do. Love my body. Take care of myself because no one else will. YES people will love you, and care ABOUT you. But you must make the most of this life by treating your vessel with the care it deserves. It won't change overnight. I have a long long way to go, but I am on the road. I am in the way of going. I am walking. And I encourage you to just keep walking. I was reminded today after an awesome workout, that tested my confidence and also my strength, that failure is okay... it is PART of becoming successful. Perfection is not a requirement. In fact it can't be. We have to fall, and fail so we can learn, get stronger and be better.

Cheers! Have a great rest of the weekend! Hope this encouraged you! 

real housewives with real lives

Once upon a time, women took pride in getting married and being the caretakers of their home and family. Women learned how to cook everything from scratch and did not rely on Hamburger Helper to feed their brood. Any twenty-something woman in 1950 would know how to iron, do dishes, laundry, vacuum, all while taking care of her personal appearance and hygiene. Now, fast-forward to this twenty-something generation of women, which I am a card-carrying member, and we have to learn all this on YouTube.

I am not poo-pooing the twenty-something women that don't learn to do their own laundry till college or couldn't properly clean their own bathroom if their life depended on it; after all, it isn't their fault. In fact, the older generations gripe about our "out of control" Gen-Y when they themselves have made little effort to pass on their skills or wisdom about running a home.

As exciting as it is that women now have the potential to attain jobs that pay as much men, and often do, it isn't exciting that we look more and more like them, and we often emasculate them in the process. Yet, looking feminine, knowing how to sew a dress for yourself, and cooking a gourmet meal is as valuable in America as speaking Pig-Latin, unless you turn simple hobbies and pleasantries into all consuming career aspirations and dreams. For example, if you learned to sew when you are thirteen, and showed promise, in today's world you would feel a mound of pressure to then continue on to design school and be a top stylist or famous designer. Not that this is a bad thing, but something is wrong if a paradigm creates a culture in which people are obsessed with selfish-ambition and fame. It's bad when young women who admit at an early age they desire to be married and have children are looked down upon, even though it's part of our nature to desire companionship and to nurture children.

Maybe I am not being fair... maybe it isn't like this all over the country. But in Northern Virginia you should just see the looks I get when I tell someone my age, and that I am Housewife.

The reason I am starting this blog is to create a discussion about the controversy of being a Housewife and also to explore the ins and outs of this role, from hosting a dinner party to removing stains from your All-Clad! Hollywood and the media portray Housewives as "Desperate" (i.e. promiscuous, rich, petty, greedy, crazy, neurotic, alcoholics, work-aholics, plastic, gossipy, arrogant, lazy, gold-diggers, etc.). This is NOT reality. It's entertaining to see those rich women in L.A. and Atlanta wearing clothes way too tight, running around in their mansions and expensive cars, but let's be honest... that's not how life is for most of us! Being a Housewife is not a status thing! It is one of the most humble lifestyles with the greatest rewards a woman could dream. And it's a life completely misunderstood, sometimes even feared, and often belittled. I hope you will enjoy reading, learning while I learn, and going along with me while I uncover many aspects of being a Housewife with a life!