My Health Goals For The New Year
I’ve had it. I gained a lot more weight than I normally do when I was pregnant with Sophia. I know it had to be from all the progesterone shots and for how long I was in bed during her pregnancy. It’s been very difficult to get off, and I tend to get easily discouraged and give up after not seeing results right away. My husband is so sweet and encourages me to stick with it, but every mom out there knows how hard it is to make time for yourself!
This is the year. I’m determined. And I have hope of it working if I can just stick with it.
Here is why I actually have hope.
I faithfully did Trim Healthy Mama for one week a few months ago and lost 5 pounds. There were several reasons why I didn’t keep going, but I know it’s possible to do. Starting today I’m ditching the sugar and getting back to eating healthy.
Here are my thoughts on what I’m going to do to try and lose the baby weight.
Food
Trim Healthy Mama will definitely be something I get back to doing. But I’m not one of those loyal THM ladies who stick with the plan 100%. I struggled waiting every 3 hours to eat, and felt like my blood sugar was wanting to drop low the entire week I was doing the program, no matter how much protein I ate. I’m not crazy about using lots of stevia, so will also occasionally use honey and maple syrup.
I’ll be doing a whole foods approach, lots of salad with protein on top, brown rice, I’ll try quinoa yet again (someone please share a yummy recipe?!), and I’ll be using the 100 Days of Real Food cookbook as well.
I love chocolate, but it needs to be the very occasional treat. Yes, I’ve tried the Trim Healthy mama skinny chocolate recipe and the cake recipe, but it’s just not the same. 🙂
In summary, my plan is lots of fruit and vegetables, do a basic form of Trim Healthy Mama, think fresh, whole foods whenever I cook, and drink lots of water with lemon!
It sounds so simple, right? It’s just sticking with it that is always the difficult part.
Exercise
5 minutes is better than zero. Anything is better than nothing.
This is something I have to get through my head!
Being consistent will bring results. Doing crazy workouts for a week and then giving up from exhaustion brings about nothing.
See the key word here? Consistent. It’s the same word that Sean talks a lot about over at Character Badges! Everything in life goes better if we are just consistent with what we pick to do.
Sean totally spoiled me this Christmas and gave me a bike and an Apple Watch. The watch is on backorder, so I’ll be getting it early next year. He has had an Apple Watch for a year now, and loves it. The fitness apps really motivate him, plus he uses his phone less now that he has his watch. I’m excited about both of those things!
I’ve been using the Nike Training Club App on my phone for different workouts. I love the 15 minute workouts! It’s a free app, and offers so many different workouts.
Overall, my plan is to get out to the gym with my husband 1-2 times a week, ride my bike whenever the weather is nice in the next few months, and do workouts at home. People tell me I get enough exercise chasing after six children, but I really don’t. I sit down to homeschool and I sit down to blog.
Rest
Rest is not something everyone includes in health goals, but it’s vital for my health! Since I’ve had pretty bad adrenal fatigue issues in the past, I can only stay up super late for so long without it starting to affect my adrenals.
I’ve been horrible at getting to bed lately! Midnight is my normal bedtime. I can’t seem to make myself go to bed, after the children go to bed that quiet time is so wonderful. However it’s really messing up my adrenals. I barely made it through the Christmas weekend, I kept hitting a certain point of the day and I would crash and just want to go home.
My goal is to be in bed by 10:00 every night (still not perfect, but much better).
I also plan on resting more in other ways. I have some pretty exciting new things planned for my business, but they have to be contained. I can only allow myself a few things to focus on this year, and just pour my energy into those few things. Right now that looks like this blog, Deborah & Co. and a new project coming in January!
Sean is also wanting me to help him with our Character Badge business more. We have some big projects planned for that this new year.
Supplements
I recently went and saw my doctor (who I just love!!!), and had bloodwork done. For the first time ever, my thyroid is finally under control. I take Armour Thyroid medicine, Adapten-All for my adrenals, a Vitamin D supplement for my MTHFR, and the Probiotic from Plexus.
My plan is just to continue taking these supplements and be, you guessed it, consistent every day.
15 Days To A Healthier You Course
And finally….I’m going to be going through a brand new course that Crystal Paine just put out, called 15 Days To A Healthier You. I just finished going through a blog course with Crystal, and she went way above and beyond in being present in the Facebook group for the course, and sharing so much information in her live videos. So I have every confidence that this new group will be just as good!
In 15 Days to a Healthier You, Crystal will be covering more than just eating right and exercising (though, that is  overed as well!). Holistic health is about making the whole person healthy, and that’s exactly why Crystal  created 15 Days to a Healthier You.
Day 1– It’s time to take care of YOU: Why it’s Important to Take Care of Yourself & How Self-Care Looks Different for Everyone
Day 2– What Self-Care Really Is (and What it Isn’t!)
Day 3– Love Your Life
Day 4– Overcoming Negativity
Day 5– Realistic, Attainable Goal-Setting (Part 1)
Day 6– Realistic, Attainable Goal-Setting (Part 2)
Day 7– Cutting Calendar Clutter: What Should Go On Your To-Do List (and What Shouldn’t!)
Day 8– Cutting Physical Clutter: Why Clearing Clutter is Good for your Health
Day 9– Setting up an Evening Routine
Day 10– Building Good Sleep Habits
Day 11– The Importance of Hydration
Day 12– Falling in Love with Fitness
Day 13– Redefining Healthy Eating (for the Already Overwhelmed!)
Day 14– Nutritional Supplements
Day 15– Why Your Mindset Matters
The course is only available to purchase until January 3rd, and the program starts January 9th.
The course is only $15.00, so everyone can afford it!
I loved the focus on rest. It’s something I definitely need to be reminded of right now. Crystal has a lot of good references in the course, I went through the entire study guide and requested all the books she recommended from my library!
All of these intentions are good, but I can only do so much in my own strength. I’m thankful that I can continually ask God to help me stay focused, and trust in His strength!
Do you have health goals for the New Year? I would love to hear what you have planned! Are you still trying to plan your goals? Check out the 2017 Goal Planner that my husband made! It’s really great for actually getting your goals on paper, and helping you evaluate how 2016 went for you.Â
Those are pretty much my goals exactly – eating better, less sugar, and getting to the gym more! I know I feel so much better when I do those things; it’s just hard staying there!
I also have problems with getting back to shape after my second pregnancy. By acccident I’ve discovered that my problems come from developing distasis recti during pregnancy. Normal exercises won’t help, they will only make it worse. Have you checked yourself? Perhaps you have similar problem?
Diastasis recti. My iPad knows better… 😉
Yes, I know that I have that same problem, so I’m careful with what exercises I do.
Great goals!
And I loved your progesterone post!! Naprotech doctors are amazing!! I’m holding my 5 month old right now because of them and God’s grace…progesterone shots all the way to 37 weeks!
God bless Dr. Hilgers and his research!
SO awesome! Praise God!!!
Hi, I am currently pregnant and due in May. My health goals are slightly different, but I hope to get on the train later in the year. My goals right now are walking if it’s above 50 degrees or doing light excercise from a pregnancy app I’ve downloaded three days a week. After all the junk I’ve been eating the last couple of months, I’m anxious to focus on eating nutritious food. And like you, I need to go to bed earlier!
As far as the quinoa. I usually eat it one of two ways. I cook it in chicken stock, and serve it warm with protein and vegetables, have you tried this?
The other way is cook the quinoa, then incorporate it into a salad with shredded cabbage, carrots, maybe some red onion and tomato, and use an Italian type dressing. Eat it cold, the longer it sits in the fridge the better!
Good luck with your goals and God bless!
Those sound like good goals! Congratulations on a new baby coming!
I highly recommend the book “The Spiritual Path to Weight Loss: Praising God by Living a Healthy Life” by Gregory J. Lantz. He is a professional Christian health counselor and writes about the underlying issues that most people face when dealing with weight issues/overeating. He doesn’t oversimplify it to a “just have more faith” or works-based mentality. Instead, he provides is very balanced, straightforward and truthful resource for Christians who are trying to get healthier and/or lose weight.
Good luck! My favorite quinoa recipe is below… I use it all the time, and sometimes throw in some seasoned chicken for a lunch. I usually skip the cilantro, as who usually has that on hand? 🙂 I also just use chicken broth as I always have some bouillon around. Usually only use one can of black beans, seems to be enough for me.
http://allrecipes.com/recipe/49552/quinoa-and-black-beans/
another great workout you might want to try is 12 Minute Athlete. Great (and HARD!) 12 minute workouts that will transform your strength!
Thank you so much!!
Glad to hear of someone else who takes Armour Thyroid. I have been on it for almost 6 years (took another one before that for a couple of years). For the most part mine has been stable, it yo-yoed for awhile last year, but with some creative dosages, it is stable now. I have never met anyone else who takes it!
I will never take any other medicine for my thyroid! I really like how this type of medicine works. I have several friends who take this as well, you are not alone!
Caroline! If your looking to lose weight I can help you. Have you ever heard of T-Tapp? It sounds cheesey, I know but believe me it works! You can google it, read the book, order the CDs, do it! I promise you’ll get results, if you do it right. T-Tapp is an exercise program that you do 15 minutes a day! You may be skeptical but it works. I’ve had fabulous results. You can stop going to the gym if you want, you don’t have to diet at all but you can, it’s fabulous! I truly encourage you to give it a try.
Hello! I’ve used T-Tapp before, but honestly I get easily bored with the program, and haven’t seen any success with it. Thanks for suggesting it though!
I am curious about what steps you have taken to get your thyroid under control?
So, for quinoa, this is what I do…and my picky husband eats it!
1 cup of quinoa, rinsed
2 cups of chicken broth (if it’s a can, I just add water to hit a full 2 cups, but I prefer homemade)
1 cup of cheese, any type you like
2 tablespoons of butter
Melt the butter in a skillet, and add the quinoa, toasting it. Add the broth, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and cover, simmering for the time on the quinoa you bought (I think it’s typically 18 minutes, but just in case it varies….). Once it’s done, mix in the cheese, and serve.
It’s like a healthier mac and cheese, if you will, and I LOVE It as a breakfast dish too (with a fried egg served atop). Depending on the cheese you use, it can be a good side on taco night, or go as an Italian side.
And you can definitely stick to it this year!!! You’ve got this!
Oh thank you! That looks SOO good!
Quinoa recipe. 4 c water, 2 c quinoa, 1 T+ Better than Bouillon Vegetable Broth concentrate from Costco. Simmer 15 min. Serve with butter and salt if desired. My kids hated quinoa before I made it this way. Now they will eat it.
One of my favorite Quinoa recipes ever is this Mexican Quinoa Casserole recipe I found on Vegangela. I am not vegan so I topped with sour cream and a bit of cheese. It was simple and hearty. Also, as far as grains go – I believe farro is another healthy choice. I like to make that and serve it as a salad with diced cucumber & tomato and some balsamic vinegar.
http://vegangela.com/2013/02/18/oven-baked-mexican-quinoa-casserole/
Thank you!