I'm still here.

Okay, there are no excuses for going so long without an update. I just haven't felt compelled to write, and that is the truth. I have been focusing my energies on other projects right now. The biggest of which is completely overhauling the whole family's health. Not an easy task.

So, I guess if you really want an update from me you are stuck listening to my healthy living babble. You have been warned.

I guess a good place to start would be my motivation for making such a drastic change in our lifestyle. Well, it boils down to three things: my family history of breast cancer, my desire to be able to do more together as a family and the feeling that I am a skinny girl trapped in a fat girl's body. Yup, that about sums it up.

So, in true Abby fashion, I decided to take on everything at once. I quit smoking, quit drinking pop, cut processed foods down to 5-10% of my diet and started exercising 5-6 days a week. The first week was a little overwhelming, but honestly, I felt it was easier to do everything at once rather than to prolong the torture by starting a new torture just as one was finishing. Plus, there is the strong desire I have to lose at least 30 lbs by Christmas. That doesn't leave much time for slow and steady.

So, I am roughly 3 weeks in and 7 lbs lighter according to our home scale. Mind you, I have been exercising vigorously, so I may have lost more fat than that, but also gained muscle so the scale is only reflecting a 7 lb loss. Either way, I am happy with my progress thus far. I still need to work out some kinks, but I am happy with how I am feeling.

How am I feeling you ask? FANTASTIC! I have energy for the first time in years, and for the first time in my life I am on a normal sleep schedule! Yea, I'm not nocturnal anymore!

So, as of right now I am working out 90 minutes a day 6 days a week. I sat down with a trainer at my gym and hatched out a workout plan. My plan includes 3 days of heavy (90 min) cardio and core weight training (abs, obliques and lower back) 2 days of light cardio (30-45 min) with one day dedicated to upper body (arms and shoulder) and the other day dedicated to lower body (legs, duh!) the last day is spent doing just light cardio (30-45 min) unless I feel the need to do more cardio, but no weights on that last day. Those 90 min cardio days are quickly becoming my nemesis. I have to convince myself to keep going every 5 minutes through the entire 90 minutes. I know it will get easier, but right now my muscles are in terrible shape, but my heart -- thanks to my recent pregnancy -- is in great shape apparently so my muscles have a hard time working hard enough to raise my heart rate to the cardio rate which is where I am supposed to be at for my whole workout except for the first and last 5 minutes. Yea, if you followed any of that, basically, by muscles get tired before my heart even gets started.

As for my eating. I am still working on that. I am eating healthy foods, I'm just not doing well at getting on a schedule and regulating how much of the healthy foods I eat. I am going to keep working on it though. I'll get the hang of it eventually. I think the important part is what I put in my body, the when is just fine tuning.

So, that is what I am up to right now. Basically.