Curvy Girl's Journey....to amazement

Amazing, right?!?  I can't believe how much I have changed until I look at pictures side-by-side.  The pictures are about 8 months apart.  So how did I do it?
No fad diets or pills here.  I do it with hard work and a lifestyle change.  I worked out at home with the Insanity program and walking on a treadmill.  I started eating healthy and controlled my portion sizes.
If I can do, anyone can do it! You just have to take that first step and decide to make a change.  Decide to succeed! You have to be ready for a change, not just for a day, or a week, but for good!

Curvy Girl's Journey.....through water and more water

Do you know how much water you should be drinking everyday? 

I was surprised to realize I wasn't drinking enough.  And I'm the type of person who always drinks water, rarely anything else.  Here is the link to calculate how much you should be drinking:

Calculate your daily water intake

Curvy Girl's Journey....to workouts

I love this quote!  I am not always motivated to get up and workout, but I always try my best.   Even if I don't feel like I did all the moves to the video or ran the fastest, at least I did it!!!
When you are working toward your goals, don't think about the negatives.  You have to think positive.  No, you may not be able to run a mile in 6 minutes or complete 10 pushups, but you have to try.  Make your goal to improve every single day.  Every day do one more push up than yesterday.  Eventually you will be able to do 10 complete pushups!!! Decide to succeed!! and guess what?? You will!!!

Curvy Girl's Journey...to saving money

Besides getting healthier in 2014, I want to reduce my family's spending and increase the amount in our savings account. 
So how do i do this???
I am new in the saving money field, but am very familiar with the spending money part of it!  :)

So I have a very hard journey ahead of me.  My first step today was to plan my family's weekly meals by what was on sale at the grocery store.  I'm hoping to drastically cut the grocery budget this week and then put the savings into the savings account.  Even if it's only $10, that is $10 more than we had yesterday!

I am going to occasionally blog on my journey to save money too.  I hope any readers that have had success with this will feel free to comment their suggestions/tips below!!

Curvy Girl's Journey....to the new year

Happy New Year! This is the time of year when everyone makes resolutions that they rarely keep.  How many resolutions have you made that actually came to be? 
Now I'm not saying we shouldn't make resolutions but we can't set goals Dec 31st then forget about them two days later. 
So how do you make sure you are celebrating the coming of 2015 by being proud of your goals accomplished in 2014? 
Start a journal.  In the front of this journal write your resolutions.  Then everyday (365 days) write an entry in this journal.  It doesn't have to be long or time consuming, just a sentence or two.  What should you write? Write down what you accomplished that day that worked toward your overall goal.  For example, my goal is to lose body fat and get even healthier.  So on Monday, i would jot down that I worked out for 30 minutes and drank my Shakeology for breakfast.  These steps will lead me to my resolution. 
So start 2014 in a new way and reach those resolutions!!!!

Curvy Girl's Journey.....to healthy eating

I have heard that a beautiful body is made up of 10% genetics + 10% exercise + 80% nutrition.  So what is the obvious thing to focus on for a more healthy and beautiful body???? Duh, Nutrition!!!
So here are my top ten nutrition tidbits for getting healthier.  I will be adding more nutrition information in the future especially since it is such a vital part of our lives, but here is a good place to start!

1. Drink lots of water!! You should drink at least half of your weight in ounces of water.  For example if you weighed 200lbs, you should drink at least 100oz of water each day! 
2. Eat breakfast everyday and within an hour of rising.  Studies show that those who eat a healthy breakfast are leaner, have a higher metabolism, and are less likely to overeat. 
3. Adhere to proper portion size.  Protein: palm of one hand, Starchy complex carbohydrate: one cupped hand, Complex carbohydrate from fruits and vegetables: two cupped hands, Healthy fats: one scant handful of nuts, 1-2 tbsp oil
4. Avoid sugar, white flour, and over processed foods. 
5. Plan your meals a week before and prep healthy food for accessibility. 
6. Avoid sodas, juices, and sugar drinks.  Also limit alcohol consumption. 
7. Eat a combination of lean protein and complex carbohydrates at every meal. 
8. Depend on fruits and vegetables for fiber, vitamins, nutrients, and enzymes. 
9. Drink green tea when hungry. 
10. Prepare as many of your meals at home yourself so you know exactly what goes into them!

Curvy Girl's Journey....to reach goals in 2014

If you are like me, every year on December 31st you make a resolution to lose weight, get healthier, diet, eat better, etc, etc.  But how many of us actually go through the year and reach our goals?? Not many, so don't feel guilty about not meeting your new year's resolutions!
I found that I need motivation.  I need other people to help me reach my goals.  This may sound lazy or reliant on others, but hey it works!
The best way to get this motivation is to have people that are trying to reach the same goal support you while you support them.  Every single person has an off day.  No matter what they say, at some point they don't want to get up and workout.   That is where challenge groups come into play.
 A challenge group is a private facebook group where assignments are posted everyday.  The participants are trying to get healthier just like you and can post their failures or successes.  These groups have helped me when I don't want to work out because i log on and see how many others have already completed their workouts and I think, "if they can, then I can."  I think a little of my competitive side comes to play as well but like I said before, hey it works!
If you are interested in a facebook challenge group, comment below and I will contact you!