Fitness Friday!!(i suck lol);shopping &baby's first haircut

TGIF y'all!! How was your week in fitness?? I pray it's been better then mine!! I didn't make any of my goals for this week😣 I've been so busy and haven't been eating enough! It'll get better, i know it will! I do see how it's easy to gain holiday weight though. My goals this week are gonna be the same as last week.  If you missed that blog  click here. I don't have a lot of confidence in myself with Christmas this week. Just a ton of traveling, families, and good times! Yay for Christmas!

So, this morning my daughter wanted to go do a little shopping for my grandson. So,  we got ready.

Ok y'all. I'm not the girl to wear red lips, but, this new lip stain i got in my birchbox......is my new boo! ! I'll write more about  that for #subscriptionboxsaturday
I'm loving the red on my lips! It's great for the holidays!

Heading out with my love bugs!😍

Notice my grandson hair? Yea, this was at the barber shop waiting to get his first haircut.

He really sat there like he was grown!

Other then that paci.....he is a big boy now!

After his bath.....i love it!!

Finally. After a long day of shopping, haircuts, wrapping presents & playing with extra ribbon.....i get to sit with the fam and relax!

From the looks of it, we have some really good kids in this house!! Lol

I'm so ready for Christmas!! Are y'all!?

Muahs!

Melissa aka maduke

#FitnessFriday!!!!!!

Well, Guess what day it is!!!???  "Its Friday....Friday.....gotta get down on Friday".....what ever happened to that girl??  Rebecca Black???  lol Anyways, back to the subject!!!

#FitnessFriday yet again!!  So, How did your week go?? Have you been making those little lifestyle changes??  A week at a time??  My week has been OK.  Y'all know I told y'all my biggest challenge is eating....yes, that's right....eating!!  I hate food so much!!! UGH!!!!!  I'm doing a little better.  Still having to make myself eat something. Sometimes I feel like the only person in the world like this.  Most people are the opposite.  They LOVE food.  not me.....its so frustrating.  Since I sucked at that this week again, I believe I am going to start meal prepping again,  Last year, while losing 75lbs....On Sundays I would do meal Prep.  Prep out things to eat for the whole week and put them in my little containers.  I seemed to eat a little more and more regularly that way.

My other challenge this past week was to get moving a little more.  I have been doing a little walking almost every day this week.  It helps when I have to go up to the store because I will walk instead of driving.  When I do that I am guaranteed a mile.  So, YAY on that cool!!!

My challenges this week are as follows:

• Drink a gallon of water a day
• up my walking to 2 miles a day
• meal prep on Sunday
• start back my Hip Hop Abs

What are you doing this coming up week to amp up your weight loss???? Please......SHARE!!!!!

Ok, now for my topic of the week for #FitnessFriday

Involve Your Children!!!

That's right y'all!!  Get your children involved on your weight loss journey!  Not only will you be doing something good for your health, but for your children as well!!  Here are some facts about childhood obesity from the CDC website:

• Childhood obesity has more then doubled in children and quadrupled in adolescents in the past 30 years
• The percentage of children aged 6-11 years in the United States who were obese increased from 7% in 1980 to nearly 18% in 2012. Similary, the percentage of adolescents aged 12-19 years who were obese increased from 5% to nearly 21% over the same period.
• In 2012, more then one third of children and adolescents were overweight or obese.
• Overweight is defined as having excess body weight for a particular height from fat, muscle, bone, water or a combination of these factors. Obesity is defined as having excess body fat.
• Overweight and obesity are the result of "calorie imbalance"--too few calories expended for the amount of calories consumed- and are affected by various genetic, behavioral, and environmental factors.

If you'd like to continue reading about this, click here.

Its easy to make working out fun for your kids!!  Shhhhhh, our secret!!  They don't have to know its exercise *wink wink*  Go outside and play tag, red light; green light, any kind of outside game.  Chase after lightning bugs in the summer. Just move!!!  You will all be getting exercise and your children will think your the best mom on the block!!!!! In the winter, have a dance party, walk around the neighborhood and look at the leaves changing color or if its around Christmas.....bundle up and go walk and look at Christmas Lights....Like we did!!!

So, Go!! Get out there and make some memories!! Get out and PLAY!! 

"you're welcome" ;)

MUAHS!

Fitness Friday!!!!!

Good morning y'all!! It's FITNESS FRIDAY!!!! That's right.....and it seems be my most popular posts since if been doing my blog!! So, are you ready?? Let's get started😝

Today i want to talk a little about fitness and mental health...cool???

Y'all know those never ending cycles that come with life??

Ex: you need a job....but,don't have a vehicle to get back and forth to work; can't get a vehicle cause you need a job to pay for it

Well, you need too exercise to feel better....but whatever illness your dealing with has already  brought you down so, it's hard to motivate yourself. Its a back and forth battle. And yes, i struggle with this too! So, i can really relate.

Exercise releases endorphins, which create feelings of happiness and euphoria. Studies have shown that exercise can even alleviate symptoms among the clinically depressed . For this reason, docs recommend that people suffering from depression or anxiety (or those who are just feeling blue) pencil in plenty of gym time. In some cases, exercise can be just as effective as antidepressant pills in treating depression....
But, when your depressed or other mental illnesses.....it's really a challenge just to make yourself get out and exercise!!

 One of the most common mental benefits of exercise is stress relief. Working up a sweat can help manage physical and mental stress. Exercise also increases concentrations of norepinephrine, a chemical that can moderate the brain’s response to stress

For some, a moderate workout can be the equivalent of a sleeping pill, even for people with insomnia . Moving around five to six hours before bedtime raises the body’s core temperature. When the body temp drops back to normal a few hours later, it signals the body that it’s time to sleep 

This is good to know. I mean.....anyone else out there like me?? When you go to bed and your so tired....then your brain just doesn't shut up!!?? It's one of the most annoying....frustrating things ever. I hate laying in bed watching the clock!  They make for the longest nights of your life!!

Y'all know I've mentioned that i don't take medication for my bipolar disorder(and a few other mental things....yes, i know! I'm legit crazy lol) and when i was going to the gym every day....i felt so much better!!
·I was excited to workout
·I had so much more energy
·I was sleeping at night
·I was managing my anxiety better
·My mood swings decreased

But once i broke my foot last year and wasn't able to workout, my mental health started to decline again. And this week has been especially hard on me.

I know it's hard to get motivated when your down. Or, when you didn't sleep the night before due to the racing thoughts.....but, if you JUST DO IT, and give it at least a week....i promise ya....you will feel better! And you will benefit from it....both physically and mentally!!
You don't have to go to the gym every day....or be Shaun T over night....just try simple ways to start moving...like:
· take a 30 min walk in the evening
·or stand at work instead of sitting
·Park further away at the grocery store
·Take the stairs instead of the elevator
·Fix your yard up
You can do this, and please remember that your not alone.

Update on my weight loss journey:
This week I'm still struggling a little with my eating habits. But, when i eat....it's hasn't been junk. So, I'm proud of that. Now it's time to go for a nice walk and so should you!😉

Muahs!

Melissa aka maduke

fitness Friday!!

hey yall!! hope your Thanksgiving was perfect! lol

today is fitness Friday. man, if i was to take measurements today I'd prob cry!! so, no measurements, but, i will tell you what my biggest hurdle has been since getting ready to tackle this fitness thing again.

food:
i HATE food!! i hate to eat. i don't know why but i do. I'm like completely opposite of people with weight issues. i don't over eat, in fact...... my hurdle has always been getting enough calories in a day. my body goes into starvation mode, so, anything i do eat, my body wants to hold on to all the fats and sugars because it"doesn't know" when I'll eat again.
this week I've been trying to eat at least three times a day. my goal is to eat 6 small meals, but I'm honestly lucky to eat 2.

I've also tried cutting out bad sugars this week.(haha) i have to make little small changes at a time.

that is my tip for you today. if your starting a fitness program.... take your time. each week add a little more activity or a little less bad calories. getting into shape isn't easy...
it's NOT gonna happen over night...
it's more then a diet, it's a lifestyle change!

if your problem is soft drinks.... cut back the first week.
i find it easier to make one small change each week. that way you don't get overwhelmed and give up early.

if you fall, it's ok! start over. NEVER give up! you CAN do it!! and so can i! i have faith in us!

so, until my next post, here are my fav pics from Thanksgiving...

this last one is my dad, me, step mom, and my step bros! yes, I'm the only girl lol!

how's your lifestyle change going?
muahs

fitness Friday!!!!

alright.....i told y'all i was gonna start doing these #fitnessfriday post just like, what? a day ago? lol so, i really don't have much to say, cause, I'm starting today!!
so, i guess you can say i had my "last meal" tonight.

there is a local place here where i live that make this "hood burger" it's nothing but greasy goodness in your mouth lol

it's scrambled hamburger with a patty and all the works.
i hate to say it, i don't feel guilty at all!! now to say good bye to this extra weight!!
muahs!

down 75lbs up 25

Hey sweets 🍬! How are y'all today? Hope your staying warm!! I've really been thinking about this blog. I'm not a professional writer, I don't have a degree. All I have are life experiences. I've been really just thinking of different topics of things other people can possibly learn from me and/or be entertained. So, one of the many things I look up are weight loss tips and tricks.
But, hey!! I wanna learn from y'all too!
I was thin in middle school. But in 9th grade,I started to gain a lil weight..... Maybe just filling out?

Middle school 8th grade prom

Summer before 10th grade

So, I was always considered "big boned"
Once I got pregnant and 3 kids later...... I was pretty plump lol
In 2007 I started doing a ton of walking while I lived in Utah and started losing weight... Yay!

2007 at about my lowest weight since high school
175lbs

Once I moved back to Georgia IT HAPPENED
I was dx'ed with bipolar disorder. As anyone that has a mental illness knows, it's hard at the beginning while the Dr tries all the different med cocktails. The emotional rollercoaster, getting sick, hives, adverse reactions, weight gain, weight loss, sleeping all the time, not sleeping at all, ECT
It really takes a toll on your body. By the time they got my meds adjusted and together I was pretty much at my heaviest and still gaining weight

Me in 2011 at my heaviest
275lbs

Y'all, I was miserable!! I had NO energy
I wanted to sleep all the time
I was a walking zombie
Never left the house

So, can someone please explain to me how the meds were helping me other then sedating me!!?
In 2012 I did the unthinkable.

I do NOT condone this or say it's ok without talking to your Dr first

I stopped ALL meds! Cold turkey!! And it was not easy. But, after 6 months, as I started recognizing my triggers, and knowing how I react to things....i started managing it on my own. Yes, I'd have panic attacks, yes... There were sleepless nights... But, I coped with it and got through it, and still get through it.
Then, weight started falling off. I wasn't dieting, I wasn't exercising, just losing weight.
Within four months I was wearing an 11/12 from a 16/18. Went to the Dr and had lost 60lbs. The Dr did blood work and everything came back normal. He said he was glad of the weight loss(cause I was overweight) but not the way I was losing it. He said it was probably due to anxiety. He suggested me going back on my meds!! I wasn't hearing that!!

So, can you guess what I did?????

I took advantage of this opportunity to make a lifestyle change! I started getting more active and just watching my portions. And, it worked.... The weight kept coming off

So, I took it to a whole other level.
started walking to the gym Mon-Fri (4 miles)
I started running
I added weight training
And started trying to EAT CLEAN as much as possible

It was working great too! Until I broke my foot! Ever since then my motivation had just disappeared!! And it makes me so angry at myself because I've gained back 25lbs and can't get off my butt to get back at it when I know it can be done!!
All it takes is

•becoming more active
• portion control
• eat as clean as possible
• weight training
• time
•dedication
•motivation

Which I'm really lacking in the motivation part!!
Y'all have any tips?
Starting Friday I'm gonna do fitness Friday. I'll take my measurements and weight, and share tips, ups, downs, anything fitness related!! Maybe this will help keep me accountable!

Y'all should join me and we can do this together!!
Muahs