100 Day Challenge:Day 1

I actually hate having to answer to anyone, but I am hoping by doing this and posting it on this blog (where I don't think anyone looks anymore except maybe me and close family/friends), that it will make me feel responsible and motivate me to do this everyday.  I am going to do the 100 day challenge where you choose to do something for 100 days and video it. I'm pretty sure it's a YouTube Challenge (Maybe Armour will want to do one on his YouTube channel). But I am not ready to YouTube this crap, so it's going on here, My 100 Day Challenge statement: For 100 days I will walk, jog or run at least a mile a day. (This ought to kick start my fitness goals!) 
Here is my video from today Day 1, January 6, 2017.

And just for the sake of accountability, here are my stats from today (I am using the UnderArmour MapMyRun app, which I love, to track this):

I walked 1.6 miles in 25 minutes and 58 seconds for an average of 16:04 per mile.  Away we go!

Too coordinated?!

Every once in a while we think back to the crazy random things that seemed to happen each time we went to Riverfront Park in Spokane. One of the crazy stories came up the other day...let me tell you about it, then I will ask for some participation on your part...

So, one day we went to the park in Spokane, and we had just been swimming, so Wes was wearing his swimsuit and a matching shirt. He walked over to the bridge to check out some fish that a guy was catching while the kids and I played at the water thing. While he was there, a guy stopped and started asking Wes about the fish the other guy was catching. At first Wes just thought the guy was interested in the fish like he was, but it became apparent that the guy was not at all interested in the fish, just Wes. So, Wes just said something about his wife and the guy pretty promptly lost his interest.

Yes, Wes got hit on at the park by a homeless gay guy-seriously. Honestly, it weirded him out a bit and ever since then he is always a bit leery of wearing his swim suit anywhere-even when we are going swimming. As a matter of fact, the other day when we were going to the swim party, Wes purposely put on his green hat with his blue/grey swim shorts and his shirt so he would not look too coordinated on the way to the swim party.

So, why do I blog about this now?! Here's why...

If you read my deep thought about weight loss, you may have noticed that I mentioned that Wes runs (or roller blades) quite a distance every evening. Well, the other day as he was getting ready to go, he worried that he may have been too coordinated. I took pictures of him so I could post them and ask-what do you, the readers, think? Too coordinated? Note the shoes have all the colors he is wearing in them...

I will make a poll on the side so you can vote on whether Wes is too coordinated on his jogs...

Deep Thoughts by Beckee J: Weight loss

Do you ever wonder why it is so hard to lose weight, especially after having a baby? This morning as I ate carrot cake for breakfast, I sat and pondered the same thing...I guess we'll never know why it's so hard...

And why does it seem so easy for husbands to lose weight? Maybe I'll ask Wes to think about that as he is taking his nightly 5 mile run tonight...

Chubby, out of shape, ambitious...

So, I was on bed rest for a long time. Not that I am using that as an excuse or anything...But here's the thing, I am kinda chubby, and I pretty much weigh more than my exercise and diet obsessed husband at this point. (I may have mentioned at some point that he has lost over 50 pounds...) Also, I love food-seriously, love it...I basically start looking forward to my next meal as soon as I finish my current meal. However, overall I eat pretty healthy, and I have been trying to watch portions and count calories lately. I also have been trying to get back into the swing of exercising (which I hate). Wes wanted to live where we live so we are near trails and near cool recreation. I like the area as well, but knew it would mean Wes would be wanting to go for a lot of walks, nay, runs, rollerblading, biking...the whole schebang. I like to go on family walks-seriously, but it is also a hassle to do with 4 kids. So, I have to really get motivated and build myself up to going, and generally I don't go without Wes being the motivation.

That being said, I told Wes that I would be walking with the kids everyday to the lake (about 3 miles round trip). However, the first day in our new house, we went for a family walk to the lake, and guess what I remembered?! Near the lake is full of nasty mosquitoes-another thing I hate. It was just one more frustration, and another reason not to go there. Well, a couple days ago (after 2 weeks of me not taking the kids on the daily lake walk), Wes came home and said "Have you and the kids gone on your walk yet? If not we should all go now." So off we went, but this time I wanted to walk on the trail the opposite way from the lake. We did a bit and it was less stressful as there were less bugs, and less busy street involved.

On that walk, I realized that there is a grocery store and a red box a couple miles down the path. We went home and looked up about how far on the trail/streets it would be. We discovered that according to the map it looked like it was about exactly 2 miles from our house, (half on the trail, and half on the sidewalk by a busy street) to the grocery store. A bit long, but do-able. So, I said I might walk over there with the kids this week, fully intending not to.

This morning, I was evidently feeling ambitious because I decided to go for the gold and walk with the kids to the grocery store. Just a couple things I learned on the walk:

1-Because of the twists of the trail, it is definitely more then 2 miles to the grocery store.
2-We walked more then 2 miles (that's one way BTW-not round trip), and were still a ways away from the store before I turned around.
3-For such a flat, flat state, this is quite an uphill walk.
4-My kids do not walk, they only run, and I have to contain a couple of them, so poor Armour ends up stuck in a stroller rather than walking, and poor me, I end up jogging (to keep up with the big kids) while pushing a big kid and a baby in a car seat in the heavy stroller (which also has a huge diaper bag hanging off it).
5-There is a really good sandwich shop not too far from my house that I can walk to (it's actually about a 2 mile walk) or if I am not in the mood for walking, and I totally want a sandwich, they totally deliver!! NICE!! I grabbed a delivery menu-yum!


So, after a couple miles on a trail, then a few uphill blocks on a very old and crazy sidewalk later, we turned around, stopped for lunch, and trekked back to the house. I can testify to all that I am in fact greatly out of shape. It was REALLY hot and humid out. Combine that with my chubby, out of shape body, and I was a gross sweaty mess at the end. As were the walking kids.

Check us out at the end:

You have to see this pic big to truly appreciate how sweaty he is...that hair style is all due to the sweat...oh yeah!
He fell on the way home and insisted we include a pic of his bleeding knee...
Sweaty princess
A
K

Can you tell the difference between the walkers and the riders?!

Will we walk again? Will we ever make it to the Red Box?!
Those are questions for another day my friends!