mark

mark 
\ˈmärk\
1. a boundary land
2. something (as a line, notch, or fixed object) designed to record position
3. target
4. the starting line or position in a track event
5. goal; object
6. a standard of performance, quality, or condition
7. sign, indication
8. an impression (as a scratch, scar, or stain) made on something
9. a distinguishing trait or quality
10. a symbol used for identification or indication of ownership
11. a written or printed symbol
12. a grade
13. a figure registering a point or level reached or achieved
14. attention, notice
15. an assessment of merits

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to mark something is so beneficial.

if your starbucks barista doesn't mark the cup for your handcrafted beverage, you may get disappointed with the outcome... because there were 2 pumps of syrup instead of 3 and whip cream when you asked for none.
if you don't mark your calendar for a commitment, you may forget and regret your lack of doing so.
if you forget to get your hand marked when entering a venue, you may be kicked out.
if you get a low mark on an assignment, you know to try harder next time to improve your grade.
if a road is not marked, you won't know where you are or how to get to where you want to go.
if you don't know the mark which you're working towards, you may feel that your work is pointless.
you can miss marks.
you can make marks.
you can reach marks.
you can be marked.
you can mark.
you can acknowledge marks.

1 year ago, i acknowledged a mark. a mark in the future that i would just keep in the back of my mind.
i began my 24th year with the decision to live it well and intentional, praying and hoping it'd be one of transformation. physical transformation. spiritual transformation. life transformation.

3 days ago marked the last day of year 24.
2 days ago marked the first day of year 25.
1 day ago i consciously placed a mark, in the form of a motto, on these next 365 days.
"Live. Now."

i began my 25th year full of gratitude and excitement... i have met the mark i set out for myself. i had no real "goal weight" in mind... i had no real "level of spirituality" in mind. but i know that for each, i have made leaps in the right direction. it's been a journey, this past 24th year of transFORmation, yet it's only the beginning...

top - 4.13.13                                   bottom - 4.13.14

i am stronger, healthier, more knowledgeable, and down an overall total of 34" and 38 pounds! i am training for my first half marathon (happening in just a month!) and i have been discovering so many new bones and muscles i never knew i even had! most importantly though, i simply feel better.

although i believe that the best is STILL yet to come, there is so much beauty and goodness to be found and seen in THIS moment. THIS day. THIS season.

during year 24, i looked forward to april 12, 2014... the day that would mark 1 year, the day that i would determine if i met the mark. although i didn't want to miss out on any parts of 24, my eyes never strayed too far from focusing on a date... 365... 287... 194... 51... 3 days away.

during year 25, my mark of a year well lived will be in how i live in the present... how i put the Lord first... how i listen... how i embrace each challenge and joy... how i experience a full life because i'm grateful for it all. i want to trust wholeheartedly in the Lord's leading and i pray my faith not only grows more this year but BLOOMS. He is enough for me. He will provide what i need for each step i'm led to take.

Your word is a lamp to guide my feet and a light for my path. (Psalm 119:105)

“Physical training is good, but training for godliness is much better, promising benefits in this life and in the life to come.”
(1 Timothy 4:8)

one month, many names

in the past 5.5 months, i've lost 25 pounds.

this past month however, i reached a plateau. i am in a routine of knowing the foods i should eat at certain times of the day and so that's what i do. however, with that routine, i've maintained my weight... even though continued weightloss, toning, and strength-building are my goals. so i'm switching things up!

this month, i've made some dedications:

... to eat no foods with added sugar

... to try several new green smoothies

... to complete a 30-day bodyweight circuit challenge

... to run more miles than i did last month

(which shouldn't be hard because i ran 8 miles total for the month. ha.)

so, october... rawktober... rocktober... whichever!
one month, many names, one goal!

4 days in and i've lost 3 pounds.

i have tired legs and triceps and stomach muscles... this is working!
and i'm excited :)

here's to the next 26 days!

first 10k!

after running three 5ks this spring, and a 4 mile race earlier this summer... it was time to put the next challenge in front of me - a 10k. honestly, i didn't train... to be more precise, i ran a total of 10 miles in the whole month of august. and TWO miles total in the first two weeks of september. it was just too hot... i didn't want to die. but yet! with a dear friend by my side, we crossed the finish line in just a little over an hour. she could've finished sooner than me by several minutes but because she's great, we ran the whole thing at my (slower) pace... keeping each other company as our feet hit the pavement of morton country roads. we laughed, we encouraged, and we pushed on. and we did it - we accomplished a bucket list item and we ran the whole 6.2 miles!

i'm also so grateful for my mama and how she puts my races on her calendar and comes to see me cross the finish line. two years ago, i ran my first race - the morton pumpkin festival 2 mile fun run/walk and she was there cheering me on. her support still stands today as i crossed the finish line, arms linked with my best and falling onto my mom because i told my legs they could stop working for a minute. my mom, she is the greatest.

one year later...

Happy first day of school! Here's to year 2!

makin' progress

"Dedicate yourself and you're gonna find yourself..." 

#operationflatstomach #inprogress #getfit #halfwaythrough2013!

let yourself get dated

if you know me well, you know i have a thing for dates. i remember dates of when things have happened in the past, know the date of when things are planning on happening in the future. if you ask me what i'm doing on saturday, i'd rather you tell me saturday's date rather than that it is saturday. i've got a thing for dates. i feel that the first "date" i can recall though is in 2005, so... i don't think i had a thing for dates before then ;) but nonetheless, now with it being 2013, i've got 8 years of dates rackin' up!

so, let me "date" you in this journey thus far.
oh journey, what a word... it's not called a trip because this "thing" has been no trip! trips are quick, journeys are not so much...

january 2010-may 2010 : lost 15lbs. during my semester in kenya due to a complete lifestyle change
may 2010-august 2010 : gained 5 pounds, due to a shift back to american culture i'm sure ;)
august 2010-february 2011 : lost 20 lbs. by counting calories
february 2011-august 2011 : hit a plateau and maintained weight
summer 2012 : got a clue and got educated on clean eating, paleo, etc.
august 2011-january 2013 : fluctuated between a gain of 5-10 lbs. from last lost weight

                                                                                     *we lost 60 pounds in a year between the 2 of us!


blah. i'm tired of fluctuating and not losing... for a year and a half!
what am i doing wrong? i've asked myself.
what more can i do? i've asked myself.
why isn't this working?! i've asked myself.

sure there have been those few times that i fell to the temptations of snacks in the teacher's lounge or had a slice of cake after a homemade dinner at my parents or for a birthday celebration, but... still!

i've gone weeks without sugar... cut that out in hopes for a shift off of the plateau called fluctuate.
i've gone a month without bread... and still here we are.
i've cut out 95% of processed foods.
i make my lunches for school.
i have kept food diaries.
i have meal planned.
i don't buy junk food.
i hardly ever eat out.
i haven't eaten at a fast food restaurant for 2.5 months except for ONE time.
i keep healthy snacks in my car for those times after school when i NEED a snack, or i will probably die. and so i'm not tempted to drive through starbucks or mcdonald's or taco bell!
i didn't drink any coffee drink for a week. (this is a big deal!)
i eat whole grains, if i do eat something "grainy".
i eat fruits and vegetables and eggs and very little dairy.
i've basically broken up with my beloved ice cream and enjoy it perhaps twice a month... whereas i used to consume it a few times a week.
i don't eat late at night and make sure the last time i eat is at least a few hours before i go to sleep.
so what's up?!

i've read that abs are made in the kitchen, not the gym... 30% gym, 70% diet. so that's what i've been working on... WHAT'S HAPPENING IN THE KITCHEN... for the last 6-9 months!

                                                                                                                    *january 11, 2013

two months ago, i wanted to get serious. (as if i wasn't sorta kinda serious already!) i took this "before" picture in hopes that in maybe 1, 2, 4, 6 months, there'd be changes! i bought a scale and took some tips from a trustworthy friend and started weighing myself daily. but in a month, i weighed .4 lbs more... and have simply FLUCTUATED the past 2 months.

welcome. to. my. life.
i am annoyed.

so starting last week, march 4... i started movin'. i created a playlist called "get movin' girl" (the inspiration for this blog) and even bought a few songs i heard during a biggest loser episode a few days before. i also started a "food and moving" journal, called "eat and move, move and eat" (after marcel's treats and snoozin', snoozin' and treats)... tryin' to keep this JOURNEY a little light-hearted and not so overwhelmingly difficult and annoying. so i've been movin' to some hip hop abs, a little yoga poses even once with jillian michaels, some jogging, some planking, 50-75 situps a few times a week... and yet in a week... i'm still just hanging out around the same ol' number on the same ol' scale.

hioahfdkfhjdsheiohnenlfnalfndkfbsdjfbskfdsnxaalhebkjfndngdn.

maybe i shouldn't weigh myself every day?
maybe i'm stressed and can't lose weight for some odd reason?
maybe...
maybe...
maybe...
WHAT?!

i don't expect an overnight change... maybe even not a simple lost pound or two in a week's time... but what.the.heck.is.goin.on.

sigh.
i'll keep keepin' on.
doing my best to stay motivated.
hoping for the best and for my desires to be fulfilled.

i truly believe that i'm healthy. i do not take any medication or vitamins. i haven't had any medical issues and get sick maybe ONCE a year. but the thing is, i have a desire to be fit. i'm so conscious about what i eat and sure, sometimes i purposefully eat something i straight up know i probably shouldn't, but everything is ok in moderation, right?! ;) no, but seriously, I'M TRYING!

but... why aren't things CHANGING?!
it's a mystery.
a mystery i'm lookin' to solve.

and now you've been dated in full regards to this mysterious everlasting and ever-trying journey.
stay tuned.