Ready to Run...

So...It's been a while. In the past year, I have: become pregnant, given birth, moved twice in the same town, moved across the country, and am about to send my husband off for close to a year while he does his Army thing. It's been a big year. I feel like as I sit here on my couch in our new living room, I'm finally at the place that I've been dreading/anticipating for this past year.  I recognize that it's finally happening, yet it's really not sinking in. Maybe because we have these last two weeks of his leave before he ships out, so we're together every day, playing with our kids...It's like we are on vacation. And I'm so grateful we have this time together...It will get us through our time apart.

Well, enough of that sad business. Remember how I talked about becoming pregnant and giving birth? Well. That was a big deal! I felt really great the entire pregnancy about my appearance. I gained about the same amount of weight as the first two pregnancies, but I knew that I was going to have more trouble losing it. Honestly, during the pregnancy, I didn't really care. I would go back and forth from intense desires to eat everything in sight, and had the wildest cravings, or else I would feel so guilty and would force myself to eat really well for a week or few days at a time. I also wasn't getting exercise or fresh air on a daily basis, and used all kinds of excuses. The heat. My two boys like to run away from me and I couldn't keep up with them at the park.  I was in pain (that was true, though- it hurt to stand up at the end)!

Well, my time for excuses has come to an end. When I see my husband after he is done with his deployment, I want to ROCK that bikini!

I'm going to start by taking advantage of this new beginning. Re-stocking my now empty kitchen with healthy choices. Planning my meals.  Keeping my kids happy during this separation will start with keeping them healthy. I am blessed that we now live close to family who can help me by taking the kids so that I can get some exercise, or who will join us while we go on long walks.

My sisters have all become motivated at the same time as me for many different reasons to start training for a half marathon this fall. I'm so hopeful that I will be able to get in shape enough to run it with them, and then take it to a new level after that.

I felt like writing it down would help me to stay motivated! I'll be switching up my blogging in the next few months. I have three blogs, because I used to think that I needed a separate outlet for different things that I was interested in, but it actually made it harder for me to focus. I am into many different things, but I'm still just the same me. So I am working on figuring out a way to streamline my interests, and making a space to just document it for myself!

But, I want to take some before pictures, and start keeping myself accountable for the weight I need to lose. I've never had to "lose" 25 pounds before! Even after my second baby,  by the time he was 6 months old, I had a flat tummy and could wear my pre pregnancy clothes with ease.  I don't want to compare myself now with who I was then, but it's hard not to.

I just want to be my best self, and knowing that I won't get to see my husband for many months, gives me kind of a good chunk of time to just focus on myself, and taking care of ME. So that when he gets home, I can take care of HIM. And maybe keep up with him on his crazy adventure races :)

How I plan on getting there:

Eating The Rabbit Food Diet. I love this!

 Exercising every day! Even just a stroll around the neighborhood with the kids.

Taking time for myself spiritually every day.  A moment of solitude will be necessary from being the
sole caregiver to three little ones!

Less time online and being sedentary- work hard and sleep hard! I'll need to be well rested to have the energy I need to do what I want to do- I struggle with that part- obviously- I'm blogging at 2am!

I'll keep you posted on how things are going!