Ashley has been on vacation in Hawaii and Myrtle Beach for the past few weeks. Here are her words about trying to continue changing her lifestyle - both food and exercise - while not being at home!
(In the past 6 weeks, Ashley has lost over 8 inches! And a total of 18 inches since January 2nd! Check out her stats and updated pictures here!)
Hi-I know that it’s been awhile since I have had a chance to blog. I have been gone on and off for three weeks and while it was an absolutely blast to get away, I am SOOOOOO glad to be home. I felt very honored to be with my husband as he was selected as a member of the Chairmen Circle of his company, which means, he had a great year in sales! Thanks to his great salesmanship, we were asked to go to Hawaii and celebrate his successes, which we both felt very blessed to be a part of. Then what seemed like a minute at home, we had time to unpack, do laundry, pay a couple of bills, water plants, we took our little guy to Myrtle Beach for a week. It was a time that I will cherish forever. So fun to watch what was going through Grier’s mind as he was mindlessly digging and throwing sand over his shoulder on the beach, making sandcastles.
Working hard to change your life while on vacation is kinda rough. You don’t always have the freedom to eat exactly what you need to eat, when you need it. I found myself very aggressive in asking a lot of questions about how things were prepared. I am sure I overwhelmed the waitstaff in Hawaii with my endless questions like- how are the vegetables prepared, could you please make my omelet without using oil, to do you have gluten free toast? Most of the time they were very nice in answering my questions, the problem was- did the chef/cook staff get my requests? Most of the time, NO, so like I have said, it was a challenge to know exactly what I was eating.
Last summer, my husband and I took our son then age 2.5 to Myrtle Beach for a family vacation. We had such a great time there that we went back to the same place, same hotel and same beach this year! Thinking back a year ago, I would have never thought I would be working on what I am doing now. I would never think that I would have to be wondering, asking, questioning how food is prepared, not just for the calorie aspect of it, but if it had gluten in it. While being on vacation this summer, I learned a few things about restaurants. They mostly carry foods that contain gluten! You would think I could just avoid all foods that contain this, however, it is even found in sauces, dressing,etc. I am still learning and have lots of more information to learn. I will keep pressing on!
Exercise was a bit easier while in Hawaii- I didn’t have to worry about a 3 year-old’s schedule, just tried to arrange it around when the sun might come out! ( It rained 5 out of the 7 days we were there! ) But, in Myrtle, it was for sure more of a challenge. I didn’t want to miss out on the fun with my two boys- my hubby Sean and kiddo, Grier. I would either have to get up super early and hit the gym or do it when Grier was taking a nap.
Some days were better than others, but all in all, I was pretty happy with myself. I made the best of with what I could.
In between going on vacation, I have also been working with a physical therapist to strengthen my knee. When I went to the first initial appointment/consultation, he had me do a squat, just with my right knee. It sounded as if a firecracker was shooting off. His eyes got huge and told me to not do that anymore. I laughed and told him that was fine, but what are we going to do to fix it? He told me that we would work on strengthening my muscles around my knee to see if would help the pain and awful sound.
I am doing my best to stay positive, but in the back of my mind, I know that currently my knee is in a state of a “degenerative” condition. Ironically, the information and medical journals I have read mention that there is a connection between arthritis and a gluten intolerance in certain kinds of arthritis. . . . Makes me wonder- did the cavemen have problems with their knees? Didn’t they just eat meat and veggies?? Hmmmmm. . .
On a different note, have you tried the cookbook, Cook Yourself Thin, by Lifetime Television? It is absolutely wonderful! I can cook healthy food that my family will actually eat! I will admit, I did have to to go the store to get some of the needed spices, but once I did that, I was all set!
I hope you and your families are having a fabulous time this summer! Have a great rest of the week!
Take care!
Ashley
No comments:
Post a Comment