Mom On A Mission :: On Vacation

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

Mom On A Mission :: Week 4

Dear Friends-
I am so excited!!! I am starting to see a few small changes in my body. My hubby and I are getting ready to leave for a trip and while it is great problem to have, it has been a little stressful to find clothes and swimsuits that fit. I didn’t think I had lost enough to make a difference in my clothes, but when I went to try on a couple of my summer sundresses and my swimsuits that I was planning to take, they were too big!!!! I realize I am a ways away from my target goal, but it’s still fun to hunt for some new clothes.

On a different note, I went to the doctor this week due to my knee pain. It’s gotten very painful. She sent me to a PT and he has restricted me to walking only. No running for at least 6 weeks and “I get” to do exercises everyday in hopes of strengthening my muscles and tendons around my knee caps. : ) No lunges either. : ( So, if you happen to see me walking and not doing lunges at Mom’s in Motion, now you know why. I guess the silver lining to this is that at least it’s summertime and I am not having to do all of this while teaching school. If you are in the education industry, I am sure you understand what I am talking about. Everything happens for a reason. I have no idea whether I will hit my final weight goal or not, but I am going to do everything I can to succeed. Then, no matter what, I can honestly say that I have done all that could be done, in the circumstances that have been presented to me. Like Tonya says, it’s really not about the number, but what have I learned or done to make better lifestyle changes in my life and my family’s life. I will press on!!!!!!

So, my two new focuses for the next few weeks are going to be:
1. Figuring out how to burn calories without running- I plan to do a lot of walking, using the elliptical, and swimming, and am taking my bands and tubes with me on vacation.
2. How to eat healthier while on vacation. I am going to have to ask the restaurants how their food is prepared, and not feel like I am bothering the staff to make the food how I need it to be prepared. I don’t like being a pest- but this is something that I will just have to do if I want to keep heading in the right direction.
I hope you and your families are having a wonderful summer!
Ashley

Mom On A Mission :: Meet Ashley

It is time to introduce our new Mom on A Mission, Ashley Wiltse!

Be sure to continue to check our Mom on A Mission page, as we update Ashely's measurements and stats, as well as, updated pictures, to find out how she's doing on her journey!

Here are a few words from Ashley about where she is in her life, the goals she's made, and what this opportunity means to her :

Hi!  My name is Ashley Wiltse.  I am 37 years old, married to a sweet guy (Sean) of almost 12 years and we have a little guy named Grier, age 3.  When I am not busy chasing my little boy and/or being his taxi to activities, I am a teacher and work-full time during the school year.  I was thrilled that Tonya asked me to be the next Mom on a Mission!  Like many of you, we all have obstacles that we have overcome, in the process of overcoming, or feel like we are going to be overcoming that obstacle for quite awhile.  Well, for me, it is a little bit of everything.

I love my family and my life. . .I just haven’t taken very good care of myself.  

Perhaps some of you have been in my world, but thought that no one else could be going through the same issues!  : )  Try this on for size:  About 7 years ago, my husband I were trying to start a family.  We have had many struggles with infertility, Polysytic Ovarian Disease, endometriosis, insulin resistance, etc.  After suffering through miscarriages, surgeries, shots, drugs, IUI’s, we were finally blessed with a son, Grier!  I was certain all of that dreary, depressive time of my life was over.  (The way I thought I could self-soothe myself was through food!)  Then, the pain got worse.  Many days, it’s been difficult to just get out of bed and go to school.  The pain from the endometriosis was/has been unbearable.  I realized that there isn’t a food on this planet that is going to make me feel any better.

So, in January, I decided I have two choices:

1. Either I let all of this endometriosis beat me, or
2. I beat it through making some major choices in my life.

I chose option #2.

I have to tell you though, I am not a super-athlete.  In fact, there are days where I might actually prefer going to the dentist instead of having to run, because it hurts my knees A LOT, but, I am hoping that through losing more weight, it will be come a bit easier on my joints so I can run longer. I have knee injuries and will probably be dealing with for a long time.  Know what though?  If this is all I have to contend with in life, it’s really just a drop in the bucket.

Like most of us, I am a creature of habit, so I know that I have to develop some different habits to really make good changes in my life.  For the next 4 months, my 3 goals that I am focusing on are:

  To spend the summer, learning to cook new healthy meals at home.  I would like to discover 1-2 new meals a week and see how it works out with my family.  If it’s a great recipe, then, I hope to make it again and freeze it so I will have some yummy dinners on hand when I go back to teaching in the fall.

To work on my cardiovascular endurance. I am going to enter in The Race For the Cure in honor of my mom in September.  She is a 19 year survivor and I would honored to run the race to celebrate her!  ( Remember, I told you all that I am not a huge fan of running, but I have to start somewhere! )

  To lose 60 pounds by Labor Day.

I am excited to get started with this new journey!  Thank-you Tonya for believing in me and for all of your support!

Ashley