5 weeks to the starting line

Ok...so Ive got five weeks before my half marathon. Wish me luck guys. I really need it. Ive also got 5 pounds to lose as well. Uugh! Wish me luck on that one as well. I made that goal back in July that I would be a certain weight before the run and its been hard. I have totally plateaued. I just cant seem to get under a certain number. I tried to start changing things up a bit....doing weights and so on but I know sometimes that doesn't necessarily drop the pounds...usually just the inches so Ive decided to stop for a while until after the big run. Its been hard finding the time anyway with running, work and children, so I put that part on hold.

Im feeling pretty good so far. As you all know I had some knee issues and then last week my back went out for about 5 days. I suddenly hopped up from a chair to save Lia from Rowan and I had a horrific pain. I stopped running for a week and feel completely better. I just really want to finish this half marathon so bad. A marathon may be far from reach for me with these issues but Im still going to try. If I have an injury Ill stop running..... but I have to try. I will see how I feel after a half marathon and If I can still walk after...great...its on!

Next weekend we are off to St George for Lorens Marathon. How many people can say they trained for a Marathon in six months with no prior running. Loren use to run alot but he hadnt in years. I am s0 proud of him. It goes to show you...anyone can do it with enough drive. I will post when we get back. Good luck Loren!

Touched by two Angel's

I don't want this to sound cheesy. I really don't.... but this really describes what happened. I really felt like I was touched by two Angel's. No... not a Angel, Angel but by a few people that I saw in the temple. After our temple session Friday night Loren and I sat in the Celestial Room at the Mt Timpanogos Temple. It was beautiful and so peaceful. I have never experienced it so peaceful. It was extremely quite and It was a very special moment for me. I didnt want to leave....I was in heaven. As I gazed around the room...I noticed a young woman weeping. I tried not to stare as I watched her and wondered to myself what she might be going through. I felt like she was hurting and that she must be there for comfort. She seemed very sad. As I watched her, a man walked over and handed her a tissue and proceeded to sit by her. He hugged her and as he did, I noticed he was very sick. He was pale and all his hair was gone. I think that he was terminally ill. However, to me....he looked like an angel and was beautiful. His eyes were extremely bright. As they interacted with eachother, I soon realized it was her husband. My heart ached for her. I cant imagine what that would be like. To have your husband suffering from an illness and thinking that he might soon leave this earth. I wanted to hug her so bad. This woman really touched me and left a lasting impression on me. They both impressed me. Look at where they were. They were in the temple. In a time of great distress and sadness....they turned to the Lord for comfort. The whole experience really touched me. It really made me think.

There was a time in my life when I had a difficult experience and I didn't turn to the Lord for help. I completely went the opposite direction. I relied only on myself and ended up in a very dark place. I only made myself worse....when I couldve turned to the Lord to ease my pain. I later learned that I always need to turn to the Lord when I need comfort and guidance, otherwise... the adversary can take great hold. This experience Friday night really reaffirmed my testimony of this and I am so grateful that these angles touched my soul.

Melissa..... this ones for you

Here are the answers to your questions. I will try to be short and sweet.

The number one thing that has helped me lose weight was first off....using the Weight Watchers plan. It has helped me change the way I eat. You do not have to use a so called diet to lose the pounds though. It is a mind set change. I hate the thought of a DIET and most of us do. We start off pretty motivated but soon feel deprived so we find ourselves ingulfed in a serious binge of all the things we felt deprived of. (I remember the day I bought a whole pan of brownies and ate them till I couldn't eat no mo.) but that's a different story. Weight Watchers is what I know... so I did it. It is not a Diet to me. It taught me how to eat right and I have a different relationship with food than I did before. So healthy eating is key. You can exercise all you want but if you don't change your eating habits you will quit exercising and give up because you wont see the results. I can still gain weight when I exercise, if I am eating poorly. Another thing that helps me, is when I think about how many calories something has, and how long I would have to exercise to burn it off and it usually helps me turn away. If I cant resist..... its all about good old "Portion Control." I will take half a piece or Ill have just a few bites.

Eat lots of Fruits and Veges. I have to make sure I get them in everyday. They help fill me up and then later I can eat something heavier like a burger if I wanted. (no fries) Just making small changes really help. For example....No Mayo, No sugar soda, Side salad instead of fries, healthy dressing(goodbye ranch), whole grain bread and so on.

Second...exercise. This is the key to feeling good. Yes it helps burn calories but for me it is my dose of Prozac. During exercise your body releases so many different hormones. The ones I like.... are The Endorphins. (An endogenous opioid from the pituitary gland that blocks pain, decreases appetite, creates a feeling of euphoria (the exercise high), and reduces tension and anxiety.) It works and I love it!

I exercise 5-6 times a week. My training has me running 4 times a week and then I usually do 30 minutes cross training two times a week. I just started weights on those same days. I have made it a priority to exercise. Everything revolves around our exercise schedule. Make sure you eat more if you exercise. Dont make your body think its starving or it will go into starvation mode. Also eat often. I eat 5-6 mini meals. Find out how much you should be eating to lose weight for your size. Eat half of what you will burn exercising. If you burn 400 calories...eat 200 more calories than what your limits are. Your body needs it. Change things up a bit too. Dont always eat a certain amount of calories. Eat high one day low the next. I usually eat more when I exercise and less when I dont. It keeps my body guessing.

Third...Lots of water. Atleast 6-8 glasses a day

Fourth ....realize that becoming healthy is all mental. I know I can have control. I know how good I feel when I do. I feel a difference when I am healthy(its not about being skinny) its about being healthy. I have more energy and I feel great mentally. You really do come to realize that no food can make you feel as good as being healthy.(except the chicken burrito at La Curva)Right Loren?

So here are the things I try to avoid

Fried food(Deep Fat... Fatty Fried:)

High Fat food( bad trans fatty foods.....but I eat my good fats.) which are.... Olive Oil, Almonds, Peanut Butter, Avocado and so on) Your body needs those fats. If I'm slacking on not eating those good fats, I stop losing. Don't overindulge though. Have a small serving every day

Yummy High Calorie desserts like the Paradise pie at Chile's. (1600 calories 78 grams of fat. I about died when I read it!)Really know what you are putting in your mouth. Ask for nutritional info. You would be amazed how unhealthy most restaurants are.



Things I eat

Fruits and Veges( if you crave fries.....make fries from Fresh Potatoes. Slice and bake with Fat free cooking spray or Olive Oil) Get creative with salads. Reach for an apple rather than chips. I really do think about Nutritional Value. I think....what am I going to get out of eating this? Chips really have no value. I LOVE Cheetos and Fritos...but we no longer have a relationship. Here and there I may have a few if I am confronted with them.

Whole Grains...never white, Wholw whaet tortillas, hotdog buns, hamburger buns, waffles

Lean Meats(Jennie O Frozen Turkey Burgers) So Yummy! I also love the Oscar Meyer 98% Fat Free Hot Dogs..then I add Turkey Chili over the top.

Eggs and Tuna with Low Fat Mayo or plain

I love my protein bars. Rowan calls them Gas Bars. They do have that affect. Some are exstremely high in calories..... check that info and also eat foods with lots of fiber.

100 Calorie treats. Treat yourself every day. If I couldn't have a treat, I would die. I love the Slow Churned 1/2 the Fat Chocolate Fudge Brownie Ice Cream. It taste like the real stuff. I follow the serving size and have a half of cup.

Yogurt, Cottage Cheese, Cheese sticks. Make sure to get your dairy in.

98% Fat Free Popcorn.

So....... I hope this helped. People ask me all the time how I did it.... but it really is simple. Eat right and exercise. There is nothing really miraculous or there is no Wonder Diet. Its just simply changing your bad habits and eating things we know are healthy and getting our bootys movin.

Its all in the shoes.......

So as you all may know......Ive have been suffering from a bumm knee. It has been bothering me since the end of July, after I stupidly upped my milege alot in one week. I took some time off and started back a few weeks later but it still bothered me. I was getting really depressed because I wasnt sure if I would be able to run this half marathon that is coming up in November. I was really close to hanging up my running shoes and saying goodbye to them forever.

A few weeks ago...Loren and I went into Wasatch Running so he could get a new pair of shoes for the St George Marathon. His feet and heel were bothering him, so we decided to just bite the bullet and pay for a really good pair. While I was there, I was looking at all the cute shoes(ofcourse I look at style first) and was picking out the ones in my mind that I would get if I was getting shoes. I watched this sales associate help Loren fit his feet for shoes and was really impressed with the whole process. He took alot of time with him, making sure he got the right one for his foot type. During this process, this guy started asking me if I ran as well. I proceeded to tell him about my knee issues. He asked me what shoes I was running in and how long I had them. He told me right off, that my knee problem stemmed from my shoes.

So heres the issue......When I buy shoes....I usually go to Big 5 and pick out the cutest cheapest pair I can find. It is always about style first and then if they are comfy great...Ill buy them. The last ones I purchased, were Saucony(not a bad brand) but they werent top of the line and they were only 30 bucks. I always love a good deal. The problem was, that my insole fell out of one and I had put alot of miles on them already. After little thought, I told him I was interested in getting fitted as well. He watched me walk bear footed and noticed that my feet roll inwards as I walk. So he pulled out a couple different pairs to choose from that had a strong post in the arch. They werent the ones I intially thought were cute and he had to convince me that the ones I liked wouldnt help my knee problem. After I tried on the Asics, I was happy. They were still cute.

I also asked the guy about getting a knee brace. He told me that if I still had pain in a few weeks to come back.....but that he didnt think I would have to. He told me that he thought the shoes would really help. So guess what! He was right. I havent had knee pain at all. It was way worth paying more for good shoes. ($135 but worth every penny)

So.... I learned alot throught this process. I know what shoes to buy for myself and I know that I need to replace them every 300-500 miles. I happily started training for my half Marathon and I feel like I am going to be able to physically do this. I cant tell you how happy I am.

Time well spent

This subject.....time....... has really been on my mind lately. When thought about....I feel like I am not doing so well with this subject and how I choose to spend it. It is so easy for me and I'm sure all of us, to get lost in the world and to forget the things that we should REALLY be doing with our time.


These are the questions that have running through my mind lately.

How is my temple attendance?

Am I serving others?

Am I a giving person....do I donate enough?

Do I have weekly Family Night?

How is my Scripture reading?

What does my Food Storage look like?

When was the last time I sent someone a note.. gave a compliment or a hug?

When was the last time I bore witness of Christ?

How do I feel about my church attendance?

When was the last time I worked on my Family History?

What am I doing to build up the Kingdom of God?


In all honesty...I can not reply to all of these questions and feel good about my answers. In time, I want to be able to and today I have committed to trying harder than I did yesterday. Don't get me wrong here.....I know we aren't perfect and we are human. Life brings other things into our paths that we have to do. Sometimes we cant do everything.... but we can try.

I thought about this while trying to plan a trip to the circus. Rowan has been dying to go and Loren and I have really wanted to take him. We bought tickets...which was a pain in the rump, trying to figure out what day would work and trying to find a babysitter who would be available on the same day. After much hassle....we ended up working it all out. That night as I laid in bed I was thinking about my temple attendance. I realized that I hadn't gone in a very long time. My excuse.....I had a new baby and we have just been too busy with work, running, kids and the business. Am I really though? In all honesty am I really too busy? Look at what I went through to go to the circus. I really wanted to go and I made it happen. Where are my priorities? So, lesson learned. I will make temple attendance more of a priority. I will make all of these things more of a priority. These are the things that give us real joy. I mean....I love the circus....that makes me happy too....but I need to be more balanced. That is the key. Balance. There needs to be a balance in every aspect of our lives. Its great to do fun things but its also important to those things we are asked to do.


So think about this. What if today was your last day.....your last day here on earth. How would you and I feel about the life we lived. Really think about this. If we were standing face to face with the Lord.... would we be able to look at him in his eyes or would we be ashamed that we didn't do enough. I hope with all my heart that I will lift my head up high and feel good about the choices I made. I really shouldnt say it that way......It goes beyond hope.....I can hope all I want but that really wont help me. This will be decided by my actions. I have to work....work really hard and get my priorities in line. So this is what I'm doing and I hope every single one of you reading this will feel the desire to act as well.

Lets make one goal....start with one and make it a priority. Do something that you have been wanting to do. I promise that as you and I spent more time building up the kingdom of God, that we will feel joy. This feeling is priceless and it is free.

Our journey to higher ground

As you all might know.....Loren and I have started a new journey in our life. Actually we have started two. The first one is the obvious one. It is the one that we talk about alot and the one that is more noticeable. Together we are on a journey to better health. Lorens journey started when the doctor told him he needed to eat better because he had a "fatty liver" and for me it was the "baby weight" issue. So six months ago we started exercising and eating right and we have each lost 35 pounds or so and we feel great!

The second journey...our spiritual journey started in April. This journey started when we were confronted with a trial and realized that we needed to strenghthen our spiritual selves to battle it. We realized that we just werent putting enought time and effort into those simple things we needed to do every day to protect ourselves from the adversary. We were slacking big time and we were not consuming enough spiritual food. We have made huge spiritual changes in our life and that too has made us feel great!

So, I wanted to start this blog so that I could have a place to share my thoughts on these two journeys. I want it to be a place were we can all journey to higher ground and share insight and healthy thoughts.