We have moved.....

No, our new house isn't done....I am making a move in the blogosphere to a new blog through wordpress.  So, starting now, head on over to The Leiva Life www.tonyaleiva.wordpress.com.

See you later!!

Journey to Health: Week 3 and Week 4

Work and life has been super busy the last two weeks, so I am behind on my health updates.  Overall, Week 3 and 4 have been successful weeks.  I am getting into a rhythm and the result WILL be a total of 25 pounds down or a pregnancy which ever God decides to help me out with. 

Week 3:

• Weight (Up or Down): DOWN! 1.4 pounds  --- 4.4 pounds in total --- so close to my 5 pound goal!
• Exercised? -- yes, but a reduced amount.  Walked a good amount
• Track on My Fitness Pal -- really bad about tracking, but stuck to lower calories for the week
• No Sodas -- Fail -- had soda but not every day

Week 4:

• Weight (Up or Down): DOWN! 2.4 pounds -- so if you have been paying attention......

I MET MY 5 POUND GOAL BEFORE MEMORIAL DAY!!!  Plus, I also knocked down from being in the 150s to the 14_s!!!  Always fun to see a new second number on the scale.  :)

I am sitting 6.8 pounds down in 4 weeks.  Not super aggressive weightloss, but I have been able to get stronger, handle a very crazy work schedule, deal with doctor visits and more fertility discussions, drink wine from time to time AND still lose 7 pounds. I will take it!!

Here are my new short time goals:

• I am attending a wedding on June 21st, so 4 weeks from now.  My goal is to be down 12-15 pounds total, so want to lose another 5 to 8 pounds.  (keep in  mind, I always have the caveat that if I get pregnant, this goal will obviously change...plus we are starting some new fertility procedures where doctors are telling me to take it easier and not overdo on exercise and are emotional to me, so my focus is not weight loss over everything else)
• Be able to comfortably wear these red capris to work.  I can currently button them, but they are not comfortable at this point.

How is your health journey going?  Any goals met?  Any new goals in place?  I would love to know who I am taking this journey with!

ABC Survey Link Up

I am joining Ashley over at "Man and Wife and Two Fur Babies" for a link up to learn more about each other.  You can join her link up here.  I actually love these kinds of things.  Happy Friday!!

Addictions: Chips; running; spark!; babies....LOVE babies.  Anyone ever needs a break from their littles, please call me!  

Bed size:  King -- Spencer may only be a 14 pound rat terrier, but he is a BED HOG!  Thank goodness our corporate housing was able to also give us a king.

Chore you hate:  vacuuming/cleaning floors....THE WORST!

Dogs or cats: I love both.  I don't know if I will ever own a cat, but we had them growing up and I loved them. Spencer is my only baby for right now though.

 

Essential start of your day:  Snooze; then a couple minutes checking email, facebook etc before I have to start moving.

Favorite color: I don't really have one -- although I do love adding a pop of bright orange to ensembles....NOT burnt orange -- gag me.  But REAL orange...that I enjoy.

Gold or silver: BOTH!!  Thanks to selling Stella, I have a fabulous assortment of BOTH!  

Height: 5'4

Instruments you play (or have played): Trumpet and piano --> neither very well :)

Jobs titles you’ve had: Babysitter, Lifeguard, Lifeguard Manager, Book Store Cashier (for like a month), Tax accountant, Tax Supervisor and Financial Reporting Manager.

Kids you want to have:  As many as the Lord gives me!  

Live: Does this mean location???  I live in Houston near City Centre.  Currently in a corporate apartment our house is being built.  The more progress we see on the house, the more I hate our corporate apartment and the week spoons it came with!  (seriously, you can't even scoop rice without the serving spoon bending in half!)

Mom’s name: Betty Ellen!

Nickname:  T or Ton -- that is really it.  My Dad calls me Tingy, but no idea where that really started.  When he says it, it tends to be in song form. :)

Overnight hospital stays: Nope!

Pet peeve:  When people are in line, but not really in the line or moving up with the line so you have that awkward time where you are questioning -- are they in line?  are they going to move up?!?!  AND When you are taking a shower and the shower curtain gets blown into the shower and the curtain sticks to your leg.  (I call it attacking shower curtain)

Quote from a movie: I quote Friends pretty regularly.  In HS, my friend Erin and I would quote "I do not know!" from Hercules very regularly. 

Right or left handed:  Right Handed

Siblings: One brother -- name Scott.  I love him!

Time you wake up:  This fluctuates...somewhere between 5:30 and 7 depending on the day.

Under My Bed: Flat tupperware boxes to hold my "off season" clothes and excess totes.  We are in a very small apartment, so I am having to get creative with space!

Vegetables you dislike: Cooked broccoli....ick.

What makes you run late:  I am very poky in the morning, so I make me run late!

X-rays you’ve had done: none

Yummy food you make:  Hmmm...I make really good soups and desserts.  I love to cook, so I am always trying new things...some are huge victories...others, not so much.

Zoo animal: Baby Elephants!!

Journey Towards Health: Week 2 Progress Update

Ok, Week 2 has come and gone!  It was another overall successful week.  

• Weight (Up or Down): DOWN! 1.4 pounds 
• Exercised? -- yep!  Goal was 4 times -- this last week was so much fun exercising wise...read more detail below.
• Track on My Fitness Pal -- yes!  Not a perfect week...but pretty good.
• No Sodas -- Fail -- had soda three times but not every day.

I REALLY enjoyed exercising this week and did a bunch of different things.  It definitely helps that the weather in Houston is GORGEOUS right now.  Here is how my week went down....

• Monday -- Gym and did Back and Biceps, Abs and a little cardio
• Tuesday -- Ran at Memorial Park and then walked the loop with Mallory and Baby Truett
• Wednesday -- Slow Flow Yoga 
• Friday -- Running at Terry Hershey (sprints)
• Saturday -- Spin **see below

Health Highlight of the Week:  "Cinco de Mayo Spin Fiesta!!"  

My Friend Erin invited to an outdoor Spin Class through Define.  

It was gorgeous on Saturday.  The Spin class was an hour and incorporated upper body too.  I LOVED it...seriously so much fun and so challenging.  They had food provided after by Snap Kitchen and Dish Society.  Ya'll Dish Society has REALLY good farm to table food.  Super fresh and so tasty.  They had this drink that was delish!

Such a fun week.  Grateful to have a few weeks without going out of town so I can get into a routine.

Here is to another healthy week!!!

Let's Get Real -- This girl LOVES salad.

I LOVE salads, but when you are trying to eat healthy, salads can sometimes be the hardest choice because at most restaurants they come full of lots of veggies, but also lots of calories between all the toppings and dressing.  

I went to Barnaby's on Wednesday and had their Sausalito salad.  I requested no tortilla strips.  I picked it because it had lots of veggies, a vinaigrette rather than a cream based dressing and a lighter cheese.  Ya'll, this salad was AMAZING!!  It had a cumin vinaigrette on it which was fabulous.  I make my own dressings at home pretty much every time we had salad, and I had never though to make a cumin vinaigrette, but will be trying it next week!  

Anyways, this salad was really good, but pretty healthy overall.  Romaine lettuce, cabbage, chicken, peanut pieces, queso fresco, jicama, grape tomatoes and viniagrette.

What are your favorite salads???

Encouragement for you....

I have no idea how long this song has been out, but it is new to me and I feel the lyrics are beautiful and so refreshing.  I have a handful of friends going through some really tough things right now -- where they can't see the light at the end of the tunnel, or are just worn because life can be exhausting and hard.

I love sunrises and the idea of a new day.  God's restores us each day and allows us a fresh start.  He forgives our mistakes from the day before and His grace is sufficient.  I also love the idea that he can carry us through each day....some days are just plain tough and it really helps me when I can focus on just getting through today and remembering that tomorrow is a new day.

The Bible gives us some encouragement regarding taking life one day at a time.....

"Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day."    -2 Corinthians 4:16

"Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed,
    for his compassions never fail.
23 They are new every morning;
    great is your faithfulness.
24 I say to myself, “The Lord is my portion;
    therefore I will wait for him.”  - Lamentations 3:22-24

I hope and pray that if you are finding yourself in a day or a week where you honestly don't know how you will make it, that you find comfort in knowing that when no one else can relate and you feel isolated and alone, Jesus is walking beside and can empathize with your suffering.  He can understand feeling isolated and hated, he can understand not fitting in or feeling outcasted.  He can relate to the hurt and pain you are going through.  He has felt loss and devestation.  He has been betrayed and ignored, mocked and scarred.  You are not alone.  The sun will rise again tomorrow and He can bring you a comfort and joy that you can't even explain.  

Here are the lyrics to this beautiful song.

When life has cut too deep and left you hurting
The future you had hoped for is now burning
And the dreams you held so tight lost their meaning
And you don't if you'll ever find the healing

You're gonna make it
You're gonna make it
And the night can only last for so long

Whatever you're facing
If your heart is breaking
There's a promise for the ones who just hold on
Lift up your eyes and see
The sun is rising

The sun is rising

Every high and every low you're gonna go through
You don't have to be afraid I am with you
In the moments you're so weak you feel like stopping
Let the hope you have light the road you're walking

You're gonna make it
You're gonna make it
The night can only last for so long

Whatever you're facing
If your heart is breaking
There's a promise for the ones who just hold on
Lift up your eyes and see
The sun is rising

Even when you can't imagine how
How you're ever gonna find your way out
Even when you're drowning in your doubt
Just look beyond the clouds

Just look beyond the clouds

Whatever you're facing
If your heart is breaking
There's a promise for the ones who just hold on
Lift up your eyes and see
The sun is rising

The sun is rising

Even when you can't imagine how
How you're ever gonna find your way out
Even when you're drowning in your doubt
Just look beyond the clouds

You're going to make it!  Love to all!!

Journey Towards Health - Week 1 Progress Update

I have found that for me, the best form of accountability is transparency, so I will be doing a weekly post to track my progress on health.  This will allow me to encourage myself by reflecting on my successes, but also to challenge myself and focus on the areas where I didn't meet my goals.  Its like my weekly "weigh in".  Plus it will keep health at the forefront of my mind.

OK, so let's take a look at how the last week went?

• Weight (Up or Down): Down 1.6 pounds -- this is actually less loss than I was expecting, but it is progress and that is all that matters.
• Exercised? -- yep!  Goal was 3 times and I exercised four times. 
• Track on My Fitness Pal -- yes!  Not a perfect week...but pretty good.
• Fit Bit Goal -- This was not as successful.  I didn't make my step goal every day and have now misplaced my Fit Bit, so this goal is MIA for the time being. 
• No Sodas -- FAIL!  I had soda at least 4 times.  

So, overall not perfect and definitely room for improvement. I am trying to schedule out and plan out my meals and exercise for the week so that I am more inclined to complete all the tasks.  Here is how this week is looking thus far (subject to change I am sure!)...

THIS WEEK'S HEALTH GOALS:

• 4 separate workouts
• No soda
• Track food every day
• Practice discipline and self control at all the work functions this week that include food!

SHORT TERM GOALS:

• Get my running pace per mile below 10 minutes per mile.
• Lose 5 pounds before Memorial Day
• Clean out one are of the apartment per week

LONG TERM GOALS:

• Clean out all of apartment
• Lose 25 pounds

Last week was a great first week of changing my focus...looking forward to another good week.

Oh and Spencer says "Hi!"