Postpartum Fitness Goals

It's the beginning of a new month and I'm finally starting to feel myself again. My blood pressure is seemingly controlled by medicine for the time being and I have even decreased my dosage since delivery three (almost four) weeks ago. Eventually I hope to come off of it completely and there's no reason for me to believe I can't do that. Anyway...

3 Weeks Postpartum

I feel pretty good! I've started jogging again, but won't resume any other workouts until I'm cleared by my doctor. I hope she will tell me I can at my six week appointment that will be here before I know it. Getting back outside and sweating has been slow going. I've already improved a lot, though. I started off barely able to run a mile, but I'm building up to feeling strong again.

Here are my Postpartum Goals for the next couple of months:

1. Run 50 miles in September

2.Train & complete a half marathon in November (I haven't signed up yet, but I'm planning to do a race I've been wanting to do for awhile now. I hope I see a lot of improvement in my run pace over the next month.)

3. Confidence

4. Lose the remaining baby weight. I'm currently at 126 lbs. and I feel most comfortable at 120. I was almost at my goal but my milk was decreasing too much so I had to start eating more calories to keep that up for baby. It's not that I was dieting-not at all. I just find it difficult to find time to eat when I'm taking care of all three babes.

5. That brings me to my next point. I want to start eating better. I need to fuel this body and nourish Merit's. In the past, I was healthiest when I ate clean for at least two meals a day. I'd like to get back to that.

6. More water. Always.

What are your health goals this month?

Clothed With Strength {a new shop}

Hey, y'all. You know I haven't been around much and part of that is because I've been busy with my new business! I planned on having this big hoopla GRAND OPENING but as I suck with coding and all things technical I just couldn't get the website the way I wanted it. I caved and set up an Etsy and took orders via PayPal on the facebook page and bam. It has done really well. I still eventually hope to have a legit online store one day, but until then these two avenues are working just fine. I've recently began talk with stores around the area to expand to sell there as well. So, what is it I'm selling exactly?

Clothed With Strength is an active apparel line for women. It combines two of my passions: faith and fitness! If you've followed along my blog for any length of time you know I felt lead to do something that I am passionate about, something that would help me contribute financially to my family. Last year as I began trying to get healthy and fit after having baby #2, an idea started to form in my mind. It eventually grew into what it is now and hopefully it will continue to grow. I'm having so much fun doing this! I hope you'll browse the Etsy. I've sold out of so much lately it has been hard to keep inventory in. I do have some sizes/shirts left, though so go shop if you wanna!

Here are some happy customers in their gear! 

And this week, I'm offering up this sweet deal:

30% off this New Balance Sleeveless Tank-

As I said, I've been having a lot of fun wearing and distributing this gear. I've been trying to keep up with running while preggo, but it is HARD. Last weekend, Clothed With Strength was at a local 5K in my hometown. Sales did really well and so did this 6+ month pregnant gal. I finished in 31:33, which is good for me considering the extra weight I'm packin'. I had to walk a few times because my heart rate was getting higher than Doc tells me is okay and plus, ouch, my back and belly were aching. Anyway, I was proud to have finished it but I think I'll take it easy on cardio from here on out. 

Here are some photos from the 5K:

That's my bro and my sister helping me. He ran with me and she manned the table while I was gone.

I'm just so thankful to my friends, family, and customers for making this worth my while. God has been so good to bless me with supportive people in my life and I'm very, very grateful.

I don't know where this business is headed, but I am enjoying where it is right now. Thanks so much for supporting me.

Website: Clothed With Strength
IG: @ClothedWithStrengthApparel
Like Clothed With Strength on Facebook
Etsy: ClothedWStrength

Pregnancy Fitness & Soft Body Woes

You know what's hard? Getting fat after I've worked diligently all year to be comfortable and proud of my body. I look down and I don't see a hard body that has been eating better and lifting weights and running. I see a soft body, as if I've never ran a day in my life. It's difficult to go through pregnancy after pregnancy with low self-esteem. My face breaks out. I have odd discoloration on my skin. My belly is expanding so early as it always does. I look like I'm carrying a couple extra cheeseburgers, not a life and I'm only roughly six or seven weeks along. I feel so thankful to be able to carry our children when I know so many cannot, but still the thoughts creep in. I suppose the only way to keep them at bay is to continue training and that's what I've been doing. I'm dedicated to staying active and healthy as long as I can.

When I found out I was pregnant, I was keeping up with a pretty rigorous routine and I committed to sticking with it until the doctors told me otherwise-

I started focusing on my legs and backside with this workout. Try it!

Then Annalise posted the Air Force BMT Fitness Standards so I tried to see where I was at with that. I think I'll keep working on this. I'd like to improve and get to the highest level. Something to work toward anyway.

But despite staying motivated, I'm getting slower. Running seems to take twice the effort these days. Perhaps it's in my head, but I've almost added a whole minute to my normal mile.

What did you do to stay active during a pregnancy?

High Five For Friday!

There's a crisp autumn wind floating round the leaves and there's an excitement in the air and in my heart because this, my friends, marks four days until we have keys in hand for our new house. If that's not a reason for High Five For Friday then I just don't know what is.

1/ I took a walk -just me and my headphones- and collected leaves I thought were pretty. 2/ I finally convinced my husband that he has little gray hairs sprouting up over his head. I also told him he should embrace it. Gray hair is sexy! 3/ I ran sorta fast on one of my runs. (Hey, it's fast for me) 4/ I finally got to meet the sweetest little newborn around. My best friend had a baby! 5/ I started and finished Silver Linings Playbook. That book was right up my alley. I enjoyed it very much!

I hope you also had a great week. What were some of your highlights?

Link up here.

P.S. Please ignore the coding issues on my blog for a bit. I've got someone working on a new look for Mrs. K and Captain J. I'm excited!

Running, Giving, and Living

(Lame title brought to you by lack of creativity and time.)

Well, it has happened again. Every place we end up, I inevitably make a friend that doesn't have a job like me and we are free to hangout most of the day. No plans are involved- just a daily "Hey, wanna go for a walk? or grab some coffee? or watch LMN all day long?" Ok, so maybe I'm just dreaming on the last one. The point is that all good things come to an end. My sister has been walking to my house in the mornings and having a cup of coffee or two after everyone in the house leaves for work since I've moved back here. It has been lovely! But she has always been a working woman at heart, one who wants to work outside the home, one who thrives in that atmosphere. She goes back to work today and I'm just sitting here with my coffee and computer wondering how I'll start my day now. I guess the laundry calls.

I suppose I can start the day off by telling you of a way you can financially help a friend in need. I don't actually know this couple, but I do know the woman who set up the fundraiser. She's one of the strongest people I know. Her husband, Brice, is a veteran. They've been through a lot together over the course of his service and now his family is in need. Nicole is raising money for his aunt and uncle who have dealt with endless medical bills and now have lost their hot water heater. Every little bit helps! If you do choose to donate and donate at least $15, she'll throw your hat in the ring to win a diamond candle (every additional $5 will get you another entry). Go check out that opportunity to spread the love here. If you donate, be sure to let me know and I'll advertise for your small business or throw your blog button up on my side bar for a month or two!

Tuesdays are the days when I update you on my fitness goals/progress, right? I wish I had great news to report. I'm struggling getting into a good routine here. I know that will change when we get into a home of our own. I made several goals this month. Honestly, I don't know that I'll accomplish a single one. The main goal was to do fifty miles in September. After 100 in May, I though that is should be easy but between getting sick and house hunting, I have had little time to get away to run. No excuses, though. I'm at 31 now and it is still a reachable goal. The Marine Mud Run was this past weekend. I got up bright and early with my husband, my bro, and step-mom and went for a run in the pouring down rain. The obstacle course ended up being a lot of fun and I did better than I thought I would. I wish we had pictures to show for it, but the rain and mud would have ruined my camera and no one in their right mind would have come to watch us that day. The rain was awful.

Later that day, we went house hunting again after the second house we made an offer on fell through. I'm hoping third time is the charm, though. We are in negotiations with another house that we love. It's the opposite of everything we initially said we wanted, but it just feels like home. Regardless, we need to find something soon or Mama is gonna go crazy. Maybe I already have.

What else is new? Not a lot. I apologize for not keeping up with all of your blogs right now. Being unsettled means not having a lot of me time in my schedule. I try to read from my phone/ipad but I rarely comment.

These photos have nothing to do with this post.

No one likes a post without a picture, ya know.

That's what has been going on around these parts. 

What's happening in your neck of the woods?

Waiting, waiting

We've been home for a month now and I'm sure you're wondering how the process is going with the house. I'm wondering, too. We haven't heard anything since we got all the paperwork turned in. It's a waiting game. As a former military spouse, I've played this game before. It's not really my favorite. Still, we might as well make the best of it and so we lovingly tear off another ring on our paper chain every morning when we wake up. Closing is still set for late September.

I think September is going to go by fast, though. There's a lot going on. I mentioned my fitness goals for this month. Those will keep me busy! In related news, I signed up for a mud run with my husband, dad, step-mom, sister, and brother in law. I'm excited! I feel ill prepared, though. I haven't been running and working out as much as I hoped I would during this move.

We are also hoping to catch a football game this month. J has never experienced game day at Neyland Stadium! My brother was blessed with the opportunity to be a team manager this year. He's loving it! Saturday, he ran through the Power T with roughly 90,000 people cheering. His faced graced the tv several times as he was "working." I got a lot of texts- I saw Jake on TV! What an opportunity of a lifetime. I hope he soaks up every bit of it. Anyway, it would be nice to go watch him in action...and see the Vols play. I haven't been in about three years.

Anyway, there is A LOT going on here, but some things are slowing down, too. Baby A has finally started sleeping more. Praise the Lord!

It makes me appreciate slow moments on the porch like this one-

Over-n-out,

Favs: Workout Gear Edition

1. CamelBak eddy- I use these constantly throughout the day. I find that the straws are deceptive. I drink more with them!

2. Polar FT40 HRM- I love to use this to track my heart rate and calories burned.

3. Shorts & Bra by Champion- Workout gear doesn't have to be expensive. I find affordable, comfortable, and cute gear at Target all the time.

I have yet to find the perfect running shoe. I also haven't found a good pair of running earphones. The ones I bought from skull candy are total pieces of poo poo, just so you know.

Anyway, yesterday I had an amazing workout in just thirty minutes. My arms are sore today! I tried Bobbi's Spider Thrusters- man, oh days. Those are tough. Go to her site and check it out.

Just look how many calories I burned by incorporating these with a little cardio and other arm exercises:

Do you have favorite workout gear that I need to know about?

Linked up at:

Challenge Recap

It was so fun to begin this journey with the gals in the Spring Challenge 5k. It inspired me to run and before I knew it, I was attempting to run 100 miles in May. What started out as a virtual training accountability measure became a lifestyle change for me. Running is a part of my every week now and I've fallen in love with the high it gives me.

I completed the 5k on June 1st with my little family. We ended up walking to get sushi and walking back home. We took it easy because I had just finished up my goal of running 100 miles in a month and I was experiencing some tendinitis pains toward the end. I'm proud of what I've accomplished over the last few weeks and am looking forward to making and achieving more fitness goals in the coming months. My latest challenge I'm partaking in is this-

 I've got some fun things going on over the next few weeks so hopefully I'll be able to stick with this despite traveling and such. I will say- those sit-ups are already hard! I can't imagine day thirty at this point. We'll see how it goes. I'm anxious to see how my bod will change this month.

Who wants to attempt this with me?

Fitness Progress & Goals

Hey, fit friends. Tuesdays are the days I like to weigh in and track my fitness progress. KTJ created a bloggy wide 5K that we're all preparing for on June 1st. Are you doing it, too? Link up today and tell us how your goals are progressing.

As far as running goes, I'm doing well. You may remember that I made this my main fitness goal for May:

I haven't had a chance to go running today, but after my run yesterday I was up to 65 miles so far. It may not be that impressive to a lot of you, but as someone who really never enjoyed running this is incredible to me. I look forward to running now and I'm proud to be completely drenched in sweat by the end of a long run. Sure, I've done half marathons before but there's something about the atmosphere of a race that will give you the push to finish- it's something else entirely that gets you up off the couch every day to go for a run when no one is standing on the street cheering you on. In the last week, I have broken my 5K and 10K records for time:

Fastest 5K: 28:30

Fastest 10K: 1:08:29

I know, I know. It's not that fast but I'm still proud. Plus, I totally plan on crushing that 10K record by the months end.

Weight: Ehh, I've gained a pound since my last weigh-in. I think it's because I love food too much. Eating clean is delicious. It really is. But when my husband brings home cookie dough to make me happy who am I to not indulge? My problem is when I cheat, I cheat big. I suppose that pound gain could be gained in muscle, but either way I'm not too worried about it. I know this is a process. I would still like to lose 3 more pounds. I'm at:

123 lbs right now.

Progress/Definition: I'm trying to tone up and feel good about myself. I document my progress on Instagram using the hashtag- #mrskgetsfit I love posting photos there because it is encouraging for me to look back and see changes in my body in just a matter of weeks. I know it is motivation for other people, too. I'm seeing results with my stomach and am working toward defining my shoulders and back now. I'm not a fan of my backside but hopefully in a month or two I will start noticing that my hard work is paying off!

Overall: I'm happy to be an example to my boys that staying active is so important. I hope we have many years of playing outside, appreciating good health, and working at staying fit together. I'm so blessed that God has given me two legs with which to run wherever I please! How often I used to take that for granted.

 Anyone else doing 100 miles in May? How's it going for you?

This Friday

If I didn't have five million warmers already, I'd get this one:

How cute is that! Wouldn't it be a sweet gift to your dear mother? Or sister? Or best(est) friend?

Anyway, how are you all this fine Friday? I'll tell you what- I've got the cabin fever. This rain is trying to destroy my goal of:

 It has been raining forever. Ok, just nonstop for a few days, but it feels like an eternity. My sanity comes from going on a run in the morning with the boys in the stroller and then letting Cray K get some energy out as we relax outside. This isn't an option this week (or weekend). We're all at the point of just staring at each other and whining a lot. Anyway, as you can see I'm attempting to log in one hundred miles this month. Yesterday, I ran in the rain sans children and I felt like a beast. I have done 6 miles total thus far. My legs hurt so good.

We've been doing well, though...

Before all the rain started, we had a play date and one of the ladies there was snapping photos of all the young'uns. She got some cute ones of my Cray K-

He is quite the handful. He is talking more and more which is most welcome. Next, I hope that "no" will become only 30% (or less) of his vocabulary instead of 98.99%, but who's complaining? He also (very occasionally) says please ("pease?") and then I give him whatever his little heart desires because he is just so darn cute. This child is spoiled rotten. We might need re-enforcements.

Yes, life is good this Friday. What's going on in your world?

Addicted

There's simply no time for this little blog anymore. I wake up, grab some coffee, and the bible and read it with my husband until he leaves for work. Before I know it, the babes are up and at 'em and my day flies by with diapers, sippy cups, and very little sanity. If the boys happen to nap at the same time (which is rare), I am exercising or working on my graduate degree. By the time J walks through the door from work, I've got my running shoes on and I'm ready to go because I'm addicted. The high I get from running now is the best. It feels so good to be back at it and pushing my body (and mind) in ways that I haven't since 2008! I'm slowly but surely getting back into running. It's my me time and I really don't want to spend it any other way.

I'm surely driving my IG followers nuts with #mrskgetsfit posts, but I can't care. I sign in to see the progress so many people are making in their own lives and it inspires me to do the same. Since I've started documenting my workouts more, I've received so many messages telling me that I encourage them on their weight loss/fitness journey. I'll keep on posting for them...and for me.

My diet (and I use that term very loosely) has not been going well. I can easily clean up my diet throughout the week, but when the weekend rolls around, I completely derail everything I did throughout the week. This past weekend, J's parents arrived with cookies, biscotti, and pie and all bets were off. I just can't give up sweets.

I'm down to:

Weight: 125

and feeling pretty good about it. I would still like to lose about five more lbs. I'm not dwelling on the number, though. The goal is to feel good in my own skin.

Speaking of the weekend, we had a great one! I'll try to get around to telling you all about it sometime soon. These next two weeks will be crazy busy as I finish up two huge projects for the class I'm in, but I'll come back and share when time permits. Thanks to all who check in here with us! We're doin' good.

P.S. I found my favorite place to run-

XOXO,

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