padding

Well I have still been unable to hit the gym but with the now we got today I had to go out a few times and shovel,
I don't just do my side walk but also those of my neighbors so its a pretty good workout
But it was not with out slipping on falling on my butt a few times. All I could do was laugh but in all honesty I am really glad i am not a skinny thing because with my padding so to say it did not hurt so much..

missing out

Well Granted its been a few weeks now since I have been to the gym... First I got hit with a nasty cough which turned n to a cold which seemed like forever to overcome... in fact I am only just getting over it now. then the hubby was doing early shifts which meant i was unable to go to the gym but I am still watching what I eat and luckily have not gained any weight so that is a plus.
But hopefully I will be able to get back to the gym any time soon.

Missing out

ugh I didn't make it to the Gym last week as was not feeling so great and then today I couldnt make it because hubby was gone.. I am bound and determined to go tomorrow but I know its going to be rough where I have not been in over a week.
And believe it or not I am fighting a cold.... ugh I cant let this stop me though my determination has to overcome everything else right.
You know how frustrating it is though when its easier to say "Oh i'll go tomorrow", ugh
hopefully tomorrow will be better

Chocolate Friday

In the Youngevity Company we always call Friday Chocolate Friday... Wait I hear you say Chocolate!!! but your losing weight, Well this Chocolate is not only Scrummy but is Actually good for you.. Check this out.

Now this makes a huge difference right (as the nor any questions feel free to contact me.)

I have just ordered some of this I love hot Chocolate and with this powder I can not only make Hot Chocolate but also use it to make a cake, muffins and more yummy

The Struggle is so Real Peeps

OMG Saw this today and had to laugh and had to share because this is soooooo true.
After a good workout this is the Struggle I face.

Happy Thursday Every one

Just thought I would remind you all that not every one looks picture Perfect whilst Working out....

Frustrating and Embarasing

So today I really tried to push it that little bit harder a the gym and after yesterday I think I did pretty well,
Because I managed (according to my fitbit) to make over 19000 steps by the end of yesterday, which is pretty good really.
Any way so I've done my weights downstairs of the gym and am now on the Elliptical 39 minutes in and I go to reach for my drink and managed to catch the wire to my earphones which is connected at the other end to my phone.
Before I know it the ear phones were ripped out of my ears and also trying to pull the connector out of the phone which leads it to fall with a boom (ok slight exaggeration) to the floor,
I guess I should be grateful that it didn't get tangled up with the peddles or even worse brake my phone
Any way as you can imagine it was frustrating,but with other ladies around me this morning I was not sure what to do, I mean do I stop and pick up only o start up again or do i keep peddling for a few more minutes? And make the situation more obvious.
so I figure i would work and then after about two minutes got down and causally picked my phone up and then went and moved on to another machine,
Needless to say I hit the store an invested in  a new set of ear that clip around your ear (my old ones would  keep  falling out
What do think  you would   do?

Boy am I sore

I feel like I am walking around like a penguin or something and going up the stairs just now felt like a huge struggle.
I still managed the gym today that was not a struggle it was coming home and then boom it seemed to hit me like a ton of bricks. and If I sit to long boom my legs feel all stiff.
This was due to my busy day yesterday. Although my workout seemed to be a struggle I am pretty sure I made up for it with lifting boxes (putting the Halloween stuff away) running up and down stairs throughout the day By putting things in storage and then doing laundry and cleaning house and such.
according to my fit bit I did just under 20000 steps yesterday Yes I probably should have pushed myself a little more to make it over that number but in all honesty by 9pm I was kaput I was struggling to keep my eyes open and so when my head hit that pillow I was out.
Whist I know that being sore must mean I am doing something right I also have to just laugh at myself for the way I am walking right now...

Struggle

So these day are bound to happen and this morning was one of them, Getting out of bed and going was not such a struggle but keeping up to my usual pace on the Eliptical was Horrid.
I just could not keep up the pase, that and I kept looking at the clock to see how much time had gone by only to find that what felt like ten minutes was actually only 2 seconds ugh
But here is the thing I have to tell my self....

  At least I went
  At least I did the same amount of time on the machines
  Its one step closer to my goal

Did I still wish I had stayed home and stayed in bed? No, Because I felt a lot better for going and working out than not at all.

Happy Halloween Everyone

So Because I watch kiddos from home I always try to partake in the fun by Dressing up. Sad thing is I am always finding I am paying a large chunk of change for a costume because I am looking for the plus size,
But this year I found a good deal at a local store where they had Halloween items at 70% off so got this 3x dress for $20 but let me tell you I am not a size 3x and this dress was still pretty snug on me...Which would be very Frustrating for those that are a 3x.  The other items I got at a seasonal Halloween store. But all in all I was pretty impressed with the out look and the kiddos I watched thought it was pretty cool as well. so all in all well worth it.
Any way I hope you all have a wonderful and Safe Halloween.

The Perfect Work out Gear??

Why is it so hard to find and what is the Perfect out fit to wear to the Gym?
Well if you are already fit and have the right clothes or of course you are watching tv then you probably see something like this.

No offence But I wish I could wear something like this, But at the Beginning of this journey I am no way in any shape to wear any thing like this...

What I have been wearing is Men's Sweats, Why men's you may ask well because I am tall and for some reason if you want to by tall sweats for ladies you are going to pay double, even triple the cost in price, Crazy but true and try finding ladies gear when you are tall and over weight.... Yep then you are looking at specialty stores (another reason why I want to lose weight) ANY WAY.....

So I wear men's sweats to the gym and a baggy shirt (I am contentious about my rolls) but i wear a good sports bra and no show socks underwear of course and good tennis shoes... I am a Sketchers fan myself

Problem is Sweats get really hot (that's why they are called Sweats right) but really if you don't have a ton of money and lets face it why would you spend tons of money on something you only plan to wear a few times (until the weight drops off) and hopefully never wear again (because you don't plan to gain that weight back)

I probably could find some Capri type pants like in the picture above but again I am not that confident enough to show my curves and I must be the only one because if you google "Plus size active wear" in pictures you will see some not so pleasant pictures along with some pictures of plus size ladies wearing tight fitting clothes. 

Well I know I am not the only one that feels like that because I have asked around. 

So  you would think it would be easy to find clothes that are not tight fitting for large people to wear to the gym that is not overly priced because well most people go to they gym to stay fit and/or lose weight.... RIGHT other wise what is the point of having them.   

Oh and by the way you go to some stores and look at there extra large size ladies work out gear... I strongly suggest you try them on first because even though the label may say the right size the pants till may not fit... 

SO after my rambling on right now I have not found the perfect work out gear for the plus size lady who does not feel confident to show all her folds.... those who don't have that problem I totally salute you

A good Work out

Well I tried to get up a little earlier this morning so that I could get to the gym a little earlier so that I can spend a little extra time at the gym with out feeling rushed (as mad as that is) realistically I have plenty of time but it actually worked out pretty good

Not only did I spend longer at the gym but here we are at 8.30am and I'm already at 9000 steps so very close to my 10000 step goal on my fit bit, and with all the house work I have to do today I am pretty sure I will Crush it.
Taking my Youngevity Cardio drink in the morning really gives me that extra kick I need to get going.
So after I did the weight machines on the main floor I went upstairs and hit the Elliptical. and instead of doing my usual 30 mins I did 45 going between a level 8 and 9.
I still have the farting issue when working out which I am not sure whts going on there guess I will have to look in to that. But in all reality I am passed worrying because they dont stink and the other ladies working out around me are all plugged in to their tumes so if they are noisy no one would hear.
I got done I still did not look like no super model, in fact quite the opposite lol

         

but I guess I shouldn't put myself down to much because with as much fat as I am carrying and it being so early this look is not so bad... Although I cant help but look around and see all these other people managing to look a lot better than this but such is.

any way this is where I am at

Hopefully that number of strides will go up but for right now I am pretty happy with my self because thats a lot better than where I was a few weeks ago which was 0 because I was not working out or anything.

Well here i to a good day.

my 90forlife

So as mentioned before I love to take my 90forlife, I take the powder form mixed in a smoothie each morning and then i take the Gel capsules 3x a day

I can Definitely tell a difference to when I take it to when I don't. after just 2 weeks I feel a difference but each person is different. 

For me My skin feels better, my energy levels are higher (even if i do get up at 4am), I dont Crave food all the time, Which is a huge plus when trying to lose weight. and my hair seems stronger (not falling out so much when I wash my hair)

Ok so the taste is not that Great (personal opinion) Some people really like it with just water. me I add it to my smoothie and boom I would recommend fruits like  Raspberries, Strawberries, Mango those sort of fruits.

I am telling you, this stuff really helps me in the morning after I have come back from a good work out a the gym.

Youngevity have  tons more products to help you feel great as well as lose weight and more I have not tried them all yet but plan to pretty soon.

Gross....but interesting fact...

Ok so This is pretty Gross but it the truth of the matter and seeing this makes me want to lose the fat even more!!!
       

I deff wont be complaining even when I only lose one pound because even with jut a pound of this disgusting stuff of my body is better than still having it stuck to me.

But something else to think about that I just learnt is what written in this picture

So deff dont be discouraged when your fat turns into muscle Which do you find more attractive?? I know which I would prefer 

When you cant sleep

Whats a Girl to do when its 2am and you have been awake for the past half our staring at the walls??
Why go to the gym of course..

Yeah Crazy as I am I Figured I may as well go know and then when i am done come home and climb back into bed...

So here's the thing there was quite a lot of traffic on the main roads, (more than I thought any way,) not sure if they were people finishing work and heading home, Night partners or Early Risers like me. Walgreens had a lot of shoppers and Winco had a few to I guess I had other things I can do when I cant sleep :)
On the plus Side when I got to the Gym I could pick any space I wanted to. IT was Empty

When I got inside I was greeted by the only other person in the Gym which was the guy who worked there, 

Yep The whole Gym to myself, I could take a pick of piece of equipment I wanted to.

now here was the suckie part I went to plug my earplugs in to listen to some Tunes.... They didn't work... But this morning NO PROBLEM, No one was there so I just turned my tunes on with out the earplugs and worked out to the tunes.  not bothering anyone

I had a good hour and half working out not bothering any one or even worrying about what I looked like.

As I was walking out another person or two were coming in,  But I was feeling Great my work out was done.

going home there was not as much traffic which is what I was use to.

I got home and everyone was still sound asleep which made sense so I climbed back into bed thinking I could get 2 extra hours in....

Yep well this proves my point.. I can NOT go to the Gym in the evening especially before bed time I was wide Awake even more so than I was when I woke up at 2am. 

but hay its all good it was something I had never Experienced before (getting the gym to myself that is) 

Would I do it again... Yes if I cant sleep.

Am I feeling Tierd right now..... Of Course I've been awake since 130am.

Am I crazy.... Well thats nothing out of the ordinary but yes...

Am I glad that at least I did another workout..... Why yes, Yes I am.

Embarrasing moment

Ok so here is what happened to me this morning....
 I'm working out going full force on the Elliptical this morning and boom I feel the need to pass gas.... Whats a girl suppose to do?
 I'm plugged in listening to music, I'm not going to hear it... but there is a lady on the machine next to me who may... and is it going to smell??? I have no idea.
but guess what I can't hold it in.
Thank goodness no Smell (well I couldn't smell anything) as for noise well no one turned in my direction, so I think I was safe there as well
Does it happen again YES!!! what the heck!!!
Is my body decided that not only do i need to heavy breath but I also need the air to escape in my bottom to!!! or was it those Baked Beans I had last night?? Probably the 2nd but hay as long as it doesn't smell and not making any noise then what the hay..

COLD

Wow This morning was COLD.. I got out of my nice cozy warm bed determined to hurry and get dressed before my bed could tempt me back beneath its nice warm covers...
I slowly turn to take one last look before waking out the bedroom door... Quick before it pulls me back. I run downstairs grab myself, Quick I tell myself get out the house As i hear those calls from my bed.... Its not to late come back, Ill keep you warm
Nope keep going I open the door only to be hit by the full force of COLD!!
Am I crazy.... yes I am.
The path to the back gate seems long but I finally make it out and away from the clutches of warmth.
I then see the next ordeal. A frozen vehicle which I now sit in because the windows are frozen over
I crank up the heater to high and soon the windows start to clear I finally escape the clutches of my warm cozy bed and home to face the clutches of the gym where i will push my body to the max and make it feel like its being tortured
Was it worth it Heck yeah does the cold make it any easier HECK NO but I survived and know I can do this again tomorrow.

no Super model here!!

So when you see pictures of Famous people working out or who have so say just been to the gym why the heck do they look immaculate...
IT DOES NOT HAPPEN !!! Well not with me... after a good workout I am Sweaty, I fell stinky and I look AWFUL
here is the proof

Or maybe its just cos I'm so freaking unfit and its so early in the morning I don't know,  but this picture looks scary enough to scare the heck out of any one .. Good thing its Halloween season 

maybe this is another reason why I go to the gym so early, haha

I can come out of the gym and its still dark enough that no one sees me

I can tell you one thing for sure Im not going to be in any tv show or magazine looking like this.

Fit bit

I have a fitbit HR and I love it
as weird as it sounds it Actually helps me out
I join in daily and weekly challenges to see who can get the most steps who doesn't like a challenge.
I can also log my goals and log what I eat each day and that actually helps to because it tells me when i go over my suggested calorie count. and who wants to do that... not me going in the red feels like I failed just like when I was back at school getting a red mark on my paper
it also reminds me when my bed time is and how many hours i sleep which is actually quite interesting
Some people don't like these contraptions but as for me I do.
I find myself getting toward the end of the day and checking how far I am from my step goal and then trying to quickly get more steps in before bed to complete that goal.

90forlife

I take my 90 essential Vitamins every morning and I gotta tell you I definitely feel a huge difference when I take it than when I don't 

I feel healthy if there is such a term but I find that my nails are growing and they are stronger, my hair seems to feel healthier and my energy levels seem better than normal.

If you are interested I am hosting an online event 

with a presentation by Trent May

Wed Oct 26, 2016 @ 7:00 pm Pacific (8 pm Mountain)

Check out my FB event page for more information

https://www.facebook.com/events/1616379781995405/

I knew there was a Reason

browsing the net today and came across this quote...
I knew there was another reason why I get up so early to go work out.

Wahooooooooooo

IT may not seem a lot but I .......

Feeling so good right now.

Why so Early..

Yep I get up at 4am and hit the gym... Call me crazy if you like but there really is a good Reason.
at that time of the morning its not so busy which is a plus in many ways.
Going to the gym in the evening is definitely a no no for me, you see when I am done with my work out I am so pumped up for the next few hours I feel like I could take on the world and run a marathon (bare in mind I am far far from it) so going to bed and going to sleep would really suck. not to mention by the time my hubby comes home from work I wouldn't be getting to the gym until around 9pm
and not to mention with 4 kiddos its a lot easier to sneek out in the morning whilst they are still sleeping with out 101 questions... yep a lot easier when they are asleep and their dad is here to watch them "Whilst they are asleep" note i state whilst they are asleep, that way the house i left is the house i am coming home to, lol no bombs hit it and total mass destruction happening whilst your gone that you have to clean up when you come back.
Yeppers 4am works great for me.

Thinking gets you no where.

One of my biggest problems was sitting there thinking about what I should be doing to make myself better and then not doing anything about it.
Guess what thinking does not change anything... Doing will change things.
For example I've had a gym membership for at least six years with the intent of going every day I have probably got may 2 years worth out of those 6 years...
All that money down the drain all because I felt that I was going to do something and then never doing anything.
That's a lot of money especially when your paying $30 a month..
Thats an expensive thought!!

So no more Regrets I am making a change even if its only baby steps. and today I'm in a better place than I was 2 weeks ago.

Something to think about

Introduction to Youngevity, Dr. Joel Wallach & The 90 For Life Message

For those who are interested here is a little about Dr Joel Wallach and the 90forlife product that I am taking.
It really is something worth listening to.

if you would like to check out my web page go to

mbirch.youngevity.com

What's So Different About Youngevity?

So I run a home based business through Youngevity. I love it.... Why because there is something for EVERYONE not to mention that they have products PROVEN to help better your health in MANY ways. I started with Heritage Makers which is an online Digital Story booking company but then they also offer a WIDE range of other personalized products as well such a mugs, Handbags (AKA Purse's) Stationary canvases and soooo much more. Being a mum finding the time to what I call Traditional scrap book was just impossible. not to mention I didn't have the room to store all that stuff.. All I do know is simply open my laptop sit in my comfy chair and log in to my website. SOO much easier. well Heritage makers joined forces with Youngevity which not only opened up a whole lot of opportunity but meant that I was going world Wide and could get those awesome consultant discounts on more products and make more money by offer people what they wanted such as Oils, Spa and beauty products, Health products Jewelry and so much more any way here is a little about it..
 

Photos

Ok here's the thing... I take Tons of photos, heck I'm a mum, not to mention a photographer, and in all reality you you can't NEVER be in a photo. Photos are a part of life.
Here's the thing I don't like to admit that I am over weight but there is always pictures that are taken so what do I do...
Being tall I use that excuse to stand in the back when there is a group picture.
When that doesn't work I have this lovely thing called Photoshop... and on there is what I call the Skinny button Press that a few times and "Vuala"  I've lost a few pounds.. (if only it were that easy in real life)
And if that doesn't work I just Delete or don't show any one.
It simply goes in the don't post on FB pile.

Here's the thing on this blog page My rule is no photoshop, so you are going to see the real me, that's why its called Really Real.

Scales

Ohhhh So I got on the Scales this morning...
Something I really hate doing.... Why because truth sucks in these circumstances.
but if I am starting this Journey I need to know how much I weigh so that I can see some improvement...

To my dismay I am now 253lbs

I knew I had gained a lot of weight but that's a lot... now I really have to work my butt of right.
I keep telling myself. Girl you made the first step and thats a good thing.

Well there you have it.
Let the Journey begin

its no Lie

I really enjoy my food that's no lie and it gets me in trouble sometimes heck I feel like I only have to look at Ice Cream and I gain 20lbs.
The crazy thing is I am not a huge candy fan.
Being brought up on Cadbury Dairy milk, (which if you have ever tasted you will agree is quite Different from Hershey's) well I am just not a huge fan of American Chocolate, If someone buys me some I quite happily accept and then save it for the kids at a later time.
My biggest fall back is Pasta... I LOVE pasta which although not exactly bad for you is high in calories and so taking a trip to my fave restaurant can be fatal. but I always pick the salad so I try to think that compensates for the pasta.. I wish
But Why oh why is it that do those Calories sometimes add up so fast..

DONT LOOK at the Clock

OMG so I can Totally Relate to this funny little quote I try not to look at the time when i am working out because I Swear instead of getting closer to my goal they add minutes whilst I am not looking especially the first 10 minutes wow that first ten minutes seems like an hour in itself. Once I am past that I am pretty good

My Goal

So my Goal is to get Healthy by losing weight and being more active.
My 1st goal is to get my weight to 199lbs (under 200lbs)
My main goal is to get to 175lbs  I know I can get to that weight because (i'm ashamed to say) I've got there before.
That may still be big to some but in all fairness i'm not looking to be a super model or anything I just want to feel good and keep it real.
If I get lower than that of course I will be happy with it but I definitely don't want to be under weight..
And in all honesty I REALLY want to enjoy  clothes Shopping again for me.

Boy am I feeling it

After the work out I had this morning I am really starting to feel sore.. why oh why do you have to feel pain when doing a good thing... no wonder so many people feel like giving up after the first day.

something Different

So i've relied on people before to go to the gym with me and Whilst I really love having someone to go with because (lets face it) that's what really got me out of bed before.
It was also one of my biggest set backs because when my gym partner could not go any more I felt I didn't have to go to the gym any more and so I didn't and all that hard work I spent losing weight just found it self back to my hips and every where else quicker than you can say Jack

This time as much as I would love a gym partner I am driving myself to the gym that way I can get in the habit of going myself

If by chance someone did want to go to the gym with me I would probably agree to meet them there or pick them up that way I don't get out of the habit of driving myself to the gym each morning.

A new Journey

Well here I am on yet another journey to get healthy, not just for me but my family to.
I have found myself going back and forth between losing weight and gaining weight.
I go to the gym I eat healthy and feel great then for some reason I stop and boom the weight just magically appears back in what seems like a day or two, Which is SOO frustrating when it takes so long to get it of, Why is that???
Why cant it take just as long to put on as it did to get of?
my main reason was stress which resulted in comfort eating not only that but eating at the wrong times... they say Stress makes you lose weight... NOT ME I Guess..
Any way here's to another journey to getting healthy and losing weight

A little about me

Well I guess I should tell you a little about me.
I was born and raised in England, (Which I am very proud of by the way) I came over here to visit my sister and fell in love with America and after living between my homeland and America (when I was here I missed home, when I was home I  missed the USA) I Met my husband, we were married and settled here in good ole Idaho.
I am A take me as I am Person, I try not to judge (try is the operative word because lets face it we all do it sometimes) and like to think that I am good Friend.
I'm the kinda person that you can talk to me about anything. I am not perfect by all means and am the first to admit it. (heck I was a teenager once)
I do believe in God and I may as well put it out there Yes I am a Mormon. I am not in any way ashamed of that. People may judge me for that and that's your right but quite frankly I don't want to hear it. you have your beliefs I have mine I'm not going to judge you so don't judge me.
I have friends from all different ways of life and love them for who they are, I like to think they feel the same way about me... Yep I'm the Crazy British friend.
I Have four very beautiful Children that I love immensely and would do anything for them.. (what parent wouldn't, ok better not answer that one). I had C sections with all of them and have those proud scars to prove it. they are between the ages of 3 and 12. Yep those dreaded teenage years are about to hit me...
I almost lost my youngest child when she was just two years old (I wouldnt wish that on my worst enemy) but thankfully we got it sorted and with the exception of a learning Delay she is a healthy beautiful Girl
I have been married to my husband for what will be 14 years in December.
My Life has been full of ups and downs (who's isn't) but I call them life experiences, unfortunately over the last few years i have had to encounter more mountains to climb that I care to think of. but again those mountains make me the person that I am here today unfortunately I have gained a lot of weight through those struggles and that's why I am here today, creating this blog to not only help myself but to help any one else who may find themselves in similar circumstances or what ever that know its not all peaches and cream.
I love Tigger, I probably have over 300 Tigger things between here and whats left back home at my Mum's house.
I Run a home based business with Youngevity, I love it and Love the many friends and family I have made within the company
So there you go that's me in a nut shell.