Truly, Sanely Fit. 30 Days of Reality

   I am excited to present a reality check! A real life mom working on becoming healthy by (wait for it) eating healthy food (holy crap) and (are you ready for this?) exercising (what!)! No, I didn't forget something. Nope, there's no flashy name. I mean, I guess we could call it the MV2G-30 (minivan to gym-30) or you could stick entire meals in a blender and call it the UberSmoothie System. Good luck with pizza night on that one. But if you're good without the flash, lets call it what it is; real life. I don't know about you, but I have neither the time nor the inclination to with hold a food group from my diet. I also possess the scholarly knowledge from research to know that that's always a bad idea. My kids won't touch a Paleo pancake to save their lives, and there's nothing worse than slaving over (and spending on) an organic, vegan dish to watch your family push it aside. So that was out as quick as it was in for my house. I swore off "processed" foods at one point (years ago) and then I had kid number two and my husband was back from deployment. One day, Disney Princess fruit snacks made their way into my cupboard and I never looked back. But I'm not the real life mom we're going to be focusing on. Yes, I've got two children and a hectic job, but my job puts me in the gym aalllll day and I've got a wealth of information on getting fit because of my profession. It gives me an unfair advantage.
  We call it real life for another reason as well. This mom will be embarking on her journey WITHOUT the use of supplements. THIS IS A BIG DEAL! My vendetta with the multi-level marketing scams that are plaguing society with their supplements, shakes, cleanses (ughhhh.... such a dirty word) could fill a book. Many of these programs cost hundreds of dollars, make scientific claims based off of observational research (experiments done without placebos or control groups that tend to yield much more favorable results), and lead to dangerous and long-lasting habits. "Some supplements that were found to have health benefits in observational studies turned out, with more rigorous testing, to be not only ineffective but also risky." (Harvard Women's Health Watch, Jan. 2013) Examples of this include Ephedra, excessive Vitamin E, and copious amounts of B vitamins. Our bodies are fully capable of extracting the vitamins, minerals, and nutrients we require from the food we eat and the world we live in as long as we provide nutrient dense foods and a healthy environment.  If you need Vitamin C, eat an orange. No fancy "immunity strengthening" supplementation required. Antioxidants, now there's a buzz word. Not surprisingly, when the actual, scientific research performed by actual scientifically accredited institutes came back on antioxidant supplements,  the results were overwhelming against its benefits in supplement form. Don't get me wrong, the power of antioxidants in antioxidant-rich foods is phenomenal. It is when it is put into a supplement that the benefits cease. Many reasons were blamed for this, ranging from differences in chemical make-up to the chemical reactions that occur in a  food because of particular reactions by substances in that food. Quick fixes (damages) will not be allowed in this adventure.
    Quick fixes also refer to hyped-out exercise programs. Our amazing mom will be partaking in intermediate level fitness classes, basic workouts, and programs accessible to anyone who can get to a gym or the great outdoors. Don't think that those exercise programs you see on TV promising a 25 minute, life changing workout or crazy machine that costs thousands have your best interest in mind. They dropped their liability to you with that 15 second waiver in the beginning of the DVD. They could tell you to hang from your feet from the ceiling and its your problem if you fall and break your neck. Those systems have claimed the knees and backs of both seasoned athletes and newbies a plenty. Consult an actual fitness professional if you need help with a workout, we don't want to be sued, so we'll likely tell you the right way to do things!
   So now the stage is set! In summation, a wonderful, real-life mom of young children is going to diary her next month for our reading pleasure! She has to deal with kids, illness, holidays, picky eaters, temptation, emotions, and life. She has agreed to be completely candid, and has even offered up a "before" photo for the world to see! (What a good friend!) We will call her SuperMom for the next 30 days, because she is! I will be guiding her journey with basic fitness and lifestyle tips that will be shared on each entry. So show your support, draw support from SuperMom, and learn a few tips and tricks along the way!

"I'm excited and once again have motivated myself to start losing weight. Ha ha, I laugh because I've lost track of how many times I have started this mission and have failed. I know the importance of having a healthy lifestyle and I want my kids to share and value making healthy choices for themselves too.

So I've decided that WeThrive Fitness would be a great opportunity to share my personal challenges with. My goal in the weeks ahead is to share my up's and downs, my accomplishments and road blocks and the importance of asking for help and advice on this mission. I will remain anonymous, but will share whole body pictures along with the number I see on the scale in hopes it will reflect the simple changes I will make in my everyday life. Each week I will have a goal to focus on and make it apart of my new life style.

Here is my plan of action cause every good mission that is worth fighting for deserves a well thought out plan of action. First, I'm planning on to make simple changes in my diet and my family's diet. Living on one income I don't want to spend an arm and a leg on supplements or the newest and latest weight loss program everyone is raving about. I am going to try new family friendly recipes with the food I will by at the grocery store. I am going to log my calories I eat and be aware of my meal sizes.

Secondly, I will commit to being active. I do have a gym membership so I am going to use Monday - Friday. I always feel better after a good work out. I want this to become a regular part of my routine and show my kids the importance of taking care of our bodies.

Lastly, I will share my thoughts along the way. I know I will start out strong like I do with every new goal of mine, but like anything, the novelty will wear off and I can either continue or quite. And this time quitting is not an option. There will be obstacles like birthday parties, vacations, sick kids, which for me have been reasons that I give up or need to start over. I want to learn how to make those obstacles a positive part of my life and not a reason to say, "I will start again on Monday".

I ask to share my missions with WeThrive Fitness in hopes to learn something new about myself and way to hold myself accountable so I can finally say the words I've been longing to say, "mission completed". "

                                                                                 - SuperMom