I have reached my decision on the scale. At this time, I feel using the scale is worth it to my goals. I think it will provide additional motivation, accountability,  information, and ease of mind for me personally. Before I do so, I want to clear up a few things that go along with this decision:

1. FFF will still not be a “weight loss blog”. I will not share weekly weigh-in stats or anything of that nature. I have no problem with blogs that do so, but FFF was not built on that. It did not become what it is today with that style and I don’t feel comfortable shifting it there now. The use of the scale is for my personal use and tracking. I will share thoughts and emotions I may encounter along my journey, but in a very general way.

2. I will weigh once a week. Absolutely nothing more. It is plenty to track progress and it helps maintain consistency if done the same day, at the same time, under similar conditions. I will do so Saturday mornings.

3. I am still not going to know my weight. I don’t think I would, but this will help ensure I don’t get caught up in a  number and comparing that number to previous weights. For this reason, I decided to have Peter weigh me in each week. I will not look. He will not tell me. The only thing I will know is the shift in weight each week (up 1/2 pound, down 1 pound, etc) to track progress. Kind of like my own version of this scale…

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4. It will not be the sole factor in how I track my success. The fit of my clothes, regular progress pictures, achieving new things in workouts, etc will still be more important to me.

5. If I find myself facing a negative relationship with the scale or getting frustrated/obsessive with weighing, I will stop. No question about that.

So, that’s that. I appreciate all your faith in my ability to continue being true to myself, despite this change. I felt it was best for me and could have just gone with it…but I wanted to keep things open and honest on FFF. The real deal is what I stand for. And, as my tagline states, life will still be more than diet and workouts. 😉

Although now I must talk about workouts. How can I not? I have found the perfect race for my first 5K!

I branched out my search a bit and found the Run the River 5K. Look at how perfect!!

• on April 16, just under 2 weeks after finishing the C25K program (great timing)
• its local (within 30 mins driving distance)
• the course description = FLAT, fast (ha, not me!), and easy (yes, please!)
• along a river, so beautiful scenery according to my friend who has raced it
• an out and back loop, which I was informed is a very good thing so you don’t have to walk back to parking (I can see how that matters!)
• my blog buddy Lee said she can do it too!!

Now I just need to decide if I should register now to commit to it…or wait to be sure nothing happens with training since I literally JUST started. Decisions, decisions!

Question of the Morning– Do you like signing up for things early or wait?

You all are into the Chobani! Keep those entries coming. And HELLO to any new friends who came across the site. I hope you stick around for awhile. We have a good time here. 🙂

In my last “Body After Baby” post, I shared my overall goal of reaching my body’s “happy place”. Feeling physically fit and strong. Feeling healthy because of proper nutrition. Feeling confident because I know I am caring for myself in all ways.

When setting goals, often times we hear the recommendation to use the “SMART” approach: Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic, & Timely.

While my overall goal is very vague and measured just from my personal thoughts, I still agree with the SMART approach. Goals should be those things, especially realistic. Today, I want to share other goals I have outside of what I will strive for overall next year.

10 Extra Goals on the Path to the One Overall Goal

Complete unassisted pull-ups again. These epitomize strength in my mind.

Squat 135# (the man bar + one big plate on each side). I love, love, love squats. I could easily do this at my happy place for 3 sets of 10. It was fun getting looks from the men in the weight room!

Bench press 100#. Yet another I could easily do at one point. I would also do pushups with a 25 pound plate on my back. What can I say? I adore strength training!

Run a 5K Race. This one really excites me. I was starting to truly enjoy running before I got pregnant. It’s a fitness challenge that has always intrigued me, but I have never embraced out of fear I would stink at it. Who cares if I stink? I want to give it a shot and experience my first race!

New workouts. I would love to try out some new things. Like my first yoga class in a studio, Insanity & TurboFire DVDs, and anything else I may come across.

Stretch, yoga, foam roll OFTEN. It is so easy for me to let flexibility slide. I want to focus on it fully to help with my other fitness related goals.

Cook more and try new recipes. I would love to aim for one new recipe a week. I need to branch out and grow my cooking skills.

Less processed foods & way more veggies. I want to get back to the style of eating I know I feel best with. That includes focusing on those two factors.

More balance with food. Continuing with that idea, I don’t want to become restrictive in any sense. However, I also know I could use more of a balance with carbs, protein, and healthy fats. Also between natural foods and my “treats”. Once these pregnancy sugar cravings lose their hold on me.

Daily prayer & positive affirmation. I want to focus on loving myself. I still pray regularly for God to help me see myself through His eyes. It’s a very powerful thing to remind yourself of and I want to keep that going.

As you can see, I have things related to fitness, healthy eating, and overall emotional well-being. All three are important to me. These are not the definitive list, but just an idea of things I plan on working towards in a more specific nature. I fully believe all of these things will help bring me to the overall place I hope to achieve…and keep me feeling wonderful throughout the process.

Question of the day – What are some goals you hope to work towards?