Healthy Wife, Healthy Life

Here it is! My first "Healthy Wife, Healthy Life" post! I'm really excited to start blogging regularly about my journey toward a healthier diet, body, and home. I feel like sharing it with all of you will help to keep me accountable as well as inspire more of you to do the same! Its great when we can share our goals, progress, and obstacles with eachother. It has always been motivating for me to read others' experiences.

Since the wedding, I have not been keeping up with my exercise or healthy eating as much as I wish I would have. The "happy fat" has begun to sneak in. Well, I want to close the door on it before it comes in any further! My clothes are getting a little uncomfortable, and my energy level has gone down. Not good! So, its time to jump into high gear!

My fitness & diet goals:

1. Stick to my twice-a-week kickboxing routine. The kickboxing class I attend is awesome. It is the greatest workout I have ever done and was the sole reason I was in the best shape of my life at our wedding in September. Truly. I was eating healthier so that helped, but I definitely was indulging myself during the week. Kickboxing kept the pounds at bay! I have already been once this week (and oooh am I sore!!) and plan to go again tomorrow night.
   
2. Run a half-marathon this year. Wow. This is a major goal for me. The furthest I have ever run is 7 miles. We're talking 13.3, here. But, I will do it. I have begun the training plan this week and by the end of May, I will be ready for it! I plan to blog about my training each week as well.
   
3. Cut down on the sweets. Yes, I have a huuuge sweet tooth. I don't know what it is, but always crave a little something sweet after a meal. Chocolate, especially, gets me everytime. As I get older, I recognize the ways in which my sugar intake affects me. I feel sluggish and tired after dessert and I know its just not good for me. So, I plan to keep the sweets to a minimum. I've purchase a pack of individually wrapped peppermint patties and the goal is to have just one or two if I'm craving a sweet after dinner. I also bought fat-free cool whip that sort of feels like ice cream if you freeze it! Its a great way to satisfy your sweet tooth without piling on the calories.
   
4. Be better at preparing healthy, well-rounded meals for my husband and I each night. Beginning next week, I won't be around two nights per week due to class, but I'd like to make sure we have healthy dinners on the table most other nights of the week. This may mean I have to put the Paula Deen cookbooks away for a little while ;)
   
5. Drink plenty of water! This is so important, and so easy, yet most of us don't get the recommended 64 oz. per day. Its a proven fact that dehydration is a major cause of inflammation and inflammation is a major cause of disease. The solution? Drink water, constantly. I am going to purchase large water bottles for Mr. P and myself to keep with us throughout the day. When its empty, it is to be filled back up. I think that in and of itself is going to do wonders for the other goals for getting healthy too.
   
6. I'd like to start doing yoga once or twice per week. My sister received a yoga set for Christmas and she just so happened to leave it at my house.. I think tonight when I get back from my run I'm going to give it a try!

As mentioned before, I'm also going to be taking part in a bloggers weekly fitness/health competition. It begins this Monday, so I'll have more to tell you all about it on next Wednesday's "Healthy Wife, Healthy Life!"

Here is to a successful and healthy week! What are your fitness and diet goals this year?