Hi! I'm Erica and have been following this blog since the beginning - bathing in the inspiration you ladies give me - however still falling short in the self discipline area and forcing myself to begin an actual fitness routine. I think I was afraid to ever post and find myself held accountable to my goals but let's face it - IT'S TIME! And I think the whole idea of being held accountable is a good idea at this point! :)
To start off, I thought I'd tell you a bit about myself. I am a homemaker to a wonderful husband a three beautiful children! My husband and I are movie buffs (nothing better than curling up on the couch with your hubby and a bowl of popcorn - oops I shouldn't say popcorn on a fitness blog now should I :). I love interior design and enjoy doing yard work, reading and scrapbooking although it is getting harder and harder to find the time to do any of these at the moment. I find myself VERY busy with three young children. And that's okay, in fact I love it! I often remind myself that "there is a time and a season for all things" and right now I'd much rather cherish the small every day moments with my kids while I have them in my home and can enjoy their laughter and energy.
And that last word brings me to the greatest reason for FINALLY posting on this blog. My kids are VERY active and are blessed with an incredible amount of energy. I figure I'll never be able to keep up with them if I don't try to get a bit more fit! :) That coupled with the idea that I'd like to eat a bit healthier as well as be an example of good health to my kids and wa-la...here I am.
And that last word brings me to the greatest reason for FINALLY posting on this blog. My kids are VERY active and are blessed with an incredible amount of energy. I figure I'll never be able to keep up with them if I don't try to get a bit more fit! :) That coupled with the idea that I'd like to eat a bit healthier as well as be an example of good health to my kids and wa-la...here I am.
With all that in mind, I've decided that I'm most interested in simply getting fit or toned rather than losing weight mostly because...well...I'm not fit or toned :) and really my weight hasn't changed much over the years. However, I know that muscle weighs more than fat so the fact is that although my weight hasn't changed much and that it didn't take long for me to get back to my 'before baby' weight, my muscle tone is gone and I in fact have more fat I'm carrying around than I have in the past. At this point, my goal is to lose 1 1/2 in. around each thigh and 4 inches around my belly. And it would be great to lose about 8 lbs. but have attained more muscle tone with that weight. I'll have to give it some more thought about particulars in a later post.
To try and help, I started doing Zumba three times a week (occasionally missing here and there) about three months ago - just here at my house via DVDs. I really love the energy in the workouts and I'll admit...I'm a dancer...and prefer that type of workout over others. I've never been a runner/jogger however I realize that variety is best for your body and so over time I might have to branch out a bit and try new things. I also just started tracking my caloric intake just to give me an idea of where I am in my eating habits and to see if I feel like by simply adding exercise I can continue to eat the way I do (which I really do feel is pretty healthy with a good variety of foods) even including my treats OR if it might be wiser to switch up my diet as well. If the later is the case, I'll have to take that on in time but for now, I'm starting with simply adding exercise to my routine and hope to be able to accomplish that and move on from there. I'll keep you (and myself included) posted on my progress. Wish me luck and thanks again for all your inspiration!!!
