Life is Good...

Hello Readers! (If there’s anyone still out there)

Sorry I’ve been so delinquent with my blog posts lately, but my life has been crazy busy these last few weeks and I’m loving every minute of it.

I have recently embarked on a new chapter of my life that has me improving myself more than ever and I couldn’t be more excited about it!

After a lot of encouragement from friends that are instructors at my fitness studio, I have decided to get certified to become a Zumba instructor. It’s an idea I had been toying with for a while, but thought it was something I would do once I reached my goal weight. Well, I haven’t reached my goal weight, but on May 11^th I will officially be a Zumba instructor and I can’t wait!

Zumba instructor training isn’t the only thing new to my list of ways to improve myself. Mr. J Bitty and I have officially started Power Training - talk about INTENSE! I don’t think my body has ever worked out in my entire life, the way it has in these last 3 weeks with Power Training.  In this short amount of time, I have completed work outs I never thought I’d be able to complete and I feel better than ever.

The motivation and support from fellow power trainers and the instructors is astounding and it makes me want to keep going and finish those 40 burpees or those 20 box jumps, because even though it may be hurting while I’m doing it, I know I’ll feel so good afterwards - and I always do!

I’m currently working out 5 times a week, alternating zumba and power training every other day and though I haven’t seen that little number on the scale budge, but maybe a tenth of a pound, my body is feeling better than ever. I am starting to get toned in places I’ve never been toned before, even when I was at my skinniest. I also find myself craving healthier foods. After a workout I can’t wait to get home and have egg whites, spinach and fruit. That has been my go-to post workout meal these last few weeks and it really hits the spot.

I have a few more weeks until my trip to Hawaii and I know I will lose some lbs. before then, but I’ll be ok if I don’t lose as many as I would like. My body is still transforming, even if the scale doesn’t say so - I can feel it!

I just have to keep reminding myself - I’m a work in progress!

MJB 

p.s. now that I'm getting back to my old self, I'm more inclined to smile for the camera these days, so be prepared for picture overload...

You're welcome. 

The only thing that got me through this workout was
that we were listening to Britney circa 2001. 

Noodle arms...

Everything always seems to look easier
when it's written on the white board than when you're actually doing it.
Very deceiving...

Janna was the best Saturday morning Power Training partner!
So blessed to be a part of a great fitness family.
Check out Janna's Before and After  at
 http://www.piranhafitnessstudio.com/getting-started/results/
It'll knock your socks off!

Who knew I'd actually  know what this stuff means, but I do!

I wanted to die after this particular work out, but I pulled through
and even smiled for the camera. 

Mr. J. Bitty likes to work out too!

My body is slowly transforming. The arm fat is  melting away.

All my life I never really had a booty until I started gaining weight (and I hated it),
but now with all the squats I'm doing , I think I could get used to it.
I've never been narrow in my torso, even at at my skinniest, but it seems to be shrinking! 

Power Training and Birthday Week

I started writing this on Monday and about half-way thru I started getting a migraine, but I’m better now and finished the rest today. ENJOY!

Power Training:

Not sure if I have any loyal readers yet, but sorry for the lack of posts this last week and a half.  My life has been going a mile a minute and this is the first time I’ve been able to sit down and gather my thoughts. Well actually yesterday was, but I used that time to watch the complete first season of Gossip Girl on Netflix – how on Earth did I let that show slip by me?!?

When I left you all a few weeks ago I was just about to start my “Spring Break.”  At my job we get the Friday of Spring Break off, but I went ahead and took that Thursday off too and it was great! The weather was beautiful and I even got to double up on my Zumba classes on Thursday!

That Saturday I went to 9:00 Zumba as usual and by the end of the class, Kaye (mother of my awesome zumba instructor) and Kristen (my awesome zumba instructor) had convinced me to stay for the Power Training class afterwards. I had been toying with the idea of adding Power Training onto my fitness membership but I had been reluctant because that stuff is INTENSE.  This was the perfect time to try it out – so I stayed and INTENSE it was!!!

I worked muscles that I had never worked before - 80 lunges, 40 pull-ups, 40 sit-ups, 2 million (at least that’s what it felt like!) squats with a medicine ball and a kettle ball, oh and about 5 million burpees (again, that’s what it felt like!). Some of my workouts were modified since I hadn’t officially taken the Power Training intro classes, but I felt like I hung in there. Sunday and Monday were rough on the muscles, but nothing a little soak in an Epsom Salt bath couldn’t cure.  Mr. J. Bitty and I are now signed up for the Power Training intro classes next week!

Stay Tuned for more Power Training with Mr. and Mrs. J Bitty…

Kristen and me after my first power training class on St. Patty's day! #beastmode

An Epsom Salt bath is the best for curing your muscle aches and pains after an intense workout. 

Birthday Week:

In case you hadn’t heard my Birthday was last week and boy did Mr. J. Bitty do it up right! Every day of the week leading up to my birthday the hubs gave me a little gift with a card. On Monday he started the week off with a political humor card and flowers. Tuesday was “JT Day” and he specially delivered the new JT album, ‘The 20/20 Experience’ and some sour punch bites to my job. On Wednesday there was another special delivery when I got home from work of delicious cupcakes from Georgetown Cupcake. And on Thursday – THE BIG DAY, Mr. J. Bitty made me a mini homemade pizza with the pizza stones I had gotten as an early birthday present a few weeks before with a sweet card from him and another one from the pups. All in all my Birthday day/week was the BEST yet!

Until next time,

MJB

Day 1: Political Humor from Mr. J. Bitty

Day 2: 'JT DAY' and sour punch bites

Day 3: Georgetown Cupcake 

My Birthday: Homemade pizza and  sweet cards from the pups and the hubs. 

"Dale, Sexy Zumba...!"

Yesterday marked my 11th day in a row to workout and I couldn't have done it without the support of Mr. J.Bitty, my awesome zumba instructor (Kristen) at Piranha Fitness.


Oh yeah, and Ryan Gosling...

AND...

Every time I felt like I wanted to give up I would ask myself, 

                                                     'What would Johnny Football do?'

DALE!

Mrs. J. Bitty

Not exactly a Yogi...

A couple of weeks ago a few co-workers and I decided that we needed to do something active during our lunch break because sitting behind a desk for 8 hours a day could drive anyone crazy. After we weighed our options, we all decided on yoga because you don’t get sweaty and it could help to relieve stress.

Today was our first official day of lunch-time yoga and let me tell you, it was BORING! I had some reservations in the beginning about doing yoga, because…

a.) There’s no music – so how am I supposed to shake my thang?!
b.) I took a few yoga classes in college (when I was in my prime) and even back then I    couldn't do some of those crazy poses! My body just doesn't bend or twist in certain ways.

After 20-minutes of what I thought was major boredom, we all decided that since this was just day one of lunch-time yoga, we should keep it up for the rest of the week. You never know, I might actually start enjoying it. Stay tuned...

B-t-dub, I would just like to give mad props (I’m a little gangsta sometimes) to the yogis out there! More power to you and your bendy/twisted little bodies.

Namaste,

Mrs. J. Bitty

p.s.this is as exciting as it got for me at lunch-time yoga today…
Looking forward to shaking what my momma gave me at Zumba tonight!

Do-Over...

After re-reading my post from this morning, I thought I should post something a little more positive for this afternoon and start the week off on a better note.

As I mentioned in my post from this morning, I’m on my best workout streak to date. Like my food, I log my workouts in my day planner and because I’m a kid at heart, every time I workout I “reward” myself with a sticker. It seems a little silly, but I like it because Mr. J. Bitty actually picks out the sticker for me. It’s also better than rewarding myself with food. I keep telling myself, ‘I’m not a dog; I don’t need to reward myself with food.’ So I reward myself with sparkle stickers instead. Talk about positive reinforcement!

Top: My workout log for the month of February

Bottom: My workout log for March (yesterday hadn't been logged yet, but I did workout)

Even though yesterday was a bad day, food-wise, I did have a pleasant afternoon of “me” time. After the movies, my brother-in-law came over for the day so Mr. J. Bitty could help him with Physics homework (did I mention my husband’s a genius?) so I had the afternoon all to myself. I watched ‘Bride Wars’ on tv and gave myself a mani/pedi combo. I usually go to the nail salon to get my mani/pedi combo, but lately it’s been nice to actually do it on my own and I’m getting pretty good at it - if I do say so myself. I would have showed you a picture of my toes, but I am weirdly grossed out by feet – not just mine, but everyone’s feet.

Color on Fingers: Sugar Daddy by Essie

Color on Toes: Play Date by Essie

I started the day off in a bad mood and that’s not the mind frame I want for the rest of the week. I had to remind myself how lucky I am to be able to wake up every day and go to a job that I enjoy (for the most part) and how lucky I am that God has blessed me with MY BOYS!!!

Here's to starting the week off right!

Mrs. J. Bitty

Case of the Mondays...

The worst part of the week is upon us – MONDAY MORNINGS!

This particular Monday is even worse because it’s the first Monday after daylight savings and let’s just say, if I wasn’t a morning person before, I’m definitely not one now! Not only am I cranky that my sleep schedule is off, but I’m also cranky because I was not pleased with what the scale said this morning. It’s like everything is out to get me today, sheesh!

Last week was a great food week and an even better workout week for me until Sunday afternoon.

Mr. J.Bitty and I went to the movies to see “Oz the Great and Powerful” – fantastic movie, b-t-dub. Unfortunately, movie theaters are notorious for their not-so-healthy treat options. Once I walked into the theater the smell of that buttery popcorn took over my senses, but guess what – I didn't have one bite! In my opinion, buttery movie theater popcorn isn't worth the calories or the bloat you feel afterwards.

Heck yeah! I had just passed up popcorn - I thought I was good-to-go, until I saw them, sitting there in the concession stand display case, my kryptonite…SOUR PUNCH STRAWS!

I couldn’t help myself, they’re the best kind of candy – sour, sugary, gummy and strawberry all rolled into one little straw-like form. I caved, I bought a pack thinking I would only eat a few and give the rest to the hubs. Yeah, that didn’t happen. It was a long movie and I needed something to snack on – right?? WRONG! #worstideaever

Those sour punch straws, though very delicious, were my “gateway drug” to eating terrible the rest of the day. By the end of the day I had consumed a homemade mini pizza (which wasn’t too bad in calories, but just didn’t have any veggies on it), a steak taco with cheese from Fuego (best place to get tacos in the B/CS) and an obscene amount of chips and guacamole (my other kryptonite).  

Even though I snuck in a workout in between stuffing my face yesterday, I feel ‘blah’ today. I feel bloated, sluggish and guilty for eating so terribly. I know we all have our “cheat” days, but I should have stopped at the sour punch straws. It’s astonishing how you can eat healthy and workout all week and then one day filled with bad choices can completely change that little number on the scale. It’s no wonder how I got myself into this predicament – in the past I had a lot of “cheat” days like yesterday, sans the workout.

That’s another thing I need to work on – not weighing myself ALL the time. I’m a scale-a-holic and I really need to work on that. At one point it got so bad I made the hubs hide the scale from me and only give it to me once a week. I might need him to do that again.  

Enough of being such a ‘Negative Nelly’…

On a happier note, I’m going on 9 days in a row of working out and I’m loving it! Don’t worry, I’m not over-doing it. I listen to my body and if there is a day where I really just need to rest, then I will. But for now I’m on an excellent streak and I look forward to the benefits!

I had a great talk with Kristen, my (favorite) zumba instructor, after class on Saturday morning and we were discussing ways to eat healthy and to hold ourselves accountable for what we eat. She had mentioned taking a picture of your meal before you eat it and I think I may try that. I've done it a few times and though it can be redundant, it’ll keep you honest.

Sorry for the cranky post, I promise tomorrow will be better.

I hope everyone has a healthy and happy week,

Mrs. J. Bitty

I Work OUT!

Happy Friday, everyone!

In yesterday’s post I mentioned I would give you all more information on the fitness studio I go to at a later date. Well, it’s a later date - so here it goes!

I’ve been living in the Bryan/College Station area for almost 4 years now. No, I am not an Aggie, but I am proud to be married to one and I love all that is Texas A&M University and Johnny Football!  It’s true what they say about A&M, ‘If you’re an outsider looking in, you don’t understand’ and I definitely didn’t get it until I moved here. Some may argue I’m just as crazy as the rest of them, but I just appreciate the tradition and some of my closest friends are the “Aggie friends” that I’ve made while living here and I wouldn’t have it any other way! Ok, sorry – enough of the maroon kool-aid talking.

So in the four years I’ve been living here, I’ve tried a handful of zumba classes/other fitness classes at different gyms that were so-so, but never had me coming back for a second class until last Spring. A couple of the ladies at my job told me about a zumba class that they had been going to during lunch at a new fitness studio across the street from where we work and told me I should join them – so I did and I loved it! I had a good run at this place until the Summer hit and then I lost all motivation to do any kind of exercise, BUT I always had this studio in the back of my mind because of how great it was!

This last Fall I took a few more classes at this place, but the motivation still wasn't quite there (because of me, nothing to do with the studio). By the New Year I was in full swing at this place. I started working out 3x a week and now I’m up to 5-6, sometimes 7x a week (with their online classes) and now I’m a regular with my own spot at Zumba and everything!

What is this place, you ask? PIRANHA FITNESS STUDIO!!!  

All of the instructors and members at Piranha have been an inspiration to me. Piranha offers several different fitness packages that include classes like Zumba, Zumba Toning and even Piloxing (really hard, but really good workout - Google it!). They also offer Power Training. Right now I’m still working on mastering the Zumba and Piloxing classes and then maybe I’ll upgrade to Power Training later.

Every instructor has their own style and flair and I love that. This place has been my therapy session almost every day since the beginning of the year and I couldn't be more grateful. Everyone is there to let loose and get fit and all the instructors are so welcoming. I actually look forward to working out now and may even start doubling up on classes a few days a week!

If you want more information on this studio click here  www.piranhafitnessstudio.com

And if you don’t live in the area they offer online classes as well! These are great for me when I need a late night work out or if it’s raining and I don’t really want to leave the house.

Check it out – you’ll be glad you did!

Have a good weekend,

Mrs. J. Bitty 

MISSION: ACCOMPLISHED (for now…)

Today has been a good day and it’s only 11:11 (Hey! Isn’t that good luck, too?!)

Any-who, my morning started off like any normal day – alarm going off at 6:00, snoozing ‘til 6:10 and then out of bed to get ready for the day.

At about 8:15 I knew it was going to be a good day. Mr. J. Bitty sent me a text after he had dropped me off at work (we carpool since we work at the same place, just different buildings) and said he had washed my car and filled up the tank so I wouldn’t have to before or after my workout this evening. #dreamboat

A little after the #dreamboat text message,  I was sorting through my work e-mails and to my surprise I had received an e-mail from someone I work with, expressing gratitude for how hard I had been working for this person. After I picked my jaw up off the floor from reading it, I thought - ‘ok, this is really going to be a good day.’

But wait, that’s not even the best part of my morning!!!

Later, I had to walk over to another building/department and I ran into a colleague that I hadn’t seen in months and the first thing she says to me is…”Have you lost weight?!? You look great!!” #daymade

That might have been the best thing I’ve heard in months. I’ve been working so hard with eating the right foods and working my butt off at the fitness studio (more information on this AMAZING place at a later date), that it was really nice to hear from someone (that isn’t a family member) that they had noticed my weight loss.

I don’t expect the people that see me all day/every day to say something about my weight loss because I barely notice and if I barely notice then my husband might barely notice and my co-workers probably don’t even notice at all – which is perfectly FINE! But it was so refreshing to hear and I don’t think this person will know just how much her words really meant to me. #evenmoremotivatednow

That’s all for now,

Mrs. J. Bitty

p.s. I’ve never really been one to take selfies (mostly because of my chub factor), but I heard no blog is complete without pictures so I will work on the whole ‘standing in front of my bathroom mirror and pose ‘ thing. But for now, here is a picture of the other two loves of my life!

Allow me to re-introduce myself...

Congratulations!

If you are reading this you have accidentally stumbled upon my very first blog, or you’re a member of my family and I’ve forced you into this.

My name is Tiffanie, but you can call me ‘Mrs. J. Bitty.’  That’s right, ladies and gents, I’m a 20-something, going-on-almost- 4 years-of- marital-bliss, not-so-old broad with a blog.

About a week or so ago I was toying with the idea of entering the blog-o-sphere because…

 a. Everyone is doing it (Haha – just kidding! But really everyone and their mom have a blog and now that includes me!)

 b. I decided that 2013 was going to be MY year and I wanted to share my journey with everyone or pretend I’m sharing it with everyone, depending on who is going to read this.   

Those closest to me know that my whole life was turned upside-down in 2010 when I lost two very important people in my life in a matter of weeks. After many a nights of crying and 40 lbs. later I knew this is not what my life should be at such a young age. I had lost the fun-loving, always laughing, confident Tiffanie to this hermit of a girl who just wanted to stay home and eat lime chips. But dammit, I’m back and I have a completely different outlook on life and I can’t wait to share it with everyone (or whoever partakes in my blog).  

January 1st of this year (and every other January 1^st prior to 2013) my resolution, like everyone else’s, was to lose weight. My plan was to eat right, exercise and lose those pesky lbs. that I had gained over the last two years. Well, guess what - It’s March 6, 2013 and I am still eating right and working out 5x a week like a boss.

From my heaviest weight back in Jan. 2012 I am down a total of 18lbs, and 10 of those being within in the last month and a half. I’m hoping to reach my goal weight or be within 7-10lbs of my goal weight by the time Mr. J. Bitty and I head to Hawaii in late May for an early 4 year anniversary vacay.

I still have a good chunk of chub to lose before then, but I’m surprisingly having a really fun time on this journey. I count my calories using the ‘Lose It!’ app on my phone. Most people use ‘MyFitnessPal’, but I’ve tried both and prefer the setup of ‘Lose It!’ even though they’re basically the same (at least I think so). I am also a newly self-proclaimed Zumba addict – I just can’t get enough! I had done Zumba in the past, but didn’t have the motivation I have now. Let me tell you, a day I go without shaking my thang in Zumba is not a good day for me.

Before I wrap up this post, I just want to clarify that this isn't just another fitness blog. Yes, I will be documenting my journey to my goal weight, and yes, that was the motivation to get me to blog. But it’s also about my life as a 26-year old married woman who is rediscovering who she is after two years of completely losing herself to things she had no control over. 

I hope you enjoy!

Until next time,

Mrs. J. Bitty