I’ve learned a lot about myself these last 5 months that I’ve been getting back to my old fit self. Truth be told, I’m fitter than I’ve ever been, even long before our IF troubles got us off course. I went into this knowing what had to be done, but I’ve learned some very important things along the way this time as well, and things that are more important than what I learned years ago, simply because I, and my life, have changed.

• myfitnesspal is just that… My pal. I would not be where I am today without it. I credit that site for probably 50% of my success! Tracking all of my food and exercise is power for me.
• I found my heartrate monitor (finally) the other day and man alive, it shows different calorie burns than the treadmill and websites that use pace, age, and weight. I was shocked to see that two of my workouts didn’t come close to what MFP or other apps said, and let’s face it… The HR monitor always wins. I work harder with it. I won’t work without it! (By my calculations, I was off around 600 calories a week in burn… that explains a lot!)
• We have a lot to be proud of in regards to how we eat. We eat no processed foods (like NONE) and live pretty Paleo, which works well for us. I cook 5 meals a week (and usually 6) from scratch which makes it easy to enter things into MFP. Our dinners are rich and delicious and WHOLE. We miss out on nothing living this way.
• Free days are for special times (date night) and breakfasts out! Use them!
• I fit a workout in any time possible, which is necessary when you’re a SAHM with two active kids. Double naps are the best, but if only Bryson naps, I’ll do an INSAN.ITY workout with Matthew there to cheer me on. If they only double nap for 40 minutes, that’s run time. Once they’re in bed and we’re watching TV together, I’ll do resistance bands. There is always time to make it work, I just have to be flexible and creative!
• Fitness is a hobby for me. I love finding new things to do and I get grumpy if I don’t workout. I’m lucky that this is the case.
• Truth be told, I can run a lot faster than I was pushing myself to do. Thank you, HR monitor.
• I am so lucky to have such a supportive spouse, and I need to keep telling him that I recognize that!
• I have a drive that does not quit if I put my mind to something. I’m looking forward to even more fitness these next 5 weeks and then into the new year. I’m anxious to see what I can accomplish!
• My kids are watching me. They’re mimicking what I do. They want to workout too, and that’s awesome! That, alone, could keep me going!

That’s about it! Good stuff for me to remember, especially going into the calorie-rich holidays!