Why Today Is Important To Me.................

Because today marks the day that I got my shhh together. This time last year, January 12th, 2011, my husband and I went to Wal-Mart to buy a scale. We were discussing for the millionth time of how I wanted to get myself back in shape. In the past, we have had this discussion before but it always ended up with him trying to get more fit (because he was never out of shape) and my sitting on my butt eating something crazy. So we are on the aisle with the scales and out of curiosity, I just pulled one down, took off my shoes, and wanted to see how much I weighed. I'm thinking I'm about 170 to 180 lbs. Wrong!!!!!!!! It said 194 lbs..........What!!!!!!! I was shocked, depressed, and wanted to cry all at the same time. We ended up getting one and when we got home, I took off all of my clothes (don't worry, I'm not going to turn this story into some type of freaky tales, LOL), got back on the scale because I just knew it was wrong. And it was.........I was 192 lbs.......(-___-).

So after fighting with the scale, I started to think......"How did I get here?" One word........Lazy! Which was crazy for me to even be like that because I used to love to exercise. What happened????? Then my husband snapped me back to reality and basically said that if I wanted to change, I had to do it for myself and get off my butt.........point blank. Now it was my time.......yes, I said that in the past but 2011 was different. I had a family to think about......especially my daughter.......I wanted to grow old to see her turn into a beautiful woman and being lazy and eating crappy was just cutting my life shorter and shorter.

Now that I had my mental game down, it was time for me to get my fitness and eating habits in check. First, it started with working out at home with fitness DVDs. I knew I didn't have time to go to the gym but I knew I wanted to find something that I could do at home while watching my daughter. It started with Tae Bo (yes the classic but always can kick your butt Billy Blanks), then to Turbo Jam, to Turbo Fire, to CLX, to now P90X and Insanity. If you told me back in January 2011 that I would now be doing P90X/Insanity, I would have laughed straight in your face and told you that you were tripping. Now, I can't even believe that I can do some of the stuff that I can do now.

Second, I had to control my eating. Now, I knew that this was going to be the hardest thing I do because I just love eating period. Of course it was impossible for me to cut out things that I loved (chocolate, mac and cheese, and etc.) but I learned that moderation is the key. So when I first started, I had a daily journal of what I would eat and would set up a goal (for example, 1650 net calories per day). Then I found MyFitnessPal and the rest was history. I loved how they set up my goal, tracking what I eat, tracking my exercises, and the nutritional breakdown (calories, fat, carbs, and etc.). Let me say this, I still have days that I fail........eating too much fast food, too much sweets, too much of everything but I also learned that if I mess up one day, don't beat myself up.....I'm human......just don't do it everyday.

So today is January 12th, 2012 and I am 40 lbs lighter, I love to exercise again, I try to make healthier food choices, and now can keep up with my high energy husband and daughter. Believe me, it can be done because of years of failing, I finally got it right through a lot of sweat, pain, laughter, praying, and just not stopping.

Thanks for letting me share my story and I'm ready to hit 2012 head on:

Hair Transition: Month 3

Now that I'm heading into month 4, let me review how everything is going............

First, I have no complaints because everything has been going well so far. I have a lot of new growth coming in so that makes me happy to know that my hair is actually growing. Not really having a problem with my two textures yet because I guess my new growth is not that long and I use gel to help control my edges. Still doing my protective styling and the only time that I use heat is when I am blow drying my hair (but it's set to a low setting with the heat).

So these are the products that I have been using during my third month of transitioning:




Shampoo: Herbal Essences Hello Hydration Shampoo - I only shampoo my hair once a month to remove build up but I'm planning to switch to a sulfate free shampoo when I have finished this product.

Conditioner: Herbal Essences Hello Hydration Conditioner - I use this in between my shampoo washes as my co-wash conditioner. I still love this product because it leaves my hair so soft and smooth. Also great for detangling my hair.

Deep Conditioner: Organix Macadamia Oil Intense Moisture Mask - I only deep condition once a month (I use this when I shampoo my hair) so I apply this onto my hair, leave in for about 45 minutes, and then rinse out. I like this product because it leaves my hair soft and manageable.

Leave-In Conditioner: Cantu Shea Butter Leave In Conditioner - I apply this to my hair after I wash my hair. This really leaves my hair moisturize and shiny.

Daily Styling Products: Palmers Olive Oil Spray, Smooth N' Shine Styling Gel, and Shea Moisture Deep Treatment Masque - I ran out of my Palmer's Olive Oil Gro Therapy cream so I decided to try Shea Moisture. I know it's made for deep conditioning but I use it as a styling aid when I do bantu knot outs, ponytails, and etc. I only use the Smooth N' Shine for when I pull my hair into a ponytail or for edge control. I use the Palmers Olive Oil Spray each day to keep my hair moisturize.

Here are some pics of my everyday styles (you can see some of the new growth coming in):



(Bantu Knot Out with Shea Moisture and Palmers Olive Oil Spray)



(Bantu Knot Out side view)


(Ponytail with Shea Moisture and Smooth N' Shine Gel)

Here are some pics of my hair wet:



(Hair after rinsing out Organix)



(Back shot)

Also Happy MLK Jr. Day to all of my Blogger Fam!



(Source)

“Darkness cannot drive out darkness: only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate: only love can do that.”
-Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.