2018 Recap

2018 was interesting. I started it out with goals, hopes, and a list! Well, when God makes a move or a shift in your life, he makes a move! In 2018 I started out with a few goals let me give you an update on those items:

Create a Savings Plan

I stated in my previous post that I wanted to do a 52 week savings plan of 5,000.00 along with the Dave Ramsey savings tips, and I did that!  Mission accomplished. I am still following Ramesy’s baby steps and I encourage you to buy his book (audio, kindle, nook, hardcover, etc) and participate in one of his financial peace university courses. He is a wealth of resource!

Be more committed to fitness

I did just that.

I was working out 5 times a week, having lunch dates with friends to run hills, eating right, and then………I managed to tear my ACL and partially tear my meniscus in my knee. That had me set back most of  the end of 2018. It was one of the most trying injuries I have ever had. I had a full work load, a very busy 4 year old, and I was in grad school! I managed somehow to do all of it, with a strenuous physical therapy schedule in the mix!

Physical therapy is no fun, but the payoff in the end is worth all of the tears and pain. Also, guess what?! As of Monday, I am back running! This took 5 months to accomplish, and if it was not for my awesome physical therapist at Select Physical Therapy, I would not be as functional as I am today.

I plan on taking the running and getting back into my full blown workout schedule as my progress in physical therapy lets me. My goal? To walk in heels. All 6 ft of me needs to sashay through the Houston streets! Ha! I have also started my new year off with a very basic vegan diet. I am doing it more for spiritual reasons (The Daniels Fast) and, the fast is basically where you only consume, fruits and vegetables. For 21 days you are not to consume any dairy, breads that are not whole grain, sugars, etc. I paired this fast with a journal challenge and devoted time to God. I have lost some weight, and with me not being able to run up until this week, I was concerned that all my hard work in 2018 was being flushed down the drain.

I really enjoyed the fast and being vegan allowed me to try new recipes that brought about a lot of wonderful flavors. I highly recommend trying out black bean vegan enchiladas.

Source: LightOrangeBean.com

This was by far my favorite recipe during this fast. Click for the recipe here. I learned with this fast that the discipline of taking care of myself is as important as my relationship with God. I recommend giving your body a good break from meat if you can manage it.

Utilize my power in saying No

I said no to a lot in 2018 and I do not plan on stopping that this year. It is a powerful thing.

Graduate Grad School

I did it! In December of 2018, I walked across the stage with a Masters in Business Administration.

Had to add my own touch to my cap! Proverbs 16:3

You guys know I wasn’t paying for those expensive photos!

Me, Sharde, full time mom, full time employee, a woman with a torn acl, busy personal life, all the above, managed to make it through. I thank God for giving me the motivation and determination to push through all the trying times with a peaceful mindset. The reason I set out to accomplish this? To show my daughter what black girl magic looks like, to show her that you can accomplish anything you set your mind to despite the circumstances, and to finish what I had started.

So let’s see what 2019 has in store!

2018 So Far

I’M LATE POSTING THIS BECAUSE LIFE!!

There are a few things that I intended on accomplishing this year. I have a list! (The real question is, when do I not have a list?!)

• Create a Savings Plan
  • I am using the Dave Ramsey methods, and I recommend his book Total Money Make over and the use of his envelope system. This is where you get your power back when it comes to spending and saving money! 

 

• I also upped my 52 weeks savings plan from just saving by what week it was in the year to attempting to take the 5,000.00 52 week money challenge. We will see how this will work out this year. I have faith! If you want to follow it is never too late to save a dollar and some!

 

• Be more committed to fitness
  • I now work out 4-5 times a week. I typically only can dedicate one hour to fitness in my day and I make sure It is worth it. I have a plan and a purpose. I just want to make sure that heart disease, diabetes, and other diseases are kept at bay. I also want legs like I had when I was in track. It is going to happen people! I joke with my friends all the time about how I want to look like edible arraignments LOL. Now even some of them are jumping on that whole snack bandwagon!
  • I follow some pretty inspiring people on the “Gram” @FitfoodieLe @FollowtheLita @MassyArias are a few people who I am truly inspired by. I feel like they offer something I can truly benefit and can learn from.
  • I plan to run 5 or more 5k runs this year as well.
• Utilize my power in saying No
  • *big sigh* Hi, my name is Sharde and I am a person who seems to over commit myself to everything. I am the go – to in my family, friends, and many others because, well my heart is that big. I sometimes forget about myself in that equation like, how am I going to be at two birthday parties that start within 30 minutes of each other? I have learned to send a “I can’t make it” Or a firm no with zero explanations. I feel empowered and like I am taking care of myself when I use the word no. There has to be a recharge period for me and a reset. If I do not take care of me, how will I be useful to anyone else.
• Graduate Grad School
  • I do not know if I have really mentioned to anyone BUT! I am in school. Inspiration behind is I intended on accomplishing this in 2014, but God had other plans for me that year. I had my daughter and put the degree on the back burner. I picked it up in the summer last year and I will complete the task this year! So far,  I have been doing great with my studies, and when the time is right, I will make moves that align with my career goals.

So far life has been great this year. I hope to cover some interesting topics on my blog, such as life or responsibility as a single mother, trying to have a fitness regimen while being a single mama, empowering yourself, and learning to go with the flow in those times that things do not go according to our plans.  Hope that someone can take my life lessons and apply them to their life.

Battle of the Post Holiday Weight Gain

 

Did any of you over do it like me this past holiday and gain weight like me?

Who am I kidding? With me breastfeeding for the majority of 2015, I let my eating habits go awry, anything and everything I wanted, I ate inhaled. Now all that post baby weight I lost, is pretty much toast. I’m back to my normal weight which is not bad, but for me, I know that I can do better. I can tell by the bloat that the carbs I’ve been inhaling are not doing my body any good. So, it’s time to get my food portions and meals in order. I’m not going to go on a juice or tea detox, because it takes a lot to oil this 6 foot machine! I am just going to do some meal planning and eat less processed foods, eat more veggies and fruits, and drink more water. I’ve done this before if you have been following my blog posts.

I am also back in the gym! I started back last week and it felt glorious! The Fitbit is the reason ‘m back full fledged.

Image Source: FitBit.com

I bought a Charge HR(In purple!!!!) to inspire me to get off my butt and on me feet as well as track my heart rate. What I didn’t think would happen was my competitive spirit to kick into full blast! On the Fitbit app you can add friends, and can challenge them during the week, cheer their progressions and taunt them in competitions. It’s an amazing device and they have many different kinds.I got this one on sale during the holidays and I must say it’s one of my best purchases in 2015.You can check out the various Fitbits here. Today I did about 45 minutes of intervals on the elliptical, as well as took 5 flights of stairs back to my desk and took the 15 minute ab class they offer at the gym at work. I also make sure to track my food and connected my Fitbit to the wonderful app MyFitnessPal which helps you track your food and helps you set goals for eating. Before I put something in my body I will put it in MyFitnessPal to see if it’s a good food or a bad food. Food planning helps and they even help you set goals for exercise and things. I really love the app and it helped me lose 25lbs a few years ago. I am SO excited that I am back on track and I can bring you guys some great fitness content and potential yummy recipes  soon. I am so happy to be on my journey again!

 

 

Happy Holidays!

Hope you all had a great start to the week,

I sort of did. This was my weekend with the little and I made the most of it. She goes with her dad for an extended period of time and I will miss her dearly. Last Friday, we had our Christmas/Mommy-daughter shoot! I like to send out personal holiday cards and I also needed to have some professional photos for this year, and my wonderful photographer, Jerren Willis came through! He always has done amazing work. He has taken my graduation photos, my family photos, my maternity photos, newborn photos, you name it! He is an on location photographer and is great to work with. I always recommend him to Houston Locals. Check out his latest work:

 

My Holiday card’s are going to be poppin! I went for a lumberjack/chic look in these photos. I can’t tell you where I get my ideas from they just happen, and Pinterest also helps me pin things to my board that I am looking for. The matching Fringe boots are from Kohl’s. They had a massive sale a couple of weeks ago on boots and I cashed in! My boots are SO® Women’s Fringe Boots ($47.99)size 10 and London’s boots are Jumping Beans Girls’ Fringe Boots ($23.99) size 5 toddler. The black boots are from Target, who also had a massive sale on boots! Mine are Women’s Estelle Riding Boots – Merona™ size 10 ($22.35) and London’s are Toddler Girl’s Quilted Fashion Boots – Black size ($16.95) . Our shirts are from Walmart! Her’s was $5.00 size 12 month in boy, and mine was in the junior section for $10.00! We were definitely winning on this outfit!

I’m also back in the gym this week, well for life lol, because I no longer have the benefits of being a mom who breastfeeds. I breastfed for one full year and the benefits were, I could not keep any weight on! Now, however, the poundage is back and if I want to stay in the weight lane I am in, I will have to work for it. Plus you know the benefit of working out is energy and overall health longevity. So I’m back in the gym starting off with fasted cardio and weights. They have an amazing gym at my job, and awesome instructors. I can’t lose!

Hope everyone has a blessed week! Take care!

Well, That Was Quick…

My child is 10 months old. 10 entire months ago I was on the verge of having her.(See pic below)

 

Amazing how time flies!  Well My little babe can do so much! She is curious, full of personality, and loves to smile. She is eager to learn about new surroundings and things, she crawls on all 4’s (the cutest thing you will see), and now she is standing. You better believe I am one proud mama!  She also finally has a tooth! It came in about a week and some change ago. Check her out in action on my Instagram page here.

 

I am currently planning her  1st birthday and everything seems to be coming together pretty well. I hope it all goes off without a hitch on her big day. Planning things typically can bring out your creativity and really make you do some research. I plan on having a unique theme since it is her 1st birthday. I plan to blog about what my ideas are. I have an online vision board of sorts, and  I am trying my best not to spend too much money! It is hard to edit yourself when you have a little girl. I thought people were lying when they said they will make you spend all of your money. I’m here to tell you they were not lying nor exaggerating. There is an abundance of cute clothes and trinkets out there for baby girls. I’m going to go ahead and join buyers anonymous.

So let’s talk  postpartum working out. I haven’t really done it. I committed myself to it one week and then my work/life/obligations I let them take priority over it. I promise I will get back on it. TBD though. My sHERO for fitness after pregnancy is fitfoodiele. The girl is amazing. 2 kids, and a hubby and an entourage of small businesses, she finds the time! You can check out her blog for fitspiration at fitfoodiele.com or on Instagram @fitfoodiele I do plan on getting back to blogging about my fitness chronicles but if you need a resource she def takes the cake!   Have a wonderful Memorial Day weekend mine starts today! WOOT!

Getting back in the groove of it all

Hey guys!

I am finally officially off of maternity leave. I took 8 weeks off to spend time with my precious little girl and I enjoyed every minute. Now that I am back at work as of Monday, I am officially a working mother. It is bittersweet. I love to work, productive days are what I live for, but I love being a mother, being there for every waking moment for my child. I can see why tons of women do not come back to work. I probably would not be one of those women. I have a few things career wise that I HAVE to accomplish. If I set out a goal, I hold myself accountable to finish it. I am not faulting stay at home moms or those who decide they need more time with a new baby, but I know that I would always have that “what if?” in my head. So back to the grind it is.

Challenges I am having at the moment is finding time to work out, and just get some things done. Having a little one and being a single mother has proven to be a challenge, but I am learning that I am no wonder woman and as long as I have a plan and try to accomplish two things in a day vs 10-15, that I will be okay. Eventually I will be able to accomplish more, but baby steps are required at the moment.

In baby news my little one will be 2 months officially on Friday. Time is flying. She can hold her neck up pretty well, and has some good  movement, is following objects very well, and she is very alert. She startles easily. She has just begun to coo and smile when you smile at her and it is so joyous to experience. I love it. Motherhood is bliss.

 

That’s all for my update! I look forward to blogging about my Mommy/Challenges/Workouts/Life adventures on a more consistent basis.

Post Baby Body

I know that most women do not post their post baby bodies, but I will. Yes, I have stretchmarks and yes, my linea nigra still present (dark line down your belly you can get while pregnant), but I want to tell you, working out pre baby, and eating well, and breast feeding post baby really works. I could have really had an awesome post baby body, had I worked out during my pregnancy, but I did not. I am happy to say I lost all but 4lbs of my baby weight and my post baby body is leaner, my waist has shrunk tremendously.

Having a baby can be complicated,  especially when you are induced, and your epidural gives out during labor. Fun times. I commend any woman who had a natural delivery. It is NOT for the weary.  But the joy you recieve from bringing life in this world is something I just cannot put into words. My transition from a singular person to a woman with a child was seamless. I was “built for this” in the words of my child’s father. Here is my little bundle of joy, London Paige. WARNING! She is absolutely adorable! She is one month old as of recent and we are both learning the ins and outs of eachother and breast feeding.  It’s awesome to give your child nourishment and watch them grow. It’s something a bond that only me and my little one share. All smiles.

What I am thankful for

It is that time of the year again,

It’s awesome to share with people what you are thankful for. Not just at Thanksgiving or the Holidays, but overall. I tend to like to reflect on my year and state what I am most thankful for and here is my list in no particular order.

Peace of Mind

This year, my life has had some trying times, I have had a lot of things that would make you ask the Lord why is this happening to me, and instead of asking that question, I always think it that there is a reason for everything, and these things are lessons I can take, good or bad. I am thankful, through all of my struggles in relationships, friendships, and life in general that I have Peace of mind.

 

 

 

 

 

Family
The next thing I am grateful for is my growing family. We are at the stage in our lives where new additions are being added to the family. This year I got the opportunity to meet my beautiful niece Kayla, and share in a true family bonding moment with my Oldest Brothers first child.

I am also grateful for my family overall, we are not the closest knit group, but when we get together, it is evident it is all love and fun. Tonight we are having a fish fry and it will be good to see my siblings, as I do not get to see them on a regular basis.

Friends

Where do I start?! My friends have been absolutely important to my life, I confide in them, I take trips with them, they are my hairdressers and stylists, shop, and get into all kinds of shenanigans with them. Without them, I know I would have gotten into some trouble. You chicas keep me on the right track. I appreciate and love you all!

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Fitness

The other thing I have found this year that has been extremely important is taking control of my health and lifestyle. I lost 25lbs this year after an eye opening visit from the doctor about my health and where it was headed. I had slightly high cholesterol, I am pre diabetic, and I was slightly overweight. I went from 198lbs to 172! Which is great for someone my size (6foot giant). I would not have connected with the people I have through fitness had I not took a strong stance on my health and started a blog, and met wonderful people. The connections you make are amazing! So Let’s get lifted!!!

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What are you Thankful for? Any good foods that you are making for this Holiday?

Eventful is not the Word

I have had all kinds of things going on these days,

School has kept me so busy, that I was unable to even look at a gym. Luckily, I was able to do a 5k and a 28 mile bike ride this weekend, which has my glutes a little sore, but I feel foxxy! I did the Tour de Donut which benefits the Make-a-Wish Foundation, with my new bike group called the Slow Spoke Society! Go on over to our Facebook Page and like it! We are new fresh and ready to conquer rides! On this bike tour, we got to eat as many donuts as we could as we rode. I ate about 3 donuts. I was more concerned about the water and where it was lol. Check out the pics!

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This entire month has been absolutely challenging for me. School, Work projects, Home life, and just life in general has been a whirlwind. My home life in particular was a nuclear disaster, which is why I ended up moving, and I feel like a heavy load or burden has been lifted. My morale this month, because of my stressful home life, has been all the way down. But do not worry, I have managed to stay positive, take it one step at a time and I am rebuilding it back up.

The 5k and the 28 mile bike ride really helped. When in doubt, work out! Ha! Working out has become such a great form of therapy. I mean, I read about it being a stress reliever and therapy, but I think I truly experienced it this weekend. Sometimes life will kick you in the rear hard. It is up to you whether you become a victim of your circumstances, or get back up and say is that all you got?!

I got contacts this Friday and I as a avid glasses wearer feel so fancy! LOL I like that people can see my face and I like the surprise people see when they notice my glasses are missing.

This week I am going to get back into my workout routine, start to bike halfway to work, work on reading my 3 chapters, 2 discussions, and 2 papers. Sounds like a lot, I know, but time management is the key to being successful! I got it. Hope everyone’s week is great as well! Stay focused and positive!!!

-Sharde

 

Halloween Workouts!

Halloween is approaching!

Why not have a workout inspired by one?! Tribesports has an awesome challenge that has a discount. Tribesports has teamed up with Run For Your Lives to offer a 20% discount off of their races. You can use the promo code TRIBE to get the special discount. Cool right?

In addtion to that, there are also 10 pairs of tickets for Run For Your Lives race entry, a Bodymax Kettlebone Kettlebell, and 5 Join The Tribe T shirts to giveaway in our competition which you can read more about here.

Lastly, There are some Halloween inspired workouts that they have created so we can all look great in our costumes!!!

 

1. Zombie Fitness Circuits

 

2. Zombie Wrecking Ball Workout

 

 

 

3. Evasion and Escape Workout

 

4. Survival Under Siege Workout