This last week I got an email from Shelley. I will tell you right now that the message was very much needed. Honestly, I was struggling because I couldn’t workout without being in constant pain. I started focusing on getting better by going to the doctor. I was finding myself getting more and more depressed. Without pain pills, I was in bed by 6pm with ice packs. With pain pills, I was still in pain but I was able to manage it and do the things I needed to do. Last week, Stoney commented that we have been eating like total garbage. Yes! I used to keep fresh fruits around but I have been majorly slacking. Today is a new day! I am not waiting for New Years. I am changing now!

Here is what I am doing to make the changes. I am doing the 2 week challenge with Mamavation. I did finish today’s workout this morning after eating my breakfast. I was unable to do the planks but MrBookieBoo showed me some of the variations to try. My shopping list for this week looks a lot like this: eggs, apples, bananas, lettuce, tomato, cucumbers, chicken, whole grain bread, carrots, yogurt, peanut butter, and kiwis. This should cover my snacks, breakfasts and lunches. Not only my meals but the family meals. The challenge seems to be dinner ideas! I plan on serving vegetables and fruits with each dinner. Now to start researching. Any ideas are much appreciated!

My starting measurements:

• Weight: 134.4 lbs
• Hips: 38.5 inches
• Thighs: 18 inches
• Arms: 10.5 inches

Now onto the health side of things. In September I started having the same neck pain and shoulder pain I had last year. It came on fast thanks to pushups. I was miserable with pain. But I stuck with the stretches and workouts that my physical therapist gave me. I also worked on Mamavation workouts. Then I started having chest pains which turns out was the muscles thanks to the problems with my neck. I had another MRI done and it showed that I had Degenerative Disc Disease and bulging discs on C5 and C6. The same discs I had problems with a year ago. Now the DDD was added to the mix. It is pretty common but for some people, the pain is excruciating. I’m one of those lucky people. I am going to see a pain doctor on the 14th. Most likely we will try an xray led cortisone shot. If that doesn’t help, surgery is a real possibility. I am just grateful for a plan. I refuse to let this get me down! I am going to continue working out and taking my time. No Excuses!

Today’s Mamavation Question is:

When it comes to holiday shopping, how do you make sure you stick to your budget ?

We have a Christmas fund through Stoney’s job. So we take that out and stick to the sales. I don’t worry about the actual budget part. I generally can get Christmas done for under $1000. That includes grandparents, 7 kids and everyone else. I keep things small too.

“This post is sponsored by Reflect It Apparel and I’m writing this to be entered into a giveaway hosted by Mamavation – a community dedicated to obesity prevention & weight loss for women