Let’s Get Started | 12-Weeks to a Happier and Healthier Life

August 31, 2015 by Lindsay Ingalls 1 Comment

Hello! This post is getting up a lot later than I had planned but we moved last Thursday and life has been a bit chaotic. Today marks the start of my 12 week journey to a healthier and happier life. I’m happy to report that day one was a great start and I am looking forward to the next 12 weeks. Before we get into the goals and some news I have to share I will first show you my day 1 photos.

Okay so most of these are pretty cringe worthy to me but this is me showing you reality. A reality that I am not happy with but I am striving to make healthy changes to get myself back on track. To help me get back on track I am working with health coach and blogger Brittany Mullins aka Eating Bird Food. Fun fact she is also an IIN grad.

But wait aren’t you a health coach? Yes I am a health coach who after two children finding myself in need of a little help and guidance. Yes, health coaches sometimes need a coach of their own. I mean practice what you preach, am I right?

Anyways I signed up for Brittany’s 28 Day Challenge program and I am so excited to see what sort of transformation takes place over the next 28 days. Side note (disclaimer) I am not sponsored to talk about Brittany’s program and I paid for it myself. The program has a meal guide and sample plan, a workout plan, lots of information and tips on how to live a healthy life, a Facebook support group and weekly e-mail support from Brittany.

In addition to the 28 Day Challenge and the guide/goals it sets out I also have three of my own goals for the next two weeks.

(Dietary Goal) Drink half my weight in water everyday. I used to be so good at drinking water and then I don’t know what happened but my goal is to get back at it. Drinking water makes me feel more awake, more alive, more energetic and just happier.
(Physical Goal) Go for a walk everyday – rain or shine. We just moved back into our favorite Portland neighborhood and it is the perfect spot to get out and go for a walk. I want to move my body more everyday and I also want to take the time to go for a walk with my littles so that we can talk, explore and spend quality time together.
(Mental Goal) Spend 15 minutes per day reading a book. I read lots of books to my littles and blogs but I really don’t spend a lot of time reading for pleasure. I have a ‘to read’ list a mile long so now is the time to take a break from TV, the computer, social media and just take a few minutes for myself with a good book.

So that’s it for this week’s post. I’ll be back with progress photos and to tell you how things are going in two weeks. Until then you can follow me on social media where I’ll be giving lots of updates!

What are your three goals for the next two weeks?

June Goals | barre3, Eat Your Greens, H2O and more

June 7, 2015 by Lindsay Ingalls 9 Comments

I haven’t done a goals post in a few months so I thought it was about time I checked in with some current goals. If you follow my @runwithtongs.bodyafterbabies instagram account the photo above is probably familiar. For those of you who might be curious about why I started yet another instagram account well I started it because I wanted a place to basically track my workouts and since I didn’t want to flood @runwithtongs with barre3 and other workout photos I figured I’d turn my old BBG instagram into a workout (with some food) instagram. Anyways lets get on to the goals.

1. Complete the barre3 Anywhere Challenge. I blogged about starting this challenge, which started June 1st, back at the end of May. We are now a week in and I have to say I am not thrilled with my progress but I still have 23 days left and 14 workouts to go which I think is pretty do-able. The only thing I have slacked on are the recipes but I’ll give them a try later this week. I also really want to make time for the podcasts and such. Anyways so far I am loving the challenge and can’t wait to complete it this month.

2. Eat more greens. I tell you I go through phases of eating greens with every meal to meals that are pretty beige. This month it’s all about getting those greens back into my diet. In the morning I like to add greens to smoothie bowls or if I’m going savory I like to do a hash with potatoes, veggies and greens. At lunch generally I go for a salad or simple place my meal on a bed of greens. Dinner is usually similar to lunch but sometimes I like to mix things up and sneak my greens in through a pesto or toss baby spinach in with a curry, rice or pasta dish.

3. Drink more water. I blame my not drinking enough water on my Blender Bottle* being left in the car. I don’t know what it is about that bottle but when I have it I drink around a gallon of water per day. Without it I’m lucky if I get in two liters and I can completely tell the difference. This month it’s all about getting in the water and I’m thinking I need to add buy more Blender Bottle’s to the list.

4. Spend more time outdoors. You’d think that being a SAHM that I would get outside more with the kids but honestly there are days we don’t go much further than the mailbox. I know it’s sad and embarrassing but it’s reality. That being said I’m working to make being outside the norm because we all feel better when we get outdoors.

5. Clean my home. Again one of those common misconceptions that being a SAHM means your house is in perfect condition all the time. I’l put it to you this way two kids + two adults = non-stop laundry, 90% of your meals are eaten at home = non-stop dishes, combine this with two kids who dump buckets of toys on the floor all day and a baby who doesn’t want to be put down for naps ….basically the house is never clean. I’m working to change all this by attempting a more minimalist lifestyle and I also think spending more time outdoors will help as well.

What are your June Goals?

*affiliate link.

April Goals | Barre3, Health Coaching & Clean Home

April 5, 2015 by Lindsay Ingalls 12 Comments

Review March Goals

To read more about my March Goals click here.

Complete my Blogger Book Club Book. Success. I just posted my book review last week and I have to say I loved my book! I read Grandma Gatewood’s Walk which is a biography about the first women to through hike the Appalachian Trail. IT was amazing! You can read my full review here.
Restaurant Free March. Massive Fail. We started out pretty well at the beginning of the month but then after a few weeks of sickness we just needed to get out of the house so we went out for breakfast…and then lunch…and then post swim dinner. What can I say? It was just an overall fail.
Actually Workout. Success. I have been doing a great job at working out regularly this entire month. We get out for a post dinner walk 5-7 days per week and I get out with the kids for a post nap walk 3-4 days per week. On top of that I have been doing a regular Barre3 online workout.
Drink More Water. Fail. I am calling this a fail because while I have done an okay job at drinking water I definitely need to be doing better. The past week was terrible so I am betting this will make my goal list for April as well.
Listen to More Music. Success. I have been listening to a lot more music at home and even dusted off the old (free) Spotify account. You can check out my March playlist here.
Eat More Veggies. Success. YES! I have been eating tons of veggies and the best part is Edith who went through a super picky phase has been eating lots of veggies with me. Most days we share a big salad and she ends up dominating it. So happy!!
Take More Photos. Draw. I would say that this was a more successful month than the past two but definitely a work in progress. I would love to be taking photos on a daily basis and I’m not there yet.

April 2015 Goals

Do a total of 500 minutes of Barre3 Online. As I said above I have really fallen in love with Barre3 Online and have purchased the online program after my free trial expired. My goal is to do around an average 10 minutes or more per day and so far I have been doing pretty well and I am feeling so much stronger. To keep myself accountable I have been tracking my workouts on my Instagram account.
Run 20 miles this month. I have been having some IT band issues so I have been focusing on stretching and strengthening. I actually have an appointment at Therapydia Portland next week to get things checked out – I’ll be blogging about my experience so stay tuned! Anyways I am feeling stronger now so I am making it my goal it get in 20 miles this month which is about 10 more than I did last month.
Stay up-to-date on my IIN Immersion. I have been really motivated to get back to regular health coaching and launching a new online program. Since I’m a little rusty after taking a break when I was pregnant with Alder I decided to participate in the IIN Immersion program again. I love that IIN has continued education FOR FREE!! It’s so great and I am already feeling back in the groove. That being said I want to stay on track and complete the bi-weekly modules. So here is to staying on track!
Project Clean House. This is one of my goals for the year but with summer coming and guests coming as well I want to get or house in order. We are working to live a more minimal life and it’s taking time but slowly we are doing it and hopefully by the end of the year we will be there. Until then I want our house to simply be clean!! Yesterday I cleaned the kids bathroom and playroom (which is a constant mess) and this morning I cleaned our office, entry way and downstairs bathroom; so already we have some progress but this will take time and it also means staying up on the cleaning.
Mini Goals:
- Drink half my weight in water.
- Spend more of the day screen free.
- Take the kids to at least 3 new parks.

What are your April goals?

Balanced Life | The Clean Sweep | Pt. 1: Environment

March 23, 2015 by Lindsay Ingalls Leave a Comment

I have recently dived back into health coaching head first and am participating in the IIN immersion program for the 3rd time. While today marks the official start of the program we were provided with a few tasks last week to help us in preparing for immersion. One of the tasks is called The Clean Sweep which was developed by Thomas Leonard.

So what is the clean sweep?

Basically the thought is that when you feel balanced/perfect alignment in the four major parts of our lives, environment, well-being, money, and relationships, that we can be more natural energy. “The Clean Sweep Program, created by Thomas Leonard, consists of 100 items which, when completed, give you the vitality and strength that you want.” You are to answer each of the 100 questions, 25 per category, as truthfully as possible and only answer YES if the statement is virtually always true. The end goal being that you will confidently answer YES to each answer.

I started this Clean Sweep process years ago but sort of forgot all about it until recently. As I went through the questions this past weekend I thought it would be interesting to actually share my answers with you and to follow up every three-to-six months on how things are going. I guess you could say that these are a bunch of mini goals I have for myself for the next few years.

So we’ll start of with Environment and i’ll preface this with saying I am not surprised by how many NO’s are in this category.

My personal files, papers and receipts are neatly filled away. NO. This seems to be a constant struggle at our house and I really want to figure out away to get it under control.
My car is in excellent condition. NO. I had to laugh when I read this one. Seriously? Who with a toddler and a baby has a perfectly clean car?
My home is neat and clean. NO. Hangs head in shame.
My appliances, machinery and equipment work well. YES.
My clothes are all pressed, clean and make me look great. NO. This is another struggle I have had for years, or rather since getting pregnant with Edith. I am working on restocking my wardrobe with clothes that fit and make me feel great. As for laundry – 2 adults + 2 kids + cloth diapering = non-stop laundry. So maybe I’ll be able to answer YES to this when the kids move out?
My plants and animals are healthy. N/A. One must have plants and animals to properly answer this question.
My bed/bedroom lets me have the best sleep possible. NO.This is one of those grey area statements so I decided to go with NO. Our sleeping is less than ideal but we have two young children.
I live in a home that I love. (Big Fat) NO.
I surround myself with beautiful things. NO. I am so sad to say no to this answer and I really wish we had more beautiful things or at least things that I think are beautiful.
I live in the geographic area of my choice. NO. Yes and no. I love living in the PNW and Portland area but the keyword right now is area. We need to move (back) to the neighborhood we love or somewhere near it #2016.
There is ample and healthy lighting around me. NO.
I consistently have adequate time, space and freedom in my life. HAHAHAHAHA. NO.
I am not damaged by my environment. NO. So I said no to this one because not loving our home, neighborhood and just feeling blah makes me feel a bit damaged.
I am not tolerating anything about my home or work environment. NO. ALL I AM DOING IS TOLERATING.
My work environment is productive and inspiring. NO. We have failed at really putting our office area together #GOALS and right now it’s hard to be productive with babies hanging on you but instead of getting frustrated 90% of the time I embrace the time with them and try not to stress.
I recycle. YES.
I use non-ozone depleting products. YES.
My hair is the way I want it. YES. This took me years to actually say YES to but I finally am getting my hair done every six weeks!
I surround myself with music which makes my life more enjoyable. YES.This was one of my mini goals for March and whoot whoot I am succeeding. P.S. you can follow my March playlist over on Spotify.
My bed is made daily. NO. Umm….
I don’t injure myself, fall or bump into things. NO. I found this statement strange but I guess I have to go with NO.
People feel comfortable in my home. NO. Ummm? I guess I would say NO just because I don’t always feel comfortable here? Would someone actually tell you?
I drink purified water. YES.
I have nothing around the house or in storage that I do not need. NO. This is a huge goal of ours for 2015 – declutter and not just declutter but minimize our things.
I am consistently early or easily on time. NO. I miss being able to answer YES to this statement.

Total: 18 NO. 5 YES. 1 N/A.

This section of The Clean Sweep is pretty soul crushing actually. After completing it I was like so much to do to turn these NO’s into YES’ and I really would like to have 80% of them be YES’ by the end of the year. I would say there will be a few big and little goals for April that stem out of these results.

Have you/are you participating in The Clean Sweep? What are your results to this first category? Any surprises?

March 2015 Goals| Dining, Reading, Fitness & More

February 25, 2015 by Lindsay Ingalls 1 Comment

Complete my Blogger Book Club Book. This month I am supposed to read A Biography Of Someone You’ve Been Meaning To Learn More About. Honestly the first of the month is Sunday and ummm I have no idea who I am going to read about. Who would you read about? Also posting my February book club review this coming week – it was so good!

Restaurant Free March. We had an almost restaurant free January and it went so well but then February happened and we ate out four times last week. Last week was a weird one because an amazing friend offered to watch our littles so we splurged on a dinner out (hey first time on a kid-free date in nearly 10 months) and then I didn’t meal plan so dining out happened. Anyways for March we are back on the no dining out train and our only exception to this rule is coffee shop dates because weekends were meant for them.

Actually Workout. Holy crap this month sucked. Seriously. I’m not even going to pretend like I successfully worked out on a regular basis because after February 10th I didn’t. I mean I did workout out a few times but probably won’t need to take my shoes off to count how many times if you get what I’m putting down. Now I have registered for five 5k’s (hey they were only $5 each) and I have my May race to run which I need to get back to training for and so that being said let’s do this.

A few other mini goals: drink more water, listen to more music, eat more veggies and take more photos.

What are your March Goals?

5 Tips to Reach Your Fitness Goals in 2015

January 16, 2015 by Lindsay Ingalls 8 Comments

It’s that time of year again when many of us are re-committing to eating healthy and getting fit. The holidays have come and gone and if you’re like me you say you are going to stay on top of your workouts and healthy eating and then December gets the best of you. So here we are it’s January, a new year and it’s time to refocus and get back on track. I am working hard to get back on track and lose the baby weight and get back to my old healthy self. Here are five things that I am doing to help get back on track:

1. Drink Water. I can’t stress this enough drinking water is so incredibly important. Drinking water promotes weight loss, increases our energy and aids in digestion among other things. For me it has taken years to really get in a habit of drinking tons of water but there are two things that really help and the first is to drink a big glass of water as soon as I wake up, it really helps to get my body started for the day and sets the tone for my day. The second is finding the right vessel to drink my water out of. I have tried so many things from pint glasses, to jars, to cups with straws and a variety of bottles but the vessel that works best for me is a Blender Bottle; I don’t know what it is but when I use one I drink tons of water.

2. Follow a plan. If I am left on my own to figure out my workouts I can get lazy and easily skip days. Give me a workout or training plan to follow and I am more apt to stay on track and reach my goals. Right now I am registered for a Spring race and have a training plan; only two weeks in and I am already seeing a difference in my activity level. Not a runner? That’s fine there are tons of workout plans out there for whatever you enjoy.

3. Get outside everyday. And no walking from your car into work, home, a shop, ect doesn’t count (unless it’s a good distance away). Being outdoors, in the fresh air helps to reenergize us, helps us to clear our mind and reduces stress. We have to remember that mental health is just as or some might argue even more important than physical health. I believe that they are connected so how about trying to get outside for 15 minutes per day? Take your workout outside, go for a walk, read or simply sit quietly.

4. Find a buddy. Working out with a buddy makes the time pass by more quickly. You have someone to support you and you can help to keep each other on track. Bonus you also get to make your workout a social event which also helps with our mental health. So ask a friend to join you for a workout, find a running group or group class or simply get your family involved in your workout.

5. Get more sleep. Our bodies need to rest and recharge. Most of us don’t get enough sleep and lack of sleep can result in lower energy, lack of focus and often causes us to turn to quick forms of energy such as sugar and coffee. I have settled into a routine that every night I am in bed by 10pm whether I think I am tired or not. I know I need to get more rest and just what a huge difference it makes for me. When I get more sleep I feel more motivated, focused, encouraged to eat healthy and I am less apt to skip a workout.

Bonus Tip: Get yourself some clothes both for working out and for everyday that you feel good in regardless of the size. Don’t wait until you are at your goal weight/size to buy clothes that you feel good in. When I have clothes that I feel I look good in I actually feel MORE inspired to keep up my healthy lifestyle. If you are looking for some great activewear gear to help to make you feel beautiful and motivated to get active I highly recommend Lands’ End new line of workout apparel. I love the quality of the workout apparel and how versatile the pieces are.

What I’m Wearing:

Women’s Activewear Control Crop Legging

Women’s Activewear Tunic Sweatshirt

Women’s Activewear Control Tank Top

Thank you Lands’ End for the new workout gear.

What steps are you making to reach your health and fitness goals?

Blog 365 // Day 11 // Goals for 2015

January 11, 2015 by Lindsay Ingalls 1 Comment

I know we are already 11 days into the new year so this post is coming on the later side but since we still have 354 days to go until we are once again ringing in the new year I figure it’s still worth posting my 2015 goals.

Run 4 races this year. I’m already registered for one (and I’m currently training for it) and I have plans for registering for the other three in the upcoming weeks/months.
Focus on strength training. In the past I have been all over the place when it comes to workouts. Sometimes I am really into yoga, other times bootcamp style workouts and (most of the time) just simply running or other forms of cardio. This year I want to focus more on strength training because I know that it will help me shed those baby weight pounds that I am holding on to.
Focus on eating clean. I know this is cliche (along with the goals above) but it is one of my goals. December was a bad month for us and I’m ready to get back on track. I love to eat healthy but sometimes it is so easy not to eat quite as well either. This year is about focusing on lots of fresh fruits and vegetables.
Get outside at least once per day. Being a stay-at-home parent living (temporarily) in the burbs it’s really easy to go days without leaving the house. My goal for 2015 is to get out everyday with the kids for at least 20 minutes rain or shine. Last week we were outside most everyday (I actually just committed to this goal on this past Thursday) I can already see a difference when it comes to how I feel and how the kids feel. The outdoors is a amazing thing.
Spend more time on me. I spend 90% of my time focused on my kids, my husband, and my house or projects and not as much time on myself. This year I know that needs to change and that I have to take care of myself to take care of my family. That means:
- Getting my haircut semi-regularly.
- Working towards a regular skincare routine.
- Taking bubble baths.
- Getting at least 2 massages.
- Buy makeup and clothes to help me feel more confident and motivated.
Spend more time with friends. We spend most of our time doing things as a family of four and while that is wonderful I know that I need to focus more on my friendships with other women (who aren’t online). Neil gets out 1-2x per month to do something with one of his guy friends and honestly I have only been out by myself 6 times since December 2012. Yes I actually counted. Honestly there is a lot of stress for me around going out alone because of pumping a bottle for Alder (there is an entire blog post dedicated to this over on Naturally Family) so I often chose not to just because of this. The thing is however I know I need to and that it is healthy for me to do so, so this is the year. My plan is to get out with a girlfriend at least every 6 weeks in 2015.
Go out on regular dates. Neil and I haven’t been out on a date without a child since….? April? May? Anyways if it’s been so long that I can’t remember it’s been too long – am I right? Anyways we have finally hit a wall and know that we need to get out for regular date nights. That we need a few hours every month away from our children because it’s important for our relationship. Last week I signed us up for a SitterCity account but I have still yet to find a sitter who is up for watching an infant – whomp whomp. It’s hard when all of your friends have children of their own to watch and no family nearby and no one to help recommend a sitter in the area (trust me I’ve asked and most people we know have a family member who watches their kids). Anyways this months mission is to find a babysitter and then schedule regular monthly date nights.
Get organized. We have so much stuff. It honestly gives me anxiety when I see how much stuff we have so this year it’s about pairing down and getting organized. I am working on focusing on one cupboard, box, or room everyday in order to help achieve this goal. With two kids and a so many other obligations this list seems to only get longer but Neil and I are working on it.
Read 12 books (that are not children’s books or cookbook’s). Last year I think I read 4 non-children’s or cookbook’s so this year I want to read one new book per month. This month I have already read Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn and I’m moving on to Overwhelmed: Work, Love, and Play When No One Has the Time by Brigid Shulte for my January motivational book for the SarahOhm.com Blogger Book Club 2015

I am sure I could come up with about 10 more goals but I’ll stop here. I am thinking about sharing monthly goals starting in February with a follow up each month on how my goals went – thoughts?

What are you goals or what is on your to do list in 2015?

Naturally Lindsay

Goals