Life Update + Late Weekend Recap

Good gracious, I have not been good about keeping up with the blog! Usually I can at least get my weekend recap posts up on Monday, but the last several weekends have been crazy and packed full. I’ll skim over the last few weeks and then actually recap this past weekend since it was a fun one!

 

April was insane. We were out of town two of the four weekends and I feel like the entire month flew by. We were in Dallas for four days for David’s sister’s volleyball tournament, and I had the privilege of meeting the sweet Jenn of Perfectly Imperfect Jenn and we got to see some of our dear friends down there! The next weekend we were in KC for another volleyball tournament, but we got to celebrate my niece and nephew’s birthdays and see family as well.

 

 

 

 

 

I thought maybe May would slow down since we’ve been in town, but we’ve had stuff every weekend and tons of end of the school year stuff for Young Lives. We’ve started riding our bikes again and have made Sunday afternoons our day to explore/do something active together, which has been so fun! One Sunday we rode our bikes to play tennis and then rode to Chipotle and ate dinner on the patio. We hung out with friends, I dyed my hair because I decided I missed the red, we went to a Cuatro de Mayo party and celebrated our friends’ 2 year wedding anniversary, volunteered at the Color Me Rad run for Red Shoe Society, and hosted David’s sister-in-law and our nieces a couple times since they were in town for a week!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Soooo that brings us to this past weekend! Friday evening was one of the high school’s graduation ceremonies that I mentor Young Lives girls at, so we went to dinner with a couple other mentors and their husbands and then went to watch our girls walk! It was so fun to see them all dressed up – Two of them were the first in their families to graduate high school, which was so exciting! After the ceremony we went and got dessert and drinks with the two other couples.

 

 

 

Saturday morning I ran a 5K with my sister-in-law. It was the Girls on the Run 5k, so it was all women, and it was also her first one! It was a beautiful course, but also really hilly. She did awesome! I was hoping for a PR because it was the first race with nice weather this year, but I missed it by about 6 seconds. Oh well – looking forward to my 10K in a few weeks! :)

 

 

Saturday afternoon was our Young Lives Mother’s Day tea. It was perfect weather for it, and it was fun spending the afternoon outside with the girls and their kiddos celebrating them!

 

 

When I got home Saturday afternoon, David was dead set on moving our bedroom up to the loft. He’d been talking about it for a couple months now, but we hadn’t really had the time. He decided Saturday was the day, so we moved our (incredibly heavy) bedroom set up our (incredibly narrow/tight) stairs to the loft. I have to say, I absolutely love it and will love it even more when it’s all redecorated and our former bedroom is finished as the study/guest room. I’ll definitely be blogging about it!

 

 

Sunday was a big day for me/us as I was baptized and David and I became members of our church! I was baptized as an infant, but I really wanted to experience believer’s baptism and have grown SO much in my faith and walk with God the last year and a half we’ve been at our church and felt like God had laid it on my heart to recommit my life to Him. It was an incredible experience and I’m so thankful my dad and David’s mom and sister (along with tons of friends and supporters) were there to celebrate with me. I got some beautiful roses from David and a pretty arrangement from his family! We took his mom to breakfast beforehand and had lunch with my mom afterward to celebrate Mother’s Day, too.

 

 

 

Sunday afternoon/evening we went on another bike ride and ended up riding about 10 miles. We rode downtown and along the river and checked out some of the war memorials – We’ve both lived in Wichita our whole lives but haven’t seen so many of the little things that give our city character. I’m excited to explore more this spring and summer! We’ve just been having so much fun together lately – I say this a lot, but it’s the best being married to your best friend!

 

 

Sadly, the weekend ended with Paisley hurting herself trying to jump on the end of the bed (over the footboard) and missing. I took her to the vet on Monday since she still wouldn’t put hardly any weight on it, and they had to take some xrays. Thankfully nothing was broken or dislocated, but her poor knee was incredibly inflamed. She’s on pain meds and should heal fine (although she has messed up knees anyway – just like her momma and daddy!) but the vet said she needs to lose some weight to make it easier on her joints. Poor baby needs to lose 3 lbs and she’s only 13.8 lbs to begin with! I was apparently overfeeding her (she should only get .45 cups of her food a day – seems like nothing!) and I need to be better about taking her on walks. Anyway, all that to say my baby dog is on the mend, but now has to diet.

 

 

Hope you all have been doing well and are having a good week so far! I’m planning to be around more – I’ll do my best! :)

Fitness Friday

Why hello, everyone! I swear I’ve been meaning to blog the last few weeks, but things have been crazy – I always seem to run out of time in the evenings and we’ve been out of town both of the last two weekends. I’ve been talking about writing this particular post for months and started it a few weeks ago, but my computer decided to shut down and not save the draft, so I’m starting over. (That’s another reason I haven’t been blogging – My laptop, which has Windows Live Writer, all of my pictures, and all of my etsy files is slowly dying, which is a bit stressful.)

 

Anywho! After that novel of an intro – I’m posting about lifting today and the common misconception women have about not wanting to lift or do any strength training because they’ll ‘get huge.’ I was TOTALLY one of those girls, so I’m in no way mocking that way of thinking. I’ve just realized that it’s so so far from the truth, and wanted to pass along what I’ve learned!

 

{via}

 

I posted on Instagram (lauralou852 if you’re not following me yet – I post wayyy more frequently on there, including a ton of fitness posts!) not long ago about my old mindset that I’d always had ‘big’ arms, so there was NO way I was going to start lifting weights. ‘Huge’ or ‘manly’ arms were not what I was going for, and I just knew I’d never be one of those girls with thin, toned arms. Uh, no. Why did I have big arms? They were fat! Seriously. I’d always been an athlete and had upper body strength, so I just told myself my arms were big because they were strong. I’m going to be honest and say that was another excuse I gave myself.

 

  

{April 2011}                                                          {June 2012}

 

Wouldn’t you know, as I lost weight, I lost the flab in my arms, too. I didn’t mind my arms last summer, and I definitely liked them more than I had in years, but I still didn’t have a ton of definition in them (when I wasn’t flexing.) I really focused on cardio while I was losing the weight, and while some of the cardio exercises I did worked my arms, I wasn’t lifting at all. The difference since I started lifting – and lifting heavy – is incredible! I finally have that dip in my arms all the time, and I love it! It’s done amazing things for my shoulders, too.

 

 

My arms and shoulders definitely look bigger when flexing now, but they’re nowhere near big when I’m wearing normal clothes and standing normally – If I’ve learned anything, it’s that lifting gets you the sexy, toned arms every woman is after(especially for summer/tank top season!), not manly ones! I don’t want to sound like appearance or looking lean is the only important thing, though. Being and feeling strong (like when I finally did an unassisted pull-up) is so empowering. Building muscle also causes your body to burn more calories and fat, especially big muscle groups like your legs! And studies show you’re also much less likely to develop osteoporosis.

 

 

If you still don’t believe me, here’s a pretty good article from Shape detailing reasons for why lifting heavy is so good for women and here’s a great blog post on why it won’t make you huge, complete with photos and testimonials of several fitness experts. Building muscle is so hard, and building HUGE muscles is even harder – You’d have to be eating a huge surplus of calories, taking in lots of protein, spending serious time lifting (more than the hour or so a day I do), and taking some sort of supplement/hormone. As women, our bodies don’t naturally produce the testosterone needed to bulk up.

 

I totally get that lifting weights is intimidating and that not everyone has a gym membership. I’m by no means an expert, but I’d be happy to share my routine and give lots of descriptions as well as offer resources for those of you who workout at home – There are all kinds of exercises you can do without much equipment! Just let me know if that’s something you’re interested in!

 

Hope you’ve all had a great week and are staying on track with your goals! I’d love to hear from you! Happy Friday!

Another Benefit of Being Fit

So it’s no secret that I’ve fallen in love with fitness and working out. I’ve been slacking on the Fitness Friday posts and keeping you all updated, but I try to check in on Instagram almost daily – If you’re interested, I’m lauralou852 there! Anyway, Melanie contacted me last week about guest posting about a study she’s been a part of about the benefits of physical fitness for people going through cancer treatments. Cancer is near and dear to my heart (especially right now – I’ll share more soon and it’s not family or anything, but I’ve fallen in love and have been hanging out with a sweet baby with neuroblastoma) so I’m happy to share her findings.

 

Physical Fitness and Its Impact on the Lives of Cancer Patients

 

The importance of physical fitness is often encouraged for the general public to
help people maintain proper health and a functioning body. However, can physical
fitness be beneficial for those diagnosed with cancer? Recent research and studies
prove that regular exercise not only helps prevent cancer, but it also helps elongate
the life of those who have been diagnosed with it. Likewise, cancer survivors can
benefit from exercise tremendously too, as fitness can reduce the chances of cancer
returning.

 

General Benefits of Fitness

 

Fitness has shown to have the same effects on cancer patients as it does on regular
adults. From maintaining a proper weight to keeping muscles and bones healthy,
physical fitness is equally important for cancer patients. In addition to its physical
benefits, exercise can also help reduce stress and positively affect the mood of
patients going through cancer treatment. Exercise induces the release of endorphins
throughout the body, which can improve the mood and overall quality of life, even for
patients battling aggressive cancers such as mesothelioma or even leukemia.

Some general benefits include:

• Low risk of debilitating diseases, such as cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and high blood pressure
• Decreased fatigue
• Increased energy levels
• Improvement in mood and emotional health
• Stronger bones
• Increased muscle mass and strength

 

The Effects of Exercise on Numerous Cancers

 

Different researches have been conducted around the world on specific types of
cancers and some of the results have been intriguing.

 

Colorectal Cancer
One of the most researched form of cancers in relation to physical activity, studies
on colorectal cancer found that exercise could reduce the chances of colon cancer
by 30 to 40 percent. According to the National Cancer Institute, 30 to 60 minutes
of daily exercise can reduce the chances of developing colon cancer. Furthermore,
those who defeat colon cancer also have significantly lower odds of recurrence if
they participate in regular physical activity.

 

Breast Cancer

The relationship between breast cancer reduction and regular physical activity has
also been made clear in more than 60 studies throughout the world. These studies
show that breast cancer patients who exercise regularly have a higher survival rate.

Other forms of cancer that responded positively to physical activity include prostate
cancer and endometrial cancer.

 

When and How to Start Exercising

 

Many cancer patients often lose the desire to perform any physical activity after
diagnosis. They tend to feel more tired and fatigued, and the stress of the disease
makes it difficult for them to engage in any activity. Research shows that such
feelings must be discarded, and exercise should be taken up regularly after
diagnosis to ease the recovery process and help the body heal.

The cancer patients that were already active before diagnosis should maintain their
level of physical activity. Others should start immediately, either on their own or
through the help of a physical fitness trainer. Partnering with other cancer patients
can also motivate an individual to exercise regularly. If you are not used to high
levels of activity, then start slow until you build up strength over time. At least, the
American Cancer Society recommends 30 to 60 minutes of daily exercise. Training
and exercise can include weight training, cardio, aerobics, and stretching exercises.

It is important to consult a doctor before starting an exercise program. Patients need
to ensure they are participating in beneficial activities based on their diagnosis,
treatment regimen, and physical condition.

 

If you have any questions, I’m sure Melanie can answer them and she has sources for all of the studies she referenced. It’s awesome seeing another positive side of getting healthy and fit and with cancer being as common as it is, I think this knowledge is beneficial for all of us!

This Weekend I…

We started our weekend a little early by leaving Thursday evening for St. Joe. David had a meeting up there and we got to spend a day and a half or so hanging out with his brother, our sister-in-law, and the twin girls! It feels like the weekend flew by even faster than normal even with the extra day because of all we packed into it, but it was a fun few days!

 

This weekend we… got to St. Joe late Thursday due to David helping his mom with a flat tire and other random craziness that pushed back us leaving. I was able to get a run in, though – I posted on Instagram (I’m lauralou852 on there if you’re not following) about it, but I feel like so many times I post about my workouts like they’re always easy/fun/so rewarding. That’s definitely not always the case. This run sucked. My legs were so sore for leg day on Tuesday still, I hadn’t been drinking enough water, and I didn’t wait long enough after I ate to run, so my stomach was upset the whole time. The cool thing, though? I still did it. I didn’t cut my run short because I knew my legs would feel even worse on Friday if I didn’t work out the soreness. And my time was one I would’ve been THRILLED with just a couple short months ago. Days you aren’t feeling it but do it anyway take you another step closer to your goal!

 

 

This weekend I… spent Friday hanging out with my sister-in-law and nieces while David had his meetings. They’re somehow already 8 and a half months old and are all over the place! They’re so fun.

 

 

 

This weekend we… went to the KC Sporting game Friday evening! David’s brother had tickets from work, so they got to enjoy a night out without the kiddos! I love those games and already can’t wait to go to another this spring/summer.

 

 

This weekend we… left St. Joe fairly early Saturday so we could stop and see my grandparents in Lawrence on the way home and get back in time for the WSU game that evening. My grandpa hasn’t been doing well, so I’m so thankful we got to spend some time with him and I had David snap a picture – I know I’ll be so grateful for the one he got of our hug, too. :)

 

 

 

This weekend we… went downtown to watch the WSU game with a bunch of friends. David’s a Wichita State grad and it was fun to see them do so well this year, especially in the tournament. Obviously it didn’t turn out the way we wanted it to, but they still had a great season and played an awesome game.

 

 

This weekend we… had our first week of partnership classes (for becoming a member) at church and then had lunch with my family. Aaaaand maybe drove by the house we love that’s for sale to see if they were by chance having an open house. (They weren’t, but it’s still for sale!) I’m loving the spring weather and outfits!

 

 

This weekend we… adopted my brother’s kitty, Munchkin. It’s a long story, but we found her as a kitten – She was a stray and would hang out around our house and David just loved her. I’m allergic to long haired cats and just have never been a cat person, so we looked for a home for her and my brother’s girlfriend wanted her. My brother and his girlfriend have since broke up and she moved out and took their dog with her, so Munchkin doesn’t have a friend anymore and my brother just isn’t home enough to give her the attention she deserves. (And he feels weird being a single 22 year old guy with a cat..) He wanted someone to take her that he knew so he could visit her whenever he wanted, and David offered, ha. At first she was terrified and NOT a fan of Paisley, but she’s doing much better now, and she’s such a sweet pea. Paisley loves following her around and watching her jump up on things – They’ll be buddies in no time. :)

 

 

Aaand that’s about it! The rest of the weekend was spent catching up on work and emails we’d missed on Friday and getting ready for another week to start. Happy Monday!

 

Linking up with Syndal & Sar!

 

This Weekend I… {Easter Edition}

This weekend was crazy, but Easter is one of my favorite holidays, so I loved every second of the craziness! I’m exhausted today, but it was totally worth it.

 

This weekend I… spent a lot of time Friday thinking about the meaning of the day (Good Friday) and praying. I am so thankful for the cross.

 

 

This weekend we… had David’s brothers over Friday evening to watch the KU game. We all know how that ended, so I  won’t even go into it. Releford and Young were two of my favorite players ever, so I’ll definitely miss them next year. Rock Chalk till I die, though!

 

{Before things went downhill..}

 

This weekend I… ran the 2 mile Easter Sun Run on Saturday morning and was just 3 seconds away from beating last year’s time by a full 2 minutes! My official time was 18:44, which I was happy with on a hilly, crowded course. Two of my girlfriends ran it with me, and David and my mom both came to watch!

 

 

This weekend we… hosted David’s family on Saturday afternoon/evening. It was so good to see the twins – They’re crawling all over the place and even standing on their own. So cute! The weather was awesome, so we were able to eat on our patio set and take some pictures outside!

 

 

  

 

This weekend we… had an awesome church service Sunday morning reminding us of the unshakable hope found in the resurrection! Our church is only a year and a half old, and we had TONS of people – So good to see!

 

 

 

 

 

This weekend we… had my family and David’s sister over for lunch after church and were able to eat outside again! We, of course, took our yearly pictures.

 

 

 

 

 

This weekend we… spent the rest of Sunday taking Paisley on a nice long walk, catching up on work and emails, and I even got in a quick run before the sun went down. The weather is significantly cooler today and is supposed to be cold tomorrow, so I had to take advantage of it! It was the perfect end to the weekend.

 

Hope you all had a wonderful Easter! Happy Monday/April Fool’s Day!

 

Linking up with Syndal & Sar!

 

Weekend/ Race Recap

Another weekend (and week in general!) has flown by! We’re nearing the end of March, which is just crazy, in my opinion. And the fact that Easter is this Sunday is hard to believe!

 

Friday was pretty laid back for us. I kicked off the weekend with a good workout (taking it easy on my legs, since I knew it was going to be COLD for my 5K on Saturday and my muscles would be tight) and had my body fat tested using the 7 point skin fold calipers test! It’s a lot more accurate than the handheld machine a lot of gyms use, so I was excited to learn I’m at 18%! My friend/the trainer that did it said it’s really best to do it first thing in the morning before eating or doing any physical activity, so I may do that sometime to get an even more accurate result.

 

 

We spent Friday evening watching basketball, and particularly the KU game, of course. We sucked it up, but somehow pulled out a win which is good since there were 6 of us (David’s siblings and some friends) over here watching it and it would NOT have been pretty had we lost. I think there probably would’ve even been some tears, ha. We called it a night pretty early since we were both running the next morning.

 

Saturday we woke up to a fairly dry, but cloudy/gross looking morning. I had high hopes for the weather since the forecast had changed to only a 40% chance of precipitation, but about 10 minutes before the race started, so did the sleet and snow. This race last year was my first ever race/5K, and the weather was pretty much perfect – 60s and sunny. I guess you can’t win every year!

 

  

{I didn’t even know David took (and posted) the left picture until after the race, but I feel like it pretty accurately depicts our feelings about the weather.}

 

I told myself at the start line that I could do it. I would run just like I’d been running at home, and the weather wasn’t going to keep me from reaching my goal of a sub-30 minute time. I KNEW my body could do it, and I wasn’t about to let some snow get in my head and ruin it for me.

 

The first mile and a quarter was the worst. It was miserable. About half of it was spent running to the north, which is the direction the sleet was coming from. I’m pretty positive I got pieces of ice both in my both and my eye. But I kept my head down and kept pressing forward. And then my phone died. I use my phone for music and to track my speed and distance on the Nike Running app. I don’t run without it. Ever. Aaaand it ‘ran out of power’ with 80% battery life remaining.

 

I knew it was going to be all mental from there on out. I just kept repeating to myself, ‘You can do this. You’ve come so far in the last year. Your body is strong and your mind is even stronger.’ And the crazy thing was I knew I could! Last year I remember spending the entire race comparing myself to every single person that passed me. And beating myself up for having to stop and walk for a bit because I started out too fast. Not this year! I was actually the one passing people, and I wasn’t focused on anyone else but me and reminding myself what I knew I was capable of.

 

{Comparison between last year and this year!}

 

My official time was 29:29 so I reached my goal! I’m absolutely thrilled with a new PR (and know I can break that my next 5K!) but I think I was most excited about my shift in thinking and how much stronger I’ve gotten mentally. The physical changes that come with weight loss are awesome, but the confidence and different mind set are just as rewarding!

 

 

David finished in 30:59 and Channing finished in 31:14 and I was SO proud of both of them. David hates running and hadn’t been training with me and Channing despises snow/cold, but they both stuck it out and finished strong! And afterward we all had pancakes and sausage, which I’m pretty sure tasted 1000 times better after running in the cold.

 

After the race, I changed out of my soaking wet shoes and clothes and then headed to a Zumbathon fundraiser for a bit. I know it sounds crazy, but I’m so glad I went because I loosened my muscles back up (they got SO tight when we went inside and sat down to eat) and was able to stretch them out properly afterward. And the Zumba was a blast!

 

{Group from our Zumba class!}

 

{I’m not looking in this picture, but wanted to share it since the Zumbathon benefited the Leukemia/Lymphoma Society and the little boy laying on the floor and little girl with the sash were the honorees – So sweet!}

 

After leaving there, I picked David up for some lunch and then went home, took a hot shower, and took a nice long nap. It was heavenly! Saturday evening was spent watching more basketball, and the Wichita State game in particular, with a couple of friends. WSU is David’s alma mater, so we’re excited they made it to the Sweet 16! We were exhausted still and thought we had to get up early for David’s sister’s volleyball tournament, so we were in bed early.

 

Sunday morning we woke up to about 7” of snow and a text saying the volleyball tournament had been cancelled. I am SO over snow and winter. Spring can arrive anyyyytime. It’s supposed to be in the 60s the end of this week, but we’ll see. You never know with Kansas weather!

 

 

We still went to church and then met my parents for lunch and I even got a little nap in before the KU game. Knocking UNC out of the tournament AGAIN and making another Sweet 16? It feels good to be a Jayhawk!

 

 

The rest of the evening was spent with basketball on in the background and catching up on work and emails we'd avoided all weekend. I’d say it was a pretty successful few days overall! :) Happy Monday!

 

Linking up with Syndal & Sar!