fit as a fiddle

I wish…

The truth is, Parker and I haven’t felt so healthy lately.

Prior to the wedding we were so busy, busy, busy with finals, moves, the job hunt, and all the minor wedding details that the gym seemed more like a chore than a treat most days.

Then we went to HAWAII—woo! Bathing suit incentive to eat less and stay active. We even kayaked 5 miles! Way to be team!

But alas, we soon returned home to dreary weather, cloudy skies, and lots and lots of rain (Parker has this idea that we make it rain every time we travel on the 215). It didn’t feel like March, April, OR May…how on earth was I supposed to process in my mind that June and our annual houseboat trip were just a few short weeks away? To top it off we spent all our spare time wedding shopping (not asking for pity, just explaining a time constraint), finding and finishing home improvement projects (as soon as we get the last few done I’ll do a virtual tour post on our little place J), new job training, and all the other realities of life that tend to distract us from the approaching summer swim season.

We made promises to make changes, especially with all our family members warning of the post-wedding chubbage. We thought we had it in the bag…then Memorial Day hit. We were so spoiled with hefty breakfasts, lunches, and dinners we lost all understanding of the idea of portions and moderation. To top it off Kristy brought down the most amazing sugar & cowboy cookies we’d ever tasted (I hear a certain sister even made a secret stash in the kitchen cupboard JJJ) and before we knew it the sugar kick hit.

We came home and suddenly most of our cooking projects started looking like this…

Yummy right? WRONG! no gym + sugar = CHUBB!!! (plus I used regular oats instead of instant so my cookies were kind of awful anyway…for some reason we still ate them. CHUBB!!!)

We’re not too bad right now, but we both know that if we don’t take advantage of the extra time we have during the summer to learn good habits and stay healthy we will most definitely be little hippos in the fall. So here’s our plan:

1. Get Parker a gym membership!!! We’ve been gym hopping the last few weeks trying to find the best deal. We don’t want to spend a ton of money for contracted memberships because we will be so busy in the fall. Plus we live so far away from every one we’ve found! What on earth??? I thought every Utah city was fitness Mecca like Provo. I was wrong. I currently have a membership at Gold’s but would rather freeze it and go where he goes than have to go endure the meatheads and gym hussies on my own. If you know of a good deal (or a way to get him a cheap Gold’s pass) in the Salt Lake area please, please let us know.

2. If the gym membership falls through—P90X insanity!!! Woo! My new sister-in-law has been doing the program with her husband and is even more of a bombshell than she was before. I think it will be a great solution to our commute/time issue AND it’s a great deal.

3. In the meantime—keep using free weeklong passes at gyms until we come up with a solution AND start TRAINING!!! Parker’s sisters ran the Provo Half Marathon last year and inspired me to be a more disciplined and accomplished runner. Plus our awesome cousin might be making the trip from San Diego to run it too. So fun! The family affair/race will be in early August and while that may seem like a ways off to most of you it feels so, so close to me. I’m on board and on schedule with training and so, so excited to keep going with it. My first outside run about killed me (I have grandma lungs and I’ve only been away from a gym for a month—what the heck?!) but now that I’ve learned not to run all uphill during the heat of the day life it so much better J Plus I have a new running buddy! My sexy little Bae-chubb (a.k.a. Parker…thank you Mike for that adorable nickname). He’s currently hating his lungs too, but as we say here at Wells Fargo, “Together we’ll go far….”

4. Last but not least, we’re on a new cooking and eating regimen. Our meals these days are looking more like this…

Progress, I know! We did just inherit a few more of the bakery-worthy “Mike & Parker’s favorite cookies” that everyone died over in Rockville. Kristy—you should seriously consider becoming a pastry chef. J They are so good and so tempting I’ve started calling them little devil cookies. I’ve made Parker promise me he’ll eat 75% of them though so we should be OK. Keep a good thought for us or maybe come visit and taste the magic yourself JJJ sharing is caring…

So now you know…as promised…that our real life is, well, real. I hope posting this in the blog will boost accountability for the two of us. We’re both so excited to start this part of life together. Looking forward to our healthiest, sexiest summer yet! J