Kelly Trepp, Author

I decided to bring back the Wednesday weigh in this week to check my progress since starting my CrossFit regimen. As always, I give the disclaimer that you should not restrict your fitness goals to a number on the scale. In fact, I am including my measurements ( **gasp** ) with this post because I have seen a drastic change in just a little over a week! For best results, always measure yourself at the same time of day as your body may fluctuate as many as five pounds throughout the day based on dieting and exercise habits. I choose to take my measurements first thing in the morning as a good baseline. Along with our CrossFit gym membership, we get access to the website, BeyondTheWhiteboard.com . Here, you can become affiliated with your gym, post Workout of the Day (WOD) results, track your dieting habits and sleep patterns, and keep tabs on your overall health. If you are obsessed with counting calories and keeping a journal of your progress like I am, this is a great new tool to...

This past week has been a balancing act. Work, meals, cleaning, decorating, spreading Christmas cheer... the work is never done. I am so proud of myself and the way I have balanced all of my responsibilities, lately. I have not missed a beat with training. I am proud to report that I continue to increase my mileage and my pace on the treadmill. I completed a four mile run this weekend, which has been my longest treadmill run to date. It was a constant mental battle, but I finished, and the three miles I ran today were a breeze because of it. This week's training schedule: Now, my diet... or lack thereof ... well it is the season. But still, if you are going to consume holiday treats, you want to make sure they are worth every calorie. What follows is exactly that. A holiday treat that is worth every calorie and never fails to leave you with a smile. Consume in moderation, and at your own risk. (I have been allowing myself one, one-inch-square a day.) Creme de Menthe Brown...

I am a little late posting this week's Wednesday Weigh in. Hectic day: work, drumming up some side work, and an HOA meeting. Surprisingly enough, the HOA meeting was the highlight of the day. I came home ready to call it quits, but I had a fire burning inside me and the only way to put it out was to create a breeze by running. Okay, that was totally cheesy. And what is worse, there is no breeze when you run on a treadmill. I got all of my runs and workouts in last week until Saturday came around... This weekend was wildly busy. Hubby and I finally got to unpacking wedding gifts and rearranging our house to make room. That means lots of trips to Lowes and a trip out of town to purchase my first big girl sofa! Isn't she lovely? Isn't she wonderful? Unfortunately, I did not run on Saturday as a result of all the hoopla. There was no rest, however. We put together two storage units in the basement. How did they get down there , you ask? Hubby and I carried them, then ...

With a week of moderate training, a mock Thanksgiving dinner, and 13 hours in a car over the weekend, seeing the number on the scale has not budged is a blessing. I was fully prepared for a raise in weight this week ( I say this now that I didn't have to see a raise on the scale) . Having one weekend a month to let yourself go is not the worst thing in the world. What is? Letting yourself go completely. Knowing I had an off weekend filled with holiday fun has prepared me to step up my game in training this week. Staying steady at 128 pounds is fine by me. The flab on top of the jeans that I'm starting to see creep back? Not fine. I am so ready to get my butt kicked in cross training today ( Jillian Michaels is my punishment of choice). In fact, I am looking forward to it. I ran an easy 3 miles last night. While that was great for cardio and for helping me to achieve my goal of completing a half marathon in March, I need to focus on strength training tonight. I worked har...

I have been a bit stressed lately. Spread thin does not even begin to cover it. I find the best thing to do when you are feeling like you cannot keep your head above water is to list the things you are thankful for. So, today I am thankful for: My husband, whose love and support has carried me for six years to achieve the things I did not think I was capable of and to become the person I am today. May we have many more years together to continue to grow and love. My family, which just got larger in the last month. I am so blessed to be joining Hub's family, who I have thought of as an extended family since day one. My own family who loves and supports me through my endeavors. Let's not leave out our furbaby either. He has been an incredible blessing in our home. My beautiful home, which becomes warmer every day we spend in it. With myself, Hubby and God in this house, no one can stand against us. It is my sanctuary. My treadmill. I try to leave out the material possession...

So today I dutifully stepped on the scale, as I do most Wednesday mornings, to see that my training and hard work last week has begun to pay off. SCORE! I'm down 1.4 lbs since last week, birthday cake and all! Accountability: I wasn't entirely strict with my diet over the weekend. Birthdays are tough on the waistline. Nevertheless, keeping the sushi, hibachi, and cake to a minimum and working it into my overall daily caloric goals saved me some major disappointment on the scale. I began training for a half-marathon last week, so activity was at an all time high. Maybe not all time, but it was at the highest point since running the Warrior Dash in May. I ran the first three days of the Couch to 5K (C25K) program to ease back into running. Yesterday, I completed a 2 mile run in just under 21 minutes. Not too shabby for the first week back at it! I have to keep reminding myself not to push too hard too fast. Thankfully, my lovely lady friend who convinced me to sign u...

First, let me start off with saying that I do not condone daily weigh-ins. As I have written before ( Choosing a Healthy Goal ), choosing a fitness goal measured by how you look and feel is far more important than limiting yourself to a number on the scale. Furthermore, your body weight may fluctuate anywhere from one to five pounds at any given point in the day. That is why it is important to only weigh yourself once a week at the same time of day. For me, that's Wednesday morning before work. So this morning was the first time I weighed myself since our return from the honeymoon. I weighed myself immediately upon our return, but we'll not discuss that here. It was unsettling. The first week after the honeymoon, I kept telling everyone I was on the newly married, "letting myself go" diet. It worked and I enjoyed indulging myself on the honeymoon and for the first few days we were back, but then I found myself feeling lethargic and all and all, not very healthy. ...