BIG News Alert... Taking a chance here...

In January 2013, we started a part of our journey we never thought would exist.  We ventured into a world that confused us, that hurt and that made us question just about everything...

I do not know if it is every possible to truly prepare yourself for losing a child... ever!  doubt it... but we did and we were told that it was unlikely we would go through it again.   They were wrong...

Fast forward to July 2013.  Again. Confused. Hurt.  Let's move on.  Or not?

July 28th, 2013 changed it all.  I was diagnosed with a pulmonary embolism, a clot in my lungs at 28.  I knew no one who had been through this just like when we first miscarried... no one.

In February of 2014, I was cleared. 

In April of 2014, I made some serious decisions about my health and fitness and the lifestyle I wanted.  I committed...

But the best was yet to come...

Coming in April of 2015, just in time for my 30th birthday...

I am not sharing this for kicks and giggles.  I am sharing this because we need all of your prayer and support in a major way.  I am giving myself Lovenox injections nightly because of the clotting disorder my hematologist discovered last year.  I will see both my hematologist and my OBGYN this pregnancy.  I will have my blood checked and no appointment will go underused or overlooked.  I will be discussing more with my OBGYN soon what he would like to do differently this time.  We are beyond thrilled at meeting our Rainbow this coming Spring but we have a long road ahead of us...

I do not imagine I will post much on this because this process is very personal to me and I want to be very aware of what details we share since it is so sensitive for us but I hope you'll join with us in prayer as we move forward.  I believe in this medicine.  I trust my doctors.  I am trusting the process. GOD IS IN CONTROL!!!

Thank you in advance.  

As always,

Melis

 5 Weeks!

6 Weeks!

Grumpy days need friends...

I woke up today and realized I was not going to be doing my favorite workouts today. Oh well, when you're following a plan that works, you make the choice to get up and do them anyway. I weighed in and realized I had gone up a few lbs but nothing added up, so I figured I was retaining water... sigh. I rolled my eyes and headed towards my first workout.  'll be honest, it took me a bit to get started but I started. 'll be honest, it took me a bit to get started but I started. I whined a bit to myself because I did not like it but I kept trying.  And just as I was about to finish the first one, my left glute started hurting.  I know this pain so I backed off and checked in with my hubby, ultimately finishing all but the burnout. But I realized the pain was not going away.  In fact, it was getting worse and not budging.  I rolled my eyes yet again, had a mini pity party and checked my phone.  I headed off to my good friend's house to swim for a little bit.  It helped while I gingerly moved through the water but the moment I stood up, the pain was there in full force... and I was at the edge.  I went back home to get ready for the day, facing the realization that I was not going to run, not going to do my MMX workout, that I was going to stay off my feet, ice the muscle and try to be a good mom to the one and only kiddo I have around here the next few days.

Today has not been my shining day but it is not the first hurt muscle I have had since I made the commitment to workout and become a healthier human being. Most, in fact have healed within 1-2 days with proper care and rest.  Perhaps my grumpy attitude was more about that feeling one gets when they accomplish something... I wasn't getting it and I knew today I needed that extra day of rest. Let me tell you though when you're going through any type of trial, having someone(s) to reach out to makes all of the difference. The same people who console me when I am having a bad day also are the same people that keep my accountable.  I am very fortunate to have those people in my life.  Otherwise, a day like today would have sent me to the nearest fast food restaurant AND my favorite coffee place... and tomorrow? Well, I likely would not have lost the water weight ;-) 

Have you had any frustrating days lately? Do you have someone(s) to turn to? Do they also call you out on those things you need to? Are you looking to make a change? For 6 weeks of accountability, take a chance and join my challenge group. You won't regret it. Message me or visit me at Facebook.com/RunLissaRun 

Tomorrow is going to be a better day...

Melis

Blown away...

I'm trying to get my head around this...

I'm not used to this kind of putting myself out there. Sure, I shared my life with you all this last year but YOU chose to read this blog, stay informed and encourage me.  And for those who liked my recently set up fitness Facebook page, YOU again chose to follow it.  You all read because you want to.  What happened last night was something I could not have imagined.  It was beyond anything I could have predicted. 

You see I posted those transformation photos not because I wanted the praise but because I wanted to share with all of you a few things...

1) My love for fitness & health. I love it because I love me and I want to be a BETTER me. I want my family to feel it. I want them to love it or at least appreciate it like I do.

2) I want to inspire others.  It took me a LONG time to be in the place to lose weight, to start this transformation for real, to become consistent to the point where I pretty much HATE rest days.  That is right. I miss working out on those days.

3) Where is all came from... It is not an accident I started to change my habits.  It sure was not a magic pill either.  It comes from a raw place I am often reliving.  Last year, after losing 2 babies and on the brink of losing my own life, I immediately went into survival mode for myself, my kids, my hubby.  After getting off the Coumadin and on to aspirin as instructed by my hematologist, I did NOT bounce back. I struggled... horribly.  I hid. I did anything I could to avoid people.  But with time, grieving and some serious inspiration, I knew that for those very reasons, I HAD to do this.  This was NOT a choice for more anymore...

...LIFE is far too important to just sail through...

My transformation is far from over. I am excited to keep moving towards my goals and prayerfully continue to build our family as God allows and leads us.  I am very excited about this stage of our lives and that I get to share my <3 with ALL of YOU!!!

Thank you for continuing to read and delve in to my story, my life, my transformation... I hope to help inspire others on their own.  If you wanna chat, message me and/or check me out at Facebook.com/RunLissaRun

This is NOT ultimately just about me.  I hope we ALL make it, YES?

That's all for now,

Melis

Are you OFF today?

Ever had a rough day?  Let's be honest. We all have at some point, probably a lot if we are being truthful.  Some are worse than others.  You know what I mean though, right? You often wake up feeling off and everything you attempt to do is affected by this nagging feeling or how tired you are or... fill the blank here.

Today was one of those days.  It wasn't that I didn't put in effort. It wasn't that I wanted it to be harder.  However, it was. I got up at 5:30. I did my X3 Yoga. I went for my 2 mile run. Neither felt good like I am used to. I spent most of my Yoga looking forward to a fresh run.  And then during my run, I dragged on and on just barely moving in a jog for just about the ENTIRE 2 miles.  I knew I had another workout but could not do it until 9am or later due to the noise rules of the complex. After drinking my Endurox, David and I agreed I needed to go back to bed. I was tired.  I was in and out for about 2.5 hours. David left for work. I woke up, slowly starting to feel better. That didn't last though. I walked into the other room and realized about 60 seconds in my body was still fatigued and I needed to postpone this workout to the next day. I worked on lunch for the kids and I. Once fed, I was overcome with emotion. Life just has a way of hitting you hard sometimes, overwhelming you... and the truth here is that I could have been a bit more organized early on and I knew I would be tired and yet I ignored those facts and was suffering the consequences of my own choices... not to go to bed earlier the past few nights, not to make my to do lists and even try to follow them some days...

So I was frustrated, teary, exhausted and I cried out to a friend. She gave me a quick piece of advice. I followed it.  And you know what?  I also got a few extra things done. 

I am still tired, fatigued, frustrated and today I did not follow my usual "diet." (I detest that word by the way.) But tomorrow is a new day and even on the hardest days, I can do something... and so can you.  Lesson learned? I definitely did today. No more laziness when life is hard.  Take it easier? Sure. But I won't give up again just because I am feeling "off."

That's all for now...
Melis

Just Keep Swimming!

I absolutely LOVE to swim!  But for years, I didn't have consistent access to a pool I could afford. I have missed it immensely! With the heat up here, its nuts some days. What I would give for a pool in my backyard... or a backyard... But that's another story. Hehe.

This all changed though when I was talking to a dear friend of mine recently.  She pointed out the window to their pool and said I could use that. I made a snarky comment, stating I would truly take her up on that if she was serious.

Just a few days ago, we set it up.  Today, I jumped in the pool.  Wednesday and Friday I will get to do this too... for at least the rest of the summer! Oh yes!  Today was a bit of acclimating as I made it about 20 minutes total, getting winded here and there. It was SO COMPLETELY WORTH IT!  I am in love and stoked and this will be my new favorite place to defrag and get my active on! Haha!

Just a reminder that patience pays off and having amazing friends does too!

God is good... ALL of the time! Yes!!!
That's all for now...
Melis

P.S. Did a picture of Dory come to anyone else's mind? ;-)

Lifestyle Change

Hi friends! Today marks a pretty important day for me. I am going "public" with my fitness & health journey.  I've launched my Coach Facebook & set up my initial Beachbody website.  It is actually a big thing for me as I have tried to keep this area of my life more private due to my own insecurities.  With the events of 2013 starting to affect me for the better, I have decided it is time!

A few refreshers or new info ~

Ran for the first time in 5th grade for our school's yearly track meet. I came to the realization I could run and maybe even be athletic, even though I was easily one of the slowest out there at the time.

Learned to swim during the summers of middle school.
Ran track in 7th & 8th grade.
Swam on the school team 9th & 10th grades.
Attempted cross country in 10th grade.
Learned after a missions trip btwn 10th-11th grades that I could gain weight :(

Ran with Team in Training during Spring of 2006 & 2007. During both seasons I suffered injuries. I developed a stress fracture in my right foot in 2006, scaling back from a marathon to a half marathon ultimately.  At the time, I did not take this well.
In 2007, I developed severe shin splints in both legs that did not initially heal up well and received a medical transfer, therefore not completing the season.
Nevertheless, running continued to be a goal for me.

Put on 50 lbs in 2008-2009 after my Joy was born midyear.
In 2010, joined Curves and ultimately lost 12 lbs over the next several years due to inconsistencies and pregnancies of my children.

Last year, after seeing the initial progress of my husband doing P90X, I jumped on board. I found I lost 15 lbs my first month (then got pregnant).
I attempted it again in November but my head and heart were not in it so stopped after a week.

Around the New Year, heard about P90X from a friend.  Jumped on board!
In February of this year, I signed on as Beachbody Coach but initially focused on my own personal journey.  Have now completed P90X3 Block 1 almost 3 times due to injuries primarily that sidelined and delayed me.

Recently, I have learned a lot about nutrition and how to make this lifestyle work for me.  I've stopped worrying about bring skinny. Instead, I choose to work towards being healthy & fit and be an example and inspiration to others the best that I can. That's just a snapshot but I hope you'll join me on my journey & tell me about yours!  More to come! 

www.beachbodycoach.com/LISSAFIED

https://www.facebook.com/RunLissaRun

And speaking of getting fit... Yoga X3 here I come!

Melis

Dinner Win!

Many of you know most of 2013 I resisted doing any major cooking or baking.  Life was hard and my kitchen made me mad so I chose to just stay away.  This meant that, yes a lot of microwaving and much more takeout happened than any sane mom would like.  However this was life.  And being that I actually do enjoy cooking and baking, it felt a little weird.  So, this year one of my goals has been to really get back into baking and cooking.  And it turns out I picked a pretty good time.  Joy is ripe to help me bake and apparently is learning that just because you haven't had the food doesn't make it bad.

This was especially important tonight.  If you have spent anytime talking to me about my childhood, you likely know what my favorite food was growing up, nothing frilly, nothing fancy but it was a big deal.  My parents always called it Chicken Lickin' Porkchops and it was mostly done in a crockpot.  This recipe is also what inspired my own love and use of the crockpot.  For whatever reason though, I only recently bothered to find out how to make it.  And realizing we'd NEVER eaten porkchops in this little family of ours EVER, tonight became the night.  (Plus, I can use the protein ;-) )  So, I attempted it with a different soup because I forgot to the buy the right one but I knew it wasn't a crucial change.  Joy originally told me she wouldn't be having any.  Her tune changed as she realized this was dinner.  Micah will eat just about anything but with Joy its hard to know some days.

Much to my surprise, she not only tried it, she asked for seconds with a smile before the side dish was even on the plate (one of her favorites too).  So for me, a dinner win also reminds me how much I love to cook for my family and eat real food.  It also inspires me to keep on cooking, even when the days are hard.