goals – imperfectly courtney

My Word for 2015: Thrive.

January 2, 2015 Courtney

I know some people can get tired of all the New Years posts, all the talk about resolutions, and everything that comes with this time of year. I enjoy having some time to reflect on the past as well as set a new path for the future. I really don’t like the cookie cutter resolutions like lose weight and get out of debt. The last couple of years I have tried to pick a word or a theme for my year. In 2013 it was to be intentional and last year was to simplify. I feel like I did a decent job trying to simplify our house through decluttering last year, as far as simplifying our finances and day to day lives…. not so much. My surgery made that a little more difficult as we took on a bit of debt for that. As I look back on last year I feel like I spent a good amount of it just trying to survive. I just wanted to stay afloat. It felt as though I was always reacting to life, balancing a million spinning plates trying not to let any of them drop.

I feel like I have been constantly waiting for things to be just right to do something. Instead of trying to wait for circumstances to be just right this year I am committed to doing more than just reacting or surviving. Regardless of how hectic the year may be I am going to thrive.

to thrive is grow or develop well or vigorously. to prosper or flourish. to progress toward or realize a goal despite or because of circumstances.

this word excites me so much! it excites me because it invites progress and growth regardless of surrounding circumstances, which i’ve realized I have very little control of.

I want my relationships, my health, and businesses to thrive in 2015.

What does this look like in practical terms? It means taking more time for personal and professional development, investing in relationships, and looking for opportunities for growth even if they may be uncomfortable. I’ll set smaller, measurable, achievable goals to help me put this mindset into action.

I’m looking forward to thriving along with you in 2015.

Do you do resolutions or set yearly goals?

Coffee Date

Coffee Date: February Goals

February 1, 2013 Courtney

Hey Friends! So excited you stopped by for our Coffee Date. SO much going on right now! I can’t believe it is February already. You know what that means? My BABY turns 3 this month? GAAAAAHHHH.

Whew- I’m back. I had a mommy melt down. Time goes so fast doesn’t it? Are you ready for coffee? Grab a cup and let’s chat.

Here is my little visual reminder of my goals, all valentines themed. I swear making it cute makes it easier to hit your goals. ha.

Your turn… If we were having coffee, what would you tell me?
Do you have goals for February?

PS- Don’t forget about the Dietbet… it starts Monday!!

Dreams, Health, Life, Running, workouts

Happy New Year- 2012 in Review

January 1, 2013 Courtney

Happy New Year!! I can’t believe it is 2013. Sometimes I still think the 90’s were 10 years ago. Weird, I know. How did you ring in the New Year? We hung around the house with friends, played monopoly, and watched the ball drop (at 11…) and then at 12 we went out the garage and did a little workout. I practiced my double unders, and got 2! BAM! This is going to be the year of conquering the double under! I will RX a workout with Double Unders! The hubs threw the weights around for a bit but I wasn’t feeling it… it was after 12am after all…

Looking back over 2012 I am super proud of the progress I made. It blows my ever loving mind that at this time last year I had been training for 6+months for the Disney Marathon. And that even after 6 months of outrageous amounts of running… I was still huge. I think I fluctuated around 215 +/- 5lbs for most of my training. Granted I wasn’t focusing on my food as much as my training, but still proof that lifting weights makes such a huge difference. I was around 190 during our November trip to Disney.

While I lost about 25lbs, I feel like I gained a significant amount of muscle too. I can tell my arms, legs, and butt are way smaller and my face thinner. I have accomplished more this year than I ever thought I could. I’m going to try to highlight some of my favorites

Ran the Disney Marathon

Ran a 5k While on Vacation in Texas

Tried New Rules of Lifting for Women (when my love for lifting began!)

Ran the Go! STL Half Marathon

Entered a 60 Day Fat Loss Challenge

Got some Sobering

Results from my DXA Scan

Tried CrossFit for the first time!!

Pushed Past my Mental Block

Was Inspired by the CrossFit Games

Confronted my inferiority complex

Completed my 60 Day Fat Loss Challenge

Was a Finalist in the Promax DOer Contest

Rocked the Color Run

Ran my first 5K with a Stroller

Realized what Healthy Living Has Freed Me From

Got Pretty Muddy In Chicago

Celebrated 5 Years of Marriage

Conquered the Warrior Dash

VICTORY OVER THE BOX JUMP!

Got to drive a Tahoe for a week

Ran the Zombie Survival Dash

Hit my first handstand

Realized I’m Not Perfect

Celebrated the Victory

Set at 5K PR

Man, what a year! I’m so thankful that you guys have come along for my journey. I hope you stay around for 2013!

Going into 2013 my focus word is going to be “Intentional”

I will be intentional in my relationships, eating, and training. I will continue to set monthly goals, but as far as yearly goals or resolutions go I just want to make this an intentional and focused year. This is going to be a huge year for us. We have some huge plans and exciting things in the works. I can’t wait to see where 2013 is going to take us! This year I am chasing some scary dreams and taking big risks. Dreaming big is scary. But I am encouraged by this quote I found on a bracelet (that I now wear every day):

Every day, every minute you are making a choice that will either help your dreams come true or won’t. Small choices add up to big results. Another one of my mantras for this year!

How was your New Years Celebration?
Any goals for this year?

Running, workouts

Weekly Workout Recap & October Goals Check In

October 15, 2012 Courtney

Happy Monday!

(don’t forget to enter the Food Should Taste Good Giveaway – It ends tomorrow!)

Good news – I have been able to sleep the last few nights with little to no shoulder pain… hooray! I took some extra rest days this week to try to get it rested up and I think that helped. Here is a look at my workouts from last week.

Monday – CrossFit
This one was fun, I got to work out with the hubs so that made it extra fun. Him (and Aaron) beat me pretty bad, but I held my own against the rest of the class, finishing around the 14:30 mark.

PreWOD
Front squat 1-1/4 5 x 3
WOD – I finished at 14:30ish
40 DUs – 120 Singles
4 rounds
5 pull ups
10 push ups
15 squats
30 DUs – 90 Singles
3 rounds
5 pull us
10 push ups
15 squats
20 DUs – 60 Singles
2 rounds
5 pull ups
10 push ups
15 squats
10 DUs – 30 Singles
5 pull ups
10 push ups
15 squats
PostWOD
75 strict sit ups

Tuesday- CrossFit

(I Think this may be where I aggravated my shoulder) I had been having some slight shoulder pain, but the snatches with the overhead squats probably did me in. Also- I hate burpees.

PreWOD
4 x 5 OHS
WOD
AMRAP in 15 minutes: I did 5 +4
A. 3 x (1 Power snatch + 3 OH squats) (65/95) I did 55# because I knew my shoulder was hurting… Ya…
B. 8 Burpees
C. 15 AbMat sit ups

I was still smiling afterwards though!

Wednesday – Active Rest Day

Zoo Trip! We walked all over the zoo.

Thursday– CrossFit

My shoulder was feeling a bit better so I went back to CrossFit… Stayed lower on my weight for cleans, around 65 I think. I don’t remember what my time was on this at all. Oops. I did, however, do all the knees to elbow actually on the bar! Usually half way through the workout I have to scale down to doing them from the floor. Also- Behind the back bar holds are crazy!

PreWOD
Power cleans 5 x 5
WOD
5 rounds for time of :
30 mountain climbers
5 power cleans 165/135/95
12 K2E
Post WOD
Behind the back bar holds

Friday- Rest Day

Per the advice of the Chiropractor I took Friday off CrossFit.

Saturday- 2 mile run.
I’m trying to focus more on my form. I’ve been watching a ton of CrossFit Endurance videos on pose running and I’m hoping that will help me get faster.

Sunday- Active Rest day
Spent the day cleaning – lots of windows, sweeping, vacuuming, moping etc. That is a pretty good workout!

Now let’s check in on our October Goals…

My main goal for this month is to Be. Just be. When I’m with my family, just be with them. When I’m at work, just be at work. When I’m working out, just be there. I get so caught up in the what next that I forget to just be. – Doing good with this one, still work to do on it though. It’s ok to walk away from the computer sometimes…. gotta keep reminding myself of this.

I also want to work on eating cleaner. Truth be told- My diet has slipped majorly in the last month or so. Whether its from being busy, tired, or whatever… I could name a million things. Sweets have started to slip their way back in. My plan of attack this month is to eat mindfully and use healthy options to curb my sweet tooth. – Eh, still working on this. Went shopping this weekend and stocked up on healthy snacks. I did have ice cream last night though… oops…

I recently purchased an online photography class from Shoot Fly Shoot and I’m loving what I’ve learned so far. I’m going to try to Use the DSLR more this month to keep developing my skills. Eventually I’ll get on the photoshop train (I hope) but we’ll stick with taking pictures in Manual mode for this month. – I’ve been doing good on this one!! I have to actually get the pictures off the camera and on to the computer now…

$#operationpantsfit because belts aren't in style this season \ life + running \ lifeplusrunning.com$

#OperationPantsFit – Emily (one of my favorite bloggers) and Calee from Life + Running started this challenge and I love it. It’s less about a number on a scale and more about feeling comfortable with yourself. I have a pair of size 14 jeans that I “fit” into but still have quite the *ahem* muffin top. I’d like to fit comfortably into 14′s. I’m going to try to stay focused on this goal, but I also want to see the 180s (or 170s?) on the scale by the end of the month. – Haven’t tried on my pants yet. My weight is up a few pounds this week because of the extra rest days (and that ice cream from last night too I’m sure…double oops)

As far as running – I’m not going to set mileage, but I want to get out for a run at least 2-3x a week in addition to the 4-5x a week I do CrossFit.- Only went once last week, trying to plan out some more time this week for running.

My CrossFit goal for the month is to be able to Power Clean 95#. I’ve gotten up to the 85-90 range – but 95 is the normal RX weights for Power Cleans on a lot of the workouts…. so this would be huge for me! Also- I think I’m going to go down a band for pull ups… but my shoulder has been acting up so we will see on that. – Not sure on this one. I practiced my form a lot. I’ve got to get under the bar faster, so I’m working with lower weights to get that down.

Whew- that was a long one. I’m linking up with Megan from Little Girl in the Big World for her Weekly Workout Recap!

How are your monthly goals coming? How were your workouts this week?

Health, workouts

October Goals

October 8, 2012 Courtney

Oh- Hello first week of October… Where’d you go?! Seriously though, how is it October 8th already? Time to talk about our Monthly Goals! I’m linking up over at Little Girl In The Big World for her Go For the Goal Link Up!

Last month I set some goals that I wanted to achieve by the end of September. I figured I’d update y’all on the progress of those before we get into October Goals.

Weight Loss- Get to 185lbs. That did not happen. I am still hovering around 192. I could give a million excuses here – but I’ll refrain.

Running- Log 40 Miles. Uhm – wow, I really missed the boat on this one too. According to my DailyMile account I ran 22 miles for the month. This one was a struggle for me. Fitting a run in after CrossFit has become increasingly harder, especially when my 2 year old tells me her face is so cold and we should go home. Aye. Gotta re-evaluate this one.

CrossFit- Conquer the Box Jump. Uhm- What? I didn’t do well on this one either. I was rushing in and out of CrossFit all month and didn’t take the time to put in extra work. Fail.

Reading- Finish the Happiness Project. I got through 4 chapters on this. Fail.

So, now that we feel all warm and fuzzy about all the goals I didn’t reach last month… Let’s try again for October!

I’m trying to set some general goals that will be easy to follow for the whole month rather than a bunch of super specific goals that I don’t complete and leave me feeling like a loser.

As far as weight goes – I’m hopping on the #operationpantsfit bandwagon!

$#operationpantsfit because belts aren't in style this season \ life + running \ lifeplusrunning.com$

Emily (one of my favorite bloggers) and Calee from Life + Running started this challenge and I love it. It’s less about a number on a scale and more about feeling comfortable with yourself. I have a pair of size 14 jeans that I “fit” into but still have quite the *ahem* muffin top. I’d like to fit comfortably into 14’s. I’m going to try to stay focused on this goal, but I also want to see the 180s (or 170s?) on the scale by the end of the month.

As far as running – I’m not going to set mileage, but I want to get out for a run at least 2-3x a week in addition to the 4-5x a week I do CrossFit.

So- There you have it. My October goals! I’ll be checking in a few times throughout the month to try to keep me on track.

What are your goals for this month? How do you keep yourself on track to meet your goals?

Vlog, Weight Loss

Coffee Date: Believe

July 27, 2012 Courtney

Who is ready for some coffee? After running errands on lunch the husband treated me to this lovely Trenta Cool Lime Refresher:

It took me forever to find 5 minutes to get away to record this vlog, so I hope you appreciate it.

Recap: Met a huge weight loss goal! Learning to believe in myself. I am more than just a before picture. Also, I have Jury duty next month… What are your craziest Jury Duty stories? Leave them in the comments below. Best story chosen by myself and my husband will win a $10 Starbucks Gift Card! How was your week? Any exciting weekend plans?

Life Lessons

finding focus

March 3, 2011 Courtney

am i the only one who struggles with time management? I usually start my day/week with a list of things I need or want to do.Of course there is the regular dishes, laundry and every day straightening (I’m always doing these). Then there are the more or less “weekly tasks” like cleaning the floors, changing the sheets,cleaning bathroom (REALLY cleaning the bathroom) meal planning, grocery shopping etc. And last but not least there is the “wish list” of tasks to get done like blogging (ha!), cleaning out closets, organizing drawers. On top of that there is school, working out, reading for pleasure (ya, right), plus any craft projects (I’m currently working on crocheting a large “throw/afghan” and trying to sew some pillow slipcovers and other things). I can’t seem to stay focused on one thing and found myself bouncing from project to project not really getting anything done. Before I know it, time has escaped my grasp and the day is over

My husband says I have ADD flairs (oooo look something shiny!). Anyway, I realized this was becoming a problem, especially during the day. I wind up wasting a lot of time by getting distracted and you can usually follow my trail of projects around the house…. a ball of yarn here, scraps of fabric there, pine-sol on the counter, computer with multiple tabs open…. So I decided to try something… Something simple…. Staying focused! I started yesterday with my morning cleaning routine. Instead of getting distracted with every little thought I kept a pen and post it out and wrote down what came to mind that I had to do and organized them into categories. I did all the dishes, got the laundry going and cleaned the floors all in one “sitting” instead of breaking it up over the day. I found that I felt a lot more accomplished, actually finished one of my baby blanket sewing projects, and started on my next crochet project.

So the moral of the story is, find your focus! find the plan that works for you! I plan on sticking to this plan as long as it works for me. Of course there will always be those little interruptions, but keeping your overall focus will help you be more productive with the time that you have.

What are some ways you help make the most of your time?

ps- take a second and click the link below to vote for my blog at topmommyblogs!

Dreams

1.1.11

January 1, 2011 Courtney

so i’ve procrastinated my “new years” post as long as i could. here it is 9pm on new years day and i’m finally trying to articulate everything that has been percolating in my soul for the last few days. i’ve been looking back on the last year. 2010 was for sure better than 2009. we were blessed with our baby girl. God turned some bad situations into good regarding our jobs. we both started back to school. We had some rough spots too, but we grew quite a bit out of that. i truly truly believe 2011 is going to be a break though year for us. i’ve got a few “resolutions” for this year.

fitness- i want to continue to get in shape. i missed my end of 2010 goal for weight loss by 5 pounds, but i’m going to make up for it. i want to run a half-marathon and continue to educate myself on nutrition and cooking.

relationships- i want to strengthen my “inner circle” and develop a strong community of people around me. i want to be a better wife and mom. i want to read my bible and pray more to develop an even greater relationship with God. pretty generic, i know, but something that is close to my heart.

vision- this one is kinda hard for me to admit… but i really need to define my personal vision. for so long my goals were to find a husband and start a family. i’ve reached those goals. now it almost feels like i don’t have a vision for the “whats next” in life. i don’t feel like i have anything to really strive for, and that is weird for me. so i need to define my vision.

these are just a few of the things on my mind… i’m sure more will develop as i continue to seek out what exactly GOD wants out of me this year. much love.

((a few pictures from end of 2010))