TOWANDA!!! {a life makeover}

I think I'm having a mid-mid life crisis. I have been looking around lately and realizing I'm just not happy about a lot of chaos and laziness that has been plaguing my life. Mainly... gym, cleanliness, and productiveness. 

BODY

I use to be huge into working out. I also use to have a 4 pack {picture not found}. But when people say that marriage makes you fat, they are right. Listen to them. I've gotten out of my routine since trying to find a new one with Spencer. Plus I use to never cook. Now I have a husband that is always asking "What's for dinner?" and so therefore I actually have to eat dinner. Another hard part is that when you get home from a long day of work, all you want to do is be with your love... on the couch or in the bed. And lastly, I need motivation! It's been hard since I've started this sewing class in January  because on Tuesdays and Thursdays I'm gone from 9am to 9pm and the gym is the last thing I want. Plus even though Spencer has a gym membership... HE REFUSES TO GO WITH ME! Seriously people harass him. He hasn't been in like 3 months or more and I want a gym buddy! Laaaaaaaaaaaaaame.  

Anyway, I've put a few things in motion to help me with this area:

1. Set a gym schedule. I know it sounds easy, but if you have scheduled workouts that are as solid as plans with a hot date, then you are less likely to skip it. My minimum goal is go to the gym Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday. If I feel motivated or have down time, I will do one of my work out videos at home either Tuesday or Thursday after my class. Another bonus option for me is that my work has treadmills in the basement. I haven't been down there yet, but I think I might try hopping on one during my lunch hour if I feel extra productive. 
2. Eating better is also in my plan. I have been planning meals out lately which help from eating things on impulse. I also decided to start tracking what I eat so that I am more aware of what goes in my body. Seriously if you have a smart phone get on it and download the LiveStrong food diary app, and if you don't have a smartphone, there are plenty of online versions of this as well. I started it yesterday and it helps me track my calories, water intake, and exercise each day. If you actually tally up your calories yourself you will have a more accurate reading, but I am fine with an approximate guess so I just use the pre-entered calorie chart in the app. Just find the food you ate, enter the amount, and voila, LiveStong tells you about how many calories it is. This way I don't have to bother with math and food labels. It also tells you how many calories you should be eating based on how many pounds you want to lose per week. 
3. Lastly I'm also making a goal to take my vitamins everyday and a supplements to help with my work-outs. My friend owns a company that makes a product called Thermo-Success. I was so excited to try it and throw it in with my daily routine. It helps speed up your metabolism and gives you more energy for a longer workout. I find it works really well as an appetite suppressant for me. One of my favorite bloggers {Amber Lynne} from barefootblonde.com tried it. Read here post about it here. They are having a promotion going on this month. If you enter the code MarchMadness at check out you get 15% off. Check out the website here.  

Now I know I'm not "fat" but I'm also not where I want to be and I see all these Pinterest pictures and I'm like "Why can't I look like that?" Oh wait, it's because I just ate an entire batch of brownies while sitting on the couch. 

CLEANLINESS

When your life is unorganized, and your house is a mess, so is your brain. I'm really trying hard this month {and for life} to put things away and hang things up. One thing that is good to evaluate is the root of your messiness. Besides the fact that I've been messy since I was little, I've found that my big problem is that I don't give myself enough time in the morning. Seriously I rush out the door and throw clothes on the floor and leave all my bathroom products out and all my breakfast stuff out. Then by the time I get home at night I'm too tired to clean it all up and therein lies the vicious cycle. So... my goal that parallels the cleanliness goal is to wake up with plenty of time. Besides, it's nice not to feel rushed. Hope my house looks as immaculate as these.

PRODUCTIVITY

Lastly, I find myself sitting on the couch a lot with Spencer watching TV at the end of the day. Now I'm not saying anything is wrong with a little Family Guy, but when one episode turns into four, then you start to evaluate your life. Technology can be a blessing and a curse some times {that's a whole other post} but often times it gets in the way of me enjoying life and being productive. There are so many things I want to start doing with my free time including: 

1. Read more books
2. Finish decorating my apartment
3. Finish reupholstering those dang chairs
4. Do more crafts on my list
5. Learn how to use Photoshop and Illustrator 
6. Redesign my blog
7. Go on more walks/hikes and enjoy the sun

Anyway those are just a few but I don't want to feel like I'm coming home from work everyday and just sitting. It makes me feel like I'm on a hamster wheel of sleep-work-couch that I just can't get off of. 

So what inspired this post? Have you ever seen the movie Fried Green Tomatoes? It's been one of my favorites since I was a kid {and oddly enough back then I never caught on to the subtle lesbian undertone it has}. But anyway, there is this part where this woman realizes her life isn't where she wants it to be. She doesn't like her job, she doesn't like her body, she doesn't like her marriage, and she doesn't like being such a push over. Long story short, she invents an alter ago names Towanda. And Towanda can do anything! She is fearless and empowered. That got me thinking that sometimes we all need a little Towanda in us. We need that inner voice that says you can do it. You can change your life in anyway imaginable. Run that extra mile, clean out your closet even though Sex and the City is on, and curl your hair because you deserve to look good even when no one is looking. So next time you don't want to go to the gym, or you don't think you can tackle that DIY Pinterest craft that you've always wanted to make, just yell TOWANDA {with fist raised in the air} and then go freaking do it!