work, working out and Dave Ramsey

Today, I’m answering a few questions that focus on work, working out and Dave Ramsey. I think I’ll be able to answer the questions about routine and fitting everything into my schedule tomorrow with a day in the life post.

Working is such a tough subject for me. I had time home with Braylen and loved that time, I interviewed on a whim for a teaching position and got the job. I didn’t really know if I was ready to go back to work, but I knew I missed working and interacting with the children. I absolutely love teaching and I certainly missed things about it when I was staying home with Braylen. In my head, I thought this would make everything right, I would go back to work and fill that space in my life that really wanted to be in a classroom, teaching. Don’t get me wrong, it did. Now? I miss staying home with Braylen, most days. I have an excellent schedule and we are fortunate that Braylen gets to go to MDO twice a week for a few hours and she stays at home, with my nanny, on the other days. I don’t know that there is a clear-cut answer. The grass isn’t greener on either side and both roles left me missing some part of the other role.

I don’t have regrets about this role, but I’m still figuring out just what I want to do once we have more children. I can’t say with clarity what I’ll be doing in 5 years, I know that as the seasons change, the dynamic could change, too. I’m ready for whichever role feels right at the time.

I try to maintain a balance of eating healthy, while still allowing myself to have the things that I love. I think eating right is a balance and I can usually keep it in check. I know I can’t eat cupcakes, pasta, and bread every day and still fit into my favorite jeans. I try to include lots of filling fruits, lean protein, whole-wheat choices, in my diet each day. It’s getting close to summer, I’m really limiting my carbs these days and I need to start logging my  food into My Fitness Pal, because it always holds me accountable. As far as working out, I try to do some type of cardio at least 3 days each week, an Insanity video or running on the treadmill are my go-to’s. Then, I like to focus on some muscle group 6 out of 7 days. This isn’t always the case, but that would be my ideal week. Here’s what that looked like last week:

• Monday- (I’m doing a plank and wall sit challenge this month) Plank, wall sit, abs (250 reps of various ab workouts, I don’t follow anything specific, I just aim for that number)
• Tuesday- plank, wall sit, legs (3 sets of 15 reps of various leg workouts, a combination of lunges, squats, high knees, ski jumps, squat jumps)
• Wednesday- plank, wall sit, abs (100 reps), legs (3 sets of 15 lunges, ski jumps and squats), arms/shoulders (3 sets of 15 dips, push-ups, dumb-bell curls)
• Thursday- plank, wall sit, arms (3 sets of 15 reps bicep curls, plyo push-ups, tricep dips, chest press, back rows)
• Friday- plank, wall sit, ab workout from Monday
• Saturday- plank, wall sit, arms/legs combo
• Sunday- Rest

I didn’t do Insanity any last week, had I worked out with an Insanity video, I wouldn’t have targeted a muscle group for that day. Insanity is enough, more than enough, actually.

We love Dave Ramsey, putting it into practice was much easier to Allen than it was for me. I think you have to really do it full-on to get accustom to the plan. Just start with what you think you’ll spend, put it in the envelopes and try it for a month. Then, adjust the next month. We have a good understanding of how much money we need for certain areas, now, but that took a few months of trial and error. It’s a true lifestyle change and it really takes some getting used to. My biggest advice would be to stick with it, you’ll love the benefits and freedom it gives you in the end.

I included my workout plan above. As far as eating healthy the meals, the key for me is prep. I eat bad and make unhealthy choices when I don’t plan ahead. I try to make all of our meals more healthy by using whole-wheat ingredients, when available. I substitute sour-cream and heavy cream with plan Greek yogurt, and use lean proteins. I also try not to buy a ton of processed foods, I don’t have enough will-power to have Oreo’s in the pantry all of the time.

Also, this post answered the book question 🙂