Past Due Assignment -10 points!

So two weeks ago we were given a green index card and asked to identify an 8 week "New Years in July" goal.

Since I tend to be an over achiever, I worried and panicked as potential goals popped in and out of my head.

My gut instantly went to time management, as quite honestly I'm in a pretty good groove right now with the (eating right + activity = loss thing) but it is the (work + blogging + chores/errands = life thing) that keeps throwing me the curve balls.

In the perfect world I would: Go to bed early, get up and work out, get ready for work, then take Allison to school, work intently for 8 hours, come home make dinner while keeping up with my friends, help with homework while doing the dishes, walk the dog while listening to the news, shag a bit (news and politics make me randy!) rinse and repeat. (Sorry but I'm married now and have to be honest we shag on the rare occasion - since it is activity I think it applies!)

I could come up with a mild goal like track even better... but I know I would be cheating myself. So calling upon a previous "life lesson," I chose to pick one or two key goals... and focus on the tough stuff.

After ruminating for a week, I finally identified the 2 items and I've just completed week 1. Let's just call it what it was; a stretching and warm up week.

The first goal: Go to bed earlier. (Aim for 10:00pm)
I went to bed early 2 nights last week. Next week we are aiming for 4 weeknights! Should be easier since Allison is out of town. I also worked on my prerequisites. I spoke with Mike and together we will work to reduce bedtime TV and other late night non-activity activities.

The second goal: Blog Already!
I know blogging helps me figure things out and really helps me to see where I have been and where I am going. I've decided that rather than look for a topic to blog about- I'll actually just blog about whatever it is going on. After all, this blog is about journaling- not necessarily entertaining my giant audience of... 6 :) I'm hoping that the blogging thing will subsequently help me with the ruminating thing I seem to be very proficient at! Good thing we have hidden (or not so hidden) talents! So I'll aim for 2 blogs a week.

Alright- 12 minutes till bed time and it is seriously storming out! (Seriously afraid of lightening- so under the covers it is!)

Kid Gives Speech After Learning To Ride A Bike

I felt like this kid this week! Broken, bruised, and battered... but darn it, I feel happy! No more training wheels... Just me and the wind on my face as I hurdle over obstacles. I know it won't be the last time I take a spill (can't do anything about pot holes or other drivers not being observant) but each time I get up it seems to get just a bit easier.

Battery is fully charged!

What a weekend! (I am now thoroughly convinced that every weekend should be three days long!)

• Enjoyed a starlight picnic with the best daughter (and salad) ever!
• Watched a hot mother-runner beat her personal record!
• Dosed up on Vitamin D pool-side
• Celebrated the holiday with family, good friends, and fish tacos (yes, not your standard memorial day fattening-fare!)
• Had a great introspective dream!
• Slept in with a snuggly puppy
• Tested out my green thumb
• Completed a high intensity workout at the gym
• Had lunch with my husband and daughter (even skipped the tortilla!)
• Washed the car
• Took an inner city drive with the family
• Super-Insane Healthy Dinner with an amazing friend who gets me completely
• Fell asleep snuggling with my munchkin and one pooped puppy after a game of chase the wiffle ball in the backyard.
• Woke up at 4:30 for a great hike/run @ South Mountain
• Scooped up some protein power
• Lost a bet
• Cleaned the bathroom (to pay for debt) and scrubbed the kitchen floors
• Topped the night off with a family dinner affair (Allison mastered the food processor!)

Ultimately a weekend spent with those I love, doing things I love... consider me charged and ready to face the week.















Allison in Hidden Valley- Fat Man Pass

Late night rendezvous with the treadmill. It almost didn't happen, but if I was forced to do the Bollywood video again, I was going to lose it!

Zoinks!

Let's try this blogging thing again!

Short Version:

• Celebrated the holidays
  
• Lost some more weight - Yay!
• Got married - Super-Yay!
• Got distracted and plateaued a bit - Boo Hiss
  
• Got real....again.
• Lost more weight!

Introducing Lynn

Well I have just completed week 10 of "operation- increase activity." With all that elliptical I thought I was toning... that was until yesterday.

"Footloose," was playing on the I-pod when I initially spotted Lynn working with a client about 5 weeks ago. (Hey- no mocking- its a bouncy song!) Instantly I knew she was the one. For the next couple weeks I stalked her. I realized that she wasn't one of those annoying trainers who made 200 lb women do rediculous things while attractive-skinny people pointed and laughed. On the contrary, she really tailored her routines to her client. I worked up the nerve to approach her and tell her what it is I was looking for. She totally got me!! In fact, she wasn't even mad when I said I didn't want nutritional advice! (Turns out she lost 75 lbs on WW herself!) I knew a few sessions would put a strain on the wedding budget- but hey, I decided to look at it as an investment. Money well spent to prevent my arm-wings from waving at my guests as I walked down the isle!

So session 1 was great! On Tuesday, I did all the exercises and in pretty good form I might add! I rocked it! Then I got up the next day and literally had to roll myself out of bed, crawl to the toilet, and call for emergency assistance when I needed to stand again. OH MY GOSH! DOMS (delayed onset muscle soreness w/ 3 lbs of swelling) sucks! I ended up having to give up the cardio session yesterday and replace it with some hobbling to the end of the block to warm up the muscles. I followed it with a dip in the pool to ice it a bit. Then as I woke up today, it was even worse! I pathetically worked from home, but forced myself to limp to the gym in the late afternoon where I proceeded to stretch, massage, and do the arm portion of the routine. I avoided the squats that got me into trouble- and did a modified butt dip instead. (My own creation!) With luck tomorrow, I'll be back to the grind! She showed me a new elliptical alternative... Yes, I am going to cheat on my old machine... after all he was cheating on me with some anorexic in short-shorts. Hmmmmph!

Getting Enough?

I feel terrible for being off-line for so long. No worries though, my lack of writing does not mean I was off plan. Actually, I have been kicking some butt lately! My 4th of July/Labor Day challenge has resulted in just about 12 pounds of weight loss so far. I still have one full week to cap it off. Not bad for two months. Nice and consistent. It does help that I am continuing my stormy love affair with the elliptical machine- we have a sick and twisted relationship, so Mike doesn't have to worry... Yet.

It hasn't all been smiles though, work and back to school demands are definitely testing my ability to avoid stress eating. I'll even admit that some days I am the rock and other days... more of a giant jelly fish. Still, I have been able to stay on plan and avoid the spiral I typically would fall victim to when faced with some of the time management challenges. I think one of the things that has helped me the most was that three coworkers joined my WW meeting and another is considering. Helping them to understand the plan definitely helps me to stay more focused and cognizant of what I am doing on a day to day basis.

I'll share.

The first two weeks have been a bit hard on them. They are trying so hard, but seem to want to fall into old habits of eliminating almost all foods. They do this all day long so they can have more available points come the end of the day. Of course, come 6pm they are absolutely starving and the flood gates open and it becomes much harder to control what goes in. I can't blame them, I used to tell myself that smelling the salad bar counted as a vegetable serving! Oh, how the tables have turned, now I have become a loud and obnoxious drill sergeant, "More fruits, More Vegetables, More Water, More, More, More!"

We all know that in general we eat too much sugar, salt, and saturated fats... heck, most of us have a tendency too eat too much period! But what my journey with WW has taught me is that we eat or get too little of some items too. Whole grains, healthy oils/fish, fiber, vitamins/minerals, and exercise... so this week we are working ourselves out of the "but I don't like it" stage.

So I tried to recall what did it for me? What helped me to limit the "I wants" and focus on the "I needs?"

Hmmm... I guess I am a results oriented girl. Yes, this all takes some effort - Nothing new there. OHHH... but the great results. I'm not just talking scale here! Reducing my weight is helping me to avoid diseases and deficiencies too. I am literally lengthening my lifespan! I do have weeks where I am tempted to grumble about only losing .2 lbs, but it helps to mentally picture what I can do in 5 days. 5 days is the number I use to represent .2 of an 80 year lifespan. While it is definitely not scientific or factual; it keeps me from complaining about how little I lost and focus on what I have gained.

As they begin to see the results of all their efforts, I hope my coworkers realize that they are doing a great job! I know this is hard on them, but I am so very proud of all of their work. It gets easier- hang in there. Here comes week three- lets try some new foods!

P.S.
More Veggies!