Good Bye 2012, Hello 2013

    In just under 14 hours we welcome in a whole new year. Now everyone is thinking over their plans for 2013. Deciding on whether or not to make resolutions and what resolutions they will make and break this coming year.

    Last year I didn't make any resolutions.  I just kind of winged it all year. Which didn't work all that well for me. I think because I didn't start out with a goal or two that I had more trouble then usual in keeping them.  I have a plan for this year, because 2013 should be a great year.

   In honor of , hopefully, earning my bachelor's degree this year (I'm hoping for a December 2013 graduation) this year will be dubbed a year of finishing. My resolution this year is to finish everything I start. All my little hobby projects I've started, my weightloss/health projects, my household projects. I'm good at starting, just not finishing. So here's to finishing.

Well, the nurse practitioner I saw yesterday thinks it may be the lovely fellow H. Pylori causing my stomach pains.  I have to agree since I do have most of the symptoms. I'll know more sometime today when my lab results come in.
  
    Hubby mentioned that it's ironic that the one of us that actively tries to be healthy is the one of us that gets ill the most. Ha ha huh. Well, one of these days my body will get it right and I'll hardly be sick, right?

    I'm trying to start Hip Hop Abs (a Christmas present for myself) and today I thought I could do it. I made it through 16 minutes of the first dvd before having to stop.  My body was telling me to slow down I guess. That and my tummy is still feeling uncomfortable.  I'll get into a schedule soon, I'm sure.

   Well I guess I've got to go and get things done. I'm planning on chili and cornbread for dinner. I'm going to add some ground flaxseed to the cornbread to make it a bit healthier. The chili is being made with lean beef and beans and tomatoes. Our chili is fairly healthy and will be oh so yummy on this very brisk December day.

Still Hanging in there, sort of

    I'm trying to eat right, however exercise is put on hold for a few days. I've been having this incredible cramping pain in the epigastric region of my abdomen yesterday and today. Well actually I've had it a few times the past couple of weeks but it went away and so I ignored it. Yesterday it was horrible and debilitating. Today it's not as bad. Still hurts but not as often and the pain is a bit duller.  Hubby keeps mentioning taking me to a doctor, however I keep putting him off. I say as long as I don't turn yellow or start running a fever I'll be fine for a while. We haven't got the funds for a doctor visit and it's Christmas coming up very quickly and I don't want to worry about test results or anything till after the new year.

    I will go if the pain gets worse, or if I start changing colors or running a fever. I can handle a little (
okay a lot) of pain for a few days.  From what I could figure, it could be one of three things and I don't want to deal with them at this moment so I'm going to act like a man and ignore them. 

   So some exercise is out because lots of movement hurts. The most I've done since Tuesday afternoon is walk the big boy dog, Dude. He pulls on the leash quite bad and this causes me to tighten my stomach to keep him in line, which causes unpleasentness. However it's something since I walk him a minimum of two times a day.

    Well, I'll try to update at least once over the weekend. I hope everyone is having a great day.

Time to Begin Again

Now that I've finished another semester of college I can relax and work on getting my diet and fitness straight again before the next semester begins. I have one month to try and set up a plan. So I bought a new tool in order to do so.

It is an exercise tracker from Gold's Gym. It gives helpful hints to start on a healthy lifestyle. Has charts for food calories and calories burned from activites. There are 8 weeks of pages to plan and write down what you ate, and what you did activity wise. There are also some workouts listed using equipment most people have at home.  It's spiral bound in a hard cover and is a size that would fit nicely in my purse and/or gym bag. So I think it's worth what I paid, or I hope so.  I plan on starting tomorrow working on new goals.

One of my goals is to eat more vegetables.  So I'm going to try and eat a lacto-ovovegetarian type of diet for breakfast and lunch and snacks and eat like an omnivore for dinner.  I'm working out my meal plans in order to accomplish this. Because if I don't plan I'll eat whatever and whatever isn't always good.

I'm learning so much in my classes and need to start applying this knowledge to my daily life in order to be able to teach my future patients without looking like a hippocrite.

So here's to new beginnings and tomorrow always being a new day.

One of these days...

...I'll make a challenge stick.

Sorry for not updating sooner or more often.  I've been so busy and stressed about school that I have not been able to keep up with my personal challenge.  So what I'm doing instead is not worrying about calories in and calories out and trying to concentrate on just eating generally healthy and making sure I'm doing some type of exercise daily. I aim for an hour, but if all I get is 20 minutes then that's okay too.

It's never a good idea to try something new or break habits during a high stress period in your life. I know this, and yet I thought I could do it. However, it just became another source of frustration for me.  So I'm pausing this challenge for now and will pick it up later. Right now I have kids, tests, projects and other things in life to worry over. Also finals are less then a month away, yay.

I have a couple things that I'm doing for my classes that I will share with my dear readers once I complete them. One is a gluten free white cake I'm creating for my Experimental Foods class. I'm so impressed with this recipe. I started out with a dry awful tasting cake and now I have something that you probably couldn't discern from a traditional white cake. It's that yummy. High in calories, but yummy.

The other thing is I have to make a 2 day workout regimen for my resistance training class. Well, I don't HAVE to it's extra credit. I like extra credit so I'm going to do it anyway.  It will consist of a power exercise (think clean, jerks, snatches), a strength exercise (squats, presses), two accessory exercises (something that uses machines or dumbbells usually, leg press, curls) and an ab/core workout.  I love exercising with weights so this is something I'll probably make and do for my own enjoyment as well.

Well dear readers, I have a busy weekend(for the next couple weeks) and so must get off here and get something done before I have to be at work.  I also have one week and one day and I join the mid-thirties. I think this may be hard on me...

Day 10

First off, Happy 13th birthday to my middle son!  I think he was just two yesterday.

Anyway here is what I ate yesterday:
Breakfast:
1 cup of the kids' cereal
1/2 cup 2%milk
16 ounces of coffee
for a total of 209 calories

Lunch
Taco Bell nachos supreme express
for a total of 440 calories.

Dinner:
1 1/3 cups of mixed beans
for a total of 213 calories

Snacks:
1 swiss roll
1 nutty buddy
for a total of 543 calories

Exercise:
1 hour of Zumba -537 calories
26 minutes of Blogilates workouts - 80calories
for a total of 617 calories spent

I ended the day 439 calories under budget. Last night my muscles were good and sore, especially my triceps and obliques. I don't think I've ever done so many pushups as I have in the past couple days. I was going to go to the rec center on campus before class this morning but I think I'll skip it. I have my resistance training class and I want to save some of my shoulders for that.  I think I'll go to the church gym tomorrow if I don't work.
One of the trainers, who does the Tigers Feel Great program at school, saw me at the health fair yesterday the campus had. She asked why I didn't do the program this semester and how and what I was doing.  I wanted to do the program, but have classes during the times it's offered. I felt a bit guilty about not going to the rec center yet this semester. My immediate excuse was I didn't have the time, but I do have some time. I just need to get better at managing it and quit putting off assignments till the last minute.

Looking at my last few days food logs and I know I've been bad. I'm not eating a ton of calories but the majority of the calories have been from junk food it seems. That will not give my body the fuel it needs, I know. I put myself through a grueling pace mentally and physically and I need to eat nutrients that will give me energy to keep up the pace. Swiss rolls and nutty buddies have no real nutrients and I deserve better. I need to keep that in mind when the craving to grab something quick and easy to snack on hits.

Day 9

Nine days in on my own little personal challenge. I think all and all it's going well. Yesterday wasn't quite as bad as I feared, I think mainly due to my presentation being pushed back till the 18th.  Anyway here's what I ate and did:

Breakfast:
1 serving of my baked oatmeal
16 oz of coffee
for a total of 279 calories

Lunch:
Small serving of Chicken Teriyaki from school (I only ate a portion of what they served me)
A couple bites of Chow Mein (the noodles were way too greasy and I decided the taste wasn't worth the calories)
for a total of 201 calories

Dinner:
3 oz of pork roast
1 med baked potato
1 carrot
for a total of 453 calories

Snack: 
One package of peanut butter crackers
One 12 ounce Mountain Dew
for a total of 301 calories

Exercise
1 hour of weight lifting (class) -431 calories
35 minutes of pilates type exercises (Blogilates, love Cassey she's a great motivator) -101 calories
5 minutes of aerobic dance ( Blogilates Gangnam Style) -45 calories
25 minutes of walking -108 calories
total calorie expenditure is -685

I came in 691 calories under budget yesterday.Oh btw, I think I forgot to mention previously that Loseit.com shows my calorie budget as being 1,240. That number seems super low, but that's net calories. Calories left after exercise. The more I exercise, with their software, the more I can eat. Win, win huh.

Anyway I really need to eat a better lunch. Also, I tried to not drink soda but that last Dew in the fridge was more temptation then I could of handled so it had to go.

So far today I'm doing great, feeling great and think it's going to be a wonderful Wednesday. I'm going to finish up some stuff for Chem lab this morning and if I have time try to knock out some of today's workout before leaving for campus. I'm going to go to Zumba at noon then lab at 2 then rush home to attend my hybrid class (sometimes it's on campus and sometimes it's virtual).  I'm down 2lbs this morning, woot. My fat percentage is the same as it was the other day. Which is fine, it's still down. Maybe that's the way my body wants to work. I'm cool with it as long as it continues in the right trend.

Oh and a classmate of mine is a Beachbody coach and said she would bring me a sample of Shakeology to try. How great is that? I've been wanting to try it, but iffy about putting down the money for the program.

Have a fantastic day dear readers!

Updating and a Recipe

Well, I didn't do too bad over the weekend I think. I didn't log my foods and well, I didn't workout either. So maybe I didn't too well. My excuse is that Auntie Flo's visit was pretty rough and I just didn't feel like anything Saturday, and Sunday we had a family day of cleaning house (and I painted the hall closet). So I guess that counts as activity.  I was going to post yesterday but I ended up working and so I didn't log foods then either. However, I do count standing for 6 hours (3 hours then sit for 30 minute  15 minute lunch break then stand the last 3 hours) as exercise.

So I will log today, though I think I'm going to have a bad day so I'm not sure how well my diet will be. I'm a bit of an emotional eater and when a bad day strikes I either don't eat or reach for junk.  If I can make it through without wanting a Dr Pepper I'll be great.

Oh and here's my recipe for the day. Sorry no pics, the kiddies inhaled it as soon as I pulled it out of the oven, it was yummy. I'm loosely calling this a recipe, the amounts are an estimate as I was kinda just throwing things in a bowl and stirring. I did measure out the flour though.

Baked Oatmeal w/ Raisins 
serves about 8 or 4 hungry kids and one mom
~274 calories per serving, 5.2 g fat, 52.9mg chol., 211.2mg sodium, 52.1g carb, 4.3g fiber, 18.6g sugar, 6.6g protein.

2 1/2 cups old fashioned oatmeal
1 1/3 cups flour
1/2 brown sugar
1/4 tsp salt
2 tablespoons baking powder
1 cup of raisins
1/2 to 1 teaspoon cinnamon
2 teaspoons olive oil
2 eggs
1 cup almond milk (though I'm sure any milk will work)

Mix the dry ingredients, mix the wet ingredients then mix the two together.  Pour into a greased 8x11 (2qt) baking dish. Bake at 400 degrees (don't forget to preheat oven) for 30 minutes until golden brown and set (should bounce back when pressed like a cake).  Cut and enjoy.

We ate ours fresh out of the oven while it was still hot. If you're wanting a treat you could also take and make a simple sugar glaze with powdered sugar and milk and drizzle over the top. You could also add in any other fruit or nuts for a change.

Days 3 & 4

Well Wednesday kind of went to crap and I didn't log what I ate after breakfast. I would update it but honestly I can't remember.  By Thursday morning I was so stressed out about a class and trying to complete all the assignments for it, well my eating Thursday was not so good

Breakfast:
1 ho-ho
16 oz of coffee
for a total of 380 calories

lunch:
I had one of those little energy shot drinks around 11 am and then another about 6pm and called that lunch.
for a total of 6 calories

Dinner:
Hubby made a dish with mac & cheese, corn and tomatoes and ground beef. It wasn't too bad.
I guessed at the calories because I don't know the exact amounts he put in there
calories ~309

Exercise:
One hour of weightlifting in class
calories -433

So I came in 984 calories under budget yesterday. I don't mind coming in around 1-200 calories under. However, more than that and I'm not feeding myself what I need to give my body the energy it needs to work. If my body doesn't have the energy it needs it won't lose the weight.  Well, it may but I may end up giving up hard earned muscle rather than the fat I want to be rid of. Got to eat well to lose fat, I know I need to practice what I preach huh.

I also lost that pound I gained, knew it was just water weight. I also lost another 1% of body fat according to my scale. So the pounds aren't coming down but I'm losing fat. I'll take it, because this means I'm gaining muscle and that's much more important.

I have to work today and so lunch will be early, I'm thinking a can of Progressive soup (I got a free can in the mail the other day). High sodium, but everything else is okay. I also have a piece of spelt bread I baked in class the other day that I'm going to bring to work for a snack at break time. It smells so yummy with it's nutmeg, cinnamon and allspice spices. Breakfast today was a great scrambled egg dish with 1 lg egg, bell pepper, some onion and a jalapeno. Yum.

Have a great day dear readers. I may not update again until Monday as I have to study for an O. Chem test and spend some time with Hubby and the kiddies this weekend.

Week 1 days 1 and 2

Sorry I didn't post yesterday. I'm crazy busy with classes this week as one professor has decided to make 7 things due all in one week. Of course none of us have any idea on how to do what she wants because she's not explaining herself at all. Her answer is always "check the syllabus." Which is a non-answer.

Anyways, I've been keeping track of my food and exercise and here's how Monday looked:
Breakfast
16 oz coffee
English muffin with egg and a slice of cheese
total of 309 calories
Lunch
Sandwich with white bread, 2 oz of smoked ham, 1/2 of a small onion and 1 small bell pepper
and a tsp of spicy mustard.
total of 277 calories
Dinner
KFC chicken breast
1/2 cup of mashed potatoes and gravy
1/2 cup of coleslaw
8 steak cut fries
1 biscuit
3 fried chicken liver
total of 928 calories
Snacks
Owdalla sesame seed bar
hostess cupcake
total of 366 calories

Exercise
running 19 minutes, very slow -164calories
standing at work for 6 hours -517 calories
stretches for 20 minutes - 37 calories

Okay so dinner on Monday totally sucked. It was junky fast food. I had worked all day and so had Hubby and his dad(who is staying with us now) and so they offered to go and grab something for dinner. I also need to work on my sweet tooth. I've read where taking a bite of coconut oil may help, I think I'll try that when I am craving sweets.  According to loseit.com I still managed to come in 78 calories under budget. Not great but I'll take it.

And now for Tuesday:

Breakfast:
Ho ho
16 oz coffee
3/4 cup of fruit loops
1/2 cup of 2% milk
for a total of 557 calories
Lunch:
approx 2 cup Caesar salad with no dressing
1/2 L of water
a total of 120 calories
Dinner:
2 cups of homemade spaghetti
a total of 300 calories
Snacks:
Lg iced coffee with cream and sugar from Dunkin Donuts
total of about 220 calories

Exercises:
weightlifting 1 hr -431 calories
walking 25 minutes -108 calories

I definitely did not eat the breakfast of champions yesterday. I was in a  mood and didn't feel like cooking anything. I came in 612 calories under budget yesterday. A funny thing is I'm a pound heavier this morning, but my fat percentage is a little over 1% less then it was last time I weighed (a couple days ago).  It's coming upon that time of month, so I know I'm retaining water. That and my weightlifting class probably account for the changes.  I'm ready to see some positive changes though. I've been about the same size (give or take 10lbs) for the past 5 years. I have lots of fixing to do diet wise and I'll get there one day at a time.  Today has already started out better, yummy oatmeal for breakfast.  Also going to go to a Zumba class today so another 500+ calories will be burned at least.

Pre-Week 1

So tomorrow starts week 1 of my 8 week plan. Well, I've not had a chance to plan much out. I do have lots of ideas swimming around in my head.  One is to keep a food diary and share on here. I'm going to find my nutrients and such and critique how I did for that day.  I will then use my findings to do better the next day.
I'm also going to be writing what activity I did, because a lot of weight loss is calorie in versus calorie out.

I also have a goal of 3L of water per day.  This really isn't that hard for me as long as I use my favorite 32 oz  cup.  I have to work tomorrow, which means lots of talking and standing for six hours. Talking makes me thirsty so it will be simple to drink 1L during this time. I'm also going to work out in the morning with a 3mile run and some weights at the church gym. I should get about a liter of water then as well. My third liter will be consumed during the time I get home till I go to bed. As busy as I'll be I may be able to get a full gallon of water drank. As long as I don't drink soda.

So this is what I've got so for Monday. I'll let everyone know either Monday night or Tuesday morning how well I did.

Hmm

So, I signed up for a Klutchbox from the KLUTCHclub. I was so excited to get my first box, going by great reviews I've read and seen from other bloggers.  When I saw it had arrived yesterday in it's cute little black and gray box ( a very sturdy box btw, it will be great for wrapping Christmas presents in later) I was grinning ear to ear. I love getting stuff in the mail.  I opened it to see what booty I've scored. Here's what was in it :(sorry for no pictures but if you google you can find some soon I'm sure and on their facebook page is what comes in it this month).

A $50.00 gift card for iTrain
Unfortunately my code isn't working today for some reason.  I've emailed Klutchclub to see what's up with that. I can't wait to try it, the website looks neat and I could use the downloadable workout programs, music, and etc.

A $50.00 credit toward health and wellness services on Zeel.com
I'm not sure I'll use this one or not.  I may gift it to someone who might, or maybe set my Hubby up with a massage or a chiropractic appointment for his birthday. He's always getting sore muscles and back pains with the work he does.  Sometimes he's unable to lift his arms up over his head.

A container (it says 3 oz, but feels heavier to me) of Natural Calm anti-stress drink from Natural Vitality.
This has 325 mg of Magnesium per serving. Reading the directions I see "When bowels are comfortably loose, this is the optimal amount." Hmm, not sure about having loose bowels. I don't really have a problem in the area. Maybe that's just a case of bad wording?

2 packets of Eboost.
According to the packet this is a  proprietary formula of vitmans, minerals and super-nutrients to deliver a boost of energy and immunity. It says it contains no sugar and reading the label the sweetener I see is stevia leaf extract.  I hope this does as it claims, and it doesn't taste too bad. I could use boosts of energy and immunity.

A Cd called The Celtic Lounge II from Sequoia Records
This is great because I love celtic music for relaxing. The case says the cd also contains music video, so that's great too. I think I'll pop this in today while I'm studying for tests and doing homework later.

 4 tea samples from Taylors of Harrogate
 There is greent tea with lemon, organic chamomile, green tea with jasmine, and organic peppermint. I love drinking hot tea, especially since today is the first day of Fall and this past week the mornings have been getting quit cool. A horrible reminder that cold weather is around the corner.  My kiddies saw the tea and were already asking for it. I may have to make me a secret stash. They like hot tea as well.

A 2.5 oz shot of Dream Water
This says to drink about 30 minutes before time to relax and support a restful sleep. Especially during the semester I do have trouble falling asleep. It's like I can't get my brain to turn off and keep thinking about whatever. I sometimes take melatonin for this and this Dream Water has melatonin in its ingredient list. I'll try it in a couple days and see how it works.

Whole Food Bar from EcoTrek Fitness
This says it's gluten-free, has 6 servings of Fruit and Veggies, non dairy and has 10g of protein. It's the chocolate peant butter flavor. My kiddies were wanting to grab this out of the box as well. I don't have high hopes for this as most food/meal bars have a chalky taste to me. It's more noticeable in the ones with extra protein.  This ingredient list looks OK, I'm not fond of the added soy and brown rice syrup.

1 oz tube of Creamo Shave Cream
This says it's a highly concentrated 15+ day supply.  Apparently it only uses an almond sized amount when shaving. This will be neat to try, as I hate shaving and have to do it often or look like Big Foot's long lost sister. 

Anatomy Naturals revitalizing mud mask
There's no directions or anything on the label for this.  The mask smells minty and looks like it may be enough for one try.

Lauren Brooke Cometiques botanical lip gloss in winterberry
I like the color of this lip gloss and it came in a pretty little mesh bag with a 15% off your next order coupon. I went and checked their website and I don't find their prices to be too awfully bad for quality makeup.

Zenify stress relief drink
Okay so I opened this one up and tried it last night. My middle son took a taste of it and described it well. He said it was a fruity fizzy drink. I didn't care for it much and not sure it did anything for me. I was already tired but feeling a bit stressed out trying to figure out how a certain professor wanted a lab report done. I probably won't be buying this product in the future.

So there is my opinion on my first Klutchclub box. Overall I'm pleased and will continue to subscribe for the next few months (at least) to see if they continue to do well. I'm sure they will. Do any of my dear readers do subscripton boxes? I think it's an awesome way to try products I wouldn't want to spend a lot of money to try firt. I hope that last sentence made sense, it did in my head.

Have a great weekend and first day of Fall dear readers.

8 Weeks

In about 8 weeks I'll be heading into my mid 30s. I don't mind the age so much as I do the shape I'm in. So I'm going to try (again) to fix my diet and just continue to exercise like I am. I'm a dietetic student, I know what I should be eating and how I should be eating and what I don't know I'm learning in class.  I do not want to be an overweight dietitian.

So sometime in the next few days I'm going to work on an 8 week plan to get myself straight. One thing on the plan will be to try and not have Hubby do all the grocery shopping. The amount of junk food going through my house right now is ridiculous. Another major thing on the plan will be to plan and make some meals ahead.

Right now, though, I'm planning on going and getting a good nights sleep.  Sleep tight dear readers.

Clean-ing and Jerk-ing

Isn't wonderful when you attempt an exercise or a weight that you've never done before and you're successful doing it?
One of my classes this semester is a resistance training course. In this course we're learning all sorts of weight lifting techniques. So far it's been the push/pull, the jerk, front and back squats. Today we did the clean & jerk. I love this exercise, it makes you feel strong when you do it right. I decided to use the 45lb bar when it was my turn instead of the little 15lb one. Mainly because the 15lb bar makes me feel like I'm lifting nothing and I know if I want to get the technique right I need to feel it.  The other two ladies in the group with me (our class split into groups of 3 to work out) used the 15 pounder.

Anyway, I was able to get the bar up through the clean and do a split jerk with it. I need to work on the move because it just doesn't feel natural yet to me. I did it though. I was able to get 2-5 reps with each set before I had to stop due to my form giving way.

Well I'm off to fix dinner and get to doing homework. Have to get ready for O Chem lab tomorrow, fun stuff. Actually the lab usually is, lecture not always so much. I'm doing a zumba class before lab and going to the gym first thing to get in some weight training.   If I can discipline myself enough to correct my bad eating habits I will be looking f.i.n.e. fine by my birthday in November.

Have a great day dear readers.

What a Weekend

Sorry I've not been posting more lately. Between the kiddies all being back in school, work, and getting ready for my classes and life in general, I've been busy.  I've a million and one things to do this week to get ready for my classes starting next week, but I thought I would jump on here real quick  to let my dear readers know how my weekend went.

On Saturday I ran the Celebrate Munford 5k. I was hoping for a 36 minute finish, but ended up with a 39:10.  I haven't been training near as much as I should of and I think I forgot all about the hills on the course...or at least imagined them as less then they were. I still did better time-wise then I did last year. I came in at 39:45 last year. I was 200th place overall (I was looking at the results and a 81 year old man came in at 30:45, how amazing is that!).  The greatest thing to come from the race is my two youngest sons want to run the next 5k with me. There's one at the end of September I think we'll sign up for, I can't wait. It's sort of a dream of mine, since I started running again, to have my family with me in a race. My middle son says he's going to have me running everyday. So it looks like he's assigned himself as my personal trainer. 

Also on Saturday I started a new job. It's a new type of work for me, but I think I like it. However I wore the wrong shoes and so I was hurting when I got off work.  Standing for 6 hours in heels (no matter they were only like 2 inch chunky heels) right after running a race isn't a good idea. I was so sore and tired when I got home, I may of been a little cranky as well. I went to bed at 8:30 that night without telling anyone good night...I had debated on taking another shower or just going to bed and the bed was just much more inviting. I had taken a shower before going to work so I wasn't all icky or anything.

Sunday was my second day at work and I was kept so busy. 6 hours has never gone by so quickly, I love it. 

So now I'm getting ready to head to the gym to work out some sore muscles. My legs, and for some reason my back muscles, are feeling this past weekends activities. No pain, just the good soreness from being worked.  Have a great week dear readers, I'll try and update on how my August goals have gone/are going in a day or so.

A quick snapshot Hubby took of me at start of the race. Middle sons hands and my dear daughter are also in the picture.

Making Plans for August

So I've been thinking on what my plans and goals should be for August. I know one is a no-soda challenge. Another is to continue the 30 day Ab Challenge, I've had to restart this one but it's not failing unless you quit doing. I've not quit so I'm still good.

I'm going to be working on menu plans for this month. I think I'm going to do them one week at a time and find a good rotation that works for my bunch.  I'm going to be concentrating on freezer cooking for breakfasts and dinners, healthy school lunches for the kiddies and I, healthy after school snacks, crockpot meals  and easy meals for when Hubby has to fix dinner or we need something easy due to busy nights. I've got a ton of ideas on my Pinterest boards. Some are fine like they are, some I need to tweak to make them better.  

Non fitness/food related plans are homework for the kiddies. They do not have any assigned anymore. The teachers don't want to grade homework so they don't assign it  The kids are not taught cursive anymore. My fifteen year old cannot sign his name, it's embarrassing for him. His signature looks the same as it did in the 3rd grade, I hate it for him.  So I'm going to work with them all to give them the education that is lacking at school. I told my daughter the other day that we had three recesses, a 30 minute lunch and still learned more then they do today with their none to maybe one recess and, if they are lucky, 30 minute lunch.  I want to laugh when someone tells me kids are learning more in school today. Just go ask an eighth or ninth grader to do a paper including a resource/works cited page.  Find out if they can do simple multiplication or addition without the use of a calculator. I feel as if we have a ton of college dropouts coming because they've not ever been taught how to do that type of work. They're just not prepared for life after high school.

Anyway, enough of that soapbox, I'll step off for now. I hope all my dear readers are having a great week.

Do or Do Not...

The ladies who run Skinny Ms. website have posted another challenge. This is a 30 day ab challenge and I think I'll do this one.  I'm not going to try and do it, I'm going to finish it. Speaking of "try," I need to take a couple of words/phrases out of my vocabulary. One is the word "try," if I say try I'm automatically giving myself a way out. Say if I only finish a week of a 30 day challenge, well I tried...I didn't try, I got lazy and quit. For a while I'm taking the try out and putting do. I'm going to do this, I have to do this.

The other word is willpower. I'll drink a soda when we have it and just chalk it up to having no willpower. Another lazy way out, I can always choose not to drink. I'm using the word willpower as another excuse for bad decisions.

So from now on I won't try, I'll do. I won't say I have no willpower to stop something(or start). I'll just do it. I read it can take anywhere from 21 days to 60 days to create a new habit. I usually make it 2 weeks before I stop or slow down. I know I can battle through and make new habits. I can quit drinking soda, I can finish a 30 day challenge, I can stick with a workout plan. It's all a matter of determination, not willpower. Willpower is a human weakness, an excuse. I'm working on reducing my weakness, ending excuses. In the famous words of Yoda "Do or Do Not...There is no Try."

I hope you dear readers all have a wonderful weekend.

It's the 2nd week of July, already!

One day this summer feels like it's dragging by...then a week later I wonder where time has gone.  Sorry I haven't been posting much, between work and kiddies I've stayed busy.
I'm still going to the gym, just not as much as I should. Last week I only went once, this week I plan on going every other day and then working out at home in between times.  So yesterday I went did spin bike for a few minutes, ran/walk on the treadmill for about 15 minutes then 10x up and down the stairs(there's 26 of them, I counted yesterday).  I finished up with ab machine, leg press, leg extension, abductor/adductors and some decline crunches.
I plan on signing up for my next 5k this week. The race is next month, so I need to up my running so I can beat my time.  It's hard to run when morning temps are in the 80s and 90% humidity.  I can handle the heat no problem...the humidity saps my energy though.  I'm thinking of running in the late afternoon(about 5-6pm), but that has other issues as well. There's more traffic/people about, it's hotter(but less humid) and we're usually fixing/eating dinner at this time.  Oh well, I'll work it out somehow.
I guess I need to get off here and get moving, I've got a ton of outdoors/yard stuff I want to get done today and they're calling for rain this afternoon. I've got my fingers crossed that it rains and not just thunders and pretend like it's going to happen.  My veggies and flowers and water bill appreciate every little drop the clouds allow.

Juneathon Fail

Last week ended up being a wash exercise-wise for me. There was vacation bible school at church all week and I just didn't feel comfortable working out with all those people around(they said they averaged 400 kids a day). That time of month also kicked in and that made me feel washed out and tired most of the week.  So working out consisted of nearly nothing.

I'm making up for that this week.  Yesterday I did 30 minutes on the spin bike, ran up and walked down 2 flights of stairs 8x, 40-50 minutes of upper body using weight machines and free weights.  After about an hour and a half at the gym I came home and mowed my yard for another hour.  Oh and we do abs everyday yesterday and today I did 72 decline crunches and 72 reps on the ab machine. It's suppose to be 3 sets of 12 times 2, but I get in a groove and forget to pause between sets.  Oops. I usually do about 24 reps then pause for like 30 seconds then another 24 pause, then a 3rd set of 24.  I may need to increase my weight/difficulty.

Oh and I've been asked if I can help some of the other church member with making healthy choices with food/eating. I'll probably enlist the help of another dietetic student who is working out with us, if she's comfortable with it. I have no problems sharing with others the things I learn in class as long as they don't request meal plans.  I don't want to get accused of working without a license and there is a fine line.  I'm sure showing people proper serving sizes and how to make better choices is fine because the SDA does that all the time.

On a good note, one of the ladies working out today was talking to me about her junk food cravings and asked what I thought. She was happy to have some of her questions answered and said maybe God was making this a calling for me. I know was feeling good about talking with her and I really love learning about nutrition and how it affects our bodies. So maybe she's right. As I finish my undergrad I'm so happy to feel as I'm on the right path.

Well, I want to do some more things before my workout high wears off so I guess I need to get off of here and get them done. Have a wonderful day dear readers.

Day's 2 and 3 of Juneathon

Day 2 I sorta took a rest day. Between taking oldest son to his Civil Air Patrol meeting and picking middle son up from a sleepover, then doing other odds and ends around the house...I just didn't get around to working out. The most I did was walk around Wal-mart for an hour. So that will have to count as my exercise for day 2 of Juneathon.

Today is day 3 and we went to church this morning and now we are working in the garden. Planting, weeding and going up and down the hill that is my yard is plenty of exercise. It's like a whole afternoon full of squats. I had thought of going for a run, but I keep hearing thunder and so I think staying at the house is better for today.    I may get on my gazelle this evening and do a few miles that way.

Tomorrow is Monday so I'll be at the gym. Some of the ladies I usually work out with won't be there due to vacation bible school. So I may be by myself. If so I'll get a long walk/run in on the treadmill before hitting the weights.  I hope all my dear readers are having a wonderful Sunday.

Day 1 of Juneathon 2012

I didn't run today but I did go to the gym and walked at a brisk pace on the treadmill for 30 minutes (3.7mph with a incline of 4).  Then did 8 stair repeats and finished with 45 minutes of weight training working upper body. Oh and I forgot to add in decline sit ups and ab machine to my log on runningfreeonline.com. 2 hours at the gym and I feel great, hungry now, but great.

So I'm going to go and fix some lunch then check out the other Juneathoners. Hope everyone is having a great Friday.

Last Day of May

I just thought I would write a quick post and update my dear readers on how my work out plan is going. Well, I haven't been running much the past week and a half/two weeks. I tried the other day got about a mile and a half in and had to stop. I have trouble with endurance when the humidity reaches 70% and higher. My energy just saps, my breathing becomes harder and going just one more step seems nearly impossible.  So I'm going to have to plan my outside runs on days when humidity is lower. High temps don't seem to bother me much, but when we get "the air you can wear." Ugh.  I may start running later in the day instead of the morning...it will be hotter, but humidity is less.  As long as I stay hydrated I'll be fine.
On a plus side, I've been going to my church's gym and working out since Tuesday this week.  How awesome is it that my church has a free gym with a weight room and cardio room for their members.  They may not have the number of machines that other gyms have, but it's there and available for use from 8am- 4:30pm(I think) Monday through Friday.
Another disadvantage is no personal trainers, but there is a lady who uses what she learned and encourages everyone in their own journeys. I don't see nothing wrong with it as long as it's general advice.

So, I've been doing 30 minutes on a cardio machine (options here are treadmill, bike, or elliptical) then 8x up and down 2 flights of stairs, then weights(alternating upper body and lower body each day). Since it is small gym if there is more then a couple people there you end up waiting for equipment.  I don't mind, it gives me a chance to catch my breathe.

Tomorrow starts Juneathon and I'll be blogging about my run/workout everyday for the month of June. I love activities that involve accountability. That's why I like challenges. Especially ones where there is no winning or losing, just personal growth. Like the one Tiffany from The Gracious Pantry has started on Facebook.  It all started with a friendly competition between her and a friend. Now, it's grown into a group of currently 352 participants on Facebook. The challenge starts Monday and lasts 3 or 6 months, however long you want to go for. I decided on 6 months, because I want to look great by my birthday in November and I'm hoping to better my consistency with eating clean and working out. No more of doing really good for a few weeks then stopping, rinse and repeat. Anyway, if you're interested just go to the group page on Facebook and join in.

Well dear readers, it's time to put on my workout clothes and get my sweat on. I hope you all have a great day.

Yay it's Friday

I've done well this week. I've ran 4.67 miles, I've mowed about an acre of yard, I've burned approximately 1,919 calories. Oh well that should be more, I did pitch baseball to my middle son some last night. We had fun, even though the little brat hit me in the head with the ball. I'm fine, no bruises thanks to the cap I was wearing(I think the bill of the cap took the brunt of it). We laughed about it so it's all good.

I was browsing challenges on Tribesports this morning and came across one called Juneathon.  It's a challenge where you log a run (or a workout) and blog about it everyday in June.  I thought it sounded right up my alley, so I signed up. If you're interested in trying it go to the Juneathon website, read the rules and join.

Well I've got to make this one short as I have to leave to watch youngest son's field day at school. He's looking  forward to me being there as I've missed most of them due to work the past few years. Have a wonderful weekend dear readers.

Halfway Through

It's Wednesday so the weeks half over, Yay!
I'm doing okay on exercise this week, so far. I've done Supreme 90 days Monday and this morning. I ran 2.67 miles yesterday. According to mapmyrun.com I've burned 705 calories this week. I think it's awesome since I've still got the rest of today, tomorrow, Friday, and Saturday to go through.

Not much else to blog about really. I drank a bodybyVi  shake after my workout this morning. I tried a small sample at a woman's ministry banquet at church a couple weeks ago and thought it was pretty good. I was thinking this morning how yummy it would be to mix it with milk and ice in a blender and have a cold milkshake.  I really like and am trying to decide if I could justify the cost and try their 90 day challenge. Not sure, because I really do like to eat my meals rather then drink them. I do think the shakes are good for post workout or a snack or if you have to have something in a hurry. They're yummy too, much better then Slim-fast.

Anyway, not trying to sell, just procrastinate a bit before I go and mow our behemoth of a yard. 1.3 acres and uphill both ways, with a push mower. I look at it as a great leg workout and really need to get it done before it reaches jungle status. We're at 79 degrees now, suppose to reach 86 (I bet we hit 90). At least the humidity is only 49% right now. I love hot weather. My mother-in-law is visiting us and since she's overweight and gets hot easily we've been keeping the house rather cool. I keep having to go outside and thaw out. I love that she finally got a chance to visit us after living here 4 years now, but I have to say I'll be glad when she goes home so that I can get my home at a more comfortable temp for me.
Anyway have a great day dear readers, I plan to.

Summer Plans

Well, I made it through finals and did well in most of my classes except for Organic Chemistry. I'm going to have to retake that one this fall. I was going to do it this summer but I didn't have the financial aid available to take any classes.

So I'm making my summer plans and here they are:

1. Find part time work
2. Begin a 10k training plan
• I would really like to run a 10k this year, plus this would help my 5k times.
• I'm going to use this plan from Hal Higdon 
3. Strength train at least 3x a week.
• I'm going to use Supreme 90 Day for this.
4. Fix my diet
• It's definitely broken. I've been eating way too much processed foods, sugar and junk lately. My gardens are beginning to produce so lots of fresh veggies are beginning to come my way. I'm going to try and grow more this year, changing what I plant with the seasons. Where I live about the only time you cannot grow something is January and February. Even then you still may be able to coax some greens to grow even then as long as you have something to protect them from the few days of freezing we get.
5. Have fun
• I'm not taking classes this summer so I have more time to spend with the kiddies. I plan on using some time each day to play with them. They're getting older (I'll have two in high school in August, how did that happen?) and I need to make the most of this time.
• We're also making tentative plans to take a long weekend and go to a river this summer. We've never taken time for just the six of us. It's always been visiting family. Then we get stuck helping others and the whole weekend has been wasted and we come home feeling dejected and so glad to be away from everyone. So we want to take a mini-cation; camping, fishing, swimming, doing whatever we feel like. Without the pressures of others trying to dictate how we should spend our limited time.  Since were we plan on going will be near relatives, we plan on not telling anyone when or where. I'm so looking forward to it.

So far that's all I have. A fairly relaxing couple of months then I kick back in high gear to finish my last few semesters of college. 

Pork, Greens and Beans, Yellow Rice.

Tonight's dinner was a bit of a throw together(okay so most nights are this way, I suck at meal planning). I had pork chops/steaks thawed out but nothing else planned.  So I went out to the garden and saw I had some radishes that were ready for harvest. I pull these thinking I could fix these and their greens for dinner. I then look at my collard and turnip greens. Those are big enough to pick as well. So I get a few of each to go with dinner. Next I decide on rice for another side. I wasn't sure how I wanted to fix it so I turn to Google.  I find a rice pilaf recipe that gave me another idea. So here it is. A total of approximately: 426.2 Calories, 18.7 g of total fat, 36g of total carbohydrate, 10g of dietary fiber, 0.4g of sugar, and 28.2g of protein.

For the pork I just took 5 chops/steaks and put black pepper, salt and garlic powder over them. Drizzled about 2 tbsp of Italian dressing and stuck them in the oven. I baked them at 425-450 for about 20 minutes then turned the temp down to 375 and kept them there till they were done. I didn't time it so I have now idea how long it was. I know that when everything else was done so were they.

Here's the approximate nutrition data figured up at sparkrecipes.com:

Pork Chops

Nutrition Facts

  6 Servings

Amount Per Serving

  Calories

195.3

  Total Fat

12.2 g

  Saturated Fat

4.0 g

  Polyunsaturated Fat

2.2 g  

  Monounsaturated Fat

4.8 g

  Cholesterol

59.5 mg

  Sodium

467.2 mg

  Potassium

251.3 mg

  Total Carbohydrate

0.9 g   

  Dietary Fiber

0.1 g   

  Sugars

0.0 g

  Protein

19.4 g

My yellow rice was started by heating a pan with a small amount of oil. I then added 2 cups of white rice and about 1 tablespoon of dry, minced onion and cooked them till they got slightly translucent and began to brown. At the same time I had 2 chicken bullion cubes in 4 cups of water heating in a medium sized saucepan.  When the rice was done browning/turning translucent I added it to the boiling water and completed cooking according to rice package directions.  Here is also where I should of done something different. I added the turmeric, salt and ginger at the end of cooking and I should of done it when the rice went in the water. So here add 1 tsp of turmeric, 1/2 to 1 tsp of salt, and 1/2 tsp of ground ginger to rice. Cook till done. 

The approximate nutrition data for the rice is:

Yellow Rice 

Nutrition Facts

8 servings

Calories 57.8

Total Fat 0.2g

Saturated fat 0.0g

Monounsaturated fat 0.0g

Cholesterol 0.0mg

Sodium 521.4mg

Potassium 38.0mg

Total Carbohydrate 12.2 g

Dietary fiber 0.4g

Sugars 0.0g

Protein 1.2g

I was going to just saute the greens in butter, roast the radishes and add them together.
Unfortunately I overestimated the amount of greens I had harvested. As i was cooking them I noticed they were cooking down to nothing. So I opened up two cans of light red kidney beans, drained and rinsed them, and added them to the greens and radishes. I then added some garlic powder, black pepper and salt. There was also about 3 tablespoons of butter and 1 cup of water with a beef bullion cube in the dish. I sauteed/pan roasted/steamed...okay how about cooked...cooked the radishes in the water/bullion and 1 tablespoon of unsalted butter. I then added the greens, two more tablespoons of butter, seasonings and sauteed them till soft. I next added the beans and cooked till heated.


Here is the nutrition data for Beans and Greens:
6 servings
Calories 173.1
Total Fat 6.3g
Saturated fat 3.7g
Polyunsaturated fat 0.5g
Monounsaturated fat 1.7g
Cholesterol 15.5 mg
Sodium 1,024.9mg (I'm not sure what's up with this number)
Potassium 446.6 mg
Total Carbohydrate 22.9g
Dietary Fiber 9.5g
Sugars 0.4g
Protein 7.6g


Tonight's meal went over well with my boys calling dibs on leftover rice for tomorrow.  Since they don't usually eat rice unless it's made sweet or drowning in gravy, this is a definite win.

Soda Update and a Weigh in Today

Well I had to slip a bit on my no soda challenge over the weekend.  I hadn't felt good for a couple days, just extra sleepy, but chalked it up to it being that time of month coming. On Saturday I woke up and felt like I hadn't slept in 2 days(I've done that before and know what it feels like). I couldn't go back to sleep as one son had baseball practice, another had a civil air patrol meeting (this is where I'm so glad Hubby was home) at the same time. So I chose to take youngest son to his practice and Hubby took the oldest off. I made it through this and got home ate lunch and all I wanted to do was curl up on my recliner and sleep. Actually, I chose Hubby's recliner instead (his is bigger and one of the kiddies was sitting in mine) and tried to nap.  None doing since the kiddies were home. I kind of just dozed off and on while watching Mary Poppins.

Well the evening comes along and we go to Walmart for some last minute Easter shopping for the kiddies (they're getting too old for egg hunting but we still wanted to treat them). While we were waiting in checkout I started feeling more off and that led to feeling nauseous as we were leaving. The bad kind of feeling were you're not sure if your going to puke or faint. So I had Hubby get me a ginger ale in hopes of settling my stomach/system.  So there is where I kinda blew my soda challenge. However, since it was for an illness I think I'll count is a medicinal use instead. I think I'll add an extra day and go to the 1st instead of the 30th though just to be good.

Today with my Tigers Feel Great wellness class is our final weigh in/class. I'm kinda nervous, I feel like I'm in better shape. However my scale hasn't moved this semester.  I think I've gained muscle because I feel stronger, my stomach feels flatter(I need to take some measurements and see). My clothes aren't fitting tighter so I know I haven't gained weight. I think my calves are smaller, they look stronger. I can run a bit faster and a bit longer. They record weight, bmi and fat percentage (using one of those handheld machines) and blood pressure. I usually just go by my bmi and fat percentage and try to ignore the scale. Though I think I'll eat light for breakfast and lunch anyway.

Have a great day dear readers.

So Far So Good

Here it is Wednesday, April 4th and I'm still doing great on not drinking soda.  Yesterday I almost got a sweet tea from McDonald's but decided against it. Sweet tea is no better then soda pop and sometimes worse. So I got a large unsweet iced tea and that hit the spot.  I don't usually go to McDonald's after class but it was hot and in my truck the heater runs constantly and having a really cold drink on the 45 minute drive home is much welcome.  I may want to get that fixed before the heat really gets here.  Right now our highs have been in the mid to upper 80s, so not so bad ( unless your heater is running pushing that temp up).  I'm so cold-natured that windows down and a cold drink is fine now. However, when we get to the 90s and triple digits I may be singing a different tune.

Anyway, I didn't crave any sodas yesterday. I was fine with my tea, water and a small cup of juice.  About to hit the gym for some weight lifting (I think I'll do an upper body workout today) and a 30 minute run on the treadmill.  I'm dragging a bit this morning because Hubby and I stayed up late last night watching King of Kings on the church channel (I'm not sure of the name of it).  I had forgotten how long it was and after 2 1/2 hours watching we decided to call it a night...I'm sure the movie had another 30 minutes left.

Day 1 of a Soda Free April

Today has been just great. Got up, went to church and listened to an excellent lesson about the Golden Rule and not judging people (guiding yes, judging no). Preacher preached a sermon on being there for God and ministering to people.
Then went home ate a quick sandwich (okay two, 'cause I was hungry) for lunch and checked emails and Facebook. Then got to work on the gardens, and mowed the yard.

Best thing is I only once craved a soda and I didn't give in to it. I figured I just was wanting something sweet and put some ice in a glass and poured me some apple juice (100% juice no sugar added).  That hit the spot.

I'm feeling great, I've not had any energy drags. Well till now, but I have: mowed about 1/2 an acre of yard (all on a hill); pulled weeds and planted for 30-45 minutes; and did a mini workout of lunges, squats and crunches. Plus getting dinner together, trying to get kids to do chores and other odds and ends.  Still have a bit of housework and homework left.  Still, while I'm dragging  a small bit, I feel like I've got some energy reserves left.  I personally think the excess sugar in soda makes me more tired then I should be.

I also watched this interesting segment on 60 minutes tonight about sugar being toxic.  The doctors in the segment say cancer loves it, it works like drugs and alcohol in our brains, and we consume way too much of it. The doctor in the segment recommends that men get no more then 150 calories a day and women no more then 100 calories a day of sugar.  Also an interesting fact was that in humans early years we associated fructose with safe food.  Basically if it tasted sweet it was good for us.  However that fructose came from fruit and we didn't eat as much of it as we do now.

Once Again, This Time With Enthusiasm

I'm going to quit drinking soda pop, again, I hope, no I will.  I'm getting my game plan all set. I bought a what was labelled as a refrigerator bottle to make tea in and put in the fridge for easy access. I plan on getting some juices and sparkling water/club soda for when I want something sweet and bubbly.  I'm going to workout instead of reach for a Dr. Pepper when I feel stressed (I have finals in four weeks...stress is building).

I'm challenging myself this month to no soda at all. Even if the hubby brings some home I'm not drinking it, I'm not really, I swear. I've laid off soda and it would work for anywhere from a day to nearly a month.  Then I would "have just one sip" and all bets were off.

I want abs, I want to see the six pack that's hiding under these fat. I cannot get that by just doing crunches and ab machines. No matter how far I run I cannot out run fat if I keep drinking/eating crap.  Since baby steps work better for me then great big leaps, I'm starting with soda.  I'm hoping to pick up more clean eating habits as my garden grows, but this is something I have to get my whole family (especially hubby) on board with.

Race Results

The results from the Mito What 5k I ran last Saturday are finally in. Here's how I did:

• out of 258 runners I placed 116th
• out of 25 runners in my age/sex group I placed 13th
• my time was 37:03

While I'm happy with these results, I know I could of done much better if I trained just a little bit harder. I think I ran a total of 6-7 miles the past two weeks and only a mile or two the week before. I was only spending one or two days a week in the gym and too many days on my behind.

I don't know when my next race will be. There is one in August that I want to run, but I would like to do at least one more before then.  There's a free on April 13th on campus that I may try to do. I'm not sure I can get there in time though. It starts at 7:00 am, but I can't usually leave the house before 6:35 because of the kiddies.

I may try though...maybe the race will start a bit late and I  can get in at the end of the pack.

My First 5k of 2012

It appears that I finished in just over 37 minutes and I'm very happy with that number.  My last race was in more then 45 minutes due to me injuring my ankle be twisting it during a fall before the first mile. The race before that I ran in 39:45. So 37 minutes is great.  I was aiming for 36 minutes, but I'll accept this.  I share when I find out the official time later. Right now I'm enjoying my post race glow and getting ready for youngest son's baseball practice.

It's a beautiful morning today.  I had plans on running nearly three miles at the golf course/park after dropping oldest son at his civil air patrol meeting.  However, I get there and I see several cars in the parking lot. I see a group of about 5-7 men playing disc golf. I see 2 more cars pull in to either fish or play disc golf.
I get self-conscious about hitting the pavement.  So I take off my mp3 player, I put my keys back in the ignition and I leave.

I don't know why I get this way...well, actually I do, but I don't know how to fix it.  I'm a little self-conscious when I go to the gym, but that feeling goes away once I get working out.  I think this is partly due to the variety of people there.  Also, no one is staring at you there, they're all busy getting their own workout done to care how you look doing yours.  Only thing I ever have anyone say is "Good job" on a day I was really working up a sweat.  Everyone has the same goal, just at different levels of achieving it.

However when you go outside and run people stare.  I really don't like to run after say 8am on weekend mornings because of this. I'm not some skinny, in shape, fit looking person.  I'm overweight and have more jiggle then I care to have.  I worry about how I'm looking in my shorts/capris. I worry if any stomach or back skin is showing (sometimes my shorts slip down, but it's not like I'm flopping around a belly roll, but I get nervous showing too much). I worry when my shorts ride up too high on my thighs.  I end up thinking over all the wrong things instead of concentrating on my run. Is my form good? Am I going heel first? Do I need to correct anything? Is there a car coming?

If I'm out before anyone is really up and going then it's great.  All there is, is the sound of sneakers on pavement and music playing softly in my ear (I keep it to where I can just hear it so that I can hear sounds around me as well). The birds are chirping, wind blowing my hair. I'm feeling great, got that running high going on.  The minute  I start to see people sitting on their porch smoking their morning cigarette that feeling goes away and I just want to hurry up and get done.

This morning I was thinking that maybe having a running partner would help.  Someone to run and talk with to keep my mind off my surroundings.  I may enlist one of my kiddies for that position, they're old enough and I'm slow so they would have no problem keeping up with me.  Adults I know, that work out, seem to prefer to do it in the gym or at home on the treadmill.  They're the walkers, the just barely want to break a sweat people.  You know the type...their make up is still in place when they get done...they wear make up.

When I get done working out I want to be red faced, sweaty, ponytail done slipped and big smile on my face.

Staying Motivated With a New Challenge

One of my biggest hurdles is staying motivated, keeping on track.  I start good, I'm just not good at finishing.  I'm real good at backsliding.
Challenges help me somewhat, especially if it's one where I feel I'll be held accountable for finishing.  They give me a set time, a set goal. I can make lots of goals, just not a lot of good goals.  A good goal follows the SMART acronym: Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic, Timely.  Just saying I want to lose weight is not a good goal.  Saying I want to lift weights 3x a week is a good goal. I'm going to give up soda=not a good goal. I'm going to give up soda for 1 week = good goal. After you complete the goal you reassess and see what your next goal will be.  I know how to set good goals, I just fail to in my own life.

Challenges help me do what I know how to do but for whatever reason can't.  So, I've signed up for another challenge and this one is 1 Month No Sweets Challenge on weighttraining.com. I got this link from the Athletarian's post.

So here's to reading labels and trying to fight this never ending sweet tooth I seem to of developed since the start of Spring semester (I blame Organic Chemistry).

Catching Up

Wow, it's been just over a month since my last post. Sorry, February was a busy month for me. That cold I last blogged about turned into bronchitis and so I was fairly sick for a week or so, and then had a cough that lingered on for another week.  I'm better now though, except for normal seasonal runny nose and stuff. No coughing so that's wonderful.
This week is my Spring break and my plans are to catch up on studying, catch up on exercises and catch up on yardwork.  Oh and cleaning, got to throw that in there as well.  I'm planning on a busy 5-6 days.
I'm also restarting the Supreme 90 Day workouts.  I only made it to day 12 last time and got behind, so I'm going to restart those and see how it goes.
My mom asked if I could write her up a meal plan and so I've got to work on that as well (though I'm wondering if she realizes how much work goes into making on up). I'll get one done and sent to her and then explain it better when (if?) we go up later this month.  She's wanting to make changes and have a healthier lifestyles and I'm all for that. She has a meat and potatoes husband who may be a little harder to go along with stuff, but I have ideas for working around that as well. She also said she only eats vegetables like 3x a week! I think my jaw dropped on that. I eat 2-3 big servings of veggies a day (and probably should eat more). I couldn't imagine only eating that per week. No wonder she's tired and down...my guess is I should recommend she try a fiber supplement (and lots of water) for a while too.  Now, for disclosure, I'm not doing any of this for money. I'm not recommending any kind of medicine (other then maybe a few otc supplements like cod liver oil and fiber).  I'm using sites like myplate.gov and other information that anyone with a few minutes and internet access could use.  I don't want anyone to think I'm giving medical advice or working as a rd when I'm just a student. I constantly tell her to tell her doctors everything she's eating, taking, doing, so that they can work with her and her prescriptions.
For my own eating goals, this week(starting today) I'm going no added white sugar.  I've been on a sweets binge lately and I know I have got to get this under control.  So far so good I had some puffed red wheat cereal (I love the ingredient list all it says is: whole red wheat). It's Alf's Natural Nutrition and is only 1.00 a bag at Walmart. I did add just a teaspoon of local honey to it for sweetening and flavor as the cereal itself is rather bland. It has only 70 calories(before 2% milk) 2 g of dietary fiber and 2 g of protein and no sugars. So cheap and good for you sounds great.  I'm going to hard boil an egg for after my workout this morning because I do need more protein for muscle.
Well time to go get started, I have a 5k I'm running in just over 2 weeks and am not quite ready for. Have a great day dear readers.

Go Away Icky Bugs

   I want this nasty, yucky cold to leave my body.  I'm through with the constantly running nose.  The stuffy feeling brain/head, I swear I cannot even think straight. The sore throat, which is being exacerbated by a cough I seemed to of developed overnight.  This is only the beginning of day 3 of this cold, it started Tuesday afternoon.  Well the symptoms kicked in then anyway.  Since no one in the home has had a cold like this I most likely got the virus from school.  Monday night I only got like 5 hours (tops) of sleep so that probably what kicked it in gear.  It seems to happen every time I get less sleep then I need.  I had not been sleeping well anyway due to Hubby working overnight the past couple weeks.  This week he is on days, but next back to overnights. Sleep is very important to your health. If you don't think so, then try doing without and see what happens.  Actually, I don't advise that.  I advise that you get the recommended 7-8 hours of sleep a night.  I can usually get by with 6 for a couple days, but my body will make me sleep in as soon as I can.  I also require naps on those days as I'm dragging by 3 or 4pm.
  So my goals to kick this cold in the rear and get back on track is for the next few days: increase my fluids, especially water; rest, I'm not worried so much about the gym when I can barely breathe; take my vitamins, I believe the extra bit helps during times like this...even if it may be a placebo effect; cut back or out on sugar, this is hard because when I don't feel well I want comfort foods and that bar of chocolate looks awfully comforting.
  So I guess it's time to take my snotty, hacking self to school and try to avoid passing this on to anyone else.  Because that's just not nice.

New Week, New Plan

Well, sort of anyway. I did make it to the gym Wednesday and Thursday morning last week. I felt like I was able to accomplish most everything I had planned on. Still need to work on a study schedule though.  Hubby woke me up a 3:30 am on Friday(after I had had trouble falling asleep and didn't really get to sleep until midnight) and so by the time I was suppose to head out for gym/class I was dozing off and having trouble staying awake.  I don't drive if I'm too sleepy and it's useless to go to class and end up sleeping through the entire lecture. So I skipped Friday so that I could get some much needed rest.  I'm making a goal of only one missed class per course this semester so I guess that's it for Microbiology.
So this weeks plan is via Muscle & Fitness magazine's MF Trainer website .  Some days I don't mind going in without a plan just a general idea of what I would like to do. Most days I need a plan of action or I just randomly go from machine to machine, exercise to exercise and feel like I've not worked hard enough.
I'm still going to to the Supreme 90 Day, I just have to get back in to it.  I'm aiming for that tonight, exercising at about 7:30-8pm actually helps me sleep better it seems.
Well gotta get a move on if I'm going to get anything done today.

Plans are Made for Changing

I didn't go to the gym yesterday and Monday was a total waste.  Monday the kids and I were home due to MLK day. I was hoping to get sooo much done, I got little to nothing. My lovely daughter (who I want to shake) decided that was the day to work on her Science fair project that was due Tuesday.  So I had to help her with that, though I shouldn't of since it was assigned early December and she's had all this time to do it, but wouldn't. I had gotten tired of reminding her everyday to work on it. Then I got busy with my own classes and forgot.  Well that is something for my other blog. Anyway, between trying to get some household choirs done and the kids I couldn't get a workout in.
So I was thinking, Tuesday, Tuesday I'll get something in.  Nope, I'm trying to stay ahead with my classes so when my last class let out instead of heading to the gym I headed home to get an hour and a half of uninterrupted studying done.  I would of done more but the kiddies all came home with all their chaos and my lovely daughter said that she had to rewrite her abstract and didn't know if it had to be 9 paragraphs or 9 pages. Then as she was trying to figure that out she finally reads her instructions and realizes that she has to write a research paper as well. Not going to happen sweetheart. There is no way to write a research paper, start to finish, in the 2 hours you have before bed.  Hence the reason why I want to shake her.
So I'm going to try something different for the rest of this week. I'm going to leave the house early so I can get some gym time before class then after class I can come home to quiet and study.  Wish me luck that I can make this stick.

Workout Catchup

Sorry I've not posted in nearly two weeks. Spring semester just started and I had other things to do that took precedent. Anyway I kind of got off track after day 11.  Day 11 was my second day of Tabata Inferno, and I have to say it wasn't much easier second time around. Still liked it.  However after that I kept getting sidetracked and seem to keep not doing day 12.  I should be on day 21 today, but as you can read I'm way behind.
I'm hoping to settle into a routine this week or next. I'm going to do day 12 tonight after church and go on from there.  Stopping a workout routine is not a problem as long as you pick it back up ASAP. I did do 45 minutes at the gym on Thursday and will do 45-60 minutes Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday this week.  Days 13 and 14 of S90D are Cardio and Legs so I may double up on them tomorrow.

Days 7, 8 & 9 and progress update

Day 8 I did yesterday, I just didn't get a chance to blog because Hubby was home all day and commandeered the desktop.  This left me with a barely working laptop that won't let me use my blogger.  So yesterday was Chest/Back again. I increased my dumbbells from 5lbs to about 8lbs (one dumbbell was 1/2lb lighter because I couldn't find the right weight for it, they're adjustable ones) for several of the exercises and feel like that helped tremendously.
I also forgot to blog day 7, sorry. Legs workout was awesome, though I've got to figure out why my right knee keeps crackling. It doesn't hurt so it may just be air pockets.  I figure I'll get some joint supplements and see if that helps.  I don't think it's from age, actually it may because I haven't ran in like 4 weeks and the muscles around have weakened a little.  So some supplements and strengthening and I should be as good as new.
Today, Day 9, was the Ultimate ball workout again.  My chest muscles are screaming and  I could feel all my ab muscles working hard during the dvd.
Tomorrow is a rest day, but I doubt I'll do much resting.  Even with knowing that Tabata inferno comes afterward, I still feel the need to workout 7 days a week right now.  If I had less to lose, not as far to go to achieve my fitness goals I may take one.  However, since I've got a ways to go I'm going to push through. Besides, I did take an unscheduled day off on Sunday.  I did double on Monday to make up for it, but it was still a rest day.
My current stats are:
weight; 168lbs (up another pound, I really need to get my diet under control)
Chest: 37 inches (down .5")
Waist: 35.5" (up1.5" this is where that extra pound is I bet..again it's all diet)
Hips: 41" (no change)

So goals for this next week are to clean up my diet. I've eaten to much junk (sugar, highly processed foods)  and it's showing.  I also need to continue with my workouts as I'm enjoying S90D so far and am hoping to see results soon.