Cold

I wouldn't say I have a cold, just clogged and faucet all at the same time. Nice. So I took Friday, Saturday and Sunday off. Sunday we went on a family bike ride, that was mild cardio. We had a great time. Funny when you are stopped up salads, good snacks, and all that stuff does not go down well. So my eating has lacked a little, but I'm not upset about it. Still no cokes or sweets. Cokes are always good for a cold!!!

Today I am heading back to the gym, but will probably take it easier than I really want to. That and my neck is still mildly stiff. It is becoming annoying. I am having another massage this week, hopefully that will help.

This week I must ramp back up on my cardio, if it kills me. What good is being toned if I'm not fit cardio-wise. I don't want to just sit and look pretty, I have 2 boys to keep up with. Being pretty doesn't hurt, but that does not shape who I am as a person.

Clothing

Here was a comment from JRo, after I left her a voicemail today...

JRo said...
Congrats on the lack of clothing! haha! Way To GO!

I tried on all my clothes from this time last year and Winter time. Nothing, I mean NOTHING fit. I have a huge pile on my bed that will be going into my garage sale tomorrow. What an incredible feeling. Now to get some new clothes. Honestly I do not even know where to begin. I still have more weight I am losing so I do not want to dive into a complete wardrobe yet. I have bought a new pair of jeans and today got a sweater. The sweater looks hot, will look even better when I put it on w/ a regular bra and not a workout one.

I was thinking of looking at Tim Gunn's guide to style b/c he does a lot of basics and obviously that is where I need to start! I've lived in fat clothes for so long I even have to find my own style. That is overwhelming and exciting all at the same time.

New Phase

This week began a new phase in my training, I think I stated that in an earlier post.
Today I did legs. WHEW! that one is over. I've been home an hour and my hair is still damp with sweat. That was a toughy, but good. I brisked walked the treadmill for 15min before and I think that really helps get my heart rate going for lifting.

Overall a great workout, and so far a great eating day. Love it!

Oh I have to pick on "no sweat" Julie. She wasn't dripping like me, but I think her temples looked a little shiny. HA HA HA HA HA!!!

Insight...it's long.

As I posted last week, this journey has not been just about my physical change, but also a mental change. I have been fed up with letting only part of me be "alive" not even thriving at that. My journey has awakened all sorts of new things within me. The past few weeks, I thought maybe it was Fall coming...my soul is always moved this time of year...but this time, I can see it is much more. I am able to put words to emotions, see what needs improvement, where I am doing well, etc.

Last week, my Mom's Bible Study started back up for the Fall semester. Before we delve into our study, we are hearing each gal's life map/journey. Even though we all know each other well, it is still great to hear. I shared my map. It has ups and downs, heartbreak and joy. Later that day, I was looking back on my story trying to figure out how I could have better told it. And a word came to me....significance. All of my life I have felt pretty insignificant in this world, that there was nothing special or interesting about me, I could not be used in any meaningful sort of way. Oh how I have struggled to be a part, be liked, be wanted, etc. Then, at 35 years old, God places me in a community of women where I actually feel like He might be able to use me. Not only the women be a pivotal part of my life, but me in theirs. Even gals I have known for years are taking new meaning in my life. Crazy!

Being a gal who has been desperate to have true "girlfriends," I am extremely blessed. My Lord chose to put me in with so many truly wonderful women. For that, I am forever grateful.

Ladies...you touch my life more than you could ever know. You spur me on, laugh with me (very important), cry with me, mother with me and seek our Savior with me.

Love you all!

significance: the quality of being significant or having meaning.

Start the week with a BANG!

My neck/shoulder is doing much better. Still stiff, but better. I had a massage on Saturday and that really helped.

I lifted weights today, took it easy on my back, but worked hard. It felt so good after taking a few days off to rest my shoulder. Julie totally rocked it on the chin-ups. I walked on the treadmill for about 15min, but will get good cardio in tomorrow. Didn't want to overdo the first day back.

My eating...much improved. I have not been failing, just room for improvement. I've successfully been planning my menus for several weeks. I love doing it, I get frustrated when I get off that wagon and then everything else starts to slide. Funny, it's like making my bed every morning. If I do that, I start off on the right foot...

Dinner

Scrumptilidy yumptious. It was so good son #2 even tried a piece of asparagus...the kid will not eat anything green.

There are 2 cookbooks I highly recommend...
The Eat-Clean Diet cookbook by Tosca Reno
Eating for Life cookbook (Body for Life) by Bill Phillips

The Eat-Clean book has more advanced recipes but also easy ones. You just have to be willing to give them a try.

Tonights dinner:
Garlicky Couscous (eat-clean)
Roasted Asparagus (eat-clean)
Tilapia w/ lemon butter and capers

It was sooo good. The fish is my own little healthy version of picatta.
Put olive oil in bottom of roasting dish
Fish on top
Few pats of butter on fish
Squeeze fresh lemon over top
Dump on the capers
Cook in oven w/ asparagus.

This meal was beyond simple, and made in 20minutes. Try it, you'll love it.

Biggest Loser

Love this show. It is one of my favorites. After I got the boys in bed last night, Hubs was gone, I sat down to watch it. Since it was the premier, they show all the background on the couples, etc. This part has always made me cry. Since Ethan has been born I have been too big/out of shape to do a lot of things I want to do with him. Even getting up/down from the floor was difficult. Last night, I watched it in tears knowing that was no longer me.

Rewind to earlier in the evening...
I let the boys play on the driveway while I ran on the treadmill. Since my neck/shoulder is still hurting, that did not go so well. I got off and told the boys we'd play on the trail behind our house. They get their trucks and start racing each other. I stood on the starting line with them, counted down, and took off running with them. I looked back at them - with eyes big as saucers they were surprised, amazed, and thrilled all at the same time. I have never run with them like that before.

I almost cried. There are so many little goals within my big goal of weightloss, and yesterday I reached one of them. I could play easily with my boys and actually have fun doing it.

Watch out, my end goal is drawing near - there is no stopping me.

Here is a snipet from a post,early in my journey, that so relates to yesterdays event...

Before I sign off: Thank you to all my sweet friends who support me. I have struggled with my weight since before Ethan and I am sick of it. This is not the person that I really am, or who my wonderful Lord created me to be. I know this is going to be an amazing journey. I know that emotionally and spiritually there will be years of hardness stripped away. AND one day you will see the parts of my heart that only few have seen...you know who you are. Oh sure, I am open and honest, but there are places even I haven't seen for a long time. Yea, I'm excited about looking HOT; but almost more so, to see God's changes in me as a woman, wife, and mother.

Psalm 139:13-14For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb.I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Your works are wonderful; I know that full well.

Sweets

I don't even remember the day I gave them up...I guess I could go back and look...found it. Wow! It was a longer ago than I thought. Almost at 4 weeks, no wonder I am having withdrawals. Which brings me to...
Tonight at dinner, the boys had brownie bites for dessert (we were at a hamburger joint), they looked soooooo sooooo soooooo good. I have so been jonesin' for a sweet. But, always, after my tom I am. I withheld. But it still looked good. It is even more fun not to have them, b/c my hubs - as he stuffs his face w/ sweets, tells me how proud he is of me that I am not having them. Last night he even ate a huge bowl of ice cream in front of me...nothing! I told him he better enjoy it because come morning I was dumping the rest of it. I don't think he believed me, boy will he be surprised when he goes looking for it! ha ha ha

Jeans

Had a great leg workout this morning. I did not do cardio today. My neck still hurts something pretty good, so sick of this. And completely blew my eating out of the water. Guess today will be my free day! ha ha ha

Went shopping for jeans today. OMG! That can just suck the fun out of shopping right there. Why is it sooo hard to find NO stretch, straight leg jeans? I did come home w/ a pair that look really good and are a size TWELVE! Oh yea girl. They are not my favorite, but will do until I am smaller and ready to plunk down some real dough on a fantastic pair of jeans. If the weather would either stay hot or get cooler, stop this in between biz, it'd be alot easier to buy clothes.

Mission accomplished, it just frustrated me! Good thing the kids were not with me. ;-)

A First...

I have had such a fun day! Dropped the boys at preschool, then took them to Grandma's house for an overnight, THEN got to shop w/ JRo at the JBF consign sale. So fun. I really did not have a well rounded meal all day. On my way home tonight, abt 9:15, I was thinking of all the places I could drive through on the way home, NONE of them sounded good. Seriously, fast food not sounding yummy? I ended up with a nice healthy delicious Subway sammy. I never thought I'd see the day I'd want something completely healthy over some grease food!

I must say, I desperately want a coke, I mean real bad. I did not cave, it would be too sweet anyway.

My neck still hurts. Tomorrow is leg day, so I will go and do what I can.

Walked

I told JRo this morning I was not going to run, my neck just hurts too bad.
After dropping the boys at preschool, I get home am pretty relaxed, out to the treadmill I go. Warm up for a few minutes, then decide I can run I am not in a lot of pain. 3 minutes later...I AM in pain...bummer. So I walked briskly for 25 min, making good use of the incline at various levels!
Not my hardest workout, but it was a workout none-the-less.
Hopefully, my neck will be de-kinked enough to lift tomorrow - it's leg day!

Candy

NO I have not eaten sweets. But what I had at dinner was so yummy it could have qualified as a sweet.
Our neighbor is Thai, sometimes she brings us over some very yummy food. This week we got Cocunut sticky rice. Yes, mmm hmmm mmm. Tonight for dinner we had tilapia, peas and the rice. I know there was nothing in it that is on my eating plan; however, it was worth every single bite. Son #1 told me he did not like it. I told him he was crazy, it was so yummy it could be candy. Oh, it was so good.

Had a great workout with Julie today, we really spurred each other on, and even get a little laugh in here and there.

Tomorrow I will not be lifting. I have a terrible muscle cramp in my neck/shoulder. We switched tomorrows w/o until Friday; I will just run and relax the shoulder!

I feel pumped, I feel good, I feel mentally and physically ready for more challenges!

Blinders

Finally, got my rear out there and ran tonight. I am sitting here dripping, trying to cool off so I can shower. I ran 2.52 miles avg abt a 13 min mile. Ok, but I was out there AND I kept saying... Relax and Run. By my last 8 min run (I did 8/2 split) I was feeling really good. So the last 2 minutes I bump up the speed, last minute even faster. By the end I really could have kept going. Yea! All in all it was a good run.

Now, some of you may know how fiercely determined I can be, and you can see the physical change in my face. Guess what, it's back. The last couple weeks have been hard training/goal wise, and the last few days very hard emotionally for several different reasons - my goal/weightloss/my self view being one of them. Funny, Alison called me today and left me a voicemail "I was just calling to chat, encourage you not that you need it you are doing so well..." Little did she know - I did need it. Anyway, tonight while I was running the blinders came flipping back into place. So here I am, front and center meeting my goal/challenge/life face on.
WATCH OUT!

I can do all thing through Christ who give me strength. Phil 2:14

Good Start

I started the week off right.
Great workout at the gym, and I hate what I had to do today - so hard!
Great eating!
Yet to do cardio, tomorrow morning I will be brutal on myself!!!

I feel I am starting to get back in a good groove. Stress will not prevail over me.

MoJo

Today I feel rejuvenated mind and body.

I mowed the lawn this morning. I won't admit to Hubs that it was a good little work out for me. ;-) After picking up the boys and doing a few things around the house, I decided I had to go get my specified w/o in at the gym, even if it is only 3 exercises. So I pack my bag and decide to head out on the bike. Secretly hoping Hubs does not have a lock for me. He did!!! Off I go, no wonder I have not been wanting to do cardio lately, I'm out of shape cardio-wise. It is 2.84 miles to the gym. I have a nice sweat when I get there. 2 chest exercises and one bicep, added more weight...lots more sweat. Soaking wet after the last 2.84 miles. I felt FANTASTIC! I did a moderate leisure ride and that took me about 14:30 minutes. Kinda slow, but not too bad. I didn't want to kill myself before I got there.

Anyway, I am glad I got out there did my workout and a bonus by riding my bike. When it cools down it will be much easier to do that with the boys. And Son #1 can ride his own bike!

Anniversary

Hubs and I celebrated our 8th anniverary this week. Last night we were able to go out to a wonderful steak dinner and be w/o the boys until lunch today. We had such a wonderful time being together and chowing steaks. Hubs got the 20oz bone-in Kansas City strip, I got the 25oz cowboy bone-in ribeye. OMG, it was like butter. NO I did not eat that much meat, I have a nice fat steak still waiting for lunch tomorrow. Poor Hubs, he ate all his!!!

Now the good part. I can not remember the last time we went out for our anny feeling so hot! I wore a dress I had bought many years ago when I did BFL. I was proud for Hubs to have me on his arm. Ha ha ha! Hubs looked quite hot too!

This first pic is of our anny last year...

Our anny this year...(a little too much flash)

Now one more comparison
This first pic from Easter (you've seen it), the second from last night...

Active Rest

Today is supposed to be "active rest." Do I deserve active rest? NO. Did I get up this morning to run? NO. Have I worked as hard as I could on cardio this week? NO.

So give it to me. I need a fire under me to hit my cardio hard, it is a main part of getting where I need/want to be. ERG! I'm so frustrated with myself.

Back to a routine

Finally got my menu for this week planned out. My body will so appreciate me being kind to it. Not only is it planned, but I have been to the store. A+ for me.

Worked out this morning, was great. I could barely carry my grocery bags, my arms were twitching! Love that.

Now I'm off for some rest/minor chores during naptime!

Still out of town...

and holding on. Took my sis-in-law to the gym with me today and had her pump some iron too. I also did the elliptical trainer with her - hate that thing. It was a great workout. I am beginning the next phase of the series I am doing. It is going to be harder but I love that.

Eating has been decent, not horrible/not stellar. I have been continuing w/ the green smoothies and that has helped a little. Today I made one and it was not that enjoyable, but I chugged it anyway.

Today and tomorrow I will be working on my menu for this and next week. Hardcore, hold me to the fire. If Julie is doing it, then so am I.

One last item...while s-i-l and I were doing chin-ups today, she told me how hot I looked and my waist looked small and she could really see my hour glass figure. SWEET! Talk about a boost, I think I worked a little harder after that comment.