Monday, December 6, 2010

Yes I'm still alive!!! lol

Hello Everyone long time no see!!  I know I know where have I been, well there is no real good excuse so I won't give one.  Okay maybe I will.... I've been lazy.
Let me see November was a pretty good month over all.   Good news is I finally made it below 250lbs... yes I did!! yeah me!!  I fought and fought to start losing again and last post I had finally broke through that wall and started to lose.  I made it down to 247.5 lbs.  So I had originally decided that when I made it below 250lbs and at least 60lbs lost I would go get my nails done.... guess what, I've been broke so that didn't happen.  I will treat myself to getting my nails done after Christmas if I have a little extra money. 
It was time to start my second 21 day challenge and I totally flopped on that one.  Now that's where the excuses started coming in.  I didn't get this done because I was doing that etc etc...lol   I have learned that one of my biggest issues is when I get out of routine.... I am completely lost at that point.  It shouldn't be as simple as that but it is.  As long as I stick to routine and follow the schedule and plan all is good, but one little kink in the road and I'm a complete mess when it comes to this gym and diet thing.  The hard part is I can't afford to always eat proper so I always seem to have kinks in the road and I have kids, need I say more...lol.
So I finally get below 250lbs and here comes Turkey Day....dinner rolls, sweet potatoes, pie, deviled eggs and so on... awesome food but high calorie.  No exercise unless you count the fork to mouth movement but it doesn't seem to register as even moderate on my armband.  lol  Plenty of behind the wheel driving time and sit on my butt on the couch and visit time and plenty of I need a nap after eating all of that time but I made no time for the gym or any other form of exercise for that matter.  The scary part is that Christmas is knocking on my door and then my Birthday and then News Years Yiks and double Yiks!!
As for this last week I had something happen to me that ripped away at my sole and just about destroyed my desire to lose weight and look good.  I am not sharing this for sympathy or pity or anything like that but to speak up and fight against it.  One week ago today a man that I have known for years who visits now and then showed up at my door.  He knew that I was in a divorce and we sat and visited for a few minutes then he suddenly voiced that he "wanted" me.  I told him no and he wasn't gonna take no for an answer.  To make a long story short I was almost raped.  I did convince him to stop but the emotional damage really threw me for a loop.  I called in sick to work and was physically and emotionally sick the rest of the day.  I laid in bed and barely even functioned.  I couldn't believe it..I kept telling myself that if I was fat and ugly nobody would bother me so what am I doing, so I ate and ate and sat and sat and did virtually nothing all week except go to work.  I couldn't bare going to the gym or doing my hair or makeup.  I didn't want to look good or really even see people for that matter.  I let it get to me when I was already struggling with my routine and I let it eat at me and beat me down.  My week of self pity and giving up is over... I went to the gym today and it was wonderful to be back. 
I need to lose weight not to look better but to feel better.  When I go to the gym I feel energized afterwords.  I smile while I'm there and I'm smiling when I leave.  I get peppy and bouncy and feel full of life, that is what I need.  When I get off my routine I feel guilty for not making it to the gym and then sometimes I struggle to walk back through that door but once I do it's like a breath of fresh air to me.  I guess the moral to the story is that when things happen to throw a kink in the road that we need to find within ourselves the desire to pick ourselves back up and walk back through that door and fight.  I'm fighting for not only for my health but for my kids.  We must me strong and overcome the things in life that threaten to destroy us... I am strong and I am standing and fighting!!
My plan for this week is to stand tall and make it to the gym Monday through Friday even if only for a short time.  Day one has been achieved and looking forward to day two tomorrow.  I love you all... Stand strong!

Monday, November 8, 2010

Down 57 lbs and starting a second 21 day challenge tomorrow!!

Well it's been a few days since i have blogged.  I've stayed busy and should have been blogging and I'm sorry... MY BAD!!! lol.  I finished my first 21 day challenge and felt pretty good.  I broke through that plateau of weight loss and started losing weight again.  It's a great feeling to start losing again.
I have started trying to focus a bit more on my lower body since that is where most of my weight is.  I don't know how Amy does it but she tends to change Zumba music and workouts just when I need it the most.  We have been doing a lot of squats and lunges and I really feel it in the butt and thighs.  I have noticed recently that I am squatting and lunging lower...my flexibility has increased and today I was super peppy and had 37 minutes of vigorous exercise during my hour of Zumba...Awesome class!
In the last couple weeks or so I was able to start running a little and my hula hooping has improved.  I kept it up for like 3 or 4 minutes as opposed to 20 seconds... It was sweet!  I felt the muscles later in the day.  Gonna have to practice that more often.
I'm officially down 57 lbs now and when I go below into the 240's hopefully this next week I will be treating myself to getting my nails done.  That will be my reward for leaving the 250's and losing 60lbs.  I will do it in the next week or so... how does that sound?  I will! 
Tomorrow is the first day of our second 21 day Challenge.  I plan to continue to log my meals and hit that 1500 calorie deficit like last time and then to add a water challenge.  I used to do really good on fluids but I have noticed lately that unless I'm at the gym I'm just not drinking nearly enough fluids so my newest addition is to drink 150 oz of water daily for my 21 day challenge.  Water will help hydrate my body as well as to help flush toxins out of my system.
The Biggest Loser theme this time is to "Pay it Forward" so I am challenging you to find something to improve upon in your life.  Maybe it has nothing to do with weight , maybe it's watching less TV and more family time... maybe it's cutting out soda pop.  Whatever it is you want to do better to improve yourself... set that small attainable goal and let's go for it over the next 21 days.  You can do it!! I know you can.  Find a friend or buddy and challenge them to do this with you.  We all seem to do better when it's teamwork.  Good Luck and let the challenges begin!!

Friday, October 29, 2010

Zumba in the Dark

Good Evening it's Friday peoples!  It has been a really good week and I'm looking forward to the weekend.  After my morning route I headed for Zumba class and today was GLOW day.  We all wore bright colored clothes and put glow sticks, bracelets, necklaces etc on and did Zumba in the dark.  It was awesome good fun and a good source of burning calories.  Anything you can do for exercise and be smiling and laughing while doing it is wonderful in my book.  After Zumba did some hula hooping and Amy brought my special order hula hoop so I have my very own for at home now.  I can't wait to put it together and practice my hooping skills.  Shhh don't tell anyone but I need A LOT of practice hooping so if you drive by my house and this chubby gal is hooping in the front yard...yup it's me!!  lol  Just don't wreck when you laugh okay.  After Zumba and some hooping I put in 6 miles on the recumbent bike to round off my exercise routine for the day...woohoo I feel good! 
My diet was really good until this evening when I was taken out to eat at Golden Corral. My calories for the day ended up high but I still ended with over 1500 calories deficit and counting.  I met my 15000 + steps and food is logged.  I know that I am no longer doing the 21 day challenge but I will keep reporting until I am challenged to do something else.  Ohh good news... I found some of my old blue jeans that I haven't worn in like forever and they fit!! yippie now I don't have to go naked or baggy everywhere now that the weather is cooling off.  Two pairs of jeans is a lot better than none.
So there it is my day in a nut shell and I feel good about how this week went and I would like to go to the gym in the morning for awhile and then work on cleaning my house afterwords because if I clean first I will never make it to the gym.  This will be a busy weekend with Halloween and all.  Please have a Happy and safe Halloween.  Go easy on the candy if you indulge and exercise off the candy that you do eat.  Every calorie you eat should be exercised away... yeah right... think that will happen...lol.  We can try... maybe that will help us stay away from the candy.
Keep plugging along and soon your be singing a different song....

Challenge day #21

Well this is the final day of the 21 day challenge and Amy said let's finish strong!  So here was my plan for the day.  Work in the AM then take Janessa to Dr's appointment then back to work.  After work I was planning to go to the gym and get my time in to end good and strong.
Here is how my day went... worked in the AM then ran home and found paperwork and took Janessa to the Dr's appointment.  As usual the Dr's. appointment took longer than planned and I barely had time to make it back to work so didn't get any little extra steps in.  I was hoping to walk around the building a few times or something but just didn't have the time.  Then trained and ran PM route and decided to go to the Walking track between the High School and Middle School to run/walk before going home.  It was such a nice cool day I thought it would be better than the gym.  Well I had one quick errand to run first and my son called reminding me that he had to be at the college by 5:30pm. well there went my run/walk on the track...lol.
I just got home and got myself all situated when I ended up with company.  Needless to say I never made it to the gym or to the track for my run/walk.  I knew it would be a difficult day it I didn't make it to the gym in the morning but I was sure hoping for a little time but I look at it like this... it's just one day, and there is always tomorrow.  I still ended up with 1 hour and 16 minutes of moderate exercise and met my target calorie burn for the day.  I did track and log my calories using the new app and I still ended the day with  about a 1500 calorie deficit.  I did not make 15000 steps challenge but again... there is always tomorrow.  Sorry this post was a day late my evening got away from me and I posted my stats and forgot to blog.  Hope you day was a good one and those on the challenge hope you finished strong!

Wednesday, October 27, 2010

Challenge day #20

First off a Happy Birthday to my very special granddaughter Sasha who would have been 2 yrs old today.  She passed away May 3rd 2010 due to complications dealing with her Congenital Heart Defect.  She is a very beautiful little angel.  My children and I celebrated her birthday by going to the cemetery talking to her and singing to her.  It was a great way to celebrate her life instead of dwelling on missing her so much. 
Today was also day 20 of the 21 day challenge and I was feeling very good.  Life is looking up and my weight is looking down...hehehe.  I weighed in this morning at 253.5 lbs... so that's a total of 54 lbs down now...yehaw!!  I have finally broken through that wall that has had me for several weeks yoyoing between 257 and 259lbs.  I'm feeling good and looking better.  I saw a different picture of me from about a year ago and the change is amazing to see.  I wonder what I will look like a year from today?  The answer is up to me.  Will I stick to this weight loss plan and finish my loss for a healthier and happier Cheri or will I give up and go back to obese and unhappy?  I choose to keep fighting for life and health.  I have six amazing kids who drive me totally and completely nuts most of the time but I love them so much and they need a mom and I need them.
My calorie intake was good today until this evening with the bday cake but I did get my food logging in and with the time I put in at the gym I also made my 1500 calorie deficit.  I made my 15000 step a day challenge as well, so all is good in the world of weight loss .  I am in a bit of a panic however because all of my long pants from last year are way too big on me so I'm gonna have to try and come up with some pants to wear now that cooler temps are approaching very quickly. Thank goodness for draw string mens sweats...lol.
Well I'm gonna head for bed early this evening and catch a little extra rest.  I hope you all have been working hard on your 21 day challenge if you participated.  If not this time I'm sure that Amy will give us another challenge soon.  If you smile that makes everything better I know this to be true... that's how I make it sometimes when things get really rough.  So if you are struggling just smile!

Song:
If you chance to meet a frown, do not let it stay
Quickly turn it upside down and smile that frown away.
No one likes a frowning face, change it for a smile
Make the world a better place by smiling all the while.

Tuesday, October 26, 2010

Challenge day #18 and #19

As you can tell I didn't get a blog in yesterday.  I wasn't feeling too well.  Monday morning I woke feeling a little worn out but otherwise not too bad.  My stomach was a little upset like but just chalked it up to something I ate not setting right with me.  When I got to Zumba class I was just way off and struggled through the whole hour.  I never gave up but it definitely showed that I was having trouble.  At one point Amy came and stood by me and made sure I put a big smile on my face and that was a comfort.  See usually I smile all the time and she knew something was wrong because I wasn't smiling.  After class she made sure I was okay and told me she wanted to help by standing next to me because I had this look on my face something to the effect that if she made us to one more song....lol.  I told her that I wasn't upset but that I was just fighting and having trouble keeping up and coordination etc.  Amy I love you and I'm so glad you care about all of us crazy Zumba gals!
After class I wanted and needed to get more workout in but took it fairly easy.  I sent another hour at the gym on the cross trainer and the recumbent bike.  First thing in the morning my armband wouldn't sync so I was exercising blind.  I tell you what, when you get used to having your friend attached to your arm and wrist and one of them gets sick you get totally lost.  That's as bad as leaving my purse or my cellphone locked in the car and going somewhere without them... scary!  I was finally able to sync about two thirds of the way through my workout.  I did however forget to put the armband on my calf while on the bike...ohh well.
 Over all yesterday was a good day but I just wasn't feeling well.  I was dragging by the time I got home and then my chest started hurting.... felt like really bad heart burn.  Just to make sure my back wasn't out I had my daughter pop it... didn't help.  Took prilosec  and that didn't help.  Took ibuprofen and drank so milk and finally close to 11pm it started to ease up.  Man I hadn't had a case of heartburn that bad in ages.  I did sleep good once I got to sleep.
Now for today I felt really good this morning.  It was a nice cool morning, very invigorating.  After morning route I was ready for that gym so I changed and off I went.  I got just under two hours in at the gym today.  I did take it a little easy today because of how I felt yesterday but still got a really nice workout it.  Becky showed up about halfway through my workout so got the buddy system thing for a little while.  It's nice when you have friends at the gym to talk to during the exercising. 
This afternoon I felt good about the last couple of days and keep telling myself that I'm headed on the right path and that I am unstoppable.  I have so much going on in my life that sometimes I don't take the time to appreciate myself for my hard work.  Well I stepped on the scale and it's still going down so I can honestly say... GOOD JOB CHERI you are doing it!
Both yesterday and today my foods were logged and I met my 1500 calorie deficit as well as my 15000 step goal.  What a good two days I have had even with a case of heartburn to let me know that my body is still in charge...lol.  I sure hope you have all had a good couple of days and that you are reaching for the stars.  Take time to be nice to you and congratulate yourself on making positive changes in your life.  Until tomorrow...night all.

Sunday, October 24, 2010

Challenge day #17

Okay so there is not a whole lot to blog on today.  I went to bed last night with a headache and woke up with one too.  I just needed my eyes closed so I went back to sleep until like 11:30 am... yeah I know.  I hate migraines and today was a good one.  When I got up at 11:30am I still had the headache and so more meds were taken.  Finally mid to late afternoon my headache eased up.  So again today I got nothing done that I needed to get done.  I spent my day in bed or parked on the recliner dealing with my headache or watching tv with the kids.  We did get laundry done...woohoo... at least we will have clean clothes for the week..lol, 
My calorie intake was about normal and I did get it  logged however since I did nothing all day my calorie deficit is little to nothing.  I did need a day off so I guess I got one because my body said so.  I also did not get my 15000 steps in.  I guess at least I did one thing I was supposed to... logged the meals.  I hope everyone had a good weekend and look forward to a great work week ahead!!  Love Ya

Saturday, October 23, 2010

Challenge day #16

Good Day to all my friends!!  Last night I was up a lot later than normal.  I ended up with a house full of teenagers until 2:30 am so I was up till about 3am.  I say teenagers but they were young adults.  My body really isn't used to being up that late. 
I woke up this morning to the wonderful sounds of my boys fighting.  When I checked my phone for messages my friend Becky from here in town had texted me to come to the gym if I was awake.  I got a whole 5 hrs of sleep but I didn't want to let her down so I jumped up and got headed for the gym.  I was there with her for about 45 minutes then needed to run my kids to bowling league. I left and took my kids dropped them off and headed right back to the gym.  I spent the next 2 hours at the gym kicking serious butt...lol.  I rocked on vigorous today and don't really know what the difference was but even with the lack of sleep I got1.5 hrs of vigorous exercise in plus my 45 minutes of moderate.  I'm over my 15000 steps for the day and logged my food plus I also have my 1500 calorie deficit... yehaw! 
When my kids called me and I had to leave the gym I was kinda bummed I just wanted to stay until my legs gave out.  I came home and then about an hour later laid down for a short nap.  My brain was still so active that I couldn't sleep for a little while but I think I ended up with about 30 minutes somewhere along the line.  A little later in the afternoon I had the urge to go for a walk but there were too many things going on and I couldn't but it was nice to still feel like I had energy for something.  Overall it's been a good day for my weight loss journey.  I hope your weekend is going well and you find the strength to work towards a goal.

Friday, October 22, 2010

Challenge day #15

Good Evening!  So today was my day off of work and all I did was run all day long!  I had a long list of things of things that I wanted and needed to get done of which barely any of it actually managed to get completed.  My main goal for the day was to make it to the gym and get some exercise in. 
Well I made it to the gym and got an hour and a half of exercise in.  Today was another day of struggling to meet my vigorous target.  I spent my first thirty minutes on the treadmill walking and just didn't have the energy to run so I said... that's okay I will just walk.  Then I got on the Recumbent Cross trainer for an hour. 
After the gym it was running my daughter Janessa here and there all afternoon and then some cleaning.  I finally got a break around 6 or 6:30 this evening.  Needless to say the other items on my list were never done.  I am proud to say that my food is logged and I have made my 1500 calorie deficit and if I get up and take a few more steps I will be at my 15000 steps for the day so all is good in the world of weight loss. So that's it for today I hope you have had a good day.  Keep smiling!

Thursday, October 21, 2010

Challenge day #14

What a beautiful day it was today, too bad half of my day was indoors sitting and teaching.  I was up and off to work to teach Special Needs to a couple of drivers.  It was nice and quiet at work with only a handful of us working today.  The only part I disliked was the fact that I spent from 6am to 10am sitting and burning very very few calories.  As soon as I finished class Becky D and I headed for the gym to put in an hours workout.  I really struggled at the gym this morning, not sure why.  I just didn't seem to have the oomph to get my vigorous like I usually do.  I did manage to get like 18 minutes of vigorous this morning.
After our workout it was back to work for both us... Becky to her desk and me in a bus riding with a trainee around town and on the highway testing them. It made for a nice calm afternoon however the more I thought about it the more I realized I wasn't burning anything today... yiks!  It was gonna have to be a two round day at the gym and based on this mornings performance I was a little worried that even with a second visit I would be lacking in calorie burn.  I was only a little over 2000 calories when I got off work and got ready for the gym and I needed at least a 3500 calorie day.
Well when I got home after work I could tell the boys needed a little separation time from each other so I asked Jaden my youngest if he wanted to go to the gym with me and he got all excited. First thing when we got there we both hopped on the treadmill.  I got him all set up and the little turkey decided he wasn't going as fast as the guy running on one of the other machines and so he turned up the speed and.... yup you guessed it went right off the back of the treadmill.  He wasn't hurt and I wasn't worried but sure scared the poor young guy working....lol.  After that he got back on and we hooked the emergency stop string to him... he didn't like that at all.  Pretty soon he went to the gymnasium and played soccer with a gal that works the then he joined me on the bikes.  I got another 7 miles in there at resistance level 10 so that was a good feeling.  While I was on the bike he did some then got on the elliptical and loved it!  I took some pics of him and they are on my facebook profile... what a cute boy he is.
Well here it is shortly after 10:30 pm and I have burned over 3600 calories and 15000+ steps for the day.  It was a tough road today but at the same time it was a lot of fun.  I am proud of myself for getting to the gym on one of those unusual work days that normally throw me off routine.  My eating was good today and food has been logged.  I have now made my 1500 calorie deficit and so I'm a happy camper!  Tomorrow I have the day off, however it is planned to be a very busy day so we will see how things go for me.  The boys want to go to Zumba class with me tomorrow morning so it should be a fun morning.
It's getting late and if I plan to be able to shake it in Zumba tomorrow morning I had better get some sleep.  To all of you I hope you have had a productive day and that you are enjoying the weather.  Did you pay it forward yesterday or today?  If not... now is your chance.  Love you all...

Wednesday, October 20, 2010

Challenge day #13

Good evening all my fat busting friends!! I was a little unsure how today was going to pan out because of my routine being interrupted due to schedule change at work.  History has shown me that I tend to flounder on days like this so my goal today was to make it to the gym if only for a little while. 
Today was School Bus Driver Appreciation Day and after morning routes we has a short safety meeting plus we had lots of goodies delivered by food service.  There were four different flavors of scones, pineapple, cantelope, strawberries, grapes and orange juice.  On top of that we had a chocolate fountain with regular and strawberry marshmallows, pretzels, graham crackers and animal crackers.  No way... I knew this would happen...lol.  I had a scone and plenty of fruit and I dipped my strawberries in chocolate... I was a very bad bad girl.  I regretted it afterwords and wish I has skipped the scone because the little chocolate on the strawberries was probably not nearly as bad for me as the scone itself. 
After our meeting Becky D and I hit the gym and we both got a much needed hour of exercise in and worked hard while we were there.  I am so glad to finally have some buddies at the gym.  I love all the people at the gym and always laugh joke and talk to them... they are my fit family...lol.  I know that when I am there I'm never alone even though I may think I am.  When I first started going I was worried about being the "fat girl" on the treadmill or cross-trainer.  I was worried that people would star at me but that never happened.  I found myself the "fat girl" on the treadmill next to two thin individuals and they motivated me to work faster and harder to try and be close to their pace.  Now I didn't try to run because the guy next to be was but I felt if he was running the I could walk a little faster and push myself a little harder.  It was a mental thing for me and still is a lot of the time.  My new thing is to get rid of this butt of mine so I'm trying to focus on doing some things to slim that behind and firm the flab.  I realized that just focusing on cardio will help me lose weight but isn't going to firm me up like strength training.  I need a balance of both. 
After our workout it was back to work and then after work was parent teacher conferences again...different school different kiddo but we still walked to the school and got a few steps in.  It's now 9pm and I have met all the targets set by my armband so that always constitutes a good day but with the high calorie breakfast I will need to take an evening walk after this post in order to make a 1500 calorie deficit for today.  I did log my calories the best I could and I'm happy with that.  I have also made my 15000+ steps today so I'm on track for that goal this week.  We have no school the next two days so the real challenge begins tomorrow.  I'm teaching a class at 6am then training and so there won't be a huge amount of walking during work hours so I will definitely have to find gym time.  I won't be working Friday so it will be just like the weekend for me and I will need to plan and schedule my day to meet my targets and goals.  So far so good this week.  Another bit of possible good news... I may have finally broke through that wall I was talking about.  The scale finally dropped 2 lbs below that 3lb variable I've been battling.  We will see if in continues to stay there or drop so say an extra prayer for me tonight that I'm started back down.
Thanks so much to everyone who takes the time to notice the changes in me and make those positive comments.  It's still hard for me to accept compliments but I'm trying really hard and I do love them even if I don't always know how to respond.  You make my day!
In our meeting today we watched a video based on a true story that really touched me deeply..brought me to tears.  Sometimes people just need to hear that they make a difference.  The video was about a school project that positively affects many lives by the old pay it forward effect.  The students were given ribbons that said (don't recall exact words)  You make a difference.  They were told to select three individuals and give them a ribbon and ask them to share another ribbon.  Well to make a long story short... paying forward the " you make a difference" ribbons went several levels and a father gave his son the ribbon.  The son began to sob  when his father told him how much he loved him and was sorry he didn't spend as much time being a good father etc.  The boy then revealed that he had wrote a letter and was planning to commit suicide that night because he felt like nobody cared.  The boys life was saved by one class project of paying forward letting someone know that "you" made a difference to me.  So here is a challenge for you... tell three people how they have made a difference in your life.  Life is to precious to lose one person because they have felt like nobody cared so let someone know how much they have impacted your life.  This person my be the grumpy boss who has taught you structure and work ethic or maybe it's a child that has taught you patience it doesn't matter just let them know. 
Please everyone know how much you all have helped me by letting me know that I'm succeeding in my journey and that those changes are visible because sometimes I can't seem them as much as you can.  The encouragement gives me strength to dig deeper within my soul.  You have been there when I have needed someone to talk to and vent or cry.  I hope that I can do the same for you... I love you all.  Have a great night!!

Tuesday, October 19, 2010

Challenge day #12

Today was a very good Tuesday!  Work got off to a good start and then off to the gym I went.  My goal for the day at the gym was to work on my lower body as much as possible.  There was no Zumba class today so I was on my own.  Here is what I did:

30 minutes Treadmill walking incline intervals = 2 miles
30 minutes Recumbent Bike (resistance level 10) = 7 miles
45 minutes Recumbent Cross Trainer -level 7 over 5000 steps

It felt great to leave there knowing I pushed hard on the bike.  It has been a long time since I have been on the bike so 7 miles was good and the resistance made it even better.  I find myself enjoying the challenge of pushing myself a little harder and then realizing that I can do it!  I ran through the drivers room this morning without even knowing I was doing it.  I was trying to catch a driver before they went to their bus.  I think I shocked several people because they were all like... you just ran... and I said yes I did I can run now...lol.  It was funny and simple and not a big deal but at the same time it was huge for me.  My friend Becky was right... at time I just want to jog across the lot or run across the room.  I doubt I will ever be one for running for miles just to run but then again you never know. 
It was a beautiful day today and the rest of my afternoon consisted of training with a new driver and then driving my afternoon routes.  My bus is in the shop and my elementary kids keep asking me how many different buses I have...lol. 
Today was the first day of Parent teacher Conferences and so Justen and I walked to the school for his teacher conferences.  Its nice to make a choice to walk here and there instead of always just jumping in the car to drive 6 blocks.  Can you tell how lazy I was.  Tomorrow I will not get much in for exercise.  It's School Bus Driver Appreciation Day so we have a special meeting at 9am when I would normally be going to Zumba class.  I will have about an hour off and then I will be training until afternoon route time.  I will do my best to get a little something in but will just have to play it by ear. 
How was your day?  Are you fighting to win?  Enjoy the weather and lets make the best of what we have!

Monday, October 18, 2010

Challenge day #9, #10 & #11

Good evening everyone!  Well as you can tell I dropped the ball this weekend when it came to blogging.  Weekends are never good for me when it comes to exercise and food.  I need to find a way to get to the gym and get some time in on the weekends like I used to.  I always seem to be so overwhelmed with things to get done  that I don't get anything done....sound familiar?  Saturday and Sunday were neither one good days when it came to exercise.  I did get my foods logged however my calorie deficit was only like 500  to 700 though.  Weekends are something I need work on apparently.
Over all this was a pretty darn good Monday in the grand scheme of things.  Nice weather, good workout and kids on bus were good etc.  One of my favorite parts of the day was going to the gym and having four of us there with BodyMedia Fit armbands on working out together.  It was a great feeling to know that I'm starting a trend among friends and co workers.  We reset our trips and away we went... each at different levels but we still shared our stats as we went a long.  It's nice to have someone else working out with me... it can get very lonely fighting this weight loss battle at the gym by yourself.  Just going to Zumba class even helps because it's a group effort in there.  When I workout by myself I have to push myself the whole time  and sometimes I just need that push from someone else.  Thanks girls for being at the gym with me today... it was fun!!
I'm still not losing weight but I must be just gaining muscle because I am still slowly shrinking.  Yesterday I hid out in my bedroom for a little while trying cloths on.  I put pants on that wouldn't fit me last year and guess what ... they were too big.  What a great feeling!  I'm so used to things getting tighter rather than looser that now I don't know how to act or feel.  I don't know what I am going to do for winter cloths because all of my pants are too big.  I have no money to buy  smaller cloths right now so big and baggy with have to do... guess I will fit in with the kids on the bus...hehehe.  I look in the mirror and one minute I can see a difference and then next I don't see any change.  Do you ever feel like that? 
Well here is what I did at the gym today:
Zumba 1 hr
Treadmill walking/running 30 min
Stair climber 10 min
Recumbent Crosstrainer15 minutes
Yes Becky I ran again today...lol.  Two minutes walking then one minute running... 30 minutes of this... felt good but wears me out that running it does.  I plan to continue this and hopefully soon it will be two running two walking and so forth.  All in all a really good day.  My food logging is done and 1500 calorie deficit has been met.
How was your day?  Did you make your goals or targets?  If not what can you do different tomorrow?  We are all in this together so hold that chin up and keep moving forward.  Have a wonderful evening!

Thursday, October 14, 2010

Challenge day #8 and Day #4 4000 Cal. burn

So life tends to interrupt us when we have something good going on.  I was so excited the other day that I was actually able to run for the first time even if only for short periods of time.  I have been meeting this 21 day challenge head on and doing very well.  I started my own personal challenge and have also been doing really good until today.  I have really struggled today for whatever reason.  I couldn't seem to get past the frustration of knowing that I was not going to be able to make my goal for the 4000 calorie burn today.  It has eaten at me all day long and it's my own fault!
I woke and was ready for the day.... I had plans laid out how my day would go and what little extras I would have to do in order to make my 4000 calorie burn.  I know to some of you this may seem very trivial but for me sometimes the little things are huge.  I knew that with my schedule being different that it would be more difficult for me but at the same time I knew I had the same amount of time off work to exercise etc so it would just be a matter of putting in some extra effort.
I was sitting in the office  from 6 am until almost 10 am this morning.  Don't get me wrong I love working in the office and we stayed very busy so time went by pretty fast but it messes up my daily routine for exercise.  Because I was sitting I knew I wouldn't be burning the calories from walking to and from my bus and pretrip and post trip etc but it wasn't pretty when I looked at my display as I got off work.
I need to back up just a little.  I was supposed to be off at 9:30 but sometimes you just need to finish what you started before you can walk away.  The school had called me at like 9:20 am saying that Jaden had forgot his meds again and I told them I would be off at 9:30 and would run home get the meds and give them to Jaden.  Well guess what in the 30 minutes I spent at work after that call I completely forgot about my son being at school driving everyone nuts because he didn't have his meds.  I was so focused on getting to the gym to get as much time as possible because I knew it was gonna cost me a certain amount of time at the gym in order to reach my number that I forgot to be a mom first.
Well the school calls me back after I have been at the gym just about 40 min and I was so embarrassed that I forgot to get the meds to school.  So I had to leave the gym and I was just getting into a groove.  By the time I got home and then up to the school I could feel the swelling in my hips and lower back and there was no way I could get back to the gym right then and besides now I only had an hour before I had to be back at work and I needed to eat plus have time to get cleaned up a bit. This is why it was my fault for not reaching my goal today... if I had just taken the meds after I got off all would be fine.
While I was at the gym today I decided to try running again.  I did intervals again.  walk 2 minutes then run a minutes... I did this the whole 35 minutes.  It was nice and I ran like 10 or 11 minutes.  I'm glad I was able to get that much in... anything is better than nothing.  Remember me telling you that my hips hurt... it was from the running.... hips are bothering me more than my knees... go figure.  My hips were very sore by the time I was done on the treadmill and called to the school.  My sacroiliac is out so after exercise I have swelling and get very sore and stiff, well today I had that pain and swelling plus my hips were aching pretty bad.  I'm glad I ran though and wouldn't change it, this is just part of the journey. 
Well it's late and I have rambled and whined long enough so here we go... Calories logged and good but a little higher than necessary.  1500 calorie deficit will be just barely short or be barely met...lol.  The 4000 calorie deficit will not be reached.... I will be about 500 calories off.  Although I am disappointed in not reaching this the challenge must go on so I will get some sleep and hit it tomorrow and see how everything goes.  Hope you all had a great day and keeping smiling!  Yes I kept telling myself to smile today too...lol

Wednesday, October 13, 2010

Challenge day #7 and Day #3 4000 Cal. burn

Howdy there...I don't know about you but I haven't been getting enough sleep and it's catching up with me.  It seems like I can't get more than like 4 or 5 hrs of sleep these days.  My daughter started a new job and tends to have to close... getting off at 11pm ends up being almost midnight on a school night and I end up staying awake most of the time waiting for her to call instead of going to bed and then waking to go get her.  Anyway...it's something I need to work on, getting more sleep that is.
My schedule was different today with supervisors out of town etc so I spent a lot more time parked in front of a computer on my fanny instead of  walking back and forth through the bus lot checking my bus out making sure it was ready for route.  When I went to the gym this morning I walked a few laps in the basketball court before Zumba... helps to get the blood flowing.  Zumba went well however my arms and legs felt like they each weighed an extra10 lbs...lol.  There are a couple newer songs that require extremely fast movement and I struggled to keep up but I did what I could and follow Amy's advice, if you get lost confused or can't do it that's okay just keep moving until you can.  There were a couple times I had my feet a going but they were doing what I was trying to make them do so I marched in place until I picked it up again.  I now know that I have hips because I could feel the joints and muscles from either the running from yesterday or the stair climber machine.  Not bad pain at all just could definitely tell I found some new muscles to use.  I did not run or do the stair climb today because I was just feeling extra drained and I didn't want to injure myself.  I am happy to report that my knees didn't bother me today at the gym only a little achy tonight. 
My calories have been logged and my 1500 calorie deficit has been met and I will make my 4000 Calorie burn today despite a shorter time at the gym and more office time sitting.  I am on track and if I can keep up this pace I'm sure to start seeing more results soon.  I am running out of healthier foods to eat because I'm pretty broke these days so I won't have a lot of food choices and will have to eat what I have and just watch my portion sizes.  I hate that anything good for you costs twice as much as whats bad for you.  All in all I had another great day and as always gotta love Zumba.  Keep working hard at your goals... half the battle is mental. 

Tuesday, October 12, 2010

Challenge day #6 and Day #2 4000 Cal. burn

Okay so where do I start...today was a really good day!  I got up excited that I'm making progress on my food logging and my calorie deficit.  Hoping to see some results in the coming weeks.  So far I'm on top of this week and planning to conquer it... so watch out week you are on my list!!
My breakfast was a whole wheat bagel with some light cream cheese on it... yum!!  For lunch I had a chicken cesar salad and carrots. Supper was fish...and veggies.  My calorie intake was under 2000 and I drank plenty of water.  I know that watching my calories closer helps me pay closer attention to what I'm eating so if I want to eat something I have to make sure I have enough available calories allotted.
So I went to the gym and here is what I did today.  I was on the treadmill walking when Becky responded to my post from yesterday about what to do for trimming down my butt and thighs.  She told me to try doing some running.  I have to be really honest here, I haven't ran anywhere for anything in years.  I used to run in track when I was in high school but that has been over 20 yrs ago.  I decided what the heck I will at least give it a try so I did.  I ran for one minute and walked for two minutes and ran for one and so on.  I actually ran a total of seven minutes today for the very first time, then I  did ten minutes on the stair climber, another first.  After those two I put in a full hour on the recumbent cross trainer and then ten minutes on the elliptical machine.  I left the gym almost in tears... not sad or painful tears but happy ones because I did something new and felt awesome about it.  I really was happy that I have lost enough weight to try these things and not stop just because I gave up... it was a great feeling.
So here we go...21 day challenge - Calories logged and well within proper weight loss range.  I have more than a 1500 calorie deficit today and I'm going to hit my 4000 calorie burn target for the second day in a row.  Life is good.  I have iced my knees this evening and looking forward to some serious Zumba tomorrow!  How was your day?  Did you find the strength to reach your daily goal?  If not set a small one for tomorrow and join the fun.  Have a great evening and as always smile!

Monday, October 11, 2010

Challenge day #5 and Day #1 4000 Cal. burn

Good Evening!  This morning I would have thought was going to be a disaster but thankfully the tides changed and worked with me rather than against me.  This weekend when walking home from the football game I stepped off the edge of the sidewalk and kinda tweaked my left ankle again... you know the one I twisted badly a couple months or so ago.  When I woke this more I had a little limp and a pinching in it and was sure that my body was working against me again but by the time morning route was over I didn't feel a thing and was able to go do Zumba.  Boy how I have missed being in class and feeling the strength of the other ladies and Amy our wonderful instructor.  After my hour in Zumba class I put in an additional 45 minutes on the recumbent cross trainer. I left feeling revived and good inside.
The rest of my day has been pretty average.  A little training and then my afternoon routes.  I enjoyed the weather today, even the rain.  If it could stay about 65 degrees year round I would be a happy camper...lol.  My diet was pretty good... had a sweet onion chicken terriyoki  from Subway with extra veggies on the side.  I stayed away from the chips and soda so that was a good choice too.  I did good on water today as well.  I'm proud to say that I will hit my 4000 calorie burn today just before midnight...lol.  I logged my meals and my deficit is over 1500 cal so I should be on the move by the end of the week.  I would just like to see some improvement one way or the other. 
Ohh something I haven't done in a very long time... sit ups, I did some of them tonight too so will see how my tummy feels in the morning.  No pain no gain they say.  Now if I keep doing sit ups maybe my tummy will start to trim down some.  What I really need help with is some sort of exercise that are good for my butt , gut and thighs... if you know some good ones to help trim those problem areas please share the info with me.  Well it's getting late and I need my beauty sleep so I will catch up with you tomorrow.  Stay strong and smile it really does help!

Sunday, October 10, 2010

Challenge day #4

Today did not turn out as I had hoped.  It's a Sunday and I know that exercise is always minimal and I always seem to have too much to do and never enough time to do it.  I got up and went to church and by the time I got home it was almost 2pm.  Then its time to eat and then I realized that I forgot to go to the laundry mat yesterday and wash our cloths for the week.  Yes, I have no washer and dryer right now so its the wonderful laundry mat yuk!!  So guess what I got to do today...yup laundry. 
Today was my son Jamisons 15th B-day and we were so not as prepared as we thought we were.  So after church and laundry it was picking up the house.  Of course Jamison wanted corn dogs for his B-Day dinner and instead of cake we made lemon bars.  So guess where most of my calories for the day came from.  Not good nutritious foods but I was careful earlier in the day so that I didn't have to eat different than everyone else.  My two oldest kids came over for a couple hours.. I really really enjoyed that.  I miss them kids a lot!
Today was supposed to be the first day of my 4000 calorie burn a day goal... I'm quickly thinking that weekends will not be included in that.  So maybe it's in my best interest to not try for 7 days right now.  I'm gonna try for Monday through Friday with a 4000 calorie a day burn.  If I can do that consistently maybe then I should try for the weekend thing.  It just seems like I have so many obstacles so I need to be realistic.
This week will prove to be a challenge for me once again.  First of all we are training new drivers and second of all my schedule will be different.  My two supervisors will be out of the office for two days and also the dispatcher will be gone the second half of the week so I will be pulled off of the bus and be in the office more.  This equals less walking and more sitting as well as loss of time at the gym.  So if I plan to do this 4000 calorie burn day thing I will have to really put forth a lot of extra effort.  I sure hope the rest of my life cooperates this week....lol. 
My foods were logged today however my calorie deficit is probably closer to 1000 instead of the 1500 calorie deficit I was hoping for with the 21 day challenge. Hope you had a great day!

Challenge day #3

Okay so I didn't make it on here to blog yesterday so this is a day late.  Saturdays and Sundays are always a struggle for me when it comes to exercise and eating.  I end up trying to relax and then just relax too much...lol.  With relaxation comes the munchies...got to enjoy food while sitting on my butt right?  Well to tell the truth it wasn't that bad for me today thank goodness!
I had to go to work at 7am and train a gal to be a School Bus driver.  This was good because it got be out of bed at a somewhat normal time and moving around.  With training comes being on my feet walking around the bus in and out setting up cones for obstacles etc so every little bit helps.  A lot better than the  alternative of sitting on my butt eating junk all day.  So I had a Fiber One bar for breakfast and when I got home fixed myself a hearty bowl of chunky soup. Between the two I was sitting at 565 calories.  I did take a nap due to a headache and woke up and ate a small piece of cheese and half cup of milk.  Then for supper I was taken out for Mexican and ate half of my enchilada and just about 3/4 cup of Mexican rice.  I figure at best guess it was about 700 or 800 calories. So for the day based on the high cal for supper I was at 1485 Calorie intake for the day.  Didn't eat as much fruit and veggies as I needed but was still better than overeating a bunch of crap all day long.  I did make my goal of tracking calories closer and 1500 calorie deficit so today was a success!
My evening after dinner was rough.  I was emotional and stressed.  My life never seems to go smoothly and it's really frustrating to me.  I have got to deal better with the stress in my life than I currently am.  I have missed the gym all week and I feel it from head to toe so starting to count my calories closer this week has been a blessing.  My personal life and stress has been affecting my weight loss and that just makes me plain old mad...ggrrrr.
I hope your day has been good and productive... think of a goal, keep it small then go for it.  When that one has been reached choose another small goal and soon you will have conquered a big goal.  Love you all have a great day!!
P.S. check out my updated photo on the right of the screen... I can see a difference...yeah!

Friday, October 8, 2010

Challenge day #2

Good evening my friends!  What a day today was and boy am I glad today was Friday.  This has been a long rough week for me and I didn't like it not one little bit...lol.  So my mouth was pretty achy from dental  work so I took my TMJ meds and went to bed early.  I was up with no problems this morning but towards the end of my AM bus route I became extremely sleepy.  Not sure if it was a leftover effect from the meds or just me exhausted from the week of stress and illness but I decided I needed to go home and rest instead of exercise. 
After work it was time to get ready and go to the High School Football game where my son Jadens school was recognized.  I was feeling pretty good so I told the boys lets just walk tonight and get some exercise so we did just that.  It was a good game and our Spartan team won...yeah.  The walk home was nice and relaxing in the moonlight but I had to walk slower because it was dark and some of the pavement was uneven.
I did much better on my eating today... stayed away from that regular soda pop and those calories.  I ate a Fiber One bar for Breakfast, caesar salad, veggies and fruit for lunch, Homemade Fruit/yogurt/protein shake for supper and just a little popcorn at the football game.  Ohh and a bite of my son's hotdog at the game also.  So now the chore begins tomorrow because weekends are difficult for most everything because I'm out of my routine.  Well it's late and I'm tired and I have to work tomorrow on a Saturday... need to train a new driver so no rest for the wicked... so off I go.  Hope you all had a great day today and also that you made your challenge day a good one.

Thursday, October 7, 2010

Challenge day #1

Okay so I woke up this morning thinking I was going to go do Pilates for the first time in forever when I realized... oh crap I have a dental appointment at the dental hygiene school.   So after my route I had to make a mad dash over there and didn't leave until it was time for me to be back at work.  Worst part was I was laying the whole time with my feet higher than my head.... that doesn't help burn calories...lol.
I am proud to say that I did log all of my foods today and was depressed when doing so.  I could definitely tell I had been in a rut of "food logging failure" and boy this was eye opening.   I thought I could be lazy and leave out a step and close would be good enough but it's not.  We think we know how many calories we take in but we don't.  In just a few short months I had forgotten this major step already.  Why do we wear the armband and make the effort to exercise if we are unwilling to finish the process.  If we bake a cake and forget the eggs or the sugar... the cake won't turn out right.  Well if we exercise and we don't monitor our intake then we can't lose and get healthy.  What we eat is just as important as the exercise.  I don't eat horrible but I don't eat as good as I should.  For example today since I left dentist in a rush to get back to work I grabbed a Crispy Chicken Cesar Salad from McD's which with Dressing is about 510 calories... not too bad even with crispy chicken instead of grilled.  Without even thinking I ordered a large root beer... no not diet...that glass of root beer cost me over 400 calories...yiks!  Needless to say between the pop at noon and pizza for supper my diet wasn't good today.  My calorie deficit will be better tomorrow it has to be if I am going to change my ways.
Now for good news of the day... three or four times in the last twenty four hours I have been told how I'm thinning out and looking good.  Thanks to those who made my day... it feels great to know that people can SEE the results and compliments just feed my desire to fight harder.
Please respond and let me know how your day #1 went.  If at first we don't succeed try try again and soon enough you will win.  Have a great evening and please keep smiling!

Wednesday, October 6, 2010

I'm taking a 21 day challenge!!

Good evening!  Well let's see if I can get back to this blogging on a regular basis.  Today my Zumba instructor and friend challenged us to a 21 day challenge.  She stated how making something a habit takes at least 21 days and so we were to choose "something" that we wanted to become a good habit and DO IT over the next 21days.  She chose to work on her schedule and I mentioned yesterday needing to be more accountable on my calories so that is what I will be making a habit. 
For the next 21 days I will start documenting my calories very closely and no guessing.  If I want the results to come, I need to put forth the effort.  Second part of my 21 day goal is to have at least a 1500 calorie deficit each day.  Now for those of you who know I have already set my own 4000 calorie a day burn week.  That will also fall within this 21 days.  Sounds like I have my work cut out for me.  This all starts tomorrow so be watching my blog as I will try to daily inform you right here how things are going.
Because my week has been a crash and burn sort of week I will attempt once again to start my 4000 a day burn on Sunday.  Maybe next week will be the week to really focus on exercise daily without skipping.  So here I am officially saying... I'm taking the challenge... are you?  Let's do this together because we all need help and encouragement on our journeys regardless of if they are weight related or not.  Fight till you win... fight till the end.

Tuesday, October 5, 2010

One goal down!!

Good morning to everyone!  This last month has been full of ups and downs and I'm here to say that I accomplished a goal I set.  When I last blogged I had attempted a 5000 calorie burn day and ended just short of reaching it.  I learned something that day, I realized exactly what I needed to do to reach it.  So guess what, I DID it!!  After the first time of reaching my 5000 burn day I went for another 5000 day the following week.  Well I made it a full month reaching one 5000 cal burn day each week...yeah me.  So now I've decided that my next goal is to reach a 4000 calorie burn everyday for a week.  I planned to start yesterday but wasn't feeling well and still not up to par today so plan for now is to start my 4000 a day week tomorrow Wednesday the 6th of October. 
I have some things I really need to work on.  I have found that while dealing with the current stress in my life that at times I get depressed and just don't care.  What I'm saying is, I tend on those days to look for comfort foods and have the attitude that I don't care it's one day.  Consequently I do care because it keeps me from eating properly and allows my stress to build and I feel guilty for not eating the way I should.  I do believe there is nothing wrong in splurging once in a while and treating yourself but there is a difference between treating yourself and just eating because you can.  I need to focus on eating better and not allowing myself to get to the "I don't care" phase. 
Speaking of eating better.. I also need to start recording my food better because I get busy and don't do it on a regular basis then I end up guesstimating.  I need to be 100% accurate if I expect to see better results.  Between the stress in my life and my recent eating habits my results have been extremely slow.  If I plan to win this battle I need to buckle down and fight the proper way and stay in control.  Thanks for reading and feel free to comment and also follow my blog.

Thursday, September 2, 2010

I will overcome!!

Well it's been a couple of weeks since I have posted.  I am back into my routine and feeling really good about participating in group exercise.  I'm totally loving Zumba class and my instructor is an awesome woman who can get under your skin and inspire greatness.  I have had many ups and downs the last few weeks and refuse to let it keep me from succeeding with my journey. 
Tomorrow is September 3rd and four months ago Sasha made her journey home to be with Heavenly Father.  I miss her so much and I use her memory as strength to keep fighting just as she did.  My children and I are separating from my husband. We are moving out and so I've had that stress as well.
Life keeps going and we must find the positive in such a negative world and I catch myself being caught up complaining instead of being grateful for what I have.  I am here to say that I am grateful for my children they are my life.  I am grateful for this body I have although I haven't always liked it or taken very good care of it.  God gave me this body for a reason and I'm still learning to appreciate it.  I'm thankful for my job, friends and co-workers for playing the role in my life that they do.  I'm thankful for my Heavenly Father who loves me enough to be there for me and watch over my family even when we aren't as grateful as we should be. 
Okay so I had a challenge the other day, I wanted to make a 5000 calorie burn on September 1st.  I didn't make it although I came very close but I did learn something.  I made the statement that "I failed" and was told that what I had achieved was far from failure.  I thought, you know they are right I was looking at the glass being half empty because the first time attempting to reach a new goal I was unable to complete it.  The point is I made the attempt and I learned from it.  I know exactly what I have to do next time to reach that 5000 calorie burn in one day.  Isn't that just like the rest of life?  We are given challenges everyday, some are big and some are small but it's up to us to overcome them.  Some of us are allowed more challenges than others and I believe it's because we are strong enough to overcome them.  I already knew these things but in life we tend to forget the simple things.

Never give up, never give in, fight till the end, fight till you win!

Monday, August 23, 2010

Zumba Class

Hello Everyone!  This last week has been really good.  I started getting back to the gym on a regular basis and feel really great about that.  It's a positive thing that I need in my life right now.  So on Thursday I decided to do Pilates at the gym and that was an interesting but fun.  I definitely needed to get into some group exercise and to start working on firming up my jelly belly...lol.  Pilates went well so on Friday I did Zumba Toning and then Hoop Dance.  All three classes I found fun but especially the Zumba.  Funny thing is my body used to be able to move like that but not anymore so hopefully I will be shaking and jiggling my rear end in a good way soon. 
By Friday afternoon I was feeling the pain and stiffness and then I went bowling for a High School fundraiser Friday night and was really hurting when I left there at midnight.  Come Saturday morning I couldn't hardly move and couldn't help but make my own squeaking noises every time I had to use them sore muscles...lol.  My husband found this very funny and teased me.
On Sunday I was only a little achy now and then and was doing much better but wished I had at least done some walking on Saturday instead of just sitting around licking my wounds.  Today I went to the full Zumba class and realized how fast that skinny string bean instructor actually goes....lol.  She moves like the speed of light and boy did I get a workout trying to keep up.  She was really proud of me and said so at the end of the class.  I never gave up and kept moving regardless of  whether I was making the right steps or not.  Good thing America's Funniest Home Video wasn't there cuz they would have had a good show.  I burned 782 Calories during that hour of Zumba class then I did 25 minutes on the recumbent cross trainer.  Woohoo!  I have met all of my targets today and did so by 5pm which was totally sweet!  I hope you have had a good day...chat soon.

Monday, August 16, 2010

I'm Back!!!

Life I refuse to let you win this battle!  Last time I was here I apologized for my absence and told you I would be back... well here is how my story went from there.  After  feeling horrible for not making it to the gym forever and dealing with my depression and thyroid I finally made it to the gym about 3 1/2 weeks ago.  I had a great workout and felt great to be there.  When I left the gym I walked to my daughters trunk in the parking lot and down I went.  I stepped on an uneven seam in the concrete and twisted my left ankle.... just my luck.  I couldn't believe it I finally pushed myself to go back and face the gym and what happens... my stupid ankle...lol.
So for the last three weeks or so I have worked long hours 12 to 14 hrs a day at times getting ready for school to start back up and I was either on my feet a lot training a new driver or sitting on my butt behind a desk.  Standing wasn't good on my ankle and sitting for long hours wasn't good on my back, poor posture and all.  School started on the 12th so my hours would be going back to normal fairly quick and I was ready to visit the gym.  On Friday I posted on Facebook that I planned to go to the gym Saturday morning... that was me making myself be accountable to follow through.  So Saturday I had a really good workout and am excited to say I made it to the gym again today even though with the schedule I working right now I only got 40 min in but I was still able to reach my targets for the day.
So anyway that is the long short of my recent issues and I plan to go to the gym as much as I can even if  only for 30 or 40 minutes a day until my schedule allows for more.  I must get back on track because I am behind my weight loss pace for losing 100 lbs in 1 year or less... 2 lbs a week.  Hope all of you are doing well and I will try and start checking in on your blogs... I need the inspiration.  Thanks to all you have hung out waiting for me to appear again.

Thursday, July 15, 2010

An Apology

I owe you all an apology.  The last several weeks I have had a lot going on and I allowed life to interrupt my progress once again.  I know that regardless of what happens I should record my up's and downs, my progress and failures,That's how we learn. 
When I came back from School Bus Road-e-o I noticed some changes going on with my body... not good signs.  I was still working out but really struggling to make it through my workouts which didn't make a lot of sense to me.  I was fighting it the best I could.  Well we had a busy week at work then it was time to go out of town for 7 days for Advanced Driver Training. 
While I was in Salina that week my symptoms continued to get worse.  My hair was falling out, extremely tired and weak, changes in my shin, diarrhea, sleep issues and my migraines decided to makes themselves known. I have been hypothyroid for 12 years and most of these symptoms mean it's my thyroid acting up again.  Some days it can be hard to even function when it's all out of whack.  That week was also a very emotional (another symptom) week for me and we headed home on July 2nd and July 3rd was two months after we said goodbye to little Sasha.  I have found that exercise helps with depression and well I sat in class all week and my thyroid apparently acting up wasn't helping with my depression.
So as we were getting ready to head home I got a call from my ex-husband from out of state who told me he would be in town Sat. the 3rd until Tues. the 5th of July.  I was missing my kids and my hubby and thinking a lot about Sasha and now I come home worrying how things would go with the ex visiting in town for a few days.  Most of the time we get along fine but at times things get really stressful.  So now not only am I feeling weak and sick but now I'm also worrying about how things would go with the girls and their dad. On top of that I spent most of my time with my daughters and their father and very little time at home with my hubby and the boys.  It turned out to be a good visit and everything went smooth and we stayed on a nice friendly basis all weekend I'm proud to say.  He was happy to see the girls after two years and they enjoyed seeing him too.
Okay so we made it through 4th of July weekend and it's time to get back to work and I still haven't made it to the gym since like two or three days before going to Salina for training.  Now I'm truly depressed and embarrassed and feel like a failure for avoiding this blog because I'm doing so horrible.  I gained a little weight while I was gone and immediately lost it once I was back home even though I haven't made it to the gym.  Yeah me!  I was finally able to get in to see the Dr. and she was so completely excited and proud of my weight loss... it felt good to hear a compliment.  We ran some blood work and sure enough my thyroid was acting up, but get this, now I was taking too much medication instead of not enough.  Seems like since I started losing weight that my body is waking up and my thyroid is trying to work better.  So this is good news in the long run just the short term yucky symptoms to deal with.  So now I will have to have blood work done again in six weeks to see what it looks like then.
A gal I work with decided to get her own bodymedia armband and has worn it now just a little over a week.  I'm so proud of her for taking the leap I did to get started on this journey. I can't wait to see her progress.  I guess in a way I inspired her to do what I have been doing, so now it's up to me to not let myself down or her.  Although I haven't made it to the gym she and I have been taking stretch breaks every now and then during the day.  We get up and walk three to five laps around our large drivers room and get in a few steps.  We have also been walking to Subway to get our lunch instead of driving.  It's not much but it is better than nothing.  I now have two Becky's with the same armband as me and I have let one down and I am soo sorry for that.  I will try to do better.
I did try twice this week to make it to the gym.... one day I got ready to go and had an unexpected family situation to deal with and the next time I had packed one of my socks and one of my sons... wasn't gonna work...lol.  If I didn't live 8 miles away from work and the gym I would have gone home to get socks.  Hopefully next week things will be better.  I am starting to feel better now that my medication has been adjusted. 
My husbands unemployment ran out and apparently congress hasn't passed some extension bill thing so after 6 months of unemployment and no jobs in sight we now have to sit and wait 4 to 6 weeks without any money in hopes of a 14 week extension.  What I don't get is that there are people who we personally know who have been on unemployment for almost 2 years and my husband has held the same job for 20 years and he only gets 6 months.  What is wrong with this picture?  Because he is 55 yrs old it is harder to find a job, I'm so completely frustrated right now.  So as if we weren't having enough financial issues now we have nothing on his part coming into the house and bills stacking up and three kids to get into college and four to get enrolled for school.  My family is all poor so no rich relatives will be leaving me any inheritance in this lifetime...lol.  We could use a lot of prayers to make it through this, I don't know what we are going to do but I know things will get better sooner or later just hoping for sooner.
So here is how things look right now.  I plan to start blogging again and I will make every effort to get back to the gym and back into my routine.  I miss it... I miss the gym and the feeling I get when I'm done.  It feels good to accomplish something that I can see results from.  I need the gym and me time to deal mentally and physically with all the craziness going on in my life right now.  Thanks for being here for me and if nothing else just listening to me vent and ramble on.  I will end for the day but I promise to write again.  Have a great evening!

Wednesday, June 23, 2010

Stability Ball for Office Chair

Good evening!  I could sure tell today that I have pushed hard the last couple of days.  My legs from top to bottom ached.  I have to tell you what we did at work today.  Three of us ladies will be using stability balls as chairs in the office.  I already had a ball and my hubby brought it in to work and we took turns trying it out.  at lunch time we made a run to walmart and they both bought their own.  It made for a fun afternoon inflating those balls and enjoying the comfort of them.  We will have to see how I do for a whole day tomorrow sitting on one... will be working the "core".
This afternoon I did things a little different at the gym again.  I have been feeling extra tired and was worried I wouldn't make my exercise targets today.  Here is what I did:

Treadmill - 30 minutes
Recumbent Cross-trainer - 1 hour
Treadmill - 30 minutes

As you can tell it was very different.  After the initial treadmill I planned to do the recumbent cross-trainer then the elliptical but someone was on them.  I decided it would be fine to just walk it out for another 30 minutes then I would go to the elliptical.  I never made it because I got picked up early and only got 2 hours at the gym instead of 2.5hrs.
Tomorrow the gym will close to the public at 3pm because they have a special group coming in.  I will only get 1 hour in tomorrow so I will have to try and find a way to do something else to burn some calories.  Well it was a good day today.  Have a great evening and I will be checking in later.

Here are yesterdays numbers:

Targets set by Armband: 3720 calories burned, 11008 steps, 60 min moderate exercise and 30 min vigorous

Actual for 6/22/2010: 4474 calories burned, 19832 steps, 1 hr 51 min moderate exercise and 56 min vigorous exercise

Tuesday, June 22, 2010

Intervals during exercise

 Okay so I woke up this morning really feeling the effects from yesterdays exercise but honestly don't get it.  I didn't exercise any harder than normal and I didn't even get as much time in as I do at other times.  I was on a website last night and read where I should probably do more intervals during exercise switching back and forth between intense and mild.  Guess what I did... yup I did intervals. 

As usual after work I headed for the gym and here is what I did:

Treadmill - 35 minutes ( incline 1 then 5 with four minutes between each change)
Recumbent Cross-Trainer - 30 minutes (resistance 5 the 7 with five minutes between each change)
Ergo-Meter - 20 minutes (10 at 60 and 10 at 90)
Elliptical - 30 minutes ( resistance 1 then 2 with ten minutes between changes)
Recumbent bike - 30 minutes (resistance 5 then 7 with four minutes between changes)

This was a nice change of pace and as you can tell I changed up the order.  I don't know if this will really make a different on how my body deals with the calorie burn but I guess we will see.  I read that your body gets used to the same thing every time and that it will stop burning calories the same as it usually does, it will still burn just not as efficiently.  The article said to keep your body confused by doing the intervals and doing different exercises etc.  Your body will start burning calories better again.
I had a really good day.  Good eating habits and plenty of fruits and veggies and water.  I hope to see a change on the scale soon.  I need more rest but it's not happening so I tend to try and make up for the lack of sleep on the weekends.  Well no exciting clothing issues today so all went well.  Hope your day was as good as mine.  I'm tired now so I'm gonna hit the hay.... chat tomorrow.

Here are yesterdays numbers:

Targets set by Armband: 3720 calories burned, 11008 steps, 60 min moderate exercise and 30 min vigorous

Actual for 6/21/2010: 3956 calories burned, 18515 steps, 1 hr 46 min moderate exercise and 34 min vigorous exercise

Monday, June 21, 2010

Lost my pants today

Well hello there... how was your day?  My day was good from start to finish.  I really felt bad today because I didn't get any exercise in yesterday.  I want to keep Sunday's as rest but I want to exercise so I don't sit around and eat crap I shouldn't be eating.  Hummm what to do what to do.
Well off to work i went feeling good this morning.  I spent all eight hours sitting at the computer working and just didn't get much walking, moving around or anything.  I ate plenty of fruits and veggies as well as all of my water for the day.  My eating habits overall was very good.
I need to call the Dr. tomorrow because my hair is falling out and my voice is hoarse etc.  This is usually a sign that my thyroid meds need to be upped because my thyroid has shut down more.  The confusing thing is that I have been exercising regularly and eating better as well as losing weight so why would my thyroid get worse instead of better?  Who knows but I have had the draggy butts lately too.  The other thought is that maybe I have just plain shocked my thyroid into completely stopping.  I have had my thyroid meds upped like 2 or 3 times in last year or so.
So after work I went to the gym by myself to exercise.  I thought I felt pretty good and seemed to have a good amount of energy but boy I had a hard time making my vigorous exercise target.  I did all the same levels and speeds and I was huffing and puffing but just wasn't quite up to vigorous like I usually am.  I must have been more worn out than I thought I was.  I ended up with two minutes of vig from the treadmill and  four minutes from the ergo-meter and another four from the elliptical so when I got to the recumbent cross-trainer I fought and fought and fought to reach 30 minutes.  I made it but it wasn't without a struggle.  Here is what I got in exercise today.

Treadmill - 30 minutes
Ergo-meter - 30 minutes
Elliptical - 30 minutes
Recumbent Cross-Trainer - 45 minutes

Okay so do you want to hear my embarrassing moment for the day?  I was on the elliptical and about 10 minutes into my 30 minutes when I felt something on my backside.  I thought it was just the seam in my exercise pants so I ignored it.  After another 5 minutes or so it became a greater sensation so I reach my hand back only to find out that my pants were almost completely off of my butt.  If that wasn't bad enough I had not one, not two but three men and one lady on the treadmills behind me.  OMG I am so embarrassed!  I probably scarred those young men for life.  So now that I know what's going on I still have fifteen more minutes on the elliptical and I'm fighting to reach my vig. target for the day while trying to hold my pants up.  So here is my question.  Is it a good sign of weight loss when you exercise and lose your pants at the gym?  Lol  I just couldn't look back at them to see the looks on thier faces I tried really hard to just face forward and pretend nothing had happened.  Boy will they have a story to tell, it's just a good thing I had unders on...lol.
I always feel a sense of accomplishment when I leave the gym and sometimes I feel like staying until I absolutely can't go anymore but I do have a family at home so I have to leave.  It does feel good to take care of myself though.  Well it's time to say goodnight.  I hope your days was as good as mine...just keep your shorts on and all will be good.  Have a great evening chat with you later.  My numbers for yesterday are rather scary.

Here are yesterdays numbers:
Targets set by Armband: 3720 calories burned, 11008 steps, 60 min moderate exercise and 30 min vigorous

Actual for 6/20/2010: 2230 calories burned, 846 steps, 0 min moderate exercise and 0 min vigorous exercise

Sunday, June 20, 2010

Break Day...

Happy Father's Day to the men who read my blog!  I hope you had a very nice day. 
I decided that I was going to try and keep Sundays as a day off and just relax for the week ahead.  With that said I'm not going to say I won't exercise at all once in a while on Sunday but I am going to try to keep it as a day of rest.  I did just that today.  I didn't do any more than I actually had to...lol.  We spent quality time as a family and watched movies etc.
Because I sat on my butt most of the day I didn't eat as well as I should and nor did I drink as much water as I needed.  I really struggle with staying on task when I have a break day.  How do I do what I am supposed to do if I'm taking a break?  I don't know.  What I do know is that it's a constant battle for me to eat and drink correctly and especially when I am sitting around bored.
There is just not much to share today but I will be glad to go to work tomorrow and be on regular routine.  Why is it this weight loss thing is so easy for some people and so hard for others?  I think it's a trial and test sent to me by Heavenly Father.  He must be preparing me for something and this is what I must master in order to succeed at what he has in store for me.  Sorry not trying to preach just kinda thinking aloud.
My life tends to be an unorganized mess and I want things to calm down and smooth out for once.  Will it happen?  I doubt it, my life will never be smooth and easy because I wouldn't learn if it wasn't rough.  I will just keep getting up and brushing those knees of mine off and going again.  Well it's past my bedtime so I'm outta here for the night.  Sweet dreams and I will check in again tomorrow.  Have a good one!

Here are yesterdays numbers:
Targets set by Armband: 3720 calories burned, 11008 steps, 60 min moderate exercise and 30 min vigorous

Actual for 6/19/2010: 3734 calories burned, 13220 steps, 46 min moderate exercise and 48 min vigorous exercise

Saturday, June 19, 2010

Not as much time at the gym

Good Evening... how was your day?  If everyone prepared for Father's Day tomorrow?  I hope so.  Well I got to sleep in this morning which i really needed.  I was having a hard time keeping my eyes open last night while I was writing my blog.  It has been a good day.
Janessa and Jamison had bowling league at 10AM so I dropped them off and headed for Emporia Fitness.  When I got there I was called over my three elderly ladies that I visit with every two or three days while at the gym.  They are very interested in my armband and how it's working for me.  One lady mentioned it to the other two and I got to explain all about it.  They encouraged me to keep up the good work and that they were proud of me.  I told them I was proud of them and that seeing them there helps me stay motivated.  So after chatting with them for a few I lost about 15 minutes of exercise time but it was a sacrifice that was worth it.

Here is what I got in:

Treadmill - 30 minutes
Ergo-Meter - 20 minutes
Elliptical - 30 minutes
Recumbent Cross-Trainer - 15 minutes

I really needed more time at the gym but was happy to have had time for that.  My kids finished about 20 minutes earlier than I had planned.  We planned to go to the Olpe Lake later after Janaya got off work.  Well we arrived at the lake shortly before 3PM and spent a little over 2 hours there.  It was a nice warm days and I managed to get a little sun.  I sure wish the armband was waterproof because I hate that it doesn't record what a person doesn't in the water.
My eating has not been very good today.  Seems like everything was high calorie today.  I tried to be careful but not sure how well I did.  I did drink plenty of water so that was a plus.  I may decide to go to the gym again tomorrow if I have time.  I still need to make up for the days I was gone this week. 

Here are yesterdays numbers:
Targets set by Armband: 3720 calories burned, 11008 steps, 60 min moderate exercise and 30 min vigorous

Actual for 6/18/2010: 4398 calories burned, 20624 steps, 1hr 28 min moderate exercise and 1 hr 14 min vigorous exercise

Friday, June 18, 2010

Back to Routine

Good Evening!  I was back to my normal summer work schedule today and it was nice being back in the swing of things.  I had a lot of fun while out of town for Bus Road-e-o but it's always nice to be back home.  Life never stops and you just pick up where you left off as if you had never been gone.
I was up and awake on time and at work by 6AM.  I packed my gym clothes so I could go to the gym after work.  I was happy to be working on my Special Needs Program and PowerPoint.  I made some good progress with it and my day went by really fast. My two daughter's met me when I got off to go to the gym.  Janessa had somewhere to be so she ended up just going to Dollar General for a few before her ride showed up but Janaya and I hit the gym.  After a little over an hour Janaya took off and I was on my own as usual.  Here is what I did at the gym today:

Treadmill - 30 minutes
Ergo-Meter - 20 minutes
Elliptical - 30 minutes
Recumbent Cross-Trainer - 45 minutes
Technical Trainer - 5 minutes
Recumbent Bike 10 minutes 

I felt good when I left and wish I had more time to workout.  My Eating was good today, not wonderful but good.  I drank plenty of fluids and especially water.  I am happy to report that I was able to maintain my weight loss while I was gone for three days. I am home for a week before I leave for a whole week to work related training class.  When you see my numbers for yesterday you will see I didn't do much of anything.  I do plan to keep pushing hard, hitting the gym and making good food decisions.  I'm in this for the long run and my next short term goal is to be down a total of 50 lbs by August 12th when schools starts back up.  I think that's a reasonable goal.  I hope you have had a great day and are reaching your own personal goals.  Keep plugging along.

Here are yesterdays numbers:
Targets set by Armband: 3720 calories burned, 11008 steps, 60 min moderate exercise and 30 min vigorous

Actual for 6/17/2010: 2643 calories burned, 3528 steps, 12 min moderate exercise and 0 min vigorous exercise

Thursday, June 17, 2010

Day three Road-e-o and coming home

Okay so yesterday was a good day from start to finish.  If you read my last post you know why. We were supposed to be awake and down for our first meeting at 8AM this morning.  Guess what.... yeah I was late.  My cellphone wasn't completely plugged in and it went dead so my alarm never sounded and my boss has to come wake my roommate and I.  That didn't make brownie points...lol.  She said she was beginning to worry because it wasn't like me to not be down there early.  She said since I placed at state I would be forgiven this time.  I'm so glad I have such a wonderful boss.
We went over to changes in State Regulations and laws etc.  A big topic was the new texting law and how it would affect our CDL's.  It's sounds to me like the rules and guidelines will be tightening their belts.  Soon those who violate the laws will lose their CDL.  I feel this is a good thing.  I like know those on the highway's in big rigs as well as buses deserve to be there and that they are doing their best to follow the law.  Okay off the soapbox.
Meetings were over at noon so we ate lunch and headed home.  Eating today hasn't been too bad but water intake has been horrible.  I have barely done anything since I got home beside just chill and be tired...lol.  I look forward to hitting that gym hard tomorrow and continuing my journey.  I posted some pics on here today.  I looked for pics from before I started my BodyMedia Fit and didn't have much to choose from... guess I had been avoiding the camera.  Any who.... check out the pics and see what you think.  I am seeing the change.  I do still have a long way to go but I'm feeling good.  Tomorrow is back to work as usual so I need to head for bed.  I hope you have enjoyed the last few days and I will drop in again tomorrow.

Here are yesterdays numbers:
Targets set by Armband: 3720 calories burned, 11008 steps, 60 min moderate exercise and 30 min vigorous

Actual for 6/16/2010: 3630 calories burned, 9047 steps, 1hr 0 min moderate exercise and 0 min vigorous exercise

Day Two of Bus Road-e-o

Okay so I know this is late but I will post about yesterday then tonight I will post again about today.  I was up and headed for the course before 5AM.  McDonald's made us late getting to the course but we still had plenty of time to get everything set up and ready for the day.  The second half of our group showed up about 6:30AM. 
Okay so here is how the day went from there.  Conventional buses went first then the transit buses and lastly the mini buses.  We drive our buses through an obstacle course consisting of ten events.  Here is the list:

1. Back up Alley
2. Parallel Parking
3. Offset Alley
4. Right Turn
5. Curb-line
6. Straight Line
7. Railroad Crossing
8. Student Load
9. Stop Line
10. Inside Judge

Please keep in mind that all of these events are not typical... you are within inches of barriers and stanchions.  This requires precision, technique and skill and boosts the confidence of every driver that participates.
I drive in the conventional division and was contestant #47.  My inside judge was Highway Patrol officer Thompson.  I blew two whole events and wasn't feeling good about my performance in representing USD #253 Emporia. 
Most of the events I felt like I did okay but I blew two of them and I knew would put me out of the running for 1st or 2nd place.  I placed 2nd in State Competition last year and was hoping to head for Nationals this year but this wasn't my year... maybe next year.  I love going to State Bus Safety Competition each year.  I learn a ton and meet a lot of people and it's a great opportunity to to learn and grow as a School Bus Driver. It's all about safety and we have fun doing it.  Patty and I played in the water with two little girls after a 20 minutes storm, it was great!  We got cooled off, smiled, laughed and entertained all who were around us.  Okay so maybe we embarrassed them but ohh well they will live...lol.
After the competition I was interviewed by the Salina Journal and was in their paper this morning.  Here is the link for anyone wanting to check it out.

http://www.salina.com/news/story/school-bus-rodeo

The time came for awards and the banquet.  The hotel served a great meal and KSPTA (Kansas State Pupil Transportation Association) always does a good job of making the evening a memorable one.  When they got to my category I was truly amazed when they called my name for placing 5th.  It's a great honor to know that of those that compete I have worked hard and represented my school district well.
After the banquet and awards they held a dance and Elvis made his appearance.  The dance is always great fun.  By the time this was over it was midnight so I went to bed instead of doing this post.
Okay so my eating for the day wasn't good but I did try watch my calorie intake as much as possible.  The exercise I did was just walking back and fourth at the course and hotel.  Sorry there wasn't much about my weight loss today.

Here are yesterdays numbers:
Targets set by Armband: 3720 calories burned, 11008 steps, 60 min moderate exercise and 30 min vigorous

Actual for 6/15/2010: 3726 calories burned, 10964 steps, 1hr 16 min moderate exercise and 0 min vigorous exercise

Tuesday, June 15, 2010

First Day of Bus Road-e-o

Well it's been a very long long day today.  I was up at 5AM as usual and at work by 6AM.  We left for Salina at 7AM.  It's been a day of conference talks and testing and frustration.  Let me explain.  We had meetings and went over rules and guidelines for the driving course tomorrow and a luncheon.  Then we took a written test and a defect bus and a surprise test.  I aced the defect bus and surprise test and thought I did pretty good on the written until I heard last years winning talking now I'm not so sure how I did on the written exam.  We won't get the results from it until tomorrow evening. 
So after finishing with all of that close to 6 PM we ran to walmart to get snacks etc for tomorrow.  We were supposed to be at a 40yr celebration at 7PM.  I ended up stuck in our room waiting for maintenance to fix our AC.  It was broke and after over an hour they finally put my roommate and I in a different room.  Finally made it downstairs to the party and it wasn't all that great so about 9:45PM headed back to my room to write this and hit the sack.  I have to be up and out on the course at 5AM tomorrow morning.
My eating wasn't great today but although I didn't have time for exercise I managed to get some steps and moderate exercise in.  I will be happy if I can just maintain my weight loss this week without gaining any extra.  well I'm needing to get to bed so nothing really special today.  I hope you had a good day.

Here are yesterdays numbers:
Targets set by Armband: 3720 calories burned, 11008 steps, 60 min moderate exercise and 30 min vigorous

Actual for 6/14/2010: 4971 calories burned, 21127 steps, 54 min moderate exercise and 1hr 38 min vigorous exercise