Sweatin' Like It's 1980...

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I'm not an exercise person. Ok I've said it. But I know that exercise is important for your health and to lose weight. So I've been in search of something that would get me motivated to go. I am still working on the walking/jogging for 5ks, etc. but I wanted something else to give me some exercise. So when a Groupon popped up for our local jazzercise classes I decided to give it a try.

I went to my first class last week. I love it! It is so much fun. I felt like a goof because I didn't know all the moves but I liked it. It included stretching, aerobics, and some strength training. I'm looking forward to using the rest of my Groupon then I'll decide what to do from there.  

I am also wanting to try some of the aqua aerobics at the Y too just to see how those are. I know they say variety is the spice of life and I think for me that is so true with exercise. 

What is your favorite exercise?

This Is Not Good aka Knee Issues

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So my knee is not quite there (the picture) but it has been having issues. I'm trying to get ready for the 8K in March so I'm not happy about this at all. I have a doctor's appointment on Monday to discuss my options. Mainly it has just been tender nothing too serious but enough that I'm cautious with it.

My struggle with my knee (my right one) began in 5th grade. We were playing kickball with a really big rubber ball and I was running to first base when someone through it at me to get me out and somehow I tripped and ended up bending my knee the wrong direction. At the time the advice was elevate it, ice it and take some ibuprofen. So it was basically ignored. It never healed correctly and I've had issues with it since then. I was diagnosed with arthritis in it at the age of 15. I've injured it playing softball, running, and once when my 60lb pit bull ran into it with his head. At the time of my last injury they did an MRI and told me that my knee cap was in the wrong place so they put a J-Brace on it and sent me to physical therapy. It helped some and for a bit it's been doing good.

Until now...I will admit I'm frustrated with it because I want to exercise for health, weight loss and to prep for my 8K but it is too tender. And it is a double edged sword because I know that exercise will strengthen it and weigh loss will help it so I'm frustrated. I can't wait til Monday because at least maybe then I'll have an action plan.

Motivation...Hello Are You There?

As I've mentioned many times I struggle with my weight and my health. Now first off I will say that I know what I should eat and how I should exercise and I've seen results from this. However, I'm looking for my motivation...I'm not sure if it is in Zimbabwe or under the couch or down the street but it isn't with me. I know part of it is the holidays and part of it is J being gone but I need to refocus and work on getting healthy. I've signed up for an 8K in March so I need to work toward that because unlike a 5K you can't just walk up and do that. But my motivation is missing.

I have a membership to the Y, a membership to Twisted Fitness (a dance and exercise studio), vouchers to a yoga studio, and I have two dogs so I have no excuses. Well actually I can give you a huge list of them but none of them are good excuses. I want to lose weight and be healthier but I won't do that sitting on the couch eating junk so I'm hoping the New Year will bring a new level of motivation for me. 

Although I will admit cuddling on the couch with the puppies under a big mink blanket and eating Reese's Peanut Butter cups does sound appealing. It will end up with me not fitting in my clothes and although I love shopping I hate buying bigger sizes so here we come 2012 this will be our year of good health!!

So what about you are you motivated? Do you have changes you want to make in 2012?

November Goals

I've been inspired by The Life and Lessons of Rachel Wilkerson and Beth's Journey and their lists of November goals. So I decided I would share my November goals.

• Clean up my house...one of the dangers of your spouse being deployed is that it is easy to ignore things because it is just you and you are the only one who has to deal with it. My kitchen counter is slightly buried in mail, my bedroom has piles of laundry (clean and dirty), my carpet needs a vacuum desperately, and I'm tired of it so I am going to get it back under control.

• Weekly Yoga Class...I have purchased some passes for local yoga places on Groupon and Living Social so I've been using them to take a weekly yoga class. I'm really enjoying it and I feel much more relaxed and energized following the class. Sadly Tidewater Hot Yoga Studio is closing at the end of the month but I'm hoping my experience at Zenya will be as good.

• Weekly Weight Lifting...for both the yoga and my dance classes I need to work on my core strength as well as my upper body strength. Also I know that muscle is important in losing weight. And I feel good after I do it. My ultimate goal is two to three times a week but baby steps first.

• Walking Two-Three Times a Week...both the dogs and I benefit from this. I am a person who cannot lose weight just on eating healthy alone I have to have exercise of some sort even if it is only 30 minutes three times a week. My dogs are high energy creatures who need to burn off their energy. If I take them for a walk I get two birds with one stone. (but don't mention birds in front of the dogs).

• Fix and Eat More Meals at Home...I like to cook and further I like my cooking. I also find that when I cook I save money and calories. My goal is to make dinners that I can then bring for lunch. I have a crazy obsession with found many recipes online that I want to try including a pumpkin pasta recipe from Rachel Ray. 

• Daily Bible Study...I saved the best/most important for last. I lead a Bible Study at work called Balanced Living by First Place 4 Health and it has daily Bible study lessons which I usually do in the two days before the Bible study class. I want to get back in the habit of doing them daily.

fitbook love

picture from www.getfitbook.com

 After reading about the fitbook over at The Life & Lessons of Rachel Wilkerson I was in love. I decided to go out to their website and check it out. They even have one for kids and a pink one for Breast Cancer Awareness. While over there I learned I could buy it at Target so I went there that night and bought it. I LOVE IT!!

It is a 12 week book that has space for your 12 week goals, your weekly goals, your food diary, your exercise diary, it tracks food groups, sleep, and it gives tips along the way. It is small enough to fit in a purse but small enough that you don't think it is taking up your whole purse. And it comes with a pen. (really that is what sold me I love my pens) It gives you plenty of room to write things down and it has suggestions on how to use each section and page.  I really think it will be a great asset in my weight loss journey. 

If you're looking for a great tool in your weight loss or health journey this is it. I think it is beneficial no matter where you are in your journey.

Unrealistic Weightloss

There seems to be a trend of extreme weight loss shows of late. The Biggest Loser, Extreme Makeover: Weight Loss Edition and I Used to Be Fat to name a few. I've watched The Biggest Loser and Extreme Makeover: Weight Loss Edition.Yesterday I watched I Used to Be Fat on MTV for the first time. I enjoy watching these shows because usually the stories are inspirational.But I worry about these shows because they have unrealistic weightloss in my opinion.

On I Used to Be Fat they have 110-115 days to lose their goal weight and on the couple of episodes the girls were trying to lose 90 lbs. They succeeded and they looked great at the end. But for one girl she went to the gym from 9-2 then worked from 4-9 and then came home and slept. She had no life outside work and and working out. And from what I can tell Biggest Loser and Extreme Makeover have similar work-out schedules. Now I realize these are people in extreme weight loss situations who are trying to lose large amounts of weight but I think it sets an unrealistic outlook for the average watcher.

Yet as I watch I think wow...90 lbs in 100 days that's pretty sweet. And I get inspired to eat better and exercise more. So maybe the shows serve a purpose to give us a jump-start, realizing that we won't be able to do exactly what they do because we don't have a live-in personal trainer or the flexibility in our schedules to work out for 4-5 hours a day. But that we can make time in our schedule to work out, eat well, and take care of ourselves.

So do you think extreme weight loss shows are a good thing?

Getting Healthier

I am trying to get healthier again. Ultimately it is to lose weight but it is also to be healthier because I just feel drained. I am working on cooking and eating healthier items. And I need to get back to the Y because it is a waste of money right now.

My husband is a smoker...he has been since he was 17 he is now 34...he knows it is a bad habit and wants to quit but it is a habit/addiction and it is hard to quit. I initially worked hard getting him to quit but I've come to the conclusion it has to come from him if it is to work. And I find myself judging his habit from time to time but then I remember that I have bad habits too.

Much like my eating habits...someone else can't tell me what to eat and have it go well. So currently I'm debating what plan to go with...I've been on a few

• Weight Watchers (I've lost count how many times)
• Weigh Down Workshop
• Prism
• Lose it for Life
• Weight Loss Forever
• South Beach Diet
• Dietitian 

I've contemplated a few more...

• Jenny Craig
• Nutrisystem
• The B-12 Diet

They all have pros and cons...I don't like food group restrictive diets because I think your body needs some of all food groups. I like Weight Watchers but according to my dietitian they don't give me enough to eat but I like their easy to follow plan. So I'm not sure what to do. I guess I'll make my pros/cons list and go from there.

Back to working out

So this morning after a couple weeks of not working out I had one of the best workouts I've had in years. Partially due to some pent up frustration about work (another story for another day) and partially due to hitting my stride. I loved it. It felt great!

Food wise I'm doing better but not great. Due to a four day power outage we ate out a lot the end of last week and all of the weekend. But this week I've been trying to get back on track with food. We need to go to the store to replenish food we threw away during the storm. But life moves forward.

Now we just need to find a good chimney and roof company in our area.

She has the crud...

Last week was a bit of a wash for working out for a number of reasons. This week hasn't been much better due to being under the weather. I stayed home from work sick on Monday and have been napping in the mornings after J leaves to try and catch up on my sleep. Perhaps tomorrow I'll try and get there. We'll see.

We had our pictures taken Friday and although they turned out good I really don't like the way I look. I look dumpy. It is a delusion really...that I've lived under that I look really don't look as big as I do. So when I saw the pictures I was disappointed and shocked at my size. So next week is my restart...

I want to feel better about how I look and feel.

Pumpin' Iron

So today was my first day doing weights on my own. I went in and did 20 minutes on the Cybex Arc Trainer which I love because I burn more calories in less time. Whoo hoo. Then I started my 10 machine workout as assigned by my trainer. I worked my arms, legs, abs, and back. It was good. Right now I'm doing 2 sets of 8 reps. I haven't done weights in a while so I wanted to be nice to myself and start out slow. It felt good.

So my plan is

• Monday=20 minute cardio + 40-45 minute weights
• Tuesday=45-50 minute cardio
• Wednesday=20 minute cardio + 40-45 minute weights
• Thursday=45-50 minute cardio
• Friday=20 minute cardio + 40-45 minute weights
• Saturday=Activity of some sort
• Sunday=rest

This week though I have a 5K on Saturday and I missed Tuesday's workout so I'm thinking those kind of balance each other.

Food wise I'm doing better the past couple of days. But still not getting all the fruits and vegetables I should. But I'm eating better than I have been.

Weekend Eating Fest...

So if I wasn't a foodie going into this weekend I am certainly one now.

Friday night we caught up with some friends we hadn't seen since Easter. We went to dinner at Hayashi Japanese Resturant which was very yummy and not too bad health wise. I had grilled shrimp with vegetables, rice, soup, and salad. And I had a glass of wine with dinner. Then we went to P & J's for wine afterwords. Still not too bad.

Saturday J got up early and took puppies for a three mile walk. He was trying to let me sleep in but we live near an industrial yard and they were running a drill over the loud speaker. And our neighbor's dog was barking like mad. So I got up...made coffee...and cleaned house a bit. Then J and I had some time to ourselves before heading to the mall. We walked around the mall for a bit. (an hour and a half) We had lunch at the mall which consisted of a slice of pizza (ham & pineapple for me), a garlic roll, and a bit of pasta. Not the best but felt it was balanced by our walking. We went to the bridal shop to check on my veil. I negotiated a sweet deal on it because of a small flaw. Then we went home and napped. Before heading to my bosses' house for dinner. It was amazing...we had filet mignon with cheese on top, with fruit salad, brocoli casserole, salad, and a crescent roll. It was so very yummy. It was probably not as healthy as it should have been but it was a celebration of us getting married.

Sunday we went to church. Then I got home and Dad and I went to the opera. It was La Boheme and they did a good job with it which was nice since we had seen it before. Then Dad dropped me off and we met Mom and Dad at the County Grill for dinner. It is a BBQ Smokehouse place. And usually I have a modest portion but in this case Prime Rib was the special. And I knew I should go for something else but it was too good so I ate it. Along with sides that weren't very healthy. But I really hadn't eaten much else throughout the day which is one of my bad habbits.

Monday we woke up at the crack of dawn to go to the YMCA for our "fitlinx" orientation. J decided he didn't really need it because all he is doing there is free weights. So he waited downstairs while the trainer walked me through. He explained a new cardio machine that I liked alot. And then he walked me through ten different weight exercises to complete my training. I did well on all of them. And enjoyed doing them. Then we came home and took care of the puppies. We fixed a healthy breakfast. And we took a short nap before we went to meet J's sister and her fiance for bowling. We had a good time. M and I probably bored the guys to death with wedding talk but we had fun. Then we went to Ruby Tuesday's for dinner. I got a Prime Burger with the salad bar. I ate way too much again because I was uncomfortable when we left. I should have eaten half or split the burger with J. Note for the future. We then went to the store and to a couple other places to walk around for a bit. We headed home and took care of the puppies.

I feel like the exercise we got countered the food we ate but I would have liked to have more exercise and less food. So today I am working on eating healthier. And I have my clothes with me to go to the gym after work and before my meeting tonight at work.

We joined the Y

Last night we joined the Y. The paperwork is done...we paid our $7 for the rest of the month. We have our cards to check in. We have an appointment scheduled for orientation. We are good. We didn't work out last night because J had a soccer game and by the time the paperwork was done it was too late to start a good workout so tonight will be the first night. I'm looking forward to it. I miss it.

We're also eating healthier. Last night I fixed very yummy broiled chicken that I had marinaded in Mrs. Dash's Lemon Pepper marinade. We weren't thrilled with the marinade it was a little too lemony for our taste but the chicken was nice and moist. I also fixed a Weight Watcher recipe that was really yummy...Balsamic Green Beans. It was easy...I used my Pampered Chef microsteamer to steam some Trader Joe's french green beans (a staple in my freezer) for about 3 minutes in the microwave. Then I melted a tablespoon of butter and mixed in a few teaspoons of Balsamic vinegar. Poured that over the green beans they were yummy.

I was still hungry a bit later and J said "you're just going to be hungry" I disagreed so I went and got a glass of milk with a squirt of Hershey's...and I was good. We diet differently...he goes to extremes. I can't do that.

Changes

Change is good. It is also inevitable. And I am making some changes. One of those is I have decided to cancel my Weight Watchers membership. I've decided to join the YMCA because for me I need exercise to lose weight. With us saving for a wedding I need to start looking closely at the budget and I decided swapping Weight Watchers for the Y is my best plan.

I will continue to follow a calorie counting diet of 1600-1700 calories a day with exercise. I think this will work best for me. I need a bit more food to lose weight it is weird. And if I get too many days with too little food then I don't lose weight.

And I'm hoping that my dress won't have to be altered too much so I want to lose some weight and tone up a bit. And I know I need to start exercising some more to get my self in better health. So here we go.

Weight Watcher Weigh-In Week 9

OK so this week at the meeting was a bit uneventful weight loss wise...other than the fact that their computers were down due to scheduled maintenance which seemed silly to me on a Saturday. But what do I know. I did not go down...but I didn't go up either. So I call it a victory. I know one of things I need to work on this week is my water intake. When I'm good about my liquids my weight goes down. I know this...I plan on focusing this weekend.

Another cool thing that came about...I made a WW buddy. A woman next to me was lamenting that she was horrible at tracking and just needed someone to keep her honest. I offered to text her daily to check and see how she was doing. Also a friend from college is in my meeting too. And another friend is considering joining with me. I like having people there that know I should be there it keeps me honest.

Week 9

Weigh-In: 0
Total: -9.6

Weekly Meeting Topic: Burn Calories Not Cash

So this weeks' meeting was supposed to be about "Ways to get fit for free * or cheap" and she had a list of ways to save money on the chart...here's the list.

• Take a walk $7,834
• Ride a bike $7,714
• Buddy-up $1,300
• Watch TV or Web $1,200
• Clean-up Clutter $3,600
• Make Your Gym $1,200
  work for you

We got through part of the list but not all in the hour I was there because our leader took the first 20-30 minutes to talk about her personal health problems. Which to be fair she has some serious issues but I felt like we were a captive audience. So to be honest I'm not exactly sure how these save you money according to Weight Watchers but I'll give you my take.

Take a walk...It costs very little to take a walk. You need a good pair of shoes and that is about it. Now in my case my trip to work is not walkable or bikeable but I have been known to walk to the 7-11 near my house. Now that our weather is getting hotter and more humid walks become a little bit less likely but still doable.
Ride a bike...if you live close to work, errands, etc take your bike. It certainly costs less than putting gas in your car.
Buddy-Up...if you know that you have to meet someone you are less likely to skip a workout which means if you've joined a gym you're not wasting money. And it keeps you dedicated.
Watch TV or Web...if you already have a Monthly Pass with Weight Watchers there are a lot of workouts on the website you can use. Or just google workouts...there are a lot of free resources out on the web.
Clean-up Clutter...first off this gives you activity points. But you can also turn around and sell it at a garage sale, eBay, Craigs List, etc and make some money.
Make Your Gym Work for you...I can't tell you how many resources most gyms offer that are often overlooked by members. I love the Y for some of the extras they give and many other gyms offer classes, screenings, leaders, dietitians, etc. as resources. Find out what your gym offers and use it.

Baby Steps...

OK so yesterday I went to the Y by my house...and dealt with the most "friendly" front desk person ever. But I got the information I wanted and that is what is important. So I can join for $50 down and $26 a month. I think that is pretty sweet. So I'm going to talk to my neighbor who works there and see if there is anything else I should know...but I think by this weekend I'll have joined the Y. And I will be an exercising lady again. I admit I miss it...not just for the weight loss and health benefits, I enjoy working out to relieve stress. Now don't get me wrong I will never be one of those people who gets all excited about exercise. But I know it is good for me so I deal with it. And I earn points so it balances out some of my eating. Whoo hoo.

Going Blind for Weightloss

You are probably thinking I'm going blind reading the small print on labels trying to figure out my points. But alas you would be wrong...I'm going to go blind because my orange squirted me in the eye while I was peeling it. The oranges I bought are very good and nice and sweet....but they have the crazy thickest skin I've ever seen. And I was using a plastic knife to cut through the peel when I got squirted...in the eye...on my shirt...and possibly my desk. But there are no sacrifices too great for better health. I will persevere and endure...to get my fruits and vegetables. OK so it is unlikely that I will actually go blind but it didn't feel too good.

I have to say I'm actually quite proud of myself so far on this go of Weight Watchers. And I think I have their new plan to thank. They have really changed things and it is better for me. The old Flex plan gave me too much freedom. Which is odd...I don't like to be told what to do but if you give me too much robe I can hang myself. This plan gives me freedom but it also gives me guidelines to keep me honest. And I like how they are working activity points this time too. And I admit I'm being more faithful to the plan and last week I saw my biggest first week weight loss in all 5 (maybe 6) times of doing Weight Watchers. So that was an incentive to keep at it.

Now based on the program I should be getting at least 30 minutes of exercise a day. And I admit some days are better than others. I mean I have to walk at work down a long hall to get to our work room (copier, fax, coffee, other essentials) but I doubt that is enough unless I do it 15 times. Which some days I do...others I'm good if I leave my office. I'd been trying to take the dogs for a walk but the two are a little tricky. Eva is good but Ares is a puppy and goes every which way...because he is a puppy. And we had 90 degree weather this weekend...not good for puppies or doggies or really their people to go walking any distance in. So I think I need to join the YMCA near me...plus I want to do weights which I can't do at home because I don't have weights. So I think I may stop there on my way home. I'm also considering getting a bicycle so J and I can go riding. I'm just trying to come up with variety. Because if I get bored. I stop doing. It's bad I know. But I also know it is my cross to bear. Wish me luck...