I gotta feeling.....oooooo!

Speaking of good songs, I listened to the Freaky Friday soundtrack the other day during my workout, and I was pleasantly surprised! It's no Black Eyed Peas, Queen, or rousing Beethoven symphony, but most of the songs have a good loud drum beat you can climb stairs to...you can also motivate yourself by thinking of lil ol' Lindsay Lohan and the path her life has taken...chuckle to yourself, then focus on making your life awesome, yet dignified:)

I weighed in this week at 220lbs: new sports bra, here I come! Good timing too, I'm starting to like jogging.

I'm going to be honest, I was a little disappointed at the weigh-in. One pound? I've done better than that every other week! But.

I lost one pound even though I went to a oktoberfest themed birthday party, ate out with family, and had the urge to hibernate. I lost that pound in a regular week of living...which means I am changing the way I live my life. It's scary and exciting at the same time. I love the extra energy I have when I eat right and exercise, and I need all the extra endorphins I can get! (I work in customer service...'nuff said.)

But this journey is also a letting-go of my old self. The old-self who would eat all the oreos, who would watch more tv. The old-self who had a pretty face, who was the perma-single funny friend, never the love interest. I could stream-of-conscious on this subject for a while, but I will limit myself to this: I am nervous about this new life I am creating, but I know it's the best shot I have at the life I want.

As for the past weeks goals, I did go jogging twice, but I only made two new recipes. No problem, I can do the other two this week. The two new recipes I helped concoct (new to me, that is) are the red cabbage and apple slaw, and a curry/coconut/cumin/pumpkin soup. I also now have some spaghetti squash in the house, so I am looking forward to making something with that for the first time!

So, new goals for the coming week:

1. Two new healthy recipes!
2. Listen to my body. I will continue to push myself, but I don't want to push myself to exhaustion or sickness. Then again, maybe this goal should include not listening when my body says, "it's hard. I don't know if I can do level 6. Maybe you should just take it easy." Hells no! I know that my body is capable of great things!

Hope everyone is rocking the socks off of this week and respecting themselves with healthy food, good exercise, and a wee bit'o'fun!

My 25th post!

Hello! Sorry about the little break there in blogging. I might be a bit a procrastinator at times. The kind who left all her school projects until the night before the due date...the adrenaline rush really kicks in at 4:30am while drinking a peanut butter soy latte! (so delicious, so rare)

I have so much I want to share and discuss, it’s hard to know where to begin. Oh wait, I know.

Thank you.

No, really....THANK YOU. This blog has been a source of motivation and inspiration for the last 8 weeks, and I am so grateful for all the support and comments you give. Friday and Saturday were the first days in a long while that I truly did not feel like working out. Maybe it was the cold crisp weather I love so much putting me in hibernating mode, maybe it was complacency with my weight-loss, whatever it was, I was not feeling it.

But then I was sitting on the couch Friday evening, watching the telly, and I thought, “Wait a second. If I don’t work out, I have to write a post about not working out. I don’t want to share my laziness with others!” And so I got off my butt and went to a Latin Rhythms class and generally made a fool of myself trying to shake my hips in decidedly un-wasp-ish moves. What fun!

Saturday I put off exercising until 9:15pm. (generally, you shouldn’t work out to close to your bed time, otherwise it might be difficult for you to fall asleep...and trust me, those zzz’s are important for weight-loss and health in general.)

What awesome activity did I do Saturday night, you might be asking yourself? Why, I made red cabbage with apples while doing arm workouts and dancing to the Spice Girls! And all in the comfort of my home kitchen...with my dog thinking I was trying to play some new game with her. Anyone ever try to do crunches when a dog is near? It’s a challenge.

Am I too cool or what? Bet you wish that had been your Saturday night:) Both of those exercise moments were because I didn’t want to let you, or myself, down. Yesterday I went jogging, and today I kicked my own butt with 20 minutes on the treadmill, 20 minutes on the Stairmaster, and 2.5 minutes on the rowing machine. (okay, 2.5 minutes on the rowing machine might not seem that impressive, but my shoulders and back were killing me...maybe my form was off? Or maybe my rowing muscles are non-existent...)

I see my Mondays as a “Last Chance Workout” of sorts, since I currently weigh-in on Tuesdays.

So once more, THANK YOU. I hope you are inspired every once in a while by me, this blogationship should be a two way street! (no, I did not just make up a word! Blagationship is totally legit...don't quote me on that:) Have a wonderful week!

Oh happy days!

I love the fall. The smells, the crisp air, the crackling leaves and bonfires. At least, I love fall until the Pacific Northwest turns grey for 6 months...just kidding! I love the cold and drizzle. And rain boots. And wet pavement. And the sound of busy windshield wipers. I also love pants, sweaters, and scarves, so woot for the lower temperatures!

Okay, I got distracted by autumn. I really just wanted to let you know my goals for the week.

1. Go jogging at least twice.
2. Find 4 new recipes to try...and make them.

I've already started on both of these, and am going to keep updating my Fitday profile as well, so I can do random calories checks. And now for a beautiful picture of Mount Hood, from http://www.williampatrickmoore.com/Oregon-gallery.html

You don't drown by falling in the water.

You drown by staying there. - Edwin Louis Cole

So don’t worry if you make an unhealthy food choice, or don’t work-out one day. The important thing is that you change your behavior. I didn’t get to 244lbs because I overate and didn’t exercise for a day. I grew to 244lbs because I stayed in the same rut for a long time. Now I just have to get in a healthy rut:)

At my Biggest Weight-Loss class this week, we did a grueling circuit that included running around the track holding a long 2x4 above our heads with a partner. And there were stairs, and lunges, and squats, and fun core work outs. At one point, as I was huffing and puffing on the stairs, a woman came over to me and said "I know your trainer, her workouts are like boot camp. She will work your ass off!", and I said, "I hope so!"

Being a part of this team holds me accountable at a time I usually would start plateauing and getting bored. I also feel energized to be on a team in general! We cheer each other on, share our losses, and exchange our weight-loss techniques. We even got matching tee-shirts! I love being a dork!

Speaking of losses, I lost another 2lbs this past week, meaning I am 221lbs. (cue happy dance) So my grand total of weight-loss so far is 23lbs!! That means I have lost more than my age in weight!( I am 22)

On my jog today (yes, you read that right) I thought, “only 67lbs to go!” And I reminded myself that this life I am choosing to live is not about 67 more pounds. It is about the choices I make on a daily basis, it is about moving more, it is about the next pound, not the many pounds after that. So slow and steady wins this marathon. Channel the tortoise...

Update like you mean it!

So my goals for the past week were 1)do something crazy, and 2)open a Fitday account. I did accomplish both of my goals, but in different ways than I first thought. It’s funny how life takes your plans, does a little twist, and says, “now what?” But enough of my waxing poetic (nothing about waxing is poetic...where did this saying come from?) Here’s what happened:

I went jogging. *gasp* No seriously, I did. For the first time in at least a year and a half. I strapped myself in with two bras, leashed the dog, and alternated walking and jogging for 45 minutes. How CRAZY is that!? Now it gets insane because...I loved it.

(This is me striking a happy Losergirl pose in the backyard, while my

dog tries to catch flies in her mouth. Inspiring, no?)

I had been inside and driving all day and the crisp fall air combined with twilight jazzed me up and I kept wishing I could go longer! Too bad my dog had eaten a dozen muffins (including paper wrappers) the night before and threw them all up in the street. Good times, good times my friends:)

I started an account on Fitday, and am still learning how to use it. I found out that I am eating around 1800 calories on days I don’t have social events, and then I eat (and drink:) around 2100 calories. My intake also fluctuates with my work schedule, so that is something I have been more conscious of. One thing I appreciate about Fitday is that they do a pie chart for every day, letting you know how many of your calories come from fats, proteins, and carbohydrates.

I have to be honest, I don’t enjoy calculating all this stuff out. Every once in a while is fine, but I prefer to just be mindful about what I eat, and try to exercise. This may change over time and as it gets more difficult to lose weight, but I focus on my breathing and sweat intensity on the elliptical, instead of a certain caloric number. And my food choices are focused on healthier foods (fruits, veggies, whole grains, lean protein and some tasty fat) in moderation, instead of a gaol number. That works for me.

So figure out your own method. How do you judge your health? Do you count calories expended/caloric intake? Are you cutting back on carbs? On sugar? Not eating late at night? What is your personal living healthy plan?