Wow, what a fun week so far!!!
On Monday, I hit the gym at 545am, to get my workout in before a half day of work and then catching the 245p flight to Lax.....meeting up with my sisters and brother for some "sibling" time on Monday....Monday night is full of good healthy food (organic veggies and salmon for me!), lots of fun, cards, laughs and walks down memory lane as we played cards at my sister's house in West Hollywood.....Time together with my siblings is so precious because we don't get to all be in the same city very often :(....My brother left that night to head back to San Diego, but my 2 sisters and I had some slumber partying to do....
On Tuesday morning, we hit the pool with some water aerobics....nice warm, BIG pool and good workout... good start to the day...Then home to get ready for the ELLEN show...
All I can say is I hope you can watch next Monday's ELLEN show, on March 1st...David Spade is the guest...He isn't what I want you to see...but instead you need to be watching out for my sister, Kathy, who is a STAR on the show! Well STAR may be a tad strong, but she is ON the show, and very entertaining.....that's all I can say...just watch it....she has a bright green shirt on and is on in the first 10 minutes....enjoy, we sure did!!! ELLEN was amazing to watch in person - she is as wonderful as I think she is when I tape her show and watch it on my TV every day...
She inspires me to be the best I can be and to be reaching out to help others in need...imagine the difference in this world if we all followed that lead??? WOW, that would be amazing for sure..
After ELLEN, we grabbed a healthy dinner (salad for me, no cheese, no tortilla strips, dressing on the side, to dip my fork tips in :)) and then went to my sister Sharon's house and caught up on a few movies that are up for Academy Awards.... Precious (wow, a bit depressing but very real and quite an eye opener!) and An Education (not my favorite pix)...then headed to bed..
This morning, I think I started waking up at 5am....then at 630am, Tyler, my original trainer, called to tell me that the new trainer he had picked out for me, Laurie, can't train me after all.
So my newest trainer will be Megan who I hope I get to work out with in the next day or so. I have met Megan, she's a doll and I'm sure will be a great trainer, just need to get going again with this...in the meantime, I'm working hard on my own....In fact, as soon as we landed this afternoon about 515p, I changed at the airport, and Doug picked us up and dropped me off at the gym to squeeze in my workout for today.....Put the bike on level 8 - trying to get my calorie burn up a bit, since the bike doesn't do nearly what the eliptical or treadmill does....Did 55 minutes followed by some floor work with weights, planks, push ups and sit ups....WHEW, I'm done for today!!!
Home to greet the pups that apparently really missed me :)....or at least they always put on a good act...you know the scene, tail wagging and nose on your lap!
Great trip, great laughs, amazing time with my incredible siblings whom I adore, good exercise (MAN we danced in our seats the whole show with Ellen!), good eating and now I'm ready for some good sleep.....Have a 6am conference call tomorrow morning, so heading to bed.....
So grateful for a bit of time away to laugh and relax and spend time with my brother and sisters!
Just for today, think about carving out some time to spend with your family!!! I'm so thankful to have had that opportunity this week!
Wednesday, February 24, 2010
Saturday, February 20, 2010
Day 44 - Positive thinking.....the "Secret"...
Ok, so you can cry in your milk a little bit, just don't live there....
Life is tough sometimes, but it is truly how you look at it and what you do about it....In other words, the sitution of life won't change, but how you look at it will make it appear differently to you and your attitude!
For example, take my broken bone in my foot....
A pessimist would say - "Oh great, it's all over....now what do I do? I can only burn 1/2 the calories on the bike than I can on the eliptical or treadmill.....it takes so much effort to drag this boot around, why me..... I'm losing my trainer Tyler....only a few pounds down despite my clean diet and gym dedication....blah blah blah blah............
An optimist would say - "Ok, time for Plan B - Glad I can at least do the bike, maybe if I bump up the level, I can get the maximum burn....plus I'm burning extra calories with this attractive boot I'm dragging around....and the one legged planks that I'm doing MUST be burning a few more calories.....I'm learning to work even harder than before, so imagine how strong I will be when I get this boot off in 3 weeks!!! Although I'm sorry to see Tyler go, I'll remember what he taught me, keep in touch with him, and see what I can learn from Laurie starting next week....as far as my diet, I'll keep going with that too as I KNOW the weight will come off and I will have continued success with patience, positive thinking and hard work"
WHEW, I feel much better, after that....because you see, I could be living in either place right now, but CHOOSING the latter....Why? No use wasting my energy or life on the negative energy...
Have you read the book THE SECRET? It is all about the power of positive thinking....what you "get back" is what you put out to the universe...as Amazon explains it:
"this New Age self-help book on the law of attraction as a groundbreaking and life-changing work, finding validation in its thesis that one's positive thoughts are powerful magnets that attract wealth, health, happiness... and did we mention wealth"....
I'll take the health and happiness for sure and well, ok, if I find any wealth, that is okay too :)!
So today I did about 50 minutes on a bike, burning 300 calories (I'll take it!) and had about 30 hard training minutes with my trainer...so I picked up some good things to do on my own during my own workout that will work with my foot....and make me get a great sweat going on....
I decided today (as I talked to myself on the bike, not outloud, didn't want to scare anyone next to me - ha!)...that this new chapter is all about POSITIVE ENERGY.....so dug up some neat quotes to remind me (and you if you need a little hit of positivity in your life right now...these are some good ones!!) See if you can find yourself in any of these....hopefully you are already "onboard" but if not, read them and get onboard today......I left my own comments in the parentheses behind each quote...
1. Where you go, no matter the weather, you bring your own sunshine! (Leave the thunderstorms elsewhere!!!)
2. It is so hard when I HAVE to, and so easy when I WANT to! (What do YOU WANT?)
3. The only disability in life is a bad attitude! (spoken by Olympic champion, Scott Hamilton!)
4. What is possible? What YOU WILL!
5. Good fortune shies away from gloom...keep your spirits up... good things will come to you and will come to good things! (LIKE THIS ONE!! It says it WILL COME TO YOU! My sweet niece, Allison aka Dr. Spirits will love this one!)
6. Where the LOSER saw barriers, the WINNER saw hurdles!!! (Get your JUMPING SHOES on :)!)
7. The human spirit is stronger than ANYTHING that can happen to it! (This includes broken bones too :)!)
8. If you have the WILL to win, you have achieved half of your success...if you DON"T, you have achieved half of your FAILURE :(....(Which half are you shooting for, it is your choice!)
9. When you BELIEVE you can, you CAN! (Do you BELIEVE? Try it!)
10. It's not whether you get KNOCKED down, it is whether you GET UP! (Get your butt up!)
Ok, remember the old saying, you can lead a horse to water, but you can't make him drink....
I'm calling all of us out of the corral now, heading to the trough for some drinks :)....
Leaving you today a few good ones to think about..........so just for today SERIOUSLY ask yourself....
-What this day BROUGHT ME? What have I GIVEN IT?
AND LAST BUT NOT LEAST....
Attitudes are contagious - are yours worth catching???? (Hoping you caught a positive one today!) Until next time.....chins up (for those of us blessed with more than 1 :)!!! Happy weekend to all!!!
Life is tough sometimes, but it is truly how you look at it and what you do about it....In other words, the sitution of life won't change, but how you look at it will make it appear differently to you and your attitude!
For example, take my broken bone in my foot....
A pessimist would say - "Oh great, it's all over....now what do I do? I can only burn 1/2 the calories on the bike than I can on the eliptical or treadmill.....it takes so much effort to drag this boot around, why me..... I'm losing my trainer Tyler....only a few pounds down despite my clean diet and gym dedication....blah blah blah blah............
An optimist would say - "Ok, time for Plan B - Glad I can at least do the bike, maybe if I bump up the level, I can get the maximum burn....plus I'm burning extra calories with this attractive boot I'm dragging around....and the one legged planks that I'm doing MUST be burning a few more calories.....I'm learning to work even harder than before, so imagine how strong I will be when I get this boot off in 3 weeks!!! Although I'm sorry to see Tyler go, I'll remember what he taught me, keep in touch with him, and see what I can learn from Laurie starting next week....as far as my diet, I'll keep going with that too as I KNOW the weight will come off and I will have continued success with patience, positive thinking and hard work"
WHEW, I feel much better, after that....because you see, I could be living in either place right now, but CHOOSING the latter....Why? No use wasting my energy or life on the negative energy...
Have you read the book THE SECRET? It is all about the power of positive thinking....what you "get back" is what you put out to the universe...as Amazon explains it:
"this New Age self-help book on the law of attraction as a groundbreaking and life-changing work, finding validation in its thesis that one's positive thoughts are powerful magnets that attract wealth, health, happiness... and did we mention wealth"....
I'll take the health and happiness for sure and well, ok, if I find any wealth, that is okay too :)!
So today I did about 50 minutes on a bike, burning 300 calories (I'll take it!) and had about 30 hard training minutes with my trainer...so I picked up some good things to do on my own during my own workout that will work with my foot....and make me get a great sweat going on....
I decided today (as I talked to myself on the bike, not outloud, didn't want to scare anyone next to me - ha!)...that this new chapter is all about POSITIVE ENERGY.....so dug up some neat quotes to remind me (and you if you need a little hit of positivity in your life right now...these are some good ones!!) See if you can find yourself in any of these....hopefully you are already "onboard" but if not, read them and get onboard today......I left my own comments in the parentheses behind each quote...
1. Where you go, no matter the weather, you bring your own sunshine! (Leave the thunderstorms elsewhere!!!)
2. It is so hard when I HAVE to, and so easy when I WANT to! (What do YOU WANT?)
3. The only disability in life is a bad attitude! (spoken by Olympic champion, Scott Hamilton!)
4. What is possible? What YOU WILL!
5. Good fortune shies away from gloom...keep your spirits up... good things will come to you and will come to good things! (LIKE THIS ONE!! It says it WILL COME TO YOU! My sweet niece, Allison aka Dr. Spirits will love this one!)
6. Where the LOSER saw barriers, the WINNER saw hurdles!!! (Get your JUMPING SHOES on :)!)
7. The human spirit is stronger than ANYTHING that can happen to it! (This includes broken bones too :)!)
8. If you have the WILL to win, you have achieved half of your success...if you DON"T, you have achieved half of your FAILURE :(....(Which half are you shooting for, it is your choice!)
9. When you BELIEVE you can, you CAN! (Do you BELIEVE? Try it!)
10. It's not whether you get KNOCKED down, it is whether you GET UP! (Get your butt up!)
Ok, remember the old saying, you can lead a horse to water, but you can't make him drink....
I'm calling all of us out of the corral now, heading to the trough for some drinks :)....
Leaving you today a few good ones to think about..........so just for today SERIOUSLY ask yourself....
-What this day BROUGHT ME? What have I GIVEN IT?
AND LAST BUT NOT LEAST....
Attitudes are contagious - are yours worth catching???? (Hoping you caught a positive one today!) Until next time.....chins up (for those of us blessed with more than 1 :)!!! Happy weekend to all!!!
Wednesday, February 17, 2010
Day 41 - Change and more change.....
Lots of changes going on......change can be amazing, tough, exciting, scary, hopeful, and a mixture of all of those emotions rolled into one......
So this past Monday, Channel 5 threw in an extra "workout day"....although we normally meet every monday, we were supposed to be off for 2 weeks from filming due to the olympic coverage and no SHOW ME ST LOUIS...but instead they told us to show up on Monday (President's Day) just for a workout and they would film and I assume save the footage for the 1st week of March when normal TV airing resumes....
Well, by Monday, my foot was pretty big and swollen despite my best icing and elevating attempts on Sunday after my fall (I was trying to get some exercise in between my leg lifts, 1 legged planks, arm exercises and whatever else I could do with 1 bum foot since I couldn't get to the gym....)...So I went in on Monday to the workout...I had called my trainer, Tyler to give him the news and he ended up calling me Monday morning to tell me he threw his back out and wouldn't make the workout but he would find someone else for me to work with that day...fine pair we are - huh?! So I opened my tennis shoes as wide as possible and shoved my foot in....there was no question I had a big fat foot going on, but I still needed to go in and try to get a workout in....
Well once we all got there, they surprised us by having us weigh in after all! The women that normally weighs us in at The Diabetes Institute in North County was here at the gym, with her scale and all! The weigh in, while it wasn't an "official" weigh in, offered a 2 lb. advantage for whoever had lost the most weight since the last weigh in and that 2 lb advantage would be available for them at the next weigh in which is Mar 2nd.....
One by one, we got on the scale...first the other team
Taira - lost 3 pounds
Cassy - stayed the same
Monica - lost 1 pound
and Jackie - the "screamer" - GAINED 3 or 5 pounds !!! I couldn't hear and didn't want to ask her, I felt so bad for her!!!
Next, my team....1 of the team members, Becky, who wants to be a "smoking hot bride" in her bio, wasn't there as she was out of town....
Kathleen - lost 3 pounds!
Maureen (me :)) - lost 2 pounds (glad all the fluid in my foot didn't make me gain!!!!)
Diane - lost 5 pounds!!!! She was the winner and deserved it with that loss!!!!!
So after the weigh in, I worked with my stand in trainer, Katie, who was great! She walked me through mostly an upper body workout as she saw my fat foot on the scale and knew I needed to give it a rest!
Since Monday, I have continue to ice and elevate but unfortunately the swelling continued pretty much and the foot just got more colorful as the week has gone by....today on my lunch, i started to go get Ashes for Ash Wednesday, but something told me instead I should head to the "doc in the box" to get the foot checked out.....well an exam and xray later revealed yet another
CHANGE....
My foot is fractured! WHAT a SHOCKER!!!! So tomorrow at 730a I head to the Orthopedic surgeon for a visit, but I'm hopeful that all will be fine and I will just have a cute big old BOOT to wear to the gym this week!!! This CHANGE is not going to hold me back...........
Speaking of CHANGE, some other significant changes to mention....
-EVA MARIE - She turned 1 week old on Tuesday and celebrated it by going home to live with her family - what an awesome CHANGE that was................She is precious beyond words.....
-TRAINER TYLER who I just love working with...threw me another CHANGE yesterday....
he just got a promotion to Director and will be moving to the Collinsville location and can't train me anymore...but he has found another trainer for me that he feels will be perfect for me! While I'm sooooooooo disappointed as I love the way he educates me, is sarcastic but challenging and fun and pushes me to my potential, I also know that CHANGE can be a good thing and I'm looking forward to meeting my new trainer too!!!
-LENT - This is a time to CHANGE yourself and become a better person....40 days ahead to kickstart that change.....
Today is February 17th, my sweet, amazing mom's 90th birthday.....she taught me a lot about CHANGE, how to embrace it and not be afraid of it..... Happy birthday to the most amazing mom I could ever have dreamed for - I miss you mom but am so grateful for all of life's lessons you shared and taught me.....I can handle CHANGE because of that....
Today is also the 4th anniversary of my sweet father in law's passing, Joe Roth - a great man who took on life with hard work, love of God and family, and an incredible sense of humor...thanks "Dad Roth" for showing us that CHANGE is what we make of it....the glass is half full and it's up to you how you look at something.....
So as I look at all the CHANGES the last few days have brought, I look forward to seeing just what I can do with them!
Just for today, embrace those CHANGES in your life!!! You just never know what that CHANGE will bring............
So this past Monday, Channel 5 threw in an extra "workout day"....although we normally meet every monday, we were supposed to be off for 2 weeks from filming due to the olympic coverage and no SHOW ME ST LOUIS...but instead they told us to show up on Monday (President's Day) just for a workout and they would film and I assume save the footage for the 1st week of March when normal TV airing resumes....
Well, by Monday, my foot was pretty big and swollen despite my best icing and elevating attempts on Sunday after my fall (I was trying to get some exercise in between my leg lifts, 1 legged planks, arm exercises and whatever else I could do with 1 bum foot since I couldn't get to the gym....)...So I went in on Monday to the workout...I had called my trainer, Tyler to give him the news and he ended up calling me Monday morning to tell me he threw his back out and wouldn't make the workout but he would find someone else for me to work with that day...fine pair we are - huh?! So I opened my tennis shoes as wide as possible and shoved my foot in....there was no question I had a big fat foot going on, but I still needed to go in and try to get a workout in....
Well once we all got there, they surprised us by having us weigh in after all! The women that normally weighs us in at The Diabetes Institute in North County was here at the gym, with her scale and all! The weigh in, while it wasn't an "official" weigh in, offered a 2 lb. advantage for whoever had lost the most weight since the last weigh in and that 2 lb advantage would be available for them at the next weigh in which is Mar 2nd.....
One by one, we got on the scale...first the other team
Taira - lost 3 pounds
Cassy - stayed the same
Monica - lost 1 pound
and Jackie - the "screamer" - GAINED 3 or 5 pounds !!! I couldn't hear and didn't want to ask her, I felt so bad for her!!!
Next, my team....1 of the team members, Becky, who wants to be a "smoking hot bride" in her bio, wasn't there as she was out of town....
Kathleen - lost 3 pounds!
Maureen (me :)) - lost 2 pounds (glad all the fluid in my foot didn't make me gain!!!!)
Diane - lost 5 pounds!!!! She was the winner and deserved it with that loss!!!!!
So after the weigh in, I worked with my stand in trainer, Katie, who was great! She walked me through mostly an upper body workout as she saw my fat foot on the scale and knew I needed to give it a rest!
Since Monday, I have continue to ice and elevate but unfortunately the swelling continued pretty much and the foot just got more colorful as the week has gone by....today on my lunch, i started to go get Ashes for Ash Wednesday, but something told me instead I should head to the "doc in the box" to get the foot checked out.....well an exam and xray later revealed yet another
CHANGE....
My foot is fractured! WHAT a SHOCKER!!!! So tomorrow at 730a I head to the Orthopedic surgeon for a visit, but I'm hopeful that all will be fine and I will just have a cute big old BOOT to wear to the gym this week!!! This CHANGE is not going to hold me back...........
Speaking of CHANGE, some other significant changes to mention....
-EVA MARIE - She turned 1 week old on Tuesday and celebrated it by going home to live with her family - what an awesome CHANGE that was................She is precious beyond words.....
-TRAINER TYLER who I just love working with...threw me another CHANGE yesterday....
he just got a promotion to Director and will be moving to the Collinsville location and can't train me anymore...but he has found another trainer for me that he feels will be perfect for me! While I'm sooooooooo disappointed as I love the way he educates me, is sarcastic but challenging and fun and pushes me to my potential, I also know that CHANGE can be a good thing and I'm looking forward to meeting my new trainer too!!!
-LENT - This is a time to CHANGE yourself and become a better person....40 days ahead to kickstart that change.....
Today is February 17th, my sweet, amazing mom's 90th birthday.....she taught me a lot about CHANGE, how to embrace it and not be afraid of it..... Happy birthday to the most amazing mom I could ever have dreamed for - I miss you mom but am so grateful for all of life's lessons you shared and taught me.....I can handle CHANGE because of that....
Today is also the 4th anniversary of my sweet father in law's passing, Joe Roth - a great man who took on life with hard work, love of God and family, and an incredible sense of humor...thanks "Dad Roth" for showing us that CHANGE is what we make of it....the glass is half full and it's up to you how you look at something.....
So as I look at all the CHANGES the last few days have brought, I look forward to seeing just what I can do with them!
Just for today, embrace those CHANGES in your life!!! You just never know what that CHANGE will bring............
Sunday, February 14, 2010
Day 38 - Attitude of Gratitude.................
So the most exciting thing to say is that Eva Marie is improving daily and may get to go home tomorrow!!! My daughter actually got to feed her today for a few minutes.....she is off antibiotics, off glucose, and the oxygen they are providing is just "free flow" oxygen in the incubator at 25 percent....down from 35 percent yesterday....21 percent is actually "normal" so they will try to get her to that and if so, can observe her outside of the incubator for 12 hours or so!!! YAY!!!
Gratitude for this beautiful strong little baby and her amazingly strong and wonderful parents...
Hannah, her almost 3 year old sister however remains a bit confused...she hasn't "met" Eva face to face as she hasn't been able to see her in the NICU...so she continues to lift up Emily's shirt to talk to her baby sister and continues to remind her mom to "eat this mommy, it is good for Eva"....
Emily tried to explain to Hannah that Eva is "sleeping with all the other babies" , to which Hannah asked "Why don't we wake her up?"
Gratitude for sweet little inquisitive toddlers...
In talking to my daughter, Kelly yesterday about my trip to the gym Saturday, I gave her the GOOD news that I had lost a few more inches, my BMI is now in the "normal range" and I lost a few more points on the body fat percentage, so I have dropped about 6 1/2 points on my body fat....glad to see it gone...I figure it must be some of the chocolate chip cookies and fannie may candy that I have been so close to for so many years :) - GOOD RIDDANCE...
Gratitude for fat that eventually leaves it's nest, even after holding on for so many years....
I also noticed that yesterday, the weight continues to come off, but SLOWLY.....but was reminded by both my trainer and my other trainer (aka Kelly :)), that it IS coming OFF and will CONTINUE to come off, be PATIENT.....
Gratitude for smart trainers and smart daughters and patience...........(I may have to search a bit for the patience but will continue to practice the positive mindset Kelly, I WILL LOSE THIS WEIGHT! Sending that message out to the universe LOUD AND CLEAR...)
So this morning, I jumped out of bed about 7am (jump may be a bit strong, but did get up rather quickly), wanted to get a lot done today, starting with talking to Emily, Luis and Hannah....
I went downstairs and soon heard Buster, my almost 10 year pld 4-legged son upstairs wanting to come down....(those that know me well, know he is treated like another child in the family....in fact for a while, when Kelly was living in North Carolina and Emily out of the country, I told them that Buster was the only one who stayed at home, so he would inherit whatever is there when we die, so they best be nice to him!!! ).. because of Buster's weight, he has difficulty making it down the steps, although at the vet on friday, we learned he has lost almost 2 pounds on "my" diet :)...
Anyway, I ran up to get him, all 21.6 pounds, and ran down the steps, turned to step down into the dining room.....BANG...........
I forgot ALL the cleaning supplies, mops etc were still there from Saturday as the cleaning was resuming this morning at 9am (Doug's Valentine's Day present to me - a real professional housecleaning so she was returning to finish today....)
My right foot came down hard on the top of a rectangular mop and although I didn't twist my ankle, I twisted my foot, the dog went flying out of my arms and down I crashed.....
Doug, SOUND asleep upstairs to this point, I'm sure thought we were having an earthquake....
He quickly shouted - are you OK????? I said, you better come down.... And down he ran...
I layed there for a minute or so, and told him to check on the dog...who immediately jumped up and seemed fine...thank goodness! I layed there just a minute longer and told Doug, I thought I was fine....Up I started and realized I may be fine, but my foot wasn't fine....so I got up with his help, hobbled to the couch and began the old ICE & ELEVATE process for most of the day...inbetween, I hobbled around pretty often to make sure I could move my foot okay, I can walk on my heel fine and even put a little weight on my toes....but I have quite a nice blue/purple area from where my little toe meets the rest of my foot to almost where my ankle is.... Funny thing is I did this SAME THING about 20 years ago, running out of the kitchen, stepping down into the garage on a garden hose!
Gratitude that I have a sense of humor and realize how lucky I am that I didn't break anything!
So, bummer, no gym visit today...but that doesn't mean I can't do something at home!
Kelly (remember her, aka Jillian :)) showed me the "bicep pushups" - I could squat with my legs stretched out in front of me (my bad foot resting on my good one, so no problem there) with your arms on the couch behind you and lift yourself up and down,up and down....plus I could hoist myself down on the floor and do the push ups with my knees bent (and bad foot lifted off the floor), not to mention lots of leg lifts and arm lifts etc.....so making the most of today...
Gratitude that this old blue/purple foot isn't going to bring me to a halt......
I emailed my trainer tonight to break the news as we have a filming tomorrow, to which I fully intend to attend....but wanted to warn him that WHAT we do may be affected.....He immediately called me and said "so now you are trying to break your ankle to get out of training with me?" - I love a trainer with a sense of humor......I reminded him that I am still working and coming tomorrow.....to which he said we should still find PLENTY to do.... YIKES, I may have LOTS to write about tomorrow.....
Gratitude that my trainer knows more than 1 way to skin a cat, or rather get an old woman into shape :)! Okay, not OLD, mature.......
Oh and 1 more thing, HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY! Wow, I must say I never realized that I could celebrate Valentine's Day WITHOUT chocolate....and you know what, it's not bad!!!!
Gratitude for a Valentine's Day with many blessings OTHER than chocolate....
Thanks to my sweet husband....for my great gift....although we had someone here,to do the cleaning this time, he worked right alongside as he wanted everything MOVED and cleaned....pity that I had to sit and watch today :).........but I did have to clean off the beds then which were full of all the "stuff" that was elsewhere before the cleaning started!
Gratitude for Doug, we are there for each other always when we need it most! 31 years and going strong...
So for today, Happy Valentine's Day....wishing you all the love and blessings in your life that I feel in mine....You are truly a blessing to me - thanks for your love, support and prayers, today and always! Know that I value your friendship, love and support more than words can say or blogs can type!
Gratitude for this beautiful strong little baby and her amazingly strong and wonderful parents...
Hannah, her almost 3 year old sister however remains a bit confused...she hasn't "met" Eva face to face as she hasn't been able to see her in the NICU...so she continues to lift up Emily's shirt to talk to her baby sister and continues to remind her mom to "eat this mommy, it is good for Eva"....
Emily tried to explain to Hannah that Eva is "sleeping with all the other babies" , to which Hannah asked "Why don't we wake her up?"
Gratitude for sweet little inquisitive toddlers...
In talking to my daughter, Kelly yesterday about my trip to the gym Saturday, I gave her the GOOD news that I had lost a few more inches, my BMI is now in the "normal range" and I lost a few more points on the body fat percentage, so I have dropped about 6 1/2 points on my body fat....glad to see it gone...I figure it must be some of the chocolate chip cookies and fannie may candy that I have been so close to for so many years :) - GOOD RIDDANCE...
Gratitude for fat that eventually leaves it's nest, even after holding on for so many years....
I also noticed that yesterday, the weight continues to come off, but SLOWLY.....but was reminded by both my trainer and my other trainer (aka Kelly :)), that it IS coming OFF and will CONTINUE to come off, be PATIENT.....
Gratitude for smart trainers and smart daughters and patience...........(I may have to search a bit for the patience but will continue to practice the positive mindset Kelly, I WILL LOSE THIS WEIGHT! Sending that message out to the universe LOUD AND CLEAR...)
So this morning, I jumped out of bed about 7am (jump may be a bit strong, but did get up rather quickly), wanted to get a lot done today, starting with talking to Emily, Luis and Hannah....
I went downstairs and soon heard Buster, my almost 10 year pld 4-legged son upstairs wanting to come down....(those that know me well, know he is treated like another child in the family....in fact for a while, when Kelly was living in North Carolina and Emily out of the country, I told them that Buster was the only one who stayed at home, so he would inherit whatever is there when we die, so they best be nice to him!!! ).. because of Buster's weight, he has difficulty making it down the steps, although at the vet on friday, we learned he has lost almost 2 pounds on "my" diet :)...
Anyway, I ran up to get him, all 21.6 pounds, and ran down the steps, turned to step down into the dining room.....BANG...........
I forgot ALL the cleaning supplies, mops etc were still there from Saturday as the cleaning was resuming this morning at 9am (Doug's Valentine's Day present to me - a real professional housecleaning so she was returning to finish today....)
My right foot came down hard on the top of a rectangular mop and although I didn't twist my ankle, I twisted my foot, the dog went flying out of my arms and down I crashed.....
Doug, SOUND asleep upstairs to this point, I'm sure thought we were having an earthquake....
He quickly shouted - are you OK????? I said, you better come down.... And down he ran...
I layed there for a minute or so, and told him to check on the dog...who immediately jumped up and seemed fine...thank goodness! I layed there just a minute longer and told Doug, I thought I was fine....Up I started and realized I may be fine, but my foot wasn't fine....so I got up with his help, hobbled to the couch and began the old ICE & ELEVATE process for most of the day...inbetween, I hobbled around pretty often to make sure I could move my foot okay, I can walk on my heel fine and even put a little weight on my toes....but I have quite a nice blue/purple area from where my little toe meets the rest of my foot to almost where my ankle is.... Funny thing is I did this SAME THING about 20 years ago, running out of the kitchen, stepping down into the garage on a garden hose!
Gratitude that I have a sense of humor and realize how lucky I am that I didn't break anything!
So, bummer, no gym visit today...but that doesn't mean I can't do something at home!
Kelly (remember her, aka Jillian :)) showed me the "bicep pushups" - I could squat with my legs stretched out in front of me (my bad foot resting on my good one, so no problem there) with your arms on the couch behind you and lift yourself up and down,up and down....plus I could hoist myself down on the floor and do the push ups with my knees bent (and bad foot lifted off the floor), not to mention lots of leg lifts and arm lifts etc.....so making the most of today...
Gratitude that this old blue/purple foot isn't going to bring me to a halt......
I emailed my trainer tonight to break the news as we have a filming tomorrow, to which I fully intend to attend....but wanted to warn him that WHAT we do may be affected.....He immediately called me and said "so now you are trying to break your ankle to get out of training with me?" - I love a trainer with a sense of humor......I reminded him that I am still working and coming tomorrow.....to which he said we should still find PLENTY to do.... YIKES, I may have LOTS to write about tomorrow.....
Gratitude that my trainer knows more than 1 way to skin a cat, or rather get an old woman into shape :)! Okay, not OLD, mature.......
Oh and 1 more thing, HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY! Wow, I must say I never realized that I could celebrate Valentine's Day WITHOUT chocolate....and you know what, it's not bad!!!!
Gratitude for a Valentine's Day with many blessings OTHER than chocolate....
Thanks to my sweet husband....for my great gift....although we had someone here,to do the cleaning this time, he worked right alongside as he wanted everything MOVED and cleaned....pity that I had to sit and watch today :).........but I did have to clean off the beds then which were full of all the "stuff" that was elsewhere before the cleaning started!
Gratitude for Doug, we are there for each other always when we need it most! 31 years and going strong...
So for today, Happy Valentine's Day....wishing you all the love and blessings in your life that I feel in mine....You are truly a blessing to me - thanks for your love, support and prayers, today and always! Know that I value your friendship, love and support more than words can say or blogs can type!
Thursday, February 11, 2010
Day 35.....Long week......but amazing one...
This was an AMAZING week because our 2nd grandchild, Eva Marie, was born on Tuesday, February 9th, in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, arriving about 3 weeks early.....Emily, her mom and my daughter, had tested positive for strep B, a bacteria, so the plan was to give Emily a dose of antibiotics before they broke Emily's water, since she was already dilated to almost 3......They did all that, and Emily went from 4 to 10 in about 30 minutes - poor thing - the epidural didn't work well, but the best news was we have yet another BEAUTIFUL little granddaughter, who like her big sister Hannah, arrived with a head full of dark hair (good dominant gene from my wonderful, handsome son in law, Luis!) and simply beautiful like her mom too!
So that was definitely the AMAZING highlight of the week......Eva is still in the NICU because when she was born, she was experiencing some respiratory issues, shallow breathing, so she is receiving oxygen, on antibiotics, feeding her through a tube right now, and awaiting blood test results to see if she has any of the bacteria, or what could be causing her shallow breathing...BUT she is HOLDING HER OWN...that amazing little 6 1/2 pound bundle of PURE JOY AND GOODNESS..............please keep her and the family in your prayers....
HOLDING HER OWN,
hmmmmmmmmmmmm, that is exactly what I'm trying to do...........especially this week...
I was thinking the other day, wouldn't it be AWESOME if my 2 grandkids, almost 3 and newborn, only ever knew me as a "fit and trim" grandma?!?!? What a great goal that is, huh?!
This has been a rough week....could be due to the excitement and worry for poor little Eva Marie, although she is in good hands and coming along....just sooooooooooo hard to be across the world away when you want to just reach out and hold that baby, not to mention your kids as they go through all the stress and worry..
Could be related to this being day 35!!!!!!!!!! Yikes, that is 5 weeks........seems longer than that though - ha....
I take every Tuesday "OFF"...Trainer's orders, although I must say that is the EASIEST thing to do that my trainer asks me to do ....so come every Wednesday, it is like starting over...
I work a full plus day and then head to the gym.....on the way in on Wednesdays, I push myself through the door and just face the wicked machines, wondering who is going to WIN!?! But I find as I keep pushing myself, I start HOLDING MY OWN, just like Eva Marie :).....who would have known that this not yet 3 day old precious angel would be teaching her grandma something so quickly...........
Well Wednesday is"hump day", perfect name for that day.....when I make it through Wednesday, over that hump, I feel like I'm back to HOLDING MY OWN again....
even though today, my trainer put me through the most grueling training session yet......as I was hovering over that half ball thing that you try to balance on and not fall off and break your neck....while lifting weights at the same time while balancing, i could see the sweat drips dropping all around me on the floor.....i kept thinking "this is my last chance workout, just like on the Biggest Loser"....
The thing about having a trainer is, you are the ONLY one he is working with?! That means, that even though he just had you do 10 planks with hand slaps inbetween, once you get up, YOU'RE UP AGAIN FOR THE NEXT GRUELING EXERCISE.....once you do all those squats, get up again, for the next one.....and on and on and on.....they don't GO AWAY, or go train someone else....it is YOU and HIM.....so HOLDING YOUR OWN becomes even more challenging on trainer workout days..... but if he thinks I can do it, I MUST believe it too and just DO IT! Just like NIKE says.....
I said to my trainer at one point, I don't know WHY I'm so TIRED TODAY!? He said because I am working you hard! OHhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh, DUH!? I feel better now....
At least he admitted it.....and I did do everything he asked...like when I was in a plank and had to reposition my hands 1 at a time on top of the 3 tier step right in front of me, and then back on the floor, up 1 hand, then the other, down 1 hand and the other, up and down about 5 or more times...I lose count as I try to focus.....all the while my CORE is shaking up a storm :)...shake off you FAT core, I'm DONE WITH YOU!
Came home, pretty spent....trudged upstairs to take a hot bath.....fixed some dinner and I think it is about bedtime, even if it is only 815pm................
Long week full of blessings.....6 1/2 pound blessings...........and still HOLDING MY OWN....
Just for today....and this weekend, what are YOU doing to HOLD YOUR OWN!?
So that was definitely the AMAZING highlight of the week......Eva is still in the NICU because when she was born, she was experiencing some respiratory issues, shallow breathing, so she is receiving oxygen, on antibiotics, feeding her through a tube right now, and awaiting blood test results to see if she has any of the bacteria, or what could be causing her shallow breathing...BUT she is HOLDING HER OWN...that amazing little 6 1/2 pound bundle of PURE JOY AND GOODNESS..............please keep her and the family in your prayers....
HOLDING HER OWN,
hmmmmmmmmmmmm, that is exactly what I'm trying to do...........especially this week...
I was thinking the other day, wouldn't it be AWESOME if my 2 grandkids, almost 3 and newborn, only ever knew me as a "fit and trim" grandma?!?!? What a great goal that is, huh?!
This has been a rough week....could be due to the excitement and worry for poor little Eva Marie, although she is in good hands and coming along....just sooooooooooo hard to be across the world away when you want to just reach out and hold that baby, not to mention your kids as they go through all the stress and worry..
Could be related to this being day 35!!!!!!!!!! Yikes, that is 5 weeks........seems longer than that though - ha....
I take every Tuesday "OFF"...Trainer's orders, although I must say that is the EASIEST thing to do that my trainer asks me to do ....so come every Wednesday, it is like starting over...
I work a full plus day and then head to the gym.....on the way in on Wednesdays, I push myself through the door and just face the wicked machines, wondering who is going to WIN!?! But I find as I keep pushing myself, I start HOLDING MY OWN, just like Eva Marie :).....who would have known that this not yet 3 day old precious angel would be teaching her grandma something so quickly...........
Well Wednesday is"hump day", perfect name for that day.....when I make it through Wednesday, over that hump, I feel like I'm back to HOLDING MY OWN again....
even though today, my trainer put me through the most grueling training session yet......as I was hovering over that half ball thing that you try to balance on and not fall off and break your neck....while lifting weights at the same time while balancing, i could see the sweat drips dropping all around me on the floor.....i kept thinking "this is my last chance workout, just like on the Biggest Loser"....
The thing about having a trainer is, you are the ONLY one he is working with?! That means, that even though he just had you do 10 planks with hand slaps inbetween, once you get up, YOU'RE UP AGAIN FOR THE NEXT GRUELING EXERCISE.....once you do all those squats, get up again, for the next one.....and on and on and on.....they don't GO AWAY, or go train someone else....it is YOU and HIM.....so HOLDING YOUR OWN becomes even more challenging on trainer workout days..... but if he thinks I can do it, I MUST believe it too and just DO IT! Just like NIKE says.....
I said to my trainer at one point, I don't know WHY I'm so TIRED TODAY!? He said because I am working you hard! OHhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh, DUH!? I feel better now....
At least he admitted it.....and I did do everything he asked...like when I was in a plank and had to reposition my hands 1 at a time on top of the 3 tier step right in front of me, and then back on the floor, up 1 hand, then the other, down 1 hand and the other, up and down about 5 or more times...I lose count as I try to focus.....all the while my CORE is shaking up a storm :)...shake off you FAT core, I'm DONE WITH YOU!
Came home, pretty spent....trudged upstairs to take a hot bath.....fixed some dinner and I think it is about bedtime, even if it is only 815pm................
Long week full of blessings.....6 1/2 pound blessings...........and still HOLDING MY OWN....
Just for today....and this weekend, what are YOU doing to HOLD YOUR OWN!?
Saturday, February 6, 2010
Day 30 - The "IT" factor................
Let's catch up a bit.....we last talked on Tuesday night, only to find out on Wednesday that I had made it through weigh in number 2 :) YAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! But 2 great teammates (Diane and Katie on my team and Taira and Lyn on the other team) were up for elimination..... Now I understand more why "weigh in day" was always so hard for the folks on the Biggest Loser, it is PAINFUL!
Diane and Taira made it through the elimination....congrats to those 2 awesome ladies...and to Katie (adorable!) and Lyn (very sweet!) - keep on trucking at home!!! The idea is to remember this is a journey, not a RACE, we just need to keep on moving towards the goal.....1 day at a time.
I'm so happy that ALL of us go back on the show the end of April, as I know that will keep all of us ON TRACK.....whether still on "film" or at "home"....
Speaking of "on track", that brings me to my "IT" factor discussion.....
Think back to that time when you were really working out (hopefully you are NOW, but think back to the last time also......), eating right and either at a good weight or moving towards a good weight......remember IT? remember the way you felt?
I can remember years ago when I had my brand new size 10 demin pin stripe jeans on(OK, QUIT LAUGHING, I TOLD YOU IT WAS YEARS AGO!!!), standing in my kitchen, feeling GREAT, as the jeans weren't even tight! I had lost weight and was finally feeling good about how I looked.....I had IT, I was committed and going strong...............
I remember another time...a few years ago on Weight Watchers at work, when I lost 30 pounds, I had IT, I was committed and going strong.....I felt like I could convince ANYONE that a SALAD was tastier than any donut or candy bar going....
Those moments of "IT" - are phenomenal....life changing...motivating........amazing.....but they COME and GO......... HOW do they get here....WHY do they leave....HOW do you get them BACK?!?
I was talking with my friend Connie at work yesterday. She told me that when she used to train gymnasts, they always got that natural "high" right before they did their gymnastics....Connie had them press their fingers together at the same time they were experiencing their "high" in hopes that the "fingers pressed together" would remind them of the "high" long after their routine was over....
INTERESTING, I thought....I have been trying to figure out how to CAPTURE the "IT" for a long time.......So I started pressing my fingers together shortly after she told me that story...
Kind of like "Pavlov's dogs" she said.....dang, did she have to compare it to the running dogs....
But seriously, I am going to keep pressing my fingers together - at the gym - on the eliptical when I get that energy to go another 20 minutes....after my workout with the trainer when I'm feeling victorious.....after a healthy dinner, especially when others around me are chowing down on something I'm passing up.....PRESS THOSE FINGERS TOGETHER AND FEEL THE VICTORY.....
I have IT right now....granted the dang TV camera on me every week has a way of keeping the IT factor going....but when the camera is gone and the trainer is gone and it is ME....on my OWN....I want to make sure I still have IT going......
What's your secret for IT? How do you keep IT going? If you lost IT, how are you going to get IT back?
Just start TODAY, just start with something simple....maybe just drinking 8 glasses a water daily for the first week....then dropping the soda out.....adding daily salads in.....daily walks in....or just 5 extra runs up and down the steps at work or at home.....it all adds up to become IT!
"IT" is totally within your own power, your own control, your own DECISION!
So, start capturing those IT moments today, press that middle finger to your thumb.....feel the victory....I'm going to in hopes that months from now, I can still feel the victory just by that simple act of "IT"!
For today, find an IT moment to celebrate, make an IT moment for yourself - you are the only barrier here......Have a great weekend!
Diane and Taira made it through the elimination....congrats to those 2 awesome ladies...and to Katie (adorable!) and Lyn (very sweet!) - keep on trucking at home!!! The idea is to remember this is a journey, not a RACE, we just need to keep on moving towards the goal.....1 day at a time.
I'm so happy that ALL of us go back on the show the end of April, as I know that will keep all of us ON TRACK.....whether still on "film" or at "home"....
Speaking of "on track", that brings me to my "IT" factor discussion.....
Think back to that time when you were really working out (hopefully you are NOW, but think back to the last time also......), eating right and either at a good weight or moving towards a good weight......remember IT? remember the way you felt?
I can remember years ago when I had my brand new size 10 demin pin stripe jeans on(OK, QUIT LAUGHING, I TOLD YOU IT WAS YEARS AGO!!!), standing in my kitchen, feeling GREAT, as the jeans weren't even tight! I had lost weight and was finally feeling good about how I looked.....I had IT, I was committed and going strong...............
I remember another time...a few years ago on Weight Watchers at work, when I lost 30 pounds, I had IT, I was committed and going strong.....I felt like I could convince ANYONE that a SALAD was tastier than any donut or candy bar going....
Those moments of "IT" - are phenomenal....life changing...motivating........amazing.....but they COME and GO......... HOW do they get here....WHY do they leave....HOW do you get them BACK?!?
I was talking with my friend Connie at work yesterday. She told me that when she used to train gymnasts, they always got that natural "high" right before they did their gymnastics....Connie had them press their fingers together at the same time they were experiencing their "high" in hopes that the "fingers pressed together" would remind them of the "high" long after their routine was over....
INTERESTING, I thought....I have been trying to figure out how to CAPTURE the "IT" for a long time.......So I started pressing my fingers together shortly after she told me that story...
Kind of like "Pavlov's dogs" she said.....dang, did she have to compare it to the running dogs....
But seriously, I am going to keep pressing my fingers together - at the gym - on the eliptical when I get that energy to go another 20 minutes....after my workout with the trainer when I'm feeling victorious.....after a healthy dinner, especially when others around me are chowing down on something I'm passing up.....PRESS THOSE FINGERS TOGETHER AND FEEL THE VICTORY.....
I have IT right now....granted the dang TV camera on me every week has a way of keeping the IT factor going....but when the camera is gone and the trainer is gone and it is ME....on my OWN....I want to make sure I still have IT going......
What's your secret for IT? How do you keep IT going? If you lost IT, how are you going to get IT back?
Just start TODAY, just start with something simple....maybe just drinking 8 glasses a water daily for the first week....then dropping the soda out.....adding daily salads in.....daily walks in....or just 5 extra runs up and down the steps at work or at home.....it all adds up to become IT!
"IT" is totally within your own power, your own control, your own DECISION!
So, start capturing those IT moments today, press that middle finger to your thumb.....feel the victory....I'm going to in hopes that months from now, I can still feel the victory just by that simple act of "IT"!
For today, find an IT moment to celebrate, make an IT moment for yourself - you are the only barrier here......Have a great weekend!
Tuesday, February 2, 2010
Day 26 - Challenge number 2...........................
On Sunday I really pumped it up at the gym (listen to my new gym vocabulary - not sure what the heck it means :))....but I knew the weight loss wasn't that great and weigh in day was coming on Tuesday....I was soaked when I left the gym and headed for a quick run into the store for some veggies and stuff.......apparently, I still don't have that "gym look" even with my sweatpants and t shirt on, as the guy that checked me out, (not "check me out" as in "hey Mrs. Robinson - of course not, "check me out" as in "your bill is $29.12), asked me why I had a towel around my neck! COME ON BUDDY, THROW ME A BONE!
So we come to Monday, Challenge day....this is the 2nd challenge, I wake up early at 6am to get ready as I had a conference call from 7a-8a (on my 1/2 vacation day :( ) and then tried to eat 1/2 english muffin with some peanut butter to salvage some energy for the challenge! I got up to the gym a bit after 830a so I could "warm up" first as our challenge was YIKES outside - 28 degrees outside! I looked like I had gained about 30 pounds as I had a few layers on along with gloves and tights under my sweats! We headed outside and I quickly peeled off the top layer of fleece.....I had to be able to move whatever the challenge was...I was so nervous - I just wanted to do well.....
So they had us form a circle and seriously, if you could have seen us, you would have thought that was the challenge - pretty funny trying to make that happen! Once the circle was formed, they told us the challenge....basically the trainers would take turns getting into the middle of our circle and give us an exercise to do for a minute, without any stopping and if your form was wrong, they would correct you but if wrong after that, you were out! So it began....
Squats OF COURSE, squat down and come up and lift your knee to 1 side and then squat down and come up on the other side - up and down, up and down - amazing how long a minute feels...
Lunges - first lunge and up and lunge and up on 1 side and then repeating on the other side....
Push ups - WHAT? Glad I had some gloves on because my knees were crying from the parking lot pavement already.....but keep going, you can do this...
Then holding our hands out - I think he figured our arms would be tired from the push ups, but that one was actually a great one to catch your breath (please don't mention that to the trainers.....we appreciated the tiny break!)
At this point, I was happy I seemed to be finding some energy somewhere.....let's keep going...
THEN IT HAPPENED...MR SIMON SAYS TRAINER stepped in the ring......with his "squat down and hold, hold, hold, and then jump up....down and hold, up, down, up....down and hold....up...down and hold...up...down and up...down and up.....
so basically he was doing it and as you looked around the circle, some were up, some were down, and at that point, they said, if you don't stay with him, you are out!!! At that my, my 2nd grade observation skills kicked in....and suddenly I was up but all else were down :( -Man, I was soooooo bummed...I still had lots of energy and really thought I was going to keep it going...
Oh well, I wasn't the first out.....and I tried...so at this point, I stepped out of the circle and decided I would just keep going with them...I needed the workout and plus they needed the support to keep it going....
So I scooted back out of the circle and kept going from the "sidelines"....eventually it was down to 3, 2 and finally a winner! The last 2 were from my team, Kathleen and Katie and Katie won and ended up with 2 tickets to Mamma Mia at the Fox! We all congratulated everyone and headed inside, as we THOUGHT the challenge was OVER................
On the way outside, JC, the head trainer, had asked us if we all knew everyone's name, which we do and wondered why he was asking....so once inside we found out...he asked us all to write down the name of a fellow contestant that showed lots of support....well, we all do....so you can imagine my SURPRISE and EXCITEMENT when he gathered us up after the "voting" to tell me I had WON that vote and that the challenge outside was really a "facade challenge" (tell my knee's that :))....At that moment, I didn't care what I had won, I just knew I had WON..... and it meant the world to me......
And then he continued as he mentioned my prize.........................IMMUNITY AT THE WEIGH IN ON TUESDAY!!!!!!!!!!! WHAT?! Are you kidding me????????????????
I knew I had spoken to the man upstairs, His mother Mary and the Holy Spirit on my drive to the challenge....I had prayerfully explained to them (I knew I needed to call them all in for this prayer....) that while I realized that the LOSE A TON challenge was not at the top of any "prayer list", I just wanted to say a prayer that whatever they thought best would happen and that I would be fine as well....I learned long ago not to pray for what I want.....there are bigger decisions out there.....
I was in SHOCK - happy and excited, but feeling bad too, as all of the girls deserved this too!!!
But I also knew I was concerned about my weight loss this past 2 weeks (or lack thereof!) so this IMMUNITY would keep me in until the next weigh in, which is delayed due to 2 weeks of olympics coverage on channel 5............wow,this gives me my trainer for another MONTH!
After the challenge, 4 of us from my team, jumped on the treadmill and we were running at 5 MPH! Only 30 seconds at a time, but come on, that was big! And it was FUN! I can hardly believe I'm saying that, but it was!
As I showered and left the gym, I headed for work....i felt incredibly blessed and grateful.....
but at the same time, DETERMINED and hopeful, that I really didn't NEED the immunity after all.............................
Turns out at the weigh in today, I lost 4 pounds, so the total since January 7th is now 14 pounds gone! Lots of hard work and healthy eating for sure, but worth every minute of it! And, good news, I didn't need the IMMUNITY after all!!!! But as far as who is up for elimination, tune in to Show Me St. Louis tomorrow, 3pm, on channel 5 to see the results! It's hard as we are all getting close and it's sad to see anyone go! Good news is at the end of April, everyone will be back on the show for the finale.....
Until tomorrow, celebrate some accomplishment in your life....enjoy the moment....I am!!!
So we come to Monday, Challenge day....this is the 2nd challenge, I wake up early at 6am to get ready as I had a conference call from 7a-8a (on my 1/2 vacation day :( ) and then tried to eat 1/2 english muffin with some peanut butter to salvage some energy for the challenge! I got up to the gym a bit after 830a so I could "warm up" first as our challenge was YIKES outside - 28 degrees outside! I looked like I had gained about 30 pounds as I had a few layers on along with gloves and tights under my sweats! We headed outside and I quickly peeled off the top layer of fleece.....I had to be able to move whatever the challenge was...I was so nervous - I just wanted to do well.....
So they had us form a circle and seriously, if you could have seen us, you would have thought that was the challenge - pretty funny trying to make that happen! Once the circle was formed, they told us the challenge....basically the trainers would take turns getting into the middle of our circle and give us an exercise to do for a minute, without any stopping and if your form was wrong, they would correct you but if wrong after that, you were out! So it began....
Squats OF COURSE, squat down and come up and lift your knee to 1 side and then squat down and come up on the other side - up and down, up and down - amazing how long a minute feels...
Lunges - first lunge and up and lunge and up on 1 side and then repeating on the other side....
Push ups - WHAT? Glad I had some gloves on because my knees were crying from the parking lot pavement already.....but keep going, you can do this...
Then holding our hands out - I think he figured our arms would be tired from the push ups, but that one was actually a great one to catch your breath (please don't mention that to the trainers.....we appreciated the tiny break!)
At this point, I was happy I seemed to be finding some energy somewhere.....let's keep going...
THEN IT HAPPENED...MR SIMON SAYS TRAINER stepped in the ring......with his "squat down and hold, hold, hold, and then jump up....down and hold, up, down, up....down and hold....up...down and hold...up...down and up...down and up.....
so basically he was doing it and as you looked around the circle, some were up, some were down, and at that point, they said, if you don't stay with him, you are out!!! At that my, my 2nd grade observation skills kicked in....and suddenly I was up but all else were down :( -Man, I was soooooo bummed...I still had lots of energy and really thought I was going to keep it going...
Oh well, I wasn't the first out.....and I tried...so at this point, I stepped out of the circle and decided I would just keep going with them...I needed the workout and plus they needed the support to keep it going....
So I scooted back out of the circle and kept going from the "sidelines"....eventually it was down to 3, 2 and finally a winner! The last 2 were from my team, Kathleen and Katie and Katie won and ended up with 2 tickets to Mamma Mia at the Fox! We all congratulated everyone and headed inside, as we THOUGHT the challenge was OVER................
On the way outside, JC, the head trainer, had asked us if we all knew everyone's name, which we do and wondered why he was asking....so once inside we found out...he asked us all to write down the name of a fellow contestant that showed lots of support....well, we all do....so you can imagine my SURPRISE and EXCITEMENT when he gathered us up after the "voting" to tell me I had WON that vote and that the challenge outside was really a "facade challenge" (tell my knee's that :))....At that moment, I didn't care what I had won, I just knew I had WON..... and it meant the world to me......
And then he continued as he mentioned my prize.........................IMMUNITY AT THE WEIGH IN ON TUESDAY!!!!!!!!!!! WHAT?! Are you kidding me????????????????
I knew I had spoken to the man upstairs, His mother Mary and the Holy Spirit on my drive to the challenge....I had prayerfully explained to them (I knew I needed to call them all in for this prayer....) that while I realized that the LOSE A TON challenge was not at the top of any "prayer list", I just wanted to say a prayer that whatever they thought best would happen and that I would be fine as well....I learned long ago not to pray for what I want.....there are bigger decisions out there.....
I was in SHOCK - happy and excited, but feeling bad too, as all of the girls deserved this too!!!
But I also knew I was concerned about my weight loss this past 2 weeks (or lack thereof!) so this IMMUNITY would keep me in until the next weigh in, which is delayed due to 2 weeks of olympics coverage on channel 5............wow,this gives me my trainer for another MONTH!
After the challenge, 4 of us from my team, jumped on the treadmill and we were running at 5 MPH! Only 30 seconds at a time, but come on, that was big! And it was FUN! I can hardly believe I'm saying that, but it was!
As I showered and left the gym, I headed for work....i felt incredibly blessed and grateful.....
but at the same time, DETERMINED and hopeful, that I really didn't NEED the immunity after all.............................
Turns out at the weigh in today, I lost 4 pounds, so the total since January 7th is now 14 pounds gone! Lots of hard work and healthy eating for sure, but worth every minute of it! And, good news, I didn't need the IMMUNITY after all!!!! But as far as who is up for elimination, tune in to Show Me St. Louis tomorrow, 3pm, on channel 5 to see the results! It's hard as we are all getting close and it's sad to see anyone go! Good news is at the end of April, everyone will be back on the show for the finale.....
Until tomorrow, celebrate some accomplishment in your life....enjoy the moment....I am!!!
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