Ok, folks - in my last blog, I mentioned I was back and excited to share some things with you.....well it all started a LONG time ago, when I first learned about recycling and quickly realized this was something I believed in and was in for the long haul "for my grandkids" is what I believe I thought at the time, since I felt like surely we had plenty of what we needed for "now".... but like everyone else, sometimes I got a little lazy.....then the "bottled water" craze hit (SERIOUSLY - WHAT IS GOING ON WITH THAT!?) and while we all thought we needed our own "plastic bottle full of water", little did we realize that we are just polluting this world even more...and fast forward a bit, here I am....
My oldest daughter Emily was visiting from Abu Dhabi this summer and happened to pick up a book called "SUPERNATURAL HOME" at the library....well it happened to be 1 of those books that you are so in awe of, that you READ ALOUD TO EVERYONE IN THE ROOM whether they want to hear or not....while some were not so excited by the time she read the 15th excerpt out of the book, I was FASCINATED! So excited that when she left, I rechecked the book out of the library along with 2 others....Turns out the author of SUPERNATURAL HOME had quite an amazing health revelation and actually spent some time at the Optimum Health Institute in San Diego - a place that my sister just happens to treat herself to for her birthday every year to unwind, recharge and just get healthier; anyway, the author of this book had amazing results at this health clinic......as she said "I discovered that the body is a self- healing organism if we just get out of its way and don't gunk it up with bad food and stress"...boy, she has that right!
So what is green about that?! Well it isn't just what you put in your PIE HOLE that you have to worry about! Global warming, remember that catch phrase, well it is real and all around us, and everything we do impacts it.....these are all the little things I can't wait to share. I don't think I realize the impact that I, singly, have on this big planet of ours, or that I, singly, can really make a difference in so many daily decisions that I make, the way I think, eat, breathe, drive, buy, etc.
Kermit the frog, sings, "it's not easy being green". He wasn't talking about our environment, but I am. There are a million ways you can be "green". And even if you aren't ready to go all the way, you can at least start to make a BIG difference today.....how?? That is what I can't wait to tell you, but of course I can't tell you everyone in 1 blog, I'll have to space them out a bit...but just to wet your appetite - just think about a few of these things for starters...
Let's just start with bottled water....
-8 out of 10 plastic water bottles used in the US end up in the dump! We consume so many bottles of water that we use about 1.5 tons of plastic in AMERICA;
-Studies show that even though we started drinking this water because we thought it was better, safer, etc, often the tests on bottled water show significant chemical or bacterial contamination! WHAT AND I"M PAYING FOR THAT?!?!?!
-Or that it isn't any different than your TAP water! If the bottle says "form a municipal source" or "from a community water system" it is coming from the tap!
-The bottle of water sitting on a shelf in the store is likely to now contain a chemical called antimony, a potential carcinogen that leaches from the plastic! PLASTIC is a whole other subject and scary one at that....don't worry, I'll cover that later....
-BPA (bisphenol-A) is often found in plastic and is a chemical that acts like estrogen when it enters the body and can get into the body by leaching out of hard plastic bottles as they age, or are heated (in microwaves or diswashers) - what about those long truck rides those cases of bottled water makes or how long they sit in the hot warehouses!? And estrogen?!?! HELLOOOOOOOOO - I had "estrogen receptor positive cancer" - don't need anything that looks or acts like estrogen, but believe me, there are many things we use everyday that come into our body that act like estrogen...more on that later too!
-Research from our MIZZOU professor, Frederick vom Saal, who taught Biology there, and happens to be a leading BPA research scientist, said that in lab studies with animals, BPA changed their behavior, decreased sperm count, stimulated prostate cancer and caused symptoms of attention defict hyperactivity disorder! YIKES! No bottled water for me please!
And I haven't even covered the greenhouse gas effect of all the fossil fuel to get this bottled water to the stores all over the country!
OKAY, HAVE YOU PUT THE DANG WATER BOTTLE DOWN YET?! Come on, how about this - instead of buying your next case of bottled water, go out and get a stainless steel water bottle that you can not only use over and over, it will keep your drink HOT or COLD and you can avoid all the nastiness outlined above! And Kermit will be sooooooooo happy that you are green!
-Remember this whole blog is about taking care of ourselves AND our planet and that all starts with little old GREEN YOU!
-Don't worry - i have lots more to share.....just be happy you aren't here with me, listening to me as I read these things outloud and just shake my head....
Until tomorrow, fill up your water bottle and just say NO to those plastic bottles!
Friday, August 20, 2010
Saturday, August 14, 2010
I'm back! Did anyone miss me?!
Ok, so I have been a bit "in and out" the last few months....but I am BACK! Why?! For a few reasons...
-I miss blogging - I never ever realized how much I love doing this! This blogging is therapy not to mention loads of fun!
-I have so much that I want to share, I have been learning so much lately about so many things...(have I peaked your interest yet???) ....but the reality is when I'm blogging, no one really has to listen to me or read it...heck I'll never know, unless you mention you read it! So, I get to say it and I don't have to worry about whether or not anyone is really out there! (But seriously, I hope someone is reading this....at least a little bit :))
-We have goals to get to....come on, we are not QUITE where we want to be, are we?! Whatever your goals and my goals are, we need to keep pushing towards them - that takes a lot of time, energy and SUPPORT! Helllllllllllllloooooooooooooooooooooooooo....just consider this the 1-800- support line...
So what's new with me?
The good news is that I'm holding my own....I did notice I have picked up about 3 pounds from my goal weight, so I'm getting those back off, before all of their "friends and neighbors" try to hop back on as well...........been there, done that, DON'T WANT THEM BACK! So I have been refocusing on workouts and diet,.....never really lost my focus, just lost a bit of the TIME I had devoted previously. Working out 5 or 6 days a week is just about impossible, from a time standpoint, but trying to make the most out of the workout time I do carve out....
I think that I need to get back to my "trotting" a/k/a jogging.....I have been away from it for a bit - mostly due to excessive heat as I don't find the treadmill particularly appealing and have been caught up in all the fun classes (Body Pump - LOVE IT, Drills that make you sweat - LOVE IT thanks to my coworker Melinda, who kicks my butt every week at that class!) and those are just a few of the great classes at Club Fitness! But I'm going to try to get up early tomorrow and if the heat isn't totally oppressive as it is right now, I'm going to try a little trotting and get back into it...I think the running, jogging or whatever you want to call it, really helped me kickstart my metabolism more than anything else has done in the last 15 years! Believe me, I haven't ever felt the "runner's high" that I read about or heard about...ha, I'm far from that! But I will tell you that when you are done, and you are sweating, you feel good!
I reached out to my fellow LOSE A TON (LAT) ladies last week in hopes of getting us all back together......some are right on track and others are struggling.....so really want to see if we can get together periodically and work out.......it really is about SUPPORT and MIND SET.....you really need both, SUPPORT for those tough days and MIND SET to get yourself started....
So, I'm BACK.......My MIND SET is ready to go......I have my SUPPORT system fired up....
What about YOU!? Are you where you want to be? Do you need a little kick start? Are you ready to get back INTO IT!? After all, the holidays are coming up next - do we really want to go INTO the holidays with the extra weight or should we do something NOW to get rid of it and be ready for that tempting time of year, with a healthier, happier mind set and body!!?!?!
Hope you are BACK too!!! I've some some amazing things to share......
Until next time, find your MIND SET and get ready to roll...
-I miss blogging - I never ever realized how much I love doing this! This blogging is therapy not to mention loads of fun!
-I have so much that I want to share, I have been learning so much lately about so many things...(have I peaked your interest yet???) ....but the reality is when I'm blogging, no one really has to listen to me or read it...heck I'll never know, unless you mention you read it! So, I get to say it and I don't have to worry about whether or not anyone is really out there! (But seriously, I hope someone is reading this....at least a little bit :))
-We have goals to get to....come on, we are not QUITE where we want to be, are we?! Whatever your goals and my goals are, we need to keep pushing towards them - that takes a lot of time, energy and SUPPORT! Helllllllllllllloooooooooooooooooooooooooo....just consider this the 1-800- support line...
So what's new with me?
The good news is that I'm holding my own....I did notice I have picked up about 3 pounds from my goal weight, so I'm getting those back off, before all of their "friends and neighbors" try to hop back on as well...........been there, done that, DON'T WANT THEM BACK! So I have been refocusing on workouts and diet,.....never really lost my focus, just lost a bit of the TIME I had devoted previously. Working out 5 or 6 days a week is just about impossible, from a time standpoint, but trying to make the most out of the workout time I do carve out....
I think that I need to get back to my "trotting" a/k/a jogging.....I have been away from it for a bit - mostly due to excessive heat as I don't find the treadmill particularly appealing and have been caught up in all the fun classes (Body Pump - LOVE IT, Drills that make you sweat - LOVE IT thanks to my coworker Melinda, who kicks my butt every week at that class!) and those are just a few of the great classes at Club Fitness! But I'm going to try to get up early tomorrow and if the heat isn't totally oppressive as it is right now, I'm going to try a little trotting and get back into it...I think the running, jogging or whatever you want to call it, really helped me kickstart my metabolism more than anything else has done in the last 15 years! Believe me, I haven't ever felt the "runner's high" that I read about or heard about...ha, I'm far from that! But I will tell you that when you are done, and you are sweating, you feel good!
I reached out to my fellow LOSE A TON (LAT) ladies last week in hopes of getting us all back together......some are right on track and others are struggling.....so really want to see if we can get together periodically and work out.......it really is about SUPPORT and MIND SET.....you really need both, SUPPORT for those tough days and MIND SET to get yourself started....
So, I'm BACK.......My MIND SET is ready to go......I have my SUPPORT system fired up....
What about YOU!? Are you where you want to be? Do you need a little kick start? Are you ready to get back INTO IT!? After all, the holidays are coming up next - do we really want to go INTO the holidays with the extra weight or should we do something NOW to get rid of it and be ready for that tempting time of year, with a healthier, happier mind set and body!!?!?!
Hope you are BACK too!!! I've some some amazing things to share......
Until next time, find your MIND SET and get ready to roll...
Thursday, July 8, 2010
Day 193 - My how time flies..........
I am so caught up between my crazy job with a huge GO LIVE going on, and finding time to spend with my kids visiting from the MIddle East, that I find myself coming and going...... For so long this blog was just part of a routine, just like the gym and my healthy diet.....but lately...well, not so routine...
Good news and there is ALWAYS good news, just have to dig a bit deeper at times, is that my weight has not returned! HOWEVER, my diet has not been the same lately nor has my workout routine.
Tonight, while still at work at 7pm, my friend Jennifer called me for some "inspiration" to get ready for a "highschool reunion" occurring later this fall. My first thought was, WOW, she thinks I can INSPIRE her, now that is INSPIRING TO ME! And it made me think about the impact we have on each other's thoughts and lives......Sometimes what won't work for me at the moment is working just perfectly for someone else....like when you are in that "workout/weight loss mode" or that "clean out/declutter" mode or that "get all my to do's done", you know what I'm talking about?! How on earth can 1 minute find you so totally motivated and the next sitting like a slug?
I still say it is mind over matter. YOU make the decision and although the first so many steps may be like dragging a 50 pound bag of dog poop over your shoulder up a big hill, once you get halfway up, you can't believe you have made it this far with this smelly bag and by the time you get to the top of the hill, not only are you thrilled for your accomplishment, you don't even smell the dog poop anymore!??! Seriously, what the heck am I saying here!? I can tell that I am suffering from too many hours at work with not enough rest, but whatever, I'm on a roll here, so will keep typing this nonsense...
If we could just REMEMBER and more importantly BELIEVE that the capability lies totally within our 2 little hands (and feet and body and brain) - that's it!! In a nutshell!! The power is totally within YOU! And YOU can make it happen starting right NOW! All you have to do is START! And if day 1 isn't perfect, then make some improvements on Day 2, followed by more determination for Day 3 and so on...pretty soon SOME of it will seem so simple to you and you will start seeing the results....at that point, the results will drive bigger and better results to continue.....just like a snowball that starts small and as it rolls downhill, it gets bigger and bigger with more momentum (except of course in this case, we are striving for smaller and smaller with more momentum :)!)
So Jennifer, thanks for YOUR inspiration in reminding me it is time to start training for my 10K! I made the 5K and thought the 1/2 Marathon was a bit too big of a step next....so I plan to start training for a 10K......Not sure WHEN it will happen, but I plan to start looking around to see when the next one is available and engage my coach, Kelly to guide through some training.....
During that training, I will have the opportunity to kickstart my healthy eating again and get back to some gym time....AFTER of course my babies leave St. Louis.
Until then, I plan on exercising WITH them by walking with them, running after them and rocking them!
And Jennifer, in case you are reading this, I was serious about what really worked for me...I think that interval training/running was really responsible for the metabolism change that has occurred! After years of a sluggish metabolism, something has changed and I'm sure it is related to my diet/workout routine over the last 7 months. wow, what a gift that has been!
So, just for today, dig out a routine and get started.....whether it is just adding 6-8 glasses of water to your daily diet, or walking up the steps at work or parking at the furthest spot on the lot when you go shopping or park at work...whatever the case, make some change in your routine starting today! Make it a change that will INSPIRE you to make those healthy life changes you have been talking and dreaming about for far too long! It will be the best routine you ever started!
I have missed my blog - feels good already to be back to my "routine" -
Good news and there is ALWAYS good news, just have to dig a bit deeper at times, is that my weight has not returned! HOWEVER, my diet has not been the same lately nor has my workout routine.
Tonight, while still at work at 7pm, my friend Jennifer called me for some "inspiration" to get ready for a "highschool reunion" occurring later this fall. My first thought was, WOW, she thinks I can INSPIRE her, now that is INSPIRING TO ME! And it made me think about the impact we have on each other's thoughts and lives......Sometimes what won't work for me at the moment is working just perfectly for someone else....like when you are in that "workout/weight loss mode" or that "clean out/declutter" mode or that "get all my to do's done", you know what I'm talking about?! How on earth can 1 minute find you so totally motivated and the next sitting like a slug?
I still say it is mind over matter. YOU make the decision and although the first so many steps may be like dragging a 50 pound bag of dog poop over your shoulder up a big hill, once you get halfway up, you can't believe you have made it this far with this smelly bag and by the time you get to the top of the hill, not only are you thrilled for your accomplishment, you don't even smell the dog poop anymore!??! Seriously, what the heck am I saying here!? I can tell that I am suffering from too many hours at work with not enough rest, but whatever, I'm on a roll here, so will keep typing this nonsense...
If we could just REMEMBER and more importantly BELIEVE that the capability lies totally within our 2 little hands (and feet and body and brain) - that's it!! In a nutshell!! The power is totally within YOU! And YOU can make it happen starting right NOW! All you have to do is START! And if day 1 isn't perfect, then make some improvements on Day 2, followed by more determination for Day 3 and so on...pretty soon SOME of it will seem so simple to you and you will start seeing the results....at that point, the results will drive bigger and better results to continue.....just like a snowball that starts small and as it rolls downhill, it gets bigger and bigger with more momentum (except of course in this case, we are striving for smaller and smaller with more momentum :)!)
So Jennifer, thanks for YOUR inspiration in reminding me it is time to start training for my 10K! I made the 5K and thought the 1/2 Marathon was a bit too big of a step next....so I plan to start training for a 10K......Not sure WHEN it will happen, but I plan to start looking around to see when the next one is available and engage my coach, Kelly to guide through some training.....
During that training, I will have the opportunity to kickstart my healthy eating again and get back to some gym time....AFTER of course my babies leave St. Louis.
Until then, I plan on exercising WITH them by walking with them, running after them and rocking them!
And Jennifer, in case you are reading this, I was serious about what really worked for me...I think that interval training/running was really responsible for the metabolism change that has occurred! After years of a sluggish metabolism, something has changed and I'm sure it is related to my diet/workout routine over the last 7 months. wow, what a gift that has been!
So, just for today, dig out a routine and get started.....whether it is just adding 6-8 glasses of water to your daily diet, or walking up the steps at work or parking at the furthest spot on the lot when you go shopping or park at work...whatever the case, make some change in your routine starting today! Make it a change that will INSPIRE you to make those healthy life changes you have been talking and dreaming about for far too long! It will be the best routine you ever started!
I have missed my blog - feels good already to be back to my "routine" -
Saturday, June 5, 2010
Day 160 - Where in the heck did the last 20 days go....
Wow, I have really missed blogging the last almost 3 weeks....Not sure if anyone is even still reading this or not, but it sure is good therapy for me.
I have been smothered in work for the last month and will continue through the end of June.
I have been back and forth to NY a few times and leave again tomorrow until late Friday night.
NY sounds fun and I'm sure it is, if you aren't working 15 hours a day! But hopefully this week will be a bit lighter than the last one there....and I truly am grateful for the job, even if it is killing me right now - ha!
So how am I doing?
Well, handling the stress okay.
Still working out....eating is going pretty well, except for the last week so need to get back on track with that
Weight is the same - that is the best part! My metabolism seems to have stepped up with the weight loss and apparently some muscle gain - ALLELUIA! What was DEAD is coming ALIVE :)!
I have been trying to get together with my "LOSE A TON" challenge friends, but seems we are all pretty busy....some of the girls have babies, others have new jobs, vacations, etc...but I did get to catch up with Diane, the LOSE A TON winner today. She and I hit it off from the very beginning of the contest. We were the "senior" players and from the start, we wanted to represent the "seniors" well :)! And she did, she WON the whole dang thing! However, shortly after the end of the contest, she hurt her back so bad, she couldn't do anything for several weeks.....she was on steroids and gained some weight back but is already getting it off again!
We talked today about how we want this time to be "different" from the other times....And we both think it is....How so?
Well, for 1 thing, we are WATCHING it....that is, checking in on the old scale and if the number goes up, we take some action....
We are supporting each other.....this isn't easy and we know we will have some weight gain here and there and falling off the wagon....so when 1 is down, the other can pick you up!
When we were in the contest, we were strict with our diet and working out daily.....
Now, we are no longer working out daily and our diet is not so strict.....
Today we talked about the need to find the balance between BEFORE and AFTER.....
So we talked about setting up some definite times to meet up and work out together as a group - keep the momentum going as a LOSE A TON team....You see, we not only lost weight together, we bonded :)......
So for this week, I will eat better, work out more and try to enjoy NY while I'm working up there! And then hurry home for next weekend - my siblings will be in town for my brother in law's 60th birthday extravaganza party followed by the arrival of my kids and grandbabies from Abu Dhabi! But tomorrow, I get to watch my daughter Kelly, who already graduated with her Masters in OT, now graduate as a soon to be licensed Massage Therapist! Today I watched her as a "wedding singer" at my church....boy, that girl does it all!!! So proud of her!
So just for today, do something to make you proud of YOU! What's it going to be?! Wedding singing, mountain climbing, bungee jumping or just some healthy living!? You make the call and you hold yourself to it!
Until next time, hang in there! The effort is worth the results!
I have been smothered in work for the last month and will continue through the end of June.
I have been back and forth to NY a few times and leave again tomorrow until late Friday night.
NY sounds fun and I'm sure it is, if you aren't working 15 hours a day! But hopefully this week will be a bit lighter than the last one there....and I truly am grateful for the job, even if it is killing me right now - ha!
So how am I doing?
Well, handling the stress okay.
Still working out....eating is going pretty well, except for the last week so need to get back on track with that
Weight is the same - that is the best part! My metabolism seems to have stepped up with the weight loss and apparently some muscle gain - ALLELUIA! What was DEAD is coming ALIVE :)!
I have been trying to get together with my "LOSE A TON" challenge friends, but seems we are all pretty busy....some of the girls have babies, others have new jobs, vacations, etc...but I did get to catch up with Diane, the LOSE A TON winner today. She and I hit it off from the very beginning of the contest. We were the "senior" players and from the start, we wanted to represent the "seniors" well :)! And she did, she WON the whole dang thing! However, shortly after the end of the contest, she hurt her back so bad, she couldn't do anything for several weeks.....she was on steroids and gained some weight back but is already getting it off again!
We talked today about how we want this time to be "different" from the other times....And we both think it is....How so?
Well, for 1 thing, we are WATCHING it....that is, checking in on the old scale and if the number goes up, we take some action....
We are supporting each other.....this isn't easy and we know we will have some weight gain here and there and falling off the wagon....so when 1 is down, the other can pick you up!
When we were in the contest, we were strict with our diet and working out daily.....
Now, we are no longer working out daily and our diet is not so strict.....
Today we talked about the need to find the balance between BEFORE and AFTER.....
So we talked about setting up some definite times to meet up and work out together as a group - keep the momentum going as a LOSE A TON team....You see, we not only lost weight together, we bonded :)......
So for this week, I will eat better, work out more and try to enjoy NY while I'm working up there! And then hurry home for next weekend - my siblings will be in town for my brother in law's 60th birthday extravaganza party followed by the arrival of my kids and grandbabies from Abu Dhabi! But tomorrow, I get to watch my daughter Kelly, who already graduated with her Masters in OT, now graduate as a soon to be licensed Massage Therapist! Today I watched her as a "wedding singer" at my church....boy, that girl does it all!!! So proud of her!
So just for today, do something to make you proud of YOU! What's it going to be?! Wedding singing, mountain climbing, bungee jumping or just some healthy living!? You make the call and you hold yourself to it!
Until next time, hang in there! The effort is worth the results!
Sunday, May 16, 2010
Day 130 - 38.18
Ok, so that number doesn't represent a Bible verse or a chapter in any book I'm reading...hmmmm....just what is that number and what does it mean?
To me, it means BUCKET LIST, as in.....I ticked off 1 of my items :)
No, it doesn't represent that I ate 38.18 ding dongs, or walked 38.18 miles (YIKES! Not adding that to my bucket list!) Okay, enough with the games.....it represents.....(sorry, I may need a drumroll here, as this is pretty exciting to me....)
MY 5K TIME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
As Hannah Isabel says, I DEED IT! or I DID IT!!!
I spent the last week in NY working....whew and it was a lot of working, that is for sure!
But I kept up the running, trying to push a bit harder each day as I knew this weekend I was signed up for not 1, but 2 (AM I CRAZY???? YES!!!!) 5K's!
So on Friday, my friend, Brenda and I ran along the Hudson River up through Battery Park...although we weren't sure, I thought it seemed pretty close to 3 miles.......or at least hoped so to prepare for this weekend....
On Saturday, Kelly, Jenny (one of my "non biological" daughters :)) and I (along with my sister, and nieces, Allison and Molly) ran in the Ferguson "LIVE WELL" 5K.....
Kelly and Jenny were kind enough to pace their running with mine....and together we crossed the finish line at, you guessed it: 38 minutes, 18 seconds... running the whole time! WOW, what an accomplishment from someone that couldn't run up my hill most of my life! The weather was cool and didn't rain after all, so it worked out great!
Then again this morning, Kelly and I headed to Forest Park for the GIRLS ON THE RUN 5k....Kelly is a coach for this great organization, which empowers young girls, among other things, with their health.....Unlike Ferguson, which had a nice size crowd of about 800 participants, there had to be a couple thousand here! Kelly, Carrie (another "non biological daughter" - I adore my daughter's friends!) and I ran together on this one....we tried to run with the girls at the school where Kelly is coaching but with the HUGE crowd, it was impossible, plus they were with their parents, etc....
This one had a few more hills than yesterday, especially the 1/8 mile hill at about the 2.5 mile marker but we plowed through and finished again without walking! YAHOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I was breathless in St. Louis (get it, sleepless in Seattle!?) when I crossed the finish line!
As I sit here typing and counting up the miles I have run this week, I am shocked and thrilled....no, I don't want to be a marathon runner or even run every day....but I do want to continue to work hard to stay in shape and run along the way! This journey is truly a testimony to what you can do if you put your mind (and your feet!) to it! Believe me, it wasn't EASY to get started but worth every ache and pain (I'll remind myself of that when I can't move in the morning....)
This getting healthy journey is awesome.....I have never felt so good in my entire life....but my true message is....to those reading this that have been in this place for a long time AND YOU KNOW WHO YOU ARE, kudos to you.....wish you would have hit me over the head a long time ago.....but I know now that no matter what you did or said, it had to be ME MAKING THE DECISION TO GET IT DONE....
For those still "on the couch" or "on the fence" still choosing ding dongs (and I understand, because I like them too :)) over workouts.....WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR?! Ding dongs will never be completely off the market for you.....but the opportunity to get in shape before life hits you with another challenge because of your weight and inactive lifestyle may slip away....don't let that happen....
So just for today, make a decision FOR you instead of AGAINST you......Just change 1 thing this week towards a healthier lifestyle...but the trick is, once you change it, you can't go back! So if your decision is to start drinking more water, don't do it 1 day and then stop......Ok, clock is ticking, what's it going to be?!
On another note, I said I would weigh in every couple of weeks and I did......I was a bit afraid as when I was in NY, I wasn't quite as clean as last visit.....but I did workout every day except 1 and also made sure I did get in some healthy eating.....so the scale was kind and actually went down a bit :)
158.2 pounds.....
Now, just figuring out how to keep it there....
Have a wonderful week!
To me, it means BUCKET LIST, as in.....I ticked off 1 of my items :)
No, it doesn't represent that I ate 38.18 ding dongs, or walked 38.18 miles (YIKES! Not adding that to my bucket list!) Okay, enough with the games.....it represents.....(sorry, I may need a drumroll here, as this is pretty exciting to me....)
MY 5K TIME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
As Hannah Isabel says, I DEED IT! or I DID IT!!!
I spent the last week in NY working....whew and it was a lot of working, that is for sure!
But I kept up the running, trying to push a bit harder each day as I knew this weekend I was signed up for not 1, but 2 (AM I CRAZY???? YES!!!!) 5K's!
So on Friday, my friend, Brenda and I ran along the Hudson River up through Battery Park...although we weren't sure, I thought it seemed pretty close to 3 miles.......or at least hoped so to prepare for this weekend....
On Saturday, Kelly, Jenny (one of my "non biological" daughters :)) and I (along with my sister, and nieces, Allison and Molly) ran in the Ferguson "LIVE WELL" 5K.....
Kelly and Jenny were kind enough to pace their running with mine....and together we crossed the finish line at, you guessed it: 38 minutes, 18 seconds... running the whole time! WOW, what an accomplishment from someone that couldn't run up my hill most of my life! The weather was cool and didn't rain after all, so it worked out great!
Then again this morning, Kelly and I headed to Forest Park for the GIRLS ON THE RUN 5k....Kelly is a coach for this great organization, which empowers young girls, among other things, with their health.....Unlike Ferguson, which had a nice size crowd of about 800 participants, there had to be a couple thousand here! Kelly, Carrie (another "non biological daughter" - I adore my daughter's friends!) and I ran together on this one....we tried to run with the girls at the school where Kelly is coaching but with the HUGE crowd, it was impossible, plus they were with their parents, etc....
This one had a few more hills than yesterday, especially the 1/8 mile hill at about the 2.5 mile marker but we plowed through and finished again without walking! YAHOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I was breathless in St. Louis (get it, sleepless in Seattle!?) when I crossed the finish line!
As I sit here typing and counting up the miles I have run this week, I am shocked and thrilled....no, I don't want to be a marathon runner or even run every day....but I do want to continue to work hard to stay in shape and run along the way! This journey is truly a testimony to what you can do if you put your mind (and your feet!) to it! Believe me, it wasn't EASY to get started but worth every ache and pain (I'll remind myself of that when I can't move in the morning....)
This getting healthy journey is awesome.....I have never felt so good in my entire life....but my true message is....to those reading this that have been in this place for a long time AND YOU KNOW WHO YOU ARE, kudos to you.....wish you would have hit me over the head a long time ago.....but I know now that no matter what you did or said, it had to be ME MAKING THE DECISION TO GET IT DONE....
For those still "on the couch" or "on the fence" still choosing ding dongs (and I understand, because I like them too :)) over workouts.....WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR?! Ding dongs will never be completely off the market for you.....but the opportunity to get in shape before life hits you with another challenge because of your weight and inactive lifestyle may slip away....don't let that happen....
So just for today, make a decision FOR you instead of AGAINST you......Just change 1 thing this week towards a healthier lifestyle...but the trick is, once you change it, you can't go back! So if your decision is to start drinking more water, don't do it 1 day and then stop......Ok, clock is ticking, what's it going to be?!
On another note, I said I would weigh in every couple of weeks and I did......I was a bit afraid as when I was in NY, I wasn't quite as clean as last visit.....but I did workout every day except 1 and also made sure I did get in some healthy eating.....so the scale was kind and actually went down a bit :)
158.2 pounds.....
Now, just figuring out how to keep it there....
Have a wonderful week!
Saturday, May 8, 2010
Day 122 - Keep on moving......
Well, I did it! Today I only had a little bit of time to fit in some "running" (or trotting as I call it)....Kelly and Charlotte said they would come along....I took off first as Kelly was getting ready and said she would meet me at the top of the hill (on our street) with Charlotte....
I took off, walking past the first 3 houses, just to get my heart pumping and then started the "trot"....and went to 7 Pines Drive and back WITHOUT STOPPING! YAHOO! My first "non stop" 2 mile run :)....
2 miles may be "peanuts" to most people, but I'm telling you, before this whole LOSE A TON thing, I barely could walk the dang 2 miles.....now I can TROT them - haha!
This just reminds me what I have "relearned" through this whole experience. YOU can do what YOU put your mind to....Kelly and I were talking about that earlier today...what a difference from a year ago, where I am right now with my physical strength and endurance... I have a long way to go, but have come a long way!
I'm just continually amazed at where the strength REALLY comes from.....that little thing sitting on top of your shoulders.....as I mentioned in our last airing on SHOW ME ST. LOUIS......If you can get your mind to do it, your feet will follow!!!
Had a great evening with some old friends.....It's so surreal when I see people I haven't seen for a while and they are so surprised to see the weight I have lost.....I'm kind of used to this weight now and actually, although I'm proud of what I have accomplished, still see that I have work left to do! But for those that have been used to seeing me padded with another 30 plus pounds on for many years, they are now calling me "skinny".....
SKINNY!?!?!? ARE YOU KIDDING ME?!?!? I haven't heard that word associated with me for 100 years! Unless someone asked me if I wanted a "skinny cow" ice cream treat or something like that!? Although I am FAR from skinny, I must admit when someone uses that word, it does bring a smile to my face, almost a laugh, as SKINNY and MAUREEN have never been much of a pair.....
So tomorrow is Mother's Day - I'm so thankful that I'm a Mother to 2 such amazing young, beautiful women! And GRANDmother to 2 such amazing, young beautiful babies!!! How blessed can 1 person get! Although they are now in Heaven, I also had 2 amazing beautiful women to look up to - 1 was my mom, Marie - and the other was my mother in law- Mary.....2 ladies that I adored and respected and couldn't have asked for better role models!!!
I head to NY tomorrow for 6 days for work....It will be a very busy hectic schedule for sure...but I will enjoy the adventure.....
Just for now, enjoy your adventure, whatever it may be this week! But most of all, CHERISH your mom if you are BLESSED enough to still have her physically in your life....for those of us whose mothers have passed on, CHERISH the beautiful memories of your MOM....Happy Mother's day and God bless and keep all mothers wise and strong and full of the love they so freely give away!!!
I took off, walking past the first 3 houses, just to get my heart pumping and then started the "trot"....and went to 7 Pines Drive and back WITHOUT STOPPING! YAHOO! My first "non stop" 2 mile run :)....
2 miles may be "peanuts" to most people, but I'm telling you, before this whole LOSE A TON thing, I barely could walk the dang 2 miles.....now I can TROT them - haha!
This just reminds me what I have "relearned" through this whole experience. YOU can do what YOU put your mind to....Kelly and I were talking about that earlier today...what a difference from a year ago, where I am right now with my physical strength and endurance... I have a long way to go, but have come a long way!
I'm just continually amazed at where the strength REALLY comes from.....that little thing sitting on top of your shoulders.....as I mentioned in our last airing on SHOW ME ST. LOUIS......If you can get your mind to do it, your feet will follow!!!
Had a great evening with some old friends.....It's so surreal when I see people I haven't seen for a while and they are so surprised to see the weight I have lost.....I'm kind of used to this weight now and actually, although I'm proud of what I have accomplished, still see that I have work left to do! But for those that have been used to seeing me padded with another 30 plus pounds on for many years, they are now calling me "skinny".....
SKINNY!?!?!? ARE YOU KIDDING ME?!?!? I haven't heard that word associated with me for 100 years! Unless someone asked me if I wanted a "skinny cow" ice cream treat or something like that!? Although I am FAR from skinny, I must admit when someone uses that word, it does bring a smile to my face, almost a laugh, as SKINNY and MAUREEN have never been much of a pair.....
So tomorrow is Mother's Day - I'm so thankful that I'm a Mother to 2 such amazing young, beautiful women! And GRANDmother to 2 such amazing, young beautiful babies!!! How blessed can 1 person get! Although they are now in Heaven, I also had 2 amazing beautiful women to look up to - 1 was my mom, Marie - and the other was my mother in law- Mary.....2 ladies that I adored and respected and couldn't have asked for better role models!!!
I head to NY tomorrow for 6 days for work....It will be a very busy hectic schedule for sure...but I will enjoy the adventure.....
Just for now, enjoy your adventure, whatever it may be this week! But most of all, CHERISH your mom if you are BLESSED enough to still have her physically in your life....for those of us whose mothers have passed on, CHERISH the beautiful memories of your MOM....Happy Mother's day and God bless and keep all mothers wise and strong and full of the love they so freely give away!!!
Sunday, May 2, 2010
Day 116 - 159 pounds!
What next?!!?!?!?!?!
Friday's final airing was wonderful......Diane, 57 years young, WON it all! Thanks for winning it for the "seniors in the contest", Diane!!! Kathleen came in 2nd and Taira in 3rd....all amazing, wonderful women and now friends! I'm so happy for them and for all of us, as we gave it our all and are now in a new healthier place!
Out of the "at home contestants", I came in 3rd, behind Becky and Cassie...man, I was only 1 percentage away from 2nd place....I'll attribute that to my dang broken foot, but still quite happy and proud of my 30 pound weight loss! But it's not over?!?!!? Many of us said that on Friday...
So what next!? How do we keep it going.....
After the show, a few of us went to have a celebration drink (and 1 person had a celebration dessert - not me, believe it or not - ha!) with JC, the cute, sweet head trainer throughout this competition.
It was great sitting around, celebrating our hard work and laughing and sharing....but the 1 theme that continued to come out, was THIS IS NOT OVER! All 5 of the contestants there all said the same thing, we have more weight to lose and we are not stopping!
I have thought a lot about this and wondered how can I make THIS TIME different from other times when I have lost weight and eventually gained it back....
Well, 1 painful way, that I have decided is that I will continue this BLOG, and post my weight every 2 weeks, just like the other weigh ins...that will help keep me in check....so if it goes down, YAY, and if it goes UP, then time to stop and figure it out........With all my friends doing the weight loss thing, I figured, I can get gets of advice when it goes up....you know, I'm not just writing this blog to GIVE advice, but rather to SHARE what works and what doesn't....to SHARE the ups and the downs.....
It was a very busy 1st week back from vacation....I was off Monday, but cancelled my vacation day on Tuesday and after about three 12hour work days, Friday finally came....My dear friend found out her boyfriend is in stage 4 cancer, so prayers for George please.....so instead of gym time this week, I found myself working late and then heading out to dinner with my friend while she was in town...I wouldn't have had it any other way, she is so dear and definitely didn't want her to go back to the hotel and be alone.....Friday was the show and celebration so by Saturday, I knew I needed to HIT IT HARD! But instead on Saturday, I headed back into the office and spent the entire day there...by 615p, I left the office and went to the grocery store and came home....thinking oh oh, this isn't the way to keep the weight off!
So this morning, I got up and got moving.....first Buster, my 10 year old overweight pup, and I took just a short trip down the street and back...that's as far as he can go....Next up was Charlotte, my "granddog" that would run until the "cows come home" whatever that means....you get where I'm going....
So I told Charlotte, okay, girl, make me sweat on this one....so off we went up the hill, a few houses and we started the run.....about half way into my usual 2 mile walk, I decided to mix it up a bit and push myself harder, especially knowing I hadn't done much this week, so I changed the course and off we went.....By the time we got home, we had done 4 miles.....and I figured out that I had run 2.9 of those 4 miles and walked the other 1.1 mile -WOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Now that is what I'm talking about.......It feels GOOD!
Along the way today while walking, I met Becky, with her 2 sweet labs and for those that know me, it isn't hard to believe that we stopped and talked for probably 30 minutes.....all because we were letting our dogs say "hello" first - ha! Becky and I hit it off, and the conversation flowed from 1 subject to the next....she is an extremely smart, talented young woman, who, like so many others, is unemployed right now, but looking for work..in the meantime, she has gotten her 2 sweet labs certified for "touch therapy" at the Siteman Cancer Center....funny how 1 disappointment in life (getting laid off) can lead to 1 of the MOST REWARDING THINGS SHE HAS EVER DONE IN HER LIFE!
Made me think alot about this today....and I came to the conclusion....that life throws you a lot of curves, you all know what I'm talking about...those challenges that knock you down, scare you, take the wind out of your sail......what I truly understand now, is that it isn't the CHANGES in life that make you who you are, it is YOUR RESPONSE to those CHANGES in life that really shape your life!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Just for today, think about that the next time that life throws you a big old curve ball........how will you RESPOND?! How will your life be forever CHANGED!?! It's all up to you on how you want to RESPOND and CHANGE your life.................Thanks for taking this journey with me....hope you can continue......would love to hear from you...what is working, what isn't and what we should do next!?!
Have a great Sunday.....I already have and it's only half over!!
Friday's final airing was wonderful......Diane, 57 years young, WON it all! Thanks for winning it for the "seniors in the contest", Diane!!! Kathleen came in 2nd and Taira in 3rd....all amazing, wonderful women and now friends! I'm so happy for them and for all of us, as we gave it our all and are now in a new healthier place!
Out of the "at home contestants", I came in 3rd, behind Becky and Cassie...man, I was only 1 percentage away from 2nd place....I'll attribute that to my dang broken foot, but still quite happy and proud of my 30 pound weight loss! But it's not over?!?!!? Many of us said that on Friday...
So what next!? How do we keep it going.....
After the show, a few of us went to have a celebration drink (and 1 person had a celebration dessert - not me, believe it or not - ha!) with JC, the cute, sweet head trainer throughout this competition.
It was great sitting around, celebrating our hard work and laughing and sharing....but the 1 theme that continued to come out, was THIS IS NOT OVER! All 5 of the contestants there all said the same thing, we have more weight to lose and we are not stopping!
I have thought a lot about this and wondered how can I make THIS TIME different from other times when I have lost weight and eventually gained it back....
Well, 1 painful way, that I have decided is that I will continue this BLOG, and post my weight every 2 weeks, just like the other weigh ins...that will help keep me in check....so if it goes down, YAY, and if it goes UP, then time to stop and figure it out........With all my friends doing the weight loss thing, I figured, I can get gets of advice when it goes up....you know, I'm not just writing this blog to GIVE advice, but rather to SHARE what works and what doesn't....to SHARE the ups and the downs.....
It was a very busy 1st week back from vacation....I was off Monday, but cancelled my vacation day on Tuesday and after about three 12hour work days, Friday finally came....My dear friend found out her boyfriend is in stage 4 cancer, so prayers for George please.....so instead of gym time this week, I found myself working late and then heading out to dinner with my friend while she was in town...I wouldn't have had it any other way, she is so dear and definitely didn't want her to go back to the hotel and be alone.....Friday was the show and celebration so by Saturday, I knew I needed to HIT IT HARD! But instead on Saturday, I headed back into the office and spent the entire day there...by 615p, I left the office and went to the grocery store and came home....thinking oh oh, this isn't the way to keep the weight off!
So this morning, I got up and got moving.....first Buster, my 10 year old overweight pup, and I took just a short trip down the street and back...that's as far as he can go....Next up was Charlotte, my "granddog" that would run until the "cows come home" whatever that means....you get where I'm going....
So I told Charlotte, okay, girl, make me sweat on this one....so off we went up the hill, a few houses and we started the run.....about half way into my usual 2 mile walk, I decided to mix it up a bit and push myself harder, especially knowing I hadn't done much this week, so I changed the course and off we went.....By the time we got home, we had done 4 miles.....and I figured out that I had run 2.9 of those 4 miles and walked the other 1.1 mile -WOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Now that is what I'm talking about.......It feels GOOD!
Along the way today while walking, I met Becky, with her 2 sweet labs and for those that know me, it isn't hard to believe that we stopped and talked for probably 30 minutes.....all because we were letting our dogs say "hello" first - ha! Becky and I hit it off, and the conversation flowed from 1 subject to the next....she is an extremely smart, talented young woman, who, like so many others, is unemployed right now, but looking for work..in the meantime, she has gotten her 2 sweet labs certified for "touch therapy" at the Siteman Cancer Center....funny how 1 disappointment in life (getting laid off) can lead to 1 of the MOST REWARDING THINGS SHE HAS EVER DONE IN HER LIFE!
Made me think alot about this today....and I came to the conclusion....that life throws you a lot of curves, you all know what I'm talking about...those challenges that knock you down, scare you, take the wind out of your sail......what I truly understand now, is that it isn't the CHANGES in life that make you who you are, it is YOUR RESPONSE to those CHANGES in life that really shape your life!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Just for today, think about that the next time that life throws you a big old curve ball........how will you RESPOND?! How will your life be forever CHANGED!?! It's all up to you on how you want to RESPOND and CHANGE your life.................Thanks for taking this journey with me....hope you can continue......would love to hear from you...what is working, what isn't and what we should do next!?!
Have a great Sunday.....I already have and it's only half over!!
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