Yesterday's Blog - I swear!

Wednesday, September 08, 2010

Okay, this whole fitness thing is REALLY putting a crimp on my internet time! I totally intended to blog yesterday, AND put up LOLCat Monday (holiday day-after version) on my livejournal. Instead I got home from Zumba and logged into the computer for just long enough to pull up the sparkrecipe I wanted...and then got to cooking. It took me until noon-thirty to get the stuffed acorn squash into the oven (lots of prep for the "meat stuffing" part, ended up with leftovers that'll make a GREAT burrito filling later in the week), and then I cleaned up the kitchen and showered while it cooked for an hour. So by the time we were done with meal, it was already past 2pm and bedtime for bonzo (me anyway, my mate wasn't sleepy yet so he tucked me in and came to bed later - darn Merc Retrograde always messes with his sleep schedule for some reason).

I DID get in my Zumba and walked home a mile from the gym. And I DID pick a motivational picture for the day (but realized I didn't have it loaded on the home 'puter without plugging in the "black box" and that obviously didn't happen). And I interracted with varoius HPC team-mates before I left work last night, so I'm all caught up on the challenge for yesterday. Honest. I really did it, I just didn't blog it *then*. *sigh*

So, without further ado, here's the inspirational pic I chose for yesterday:



That's my sister on the left, and me, enroute with our team to the "ritual pasta party" the night before the marathon at Disney in 2003. I was in One-derland at that point...about 190lbs. This is to remind me that I CAN GET THERE AGAIN!

And for today, another pic from 2003, this one with one of our coaches on the left, and my sister's neighbor who trained with us on the right, outside our hotel during a Team To End Stroke meeting/pep rally (TTES was housed at Disney's Animal Kingdom Lodge, which was AWESOME disneyworld.disney.go.com/resorts/an
imal-kingdom-lodge/ ).
Look how SKINNY we were! (Okay, 190 isn't skinny, but STILL)


I CAN DO THIS!

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BLC Challenge - BLC!

Monday, September 06, 2010

So yes, I've joined another challenge team. I LOVE the Harry Potter Challenge, as the ideas are so fun and creative - I can't wait to see what nifty new challenge they've put together each week. But I decided that adding in something a bit more "serious" might be good going into the holidays - something to help keep me on track when life gets full of temptations and "reasons to slack on making healthy decisions". This is a 12 week challenge that officially starts on September 15th, and I heard about it JUST as they were gearing up for the next session, so it seemed serendipitious and I jumped in. To get us ready, they've already issued a "newbie challenge" which I'm going to take a stab at here. The rules on this challenge?

*************
BLC!!!

B ~ BLOG or Journal: Sit down and write out your feelings. What is on your mind right now? What has been holding you back? Where do you see yourself in 12 Weeks? What is Your NOW vs Your FUTURE? Has something been weighing you down...Write about it. Unburden yourself and let it go. You can choose to share this with Everyone in a BLOG (found on your SparkPage) or you Can write about it in a Journal and keep those thoughts for yourself. Just take the time to Sort your Thoughts and Find YOUR Plan of ACTION.

L ~ LIST YOUR GOALS: What do you Expect to Accomplish over the next 12 Weeks. If you want to Make Change Happen...You have to Know where to FOCUS your Efforts. This is Purely Personal, so Everyone will have different Answers...but they will be Right For YOU, and help to Keep you Moving one Baby Step at a Time Toward YOUR OWN SUCCESS. Take a momet to Log your Measurements, your Weight, What Size you are in, How quickly you get winded, How many reps of something you can do, so you can measure your PROGRESS.

C ~ CORRECT AN UNHEALTHY HABIT: Again...This is a Personal Goal...Everyone will have Different Goals. Pick Something that has been holding you back from your own Happiness...Something that gets in your weigh. Something that you want to work on in order to get Closer to Your Own Personal SUCCESS~

Usually we Attach a Time limit and a Scoring sysyem but we'll call this "Your New Self vs. Your old Self",

If you Accomplish all of these Steps...YOU WILL BE THE WINNER! You will have your Roadmap for YOUR Success and you will KNOW Where you want to Start...What Obsticles you will have to navigate..you will KNOW What stands in the weigh of where you are Right Now vs. Where you WANT to be in 12 weeks from Now.

Remember to be Honset with Yourself and Keep your Goals within Healthy Reason...We are a 12 Week Challenge...Turning Healthy Choices into Healthy Habits! One Glass of Water at a Time, One Drop of Sweat at a Time...One Healthy Choice at a Time.
*************

I'm honestly in a pretty good place right now. I'm getting close to 30 lbs lost, I'm exercising 6 out of 7 days, I walked a 5K race yesterday, I'm enjoying trying new foods from our organic delivery service and experimenting with new sparkrecipes, I'm tracking everything regularly, and this is feeling like a lifestyle change instead of something temporary - which is the whole point, right? I'm still experimenting with how to put the fitness schedule together in a way that doesn't eat up the rest of my life (oh livejournal, how I've neglected you), and I'm nervous how that will be impacted when we go to 12 hour shifts in January - trying not to "borrow trouble" there, as much as possible. Another reason why I want to really kick things into gear NOW - to get the most benefit before the schedule gets even more wonky than it already is and I have to adjust my routines. Yeah, that's weighing on me - I don't do uncertainty well, so I need to have a plan. BUT, it will be several weeks before they get ANY of the details hammered out, so for now I need to focus on NOW.

The challenge starts on September 15 (weigh-ins are on Wednesdays - a good day for me, actually, since weekends are such a crap shoot) and lasts for 12 weeks, so if my counting skills are working correctly, we're looking at goals for where we want to be by December 8th. Which happens to be exactly one week before my next birthday - good timing for goal setting!

I JUST took measurements on September 1st, so I think I'll use those as my "base measurements" for the challenge. I have NO idea how they will change since I haven't been tracking inches up to now at all - so I'm not going to set any goals there, and just be pleasantly surprised at how things go.

You know me, I generally avoid number goals at all, but since this is a weight loss challenge, it seems fitting this time around. SO, I figure 2 pounds a week is considered reasonable - BUT I tend to stall and lose, stall and lose, so I don't want to shoot for something too high and get frustrated. So I'm going with a loss of 20 lbs on the challenge - wherever I am when I weigh in on 9/15, I want to be 20 lbs less by December. Considering the fact I'm getting pretty close to that 30 lbs gone mark, that will mean I'll have lost 50 lbs by December, and only be 10 lbs away from One-derland! THAT would be an awesome birthday present, don't you think?

Like I said, I'm still trying to cobble my fitness schedule into something that makes sense - I think that will be the biggest focus over the next 12 weeks. To break that down:
* I love Zumba and have found a way to go consistently twice a week - my goal on THAT score is to become proficient enough in the basic moves that I actually feel more like I'm dancing and less like I'm dying out there. LOL
* I love my long walks outside, so I want to do those at least twice a week (and walk to and from the gym whenever possible).
* In the interests of a) not getting bored and b) looking at ALL my options, I want to make it a goal to try at least one new form of exercise every week, whether it's a new DVD or a different class at the gym, or whatever. I figure the more options I have, the more flexible I can be when the schedule changes. You never know if you'll like something until you try it out, right?
* ABS! ABS ABS ABS - that's the one serious weak-spot in my current routine, and I need to make it more of a priority. The benefits of strengthening my core are enormous - I know this, I just need to implement something. FWIW, I've written out some of the really good (aka really HARD) pilates-type ab moves we were doing in ballet, so there's no reason I couldn't do them on my own (I even have an exercise ball at home, so I have absolutely NO excuses).
* And finally, I want to get in at least one more dance-oriented work out per week than the 2 Zumba classes - I have belly dance videos that will work for that (unless I decide to actually take the Sunday belly dance classes I'm thinking about - jury is still out on that).
* Oh, and remember - I've already committed to working out at least 6 out of 7 days per week, which means I have to find ways of getting it in when we travel - we've got a trip north coming in 2 weeks, and then another in mid-October. I need to have a plan in place before we leave!

As far as a healthy habit that needs correcting - I need to stop dipping into my mate's chocolate stash. We only buy "miniatures" or "nuggets", so having a small piece on occasion isn't a big deal and is easily tracked and counted into my allotment for the day. Usually I only rarely have any anyway. But I've noticed lately I'm having one, then having another, and maybe another, and justifying it to myself that they're small, so they don't count. Well, when you have 4 of them, that's no longer a "miniature" or a "nugget" - you've eaten an entire chocolate bar, do you *really* want to spend your calories there? SO - mindful eating, intentional choices, and only having ONE if I have any. If everything is permissable with moderation, it's the MODERATION that is the key. I need to keep this in mind and make better choices.

So there you have it - goals and a plan.
The next 12 weeks are going to RAWK!

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HPC - Summer Term Week 9 Challenge!

Sunday, September 05, 2010

This week, we are continuing our tour of the castle and the surrounding grounds to be sure that we are taking full advantage of all Hogwarts has to offer. We will focus on different locations this time. You do not need to visit each spot for long – just enough to gain the benefits!

Every day, you can earn 10 points for visiting 3 of the following 4 locations. Maximum of 30 points per day.

The Portrait Hall – Find a picture that inspires you to live more healthfully – to lose weight or to exercise or to reduce stress. Post it to your Sparkpage or somewhere that you can see it regularly.

The Courtyard – Between classes, socialize with your friends. Post a message in your house common room or on another student’s page or send a Sparkmail.

The Prefects’ Bathroom – Pamper yourself in a way that you normally wouldn’t, such as taking a bath while listening to music or putting on scented lotion or whatever would make you feel special (including going on a date with someone dear to you).

The Black Lake – Go for a walk or a swim. Throw stones (or baseballs). Stretch out on the grass (or the carpet). You can break it up into shorter sessions throughout the day, but exercise at least a total of 20 minutes.

Bonus Blog: The Staff Room – Professor Lupin has found another boggart in the wardrobe in the staff room. This boggart has a special “talent”: it turns into what tempts you most to not live healthfully (chocolate or French fries or a person who stresses you out). Write a blog or journal entry (public or private) in which you detail what you see when faced with this boggart and what you turn it into with that wonderfully helpful spell, Riddikulus. 40 points (once) for writing this blog.

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Cheetah Run!

Sunday, September 05, 2010

THAT was blast! Though I gotta tell ya...our zoo is HILLY! Not that I didn't know this (having been there with my parents before - ever try to push a wheelchair at a 45 degree angle? Not fun), but you really don't think about it until you're trudging up one of those monsters trying to breathe...phew! My son pulled ahead of us (which didn't surprise me), and we all finished in under an hour (it was 57 minutes and change when Erin and I crossed the finish, of course I won't know the *exact* time until they post the official results from the timing chips later)! W00H00! And YES - we met up with fellow Sparkpeople!

Heading into the zoo..



NOTMILK, me, my son Christopher (aka VERMITHRX once he gets his SparkPage up and running), my daughter Erin, and 3RDSTRING!


A few crowd shots before the race




After the race, in line for water, bananas, etc...


Christopher spotted 3RDSTRING ahead of us (dude ZIPPED by us about 2 miles in)


Yep, there's that orange SparkPeople shirt!


Impressive spread for the athletes (woot! we're athletes!)


Then as we were recovering, who should bound up and hug me but my trainer from the Healthplex - DOLLFITNESS! (AKA Christy)



And then NOTMILK found us too, so I got to introduce her to Christy before she ran off to watch the actual cheetas run.


All in all a FABULOUS morning, made even better 'cause I got to share it with my kids, AND got to meet sparkfriends!


Results (remember - WE walked, and all I cared about was not being LAST - mission accomplished!):

Christopher - placed 553 overall (males), time 55:45 minutes, pace 17:59 min/mile
Erin - placed 839 overall (females), time 56:50 minutes, pace 18:20 min/mile
Me - placed 841 overall (females), time 56:51 minutes, pace 18:20 min/mile

FWIW, adding up the overall male and female count, there were 1489 people who participated.

Oh, and my trainer? Christy Doll?
She placed FIRST of all women participating, running the 5K in 21:15 minutes, pace 6.51 min/mile. WOW!

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I didn't think it was possible. No really. I didn't.

Friday, September 03, 2010

So, I *briefly* met the new boss on Tuesday morning (just to shake hands and say hello), and today he had a "meet and greet" meeting with the whole team.

I'm not sure if I said it out loud here, but what I'd told my *other* boss, and what my mate and I agreed on, was that I was going to give him a month to "impress me" - a month to get me onboard. At the end of that month, I'd make a decision.

And you know what?
He did it in 4 hours.

He honestly had me when he mentioned his pet peeve being people who whine about things being "fair" and comparing other people's number of days off, etc...saying "We're not 12 year olds, we're professionals" - ah, a man after my own heart.

And it has NOTHING to do with the fact he told me he thought I was younger than him, and didn't look old enough to have a 26 year old or a 24 year old (but yeah, he got points there).

But he said all - and I do mean all - the right things in the meeting, and I believe him.

And even better was the hour he and I spent chatting in the parking lot after the meeting was over and everyone else was long gone. This is a man who thinks the same way I do about documentation, about cross-training, about tickets...by the time we said goodnight, we were honestly finishing each other's sentences. And bless his poor transplanted Californian heart, I really DO think I am/will be the island of weird (read - bastion of sanity) in the vast sea of conservative midwestern banking mentality he's found himself dropped into the middle of.

And if I lend him our copy of "Jesus Christ Vampire Hunter", he's going to lend me his copy of "Vampiro" (the film he was in last year...'cause you know, people who live in L.A. DO that). LOL As long as I promise never to show it to the rest of the team. *snicker* And was impressed that I already knew he was a Scorpio and what year he was born ("I have good google-fu"). LOL AND will accept my FB friend request when he finds it (he apparently missed it, it's buried in his e-mail somewhere), 'cause he's not big on filters or keeping "work and facebook separate" any more than I am. He knows my motto now (ask me a direct question, I'll give you a direct answer, just be sure you really want to know) AND the story behind the caveat at the end. And the references to the various alternative communities I'm part of didn't phase him. At all.

Do you get the idea I like this guy?
Do you have any idea how long it's been since I had a boss I could actually *relate* to? And who is apparently on the same wavelength about process and procedure?

The scales have tipped.
Yeah, even with the 12 hour days...I think I can stay.
And THAT is a HUGE weight lifted (yeah, I started crying in relief on the drive home).

I hadn't realized I'd been holding my breath for so long - I'd gotten to the point that it had started to feel normal.

This feels TONS better.

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