GZELLEFRO's SparkPeople Blog

Another good day

Tue, 7 May 2013 23:14:43 EST

I had a great day, again. I got to mow the whole lawn, until I ran out of gas! 40 However, I got to pull weeds away from one of my flower beds too. It was beautiful today!

I also got to ride Rascal, my fave buddy! He's so smart! I'm a little afraid to ride him out of the round pen though because last summer, he ran off with me twice and all I could do was hang on for dear life! It was the fastest I've ever ridden a horse, and exhilarating, but frightening at the...

Knee is better!

Mon, 6 May 2013 22:16:47 EST

Yeah! I ran 2 or 3 miles today (I have to remeasure the distance again, because I've forgotten!) and my knee didn't bother me at all! Yeah! I also did Tae Bo for an hour on top of that and even tonight, my knee feels normal and fine!! I'm so happy! Now I can get back to the business of preparing for taking the agility test!!

I have a great day with exercise and eating. I not only ran and did Tae Bo, but I also did 51 min of Cathe Friedrich's Gym Style Back, Shoulders, and Bice...

Accountability

Fri, 3 May 2013 22:17:56 EST

Okay, here's what happened yesterday: without even thinking about it, I'm ashamed to say that I ate a Reese's Peanut Butter Cup 2 pack. What astounds me, is that I just picked it up and ate it...no forethought or anything. So this tells me something: I've gotta be more conscientious!! So, today, I've been more controlled and have resisted the urge to eat any sweets. As a matter of fact, I went to have some chocolate pudding, and it just didn't even appeal to me! Now that's a major vict...

Crazy!

Fri, 3 May 2013 00:38:55 EST

It was 80 degrees on Tuesday and tomorrow it's supposed to be 39 for a high! What?! We might even get snow today and tomorrow. I'm soo ready for summer!! 67

No sweets again! Day three! whee! I'm so happy! 45

I ran yesterday and felt pretty good, so I did 30 min of HiiT and yoga for 30 min and then afterwards, my right knee started killing me. I guess I'm just going to have to do some strength training for a couple of days and pick back up with...

No sweets for me yesterday!!

Wed, 1 May 2013 11:13:35 EST

Hey! I'm proud to say that I resisted the temptation to eat candy, cookies, cake, or anything of that nature yesterday!! I'm going to start a streak! Just wanted to chime in and thank you guys for your support. It means so much to me! Love you all! 247 381

Knees are feeling better

Tue, 30 Apr 2013 22:14:46 EST

I have worn the new shoes for 1 1/2 weeks and my knees never did start feeling better, so I decided last night that I was going to go back to my old shoes. Today was the first day that I had no pain in my knees for a week and a half. What a sweet relief! I was worried that I had pulled something and I was so relieved to find that I hadn't.

I did not run today, I decided to do strength training and yoga and give the running a rest today. Tomorrow I will try the jogging again, an...

New Running Shoes

Fri, 26 Apr 2013 22:45:28 EST

I bought new running shoes last week, and started running in them on Saturday. I had a great workout, I did strength training and yoga the same night. 331

Sunday morning I woke up with my knees, especially my right knee hurting badly. It bothered me all week, so I got in to my doctor and she said that it was my new shoes because of them offsetting my foot being pronated or supinated. I've not checked into which one my feet are, but she told me to go ahead and exercis...

Hubby's day

Fri, 19 Apr 2013 23:03:13 EST

Today was my wonderful husband's birthday. We took him out to dinner, and they sang to him, which embarrassed him horribly, but he's such a good sport!! The kids and their husband and son's girlfriend were able to be there, which meant more to my husband than anything! It was a great day, I think!

Getting to quilt a little bit, but no exercise today, but I did exercise last night and I will this weekend as well.

Got about 3" of rain (so they say). I want to thank Jes...

I don't care what he says,

Tue, 16 Apr 2013 22:28:46 EST

He is deaf! Drives me crazy! I have to repeat myself over and over. Anyway, he says the dr. says he doesn't have a hearing problem, but the last doctor appointment, he "forgot" to ask the doctor to have his hearing checked. Uh huh. Likely story. Just kidding. Had to vent a little bit.

Got my run in again today. I can already see some improvement. I actually was able to run the whole way, and then jogged up a short hill in my backyard, twice. Then I did Cathe Friedrich's Mus...

Whoop!I

Sun, 14 Apr 2013 22:51:05 EST

Today was a much more productive day! Even though I slept half the day away. I'm glad that I can move without that hitch in my right hip.

I was able to mow most of our lawn today (riding mower)! And even though I didn't exercise per se, I did burn 700 calories during the "exercise" portion of my day (according to my BodyMedia armband). I burned a total of 2000 calories, so I'm pretty psyched! I also cleaned up my pantry a bit (although it still needs more organization) and vacuu...

Sore today!

Sat, 13 Apr 2013 18:41:28 EST

I ran again yesterday, did several different exercise videos here on Spark, and yoga. I did burn a little more calories yesterday. And I got just over 10,000 steps. I'm on my way to changing my bad ways, and getting in better shape on the way!

I must've overdone it a little because I'm sooo sore! I can hardly move. I did take a hot bath with epsom salts and a couple of ibuprofen to help with the soreness last night. So needless to say, I'm just resting today.

On...

Ran today!

Thu, 11 Apr 2013 20:58:23 EST

Okay, maybe for you runners out there, that's no big feat, BUT, for someone who gets very little out of running (except the accomplishment, of course) it was a SUPER BIG DEAL! I like running with my friends or when I'm playing soccer, but just to jog by myself, it's dull, dull, dull!

I started out just to jog to the mail box and then decided to run to the end of the road. He he psyched myself out that way! I didn't run the whole way, but decided to walk fast in between the runn...

TIME TO GET SERIOUS!

Wed, 10 Apr 2013 21:31:24 EST

I only have about 1 1/2 months to get my butt ready for the Academy tryouts.

I'm so scared about that. What if I can't drag the dummy? I guess the worst thing that could happen is that I have to try out again. One of my other fears is that because I'm a woman, I won't be able to keep up, you know? I am aware that men are stronger and faster than women-that's a given, but is it a reason for me not to try out? NO! Absolutely not! I'm trying to work out my fears, and get my b...

Repeat of yesterday...sort of

Mon, 8 Apr 2013 23:38:10 EST

I got outside again today! I was able to get halters on both of my horses that I wanted to, as well as wormed them and brushed them. The 1 year old stud colt, Mr. Nibbles, was a little bit stubborn, and I worked on getting him to lead. He's going to be soo easy to train because he's been handled ever since he was born. He is not quite a year old either, so that helps...a lot!!! He didn't want to lead, so I would jerk him to the side and try again. After I did that several times, he trie...

I love spring

Sun, 7 Apr 2013 21:49:28 EST

The weather was beautiful today. After church, I took a quick nap and then went outside and played with my horses. The one I handled today is named Ebony. He's a solid black 4 year old. His mane and tail are really thick and really long (his tail drags the ground!) He's half Missouri Fox Trotter, and he has the gait! I'm thrilled about that. So, I trimmed his hooves, desensitized him, and lunged him. I can hardly wait to ride him! He's a little goosey though, so I'm going to make sur...

We made it!

Mon, 1 Apr 2013 23:02:39 EST

The wedding went well. It was a nice ceremony and we had lots of our family there. My sister from Tucson (and her kids and husband) were coming here already, so they were there, my youngest sister was a bridesmaid, and her little boy was the ring bearer, and one of my 4 brothers was able to make it with his wife and son. Hubby's parents were there too. We got lots of pictures with them, which is amazing because it's hard to get us all together at once. (There's 7 of us). 337 <...

Two more days

Thu, 21 Mar 2013 23:01:53 EST

Daughter's wedding is in two days. Hubby's parents arrived safely today - before the snow arrived, thank you God. We've gotten about 5" of snow, but it's supposed to be 40 tomorrow, so maybe it'll melt off before the rehearsal dinner. Still haven't chosen my dress, but at least I have 4 or 5 nice dresses to choose from! I had to take Zanex last night because my stomach has gone to the other side (probably until after the wedding), but I am glad I did, because I feel better. I never thou...

Ready for Spring!

Wed, 20 Mar 2013 22:54:05 EST

I'm glad today was the first day of Spring. I'll be able to go out riding my horses and mowing the lawn and hanging out laundry, and I am so ready!

What do you plan on doing once the weather is warm enough?

Let's get this Pastor out of Iran!

Tue, 19 Mar 2013 22:12:07 EST

You may or may not have heard of Pastor Saeed Abedini. He is an American Pastor who has been imprisoned in Iran for trying to set up churches in Iran. He has been sentenced to 8 years in the worst prison in Iran: Evin Prison. He is being beaten daily and not allowed any medical attention, until today. He has a family, a wife and two small children, here in the U.S.

The reason I bring it up here is because our government hasn't spoken out against this. There is a site on the we...

Life is busy

Mon, 18 Mar 2013 21:36:12 EST

We have so much going on that we let the best things pass us by. (I mean we as in all of humanity). When I was a kid, I couldn't wait for Christmas and my birthday, then I couldn't wait to drive; when I was 16, I couldn't wait to graduate. When I graduated, I couldn't wait until I turned 18, then 21, then get married. Then I couldn't wait to have kids, then I couldn't wait for them to go to school, then graduate, etc.

Well in all that "couldn't waiting" I missed a whole lot of ...

Stressed

Sat, 16 Mar 2013 23:35:05 EST

Well, it's less than a week until our daughter gets married. I'm scared, happy, sad, regretful, and just about every feeling in the book!

We've got her dress and shoes and flowers, etc. We're doing the finishing touches on her flowers this weekend.

I'm just praying that she isn't making a mistake and that God will take care of her.

Needless to say, eating is not going well. Today I ate way under my calories, but all the wrong foods, going way over on fat fo...

Under the weather

Thu, 14 Mar 2013 22:05:35 EST

I don't know if my workout is causing my backache, but every once in awhile, my lower back gets to aching so bad that I just have to take a day off.

Does anyone have any ideas?

Thanks!

Workout? Check

Tue, 12 Mar 2013 22:52:55 EST

i got my workout in tonight, and it was a doozy! I did 70 min of Low Max (Cathe Friedrich), low impact, high aerobic workout. It was a butt kicker, but I did it! Then I did my strength training workout, 30 min of Body Electric, including triceps, biceps, hamstrings, delts, and quads. After that, I did 30 min of Namaste Yoga. By the end, I was sooo tired, but I got it in.
85
Prior to that, I was working on cleaning out my basement. It is full of pictures that nee...

GETTING CLOSE

Mon, 11 Mar 2013 22:03:15 EST

I'm getting closer to my goal! One pound at a time, and I'm so close that it's not coming off very fast. However, I know that it will stay off if I take it slower and get the idea in my head that I am changing my bad habits and creating good ones.

I do feel good about several things, including: I'm eating more fruits and veggies every day. I'm exercising most every day, back on track with weight training and cardio, and it feels so good. My attitude is better, my sleep is bette...

Great Week So Far

Wed, 6 Mar 2013 22:46:21 EST

I'm having a great week so far! I wish that I could bottle up the good times for when the bad or sad times come along. 334

I got up early today and exercised before I went and did everything that needed done. Usually, I get ahead of myself and then find that I've put off exercising until the end of the day. Not a good idea. I'm trying to put exercise back into the a.m.s so that I get it out of the way. Not easy for a night owl like me!! Last night I couldn't get ...

Well, shoot!

Tue, 5 Mar 2013 22:55:53 EST

I didn't get up at 7:30 am like I was aiming for, but I did go to bed before 11 pm! I count that as an accomplishment because for months I have not been able to get to sleep before 2 am sometimes not until 4 or 5 am! I am working on getting back on schedule. And I'm not giving up. So tomorrow, I'll try again! Like the "little train that could said, 'I think I can, I think I can, I know I can, I know I can!!!'"

Another WONDERFUL thing that happened today was I had strawberries on...

I did it!

Mon, 4 Mar 2013 22:36:29 EST

I told a friend today that I would watch her shop while she was out of town. The problem came when I had to get up at 7:30! Haha. I am not a morning person! I was there from 8:15 am to about 4:30 pm. It felt so good that I was up that early.

I even got to exercise this evening. And it feels so good to be done for the day. I'm tired now and ready for bed; I feel so accomplished, and will go to bed sometime before 2 am! Which causes me to sleep in late, which makes me stay ...

STILL WORKING

Sun, 3 Mar 2013 20:34:16 EST

I did a quick survey of my goals on my spark page, and noticed that I have not been exercising 5 days a week, at least not consistently. I'm excited that I have been exercising more, and I am going to work on exercising 5 days - even if the 5th day is just a stretching exercise!!

I'm so glad it's March! The flowers will be coming out soon and the cold will soon go away! Yeah! 67 137 184 214

Have a great week everyone!!

FUNNY THINGS I'VE DONE

Thu, 28 Feb 2013 22:01:37 EST

334 I am not a very graceful person...I've stubbed my toes so many times that my toes are all malformed and fat and funny looking.

I've actually caught my toe on immovable objects and laid it off to the side. I know that every one of you has done this, and that is what makes it so funny.

The other day I was feeding cattle from the bed of my pickup truck. The cows are not very sociable, and so I of course want to pet them. I reached out and was going to pet...

3000!

Wed, 27 Feb 2013 22:16:31 EST

Okay, my goal is to burn 3000 calories a week, but I looked at my calorie burn so far this week and it's almost there, and I've only worked out 2 days! That's insane!

I have a BodyMedia Armband and it says that i have burned 2511 total calories today. My cardio workout and yoga combined burned 1200 calories! I'm not trying to brag, but whoa! I can't believe that. I just wonder if it's reading me right. I'm happy to see that, but i don't want to be lulled into a false sense ...

GONNA BLOW AWAY!

Mon, 25 Feb 2013 23:05:20 EST

Wow, the wind is blowing harder than it has in a really long time! My hubby said it was blowing so hard that it was blowing him all over the road and he drives a Toyota Matrix!

Got to exercise after all today because my Bible study was cancelled because of the weather, and possible slick roads. Fine by me. I don't like driving on ice, snow, water, or anything but dry roads. Just call me a big chicken! Anyway, I put in about 188 min of exercise today! i also got 12,037 steps...

It's all about how you use your time.

Sun, 24 Feb 2013 21:57:27 EST

Or misuse it!! I'm in the misuse category. I am not very good at putting my time to good use unless I have a doctor's appointment or going to work or something important like that. Since I don't have a job, I am pretty lax in how I use my time. I am working on that, and am hopeful that I can turn the bad habit around.

However, I do want to say that since I came back to Spark, I at least am making sure that I'm exercising at least 5 days a week, and I am eating healthier. I am a...

GLAD

Thu, 21 Feb 2013 19:40:45 EST

So the ice storm was not near as bad as they thought it would be. At least not where we are in Southern Missouri. Thank God. I'm praying for those who have gotten lots of snow (Kansas City) and ice (northern Arkansas).

On another note, i did exercise earlier today! And I feel so accomplished! Thanks everyone for the good ideas! I am so glad it's behind me for the day!

Have a great Friday everyone!! God bless! 244 381 236

WHY DO I RESIST?

Wed, 20 Feb 2013 22:28:47 EST

Why do I resist exercising?! Once I've done it I feel so much better, but I put it off until it's almost too late to exercise for the day. It doesn't even take that long to get my exercise in, when I take into account the total number of hours in a day. But I still put it off. I love it once I've done it, and then I get in a groove and start exercising daily.

However, if I have company, I don't even exercise, like when my parents come over. They were here for 3 days this weeke...

Irritated!

Mon, 18 Feb 2013 21:39:11 EST

Okay, this is going to sound soo lame! My 21 year old daughter last Sunday sprung a wedding day on us. There hasn't been a peep about her getting married for months, then bam! here it is. Well, the reason for the irritation is that she doesn't know what she wants. First it's just going to be a few select people, then it's just his parents and us, and 4 bridesmaids, and now it's gone to inviting all of my brothers and sisters and her dad's brothers and parents.

Also, she wante...

BODYMEDIA ARMBAND

Sun, 17 Feb 2013 23:44:27 EST

I tried Jenny Craig last summer and got the Bodymedia Fit armband with one of their programs. I love the band because it tells you how many hours you've slept, how many calories you've burned for the day, how much physical activity you've done for the day, and whether it was moderate or vigorous, 104 & how many steps you've taken. You can print reports of all of these things. You enter your food eaten and it figures what your calorie deficit or overage is for the day.

GREAT WORKOUT!

Thu, 14 Feb 2013 23:04:11 EST

I had a great workout today. It was a 45 min video called Cardio Circuit. It went so fast, and I was able to keep up with the aerobic portions! I'm so excited to see the improvement in my fitness level. The last circuit has jumping tucks, and I was able to do them! Tucks are so hard usually. I think my abs are getting tighter/sronger because I was also able to do some plank pushups where you bring your legs in then out, and then do the pushups. It has me so psyched!

We got...

WONDERMOUS!

Wed, 13 Feb 2013 21:35:36 EST

My day started out great: I got up early and got a cow taken to the butcher. Step one down. Went to the grocery store. Step two down. Got grain for the other cows. Step three down. Got gas in my gas guzzler of a truck-pulling a stock trailer. Step four down. Dropped a gift of bread off to a friend. Step five down. Went home, and down it went.

I thought I'd put the horses in the front paddock and catch the sneaky little heifer that sneaked in with the bull calves we were...

EVER OVERWORKED AT A WORKOUT?

Tue, 12 Feb 2013 23:00:58 EST

I had signed up for a one hour high intensity aerobic workout with a friend, and we both went in there with both barrels blazing. I cut out of the class early and went to the bathroom because I was sick. I also was overheating. I wasn't even sweating anymore because I was way above my Target Heart Range.

In the 80s, when you took an aerobics class, they didn't talk about heart rates or targets or how you felt while working out, so it was easy to overexert yourself. And it can b...

Ready for Bed!!!

Thu, 7 Feb 2013 22:07:16 EST

I'm ready to go to bed! My sleep habits have changed for who knows what reason, and I can't fall asleep until 2, 3, or 4 in the am sometimes. It has helped that I'm exercising, but it's really frustrating that i can't sleep at night. I've never had problems sleeping in my life, so this is quite a change for me.

So, I'm really tired because the last few nights I've not fallen asleep until 4 or 5 a.m. I then sleep into late morning, and then the day is wasted. So frustrating!! <...

Thomas Jefferson quote on debt

Wed, 6 Feb 2013 22:33:13 EST

It is incumbent on every generation to pay its own debts as it goes. A principle which if acted on would save one-half the wars of the world.
Thomas Jefferson
Read more at http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/quotes/t
/thomasjeff136389.html#QkoE9htv8sk5SJM
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Got to be with my grandbaby!

Tue, 5 Feb 2013 23:02:26 EST

I got to watch my granddaughter today! Such fun! She's crawling and chewing on everything in sight! She pulls up and I think she'll be walking before too long! She's such a smiley little thing. It does me good to spend time with her.

I haven't gotten to exercise the last few days because I hurt my neck falling down Sunday and had my grandbaby today, but tomorrow I will start back up again.

I'm still having a hard time not eating chocolate. I figure that if I totall...

LOVE IT!

Fri, 1 Feb 2013 01:01:22 EST

It feels so good to be alive! I'm so glad that I got to exercise today! it makes me feel so accomplished!

I'm really working on eating more veggies, and so far I've been able to incorporate salad with my lunch every day this week!

However, I'm having a hard time keeping eating sweets under control. I love chocolate and I really feel like I need some every day. I usually have around 1/4 cup in the evening. I know that I need to break away from that.

I ...

BRRRR!

Thu, 31 Jan 2013 00:22:37 EST

Okay, so Tues and Wed it was between 60 and 70 degrees. Beautiful weather, just my kind of weather!! Buuuut, today was a different story. Cold doesn't even describe it! But, I walked to the mailbox, which is about 1/4 mile from the house. I feel really good about that!

Thanks for reading! Have a great day! 381

Got my fix!

Tue, 29 Jan 2013 20:59:31 EST

I got to watch my granddaughter today, so for a little while I got my grandbaby fix! She is so sweet. Of course I would say that! While she was napping, I got in half my exercise routine. When she woke up, we played for a bit and then I even got to vacuum! I ran her home and came home and finished up my routine.

We got pizza today, and I love pizza! Well, I was a good girl! and had a cup of salad mix and light ranch dressing, so I wouldn't eat too much pizza. I had two pieces...

MAKING PROGRESS!

Mon, 28 Jan 2013 23:17:00 EST

I weighed and measured last night and I've gained about half a pound, but i'm ok with that because my mom and dad were here for the weekend and of course ate a lot more than I normally do. I'm just glad I didn't gain more than that!

I have made some progress as well in losing inches. I use that teerm loosely because I haven't actually lost any inches yet, but 1/4 to 3/8" in most of my areas! A couple areas were larger, but i'm not sure if that was because I measured incorrectly ...

DECLUTTERING PART 2

Sun, 27 Jan 2013 21:52:01 EST

I am almost done going through the old magazines! I found some great recipes that I'm going to try, so all in all, it was a very productive weekend.

Have a great week!! God bless!

DECLUTTERING

Sat, 26 Jan 2013 23:30:08 EST

Yep! I got around to going through some of my old cooking magazines, tearing out recipes and rewriting recipes. I've got about 20 to give away. I usually take any old magazines that I have to the Sr. Citizen Center in town. They enjoy them. So I have one cabinet cleaned out, but I have about 100 more miscellaneous magazines to go through. Ugh! Why did I keep all these magazines, thinking I would some day read them? I'm not a pack rat at all! Anyhow, I'm cleaning them out now, so yippe...

Whew!

Fri, 25 Jan 2013 20:43:11 EST

Made it to Friday, didn't get to exercise yesterday, but I did walk today. Only for 10 min though. My parents are here and I don't really get to exercise when they're here. It's a bummer, but i did walk to the mailbox so that counts, right?

Anyway, here's to getting a good night's sleep and getting to work out tomorrow.

Have a great weekend everyone.

40th Anniversary

Tue, 22 Jan 2013 22:23:30 EST

Today is the 40th anniversary of Roe v. Wade, where the Supreme Court made abortions legal. Millions of babies have been aborted and millions of families have been affected. It's not a good anniversary, one to be celebrated. We have to mourn the loss of all these precious ones. I know not everyone will agree with me, but no matter what anyone says, I know that a "fetus" is a human being. Maybe they're not able to form cognitive thoughts yet or control their bodily functions, but they wer...