SKIPPYALTO's SparkPeople Blog

AquaFit

Thu, 30 May 2013 22:15:08 EST

I took my first AquaFit class at GoodLife tonight. I haven't taken an AquaFit class in about 10 years. I was happy to see that I wasn't the youngest person in the class. I was a little nervous that the whole class would be senior citizens, but there was a fairly good mix of ages. The class was really good. I really liked the teacher, she was in the pool most of the time, or on the pool steps so she could be visible when explaining new moves. I can't wait to go back!

There are...

Keep on Keepin' On

Wed, 29 May 2013 11:51:27 EST

Hubby (EMGORGON) and I signed up with Goodlife Fitness the other day. We're going tomorrow for the first time. We both bought new shoes last night, so I'm hoping my hip pain goes away when I'm walking.

A few people have asked about the Sprouted Lentils. I've never sprouted them before, only eaten the ones that my brother has started. But, here are his instructions to me, that I'm going to follow tonight when I get my lentils:

* Soak the lentils over night in water. I...

Hard to get moving today

Mon, 27 May 2013 12:41:18 EST

I'm having a hard time getting moving and motivated today. I didn't exercise as much as I should have on the weekend. My right hip is still sore, and now my left knee is achy, too. I need new walking shoes, should go buy those tonight!

Working hard to track my fibre and make myself aware of choices that have more fibre and are better for me. Need to go grocery shopping and stock up on some fibre-rich veggies like broccoli, kale, lentils. My brother grows "sprouted lentils" to ...

Down 4!

Fri, 24 May 2013 06:52:13 EST

Just did my weekly weigh in (a day ahead of the challenge schedule of Saturday, since I'm traveling almost every weekend in the challenge, so I weigh in at home on the Fridays before I leave), and I'm down 4 pounds!

The scale didn't move last week at all, and all through the long weekend I was walking/hiking a lot and I've worked hard to stay in my calories all week, so it really paid off with today's weigh in.

213

Slogging away

Thu, 23 May 2013 21:57:05 EST

This week, though it's a short one for me, has been very tiring already. Work has been busy and slightly stressful. My boss is crankers because of things beyond his control and he often is grouchy at me because of it. I try to not let it bother me, but it's tough sometimes.

We had to put one of our pet rats down last week, and now his brother is sick too. So that's sad and stressful, too. I'm also in a weird headspace lately, prone to tears at the slightest provocation. Loki'...

Back at it

Wed, 22 May 2013 20:45:50 EST

Back to work today... It wasn't too bad, only 72 emails over the days off. I guess it helped that my HQ in Switzerland was off on Monday too. My boss seemed in a cranky mood, but he wasn't in the office, so it wasn't too bad.

Went for my walk on lunch today, kept to a good pace and did my 1.55 miles/2.5 km in my 30 minute timeframe. My hip was a little sore at the end of my walk, but it wasn't as bad as it has been other times. I know I need new walking shoes, just need to find t...

The End of a Long-Long Weekend

Tue, 21 May 2013 21:03:04 EST

Tomorrow is going to be hard... first day back to work since last Thursday. Hubby and I have been off work since then, taking a 5 day long weekend over Victoria Day.

We went LARPing this weekend, and I worked hard to track all my food the whole time, keeping track in a note book and updated my SP tracker when I got home yesterday. I did pretty good staying within my calorie range all weekend, just by gauging my portion sizes and not having too many treats. I did a lot of walkin...

Spring Into Summer 5% Side Challenge - Cats vs Dogs Blog May 20

Mon, 20 May 2013 22:14:46 EST

I've decided to embark on a side challenge within the Spring Into Summer 5% Challenge - a blogging challenge between my team, the Cats 240 , and the Dogs 338 .

I've never been very good at blogging here. I used to have a blog on another site that I posted to quite regularly, but it was never about weight loss or exercise. I come here, open the "write blog" window and then freeze up. What should I write? Does anyone read this? Does it matter if they do? Do ...

Family time

Sat, 11 May 2013 23:51:02 EST

I'm up at my mom's alpaca farm for the weekend. It's shearing time so the farm is a busy place. Shearing is always a big task, and this year is no different. The herd has grown to over sixty animals, so shearing can no longer all be done on one weekend. It's a month long affair!

Even though alpacas are hypoallergenic and therefore okay foe me, the hay they eat and the dust they roll in (which is therefore all through their fibre) is not... So my allergies prevent me from spending ...

Spring Into Summer 5% Challenge - KNOW YOUR NUMBERS

Sun, 5 May 2013 13:43:25 EST

How many pounds will I need to lose to achieve your 5% weight loss? 11 lbs
220 X .05 = 11 pounds

Current Weight: 220 pounds
Target Weight: 209 pounds
By When: July 6, 2013

Exercise minutes goal: 150 minutes per week minimum
Calories to burn per week: 1280

Goal to eat 1370 - 1720 calories per day
Goal to burn 1280 calories per week
Goal to go from 220 to 209 by 07/06/2013

So with 30 minutes daily exercise, and e...

Spring Into Summer 5% Challenge - GOALS and EXPECTATIONS

Sun, 5 May 2013 12:51:36 EST

Spring Into Summer 5% Challenge - I've been assigned to the CATS team.

One of our first challenges is to blog about our goals and expectations:

Having a written log with our goals and expectations of ourselves can serve as a motivator. An even greater motivator can be our WHY! Why are we taking this challenge? Why are we losing weight? WHY, Why, why?
You might also want to ponder and answer : What do you want to change?
How do you want to look and feel? What t...

Relaunching!

Tue, 23 Apr 2013 16:06:58 EST

So, I've been talking to my BFF, LITTLE_MCTURTLE and we're working to motivate each other every day.

The last two days I've gone for 30 minute / 2.5 km walks on my lunch, which does triple good:
gets me moving
gets me some much needed sunshine and Vitamin D
and most importantly - forces me away from my computer and from working through my lunch hour, as I am prone to doing.

LITTLE_MCTURTLE has joined a new challenge team, so I asked for an invite. I'm ...

Relaunching SkippyAlto

Mon, 3 Jan 2011 13:46:58 EST

Okay, so here’s the long awaited blog...
I started on SparkPeople four years ago in 2007, weighing about 200 lbs with a goal to get down to 145 lbs (what would put me in a “normal” BMI range). I had lost around 40 lbs by summer 2008, just shy of my goal weight. I was happy with that. Heck, I was over the moon! I had done it!
Then, I got complacent, and lazy. And there were some issues in my marriage at the same time too. Hubby and I worked through our differences and things got ...

Starting again

Thu, 30 Dec 2010 17:22:04 EST

Okay, I'm done with being fat.

I'm starting over again here on SparkPeople. This time, I WILL reach my goal, and maintain it!

TAMMERIAN and I are starting a new team, SLEEK GEEKS ( www.sparkpeople.com/myspark/groups_i
ndividual.asp?gid=47421 ).

Being a team leader will, I hope, help me get back on track.

Hopefully there will be a long, introspective post soon that shows exactly how I let things get the way they did, as well as my ...

Fabulous, plus tax!

Fri, 6 Feb 2009 23:47:32 EST

Part of this week's Lose 10 lbs challenge is to celebrate something I've done that is fabulous... this is something that's always been hard for me, finding things to brag about myself.

I think the thing that I'm the most proud of recently is the fact that while I was on vacation last week my friend and I only ate one meal at a restaurant, and even that was sushi. We didn't have any fast food! We went grocery shopping and bought all fresh and healthy foods. - Lots of fresh fruits ...

New Year, new dedication

Sat, 3 Jan 2009 01:33:07 EST

Today marks the 2 year anniversary of when I joined SparkPeople. I've lost and maintained 30 lbs off in that time. I had lost 40 lbs, but it seems that 10 lb have found their way back.

Since it is a new year, I thought that I should commemorate it (and my 2 year anniversary on SparkPeople) with my accomplishments and some goals for the new year. But I'm not just going to post my goals, I'm going to include methods by which I can achieve them so that I will be more likely to rea...

A setback...

Mon, 22 Sep 2008 20:47:05 EST

I had a major setback, and a major realisation this morning... I'd let things slide the last few weeks (probably more like a month and half). I weighed myself this morning and saw that I was back up to 158 - higher than when I started my most recent LOSE 10 LBS challenge (the one in which I'm a team leader!) on Civic Day, and higher than I've been in about 4 months! I've really been slacking the last while, I guess stress from work and other things in my life kept me from actively focusing...

This is gonna sound weird but....

Fri, 15 Aug 2008 07:13:24 EST

My underwear is too big!

I put on a pair of underwear this morning, and it was a little baggy and saggy. I remember when I bought these underwear about 3 years ago and they were too tight. Now they're baggy and going in the rubbish once I do laundry.

Yay me!

Lookit!

Tue, 29 Jul 2008 22:26:03 EST

I just tried on the bridesmaid's dress for my best friend's wedding in August, and wow do I look good, if I do say so myself.

I weighed myself on Monday, and I was finally below 150 (by 0.5 lb, but still!) I'm almost at my goal weight, now I need to focus on toning and shaping my legs, my trouble spot.

Yay me!

Backlogged again... still not totally caught up...

Sun, 30 Mar 2008 21:54:41 EST

Thought from February 16:
The best years of your life are the ones in which you decide your problems are your own. You do not blame them on your mother, the ecology, or the president. You realize that you control your own destiny.

- Albert Ellis

Taking responsibility for one’s problems and destiny can be a big step. It’s a step that I think I’m finally coming to terms with. For most of my youth, my mom was always there, doing everything for me. This was great. She w...

Weekly Catch-up

Fri, 15 Feb 2008 20:52:57 EST

Thought from February 11:
It is the path of least resistance that makes rivers and men crooked.

- B.J. Palmer, father of chiropractic

In the face of conflict we might be tempted to just go with the flow and not make waves. The path of least resistance is saying "yes" when you want to say "no" and that road is always paved with regrets and mistakes. While compromise is good and a necessary part of healthy relationships, no one should have to fully deny their feeling...

Weekend catch up

Sun, 10 Feb 2008 14:32:46 EST

Thought from February 7:
Sometimes you look at a person and see a cynical snake. Someone else sees a joyful lover. You're both right!

- Rumi, poet

Often we let our frustrations and anger towards people and situations prevent us from seeing the larger picture. Try looking at the circumstance from the other person's point of view. So next time someone cuts you off in traffic or swipes the idyllic apple you were eying at the store, remember that everyone does less-than...

Got back logged again

Wed, 6 Feb 2008 17:25:59 EST

Thought from January 27:
If at first you don't succeed, you're running about average.

- Unknown

Normally we think that the end of this saying should be "try, try again"; which we should do, but we should also realise that many people do not succeed at first, and we shouldn't always compare ourselves to what we see - success comes to different people at different times. As I write this I'm taking an afternoon break from job searching, which is a prime time for me to ...

Backlogged again...

Sat, 26 Jan 2008 20:01:35 EST

Thought from January 18:
You never understand a person until you consider things from his point of view.

- Harper Lee, writer

Walking a mile in someone else’s shoes is a really excellent exercise in empathy. I try to always consider what the other person is feeling before I get angry or act in many situations. It’s hard, but it’s a really worthwhile effort. I try to stop and think things like, “Did that person on the bus intentionally step on my foot, or was she off...

Just a little behind...

Thu, 17 Jan 2008 20:46:01 EST

Thought from January 15:
Patience is the key to paradise.

- Turkish proverb

Whether waiting to see a change on the scale, dealing with your coworkers, or diligently putting in work and feeling unappreciated, losing your patience is very easy to do. By exercising patience with all people, you are allowing them to become better and to learn on their own through gentle guidance. One healthy byproduct of self control in the face of frustration is that it usually leads t...

And I was getting so good at staying caught up...

Mon, 14 Jan 2008 22:07:09 EST

Thought from January 7:
It's never too late--in fiction or in life--to revise

- Nancy Thayer, author

This is something that I've worked on. I've tried very hard to go back and mend any bridges that I may have accidentally (or intentionally) broken or burned in my life. I try to keep myself aware of what I say and do, as well as how it affects people. If I wrong someone, or think that I have wronged someone, I work hard to correct the misunderstanding. It gives me pe...

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Sun, 6 Jan 2008 14:41:51 EST

Thought from January 5:
If the world seems cold to you, kindle fire to warm it.

- Lucy Larcom, hymnist

It is very easy to complain about the state of the world and point fingers, especially when you're having a bad day. What is not so easy--and yet desperately needed at times--is for people to step up and make a difference. Don't be intimidated by others, wallow in your own negative feelings, or sit back and assume someone will do it when you are capable yourself! R...

Twenty years from now...

Fri, 4 Jan 2008 20:04:32 EST

Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.

- Mark Twain, American writer

What will I regret 20 years from now? That's really hard to think about right now... so many things are swimming around in my head. I know that twenty years from now, I won't regret the decision I made a year...

New Year's Catchup

Thu, 3 Jan 2008 16:17:17 EST

Thought from December 31, 2007:
Something we were withholding made us weak, until we found it was ourselves.

- Robert Frost

Procrastination, lateness, being disorganized, pessimism, not being honest with yourself, severe self-criticism, downplaying achievements, focusing only on weaknesses while ignoring strengths, keeping goals a secret, demanding perfection, giving up after a small setback--these are all ways you can make it tough to be (and do) your best. I find ...

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Mon, 31 Dec 2007 00:10:33 EST

Thought from December 29:
For want of a nail, the shoe was lost. For want of the shoe, the horse was lost. For want of the horse, the rider was lost. For want of the rider, the battle was lost. For want of the battle, the kingdom was lost. And all for the want of a horseshoe nail!

- Old English rhyme

Small things add up, be they good or bad. Small slip ups in dieting and exercising can lead to a slippery slope of a return to a life of overeating, no exercising and g...

5 day catch up

Fri, 28 Dec 2007 21:05:29 EST

Thought from December 24

To keep a lamp burning, we have to keep putting oil in it.

- Mother Teresa, missionary

Being a leader and an inspiration for others takes energy – a lot of energy sometimes. To be an active person it takes a lot of energy, and having energy needs fuel. The body needs good fuel, not junk. I’ve noticed that on days when I eat the recommended amount of calories, but get them from junk food I have so much less energy than I do on days wh...

All caught up again!

Sun, 23 Dec 2007 16:39:51 EST

Thought from December 11:
A good laugh and a long sleep are the best cures in the doctor's book.

- Irish Proverb

Laughter and rest truly are the best medicine. Whenever I’m feeling blue or out of it, I find that if I pop in a funny movie, or spend time talking to funny friends, I feel so much better. And when my head is in a fog, it’s most often because I’ve not had enough sleep. A nap will often set me aright. Hooray for laughter and for sleep!

...

Catching up again

Mon, 10 Dec 2007 22:09:57 EST

Thought from November 27:
You cannot hope to build a better world without improving individuals.

- Marie Curie, Nobel winning chemist

The best way to make the world a better place is to make it your business to build people and help them improve themselves (and that includes yourself). Start by improving yourself and developing the strengths that can set an example for others. Then use your strengths to help others develop their own. I think that this is something t...

LOSE 10 LBS Challenge goals - an update

Mon, 10 Dec 2007 17:48:44 EST

So, at the beginning of my LOSE 10 LBS HALLOWEEN to NEW YEARS challenge, I set a challenge to set 3 goals to achieve by the New Year. This is a status update.

Goals:
A) Achieve 3 strength training sessions per week by the end of this challenge
B) Take better care of my home - because it's easier to cook a healthy dinner if the dishes got done.
C) Stick to a budget more closely - need to save money for Christmas and to move out...

Results:
A) Still...

Only a week to catch up on this time!

Mon, 26 Nov 2007 20:36:00 EST

Thought from November 18:
The mighty oak was once a little nut that stood its ground.

- Unknown

Standing your ground can be hard. It can be especially difficult when dealing with weight loss and healthy lifestyles. It’s really difficult in my household, too. My family is big on quick and easy food for dinner, which doesn’t lead to healthy eating… but I’ve been doing my best. I’ve started making healthy substitutions in the grocery shopping (like tonight’s dinner: w...

Finally caught up!

Sun, 18 Nov 2007 00:15:45 EST

Thought from October 18
The great use of life is to spend it for something that will outlast it.

- William James, philosopher and psychologist

If I were gone tomorrow, what will I be most proud of having left behind? I think I am most proud of the effect that I have had on people. (This is going to sound really obnoxious and braggy, but …) I’ve been told so many times in my life that I’m such a great person, such a good listener, such a good friend. That is what I...

Catching up, again...

Sat, 17 Nov 2007 00:20:43 EST

Thought from September 19
The things that are hard to bear are sweet to remember.

- Lucius Annaeus Seneca

Learning from adversity is one of the most powerful things one can experience. It’s not always the best situation to be in (the adversity), but eventually when you look back on things you will realise how much you have learned. I’ve been through some rough times in my life, and I look back on those times and I realise how much I’ve grown and learned. I think th...

Body Image - Real Beauty

Mon, 15 Oct 2007 21:51:12 EST

So, I was at the Campaign for Real Beauty website (www.campaignforrealbeauty.ca) just now and saw some great short films that I felt I just had to share with everyone.

I'm sure most people have already seen the first one: Evolution, but the other two were really great, too.

Evolution
http://tinyurl.com/2scutc

Amy
http://tinyurl.com/2mszte

Onslaught
http://tinyurl.com/2rnneo

It really makes you think about ever...

Continuing with the Catch-up of DOOM!!!

Thu, 11 Oct 2007 23:05:36 EST

Continuing with the catch-up of DOOM! (Worked on while I was doing other chores tonight... sorry if it's a little disjointed)

Thought from September 6
Fortune favors the bold.

- Juvenal

Good things happen to good people, but they also happen to people who work for them. If you don’t do anything to improve your life, then you don’t have any right to complain about nothing going right in your life. If you don’t work to lose weight or get fit, then, guess...

Starting to catch up...

Wed, 10 Oct 2007 22:54:52 EST

So here it is… the beginning of the backlog catch-up of DOOM!!!! More to follow soon…

Thought from August 24
Experience is not what happens to a man. It is what a man does with what happens to him.

- Aldous Huxley, writer

Experience, and more importantly, learning from it is a key part of life. “Live and learn” is a good motto, but “Live, learn and improve” is so much better. Sometimes it’s hard, but I try to look at every situation and think “What can...

So behind

Mon, 10 Sep 2007 21:41:11 EST

I've been way behind on my blogging here...

Life has come at me fast and furious lately and I've been lagging in my blogging and reflecting responsibilities... I should have some time next week to get caught up.

An update fitness-wise though... I was going to take a Pilates class on Mondays, but it turns out that due to a city budget shortfall, all city rec centres are closed on Mondays this fall! :( Boo!

Then, my best friend and I were going to take belly ...

Challenge goals

Mon, 27 Aug 2007 21:32:41 EST

This week's challenge in the LOSE 10 POUNDS - CIVIC HOLIDAY TO HALLOWEEN challenge is to reflect on goals.

My goals when I started this challenge were:

* Exercise in some way every day
* Do more strength training (3 times per week)
* Walk at least 7500 steps every day (I bought a step counter a while ago and haven't really had the chance to use it much)

So far, I've improved on the exercising and the walking. ... The strength training I haven't s...

Catch-up

Thu, 23 Aug 2007 21:22:36 EST

Thought from August 21:

Adversity and loss make a man wise.

- Welsh Proverb

Dealing witrh adversity is something that truly shows the measure of a person. As someone who has made many mistakes in her life, I feel that I have learned much. How to react to problems, how to keep my anger in check, how to not sweat the small stuff (okay, maybe I'm still learning that one...) and many other things. Adversity and difficulty really are the best way to learn. A ...

Backlog catchup of DOOM!!!

Mon, 20 Aug 2007 22:11:57 EST

So, I've finally been able to take the time to catch up on my reflections. I started working on these last night, but realised I wouldn't finish, so I saved them in a Word file and finished them tonight.

Also tonight, DH and I went for a 45 minute walk which I followed with 10 minutes on the stair climber (the first time I've been on it since I sprained my ankle in April) and I did some strength training for my arms, too.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Without furth...

Catch-up delayed

Wed, 15 Aug 2007 21:48:11 EST

I was going to finally catch up on all my thoughts and reflections tonight, but a deep metaphysical discussion with a good friend came up, so I'm all reflected out.

I have some time in my schedule tomorrow afternoon and Friday afternoon, so I hope to catch up then.

Fitness-wise, things are going okay. I'm eating properly and I've increased my walking. I need to get back in to doing more cardio and strength training, This week I'm on vacation, so my schedule's all wo...

Falling behind...

Thu, 2 Aug 2007 22:10:55 EST

I know I'm falling behind in my reflections, but my life has been a little bit busy lately, so I've lagged behind a bit. I've been on SP, just haven't had the time to think and post reflections.

I hope to catch up over the weekend.

Weekly backlog

Sun, 22 Jul 2007 21:36:02 EST

Another busy week means no chance for reflections until now... but first a fitness update.

In Pirates of the SparkLand, our challenge this week was 180 minutes of exercise. I think I made it. I walked 20 minutes Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday. That's 60 minutes. Wednesday night I also played Wii Sports for an hour and a half, but about 30 minutes of that weren't really intense... Thursday I walked around the mall for about half an hour, but I don't know how much that counts... Fri...

Whole lotta catchup here...

Fri, 13 Jul 2007 21:31:26 EST

Three busy weeks and two very busy weekends = no reflections. Finally I have a night to myself, a chance to type out my thoughts.

Thought from June 27:

To keep a lamp burning, we have to keep putting oil in it.

- Mother Teresa, missionary

To keep doing things and to keep going, one must fuel one's body with good things. That means good food, good activity, good friends and good sleep. I've got the good food and friends down pat, I'm improvi...

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Tue, 26 Jun 2007 21:49:24 EST

I am a slow walker, but I never walk backwards.

- Abraham Lincoln, U.S. President

Slow and steady wins the race. Even though progress may be slow, as long as it is in the right direction it is good progress.

These thoughts are things that I really need to apply to my weight loss journey. In other words, if I have a bad week I should not sabotage myself by giving up or bingeing on bad foods; I should continue my path toward my goal of a healthy body weight ...

Weekend backlog...

Mon, 25 Jun 2007 23:37:23 EST

Before I do my reflections, just a note to say that I walked an extra 15 minutes today, by getting off the bus a stop early and taking the long way home, an extra 3 blocks or so...

Thought from June 23:
I still find each day too short for all the thoughts I want to think, all the walks I want to take, all the books I want to read, and all the friends I want to see.

- John Burroughs, essayist and naturalist

I've always been a planner. The queen of To-Do ...