Happy Halloween!

Hello Campers!

You know, when I started this blog I had grand ideas about what I would do on it, the challenges I would face and the many, many, many posts I would write. Somehow the frequency in which I post has gone from several times a week to barely one every two weeks. I am going to try to rectify that starting now. Can't make any promises with the holidays coming up and the cruise looming ever closer but I will make a massive effort. So without further ado I give you an update on my life. :)

For starters I have been really sick the past 4 0r 5 days. It's that darn cold that everyone seems to be passing around to each other and I believe I got mine from my roommate. Thanks roomie! ;) So needless to say I haven't worked out since my boot camp session and am now just finally able to breath. The boot camp was pretty awesome. It was hard..... but awesome and I felt really good afterwards. I would love to do it again but will have to wait to see how the money situation goes. I do belong to a gym which I pay a pretty substantial amount for and can't really justify spending grocery money on another workout program when I can do something similar at the gym. Even though I really like working out with my homegirl, April. I guess we will just have to continue with the trades instead. :)

Well, this is my weigh in week. I am a little nervous since I haven't been able to work out in a while but I feel as if my food portions have been way better since I have been sick. The only way to know where I am is to get on that scale. SO I AM GOING TO DO IT! It has been really nice concentrating on my workouts and portions instead of "weight loss". It has taken the crazy, obsessive nature of weight loss out the equation. I am still getting compliments from people saying that I am "melting", especially on my back and bootie. So that is really nice to hear. And sometimes, on really good days, I can see it too.

I have been taking a fantastic daily vitamin that I got from the Vitamin Shoppe. It rocks the house! It's easier for your body to absorb since it comes from whole foods so you don't pee it all out just what your body doesn't use. So I credit that a lot to the fact that I am not eating as much in the portion way. My body is getting good nutrients from this vitamin so I don't crave as much either. It's awesome.

I have to step up my training for the Turkey Trot. The sickness has definitely put me behind schedule so this week it's about getting back on my workout track, eating health restoring foods and generally getting my health back in balance to survive the coming holiday season.

Oh, and this weeks healthy habit challenge is to get more fiber into your diet. I still plan on doing a liver detox but need to wait until this cold is completely out of my system since detoxing can sometimes cause you to get sick in the beginning stages. Once I am on that I will be eating a predominately vegetarian diet so that will ensure that I am getting plenty of fiber but until then up the fiber road I go!

Be extraordinary!

Baby Steps

Guten Tag!
I hope all of you out in blog land are kicking butt and taking names! :) I thought it would be a good time to update since it is the start of another week in Lyn's Habit A Week Challenge. This week it's eat a veggie or for those of us who already eat veggies it's about fitting at least one more per meal in there. I am actually really excited about this week's challenge. Fall is my favorite time of year. I love winter squashes, the holidays, the colors and the crisp touch to the air. In fact I find that I become more active in the colder months since it is usually hotter than seven hells here in ole Virginny during the summer months. I wont lie that I also enjoy lots of juicy and warming red wines this time of year. I have recently fallen in love with an Australian Shiraz that I have been trying to portion out discriminately but some nights are not as disciplined as others.

I have started my training for the Turkey Trot but I know I definitely need to up the intensity or I will be hurting on Thanksgiving Day! I am still doing my classes at the gym but am trying to train before that. Like today I went to a beautiful local park to walk what I hoped would be two miles but since the gnats were down right lynching me I had to stop at one. :( It's cool, treadmill here I come!

I am really excited about this weekend. It's the Richmond Highland Games and Celtic Festival! I am a very, very lucky girl for getting to see men in kilts on 3 different weekends in the last two months. *sigh* Plus I am getting a gorgeous desk for my massage office on Sunday. I can't wait to have my office reflect my business ethics and beliefs. I feel I will come across more professional if I have an actual place for clients to sit and fill out paperwork. :)

I feel as if I am in the most positive mind frame I have been in since starting this blog. I have been doing a lot of hard work in the mental department. Trying to get things to click and change up there so that those same changes will be reflected in my healthy and fit body. Next week will be my weigh in week. Since going to once a month I have been focusing more on having fun and doing fun activities to lose weight instead of the actual numbers. I have to be honest that I am starting to see small changes in my body here and there but my biggest change has been my attitude. Tomorrow my BFF and I are doing a boot camp style workout with our trainer friend. I would be lying if I said I wasn't nervous but I am also really excited because I want to see just what I am made of. :D

Until next time..... Be Happy!

As Time Goes By.....

HELLO!!!
Good lord where did the week go?! Business has picked up thank goodness and so has my social life. I went to an amazing wedding on Sunday and had all sorts of get togethers 3 days prior. My eating has been going so so but with this weekends celebration I did partake of waaaay too much vino. But my oh my was it delicious! I love going to weddings. It is always a joyous and fun occasion, at least the ones I have been to. :)

Last Thursday I went to a supplement seminar at the Vitamin Shoppe hosted by Dave Formen The Herbal Pharmacist. It was fascinating! He talked about his four pillars of health: diet, exercise, spirituality and supplementation. He definitely subscribes to some of the same beliefs that I hold on whole foods and spirituality. On and off for the past several weeks I have been waking up between 3 and 4am, usually hot and uncomfortable. Well guess what? According to Chinese Medical Theory that is your liver. It is where your body stores the energy of stress and it means that I need to do a liver detox. In fact I have decided to do a fall detox anyway. Something gentle that lasts about 4 weeks and that I can still eat and exercise on. I will just have to stick more to a vegetarian diet to make sure I am getting plenty of fiber.

I started training for the Turkey Trot yesterday. I had a fantastic workout! I plan on walking again tonight and then taking a Strive class at the gym. This fits in perfectly with Lyn's week two challenge! Which is to move more, well ladies I am definitely moving more! :)

Well, I am off to clean and organize and meet up with my homegirl Adrienne for some sushi. YUM!

Hope you are all having a magnificent week!

Much Needed Time To Think

Hello All! First I would like to say a very heart felt THANK YOU to everyone for their incredible support. Your faith and kind words keep me from being too hard on myself. So again, thank you.

I also want to put out there that I never gave up. :) Even though I felt really frustrated, disgusted and angry, I never gave up. I had some much needed time to think and re-evaluate how I was approaching my weight loss. So here are some changes I and others have come up with:

1. I will only weigh myself once a month. My dear friend April, who is an amazing personal trainer, suggested this and I think I will follow it.
2. I am researching someone to talk to about my issues, a professional. My dearest and bestest friend Elisa suggested that maybe I should try to fix my food blocks upstairs before I start blaming my body.
3. For the time being I will suspend recording what I eat on here. It stresses me more than anything else because I fear the judgement.
4. I have decided to participate in Lyn's Healthy Habit a Week Challenge.
5. I will focus more, for the time being, on my workouts than being on a "diet."

The first week of Lyn's Challenge is to drink more water. That is something I can definitely do. :) So there you have it. One baby step at a time.