WTH

or What the Heck.  I'm up .8 (point 8) this week.  Ugh!  I am a little confused because I worked out at least 5 times last week.  Yes, my eating could have been better (it can always be better) but I really feel that I did well last week.  Well, there was one night when I went to watch a salsa band play and there may or may not have been a couple dirty martinis in the mix as well as a few shots but I'm really not sure nor should I be held accountable for them. 

Okay, got the "princess" out of my system.  The alcohol is more than likely the culprit.  Let's face it, it's usually the culprit behind any gain I have.  To test my theory I am not "tying one on" at all this weekend, I have worked out every day this week, my eating has been fabulous (lots of fruits and veggies) so we will see where that lands me on the scale.  It better land me a lose Dammit!

How is everyone doing on their workouts?

Zumba-tastic!

I believe I am in love....again.  Why oh why did I ever stop Zumba-ing??  Yes, I'm sure that some of my enthusiasm is due to the fact that I am still very much in the honeymoon stage with my membership but you know what?  I don't care!  I am having way to much fun to care.  Now, I know that you may worry that I have tunnel vision and only care for Zumba but I say "Nay!", I am also crushing on yoga, muscle pump and restorative stretch.  I am still a little shy when it comes to saying "Hi" to the core classes but as my self confidence improves I'm sure I will have the courage to sit at the cool core's lunch table.

I am up .6 (point six) as of my weigh in on Tuesday but like Fat Bridesmaid I too am gonna hold Mother Nature accountable. 

Thank You

Thank you all so much for your wonderful shoe suggestions.  It was hard to decide looking on line so I decided to hit up VA Runner (which is where I got my last pair of shoes).  Granted I always feel a little intimidated walking into a store that is staffed with super fit runners but they are so nice and wonderfully helpful.  $118 (!!) dollars later and I have a lovely pair of Asics that hug my feet and support my entire body.  LOVE.  I really don't mind paying that kind of money for shoes because the last pair I had I bought in 2008 and cost about $125.  That's $5.20 a month.... not bad.  :)
Here are my new babies:

Cute huh?  ;)  I even tried them out today with a full work load AND a Bodyjam class this evening at the gym.  My knees didn't hurt once.  SCORE!

Guess what?  I am down 2 more pounds for a total of 17.6 lbs AND I passed the "lost 5% of my weight" mark.  HAPPY DANCE!

In all seriousness you, my lovely web friends, helped make this possible.  I wouldn't be here now if it weren't for the support of my friends, family and angels like you.  THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU!

Last but not least, a thank you shout out to Julie Lost and Found and Lanie Painie for bestowing me with the Versatile Blogger Award.  Thank you ladies!  I swear I will pay it forward tomorrow when I am not so bloody tired.

KISSES!

I Actually Made It To The Gym Today

I know! Shocking right? ;) I just felt so awful not making it to the gym yesterday that I was bound and determined to get there today. I almost missed tonight's Strive class due to some complications at work but I took a breath, said a payer and was on my way. It felt so good to test my muscle strength today. I mean I use my muscles everyday and sometimes more than others depending on how many deep tissue massage I have booked. But this exercise in strength was just for me... and no one else. :)

My post workout bliss was almost ruined by a voicemail I got from a co-worker basically telling me that a mistake that she made today is going to make my work day tomorrow a big ol' steaming pile of poo. I am trying not to be mad but this particular co-worker seems to constantly mess things up for everyone but herself. So in my euphoric endorphined post workout state I stood up for myself, tried to figure out a solution and am trying (very hard I might add) to intend an easier time of it tomorrow. I figure I can either condemn the day to ruin before it has started or try and be positive and hope for the best. Mostly I just hope if it does get sticky that I can hold my temper in check and not stress. So on that note I have sent out a Facebook notice to my friends indicating that a evening out is definitely in order for tomorrow... maybe even a little dancing? :)

Any fun plans this weekend?

Busy Bee

Whew! Okay, here goes. Woke up at 8am fixed this lovely digestion inducing beverage:

Hot Lemon Water with a dash of Cayenne Pepper.


More refreshing than you would think.
Then I enjoyed half a banana and went for a brisk 30 minute walk around my beautiful neighborhood. Once that was done I was well and truly hungry. Today I wanted something lighter than usual to keep my spirits light.


1 scoop of this,

one serving of this amazingly delicious low fat organic chocolate yogurt, the other half of the banana I had earlier and a handful of frozen strawberries and voila!

I call it the Chocolate Covered Strawberry!

Yummy!

Off to work I went and had a lovely time if I do say so myself and then had a lunch meeting with my business partner. We tried a new place called the University Cafe. What I thought I was ordering was a BLT with frittes but what I got was a BLT salad with a side of fries.

This was not very good. Not much flavor except for the overpowering taste of red onions.

These, however, were VERY good. Thank goodness they only gave me a small portion or that salad would never have gotten eaten.

Back to work to finish up my day. Headed over to the gym for a most excellent workout then off to World Market to spend my birthday gift card and boy did I ever!

Here are my purchases. Well over the gift card amount but well worth it. Hmmm... lots of sugar there maybe I shouldn't shop hungry. ;)

Once home, time for dinner.

Since I was so dissatisfied with my salad earlier, I decided to make my own.

Greens, tomatoes, green olives and tuna with creamy french. A piece of multi grain bread with butter and a Fuze (watermelon/strawberry). This was so delicious and filling!

Since I haven't been posting every day or every meal I thought I would give you some highlights of the new things I have been trying.

This cereal is TASTY! Oh, and super filling too.... lots of fiber and a little gas later. :) Too much info?

Especially yummy with a banana.

One of the delicious tomato sandwiches I blogged about a while back, with... you guessed it.. A BANANA.

This one had pomegranate and blueberries. A little too sweet for me.

Well that's it for today. Tomorrow's post may not happen. I have to work early, go to a funeral for my brother-in-law's grandmother. Then provided it doesn't rain I will be going to see Tonic and the Gin Blossoms. I KNOW!! Old school right?!

Breaking My Fast

Boy did I ever! Since I have been devouring the show Spain...On the Road Again, I have been particularly inspired by the European breakfast. It's not heavy and ginormous like the typical American breakfast but it's somehow just enough because of the food combinations. So this morning I wanted something pretty (to reflect the gorgeous weather outside), something delicious and something good for my body. Here is what I had:


Rustic Wheat bread with real salted butter, fresh strawberries (Tis the Season!!) and low fat organic vanilla yogurt poured over the top.


A closer look...

This was heaven. So light and refreshing and I feel really good.

Here's a pic of the bread. Really amazing, especially when used to make the best darn tomato sandwiches ever!

Crushed it!

Tonight I am going to my Mom and Step dad's house to make them a heart healthy dinner. He just got out of the hospital today since having stints put into two veins (there were blockages). Then I may be able to talk them into a easy walk. :)

Hope to have pics for you later.

Ciao!

Back To The Drawing Board

Howdy. Gosh, where to begin...
Okay, I'll just jump right in, shall I? Monday was my first day at the Dr.'s office. The night before I barely slept because of the fear that I would over sleep and miss my first day (silly). So needless to say I was running on adrenaline that morning. I get to the office and unbeknownst to me I have a half hour massage scheduled right at 9am (when my shift starts). Cool, massage I can do. No biggie. The office manager is apologizing profusely about not calling me to let me know on Friday so that I could come in earlier and get my bearings. Again, no big deal. So the rest of the day I have about 4 massages, sweet huh? I have time to fill out paper work, eat my lunch, get the lay of the office and try to get to know my new coworkers.

Long story short, through a few pointed questions and some random overheard comments I discovered something truly crappy, that I was completely mislead as to what my monetary compensation would be. I was told at the beginning that I would be getting a salary based on a 40 hour work week with a half hour paid lunch and half hour paid administrative time. NOT SO! Come to find out I would only be paid when a massage was booked and only $16 for a one hour deep tissue and $8 for a half hour session. WTF!! Market prices are $85 and $45. Had I known that I would never have taken the job in the first place. That amount of money is almost third world. My work is worth far more than that. I am good at what I do and I can't believe that this Dr. thinks that amount of money is okay.

At the end of my shift on Monday I asked to speak to the office manager. I told her my concerns and how I felt misled and she completely understood. Since there was no room for improvement in compensation I said thanks but no thanks and have since moved on. I am back at the spa and feeling really welcomed and appreciated. I took Tuesday off to process some emotions. I felt really sad and pathetic and a little stupid and the more I explained it to my friends and family the more stupid I felt. Yesterday I just felt angry and wanted to hit something. Today I am feeling a little better.

I managed to keep my eating just so-so and I did make it to the gym on Wednesday and have plans to go to two classes on Sunday. I have to come up with a new schedule now since I am back to a on call work. On a positive note I did join the three free months of Weight Watchers on line that I won courtesy of Token Fat Girl. I am still playing around with it and will let you know how it goes and if I have any questions that you all could help me with.

Here's to another bump in the road. :)

Quiet Before The Storm

Today I went shopping for these:

I had decided a while ago that I wanted to start wearing scrubs for massaging I just hadn't gotten around to buying them. So when I was offered the medical massage therapist position at a local rehabilitation doctor's office I made it a priority to stock up on scrubs so I could stop ruining my "street " clothes with oils and creams. Well, today I had to go to THREE different places, two Walmarts and Home Healthcare America, to try to find scrubs in my size. Needless to say it was extremely difficult to find matching colors in 3x, which must be a hard size to keep in stock. That or they make very little large sized scrubs that people like myself snarf them up. It did not feel good, in fact I felt my heart sag a little in my chest.... kinda like other parts in that same region.

So once again it reaffirmed what I must do because it has been abundantly clear that I haven't been the past 2 months. So I have devised a schedule that I aim to steadily work up to and would like to share it with you to see what you think. Here goes:

• Monday: work 9-5 then hit the gym for a class or workout of my choice. Or if I have clients work at my office for no more than 2 sessions
• Tuesday: work 10-7 then hit the gym for at least an hour
• Wednesday: work 11-6, gym or take no more than 1 client at my office
• Thursday: work 10-7, gym
• Friday: work 10-5, gym or take no more than 2 clients at my office
• Saturday: off two or more a month, work at my office no more than two a month
• Sunday: two classes at the gym back to back

Now I know there will be some week to week tweaking involved because it will depend on how busy I am at work and at my office as to how much I will make it to the gym during the week. If I am able to work out during the week I may decided to take Saturday or Sunday off from workouts. On the food front, I only get a half hour for lunch which means that I will have to brown bag it. Breakfast I will eat before I go to work but then I will have to pack lunch, snacks and possibly dinner depending on my workout schedule. I may just wind up eating A LOT of salads for dinner. So what I have gathered from what I want to do here is that I will have to be super organized; meal planning and cooking in advance, packing my gym bag the night before, going to bed the same time every night and waking the same time every morning. Which is probably what I have needed all along. Wish me luck and let me know if you have any suggestions. Thanks for stopping by!

And Now You're Back...From Outer Space

Good Lord it has been forever since I put up anything. So in order to fix that I am posting a quick blurb to let ya'll know what this little southern belle has been up to. Tomorrow is my first day off in I don't know how long. And by day off I mean that the day is my own. I don't have work, or any family obligations, no events to attend just a day to call my own. So I will be spending it catching up on blog goings on, cooking, cleaning and getting a heavenly massage tomorrow morning. Sigh. So here is a break down of the haps in my neck of the woods:

• Yes, I got the job! I will totally be doing massage for a Dr.'s office and making great bank with benefits and vacation time. Sweet!
• I have found a fellow massage therapist to share my office space with me so that it wont be going to waste. Plus since we work so well together we can now offer couples massages.
• I said goodbye to one fabulous roommate and hello to another. So far things have been awesome, of course I really haven't been around much... ;)
• I haven't been to the gym in almost two weeks.... ugggg! However starting next Monday (my first day of work) I will be going at least 4 days a week cause it's, get this, right next to my new job! So really, there is no excuse. :)
• I haven't started my 3 free months of Weight Watchers but I plan to rectify that this week.
• I have been extremely busy with massages these past couple of weeks.....life is good, money is good. :D
• For the first time in a very long time I feel as if a great weight has been lifted off of my shoulders. I will actually have health and dental insurance, something I have been without for about 6 years now.

So all in all a crazy, wonderful, stressful, happy, sad, lovely couple of weeks.

Writing It Down

After many days of sniffle and snotty my cold seems to finally be taking it's leave. I took for granted how much a clear head helps with all of the many to do's in life. For the weekend that I was sick I was so absentminded and unorganized and not to mention a little off balance. I'm serious, I have the stubbed toes and bruises to prove it. :) But now, halelujah, I seem to be back in black.

I am headed to the gym in about 45 minutes for a much needed Strive class. It will feel so good to work out my stiff muscles and stretch my limbs. It will also help me focus, cause folks this week is gonna be a busy one. In fact it already has. It is a week full of cleaning, advertising, massaging, job hunting, Jury dutying, errand running, grocery shopping and book club reading. Plus I have to start the preparation of one roommate leaving and another taking her place. So needless to say, this gal's gotta get organized cause January is, like, crazy!

In keeping with the flow of organization and with Lyn's week twelve challenge, I have decided to keep a virtual food journal right on this here blog. A few of you may remember last time when I received some not so positive comments on my food journaling but I feel confident and strong enough to try again. Sparkpeople have been a great help with understanding calorie counting and portion sizes. So here I go..... again. :) I will attempt to update it every night and eventually, if I ever get a digital camera, I would love to post pictures as well.

Okay, I'm off!

Where The Heck Have I Been?!

It's been almost three weeks since I've posted and that's just CRAZY! There has been a lot going on since the Turkey Trot. The biggest and most important thing as been my inspiration. That 5k walk/run was exactly what I needed. I have really enjoyed the focus that seems to be taking over my workouts. I have been doing double workouts on Sundays and trying to hard core exercise 4 days a week. However this week is a little shot since I leave for the wedding cruise on Friday and seem to be suffering from a slight sinus issue today which has totally sapped my energy. But it still can't diminish my excitement for the Caribbean!!!

Seriously you guys, I can not wait to feel that warm ocean breeze, sand between my toes and a pina colada in my hand. We are very fortunate to be cruising on the Independence of the Seas by Royal Caribbean. This ship is INSANE! Not only does it have a gagillion pools, clubs and restaurants but it has one of the most beautiful gyms one can find on a cruise liner. I swear I am not just saying this because this is a weight loss blog but I really can't wait to workout on this vacation. Imagine walking around a track on the lido deck with nothing but the beautiful blue ocean as your backdrop. Sigh. They also offer yoga and pilates! I made a promise to myself that this vacation would be an active one. Relaxing but active which is why I have signed up to do Snuba on St. Thomas and Para Sailing on Labadee. So exciting!!!!

No on to more boring news, my eating has definitely suffered the past week and a half. The reason? No groceries and I don't plan on buying any before the trip. What would be the point since most of it would spoil before I returned? But guess what? On the ship they have every kind of fruit and vegetable you can imagine and I can't wait to consume them all. :) Since my funds are a little tight I have no plans to do any serious partying so this would be the perfect time to really detoxify my body and to soak up plenty of vitamins and minerals.

If I don't post before Christmas I hope that you all have a very healthy and happy holiday!!!

Soooo Tired.....

but I wanted to post my Turkey Trot time. This was my first ever marathon run/walk and I was totally smitten. Everyone was in such great spirits before, during and after and I really felt like I accomplished something awesome!

My official time for walking the 5k was: 55:23. Which beat my training time by almost 10 minutes! I guess it was the adrenaline and the people cheering us on. My mom and I finished together by running the last few feet and singing the Chariots of Fire theme song out loud. It ruled! Patherine was there cheering us on in her lovely blue Hello Kitty hat. Bless her!

I hope that more people will join us next year. It was loads of fun.

Must go now..... so sleepy.

Happy Turkey Day!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Well tomorrow is the big day. They day that most of us who are dieting fear. A day of eating, couching, TV watching and eating some more. Sure, I will be doing some of that but I will also be participating in the Fredericksburg YMCA Turkey Trot! 5K's worth of butt kickin' good times.

I feel really good about where I am in my training. I have been doing over 4 miles on the Elliptical and 5K on the treadmill with some weight training and cardio classes thrown in. It will feel so good to be doing something active on the big day. I will more than likely post this weekend about my experience, which I know will be a good one, hopefully with some pics too.

I hope that all of you American readers have a safe and wonderful Turkey Day. And for those of you across the pond have an excellent day as well.... maybe sneak in a slice of pecan or pumpkin pie to toast to us Yankee's over here. ;)

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!

Busy, Busy Bee

Howdy! As the blog title says I have been one busy little bee. Which is such a positive thing and has been helping me tremendously with keeping on track. I have been working out about 4 times a week and doing A LOT of walking to and from work and other downtown destinations. I am hoping that it will reflect on the scale tonight. :)

My eating has been pretty good. I am still tweaking the portion fundamentals since I have become more active. I feel a little like Goldilocks trying to find the amount that is "just right." Some days 3 meals is sufficient but others, especially really active ones, I need at least one or two filling snacks. I still get certain cravings like mad but am trying my hardest to work through them and if by the end of one or two days I still want something, I'll have it but in a much smaller portion than before. Like today... I have been craving coffee for about 4 days so I got a tall cafe au lait instead of a grande. That coffee tasted soooo good because it was a long awaited for treat not an everyday expectation. I need to make another trip to the grocery store and stock up... it's been a while.

I absolutely love this time of year. The clothes, food, hot apple cider, leaves changing and my most favoritest of holidays..... Halloween! It also signifies the beginning of "eating season" and I am going to try my best to keep active enough that I don't go overboard. There are so many fun activities this time of year; apple harvest festivals, Highland games, fall hiking, the turkey trot and this weekend a super cool activity is going on. Obama and Biden are coming to the University of Mary Washington on Saturday to speak about change and guess who's gonna be there? ME!!! I seriously live within walking distance to the campus and provided I get off work on time I will be there bright and early for the line up. So exciting!!

Signing off until next time. Ciao!

Third And Final Effing Week Of The Challenge:

7/12/08gym: 30 min elliptical, 20 min lower body weights, 10 min cool down and stretch

7/13/08gym: 30 min elliptical, 2o min upper body weights, 10 min cool down and stretch

7/14/08gym: 30 min elliptical, 20 min core ball exercises, 10 min cool down and stretch

7/15/08gym: 30 min elliptical, 10 min cool down and stretch

7/16/08gym: 30 min elliptical, 10 min cool down and stretch ( I know it seems repetitive but that is all I have had time for the past week)

7/17/08gym: 30 min elliptical, 10 min cool down and stretch

7/18/08gym: 30 min elliptical, 10 min cool down and stretch DONE!!!!

I did it! I actually freakin did it! In fact I am a wee bit surprised that I didn't make an excuse to not go. I mean there were times when I desperately wanted to, when I had no time for anything else and all I wanted to do was take a nap I still went. I am really proud of myself. And yes I am actually a little teary eyed typing this.

I foresee my next challenge being a bit more "challenging" because it involves food. I have decided to do the 5 servings of fruits and veggies daily 21 day challenge. It is the perfect time of year to do it since the farmer's market is in full swing. I haven't decided on a day to start the challenge yet but I will definitely let you all know. I will also be doing a weigh in sometime next week on the day I feel the lightest. ;)

Thank you all so much for your incredible support and love. I think I would have given up on myself a few times if it hadn't been for you. I love you all!

XOXOXOXOXO!

The End Is Nigh!

Three more days. I think I can hold on for three....gasp....more days. (slumps to the floor)

Okay Kiddies, Here Is Week Two Of The Challenge:

7/05/08gym: 30 min. elliptical, 10 min. cool down and stretch

7/06/08gym: 30 min. elliptical, 20 min lower body strength training, 10 min cool down and stretch

7/07/08gym: 45 min elliptical, 20 min upper body strength training, 10 min core/ball training, 10 min cool down and stretch

7/08/08gym: 1 hour hip hop dance class

7/09/08gym: 30 min elliptical, 10 minute cool down and stretch

7/10/08gym: hour long hip hop dance class

7/11/08gym: 30 min elliptical, 30 min core ball exercises, 10 min cool down and stretch

This was an incredibly hard week to get through. I have heard that the second week of breaking or forming a habit is hardest but I had no idea how hard. Jeesh! So today officially starts my third and final week of the work out challenge and I am approaching it with mixed emotions. Equal parts excitement and dread.

My dear friend Elisa brought up a very interesting point the other day and suggested that I pick a special reward ( not one I already have listed for lbs lost) for the completion of this challenge. I told her I thought it was a great idea and then proceeded to go completely blank with what that prize should be.

So my questions for you dear readers are:

1.) What should my reward be for the completion of this challenge?

2.) What should my next challenge be?

I am trying to keep momentum and would like to continue challenging myself until my goal is reached. Maybe this one could be a food challenge. Like..... making sure I get 5 fruits and veggies every single day. Especially since this is the season of plenty.

Toodle-loo my little chick-a-dees!

Still Pluggin' Along

Hello everyone! Yes, I am still here and yes I am still working out every freakin' day but I can tell you that the high I was feeling during the first seven days has most certainly worn off. It has really become a "challenge" this second week. My actual last day for the challenge is Friday July 18th and it feels like it will never get here! I have made a decision to not weigh myself until after the challenge is over because I was sneaking some quick peeks here and there and was becoming extremely frustrated since my weight was going up and down all over the place. In my mind I know that my body is just trying to adjust to the new workout load but the instant gratification girl inside of me wants the results to show now.

I have really started feeling the aches and pains in my body as well. My left knee constantly twinges so I think I need a brace for workouts until I can get the majority of my weight off. Even though I am stretching like a crazy person my calves are on fire. In fact two nights ago I got a charlie horse in the right one. I haven't had one of those in years. Maybe my electrolytes are off or I need more potassium.....I don't know. If you all have any suggestions I would love to hear them.

Now, it's not all been bad. I have started to notice a difference in my clothes. My body seems toner, my skin looks much better... in fact sometimes it looks down right glowy! Plus my exercise high seems to last longer after each workout. Maybe I am starting to develop a habit. Hmmmmm.

How are the rest of you doing out there with your own challenges?