Getting closer!!

GUYYYYYYS, guess what?! I'm 1 pound closer to my 5% loss goal! Last week wasn't a fluke afterall! Things are WORKING.

I totally kicked ass this week in Body Pump. I forgot how much I like strength training, and that slight muscle ache the next day reminding you of your accomplishment. Refreshing, really.

I haven't been meditating as much as I have wanted to lately, though. I need to keep that going. And sadly, I haven't had time to design a motivational poster like I planned, either. But I'm still trying to get some ideas.

I just need to remember to keep my head up. I battled some self-esteem demons last week while I was sick. Even though I stayed on track food-wise, I couldn't really work out. I think I crashed from endorphin withdrawal and started feeling pretty badly about not being able to get physical. So, I'll add that to the pile of reasons to continue working out! I'm celebrating success this week by online shopping for 2 pillows for my office futon.

ZUMBAAAAA!

I signed up for Zumba today at the Y. I don't get to go until the first week of March, but I'm really looking forward to 1 Zumba class per week for 2 months!! So Pumped! I wish you guys could join me!!!

Also, I'm probably going to hit my 5% weight loss goal faster than I projected!! I thought I'd hit it by mid-March, but I only have 3 more pounds to go,  if last week's weigh in was a good one (I'm still skeptical). We'll see on Wednesday. Cross your fingers for me!

Making a date

Okay, I think I'm finally almost back to normal from being sick. Only took a week. Anyway, time to make a gym date. Tuesday, Body Pump 6-7pm. BOOM. I'm back in this shit (work-out wise; I've been pretty good about keeping up healthy eating habits this week!) And, sorry Dave, I'm going to be eating a hell of a lot more garlic to keep up my immune system so I don't get sick every time the weather flops.

Happy Surprise!

Uhhh, guys? I must have been retaining a hell of a lot of water last week when I weighed in cos I am down 6.2 pounds this week! I'm a little shocked, especially since this weekend's Chicken Tikka Masala and...uh, too many cupcakes to tell you about should have overblown my WW points budget.

Although, I have been sick for the past two days...my appetite has been pretty low and I haven't really eaten lunches. Unless you consider grapes and a hard-boiled egg a lunch. WW does not really approve/recommend light fasting, but it's something I want to research a little bit. I'm wondering if it will help every now and then. One person I know is doing two 600-calorie days per week right now. I'm thinking about doing something along the same lines but with WW points. What do you think? Has anyone done this before or something similar? I guess it's time to go researching the health blogs...

Anyway, regardless of the bit of shock, I can't say I'm unhappy about losing 6 pounds. I just don't really feel like I've done much to deserve it, recently. But it's a nice mood booster and hopefully it will go a long way for my motivation, which has sunk a little bit in the past few days.

By the way, I got a text and an email last night from two of you that really perked me up. I've been in a funk for the past few days, but that little bit of reaching out helped lift me out of it. I don't want to name any names, but I do want you guys to feel appreciated! So thank you!! so much! :)

Whirlwind Weekend, and a head cold

So, I didn't get any exercise in on Friday or today (Monday). I was on my feet for most of Sunday hosting a fabulous bridal shower for my cousin though. I was exhausted and hurt from head to toe afterwards... it was fun and busy, but tiring. Can that count as a 'workout'? Or being 'physical'? I'm not sure. Of course I want to say yes, but... it doesn't feel like I should.

I also didn't really keep track of my intake this weekend. I *sorta* did, but its really hard (or impossible, actually) to determine how many points the Indian Delight Chicken Tikka Masala dish is. I mean, who knows what and how much stuff they put in that delicious sauce of their's? And there's the Naan and the mini appetizers... forget it. I have a 'weekly' point allowance as well as a 'daily' one, so this weekend I just considered my entire 'weekly' balance to be zeroed out, though I think I probably went a little overboard.

I think I'm noticing a life-long pattern here, since the days of living on my own: being too busy or stressed often leads to ordering take out. How do you guys resolve or handle that??

Anyway, I got a head cold over the weekend and it reared its ugly head as the party was dying down yesterday. I debated for an hour this morning about going into work and finally decided I was clear-headed enough to go in, and that it'll probably get worse before it gets better later on this week sometime, so I might as well save up the sick day until I actually need it. On the plus side, I was fairly productive at work and barely ate anything today.

So, I posed the question on Facebook about working out when you get head colds. I got a couple of answers which lead me to believe its OK to get a light workout in, preferably at home, when you've got a head cold. Do you guys concur? What sucks is that I never made it to the gym for a class this week!! What should I do?? Tomorrow awaits.... I guess time will tell?

Also, Facebook poll results: so far, 6 of you voted 'yes!', 5 of you voted for a FB 'page', and 5 of you voted for a FB 'group'. No one voted 'No'! Thanks guys :) So, Facebook it is, but it'll be hard to chose between a page and a group. I'm leaning towards the latter only because it allows for more flexibility and interaction. I will have to manually publish my blog posts to it (as opposed to automated feed push), but I will probably not post each one to the group. I'm thinking like 1 per week so you guys are not bombarded with notifications... The poll is still opened until this weekend, though, so if you haven't voted one way or the other yet, please do so and help me decide!

Thanks!!

Whoops.

I hit a few buttons and changed my template. :( This new one is the best I can do for now. But, it's a little more peaceful now, don't you think? Just an FYI: I know I'm a designer and all, but this is all just blogger's cookie-cutter templates. Maybe someday I'll maneuver it more but right now, I've got workouts to do.

Stats are Whack

Hey guys, thanks to what seems like the 8 of you who are reading my blog! Yeaaay! Funny how I got at least 70 hits when I sent out my first email awhile ago. Although, I'm not altogether sure what I'm looking at in the Blogger admin panels regarding the stats, so I'll have to figure that out.... The 8 of you must be using an RSS reader or something.

Anyway, a few people have recently mentioned they'd like to keep track of my progress, but don't often remember to visit my blog. And I understand completely. It's frustrating, isn't it?

I'm guessing that most of you probably keep up with things via Facebook (or maybe Twitter) like me. But I want to confirm that to be sure. I've thought about creating a new Facebook page for my blog and hooking it up so that Facebook publishes each blog post every time I publish something. Or, maybe I can create a closed Facebook group and publish the links manually.

The difference between a page and a group: interaction. Pages let the owner publish and receive all notifications, but unless you comment on those posts or write one yourself on my page, you won't get any notifications. Groups allow for more flexibility and collaboration, there's an administrator role, but for the most part everyone in the group shares the ability to post. You can opt to receive (or not) notifications every time someone posts to the group, too.

Anyway, getting to the point... you can now subscribe to get my blog posts via email! And you can also vote on the Facebook options, too. Voting closes on FEBRUARY 16th!! See the sidebar to let me know what you think -------------------->

Thanks guys!

Insanity Work Out Moves

Hey guys,

So remember how I said I was going to do cycling today? Well, I missed the morning workout and couldn't wait till late this afternoon so I went on my lunch break to the Y and got on the Expresso cycle trainer. Pretty awesome! I rode for about 12 minutes, 2.4 miles. It felt pretty good, but man... the seat is really hard. You'd think I'd have enough padding, but nope, that hurt!! If I am going to keep doing that, I totally need a cushion or something.

Anyway, I got on the Arc trainer (thinking nordic track + eliptical) for 20 minutes after and then stretched. Since I'm not having the best time at work right now, getting out and working out really helped my mood a bit. It definitely removed my focus for awhile. Also, middays at the gym are so nice cos no one is there. When I went Monday, it was really crowded and I ended up waiting around a lot. Boohiss!

Okay, so I just found this awesome video series of Insanity workout moves. I think this must be similar to the P90x workout, but check it out:




You can view the other 5 moves from the Self.com article. What's your favorite? I like Stance Jacks best, but the Heisman looks good too. I don't think I'm up for jumping quite yet, but maybe later. These would be good to add to that circuit training my friend and I did the other night. *hint hint* :)

So what do you think? Would you guys add any of these to your workouts/warm-ups? Do you do any similar moves?? Share them in the comments!!

Week 1: Complete!

As of this afternoon, my first week is complete! Results are in. Down a measly .2 pounds. I knew this was gonna be slow, but damn! I think Superbowl kinda screwed me up. Okay, it's my decisions that were screwy; and that Orange Chicken take out... I knew that was a bad, bad idea. But, I'm not beating myself up about it. I'm forging ahead and trying to do better.

The only big thing I've got going on this week is bridal shower my mom is hosting for my cousin. There'll be a decent amount of healthy food there. However, we'll be tasting wine. So, my goal is to taste and maybe drink 1 glass. I need to eat a lite breakfast with filling eggs that day and save up points for the shower, too. I doubt we'll be ordering out aside from

Anyways, I consider this past week to be a success. I struggled a little bit, but moreover I came through it having worked out for 20 minutes or more every day, even though I didn't always feel like it. I think that sooner or later after keeping up this practice, I'll enjoy it and look forward to work outs like I've done in the past. And, by prepping raw veggie and fruit snacks this week, I think I got a really great thing going on that I want to keep up.

So, tonight was the official start of my 2nd week. I started it off right and went to a friend's house where she taught me her circuit training (that she got from a personal trainer). It was really fun! And then she fed me tofu stir-fry, which was totally awesome and very few points. Love love love! I'm hoping I can set up a routine on a week night with her once a week... another weekend routine would be good, too. I wish it was spring already so we could go walking or hiking!!! arrgh. I'm really excited to just walk on a track or something again with a friend(s), but it's just too cold out right now. Anyone know of an indoor track anywhere??

The only thing I didn't accomplish this week that I wanted to was a drawing for a motivational sign. Just a quote, purely typographical. I want to work on it more extensively this weekend. I'm still going to reward myself for a job well done, because the 'core requirements' were met this week. Friday evening = mani/pedi happy hour (no wine, just nail polish!)

Oh, and before I go, tomorrow I'm going to a cycling class at the Y. It'll be my first time ever and I'm both nervous and excited. It's a 45 minute class, so I know I'll be sweating like a champ by the end of it!

Ok see ya!!

Post-weekend post (and tuna fish salad)

Well, how's everyone feeling after SuperBowl Sunday? I think the city of Baltimore is on a all-time high. I'm excited to be a part of it! Tomorrow I get to take some pictures of the parade...I'm going to have to layer up because it's probably going to be very cold!

Anyway, I just wanted to drop in and tell you that I saved up all my WW points for SuperBowl Sunday  and was able to eat what I wanted there. I used up the rest of my 'weekly point' allowance (which is totally legit to use for special occasions like these!). I have 2 more days left until the 'new' week begins and I'm doing really great. I doubt I'll even need to use my 'activity' points.

Yesterday was a whirlwind kind of day. I worked out in the morning, cleared the sidewalks and cars of snow, then got a shower, went to Kinko's and then to 2 grocery stores. I didn't get back until about 2:45 or so. And then, I had about an hour to prep food for the week. I peeled and chopped carrots and celery, and then bagged them and a big bag of grapes up into individual portions. Then, I hard-boiled some eggs for snacking, cooked 3 chicken tenders (plain, not breaded) for a homemade chicken salad (I'm replicating Potbelly's Uptown salad because it's delicious!).

Finallllly, I made some tuna fish salad. I substituted Greek yogurt (Fage 0% is my go-to!) for the mayo and it's practically the most awesome thing ever. I always add relish to my tuna fish (passed down from my mom), but a co-worker told me curry seasoning is a really nice spice to use. Anyway, I love-love-love the tuna salad; next time, I'm going to chop up some spinach and mix it in. The tuna is great for dipping with the celery and carrots, too.

All of that preparation took me 45 minutes!! I couldn't believe it. I thought it would take much longer, but not so! I couldn't be more pumped to have healthy foods prepped for the week and to have saved a bunch of time, too! Woo!

Okay, that's all for now. Over and out.

Bending Resolve

My resolve was tested today. Twice. The end of the week has left me a little frazzled because I had to cancel my weekly Thursday remote working day for a meeting. I am lucky that I'm able to work remotely, and I have to say what a blessing that is. It's not just about the time I save by not traveling to work; it's also about the energy saved. I'm not saying it takes a tremendous amount of energy to wake up, get dressed, and travel into work every day; but on days that I can wake up and log on from home, I feel like I can breathe easier. I'm more relaxed. It's not about physical energy, but about mental energy, too.

Luckily, I was able to work remotely this morning, but this Friday didn't have that same relaxed feeling my usual fridays do, due to having gone into work Thursday. I feel like I sound like a snob, complaining that I didn't get my usual work-from-home day this week. Perhaps I am. But it really does a lot for my personal life balance, which is very valuable to me. I wish that it was a more popular concept in traditional companies. I wish the technology was cheaper, easier to figure out and monitor, too. I wish all employees could be trusted like I am to get work done from their desks at home. That's my bubble...but I digress

About my resolve: I ate some mini cupcakes at work, thanks to the Tailgate party my floor hosted yesterday for the superbowl this weekend. I'm all for the Ravens being in the Championship, but man... I'm not for the cupcakes being left in the kitchen for two days. Oh well. So I ate some cupcakes. I'm logging it. And that just means that I can't have something else later in the week (my weeks, by the way, are Wednesday to Wednesday, since I weigh in on Wednesdays through WW at work).

Anyway, my resolve was weakened and I was considering not going to my planned gym class after work. I just wanted to be home before it got dark. But, I think I felt a little guilty about the cupcakes. I thought... you know, I could just go home and workout for 20 minutes there and get to the gym sometime in the next few days... but then I realized I didn't want to break the chain. (Do you know about breaking the chain?) I was already invested in this plan, already made the commitment with myself AND WITH YOU GUYS! I didn't want to just back down so easily right after I started.

So I went to the gym, as planned. Instead of doing the step class, the timing worked out that I was there for Body Sculpt. We worked out arms and abs. It was a quick 30 minutes, and I stayed for half of Step afterwards! So after loosing resolve, it strengthened to last through 1 1/2 quick classes! I surpassed my original 1-class goal!

Anyways, now that I'm home and showered, I think it's time for dinner and relaxation. I'm going to the Y again tomorrow to get set up and registered on their FitLinxx program. It's a software that allows you to scan your gym card at every machine--weights or cardio equipment--and tracks your work for you. How cool is that? I think I can log in and get reports and stuff, too. What is most exciting is that it'll remember my weights and reps for the weight machines. That'll be very helpful.

Okay, more on that later. Have a restful weekend, ya'll!