asics GT-2140

What a deal I got on these new shoes!!!! I'm so excited I just had to share! These are the shoes I have fallen in love with since I started running. I got fitted and measured and tested at Fleet Feet last year and they said I need a supportive shoe,not just a regular one. I don't remember if I'm over or under- pronated, but its one of them, and the shoe that works for me is the Asics GT-2140. I love them. They don't hurt my feet (unless they are old and breaking down-which is why I have a reason to buy more of them even though I already have 2 pair, plus 2 pair of the 2130's which I heard were pretty close, so when I found those on clearance I picked those up too a few months ago). So anyway, here they are... and they are even in a new color ( I have the white/blue and the turquoise/silver already), this new berry color is great because I wear a lot of pink and fuschia workout clothes---gotta love to match, right? They are so awesome. The sale is great too because they are only $69.99 online at sports authority (free shipping and no tax too!) which makes them even cheaper than spending gas to drive to town and buy them at the store! Normally they are $100, but if you look around u can find them for $89.99. I've never seen them this cheap, not even at the outlet mall! It was such a great deal I had to buy two pairs, and I honestly have to tell you I'm thinking about ordering more if they still have my size... I love these shoes, and I figure when running alot (which I know I'm not right now, but I do hope to start again), they will only last about 6-9 months per pair, so its makes sense to stock up when the price is right, doesn't it? I think so. Although I must admit I have a tendency to "stock up" too much on stuff and that's why I'm debating as to whether I should really buy more than two pairs or not. I mean, this is coming from the woman who has clothes stored away for her kids which they won't grow into for another 2 years! See what I mean about "stocking up"? ha ha.

They feel so awesome!!!!!! I love them, all fresh and cushion-y!

The sale is till 12/24, so u might want to check it out at http://www.sportsauthority.com/

Spaghetti squash

Someone asked me how to make spaghetti squash. It is really yummy by itself or u can use it as a pasta substitute in spaghetti. This is what it looks like. To cook, its simple. Slice lengthwise in half. scrape out and throw away the seeds.

The sticker on the squash usually tells u the temp and time. But I do it this way... place open side down in half inch of water in casserole dish (usually 9x13) in oven and bake at 350-375 for 45-60 minutes. When it comes out, simply take a fork and run it down the squash thus pulling out the strands of "spaghetti".

When served as a side I like it simply with salt and pepper. Sometimes a little butter. W loves it with brown sugar (of course). When used to replace pasta, just put it on your plate and put the sauce on top-simple and yummy. and good for ya!

new blog

check out this other blog when you get a chance.

www.Guides4Life.blogspot.com

35 sports bras

Just threw my fourth workout outfit into the laundry basket from today. I'd say there's a reason I own 35 sports bras, and its a darn good thing I love doing laundry :)

ouch

I'm not sure what Shelley did to us yesterday in class, but I will tell you this... my butt HURTS! Man, every time I get up I want to wince in pain. I hope this means I'm getting "toned" LOL

THONG GONE WRONG

How's that for a title? I bet it got your attention, didn't it? Well , that's exactly what happened to me today. I went to the gym and wore that green and black outfit that I've talked about on here before. Its the kind of pants u can't wear regular panties with without having MAJOR panty lines, which are WAY unattractive in those kinds of pants. So, I wore the blasted thong.

Obviously this is not my most favorite piece of undergarment. Once in awhile I wear them when need be based on the outfit and I usually get through the day ok (semi-forgetting that I have a piece of fabric crammed up my butt LOL). But there appears to be a major difference in wearing a thong for everyday use, and wearing one while working out. Before class today I went to the restroom to "re-arrange" and TRY to make it more comfortable-no luck of course, but on my way out I ran into my friend Angela and I mentioned my actions. She warned me, "Oh just wait till you're working out and it moves to a very inopportune position-that's no fun".

Now, I had an idea what she meant, and I thought "no, that probably doesn't sound fun" . However, I had no idea what it would be like when it happened.

So of course, during the second class, we are more active (bootcamp) and IT happened.

Yes, it moved where it shouldn't move (maybe too much information-but hear my pain-literally). Certainly not what I wanted to happen. Certainly, a "Thong Gone Wrong" situation. Ugh! Why do we have to wear thongs and why can't they create panties (besides thongs) that don't show pantilines!?

On a brighter note... based on my previous posts about that green outfit, I think you know my comfort level (or lack thereof) in wearing body-hugging pants. Well I wore them today (for the second time mind you) and yes, each time I do I have to "get up my nerve". But today I was pleasantly reassured that it was ok to wear because several ladies came up and told me it was a cute outfit and looked really nice... THANK YOU SO MUCH!!!!!!! It really makes me feel alot better hearing you say it, so thank you for helping me to gain confidence in this area, I appreciate your kindness :)

My old "before&after" pictures

Well, I said I would do it... so I am. I'm going to share the good, the bad, and the ugly with you.



These "before" pictures were taken Jan 7, 2006, which was 2 months after my second child was born. I'm not sure my exact weight in these pictures. I know I was 155 pounds when I got pregnant and only gained 28 pounds on this pregnancy. But 2 months after giving birth I wasn't back at 155 yet.



Yes, in this first picture I even have "breast feeding boobs" (ie bigger than normal) and yet my stomach is still sticking out farther than my chest-ugh! The thing I realized with pregnancy is that if I gain substantial weight some day in the future (hopefully not) I will gain it like my mom in certain areas such as my back! What a weird place to gain weight, but yes there are fat rolls on my back- I couldn't believe it when I saw them, and I couldn't wait to get rid of them!

Finally after working really hard on increasing my running (I began running during this pregnancy) and getting to workout with Shelley at the gym, who had just started as a substitute instructor back then and who really gave us NEW stuff to do to SHOCK our bodies and get RESULTS... this was my result.

These next pictures were taken July 14, 2007 which is when I weighed 135 pounds. Around Jan 2007 I hit a plateau and couldn't get past 155'ish. With the help of Shelley's classes, Isagenix, and wiser eating choices I went from 155 to 135 in 16 weeks!

These swimsuit pictures are still 10 pounds lighter than I am today, but I am hoping to get back there this fall! Help me do it with your encouraging words and advice! :)

By the way, isn't it pitiful that I always try to flex my biceps and I DON'T HAVE ANY!??!! I need to quit doing that in photos-its certainly not a "gun" if u know what I mean. Anyway, there u have it. I said I'd do it so I did-even though these "before" pictures are pretty scary, it is still motivational that change can happen if u put your mind to it. Which is what I am going to do again in the next month or two. Getting back on track, baby!

145=normal weight?

Well, way back when, I wrote about getting down to 141 on my goal to 135 pounds (what I weighed the summer of 2007). Then I told you how it had gone back to 145. Well its still there. It hasn't moved an inch. I haven't been scrutinizing my eating-just eating pretty normal without completely gobbling every cookie or ice cream cone in a 100 mile radius. So I've come to the realization that with normal workouts and normal eating, 145 seems to be my "regular weight". The weight at which my body just tends to hover. With extreme unhealthy overeating it will increase, or with more disciplined eating and a bit more work outs it will decrease. However, with just maintaining and still eating ice cream or other snacks several times a week, I stay at 145.

Now I'm telling you this to say... for right now... I am ok with this.

I am not going to beat myself up over it because I haven't gotten to the 135 I was trying to get back too, and I am also not going to get depressed and eat the cow that provided me with the ice cream either. I am simply just going to chill and enjoy the summer without putting condemnation on myself that my body is not "perfect". It never was and never will be.

As a society, we women put so much pressure on ourselves with our bodies and looks that it causes so many unhealthy results and unhappy people. Airbrushing should be outlawed because we will never look like the ladies in the magazines, because THEY don't even really look like that in real life. We see these pictures and we want to look like that. Its not real. I really want to embrace reality in our bodies. I liked it when the Dove ads ran with women of normal shapes and sizes. It showed that these were REAL people, and they weren't all rail-thin. Gosh, I feel bad for the celebrities, they get thinner and thinner, so that now in real life they look horrible, yet in photos they still look bigger than they really are. Its insane.

Anyway, all this to say that... I am not on an extreme workout program right now. After 5 years of running, I am sort of taking a break from it. I just want to walk or workout on my "gem" instead of running right now. I know this interferes with my marathon training program. And everyone keeps asking me if I'm still going to do it and the truth is , if I hadn't already paid the $80 to sign up, I'd immediately say "no". Instead, I would just like to do some walking and do my gym classes till I feel motivated to kick it up a notch again. However, because I am so frugal and I already paid for it, I don't feel like I can just give it up. I'm hoping I can convince someone who is going to run it who hasn't registered yet, to give me the money instead and take my registration. Then I won't feel like I wasted the money. (told you I'm cheap!)

I don't want u to think I'm getting lazy and giving up. I'm just taking a break for now. I've been increasing my running for the past 5 years, and I think I finally just want to take a break from it. I don't feel like "increasing" it to the next level right now (the marathon), I just want to coast and take a small break. The thought of HAVING to run, just bums me out and I don't want to do it. I don't know if its the heat of summer or the fact that now that the girls are older and we can enjoy the pool more together or what. But I don't want to spend hours inside during the day on the treadmill, instead I want to play with the girls in the pool. When the pool closes and T goes back to school I'll probably use W's naptime to get back on my old workout program, but for now, I just want to enjoy summer and not condemn myself because I missed my runs on my marathon training program. One of the reasons I wanted to run the marathon was not only to just say I HAD DONE IT, but also because I think it would have made my husband really proud of me and the accomplishment. I always want him to be proud of me. However, he is even telling me to forget about the money and just don't do it. So, my conflict was, do I push through to make him proud and accomplish something I think would be neat to have accomplished. Or do I lay off the pressure of it all and just relax a bit. I think over the last couple of days I have finally decided and I think I choose to relax a bit.

The only thing to be careful of is not to over-relax and make stupid menu/eating decisions. As I taught the ladies at church... I (PERSONALLY) need to remember that my body is a temple God created and it is my job as His steward to take good care of it. Don't feed it crap. Even if they are organic(and thus not crap) don't eat a dozen cookies at at time either! :)

So there u have it. I am not focusing on any great long-distance goal. But I am going to be happy with myself and not beat myself up over the scale saying 145. Because in fact, (I may not be at 135-which was my lowest post-children weight), but I am not at my highest non-pregnancy weight (which was 155) either. So I have to look on the positive, that when I was 155, I would have been OVERJOYED to be wearing my 145 clothes. So even though those 135 capris are too tight, I am being positive in the fact that I am wearing 145's, and not 155's.

We seem to do that to ourselves as women too. We never appreciate where we are. We always think we are too fat at any age. But then u look back and u are like "man, I'd love to be that way again". Unfortunately, even THEN, u weren't happy because u were trying to be something else.

SO... I vow to be happy. But not stupid. I will not overendulge in things that do not produce efficient fuel for this temple. I'm not perfect, but I'm realizing that I need to appreciate exactly where I am. I may wear those new black pants to the gym, and my butt may jiggle a bit (ok, probably A LOT if we are jumping up and down), but I will embrace everything about me-the good , the bad, and the (hopefully not TOO) ugly. LOL

I don't know if this post is just a bunch of rambling to you. But hopefully, you can get something positive out of it. We are all women that God created. He loved, and still loves us. We need to help each other, not tear each other down. The support of our friends, especially our Godly friends, is a beautiful gift. I treasure it. Be blessed and have a wonderful day!

Bootcamp at the football field

Wow! I just got home from a new bootcamp class some friends and I took that was being offerred for free at our local high school football field. I DID NOT expect what I encountered! I thought, "oh , it will just be a few ladies (stay at home moms who don't go to a regular gym, who are just getting their "feet wet" with a free class that is probably run by someone at the school" I heard it was hard, but I thought "yeah, but WHO'S saying its hard? Someone like me who works out all the time, or someone who never works out and this is new for them?"
Wow, was I in for a shock! It WAS hard. Yes, there were lots of moms with kids there (all 22 of us), and yes, some looked like this was probably their first time. But that did not stop the "drill sargeant" from laying it all on us! We started out with a warm up jog aroung the field-no big deal. I'm thinking we'll follow this up with some jumping jacks, maybe some sprints back and forth the field(like what u would do on a basketball court), some bleacher running for sure, and maybe some sit ups or some other type of "h.s. gym class" type of exercises. I did NOT expect to break into groups and go thru 5 minute circuit training that included FLIPPING A 5 foot in diameter TRACTOR TIRE side over side 10 times, then turn around and do it again, and again, and again! Nor did I expect to take a car tire and (try) to toss it over my head without using my knee or stomach for leverage, over and over and over again! (yes, I cheated and used my knee and stomach for leverage several times--you did notice how I said "try" to do this? I'm not quite sure how successful I was in this area). Then our third circuit was alternating between walking lunches, running with a huge bag of sand over our shoulder, and running with a keg filled with water in our arms----uuuuugggghhhhh! Finally our fourth circuit was running 3 sets of bleachers up and down, then sprinting behind them and doing it over again 2 more times. I have to admit that was my favorite part. I love repetitive high stepping simple moves. (leave the tires out of it puuulllleeeeaaasssseeeeee!) Then we all joined back up again for burpees-I hate these, and crab walks, I am beginning to really hate these too as our gym instructor Shelley has integrated these into our workouts now too (where do these instructors get these insane ideas???!!!). Then we went over to a longer set of bleachers and we all lined up and just ran up and down them a dozen times or so. Then to top it off she made us do 2-footed jumps from the ground to the bleacher. I was actually happy I could do this. I had seen it on Biggest Loser, and was never sure if I could jump that high, but I could, which was pretty cool. Then we came back to the field and did some planks and a few strectches, then we ended with a Word/scripture and some group prayer-that was definately pretty cool. I really love living in the Bible Belt where people are open with their belief in God and are willing and able to share it. It certainly has made for some really strong friendships based on similar beliefs and values.
The neat thing about this whole thing is that its completely free, and they even have some people to watch your kids if your kids are really young. Mine were old enough to hang out with their friends (my friends' kids) and watch us or play with the balls and jumpropes we brought. I thought that was really cool-I wonder if they have some sort of grant that is enabling them to do this, because that is a lot of time and effort to do completely without compensation, considering it was an hour, and they offer it 4 days a week (2 at the football field, and 2 at a church in town). Anyway, however they have worked it out to provide it, it is pretty cool. I don't know how many more I can go to based on my schedule, but it was fun and definately a good workout, and definately new! :)

new workout gear

Ok, I REALLY am going to stop swinging by Academy and Sports Authority to check out their sales, because I REALLY need to stop buying more workout clothes. I definately have enough! I've realized why I'm doing this is (obviously I like to shop-but we already knew that!) is because I've decided not to buy any regular summer clothes like shorts and capris because I think I have enough (can u believe I am actually admitting that?!-don't let my husband read this eh, or he'll never let me live it down that I actually admitted I have enough of something!) So... to satisfy my "shopping desire" I've been buying workout clothes like a madwoman-actually I could put on a fashion show with pictures of all the new stuff I've bought this summer, but I won't do that-probably too boring. But I did want to post this new outfit. One, because it has a really pretty back (although there I am trying to pose and flex my muscles, but the problem is I don't see any! What's the deal with that!? At the gym when I'm lifting weights I see them. Is it the lighting there that casts shadows on the muscle ridges, or is it that when I have weights in my hands that's the only time they show? Probably both. Bummer, but no biceps here--but it is a pretty back isn't it?) And two, because I normally don't wear these kind of pants (but I do think the whole outfit together is cute), so I took some pictures before I took the tags off to make sure I really like the outfit enough to feel comfortable in it and keep it. Its a stretch for me. I'm not one of those people who wears tight or form-fitting clothing anywear (Not even those form fitting black pants that all the girls have been wearing for a couple years), so I had to make sure my confidence was up there enough to wear it. I showed Jen some more of the pix to get her opinion (is it obscene or ok to wear this? ), she gave the go-ahead (although, I do have to point out that I had no pictures of my behind in these pants-so IF I do wear them to the gym , she may regret her decision to recommend that I wear them once she's beside me and we start doing "running man" or something and my butt starts jiggling like a basketball!) Beware! ha ha

Anyway, here is another picture that shows the pants have this cute band on top that matches the green tops. I really do like it, I just hope I feel ok enough to wear it. Go ahead and weigh in, and tell me what U think. The tags are still on it, should I return it or keep it? Gosh , I could have made this a poll-ha ha.

Half Marathon Pictures

Heather and I after completing the Aquarium Run Half Marathon in 2hrs and 12 minutes. So happy to be done! (She however, could have probably run another one!)

That's me on the left whining in pain afterwards. And that's the finish line on the right-finally made it!

Now I've got 6 months to prepare for the Full Marathon, then I'M DONE WITH SERIOUS RUNNING. Only fun runs after that. True story. If u hear me planning to run again after Nov 22, slap me and show me this picture to remind me how much it hurt! LOL

My husband's wisdom

Last Saturday I ran my second half marathon. I've waited to blog about it for 2 reasons. One, I was hoping to put pictures with it, but I still don't have them from my mother-in-law's camera/phone, so I probably shouldn't keep waiting for them. Second, I didn't want to write about it too early, because if I had, all I would have done was whine and cry about how crappy I felt afterwards and how I wish I had been able to do better. You don't want to listen to me whine and cry ,so you will be happy to know I waited to write this post. But I will try to give you the lo-down of what happened and how it went.
The good part of the run was that I ran for the first time with my friend Heather and THAT part was amazing! I loved running with her and it was very fun to do it together. She was such a sweetheart. She can run faster than me, but she stayed with me the whole time and chatted. It was a good course and day as far as the hills and weather were concerned. But it was a little weird too because it didnt just go "out and back" once, as we originally thought. It went out and back TWICE, so once u realized you were only 1/4 done, when at first u thought u were 1/2 done, it was a bit hard to get over that mentally.
We started out really strong. We were consistently at 6.8-7.0 miles per hour which is between 8 1/2 and 9 1/4 minute miles. Pretty fast for me, since I usually do 9 1/2 min miles, but my goal is always to at least just do a 10 minute mile (6 miles per hour). We did that strong for the first 6 miles or so. Then we turned around to head out again, facing the wind again, and my pace started to slow. I kept waiting for the turn around and it seemed to take forever since on the second "out&back" we veered off onto a running trail that I was unfamiliar with so I had no idea where it ended and where we were in relation to the street markers. I struggled hard to get to the turn around, but I think we were still at over 6 miles per hour. We started heading back, at the turn around, and now the wind was at our backs. Mentally this was what I was waiting for... wind at my back, last home stretch, re-running something I've already run so I know where I am. Mentally I should have whipped it and been able to speed it up and get it in gear. But physically, by legs wouldn't go any faster. I was so bummed. I didn't have any problems with my right leg or my left calve (the soreness I'd had prior to the race didn't act up during the race,which was good), however, my body was just not prepared for the race so my hips weren't tight per se, but they were "heavy" and I couldn't seem to get them to move my legs faster. Its like my hips were the gears and they were stuck in mud, instead of gliding smoothly through oil, and my legs were fine, but since the gears (hips) were stuck, my legs weren't going any faster. It was sad. I was pretty bummed, because mentally I knew I could kick it in gear, and my legs should have done it, but my hips wouldn't listen to my brain and they just kept moving at the same pace instead of speeding up as I was willing them to do.
My first half marathon had been a 2:17, and I had really aimed for 2hrs, so this time I was hoping deep down I'd make 2hrs. At the start of the race it looked really good based on our pace. Even at 10-11 miles, it was almost attainable if I had kicked it in gear and finished at a 6.3 or 6.5 miles per hour. But I couldn't get my stupid legs to move faster. So as we approached the last mile, I knew I couldn't make 2hrs, BUT if I kicked it in gear I could at least make 2:05 or 2:07 and cut off 10 minutes from my time which would have been pretty nice. Now normally at the last mile marker, I can summon enough energy to kick it in gear and finish strong. Mentally I still wanted to, but physically I still couldn't get those hips to move those legs any faster and we simply coasted in at 6.0, thus finishing at 2hrs and 12 minutes. So yes, I did cut 5 minutes from my time, but I still didn't make my 2hr goal. The whole time I'm running this race I'm thinking to myself "WHY did I sign up for the marathon in Nov???? WHY in the world do I want to run 26.2 miles, when 13.1 is killing me???!!!"
I finished the race running the whole thing (except for walking on water breaks), but was completely miserable afterwards. My hips were killing me. My stomach felt like I might puke. My head was lightheaded. I was exhausted and just miserable. But Mandy, Heather, and Stephanie looked like they'd just taken a leisurely walk thru the park to smell the roses! They were in no pain and were not exhausted like me. My husband was at the finish line and said I look like I was dying crossing the finish line, while Heather looked like she hadn't even run. He was right. He also had another point... He said I really need to take training more seriously and ACTUALLY train for these long races. He's right. I've had a history over the past year of my running career of procrastinating and not really training for a race, but then going out and "Just Doing It". I've convinced myself that since I CAN finish these races WITHOUT training properly, that I don't NEED to train. The problem is, I feel like crap for two days afterwards, and I never reach the goal time I set for myself because my body isn't prepared for it. So, he's right. I need to actually train if I am going to run in a race. This Monday, I am starting my 26-week beginner's marathon training program to run my first marathon on Nov. 22, 2009. I am planning on sticking with it and actually training the whole time so that I can complete the marathon. After I cross that finish line, I never have to run another race again :)

Now, if you will look back over my past logs, you'll know that I had planned on training for this half marathon last week. Remember the "once a week long runs" I was trying to do? But the problem was that my leg began hurting about a month before the race so I lighted up on my running trying to give it a chance to heal. The problem was I didn't realize how little I was actually running before the race until I looked back at my workout log a few days ago... It had been a whole month since I'd done a "long run" and that had been 10 miles. Then it had been a full 12 days prior to the race that I had even run anything, and that was only 2 miles! Fourteen days before the race I had run 4.5 miles. But my goodness, what did I expect!? I hadn't run for almost 2 whole weeks before the race and then I'm wondering why my legs won't listen to my head and why my hips feel like they are stuck in mud?! How foolish can I be?! I definately need to take training more seriously. And I'm going to!

I feel back to normal now. On Monday I had pre-scheduled a massage appointment and she did some cupping on my quads which really alleviated the pain from the lactic acid that had built up in them. Prior to my massage I would practically fall down the stairs because my quads hurt so bad going downstairs. And if you think that's sad, u should have seen me try to sit on a toilet! It's like I'd half squat then fall backward onto the toilet because my quads were too sore and weak to sustain my weight and fully sit back like normal. Running shouldn't be like this. I need to train-OBVIOUSLY! There you have it-maybe I whined a little, but not nearly as much as I would have if I'd written this earlier. LOL

Ouch!

Yesterday, Shelley changed her toning class to "shock" our bodies. Well, believe me, my body is shocked! Ouch! My triceps are killing me! Now I know this is a "good" pain because it means my muscles were stretched, now they will recover, and thus grow bigger and stronger. However, with the amount of pain I'm in, I'm sure I'll have Arnold Schwarzegger triceps by morning! LOL I wish it was that easy, eh? Wouldn't it be cool if after one hard workout, a muscle just "popped" out the next day? I think that's a great idea. And if you do, say 500 crunches, the next day your tummy would be washboard flat. See I'm onto something here :)
Anyway, yes I'm sore, and I know its a good thing. I'll have to work it out tomorrow.

purple shorts

These are those purple "athletic looking" shorts I was talking about. THEY of course were on clearance, unlike those UA ones! Just a visual to go with my previous description/blog.

commando?

Ok, I am really excited , I just bought this new pair of under armour shorts and they are soooo comfortable! the white side panel is super stretchy so when u squat or lunge they stretch and don't get constricted or uncomfortable. Awesome!!!! The only drawback... they were $35 ! ouch! I think that's a lot of money for shorts, especially since I am a super-duper bargain shopper. But I tried these on, on a whim with a handful of other items (mostly on sale), and these were so awesome I decided it was worth it to buy them. I love em, and can't wait to wear them to my next gym class to "test" them out. If you ever hear of under armour going on sale let me know so I can get more :) (I never see that brand on sale anywhere!)

Now here's a question... they have the attached inner panty (which some of my other shorts do too) but I always wear underwear with them still. Are you not supposed to? Are you supposed to go "commando" as they say on "Friends" since they have the attached panty? All the info on the tags (breathable fabric etc) makes me think that maybe these ARE supposed to be your panties and then maybe all the sweat will wick away instead of cotton underwear staying all wet and sweaty (Yes, I sweat alot, and it drips down my back onto my shorts and eventually onto my underwear, gross I know, but its life). So what's the deal, tell me your thoughts, should you go commando in this type of pants or not????

new goal

Ok, here's the deal. I'm too tired and something's gotta give. So, possibly its the Zyrtec I'm taking for these crappy allergies. I'll try to stop taking it and see if that changes anything.
The other thing I am going to do is change my daily calorie-burn goal from 1000-1500 to only 700 per day. Maybe if I ease up a bit on the workouts my body will recover. Also, I am not going to log every item I put in my mouth. It opened my eyes, and made me aware of caloric intake, but I don't want to focus on that too much. I just want to eat sensibly, with smaller portions, and enjoy life. Dan and I LOVE eating at nice restaurants, and if I can't enjoy the food, then whats the point in going. We'll see what the scale does after all this because right now it went back up to 145 so I am mad anyway. It'd be nice if I really am "over working", wouldn't it be nice to lose weight be doing less? HA! we'll see what happens.

I've got some pix for you of a cute foal in our neighborhood, so at the end of the month I'll upload those and give you the whole story on that episode as well (lesson: don't stand behind a foal OR NEXT to it, if you don't want to get kicked!) ouch!

Dan is heading to the races tonight, so the girls and I will enjoy an evening bikeride/walk or something, as well as some Survivor and popcorn(maybe).

p.s. I bought a new rubber mat to put under the AMT and it smells so bad like tires, that I think I'm breathing toxic fumes. Now I want to see if I can return it to the store, but I don't know if they'll let me. Makes me think I've got a Goodyear Tire store inside my house-ugh.

exhausted

I haven't wrote in a while because I don't just want to give you a diary of what I eat or what exercise I do. There just wasn't anything that exciting going on to blog about. However, yesterday I did plant my cannas bulbs in the flower garden and did wash the car (beautiful day). W was a lot of help while washing the car :) The cannas are supposed to bloom from June to November, so I am looking forward to getting more color in the flower bed as the tulips have almost all faded away. We also took a walk to the school to see T while she was on recess. We took our beagle Lucy with us, the kids loved saying hi to her. When we got back I was real tired so when I put W down for her nap I laid down on my bed for a few minutes because I just didn't have the energy to go do treadmill. Wound up falling asleep for 1 1/2 hrs! That is unheard of for me, first of all to take a nap, and secondly to miss my workout for no good reason (except exhaustion).
Woke up the morning with no treadmill workout either. Going to try to go to the gym and make it through the classes. Hopefully, will have enough stamina to carry me through.
I braided the girls hair last night after their baths and now they are little frizz-heads, too funny.
Told my husband I should just pack away my "skinny" clothes and chill out. He said I wouldn't be happy. Is that really that I won't be happy or that HE won't be happy? HMMMMM? Although he's probably right , I just want to chill a bit. We'll see what happens. Talk to ya later!

5K and 141

We had beautiful weather today for our 5k run. The rain held off and it was a nice relatively flat course (my favorite ha ha). Had lots of fun running with Jen, and even more fun sprinting to the finish line and hearing my name called as the crowd cheers (am I egotistical to admit that I like that? I don't think so.) That's the reward at the end for all the effort you put into it. I don't know my exact time because I forgot to look at the clock (I NEVER forget to look, I don't know what happened)and I didn't turn off my Garmin timer till after I'd walked over and got my coat&water&walked back to the finish line to cheer on my friends, so I don't have an accurate time there either. I'll look online tomorrow and see if its up yet. May sound silly, but I keep a scrapbook of all my races, so I put all that stuff in there. Bummer though, no medal. (and they were pretty too). Next year I'll have to try really hard in that race, because they even have trophies for first 10 female finishers. A trophy would be cool :) (and there aren't that many participants, so my odds of getting one just went up :) ha ha).
Good news... the scale says 141 today. Only 6 more pounds to go till my goal-yah! I tried on my "goal shorts" last night because I was feeling especially thin yesterday (I had worn my new purple gym shorts in class, and those shorts are inspiring me-maybe I'll post a picture. They are a different style than I normally wear, so I was a bit uncomfortable the first time I wore them (cotton, so a bit clingy). But now I am starting to think they look "athletic" on me, so I like them). Anyway, back to my story. I tried on my "goal shorts" which are a pair of brown bermuda shorts, that fit me slighty baggy at 135. Which is the way I like them to fit. My husband says, the clothes actually look better tighter and that's the way everyone wears them so its more stylish. But I like baggier clothes because they make me FEEL thinner. If something is tight, then I FEEL like I'm bursting out of it like a sausage roll, and that's just NOT attractive to me. Anyway, 4 pounds ago, these shorts were sausage roll status and I was so mad. Today, they fit and are wearable in public (although I still want them a bit looser so they don't hug my butt so much, but that's where the other 6 pounds will come in handy). I am happy to get back into them. With that pair under my belt, I went through my closet and started trying on capris. Got several pair now to choose from to wear comfortably (but still have to get to 135 to get all my "favorites" back on). Slowly, but surely, I AM finally seeing progress though, so I have faith I will be there soon. Hopefully before school lets out and warm weather rolls in for good. Its just so annoying that 4,6,10 pounds can make such a difference in clothes and sizes. That's almost 3 whole size differences in my closet, no wonder I need a bigger closet, I'm housing clothes for 3 body types instead of just one! Tomorrow is Sunday, so no workout, although I am planning on wearing my HRM all day just to see what calories I burn doing nothing. The internet said it would be 1400 for my body/age/etc, so we'll see what the monitor says. These gadgets are so fun!

1pound

Yah!!! I got my pound this morning on the scale. Maybe that thing is listening to me sometimes-ha . 7more to go!

burning calories, but no results yet

I get on the scale every day. A little OCD? Maybe, but I don't care. It is STILL 143, and after burning 1539 calories today (300 step class+400 interval class+109 jog w/dog and bike+360 AMT + 370 3-mile run on treadmill) I would expect a little "love" in the scale department, ya know? Doesn't it understand I just went through H and back, for it to move 1/8 of an inch? But it won't budge. Just one more pound, then in a few days, another pound, etc etc etc, then I'll be on the home stretch to my 135 pound goal (and my clothes will fit). But nooooo, it stays still. I even ate really well yesterday, not just good food (which I'm starting to crave instead of junk food-this means I'm rounding a corner-woohoo!), but I ate every few hours yesterday (and was hungry) so I know my metabolism was getting better. But still... no love from the scale. Maybe tomorrow??
Anyway, did my AMT and treadmill AFTER class today while W was napping instead of this morning before the girls woke up because I was just too tired last night to set the alarm and get up this AM. I think I actually fell asleep for a few minutes on the couch in the back office at church last night, while I was waiting for church to start (I had gotten there pretty early and as soon as I got there I suddenly realized I hadn't sat down all day, so when I did sit down to wait for it to start, I suddenly got extremely tired. I went in the back and laid down to rest for a few minutes-needed my energy since I was going to be teaching the 3yr olds-and whoop, I dozed off!) Guess, my body needed it. So that's why I didn't work out before the gym today, sometimes, U really got to listen to your body and take a break when it tell u too. Tomorrow my friend Ashley is joining me at the gym for 2 classes so I am really excited. Saturday, Jen and I are going to do her first 5K- woohoo! She's all worried about me leaving her in the dust, and the truth is, she's so competitive, she'll probably leave me! I know she'll do great and it will be a lot of fun to do it together. I have to admit, I work out better when she's around. I know she's pushing every inch of the way, so even though I'm exhausted and want to pass out in some classes, I keep going. (Our teacher says not to compete-but you know we ALL do!) Its life and if competition makes you push it to the next level and better yourself, then I think its a good thing. I know for me, when I try to do stuff at home, I'll get tired after maybe 10 reps, and I will push it to 20, but then I'll stop. Whereas, when I'm at the gym, and there is someone telling me to keep going, then I push and push and push and wind up doing 50 or 100 or whatever it is we do. I don't even know because I'm trying so hard to "remove myself from the pain" that I never count from start to end to even know what we really do. There used to be this instructor at the gym about 7 years ago who taught an abs class. He was ex-military. Most people didn't like him because he was pretty abrupt and hard-core. But I LOVED him. That's the kind of motivation that keeps me going. Sick, probably. But yell at me and I'll yell back, all the while finishing the set! ha ha!
It is a beautiful day here so the girls and I are heading outside to play. see ya!

Its a good day and I have good news!

First off, the good news that I alluded to several days ago is that my husband got me the "gem"! Its the Precor 100i AMT and they delivered it today! And no walls were damaged in the process! Double yeah! The extra good news is that he got a really good deal on a remanufactured one through our neighbor who owns a gym, so we didn't pay even close to full price! Triple Yeah! The funny thing is that this thing weighs 450 (per the specs), but of course the guys installing it are trying to tell me it weighs 600 pounds (its like the fish story, it always gets bigger or heavier doesn't it? ha ha) Well anyway, there are only three of them, and none of them are that strong looking (just pretty normal), and they know they had to take it upstairs so why they didn't send more guys-I don't know. But anyway, I volunteer to help, and wind up sweating like a dog in the process. We had to do it one step at a time and it WAS heavy! Wooh! Almost makes up for the calories I missed burning in bootcamp class since I had to leave early and run home from the gym to meet these guys. :) Speaking of calories, I did 283 for 2miles on the treadmill before the gym. Then I kept my HRM on from the gym at 9am till I took a shower at about 2pm and burned 1644 (that included 100 jog with the dog while my youngest daughter rode her bike next to me for a mile, 400 pump/ball class with Shelley, and 500 AMT for 43minutes after it was installed, plus the installation itself and just moving around normally because I was still wearing it and didn't turn it off). Pretty cool. Here is a picture of it, fully installed in my workout room.

Now that's awesome news, and I love my husband for getting it for me, and not much news can top that... except... the scale says I've lost 2 pounds! Quadruple Yeah! :) Is this a good day or what?! :)

Here is a pix of me on the new "gem".

Now here is some interesting news from Easter. Remember I said I was in charge of bringing dessert to my inlaws for Easter Sunday? I decided to be "smart" on my behalf and not bring desserts that I love. So I brought Jello shaped into a cross (see pix), rice crispie treats also shaped into a cross, and chocolate pudding covered in whipped cream and chocolate&butterscotch chips. It looked pretty, but I don't like pudding or jello, so I thought this was a great idea. However, it turns out, most people don't like pudding or jello either, so my desserts were a flop! Not much was eaten (thanks Ashley for not making me feel TOO bad and at least trying it:) ) so I wound up bringing all that food home (except the rice crispy treats which u can always count on to be devoured ha ha). UGH! So now I'm freezing them to see how they turn out frozen. Maybe I'll like them better frozen. I just can't bear to throw perfectly good food away (my mom always taught me about those "less fortunate" when I was a kid), so I'm too frugal and thankful to toss it. So my "smart" plan didn't turn out so smart after all.

I am off to gymnastics class with my oldest daughter, and instead of our usual Tuesday night takeout, I made some crockpot chicken/rice/carrots, so hopefully that will be healthier than the take out fare :) See Ya!

Reeses after Running?

Have you ever heard of it? When Krista and I finished the city run this past fall, we were appalled that they were trying to feed us candy bars! We were like no way, aren't there any oranges or bananas anywhere?! Well , she asked around or did some research and found out that eating something like that after a long run quickly replenishes the water or something in your body (I forget exactly what she said-I even had to ask her twice, and I've forgotten again), but the gist of it was, that after a long run was about the only time it was good for your body to eat a candy bar. So today, after my 10 mile run (I planned on 13, but my hamstring was starting to hurt so I decided to stop at 10 instead of cause an injury that could keep me out of my favorite workouts-classes with Shelley:) ) I ate a Reeses peanut butter egg. I have to admit it was good. And I figured I'd eat some tomorrow anyway, so this is just one I would have ate anyway I just ate it early, and hopefully it helped the muscles in my legs recouperate. Nice thought, hope its true :) I ran off 1287 calories and the egg was only 180, so not too bad. It tasted good too :)

Today we had practice at the church for a short drama we are doing tomorrow on Resurrection Sunday service. It went well so hopefully tomorrow will go well too. The girls and I are going to have a "girls night in" as Dan is back at the track for the drag races. Hopefully, it will go better than last night. Please pray with me that he is always safe while he does this. Honestly, I really don't like it (especially after last night's close call), but he assures me its safer than rock climbing (which we used to do BC (before kids) in the jeep) and he has built a really strong cage/wears a helmet/etc. But he doesn't wear the boots or fireproof suit they recommend (says its not comfortable) and I don't like that either. So please keep him in your prayers that he is always protected by God and comes home safely. Thanks!
Tonight the girls and I are supposed to ride bikes and watch survivor on DVR together. fun fun fun :)

one pound-I think?

Well I think the scale might be saying that I've finally lost ONE pound. My scale has the needle that swings back and forth so unless its over 2 pounds its kinda hard to see any change. Anyway, I'm thinking is it just the needle or have I FINALLY started to break this plateau that I've been on for MONTHS? I hope its breaking. So I pulled out my food log and tallied everything up for the last 2.5 weeks. Taking into consideration my caloric intake(+), my exercise burns(-), and my # of calories supposedly needed just to sit on the couch and breath (-1400 per day per the internet), I have a negative of 5830 calories. Which, I believe one pound is like 3600 calories. So maybe, my one pound loss is true. But u should be able to lose 2 pounds safely in a week and its taking me 2.5 weeks to lose ONE pound. That just doesn't seem fair or right does it?! (And I'm not even really sure if I've lost a pound or not-darn needle). Anyway I'm beginning to feel like I'm on the right track-maybe my legs are getting thinner. But its my butt that's got to start shrinking in order to fit into my summer clothes! AND I'm daydreaming about the Easter candy I bought and I want to eat it----dumb dumb dumb to buy what I like, why did I succumb to the weakness yesterday???! However, I do have good news. I am supposed to bring a dessert to my in-laws on Sunday and I was going to make a cute shaped cake. But I'll eat it. So instead I am going to make pudding and jello desserts that I won't eat. I don't like jello and pudding. Getting smarter every day aren't I? :)
Went to T's school today and helped the kids color eggs. Went to W's gymnastics class-she is actually getting pretty good-very cute! (3.5 yrs old).
I am planning on doing 13 miles tomorrow to prepare for the run in May, so today I only walked on the treadmill this morning while the girls went to breakfast with daddy. Got 398 calories there, then got another 750 at the gym between 2 classes and 16min on the gem. Had a sub AGAIN, in both classes. Surprisingly, it went very well. I actually liked it and it was a decent workout. I think this teacher is happier now than she has been in the past about certain classes, so she does the class with a better attitude now and that helps everything. Anyway-so that was good.
Did you know that trail mix is 170 cal for 3 tablespoons! I was freaking out because when I eat it, I eat it by the handful and I'm thinking HOW MANY tablespoons must be in a handful!!?? Well, I measured it. Its only 2. So that was good news because I thought it'd be like 5 or 6, and at 170 a pop, that just blows your whole day doesn't it?
I'm off tonight to the race track to watch my hubby in the drag races for the first time, I'll fill u in on how it goes later.

Wed and Thurs

Today is Thursday. Had a good day so far, but T is about home from school so will have to make this quick. First the good news... my polar F6 arrived yesterday-yea! So this morning I was fiddling with it while I was on the treadmill to get all the settings right and see how it works. Even while doing that I was able to burn 307 calories in 40min. Good start to the day. Had my peanut butter toast that Shelley recommends ( I only do this on the days I take her classes, because she works me so hard and I want to have that protein and carb combo that she tells us is good for us). I bought that Sara Lee (45cal/slice)bread Jen recommended, but I threw it in the freezer because while I was at walmart I saw this really grainy wholesome looking bread in the deli and decided to buy that for my toast too. I used that this morning and it was really tasty-little kernels of whole grains in it :) Of course I can't live on bread alone, so I also had a really small bowl of my favorite organic granola cereal with strawberries. Went to the gym and decided to test my new HRM on the inline step class. Even though I sweat a ton in that class I never FEEL like I'm getting an awesome workout. So I measured it. It was 350 calories in 45min. Then, Shelley was sick so she didn't have class and we had a sub. When I found out I almost went upstairs to work on the "gem" but decided to do the class and see what the HRM said. Instead of a Interval Pump, it was just Pump so it was lower intensity than a regular Thurs but it was still a decent class. I burned about 280 cal in that 45min class. Afterwards got in less than 10 min on the gem and rounded out my gym total at 750. So with the morning treadmill and the gym I got 1057 burned cal for the day. Doing good so far especially since I am finally cooking dinner tonight and chicken with broccoli will be healthy. In the last 9 days I think we've eaten out or had take out 6 times! Tastes great and I love not cooking, BUT there aren't a lot of healthy choices on the menus in our town so I know they were high high high calorie meals-ugh! Anyway, that is not typically normal but we had some company and then some late appts that interfered with dinner so we ate out in order to eat at a reasonable time.
Hey guess what-skinny cows are STILL on sale for $2.50 at target. I was there today and had to stock up again (like 12 boxes I think!) because my husband and kids keep eating MY skinny cows! I seriously have only had like maybe 6 since I bought them when the store opened, and I think that was at least a month ago-maybe more? So I am definately rationing them for myself, but no one else is, they just keep plowing through them. I told my husband that my teacher cuts them in half and I thought that was a good idea, and he's like "yeah, but I eat 2 at a time so I don't want to cut it in half" :) ha ha They still are having some really good "new store" specials even trail mix(I know-HIGH calories-but very yummy) is 50% if u buy the big tub-which of course I did :) I did really good with the kids easter baskets this year-really not that much candy and virtually none of MY favorites (so I won't steal them), but today at Target we wandered over to that aisle and I caved and picked up a few packages of reeses eggs, almond joy eggs, and kit kats(for Dan). Sucker! So I'm sure I'll eat a few since the first two ARE my favorites! I met up with a friend of mine for lunch today who I used to work with and she filled me in on all the changes and demotions/firings that have gone on at my old company and I am shocked. That is so sad for a lot of these people and just so weird. REALLY glad I'm not still there now!
Yesterday I clocked in 618calories on a 3.5 mile treadmill run. Happy, but for me its a low workout day since I don't go to the gym on Wednesdays. If I don't burn 1000 calories I feel like I took it too easy. Is that wrong? I don't know.
Anyway, had to take my oldest daughter to the dentist for a last minute appt to check out an abcess she had on her gums that's been there for a week. I truly didn't think it was anything and expected it to go away if we would just quit popping it. But I was wrong. $360 wrong! Turns out she had had a cavity in that tooth and when the dentist filled it, even though it was deep he decided not to do a root canal but instead shot something into the root(don't understand). Anyway, the route he chose failed, and she does indeed have an infection in the bone and the only way to cure it is to pull the tooth. Unfortunately her big tooth isn't going to come in for about 2 years so he has to put a spacer in the hole and she'll have this gap for 2 years. UGH! We have spent SO much money on her teeth (we don't have dental coverage) and its INSANE! Anyway, this was one of those unplanned dinner changes. We were in town and it would have been silly to drive all the way home, eat , then drive all the way back to town (30min each way) for Wednesday night church. So we stayed in at ate at our fave mexican restaurant. I ate a fantastic grilled fish (healthy), I also licked the plate clean of my rice-theirs is soooo good, but have to admit, probably ate 1/3 basket of chips with salsa---oh well (guess I don't need to wonder why my scale doesn't change!)
Anyway, that's my update, I've got some good news to tell you and when I get a chance I will, but hubby's on the way home and "starving" he says, so I'm heading to the kitchen to get that healthy chix cooking :)

Tuesday

Well, its Tuesday. I'm here writing this as my youngest daughter is teasing our beagle with her peanut butter sandwich "look mom, when I lift my hand in the air(with sandwich in hand), Lucy looks up!" yes, she does, she'll follow that sandwich anywhere hoping to nab it :)

Started the day out right. Got on the treadmill shortly after 6am and did over 3miles. I did a slower pace (about 5-5.5 mph)for most of it because I knew we had Shelley's new class today and I didn't know what to expect, so I wanted to conserve some energy for it. Ate 2 eggs, 1 hashbrown, and OJ for breakfast. Which isn't bad (few hundred cal), but worth it I think because I wanted the protien of the eggs for the class. After class was able to get on the regular elliptical with "Marathon Mandy" for just about 20 minutes, so burned another 200 calories. Overrall, I think I burned about 1000 (but that's just guessing on the classes since my Polar HRM hasn't arrived yet!) I am so bummed, supposedly it was shipped Fri, so I was really expecting it in the mail today, but its not here yet. Class was good, we did lots of old-fashioned crunches today (which we don't typically do in any of the classes I take) and I really liked it. I like crunches, I feel them, so I know they are working. Alot of our stuff is core-oriented, so u are almost always working your abs, but crunches just really put all the focus on it so I like it lots :)
The new class was good too. We didn't know what to expect and I don't think Shelley knew what to expect either, but it was good. The only thing is that we had done a ton of squat exercises in the first class so by the time we got to bootcamp, my thighs were aching. We'll see how these classes pan out, because I may have to hold off on my morning run on tuesdays to make sure I'm ready for the classes--maybe I could do the run when I get home? we'll see.
Anyway, did good for lunch, just a few hundred cal again with cereal and strawberries. Although I actually measured my cereal today and I realized that if the box says 120 cal serving, I need to just double it, because I'm eating 1.5 cups instead of just 3/4 of a cup in my bowl. I'm willing to double it though because I think that is the right size for an adult. Just like instant oatmeal, I'm sorry, but one bag is what I give my 3 yr old(and she even asks for seconds sometimes),when I eat instant oatmeal I have to use 2 baggies. Wow oatmeal has a lot of cal, at least the instant kind does (I'll have to compare it to the homemade kind and see if its a difference). But again, I think its worth it, because oatmeal is so good for you. Yes, we need to watch caloric intake, but we can't just eat air-food and ignore food that has fuel for us. We just need to avoid high sugar/bad fat/carb food. But we still do need some sugar,good fat, and some carbs. I don't even know why I'm acting like I know what I'm talking about----I'm the one who is still trying to lose 10 pounds and the scale isn't moving! ugh!
Speaking of food, as I mentioned we are getting pizza/cheesesticks/calzones tonight for dinner. I think I can refrain from the cheese sticks. But I know I will be eating the others. I just looked up on calorieking.com (great website by the way) how much a pepperoni pizza slice is , on average its about 380 calories! So the question becomes, do I just eat 2 pieces. Or do I eat more and try to work it off my doing extra workouts????? I guess we'll find out what happens tonight.
Tonight is Biggest Loser--we love that show. We usually DVR it so we don't always watch it on Tuesday.

P.S. Yes, I know I could make that pizza healthier by avoiding pepperoni and using veggies instead. BUT... we ordered a pepperoni one last week (we had company staying with us),and our local pizzaria (spelled right? looks weird) has really good pepperoni pizza. Its the first time we'd gotten regular pepperoni, and its just the way I like it where the pepperoni get curly and crispy on top--YUM! Probably won't stop at two slices tonight, can u tell? ;( oh well, still gotta live. My husband happens to be a gym rat too, and he always says the reason he works out so hard is so he can eat what he wants. Its a theory, but I think it works better on the male body than on the female body . bummer.

T's almost home from school, then we are heading to the library and gymnastics...see ya!

Monday

Whew! Finally! I got back on here. I was having a meltdown. I couldn't remember my password or sign on and and to jump thru hoops to get it all straight. But I'm back! ha ha.
Got 4 inches cut off my hair today, not sure yet if I like it. I'll have to wash and dry it to get the full effect, but right now it seems kind of choppy and doesn't look very "finished". Hopefully it'll be better tomorrow. Even in a ponytail when I was in class or running it would whip around and hit me in the face. When its covered in sweat its like a mini whip, so I didn't like that aspect and decided to shorten it. Although when I wasn't working out, I really did like it longer. so we'll see how it goes. It'll always grow back so either way its not the end of the world.

Got up this morning and did my morning treadmill. My goal right now is do run 2-3 miles everyday and then on Saturday to do a "long run" in order to be ready for the half marathon in May. So I got on it and planned on doing 3 today and I did. But as I reached the 3 mile mark, the CMA's came on my DVR player so I started watching them and figured I had a few more minutes available before I needed to hop in the shower and get the girls ready, so I just figured I'd keep running (but at a slower pace). So I did, for another mile. So I clocked in 4 today. Which is really nice (however on Mondays this is my ONLY workout for the whole day because on Mondays I head over to my husband's office to do the bookwork). I used to stay home all day on Mondays, which usually meant that in the afternoon when my youngest was napping and my oldest was at school and Dan was still at work, I'd get on the treadmill again and run for another hour or two. But now with this new change, I'm just getting a short workout on Mondays. So anyway this was it for today. Now my point about this 4 mile run, just emphasizes the same thing I said yesterday. During the first 3 miles (when I was feeling like I HAD to do it, because that was my goal, it was kinda of dreadful and I was just counting down the miles and minutes.) But AFTER I REACHED my goal, and no longer had this thing hanging over my head, then I felt free and just ran because I had energy and still wanted to run. Isn't that funny. I was about to die at 2.80 miles, but once I reached 3, I slowed it down to 5mph, caught my breath, then just kept running. Then because I FELT better, I sped up the pace again and if I hadn't needed to stop because of schedules, I could have just kept running. I'm telling ya, ALL my issues are in my head!!!! its all mental!!!!! Its like the goal gives me pressure so then I don't enjoy it, its like I'm being forced to do it so I don't like it. But when I don't have the pressure, then its fun and I just do it and surprise myself with the results. Crazy. Anyway, tomorrow is our first Bootcamp class with Shelley at the gym, it'll be after our core class. I am really looking forward to it. Should be a great day (except I already know I'm eating pizza for dinner tomorrow, because its my daughter's gymnastics night and we always p/u takeout since there isn't time to cook after practice) Hopefully I can refrain and not eat the whole thing. I just need to remember to fill up on ice water, and eat ssslllloooooowwwwwlllllllyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy, so I'll feel full faster. I keep forgetting these tricks even though I know they are wise, its a matter of changing my habits. I want to though. If you see me gobble through something-tell me to SLOW DOWN! :) see ya!

odds and ends

Today is Sunday, I actually missed a day and I was the one who said I definately WOULDN'T write here every day, but I virtually have. I guess you could say I've found it to be very fun. Alot more fun than facebook. I really do keep trying to get interested in that thing, but it just bores me and drives me nuts with information I don't need (probably what u think when u read this, ha ha). I need to figure out how to close my facebook account-anyone know how?

Anyway, Dan went to the test and tune. When he came home he said he had done really well( 9.9 seconds in the quarter mile on both passes), so he was happy and said he would enter the real race on Saturday. I asked how much it cost and he said "$300, but the winner gets $7000!" I said "Oh good, because you can use that to buy my AMT", he laughed that off and assured me he wouldn't be winning since it was his first race of the year.
He was right, he didn't win. But he had fun, so that's good. He ended up going back again on Sunday and he is pleased with the performance of the car, however, even he admits, its the "driver error" that needs work in order to improve and win more rounds. ;)

I went and did measurements yesterday on the AMT to see if it will fit-I hope it does.
I did my "long run" yesterday as I had planned and was able to get in 8 miles in 76 minutes, which burned 970 calories. Which is nice. But it made me realize I don't want to run forever. I've made some running goals that I want to attain (see below)



1. half marathon in May (my second)
2. annual city Run in the fall (my second)
3. Full Marathon in the fall (my first!)
4. then maybe run the annual city run every year-if I want to.

But when these races are over, I don't want to HAVE to run to prepare for a race. If and when I run, I want to be able to do it just because I want to, and am enjoying either the outdoors or the excercise, without feeling like I HAVE to do it. When I am running to prepare for a race I feel like I have to run the whole thing to make sure I have the stamina and endurance to do the race and therefore, can't take a break and walk a minute or two if I'm tired. That's why, after I reach these goals, I will be running just for fun. That also allows me to get more of my exercise from other avenues that I enjoy more, such as my classes or the AMT (hopefully). ;)
Because, even though I did DO the 8 miles I had planned, I have to tell you, it was HARD. I really wanted to slow it down to 5MPH or even walk a minute or two to catch my breath and come back strong. But when I'm in a race my goal is always to run the WHOLE thing without walking (except for water breaks), so if I'm practicing for a race, I have to run that way too, to make sure I can do it again on race day. Anyway, I told this to Ashley today and she says I said the same thing after my first 5K. I'm not sure if she's right or not ,but it does sound familiar so I might have said that. However, THIS time I MEAN it :)

Not too much going on today, its Sunday which is our relaxing day at our house. My oldest daughter T just came downstairs from her nap and informed us she had woke up and didn't want to go to sleep again. We said "ok, but u look tired. Why don't u sit on the couch with your book for awhile?" She did. That was 5 minutes ago and I just walked past her and she is sound asleep again :) too cute. Book still in her face and all.

We had fellowship dinner at our church today (we all bring pot luck), the girls and I had made these eggs out of jello. They were cute and a real hit with all the kids. I'll have to make them again. I'll post a picture sometime too. Anyway, time to go, hope u have a great day!

calorie count

I just added up my calories burned today and they were about 1500 (don't have a true measurement for the classes, but just guessing). I'm thinking, Man! with calorie burns like that, you'd think I'd be dropping pounds left(glute) and right (glute)---I hope these start adding up and I do! ugh!
Tomorrow is my "long run day" so I'm hoping to do 6-8 miles before heading to town, so that should be a good calorie burn too. Gotta keep it up!
p.s. still researching other ellipticals incase my "gem" doesn't fit thru the doorway/hall.
we'll see what happens.
p.s.s. I forgot to tell you, I ordered that Polar F6 HRM watch off the internet and it should be arriving soon. Can't wait! Didn't get as good of a deal as Jen (kept getting outbid on ebay), but I am saving $20 off the price of going to the sports store to get it. :)
p.s.s.s. Speaking of saving money, I also bought another pair of my Asics running shoes, but in a new color. They were $10 cheaper at this chain sports store, than the specialty running store that I bought my first pair at. woohoo! gotta love a discount! Plus , now that I know what my foot type is (over-pronated), now I know which shoe to look for, so if it goes on sale I can grab it up too.
p.s.s.s.s. My honey is still at the race track. Its getting late, so I hope he's having fun. Today was test-n-tune, and if all goes well , he said he was going to enter a race tomorrow. Won't know till he gets home how it went.

Good News

Today is Friday, and I have had a good work out week. I haven't eaten perfectly as the fried chicken and pizza will attest to, but prior to dinners I have eaten really healthy, or at least I think so. Today the girls went to town at 6am with their daddy for their usual Friday morning breakfast at a little (seats about 30) restaurant in our small town that has become a regular breakfast stop for us since we found them. This restaurant is known for its gigantic portions (and really tasty food) and they make everything from scratch including cinnamon rolls. However, they only bake them on certain days, Friday being one of them. However, because the girls are there so early every Fri , they often luck out and don't get any because they are still baking. Well, today, the owner or manager(I'm not sure exactly what he is) told them that if they come back later, he'll save one for them, and even give it to them for free since they come every Fri looking for these cinnamon rolls and often don't get them. So I caved (he did say free ya know) and I went and picked up the cinnamon roll this afternoon (T will be so happy when she comes home from school and sees it). This thing is so big it completely fills a fullsize styrofoam to-go box-and even gets squished on top when the lid closes. They guy wanted to give me two, and I'm like "no, no, they can share, one is certainly enough!" Well, that cinnamon roll was still pretty fresh and smelling so good in my car, I had to break into it and have a piece... Heaven. I won't go on and on, but lets just say it was so good I should have gotten the two the guy offerred me. ha ha. So for those of you who don't know me very well... THIS is why I have to work out so much-I really enjoy sweets. Anyway, did have a good workout today. Ran 3 miles while the girls were at breakfast (plus some interval treadmill and I don't remember the mileage right now), then headed to the gym and did Debbie's 2 classes, then got on my favorite machine (remember, the $8000 gem) and did another 30 minutes for another 3+ miles and 364 calories. I've realized IF the numbers on the machines are actually accurate I can burn more calories and get more distance on this gem than on a treadmill, and be LESS winded. Crazy! I do love this machine... which brings us to the REALLY good news... my husband is so incredibly sweet... he's given me the go-ahead on getting one. Can u believe it!? I am so excited! (He has gotten a really good deal worked out thru his gym friend). The only drawback that might put a nix in this plan is that we aren't sure yet if we can manuver this machine into the place we want to put it. It weighs 450 pounds (so not so easy to lift and twist around corners), and we have to take it up a staircase that switches back once and then into a hallway and into the room with only a 29.5" door. The machine is 28" wide, 74" long, and 69" tall. I have found out that a piece on the bottom can come off making it only 60" long ,so the stairs won't be a problem anymore. But I'm concerned about making the turn into my workout room. I'm also told that the top display can be removed making it shorter, but I think I'll go and measure how much shorter tomorrow. It's still going to be really tough to make that turn. I called the store where I looked at them to ask them questions about what pieces were removable and they even offerred to come out and look/measure to see if it would fit...till I told them where I lived (kinda of far away) and then they said wait and talk to the manager when he gets back(he was the guy I spoke to on Monday originally). However, I don't really want these guys to spend their time coming out, when I'm not buying from them. But they don't know that, so they think they are getting a sale, and I just don't feel that's right for me to do to them. However, I really do need to know if it will fit. So I 'm thinking of going to the store and measuring in person when I talk to them about what pieces come off. We'll see. I hope I can make it fit, but I know it will be a royal pain for those involved (namely my husband and whoever he can convince to come help) to get it into place. Not to mention its traveling through all of our new add-on area of the house, so its all freshly painted and new (ie I don't want scratches etc all over the walls or trim or doors). But incase it won't fit I'm going to research online my backup plan which was a true elliptical. Maybe its smaller and lighter, plus I know its cheaper :)
Its a beautiful day here today (almost 70), so when T comes home I promised W that we would go for a bike ride. My hubby is heading to the race track tonight so I won't need to make a full family dinner (just something quick and easy for me and the girls-yea). I don't think I've ever mentioned, but my husband has a huge love for cars. He not only drives a drag race car (tonight), but he also loves old classics that he buys and restores himself (primarily). In fact, that is the reason we built the add-on. He "needed" an additional 5 car garage to house all his vehicles (we are approaching Jay Leno style here I think), and so we built additional rooms above these new garages to expand the house at the same time. This is where my workout room is, over the new garages. So anyway, my husband loves cars because boys have their toys... and hopefully, I'll have my AMT :)

Still trying...

Well, I just got home from shopping for an elliptical machine for my house. I went to the same store where I'd bought my treadmill 8 years ago and was very excited to see that they carry the same model that I've recently been using (and fallen in love with) at my gym. I guess its not really an elliptical though. Precor is calling it an AMT because the movement is a little different than the traditional ellipticals (which might explain why I love it so much). However, as excited as I am about the opportunity to buy the same machine that the gym uses, my system got a bit of a jolt when I saw the price was ONLY $8000.00 !!! Yes, I said EIGHT THOUSAND DOLLARS! Ouch!!!!! Now u know how it is when u really want something... if its outlandishly expensive (I'd call this outlandish, yes) then u blow it off, know u can't get it, and look for something cheaper and more reasonable. However, sometimes, and I repeat SOMETIMES, you want it so bad you convince yourself that its not really that expensive , is it? So instead of blowing off the machine and moving over to the the lesser priced items, I keep hovering by this beaut of a machine. I get on it. I turn it on. I pedal till I sweat (which for me, only takes 2 seconds-u know its true if you've ever worked out with me before). I continue to talk to the guy about it, even though I know I should be walking over to the other models and talking about those. I even give him my name in case a loaner comes up available soon (only $4500, instead of $8000), but alas, no loaners are expected back soon. So anyway, I leave. I am happy I found the machine I love. But in the back of my mind I know its too expensive. How can I convince my husband that this is a good deal, I think to myself. If I remember correctly, the treadmill we bought 8 years ago was only $2000-and at the time we thought THAT was a lot of money! So how can I convince him to spend 8grand?? Can I convince him to buy it for me and it will be my mother's day gift, birthday gift, anniversary gift and Christmas gift for the next 1,2,3 years??? Wait a second, he'll use it too, he likes ellipticals. Maybe just maybe, it could be the Christmas gift for BOTH of us! Do you think he'll go for it? Well , this is what happened...
I call him at work on my cell as I'm driving home and

I say "Hey hon, I need you to bring home $8000 today"

"Why", he says. (he's so sweet, he doesn't even freak out...yet)

"Because I found the elliptical that I want, anditsjustliketheoneat thegym, youknowtheonethatIlovesomuch.Thatissuchagoodworkout,thatitevenhurtsmyarms.OK?" (notice I said all that real fast)

...and he says, "Nice try. Love you. Talk to you later" click.

No, I don't think he fell for it, do you?





However, some time passes, and he calls me back and informs me that he has talked to a guy he's building a house for who co-owns a gym. He's asked him how much they pay for their equipment. The guy says their ellipticals are about $25oo. Dan tells him about the $8000 dream his wife has, and the guy says NONE of the equipment in their gym is that expensive. (This conversation is not helping my cause as u can tell).
However, he does say that most fitness equipment has a 50% mark-up. So Dan asks me to get all the specs on the machine and he will give it to this guy to see if maybe he can get a better price through his suppliers and we can avoid the mark-up of the retail store.
Isn't my hubby sweet!!!???? Even though this is insanely expensive, he doesn't just blow it off, he tries to see if there is another route that will make it work. I love him for trying!

Even so, I'm not so out of touch with reality to think we'll ever pay $8000, so I do have a back-up model in mind. But since that one is $5000, I think I'll still need some help in the "convincing department" don't you? (Can't fault me for trying!)

Anyway, on to a bright spot in this adventure. While I am at the store I notice that the heartrate monitor straps by the machines are the same one I have at home that came with my treadmill. I always assumed it only worked with that one treadmill, but I notice the brand on the strap is the same as mine, (but its not the same as the treadmill) so I realize (and confirm with the salesman) that my strap at home will probably work on all the machines at the gym, so I can just wear that instead of grabbing the handles every once in a while to get a HR check. If I wear it , it will be continuous and that should be better. Cool, I can't wait to try it tomorrow.

On a similar note, I was researching HRM watches this weekend. I narrowed it down to the one I want and my husband bid on it for me on ebay. I'll know tomorrow if I got it or not. I hope I did, because I want to wear it during my group classes at the gym to see how many calories I'm burning in those classes. (I have the Garmin 405 for running, but unfortunately I can't get it to work inside for this purpose, it uses GPS so it needs to be outside to get accurate readings for speed/distance/calories/HR/etc. I love it for running though.)

Time to go, I'll talk more tomorrow.

My fridge

Since I had the camera in the kitchen taking pictures of food, I decided to do a "MTV Cribs" moment, and take a shot of what's inside my fridge and freezer. Not as funny as the picture I once saw of Krista's fridge (completely empty), but it still tells a story...

Yes, there is ice cream in the freezer, I think there always is. I have freezer packs to take cold drinks with me for my youngest child wherever we go. Frozen veggies, bread, fruit, and of course hash browns. My oldest daughter loves hashbrowns, eggs, and cheese all cooked and mashed together for breakfast almost every day. I freeze dried apricots too-they are tasty frozen.

Fridge: stock full of organic milk. There is also soy choc milk, only because I can't find organic choc milk anywhere. Lots of cuties (tangerines) I love these. sippy cups for my daughter who didn't finish them. Almost a whole drawer of cheese-we put cheese on almost everything-at least it has protein and calcium, right? :) Fresh fruit:strawberries, cauliflower, grapes, celery, and pineapple. With all this fresh yummy food, you'd think I wouldn't be tempted with junk food right? I wish! And there is the infamous wheat germ on the door. Also there is a jar of Harry&David's green olive spread. So good! I love green olives (especially on pizza), and this spread is yummy on crackers. Probably not healthy, but still yummy.

There ya have it, that's my MTV tour of my fridge.

Treats

Here are some products found in my pantry.

These "Oh Yeah!" bars are 190 calories and awesome! They taste like a real candy bar but they are a energy bar that is high in protein. We get them from a friend who owns a gym, but u can buy them online too. Very tasty.

Wheat germ is a good supplier of folic acid. I eat it sprinkled on my ice cream (add a little healthy-ness to the bowl anyway, right?). My mom taught me to do it (product of the 70's I believe, and I am now doing it with my youngest daughter too "Mom, I want some crunchies on my ice cream" :) Of course, my oldest daughter won't even try it, but at least one of them is getting a healthy dose of something. ha ha.

These Annies choc chip bunnies really taste like chocolate chip cookies , so when u have a little craving, you can pop a couple and they really satisfy. Both my daughters like them. Plus they are organic which is awesome!

This picture on the right has lots of goodies in it. (fyi-the organic quaker oatmeal in the center was on sale last week at walmart for $1 !!!! normally over $3 a box. Since its organic that's an amazing deal if u want to see if they still have some left)

The akins coconut bars on top taste just like Mounds bars-yummy! I love coconut! The last two items in the picture are awesome crunchy snacks when u don't want to eat regular fatty chips. You can find the rice thins at Target. But I"ve only found the Multi-Grain Crisps at Walmart in the deli section. Both are really crunchy & yummy, and not as bad for u as regular potatoe chips.

These dark choc covered pomegranates are awesome and are found in Walmart. They also come in blueberry or cranberry flavors. Just the thing to satisfy your craving for something sweet

or chocolaty. Just a few will satisfy me because they are SO sweet, and that dark choc really quelches the craving, unlike milk chocolate which makes me want to eat more and more.

The Kashi Cinnamon harvest cereal is awesome. Although I don't eat it as cereal with milk because it get soggy instantly. I eat is dry , like a snack, with a glass of milk to wash it down. Very tasty-I love cinnamon!

These last 2 pictures are freezer fixes for hot days. The picture on the left is frozen orange juice that I made in Tupperware popsicle molds. Very sweet and cold and satisfying, without eating ice cream. (Lemonade doesn't work as well-comes out more like ice cubes, so the texture isn't like a popsicle. However, Juicy Juice brand juices seem to work pretty well too).

The pedialyte freezer pops may look strange, but hear me out... They are really good, and I often eat them on a hot day after a really strenuous workout (replenishes the electrolytes like gatorade, but they are frozen, so its like a treat). I enjoy the taste of them so it works for me. I have only found them at Babies R Us though.

Hope you've enjoyed these little posts. If you haven't gotten any healthy snacking ideas from it, at least u probably got a laugh for the day about the absurdity of this post. :)