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. :)

Pushing through

Today is Sunday, so it is my official "rest day". I am popping every type of health fix I can find in my cupboard because it feels like I have some allergy stuff or a cold coming on (that icky sticky feeling in the back of your throat-I hate that feeling). I had a messed up stomach for the past 2 days, but that feels better today. Thankfully. I did push through and run 5.5 miles yesterday so even though I'm not at my peak, at least I'm keeping up with my 1 long run a week goal. Hopefully I'll feel all better so this week I can get back on track and work out hard and maybe lose a pound or two. That would be nice. However, there is snow on the ground and I promised the girls we'd make brownies today, so knowing me, I'll probably GAIN a pound-ugh! Anyway, have a great day.

chilled to the bone

Its a cold, rainy day and I am chilled to the bone. I can't get warm (and yes, Ashley, I DID turn up the heat some). Well, I did what I said I would do today. I DID get out of bed and get on the treadmill while my hubby took the girls out for breakfast for their friday morning ritual. I did interval for 21min, walk for 15min, and ran for 20minutes so I felt pretty good heading to the gym after that. I did Debbie's step class , then her ball class. My intent was to get in 45 min on the elliptical after that (before my nursury time ran out), but I was fatigued. So instead I chatted with Marathon Mandy while I layed on the floor and did some ab crunches.(at least I was laying down). By the time I was done with that I did go upstairs but could only squeeze 15min on the elliptical before I had to leave. The problem is, I just feel fatigued. I don't think I've been working out excrutiatingly hard lately, so I'm wondering if my diet isn't enough to sustain me. any thoughts???? I've been keeping track of my caloric intake and outtake lately so I know what I'm eating and I'm thinking that even though some things like almonds and peanut butter are higher in calories, they provide much needed protein, so maybe I need to be more concerned about WHERE my calories are coming from and not just HOW MANY calories there are. I did a BMR test online last night and found out that I need 1400 calories a day just to operate my body if I was laying on the couch. Still trying to figure out how I can use that information to figure out how many calories I need for weight loss, but right now I'm too tired to even comprehend it or much of anything else for that matter. Its a cold rainy day and I think I am going to go take a nap, maybe I'll have more energy when I wake up. signing off... :)

blah blah day

Its one of those days (actually I think it started yesterday). I am not feeling very motivated right now. For me, being healthy and working out is 98% mental and only 2%physical. If I'm not into it mentally, it is so HARD and I struggle with it so much! If I'm there mentally, then I can do almost anything (core classes/treadmill/run/eat veggies/EVERYTHING!) Well, I'm not there mentally right now so you are going to hear me whine. My husband says I'm an "all or nothing" person when it comes to my health. I'm either all IN, working out a ton and eating right. Or I'm all OUT, barely working out and vegging on the couch with a half gallon of ice cream, and a cookie, AND a bag of chips! Well, I'm almost there today so I need to shake it off. I even bought and ate a donut at walmart after the gym while I was grocery shopping-bad bad bad!!! Usually every morning I wake up at 5:45am and try to work out on my treadmill till 7am before the kids wake up. If I'm really motivated I'll run, but if I'm kind of sleepy I'll at least walk or do some interval stuff on it. Well, the last 2 days I haven't even gotten out of bed to do it at all! I turned off the alarm and just roll over. UGH! I've started keeping a log of food I eat and calories I burn, and I don't even want to write down what I'm eating because I know its bad. ugh again! Come on Rene'--you've got 10 pounds to go to get back into those clothes for summer-get it in gear!!!!!!!Ok, that's what I am going to do. Starting tomorrow I am back on track. I will get up and actually run. Then I'll do my step and toning class at the gym, then I'll have a few minutes left of nursery coverage so I can squeeze in either the treadmill or elliptical. I've got to do it! I've also got to watch what I'm eating, and those 110 calorie (per cookie!) cookies are NOT going to help.-its a good thing they are all gone :) (too bad they are now on my butt!) ok enough sob-story-I will kick it in gear and turn this back around. I can do it! I've done it before (I lost 20pounds and 20 inches in 18weeks, so I can do it again, right?!) The key is eating right! I cut out bread and pasta last time, so I probably need to focus on that again this time.
Anyway, I guess this entry just goes to show you that, even when you get on track you can get off easily, so u just got to take one day at a time and move forward again. Don't dwell on the bad, focus on changes for the future. That's what I'm going to do! I will keep you posted.

25 things about me from Facebook

I'm posting in the "25things about me note" from Facebook. Just an fyi posting.

1.I tried this once already and my computer ran out of room on #6, I guess I was in the wrong program-did I mention I am not exactly computer literate?
2.However I was Magna Cum Laude in college with a 3.9 GPA---go figure!
3.I can do the Michael Jackson moonwalk REALLY WELL- yes, I am a child of the 80's.
4. If I stick my tongue out really far I can touch my nose with it.
5. In high school, I was "Miss Bellaire", (that's like Miss America, but a small town version ha ha)
6. My weight goes up and down by about 15 pounds , and it drives me nuts! I wish I could stay dedicated to eating healthy!
7. I really want to run a marathon this summer, but I'm a little scared and I don't want to have to do all the training involved to prepare for it (Krista, this may be why I don't prepare much for any of the other races either-I'm Lazy)
8. When I am running and don't want to go any farther, I start counting my strides, but I don't just count regular, each stride is a syllable, so for example "11" is 3 strides=3 syllables. Its weird but it makes me keep going because it takes me longer to count to my goal
9. I seriously used to eat 5 huge servings of ice cream a day in the summer when I was a teenager: get up about 9am, eat a bowl of ice cream.Go out on our back deck to sunbathe, get hot, eat a bowl of ice cream. Come in around noon for lunch and eat ice cream. Go back out and tan some more, get hot, and eat another bowl. Then actually do something constructive (not tan), then eat dinner with my family, and of course eat ice cream in the cool summer evening! Can u believe I didn't weigh a million pounds?! That's what a teenager's metabolism will do for ya! Wish I still had that metabolism now!
10. I don't have much patience-especially for slow computers (which are supposed to be fast), and my computer is really slow, so I don't get on it very often-which is why I don't reply to stuff people write very quickly-sorry.
11. I wish I had a fulltime house cleaner and a chef to cook me healthy meals every night (not named Rene')
12. I still really miss my dog, Alexus, who went to heaven over 2 years ago. She was the best and it makes me cry every time I think about her( yes, I'm weeping right now)
13. I wish America in general was not so focused on "keeping up with the Joneses" and having instant gratification. This greed is what I attribute the main root of our country's economic troubles to. I just want to shake people and say "what were/are you thinking???!!!" If u can't pay for it.... DON'T BUY IT!
14. I am very happy with where I am in life. Some people want to relive parts of their past, and I'm like no way! That's over and we are here now and I am so happy to be here now, and I look forward to the future with my husband and children.
15. I LOVE to read, but sadly haven't dedicated any serious time to it since my second daughter was born (maybe when she goes to school I'll be able to do it again-I hope)
16. This is starting to get hard- I can't think of stuff...oh, except I truly wish to be perfect. Yes there is only one perfect parent and being and that is God---but shouldn't we strive for perfection anyway? That is my internal battle, to not beat myself up when I know I have not done something or not behaved the most perfect way.
17. I like ruffled potatoe chips with vanilla ice cream.
18. Dan and I began dating our senior year and were married 5 years later, and will celebrate our 17th wedding anniversary this May.
19. I am starting to get concerned about turning 40 in 2010.
20.I want a tan but I don't want cancer or age spots.
21. I like to ride my bike.
22. I wish I could sing, but everyone tells me I can't.
23. I wish my relationship with God was stronger.
24. I would rather work out , than clean my house.
25. I love my classes with Shelley at the gym-she motivates me and kicks my rear!

Run Run Run

I just finished a half marathon run on my treadmill-woohoo!!!! I decided that if I do one long run a week from now until May , then I should be prepared for the OK Aquarium 1/2 Marathon that I want to do. Since I haven't "trained " well for any other race I thought I should try to prepare so that it doesn't sneak up on me and make me nervous. With the rest of my cross training and 1 run long run a week I think I'll be ready for it both in condition and stamina. And with being "ready" then hopefully I can go out and JUST RUN! instead of being anxious about it and not feeling prepared for it.My only problem is that I haven't been doing any serious running (nothing over 4 miles) for about 3 months, so even though I tried to warm up with a 1 mile walk and some stretches, my body is now ACHING from my back to my feet- ouch! I even took "marathon Mandy's" advice and took an "ice bath" (actually just a freezing cold water bath) right after to hopefully speed the healing in my legs since I know this run was a bit of a shock to my system. Even with that, I'm still sore. Like I've said before, I'm not exactly the best planner when it comes to running. I just do it. But I am trying to take the advice of my running friends so that I can do it better instead of "just doing it". So there you have it , my story for the day. I'll keep u posted to see if I keep this up-I'll probably need to do these long runs on Sat/Sun/Mon/or Wed., but my goal is to do them Saturdays so that I can keep Sunday as my "rest day". we'll see how it goes. Talk to u ya later. (ps did I mention my stomach hurts too :( ouch ).