Across the miles

Yesterday I was chatting with one of my dear, dear friends that I met at Biggest Loser Resort.  She’s struggling to find time to get her workouts in.  A lot of people I met out there are going through the same thing once they return to reality.  My problem isn’t the workouts.  It’s the food.  And while I can’t help her with what she eats, I can give her suggestions for workouts.  No, she’s not lazy.  Her schedule is ridiculous and we all know how hard it is to make yourself and exercise a priority.  She works a full time job which requires many hours, is taking SIX classes to try and finish her degree and has a six year old son and husband at home.  She doesn’t have a gym membership so we evaluated what tools she has on hand that she can utilize.  Remember, you don’t have to belong to a gym to get healthy.  Seriously, if you’re saying that, it’s just another excuse you can go ahead and throw in your steaming poo pile.  So my friend has an elliptical, a weight set, a pool and water weights and a Kinect.  She also has the P90X, insanity and beach body video sets.  Here is a workout schedule I mocked up for her to try of quick and easy ideas that she can do while still spending time with her family.    

Monday-walk at lunch, after dinner, in the morning, whenever. But a brisk pace for at least 30 minutes. 

Tuesday-Just dance or a Biggest loser workout dvd (or a video of her choice).  This way you are getting cardio and some toning.

Wednesday-jump on the elliptical for a mountain or treading class

Thursday-30 minutes of the at home version of Cam’s cardio circuit.  Depending on how many “stations” you can make out of your weight set do 1 minute weights, 1 minute dance party/shadowboxing/cardio, 1 minute weights.  Remember you can also add planks, push-ups, crunches, lunges, jumping jacks, squats, etc. too if your weight set doesn’t have a ton of variety. 

Friday-pick your cardio day but do an HOUR and get your sweat on.

Saturday & Sunday can be fun in the sun days!  Swim once the pool heats up (laps and using the noodle exercises we learned), bike rides, hit the trails and walk, play soccer or whatever you can do outside as a family. 

I’m encouraging her to log her food too.  This isn’t something we had to do at Biggest Loser because all our meals were prepared for us but something that should be done by anyone that is trying to lose weight.  Many people think this I process is too time consuming or annoying but it’s so worth the five minutes a day you spend to really evaluate what you are eating.  Trust me.  It’s the first thing I do every morning when I log into the computer.  It’s so second nature to me I don’t even think about it at this point.  If you have time to watch TV, read a book or play a video game, you have five minutes to log your food.  Again, throw that excuse in the poo pile.  Utilize all the free resources like Livestrong, sparkpeople, lose it, my fitness pal and hundreds of others!

My other piece of advice?  Start a victory journal.  I did this because I found that too often I was spending my day worrying about what I didn’t do or had done “wrong”.  Like Katina says, “be easier on yourself between the ears and harder on yourself at the gym”.  If you have a bite of that brownie, okay.  Move on.  But we get so wrapped up in not being what we deem as perfect that we give up and toss in the towel.  So celebrate victories big and small.  I walked at lunch today.  I went five minutes longer than yesterday on the treadmill.  I opted for grilled chicken and side salad at lunch instead of pizza and cheesecake.  I made a healthy and yummy dinner for my family.  I logged my food three days in a row.  My pants feel loser today.  I went on a bike ride.  I did crunches during a commercial break.  I took the stairs instead of the elevator.  I didn’t have a cookie at work.  I walked to the park instead of driving. The list goes on and on.  Anything that you do which is a step in the right direction towards a healthier you…jot it down in your journal!!  Each Sunday night go back and look at your journal and see what you’ve accomplished this week.  Use that as motivation and to set up a stellar week ahead.  Be proud of the little changes you have made and celebrate those victories.  Because they are victories.  Remember, no matter how slow you’re going, you’re still lapping everyone on the couch.  Shine, be brilliant and have a safe and wonderful weekend!!! 

The break

Training last night was weird.  After two years and three months with Scott every Tuesday and/or Thursday night at Aspen, we begin our 12 week hiatus as of last night.  That may not seem like a long time to some people but to put that in perspective, I’ve been training with Scott and Molly longer than I’ve been married.  So yes, last night felt like a weird break-up of sorts.  You know that "we’re just going to take a break but we’ll stay friends and figure things out after a summer apart" conversation you used to have in high school and college?  It felt like that.  For a second I wondered, what if he really doesn’t take us back in September?  What if his schedule gets so full with people that want and need his help that he doesn’t have room for us again?  In my heart I know that Scott will always make room for us and I’m just being weird but the thought was in the back of my mind, regardless.  I can tell he is worried about us and the thought of 12 weeks apart.  I don’t blame him at all.  We haven’t been doing so well lately under his wing so why wouldn’t all hell break loose without him?  Because it can’t!  This needs to be a positive time to recommit and focus.  Even though we won’t be physically training with him every week, we do have weekly homework assignments, which is awesome.  Each Friday I will send Scott an update on my weight, activities for the week, problems, triumphs, etc.  He will also be checking our bodybugg food log.  He has an assignment as well.  Each week, after he receives our updates, he has to update us on baby Raegan and send us super cute pictures of her.  I figure that’s fair so we don’t miss out on all the adorable baby stories and him gushing in proud papa mode. 

I’m sore from nose to toe today.  Warrior Monday, Tuesday training and two hours of cardio makes for some aching butt, abs, thighs and shoulders.  Wow!  I have Warrior tonight and the heat index is supposed to be between 105-108 degrees.  Lord have mercy that’s hot!  I’m trying to figure out how I can attach a Gatorade IV to my arm before we start tonight.  Monday night was brutal and during the warm-up I was debating whether or not I was going to survive but I kept pushing and really liked it.  It’s a lot of functional strength, full body training.  And lots of running.  Like do one minute of jumping jacks, run 100 yards to the other end and do one minute of mountain climbers, run back to the original end and 1 minute of jump squats, run back down for tire jumps, back for planks…repeat until legs are burning and you’re gasping for air…then just continue repeating until Todd says you can stop when the hour is up.  Then the cool down was a half mile jog.  Yeah, you read that right, the cool down.   Oh, and we use these little torture devices called Bulgarian bags!  I had never even heard of these things before Rob and the boys became involved at ICE.  According to Wikipedia, The Bulgarian Bag was invented by Ivan Ivanov around 2005. Ivanov, a former Bulgarian Greco-Roman Olympic athlete, was working as a U.S. Olympic Greco-Roman wrestling coach at the Olympic training center and was looking for a training tool that would allow his wrestlers to improve explosive actions and dynamic movements involved in pushing, twisting, swinging, pulling, bending, rotating, squatting, lunging, and throwing.  Ivanov was inspired by the tradition of shepherds performing strength acts with sheep and goats on street fairs in his native Bulgaria. The shepherds were often forced to carry lambs and weak sheep around their shoulders when they were wandering with their herds, and were showing off their strength at festivals. Ivanov based the design of his tool on the body of an ovine and saw its use as a modern interpretation of the old tradition.  How wacky is that?  I guess I better get used to the sand-filled tire that’s a mock sheep because I will be doing this every Monday and Wednesday night at Warrior.  I will be swimming, biking and running on the other days to prepare for my triathlon.  Only 73 days away or something like that.  Yikes, stripes!  

Bulgarian bags

Insanity

Insanity

A lot of people go on diets and they last a few weeks.  Some make grand New Year’s resolutions that they give up on by March.  Molly and I have been on our journey to a healthier us for two years now.  That’s a pretty long period of time, if you ask me.  The great part is there is no end date for us.  There are goals and objectives along the way, but there is no day that we will ever be done, which is awesome.  But it also can come with some bumps, plateaus and loss of motivation, if you will.  Albert Einstein defines insanity as “doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results”.  You know that little saying, if you do what you’ve always done, you get what you’ve always got?  Well our bodies and minds have gotten a little too comfortable in our current state.  Molly has decided to take 10 weeks off of our routine so that she can refocus and get her groove back like Stella.  She’s going to enroll in the Aspen Total Body Experience.  It’s a 10 week program, 6 days a week, and is sure to help her swan dive off of the plateau and to the next level of greatness that she wants to achieve.  Of course it’s scary to think of 10 weeks without our normal training, but Scott has promised he will take us back in September when TBE is done and our trio of triumph will reunite again. 

I spent the weekend thinking about what I would do while Molly is in TBE.  This is an experience she would like to do on her own, which I totally understand and support.  I could do a different TBE session, try to find a way to afford Scott on my own or focus only on my triathlon training.  There are a lot of choices but many of those are things I’ve done before.  And if Molly is going to step out of her comfort zone and push past comfortable, then I feel I need to do the same.  This isn’t a 10 week vacation from Scott and Molly.  I need to make these 10 weeks worth something and push myself so that when it’s time to go back to training again, I will be stronger mentally and physically. I will be able to reconnect, recommit and focus like I did when we first started with Scott.  I need to make this count!!

I’ve decided to do the ICE Performance training adult warrior program.  (Check them out on Facebook). Yes, it’s just as crazy as it probably sounds.  My husband has been doing it for a few weeks and is absolutely in love with it.  I tease him he’s obsessed but with the results he’s getting, I can understand why he enjoys it so much.  I’m not totally sure how to describe it since I haven’t attended yet but from the sounds of it, it’s an outdoor boot camp, cross fit, cardio crazy, tough mudder training, I must be out of my ever-living mind, wringing the sweat out of your shirt at the end type of adventure.  Yeah, it sounds just about insane enough to be something I might really enjoy.  In my head it’s going to be similar to a Biggest Loser resort Last Chance workout, except in Runnells, Iowa instead of a Malibu resort.  And my husband will be there with me.  Some women wouldn’t like that aspect of it but I do.  I’m confident that my competitive nature and desire to please will twist into a tornado of extraordinary measures and that I will come away from this in 12 weeks like a true warrior.  It certainly can’t hurt my endurance and strength for the triathlon.  An increased burn on those days can only help my weightloss.   I will get to share something awesome with Rob and spend some time together during the week rather than doing our workouts apart and seeing each other just before we go to bed.   I can’t believe it but I’m actually excited and looking forward to pushing my body to a different level than it’s been used to recently. 

Biggest Loser Resort posted the Will Rogers quote below today and it was perfect timing.  Yes, I’ve been on the right track for two years but it’s time to fire-up the proverbial train of healthy living I’ve been gliding along on like a hobo and put on my engineer hat.  We must change to have change.  CHOO CHOO!!! 

Climb on

They say when you fall off the wagon you have to get up and climb back on.  That’s what yesterday felt like.  I didn’t fall off the wagon, per say, I was pushed off by this nasty cold that took me out of the gym for three days.  The wagon kept rolling and really didn’t want to wait for me but I chased it down and jumped on anyway.  Why?  Why not enjoy the rest with the excuse of being sick?  Because I felt crappier not being at the gym than I did at home blowing my nose.  I can’t tell you the last time I took three consecutive days off from workouts but I can tell you, I don’t like it! I felt like a heifer.  My body felt lethargic. My mind was sleepy, and it wasn’t just the Nyquil or antibiotics at work.  My body was yearning to sweat out some germs and although it wasn’t a graceful or terribly difficult workout last night, it was a workout, nonetheless, and it felt good!  I never thought being in the gym would feel like home but these days, it does.  I like my routine and the chaos that comes with my busy schedule.  The gym is part of that and when it’s missing, I don’t feel complete.  I know it sounds crazy to some of you but it’s true; working out makes me happy.  There, I said it.  It’s out there in blog-world for everyone to see. 

I’ve had a couple people lately tell me they get bored at the gym and ask for suggestions.  I admit, walking “in place” on a treadmill for an hour could probably drive most people crazy.  That’s why I suggest doing something like treading or mountain to make the time go faster.  If your gym has TV’s mounted on the elliptical, stationary bike or treadmill, take your headphones and go during an hour when your favorite show is on.  Take the iPod or mp3 player and jam out to a great workout playlist.  I’ve seen a lot of people with their Nooks or Kindles, reading books while they get their cardio in.  Not a bad idea to help pass the time and distract yourself from staring at the clock as the seconds tick by.  These days, if I’m at the gym, my iPad is in my hand.  I set my music app (Spotify) on shuffle, pull up my Sudoku puzzles or some other game and off I go.  I will set the course on the treadmill to random so that the incline varies throughout, put the speed at a brisk clip and plug in the headphones.  Before I know it, an hour has quickly gone by and I’ve gone a few miles, all while singing along, in my head, of course, so I don’t torture those around me.  It’s a wonderful distraction and has made a huge difference in my attitude while spending hours at the gym.  When I was at Biggest Loser Resort I saw people streaming movies or TV shows on their tablets or mobile devices too.  Anything that keeps you moving and helps the time pass quickly is perfect!  Yes, I realize I’m probably promoting attention deficit disorder but that’s not really the point here.  Do you have a friend you haven’t talked to in a while and you need to call and catch up with?  Call them and chat away, as long as they don’t mind a little huffing and puffing in their ear.  Or better yet, take a friend with you if you can.  If you’re not a fan of technology, take a book or a word find.  Most workout facilities have a magazine rack near the cardio section too.  Jot down your grocery or to-do list.  Browse Pinterest or Facebook.   Think through a project for work.  Come up with key points for your next blog entry in your head.  Do ANYTHING but stare at the time on the machine.  In fact, cover that up! Use a towel, magazine or whatever you have handy.  Staring at the clock will only make it feel like more of a chore and working out isn’t a chore! It’s a choice!  And a wonderful one at that. 

It’s Thursday which means treading and cardio circuit tonight.  I’m flying solo as Molly has a Nada’s show to go to, so you know I will be working out with my pal the iPad.  I think we will call him Ignatius, after my great grandpa.  Yes!  Iggy the iPad and I will be jamming out tonight at Aspen.  What will you be doing? No matter what your workout is tonight, remember to shine and be brilliant.  You deserve it.  

Iggy the iPad

Never too late

This weekend was a mental roller coaster.  I’m always so happy to spend time with my family but obviously a suicide prevention run in honor of Kirk brings many tears and emotions with it.  Friday night was the lantern ceremony.  They kicked it off a little before dusk because there was a threat of rain.  Even though it wasn’t completely dark, the moment was unforgettable.  Hundreds of lanterns dotting the Dunkerton skyline, in memory of loved ones lives that had been lost.  There were memories shared, tears cried and lots of hugs among family and even strangers.  It is a moment I will carry with me forever.  Afterwards in the hotel, we all toasted a delicious, cold Bud Light in Kirk’s honor and enjoyed our time together. 

Saturday morning we were up bright and early for a 7:30 a.m. race.  I was crying at the starting line as the prayer was said and the national anthem was sung.  So many people wearing their t-shirts in honor of those they lost, some with two names on them.  Some, so young like our Kirk.  Thoughts of him flooded my mind and I was proud to run in his name, with those that I love most.  We had a group of 17 either running or cheering us along.  I set a new personal best time.  I ran the race alongside my husband.  I kept going when my legs wanted to quit so badly.  I crossed the finish line 324^th out of over 1100 people and I went back multiple times for the others in my family that hadn’t finished yet.  But my proudest moment came from two very special men in my life.  First we found Rachael and Amy.  Then I went further to find my Dad.  He was not far behind them and he was RUNNING!  The 55 year old who had never participated in a 5K in his life, didn’t train a single day, who has an injured ankle and heart problems was running to the finish line!! I can’t even put into words the pride that enveloped my heart at that moment.  Next came our cousin Miranda like a trooper.  Then, we went back to find Lars and Mark.  Mark, also in his 50’s and a 5K virgin had signed up the morning of the race.  He has multiple injuries as well but he ran finished, with a great time, for his lost son, next to my brother, who has always been like another son to him.  There was so much joy when they crossed the finish line and I knew that together our family had done something amazing.  I knew that Kirk was watching and proud of us all.  Mark and Dad served as a wonderful reminder that it is never too late.  If you have passion and believe in a cause, it is never too late to participate in your first 5K.  It is never too late to get behind something you believe in and that love will keep you moving, one step at a time, the way we have had to live our lives since August 12^th, 2009. 

I’ve been sick the last few days and today is no exception.  I thought I was just feeling run down from the weekend but alas, I have a pretty bad cold.  Who has a cold on the hottest day of the year?  This girl.  Ahhh!  It’s put a real damper in my training and I’m pretty sure I’m out of the contest Scott set up since I wasn’t able to move Sunday or Monday, which totally sucks.  I won’t be training tonight as I still need rest and I’ll be lucky to make it through a full day of work.  Despite being sick and having to have two tires replaced on my car yesterday morning, which is a long story that makes me agitated so we’ll totally skip over that, I did receive some wonderful news to brighten my day.  Two of my Biggest Loser Resort friends are coming to visit for my birthday party in July.  Wendy is flying in from LA and Megan is driving up from St. Louis.  I cannot wait to see my girls!!! Since my return people have often asked about friendships made at the resort and if there really is a feeling of Biggest Loser family.  I say that there is no way to describe the bonds you make while you are there.  This is proof of that. Two wonderful ladies traveling across the country to visit little ol’ me is the best birthday present I could ever ask for.  I’m hoping to maybe get a few others here too for a mini reunion but we will see.  Regardless, I know they will be with me in spirit and it’s going to be a wonderful time celebrating with friends old and new.      

Notes

It’s funny sometimes how things happen right when you need them to.  Call it the hand of god, mystery of the universe, fate or whatever it is that you believe in…it happens all the time.  Every day I am grateful that I took the time to enter a contest that I never thought I would win, but I did and it changed my life.  And each day my Biggest Loser resort experience gives me strength.  My Friday morning weigh-in didn’t make me happy this morning.  I lost since Tuesday, but not as much as I wanted and it made me a little sad.  Who wants to be sad on a Friday?  Not this girl! But I was a bit disappointed that I didn’t hit my target for the week.  I told myself, I’m not going to let this ruin my day.  I have a wonderful weekend with family ahead.  I was getting ready to leave for work and when I was putting some things in my purse, I noticed a piece of yellow paper sticking out.  I had no idea what it was.  I pulled it out and lo and behold, it was a page of notes I had jotted down while at BLR.  It was from my breakthrough day on the elliptical when Katina was encouraging us to forgive and move forward and be stronger.  I read it over and over and smiled.  It was just what I needed this morning.  I had no idea I still had the paper but there it was, somehow fighting its way to the top of my over-sized purse because something in the universe knew I needed to read it at that moment.  I figured I would share these words of wisdom that changed my attitude weeks back and again this morning, just in case someone out there needs a gentle reminder of how awesome they are today.

*Give yourself permission to be excellent

*When you forgive you free a prisoner and that prisoner is you

*Be harder on yourself at the gym and easier on yourself between the ears

*You are worth every minute

*Others judgment will no longer dictate my self-worth

*I am strong

*I am loveable

*The only difference between fat and fit is “I”

*Why settle?  

Today I will love myself completely, be proud of my small victories, knowing they are leading me to greater things and revel in the fact that I am strong and excellent.  I will shine and be brilliant because that’s what we are all meant to do.  Yes, that means you too.  

Price is right

Day 3 of the step challenge in is full effect.  I’m two for two, thus far, and today is on pace to surpass the 15,022 again.  It’s Thursday which means treading and cardio circuits.  At lunch Melody and I were talking about treading.  She tried it and loved it, of course! So she’s been doing it often for her cardio.  I gave her some ideas on how to switch it up to keep her body guessing.  We talked about some of the other classes and I’m thinking tonight I may have to try mountain.  I haven’t done that as much since I returned.  In fact, when I was trying to explain it to Melody, I kept second guessing myself.  Was it three minute intervals or four?  Eight levels or 12?  I’ve only been home a month and a half and already I’m forgetting things from Biggest Loser Resort.  That goes beyond workouts too.  Obviously the reigns have gotten a little loose on my food or I would’ve been well into one-derland by now.  Anyway, I reached out to a few of the wonderful ladies I spent time with at BLR and got my answer.  Remember the Cliff Hanger game on The Price is Right?  The little yodeling dude climbing up the mountain ruler?  It’s kind of like that but with no Bob Barker.  You can’t win a car but if you do mountain I will reward you with some serious fitness points and your body will thank you. 

Mountain Class: This class can be done on an elliptical, treadmill or stationary bike.

Warm up for 5 minutes (during this time figure out what your “baseline” or starting point will be)

After your warm-up go to baseline.  You will do three minutes at this level and then increase either resistance, incline or speed.  You will increase resistance, incline or speed every three minutes for 12 LEVELS! Again, it doesn’t have to be speed every time or incline, you can vary it up, as long as that heart is pumping.  Pace yourself since you have 12 levels but be sure to push yourself past comfortable, as well.  When you get to level five, you should be huffing, puffing and unable to easily hold a conversation.  If you are able to yap away and are hardly out of breath, that is a good indicator that you need to go harder.  Levels 10 & 11 should be a fight to the finish.  Level 12 is the level I like to refer to as “all it takes is all you got”.  You’re going to want to quit.  Your legs will (should be) burning like a Malibu canyon fire.  You will be sweating all kinds of liquid awesome.  But you’re almost there!! Keep going.  It’s just three minutes.  Remember, you can do anything for three minutes!  And just when you think you really might not make it…you peak and it’s over and you return to baseline with an incredible calorie burn, dripping in sweat and feeling like you dominated that workout.  You did it.  36 minutes of mountain class and you rocked it out like a star.  Take five minutes to recover at baseline speed and incline and bask in the joy of that.  You just earned a crapton of fitness points and I’m sending you a huge air-high-five.  Way to shine and be brilliant!!

Step up

Sometimes you just have to step up your game.  If you’re not getting it done on your own then change the plan.  Lucky for me, I have trainer Scott to help assist with this.  I had a migraine when I got to the gym last night and was feeling terrible but I knew I had to step up and push through it.  I got through my cardio and weighin, which went better than I expected it to.  Then Scott threw down the challenge for Molly, myself and our friend Julie.  It consists of logging our food, staying in our calorie budget and getting a minimum of 15,022 steps a day.  Doesn’t sound too hard…unless of course you have desk jobs like we do.  If one of us doesn’t meet the goals, the others have to run for an hour straight while Scott tortures the one who didn’t make it in strength training.  This is a game he likes to play when he thinks we’re not being accountable enough to ourselves.  He makes our consequences punish others.  It’s a tactic that has worked on us many times.  If all three of us log our food, stay in our calories and hit the 15,022 steps a day for the next seven days then there is a tie-breaker and that will be most total steps.  Oh, and there’s a prize.  And I’m extremely competitive and really love prizes so no pressure at all on this challenge.  Ha!  Making the other girls run if I don’t meet my goals isn’t an option so I’m stepping it up to get it done.  There are no freebie days.  I must be on good behavior for the next week and knock it out like a champ, so at 8:30 last night, once dinner was done and the kids were settled down a bit, I headed back to the gym with Rob and his workout buddy and did another hour on the elliptical.  Steps for the day?  Almost 20,000 and I burned over 3600 calories.  That’s the fun thing about Scott’s challenges, he wants you to think it’s all about the steps but in reality, he just knows you’re going to have to shake your tail to get it done and you’re gonna burn and not be sitting still eating food.  He’s wicked sneaky and smart like that.

I will have to be careful this weekend with my food.  We are going out of town to do the Alive & Running suicide 5K.  I will be eating out Friday night and breakfast Saturday so I’m going to have to make super smart choices.  I’ve recruited Rob’s help in helping me while we’re gone.  It’s going to be a super emotional weekend for me which will only make it that much tougher.  For so many years, food was my comfort and solace and I have to remind myself this weekend that food is my fuel.  My comfort will be running this 5K with my family in Kirk’s honor.  It will be sitting around the hotel and sharing stories and memories of him. It will be wearing our green t-shirts proudly.  It will be sending a lantern with a message of my love to the heavens for him.  My comfort will come in the love and arms of my family and knowing that he would be proud of the changes I have made in my life.  I know there will be a lot of tears thinking about his short 26 years with us, but there will be so much laughter too.  Listening to my dad, brother and Mark tell stories of their wrestling trips and Kirk’s shenanigans always brings a smile to my face and for a moment, fills that empty little space in our hearts with joy.  We will stand strong together at the finish line Saturday morning because, well, we’re Hagebakke Forever and that’s what we do.  Kirk’s death was one of the things that spurred my lifestyle change and I like to think of this as just another way my cousin is pushing me to get better.  If the race road gets rough on Saturday morning, I know that Captain K will be cheering me on, and that’s all I need.  It’s like having little angel wings on my tennis shoes. 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EG3DE0-h9SM&feature=plcp 

Incognito

Happy Friday! I had a funny little thing happen last night when I was leaving the gym.  I did my treading “class” after work and I was wearing my Biggest Loser Resort t-shirt.  As I was leaving Aspen, a lady at the counter noticed my shirt.  She said “Have you been there?  A girl from Iowa just got back from there.”  And she was holding the Q Magazine with me on the cover in her hands as if she had just read the story…about me…and didn’t recognize me.  Ha!  I just smiled and said it was a great place, then laughed while I walked to my car.  Man, I must look really crappy when I’m at the gym for that to happen.  I checked the mirror when I got in the car but I still looked like me.  *shrugs*

Speaking of looking like me…I was going through some old pictures yesterday.  Pictures of my siblings and I growing up.  My sister needed them for some project she’s working on so I posted them in an album on Facebook so she could save them to her computer.  My husband text me when he saw it and said he didn’t even recognize me.  I can see why he didn’t.  It was from a summer trip home from LA and I’ve posted it below.  And yes, I’m totally jealous of my baby brother and his ability to tan while my sister and I, who lived in California at the time with a pool in our backyard, are white like Casper.  I posted three pictures of us below to see how we have changed through the years.  Dang, we were some cute kids! Although we've grown into ourselves and changed a lot, you can still tell that we are siblings and I love that.

This weekend is going to be super busy again with wonderful friends in town, pool, birthday and anniversary parties.  Somewhere in there I will get in my workouts too.  I’m feeling a little more prepared then the two previous weekend disasters health wise, though.  I’ve thought it through, made a plan, going to take some steps to prevent any major malfunctions and yet, I will still enjoy myself thoroughly.  That’s the key to the game right?  Finding the balance and enjoying life.  I will be on the go socially the entire weekend but I will own it because I’m not looking for anymore setbacks. Only 3 weeks to my big 36^th birthday and I have a goal to hit.  So I will be prepared and do what I gotta do.  I will shine and be brilliant, with a side order of fun with friends.  You should too.  

One of my favorite pictures of all time!

Summer back from LA.  Holy big head, batman!

My big reveal party

Thank you, Tim McGraw

I was not a happy camper yesterday when thinking about my weekend.  Once I went into bodybugg and logged my food it was even worse.  I generally have about 30 grams of fat a day.  I’m allotted 35 but I try to keep it just a bit under on most occasions.  Well, guess how much fat I consumed on Sunday?  Just guess.  The number made my stomach drop and for a little while I was thinking it needed to be a secret because I was so ashamed.  But I promised this would be an honest account of the good, the bad and the ugly.  So here's the ugly...131 grams of fat.  Sounds ridiculous, doesn’t it?  But the scary part is, it wasn’t at all hard to do! Breakfast at a café and Mexican for dinner.  Baam!  Game over.  If you don’t think you’ve ever done it, you may want to think a little harder.  Have you ever eaten at Applebee’s or Outback?  Shared an appetizer and then ate your meal?  Here are some scary stats.  The appetizer platter at Applebee’s ranges from 2370-2530 calories and 150-167 grams of fat, 40+ of which are saturated.  Pair that with a Fiesta chicken SALAD and you add on 42 more grams of fat and 850 calories.  One meal and you’ve just consumed a week’s worth of fat and three days’ worth of calories.  The bloomin’ onion from outback…1949 calories and 161 grams of fat.  Yep, I’m gagging too.  Sure it tastes great but, seriously, bad news bears.  Take a minute and check out the nutritional stats on some of your favorite fast food meals.  You may want to do some thinking before you order it again.  Just another reason why I LOVE the fact that California law requires restaurants to list the calories per item on their menus!!!  I desperately wish Iowa would do the same.           

http://www.applebees.com/~/media/docs/Applebees_Nutritional_Info

Anyway, I spent the day beating the crap out of myself mentally until I was in a terrible funk. And the thing is, I couldn’t change it.  I had already made bad choices and eaten the food.  The only thing left to do was learn from it and make better choices this week.  Still, I was having a really hard time with the guilt and I was totally dreading weigh-in with Scott and Molly.  I knew I was going to be up and there would be no high fives or praises coming my way.  On the way to the gym Tim McGraw popped up on my radio and I had no idea it was just what I needed.  He has a new song called “Better Than I Used To Be”.  As I listened to the lyrics my attitude did a complete 180.  It was perfect and I’m going to download it to my itunes so that I can listen to it every morning on the way to work.  No joke.  It’s the perfect way to start a day.  I am posting a youtube link if you haven’t heard it and also the lyrics below.  Take a minute and read them and know that every single day you make a better choice or fight for yourself, you are better for it.  Shine and be brilliant!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wj-ARXRhzhQ

"Better Than I Used To Be"

I know how to hold a grudge

I can send a bridge up in smoke

And I can't count the people I've let down, the hearts I've broke

You ain't gotta dig too deep

If you wanna find some dirt on me

I'm learning who you've been

Ain't who you've got to be

It's gonna be an uphill climb

Aww honey I won't lie

I ain't no angel

I still got a few more dances with the devil

I’m cleaning up my act little by little

I’m getting there

I can finally stand the man in the mirror I see

I ain’t as good as I’m gonna get

But I’m better than I used to be

I’ve pinned a lot of demons to the ground

I’ve got a few old habits left

But there’s still one or two I might need you to help me get

Standing in the rain so long has left me with a little rust

But put some faith in me

And someday you’ll see

There’s a diamond under all this dust

I ain't no angel

I still got a few more dances with the devil

I’m cleaning up my act little by little

I’m getting there

I can finally stand the man in the mirror I see

I ain’t as good as I’m gonna get

But I’m better than I used to be

I ain't no angel

I still got a few more dances with the devil

But I’m cleaning up my act little by little

I’m getting there

I can finally stand the man in the mirror I see

I ain’t as good as I’m gonna get

But I’m better than I used to be 

Weekend woes

I’m beginning to hate the weekends.  I mean, I love the weekends and look forward to them starting Monday of each week but lately, the weekends are destroying me.  I’m not making good choices and when you have a Tuesday weigh in each week, this is problematic.  Friday I did not make my goal burn.  I got a new iphone but that doesn’t do anything to help my calorie burn, in fact, it rather hindered it.  Instead of getting out and enjoying the beautiful weather, I sat on the couch and played with my new toy.  Dumb, I know.  I went to the gym in the afternoon but it was brief and then we joined some friends for grilling and libations that evening where I continued to sit on my butt and shoot the breeze. 

Saturday I woke up feeling serious guilt knowing I didn’t hit my burn on Friday and reading all my friends posts on Facebook about completing the 20K Dam to Dam run in Des Moines that morning.  So, I mapped out a 3.1 mile route around the neighborhood which had some seriously brutal hills and then I went for a little 5K jog.  It was rough but it felt good.  I used a new app on my phone called Run Watch and it was awesome!  It tracked my distance, time, average speed, etc.  This is a great tool for someone that can get a little competitive with themselves.  It saves your miles in a log and you can set it for a walk, run or bike ride.  Awesome!  I got back to the house, ate some lunch and then joined Molly for a 3 mile walk in the afternoon, again, using my fun new app.  After that I went home and did some Just Dance 2 on the Wii.  We grilled out that night, got some things done around the house and I burned over 3600 calories!!

Sunday I woke up exhausted and sore.  We went out for breakfast which sat like a rock in my tummy.  In the afternoon I went kayaking with Molly and Sandy.  It was fun but not a huge burn. We had all intentions of going to the gym when we were done but instead we went for frozen yogurt and sat around the house yapping.  Ugh.  Then, her, Rob and I ended up going out for Mexican.  Saying that’s a poor choice is a serious understatement.  I was instantly bloated and miserable from the salty chips and heavy entrée.  Rob and I went for an hour long walk to try to work some of it off and by the time we got back, I couldn’t even get my wedding ring off because my fingers were so swollen. They still are swollen today and my dress shoes are tight and I feel like I grew some cankles.  Not awesome.  

Why?  Why do I do this to myself on the weekends?!?!   I get so lazy with my food, which is odd because I actually have much more time to prepare food on the weekends but instead I opt for easy and unhealthy half the time and then pay for it dearly come Monday and Tuesday.  By Thursday or Friday I have usually worked the ruins of the previous weekend back off but then, lo and behold, it’s the weekend again and I spiral out of control.  I’m worried about this weekend because we have a few parties where I know I will not have very healthy options.  Plus, our weekend is packed with activities and social outings that are not going to be conducive to many hours of exercise.  This pretty much means I need to be perfect with my food during the week and burn calories like nobody’s business.  *sigh* Oh, and I need to find my will power again to make better food choices.  If anyone has seen it, please let me know.  There may even be a reward for returning my will power to me.  I need to find a way to stop being my own worst enemy.    

The number of the day is 3333

I’m back! Two days in a row.  Crazy, right?  I’m going to make a concerted effort to get back to blogging more often.  It’s much like exercising and easy to find an excuse and other things to do.  Also, like exercising, I love it and I feel better when I do it so I don’t know why I get put it off. I think I was feeling like what I had to say wasn’t very exciting since I’ve returned from Biggest Loser Resort.  Here in reality there are no fun pictures of me on mountains or the beach, no sole focus of my life being on my workouts, etc.  I guess I was afraid that being back to normal would be boring and no one would want to read it.  But I need to do it for me so if you want to continue following, awesome. 

I think part of my struggle since I’ve been home is that I’m not pushing past comfortable and not setting mini goals.  It’s so easy to fall back into the same workout routines and just watch the scale fluctuate.  Well, that’s not going to get me where I need to be now, is it?  So even though I’m really close to my one-derland goal. that’s not my focus right now.  If I can zone in on some other things, that will come.  Burn, food, steps, strength training, miles…whatever that may be.  My goal for the weekend is to burn 3333 calories each day.  I worked out for 3 hours yesterday and walked at lunch and I almost hit 3300.  I felt awesome and exhausted!  So this should give me the little push I need past comfortable.  Plus, I like the number 33 this week.  I did a health assessment at work and found out that besides being fat, I’m in pretty dang good health as far as cholesterol, diabetes, heart disease, etc. are concerned.  My health related age is 33.  I turn 36 this month and I’m pretty sure the first time I stepped on a Wii fit it calculated my age as 42 or some crap like that, so we’re definitely making progress!  If you talk to me this weekend, feel free to ask me if I’m at my burn goal yet.  I like the pressure. 

Speaking of three hours at the gym yesterday…isn’t it amazing what a song can do for a workout?  I had done treading and circuit training with Molly, went home, ate some dinner and was very tempted to spend a rainy evening on the couch.  Instead I went to the gym with the hubby and the time FLEW by! My workout playlist just wouldn’t let me stop! It was so awesome.  What music gets you pumped when working out?  Here’s my favorite workout playlist ever, in all its random glory!!

Stronger-Kelly Clarkson

My Hero-Foo Fighters

Going Under-Evanescence

Eye of the Tiger-Survivor

Hit Me With Your Best Shot-Pat Benetar

Inside out-Eve 6

Down-Jay Sean

Let’s Go Crazy-Prince

Footloose-Kenny Loggins

Welcome to the Jungle-Guns N Roses

American Girl-Tom Petty

My Own Worst Enemy-Lit

Lose Yourself-Eminem

Party Rock Anthem-LMFAO

Everybody Talks-Neon Trees

Heartless-Kanye West

Jai Ho!-Ride d’Macy

Single Ladies-Beyonce

Country Grammar-Nelly

Have a wonderful weekend!!! Shine and be brilliant!!!