Tuesday, February 22, 2011

Just keep running

I went jogging for the first time in a long time this past Saturday.  I felt like I needed to start running again since I signed up for a 5K at the end of March.  It was such a beautiful day outside, with the birds hanging out at the lake and the squirrels running all over creation.  It was so great to finally get to run outside, and I actually made it almost the entire 1.5 mile.  I started walking around the 1.35 mile area, so I was pretty impressed with myself.  The only thing was that I was completely wiped out the rest of the day.  Like, for real wiped out - I had absolutely no energy and I felt like my body was just going to collape.  That next morning when I woke up, I seriously just barely was able to get out of the bed.  My lungs could take the 1.5 miles, but my muscles were far from being able to do that comfortably. 

I haven't really lost any weight since I reached the 13 pound mark.  Not really sure why, but I'll just keep on trying.  Working out and eating right help, but I may need to boost my motivation somehow.  Any suggestions?

Friday, February 18, 2011

Acoustic Mode

I'm a slacker, I know.  The last couple of days have been super busy, so I haven't had a lot of time to blog.  Or, maybe I haven't made time to blog?  I don't know, but here we are today, and I haven't been able to work out 3 days this week because of my stupid phone alarm not going off in time.  There's really no way I can work out in the evenings after work because of my schedule, so if I don't work out in the morning, it's a no-exercise-type of day.  That's kind of messed me up (system-wise) because I haven't been feeling the need to drink as much water as I normally do when I work out regularly.  I can tell that my body is retaining water because my rings fit a little tighter.  No bueno.  I'm going to make myself consume the appropriate amount of water today - so far, so good.

On a positive note, I've made time to play my acoustic guitar a ton more.  I acutally bought a cheaper guitar to take with me to different places (beach, races, etc.) instead of bringing my good Takamine and screwing it up.  The new one is black, and I paid like $75 for it - it has a nice, deep tone to it.  I've learned a ton of songs this past week, though: This is Country Music, Whiskey Lullaby, Then, and Back to the Future by Brad Paisley; As She's Walking Away by Zac Brown Band; and Lover, Lover by Jerrod Neimann.  I think the next song to learn will be What's Up? by 4 Non Blondes.  Would y'all like to see them sometime?  Let me know which ones, and I'll post them at some point. 

So, back to fitness...  I've decided that next week is going to be a "re-do" week.  I'm not going to count this current week into the Power 90 program since I didn't really get to stick to the workouts correctly.  I probably should just continue like normal, but I want to do this program right... and this current week did not fit into that category.  Next week *will* be better.

Wednesday, February 16, 2011

2000 again???

Yeah, I had almost 2000 calories yesterday.  For the second day in a row.  No bueno.

That's the second day in a row, but it's weird...  All day long yesterday, the only thing I wanted was sugar.  I guess since I'd had sugar on Valentine's Day, my body was just in a sugarholic mode.  Dark chocolate covered caramel pieces are my kryptonite.  I was slightly worried that I would get myself into a slump since I didn't work out yesterday morning and didn't really have the motivation to fit it in at night, but amazingly, I'm back to normal today. 

I worked out this morning, and it's crazy how simply exercising can jump start your motivation again and push out that sugar craving.  I'm not going to say that it was easy for me to get up this morning to work out because it definitely wasn't.  I pressed the snooze button like 3-4 times and only had time to do my 1-2 level cardio exercise instead of the 3-4 level, but I burned almost 300 calories in about 45 minutes.  Not too shabby, I guess.  Plus, I feel a heck of a lot better today than I did yesterday - there isn't a "heavy" food feeling and I feel more focused. 

Isn't it weird, though, how just a few things on a daily basis make your attitude much more positive?  Like, working out, for instance.  Or, playing an instrument.  I've noticed that since I've been playing my instruments more often, I've had a better attitude.  I think what makes me happy about exercising, music, and so forth is that my work produces a result that I can visualize.  With exercising, I can see my waist shrink and the number on the scale decrease.  With music, I can see my fingers grasping the notes and hear how beautifully they sound when the notes come together.  All of these results are simply because of work.  Thomas Edison once said, "Opportunity is missed by most people because it is dressed in overalls and looks like work."  Where would we be if we didn't have to work to achieve our goals?  Not somewhere that I'd want to experience, I'm sure. 


So anyway, it's time to work!  Hope everyone has a Happy Hump Day.  :)

Oh, and PS - I'm changing my 15 lbs lost reward to getting my acoustic guitar's action lowered and installing new strings, as well as possibly buying a travel guitar.  I think that's a WAY better treat instead of buying more music on iTunes. 

Tuesday, February 15, 2011

Valentine's Day Food... Mmmmmm.

What can I say?  I gave into some awesomely delicious food yesterday for Valentine's Day.  I had some candy at work and then the good stuff came when I got to my boyfriend's apartment.  He had an awesome candle lit dinner cooked and ready for me last night, which included teryaki marinated steak, grilled veggies, potatoes, a salad with my favorite dressing and croutons, and some awesome Beringer white zinfandel.  He even baked a cake for us to enjoy!  :) 



He's probably going to be embarassed that I put up this photo of the cake, but it tasted so awesome!  He said he wasn't the most artistic person in the world, but I loved his decorating skills.  :)  He put so much thought into this dinner, and I really appreciated each and every minute of it.  Plus, I loved the diamond earrings and two dozen flowers he got me, as well.  Needless to say, it was one of the best (if not the best) Valentine's Day I've ever had.  The best part, though, was being surrounded by my wonderful boyfriend, friends, and family that I love dearly.  That's what it's all about. 

I know one day isn't going to make or break you, but consistent "one days" off of the diet path will.  This isn't going to be a habit, but I will have to say that I enjoyed each and every bit of food that went into my mouth.  You know how people say that the cravings for sweets go away if you don't eat them?  Well, that isn't entirely true.  I guess I'm a sugarholic and am trying to stay "sober", but if the temptation is there on special occasions, it's difficult to turn away. 

I didn't work out this morning - fell back asleep and didn't really have time.  I'm going to try to eat correctly today, even though we're going out to lunch with the new coworker.  I've gotta imprint "salad, salad, salad" into my brain today.  Making up for the awesome food yesterday isn't too fun, but it's so worth it. 

How was everyone's Valentine's Day?  Hope it went well and that you got to enjoy being with people you love! 

Monday, February 14, 2011

Valentine's Day Challenge!

Yeah, I know...  I haven't posted anything since Friday.  Lo siento!  This weekend was way busy with fitting in my workouts, going to a sorority meeting, having fun at Dave and Busters, going to church, practicing my skills at the shooting range, taking my dad to the Urgent Care Center to get some skin glue for a cut he received from the pistol kickback (yeah, that really happened)... and now it's Monday again.  Not just any Monday, though - it's Valentine's Day!

Today is normally focused toward all of the people you love, but try something new this year - show yourself how much you love just being you.  None of us are perfect, yet we're all our own worst critic when one little thing isn't what we think it should be...  Why is that?  I've never really understood why, either.  Think about it for a minute - a lot of us (myself, included) fantasize about looking like a model out of an advertisement, but do we really want to be like that?  Maybe we want to showcase confidence in our appearance, but there's no way I'd want to have that much pressure to look like that at all times. 

So, here's my challenge to you on this Valentine's Day:  think of 5 "I am" words or phrases that describe why you love yourself.  If you want, you can post them in my comments section, or you can just keep them to yourself.  It's solely up to you.  Here are mine:

I am: compassionate, adventurous, unique, thoughtful, and confident in my abilities.



Now it's your turn!  Enjoy this beautiful Monday, and I hope you have an excellent Valentine's Day!  :)

Friday, February 11, 2011

Two things

1.) I had a major headache today that I thought was caused by my lack of sugar intake.  Well, that definitely wasn't the case!  It was actually caused by a lack of w-a-t-e-r.  You know, that clear stuff that we're supposed to drink 8 glasses of every day?  Yeah, I am normally familiar with that.  Today was a bit busy and with me being thrown off from no workout this morning, I completely forgot about drinking water throughout the day.  I guess I was dehydrated...  not cool!  I just drank a few glasses, and immediately felt better.  Never experienced that before and hope I won't ever again!

2.) I registered for a 5K today!  It's at the end of March, so I guess that gives me enough time to get ready for the race.  When the weather gets a bit warmer, I'm going to start back running outside in addition to my Power 90 workouts to hopefully build up my stamina...  and burn more calories! 

Just a little motivation

I fully believe that everyone should always have something to look forward to (as long as finances allow, of course).  Whether it's a concert, sporting event, wedding, vacation, reunion, or something, each and every one of us needs something that will keep us motivated to "keep on, keepin' on."  So, my short-term event to look forward to was the Brad Paisley, Darius Rucker, and Jarrod Nemann concert, which was last night.

The concert was awesome.  All three artists were incredibly talented, and I really enjoyed their performances.  Jarrod was way more energetic than I'd presumed; Darius was so comfortable on stage that it really felt like we were having a concert in our living room (and he played some Hootie and the Blowfish stuff, which was freaking sweet); and Brad really blew me away with the momentum he had on stage and how amazing of a singer and guitarist he really is.  Needless to say, it's in my top 5 list of concerts: Bon Jovi, Aerosmith/ZZ Top, Sugarland, Zac Brown Band, and Brad Paisley/Darius Rucker.  So, now, my new goal for 15 lbs lost is to find another concert to attend sometime in the near future. 

I didn't get to work out this morning because we got in so late last night, but I'm going to try to work out tonight after dinner.  I'm going to make sure that my meal plan for the day is spot-on so I can stay in my caloric range.  Thank goodness for the Livestrong MyPlate app - I would totally suck at tracking my food if it wasn't for that little app! 

So, in honor of the concert last night, I'll bring to you the (drumroll please!) song of the day!  :)

Brad Paisley - "This is Country Music"



Thursday, February 10, 2011

My dog weighs as much as I've lost!

Yep, I realized that this morning.  I lost another 0.8 lbs this morning, which puts me at 12.8 lbs lost since January 3rd.  My dog weighs around that (she fluctuates), so I got some major motivation from visualizing how much I've lost.  This is my pup's Christmas photo so you can see what I'm talking about:


Plus, I've also noticed that I no longer have one big stomach roll when I slouch.  Instead, it's two tiny ones.  That still doesn't sound too attractive, but hey - I'd take two small ones over one big one ANY day!

I've been eating a bit more than I was, which is why I've been slightly surprised that I've lost weight.  I've always heard, though, that if you're at a plateau, you can eat more food (healthy food, of course) and kickstart your metabolism even more.  I guess that's worked pretty well even though I haven't gotten to a plateau yet, thank God.  Hopefully it will stay that way until I reach the 35 lbs lost mark.

We got some snow last night, so this morning when I got to work, I absolutely had to take some pictures of the campus.  The snow is pretty and all, but I'm so tired of the cold weather.  I want to be able to run outside on a trail and go play on my jet ski.  The groundhog told us that we'd have an early spring, so I'm going to hold him to that.  If that doesn't happen, it's game on, groundhog.

Wednesday, February 9, 2011

Mmmmmm... Cranberry Grilled Chicken Salad

I think I just ate my weight in Cranberry Grilled Chicken Salad.  I'm so full that I'm pretty sure I'll bust any minute.  I know that isn't really a good feeling, but The Bleu House is my absolute favorite lunch spot ever.  Their food is so eclectic and fabulous, and the house just has a fun atmosphere.  Let me tell you why I love the salad I had for lunch today so much:  it has the juiciest grilled chicken ever, sweet cranberries, uncooked ramen noodles that are broken up into itty bitty pieces, fresh greens, and the best cranberry vinaigrette salad dressing.  It makes my mouth water again just thinking about it.  The worst part about the salad is the dressing, which I have absolutely no clue how many calories it has in it; however, the salad is a great boost to my motivation since I haven't had it in about 2 years.

This morning's workout wasn't as intense as they usually are because my cramp was still there a little bit. Dang thing.  I went back to the 1-2 Cardio DVD instead of the 3-4 one, but I still burned 294 calories in about 40 minutes... and my dog helped me do my abs exercises.  She likes to stand on top of me while I'm doing crunches and just stare at my face.  I'm cool with it - it adds a little extra resistance to the workout!  I'll have to take a video of her doing that and upload it sometime soon.

So, yesterday I got my first set of weight loss compliments.  Three of my coworkers told me that I look great and that my changes are really starting to show, which definitely helped me gain some more confidence in this journey.  :)

The photo shoot went well, too.  I got some pretty awesome photos!  You can see a few of them on my website, Dolly Doodle Photography.  Go under Profile, click on People, and it's the girl who's in the second picture on the page.  Hopefully I'll get some good feedback from the competition... or at least, better feedback than I got last time I entered some photos.  One of my friends is letting me help him with a photo shoot tonight, so hopefully I can learn some additional techniques to help with my progression.

Oh, and PS - I lost another pound today!  The grand total is 12 pounds so far on the dot, so I'm excited!  Only 3 more pounds until my next tier has been accomplished!

Tuesday, February 8, 2011

Ugh.

Couldn't work out this morning...  had some cramps that prevented me from being able to exercise before I went to work.  I really hate that I didn't get to, but I guess that's just my body's way of saying "woah nelly."  I'll pick up tomorrow morning as long as my body permits me to do so.

So, it's gorgeous outside today.  The only thing is that it's absolutely cold and windy.  I mean, it's not freezing, but for Georgia weather, it's cold.  We're supposed to have yet another snow storm Wednesday night.  That will be our third accumulation this winter.  Holy cow.  I'm not really complaining, though, because I don't have to go to the gym to work out.  Yet another perk for in-home fitness with Tony Horton. 

Since it's pretty, though - I'm going to do a photoshoot with my friend/coworker today.  It's going to be fun!  There's a really cool Coca-Cola sign in the downtown area that would be an awesome backdrop, so we shall see how it goes.  :)

Hope everyone has a great day today!  I'll leave you with my favorite song for the day: 

"For the First Time" by The Script

Monday, February 7, 2011

Am I crazy?

Maybe that's a rhetorical question, but does anyone else talk to their past injuries when they're working out?  I know I do! 

Lord knows that I've had a ton of injuries from my past...  fractured my cheekbone and elbow from competition cheerleading... tore my meniscus in my knee during gym class...  broke my finger while playing flag football... tore a ton of ligaments and stretched my tendons in my ankle while running in Race for the Cure (fell over a sewage drain... I'm awesome like that)...  and the list goes on.  I guess that just goes with being extremely competitive, but that isn't necessarily a bad thing.

Back to my original topic, though: when I'm doing pushups, my elbow feels like it's going to give out, and then my knee pops every time I do run lunges or squats.  So, to help motivate myself to keep going, I talk to my injuries.  "Come on, you've got this!"  I know my limits, so if the "giving out" sensation gets too intense or my knee starts to hurt when it pops, I'll definitely stop the workout move.  I'm sure, though, that if someone came in the room while I was working out and talking to myself, they'd wonder if I had a few screws loose.  I mean, I probably do, but you know what I'm saying.  Does anyone else talk to themselves?

So anyway, I've got to be spot on today with my food and drink intake.  My morning workout went pretty well - burned a little over 200 cals during the circuit training, so I'm not really complaining.  Now, I've just got to make sure I eat exactly right today to make up for my Super Bowl pig-out.  The food last night was great, but what's even better is when you see the scales go down consistently.  :)

Sunday, February 6, 2011

Calories don't count during the Super Bowl

Right?  Well, not really, but I totally didn't watch what I ate tonight.

The boyfriend and I grilled wings at my parent's house for the big game.  Plus, there was a kick butt Rotel cheese dip, grilled corn, fruit, brownies, sugar-free chocolate pudding, and margaritas.  Let me tell you, home-cooked wings are the best.  At least you know what's in them and that they're made with clean hands.





I guess my dinner could have been worse - we could have had restaurant-made wings that were deep fried or disgustingly baked.  And, they could have been cooked with the dirty cook's dandruff seasoning.

The only thing that would have made the night better was if the Falcons, Broncos, or Cowboys were in the Super Bowl.  The Falcons got close, but no cigar was handed to them.  They screwed up when it counted the most.  I mean, the Packs were a much better winner, though.  The Broncos and Cowboys were so far behind that there was no way of catching up.  Maybe the Broncos need to put Tebow in the whole season and see where that takes them.  Everyone said "he's not pro material."  It's time to eat those words, suckas.

Anywho, now that I've gotten off on a football tangent...  I know I won't gain weight from one mishap, but I surely need to work my butt off tomorrow morning during my workout.  Gah, I hate getting up early before work to exercise (especially when I stay up late to watch a football game), but it's my only option.  Desperate times call for desperate measures.

I will say, though, that my jeans fit looser today!  I just washed them, too, and normally it takes a couple of days for my jeans to get to the stretched-out point.  Yaay for that.  :)

Song of the Day

For the first time in a long time, I went to church.  Not just regular church because that's what I'd been doing this past year.  I went to my church.  My church, the one that never ceases to amaze me each and every Sunday morning that I can go.  It's about 25-ish miles from my house, so it takes a little while to get there, but it's so worth it.

Let me say that their band is awesome.  And I do mean absolutely awesome with a fully capital A.  One of the songs they did was "You Hold Me Now" by Hillsong United.  These lyrics spoke to me this morning and really helped to encourage me throughout this fitness journey.  It's my song of the day, so here's the video for you to enjoy, as well:




Saturday, February 5, 2011

Lost another pound today...

...but I'm sure that I gained it right back because of everything I ate today!  My grand total so far is 11 pounds on the dot, so as long as I keep moving forward in that direction, I think I'll be good to go.

Had some sushi for lunch, and the lady screwed up my order.  That resulted in them giving me the 16 count California Roll instead of the 8 count.  My will-power isn't good enough to say no to extra pieces of a Cali-Roll.  Then, tonight we had fajitas at our favorite local Mexican restaurant.  I must admit it: I'm a guac-aholic.  Mmm, mmm good.

I tried to make it up by playing some Wii Tennis and Baseball tonight.  I didn't think that the Power 90 workout this morning was enough for my overwhelming appetite for...  well, um...  good food.  The only thing was that those freaking Miis were playing some tennis tricks on me.  Little turds.  At least I beat the crap out of them with my sick serving techniques.  Take that, tennis Mii.

Well, Pierce Brosnan is on the television right now.  That's major ADD for me, since he is pretty much the sexiest celebrity alive. His singing in Mamma Mia isn't so great, but I'll overlook that for now.  So, so long for tonight!

PS - I love this song.  Like, for real.  Enjoy!



Friday, February 4, 2011

Always Been, But Not Forever: Chubby

I've always struggled with my weight.  It always felt like every day I consistently tried to either maintain or lose weight to a certain level. Seriously.  Every.  Single.  Day.  Ever since I was a little kid, I've had difficulty being in the normal range for my weight, and it got especially awkward during middle school and early high school...

When I was in 10th grade, I was about 5'7" and reached the 210 lb mark. I'd never been that heavy before, and it was difficult being an overweight competition cheerleader for so many different reasons. Cheerleaders aren't supposed to be like that... or at least that's what I thought. It was stressful trying to complete a 2-minute, 30-second routine filled with stunts, dances, and chants while being so out of breath that I could hardly keep up. I remember looking at my high school ID picture and a couple of other cheerleading pictures, thinking to myself, "Wow... what in the heck am I doing?" I knew I needed a change right then and there, and I took major steps to regain control of my weight.  It also made my motivation grow when I saw the type of new uniforms we were going to order for the competition squada.  Spandex.  Green spandex.  Not a friend to a tall fat girl. 

After about 2-3 months on a diet that consisted of eating healthier and replacing Cokes with grapefruit juice, I lost 40 lbs and was much more self-confident in my apperance. So many people told me how great I looked, and my confidence just fed off of that. It was awesome - I actually looked like a cheerleader and could perform routines like one, too.  I was lookin' good!

Fast forward to my sophomore year of college when I moved into the sorority house. I gained about 15 lbs just because I didn't really make an effort to work out regularly. My college schedule was so packed because of my extracurricular involvement that I simply didn't "make" time for myself. I started running, which I'd never gotten involved in before then, and made goals to eat healthier. I also found out that I have Hypothyroidism, which causes my metabolism to be i-n-s-a-n-e-l-y slow.  I started taking meds to correct this disorder and began to see a change in my behavior and stamina.  This change helped me lose 30 lbs, and I was in better shape than when I was a competition cheerleader. I made running goals for Race for the Cure and some other 5Ks, which definitely helped my motivation, too. I completed my first 5K in Macon (RFTC) by running the entire race without stopping in 34.05 minutes. Unfortunately, though, I injured myself at the beginning of the race (fell over a sewage drain in the first minute of the race and severely injured my ankle, but ran on it anyway...hardcore, I know), which led to me to a recovery period that didn't include running. It was okay, though, because I got back into the mix after a few months of rest and maintained my weight throughout the entire time.
 
In 2010, I decided to pursue P90X.  All was going well until I was rear-ended in my Equinox Sport and injured my neck and shoulder.  That hit me like a ton of bricks (pun intended), so I couldn't finish the program.  I was only a month into it and had to take a pretty long break.  Dagnammit.  That break resulted in me gaining a little bit of weight (probably around 5-10 lbs) since I couldn't work out consistently, and it made my pants fit snug.  Nope, that's not okay with me.
 
So during Christmas, I decided to buy the Power 90 program and make a change starting on January 3, 2011.  I'm now a little over a month into the program, and I LOVE it!  It's helping me get back into the workout routine, while not stressing my shoulder too much.  I figure that life is too short to be unhappy about my fitness level, so Power 90 is going to help me achieve my short-term fitness goals. It's up to me, though, to continue the long-term goals.  I still have my high school ID to use as motivation, and I intend to keep it on my mirror throughout this entire process. I never want to reach that weight ever again. Anyway, here are my goals:

- Achieve 20% body fat
- Reach the 145 lb level
- Become more toned
- Run a 5k in less than 27 minutes
- Climb up Stone Mountain without having to stop

Now, I know these goals are pretty steep for a slightly overweight girl, but I might as well set my goals high or not set them at all.  My plans are to start and finish Power 90, then move on to P90X, and finally do a round or two of Insanity.  I'm sticking with the Beachbody products because that's what I want - a BEACHBODY.  My birthday is in August, so what better birthday present than to reach my goals?  :)
 
So, that's my plan.  And I'm sticking to it.