Here's the Plan...

It's back!!  The wonderful, awesome, amazing feeling I get from working out...it's finally come back to me! 

Yesterday afternoon, I did my first work-out in three weeks!!  School ended, I made sure all of my kiddos were gone for the day, and I got changed, and then I got that "I really don't want to work-out" feeling.  I even started running excuses in my head that I could give my work-out partners as to why I didn't feel like it.  Then, that awesome motivational voice was in my head again - "DON'T YOU DARE!" It screamed.  I realized that I've made excuses long enough - I had to see it through.  Boy, I'm so glad I did.

Each week, the two teachers that do the work-outs alternate the circuits.  Last night, there were six circuits: standing lunges, cross-over run with high knee return (do the cross over run half the length of the gym and then high knee run back), jump rope, tic-tocs (run on the spot but throw your legs out to the side), walking lunges, and then knee to elbow standing lifts.  We did each circuit for a minute, and repeated all six circuits three times.  After I was done, I felt G-R-E-A-T!!  I was able to do all of the circuits for the full time each and every time.  I'm not going to say that it was too easy, I was still sweating my butt off by the time it was all over.  It was just a great feeling knowing that I was able to keep up, and I haven't lost all of the strength that boot camp gave me.  Not only was it a great work-out, but it was also really fun.  I will DEFINITELY be going back on Monday!!

I did not run this morning - not because I didn't want to, but because I slept later than I had planned.  Not to worry, I am going to go this evening....come hell or high water!!

So, on Thursday, I said I was going to share my Biggest Loser game plan.  I feel like I'm in a situation where I could really win this competition.  Even though I don't know everyone that is doing the competition, as I look around the faculty and staff at the school - I believe it's a good chance that I have the most weight to lose.  That can be an advantage - but also a disadvantage.  For the small competitors that only have a few pounds to lose - their percentage of weight loss will be much higher.  For a 150lb woman to lose 10lbs would give them a 6.7% weight loss.  For me to lose 10lbs, it would only give me a 4.8% loss.  That means I have to lose double the weight to get the a good lead on the competition....which means I HAVE to lose at least 20lbs in the next 10 weeks.  What am I going to do?  Well, here's the plan for now....it may have to be altered, but I'm going to see how it goes.

1. Continue eating the way I have been.  I'm going to stick to eating 4-5 meals a day.  I'm going to continue NOT counting calories, but focusing on what I've been focusing on for months - my protein and carbs.  I really don't have to do that anymore, because I'm so used to it now... but just watch my portions and make sure that I'm getting enough food in.
2. Start drinking water again.  I still drink water, but not to the levels I did while in boot camp.  I maybe drink 20 or 30ozs a day now, when I was drinking close to 100ozs every day.  I am now going back to the 100ozs a day.
3. Cardio Circuits on Mondays and Fridays.  The circuits gave my whole body a good work-out, so I'm definitely going to stick with doing them.  They are fun, "doable", and I think they are going to help burn a lot of calories.
4. Long walk/run on Wednesdays and Saturdays.  I am going to start out by doing 3 miles combined walk/run.  I will walk 1 mile, run 1 mile, and then alternate run/walking on the last mile.  Each week, I will make myself run more on the last mile, to eventually running the full 2nd mile.  Then I will do the walk/run mix on the first run...to hopefully, eventually, running the full 3 miles.
5. Sunday will be weight day.  A 30 - 45 minute session using weights.  I will use my home gym, my free weights, and just mix it up each week to get some strength training in. 

So, that's the plan.  It will change, I'm sure.  Once the Girls on the Run program gets started, that will change things up a bit.  There's a good chance that I will be doing Girls on the Run on Tuesdays - so that will fill in a block on one of my "off" days.  I guess I'll just have to see how it goes.

Before I go, I have to ask that everyone take a least a minute today to think about what day it is today.  Nine years ago, our country was attacked by terrorists.  Regardless of your beliefs on the war, what really happened that day, and current controversy on what is going to be in the place where the Twin Towers stood - no one can deny that thousands of people lost their lives.  Push all of your thoughts aside today, and just remember the people that lost their lives doing their everyday routine, the thousands of service workers that lost their lives doing their job of saving people, and all of the passengers and crew that were on the flights.  Let's not also forget -regardless of your beliefs - the military men and woman that have lost their lives since.

Till next time.  ;)

Voice image retrieved from:  http://www.renderosity.com/homepage.php?page=3&userid=132998
Sept. 11th image retreived from:  http://www.able-engravers.com/september_11th.htm

Really? It's Friday Already?

Oh my, where has this week gone?  I know it was a short week - but my goodness...my days are going by so fast they are just a blur to me.

I'm very excited today.  After work I will be doing my first cardio circuits work-out.  I have absolutely no idea what they use for the circuits - I just know I want to do it.  I feel that tingling sensation I used to get on boot camp days.  The sensation that I'm going to do a GREAT work-out, and that's a great feeling. 

I remember the nervousness I felt when I started boot camp.  I didn't know anybody, and I wondered what it was going to be like working out with complete strangers.  It will be similar to that tonight.  Even though I've seen the two people I will be working out with before, I don't know them.  I'm a little nervous, but the excited feeling is taking over.  This is a great opportunity to make a couple of new friends, and also make sure that I'm getting a couple of good cardio work-outs in each week. 

It's so funny to me how things have a tendency to fall into place.  I've sat at this computer for the past three weeks telling you all how much I've lacked in motivation about working out, my plans to go running - that always seem to be broken, and how much I want to get working out back into my daily routine.  Then BAM I get thrown opportunities like the Biggest Loser competition, the cardio work-out group, the Girls on the Run program. If I didn't believe in signs before (I did), then I would have to now.  I have the answer to helping me get my motivation back - Biggest Loser.  I have a way of putting working out back into my routine - cardio work-out group.  I have a great opportunity to start running again for another great cause - Girls on the Run.  Three of my "wants" taken care of, just like that.  I wonder if I started expressing how much I "want" to win the lottery... HA!

This weekend, I'm making plans to to get up early and take advantage of the beautiful mornings we've been having lately.  I was driving home from school in the rain yesterday afternoon, and I started to get a really weird, guilty feeling.  I thought about all of the days that I've told myself that I was going to go for a run, and my lame excuses for not seeing it though.  I started worrying that maybe I have started losing my desire to see my journey though.  OK, I've managed to last 8 months - the longest I've EVER gone trying to lose weight - but the thoughts that this could be it...that I'm starting to fall back into my "old self" routines rushed through my head.  Then, I heard something inside of me say "it's going to be OK, you're going to go for a really good run this weekend and realize how much you've missed it".  I sure hope that thing in my head is right.  Hearing voices is never a good thing - but I'm OK with "motivational me" giving me the comfort I need.  There is a reason I have been given the opportunities to get myself back on track, and I'm not going to let them slip by me.

So, tomorrow morning after I've come back from a therapeutic run, I will let you know how my cardio circuits work-out went AND what it truly felt like to run again. 

Till next time.  ;)

Motivational Jackpot!!

So, yesterday, I didn't have anything "weight loss" related to talk about.  Today, I get to share how yesterday I won the motivational jackpot.  I'm not just talking about a thought, an epiphany, or a decision that it's finally time to stop making excuses...no, now it's serious - money is involved!!

When I got to work yesterday morning, one of the teachers told me about a Biggest Loser competition that was had just started between the staff and faculty at the school.  It cost $10 to join the competition, and the person who loses the highest percentage of weight wins the pot.  I was the 16th person to join the competition - so I'm in it to win $150!!!   (Before you say anything, my math is not wrong.  I'm not counting the $10 that I put in to compete).  The competition lasts for ten weeks, and ends the week before Thanksgiving.  I can think of about 150 reasons why I need to do this.  Not only is it going to be a great motivational tool to really get my butt back on track - but that money would be awesome to use for Christmas!!  As an unpaid intern, Christmas is something that is going to be a tad on the tight side this year - and any little bit of money will help - so there's even MORE motivation to win this competition.  I will be weighing in every Tuesday morning - so it's time to get busy, focus, and time to start shedding the pounds again.

Just in case a Biggest Loser competition isn't enough to really light the fire under me - and it is - I got an added bonus at the end of the day yesterday.  The assistant principal and I met regarding getting the Girls on the Run program started.  We are hopefully going to get the required training sometime next week, and then the program will officially start the following week.  So, not only am I planning on working out for the competition, I will also get added work-outs in and be a part of a great after-school program!!  Being a part of this program means that I will be training to run another 5K in November.  I will get to work with 4th grade girls to help build their self-esteem AND help them train to run the 5K.  How awesome is that??? 

So, as you can see, tomorrow was quite an exciting day for me.  I was desperate for something - anything - to help fuel my fire once again.  I'm a competitive person, so having a weight loss competition may be just what I need to stop complaining, stop being wishy-washy about how much I'm working out, and really get serious again about losing the weight.  I'm setting my own goal to be under 200lbs by the time the competition is over.  That's 10 weeks to lose 6lbs, right?  Well, according to my scale - yes.  According to the scale being used to do my official weigh-ins each week, I have 10lbs to lose (I weighed in at 210lbs yesterday morning).  I know I haven't gained 4lbs, because my scale still says the same for me as of this morning - but I know that scales can fluctuate so I'm not worried about that.  I really don't think I can win this competition by losing 10lbs in 10 weeks....so who knows how much I can really push myself to lose.  This is going to be fun - and I can't wait to see the results.

That's it for today - tomorrow I will share my "game plan" and see what you think.  I'm also going to be looking to some of you for advice, tips, and support to really help me through this.  All comments and suggestions are always welcome.

Till next time.  ;)

Personal Updates

I really don't have anything to discuss today, in terms of weight loss, so I figured I'd give a personal update on how my internship is going.

We are now in the middle of the third week of school.  I can't believe how quickly my days fly by.  I'm loving every minute of getting to know the adorable kids that make up my first grade class, and my awesome mentor.  It's so amazing how three years ago, getting to do a year long internship was years away and never given any thought.  As my time got closer and closer the nerves started to kick in and all I heard was horror stories about how stressful the whole thing was.  It's very daunting to go from working two days a week for two years at a very lax job to working four days a week and going to school all day on the fifth.  Now that I'm doing it, however, I am loving it.  Yes, I'm tired every day.  I come home drained of all energy physically, but my mind continues to work on overtime thinking about what the next day will bring. 

I'm not sure if my "happy-go-lucky" attitude will continue throughout the entire year - especially once I have to start writing my own curriculum unit - but something inside tells me not to worry.  I know I was born to teach.  Every morning when I wake up at 4am, I'm excited.  I can't wait to get to school and spend my day learning, teaching, observing, and soaking up every bit of experience I possibly can.  I don't remember there every being a time in my life that I was excited about getting up and going to work.  I've loved most of the jobs I've had, but when it really comes down to it - I was never excited to go.  I don't think this is a honeymoon period, either.  You know when you first get a new job, you're excited to go for the first week and then reality sets in and it's just robotic routine to get up and go to work, come home and not think about work until you slowly (and unexcited) have to get up the next morning.  No, this is different.  When I come home, I spend a couple of hours reflecting on my day, thinking about things that I will use in my own classroom, study my lesson plans....things that are not required, I just do them because I want to.  It's like I don't want to stop working when I come home.  If it's like this now, I can only imagine what I will be like when I have my own classroom.

My teaching experience is also positively affecting my parenting.  It's so funny to hear myself when I talk to my kids, now.  This time last year, when Prairie Dawn and Grover would start arguing I would be the first to yell "will you two just KNOCK IT OFF!!!"  Now, I hear myself saying in a calm voice, "OK, what are you fighting about?  What can we do to resolve this situation?"  My kids look at me like I've gone mad...LOL  Even Zoe gets the daily dose of "Teacher Mom".  "You really need to sit down and focus on eating your dinner" - Focus? Really? Calm voice: "Honey, we don't hit, if you continue this behavior you will need a time-out". She's probably thinking I've lost it.  My changes, however crazy they may think they are, have changed them too.  The fighting has decreased, my oldest two now get along much better.  The two year old is listening to me, and the bad behavior is being nipped in the butt - quick! 

They are loving the changes in me, though, I can feel it.  For the past three years, it's horrible for me to admit, but I've been completely absorbed with school.  I would come home and then it was straight to doing homework - not to be "bothered". If I didn't go straight to homework, I would still ask not to be bothered because I was too tired and just wanted to relax.  Now, I come home and we talk about our days, share things we've learned (yes, all of us), I help with homework, and then - and only then - do I retreat to my office to get my work done.  Even then, the "do not disturb" rule has been lifted and it's not uncommon for one or all three of the kids to lounge around in my office reading or chatting to me as I work.  Once things get a little more hectic (especially when I have a lot more homework from my classes piling on) I want the atmosphere to continue.  Prairie Dawn likes to help, and I think she'll be able to once I'm writing my own lessons and curriculum.  The "Do Not Disturb" sign is gone - I want my kids to always feel like they have access to me whenever they want it.  I have learned a very big lesson already - to be an effective, accessible teacher to 24+ kids I must first be an effective, accessible mother to my three.

Well, that's quite a reflection....think that's enough for now.

Till next time.  ;)

Time for Some Team Support

A new week is upon us, a short one at that.  I really enjoyed a very busy three day weekend.  I'm going to stop planning on "resting" on the weekends, because every time I do - something happens and I'm running around like a headless chicken all weekend.  So, I didn't get to relax much.  I'm not going to complain.  I had a great time going to the fair, organizing and cleaning, spending time with my family, and spending a few hours doing some homework.  Now it's time to get back to the grind - the place I love to be.

Got a little change occurring this week.  I was going to share this on Saturday, but being that my post was consumed with the fair I decided to put it off until today.  After work on Friday, I spoke to one of the teacher's that was walking down the hallway in work-out clothes.  I asked her if she was going running, and she said "no, we're going to work out in the gym" (the school gym).  This peaked my interest, and she obviously saw it.  She told me that her and another teacher got together twice a week to work out in the gym to do some cardio circuits and that I was welcome to join them any time.  JACKPOT!!  They work out on Mondays and Fridays, so this will be PERFECT to at least get a little working out in each week.  I decided last night that if I do the cardio circuits on Mondays and Fridays, and make myself go for a run on Wednesdays, that I will be getting in 3 good work-outs during the week.  I'm a lot more confident that this is going to work rather than just saying "I'm going to try and go for a run today".  I need the routine, I need the schedule, and knowing that I have other people expecting me to be there makes me that much more accountable.

Obviously, I won't be starting the work-outs until this Friday, but I can still go for my run after work tomorrow and then join them on Friday.  I feel like I got a good deal of exercise in this past weekend, even though I wasn't "working-out".  There was something about seeing that number on the scale on Saturday that has really helped refuel my fire.  I never really lost my spark, and I'm committed to continuing my healthy lifestyle - but now that I'm so close to a number that has been out of my reach for so many years....I just have to make myself work that much harder.  Being less than 200lbs, for me, is like winning the lottery.  I've been trying for so long, sometimes getting close - but never actually succeeding.  This time, things are different.  For close to eight months I've eaten right, I've exercised, I've lost 57lbs!!!  I am officially over the halfway mark and have only 56lbs to go before reaching my target weight of 150lbs.  I'm OK with the fact that it's taken me 8 months to get this far, but I started my journey with a goal of losing 100lbs in a year.  I don't realistically think that I'm going to lose 56lbs in the next 4 months, but I want to know that I worked as hard as I can and got as close as I could.  Let's not forget I have Thanksgiving and Christmas to attend to during that time - both will be the biggest challenges for me - but I have the strength and willpower now to know that I will succeed.

So, it's taken me a few weeks to get my bearings with my new schedule.  That's over with now - I'm used to it, now it's time to get my work-outs in.  I really think having a little team support is really going to help.  It's the closest thing I'm going to get to boot camp for a while - and oh, how I miss boot camp.  I need people supporting me, encouraging me, working-out with me....and it seems I may have had my prayers answered.

A quick side note before I go.  Yesterday, I bought 2 pairs of size 16 jeans!!  I have been able to fit into size 16 pants for a while - but have struggled with jeans.  My size 18s have been a little loose, but the 16s were still a little tight.  Well, I tried on two pairs of size 16 jeans yesterday - and they fit perfectly!!  This next weekend, I'm going to take a few progress pics.  It has been WAY too long since I updated them, so it's time for you all to have another look at how I'm doing.

Till next time.  ;)

My Pre-Labor Day Labor

After the crazy busy weekend I've had, I'm so glad it's Labor Day weekend.  I really need another day to relax a little - because I really put in some labor around my house yesterday.

After I pulled myself away from the computer yesterday morning, I spent about five hours cleaning.  Yes, I wrote that correctly - 5 hours!!!  My bedroom had become a catch all for everything from bedding, to empty boxes, to an array of miscellaneous items that I couldn't be bothered to find a home for.  Walking into my room was more like walking into a storage room - ever seen the show Clean House? - and it was driving me C-R-A-Z-Y!!  On top of that, I'm one of those mothers that insists on my kids keeping their rooms clean.  How hypocritical is it of me to constantly be on my kids' case about cleaning their rooms, when my own room has ten times the mess?

So, I put myself to work (with some help from Zoe) and we started organizing, bagging things up I didn't need, and finding homes for things that shouldn't be in my room.  I cleaned out my clothes, once again, and ended up with a 30 gallon trash bag, and 2 shopping bags full of clothes that I can no longer wear - because it's all too big.  The last time I cleaned out my clothes, I got rid of the size 22s and up.  I held on the size 20s because I could still wear the pants with a belt and the shirts were just a little baggy.  Well, they all had to go - because even with a belt - the pants looked ridiculous, as well as the shirts.  I was so happy to see them go, but it always hurts when I find things that I only wore maybe once.  I'm a pretty thrifty shopper, and when I spend money on clothes I expect to wear them for a while.  Having several pairs of size 20 pants that I bought at the beginning of the summer, that I only wore once, is bittersweet.  It's nice knowing I beat my goal a lot more than I thought I would - but I kick myself and think I should of just waited.  So, finally after about 3 hours of folding, loading, lifting, and hauling - my room is finally SPOTLESS!!!  But, I wasn't done....

After I was finished with my room, I was "in the mood".  The cleaning mood, that is.  I decided it was time to battle my office.  My office is supposed to be my sanctuary.  A place that hubby designed for me in the spare room where I can retreat to for working out, working on my computer, and a place to go when I need some time alone.  Since starting my internship, however, my office has become another "catch all" for school supplies, school books, and Zoe's toys.  I definitely did not feel like I was walking into a sanctuary when I walked in there.  With some help from Prairie Dawn, and the opposite of help from Zoe, we spent two hours sorting books, shelving books, un-shelving books, re-shelving books, and moving the furniture around.  Finally, my office was back to it's zen-like self (as close as I could it, anyway).  It's amazing how much shelf space I now have available when yesterday, every shelf was cluttered to the MAX!  Just a little organizing and straightening can go a very long way.

By the time I was done with all that cleaning - I was zonked.  Remember how I said last week how you can find other ways to work-out around the house?  Well, I think I definitely put in a great work-out yesterday.  This morning, my arms hurt (just like they do after a good weight session), my legs hurt (like they do after a good run), and I feel great....just like I do after a really good work-out. 

Today, I'm going to try my best and relax.  After a day walking around the fair on Saturday, and cleaning most of the day yesterday, I think I deserve a day off.  I have to go and walk around Wal-Mart this afternoon to do my grocery shopping, so I will be doing something.  Other than that, it's in front of this computer to do homework or in front of the TV relaxing for me.

Till next time.  ;)

Thrills, Measurements, and a Winner

Got a bit of everything going to be thrown in to today's post.  Going to start out with sharing my experiences from the fair yesterday, then move on to my measurements, and then end with the announcement of the winner of the Member of the Month contest.  Let's see if I can do all three topics without writing a book of a post.

My daughter on the swings

First, the fair update.  There's only one word that can describe my experience at the fair yesterday:  FANTABULOUS!!!  What? That's not a word?  Well - it is now.  When we first got there, I was still very nervous about getting on the rides.  The fear of heights started creeping in, and seeing how extreme some of the rides were gave me an uneasy feeling.  I also started thinking "what if I haven't lost enough weight to fit into the rides?"  As a family, we decided to start off small and then work our way up to the big rides.  We started on the Tilt a Whirl - that was fun.  Then on to the swings - they made me nervous, but I enjoyed it.  Then on to the Orbiter (which is pretty fast, but doesn't go up very high), then on to the Himalayas - still doing good.  Finally it was time to move onto a ride where I had to be strapped in to one of the dreaded harnesses - the Double Shot.  It basically flies up really high in a circular motion really fast, then stops at the top and does everything over again going the other direction.  The guy came up to pull the harness down over my head, my heart started racing, and then "clink" it was locked - and I could still move a little.  My circulation wasn't cut off!!  That was it - that's all I needed to happen to find my "daring" side - and we then went on ALL of the really big rides.  We were there for about 4 hours riding the rides over and over again....and my kids and I had an absolute BLAST!!!

My son and I at the fair

Having that awesome experience is a great way to lead in to my measurements.  Preparing for my post this morning, I realized I haven't taken my measurements since July 15th!!!!  Definitely time to see what's been going on with my body.  Here goes:

Neck: 

Previous:  14"            Now:  13" (-1")

Bicep:

Previous:  16 1/4"      Now:  14 1/2" (-1 3/4")

Forearm:

Previous:  12"            Now:  11" (-1")

Thigh:

Previous:  28"            Now:  25" (-3")

Calf:

Previous:  17 1/2"      Now:  17" (-1/2")

Hips:

Previous:  49"            Now:  46" (-3")

Waist:

Previous:  41 1/2"      Now:  40" (-1 1/2")

Total Inches Lost = 11 3/4"

So in the past month and a half, struggling with working out and adapting to a new routine, I've managed to lose a total of 11 3/4".  Who can be upset about that?  Definitely not me!!  I think, being that I'm not the best person about keeping up with weigh-ins and measurements, I'm going to try and shoot for doing both on the first weekend of the month.  This month, now that the weather is getting better, I'm really going to try hard to push myself and make myself workout - even if I think that I'm too tired, or I just don't feel like it.  I'm going to take my own advice (for once) and at least do a quick work-out when I don't feel like it...because I always end up wanting to do more once I've started.  Besides, now that I know I'm only 7lbs away from being in the 100's - I have more motivation than ever to knock them pounds off as fast as I can (even though that's not my advice...my motto has always been slow and steady). 

Lastly, it's time to announce the Member of the Month from my Facebook contest.  Before I do, I just want to say that I will not be continuing this contest.  I tried something new, it failed, time to move on and find something else.  When I only have less than a dozen people signed up for the contest - from over 250 members - it makes me a little disheartened.  I think I'm going to follow in the footsteps of other bloggers and just do random giveaways here.  Thank you to those that did sign up - and I apologize if you didn't get a chance to win.  I just think I will have better luck doing a blog giveaway than a Facebook giveaway.

OK....the first (and last) winner of Member of the Month is.....drum roll please.... Cathy McAuliffe-Dickerson!!!!   Since winning the Member of the Week contest, she has continued to comment on posts, "like" just about every status update, and is just an amazing motivator to me.  She wins a "I am WOMAN, Hear me Roar" Bondi Band.  Congratulations, Cathy!!!

Till next time.  ;)