Monday, March 31, 2014

Day 39

It was so nice to get back into a schedule again. My knees are KILLING ME so I went to Aqua Aerobics to get them loosened up. I'm starting to think the problem with my knees came from sitting on an airplane for 8 hours. I'm not sure, but hopefully if I ice them and am careful....I'll feel better again.

A lady in class today told me that she does Aqua Aerobics as a warm-up to Zumba every week. Great idea! Zumba class is right after Aqua Aerobics, so that would be a great DOUBLE workout!

Sunday, March 30, 2014

Day 38

I'm thrilled to report that I weighed in this morning to check my pre- and post-weight from the cruise.......I only gained 2 pounds! I am THRILLED by that!

Now I'll put the scale away and continue working hard on exercise.....

Day 37

I finally made it to the Fitness Center!

We had a day at sea, so I knew we would not be doing anything terribly active. I spent 45minutes on the bike, watching the Atlantic Ocean out the huge windows in front of me. I really pushed hard and felt GREAT when I finished! It was hard to push for 45 minutes when I hadn't done it for a week, so I'm very glad I did!

I found that working my sore knees on the bike actually made them feel better!!

Day 36

My knees are so sore! I  assuming it's the humidity here, but both my knees hurt.

Today was not a very successful day, as far as a lot of activity. We took a taxi ride for 2 hours and he took us to cool places in Barbados. From small shacks to the $5000 a night place that Tiger Woods uses when he golfs.....really interesting. We even took a look at the neighborhood that Rihanna grew up in! Yippee. 

I'll do less mental activity and more physical activity tomorrow. 

Day 35

Today our workout was an awesome hike to Emerald Falls in Dominica. The hike in was kind of rough on my knees, but it was BEAUTIFUL!

To start off, you hike through a rain forest with a well worn path and occasional wooden steps to make the path workable. It's all downhill.  After you hike for awhile, you turn and see a gorgeous waterfall and pool. Wow! I kept thinking how much Megan would have loved to run this trail! It's Bonneville Trail times 100!!

After I played around in the pool, it was time to return. Wes had already started on his way back. I looked up at that trail I had hiked down and realized I would need to hike UP to get out. I was somewhat intimidated because I was the last one in our group to leave the pool, so I had the tour guide right behind me as I hiked up and up and UP! I didn't want to be the weakling that hiked a few steps and then was wiped out and had to rest.

So, once again,  I thought of Megan and her love of doing hills. I decided if she could love these...so could I. I hiked straight up and tried to enjoy the experience. I didn't stop once! I was so dang proud! I finally was able to see the results of my increased exercising over this last month!


Day 34

Once again, by the end of our shore excursion....I ended up being exhausted! I honestly thought that with the 25+ days of workouts I would be more able to get around. 

We went snorkeling and I actually worked at doing the exercises I had done in aqua aerobics--right in the middle of the ocean! It must have looked pretty strange with my fins and snorkel gear on! 



Day 33

I haven't been to the fitness center, but we've certainly walked A LOT and I'm tired! When Wes puts his mind to it...he can go hours on his feet longer than me! 

As I planned, I haven't been super strict with food, but I've just been careful. Luckily these foods are so "gourmet" and fancy that the desserts are usually too strange to be tempted by. My favorite Royal Caribbean chocolate chip cookies are nowhere to be found! They do have the sugar free ones and they're quite good. Lucky!

Friday, March 21, 2014

Day 32

Wes wanted to see San Juan, so we took off and walked along the beach and through town. I made sure we walked along the beach for a long time, as that is more difficult. Ultimately, it didn't produce much sweat (other than the humidity) and increased heart rate on me, but I felt great that we were doing something together. It felt good to be active.

Day 31

 Sitting on a plane handing to Puerto Rico. Finally!! I didn't get an official workout in, but I did crank up the music and clean the house with a vengence! Does that count for something? I hope so.
Wes has agreed to workout with me on the cruise. I know that doesn't mean go to the fitness center, but he's willing to walk around the decks and that will be a great thing to do together. I'd still like to get in some heavy sweat time, but working out with him will be awesome!

Thursday, March 20, 2014

Day 30

I've skipped a few days in writing, as I am preparing for this vacation that is insane! With handyman here fixing the bathrooms and trying to pack my bags… It's got a little crazy!

I weighed myself this morning for the first time in a few weeks and I've actually lost 4 pounds! I wanted to weigh myself this morning before we leave for this cruise so that I can see the difference once we return. 

I want to be careful on this cruise to be sure I work out every day and am aware of what Im eating. I'm not going to go crazy with not having food or not participating in the deliciousness of the meals, but I am going to be conscious of not eating a lot of super fat foods, a lot of sugar, etc. Hope this works!

I'll add to this blog as my Wi-Fi connection permits, but otherwise I'm keeping the journal on a piece of paper and I will put ut online when I return.

Wednesday, March 19, 2014

Day 28

I had a wonderful evening at Zumba. Thank heavens for the Democratic Caucus. They made us cancel YW and so I could actually go to Tuesday night Zumba. It was luxurious! For some reason I love this class so much more than the Saturday early-morning one. It was a good workout.

I reread what I wrote on yesterday's blog where I was concerned because I was at Day 26 and it was still not a habit. But yet when I realized that we would not have young women's, my first instinct was to go to my Zumba class! So maybe it's becoming more of a habit then I first realized. That was a great feeling!

By the way, the date says this was written on Wednesday, but it's still Tuesday and I waited until after midnight to post this!

Sunday, March 16, 2014

Day 27

It struck me today on my Day of Rest....it has been "scientifically proven" that it takes 21 days to change a habit. So why the heck isn't this daily workout a HABIT?!! Maybe at Day 42 (double the 21) I'll be able to say that is true.
 
I'm getting ready to go my cruise this Thursday. I'm really working things through in my head of when I'll work out and how I'll make this happen.....no matter what. There will be no support, no blog (though I plan on writing on my phone and transferring it over when I get back) and Wes will be my Sabotager Extraordinaire. I'm hoping to get him to join me in the gym so I can make it all work.

Saturday, March 15, 2014

Day 26

Another proof that writing in this blog works! 
I woke up this morning after having sat up with Wes and listening to music on his iPhone until 2:00 am...and I was pretty tired! 
And yet, the night before I had told myself on my blog to "tough it out"! So even as the excuses started to fill my brain of why I didn't need to get up, I remembered what I wrote and I got up. 

I came to Zumba, saw there was a substitute and almost quit, and then made myself go in and had a great time at Zumba with Karen H Brown, Leslie Cook, and Kris Weeks (of course)! 

It feels great! I've got a full day and some exercise at the beginning will only help.

Day 25

I've skipped!! Spring Break isn't just hard for Mallory! It's hard for her mom!! With her here, my schedule is off and I end up goofing off at the house...thinking she and I will go to the gym "later". What a DUMB thought! Either go NOW or you won't go!!

I can only hope that week 5 will be a completely different experience....in a good way! I'm hesitant to go to Zumba tomorrow because I don't want to mess up my knee for the cruise I'll be on in ONE WEEK!!

Tough it out, girl!!

Thursday, March 13, 2014

Day 23

I went to Aqua Aerobics this morning and really tried to push it hard. It's still hurting my knees, but I felt much better after I finished. I focused today to be aware of my eating habits....and that was frustrating. I HATE the pressure of hungry vs emotional eating, etc. I know I need to be really aware of sugar because that is what I'm craving the most. It will take a few days of walking away from it and I'll be fine....but those few days are usually miserable!

It's so strange! I guess I need to watch out for the "even" weeks and rejoice in the "odd" weeks. Week 1 was motivating, week 2 awful, week 3 was a happy discovery, and week 4 has been filled with anger! I know this is a "live and learn" process, but I wish the Roller Coaster wasn't so wild!!

Keep your arms and legs inside the vehicle and enjoy the ride!

Tuesday, March 11, 2014

Day 22

I end today totally exhausted, but no workout in sight! I was at work all day (should have gotten up early to take a walk or something) and went straight to YW and Board Meeting. I even tried to walk home, but the YW Leaders freaked out about me walking home alone.

After being SO proud about working out in Price--I completely BOMBED that night. It was a way low moment in my 100 Day challenge.

At about 5:00 pm I decided I just had to have ice cream. Honestly, I knew I wasn't hungry.....but I was going to have some ice cream, no matter what! So I went to the only ice cream store in Price...Cold Stone. I ordered a milk shake. I was given a choice of a tiny one or a large one and I chose the large one. At this point I was not hungry at all! Even the thought of eating a whole milk shake was making me kind of sick....but it was like I was completely determined I was going to drink that shake! No one was going to tell me not to! After they made my Oreo Chocolate Shake,  I walked out to the car and took a sip of it---and was disappointed. It wasn't very good. They hadn't done a really good job on it. But you know what? I drove along and made myself  drink that whole thing. It was like I was standing outside myself watching me drink this not-so-good shake and I was mesmerized at the picture of it. Why would I keep drinking it?

But that's not the end. I had told myself I was going to have a small personal pan pizza delivered to my hotel room. IDS was paying for it and I was going to have it! Once again, I wasn't hungry. In fact, I was pretty stuffed and sick from that stupid milk shake.....but I ordered that pizza and a 2 liter of Root Beer and I ate that whole pizza. I drank some of the root beer and was finally beyond sick. I stopped in total amazement.

I lay in bed that night and was SO angry. I knew that eating better was not a part of my 100 Day Challenge, but I had crossed over into sabotaging myself by the increased amount of garbage I had shoved down my throat! My hotel room was small and there were mirrors everywhere I looked. I couldn't help but see what I looked like and how far beyond gross my body was. That was a painful sight! I lay in bed with the worst case of heartburn you can imagine because of all the junk I'd eaten and I re-thought my pursuit of good health.

Ok. I know I can't make overwhelming goals or it destroys what I'm going after. But I did determine that I needed to get a handle on my eating habits. So....

  • cheat days are only on Friday date night, and cheating is never over the top!
  • Ice cream is allowed once a month. That's it!
  • No crazy diets, but be aware of sugar, fatty foods...be aware!
Another item I thought through is that I'm at a point of "phoning in" my workouts. Currently, if I'm biking and listening to a book, it has just become boring--not sweat producing! I need to dial it up a couple of notches so I'm dripping in sweat. I need to listen to crazy music and get the heart rate up and the intensity WAY up. If I'm doing Aqua Aerobics, I need to push it hard. I can really do that in that class because my knees aren't at risk. When I walk outside, I need to push the speed so that it is a workout, no a walkout!!

If I'm putting all this effort into something this important and I'm doing it for 100 days....I better darn well make it worth the effort or that time will have come and gone with nothing to show for it!!!!!

Monday, March 10, 2014

Day 21....I'm legal!

I've had a successful out-of-town day here in Price, Utah. I found the only gym in town and they charged me $3 to do 45 minutes on the bike. It was well worth the price! My knees are killing me from Saturday's Zumba, but I'm just going to push through it and keep up the work every day.

Saturday, March 8, 2014

Day 19

I went to the one hour killer class of Zumba. It's hard on my knees, but Lindsi explained a great way to safeguard them......moving on your toes instead of stomping down on your feet. It takes the impact away from your knees. But I will admit, it's harder that way! We did 16 pushups in between each song!!

Mallory came with me to the gym and worked out on her own....no way would she stick her head in Zumba! Who wants to look that dumb on purpose?! ME!!

I need to take a hard look at next week with my out of town visits and hanging out with Mallory. She'll help me get to the gym, but I need to make plans!

Starting tomorrow I will have finished 1/5 of my challenge! That doesn't sound like a lot, but it gets me excited. I feel good now....how great will I feel by day 100??!!



Friday, March 7, 2014

18 is my lucky number!

I had a great day at Aqua Aerobics. It's kind of scary to think how well I get along with all these old ladies. There are really several in the class that are my age, but it's cute to chitchat with the elderly ones!

I learned an interesting lesson today on the way out of the gym. I passed a woman who was about 80 years old. I've seen her there many times over the years. In fact, when I used to go regularly five years ago, she was in my Zumba class. I saw her today and started thinking about how she must be crazy to be that old and still be at the gym. Like maybe she doesn't have anything else to do with her life. Then it hit me! She has created that daily habit that I want and she's still at it! She's healthy and will live longer in a healthy situation, than if she had just stopped because she was too old to work out. I should be so lucky!

Thursday, March 6, 2014

I am 17 going on 18....

If you didn't get that subject line....sucks for you (Sound of Music)!

I learned another good lesson today: If you're slipping and feeling like you're not going to make it---call someone to help you out! Workout with ANYBODY you can find! I had the feeling that by the time I was done teaching 7 hours at Indian Hills Middle School I would NOT feel like running to the gym. I put my clothes in a bag and stuck it in the car with the hopes that I would just go to the gym and change there after work. But I was so tired after work, I knew I was going to go home, so I called Megan and asked if she'd meet me at the gym at 5:00.

Ultimately, she and Taylor didn't come before I had finished my workout--but that didn't matter! I got there and started. It was a tough push on the bike to keep myself going to finish, but I did! I need to make up a list of Poor Suckers who will drop everything to workout with me so I don't get stuck alone. Mallory's coming home next week for Spring Break, so that will be nice to have a Workout Buddy all week long!

I am a little concerned because I have to be out of town on Monday and Tuesday. I need to find a way to workout when my familiar places are not there!!

I wish 100 days had passed and this was a habit set in cement. I sometimes feel like I get up in the morning and then struggle to re-make the decision whether or not to work out that day. I need to dig deep and commit to that concept of a daily workout. Fighting the daily battle wears me out!

I mean, I don't make the decision every Sunday to go to church! I've made a deep commitment to go to church every week, so when Sundays come around...I just go. I don't re-think the decision. I just do it. It saves a lot of grief!  So where do I find that same sense of commitment to do a daily workout??

That needs some more thought......

Wednesday, March 5, 2014

Sweet 16 and never been.....

Today will be wild. I'm spending the day with Blake (who is sick) and then the RS Birthday Party is tonight. I guess I could cop out and say there  is not time for a workout! BUT NO!! That was yesterday's lame story!!

Today I got up at 6:30 and got ready and I walked! I only finished 20 minutes of my 45 minute goal, but now I will plan on walking to the RS Bday Party and I will get my 45 minutes in. YAHOO!!

This morning was hilarious with all the potential for NOT working out. Everything went wrong. I couldn't find my workout socks. My phone had died during the night, so no music to walk to. All my workout clothes were down in the freezing car.....it went on and on! There was every reason in the world to ditch the walk, but I was determined to make this happen! And it did!!! That is a great feeling.

A great effect of this 100-Day Challenge is the energy level I have. Especially in the morning. I had started developing some BAD habits of sleeping in until 9:00 or 10:00 everyday that I didn't go to work. Then I'd sit around and do the very minimal amount of housework, read books, do computer work, or watch TV. I was slipping into an entirely NON-active lifestyle. Just the simple act of walking or swimming or dancing around like a Zumba Geek has energized me to the point that after watching one show on TV.....I'm done. I am anxious to get up and get something accomplished. That is a great feeling!!

What a day! What a life!!!!!!

Day 15

Today was a BUST! It's the YM/YW Chili Cook Off and the day has no room for a workout. Yet now that I think about it....I could have woken up early to get something done. There is NO such thing as "no room for a workout". That will have to be the case tomorrow too!

It's 9:30 pm. I'm going to bed. Tomorrow is another day.

Monday, March 3, 2014

Day 14

I did my second day of Aqua Aerobics. The regular teacher was not there, so they did Aqua Zumba. It was hysterical! It was a good workout, but it was sure funny! Especially compared to what Lindsi does on Saturday mornings. It was still fun and there were a lot of people there. More of the 80-year-old women in the pool. Still had a riot. 

During the last 15 minutes of the class, I had a kind of weird experience. A couple of women got up to leave early and as I looked at them as they walked out… I noticed how big they were. The first thought that hit my mind was "is that what I look like?" It was unnerving to me. It was really kind of deflating. 

I shouldn't be judgmental of someone who looks like that… Especially when I look the way that I do. But it always makes me wonder if people look at me and see the body before they see ME. Yet,  I don't want fear to be a reason for me to lose weight – being afraid of how people see me. It needs to be a healthy outlook on my life, not fear of judgment. 

When I got to my car, I picked up my phone and Googled "fear of fat people".  I wanted to know what the actual term was. The first response was – "Racist". I started laughing so hard, but it was the truth! 

Good learning experience. 

Sunday, March 2, 2014

Lucky Number 13

It's Sunday, so I have a few minutes to rest and reflect. I feel such a sense of accomplishment....just because I made it through Week 2! That has always been my worst week. But Friday and Saturday changed things a great deal.

Friday I attended my Aqua Aerobics and it felt like I was working hard, but my knees weren't exploding after I was done. Then Saturday's Zumba went much better than last week. The week before I twisted and pounded my knees and it was not pleasant at all--just painful. This time, I used some caution in the way I exercised. I was still sweating buckets, but I wasn't pounding my knees.

On Day 5 I mentioned how Megan had asked me how I was feeling and I told her I felt awful. But after Saturday's Zumba class I realized that I felt GREAT. Later on that day, I noticed I was running up the stairs! I can't remember the last time I ran and did anything!


LESSONS LEARNED THIS WEEK:
  • If you just keep pushing through the UGLY days, you'll make it to the Celebration Days.
  • Even if you skip a day, don't fall apart and quit....just start clean the next day
  • Not all Aqua Aerobics classes are filled with 80-year old ladies

GOALS FOR NEXT WEEK
  • Plan each day the night before
  • Even if the day looks busy, DO NOT put off exercise until night time. It's too hard!
  • Focus on healthy and active actions during the day


So, last Sunday I was just grateful to not have to exercise and this Sunday I'm excited to kick it in and start tomorrow!

Saturday, March 1, 2014

A perfect dozen!

Day 12 started off wonderfully! I feel so good! I actually woke up on my own and went to Zumba all by myself with nobody holding my hand. All the people I needed to see were there in class dancing along with me (but they looked a whole lot better.)
 I want to keep this momentum going....it's feeling pretty darn good! I'm exhausted, but I can live with that.

I stared at my scale this morning with a big urge to weigh myself, but I thought "no! If I do that, the numbers on that scale will determine how I feel about myself all weekend." So instead I went to Zumba and worked my butt off (I wish!).