Sometimes it's the little things...

When I think about how I'm motivated to lose weight and get back in shape, it's not always the most common things that come to mind. There are the normal things like wanting to have more energy, having better fitting (smaller sized) clothing, etc.... But these ideals aren't what really get my mojo going.

Tonight, I took a long bath. As I was laying in the tub, I longed to be able to sink my body underneath the water. Being tall, I've accepted the fact that my legs and my body cannot both be submerged at once, even in a garden tub. But these days, as I'm trying to hold onto the hot water engulfing my body, I'm a little sad that there's 3 sizable islands amongst my watery paradise. And let's not even BEGIN to talk about shaving...

I often am the one in our household who cooks and prepares the evening meal. From time to time, I've been known to don an apron. I've sometimes thought to scenes often played out on the big and small screen. The man comes home to find a candlelit home, delicious smells emanating from the kitchen, and a sensual woman busy setting the table, wearing nothing more than an apron and a smile. This scenario is less than sexy played out in my real life.

Often times my husband and I volunteer our time at a local concession stand. It benefits an organization both of my children are participating in this year. At the end of the night, one of the tasks is to wipe down the counters with a bleach mixture. More times than not, I'm the one doing this task. This past week, as I was cleaning, I got some bleach on a new sweatshirt. Not because I'd spilled it on myself, but because my midsection protruded in such a way as to touch a freshly cleaned countertop. Oftentimes I'm in the same predicament with respect to dining. Forget about putting a napkin in my lap, the food cannot reach my lap unless I am a couple feet from the table and leaning over considerably. So my napkin sits to the side of my plate, or on one or the other leg.

It's the little things like this that really motivate me to get back on the healthy lifestyle track. Sure, I'll admit that clothes and appearance overall DO play a role, but those are more "big things" and not necessarily the small triggers that get you to go back to the starting line. So tomorrow, I'm lining up once again, with all the other racers out there trying to get to the finish line of this battle.

Be well friends!

End of a season, beginning of the next...

Next week (and this weekend) is the last trip the kids and I will be taking this summer. I wasable to lose ONE pound over the previous vacation, which isn't too bad considering my limited ability to do significant exercise on a boat on the dock or while at Hubby's dad's house where there's stray dogs everywhere (hence making it difficult to go for walks). So on august 1st, our Summer season will have come to a close and it will be time to move on.



The bad thing is the season which is creeping in on my happy summer. Allergy season! (at least, for me) Ragweed season is seeming to be getting an early start this year, which is no surprise given the fact that it has been SO hot this year in our area. I've been sniffling and rubbing my eyes/nose since we were in Oklahoma the first week of July. I know due to some bloating and general stuffiness associated with allergies it makes it harder to lose weight. So I'm planning to step up my efforts and swim for 1 hour and work out at the rec center for another hour. The pool will only be open for about another month and then its bye-bye swim time! I'm debating adding more Kinect time once the pool closes. Man, I wish the rec center had a pool!!



So hard work is ahead, but there's nothing worth getting that isn't worth working hard for.

Tummy troubles...

I'll try not to be too graphic here, but I KNOW someone out there in the big bad blogosphere must know what I'm talking about. Every since I started dieting/moving towards a healthier lifestyle my stomach seems to be EXTREMELY sensitive!

For the record, I LOVE a good steak! And my husband cooks a GREAT steak! But if I eat more than 3-4 oz of steak I am in the bathroom all night!! I have to take anti-gas pills a couple of times if I touch broccoli. If I happen to enjoy a nice hamburger its as if I'd have eaten my steak and that of every one else at the table. And beans...let's just NOT go there.

Now I'm aware the an aging stomach can come with complications, and having extra weight on me makes me physiologically-speaking older than my numerical years, but come on people!! It seems that years ago when I was far less concerned about my expanding waistline and food choices, I was not plagued with these maladies.

Just yesterday I enjoyed some broccoli in a buffalo chicken salad I'd made at home. Both of my children decided to spend the night elsewhere, so it was just me and the hubby. I'd been feeling pretty well most of the day, and had taken some anti-gas meds earlier in the day. I thought my worries had been thwarted. So hubbs and I headed upstairs to watch some TV (Netflix) and enjoy the evening after having some homemade pizza for supper (buffalo chicken and pepperoni-2 different pizzas, I also fed the 16 yr old boy I call my son...hehe). I'd only had about 3 pieces of pizza and again, things seemed to be going well. I struggled to keep my eyes open through three episodes of a miniseries we'd chosen to watch (it was very interesting, but I'd been busy all day and was fading quickly).

We came down to bed around 10:30pm and I was ready to call it a day. Shortly after beginning a rerun of Two and a Half Men, the Hubby starts to make his move. He was somewhat upset that we hadn't gotten frisky upstairs, seeing as how we were alone in the house and not restricted to fooling around behind a locked door. I was just too tired! I'd cleaned, exercised, and done some med trans that day and crammed a lot of activity into my awakened hours. I would have been happy to oblige his requests had I simply laid around and watched TV all day without barely lifting a finger to put the house back together. Then I went to the bathroom. Sadly it was not just that last pee before bed, this was somewhat of a matter with a definite purpose being conveyed to me with some urgency by my stomach. I proceeded to make three trips to the "little girls' room" in just about 15 minutes. I took some more anti-gas pills and went to bed. Hubby asked what was wrong and I simply whimpered, "My tummy isn't feeling so great." He didn't try and make any more moves.This certainly was not helping me get in "the mood" for ANYONE and I think he got the nonverbal message. I'd hoped my ails were gone for the day/night. I woke up a couple of times in the night, but just to get rid of the water I'd drank to try and rehydrate myself right before bed and after the multiple trips to the bathroom.

This morning I awoke for what I determined to be the final time around 6:00am. I went to the kitchen and knowing my previous night's tummy troubles, decided to have a glass of tea this morning in lieu of milk. Dairy is NOT my friend after a rough tummy night. I proceeded to make three trips to the bathroom in quick succession. Again, my butt is ON FIRE! What the heck!?!? You'd have thought I ate 3 steaks, topped with bacon wrapped cream cheese stuffed jalapenos, and finished it off with a big helping of beans and steamed broccoli. So today I'm sticking to a bland diet of lots of water and plain sandwiches. I'd wanted to make some Étouffée or Jambalaya for supper, but I think I might have to pass.

Am I doomed to eat a bland diet for the rest of whatever unless I team it up with large servings of anti-diarrhea and anti-gas meds? OR should I just pour me a pretty pink glass of Pepto every time I choose to enjoy one of the "no-no foods?"

Vacations and diets?

These are two words that simply should NOT ever be grouped together! But sadly, they must be if I plan to continue on my path to a healthier size and life. I don't think this trip its going to be all that difficult to maintain a healthier lifestyle, though. It seems when dear hubby is along, I eat a lot better. True it could be in part due to the fact that he has those lovely judging looks that bore through my junk food appetite.

I have spent a fair amount of time swimming and coasting around in the water, not laps, mind you...but still movement. And then there's the daily (sometimes a couples times daily) trek to the bathrooms. There IS a bathroom on the boat but if I'm going to be indisposed for a bit I tend to shy away from using the one on the boat. You know, if its yellow let it mellow..if its brown, walk to the regular bathrooms. Or something like that. ha!

I'm thrilled to report that this year the marina has WiFi!! Yay!! So I can get on facebook when bored, keep up with my check-ins to my food/exercise planner, as well post a blog or two from vacation.

Well, the dear husband is getting bitchy about the various little messes lurking around the boat, so I'd better go do some picking up....or I could conveniently need to make another trek up the hill. Decisions, decisions...

Something fun for the 4th

Decided to change up my nails for the 4th of July week coming up

What do you think?

Don't you just hate that?!?!

You know when you hear from skinny people that you'll feel SO much better about yourself and your day if you exercise regularly? I HATE it when they're right! Ha!

This morning I continued my swimming exercising, but I amped it up a bit and went for 20 laps instead of 12-15. In total is took my about 40 minutes to complete. My eyes are still a bit stingy from the experience, even though I got a pair of goggles the other day. But truth be told, I DO feel better!

I weighed this morning before heading out and even saw that I was down 2.5 lbs this week!! Yay!!

I'm meeting some friends for lunch this afternoon, and still have a LOT of cleaning to do before heading out on vacation Sunday, but I'm confident that I can keep this trend going!

Going it alone...sort of...

Weight loss, I've been told, is always easier when you have someone to make the journey with, as opposed to going it alone. Well, my family is less than enthusiastic about joining me at the local rec center on a regular basis. One of my close friends around here usually sleeps late as she has trouble sleeping at night. So I've decided I'll go at it alone, sort of. I say "sort of" because I have my Facebook and blog friends/family to encourage me as well. But don't fret! I'm not discouraged at all! I'm finding my inner strength and pushing forward.

My sleep schedule has somewhat normalized this week. I'm going to bed around 9:30-10pm and getting up between 5am-6am in the mornings. I usually check my online games and messages, then do a little personal bible study, then its off to exercise! This morning I spent some time at the rec center, then headed to the neighborhood pool for laps. The only other person awake this morning was my loyal hound, Daisy Mae (a chihuahua). But no worries, it allowed me to gather my thoughts and plans for the day in relative silence.

I go on vacation next week with the kids, Hubby, and my parents. We'll be on a houseboat for a week and then the kids, Hubby, and I will head to NW Arkansas for an additional week. It'll be difficult, for sure, to keep in a good state of mind and motivation, but I'm sure I can do it!!

Choosing the more healthful alternative isn't always the most popular, but I KNOW I'm going to feel SO much better as the pounds melt away and my health improves overall!

Summer Fun

So every now and then I like to indulge in a little harmless art work. Lots of my friends go to the nail salon a LOT to have their nails done. Mostly there's a lot of French manicures running around here. But lately I decided I wanted to do something more fun and funky. And seeing as how its summer in Texas, I felt I needed an appropriate color, or rather colors, to adorn my fingers.

I did all the colors separately and without guides. Yellow, orange, pink, and red. Then I let them set overnight and I then drew on the palm trees by hand (far more difficult on the right hand...eek!). Afterwards I covered it all with a clear coat of polish.

Just keep swimming...

Yesterday was a better day, for sure! Instead of rockin' out the xBox or Wii, I instead went to the neighborhood pool and swam some laps in the pool. I did the backstroke, breaststroke, sidestroke, and front crawl (aka freestyle). Swimming has always been a favorite activity of mine and so I thought this would be a great way to exercise. The pool opens at 8:00am, so I think I'm going to do the same today. I consider myself to be a good swimmer, but this really took it out of me! I was winded after two laps. I'm not going to lie, this kind of made me sad and feeling somewhat defeated. But I went on and pushed through.

I wanted to go to the rec center with the rest of the family, but they didn't care to go yesterday, so we just stayed home and hung out. I have lots of errands to do today, so I'm hoping that I can remain optimistic and keep going on a positive track.

Makeup days and excused absences

I remember in school we had excused and unexcused absences. If you had a note, the absence was excused and you were allowed a makeup day for any work you'd missed. If unexcused, well you were pretty much outta luck. I don't really think diets have excused and unexcused absence days. Don't get me wrong, everyone always has plenty of excuses as to why they didn't stick with their diet, but I don't think many of them are valid excuses.

Yesterday, I had an unexcused absence. I know I can't make up for the lost progress. At the same time I cannot allow myself to torture my will power into giving up altogether. I watched a friend of mine's elementary school aged children (9 and 10). We went to the pool, but we drove there (when we could have easily had walked). While there, I got in the pool and just sat there, telling myself the water was a little chilly and rather than swim mini-laps I needed to focus my attention on the children. After the pool, we went and got pizza. I know that I could have still maintained my healthier choices by only having a slice or two and making sure my choices of toppings were not dripping with grease, neither of which did I do.

So today I start anew, while telling myself that yesterday cannot get me down. I simply need to make better choices today. I joined the local rec center two days ago. I went for a 25 minute workout that day. They don't open until 12pm on Sunday, so it looks like I'll be waiting to go until this afternoon. I'm hoping I can talk the rest of my family into joining me on today's visit. This morning, since the dog and my husband woke me up early, I'm going to take advantage of my current state. I think I'll hop in the bath, shave my legs, and go upstairs to work out on the Wii or xBox 360 for a bit. In fact, EA Active is calling my name this hour.

Be well friends!

Schedules

I've never really been one for following strict schedules, but when I keep a list and plan a schedule I tend to stick with it. So I need to come up with a schedule for my days at home. I just have to decide what my daily activities will be. I know I need to incorporate work on my medical transcription, eating/snacks (healthy options, not crap), cleaning around the house, exercise, and just plain personal time.

There's now a recreation center in my town and not too terribly far away. I'm considering paying for a family membership (its far less expensive to go with that option rather than individual memberships for 3 of us) and making that my gym. Then on days that I can't get to the gym for whatever reason, doing things around the house for exercise or simply going for a nice walk.

I'm not happy with my body or my energy level, and no one is going to do anything about it but me. So over the next couple of days, I'll be planning a schedule for myself.

Be well friends!

Surgery wonders

I'm accompanying a friend to a doctor's appointment tomorrow. She's seeing a local bariatric surgeon to consider a lap-band procedure. She said the office already checked, and her insurance will cover all of it.

I'm not proud to say that I'm at a new high weight. I doubt my insurance will cover as much as hers will, but it'll be interesting to sit in on the appointment nonetheless.

I need to get moving! That's my problem. I've been listening to a taped message at night that is essentially a subliminal recording designed to motivate you to exercise.

If you have any tips to keep you daily committed to exercising, please share them with me!

Thanks friends!

How do I get my groove back?

Its been about a week since my last workout. Last week was a tough one. My grandmother passed away and it hit me harder than I originally thought it would. I haven't been eating lots of junk food to comfort me, I've never really been an emotional eater. But tonight I am getting back on track and back into my workout routine. I'm quite sure it'll be difficult and my muscles will be screaming out to me by the end of it, but I must continue if I want to get to a healthier place in my life.

In the near future I'm looking forward to many celebrations! My son's 16th birthday is just around the corner. My daughter's confirmation at church is just about a month away. My family's annual mother's day camping trip is coming up soon. And then my daughter's birthday and the end of another school year. Things are moving pretty fast this year and I'm confident that if I work hard and keep the faith in my workouts, I can run fast enough to keep up!

Be well friends!

Butt Kickin' Workouts

So my latest foray into the wonderful world of workouts has been EA Active 2 for the xBox 360 with Kinect. I figured I managed pretty well with the original EA Active for the Wii, this shouldn't be too much more intensive. I WAS WRONG!!!

I am fully appreciative of the increased workout I'm getting, don't get me wrong. This game is kickin' my butt!!! I'm on day two of the workouts, and both days I've downed 2 bottles of water just during the course of the 20-23 minutes of the exercising routines. I'm hopeful that this game will also motivate my posterior to lose a few inches as well. Ha!

I've been watching what I'm eating much better lately as well. This year for lent I was originally going to give up Cokes, but my husband pointed out to me last night that I don't drink that many of them to begin with. So I think instead I will be giving up drive-thru fast food. This will be pretty difficult to accomplish, but with good planning I think I can pull it off even with several small trips coming up.

Be well, friends!

Out of town, but not out of touch

So this weekend I found out that my grandmother's health was looking less than pleasant. So I decided (hubby and I decided) that I'd take a little road trip down South to visit with her. I've been keeping up with a food journal with the help of the Lose It app on my iTouch.

I don't have my Wii or xBox Kinect with me down here, so today after I had lunch in the park I decided to take a nice long walk around the park. It was wonderfully relaxing and the weather couldn't have been better!! The only downside is I completely forgot about the fact that I had a tank top on and NO SUNSCREEN. Ugh! So I'm a little sunburned, but I'm not going to sweat it, guess it just means I'm starting to get some color on my shoulders a little earlier this year. hehehe

I'm planning on going back over and visiting with my grandmother, aunts, and uncle tomorrow and probably Friday. I'm so happy that I took the opportunity to make this trip! It's truly been a wonderful experience so far!

The Year of Me

This year I have decided that honesty is the ONLY policy! And in that spirit,  here goes...

I have been a slacker! I have not worked out with any consistency for the better part of a year. I have not watched what I ate. I have touched my feet to the scales maybe all of 3 times in the last 6 months (each time cringing at the numbers that flashed before me).

I have to be honest with myself! I have been bad. I'm not helping myself or my health with this largely apathetic attitude.

Yesterday I had a WONDERFUL workout! I did EA Active (Wii), Dance Central (xBox Kinect), Kickboxing (xBox Kinect), and Dance Dance Revolution (Wii). It felt great! I need to find a way to remind myself that though I might struggle to get through some of the workouts while they're happening (namely EA Active), I always feel fantastic after having completed them.

I've recently enlisted the help of my Red/Pink Hat Society ladies to better motivate me to keep in a regular workout schedule. We have planned workouts 2-3 days a week, held at my house. I'm hopeful that this added accountability to someone local will help to boost my will power and put thinner days well within my grasp.

Be well friends!