I can! Cause that's what we're having here in Southwest Ohio. It's gorgeous outside! Started around 7 AM yesterday, and isn't supposed to stop til around 4 PM today!!! And better yet, the temp right now is around 19 degrees and the temp is expected to drop even more throughout the day!!! It's SO pretty!!! And I don't think our street has seen a snow plow since this whole thing began, so we're gonna be stuck here for a while.
So, because of the blizzard, yesterday didn't really go so well, food and exercise wise. We didn't make it to our eye appointment, and it's been rescheduled for Wednesday. We also didn't make it to the gym, since we had a Level 2 Snow Emergency already at 11 AM yesterday, so no one is allowed to be on the road unless it's an emergency.
What is it about being snowed in that makes me want to veg out and pig out? That's exactly what happened. I baked some chocolate chip cookies (sorry JulieW!), and while baking I of course ate some of the dough. And then I absolutely HAD to taste test the cookies after baking!!! Then when I put them into containers there were some that just wouldn't fit, so DH and I had to eat them before they got stale!!!! For dinner I had pizza rolls. And I had milk to wash down those cookies. All in all, it was a big failure for me. Plus there was no exercise. I DID have a good reason for baking those cookies though...the next door neighbor has a snow plow and I plan to use them to bribe him into plowing us out once the snow stops!!! So hopefully those cookies will be out of the house soon.
I'm hopeful that today will go better food wise. There is absolutely no hope of getting to the gym with the snow still falling, but I'm hoping to get the house cleaned and the laundry done.
So, the weather dudes are forecasting a foot of snow or more to fall here within the next 36 hours. Should be interesting, since people here freak out when we get 2 inches!!! I have an eye appointment today after work, so no gym tonight, and if we really get that much snow, I won't be going to the gym tomorrow. I'm glad I've already gotten three days of gym time in this week. But what am I gonna do all weekend if we're snowed in?!?!? No elliptical?!?!
Did my typical hour of cardio at the gym yesterday. By the end I was feeling pretty ragged. I think I must either be coming down with a cold or something, or my barometer of a body is reacting to the snow storm coming our way. My muscles ache like crazy and my head feels funky. Blech. 2 weeks from now I'll be on a plane....to warm, sunny paradise. It can't come soon enough.
It's official. I have now lost 1 lb more than 10% of my starting weight! Isn't that the "magic number" that they say will help you to be more healthy and reduce your risk for about a million different things?
I was just saying yesterday how I think my weight loss has slowed down in the past few weeks. Yesterday the scale was actually down 1.5 lbs, but I always wait until the 2nd day of a loss to record it in my log. So this morning, I was down 2 lbs, so you bet your bottom I recorded it!! I figure if it was down two days in a row it must not be a fluke!!
I didn't go to the gym yesterday, even though hubby stayed home and told me I could go if I wanted to. My legs were feeling fatigued on Tuesday, so I decided to give them the day off. I did do my Pilates though, so I didn't slack completely. Sorry FIT gals, I just can't make myself do those daggone sit-ups, especially after doing Pilates, so I'm gonna beg off of that one for this week!!
Just 2 weeks gals...two weeks to make my mini-goal of being close to Onederland, and I'm 7 lbs. away. I'm hopeful, but realistic, as two weeks from now will be TOM as well. I know, great timing, him coming right around the time I fly off to a tropical destination.
Gotta go do some work, cause if I don't do it now, it just won't get done. (I'm not very good at being productive in the afternoons!) Have a day!!!
Ok, second day in a row someone commented on how long I stayed on the elliptical. A different two women this time. They came up to me while I was on the treadmill and had me take my headphones off so they could talk to me. And I didn't even stay on that long, just the normal 35 minutes. (Did up the distance to 2.55 miles, so improved my speed a bit again). I've been known to stay on for a full hour! I came home and told DH what they said and he said, "I don't know how you do it either, my legs were heavy after just a few minutes!" I guess different bodies adapt better to different things. I've always had very strong legs, probably from running and biking a lot as a kid, and playing volleyball, running track, and doing marching band. It's my upper body that's week.
On the subject of my upper body, here's the deal. I'm due back at the Dr.'s in April for maintenance meds, so I'll go ahead and do the whole physical exam at that time. I'm no longer afraid to do it. Then I'll be able to start with the FitLinxx system at the Y and work at building some muscle, especially in my upper body. And with the way this month is flying by already, (ok, so it's only the 5th!!), it's not too far off. Guess I should go ahead and schedule the appointment soon, huh?
Yesterday's workout: Already told you about the elliptical for 35 mins., 20 minutes on the treadmill (1 mile...I'm SLOW on that thing!), and another 15 minutes on the recumb. bike. All told, 70 minutes!!!! I'll probably have to take tonight off so DH can go work out. Which means I'll miss Deep Water Aerobics. DH started feeling guilty about leaving the dog in his crate all day, and then for almost 3 hours in the evening while we work out. So now we're alternating nights, and since I went last night, I assume he'll go tonight. It'll be a good excuse to do my pilates, I guess. And maybe I'll give the treadmill in the basement a go again and see if I can't get a mile in on that.
Gotta go check up on my FIT gals and other friends. Toodles, for now!
As promised, I have two fun stories to share with all of you, since I just didn't have the time yesterday to say anything very interesting.
1) Since my bathing suit disintegrated and I'm still waiting for the new one I ordered to arrive, I started scrounging through my closet to see what I could come up with. (I could have easily said, "Oh well, can't go to class, no suit to wear", but I didn't!) I turned up 2 suits that I had purchased about 6 or 7 years ago, and at the time they were too big for me. These suits are 2 sizes smaller that the incredible, disintegrating suit, so the same size as the new one I ordered that I wasn't sure would fit. I decided to give them a shot, and they FIT!!! They're a little bit snug, but I like my suits snug so that "the girls" can't fall out. They aren't too snug to the point of looking bad or being uncomfortable. And these things still had the tags on them!!! That means I have several brand new suits to wear to class, and take on Spring Break!!
2) I was in the locker room last night getting ready for water aerobics and two women came in. They came up to me and asked, "Have you been able to do the elliptical like that since you started here? You were really goin' and you didn't stop once!" In my mind I'm thinking, "Are they really impressed with my workout!?!? And is it because I'm big and they didn't think someone my size could workout like I did?" I'm not sure of the answer to the second question, but they were impressed with my workout! They were complimenting me on how hard I worked out!! I never thought that would happen!!
Happy National Grammar Day everyone!! No kidding, today is National Grammar Day. So, in order to celebrate this day, please don't proofread my posts and critique my grammar!!!!
You guys will NEVER believe this!! Yesterday on the "Field Trip", the guy that rode with me wanted to meet some of the other teachers for lunch. They were meeting at CiCi's Pizza. If you don't know, it's an all you can eat pizza buffet. Can you say "landmine"? Well, we got there before the other teachers, so we sat in the car to wait. I had my bag of veggies with me and I ate those as we waited. So when we walked in and everyone was in line to pay I made my final decision. I didn't eat ANYTHING!!! Yup, I sat there and watched as the rest of them stuffed their faces with slice after slice of mediocre pizza and desserts. And I didn't give in! People even offered to "sneak" me food from the buffet, but I held firm! Now, I did give in at around 1:30 and buy an unsalted soft pretzel because I knew I had to drive all the way home and needed some fuel to keep me awake. It was either a soft pretzel, some very salty popcorn, or some other nasty concession stand food. I think I picked the best choice considering my options.
So then I went to the gym last night, and I did 2.5 miles on the elliptical in 35 minutes (that seems to be my speed now) and walked a mile on the treadmill before heading off to water aerobics. Not too shabby after spending most of the day on my feet at the field trip. Two months ago my back pain would have been so bad from standing I wouldn't have been able to do anything. Don't get me wrong, the back pain isn't gone, but it's tolerable and doesn't take me nearly as long to recover from as it used to.
I have more to say, but I've tried posting many times and it isn't letting me, so I'm going to post this and see if it works. Then I'll post again in a little while.
Hope everyone had a good weekend!!! I didn't make it to the gym yesterday, but I did do my Pilates workout, so I didn't completely slack! Other than that, yesterday was spent doing laundry. FUN!!!!
I'm off on a field trip today!! I get to drive roughly 2 hours, spend about 3 hours at the filed trip, and then make the 2 hour drive home. And the best part is, I don't think a single one of my students will be there. So why am I going, you ask? Because this is billed as an "all school field trip". So in essence I don't have much of a choice. But it does get me out of the office for the day, I suppose. Anyway, I'm not going to be anywhere near a computer today, so I'll check up on you gals now, and then again later this evening, after my workout.
Ok, so I have to confess that we went to Johnny Carrino's for dinner last night. Upon looking at their menu it because very obvious that their "healthy choices" were very limited. So....I had Cheese Tortelloni. I know, I know. BUT...I had water to drink, no dessert, and I only ate half of what they served!!! So, even though the meal in and of itself wasn't a healthy choice, the choices I made to go along with it were! (Isn't it amazing how I can make anything sound logical and justifiable?!? It's a gift!!!)
I'm doing laundry right now, and waiting for the gym to open. Since it's a YMCA and they have church services there they don't open until 11 or 11:30. *sigh* But I can't wait to use my new Nano with all of my new music choices!!! I'm still soliciting workout song ideas, so keep them coming! gettinfit suggested Cardio Coach, so I'm going to have to check that out sometime soon.
I've been spending some time thinking about my goals for March. I know it shows a lack of creativity, but I really don't see any big reason to completely change the ones I had from March. So, here they are, with a few minor modifications.
1) Exercise 3-5 days per week. Preferably 5, but things happen, so I’ll be happy with 3 if I have to be.
2) Keep counting those points and staying within my points range. And continue to not rely on flex points as a reason to “splurge”.
3) Walk at least 1 mile 3 times per week in addition to my regular workout routine, to strengthen my back and try to eliminate the pain I sometimes feel when I walk for extended periods of time.
4) Continue to lose an average of 1-3 lbs per week.
5) Be more consistent with my Pilates workouts in order to strengthen my core muscles.
I have also set a mini-goal for myself of being close to Onederland by
the time we leave for our Spring Break trip. I now have a little less than
3 weeks for this.
Disclaimer: I will be taking a break from these goals during my trip.
Knowing me, I will continue to be relatively active on the trip, what with
frolicking in the ocean, and snorkeling, and walking on the beach.
I'm going into March like a lion!! Hit the gym a little after 8 this morning. Put in my 35 min. on the elliptical and then 30 on the recum. bike. Then I decided, WTH, and I walked a mile on the treadmill. Whoo hoo!!! I didn't have to stop from extreme pain the way I've had to in the past! Now, granted, I didn't break any land speed records or anything, but just being able to do that relatively pain free is progress!!! That gives me a total of 85 min. of gym time today! Holy crap!!!
Came home, took a shower, and went shopping. I went to the typical place, Lane Bryant. They didn't have much in the way of petite pants for me, so I'm going to have to hit another one in a different location either tomorrow or Monday. I got 1 pair of dress/work pants, and a pair of jeans. Both are 2 sizes smaller than what I've been wearing!!! I bought a couple of tops (there was a sale, buy a pair of pants, get two tops for 50% off), and some workout pants. Also got a cute nighty and lacy panties for our trip! They didn't have much in the way of spring stuff yet, so I'm going to have to try back next week and see if they get anything in.
After that, I went across the parking lot to Best Buy. Wanted to see if they had a Wii. Nope, no such luck. Bummer. But I did make an impulse purchase. I bought myself a 4G iPod Nano. I've been using my Treo, and I only have a few choices in music on it. I've been trying to load it up with more since I need some variety for working out. Now, I don't know what happened, or who pissed off who. but my Treo and my Computer are no longer speaking to one another. I tried to mediate the disagreement. We sat down several times and tried to work out their differences. But to no avail. So now I have the Nano.
I've loaded it up with quite a bit already today, but I'd love to hear from all of you what you have on your iPod/MP3 players that get you going for your workouts. Please keep in mind that I'm a child of the 70's and 80's, and thanks to XM radio I rarely listen to current music.
Still working on those March goals, I promise!!! Have a great Saturday night!!
Why in the hell can't people just do their jobs?!?!? How hard is it to do what you need to do, by the date it needs to be done? Seriously. We have known for MONTHS that these binders full of information had to be completed and the due date. And yet, some of them weren't completed. Guess what that meant. Yup, you know it. Those of us that did what we were supposed to ended up basically doing the job for the others. Needless to say, I'm frustrated and annoyed. And the worst part is, what they did manage to do, quite frankly, isn't very good. And it was impossible to redo everything at the last minute and make it more acceptable. I suppose I should look at it as a poor reflection on them, not on me. But when the scores on these things effect funding for the entire school and reflect on the entire special ed. department, it's hard to look at it that way.
Anyway, for those of you interested in my lunch escapade yesterday, here's how it went down. Instead of climbing in my car and driving to the cafe, I chose to walk. It was probably about 1/3 of a mile. It was rather brisk and drizzly, but that didn't stop me!!! I ordered a "Mexican Chicken Salad". It ended up being an unseasoned grilled chicken breast on a bed of iceburg lettuce with a little cheese, some salsa, and a creamy dressing on the side. I put the spicy salsa on the salad and dug in. Just not good. I'll have you know that I didn't even touch the creamy dressing though!!! I didn't even eat the whole salad. Needless to say I left there disappointed and unsatisfied. I could have hitched a ride with a co-worker to get back to the office. But nope, I walked back...uphill!!
When I got home my husband told me he thought he'd just go to sleep, but I told him that's fine, I'm going to the gym. When I was getting dressed he decided if I could do it he could do it too! Peer pressure, gotta love it!! So, I did 35 minutes on the elliptical at lower crossramp levels and didn't have any back issues (2.5 miles) and then 25 minutes on the recumb. bike (5 miles), giving me a full hour of cardio, in addition to my walk at lunch time.
Now if I can just get my frustration at work out of my mind I'll be in good shape. I plan to get my butt dressed and head back to the gym very soon. Then it's home for a shower and to get ready to go clothes shopping, finally.
I know it's time to officially set my goals for the month of March, and I promise I'll get them done before the end of the weekend!!! So be on the lookout for them.
DH started feeling guilty about leaving the dog in his crate all day, and then for almost 3 hours in the evening while we work out. So now we're alternating nights, and since I went last night, I assume he'll go tonight. It'll be a good excuse to do my pilates, I guess. And maybe I'll give the treadmill in the basement a go again and see if I can't get a mile in on that. 
