An old friend with whom I need to become reacquainted

Wednesday, October 9, 2013

Begin again...

It is, again, time to focus on me and my health. I had my baby girl on August 3rd, 2012. I started my pregnancy at 130 lbs and ended around 170 lbs, I think. The last month or so of pregnancy was when I gained the most and really picked up some bad "I don't care anymore" eating habits. It wasn't worth the stretch marks, that's for sure! Anyway, old habits die hard, and those bad eating habits are still alive and thriving well. I am now a few lbs shy of 200, and I hate it.

Today my sister-in-law came over to watch my baby girl for a few hours, so I actually went to the gym at our apartment complex. I did the elliptical and the bike for about 40 min, and burned 250 kcal.  It felt good to have time to myself and to sweat intentionally!

I did pretty good with eating well throughout the day (why kill a good workout??!?!), but again, old habits are a killer!

We're moving to Phoenix in the middle of November, and I have a job lined up catering with a friend. I am fired up to get into better shape before I embarrass myself at this job!

So, on the days my sis-in-law watches the baby (twice a week), I'll go work out for an hour. On the other weekdays and Saturdays, I'll do Slim-in-6. Tomorrow will be the first day back with that workout, and I'm hoping the baby will let me workout without needing to hug my legs, etc. A 14-month old is like a little puppy!!!

So, this is my new plan...here comes a healthier me! :)

(chubby-selfie en route)

Thursday, March 11, 2010

Check-in

After my last post, my family came into town to visit. The delicious meals we shared kicked off a regaining lost weight spree. I'm getting myself back into a routine of healthy food choices and exercising outside of my job. Slim in 6 is going to need the reset button pushed. Week 1...starting anew. :)

I'm grateful I've at least learned, in my 30 years of life, that failures are stepping-stones to success. So, I'm stepping on this stone and moving forward!

Saturday, January 23, 2010

I don't know how...

In the last 2 weeks, I've lost about 6 lbs!!!!!

I know that's not in the ideal/healthy range of weight loss for that short period of time, but I'm not too worried about it. I haven't been exercising excessively (and even need to be more regular about it!), and I haven't been depriving myself of calories consumed. I've just made an effort to cut out the crap foods and soda. The last few days have been less disciplined (bagels with cream cheese at work meetings), but I can easily and definitely will refocus as of right now. It helps, too, that my fridge and cupboards are full of good things for me to eat. :)

So, this is a happy progress report!

Tuesday, January 12, 2010

Week 1 of Slim in 6

I started the program today, and it was crazy how much of a workout the 30 minute beginning workout was for me! I felt amazing at the end, and I swear I was happier and felt more confident throughout the day just from a little workout. Tonight my hiney very sternly told me that it was sore, and a smile crept on my face. I love that feeling. :)

I'll be working out again tomorrow morning at 6:30 AM.

Monday, January 11, 2010

Correction...

I needed to adjust my start date to tomorrow, January 12th. I went out of town for 5 days and just got back, so it wasn't very realistic to think that I would be working out while on vacation. I'm not at the point where I work fitness into my vacations. :) In fact, quite the opposite happened. My family bonds with food, so it was quite the beautiful gluttonous break from reality. So many delicious meals and treats... And I will surely pay.

Tomorrow morning I will weigh myself and start my new workout routine. I'm trying to figure out how to take control of the kitchen, plan meals, prepare them, etc. while making sure my husband is eating what he likes as well. All within a budget, of course. I'm thinking we're going to start freezing meals, doing crock pot meals, and joining a co-op to get lots of produce weekly.

So, tomorrow is a new beginning. I'm mostly excited. ;)

Saturday, January 2, 2010

P.S.

A couple months ago, my hips/butt were at 47". Can you believe that? That is some serious ghetto booty!!!

Last week I was at 45 1/2". Progress is good.

3 months later...

Yikes, it's pretty obvious where my fitness/health sits in my priorities! I haven't posted in months!!!

I still haven't been back to pole classes. My wrist is too sensitive, and I'm not sure how to get it conditioned to where I can put the pressure and weight of my body swinging around on a pole back on my wrist. Hmmm....

I've decided I need to utilize the tools that I do have. One of those tools is Slim in 6. Debbie Siebers, it's time we become reacquainted.

My official start date for this 6-week program is Monday, January 4th. I will be getting my hiney out of bed in the morning, because that is the only time of day that I really end up working out consistently. It's a challenge for me to get out of bed earlier than I absolutely have to, though.

I plan on working out 5-6 times a week and finishing ALL 6 weeks of this program for the FIRST time since I bought it in 2005 (I think).

Puh-puh-puhleeeaaase cheer me on!!! :)

Monday, September 28, 2009

10 weeks today

Taking a month off of pole has extended a bit... I still haven't been back, and my wrist is giving me grief. The doctor said it took him 10 weeks to heal. Today, it has been 10 weeks. That's kind of disappointing to realize.

Rather than focusing on what I cannot do, I need to focus on what I CAN do...like running, jogging, walking, aerobic exercise, and bowling left-handed. :) Patrick and I are both very sick of our inner tubes that wrap around our waists.

Monday, August 3, 2009

healing well

I had my follow-up appointment this morning for my fractured elbow. The doctor says I'm healing quite nicely and may even be able to play softball at the end of the month. I just have to manage my level of activity and how much pain I am in, and it's up to me. :) Good news, I think!!

I think I might take an official month off of pole, though. I can't imagine that putting the strain of my body weight, gravity, and momentum on my elbow would feel very good.

The bad news of the day...I'm back at 171. Yikes. How does this happen?!?! Okay, I know the answer to that question.

135...I'll see you again someday...

Tuesday, July 28, 2009

Well shoot...

Well, folks, it's official.

I have a radial head fracture in my right elbow.

Damnit.

I have to take it easy for another week, then take it easy for another 4 weeks until it heals. My arm is in a sling most of the time, and I am on ibuprofen and ice throughout the day. Why, oh why didn't I put ice on it last week? It feels sooooo good!

I missed the game last night, and our last game is next Monday. I'm hoping to be able to play the fall season that starts the end of August. We'll see how I'm feeling.

I might try a pole class relying solely on my left arm next week. :) I should go jogging in the meantime.

Wednesday, July 22, 2009

battle wounds!!!

I had an interesting softball game on Monday. It was a really competitive game, and it was certainly coming up to the last inning for one of the teams to take the victory.

So, I was up to bat. I can't remember how many outs we had. I'll say we had two outs; that makes the story sound a little more heroic. :)

I hit the ball toward short stop, not a strong hit, really. So I ran HARD, as hard as I could. Is I got to first base, I knew the ball was coming, that it was going to be very very close. So I pushed harder. And collided with the first baseman.

I swear I hit a brick wall. Spectators said I rolled twice. I don't remember. I just remember thinking, mid-air, "fall like a pro, Alison...tuck and roll!" Yet I still braced my fall with my right wrist, then I hit the ground hard on my right side, mostly the elbow, and somewhere along the way hit my left knee and left quad. There's a little scratch on my right knee too.

When I stopped rolling around, I was on my knees, and my right arm hurt, bad. I bent down and tears started coming out of my eyes. One of the guys on my team rushed over and asked me if I was okay. I think I said no, or that I wasn't sure. So, I walked over to the base and started crying some more. My mouth was full of rocks and dirt, crunching into my teeth as I chewed on the gum I had in my mouth.

The same guy asked if I wanted someone to run for me, and we only had 5 girls there, so there wasn't really the room to have someone else run in my place. I rinsed my mouth out and stayed at first base, ready to run. It sucked.

I actually made it in to score, then got up to bat one more time before the inning was over. My right arm wouldn't bend enough and hurt so bad that I had to just hold it up with my left hand gripping the bat. I swung through the ball using mostly my left arm and whatever momentum I could muster. I don't even remember if I got on base, but it was a surprisingly decent hit.

We were back on the field, the end of the inning and the end of the game. I was so pissed about my arm hurting and not knowing how bad it was, I kept sporadically tearing up. None of the balls were hit or thrown to me, which was a very good thing. While standing in position at second base, I tried to do the arm motion of throwing a ball, though there was no ball in my hand. When I extended my arm at the point where I would release a ball, my elbow popped and hurt intensely.

The game ended. We won. :) I lost. Haha!

Two days later, my arm still hurts like crazy. It won't extend or bend all the way. It aches and holding it in a position that won't hurt is making my bicep and tricep muscles ache and my shoulder sore. And something is wrong with my wrist. When I rub my fingers over the bone, it sends an electric shock down my hand, into my pointer finger. It feels like there's swelling at/on the bone, so I hope it's not broken or cracked or something.

I can't lift anything. I can't do my hair, put makeup on, eat, brush my teeth, wipe my ass, or scratch my face with my right hand. All of this is left-handed, which is a little awkward! Washing my hair was a huge pain in the ass.

I got my shift at work today covered, and I really need my arm to feel good enough that I can work Friday and Saturday. I can't afford to be unable to work.

All I can say is:

Thank goodness I wasn't out.

and

Thank goodness we won the game.

I would have been upset to eat dirt for nothing.

Monday, July 13, 2009

Fitness Magazine Online

I love my subscription to the Fitness Magazine. I'll be honest, though; I usually read the articles and then forget all about it. Fortunately, they send emails, too. :) I gave my sister a gift subscription, and she loves following their work out plans and suggested I give one/them a try. So, here's what's on the latest email. I need to find my printer cable so I can put up a reminder of whichever workout I decide to use!

Fitness Magazine Online

Shared via AddThis

(I thought it would actually post a clip of the regular post I read, or at least bullet point the work outs, so click on the link to see more info.)

Sunday, June 28, 2009

Wait for it...Wait for it...

I didn't go to my pole class tonight. I have a few excuses up my sleeve, but excuses are like butt holes. Everyone has them, and they all stink. :)

My next scheduled class is Tuesday morning. My goal is to get my ass out of bed and make it to the class. I need to be smart about paying $116 a month to work out.

Softball tomorrow night...let's see if I can stay at #1 batting average this week. :) Seriously, this surprises the crap out of me. I was one of the weakest batters in fast pitch softball during my high school years. I guess I just need more time to swing.

Wow.

I can apply that to a lot of things in my life...

Saturday, June 27, 2009

I do

Okay, I need to step up the commitment.

My weight loss over the last 7 weeks has been due to the unknown. Well, at first the pole classes were helping out, but for the last 3 weeks, I haven't been to a pole class. So I'm not sure why I've lost weight. I don't think my eating habits have changed at all.

I'm going to quit being a weenie and get back to 4 pole classes a week plus my softball games on Mondays...starting with the hardest of all of my pole classes that is tomorrow night. Diana is ruthless. I'm crossing my fingers that she doesn't bring up superman push-ups. Uck.

I will make good choices when we go grocery shopping for next week. Patrick can eat what he's going to eat. I need to bring more veggies to the table. And somehow Diet Coke snuck into my diet. How dumb is that? No more bubbly drinks. Or nasty chemicals. :)

The next several weight updates need to be grounded, solid, and earned.

****P.S. I'm #1 of the women in our co-ed league for batting average! How freaking awesome is that?!?!****

Wednesday, June 10, 2009

Slowly creeping down...

...the scale, that is. :)

I've been losing 1 lb a week for the last 2-3 weeks. I attribute this to pole classes and lots of stress. Hopefully the stress is being better managed (time will tell), and hopefully that doesn't result in weight gain. I'm weird - sometimes when I'm stressed and depressed, I'm a huge eater. And on the other hand, sometimes I totally lose my appetite. So, it's hard to predict what's going to happen.

I haven't been to pole classes for about a week, though. Too much crap going on in life. I'm planning on going to the Cardio Cabaret class tomorrow morning. That class always kicks my butt.

Brandi, you totally make me want to get out and start running. I'd be freaking excited to do a 5K! (and not die) Yet, I just can't find enough desire to put on my running shoes and go outside! There's even a perfect park to run around right by me. What helps people to make the initial jump (or first stride, if you will) into running??

Wednesday, May 20, 2009

Week 3

The scale says I'm at 170. I feel like some muscles are being awakened, though, so I'm okay with that. I need to make an effort to do cardio at home a few times each week to pump up the fat burning.

Also, my period started, and I'm sure I'm retaining water. I feel bloated, and I was the biggest wench at work today. I just wanted to lay in a bathtub and ignore the world. I think that is a perfectly reasonable request.

I did Intro to Pole today. It was basically like the Teaser party I went to a few weeks ago with Alice. Tomorrow morning I'm going to the Cardio Cabaret Class. I'm excited for a great workout. I really like the teacher of this class (same teacher for my Tuesday morning class, too). She's such a great dancer and seriously keeps us moving. It's great.

Here's a video of the artistic pole dancing Dutch nationals:



I think this is a great example of pole dancing as a sport, not a source of income for strippers. :) The athletic aspect of it is so challenging, and I'm excited to be part of it.

Tuesday, May 19, 2009

Pole Rocks!

:)

I just want to smile at how incredibly sore I am.

Last week I did 3 pole classes at Studio Soiree. This week I will do 4 (2 are already done!), and I plan to do 4 classes a week for the next few weeks, then I'll bump it up to 5. It's pretty obvious to me that I need to strengthen my core and my upper body. Occasionally I surprise myself with upper body and core strength, but I have ZERO endurance! It's going to be a fun transformation for me to watch and experience. I'm soooo happy Alice invited me to the teaser class. I think I have found a new love.

And I'm down 1lb, weighing in again tomorrow...

Sorry folks, there won't be any pictures for awhile...at least of me on the pole. haha!

Wednesday, May 6, 2009

Another DAMN and then a Hoo-Rah!! (is that how you would spell it?)

I'm back from Phoenix!
I am officially a college graduate!
I now have some free time!
And I'm going to lose weight!

I think with the stress of finishing the semester and a week of traveling and eating way too much crap, the weight crept on all too easily. I can't believe it, but I'm actually back up to 170. That is sad. SAD!

I haven't developed a full fitness/health plan yet, but I do have a few things in mind:

Get a membership to Studio Soiree and go 3-5 times a week to kick my butt into shape.
Bike or jog to the Studio (2.23 miles each way)
Softball games 1-2 times/week
Eat a lot more whole foods and cut out the crap (like the mini Almond Joy, Twix, and Mint 3 Musketeers I had this afternoon...)

That's it so far. I'm a planner, so I know I will have to do more of a spreadsheet approach to feel like I have a solid plan. It's a bit of an obsession, to be honest.

And, my ultimate goal is to be/feel healthy. And fitting into size 6-8 pants would rock my world.

Saturday, April 25, 2009