Keeping Busy

This week was busy! Between the GMAT classes, working full time and trying to squeeze in some exercise, I did not find the time to write in my blog. 

Here's what I learned:

• Eating healthy is important! Wednesday turned out to be my cheat day. I am officially adding a cheat day to my 90 day program because I think it is important that your body knows how to handle unhealthy food every now and then. What happens if you don't eat any cookies for 90 whole days and after the program ends you decide to start eating cookies again? 
• Exercise gives you wings! On Monday I started my day on the exercise bike and burned 100 calories before breakfast. That evening I did the Slim in 6 video. I felt great! The next day I only did the video that evening. Wednesday, Thursday and Friday I failed to exercise. I continued to feel sluggish each day. I'm ready to get back on the saddle and keep my exercise routine consistent. 
• Calories Count! My Wednesday cheat day consisted of way too many calories. By the end of the day I was very tired. Thursday and Friday I made a strong effort to maintain my calorie goal despite not exercising those days. That heavy drained feeling I had on Wednesday was not there on Thursday or Friday. 

It's now the weekend. It will be filled with studying for the GMAT, exercising and spending time with my family (my boyfriend and our two dogs). Oh...and blogging.  

Mind, Body and Soul

Today I worked all three!

First was the soul. I started going to church back in December. It's been a good experience so far. The pastor and music are both good. Church is something I look forward to on Sundays again. What a great feeling! Today we learned to live a life of love just as God loved us. Good stuff.

Second was the mind. I will be going to a GMAT prep course on Sundays/Thursdays in the month of March and plan on taking the GMAT on April 9th. And then...I'll be applying for grad school. Today was the first class. Turns out I'm crazy because everyone else in the class will be waiting till summer or later to take the GMAT and won't be applying to grad school till 2016. I'm aiming for an April 15, 2015 application deadline. I can do this. I will do this.

Third was the body. Slim in 6 video #1 was my desert the last two evenings. Oh man, I am sore. I decided to do a 15 minute stretch video this morning and ended the day with a 15 minute basic yoga video. Sunday will officially be my rest/stretch day. With today being the first day of my 90 day program, I made great healthy eating choices and my appetite was satisfied throughout the day. Another good feeling!

Speaking of 90 day programs, I also took measurements and "before" photos. I'm not quite ready to posts those yet, but will as soon as I have my first set of "after" photos in 30 days. Stay tuned!

I Can Do It Myself

I can do it myself! That's a phrase I often told my parents or anyone who asked if I needed help with something. It's said jokingly.

So after a conversation with my wellness coach, a detailed discussion with my sister and a little internet research, we came up with our own 90 day program, not a challenge, but a program. We both came up with a different way to approach this so I will share my program.

Fitness:

• Use Slim in 6 workouts, one new video each month. 
• Use the weekly Tone It Up workouts on days I do not do Slim in 6. 
• Cardio will be my stationary exercise bike or jump roping. I would like to do cardio every morning when I wake up, but if I can commit to three mornings a week I'll be doing pretty good. 
• As a backup for days that I don't feel like working, I will stretch or do crunches and push-ups while watching TV. 

Nutrition:

• Track calories with My Fitness Pal app.
• For me to lose one pound per week, I need to net 1300 calories per day. 
• Focus on getting 1/2 body weight in protein and 25 g fiber each day as priority.
• No fried foods!
• Only one glass of wine per week (will it be Wine Wednesday???) and no beer

Blog: The 90 day challenge I spoke about a couple of days ago requires participants to keep a blog. I will be keeping this blog.

This program starts...tomorrow...March 1st. I can do this. I want to do this.

What are you having?

What are you having?

You mean, what am I having for dinner? Or what beer do I want when I belly up to the bar?

Oh no no, the poor teenage girl who asked "do you know what you're having?" thought I was pregnant and wanted to know if I was having a boy or girl. This has never ever happened to me before. Sure I have a little pudge gut, but I'm a size 6. I'm not obese and I certainly don't think I look pregnant. The emotional toll this interaction had on me was more than I was prepared for.

I realized a few things about myself that day. First, I have an amazing sister. Second, I have an amazing boyfriend. They are truly supportive of me no matter what I look like or what I do. I love them both dearly. Third, I do need to get in shape. This I have known for over a year now. I am slowing down, my pant size keeps growing and the body aches and pains make me feel OLD.

So, to answer that first question. What am I having? I'm having a pep talk with myself. I'm having a change of heart. I'm having a realization that I am in control of my physical activity and nutrition. I'm having a spark of determination to feel better both physically and emotionally. And I'm going to have a good time doing it.

I think I'll go work out now.

A 90-day Challenge

I know a couple of people participating in a 90 day challenge beginning March 1st. It sounded very awesome. You write a blog, you get daily exercises and receive a customized meal plan from the creator of the challenge. The idea of doing a 90-day challenge with people I know who could keep me accountable sounded like so much fun. Then I found out how much it costs...$600! Knowing my commitment level to anything fitness related, I had a hard time thinking $600 was reasonable.

In April of 2014 I paid for a year long gym membership to the local community parks & rec club. I maybe used it 10 times and haven't been back since August 2014.

Prior to that I paid for a 3 month running club that I went to for about a month. There were plenty of excuses not to go: it was a winter session, I'm not a runner, blah blah blah.

Prior to that I paid for several seasons of slow-pitched softball and fast-pitched softball. The problem with softball was that I was the worst player on the team; every season the worst player on the team. While I stuck it out through each season, it was hard to play with people who also knew I wasn't that good at softball (despite my years of being most improved player every year from the age of 10 to 18).

Prior to that I paid a few hundred dollars for a personal trainer at a local gym. While I was sparingly using the gym more than the local parks & rec, I wasn't using it enough to utilize the personal training to it's full benefit. I didn't see much change in my body due to the fact that I didn't "gym" between my once a week training sessions.

With the exception of playing roller derby for three straight years, I haven't done the best job of committing to fitness activities. How could I pay $600 for another program?! Perhaps I will create my own free 90-day program. Perhaps I will come up with the motivation, determination and commitment to do a self produced program. This blog is a start.

From Flight To Floor

On Sunday, February 22nd, I climbed 56 flights of stairs to benefit the American Lung Association. It was my 5th year participating in the Fight For Air Climb Denver. Practice climbs were offered, but I did not take advantage of them, nor did I do any other training. My motivation for doing such a crazy thing? My mama. She passed away on October 3, 2013 from heart and lung complications. She couldn't even climb 1/2 a flight of stairs from her front door to the living room of her split level home without being out of breath or stopping half way to catch her breath. Our team, Breathe In Peace, raised over $1,300 this year for the American Lung Association. 

After the climb, I felt like my lungs were bleeding. My thighs were a little sore, my calves a little sore and I felt like something in my hip needed to pop. I should have trained. 

Later that day I fell. Not just a little fall, but a big slip down the stairs fall. The fall was partly due to my clumsiness but mostly due to the snow and slick conditions on a hard surfaced stair case. I landed right on my bum and hit a few odd ball spots along the way...my elbow...the top of my right hip. The force of landing on my bum shot jolted a pain straight to my head. I took some ibuprofen (cause my mama always said that would make me feel better). 

By the end of the day I couldn't decide if my aches and pains were a result of climbing 56 flights of stairs or falling down the stairs. I am getting older...33 years old to be exact, but I am also out of shape and heavier than I have been in the past three years. I think it's time for a change.