I went for a lovely bike ride this morning.  Felt so good to be out.  Actually, it felt really good to be up and out of bed.  My problem is if I don't get out right away I find all sorts of things to get in the way - feeding animals, starting laundry, changing sheets, etc. etc.  One day does not a routine make, but I would do well to work at this.

sugar-free for a month?

is anyone interested in going without unnatural sugars with me for a month starting sunday? i need to get my tush in gear and back away from the sweets again. anyone? anyone?

be mindful of sugar in bbq sauce and ketchup.
altoids are ok--the sugar is minimal.
greek yogurt with honey is a-ok.

ChooseMyPlate.Gov

Hi Ladies! I have discovered a wonderful tool! On the My Plate (formerly known as My Pyramid) web site, there is an awesome tool called the Super Tracker. When you register, this tool allows you to plug in your information (age, height, weight, physical activity level, etc) and calculates your daily healthy food allotments. Then you can plug in what you eat, and it will calculate how you are doing according to your plan. It calculates all sorts of wonderful things to help you stay on track--sodium intake, fats (saturated vs. oils)intake, empty calorie intake, and of course your basic food groups. It also has an option to click if you are pregnant and how far along you are, including all of those "extra" tips into your plan. I am so happy I discovered this tool--it has been super helpful in making sure I am getting what I need, and not too much of what I don't need. :-) And I was surprised about a few things--like how much sodium is actually in many foods that I wouldn't expect, and how little protein I was actually getting when I thought I was doing fine!

There is also a physical activity tracker as part of the Super Tracker. It has tips about amounts and types of physical activity you need to reach certain goals. If your goal is to lose weight, you can plug that in. If it is to maintain, you can plug that in. If it is to stay healthy during pregnancy (bingo) you can plug that in. Then you record your physical activity daily and it will show you how you are doing with your weekly goal, and let you know what types of exercise you need to reach the goal for the week. It is an awesome motivator!!!

If you do both, then at the top of the screen it will show you the progress for physical activity as well as food progress for the week/day. I love this tool!

If you have trouble staying on task with food and exercise, or just want to know how you are doing with one or the other, you should check this out. It is awesome!

Let's get to it!

Where are you girls? I need inspiration!

Stuffed

There are going to have to be some serious changes after this holiday.

announcement:

i am down 2 [gap and j.crew] jean sizes from last year at this time. hurrah!

my jeans are too big.

hooray!
yippee!

i pulled on my favourite "winter" jeans today and they're too big. they're too loose in my tush, in my thighs and around my waist. while i'm thrilled at this new outcome, i'm also slightly bummed--although this mild sense of sadness was fleeting. i love these jeans. i love their weight and colour and contour. plus, they're not made anymore which is really heartbreaking.

nevertheless, the joyful fact remains: they're too big. happy day!

birthday treats

I just got new running shoes and my own free weights for my birthday!!! I am so excited :-) Now I have a really good reason to keep up the exercising. Can't wait to find some awesome free weight "moves" to try at home :-)

training for thanksgiving.

last night i trained with jennifer (lots of squats) and told her since the tough mudder was done and over, i needed something new to train for, a date to keep my focus and motivation. the only "event" i could think of was thanksgiving. i'm in training for thanksgiving. i'm going to work out hard now so i can rest easy and eat guilt-free. if i get a run or workout in during the break, great. if not, no stress. i have this image in my head of kim, carson, carrie, maddie, biz, ellen and me sweating it out in kim's living room with a kathy dvd or p90x. it'll be like our own mini jazzercise. awesome.

10!

This morning during my Kathy Smith workout video I did 10 REAL pushups! I've been working my way up ever since Katie posted about hers. Thanks for the encouragement! Happy pushuping!

no-sugar starts tuesday!

i've been super lazy and careless in my "diet" since the tough mudder and it's time to change that. starting tomorrow, tuesday the 12th, i'm going without unnatural sugars until sunday the 22nd, the date of my team's picnic. if any of you wanna join me, say "yay!" in the comments and we'll go for it.

why tomorrow and not tonight? because tonight i'm meeting a girlfriend for a long-needed visit and ice cream sundae at fentons. --wink wink--


sugars that are not natural that are OK: the sugars found in my protein shakes; the tiny amounts of sugar found in the tiniest of altoids and sticks of gum. 

you're an inspiration!

each of you are an inspiration in your individual exercise efforts. i'm amazed at your dedication to carve time out of your busy busy lives to get your heart rate up when i know there are a million other demands knocking down your door. i'm a firm believer that exercise is one of those high priorities. it provides so many benefits and not just to our physical health--it's time to clear our minds and process and focus our thoughts, among other things

keep it up. every little bit counts. and know i'm cheering you on and i'm so proud.

Whatever...

Does stacking bales of hay count as exercise? And helping dad load the old dishwasher and air conditioner in and out of the car?
I'm afraid I haven't done well in the exercise area over the last week. Things must improve.
Keep it up ladies. You are my inspiration.

The G word

I started going to the gym this week. Ben and I get free passes through his work and they have free babysitting, so I really had no excuse not to start going. The first day was great. The kids did great and I had an awesome workout. I think they just had no idea what was going on because now they hate it. Ellen is actually doing fine now as long as they turn Dora on and she has a snack. James, on the other hand just cries the whole time. They only let the kids cry for 10 min. before they bring them to you and so I would calm him down and try again. He's not having it. I have to keep trying though or I'll never get to exercise again! :)

Gym Buddy

We have been saving our "fun money" for a while now, and we just decided to use it on a family gym pass for a month! And guess what? It wasn't even my idea. Robert wanted to! I am so excited to have a buddy to go to the gym with...for a month, at least. We plan to make the most of it! What's your favorite thing to do at the gym? Pretty sure mine are the classes, and the elliptical. Probably followed by the free weights. Yippee!

Shoes & Posts

I was going to vote in the shoe poll -- but my shoes aren't included there!  Can "other" be added to the list?  Do any of you know of good but inexpensive arch supports?
Of course, since seminary and school have started, I have completely fallen out of the exercise routine I had carefully and barely established over the course of the summer.  I can't exercise before work because that's when seminary is, and by the time I get home in the evenings, run errands, and fix dinner, I can barely haul myself up to the bedroom before I fall asleep.  But I am on my feet all day and almost never have the opportunity to sit down once I get to school, so I guess that's something.
Hopefully, once the adoption classes are over, and I get into a routine, and I finish my stint as a guest photographer for a PhD thesis, I can find some way to get started again.  I wish I liked exercise a little more; that might help.

Good luck, Katie! Rah rah rah!

Huff then Puff

You ladies have inspired me. Coming back from a long hiatus of exercise is no easy task at my age, but I'm giving it a try. My efforts include sit-ups, leg lifts, push-ups, and jump rope. (No squats or lunges, yet.) None for extended periods of time; it's just a start. And I am trying to walk more whether Sylvia and Chip want to come along or not. The farm is really beautiful this time of year and it feels good to out on the property.
Keep posting your efforts and encouraging me. You're the best.

Healthy and Tasty Dessert

I got this recipe from my mom--and it is soooo tasty! And a lot healthier than many other cakes or brownies. I thought I'd share the recipe here.

Chocolate Zucchini Cake
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup white sugar
1/4 cup butter
1 whole egg
1 egg white
1/4 cup oil
1/2 tsp. vanilla

Cream these ingredients together in a bowl. In a separate bowl, combine the following ingredients:

1 1/4 cup whole wheat flour (I did half of this wheat and half of this white)
1/4 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking soda
1/4 cup cocoa powder

Blend all of these together, and then add to the wet ingredients and mix.

Then add:
1 1/4 cup grated zucchini, and mix well.
Pour into a greased 9x9 pan, and sprinkle chocolate chips and walnuts on top (I did sliced almonds--I also added chocolate chips IN the cake as well as on top--it's yummy with a little extra chocolate).
Bake for 30-35 minutes at 325.

Enjoy the healthy (or at least, healthier) deliciousness!

boxes of butter.

think of your weight in boxes of butter. each box of butter is the equivalent of one pound. if you lose a pound, pat yourself on the back. that's one box of butter down! if you lose two pounds, even better! if you gain a pound--well, shucks--you might as well tape that box of butter to your toosh or thighs or tummy, wherever you carry your weight.

i've always been cognizant of my weight but the lightbulb lit up when she told about the boxes of butter. give it a try and let me know what you think. did it help? was it more frustrating?

i'll be a tough mudder in 9 days.

i'm starting the countdown. in only 9 days i'll be roughing and toughing it through mud and other filth in squaw valley, tahoe, with my other hair-brained friends in the norcal tough mudder. when i first registered, i was under the impression the course was 8 miles. then i learned it was 10 miles. just the other day when i was looking up our start time (9.40a!) our course was listed at 11 miles. 11 miles!!! with an accumulated elevation of 2300 ft. we really must be nuts to have signed up for this challenge. i'm excited but pangs of nervousness tear through me from time to time.

jennifer, my trainer, and i have been working really hard. a few months back i signed up to see her every week instead of just every other week and i've seen a real difference. not only am i 9 pounds lighter than i was when i ran my 1/2 marathon, i'm stronger, too. it's really something to watch your body change so much. the rewards are high and increases my motivation like you wouldn't believe.

last night i hit the stairclimber for 30 minutes at a choking speed and then 16 minutes on the cybex--that's 46 minutes total in cardio. i was hoping it would work out some of this soreness i'm still experiencing from my trainer workout on tuesday but the squats i did were so heavy and i did so many jumping lunges that today i can barely sit down on the john. it's a good soreness but still...

here are some of the exercises in my repertoire with jennifer:

• side plank dips
• pushups
• squats
• jumping lunges
• jumping jacks
• jumping rope
• one-leg leg press
• plank on a balance ball
• chest bench press
• lat pull-downs
• dips
• step-ups with weights
• curls
• bungee cord pull-back and run squat
• tricep dips
• walking lunges
• side lunges
• jumping twist squats
• plank

anyone want to join us? it'll be the best 60 minutes of your day.

my plan for working out next week is 1/2 a session with jennifer on monday followed by lots of stretching and then easy cardio and yoga for the rest of the week. i don't want to be quite as intense as i have been but i also can't slack it off.

sidenote: i am now collecting pep talks. the race is saturday the 17th. eek!