Back in the Saddle

So if you are friends with me on facebook and saw my status last week, you know what I did on Saturday...

And for those of you who aren't may facebook friends, or if you didn't see my status...well...I'll tell you...

Last Saturday...

I became certified...

to be...

a...

SPIN INSTRUCTOR!!!

Woo hoo!

Go me...

I think it is the perfect way to celebrate my fitness. I mean, after all, going from being the fat chick who couldn't climb the stairs without losing my breath to the chick who can make everyone in the class lose their breath...

Well, you know, that's just the bomb!

So there you have it.

I can now force my friends to come to my spin class and listen to my crazy music while I make them suffer and sweat.

I think that makes me an awesome friend...

I gotta give a shout-out to a few people who helped me get here...

First and foremost...my Dimples....my sweet Dimples who got me fit enough to do it!

And Trainer Girl...who told me, after I accidently taught a spin class, that I should REALLY teach a spin class.

And JayVee...who told me when the class was and told me I needed to sign up for it and do it!

And J'taime Jamie who always inspires me and supports me!

And AngelAmy who has had my back since high school...and who kindly checked up on me after to make sure I hadn't died and that she still had a friend...

And...oh, I need a good name for this friend...I could call him the Spin King since he teaches spin at the top gym in LA, but he's better than that...and I have known him my whole life...and he inspires me a lot (he inspired the blog "Freedom 90")...so I have to call him...oh heck, he gets a stupid name because he has known me for too long...

TomTom...there ya go...and darling you know who you are...and I am doing a double name because he has twin sons!

So TomTom was my inspiration...and I can't wait to go to LA and take his class! And meet his family...and he's just the best and handsomest guy...so having him support me means the world!

So thank you to my team that got me to want to be back in the saddle all the time!

So I got a little lost on my way to Kingwood for the class but I eventually managed to find my way thanks to my iPhone...so that is one more thank you...thank you to whoever invented the iPhone and the map app!

I get to the YMCA where the instructor certification class is and I see this really cute gal walking in with a spin instructor manual. She asks if I know where to go and I said "no" but assure her we will find it together. We chat a bit and introduce ourselves...her name is...well, I'm gonna call her Spin Angel cause she and I met in spin class and she is also a Pi Phi like me...

So we walk into the class and the instructor calls Spin Angel's first name...and then she says her last name.

The same last name belonging to my brother's best friend...

Bingo...

Small world connection made...it is not a name like "Smith" or "Jones"...

So I ask her if she is married to the bro's bestie and sure enough...

Bingo...

It's a small world after all....(oh, I promise not to name a blog after THAT song)...

So we instantly connect and are excited that we get to do this together!

So class starts and we spend an hour learning how to set up the bikes.

I wish I was joking...

Then we spend an hour and half on the bikes...it was a pretty fun ride but I was ready to get off!!!!

We broke for lunch and did some classroom work. The best part was when we discussed music...cause you know me and my music.

So now I have several members of the class emailing me for music suggestions and playlists...

Woo hoo....

Go me....

Class time ends and we go back for one last awesome ride...one hour...

So needless to say I was one tired little princess after that. I said goodbye to my new friend Spin Angel and I am so glad to have her in my life...

but after that...

I wanted alcohol...and a shower...and my bed....

in that order...

I have my priorities and alcohol comes before the shower...

But no....I had still had a football scrimmage to try my best to blast my way to...so I changed clothes and headed back to my part of town to watch The Cutest Boy in the World (TCBITW) hit and tackle people...and he even got to run with the ball!

Woo hoo...

Go TCBITW!

So Saturday was a great day...I got to prove to myself that I could turn my life around and no longer be the fat chick that got out of breath just walking and I got to watch my son show me and remind me that determination is what you need...because he is a lot smaller than a lot of the boys he goes up against...but he hits em hard and knocks em down...and he doesn't let them stop him...

So I'm not gonna let anything stop me...

So come and take my class (when i finally start teaching)

If

You

Dare

Inspiration Song: "Back in the Saddle" by Aerosmith...because back in the saddle is where I like to be...and because I have had one guy offer to let me teach at his gym...and he used to play that song at the start of every spin class when he taught...

Bye Darlings...get back in the saddle and don't let anything stop you!

Just What I Needed

Oh my friends, I've been bad...

Sorta fell off the wagon these last few weeks...

Been indulging in things I shouldn't like:
Chick-fil-A
cheese
pita chips
cookies
chocolate mousse
pasta
sauces
waaaaaay too much Mexican food on Friday night...but it was soooo good

And not eating enough fish and veggies...

I can feel it...and I don't feel good.

So tomorrow I'm back on the program.

I've learned a lesson...I have to live and eat a certain way or my body will rebel.

Lesson learned...

So then what happens today?

Well, it was certainly NOT what I needed.

I was enjoying a great workout with Dimples. Poor man had coached football camp all day and still made time for me. We were at the end of the workout and it was time to run up and down the dreaded hill...

I told him my left knee was bugging me a bit and I was mad at myself for forgetting my little knee brace I wear when it is giving me trouble.

I go up the hill...

and...

pop

And down I go...

Something gave way in this darn knee of mine and I hit the ground and it took the breath out of me.

Dimples said I looked like I had been hit by a sniper.

(OK, that is pretty funny so you can laugh...I did)

When he got to me I was pretty much crying and in a bad place of hurt.

No, this is not what I need...

I do NOT need a knee injury!

I need my workouts. I need to be able to spin. I need to be able to move about.

I NEED TO BE ABLE TO WALK AROUND CAMP WHEN I PICK UP MY SON.

So as I type this I am icing my knee and I have taken the legal limit of Advil and I'm praying that tomorrow I wake up and it isn't hurting.

The timing...sucks...

ARGH!!!!!!!

So here I sit, knee throbbing, and I'm pouting...

There is not much more to say but I ask you all to pray for me and my knee.

Because you can't keep a good girl down...even with a knee injury...but it sure is better without one.

Inspiration Song: "Just What I Needed" by the Cars. Did you know they have a new album out? Sounds just like the old stuff so if you dig the Cars, check it out...

Bye Darlings...I hope you get what you need and not what you don't...

You Spin Me Round

Spinning...that's me...

Not just on a spin bike...

seems like I was spinning my wheels a bit last week...both literally and figuratively...driving all over town for costume stuff and then having some personal issues where one thing would get planned and then cancelled and I had to reorganize my days around that...

like completely buying all the groceries to make a certain meal only to have the meal cancelled as I walked out of the grocery store with all the groceries purchased...not my friend's fault (the rescheduling) but that is how my timing seemed to be all week and weekend. But I"m cooking that meal tomorrow so no damage is done and all my ingredients are still good...

or here's another example...I spent 2 hours yesterday learning a dance to do in a flash mob only to come hone to discover the day of the flash mob is when I need to pick up The Cutest Boy in the World from camp...at least I had a fun workout with GOTTESS and GOTT...

or heading out on I-10 to go and fetch a friend from the airport and then my poor friend texted me her plane was delayed...at least I wasn't down the road far at all...so I headed to sonic and got me a Route 44 Diet Dr. Pepper with Vanilla (easy ice)...

But today...today I did something on the spin bike I have never done.

I sorta, well basically I taught a spin class.

You see what happened was...

There was no spin class scheduled today at the club. JayVee cancelled it because we have notoriously low attendance on holidays and special days like Father's Day.

Today was Father's day...so no class.

Knowing that, I invited Trainer Girl to join me at the club and we would make our own spin class. I knew the room would be empty and so I brought my boom box and made a play list.

Trainer Girl and I climb onto the bikes and we start rolling...we get through our warmup and we are about 15 minutes in when a friend pops his head in and remarks that we are really early for class...

I inform him that there is no class...

he was not exactly happy...

and then said his wife and daughter were coming too...

I invited him and his family to join us...but warned him that my playlist might now be his favorite (he hates Britney and I had some Brit on there).

So next thing I know he and the fam are pulling in bikes...so the guy that is working and in charge of the desk at the club comes in and turns on the BIG stereo for us...

So I ask them:

"Do you want me to guide us? Teach?"

I got an "Amen" from the choir...so I pulled my bike up front so I wouldn't have to yell and we started rolling along...

Another friend joined us...and then some lady I didn't know came in.

I taught a class to 6 people...

And here is the miracle...

they seemed to like it...a lot...

They liked my crazy music...they liked what I had them do...and my friend even put up with the Britney because his daughter, wife and I told him to.

I did pretty good...in an hour I burned 566 calories....that is about 100 more than usual...I guess it was the adrenaline and knowing I had to keep going because they were watching me.

So as I was pedaling along I had a brief thought that it was kind of a miracle that I could do it at all. 15 months ago I would not have dreamed I would take a spin class much less have the balls (sorry, sometimes I need to be crude) to teach a class.

I'm no expert...far from it...but I think it might be something I could do.

I'm pretty good with the music...I have a good ear for what will work...that being said I did put one song on the playlist that was a "fail" and I stopped it 1/3 of the way in...

I've taken enough spin to know how to work to the music and what works to get your heart rate up.

So tomorrow I am going to go and talk to JayVee about what it would take for me to be a spin teacher...maybe she will let me teach with her for a while to get the hang of it but I think I did a decent job today.

I'm sort of scared to do it...and for about 5 minutes today I was scared to lead a class...but sometimes doing something that scares you a little is good for you.

Who knows...maybe I will become Spinderella 2...

Inspiration Song: "You Spin Me Round" by Dead or Alive...great little 80's song...but I recently saw the lead singer on a show about bad plastic surgery and he scared the bejeezus out of me...and scared me off of having any work done to my face...

Bye Darlings...don't spin your wheels...try something that scares you a little...

Head Games

Sometimes I think the only real obstacle to losing this weight (other than my screwed up knee) is my head...

Because, as I have said before, I let myself get in my own way.

It's a head game, this weight loss...

First, you have to get it in your head that you WANT to do it...and this is for anything...weight loss, fitness, getting rid of bad habits, training to do something like a triathalon, etc.

Then you have to get it in your head you CAN do it. You can't let yourself stand in your own way.

I know I blog endlessly about how much I love my trainer Dimples and my "J-girls" (instructors at my health club) but I cannot say enough about how much it helps me when they motivate me.

Dimples is always telling me that I CAN do something...or I CAN do a few more...or to at least try something. But so often just when I am about to get in my own way with something, he says the RIGHT something to me to keep me going.

And now he sends "tweets" (yes, I finally am learning about Twitter thanks to my Dimples). It's a good way for him to keep in touch of his bootcamp clients but also to send motivating and positive messages to his clients and followers.

Messages like this (remember twitter limits you to 140 characters so you have to use shorthand):

U must believe absolutely that u're not only capable of achieving your desired goal, but also that it's only a matter of time before you do

I'm keeping that on my phone...to look at when I need it...because I often need it.

You can follow him on twitter too if you want...just sign up for:
@jessetraining

So today I did a 90 minute spin class AFTER I did the new launch of Body Pump 76.

I was a bit intimidated about it...until I realized that last Friday after the one icicle shut down Houston that I gave myself a spin class that lasted over 90 minutes.

But I almost let my head stand in my way...I almost told myself I couldn't do it.

Thankfully my knee did NOT tell me I couldn't do it!

It was 2:35 minutes of exercise...

I got through it...piece of cake...which helped me resist the piece of cake that I really really really wanted to eat at GOTTPARENTS 50TH Anniversary party (woo-hoo...50 years of wedded bliss to an amazing couple with amazing kids and grandkids...love love love them...).

I wanted that cake. It looked good. My stomach said "yes, yes, yes" but thankfully this time the game going on in my head was a good one and my head said "no no no". And I told GOTTESS to keep me away from it.

GOTTSISTERS didn't recognize me...they haven't seen me since last spring...one of them said "you looked familiar but I didn't think it was you"...

love that...
love her for saying it...

For some people that would feel awful, but to my thinking, it is great. I'm happy that I look different.

So I was watching Oprah the other day (duh...when do I NOT watch Oprah?)and she had Jennifer Hudson on.

Jennifer Hudson has gone from a size 16 to a 6. She's lost 85 pounds. She looks amazing.

I've lost more weight but I've had (and still have) more to lose.

She's always been beautiful.

As I looked at her I tried to be honest with myself and see if I thought she was really more beautiful because she is thinner...or am I just trained to think so because that is what is accepted as pretty---thin.

I decided that to my eyes, and my head, she is NOT MORE beautiful...she just looks good...and healthy...and happy.

She talked about how it really plays with your head when you lose the weight. How she walks into stores and picks up things that are the wrong size because they are TOO BIG for her.

Now that is a head game I also play...

When I walked into Victoria's Secret for the first time in 8+ years a few weeks ago I had to talk myself into it the whole way through the mall. And I was afraid I was going to go in there and be told that nothing would fit so I should try Lane Bryant. And I was afraid that I was going to find that I looked like a fool.

But I didn't...and I have a drawer full of new undergarments to prove it.

I was at my favorite store "Lucy" a few weeks ago...I grabbed some pants in in XL and the girl helping me said "no, you need a large...that will be too big".

When I went into the dressing room and the pants fit, I cried.

In my head, I am still a plus-sized girl.

But my body is not...

It's a head game...and I could totally relate to what Jennifer was saying to Oprah about it.

She (Jennifer) also said that she loves trying on new clothes and wearing her new clothes. I can relate to that too...I can't believe I actually fantasize about some of my skirts...that I can actually wear them. I started going through my clothes the other day and realized that I better TRY things on because my brain was saying "no way" but the zipper would go up and my body would say "way...".

Today, after the LONG workout, I met my Aunt Jane (the BEST PERSON IN THE WOLRD) and her friend CAT (Cute and Tiny) for lunch. They had a gift for me.

Jane had taken the photos she took of us (and me) on top of the hill I climbed at our camp reunion. You know...the 218 steps...

For those of you who did not read that blog ("Climb Every Mountain"), I'll give you the 10 second explanation:
When I once couldn't catch my breath after going up 24 steps with a teacher friend I realized that I needed to change my life. So I did. So 6 months later when I climbed 218 steps and didn't DIE, it felt like a big big big deal.

When we got to the top of the hill we prayed and took photos. So Jane gave me the photos today in a frame. To remind me of what I have and will still accomplish.

I cried with joy from the love and beauty of the gift.

Like I said, she is the best person in the world...

and that might be one of the most amazing gifts I have ever received...

And I'm putting it on my nightstand...not because I look good in the photos (in fact, I look awful...no make-up and still around 230 pounds), but rather to remind me what I have done and what I can do.

It's like the tweets I get from Dimples...little reminders to my brain that I can do what I have set out to do.

Now one game I play in my head that will probably only ever be in my head and not reality is a fantasy...and that is ok...fantasies are good! They help move us forward. You all know mine:
Oprah invites me to be on her show to tell how I have lost weight and blogged about it and she gives me a Vera Wang gown to wear because I once met Vera and told her I wanted to wear one of her gowns when I lose weight...

That little fantasy is a head game that is all for fun...but it helps motivate me too...

because...

I don't want to stand in my own way:
to finish an exercise in training
to do a long spin class
to try something new with Dimples
to try on new clothes in a smaller size
to walk into a store that intimidates me
to put on something I haven't worn in 9 years
to dress to show off my hard work
to wear my mom's Vera Wang dress and rock it

Because the only thing stopping me is in my head...not my body...

It's all head games...and I am pretty good at those kinds of games (physical games...notsomuch)...

in fact, I usually win...

I think I'm gonna win this one...like my Dimples says: "it's just a matter of time"...

Inspiration Song: JayVee served up Foreigner's "Head Games" today in the 90 minute master class for spin...it was the perfect song at the 80 minute mark...she's so amazing...

Bye Darlings...win your head game...

Just Push Play

So I had my MRI today.

I think I am becoming a pro at them.

When the guy doing the test asked what was wrong with my left knee (he could see the scars from the surgeries on the right knee) I told him:

"My left knee got jealous that my right knee has gotten all the attention so now it wants equal time..."

Then I went on to explain how I was an idiot for running...

Mind you I sandwiched the MRI between J'taime Jamie's spin class and a workout with my poor darling Dimples who although he was sick and about to cough up a lung still found a way to come out and train me.

He (Dimples) took it easy on me until we know what is going on with the knee. I figure what is done is done...

We played with some new toys today. He made some bands that he wraps around a tree limb and I grab the handles and do various exercises with them (similar to TRX bands).

I also bought a stability ball for us to play with. I refrained from buying a pink one (I thought Dimples might look stupid chasing it around).

He blew it (the stability ball) up yesterday. I had fun bouncing around on it.

Today I got to do push ups, sit-ups and pull-ups on it...I like bouncing around better.

It reminds me of a hippity-hop...remember them?

Once I went to Lake Austin Spa. I went with a group of very fun girlfriends. We took a stability ball class.

The balls at the spa had, for lack of a better word (and Dimples loved this), "teats" on it...you know some long rubber prongs.

They were for keeping the balls from rolling around...nowadays the balls just roll, but this was about 10 years ago when it was a new thing.

So me and the girlfriends go into the room for the class.

The room is darkened. Enya music is playing.

Soothing environment.

I'm not sure which one of us did it first (probably me), but we jumped on the balls, grapped the rubber "teats" (whatever) and began to hop around like we were on hippity hops.

We had a blast.

We worked up a bit of a sweat.

We were bouncing around like 4 year olds.

And then the instructor walked in...

She laughed and claimed that NO ONE, absolutely NO ONE had bounced around on the balls like that until us...

I think she asked if we were drunk.

When we returned again she said "here comes trouble...".

The spa was wonderful, the food was incredible (for spa food), the spa treatments were the bomb, but nothing beat those few minutes that we abandoned our adult selves and became children again bouncing on the balls and laughing until we were crying.

Sometimes, you just need to be a kid.

I turn into a kid a lot during my workouts but I have a feeling that the stability ball will turn me into a toddler.

Maybe that is why I like my workouts with Dimples so much...we play...

He pushes me but he does it in a fun, playful way. He gets my heartrate up and gets me burning the calories but we have a lot of fun while we do it. I think that is what keeps me coming back...that I have fun.

Spin class is the same way. I love my instructors...they are the sweetest...but it is also all about the fun music and we all laugh and have fun while the class is going on.

I love the bootcamp that Dimples does for me and my mama friends. We laugh so much that sometimes he has a hard time getting us to pay attention and work. But we do. And I'm so proud of my Warrior Princess C who continues to celebrate her year of kicking cancer by working out with us. I'm proud of all my bootcamp mamas because we all have our own reasons to be there...and we get to have fun doing it.

Dimples played basketball last week as his workout. He said he really loves to play it and it is a great workout for him...more fun than just running 3 miles.

We are going to ride bikes next week as part of our workout. It will be fun to try something different...I'm tempted to add a bell and a flower basket to my bike like I had when I was 10...except that I don't think they will fit...and I have clips instead of pedals so if I crash that basket will explode.

But that is what a workout should be...it should be fun. And sometimes you have to find a way to play while you get your heartrate up.

I spent a few months doing nothing more than the elliptical. I burned calories and worked on my cardio fitness.

I didn't hate it, but I can't say that it was fun.

When I walk into JayVee or J'taime Jamie or Spinderella's spin classes, I have a blast...I have fun...and if I have the Amazing Katherine next to me I have fun AND a cheerleader.

And when I am with Dimples...be it personal training or bootcamp, I have a blast...and the time passes so quickly.

I guess what I am saying here with all of this "play" is that if you are looking to get started on doing something for yourself, find something FUN that you enjoy doing so you will do it.

Maybe it is tennis...maybe it is basketball...maybe it is riding your bike...maybe is is pilates class...maybe it is karate...but find something that you ENJOY doing...something that will keep you coming back for more.

For me it is spinning and Dimples...that is my form of play.

And I might just have to take that stability ball around the park for a spin...just gotta find a way to hold onto it while I hop...

Inspiration Song: "Just Push Play" by Aerosmith. Because you can just push play and have some fun...or just push play on your iPod and get moving...

Bye Darlings...stop reading this and go out and play!

Pop Music

I have over 2800 songs in my iTunes library...not all of them are on my iPhone (iPod), but most of them are.

I like music...

I have all kinds of music:
Rock (classic mostly)
pop
alternative (mostly pop-alt)
Musicals/Broadway
movie soundtracks
a little country (but not much)
dance tracks
a few classical selections
some "old school" R&B (think Earth, Wind, & Fire)

I make a lot of playlists...I like to just start up the iPod and have a set of songs to listen to.

Ke$ha Barbie spends hours and hours making playlists and listening to music. She probably has 100 playlists.

Mine are not that extensive...

She gets her love of music from me. I got my love of music from both of my parents...but probably mostly from my father.

I started her music education early...including the whole episode I blogged about before when she thought a record album was a "big black cd".

Once she was singing a song...it was a Beyonce/Destiny's Child song...

Bootylicious

so there she is in the backseat of my suburban singing "Bootylicious" and saying how much she loves Beyonce (I do too...) and I hear the sample in the song of Stevie Nick's "Edge of 17".

She (Ke$ha Barbie) says she loves that Beyonce song...especially the "music part".

She was referring to the sample of "Edge of 17".

I literally pulled over and stopped the car.

Dug out a cd...

shoved it into the cd player

and reminded her that as great as Beyonce was...

Stevie was first.

And she did it better.

And then a few years later the Dixie Chicks sang "Landslide". I had to give her a lesson again that...

Stevie was first.

And did it better.

Ke$ha Barbie and I don't agree on all of our music...but we probably have about 30-40% of our libraries in common.

I taught her classic rock...Frampton, Eagles, Aerosmith, Led Zepplin, Fleetwood Mac.

She taught me: Muse, Julian Casablancas, Arcade Fire, Jimmy Eat World, Phoenix.

I played the Beatles for her. Took her (and The Cutest Boy in the World) to see "Beatles LOVE" at the Mirage in Las Vegas. She has almost all of Lennon/McCartney's songs on her iPod now...

We only disagree on who we like better...I'm on "Team Paul" and she is "John" all the way...

But we both agree that George Harrison was the cutest of them and the most soulful.

As to Ringo...

no real opinion there.

But he has some fun stuff too...

I always feel a little victory when I discover a song or band before her. Like today when I told her that I had already downloaded "Houdini" by Foster the People...she hadn't even heard it yet.

Yesssssssssssssss....

And I also feel a little victory when she says things like:
The Eagles really had great harmony
Steve Miller is awesome
Frampton was a guitar god

and she has enough sense to think that Justin Bieber is the lamest excuse for a pop star EVER and that the Jonas Brothers are a blemish on the music industry.

My blog
My Opinion

Of course I am a woman who shamelessly has Barry Manilow on her iPod and is happy about it.

And I have a helluva lot of disco too...not all of it "good" disco (I can hear you all saying "is there such a thing as GOOD disco?").

By "good" I mean: Bee Gees, KC & the Sunshine Band, and Donna Summer

and then you have the old school R&B stuff that was almost disco-like...Brothers Johnson (I challenge you NOT to dance when you hear "Stomp"), S.O.S. Band ("Take your Time, do it right), GAP Band, and some of the stuff that Earth, Wind and Fire did (September).

Ke$ha Barbie does not like ANY of that...but then again I hate Vampire Weekend and the Arctic Monkeys so I guess we are even.

I give music to JayVee, J'taime Jamie all the time...they indulge me and play my stuff during spin class. My latest obessions are with a mash-up of Teenage Dream (Katie Perry) and Get Outta My Way (Kylie) or the new Taio Cruz song (Higher). And JayVee always throws in some classic rock for us too...

I once said I would put some playlists on this blog...stuff to get you moving and grooving. I couldn't decide whether to go with a theme (like Disco or 80's) but settled on a good mix that hopefully most of you have on your iPod...I'll do some "theme" ones another day.

These are all good for cardio work...use the beat (rhythm)to set your pace. I won't use anything "scary" or too offbeat (so no Evanescence---although "Bring me to Life" is awesome to warm-up with---or anything too in to the alternative zone).

Warm-up:
"Genie in a Bottle" Christina Aguilera
"Speed of Sound" Coldplay

Go fast:
"September" Earth Wind & Fire

Hard Climb (high tension)
"Where You Going Now?" Damn Yankees

Interval (fast and slow):
"I'm Still Standing" Elton John

Steady pace...but quick:
"Train in Vain" Clash
"Ready to Start" Arcade Fire

Climb again:
"4 Minutes" Madonna

Interval:
"Raise your Glass" Pink

Steady but quick:
"Take it Off" or "We R who we R" Ke$ha\
"Viva la Vida" Coldplay

interval:
"Club Can't Handle Me" FloRida
"Thnks for the Mmrs" Fall Out Boy

Climb:
"Waiting for You" or "Kiss from a Rose" Seal

Quick:
"Teenage Dream" Katy Perry (try and find the Kylie mash-up)
"Panic Switch" Silversun Pickups
"Get Outta My Way" Kylie Minogue

interval:
"I just Want to Run" The Downtown Fiction

Cool Down:
"Drops of Jupiter" Train

So there are some ideas of some music for you to use whether you spin, walk, run, or do the elliptical or arc trainer.

I've got disco lists, pop-alt lists, classic rock, etc. so if you don't like what you see, send me a message and I'll find you something you like.

The main idea is to MOVE...and if you use a beat, you will move better.

Wouldn't you rather hear Train than the ladies on the View anyway? Turn off the tv and turn on your music and get moving...

Inspiration Song: "Pop Music" by M...Spinderella gave us a dose of it this morning and even though my glutes were screaming by the end of it, it was fun to spin to...

Bye Darlings...let the music play....

Viva la Vida

Viva la Vida...live the life!

Are you living the life or Living la vida Loca? (crazy life)

I can relate to the la vida loca...that is me 90% of the time...but today I'm talking about living the GOOD life...the life we all want to live...

Yesterday my girlfriends Athenagal and Chauchacha taught a great art history lesson to the 7th grade class...Romantisism and Realism...and the first painting discussed was Delacroix's "Liberty Leading the People".

They showed the kids the Coldplay video of "Viva la Vida"...where Chris Martin (lead singer) wanders about in king's robes carrying a copy of that painting.

As I heard the song over and over (for each class) I was reminded:
1) how much I love that song
2) how much I love Coldplay's music
3) what a great statement viva la vida is...live the life...

And I love that painting...

After the art lesson we met Dimples for a workout and had a great time...perfect weather, fun friends, awesome trainer...and we laughed a lot. You can't burn 400 calories in a better way...

that is surely Viva la Vida...

Right now I feel that I am pretty close to living my best life. I still have some issues to work out...things I am not going to blog about because even though I am pretty much an open book here there are things that I do need to keep private...but for the most part, I'm living the life I want/hope/dream about.

My children are healthy and happy...they amaze me every day and I am blessed that I get to be called "Mom" and not just "Anice"...

I have wonderful friends...really wonderful and supportive friends

I am healthy...I'm almost at a healthy weight...I am healthy "inside" with my cholesterol, sugar levels, etc.

I am fit...I can run...I can spin...I can lift weights...I work out...

I have a great gig with GOTT and TTG...I get to work with people I love and how awesome is that...and the kids...oh, I don't have enough good words for the kids and my love for them...

I have Dimples (lucky me!)...and JayVee...and Spinderella...and J'taime Jamie...

I have the possibility of getting my teaching certificate...something I would really like to do...

I have this blog as a creative outlet...

But still no Oprah...but there is hope!

Today I achieved a personal goal...I did a 75 minute spin class. As I told Dimples it was "a piece of cake"...I'm sure he is happy that I thought the class was a piece of cake and didn't EAT a piece of cake.

The class was fun and I'm happy to say that I was pretty pumped that I lasted all the way through and still had some energy left...

Because...

I had to sit through hours and hours of middle school boy's state wrestling championships.

UGH!

Alas, The Cutest Boy in the World did not place or get a medal but he made a valiant effort at it and the boys he lost to were bigger and older than him. But he took them the distance and his coach was pleased with how well he did.

We had one boy win a state title and several other boys who placed 2-6.

I'm very proud of them!

But I'm so tired of sitting...so very tired of sitting.

Who ever thought you could be tired of sitting?

I sat there and watched our boys fight it out with other boys.

While wearing leotards (called a singlet)...

and longed for football season...

because I "get" football...sorta...although Dimples still has to explain most of it to me...and I understand what is going on on the field even if I don't know what all the positions are.

Wrestling is still a mystery to me...one sport I'm not sure I'm ever going to "get".

But my son likes it, so I will be supportive and sit and watch endless hours of it and pray that he stays safe. Today one boy on our team may have broken an ankle and I watched a boy from another team tear his ACL (or at least it pretty much look like he tore his ACL...poor kid).

I used to fear the injuries from football but now I understand that my son is safe with all that padding. I'm not saying he won't be hurt, but he is less likely to do so with shoulder pads on. It's a life I understand.

Wrestling is a life I am still figuring out...and I hate the demands to remain at a certain weight and all the physical contact.

The weight thing really gets me because as much as I am working to lose weight, I find it hard to put my 12 year old boy on a diet to make a weight class and feel good about it. And some of those wrestlers do extreme things to drop the weight...running in plastic suits, sweatboxes, steam showers, not drinking water...

no...

that is not the life I want for my son...

so he can wrestle but we aren't doing the crazy stuff...

because I want to Viva la Vida...not Viva la vida loca...

and that, my friends is what I call "loca"...crazy...

I'm crazy enough...I don't need to add to the crazy.

Inspiration Song: "Viva la Vida" by Coldplay. Gorgeous song...love the music...

Bye Darlings...Viva la Vida...

Welcome to the Jungle

Guns N' Roses

J'taime Jamie gave us Guns N' Roses and 2 Britney Spears songs today in spin class. I liked the Britney---after all, I gave those songs to her...the rest of the class liked the G-N-R...

I like that song too...although I like Paradise City and Sweet Child O'Mine a little better.

So when my friend Dollface suggested it for a blog title I just had to do it...I'm still running my little "contest" but this one seemed to be a no-brainer.

After spin I had a workout with Dimples...we discovered our park had been almost flooded but we made it work...and then I headed to school for some prep work for our Art a la Carte lesson tomorrow.

Have I bored you to death yet?

So now I am making butternut squash soup (recipe on the bottom in case you dont want to look for it in "Hungry Like a Wolf" blog...

I decided that I would peel and chop up my squash vs. buying it already peeled and diced.

I do not recommend my plan.

I almost ended up in the ER...

Cutting up the squash just to try and peel it was tricky enough...it almost slid off the countertop. So then I get it into managable chunks and can't find my vegetable peeler.

So I use a knife.

Not a good plan.

That almost resulted in some gouges in my fingers and my thumb being cut off.

Most of the way through the first squash I found the peeler...

Thank you, kitchen fairy!

So I chop up the first squash and dive into the second.

This time I have the peeler.

They can be dangerous too...

And for some reason the squash got a little "slimier" so it was hard to hold.

But then I got that squash diced and mission accomplished!

Tossed it with some olive oil, sea salt, and cinnamon and put it in to roast.

There is an easier way...2 easier ways:

1) buy it peeled and diced---this is my choice from now on

or

2) slice it in half lengthwise, scoop out the seeds, lightly oil it and bake it cut side down until it is soft. Let cool and scoop out.

Why didn't I do "plan 2" with the squash?

And for some strange reason I have this film on my fingers now that I cannot get off...I've tried a scrub, I've tried olive oil, I've tried dish soap...

on the other hand I think I may have discovered a really great natural skin-tightener that I might be able to market as "facelift from a plant"...

So now that I have (hopefully) amused you with my tale of dangerous cooking, I'll get to the "jungle" part of this story.

I've never been to a jungle unless you count the fake one at Disney World...or Middle School (that is a very very scary jungle).

I've been in "the bush" when my brother and Sister-in-Love (that is what I have renamed her...not Sister in Law but Sister in Love because she is my sister through love...my love for her!)...

Anyhoo...

They lived in South Africa and we went to visit them. My kids were in 2nd grade and Pre-K. It was the trip of a lifetime.

We went to a game park and saw lions eating after a kill, zebra running wild, and my brother had a giraffe that thought he was the family pet.

I feared the Black Mambas (deadly snakes) and loved watching the weaver birds in the tree that they all built nests in.

Those weaver birds are pretty smart little birds...at least the females are. The males build the nests...show it to the little wife bird...if she likes it, she moves in. If she doesn't, she rejects it and makes him make her a new home.

I like that...

We spent 4 weeks in South Africa. I hated to leave...it is a remarkable country.

We spent most of our time at my brother and SIL's home about 3 hours north of Johanessburg. We also went in to Johannesburg to shop and enjoy the city.

Something exciting ALMOST happened there...I say "almost" because the exciting thing didn't actually happen but it ALMOST happened...

Because...

OPRAH WAS THERE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

My mom, Ke$ha Barbie and I walked into a shoe store. The girls working there noticed we were American. They asked if we knew Oprah.

I said: "No, I don't personally know her but I know who she is and want to meet her".

Then they told us we had just missed her by like 3 minutes.

I went running all over the Sandton Mall trying to locate her. I just wanted to SEE her...I wanted to be in her proximity.

I still cannot explain to you my fascination and obsession with her, but there it is...

I chased her all over a South African Mall.

I could have been shopping but I was looking for Oprah...oh, and I had a prety delicious lamb shwarma in the food court...we thought she might be there.

When we returned to the states, Oprah had a television special about her trip there.

She was deeply affected by her trip there. So were we.

It is a beautiful country with beautiful people. I never felt unsafe although I know there is crime there. Johannesburg is like any big city...you have to know where to go and where to be.

We stayed in the Sandton area (think nice residential)...we avoided Soweto (a terrible sad slum).

We shopped in the flea market and bought treasures. I bought bowls made by women who used telephone wire to make the bowls. They are beautiful. I have a wine opener that is a tusk from a wart hog. I have beautiful wooden bowls. I have beaded salad tongs. Treasures...

The best part of the trip...finding out SIL was pregnant with my nephew.

We also drove down to the coast. My brother decided we needed to take our lives into our hands and experience South Africa's version of real-life "Mr. Toad's Wild Ride" called the Prince Alfred Pass.

Don't. Ever. Do. It.

It was horrific.

First, you are driving in some mountains like, oh say...Arizona. No problem. Just remember to drive on the LEFT side of the road.

Then you ascend into the mountains and it becomes very alpine...I kept thinking Heidi was going to pop up. It is what I imagine Norway or Sweden are like. Beautiful...

I was mildly terrified when I saw some cars in the valley...cars that had fallen off the road. Not a cool feeling.

so we are driving this winding pass...or rather my husband is driving. And the roads are narrow. And they hug the mountain.

And Mr. "I am the best driver" forgets what side of the road to drive on and we almost crash into another car...or into the side of the mountain...or down the cliff.

I really needed a drink after that.

Sadly it was hours away...

Needless to say we did NOT take that pass back when we returned to my brother and SIL's house...

Once we got to Plettenburg Bay (our destination)we met up with some friends of my brother and SIL's.

It was incredible to meet them...because the wife's father was one of my foather's dearest friends and I was once-upon-a-time supposed to stay with her (her name is Cathy) when we were in high school. I was to go to South AFrica, stay with Cathy and then go to her family's game lodge. But apertheid was in full swing and it became dangerous so I didn't get to go.

So 18 years later I finally got to meet Cathy...and we stood in her yard and cried with joy. There is a long story to how my brother became her friend but the shorthand version is that my SIL's dad (who is from Dallas) met Cathy's husband, brought my brother and SIL to meet him and Cathy and Cathy said her dad was good friends with a man from Texas...who turned out to be my father.

Fate...perfect fate...

I loved our time in Plettenburg Bay and with Cathy. My brother had always told me she was just like me with a South African accent. It is true. She and I finished each other's sentences. I long to see her again.

Leaving South Africa was hard...it was a wonderful country, we learned a lot...and we were flying coach....LONG TRIP...

Ke$ha Barbie sat on the floor of the airport terminal and declared she would not leave South African soil...

I pointed out that she was on the 2nd floor and had left the soil 10 minutes before when she got on the escalator.

While we were there we had incredible experiences...meeting friends, having a chance to feed and pet elephants, chasing Oprah...

But we had a really great "ah-ha" moment that I will never forget...

Ke$ha Barbie and The Cutest Boy in the World very much wanted a Nintendo Game Cube. They wanted Santa to bring it. Santa brought their gifts to our house in Houston...not South AFrica where I would have to pack them...

So Ke$ha Barbie was wondering aloud, on Christmas Day, as we were traveling south to Plettenberg Bay, if Santa had brought her the game cube.

At that moment we were passing a shanty town.

I asked SIL to pull over...

and pointed out to Ke$ha Barbie that those people didn't have phones, or tv, or bathrooms...and she shouldn't worry about a game cube when she was in this incredible country.

South Africa has no middle class...we would be wealthy there. I mean, we had a steak dinner for all 9 of us in a first class restaurant and our bill, including all the wine we drank and HUGE steaks...was less than $200.

We had pizza with beer and drinks for $11...and Ke$ha Barbie had pasta and juice...

So when I tell you that those people are poor...I MEAN POOR...

Oprah said something on her special that I have never forgotten.

She said that she and her staff took polaroids of the kids in one of the shanty towns they went to. The children did not believe that the photos were of themselves.

Because they had not ever clearly seen their own faces.

No one had a mirror....

So they didn't know what their own face really looked like.

Wow...

We learned so much there...I long to return...

even if I have to convince myself that a black mamba will not get me or my children...

I've got more stories but this blog is already as long as a novel so I will sign off and return my brain to Houston...and dream of Africa...

Inspiration Song: "Welcome to the Jungle" by Guns N'Roses...because J'taime Jamie played it in spin class and Dollface suggested it would be a good blog...

Bye Darlings...don't get lost in your own jungle...and count your blessings...

Roasted Butternut Squash Soup:

Roast your squash...either peel and dice it into 1" chunks (or buy it that way at Costco) or cut in half, scoop out seeds, lightly oil and bake and cool and scoop out pulp.

Put the chunks (or pulp) in batches in your blender or food processor and puree. Thin with vegetable stock or chicken stock.

transer puree to a pan...add chicken stock or veggie stock to thin out to soup (chowder) consistency. You can also add some cream, half and half, fat free half and half, or milk (lowfat or fat free is better for you).

Season with curry powder (hot or mild), cinnamon, and a pinch of salt (or to taste).

Heat and serve...

I read a recipe where you bake some apples and puree them in...gonna try that next time!

You Can Do It

"You can do it...Nothing to it!"

Fabulous words of advice...

Given to me by the Amazing Katherine during our spin class with Spinderella today.

I was pushing hard to get through the heavy tension I had on my bike and the Amazing Katherine looks at me and says:

"you can do it! Nothing to it!"

I think I need to embroider that onto a pillow...in shiny gold fibers!

The Amazing Katherine is my favorite and best cheerleader...very soon I am going to dedicate an entire blog to her and her family's foundation that benefits people with intellectual disabilities...The Amazing Katherine is just that...AMAZING!

And of course my other amazing person...Dimples...today he got me to a new level...we burned through over 400 calories (trust me, that is big...wear a heart monitor and you will understand how hard you have to work for a 400 calorie burn)!

So between spin and my workout with Dimples I could pretty much eat a pint of Blue Bell...or fried chicken...

but I don't want to...

I'm even shunning wine (during the week...weekends are fair game)to keep the weight loss shred going. Despite my litte flirtation with ruining my diet on Saturday I am below where I was that morning...yay!!!!!!!!!!!!

Dimples is like the Amazing Katherine...he is always telling me I can do it...even when I think there is no way I possibly can.

Like today...when he set the 20 lb. handweights (they are big suckers) on the ground and had me do pushups while holding the handles...

I said "no way"

he said "yes, you can"

and I did...

and then he had me do the same thing but do a leg thrust out and in and stand up in between each push up...

again I said "no way"

and he said "yes, you can!"

and I did...

and then he had me get into the pushup position, balance myself and pick up a weight (while balancing on my feet and one arm like a tripod) and pull it back for 10 reps...each side...

again I said "absolutely no way I can do that"

he said "try 5"

I did 10...each side...

and then he said "now put it all together"...yowza...

and this little voice in my head said:

You can do it, Nothing to it...

So the Amazing Katherine's comment got me thinking...while I was waiting on my car to get the oil changed...that we all tend to limit ourselves.

Dimples always tells me not to ...he tells me I can do things and that it is mind over matter...and he finds ways to encourage me when I think I can't do the last 2 or 3 reps of something because he reminds me I have already done 13 or 18...

And the Amazing Katherine always tells me I can do it just when I think I can't push my legs any faster or harder on the spin bike...

it's that bit of encouragement we all need...

I've written about this before...how we can do things we think we can't. Too often we stand in our OWN way more than anything or anyone else does.

It's really about finding a way to push yourself through...or to just say "yes I can" or to rearrange things so that it is possible.

Today Ke$ha Barbie informed me that I am a happier and easier to deal with mother since I have been working out. She says that my attitude has improved and that...wow, this almost HURTS to write because it sorta hurt my feelings...she "likes me more" these days.

Hmmmmmmmmmm...not sure how I feel about that, really...

was I not likable before?

or is just that she is basically Beelzebub most days and like most teenage girls she thinks her mother is:
stupid
dumb
out-of-touch
knows nothing
worthless
full of useless advice
can't do anything right
is a fashion disaster with no fashion sense
too picky
too critical
and
really really crazy

I know I felt that way about my mother...until I realized that not only was she the most beautiful woman in the world she was also the wisest and most wonderful.

But at 17 Ke$ha Barbie just sees me as a cook, maid, and banker...most days...

Maybe when dealing with her I need to say my affirmation:
You can do it, Nothing to it...

because she often makes me...

CRAZY

but I digress...as usual...

(although I think I am hearing an "amen" from the choir of moms who have teenage daughters)

Back to "what we can and can't do"...

I do have moments when I amaze myself with what I can do now...and it never fails to hit me when I run, yes RUN, up the stairs that changed my life. Because I do it now without being winded...in stillettos...

The fact that I can wear stillettos amazes me too...yet sometimes I still have to tell my feet "you can do it"...

When I run I am surprised that I can...because I thought that there was no way, no how I was going to run...but I should have listened to Dollface and kept the running to a minimum because my knee is still giving me a bit of pain...

I'm always surprised by how quickly my heartrate recovers when I am working out...the fact that my heart, once working so hard to pump blood through my fat body, can beat now to an athletic pace...well, that just really floors me.

Our bodies can do so much more than we think they can...our only limits are what we tell ourselves we can't do...and yes, sometimes things like bad joints, bulging disks, and real injuries can limit us...but they shouldn't STOP us.

So I am going to make a pledge to myself...for the next week I am NOT going to say I can't do something...I'm just going to do it when asked...

let's see how that works for me...

Inspiration Song: "You Can Do It" by the Brand New Heavies...funky little band I found a few years ago when I heard another song of theirs.

Bye Darlings...You Can Do it...Nothing to It!

100 years

So this is my 100th blog...big weeks for hundreds for me...

100 pounds lost
I am now in the 100's in weight
100 blogs

So here, my beloved readers, is another hundred...

100 hundred things you may or may not know about me:

1. My children are the best thing I have ever done.
2. Being a mom is the greatest gift God has given me.
3. I am a total sap...I cry at EVERYTHING
4. I hate to watch football unless my son is playing.
5. I hate everything about wrestling...
6. I love being an Aggie but I am not a fanatic about it.
7. I love to cook.
8. I hate to clean up after cooking.
9. I like to scrapbook.
10. I make a huge mess when I scrapbook.\
11. A hot bath is always a happy drug for me.
12. When I am at a hotel, I MUST take a bath at night.
13. Crave cupcakes are kryptonite to me.
14. I don't care if I ever eat Pizza Hut again..
15. I like beer. A lot.
16. I like wine. A lot a lot.
17. I like champagne. A lot.
18. I like vodka. A lot.
19. I like tequila. It does not like me. I dance on tables.
20. I have, in fact, danced on many tables.
21. I want GOTT to teach me how to dance...someday...
22. I would love for Maks from DTWS to teach me to dance!
23. I love Hawaii...all the islands, Kauai the most...
24. I'd rather go to Hawaii than Paris.
25. I'd love to go back to South Africa.
26. I miss my mother every day.
27. I miss my father almost as much.
28. I'd rather go to spin class than shop...shocking!
29. Glee is my favorite tv show.
30. Modern Family is my second favorite tv show.
31. I'm trying to learn to like salmon more...getting there
32. Top Chef is my favorite reality show
33. Toddlers and Tiaras is my guilty pleasure
34. The Real Housewives shows on Bravo are my other guilty pleasure.
35. I don't care if I ever eat a buffalo wing again...ever...
36. I could eat blueberries every day...and I try to.
37. I still hate running.
38. I majored in Agricultural Economics in college...weird...
39. I showed cattle while in high school...weird...
40. My advisor professor told me I was "the one recognizable female in the department" (I think that was good?)
42. I had a professor tell me to "not wear Giorio perfume to class because it was sexy and distracting"...hmmmmm...
43. I am a proud member of Pi Beta Phi
44. Friday Mountain Girls Camp was one of the greatest influcences on my life...really...
45. I can't ride a horse to save my life
46. I can't play tennis to save my life
47. I can't catch a ball to save my life
48. I can't throw a ball to save my life
49. I don't care that I can't do any of those things.
50. I cry during musicals...always...
51. "What I did for love" was the first song in a musical that made me sob. (A Chorus Line)
52. "The Lion King" is my favorite musical
53. "Wicked" is a very very close second
54. Of the "classics" I like Rogers & Hammersteins "Cinderella" the best...
55. I would like to get paid for doing the costumes at the school but I will keep doing it for free (and love)
56. Hearing a child, other than your own, say "I love you" and mean it is very very very special
57. The last 15 pounds have made more difference in my looks than the previous 85...weird...
58. I can run over a mile...and I am proud of that.
59. I sweat so much at spin I need a towel under the bike (ewwwwww...I know...)
60. I don't enjoy Pilates...but I try it anyway
61. I wish I was a teacher
62. I would only teach middle school
63. I happily call GOTT my other husband. I love him.
64. GOTT's wife calls me his other wife. I love her.
65. I enjoy fishing more than I thought I would
66. but I would rather just lay out on the boat...
67. My children's birthdays are the best days of my life.
68. Holding my chilren the first time took my breath away.
69. If I had to choose just one thing to drink it would be Diet Dr. Pepper.
70. or wine...but I would get nothing done.
71. I miss popcorn...especially at the movies...
72. I think the chase scene in "Raising Arizona" is the best chase scene ever...and one of the greatest movies ever...
73. I can say the names of all the presidents in chronological order.
74. "50 Nifty United States" helped me pass a few tests
75. So did "Schoolhouse Rock".
76. I think Paul Newman is the sexiest man...EVER...
77. If I could look like someone else, it would be Olivia Wilde.
78. I am a Griffindor, but I have a lot of Hufflepuff in me (GOTTson loves that about me...and knew it...)
79. I wish I drove a VW convertable Beetle instead of a suburban...but I like my suburban
80. Writing this list is harder than I thought it would be.
81. Losing 100 pounds was easier than I thought I would be.
82. I love learning about and teaching art history.
83. I'm lazy...really, I am!
84. Once I hit a size 20 I ceased caring about it.
85. Now that I am a 14 I want desperatly to be a 12...then a 10...and then an 8...
86. I'd rather workout with Dimples than any other way of working out...he pushes me more and I have more fun.
87. I could go to spin class every single day and love it.
88. My favorite ethnic cuisine is Ethiopian. Yummy!
89. I'd rather eat Thai food than Mexican.
90. I think my daughter's photography is AMAZING...
91. My best dish: Tres Leches cake
92. My second best dish: beef tenderloin
93. What I eat most now: salmon on a bed of greens and blueberries with fat free dressing.
94. I keep photos of my cats on my phone
95. I would like to meet Oprah...a lot...
96. I have over 1900 songs on my iPod...all genres...
97. I can't exercise without music...unless I am with Dimples.
98. I wish I could sing
99. I wish I read the Bible more and knew it better.
100. I am proud of my weight loss, my increase in fitness, and this blog.

So there is a silly list of 100 things about me...I could have gone "deeper" but this is about fun...

Today was my "triple threat" day...I went for an early run, did spin a few hours later, and then worked out with Dimples. The bad thing is that I seem to have done something to my left knee (the one not operated on)so now it really hurts. I ran for almost 2 miles and was so proud of that but the thrill was short-lived when I discovered that I might have hurt it. Hopefully I will wake up tomorrow and the pain will be gone or nearly gone. It made it a realy challenge for Dimples to keep my heart rate up today...

Thank you for coming on this journey with me...please help me stay on the course!!!!!!!!!!!

Inspiration Song: "100 years" by Five for Fighting...great song...

Bye Darlings...here's to seeing 150 before summer...

Ordinary World

It was an ordinary Sunday for me...except that the incredible JayVee added a spin/body pump class to the schedule at the HRC so now I get to have a great workout on Sundays.

Remember, there is no rest for the wicked!

oh, that was a few blogs ago...

So back to JayVee...awesome class...45 minutes of spin, 45 of body pump...and she gave us some good music. It was just what a needed.

Last night I went to see "Black Swan" with my friend...oh, let's call her Twirler Girl because that is what she was back in high school. Some of you will know of who I speak. Anyway, she's my movie or museum date these days and so we thought we would give "Black Swan" a try.

Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm....

Very dark and twisty.

I've have friends who were professional ballerinas. Not an easy life. This movie doesn't glamourize it at all. I'm glad that Ke$ha Barbie proved to be more athletic than flexible and lyrical...

After the movie we went to dinner...she's on a raw diet and I'm doing the no bread/pasta thing these days. So of course we choose to go to Red Robin...because there is nothing like temptation when you are trying to eat right. When I say she is on a raw diet, I mean she is eating nothing but raw fruits and veggies and nuts for the next 21 days. She's done it before, I don't know how...and I can't because I can't eat nuts and you pretty much have to on this diet for the protein and healthy fats. So she had a salad and I had a veggie burger patty with a lettuce leaf "bun"...and it was pretty darn good! She's training for the MS150 (she's done it before) and I'm so incredibly proud of her. That is something I really do not think I could do. But who knows...I never thought I would run (and I do) and I never thought I would be anythig but a plus-sized girl (not anymore) and I never thought I would like to work out (and I LOVE it) and I never thought I would write a blog and share it (and...well, here we are...)

I'm still putting together thoughts on restaurant food advice to put in a blog but I'll save it for another day. Two food blogs in one week are boring...

Writing this blog is an outlet for me. I have never been a journal keeper but doing this is more like storytelling or therapy. I like it.

Recently I discovered that I could see how many times my blogs are viewed. I can see it by number of times per day, week, month or in the history of the blog.

I have become obsessed with it...it appeals to my OCD...

My numbers are super small compared to most bloggers...but I don't care...I write for me and my friends who read this and...Oprah...

I can't tell WHO views my blog but I can tell what websites (like facebook) have referred it (but not by facebook user).

The most interesting thing is that it shows me where my blog readers live...not by state but by country.

So somewhere out in this world of ours, people are reading all this silly stuff I write.

People from Slovenia, Denmark, the Netherlands, the UK, Russia (yes, Russia), and others that I can't remember right now.

That fascinates me.

So, if you are from another country---PLEASE "friend" me on facebook (Anice Shelton Duytschaever---there I just totally lost my anonymity...maybe not such a good idea)so I can know who you are...or sign up to be a blog follower. I think it is so great to know people from other places...

I think it is totally cool that someone from Denmark reads anything I write...I love that...

But all of this got me thinking just how small our world is now with the internet. How it is possible to meet someone from another country without ever seeing them face-to-face. That Facebook can reconnect you with old friends and let you meet new ones...from Denmark!

Information is transferred in seconds. That I can write this blog and in seconds after posting someone can read it absolutely blows my mind.

To think that children that are growing up today will never know a world without the internet and this exchange of ideas is exceptionally cool.

When you consider that 30 years ago making a long distance call was still a big deal and that now you don't even call you just TEXT, well, how far have we come?

I could go on and on about this but it makes my head hurt to think about it all. I just know that our world is smaller and I pray that it leads to greater humanity and understanding and peace.

Now as for MY humanity and peace...well, I still am a little boggled that my way of dealing with stress now is with healthy food and exercise but a year ago it was something fried or Marble Slab ice cream (sweet cream flavor...all I ever want).

I cooked my husband and son ribeye steaks tonight. I made myself some salmon. A year ago I could not have imagined NOT digging into a nice big juicy (fatty) steak and preferring salmon (I still don't love it but I do love what it does for my body). But tonight I could have cared less...and I looked forward to my salmon.

I texted Dimples about my workouts this weekend...he was really proud of me. And proud that I kept the wine to a minimum (2 glasses Friday after a very stressful day, and one last night with Twirler Girl...oh, and a beer...).

I told him that as long as I behave I make BOTH of us look good...because I'm working to do what he suggests I do...and he plans my workouts.

And it is working...

And all it is is just eating healthy and clean and exercising. Just plain, ordinary, living healthy. That's all...good food in, hard workouts...

Anyone can do it...I'm living proof...

Inspiration Song: "Ordinary World" by...Duran Duran...I'll get off the Duran Duran kick soon...but for now it is fun to find a title to match my thoughts...

Bye Darlings...let me know where you live in this ordinary world of ours!

Come Undone

I tried to write this blog last night but for some reason my blogger site wouldn't let me write anything...that was super frustrating. i didn't come undone, but it was frustrating and annoying to say the least.

But I'm glad I had a bit more time...because some things have happened that have made this blog come together a bit better.

So yesterday I did ALMOST come undone with some other things...

For those of you who are not familiar, my "job" is not a PAID job but I think of it as a REAL job just the same. I work with my friend GOTT (God of the Theater...drama teacher extraordinaire and the best damn choir director anywhere and my soul brother)and my friend TTG (Theater Tech God...my sweet funny friend who is also like a brother to me) and my friend Musical Muse (Musica director---I don't know how she plays plays plays that piano...she is amazing and beautiful). I costume the kids for the shows we do and help find props and just assist in general. I do this for free. I do this for love. And I love what I do...and I love my friends that I work with...

When you get paid in hugs and kisses from kids, well, that kind of salary is impossible to find...

Anyway...

So yesterday GOTT starts the process of casting our spring 8th grade musical. It is the highlight of their year and most of these kids have been looking forward to this for years. The kids knew before the holiday break what show we were doing and most have been learning the music and watching videos...

We were going to do "Peter Pan" (not the Disney version, the REAL stage musical).

I say "were" because we were going to do it.

So GOTT has the kids start auditioning...and then time is up in class. Barely scratched the surface. So the kids leave and Musical Muse goes to check her email while GOTT and TTG and I discuss production issues.

Musical Muse returns with a big frown on her face...she is was waving a sheet of paper.

In order to present a performance of a lisenced show, you have to buy and pay for the rights. We did that.

But the company that issues the rights pulled them...no more Peter Pan. Seems a tour is coming through and no how, no way we can do it.

The paper she was waving was the email informing her that the rights had been pulled. She called the company but they said "uh-uh"...basically it was like the thumbed their nose at us and said "too bad, so sad...".

I very nearly came undone. I don't know how GOTT kept his cool...he has been prepping this and working on it for weeks. When he does a show he puts in hours and hours of work getting the scripts ready, blocking things, figuring out WHEN he needs to block things, figuring out what the kids will read in the script to audition, etc.

I've been working on this...I've even purchased a few things for the show...guess they will go into a box until we get to do it...

This was a lot of work....down the drain.

I told him "we need to re-boot. God shut a door...but He has opened a window...go through the window...we will do something better".

We threw around some ideas and he settled on "Annie"...it will be great.

Because our un-doing will probably lead to greater things...

After that bit of excitement I moved on to my workout with Dimples...he is undoing my usual way of doing things...and I can happily report it is working. I so luv luv luv him...even if I am in pain pain pain when we are done...

I spent the evening watching the wrestling team and taking photos and then came home to discover that blogger would let me sign in but not compose anything...so I went to bed.

This morning I got up and ran a mile...2nd day in a row...little over a mile in fact...I thought when Dimples told me to try it I would come undone having to get up at least 30 minutes (really more like 45) earlier but I'm trying it...

I ran, went to school to be supportive when GOTT told the kids what happened, and then I went to J'taime Jamie's amazing spin class. It was great and the music was awesome and she played...

Andy Gibb...

You know, I was going to marry Andy Gibb...yes, I was! I had a plan...I was going to go to a concert, he would see me and would fall instantly in love with me...at least that is what I thought with my 13-year-old brain. I kissed his picture every night...him in his tight white pants and open red shirt.

He. Was. Hot.

In fact, I'm getting a little sweaty just thinking about him right now...and I am sad that he is gone and died so young...

I would have saved him from all of that cocaine if he had just wanted to marry me like I planned...

I had other crushes...Peter Frampton...Shawn Cassidy...David Cassidy...Parker Stevenson...but I was never a Leif Garrett kind of girl.

I came home from spin and plopped down to watch the "Oprah Show" I had DVR'd since I had to miss watching it yesterday...

And, guess who was on...

Peter freaking Frampton!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

and

Shawn "I still got cute dimples" Cassidy...

WOW!

The Backstreet Boys and Jackie Jackson were also on but they never had my heart the way Peter and Shawn did...

Oh my my...

I forgot we have all gotten old...

Shawn is thicker and middle aged but seems like a genuinely nice guy. Peter has lost those luscious locks of his that he threw about so fetchingly in his youth.

Once I got to kiss his plane...yes, I kissed it because that was as close as I could come to kissing him. I flew to Houston in my dad's small plane and parked at the same hanger was Peter's very large jet. It had his name on the side. I couldn't get the door of our plane open fast enough. My father laughed until he cried as I joyfully ran across the tarmac screaming:

"PPPPPPPPPPEEEEEEEEEEEEETTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEERRRRRRRRRRR!!!!!"

He wasn't on the plane...

I just kept screaming anyway.

I just about came undone with the joy of being close to ANYTHING that was remotely related to Peter Frampton.

He. Was. Hot.

And you know what? Depite the lack of hair and age...the guy can still play guitar like nobody's business and is a genuine rock star and can still sing "Baby I love your way" in a very sexxxxxxy manner.

I would have come undone if I had been in Oprah's audience.

I would have cried and screamed "PPPPPEEEEETTTTEEEERRRR!!!!!!!!!".

and sung along to every song...

This afternoon I had another session with Dimples...I achieved a resolution/goal...we broke the 400 calorie burn mark. We were both pretty happy about...he almost undid me at one point when I looked at him with sweat dripping off me and said "I'm not sure I can do it" and he said "yes, you can..." and so I did...

Because you see, today was a GOOD day...today:
we found a great show and the kids are happy...
I reconnected with my love for my teen idols...
I ran about 1.25 miles...
I had a great spin workout...
I burned 400 calories with Dimples and had fun every minute of it...

And...

And...

And...

And...

(is the anticipation getting to you?)

And...

And...

I've now gone under 200 and I have lost 100 pounds...

I am so blogging about that tomorrow!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Inspiration Song: "Come Undone" by Duran Duran...because it is Duran Duran week...and because they often caused me to come undone when I watched them on MTV...Simon and the boys were so pretty...

Bye Darlings...it's ok to come undone...once in a while...

Days Go By

Goodbye 2010...Hello 2011!

Another year has gone but for me it has been a huge year of change...change for the better!

The days have flown by...

As I look back on the year, I have some very good memories that I will carry with me into the new year...

Last New Year's started off as I will this new year---celebrating with a quiet evening with some dear friends. Once upon a time I enjoyed a big spalshy party but now I prefer staying in the neighborhood and spending the evening having wine and dinner with people I truly love...and tonight I will get to do that, with the same people I did it with last year. THAT is a good thing...

Last February I saw my very beautiful daughter, Ke$ha Barbie, as a real grown-up girl as she took my breath away when she went to her Cotillion. She looked beautiful...

March changed my life. I went up those stairs with Precious and Adorable History teacher and realized that there was no good reason for me to spend my life getting winded as I walk up some stairs. When he asked me if I was ok, I knew that even though at that moment I wasn't...I would be...

March also brought me back to the gym...by the end of March I had decided that I needed to add exercise into the mix and so I stepped on the elliptical and pushed "go"...

In April I returned to my true love---spin class! Spinderella taught classes that reminded me that sweating on a bike was how I liked to do cardio. April also was when my son's class had Greek Festival and I had a blast helping Precious do it. The kids had fun and Precious and I survived...and I had more energy to do it since I had been working out for almost 6 weeks by then. And April is when I discovered "My Fit Foods" and I'm not tired of it yet...I love their food!

In May we presented Cinderella...and the lovely girl who was "Cinderella" in her beautiful blue gown took my breath away. Having to tell her I found a better dress than she did almost killed me because I hate making a 14 year old cry, but when a small child in the audience screamed out "Look! It's Cinderella!!!!" I burst into tears...it was a good, no make that GREAT show!

In June I stared this blog...what a difference it has made to me to be able to share my thoughts, frustrations, feelings, highs, lows, triumphs, tragedies, ups and downs, and ideas with you all. Thank you, V, for getting me to do this!

In June I also had a blast helping GOTT and TTG do a summer drama camp and I met Fitness Goddess at the gym and she showed me how to use the weight machines for a good workout. I missed The Cutest Boy in the World (TCBITW) while he was at camp but stayed busy with our camp, working out, and having fun in my pool. Oh, and it was Jane's birthday...Jane (you know, the best person in the world?!?!)...we had a blast...she has great friends to have fun with!

July---celebrating GOTT's birthday was a high point. Once again I was reminded that I absolutely cannot bowl to save my life. And once again I was reminded that GOTT can do anything...

I also got to share TCBITW's joy that he won a big award at camp and I was overjoyed to pick him up and see his adorable face again. July also brought a big goal to fruition...50 pounds lost. I also was hit with an attack of diverticulitis (ok, that is NOT a memory I will treasure). It's a lot easier to say "no" to movie theater popcorn (with all of it's fat and calories) since I know I could get very sick from it!

I also got to see the worlds best Sister-in-law and the cutest niece and nephew ever in July. I love my SIL...she is beautiful, sweet, and a great mommy. And I got to see my Aunt Gayle and my cousins...family is a treasure...

August...ah, August...school started again, football started again and I was down over 60 pounds. It was hot but I didn't mind. I loved having Precious walk right by me and then realizing it was ME because he didn't recognize me with the weight loss. And he wasn't the only teacher at the school that did that. LOVE THAT...I don't mind not being recognized because I look so much better!!!!! I also had a great time celebrating GOTESS' birthday and NOT singing karaoke with the rest of the musical theater people. I can't bowl, I can't sing...next year GOTT and GOTTESS need to have parties I am not a "fail" at!

September...it's almost a blur because it feels like all I did was photograph football games. I gifted myself with my new camera that month and Coach Sweetness has had his hands full trying to teach me how to use it properly. Oh, but I got another good gift in September---Coach Dimples! I started running his life (football-wise) at that point when I walked over and told him to quit moving the boys' backpacks and to go coach my son. I reminded him of that moment yesterday and he laughed and said he was glad I did it and barged into his life screaming and waving my arms at him to "Stop! Because I have minions to do that!". I'm glad I did it too...because now I have him helping me and he is EXCELLENT at it.

October---more football, Ke$ha Barbie's other Cotillion (and the supershort dress), and GOTT, TTG, me and the kids gave our audiences a great "Seussical" show. GOTT's Halloween party was a blast and I learned that maybe risking my blonde locks for one night of black hair was not a gamble I want to take again.

November brought another birthday for me...and I was glad to welcome it as a healthier and lighter person. TCBITW's football team went undefeated! I also started working out with Dimples because football season was over. I didn't want to start training with him until football was over because I needed him to love me as a team mom until then...and I needed to love him as a Coach...now I love him because I love him (he is a really good guy)...and because he is helping me to reshape my body and taking me to a new level of fitness. Oh, and I discovered my new obsession---Tasti D-Lite for a healthy treat that helps feed my need for something sweet. If you haven't gone yet, go and try it...try the peppermint sundae...yummy!

And now December is coming to a close. We had a nice quiet Christmas, I cooked a perfect turkey, I've worked out like mad and the scale hasn't moved but clothes are looser so I am letting it go as far as my frustration with the scale. My family is happy and healthy and I am blessed to have so many wonderful people in my life.

It's been a year of many changes.

I drink more wine but gave up fries and cookies.

I've logged about 5000 minutes on the spin bike...yes, I did break out the calculator to try and figure it out and 5000 is just about right. That is 83.333 hours...

I've spent about 10,000 minutes doing other cardio...166.67 hours...about 4.5 per week...yes, that is about right...5 hours per week at cardio and another 1-2 hours at spin...I rarely take a day off. OCD, I know...and I am lumping my training time in there too...Basically I work out for at least an hour every day but some days I do 2 hours...again, it is the OCD...

And no, Oprah has not called to tell me she is featuring me on her show and getting Vera Wang to make me a dress...yet...

In the past I have found myself making resolutions on New Year's Eve that I know I won't keep. This year I will make ones I can keep...because I know what I CAN do. I'm not going to promise myself a dress size, but I will resolve to continue to be fit and healthy. I'm going to help others as I help myself. I'm going to de-clutter my house. I'm going to think about getting a teaching certificate (notice I said "think about" it because I need to see if I can do it...but I do resolve to give it thorough research and thought). I'm going to put up a Christmas tree next year and decorate my house for the holidays. I'm going to cook another perfect turkey. I'm going to get to the point of being able to burn 400 calories in a session with Dimples (it's harder than you think). I'm going to be able to run over a mile...maybe 2...

And at some point I am going to put on my Mama's dress and wear it to a party. And I know she will be proud of me...and I will be proud of me too...

I might just wear her charm bracelet too...and as it jangles on my wrist, it will be music...

Inspiration Song: "Days Go By" by that country hunk Keith Urban. Oooh la la...Nicole Kidman is a lucky girl...

Chorus...take these words to heart:

Days go by
I can feel 'em flying
Like a hand out the window in the wind the cars go by
It's all we've been given
So you better start livin' right now
'Cause days go by



Happy New Year, Darlings! Look ahead to 2011...how can you change your life for the better? And how can you change someone else's?

All I Know

So 2010 is coming to a close...just one day left...

This, for me, has been a big year of change...change in my body, change in my health, change in my outlook, change in what I think I can do, change in what I KNOW I can do.

In the 10 months I have spent changing, I have learned a few things...and many are things I should have learned long ago.

So what have I learned?

I'll share it with you...not because I am some sort of health or weight-loss guru, but maybe there is something in what I have learned that you can use for your own life.

And I know a lot of us set resolutions this time of year, so this might just help one or two of you get there...

My body can do more than my mind thinks it can.

The first time I stepped on to the elliptical machine I thought there was no way I could last 10 minutes. But I shut my brain off and went for an hour. The first time I stepped back into a spin class I thought I would only make it for 15 minutes---I did the whole class. Again, it was not letting my brain tell me that I was done. Today when I didn't think I could run one more step pulling my trainer along, he told me I could do it and I did...he constantly tells me "mind over matter" but what he is REALLY saying is that I just need to let my body do what it can and not let my thinking get in the way. My body is far more capable than what I give it credit for.

Nothing tastes as good as thin...or healthy...

Today I wanted a cookie. I wanted ice cream. I wanted a lot of bad things. But then I remembered how hard I worked with Dimples and realized it wasn't worth it. Because as tasty as the cookie is, it wasn't worth 10 minutes of hard work with Dimples when I could eat an apple instead.

I honestly do not miss french fries and hamburgers and Cane's chicken but I do miss Fuzzy's pizza.

So if I cheat...I eat the Fuzzy's. Because I don't miss the other stuff and so why do it. Lesson to others: if there is a food you really love, cheat with that, have a love affair with that...don't cheat with a food that is a "fling"...if you don't love it, don't do it. I also cheat with Crave Cupcakes...I have had a 2-year relationship with their Strawberry cupcakes (and I cheat on the strawberry ones with the candy bar ones) so if I am offered one and I have been a good girl, I eat it. I've had exactly 3 in the last 10 months...not bad...not bad at all...

I love wine. I am not cheating with wine...and a few glasses a week will not hurt me and might even be good for me.

Just read my "Red Red Wine" blog...it says it all. Best 150 calories of my day sometimes...

You will work harder and more efficiently if you wear a heart monitor.

You can spend $50-$150 on one. Buy the one that fits your budget and wear it every time you work out. Dimples had me buy a "Polar" one. I like mine because it has a recording feature so I can record each session and it will keep track of how many minutes I have worked out and calories burned. It is particularly useful because I can show him (Dimples) what I have done when I am not working with him. It pushes me harder...and it makes him push me harder.

Don't believe the calorie's burned amounts on the machines at the gym.

They lie.
Wear a heart monitor. It doesn't lie.
One of the trainers at the Racquet Club pointed out to me that you can turn the treadmill on and it will start a calorie count even if you don't step on it...wow...

The only way to lose weight is to eat less and better quality food and exercise.

That's it. No magic pills. No "easy button". You just have to eat right and move your body.
It's simple math---you have to put in less calories and put out (burn) more calories.
And no, you can't go for a 45 minute walk and then eat a plate of enchiladas and expect to lose any weight.

If you put off going to the gym, you won't go...

I find that unless I plan and know I am going at a later time (like meeting Dimples at 2:30 or going to Body Pump at 6:00 pm), I could easily procrastinate myself out of a workout. If you don't work, drop the kids off and go straight to the gym or your workout. If you work, put your gym bag in your car and go straight there---if you go home you will be distracted and not go.

You have to figure out what kind of exercise you like so you will do it.

I hate to run...I am still trying to find my love for it. I told Dimples today that I didn't think I was ever going to like running and he said "ok, but it gets your heart rate up and we are only doing it for a few minutes" and that made it all better. Because I don't want to run for 45 minutes but I WILL SPIN for 45 minutes without argument. So you find what you like. Try different classes, try different machines. I don't like the treadmill but I DO like the Arc Trainer and the elliptical. I don't like Pilates but I DO like spin and Body Pump. I have friends who HATE Body Pump and love the machines at the club...I hate the weight machines and I hate doing them. Different strokes...

So find what you like and do that. Vary it up so you don't get bored. But if you hate the treadmill and that is all you do, you will never enjoy your workout. Try everything...think of the gym as a buffet and give it all a taste.

But you need to try something more than once...

Maybe what you didn't like about spin or Pilates was the instructor, not the class. There are spin instructors who I adore as people but can't stand their spin classes. And I love J'taime Jamie's Body Pump and Spin classes but Pilates I can take or leave...I only take it when she or JayVee teach and if I really feel like it. So if you take a class and don't enjoy it...try it at least one more time with a different instructor or different time of day (maybe doing Pilates in the afternoon won't work for you but in the morning you would enjoy the stretch).

I did not like the Arc Trainer the first time I tried it, but I kept after it and started with 10 minutes and added 5 minutes every few days and soon it became my one-hour cardio workout. I do the treadmill all the time and I still hate it...but I do it.

Vary your intensity if you are using a cardio machine.

Dimples has me change the incline and speed constantly on the treadmill. He told me to do the same with the othe machines. So mix it up...go hard and fast for a minute or two and then back off a bit. Keep your heartrate up and challenged.

If you read or watch tv while working out, you aren't working hard enough...

Wear your heart monitor...try 1/2 your workout reading your magazine or watching "The View" (although Joy Behar does get my heart and blood pressure going). Then turn it off or close the magazine/book/eReader and go at it. You will work harder without the distraction. Try it...more than once...see if I am right. If you can do all your workouts reading "People" or watching "The Today Show" and work as hard as you do without it, I will take you to lunch...but you have to do it more than once and use the heart monitor to prove it. I know I am right about this one...

The exception to that: music...

I know, I know...I am a music freak. I love my music. Heck, my blogs are all named for songs! But...whether you realize it or not, if you play music your body will want to move to the beat. You WILL speed up during faster songs. On the slow songs, put on all the tension you can (if you are on a cardio machine) and climb hard. If you are running or walking, try and go double time to the beat.

The other exception to that...video spin

Spinderella plays videos for us when we spin...but we don't listen to it, we listen to music and she gives us a good hard beat to ride to and tells us how fast and hard to go. So while we watch "Mamma Mia" we ride hard and fast to music the whole time. It works...

Get a trainer...

I know, I totally love my Dimples. He's awesome. I told him so today. But working out with him is fun and he told me today he has fun too. I am a handful so I guess he has to enjoy it or he would fire me as a client. But I don't just love and adore him because he is sweet and those dimples are more than a little cute (he is a pretty pretty man), I love and adore him because he is so good at keeping me moving and working and having fun while doing it. I had to try a few trainers before I found my fit...and he fits me. He might not be for everyone, but it totally works for me and my OCD and ADD. Watch the trainers at your gym while they work with clients...talk to them when they are not busy. Find a fit...do you want a gentle lamb or a drill sargeant? There is no right answer except that you find who works for you. This also applies to group exercise instructors (see above). I have my girls I love love love...and I take all their classes because I like their style and music choices and how they pace their classes.

So why hire a trainer? Because you WILL work harder. Or at least hire one a few times to get you started. But if you find a fit, you will WANT to work with your trainer. Do what your pocketbook will let you. For me, it is a priority so I give up other stuff to have my Dimples time. And he is sooooooooo worth it. Not just 'cause he's pretty to look at...but it doesn't hurt...But mostly it is because he works me harder than I do myself and he is making me stronger and healthier with each workout. Yes, I <3 my Dimples each time I put on a smaller top or someone says "you are really looking good"...just in the time I have worked with him my body has changed a lot even if my weight hasn't made a huge leap...but it will... Ice works.

If you hurt, apply ice. It helps. Sore muscles might keep you from working out...so I ice my sore muscles and it makes a difference. When I don't, I hurt.

Advil works.

Advil and wine work extra good...

Hot baths work.

Put in some epsom salts. Pour glass of wine and bring to tub with you (no glass glasses...be safe!). Soak. Repeat often...

Drink water.

Do I need to explain that one? I didn't think so...

Take a day off...but don't take a week off...

I have to talk myself into days off. Dimples has to order me to take days off. But you don't want your body to break down so you have to let it rest. But if you take too much time off, you get out of the habit...

Set Goals.

But don't set unrealistic goals. Dimples reminds me all the time that they pyramids were not built in a day so I can't expect all this to change overnight. So we take it slowly. I set small goals. I have a big goal but I focus on the little ones. So don't say "I will lose 10 pounds by February"...say "I will lose 10 pounds. I will lose 2-4 pounds in January and then the rest...".

Reward yourself.

Not with food. Reward yourself when you reach goals with GOOD things...a new outfit, a handbag, A massage or pedicure. A new haircut. Treat your body with the reward...make yourself look as good as you feel.

Wear comfortable clothes when you workout or train.

That means find some stuff that doesn't bind, itch, or ride up on you. If you aren't comfortable, you will be distracted.

Make yourself and your health a priority.

I ignored myself and my health for 5 years. I let myself go. I took care of everyone else but myself. Now I still take care of others (that is how I snagged Dimples and you all know how much I love working with the kids at the middle school...that is my passion), but I make time for myself. I am lucky, my job at the school is not a real job but something I volunteer to do so I can go in, do what I need to do and leave...and GOTT and TTG push me out the door when I tell them I have a spin class...they are uber supportive (lucky me!)and I know that I do better at helping them because I feel better.

YOU deserve to take time to make yourself feel better and healthy. Do it. Just do it.

Well, for now that is about all I know...well, not really, and I don't know all that much but these are some things I have learned along this road I am on.

And now my contacts are driving me nuts so I am going to end this blog and go take them out!!!!!!

Inspiration Song: "All I Know" by Art Garfunkel. Yes, Art Garfunkel. It is a beautiful song that I have always loved. He sings it beautifully...no one does it better. I love you and that's all I know...

Bye Darlings...let me know what you know...I love to share!