Some spike it hot

I had my first volleyball game last night, for the league some coworkers and I joined. It was pretty much a disaster. Out of three games, we lost three! But, the last game was the closest, so hopefully next week will go better. Volleyball is definitely not my best sport, but I can get by.

I also returned to Zumba for the first time since August before the volleyball game. I had a class for grad school that interfered and then it was the holidays, so last night I was back at it. I was worried how I would be able to keep up with the new routines, but I held my own surprisingly well! I was pleased. I forgot just how much of a workout it is though! I wore my HRM and burned about 700 calories in an hour! Woohoo!

By the time I got home, though, I was absolutely ravenous! I did well, though, and had an egg with a wedge of Laughing Cow cheese, and a bowl of Kashi Honey Sunshine cereal (meticulously measured to one serving of 30 grams!) and 1/2 a cup of light soy milk. So, for what could have easily been an indulge and eat whatever I can find session, I was proud of myself!

A family that loses together, stays together...

Last week was an awesome weigh in! Down three pounds, for a total loss of 69 pounds and putting me at 164. A woohoo!!

This weekend, I had the pleasure of visiting my sister and her husband and kids. This is the sister I joined Weight Watchers with back in 2006. She had less to lose, about thirty pounds, while I had about a hundred that I wanted (...and still want) to lose. She has been an amazing support system throughout this whole journey and I can almost guarantee I would not have been successful thus far without her. It is always great going to visit because she loves to cook, but makes (mostly) healthy meals. The downfall is that she also loves to bake and her husband has a sweet tooth, so there's also always a lot of junk around. Ironic, given that their last name is Shugars and he does root canals for a living, no?

Saturday morning, my sister and I woke up early and ventured over to the Y. Saturdays are my "long run" day for my 25K training schedule. Four miles this week. The first two miles were pretty painless (never in my life did I think I'd say that!), but about halfway, I started to get cramps, which almost always happens when I work out while I have PMS. I stopped for a couple minutes and was so tempted to quit, but I pushed through it. I ran all about about half a mile in 49 minutes (including stops and walking), so not really my best pace, but given the circumstances, I guess I'll take it.

So, here goes another week!

Consistency is key.

I don't know what my deal is...I cannot seem to consistently post on my blog!!! I'm good for a week or two, then nothing. I know it helps me stay on track and keep my focus, yet I get so forgetful (or maybe it's just lazy) when it comes to actually sitting down and writing. It's not like it's hard, either. Five, maybe ten, minutes. Not that challenging.

Goal: be consistent (and, not just for a week)!!!

So, maybe Jillian doesn't hate me...

Yesterday was day two of the 3o Day Shred. I went to the gym and did some time on the elliptical and treadmill first. Once I got home, I was definitely feeling the combination of that and the Shred from the day before, so I was really tempted to skip the DVD, but I still did it. Surprisingly, it wasn't nearly as terrible to get through as I was expecting! I don't feel too sore this morning, but then again, I didn't yesterday morning either. It was as the day progressed that it slowly set in, so I'm somewhat dreading to find out how today goes. Is it too soon to think that it's already making a difference? The scale doesn't show it, but I think I can feel it...yet, I think it's probably all in my head at this point! Two days is better than no days, but realistically, probably not enough to make any sort of significant difference. It is enough though to make me want to keep going!!!

Jillian Michaels hates me.

I think Jillian Michaels hates me. I've started the 30 Day Shred a couple times in the past and usually quit after a few days. With my upcoming cruise (one month from TODAY, I'll be in TAMPA!!!), I decided this time I'm going to start and stick with it. Yesterday was day one. It is ridiculously intense. I think I'm in decent shape, but the woman kicks my butt! I am not as sore as in previous times I've started it, but I can definitely feel the workout.

That's the thing though, is that because I can feel it, I know it's working. If I work out and never feel the consequences of it the next day, I'm probably not pushing myself as hard as I could. I have heard over and over that if I stick with the Shred for the whole 30 days, it really does work. So, maybe it's not so much that Jillian Michaels hates me...but, in reality the woman knows her stuff and can get me moving towards the direction of the results I want.

I'm somewhat dreading day two. Scratch somewhat. I'm completely dreading day two. I am, however, completely stoked about day thirty and that finish line is going to be the thing that motivates me. I hope.

Motivation

I know that for the most part, celebrities give "normal" people like me unrealistic expectations about what beauty is. Still, there is this part of me that sees these gorgeous women in Hollywood with great figures and I want that! I know, I know, magazines are Photoshoped to death, I get that. And, I know they spend thousands upon thousands of dollars on trainers and chefs, the whole ordeal. Yet, there is still this part of me that holds certain celebrities up as a "this is what I want to be" ideal. For me, the biggest is Carrie Underwood. Some papparazzi shots of Carrie on vacation in the Bahamas surfaced probably a month or so ago, and I will be the first to admit that I bookmarked some of them as motivation for when I really want to stroll down to the vending machines for a gooey Snickers bar. I mean, look at the girl! She looks fantastic!

The thing that I really respect about Carrie is she's very open about how she lost weight and got in shape. She keeps a food diary and watches what she eats, she works out. I realize that there could be more to the story she's not telling, but my naive side believes she truly got in shape in a healthy, reasonable way. Knowing that gives me hope that I can someday reach my goal weight.

So, a healthy ideal or not, I definitely use celebrities as a motivator.

Slacker? Guilty as charged.

Well. To say I've been slacking off on the whole weight loss thing has been an understatement. It has been quite the month, December has. Started off with my grandpa passing away very unexpectedly on the 4th. Things kind of snowballed from there with the funeral, wrapping up my LAST semester of grad school, then the holidays. Excuses, no doubt, but it all got the best of me.

But, today I'm back on track. I'm leaving for a cruise one month from tomorrow, so I'm planning on hitting the gym in a mini-Biggest Loser style for the next four weeks. I (sort of) wish I had time to spend six hours a day working out but truth is, the real world calls.

So, let's give this another go-around. As of this morning, I've got 34.5 pounds to go before I reach my goal...but, let's go with 35...then, I'd even end up below goal! As much as I hate setting timelines, I'm hoping to be there by this time next year, if not before. I accomplished a lot in my life in 2009 - got my first "real" job, finished my masters. So, I'm ready to make 2010 the year I finally make goal! It's a journey that started in 2006 and I am ready to cross the finish line!

grace + peace,

mindy