Hello Beautiful Ladies!

Wow!  Haven't been here for a while!  So good to see some beautiful familiar faces again!  Sorry I fell off the face of the earth for a while...keeping myself busy!  I've been lifting weights and playing racquetball, but also eating the yummy stuff...so time to get back on the wagon!

I need this!  Fluffy Hugs!

The Busy Blues

I got me some blues. Da na na na na. The busy blues. Da na na na na.

I've been so busy with major house projects, child transport, playdates, and volunteering that I've neglected to hydrate. Now here comes the When you Give a Mouse a Cookie part:  Neglecting to drink, I've now got a UTI.  With a UTI, my body is unable to exercise.  Without exercise, I have turned to comfort food: banana nut bread, Toblerone and homemade ginger snaps.

But the good news is I've got my meds and another 5k coming up in three weeks, so I've got to slow down so that I can speed up during the race.  This one will be chip timed, so I'm aiming for under 30 minutes.

A huge apology.  I've got to many shoes I'm trying to wear all at one time and I haven't been a good leader on this challenge.  My parents were in town for a few days, Sam got baptized, I got asked to go to Girls Camp two weeks ago as a Level Leader and I'm in charge or organizing our Pack for Cub Camp.  I also spent time while my parents were hear tying to help with details on a wedding and family reunion. 

After a 3 hour meeting for girls camp I ended up going to Cub Camp last night, although it was not my day to go. Girls Camp starts on Monday...I'm not ready.  I'm trying to wear to many shoes at one time.

So YES!  Let's start Thursday and End on July 3rd!  That is 14 days. 

My goals will be to 1) Write my food intake 2) Drink lots of water 3)Don't eat after 8pm.  This will be very hard for me since I will be at girls camp but it will help get me started on some goals I've been struggling with.

If someone wants to be in charge of starting another one after the third for two weeks that will be great.  I'm headed to CA for my sisters wedding and a family reunion my parents are in charge of with 76 of my wonderful family.  I will have no cell service the week that I am there.  I will be back on Sunday night the 14th....actually we are taking the red eye.

Best of luck to all of you in this next round!

Begin Again?

I propose we start again this Thursday, and go through July 3rd.  Then start again on Monday July, 8th and go through Saturday, July 20th.  

All in favor say Aye?

Fat vs. Muscle (aka Don't get discouraged Mindy!)

No Yadda, Yadda, Yadda, Mindy.  There's a HUGE different in the amount of space fat takes up in one's body versus lean muscle.  Check out these two pictures.  I especially love the apple = muscle vs. marshmallows = fat analogy.  How do your clothes fit?  Don't compete with Matt; that's like comparing apples to oranges.  I bet 100 marshmallows that your clothes fit differently and certain parts jiggle less, if at all.  

Let's aim to BE STRONG, FAST, and to GO THE DISTANCE and not aim to just be skinny.

My Points

Ok, thirteen days at 30 points a day for a possible 390 points. I missed my water intake goal two days, so my total is 370.

I think what helped me with calories is adopting the "range" mentality. Most days I was below the bottom of my range, but when we ate out or had a dinner that was difficult to calculate, I felt more comfortable having a range.  It made the process less tedious.  

The app I use calculates your calorie limit based on the program you choose- maintain, lose .5 lb a week, lose 1 lb a week , lose 1.5 lbs a week, etc.  I based my range on the limits it gave me when I chose the 1 lb a week program and the 1.5 lbs a week program.  Does that make sense?


So how did you all do? 

First 5k!

That's me is florescent yellow, alll sweaty, with a medal around my neck!

So, my first 5k was two Sundays ago and it was both difficult and fun.  Difficult because I had a stitch in my lung for the first 2 miles (I think because in my excitement I forgot to breathe properly at the beginning).  Fun because I did it with two friends both of whom are over five years younger than me and also because my sweet husband and children cheered me on at mile 1, mile 2 and even at the finish line where I was met with a bouquet of flowers!

My goal was to run the whole thing without stopping, to not finish last, and to run close to 30 minutes.  I did all three.  I listened to music the whole time so that I could pace myself and, according to my music, I ran it in about 33 minutes and 17 seconds.  So, my new goal is to run my next 5k in under 30 minutes!

I have in my hot little hand about 6 flyers for upcoming races.  I plan to do a 1 mile dash with my 12.5 year old soon and another 5k in July and another again in August.  I am amazed that I can do this because of my asthma, my parachuting knee injury and because of the aches and pains that come as I get older.  But I'm doing it and I'm proud of myself for doing it.

Now, about that hydration thing.  My score for the two weeks was 185 out of a possible 420.  I only hydrated sufficiently 2 times, exercised 10, F&Vs 11.  Clearly,  I have some headway to make with hydration.  I would clearly make hydration my hardest again the next go round.

Frustration

Wanna know what sucks?  Getting your booty up BEFORE your kids each morning to torture yourself for an hour in the form of "Max Plyo Training" for SIX WEEKS and losing a total of three pounds in that whole time period.

I really thought counting calories would help.  I got on the scale Monday morning and I was actually UP two pounds from the week before.  I've evened out since then, but that is so demoralizing. 

Yes, I know- it's not about the weight, I'm gaining muscle, I should take my measurements, yadda yadda yadda. 

But, C'MON! 


Oh, and did I mention Matt has lost 20 pounds? TWENTY POUNDS.  i hate him.

UGG!!

This is much harder than I thought.  Or maybe I picked the absolute hardest thing to do at the beginning of the summer with company in town.

M- lets hear about your race!!!!

Keep it up girls.  Only two more days! 

Haydration is a Mountain, not a Hill

Hi Gals,

Okay.  So, this is a lot harder than I remember. Just wanted to put that out there as we enter the weekend.  I am struggling with the hydration part.  I even have strategies to drink more.  Some work; other's don't seem to put a dent in the 8 by 8 ounces my body needs. But, ultimately, I'm convinced that my bladder is half the size of normal bladders, because it all goes right through me.

I Send a Virtual Hug to You

Thanks, ladies, for responding to my post last week!  I'm glad we have this up and running, even if it's just for the summer.  This blog has taught me so much about healthy living, but maintaining good habits is like fighting the "natural man"- a daily internal struggle between what is right and what is easy.  I'm glad we're having a refresher course. 

My three things will be:
 #1 eating within my calorie range- I'm a pretty healthy eater in general, but I've noticed a craving for something sweet after every meal, and I need to kick that to the curb. It's become way too easy for me to heed that craving.

#2 WATER!  I am terrible at this.  I go all day without drinking at all.  I just don't think about it.  But 9pm rolls around and suddenly I'm like stranded-on-a-desert-island thirsty! So I guzzle 16 oz and then pee all night.   (At first I typed Dessert Island.  Then I fantasized about what a dessert island would be like.  Then I ate some lettuce.)

#3 Fruits & Veggies- I bet you thought I was going to say exercise.  Thanks to my hubby, exercise is really easy for me right now.  We get up before the kids each morning and do the Insanity workout together.  It's a sixty day program, and we're committed.  It's so much easier to work out when someone is relying on/expecting something of you!  The program ends in about three weeks, so expect to see exercise on this list soon.  I figure the motivation to eat more fruits and veggies will help me with goal #1.




So, there you have it.  I do hope some more of the old regulars jump on board! 

Me too!?!

Hey ladies,

Can I join you all again?  I have been in serious need of motivation for a while.  I just happened to get on  my computer today looking for something to help me get going and decided to check this site.  I was so surprised and delighted to see you are trying to get things going again.  If you are okay with my corny posts and comments I would love to participate.

My three things for the two weeks would have to be:

Hardest (15 points)- Getting 8 hours of sleep -  Seriously I seem to keep going to bed later and later and the effects are scary at best.  I am grumpy, unproductive, etc. etc.

Second hardest (10 points)- Hydration - Time to start filling up those waterbottles.  My goal is 8 or more glasses a day (I should probably make it 10 but we'll start slow and work our way up.)

Third hardest (5 points)- Exercise - I joined Cat's challenge again http://nutsinanutshell.blogspot.com/2013/05/2013-4th-annual-summer-fitness-challenge.html so that should help but it is still a struggle for me and I know it would help my mood to get out and moving.

I can't wait to catch up on everyone.  Hope you are all well!

Kicking B*tt!

Since I last participated in this challenge, I've started taking Tang So Do, a Korean form karate, with my oldest.  My start was kind of a fluke.  My middle decided he no longer wanted to attend, but we still had half a year's contract to fulfill.  So, I thought, instead of just sitting and watching, I could do this. So I took my middle's place and then ended up continuing on and renewing the contract again.  My oldest and I just tested over the weekend.  He for his red belt (the last belt color before black, although he has 4 stripes yet to go) and I tested for green.

We both kicked b*tt! Both literally and figuratively. Because I've been running a bit, I had more endurance to survive the hardest part: sparring (fighting hand and foot) against three men, all of whom were 2-6 inches taller than me.  I even managed to score a few points against two of the guys which made me feel like a NINJA!

It's so much fun to do something with my oldest and not only to learn with him, but also to learn from him.  I feel like I'm being a good mom and being good to myself at the same time.

P.S.  In order, my three are hydration, exercise, and eating my fruits & veggies.

Will It Be You?

Ok! I guess you are ready to start.  Here is the plan.  We start tomorrow June 3rd and will end Saturday June 15th.  That way we can have a break on Father's Day and start again on June 17th.

You pick the three things you would like to work on.  

The hardest is worth 15 pts. a day.
The second is worth 10 pts. a day.
The third is worth 5 pts. a day.

At the end who ever has the most points is the challenge winner.  The next round you can keep the same ones, or change it around.  Remember, changing habits takes about 21 days.

Finally, you should really post and tell us what you are doing and if you are willing to share, what your three goals are.  

Summer is a busy time for everyone.  It seems like it's just as busy as the school year just with different things filling up are days.  The desire to be healthy is not short term.  The things you are doing should become part of your daily life.  The idea is adding a little at a time makes those things stick before you add more.  You may not write down what you eat every day forever but you should always continue to try to eat healthy.  Trying to do healthy things should be something you can achieve MOST days.
 
Now go get em'. 

Three Hard Things

The hardest thing for me is exercising. Once I start, it's easy. It's just that the starting is hard. 

The second hardest thing is hydration. What I'm going to write will be foreign to many of you, but I can go a whole day on just one cup of coffee, one glass of water and one beer. I know, I know, that's just not enough (and not the ideal forms of hydration either.) I can mentally see Audrey shaking her head at me and wagging a finger as well. So HYDRATION does not come naturally to me...but it should.

Third hardest is getting enough veggies. I get enough fruit. And, don't get me wrong, I love veggies. I just don't always make them at lunch or, I don't serve myself enough of them at dinner. When I track my food, I realize I need more veggies.

 So my TOP three to track this summer would be exercise, hydration, and veggies!

Running Slowly

Hi all! I've gone and done the impossible: I started running. Impossible because I have an old parachuting knee injury and mild exercise induced asthma. Also I used to have that problem so many Mamas have when bouncing and running. You know what I'm talking about. Well, no more. So now, I'm running very slowly. My goal: complete my first 5k in early June. My hope is to do it in under 44 minutes and 38 seconds...that was the slowest race time in all age brackets last year. I can do hard things and my body can be strong and resilient! I'm with you Mindy!

Bueller...?

LADIES!!!!!

Are you out there?  Can you hear me?  Do you miss this place as much as I do?  Do you need this place to motivate you like I need it? 

Are you interested in firing this blog back up?  Maybe just for summer?

Who's in?

PS- I changed my posting name a while ago from Mindelicious to Pinspot.  Mindelicious was making me think of Fergie, who disgusts me in nearly every way.  My mom has called me Pinspot for as long as I can remember.