The hardest part about this whole weight loss thing is just DOING IT. I have to get up and do my workout before my brain has time to catch up, other wise I end up not wanting to do it. This morning was a little different. I was actually excited about working out. The worst part about this morning was preparing to workout...things like filling up my water bottle, laying out the yoga mat, folding the blanket to put on top of the yoga mat (because hard wood floors suck and my back/hips/ribs/whatever hate it). Then putting everything up afterward. It's prep time that kills it for me, not the workout itself. How lame is that?
I started the hundred push up/two hundred squats and sit ups thing this morning. It was somewhat enjoyable (so far)! The push ups got a little difficult near the end because I have NO upper arm strength. Seriously, between all of the sets I did a whopping 12 push ups. That's between five sets with a 60 second rest between each. That. Is. Sad. But, that's why I'm doing the program...to get better! I'm a machine! ;)
I don't know if I mentioned this in my last post or not, but I can probably only put out two actual push ups so this go around I'm doing modified push ups, then when I complete the program with modified, I'll redo it with actual form. Baby steps! My squats and sit ups ended up landing me at week three so I've only got four weeks of the program instead of six! Curious, I'm doing crunches instead of full sit ups...partly because I can't do full sit ups without my bones and back aching and partly because people and the website say that full sit ups simple aren't good for you and really aren't any more effective than a good form crunch. Do you agree?
Either way, I'm excited and hope to maintain motivation. Each workout is only a few minutes (23 total minutes, rest breaks and all) so it should be pretty easy to stick to. I've been taking advantage of the rest breaks to work on flexibility so I'm multitasking since I get bored staring at the ceiling/floor/wall for 60 seconds...because that's a REALLY long minute when you're waiting on it.
Hope you guys are having a happy hump day! Make good choices :)
Wednesday, August 22, 2012
Monday, August 20, 2012
Wishing it Was Still the Weekend
This weekend didn't fly by necessarily. I was just ill prepared, mentally, to start this week. I did pretty good, though, considering I managed to get up and squeeze in a very short workout (a whopping five minutes). I did my initial testing for the pushup/situp/squat sites this morning.
http://hundredpushups.com/
http://www.twohundredsitups.com/
http://www.twohundredsquats.com/
Does anyone have experience with these? I know of one, maybe two people, who followed through. It seems easy enough...not that it won't be hard work, but the progression makes sense.
Today's initial values were as follows:
Pushups: 8 (SO SAD)
Situps: Crunches, really, according to the site, 50
Squats: 40
Turbo Fire has made my legs machines as far as squats go. Squats and situps started me at week 3. I downloaded the apps on my iPod for each respective program. I'm excited and hope to stick with it. I need to try to make daily posts...LoseIt screenshots, maybe.
We had a family reunion this weekend for my dad's side of the family. I used to dread them growing up, but now I look forward to them every year. I wish I were closer to my other cousins, but there is quite a bit of an age difference so we never just got to hang out. It makes me sad, but I understand that most people aren't super close to extended family with large age differences at younger ages. My older cousin has two boys, the oldest being 16 and it would have been awkward being close to her with such a large range, but now that I'm older, I can relate to her better and we're growing quite a bond even though she lives halfway across the country from me.
I've got a birthday coming up next month. I think I'm going to get the Fitbit Ultra. I'm super excited, but does anyone have experience with it? I know I need to check the stats on my eMac at home because it's OLD and I want to make sure it's compatible. But, how does the calorie burn work? I mean, I know it doesn't have a heart rate monitor built in so how does it figure calories burned when you're just sitting? I'm assuming it's based on information you enter (age, height, etc) when you set it up.
I'm also hoping to get some new pants. I bought some thinking they fit, but it turns out they're horribly large on me when I wear them a few hours and they stretch. I didn't think this type of material stretched like that, but now I know :/
Today I tried eating smaller, 300 calorie (give or take) meals every few hours. I'm ridiculously full right now. First breakfast (because both of my first two meals were "breakfast" foods") was veggie sausage with eggs, onions, and mushrooms. 2.5 hrs later was oatmeal. Lunch was a taco salad. Snack was a homemade granola bar and peach. Somehow my first breakfast and granola snack was only 200 or so calories, so I have some play calories for dinner! :)
Something I noticed about calorie counts when preparing food. Oatmeal consisted of 1/3 c oats, 1/2 banana, 1/4 c 2% milk, water to top, and 1/2 Tbsp chia seeds. Before reading food blogs, I would have thrown in the whole 1/2 c serving and just accepted that as the number of calories for breakfast. I never thought about NOT eating a whole portion to keep my calories where I want. I only had 100 calories of oats instead of 150. And I didn't really notice the difference in volume. So simple! Portion guides are great, but for me it was "don't eat more than that" not "it's okay to eat less than that". This was a big revelation for me :D
I hope you guys have a lovely Monday! Will try to have more structure and consistency in posting.
http://hundredpushups.com/
http://www.twohundredsitups.com/
http://www.twohundredsquats.com/
Does anyone have experience with these? I know of one, maybe two people, who followed through. It seems easy enough...not that it won't be hard work, but the progression makes sense.
Today's initial values were as follows:
Pushups: 8 (SO SAD)
Situps: Crunches, really, according to the site, 50
Squats: 40
Turbo Fire has made my legs machines as far as squats go. Squats and situps started me at week 3. I downloaded the apps on my iPod for each respective program. I'm excited and hope to stick with it. I need to try to make daily posts...LoseIt screenshots, maybe.
We had a family reunion this weekend for my dad's side of the family. I used to dread them growing up, but now I look forward to them every year. I wish I were closer to my other cousins, but there is quite a bit of an age difference so we never just got to hang out. It makes me sad, but I understand that most people aren't super close to extended family with large age differences at younger ages. My older cousin has two boys, the oldest being 16 and it would have been awkward being close to her with such a large range, but now that I'm older, I can relate to her better and we're growing quite a bond even though she lives halfway across the country from me.
I've got a birthday coming up next month. I think I'm going to get the Fitbit Ultra. I'm super excited, but does anyone have experience with it? I know I need to check the stats on my eMac at home because it's OLD and I want to make sure it's compatible. But, how does the calorie burn work? I mean, I know it doesn't have a heart rate monitor built in so how does it figure calories burned when you're just sitting? I'm assuming it's based on information you enter (age, height, etc) when you set it up.
I'm also hoping to get some new pants. I bought some thinking they fit, but it turns out they're horribly large on me when I wear them a few hours and they stretch. I didn't think this type of material stretched like that, but now I know :/
Today I tried eating smaller, 300 calorie (give or take) meals every few hours. I'm ridiculously full right now. First breakfast (because both of my first two meals were "breakfast" foods") was veggie sausage with eggs, onions, and mushrooms. 2.5 hrs later was oatmeal. Lunch was a taco salad. Snack was a homemade granola bar and peach. Somehow my first breakfast and granola snack was only 200 or so calories, so I have some play calories for dinner! :)
Something I noticed about calorie counts when preparing food. Oatmeal consisted of 1/3 c oats, 1/2 banana, 1/4 c 2% milk, water to top, and 1/2 Tbsp chia seeds. Before reading food blogs, I would have thrown in the whole 1/2 c serving and just accepted that as the number of calories for breakfast. I never thought about NOT eating a whole portion to keep my calories where I want. I only had 100 calories of oats instead of 150. And I didn't really notice the difference in volume. So simple! Portion guides are great, but for me it was "don't eat more than that" not "it's okay to eat less than that". This was a big revelation for me :D
I hope you guys have a lovely Monday! Will try to have more structure and consistency in posting.
Friday, August 17, 2012
The Absolute Best Man in My Life
Sent me flowers at work!
Thank you, Daddy!!
I bet you thought they were from my husband. He runs a super close second ;)
This just made my day :D And he was super sneaky about it. I talked to him yesterday, and he asked me about our yard and what sorts of things we were growing. Then he asked me what sort of plants I had in the house. I thought it was a *little* odd, but not really that out of the ordinary if you know my dad (he's really proud of his banana trees). I just HAPPENED to be in reception (I'm normally stuffed in an upstairs office on the other end of the building) when I heard my name. Best coincidence ever!
Really, though, my dad is awesome. I know most people say that, but mine is truly amazing. He is super supportive of my crazy phases and he is super proud of me and tells me how well I'm doing, etc. He works hard and is good at anything he chooses to do. If anything *I* am proud of HIM. He dropped out of high school, but he is doing extremely well for him and his new (sort of....almost 5 years now) family. He has made sacrifices that I can't even comprehend to make sure I had the very best that he could afford (both my parents did/do). He works on my car when it decides to break down. He helps me with tilling my yard for my garden and gives me tips on how to manage handy work. I say tips because he helps me be a productive person and helps me to "build character", but if I can't do it at the moment or if I'm just not getting it, he'll jump in and save me. He always encourages me to be brave even when I definitely don't want to be (heights, oy!) and it's finally sticking with me (now that I'm older and understand things better) that I really don't have to be afraid of things I used to be terrified of.
I could go on for hours, but I'll stop there. I don't talk to him as often as I should, mostly because I typically have a lot to talk about, and I can't be on the phone with constant awkward silence. I usually wait for him to call me, when I know he has at least a little bit of something to talk about, but last time was too long so I called him. Big mistake lol. I got him in the middle of painting a car and was brushed off since there wasn't actually anything to say. So much for trying to be a good daughter. I ended up telling him that I was just thinking about him and let him get on with his work. This week he called me, though, so we actually talked for several minutes. Somehow he always manages to call during my busy weeks so I'm not totally boring on the phone. That another thing I love about him. He's psychic! It's the only explanation that covers convenient phone conversations AND the flower situation. Yep.
I hope you guys are having a wonderful Friday! It's a little cloudy here, but I love it :)
Thank you, Daddy!!
I bet you thought they were from my husband. He runs a super close second ;)
This just made my day :D And he was super sneaky about it. I talked to him yesterday, and he asked me about our yard and what sorts of things we were growing. Then he asked me what sort of plants I had in the house. I thought it was a *little* odd, but not really that out of the ordinary if you know my dad (he's really proud of his banana trees). I just HAPPENED to be in reception (I'm normally stuffed in an upstairs office on the other end of the building) when I heard my name. Best coincidence ever!
Really, though, my dad is awesome. I know most people say that, but mine is truly amazing. He is super supportive of my crazy phases and he is super proud of me and tells me how well I'm doing, etc. He works hard and is good at anything he chooses to do. If anything *I* am proud of HIM. He dropped out of high school, but he is doing extremely well for him and his new (sort of....almost 5 years now) family. He has made sacrifices that I can't even comprehend to make sure I had the very best that he could afford (both my parents did/do). He works on my car when it decides to break down. He helps me with tilling my yard for my garden and gives me tips on how to manage handy work. I say tips because he helps me be a productive person and helps me to "build character", but if I can't do it at the moment or if I'm just not getting it, he'll jump in and save me. He always encourages me to be brave even when I definitely don't want to be (heights, oy!) and it's finally sticking with me (now that I'm older and understand things better) that I really don't have to be afraid of things I used to be terrified of.
I could go on for hours, but I'll stop there. I don't talk to him as often as I should, mostly because I typically have a lot to talk about, and I can't be on the phone with constant awkward silence. I usually wait for him to call me, when I know he has at least a little bit of something to talk about, but last time was too long so I called him. Big mistake lol. I got him in the middle of painting a car and was brushed off since there wasn't actually anything to say. So much for trying to be a good daughter. I ended up telling him that I was just thinking about him and let him get on with his work. This week he called me, though, so we actually talked for several minutes. Somehow he always manages to call during my busy weeks so I'm not totally boring on the phone. That another thing I love about him. He's psychic! It's the only explanation that covers convenient phone conversations AND the flower situation. Yep.
I hope you guys are having a wonderful Friday! It's a little cloudy here, but I love it :)
100 Views?!
I'm shocked and thrilled! I never expected that many views ;)
I've been tossing ideas around to talk about, but haven't found the time to construct a post. I need suggestions!
I had a discussion with my cousin's wife about a rather touchy issue and it was really nice to have a DISCUSSION and not a battle of opinions, because as I've mentioned before, I love to discuss things and am open to other opinions and even open to changing my own when I receive valid information. To find someone and have her discuss and talk with me was wonderful and not something I easily find around here. Most people get really defensive about their views and think their opinion is the only correct way to think.
Anyhoo, it's been a crazy couple of weeks and hope to have a catch up post soon!
I've been tossing ideas around to talk about, but haven't found the time to construct a post. I need suggestions!
I had a discussion with my cousin's wife about a rather touchy issue and it was really nice to have a DISCUSSION and not a battle of opinions, because as I've mentioned before, I love to discuss things and am open to other opinions and even open to changing my own when I receive valid information. To find someone and have her discuss and talk with me was wonderful and not something I easily find around here. Most people get really defensive about their views and think their opinion is the only correct way to think.
Anyhoo, it's been a crazy couple of weeks and hope to have a catch up post soon!
Friday, August 10, 2012
Not Quite the Crazy Cat Lady
Not yet. If it weren't for my husband I'd probably have more ;) They are "our" cats, but Tango definitely favors Ryan in both preference and personality. Tango is a bit...weird. I'll share more stories on that later. He even looks since Ryan has dark hair. Kurumi is absolutely my cat in preference (though she's growing on Ryan) and personality...more serious and a "problem solver". She even has spots like me (freckles)! Anyhoo, pictures! And why I love my cats <3
Most of these pictures are of Kurumi since Tango is a spaz and won't sit still for pictures.
The far left is my little Kitten and her siblings at a few weeks old. I still call her Kitten (she comes when called both) and she still acts like she's this small even though she's 6 this year. It's freaking adorable. I really think I have the greatest cat ever >.<
Unlike most cats, she doesn't destroy my plants.
She LOVES belly rubs! She was raised with a dog...and I kind of trained her like a dog. When she was little I made sure to get her used to being handled. She even keeps her claws tucked away when we play with my hands!
Tango and Rumi used to watch birds every morning. This was our old apartment. I kept the door (giant window) covered with a blanket for warmth purposes.
She loves boxes, especially when "mommy and daddy" carry her around in boxes.
Tango is such a creeper...
She likes hats :D
She gets involved with making bows for Christmas presents!
She helps me do my homework!
Tango being a creeper again. He used to watch Star Trek with us. Now he watches Dr. Who!
Kurumi is a total lap cat. If there is a lap to be had, she'd in it!...especially if you're a guy. Total slut.
She kneads when she goes to sleep at night so I have to be sure to trim those daggers! She sits there all pretty when I trim her nails. Any other cat (Tango) would tear your face off. Tango doesn't knead, though, so it's okay that he won't let me hold his paws.
One of her favorite places to sleep...or pretend to sleep. It certainly makes for a nice neck warmer in the middle of winter.
She has manners. We typically eat on the couch (I know, bad) and she will not jump on the couch if there is food on our plate. She jumped up the other day thinking we were done, saw A BITE of food left on Ryan's plate and flipped beans to get back off the couch until he ate it. I always tell people these stories when they say animals are dumb and don't understand.
Her other favorite place to sleep. When she sees me heading toward the bedroom, she waits for me to get under cover, then launches herself on me, curls up, and goes to sleep too. This is what I meant when I said she still acts like she's just a few weeks old <3
And that's it for now! You're all caught up. More stories and pictures as they come about. I hope I didn't bore you too much ;)
Most of these pictures are of Kurumi since Tango is a spaz and won't sit still for pictures.
The far left is my little Kitten and her siblings at a few weeks old. I still call her Kitten (she comes when called both) and she still acts like she's this small even though she's 6 this year. It's freaking adorable. I really think I have the greatest cat ever >.<
Unlike most cats, she doesn't destroy my plants.
She LOVES belly rubs! She was raised with a dog...and I kind of trained her like a dog. When she was little I made sure to get her used to being handled. She even keeps her claws tucked away when we play with my hands!
Tango and Rumi used to watch birds every morning. This was our old apartment. I kept the door (giant window) covered with a blanket for warmth purposes.
She loves boxes, especially when "mommy and daddy" carry her around in boxes.
Tango is such a creeper...
She likes hats :D
She gets involved with making bows for Christmas presents!
She helps me do my homework!
Tango being a creeper again. He used to watch Star Trek with us. Now he watches Dr. Who!
Kurumi is a total lap cat. If there is a lap to be had, she'd in it!...especially if you're a guy. Total slut.
She kneads when she goes to sleep at night so I have to be sure to trim those daggers! She sits there all pretty when I trim her nails. Any other cat (Tango) would tear your face off. Tango doesn't knead, though, so it's okay that he won't let me hold his paws.
One of her favorite places to sleep...or pretend to sleep. It certainly makes for a nice neck warmer in the middle of winter.
She has manners. We typically eat on the couch (I know, bad) and she will not jump on the couch if there is food on our plate. She jumped up the other day thinking we were done, saw A BITE of food left on Ryan's plate and flipped beans to get back off the couch until he ate it. I always tell people these stories when they say animals are dumb and don't understand.
Her other favorite place to sleep. When she sees me heading toward the bedroom, she waits for me to get under cover, then launches herself on me, curls up, and goes to sleep too. This is what I meant when I said she still acts like she's just a few weeks old <3
And that's it for now! You're all caught up. More stories and pictures as they come about. I hope I didn't bore you too much ;)
Thursday, August 9, 2012
Back With A Vengeance!
I'm feeling loads better after staying home sick yesterday! When I got bored and had little blips of energy, I practiced piano and violin. I now have a bruise on my left jaw from my violin. I seem to recall a similar experience when I first started playing in high school. I can't believe I've had my violin for 8 years now (14 yrs playing piano)! Geez, how time flies!
Anyway, I'm very happy with how my piano skills have progressed after not playing in ages. I'm getting the feel of it again and it feels AMAZING. Oh, how I've missed it!
Here's my 120 year old piano if anyone's interested. It in rough condition visually, but hey! It was free and it definitely has an antique sound. I freaking love it! I don't love that I accidentally broke my heavily used D#/E flat key because now there are empty parts in songs I regularly play :(
I've been eating large amounts of eggs for the past few weeks (they're so easy and filling!), but I burned out so I made a large batch of steel cut oats yesterday and stored it in the fridge so I have oats for the next few days.
Hm...maybe not THAT weird, though Kurumi's face is kind of hilarious. I love that cat. She's my world. Obligatory pet post here soon :D Until then, hope you guys are doing well!
Anyway, I'm very happy with how my piano skills have progressed after not playing in ages. I'm getting the feel of it again and it feels AMAZING. Oh, how I've missed it!
Here's my 120 year old piano if anyone's interested. It in rough condition visually, but hey! It was free and it definitely has an antique sound. I freaking love it! I don't love that I accidentally broke my heavily used D#/E flat key because now there are empty parts in songs I regularly play :(
In the mix: peaches, blueberries, honey, toasted almonds, and milk. Not the most amazing picture ever, but at least you got a picture. It tasted amazing, just fyi. Also, I cut my hair a few weeks ago. Thoughts?
It's hot out so I've been putting my hair up quite often which the hubby isn't too fond of. I know, it's my hair, not his, but I aim to please ;) I figured fringe would be a great way to offset the awkwardness of my pale skin and large forehead. I think I look quite strange with no hair:
Tuesday, August 7, 2012
This Post Has No Creative Title...Sorry
Frankly, because I'm just not feeling that creative today.
Seems appropriate.
Still not feeling well. I woke up gross, blew my nose for 15 minutes, felt better, and now I feel crappy again. I'm TRYING to stick to calories, but it's hard when you're sick and tired and looking for energy and comfort. Yesterday, I slept after work from 6-8:30, woke up, ate dinner, picked up house, crashed at midnight. Night sleep was crappy since I could't breathe, so I'll probably end up "napping" again after work :/ I'm going to try to make it till bed time without a nap so it won't kill my sleeping pattern...I'm trying to fix that. Hope you guys have a splendid rest of your day!
Seems appropriate.
Still not feeling well. I woke up gross, blew my nose for 15 minutes, felt better, and now I feel crappy again. I'm TRYING to stick to calories, but it's hard when you're sick and tired and looking for energy and comfort. Yesterday, I slept after work from 6-8:30, woke up, ate dinner, picked up house, crashed at midnight. Night sleep was crappy since I could't breathe, so I'll probably end up "napping" again after work :/ I'm going to try to make it till bed time without a nap so it won't kill my sleeping pattern...I'm trying to fix that. Hope you guys have a splendid rest of your day!
Monday, August 6, 2012
The Flood Gates Opened
Oh man. So mad right now. There was a server issue in the middle of my post and now I have no post. Well, these pictures pretty much sums up yesterday.
That's my city yesterday. It hasn't flooded like that...well, ever that I can recall. It's sort of flooded when I was younger, but not that bad. Other flood gates, a.k.a. my sinuses, have also opened and I am miserable today. I just want to go home :(
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