2 Things

1) I weighed myself this morning and after 1 year 8 months and 8 days I finally lost all the baby weight from the youngest!!!!!!!!!!!  Whoop Whoop!  Now on to reach my next goal. I'm ecstatic! 

2) I found a 10k that I am signing up for!  It actually goes over and back one of the main bridges that connects NJ to PA.  I'm not a fan of the bridge in general, but that's mainly because it's tighter than other bridges in the area and people drive like lunatics, so I don't have to worry about that that day.  I am not looking forward to the run beginning on an uphill, but and am excited to say "Hey I ran a 10k!".  I was looking at the results from last year and saw people in their 80's ran it.  If they can do it, surely I can!  It's not until the beginning of November so I have plenty of time to get used to running that long.

“Success is the sum of small efforts, repeated day in and day out.” ~Robert J Collier

Every intention

So I totally suck so far this week at working out at home.  I haven't even done a single push up for the 100 Push-ups. I had every intention to get up early but that hasn't happened.  I had every intention to workout after the boys bedtime, but that has resulted in cleaning the house.  Every intention, but no result.  But on My Fitness Pal cleaning is considered a cardiovascular exercise so I guess I am getting something in. :)  Being disciplined enough to put aside my distractions and actually exercise at home is something I really need to work on for the days when I'm not able to sneak away.
  
"When everything seems like an uphill struggle, just think of the view from the top." - Anonymous

Try it Tuesday

This weeks Try it Tuesday activity is canning.

I gave it a try over the weekend and was surprised at the ease of it.  Really the most complicated part was peeling and cutting the peaches.  It's a great way to preserve your favorite fruits/veggies while they are in season and cheap.  Over the weekend I made a peach preserve because peaches were $.67/lb. 

Friday some friends are coming over and we're making Strawberry Jam with a secret ingredient.

Christmas is going to be easy this year.  Everyone is going to be getting baskets of my canned goods.  I'll be giving salsa a try later in the month when my tomatoes from the garden are hopefully abundant.


Freshpreserving.com is a great website with recipes and how-to's for canning.

Weekly Weigh-In

Hello Monday! 

Today's weigh-in was actually a good one for once!  163.4. Just shy of -2 lbs for the week.  It's a .2 lb gain from Friday so not bad for a weekend where I did indulge a bit and didn't drink all my water yesterday.  But I am very happy the scale is finally going down again.  I am loving My Fitness Pal!

So I'm still losing by .2% in my competition with my husband.  I can do this.  haha.  This week is going to be very interesting for workouts.  My husband's work schedule is crazy and it's not going to allow me to do my running or gym workouts until SATURDAY!  That means I really need to hold myself accountable for working out at night or actually getting out of bed for an in home workout.  We did fill our pool up yesterday (finally!) so I was thinking of hopping in there either before or after the kids are awake/asleep for some water aerobic type moves.  That water needs to warm up a bit though.

Canning

This weekend I'm going to try something new, canning.  I've wanted to give it a a go for a year or two now, but have been scared about the process.  Well this year I won the Ball Canning Houseparty from Houseparty.com so I'm giving it a try!  Sometime this weekend I'll be making Peach Jam.  Next Friday when I have the actual party with my friends we'll be making a Strawberry Jam.  I'm hoping that the tomatoes in my garden take off so I can make some salsa too. 

Funny Friday

One more week!

I have one more week and one day left in our Biggest Loser - Family edition competition.  We decided to end it a few days early for 2 reasons. 1) the boys are going to stay with my parents for a few days beginning Saturday night.  That means we will be actually able to enjoy ourselves at some of our favorite restaurants.  Now I don't plan on going hog wild with eating, but well you know how it is when you don't have control of your eating. 2) What I plan on us doing if I win is para-sailing and as I was browsing the website yesterday I noticed it's recommended to make reservations.  Not like there aren't other nearby para-sailing places along the coastline, but I really don't want to spend the day para-sail chasing.

Last night I ended up going for a family walk and also did week 3 day 1 of One hundred pushups.  I took last week off so I just started back up where I felt comfortable.  Today was another early morning for the husband and I kept turning off the alarms I set so I could get up and workout.  I plan on doing either Leslie Sansone in home walking or P90X.  Depends on if I feel like killing myself later or having a nice workout. lol

Big news in our house yesterday is that we have cable again!  Yes our house is rather boring.  Being a SAHM we trimmed the budget last year and the ridiculous amount we were paying for cable that we rarely had a chance to watch was on the cutting block.  But we found a deal and will actually be saving money once I cancel Netflix.  What this means is that I have access to all the On Demand workouts again!  Yippee!

Every day is a new beginning

Revelation

I guess I should have watched the weather before going to bed last night.  I set my alarm for 5am so I could get up and do a run around our neighborhood.  A few minutes after 4 we were awoken by a thunderstorm.  So that totally changed the way my day was to begin.  Yes I could have just gotten out of bed and headed to the gym, since that's my normal time anyways, but thunderstorms are not easy around our house at nighttime.  The oldest woke up and wanted daddy to lay with him.  I have to keep a hold of our dog because he's a pain and barks like crazy at thunder.   If one of holds onto his harness, he doesn't bark.  If he barks, then BOTH kids will wake up.  Seriously why can't I have a dog that is scared of thunder and will hide under the bed?

But my big revelation this week deals with food.  Like I said before I switched to My Fitness Pal rather than Weight Watchers just for a change up since I've been on such a plateau.  One thing I really love about MFP is that it keeps tabs on nutritional factors.  There has been a a pattern just about every day.   I take in too much sugar.  Just yesterday alone I was already at 60g just after breakfast and a snack.   According to MFP I should only be taking in 39g.  So now I'm being more vigilant about the amount of sugar intake.  One of my biggest downfalls is fruit, well and coffee creamer.  I LOVE fruit.  LOVE LOVE LOVE it!  I just need to find a nice balance.  I like drinking a Slim Fast shake here and there after a workout and while I prepare everyone's breakfast.  But I often start my day with coffee and creamer.  I hate the taste of coffee so I add lots of creamer.  Those 2 drinks alone are almost my full days worth of creamer.  So it's now going to be one or the other and not both on the same day.

I was rather pleasantly surprised this morning when I stepped on the scale today.  Hopefully that surprise will last longer and the number won't go back up.

Try it Tuesday

I made this for dinner 2 weeks ago.  The husband and I thought it was yummy, the kids not so much.  I ate mine just plain in a bowl.  The husband put his in a wrap.  Tostitos would be a nice accompaniment with this dish (also add some hefty calories).

Southwestern Black Bean Salad
Gina's Weight Watcher Recipes
Servings: 12 • Size: 1/2 cup • Calories: 106 • Old Points: 2.5 pts • Points+: 3 pts

• 1 15.5 oz can black beans, rinsed and drained
• 9 oz frozen corn, thawed
• 1 tomato, chopped
• 1 small hass avocado, diced
• 1/4 cup red onion, chopped
• 1 scallion, chopped
• 1 lime, juice of
• 3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 1 tbsp cilantro
• salt and fresh pepper

Combine beans, corn, tomato, onion, scallion, cilantro, salt and pepper. Mix with lime juice and olive oil. Marinate in the refrigerator 30 minutes. Add avocado before serving.

from skinnytaste.com

Circuit Training

Today at the gym I did something new.  Circuit training.  My gym has an area set up for this which made it easy.  Basically there are weight machines as well as steppers.  There's a light that displays red or green.  Each light is 30 seconds long.  While the light is green you do the activity, when the light is red you move to the next area alternating the steppers and weight machines.  I have to say that it was a nice switch from the regular workouts that I do.  I will definitely be throwing it in my routine.  The whole workout is 30 minutes, so it's really nice on the days I'm running short on time.  Today I began the day with 15 minutes on the bike and ended with 12 minutes walking on the treadmill.

Weekly Weigh-In

165.2 - That's a .2 gain from last week. Cupcakes and cookies I had yesterday are most likely the culprit.  But they sure tasted good!  I'm ready for a new week to begin!  Life was rather interesting here last week and I'm ready to trudge forward.

Last Friday the husband had to go to work early.  I ended up being awake when he left so I got out of bed and did P90X cardio x as well as part of the yoga.  I really enjoyed the cardio workout and will definitely be doing that many more times.  I am actually still sore from it!  I guess I used muscles I haven't used in a long time while doing that workout. 

This morning I woke up and decided to just walk around the neighborhood for 40 minutes.  I was up too late last night to hit get up in time to hit the gym and my legs were still too achy to run.  It was a nice walk though and better than nothing.

I started using My Fitness Pal rather than Weight Watchers Points Plus on Saturday.  So far I'm really enjoying it.  One thing that I LOVE is there's an app for the phone so I can just enter what I eat anytime and not just when I sit down at the computer.

“Now is the operative word. Everything you put in your way is just a method of putting off the hour when you could actually be doing your dream. You don’t need endless time and perfect conditions. Do it now. Do it today. Do it for twenty minutes and watch your heart start beating.” ~Barbara Sher

"We were on a break"

If you're a Friends tv show fan you probably know where I got that line from.

I seem to be on a plateau with my weight.  I've tried eating more WW points, I've tried eating the exact number I should be eating.  I tried eating different types of food, but that scale will not go below 165.  So I'm going to give Weight Watchers a break for a few weeks and try out My Fitness Pal.  What is the worst that will happen?  I don't lose weight?  Obviously if I see myself gaining weight back then I'll switch back over.  I'm just getting frustrated trying so hard and not going any lower on the scale and the inches lost wasn't all the impressive in May.

“There are only two options regarding commitment; you’re either in or you’re out. There’s no such thing as life in-between.” ~Pat Riley

I'm Baaack!

What a tiring past few days.  It's nice to get away from the ordinary, but tiring chasing a 19 month old around a non-baby-proof house for 3 days!  I think I did a pretty good job at watching what I eat what I was away.  Well, except one moment.  Yesterday on the way home we stopped at McD's for a late lunch/early dinner.  Now we RARELY eat at McD's, as in only when we're away for a quick stop or if we're treating DS for something.  I'm trying to order the food.  I ordered the boys their happy meal and I'm trying to see what # I wanted to order.  Normally I get a happy meal, but I was so hungry and had a headache from lack of food that day.  I see quarter pounder I say #3.  I get everyone situated at the table with their food and sit down for mine.  I open up my box for the burger and there's 2 patties of meat.  I think nothing of it because like I said we rarely eat there, I just thought that was their new way of making a quarter lber.  Well I then notice the box says DOUBLE quarter lber.  YIKES!  740 calories and 20 WW points later my headach was going away.  I checked the menu board and sure enough a #3 was a DOUBLE Quarter Pounder, but the double was written smaller than the rest of the words.  At least I shared a few fries with the boys right?

I haven't exercised since Saturday.  I packed my running gear, but never got around to going out.  Truth be told, I probably could have managed at one point to go, but my parents live in Central Pennsylvania amongst mountain ranges.  The section they are in is very hilly.  I looked at the hills I'd have to run up and compared to my pretty flat NJ I just couldn't get myself going.  This morning the husband had an early meeting.  I'm hoping tomorrow to make it to the gym and go for a run again on Saturday. 

Weekly Weigh-In

Holding steady at 165.0.  My body must really like the weight I'm at right now because I cannot get past it!  

Weekend in review - Saturday I woke up and headed right out the door for a run.  We had to take the oldest to Lowe's Build and Grow so I had to keep it on the shorter end - 3 miles.  It was my first day of really running in the humid weather but I survived.  Yesterday we went to Ocean City for a few hours.  I had a piece of pizza, a few licks the little guys ice cream cone and a few bites of a funnel cake that my sister in law bought.  

Today I'm taking the boys to visit my parents for a few days.I'm packing my running gear in hopes of getting a run or 2 in.  Be sure to check back here on Thursday when I return!

I did it!

I actually did an at home workout!

I had success in getting both boys to nap at the same time yesterday afternoon.  I was very tempted to just work on planning my sister in law's baby shower, but I put the computer down, changed my clothes and popped in the Ab ripper x disc.  Good lord that almost killed me!  I was dripping in sweat and needed to take a few breaks, but I did it!   I did it!  I really really did it!  Now I'm nervous to try the other workouts from P90X.

Today I kept it easy at the gym, 10 miles on the bike and some lower body strength training.

This weekend should be a fairly easy weekend to stay on track as as of right now we do not have a party or BBQ to attend.  We are hopefully going down to Ocean City for a few hours if the weather cooperates, but I did a good job last time avoiding the tempting greasy food.  Tomorrow I'm hoping to get a good run in in the morning.

“Don’t wait until everything is just right. It will never be perfect. There will always be challenges, obstacles and less than perfect conditions. So what. Get started now. With each step you take, you will grow stronger and stronger, more and more skilled, more and more self-confident and more and more successful.” ~Mark Victor Hansen 

Funny Friday

Infomercials

If you've been a reader of this blog you will know that my children are crappy sleepers.  These crappy sleepers of ours have led to 2 infomercial purchases.

The first one was when my youngest was a few months old.  He and I spent many nights in the living room due to his dislike for the crib.  One of those snowy nights the husband was out in the living room with us and we had the tv on.  We saw the infomercial for the Magic Bullet.  DH instantly had to buy it once he saw that it would make smoothies and omelets so quick! 

His most recent purchase was about 2 weeks ago when he couldn't go back to sleep after being up with the little one.  He saw the infomercial for P90X.  Of course we're doing the Biggest Loser - Family Edition so he HAD to buy it in an effort to beat me.  Well it arrived a few days ago and he has yet to use it.  haha.  I had plans on doing one of the discs this morning since today was an early work day for him.  However, the alarm was apparently turned off and not snoozed.  I am taking the kids to an indoor play area this morning.  I'm really hoping that all that running around will lead to a nice nap for both of them this afternoon so I can give a workout a try.  I've heard such great reviews from people who have used P90X. 

Lazy Day

Oh how I wish I could have just 1 lazy day.  I heard this song for the first time a few weeks ago during my run.

Running through the sprinklers

This morning was a morning run around the neighborhood.  I enjoy the route that I did today for this reason.

Many of the houses have their sprinkler system set for around 5:30am.  It's the perfect time because that is when I'm starting to heat up and could enjoy a small cool down.  Now of course I'm not running through their lawns, just hopping up on the sidewalks from the street when I see a sprinkler for a quick run through.  It makes me feel young again. It helps keep a smile on my face.  On a side note, I must be running faster because I did my normal Wednesday route and finished earlier than I usually do and that is with doing an extra street. 

Today I started week 3 of the 100 pushups.  The other day I had to do the exhaustion test for week 2 and managed to do 17, not bad considering for the initial test I think I only did 6! 

Try it Tuesday

This came in my email a few days ago from Spark People.  I've done it a few times since and have definitely felt it in my core area in particular. 


Wheelbarrow Walk with Ball

Starting Position
Start behind the ball, place your midsection on the ball and roll forward until your hands reach the floor just below your shoulders.

Action
Slowly walk out with your hands until the ball moves towards your toes. Only walk out as far as you are comfortable (either to your hips, knees, or ankles). Once you've reached your point of comfort, slowly walk back to the starting position, breathing steadily throughout.

Special Instructions
Keep your core strong by not dropping your hips. Your body should be as straight as possible.

Muscles Worked: Abs, Shoulders

Time Involved: 2-4 minutes

Body Benefit: This move is a great core stabilizer, building strength and endurance in your abdominals and lower back.

Giveaway alert!

Head on over to Moms Need to know for your chance to win a  DUO 1060 Speed & Distance Heart Rate Monitor. 

Monthly Measurements!

It's that time of the month again - time to (hopefully) see progress in inches.

Last months measurements (total lost since 2/7/11)
Right arm: 12" (-1")
Left arm: 11.5" (-1.5")
Right Thigh: 24" (-3")
Left Thigh: 24" (-3")
waist: 35.75" (-3.75")
chest: 40" (-3")
hips: 40" (-4")

And as of today (total lost since 2/711):
Right arm: 11.5" (-1.5")
Left arm: 11.25" (-1.75")
Right Thigh: 23.75" (-3.25")
Left Thigh: 23.75" (-3.25")
waist: 35" (-4.5")
chest: 39.5" (-3.5")
hips: 39" (-5")

Hello there Monday

This morning was one of those mornings where my plans went right out the window.  Last night right as I was getting ready to hop in bed, the little one woke up.  He's been dealing with horrible seasonal allergy issues over the weekend.  I finally got him back to sleep around 11 and switched my alarm so I'd wake up and just go running rather than the gym and then running.  That would give me 6 hrs of sleep as long as I fell asleep as soon as my head hit the pillow.  4:56am - guess who wakes up?  The little one.  The husband wakes up with him while I try to secretly get ready to leave; however the little one catches a glimpse of me and then only wants Mooommmmmyyyy!  So I ditch the workout and cuddle with the little guy on the couch.  We both fall back asleep and wake up at 7 when the oldest comes bouncing in the room full of energy.  So now my plan is to run tonight after the little one goes to bed - so around 8 - it's still light out so I'll be fine running outside.  I always so I'm going to workout at night, but it never happens.  If that's the case again,it will be fine.  We're walking down to the park and playing around there today so I will be getting some exercise.  I also have a few workouts here at home for strength training I will be doing for sure.  In all that this morning, I forgot to weigh-in so I'll do it tomorrow.  Today is also measurement day!  That post will follow. 

And I just ran

That's what I told DH when I got home from my run this morning and totally felt like Forrest Gump as I was saying.  I even said it with his little accent. :-)

Today's run ended up being 5 miles.  I totally got into the groove and didn't want to stop, but my legs were getting tired and I didn't want to over do it.  The good news is that my lungs did great!  A few months ago I felt like I was going to die before reaching 1 mile.  It's great really being able to realize the progress that is being made to my body's physical capabilities. 

Now I can enjoy a piece of Birthday cake without the guilt.

Registered!

I just got done registering both my husband and myself for the Firecracker 5k I've been eyeing up.  31 days to go!

Good Friday Morning!

I can't believe it's Friday already!  This morning started off with a 20 minute bike warm up.  I haven't been on the elliptical in a while, so I thought I would give that a go today.  Today was also lower body strength training. I'll have to try to get some core in later today.

I always make fun of my husband for always having to buy sunglasses because he either loses his or he breaks them.  Well, I seem to be the same, but with earbuds.  I lost about 1 month ago and bought new ones at Target.  Today I was walking into the gym and realized they weren't in my hand.  I retraced my steps back to the car, but it's dark and didn't see them on the parking lot.  They weren't in my car.  Heading back to my car in the daylight, of course I found them, smashed in the middle of the parking lot. So I have one more thing to add to my list for Target today. 

This weekend the only real tempting day I have is tomorrow, a birthday party.  I'm also hoping to get a good run in in the morning and take a trip to the strawberry fields for some fresh strawberries.

“If hunger is not the problem, then eating is not the solution.” ~Unknown

Funny Friday

Morning sighting

One thing I love about where I live is that I'm 10 minutes from a major city, 1 hr from the beach and I get a taste of country living without living in the country.  Behind my house (as well as a few other patches) is a wooded section.  The other day there was a turtle in our backyard.  Sometimes we get turkey vultures.  This morning I woke up and headed out for a run.  During that run a deer popped out of an overgrown section when I was about 10 feet away.  Once I got over the shock and making sure I didn't mess my pants I took in the beautiful sight.  I always love looking at deer because they just seem to peaceful to me.  It put a smile on my face and was a great way to start the run and the morning. 

Now we're getting ready for a playdate here at my house.  I love playdates, but hate the junkfood that comes with it!  We as a whole are getting better about not bringing too much junk as much of us are on some type of weightloss program, but there's always a box or 2 of Dunkin Donut munchkins that make their way in.  I have a huge watermelon ready to be cut and I cannot wait to sneak a few bites. 

Happy National Running Day

I hope everyone enjoys their National Running Day!