Try it Tuesday

 

Somehow I have been kept out of the loop of The Laughing Cow deliciousness.  I've heard about it here and there, mainly Hungry Girl, but never really caught on.  Last week I was walking through the dairy aisle of the grocery store and saw the display.  I've been getting kind of bored with my regular food, so I decided to give it a try.  Oh.My.Goodness.  Pure bliss!  I smeared the Garlic and Herb on Everything Flatbread Crackers.  It tasted just like an everything bagel with cream cheese, except a few hundred calories less!  Now I can't wait to try some of the recipes.  Seriously, if you haven't already tried this, give it a try. 

Weekly Weigh-In

I never had a chance to post yesterday, but this weeks weigh-in was 165.0, which I was thrilled about!  That's a minus 1.6 for the week.

On Friday I was at the same exact weight, to the tenth, as I have been the past 3 or 4 Fridays.  I knew I was hitting a plateau because the weight loss during the month of May has been minimal.  So I took the weekend off from the Weight Watcher points and just ate what I wanted, well for the most part.  I even had a real Coke, not a diet Coke, but a real one!  Today it's back to hard core points.  Sometimes my body just needs a few days of being thrown off to get back into gear.  Hopefully this works.  I'm at the same weight (and really the same month) I was last year when I hit a major plateau and then just gave up.  I then gained 20lbs.  That's not going to happen this time.  I will get to that skinny me.  Though this year I am in much better shape physically than last year.

Today it was back to waking up around 4am for the workout.  I decided to hit the gym for a bike warm up and upper body strength training then headed home for a run.  It was a good morning for a run, warm, but not too warm and humid but not too humid. I managed to get in 3 miles.  Some time today i have to do my pushups.  Yesterday I was thinking it was Sunday and didn't do them so this week I will do the push ups Tues, Thurs and Saturday.  

“It’s not that some people have willpower and some don’t. It’s that some people are ready to change and others are not.” ~James Gordon

Virtual 5k

You know how they say some of your best ideas come to you when you're in the shower?  Well it happened to me a few minutes ago and I want to get this down in black and white before the weekend craziness takes over.
 
An acquaintance of mine's little girl is celebrating being cancer free for almost 4 years.  June 11th she will be holding her Third Annual Alex's Lemonade Stand which raises money for pediatric cancer research.  This year her goal is to raise $10,000!  The idea popped into my head to hold a virtual 5k with money being donated to

Lily's Third Annual Alex's Lemonade Stand.

So here is what you need to do to participate.  

1) Pledge to participate the weekend of June 11th by leaving a comment below. (and really if you can't participate that weekend it can be any weekend).

2) Walk, run, skip, crawl, bike, swim 5k (3.1 miles) sometime that weekend.  It can be broken up or even any combination of whatever type of exercise that gets you moving.

3) This is the most important.  Visit Lily's Third Annual Alex's Lemonade Stand and DONATE whatever you are able to afford.  Consider this your registration fee.

4) Spread the word.  If you have a blog please share this,  If you don't have a blog post this on your Facebook or just send out emails to people who you know might want to participate.

5) Lastly make sure you come back to check in that you completed the 5k and post your time if you would like.  I will do a posting on Friday June 10 at night.  

Like I said, I just came up with this idea.  Between now and then I will try to come up with a printout that you can wear on your shirt if you would like.


Let's help Lily surpass this goal!

Funny Friday

4 miles!

This morning I ran the most I have ever run non-stop - or really rather ever - 4 miles.  This week I'm actually enjoying running.  I think either the increased leg strength training or the Jackie Warner workout is helping me out because my legs feel so much stronger.  I've actually been running faster while outside too.  I don't know what it is about running the route that I did today - but every.single.time. I've done this route someone toots their horn at me.  It's a confidence booster for me, even if it's something silly they do.

And here we are now - Memorial day weekend - the unofficial start to the summer..  It's going to be a busy one here - yard sale, some time at Ocean City and we're converting the sliding door in the boys room to a wall with 2 windows.   Usually all that translates into a big iced coffee with cream and sugar, chocolate chip muffin, big ole' piece of pizza, ice cream, and a turkey and cheese hoagie.  As well as the usual Memorial Day weekend BBQ food.  This year it will be different though.

A wee bit sore

Yesterday I did week 1 day 2 of the 100 push up challenge and woke up feeling somewhat in my chest and back area. 

The husband had to be at work early so that meant no gym for me.  I'll do some things around the house.  Today is also a housecleaning day for me so I'll definitely be kept busy!

“You have to have the bad days to appreciate the good ones.” ~Unknown

No complaints!

Finally!  A run without any complaining/negative talk from me!  It's a miracle!

Last night was not a good night in our household with the kids sleep.  My oldest thinks there's a monkey in his room and ended up waking his brother up twice (they share a room).  When I ended up getting back in bed around 3:30 I changed my alarm so that I would just run at home and not do the gym.  When that alarm went off I almost just completely ignored it but then my husband's alarm kept going off so I ended up getting out of bed and ready for a run.

It was the first run of the year (I think) that I wasn't wishing it would just be over.  I actually wanted to keep going and was sad when I realized it was time to head back.  I did a different route today so I wasn't seeing the same scenery.  I ran on a road that is somewhat busy (well as busy as it could be at 5:45) and actually felt like a runner.  I felt like people were thinking - "wow she's pretty awesome" and not "oh that must be a contestant of the Biggest Loser".  Speaking of which, did anyone else watch it last night?  Everyone looked so amazing! 

I found the information online for my next 5k.  I just need the link for active.com to start working so I can sign up.  It's going to be a firecracker run on July 4th and my husband will be joining me!  The kids will be visiting my parents that week so we'll both be free to run.  Now the question will be - who will run faster, me or him?  

“The world of achievement has always belonged to the optimist.” ~J. Harold Wilkins

Try it Tuesday

This is now my favorite recipe.  I made it on Saturday to take to the BBQ that we went to and gobbled down what was left when we got home.  It is absolutely amazing.  I'm telling you, you must make this.  I even made the chips.  I was planning on going the easy way and buying Stacy's cinnamon chips, but I could not find them at the grocery store I went to.  The chips were super easy and everyone was so impressed with them.  I think next time I make them I might use I Can't Believe It's Not Butter to make them a little more point friendly.  So here it is courtesy of Taste of Home (the picture is also from Taste of Home, I was going to take my own, but forgot my camera):
  
Fruit Salsa with Cinnamon Chips

 Fruit Salsa with Cinnamon Chips Recipe

• 20 Servings
• Prep/Total Time: 30 min.

20 10 30

Ingredients

• 1 cup finely chopped fresh strawberries
• 1 medium navel orange, peeled and finely chopped
• 3 medium kiwifruit, peeled and finely chopped
• 1 can (8 ounces) unsweetened crushed pineapple, drained
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 1-1/2 teaspoons sugar
• 
  CINNAMON CHIPS:
• 10 flour tortillas (8 inches)
• 1/4 cup butter, melted
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Directions

• In a small bowl, combine the first six ingredients. Cover and refrigerate until serving.
• For chips, brush tortillas with butter; cut each into eight wedges. Combine sugar and cinnamon; sprinkle over tortillas. Place on ungreased baking sheets.
• Bake at 350° for 5-10 minutes or just until crisp. Serve with fruit salsa. Yield: 2-1/2 cups salsa (80 chips).

Nutrition Facts: 1 serving (1 each) equals 127 calories, 4 g fat (2 g saturated fat), 6 mg cholesterol, 148 mg sodium, 21 g carbohydrate, 1 g fiber, 3 g protein.

Fruit Salsa with Cinnamon Chips published in Simple & Delicious January/February 2007, p11

Weekly Weigh-In

I was very proud of myself this weekend.  I made healthy decisions with food, especially at the BBQ on Saturday.  The scale says 166.6 so a minus .6 for the week, better than a gain which is what normally happens on a Monday.  I do have to say I prefer my Friday weigh in days compared to Mondays because I always weigh so much less on Thursdays and Fridays. 

Today was my first day back at the gym in almost a week.  My cough is still there, but not as bad.  Now I'm back to thinking it's allergies again because the pollen count was higher over the weekend and the cough was worse.  I also feel fine other than the cough.  So hopefully it goes away soon because it is rather annoying.

Today I started the 100 push-up challenge that I first heard of from Jen over at Runner Maybe.  For my initial test I managed 6.  I'm interested to see if I will actually be able to do 100 because if I am it will be a miracle.  In the meantime I'm just still trying to get my rocking summer arms. 

Now I'm off to convince my oldest that he does not need to wear a 3 piece suit to school on beach day.  I've never known a boy who loves to dress up as much as my son.  I really think I'm raising Alex P Keaton here.

Funny Friday

Robitussin, my friend

Apparently what I thought was allergies is actually a cold.  Pollen count is much lower but the coughing is out of control.  Robitussin became my friend last night.  The little one decided he didn't want to sleep between 1am-3:30am.  While I was up with him I could not stop coughing.  When I finally got back into bed I thought it would be rather ridiculous to get up for the gym since a) I had been up since 1am and b) I really didn't want to be coughing the entire time at the gym.
 
So no gym for me today.  I haven't been there since Tuesday.  I have been utilizing what we have at home.  On Wednesday I realized that our deck is the perfect height for stepping.  My husband is trying to rebuild his weight set and I lucked out that one of the first lbs he found on craigslist is 15, which is mostly what I use.  I've also used the medicine ball as well as done some lower body exercises.  It's been raining something horrible so we haven't even been able to get a walk in.

I'm hoping this cough goes away so I can get a run in tomorrow.  Other than that the weekend is filled with a birthday party, a surprise baby shower BBQ and Sunday as long as the weather cooperates, a trip to Ocean City boardwalk.  I'm confident that I will be able to stay focused this weekend.  I after all have to win our Biggest Loser - family edition.  There's no time for cheating.

I saw this quote on Jay's (from BL 11) FB page -
"what you're against w e a k e n s you, but what you're for STRENGTHENS you."

How times have changed

My husband used to sometimes come home from work with either
this

this

or this

Last night he came home with this

I have been saying that I have been wanting a food scale so I'm actually very excited.

Progress defined by pictures

I was going through my closet today and came across the shirt that I wore in the picture that hit me over the head and told me I had to start stepping up the weightloss effort.  I thought it would be fun to take a before and after (well really during) picture.  Here's a side by side (please excuse the horrible hair today - it's raining so I didn't even bother with it):

21 lbs and almost 20 inches lost

 frontal view

 in the dress I bought the other day

I'm a runner

I really don't have much to write about today.  I woke up got myself halfway dressed and thought "Why am I doing this.  I can barely breathe.  I will never be able to run which is what I was scheduled for today because of my inability to breathe.  I'm exhausted.  Why am I doing this?"  So I headed back to bead where I slept for another 3 hrs.  I've been hit with either allergies or a cold and I feel horrible.  So since there's really not much else going on to write about I will bring you this funny video a friend of mine shared on facebook.

Try it Tuesday

This weeks Try it Tuesday comes from either Fitness or Shape magazine (I can't remember which one I read it in).

When running long distances (or even biking, swimming) dedicate each mile to someone special in your life.  When you reach that mile think of that person when you feel like giving up.  You don't want to let that person down so you keep on trekking. 

Weigh in day

I'll be honest.  I was lazy this weekend.  I didn't exercise one bit and didn't follow points either Saturday or Sunday.  I just ate what I wanted to eat.  I have been so on target for the past 5 1/2 months for the most part and I just wanted 1 weekend to splurge.  I wanted 1 weekend where I could relax and sleep in.  I also wanted to throw my body off a bit because I seemed to have reached a little plateau.  Saturday night my friends and I had our "Book Club" meeting.  Bread, hoagie dip, spinach dip, alcohol, bruschetta, cookies.  I had it all.  And the scale reflected that today - 167.2.  But I can totally feel the bloat so I'm sure in a day or 2 that number will be down. 

This morning was a slow moving morning for me.  What I ended up doing for my workout is - 22 min bike, lower body strength training.  I then came home and walked for a bit around the neighborhood and then ran about 1 mile.  After that I came home and worked on core.  I just finished my oatmeal with brown sugar and flax seed (6 points).

“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

Making strides

Yesterday (Saturday) after my mani-pedi I headed to TJ Maxx.  I had a gift card to use that has been burning a hole in my pocket, but I really wanted to go there by myself so I could take the time to look around and try clothes on.  So I totally took advantage of my time.  After picking up a few shorts, capris and dresses to try on, I headed to the dressing room.  Normally I really hate this part of shopping.  I have absolutely no clue what size I am most of the time and really end up disappointed.  Yesterday though I was thinking - man I'm really starting to like shopping again!  I don't feel like a big blob while trying clothes on.  I was able to zip up a size smaller shorts and ended up getting a size Medium dress!  I fell in love with the dress while it was on the hanger and thought - that is way too small, I'll never fit in it, but I tried and it fit!  I felt so great in that dress and couldn't wait to get home and show it to my husband.  Now I just need to find some super cute sandals to go with it. 

Biggest Loser - Family edition

Today my husband challenged me to a little Biggest Loser competition between the 2 of us.  It starts tomorrow and ends July 4th.  Our boys will be spending a few days with my parents that week so the winner of the competition gets total say in one activity that we will do while they are gone.  WHEN I win, we will be going parasailing down the shore.

Rewarding myself

I so cannot wait for tomorrow.  Tomorrow is the day I am rewarding myself for my 20(+)lb weightloss, for getting back into running and well just for being overall awesome.  =) I'm spending the afternoon at the spa with some girl friends getting a nice long pedicure and also a manicure.  Have I mentioned that I can't wait?

Funny Friday

New headphones

Last Friday at the gym I didn't use my headphones during the weightlifting part of my workout, but did use them for cardio so I was carrying them around with my keys, water bottle and paper towel (to wipe down the equipment).  Well I either left them at a machine or threw them away while throwing out a paper towel because they went MIA.  I went to Target the next day and picked up the Skullcandy Ink'd In-Ear Headphones.  Oh I like them!  They really drown out a lot of the surrounding noises which can be nice because I don't have to hear the old men at the gym trying to be cool with one another or the lady who likes to ride the bike at the same time as me.  I guess she thinks the gym is the next place American Idol is holding their next auditions??  The one downfall is that I do have to keep my music lower than normal while running outside because I like to be aware of my surroundings and it's a little harder to hear  what's going on around me.  But what I like best about these earbuds is that there are 2 silicone sleeves for the earbuds.  The small ones fit great for me.  I always have an issue with earbuds being too big for my ears and not fitting correctly.

This morning I apparently turned off my alarm and didn't hit snooze.  I woke up at 4:30.  At first I almost turned right back over and slept more because we're going to the zoo today so that means I will get lots of walking in there.  But I talked myself into getting up so I could get some running in and also strength training.  I did feel much better after the fact than I would have if I slept in.  The good news is that I stepped on the scale today and my weight is back to where it was before the weight gain on Monday so I was right in that it was water retention.  Phew.

“People often say that motivation doesn’t last. Well, neither does bathing – that’s why we recommend it daily.” ~Zig Ziglar

Family fun

Due to my husband's work schedule today I had to skip my morning routine.  I did set my alarm to wake up at 6am to do some kind of exercise here at the house, but I suck at getting motivated for that.  Instead I ended up catching up on message boards, facebook and gmail before the boys woke up. 

I've mentioned before that I'm a big fan of the Biggest Loser.  I frequently see them bouncing medicine balls during their workout routines.  This afternoon the boys and I were spending some time in the backyard and I came up with the idea of giving that exercise a try.  So I got my exercise ball out and found each boy a ball of their own and we went to town bouncing the balls.  My arms were feeling the burn by the time we were done!  We then followed that up with a game of tag.  Boy can that little boy run fast!

Oh allergy season

How I hate thee. 

With my husband being home today I didn't have to wake up at my normal obnoxious time.  Of course right as I was getting out of bed to go for a run my youngest started to stir, so being the great wife that I am I let my husband sleep while I played with the little guy.  That meant going for a run late morning.  Apparently I didn't drink enough water before going because I was so thirsty the entire time and man was that sun hot and bright.  I'm so used to running at sunrise that I forgot what it's like to run in the sun.  On top of all that our pollen count is ridiculous right now.  Add all that together and it makes for a crappy run, but at least I was moving instead of skipping out.  I finally got into the running groove the very last lap (I ran at the park today).  By that time though I really just wanted to go home and drink some water. 

Try it Tuesday

My husband is home from work tomorrow and that throws off my normal schedule so Try it Tuesday comes a night early this week.

Yesterday on Mother's Day I was told to relax on the couch so I chose to read some of the magazines that have been piling up.  In one issue of Fitness magazine there was a tip that I thought I might try this summer at BBQ's.

When at a cookout imagine foods like desserts, hamburgers and anything else that might not be good for you have ants walking all over them.  

Weekly Weigh-In

My scale and myself are not friends at this very moment.  This morning I almost forgot to weigh-in, but I did when I remembered.  167.6.  I didn't do too bad eating this weekend, definitely not bed enough for over 2lb weight gain since I weighed myself Friday, so I'm thinking it's water weight, especially after a slightly higher sodium intake Saturday night at the Cinco de Mayo party and yesterday  I slacked with drinking my water. 

I thought I made it through spring without a horrible allergy attack, but alas it crept in yesterday and today I woke up with itchy water eyes and a runny nose.  It was one of those days where I would have rather stayed in bed but decided to take it semi easy at the gym and do 45 min on the bike (10 mi) and lower body strength training. 

“Our health always seems much more valuable after we lose it.” ~Unknown

Measurements Update

I just realized it's time for a measurement update!

Last months measurements:

Right arm: 12"
Left arm: 12"
Right Thigh: 25"
Left Thigh: 25"
waist: 37"
chest: 41"
hips: 41"

Today (inches lost since Feb 7):

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")

Funny Friday

Why am I so hard on myself

Last night I was looking through our wedding pictures.  At the time I thought I looked pretty good.  During the year between getting engaged and married I lost about 20lbs.  But looking at the pictures I did nothing but pick myself apart.  I didn't look as thin as I remember feeling that day.  My arms weren't toned.  My face did look thin though.  That was my positive.  *SIGH*  I guess this is why I am glad I only have boys.  I don't have to worry as much about their self image.  Of course boys have their self image issues, am I strong enough, am I tall enough (hopefully the boys get this gene from my husband's side since both of my parents are 5'2" and I am only 5'), do I dress cool enough etc.  I am hoping that because I am aware of my own self image issues that I will do my best to help make both boys feel great about themselves. 

Today at the gym I did 20 min on the bike, 32 on Arc trainer then lower body strength training.  This weekend my goals are to get a run in tomorrow and not go crazy with eating.  We're going to a Cinco de Mayo party tomorrow.  Oh how I love Mexican food.  Of course Sunday is Mother's Day and my husband is in charge of food that day.  Hopefully he'll make some conscious decisions.  For all the Mother's - Happy Mother's Day!

"You were not born a winner, and you were not born a loser. You are what you make yourself be."

~ Lou Holtz

 

Michael Pollan: Supermarket Secrets

Many people know about this, but just in case you don't. 

Perfect timing

I really need to start going to bed at a reasonable time again.  Lately I haven't been getting to sleep until after 10:30pm and waking at 4am.  That is only about 5.5 hrs of sleep.  Not enough to have enough patience to deal with a whiney 3 year old.

This morning I started my workout at the gym with a bike warm up and upper body/oblique strength training.   After that I came home to do a run around the neighborhood.  It ended up being somewhere around 3 miles - 35 minutes.  I ran a different path than last week.  This time it was a lot of random turns and not just looping which I liked because it didn't seem monotonous.  It was the perfect morning for a run.  The temperature was in the 50's with a cold front coming in so there would be a few gusts of wind to cool me down.  No less than 2 minutes after I got home it started to POUR rain.  That was perfect timing if I do so say so. 

Yesterday I was going through our storage shed and came across my old medicine ball.  I've been looking for that and was happy to find it. Later today I plan on doing some core activities using it.

Tomorrow will be an off day from the gym.  I really want try my best to get myself out of bed and do a workout before the boys wake up.  We'll see how that goes.

“Success is a staircase, not a doorway.” ~Dottie Walters

Try it Tuesday

A friend of mine is a big Jackie Warner fan and told me about this treadmill workout.  I gave it a try yesterday and for being only 20 minutes, it feels like a good workout.

Treadmill Walk/Run
This workout involves four 5-minute intervals on the manual setting without holding onto the handrails. "Stay springy in your step, pump your arms, and keep your muscles tight as you walk up hills and inclines," Warner says (you'll feel it in your glutes and arms). As your body adapts, gradually increase your speed both on the run-walk intervals and on the walk recovery.

Minutes	What to do	RPE
0–5	Warm-up with an easy walk, increasing speed to 3 mph. During the last minute, take the incline up to 12–15%	6–7
5–7	Lower the ramp to 1% and increase speed to 4.5 to 6.5 mph (depending on your ability)	7–8
7–8	Reduce speed to 3.5 and increase incline to 3–5%.	6
8–17	Repeat minutes 5–8 three times	6–8
17–20	Reduce incline to 1% and cool down easy.	3

Weekend Recap

This weekend was pretty good to me.  I got a run in on Saturday and made good food decisions the whole weekend.  We spent the weekend working on our deck so I'm exhausted.  Last night I told my husband I couldn't wait for him to go back to work so I could relax a bit.  haha. 

Today is my first weekly Monday weigh-in. I changed weigh-in days to Monday to help with weekend temptations knowing that I have the scale to face before having time to work off the bad food and it seemed to work the first weekend!  Normally Mondays show a gain for me, but this time a loss - 165.4. 

Today at the gym after warming up on the bike I did a treadmill workout my friend recommended.  It was short, but good and I worked up a good sweat. In total I did 55 min cardio then headed to weights for lower body.  Some time today I will do some core exercises.  I haven't done those in a few days. 

“Attitude: It is our best friend or our worst enemy.” ~John C. Maxwell

Broad Street Run

So I'm thinking about making the Broad Street Run (10 miles) my goal for next year.  I'm local to Philly and have been thinking about it for the past month or so and after seeing some news coverage of it yesterday it think I might try!  I have a year to train for it.  I can do it.

I saw the results on the news - the top male ran it in about 45 minutes.  Holy crap that's fast!