You Know You're Changing Your Life For Real...

...when old habits creep up on you and you stomp the tar out of 'em!

The last couple of days have been rough. My "friend" is coming to visit any day now and I want to eat everything is sight. Monday afternoon was bad. I had no energy, the weather turned blah, and all I wanted to do was curl up on the couch and do nothing. I made a cappuccino for Octavio and I and we ate through a half a box of Thin Mints at like 6:00 p.m.

I am a no-coffee-after-9 a.m. kind of girl and the Girl Scout cookies have been hiding in the basement waiting for a day just like the day I was having.

It was an off running day and I hadn't done anything all day long as far as strength training or stretching goes and to be honest I really, really, really didn't want to.

It felt good to be bad at first, then it just felt bad.

I knew I needed to do something about it, that anything would be better than doing nothing all day.

Thankfully Ori was hyper :)

She was like my own little Jillian Michaels :)

Tuesday I woke up at 6:30 a.m. (way too early for me) and I was in a fog for most of the morning. The first thing I thought about was the fact that it was a running day. I was disappointed and dreading it. I don't think I have had a day so far that I didn't want to run as bad as I didn't want to run yesterday.

Did I take the day off?

Did I skip it?

Heck no! I punished myself for even thinking of not doing it by pushing myself extra hard on the treadmill. Since the ol' tready likes to cut out somewhere around 5.3 mph I decided to do 5.2 mph and slowly increase the incline for 40 minutes until I was at 9. My legs burned and sweat was dripping in my eyes.

It felt good and I am glad I didn't miss it.

In the past, when I would attempt to be "healthy" and screw it up I would do one of two things -

1. Punishing myself by cutting out food (sometimes altogether)


2. Give up completely and binge
   

I seriously thought that if I had McDonald's one day and then didn't eat until dinner time the following day I was doing a service to my health...

...OR...

...that if I ate McDonald's one day that it was all over, that I couldn't be healthy.

How stupid was I? I am glad to say that I am a much smarter person health-wise.

When you mess up, don't punish yourself. Instead ask yourself this -

Do I continue making bad decisions or do I start anew?

Notice I say "when" and not "if".

That's the other thing - you really can't expect yourself to never fall down, to always be perfect.

Leave being perfect to the people that believe the lies they tell other people about themselves :)

Challenge:

Swimming on dry land!

Lie face down, arms and legs outstretched a few inches above floor, head in line with spine.

Raise left arm and right leg off floor.

Lower and repeat with right arm/left leg. Return to start and repeat the series.

Don't lower arms or legs completely until the end of the set. Don't hold your breath

Jump on in, the dry land is fine :)

Two Blog Debuts and an Oldie Too!

*I am doing my challenge up here because for some reason at the end of the blog the enter key does not want to work correctly*

Challenge:

Since I know you all are clicking away on here...

DO SOME WRIST CURLS!

Think bicep curls but only work out your wrists...use a soup can or paperweight if you don't have a dumbell!



Good morning friends!

Today is an exciting day for a few people I know so I thought I'd start talking a bit about them. Both have decided to start blogs of their own, for very different reasons. Most of you who enjoy reading me would also enjoy reading them.

Both are linked right here in the blog and also in my blog list to the right.

Instead of worrying about coming back to find the link, why not just add them to your favs now...I'd better already be in your favs!

First we have My Cousin Michele.

My cousin Michele has been my cousin my whole life but we've been really good friends for the past four years or so. When my parents moved to Australia and we moved into their house her and I really hit it off. We spent a lot of time talking about getting healthy, usually over Chinese (right Michele), and were even known to do an exercise tape together on occasion.

As I type this Michele is getting bariatric surgery. Like me, she has struggled with her weight the majority of her life. During recovery and thereafter she will be blogging her way to a healthier, more confident HER. I am very excited for her and can't wait to see what happens!

I would ask you all, my faithful readers, to check her blog out today, to read her story. At the end she posted a link so that you can send her a note in the hospital. I know some of you don't know her but if you wanted to send her a e-card of encouragement I know she would love it, no matter who it was from! Shoot me an email so I can give you her last name if you are interested in doing that.

Next, we have My Friend Susan.

Susan is the wife of the youth pastor at my church. She is funny and sweet and always seems to have a smile on her face. She has a love for Christ that is amazing.

Her blog will focus "living a healthy walk with God". Listen up folks, she has already written a book so I know she has talent and I'm sure her blog is gonna be good!

Be sure to show them both some love and tell them Healthier Chelle sent ya!

The Kentucky Derby Festival Mini Marathon was this past weekend. I took a moment yesterday to look back at the blog I posted following my completion of the Mini last year -

*How funny that I didn't realize til this morning that it was exactly one year ago today that I posted this - coincidence? Me thinks not!*

Sunday, April 29, 2007

My Mini Moment

Current mood: tired
This is gonna be a long one. Grab a glass of milk and make yourself comfy

I ran the Kentucky Derby Mini Marathon yesterday!

It was 13.1 miles (out of which about 11 were fun) and my finish time was 02:50:07. I was about 8 minutes slower than my finish goal but I am happy I did it. My other goal was to be able to run through all the hills of Iroquois Park. That one I actually accomplished thanks to both LaVonda's encouragement and finally running a race with some MUSIC! Although she probably won't be reading this...THANKS ANNE for letting me use your MP3 player!

LaVonda and I stuck together most of the way but I made her leave me in her dust near the end because my knees just weren't keeping up with what the rest of my body wanted to do. The sound of my pace went from a slow and steady "THUMP THUMP" to a slower and less steady "THUMP DRAG" as my left knee got more and more tired :)

After LaVonda and I reunited at the finish line we headed to the car. I was feeling accomplished and in high spirits. We weren't even out of the parking garage and LaVonda was talking about doing a mini in Indiana that is coming up. I told LaVonda that I would be sticking to 5Ks for the rest of the year (I MEANT IT LAVONDA!).

We were stuck in traffic downtown for about 45 minutes and once we made it to the expressway I felt like I was getting car sick. When we were about two miles away from where I parked my car I started feeling really bad and thought I was gonna puke. I was getting stressed because I was afraid I was gonna throw up all over her van! We made it to the parking lot, I puked out her window, got out and sat on the curb for a minute, thought I was gonna be OK, got back in her car then passed out in her front seat!

She had trouble getting me to open my eyes back up and I was as white as people get when they pass out so she had to call 911. It took me a few minutes and to get back to reality.

I was finally starting to feel better and 6 firefighters show up...SIX! I was sooooo embarrassed. First of all, they were the kind of firefighters you would find in a sexy calendar. Second of all I felt like I was wasting there time. Third of all, I still had my bib number on from the race and I went from feeling accomplished to feeling like a wuss!

The ambulance got there about the same time (more nice looking men) and I was very worried they were gonna be jerks and treat me like a wimpy girl who couldn't run a race. They were SOOOOO NICE. They were concerned about my blood pressure being too low (79/47) so they took me to the hospital. Thankfully LaVonda took care of calling Octavio and giving him directions to the hospital. She also took Oriana for the afternoon so we could figure out what was going on.
At first they told me I was dehydrated, gave me some fluids through an IV. Every time a nurse came in they would ask how far along I was in the race when I passed out. I felt like writing "I FINISHED THE STINKIN RACE" on my shirt. The doctor came in and told me they were going to do an EKG and that I would be able to do home in an hour.

Twenty minutes later he told me that I had to stay the night . My EKG came back looking weird and they wanted to look into it. I met with the cardiologist (Also HOT...I felt like I was on Grey's or ER) and he wanted to make sure that I didn't have a heart attack. I was asked a million times if I was sure I didn't have any chest or jaw pain or any shortness of breath during the race. That still makes me laugh because my KNEES are what holds me back when I run. My breathing is always fine and I haven't ever experienced chest pains during a race.

I had to have a nuclear stress test this morning. They put some stuff in my IV to make my heart act like I was running. I felt gross and I hated every minute of it but everything turned out fine. They also did some time of ultrasound on my heart. That was fine too.

I got to go home at about noon today. I hated staying at the hospital and getting all that stuff done but I am happy to know I have a very healthy heart. I had actually just been talking to a friend about that. I was telling her that although I am working my butt off to get on the right track health wise I wonder what type of damage has already been done.

I was poked in 5 different spots to draw blood and "find" a vein for my IV. I think I am allergic to the tape they use to keep the IV on and to keep the cotton ball in place after they draw blood (I thought I was peeling off the sticky gunk from the tape and it was my skin!). I have blisters on my feet from the race. I also have blisters on the back of my knees from my knee brace and around my waist from my running pants.

Although I look like a mess I feel pretty good considering I ran 13.1 miles yesterday and spent the night not sleeping in the hospital.

My upcoming 5Ks are gonna be a breeze!

Thanks again LaVonda for all your help both during and after! Thanks to Nikki and Mr. Buzz for coming to see me last night in the hospital! Thanks also to Nikki and Alan for taking Oriana to church this morning and bringing us dinner, then coming back again to bring Ori her doggy.

We are so lucky to have the friends we have here!

I forgot to talk about the hottest man I saw in the hospital. He was the one who brought my daughter to see me, brought me clean undies and a toothbrush, communicated my condition to everyone, fixed me lunch, had a banner hung for me congratulating me on the race (before he knew I was sick), let me take a long afternoon nap today and just gave me the best footrub ever!

My how time flies...about two nanoseconds later I was pregnant with Jocie!

Weigh Day Week 12

Goal: Lose baby weight + 30 lbs

Achieved so far: Baby weight is gone!

Pre-pregnancy weight: 221.0

Weight last week: 206.8

Current weight: 207.0

Weight loss/gain since last week: +0.2

TOTAL WEIGHT LOST (not including baby weight): -14.0


Funny thing, I am relieved. I was worried that last weeks weight loss was a fluke, that maybe I was dehydrated or the scale was wrong or something. But I've managed to pretty much keep that four pounds off for a week and that makes me H to the A to the P-P-Y!

We had a glorious weekend!

Friday was daddy's first official three day weekend. He has been put on a Monday through Thursday schedule now and will be home on Friday's.

We took Jocie to the dermatologist to get her birth mark checked out, then ended up going to Fiesta Time for dinner. I pigged out. I ate both of my Quesadilla Fajitas, all of my rice, tons of chips and salsa, and a few scoops of Ori's beans. But hey, I passed on the margarita(s).

In my defense I did work up an appetite on the treadmill doing the 15 incline for 40 minutes at 2.7 miles an hour. My ankle was hurting a little so I didn't want to run and man, cranking that incline up sure gets the sweat pouring!

Octavio got out and ran too. He was pretty bummed about not running the Mini Marathon but it was definitely for the best as far as his knee is concerned. There's always next year baby! By then I'll be able to keep up with you (yeah right!)

Saturday Octavio was my garage sale chauffeur. We drove around quite a bit and of course hit the jackpot at the last place we decided to stop at. Seriously among my first seven sales on Amazon I sold a video game for $39.00 (paid 2.57) and a DVD for $29.99 (paid $1.87). I'm back!

We spent Saturday afternoon doing one of my favorite workout routines - cleaning the house. Octavio took off the storms and put the screens in and I fixed up my office and organized all my "new-to-me" merchandise.

When we sat down to our healthy dinner (chicken/spinach brats with peppers and onions) I asked my husband if he knew whether or not the Kentucky Derby Festival Balloon Race ever happened. It was postponed Saturday morning due to the weather. A couple minutes later I opened the blinds in the dining room and WOW what a sight!

The pic is a view from our front porch!


Since we were already outside we decided to go for a walk...



I got up early Sunday and was running outside by 7:20 a.m.! Go me and thanks babe for waking me up!

I got 650 crunches in this week and really worked out my arms too!

It is amazing what a difference crunches and weight lifting make in my running! I feel like I am much more balanced and I definitely can tell that my posture is improving. My arms really get pumping at the end of my run and carry me to the finish.

*pause for funny story*

Sometimes Ori gets a little heat rash after playing outside. It seems to be worse with certain sunscreens. When she came inside the other day her arm started itching and I told her it was a little heat rash. Almost immediately she started crying. Once I got her to calm down a bit I asked her what was wrong...



She thought I said she was a hot mess and for some reason that freaked her out! :)


Challenge:

Reflect -

Spend a moment or two thinking about how far you've come on your own journey on the Highway to Health. Post a little comment telling the rest of us about it...

...and don't forget to show me some love!

Why this challenge? Thinking about the Mini Marathon got me thinking...I am going to spend some time tonight going through some blogs from the past year or so. Ill post more tomorrow!

"The More You Lose...

...the fatter you feel."

My dad said this to me last weekend.

As someone how lost quite a bit of weight (and has done a good job of keeping it off) I know he understands the ups and downs of weight loss. He knows it's a struggle. He knows the benefits outweigh the sucky parts.

When I first heard him say that I immediately agreed with him. It was kind of like one of those "a-ha" moments because I knew I was feeling something but couldn't put it to words.

However, the more I have thought about that statement this week, the more I realize that statement is close to what I am feeling, but not right on.

I guess I would say it more like this...

"The more I lose, the more I expect myself to look thinner than I actually do."

Does that make sense at all?

I see the weight drop on the scale and I feel it in some of my clothes but when I look in the mirror I still seem to see the old me.

I am sure there are some body image issues that come with losing weight. I have made my appointment to see my doctor in a few weeks to get my blood drawn and to talk with him about my weight loss. I will probably then take the next step and find someone to talk to professionally.

I don't have an eating disorder or major issues or anything like that but getting healthy is as much of a tough experience as it is a rewarding experience. I am losing a person I have known almost my whole life and sometimes I miss her.

I don't miss her enough to invite her for dinner though :)

Challenge:

Stole this from an email I got this morning from Sparkpeople.com

Bridge-Ups

Lie with arms at sides, feet on floor, knees bent. Press into heels.

EXHALE: Slowly lift hips off of floor toward ceiling, squeezing the glutes.

INHALE: Return to starting position.

Special Instructions: Squeeze glutes through entire rep. Try not to let butt touch ground when lowering between reps.

Body Benefit: Look good coming and going


Weekend Challenge:

Spring is here y'all - get your butt outside and PLAY!

Something New for Thursdays

First off, how'd you all do on the challenge?

Octavio actually came home and reminded me I had a challenge to complete!

All I got to say is one down, 199 to go :)


For some time now I have been trying to think of something new to add to the mix throughout the week. I toyed around with the idea of having a "Dear Healthy Chelle" day or a "Guest Blogger" day but neither seemed right.

After much thought I have decided Thursday will be...

* DRUM ROLL *

Comments of the Week !!

From now on I will use Thursdays as the day I showcase and respond to some of my favorite comments from the four days prior (Friday of the week before and Monday through Wednesday).

I will choose five comments each week. Kind of a Letterman's Top 10 meets World News Tonight's Person of the Week. Don't get upset if I didn't choose your comment this week. There's always next week so keep on showing me love!

(Some are just excerpts from a longer comment.)

Here goes y'all -


Ashleigh said...
You're incredible, I'm so happy for you and proud of how commited you are. I would have quit a long time ago, but thats the laziness in me! Ori's outfit is....cute! haha. She is getting so big! We need to come and see you all again soon. I'm looking forward to another week of blogs, I don't know what to do with myself on the weekends! :-D

This comment brought a little tear to my eye. Ashleigh, I really have felt a true connection with you the last few times we have been together. I think you are an amazing aunt to the girlies and I love the direction of relationship is going. It made me feel nice to know that you are excited when Monday rolls around and you can "read me" again.


Cheri said...
Wow. I don't know what to say, I'm so impressed by your will power, it makes me want to throw on some workout clothes and run down Miller Rd.

I enjoy reading your encouraging words, Cheri. You do a great job of making me feel special by always letting me know how something I said impacted you. I mean who in their right mind would even consider running down Miller Road? :) I am really hoping you can make it to the run in July. If not, I'll just have to figure out another race to do with you! P.S. I am hoping to figure out a way to meet up when you come this way!


Susan said...
That is fantastic! I can't wait to tell Michael our challenge. I think he will be very excited! I bet the Horrar couple surpasses 200 every couple of months. LOL. You go girl!

Susan, you crack me up. Hope you and Michael got the opportunity to do the challenge! I appreciate your comments both on and off of this blog. I look forward to getting a chance to meet for coffee and discuss plans for the next Healthy Chelle Giveaway! You're on to something! P.S. LaVonda, who you kiddin'? You know you guys do it like 200 times a week!


Leigh Ann said...
So glad you and the hubby got to run together! The couple who runs together, stays together!

Ain't that the truth, Leigh? It doesn't have to be running but it's got to be something! I love how you are always doing something with Michael. Taking a walk together, playing with Jakob, going to Karate. Your strong sense of love for your husband reminds me of me!


Leslie said...
GREAT JOB!!! OH MY 4.4 lbs!! WHOOOOO HOOO! AYE CARAMBA! (I don't know how to spell it, sound it out and see if you know what I am saying) haha. YOU ARE INCREDIBLE!! I'm so glad this week really paid off for you. I think you worked really hard this week, especially to be sick.

So Leslie can't actually comment on here because she reads these from work and only actually gets to read my blogs because I email them to her directly. The comment above was never posted on the actual blog but was sent to me privately. The cool thing about reading Leslie's comments is that I can hear her voice when I read them. Les, you always have such enthusiasm and are so quick to compliment and encourage me. I cherish our friendship!


This was fun! Not only did I get to go back through and re-read a weeks worth of encouraging comments, I also read each blog. It felt good to reflect on my feelings even if they were from just a few days ago.

I look forward to doing it again next week!

A few other things...

Ori is signed up for T-ball! (I feel bad posting this, Leigh, because I know you want Jakob to play!!) The baptist church in our neighborhood had a sign out front, so I inquired. I believe Ori's BFF Elena is going to be signed up to play too and they'll be on the same team. How cute!

In the process of signing Ori up for T-ball I found out that the church has a coed adult team and they were still looking for players! I guess they have one team formed already and about half of a second team. I am so excited and hope they get enough people so that the second team is a go. Our church used to have a team but couldn't get enough girls to commit last year so they stopped playing.

I also found out they play indoor volleyball somewhere. I am dying to play that to and am waiting to hear a word back!

AND

My friend Nikki sent an email about a mom's soccer class where they teach you the fundamentals of the game. Although I can only pick one sport right now and softball is at the top of my list I look forward to pursuing this opportunity in the future. Then, maybe my husband won't feel like all he is doing is chasing my bad kicks!

Anyone out there got a summer sport?

Challenge:

Reverse Crunches - these were tough!

1. Lie on your back, bend your knees, and lift your feet until your thighs are perpendicular to the floor.
2. Cross your ankles and keep your arms at your sides and your palms on the floor.
3. Relax your shoulders and, keeping your head and back on the floor, contract your ab muscles as you slowly lift two to four inches off the floor.
4. Hold for a count of two. Lower and repeat 10 times! WOWZA!

I'm SO Going There

According to Dr. Oz, how often should you have sex?

a) Once a week
b) Twice a week
c) 10 times a month
d) 200 or more times a year

The answer...D!!

That means having sex every 1.825 days! Any of you doing this?

This article I found on Forbes.com lists many benefits to a healthy sex life, including:

• Improved sense of smell
• Reduced risk of heart disease
• Weight loss
• Overall fitness
• Reduced risk of depression
• Pain relief
• Less frequent colds and flu
• Better bladder control
• Healthy teeth
• A happy prostate

Take the time to read both articles. They are very interesting!

What brought this up for me today?

We moved Jocie into her own crib last night. No more sleeping in our bedroom! It makes me both happy and sad but mostly happy :)

We are going to spend some money over the next month or so turning our bedroom into a place that we desire to be. Right now it is very boring, very plain, very stale, and very much not getting used :)

Taking this quiz helped us to figure out what kind of bedroom we need and reading this article helped us to identify some key MUST HAVES for our new room.

Can't wait until I can show you all a different sort of before and after pic, that of our bedroom!

Challenge:

Take a guess :)

If you are in a monogamous relationship, work on getting to 200!

If not, 25 jumping jacks (sorry) :)

Chasing Shadows

* I had every intention of getting this blog posted before 9 a.m. but for some reason my daughter seems to want to catch up on all the hissy fits she thinks she missed out on in her third year on earth. Pray for me...actually, you might want to pray for her. *

Man, yesterday I had 5 friends leave comments who have never left one before! That really feels great! I have said it before and I'll say it again - it is reader support that keeps me consistent and honest. I need you so that I can get healthy! Thanks friends!

If you are a new reader and are interested in finding out more about the race in Michigan on July 12th and the training for that race, which begins May 19th, READ THIS!

Now, to bloggin' -

I was on fire yesterday after my weigh in. I mean seriously, 4.4 pounds! Ali who?

Every moment that wasn't consumed with a child or housework was used to burn some calories or tone some muscle.

Here's what I did -

• 150 crunches (25 during every commercial while watching Dr. Phil) :) I know, I know
• 25 push ups (not in a row)
• About 20 minutes of training with my 5 lb weights
• 2.8 miles of running

My dad left a comment yesterday saying that when my mom got down under 200 lbs that's when she really started to pick it up. I can't wait to get there!

I love that it seems like everyone around me is catching the fever!

• My cousin Kristol is only 1/2 lb away from being under 200!
• Kellie and Dave began training last night!
• When I called my parents they had just finished running a practice 5k, that hilly one I showed you all yesterday!

I am not saying that I made them all do this but I just feel like I might be encouraging others. That feels better than any 4.4 loss week.

Today I am going to work out on the ball with some training on www.youtube.com/sparkpeople

I'll be sure to fill you in on that tomorrow!

When I began my run yesterday I was right behind this other runner. I admit I was checking her out and comparing myself to her. She was fairly thin, looked pretty athletic, and had a cute bouncy ponytail.

The sun was to my back - the other runner was my shadow.

I used to hate that part of my run - the beginning - when my shadow is right in front of me, magnifying my shape and reminding me of what I look like.

Yesterday I fell in love with her.

Funny, on the run back to the house the sun was in my face and that other runner was behind ME, chasing ME.

She wishes :)

Challenge :

Lunges!

Stand with your arms at your sides and step forward with your right leg. Bend your knees and lower your back knee towards the floor until your right thigh is parallel to the floor. Keep your right heel down and your right knee directly over your ankle. Tighten your abs and push through the front heel back to the starting position. Repeat with the opposite leg.

Do 10 reps on each side!

Baby J says YOU CAN DO IT!

Weigh Day Week 11 !!

Goal: Lose baby weight + 30 lbs

Achieved so far: Baby weight is gone!

Pre-pregnancy weight: 221.0

Weight last week: 211.2

Current weight: 206.8

Weight loss/gain since last week: -4.4 !!!!

TOTAL WEIGHT LOST (not including baby weight): -14.2 !!!!

What a great weigh in for my 51st blog!

I can not believe I am so close to saying I weigh "one hundred and something"! I had a brief stint in the 100's when I was in the 10th grade but other than that it has been a looooooooong time! WOOHOO!

I think part of the reason the weigh loss was so big though is because I only did my resistance band training once last week. Instead of doing them I opted to work on my push ups and crunches.

I did about 500 crunches last week. I just measured my waist and I am at 42 inches! Just a few weeks of crunches and I've already lost 2 inches!

Leslie doesn't know it but I have her to thank for this! Probably over a month ago her and I were running and she said she could feel her abs burning. I told her that I didn't even know if I had any and what was the point in working on them since it would take a tummy tuck and some lipo in order for me to get a nice tummy. "It can never hurt to strengthen your core," was her reply. Touche, Leslie!

I had a successful week with both eating and running.

I ate lots of veggies this week and lots of brown rice. Both really helped to fill me up and make me feel satisfied. I love the fact that I actually know what those two things feel like now! I used to think feeling full meant feeling sick. So not the case!

I wasn't feeling well on Tuesday but Leslie came over and I ran anyway. I think part of the reason that I wasn't sick for long was because I kept up with my exercise! Since her hubby was out of town on Thursday, she came over again for dinner and we ran before hand. We really pushed it both days and it felt wonderful.

This weekend we went to my parents house in Tennessee. My mom and dad did a great job of filling the house with healthy goodies and that really helped with my success on the scale this morning. The chicken sausage scrambler was the best dad!

Octavio and I got to run 3.2 miles together on Saturday morning (yep dad, I measured it and it's more than a 5k). It was the hilliest terrain I have ever ran on and I didn't enjoy it until it was over.

Seriously, look....

First you go down and up this hill...

Then you turn the corner and go down and up this hill...

That is a 0.8 mile circle and we ran it four times so we hit each of those hills four times!

We ran it in 31:39 though and I am proud of that!

My parents gave me one of their big exercise balls so I am going to check out some of the workouts on Sparkpeople.com and see how I do this week with that. I will continue my push up and crunch training and I have to run Mon, Wed, Fri, and Sun this week.

*On another note*

My baby turned FOUR this weekend :(

Oriana got a nice healthy present from us for her birthday :) For some reason she thinks in order to stop the bike you need to honk the horn!


I can't lie. I had a taste of her cake :)



What did she do on her first day after turning four?

"Mommy, now I can pick out my own clothes."

Challenge:

In the spirit of strengthening your core...

Pick two of these and do 12 reps!


For some of my readers from MySpace who are just joining me, tomorrow I will address your questions about the race! Tune in again!

Don't forget to leave a comment and show me some love!

Bringing Intention to Your Motivation

I am cheating again and posting my Friday blog on Thursday night. The girls have a doctors appointment first thing in the morning, then its packing for our weekend trip to Papa and Nana's, and cleaning the house since small group is coming on Sunday evening and we'll be getting home Sunday afternoon. And since I know some of you look for my blog first thing in the AM (Leigh!) I figured I'd better get it done early!

I know, GET ON WITH IT ALREADY CHELLE!

I can't help but love Jillian Michaels and after reading an interview she did last summer, I really feel like I am on the right track with some of my advice for training for the upcoming Michigan race.

I am not so much into all the "whatever you put into the universe" stuff she talks about but there was one statement that put a smile on my face -

"I think you should write down what you want for your life, bring intention to your motivation. That way you can ask yourself, "Do I want the donut or do I want to look good at my high school reunion?" I am not a believer in will-power but you can ask yourself those kinds of questions. But then, you've got to put it into action." - Jillian Michaels

This is exactly the point I was trying to convey in my blog announcing the Michigan race. It is important to focus on what you intend to gain from the training, and from the race itself.It may not be enough to just say you are going to train for the race and run the race - that's all great but once the initial motivational high wears off, what have you go? Not much.

You need to add intention(s) to you motivation!

What do you intend to gain or lose by training for the race?

What do you intend to gain or lose by walk/jogging the race?

THEN, when you feel like giving up, like you've changed your mind and aren't going to train for the race or participate in the race, you'll actually have some pretty good questions to ask yourself to help you get your motivation back!

Examples:

• I intend to lose 10 pounds by the end of June by training for this race.


• I intend to show my child what a healthy lifestyle looks like by training for this race.


• I intend to brag for the whole month after I participate in the race.

Then you will have specific questions to ask yourself-

• Do I want to be 10 pounds lighter by the end of June?


• Do I want to show my child what a healthy lifestyle looks like?


• Do I want to be able to say that I did a 5k and actually ran some of it? ;)

Seriously folks, I would love to hear what your intentions are for this race. If you aren't doing the race, what are your intentions for this summer?

I have two intentions for training and participating in this race:

1. I intend to lose and keep off 10 pounds in 8 weeks by training for this race.


2. I intend to feel a closer connection to those who have taken the time to care about what I am doing by participating in the race.

Number two on that list is a biggie for me. There is no way I would jeopardize that feeling by giving up. That is the kind of stuff you need to put on your list, stuff that won't allow you to give up!

You have total control in setting yourself up for either failure or success!
You have a few weeks ahead to get your mind right! Do it y'all!

Challenge:

When I dip, you dip, we dip :)

Tricep Dips!

Sit on the edge of a bench with your hands on the edge next to your buttocks. Slide your butt forward off the edge of the bench, bend your arms and drop your body down until your elbows are almost at 90 degrees. Then lift your body back up (but don't return your bottom to the bench until you've completed all 12 repetitions). For an easier option, keep your feet on the ground with your legs bent. The intermediate option would have your legs straight out in front of you. The most challenging position is elevating your feet on another chair or bench.

Weekend Challenge:

Post your intentions somewhere! Doesn't have to be on here (although I would love to know what they are), it can be on your fridge, on your own blog, wherever. Posting them will help set yourself up for success. Not only will you see them regularly, but others will know your intentions and help to keep you on track!

P.S. For those participating in the race - I have put yet another email in to The Flint Journal looking for some info. It appears that the cost of last year ranged from $32 to $11 depending on which shirt option you chose. Last year it was $18 if you ran the race an opted for the regular cotton shirt. Just wanted to let you all know :)

Brian Williams Makes Me Fat

This first part of my blog really has nothing to do with my health.

Last night I was staying up waiting for Baby J to wake up so I could top her off for the night and I decided to watch the local news. They showed a story about a couple of teenage babysitters who forced a toddler to smoke marijuana. What the hell is wrong with people?

I ended up going into Ori's room and sitting on the edge of her bed while she slept. I prayed for God's protection over her and Jocie. I prayed that God would not allow anyone that stupid or evil to ever attempt to harm them. I prayed that God would continue to allow Octavio and I to be good judges of character, since for the time being, it is us who control the people in their lives.

I hate how one news story can get my mind worrying so bad and get me stressing out. I enjoy Brian Williams voice on the NBC Nightly News but I can't stand hearing half the things he talks about! OK, so I was watching my late night local news but I don't think most of you would know who I was talking about if I said I can't stand hearing half the things Dawne Gee says. :)

I guess all that does kind of have something to do with my health. A healthy mind is part of a healthy lifestyle too, right? And stress definitely makes me hold on to pounds!

I was having one of my "motor-mouth mind" days even before I saw that story. My mind just didn't want to shut up and it wasn't being very positive. It kept telling me that I needed to play more with Ori or hold Baby J longer, that I wasn't doing enough.

I really didn't have any energy yesterday. I am still recovering from this cold/upper respiratory thing I have, and although I can breath through both nostrils and the same time again, I am still not feeling 100%.

The sucky part was that although I wasn't playing or holding the baby, I wasn't getting any rest or relaxation either. I felt very tense and kind of on the verge of "stress puking"(don't you love my medical terminology).

Oriana seemed to be holding all my extra energy in her little body. She wanted to play, play, play and she didn't want to play, play, play alone!

I finally forced myself to draw a hopscotch board with sidewalk chalk. I wasn't really into it but thankfully, she was extremely interested in it and it made me feel like I did something right :) She is getting really good at hoping on one foot. Maybe later on today I'll actually put a bra on and really try to play!



When I got Ori down for her nap I wanted to go outside and just get some sun on my body. I got this nagging thought in my brain,

"Will you wish you got one more hour of sun or one more hour cuddling with your baby?"

OUCH!

I fell asleep on the couch for over an hour with Jocie on my chest. Rest and cuddle time - a two'fer!

I am reminded again of what my friend told me just a few weeks ago...

I need to give myself a little grace, show myself a little mercy.

Why can't I just be OK with the fact that I have been sick and need some time to get better?

Well, today I am setting myself up for success as far as maximizing my mommy time goes. I am taking my girlies to the zoo. Ori is excited that this is Baby J's first time. I have no expectations as far as what we'll see and what we'll do. I just want to get there, take our time, and hang out.

Should be fun!

Challenge:

Reduce your stress!

(I can't remember if I've done this one before or not but if I have, it can't hurt to do it again)
Keep away from the news media for just one day! Don't read the paper, don't listen to talk radio, don't watch the evening news. Just relax and enjoy a day without current events!

If you have kiddos, why not make your own headlines instead? Ori loves this activity!

PS How are you all doing on your gear up to the gear up?

Hustlin' and Muscle-in'

First off, GO ALI on being the first female winner of The Biggest Loser! Girl Power!

OK, so yesterday began what I like to call "Hustle Season".

I made my first bulk CD purchase from a lady who responded to an ad on my local Cheapcycle site. I bought 90 CDs for $55 bucks and will probably triple my investment (last year I spent a little over $800 and netted over $2500) reselling them on Amazon. This is how I spend my spring/summer months - hustlin' around town, scoping out garage sales and newspaper ads, and making money.

What does this have to do with weight loss?

A WHOLE LOT!

This activity really keeps me on the go. I stay busy and active AND feel like I am being productive. I sat down this morning and made a list of actions to help maximize this summer's hustlin' and muscle-in'.

1. Kill it on Fridays! Since Octavio has Fridays off (starting next week) I will be able to go off on my own on Fridays. No more loading and unloading Ori or trying to figure out two of them!
2. Neighborhood Saturdays! This area is HUGE for weekend neighborhood yard sales. I love them! I park the car and walk the entire neighborhood looking for deals! The more steps, the better!
3. Foot Mail! The post office is about a 10 minute walk. I think I will make a rule this summer that I can not buy postage ahead of time. Every other day, weather permitting, I will have to walk to the post office to mail out my orders. This will really help me get some extra steps in and give Ori an opportunity to go for a walk too.
4. Stock up the ol' G-box. I need to stock my glove box up with healthy snacks so that I remember to eat while I'm on the go!

I am really excited about making money again. The break for the fall/winter months was nice but I am so ready to get back into it! I love feeling like I contribute a little monetarily!

On another note...

I forgot to mention is yesterday's blog that I was proud of myself for doing my resistance band training and my 100 crunches on Monday night even though I felt like garbage. I am equally proud that I got an outside run in yesterday even though again, I felt like garbage. Thanks to Leslie for taking the time out of her evening to come over and run with me so I could get through it!

Challenge:

The real deal!

Give me 5 real push ups!

OK, some of you have been doing wall push ups for a while now. Get down on the ground and see if you can see any improvement on your real push ups! Yes, you can do modified :)

Bet you feel a difference!

To Run or Not to Run...

First off, some freebies...

Free Nature Made 14 Day Vitamin Supply Start taking those vitamins people!

Free Dial Antibacterial Soap Gotta have clean hands!

Free Fit Kids DVD Comes from the government and you can request up to 5 DVDs!


Alrighty, back to reality...

I am stalling because I'm just not feeling it this morning. Which reminds me...

*warning - The following opinions and remarks are solely those of the author. Said author is under the influence of major cold medicine. Please do not take offense. - end warning*

I decided to go back and look through some of the articles I get emailed from Sparkpeople.com and put my two cents in.

Today is a running day. I was trying to decide whether to take the day off to recoup when I came across this little article. Since I posted yesterday that I thought my chest was going to collapse and I am having the same symptoms today, it is safe to say I am not going to do any running. That being said, when my hubby gets home I will probably completely change my mind since it is gorgeous outside!

My problem with this is that I still have it in my mind that the best cure for this is food. I tend to eat more when I have a cold or upper respiratory thing. The stupid thing is, everything tastes a little like snot so I am not sure why I keep eating!

While reading the article entitled "Help Your Kids Love Their Bodies" I was reminded of something that happened last week.

Myth #2 in the article is that "Everyone can be thin is they work hard enough". We were in Target on Thursday waiting in line and Oriana pointed behind me and told me to look. I looked at the family behind me and smiled. Then turned back around and asked her what I was supposed to be looking at.

"They are fat," she said.

I was mortified that she said that but thankful that they didn't hear it or even notice she pointed at them to begin with. Since we walked to Target I had the whole trip home to explain to her that people come in all different shapes, sizes, and colors but those are not reasons to decide whether or not someone is special. I let her know that God loves all kids and that you shouldn't judge someone based on their looks. I told her that we are all the same on the inside.

How lame did this sound when we were kids? But let me tell you, the first time you try to explain that to your child, you really begin to understand the importance!

I have been trying hard to not have my lifestyle change be a fat/skinny thing. We use the word healthy in our house. I always talk about making healthy choices for snacks and dinner and getting some healthy playtime in.

That being said, I know she picked up that comment from me. I definitely haven't called anyone fat - that's not me - but I think by being so consumed in getting healthy I have conveyed that being big is not acceptable. This article does a great job of giving parents different ways to teach kids about body types and health. I definitely plan on putting them into practice!

I also came across another reason to keep walking.

Lastly, I want to give a shout out to my newest silent stalker, Christine. My BFF told me you were reading...post a comment already :)

That's it for today folks! Keep your eyes on the prize while driving down the Highway to Health!

Challenge:

Suicide run!

Find a big area (basement, parking lot, backyard) and start at one end.

Run 1/4 the length of the area, then run back to the start.

Run 1/2 the length of the area, then run back to the start again.

Run 3/4 the length of the area, then back.

Run the full length, then back.

Now go get a drink! OF WATER!

Weigh Day Week 10

I can't believe it has been 10 weeks already! Wow!

Goal: Lose baby weight + 30 lbs

Achieved so far: Baby weight is gone!

Pre-pregnancy weight: 221.0

Weight last week: 209.8

Current weight: 211.2

Weight loss/gain since last week: +1.4

TOTAL WEIGHT LOST (not including baby weight): -10.4

Well, I'd be lying if I said I wasn't sick of the yo-yoing that has been going on.

One one hand, I feel like if I don't start losing more not only will I start getting sick of myself, you all will too. On the other hand, I feel like my struggles prove that I am normal and in a weird way it also proves I am doing this the right way. Does that make any sense?

I am still averaging a pound a week. That part is good. It means if I keep this up I'll be at my goal long before the end of the year.

All that aside, I think I did really, really well this weekend.

Our room was on the third floor. I rode the elevator one time, on the initial ride up with all our our children, suitcases, and baby gear. After that I used the stairs every time. Eventually most of the family followed suit which was kind of neat.

*Brag Break*

My girlies were the most well behaved children in all of Indianapolis this weekend. Even though Ori wasn't feeling well she did not get whiny or throw a fit one time. When it was time to get out of the water she listened to her mommy and daddy and was a complete angel in the restaurants.

I don't think Jocie cried once this weekend. She slept well and had fun checking out her new surroundings. Octavio and I are so lucky!

*back to me*

I packed some healthy snacks to get through the weekend. I brought some bananas and apples from home. When we got their I went to Walmart and picked up some baby carrots and Pria bars.

We went out to eat three times this weekend. That was pretty tough.

We went to Buca Di Beppo's on Friday night and I did pretty well. Pasta always seems to stick to me though and I did feel a little sluggish because of it.

Saturday was kind of rough. We went to Cracker Barrel for breakfast. I ate a pretty big meal but I don't feel bad about it because breakfast is the most important meal of the day :) We had huge, flaky, croissants with salami and cheese for lunch. I did feel guilty about it. And dinner was Famous Dave's BBQ where we ordered too much and ate too much!

We brought the leftovers from FD's home with us and I ate too much again for lunch yesterday. Also, for Bible study last night a friend brought some way too yummy queso and bean dip and I overindulged some more. To be honest, I know that last nights overeating is what is stuck in my belly right now.

I did not exercise on Friday like I planned to. I am thankful that I did get some time in on Thursday, even though it was an off day, and I feel like that keeps it even. Yesterday was a work out day and even though I was tired and feeling a little yucky I still did 40 minutes on the treadmill at 5.0 mph.

I am coming down with some kind of upper respiratory thing. Ori had it this weekend and my turn is here. This morning when I went to pick up Baby J, my chest felt like it was going to collapse. It really, really hurt. I am thankful today is an off day AND that I got my exercise in yesterday even though I really didn't feel like it.

I am already thinking about next weeks weigh in and I wish I wasn't. We are going to my parents house. They are working on eating right and living healthy so that does help take some pressure off. I am hoping there is a 5k to run since there is a festival happening this weekend. I am also hoping that I behave when we check out the festival :)

I'll be honest (as promised), I had a hard time telling the truth this morning, hence the late morning post. I wanted to just put last weeks weight and tell you all that I maintained instead of gained. But I must remain honest with all of you who have remained faithful in keeping up with my progress. I appreciate all of you keeping me in line!

Challenge:

Play ball!

Dribble a basketball, throw a baseball, kick a soccer ball, or toss around the ol' pigskin for a few minutes. These are fun easy ways to get your heart rate up.

At work? Wad up a piece of paper or two and toss it around (or at) with a friend :)

P.S. I am not sure why the spaces seem to screw up when I add a pictured but it drives me nuts!!

And The Winner Is...

Congratulations!

And thanks to all of you for participating! It means a lot to me!

*tear*blink*blink*

I had to do this all late Thursday night, early Friday morning because we are hitting the road early to head out of town. I am tired and ready for bed so this won't be too long or well put together :)

Even though it was an off running day I got an extra 30 minutes in on the treadmill yesterday. I did incline work instead of running. I am hoping that helps me get through the weekend without gaining...we'll have to see.

I went out to dinner with Anne (I owe you dinner Anne!). I was a pretty good girl. We ordered the onion rings as an appetizer but we each only had a couple and we didn't take the leftovers. We both had the salmon; Anne with broccoli and corn, I with carrots and green beans. I am not much of a fish eater but it was surprisingly good. I did have two adult beverages but hey, I'm human.

After dinner we went to Target to snoop around. I found a nice, comfy bathing suit for $9.50 on clearance. It was supposed to be almost $40! Needless to say, I'll be sending back my $60 Lane Bryant suit!

Speaking of my suit and in an effort to embrace all of me...

Octavio told me to suck in but that wouldn't be honest, now would it? :)

Challenge:

Increase your steps - Park in the spot furthest away from the store or office and walk!

And since Janet needs an actual activity to do with the kiddos for gym, run two laps around the outside of your house today!

Weekend Challenge:

Increase your steps even more! Try not to use your remote!

Seeking Professional Help

Up until this point all of my health changes have been unsupervised.

I happened to see Dr. Oz on Oprah one day about two years ago and what he said seemed easy and made sense. I got fed up with my health one day and started with something small, cooking with olive oil. From then on it has been one small step after another, one small battle after another.

When cooking with olive oil became a habit, I switched from ground beef to ground turkey.

When ground turkey became a staple, I switched from white bread to whole grain bread.

When whole grain bread became my new favorite thing, I started exercising a little.

You get the point...

Slow and steady wins the race. One small change has snowballed into a dramatic lifestyle change. I feel extremely well about my progress and am proud of the accomplishments I have made because I set my mind to changing and I did it. But for some reason yesterday, out of no where I decided I need to make an appointment and visit my doctor.

First off, I guess I shouldn't really give Dr. Oz all the credit because my family physician, Dr. S really got my fat butt in gear.

I went to see him about two years ago because I had quite a few ailments. My stomach was hurting a lot, my feet and knees were bothering me, I was depressed. I started crying and told him that I was embarrassed because I knew all these problems were directly related to my weight. I wanted him to baby me a little. He totally didn't. He told me I was right. He also told me I could fix it.

That was the seed I needed. It wasn't even two weeks later I saw Dr. Oz on TV. I had some earache issues and had to go back to see Dr. S four or five times within the year following our first conversation. Each time I returned I weighed less than the time before. Each time he entered the room that was the first thing he talked about. He encouraged me and told me I was really doing a great job.

Most of the time I am a people pleaser. I always did well in school and behaved at home for the most part. I have said before I would do great on The Biggest Loser because I would want the trainers to be proud of me. I think I had the same thing going for a while with Dr. S.
I really need to sit down with someone who can tell me what I should be doing as far as food goes. I think lately I have been doing things wrong. I know that I have not been eating enough. My mind shouts out orders all day but it doesn't seem to tell me to eat.

Now, I am not by any means starving myself or anything like that. I think part of it is that for the first time my body is not full of junk. The junk was sending the signals to my brain before that were constantly telling me that I wasn't satisfied. The things I eat now all make me feel satisfied. I just need to eat more of them and I know I need a greater variety in my diet!

Sparkpeople.com is a great place to track your nutrition and stuff but I think I need to have a "check in" for a while. I need to sit down with Dr. S and figure out how many calories I need and stuff like that (or as they say in the south "stuff lieGAT") and then I need to know that I am going to see him again in a week or month or whatever so that we can track my progress. I also want to have blood work done and want to have a chat about what vitamins I am currently taking and if there is anything else I am forgetting.

I think I remember now what got me thinking about this to begin with...life insurance. My life insurance is due to be renewed in June. This year I plan on reapplying since I know my current health is much, MUCH better than it was when I first signed up two years ago. I am really hoping for a decrease in my premium!

I think I may look in to seeing a therapist as well. I would love to find a christian counselor in my area who specializes in eating issues (not disorders really, just issues).

It's not just about my body, it's about my mind and my soul too. I don't just want to be physically healthy. I WANT IT ALL!

Challenge:

You asked for it Heather!

Here is her challenge suggestion from yesterday:

"Hey Michelle Remember Squat Thrusts?Start out standing, go down with your knees completely bent, then put both legs out behind you hands on the floor in front of you.(kinda in a jumping motion) then pull your legs back up and stand. It is kinda a quick movement, and it will kill ya! Try 20 of those! I hope you know what I am talking about they are real hard to explain. Good Luck!"


The following people need to send me their address asap as I am sending something out tomorrow!

Mindy
Janet
Jayne
Lynea
Karrie
Carrie
Coriann
Anne

Half a Breakthrough

So, playgroup is going to be here in 38 minutes. I am in my jammies, the girls are in their jammies, and the house is a wreck.

The pumpkin bread is ready though :)

Today's blog is not going to be very long or very organized. I am flying off the seat of my, well, to be honest, I'm not wearing pants.

I had half of a major breakthrough last night.

We went out to dinner with some friends to Smokey Bones BBQ (their treat!!) and I made a pretty healthy choice. I had smoked turkey breast with fire roasted corn and bbq beans. The turkey was sliced thin, professionally stacked so that the pieces were beautifully folded one on top of the other, and it was sooooo tender. I got some protein from the beans and although corn in not the best of the veggies, it was the only option besides broccoli and I am just not a broccoli kind of girl (yet). I did add some sweet bbq sauce to it so I am sure I had a bit more sugar than I needed but all in all I am happy with myself.

The reason I say "half of a major breakthrough" is because I still have a problem leaving something on the plate. Especially now that we go out less and less frequently! I would like to be able to just eat half my meal.

Octavio and I have discussed sharing meals when we go out but because we go out so infrequently we want to savour every bite I guess. I think I may start asking for a box at the beginning of the meal and immediately taking half of whatever I order off my plate...hmmmm....that may just work folks!

PS I snuck one of Ori's fries and it didn't taste good at all! YAY!

All that talk about eating out infrequently and now I am going to tell you that I am worried about this next weigh in because I'll be eating out a lot :)

I was supposed to go out to eat a few weeks ago with Anne but then Ori decided to have a puke-fest and I had to stay home. We rescheduled for tomorrow night and I'm excited. Originally I said I was gonna get a big fat burger but I think I will make a better decision...I hope so anyway :)

AND THEN - We are going to Indianapolis for the weekend. I need to pack some healthy snacks from home. Thankfully it is a Monday, Wednesday, Friday, Sunday work out week and since we are leaving Friday late morning I can get a run in before we go and we'll be home on Sunday so I can run then too. Plus, we are staying at a hotel with an indoor water park and I have to imagine I'll be having fun in the pool and burning calories.

Being honest though, I may get on the treadmill tomorrow for some incline training in an effort to at least maintain my weight for next Monday's weigh in. Not so much to manipulate the scale but more so in an effort to be proactive.

I know I am going to be out of my own environment and I need to prepare. I can either pass this test or fail. I am hoping to get a C or better, meaning either maintain my weight or still lose. We'll see!

*ROLL CALL*

I NEED ADDRESSES PEOPLE!

Even if you don't win the drawing Friday, I have something to send to you if you participated in the challenge in any way! Email me your address if you'd like to receive it!

orismom420@yahoo.com

Challenge:

Do the Superman! (Thanks Cheri)

Lay on your stomach on the floor. Stretch your arms and legs straight out so they are not touching the floor. See how long you can hold it. Post your time on here as a comment. I have 21 minutes till playgroup gets here so I'll be back on later to read your comments and post my time!

Dinner and a Drink

My hubby is the grill master!

I had some pork set out yesterday for dinner and I knew I was going to cook it on the grill but I wasn't sure exactly what I was going to do with it. Then, my hubby said the magic word...

KABOBS!

Even Ori was happy!

*Pause for Praise*

At dinner Octavio announced that starting at the end of this month he will only be required to work Monday - Thursday!!! WooHOO!

Now for a little drink discussion...

*Disclaimer*

Janet asked last week if there were any tips to stop drinking soda. Although I started typing this blog to address only that question, it turned into a rant on my part. So, Janet, aside from the specific articles I linked regarding soda addiction, please don't take any of this as my speaking directly to you. When I say "you" in this blog, I am not talking specifically to you Janet, but to my readers in general .

Also, I am not a medical doctor.

*End Disclaimer*

:)

Soda addiction is pretty common. I'm not talking about an occasional soft drink with dinner. I am talking about always having a can in your hand, not being able to go anywhere without stopping at the gas station to buy one (or two), and keeping one on your bedside table at night just in case you wake up parched.

Most people don't necessarily think they are addicted to it. And since there is so much more attention placed on alcohol, drug, and cigarette addiction, this one just doesn't seem that important.

But your health is important! In fact, it is much, MUCH more important than a sugary drink.

If asked whether you would like a sugary drink or a healthier life, the answer should be easy but I know that it isn't always as easy as it sounds. As with any addiction, you can't really start to fix the problem until you admit you have it in the first place. I have poked a little fun in the past at 12 Step Programs but in all actuality, they make sense.

I will say before I go into any of the other ideas I have found that prayer is going to be the most powerful option. If you are a believer in Him and have faith in Him, Jesus promises that "you will receive whatever you ask in prayer"(Matthew 21:22-23)

I could attempt to scare soda addicts with crazy tales of the acid in soda but they're just not true !

Some of these articles might help move a soda addict in the right direction:

If a description of what soda does to you might turn your head (or stomach) try this or you can look here.

If you are concerned about human rights around the world this one might help

The truth of the matter is if you aren't ready to quit, you won't quit. And the cold turkey approach may work for a few people or work for a while but chances are, it won't stick.

Everyone is always looking for the easiest way to accomplish something. A fad diet, a magic pill, something so that they don't have to do as much to deal with the problem. Well, anyone who has, or has had an addiction knows that it is never easy and it always takes work to overcome it.

You can wake up one day and say to yourself "I want to quit this habit today".

Do you want to quit or do you want to want to quit?

I went through over a year of wanting to want to be healthier before I finally bucked up and did it. I just got so disgusted with my behavior that I finally knew it was either deal with it or continue to be miserable.

When the time comes, and you are focused and ready to overcome your addiction, start slow!

Yesterday I talked about thinking of either what you are moving away from or what you are moving towards.

Make a list of all the things that will begin to disappear once you slowly start to take soda out of your daily life, or make a list of all the things that will return to you once this addiction is taken care of. Then, before you begin the process, spend some time, a week maybe, just focusing on that list. Get your mind ready for the fight.

As far as other ways to overcome this addiction, might I suggest a little bit of what others have already suggested? Do replace Coke with water, but not all at once. If you have a coke with each meal, pick a meal you think will be easiest and substitute Coke with water only for that meal. Maybe try this for a week or so, then add water to another meal, etc.

Lastly, a blog like this is a great place to deal with any obstacle you are working on. My cousin Michele is about the embark on a long journey and is having gastric bypass surgery in a few short weeks (may seem to some as an easy way out but I could not disagree more!). She asked me yesterday if it would bother me if she started journaling online with a blog of her own. Absolutely not! I highly recommend it! My goal here is to inspire others to make changes in their lives. How awesome it would be to be able to catch up on the progress of my readers!

Now I am going to talk specifically to you Janet - You can do this. It may seem like a giant but in reality it is just a soft drink. Take some time to get your mind in the right place and accomplish this goal! and be sure to keep us updated on your progress!

Challenge:

30 Jumping Jacks!

Come on people! GO!

Don't forget to deadline to enter Healthy Chelle's Challenge Challenge is fast approaching! The winner will be drawn this Friday! To all readers and participants in the challenge - I need mailing addresses people!

There are three ways you can participate in Healthy Chelle's Challenge Challenge.

1. Complete a challenge. Every time you leave me a comment saying you have completed a challenge I will enter your name in the drawing. Limit one comment per blog.


2. Send me challenge ideas. Every time you send me a challenge idea I will enter your name in the drawing. NO LIMIT!


3. Get a new friend to leave me a comment. Let your friends know about my blog. Anytime someone leaves a comment and says "so-and-so told me to check out your blog" I will enter that so-and-so's name in the drawing.

The sun is shining on the Highway to Health!

Weigh Day Week 9 - A MUST READ

Goal: Lose baby weight + 30 lbs

Achieved so far: Baby weight is gone!

Pre-pregnancy weight: 221.0

Weight last week: 209.8

Current weight: 209.2

Weight loss/gain since last week: -0.6

TOTAL WEIGHT LOST (not including baby weight): -11.8


Well, it's something. That's really all I have to say about that :)


After doing 100 crunches on Monday, 50 crunches Tuesday -Saturday, and 100 again on Sunday I decided to re-measure my waist...

I LOST AN INCH! I am probably more excited about that than any weight loss so far since my extreme problem area is actually smaller!

Enough about weight, let's talk races...

Leslie and I ran the Pewee Valley Fire Department's Spring Training 5k. My goal was to be physically spent by by the end of the race, to feel like I had nothing left to give.

It was a really beautiful run. It was mostly back country type roads. You could hear birds chirping and at one point you could actually hear water flowing down a little creek.

Our first mile felt a little rough. We ended up hitting Mile Marker 1 with a time of 10:55. Neither of us were happy with that number so we took it up a notch.

At Mile Marker 2 we were pleasantly surprised. Our time was 19:55. A nine minute mile! I don't know if either of us have ever ran a nine minute mile before but it felt great! Starting off the last 1.1 miles knowing we had made such great time really pumped us up. Until we saw the hills...

It really is important to know the course before you run a race. That way you can mentally prepare yourself for the challenge before hand. We weren't mentally prepared for these hills at all.

The weren't massive hills or anything but it really felt like one after another after another. I kept chanting in my mind, and at one point said to Leslie out loud, "These hills are not a discouragement. They are a challenge. And when we make great time it will feel even sweeter to know that we made great time while conquering all these hills."

We pushed through and made it. Quite a few times I really felt like I wanted to just walk for a minute but I knew that I couldn't do that. My legs felt like Jell-o at one point and I am certain our pace slowed dramatically for a minute or two so we could recoup.

Then, miraculously, we were back on the main road. We knew it was flat and we knew the finish line was in sight. (The only feeling greater than this is actually crossing the finish line!)

At this point, I decided to kick it up a notch in an effort to make sure I succeeded in making myself feel physically spent. I pushed and pushed and pushed.

About 100 yards or so from the finish line I got into a foot race with another participant. She was a little older than I but at least a foot taller with long legs and I could tell she had been running for a while.

She had just started to pull away from what I assume was her husband and I didn't really consider taking her on until I heard him warning her that I was coming. "Coming on your left Barbara. Pick it up!" he told her.

It was SO on!

The finish line was in sight. There were a bunch of firefighters and EMS at the finish line cheering us on, excited about the action. I was peddling my 29 inch inseam about as fast as I could and was worried she was gonna beat me. Thankfully the old "Runner's High" kicked in and that adrenaline rush allowed me to overtake my competition right at the end!

I WON!

I heard some people talking and someone say "That is how you finish a race."

And about two minutes later, I had to puke. :) Then Leslie made me get my blood pressure checked as feelings from the aftermath of last years half marathon began to creep in a little.

Mission accomplished.


Before this race my personal record was 32:40 for a 5k. That was at the zoo race just under a year ago. The zoo is fairly hilly so I was glad that this race had hills that way I could consider it comparable to my the course of my PR race.

My time for this race...

31:25!

I am excited to have a new PR! That is running at almost 6 miles an hour!

This race was also (I believe) a PR for Leslie too! In celebration of our accomplishment we decided to stage a re-enactment of Ori and Elena's adorable race photo from the week before.

Thanks Leslie for crouching down so that people can't tell you are a good 6 inches + taller than me. And just so you know, even if I had photo shop, I wouldn't try to retouch my hangy arm fat. It is proof of what I have accomplished!

A little more about races...

I am committing to running this 5k race in Michigan in July. I would love, love, LOVE my Michigan readers to participate with me. I am hoping that this blog will pump you all up a little.

Here is my vision for this race:

My readers and I all meet at a specified location at 7 a.m. for a little pre-race pep rally. We are all sporting blue t-shirts of some kind, not necessarily matching but somewhat uniformed. We register for the race, and take a place at the start line. We are all smiling and probably sweating already since it is July.

We all know that at no point will we feel alone, ashamed, or embarrassed. Since we have all made a pre-race pact to "Finish Together and Finish Strong" there is no anxiety from those who have never done this before. There is strength in numbers so we will be strong!

We will have all agreed to some sort of goal before hand, something like two minutes walking, one minute jogging (subject to change:) so we all know what to expect and what is expected of us. Again, since we are going to "Finish Together and Finish Strong" we will know that every time that one minute of jogging comes up we can do it!

The one minute of jogging will be a very slow and steady pace. Since the true goal is to "Finish Together and Finish Strong" their isn't competition amongst this group. We are one!

The two minutes off will not only be a time to get our heart rates in check but to celebrate the fact that we all just ran together for one whole minute! Every one minute of jogging will be filled with determination. Each two minutes of walking will be full of celebration.

Our eyes will be on the prize as the finish line approaches. The sea of blue (or lake or pond or puddle, depending on the number of participants) will pick up the pace a little and crash against the shoreline as one and the race will be complete! (sorry for the water metaphors but we are sure to be sweaty)

We break out into loud cheers at our accomplishments and head off to Subway to continue our celebration! After lunch everyone heads home for a shower and probably a nap!

Who's with me?

Challenge:

Get ready for the race. Check out this article for tips on how to get yourself ready for July 12. It gives you an 8 week training routine to get ready for walking/jogging a 5k.

Begin focusing on MAY 19th

May 19th is 8 weeks before the race. That is when the training should start for the race.

It is important to gear yourself up for the actual gear up. Consider this time, up until May 19th as your pre-training and take some time to actually focus on what this goal will mean to you.

You might be the type of person who likes to think about all you will leave behind...

• no more being inactive
• no more laziness
• no more guilt
• no more "maybe tomorrow" 's or "next week" 's

You might be the type of person who likes to think about what you are heading towards...

• more energy
• a healthier you
• a sense of accomplishment
• a longer life

Either way, make the list now and post it somewhere you will be reminded of it daily.

May 19th is 8 weeks before the race. That is when the training should start for the race.

If you have someone in mind who you would love to see at the finish line with us, be sure to pass my link on to them!

*To all my readers both locally and around the US*

If you all wouldn't mind, I would really like a list of every one's email and mailing addresses. Not only would I like to be able to send the "Healthy Chelle's Challenge Challenge" winner their prize, I would also like to send something out to all those who participate and read this!

Email me at orismom420@yahoo.com with your mailing address. I will save your email address to my address book.

You all have been keeping me on my toes and I am having a blast!