I'm referring to my short pony tail and my workout clothes. If I sorta look like the chicks on the workout videos (nevermind that I'm carrying 50+lb more) then slowly...maybe I'll get closer and closer to what they really look like. I tell ya, the shorter pony tail and the tank top feel heavenly when I'm moving around. I left my Diamonique studs in...who doesn't look just a touch better with a little bling?? ;-) I can't hide behind my hair now so it's put things in perspective a bit. The mojo has returned this week and I'm kicking it up.
Today was Zumba Express, 20 minutes of fun latin dancing. I also did the arm section from the Ab & Arm Booster from Physique 57. I use 5lb weights. I never work out my back, arms and shoulders enough and I look like a linebacker (I'm guessing) on a good day. Broad shoulders indeed. I've lost an inch off my arms since August so it's an improvement..but I can do better.
Monday, October 31, 2011
Sunday, October 30, 2011
Movin' to the Music
My mom was over yesterday. She kept the kids busy, she gave them lollipops, they argued and screamed. Nina cried. I count the number of times she's pushed to tears when my parents come over. It's not directly their fault...it's more a reaction to the actions of the boy and the get-away-with-murder manipulation that results in her crying. I don't like to hear or see her cry. It's unnecessary. She's quite sassy in general but she's a good seed and has a generous nature. She doesn't deserve the BS she gets sometimes. Anyhoo, I had asked my mom for a haircut so after the kids went down for naps I showered and she cut my hair. The apple did not fall far from the seed. She went to cosmetology school back in the day. Here's the thing with curly hair...you can pull firmly but it shouldn't be too firm..because the hair will spring back and look utterly ridiculous when it's too short. My hair is now two inches shorter than where I showed her I wanted it. Her response: "It's hair, never cry about hair." True that. I wanted it short anyway because I have my hair in a pony tail every day. Working out with long hair, even a long pony tail resting on my back, makes me super hot, as does wearing sneakers. (I don't like saying sneakers. I don't like calling them tennis shoes either. I think I'm going to call my shoes "cross-trainers"..because technically I think that's what they are...sounds a hell of a lot cooler than sneeeeakers.) So now I have a ridiculous-looking bob. My hair is back to it's original non-layered thickness. When I blow dry my hair and it's straight I'll cut some layers into it. For now, it's up in a midget pony tail. By next summer it'll be long and fabulous to go with my new body. ;-)
So while my mom was playing with the kids, I put on some music. Some good old school rock and roll. Like borderline oldies. lol And I danced. And I did my "morning moves". And I did knee lifts, arm weights, trunk twists and well, you get the picture. Think I'll do it again today when my parents come over. I need to do something when they come over and doing a full workout with the circus in town is too distracting.
Have I mentioned I love Ellen Barrett? I'm hooked. I think I love her out of ALL the exercise dvds I have. Youtube her. She's the perfect blend. I love when I find a favorite. Speaking of favorites, my cousin told me about Jane Evanovich's Stephanie Plum series and I finally got 1-16 and I'm on book 6 now and I'm hooked. I'm in that comfy stage of a series, you know, where you know the characters well and you don't get sleepy reading and when you're done with one book you don't think twice about picking up the next one immediately. I hear foot steps...somebody's awake.....
So while my mom was playing with the kids, I put on some music. Some good old school rock and roll. Like borderline oldies. lol And I danced. And I did my "morning moves". And I did knee lifts, arm weights, trunk twists and well, you get the picture. Think I'll do it again today when my parents come over. I need to do something when they come over and doing a full workout with the circus in town is too distracting.
Have I mentioned I love Ellen Barrett? I'm hooked. I think I love her out of ALL the exercise dvds I have. Youtube her. She's the perfect blend. I love when I find a favorite. Speaking of favorites, my cousin told me about Jane Evanovich's Stephanie Plum series and I finally got 1-16 and I'm on book 6 now and I'm hooked. I'm in that comfy stage of a series, you know, where you know the characters well and you don't get sleepy reading and when you're done with one book you don't think twice about picking up the next one immediately. I hear foot steps...somebody's awake.....
Friday, October 28, 2011
Out of whack
I'm all off schedule today. I got on the computer before breakfast..big mistake. I'm sure you know how that goes..anyway, I didn't eat breakfast. By the time I went upstairs to eat something it was almost time for the kids to go down for naps and that's usually when I exercise. Can't really do that with something in my stomach, now can I?? lol So I put it off. I read in peace and quiet instead.
Note: The Resolution is to Courageous as The Love Dare is to Fireproof.
I went from wanting to do the Yogini dvd to then deciding on Zumba...I finally ended up just getting on the Leg Magic for inner thigh work and using my 5lb dumbbells for arms. I'm sore from yesterday but I could have done a workout today. My eyes are ready to close and I could care less right now though. lol I've been craving a bowl of cereal all afternoon so I think I'll have a bowl before bedtime.
Note: The Resolution is to Courageous as The Love Dare is to Fireproof.
I went from wanting to do the Yogini dvd to then deciding on Zumba...I finally ended up just getting on the Leg Magic for inner thigh work and using my 5lb dumbbells for arms. I'm sore from yesterday but I could have done a workout today. My eyes are ready to close and I could care less right now though. lol I've been craving a bowl of cereal all afternoon so I think I'll have a bowl before bedtime.
Thursday, October 27, 2011
Cain't hardly walk
Seriously. Can't. Walk. Power Fusion kicked my arse. You look at it and think, "This is nice, flowy, they don't seem to be sweating too much..." and then you do it. I had to stop twice to get water. I never stop to get water. I couldn't move and my form was getting sloppy so I had to hit pause twice. The first half builds and builds and next thing you know I'm trying to go through the menu in my head to remember how many more segments there were left. That's how I know I'm working hard...when I'm dying to stop. lol There aren't a whole lot of movements throughout her dvds, that's what I like about them. I don't like the aerobics dvds where they keep building on the same routine for 20 minutes, especially if I'm not really enjoying the combination of moves in the first place. She doesn't do that. Her moves seem very basic but the way she incorporates the whole body into it really gives you the biggest bang for the buck. They were all wet by the end of the dvd and I was pretty slick myself. Good thing I wore my pretty tank top. :-)
She keeps you squatting or lunging throughout which is why I can barely walk. I had ankle weights on for the first segment which was a bad idea. I didn't need them. There's a reason none of them needed any equipment. lol I did however keep my 1lb wrist weights on the whole time. I really wanted to work the arms a bit more and that was doable. I feel the soreness in my arms a bit right now so hopefully I'll REALLY feel it tomorrow. I'm sure my legs will be plenty sore tomorrow too judging by how I felt after her Barefoot Cardio dvd. She tells you what you're working as you're doing the exercises which I find motivating. If I'm going to feel like I'm dying while I'm doing it, I want to know my waist will get smaller or my butt is getting firmer. lol
I followed up with some stretching and some ab work on my own. I feel better after I'm done...it's the absence of guilt. ;-) I'll probably be sore so I've got her Yogini workout on the agenda for tomorrow.
She keeps you squatting or lunging throughout which is why I can barely walk. I had ankle weights on for the first segment which was a bad idea. I didn't need them. There's a reason none of them needed any equipment. lol I did however keep my 1lb wrist weights on the whole time. I really wanted to work the arms a bit more and that was doable. I feel the soreness in my arms a bit right now so hopefully I'll REALLY feel it tomorrow. I'm sure my legs will be plenty sore tomorrow too judging by how I felt after her Barefoot Cardio dvd. She tells you what you're working as you're doing the exercises which I find motivating. If I'm going to feel like I'm dying while I'm doing it, I want to know my waist will get smaller or my butt is getting firmer. lol
I followed up with some stretching and some ab work on my own. I feel better after I'm done...it's the absence of guilt. ;-) I'll probably be sore so I've got her Yogini workout on the agenda for tomorrow.
Wednesday, October 26, 2011
Previews and abs/arms
I previewed some new dvds today. I liiike. :-) 10 Minute Solutions with the stability ball. It looked like so much fun. Something about tossing and moving a ball around makes me feel like a little girl again. Definitely can't wait to try that one. Jackie Warner's Power Circuit Training...she works it. She's like Jillian..totally different moves but kills you in a short amount of time. The Firm's 500 Calorie workout is long, 60 minutes but for 500 calories, it's one of those that I think I'll reserve when I need to punish myself. lol I like the moves, she incorporates cardio and strength training throughout (that's the signature The Firm method).
I did stretching, some pilates chair moves, some ab work, 2lb arm weights for upper body. I did a little of the ab isolations on a belly dance dvd from the library but I don't like when the one woman is silent with the narration as she does the exercises. So that one is going back to the library tomorrow. I'm dragging for sure this week. I'm moving my body but I'm not putting in 100%. Sooo...I need some motivation. I laid out my workout clothes on my bed for tomorrow. I figure if I look the part maybe it'll psych me up more. lol On tomorrow's agenda, Ellen Barrett's Power Fusion. Barefoot with a mat in my racerback tank and cute yoga capris. ;-) I keep envisioning myself next summer, all lean and tanned in a cute skirt with tanned and toned legs looking fabulous in a halter top. 6 months until May...if I want that to be a reality I gotta give 100%. I think I can...I think I can....I think I can....
I did stretching, some pilates chair moves, some ab work, 2lb arm weights for upper body. I did a little of the ab isolations on a belly dance dvd from the library but I don't like when the one woman is silent with the narration as she does the exercises. So that one is going back to the library tomorrow. I'm dragging for sure this week. I'm moving my body but I'm not putting in 100%. Sooo...I need some motivation. I laid out my workout clothes on my bed for tomorrow. I figure if I look the part maybe it'll psych me up more. lol On tomorrow's agenda, Ellen Barrett's Power Fusion. Barefoot with a mat in my racerback tank and cute yoga capris. ;-) I keep envisioning myself next summer, all lean and tanned in a cute skirt with tanned and toned legs looking fabulous in a halter top. 6 months until May...if I want that to be a reality I gotta give 100%. I think I can...I think I can....I think I can....
Monday, October 24, 2011
The Bar...ouch!
If you recall, a week or two ago I had meant to try The Bar Method Body dvd from the library. I never got around to it until today. I did my own warm-up with my "morning moves", the basic exercises on the pilates chair and some 2lb arm weight work. I started the dvd with the arm work which started right after the warm-up. I liked it. There's nothing special about arm work. It's pretty much the same on every dvd that has you work your arms. You work the shoulders, the triceps, biceps and back. I normally use 2lb weights for lots of reps but since she did one set of 10 and then a second set of 20 I figured I could deal with using 5lb weights. KILLED but in a good way. I want to feel my arms get tired. Then we moved on to thigh work. I liked that part too. Inner/outer thighs holding on to the back of a chair and I could definitely feel it. After that she did some stretching and yoga type moves to stretch out the legs but I was wearing 3lb ankle weights on both legs so I did some leg presses while sitting on my chair while she did the leg stretches. I stretched my legs on my own. Then she went into a "pretzel" pose to work the outer thigh/butt area. The way I had to lean on the floor hurt my rest thigh/butt so I managed to get through one side only. Too bad I worked the butt cheek that doesn't need work. lol I'm majorly right-side dominant so my right butt cheek is more round than my other side. I also stand on my right leg more which means I'm flexing leg and butt muscles more. ANYway...lol
On to a different topic....parenting decisions seem to be irking me a lot lately. I have strong opinions and I can be pretty judgemental. For the most part however, I conclude any thought with, "Well, whatever works for them as long as it has nothing to do with me..." I also feel strongly about giving new parents advice. If they ask or they are consumed with doubt, I'm honest but I'm also available to give them peace of mind. I don't agree with placing fear after fear on their shoulders because of a personal circumstance that happened to someone (either yourself or someone you know). That doesn't help anyone. It's not "educating" them. Something horrific or crappy happened to you or your kid and you need to point the finger at someone or something. There's no need to make a new parent question what they otherwise would have been fine with just because you had a bad experience. I know several parents that have medical issues with their children. I wouldn't wish that on anyone. We all want our children to be happy and healthy and issue-free. I respect a fellow mom a lot when she knows maybe there were things she could have done differently to change the outcome but she doesn't beat herself up about it. "It is what it is, now let's do what we need to do to show our child we can live a happy and full life regardless of the circumstances thrown our way." From the food we eat to the containers it comes in to the cars we drive to the medical care we choose for our families, EVERYTHING is a variable that can lead to good or bad. I strive for better each and every day and that's all we can do. Make better choices tomorrow, smile more and love more.
AND...I have something else. Yesterday my parents were over and we were all outside. My dad was blowing leaves and the kids and my mom were playing in their car so I came in to check my email while I had a free minute. Next thing I know my dad's coming in to get Gino's scooter and says "Come and look, Gino's in love." So I go out with him and see Gino talking to two little hispanic girls from 4 or 5 houses down from us. One was probably about 4 and the older one (the one Gino liked) was probably closer to 7 or 8. She was riding one of those metal scooters that goes faster and Gino has a red plastic red scooter so he was trailing behind trying to catch up to his beloved. lol He was trying to talk to them, asking them if they wanted to go for a walk or ride bikes some time. It was really cute. He was also shy and embarassed and my parents kept interfering, telling him what to say. (SO annoying by the way. Sometimes I wish I could push the mute button on both of them.) Anyway, they went back and forth from our house to theirs riding their scooters for a bit and then they came back to our house with their little brother following behind. Now, a couple things: 1. The older girl was wearing a spaghetti strapped black dress. It's almost November and we're all wearing long sleeves and pants. 2. The little boy was dressed appropriately for the weather but he couldn't have been more than 2 yrs old.
So they came with the brother and then the girls went back to their house and Gino and the little boy stayed with us. So right away I'm thinking, "Uh, HELLO...they just left the kid here??" He didn't talk. He just stood there staring at us. So my dad lets him play with the bubble mower we have. Then he offered the boy the little bicycle we have and helped him get on it. Meanwhile I look down to where the boy's family lives and I see a couple men standing by their cars and a female in the car and they're talking and hanging out. The men would look over periodically so I figured they had seen the boy. I sent Gino a few times to tell the girls to come get their brother and he did, poor thing. He'd run down there and then try to talk but wouldn't know what to say and got all flustered and would run back. Torn between his embarassing crush and Mommy's orders. lol Poor thing. So finally I'm like, "This is ridiculous, we're ready to go inside and this kid is just standing here." So I took the bikes and put them in the shed and the kid starts crying. My mom tries showing him to walk and saying "Follow, follow" and pointing towards his house but nothing. The kid just stood there. My dad and Gino wanted to take the car to Costco to get gas so you know, show's over, go home kid. lol My dad took Gino's hand and the boy's hand and walked him down to his family. The mom runs out of the car and picks him up and apparently she thought he was in the house. What the hell?? This whole thing probably last 15 or 20 minutes. The whole time I'm thinking, "There's relaxed and then there's stupid. These are the same types of people that will cry over their missing kid tomorrow on the news."
We've got psychos in this world raping small children and almost every day I read an article but a missing child. I'm all for these relaxed parents that want their kids to be free to run around but unfortunately this ain't that kind of world anymore. Alrighty, got that off my chest. I still can't believe it. I think of my children at 2 yrs old....at someone's house with a family I don't know...I just can't even imagine how people can be that clueless as to their kids' whereabouts.
On to a different topic....parenting decisions seem to be irking me a lot lately. I have strong opinions and I can be pretty judgemental. For the most part however, I conclude any thought with, "Well, whatever works for them as long as it has nothing to do with me..." I also feel strongly about giving new parents advice. If they ask or they are consumed with doubt, I'm honest but I'm also available to give them peace of mind. I don't agree with placing fear after fear on their shoulders because of a personal circumstance that happened to someone (either yourself or someone you know). That doesn't help anyone. It's not "educating" them. Something horrific or crappy happened to you or your kid and you need to point the finger at someone or something. There's no need to make a new parent question what they otherwise would have been fine with just because you had a bad experience. I know several parents that have medical issues with their children. I wouldn't wish that on anyone. We all want our children to be happy and healthy and issue-free. I respect a fellow mom a lot when she knows maybe there were things she could have done differently to change the outcome but she doesn't beat herself up about it. "It is what it is, now let's do what we need to do to show our child we can live a happy and full life regardless of the circumstances thrown our way." From the food we eat to the containers it comes in to the cars we drive to the medical care we choose for our families, EVERYTHING is a variable that can lead to good or bad. I strive for better each and every day and that's all we can do. Make better choices tomorrow, smile more and love more.
AND...I have something else. Yesterday my parents were over and we were all outside. My dad was blowing leaves and the kids and my mom were playing in their car so I came in to check my email while I had a free minute. Next thing I know my dad's coming in to get Gino's scooter and says "Come and look, Gino's in love." So I go out with him and see Gino talking to two little hispanic girls from 4 or 5 houses down from us. One was probably about 4 and the older one (the one Gino liked) was probably closer to 7 or 8. She was riding one of those metal scooters that goes faster and Gino has a red plastic red scooter so he was trailing behind trying to catch up to his beloved. lol He was trying to talk to them, asking them if they wanted to go for a walk or ride bikes some time. It was really cute. He was also shy and embarassed and my parents kept interfering, telling him what to say. (SO annoying by the way. Sometimes I wish I could push the mute button on both of them.) Anyway, they went back and forth from our house to theirs riding their scooters for a bit and then they came back to our house with their little brother following behind. Now, a couple things: 1. The older girl was wearing a spaghetti strapped black dress. It's almost November and we're all wearing long sleeves and pants. 2. The little boy was dressed appropriately for the weather but he couldn't have been more than 2 yrs old.
So they came with the brother and then the girls went back to their house and Gino and the little boy stayed with us. So right away I'm thinking, "Uh, HELLO...they just left the kid here??" He didn't talk. He just stood there staring at us. So my dad lets him play with the bubble mower we have. Then he offered the boy the little bicycle we have and helped him get on it. Meanwhile I look down to where the boy's family lives and I see a couple men standing by their cars and a female in the car and they're talking and hanging out. The men would look over periodically so I figured they had seen the boy. I sent Gino a few times to tell the girls to come get their brother and he did, poor thing. He'd run down there and then try to talk but wouldn't know what to say and got all flustered and would run back. Torn between his embarassing crush and Mommy's orders. lol Poor thing. So finally I'm like, "This is ridiculous, we're ready to go inside and this kid is just standing here." So I took the bikes and put them in the shed and the kid starts crying. My mom tries showing him to walk and saying "Follow, follow" and pointing towards his house but nothing. The kid just stood there. My dad and Gino wanted to take the car to Costco to get gas so you know, show's over, go home kid. lol My dad took Gino's hand and the boy's hand and walked him down to his family. The mom runs out of the car and picks him up and apparently she thought he was in the house. What the hell?? This whole thing probably last 15 or 20 minutes. The whole time I'm thinking, "There's relaxed and then there's stupid. These are the same types of people that will cry over their missing kid tomorrow on the news."
We've got psychos in this world raping small children and almost every day I read an article but a missing child. I'm all for these relaxed parents that want their kids to be free to run around but unfortunately this ain't that kind of world anymore. Alrighty, got that off my chest. I still can't believe it. I think of my children at 2 yrs old....at someone's house with a family I don't know...I just can't even imagine how people can be that clueless as to their kids' whereabouts.
Saturday, October 22, 2011
True You
Well, this past week was a bust. I was exhausted. I drank soda, I ate comfort foods and I didn't exercise. Not evening my "morning moves" or my ab work. Tomorrow is a new day. I just don't think I can work against it that one week a month so I'm not going to try. I need time to recover, to rest and to be comfy in pajamas all day long.
Starting this week tomorrow I needed some motivation. I didn't expect to get it where I got it though. ;-) In the evenings lately I've been watching Joyce Meyer or Beth Moore on Youtube. I enjoy both ladies very much. (I dig the southern twang and I have to say, Paula Deen has an eternal piece of my heart as well) I'm more familiar with Joyce Meyer because she's more popular, has more books and dvds out, has her own show, etc. I've been watching Beth Moore on Youtube trying to catch up on her different shows and tonight's was a pleasant surprise. I've included the links for both Part 1 and Part 2 of her segment below if you're interested.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gYuYrFW60e4&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2IkhM0i8sV0&feature=related
She shares positive words about her method of physical worship and it really spoke to me. One quote that comes to mind is ".....your spiritual act of worship." Worshipping your body, being thankful for all it can do, appreciating your healthy and maintaining it for yourself and for your family. Getting to a place in your body, mind and spirit at least once a day to focus on who you want to be...the true you.
She speaks of extremes and how it probably ain't a size 0 and it probably ain't a size 20 either. Women sometimes speak as if they are content, when really internally they're eaten up about their reality. Extremes are not the way we were intended to be. We are not supposed to withhold food from our bodies and yet gorging is also wrong. I know when I look in the mirror, THIS is not how I am supposed to be. There are no excuses to be made for the way I look. I know my portions were too big. I know my sweet tooth won the battle. I know I chose poorly. I'm changing my ways to more true me.
I lose momentum when I take a day's break. I lose my focus, my drive, my motivation. This week my goal is to exercise every day and make it count. I'm seeing changes in my body and I want to increase my strength this week. I want to push myself a little harder each week so that when next month rolls around, I can allow myself to rest for a week and be content. When your mind isn't set and you slack, that's when you make excuses. Work before I rest, that's the goal. A new day and a workout to report tomorrow. :-)
Starting this week tomorrow I needed some motivation. I didn't expect to get it where I got it though. ;-) In the evenings lately I've been watching Joyce Meyer or Beth Moore on Youtube. I enjoy both ladies very much. (I dig the southern twang and I have to say, Paula Deen has an eternal piece of my heart as well) I'm more familiar with Joyce Meyer because she's more popular, has more books and dvds out, has her own show, etc. I've been watching Beth Moore on Youtube trying to catch up on her different shows and tonight's was a pleasant surprise. I've included the links for both Part 1 and Part 2 of her segment below if you're interested.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gYuYrFW60e4&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2IkhM0i8sV0&feature=related
She shares positive words about her method of physical worship and it really spoke to me. One quote that comes to mind is ".....your spiritual act of worship." Worshipping your body, being thankful for all it can do, appreciating your healthy and maintaining it for yourself and for your family. Getting to a place in your body, mind and spirit at least once a day to focus on who you want to be...the true you.
She speaks of extremes and how it probably ain't a size 0 and it probably ain't a size 20 either. Women sometimes speak as if they are content, when really internally they're eaten up about their reality. Extremes are not the way we were intended to be. We are not supposed to withhold food from our bodies and yet gorging is also wrong. I know when I look in the mirror, THIS is not how I am supposed to be. There are no excuses to be made for the way I look. I know my portions were too big. I know my sweet tooth won the battle. I know I chose poorly. I'm changing my ways to more true me.
I lose momentum when I take a day's break. I lose my focus, my drive, my motivation. This week my goal is to exercise every day and make it count. I'm seeing changes in my body and I want to increase my strength this week. I want to push myself a little harder each week so that when next month rolls around, I can allow myself to rest for a week and be content. When your mind isn't set and you slack, that's when you make excuses. Work before I rest, that's the goal. A new day and a workout to report tomorrow. :-)
Monday, October 17, 2011
Homeschooling Look-alikes
It's Monday...I have a certain crampy blahhh inducing visitor so the mojo is at zero today. I've gotta get it back because I need to exercise hard this week and it's the last thing I actually feel like doing.
I'm ignoring the exercise bit for a moment to share something interesting...well, interesting for me. I was watching Sister Wives and then The Real Housewives of New Jersey's reunion and Gino was playing with his cars on the floor. (We had a very off day yesterday so he went to bed at barely 6pm and woke up about 8:30, we had some oreos and milk and I let him stay up with me and I promised he could sleep in my bed since he had been asking to do so for a while.) Anyway, at one point he came onto the couch and got in his "nest" between my legs. We use his big Pottery Barn comforter on the couch and it's over my legs and he climbs onto it and then pulls the extra section over him so technically we're both covered but he's extra cozy and he lays his head on my big fat gut. lol I was flipping between Bravo and TLC and we watched a promo for next week's Sister Wives and he goes: "Are those homeschoolers?"
Me: "Why do you think they are homeschoolers?"
Him: "Because I hear you talking about homeschooling and homeschoolers and they look like regular people we know."
Me: "How come you don't think they (flipping back to Bravo's evening dress/styled to the nines/makeup and false lashes) aren't homeschoolers?"
Him: "They're too fancy to be homeschoolers."
Me: "So what makes these women (going back to Sister Wives) seem like homeschoolers? Is it because they have kids with them?"
Him: "Yeah, they look like regular people and they do fun things and they go places and they play with their kids."
Hmm. So, first off, I guess I'm not the only one that has noticed homeschoolers tend to be an au natural bunch. The Sister Wives don't wear much makeup, if any. They wear "normal" every day casual clothes. Gino noticed the similarities. Personally, I'd like to be somewhere in the middle. I don't need a stylist or a size 2 body. I don't need a nanny or Jimmy Choos. I love makeup and hair but frankly, it's not worth the effort to make a quick stop at the library and then Target. So I doll myself up for a random dinner out with friends or for a homeschooling get-together. My mom wears makeup every single day if she leaves the house. I'm not that extreme now but I used to be (back when I was hot stuff and loved the attention ;-). I also think it's borderline insulting to the people you are socializing with when you come looking like you just woke up from a nap and forgot to brush your hair. But for my son to notice the difference was pretty surprising. He's quite the people-watcher like his mom so I shouldn't be that surprised I guess. ;-) I am happy that Gino is realizing we are part of a community of like-minded people who put their children first, are making countless sacrifices for their decision and are out DOING things, contrary to the stereotype.
A special note: I've been seeing some awful eyebrows lately. Eyebrows frame the face. With excellent eyebrows you get an instant face lift. Over-tweezing, eyebrows that need a weed-wacker, not filling in sparce eyebrows or having two different shapes tells me (and the world) you haven't a clue. Please let someone help you!
I'm ignoring the exercise bit for a moment to share something interesting...well, interesting for me. I was watching Sister Wives and then The Real Housewives of New Jersey's reunion and Gino was playing with his cars on the floor. (We had a very off day yesterday so he went to bed at barely 6pm and woke up about 8:30, we had some oreos and milk and I let him stay up with me and I promised he could sleep in my bed since he had been asking to do so for a while.) Anyway, at one point he came onto the couch and got in his "nest" between my legs. We use his big Pottery Barn comforter on the couch and it's over my legs and he climbs onto it and then pulls the extra section over him so technically we're both covered but he's extra cozy and he lays his head on my big fat gut. lol I was flipping between Bravo and TLC and we watched a promo for next week's Sister Wives and he goes: "Are those homeschoolers?"
Me: "Why do you think they are homeschoolers?"
Him: "Because I hear you talking about homeschooling and homeschoolers and they look like regular people we know."
Me: "How come you don't think they (flipping back to Bravo's evening dress/styled to the nines/makeup and false lashes) aren't homeschoolers?"
Him: "They're too fancy to be homeschoolers."
Me: "So what makes these women (going back to Sister Wives) seem like homeschoolers? Is it because they have kids with them?"
Him: "Yeah, they look like regular people and they do fun things and they go places and they play with their kids."
Hmm. So, first off, I guess I'm not the only one that has noticed homeschoolers tend to be an au natural bunch. The Sister Wives don't wear much makeup, if any. They wear "normal" every day casual clothes. Gino noticed the similarities. Personally, I'd like to be somewhere in the middle. I don't need a stylist or a size 2 body. I don't need a nanny or Jimmy Choos. I love makeup and hair but frankly, it's not worth the effort to make a quick stop at the library and then Target. So I doll myself up for a random dinner out with friends or for a homeschooling get-together. My mom wears makeup every single day if she leaves the house. I'm not that extreme now but I used to be (back when I was hot stuff and loved the attention ;-). I also think it's borderline insulting to the people you are socializing with when you come looking like you just woke up from a nap and forgot to brush your hair. But for my son to notice the difference was pretty surprising. He's quite the people-watcher like his mom so I shouldn't be that surprised I guess. ;-) I am happy that Gino is realizing we are part of a community of like-minded people who put their children first, are making countless sacrifices for their decision and are out DOING things, contrary to the stereotype.
A special note: I've been seeing some awful eyebrows lately. Eyebrows frame the face. With excellent eyebrows you get an instant face lift. Over-tweezing, eyebrows that need a weed-wacker, not filling in sparce eyebrows or having two different shapes tells me (and the world) you haven't a clue. Please let someone help you!
Friday, October 14, 2011
Stinky weather, food and crazy people
This is going to be a rant and rave session so get ready.
First off, this weather stinks. It's October, I know, it rains in VA. Whatever. The mugginess is what gets me. Today was actually a bit cooler, mid 60s so it felt more appropriate. It's been gray and rainy for three days now and it's done nothing positive for my mood.
On a good note, I made that vegetable soup I mentioned a couple days ago. :-) Baby lima beans, carrots, leeks, potatoes, garlic, celery, tomato paste w/italian herbs, chicken broth, crushed red pepper, my house seasoning (salt, black pepper, granulated garlic) and I think that's about it. The recipe says to add orzo but since I'm trying to cut down on excess carbs, I just left it out. I only put in one small potato. Came out pretty good. You're supposed to puree after you've simmered it for 45 minutes, which I did. Then to serve you can add a sprinkling of parmesan cheese. I'm a bit immature when it comes to eating enough veggies but this soup really "hides" everything. I think next time I'll add the usual but I'll add in turnips instead of the potato, maybe some spinach....and I have some turkey kielbasa...maybe I can throw that in for some protein. I'm not a huge fan of soups in general but a thick hearty soup I can do. I'm a meat and potatoes girl but I'm trying to eat healthy and satisfy the hunger while taking it easy on the overall calories. I've been good about desserts and liquid calories, my biggest problems. If I crave some soda, I'll get some if we eat out. If I have it at home, forget it. lol Same with desserts. I buy the kids stuff only they like and if I do get something I like, I share it with them so I consume less. ;-)
This winter I would like to improve on what my children eat. The majority of it is processed junk. The foods I do make are iffy. If my son likes it, my daughter doesn't...or vice versa. It's bad enough that I have to figure out what to make for myself but then picking winners to serve the children...sigh. I got a new cookbook in my Amazon order and it's by Anne Burrell, from the Food Network. I love her, she's awesome. She knows her stuff and she uses crushed red pepper! I've tried a few of her dishes so far and she delivers. She has a recipe for mac&cheese w/bacon in her book....since my kids are hooked on boxed macaroni and cheese I figure I'll try it. They better eat it!! It has bacon in it..what's not to love? ;-)
They eat scrambled eggs, pancakes, my son will eat most meats, my daughter prefers not to. She can eat my roast beef and horseradish with lettuce, tomato on wheat with a side of olives and peppers but yeah...something like chicken and green bean casserole and she says it's disgusting. She definitely likes the stronger flavors. My son likes the more simple options. Both will eat fish thank goodness. I make a salmon with mashed potatoes and I make a dijon cream sauce with a little bit of chicken broth, the kids have no idea they're eating salmon. The sauce takes the fishiness out of the salmon. It's heaven with the mashed potatoes. Oh yeah, did I mention the mashed potatoes are from Country Crock? I add milk, butter and my house seasoning to it when I heat it up on the stove, gotta tweak it a bit but yeah, it's yet another processed easy fix. It's just not worth me standing over the stove for an hour or two when I'm already dying for bedtime and all I want to do is get the kids fed and in bed.
I haven't done much yesterday or today in the way of exercise. Some inner thigh work on the Leg Magic, some arm weights and ab moves but that's about it. Nothing to cause a sweat.
Okay, now for the crazy people. I had a little debate on Facebook last night with someone I know only a little bit. I had a status update followed by an additional comment I made on the thread and next thing I know she's defending her decision to put her children in preschool. What got on my nerves was that I never said anything about anyone's personal choices nor was I starting a debate on preschool vs homeschooling. She went the personal route right off the cuff....and then she kept draaaagggging it. I deleted the whole thread because I didn't want anyone posting anymore. I had had enough.
The majority of my Facebook friends are non-homeschoolers. A couple of girls I went to high school with are now parents and they teach public school elementary grades. A lot of my relatives think I'm nuts. Whatever. I'm not trying to convert anyone nor do I ever have a status that says "Hey, public schoolers....I feel sorry for your children!" I'm opinionated and I'm proud of my decision to educate my own children but I'm not a moron. Here's what I don't understand: The non-homeschoolers that I know are the first to get defensive and the first to feel the need to "prove" their decision. They are also uneducated on the subject of education in this country, both from their public school perspective as well as alternative choices such as homeschooling. When someone gets defensive, there's usually a seed of self-doubt or insecurity there. (I made the mistake of saying that to the loco from last night who inevitably got even huffier.) If I post something on Facebook it is because Facebook is an outlet for me. I find articles online that are interesting and I post them. I find cartoons or pictures that are amusing or inspiring and I post them. I quote books I read or people who say something funny. If I say something about homeschooling, why don't they take it for what it is? Why is it automatically implied that if I say something about homeschooling, it must mean I'm putting down the public schoolers in the same breath (when I don't say a WORD that has anything to do with someone's personal choices!)? Anyway, the loco from last night decided she wasn't interested in my Facebook posts anymore and deleted me. One less person I need to worry about.
Lastly, I'm on an Ellen Barrett kick. Fusion Flow, Fat Burning Pilates, and Fat Burning Fusion were delivered today. Her Yogini workout should be coming soon. She just came out with a Power Fusion workout in September and she has two sculpting workouts I'm interested in. There are two 10 Minute Solution dvds I like too with Amy Bento. When the next box from Amazon comes I'll let you know what I got. ;-) Thank goodness I can preview dvds on Youtube so I can see if the moves are what I'm looking for!
First off, this weather stinks. It's October, I know, it rains in VA. Whatever. The mugginess is what gets me. Today was actually a bit cooler, mid 60s so it felt more appropriate. It's been gray and rainy for three days now and it's done nothing positive for my mood.
On a good note, I made that vegetable soup I mentioned a couple days ago. :-) Baby lima beans, carrots, leeks, potatoes, garlic, celery, tomato paste w/italian herbs, chicken broth, crushed red pepper, my house seasoning (salt, black pepper, granulated garlic) and I think that's about it. The recipe says to add orzo but since I'm trying to cut down on excess carbs, I just left it out. I only put in one small potato. Came out pretty good. You're supposed to puree after you've simmered it for 45 minutes, which I did. Then to serve you can add a sprinkling of parmesan cheese. I'm a bit immature when it comes to eating enough veggies but this soup really "hides" everything. I think next time I'll add the usual but I'll add in turnips instead of the potato, maybe some spinach....and I have some turkey kielbasa...maybe I can throw that in for some protein. I'm not a huge fan of soups in general but a thick hearty soup I can do. I'm a meat and potatoes girl but I'm trying to eat healthy and satisfy the hunger while taking it easy on the overall calories. I've been good about desserts and liquid calories, my biggest problems. If I crave some soda, I'll get some if we eat out. If I have it at home, forget it. lol Same with desserts. I buy the kids stuff only they like and if I do get something I like, I share it with them so I consume less. ;-)
This winter I would like to improve on what my children eat. The majority of it is processed junk. The foods I do make are iffy. If my son likes it, my daughter doesn't...or vice versa. It's bad enough that I have to figure out what to make for myself but then picking winners to serve the children...sigh. I got a new cookbook in my Amazon order and it's by Anne Burrell, from the Food Network. I love her, she's awesome. She knows her stuff and she uses crushed red pepper! I've tried a few of her dishes so far and she delivers. She has a recipe for mac&cheese w/bacon in her book....since my kids are hooked on boxed macaroni and cheese I figure I'll try it. They better eat it!! It has bacon in it..what's not to love? ;-)
They eat scrambled eggs, pancakes, my son will eat most meats, my daughter prefers not to. She can eat my roast beef and horseradish with lettuce, tomato on wheat with a side of olives and peppers but yeah...something like chicken and green bean casserole and she says it's disgusting. She definitely likes the stronger flavors. My son likes the more simple options. Both will eat fish thank goodness. I make a salmon with mashed potatoes and I make a dijon cream sauce with a little bit of chicken broth, the kids have no idea they're eating salmon. The sauce takes the fishiness out of the salmon. It's heaven with the mashed potatoes. Oh yeah, did I mention the mashed potatoes are from Country Crock? I add milk, butter and my house seasoning to it when I heat it up on the stove, gotta tweak it a bit but yeah, it's yet another processed easy fix. It's just not worth me standing over the stove for an hour or two when I'm already dying for bedtime and all I want to do is get the kids fed and in bed.
I haven't done much yesterday or today in the way of exercise. Some inner thigh work on the Leg Magic, some arm weights and ab moves but that's about it. Nothing to cause a sweat.
Okay, now for the crazy people. I had a little debate on Facebook last night with someone I know only a little bit. I had a status update followed by an additional comment I made on the thread and next thing I know she's defending her decision to put her children in preschool. What got on my nerves was that I never said anything about anyone's personal choices nor was I starting a debate on preschool vs homeschooling. She went the personal route right off the cuff....and then she kept draaaagggging it. I deleted the whole thread because I didn't want anyone posting anymore. I had had enough.
The majority of my Facebook friends are non-homeschoolers. A couple of girls I went to high school with are now parents and they teach public school elementary grades. A lot of my relatives think I'm nuts. Whatever. I'm not trying to convert anyone nor do I ever have a status that says "Hey, public schoolers....I feel sorry for your children!" I'm opinionated and I'm proud of my decision to educate my own children but I'm not a moron. Here's what I don't understand: The non-homeschoolers that I know are the first to get defensive and the first to feel the need to "prove" their decision. They are also uneducated on the subject of education in this country, both from their public school perspective as well as alternative choices such as homeschooling. When someone gets defensive, there's usually a seed of self-doubt or insecurity there. (I made the mistake of saying that to the loco from last night who inevitably got even huffier.) If I post something on Facebook it is because Facebook is an outlet for me. I find articles online that are interesting and I post them. I find cartoons or pictures that are amusing or inspiring and I post them. I quote books I read or people who say something funny. If I say something about homeschooling, why don't they take it for what it is? Why is it automatically implied that if I say something about homeschooling, it must mean I'm putting down the public schoolers in the same breath (when I don't say a WORD that has anything to do with someone's personal choices!)? Anyway, the loco from last night decided she wasn't interested in my Facebook posts anymore and deleted me. One less person I need to worry about.
Lastly, I'm on an Ellen Barrett kick. Fusion Flow, Fat Burning Pilates, and Fat Burning Fusion were delivered today. Her Yogini workout should be coming soon. She just came out with a Power Fusion workout in September and she has two sculpting workouts I'm interested in. There are two 10 Minute Solution dvds I like too with Amy Bento. When the next box from Amazon comes I'll let you know what I got. ;-) Thank goodness I can preview dvds on Youtube so I can see if the moves are what I'm looking for!
Wednesday, October 12, 2011
Cranky Pants
My son woke me up at 6am. Pitch black darkness. I was MAD. He's lucky I took a few deep breaths. My head is groggy today sooo.....I had my coffee, my peanut butter on wheat ( I started off my weight loss journey having two slices of bread but I think my stomach is shrinking because one slice is plenty now.) and now I'm sucking down the water. Small bottles make me feel like drinking more. Note to self: Forget the stainless steel and water pitcher and just buy some cute small 8 oz. water bottles. As long as I'm drinking water I'll pick my battles.
I did my morning moves, my ab work, stood on my balance pods and worked my arms/back. My "morning moves" consist of trunk twists, sun salutations, forward bends and stretches, breast stroke, back stroke, arm circles, knee ups, etc. I get all the basics in and move whatever I feel needs moving/stretching. I'm in the mood for some music today so I may put on some music after lunch and dance while the kids ignore me and run off to play. I love my kitchen. It's hidden from the living room so I don't need to feel embarassed when I exercise (or when I'm doing something and I don't want little eyes to get distracted and notice me...and then start TALKING to me). The floor is also tiled so it's quiet, no creaking, no thudding. I have a portable dvd player on the kitchen table but I bring it into the kitchen on the counter and do some workouts there. It's odd but I like it. It feels private.
Besides the walking this week I've lost my dvd mojo. I've been waiting for my new Amazon exercise dvds and they are taking FOREVER to ship. Completely ridiculous. Stick the stuff in a box and hurry UP! Can you tell I'm impatient when waiting for a present? lol In the meantime I found another one by Ellen Barrett, her Yogini workout. I preview dvds on Youtube...at first I thought I wouldn't like it...but then I watched a couple other clips from the same dvd and then I checked the Amazon reviews. Yes, it looks like a winner. I really like her style. That'll be the next one I get. I need to do one more order before the holidays so I'll order it then.
I did my morning moves, my ab work, stood on my balance pods and worked my arms/back. My "morning moves" consist of trunk twists, sun salutations, forward bends and stretches, breast stroke, back stroke, arm circles, knee ups, etc. I get all the basics in and move whatever I feel needs moving/stretching. I'm in the mood for some music today so I may put on some music after lunch and dance while the kids ignore me and run off to play. I love my kitchen. It's hidden from the living room so I don't need to feel embarassed when I exercise (or when I'm doing something and I don't want little eyes to get distracted and notice me...and then start TALKING to me). The floor is also tiled so it's quiet, no creaking, no thudding. I have a portable dvd player on the kitchen table but I bring it into the kitchen on the counter and do some workouts there. It's odd but I like it. It feels private.
Besides the walking this week I've lost my dvd mojo. I've been waiting for my new Amazon exercise dvds and they are taking FOREVER to ship. Completely ridiculous. Stick the stuff in a box and hurry UP! Can you tell I'm impatient when waiting for a present? lol In the meantime I found another one by Ellen Barrett, her Yogini workout. I preview dvds on Youtube...at first I thought I wouldn't like it...but then I watched a couple other clips from the same dvd and then I checked the Amazon reviews. Yes, it looks like a winner. I really like her style. That'll be the next one I get. I need to do one more order before the holidays so I'll order it then.
Tuesday, October 11, 2011
60+ lbs to push around
I did my bedtime moves last night and my abs were SORE this morning. My legs are still sore from Sunday. I had an early taco salad lunch today and didn't feel like working out. By afternoon the guilt kicked in so I fed the kids an early dinner and we loaded up the double stroller for a walk. 2 miles. The last half mile was straight uphill pushing not just myself but the 60+ lbs of children and stroller. I was dying. I kept thinking, "This is worse than any crazy cardio...as soon as I get home I'm sitting in a chair and not getting up." lol
We made it and I'm proud of my 2 miles. It took about 43 minutes. It would have been faster if I was alone but I'm not worried about time. The kids were better because they could look at so many things in the neighborhood. The track is easier of course but boring for them. I'd like to do 4 miles a week so maybe I'll do 2 miles on the track one day and 2 miles around the neighborhood another day. Note to self: Load up the stroller with books for track days. I like the walking. It works muscles I don't use doing workouts at home and it's a different kind of sore. It's also getting fresh air for me and the kids without actually getting dirty. ;-)
So tonight I'll do some stretching before bed and some more ab work. I've been guzzling water all evening and didn't even have dinner. I'll be starving in the morning for sure I bet. I'm already looking forward to my amaretto coffee (not liquor, just flavored cream) and natural peanut butter on wheat for breakfast. The rest of the taco salad fixins' for lunch and who knows what for dinner. Oh! I have stuff to make soup. My mother-in-law gave me a recipe for a vegetable puree soup with orzo and I found a simple potato leek soup recipe that I want to try as well. I'm wondering what will happen if I add the potatoes and leeks to the vegetable soup recipe. You can pretty much add whatever you want into it. We shall see....;-)
We made it and I'm proud of my 2 miles. It took about 43 minutes. It would have been faster if I was alone but I'm not worried about time. The kids were better because they could look at so many things in the neighborhood. The track is easier of course but boring for them. I'd like to do 4 miles a week so maybe I'll do 2 miles on the track one day and 2 miles around the neighborhood another day. Note to self: Load up the stroller with books for track days. I like the walking. It works muscles I don't use doing workouts at home and it's a different kind of sore. It's also getting fresh air for me and the kids without actually getting dirty. ;-)
So tonight I'll do some stretching before bed and some more ab work. I've been guzzling water all evening and didn't even have dinner. I'll be starving in the morning for sure I bet. I'm already looking forward to my amaretto coffee (not liquor, just flavored cream) and natural peanut butter on wheat for breakfast. The rest of the taco salad fixins' for lunch and who knows what for dinner. Oh! I have stuff to make soup. My mother-in-law gave me a recipe for a vegetable puree soup with orzo and I found a simple potato leek soup recipe that I want to try as well. I'm wondering what will happen if I add the potatoes and leeks to the vegetable soup recipe. You can pretty much add whatever you want into it. We shall see....;-)
Monday, October 10, 2011
I'm smiling...
Well...I started blogging about my weightloss on September 26. I didn't want to weigh myself...but I got curious last night. So I pulled out the scale. I'm down 5 pounds. :-) Not bad for a little over 2 weeks right? Could it be more? Absolutely. I had splurge days. I had soda. I wasn't drinking water. I took days off from full workouts. There's definitely room for improvement...and there's plenty more weight to be lost.
I'm crazy sore today. I'm exhausted. I was up all night, my legs were KILLING me. I had an electric blanket on me all night trying to heat up my legs. I got out of bed at midnight to heat up my gel pack to put under my legs too. It wasn't enough. I'm pooped. I still have my legs wrapped and they feel a little better this morning but my eyes are burning. Just want to close my eyes for a bit...but no...the children are up. It's not going to happen.
Today will be a Stretch Armstrong day. Morning moves, pilates chair, arm weights on the balance pods, some ab work and then I shall rest. I need to do more ab work so I'm adding in "bedtime moves" to the daily schedule. Before I get INTO bed, I lay down flat on my bed and do leg circles in the air, bicycle, crunch twists and reverse crunches. You get the idea. Doing it on the floor kills my back, even with an extra thick yoga mat so I do the ab work on my bed. I use my yoga mat for actual yoga. lol If I feel better by this evening maybe I'll do the Bar Method Body workout...or I'll save it for tomorrow. Lots of water drinking today. My growing muscles need water!
I'm crazy sore today. I'm exhausted. I was up all night, my legs were KILLING me. I had an electric blanket on me all night trying to heat up my legs. I got out of bed at midnight to heat up my gel pack to put under my legs too. It wasn't enough. I'm pooped. I still have my legs wrapped and they feel a little better this morning but my eyes are burning. Just want to close my eyes for a bit...but no...the children are up. It's not going to happen.
Today will be a Stretch Armstrong day. Morning moves, pilates chair, arm weights on the balance pods, some ab work and then I shall rest. I need to do more ab work so I'm adding in "bedtime moves" to the daily schedule. Before I get INTO bed, I lay down flat on my bed and do leg circles in the air, bicycle, crunch twists and reverse crunches. You get the idea. Doing it on the floor kills my back, even with an extra thick yoga mat so I do the ab work on my bed. I use my yoga mat for actual yoga. lol If I feel better by this evening maybe I'll do the Bar Method Body workout...or I'll save it for tomorrow. Lots of water drinking today. My growing muscles need water!
Sunday, October 9, 2011
Owww......
I'm in pain. My legs hurt. I wouldn't normally be this miserable but my legs get these weird pains for no reason and something like walking and running around my neighborhood will definitely lead to crazy leg pains. I wrap them in ace bandages and a few hours later they'll feel better. I'd like nothing more than to lay down on the couch with my legs covered with a heating pad watching TLC or Bravo but no, the grandparents are here.
They stress me out man. Thank goodness they brought over some margarita mix because after a Sunday with them I need something for sure to kill the mental anxiety. It's not so much that they're crazy...it's a combination of things. My son turns into the biggest brat around them. He orders them. Gives them demands. Requests activities, toys and outings he knows I normally don't allow. And he screams the whole time. It's chaotic. My daughter searches for bits and pieces of attention where she can get it. She finds ways to play and occupy herself and usually that means hanging out with me or playing by herself. My mom floats between my son and my daughter, all the while complaining to me about something. It's non-stop complaining when they come here. "The house is too cold. He's sneezing..is he getting sick? Take her hair clip out and fix her hair. You never let them go outside, let me take him to Costco to get gas. Why did you give him a haircut like that? He's hungry, what's wrong with you, why don't you feed him?? See, you're nicer to her. If he threw that book what would you have done? I thought you wanted to make tacos, should we just wait until we go home to eat?" I'm not exaggerating. My brain is FRIED. The last thing I want to do is make friggin' tacos for these people. The kids won't eat tacos and I don't have much of an appetite right now.
They took the kids out for a walk and I could have A. Washed some dishes or watched tv or B. Put on my shoes and go for some exercise. Since I slacked this past week I decided to get my butt into gear by starting this week off right. I started off running and walking for the first 5-7 minutes. I should have warmed up with straight walking first but I wanted to get away from the zoo crew so I ran past them. I walked the remaining down hill and then around the neighborhood and then up hill. I don't know how far it was exactly. Somewhere between 1-2 miles. Next time I'll wear my pedometer. It took me 25 minutes. I felt it going uphill on the way home. I'm pooped. I'm washing my bed linens and taking a shower as soon as the kids go to bed. I'll be sleeping good tonight I bet.
Tomorrow's workout will be The Bar Method Body. Ballet moves with some strength training. I previewed the dvd (from the library), it looks good. Tomorrow I'll make myself a taco salad and use the rest of the ground beef for bolognese sauce for the kids' dinner. Kill two birds with one pack of ground beef. ;-)
They stress me out man. Thank goodness they brought over some margarita mix because after a Sunday with them I need something for sure to kill the mental anxiety. It's not so much that they're crazy...it's a combination of things. My son turns into the biggest brat around them. He orders them. Gives them demands. Requests activities, toys and outings he knows I normally don't allow. And he screams the whole time. It's chaotic. My daughter searches for bits and pieces of attention where she can get it. She finds ways to play and occupy herself and usually that means hanging out with me or playing by herself. My mom floats between my son and my daughter, all the while complaining to me about something. It's non-stop complaining when they come here. "The house is too cold. He's sneezing..is he getting sick? Take her hair clip out and fix her hair. You never let them go outside, let me take him to Costco to get gas. Why did you give him a haircut like that? He's hungry, what's wrong with you, why don't you feed him?? See, you're nicer to her. If he threw that book what would you have done? I thought you wanted to make tacos, should we just wait until we go home to eat?" I'm not exaggerating. My brain is FRIED. The last thing I want to do is make friggin' tacos for these people. The kids won't eat tacos and I don't have much of an appetite right now.
They took the kids out for a walk and I could have A. Washed some dishes or watched tv or B. Put on my shoes and go for some exercise. Since I slacked this past week I decided to get my butt into gear by starting this week off right. I started off running and walking for the first 5-7 minutes. I should have warmed up with straight walking first but I wanted to get away from the zoo crew so I ran past them. I walked the remaining down hill and then around the neighborhood and then up hill. I don't know how far it was exactly. Somewhere between 1-2 miles. Next time I'll wear my pedometer. It took me 25 minutes. I felt it going uphill on the way home. I'm pooped. I'm washing my bed linens and taking a shower as soon as the kids go to bed. I'll be sleeping good tonight I bet.
Tomorrow's workout will be The Bar Method Body. Ballet moves with some strength training. I previewed the dvd (from the library), it looks good. Tomorrow I'll make myself a taco salad and use the rest of the ground beef for bolognese sauce for the kids' dinner. Kill two birds with one pack of ground beef. ;-)
Saturday, October 8, 2011
Motivation
I needed some motivation heading into this coming week. I want to amp it up and move it hard this week. I'm starting to see a change in my face and my stomach and I have to keep it up. It's only going to be as good as the effort I put into it. I can do better. I'm stronger and I can do more..and so I will. I need constant motivation. It helps me to see how far people have come. It helps to see the visual changes in transformations. So I turned to Netflix.
I'd never seen a full episode of The Biggest Loser. I bought a couple of The Biggest Loser books from Borders before they went out of business and they're very inspiring. I was drawn to the cast from Season 4 in the books so I watched the first 4 episodes of Season 4 on Netflix today. Jillian comes back to "save" the rejects that were not chosen for the blue and red team and I cried when she showed up. I could FEEL their desperation at wanting to get help. They didn't think they could do it on their own at home. Jillian KILLED her team. She worked them harder than the other teams. It was a cake walk for the blue and red during their workouts compared to what she made the black team do.
It put things in perspective for me. The women lost a lot less than the men did. The men had pretty significant drops in weight each week with the women losing only single digits. It's no joke that it's harder for women to lose weight. So...I don't need to kill myself but the weight will come off. I'm not concerned with actual weight right now. I want to see a change in my body. I'm moving from an XL pajama pant to a L. lol As my friend Matt says, "My socks are feeling a little loose." lol I was unknowingly wearing a size 8/10 capri jean which was a great surprise (though to be honest they have an elastic waistband). I look like less of a football player with my broad shoulders and big arms. Slowly but surely, it's getting better. One day I will see my pants fall off and then I'll know it's time to get on the scale. Or maybe I'll hike them up and enjoy the feeling of too-big pants. ;-) One day I will pull out a skirt I wore senior year in high school...and it will go up past my butt. One day I will pull out a pair of jean shorts that I wore junior year in high school...and I will be able to pull them up past my thighs. And one day I will need to donate ALL of it...and go shopping. :-)
I'd never seen a full episode of The Biggest Loser. I bought a couple of The Biggest Loser books from Borders before they went out of business and they're very inspiring. I was drawn to the cast from Season 4 in the books so I watched the first 4 episodes of Season 4 on Netflix today. Jillian comes back to "save" the rejects that were not chosen for the blue and red team and I cried when she showed up. I could FEEL their desperation at wanting to get help. They didn't think they could do it on their own at home. Jillian KILLED her team. She worked them harder than the other teams. It was a cake walk for the blue and red during their workouts compared to what she made the black team do.
It put things in perspective for me. The women lost a lot less than the men did. The men had pretty significant drops in weight each week with the women losing only single digits. It's no joke that it's harder for women to lose weight. So...I don't need to kill myself but the weight will come off. I'm not concerned with actual weight right now. I want to see a change in my body. I'm moving from an XL pajama pant to a L. lol As my friend Matt says, "My socks are feeling a little loose." lol I was unknowingly wearing a size 8/10 capri jean which was a great surprise (though to be honest they have an elastic waistband). I look like less of a football player with my broad shoulders and big arms. Slowly but surely, it's getting better. One day I will see my pants fall off and then I'll know it's time to get on the scale. Or maybe I'll hike them up and enjoy the feeling of too-big pants. ;-) One day I will pull out a skirt I wore senior year in high school...and it will go up past my butt. One day I will pull out a pair of jean shorts that I wore junior year in high school...and I will be able to pull them up past my thighs. And one day I will need to donate ALL of it...and go shopping. :-)
Friday, October 7, 2011
The Big Picture
The AM/PM Tai Chi was relaxing...very relaxing. My eyes were half-closed through the whole thing. Definitely something wonderful to do before bed in the evening. I know the movements now and I can incorporate them into my "morning moves". I also added some pilates chair moves after I was done with the dvd. Nice and stretched and relaxed.
I'm high strung. I get anxious about germs. I'm raising children on my own with no emotional support, no pat on the back, no "You're doing good, keep it up." No hug at the end of the day to soothe my soul. I get crazy cranky when I'm tired. I eat when I'm tired or stressed out. The stress isn't good for my mid-section and belly fat is the worst thing for your internal system. The heart, your sugar levels and on and on. Exercise is not only necessary for me on a daily basis but should be mandatory. It doesn't matter what it is. It can be cardio, strength training, a simple walk, sweating my brains out doing something "amped up" like a HIIT workout, pilates, yoga, or Tai Chi. The goal is to increase healthy foods into our diet (the kids are snack junkies) and get Mommy moving. Yes, I need amped up cardio for now. Won't be forever but I need to get the weight down. Hopefully by the spring I'll be in better shape. When I look better and my body feels less heavy and tired, my spirit will be lifted and I'll be (hopefully) a much more calm parent. I'm working on the outside as well as the inside.
The mission is to create a healthy body both inside and out for my well-being as well as for my children. By increasing healthy foods and WATER into my diet, daily exercise and some method of stress-release I should be able to accomplish the mission. You know when you hear people say, "I didn't just lose weight, I changed my life!" ? Yeah, I want that to be me. Are there plenty of size 12/14 women out there? Sure. I just don't want to be one of them anymore. When I look at women that are toned and it's obvious they exercise...do you know what that tells me? They care about themselves. If they care enough to exercise, they care enough to think twice about what they eat. When they take time to exercise it means they're taking the time to remember who they are, what their body is capable of. It also means they're making themselves a priority.
I've forgotten the old me. I'm trying to remember her again. The Bahar that used to warm people with her smile. Now I'm tired and cranky. The confidence isn't there. There was little to begin with and of course now it's non-existent. There's a part of the dream that's missing. I'm trying to fill that void with something positive. I messed up but now I'm trying to make it right. The only way to make it better is by improving each and every day. I see the bigger picture...now I just have to put one foot in front of the other and keep moving forward.
I'm high strung. I get anxious about germs. I'm raising children on my own with no emotional support, no pat on the back, no "You're doing good, keep it up." No hug at the end of the day to soothe my soul. I get crazy cranky when I'm tired. I eat when I'm tired or stressed out. The stress isn't good for my mid-section and belly fat is the worst thing for your internal system. The heart, your sugar levels and on and on. Exercise is not only necessary for me on a daily basis but should be mandatory. It doesn't matter what it is. It can be cardio, strength training, a simple walk, sweating my brains out doing something "amped up" like a HIIT workout, pilates, yoga, or Tai Chi. The goal is to increase healthy foods into our diet (the kids are snack junkies) and get Mommy moving. Yes, I need amped up cardio for now. Won't be forever but I need to get the weight down. Hopefully by the spring I'll be in better shape. When I look better and my body feels less heavy and tired, my spirit will be lifted and I'll be (hopefully) a much more calm parent. I'm working on the outside as well as the inside.
The mission is to create a healthy body both inside and out for my well-being as well as for my children. By increasing healthy foods and WATER into my diet, daily exercise and some method of stress-release I should be able to accomplish the mission. You know when you hear people say, "I didn't just lose weight, I changed my life!" ? Yeah, I want that to be me. Are there plenty of size 12/14 women out there? Sure. I just don't want to be one of them anymore. When I look at women that are toned and it's obvious they exercise...do you know what that tells me? They care about themselves. If they care enough to exercise, they care enough to think twice about what they eat. When they take time to exercise it means they're taking the time to remember who they are, what their body is capable of. It also means they're making themselves a priority.
I've forgotten the old me. I'm trying to remember her again. The Bahar that used to warm people with her smile. Now I'm tired and cranky. The confidence isn't there. There was little to begin with and of course now it's non-existent. There's a part of the dream that's missing. I'm trying to fill that void with something positive. I messed up but now I'm trying to make it right. The only way to make it better is by improving each and every day. I see the bigger picture...now I just have to put one foot in front of the other and keep moving forward.
Bad, bad girl
So...from Tuesday-Thursday I didn't do an official workout. Bad, bad, bad. I know. I did, however, do squats, lunges, strength training on my arms, standing crunches and my "morning moves" every day. I also utilize the minutes I'm nuking something in the microwave (or reheating my coffee 4 times per morning) by doing some trunk twists, stretches and punches. Anything to keep the body moving right? We also went for a short walk yesterday afternoon. I'd love to be able to just go out for a walk/run without worrying about what the kids are doing but nope, I'm too controlling for that.
I have a few Amazon goodies coming by way soon and one of them is the Scott Cole Tai Chi for Weightloss that I tried on Monday. I really liked it. I got his AM/PM workout from the library so I'll be doing that one today. Just enough to get the blood flowing, the body warmed...but this time I'm doing it without the zoo-crew around. Not that relaxing with backround chatter. lol
I also have some belly dance dvds from the library by Rania. I've tried hers before and she's good. Some of them are too annoying. I didn't accomplish my goal of "amping it up" this week but it's not a total loss. I ate well this week and I did move my body. This weekend will be some Tai Chi and belly dancing and tacos on Sunday (all the toppings are healthy and we don't use sour cream ;-)
Lessons learned: Must remember to switch errands to afternoons now. We ran errands in the mornings all summer before it got too hot and now I have to switch. If we run errands in the morning by the time we get back and the kids go down for naps I'm too pooped to exercise and just want some quiet time. I also learned that if I exercise when the kids are napping, I'll still have some alone time before Gino wakes up. Then when he's up when can come downstairs to do his lessons before Nina wakes up. Everyone gets their special time. I also learned that it doesn't matter if you exercise in one straight period of time or you break it up. Every little bit helps. I did bicep/tricep work while I watched my movie last night. My fatso arms are looking better! lol And last...I learned that I now feel guilty when I don't work out. Guilt is good. Means I'll bug myself until I work out again. ;-)
I have a few Amazon goodies coming by way soon and one of them is the Scott Cole Tai Chi for Weightloss that I tried on Monday. I really liked it. I got his AM/PM workout from the library so I'll be doing that one today. Just enough to get the blood flowing, the body warmed...but this time I'm doing it without the zoo-crew around. Not that relaxing with backround chatter. lol
I also have some belly dance dvds from the library by Rania. I've tried hers before and she's good. Some of them are too annoying. I didn't accomplish my goal of "amping it up" this week but it's not a total loss. I ate well this week and I did move my body. This weekend will be some Tai Chi and belly dancing and tacos on Sunday (all the toppings are healthy and we don't use sour cream ;-)
Lessons learned: Must remember to switch errands to afternoons now. We ran errands in the mornings all summer before it got too hot and now I have to switch. If we run errands in the morning by the time we get back and the kids go down for naps I'm too pooped to exercise and just want some quiet time. I also learned that if I exercise when the kids are napping, I'll still have some alone time before Gino wakes up. Then when he's up when can come downstairs to do his lessons before Nina wakes up. Everyone gets their special time. I also learned that it doesn't matter if you exercise in one straight period of time or you break it up. Every little bit helps. I did bicep/tricep work while I watched my movie last night. My fatso arms are looking better! lol And last...I learned that I now feel guilty when I don't work out. Guilt is good. Means I'll bug myself until I work out again. ;-)
Monday, October 3, 2011
Ahh, Tai Chi.
I took the day off yesterday. 6 days of exercise, one day of complete rest. Well, not complete rest because I did have to deal with kiddos all day but you know what I mean. lol My dad came over today and good thing too because our heat wasn't kicking on. He had his friend stop by and they changed the thermostat and it's back on. It was a bit too chilly this morning, even for me. So after a busy morning, naps and lunch, I mentioned to my dad that he should try the Tai Chi video with me since we were talking about the art of de-stressing.
I put it on, Nina in her high chair, Gino stomping around angry that he didn't have my dad's undivided attention. My dad sat and watched it. lol I got up and DID it. It actually got the blood flowing and I really liked it. The reviews on the video had said it wasn't a beginner dvd and too difficult to follow. I really don't understand that. Following a dvd isn't rocket science. Unless you have two left feet and you're completely uncoordinated, you should be able to follow along. You're mirroring the movements. Anyway, I didn't find it hard to follow. The beginning breaks up each move while flowing into the next but he shows you how to do each move in a slower way. Then the second portion is where he's outside on the beach and goes through the entire flow of exercises. I was sweaty at the end but I felt good. I felt like I had positive movement in my body but I wasn't drained.
This week my goal is to get in some running or at least get the heart rate up significantly to get my body trained to feel the same as I do when running. That means boot camp style moves, running, treadmill, trampoline, jumping exercises etc. I have Turbo Jam's Fat Blaster as well as Turbo Fire...might get into that a bit this week. I get bored doing the same series all week long but the goal is to amp it up 3 times this week. The other days I'll do strength training and other types of cardio or yoga.
I put it on, Nina in her high chair, Gino stomping around angry that he didn't have my dad's undivided attention. My dad sat and watched it. lol I got up and DID it. It actually got the blood flowing and I really liked it. The reviews on the video had said it wasn't a beginner dvd and too difficult to follow. I really don't understand that. Following a dvd isn't rocket science. Unless you have two left feet and you're completely uncoordinated, you should be able to follow along. You're mirroring the movements. Anyway, I didn't find it hard to follow. The beginning breaks up each move while flowing into the next but he shows you how to do each move in a slower way. Then the second portion is where he's outside on the beach and goes through the entire flow of exercises. I was sweaty at the end but I felt good. I felt like I had positive movement in my body but I wasn't drained.
This week my goal is to get in some running or at least get the heart rate up significantly to get my body trained to feel the same as I do when running. That means boot camp style moves, running, treadmill, trampoline, jumping exercises etc. I have Turbo Jam's Fat Blaster as well as Turbo Fire...might get into that a bit this week. I get bored doing the same series all week long but the goal is to amp it up 3 times this week. The other days I'll do strength training and other types of cardio or yoga.
Saturday, October 1, 2011
Abs and arms
Whew...I got another one in. I was not feeling it today, let me tell ya. I previewed three dvds from the library this morning. Spoga..which wasn't worth watching so I turned it off after fast-forwarding to get the jist of it. The Biggest Loser's Cardio Max was worth buying for sure. It increases in intensity every 2 weeks for a total of 6 weeks. The first cardio session was led by Bob Harper doable for me at this stage. The second cardio session was led by Jillian Michaels and man is she tough. It was doable but those poor people on the dvd were Struggling with a capital S. I didn't watch the third cardio session but it was more kick-boxing styles with some other buff chick I didn't recognize. If I see it at Target I'll get it....then again I have Jillian's Ripped in 30...I could do that and be just as dead in a month. lol
I also previewed Scott Cole's Discover Tai Chi for Weightloss. I've seen bits of his dvds on youtube and I was debating between this one and his AM/PM Tai Chi. This one is better for what I need. He shows the slower movements and then accelerates the same movements to get the heart rate up. It's still very fluid but more what I need. It's about 53 minutes in length. He goes over the movements in the studio and then goes through the entire set of moves outside in Hawaii. The wind is blowing near the beach and you can totally feel the wind when you do the moves. I was calm just watching it. ;-) This one I'm getting from Amazon for sure. I don't own anything like it right now.
On to the actual workout of the day: I did the arm booster portion of the Ab&Arm Booster from Physique 57. I used 5 lb weights and I have a feeling my arms will kill tomorrow. I usually use 2lb weights. I need to amp up the arm/back exercises. That was only a few minutes. Then I almost quit. I had done my "Morning Moves" already and I'm dead on my feet. But no. I meant to do my Zumba abs workout and I wanted to time it to see how long it actually was so into the dvd player it went. Approximately 17 minutes and full of dancey cardio moves that work the abs. I LOVE standing ab work. My stomach is my biggest problem area so yes, Zumba abs is perfect. I love the particular moves combined with the music they chose. It really makes me sweat and you can feel your abs getting warmed. So...I was a good girl. Glad I didn't quit after the arms. Finished my mysterday yesterday so today my reward is my US Weekly. ;-)
I also previewed Scott Cole's Discover Tai Chi for Weightloss. I've seen bits of his dvds on youtube and I was debating between this one and his AM/PM Tai Chi. This one is better for what I need. He shows the slower movements and then accelerates the same movements to get the heart rate up. It's still very fluid but more what I need. It's about 53 minutes in length. He goes over the movements in the studio and then goes through the entire set of moves outside in Hawaii. The wind is blowing near the beach and you can totally feel the wind when you do the moves. I was calm just watching it. ;-) This one I'm getting from Amazon for sure. I don't own anything like it right now.
On to the actual workout of the day: I did the arm booster portion of the Ab&Arm Booster from Physique 57. I used 5 lb weights and I have a feeling my arms will kill tomorrow. I usually use 2lb weights. I need to amp up the arm/back exercises. That was only a few minutes. Then I almost quit. I had done my "Morning Moves" already and I'm dead on my feet. But no. I meant to do my Zumba abs workout and I wanted to time it to see how long it actually was so into the dvd player it went. Approximately 17 minutes and full of dancey cardio moves that work the abs. I LOVE standing ab work. My stomach is my biggest problem area so yes, Zumba abs is perfect. I love the particular moves combined with the music they chose. It really makes me sweat and you can feel your abs getting warmed. So...I was a good girl. Glad I didn't quit after the arms. Finished my mysterday yesterday so today my reward is my US Weekly. ;-)
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