Bootcamp: Day 6

As some of you know, I took tonight off from Bootcamp to recuperate from a bum shin. Unfortunately, that left Mr. TinyTrim to go all by himself to class. But, he's a valiant soldier and did it anyways. In the rain no less!

Since he's as long winded as I am (if not more so), I asked him to guest-write tonight's Bootcamp shakedown. Ladies and gents, it's my pleasure to present, Mr. TinyTrim!

It's funny. I had to hear the phrase "naked salsa dancing" as part of a quiz question tonight ("Which activity is the most helpful for waist control?" -- the answer's actually "resistance training") before I remembered how we warmed up. The same way! Well, without the 'naked.'

Our little French dynamo of an instructor began by pointing out that there was "a man here" as we started. I soon realized why. The salsa steps (dip, up, back, up) were easy enough to follow along, but then she said -- as if we do this all the time -- "now, add the hips . . . " That's when I noticed that all the women seemed to inject a swagger depending on whether their feet were forward or back. For the life of me, I couldn't get it. I just kept stepping.

After that and some knee-out kicks (right knee up, swing outward, down, then left), we went straight into our circuit. We started by speed-walking two laps along the 4" wide cement curb of a turnabout median in the road ("Remember!" she shouts, "there's crocodiles in the middle there . . . and they're HUNGRY!").

From there, we ran back to the three rows of bike racks. They're sorta shaped like triangles with their points buried in the cement. Well, we all had to crawl INSIDE the row of triangles and up one row, squeeze our way out, run to the second, squeeze our way in, crawl through, and so forth.

After that, we all lined up along a row of yoga mats and downward dogged our way to a human tunnel. The person at the end had to crawl through the tunnel and attach themselves to the other end. I apologized to everyone (remember, I'm the only male) in advance before crawling in.

After that, it was skip rope time. Well, skip rope and running time. Well, skip rope and running two laps of the outside of this basketball court time.

Turns out that the city workers DIDN'T forget a dozen manhole covers, as I thought I saw as I made my way to our usual starting point. They were wobble boards -- twelve of them -- and, after skip-lapping, we had to do three squats per board, making our way toward the road.

Where we then set off for our run!

Cross the street, down the road, cross the incredibly busy street ("Jumping jacks while you're waiting!"), down the huge hill, up the huge hill, turn around, down the huge hill the other way, up the huge hill the other way . . .

TURN AROUND, back down the huge hill, back up the huge hill, turn around, back down the huge hill the other way, back up the huge hill the other way, jumping jacks, busy street, down the road, other street, and back to camp. Yeesh!

It was ball time. One knee on the ball, bend with the other leg and, on the way up, curl (both weights!) with one arm. Then switch. Then -- I'm not sure how she possibly expected this to happen -- we were to sit on our balls, legs spread and feet pointing back duckie style . . . and stay balanced WITHOUT touching the ground.

Oh, while doing curls with our weights.

There were a lot of yelps, but nobody touched the ground . . . with their face. We all, however, usually had at least one toe on the ground the whole time.

Then, it was time to play superman. We partnered up lying stomach-down on our ball, and pulled against each other, straight armed, by pulling our crossed resistance bands apart. Much ow. Extra ow 'cause I was partnerless, so got to pair up with our terminator of an instructor.

We then put our ball between our knees and gave it lots of little squeezes. That was easy, so I was probably doing it wrong. Not to worry, my pain came immediately next when we all lay down on our backs, put one heel onto our ball, and used it to push our butts off the ground and kick the sky with our other foot.

Then, it was ball-between-the-feet time, while still on our backs. Above us, down and up, twist and twist. I heard one *thud* as somebody let go of their ball with their feet to have it land on their face.

That was the end of the ball work. My ball kept rolling away to say hi to a campmate.

Still on our backs, we did 30 bicycles, which are twist sit-ups to those who may know them by that name. Then, we turned around to do the same thing on our stomachs. Plank, hold, knee-to-elbow, wash, rinse, repeat.

The final blow was -- after all this insanity -- to hold our plank position. Longest. Minute. Of. My. Life.

Thank everything for yoga cooldowns.

So, that's how it went tonight without Tiny. Hey, I didn't die. That's good, isn't it?”

Very good indeed! Haha, I think he was the most traumatized by the salsa dancing. Oh, and the quiz he mentioned? It's from my new You on a Diet Book which is really very interesting and informative thus far.

Play Along at Home: Another hideous wonderful exercise our instructor loves to throw at us is something called a tricep dip. If it's too hard, try the modified tricep dip. The first night I tried this, I just about died. I can do more now.

Me on a Book Buying Trip

I bought a new book today. I went looking for the Beck book many people have been blogging about, but Chapters didn't have it. Instead, I bought You on a Diet. I've heard good things about it and have been meaning to buy it for ages. Since I'm taking a night off, I thought it would be a nice treat to sit at home with my kitties and read.

I almost didn't buy the book. When I started browsing the diet section, I felt embarrassed to be there...heck, I felt embarrassed for the legitimate books to be there. There were shelves of hokey looking books all claiming to have "the answer." In fact I think there was a book called "the answer." Many of them looked like they came off the cover of the National Enquirer and looked too good to be true. Drink tea to lose weight? Do it without exercising? Sign me up!

But of course, who am I to say what's legitimate? No doubt some of you are looking at the book that I just bought and thinking the same thing, hehe.

At any rate, I'm looking forward to my night off. The guilt at skipping Bootcamp tonight is fading. I didn't realize just how much I desperately needed a night off. I'll let everyone know what I think of the book later.

Cyberchondria and Cheetos

My watch hasn't come in yet. Boo! I hate waiting for something after getting all excited about it. Hopefully tomorrow.

The running clinic went well-ish. Cardio-wise, I seem to be doing just fine. But my left shin is still not happy. It's hurting a lot more than it ought to and it's not general muscle soreness either. I made the mistake of googling shin splints and found delightful phrases such as "muscle death." Note to self: get diagnosis from doctor first then ask the internet. If it doesn't clear up soon, I'll make the appointment. In the meantime I think I'll...*grumble*...take a night off from Bootcamp. Bah.

Mini victory of the day: I argued with myself a good half-hour this evening before saying "no" to the baked cheetos and opting for drinking my last milk serving. I swear, I'm this close to purging all the treats in the house. Every time I think of doing so, I imagine Gollum saying "Leave now and never come back!"

Bootcamp: Day 5

We were out in the cold again and I've lost any hope that we'll go back to the cushy warmth of the gym. Because of the cold snap, there were spots of ice everywhere. Fortunately, there was enough of an ice-free area where we could do the exercises without slipping. Interestingly enough, there were more than a few missing faces – seven in all.

The warmup game was volleyball played with a big exercise ball. As if that wasn't fun and challenging at the same time, my bitty blue exercise ball got drafted into the game so that there were two balls going. We lost the balls more than a few times over a fence. Heehee, it was like being in school again!

The run/walk was on a new, slightly longer route. I started out walking, but quickly realized I was the only one who was. So I ran. I ran the whole gosh-darned thing. I later worked it out to 2 kilometres. Not too shabby...though I suspect I'll pay for it tomorrow at the running clinic.

The rest of the night was as per normal. Hideously simple looking exercises that torture your muscles in new and varied ways.

I confess I wasn't looking forward to going back considering how difficult the last class was. But tonight went exceptionally well. Bootcamp is cold, dirty, and wet. I love it.

Play Along at Home: One of the exercises our instructor loves to torture us with is called the Boat Pose. It looks simple, but try holding it for one minute without collapsing. Check out About.com for a how-to video.

Revenge of the Nerds

This evening has gone pretty well. I've caught up on my blog reading and have been drinking my water all night. I've even been resisting the call of the prepackaged treats in the cupboard.

My latest do-something idea is to get a heart rate monitor which will help me calculate my activity points more accurately. I've been thinking that I'm either over-estimating or under-estimating what I've been earning and either over-eating or under-eating as a result. I ordered a Polar F6 based on the reviews of other WeightWatchers.ca users. It's coming from a local running store and should be here on Wednesday.

Lastly, my husband and I went out in the snow for our training run yesterday. That's me in the photo. We're such nerds. We kept high-fiving each other and saying "We're so hard core!" Haha, as if! We're computer nerds through and through.

Review: Kavli 5-grain Crispbread

I found a new cracker at the grocery store. It's made by Kavli, comes in a variety of flavours and is made with all natural ingredients. I tried the ones pictured (5-grain) and they're really tasty. I especially like them because there's no preservatives or anything like that. They're also really thin so they're really crispy. Lastly, they're a good size – about 2.75" by 4.5" each – so even though they're thin, you feel like you're getting a lot. The price wasn't exorbitant either (about $3 for a box).

Best part is, they're low in points! For two of them:

• Calories: 60
• Fat: .5g
• Fibre: 3g

I had them with hummus for my snack today (pictured below). I've also spread Laughing Cow cheese on them for another nummy snack. I can see these as being very versatile. Highly recommended for people who like crispbreads!

Praise You

Ya know...there's something to be said for large subtle hints. Given over and over and over again. This song was played during spinning class today. As I was really giving it, I closed my eyes and let the lyrics sink in.

We've come a long long way together,
Through the hard times and the good,
I have to celebrate you baby,
I have to praise you like I should”

You and me body, we have come a long way together. You've never let me down. And here I am, expecting the scale to provide the reward. The scale does not give us rewards. Never has. Never will. Our bodies provide the reward. And it's about time I rewarded mine with the recognition it deserves. Well done, body, well done. You've gotten me this far, and you'll get me to the end.

Fifty-first Weigh-in

Another tiddle this week. I'm down .2 lbs. Flargh! [insert random cussing and fist shaking here]

*deep breath*

Okay, it's out of my system. Repeat after me: it's muscle gain/water retention from exercising so much. The scale WILL catch up. What I'm doing now will reap fantastic rewards in the long run. It's not a race. Better a loss than a gain. This is just a small pebble that will be passed on the way up the mountain.

“You've lost enough weight”

I've heard of this happening to other people before. Being told that you've lost enough weight already. It's never happened to me before until today and took me by surprise. I never thought I'd be told something like that. Or at least not until I'd gotten to goal.

Fortunately, having heard these stories, I knew how to handle it. I said that my doctor wanted me to lose a bit more weight. Which is true enough even though my doctor technically hasn't said it to me recently. I'm still at an unhealthy weight and though I might look like a shadow of my former self, I'm still a shadow with a spare tire and a BMI of 27.2.

Thankfully, my explanation was accepted. And I took it for how it was meant – a compliment!

Speaking of which, what is it with this week and compliments? I feel rather embarrassed for whining so much about it earlier. I guess it just goes to show that there is some form of higher power out there listening.

And speaking of listening, a special thanks also to my readers for your continued encouragement. It really does keep me going :)

Bootcamp: Day 4

Last night's Bootcamp didn't go as well as the other nights. Everything was as it usually was (warmup, cardio, muscle training, yoga), but it was a real struggle for both my husband and I to keep up with it.

I think it was a combination of things. It's been a long week for us and the running clinic was the night before. Basically, we're pooped! I also think I might have hurt something. Something isn't quite right with one of my shins and I'm thinking I've overused it between spinning, Bootcamp, and the running clinic.

Speaking of the running clinic, I didn't realize it, but aside from the actual clinic night, we're expected to do two additional training runs every week. My husband, being good at math, calculated that I'd be pounding my body six days a week with high intensity workouts if I keep going the way I'm going.

As a result, I'm considering dropping the second night of Bootcamp. I want to get in shape, but I don't want to hurt myself or burn out doing it. Hmmm...decisions, decisions. I know it's not really quitting, but it sure feels like it :/

Thursday Confessional

I'm a big dope. Let's just get that out of the way first.

Why? Because I've been feeling down on myself since Tuesday night. I'd been feeling all athletic and cool and then I had a look at myself in the mirror while doing yoga at Bootcamp. Bad thing to do. I didn't like what I saw. I have an image in my head of what I look like and what was staring back at me wasn't what I thought it should be. As Mulan once opined, "When will my reflection show who I am inside?"

What I saw was an overweight dumpy-looking girl (with two inches of underwear showing, but that was yesterday's story). I couldn't help but think that's why those girls thought they could beat me. Because I looked like the sort of person who should be beaten. The low bar to be jumped at the barest minimum.

Since then, I've been sulking. I told myself I'd write a blog post asking for people to tell me that I was hawt and I just didn't know it yet. You know, my own little pity party. My husband tried to cheer me up, but that didn't work. I was sulking but good.

I was sulking so much that I didn't realize that I've already been given what I had asked for. First, a coworker complimented me on my weight loss yesterday morning. She'd never done that before. Second, a friend also mentioned it to me yesterday - she said I was looking "tiny." (side note: I love that word). Again, she'd never done that before either.

And here's me, being all boo-hoo about it and I had my encouragement right there. Not only that, but some of my own words came back to haunt me. At the beginning of my weight loss journey, I promised myself that I would appreciate my body at all stages. Because when I was young, dumb and skinny, I didn't appreciate my body for what it is. A gift.

From now on I'm going to try and focus on the gift that I've been given. To love it, love handles and all. And I'm going to remind myself that though the outside might look like a low bar, my spirit is a high bar over which none can jump.

Or if they do, I'll trip 'em.

Welcome fellow bloggers!

There's been a flurry of blog talk over on the WeightWatchers.ca boards these days and I've found some new people who're either new to blogging or new to me. Please join me in welcoming them to the blogroll!

• Jennifer is making the journey. Destination: skinny!
  http://jennifersjourneytoskinny.blogspot.com/
  
  
• Who's year is it? It's Jessie's year!
  http://thisyearismyyear.blogspot.com/
  
  
• Victoria has her sights set on that little black dress
  http://www.victoriasweightlossjourney.blogspot.com/
  
  
• Leanne is also on a mission. Destination: awesome!
  http://paigesmomsjourneyback.blogspot.com/
  
  
• Mandy is slow but oh so very steady. And awesome.
  http://www.slownsteady82.blogspot.com/
  
  
• Espace is taking up less of it and lookin' mighty fine doin' it!
  http://takinguplessspace.blogspot.com/
  
  
• Joni, the incredible shrinking woman!
  http://adayinthelifeofme-joni.blogspot.com/
  
  
• Jayne is walking all the way...to fabulous!
  http://jaynewalking.blogspot.com/

If I've missed anyone, PLEASE let me know. I'd love to link to you!

In the knick(ers) of time

My new gym pants from L.L. Bean arrived in the mail just now. Thank goodness. Tonight is my first running clinic and considering the near wardrobe malfunction* I had last night, these new pants couldn't have come at a better time.

I tried them on and am really happy with the length of the legs. Sometimes "petite" fits are too long for me, but these are perfect. I also really like the fabric – it isn't clingy and hangs well. The only complaint I have about them is that...well...they're a bit too big! I ordered a large since that's what tends to fit best on me nowadays, but I guess the manufacturer just fits big in general. Still, they're much better than my old gym pants in that they shouldn't head south as soon as I think about moving.

All that aside, I've learned a valuable lesson. Black gym pants = black underwear. No exceptions!


* Similar to the last time something like this happened, my gym pants started falling down as I was running during Bootcamp last night. Though I was proud that I could keep beating those girls, nothing says humble like having to run, one hand yanking up the front of your black pants to keep them from showing the two inches of bright white panties you were inadvertently displaying for goodness-knows-how-long.

Bootcamp: Day 3

Last night's Bootcamp went much the same as the other two nights. Same sort of exercises, but different. It was held outdoors again and I'm beginning to think it isn't so much a scheduling conflict as it is a "let's make this a real Bootcamp by holding it outside in the bitter cold."

As with the other nights, we had to walk or run. This time we went much farther. I really surprised myself by running a good portion of it. And I think I surprised two girls who kept playing catch-up with me. The last time they caught up with me, I passed them again (while walking no less). I heard them muttering about it, so I broke into a run again and ran the rest of the way leaving them in my dust. It felt strange kicking butt in something I sucked at in school.

Another exercise we did was something I've seen on the Biggest Loser. One person runs while the other person holds them back with exercise cords. It's called a Chariot, teehee! We also had a go at skipping and doing squats on this novel bit of equipment called a wobble board. Take it from me, it's aptly named. And the last bit of fun we had was with something called the Pursuit of Happiness. Everyone stands in a line and starts running (or walking). The last person in the line has to run (or walk) to the front. Once they get to the front, the next person who is last in line does the same. Rinse and repeat! Kinda like a conveyor belt. I really liked it, but if there's a next time we do it, I'm joining the runners.

As usual, we ended the evening with yoga which I'm really enjoying. We did something new called an Eagle Pose which looks remarkably similar to when I have to go pee really bad.

This morning I don't hurt much at all. The right side of my bum is a tad sore as is my right arm. I wonder what I'm doing that my right side always hurts more? Regardless, I'm not hobbling like last week so it's a good thing!

Review: Sesame-Orange Marinade

I tried a new marinade recipe from WeightWatchers.ca the other night and it turned out rather tasty:



I do have a picture of the marinade itself, but I think the finished product is tastier looking :)

It was easy to put together and lent a nice subtle flavour that worked well with the salmon. Though it's not as good as some orange marinades I've tried (notably, Salmon Cowell from ESBM), I'd make it again because it's quick and easy. And I love Salmon. But that's like saying the sky is blue ;)

The recipe is free and can be found over on the WeightWatchers.ca website:

• WeightWatchers.ca Sesame-Orange Marinade

Think first...but listen, too

One of the tenets that Weight Watchers strives to teach us is to "Think First." I have a lot of trouble with that. I can think first all I want, but if I don't actually listen to myself, the thinking gets conveniently put aside. It has the same effect as putting my hands over my ears and loudly singing "lalala-notlistening!"

Lately, I've been trying very hard to listen to myself. Practice patience, practice control, and actually listen to what my thoughts are telling me. Things like "do you really need that piece of chocolate or are you bored?" And "you should probably care more that your socks aren't matching."

As many of you can relate, it takes an enormous amount of self-control to listen when your stomach is yammering. Consequently, I don't always succeed (my mismatched socks, inside-out underwear and dwindling supply of chocolate is proof positive). But at least now I'm giving it a chance and not pushing it away.

My brain and my stomach are finally in therapy together. They might not be on the same couch yet, but at least they're talking – and listening – to each other now.

But I get up again

Today was my second spinning class and I had a blast. It was even more fun than last week. The instructor put on a CD that was called (no word of a lie), Absolute Very Best of the World's Best Ever Beer Songs. Ha!

The first song that we did was Chumbawumba's Tubthumping. Every time "Up" was said in the song, we had to get up and pedal. And every time "down" was said, we were allowed to sit. Ehehe, there was a lot of ups and downs!

Another song that we pedaled to was Blur's Song 2 (the "whoohoo" song). When the song kicked into gear during the "whoohoo" part, we had to pedal our asses off. And during Steve Earle's Copperhead Road, the instructor led us visually through climbing a hill in the country. Complete with rednecks, pickup trucks and gun racks. At about the 2:37 mark in the song, we'd reached the top of the "hill" and were allowed to take the tension off completely and pedal like crazy down the other side.

So. Much. Fun!!!

Fiftieth Weigh-in

Bye-bye Christmas! I'm down .6 lbs this week. While not as much as I would have hoped considering just how much torture exercise I've been putting myself through since the new year, it's still fabulous that I'm now back to where I started before the rumballs caught me. And it's rather apropos that it should happen on my fiftieth weigh-in, too, don't ya think? Now let's just hope that next week I'll finally break the barrier of 153.6!

I also went to Curves this morning and had to really scale back my normal workout due to post-Bootcamp pain. Thanks to the muscle diagram on the wall at the gym, I can now give a name to my pain. My triceps are killing me as are my adductors (see how smart I am?)

Today I'm not sure what I'm going to do with myself. My husband is out all day and won't be back until late. Normally we go shopping, or go for a walk, or just hang together. Now that I'm on my own, what to do? The possibilities are endless!

I'm thinking I'll go for a walk despite the rain and my desire not to get wet. I would also like to spend some time in the kitchen and prepare some orange marinades to freeze for quick dinners. And maybe I'll finally get a chance to play some Wii and DS games that have been piling up for a few months now.

Well, whatever I decide to do, I do hope everyone else has a great weekend!

But enough about me...

This week I've come across two amazing success stories on the WeightWatchers.ca boards. They're too good to keep to myself, so I'm spreading the word of these inspiring accomplishments!

• Julie has lost 100 lbs and she looks fan-freaking-tastic. Check out her blog and you'll see!
• MELLICIOUS achieved goal today. Though she hasn't posted updated pictures yet, her progress picture is likewise fantabulous. Check out her thread on the WW board for her story, a link to pictures and more!

Please join me in congratulating these fabulous ladies! There's nothing like a shot of inspiration for the weekend :)

EDIT: And here's another dose of inspiration. Check out Jaxgirl's accomplishment. She's lost 89 pounds and recently obtained Lifetime. She also looks fantastic. You go girl!!

Bootcamp: Day 2

In case you missed it, I signed up for another Bootcamp class. This will make it twice a week! Tonight was the second class and I'm happy to report that it went just as well as the first one did. Even better because I had my honey along!

Though we did similar things as on Tuesday night, the only things that were exactly the same was the warm-up and the power-walk. The instructor knew that there would be a few people from her other class so she wanted to switch things up so we didn't work the same things in the same way.

For example, this time we played dodgeball. So. Much. FUN!!! I love stuff like that. It doesn't feel like exercising because it's like being a kid again. We did more upper body work but it wasn't the same muscles as we worked last time. We also spent more time using the exercise ball to strengthen our core. There were lots of other various exercises (too many to count!) working things I never knew I had.

But the best "new" thing we did was kick boxing! When she started on the kicking and punching, I knew my husband (remember him?) would be sold on the whole thing. He has a black belt in karate but doesn't practice any more. I could tell he really liked it. And I really liked it, too! Kicking is fun :)

The evening ended with yoga again, but slightly different poses. Hehe, I didn't do so well with some of them, but I wasn't too upset. Tiny Trim just don't bend that way! Or at least not yet. On the other side of the coin, my husband is a pretzel. You'd think he'd been doing yoga for years!

The verdict? Even though we worked the first hour entirely outside in the cold (there was a scheduling mixup with the gym), we both enjoyed it. I can't wait for next week!

Meet crazy

It's official. I'm crazy.

At bootcamp, the instructor told us that they had added another class during the week because it was so popular. She went on to say that to get the full effects of bootcamp, you should really go more than once a week. She encouraged us to sign up for the second class. Especially because it was a good deal compared to all the other bootcamps in town.

So I've been thinking about it. And thinking about it. And thinking some more. Then I checked the availability for the second class and saw they still had spots left. Then I thought about it some more. Then I asked my husband if he would be interested in going with me if I signed up for a second one. After a lengthy discussion that mostly consisted of me saying "Are you sure you want to go?", he said yes, he was up for trying it. His doctor has been getting after him for not exercising and bootcamp sounded "mostly" fun.

I gave him one last chance and then signed us both up. That's right. I'm going to bootcamp twice a week now and I somehow convinced my husband to go once a week. The second class starts tonight. I've got to get my crazy bum in gear and find mats for both of us now!

The new muscle in town

You know you've had a good workout when muscles you never knew you had knock on the door and say "Hi! Remember me? Of course you don't. I'm one of your upper abdominal muscles you've never used before." Like seriously. Who would've thought they'd put muscles there?

Last night I bought myself an exercise ball. This is the second time I've bought one. The first one I bought was too big for me, but I didn't realize it until it was too late to take back. This one is designed for my height and is a pretty blue. I'm also less afraid of it going kaplooowy with a big bang and flying latex shrapnel. I tried some of the moves we were shown at bootcamp with it. Hence the discovery of aforementioned abdominal muscles this morning in addition to all the other muscles that are still living it up at my post-bootcamp pain party.

My pledge to limit junk food is going well. I'm two days in and I'm proud to say that I've only eaten one "junk" snack per day. As an interesting side-effect, I managed to meet all of my healthy guidelines for the last two days. Normally I come close, but slack off in the veggie department. But, since I'm limiting the junk food, my snack food has become fruit. This is a good thing. I'm feeling much more in control.

And guess what? My home scale is finally showing me a number I haven't seen since Christmas happened. Here's hoping it keeps up for this week's official weigh-in. I am so ready to lose the last of this Christmas weight and get into some new numbers!

Bootcamp: Day 1

The things I pay money for. When I think about it, I have a bad habit of paying people to do hurtful things to my body, haha. But I jest. The first day of bootcamp was awesome++ despite moments of thinking "I paid money for this????"

Forgive me in advance, but this post will be long. There's a lot to report!

The night didn't start out too well. I was aiming to get there early except I got lost along the way. Thank goodness for cel-phones and map-saavy husbands. When I arrived at the school, I didn't know where to go. Fortunately, a bunch of gals showed up with yoga mats and exercise balls so I followed them and we got to where we needed to be which was a smallish sub-gym on the bottom floor. The school is still being built so it's very new and very nice!

When I initially registered, the receptionist told me that I didn't need to bring anything because they would supply it. Bzzt. Wrongo. I did need to bring things because the instructor did not have hardly anything to lend out. So I felt a little dumb being one of only a few people without a mat, exercise ball and weights. Fortunately, I was able to use one of the school's mats.

When I first saw the instructor, I thought "wow, what a short little woman!" I also thought she looked a tad overweight by the look of her legs. However, I was soon to find out that her legs are big because they are all muscle and that she kicks serious ass. Looks can be deceiving!

In the class itself there was about 17 other people who were mostly fit looking. I felt a little out of place, but there were a few people like me. And as I just mentioned, looks can be deceiving – there were more than a few "fit" people who had troubles with some of the things our powerhouse "little" instructor had us do!

First, we started off with some calisthenics to warm up. Jogging in place, arm movements, typical things like that. After that, we went outside and played tag. Yes, tag. Imagine a bunch of adults running around outside under the street lamps chasing each other. It was so unbelievably fun! Next, she wanted to see how well we did with running or walking. We had to run or power walk up to the next street and back four times. I power walked and I think I did pretty well.

Back into the gym we went for some upper body exercises with weights. As I was without weights and had arrived late, the only weights the instructor had left were five-pound balls of death. She took one look at my wimpy arms and told me that if I needed to drop them during the exercise, I could. Haha, I tried to prove her wrong and made a good go of it, but eventually had to give in and use only one. Good gravy it was hard!

Next, we had to pair up and do some exercises with resistance cords. I paired up with a girl like me (same height, same sort of body build) and as we both found out, it was a lot harder than it looked!

After that, it was onto the mats for crunches and leg work. This is where I found out that her legs are solid muscle and that some of the fit people couldn't come close to keeping up with her. This is also where I questioned my decision to pay money for pain. As we were all writhing on the floor in various stages of exhaustion and agony, she quipped, "Looks like we need to do some work on that!"

If that wasn't enough, she took us outside again with our weights and had us do some exercises using the concrete dividers. You had to stand on them with one leg and lift yourself up, weights and all. Because I'm so short, she kept saying that I needed to find a shorter piece of concrete. But there was none to be had because they were all taken. I eventually wound up at the curb like another girl and used that. Next time when she says "move it" I'm going to sprint up the stairs so I can get first pick!

The last exercise outside was a bit of cardio and coordination mixed into one. You had to step up and criss-cross along the edge of a half-completed median, balance your way across to the other side and criss-cross again. We did this, zigzagging our way along for about a block and then doing the same on the way back. Much fun!

By this time an hour had passed. If you think it sounds like we did a lot in an hour, you'd be right. It was very snappy and varied! Out of breath and flushed from outside, I was beginning to think that I couldn't keep going. Fortunately, the last fifteen minutes of the class was yoga and stretching.

Having never done yoga before, I wasn't sure what to expect. I thought it would have to involve incense, new age music and caftans. But no, it was about interesting and gentle ways to stretch your body. When we first started, a lot of us were hard-pressed to keep steady. The instructor said it was natural because our nervous system was bouncing around because of all the work we had done. But as we did more, it helped to narrow our focus and it became easier. I thoroughly enjoyed it and felt refreshed. There was some moves with the exercise balls, but having none, I had to pretend.

And that was that! Aside from feeling embarrassed being without gear and moments of just-let-me-pass-out-and/or-puke, I really honestly thoroughly enjoyed myself. It was hard, but the satisfaction and pride of being able to keep up made it more than worth it. I surprised myself that I had that much in me to give. I also never felt inadequate. The instructor said to push ourselves but that it wasn't a competition with your classmates. At no point did she belittle or berate any of us. And though she isn't what I'd call a personable person, she was fabulous and sharp as a tack. (That, and I secretly think she eats glass for breakfast because she's so tough.)

This morning I'm feeling sore but not too sore. My hurts from spinning are still there and now I have some bootcamp hurts layered on top of that. Today will be a day of water and gentle exercise. Tomorrow and beyond will be spent looking for a non-slip yoga mat and an exercise ball for short legs. Day 2 is the same time next week. Look for more bootcamp updates then!

Replacing junk with junk leads to more junk in the trunk

Last night as I was mowing down on a bit of portion-controlled chocolate for no other reason than I was bored, I realized that I had replaced the junk food I'd been eating during Christmas for more junk food. Just portion-controlled junk food like baked cheetos, 100-calorie packs of cookies, Slimfast bars, and other things like that.

Before Christmas, I was pretty good about limiting them. But since then, I stocked my cupboards with them and I keep eating them like they're free and safe foods. Nuh uh. They're not free and safe. It's still junk food and empty of nutrition. Once in a while is okay, but not if you're spending a good third of your points per day on them when you could be giving your body better nutrition.

So today and for the rest of the week, I'm going to limit myself to one of these foods a day. If I feel hungry or snackish, I'll grab yogurt, fruit, cheese, whole-grain bread etc. instead. No more junk in my trunk!

Ooops

TinyTrim Tip of the Day: if you don't actually want to get in on a course, don't put your name on the wait list and then expect not to be taken up on the offer when space becomes available.

Murphy just called and he wants me at bootcamp.

Worse, I found myself saying "sure, sign me up!" without thinking things through first.

Yes, I wanted to try bootcamp this year. I just didn't expect to get in on the January class! And because I didn't expect it (fatal mistake), I went ahead and signed myself up for spinning and a running clinic. That's two days a week of high intensity and now I've just added a third. Why wasn't my brain present during the phone call???

Said my husband when I told him the news, "You're puttin' yerself through a lot of torture lately, now that I think about it."

I'm glad that at least one of us is thinking clearly. Why couldn't he have lent me HIS brain before I said yes?

It starts tomorrow night. Gosh I hope my legs feel better by then!

Leg benders....hurt.

Ooof. This morning I'm reaping what I pedaled yesterday. The inside of my thighs hurt just above my knees. And my bum is also smarting, but not too badly. I can't imagine what everyone elses' bums must be feeling! Walking around is fine, but going downstairs is challenging to say the least!

But all in all, I'm not hurting too badly considering. Lots of water and gentle walking and I'll be right as rain!

Aside from my spinning class this weekend, I also tried the new Quaker Weight Control oatmeal. I was going to post a full review, but since I don't have anything positive to say about it, I'll instead post a link to a thread on the WeightWatchers.ca board where other people have posted their thoughts. Some people liked it and some people didn't. If you like instant oatmeal in general, it might be worthwhile trying it. But if you're like me and aren't keen on it to begin with, stay away from the Weight Control oatmeal!

Also, I wound up taking back my new Weight Watchers scale. Though there were a number of things that bugged me about it, I was almost willing to live with it. But it earned a fail in the two things that are most important to me: it wasn't consistent and its accuracy was off by two to three pounds depending on how it was feeling that particular second. I was also backsliding into scale obsessiveness over .2 increments (even though I knew the scale wasn't accurate). So, I'm sticking with my ol' antiquated Health-o-Meter scale that works just fine. I spent the money instead on a new jacket from MEC. Unlike a scale, the MEC jacket makes me look hawt and athletic :)

My first spinning class

I did it! I completed my first spinning class* and am here now to dish all the details to those who've never spun or are thinking of it.

After having received excellent tips from the ladies on the WeightWatchers.ca board, I arrived early and as prepared as I was ever going to be. I had my water, my towel, and I left my ego at home. I didn't go so far as to buy padded bike shorts or a gel seat because I wasn't sure if I would like spinning. And besides, I would've felt self-conscious bringing my own seat to the first class.

As a few others had also shown up early, the instructor started showing everyone how to set up their bikes. The seat adjusts up and down as well as front to back. That's a picture of the bike we were on by the way. It's a Lemond bike.

When everyone was set up and strapped into the bikes (the pedals have straps so your feet don't come out of them), the first thing the instructor said was, "I'm sure many of you noticed how uncomfortable the seat is." He then went on to suggest that if we found the seats too hard that we could buy gel seat covers for about $15 from Walmart that slip over the seat and cinch up. Oooooh. Gel seat covers. Not the whole seat. I really would have looked like an idiot if I had shown up with an entire seat!

Then the actual pedaling began. And it was really like aerobics except with bikes. The instructor was at the front of the room on his bike facing us, and we were in rows facing him. He'd have us pedal at a normal pace and then at intervals he'd tell us to either increase the pace, adjust the tension up, or stand up off our seats and pedal. We'd go like this for an interval then he'd return us to a regular pace before beginning again. He even got us to do some upper body work by doing a sort of push-up off the handlebars.

And that's basically how it works! He guides you through intervals of more intense pedaling and you just follow along with what he says. If you don't feel like you can stand up, you don't have to (or can do a modified version of standing). He also said you could "pretend" to dial up your tension if you wanted to impress your neighbour, haha!

After about half an hour of this, the instructor ended the class with stretching on our bikes (upper body) and then had us get off our bikes to stretch out our legs. I didn't feel wiped at all, but then again it wasn't a full class and he was being kind to us as newbies. The hardest part for me was the standing. My legs just aren't used to that sort of exercise! But I know it'll get better with practice. Fortunately, my bum didn't hurt much, but that's only because I'm used to sitting on my exercise bike for long periods of time.

Finally, a side-note about some of the participants in the class. There were three in particular who arrived late. Early twenties, skinny, and dressed in the latest fashionable workout wear. When I first saw them my thought was, "Oh great, just what I needed - a bunch of fitness junkies showing off right beside me!" But funny thing was - about halfway through the class I looked over and saw them struggling. One had given up completely and the others were half-heartedly trying to keep up. Meanwhile, all the other ladies in the class (same age as me or older and not very "fit" looking) were kicking serious ass. I know these girls were struggling but...okay...I have to admit that I felt just a little proud that I had no problems keeping up compared to them. It also felt good to know that just because you're skinny doesn't mean you're fit!

All in all, I had a blast and I can't wait to go back next week! For anyone interested in trying out spinning, I highly recommend finding a beginner's class. You'll get an orientation on the proper way to adjust your bike (and how you'll know if it isn't adjusted properly) as well as a relatively easy introduction to how spinning works. If you don't like it, at least you didn't pay for a full course!


* Hands up...who else thought spinning had to do with wool and princesses with clumsy fingers when they first heard of it? Okay, looks like I'm the only one who thought that. Fortunately, I found out before asking people what kind of yarn they made and why were they so sweaty?

Forty-nineth Weigh-in

I stayed the same this week. And yes, I was initially disappointed. Especially because of all the hard-work I put in this week and the victories I had over making better food choices. However, let's be frank for a moment. If you knew just how much I ate over Christmas and at New Year's I shouldn't be surprised that it's taking a bit longer for all of that weight to go.

But despite all this wonderful logic, I was sitting in the meeting feeling gloomy and like my efforts were for naught. Another member was feeling the same way and admitted to the leader that she had gained two pounds and was sorely disappointed in herself. At this, the leader said to look at the big picture. How much has she lost so far and long has she maintained it for? Those two pounds are nothing compared to that.

And she's right. Often times we get so caught up in the week to week micromanagement of our weight that we forget to look at the big picture. We judge and view ourselves 1 or 2 pounds at a time and we base our success or failure on that alone.

So this week I'm looking at the bigger picture. Though my efforts might not show a tangible result today, I know that cumulatively they're making a difference in the long run. Just as it has in the past and just as it will continue to be in the future.

I wasn't crazy

Back in December at my husband's Christmas party, I mentioned how I felt a little like a bug under a microscope. Well guess what? I was right. There were other people who'd noticed I had lost weight.

My husband just emailed me a transcript of a conversation he had with a coworker today:

Coworker: You got your hair cut!

Husband: Yeah, I did. Y'know, it's funny that nobody noticed yesterday. My wife sez—

Coworker: YOUR WIFE . . . LOOKS AMAZING.

I mean, I saw her at the Christmas party, and I was all . . .

*squints*

*looks away*

*looks back*

*hand on chin, squinting*

*finger on nose, thinking*

But, I mean, she looks just awesome! How . . . ?

Husband: She's lost, like, 50 lbs.

Coworker: I KNOW! It's amazing! She just, oh, I, you HAVE to tell her, 'cause she . . .

*does "We're not worthy" bowing motion*

She looks incredible, and it's really . . . it's a real inspiration.

I'd be lying if I said I don't have tears in my eyes. Like, wow. I feel absolutely blessed, humbled, and grateful beyond words for such lovely comments. I was feeling myself start to slip again today as post-New Year's motivation was waning, but this is better motivation than anything.

A big list of updates

There's been so much that's been going on this week that I've been meaning to write about, so I thought I'd get it all out there point-form.

• I signed up for that learn-to-spin class and it starts this Sunday. Nervous and excited? Ya!
• I also signed up for the 10k running clinic. Except I chose the walk/run option because I'm a little skeered of starting out running right away.
• I bought a new Weight Watchers scale. I'm not sure why I did that because now I'm obsessing over smaller increments, haha. There's a few other things about it that I'm not liking - the accuracy is rather suspect (it keeps jumping all over the place) and the numbers are low-contrast so I can't see them unless I have my glasses on (I weigh myself straight out of bed sans glasses and consciousness). And now that I look at it, the product shot is misleading. The numbers aren't black at all. I'm leaning towards taking it back, but want to see how it compares on weigh-in day.
  
• I'm back into using my exercise bike more but haven't yet reached my 1000km goal. Why'd I set it so high??? Anyways, since I bought the bike, I've pedaled for 1,855 minutes, traveled for 620.15 kilometres and have burned 22,255.6 calories.
• I tried out my new 10-minute solution video. It's official. I fail at exercise videos that aren't made by Leslie Sansone. The cats were highly amused though. Until I ran into one accidentally. I'm impressed with the DVD menu though. There's a nice bit of coding in it which allows you to select as many of the 10-minute videos as you want and play them in the order you want. When I finally find the button that turns my coordination on, maybe I'll try it again.
  
• Quaker's Weight Control Oatmeal (as seen on the Biggest Loser) is now in Canada. I found it at my local supermarket. I haven't tried it yet. That's because I forgot I had it. But it's on the counter for tomorrow morning's breakfast. I'll post a review later.
  
• The January/February issue of Weight Watchers magazine is in stores now. I picked mine up at Walmart at an awesome price. I'd forgotten they were selling magazines and books at US prices.
  

And that's it for now!

Curves Monthly Measurement – January

I know, I know...it's been a while since I posted one of these. The last time I was measured was back in July. And I hadn't been going at all since around August. Gosh, don't I feel sheepish?

But hey, at least I started again near the end of December and yesterday was my first measurement since July. Since there was a 5-month gap between measurements, it was pretty amazing to see all the inches I've lost! Even the nice girl who measured me did a double-take when she noticed what I weighed the last time.

Okay, enough talk. Here's the breakdown of what I've lost since March 2007:

• Bust: 4.75"
• Waist: 5.5"
• Abdomen: 11.0"
• Hips: 8.0"
• Thighs: 13.5"
• Arms: 4.5"

Total inches lost: 47.25
Total body fat % lost: 9.10

No wonder I hardly recognize myself these days! It's unbelievable. Where did I go????

Needless to say, I'm thrilled. Hehe...I even went to bed last night with the printout, just so I could look at it longer.

Review: Dilly beloved from ESBM

I tried a new Eat, Shrink, and Be Merry recipe last night – Dilly Beloved. (I just love the names they give their dishes.)




It's a chicken dish with maple syrup, whole-grain mustard, lemon and dill. The marinade is mixed up, poured over the chicken, and left for an hour before cooking. All you do after that is pop it in the oven, marinade and all. Aside from the fact I overcooked the chicken, it was delicious and easy to make. The sauce alone is worth it and though I haven't tried it yet, it looks like it'd pare well with salmon, too. It's also a dish I'd make for guests.

• Calories: 289
• Fat: 6.4
• Fibre: .4

Welcome to the Blog

I added some new links in my list of blogs but thought they also deserved a special mention :)

• Lisa will be Absolutely Fabulous By Forty!
• Abu is New Every Morning
  
• Last but not least, Kimberley is on a mission - THISISIT2007

Feel free to stop by their blogs and bring them a house-warming comment. I'm sure they'll appreciate it!

Also, things are going well for me if a little busy. I had been breezing into the New Year with blissfully little to do at work. However, my project manager finally noticed and now I swear everyone in the office is coming up with things for me to work on. Gah!

Thank goodness I did a meal plan for this week. That's always where I fall down. If I don't plan and I get busy, I fly by the seat of my pants. This means lots of convenience foods and not enough healthy foods. But not this week! I have it planned out until Thursday. Tonight I was even able to try a new recipe (if I remember, I'll do a review later) and tomorrow I'll be using the crockpot for another new recipe. This is why planning is good.

Review: Hershey's Sticks

I found a new product in Walmart today. Well, new to me; according to their website they've been out for awhile. They're called Hershey's Sticks. Basically they're 60-calorie sticks of chocolate. They come in assorted flavours, but I only found two kinds - Mint and Caramel.

I tried both this evening and quite liked them. The Caramel has liquid caramel in the middle (just like a Caramilk bar) and the mint is just what you'd expect (minty). They're quite thin, too. Thinner than I expected, but I guess it stands to reason because the calories are so low (and there's a reason they're called "sticks"). Regardless, both will do nicely for a low-point chocolate treat.

• Calories: 60
• Fat: 3.5
• Fibre: 0

More info, including the NI for all the different flavours, can be found on Hershey's site. Note that there's an error with the NI for the Mint flavour (the serving size occasionally defaults to 13 pieces). And don't forget to recalculate the points if you eat two of them. The points round up!

Gym pants are pants in disguise

Why'd I think shopping for gym pants would be any easier than shopping for regular pants? Arrgh! It seems like all I did this weekend was try on badly fitting gym pants. But, I'm happy to say that I succeeded in the end.

But first, let me tell you about my Lululemon shopping trip. After a hassle finding a parking spot (half an hour, don't ask), my husband and I finally walked through the doors. And stepped into an alien landscape. Literally.

It was as if we were transported to some other planet that was filled with tall, athletic, good-looking, designer-wearing, organic-bottled-water-drinking creatures of (presumably) both sexes. I thought I must've wound up in Hollywood by mistake. And, as I stared up at all these beautiful people, all I could think of was "not gym class again!"

But, like many good ladies on the WW boards will tell you, only you can let yourself feel inferior. So, I sucked it up as best I could and tentatively wandered back to where the pants were. I made the mistake of checking the prices and my stingy little heart seized up even though I knew what to expect. My frugal self is deeply ingrained. I can suppress it mostly, but at seeing the physical price tag, it hit the emergency stop button and took over all motor functions. It tried to take me right out the door, but I managed to make a left and wound up at the discount rack instead.

I did try on a pair of pants from the rack, hoping that my bum would magically look awesome as I was assured it would. But alas, it looked like...my bum. Covered in expensive fabric. *Sigh* Even $100 pants can't make my bum look anything more...or rather "less" than what it is.

After that, I scuttled out and sucked in the sweet air of the normal world. Wow. What an experience. It just goes to show that I'm not ready for it yet. But at least I gave it a try and am willing to try again. Just...closer to goal. And when my bum is a bit less...enthusiastic in the wide department.

But I hear you asking, but what about the pants? You said you were successful! Why yes, I did! After Lululemon, I wound up at SporkChek. I tried on a few pairs and came to the conclusion that athletic people are tall. Every single pair I tried on would need to be hemmed by 6 or more inches. Not that I don't mind hemming. Okay, I do mind hemming. But rather I'm not very good at it. And (stingy heart again) I don't really like paying for it.

I threw in the towel and headed straight to the computer and googled for petite athletic clothes. With two clicks, I was on L.L. Bean's site looking at a pair of relaxed-fit fitness pants that actually came in petite lengths. My frugal self gave me a high-five, so I took the chance and ordered them. They're also black and loose fitting so my bum will be happy, too. I also ordered a coolmax t-shirt. Both should hopefully be here by the beginning of February.

So in the end, I'm successful in that I bought some gym pants. Hopefully the gym pants themselves will be successful.

New toys!

No gym pants yet, but I did score a number of great finds yesterday:



Everything came from London Drugs and at a really good price. Pictured from left to right:

• Resistance cord set (two handles and three different levels of resistance cords)
• Set of hand weights (2 lb, 3 lb, and 5 lb)
• Exercise DVD (10-minute Solution: Fat Blasting Dance Mix)
• Pirates of the Caribbean 3-D puzzle

Okay, so maybe that last one isn't really fitness related. But I couldn't resist. It was only $5, I love pirates, and I love 3-D puzzles. Aside from the puzzle, the next best score was the set of weights. It was only $20.

I'm also excited about the resistance cords because I found a great set of workouts for them on Prevention Magazine's website. Of course, like a dummy, I can't find the link again. But, as soon as I do, I'll post it. It took some digging, but here it is.

I have $42 left and am bound and determined to find what I went out for yesterday: gym pants! I'll be heading out after I do my workout and shower. Wish me luck! I might even *gasp* check out Lululemon.

Alert: Blog fiddling

FYI, I'm fiddling with the template right now. Please bear with me!

EDIT:
Bah, I borked something up. I knew I should've left early for shopping instead! Please ignore any weird anomalies with the header. It might not show up depending on your browser. I'll work on it a bit more later.

EDIT EDIT:
Okay, fixed. I think. It looks okay in Firefox and IE. Essentially what I've done is made the header image a link back to the main page of my blog.

Forty-eigth Weigh-in

Music faced. I'm up only .6 lbs. Yay! I'm so happy with myself that I faced it head on, did what I needed to do and have shed most of what I gained during the holidays. I'm even happier because my leader told us that the average North American gains between 8 and 10 lbs in December. I'm not in the national average. Whoo!

Today I've already been to Curves and am looking forward to a day of shopping. My Dad gave me a belated Christmas present of $100 last night and I'm looking forward to spending it on something health or fitness related. I already know I'll spend part of it on new gym pants, but I'm not sure what else. Maybe some resistance bands or a new scale. Or an armband for my iPod. Ooooh, decisions, decisions!

Facing the music

Well, it's time to face the music tomorrow at my weigh-in. Although I have another get-out-of-jail card, I'm not going to use it. My home scale shows that I'm back around where I started. But, even though I know it likes to round-down instead of up, I'm still going to face the consequences.

I've been mostly OP this week, but I had a little blip on New Year's Eve. I was doing soooo good. Until the alcohol came out. But...let's not talk about that. To compensate, I made sure to ramp up my exercise and eat within my daily allowance all week. As a gift, I gave all my weekly allowance points away to New Year's Eve. I hope it's grateful.

Today was especially hard eating. It was my Dad's birthday and he likes to go to a particular Chinese buffet. I made sure to do a workout in the morning and power walk on my lunch, but it didn't go too far at the buffet. But, I managed to make it through with some points left over and am now munching a small slice of whole grain bread as I type.

Hehe, together with my glass of water, I feel like a prisoner awaiting the executioner in the morning! But I say this lightheartedly. What will be, will be. Whatever the gain will be tomorrow, I'll be happy knowing that it could've been worse.

What have you done today?

For those who love The Biggest Loser like I do, I have a special treat for you today. The theme song! I absolutely love this song. I will rush into the living room when the show starts just so I can catch the opening credits. I love hearing the music and being inspired by the clips of all the contestants working their butts off, making sacrifices, struggling, and just not giving up. I get weepy just thinking about it!

The song is called “Proud” and it was written by Heather Small and Peter Vttese. If you'd like to sing along to it, the full lyrics can be found over on TheBiggestLoser.info.

When I need a pick-me-up at work, I'll play it on my headphones. I'll also ask myself the same question the song does, "What have you done today to make you feel proud?" It gets me going every time.

We need a change (yeah)
Do it today (yeah)
I can feel my spirit rising
Change (yeah)
We need a change (yeah)
So do it today (yeah)
'Cause I can see a clear horizon”

Review: Three Bean and Pork Slow Cooker Chili

I made a crockpot of this on New Year's day and boy is it ever gooooood! The recipe and a picture can be found by following this link:

• Weight Watchers Three Bean and Pork Slow Cooker Chili
  5 points per serving, Core
  

I used center loin pork instead of tenderloin (which is rather expensive!). I also used a canned chipotle pepper instead of the jalapeño. In fact, I recommend chipotle pepper over jalapeño as it adds a lovely smokey flavour. As you only use one chipotle from a can, just freeze the leftovers in individual packets for the next time you make chili. Be sure to freeze some of the sauce, too!

Oh, and just be aware that prep time is rather long. Either prepare ingredients the night before if you don't have time in the morning or save making it for a weekend morning. Fortunately, the effort is well worth it as it also makes a LOT of chili. Be prepared to freeze some for lunches if you don't have a big family. Serving size is a little over 1 cup and it's very filling.

Starting 2008 off with a bang

There's nothing like starting off a new year with a great day! I had such a good day yesterday that I managed to jazz myself up again. The last time I felt this pumped was my last doctor's appointment when I was showered with kudos.

My husband made us a great breakfast (multigrain toast, poached egg, sliced orange and a glass of milk). I made a list of my 2008 goals (see below). I made a new chili recipe in the slow cooker. I got on my exercise bike (first time since September!) and went for 75 minutes. While pedaling, I also finally got around to reading my Prevention Magazine's Biggest Loser special edition. After that, I had a nice long bath with my favourite bath oil and a trashy romance novel. I even shaved my legs so that I can stare at them more at the gym. Dinner was finished by the time I got out and wow, was it ever good (I'll post a separate review of it later). And finally, we ended the evening by watching the new season of The Biggest Loser.

What a great day. And this morning my weight is down to a more respectable figure. I'm still up, but not as much as before. Whoo!

EDIT:
I almost forgot! I did something else yesterday that I'm very proud of. I threw out ALL of the Christmas treats. Every single last one of them. In the garbage and gone for good.

New year, new goals

This being the first day of 2008, I've been thinking a lot about all the new things I'd like to try and all the goals I'd like to accomplish this year.

So, in no particular order, here's my top ten list of health and fitness goals I'd like to achieve this year:

1. Get to my goal weight
2. Take a spinnning class
3. Run a 10k
4. Take a yoga class
5. Take a step class
   
6. Go on a treeGO obstacle course
7. Be able to complete one or more chinups*
8. Do a bootcamp
   
9. Better my walking time in the half-marathon
10. Swim lots! And without embarrassment!
    

So far, I've already decided to sign-up for a few classes this January: a learn-to-spin class (thanks for the inspiration, Ro!) and a 10k running clinic. I'd be signed up now if it weren't for the stat holiday.

Needless to say, 2008 is looking great and I'm excited to see what new things I can accomplish. So Happy New Year everyone! Let's get out there and achieve our goals. We can do it!


* My husband has a chinup bar. As of this writing, the most I can do is grasp the handles and go purple in the face. I'm still working on that whole "lifting yourself up off the ground" thing. Apparently, it's necessary in order to do this thing called a "chin up."