Day 164: 193.5

Ok, so it took a couple of weeks but I am finally back down to my low of 193.5! Which shocks the heck out of me after yesterdays splurge of fat free ice cream and chocolate candy bars. Of course this morning I made up for it by doing this:

Muscle Group/ Sets/ Reps/ Rest

Back 4/10/1
Chest 4/10/1
Triceps 3/10/1
Hamstrings 4/10/1
Abs 3/20/1
Quads 4/10/1
Calves 4/30/1
Biceps 3/10/1
Shoulders 4/8/1


In between each muscle group I hop on the treadmill for 2 minutes. This is not a daily workout for me.. but because I missed 3, yes 3, days of working out I decided to push two days together. It ended up being an AWESOME workout.. I might just do this every Monday.

Saturday's Karate class was not what I expected.. although still very informative. We did a lot of different things... but in the end it was working on our CHI that we focused in on. Your Chi is two inches below your belly button. Martial Artists believe that this is where all your power is stored. It is too hard to explain it but some of the things he showed us where incredible. A 12 year old boy was brought up and he told him to focus on the light coming in the window. Posing him so that one arm was across his waist and the other was palm up towards the window. Then asked the biggest guy in the class to come over and bend the boys out-stretched arm. He could not do it. I know it sounds strange... but it was very cool to learn. We learned some exorcises to strengthen our Chi.. and our organs.. every morning. I really am enjoying it.

I also learned this weekend that I am lactose intolerant. I never really thought about it because I don't drink Milk.. just Soy milk. I do , however, eat yogurt... and have always had gas pains after eating it but never thought twice. Then Sunday I had a bowl of ice cream and spent the rest of the afternoon in the bathroom. (that may be one of the reasons I am finally down to 193!)... So, no more milk products for me. I'm ok with that really. I love my Soy milk but the yogurt will be missed.. I am sure I will find something to take its place.

Today is catch up day... hubby is home again so I doubt I'll get anything done anyway, but I can try!

See you tomorrow!

Day 160

Yesterday was another great day. The only thing I would have changed was the 9pm tortilla I ate... I do so much better when I dont eat after 7:30pm.. I sleep better and I feel better. I need to remember that tonight when I start to feel that little snacking bug.

It snowed last night again. I hate snow. Its not the white fluffy stuff either. Its the icy, wet, slushy kind. I love living in the mountains.. but why?

This morning I am going to hop on the treadmill and walk for 30 minutes. Its my 'active rest' day.. so no weight lifting.. but I might try a DVD workout. Switch it up a little bit!

I am super excited for Saturdays Karate class. The Grand Master is coming up and teaching a two hour class. Apparently he loves to vacation up here and is willing to teach a class when he does! You have to understand that it is a huge honor to have a Grand Master teach you. Of course, it is also a little bit stressful. Especially since I will have to show him my forms... which I am fantastic at by the way! LOL Because I was a black belt in Tae Kwon Do our teacher had decided that I will test for a green belt in April... which has me skipping a couple of belts. This also means having to learn a ton of hand techniques and forms before the test. I know I can do it.. and so far I am doing great. I love being back in the game!

Ok, I am babbling... so I better get my butt off this computer and on to my treadmill. Have a great day!!

Day 159

It was a good day yesterday. I stayed on target with calories and then went to my Karate class. It was a good class, but I guess I just didnt feel abused enough. So I got home and ran a mile on my tready. This morning I slept in and woke up feeling that good kind of sore. I hopped on the tready again and walked for 30 minutes. Then did 90 quads, ran 2 minutes, 60 shoulder, ran 2 minutes, 60 biceps, ran 2 minutes. Finished off with a nice cool shower. By the time I ate breakfast it was 11... so it looks like lunch will be around 3pm.. and then I have belly dancing class.

I am feeling in the groove. I am craving chocolate, but have managed to stay strong and stay away from it. I am eating healthy.. .and my workouts are making me feel strong. I have a little over a week before I have to dawn a bathing suite... I just might look pretty good in it after all!

I am off to blog world to visit all of you. I've been terrible at commenting...I need to work on that!

Day 157

I have been beyond lazy. Working out has seemed like too much work. I've been eating fast food, ice cream, chips and chocolate. I've been drinking maybe 4 glasses of water a day and sleeping as much as I can. Sick? Nope... just not 100% in my head.

I know this is a long term change... so I figure there are going to be days where I mess up and go back to old habits. The hard part was getting back on track today. So far so good. I wogged for 40 min this morning and then did an upper body weight lifting regimen.. running for 2 min in between each set. It was kinda gross that I could smell all the crap I ate for the past 4 days seeping thru my skin.

I washed up, drank 32 oz of water and juiced the most yummy drink I've tasted in days. Carrots, cucumber, parsley, radishes, apples, celery, garlic and tomatoes. I drank 8 oz and put the rest in the fridge for this afternoons snack. I then ate one cup of oatmeal and took my vitamins.

Lunch will be a simple turkey sandwich and more water. Its time to replenish my body...and get it working the way it was. Hopefully getting my body on track will help get my head right too.

Day...ummmmmm

I am feeling better... I even went to karate last night. I didn't think I was going to survive the warm up.. let along the entire hour and a half. But I did.. and this morning I feel even better. I am sure that my weight has gone up as the menu for the past two days contained nothing but comfort foods... and chocolate. LOL

Valentines Day was nice. Hubby and I got the girls each a parakeet. I have them next to my bed and it was very relaxing to wake up to the sound of them 'singing'. The girls named them Chili (the white one) and Pepper(the blue one).. how funny!

Today it is snowing..again. I dont think we are going anywhere and I have to get this house in order, so I will go catch up with all of you. See you on Monday!

Had a rough night last night. I think its a touch of the flu. I woke up this morning feeling a little bit better but my stomach is still unsettled. I have decided that the Juice Feasting may not be possible for me.. but I am going to continue to keep it in my diet... a glass of juice is a perfect snack between lunch and dinner when I am most likely to cheat.

I am going to take a bunch of vitamin C and head back to bed.

Marshmallow is having a scavenger hunt.. the winner gets a copy of Dietgirls new book!! Check it out!

Here is my entry:

1)The color brown:

The love of my life and reason for the weight I put on over the years.









2) The color orange:

What has replaced the love of my life and is now showing me the body of my dreams!










3) The color purple:

The other reason I am succeeding... I have found that my body really does have muscles!







4)A Marshmallow

I have learned that you have to let yourself enjoy what you love... like eating chocolate and reading Marshmallows blog!!










5) A cat:

Hmmmmm... do the words HANG IN THERE come to mind???











6)Someone sleeping:

After an early morning of working out I find myself reading blogs... and then dozing off!!










7)The letter M:

I love my fellow bloggers, because I know that I can lean on them for support whenever I am down.








8)The letter W:

Finally the letter W, for every Word that is Written on my blog, may there be millions more where they came from! ..

Day 151

I guess I had a brain cloud this morning. I woke up, walked to the kitchen. Made a cup of coffee (I am not a coffee drinker in the morning) and poured a bowl of cereal. I returned to bed, got warm and comfy under the covers and ate breakfast. It wasn't until an hour later that I thought about having my warm water/lemon/cayenne pepper drink... but then thought 'CRAP!!'. I'm not sure what I was thinking, or if I was even awake! LOL I know I had a night of restless sleep and probably woke up in my old habit of being on auto-pilot when it comes to eating. I think the last time I drank coffee for breakfast was 3 or 4 years ago... weird.

Anyway, I will continue the day with my juicing... I cant be perfect all the time!

Todays work out is supposed to be a 30 min cardio run... but I'm thinking of switching it up a bit and doing my Tae Bo Abs dvd instead. An hour of ab workouts is definitley cardio...

Here is to awakening to a new day!

Day 150 : 195.5

I think I've been looking at this the wrong way.

I've been feeling deprived because I cant eat the food I want. I crave doughnuts and chocolate, sweet chocolate. I want to eat ALL the bread, and in one sitting too! I want to feel like I can eat what I want when I want it.

I've been feeling exhausted because I HAVE to work out or I dont lose the weight. I beat myself up when all I want to do is lay in bed reading my book and sleeping. I am tired of drinking bottle after bottle of water. I HATE water. I hate all of this. Why cant people accept me as I am.. fat.

No, I have not fallen off the deep end! I just wanted you to know what goes thru my head at different times of the day. It's whats in our head that tells whether we are going to succeed or not. If the way you think about food and exorcise does not change, then neither will your body.

This weekend I had a change of mind... one that I desperatley needed.

Saturday we drove 3 hours down to the city. We left at 7am and was there by 10am. We met Hubbys entire family at his brothers house. We then caravaned over to the softball fields where we played a very competitive game against Hubbys half brothers and sisters. At first I was dreading this. I had not played softball in 5 years and I did not feel like making a fool of myself in front of everybody. The weather was warming up, the kids were having fun and it was too late to get out of it. Our team was first up to bat. Hubby was first and slammed it out of the park giving our team a home run. I was second. I strolled out there with one word going thru my mind. 'crap,crap,crap,crap' I HIT the ball!!! Into right field... and made it to second base. I was ecstatic!! From there on it was a blast. I ran fast, hit great and wasnt too bad at playing 2nd base! The final score 22-2 ... oh yeah, we kicked butt!! I cant wait until next year when we have a re-match! The point is, I was really comfortable in my body that day. I noticed how my body was reacting faster, my legs were strong.. and I wasn't out of breath after running to each base! Why would I want to gain the weight back and be a lazy, hard breathing, sweaty lady that cant get her ass off the couch to play a game? I'm liking this new body.. and its only going to get better!

We drove home that afternoon. Sunday I woke up with the worst case of stiff legs I've ever had. It almost felt like I had pulled my groin muscles. Hubby has the same soreness and we are guessing its from running in short bursts while playing.. and not stretching before or after. That was dumb on my part.

I decided Sunday that I was going to try this whole juicing thing. I started the day with the cleansing drink of warm water, lemon and cayenne pepper. I will say that it was kinda hard to put down. Bleh... this morning was a little easier.. but still not easy. I tried all kinds of mixtures all day long. Some were delicious, others not so good. Hubby even ate an apple and an orange for the first time in years... he said the house smelt so good that it was making him crave it. Ha!

Today I am feeling fantastic, I am down 2 lbs from last week and my energy levels are thru the roof! I am also taking my vitamins... so my body is getting replenished with fresh fruit, vegetables and vitamins! I am drinking water along with all the juice and it is actually tasting pretty good.

I ran this morning for 25 minutes...after doing a full lower body weight lifting regemin. I have belly dancing tonight too...

So... after this weekend my mind seems to have made a 180. I am looking at food as energy. I see working out as a way of ridding my body of waste and toxins. Water is refreshing.

I am going to continue this juicing feast for 30 days... when I'm done I will continue on a raw food diet.

Its time for me to see how all of you are doing.

Day 147

It seems that I am not the only one suffering from a lack of energy. So I went to Oprah.com and found a show with Dr. Oz where he explains the daily vitamins we should be taking every day. Now, I havent tried this yet, but am planning on going to the store today and buying what I need.

1) Vitamin D - 1,000 units a day.

Dr. Oz says 1,000 units of vitamin D a day will benefit the body in a variety of ways. "Vitamin D is critically important for preventing cancer and critically important for reducing heart problems. It's linked to multiple sclerosis, to juvenile diabetes. It's one of the best ways of reducing infection rates. It's got a ton of things that it does for you to make your immune system function the way you want it to function

2) Calcium (600 mg) with Magnesium (200 mg)- twice daily

"You want to take calcium, but you've got to take it with magnesium because if you don't take them together, the magnesium loosens your poop," he says. "The calcium makes it a little bit like concrete." Dr. Oz recommends taking 600 milligrams of calcium and 200 milligrams of magnesium twice daily.

3) DHA Omega-3 - 600 mg a day

DHA omega-3. Dr. Oz says a dose of DHA omega-3 is similar to fish oil but comes in a small pill form. "It comes from a source that we know is pretty clean and doesn't give you the anti-coagulant problems that sometimes you run into with fish oil, so I think DHA omega 3s make a lot of sense," Dr. Oz says. He recommends taking 600 milligrams a day.

4) Baby Asprin (162 mg for both)- 2 a day if your over 40

If you're over the age of 40, Dr. Oz recommends adding two baby aspirins to your daily regime. "We know it's very effective in reducing heart disease, very effective in reducing cancer. We think it might actually reduce wrinkles. There's a lot of things aspirin might do that are beneficial to you not only because it thins your blood, but it's a very powerful anti-inflammatory drug."

5) Multi-vitamin - 1 a day spit in half

"If you divide the vitamin in half, then you stabilize your dose during the day. Take half in the morning, half in the evening."

Have a great weekend and I will see y'all on Monday!

Day 146

No exorcise yesterday. Over in calories by 200. Tons of water.

Not a bad day, but not the best by far. Tonight I have karate which helps me in two ways. First, it gives me an hour and a half of working out the entire body. Second, it makes me watch what I eat in the afternoon a little more carefully. I cant go to class with food in my belly or I get really sick. Hopefully that means that today will be better then yesterday.

My hamstrings are killing me. I dont know if they are still sore...or if I'm suffereing from a strained muscle. I'll have to make sure to stretch a little extra before I go to class.

As for my energy level, it is a little better. I cut a multi-vitemin in half and took half in the morning and the other half at night. I think my body is lacking in something...

It is cold today and the girls are getting cabin fever. Hubby is short on work because of the weather so he is home today too. God help me, its going to be a long day.

Day 145

Last night Hubby wanted me to go to his karate class to watch him so that I could help him practice at home. I thought it was a good idea so we bundled up the girls and we all went to class with Daddy. The girls were amazed at all the big guys running around. It was a struggle trying to keep my 4 year old from running over and 'playing' with Daddy. After an hour (the class is 1 1/2 hours) the excitement was gone and the girls just wanted to go home. We went and sat in the truck until class was done. When we got home I helped Hubby with some of the kicks and blocks that he didn't understand in class... the girls decided they needed to get some agression out themselves:

















I have been drained of energy lately. Every muscle in my body aches. I feel sick after I eat... and I cant get anything done around the house. I think I may be over doing it with all the extra workouts I've been doing. I think I will take the rest of the week off from running on the treadmill. Just a short one though. I dont want to drop back into lazy mode... I just want my body to recover.

This Saturday is the family softball game in the city. I know I will burn more calories from laughing then from actually playing the game.. but it should be fun. I was hoping to be at 189 by now.. but I'm not going to stress over it. I am getting there, just a little slower then I had hoped.

We have another vacation to the city coming up the end of February. We are going to the city and spending the weekend swimming in their heated pool!(God help me I have to buy a bathing suite) I know, taking a vacation just to swim, but we live in the mountains where even if you had a pool outside it would be frozen all year round. So its a fun thing to do, especially with the girls! So, my goal for the end of February is 189. I have 3 weeks.. its possible.

Today is yet another day of cleaning house and doing laundry. Have a great day!

Day 144

I am not going to step on the scale again until next Monday... I am tired of the roller coaster. Its playing games with my head. I know that if I just keep taking the next step every day that eventually I will reach my goal. I have been eating fairly well.. more carbs then I would like and sodium up the wa-zoo because of the soups I've been eating for lunch. Dang snow always makes me crave them. I am getting back on Sparkpeople and tracking my food again. I was doing my best when I was using them.. so time to swallow my pride and realize that my head cannot keep track of everything I eat in one day.

Yes, the snow kept falling yesterday and no snow plow in site. I had to miss a belly dancing class, althought I'm pretty sure the school called for a snow day anyway. Some areas got as much as 3 feet of snow.. we got about 16 inches. Enough to build this snowman!! This morning he had about 6" of new snow on top of him...

I woke up hungery this morning and had a yogurt coved in raisin bran, so I have not worked out yet. I will have to wait another hour to make sure my belly is empty before I start running. My goal is to Wogg 2 miles.. 3 would be nice. I need to double up on water today and make sure I keep track of food.

**********************************************
UPDATE: Almost sabotaged myself on the couch with a good book, but made myself Wogg 2 miles in 32 minutes first!!! yeah me

Day 143 : 197.5

Oh yeah... your not seeing things.. I have gained 4 pounds this weekend. But I'm pretty sure its all water weight from too much sodium and serious workouts. I should see it drop by mid week. I know, I'm so positive.. but I will tell you that what the scale says is null and void compared to how I feel.

Saturday my mom came and watched the girls while Hubby and I went to our Tang Soo Do class. I was the only girl there and it was floor work day... in other words, we worked on escaping different mounts and side positions. Much like wrestling. I have never wrestled in my life and to be put under 5-6 different men and trying to escape them was a workout like no other. Every muscle in my body was aching. My thighs are swollen...yes, swollen.. from all the bucking and squating I had to do with the weight of a man on them. That night I settled in and watched the UFC fight on PPV. It was WWE wrestler Lesnar fighting Mir... Lesnar was huge and really fun to watch fight but even his massive muscles were no match against Mir's kneebar. Mir won it in the first round after getting a beat down... great fight!


Yesterday I did nothing. I couldnt. Overnight my muscles had tightend and hardend.. I could barely crawl out of bed without crying. So we hung out and watched tv all day... and of course the Super Bowl. I have to say, I was sorry to see the Patriots lose their shot at a perfect season... but the Giants kicked butt!


So, on to this morning. I wogged 1 mile, did 30 minutes of upper body weights and then finished with a second mile. I feel good... but can already feel my body moan and groan. Tonight is Belly Dancing but we are in the middle of a snow storm, so unless the roads are clear I will be staying home. Yes, I am a wuss and HATE driving in snow.

Like I was saying... I feel great. My body looks great! Oh and its the end of another month so here are measurements:

AUG: 43/ 40.5/ 44
DEC: 39/ 36/ 42
JAN: 38.5/ 36/ 42

A loss of 11 inches in 5 months... and a loss of .5 an inch since December. I'll take it.

I have been watching Hanlie with her Juice Feasting and am fasinated. I am thinking of trying it for 7 days.. and take if from there. I dont know. Whatever I do I need to start it today. I really think that the only thing keeping me from seeing great numbers every week is my food.

Ok, I am off to rearrange the furniture. See you tomorrow!

Everyone is an athlete. The only difference is that some of us are in trainging, some not. - George Sheehan in Heroes and Sparrows.

Day 140

FRIDAY FAVORITES = I have decided that every Friday I will list a couple new things that I have found during the week that I really enjoy. Todays list is short but sweet. Fiber One came out with some new yummy choices.. give them a try! I like to put a 1/2 a cup on top of my yogurt in the morning for breakfast.

Number two is Making the Cut by Jillian Michaels. It is a '30-Day Diet and Fitness Plan for the Strongest, Sexiest You'. I havent read this book yet.. I'm still waiting to order it, but I listen to her talk show every Sunday morning and she is a truly motivating person.... I am sure that this book will be a winner!

1.FIBER ONE















2. MAKING THE CUT by Jillian Michaels

Day 139

I wanted to share with you a couple of things that I found that motivated me a little bit more this morning. Who are your heros??



(Sir Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay)


Sir Edmund Hillary is famous being the first to climb Mt. Everest.

What many do not know is that Sir Hillary did not make it to the top of Everest the first time he tried. The first time was a complete failure. They encountered one problem after another and more than half his climbing party died.

Nonetheless, the British Parliament decided to honor him with some type of award. When he entered the chamber to receive his award, Sir Hillary saw a large picture of Everest had been set-up.

During the standing ovation that he was receiving, he walked over to the picture, shook his fist at it and said,


"You won, this time. But you are as big as you are ever going to get. And I'm still growing."



We frequently hear the stories of people who have succeeded. And we frequently assume that they succeeded the first time.

But it's the exact opposite.

The road to success is paved with the bricks of failure.

********************************************************************

Be Your Own Hero
By Robin Sharma

So many of us have heroes. Leaders, artists or entreprenuers that inspire us. People who have made an impact, people who have shown us a better way, people who have overcome outrageous odds.

Yet, the interesting insight about heroes is that they have the human imperfections and weaknesses that we do. They have their bad days, they feel despair, they get knocked down (in fact, heroes get knocked down more than the rest of us).

Yet, in spite of their human frailties, heroes find a way to change the world.

Here's my challenge to you -- be your own hero. Ask yourself, what would it take for me to show up in the world like my heroes?

You may never discover a life changing medicine, invent a best-in-class product or win the World Cup. But, you can show up every day with discipline, compassion and extraordinary commitment.

So, in your journal, go through the following steps and take the hero's journey.

1. List three to five of your heros.

2. For each hero write down the traits that you admire. Is it Steve Nash's selflessness on the court? Is it Martin Luther King's commitment to civil rights? Is it Richard Branson's vison?

3. Then translate these traits into your life. Can you be more selfless at work? Can you make an unshakeable commitment to doing the right thing? Can you create a powerful vision for your life and pursue it?

4. Write these traits down on a card or better yet on a picture of that hero. Remind yourself to act like that hero. This way your hero becomes your mentor -- even if you'll never meet them.

5. Then go into your days and live like the hero you are.
_______________
Robin S. Sharma, LL.M. is an internationally-known speaker on sales leadership, peak performance and creativity. The bestselling author of several motivational books including MegaLiving, he is the managing partner of Sharma Leadership International. He can be reached at RobinSharma.com

DAY 138

It is a gloomy day here. The clouds are black and hanging low which probably means more snow. This weather really affects my mood... especially my exorcising. Yesterday I was planning on working out at night while Hubby was at Karate class... but The Biggest Loser came on and I wanted to watch it and by the time it was over I was too tired to get up and workout. How Ironic is that?? LOL

So yesterday was a no-go.. this morning I woke up, did my weight lifting and then hopped on the treadmill with 1 hour as my goal...I made it 15 minutes. I just don't have any *umph* today. I am hoping that hubby will give me some motivation tonight and I can get a little more cardio in while he works out.

I really need to focus on my food. I need to cut back on carbs.. and peanut butter. I also need to drink more water. I need to rope in some of the DETERMINATION that I wrote about yesterday and start using it.

Tomorrow night is Karate class for me.. maybe that will light the fire again!

Day 137: 194

Determination : the act of coming to a decision or of fixing or settling a purpose

ALSO KNOWN AS: assurance, backbone*, boldness, bravery, certainty, certitude, constancy, conviction, courage, dauntlessness, decision, dedication, doggedness, dogmatism, drive, energy, fearlessness, firmness, fortitude, grit, guts*, hardihood, heart*, independence, indomitability, intrepidity, nerve*, obstinacy, persistence, pluck*, purpose, purposefulness, resoluteness, resolution, resolve, self-confidence, single-mindedness, spunk*, steadfastness, stubbornness, tenacity, valor, willpower


What is the secret to weight loss?? Determination. It is a day to day battle. You don't just wake up one day and have the perfect body. You wake up every morning and make the decision... am I going to do this? Some days you may not be physically or mentally ready to fight.. but you do it anyway. Because this is what you have to do to lose weight, to live longer, to be happy. All you need to lose weight is DETERMINATION.

Day 136: 193.5

Today's weigh in was a little disappointing.. but definitely not terrible. I did have a cheat meal on Saturday night of ham and pineapple pizza... and my water had been poor all weekend. No excuses...just things I need to improve. Today is the start of a whole new week... another chance to do it right and see a loss.

Karate on Saturday was fun. To get to do something with my husband is great... and the fact that it is something that is good for us is even better! Tonight I have belly dancing with my mom... My calender is really starting to fill up!

I was cruising the blog world the other day and came across a post that really made sense to me. Hanlie from Fertile Healthy wrote a post that compared being on a diet like being newly married.. I'll let her tell you:

A number of years ago I met a girl in a bar, who recognized me from 6th grade. She took my number and actually phoned me! Nobody does that! We became friends. We were both single and unlucky in love. Our prospects looked bleak.

Then she met the one! And went from seeing me 4-5 times a week to about 4-5 times a year. We spoke on the phone pretty regularly and I kept up to date with the goings on in her life. After about a year they got engaged. I became grateful for the infrequent visits, because this girl went into wedding overdrive! During the 10 months before the wedding, she became a professional bride! It was painful to see…

The wedding was a huge success and even I enjoyed it. A mere three months later I got a late night phone call, asking if she could come over. Trouble in paradise. They had spent so much time planning the wedding that they never thought about planning their marriage. They were on the brink of divorce. Fortunately they were mature enough to go for counselling and now, three years later, they’re fine and happy.

I was just thinking today that most obese people are professional dieters. Just like the professional bride with all her catalogues, bridal books, magazines and samples, we have shelves filled with every conceivable, book, plan, and recipe, all the “must-have” exercise equipment (from which we hang our clothes), diet “stuff” on the refrigerator door, expired diet milkshakes in dark corners of our kitchen, scales in the bathroom and on the kitchen counter. We know our stuff. We do graphs. We log our food. We read Shape magazine. We watch Oprah and The Biggest Loser. We blog and join challenges. We count calories and set goals.

There are people who do this year in and year out. Most of us have. I’ve been familiar with the plan I’m following for more than 7 years now. I’ve told people about it, I’ve written about it, but I haven’t actually permanently implemented it. I’ve spent a lot of time “getting ready to start”.

I’ve now started. Seven years down the line. But starting is just a very small part of this… Now comes the “marriage”. The ups and the downs. The adapting. The disappointments and the moments that take your breath away. The waning of passion and the growth in intimacy. The getting comfortable in your routine. The tears and the laughter.

And I say: “Bring it on!”

“It’s never too late to be what you might have been.” ~ George Elliot

I think she is brilliant! Her latest post is just as inspirational... go read it!


Today's workout was a 20 minute HIIT cardio and lower body weights. I was frustrated when I was half way thru my running and realized that I had forgotten to do my weights first and then run. Oh well, I will try again tomorrow! I am in a really good place right now... feeling positive and loving my workouts.. I need this to keep up!

Day 133: 194.5

Karate was A.W.E.S.O.M.E ! They kicked my butt all over that gym and I loved every second. My kicks, punches and blocks came back like second nature... but I am STILL really out of shape. Here I've been thinking that I am in such great shape already when really I am no where near where I should be. I am better then I was, no doubt about that. Had I tried this class at my heaviest I probably would have keeled over of a heart attack. I kept up with them though.. and am so excited to go back for the next class.

The people in that class were even more inspiring. First off, the instructors son is a fighter for the MMA and UFC.(we all know how I love UFC!) A couple of months a year 3 UFC fighters go there to train and fight. (We live at a very high altitude so it is great endurance training for athletes) One of the students is a retired professional boxer. His first 15 fights were knockouts in the first round. Another student is a Jui Jitsu trainer for a UFC fighter. So there is a lot of talent in this Karate class.. and I am very excited. Did I already say that? Oh yeah, I'm very excited!!

Every muscle in my body is aching this morning but I wogged 1 mile, did 100 sit ups and 20 push-ups. Tomorrow morning hubby and I have a babysitter for the girls, so we are BOTH going to Karate class!! Yeah!!

A couple people asked about why I use the name Tigerlilly... well, I will tell that story.. but not right now. Maybe this weekend.... and yes P.O.M., I think I see Tigerlilly too!!

***On a Family Note = VICTORY .... we have been diaper free for 4 days and 3 nights with only one accident. I am FREE of diapers...free, free!!!!**********