I logged on this morning and caught up on reading the blogs I follow.  One of which happens to be a weight loss journal of an old friend.  She had a quote that she found and had posted on her blog earlier this week and I loved it too much not to pass it forward as well.  It was exactly what I needed to hear and HOW I needed to hear it today!!!

“Stop being a moron and start getting skinny! If you can’t take one more day of self-loathing, you are ready to hear the truth: You cannot keep shoveling the same crap into your mouth every day and expect to lose weight.”

Love it!! lol

This week has been a weird one for me.  I have felt, in simple terms: FOUL.  Last night I didn't even want to be around myself.  I was mad because on Thursday nights I ALWAYS go to Chick-fil-a while Morgan is in dance and I get her a sandwich to eat right after class (and of course enjoy my usual while she is dancing!).  I thought Michael had picked up my purse on the way out the door while I had grabbed my backpack.  Well, evidentally he had put it back down because I had no purse (aka no way to pay @ chick-fil-a!).  To say I was pissed didn't even begin to cover it.  I was hungry, I was tired, and I was SUPER irritated.  Morgan was actually pretty upset too when she got back in the car.  So when we got home, and I was relieved that my purse was there (it had in it all the cash to pay rent AND my car payment, another reason for my panic!), I then got online and ordered Domino's pizza.  And not just pizza.  I also ordered the lava cakes that are offered for dessert with a 2liter of Coke.  It was wonderful.  Every last bite.  I will say, the lava cakes made me SO much happier.  Sad, I know.  Food was my solace, my comfort.  THIS is what I have to get away from.  This feeling of being so behind the gun, being so REactive instead of being PROactive.  How am I going to do this?  I have no freaking clue.  Not today.  I am still recovering, I guess.  I didn't realize until last night just how stressed I have been, how SAD I have been.  AND I DON'T KNOW WHY!!!!  I mean yes, school can be a bit stressful, but is that a reason to be a mess all the time?  NOPE.  All I wanted to do was cry last night and that just pissed me off even more.  See the vicious cycle I have adopted?  This is not me and I don't like it at all! 

I think my week off made me a bit lazy.  That didn't help at all.  Yes, I got a lot of housework accomplished, yes, I got my schedule planned for February- I hit all the goals I had for myself at the week's start.  But along the way, I lost my pace from before.  Now I just have to focus on getting it back.  Hopefully I can make some of that up today.  I have a full day planned- teaching my Zumba class from 11-11:50, then on to the house I clean every other week.  That will put me home about an hour before the rest of the family gets here, so I can have a moment to sit quietly.  Then we have a relatively quiet weekend planned, only teaching a class tomorrow morning, & church on Sunday, so hopefully I can get a lot of studying done, and get back on track with my workouts and my point counting!  I am going to try again today.  I looked at the other pop-tart from Morgan's breakfast and thought to myself "nope, I don't want this- I don't want to spend 4 points on a tiny little pop-tart!" lol  I guess that could be considered progress...

Have a wonderful weekend!

the crud

I woke up this morning feeling just like I have every morning for the past 3 days.  Like crap.  My stomach is rolling, I felt just plain awful.  So I sent emails off to my instructors and got Morgan off to school and I went back to bed.  I woke up at 12:30 and let me tell you, I feel like a different person now!  My stomach still feels a bit under the weather, but overall, I feel a lot more human.  Hopefully I can move forward now, I am so tired of feeling awful.  I miss my workouts!
I have been in a funk for the past week, I am sure that hasn't helped my overall feeling one bit.  It is amazing how you find yourself feeling low, and everything you encounter just pulls you deeper and deeper into that funk. I see now how people fall into deep depressions during the winter months.  The walls are closing in around you, everything seems to be a real pain in the butt.  I realize now how people have a difficult time sticking to New Year's Resolutions that involve improving physical activity.  It is hard to motivate yourself and keep a positive outlook on things when it is icky outside.  One small step back turns into a major leap backward.  My knee swelling up last week was the start of my spiral.  I was upset because I couldn't do the Shred- and I started feeling bad in my guts- and I just wanted to crawl in bed and not come out.  I should feel better- I did exactly that on Sunday and today!  lol  It is just finding the strength to battle the downward pull.  I even got to the point where I was questioning my decision to be in massage school.  I was ready to completely quit.  I just felt drained.  Thank goodness that I was able to get my head out of 'there' and get back into a positive, happy mindset.  I am glad that I took today off to get my head on right- and my grades will thank me as well. (I just have to remember this while I am sitting in class making up my time!!)

Today I started logging my foods- and using the Weight Watchers points system.  I know that it has probably changed and evolved dramatically since I was a part of it in 2004, however, I am using that system because it is what I know and hey, I have all that paperwork! ;)  All I have to say is thank goodness for activity points!  lol
I hope that everyone has a wonderful Monday- I wish everyone a great week that is positive and powerful!

minor setback

It never fails- when you get all excited about something- especially in my world of workouts- a minor irritation or other issue arises and makes it so that you cannot continue uninterrupted.  Lots of words to say that I am sick and my knee is messed up.  Either way, I am seriously ticked off because I can't workout today.  I don't know if I can tomorrow- we'll see how I feel after Zumba class in the morning.  While doing the final ab workout on the DVD yesterday (the exercise is bicycle crunches-SLOW), I could hear my left knee grinding.  I tried to flop it around, you know- get it back on track- so it would quit making that awful noise.  No luck with that, but I stuck out the exercise, because after all, Jillian is in the background yelling at you not to quit when you are almost done.  Well, unfortunately, my knee is now swollen, feels icky.  No sharp pain, thank goodness, just swollen and it feels like a loose tooth. Like one wrong move and it is toast.  I have too much at stake for my knee to be toast, so I will sit down and rest today.  And be super careful in class tomorrow. 
I was supposed to teach down at Dayton Daily News building today, but apparently I ate something that seriously disagreed with me, so there was no quick movements that were happening for me this morning- even if my knee would have been fine.  Probably was for the best all the way around, but I could have done without being so sick all night long and this morning. ugh.
I did manage to go get dog tags, pay the City of Clayton bill, and go to Krogers without incident this afternoon.  All without even being tempted by soda or fast food!  I just wanted to get some healthy stuff and get home and eat.  And I even had a big glass of milk to drink this morning.  Geesh, making changes all the way around.
I hope everyone has a wonderful Friday!  Be safe (if you are in all this snow) & enjoy!

extra energy? I totally forgot about that part!

Again, I am blown away by these past couple of days.  I have done 2 days of the shred, and I can tell a huge difference.  First off, I noticed that yesterday after I worked out, I ran up my basement stairs.  (you have to understand, stairs have always been an issue for me- and I am normally pretty reserved in how I go up or down on them)  THEN when I got to church, I skipped down the stairs there to get to the basement where Zumba class is held.  HUH?  How can 2 little workouts make me feel that much different?  oh wait, it gets better!  So, I felt pretty stupid on Monday when I had to cancel class because of my missing ipod-- well, I planned a pretty intense class to work everyone pretty hard to make up for the missed workout.  Yes, I was winded; yes, I was red in the face.  BUT I had this surplus of energy that I have not experienced in a long, long time.  It felt wonderful.  I am trying to get to the point where I do my shred early in the day, but I am SO NOT a morning person, and have had some difficulty getting up and going each morning this week.  (hey, it's my vacation, I'm allowed, right?) 
Next month begins a Weight Loss Support Group.  I am so excited about this.  I sent emails out to my students yesterday and have heard back from about 10 people so far who are ready to go!  I still have to write an article and put it on the online publication for the city.  Because it is the people who are too scared to come to Zumba because they think they are too heavy, or because they are so inactive they are overwhelmed about starting a workout program- those are who we truly need to reach.  Let them know it isn't hopeless- that slowly but surely we can all work our ways to healther bodies.  I can't wait for that fun to begin.  Plus I get to dive back into all of my material that I learned last year and get to share great information with people.  That is always a great feeling. 
Well, enough rambling for today...  Day 3 of shred- coming up.  Day 4 of no pop or fast food--  I mentioned to my boyfriend last night that I felt great and I totally attributed that to the workouts and the lack of pop and FF.  Now hopefully I can plan well enough next week that I can take my lunch and have snacks during school days so that I don't have to go anywhere near a fast food joint! 
Have a great day everyone!!

I feel great!

oh, thank goodness I could get out of bed this morning!! :)  I was feeling pretty rough last night, my delayed onset muscle soreness didn't delay too much-- I was pretty sore!  But I took a nice hot shower and relaxed and I think that helped.  All in all, I feel absolutely wonderful today!  I am going strong on no soda pop, and being home all week has made it pretty easy to avoid fast food.  And we are out of cheese, so my problem food #3 is taken care of as well! :) 
I must say that it feels pretty good to sit here on the couch, drinking my cup of coffee, looking out at a drab, dreary day, and know that I don't have anywhere I have to be until much later this evening.  I do plan on heading out to the store, after my workout.  But there is no rush to anything that I am going to do today.  My ipod is charged and ready to go, just have to tweak the playlist based on how many new songs I can learn today... 
So back to the workout.  I must say, I love circuit training.  Especially Jillian's approach using the 3-2-1 combination.  You are never doing one exercise long enough to get burnt out on it.  It goes so fast, you are finished before you realize you are really working hard.  (the only exception is the final ab workout, that minute seems long, but it is the very last thing, so no big deal!)  :)
So Day 2 of the shred, I am ready to go!  Hope you have a wonderful day too!

Just keeps getting better... (not)

Well, that was one heck of a week.  As I was sitting down to the computer this morning to get organized, I was feeling a bit overwhelmed about creating my "to do" list.  Then I thought to myself, gee, why don't I blog first, because I always feel better after doing that, plus I seem to be able to work my way through some of my issues doing this. ;)  So here I am! 
I think I might need to start blogging every morning and keeping myself on track!  This afternoon I will begin day 1 of my 30 day shred. (thank you Jamie!)  If I am blogging, then I will be able to be held accountable to the blogging world to make sure I get my workout in...  I know you all will be excited to hear how well I can keep up with this one. *smile*
Okay, re-visiting my last blog (see, I didn't forget!)  I talked about foods that hold you (and me) captive.  For me, I have several.  First and foremost, Coca-Cola.  Second, fast food.  Third, cheese.  (I know, random) Knowing I have this 30 day shred starting today, I decided yesterday to give up Coke (ok, soda all the way around) during these 30 days.  I also am giving up the major players in the fast food circuit.  (Wendy's, McDonalds, BK)  I ate at Fazoli's yesterday, but changed up what I ate, so I felt better about it.  I am going to (try) to at least log everything I am eating every day-- and when I have time, convert everything to WW points.  I know that sytem works for me- plus keeps in mind that I need to eat my exercise points so I don't end up with too large a deficit so I am okay metabolically... yes, a lot of work, but dammit, it is about time.  Now the cheese issue is another thing...  I think I am going to start small and not buy the block cheese from the store.  Staying away from FF will ensure I won't put cheese on my hamburgers... lol

After a crazy day yesterday, I am very focused on accomplishing lots of things today.  Having Morgan home was great, but we were both super lazy and stayed in bed till 11, then went and watched a movie, followed by the trip to Fazoli's.  Then we went home and I picked up a library book that I was wanting to finish and there I stayed instead of preparing for class...  which led to my last minute rush and my inability to locate my ipod, which led to no class.  (and a very flustered, irritated, embarassed Gina) So today I have already worked on the kitchen and dining room area, and after I finish here I will get moving on the rest of my list, which today includes getting the house picked up and clean.  Tomorrow I will be working on scheduling for classes in February- and new choreography for class tomorrow night!  Then on Thursday I will be able to focus on studying for my return to school next week.  Ahhhh, see what I mean?  I already feel better.  :) 

So today I am starting the 30 Day Shred with Jillian Michaels.  I am excited and a little nervous.  I have realized how out of control I have gotten and I am hopeful that today will be the day that ends that little blurp in my life.  I will be taking measurements and weighing in- plus doing the fitness assessment that I do on students- the pushup and curlup tests.  Let's see how I rate today and then again in 30 days.  (I also purchased the shred with Jillian that utilizes kettlebells- I plan on using that one too, eventually) I am fascinated with kettlebells!  Such an old workout, gives some amazing results.

Well, I hope you all have a wonderful Tuesday.  I will be back tomorrow to report how Day 1 went... 

Chaos = No Good

WOW, what a crazy week I have had!  Not a lot of great advances in my quest for weight loss, but I haven't taken any steps backwards either...My challenge to myself this week is to actually be able to hit the challenge from last week!  Sadly, I don't think I accomplished one session of core work.  I realized a lot of things over the weekend:  just about every little bit of my life is in chaos right now and that is translating into one very unorganized and flustered Gina. 
I am not used to being unprepared for things, especially in a classroom.  But I continue to find myself sitting down in class every Monday and Wednesday saying "Before next class, I am going to get it together!"  Granted my grades are still pretty darn good, if I may brag a bit, but those A's won't stay A's for long at the rate that I am going!  I went from 106% to a 99% to a 96% in Anatomy.  OOPS.  Luckily I have a week off next week and so my challenge next week is going to be to really get myself together so that I can focus on the things that I need to!  School, yes, that is a no brainer.  I need to do well.  But there are so many things I want to do with the fitness classes at the church- adding in other classes-- a beginner class, a strength training class, and then there are several who have requested a weight loss support group.  And make all of this possible for people to come to as many classes as they want to and still be able to afford it, while still making enough money to pay all of my bills...  My goal is to plan everything next week and then implement all the schedule changes in February.  (gee, another challenge!) I also get to spend part of the week getting my house organized.  Hopefully I will get some time to learn some new choreography as well!  Well crud, there went that week!  LOL

I know you are saying: gee Gina, you have given yourself plenty of challenges, but what good does that do me??  And you are right.  So I need for you to do a couple of things this week.  First:  think about that one food that holds you hostage.  The one you cannot control, that completely controls you whenever you eat it.  Make some decisions about how you are going to handle situations when this food is present.  Can you limit yourself?  Or is this something that really you just need to stay away from, not buy at the store?  Is there more than one food- or is it a drink?  Really sit down and take some time to think about it.  On Thursday I will be back and talk about my own food issues. 
Second- What do you want to get from your workouts?  Do you want to maintain your current body weight, but improve your overall cardiovascular health?  Or do you want to lose weight?  Or do you want to gain lean muscle mass?  Think about it-- and let me know what it is that you want to do!  That way I can help you achieve your goals...  I think if you are taking the time to read my incessant ramblings, that I can take time to give you some personal training "on the house".  *wink* 
Well, it is getting rather late and I do have school tomorrow.  Crud, just got the call that Northmont is on a 2hour delay. If only I could be too!  *smile*  HEY!  What do you know...  posted this, then checked WHIOTV.com and there it was!  I get a 2 hour delay too!! YIPEEEEEEEE!  lol

Trying to skinny up the middle

Can you spot reduce?  No way.  I know this.  However, it has been proven that if you do a ton of one exercise, it will be enough to spark a cardiovascular response and you will get benefits from the work.  So, does it make sense to 'kill' one area at a time?  For me, I say yes.  My problem with my workouts is that I haven't for a long time taxed my body enough to even be sore the next day.  I might feel certain muscles differently the day after a new routine, but it that DOMS (delayed onset muscle soreness) doesn't even last a full 48 hours!  I know I have done a thorough job of tearing my muscle fibers down if I am sore the next day, but then even more sore the following day.  Only then do I feel good in the knowledge that I WORKED HARD. 
I see so many people on the protein train- thinking they need to consume mass quanties of protein after a workout because they need to repair their muscles.  The sad part is, many of those people aren't taxing their bodies enough to even warrant the extra protein, which then they are just overindulging.  Most of us get enough protein in our diets without adding the scoop of protein mix to our favorite smoothie or shake.  But the protein bandwagon is hot, difficult to say no, when we think we are doing a good thing for our bodies.  If you work hard, lifting weights and tearing muscle down, then hey- by all means add that scoop- or better yet, save some money and just drink some good old fashioned chocolate milk!  One of the best forms of protein you could ingest, and gives you the right amount of protein to help your muscles. 
Okay, enough of my soapbox preaching... 
Today, my challenge to you- and to myself- is to complete 100 abdominal crunches.  Am I going to lie down on the floor and crunch up 100 times the same way?  Nope!  I am going to do some crunches, some oblique work, some plank holds, maybe some Tspine supports, but needless to say, I am going to work my core today.  To the point where I better be sore tomorrow or I am going to be highly irritated!  *smile*
Let me know how you plan to get your 100 in...  I am not saying that doing the same exact exercise 100 times over the course of the day is a bad thing- there are some exercises that I will do that way.  I just feel like there are so many different muscles in your abdominal wall that you need to hit them all to get in the best workout.  Who knows, maybe some of this will improve my posterior as well.  lol
My sister inspired today's workout.  When she was losing weight after my nieces were born, she did the crunches every day for months.  She did 100 of them religiously.  She knows as well as I do that you can't technically spot reduce, but it did in fact flatten her middle.  Because for her and I, that is the first place we lose weight.  So for me, I know that my workout today is going to flatten my mid-section (well, hopefully!).  Will it work that way for others? perhaps.  Just depends on how you are wired.  Maybe for some, it will be improvements in your arms, for others your back.  Some may be affected more so in the upper abs, others in the lower abs.  No matter what, if you are doing 100 of anything in one specific area, you WILL see results.  Just make sure to drink plenty of fluids to help flush out those toxins you are gonna be releasing!!! 

p.s.  Yesterday was rough!  I am glad it is Tuesday!  But after a fast food sandwich (probably not the best choice, but the simplest to eat en route), I ate soup and a sandwich from Tim Hortons for lunch.  Okay, I had a Coke with lunch as well, but I needed the double shot of caffeine- those exams wore me out! I did great with snacks- a banana and granola bar on the run between class and Zumba.  Dinner might have been at 10pm, but it was very good!  A pot roast, potatoes and onions that had cooked in the crock pot all day- a new recipe that cooked the meat and veggies in ginger ale.  It was fabulous!! 
Today I am home most of the day.  Other than getting oil changed and a trip to the grocery with my almost 3 year old niece, I have a low stress day planned.  I hope yours is a great one too! 

GO!

Well, my start to 2011 hasn't been earth shattering or life altering yet.  *laughing* I missed yesterday and then today was just crazy!  I knew that I wasn't going to be able to get in a major workout till Tuesday (the 100 challenges will be issued on Tuesday and Thursday mornings, by the way).  I should have blogged, but you see how that went!  Anyway...

I wanted to see just how bad I could be yesterday (yes, this would be confession time).  We went to Michael's parent's house for a day of card playing- and eating.  Not necessarily in that order.  I stepped on the scale for giggles and grins before I left, and then again when I returned home after what turned out to be a marathon day of grazing.  I was 6 pounds heavier when I came home!  HOLY COW!  Yes, that is ridiculous!  Granted, today I am back down, but knowing I consumed 6 pounds of food and beverage in one day was a definite wake up call for me. 

So, tomorrow is my first day back at school.  It is going to suck because not only do I have school: I have to get in the shower at 5 am, take Michael to work, then get my daughter and my niece (who is staying with me this week) ready for school, put dinner in the crock pot, take the girls to latchkey, then off to school by 7 am.  After class, I have to rush home, pick up my family, bust it to Zumba class, where HOPEFULLY everyone has returned from their breaks. THEN (because that isn't enough) Morgan has Jazz class from 8:30 - 9:15.  Then after we get home and I get the girls to bed, I can have dinner.  So, needless to say, my challenge is to be smart in my food selections tomorrow.  Of course I need to go to the grocery store, so taking a well thought out packed lunch is out of the question.  dang.  But I think I can make good choices picking up lunch for myself.  I'll take water bottles and granola bars to get me through the classes.  I am planning on having a good, healthy day- even though the cards are stacked against me right now.  (honestly, I feel calmer about facing tomorrow just having put it into words.)  *smile*

I hope everyone has a smooth return to normalcy- and success in whatever their New Year's Resolutions may be.  Stick to it!!  You will be so much happier (and healthier) in the long run!!