Happy New Year Give Away!

Happy New Year! May 2010 be a fantastic year!



In light of the new year, I decided to have another give away. Let's start the new year right with healthy eating and great exercise. To help with that, I'm giving away something I love: The Firm!



I am giving away one brand new DVD that has two workouts on it. The Firm Standing Legs and The Firm Upper Body. This is a weight lifting tape. Items needed to do this DVD are a tall box/high step and dumbbells. (Ankle weights, a chair and a barbell can be used, but are not necessary.)



Standing Legs is 45 minutes long and dubbed as one of the toughest lower body workouts available. It can't be all that bad, because I do it!



Upper Body is 40 minutes long and a thorough upper body workout.



To enter, leave a comment. If you announce the contest on your blog, let me know by leaving a second comment and I'll let that count as a second entry.



My son and I will put the entries in a bowl, and he will choose the winner. (That's easier than me using the computer, plus he likes to be included.) The winner must contact me within 48 hours of the announcement of the winner. Entries close at 9 pm Central Time on Friday the 8th, and my son will draw a winner on Saturday the 9th.

Happy New Year! May all your weight loss, health and fitness dreams come true!

My Little Bag of Tricks...

I keep a bag of clothes in my closet to shrink into. The last time I went through the bag, I was overjoyed at all the new-to-me-again clothes I could wear. I blogged about it, but can't find the post. I was psyched!

Well, just on a whim, I pulled my bag of tricks out and started trying on.

The bag now contains one pair of jeans. Everything else? FIT!

Here's the most amazing part: I'm at 222.5 pounds right now. The clothes that fit me today are the clothes I bought 7 years ago when I was in the 190s.

THAT is what serious exercise will do for a person! It will change your body composition!

I am just SO excited I could yell off roof tops! This really helps put those slow losses I've had the past few months into perspective. Pinch me! No longer will I complain over those slow losses, as long as I continue to work out.

My new-to-me-again jeans that I'm now wearing? SIZE 16!!!!!!

Now that's a great way to start the new year!!!

New Years Eve Plans

We are low key around here, we don't drink, so we don't party. Usually we rent some movies or watch TV on New Years Eve. We'll do the same this year, but my husband came up with a wonderful idea.

He asked me if I'd like to take the dogs for a walk at midnight tonight. How fun! YES! I asked my son and he had the same reaction.

So we will be bringing in the new year walking, moving our bodies, as a family, in the bitter Minnesota cold. I can't imagine a better way to bring the new year in...

(unless we won the lottery and could fly to a tropical paradise. lol)

Happy New Year

May 2010 be full of good health, great fitness and much happiness for everyone!

Fear of Morning

This is so silly, but it's true.

When I was a young teen in middle school, my son's age, my mom had a heart attack. It was scary for her, for me, and for everyone. After her heart attack, she had to change her ways. She had to start exercising. She hated exercising. I loved it. In fact, now that I'm doing it consistently again, I love it even more than I ever have.

Mom and I used to walk football field tracks or go to a lake and walk the bike path. Mom trudged along, and back then, I used to run. We'd often go swimming. Mom would just tread water and kind of be in the water, but I'd swim a few laps, jump off the board, dive, swim under water, etc.

Mom had to take classes on how to exercise and heart health. She learned one very important rule in all this: Most heart attacks happen between 4 and 7 in the morning.

Ah, the cardinal rule was born and instilled into me: You NEVER exercise in the morning. Ever.

Fast forward to all these years. I have had a fear of exercising in the morning. And now you al know where that fear came from. Today I broke the rule.

I got up before 7 and by 7:30 (hey, that's early for me!), I was working out.

I LOVED it. Oh my gosh, I did my two workouts for a little more than an hour, was showered and dressed and ready to start the day. I have had more energy today than I've had in a long time. See, I'm not a morning person and I just don't wake up until early afternoon, which was my choice time to work out.

I think sometimes we need to get over our fears or what we have learned to accept as normal from our pasts and try new things. That goes for everything: food, exercise, issues, etc.

This is something I'm really going to try to institute into my life: MORNING exercise.

My mom has been gone for 16 years, and I don't think she'd mind now if I broke her rule. It would be amazing if I materialized into a morning person. That just might happen!

Monday Morning Weigh-In/2009 Results

I know, I said I wasn't going to weigh in from now on except on a monthly basis. I've been sneaking a few peeks here and there, and the darned scale always says 223.

Well, this morning I figured I'd hop on so I could have a total pounds lost in 2009 figure. Plus I was worried about my cookie episode.

Hmm, finally the scale has moved.

222.5
Total lost for 2009: 60
10 1/2 months

I've met another 5-pound goal. I have dropped my BMI in 2009 from 47 to 37.

My fitness has improved dramatically!

What a great year it has been. I think one of the best parts of this journey has been meeting so many wonderful people on this same journey. I've learned a lot from my blogging friends, and I feel rich from the friendship and support.

Here's to another great year for all of us! May I be blessed to lose another 60 in 2010.

Shoe Trick=Happy Feet!

Happy Feet!

Pumas: I'm still loving the new Pumas, but they are slightly long in the toe area. They're the most comfortable shoe I think I've ever owned, aside from that.

I got online to look to see if Puma made wide shoes so I could try a 7 instead of a 7 1/2. They do, but I'll have to find them in the stores to try them on first. Then I started Googling: wide foot, narrow heel. If I get a shoe that fits the width of my forefoot, then I get heel slippage. It stinks. Really. When your feet hurt, you hurt.

Well, forget that! My Google search led me to Dick's Sporting Good's Website and an article entitled How to Lace Athletic Shoes. They had a special lace design for wide feet (and other foot issues, too).

So I ran, grabbed my old workout shoes and tried it. Today I worked out in my old shoes and was in heaven! It works! It was comfortable. No pain at all, no tightness, and no more heel slipping out of the shoe!

It looks pretty funky, but I couldn't care less! Happy feet! I had to double-knot because the laces are too long.

Just thought I'd share, because I can't be the only one with imperfect feet! This opens up a whole new world to me. Perhaps now I can buy lace shoes at the bargain bins instead of buying the only pair that will fit no matter the cost.

Christmas Goodies

We had a fitness Christmas here! My husband got his rogue rings he wanted, wheel things that he holds onto as they roll on the floor--so he's doing push-up type things (Akro Wheels), and two fitness books he requested. I did surprise him with a 10-foot jump rope. He looked locally for one, but couldn't find one that long. One of the pitfalls that comes with being so tall, he can never find his size in anything!

I got my Original Step in teal and purple, the high step in blue, and a pair of slanted risers. I also got exercise DVDs (which I bought, mostly used) and am thrilled with! Never in my wildest dreams did I think I would be so happy with fitness stuff for Christmas!

Two stability balls are on their way to our home as well. I've balked at stability balls due to the space they take up, fear of falling off them, and the fact we have three border collies who are ball fiends. There's just so much we

We sure have changed!

I made an excel chart with all the videos I have, categorized them by type: strength, cardio, interval, and Firm classifications of Tortoise and Hare. I have several rotations mapped out. I'm ready!

I didn't work out yesterday because the living room had experienced the Christmas Explosion--the garbage sack of wrapping paper, boxes, and stuff stacked. Today it's getting cleaned up so I have room to work out. I'm going to do Cathe's High Step Circuit which came with the High Step.

I feel so blessed that we were able to have such a lovely Christmas. My son was very happy, too. I feel even more blessed that my mindset has changed, that I enjoy exercise, and that I'm loving training my body.

It's back to normal eating for me today. I discovered I cannot make cookies and cannot have homemade cookies in the house. I've always prided myself on never forcing the others to change or give up anything, and they have changed their mindset as a result. I had an episode with cookies the day I made them. I just cannot have them. I'm sorry my family will have to suffer due to it, but it's a recipe for disaster for me.

I also discovered that I need to cut my lasagna and breakfast casserole recipes in half. We had two huge pans full of the stuff in the fridge, and it was just way too much food for the three of us. It was never an issue before, when I didn't watch what I ate. This time I felt guilt because I didn't want to waste good food.

When I lost 70 pounds a few years back, I always had a thought in the back of my mind: I cannot wait to get back to normal eating. Of course I did get back to normal eating and gained the 70 back plus some. This I think is why my metabolism is screwed up and why I'm losing slower this time. Now? I said last night to my husband, "Tomorrow I'm back to normal eating."

My normal has changed. And that's a good thing.