45 and counting! (261 days 'til the big 4-0)

Well ladies and gents, here we are at the beginning of another month.  Five months have passed since I began my wellness journey, and I am happy to share that today marks 45 pounds lost!  I couldn't do it without the support and encouragement of a handful of coworkers, a few close friends, my amazing children, my incredible boyfriend, and, believe it or not, the inspiration of the trainers and contestants of  this season's The Biggest Loser.  Making the time to work in the exercise is by far my biggest challenge. I know, I know, Dolvett and Bob... "No excuses".  However, being a single mom, working full-time, and raising two very socially active teenage girls does not leave much "me" time.  Trying to balance a home life with my girls, with my man, and still take care of business is a juggling act in and of itself.  If I go to the gym during the times that are free in my schedule (5 a.m. or 9 p.m.) then I am not getting enough sleep.  So what's a girl to do?  This is not a rhetorical question.  Some helpful time-management/prioritization advice would be greatly appreciated.  I definitely need to figure out how to get a handle on that.  I keep imagining how much further along I could have progressed at this point, if I was more disciplined with my exercise, but I am not letting it get me down.  If only my feet had the same 176K miles on them that my vehicle does, I would be in GREAT shape!  It would be so helpful to have an elliptical, a recumbent bike, or a treadmill, and a bench with some free weights at home, and I would be good to go!  If anyone has any of these items you're not utilizing, and would be willing to donate, please let me know.  Thanks!  Until next time.....

Workin my way to "swagalicious"! (279 days til the big 4-0)

5K in 47 minutes, a best time for me, at Susan G Komen Race for the Cure 3/10/12

This is my "What doesn't kill me makes me stronger" smile, pre-race.

That's me in the Ray Charles shades, above the foreground lady's head, crossing the finish line!  A great feeling after having to bail out less than a mile into the Edison Festival of Light 5K.  Still sporting the same dumb shoes that give me blisters...ouch!  The others didn't work out, but I'm hoping to trade them in this week.

To date I've shed 38 pounds since Nov 1, weighing in at 229 down from 267 (finally bought a scale), and dropping 2+ pant sizes... only 94 pounds to reach my goal.  I'm more than 1/3 of the way there!  Looking forward to continuing my fitness journey.  Thanks for following along.  I need all the support and encouragement I can get.

Awwwwwwwww yeah, I got your motivation right here!

Couldn't take the pants dragging on the ground anymore. The only thing holding them up was the junk in my trunk. So I stopped at the same store to pick up a new pair of the same pants, and SHAZAM... I'm two full sizes smaller than I was when I began my journey three months ago. Holla!  Who is full-steam ahead?!  THIS GIRL RIGHT HERE!

Wow... it's been a while! Can you say Happy New Year in February?!

HeartWalk went great!  With the help of friends and family I raised $450 for the American Heart Association!  My daddy would be proud.  The weather was beautiful, and I was rockin to go...until I arrived and realized no one told me I was going to be hoofing it up the tallest bridge in our county, but with my guy by my side encouraging me the whole way,  I came, I saw, and I (we) conquered!  Wore the same dumb shoes though, and yes ended up with blisters again.  Just bought myself a new pair this week, with the help of a birthday gift card from a dear friend.  I am looking forward to breaking them in tonight.  My next event will be the Edison Festival of Light 5K on February 18.

People are asking me everyday, "How much have you lost?"  Truth is, I have no idea.  I don't own a scale.  Guess it is time for a courtesy trip to my doctor's office to check that out.  Regardless of what the numbers are, I am wearing a pair of pants today that I haven't been able to put on in four years!  All of the rest of my clothes are falling off.  Needless to say, "saggin" for a near 40 year old, is not cool in the least.  I am looking forward to dropping another full size before doing any shopping though.

Not only can I see a difference, I can feel a difference.  I have more energy.  I can tie my shoes without feeling like I'm going to pass out.  My smile is brighter.  My step is lighter.  My confidence is higher.  Life is good... and will keep getting better as I continue on my journey.  Thanks for following me!

More to come soon...

Gobble Gobble! Momma needs a new pair of shoes! (386 days til my 40th!)

What a crazy way to start Thanksgiving day!  At 7 a.m. my friends and I participated in the 42nd Annual Turkey Trot.  Proceeds benefited the new pediatric ER at Cape Coral Hospital.  We couldn't have ordered better weather!  The morning was cool and clear.  So my goal was to finish this 5K event in 50 minutes or less.  Unfortunately I did not reach that goal.  I came in at a 51.11, only 19 seconds quicker than my last event which involved increases in elevation.  Problem is, I need a new pair of shoes!  I don't know who made these Brooks things that I spent a small fortune on (most expensive shoes of my life), but I end up with awful blisters after every event.  I guess not enough time passed for complete healing between the Midpoint Madness (on 11/11) and the Turkey Trot (on 11/24), so beginning at about mile 1 I was in pain from that point forward to the finish line.  As badly as it burned, I refused to quit.  I am happy that I finished in a bit less time than the Midpoint event, but not happy that I didn't reach my goal (insert sad face here).  I won't let it get me down though.  I just need to go to the big man himself and plead my case.  Dear Santa, for Christmas I need a personal trainer AND a new pair of shoes!...Oh and a scale...I don't have one of those, which is not good.

On to the rest of Thanksgiving day...  Following the race, I had some scrambled eggs and two small pieces of bacon, that was delicious, as I watched some of the Macy's parade w/my girls.  Then it was off to prepare Thanksgiving dinner.  This was the first without my whole family in attendance.  It was very strange.  I had my daughters, my nephew, my friend Laura, and my guy there to celebrate with us.  Dinner was fantastic!  The girls and I did a great job with our preparations.  Thanks to mom for allowing me to borrow your awesome infrared NuWave oven.  Our 12 lb bird was done in three hours flat!  We are still nibbling on leftovers.  I, however, need to quite nibbling and get back on program in full effect in order to reach my 12/19/2012 goal!

Next up is the American Heart Association's HeartWalk on December 10.  I will be walking in memory of my dad.  To support the AHA in my dad's memory, please click here!  Thank you, in advance, for your support.  This one means a great deal to me personally.  I am genetically predisposed, losing both my grandfather and father in their early 60s, and I don't want to be another statistic.  My kids deserve better!  I deserve better!  It's time to eradicate heart disease once and for all!

Thank you all for your continued support and encouragement!  Please keep it up! <3

Dear Santa or Dr. Phil, for Christmas I'd like a personal trainer (392 days til my 40th birthday)

I had my preview workout with a personal trainer at LA Fitness, the health club I joined, last Thursday.  He was awesome and the session went great.  I couldn't walk for three days after, but I know it was because of the hard work and effort I put forth to give my body what it needs.  The trainers do more than just supervise your workout though.  They are inspirational and motivational.  They push when you want to quit.  They write up detailed workouts for you to follow during the rest of the week, and during your weekly session with them, they discuss with you your success and areas that need improvement.  Monthly they assess your overall achievement and celebrate it with you, then re-evaluate and discuss your goals while helping you take the steps necessary to accomplish them.  However, I learned that to sign up with a trainer, even for just one session per week, is $112 per month.  Twice per week would be $208 per month.  Albeit ideal for my health needs, that is a financial impossibility for me.  I know in my heart that personal training works; I have had proven results in the past.  I know in my wallet, it's not happening.  I am hoping that someone from the Dr. Phil show checks my blog and reads this.  Even if I don't qualify to be on the show, I have the drive and the determination to make permanent changes in my life, so that I am active, healthy and able to be here for years to come to celebrate, serve, and nurture my friends and loved ones.  I just don't have the financial resources it takes at the onset to participate in the training program that will help me get there.  My fingers are crossed that Dr. Phil or Santa will come thru.

I would like to wish everyone an early Happy Thanksgiving.  I am reminding myself daily this season that we should not go through life and this world asking what it or its people will do for us, but we are to look beyond ourselves daily, to serve others and meet their needs. It is through this selflessness, that we ourselves will be blessed. I love you all and am so very thankful for the role that each of you plays in my life.

"Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life. It turns what we have into enough, and more. It turns denial into acceptance, chaos to order, confusion to clarity. It can turn a meal into a feast, a house into a home, a stranger into a friend. Gratitude makes sense of our past, brings peace for today and creates a vision for tomorrow." ~Melody Beattie

I completed my first officially timed 5K! (400 days until my 40th birthday)

With eleven pounds gone as of 11/11/11 (weird, I know), I registered for and participated in my first official chip-timed 5K on Veterans Day!  What a great way to help fund raise for our local YMCA, and get some great fresh (albeit chilly) air and exercise!  I power-walked that entire beast and, at times, even broke out into a jog.  I finished in 51 minutes 38 seconds.  I was quite proud of myself!  This was not an easy task for me, as we were spanning the Veteran's Memorial Bridge that connects Cape Coral to Fort Myers.  This event encompassed three different hill climbs!  I haven't climbed hills since my childhood in New Jersey, not to mention I have tendon and ligament damage in my ankle.  I did it though, I finished on my own two feet... and I didn't come in last!  I also recorded a better time than the two walks I've done for breast cancer awareness  this year, the ACS's Making Strides (in October) and the Komen Foundation's Race for a Cure (in March), completing each in approx 54 minutes.  In all of my exhausted glory I committed to participating in the next event on Thanksgiving morning at 7:30 a.m.?!  (Can I get a "what the frenchtoast"??)  This event is also a 5K, billed as The Turkey Trot.  It is a fundraiser to benefit the Pediatric Emergency Room at Cape Coral Hospital.  Luckily the course is on flat land!!  If you want to help the children too, sign up online at Fort Myers Track Club.

Sunday was a bit of a challenge for me to stay on program.  I took my daughter to visit the University of Tampa campus.  We had a great time.  What a pretty campus.  I tried to eat as best I could in their cafe, consuming a handful of pretzel nuggets, a spoonful of scrambled eggs (at least that's what they were supposed to be), a cup of fresh fruit, and a half-cup of oatmeal.  Getting in all of my water was difficult, and once again the best laid (exercise) plan of, not mice, but this [wo]man again went awry.  However, between the bridge on Friday and the campus foot tour (x2) on Sunday, I think I'm in ok shape at this point.  I am back on track today w/my nutrition so far, and planning to get to the gym later this evening.

Thanks again for all of the love and support!