Goals-Goals-Goals

I have so many goals, it's hard to focus on just a few for the Holiday Hoedown over at Shrinking Jeans, but I am going to give it a shot.


The Holiday Hoedown is a challenge and I am participating with a group of 6 women that have never met. We are the Winter Wonders and are getting to know each other virtually. Already it's been great fun. (Come Cheer Us On!) Tomorrow wraps up our first week. It is time for the first weigh in along with a few other items. First being to post our week's workout minutes. As I sit here writing this, I have completed 203.36 minutes, and I have 40 minutes til #tworkout time on Twitter with the @shrinkingjeans group. It's always fun and a challenge at the same time, plus tonight there will be another round of prizes. I have to tell you that if you haven't had the pleasure of a workout with them - they are great and I've won a $20 Subway Fresh Buzz card working out with them, so it's worth it in more ways than one!

Okay, enough of the chit chat. Time to focus. I have been working really hard at trying to get in shape after foot surgery in 2005, my 10lb son was born in 2006, and then finding out that there was a thyroid issue going on. Hypothyroidism to be specific. It all made sense, all the symptoms, maybe 10 in all - besides the weight problem. Other worse symptoms that I had to pay more attention to. Months of back and forth with the dr finally came down to that. I got to the point where I was feeling better, but I just couldn't continue with working out for long periods because I would get so drained. I bugged the dr more and got specialists and now it all really makes even more sense. I just wasn't being medicated correctly. I had Hashimoto's which is more intense and apparently there is a lot of fluctuation with the hormones. It's still hard for me. I still get huge bursts of energy and go for a few weeks and then all of a sudden it's like the floor dropped out and I am drained. I have to sleep and I mean SLEEP. It'd been not only physically hard for me, but mentally. It's definitely one of the big goals I have. I want to drop some of the excess inches so I can feel healthier. It's one thing the dr has told me I really need to do.

That shares the first goal in a very roundabout way, but I think that tells you who I am and why this is so hard.

In addition to that goal - I want to:

- Drink 64 oz of water a day

- Workout at least 4 times a week for at least 30 minutes

- Keep training for the C25K and do the virtual 5 K in January
(and after that, continue and train for the 10K in June - Zooma Annapolis. I really want to run the whole race this time, and not just half!!)


Those are the top 4 goals for me.

Besides the health aspects for me, and how it will benefit me for years to come, I want to do this for my family. I need to be healthy so that I can keep up with an active 4 year old, and a very outdoors and active husband.

As for how I am doing this, I am using a spreadsheet along with other components like SparkPeople, Daily mile, Lolo burn and of course Shrinkingjeans #tworkouts to keep me going. I figured out that not just one thing is going to help me get there.


Okay all - it's time to do the aforementioned #tworkout. I have 15 minutes to clean this up, warm back up and get moving!
http://shrinkingjeans.net/2010/11/welcome-to-the-holiday-hoedown-prominade-people-prominade/

Biggest Loser, and Big Goals

Tomorrow is the finale for Biggest Loser 9. I am so excited. I think each season I seem to get more emotionally tied to the contestants. This has been a great season. To the point that I really don't know who I think should win. It's a hard call. I am sure we'll all love the outcome. I think the reason I liked this season so much is because it was a team effort throughout. It wasn't so much about ME ME ME, which I think is why we disliked those that really just wanted to win. The rest of the contestants wanted everyone to be the biggest loser. It has been a great ride with these inspiring people. I am going to be very sad to see it end, however I am excited to see Jillian's new show. I hope it is just as inspiring. I work hard to keep Tuesday nights all about ME and getting myself back in shape, and really want to keep it that way, besides, I will miss all the twitter about!

Speaking of getting back in shape. I have been having some physical limitations again, and with that, I have put off working out as much as before. It's amazing how quickly weight comes and settles in when I don't workout. And then it is twice as hard to get moving again. But it's time. I am going to have to work through the pain. As much as I would rather not. It's kind of hard -it's my spine, which obviously is huge when it comes to working out. It's really hard when you are signed up for a race that you know you are no where near prepared to run and it's only a week and a half away. (YIKES!)

Regardless of pain and all that, I am now the proud owner of EAS more workouts and am very excited to get using it. I started yesterday with the first of the 6-week challenge workouts. I went ahead and used the low intensity mode, but mainly because it was pretty late. Tonight I boosted it to medium, then did a few extra boxing workouts to see which I liked best. So far the workouts are good. I like the warm up and cool downs. I am a huge fan of the boxing, hence me adding more of that in later. I hope that as I progress, the workouts change up and get faster.

Other than that, I am working on a new challenge for myself. Not that I really need to add anything else t my list of challenge, but I was already thinking of taking a photo a day or something like that. I realize that those have been done, so I keep trying to figure out how to change it up a bit. One blog I ran across tonight has a challenge on it where the goal is to take a photo of yourself with your kids. I think that would be really hard for me. I LOVE taking pics of what is going on around me, HATE taking photos of myself. Wonder if that is why I should try that one? I am going to wait a bit longer before I set my goal. I just am not ready to commit to this one just yet.

What I am ready to do, is get fit!

Beach time

It's about time - for a lot of things, but most of all it is time for the beach season to start.

Since the warm weather is coinciding so well with my "making time for me" I think it is only fair that I put on my list of things to do for me -to get to the beach at least 5 times this year. If not alone, with the family.

There. And this weekend does not count. It will make it an even half dozen!

I cannot wait. This weekend is just me, and my friend. Heading to stay with my sister and to meet up with the rest of my friends in Dewey Beach. If you know Dewey - you get it. It will be a fun weekend. Regardless of the fact that it is supposed to rain all weekend. Us girls can find things like shopping and just bonding to kill time. Better yet, my HS friend and I haven't hung out solo like this since before my son was born (and me 7 months or more pregnant). I think the ride there might end up being the best part!

If the forecast was better, I was planning on major beach time with my umbrella and book. But, that is fine, I will find time for at least a few minutes and page turning.

So, it's time to end this short post. I have a lot more to say, but no time to spend typing it all in. I will have to pick some of the more exciting thoughts to put in writing while I am relaxing over the weekend!

It's Time

I was on the treadmill this morning and kept saying to myself, "Just. One. More. Minute." and "Okay, you can make it one more minute." It dawned on me, that time is all I worry about anymore (and yes, i get that every day of every year revolves around time).

I find myself saying time related things like:

3 minutes. That's for time out

Hurry up. (CONSTANTLY)

I need more time

Just a minute

Wait a second

Hold on

These are all negative comments and I don't like that I am relaying this sense of hurry, worry and negativity on my son.

How do I turn it around and get back to less rushing. Less negativity, and becoming happy about the time I DO have?

I decided this morning that this was a great blogging opportunity and despite that I am already overworked, rushed and overwhelmed. I am adding this to my plate.

I am setting a goal of gaining at least an hour a week back strictly for me. To read, or sleep, or walk alone. Something that requires no stress, no rush, and gives me pleasure. This goal seems like a low one to most people, but for me a single hour is hard to come by. I have attempted to get up early in the mornings this week to get on the treadmill and workout before work. That means I have to go to bed early, get up early, and I get 40 minutes to bust some calories. I am rushed, I am already starting my day, and the stress creeps in. It's not relaxing.

I want to make this am workout a habit, and maybe this becomes my 1 hour. And maybe, just maybe, that happens 4 -6 times a week (woah - I just got ahead of myself) and I am not stressed doing it any longer. But now it is a stressor because I need to train for a race.

OH, i don't start with small hurdles - this is a 10K. The race is in June, and I can't run much more than 5 min straight, let alone a 6 mile jog!

I know, I am insane.

Okay, so, I am going to try to make this blog about how I am working on becoming, healthier, happier and how this evolution takes place while being employed full time +some, a mother to a super active 3 year old, and a wife to a equally active man who wants me to have more time for him too!

Right now I will not promise daily updates, but maybe as I work towards more free time, I will be able to keep up daily?!

Feel free to post comments, suggestions, thoughts, whatever. I look forward to a new venture with TIME!