Flash Forward

Well, I haven't done a very good job of posting lately. This will be rectified starting tonight.

There has been so much going on lately that I don't even know where to start, so I will do my best to bring you up to date.

My office started a "Biggest Loser" challenge on January 16th. There are 47 participants of many various sizes and shapes. Like the show, the winner will be determined by the largest percentage of weight lost. Of course, I hope to be in the running, but even if that isn't in the cards for me, I believe that having the support group will be helpful. We've got some speakers lined up to come in and my hope is that everyone benefits for hearing the topics discussed by a professional. As part of this Biggest Loser challenge, we spoke with the fitness centre in our building. They actually do a boot camp in the mornings. We were able to work out a deal with the fitness center that offered our BL participants a $25 discount off of the already reduced rate of $150.00. Six AM arrival time for four weeks...45 min each time...M-TH for $125. A little pricey, but since I have such a long way to go, it was a price I chose to pay. This is week 2. Last week included alot of soreness. It seemed like my legs and arms hurt sooo bad...I wasn't exactly sure if it came from the boot camp or the killer workout that Kimber had put me through on the Saturday before the camp started. My pain started on Saturday, but Monday morning, it just seemed to increase. By Thursday, I was soooo glad that our 1st week of Boot Camp had come to an end. Thursday after work, I decided to treat myself to a deep tissue massage to hopefully help work some of the soreness out. Note to self: Deep tissue massages can be a little painful. Of course, I could have asked the therapist to lighten the touch a little, but quite honestly I thought I might need some of that deep penetration around my muscles. So, I sucked it up. Afterwards, I was SOOO glad I had sucked it up and let the therapist work on the muscles. I walked out of the office and had absolutely no soreness whatsoever. It was amazing. I am sooo believing in the healing power of massage. By the way, if you are a massage lover, you might want to check out Massage Envy that offers a $39 introductory rate for a 50 minute massage. Fabulous. Once you get in though, there is a slight sales job...they actually offer a "membership" for $49 per month. This is a 12-month contract and this includes your first massage each month. A pretty nifty deal...IMHO. Each additional massage is only $39. I can't see myself ever getting more than one massage a month, but the idea of getting at least one a month is quite lovely. If for some reason I can't get in for one in a given month, that massage just rolls over into the next month. FABULO-SO!!

Overall, in the area of exercise, I am holdin on. I have been going to the boot camp in the morning and have been doing a reasonable job of making it to the gym in the afternoon after work. My own little "Jillian Jr" has walking pneumonia and so she is out of the picture for a while. She really needs to take it easy and let her body heal. I know this little angel though and I am so sure that she is feeling badly about not being able to be there to push me. JJ - If you are reading, please know that I am doing what I need to do..I am staying on track and you don't need to worry about me. Take care of yourself and when you are back to 100%, you can push me to tears...AGAIN. J/K..tears haven't came into play YET. I'm trying to be all "adult" and not complain too much. I am just so appreciative of her help and support! If you've ever struggled with weight loss or exercise specifically, I am sure you can relate.

Also - last Thursday at my little class, the PT that comes in challenged each of us to make sure we reached our goal of 10K steps each day for this month. So, I have been trying to make sure I at least get that done. I have had a few days of low numbers...like for example this weekend. Saturday, I couldn't wear the pedometer in the pool while I was at the hydro class, so I didn't get any steps for that work-out...then we were in the car for a while cuz we had to take a car to my son in college at Tyler. His car blew the engine so we will get it repaired EVENTUALLY. It will be a little while since the price tag is in the several grand ballpark. I think we will just get a new motor for it and it will become my car. But I digress. I've hit above 10K steps on 5 days outof the past 9 days so...I am at least hitting above 50%. My hope is that by the time I go back to class to see the PT, I will have "averaged" at least 10K steps per day. Only time will tell.

As far as food goes, I am doing "OK". Not always making the best choices, but definitely doin better than I would under normal circumstances. The weekends are definitely more difficult for me..especially if we are out and about. I did OK Saturday after finishing the hydroclass. We hit Chick-Fil-A on the way out to Tyler and Outback that evening. I am able to make reasonably good choices at those two places. I still have a long way to go in terms of balancing out my diet, but I am definitely pleased with the progress I've made so far.

Now...for the news that takes my smile away....the scale. It is not really moving much. When I look at my chart on Wii Fit, it almost looks like a flatline. Of course, I realize that I can't rely to heavily on the numbers. It is really hard to not get discouraged though. My only saving grace in this area is that I know that I am doing everything "right". My eating is controlled and for the most part, my calorie count is where it needs to be. My exercise habits are outstanding. Could I push myself harder? Possibly...but in all honesty, I haven't ever worked out like this before, so surely goodness & mercy....I am going to see results in the future. I am not giving up because I don't see immediate results. It's the tortoise that wins the race, right??? Slow and steady. Perhaps this is the downward trend I will see. My steps are at 9770 today so I need to get in 130 more steps in before I go to bed. I will get it done...no worries...it's all good.

Well...I think that brings most everything up to date. I'm sure I have forgotten something, but for now, I'm gonna call it a day. I will update tomorrow after day 2 week 2 of boot camp.

Have a blessed day!

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