What a week!

Busy, busy, busy. Had a friend from out of town over to visit for several days, and we kept busy. A 5 mile hike around a local reservoir, an obstacle course followed by a 1 mile nature walk, swimming laps at 24 Hour Fitness (I did 25 laps in the Olympic size pool), and I can't even remember what else. I'm still a little sore, but it was so worth it!


Today I meet my new trainer for the first time. I'm looking forward to working with her. Her name is Patty and from what I've heard she has had great success helping people lose a lot of weight. Hopefully she is just what I need. I'll be seeing her twice a week for the next 5 weeks to get a jump start into getting fit, and to help me get prepared for my next challenge. 


What's my next challenge? I'm so glad you asked. I'll be participating in the Dirty Girl Mud Run in September. It's a 5k muddy obstacle course. I've never done anything like it, and am really looking forward to proving to myself that I can do it. It's non-competitive, so I don't need to worry about how fast I can complete the course, I just need to make it to the end. I've got 2 months to train for it. I know I can do a 5k hike, and the obstacle course I went through last week had many of what I'll be doing in the DGMR, but I had a LOT of trouble trying to get over the wall, so much so that I ended up walking around it. I also had to walk the course, I probably looked a little silly walking through the tires, but hey, I didn't fall. 


So over the next month I'll be doing that obstacle course at least once a week, and will keep trying to get over that wall. I will also be doing the 5k hike to try and pick up the pace a little. Add that to working with my trainer, and I should be set to do the DGMR and will hopefully have between 10 and 20 lbs less to carry through that obstacle course. 


Oh, and if you've been reading my blog for a while, you may notice a change in the name I'm posting from. I've decided to consolidate some of my accounts into one, so I don't have to try and remember which account posts to what blog. 


Healthy and Happy Living

It's been a while...

It's been quite some time since I've been doing any blogging. Did anyone miss me?


Life got a little crazy on me. We moved half way across the country, which took some getting used to. Now that we're finally settled in, I'm taking stock of my life. 


I'm a very happy person. I love where we live now. My family is great (even if my husband and son give me headaches sometimes). I do miss the rest of my family, which has led to some emotional times during the holidays. But I'm making friends, and keeping up with everyone on Facebook. 


So what do I need to fix in my life? Unfortunately the same thing I needed to fix back when I started this blog. My weight. 


I'm sad to say I gained back a few of the pounds I had lost, not a lot, but enough that I was not happy with myself for letting that happen. I noticed that the excuses started finding their way into my head again. Now it's that we moved to a higher altitude and the air is thinner, so I get short of breath easy. Great excuse, right? WRONG! That's a great reason to be working out and losing weight. If I was in better shape I would have probably acclimated better. 


Well no more excuses! I'm back in the saddle and ready to ride. I'm currently at *gasp* 262lbs. I'm shooting for 255 by the end of the month. But will be happy with any weight loss I get, as numbers heading down are better than numbers heading up. 


I've changed my mini-goal and have decided to make it 10% of my starting weight. I started at 275, so I'm down 13 so far, almost half way to that mini-goal. When I hit it, I'm going to go get my hair done. 


Healthy and Happy Living

Bye Bye Trainer Paul

I recently had my last session with my personal trainer. By last, I mean I used the last one in my package, and unfortunately can't get another one...yet. Boy did he make that last one a good one. Jumping from one thing to the next, I did split squats (they're like a cross between a lunge and a squat), moved right into wall/ball squats, then ball crunches, then back to the split squats. He had me do 2 sets of everything without a pause. By the end of the second set, I was sweating hard, breathing hard, and weak in the knees. On to the arms, used the chest press machine (he bumped up the weight), then did a push up thing where he had me put my hands on a weight bench, get in a push up position, and hold it for a minute! Then some leg lifts. By the end of the first round of these I was at the point in a workout where you know you have hit your limit. The place where you aren't sure if you are going to pass out or throw up first. I sat down, my trainer got me some water, and I waited it out as my eyes got the sparkley spots on the side that tell me I'm dehydrated and about to black out. Wow, what a workout! By the time I could walk again, my session was over. Whew.


The good thing about pushing that far, is I know where my current limit is. That gives me a starting place, so I know when I've gotten better. So, I figure I'll keep up my workouts, keep up my healthier eating, and in a few weeks, I'll put myself through that same workout & see if I can get further before hitting the wall. 


Life has been so busy lately, I haven't had time to do my workouts as regularly as I should, and unfortunately I'm seeing the results (or lack of results) of that on the scale. I have maintained my 20 lb loss, but I haven't lost any more. I've got to step it up though. I'm going to a big convention (work related) in mid November, and I'd like to try and drop a bit more before then. Last year when I went to this convention I took a lot of pictures & put together a presentation to share with my department when I got back talking about why I went & what I learned to help the team. Well, I saw a couple pictures of myself in there, and had to do a double take. I'm usually on the taking side of the picture, not the "smile" side. And I was surprised at how big I was. I'd like to take a picture a little more representative of the industry I'm in. I'm sure people are a bit surprised to find I work for a fitness gym chain, looking like I do. We'll see if I can't look a little more like a fitness person this year. Wish me luck!

Healthy and Happy Living

Did you miss me?

I know, I've been doing a rotten job of keeping touch this month. I went a little blog crazy, and burned myself out. But now I've cleared the cobwebs. So, did you miss me? Well, here's what I've been up to.


I officially reached my first mini-goal of 20 lbs lost!! I'm so excited. I've also noticed some changes. There is the saggyness in my once tight clothes. The reduction in pain in my knees. The fact that people keep asking me if I've lost weight (isn't that a great feeling?) And today, I was standing at my desk, waiting for our IT gal to install a new program, and I had my hand on my waist. As I was standing there, I realized suddenly that my waist felt smaller. There was just less of it there to grab on to. Now, seeing myself every day, I haven't really noticed a change in the way I look, but my body feels smaller. Love it. 


Now, here's the biggie. I haven't mentioned it before, but a few years ago I was told that my weight had caused a hormonal imbalance (too much Estrogen), and it was suggested I go on the Pill to correct it. Well, I don't do pills unless absolutely necessary (I hate pharmaceuticals and all their nasty side effects), so I told the doctor "No". What I didn't say to her way, why treat a symptom, and not the underlying problem? Well, a couple weeks ago, I was delighted to find that the weight I have lost so far was enough to bring my imbalance back in line. It just goes to show you, that living a healthier lifestyle can most definitely make an internal difference, in addition to the external. 


But wait, there's more! Yep, I've been gone a while, so I've got more to catch up on. This past weekend, I participated in the American Heart Association's "Start! Heart Walk". It was a 5k walk, and I accomplished it in my best time for a 5k. Not a fabulous time mind you, it took me an hour, but that beats my last time for sure. I noticed during & after the walk that my calves didn't hurt at all. When I started back up walking, I would get cramps and stabbing pains in the side of my calves. The doctor said I was doing too much too soon and I had to back off and slow down. Well, I'm officially over that hurdle. 


One more change in me that makes me eager to see what I can accomplish next! 

Healthy and Happy Living

And it's Monday Again

I was so happy this morning when I stepped on the scale and discovered that I had made it to 15 pounds lost! Woo Hoo! I'm starting to feel it, and my husband is noticing too, which is really great. Because as the saying goes, you want him to hate to see you go, but love to watch you leave.

I think my trainer is trying to kill me though. I'm quite sure he's plotting all week figuring out just how much weight and reps I am able to do and then adding 10. Here it is almost 2 days after my last session and my abs are still sore. But I guess it's working, so I can't complain too much (well I could, but what good would it do me).

Yesterday I went for a nice walk later in the evening, so it wasn't as hot. An unexpected benefit of that was getting to see the sun set as I walked, which was amazing. I decided to see if I could beat my time, so I threw in a little jogging here and there, and cut 3 minutes off my best time for the 2 miles.

Healthy and Happy Living

Weekly Recap

Here we are, another Monday. So here's my week at a glance.

On the 1st, my first official Get Moving Challenge began (if you didn't get in on this one, don't sweat it, I'll have more!) With 13 challengers participating, I'm happy with the turnout for the first run. Today I'm announcing the prize for the winner (which will be determined by a random drawing from everyone who reaches their goal). The prize is...{imagine drum roll here}... a Personalized Pocket Workout Towel (details and photo coming shortly). Good luck to all the participants.

This week, I made a lot of changes, mostly mental, that I think will really start to reflect come my next recap. Thanks to some words of wisdom from my trainer (you can read about it here), I've made some really positive changes & feel great about myself!

This week I started a new journey as well. I have challenged myself (a self proclaimed master pack rat) to get rid of 30 things in 30 days. I'm starting with my wardrobe, which I'm pretty sure now that I've started I will be removing more than 30 things from. Not sure what I'll work on next, but I'm taking baby steps. Even getting rid of a dress I haven't won in years, that is totally out of style, and that doesn't fit my personality anymore, is proving to be difficult. But I'm determined.

As of today I am officially at 13 pounds lost! Woo Hoo! 2.1 lbs to get below 260 again. It's been a few years since I've been below 260, of course it's been a few years since I've been as low as I am. Today, I excitedly had to put on a belt to hold up my favorite jeans!! OK, it is a bittersweet moment, I really like these jeans, but I LOVE shrinking out of my clothes.

Now that we're half way through the year, what are your goals for the back half of 2009?

Healthy and Happy Living

Modify for Success

"Modify for Success" my trainer said to me at my session last Friday. This was in response to the horrified look I gave him when he said I would be doing pull ups. On one hand I know how trainers work, and was afraid he was actually going to make me struggle through pull ups, and I felt like I was in my high school PE class again. On the other hand, I wanted to laugh out loud at how ridiculous the prospect of me accomplishing a pull up was. OK, I'll give him the benefit of the doubt, he hasn't yet steered me wrong. So we walk through the gym to a very strange contraption, he explains it to me, but it doesn't make it seem any less strange and scary.
Basically it's a movable bar, so you can adjust the height, from almost on the floor to way above my head. The purpose is to give you a level in which you can accomplish push ups and pull ups without going full out. So with the bar about stomach high, I pushed out some pull ups, and with the bar about chest high, I pulled off some pull ups. At the time, all I thought was "Cool, like that I can do this." But yesterday as I took my afternoon walk, I started thinking about it again.

"Hm," I thought to myself. "It seems to me, I can take that phrase and apply it to just about anything. Modify for Success." Well, if that didn't get my mind churning. What else in my life needs accomplishing that is a struggle? Well, obviously my weight loss efforts. So, Modification #1: Altered mindset. It dawned on me that in the 2 weeks before the Biggest Loser contest at work started, I had dropped over 10 pounds without really trying. I just started moving more, watched my portions, threw in more fruits and veggies and increased my water intake. I wasn't thinking about how much weight I lost every single day. Well, since the contest started, that's all I can think about. Every day, "Did I lose any weight today," "Did I do anything I shouldn't have," "What did I eat that I shouldn't have," and all sorts of other negative thoughts. Head slap moment, what am I thinking! This isn't just about losing weight, this is about lifestyle changes towards a healthier me! So, switch that mindset back to what was working before. I am no longer focusing my efforts on winning the contest, I'm back to focusing on healthier living. If it isn't a change I am making in my lifestyle, it isn't something I need to do. Even after a few hours with this new mindset, I feel so much better about myself. For a while there, I had forgotten that I liked myself!

Now, a big part of my efforts are in blogging & Twitter. So, Modify for Success number 2 & 3 - Twitter is now mu homepage. So every time I log in to the internet, I'm brought right into the warm support of my tweoples! As for my blog, those of you who have been here before, probably noticed the dramatic changes. It feels more like me now. I feel at home in my blog. And besides being prettier to look at, I think it has really given me more freedom in my writing. I'm not afraid to say anything, so don't be surprised if my posts start to sound different. You're getting insight to the real me now. In addition to the cosmetic modifications, I'm modifying my blogging for success by making a schedule of things to talk about. So coming soon you'll start to see my weekly recap (including weigh in) every Monday, I'll start featuring a Weight Loss Blog Buddy, you'll see healthy recipes (deserts for sure!), Fitness tips and articles including tips from my trainer, and more.

Now, this isn't all about me anymore! If you notice, I also changed the name of my blog. It is now "Journey to a Healthier Life", I'm modifying for the success of all my followers who want to live healthier lives.

Healthy and Happy Living

De'Anna

The Importance of Reachable Goals

In stairing at my ticker at the top of my blog, it dawned on me that I had made a big mistake. What was I trying to do to myself? Was I really thinking when I set my goal at 100 lbs right off the bat? Now don't get me wrong, it is definately important to have a long term goal, but it is just as important to have short term goals along the way.

So you will now notice that the 100 lb goal bar has been moved down to the bottom or the blog, and in it's place is a new 20 lb goal. Now I have something that can be reached in the near future and doesn't seem like such a long way to go. So here's my advice for anyone who has a long way to go to reach their goal. Break it up into manageable pieces. Think in terms of the next month. How much do you honestly feel you can comfortably lose in the next 30 days. Once you reach the end of those 30 days - re-evaluate. Did you reach your goal? Yes - then celebrate. Something tangible (NOT FOOD), that makes you feel good about reaching your goal. A new belt, a pair of earrings, a hat, a new DVD you've been wanting to get. Whatever it is, find some little present you can get yourself for reaching your goal by your deadline. It sometimes helps to decide on your reward ahead of time so you know what you are working towards.

What if you didn't reach your goal? Don't beat yourself up. Re-evaluate the goal, did you set it too high (don't shoot for 50 lbs in a month), did you actually do what you needed to do to reach that goal? What can you do differently? Don't be afraid to ask me, other bloggers, and other Twitterers for advice on what to set your goals at and how to reach them. There is a large and growing community of people like us that are trying to lose the extra baggage, and we're all out there helping one another.

Now, I'm having trouble deciding on my reward for reaching my goal. I want to hit the 20 lb mark by the 15th of July. I'd love to hear what you set as your reward to help me decide what to reward myself with when I reach my goal.

Healthy and Happy Living


De'Anna