I've been working out....

This is not me, but it could be. My neck has been bothering me off and on for several months. I think it has to do with my pillows. I got new pillows FINALLY and it seems to be getting better, but it's still pretty stiff from time to time. I knew getting back into the gym would be the best remedy, so I did. I got back to the gym. I've been lifting weights (following Amber's lifting program she made up). I promised myself I wouldn't hold back. I would push myself to get maximum results. And I'm SORE!! OMG! Day Two kicked my ass!! Last night my back seized up and started spasming. OOPS. So maybe I pushed a little too hard! This morning the spasms seem to be over, but I'm still really sore and my neck/upper back is really really stiff. I was planning on going to yoga this afternoon, but I think I'm gonna just call today a rest day keep my fingers crossed that I can move tomorrow!

We're heading to the Great Wolf Lodge this week (reason #832 why I love home schooling ~ impromptu family get aways in the middle of the week during off peak season! Whoot!) and I don't want to be too sore to play on the water slides!!!!

I have a workout plan for while we're there.....stay tuned!

Blogging is the new therapy

Do you guys follow me on Facebook yet? Seriously, you should! You know how they say 50 is the new 30, well, I've decided blogging (and FB) are the new therapy. The last two days I've been down on myself (coincidently, I haven't been to the gym in two days, either. Connection?). Normally, this is when I'd disappear from blogland, I'd withdraw into myself and wait for this mind funk to go away and then I'd restart with gusto, come back to blogging and working out, set all kinds of goals until the next bump in the road and then I'd start the cycle all over.

Clearly, this isn't working for me. Often times my blog goes silent not because I have nothing to say, but because the things I want to say aren't really worthy of an entire blog post. Enter FB. I'm going to start using my Healthy for 100 page more often. That's where I'll post my little tid bits. That's where I'll muse about what to have for dinner and that's where I'll turn when I need a pep talk. So see, I'm not asking you to follow me because I'm narcissistic, I'm asking you to follow me because that's where I'll go when I need to ask for help.

Blog readers are the best. Y'all are my cheerleaders. You're my friends and when needed, you'll kick me in the ass, too. I'm not abandoning my blog. I'll still be here, just as much as ever (trying for even a little more, we'll see), but I plan to be on FB more than I was....and I want you all to come with me.

Cheers,

Jess

On Paula Deen & Diabetes....

I just heard today, over on Amber's Facebook Page, (I spend a lot of time there. If you don't, you should!) that Paula Deen has been diagnosed with Type 2 Diabetes. Apparently it's been several months, but she's just now speaking out about it publicly.

The rumor on the inter webs is that she's coming out now because she just signed a lucrative deal with a Pharma company and is going to become the spokes person for the drug she's taking. Now, being born and raised in Kentucky, I like to think of myself of a good southern girl. Even though I was closer to Cincinnati than Lexington, I've always thought there was a Southern Belle buried some where deep in my soul. Even so, I gotta say, Paula ~ girlfriend ~ you done SOLD OUT.

I used to love watching Paula's show (back when we had cable 100 years ago), even though I didn't make many of her recipes. She was always entertaining and it kept me in touch with my southern roots (shut up, Kentucky IS SOUTHERN!)

Amber went on to say that the vegans will blame it on all of the animal products she eats and the paleos will blame it on all of the sugar she eats, but Amber's gonna go with science and say it was too much food and too little exercise. Good on 'ya girl! (see, I can be Australian, too. Shh, just go with it!)

I'm still toying with a post in my mind about all of the different food doctrines out there and I do plan to get it on paper (screen?) soon, but this brings up a good point ~ so many people say "But I cook with butter and sugar and lard and, and, and.... just like the Amish do. Just like my great grand parents did." It's true. On the surface, it makes a sound argument. It didn't kill those people, so why would it kill me?

Well, the issue is a bit more complicated than that. First, the Amish and our great grandparents didn't keep their chickens and cows in tiny little pens and crowd them up against one another. The butter and beef and eggs that we're buying doesn't much resemble the butter and beef and eggs that the Amish and our great grand parents use(d).

Secondly, the Amish and our great grandparents do not sit at desks all day playing on Facebook, updating or reading blogs. They do (did) (it's really hard speaking of one set of people in the past tense and another in the present. My English teacher would be so disappointed!) not sit in their cars for 3 hours each day during their daily commute.

They were out pushing plows (do you even push a plow? I dunno), tending to the herds (that were grazing on grass, mind you), baling hay, raising barns, chasing the errant calf that wandered off.

My point is that while everyone wants to have a diet similar to our great grand parents, they aren't willing to have a lifestyle that resembles theirs. You can't have one without the other. We can simulate that lifestyle by going to the gym, lifting heavy things, running/walking in the out doors, getting plenty of natural Vitamin D (hello sunshine! Put DOWN the SPF!!)

So yes, what you eat matters. Eat real food. Real food doesn't come in boxes, but it also doesn't come from animals that were force fed grains and drugs. What also matters is that you move your ass. They go hand in hand.

Ok, off my rant. I feel better.

Sweet Taters

Best Dinner Ever!

I took a sweet potato as big as my head, cut it into fries, drizzled with olive oil and sprinkled with Emeril's Essence and roasted at 450 for about 25 minutes.
Made a dipping sauce out of homemade creme fraiche, sriracha, a dribble of soy sauce and a drizzle of sake all whipped up together. Mmmm... Heaven!!

I Give Up....

I've had it. I'm done. I quit.

I've decided to chuck the scale. What? What did you think I meant? I've been hitting the workouts this week, revving back up to the intensity that I was once very comfortable with. I was surprised how hard it was at first, but then I was even more surprised at how quickly it all came back.

What I'm not surprised with, though, is the hourly daily fluctuations with the scale. In the last five days I've seen 219 and some change, 225 and some change and everything else in between. I know I'm doing everything right and I know in my heart, and intellectually that these fluctuations are normal and that in the end they'll all even out, but it's still frustrating. So, if it's not working for ya, why keep doing it, right?

So, I"m giving up the scale. Not permanently, but until March first I will not weigh myself. I'm going to keep hitting the heavy weights, I'm going to keep up with my HIIT and I'm going to keep working on my running for steady state cardio. I'm not counting calories, but I'm being very conscious of what I'm eating and come March first, I'll see if it's working......

I'm actually surprised at how much anxiety this is causing me. I've been toying with the idea for a few days and it took quite some time for me to talk myself into it and then even longer to make myself write this blog post. I'm definitely a scale addict. I step on it every single morning. Every day. But no more. At least for now.....

This is only a test....

This is a test. Repeat. This is only a test. This is a test of the Emergency BLOGcast System.

Oh, I crack myself up. I'm trying to connect my blog to my Facebook page and my Twitter feed. They should both automatically update now when I post a blog post. Keep your fingers crossed for me. Oh, and if you don't follow me on Facebook or Twitter, you should.

Are you ready for some football???

Not much sewing going on here today. It's playoffs, baby!! WHO DEY!!!!!

More Clothes Talk

(sorry for the ginormous pictures ~ on my old PC I could click on the picture and drag the corners to make the picture little smaller. This trick doesn't work on a Mac ~ does anyone know how to do this? HELP!!)

Ok, now that we've gotten that out of the way, let's talk about clothes! I posted the other day that I had a pair of jeans that I wanted to fit into by Spring. Then, I posted, it turns out that the jeans actually fit. Who knew???

I wasn't expecting them to fit because other clothes that used to fit nicely are fitting a little, um, off lately. I was thinking about this today and wondering how some clothes are fitting better, while others are actually getting worse. Then it hit me ~ shoulders!! The clothes that aren't fitting as well are shirts. They aren't snug, they are just fitting differently. A little less comfortable.

Because I've been lifting weights (albeit sporadically), my body is shape is changing. My legs and core are getting a little leaner (which is why the jeans fit) and my shoulders are getting toned and broader (which is why the shirts, don't).

At first I was frustrated and then I was elated! I dream of muscular, broad shoulders. If it means I have to change some of the shirts I'm able to wear, well, let's go shopping!!!

This is just further confirmation to me that the number on the scale is not what's important. Feeling good in my own skin, feeling good in my clothes & knowing I'm healthy and strong. THAT'S what's important.

Cheers,

Jess

Hot Damn!

I just tried on said jeans and turns out they fit! They aren't perfect, but they were on and they were buttoned AND zipped. I hadn't tried them on in a few months....I guess I've been doing something right! Back to digging to find another pair of "goal" pants....

Walkin' & Talkin'

Walking isn't my favorite form of working out. I like HIIT. I like sprints. I like weights. I like yoga. I like to push myself until I cuss. I recognize, though, that not everyone is like me (the only wish the could be). Some people don't actually enjoy exercise, they just do it because they are supposed to. (WTF is wrong with those people?!)

Today I headed to the gym knowing I wasn't going to push myself. I was going to walk with a close friend. She's moving to Japan in six weeks and I know our girl time is limited. I made a choice. I chose to nurture our friendship. After we walked for an hour (at a brisk pace), I hit the weight room and did a few heavy lifts ~ enough that I'm feeling it now, phew ~ and then headed home.

I didn't burn as many calories as I could have it I did the sprint workout I was planning, but I wouldn't trade our walking' & talking' days for anything.

Weekly Weigh In

I completely forgot this post yesterday. OOPS! Anyhoo, the first weigh in for 2012 was 221.6 lbs.

I'm going to continue with my weigh ins, but I've decided to let go of some arbitrary magic number that I've built up in my head for so long. I'm going to focus on body fat %, inches & dress size.

I'm also not even going to think about my "ultimate goal" and going for one small goal at a time. Baby steps....

I have no idea, even, what a goal for inches would be....I'm that far out of the loop that I don't even know a decent waist size anymore. Pathetic, isn't it? So, my first mini goal for the year is to fit back into a pair of blue jean capri's that I bought (and wore comfortably) right around the time Ben started Kindergarten. He's in third grade.... *sigh* So, I'm digging them out of the back of my closet and hanging them in plain view.

I plan to rock those capris this Spring. Anyone else up for a "Fit into your Jeans Challenge"? If I have the nerve, I may even have the hubs take a picture of me trying to squeeze my ass into them now...maybe I'll take a pic every few weeks until they fit....?? We'll see, I'm just typing as I'm coming up with this stuff....

Cheers,

Jess

On the road again...

I just got back from my first run of the new year. It also was my first run ever in my Vibrams. I got them about a year ago and slowly started building my time in them by wearing them around the house and out and about. I wasn't sure if I wanted to run in them or not and even up until this morning, I still wasn't sure.

I was planning to hit a yoga class this afternoon, but the siren call of the sewing machine kept me firmly in my PJs sitting in my kitchen stitching away. Before I knew it, yoga wasn't going to happen.

Since it's been about nine months since I've run with any great consistency and with my plans of starting over with the C25K program, I figured today was as good a day as any to start. I went to grab my running shoes, and then remembered that they'd been rubbing some hot spots on one of my feet. FAIL.

My husband said "You're just going for a mile or so, why not use your VFFs?" Um, what? Wait, I had decided that I was using those for weight training, not running. Well, maybe....

So I did. My toes got cold. I can deal with that. I ran .2/walked .2/ran .2, etc....I also wore my Garmin just to see what my pace was. It averaged (when running) between 11 - 12 minute miles. I've *never* run that pace before. I could have kept going, but I didn't want to push it so I made myself stop every .2 miles. My last bit of running I maintained an 8:30 minute mile. And I wasn't sprinting. WTH???

So, either I don't know how to work my Garmin or my running has improved more than I realized. Maybe it's the shoes? Either way, today was a fantastic (although short) run (and pain free)!!

2012

The year 2012. Holy Crap! I remember as a child thinking the year 2000 was so far away. It was like the stuff Sci-Fi movies were made of. I remember having to ask my mom what Prince's song "1999" was about. I didn't get why there would be any more parties that year than any other. As I grew older, and people started talking about the new millennium, Y2K and the end of the world, it all seemed so ludicrous to me.

Here we are now, firmly in the new millennium and it blows my mind a little. My kids have never known the 1900s. They talk about them as we used to talk about the 1800s. A lifetime ago. When I mentioned to Boy 1 the other day that his parents were actually born in the 1900s, I thought his eyes would completely bug out of his head. Way to make Mommy feel young there, kid!

Each new year brings the promise of something bigger, something better. It's a fresh start. A clean slate. I reject that. Why does Jan 1 hold any more promise than say....April 25? Or Sept 7? Or any other random date? If you want to change your life, do it now, no matter the calendar.

I don't typically do resolutions. Resolutions imply big changes. They imply there is something wrong that desperately needs to be fixed, and while I definitely have some things that I could do better, I prefer to focus on goals. With that said, I bring to you my goals for 2012. I have two (well, two that are relevant to this blog). Ready? Are you sure? Here we go:

1. Run a Half Marathon
2. Do a Pull Up

That's it! Nothing about weight loss. Nothing about numbers on a scale. Nada. So, for the half marathon, I'm not picking one. I have one in the back of my mind, but it's not set in stone. See, I'm going to start running. I have to start over from zero. As in zero miles. Blah. So, I'm going to run. Then I'm going to run a little further. Once my mileage is consistently in the 5-7 miles range I'll pick a race. I'm going to do it smart this time. In the past I've decided I wanted to run, so I ran. I neglected every other aspect of fitness (namely strength) and ran. Then I got hurt. Each and every time. I'm beginning to wonder about myself! It may take awhile, but I do eventually learn my lessons!! I need to keep my body strong. I'm not a lithe little 100 lb runner than can literally bounce across the finish line. My bones and my muscles need to be conditioned to carry my weight and do so healthily, without injury. I will focus this year on all aspects of fitness, with the final goal of being 13.1 miles. Secondly, I've never done a pull up in my life. I've always wanted to, but all of my strength in my athletic years was in my legs. I'm going to be spending a lot of time in the weight room (see above), so I thought I'd work on the one goal I've had for most of my life: a pull up.

So, there you have it! With these two goals reached, weight loss and improved health will just come. I need to stop focusing on fixing what's wrong, and start working towards what I want to be right.

Have a wonderful day full of love, relaxation, a little football and maybe even some sweat! Happy New Year!!

Cheers,

Jess