When we last met our heroine (that's me!), she was preparing for the health risk assessment and facing the dread of not meeting what felt like a small goal. But friends, the gods were with me that day -- their scale was off and they thought I weighed like 4 pounds less than I did at home. And then as a courtesy, they take an extra 3 lbs off for your clothes.
Listen, I'm not being hard on myself. I weighed myself at home before I left so I would be prepared for the bad news. I'm pretty sure that I did not lose 7 lbs on the drive to work. But whatever! I'll take it. It means that I did lose the 10% and our company gives us a little bonus for achieving that goal. Winning!
Also, my boot camp finally started. It was delayed til tonight due to weather conditions. Loved it. It was a good workout but the trainer is not a punisher. Actively does not believe in being a punisher so there was none of that feeling like a loser because I can't do things. Just a good workout. I am in love! With exercise, not the trainer.
That's right. I just typed the sentence I am in love with exercise. Hilarious. But I have been so friggin' cranky lately and everything seems to set me off. It was so great to have an outlet to push some of that crap out.
Did I cuss and fuss the whole time? Of course! Did I rock the push-ups and the dips and squats? Um, no. Have we met? But just doing the damned thing.
I was so nervous driving over there. Luckily BFF Tina talked to me for a while and distracted me. And as soon as I got there and saw that, as promised, the women (or the ladies as the trainer kept calling us) were a variety of shapes and sizes and fitness levels. I found some ladies to chum up to, and good thing because we had to get in groups of three and I would have been awkward person out if I hadn't put on the Heather show. Hooray for the Heather Show!
And hooray for exercise -- I'm starting to feel like there's a crack in my cranky cocoon and this butterfly can emerge and enjoy the Spring!
Endorphins rock!
(((hugs)))
Heather
Showing posts with label motivation. Show all posts
Showing posts with label motivation. Show all posts
Wednesday, March 13, 2013
Monday, March 4, 2013
Can't you read the signs?
We have our annual health risk assessment this week. Does your company do these things? It's a 20 minute deal where they weigh, measure, poke and prod you. Every year, the assessment is always the same -- I am super healthy except for being so fat. It's almost like they're surprised that I'm so healthy when they share the numbers with me.
I'm just really excited because it's yet another opportunity to feel bad about how far off the wagon I've gone. Nothing's better than that, right? See, at one point I only needed to lose two pounds in order to get to a weight that would represent a 10% weight loss since last year. Two pounds. That is nothing. Except when it's everything. As the day approaches, I just feel more and more glum.
I mean, by now it's even more than 2 pounds, but that's only because of the sabotage over the 2 pounds. Look, I know this doesn't make a lot of sense, but you're the one eating up this shit like it's some grand wisdom so what does that say about you? :)
I'm trying to deal with it. I'm looking ahead. The goal would have been nice to achieve but as I just wrote about, I just couldn't do it. I'm still trying to get my head in the game.
Here are some things that I'm taking as signs I'm heading in the right direction... Next week the boot camp starts up. I'm finally really turning the corner on the Tidewater crud and think I should have renewed lung capacity soon. There was very little coughing today and most of the weekend was good in that regard too. Still, I am scared to DEATH of starting this thing by myself and still am not entirely sure what I was thinking when I signed up. I have thought about emailing them dozens of times requesting to reschedule, under the guise of concern about my ability to exercise after being half-assed sick for so long... But I know deep down that this is a cop-out and I'm trying to make a come-back here people!
Next, I cooked something this weekend! Anyone that knows me knows that this a crazy concept, but I was hankering for both spaghetti squash and pad thai and found a recipe that allowed me to have both. OMG. It was so very good. (Here's the recipe. I know her blog is much prettier than mine, but please remember to come back okay?) In addition, I bought ingredients to recreate a sandwich that I had this weekend but in a healthier way. The sandwich was at Panera and was a panini that had turkey with artichoke-parmesan spread and apples. There were a lot of other ingredients, but I'm not trying to be Paula Deen y'all. I'm going to recreate it with a light Alouette spread, rotisserie chicken and Granny Smith apples. I can't wait to try it!
And final sign that I'm heading in the right direction -- I signed up for a Glo in the Dark fun run in part because it was "only" 2 miles. Besides, it's the night before Sertoma -- what better way to pre-game for an all-day drunk fest than a 2 mile jog followed by beer?!
Okay, so the signs aren't ALL pointing that I'm shaping up -- but seriously, I'm gonna stop going to Sertoma as soon as the only people going have their original, God-given faces. :)
(((HUGS)))
Heather
I'm just really excited because it's yet another opportunity to feel bad about how far off the wagon I've gone. Nothing's better than that, right? See, at one point I only needed to lose two pounds in order to get to a weight that would represent a 10% weight loss since last year. Two pounds. That is nothing. Except when it's everything. As the day approaches, I just feel more and more glum.
I mean, by now it's even more than 2 pounds, but that's only because of the sabotage over the 2 pounds. Look, I know this doesn't make a lot of sense, but you're the one eating up this shit like it's some grand wisdom so what does that say about you? :)
I'm trying to deal with it. I'm looking ahead. The goal would have been nice to achieve but as I just wrote about, I just couldn't do it. I'm still trying to get my head in the game.
Here are some things that I'm taking as signs I'm heading in the right direction... Next week the boot camp starts up. I'm finally really turning the corner on the Tidewater crud and think I should have renewed lung capacity soon. There was very little coughing today and most of the weekend was good in that regard too. Still, I am scared to DEATH of starting this thing by myself and still am not entirely sure what I was thinking when I signed up. I have thought about emailing them dozens of times requesting to reschedule, under the guise of concern about my ability to exercise after being half-assed sick for so long... But I know deep down that this is a cop-out and I'm trying to make a come-back here people!
Next, I cooked something this weekend! Anyone that knows me knows that this a crazy concept, but I was hankering for both spaghetti squash and pad thai and found a recipe that allowed me to have both. OMG. It was so very good. (Here's the recipe. I know her blog is much prettier than mine, but please remember to come back okay?) In addition, I bought ingredients to recreate a sandwich that I had this weekend but in a healthier way. The sandwich was at Panera and was a panini that had turkey with artichoke-parmesan spread and apples. There were a lot of other ingredients, but I'm not trying to be Paula Deen y'all. I'm going to recreate it with a light Alouette spread, rotisserie chicken and Granny Smith apples. I can't wait to try it!
And final sign that I'm heading in the right direction -- I signed up for a Glo in the Dark fun run in part because it was "only" 2 miles. Besides, it's the night before Sertoma -- what better way to pre-game for an all-day drunk fest than a 2 mile jog followed by beer?!
Okay, so the signs aren't ALL pointing that I'm shaping up -- but seriously, I'm gonna stop going to Sertoma as soon as the only people going have their original, God-given faces. :)
(((HUGS)))
Heather
Sunday, December 30, 2012
Your blog queen has returned!
Annnnnd I'm back. Yeah, yeah, yeah -- I know that I have actually been back for a while, but whatever. I returned home December 15. It was a 7 week deployment and was much harder than my trip through what I called the Tour of the 'villes in 2011. I never really felt rested, though a lot of that was self-induced. I split my time between being at a "CAT site" (a dedicated place for people to come and visit) and doing field work (going to people's houses -- or what was left of them -- and helping them inventory the household goods they lost in the flooding). Being on site had highs and lows of being busy -- we'd go through periods of tons of traffic and not have a minute to breathe followed by hours of waiting for someone to come. It was not easy to make good food decisions, because you were making those decisions with a group of people. Plus, meeting people who were going through this horrible tragedy was emotionally draining -- I gradually started being friends with carbs again. And wine and I, we just got reacquainted. Many, many, many long talks into the wee hours with my friend Wine were had... In the beginning, I was making good decisions with my diet*, though I did fall completely off tracking. But, I was paying attention to what I was eating, watching my portions, and just trying to make good choices. This did not last long. It was slow at first, but moving in to the field really sealed my fate in that regard. It's a 12 hour day and there was a LOT of driving between different appointments. You never knew how long each appointment was going to be, how bad the traffic was going to be getting there, if there was going to be open places to eat where you going... (Oh, I was based in Long Island and I was mostly around the southern part.) I ate on the road a lot and went back to my staples from the 'villes -- almonds and beef jerky and lots and lots of caffeine. I think I drank even more caffeine this time then I did last year because being so caffeinated really helped keep my appetite at bay.
If you have specific questions about the deployment itself, I am happy to answer. Send me a comment here or message me on Facebook. I sent out a series of emails while I was gone about some of my experiences, and I would be happy to share those.
So, now I'm back (from outer space...) and consciously decided that I was going to stay off the wagon and then join the cliche of getting back on track in the New Year. I do so hate being a cliche, but they exist for a reason. I have gained about 5-10 pounds since I left. I know that if I really get committed, this part of it will be "easy" to take off since it is new weight. But I know that getting committed is where I struggle. It's probably where you struggle too, right?
What're we gonna do about it?
Here are some of MY plans...
As for me, on New Year's Day, no matter how hung over I am (and I will be, let's not kid ourselves here), I plan to rip off the band-aid and get a workout in. If the weather cooperates, I plan to do the 5k I marked out here in my neighborhood (mostly just walking -- though in the one, lonely work-out I did while I was gone, I was able to run for most of it) and if not, then I'll be at my gym. Along with all the newbies who are really, really, really going to do it this time!
I'll also be going back to Fat Church. I am hoping that my beloved Wednesday meeting will still work, but any meeting this time of year is going to be crazy crowded with newbies. I need to find a meeting that works with my schedule and has a leader that I like as much as my current one -- harder to find than you think. In full honesty, the group that goes also plays a part. I frequently sample meetings that filled with knitting grannies and this is just not the place for me. I like the ones where the members really should be stopping at an AA meeting on their way home -- like me! (We don't want to quit drinking, we just want to learn to do it moderately. Or to be moderate enough in everything else that we can still drink... Or something.) So, finding a NEW meeting, but going to meetings no matter what. Getting back on track with Weight Watchers will be a key component in my "recovery."
My plans also include finding a new race to train for. I'm thinking about utilizing the Couch to 5k Plan so that the next 5k I do, I can run the entire thing. I'm considering joining the biggest loser challenge at my gym again -- that was a great inspiration to me the when I started this journey and I have no doubt will be again. If that doesn't work, I will definitely be trolling the groupons for some type of boot camp (though NOT cross fit -- no nervous breakdowns while working out again!) so that I can incorporate strength training -- an area where I really don't feel confident.
I think that's enough for now. I met a lot of inspiring people while I was on this tour. One of them bought inexpensive exercise equipment, which he says he does on every deployment and walked the stairs. Another ran daily while we were gone. Another also wasn't really on track with workouts, but did make good food decisions on the regular and one of his first check-ins when he came back was at the gym with the tag line "yesterday we said tomorrow and we meant it". I LOVE that -- that's how I want to approach 2013. I said I was going to get to my goal weight by my 40th -- and I meant it!
Can't wait to share my journey with you!
hugs,
Heather
PS -- *The use of the word diet in this and every post is intended to mean food choices and not the stereotypical usage of the word diet (or die with a t). Even when I am actively following the Weight Watchers plan, I do not consider myself to be on a diet. That's not just something that I say to make people believe I drank the Kool-Aid. Weight Watchers is just the most effective tool I have ever found to help me be responsible for what I eat and become more moderate.
Also, this is but a small sampling of photos from my trip but for some reason I'm getting locked up and unable to post more.
If you have specific questions about the deployment itself, I am happy to answer. Send me a comment here or message me on Facebook. I sent out a series of emails while I was gone about some of my experiences, and I would be happy to share those.
So, now I'm back (from outer space...) and consciously decided that I was going to stay off the wagon and then join the cliche of getting back on track in the New Year. I do so hate being a cliche, but they exist for a reason. I have gained about 5-10 pounds since I left. I know that if I really get committed, this part of it will be "easy" to take off since it is new weight. But I know that getting committed is where I struggle. It's probably where you struggle too, right?
What're we gonna do about it?
Here are some of MY plans...
As for me, on New Year's Day, no matter how hung over I am (and I will be, let's not kid ourselves here), I plan to rip off the band-aid and get a workout in. If the weather cooperates, I plan to do the 5k I marked out here in my neighborhood (mostly just walking -- though in the one, lonely work-out I did while I was gone, I was able to run for most of it) and if not, then I'll be at my gym. Along with all the newbies who are really, really, really going to do it this time!
I'll also be going back to Fat Church. I am hoping that my beloved Wednesday meeting will still work, but any meeting this time of year is going to be crazy crowded with newbies. I need to find a meeting that works with my schedule and has a leader that I like as much as my current one -- harder to find than you think. In full honesty, the group that goes also plays a part. I frequently sample meetings that filled with knitting grannies and this is just not the place for me. I like the ones where the members really should be stopping at an AA meeting on their way home -- like me! (We don't want to quit drinking, we just want to learn to do it moderately. Or to be moderate enough in everything else that we can still drink... Or something.) So, finding a NEW meeting, but going to meetings no matter what. Getting back on track with Weight Watchers will be a key component in my "recovery."
My plans also include finding a new race to train for. I'm thinking about utilizing the Couch to 5k Plan so that the next 5k I do, I can run the entire thing. I'm considering joining the biggest loser challenge at my gym again -- that was a great inspiration to me the when I started this journey and I have no doubt will be again. If that doesn't work, I will definitely be trolling the groupons for some type of boot camp (though NOT cross fit -- no nervous breakdowns while working out again!) so that I can incorporate strength training -- an area where I really don't feel confident.
I think that's enough for now. I met a lot of inspiring people while I was on this tour. One of them bought inexpensive exercise equipment, which he says he does on every deployment and walked the stairs. Another ran daily while we were gone. Another also wasn't really on track with workouts, but did make good food decisions on the regular and one of his first check-ins when he came back was at the gym with the tag line "yesterday we said tomorrow and we meant it". I LOVE that -- that's how I want to approach 2013. I said I was going to get to my goal weight by my 40th -- and I meant it!
Can't wait to share my journey with you!
hugs,
Heather
PS -- *The use of the word diet in this and every post is intended to mean food choices and not the stereotypical usage of the word diet (or die with a t). Even when I am actively following the Weight Watchers plan, I do not consider myself to be on a diet. That's not just something that I say to make people believe I drank the Kool-Aid. Weight Watchers is just the most effective tool I have ever found to help me be responsible for what I eat and become more moderate.
Also, this is but a small sampling of photos from my trip but for some reason I'm getting locked up and unable to post more.
Thursday, October 18, 2012
True Confessions - Fat Church, Food, and Alcoholism.... :)
You know how I frequently refer to Weight Watchers as Fat Church? Well, I looked through my archives and it looks like I never told you why. I hope that my more religious readers do not get offended. I mean NO harm!
I'm sure for the most part it's obvious. There's the prayer before you get on the scale. The weekly sermon done by your leader. (Even the occasional guest pastor.) The collection is the weekly items they are pitching. The Bible is your Getting Started Guide and you refer to your various Commandments -- the Healthy Guidelines. I won't go super sacrilegious and try to figure out who our God is, so I'll wrap up with saying further that WW is actually most reminds of Catholic Church because there is confession!
And this is what inspired this post tonight. Food confessions! What woman in America does nohet do this?! It is the most satisfying thing ever! There is nothing more that I like than to share with my closest friends that food confessions. When I tell them about something horribly decadent that I did and I expose it to another person, it just makes me feel better. Usually they will share something they did. Or they'll just say, "I was so HORRIBLE!" Like having a strawberry daiquiri is the highway to hell or something. Isn't it great? Don't you feel so much better when you hear that other people are just as crazy as you?! Then what inspires me to get active and work harder and do better is these same women that I have shared these stories with will then tell me about all of the awesome active things they did to counterbalance that food weakness. It's really, truly inspiring. They will always minimize what they do, but trust me -- it's more than I do before 5 in the morning!
This is what I like the best about good Fat Churches. They're not all built the same, you know. It's all about the pastor and the congregation. I've recently been dabbling with trying to find another meeting to go to. I usually go Wednesday nights. But just going to one other meeting and I knew that I just really like the Wednesday night group a lot. Our leader is really awesome. She really has been there, she really does understand and she really is an example of what you can accomplish if you just believe (faith!). She makes sure that we discuss the weekly topic but in a way that really incorporates group participation. But best of all, she encourages confession -- even if she does tease us a little about it. We confess some of the more audacious things we have done and our perceived failures and she gives us encouragement to do better, be better and we feel recommitted. The group has clearly known each and been losing together for a while. And I confess to feeling like an outsider, even though I've been going for more than 16 weeks. Granted not religiously to this meeting, but enough so that I keep waiting to pass the threshold and feel like an "insider."
So, in honor of this tradition here is my food confession today... We had a potluck at work today to honor our friend Wanda who is moving on within the company to even more exciting ventures. (Good luck Wanda!) There was so much good food and I indulged in some tastes of everything. Amazing pork barbecue, baked chicken, pumpkin soup, pumpkin muffins -- even I baked! (Muffins that were 2 PPV's each, thank you very much!) I calculated my points for everything (ugh, hard confession -- 13) and my BFAW and I walked for a long time after to work off just a tiny portion of our indulgence -- and our work frustration! (Not truly frustration, after all -- I did just get promoted!) Then tonight, Scott wanted pizza for dinner and I didn't have the creativity to disagree, so I went along and had two slices. He DID get me spinach and tomato, like I like but that was 9 PPV's. And then after dinner, I'm trying to get better about drinking moderately during the week... (Hard confession -- I have had wine Sunday, Tuesday and Wednesday this week. Which means I've only been on the wagon Monday and tonight, but baby steps right?) Where was I? Oh, tonight after dinner. I got the munchies, so I had an apple with 2 tablespoons of sunbutter. (How much do I LOVE sunbutter?) That was 5 more points. Needless to say it was a robust day. I did spend it trying to make good decisions, but I'd be lying if it feels that way now. My stomach feels thick and I just feel so bloated.
It's going to be ANOTHER indulgent weekend. I'm going to be looking for ways to fit activity in between and try to minimize the damage.
Wish me luck, but no matter what I'll confess it all here!
hugs,
Heather
Wednesday, October 17, 2012
Researching controversial theories
I am about to impart to you, my dedicated readers, a theory which I believe may be considered controversial... Let's start with an excerpt from a boring research paper.
There is a cognitive bias known as the halo effect that serves to benefit people who are considered attractive. People who are seen as attractive are considered to have a greater range of special qualities and abilities – even if they do not actually possess those abilities.[1] People who benefit from the halo effect have an easier time making friends, getting into good schools and getting jobs. Being pretty is considered a virtue in and of itself. But, if there is a halo effect that allows people to ascribe positive traits to someone simply based on appearance, then there must also be a reverse halo effect. If someone is unattractive, then they are imbued with negative qualities. In America, nothing is considered more unattractive than being fat. Fat people are regularly associated with stereotypes about gluttony, sloth and greed – thus assigning a morality slant to their extra weight.[2] The biases associated with these stereotypes are the last acceptable prejudice in America, because obesity is considered a controllable condition.[3] Further, the bias is so pervasive that even fat people carry this prejudice.[4]
Yeah, yeah, yeah -- this is from my own boring research paper. So, sue me. Anyways, the reason that I'm sharing this is because after you spend 20 pages and hours of research and so forth, the topic of fat bias tends to stick with you... And here's my theory. I think that one of the things that has contributed to my recent promotion has been the combination of the reverse halo effect AND the halo effect. I was at my highest weight when I started in property. Or at least, heading in that direction, as you know from when I posted this (fair warning: there is a hideous fat picture in this link)... I was pretty confident, but not confident that I was pretty. And when you are a person who is ultimately as vain as I am, even when I am self-loathing, this is a hard place to be. It's hard to think that you're going to be good at anything when you're not even comfortable in your own skin. And I didn't feel like I was great at my job, really, and I didn't feel comfortable that I was going to fit in and succeed and whatever. And the thing is that while success at my job is in large part based on how good you actually are at doing your job, there is also some politics and putting on the show and "dressing for the job you want to get rather than the one you have."
I started my weight loss journey for the last time when I started this blog in January of 2011. From that time, my image has slowly been evolving. People gradually started seeing me differently and, I believe, perceiving what I was capable of doing differently -- not because my own ability had actually changed, but because I was physically changing into something that more closely resembled what was/is considered "normal."
A good friend recently made a comment about someone whom we happened to run into that this person had lost a considerable amount of weight and then she "blossomed." (Good friend, I hope you do not mind me using this story as I am not naming names.) I have marinated on this a lot. Anyone who has lost a bit of weight knows what it is like to suddenly have people start paying attention to you because you look different. It is weird. It is empowering, but it is weird. People want to know what you're doing and get advice. They want to apologize for what they're eating. They want to know what you're eating. But the point is -- they notice you. And while I may have been noticed before in a negative way because of the reverse halo effect, it seems more magnified because the halo effect makes me (in my not-so-humble opinion) more attractive because I have taken the weight off, removed this huge stigma and seem like a committed person. Which in turn, could potentially have contributed to me seeming to be the best possible candidate. Not only because I rocked the interview (again, not so humble) but because I exude a persona of being able to get things done. And whyyy do I exude this persona? Because I have lost 40 pounds. To you, I am physically different and this equates to me being different. But am I different? Did I truly "blossom" or was I this person all along and it's just more acceptable because I look better??
And think about the last line from that excerpt -- even fat people carry this bias. People who are overweight are prejudiced against themselves. Again, 20 pages, there's a lot more data to support this. But suffice it to say, when you are an overweight person, there is someone in your head who is telling you that you deserve to feel ugly and not fit in, et cetera. And to go from being that person to having a morning filled with people coming up and talking to me as their weight loss spiritual leader? I love this. It makes me feel great that people see me as this inspiring person as part of their own journey. It makes me want to be better (see also: WW Weeklies have timely messages) and isn't that good too?
So maybe my promotion was due to the reverse halo effect colliding with the halo effect -- who cares? Halo or horns, the job is mine and I am going to rock it!
Let's end this whole thing with the cute quote I used on the cover page of said paper:
| “No diet will ever remove all of the fat from your body because the brain is entirely fat. Without a brain, you might look good but all you could do is run for public office.” – George Bernard Shaw |
hugs,
Heather
Monday, October 15, 2012
Susan Komen final update
I guess I had a chip in bib and didn't even know it. Awkward! Got this email today:
"Congratulations on finishing the Komen Tidewater Race for the Cure on October 13, 2012. The weather on race morning was sunny and cool, 59 degrees with a north wind at 7 mph gusting to 17.
Your overall finish place was 1209 and there were 2145 finishers in the race. Your time of 42:08 gave you a 13:35 pace per mile."
So, I finished about in the middle, with a time under 14 min/mile and in less time than I thought??? Cool!! And really close to the time I was hoping to do it in. Yay, yay, yay!
I sure hope these NSV's supersede the up I think I'm going to see on Wednesday night!!
Hugs,
Heather
"Congratulations on finishing the Komen Tidewater Race for the Cure on October 13, 2012. The weather on race morning was sunny and cool, 59 degrees with a north wind at 7 mph gusting to 17.
Your overall finish place was 1209 and there were 2145 finishers in the race. Your time of 42:08 gave you a 13:35 pace per mile."
So, I finished about in the middle, with a time under 14 min/mile and in less time than I thought??? Cool!! And really close to the time I was hoping to do it in. Yay, yay, yay!
I sure hope these NSV's supersede the up I think I'm going to see on Wednesday night!!
Hugs,
Heather
Sunday, October 14, 2012
Another 5K?
I'm thinking about doing the Jingle Bell 5k Run/Walk. It's on December 1. BFF Tina was like, you just complained about how cold this race was in October and now you want to do one in December? And since I need to talk her into doing it, so I don't have that awkward feeling I talked about in my last post, I need to get to work on the pressuring.
I just like having something to train for, it gives me the motivation I need to get off the couch.
What's the trick to running in the cold? Is it the gear? Layers? I'm looking for some feedback.
I haven't signed up yet, but I have til November 17th to commit and get my swag. I like the idea of doing this one because of the costumes but it's also the day of my company holiday party, so I'd be well set up to feel like I earned the party hardy.
That's the post-race update for now. I thought I'd post a short one to keep up the posting momentum and encourage you to keep coming around to read. :)
hugs,
Heather
I just like having something to train for, it gives me the motivation I need to get off the couch.
What's the trick to running in the cold? Is it the gear? Layers? I'm looking for some feedback.
I haven't signed up yet, but I have til November 17th to commit and get my swag. I like the idea of doing this one because of the costumes but it's also the day of my company holiday party, so I'd be well set up to feel like I earned the party hardy.
That's the post-race update for now. I thought I'd post a short one to keep up the posting momentum and encourage you to keep coming around to read. :)
hugs,
Heather
Saturday, October 13, 2012
Best. Week. EVER.
5k/Susan G Komen day came at the end of a crazy, amazing week for me. (Cra-mazing?) The week started with me finding out that one of my work calls had won a contest that got me an official NFL jersey. I'm not a football fan, as anyone knows, but the timing was perfect and it was all around exciting to have won.
Why was the timing perfect? Because I had my interview for the Senior Claims Adjuster promotion on Wednesday and I knocked it out of the park -- and got the job!! The amount of happy dancing that went on was ridiculous -- not to mention the vanity shots! (The dress is what I was wearing when I found out, not for the interview.) Right after I found out, I was going down one of our infamous long hallways and my director was coming towards me. I still wasn't able to tell anyone, but of course he knew. So I got into one of the little nooks in the wall where only he would see me and did what I can only describe as a Muppet themed silent screaming happy dance. He was falling out laughing, it was just such a great moment.
But because of the lead up to this and the subsequent celebrating, there was not much in the way of training. I went to the gym on Tuesday night and that was it. Wednesday was the night of the interview and I went to WW and found out that I got the 1 pound off that I had just put back on (and frankly will probably be there again this week) and then had a great dinner with Scott and my cousin Mary Margaret who happened to be in town. At this point, I was already getting feedback that the interview went well and I was pretty sure I was going to get the job, but of course you don't know til you know. Thursday was the day I found out and there was much indulgence that evening with some of my favorite ladies to celebrate. And then I didn't want to over-do it last night, so I didn't run then either. I did do 30 minutes on my new stepper, so I feel like I got a little something in...
And today -- the race! My husband couldn't be roused, so I had to make the trek down by myself. I was a bundle of nerves about participating by myself (with 1000's of people, but you know what I mean) and this feeling was just further emphasized when I got there. As I was driving in I was passing all kinds of pink-clad groups wearing tutus and pink wigs and just generally in good spirits. I had, obviously, never done anything this size and magnitude and just never really thought about the costumes or just how many people would be there, etc. Because the amount of people was crazy! I found the group from my gym, but my awkward feeling continued because I don't really know anyone from my gym. I don't take classes or work with a trainer or anything like that. I got there just too late to be in the group picture and even felt weird asking someone to take one for me. (The shy side of Heather, who knew?) It was 7:15 and the race didn't start until 8:30. It just seemed to take forever, but then suddenly it was time and we were corralling towards the corral like cattle.
So many things were going through my head the whole time. The meaning behind the event and the woman from my gym that I had just met who was in her 5th year of survivorship. Thinking about how freaking cold I was! Thinking about how I no longer cared what my time was, I just wanted to be done and say that I was done. Thinking about women and how freaking amazing we are and how so many have been through so many things and survived so much and how so many have to go through that journey alone. Thinking that no matter how awkward I was feeling about the whole thing, just proud that I signed up for the thing, showed up for the thing and did the thing.
Anyways, I started the timer on my map my walk app so I could try to track my actual time since I didn't get a chip, but it turned out that wasn't that accurate since we were herded there for a while without starting. Oh well. Once the crowd started dissipating, I finally got to a bit of a jog and had a decent pace. It was definitely a combo of walking and running the whole thing. I just would pick random landmarks and try to make it to one of those before walking. And then I would pick another random landmark that I would have to start running again. It was very brisk out. We ran up Atlantic Avenue for the first half, which means we were blocked from the wind -- but also from the sun. At the halfway point, we make the turn onto the boardwalk -- into the sun AND the wind. Yay? My pace wasn't as good as I had hoped, but I really had let that go. Sure, my goal was to finish in 40 minutes, but it's not like I haven't broken other goals (see also average loss of 5 lbs per month) -- it is what it is. I was feeling a bit disappointed but still glad that it was over, when out of seemingly nowhere my BFF Tina was there just as I passed the 3 mile mark cheering me on and taking a video of me coming down the row. I almost had a hard time staying in stride because I started crying a bit. I probably would have broken into full out sobbing if I had had the breath. Thanks BFF, you ALWAYS come through! Anyways, I pushed through and finished at 46:17. This is just about 6 minutes faster than the "original" 5k, which means since that time I have gotten my time down by 2 minutes per mile. And considering how much slacking I've done in the interim and how recently I was even able to run as much as I can, I am frankly pretty pleased by that. It's true, you really do get better the more you do!
Anyways, it's finally over! As you see pictured, we had an indulgent breakfast at Baker's Crust -- for the record, I could only eat half that thing -- and tonight Scott and I are headed for celebration at the comedy club and indulgent dinner. Another note on the pictures -- I am really starting to see some of the changes in myself in pictures. Especially the post race shot -- I really think this may have been a camera trick, because I do not feel like my legs actually look this good.
The tracking this week? Not so much. (Sorry Sherrie!) I'm allowing myself the indulgence of not tracking again today and then renewing my focus by Monday. (I'd say tomorrow, but who am I kidding?)
Why was the timing perfect? Because I had my interview for the Senior Claims Adjuster promotion on Wednesday and I knocked it out of the park -- and got the job!! The amount of happy dancing that went on was ridiculous -- not to mention the vanity shots! (The dress is what I was wearing when I found out, not for the interview.) Right after I found out, I was going down one of our infamous long hallways and my director was coming towards me. I still wasn't able to tell anyone, but of course he knew. So I got into one of the little nooks in the wall where only he would see me and did what I can only describe as a Muppet themed silent screaming happy dance. He was falling out laughing, it was just such a great moment.
But because of the lead up to this and the subsequent celebrating, there was not much in the way of training. I went to the gym on Tuesday night and that was it. Wednesday was the night of the interview and I went to WW and found out that I got the 1 pound off that I had just put back on (and frankly will probably be there again this week) and then had a great dinner with Scott and my cousin Mary Margaret who happened to be in town. At this point, I was already getting feedback that the interview went well and I was pretty sure I was going to get the job, but of course you don't know til you know. Thursday was the day I found out and there was much indulgence that evening with some of my favorite ladies to celebrate. And then I didn't want to over-do it last night, so I didn't run then either. I did do 30 minutes on my new stepper, so I feel like I got a little something in...
And today -- the race! My husband couldn't be roused, so I had to make the trek down by myself. I was a bundle of nerves about participating by myself (with 1000's of people, but you know what I mean) and this feeling was just further emphasized when I got there. As I was driving in I was passing all kinds of pink-clad groups wearing tutus and pink wigs and just generally in good spirits. I had, obviously, never done anything this size and magnitude and just never really thought about the costumes or just how many people would be there, etc. Because the amount of people was crazy! I found the group from my gym, but my awkward feeling continued because I don't really know anyone from my gym. I don't take classes or work with a trainer or anything like that. I got there just too late to be in the group picture and even felt weird asking someone to take one for me. (The shy side of Heather, who knew?) It was 7:15 and the race didn't start until 8:30. It just seemed to take forever, but then suddenly it was time and we were corralling towards the corral like cattle.
So many things were going through my head the whole time. The meaning behind the event and the woman from my gym that I had just met who was in her 5th year of survivorship. Thinking about how freaking cold I was! Thinking about how I no longer cared what my time was, I just wanted to be done and say that I was done. Thinking about women and how freaking amazing we are and how so many have been through so many things and survived so much and how so many have to go through that journey alone. Thinking that no matter how awkward I was feeling about the whole thing, just proud that I signed up for the thing, showed up for the thing and did the thing.
Anyways, I started the timer on my map my walk app so I could try to track my actual time since I didn't get a chip, but it turned out that wasn't that accurate since we were herded there for a while without starting. Oh well. Once the crowd started dissipating, I finally got to a bit of a jog and had a decent pace. It was definitely a combo of walking and running the whole thing. I just would pick random landmarks and try to make it to one of those before walking. And then I would pick another random landmark that I would have to start running again. It was very brisk out. We ran up Atlantic Avenue for the first half, which means we were blocked from the wind -- but also from the sun. At the halfway point, we make the turn onto the boardwalk -- into the sun AND the wind. Yay? My pace wasn't as good as I had hoped, but I really had let that go. Sure, my goal was to finish in 40 minutes, but it's not like I haven't broken other goals (see also average loss of 5 lbs per month) -- it is what it is. I was feeling a bit disappointed but still glad that it was over, when out of seemingly nowhere my BFF Tina was there just as I passed the 3 mile mark cheering me on and taking a video of me coming down the row. I almost had a hard time staying in stride because I started crying a bit. I probably would have broken into full out sobbing if I had had the breath. Thanks BFF, you ALWAYS come through! Anyways, I pushed through and finished at 46:17. This is just about 6 minutes faster than the "original" 5k, which means since that time I have gotten my time down by 2 minutes per mile. And considering how much slacking I've done in the interim and how recently I was even able to run as much as I can, I am frankly pretty pleased by that. It's true, you really do get better the more you do!
Anyways, it's finally over! As you see pictured, we had an indulgent breakfast at Baker's Crust -- for the record, I could only eat half that thing -- and tonight Scott and I are headed for celebration at the comedy club and indulgent dinner. Another note on the pictures -- I am really starting to see some of the changes in myself in pictures. Especially the post race shot -- I really think this may have been a camera trick, because I do not feel like my legs actually look this good.
The tracking this week? Not so much. (Sorry Sherrie!) I'm allowing myself the indulgence of not tracking again today and then renewing my focus by Monday. (I'd say tomorrow, but who am I kidding?)
 |
| Feeling pretty sassy Thursday night after learning I got the promotion |
 |
| My small attempt at blinging out |
 |
| Neptune with his sexy abs |
 |
| CJ, one of the trainers at the gym |
 |
| BFFs |
 |
| Freaking did it! |
 |
| Greasy indulgent breakfast -- but note the yogurt instead of hash browns |
If you've read this far, you are truly a fan and I appreciate you! I hope that I am giving you just a little bit of the inspiration that I have found along the way and that I hope to keep finding so I can keep trending in a downward direction. :)
hugs,
Heather
Saturday, September 15, 2012
A nod to Norman Rockwell with a Saturday Evening Post
OMG! I totally want to train for The Great American Mud Fest!!
It's just short of a 5k, so getting to my wheelhouse but it's got a whole bunch of Crossfit like obstacles. Where would you train? Who would train you? SO excited about the idea!
Even though I did too much partying last night, I made up for a bunch of that today. I got up and once again tried to complete my neighborhood 5k. This was now my 3rd attempt. The first time, I posted about because it started to rain and I didn't finish. The last time I missed the turn and when I figured it out, I tried to circle back but didn't want to circle the whole way back. Still, I made up almost the whole thing and it was 3.07 when I was done. I was pretty happy with my time too, all in all -- I did it 43:47, average pace 14:14 per mile. Well, today I was very cognizant of the turn, but then I was in a really new part of my neighborhood and lost a lot of time looking at the map to make sure I was at the right parts and all that. Unfortunately, I didn't realize that there was ANOTHER turn later, ironically in the most familiar part of my neighborhood -- and that had me completing 3.34 miles instead of 3.10. My time 48:33 and my pace was 14:30.
Bit of a downscore on the pace, but given that I didn't go to bed until 3 and got up at 8:30 and again, did too much partying the night before -- I think pretty good. Both times put me well under my first 5k at a finish time of 52:02.
Annnnyways, after I did the run, I decided to mow the lawn for Scott since he had to work this morning. More activity points, woo hoo! Then when he got home from work, he swapped out some deck boards and I helped pull a couple of those. THEN, I got the "bright" idea to take a bunch of the wood debris at the side of the house to the dump. Which means I loaded a whole bunch of old, wet, rotted deck boards and twigs and so forth back and forth to his truck. Even MORE activity points!
So, when Scott wanted to have a pizza from one of the better places around for dinner, I felt like despite my partying last night (which I tried to track a fair amount of), I "deserved" the carby treat. I also tracked the pizza (which didn't live up to the reputation entirely) so it's not like I was going off book. It's just that I really try not to eat this kind of empty points plus thing. It's just not worth it most of the time. It cost more points than I really want to spend, for one thing. And because I frequently eat better than this most of the time, I don't always physically feel good after eating crap. I can just feel it sitting on my gut. I think about all of the additional activity I'm going to need to do again to get it off and then it feels even less worth it.
That's all trending in the right direction, huh? ;-)
hugs,
Heather
It's just short of a 5k, so getting to my wheelhouse but it's got a whole bunch of Crossfit like obstacles. Where would you train? Who would train you? SO excited about the idea!
Even though I did too much partying last night, I made up for a bunch of that today. I got up and once again tried to complete my neighborhood 5k. This was now my 3rd attempt. The first time, I posted about because it started to rain and I didn't finish. The last time I missed the turn and when I figured it out, I tried to circle back but didn't want to circle the whole way back. Still, I made up almost the whole thing and it was 3.07 when I was done. I was pretty happy with my time too, all in all -- I did it 43:47, average pace 14:14 per mile. Well, today I was very cognizant of the turn, but then I was in a really new part of my neighborhood and lost a lot of time looking at the map to make sure I was at the right parts and all that. Unfortunately, I didn't realize that there was ANOTHER turn later, ironically in the most familiar part of my neighborhood -- and that had me completing 3.34 miles instead of 3.10. My time 48:33 and my pace was 14:30.
Bit of a downscore on the pace, but given that I didn't go to bed until 3 and got up at 8:30 and again, did too much partying the night before -- I think pretty good. Both times put me well under my first 5k at a finish time of 52:02.
Annnnyways, after I did the run, I decided to mow the lawn for Scott since he had to work this morning. More activity points, woo hoo! Then when he got home from work, he swapped out some deck boards and I helped pull a couple of those. THEN, I got the "bright" idea to take a bunch of the wood debris at the side of the house to the dump. Which means I loaded a whole bunch of old, wet, rotted deck boards and twigs and so forth back and forth to his truck. Even MORE activity points!
So, when Scott wanted to have a pizza from one of the better places around for dinner, I felt like despite my partying last night (which I tried to track a fair amount of), I "deserved" the carby treat. I also tracked the pizza (which didn't live up to the reputation entirely) so it's not like I was going off book. It's just that I really try not to eat this kind of empty points plus thing. It's just not worth it most of the time. It cost more points than I really want to spend, for one thing. And because I frequently eat better than this most of the time, I don't always physically feel good after eating crap. I can just feel it sitting on my gut. I think about all of the additional activity I'm going to need to do again to get it off and then it feels even less worth it.
That's all trending in the right direction, huh? ;-)
hugs,
Heather
Tuesday, August 28, 2012
Rambling about inspiration
I've had an addiction to weight loss shows for a long time. I don't watch them often, mostly because they irritate my husband. It might be because I frequently cry at some point during the shows. So much so that when I cry during other shows, he'll ask why I'm crying since no one had lost weight...
Ha ha.
But, it's inspiring watching someone lose a crap ton of a weight in hour long segments. Hearing about all the things that went into gaining the weight and watching the struggles to lose. Seeing someone find and lose and find and lose motivation over and over again. It's inspiring because I relate to those highs and lows. I have them in myself on a daily, weekly -- hell hourly basis.
This week I'm in a holding pattern, as I mentioned in my last post. On call to deploy down south for Catastrophe duty, and I'm feeling some kind of way. Here's a post from last year just 13 days in... I'm in limbo and because of that, I'm a bit frazzled and bored. And boredom always leads me to overeat. Add to this I've been feeling like I'm starting to get a cold and it's that time of the month and well... I'm in a bad place.
So, I watched a weight loss show to get inspired again. And I'm telling you. Because these of some of the formulas I have to turn myself around. I went to a WW meeting today because I thought I might be leaving tomorrow (I'm not). I made sure to get to the gym this morning and ran/walked for 30 minutes. I'm still getting trying to prepare for the 5k -- in fact, here's a link to my Race for the Cure page. I have a very modest pledge goal of $125, so even if you can only donate a few dollars I would be much obliged!
Maybe I'm not getting where I want to be as fast as I'd like. Maybe I DO sabotage myself. But, I think knowing that these are problems and taking steps to try to nip them in the bud and not spiral out of control are what's going to help me.
And continuing to talk to you. So, thanks for reading!
hugs,
Heather
Sunday, August 19, 2012
Reflection leads to action
One of the things I regret the most about the time that I wasn't blogging regularly is that I like to go back and read past posts in order to gauge my progress. This is one of the reasons I blog. It's one of the reasons I decided to start posting a scale photo at the beginning of every month. Since I wasn't blogging last summer during the Summer of Lovehandles, I don't have comparison with where I'm at now.
But, now as we are -- sadly -- winding down and summer and heading in to Fall, I am getting close to where I picked up writing again. I picked up this gem from the end of September, which is mostly all reflective and gave us the mantra "today is just today." But at the end, I write about a gym visit, and I stated that I did an under 16 minute mile. Well, yesterday I did 3.27 miles on the old dreadmill and my pace was 14:14 minutes/mile. AND that was mostly running! This comparison to how far I've come and the fact that I ran almost the whole thing... It all gave me the confidence to FINALLY sign up for another 5k!
Oh my God!
It's for Susan G. Komen for the Cure and it's on October 13. As soon as I figure out how, I'll try to set up a way if you'd like to donate on behalf of my fundraising. Here's the link to the Susan G. Komen Tidewater homepage until I can figure something else out.
Holy crap, this means I will really need to get over my anxiousness about running outside. I want to try to run the whole thing and my goal is to do it in 40 minutes or less. I think this is a VERY reasonable, attainable goal given where I am right now and the fact that I have 2 months (almost) to train.
Excited, nervous, scared... But, hey -- at least I've got something new to write about! :)
hugs,
Heather
But, now as we are -- sadly -- winding down and summer and heading in to Fall, I am getting close to where I picked up writing again. I picked up this gem from the end of September, which is mostly all reflective and gave us the mantra "today is just today." But at the end, I write about a gym visit, and I stated that I did an under 16 minute mile. Well, yesterday I did 3.27 miles on the old dreadmill and my pace was 14:14 minutes/mile. AND that was mostly running! This comparison to how far I've come and the fact that I ran almost the whole thing... It all gave me the confidence to FINALLY sign up for another 5k!
Oh my God!
It's for Susan G. Komen for the Cure and it's on October 13. As soon as I figure out how, I'll try to set up a way if you'd like to donate on behalf of my fundraising. Here's the link to the Susan G. Komen Tidewater homepage until I can figure something else out.
Holy crap, this means I will really need to get over my anxiousness about running outside. I want to try to run the whole thing and my goal is to do it in 40 minutes or less. I think this is a VERY reasonable, attainable goal given where I am right now and the fact that I have 2 months (almost) to train.
Excited, nervous, scared... But, hey -- at least I've got something new to write about! :)
hugs,
Heather
Wednesday, August 1, 2012
Haters Gonna Hate
Tonight in our meeting, our fearless leader Sherrie talked about having a song that motivates you to stay focused during your journey. This really resonated with me. I'm sure you could guess since I've had so many prior posts about the music I listen to during my workouts. And when she said this my old mantra was the first thing to pop in my head. I downloaded at the first stoplight and immediately started feeling empowered.
My song? 32 Flavors. It's an Ani deFranco song but I prefer the version by Alana Davis because it's more up tempo. If you don't know the song, it's basic theme is "haters gonna hate.". I particularly like it because of the Phoenix reference - a symbol I identify with. (It's what my weird tattoo is supposed to be.)
Here's that line:
God help you if you are an ugly girl
Course too pretty is also your doom
'Cause everyone harbors a secret hatred for the prettiest girl in the room
God help you if you are a phoenix and you dare to rise up from ash
A thousand eyes will smolder with jealousy while you are just flying past
I mean - isn't that what you face so often on your weight loss journey? Haters gonna hate. You've been doing the work to get where you wanna be and people will sabotage you and undercut every step of the way.
And this song is the anthem of look haters - I'm not building myself up by tearing YOU down, so how about returning the favor??
Thanks Sherrie for the suggestion!
What's YOUR anthem?
My song? 32 Flavors. It's an Ani deFranco song but I prefer the version by Alana Davis because it's more up tempo. If you don't know the song, it's basic theme is "haters gonna hate.". I particularly like it because of the Phoenix reference - a symbol I identify with. (It's what my weird tattoo is supposed to be.)
Here's that line:
God help you if you are an ugly girl
Course too pretty is also your doom
'Cause everyone harbors a secret hatred for the prettiest girl in the room
God help you if you are a phoenix and you dare to rise up from ash
A thousand eyes will smolder with jealousy while you are just flying past
I mean - isn't that what you face so often on your weight loss journey? Haters gonna hate. You've been doing the work to get where you wanna be and people will sabotage you and undercut every step of the way.
And this song is the anthem of look haters - I'm not building myself up by tearing YOU down, so how about returning the favor??
Thanks Sherrie for the suggestion!
What's YOUR anthem?
Tuesday, July 31, 2012
Fitness Adventures
Remember a while back when I was talking about "the next thing?" (No? Here's a link.) I was going to buy groupons and just try different fitness stuff. Well, during that time I bought a groupon deal for cardio kickboxing. I finally went to my first class tonight and I really liked it.
The class was 50 minutes and very small -- which I like. The teacher, Master C, is awesome and was very accommodating. It was mildly intense, but I never felt like puking or anything. Turns out, that's because this was the "easy" night. The classes are Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday and apparently the Saturday class is crossfit-like. Yay?
I chatted with some of the other ladies before the class and told them I was there on the groupon deal. They were taking bets on whether or not I'd be back since a few weeks ago there were other groupon ladies and they have not been back. The class was a cardio workout but was not overly intense -- again, because they build up to that. Of course, I was totally uncoordinated as usual but luckily these ladies were awesome and not judge-y at all. Very friendly and inclusive. Not like when you go to some cardio classes with a bunch of Barbie-bots. Blech!
All in all a GREAT day for activity -- I got two walks in (see frizzy picture from earlier) and a cardio kickboxing. Feel great! And that's a total of 14 earned for the day!!
Minor programming (?) note... I've been running a mental tally of how much I've lost since I started and I realized that I haven't been keeping a great log of this to keep me mindful of it. My current goal is to lose about 5 lbs a month until I get to my goal weight of 155. (This is the top of my suggested weight from WW for my height.) I've decided that in order to be able to better track where I'm at and how I'm doing, I am going to start posting scale photos again ((((gulp))) -- but only on the first of the month. These posts will not be split to Facebook, because -- hello -- I don't want my stupid weight in my timeline.
All right, back to the Olympics... Doesn't THAT inspire you to get some activity in??
The class was 50 minutes and very small -- which I like. The teacher, Master C, is awesome and was very accommodating. It was mildly intense, but I never felt like puking or anything. Turns out, that's because this was the "easy" night. The classes are Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday and apparently the Saturday class is crossfit-like. Yay?
I chatted with some of the other ladies before the class and told them I was there on the groupon deal. They were taking bets on whether or not I'd be back since a few weeks ago there were other groupon ladies and they have not been back. The class was a cardio workout but was not overly intense -- again, because they build up to that. Of course, I was totally uncoordinated as usual but luckily these ladies were awesome and not judge-y at all. Very friendly and inclusive. Not like when you go to some cardio classes with a bunch of Barbie-bots. Blech!
All in all a GREAT day for activity -- I got two walks in (see frizzy picture from earlier) and a cardio kickboxing. Feel great! And that's a total of 14 earned for the day!!
Minor programming (?) note... I've been running a mental tally of how much I've lost since I started and I realized that I haven't been keeping a great log of this to keep me mindful of it. My current goal is to lose about 5 lbs a month until I get to my goal weight of 155. (This is the top of my suggested weight from WW for my height.) I've decided that in order to be able to better track where I'm at and how I'm doing, I am going to start posting scale photos again ((((gulp))) -- but only on the first of the month. These posts will not be split to Facebook, because -- hello -- I don't want my stupid weight in my timeline.
All right, back to the Olympics... Doesn't THAT inspire you to get some activity in??
Wednesday, July 25, 2012
It IS fair
Remember when I was telling my friend that I don't look at gaining .2 as a gain, that it was more like maintaining? Of course you do, it just happened! I'm struggling to remember my own sage advice now because I had an increase of .4 this week. It's really hard not to look at it as a real gain. Deep in my heart, I know that this is nothing to sweat and I'm still trending in the right direction.
Deep, deep, deep down I know this... Up top, it's hard not to be a little hard on myself. To re-examine all of my missteps. The primary one being living it up like a rock star on Saturday night. Thinking that I was impervious. I knew that it was going to show up. I was talking to my work buddies about that today. There were cookies and one of my buddies was indulging. We calculated that points and she declared that it was worth it. I generally don't indulge on weigh-in day, feeling superstitious that it will show up instantly with every high point thing I eat. I didn't say exactly this, but did say that I was weighing in and wanted to cut back as much as possible. I said that I was not expecting a good weigh in anyways and wanted to try to cut my losses. My buddy, being a good buddy, asked why I thought so? I reminded her of my rock star/bullet proof status on Saturday night and I knew that was going to be bad news. And she uttered my favorite quote of the day, "For one night?! That's just not fair!"
No, friend. It's not fair. But that's the point, isn't it? She said it almost like the scale was punishing me and making me pay a tax for one night of frivolity. Like I was nearly innocent. But that's the thing -- I wasn't. And while I don't want to hold myself over the fire for having one night that resulted in a week where I don't lose, nor can I pretend that those things don't matter. That it isn't "fair."
Because it IS fair. I didn't track that night and I played it a bit loose the rest of the weekend. And what I preach to these work buddies (who are also having their own go at WW) is that if you don't track it -- you're not doing it. I get up on my glorified soap box (when it's not being used to bitch about various work issues) and point fingers and preach. It's annoying. I get mad at myself when I do it. I did this the last time I was on WW seriously. It's not inspiring, it's just annoying. Because, really what I need to do is step off the box, turn my finger around to myself and get right with my own self. I know that it works when I do it, and I know it because I did it and it worked.
I'm not even close to letting this crush my spirit. It's .4 for pity's sake. But don't get it twisted -- even these minor setbacks are what I need to grit my teeth and be more committed to going forward.
Deep, deep, deep down I know this... Up top, it's hard not to be a little hard on myself. To re-examine all of my missteps. The primary one being living it up like a rock star on Saturday night. Thinking that I was impervious. I knew that it was going to show up. I was talking to my work buddies about that today. There were cookies and one of my buddies was indulging. We calculated that points and she declared that it was worth it. I generally don't indulge on weigh-in day, feeling superstitious that it will show up instantly with every high point thing I eat. I didn't say exactly this, but did say that I was weighing in and wanted to cut back as much as possible. I said that I was not expecting a good weigh in anyways and wanted to try to cut my losses. My buddy, being a good buddy, asked why I thought so? I reminded her of my rock star/bullet proof status on Saturday night and I knew that was going to be bad news. And she uttered my favorite quote of the day, "For one night?! That's just not fair!"
No, friend. It's not fair. But that's the point, isn't it? She said it almost like the scale was punishing me and making me pay a tax for one night of frivolity. Like I was nearly innocent. But that's the thing -- I wasn't. And while I don't want to hold myself over the fire for having one night that resulted in a week where I don't lose, nor can I pretend that those things don't matter. That it isn't "fair."
Because it IS fair. I didn't track that night and I played it a bit loose the rest of the weekend. And what I preach to these work buddies (who are also having their own go at WW) is that if you don't track it -- you're not doing it. I get up on my glorified soap box (when it's not being used to bitch about various work issues) and point fingers and preach. It's annoying. I get mad at myself when I do it. I did this the last time I was on WW seriously. It's not inspiring, it's just annoying. Because, really what I need to do is step off the box, turn my finger around to myself and get right with my own self. I know that it works when I do it, and I know it because I did it and it worked.
I'm not even close to letting this crush my spirit. It's .4 for pity's sake. But don't get it twisted -- even these minor setbacks are what I need to grit my teeth and be more committed to going forward.
Tuesday, June 19, 2012
Let's Give 'em something to talk about
My advance apologies if I am talking about you and something that you said to me. I am documenting my weight loss journey on the world wide web. I talk about the fact that I am eating healthier and trying to be more active. I am an unapologetic point counter and weighing checks and balances. It's not uncommon for people to make comments to me both positive and negative or just weird along the way.
I don't usually talk about those things that people say. I don't talk about them here because for one thing I'm posting things on the worldwide web and I chose to do that. They didn't choose to have me discuss these comments on the worldwide web. But on the other hand, it's not a secret.
My godmother says to me that she's worried because it seems like I'm getting down about my weight. Or I'm obsessing about it. I can't remember the exact word, but it was along these lines. I try to explain that I'm NOT obsessing, per se, but it has become a part of my life to try to be healthier. But frankly if she had been with me on this occasion or the other, she would not think by any stretch that I was being obsessed. (Frankly, I think this was in part projecting because she had spent some time with a friend whose daughter is anorexia.) I couldn't stop thinking about this part of the conversation later though, even though we talked for at least 30 minutes about all kinds of things. I've been every weight, she knows I've been every weight and she knows that I haven't been at a healthy weight for some time. Or just healthy body type. I'm not trying to get to be a size 0 here, I'm just trying to get to a weight which is considered healthy for my body type. Like size 10. Or even 12. I know that when I was in high school I thought I was fat even though I was a size 4 and the only thing fat about me was my hair. But that was over 20 years ago. I don't think I'm fat because I'm trying to meet some society standard of ideal body type -- I think I'm fat because I'm fat.
But I'm a lot less fat than I was a year ago. And I'm a lot fatter than I'm going to be a year from now, hopefully.
It maybe seems like I'm obsessing, because I'm on the internet talking about it. But that's a mostly anonymous outlet for me to spout out the stuff that I would otherwise be boring people to tears with. (Well, I already do, but think about how much worse it could be?)
Then there was the co-worker who was always trying to bribe me/thank me with chocolate, which I started declining because the 6 or 8 points or whatever wasn't worth it. I didn't want to pay for it. But she took it to mean that I'm all sacrificing everything and throwing myself on the alter of clean eating or something, because the other day she tried to bribe me/thank me by offering me (and I am not making this up) air popped unseasoned popcorn. I mean, really? That's all you got? At least find a Skinny Cow candy bar and try to fake the funk, man. Ridiculous.
Similar incident with mother in law coming for dinner the other night. She wanted to bring dessert, and I asked what she was going to bring so I could plan for it. It was something that I knew by the sound of it would be high in points so I said that I would just not have any. This definitely came across as being the wrong thing to say because then she decided not to bring it, even though there would be 3 other people eating who likely have enjoyed it. I felt guilty about that all day. I shouldn't have said anything and then just politely declined when the time came. Or sliced a piece you could read through. Or something. But because I am so used to sharing with people my eating habits and talking here about challenges, et cetera I just couldn't stop my big mouth. If you're reading this, I feel bad that I cake-blocked you -- it was not my intent!
But finally, in something good someone talked about, another co-worker told me that I gave her some inspiration and some encouragement to be honest with herself and get going. We didn't get the chance to talk much more than that, because I work in a call center and the phone rang and then the whole day ran away with the spoon -- but I knew it was going somewhere good. And I like that. Because there have been so many people along my journey who inspire me, so if I can be that person for somebody -- then that's the whole point of doing this in the first place, right? To misquote Mahatma Gandhi of all people, I should be the change I want to see in the world.
I am also trying to get better about being a better blogger -- I even have another post I'm working on about the highs and the lows.
hugs,
Heather
I don't usually talk about those things that people say. I don't talk about them here because for one thing I'm posting things on the worldwide web and I chose to do that. They didn't choose to have me discuss these comments on the worldwide web. But on the other hand, it's not a secret.
My godmother says to me that she's worried because it seems like I'm getting down about my weight. Or I'm obsessing about it. I can't remember the exact word, but it was along these lines. I try to explain that I'm NOT obsessing, per se, but it has become a part of my life to try to be healthier. But frankly if she had been with me on this occasion or the other, she would not think by any stretch that I was being obsessed. (Frankly, I think this was in part projecting because she had spent some time with a friend whose daughter is anorexia.) I couldn't stop thinking about this part of the conversation later though, even though we talked for at least 30 minutes about all kinds of things. I've been every weight, she knows I've been every weight and she knows that I haven't been at a healthy weight for some time. Or just healthy body type. I'm not trying to get to be a size 0 here, I'm just trying to get to a weight which is considered healthy for my body type. Like size 10. Or even 12. I know that when I was in high school I thought I was fat even though I was a size 4 and the only thing fat about me was my hair. But that was over 20 years ago. I don't think I'm fat because I'm trying to meet some society standard of ideal body type -- I think I'm fat because I'm fat.
But I'm a lot less fat than I was a year ago. And I'm a lot fatter than I'm going to be a year from now, hopefully.
It maybe seems like I'm obsessing, because I'm on the internet talking about it. But that's a mostly anonymous outlet for me to spout out the stuff that I would otherwise be boring people to tears with. (Well, I already do, but think about how much worse it could be?)
Then there was the co-worker who was always trying to bribe me/thank me with chocolate, which I started declining because the 6 or 8 points or whatever wasn't worth it. I didn't want to pay for it. But she took it to mean that I'm all sacrificing everything and throwing myself on the alter of clean eating or something, because the other day she tried to bribe me/thank me by offering me (and I am not making this up) air popped unseasoned popcorn. I mean, really? That's all you got? At least find a Skinny Cow candy bar and try to fake the funk, man. Ridiculous.
Similar incident with mother in law coming for dinner the other night. She wanted to bring dessert, and I asked what she was going to bring so I could plan for it. It was something that I knew by the sound of it would be high in points so I said that I would just not have any. This definitely came across as being the wrong thing to say because then she decided not to bring it, even though there would be 3 other people eating who likely have enjoyed it. I felt guilty about that all day. I shouldn't have said anything and then just politely declined when the time came. Or sliced a piece you could read through. Or something. But because I am so used to sharing with people my eating habits and talking here about challenges, et cetera I just couldn't stop my big mouth. If you're reading this, I feel bad that I cake-blocked you -- it was not my intent!
But finally, in something good someone talked about, another co-worker told me that I gave her some inspiration and some encouragement to be honest with herself and get going. We didn't get the chance to talk much more than that, because I work in a call center and the phone rang and then the whole day ran away with the spoon -- but I knew it was going somewhere good. And I like that. Because there have been so many people along my journey who inspire me, so if I can be that person for somebody -- then that's the whole point of doing this in the first place, right? To misquote Mahatma Gandhi of all people, I should be the change I want to see in the world.
I am also trying to get better about being a better blogger -- I even have another post I'm working on about the highs and the lows.
hugs,
Heather
Monday, June 18, 2012
*Breaking Exercise News*
I did some -- ha!
It had been quite some time since I had been to the gym, so it was definitely time. And I had a great workout! Back in the day, when I was a good gym girl (remember that 5 minutes?) I used to get to these points where I would not necessarily crave exercise (never that, unfortunately) but I would like feel like the next time THAT was going to be the time that I was going to be able to run. (I'm not even going to link to all of my old "I wish I could run" laments. You know the drill.) I would have these moments of feeling like I was running in my head. I can't explain it. If you've ever been a caterpillar, dreaming of being a butterfly maybe you can understand.
And look at that number above. It's slow, but check it out. I got there because I ran for the first MILE.
Me.
The non-runner. Ran the first mile. (I'm sure most of you know that I use the word "run" very loosely, but I feel like I need to reiterate from time to time that I know it's relative. My running is more like a runner's walk, but whatever...) I started out at a brisk walk but then pumped up to my jog pace and started going. I figured I would just go until I felt like dying, which back when I was going regular was usually maybe a minute or two. But thanks to Crossfit, and that fun 1/4 mile run to warm up, I could go a bit longer than that. It wasn't as hard for me anymore. It still wasn't easy, don't get me wrong -- but it wasn't that hard. I got past a five minute mark and still felt okay. I started the bargaining with myself and decided I would go til I hit 10 minutes and that was impressive. After all, during Crossfit that's past the point of what I ran the half mile at in the fitness tests and usually I was about dead by then. I figured I would be dead and would just work it out for the next 20 minutes.
But when I got to the 10 minute mark I was relatively close to a mile. And I thought, "what the hell? Why not go for it?" In fact, I imagined how excited I would be to tell YOU about it. And this face below is what I imagined I would feel like....
Wednesday, June 6, 2012
Journey to the Onederland
It wasn't deliberate, but I kind of thought I was going to hold off posting until I could post a triumphant "I made it to the Onederland!" post. I've been getting so close. I've seen it on my home scale. More than once.
But it never stays. The return to the Onederland feels as elusive as it must have to poor Alice. And my journey is also strewn with "drink me" and "eat me" taunts. :)
The Onederland is not something that skinny bitches (er, sorry - healthy women) can relate to. It is difficult to explain to them without feeling some embarrassment at having to explain that it is a magical place to live where your weight begins with a one. I mean, even when your weight begins with a one, most women still wish it was lower in the ones. I will once I get there.
I am concerned that I have a mental block with the Onederland that keeps me from getting there. I have been actively trying to get to this point since I started this journey a year and a half ago. Don't despair, I'm not beating myself up for not being farther along. I own the Summer of Love Handles. I own all of my journey in between. It's all good. But, now I'm close. Really close. And I am scared. Scared I am going to sabotage it or scared I'm going to go crazy in the desire to get there. Just scared. When it's been this looming goal for so long and I'm so close, it is really daunting.
I'm trying to breathe through it. Just relax... It will come. I just have to keep doing what I'm doing and it will come.
Maybe I need to get back to one of my hot yoga classes...
But it never stays. The return to the Onederland feels as elusive as it must have to poor Alice. And my journey is also strewn with "drink me" and "eat me" taunts. :)
The Onederland is not something that skinny bitches (er, sorry - healthy women) can relate to. It is difficult to explain to them without feeling some embarrassment at having to explain that it is a magical place to live where your weight begins with a one. I mean, even when your weight begins with a one, most women still wish it was lower in the ones. I will once I get there.
I am concerned that I have a mental block with the Onederland that keeps me from getting there. I have been actively trying to get to this point since I started this journey a year and a half ago. Don't despair, I'm not beating myself up for not being farther along. I own the Summer of Love Handles. I own all of my journey in between. It's all good. But, now I'm close. Really close. And I am scared. Scared I am going to sabotage it or scared I'm going to go crazy in the desire to get there. Just scared. When it's been this looming goal for so long and I'm so close, it is really daunting.
I'm trying to breathe through it. Just relax... It will come. I just have to keep doing what I'm doing and it will come.
Maybe I need to get back to one of my hot yoga classes...
Friday, May 4, 2012
The Next Thing
I'm wrapping up the last 4 classes of boot camp. I have mixed emotions about it.
I'm pretty ready for it to be over in many regards. The number one being the hours. It doesn't start til 7:30, so I don't usually get home until 9 or later 3 nights a week. I'm not a big fan of that. Everybody knows what a homebody I am. Also not a fan of the fear and dread that leads up to many of the classes. And don't even get me started on how much I'm not a fan of the Paleo diet thing. Sheesh.
But, I really do like the idea of doing some kind of formatted work-out in a class because it has forced me to go and participate. I never was a fan of the exercise classes before, but mostly because I am always, always, ALWAYS out of sync and feel like a moron. But since I feel like a moron much of the time, I'm trying to just embrace that and focus on the fact that at least I will be a thinner, healthier moron. ;)
Here are some of the things I'm considering as next options, in no particular order.
1. Yoga - this link is for a hot yoga studio which is nearby and running a special right now for 10 classes. While I've always wanted to try yoga, I'm a little nervous about being a first-timer at it with the hot twist. So, not sure. The special is $29 for 10 classes though, so it's pretty enticing.
2. Strippercize - Many of you know that I did this years ago with some friends. Studio Rio was much smaller then and offered an intro class on a "routine." It was a pretty good workout and definitely helped in the sparks department, if you know what I mean. They offer pole classes (yes, you read that right and yes, it is that kind of pole) and then other workout classes with a sexy twist. One of my friends' daughters is a member and adores it. The least expensive option here is going to be about $120 for 10 classes. After that, just like a gym, there are varying degrees of commitment.
3. Cross Fit - the boot camp is done with cross fit techniques but a lot more yelling. At the compound, you go in for prescribed session times and do the workout of the day (WOD) which someone is there to coach you through if needed. This price is going to vary depending on the level of commitment. The longer you sign up, the cheaper the price.
4. Either going back to my gym or joining another gym. I've been thinking a lot about joining the YMCA again. They offer all kinds of classes, plus all of the benefits of a traditional gym. Plus, unlike my current gym they have a pool so I can go back to my original plan of learning how to swim and t hen swimming as a form of exercise. This is the plan that I tend to lean the most towards. One of the things that I keeps me dragging my feet is the quitting my old gym and all of the ordeal that's going to go along with that. I'm not sure how much of a hassle it is going to be and really don't want to deal with it. But, frankly, it's just not a great fit for me anymore. The biggest downside of joining the Y is that if I wanted to go back to doing an early morning workout it would involve a lot more commitment because it isn't close enough to my house to run back and forth -- I'd have to get ready there. Which means I would probably go after work rather than before, thus getting back to my complaint about taking time away from just being at home...
These are my top 4 options currently. I'm still a bit on the fence with what to do, but I am really afraid to lose the momentum when boot camp is over.
Whatever the next exercise thing is, my plan has been to couple that with a return to Weight Watchers. While my lack of running skill will likely be the death of my dream to try a tri before I'm 40, I would still like to get down to a minimum of my last WW total, which is about 30 pounds less than where I am now. I have more to go than that to be considered in a healthy range, but as a jumping off point I'd like to get back there and then maintain for a while.
That's all for now... Gotta go work up the nerve to go to boot camp tonight.
hugs,
Heather
I'm pretty ready for it to be over in many regards. The number one being the hours. It doesn't start til 7:30, so I don't usually get home until 9 or later 3 nights a week. I'm not a big fan of that. Everybody knows what a homebody I am. Also not a fan of the fear and dread that leads up to many of the classes. And don't even get me started on how much I'm not a fan of the Paleo diet thing. Sheesh.
But, I really do like the idea of doing some kind of formatted work-out in a class because it has forced me to go and participate. I never was a fan of the exercise classes before, but mostly because I am always, always, ALWAYS out of sync and feel like a moron. But since I feel like a moron much of the time, I'm trying to just embrace that and focus on the fact that at least I will be a thinner, healthier moron. ;)
Here are some of the things I'm considering as next options, in no particular order.
1. Yoga - this link is for a hot yoga studio which is nearby and running a special right now for 10 classes. While I've always wanted to try yoga, I'm a little nervous about being a first-timer at it with the hot twist. So, not sure. The special is $29 for 10 classes though, so it's pretty enticing.
2. Strippercize - Many of you know that I did this years ago with some friends. Studio Rio was much smaller then and offered an intro class on a "routine." It was a pretty good workout and definitely helped in the sparks department, if you know what I mean. They offer pole classes (yes, you read that right and yes, it is that kind of pole) and then other workout classes with a sexy twist. One of my friends' daughters is a member and adores it. The least expensive option here is going to be about $120 for 10 classes. After that, just like a gym, there are varying degrees of commitment.
3. Cross Fit - the boot camp is done with cross fit techniques but a lot more yelling. At the compound, you go in for prescribed session times and do the workout of the day (WOD) which someone is there to coach you through if needed. This price is going to vary depending on the level of commitment. The longer you sign up, the cheaper the price.
4. Either going back to my gym or joining another gym. I've been thinking a lot about joining the YMCA again. They offer all kinds of classes, plus all of the benefits of a traditional gym. Plus, unlike my current gym they have a pool so I can go back to my original plan of learning how to swim and t hen swimming as a form of exercise. This is the plan that I tend to lean the most towards. One of the things that I keeps me dragging my feet is the quitting my old gym and all of the ordeal that's going to go along with that. I'm not sure how much of a hassle it is going to be and really don't want to deal with it. But, frankly, it's just not a great fit for me anymore. The biggest downside of joining the Y is that if I wanted to go back to doing an early morning workout it would involve a lot more commitment because it isn't close enough to my house to run back and forth -- I'd have to get ready there. Which means I would probably go after work rather than before, thus getting back to my complaint about taking time away from just being at home...
These are my top 4 options currently. I'm still a bit on the fence with what to do, but I am really afraid to lose the momentum when boot camp is over.
Whatever the next exercise thing is, my plan has been to couple that with a return to Weight Watchers. While my lack of running skill will likely be the death of my dream to try a tri before I'm 40, I would still like to get down to a minimum of my last WW total, which is about 30 pounds less than where I am now. I have more to go than that to be considered in a healthy range, but as a jumping off point I'd like to get back there and then maintain for a while.
That's all for now... Gotta go work up the nerve to go to boot camp tonight.
hugs,
Heather
Monday, April 30, 2012
Boxed in
So, I had a bad day. Not like having a tumor bad, but not great. Customers yelled at me all day. We found out we had another leak at one of our rentals. My hearing aids went on the fritz and ate three batteries. It seems like something else, but who can remember with all the getting yelled at?
This did not lend itself to me wanting to go to boot camp. Really, really did not want to go.
Which is apparently the mindset it takes for it to not wind up feeling like torture. I mean, it was still torture -- but I was able to jump the box tonight!!!!
What, you want that in big print?
I WAS ABLE TO JUMP THE BOX TONIGHT!
Isn't that so fun? It was just the trashcan size one but who cares? I conquered my fear of the box and just went for it -- again and again!
Did I rock the rest of the workouts? Hell no. Finished last in the races, et cetera. But who cares? At least I was able to conquer one thing.
And that helped put my bad day in its rightful place.
This did not lend itself to me wanting to go to boot camp. Really, really did not want to go.
Which is apparently the mindset it takes for it to not wind up feeling like torture. I mean, it was still torture -- but I was able to jump the box tonight!!!!
What, you want that in big print?
I WAS ABLE TO JUMP THE BOX TONIGHT!
Isn't that so fun? It was just the trashcan size one but who cares? I conquered my fear of the box and just went for it -- again and again!
Did I rock the rest of the workouts? Hell no. Finished last in the races, et cetera. But who cares? At least I was able to conquer one thing.
And that helped put my bad day in its rightful place.
Wednesday, November 16, 2011
Exercise your earworm
I have been listening to the same 30 minute-ish work-out list on my iPod for a long time. Mostly because I've been too lazy to tweak it. Tonight, I finally got inspired and decided to re-vamp it. Here's the finished product for your perusal...
Bring Me To Life 3:59 Evanescence 27
Rolling In the Deep 3:48 Adele 21 Pop
Pump It 3:33 The Black Eyed Peas Monkey Business Hip-Hop/Rap 31
Moves Like Jagger (Studio Recording from "The Voice" Performance) [feat. Christina Aguilera] 3:21 Maroon 5 Hands All Over (Deluxe Version) Pop
Last Friday Night (T.G.I.F.) 3:51 Katy Perry Teenage Dream Pop
Sex On Fire 3:23 Kings of Leon Only By the Night (Deluxe Version) Alternative 35
Jump Around 3:36 House of Pain Hip Hop 27
Animal 3:32 Neon Trees Habits (Bonus Track Version) Alternative 26
Misery 3:36 Maroon 5 Misery - Single Pop 12
Raise Your Glass 3:23 P!nk Greatest Hits...So Far!!! Pop 5
Stayin' Alive 4:45 Bee Gees Saturday Night Fever Soundtrack 56
When You Were Young 3:40 The Killers Sam's Town Rock 28
Bad Romance 4:54 Lady Gaga Bad Romance 43
The list starts with Bring Me to Life because I first created a target time list when I did the 5k in March. I liked that it started kind of slow, but that slow guitar riff that builds gives me just enough oomph to push off. Now, I'm kind of hooked on it being the starting song because I've used it that way for so long.
Rolling in the Deep is a new addition, but I've been wanting to see if it has the right sounds to get me going for a while. I LOVE Adele, but not sure if she's going to be right for work-out material.
Pump It has long been a regular for obvious reasons. That's usually when I start my first serious running attempt (I'm working on a running post now).
Moves and Friday Night are also new additions. I'm a little anxious about Friday Night because I'm not sure if it's going to be fast enough in the refrain to get me going, but I just get such a kick out of the song that I decided to give it a whirl. But, I LOVE the Moves song and it hasn't quite been overplaid on the radio just yet.
Sex on Fire has also long been on the list. When I first heard this song, it practically wanted to make me write a movie just so there could be a montage of a guy training to this song. And then I realized that Vision Quest and Rocky have already been made. Perhaps my movie would be a female version of one of these? Ooops, no -- Hilary Swank did the chick Karate Kid already.
Jump Around... Well, I mean -- I've got the skills, come get your pills?? I am that person in the gym who motions along to this song when it comes on. Every morning I'm making gun gestures and yes, I have actually mimed "smacking your ho" in that line. It's 6am, and I do not have time for shame.
I've always tried to time it so that song comes at about the end. Because usually by the end, I am praying for death and need the kick in the pants that it gives me. So, the last 10-20 minutes are really just fluff in case I want to shuffle. And because some of them have been on there since the original list.
I'm really excited to go get started with this one tomorrow, so perhaps I have been remiss in not playing with my lists more often. On the other hand, I liked the sound association of the other list where I would hear certain songs and just get automatically kicked in to gear.
Let me know what you're listening to....
Heather
Bring Me To Life 3:59 Evanescence 27
Rolling In the Deep 3:48 Adele 21 Pop
Pump It 3:33 The Black Eyed Peas Monkey Business Hip-Hop/Rap 31
Moves Like Jagger (Studio Recording from "The Voice" Performance) [feat. Christina Aguilera] 3:21 Maroon 5 Hands All Over (Deluxe Version) Pop
Last Friday Night (T.G.I.F.) 3:51 Katy Perry Teenage Dream Pop
Sex On Fire 3:23 Kings of Leon Only By the Night (Deluxe Version) Alternative 35
Jump Around 3:36 House of Pain Hip Hop 27
Animal 3:32 Neon Trees Habits (Bonus Track Version) Alternative 26
Misery 3:36 Maroon 5 Misery - Single Pop 12
Raise Your Glass 3:23 P!nk Greatest Hits...So Far!!! Pop 5
Stayin' Alive 4:45 Bee Gees Saturday Night Fever Soundtrack 56
When You Were Young 3:40 The Killers Sam's Town Rock 28
Bad Romance 4:54 Lady Gaga Bad Romance 43
The list starts with Bring Me to Life because I first created a target time list when I did the 5k in March. I liked that it started kind of slow, but that slow guitar riff that builds gives me just enough oomph to push off. Now, I'm kind of hooked on it being the starting song because I've used it that way for so long.
Rolling in the Deep is a new addition, but I've been wanting to see if it has the right sounds to get me going for a while. I LOVE Adele, but not sure if she's going to be right for work-out material.
Pump It has long been a regular for obvious reasons. That's usually when I start my first serious running attempt (I'm working on a running post now).
Moves and Friday Night are also new additions. I'm a little anxious about Friday Night because I'm not sure if it's going to be fast enough in the refrain to get me going, but I just get such a kick out of the song that I decided to give it a whirl. But, I LOVE the Moves song and it hasn't quite been overplaid on the radio just yet.
Sex on Fire has also long been on the list. When I first heard this song, it practically wanted to make me write a movie just so there could be a montage of a guy training to this song. And then I realized that Vision Quest and Rocky have already been made. Perhaps my movie would be a female version of one of these? Ooops, no -- Hilary Swank did the chick Karate Kid already.
Jump Around... Well, I mean -- I've got the skills, come get your pills?? I am that person in the gym who motions along to this song when it comes on. Every morning I'm making gun gestures and yes, I have actually mimed "smacking your ho" in that line. It's 6am, and I do not have time for shame.
I've always tried to time it so that song comes at about the end. Because usually by the end, I am praying for death and need the kick in the pants that it gives me. So, the last 10-20 minutes are really just fluff in case I want to shuffle. And because some of them have been on there since the original list.
I'm really excited to go get started with this one tomorrow, so perhaps I have been remiss in not playing with my lists more often. On the other hand, I liked the sound association of the other list where I would hear certain songs and just get automatically kicked in to gear.
Let me know what you're listening to....
Heather
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)