Plan for Week 14 of 52

We will be in Pagosa Springs from Saturday until Tuesday. My workout plan will be a bit slim this week. While at Pagosa, I plan on stretching a lot, doing some yoga and meditating. It will be totally relaxing. I am considering week 14 to be a transition week into the second quarter of this year. I am moving into a new phase.

Plan for the week:

• Saturday through Tuesday: stretching, walk along the river, yoga, meditation
• Wednesday: 30 minutes treadmill, free weights and core
• Thursday: 45 minute walk with Jorge, 15 minute AM yoga
• Friday: 3o minutes eliptical, 3o minute treadmill, free weights, core
• Saturday: heading to cabin, so a hike at the cabin
• Sunday: hike at the cabin
  

No dinner plan for the week, we won't be home for most of it, and I'm not sure what we'll be doing for dinner, easy and fresh is what I am thinking.
Here's to a great transition week!

Reflection on Week 13 of 52

No Weigh In This Week

It's Friday morning and we are about to hit the road for our trip to Pagosa Springs. I wanted to take a few minutes to enter my posts for week 13 and my plan for week 14. As you can see, there is no weigh in this week, I'm skipping it and waiting for week 14 weigh in next weekend. This past week I wasn't able to ride my bike to work at all. Monday morning I didn't because I was up all night with cramps. Then Tuesday morning I didn't because I slept about 10 hours due to the night before and I had no energy. However on Tuesday night, I went to the gym and ran 20 minutes and did the eliptical 20 minutes. Wednesday I just walked the dog for exercise, I didn't ride that morning because I had errands to do at lunch and after work. Then Thursday was the blizzard. Ha! What a crazy week.

Today I did intervals on the treadmill for 30 minutes. It felt great since I am tense, worrying about the drive to Alamosa today. The blizzard has passed and roads look clear to Colorado Springs, however from Colorado Springs to Alamosa, it is still looking cloudy and snow packed. We will take our time and be very careful.

Plan for Week 13 of 52

This week is going to be hard, I am already preparing myself to be strong and keep my head on straight. Before vacations, I sometimes check out of my mind a few days early, ignoring routines, not eating well, and screwing off at work, only in anticipation of sitting in a hot springs, next to a raging river at sunset, with red wine hidden in my coffee cup........ok enough of the day dream.

I have to work four-tens this week because I am taking Friday off. The last time I worked four ten hour days, I worked 6:30am - 5pm, this week I decided to do 7am to 5:30pm, this is going to royally suck, but I have to. My plan was to ride my bike all four days to work, that means getting up at 5:30am to start to work by 6am. However, it is supposed to snow tonight. I am not believing it will snow tonight though. Why you ask? Because it hasn't snowed all winter! Unless you count the trace amount from last month, not even enough to register.

We'll see though. If I don't ride my bike, then I will go to the gym after work. However, I could do a couple really long walks with Jorge and Dan. Friday before we head into the mountains, Dan said we will have our last chance workout. Ever watch Biggest Loser? This Friday is probably the last time we will work out until we get back from the hot springs. I am bringing my yoga DVDs though. So I may not be posting this coming weekend, maybe, only if I a can pull myself away from the Venetian water fall of 103 degrees in pool 22 at Pagosa Hot Springs, trust me it is utterly heavenly. I can already feel my body there.

Work is also going to be sooooo busy this week. I have three projects I am working on, plus I have to recruit a whole bunch more providers into our network, lots and lots and lots to do. Here's to keeping my head on straight and getting some exercise, in order to keep the stress down.

Tentative Workout plan for the week:

• Sunday: Tennis 30 minutes, Bike Ride 45 minutes, Walk 30 minutes, House cleaning all day!
  
• Monday: Bike ride to and from work - 45 minutes, core and weights
  
• Tuesday: Bike ride to and from work - 45 minutes
• Wednesday: Bike ride to and from work - 45 minutes, core and weights
  
• Thursday: Bike ride to and from work - 45 minutes
• Friday: 6.5 miles on treadmill, core and weights
• Saturday: stroll on the bike path in Pagosa, maybe a yoga DVD?
  

Dinner plan for the week:

• Sunday: Crock pot chicken, celery, red potato, onion, mushrooms
  
• Monday: shredded pork on salad
  
• Tuesday: chicken salad
  
• Wednesday: BBQ pork open face sandwhich
  
• Thursday: veggies and cous couse
  
• Friday: Not sure?
  
• Saturday: Not sure?
  

Reflection on Week 12 of 52

Sunday Weigh In: 211.6

Wow, what a day, what a weekend. I am so physically tired, my body is aching. My mind is the opposite of my body, it is strong and I am feeling good. This weekend was a sort of cleansing, a preparation for moving onto my next phase this year. First let me reflect on last week.

I did great in my exercise, I skipped Friday, but made up for it on Saturday by running a 10K. I ran 6.5 miles in 85 minutes. Around mile three though I had to walk at a 3.5 because my right knee was on fire, I literally buckled on the treadmill and had to pause for a moment in order to stretch. It was so weird. I hate having this knee pain. I just told myself, two more miles, one more mile, next weekend you can heal at the hot springs. The 6.5 miles was great, it was something I have been looking forward too, despite the knee pain. I know I can work through this. I took some meds, did a self massage, and rubbed on arnica gel. It feels good now, but hurt a little bit today while I was playing tennis. We rode our bikes around town today, played tennis for about 30 minutes, and took a 30 minute walk. It was a great fun day. I also cleaned the house, which took all day, blah! I took a two hour break though to do those aforementioned fun things.

I would like to say that my core exercises were awesome this week. I also upped the weight on my free weights from 5 lbs to 8lbs for my arms. It felt great to go up three pounds, a better work out. Even though I felt totally on target this week, I gained three pounds. It's understandable though due to last week's party extravagenaza and then last past Friday we ordered in lunch at work, plus I had some drinks and snacks this week. No problem, exercise was awesome, I just didn't do to well on food. These next three weeks will be very hard too. Next weekend, we are going to Pagosa Hot Springs for three nights for our anniversary. Of course there will be lots of wine and lots of chocolate, amongst other indulgent yummy foods. I will try to restrain myself. Then my mom is coming in the weekend after that, we usually go out to eat a lot, but I will try to keep on track. If I keep the exercise going, I should be fine.

Like I mentioned, I think I am moving into a new phase. I feel like in my day to day food selection, I am making better choices and I am also understanding nutrition. I am enjoying this process in seeing what works for me and what doesn't. More on my next phase later. On to next week's plan.

Plan for Week 12 of 52

My workouts have been getting too long during the week and I have had to skip free weights or core just in order to get to work in the morning by 8:30am. If I get to work later, I have to stay later and that is not fun. I hate staying at work later than 5:30pm. I also don't like to wake up before 6am, if I do my whole day is shot. Focus this week is on getting in more aerobic exercise in shorter time periods. This means that I want to get in five aerobic sessions at 30 to 40 minutes each. Since I am not going to do 60 minutes of cardio three days a week, I will need to push the intensity for my shorter sessions for these next five days. I think this is the best way to get in my planned weights, core training, and short yoga sessions. Here's the plan.

Workout plan for the week:

• Sunday: Day off
  
• Monday: 40 minute treadmill interval, free weights for arms, core exercises, stretch 15 min
• Tuesday: 15 minute A.M. yoga, 30 minute arc trainer
  
• Wednesday: 40 minute treadmill interval, free weights for arms, core exercises, stretch 15 min
• Thursday: 15 minute A.M. yoga, 30 minute eliptical
  
• Friday: 40 minute treadmill interval, free weights for arms, core exercises, stretch 15 min
• Saturday: maybe a long hike or a bike ride
  

Dinner plan for the week:

• Sunday: Sadly we had Totino's pizza. I know that is so bad, but Dan and I make an exception about twice a year to indulge
  
• Monday: taco salad minus the chips
  
• Tuesday: salad with turkey breast
• Wednesday: tuna salad
  
• Thursday: pulled pork and green beans
• Friday: pulled pork and peas
  
• Saturday: roast chicken?
  

Reflection on Week 11 of 52

Friday Weigh In: 208.6

As you can see, I weighed in on Friday instead of Sunday. I knew that I wouldn't be able to weigh in today because we stayed the night in Ft Collins at my sister's house for her boyfriend's birthday party. It was a lot of fun this weekend, however I totally splurged on partying. A lot of wine, chocolate, chips, and dips. It was worth it though, so fun and delicious. I did get in a 45 minute walk Saturday morning and I'm counting our 15 minute bike ride to the bar Saturday as exercise. Ha!

Last week did not go as planned, I tried out a new routine and it just didn't feel right. Here's the breakdown of what really happened:

• Sunday: 20 minute arc trainer, 40 minute run/walk interval treadmill
  
• Monday: 15 minute morning Yoga with Rodney Yee, 30 minute walk w/ Jorge
  
• Tuesday: 20 minute arc trainer, 40 minute run/walk interval treadmill free weights for arms, core exercises, stretch 15 min
• Wednesday: 60 minute Yoga, 30 minute walk w/ Jorge
  
• Thursday: 30 minute walk w/ Jorge
  
• Friday: 30 minute arc trainer, 30 minute run/walk interval treadmill, free weights for arms, core exercises, stretch 15 min
• Saturday: 45 minute walk, 30 min bike ride
  

It wasn't too bad, I just feel as if I didn't get my heart rate up enough times during the week. This coming week, I am changing up my routine again, in order to get in more aerobic exercise. We'll see on next's weigh in if this loss to 208 lbs will stick, since this weekend was such a wash with the party and all. Trust me, Sunday's eating was not......good.......at........all.........either.

Plan for Week 11 of 52

This week is all about the focus on my emotions and eating / drinking. There are some tough times ahead and I need to stay on top of things and know and understand that the extra glass of wine in the evening will not make my problems go away. I have to remember that making the choice of eating the extra chocolates will not make the bank answer us any faster. The exercise part for me comes almost easy, meaning I am usually very motivated to go to the gym or get outside and get my heart rate up. Once I am there, I do it. I confess though, that my energy level is not always the same Bad Day = Low Energy and I do account for that and push a little harder or go a little longer.

Last week I had a lot of extras that are usually not in our house. I baked homemade pretzels and Dan also made this super sweet homemade chai, which we drink cold with milk. We never have milk in the house, so having a chai or two a day last week added extra calories I don't normally consume. Don't be worried though I get my calcium through cheese, yogurt, and cottage cheese. This week's focus will be on only one glass of wine a night and no cocktails until Tone's party next Saturday (one glass of wine a night is proven to increase HDL - the good cholestorol), popcorn for a snack on Thursday night, and lots of protein and veggies. My exercise focus will be on going my free weights and my new core exercises.

Workout plan for the week:

• Sunday: 20 minute arc trainer, 40 minute run/walk interval treadmill, free weights for arms, core exercises, stretch 15 min
• Monday: 15 minute morning Yoga with Rodney Yee, 30 minutes eliptical, 30 minute walk w/ Jorge
  
• Tuesday: 20 minute arc trainer, 40 minute run/walk interval treadmill free weights for arms, core exercises, stretch 15 min
• Wednesday: 60 minute Yoga, 30 minute walk w/ Jorge
  
• Thursday: 20 minute arc trainer, 40 minute run/walk interval treadmill free weights for arms, core exercises, stretch 15 min
• Friday: 1 hour hike at Davidson Mesa or Marshall Mesa w/ Jorge
  
• Saturday: 20 minute eliptical, 40 minute run/walk interval treadmill free weights for arms, core exercises, stretch 15 min

Dinner plan for the week:

• Sunday: Dinner at Aunt Pat's: Turkey, Peas, Mashed potatoes and gravy, with pumpkin bars for dessert (wow, I really need to make good portion size choices on this meal. LOL)
  
• Monday: Blacks Beans and Basmati Rice with salsa and cheese
  
• Tuesday: Brussel Sprouts and Pork Loin
  
• Wednesday: Green Bean Casserole with left over pork loin
  
• Thursday: Tuna Salad
  
• Friday: Turkey lunch meat on salad
  
• Saturday: Heading to the FC for Tone's B-day. I think there will be a lot of snacking and drinking going on, better focus though and make good choices.
  

Reflection on Week 10 of 52

Sunday Weight In: 211.6
Measurements:
Bust: 45 1/2"
Belly: 42"

I haven't posted my measurements in a really long time, since Week 5's reflection to be exact. I am down almost three inches on my bust and one inch on my belly. I can definitely tell in the way my clothes are fitting me. I wish I would have taken my hips measurement because my pants are all almost falling off me at this point. Good thing I can sew, because I was doing alterations all weekend. I just can't afford new pants at this time, maybe when I hit 200 lbs I will get a new pair of jeans. Actually I think I will hit Goodwill and Savers at that time to get like $5 jeans. We are saving money to go towards a house right now and I don't want to buy any extras, if you know what I mean.

This week I splurged on some food and alcohol. It was not a good eating week for me. Since I made homemade pretzels last weekend, we had one every night for four nights with dinner. Then I had drinks every night, a couple of glasses of wine here, a cocktail there, darn it! It was kind of a tough week at work, big projects, and then not hearing from the bank for our possible home loan, and some other stuff that made the week kind of crappy. Well, I ate and drank my emotions away. I stayed on track with my planned dinners and meals, however, I did snack a little on popcorn and chocolates. It's the alcohol that added the extra calories this week. If I would have cut that down, I would have had better results today.

I did reach some awesome milestones this week though that I would love to share:

• I can now cross my legs without struggling and having to push the top one over the bottom. Umm, you'll know what I mean if you have ever weighed a lot. I want to be able to cross my legs without looking like a man. Big plus for me!
• I ran 35 minutes straight at 4.5 on the treadmill!
• I ran a 12 minutes mile (5.0 on the treadmill), walked for three minutes and then ran a 12 minute mile again!

Since it was a crappy week in regards to snacking and the splurging of alcohol, I am happy and proud to share those milestones. The week was not a total failure. Ha! Oh yah, forgot to mention, I only did my weights one time this week. Strength training is so important and I am kicking myself for not getting it in. Lately I have been very focused on my cardio and my core. I learned some new core moves and have been doing those, but I really need to get my arm weights in. So important!

Plan for Week 10 of 52

I had a goal of getting down to 200 for our anniversary weekend at Pagosa Hot Springs, that weekend is now four weeks away. If I want to be down to 200, I would need to lose 12.5 pounds. That's a little over 3 pounds a week. I don't want to say that it's not doable, but given what these last 9 weeks have been like, weight loss is not the same every week, it is not predictable and plus, life sometimes doesn't allow me to stay completely on track. These aren't excuses, I'm just saying that if I'm not down to 200 by the end of March, I'm not going to hate myself. I think I have been doing great and if I'm at least below 210 by then, that would be super awesome. Some of my pants are fitting anymore and my shirts are looking way better, I don't get winded walking up the stairs at work and my heart rate is better than it was 9 weeks ago, these are all great measures I love to see, not just a number on the scale.

If I look at the year ahead, my ultimate goal was to lose 50 pounds to get down to 175. That means, by mid June I should be somewhere near 200, which would be half way to my goal, so I've been making great progress. I haven't hit any crazy plateaus yet which I know will happen and will need to be reckoned with, but I'll cross that bridge when I come to it. Now on to planning for the week.

Workout plan for the week:

• Sunday: Hour hike at Waneeka Lake, 30 minute eliptical, 15 minute run treadmill 5.0
  
• Monday: 30 minutes eliptical, 30 minutes treadmill run /walk interval, free weights for arms, 25 crunches, 25 leg lifts, stretch 15 min
• Tuesday: Shiva Yoga 50 minutes, 30 minute walk with Jorge
• Wednesday: 30 minute eliptical, 30 minute treadmill run /walk interval, free weights for arms, 25 crunches, 25 leg lifts, stretch 15 min
• Thursday: Shiva Yoga 50 minutes, 30 minute walk with Jorge
• Friday: 15 minute stair stepper, 15 minute rower, 30 minute treadmill run /walk interval, free weights for arms, 25 crunches, 25 leg lifts, stretch 15 min
• Saturday: Snowshoe at Brainard Lake or hike at Marshall Mesa
  

Dinner plan for the week:

• Sunday: Grilled Pork Chops and Peas
  
• Monday: Homemade Chili
  
• Tuesday: Salad w/ tomato, sunflower seeds, cheese, garbonzo beans
  
• Wednesday: Cous Cous and veggies
  
• Thursday: Tuna Salad
  
• Friday: Shepards Pie
  
• Saturday: Roast Chicken (didn't get to this weekend, so trying for next weekend)
  

Reflection on Week 9 of 52

Sunday Weigh In: 212.6

Wow, I did not expect to see that number this morning. If anything I expected to go up a pound, even though my clothes have been telling me different. This past week I did not stay on schedule, working the four tens really messed up my workouts. However, on the days that I did workout, I reached some awesome new limits and pushed hard. So let me tell you about my week.

Last Sunday, we did as planned. The hike was great, did it in about 50 minutes, then we rode our bikes to the gym. I did a 45 minute run/walk interval and stepped it up a notch this time. I walked 2 minutes at 3.5, ran 2 minutes at 4.5, ran 2 minutes at 5.5, ran 2 minutes at 4.5, and then walked 2 minutes at 3.5, then started all over with the steps until 45 minutes was done.

Monday I took off because I was meeting a girlfriend at the Dragonfly Cafe, which serves the most delicious spicy chai I have ever tasted, well worth it! Tuesday was an emotional day for me, I did not feel like working out. However, I did. I planned to do 30 minutes eliptical, 30 minutes treadmill and weights, but after a grueling ten hour day filled with too many things, I just did the eliptical half heartedly (heart rate did get up to 150 though surprisingly).

Wednesday, no yoga, just walked the dog for a half hour. Thursday I had planned the eliptical and run/walk and weights again, but skipped it, didn't do anything. So then comes Friday, my day off. I wanted to hike and go to the gym and meditate. Didn't really turn out that way. We went to the gym in the morning, I did 30 minutes on the eliptical at a higher level than ever - 7. Then I did 30 minutes on the treadmill and guess what?! I ran at 4.5 for the ENTIRE 30 MINUTES!!!! It was freakin' awesome. I walked home from the gym then, which took me about 30 minutes. Saturday I did get in a ten minute chant session, which was followed by an hour and half walk throughout our neighborhood trails.

Overall, I thought I had a slacker week because I didn't workout everyday, when in actuality, since I didn't go to the gym everyday, I pushed it and worked harder on the days that I did go. I realized that after a ten hour day at work, there isn't much I really want to do. Plus at night it is harder to get motivated to head to the gym, I just want to go home, make dinner and relax. Plus it is really busy there in the evenings, I would much rather go in the mornings. Plus I am more of a morning person, having to put effort into something after 3pm anyday is hard for me.

Eating this week I also thought was a total blow out. I didn't stay on course very well, since I wasn't worrying about restricting myself, I let my guard down and relaxed about it. I don't count calories or anything, but this week I allowed myself some extra wine, chocolates, and some Sunflower chips. The body works in mysterious ways, and so does the mind. Maybe mixing up the routine had something to do with it too. There is one thing I did do different this week in regards to food; I introduced a whole grain into my morning diet. I usually have yogurt in the mornings, with frozen blueberries and a little granola (once or twice a week for the granola), however since my HDL was low, I should be eating my grains to raise (amongst other things). I'm eating a half cup of something similar to Grape Nuts cereal in the yogurt. It keeps me full longer and has helped with digestion. I am hoping it will help raise my HDL also in the long run.