Shred Day 3, Level

You were right!! Level #2 is just as intense as level #3.  My arms (mostly shoulders) are still fatigued and sore. I could barley hold my arm up to put on my mascara this morning. I seriously had to take tiny breaks to give my shoulder a rest…I can't believe that just 20 minutes can fatigue your muscles so much…love it!  Stephanie warned me about the squats and army raises (chest flys)….I didn't know what I was in for…all I can say is OUCH. They hurt so freaking bad. I have been using 5lb weights throughout each workout, but after the first set of those baby's combined with the shoulder press, leg extension immediately afterwards, I dropped the 5lbs and went down to 3lbs.  Even the 3lbs were killing me…killing me!  I opened the basement window in hopes that the FREEZING cold weather would make the room seem cooler, didn't happen. I was hot as ever and sweating like crazy! The workout was awesome! 

I loved the Cardio too! I really like doing the double jump rope. It's fun to pretend like I'm on a trampoline and see how high I can get. When I visualize this my calf's work so much harder and get so fatigued…that move works so many body parts I love it!  I also loved the plank jumps. If you focus on holding your tummy in tight and keeping your body squared over our shoulders you are working your shoulders, triceps, biceps, chest, stomach and inner and outer thighs! THAT IS WHAT I LIKE! An all in one move!!

The situps were great too!  Does anyone else like that burning feeling in their stomach while doing sittups?  Am I sick to acutally like that pain?

Now that I know that level 2 and 3 are equally intense, I am going to rotate back and forth between the two. This way I will work out different areas of my body every other day and I won't get bored doing the same thing.  Since I have now done levels 1-3 I don't plan on doing a full report of each workout everyday….I think it would get boring since the workouts are the same over and over. 

I am SUPER excited that YOU (for those of you that have) have joined in and are doing it with me (us)!  There are now 9 people doing the Shred! I love you for joining in and making it more fun! I feel motivated and excited that we are doing it together! Those of you who aren't doing the Shred, don't feel left out or get bored with all the Shred talk going on here….I want to hear about what you are doing and what you like/dislike about your workouts…I can't tell you how much I love all of your feed back and suggestions and ideas and everything. It is SO much fun to hear from you guys and learn what makes you tick and how you live your life!  I seriously love you!

I am taking today as an rest day from the Shred because GUESS WHAT? My sister COURTNEY and her sweet little family came into town last night! I am so excited they are here! I came into work at 5am so I could get off early and spend the day with them!  I am only going to work until 12:00pm (yay!).  My parents always fly my sister and her family to Utah for our annual Halloween party. They usually come in on Wednesday and stay through the weekend! The festivities go on the entire weekend….its a blast!  Needless to say, I will not be doing the Shred today after work and was not willing to get up at 4:00am this morning to make it happen either! Tomorrow, Courtney and I are going to go to a Yoga class in the morning. I set this as my weekly goal for "Baby Steps to Body Love" I intend on completing it! I've only been to 3-4 yoga classes ever and my sister has never been…I'm super excited!

I can't believe its 5:30am and I am so awake, alert and HAPPY! I am super excited about the weekend and super pumped about life.  So many fun things going on right now!! What fun things you say?……..I'll fill you in shortly!! 

"A man is but the product of his thoughts.
What he thinks, he becomes."
Mahatma Gandhi

I've been wanting to write about this subject for as long as I can remember! I have slowly added to this post and am finally ready to share it! This topic is so important to me and something that has changed me and my life. 

"The Power of Positive Thinking"

I've mentioned in previous posts that I used to be kinda negative. If you knew "the old me", I don't think you would have labeled me as a negative person. (I think Dramatic would be a better adjective). I did not go around proclaiming the glass to be half empty. The negativity that I am talking about was in my head. I was guilty of inviting negative thoughts in, and giving them a place to stay. In fact I think I was a negative thought shelter for all the homeless negative thoughts that needed a home.  To be honest I didn't really know I was even harvesting these  thoughts. When I started to realize what I was doing, I didn't know how to change or how important it was to do so.  I didn't think my inner dialouge was interfering with my life or the people in it. They were my thoughts, no one else had to hear them. When I look back, I realize I was so wrong. Whether anyone heard my negativity or not, It was effecting me and in turn effecting the people I love the most.  

When I had my "ah ha moment" and realized that I needed to make some serious changes, I didn't know where to start. Where had it all come from? Why was I so obsessed about my weight and being skinny? Why did I feel so uncomfortable with my body?  Why was I mopey inside and why did I feel bad about myself?  Why did everything seem like such a big deal?

I now know the answer, but in that moment I had no clue.  Luckily I had someone who cared enough about me to help me see what I didn't want or know how to see.

He (Dave) gave me a suggestion one day that at the time I thought was ridiculous. He said "Lie".  'Lie to yourself'. Tell yourself things that you don't believe are true and the more you do it, the more you'll believe it.  

My response…..What? What is that even supposed to mean? You want me to lie to myself? (Ya that's gonna work).

'Anytime you have a negative thought, immediately push it out and then tell yourself the exact opposite…even if it is a 'lie, sometimes white lies are ok'.

Example:  AHH…My butt looks so big in these jeans…. The "lie"… These jeans are so cute, I look so cute in them, my butt looks great in these jeans.'

Even if I didn't believe what I was saying I was to say it, no questions asked.  He also suggested that on top of disputing my negative thoughts, I should also go out of my way to tell myself things that I didn't think were true.

My response….What? What is that even supposed to mean? You want me to tell myself things I don't think are true? Like what?

'It is so fun to exercise and eat healthy'. 'I can do anything I put my mind to'. 'I can do it'. 'Junk food makes me feel gross.'

Reluctant as I was to do what was suggested, I decided I had nothing to lose.  I went at it and started to lie build myself up on a daily basis. I eliminated negative thoughts by replacing them with the positive ones.  It felt weird at first. I found myself rolling my eyes at myself and the whole idea.  Despite my reluctance, I still tried. I started telling myself things like:

'I love exercising'
'It's so much fun to eat healthy'
'I am so strong'
'I'm so proud of myself'
'I can do anything'
'I love sweating'
'You look so cute today'

I didn't say these things once and a while. I said them all the time.  I even started to tell my family these things to make it seem more real. I replaced these thoughts/compliments (and many more) where my negative and 'Fat Talk', used to be. After consciously practicing these techniques, I started to notice a change.  The negative thoughts that led to my negative behavior were no longer there. I found myself  thinking and doing the positive things I was constantly telling myself. After time, the things I told myself actually became a real. Not only was I telling myself these things, I believed them because I was thinking and doing them. I  was no longer lying to myself. WHAT! This was crazy. I could not believe how quickly things changed from there. I FINALLY realized that I was in control and that every single thing I thought directly effected the things I did. I had been my own worst enemy and didn't even know it.  I started to be my biggest supporter. Me my own supporter? Positive and negative thoughts can become self-fulfilling prophecies!
 
I am now a different person. I am in control of my life. I chose how I will feel each day. And everyday I chose to feel GREAT, no matter what is going on.  Please know that I'm not perfect at this. I still have negative thoughts, but I WILL NOT entertain them . I refuse. I spent too much time letting those stupid thoughts rule how I felt. Now, I'm in charge.

We, YOU AND I are in COMPLETE control of what we think and how we feel.  We don't have to be stressed, we don't have to be sad, we don't have to be negative. We can wake up each day and chose to be happy (even if we are going through trials or hardship).

What we seek determines what we think. What we think determines what we do. And what we do determines who we will become.
-Dieter F. Uchtorf

I want to shout out on the roof tops what I have learned and how much it has changed my life. Not just regarding my self image and confidence, but in all aspects. Having a bad day, facing hardship, feeling sick, being patient, loving my husband, being a better friend, caring for others…. it has made my entire life better.  There are plenty of things in life that we have no control over and can't change. Bettering ourself is not one of those things.  We are in charge of making the change. We are the one's who decide what we will seek, think, do and who we will become.

When we're aware of the way we think, we can take action to use positive situations to our advantage, and re-shape the negative ones. We can think positively, regardless of what is going on, and make a conscious effort to see things in life as opportunities instead of obstacles.

We are magnets attracting all things to us. The signal we emit through our thoughts and feelings will either bring us happiness or sorrow. 

What "signal" are you emitting? 

I challenge all of you to take a step back and think about your inner dialogue or "signal". What is it saying?  What message are you giving yourself and others? Are your seeking the positive in life?  Do you seek the positive? Do your thoughts lead to positive behavior?

  I read a book while I was in Romania five years ago and pulled it out again six months ago and gave it another read.  It's called "As A Man Thinketh". It is inexpensive, super short (60 or so pages) and will change your life if you practice its principals. It is a perfect way to help you understand just how much power you have!  Here is a short review:

“As you think, you shall become.”

"The theme of all of Allen’s works is that each one of us has the power to form our own character and to create our own happiness.  The conditions of our lives are closely related to our inner state.  Allen encourages his readers to think positive thoughts, which will inevitably lead them to take positive actions."

I challenge all of you to purchase the book.  The book is only $4.99 on Amazon.com and a bit cheaper if you buy it used, this book also has free shipping! After you read it, I promise you will thank yourself. You are worth the $5 that you will spend on this book, no matter where you are in your life, this book will benefit you and help you realize just how powerful you are! If you're interested, you can buy the book here: As A Man Thinketh

 I also wanted to share a worksheet I found online the other day. I think it's GREAT! The worksheet helps you to observe your "stream of consciousness".  It is a very helpful exercise that helps you let go of negative thoughts and replace them with rational positive thoughts. I challenge you to give it a try. CLICK HERE to down load the FREE worksheet.

Here is an example of how to use the worksheet. It really is a great exercise and can help even the most positive person create even more positive energy in their life. Give it a try, even if only for a day.

I'd like to end this post by asking you a few questions:

-When your husband/boyfriend/sister/mother (someone close to you) asks you how your day was….what is your response?

-When you look in the mirror….what do you say to yourself?

-When you have a bad day at work…..do you let it go when you walk through the door at home?

-When something upsets you….how long does it take for you to calm down or blow it off?

-How often do you think positively?

-Is the glass half full or half empty?

-Are you emotionally strong?

-What are you thinking about yourself right this very minute?

-Do you focus on the negative or positive?

-Do you love yourself?

-Do you love your body no matter what shape or size?

I could go on and on, but you get the idea.  If you are not already practicing positive thinking, now is the time to make the change. You have the power within yourself.  No one can do it for you.  You are the change.

Mind is the Master power that moulds and makes,
And Man is Mind, and evermore he takes
The tool of Thought, and, shaping what he wills,
Brings forth a thousand joys, a thousand ills:—
He thinks in secret, and it comes to pass:
Environment is but his looking-glass.
-James Allen

 Please email me with any questions!!
nono2yoyo@gmail.com

( I just made this collage for my desktop at work, I have NO pictures of Dave and I at my desk because they are all in storage.  This will have to do for now!)

Yikes! This workout was not for the faint of heart.  My arms, butt, stomach, legs, shoulders, calfs…and everything else is SO SORE!  It was kick butt!!

Here's what we did:

3 Rounds
200M (.13 miles) run holding medicine ball
Nat: 10lbs Dave: 20lbs
50 Air Squats
50 Push Ups
50 Sit-ups

Holy mother of America. My arms were burning so bad! The first set I did all 50 full push ups. The next set I did all 40 with 10 knee push ups and the last set I did 30 full and 20 knee push ups. I could barley walk because swinging my arms took too much effort!  WOOW EE!!  The workout took about 30 minutes.  We spent about 5 or 10 minutes after wards working on my running form. Dave gave me some pointers and watched me run for a bit. I think I'm getting it. Funny thing is I never knew I was running funny, I never remember learning how to run I just did it and thought I was doing it right. There is SO much about form that I never even thought about! I'm excited to continue to get better and see how and if it helps my back pain!  This week I'm going to run again and try it out! 

QA: Do you do the same workouts or routine every day/week/month.  How often do you switch up your workouts?

Day 15 Crossfit

We have officially made it half way through our Crossfit challenge.  Although its been almost 30 days since we started, today was only the 15 Crossfit workout. The workout called for a 5K run. 5k= 3.1 miles. I was super excited to do this! I hadn't run a 5k since mothers day and today felt like a perfect time. I didn't have to work and I could plan out my route ahead of time. I jumped in the car and reset the trip and drove around the neighborhood mapping out my route.  When I pulled into the drive way the trip read 3.1 miles. WOO hoo! It was perfect!  I hadn't had time to eat breakfast and was worried an entire meal might make me feel sick, so I opted for 1/2 of a banana. It was just right. I made sure to get a puff of my inhaler before I left and took it with me just in case.  The weather was perfect. It was about 63F outside.  The shade was cool, and the sun was warm!  It felt so great running outside and breathing the fresh air. The streets had no traffic so I used the road as my personal path.  The wind blew most of the time making my eyes water like crazy. If you didn't know better you would have thought I was crying my eyes out.  I contemplated wearing a jacket before I left but I'm so glad I didn't because I heated up right away!!

The scenery was amazing! (I took these shots today)

I finished the 3 miles in 35 minutes, which means I ran about 5.7mph the entire time. I was pleased with that time because I haven't ran this long in months!  I didn't focus on speed but instead I focused on form.  Dave watched me run the other day at the gym and I guess I have horrible form!  Who knew!! I think my form is what is causing my back pain, so it's essential that I fix it.  I used my shadow to check myself and I think I did well.  My back isn't bothering me so that's a good sign!

When I got home I immediately checked my time and went out back to stretch.  I felt so awesome and was so glad to have ran without any breathing, back or knee problems!! Next week i'd like to try 4 or 5 miles!

(I wrote this post Friday afternoon and am just now getting around to posting it!!)

Yesterdays workout was not an easy one. I"m not sure if it was because I'm still not feeling 100% of just because it was super hard. Either way it kicked my bum!  I didn't work out Tuesday or Wednesday because I've been sick, and yesterday was probably the worst day I've ever had at work!  I was covering for 2 other people and my own work load (which isn't usually bad, but yesterday it was crazy). I was CRAZY busy all day long. People were driving me crazy.  There is this guy  at work that drives me crazy and always bosses me around and just bugs the crap out of me..well at one point in the day I was on the phone, talking to someone in person and holding with someone on my cell phone, he walked up to my desk and actually went to ask me a question, I nicely looked at him and said "GO AWAY"…he scurried off like a little girl. It made me feel better and me and the lady at my desk got a good laugh at it!  ANYHOW……my point to all of this was I was more than excited to get to the gym and shake my day off!

Here is what we did:

3 Rounds
Pull Ups
(assisted)
Dips
(assisted)
Sit Ups
(decline bench)
Jump Rope (100)
Burpees (15 every round)
1st round- 10
2nd round- 20
3rd round- 30

On the last round of burbpees it was like I was in another dimension. I was so out of it and so tired but I pushed through with no stopping. When I finished I collapsed on the floor (by choice) and could not move.  YIKES!  It was hard core. I think having a two day leave and being a little sick made it 100 times harder…BUT once I came back to earth and caught my breath I felt great!  The workout with out stretching took about 23 minutes. We stretched and headed home!

Thanks for all your nice comments about cutting my hair! I am super excited to get it done! (it's my day off so i'm home in bed writing this post…I slept from 9:30pm-8:45…heck ya).I'm off to run 5k today, and since I don't have a monitor, I'll go drive around and track the distance and then come back and run it.  It shall be fun!  After the 5k I am going to shower and do some things around the house and then go get my hair cut! WOO HOO! I"m seriously excited…only a tiny bit nervous, but that's normal right!?

Thanks again everyone for your help with Project Feed Me. Don't stop asking your family and friends if they are signed up!  Sometimes it takes a little nudging on our part!!  I am going to buy my items for week two tonight!!  Can't wait to show you!

Plans tonight?….. Movie, dinner….haunted house???  (This is what I want to do) We'll see what happens!!

Have a lovely day!

QA:  Do your workouts kill you the day after returning from being sick or a long break??

ps…the picture of my eye has no relevance to this post, I was just looking through some pictures and thought it was cool. Dave took that picture of my eye on our first date. weird? na, thats just him.

(dave just sent me this pic, he drew it for me on his i-phone…love him!)

Thank you all for your efforts with Project Feed Me!  The Project is growing like crazy and it's all thanks to YOU!!!  There are now 92 people participating!  The numbers went up by 20 people yesterday!!  Check out all the people participating across the nation here. PS….I can't wait to see your pictures!

Crossfit

It felt so great to exercise yesterday!  I was able to work from home  yesterday so before Dave got home I headed out for a little run.  The run turned into a walk after the first five minutes of my lungs burning and me gasping for air.  When will I learn people?  I needed my inhaler! GEEZE! I ended up speed walking for about 25 minutes. If you would have driven by me on the road, I think you might have laughed.  I was trying to go as fast as I could while trying to suck in as much air as possible at the same time….I'm sure it looked pretty funny!  As soon as I got home I grabbed my inhaler took a couple puffs…and ta du…I feel great.  I know you must think that I'm crazy for forgetting my inhaler all the time, but my asthma is so sparatic that sometimes I'm just fine and other times I can't get any air in.  Anyhow….after my run walk, Dave came home and we headed to the gym.  

Poor Dave, his back is still hurting him.   It usually goes away in 2-3 days but he is still not all the way back to normal.  He did his own thing so he could be careful with his back and I did Crossfit!

Here's what I did:

4 Rounds
21 Pushups
15Sumo Dead Lift High Pulls
Nat: 35lbs
9 Pistols (1 legged squats)
20lbs

I finished pretty quickly.  It only took  about 20 minutes. I used resistance and did 3 sets of 30 ab exercises to finish my workout.  Have you ever tried pistols? Geeze Louisethey are hard. I could barley do them!  I had to go ask a trainer if I was doing them right because it felt so awkward and way too hard. Turns out they are super hard and even my trainer used a bench to complete them. (even with the bench they were killer).

 I felt so great after our workout.  After not doing Crossfit for three days, I was more than ready to get a hard core workout in. While I was on my walk I thought about how good it feels to exercise. Whether I am taking a walk, running, or about to throw up doing Crossfit…It just feels so good! I remember a time when it was pure torture. Every second seemed unbearable and I only did it for one reason and one reason only..(weight loss). What a lovely thing exercise is when it's done for the right reasons. Love it, love it, love it!!

On a less than serious note, last night Dave and I had big plans with the TV. We watched Heroes and tried to watch Hoarders on A&E, but it was a re-run. Does anyone else love that show? Its so crazy to watch. I'm not sure why we don't get sick of it, same thing over and over each week, but it is just fascinating!!

I'm back at work today at my desk (blah) and I'm not loving it.  Hopefully I'll be busy and the day will fly by.  Chances are that is not going to happen!! 

 QA:
Are you bored at work? 
What do you do to make the time fly?

After dave sent over the cutesty "i love you" picture that he drew, he sent this one…

  
LOL!!  ha ha ha ha ha….it's going to be a good day!!

This picture explains how I felt after I left the gym yesterday. I was POOPED!  Holy moly, the workout kicked my butt….(not hard enough to take away my stupid butt muscle twitch though).  I had my inhaler so things were good in that department, but my muscles were shot by the end.  My legs were shaking so bad on the last two reps I couldn't believe it! 

Here's what we did:

As Many Reps Possible in 20 min
5 Burpees
10 Knees Touch Elbows (KTE)
15 Box Jumps

That was it. I ended up doing 9 reps and Dave ended with 10.  That means I did 45 burpees, 90 KTE's, and 135 box jumps in 20 minutes.  That is a lot of stuff.  I think it was harder for me to do the box jumps because I am much shorter than Dave, and his legs are much bouncier! It looked like he was jumping on a trampoline when he did his….it was kinda funny!

We did a 5 minute warm up running at 5.0, so with the warm up the workout was 25 minutes.  We stretched for another 10 minutes and then went home. We opted out on ABS since we had each done almost 100 KTE"s.  I'm just waiting for my stomach to start hurting today…it is usually a delayed reaction with my stomach muscles.

I'm not sure what we are doing about Today's workout.  We are headed to SLC right after work and I don't know if we are going to be able to fit it in.  We might have to skip today…..(GASP). In the past this would have ruined my day. I would have felt really guilty and probably ate unhealthy…I'm so glad this is not the case anymore.  It is not the end of the world if I skip today to spend quality time with my husband.  What is more important, obsessing about exercise and letting it interfere with life and relationships so that I can one day look perfect…or is it better to be realistic and remember that life is not about how we look, but who we are and what we do?  DUH! 

I'm so thankful for what I've learned and where I've come from.  If I hadn't experienced the bad, I would never be able to appreciate little things like I do now.  I am so thankful for so many things! I appreciate life and want more than anything to live it to the fullest!  I am so thankful for all of you who have committed to participating in Project Feed Me. Project Feed Me is a small way you can live your life to the fullest. It's all about others, it's about giving back and caring about more than just yourself. I am so excited about the Project and can't wait for it to get started.  As I mentioned 1000 times, if you haven't already REGISTERED please to do so ASAP.  I need your help and support!  If you have a second, please mention it on your blog, facebook, or twitter.  The more times we mention it the more it will get around and the more people we will help feed!!  Lets give back. Its so simple!!!! Let's make it happen!
(Please remember that you can help even if you have a tight budget.  There are several weeks where you won't even spend $1)

 xoxox have a great weekend!!!

Remember MONDAY OCTOBER 12 is the first day of Project Feed Me.  Check back HERE to find out what the recommended food item of the week is.  I can't wait to get started! Thanks for your support! love ya

Good Morning!  I want to thank all of you who have been so supportive and willing to help with Project Feed Me. There has been such a great response!  Wonderful people from all over the country and across the sea are reaching out to help do their part! There are millions out there praying for help. The more people that get involved with Project Feed Me the more prayers that will be answered.  If you haven't already PLEASE register for Project Feed Me.  It only takes 30 seconds but is very important.  By registering you are helping me keep track of who is participating. This will help me in tracking the project and its success. It is helpful in setting goals and determining the overall outcome of the project. It will also help others get excited and involved. So again, if you plan on participating, PLEASE take a few moments and register!  It may take me a bit to get your names up on the PFM Members tab of my site, but I will get you up there!  Also, if you are willing please use your resources, IE blog posts, twitter, Facebook…etc to get the word out.  We have the capability to do GREAT things with little effort on our parts!! Thanks again for your support and participation!!

Crossift

OK peeps…on to Crossfit!!  We took a rest day yesterday, which was much needed physically as well as mentally. I was slammed yesterday with Project Feed Me stuff so it was great to be able to take the day off. Plus, my body was tired. I feel much better today….HOWEVER I have a butt twitch. Ha! Seriously though. There is a muscle in my butt that won't stop twitching. It is driving me crazy. It twitches every 30 seconds or so and makes me want to scream!!  It has been doing it for almost 4 days now!  I feel like I have a case of the never ending hiccups…except the hiccups are in my butt! Does anyone have ANY suggestions on how to make this stop?  I've had twitches before on my arm and on my eye lid, but never for this long, and never so annoying!! PLEASE HELP!!

Dave helped me remember my inhaler for Tuesdays workout and it did me good!  I was really able to push it and work hard.  I could breath too, which is always a bonus!!  Since my workout on Monday was a bit disappointing I wanted to make sure this workout was kick butt….and it was!!

Here's what we did

200M Run (.13 miles)
Nat: 8.5 Dave: 11.5
10 Thrusters
Nat: 35lbs Dave: 90lbs
10 Kettle Bell Swings
Nat: 35 Dave: 55lbs
400M Run
Nat: 7.0 Dave: 9.0
15 Thrusters
Nat: 35lbs Dave: 90lbs
15 Kettle Bell Swings
Nat: 35lbs DaveL 55lbs
800M Run (.50 miles)
Nat: 6.5 Dave: 8.5
20 Thrusters
Nat: 20lbs Dave:
20  Kettle Bell Swings
Nat: 25lbs Dave: 35lbs
200M Run (.13 miles)
Nat: 8.5 Dave: 11.5
10 Thrusters
Nat: 35lbs Dave: 90lbs
10 Kettle Bell Swings
Nat: 35 Dave: 55lbs
400M Run
Nat: 7.0 Dave: 9.0
15 Thrusters
Nat: 35lbs Dave: 90lbs
15 Kettle Bell Swings
Nat: 35lbs DaveL 55lbs
800M Run (.50 miles)
Nat: 6.5 Dave: 8.5
20 Thrusters
Nat: 20lbs Dave:
20  Kettle Bell Swings
Nat: 25lbs Dave: 35lbs
200M Run (.13 miles)
Nat: 9.5 Dave: 12

We finished our last run at a sprint. I was ran at 9.5 and Dave at 12.  WEWWW EEEY!! It was tough work. But awesome! I pushed myself so hard.  Lifted heavy weights, I didn't back down, I ran hard and fast (for me) and after the workout I felt great!  We ended with the following abs:

1 Minute front plank
1 Minute Right and Left Plank
30 Pulses up with medicine ball (6lbs)
30 leg lifts

Our stomachs were burning!! We took some serious time to stretch and cool down and then headed home. The entire workout abs and stretching included was about an hour. The lifting and running portion was only about 35 minutes believe it or not!! IT WAS A GREAT WORKOUT! I felt awesome!

GREAT NEW!! When we got home I made taco salads…and Dave ate his first entire salad. I didn't make it with any modifications, he ate what I ate. I don't think I've mentioned this, but Dave HATES ,H… A …T …E …S… any type of veggie.  He has a hard time even smelling them.  Lately he has been working to incorporate them into his diet to try and be more healthy, and on Tuesday night he ate his VERY FIRST salad.  He has tried bites before here and there, but this was his first main course salad meal! I was so proud of him. I tried to take his picture to post it but he declined.

Today we are going to do another Killer workout that I'm super excited about!  We are going to be doing a lot of dips (which I hate) but I really want to build my triceps to look nice and toned, so these are key!! 

Thank you again everyone for your support with Project Feed Me.  It is so touching to know how many people out there want to help and are willing to give service!  Thank you, Thank you, THANK YOU!!

Dave called me from work and told me he was going to do his workout on his lunch break so when we got home we could head straight to the movie.  Since he didn't give me much notice I didn't have time to go to the gym. Instead I did my work out at home in the back yard. The weather was PERFECT! Not to hot, not to cold.  I was able to find different ways to tweak the exercises so that I could still get a good work out without going to the gym. Here's what I did:

30 Push-ups
30 Box Jumps
30 Wall Balls
30yrds of Lunges

(3 sets of each)

I couldn't find my yoga mat so I used a door mat to cushion my hands a bit while doing push ups

I used the diving board for box  jumps and it worked great!

I don't own a medicine ball so I made do with what I had. I did the wall balls using an exercise ball.

The walk way next to the pool was perfect for lunges….15 down, and 15 back.

It only took me 23 minutes to finish all three sets. I decided I wanted a bit more, so I went for a 13 minute run around the neighborhood.  It was so lovely.  The trees are starting to change color and this week the mountains got a bit of snow on the tops.  It felt like I could have ran forever.  One thing that contributed a TON to me feeling like I could run forever is my inhaler.  I have been looking for that thing for two months and finally found it yesterday.  About a year ago I developed asthma and sometimes when I work out I have a really hard time breathing, making it that much harder to catch my breath.  I used two puffs of the inhaler at the first of my workout and I was set for the entire workout.

When Dave got home we headed straight to the movie.  "The Invention of Lying". It was cute. A lot different than I thought, but cute. Not my favorite, but entertaining, cute and fun.

Dave's mom has been asking us to send her pictures of the outside of the house we are hoping to buy so after the movie we headed over to the house to take a few pics.

View form the back yard

After taking the pics we went to eat at Famous Dave's tonight.  It was really good. This is only my second time eating there and I really like it!

We ended the night with an episode of The Office, The Hills and Cougar town.  Does anyone else HATE Kristin Cavalari?  I seriously can't stand her.  (and yes, my husband watches the hills…. he used to make fun of it but now he's hooked).

QA:
Do you have asthma or use an inhaler when you work out?
Do you watch the hills?

Yesterday I mentioned I had a exciting Idea that I was brewing up….well I DO…BUT I'm not quite ready to let the cat out of the bag just yet. 

 BUT GUESS WHAT?

I do have some other really great  news!!  Remember my post a few weeks ago about "Counting Calories". If you didn't get a chance to read it, go back and read before you continue.

I thought a lot about that post and hoped that someone would give me some sort of great idea that would help me kick this annoying unhealthy(for me) habit. At the end of the day, I took a moment to re-read the comments and read what you had to say to me.

Emily from "Home Cooked Em" wrote:

" Try mentally counting for awhile and get away from putting it down on paper. You don't want to live writing down everything for the rest of your life."

Kelly form "Every Gyms Nightmare" left a  comment saying:

"ooo that totally used to be me. What i did was start by just counting at the end of the day- don't keep track during and then try and recall everything. Usually what would happen was i couldn't remember everything i had so i knew it wasn't accurate and eventually didn't see the point anymore. I also started focusing on the quality of my food as opposed to the quantity. start trying to hit all your food groups- it will give you something a little less obsessive to pay attention to, and you know you are eating healthy so you wont get so nervous about the calorie part."

There were a few others but these ones really stuck out to me. It's true, I don't want to be counting calories and tallying everything up on paper (or in my head) for the rest of my life. I had to try somthing different.  To be honest, before I wrote that post, I really didn't know what to do and I was kinda of afraid to try. I worried I would eat too much and gain weight or not be able to listen to my body. I was a bit weary to try what Kelly and Emily had suggested, but I decided to suck it up and give it a try.

The first day I thought about adding up my calories more times than I can count, but right before I'd do the addition in my head, I remembered their suggestions and told myself NO!  It was CRAZY how many times I wanted to add and re-add stuff during the day, but my goal to make it one day gave me motivation.  At the end of the first night I was a little scared to add it all up and see what my choices would equal.  To my HUGE SURPRISE I was exactly where I wanted to be. EXACTLY. I can't tell you how good it felt. I committed to continue to do this the next day.  And so I did, and the next, and the next.  It has now been 1 weeks since I have not tallied up my calories after each time I eat them. Not in my head, and not on paper! Halle freaking lujah!!  I've decided to tallying them at the end of the day, because I want to make sure I'm on track with where I want to be. I know that with enough practice I will be confident without ever tallying them at all!! Last night I after I mentally added up my daily total I couldn't help but get really EXCITED!! I have gone one week without obsessing over calories. I have eaten the foods I love, eaten when I've wanted to eat, and have been completely satisfied. 

One other AWESOME thing I've found is when I'm  hungry I eat, and when I'm not hungry I don't eat. ha ha Sounds simple right? Not for me…I could never grasp the idea of intuitive eating. I honestly didn't know how to recognize when I was or wasn't hungry. I was so used to eating at the time I planned to eat or when I had calories left to eat. I didn't know how to listen to my body and realize when it was hungry. There were so many times in my past where I would set a daily calorie allotment and at the end of the day if I still hadn't eating all of the calories I alloted, I would go ahead and eat them right up, whether I was hungry or not. I ate them just because I had them left to eat.  There has been more than one occasions in the past week where I have been done eating and counted up my daily total only to realize that I am so much lower than I I thought….and I'm full, no more food necessary. It didn't matter that I ate less that day because I chose healthy foods and I felt great.  If I would have been counting calories after each of those meal on those days, I would have eaten more….just because I hadn't reached my limit yet!

I can't tell you how excited I am right now. I don't ever in all my life remember feeling this in control of food and eating. It's like someone fixed the connection between my mind and body that has been broken for 10 years!!
I know I'm not an expert and 1 week of success does not equate to a lifetime, but I'm finally on the right track.  A track I don't ever remember being on!

I wish I could write some inspirational post about how you or people you know with an "ED" can do the same thing. I wish I could give you step by step instructions on how not to obssess over calories. But the truth is I don't know how to explain everything that led up to today. Last night I thought a lot about when I used to limit myself to a crazy low amount of calories, or when I used to binge eat, or when I made myself sick from exercising, and all the other unhealthy things I did. …….If I could go back in time, could I have helped me? Would I have listened? I bet fifty bucks the answer is no.  I wouldn't have listened, I couldn't have changed, I wouldn't have taken any action.  BUT WHY? 

Answer: I didn't love myself. I did not love myself and I did not believe in myself, and the worst part is I didn't even know it.

-blos·som: A period or condition of maximum development-

 If we don't already, we must develop a deep, love for ourselves. Inside and out.  I believe that when we treat ourselves with love and respect a seed in our soul begins to grow. If we continue to love, nourish and respect ourselves our souls will eventually blossom.

I'm sorry to talk about this same subject over and over, but its true and I have such a strong belief in it. Strength and power lies within us. We all have it, every single one of us.
I am so thankful for YOU and everyone in my life that has helped and continues to help my soul blossom.