The Power of One ... or the POWER of The ONE!

OK, I am beginning a new challenge today over HERE and wanted to let y'all know. I have seriously let things slide over the Holidays and have gained EIGHT pounds!

Oh. My. Word.

That is soooooo NOT acceptable.

So, back on the train I hop. I sent every last cookie and piece of cake to work with my man this morning and am re-working my food diaries to start on Wednesdays and am changing my weigh in days to Wed. too. And ONLY on Wed.! (That is a huge thing for me. If I weigh in too often it messes with my head!)

So, I am starting new. It means I will have to be very careful on New Years, but I can do that. Gonna start a mini detox between now and then and I WILL break out the running shoes again. Although, THAT may have to start tomorrow because of this stupid migraine (a SURE sign that my eating is outta whack!).

So, how about it? Wanna join me? New year, new you?

Here's the thing ... the challange is called "The Power Of One" and is centered around one person - yourself. Now, I an FULLY aware of where focusing on myself has gotten me. And, honey, it aint good. So, I am - for us who KNOW - switching it up. I am giving it to THE One and only One who can do it. I am gonna put all focus on "the power of THE ONE".

Cause, with HIM, I cannot lose ... or, ya know I CAN lose ... I can lose the weight!

So, what do ya say? Are ya with me?

So, here are MY goals:

**HEALTH - even if I stay this size forever, I want to be healthy. I want to watch my kids grow up and I want to be able to play with them while their young!!

**5K and 10K - yes ... and maybe even a half marathon. Although I may have just thrown up in my mouth a little at THAT thought!

**HIM - I want to find my TRUE identity in Him and make this body what HE created me to be. I want more than physical fitness, I want spiritual fitness too:

"Exercise daily in God - no spiritual flabbiness please! Workouts in thegymnasium are useful, but a disciplined life in God is far more so, making you fit both today and forever, You can count on it!" 1Timothy 4:7 (Message)

TGIFriday

I love Friday ... Don't you? I kinda dread it - getting on that scale, but I look forward to it too. And knowing that y'all are out there keeps me going. LOVE that accountability.

Speaking of accountability, do you have someone to keep you accountable? I hope that you do, it is the ONLY thing that has kept me going sometimes. If it were not for Dedra, I would probably have given up long ago. Her texts, phone calls, messages and words of love and encouragement have kept me away from chocolate, gotten me out to run, helped me walk away from the fridge and basically seen me through more times than I can count. LOVE that girl! And then there is my sweet Shauna, if I did not know that she was gonna come walking through my front door every morning, I cannot tell you how many times I would've just turned off the alarm and rolled over. But she comes, I get up and we work out. Oh, yes we do...

So, this week we started week four of the C25K program - we honestly cringed and almost cried when we found out how long we were going to have to run this week. But we agreed to try it ... and we DID it. On day ONE. You should've seen us celebrating and high five-ing right there in the middle of the street! We were so very excited. We've also upped our continuous laps in the pool and are able to get through complete DVD's with no breaks now. It is AMAZING how our bodies are adapting. We marvel at the fact that we have both ALWAYS been consumate avoiders of exercise in ANY form, now here we are, six times a week, out there working our hineys off ... literally.

So, how are YOU doing? How can we help each other get through this? How can we help YOU?

How YOU Doin?

(try to imagine that being said in my very best Joey Tribiani voice)

So, I messed up last week ... again ... and didn't post.

And, really, I was down and hit a HUGE milestone and have absolutely no excuse.

Please forgive me.

This week, however, I am up .3 but I did NOT go so far backwards that I crossed back over that milestone ... nope, still sittin pretty in that new decade of lower numbers.

Whew ... HUGE sigh of relief!

I'm not entirely surprised that I was up a tad this week ... I mean, I DID eat pizza yesterday.

(hangs head in utter and complete shame)

But I have worked out EVERY day this week - twice today! - and have every intention to stick with that.

So, as far as my fitness goals go, I have finished week 3 of the couch-2-5K plan that I am on. YAY! Also, I have been swimming laps a couple times a week. When I started I could do two laps at a time. Tonight I did one set of eight laps and one set of ten. WHAT?!?!?!?!?! And that was on top of a DVD workout that I did this morning.

Who AM I and what happened to the lazy woman that used to live here?!

I dunno, but I like THIS chick aLOT better!

So, how are YOU doing and how can I support YOU?

Friday Check In

Hey Friends!

I am so sorry that I was not able to post last Friday. I was stuck - quite literally - in an airport in Canada. Long story. You can read all about it (told in parts that will equal a continuous story...) HERE.

Anyhoo ... moving on ...

I was on vacation all last week and was so afraid to step on that scale. When I finally did I realized that I had only gained just under three pounds - MUCH better than I was anticipating. I had a heck of a time finding someplace where I could get fresh - or even UNfried - veggies. I tried to eat healthy, but my mom and my hubby kept reminding me that I was on vacation and I could work off anything I gained when I got home.

Sure, easy for THEM to say!

We did, however, walk almost everywhere we went. Which meant, other than the last day sight seeing and the TWO days in the airport at the end of the journey, we walked AT LEAST 6 miles per day. Plus, I even managed to hit the hotel gym. I was pretty proud of myself there!

So, upon learning that I had gained, I set out to be VERY careful with my diet this week ... with moderate success. But I have worked out - ran, walked or did DVD workouts - everyday this week. The shin splints HAVE slowed me down a bit, but I am trying to push through.

Which brings us to this morning. I weighed in at .4 UP from where I was last time I posted ... but then (this may be TMI), after a trip to the restroom, I was DEAD EVEN with where I was last time! And, what IS it with me and .4? Cause last time I checked in I was - yep, you guessed it - .4 up. So, technically, I am STILL .4 up. Which totals just over 32 pounds down total.

And, I can deal with that!

Tomorrow I am going to have my run evaluated so I can get the RIGHT shoes and maybe get past these stupid shin splints and then I can get back on track. I do NOT think I will be ready for the Triathlon that I wanted to do next month, but I WILL do a 5K by the end of the year ... I promise!

So, how did YOU do?

Friday Check In

I am sooooo sorry that I missed last week - so sorry! It was a crazy week, and then when I did weigh in, I had gained ... so I was a bit depressed.

BUT, as this is an accountability system, that is no excuse.

So, please forgive me.

OK, this has to be VERY quick as I am headed to the airport soon to pick up my mommy. And then, later this afternoon, she and I are headed to Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Yesiree - I am gonna get me a stamp on my passport!

So, last week I started P90X with a friend around the corner ... and I gained 1.2! Everyone tells me that it's because of the strength training building the muscles. But I was still bummed.

This week we started a couch to 5K program on top of that AND I did a Slaughter Boot Camp workout! And I got shin splints. Lovely.

BUT, I am down from last week and am .2 from being completely caught up to wear I was three weeks ago, so I am thrilled! All together that would be 32 since January! YAY!!!

So, how did you do? Are you stayin strong? If not, let us know how we can be there to support you. If so, let us know how we can cheer you on!

If you think about it this week, please pray for me. I will have absolutely NO control over food so it's gonna be all in portions and such. I did call and make sure that the hotel has a gym and a pool, so no excuses. Also, please pray for my little family while I'm away. The girls will be doing VBS next week so it will hopefully keep them busy. But, Sophie is a total Mama's girl and Hattie, well, Hattie is gonna need some prayers as it will all be a huge transition. And my man, well he is patient and kind, so I know he will be OK, but please pray for him. Thank you so much!

OK, sound off ... ready, GO!

Friday Check In

OK ... let me just say that I broke TWO rules this week. I completely failed on my water intake (especially over the weekend) and I weighed myself on Tuesday.

I KNOW!

I am soooooo fired.

But, I really amped up the workouts this week. And it seemed to pay off.

After the weekend, I knew that it was not gonna be pretty and when I weighed on Tuesday AM I was UP THREE POUNDS! YIKES! So I kicked the workouts into high gear and really watched what I ate, but again, totally failed on the water part. I REALLY need to work on getting it all together at the same time!

OK, so after all of that, I weighed this morning - I had lost since Tuesday, but am still up .4 from where I was last week. I am OK with that though because I know what I did wrong and am determined to fix it.

Also, on Thursday I did a MAJOR workout - Slaughter Boot Camp. It's a military style workout with obstacle courses, running with sandbags, up downs and everything. THEN, I got up this morning and did a Jillian Michaels' Last Chance Workout. My workout Diva friend Jane explained that you will always weigh more right after a workout, so I am hoping that explains it. Either way, .4 is nothing to cry over. I just need to keep my attitude up and carry on.

So, how did YOU do? Let me know! Let's support each other!

Friday Check In

It's Friday! That was the day most of us agreed to weigh in and sound off. So, how did you do?

I was not excited to weigh in. I honestly felt that I had not done well this week - I was warding off a migraine that was trying to take me down for a couple days and then yesterday was ... well, it was just a bust. SO, I only got one REAL workout in all week. I got mini stuff in and was careful about food and drank more water than I had in WEEKS ... and it paid off. I lost 3 pounds this week, bringing the grand total to 32 pounds!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

OK, so my goals for this next week are as follows:

*KICK IT in the workout department! I need to just get up and do it!

*Step it up in the water department (although I did MUCH better this week, I still have a long way to go!)

*REALLY step it up in the food department! I'm gonna let you in on a secret and tell you that one of my major goals here is to have healthy food in the house for my HUSBAND to choose from as well as myself. He is having some major back pain lately and I know it's because he has gained some weight lately. (Now, do not get me wrong - I still think he is hot stuff, I just want him around for as long as possible!) I think we BOTH need to surround ourselves with better choices so that those are easier to make than the wrong ones! PLUS, I need to make the choices available for my sweet girls. Teach 'em right early!

OK, so let us know how YOU did and what your goals are!

We are in this together, remember? Let's love, encourage and carry each other through!

Back On The Train

Hey there friends! I've decided it's time to get this baby back up and running. I don't know about you but I REALLY need to get serious about this fitness thing. I had been doing GREAT - and then the move happened and I lost my mojo. I even gained two pounds ... BUT, I did lose those two again, so I am back to where I was before the Nashville/Atlanta extravaganza!

So! Today I declare a new beginning! I have reset the scale and am starting fresh.

Who wants to join me?

Many of us did this together last spring and then, slowly but surely, we all kinda fell off. There is safety - and accountability - in numbers, we all know that. So, let's use it to our advantage. I say we stand together against the flab!

Here is what I propose:

*Weigh in ONCE a week - (I KNOW this is a tough one, but I have learned that weighing in only once a week takes a lot of stress off.) We all fluctuate a bit here and there, so by weighing once a week - at the same time each week and wearing the same thing (I choose first thing in the AM and buck nekked!! - TMI?) we get a true picture of what we are dealing with. I will be weighing in on Fridays - although I did weigh this morning to get a starting point set - you can pick any day of the week that you want, no pressure.

*Workout - Some kind of activity, you pick the level, at LEAST 5 times a week. Walk, run, Shred, Zumba ... whatever - you pick. Just STICK TO IT! I know, for myself, I like a little variety so I will be pulling out a DVD, hitting the treadmill or heading out the door for a walk/jog/bike ride/swim. Whatever you choose to do, just DO IT! And, stick to it!

*Share/Vent/Encourage - this works soooo much better when you don't feel like you are in it alone. I know that having Dedra counting on my texts/calls is HUGE in getting me motivated. I could NOT have come this far without her! So, pick a partner and do whatever it takes to keep yourself motivated and on track! We can even use this sight as a way to do that. We can be each other's sounding boards!!!

WATER - Drink it and drink a LOT of it! Seriously, this alone will make a difference. The minimum amount we should be drinking is 64oz per day. I have even heard that if you divide your weight in half you should be drinking THAT number of oz. (I don't know about you, but for me, that is a WHOLE lotta water!! I know some people even set a gallon as their goal. Whatever, just drink it! (Here is a trick. I am NOT a water drinker - I like a little flavor with my drink - so I fill my water bottle to just below the top and then top it off with a little crystal lite. Just enough to flavor it up - makes all the difference in the world!)

Lifestyle - do NOT think of it as a diet, think of it as a lifestyle. If you go hog wild and completely deprive yourself you are so much more likely to fail. SO, eat thoughtfully. I am not saying never have pizza or cake, I am saying do not eat like that for every meal. THINK about what you are putting in your mouth - if you want pizza have ONE piece - not ONE pizza! If you want cake, have a couple bites, just enough to enjoy it, but not so much that you will be miserable and feel guilty afterwards. And if you do fall, shake it off and jump back in. Also, compensate - you had pizza for lunch? OK, have a salad for dinner, go an extra half mile, do an extra 10 minutes on your treadmill - just make up for it. It's OK - one fall does NOT a fail make! Just get back up on the horse and ride on! One day at a time and one VICTORY at a time!

Rethink "Victory" - Does victory, in your mind, mean reaching the goal weight? Well, that is - for some of us - a LOOOONNNGGG way off. So, rethink your victory - make them small and think of it as one day at a time. For example - you passed on the fudge covered oreos? VICTORY! You made it through the Shred and only cursed once? VICTORY! You got ALL your water in today? VICTORY! It is all in the way ya look at it. SO LOOK HARD if you have to, but find your victory today!!

OK, who is in? Let me know and let's do this together! Accountability ladies!!!

I love you tons and we can do this thing!

Here we GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!