Was Guilty the eigth dwarf?

I did not make it to the gym yesterday, but I ate healthy...right up until I split a vegan banana walnut pancake with my love.
I am not sure if anyone is reading this, but I feel like if I post it somewhere I OWN that truth and I can work from it.

There is always tonight for the gym!

(This is my gym, but now the foliage is much greener!)

I brought my gym bag to work!

Tonight I will scuttle to the gym straight from work for Body Pump.

Check out this rad gym bag! Only $75! Sigh.

I cannot believe how difficult it is to get myself to bring a gym bag to work...it took like, 3 years! 29 years if you count all the years that I did not have a gym membership!

It is pretty lame because the light rail station is 1 block from my gym and totally easy to get to from work. Then it is just a brisk 8 blocks walk home with my friend who teaches the class and lives right by me.

It will be a super frigid walk tonight (it is -3 right now, up from -21!), but so worth it! I really am so pleased with myself when I get to the gym.

A friend who just joined my gym is part of my motivation, plus my other friend who teaches the class. Also, a doctor I see who was all, "Go to the gym straight from work. Seriously."

PS:
I went to the gym on Sunday even though I was not feeling 100% due to alcohol choices I made the prior evening. Thanks to a friend who called and invited me along to the gym.

I also went to the gym last night! Nice. Thanks to the same friend!

The Shoebox blog again...sorry!

They just hit the nail on the head!

Things not to say outloud at the gym

Things Not to Say Out loud at the Gym:

January 8, 2009 10:23 am

by Renee D from The Shoebox Blog

* “Geez, that door is heavy.”
* “Great! A vending machine!”
* “I only come here for the whirlpool.”
* “Move it, Tons O ‘ Fun.”
* “I can’t wait ’til March so I can quit coming here.”

A miracle?

Last night, driving home in a growing snowfall, I stopped to buy some impulse ice cream at a wonderful ice cream shop.



I love to eat ice cream when it is cold. I got the Sweet Cream ice cream.

I continued the drive home, Todd put the impulse ice cream in the freezer, he put away the groceries, I went to cat sit, and I totally forgot to eat any ice cream!

I just realized that now.

For some reason I am really proud of myself even though I give most of the credit to my poor memory.

I don't want to be perfect, but this is a nice reminder

Found here.

Did you know I have a "mouth belly". My stomach curves inward in the middle, it always has. Another family member has the same design. I have learned to work with my "mouth belly", but I hope it will be less mouthy someday. Also note that I do not appreciate joking about my mouth belly, only I can joke about it.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Well, I have been going to the gym in spurts still, better than nothing but hope to improve on that as time carries on.

I have already had one Thanksgiving gathering and I was a hearty eater. My friends can really cook. I went to Body Pump before and after the event, and hit the elliptical hard too.



I wonder if my muscles are any bigger??

I have been working on my Body Pump form, I have a ways to go, I have plenty of underused muscles!

My friend wrote this little piece with suggestions to help prevent overeating during the holidays, check it out if you please!

Yeah, one of my good friend is an obesity researcher. You would think her research results would rub off on me! Yeah right. Once I was in one of her weight management studies, but I was put in the control group; how's that for impartial!

Oh, did I tell you I bought chop sticks to try to eat less? I actually bought a chopstick helper:

We'll see how that goes. I eat a lot of black beans and salsa, so that may be messy.

Good luck out there! Practice mindful eating! Savor every bite and then walk it off!

Me: Yesterday

From: Natalie Dee

I hope to get my booty to the gym tonight. Maybe to Body Pump...I don't need to do much walking tomorrow anyway.

Product Review: Weight Watchers Smart Ones Santa Fe Chicken somethin' Somethin'

I used to get a non-diet version of this meal a lot when I was in college. Frankly, I could not tell a difference in taste, so that is something, right?

Todd and I pledged to bring our lunch to work this week (and hopefully more weeks), so I grabbed a couple of these in case I was too lazy to make my lunch (which I WAS on day1!). As a back-up plan this worked well and it was on sale for like $2.50 at Super Target.

I thought this was satisfying and maybe a little salty. It smelled of garlic while it cooked, to the delight of my office mates. I did not taste the garlic as much as I smelt it. I could easily make something similar at home and leave off the "cream sauce" and cheese. I might add some baked chicken too if I felt wild!

Tonight I will be making some pasta up and packaging it for the rest of the week. I got some ground turkey, spinch, broccli, green peppers and onions for that. Oh and garlic! Yum. I usually make pasta without meat, but it is just that meaty time of year.

C and K are back from India, I hope they will let me buy the bike and I hope that they will help encourage me to get to the gym too! I am way off on that goal.

Back to Bacck Blinking Bottom!

If you saw a blinking red bum bopping around the Midtown YWCA the last two nights, you may have seen me!



I rode my bike to the gym and hopped on the elliptical machine. Check it out:


Fantastic!

Oh, and today I really wanted a coke, but I had an iced black coffee instead.



NICE!

This is close to how my night went

Here

Actually, I worked late, went to Target and a bike shop to buy accessories for riding K's bike around (like a bike like and bike lock- not a crazy biking outfit!). By the time I got home I was zonked and I watched some Project Runway.

I have been feeling under-motivated this week because I saw some pictures of myself. The image of myself in my head is so much slimmer than the image of me that comes out in photos! The pathetic thing is that instead of motivating me to change that shape, seeing the images makes me feel defeated.

toothpastefordinner

I cooked some veggies and cleaned a little bit to...does that count as exercise?

I hope to ride K's bike tonight, maybe to the gym!

What have you been doing? Is anyone out there?

Two wheeled loan and a promise

My friend K was generous enough to let me borrow his bicycle while he and C are in India for a month.I am so excited! You see, the bike I own needs pricey repairs and I had been hemming and hawing about investing in a bike that I may or may not ride 8 blocks the gym year round.

Eight blocks is not far (though it can be VERY far when the temps are low and the snow is flying), but I do not always have access to a car and my neighborhood is not a safe place to walk alone after dark. Unfortunatly is not exactly a safe place to bike either. (The incident in the link took place 1.5 blocks from my house, and right on the route to the gym.)

Anyway! I am going to try getting into the habit of riding K's bike to the gym. I promised him I would, and since K is a wonderful person, I aim to keep that promise.

STATSHOT via Chicagoland!

I hope this is not too hard to read...it is a "Statshot"from The Onion.

J from Chicago sent this to me, it made my day! I am going to have to weigh my cat again because a "Don't-Get-Your-Hopes-Up Total Body Machine" will not fit in our condo.

Might as well jump!!

"I used to jog but the ice cubes kept falling out of my glass." -David Lee Roth

Who knew we had so much in common??

Have you jumped or bopped around lately?

I am planning to go to a hip hop aerobics class AND Zumba with C. tonight. If I don't make it, will you take over this blog?

Ok, so I have not been in touch with gym lately...

but the gym is not far from my thoughts.

Does that count??

Last night I turned down ice cream! Ice cream!

But I did not turn down ice cream on my birthday, I can forgive myself for that, right?


As the weather turns cool and night falls faster and earlier, I know I will need to turn to gym. This weekend I want to look for a used bike to ride to the gym. Or maybe I could look into renting a locker at the gym. If you could not tell, I am trying to cover multiple excuses to avoid the gym!

Good question, Jon!

From GarfieldminusGarfield:


This made me smile for two reasons:

It made me smile because somehow I can relate to this more than a perky diet product commercial asking/telling me the same thing. It makes me feel better to know that I am not alone in struggling with my weight.

Also, it makes me smile because I get a little defensive. I know that I do not need to let myself be down and frustrated. I can cherish that I am doing the best I can with what I've got and I have plenty of potential to be more active and get those endorphins flowing!

Like MNMom said, I can enjoy long walks in my neighborhood or with my loved ones. I can experiment with new foods and fun new gym clothes.

There is a lot of potential and progress going on here, no need to be down.

As I try to make healthier choices day to day, like choosing a walk around the park over reading another chapter in my book or choosing to walk to the next bus stop for some extra steps instead of sitting on a bench, I keep thinking of an inspirational book by Thich Nhat Hanh that I read and re-read.

Peace is Every Step is a short and very approachable introduction to the idea of meditation and mindfulness in everyday life. Hanh discusses potential for brief meditative moments in things we do everyday, like relishing in the extra moments of time we have to ourselves while we wait at a stoplight instead of stressing out about missing the green light. My favorite is his idea to remember how fun it is to play in the water and enjoy a warm bath while we wash the dishes. Washing dishes is a chore, but bubbles are fun! Right?

Anyway, I suggest you read the book for a better idea, it is really thought provoking, even for a cynic like me.

I try to think this way about my choices with food and exercise day to day. My friends and my husband have been helping, which I truly value.

For example, will sitting and watching re-runs of Law & Order really make me feel as good a quick trip to the gym? Even a teeny tiny trip to the gym? That trip to the gym may not change my life, but I am always pretty proud of myself when I actually go to the gym!!

Also, when I stress about eating naughty foods, I can remind myself that I can balance that naughty food with some exercise (and if I don't think the naughty food is worth jogging then it is easier to turn down the naughty food! Ha!).

I am going to keep trying being more mindful of my choices.

The best part is, the more mindful you are about something the more of a habit that thinking becomes. suddenly you are mindful without even trying!

I hope this isn't too stream of consciousness; I wonder what you are thinking or if this gets you thinking?

Who knew Jon Arbuckle could be so thought provoking!?!?

Getting there first

I went to the YWCA last night with Todd. He was my only witness this time.


I am still ramping up the intensity of my workouts. I am mostly focusing on actually getting to the gym on a regular basis first.

Todd is encouraging me to keep a better record of what exercise I complete, as well as my heart rate and whatever-the-hell-else one is supposed to do to be a hardcore, productive gym goer.

He learned a lot, and found success in following methods in this book:


Right now I am totally overwhelmed by this sort of organized workout. I am not opposed to it; it just makes me want to run and hide in my bed is all. Give me time, I will come around.

Do you track bio-markers when you work out? Have you followed any useful exercise guides?

A Fatty Weighs In!

Hello, I'm Mnmom, and I'm fat.
I'm also here to get healthy, and that means losing about 40-50lbs and getting some real exercise. Yesterday my doctor told me I have a fatty liver. After an internet search, I'm now sufficiently scared and ready to get it lean and mean.
These things I will miss:
Half and half in my decaf coffee
Big Macs
Lots of cheese - MAN I love cheese!!

These things I'm looking forward to:
More long walks
Zumba anyone?
More salad - I DO make a good salad and excellent dressing.

A Heavy Hit

So I know I am out of shape and that I need to make better choices for my body...that is why I am here, right?

Well, I honestly do not obsess about my body type, except my struggle to find decent tops to wear. I do not get down about my body and I do not stress about my diet (hence why I feel I need support to improve it!).

Today I was at the doctor and the physician called me "heavy".

First I was furious, and thought, "Oh no you didn't!"

Then I was sad and discouraged:


I feel hopeless and humongous.

That kind of honest and direct acknowledgment of my body type makes me feel so hopeless that all I want is:


It does not make me want to:

Zumba party up in here!

There is an article in the Strib today about a new cardio workout called Zumba that is sweeping the gyms across town.

Do you think they are just smiling for the camera?

Supportive friend C invited me to join her at a class last week, but I had class. Now that I am done with school I can start to go!

Have you done Zumba?

I also enjoy the "low impact" aerobics class C and I used to take and yoga. I hope to add those too. They have a new pilates class at my gym too, I want to try that.

Meanwhile, I would run out the door if a camera of any kind came in to my class at the gym...or anywhere near me on the YWCA property for that matter!