Heavy metal

We started a new lifting program. I was looking for something simple, effective, and not overly time consuming. That meant compound lifts without a lot of fluff. I stumbled across Stronglifts and we decided to give it a try. You lift 3 times per week, alternating between 2 different workouts. There are 5 exercises and you generally do 5 sets of 5 reps, progressively increasing the weights. I've done each workout once, but so far I am liking it.

We lifted last night, and today I am going to do cardio at lunch.

I don't have a whole lot. Mostly I'm just down.

Take care.

Sad

My mom's best childhood friend died unexpectedly over the weekend. Mom and I are going to Georgia this weekend to visit my great aunt, and we planned to pick Ann up on our way back home so she could come up and stay with mom for a long visit. I'm not ready to really write about it yet, but I just wanted you to know my heart is very heavy today.

I really appreciated Karen's comment on my last post. The 12 session class I'm doing at the VA sounds like it will be more class and less coaching. My hope is that this will provide some additional accountability for me to get me headed consistently down the path to weight loss. Karen made a good point about listening to your own body and not letting a coach talk you into something that isn't right for you. My plan is to take and use what is valuable for me and to leave the rest. If all I get is the camaraderie of a few folks that have the same goal and I don't learn 1 new thing, I will still consider this worthwhile. Having said that, I am open (I hope!) to learning and trying new ideas, and my experience is that generally everyone has something to offer. The first class is on the 13th, so I will keep you posted.

Can I tell you how much I don't feel like doing anything today? I got out and walked a couple of laps already, and entered my food into sparkpeople.

This weekend was weird.  I did not sleep well at all on Friday night. Then I went from dead asleep to wide, startled awake Saturday morning at 7:50. We were supposed to leave the house NLT 8:30 - Jordan had a pupicure booked, and I had a bang trim booked for 9:30. T was supposed to go to the chiro, and we were going to run a few errands.  He didn't feel like getting up, so J-dog and I headed off to the big city on our own. I dropped her, got my bangs trimmed, went to the bank, went to Sally Beauty for hair color, and then picked up Jordan. Check out the cute bow!

I was exhausted so after a bite of lunch, I laid down for a 20 minute nap. Then T wanted to go do the grocery shopping. We headed out to Aldi, then went to Publix for the rest (next town over). Then we went to Target since it was nearby. We ended up getting home at 5 PM - I felt like I had been out of the house all day, and while we were productive, it wasn't the things that were my priority for the weekend. It made for a long, cranky day.

Sunday was better in that I'd had a good night of sleep and woke up determined to work on what was important to me (organizing my desk, organizing the non profit paperwork to get it turned over, and getting our tax stuff together). I did that, and when T headed for big city to the chiro I stayed home and worked on my stuff.

We were planning to have friends over for dinner (which we did), and of course I got the call from mom mid morning. So I was sad, but I just kept plugging away at the things I wanted to get done. At the end of the day, I was tired but my desk & paperwork were organized, the bathrooms were clean, laundry & vacuuming were finished (T did those), and the house was picked up and looking nicer. I was proud of all we'd accomplished.

We had a nice visit with our friends, even though I was definitely feeling a bit "off". But it was a nice distraction.

So a weird, sad, good, productive weekend.

I met a man :-)

Ha ha, not like that!! :-)  (But you knew that since I just got married!!!)

I use the VA for my health care. In checking out the latest newsletter, I noticed they have a "Move It!" program, which is a class for vets to help them lose weight. Since I needed to go in to get my blood work done prior to my annual physical anyway, I called and signed up for an orientation class.

After the lab (which went very quickly), I killed a little time by buying a soda in the cafeteria and reading for a bit. I wasn't sure where the class was, so I stopped at the Information desk. The gentleman in front of me asked for directions to the same place, so I told him I was going his way!

We chatted while we waited for the class to start - he's retired. Got out the Army the same year I did, then worked and retired from that. He's in his early 60s. Anyway, he was very friendly.

The class itself has 3 options: you can have the automated system call you daily and you record your weight, you can do 30 minute one on one phone sessions to review some one the material, or you can take the 12 session in person group class. You can take longer if you need to drop out for a while, or miss a class and need to make it up. I am going to talk to my boss, but I would like to do the 12 week in person class. 

Anyway, B and I signed up for the same session. I think we both felt it would give us a little extra accountability if we knew a friendly face would be waiting.

A friend on fb commented they thought vets should just be able to go to any doctor. I know there are a lot of issues with the system, but I love going to the VA. I love talking to the people in the waiting room. A lot of the staff served in the military - it just feels nice to go somewhere where the people can relate to your experiences, regardless of age or color or whatever.

Anyway, the first class in in a couple of weeks, until then I need to review the orientation packet and get ready to start!

Take care!

Good bye snow, hello t-shirts!

Ah, living in NC. Snow, and then temps in the 60s! Everything is nearly melted.  Because of out trip, we hadn't done any real grocery shopping in 2 weeks.  So this weekend we hit the stores and stocked back up on all the things we'd used up before our trip, or what we were trying to eat down that was left.  Shopping took up a chuck of our day Saturday. Sunday we had the monthly business meeting for the non profit, and visited with friends. So 2 days spent largely out of the house.

Friday we went to the gym for cardio, then Saturday we lifted weights. Yesterday we took as a rest day.

Today is back to normal for me.  T had a teacher workday. so back to the grind tomorrow.

Take care!

Day 3

Given the condition of back roads, distance to office, and the fact that I don't like driving my little Nissan Sentra on icy roads, I opted to work from home again today. T went to run some errands - he can get to Greensboro via interstate, whereas I would need to take a 2 lane country road halfway to get to work. I'm thankful I have the flexibility.

Having said that, I am looking forward to getting back into a routine next week.  I walked the dogs at lunch and we are going to go to the gym for a short workout once I sign off for the day. I have a pot roast and veggies in the crock pot, so dinner is pretty much done.

Last night we sat down and planned out our meals for the week - we have some yummy stuff! A good variety - crock pot meals/ casseroles for busy nights, a new recipe, a variety of meats (included 2 meatless meals). I'm glad that T likes to cook and helps so much with dinner planning and prep - not to mention shopping!

Tonight we are going to work on our budget. Now that we are both working, we are working at combining our finances. Because we are both used to "being in charge" and we have different styles (although similar goals), we are easing into combining things in a way that we are both comfortable with. Again, thankful I have someone I can talk to and plan with. :-)

I hope you all have a wonderful weekend. T is a Vikings fan, so football is definitely on the schedule!

We got a little more than this - a total of 7 inches.

Take care!

Still at home

Still snowed in. The dogs and I walked up to Main Street at lunchtime today - nothing has been scraped, so 7 inches of snow has been mashed into a sheet of ice. T ventured out (no real reason, I think he was restless). Since the sun is out, hopefully he will go slow and be fine. At this point I'm not sure I'll be heading in tomorrow either.

We get a channel called "Comet TV". This month they've been doing an Edgar Allen Poe double feature every Wednesday. Last night we watched "The Raven" - a comedy with Vincent Price, Boris, Karloff, Peter Lorre, and a very young Jack Nicholson. We've been thoroughly enjoying our discovery - it's 1266 on our line-up, way out far way from everything else.

Obviously nothing much is going on if I'm blathering about TV! Walking and shoveling snow in the absence of gym attendance.

The big excitement is that I am getting a Varidesk at work, so I can start standing more. Given the length of my commute, I am especially grateful.

Have a good one!

Snow day!

It started snowing early this morning and hasn't quit. I am working from home and T is home as well since school is cancelled.

We've worked around the house a bit while I was taking breaks. At lunch I took the dogs for a walk. It was pretty hard work since they each wanted to go at different speeds and directions!

I have been tracking my food in Sparkpeople and exercising daily. My promise to myself is I would track my food - no calorie goal, just track. Some days have been lower than others, but none have been out of control. And that's the point of the tracking - accountability and control. Step 1.

Some vacation recap

First of all, it's important to know that this wasn't just a vacation - it was my in-laws 50th wedding anniversary. FIL saved to make this a very posh trip for the 6 of us. It was amazingly generous and we had a terrific time. We will definitely go back to Disney at some point, but I doubt we will do the deluxe package that this definitely was! 

We drove halfway down Wednesday after work, stopping at the DoubleTree by Hilton Savannah Historic District. Had a nice breakfast at the buffet then did a quick driving tour (just to whet our appetite for a longer visit!) before getting on the road to Disney.

We stopped for lunch in Jacksonville at a small Lebanese place called Karams - it was really nice! The onto Disney!

We stayed at Disney's Beach Club resort and were on the deluxe meal plan. Breakfast was a sit down meal with entree and beverage (alcoholic or non), lunch was counter service (order and go sit down) - again it was entree and adult or not beverage. Dinner was sit down with appetizer, entree, beverage, and dessert. And 2 snacks. Had it been warmer we would have used the snacks more for drinks, but as it was we really didn't use them - we weren't terribly thirsty and not at all hungry!!

While there we ate at the following restaurants: Raglan Road, Trattoria al Forno, La Hacienda de San Angel, The Swan Resort Fresh Mediterranean Market, and our final dinner was at California Grill at Disney's Contemporary resort. We ate on the 15th floor and watched the fireworks over the Magic Kingdom. At Epcot we rode Soarin’, Spaceship Earth, and Mars Mission. At Magic Kingdom we rode The 7 Dwarfs Mine Train, Pirates of the Caribbean, It's a Small World, and Haunted Mansion.

Everything was first class all the way. I wish I'd been in better shape. I wish crowds didn't stress me so much. But I didn't beat myself up - I took breaks when I got overwhelmed, T was very solicitous to make sure I didn't get over tired or overwhelmed, and it was just so special. 

A part of me was frustrated with myself, but then I reminded myself: You are not broken. You do not need to be fixed. I am who I am and we enjoyed our trip and each other's company. And walking over 10 miles in one day is pretty good for most any body!!

Vacation and Disney Recap in the works

There is a lot to say! For now, suffice it to say we had a wonderful time. T really enjoyed Savannah and we will definitely go back.

We had a good time with his family. There were a couple of times I got exhausted and/or overwhelmed (as did he), but T really did a great job of encouraging breaks or even just saying "Hey, we're gonna go relax for a while, what time should we meet up?" We did bail about 3:30 Friday to go back to the hotel for a break before dinner.

Everyone seemed to have fun, the anniversary dinner was spectacular, and I thought the whole trip went really well.  I am so glad they invited us!

Today it is back to counting calories and going to the gym. :-)

Heading out

I am leaving early - we are driving to Savannah for a short overnight, then onto Disney tomorrow!

Have a lovely weekend!

Just do it already!

I am not a resolutions person. I've discovered over the years that my rebellious streak is a mile wide, and if you tell me to do something (or even if I tell myself) I run in the opposite direction. A better way for me is to set small goals and sneak up on the larger ones.

Having said that, I am tired of wasting head space and energy fretting over things to come. Over the years I have gotten better about not procrastinating, but I will still worry & postpone. I'm tired of having a head full of worry about stuff I'm not doing or not ready to do.

I have decided to set a motto for myself this year "Just do it already!" Like Yoda, "Do or do not, there is no try." Either work on it or stop whining about it (even mentally).

Will it work? I dunno, but I won't know if I don't try! My first goal is to lose 5 pounds, and to get my CDs and DVDs organized.

Take care.

Out of the dumps

I was horribly down on Saturday. I talked to mom and she has been too - we agree that we both feel like it's due to the dark and cold and just not wanting to do anything.  Saturday was tough for me.

Sunday was better - I got up to go meet a couple of girlfriends for breakfast. Turns out D wasn't coming and A overslept! She called about 90 minutes later when she finally woke up and felt terrible. We ended up getting together for dinner, which was nice.

Yesterday we ran a bunch of errands. For months our bed frame has been getting progressively squeakier and has been interrupting our sleep. We finally got that replaced yesterday, renewed our Costco membership, and gassed up our cars. I t doesn't sound like a lot, but we had to use mom's car to buy the bed frame and take it home, so we also had to trade cars. Anyway, it was a long day but at the end of it we felt like we'd gotten some things accomplished.

At one point in the morning I just wanted to cry. I really didn't want another "wasted" day, feeling so lousy. It wasn't the greatest day, but getting up and out and getting some things accomplished really helped.

We are supposed to get snow/ freezing rain this afternoon. The ground is frozen solid so anything that lands will stick.  I'm a bit nervous because nearly half my commute is on a shady, hilly, 2 lane country road, and last time it was bad it took T forever on that road. No idea what the next couple of days will bring with regards to weather and schedule.

Take care!

Cold

The snow and ice missed us by about 15 miles, but the cold decidedly has not. What does that have to do with health, fitness, or weight loss? That's easy - I don't feel like doing anything! Actually, what I feel like is one of those iguanas that have gotten so cold they are falling out of trees in Florida.

T has gone off to a cooking class, and I'm in my fleece pajamas, trying to convince myself to take a shower and go do the grocery shopping. It was 9 when I woke up and it's 20 now.

Our den has the dog door and it is freezing down there. We have actually hung curtains to shut it off from the rest of the house.

As I took this photo, I could feel the cold breeze blowing in from underneath those curtains. (The gap is so the dogs can walk under the curtains without pulling them down!)

We are leaving Wednesday for Florida, where it looks like it will be reasonably warm!

Have a lovely weekend!

More thoughts on the close of 2017

Last year got off to a pretty rocky start. I was unemployed and T was maybe 2 months into a new job, which he was quickly realizing was a terrible move. The Florida house had been under contract for nearly a year and hadn't closed. So our stress levels were somewhere around defcon 12.

I set some personal goals, but the reality of 2017 was enduring horrendous levels of stress. The year ended on a much higher note. And there were plenty of good things, but honestly nearly all the year was just covered in a blanket of worry for me.

Weight-wise, I ended the year within a couple of pounds of where I started it. Part of me wants to beat myself up over that. I feel like I'm using the stress as an excuse. T cut that line of thinking short, reminding me that not gaining was its own victory.

We also spent a good amount of time talking about why I regained all the weight I'd lost (and then some). At the end, it all came down to the fact that I didn't feel safe. Not in my relationship, which in turn did terrible damage to my esteem. And just when I was climbing out of that hole came my job loss.

Introspection isn't about excuses - it's about figuring out the why so you can understand how to move on. Right now I am feeling much safer - in my relationship and within my own head. And we are working toward more financial security as well, so that helps.

I hope that in 2018 I can be even more vocal about what I need to feel safe, and what I want in various areas of my life. I have to find the balance I had achieved (precarious though it was) in my time management that allowed me to successfully lose weight while enjoying my hobbies, friends, and family.

Take care.

Happy New Year

Happy New Year!

Back to work, with the whole team in the office for the first time in a couple of weeks!

It's cold as heck here (single digits). It's not just that southerners aren't used to it, our houses and buildings just aren't built with the same level of insulation, so it's pretty brutal. Luckily I'm headed south in a week! (Wow, I can't believe it's a week out until Disney!!).

T has been sick with a cold, so the last few days have been pretty low key. We did go on a date Saturday - to see the Christmas decorations at Korners Folly (a nearby Victorian mansion) and to a tour & tasting at Bull City Ciderworks. I'd never toured a microbrewery or winery of any kind before, so the tour was really interesting. We sampled probably 10 of the 16 ciders on tap (ranging from a sip to half a 5 oz glass). It was a very nice date!

Christmas decorations are taken down and packed - we just need to carry them out to the barn or over to the (climate controlled) storage unit. The house looks so barren.

Once the lights are down, I always get a little depressed. I hate cold weather, and it's cold and dark. Yuck. It always feels like spring is forever away.

T is back to work tomorrow, wrapping up his long term sub job this week and starting his new full time job Monday. Yay!

Food was prepped and packed. Kettlebell workout completed this morning, although I may do a few more moves this afternoon just to get some movement in - with the temps what they are, I seriously doubt I will do any walking outside today!

Take care.