Extreme Weather/Funk!/ Teenagers

TO Parents of Teenagers and Young Adults out there---I commend you!! If you have survived the worry, the what ifs, the constant planning and replanning, the laundry, the homework, the friend changes, etc-----and there has been NO blood letting or lynching--congratulations! Sometimes I wake up look outside, think about all there is to do and I think--"just crawl back into the covers"-

I read an article about a woman with 8 children. She gets $1,500 for each child from welfare for their clothing and housing needs. She gets medical medicare for their needs. She also receives food stamps. In addition they all get a free breakfast and lunch at school. SHE makes way more money than me!!! What am I doing as a single Mom struggling to teach 30 sixth graders everyday and take care or a house, etc. Trying to send two kids to college because by working they don't qualify for government grants--WHAT am I thinking??? Our government is broken--I'm a woman without a country.
Well---can you see that I am in a FUNK?? I only walked 3,000 steps as the howling wind and sleet really discouraged me--IT IS suppose to be SPRING!! It snowed a foot in the mountains. Finally I went to my favorite new website--www.1000awesomethings.com and smiled!!! Check it out.

Sneakers and Jeepers--I finally drink WATER!

So for three days now I have been much better at water. I bought a sipper/cooler water bottle. I used Katie's idea for Sunrise Orange Crystal Light add in mix--it tastes much better. I am confused by all the different information on water--Here is what I have read:
1. Drink one half your body weight. Which for me is 110 oz.
2. Drink warm/ hot water as it is better for your digestion
3. If you add any thing to the water it is now a food and cannot be counted as water.
4. Drink 64 oz. of water before lunch. Otherwise it messes up your metabolism
5. Finally do not drink bottled water as there is no FDA regulations on it so it is poison.

SO confused by weight loss crap. SO-- here is what I do--I come to school get 32 ounces out of our water cooler and drink it before lunch. Then another 32 ounces at lunch and drink it before I leave the school for the day. I mix things with it sometimes and still count it as water that is good for me.
I also read a book about walking with a pedometer and found out these stats that were helpful:
Biking- 30 minutes= 2877 steps
Yard Work/ Mowing-30 minutes=2,910
Swimming= 3,300
Golf=956
Basketball=2730
Tennis= 2276
Soccer=2493
Aerobics=2564 *All of these are for 30 minutes of activity.

I know I need to mix things up with the walking that I already do or I get bored. The book is called Pedometer Walking Stepping your Way to Health. By Mark Fenton.

Still looking for a new pair of sneakers to walk in---NEED SUGGESTIONS!!! Brooks ???

Max and I out for Sunday Morning Walk

Today I took Max my fat little Beagle dog who is almost a year old out for a morning stroll. I walked from my house to my Dad's house which is 2.6 miles away. After the first mile Max just sat down and refused to go any further. So I sat down and played with him for a minute. I think he was bored of walking and just wanted to play. Listening to a book on CD was the only thing that made me not hear my knees and ankles yelling at me to stop. So I just kept on trekking. I have no idea how marathon runners get to a point where they can't hear all the complaining from their body.
Today's weekly weigh in--227 pounds. That's down three pounds from last week and a total of 11 pounds lost. Just 89 more to go!!! Goals for next week: Walk 10,000 steps/ day. Learn more about a weight lifting program or possibility. I know nothing about that topic. DRINK more water---still averaging about four glasses a day---really really hate it.

Here are some Photos

This is Camille goofing around before the race! She was so encouraging!


Me, fixing breakfast!
Jazz Bear started out the race! Go Jazz!!
After the race with Camille and I wearing our new shirts. Yeah!

First 2K Fun Run- Cookie Chaser

This morning Camille, my daughter, woke me up early to go to Riverton, Utah where we walked the 2K Cookie Chaser fun run. It was a fundraiser for the Girl's Scouts. As a former Girl Scout myself I thought it would be a good starting place. There were lots of mothers there with strollers and I felt like I fit in with that group. The highlight was being with the Jazz Bear. Getting my picture taken, pulling his tail, and getting a high five from him. It must have been hot to run in that outfit. I was really nervous that I would not be able to complete the race before they closed it up. Instead I was not last place and improved my mile time from 26 minutes for one mile to 20 minutes for a 2K which is a little longer. SO I am improving. Plus later in the day I went over to the school track and walked another mile so that my total steps for the day was 7500. Next week I was hoping to increase my walking steps to 10,000 but I think that 8,000 would be a better goal. On May 15th I am scheduled to try a 5K for the Law School Fun Run at the University of Utah. I need to pick up the pace to get to that point. I am using the C25K plan- which is Couch to 5K plan online. I hope to post a few photos here.

Something Crazy this way comes

So I got my new pedometer and pedometer leash today---no more dropping it all the time. YEAH! I am shooting for 7,000 steps a day. BUT I think I was a little crazy today after the school band and choir concert because I signed myself and my daughter Camille up for a 2K fun Run on Saturday April 24. IN the Freaking MORNING!!! What was I thinking???? Plus I paid money to do that??? What has got into me??? I love sleeping in on Saturday's but I thought--hey, lets see if I can finish a 2K before I try a 5K and they close up the race because I am the only one out there walking. This might still happen but there is less distance to go and people are doing the 5 K after us so there is hope that the race might still be open for me. It is a fundraiser for the Girls Scouts of America---it is called the Cookie Chase--- I hope I can actually do it. I hope so. I didn't even ask my daughter beforehand---I figure she will run a 2K for a cookie--heck if she goes with me--she can have my cookie too!!! If any one else wants to join us it is in Riverton, Utah by the library at the city park. Wish me luck!!! Hope you had a fun Earth Day and took a minute to be thankful for our beautiful planet.

ME and the Wii

On Sunday my future son-in-law brought over his wii for us to try for a week or so. He has wii fit and EA sports and wii resort--also a balance board. It also has a leg attachment. SO--I had fun playing the Wii Resort games. So did my children. I definitely think that it is a fun way to exercise and I need diversity. If I just walk everyday or do one thing---I get WAY too bored. I think that the reason I was thinner as a child was because I biked, swam, climbed trees, ran, etc. I didn't just do one sport everyday as a chore--being active was a way of life. In addition, we had a big garden and I ate a lot of vegetables and whole fruit. We seldom had soda pop in our home and our town didn't have a lot of fast food restaurants then. Just some thoughts---not necessarily all of the problem but a small part of it.

One solution that seems to be working for me in order to control my portion sizes is to use snack sized baggies for my lunch and breakfast items. It is easier to count calories that way. I got a new pedometer today with a safety leash so I don't keep dropping it. My goal this week has been 7,000 steps a day. Last week was 5,000 steps a day. A friend of mine offered to bring me some workout videos tomorrow so that will help switch things up a bit too. I really really like swimming and water aerobics and I hope to find a class to take when school gets out.

Mostly I have been overwhelmed by the support I have got from my friends and family. My kids have been super supportive. It makes all the difference.

Mondays!

Usually I hate teaching on Mondays because the kids are not in their routine and often tired. I also dislike our early out teacher meetings because the whole time I thinking about how much I could be getting done in my classroom instead of being in the meeting. Today I tried to be invested in the meeting and forget about my classroom. It works better to "LIM"--live in the moment. I am not very good at that technique but I will improve on it. I worry and plan too much sometimes.
Today I ran over my pedometer with my van because it dropped off my belt as I was getting into the van. I forgot my water jug and my lunch at home. Not off to the best start. I am finding that I look at labels on food now and ask myself if I am hungry or just bored. So many times I think I am just nervous and so I eat to calm my nerves. Some people bite their fingernails I eat!!!

I think weight loss is 90% a mental battle to do what is right for your body. TO eat and exercise so that the body feels good-- I am my own worse enemy.

Saturdays are AMAZING!

I absolutely LOVE Saturdays. No lesson plans just the whole day in front of you waiting for you to enjoy it. Today I went to the University Mall. I walked my 6,880 steps there/ or 3.2 miles. My right knee really started to hurt but it was fun to have something to look at while walking. Then my sweet daughter met me at a restaurant and I had a fun meal eating with Jen and Daniel. Both such agreeable and fun loving people to be around. Very positive feedback on my weight loss goals. We talked some about the Wii being used for exercise and bought the EA Active Game for Wii. Has anyone out there found that the wii is helpful for weight loss. I would love to hear your stories or comments. I think it might be really good for rainy days or just to mix things up so I don't get bored working out.

Weigh in Today: I went to the instacare place to use their scale again--as I do not use one at home. It just frustrates me to weigh every day. SO today's weight was 230. That is a really good beginning and MOTIVATES me to do more. YEAH!!

BLAH! Help Needed

The past two days have been really hard mentally for me. I don't want to eat good foods or walk. I just want to stay home and read in my warm cozy bed. I think that the whole weight loss/ healthy living thing is such an emotional issue. When I was younger I was really thin. I remember as a junior in High School I could not give blood for the Red Cross because I was too thin. Finally my freshman year in college I weighed barely enough. SO what the heck happened?

When I look in the mirror I do not even recognize my own body! Sometimes I think-who is that person??? I understand that life happened and there is the slowing and aging metabolism, the knee injuries, three pregnancies, and working full time as a single mom. BUT-- still, there are others who do the same thing as I do and they are healthy. Why am I such a weakling slacker. I LOVE food. I LOVE the smell and taste of homemade bread. I like sugar!! I have to learn to have more will power. NEED suggestions of what to do for the mental battle in weight loss.
Fitness- I bought Reebok easy toner shoes and they are really, really comfortable. They also work out my legs and it hurts after four days of walking more than I normally do. Each day this week I have walked over the 6,000 (three miles). The shoes were really expensive and yet I can wear them all day with my orthodics and still feel good. I think that they look better than the sketchers version of toner shoes. I also came across a website that was really interesting called the C25K---it has been around for a long time but it is new to me. Basically it is a plan to take a couch potato like me from my state into the physical shape needed to do a 5K race. It has an interesting workout schedule. What I like about it is that you would be motivated to workout to prepare for the upcoming race. Right now I walk so slow that the race sponsors would close up the race and go home before I could ever finish! Has anyone completed the C25K. If so please let me know how it worked out for you.

In a side note---ONLY 30 days left of the school year!!! YEAH!!! Sixth Graders can be a challenge this time of year.

I am a WATER HATER

A great day for walking outside. I was able to get in 6,000 plus steps everyday this week. Which is more than the week #1 plan of 5,000. Next week I planned on biking to and from school each day--however, I think the weather is going to be bad--so I will just move the walking steps up from 5,000 to 7,000. I think a gradual increase is best.

The calories are doing pretty good---I love candy and that has been my hardest battle.
I watched the show Biggest Loser today and found out that there is a ranch outside of St. George. I went to their website and printed off a daily schedule at the camp. Around six to seven hours of exercise a DAY!! The cost is WAY too expensive for me--but it might work to create something like that this summer after my teaching is over.

Stumbling blocks:--( I HATE WATER! Seriously hate drinking it. I have tried to add flavor packets, vitamin water, etc. it is All GROSS!!! I have to come up with an idea.

Thanks for reading and all your support!

OH MY WORD!

This morning my daughter made me toast on bread that looked like BARK--I was seriously worried about getting splinters!!! SO much chewing and roughage. Where is my wonder white bread??? Here is a quote that helps me though, "The whiter the bread the sooner your dead!"

Today I walked 6,000 steps on my pedometer. Drank 8 glasses of water. Worked on my sleeping routines! I think I need to move my TV out of my bedroom.

I will have to work on the food preparation this week to help with this goal. The hardest thing is putting your knowledge about food to a real life setting---I know what to do--but forcing myself to eat like that is so hard!!!! I love comfort food.

I wish someone would just come over go through my cupboards and plan out my meals with foods I will actually eat and yet are healthy. Something that doesn't take HOURS to cook.

Day One!

Today is the last weekend of Spring Break! I found a great tool for my wellness--www.myfitnesspal.com. It is a free tool where you put in the foods you eat and it finds the calories, protein, carbs, etc. It keeps a food and exercise log for you. I used it to plan out my meals for the next several days. Very user friendly!!

The Challenge Begins!!

Hi! These are my beginning photos on this Journey to Fitness. Hopefully down the road I will see some differences in the photographs.
Today begins a new personal challenge for me. I invite all of you to join in this experiment. My goal is to lose 100 pounds in 1 year. I have tried so many diets before and they have all failed. I have really evaluated myself this time and have come up with a more reasonable plan of action for me. I have several stumbling blocks that I had to identify and deal with . Some of these roadblocks to my journey for wellness are:
1. I get BORED exercising and hate to sweat.
2. I have had three knee surgeries, have heel spurs in both feet, varicose veins, and have sprained both ankles multiple times and have some ligament damage. I have a right shoulder and neck with pinched nerves and other issues. Right Shoulder had surgery on it; but still hurts.
3. I was diagnosed with Fibermyalgia and depression and take meds for both issues.
4. I am very shy and have few adult friends to work out with and to do exercise with.
5. I hate drinking water and drink about 60 ounces of Diet Coke everyday instead.
6. I am a very POOR sleeper. I seldom sleep more than 3-4 hours at a time. I wake up in pain, wake up to pee, and wake up to take care of a Beagle dog.
7. Hate being in PAIN! Low threshold I guess. Seriously a Wimp!

I also have some POSITIVE points in my favor about this weight loss plan.
Here are a few:
1. My three children have all been very supportive and helpful.
2. My doctor has evaluated me and given me correct medication and I have started those now.
3. I have read many books and articles about wellness and nutrition before coming up with my personal plan this time. SO I feel better educated about what to eat and when.
4. I am at a much better place emotionally than I have been on other diets.
5. I recently purchased some new supportive tennis shoes that will help with foot issues.
6. If I reach my goal next year---
BIG REWARD- I have promised myself that I can go on a trip of my choice for Spring Break next year at this time. Every week that I reach my fitness goals I am going to put some money into the fund. I have made detailed plans of three possible trips--one to Hawaii on a cruise, two, to Alaska on a Cruise, or the Gulf of Mexico to a resort on the beach. A trip to Maine to see the lighthouses there and maybe ride a train down the eastern seaboard would be amazing too. I have never ridden on a passenger train. I would LOVE all of those choices and it motivates me!!!!

MY BEGINNING STATS: April 8, 2010---
Weight: 238 lbs-
Height: 5 ft 4 inches
Walked a Mile: 26 Minutes- able to walk without stopping but could not run at all.
Waist: 45 inches
Hips: 49 inches
Bust: 47 inches
Calves: 16 inches
Thigh: 23 inches
Shoe Size: 8m

Week #1- Challenge--walk 5,000 steps - six days a week on pedometer, 64 ounces of water daily , blog three times a week, sleep-7 hours a night. Weigh in - Saturdays-(Measure every month.)
Week #2- Challenge- bike 2 miles a day/ five days - 64 ounces water daily, cut back Diet Coke to one can a day, just write down what I eat every day. Continue to work on sleep.
Week #3- Challenge- Go to water aerobics 4 days- use cords with DVD- three days. Log Food Choices - work on 1800 calories a day. Keep Drinking!!
Week #4- Challenge- Work Out with a Wii three days and Walk a 5 K/ three miles two days this week. Make a Food Menu Plan for the week- 1500 calories a day- WATER! Buy a new clothing item!! Take a photo! Weight Loss--I hope 8 to 10 pounds lost this month.

Well that's the plan for the first MONTH-- that's all I will post today!! I would appreciate any suggestions or supportive ideas you have!! I am just going to make this fun and take BABY steps . I know that with support I can do this! I want to be healthy!

About ME: I am a 47 year old single mother of three young adult children. I have taught elementary school for 23 years. Hobbies include: Reading, writing, watching TV and movies, going on adventures with my children. As a child I was thin and fit--in sixth grade I won a Presidential Fitness award. I use to enjoy camping, hiking, and other activities. I gained my weight after marriage and after each pregnancy. Knee and Leg pain contributed this problem. Also extreme fatigue and depression and a divorce were additional problems.