Snow Day!

Oh the weather outside is frightful...

It's true!  There's a blizzard out there.  Snow is falling and blowing all over the place.  So what do I do on a day like this?  I could sit on the couch all day and read while watching cheesy talk shows.  And I'll be honest, I plan on doing that too.  Afterall, if you follow my other blog you know that I read a lot and I have an obligation to my authors.  So I actually go have to read today, but I can still get a workout in.

How will I work out if I can't go outside?  Easy!  First, in my squats challenge, today I have to do 135 135 squats today.  But in addition to that, I can also use my ball and do so many other exercises.

Pinterest is my friend.  But what if you don't have a stability ball?  What else can you do when you're stuck inside all day?

Simply search on Pinterest for At Home Workouts and you can find so many options.  Being stuck inside is not an excuse.  And on that note, please excuse me as I get off this couch and start moving.  Wait, you want to know what I'm going to do exactly?  Well, one of the things I do is to jog in place.  In my head, I count to 100.  Right now, I try to do 6 sets of 100 per day.  But you could also do the jogging in place during commercials.  It's pretty easy and you set your own pace.  And it's easier on your knees than running outdoors.  So start now and maybe by the time spring arrives you'll be ready to run a few laps on the outdoor track.  

Start small, dream big!

Know When to Stop!

Back on January 1, I started my 30 Day Challenge.  If you remember, it was actually two parts - squats and pushups.  I've been doing well, or so I thought.

Today would have been Day 23.  Yesterday, it was 115 squats and 48 pushups.  I won't lie - doing each right straight through was just not possible, so I'd been breaking it down.  I broke the squats up in 2 sessions and the pushups were in 3 sessions.  So last night, there were 3 sets of 16 pushups each.  I won't say it was easy,but I did it.

Woke up this morning and off to work I went.  No problem.  Heading over to Kohl's after work to do a little shopping.  And then it started - a searing pain in my left shoulder.  It came on strong and fast.  Right in the joint.  Not the muscle.

Now I won't claim to be a doctor or any kind of expert, but I'm certain that trying to do the 51 pushups on the schedule for tonight would only make things worse.  I'll give it the weekend and see how I feel, but as of now, the pushups portion of my Challenge is officially over.  If the pain continues or gets worse, I will be calling my doctor first thing Monday.

I'm not usually one to quit, but I have to listen to my body and my shoulder is just screaming right now.

But....this isn't really me quitting, but I need to heal and find something else to do to stay active.

Eating Healthy isn't Boring!

Seriously, healthy food isn't boring, unless you let it be.  Who wants to eat boneless skinless chicken, brown rice and bland vegetables every day?  Certainly not me.  I like FOOD!  Real food with color and flavor, not bland and boring.

In my Weight Watchers meeting this week, a friend was telling us about a new recipe she had tried and really enjoyed.  She had found it on Skinny Taste and it sounded delicious.  It's the sausage, cheese and veggie bake.  She had made it earlier in the week and cut into pieces that she could bring to work and reheat in the morning.  It sounded delicious and I think everyone that heard her talking about it was very excited to try it.

Here's what it looks like.  Do NOT lick your computer screen!  Doesn't it look delicious.  Click here to go right to the recipe on SkinnyTaste.com.

I also recommend that you check out the rest of the site.  Just looking on the home page, I was drooling over so many of the yummy recipes.  I think I've found a new favorite website.  I'll just have to make sure I'm not looking at it when I'm hungry or bored and not able to actually cook because that would surely spell disaster.

Before we put a single bite of food in our mouths, we eat it with our eyes, so when food looks good, we want to eat it.  So why not find foods that not only look good, but are good for you too?  And I think I just proved that you can find healthier options that look just as delicious or even more so than your favorite fattening foods.

One Week Later

It's working!  The first week of the new year is in the books and I'm sticking to it.  And today was also my first weigh-in of the new year and I was down 2.8 lbs.

That's the dancing bear.  He's excited for me.

I feel good, but this doesn't mean I get to slack.  It means I keep going!

My squats and pushups challenge is going well.  Better than I expected really.  I never thought I could go 10 pushups in one try.  Granted, I do the modified (girly) version, but still, I'm doing them.  Last night, it was 18 and I did every last one of them without stopping.  Plus, the squats challenge was 55 for yesterday.  Today it's 21 pushups and 60 squats.  Think I can do it?

I know a lot of people want to see huge weight loss right away and they try to make huge changes all at one time and that really does lead to short term success, but long term goal.  There may be a few exceptions, but it's highly unlikely that you'll succeed for the long term.  And that's really what this should be about...making the changes so that you can spend the rest of your life living healthy.  It's not about needing to fit into that dress for the wedding or reunion.  It's not about just looking good in that bathing suit this summer.  It's about making changes for a lifetime.  I don't know about you, but I don't want to keep starting over.  I want to make the changes and fall into living my life healthier so that it's not a struggle anymore, but that it's just my way of life.

Hope you're all sticking with your plans, whatever they may be.

Hangin' Tough

Yes, the title is an ode to the New Kids on the Block.  Who doesn't love NKOTB?  Especially any child of the 80's who grew up in Massachusetts?  I think every girl in the area had a crush on at least one of those boys.  Donnie was and still is my favorite.  My husband would tell you that he's my boyfriend.  I've met his brother Paul, who is a chef and runs their 2 restaurants here in Massachusetts and I also met their Mom.  But enough about them, this is about getting fit and healthy...although, NKOTB's music could be on any workout playlist, don't you think?

Ok, back to the real story.  I bet you're wondering how it's going on day 6 of this new year.  Well, I'm doing well.  So far I have kept up with my squats/pushups challenge.  Yesterday was the rest day, but I still got in plenty of activity and scored 7 activity points on my Weight Watchers Active Link.

I have also been writing down everything that I've eaten.  I won't claim that I've eaten all healthy stuff because that would surely be a lie, but I've learned from my own personal track record that even if I just right it down, I find some success.  I'm more thoughtful about what I'm eating.  It not just mindless munching.

I did get out and walk at lunch yesterday, but I can't make any promises about today.  It is only supposed to get to 20 degrees.  I might try to do a little walk, but not to the extent that I normally do.  And later in the week, it's going to be even colder with wind chills well below zero.  We're talking 20-30 below zero, which when it's windy is just cruel and unusual punishment.  The human body is not meant to handle that.  So I doubt I'll be walking then.  I think that might be a good day to get in some weight training.

So how are you doing on your resolutions / goals for 2015?