A New Challenge!

I have committed myself to continue with all the things we worked on during the 100 Day Heart Challenge. I will continue to blog as some of my other challenge team-mates are doing. I think getting through the first 100 days was a bit of a challenge in keeping to the rules, but it really gave me enough time to kind of falter and find things that don't work, and make the change to something that does work and make it part of everyday life for me.

I have continued to hit the gym about 4-5 days a week, trying to do at least 30-45 minutes of cardio followed by 30-45 minutes of weights. Then a couple times a week I like to get the the classes offered at the gym. I am working with an application on my phone that is training that takes place over 9 weeks, with intervals of running and walking. All with the intent that when finished, I will be able to run a 5k without stopping or slowing to walk! So far, week one done - eight more weeks to go!

I weighed in this morning with about 3 lbs lost this last week. Wahoo! I'll take that!! Now, I am only 6 lbs away from no longer being OBESE, according to my BMI chart.

Lost .... now Found!

We have completed our 100 Day Heart Challenge sponsored by Intermountain Healthcare, and we now have the chance to move forward in our lives and take what we have learned and apply that each day. For me, I lost 10 pounds, lost 6.5 inches around my waist, lowered my overall cholesterol level, lowered my blood pressure, and decreased my pulse rate. Wow! Incredible! What I found was confidence to be active, confidence and strength to walk-jog, (affectionately called wogging) and to know that I can do this!


Okay, so I post this picture with hesitation. My husband took this picture just over a year ago at his company work party. I was VERY self conscious about how I looked, I knew I was overweight and felt every pound of it. I had lost some weight prior to beginning this challenge and mentioned to my husband that I wished I had taken some "before" pictures.... his enthusiatic reply was "OH, I have a before picture for you". bleeecchhh.... I cannot believe he didn't delete it right after he took it!! But I am glad I have this reminder of what I become when I give up.

I really enjoyed the challenge of the 5k race this past Saturday. I was nervous, but excited to see if I could get a better time than I have previously "wogging" on the treadmill for the 3.1 miles. I finished at 43:23 and have the picture to prove it :)

I had a great time with this challenge, most of the time *wink*. It was a great experience. I cannot wait to see what the next 100 days brings!

Priceless!!

Well, here we all are at the last of this challenge. I am curious to see the information that comes back with our weigh-out tomorrow. I haven't seen big changes in my weight numbers, though I am excited about the little numbers of weight loss that I have seen. At first, I was frustrated. But I can see changes in other areas, and I think the weight will continue to drop as long as I continue on this road. I am curious to see the other changes as well with cholesterol, body analysis (fat vs muscle ratio), blood pressure, etc.

I know I have written this plenty of times, but I still am sooooo excited that my training includes the occassional jogging on the treadmill. I can't believe how it kicks my butt when I do jog, but hey I'm doing it!! I did renew my gym membership and plan to continue my workouts, and increase my intensity. Dang, I do love those ABS classes!! Who knows where this will take me, I am just excited for the journey!!

I just want to post a THANK YOU for the opportunity to have been invited to partake in this challenge. I also want to thank everyone for their support, kind word, and encouragement! Dallas, you have been such a great help in this challenge! I appreciate your challenges in the workouts and you encouraging each on of us to push past the pain to get to our new levels in the workouts! And my workout buds, you ladies are amazing!! I love getting the chance to get to know you and see all of us progress and move to do new and wonderful things!

Raise your glasses - *Cheers* - Here's to a new healthier us!

I am NOT ready for this to end!

GEEEEEEZ! I am NOT ready for this challenge to come to an end. I mean, I know that I will work hard to continue with the good habits that we have learned in nutrition classes, from Dallas during our training sessions, and my workouts at the gym. But I am not ready to say "goodbye" to the great people I have been lucky enough to meet and work with during this challenge!

I am sooooo appreciative of the things I have learned, the motivation I have to get to the gym and workout, the energy I have to just function daily, and the confidence I have gained. I have said it before...but who would have guessed that I have been able to work up to jogging for intervals. My knees have always given me trouble. But with this training, I have been able to accomplish something I that I always joked would happen "in my next lifetime". Well, maybe my next lifetime is here, and I just need to "RUN with it" (pun intended).

Thanks again to everyone! This has been life changing!

5k Anyone??

So, I get a text at 00:to early - o'clock this morning from Dallas wanting us ladies to meet him later on today at the track............... Yikes. So I guess we'll get a taste of a real 5k workout outside of the gym! Should be interesting and I hope I survive! I packed my running shoes and can't wait to see how it goes!

Still cannot believe that this is almost coming to an end! I love that I have met some really wonderful people during this challenge and it has been great to see some of the accomplishments and changes we have each made during this time! And, even though my numbers with my weight haven't been off the charts, I know there has been a change!

Keep up the great work everyone!!

Where does the time go?

Wow, we are three quarters of the way through this challenge! I cannot believe how time has flown by, and I still have sooooo much work to do! But, like I have come to realize, this 100 days is just a beginning to the next 15,000 days of my life (give or take a day or two).

It has been a crazy week at work, first recovering from taking a couple of days off. And then there is the co-worker of mine who decided to give birth two weeks early! Can you believe the nerve of her AND the baby? Kidding for sure! We are glad that she delivered a happy, healthy little boy! So, it's been like hitting the treadmill running while set at 8.0. I'm just trying to keep up, keep things organized, keep up on the billing, and keep meds stocked for the hospital. No stress, right?

I have struggled in getting to the gym during this week. I need to get back into the swing of things, not spend so much time at work and put it back into its rightful priority spot in my life. I miss it, and feel the difference of not getting there. I loved getting there tonight and working out with Dallas! He has been great to challenge me during this challenge! Thanks Dallas for all you do!!

40 is the new 20, Right?

Wow! I just celebrated my 40th Birthday this weekend. I have never been one to dread the century birthdays, and this year is no different. There is one exception however, and that is that I am really enjoying the fact that I am actively trying to eat better and exercise frequently. What a great Birthday Present to give myself! I really do feel better!

We spent a couple of days in St. George, where we relaxed, shopped (for new clothes in a new size!), spent time in the fitness center, and I made a new friend! My new friend is the elliptical machine, as we managed to spend 30 minutes getting to know each other! That is the longest time I have ever been able to work out on one. Granted, it was at level one the whole time, but I worked at a steady "jog" pace, and survived to write about it. I really enjoyed being able to get some exercise time in while away, and realized how good it made me feel.

Now, back at home and back to real life.

Turbo-kicked in the backside!

Last night I thought I would try another new class at the gym. Turbo kick is just like it sounds, kick boxing at warp speed. Lots of movements, lots of fancy footwork, lots of punches. Well, that's what they (the other people) were doing... Me, I was doing lots of trying to keep up, not so fancy footwork, and really REALLY weak punches. But it was a great workout and lots of fun!

We are going out of town this weekend, and I am excited that there is a workout facility where we are staying. I never have really cared to find out about this feature when we stay somewhere, but from now on, it's important to me to keep up with the training. I find that my weekends are a little more complicated when it comes to making sure that I eat when I should, what I should, and getting enough fruit. It seems easier at work because I usually start planning my meal for the day, the night before and there is more or less a routine to the day. Another valuable lesson I learned, I need to make sure that I PLAN for what to do on the weekends, or I find myself spinning my wheels and not really accomplishing anything.

Geez, is it 4pm yet? I need to get to the gym!!!

So, Im here at work and I keep looking at the clock. I actually cannot wait to be off work and get to the gym! Sick! I know!! I Love It!! I was looking at the list of classes tonight... Abs class for sure, cardio then weights. There are a lot of other classes that I would like to try and will get around to (cycling, power pump, turbo-kick, pilates, yoga, etc.) I haven't done yoga for a long time, about 6 years. The last time I did, I dislocated my knee..... during the warm up! How embarassing! I have seen the pilates workouts, but never have done it, and it will probably kick my butt. But I've got to at least try it!

Well, Here's to a good week! Enjoy!

While the boss is away, will the mice play??

Tonight was our last workout with Dallas before he leaves to Hawaii FOR TWO WEEKS! Now we are on our own to buck up, and show him what a great job he has done to teach us to do this on our own. This is just a taste of what day number 101 and the rest of our lives will entail. I know our group is awesome and we can do this!

On another note, here is a link to the Service Excellence Rap posted on YouTube... You might recognize a few of the challange peeps. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rqxo-iKKfco
Way too much fun!

Yay! Nutrition class tomorrow. Can't wait to see what we will learn about this week! Okay, so here's to a great couple of weeks. Dallas, maybe you wont even recognize us when you get back!

FINALLY, the scale moved!

Okay, so after weeks of weighing in and staying pretty much the same, this morning I finally can record a loss of 3 lbs!! It's about time! I know the numbers shouldn't be so significant at this point and I am seeing a change in my physical appearance, but I was constantly working for something, ANYTHING! I'll take that 3 lbs and run with it!! And with that, it put's me about 1/3 of my way to goal for the challenge. So I still have lots of work to do.

Last weekend, my husband and I went to an outdoor concert (Colin Haye is awesome!). My son took this picture of us and I have to say for the first time in a really REALLY long time, I like this picture! It's been so long since I have been confident in having a picture taken and not feeling so out of touch with the image in the picture. Thanks to the challenge for this wonderful change!

Tonight I have an appointment to get my butt kicked by Dallas! It should be interesting, as it always is. Dallas is leaving us and going to Hawaii for a summer vacation. I am soooo very jealous! But in the meantime, I'll be here in Utah...working out as if he is right there next to me and not in Hawaii.

I Survived Bootcamp!

I love the rain, but with the rain sometimes we end up with water in our window well. When I got home from work yesterday, I had to deal with that. That was a bit stressful! After cleaning that up, I needed an outlet for the stress. So I decided I would go to the gym and try out the Bootcamp class. Today as I write this, I realize in my life prior to this challenge, I probably would have headed for the fridge or pantry to try to deal with this stress.

Anyways, Bootcamp kicked my butt BIG TIME!! It was a good variety of cardio/running/circuit training. Though there were times I had to stop and catch my breath to avoid my chest exploding and/or death, it felt really REALLY good to be doing something at this intensity. It is a little intimidating to be in this kind of class with younger, healthier, better toned and in shape people, but they were all so encouraging with their comments! I really appreciated it and it gave me strength to dig in and fight through it!

Tracking my food intake has also been going well! I am still fighting to get in the 5-9 servings of fruits and veggies. I don't know why, but I have never had the urge to just grab an apple, orange, raw broccoli or carrots, and I have no desire to eat any type of nuts. Fruits and veggies are not bad.... I don't mind them, I guess I just need to make a shift mentally and make it a goal to target those items each day.

It wasn't a drift from my diet, I was CARB LOADING

So after taking it easy on Sunday, I was back in the gym with Dallas on Monday! I love them workouts. Its always great to see other people from the challenge in working out, either with their trainers or by themselves. It has been fun to get to know everyone, learn from each other, see each other, and figure out that what we might be struggling with - that someone else may going through the same thing. It's nice to have support from all of you and those around me, and I thank you all!

It was my daughters Birthday on Sunday, but we celebrated with dinner last night. We enjoyed some good old hawaiian food. (I'm getting hungry thinking about it). But we laughed in the fact that the only veggies that were part of the dinner were the peas and carrots in the mac salad and the fried rice. I guess it was good to get fruits and veggies earlier in the day. As the cake was sitting there, people kept asking who was in trouble because there was a corner that wasn't frosted. It was for me, I figured I would have cake, but no frosting. But for a dinner like this, it's kind of like getting the super sized big mac meal, but ordering a Diet Coke....?

Off to the gym after work, I think it needs to be a cardio/abs day!

Whew... It's been a good, but long week!

It has been a great week. I have had the motivation to do things the right way this week! Trying to keep track of carbs, servings, calories etc. has been a bit intimidating to me... so I have reverted back to counting points. It's something I can comprehend and keeps me in control of what I am consuming. Maybe I just need more practice with all the other stuff, but for now the points are working.

I did manage to get to the gym today, though what I really wanted to do was go home and take a nap! I knew that I would feel better once I got there. I had a great workout even though I didn't quite hit the high intensity of my treadmill intervals that Dallas can push me through.

What I want to know is... When is the image in the mirror going to catch up and match with the image I have in my mind?

A Question Posed....

Okay, so I had a co-worker pose a question that got me thinking. He asked "So which element of the 100 Day Heart Challenge could you do without?"

I had to take a minute and think about the question posed and what it actually means to be to be part of this challenge. With each day of the challenge that passes, I am gaining soooooo much (hopefully not in weight, but knowledge). With the information we are learning in the Nutrition class, monitoring my food, choosing what I eat - with a knowledge of limits and portion sizes, the time I am spending at the gym and workouts through the week, I have come to the conclusion that each element of this program is going to be a necessary and important part to my being healthy and successful in this challenge and throughout my life. It's a myriad of things that need to be equally committed to in order to gain the most success and not be out of balance.

MONDAY!!!

That was a great weekend!

Why? I am not sure... but I loved getting some good food (healthy and within my guidelines). I loved getting to the gym. AND...I rode my bike to work Sunday morning, though I didn't ride it home.

We took a drive up American Fork Canyon and I dropped my husband off to ride the Mill Canyon Loop. I had planned on riding around the area where my husband would need to be picked up, but only got in a quick ride before he was down the mountain. But all in all, it was good to be outside and on my mountain bike again. You know, we really have some beautiful scenery here in Utah!

Tonight I have another training session with Dallas! I look forward to these sessions with sort of a morbid curiosity to what he is going to do, and how hard he is going to push me past my comfort zone. I hope that I can always meet the challenge, but he has always been in tune with what I can do.

Have good week!!

post workout update: Can I say it again, I love getting to the gym! I cannot believe that for the first time EVER I maintained a bit of a jog on the treadmill!! WOW!!! You have no idea how excited I am about this accomplishment. When I started this challenge I never imagined that I would be able to do this!! Dallas, YOU ARE AWESOME! Thanks for the motivation to keep getting past each of these small little milestones! I cannot wait to see what else this body of mine is able to do!

Happy Pioneer Day!

I celebrated this holiday by getting to the gym today!! I loved getting in a good workout today. I tried to challenge myself as if Dallas were standing next to me at the treadmill. I was having fun playing with the incline and trying to keep the speed up as well. So I hit a level 7 incline with a speed of 3.7 for a couple of rounds.

I am recovering from feeling like crap yesterday. I am absolutely sure that it was my body's revenge from the crap I ate the day before. Lesson learned, for sure!!

We stopped by the store to pick up some much needed veggies for the snacking. We found some amazing looking chicken patties and I am soooo excited to try them in a wrap. I miss having spinach in my house, I LOVE COOKED SPINACH! Also picked up some strawberries and a pineapple. Yummy stuff.
Off to enjoy this yummy looking wrap! Have a great Holiday!!

Math: A double shift + weakness = Bad food decisions

Okay...so I was so proud of walking past the desserts the other day, and today...I was tempted and weak and did partake. This was even after I had made a stop to the store to pick up fruit. UGH!! But it tasted sooooooooooooooo good. Why can't the "bad" stuff taste like nasty cough medicine?

.... but I did have a salad for lunch ....

Give me strength to make better choices and reap the consequences of good health.... that is my mantra today!

Ask Me, What's For Dessert??

I have no idea, because I didn't even look when I walked by for lunch!! Now that's an improvement!

It was a R & R Weekend. We have been staying at a friends house caring for their 2 Boston Terriers while they are out of town. It's like staying at a 5 star boutique hotel, minus the room service. So, my exercise during the weekend was getting out and walking with the dogs.

I love the trails that we have in our area. They offer some good terrain and some challenging hills. It was late in the evening, just before the sun goes down. So the Temperature was perfect, the skies were gorgeous, and I was in the company of two cute dogs and a wonderful husband! Couldn't be any better !

Finally, It's Friday!!

It has been a great week, and I am sooooo glad it's finally Friday. So far 3 great workouts this week and each accomplishing new levels. I LOVE IT!

I am kind of bummed that I am working a double shift today and will not be able to get to the gym. But I'll go home and find something to do even if it is a shorter workout session.

Ok, Ihave to explain the picture. First, its proof that I survived Dallas' workout! Second, I was so excited at the new accomplishments and third, I wanted to add some color to this blog. :) It was just a good milestone day!

I do realize that I need to be more disciplined with my eating. I find that I have some really days, then other days I struggle getting in all my fruits/veggies or I miss a meal completely. I have enjoyed the information we got in nutrition class, (even though I was way late) the handouts have some really great information and answer some really good questions about cholesterol.

Allright... I better get back to work now. Have a great weekend!

I'm Feeling a Change!!

Wahooo! I am so glad to be participating in this challenge. While working out at the gym with Dallas, I was excited to get to new levels in my exercise program. I was intimidated when he wanted to hit a level 4 speed on the treadmill and almost panicked. But, I made it through the intervals and actually enjoyed it, and even survived a surprise dose of level 4.2 (twisted, I know!) THREE MINUTES on the Elliptical, not the marathon length of time I see everyone else doing, but hey.... Its an improvement! And the Bio-fit machine, dang! I finally got above the 80 line and held a pretty steady 90 during my intervals on that machine. And the Hand-Bike thing?? Oh man can that machine make the arms burn!!

Again, I can't say enough how glad I am for this challenge and everything it is helping me to accomplish. I feel better, I have a better endurance for exercise and I am seeing little changes in my shape. I love that I am actually looking forward to time working out, and get bummed when something happens to interfere with getting to a gym, but I am finding alternative workouts at home that I can do instead.

Thanks to everyone for your support and your curiosity with my activites while doing this challenge! It's much appreciated!!

I Wanted Chocolate.... But I Opted for Cantaloup

So, it's 2pm on a Monday while at work. I wanted chocolate in a bad way, then I suddenly remembered that I had brought a cantaloup last week but never got around to enjoying it. It was heavenly, and I am no longer feeling such a strong urge for chocolate. I think this is just like those times when sitting in front of the T.V. and my mind is saying.... "you're not really hungry, but you should be snacking on something." I'm not truly hungry in the sense that I need to be eating a meal, but snacking on something healthy will keep the "hungries" away. Good lessons we are learning in nutrition class!

I have another meeting with Dallas, my trainer this afternoon. I love getting to the gym and working out. Friday I was soooo tempted to call and cancel our appointment as I wasn't feeling well. But I didn't! I went to work out, Dallas was sympathetic and worked me a little less of a strenuous of a workout. And even though I didn't feel 100%, I was glad that I went.

My Bike, My Friend!

Wow, has it really been 21 days?

I had a great day at work today, and when I arrived home I found my house was 81 degrees! Toooooo Hot for me! So, I decided that I would go down to the basement where it's cooler and I would work out. 30 minutes of my recumbant bike doing the cardio challenge. I have been working out on it for a bit, but never really pushed up to a high interval level, staying around 3 to 4. I about panicked when on my 4th interval, I hit the level 9 - but I pushed my way through it and it felt good to meet the challenge and not shy away from it. Then I did about 25 minutes of weight training. Awesome!! I feel great and I am happy to have completed yet another day in this challenge!

A Brand New Day!

I have to post again so soon, especially after the day I had yesterday. I feel recharged, re-energized, and renewed!

It could have been easy to carry on with the negative attitude and continue to spiral down with crappy eating habits. Making better food choices and not being lazy or emotional with my eating habits is helpful. My workout with Dallas was great too, and I managed to avoid the elliptical !! Haha... Kidding, but I know I will face off with that dang machine and I WILL WIN! I hope.... :) I am glad that I made it through without incident. I like the mix of cardio and strength training.

On my way home, I stopped at the market to buy some fresh fruits and veggies. I also picked up some ground chicken, its my favorite ground beef substitute. I am looking forward to some great meals this week, and some time working out. Here's to a better week!

STRESS! Ugh... I Need an Attitude Adjustment!!

Pffeww.... Wow, I knew I don't react well with stress in my life, but since Thursday I have a better idea! (which I sure didn't need, by the way!) Why is it that when stressful times come my way, it's food I want to run to and exercise I want to run away from??

So with that, It's MONDAY and I am going to start anew with a positive attitude and learn from my challenge. I have a training session with Dallas this afternoon and I am looking forward to it (though a bit apprehensive after not making it through my first session). My food choices today are on par with what I should be consuming and it truley is bringing a sense of balance back to me.

So, week one is over with and I feel that I have gain some pretty good momentum and applied some of the things we have been taught in our nutrition class as well as with the trainer. I have started to make changes in meals, and enjoy when my family eats a meat that has been modified to a healthier level and they comment that they liked the dinner. I know I have been surprised with the outcomes of the meals, and they have been really satisfying!

Getting the exercise that I need on a regular basis has been a little bit challenging trying to rearrange my schedule to accomodate for it. I just need to add 2 more hours to my day! I have been to the Wellness Center, to the gym, and for walks on the trails by my home. It has been fun to use the GPS application I have on my phone that will track where I have been, the distance, the average speed, the maximum speed and even show me a picture of where I have been. One thing I need to change is the music on my phone.... Michael Bubble doesnt make it easy to keep a high pace with :) But that's an easy fix.

Greetings from the floor!

Well, today was my first chance to work with Tracy, my substitute trainer. I am no stranger to working out in a gym, but I have mostly worked out on my own or with a friend. So working with someone with a specific goal in mind for me is new. I have to laugh and I'm a bit embarrassed that I didn't make it all the way through my first workout without almost passing out. BUT, I survived! I am glad to get back into the gym and cannot wait to see the changes and improvements that will affect my body, mind and spirit.

First days of the 100 day challenge...

Day one began early 7am with being weighed, measured, having my fat analyzed, getting poked and having BP measured (though I have to say, my BP Reading was probably all sorts of high because of all the goings on that morning). I am a little bit overwhelmed, and intimidated, but this is all for a good cause and I am excited to begin this challenge.

Day two was kind of a rough day. I felt like I was fighting being tired and hungry all day. I tried to make good choices as to which food I would eat, and made it a point to take stairs while at work. I did start a food diary, and with that I realized how much I like to just snack. Pick up a little piece of bread here, a small nibble on some chips, etc... It all adds up, and I wasn't aware of it before.

Day three started with the weekly Weigh to Health class. I was excited to get to this class because I want to learn what food is doing for me, and how I can better improve my dietary habits and eventually lose some of this weight! I have been on previous diets and tried to keep track of what I was eating and had success. But when I stopped monitoring what I was eating, I put back on the weight. I appreciated todays information with regards to Carbs, Proteins, and Fats, and how to incorporate that information into my choices for food. This all seems to be great education for long term, not just while "on the diet".

Tomorrow is my first appointment with my trainer! I can't wait to see what is in store for me there!!