Motivation.

This is me approximately one year ago. This is currently my motivation pic.

T, I'm sending mojo your way! Get that butt movin', girl! Love you.

Tough workout.

Tonight's post brought to you in honour of my right butt muscle. Yeesh, is it tight tonight.


Good news, first: I can touch my toes! My hamstrings are loving me these days. Thank you, yoga and BodyFlow.


So, tonight was run night. I was all set to do 7 sets of 2:1s. However, I started out running 4.8mph and soon my shin was sore. So, I did 2:1, follow by 3 sets of 90 seconds run, 90 seconds walk. Then I clued in. I think I have to run at 5.0 or my form just plain sucks.
So I did 3 more sets of 2:1s, followed by one last set of 90s:90s, to complete my 14 minutes of running.


Yay, me!


I followed that up with a lot of stretching, then day 3 of push ups. I feel GOOD. Well, except, you know, the butt thing.


My genius sister, who is studying kinesiology and gives me all sorts of wise workout advice, told me what to stretch.


I should also ice my shin for a bit. It's not really bothering me, but I don't want to take my chances. I really, really want to be ready to start the 5K clinic on March 23!


On tomorrow's agenda: BodyCombat. Then Absolute Comedy with my sister and cousins. Fun times for sure!


I am so happy to be exercising again.

Working out with Grandma

First, a thank you for indulging my whine last night. Things around here aren't great today, but I'm dealing.

Now, onto more important things.

Today I went to the gym. I figured, I've got all this pent-up frustration, I might as well use it for good rather than evil (Thanks, Sunshine, for the challenge!).

I ran 2:1s for 20 minutes. A grand total of 14 minutes of running. Yeah me! I felt amazing. The shin was kind of uncomfortable after 8 minutes of running, so I slowed the pace a bit for the next sets. And it worked. I felt AMAZING.

How'd I do it? I talked to Grandma the entire time. I honestly feel like she's with me when I'm pushing myself like that, and it helped me get through. So much so that I've made a decision. See, I have this angel pin of Grandma's that I keep meaning to wear, but never seems to work with my outfits. So, from now on, I will wear the angel pin on my workout shirt, so Grandma is with me every time I exercise.

I miss her every single day and think about her a lot. But it's not so much with sadness anymore; it's like she's my angel, guiding me along my way. Wearing the pin will just give me that added reminder and comfort.

Thank you, Grandma, for teaching me to be strong. You were one of the strongest women I've ever known and I'm so proud to have known and loved you. ♥

When plans go awry...

Hi, blogland.


I don't want to talk about weight loss and fitness and all my goals tonight. I want to rant about my (usually wonderful) boyfriend. I know you'll allow me this moment to get out my feelings because you all understand what it's like to need a place to let it out.


See, this weekend, tomorrow specifically, is our six-month "shack-up-a-versary." I've been treating it like a big deal, even telling boyfriend earlier this week that we should do something special.


Tonight he comes home, and when I mention doing something tomorrow, he says, "I have to work." That's it, that's all I get. In addition, he's leaving again on Sunday. For another four days.


Now, I get that work is important, and his company stupidly makes him work all.the.freaking.time. What I really don't get is the lack of communication. I mean, is it that hard to take a couple hours to do something with me? Or one hour, even. It's not like I'm demanding a full 24 hours of attention.


So now we sit, on opposite ends of the couch, not speaking. Because whenever I try to communicate, I get one-word responses that basically say nothing at all.

I'm frustrated. I'm sad. I'm trying not to cry. I keep asking myself, as I do in situations where I feel completely lost, "What would Grandma do?" And the answer is, I really don't know. Probably just walk away and do her own thing, which is what I'll end up doing. But I won't be happy about it. Nothing about this situation makes me happy.

Thanks for letting me rant. This place is a good outlet.

Push ups: Day One

The verdict: I suck. I say that not to put myself down, but because it's true. But I will not let it stop me. I started the push ups challenge at level 1 tonight. I can barely do 3 push ups in a row. Boyfriend says I need to get lower! Holy crap, this might kill me.

But I did it. I completed day one. I will be a push ups queen one day. Maybe I'll get a tiara ;)

In other news, I was sidelined by a plague this week, so no running. My muscles were all tight and bothered tonight, so I hit up a 90-minute yoga class. Can I get a "Yippee" for stress relief?

The plan for the next three days: Run, Eat Healthy Foods, Track on MFP, Continue Push Ups.
Do I dare start the sit ups challenge?

Obviously my body needs to stretch, so I definitely need to incorporate regular yoga into my life. I'm planning to hit up a BodyFlow class on Sunday. Maybe a Combat class, too!

I'm weak, so I need strength. Jillian Michaels is the best I've found so far; now I just need to commit to her.

I'm feeling on top of the world tonight, like I can do anything. Fat be gone! I will win this war. You'll see.

Running and push ups and no junk, oh my!

You guessed it. I'm back on the challenge bandwagon.

Starting on Wednesday, in honour of Lent (which is not actually a part of my life in any way), I am committing to:

• No desserts
• No junk food (including all chips)
• The hundred push ups and two hundred sit ups challenges

This personal challenge, which you are all totally welcome to join, will run from this Wednesday, February 23, to April 1.

I'm feeling the motivation, baby!

On March 23, I will be starting a running clinic at the Running Room. I'm undecided between the 5K or the Women Only clinics. I am going to see how the next few weeks go. My new shoes (Saucony, electric orange!) are working okay so far. *fingers crossed* for no injuries in 2012!

I'm going to kick this belly fat into another galaxy for the very last time. I know I have to be patient and I know it won't fall off all at once, but it's going, going, gone.

My new "secret" motivation? **Warning: This may be TMI for some** If you really, really want to know, read further....................



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I want to feel comfortable enough to have sex with the lights on.

So there you have it.

Confession time: I've been slipping. An all-inclusive vacation will do that to a girl, I guess. This week hasn't been all that OP.
Yesterday I even entertained thoughts of just quitting, yet again. Crazy, right? Only a month after re-committing? What the heck was I thinking?


Before giving up altogether, I thought again about why I'm doing this. What is the point in tracking day in and day out, counting calories, exercise, and working toward some number that quite often seems absolutely unattainable?


What first came to mind was my Mom. She's been kicking ass in the weight loss department. She's gone from being an occasional walker to working out at the gym several times a week, following a training program, taking fitness classes. It's amazing to hear the energy in her voice when we talk.

The other thing that I thought about was the first time I did this whole weight loss thing, in 2008. I joined WW on February 27. By the first week of October, I'd lost 50 pounds. So, I reasoned, if I've done it once I most certainly can do it again. The recipe? A lot of determination and hard work. Fat does not just fall off the body, as much as we all wish it would. It requires some effort!

This is my mantra for the coming weeks, on those days where I just don't want to give a damn.

Yes, it's going to take a lot of work. But I am worth it. I have to put ME first.