Birthday Bling

Yesterday was my birthday and one of my gifts was an abs ball...yes I actually asked for it. This is the "Setup" directions that came with it:

1. Remove the Abs Ball and workout DVD from box and check for shipping damage.

2. Your Abs Ball is now ready for use.

Good thing they gave directions, I don't know what I would have done without them!

I also got some cute new boots!

Jimmy wants to say "Hi"

Hello and good day, this is your child's principal calling...

No not really, I just lapsed into the weekly recorded message that we get from Delaney's principal to update us on the happenings...nothin' bad.

Guess what...I found an old pair of jeans that fit and they are two sizes smaller than the old baggy pants, whoopidy doo! Don't think I'm not strutting around my house making my kids and hubby look at my butt and me tell how good it looks - cuz I am.

So my house has been a bit like an old Seinfeld episode lately. Charlotte is pulling "The Jimmy" on us by referring to herself in the 3rd person, which is driving me nuts! "Charlotte wants milk," "Charlotte wants a hug," "Charlotte needs help"...mommy needs to be institutionalized...

I've tried to explain to her that when she is talking about herself she should use "I" or "my" and when I say "don't talk about yourself in the 3rd person," she looks at me like "wah?" I guess that's a little over a 4 year old's head. So I just say, "okay Jimmy" which irritates her..."I'm not Jimmy! I'm Charlotte" (didn't you just hear me say Charlotte wants a hug?)...

Hopefully this is just a phase. The Seinfeld episode doesn't stop there though, Delaney dances like Elaine...no joke. It's hilarious.

Baggy Pants and BadAss Blisters

Hello everyone! It has been a while since I posted...too busy working out :) I am definately back to my old smelly self. This is officially my 100th post, but I'm afraid it will be sort of anticlimactic - I don't feel creative today.

4 weeks into my Bootcamp regime and my pants are super baggy - I've lost 10 out of the 30 pounds I want to lose, plus I've gained a lot of muscle.

So my question is - When do I buy new pants? I will hopefully be losing the balance of my weight in the next 2-3 months, so it doesn't seem very frugal to be buying new pants now...but the ones I have are looking pretty pathetic.

A few other tidbits I've learned over the past month:

1. If you wear crappy socks when you are running you will get a blister -even if it is only 4 miles...and even though you may feel like a BadAss with blood in your running shoes, really you are just stupid for continuing to run after you felt the blister burn because the skin was ripping off.
2. Taking a hot bath with Peppermint Oil after you get your "BadAss" blisters, not a good idea - Holy Mama IT HURTS for hours after you get out of the tub.
3. Blisters take forever to heal if you continue to aggravate them every day with exercise and running - I still have them two weeks later and they are still tender. I have pictures, but they are pretty gross so I won't be sharing them.
4. Doing Jumping Jacks with a full bladder after you've had 3 kids is nearly impossible to do without pee leakage.
5. PMS is natures way of messing with your head when you are trying to lose weight.

Bootcamp Bootie

I've lost 7 pounds in two weeks with my bootcamp coach! Woohoo! This was done with Christmas, New Years, family visits and road trips - so really, since people usually gain weight with these events, it is more like 14 pounds. I AM EMPOWERED!

I don't feel like I'm on a diet, it has been more a changing of habits.

1) Smaller, more frequent meals. I can pretty much eat what I want, I just make sure the portions are within my calorie limits. I can still get my non-fat latte's but I get a tall instead of a grande to save calories, same satisfaction! I do stay away from refined carbs and white breads and pastas. I try and get a little bit of protein at each meal, like a 35 calorie Laughing Cow light cheese wedge or a tablespoon of hummus, this helps keep my hunger in control. I'm also making sure I get lots (8 servings) of veggies and fruits everyday.

2) Always carrying a water bottle with me to stay hydrated. This has made a huge difference for me. I am pretty sure I was walking around dehydrated the last 5 years. I always felt brain foggy and tired (signs of dehydration). I have way more energy now and my head feels much clearer. Plus, your metabolism works better when you are hydrated.

3) I am waking up early (between 5:30 and 6) to exercise and I am exercising 5 to 6 days a week. At first I didn't wake up until my coach called me, now I wake up before her phone calls. This includes weight training which I have always sucked at. I can do lots of cardio, but I've always hated weights.

4) Planning ahead. I plan my workouts for the week a week in advance. On days I work, I pack my snacks and lunch for the day. We had a road trip this last weekend and I packed my veggie, fruit snacks and water for the road and found a gym I could workout at before we left. I always have a stash of nutrition bars handy too...just in case. Also, if we are going out to eat I look up the nutritional information before I order.

5) I've gone public. I've always hidden my weight loss efforts from my family and friends - except the people I live with of course. Telling them helped me a lot over the holidays because when I was offered drinks or desserts or whatever - I just said "I'm trying to lose weight so I'm gonna pass" and everyone was very supportive.

6) I love having a coach/personal trainer. She helps me through the hard stuff, not just giving me a workout program and food plan...but I can call, email, text her anytime with any questions or if I am hitting a mental block. When we were visiting family in Oregon and my grandma wanted to take us out to dinner at a Mexican restaurant (one of only two restaurants she will go to) I texted my coach - "What can I order?" and she promptly texted back with tips.

So there you go - I'm kicking bootcamp bootie.