Bootie Update

I've actually been sick with a bad chest cold the last 1 1/2 weeks or so, sick enough that I haven't been able to really do any exercise cuz my lungs are full of other stuff besides air...

...but I wanted to share my successes in my bootcamp so far...I am down 14 pounds! Half way to my goal! I am so excited! I really think the water and weights have made the biggest difference for me. In my opinion, I think I look like I've lost more than 14 pounds when I look at myself, and I think this is because I have definitely gained muscle tone. I'm am supposed to get measured and analyzed next week, so I will know exactly how much my body composition has changed.

I'm a little bummed I have been off track for the past week with exercise due to illness, and I haven't been diligent with my food and water...but I know I haven't been horrible either. The whole time I was sick I kept thinking I would wake up the next day with all 14 pounds plus back on my body, just cuz I hadn't worked out that day...irrational I know. But it is frustrating to think I could be even closer to my goal if I hadn't gotten sick. I've been having a hard time gettin back on the motivated track...until...

Yesterday I started looking at swimsuits and decided this is the year I WILL wear a bikini again. Haven't done that in over 5 years...I won't be going Brazilian or anything, but something cute for sure. Not skankalishious, but definitely not a full body suit that has to suck in and cover all my bodyparts and screams "I'm a Mom, and I never want to have sex again!"

Freakishly Flexible 5K

In honor of Non-Runner Nancy, whose creative mind united many-a-blogger's in her virtual races, full of virtual schwag and fun...I will be running the Freakishly Flexible 5K on (or around) February 14th hosted by US Jogger. Read Nancy's story here...and join me in this race by just posting a comment in US Jogger's hood, where you can get all the official race info...it's that easy. You can run, you can walk, you can bike...whatever self-powered juju (no cars or motorcycles) gets you moving 5K (3.1 miles - you CAN do it). Just move and do! and be Thankful you can.

My Kids Are Killing Me!

Elli called at 9:30 today and said she needed $10 by 11:15 so she could by her ticket to the dance this Saturday - after I'm already at work AND after we asked her yesterday if she needed money for this.

Delaney is 6 and I spend 10 minutes every morning blow drying her hair "so it doesn't have any bumps" - thank goodness she didn't get Elli's crazy curly hair and only has slightly wavey hair. She is going to take 2 hours to get ready in the morning by the time she is 12.

Charlotte told me last night she wants to change her name to "Monkey Bean Seasalt Dolphin" - yeah, she is my goofball.

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.