The Saga Continues

Well, I am still hanging in there. I personally am not losing as much as I was hoping but my frined JR says to "stick with it and then all of sudden you'll see it melt away" or something along that line anyway! LOL! So far I have liked ALL of the Kashi meals to go. Although the one today had pesto which is not one of my favorites, but it was edible. (Maybe it's because I am hungry...LOL!)

From a professional standpoint I have always been against "fad" diets. Always telling our clients - DON'T DO IT!!! (Too high carbs, too high proteins, quick start programs that don't last as a lifestyle change, etc.) Well, I have to say - I'm pretty impressed with this program. It's very "user friendly", although it does help that it includes alot of the foods I already like!

So we'll see how the pounds "melt away" in the near future.......at least I am eating healthier foods and being more conscientious!!

Onward & Upward!

Flat Belly Update

Well, no flat belly yet, but my hubby has lost 6 pounds, along with one of my friends doing it, and a friend at work has lost 5 pounds. I've only lost 2.5....I'm not sure why it's less than the others, it's kind of annoying!! LOL! I would blame it on the Margarita's I had last night, but my hubby had them too!

I've had a couple very busy days, along with some stress so it's been a good test. I stuck with it pretty good. I used the "fast food" substitute page in the book, and I tried one of the frozen meals tonight. Kashi Black Bean Mango...it was pretty good! Added some MUFAS (almonds) and my meal was complete. Still drinking lots of water and I'm thinking about doing the 4 day jumpstart again. It kind of reminds me of trying to fast although I'm still eating, so it's not really fasting...LOL! Oh, I guess I just REALLY like to eat!

So I'll keep plugging along. Food is great so far and my hubby's blood sugar is ALOT better!! YEAH!

We made it! YAY US!

Well we made it through the jumpstart part of the diet. It wasn't too bad actually. It was good because it really made me aware of how I eat, what I eat, and portion control. Today is the first day on the "regular" part of the diet. So far so good. I really liked that I could get online in the morning and print out the menu for the day. It's SO easy! I really liked both the breakfast and the lunch. Now my hubby, that's a different story. He was tested today - went out to lunch, but he did get a salad. Now tonight is his usual football game and then pizza night, so we'll see. Pam will be there, so that will help. We also have our annual dinner on Sunday with our Cancun buddies we go to Mexico with each year - so we'll have to eat in "moderation" of course! So I'll be back so I can "spill it" on what I eat (or don't eat!!) It will be the margarita that will be calorie filled! YIKES!

Enjoy your weekend!

DAY TWO DONE!!! YEAH!

So I finished day two. It was hard today! My schedule makes it hard with my odd hours and classes, etc. But I did survive. I might have been getting a little cranky by the end of the day. What I am realizing, which I find interesting - is that I REALLY appreciate the fact that I get to eat whatever I want, in whatever quantity I want, whenever I want (in a normal situation). I imagine all the starving people in the world would LOVE a pint of CHERRY TOMATOES!!

So now on to day 3. My hubby told me yesterday he is eating bacon and eggs on Friday morning..."he only agreed to the first four days"! LOL! So I am trying to convince him that the rest won't be so bad! I don't think it is workin! :)

I was feeling pretty crummy last night, but much better today. I actually feel like my stomache has shrunk......strange..

More later, off to work!

I survived jumpstart day one!

So, day one is over. Let's just say it was interesting....grape cherries will never be the same. Do you know just HOW MANY grape cherries are in a pint??? Alot more than I EVER expected! Key point today - I made it through! And I just finished with a YUMMY blueberry smoothie! THe toughest part is probably the prep work, which isn't hugely hard, but enough to annoy and make me focus!! I suppose that is a good thing. The other thing is the eating every 4 hours, THAT did NOT happen...ate breakfast at 6:30 a.m., should have ate lunch around 10:30 (that's strange in itself) but had a meeting (they had food of which I ate..guess what? GRAPE CHERRIES!) LOL! So I didn't do too good on the every 4 hour eating thing..but I did stick to the food and I AM SO HAPPY to have accomplished that!

Here's the best news...my hubby is doing this with me! Although he is a little crabby tonight....hmmmmmm...could it be he didn't like the GRAPE CHERRIES??? LOL! No, this is probably super hard for him, so I am REALLY PROUD that he made it through the day too.

Anyhow - on to day 2. Stay tuned...I know this is just the MOST EXCITING blog EVER! LOL! Riggghhhhhtttt!

I Hate Diets!

I hate diets! As soon as I say I am on a diet, I want to eat. Therefore, I will not say I am going on a diet, I am just changing my eating habits! So, with that said, let me share with you that I will be starting another "journey" on Monday! As many of you know I am not one to be "coaxed" into trying a "fad" diet of some kind, but guess what? I caught the tail end of information on the "Flat Belly Diet" book, so I checked it out. It is interesting, and doesn't seem to involve any EXTREME diet craziness. So guess what? I have the book, and I have signed up for a free 30 day trial on the website, so we'll see. (Plus it helps that 4 weeks from today I will have to put on a swimsuit!!)

So far, the website seems very helpful and easy to negotiate. I have already picked my meals for the next week and printed it out along with a grocery list. When you pick your meals, you can also easily swap them out if you want. (I like the "no-brainer" way of selecting meals! LOL!)

Anyhow - this is my latest endeavor! Even if it makes me more aware and better at preparing and making my food choices, it will be a success for me!! LOL! It will be fun to see what kind of online support they have also!

Have a beautiful and inspirational day! Stay tuned.....

I'm Baaaaack!

Hey!!
Did you think I fell off the wagon? Well, I sort of did! Things have changed alot with my business and I am just starting to get back at it. Lots of fun things! I am updating my website with lots of information so check it out when you have a chance.

I am super excited that I am going back "home" to Cancun at the end of November for 3weeks! WOO-HOO! I am SO blessed!

Soon I will be starting a class at my church also - Christ the King. I'm really excited about that as that is where I feel I am supposed to be as part of "the plan"!

So, I just thought I'd check in and see if anyone has even been checking this out! FYI - the 2nd annual Fitness Retreat has been confirmed for May 2009! Weekend of the 15th I believe! Details to come soon on that and our upcoming January kick off ZUMBA party! Time to start anew and focus on a new year of mind, body, and spirit wellness!

Stay tuned.......

Never Stop Starting

So it's been a while! It's been a rough month with my fitness goals. Seems that I will not be doing my half marathon this fall, maybe the 5K, but that is not confirmed yet either. I will be having an MRI on my ankle on Sunday so I will know more next week. I have not given up on the 5K for Fall, or finishing a half marathon! (It's on my "bucket list" to do before my 50th birthday!) So I am looking at some other possibilites. While I am bummed about it (REALLY BUMMED!) I know that it is what I have to endure for now, but I AM NOT DONE for sure!

So, now we can BLOG away about some other things that maybe you will find more interesting!! LOL! Send me some topics!! PLEASE!! I'm begging....LOL!

For instance, I'm LOVING my outdoor Take a Hike class this summer. The students are ALOT of fun and very adaptive to my ever changing class to accomodate my gimpyness!! We only have 4 classes left, no extension as my family has a big wedding coming up!! (Still hoping to fit inthe "SMOB" dress....YIKES!)

Anyhow - thought I'd update so you know I didn't fall off the face of the earth or my "fitness wagon"...it's just a temporary setback for now!

Have a wonderful week, weekend, day, hour, minute, second, each moment is a blessing!
Hugs to all!

Results

The good news is the doc didn't see any "fractures" but is also having a radiologist read the x-rays. I will be doing P.T. 3x week for 4 weeks, so that should help. The morning hours are when it annoys me the most that makes me think it's more of a muscle/tendon issue. So I am going to work on my attitude,and on my eating habits a little harder. (The doc made me get on the scale...) I never understood why you get weighed every time..for things like an ankle issue..hmmmmm.

So that's the update. I'm going to try to find some other things to blog about too. I'm thinking that writing about my PT would be even more boring than writing about my training experiences! LOL! So if you have a topic you are interested in let me know...that is if anyone is reading this! LOL!

Any new advice from anyone regarding diet? I think I've probably heard it all, but what works for you?

Until next time.....

Supposed to be, but I'm not....

So I should be out rulking right now. My ankle and big toe are still "annoying" me. I have a doctors appointment later today to get the "verdict". I'm sure it's not a big deal as it doesn't hurt alot, just enough that I can't run. I just walk like a gimp. So I'm working on the mental game right now, which has me in a "negative" stage that I need to move out of. I need to heed my own words of "Never Stop Starting", right??? So I'm going to work on that. Once I talk to the doc..maybe get some P.T., see if I can do the eliptical machine, something....

Whatever happened to the "Run without injury" program I'm on?? :)

Until next time......I'm going to go practice smiling now!

The Ups & Downs of Training (not just hills!)

So Saturday I was feeling pretty good. Did 6 miles rulking, 3 to 1 ratio. The longer I run continuosly, the more humble I become. I figure for a middle aged woman I am in pretty good shape comparatively speaking (even to some mid twenty year olds!) but this has DEFINATELY humbled me! It was a hard run on Saturday, but I felt pretty good when I finished. My left ankle was feeling a little sore while running, but I figure it was because of adding another minute. May ankle was still sore at home, so I put on my "comfy sandals" for the day. I was walking through my kitchen and I slipped on some water on the floor. As gracefully as I could I stuck my other foot out (toe down, like a ballerina - not sure why though!) and now my right big toe is totally black and blue. Of course I also tried to stabalize with my already sore ankle. So guess what? It's Sunday morning and my ankle is still not right...might be a tendon or something. I'll be going to the doc tomorrow to check it out. I am not real happy about this, but I guess I will pick up when I can. Sticking to my own saying of "Never Stop Starting! Right???

I feel like "Debbie Downer"!! LOL! It's frustrating even though I know I will be fine and back on track soon. I guess this is the ups and downs that come with training for something your body is not used to!

That's the update for now. I promise the next blog will have a more positive spin to it!! Thanks for "listening"! :)

WHY???

Sometimes when I am rulking I wonder WHY am I doing this...then I remember MANY things...SMOB dress, gut, butt, thighs, the challenge to do something REALLY out of my COMFORT zone, and then I realize that I'm VERY lucky that I CAN do this. We have been given these bodies to care for, whether we are fit, unfit, tall, short, skinny, overweight. Just setting small goals to get started is what you need to do. Obtainable goals. That's how my runs have been. I may not run a mile straight, but I can run 2-3 minutes straight now, and I can make it to a visual goal when I choose too. These are obtainable goals for me right now and each week I try to give myself a little more challenge (with the help of my co-horts!). So try something simple and pat yourself on the back and give yourself a WOO-HOO when you do it!!

So, this weeks update. Tuesday I worked until 7:30 and was pretty sure I would do nothing when I got home as I was tired and had to pick up dinner on the way home. We STILL do not have a fridge, etc. due to lightening strike...living out of a cooler. FUN! Anyhow - I decided when I was driving up my street (thinking about the photo's of my gut I have) that I was going to do this. Pulled in the drive, made my daughter take the food in (if I had set it out, I would not have gone) and told my family I was going for my run...it was HARD...I was tired and I had the "wrong" mindset about not wanting to do it. I believe that you can really affect ANY workout by your mindset! I'm going to have to work HARD at that with this running stuff! LOL!

As for my rulk today....I asked my crazy running friend Julie for a 5 mile route by my house...she in turn asked her crazy son Donnie....so I kind of ran the route they gave me. I did an out and back with part of the route as I decided not to run on the Seymour Lake Road curves...so I will have to drive the route to get the exact mileage. Of course, I FORGOT that I would have to run UP the hill I came down on the way out. So I am VERY thankful for the crazy Richmond Runners, in a sick sadistic sort of way! LOL! Actually, I AM lucky to have access to them for help! It's like having my own personal running advisors!

Now I have to get better focused on my core circuit. I've been slacking on that. Once I get rid of the layers of fat on my lower body, then the core muscles will show if I can keep at it!

Okay...time to wake up...now that I've bored you to tears! But, this is great therapy for me! LOL! Enjoy your weekend! I have Friday as my work out day off! Yippee! LOL! Back at it saturday morning and Sunday afternoon though!

Send me your thoughts, comments, questions! (Is ANYBODY reading this??? LOL!)

Off and running.....

Motivation

4 miles rulked Sunday with my friend"Ja-nay-nay". She LIKES to run! So we ran until I wanted to walk, then walked until I wanted to run. Feeling a little more sore today, but I didn't stretch anywhere close to what I have been after my rulks. (We had company and I just didn't think doing yoga in the living room while they were watching the Tiger game was the right thing to do!! LOL!)

This week is run 2 minutes, walk one. That doesn't sound bad at all so we'll see.

Anyhow, my friend was my motivation this time. I was hoping she would forget that we were going to run together, but as luck would have it - she wouldn't let me slack! This is a good thing - so find those friends that will give you the extra push you need at times. As always, I was VERY happy I did it. Getting started (or getting to your exercise class) seems to be the hardest part most of the time. I've been testing that theory for the last year with my schedule change! It seems you can always find something that you think "NEEDS" to be done or even just that afghan and couch calling your name! Just remember how important it is to take care of yourself so you can be of service to others and set a good example! You don't need to run a half marathon to do that either!!! Just get out for a walk around the block!!! I am just now getting back into a routine I embarrassingly must admit! WHAT was I THINKING? LOL!

So I hope something motivates you! A good friend (Thanks Ja-nay-nay!) an inspirational instructor, or maybe just good old fashioned faith to take care of the "temple" God gave us!!

That's all for now....and remember "Never Stop Starting" when you fall off the exercise wagon!

Hugs until next time.....

Hills, Ya' Gotta' Love 'Em (NOT!!)

So my "trainer" and motivator Julie decided we should do some hill work today. Let's just say "Heartbreak Hill" by OHS should be re-named "I hate you Julie" hill!! Although I have to say she even hated herself on about the third time around. Funny thing though...once again I ended up liking it in a sick sort of way!! It was great workout and when I got home I was pretty fired up that I accomplished a ONE HOUR AND ONE MINUTE continuous workout, running 90 seconds and walking 60 seconds throughout (longer run at the end)...and WITH HILLS!!! OH YEAH!! So today I do not feel like the slug I've felt I've been. Even with over 25 years experience in fitness, I actually had forgotten how good it feels to accomplish things you never thought you could accomplish...that's what I get for "stepping (rulking) outside the box" for myself!! So if you're thinking about doing something you think you can't do or don't want to, give it a whirl! Who knows what might happen!! Thanks for the extra push Julie! This would not be happening without you! You NEVER gave up on me, even after I gave you my first three weeks of trying out this running thing a few years ago!! (She promised she wouldn't bug me anymore about running after that time, but she lied! LOL!)

That's all for now, so far so good, onward and upward, and I'll be back with an update soon!

WOO-HOO for WEEK 3!

I did it! 4 mile rulk today! I also am doing some of what I call my EXTREME abs for the SMOB workout! Oh yeah...you know it's working when you sneeze or laugh and you can FEEL IT!! LOL! So today I did a 90 second run, 60 second walk. It was supposed to be 90/90, but I just didn't feel like doing it that way. Not really, it's because my feeble mind can calculate it better at 90/60 than 90/90. So I'm thinking I actually worked a little harder! Don't tell Julie, but I might be starting to like this.....OMG, did I ACTUALLY write that? VERY interesting...and, big news, GUESS WHAT? No shin pain AT ALL today! OH YEAH! OH YEAH! YOU GO GIRL! YOU GO GIRL! (You have to be doing the "stir it up" dance when you read that!) Can you tell my endorphins are still kicked in?? Now we all know when I get some REAL distance in I might have to take back that I might be liking this..we'll just have to wait and see...

That's my news for this week so far. Got a workout coming up Saturday and Sunday too!!! I'm hoping some of my other "peeps" will join us!! Call or e-mail me if you want details!

THANKS for "listening"! Stay tuned for more!

Life Gets in the Way

So I missed my first group training. I spent all day with the seniors at the Tigers game and by the time I got home there was no way I could get there. :( I am disappointed, but I also realize that this will happen. Then I looked at my schedule for this month and the next two Thursdays I will miss also! So I have decided to MAKE SURE I do the same training I am missing on either Saturday or Sunday.

When a committment is made for a workout and life gets in the way, just do the best you can. I have a saying that I really like "Never Stop Starting"! So when you "fall off the wagon" just jump back on and do the best you can. Now I must heed my own words and not wallow in my disappointment...

Stay tuned for more......

So Far So Good

Had my first official meeting with the Crim training on Thursday and as I thought I am in the "slowest" group, which is exactly where I should be (and wanted to!) I was one of the very few that had never run any kind of 5K, Crim, 10K, Half Marathon....I've barely run to the mailbox at the end of the driveway! LOL!



The training program they have us on is a "no injury" program where even at the marathon you are advised to do the run/walk program. Our group leader said when she did the Crim they did the whole thing 30/30 (run 30 seconds, walk 30 seconds) and by the time they got to the second half and end, there were runners that could not keep up with them when they would do the run portion. Also, Jeff Galloway, the creator of this training program, said runners could take up to 7 minutes off their time. It's a VERY interesting concept. I don't think many avid runners would like it, but I think it is a great way to get people to try something they never normally would, like for instance ME RUNNING A HALF MARATHON! LOL! So that night went well and I have a great book to read on training now too!

This morning I just got done with an easy "RULK" since I was only supposed to do 20 minutes according to the schedule I got. I'm sure I did more, but I don't have my "watch/monitor" yet. Hopefully today I will get it. Enjoyed my rulk with my neighbors dogs who I found at the park. It was funny - they recognized me and just decided to run with me. So I took them home when I was done and chatted with my friend. They were tired little poochies! LOL! I also did mypush ups, bicycles, etc. In fact, I took a look at my "before" photo's of my gut, etc. and did an extra set of abs....LOL! So I'll be gazing upon that scary photo throughout this challenge!! LOL!

Last thoughts....this has been humbling. I feel like I'm in pretty good shape for being just over a year away from 50, but changing to this type of workout has made me realize that this is EXACTLY what I needed to do. I crosstrain my body in EVERY way but RUNNING!!! So now I am humbled by the fact that it is HARD for me. That is a GOOD thing! :)

I am excited about this training program......and I'm thinking it just might be the next thing I might be recruiting for.....at least that's how I feel today!! LOL! We'll see after my first big rulk this Thursday. We are going to attempt 3 miles, running 1 minute/walking 1 minute. Depends on our group....so until then I'll be doing my own stuff!

Enjoy your day....I'll be back later this week!



I

"Dedication and Sticking With it!

Okay so I hope that I can keep this up. I actually did my speed workout on Tuesday IN THE RAIN! I even surprised myself! (Did you know you can sweat in the rain? LOL!) So today is the big meeting day for the marathon. Jeff Galloway, former olympic runner will be giving a short motivational speech and then we will be "running" in a group so that they can see what level we are at to set us up with a training group. So I feel like a kid going to school on exam day...LOL!

I'm sure it will be fine......yes, I'm sure it will....hopefully!

I will be preparing myself psychologically all day with my "other Julie" friend shopping for a SMOB (Step Mother Of the Bride) dress for my stepdaughters wedding. (Oh yeah, that's my OTHER reason for doing this CRAZY thing!) So I should be ready to go tonight. No wine at lunch today I guess! :)

That's all for now! Any new runners out there that would like to share with me?
Have an inspirational day! Until next time..........

I SURVIVED!!

Well, I did it! I survived my first training. I am feeling a little fatigue now, but I also feel energized if that makes any sense!! LOL! We did speed training today. Sports conditioning warm up, run/walk, stretch, and finished with push ups, bicycles, and tricep dips! OH YEAH! Julie is working me hard, but not so I hard that I feel discouraged. I have to do this workout two more times this week, along with some other crosstraining! I'm getting some more great ideas for my summer hiking class. (NO whining you know who you are! LOL!)

It feels AWESOME to be back at it! Let's see how I feel this time tomorrow! Hee! Hee!

Onward & Upward toward my goal!

First Rulk (Run + Walk = Rulk!)

Well...here I go. Tomorrow I will be meeting Julie to map out the 3 mile route right behind my house so when I'm pressed for time I have no excuses...(DARN!! LOL!) I'm excited, and still a little nervous.

Good news though! My stepson Matt will be joining me on the half marathon and will be training with us when he is not working. He has a natural ability for running so he'll probably end up leaving me in the dust...but that's okay. (As it should be considering I'm the "mom" and he's the "son"! LOL!) AND my pal and buddy Michelle P. is signing up too! This is TOO fun! I'm so glad to have others who I'm sure will have some aches & pains too...maybe not as much as me, but that's okay! I always remember that there are ALOT of people in ALOT more pain then I could ever be in this entire event.....and that is one of the reasons I KNOW I will perservere!

ANYONE else up for a challenge? We kind of have a team now! There are officially 5 of us!! YEAH! They say if you can walk or run 3 miles, you can do this half marathon!! (There is a 5K too) Trust me, if I can do it, YOU can do it!

I'll be back with more details as I progress! Time to get focused....

I'm BACK with BIG NEWS! (For me Anyhow!)

Well, I've done it! I officially signed up for a half marathon. Mind you I am NOT a runner! In fact, I pretty much HATE running. No, actually I'm SURE I hate running! But my near and dear soul (or should I say SOLE) sister Julie R. finally convinced me to give it a whirl! She's only been trying pretty much since I met her many years ago! I did try running once (just once - LOL!). Julie told me "Try it for 3 weeks and if you still don't like it, then I won't bug you anymore" (Or something along that line-LOL!) Well, guess what? I STILL did not like it.

So are you wondering WHY I am doing this yet? I guess I needed a REAL challenge for myself mentally AND physically. This would be it. I'm hoping to be able to survive the training, not die at any point throughout, and hopefully not throw up on anyones shoes....except for maybe Julies since of course I will blame ALL the pain and torture on her! LOL! (Did you ever get that e-mail about the woman whose husband got her a trainer for her 50th birthday? I always thought that was hilarious, but really not a TRUE experience for ANYONE...until now! I'm thinking I'll just insert Julie's name into the e-mail and, yes, it just might be my experience! LOL!)

Of course you all know I am kidding. I am TRULY very excited about this. And nervous, and scared, and yes I did not sleep well last night thinking that I have officially signed up. (How funny is that?) Julie is a VERY inspirational, motivational, awesome human being and I am SO lucky to have her at my side cheering me on and I'm SURE keeping me motivated - especially that first month or so when I will probably having a few "issues"!! I love her as a friend, and I will STILL love her as my personal trainer for this event!

So...that said, stay tuned on this blog because I will be updating on my progress in case anyone cares! LOL! Feel free to put your thoughts in at any time - I would love to hear from you!

Here's some websites to check out information on this event! It's the first time in this area so it's pretty exciting! Plus it is being put on by the Crim Foundation which promotes fitness in our communities such as distributing pedometers to kids at our schools! Check it out!

http://www.thebrooksieway.com/

http://www.crim.org/

http://www.jeffgalloway.com/

Time to Retreat and Random Question!

I don't know about any of you, but I am SO ready to go to our Fitness Retreat! I am especially excited about the DANCE-A-THON!!! That is one of my favorite things to do! So I'm getting my happy feet on and ready to groove!

So how about a random question? What would you do if you won a boatload of money? As in MILLIONS?

I would start a non-profit to organize FUNdraisers for all my favorite charities! I would take an entire plane of people to Cancun, renting out our entire resort....making sure to take all my senior buddies with me and the people who would not get to travel like that! I would tear down my house I live in now and build a smaller one with an open kitchen and living room for lots of space for family gatherings, along with (of course) a work out room with a "sacred space" for my yoga and meditation, and a really cool theatre room for my hubby the movie-holic!! Maybe I would even randomly give some money away to people asking them to "pay it forward"! It would be SO MUCH FUN to be able to do all that! Oh, and it would be AWESOME to pay off all my debt and be debt free! Maybe even do that for my dad and other family members too! Hmmmm....just things to ponder!

How about you? What would you do?

WHAT HAPPENED?

Wow! Time flies and I have not posted in a while. I'm pretty sure the stress level has been up and I fell off the wagon for a while. I have got to get back on this week!!! I know I will do it. I have to! That is what keeps me going. It helps me survive! It helps me to stay focused! It helps me to be grateful, thankful, and appreciative! I hope all of our INSPIRE participants are hanging in there! I've missed a few of you at class lately - I hope you are attending elsewhere and still working it!! How ARE you all doing? Post me a note and let me know! I'll be in touch again soon - I'm off to work. We're having a St. Patty's Day party at the Senior Center and I'm in charge!!! I LOVE it!!! Tough job, but someone has to do it! I'm even making corned beef and cabbage, which is a HUGE accomplishment for me as some of you know!! Have an INSPIRATIONAL day, week, life!! :) :) :)

FITNESS RETREAT!

Are you signed up for our retreat yet? It is going to be a BLAST! Welcome party and Sleepytime Stretch on Friday! (Feel free to come in your jammies!) Saturday, 3 optional workouts, dinner & speaker, goodies and prizes! Sunday, Yoga/Stretch send off after breakfast! And of course, MY favorite part, Saturday night, optional but highly recommended, DANCE-A-THON!! So get your happy feet ready, and we'll boogie 'til we can't boogie no more!! More details on the weekend to come! WOO-HOO!!

Don't Stop Starting!

Okay, I'm falling off the wagon....I worked out last Thursday and yesterday...but I missed all the days in between including tonight!! What happened?? Too tired by the time I got home & made dinner, just didn't feel like it, winter blues....I can give all the excuses. I even thought about going to Michelle's class tonight, but that's all it ended up being - a thought...winter blues stopped me from that one! Anyhow...tomorrow is another day and I will get my workout in tomorrow. Tonight is going to be jammie & afghan on the couch night and that's all right!!! I'll catch up on my magazine and do some mind exercises!

Anyone else fall off the workout regiment lately?

Body & Soul Magazine

Well, I just discovered a great magazine called Body & Soul. I got two free issues and I am sure I will be subscribing. They have a reader to reader section that I have a little excerpt from below, and they also have on the last page of each issue "Ten Thoughts on Whole Living" that gives you awesome thoughts to ponder! Here is a sample of the reader to reader section...they pose a question and get readers responses.

Question - "How do you feel "rich" in ways money can't buy? (Inner abundance!)

Sample answer - Take a moment to sit somewhere and watch the world around you. People watching from a city bench, or looking out your window while sitting at your kitchen table. Make a conscious effort to learn from what you see. Children do this naturally, and when you watch them do it, you see their faces light up! My interpretation of this - Look around you and think like a child when you do it! Just think about how that will change what you are looking at!

Do you have a story about "Inner Abundance"?

Random Thoughts

Anyone else have those sleepless nights when you get around middle age? LOL! That would be me last night! So here are the random thoughts I had. My stepdaughter is getting married and she sent photos of herself in some dresses she was trying on! WOW! She was beautiful of course. So, of course, the meltdown queen that I am, I had small moment of reality. Daughter getting married, new son-in-law, another door in our life we are going through! It's a beautiful thing!! She will be 27 this year.......

That made me think of the last 3 Day "Get Started" meeting I went to. We met a couple there who just lost their only child to breast cancer at the age of 28. I can't imagine......what a tragedy. At the same meeting though...my good friend Cindy stood up to share her story. I did not know Cindy (and her daughter Mandy) until they walked the Breast Cancer 3 Day with our team last year. Cindy lost her mom to breast cancer, and she will soon be a 2 year survivor, and she believes she is alive today because of all the people who are trying to rid the world of breast cancer (and all cancers) by doing something BOLD like the 3 Day Walk. Cindy has decided that this year is THE YEAR OF CINDY. She has a new lease on life and is going gangbusters to make it the best she can. I'm SO proud of her. The support she is getting from Mandy is unprecedented too!

I have another Get Started meeting today and I'm wondering what stories I will hear. Do you have a story? Do you want to make a difference? Everyone deserves a lifetime and YOU can help! Experience the 3 Day and be reminded in this crazy world we live in, that there are good and kind and giving people in this world! Come see what it is all about at one of the upcoming meetings. After 5 years of participation, I am still amazed and overwhelmed by this event. The coolest thing....ANYBODY can do it! Including my 85 year old "mom" Sophie who is also legally blind! TRY it! You just might AMAZE yourself!

Just some random thoughts from me! Thanks for "listening"! Have an INSPIRATIONAL day! HUGS!

Personal Life Purpose Statement

Here's something to think about....
Have you ever made a "Personal Life Statement"?? I actually made one many years ago while at a motivational (Real Estate) seminar! I have it on my bulletin board so that I see it every day. When I read it today, it made me smile, because I realized, at that moment, that my Personal Life Statement is really what I AM trying to do!! Imagine that!! It is just an affirmation about what you feel you'd like to accomplish in your lifetime and what's important. It can be business related, or personal, or a cross between both! I wanted to share mine with you, so here you go...

"To inspire and empower people to achieve a healthy lifestyle, inside and out, and to participate in and encourage people to give back to the world we live in, making it a better place!"

What about you? Are you ready to write a Personal Life Purpose Statement? :)

Self-acceptance (Are you "self accepting"?)

What are the secrets of self-acceptance?
Nurture yourself....take care of your mental, physical & spiritual self.
(From the "Inside Out"!!!)
Try something you've always wanted to do, take risks, don't be complacent...
(Excerpts from "Strong Women Stay Young" by Miraim Nelson, Ph.D.)
I have the book if anyone wants to borrow it!

Let's get it started!

Are YOU ready for the challenge?