All Set and Ready to Go!

I'm ready for the challenge to begin!

I did get a head start on my workout today as I want to start the 100 push-up, 200 squat, 200 crunch challenge over and do it with STANDARD push-ups only... no modified.

Today's Workout:

My P-U, Squat, & Crunch challenge:
33 squats (starting this over too)
25 push-ups, all standard
120 Crunches

Additional Strength Training: 2 sets of 12 with 8 lb weights...

Dumbbell One Arm Row
Modified Push-ups
Dumbbell Squats
Double Crunch
Dumbbell Lateral Raise
Dumbbell curls
Dumbbell Triceps Extension
Crunch
Straight Leg Reverse Lift
Standing Calf Raises
Dumbbell Flat Chest Fly
The Plank (25-30 seconds each)

A funny for the day...

Bran Muffins

The couple were 85 years old, and had been married for sixty years. Though they were far from rich, they managed to get by because they watched their pennies. Though not young, they were both in very good health, largely due to the wife's insistence on healthy foods and exercise for the last decade. One day, their good health didn't help when they went on a rare vacation and their plane crashed, sending them off to Heaven. They reached the pearly gates, and St. Peter escorted them inside. He took them to a beautiful mansion, furnished in gold and fine silks, with a fully stocked kitchen and a waterfall in the master bath. A maid could be seen hanging their favorite clothes in the closet. They gasped in astonishment when he said, 'Welcome to Heaven. This will be your home now.' The old man asked Peter how much all this was going to cost. 'Why, nothing,' Peter replied, 'remember, this is your reward in Heaven.' The old man looked out the window and right there he saw a championship golf course, finer and more beautiful than any ever built on Earth. 'What are the greens fees?' grumbled the old man. 'This is heaven ,' St. Peter replied. 'You can play for free, every day.' Next they went to the clubhouse and saw the lavish buffet lunch, with every imaginable cuisine laid out before them, from seafood to steaks to exotic deserts, free flowing beverages. 'Don't even ask,' said St. Peter to the man, 'this is Heaven, it is all free for you to enjoy.' The old man looked around and glanced nervously at his wife. 'Well, where are the low fat and low cholesterol foods, and the decaffeinated tea?,' he asked. 'That's the best part,' St. Peter replied, 'you can eat and drink as much as you like of whatever you like, and you will never get fat or sick. This is Heaven!' The old man pushed, 'No gym to work out at?' 'Not unless you want to,' was the answer. 'No testing my sugar or blood pressure or...' 'Never again. All you do here is enjoy yourself.' The old man glared at his wife and said, 'You and your bran muffins. We could have been here ten years ago!'

KIND OF BRINGS A TEAR TO YOUR EYE DOESN'T IT?

OK start for the day...

My workout for today is complete. Just my strength training and very basic at that but it's still a good all over workout. Next week, I'll be adding to it though with my Muscle Pump class I have planned at the YMCA with Alina as well as weight training with Alina at her house... I'm so looking forward to that!

Today's Workout:

50 bicycle crunches
25 squats
15 modified push-ups
50 crunches on fitness ball with 8 lb weight
25 squats
15 modified push-ups
50 crunches on fitness ball
25 squats
15 modified push-ups
50 crunches with legs up
25 squats
15 modified push-ups

Totals: 200 crunches, 100 squats, 60 modified push-ups

My Body Blessings:

Breakfast: Just a 40 calorie jerky stick and water... I know, not a good start to my day.

Lunch: Buffalo Chicken Salad with Ranch & 1 glass diet Pepsi

Dinner: Grilled Chicken Apple Salad from Applebee's

Snack: Popcorn & Two yogurts

My Time in Receiving is coming close to an end...

Yeah! I found out yesterday that I will be on the Receiving Schedule this next week...but I will ONLY be working to cover lunches and help with truck... the rest of the time, I am to spend out on the floor as the Temporary MCA (Merchandise & Customer Assist) Lead until the lead comes back from her surgery. When she returns, I will be on her team...but not as a Lead. Which is OK as that is what I have requested. I'm so excited about this.

I honestly think that this transition will help me in my journey to become healthier and more fit. I am so stressed all the time and totally exhausted after offloading trucks and loading customer merchandise each day...not to mention my "problem child" I tend to have to deal with so often... With this transition, I think I will be less stressed and much more willing to WANT to go to the gym.

I'm geared up and ready to GAG! I can't wait for the challenge to begin... and I am REALLY looking forward to having a co-worker to help hold me accountable! Alina totally ROCKS! She is super fun to hang out with and we have made plans to work out together twice next week... Once at the Y doing a Muscle Pump class...and another day we will go running together and do some weights at her house too... I'm really looking forward to having someone to work out with

Please check out Alina's Blog at http://aliflowergrl-onmywaytomyperfectwieght.blogspot.com

Today's Body Blessings:

Breakfast: Omelet (2 eggs, can of asparagus, & sprinkle of Sharp Cheddar Cheese)

Lunch: Arby's Roast Turkey & Swiss Sandwich & SMALL Mozzarella Cheese Sticks (I usually get large) with Marinara

Dinner: Pan Popped Popcorn (Because I worked til 7:00 and HATE eating late)

Beverages: 1 Bottle Flavored Water, 1 large Diet Pepsi with heavy ice, 1 Fuze Slenderizer, 33.8 oz bottle of water with Crystal Light hydration (I worked up a major sweat today at work...needed to rehydrate good)

Today's Workout:

Loads of running around at work today... building bales, offloading a 500 piece truck, loading customer merchandise... it was NON-STOP all day...

Foods That Can Kill Your Diet

Passing along another article from Health eLiving newsletter I am sent daily...

Foods That Can Kill Your Diet

Friday, August 14, 2009 -

By Shawn McKee
Staff Writer

I like to eat -- and I don't always eat healthy. So when I was given the assignment to write an article about the most dangerous foods you can consume, I was hesitant. I did not want to ruin some of my favorite foods by realizing how absolutely terrible they are for me. I plowed forward anyway, for the sake of mankind.

What I found out, in reality, was not particularly shocking. It's pretty easy to discern if a food is nutritious or not. However, seeing the facts, figures and actually realizing how bad certain favorites were was an eye-opener.

The scenario is similar to learning the Easter Bunny doesn't exist: Sure, I had my doubts, but I was willing to play along because it was fun. Ignorance is bliss, so if you want to continue eating doughnuts, chicken nuggets and French fries, stop reading now.

The squeamish have fled for the candy machine, so it's time expose the foods that ruin your diet, hurt your health and wreck your waistline. There's no turning back now.

D'oh -- Nuts! Start from the top and take a look at the most important meal of the day -- breakfast. If you've been starting your day the doughnut way, you're basically handicapping your nutrition for the rest of the day.

A Krispy Kreme glazed doughnut weighs in at 200 calories with half of those calories coming from fat while being rich in the most dangerous trans and saturated fats. Additionally, donuts carry nearly no nutritional value and are almost exclusively white flour and sugar.

A breakfast at your local doughnut shop will not only add unwanted calories, but it will throw off your blood sugar and won't stay with you so you'll be hungry again soon.

If you're supplementing your sugary breakfast bun with your favorite specialty coffee, like a 20-ounce Starbucks Venti Caffè Mocha with whipped cream, then you're getting an additional 490 calories and 16 grams of bad fat. Rethink your breakfast, because these fatty franchises are serving more calories by 9 a.m. than most places serve all day.

No soup for you! That college staple, the food that sustained your existence for the 4 to 7 years you spent getting your degree in communications, ramen noodles, should be banished from your diet now that you can afford to buy real food.

It's just noodles and broth, right? You should've paid more attention in health class. If you eat a full pack of ramen (and who doesn't?), you're looking at 14 grams of fat (7 of which are saturated), two-thirds of your daily recommended sodium intake and very little nutritional value. Ramen is cheap, but your body pays the price in the long run.

Drive-Thru Disasters
Fast Food? More like fat food! Chicken nuggets are a good choice if you have to eat fast food, right? Anything breaded and deep-fried is going to be loaded with fat, so nuggets are not the solid gold choice you might think.

Here are the facts on the 6-piece nuggets at Micky-D's: 250 calories (more than half from fat), 15 grams of fat and one-third of your daily sodium. But let's be honest, you're going to eat more than a sixer of nuggets for lunch, so how's it going to add up?

Fry Guy -- Unfortunately, the most popular "vegetable" side in the US is the French fry -- and it's hardly a vegetable at all after its trip to the fry-alator. When your fries come out of their dip in the grease Jacuzzi, they're weighing in at 380 calories (for a medium) and 19 grams of fat. The only things you're super-sizing are your waistline and risk of heart disease.

Hot Diggity Dang! Standard hot dogs are high in fat (13 or more grams per serving), loaded with sodium, and don't provide much protein or nutrients for the calories. Plus, the starchy, white flour bun and condiments.

Adding a cheese and chili coronary clog is optional. And have you ever seen how a hot dog is made? Well, it would switch you to peanuts at the ballpark before you could yell, "Hey batter!"

These foods will crash your diet, but healthy living is all about the small things, so as an added bonus, let's look at my favorite condiment and the drinks that destroy all the hard work in the gym.

Mayo-noways --Mayonnaise is good on your turkey sandwich, but just one tablespoon of mayo has 12 grams of fat and 110 calories, so your healthy sandwich just flew out the window. Try mustard.

Drinking Yourself to Death
The soda with your value meal may not seem that dangerous, but consider this: Soda can contribute to obesity and tooth decay with one can containing about 150 calories and about 10 teaspoons of sugar.

According to one study, drinking one can per day without changing anything else in your diet, and you could gain 15 pounds by year's end. The average fast food soda is much larger than a can of soda. Switch to water. Your waist, heart and teeth will thank you.

"Most Americans dig their graves with their teeth," says Dr. Jay Kenny, nutrition research specialist at the Pritikin Longevity Center in Florida. "You have to eat badly for decades before it starts to show its damage."

It's not too late to change the way you eat, feel and live. Just avoid these dangerous foods.

Shawn McKee is a writer who is happy to never eat ramen noodles again, but will miss his morning doughnut. Goodbye, old friend.

On The Right Track...

I'm off to a good start... though, I totally forgot that it was Tuesday and Spin Class was this morning. So, I missed that. But I did get up, drank a V8 veggie drink and then did the Beyond Crunches workout from a past Runners World Magazine I have in my collection.

I was reading my previous posts yesterday trying to psyche myself up for the upcoming challenge and read about this workout. I had totally forgotten about it and it's such an awesome workout! Awesome for the core.

One of my friends from work... the one that got me to go to the spin class... well, she's thinking about getting certified to teach the Spin Class in the mornings! She figures since she's already there at the gym working out at 6:00 am, she might as well do it for the people from class that want to keep coming to class. When we went last week there was a good 10-12 people there at least. So obviously, people are going and WANT to be there. I so wish they were not canceling the class. Maybe if Desiree is certified, we can keep it going even if it's not an official class offered by the Base Gym...

Today's Body Blessing:

Morning Snack: V8

Breakfast: 2 waffles topped with raspberries & Sugar Free syrup

Lunch: Lasagna & veggies (leftovers)

Dinner: Roast Beef, Small Roasted Potato, carrots

Today's Nutritional Totals:

1,440 calories
50.8 fat
182.1 carbohydrates
75.9 protein



Today's Workout:

Beyond Crunches. The 15-minutes workout designed for runners which consists of:

Superman: 10 reps, made it harder! lifted both hands and legs together rather than separate.

Bridge: 10 reps, holding each for 10 seconds

Metronome: 10 reps

Plank Lift: 2 reps on each side

Side Plank: 30 seconds on each side

Back in shape & Perfect Posture exercises from Runners World Mag.

A Refresher Course...and CHALLENGE to you!

This is just a re-post of my April 15, 2009 blog entry. I'm reading my previous posts as I plan ahead for the GAG '09 challenge. As Sheila challenged us then, I challenge you to create your own list!

Why I Became Overweight

In Response to Sheila's "Why I Am Fat Wednesday" post...

1. Because I love junk food. I don't keep it in my house for the most part, but when I am at work, I get hungry (or maybe not even hungry, but the urge to eat strikes more often than not) and the VENDING MACHINE is way to convenient. I will grab Peanut M&Ms, M&M Cookies, Cherry Licorice Bites, Cupcakes (yeah, they took those out of the machine)...

2. Pop's were too convenient to buy out of the vending machines at work. Water selection always tended to be empty when I wanted water... and I never thought about taking my own bottles to work. Before Coke & Pepsi switched their Diet Drinks to Aspartame, I had no choice but to drink Regular Pop as I got migraine headaches with the NutraSweet

3. Working Full time... I gained 10 lbs the first summer after graduating High School... not a big deal, it was still within my healthy weight by Doctor Standards. I was very physically active as a teenager in high school, so never gained weight no matter how much I ate. I also went to college full time. I rarely ate at home since I was in school all morning/early afternoon and worked 3:15-11:15 every night. I ate mostly out of the cafeteria in college and fried foods from the Deli at work. I worked as a Cashier in a grocery store, so only physical activity, if you want to call it at, was grabbing groceries and scanning them across the scanner...

4. Lack of Physical Activities... same as in #3. Working full time and going to school full time left me no time to work out... Before graduating HS, I used to run track, march in the band, and was physically active at home riding bikes, gardening (we had several HUGE gardens to tend too all summer long), or when I was with my Dad in FL, we spent the summer swimming and water skiing.

5. High Risk Pregnancy. When I was pregnant with my daughter, I was put on bed rest when at 1 month... total bed rest at 4 months due to my High Blood Pressure and Incompetent Cervix. Most physical activity I got was learning to knit and crochet and working my cross stitch.

6. Lack of Motivation... "No one to work out with me" I tend to better when I have a partner to go to the gym with me.

"Stress at home"... hubby and I have had a really rough marriage. My husband went through some major bouts of depression and turned to alcohol. Being from a family where both my dad and step-father drank heavily, I took it really hard. I NEVER wanted to be in a marriage where my husband was a heavy drinker. I basically hibernated in my bedroom, addicted to my Internet and my friends online that I could vent my stresses with...

7. Mindless Eating... I would eat food without even thinking about it. If it was there, I would eat it. Did not worry about how it was going to effect my health in the long run.

AND NOW... What have I learned from all of the above...

1. Eating healthier... Fruits, cheese/crackers, nuts, granola bars, trail mixes. Choosing salads over high calorie foods when I do eat out or grilled chicken over fried.

2. Switch to Diet Pepsi... once they switched the formula to Aspartame, I could drink the diet. I cut back on the intake though as I continually felt bloated, constipated, and just plain blah after drinking large amounts. I drink alot of water now. Even when we eat out, it's usually water with a lemon slice. At home, we installed a water filter on my kitchen sink to give me no excuse for not drinking water. (I hated all tap water... always tasted like dirt to me )

3. I no longer work behind a cash register. I work a physically demanding job so I do get a workout each and every day without trying. I try to avoid the vending machines and take my own snacks to work and my own drinks. Though, I still have issues with the machine...

4. No longer an issue with a lack of physical activities. With my job, I have no choice but to be active. I also work in time whether at home or in the gym to get a workout in.

5. Not ever going to be pregnant again... Once on total bed rest was once to many. I'm happy with my little family. Doctors have told me if I was pregnant again, I would probably be total bed rest the entire pregnancy. That's NOT for me.

6. As NIKE says, "Just Do It"

Initially, my motivation was I was the younger healthier, more fit one when going to Curves. It really motivated me to be just that, though I did have weight to loose. Seeing women my age and older extremely overweight, motivated my by causing me to see just what I do not want to be like.

Motivation...To look like I did in HS for my 20 year class reunion...

Motivation... For me to look better than I did when I got married to surprise my husband when he returned home from his year long tour to Korea.

Motivation... To feel better both physically and emotionally about myself.

Motivation... To protect me from the illnesses that are passed down through the generations in my family. High Blood Pressure (which I was on meds for for 15 years. luckily, my body became regular so I no longer take meds), Heart Disease, Diabetes, Cancers, etc...

7. Making a Conscious effort to eat healthy. And when I am not eating healthy, I still make a conscious decision knowing just how it is going to affect my goals. I don't let that bad decision keep me from reaching for that goals. I just keep on trucking and eventually, I know I will make my goals and learn to keep my habits healthy.

Started My Day Off Right...

So, I've started my day off right with a good healthy breakfast... now to get myself motivated to do more. I'm thinking I might head to the gym this afternoon and work on the treadmill and maybe the weight room. With all the hectic days I've had at work the past few weeks...think I might just enjoy my day off today and do the housework and stuff tomorrow...

Daily Body Blessings:

Breakfast: Grab N Go Cottage Crunch (cottage cheese, pineapple tidbits..drained, Cranberry Pecan Granola Cereal) V8 Spicy, diet Green Tea with Citrus.

Lunch: Grilled Pork Loin, Broccoli Alfredo Pasta, Wax Beans, Green Olives

Dinner: Lasagna, Veggies, 1 slice Garlic Bread

According to FitDay calculations, I'm within goal on each of my Daily Nutritional Goals:

My Daily Goals (from Sparkpeople calculations):

1200-1550 Calories
162-236 Carbohydrates
32-56 Fat
60-127 Protein

Today's Totals:

1,458 Calories
49.2 Fat
158.8 Carbohydrates
102.3 Protein

Today's Workout:

200 Crunches... 4 sets of 50 each set a different variety

100 Squats... 4 sets of 25

60 Push-ups... 4 sets of 15, modified

Not too shabby on my workout considering it's been close to two months since I've done any of my strength training... Really struggled though to get the last set of 15 push-ups in. Arms are aching now!

Daily Doer Plan...

This will be my workout plan for the upcoming challenge. It comes from Denise Austin's book "Fit & Fabulous After 40". (This is a GREAT book by the way...) And this time, when I use it... hubby can't make fun of me that I'm not 40 yet... LOL Never too early to be fit and fabulous though so if you've not yet reached 40 years of age, don't let it stop you from checking out the book!

I will attempt to do the Daily Doer Plan but I know with my hectic work schedule, I won't always be able to complete my workouts daily...so I will show the alternate plans here also...

Daily Doer Plan

Monday: Cardio (Total: 30 minutes)
Tuesday: Strength + Flexibility/Balance (Total: 30-40 minutes)
Wednesday: Cardio (Total: 30 minutes)
Thursday: Strength + Flexibility/Balance (Total: 30-40 minutes)
Friday: Cardio (Total: 30 minutes)
Saturday: Strength + Flexibility/Balance (Total: 30-40 minutes)
Sunday: Cardio (Total: 30 minutes)

Time-Crunch 4-Day Plan

Monday: Cardio + strength training + flexibility/balance (Total: 60-70 minutes)
Tuesday: off
Wednesday: Cardio + strength training + flexibility/balance (Total: 60-70 minutes)
Thursday: off
Friday: Cardio + strength training + flexibility/balance (Total: 60-70 minutes)
Saturday: Cardio (Total: 30 minutes)
Sunday: off

Weekend Free Plan

Monday: Cardio + strength training + flexibility/balance (Total: 60-70 minutes)
Tuesday: cardio (Total: 30 minutes)
Wednesday: Strength + Flexibility/balance (Total: 30-40 minutes)
Thursday: cardio (Total: 30 minuets)
Friday: Cardio + Strength + flexibility/balance (Total: 60-70 minutes)
Saturday: off
Sunday: off

Weekend Fat Blaster Plan:

Monday: strength + flexibility/balance (Total: 30-40 minutes)
Tuesday: cardio (Total: 30 minutes)
Wednesday: cardio + strength + flexibility/balance
Thursday: off
Friday: strength + flexibility/balance (Total: 30-40 minutes)
Saturday: cardio (Total: 30 minutes)
Sunday: cardio )(Total: 30 minutes)

Recipes to Try...

As I posted the other day, I'm working on Planning ahead for the GAG Challenge starting on September 1, 2009. Tonight I am working on my lunch plan in order to have healthy nutritious meals while at work rather than fast food. I'm planning on making these up and freezing them in individual servings for lunch..

Here is a few recipes I found in the current issue of Simple & Delicious Magazine put our by Reiman Media Corp.

Savory Onion Chicken
recipe by: Julia Anderson

1/4 cup all-purpose flour, divided
1 broiler/fryer chicken cut up (I will use boneless chicken breasts)
2 Tbsp. Olive Oil
1 Envelope Onion Soup Mix (I will see about a lower sodium version though)
1 Bottle of Beer or non-alcoholic beer

Place 2 Tbsp. flour into a large Ziploc bag. Add chicken, a few pieces at a time, shake to coat. In a large skillet, brown chicken on all sides. Remove from pan and keep warm.

Add Soup Mix and remaining flour to pan, stirring to loosen browned bits. Gradually whisk in the beer or non-alcoholic beer. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until mixture has thickened. Return chicken to skillet. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 12-15 minutes or until chicken juices run clear.

Yield: 6 servings

1 serving equals:

231 calories
11 g fat (2g saturated fat)
73 mg cholesterol
469 mg sodium
7 g carbohydrate
trace of fiber
25 g protein

Onion-Dijon Pork Chops

4 boneless pork loin chops (5 oz. each)
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
3/4 cup thinly sliced red onion
1/4 cup water
1/4 cup cider vinegar
3 Tbsp brown sugar (I will use the Splenda Brown Sugar Blend)
2 Tbsp honey Dijon mustard

Sprinkle pork chops with salt and pepper. In a large nonstick skillet coated with cooking spray, cook pork over medium heat for 4-6 minutes on each side or until lightly browned. Remove from Skillet and keep warm.

Add the remaining ingredients to the skillet; stir to loosen the browned bits. Bring mixture to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until mixture has thickened. Return chops to skillet. Reduce heat; cover and simmer 4-5 minutes or until a meat thermometer reads 160°

Yield: 4 servings

1 serving equals:

261 calories
9 g fat (3 g saturated)
69 mg cholesterol, 257 mg sodium
17 g carbohydrate
1 g fiber
28 g protein

Italian Roasted Vegetables
recipe by: Simple & Delicious Test Kitchen

2 medium yellow summer squash, sliced
1 medium sweet red pepper, cut into 1-inch pieces
1/4 lb fresh green beans, trimmed
1/4 cup sun-dried tomato salad dressing
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp dried basil
1/8 tsp pepper

In a large bowl, combine all ingredients. Transfer to an ungreased 15-inch x 10-inch x 1 inch baking pan.

Bake, uncovered, at 425° for 15-20 minutes or until tender, stirring once. Serve immediately

Yield: 4 servings

Each Serving equals:

61 calories
3 g fat (trace saturated fat)
0 cholesterol
322 sodium
9 g carbohydrate
3 g fiber
2 g protein

Sauteed Corn with tomatoes & basil
recipe by: Patricia Nieh

1 cup fresh or frozen corn
1 Tbsp olive oil
2 cups cherry tomatoes, halved
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
3 fresh basil leaves, thinly sliced

In a large skillet, saute corn in olive oil until tender-crisp. Stir in the halved cherry tomatoes, salt, and pepper; cook 1 minute longer. Remove from heat; sprinkle with basil.

Yield: 4 servings

Each serving equals:

85 calories
4 g fat (1g saturated)
0 cholesterol
161 mg sodium
12 g carbohydrate
2 g fiber
2 g protein

Planning Ahead...

OK... I think I am getting bored this morning sitting on my computer while my hubby is at work and the daughter is still in bed sleeping...

Think I shall dig out all my weight loss/fitness magazines and start planning out my plan of attack on our upcoming challenge. There is so much good information to be found in them... With all the different workouts listed, one should never get bored...

I can start planning new and exciting workout routines, start planning for my lunches at work (which can not include ARBY's every day), etc...

So, it's really time to get my brain focused and win this battle once and for all. I can do it... I will do it!

BUMMER!

Well, my plans on making the gym for Spin Class may be going down the drain with no choice to any of us in the class...

I dragged my butt out of bed again this morning at 5:10, got dressed and met Desiree at the gym for a half hour of walking on the treadmill before attending the Spin Class being held on Tuesday & Thursday mornings. We get to class, have yet another sub (we had one last week, my first week of class too) and she informed us that the Base or whoever is in charge has decided to cancel the 6:00 am classes in order to make room for two more classes in the evenings. They are adding a Zomba & a Yoga class at 6:00 in the evenings... at times which both Desiree and I will both still be at work.

Everyone in the class is bummed by it as it's the best time for us to be there... Desiree has a baby, so her hubby is still home to watch the baby while she works out... Me, I'm just not always motivated to go on my own and evening classes just do not fit my schedule at work. Having Desiree to motivate me (she's actually a certified fitness trainer...which I just found out on Thursday while in class) is great for me. Besides, she inspires me. She loves to RUN. She starts out running for 30+ minutes straight. Such endurance she has. I don't have the endurance yet...but hopefully in time I can build it up too.

Work has been CRAZY for me lately. I've been down to about 5 people working for the past couple of weeks... 5 of us to cover almost 200 hours and to offload trucks, run merchandise pick up, process merchandise, etc. It's been taking it's toll on all of us, but we've all stuck it out and stepped up to make sure things are getting done. I really do have an awesome team back there... just wish we could always get along, though we have been doing much better.

I will slowly be making the transition to the sales floor doing merchandising and signing though. I did help out this past Sunday and really enjoyed it. It was nice to be back out there again. Hopefully with the change in my job, it will give me more motivation to make it to the gym and or at least work out at home.

We're getting closer to our new challenge... sorry to those who I joined up with their challenges for the summer and not made it in to report, encourage, and whatnot. I never expected my summer to be as hectic as it has been at work... plus we had family visit for a few weeks last month. First my MIL & FIL visited...we had a great time hitting places of interest here in ND...then we took a weekend to head to SD and saw Mt. Rushmore, Crazy Horse, & Deadwood. It was an awesome time and a much needed vacation time for the entire family. A week after they left my Grandparents came to visit. That was great too. We mostly sat around the house, I had to work a couple of the days though. Grandma is not doing well at all anymore and can't get around without Grandpa's help. It's so sad to see a woman who was once so active be so inactive now.

Well, I shall close for now. I think I need to work over the next couple of weeks planning out my plan of attack for the upcoming GAG Challenge. I remember last Christmas I found it to not be so easy when everyone kept bringing homemade bake goods to work...so I really need to find something to keep me away from it... being out of receiving should help big time though as I won't be that close to the break room to sneak just one more... :)

Good luck to everyone with the challenge... and for those in the other challenges, I hope you are all meeting your goals you had set for yourself.

Woo Hoo....

Well, I finally got my butt out of bed and went with Desiree to work out yesterday morning...and man do I feel it today. She's been trying to get me to go do a Spin class with her this past week. I was closing the night before and the class was at 6:00 in the morning... wasn't sure I would make it as I need my sleep...

Well, I set my alarm, almost didn't get up because I only got about 3 hours sleep...but then I felt guilty...she closed too and if she can drag herself out of bed to work out, why can't I?

We did 20 minutes on the treadmill... she ran from the get go.. me, I did my standard fast paced walk as it's been weeks since I've worked out. Still do alot of sweating though. At 6:00 we headed to the class room for the spinning class. It was the first time I've done that. I was so afraid it would just about kill me being I could barely make it through the warm up when I did the ab lab a few months ago and we did the warm up on the bikes...

Well, I survived the 45 minute class... then went to do abs with Desiree. She's an awesome coach! I found out too while we were in class, that she is a certified trainer. I never knew that! She gave me all sorts of ab workouts...some I have done before...others I've not. A couple, because of my scoliosis I found hard to do because I couldn't keep my lower back on the ground...but we worked through it and got a great workout in...

Today I'm feeling every bit of the workout. But it feels GREAT!

Making The Cut...

OK, after reading an article with Jillian Michaels a couple months ago in one of my fitness magazines, I decided I REALLY like her bad ass attitude! I wish I could have her as my fitness and life coach everyday! I think her attitude is just what I need to get my butt in gear and reach the goals I have set for myself and learn to maintain them...

Well, today, as we were walking through Target, we saw one of her books "Making The Cut"... Drew bought it for me and I started reading it... I may give her program a shot... though, I've not totally checked it out yet... recipes and such... I may have to adjust those a bit as I know Drew will not want to be fixing those kinds of meals on a day to day basis...

I signed up for Sheila's challange too... so with the help of all my blog friends & Jillian Michael's bad ass attitude I may be able to win this fight once and for all!