OH MY!!!!!

I know, I know...it's been quite a while since I blogged. Last week was incredibly busy. My in laws were here all week and I didn't get to exercise at all. However, I DID watch my food intake and made good choices. I ended up losing 3 pounds!!!
So today (yes, I know it's Thursday) I'm back on track with exercise (and blogging).
A friend of mine sent this video and challenged me to, and I quote, "See if you can do it." (Psst..the link is in the "See if you can do it" part).
So I did it...I didn't want to do it, but my friend is calling me later to see if I did it....lol I could only complete 2 out of the 4 reps, yes, it's THAT strenuous and it's only 9 minutes of my day believe it or not...so I did only about 6 minutes and my heart rate is up, upper and lower muscles are shaking and I think I drank about a gallon of water when I was finished.
Now, it's your turn to be challenged! Can you do all 4 reps? It's only 9 minutes. Give it a try and tell me how you did.
I'm going to do 2 more reps later today. I'll let you know how that goes!
Have a great day and do forget to comment below. I want to know how everyone made out with this exercise!!
OX~N

Non-Stop Day Yesterday!

Very busy but a really good busy. :) I didn't watch calories and I didn't do formal exercise. I'm thinking my weekends are going to be days off from exercise and counting, although I am always trying to make better food choices even without counting. Also, I am very active on the weekends and get a lot of physical work done Saturday. Then there's sailing on Sunday.
So yesterday was a sailing day and it was great!! I still don't know how we placed in the race, but it felt like we did a good job. We shall see. I got to helm the boat under sail for the first time in my life and I loved it! I love the technicality of it all. :)
Weight is a factor with the racing rules so I had to tell the Skipper how much weigh...lol...not my most shining moment, but I was honest and told him and his wife they could follow my weight progress on here...lol Let's hope that I will be weighing less soon. :)
This coming week my in laws are coming for a visit so I will be challenged as to how to get all my exercising in, but I think I will be able to make it work. Of course I will keeping an update on here.
Have a wonderful day!!!
OX~N

Busy, Busy, Busy...

So, it's going to be a short post today.
Yesterday I actually ate as many calories as I needed to. What I also love about the site is that it also gives you the daily recommended amounts of proteins, fats and carbs needed to lose weight and then shows you what you ate in relation to that. That's just what I need.
Today, I have a hair cut (haven't gone anywhere for that in a few years), then people coming over, neighbor's child's birthday party then a reunion that I have been asked to speak at.
So, I'm off to eat some breakfast and wrap a bunch of presents then getting ready to go to the salon.
Have a great day everyone!
OX~N

Oh Cheese!!! How I Have Missed Thee...

I'm REALLY loving this SparkPeople site. I realized that I still needed to eat at least 800 more calories yesterday. Of course I figured this out this morning so today I'm going to track my food even more diligently. When I looked at the menu options for breakfast today I saw :::::drum roll::::::: CHEESE!!!!!!! My eyes almost fell out of my HEAD!! I LOVE cheese and I have been totally NOT eating ANY since I started this journey. I literally almost cried when I saw that I could eat some cheese.  I know...it really is the little things....lol
Through this site I have learned that I really, really, really don't eat enough calories in the day to keep my metabolism going. It's really nailing it home for me. (I know, I'm saying 'really' a lot)
So, according to SparkPeople I need to eat between 1200 and 1550 calories every day and burn 217 daily. I WILL be doing my Zumba today because it tells me how many calories I burn with each session and lately I have been averaging 220 calories burned every time I do it.
I love that I now have some numbers to go by and a way to track it all. This is really helping me to stay motivated and change my life to a healthier way of eating and exercising.
So yesterday, I didn't eat enough but I did take a nice long walk with some good friends. I love walking with them because we don't stroll along...we definitely power walk. We figured we power walked for about 50 minutes over hill and dale...lol It was a really great time and it flew by. I can't wait for our next walk!
Have a wonderful day!!!
OX~N

Had A Bad Dream...

I really hate waking up in the morning from a bad dream, but here I am still kinda reeling from it. It didn't have anything to do with eating or exercising, but it does affect my mood for the day. I will have to move past the emotional owie that I have from it to enjoy this already beautiful day and get done the things I have to get done.
So this morning, I woke up and stepped on the scale. I know I shouldn't but I kinda needed a little assurance that I'm going in the right direction. I lost a pound, so that put me in a better mood.
The new website is really helping me to understand the amount of calories (good ones) and exercise I need to get my body into a healthy balance.
Yesterday I didn't get a chance to do formal exercise. I say 'formal' because I am very active in other ways. Laundry alone causes me to go up and down 2 flights of stairs several times carrying a heavy basket most of the time. Taking care of the dogs has me active in a lot of different ways. Playing with the kids outside gets my heart rate up pretty good. Then there's cleaning, cooking, some yard work...yadda, yadda.
I have a lot of household stuff to do today as well. My in laws are coming Tuesday and staying for a week here and so I have to get the house together for their visit. I know Tuesday is a ways off but I am very busy this weekend so I essentially have three days to get done what I need done.
I'm hoping to fit in some actual exercising. Taking a nice walk this evening is in the plans. :)
Have a great day peoples!!!!!
OX~N

Well, I did get the chance to bike ride yesterday. I road about 3 miles and I really liked it! I need to build up more stamina to get up the hills I have to deal with (lots of hills around here) and I only walked   three times. I made it up the hill as far as I could then I would walk until I could catch my breath and then I'd hop back on the bike. I enjoyed that workout. I don't think I will get the chance to do a bike ride today since it's raining very hard right now, but if it lets up a bit I'll get out there. I live in a really nice area to ride.
Today IS a new day and I have new meal plan from SparkPeople.com. Moriah suggested it and I'm so glad she did. As I look at this, it's obvious that I'm not eating enough calories. I was just looking at the breakfast options and I was like WHOAH...that's a LOT of food! I love that it gives me the amount of calories I need to eat in a day and the amount of calories I need to burn in a week to reach my goal weight. I think this is exactly what I needed, a way to keep track of my caloric intake and burn. :)
So, today i am much more optimistic than I was yesterday. Yes, I pushed over that mental hump and exercised and continued to eat right.
Have a great day everyone!!!
OX~N

Frustrated...

So, it's been how many weeks since I started this? I have lost only 5 pounds. No, I haven't been able to formally exercise every day, but I have been exercising more regularly than before.
This is about the time I just feel like a failure and that I will NEVER get to a healthy weight. I'm so frustrated, discouraged and just plain annoyed.
I feel like a huge blob and that no matter what I do I will always be a huge blob.
This is the hump for me and if I don't get over it, I will give up again. I just don't know how to get over this.
Today I'm going to take a long bike ride. It's been a while since I road a bike and that is mostly due to the fact that I feel like a huge blob on a little skinny bike.
I kinda get mad at my body for not responding more acutely to the changes I have made and thus I don't take care of it. Like this morning I haven't eaten anything yet and I don't really feel like it either.
Since I have made the decision to bike ride, huge clouds have move in. Even mother nature is hating on me today....really??!?!?
Well, I hope everyone is having a better start to their day. I'll let you know what happens with me tomorrow.
OX~N

Skipped A Day...

Yes, I know I skipped a day of blogging. I was on the crew of a sail boat (I know, I've blogged this before) and the schedule was 9AM Saturday and 8:30 AM Sunday, so I missed one blog because of the schedule.
Speaking of the race...we won 1st place!!!!!!!  It was so exciting!! I love going out, I learn so much each time and this time I learned boat loads (hehe).
So, I didn't do any formal exercise this weekend, but I did get a pretty good workout on the boat. I am sore all over. I even have a couple of bruises and my knees are missing some skin. :) My hand faired well. It was good to move it a little bit.
Food intake was good until the chips and dip came out yesterday. One of these days I.WILL.RESIST.
Today I plan on sweating! And not just because it's going to be hot out, but because I'm going to hit Zumba!


Here's a picture of our trophy flag!!
Have a wonderful day today everyone!!
OX~N

Busy, Fun Weekend Ahead...

Today I'll be sailing in the HRYRA Regatta on the Hudson, ALL day. It's really good exercise and it's a lot of fun too. My hand is doing much better and I will be able to use it to crew. It's going to take some time to get back to normal, but it gets a little better every day.
Yesterday I did some Pilates!!!!! Yay! I finally took some time to exercise and I'm glad I did. I felt so much better after.
Food intake was really good yesterday, even at my Sister's. My Brother in law made a phenomenal dinner  and I don't think I ate so much protein at one time ever! We had filet mignon, lobster tails, shrimp and steamers. It was all SO yummy! My Brother in law is a wonderful cook and so all the food was extra special.
So, I am up early to get myself together for today. I have to be down at the marina by 9AM.
Have a wonderful day everyone!!
OX~N

The Week Went By Fast!

I can't believe it's Friday already. I guess I had more catching up to do around here than I thought I did.
So I weighed myself yesterday and I gained 3lbs over the weekend, probably more but just lost a few pounds due to my diet change. I weighed myself this morning and I lost one pound since yesterday. I guess that's good especially since I haven't done any exercising lately.
I know I haven't done any formal exercising this week, but I guess I'm quite active in my daily routines. I'm glad I live in a house with 2 floors and that my laundry room is in my basement. So, although it looks like I haven't done anything physically, I really have done something. Adding formal exercise to it ups my calorie burn.
Today I don't know if I will get any formal exercising in yet again. I have a lot to do today and I will try to get something in, I hope I can. I really would like to continue to lose the pounds and keep that momentum going.
This afternoon my family will be going to my sister's house for a little celebratory dinner and my brother in law's birthday. I'm really looking forward to relaxing and just enjoying good company.
Have a great day everyone!!!
ox~N

What A Week!

This week has been very busy..a good busy, but I haven't gotten the chance to Zumba. Food was good yesterday. Just went grocery shopping so I have a lot of really good fresh stuff. I will try, again to do some sort of exercise today although I do have more errands to run. I have been trying to get my errands done in the morning then exercise later, but I have been fighting a cold and by the time the afternoon hits, I am exhausted and yesterday I took like a 3 hour nap.
I feel tons better this morning. A good friend decided to take care of me :) and gave me some vitamins (thank you Krissy!). I think they really helped and hopefully I won't be so tired later.
My hand is much better today but not doing as well as I expected. I think I dislocated (or jammed) my pinky knuckle on my hand (not on the pinky) because it kinda feels like that. However, I am hesitant to do the quick yanking thing with it to pop it into place (something I used to do all the time with my fingers when I would jam them playing volleyball when I was MUCH younger). I just don't want to feel more pain...lol I'm such a baby sometimes...lol
Well, the day is gearing up already and I have much to do!!
Have a wonderful day, everyone!!!!
OX~N

It's Wednesday Already????

Yesterday was an ok food day, but I crapped out on exercising again. Since I have gotten home I have been catching up with everything around here. It's taking longer than usual because of my hand. This coupled with the fact that 4:30 hits and I am completely exhausted makes for no exercising.
I visited a friend who is very sick in the hospital. I had a nice time catching up with her and making plans for the next teen weekend she is directing. If this took the place of exercising yesterday, it was well worth it.
I have another busy day ahead of me today too, so I'm not sure I'll be exercising. My hand is getting a little better every day, but yesterday I didn't wear the ace bandage and I bumped it a few times. It was very painful and it swelled up again. I iced it and wrapped it when I had the time and it's feeling better today. I'm concerned about exercising with it as it seems that I bump it into everything when I'm moving around. This hand REALLY needs to heal. I have a big sailing weekend coming up and I need to use it!
I'm hopeful that today will be a better health day for me!!
Have a great day everyone!!
ox~N

Still Bouncing Back...

So yesterday, I didn't exercise at all. I think a hit a little wall physically. I had suddenly became extremely tired and I actually took a nap. There was a bit of running around that I had to do yesterday and then, when my husband came home he wanted to take me out to dinner. It has been a while since we were out together just the 2 of us and it was wonderful to talk without being interrupted. :) We went to Captain Jacks on the water front in Newburgh. They have this dinner special, 2 entrées and a bottle of wine for $32. Funny thing is I had dropped off our old washer and dryer at the local scrap yard earlier that day and they gave me $32 for them. :) It's little things like this that make me smile.
So, today I have more running around to do, and I am looking forward to it. I am visiting a good friend who is in the hospital and I can't wait to see her and tell her about my weekend. Then I have to go and get a birthday gift for my brother in law and a house warming gift for my sister and brother in law (I'm hoping my sister isn't reading this today).
I am not going to weigh myself today. I don't think I want to see what it says until I can get some sort of exercise in.
Food intake yesterday could have been better. I ate a protein filled breakfast and then macaroni salad for lunch (not good for my healthy eating thing, but it tasted really good). Then for dinner I had whole wheat pasta with snap peas, red peppers and blackened shrimp. That was REALLY good. I didn't finish it so I have some left for today. :)
Today I will again try to get myself together and do some exercising. My hand is a little better today and just keeps getting better everyday.
Have a great day everyone!!!
ox~N

I'm Baaaaaacccckkkkk....

I'm home and what an amazing weekend. I have never felt so loved, blessed, cared for and challenged in my life! I know that the friendships I have made will last for the rest of my life.
Let me tell you about the food! It was such a wonderful blessing to be served. I didn't have to cook or clean up and that alone is a blessing in itself. There were always a lot of veggies and fruit with healthy proteins. I ate a lot of good stuff, but I have to say, it was difficult for me to resist some of the food I have been staying away from. Primarily, I ate well.
There was not a lot of exercising that I could do, but I was happy to know that my room was on the third floor of the retreat center and that was an excellent source for some exercise. On Friday evening after dinner I decided to run up the stairs to my room. I was working my legs really well, but I miss judged the railing post when I rounded one of the turns. I smashed my pinky and ring finger knuckles on the metal post. I heard a crack and I figured I cracked my knuckles. Suffice it to say the pain didn't dissipate, but rather quickly increased as the seconds and minutes passed. I thought, "Oh great, I'm so embarrassed." I went to one of the ladies who was in charge of providing for needs of this kind...lol  I went to her and asked for ice and an ace bandage. She very quickly got me some ice. What I didn't realize at the time was that she gave me HER ice pack that she needed for her shoulder. It brings tears to my eyes now just typing this. She started asking around for an ace bandage. After a while I bumped into one of the pastors on our weekend. He asked what happened and then he started asking around for an ace bandage. There wasn't any in the facility. So, the pastor when to one of the Father's who serve there (this facility is Mt. Alvernia) and he said he would take care of it. That's all I know from that point because a talk was being given and I needed to get to the chapel. After the talk, someone appeared with an ace bandage that was clearly just purchased. I don't know what time it was by then, but I think it was pretty late and to know that someone ran out and bought that just for me was incredible to me. Again, my eyes can't seem to stop leaking. I can't accurately put into words how much love that I have experienced. There is just no way to explain it. It is truly something that must be experienced.
There were a few nurses and PTs on this weekend who took a look at my hand. It looked pretty bad and they all recommended that I get it looked at by a doctor when I get home. Several people prayed for my hand to heal quickly and prayed that it wasn't broken, as I have been continually praying! Today, my hand is doing really well. I'm typing with both hands right now. It's still swollen, but everyday it's a little less swollen than the day before. Also, the pain is less and less everyday.
So, today I will try to get my Zumba in! I have missed it! Also, my eating will be more on track as well. I am missing all the amazing women with whom I spent this wonderful weekend experience. But I know that they are part of my life now and I will see them again soon!
Have a beautiful day everyone!!
ox~N