no more messing around

I ate a really big lunch today, it was too big but it was delicious.  I then ate "snacks" for dinner but I really was still full from lunch so I didn't over do it.  I washed it down with a beer that was also delicious.

I got home around 7:25 and got myself ready for the 8:30 Moksha Yoga class I love.  During the class while breathing deeply and trying not to tip over I noticed a belly roll as a bent over to the right and the same roll appeared when I bent over to the left.  I was thinking to myself...that use to be gone and now it is back.  That was enough for me to realize enough is enough and it's time to get serious.

Now, by getting serious I don't mean tracking every single item I eat but what it does mean is that I am back to eating a lot more fruits and veggies, way less breads and pastas and way less beef.  I already started planning out some meals to prepare over the weekend but I think the sheppards pie is going to be modified or cancelled!  It also means that I don't care what it takes I am getting in a hardcore workout four days a week.  Seriously, enough is enough! I have to dig deep and find my skinny self, she IS in there, I just have to push through until I am face to face with her and mirror and never let her out of my sight again!

I was just thinking about a girl I used to chat with on previous forums I was on.  She struggled and struggled for over a year and it was funny that I never understood how she felt and why didn't she just do what she needed to do to see results.  It is amazing and more and more I am reminded that until you walk in someones shoes you really have no idea what it's like for them.  I am where she was so I need to take my advice and decide to change my habits and as my avatar use to read... JUST DO IT!

Slow and steady...

I am getting back on the workout bandwagon. Last Saturday my two week cold finally got kicked to the curb and I climbed about 1200 stairs on the stepper I got. Sunday afternoon I ventured out to a hot yoga class and the instructor Sarah kicked out butts! Tonight I climbed over 1700 stairs in just over 30 minutes so I know I will be able to climb the CN tower. I just need to keep pushing and climbing higher as I know doing it for real is going to be a lot harder than pushing these pedals!

I had picked up my blackberry last weekend and was going to track my calories but decided against it and put it down and stepped away. I am not going to become the calorie ingested, calorie burned tracking maniac I was a year ago. I am going to live with balance in mind as much as possible...why else did I get that tattoo (twice, don't ask its a long story)?!

I decided that I can eat treats but I have to keep up the activity and eat healthy as much as possible. So, tomorrow is appointments but back to yoga Thursday and Sunday and more cardio stair climbing in between, look out CN Tower, here I come!!

giving you the whole story

I met up with a long time friend this evening for coffee and we got to talking about blogging.  She is one of the reasons why I started blogging in the first place so I guess it's only natural our conversation went there.  She suggested that I not only share the good times with you, but the bad and maybe even the ugly too (that is my dad's favorite movie coming out there lol I lost count how many times we watched it) so here goes...

It is no secret that for the past six months my focus has been less than stellar.  I have commented before how during 2010 I had goals and specific events that were driving my motivation and for the past few months there really hasn't been anything to focus on specifically and I really believe that has been my downfall.  I know I have gained back approximately 15 of 65 pounds I lost and I noticed changes in my mood, energy level and of course fitness level.  Losing the weight is half the game (if that), keeping the weight off is the defensive side to the game that many of us fall down at, some of us are great losers but when it comes to keeping that weight off we realize it sometimes is harder than we thought.

So, how do we do it?  How do we strengthen the defense so we don't over work the offense? Am I watching too much hockey these days?  I think for me, having those goals and events scheduled to work towards worked wonders for me and so far this year I have two different events lined up.  I already posted about registering for the CN Tower climb on April 16.  I just registered, literally, like five minutes ago to do the Toronto Waterfront Half Marathon...thanks to "she said I need a goal".  I have run 5km so far and now I am going to do over 21 km...at once, during the same session...I probably should be more scared than I am...but I know how great it feels to cross the finish line for events like this and that's what I am looking forward to, that and the massage after!

So on that note I am calling it a night...but I promise to post more often even if it's not about a great work out, even if it's about a "bad eating day" or anything else because at the end of the day I hope I can help not only myself with this blog, I hope I can help you too in realizing it's not a diet...it's a lifestyle and with that comes the ups and downs life can throw at us. We just have to learn how to bounce back and all will be well.

not much going on around here

today...I have a whole lot of nothing

I start out thinking that half the time then before I know it I have lots to say but today I really have nothing.  I have been battling a cold for the past week and my energy is still pretty drained so I have been taking it easy. 
 
Today I need to do some prep in the kitchen for dinner with friends tomorrow and a plans for tonight but that and some laundry will be about it.

The exercise I did manage to get from Sat-Tues was walking I don't know how far over the hard water to go ice fishing with my husband every day.  I know walking in snow is a lot more effort plus all the gear I was wearing had to add to the intensity as well but he pulled the sled of fishing gear so he definitely had a better workout. I mentioned that next time he goes he should take my heart rate monitor to see how many calories he is actually burning when he walks out a couple km each way.

how many flights?

I mentioned yesterday that I signed up for the World Wildlife Fund (not the WWE world wrestling entertainment) CN Tower Stair Climb.  It's about 1700 stairs give or take and to prepare for the event I got the Cardio Style ST100 stepper. 

Before you get too excited, it was 50 bucks at Canadian Tire, but that's not the point.  The point is, it will do the job to get me ready!

I put it together and after a few minutes of jury rigging the magnet the computer started working and I was able to track calories, time and stairs climbed. I figure I will wear my polar HRM too since it is a lot more accurate. 

I hopped on and went 300 stairs in 5 minutes, not bad since I haven't used a stepper since I was 15.  I remember it fondly, I purchased that stepper from Consumers Distributing with Christmas money I got and lost about 30lbs on it in just a few months...too bad that was half my life ago and many many pounds ago lol.

Anyway, I plan to get stepping 3 times a week and with such a compact machine there is NO reason why I can't watch the hockey game or a bit of TV with my hubby while stepping my way to 1700 steps.

I also realized on the computer, it counted both feet going up and down as 1, so I think technically I just have to go about 900 steps on the machine to prepare for the climb.  I think it might be better though to do the full 1700 just in case.

Motivation comes in many ways

I don't remember exactly when I met Marc, I just know it was years ago. I had been hired by his girlfriend in what I called my first real job. I was working for a growing software development company in Toronto and couldn't have been more excited.

Fast forward four years and Marc hired me to work in the health care software industry. I was very lucky to have the opportunity to work with Marc and learn from him. I will never forget my first day at that company. Marc picked me up during a terrible storm, we were flying to Ottawa to have a kickoff meeting for one of the projects I was going to manage. That was the one and only time I had seen an executive hold a meeting in socked feet. He was very professional and the presentation went really well until Marc opened the meeting for questions, someone asked if that was his first meeting without shoes on the room of 30 people all started giggling.

I found out last night that Marc passed away Friday after battling cancer. Participating in the WWF CN Tower Stair Climb event something Marc did for a few years and he even did it last year. I decided today that I would do the climb in Marc's memory since he is not here to do it. The climb is 1700 (give or take) stairs so tomorrow I am getting a stair climber to start training for the event.

information is powerful

I felt it was time to hop on the scale as I was avoiding it since November I think.  I was exactly where I figured I was weight wise, my water % was WAY too low and my fat % was way too high!    In the past I would have seen the number on the scale and been really depressed about it and probably gone and sabotaged myself with some really bad food, but not this time.  This time I didn't get upset or down on myself about it, I saw it as the information I needed to refocus myself.

I promptly got my butt on the treadmill and went for a run/walk session for 35 minutes.  I also adjusted the menu for this evening's get together and decided to go for some healthier options instead of fat-filled apps.  I have some shrimp and chicken marinating and will prepare an antipasto platter with multi gran baguettes and some very yummy cheeses. I know the cheese isn't the healthiest options...but I LOVE cheese and don't have it very often.

I have been struggling with exercising regularly as I have been working long hours lately and I know that is not a valid excuse as I have a home gym.  I think part of the problem is that I don't have a specific goal or event to focus on and use as motivation like I did last year.  I have to do some soul-searching and figure out what my goals will be to keep myself focused and on the wagon...my friends blog is titled "She said I need a goal" and that couldn't be more true!