In February, I committed online via this blog to continue thinning in anticipation of Cincinnati's Flying Pig 5K on May 5th.
I'm happy to say that 2 1/2 months later, I am still thinning. Yay!
I have stayed motivated to walk almost daily and even begin to attempt jogging a few times in between. I must confess - I'm no runner. My knees don't like me too much. I will say, however, that it has become easier the more I try it out. At this point, I'm planning to jog a bit more than originally thought in a few weeks during the 5K. Here's hoping the excitement that day will give me the additional push I need to jog just a little bit more. :)
I'm encouraged to continue because I am losing weight too. It's small steps, and it's decreasing. I'm also paying a bit more attention to additional movement (LOL), which can be defined in many ways: jump roping, a 10-minute cardio workout from SparkPeople.com, or just a few Wii Fit exercises with my favorite Wii "Buff." I'm not all about exercise, but I am trying. And that's what counts.
A couple highlights from my Thinning Journey:
* I am more willing to go outside with my kids and play.
* I don't get out of breath as fast.
* I ask them to walk with me.
* I jogged from the stop sign to the park without stopping and actually could breathe!
* I eat fiber and apples and a lot less of those pesky things called calories - - and I haven't died yet.
* I can feel the muscles in my belly working - - and they are very unhappy.
* Those same belly muscles are very slowly starting to peek through the diminishing rolls of fat.
* I have a new friend. His name is H2O. He and I go everywhere together.
In March, I took a break from all this thinning stuff and took time to write my mother-in-law a song for her 65th birthday. What a wonderful woman and I'm so blessed to have joined an amazing family. Later in the month, I took another break to write my mom a song for her 60th birthday. I have known her a lot longer, so I was able to include additional verses and get a little more creative. Normally, I come up with a quirky poem or card. For these special occasions, I took things to the "next step" and fortunately, both moms enjoyed their gifts immensely!
Motivation is the key at this point. The 5K is just a few weeks away. Great news is that I have a few more motivation points to continue my journey through the year and then maintain from there:
* May - 5K (can I simply 1/2 walk, 1/2 jog and not die? that's the motivation!)
* June - Family Reunion (I haven't seen or met some of this family for ages!)
* July - Beach Vacation (ah....will I be able to take off my shirt this year?)
* and the kicker - November - My 40th Birthday (what do I want to feel like at age 40? you'll see...)
Taking time for family and work and me all takes balance. A daily decision to keep in balance.
I choose to make those decisions.
Until next time....
Tried Something New Today
It's interesting how God works through people. My friend, Sarah Mitchell, sang with me (and others) this past Sunday. Like me, she is rediscovering herself through weight loss - and we had the opportunity to talk about it a little bit, between praise songs! :) The result was an invitation to visit her workplace and get "profiled." Full support in mind, I said yes - -and was pretty interested, too!
[My introverted nature doesn't like it when the tiny part of me says "hey, let's try something new today!"
I'm glad I continue to let that part of me "win" as much as possible. Today was one of those times.]
I had the most enjoyable time today at Vibe! Located along the bike path in Loveland and just down the way from work, I took my lunch break to drive over there for lunch. What a FUN atmosphere! A little yellow house with a cute purple porch, in the style you'd expect in quaint Loveland, Ohio. Upon entering I was greeted by Sarah and her very friendly co-workers. After a quick "hi", we moved right to lunch (I liked that!). We moved to a smaller room with a large counter and a most-friendly hostess, who was a joy to speak to. For the life of me, I can't remember her name, but she was oh-so-nice and showed me just what I had gotten myself into. The menu was simple: 1 cleanser, 1 drink, and 1 shake.
[Hmmmm....I'm drinking my lunch? Interesting....and definitely fits the bill for "something new"]
Honestly I was trying to listen and take in the atmosphere all at the same time. I kinda missed some of the initial information. But the drinking parts were awesome. First the cleanser looked like water in a shot glass. And oh! The water tasted like mango. Yum. To me, it felt like a palate cleaner. From what I recall, it helps digestion. [I'd drink it again, for sure]
Then the drink. Lots of options: house lemonade, tea, raspberry - - - once she said "raspberry" I stopped listening. I got cold raspberry tea and it was scrumptious.
Lastly and most importantly, the main course. What type of shake do I want? Well...what are my options? Turning around, I was introduced to the huge list of options: grasshopper, blueberry cheesecake, something, something, something, oooh. chocolate chip. Yes. that's the one!
Like Campbell's Soup, it's MMMMMM....MMMMM....GOOD!!!
[While these things were happening, we were chatting a bit and I filled out some information forms. Sarah helped explain what it was I was drinking/eating. And once I was sipping my shake, we moved to the larger room for the "profile."]
The profile process was quick, easy, and quite enjoyable. I say that because I felt pretty comfortable in the space, happy with my lunch shake, and at ease with Sarah as my guide. She hooked up funny little sticky things to monitor my metabolism and then we just chatted about my health/weight goals, my specific calculations, and my nutrition/health plans.
What a FUN, NEW experience to take part in! Thanks, Sarah Mitchell, for a wonderfully pleasant experience! For those in the Cincinnati area, I highly recommend the place - - and the shakes - - as an option for lunch, an option for weight loss incentive, and an option for meeting new friends!
[My introverted nature doesn't like it when the tiny part of me says "hey, let's try something new today!"
I'm glad I continue to let that part of me "win" as much as possible. Today was one of those times.]
I had the most enjoyable time today at Vibe! Located along the bike path in Loveland and just down the way from work, I took my lunch break to drive over there for lunch. What a FUN atmosphere! A little yellow house with a cute purple porch, in the style you'd expect in quaint Loveland, Ohio. Upon entering I was greeted by Sarah and her very friendly co-workers. After a quick "hi", we moved right to lunch (I liked that!). We moved to a smaller room with a large counter and a most-friendly hostess, who was a joy to speak to. For the life of me, I can't remember her name, but she was oh-so-nice and showed me just what I had gotten myself into. The menu was simple: 1 cleanser, 1 drink, and 1 shake.
[Hmmmm....I'm drinking my lunch? Interesting....and definitely fits the bill for "something new"]
Honestly I was trying to listen and take in the atmosphere all at the same time. I kinda missed some of the initial information. But the drinking parts were awesome. First the cleanser looked like water in a shot glass. And oh! The water tasted like mango. Yum. To me, it felt like a palate cleaner. From what I recall, it helps digestion. [I'd drink it again, for sure]
Then the drink. Lots of options: house lemonade, tea, raspberry - - - once she said "raspberry" I stopped listening. I got cold raspberry tea and it was scrumptious.
Lastly and most importantly, the main course. What type of shake do I want? Well...what are my options? Turning around, I was introduced to the huge list of options: grasshopper, blueberry cheesecake, something, something, something, oooh. chocolate chip. Yes. that's the one!
Like Campbell's Soup, it's MMMMMM....MMMMM....GOOD!!!
[While these things were happening, we were chatting a bit and I filled out some information forms. Sarah helped explain what it was I was drinking/eating. And once I was sipping my shake, we moved to the larger room for the "profile."]
The profile process was quick, easy, and quite enjoyable. I say that because I felt pretty comfortable in the space, happy with my lunch shake, and at ease with Sarah as my guide. She hooked up funny little sticky things to monitor my metabolism and then we just chatted about my health/weight goals, my specific calculations, and my nutrition/health plans.
What a FUN, NEW experience to take part in! Thanks, Sarah Mitchell, for a wonderfully pleasant experience! For those in the Cincinnati area, I highly recommend the place - - and the shakes - - as an option for lunch, an option for weight loss incentive, and an option for meeting new friends!
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