Perfect Week...HERE I COME!!

So.. today starts the perfect week challenge and I am ready! I went to 3 different stores yesterday (Sams, Sprouts, Walmart) to prepare myself to be perfect with my food!! I'm really excited to have a perfect week... ESPECIALLY since I've been dealing with bloating and a less than abundant supply of foods I feel good about the last couple days.... So I am PREPARED foodwise to do well... I have slipped on the water as I've increased my coffee intake SO... I'm limiting my coffee intake. SERIOUSLY one cup of coffee a day! THAT'S IT!! (This would be down from like 6 cups a day!)

Exercise will be easy for me.. as it is very integrated into my life. I've got dates with Brandy MWF @ 5am and dates with SPINN class TTh @ 5:30 am and Saturday @ 9 am. My husband fixed my bike trailer/double stroller yesterday so I'm hoping to use that as an excuse to get out and run a couple miles today. Got to try it out. ;o) In general... I DO NOT EXERCISE ON SUNDAYS!! I continue to work on posture. It's a big deal... I don't want to be hunchbacked forever... and I do want to get optimal results from my workouts.

I want you guys and gals to know that this it totally possible. I actually believe that there were months (ESPECIALLY April) that I had an entire perfect MONTH! It's about focusing on your goal and making up your mind to get there. GO FOR IT!!

Guess WHAT?

My hair is RED! ;o)
I was bored! Now to change the rest of me. So much to do with my body.. not sure where to begin. I want to be below 18% body fat. I'll get there! ;o)

PMS

Okay.. so I have been a total slacker. It's this weird cycle I go through when I'm doing the whole "having normal periods thing". When I am pmsy.. I don't want to do anything. I don't want to read blogs... and I haven't... for like A WEEK!! OY! Today I am devoted to reading a whole lot of blogs and COMMENTING!! Sorry that I have not been the support I should be. But isn't it nice to know I'm human?! ;o)
I've been doing some good in the world even if I haven't been online as much. I've started doing 5 am workouts.. and it's been a lot of fun. I've been studying like crazy and passing off these quizzes so I can get my certification!! It's entertaining... but there is SO much information.. HOLY COW!! I also have my CPR/AED certification tonight. Should be good times. I am hoping I will be the only one in the class. THAT WOULD ROCK!! Talk about getting in and getting out! ;o)
The highlight of the week thus far... the one that made me giddy... was when this AWESOME trainer at the local gym told me she would be more than willing to let me shadow her. You have no idea how worried/stressed I've been about getting hands on experience. I'm seriously STOKED!!
Now...... I need to get my focus back to water intake and nutrition. These two things are the KEYS to success! ;o) Hope everyone is having a fantastic week! The countdown has nearly begun!! WOW!! I can't believe February is almost over! AHH!!!

Healthy!!

I was checking out Oh She Glows and loved her newest contest.. so here is my entry!!

The idea totally appealed to me! I mean, as I've lost weight people all want to know what my "goal weight " is and I honestly don't have one. I've gotten wrapped up in sizes and now I'm over it. It really is about being HEALTHY... and so.. these are those pants from my anniversary weekend... check out the size! WAhoo!! HEALTHY!! LOVE IT! ;o)

Grocery list!

So.. we went to the store on Saturday and I made sure to get ingredients to make several yummy dinners.. [although the eggplant lasagna i made tonight was a total flop]. What I FORGOT to get at the store is stuff for me!! You know.. the foods I EAT on a daily basis. I got stuff for my hubbies lunches which = tempting crap.. but nothing for me! I'm not sure what happened but this has all resulted in a pretty bad couple of days for me as far as nutrition goes. I also took another trip up to Estes with my cousin yesterday.. which resulted in the consumption of two VERY YUMMY mochas... umm... + no exercise. Where am I going with this? IDK.. it's just been a rough few days with little exercise and not so great food choices and I feel like POOP! Physically... I swear I'm going to bed early tonight.
LUCKILY.. my company is gone, my neighbor is all moved in (they had a huge moving truck in front of my driveway today) and I have 2 workout dates tomorrow! One for spin at 5:30 and one with Brandy at 9. After that I'm going to the grocery store for some much needed FOOD!! Mushrooms, spinach, chicken, berries, oats, leeks, sandwich thins, turkey, peppers, oranges, bananas, lemons, wahoo... I'm STARVING for yummy nutritious stuff. You know it's desperate when I'm able to convince myself that sunchips aren't "so bad"! ;o)

New blog!

Hmm... I have been having a hard time figuring out where I'm going with this blog. I kind of feel like my new posts just aren't what people are looking for. SOOO.... I started a new "project", a blog where I can write about fitness and nutrition and not feel like this isn't what my audience is here to see. I, OF COURSE, will continue to post on here... but I'm going to start posting recipes, exercise tips etc... @ http://karisfitnessfun.blogspot.com . Hopefully this makes sense! THANKS TO ALL OF YOU WHO CONTINUE TO SUPPORT ME IN MY TRIUMPHS AND STRUGGLES!! YOU KEEP ME GOING! :o)

Weekend

Hmm.. life has been a lot of fun lately. We've been doing a lot of things as a family. My husband got a new bike and I got his old one (which I LOVE!!). The personal training program is coming along AND I got a NEW HEART RATE MONITOR!!

I'm super excited about it! I love that it's pink. Kind of an inside joke but basically, since I have four boys and I'm the only one in my house who has the opportunity to "wreak of feminine beauty" I generally buy A LOT of pink! ;o) I am taking a Spinn class twice a week (starts tomorrow!) that is about cardiac health and how to USE the heart rate monitor. I'm sure this is a topic I will get into in my Personal Training certification.. but I'm really excited for the opportunity to learn more about heart health, fat burn zones, cardiac health zones, etc... WHILE exercising!! I'm also excited to announce that I've made it through ALL OF THE CHAPTERS ON ANATOMY and physiology which means... I'm into the chapters on the actual science of exercise!!! I'm so excited to learn how to develop exercise programs for clients and to assess their needs and help them overcome obstacles! YAY!! I'm concentrating strongly on my posture. It's SO IMPORTANT for overall strength and CONFIDENCE. Yesterday we were grocery shopping and I totally felt like PUKING.. but I walked around wal-mart rockin' my pecs.. it was pretty dang funny! I am enjoying reading your blogs. The 2nd month is always harder than the first. The weight doesn't come off the same and it's easy to lose motivation. Just don't lose MOMENTUM!! Keep working towards your goals. :o)

Life

Today I feel kind of crappy.. my throat is a little sore.. but my head is the big problem here.. my neck is sore too. I'm eating an egg white omelet with little enthusiasm and contemplating whether or not I'm going to feel up to spin class tomorrow (I have to call in 12 minutes to reserve my spot!). I've been studying my Personal Training stuff and have taken a few quizzes. There are 33 quizzes altogether.. hopefully by todays end I will have finished 6 of them. I was planning on heading to the gym today.. maybe I'll take a nap instead. The last thing I want to do is beat my body up when it's functioning at 50% and take twice as long to get better!
BLAH!!
Here's to hoping I feel much better tomorrow!

Dear...

Dear Large Breasted Woman at the Gym:
I couldn't help but notice you attempting to "run" on the treadmill yesterday. The idea that you would show up in a camisole and a regular bra was enough to make me giggle. Your workout buddy staring at your bouncing bossoms the entire time was also quite funny (maybe he is your boyfriend?). May I suggest you invest in a VERY SUPPORTIVE sports bra before you attempt to run again. It's no wonder you only lasted about 30 seconds running at a time... OUCH!!
Sincerely,
Kari :o)

Archives

So... occasionally I like to just look in my archives and see what I posted a year ago. Today my post was one that actually meant something to me. I had my hubby take a pic before we went out on a date because I thought that some day I would be grateful he had... interesting enough.. it made for a great before and after "date night" pic! This first pic was after I had already lost about 20 lbs... so insane! I actually was feeling pretty dang sexy that night... although I hated taking the pic.. thus the weird face. Regardless... it feels amazing to put it side by side and see how far I've come. One year... what a difference!

Personal Training?! :)

So... I have been pretty sure for a while that I want to become certified as a personal trainer. I've got some good feedback from people who tell me that I am a perfect candidate! There are a few things that make me really want to do it!

#1- I love helping/motivating people... and I absolutely value having a personal trainer. There is nothing better than having someone on your side who KNOWS you can do it.. even when you aren't so sure!

#2- I've been told that I have an advantage in the industry because I've "been there". We'll call it a "relatability factor" that some trainers don't get. Not fair to them... but when people look at their trainer and say.. "you don't know how I feel..." many of them don't. But.. I GET IT!!

#3- Becoming a personal trainer increases my odds of keeping this weight off FOREVER!! Who doesn't want that?!?!?

AND SO!!!!

I enrolled in a certification program! I'm SOOO excited and by May I will be a certified personal trainer. In the mean time, I'm going to attempt to take on "practice clients". I'm gathering up a few more items so I will have all the equipment I need to train people in my basement! SO SO EXCITED!!! I'm thinking that next week I will start experimenting on my friend Kari. Bwah ha ha.. what a brave soul. Between now and then I need to make up an awesome waiver about me not knowing what the hell I'm doing! ;o)

Pics from Estes Park!!

Kay.. we finally got the pics back from Estes Park. We did the "bad adults traveling without children" thing and COMPLETELY forgot the camera. We had to settle for throw away [not digital] cameras and then there was a mix up with our film and it felt like forever to get the pics. Anyway.. wanted to post some of my favs! ;o)

After spending a weekend there we concluded we want to live there someday! It's incredibly beautiful.
This dollhouse is a replica of the Stanley Hotel that was APPARENTLY used in the making of Stephen Kings miniseries "The Shining".

D and I outside of room 217 in the Stanely Hotel.. apparently.. that's kind of a big deal! ;o)

And finally.. pics of the "sexy outift" I bought for our dinner!! What do you think?

Just Braggin' ;o)

So.. I didn't get to do spinn class tonight. I spaced it yesterday and forgot to call. It's kind of a pain. You have to call no sooner than 24 hours before the class to reserve your spot. Since class starts at 6:30, this means that if you don't call between 6:30 and 6:40, you won't get in. Last night I was taking dinner to a friend who just had a baby and missed the 10 minute window! CRAP!! So today I decided I would go to the gym anyway and work out on the treadmill. I've done treadmill classes in the past and have also noticed my spinn instructors seem to be printing workouts off the internet so I thought I'd google "5 mile treadmill workouts." I LOVE GOOGLING!!! So... I found a workout that was just incline. Pick your pace, increase incline... it looked like this:

1 mile 1% [incline]

.75 mile 2% [incline]

.5 mile 3% [incline]

.5 mile 4% [incline]

.5 mile 3% [incline]

.75 mile 2% [incline]

1 mile 1% [incline]

For a total of 5 miles. ALL WITH INCLINE!!

So I headed over to the gym determined to do this. I am going to admit that I have not ran except for one time since the half marathon in November!! Yeah... I know.. total slacker. I've been spinning 3 times a week and doing p90x 5-6 days a week... it's just cold outside and I was injured after the 1/2... anyway... I arrived at the gym completely unsure what my pace would be. I'm not really a fan of treadmill AKA dreadmill running HOWEVER... I was AMAZED at how eager my body was to run! I was able to run the entire 5 miles at 6.5 MPH!! AND I did the incline!!! 5 miles in 46 minutes and 10 seconds WITH incline!! I'm SO EXCITED!!!!

One year ago I was just starting to run. I was running for 3 minutes at a time at 4.5 mph back then!! Isn't it amazing how much can change in one year?

Kind of a big deal!

I realized last night that I have managed to maintain a weight of 120- 122 lbs for 3 months now!! This has been DONE while facing a BIG MOVE for our family, Thanksgiving, Christmas, New years, and an Anniversary!! I'm pretty excited about this. Hooray for living life and NOT gaining weight in the process. It's possible!

Scattered random NOT TMI...

This weekend was a lot fun... with a little disappointment. There was a lot of trickiness going on. Let's see. It's pretty obvious that there is some resentment towards exercise and diet going on in my marriage. So... I spent this weekend NOT exercising and trying not to be overly obsessive about what I ate. I still made the best available decisions, but I tried not to get too crazy and just eat wherever we were eating. I also was able to get a lot of WALKING in! My hubby was totally willing to walk up and down streets with me... but... I didn't get any real cardio or strength training in. There was a gym at the resort we stayed at but I decided that I needed to spend this weekend doing things TOGETHER.
Now I'm home and ready to bust it out. I'm just going through a lot of "stuff" in my head. I am feeling very ALONE... on the plus side.. this gives me more focus during my workouts. On the flip side... anger/hurt all the time is hard to deal with.