Enjoying the Pool in Brazil
Not the Biggest Loser…. March 4, 2010
How hard can it be to lose 7-8 pounds? Apparently pretty hard for me. So far I’ve only lost a couple of pounds at my biggest loser challenge at school. Others seem to be dropping 2-3 weekly. I know it’s because I don’t have a lot to lose, but STILL….
I’ve been exercising at least 4-5 times a week…still hard while maintaining my work and the girls’ sports schedules. I have been eating pretty well….watching my calorie intake, eating the right foods, and only indulging in 1 glass of wine a night. (Welllll…..except for last night out with the ladies where I had a super margarita and a glass of sangria…..) But a half a pound only came off this week. Blah.
Now, the hubby (aka Workout Nazi) says tonight has to be a killer workout since I didn’t lose my promised pound a week “goal”. Double blah. Only someone with the metabolism of a stoked furnace could be so blase’ about an hour plus workout after a day of dealing with 10-11 year olds. “Not looking forward to it” is the understatement of the year.
But, at least it’s a half pound in the right direction. I REALLY have to maintain my focus this week, because I have four young ladies in my classes that belong to the local Girl Scout troop. And it’s……COOKIE TIME! I sure know how to pick when to start dieting, don’t I? My youngest is sitting in the floor right now having a “snack” of Thin Mints and milk. I just drank a chocolate protein shake in prep of the proposed evening workout. Here’s hoping that will stave off those cookie cravings……yeah, right.
Workout Nazi…. February 20, 2010
He’s baaaaaaack….
I woke up today to a fresh cup of steaming coffee, a good night’s rest behind me. Looking forward to the day? Nope. Workout Nazi had already informed me that we had a two hour workout planned for this morning.
I got my breakfast in me…whole wheat bagel with egg on it. I’m not a huge breakfast eater, but today I wish I’d had more. Those approximately 250 calories didn’t last very long.
We started off with–once again–the devious Coach Troy and his Ultimate Conditioning dvd. One hour of cycle spinning, interspersed with squats, plyometrics, and pain, and I wished we were done. Alas, it was not to be.
Another hour of torture by the Workout Nazi Jeff’s exercise plan involved running intervals combined with upper body circuits. I can handle 8 minute runs, I told myself. Okaaayyyy….eight minutes run, five minutes of weights, eight minutes of running, etc. Over and over again….
Two hours. Sweat. Pain. Barked orders (his, not mine!) and I’m done. My legs and arms are wet noodles. But I have to admit, I feel like I accomplished something. Thanks to Workout Nazi, I lost 2 1/2 pounds last week for my Biggest Loser competition at school. He’s on a roll to make me lose at least another pound this week. I may just do it….but don’t tell him I said so.
More Random Stuff… February 5, 2010
Okay, I really wanna punch Puxatawney Phil in his fat little furry face, and say “Enough, already!” Please. Estimated 8 more inches today.
There is not enough wine in the world to compensate when your husband is home with you on a snowy weekend. Visions of snuggles, romantic dinners, candlelight, etc…..out the window. Mr. Type A was into laundry, dishes, softball drills, working out like a banshee brandishing a whip. His new name is “Cleaning Nazi”. Because he makes US do it.
As per the banshee-induced workouts….it was my own damn fault. Last time I try to do the right thing and buy that boy some new cycling dvds so he doesn’t get “bored” with his spinning routine. He also doesn’t like working out alone. READ: I really wanna vomit on this bicycle, but I know who’ll have to clean it up! (See Cleaning Nazi comment above)
Biggest Loser started this week at my school. I’m in charge. I do the weigh ins. Talk about temptation. It’s not the chocolate, wine, or martinis I’m talking, either. It’s the temptation that I’m the ONLY one who knows ten people’s weights. And some of them aren’t all that pretty. Just saying. Treat me NICE….
Speaking of Biggest Loser….my weight for the weigh in yesterday was the best of the bunch!!! I was happy. BUT…it’s kinda scary weighing in your clothes, after school, after eating and drinking all day. The number was a bit higher than what I’m used to seeing in the morning. But I guess it’s all relative. I will be weighing every time under those circumstances, so better get used to it!
I may just head to that tropical island yet…..I’m not giving up. Hopefully the Biggest Loser competition will tickle my competitive bone into finally getting rid of these last few pounds. Fingers crossed. Now, I’ve got to go get ready to work out. “Workout Nazi” is on his way home, and he’s already called to say he wants me to do the cycling workout with him when he arrives. Better go grab a barf bag…..
As if I didn’t do enough already…. January 31, 2010
Have you ever had moments when you think, “What did I just do?” Or “What did I just sign on for?” Well, today I spent a couple of hours on the computer (NO, not just on facebook!) But it really was for a very good cause. Those of you that know me well know that I love the show, “The Biggest Loser”. All that fat being turned into toned, taut physiques….all those catty comments….all that backstabbing….I just love it! And Jillian Michaels, well, she’s my nemesis hero.
Jillian and Bob make the contestants work out for six hours a day, teach them about food and fitness, and push them emotionally, physically, spiritually. When they’re done with them, they really ARE a new person. Well, for the last year, I’ve been trying hard to turn this 45 year old body into something other than a dumpy, middle-aged couch potato. Biggest Loser gives me motivation. How many of us haven’t thought, “Wow, if THEY can do it….I can do it!” Trouble is, I haven’t quite gotten the art of my own motivation yet.
So, a friend recently competed in her company’s own version of The Biggest Loser. The participants put in a registration fee, and worked out on their own, dieted, etc. and weighed in each week. At the end of the program, the Biggest Loser (henceforth known as the BL since I’m damned tired of typing it) got the registration bucks. In her case, it was in the hundreds. I got the knucklehead inspired idea to start a BL club at my school.
Once I began the sign up process, I realized that I needed to provide the participants with the one thing that always lacked for me…..motivation! So, I decided to set it up where the participants would weigh in weekly, and the BL every week would get a little “mini” prize. Sort of an enticement to keep going. I also thought that it would benefit them to get a fitness tip and a healthy recipe each week. Soooooo…….you guessed it, a couple of hours later on the computer, I’ve done my Excel spreadsheet to chart their progress, found a great exercise comparison chart for calories burned, and found a comfort food recipe called Broccoli Cheese Chowder for them to try to brave these cold winter nights.
BROCCOLI-CHEESE CHOWDER:
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 large onion, chopped
- 1 large carrot, diced
- 2 stalks celery, diced
- 1 large potato, peeled and diced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon dry mustard
- 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 2 14-ounce cans vegetable broth, or reduced-sodium chicken broth
- 8 ounces broccoli crowns, (see Ingredient Note), cut into 1-inch pieces, stems and florets separated
- 1 cup shredded reduced-fat Cheddar cheese
- 1/2 cup reduced-fat sour cream
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
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Preparation
- Heat oil in a Dutch oven or large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add onion, carrot and celery; cook, stirring often, until the onion and celery soften, 5 to 6 minutes. Add potato and garlic; cook, stirring, for 2 minutes. Stir in flour, dry mustard and cayenne; cook, stirring often, for 2 minutes.
- Add broth and broccoli stems; bring to a boil. Cover and reduce heat to medium. Simmer, stirring occasionally, for 10 minutes. Stir in florets; simmer, covered, until the broccoli is tender, about 10 minutes more. Transfer 2 cups of the chowder to a bowl and mash; return to the pan.
- Stir in Cheddar and sour cream; cook over medium heat, stirring, until the cheese is melted and the chowder is heated through, about 2 minutes. Season with salt.
Not Too Shabby…. January 8, 2010
Soooooo……how did the first week of 2010 go for you? We’re one week in, and I have to say I did better than I WAS doing at the end of 2009. I’ve gotten in three workouts (will be four today since I’m OFF from school!), so that’s progress. I need to do some running around for the girls tomorrow, but there’s hope for another one squeezed in tomorrow afternoon.
Nutritionally, my appetite has been off this week…..way off. Totally unusual for me, the girl who can eat through good moods or bad. I really haven’t felt like eating much of anything. Don’t know what’s up with that, but I know I’m not sick, cuz it didn’t put a dent in my total vino consumption. I’ve nibbled cheese and olives, pita chips and stuff like that, but sitting down to a plate of food? I sit and it just looks unappetizing. Oh well, better enjoy it while I can.
Lots of illnesses are floating around my school at the moment, so my next greatest hope is staying well so that I CAN continue as I started off 2010. There’s nothing more sucky than getting in a good routine of working out, cutting back on food, then coming down with something that knocks you for a loop for a week or more. Looking back over my 2009 posts, that happened a couple of times to me, and it took me awhile to get back on track. So, fingers crossed to ward off evil germs.
All in all, not too shabby of a start to the new year. I’m not weighing….just sayin’….I hate those numbers. Here’s hoping I can gauge my success on looser pants in the coming week. How has YOUR year started off?
Start a New Year as You Mean to Go ON! January 1, 2010
This past week I was bad. Really bad. We vacationed in Nags Head, NC for several days while the hubby went swan, goose, and duck hunting…..and I ate. And drank. And shopped. And ate some more. And drank. And drank. And drank….you get the picture.
Now I have to pay the piper. I will not get on the scale, because I don’t want my self worth to be measured by some stupid number that pops up and crushes my ego. Who weighs themselves after the week I’ve enjoyed? Only a sado-masochist would. I will not even post how many glasses of wine or raspberry cosmos I consumed. And they were DARN good.
Suffice it to say that I indulged a bit too much. But I had fun. And isn’t that what life is all about? Finding a balance between having fun (within limits) and a healthful lifestyle. I know I am not able to eat/drink like this all the time. But I will not regret a great week, with great friends, at a great place.
Today we begin a new year….2010. I reflected on this past year. What I did well, what I did….not so well. And the thing I see is that I really didn’t eat or drink horribly ALL the time, but I really could have worked out a bit more by the end of the year. I DID kind of let my workouts slide due to the job (an excuse). So today, I pulled out the workout wear, slipped in a power yoga dvd, and got my groove on.
Tonight’s dinner is chicken breasts, onions, garlic, herbs, carrots, peppers, and mushrooms, sealed in aluminum foil and baked. We’ll have a little rice with it, and yeah, even a glass of vino. But yoga in the morning, and a healthy dinner at night? Yeah, I can live with that. Start your year off right, and continue as you mean to go on. That’s my new mantra.
Twas the Week Before Christmas December 22, 2009
Twas the week before Christmas, when all through the ‘hood
Everybody was slowin’ to look where they should.
The Wyatt’s was gleaming, the wreaths hung with care
The reindeer and snowman were quite the lawn pair.
The children were nestled, but whining all day
About laptops and Wii games and things they could play.
Big Daddy in his running pants, and I in my sweats
Could we make it this Christmas? Off went the bets.
When up through the pipes there arose such a smell
I sprang from my couch to say “What the hell???”
Away to the yard we all flew like a flash
Soon we both knew it would take reams of cash.
The sun on the breast of the newly turned earth
Soon told us the story of our lowered net worth.
When what to my watering eyes should appear
But a superman hubby in rubber boot gear.
With sleeves rolled up high, and thank God, a plugged nose
He got down to business attacking that hose.
He hit the main line, crap flew a mile high
But hubby’s determined, he’s quite a swell guy.
“Now drainfield, now septic, now distribution box,
I’ll fix this quite quickly, I’ll dig out those rocks.
I’ll buy me a pipe from Lowe’s down the street,
This problem will BE solved, and it won’t repeat!!!”
As dry leaves that before the first snowstorm will whirl
Hubby makes this mom one real happy girl.
So out to the ditches he flew and got started
I watched in amazement as he scrambled and darted.
And then in a twinkling, I heard in the pipes
The water was flowing, that certainly was nice.
I drew in my head, and looked in the bath
Now girlies and hubby no longer faced my wrath.
I could clean up the mess that had pooled in the tub
In the shower and toilets, but now here’s the rub:
We can’t ask the man who caused this great mess
To pay for the cost of repairing the rest!
Jeff was dressed all in mud and other foul matter
His tools were piled high and made such a clatter.
The stump of a beer he held tight in his teeth
And the stench it encircled his head like a wreath.
He had a narrow face, and little soul patch
His energy continued, he’s quite the good catch.
A wink of his eye and a nod of his head
I knew what he expected when we got in bed.
He spoke not a word, but went straight to get clean
He didn’t fill stockings, his pockets were lean.
And laying a finger beside his gray hair
He soon fell asleep in his great easy chair.
He lay there so peacefully, so calm in repose
He snored quite a bit through his elegant nose.
But I heard him exclaim ‘fore he faded away
“I saved this poor family a few bucks today!”
Merry Christmas to all, and to all a Good Night!
Hope you enjoyed my “inspired” version of the poem….this past week was a challenge!!
What the crap??? Literally…. December 15, 2009
Obviously, my blogging has fallen by the wayside since going back to work this fall. Call me a laggart, call me lazy, call me a working mom, loving wife, teacher, etc. but hey…..shit happens. Literally.
I really HAVE been squeezing in some workouts here and there. Not as often as I’d like, but they have happened. A balance is somewhat difficult to find, when you’re also trying to get to children’s sporting events, dances, etc. And then there’s the above mentioned “shit happens”.
A couple of weeks ago, we noticed bubbling water standing in our yard. Not a good sign, by any stretch of the imagination. All the rain we had this fall led us to believe that something was going wrong with our drainfield. So, we had a septic guy out to check our tank. Our beautiful twenty year old cherry tree’s roots were growing down into the tank and distribution box.
Just when you’re paying real estate and personal property taxes (and of course, gearing up for a visit by the big guy in the red fur suit), you do NOT want to have to fork out money for septic issues. OR have a favorite tree ripped up by the roots. Our family Easter pictures were always taken out under that blooming tree. Alas, the tree had to go, the roots pulled up, the tank cleaned out. Voila. Done deal. Or so we thought.
Yesterday we had the pleasure of watching all the water (and I use the term very loosely) in all our pipes back up into our toilets, showers, tubs, etc. All day yesterday we couldn’t use any water. All today. Poor hubby had to stay home from work and try to figure out what the crap was going on. It’s a good thing he’s such a superman and handy man. He dug up the distribution box. No problem there. Dug up the tank. No worries. He figured the blockage had to be between the tank and house. Running a so-called “snake” into the pipe (don’t ask me specifics…I tried NOT to be involved at all), he discovered a total blockage just past the tank…..right where my beloved tree….used…to….be. Hmmmm. Digging down, he discovered that the machinery that pulled up my tree also managed to bust the main pipe leading to our house.
For close to two weeks now, we have unsuspectingly been showering, flushing, and washing to our heart’s content. And then the pipe ran out of room. Sigh. Things are clean and back to normal, but it’s not an experience I’d want to relive any time soon.
Since the next few days are going to be hectic in the extreme, I want to wish everyone who happens to stop by (and I don’t kid myself….I have been on so seldom it would be a wonder if anyone DOES read this!)…..a VERY MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!! Blessings on you and yours…
Gotta Get the Hang of This!!! September 28, 2009
Weekdays suck. I get up, shower, get Madeline up (she leaves earlier than me or Mackenzie with Jeff), fix her breakfast, get the coffee ready, shoo her and Jeff out the door, get Mackenzie up, feed her…sometimes get to eat myself…..you get the idea.
Then, teach all day, stay after most days for Kenzie’s soccer practice, get home, start dinner, help her with homework if she has questions, we eat, Maddy and Jeff usually eat later when they come in, clean the kitchen, start at least one load of laundry….when the heck am I gonna squeeze in exercise?
I started out the way I intended to go on….working out about three days the first week, maybe two last week, this week…..nada. Not one weekday. I felt like such a failure! Other people have children, work, home life, and they manage to squeeze in a short workout. I feel run over by a Mack truck in the evenings. Out of all week, I got in one good workout today…and Jeff browbeat me into it.
Why is it so hard to motivate myself to get back into this? I wanted to start work at school again…but I hate working out in the morning. I already get up earlier than I need to, to make sure Maddy and Jeff have what they need as they head out the door. The thought of getting up even EARLIER makes me want to hurl. Definitely NOT a morning person. That means I’ve GOT to make changes….I’ve GOT to get serious…or I’m going to gain weight over this winter. Eck.
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