Sickness Update

Update on what's going on this week:

I'm sick. Like, really sick. It started 2 nights ago, when I started getting the shivers. I am one who is normally cold (bad circulation in fingertips and toes), but give me a blanket, and I'll be fine. But I couldn't get warm that night, at all. I was shivering uncontrollably under 2 blankets. After 6 hours of sleeping uncomfortably in a chair in our den, I was finally warmed up. I got up (this is yesterday) and felt lousy all day. Fortunately, it was a snow day (number 15 million, I swear), and I didn't have anything going on all day. Then, last night, I felt fine, but couldn't make it up to my bed because I was so dead tired.

This morning, I woke up and BAM. It hit me. I couldn't move my limbs. I felt like I had gotten beaten up last night, and every muscle ached. I called off of work, as did Mom, who is feeling generally the same symptoms, but feeling them much worse. I woke up at 5:15 to see Dad off to work, and then went back to sleep until 7:30, when I woke up to have breakfast. I crawled back under the covers on the couch, and fell asleep until 10:30. I tried to lift my head, but it felt like my head was the size of a watermelon and weighed as much as one of those giant pumpkins you see winning fair prizes. I couldn't lift my arms and couldn't move my legs. I (begrudgingly) got off the couch and took 2 pain pills. Within 2 hours, I felt good enough to eat and had lunch. For the rest of the day, I felt ok, but very tired.

Mom started feeling better around 4:30...which is just when I started feeling worse. My nose started plugging up, my head felt full, and a sore throat is starting to form. Currently, my nose is super congested, so anytime I try to blow my nose....nothing happens except more plugging up....

Hopefully, next week will be a better week....as we creep closer to the Lent season and musical time, I'm afraid of how this cold/congestion crap will affect my accumulating schedule...

Motivation Monday

~Know your limitations, then defy them~

New Goal Sunday

Happy Sunday!

I'm off to a great start this week. This morning, after a FANTASTIC weekend at the music education professional development conference in Columbus, I had a healthy breakfast of a bowl of Special K Chocolatey Delight cereal with skim milk (clearly I love chocolate at all times of the day) and a glass of water. I filled up a water bottle and was on my way to the gym. I did gain some pounds back (3 to be precise) after not going to the gym for 1 week. I was up to 424.6 last week, but that number is already falling (I checked!).

My January fitness goal (even though I never told you) was to "up" the intensity of some of my workout in the gym. The long-term goal from this? Get the maximum benefit out of each workout. Here are some of the intensity boosts I've given myself lately at the gym: ramp up the incline to .5% during down times and 1% during small intervals on the treadmill; stop the treadmill halfway through for 30 seconds to catch my breath--stop for 15 seconds--stop for 10 seconds--stop for 5 seconds--don't stop (I made it through 15 minutes non-stop today!!!!); add 5 pounds to chest press (30-35-40), do 1 pushup, do 5 pushups, do 10 pushups;

Today, I upped the intensity by going non-stop on the treadmill, as in, not stopping at all during my 15 minutes! This is a big step for me. My palms were really sweaty and I was so self-conscious about how much I sweated onto the machine, but it felt so good!!

When I got home, I had (one of) my February goal(s): a healthy post-workout snack. I had lowfat vanilla yogurt with cereal pieces and a cup of diced pears.

In the middle of church, my stomach started making growling noises, and by the time I was done, I needed food, and STAT. Now I'm wondering if just a bowl of cereal is not enough for a good breakfast. I'll have to figure something else out...

My new goal this week is:

Have 1 frozen mocha and 1 fast-food meal per week

I can't believe it. If I can accomplish this goal, then I will be done with focusing on frozen mochas and can add other goals. Wow. It's been a long struggle, but I finally have those mochas and fast-food meals under control!!

Lastly, today, I put on this cardigan that I could never wear before because it looked painted on (especially in the arms). If you check out my Facebook or Twitter, I Instagrammed a pic of me wearing the cardigan with very baggy arms! I am a VERY happy person today. Have a great week!

Happy February!

It's month 2 of 2014 (wow, January went fast), and things are officially on a roll in my life. Piano lessons are starting back up after a hectic holiday season, subbing calls are slowly coming back (even though we've been in school for what...5 days since January 5th? Thanks, bitter, nasty winter), accompanying is back on a regular schedule, and church responsibilities are picking up as we get closer to Lent. I don't know if any other readers have seen the harsh winter we have. Maybe you've had worse, but Ohio's governor has asked the state to extend calamity days from 5 to 9 for this one year because that is just how bad this winter is. We had 3 "arctic plunges" in January, where temps dipped into the negatives, and wind chills dipped to the -40s. A lot of our school closings are because of temps, not snow. I think there was one REALLY bad storm where my county was on a Level 3 road warning (driving was illegal except for emergency crews), but that was over in a few days. I think we're all ready for spring....

EXCEPT FOR ME!!! I LOVE WINTER!!!!!!! Make it snow EVERYDAY, PLEASE!! I really do love winter. I could live in this climate. This is my favorite season, mainly because I have a TON of winter clothing (sweaters, 2 pairs boots, long-sleeved shirts, etc...) that I love wearing and I LOVE snuggling up to a warm fire with a cup of hot cocoa.

Ok, start of a new month, start of some new goals. 

I know it's not Sunday yet, but I thought I would get a jump start.

First of all, an update on my "resolution" to lose 50 lbs by the end of the year. So far, I have dropped 8 pounds! Not bad for one month...not bad at all!

Next up, I have decided that weekly goals are good, but now I'd like to add more: monthly goals.

February's monthly goals: 

Aim for 2 DAYS OF REST; that means I am striving to work out 5 days a week.

Try new post-workout snack: Fruit & yogurt

My new weekly goal:

Give up 1 fast-food meal/frozen mocha per week

Start: 2 Goal: 1

Have a good week!

Life goes on

As I get further along in the year, I am beginning to realize that this is not just a "weight loss journey", as I named this. It's more of a "lifestyle chan...learning experience". You thought I was going to say "lifestyle change", didn't you? I've heard that phrase, "lifestyle change", used many times. It's what people say when they don't want to go on a diet. I've used it as a motivator before: "I'm going to start a lifestyle change! I swear, it'll be different!" "Lifestyle change"...I remember in recent years that this phrase became the new buzz word (phrase) of the health world. "Diets" were out; "lifestyle changes", in.

I don't know if I could call what I do a "lifestyle change" as much as I call it a life-long learning experience. I posed this question to my parents (warning: don't EVER try to ask a fashion question to a father if you're a girl...it won't bode well for you): Now that I'm finally moving DOWN in weight, I'm beginning to imagine life at a normal weight. One concern I have is...where will I go shopping for clothes? I've been going to Lane Bryant, Torrid, and Catherine's for as long as I can remember...

My mom's response: Just go where anyone else your age goes. JCPenney, Macy's, H&M, Forever 21, etc... you just adjust to your size.

I guess I didn't realize that. I've been stuck in this rut, thinking I will always be this big. But I won't. I know that now. And as time changes, I'm learning that I will have to adjust to new experiences and feelings. But that's just it. Life will go on, no matter what weight I am...

Time to get to my point, huh? I'm learning so much about working out, eating healthy, and becoming a better person, but that won't stop when I reach my weight goal. This will take literally my whole life to work on. And surprisingly, I'm ok with that (even though I have, like, NO patience and demand results NOW).

PS: My dad's answer to my shopping question: I don't know. Where clothes are...no really???

Weigh-in Wednesday

Hey, I haven't weighed in a long time (or at least it seems like it). Since roads are still a solid sheet of ice, I most likely won't be going to the gym today. But at home, I do have a BOSU ball and 2 5-lb. dumbbells to work with.

Starting weight: 430.0 lbs.

Previous weight: 424.2 lbs

Current weight: 422.8 lbs

Weight loss: -1.4 lbs

Total weight lost: -7.2 lbs

Percentage of weight lost: -1.7%

DO YOU SEE THAT?!?!?! Because I sure do. I just lost 7 lbs. SUPER EXCITING!!! And finally, for the first time since I started this weight loss, I am almost 2% down in weight lost! Nearly 2% of my weight--gone!

This is, as I'm sure you can tell, great news for me. I literally gasped when I took my weight this week. THIS is what happens when you track your food, cut back on calories, cut back drastically on frozen mochas, and ramp up the intensity slightly during cardio sessions.

TOO HAPPY!!

Arctic freeze, New Goal Sunday, and Motivation Monday

A three-topic title would suggest a long blog post, but it won't be too long.

There's not much to blog about at this moment in terms of weight loss...

My goal this week is to cut down from 3 fast-food meals and frozen mochas to 2 fast-food meals and frozen mochas, and so far, so good. Last night, the family went out to a local pizza restaurant. We were going to do delivery, but then you have to wait for it (hopefully on time with bad driving conditions), then clean up, etc...too long for us! So we went 5 minutes east(ish), but it ended up taking us nearly 20 minutes because of the awful road conditions. Other than that, I haven't had ANY mochas (a miracle!!).

In case you live under a rock or anywhere not in the path of this massive winter storm "Ion", this thing chugged its way across Ohio yesterday evening and last night/this morning. Last night, the family went to dinner around 6, and already the roads were slick. By the time we finished at 7, the ramp to go out the door down to the parking lot, albeit small, was so slippery that I just glided down it. We got home, and I haven't left this house since. I would've had work today, but school was cancelled. I could've gotten a call for tomorrow, but my school was the first to cancel for tomorrow! The wind chills have dropped from 0 at 6 a.m. to -35 currently, and the wind is blowing so hard our windows and doors shake! It is so bad that our county and all others around it have issued a "Level 3 road warning": only if it is an ABSOLUTE emergency or you have a GOOD REASON should you be out on the road. If drivers go out on the road for...well, not "good reasons", they have a chance to get arrested.
*Fight that craving for a frozen mocha, Morgan, you can't go out and get it anyways...*

Dad, of course, had work today; he said the roads are sheets of ice.

No gym for me today/tomorrow....I guess I have to get creative with what I've got...it's times like these that I wish my Dance Dance Revolution game pad hadn't broken.

Lastly, my motivational quote. It's a bit long, but a good one:

"Be soft. Do not let the world make you hard. Do not let the pain make you hate. Do not let the bitterness steal your sweetness. Take pride that even though the rest of the world may disagree, you still believe it to be a beautiful place."--Kurt Vonnegut

Have a good week, and if you are amidst winter storm "Ion", stay warm!