Day 209 - Crazy Busy Day

Today was an extra long day.  It was an office day and then we had to go down to Michael’s school for a parent/teacher meeting, so I just didn’t have a chance to exercise.  But, I’m not going to beat myself up about it.  When I made my goals, I knew that Thursdays were going to be difficult and planned it in.  So, tomorrow I’ll try to get an extra hour of cardio in to make up for it.  I do love having a plan.

Day 208 - Another Grueling Day

Once again, I’m dead.  Done.  Finished.  I did my standard muscle challenge class followed by the yoga class.  The combination really whipped my butt.  It was bittersweet though.  They have cancelled the Wednesday muscle challenge class starting next week.  That will leave me with only one strength class a week.  I am not sure how I am going to adjust, but I will.  I have had such good success with my program, I hate to make any changes.  But, sometimes you don’t have a choice.  However, I did get 18 signatures on my petition to save the class.  It’s hard to imagine them cancelling a class with such good attendance!

The best part of the day was an email from Michael’s teacher.  She said he had a perfect day and was focused and engaged in all his academic work.  I had to re-read the email a few times just because it made me happy.  Now, I just have to figure out how to replicate it every day!

Day 207 - Getting Ready, Buying Shoes

I took advantage of having the night off from exercise and ran some errands tonight.  I normally hate to shop, but figured I really needed to buy a pair of new exercise shoes before I leave for my trip to the Biggest Loser Resort.  Can you tell how excited I am about this?

The sad thing is, the lady at the shoe store said that MBT has gone out of business.  It was good for me in that the shoes were on sale.  But, it was so sad to think that I won’t be able to get more.  I never really bought into the whole toning/weight loss shoe thing, but I have always appreciated how good they are for my back and my knees.  Other than being stiff after exercise or from staying in bed too long, I haven’t had a major back problem since I started wearing the shoes.  Now that is saying something.  I will definitely miss them!

The biggest surprise of the day was that I am not as sore after yesterday’s workouts as I expected.  I am guessing it’s because I made sure to spend enough time in the sauna last night.  That’s about the only explanation I can come up with.  But, I will never complain about NOT being in pain.  At least as long as I know I worked my butt off! 

Day 206 - Exhaustion is good, right?

I am completely, utterly exhausted.  I am trying to up my intensity to get ready for my trip, but I think I might have overdone it today.  I did one hour on the bike, one hour muscle challenge class, and one hour of yoga.  Three hours total of really intense exercise.  As soon as I’m done with this blog, I’m heading straight to the sauna.

I’m really proud of myself for being able to do so much today.  I didn’t start hurting until I stopped moving.  I guess there is probably a lesson to be learned there.  But, my body is too tired for my brain to work.

The surprise of the day was definitely my meeting with the manager of the health club.  He listened to my concerns, but didn’t really offer any immediate solutions.  I was happy that he did listen and didn’t blow me off.  That’s a good thing.  I am going to be meeting with a personal trainer on Friday to try to come up with a program I can do on my own two days a week.  If I can do that, it would be a really good thing.

Now, there is a sauna that is hot and waiting for me. 

Day 205 - Under 300, Officially!

It’s Superbowl Sunday, and the game is underway, so this is going to be brief!  I did weigh in this morning at 299.5.  That is 48.5 pounds so far!  I’m frustrated that I don’t have an official 50 loss yet, but, I am under 300 for the first time in years.  That is definitely worth celebrating!

I have really been trying to step up the intensity of my workouts since I decided to go to the Biggest Loser Resort next month.  So, I did on hour on the elliptical this afternoon, and then another hour on the bike before dinner.  An hour on the elliptical is very, very intense!  But, hopefully, by the time I leave for my ‘vacation’, I will be in better condition.

It’s funny, I’ve been exercising consistently for more than 6 months now and I have lost almost fifty pounds.  It is hard for me to imagine stepping things up more, but that’s what I am trying to do.  I am using this trip as a reward for my hard work so far and as an incentive to keep going.  Plus, I am hoping that if I can get a big jump on the scale, it will really propel me to bigger and better losses.  Mostly, I just want to celebrate this journey and see how far I can take it.

The surprise of the day was that Michael let me sleep in this morning.  Usually, even if he knows that his Uncle is going to be watching him in the morning, he has to come in and say good morning.  Today, he got dressed and went downstairs without waking me up.  I really appreciated that!

Day 204 - Thank You National Aquarium!

I totally forgot to get on the scale this morning.  Michael has been talking all week about going back to the aquarium and seeing the parts that were closed when we went last month.  They have a wonderful program where they open early for kids with special needs the first weekend of the month.  So, we promised Michael we would take him today.  Of course, that meant that he was up with the sun, and so were we.  Getting on the scale was not part of his agenda, and I’ll have to do my weigh in tomorrow.

We had the entire aquarium to ourselves for half an hour.  It was truly amazing.  I felt like a VIP family just walking around and looking at everything.  There were no crowds, no lines, no chaos.  Michael was so happy.  He had his map out and made sure we saw everything.  It was such a different experience from when we had to carry out a crying, overwhelmed child who just couldn’t handle the crowds and the noise.

So, I am counting the two plus hours we spent walking around the aquarium as my exercise for the day.  By the time we got back to the car and I could sit down, I was exhausted.  Even though I’ve been exercising regularly for a while now, it’s just not the same as actually walking in the real world.  I am thinking that once spring gets here, I’m going to have to fix that.

The best part of the day was definitely seeing his face as he realized that he could wander around the exhibits and be completely at east.  He was reading the display information and making comments.  I could let him more than two feet away from me without worrying about him wandering off or getting lost.  I have never had that level of security at any outing with him.  Ever.  It was beyond amazing.  Thank you National Aquarium!

Day 203 - So Disappointed in Healthtrax

Today was an amazing exercise day.  I did an hour on the elliptical at lunch time and really, really pushed myself.  It was great to see that I could do it. Then, I went to my favorite yoga class and had a great time. I love feeling strong and capable.

The only bad thing for the day was that a friend of mine told me that Healthtrax is cancelling one of my very favorite classes – the Wednesday night muscle challenge class.  They are putting in a step class instead.  I have nothing against step, but I really feel strongly that you need to have weight training at least twice a week.  Three times would be better.  I can’t believe they did that.  I am so beyond upset.

But, there were good things today too.  Michael had a great day at school, and he is so excited to go back to the aquarium tomorrow.  I am really skeptical that we wants to do more than ride the elevator in the parking garage and the escalators at the aquarium.  But, it’s almost impossible to say no to him when he’s so excited about something.  So, we are going tomorrow and I am hoping for a great day.