Challenge progress

On New Years Eve I posted my Challenges on my Pastoral Dreams Blog and I am happy to announce that things are going quite well.

I was highly motivated on January 1st and worked my butt off on a project I have been needing to do for a while. Cleaning out the supply room. Again. When I started working here I got it mostly cleaned up and organized how I wanted it, then I became lackadaisical and let it slide a bit until it was almost to the point of starting from scratch! I was so frustrated at myself for letting it go but at the same time it was becoming a bigger and bigger task every day and I just didn't know how to begin again. I am still working on it but have made a ton of progress thus far.

I am also doing well with my 2 hours off my butt challenge. I have been using that time to clean mostly and am very happy with my progress.

I have managed to limit my computer time successfully and have used the extra time from that to work my way through my first book. I should have it finished by tomorrow and will post a review on Pastoral Dreams. I have a knitting project cast-on that I am hoping to finish this week as well.

On a similar thread, my friend over at thepoopdalek posted today about themes for the past year. This got me thinking about how I would describe the past year in one word. I have come to the conclusion that last years theme was travel. We moved from Michigan to Nebraska to Kansas and landed in Iowa. Who knows where this coming year will take us.

Do you have a theme for last year?

It can be discouraging to check your blogger stats.

It made me realize that I have been at this a long time and am still no better at posting regularly. It also made me realize that I miss my old blogging friends. Glaven! Xenia! I'm sorry I went away. Where are you?

Updates, Challenges, Christmas, and New Years

1. Whole 30 was not the success I was hoping for. There is nothing wrong with the program, I just could not manage it. It was too strict and limiting for me, I wanted everything that I could not have. (No potatoes and no cheese makes Jenn something, something.) I think I am going to switch to a lighter approach to Paleo. Still basing my diet on meat and veg I will give myself permission to have non-paleo foods once a week. I will not do a whole day or even a whole meal, just an item that I want as long as it is not processed, from a box or a bag. If I want it, I have to make it myself. This should help to keep me from slipping too much and will still make my "treat" much healthier than most SAD treats.

2. I had a great Christmas at home with the man that I love. The Lineman gifted me with a mountain dulcimer a while back as part of my Christmas present. I love it and have enjoyed learning to make music on it. He also gave me a little pink (!!!!!) iPod Shuffle. I love listening to podcasts like Adventures in Odyssey and News from Lake Wobegon. I have been downloading them on my computer and listening to them in the office, but this little beauty means that I can take it with me! When I am cleaning rooms, doing laundry, whatever else, I can be listening to the soothing voice of Garrison Keillor or getting motivated and scolded by Jillian Michaels. :D
I also received tons of books that have been on my list for a while now! I can't wait to dig into them. I got my favorite guilty pleasure of Redken All Soft hair products (don't judge) from The Lineman's mom along with lots of other great little goodies! We got several new Wii games and movies to enjoy together. The Lineman used his gift cards to get some music stuff for his guitars. (I used mine for books of course!) We were very blessed this year, and made out like little bandits in the gift receiving department. As for giving this year we did a lot of gift cards. We are so far from home that we thought it would be easier to let everyone decide what they wanted for themselves. It is not our favorite way to gift but it is practical.

3. And now for the New Year! I will not be making resolutions this year. It seems like every year I get so bogged down in trying to keep my resolutions that it becomes a chore that feels to big to conquer and I give up. I have had a few successes but not many considering how many I have made in my 32 years on this earth. So this year it will be Challenges. I will be Challenging myself to accomplish little things throughout the year. Some will be daily Challenges and some will be weekly. None of them will be about Weight loss. I can only fall for the same trap so many times before I understand that it is indeed a trap! There will be Challenges that will help me get and stay healthy but weight is a tertiary benefit. Not something I am aiming for but something that may happen as a side effect to the other things I am working on.

I want to get a little closer to my dreams and goals this year. I need to have a plan. This is something that I will be working on.

love and encourage each other,
Jenn

Whole30 progress and stuff.

I am doing really well with my Whole30 program. I had one slip up on a very stressful day but otherwise I have stayed strong! I am finally over the detox slump and am feeling better and better. My cloths are already fitting more loosely and I have lost almost 6.5 pounds. (I know I am not supposed to be on the scale but it is hard to give up all of your addictions at once)

I have not started an official exercise program yet but my job has had me out walking around the property a lot.  I had planned to start this week but due to having a lot of work to do around here, I have not started yet. I will.

I am already thinking that I will extend the Whole30 into a Whole60 and start the new year off right for a change. I am realizing that I don't need the crap in my system to survive and I feel so much better without it.

I will already be doing a Whole30 Thanksgiving, why not a Whole60 Christmas and New Year! We shall see how I feel at the end of November but as of now, I think I could make it work.

In other news, I am attempting to read several books right now including Michael Pollan's "The Botany of Desire" and "You on a Diet" by Dr. Oz.  I am finding "You" fascinating! I love learning about the biology of how your body works to turn the stuff you eat into energy and nutrients. I don't necessarily agree with the diet itself but it is still an interesting read and I am sure that I will be referring back to it often.

Well, I think that about covers it. I was going to list all the food that I am eating but decided that is not the kind of blog I want to have. I may occasionally post recipes but they will mostly be other peoples and not my own. I don't create recipes, I throw stuff together and see what comes out. :D

Hope ya'll are having a wonderful week!

Whole30 Days 1 and 2

I finally started the Whole30 program. Yesterday was a bit difficult as I had not gone shopping yet and too much of the food in our pantry is filled with sugar and grain and processed until calling it food is like called a drag queen a lady. I mostly managed to make it through the day with only one hitch, store bought jerky. Breakfast was scrambled eggs and an apple. When I left to go shopping I had not eaten lunch. It is a 30 minute drive to the city and by the time I was done checking the items off my list I was starving! I bought a small package of cashews and a bit of jerky to tide me over until dinner. For dinner I baked an acorn squash, balsamic chicken breasts, and asparagus. Then I had another apple for desert which put me over the top on my fruit consumption and sorely lacking on veg!

Today started with scrambled eggs and pineapple. (I do love protein and fruit in the morning). For lunch I am having a salad with some turkey breast as soon as I find a recipe for Whole30 approved dressing! Dinner tonight will be steak and steamed broccoli, cauliflower, and carrots. My snack tonight will be a small handful of raw almonds.

Half way through day two and I am feeling the detox. I have zero energy as my body is dealing with relearning how to burn fat instead of carbs and my head is pounding. I have plenty of things that need to get done but am taking it easy instead. We are getting our first snowfall of the season today which makes me want to curl up and knit something. :D I think I will pursue that instinct tonight along with watching a movie with The Lineman.

Stay tuned for more of my journey as I will start to implement an exercise plan on Monday, hopefully after most of the detox effects have gone.

Back to work, then lunch! Yum!

The good, the bad, and the ugly

Sorry for the lack of posting guys. The internet here is kind of iffy most of the time and trying to post from my phone is an exercise in frustration! Today it seems to be working alright so here we go.


~The Good
I have a job. I am so excited to be working again and contributing to our income. I am starting out as a part-time housekeeper at the Inn and RV park we are staying at. I will also be learning the front desk and gleaning any other information I can get from the current manager. The reason behind the gleaning is that she is leaving in 3 weeks and I have applied for her job. The housekeeper gig is so that I can get my foot in the door and make some money now. It also means that I can start to learn the different aspects of the job now and she can evaluate how I work and report back to the owner.

If I should get the manager's job, we will be moving into the 2 bedroom apartment that is included with the job. We will not be paying rent, utilities, internet, or cable. I will also have a monthly salary. Wish me luck! The current manager is pretty sure I have this in the bag but you never know. All of this is made possible by the fact that The Linemans current job has him staying in one place for over 2 years. It is hard to convince someone to hire you when you have no idea how long you are staying.

~The Bad
I am totally off the diet right now. I don't feel great at all which happens every time I go off this diet but there is not anything I can do about it for the time being. I do plan to start again when time and money permits but for now I will just make do as best I can and look forward to being able to rejoin the Paleo community in the future.

~The Ugly
Butter had an allergic reaction to something and ended up with a nasty rash on her rear end. We are not sure what caused it but it was pretty ugly back there. We took her to the vet and she was shaved and medicated and collared. After a week of treatment with some antibiotics and ointment she is feeling better and her rear is healed up nicely. The unfortunate part though is that she was only shaved in the rear where the rash was and the rest of her fur is long and scruffy! Poor thing looks ridiculous from behind! (enter your so ugly joke here) She is in desperate need of being groomed!

I did not take a picture of her rear end, but I do have one of her on the ride home from the vet with the e-collar on. She just looks sad and pathetic!

She was pretty ticked off at us for a while.

And here is something to remind me that life is good. (click to supersize)

Peace out people!
Love Jenn

Frustration, Realization, and Execution

Hi there Peeps! (or Peep?),

I have had my ups and downs in this life I have chosen.

Recently I have been doing a lot of reading about nutrition and how your body is supposed to be fueled. I started following a mostly Paleo/Primal diet and after a few off days I started to feel amazing! It was like waking up from a bad dream. My head was clear, my digestion was normal, my energy was high and I was happy!

Then we ran low on money. I am still unemployed at the moment because we just have not been anywhere long enough for me to get a job. So with funds running low I started eating some of the off plan foods that where left in the cupboard. Now I am tired, achy, and cannot focus. My head is pounding and my digestion is bad.

I used to live my whole life like this? How did I function? I cannnot even imagine getting through anything that requires me to stay awake and pay attention right now. I cannot live like this anymore.

While in Norfolk, NE I started going to the gym everyday. I loved it! It was the best part of my day. I would go in there and I would pick a machine to conquer then I would pound it out as hard as I could for as long as I could. I would make bargains with myself. "Just 5 more minutes then you can stop." "Come on, you have almost completed that mile." "Lets try that again, I know you can do better." Every day I went in there and tried to go just a little farther and a little faster than the day before. I felt good.

Then in Kansas I would walk most days. If I could find a park that was great, but if not, I just took to the streets. Kansas is where I discovered the Paleo/ Primal solution.

Now we are in Iowa and it looks like we may be staying for a while. My goals right now are to get a job, get a gym membership (more on this later) and take a crack at the Whole30 challenge to reset my system and start the process of healing. I wanted to start it on July 1st but that is most likely not going to happen. I will be trying to get back on course though and hoping for August 1st as my Whole30 start date. We shall see.

In the mean time I will try to do better about keeping this blog updated and using it as a way to keep myself accountable.

Lots of love to the 2 people who accidentally read this. I hope you stick this out with me, but if not, I will understand. ;-}
Jenn

Still trying... or If at first you don't succeed.

I am not always consistent with my fitness plans, but I do keep trying. I had one of those clicking moments the other day. You know, when things fall into place and you finally realize something that you had been struggling with.

I want to live again.

Holidays, Resolutions, It has been a long time.

I have things that I need to accomplish this coming year. I am going to be 31 next month and will be moving to Nebraska on my birthday. I want to have a family which means that yet again I have to make my goals about getting healthy. I want to get married, have babies, homeschool, have a small family organic farm and live a sustainable life. These are my dreams. My goals are to get off the diabetic meds and get past my gastrointestinal problems. I need to be fit and healthy enough to make my dreams come true.

I have a hard time sticking to a diet and exercise plan. Always have.

That needs to change now.

Challenge Day 2- more relaxed

Sorry I didn't post last night. I was watching TBL and went straight to be afterwards. Yesterdays workout was 30 minutes on the stationary bike. I hate that thing but it does the job. On the food front I ate pretty well although I was over on my calories a little. Mostly because I had a second helping of brown rice as a snack later in the evening.

I will not be posting a long and positive review today as Aunt Flo just arrived and I am bloated and miserable. Hopefully that means I will be feeling great by the end of the week. We shall see.

Today is the Sansone walk and the lunchtime quickie workout. About an hour or so of exercise. I will try for a less bland post later tonight.

Melancholy Training,
Love Jenn

Challenge Day 1- Kicking Butt and Taking Names

I had an awesome workout this morning. I did 45 minutes of cardio and 15 minutes of strength and I am exhausted, but I feel amazing right now. For cardio I went back to an old staple, Leslie Sanson. However I didn't just go through the motions, I kicked it into high gear and made that 3 miles count. Next week I will set foot back in the gym for the first time in a while. I am a bit nervous about it though which is why I am doing this week at home. For my strength training I took a page out of Fitness Mag. Well 3 pages actually! I did the ultimate lunchtime quickie workout on page 75 of the march issue. If you don't have the mag you can go here and print a copy or watch the video of the moves. I thought the workout was fun and challenging. It took me a while to do it because I am starting from scratch so I only did one set of everything. In a couple of weeks I will work in another set. Another great thing is that I can take this workout to the gym! It also worked a lot of the core muscles without doing crunches. Yay!

So far, my food has been good. I started the morning with some PB&J Oatmeal and am about to have some light soup and baby carrots for lunch. Ummm! So far today I have downed 1 of my 3 liters of water. 2 to go.

Well, I am off to get some cleaning done. I will call that my spontaneous exercise for today. I will check back in with you all later to let you know how the rest of the day goes.

Happy Training,
Love Jenn

Making New Habits Stick

My new challenge starts tomorrow morning! I am excited and ready for the challenge! I will succeed! Positive thinking and positive energy and positive visualization will get me there. For those of you that are following along here is a recap of this quarters challenge:


1st 13-Week Challenge (04/06/09 - 07/05/09)

* 3900 Exercise Minutes (cardio and strength)=300 minutes per week=43 minutes per day

* On plan every day

* If it’s one flight, take the stairs

* Strength train 3 days a week


On plan means I:

* Eat within my calories (1,690)

* Eat at least 5 servings of fruit and/or vegetables

* Drink 3 liters of water

* Take multivitamin

I am determined to make some changes in my life and make my new habits stick. So I will also be gradually working my way into the Beck Diet Solution a few habits at a time. I will start with the exercise and motivation habits first then work my way into my eating habits. These are the habits that I will be working on for the next 3 weeks.

1. Motivating myself
a. read advantages deck
b. read response cards
2. Weigh myself once daily and record weight and change+/-
3. Get Moving
a. spontaneous exercise
b. planned exercise
4. Contact my dieting buddy (this blog and my blog peeps)

There are six more habits to incorporate in stage 1 of the plan but I will start with these. Once I am able to do all of them for 7 days without having to work too much to remember then I will start to incorporate more of them. I will post everyday on what habits I successfully followed and how I did. You can keep me accountable by coming back and reading my updates, commenting, and motivating me to continue. I will make my advantages deck and response cards tonight so that they will be ready for the morning.

So start sending all those positive vibes this way! Tomorrow morning I am going to be up with the sun! I will post and let you all know how I am doing. I may even let you in on some of the more personal, non- weight related goals as well. We shall see.

I know that I posted a lot today and hope that I didn't overwhelm you all.

Happy Training,
Love Jenn

Welcome to My Brand New Day

Sometimes I just feel like starting all over from scratch. I am at a point in my life right now where everything is changing. I have a new job to look forward to. I started this new challenge to get in shape again. We started our business. I quit smoking. I am coming out of my shell and starting to talk to the people in my life again.

Life is good right now.

Do we have lots of money? No.

Have all of our problems been dealt with? Not by a long shot!

So why am I in such a mood? Why am I suddenly so happy?

Well, sometimes in life you just wake up one day and realize that you have been looking at things all wrong. I get so depressed about the things that are going wrong in my life that I forget about the things that are going right. For example: Lets say you have this wonderful apple orchard (I'm in Michigan people, just go with it) in your yard. It’s late summer and the fruit is practically falling off the trees. Yesterday I would have been annoyed about all the hard work and all the time I would have to spend picking them and the dollar value of the ones that fell to the ground would have occupied my mind till I grew bitter and gave up. Today however I choose to see the beautiful fruit, feel the sun on my face and the wind in my hair as I pick, smell the ones that have fallen to the ground and broken open to reveal their sweet fragrance.

I choose to feel blessed that I have an orchard rather than feeling bitter about the work.

Isn’t it amazing, the difference a day makes!

Some of you may be wondering why exactly did I start a new blog when I could have just overhauled the old one like I usually do? Well, honestly I wanted to get away from the url (fatgirlrunning) because for one thing, although I want to run, I am not currently running. Also I am trying to be more positive about myself so calling my blog fatgirlrunning just didn't feel right to me anymore. Finally there is the fact that although I want to spend time talking about my weight loss journey and health in general, I want to feel more free to just put my life on my blog. To speak my mind about any topic that tickles my fancy!

Later this week I will be moving all of my old posts over to this blog and next saturday I will be (un)permanently deleting fatgirlrunning a.k.a.getting fit and loving it. If you plan to continue to follow me be sure to update your readers and blogrolls.

Welcome to my Brand New Day!

Happy Training,
Love Jenn

How I'm feeling today!

Check out this video. It is exactly how I am feeling right now.

Great friends!

Great family!

Great life!

So I'm going with it.

You never know what tomorrow will bring so enjoy every moment of today.

I love you all.
Happy Training,
Love Jenn

Thank God...

I finally got a job offer! I was beginning to think it would never come. Now the only hurdle I have is the background check. If everything looks ok then I will be starting on April 13th. I really hope this is not an April fools day prank!



I think I might cry!

On another note. My challenge starts next week on monday. I will not necessarily be eating as clean as I would like (mostly because we are broker than the bum that you just threw your coffee on) but at least the exercise can be done.

Happy Training,
Love Jenn

Taking advantage of someone else's good idea!

I have been lurking over at Slim Spirited since the new year and love her 13 week challenges. It's such a great idea that I am going to join her. I am modifying the Challenges slightly but otherwise it's her plan. If you are not reading her, you should be.

So anyways I am 12 weeks behind her so I will start my first 13 week challenge on 04/06/09. More details to come.

3 13-Week Challenges

11,100 Total Exercise Minutes


1st 13-Week Challenge (04/06/09 - 07/05/09)

• 3300 Exercise Minutes (cardio)=254 minutes per week=36 minutes per day
  
• On plan every day
  
• If it's one flight, take the stairs

2nd 13-Week Challenge (07/06/09 - 10/04/09)

• 3900 Exercise Minutes (cardio and strength)=300 minutes per week=43 minutes per day
  
• On plan every day
  
• If it's one flight, take the stairs
  
• Strength training 2 times a week
  

3rd 13-Week Challenge (10/05/09 - 01/03/09)

• 3900 Exercise Minutes (cardio and strength)=300 minutes per week=43 minutes per day
  
• On plan every day
  
• If it's one flight, take the stairs
  
• Strength training 3 times a week

On plan means I:

• Eat within my calories (1,690)
  
• Eat at least 3 servings of fruit and/or vegetables
  
• Drink 3 liters of water
  
• Take multivitamin
  
• Consume no sugar, no white rice, no potato (except sweet), and no white flour (consuming the white stuff means 10 minutes walking my ButterBall per serving)

Happy Training,
Love Jenn

My First Sewing Project! (Yes it's fitness related!)

I just finished my first sewing project. The only thing that I have used that sewing machine for before this was fixing seems on my pants. I was so excited that I took pics of most of the process. Which I am now going to share with all of you. I promise that this is fitness related.

I made heat/ice packs!


Simple beginnings. Plain cotton cut into the shape that I wanted for my packs. By the way, how coolio is my sewing machine?


I made two, one filled with rice for M-I-L Marj, and one filled with navy beans for M-I-L Mary. I just love those two.


Sewn and filled and ready for some pretty covers. (with a cameo appearance from my stool)


This cover is for Mary! It's so soft and pretty!


This one will be for Marj!


She loves wine! Or should I say, "She LOVES wine!!!!!!!!!" I thought this was perfect!


Blurry process shot.


Pretty pins. Pastel! I am such a girl!


Two great gifts for two wonderful people. These are so easy to make and they are great for athletes like my fav runner Mary. You can heat them up in the microwave or put them in the freezer for a cold pack! Plus you can make them in about any shape you want. I even made these removable covers so they could be easily washed. Want to try this yourself? Check out this site for some instructions.

Happy Training,
Love Jenn

The Wonderful George Carlin

I'm aware some stare at my hair.
In fact, to be fair,
Some really despair of my hair.
But I don't care,
Cause they're not aware,
Nor are they debonair.
In fact, they're just square.

They see hair down to there,
Say, "Beware" and go off on a tear!
I say, "No fair!"
A head that's bare is really nowhere.
So be like a bear, be fair with your hair!
Show it you care.
Wear it to there.
Or to there.
Or to there, if you dare!

My wife bought some hair at a fair, to use as a spare.
Did I care?
Au contraire!
Spare hair is fair!
In fact, hair can be rare.
Fred Astair got no hair,
Nor does a chair,
Nor a chocolate eclair,
And where is the hair on a pear?
Nowhere, mon frere!

So now that I've shared this affair of the hair,
I'm going to repair to my lair and use Nair, do you care?

(Beard Poem)

Here's my beard.
Ain't it wierd?
Don't be sceered,
Just a beard.

Finally getting to my tag from Glaven!

Here's how it's supposed to break down.

your 4 favorite memories from 2008
your 4 favorite movies watched in 2008
4 of your favorite foods in 2008
4 places you loved in 2008
4 events you loved in 2008
4 things you liked in 2008
4 things you are looking forward to in 2009
4 people you tag

Fav Memories:
1. My mom visiting from Oklahoma
2. The introduction of Butter into our lives
3. A very hectic but fun filled Christmas
4. 4th of July on the River Walk

Fav Movies:
1. Walle
2. Mr. Magorium's Wonder Imporium
3. The 10th Kingdom
4. Pan's Labyrinth

Fav Foods
1. Potatoes anyway
2. Steak
3. Lasagna
4. Ice Cream

Places I Loved
1. The Bay City Rail Trail
2. The River Walk
3. The Bay City Recreation Park
4. The Bay City Dog Park

Events I Loved
1. Starting the Billing Program at Ross
2. Graduating the Billing Program at Ross
3. 4th of July on the River Walk
4. My mom's birthday celebration when she came to visit

Things I Liked
1. My Brooks Addiction Running Shoes
2. My laptop
3. Butter
4. All of my books

Looking forward to
1. Checking off some of my goals
2. Getting a job in Billing
3. Getting our business up and running
4. Running

People I tagged
Everyone who reads my blog and has not already done this tag!

Happy Training,
Love Jenn

Heading for the first goal marker!

Some of you may have noticed that I added the pounds that I have gained to my number goals tracker. Some of you may also have noticed that I am just .8 away from that first goal. I am so excited to finally be reaching one of my goals. It has taken me a about a month to get there but I can see the marker now. I am so excited to be this close to it. I have not decided how I am going to reward myself yet but I will think of something.

Anyone have some ideas for me?

I should make a rewards list to complement my goals list. Things that I can choose from for each milestone along the way.

I do so love reaching my goals!

Happy Training,
Love Jenn