Creative Ways to Sneak Exercise Into An Evening

What a fun New Years Eve we had! I went hunting with my husband...didn't see anything until we were out of the tree stand but it was still fun. I had on so many clothes...I could barely move but was warm which was very important. We had to walk about a mile or so to get to the stand so I snuck in a good walk....through 6 inches of snow. We went to some friends to play Wii. My goodness, I am sore today! I think we may have bowled 15 games but lost count some where around midnight. What I really like about the Wii is that we were all up moving around, having a good time, getting a little exercise and didn't walk out of a smoky bowling alley broke! We are trying to find a Wii for our house but have not been successful. Maybe a good spring buy!

Back to work tomorrow. School doesn't start until Monday so our schedule is still a little off but we are getting back into the swing of things.

Exercise--None...a much needed day of rest. Tomorrow will be strength training and some cardio.

Happy New Years Eve!!!

10, 9, 8, 7....just getting ready for 2008!!!! We've had a heck of a 2007 and are welcoming 2008 with open arms. I've already done my exercise for the day...a fantastic PNP cardio workout called the Rump Buster and boy does it live up to its name. The kids are spending the night with grandpa and I am going deer hunting with my dear husband. We'll top the evening off with friends enjoying a little pizza, a little beer (lite), and a lot of Wii playing. I figure bowling and boxing on the Wii offers a little exercise!

So, good bye 2007. I can't wait to see what 2008 offers. I know one thing, we will be healthier and fitter. We've already started down that road!

Happy New Years Eve!!! Enjoy and be safe!

Exercise:
12/30/2007--20 minutes of strength training followed by 20 minutes on the treadmill.
12/31/2007--35 minutes on the treadmill doing the PNP Rump Buster workout

It's that time of year again....Resolutions!

It is nearing another New Years Eve. What does that mean? Resolutions. Turn on the tv, open a newspaper, log onto the Internet....everywhere you look you will find things to help you with your New Years resolution. And due to past history of mankind, most of those resolutions have to do with diet, exercise, lifestyle changes, etc. As I thought about resolutions today it dawned on me that we are all focused on a specific date we are going to change our ways. Maybe it is Monday because it is the beginning of the week, maybe it is the 1st of the month, or as most people do it...it is January 1st since the slate is clean for the next year. I actually started on December 20th. Yup, a Thursday. Not just any Thursday but the Thursday before the holiday week began. Why did I choose this day? Well, I knew I was going to be home for the next two weeks and I could exercise each day at a time that was convenient for me. Also, if I could succeed during these two hectic weeks of no schedule, I would have the start of a pretty good habit going by the time our "normal" schedule was back. I've vowed to not do a New Years resolution this year. Instead I am going to exercise everyday until January 31st (which is the day I leave for Vegas). When I get back from Vegas, I'll set another short term goal. I received my Weight Watchers and Health magazines in the mail today. Both are focused on exercise, diet, lifestyle, etc. and both talk about short term goals and the reality of making resolutions. Success is measured different for everyone. However, short term goals are easier to measure and are stepping stones to long term goals. So I am making my short term goal to exercise every day for the next 33 days. After that goal is achieved (and it will be achieved), I will make another goal.

Exercise: 36 minute high intensity butt and quad workout on the treadmill.

Now that is MOTIVATION!!!!!

I just booked tickets to Las Vegas for my husband and I! I am so excited! We really need to have some fun and get away. We will be staying with good friends and enjoying some good times!!! Merry Christmas to us!!!!

Nothing makes me want to work out and eat clean more than a fabulous trip. I will bust my butt from now until then. I want to be smokin' hot! Granted I only have 6 or so weeks until the trip but...motivation!!!! I want to make this trip really special.

So....I'm off to the treadmill! I've mapped out my week with my workouts and my food. Oh, I AM SO EXCITED!!!!

Hello. My name is Cori and I am....

Starting all over. I'm going back to day one (with PNP) as my last month as not been what I needed it to be. To no ones fault but mine. My father-in-law passed away last Wednesday. He lived a long, wonderful life. But you see his death was the icing on the cake, the dozen cookies I made on Thursday, and the sweats I stayed in on Friday. I know it is all excuses but.....this year has really sucked. My mom died on Christmas Day last year, my mom's sister on January 3rd, my mother-in-law on April 20th and now my father-in-law. They each were very special people in my life and each died due to health conditions that could have been avoided (except my father-in-law...he just went real peacefully). So....as I mourn and grieve my father-in-law, I grieved all over again for the rest of our losses. However, my husband and I have realized that we have a chance to change our lives and hopefully not suffer from the diseases they had (or push them out further). We've made meal plans and healthy snack lists. I've started my journal (again) and maybe he'll think about starting one. So....my tennis shoes are laced, my iPod is charged, and.....

My name is Cori and I am a Phit-N-Phater!!!

The lunch war

I packed the oddest lunch today....my cooler included a banana for mid-morning, an apple and string cheese for afternoon snack and lunch was a baked sweet potato with cinnamon, a hard boiled egg and an orange. Anyway, my co-workers decided to order Jimmy Johns...which just happens to have the greatest sandwiches in the world and the delivery is freaky fast. I love, I mean LOVE, the gourmet veggie on 7 grain bread. However, it is most certainly not healthy. The gourmet veggie has 898.45 calories, 50.78 g. of fat and 15.37 g. of saturated fat. Without cheese and mayo it weighs in with 426.99 calories, 6.21 g. of fat, and 1.01 g. of saturated fat. So obviously it can be made "healthier" but still is a pretty large sandwich for lunch. All of the will power I had in me came screaming out as I went back and forth on if I should eat the lunch I brought or go for the Jimmy Johns. Well, I am proud to say that my baked sweet potato, hard boiled egg and orange were very good. I was very satisfied both in my tummy and in myself! Yeah!!!

The Journey

A friend of mine is going through a trying time in her marriage that will probably end in divorce. As I sympathized with her and offered a listening ear it dawned on me that sometimes weight loss or lifestyle change can be a form of "divorce" or loss. Each time we go through a loss, we need to mourn. The person I was 50 lbs. ago is different than the person I am today. But I never ever want to forget that person because she is the one that showed strength in the time of life changing events that led to my weight loss. Whether we are leaving an unhealthy relationship or changing our lifestyle to be healthier, we are experiencing a loss or significant change. We go through all the same stages: anger, denial, sadness, and hopefully, peace. I was almost married to that 50 lbs. I lost. Heck, I ate through happiness, sadness, celebrations, during times of great joy and great mourning….and all of that defined me. So when the time came to take care of myself, I had to acknowledge the loss of my unhealthy relationship with food and inactivity. It didn’t happen overnight just like I didn’t gain the weight over night. Sometimes I think I am still working on it and will forever. But, I have come to love the healthy person I am and respect the journey I am on. So as I told my friend, we have to look at this time of change as one where we acknowledge where we were, mourn if needed, and look forward to our next journey! It reminds me of the holly berries that grow out of a branch that is covered with heavy snow. We all have our "heavy snow" that has helped to define who we are and where we came from. But the bright red berries show us that growth is possible and will happen no matter how heavy the snow gets.

Exercise: 20 minutes on the treadmill- 113 calories burned