We've Moved!

Please follow Papa T and I on over to our new blog home :-)

http://www.tumblr.com/blog/chunkifiedtofit

-Jenn

Walk, walk, walk….

On Sunday I planned on going to the gym and doing schoolwork and housework….did any of that happen? Of course not!

I did however get a satisfying workout in!

My friend Ashley goes on these 3-5 mile walks with one of her friends a few times a week and asked me if I wanted to go. I really wasn't feeling it and was kind of eh about the whole thing, but I'm glad I did!

We walked 3 1/2 miles PLUS we brought both my dogs, Harley and Roxy along for the walk! They needed to get out just as much as I did lol.

Of course, since I can admit I'm out of shape, my lower back did hurt a little bit; it just motivated me to workout more. I know that I have no one else to blame but myself for it, so I'm going to have to go through any pain to achieve the results I want. No pain, no gain, right?

Rob and I were talking about getting up early to go to the gym in the morning, but decided to just stick with the evening workouts. I also put in for a shift bid at work so if I get that, I'll get off work earlier which also means going in earlier, so it makes more sense to go afterwards.

Last Wednesday we also decided to try a new restaurant. I had read on another blog that the place actually isn't that bad for you as long as you pick the right food. We ended up at Genghi's Grill, which is Mongolian stir-fry and omg, it was delicious! Basically, you get this little silver bowl (I swear it looks like a dog food bowl), then you pick your proteins, your veggies, your spices and your sauce and you put as much as you want in that little bowl. Minus the sauce, it goes in a little cup because apparently your food will burn if you mix it in before it's cooked. When you give it to the chef, you choose what kind of rice or noodles you want and he gives you a card with a number on it and you place it on your table and they bring it out to you when they're done. It may not look like a lot it that bowl, but they then put it in an odd shaped bowl that's much bigger and it still may not look like a lot, but trust me, it is! Rob and I both had a hard time finishing ours. The price isn't that bad either---for lunch it's $7.99/bowl and dinner is $9.99/bowl. Ok, so maybe it's a little more than other places, but it's better for you than some of the alternatives. We definitely plan on going back!

I've also decided, while just writing this post, that while yes, this blog is about my dad and I getting fit, I'm also going to include other things in it while I post. I don't really keep up on the other blog as much,  so I think it will make more sense just to add the other stuff that I may feel like getting out on here.

That being said, I have to share something that happened on Skype this weekend. I introduced Papa T to Gangnam Style! Let me tell you, it was AWESOME! He then showed my step-mom, oh, we can dub her Mama K! Anyways, she had already known about it, which I'm not surprised, she keeps up on everything and she's always full of surprises. :-) So when he showed her, she started dancing to it! And Papa T joined in! It definitely made my day! I also then found out from little seester, Lulu (not her given name, but we call each other Lulu and Gigi) that good 'ole Papa T has played the video some more and has been doing some more dancing! Have I ever said how much I LOVE my family? Because I do! I think Lulu and I need to find a way to get this taped, and I will so post it on here. Papa T, it would be better for all if you just agreed to this ---- bwahahahaha.

~Jenn

Is this for real…..

I haven't posted in probably 2 months and it seems so odd. Posting to this blog had become part of my routine, and I'm sad that I wasn't able to post anything, but I'm so excited that I get to again!

The reason for going without posts was because I wasn't going to the gym…at all. I had a medical condition that I had to attend to, nothing serious, everything's fine, and I'm back at the gym! It's been harder to get motivated to go however. I've been saying for the past week that I was going to go to the gym, and I've had excuse after excuse to get out of it. Shame on me! Last night, Rob told me no more excuses, I was going. And I whined and cussed the whole way there lol. Once I was back on that Arc trainer though, I was excited!!!

I know not many people get excited about an Arc trainer, but I really do love that thing. I warmed up on it for about 7 minutes (which was actually at a great pace and was the best I've gotten out of it in my opinion), next time I'm going to strive for 10 minutes. I've decided to just use the Arc trainer as a way to warm-up since I do the 30 minute circuit workout.

So obviously, after the Arc, I went to the circuit workout area. I was not a happy person in that area last night. Not because of the workout, but because of the dang people. All the machines are labeled for circuit workout only and the area is sectioned off, and there's a rule board. I've never had any problem until last night. People decided to use it just for whatever at their leisure. Rob says it doesn't matter and I should just skip that machine and go back to it later, but it's against my nature to do things out of order. It irritates me, I need order. So after doing the first set of step exercises, I decided to go use the Ab Coaster in hopes that the people would be done causing me chaos by the time I finished. Btw, 100 reps on the Ab Coaster for the front, and 50 for both left and right obliques! I did do more for obliques, but that's later on…

Sooooo…..I get done with my Ab Coaster, no one's in the circuit workout area….woot! One guys kept coming in and using one machine but he never was in my way so I was fine with him. However….I get to about machine 13 (there are 20, and those include steps that alternate with the the machines, I hope that all just made sense) and this other guy decides to monopolize 2 pieces of equipment. So the first time, after I was done with the step part, I went on to the next machine even though it killed me to go out of order, and he went to the other machine I didn't need. So of course after finishing the reps on the one I was on, I went and did my steps, and of course he was back on the one I needed. Btw, there's a green and red light that tells you when to start and stop. Of course, since he was doing his own circuit since he didn't want to use the 50 million other machines in the gym, why would he care. I think my 30 minute circuit workout ended up taking about 45 minutes. -_-

After I was finally about to use #13 after completing EVERYTHING else, I went back to the ab station to use the oblique machine. I'm not sure what it's actually called, but that's what it works on. So I did 50 more reps for both my left and right obliques, making that a total of 100 for each side. So I basically did 300 reps for abs. They were on fiah (spelled like that on purpose) afterwards and I LOVED it!

I know I kept ranting and raving about the rules of the gym, but to me, that's one of the things I loved about Planet Fitness. Everyone was respectful of others, didn't get in others ways, and now it seems like that is starting to change. Rob told me to just say something to the person next time, and I may, but in a nice way, to just ask them if I can use the machine since it's for the circuit workout and see how that goes. Or it could just be on certain nights after a certain time that it happens, but since I don't get off work till 7, the only thing I could change is to go in the morning. However, I then worry about time. I know I don't have to be at work till 10:30, but I usually get ready around 9 and leave my house by 10. What if I decided I wanted a longer workout, I'd be screwed. Idk, my dad was doing the whole morning thing, and I'll have more time than he does. Maybe I should give it a try. Anyways, I'm taking the day off from the gym today (I know, I had 2 months off already) but I'm going again Wednesday morning (my off day besides Sunday).

Oh! My motivation for going back to gym: I feel like I've gained back some of what I lost and I noticed I don't have as much energy. So yeah. Has to change. That and I've missed that euphoric feeling after a great workout :-)

I know I know!!

Hee, hee!
I know it's been a while since I posted anything, but it's been crazy busy. Since I last posted, I've spent a good amount of time with my Mom, you seems to be doing okay since Dad died. She'll be heading back to Florida soon so I will miss not seeing her.

Jenn's little sister (Katie) is back in school, first days as an eighth grader and she is becoming a bit of a cook since my wife (Keri) has been in a lot more pain and is finding it much harder to move around. It's a bummer not having her being as active, I miss her going places, though they have been limited anyways. Yesterday, she (Katie) cooked hot dogs when I got home from my game and she also baked brownies later. Only ate one brownie, but I must say she did a great job. She has also made spaghetti and mac-and-cheese, under some supervision by Mom. I think this might have something to do with starting a Home and Careers course at school (Us old folks remember it as Home Ec, which as a guy I didn't have to take back in the horse and buggy days.)

As for me, things have certainly be hopping. Of course, three weeks of running around SUNY Cortland to keep eyes on the New York Jets Training Camp are certainly one way to break up the boredom of slower summers in the sports world here, but as they wound down, the high schools started up. That's been two weeks after writing previews and starting to cover the 19 varsity teams at four schools, seven varsity teams alone in my main beat (Homer). It was nice to have coaches, and even some of my neighbors, ask "Have you lost weight?" I can say yes as far as the slimming down part, but still not sure as I still can't weigh myself :( (need to get under 400 lbs), but most people can't believe I weigh that much. I can say though that I have dropped two pant sizes which is a good chuck of inches when you go from 6X to close to 4X. I'll take that for now. I will admit it is tough to walk a quarter mile from a football field to a locker room and have to keep pulling your pants every four or five steps because your pants and belt are too big! Stopping laughing Jenn, I know there's a suspenders joke lurking in your mind somewhere.

Mark Sanchez

Tim Tebow (Jenn's least favorite Gator)

Matt Simms (former Vol for Jenn)

Yeremiah Bell (one scary dude!)

Maybe my slowing down isn't age, maybe it's the laid back attitude in the house that Bart and Sarah have demonstrated.

Sarah

Bart

As for my workouts, it's still one and one-quarter to one and one-half miles twice a week. I have added more stretching that includes more leg movements and I'm doing one full set of stretching before I start walking for five full sets of exercises other than walking. Katie has gone with me the last two weeks before school started and did some working out upstairs on the bike and eliptical machines before spending some time in the pool with me. I may have to check out what she is doing to get her on more of a structured workout and see if I can work that into my workout plans. With school, she can't go Tuesday mornings anymore, so maybe we will have to look at some afterschool time to get her a second day since she opted to not play field hockey this fall. She's eyeing volleyball in November, which is now a full varsity sport in the fall at the high school and she likes that better than field hockey. She thinks she'll do basketball in January and softball in the spring, but we'll see. She was the last player cut in basketball last season even though she is 5-foot-8. Asthma slowed her down a little. That's why I am glad she is starting to workout at the Y with me a little more. Don't plan to push her, but want to help her getting a little more stamina which will also help her asthma and breathing better. If she stays an athlete good, if not, we'll support her in her music and writing passions. Just want a good student and guide her into a good life. Seems like Jenn has done well for herself and I am so proud of her too. That would be something. working out with both my daughters. I would call that good, quality family time.

I'll try to be better at giving updates again! Jenn has certainly been on me to "Update the blog!"
For now, that's it. I hope you start feeling better Jenn, I know you're a little under the weather. I certainly do love you and continue to be proud of you!

New Stuffs

Morning all!

Yes, I'm in a very good mood, which is very surprising since I've only been up for about an hour and am still on my first cup of coffee. Anyways, I have some updates like normal and I have a clue about a project that I'm getting ready to start.

Let's start with updates----

On Sunday I went to the gym setting out to complete Week 1 Day 3 of the Couch-to-5k program, notice I said I set out to….yeah, 11 minutes in and my heel was killing me! I think it's just due to being out of shape and I was pushing myself harder than usual, so after 11 minutes I decided not to. I headed on over to the Arc Trainer so that I could at least get a little more cardio in. I LOVE the Arc Trainer!!!! You can slide, glide and step on it and it works multiple muscles. It's like an elliptical on insert whatever type of vitamin, drug, etc. you want here _______. It's freaking awesome! I only ended up doing about 6-7 minutes on it because the aforementioned heel was still in pain. However, I did even it out so that I did about 2 minutes sliding, then 2 minutes gliding, and 2 minutes stepping (?). If stepping is not the correct verb, oh well, I'm declaring it as the correct verb when I talk about it from now on. :-)

Now some people may think that I really didn't get a good cardio workout in, they lie. I produced more sweat in those 6 minutes than I ever have on the treadmill and I wasn't going light on the treadmill, I sweat when I used it, but the Arc Trainer works more and I think will produce better results. And on a side note, Rob doesn't think I run right, but I don't know how I'm not, I mean, there's only one way to run. Silly boy. It doesn't matter anyways because the Arc Trainer is my new love to hate type cardio equipment!

After that I went on and did my usual 30 minute circuit workout and the Ab Station. I noticed that overall my workout seemed much more effective and produced better results than before…I still say it's because of the Arc Trainer. :-)

That's all I have for updates regarding my workouts. I'm still going to go 3-4 times a week and all, I'm just not going to focus on becoming a runner. I think in time, if I'm meant to be one, I'll end up getting into it, but until then, I've realized that I don't have to be a runner to become healthy and get fit.

In one of my last posts I mentioned about the Undressed Skeleton tumblr blog I've started to follow. Well, I've done some variations on some other "recipes" that she's posted and I've just tried new combinations for myself as well. The first 2 "major" changes I've made is I've switched to whole wheat bread and I now find that I put ground flax seed in my breakfast every morning. It really does help keep you full.

I can't remember the days that I had some of these, but it was last week sometime:

This was just bananas, strawberries and blackberries on top of cereal---I believe it was Raisin Nut Bran.

This was sort of a spin on one of the ideas from Undressed Skeleton---she had posted a pic of a piece of toast with blackberry jam with bananas on top and fennel seed---I did the same but it's on whole wheat toast (I can't remember if hers was or not) plus I had some banana nut bread oatmeal (now my fave flavor and for the first time I didn't add brown sugar to the top of my oatmeal!), with chopped up bananas on top accompanied with of course ground fennel seed. I also had my mandatory cup of java. I actually think this was just on Monday morning!

We all have a sweet tooth and I had been wondering how these were, so when I saw them on Undressed Skeleton I decided I would give it a try since she gave them a good review. These definitely satisfy my sweet cravings! They're made from real fruit and it's only 45 calories per bar---how great is that? 

Even Roxy recommends them! Well ok, she hasn't tried one, but she was trying to! I was eating one on Sunday night and this is the look I got from her lol.

I'm honestly loving every change I've made over the past few months, they've all been for the better and I believe that they'll be for the best. Again, I'm not just making temporary diet changes, I'm making permanent lifestyle changes. I know that I used to HATE wheat bread, I now love it and it's only been a few days. I think it's thicker than white bread and it's more filling on top of being better for you. 

Now that you're all up-to-date, I'll give you all a hint about my upcoming project.

Some people already know---at least my family and a couple of friends do---I still don't want to make an official announcement so I thought it would be fun to post clues in my posts.

Clue #1 -- I bought a journal last night to make notes and be able to write down any thoughts/ideas that come to me when I'm not able to access my cell or computer.

Clue #2 -- It involves something that I used to think about doing when I was younger.

I didn't plan on giving 2 clues, but I know the second one probably won't be much of a clue. I used to want to do so much when I was younger so the possibilities are endless on that one. 

I think it's time to finish my coffee and then head over to the gym---and if anyone thinks they know what my upcoming project is going to be either post in the comment section below or message me on FB. Those that already know---just hush and don't post anything---at least not anything that can reveal what it is!

Oh, one last thing! If you ever decide to go to the Undressed Skeleton tumblr blog, either click on the link I provided in a previous post or Google it----I forgot this morning that it was tumblr and i just typed .com at the end of undressed skeleton and it's porn. Figured I would let everyone know just in case someone made the same mistake I did and was trying to figure out how I was getting tips on healthy living from a porn site. O_o

Tootles!

Pool Day

Due to sleeping in later than planned, having to run some errands, and me having school tonight and Rob working, we decided to skip the gym and have a workout in the pool!

I honestly have to say that my muscles can feel it, even if it was just an hour doing various things. We didn't have a set routine or anything like that. I walked a couple laps, did some jumping jacks and squats (in the shallow end, because in 5' section I'm on my tip-toes--hush) and really just did a lot of swimming.

I am disappointed that I wasn't able to get to the gym today, but I'm no longer beating myself up over it. One of the posts I read on the Undressed Skeleton blog recently was about even if you can't get a regular workout or a workout at the gym in for the day, you can find other ways to "workout" and it's all better than just sitting around and doing nothing. I completely agree! I still even felt that rush and happiness that I get from a gym workout after I was done in the pool.

Even so, as much as I liked having my workout in the pool today, and can feel the burn in my muscles, I still do prefer the gym. However, if for some reason I'm not able to make it for some reason, I will make sure to find another way to workout for the day. Still, I am very excited about Friday and getting to do another day of the Couch-to-5k program!!!

There's a couple of projects I'm thinking of starting too, but I don't want to say anything about either of them yet since I've just decided about them today. Xen, I'll send you a message about them since I have a feeling you'll be interested and I'd like to get your input on them. Everyone else, I'm sorry, but you'll just have to wait a little while longer.

Speaking of waiting, my friend was talking about starting up Weight Watchers again, and since I've never gone I'm not too sure how I feel about it. I know quite a few people who have had great success with it. But, at the same time, I figure working out and changing my diet and everything is kind of the same thing, and I don't have to pay anyone to do it. If anyone has any insight on WW, please let me know. I don't want to discredit something that I've never really participated in.

Breakfast

So I know some may think that what I said I was going to have for breakfast, may have sounded horrible, but it's really not --- it's actually very delicious and I'm having a hard time even finishing it all :-)

Tell me that doesn't look good?

It's a cup of oatmeal mixed with Chobani (apple cinnamon flavor), some fresh strawberries and blackberries, and topped with ground flaxseed.

Feeling Great!

I completely forgot how amazing I feel after I complete a workout! I did the same thing today at the gym that I was doing….the Couch-to-5-K, then the 30 minute circuit workout, followed up by do 60 oblique crunches on both sides and 50 regular crunches. Of course I use the Ab Coaster and some other machine that works on your obliques too, but you still get the same burn so I love it!

Like I said earlier, I've lost 4 lbs without even going to the gym and I do attribute that to keeping up with the changes I've made in eating habits. There are a few new things I've tried recently that I absolutely L-O-V-E! The first thing being Greek yogurt, it is soooo delicious and much more filling than regular yogurt. I really like Chobani, I haven't been able to bring myself to any other kind because I just feel like Chobani's the best there is lol. There are so many different flavors available as well, the only one I haven't liked so far is the Honey one, it was too bitter for me. Here's a link that shows all the flavors  Chobani---they do have a chocolate chunk one, which I've bought but I haven't tried yet, we'll have to see how it is. I've heard mixed reviews so far.

The next new food I've tried is pistachios. All I have to say is O.M.G. ---- I can't believe I've been missing out on these wonderful nuts all this time! They're very filling and make for a great snack!  I don't have much more to say about them except that everyone should go out and buy some and then thank me for informing them of all they've been missing out on. :-)

The last thing I've tried is green tea. I've had green iced tea before and I didn't like it at all. Well let me tell you, Publix makes a green iced tea with ginseng and honey and it is dee-licious! I actually picked up a half gallon today! I did stop in Teavana in the mall and they have a lot of different teas and kettles, and I actually can't wait to go try out some of their stuff. The reason I'm trying to be about tea is because I've done a lot of reading on all the benefits of various teas---some can help you with your skin, some help your immune system, so I at least want to give the beverage a shot. Who knows, maybe I'll prefer it over coffee eventually. If that ever does happen, I will be very surprised though, and someone better check my pulse to make sure I'm still breathing.

In addition to trying new foods and beverages, I've started reading a blog called Undressed Skeleton --- anyone looking for inspiration, motivation or just new recipes to try should check it out. The author has a ton of delicious recipes that are healthy and filling. I feel like if you've ever struggled with weight problems, especially throughout your childhood and teen years, then you can totally identify with her and relate to her story. In one of the sections she says how you should think of exercise as a way to relax and I so did that at the gym today. That kind of attitude makes me want to stick with it and I think that anytime I want to relax now, I'll remember that and it'll be instant motivation. Everyone needs motivation at times, I'm not perfect, I have days I don't want to do anything. So instead of thinking of going to the gym as a chore, or something I need to do, it's going to be something that I do to relax and have time for myself. I'm also trying a variation on one of her breakfasts that she has posted. I'm going to put fresh berries, pistachios, and flax seed on top of my Chobani for breakfast. She used almonds, but I don't have any that I know of, so I figure any type of nut would really work. I'm also thinking about putting the yogurt, nuts, and fresh fruit on top of a cup of oatmeal to give it a little more substance.

I really am excited about incorporating so many of these new things into my life to make a change for the better. I've decided that on Wed, Fri and Sun is when I'll work on the Couch-to-5-k program, along with the 30 min circuit workout and the ab station; and then on Tues, Thurs, and Sat, I'll just do the ab station and circuit workouts and I may alternate the circuit workouts with some free weights so that I'm not doing the circuit workouts every day.

We even did good for dinner tonight! We had chicken cordon bleu (stuffed courtesy of Publix), tossed salad, brussel sprouts (which I did season, but not too much), and fresh sweet Italian sausage tortellini. It was all portion controlled and I only wanted to eat half of the chicken breast so I could have some left over for lunch tomorrow. I couldn't even finish my portion! Luckily, I liked it all since I do  have leftovers for lunch. :-)

I think it's time my Dad updates on here now….hint hint Dad. :-P

Slacking...

Not only have I been slacking on blogging, but I've been slacking on working out as well. However, I've lost 4 lbs in the past month without going to the gym so yay! Today I'm getting back on track with a workout schedule  since I'm on my new schedule for work so I think that will definitely help. I'm going to re-start the Couch-to-5k program because I would be on week 1 day 3 but since it's been like a month, I figure it would just be easier to start over. I just wanted to post a short little update, after the gym today I'm going to try and remember to post more and about some of the food changes I've made to my diet. Hope everyone enjoys their Sunday :-)

Back At It

Planet Fitness finally opened about 9 days ago and I LOVE LOVE LOVE it! I've only been there twice so far but I'm going to start going at least 3 days a week. I'm actually on day 2 of the Couch-to-5k plan and I'm really proud of myself. I've been doing it on a treadmill and my first day I didn't think I would actually last the full 30 minutes, but I pushed through it and it was an amazing feeling. I was doing the brisk walk at a speed of 2.1 and the jog part at a speed of 3.1-3.3. Today I decided to pick it up just a little and for the walking part I maintained a speed of 2.5 and for the jogging part a speed of 3.5. I wound up walking 1.32 miles...yay! I've also done the 30 minute circuit workout (it reslly does work every muscle group and you can work up quite a sweat from it, which is a good thing!) both times and have used two machines in the Ab Station as well. The first machine is the Ab Coaster, it works abs and obliques and it's actually really fun! I don't know the name of the second machine but it works your torso and obliques, I can definitely feel the burn. I did some free weights today with my hubby and his friend, so it was kind of cool because I actually learned some new stuff and how to use some new machines. After my workouts I've been pampering myself by using the red light therapy booth. It's like a stand up tanning booth but it's infrared lights and is supposed to rejuvenate the collagen in your skin. You can also make the footpad vibrate and it's like a little massage, very relaxing! I'm thinking the next day I'll go to the gym is on Tuesday, but instead of posting after every workout I think I'll just do a weekly update. And yes Xen, I really will keep up with it lol.

Small Update

I really don't have much to post. Still waiting for the gym to open, which should actually be Friday so yay! The past couple weeks I haven't really been sticking with the changed eating habits and style but we're getting back on it. My body really doesn't like that I haven't been sticking with it either lol. Once I get back to the grocery store that will definitely be changing because I miss the changes we made. I know that being on a set schedule again and making other changes in my life will also help me stick with it as well.

Hopefully, I'll have more to update everyone with over the weekend. :-)

A minor setback

   I know it's been a while since I posted anything. I had been out of action with my foot, which I am pleased to say is back to 100 percent. I should be right back in the pool, but the end of this month has a number of non-monthly expenses that need to be handled Among those is renewing my membership at the YMCA, I have to put that renewal on hold until early June, but rest assured, I want to get back in the pool. I miss my pool.

   I was also dealing with my Dad's Memorial Service on the 26th which turned out to be a wonderful experience, if you can call something like that wonderful. I saw so many relatives that I haven't seen in over 35 years so that's what made the day managable, along with having Jenn up from Tennessee with Rob and Austin. It was a time to remember Dad and really is a nice touch that was also Memorial Day weekend since Dad was a WWII veteran. Also had a number of friends of our family that I hadn't seen in so long and they helped to share some wonderful stories. I think the one by Nora (a secretary from the power plant that Dad worked at) was especially nice as she recalled my Dad coming to work the first day after I was officially in the house.

   I could go on and on about all of that, but you want to know about my working out. Since I haven't been to the pool, I have been watching carefully how and what I eat so that I don't regress. I have enjoyed hearing people at work noticing that my face and neck have thinned out and my waist has been doing the same thing. I still can't weigh myself, but the waist of my pants have been pulled up much higher and my belt is pulled in as far as possible and it is not helping keep my pants up very well. I may need to do some shopping soon. Yipee!!!! I will be happy when I can report to you my weight and that will give me another measuring mark to work with. I can also say that I still can't walk long distances easily yet, but the short ones don't hurt my knees as much so the combination of building back some muscle and shedding some pounds is having a positive effect that way.

   Speaking of losing weight! Congratulations to Jenn. I know she posted here that she lost 10 pounds, but Saturday, she told me it was actually 11 pounds now. I AM SO PROUD OF HER!!!!! Her idea to do this long distance fitness journey together has truly been a great idea. I am glad she got me into it and I am glad that we are both having good results. I knew she would do very well and she should kick my butt in the long run because she is younger, but, you know what, it's not about how much we lose (that is nice though), it's that we are both working to become healthier adults and that is truly most important because we have other people who depend on us being there for them and we want to be there for them for a long time. Again, THANK YOU JENN for getting me into this, I am so glad you did!

   I guess that will do it for now, but I will be back with more updates as soon as I am back into the full routine again. I plan to kick some daughter butt yet with this old body.

A Milestone….

I am so flipping excited…I'm down a total of 10 lbs! And all I have seriously done was change some eating habits. It's amazing that with just a few small changes, it can help you lose weight. I really don't have anything else to say. I haven't tried any new recipe or done anything differently. I do know I have to start drinking even more water though, but I'm ok with that! I'm sure once Planet Fitness (PF) opens up I'll have more to say, but for now, I'm just happy with this news! Hope y'all have a wonderful Sunday! :-)

And Another One….

Another pound that is…go me! I'm pretty sure it would be less, but mother nature decided to be cruel by making me bloated and retaining water. Not to disclose TMI, so I'm sure y'all know what it means. I wouldn't put that in there normally but giving the fact that my number is probably lower I had to put why; plus, all the cravings I usually get for salty, sweet and fried foods, I've not giving into and I'm damn proud of myself for that! So going just by what the scale says however, I've lost 8 lbs total! Like I said in a previous post, I can see it in certain areas, but Rob said you can definitely see it in my face now too. :-D

On Friday I decided to cancel my membership to the Y for a couple of reasons. One, I wasn't going anymore and after being charged last month for nothing I decided I needed to either start going or cancel. Two, we received a flyer in the mail that Planet Fitness was opening near our house! I know they've had one in North Syracuse, but I don't believe it was there when I was, or I just didn't care lol. Anyways, since everyone knows what a fan I am of The Biggest Loser, I was beyond excited! I love their philosophy of being judgement free and no lunkheads. I can say that at The Rush there are people who do  and are both of those. The staff gives judging looks and their are members who throw their weights and grunt and yell and it's like, really? I'm not saying All staff and members are like that, because there are good people of each, but the more I started going there, the more I noticed it and it made me feel uncomfortable. Anyways, on top of that, our Planet Fitness is going to have 45 treadmills, 24 elliptical, some other equipment they mentioned and I can only remember something about arc trainers. They also have a 30 minute circuit area which has a red and green light to tell you when to stop and go, and I believe they'll have a 12 minute ab center. I'm not completely sure about the ab center, but I'm hoping so!

There are two different memberships, either $10/month with no contract or $19.99/month with a contract and some extra features. The extra $9.99 a month is worth it for us, so that's what we went with. Now, we could've just done one membership but we decided to each get one so we could both take advantage of the extras. You do get unlimited tanning and red light therapy. Now, I'm not about tanning anymore, but the red light therapy is interesting to me so I'm going to have to try it. It's supposed to rejuvenate your skin, do something with the collagen in it, help clear acne and reduce fine lines, wrinkles and blah blah blah. Also with the PF Black Card, you get to use the massage chairs, get 50% off cooler drinks, go to any Planet Fitness in the U.S, and you can bring a guest an unlimited amount of times. Which for us, was a big selling point. When we get Austin he likes to go workout with us, so now he can. The Rush lets you bring a guest but it's limited how many times you can bring them, with Planet Fitness, there is no limit. The only thing that sucks is it won't be open until mid-June. We took advantage of the pre-sale however. We each only had to pay $1 to enroll, and the annual fee that comes with all wonderful gym contracts, won't apply to us until NEXT June. Since they won't be open till halfway through the month they didn't charge us the annual fee. This also made sense because it's cheaper than us having a membership at The Rush, and it's only $8 more than what I was paying at the Y. Meaning for $8 more we both can go. It would be between $60-75 for us both to go to the Y.

I know my Dad mentioned in his post that he had hoped to get me to go workout with him, but due to time constraints and everything, a father-daughter workout just isn't doable. It sucks, and we talked about it last night, but he understands that I have to cram a week worth of visits into 2 days, and one of those days is my grandfather's memorial so I have one day afterwards to get some visits in. Only 12 more days till NY! I'm sad about the main reason, but I'm happy to see friends and family that I haven't since I moved. :-)

Happy Mother's Day to all the mom's out there…human or furry! :-D

Bummed out!

As my daughter said, I'm laid up for a few days with a bad foot. Not sure if it was a blister that ulcerated or what, but I woke up in the middle of the night (Thursday morning) and couldn't step on it to walk. Went to the doctor that afternoon. She had me get an x-ray, didn't see anything except a small hole (hence the x-ray to see if I stepped on something), put me on antibiotics and rest until Monday. Also, soaking foot three times a day. This means no pool Sunday or Tuesday until I see the doctor again Tuesday afternoon. Bummer!! I love my pool time!!!

As for my workouts, I am sticking to the mile and one-quarter distance for now, but cut back from five 17 and 16 laps segments to four 21-lap segments. Still doing the 20 squats in between each segment, but also doing some leg stretches as well. Those really help my lower back and calves feel better while walking in the pool. I know I am making progress because my face does look thinner to me and my waist must be getting smaller because my pants have really gotten bigger and the waist of my pants are above my stomach and not below. Yipee!!! Eventually, I should be able to weight myself again to see how my weight loss is going. I am feeling better physically about that.

I am getting nervous because two weeks from today we will be holding a memorial service for my Dad, one day after what would have been his 90th birthday. Lots of emotions between then and now. I am happy that Jenn and Rob will be here so I will get to see my little girl for a couple of days. Maybe I can get her in my pool during her visit. LOL!!!!

Well, I'll say goodbye for now. Will update on the foot after my doctor's visit. Love ya Jenn!

Dad

Another One Bites The Dust….

Another pound down! I'm so freaking excited! I'm hoping that buy the time I check the scale on Sunday that it'll be another one to two. 2 more lbs and I'm back to what my weight was about a year or two ago. Yeah, I'm so not posting it my actual weight but whatever, I don't have to so :-P lol.

Just wanted to give that quick update.

Also, Papa T is suffering a minor setback. Something happened with his foot and the doctor has ordered him to stay off it and keep it elevated for a little while. I know he's upset that he's missing pool time but I also know that once he's back in that pool he'll be kicking ass!!!!

Love you Dad!

It's Been One Week

I now have that song stuck in my head lol. Seriously though, it's been a week since Rob and I started changing our eating habits. There were a couple times that we didn't really eat the best we should've and let me tell you, we paid for it. Our bodies were not feeling crap food once we started giving it the healthy food. That's one thing that will help keep us on track. I'm not saying we won't give in to temptation here and there, but it won't be any fried fast food again.

My biggest motivation factor for sticking with this though, are the results I'm already having. I've always heard that losing weight and being fit is only like 10% exercise, 90% mental (meaning how and what you eat), and I've never really believed it….until now. In this past week alone, I've really only walked one day, but my eating habits were different, and I've lost 6 lbs! That may not seem like a lot to some people, but I'm so freaking proud of myself. It lets me know that I'm on the right path and it makes me want to make this awesome lifestyle change. I know once I add workouts to my routine, I'll be able to lose even more. I can actually see where I've lost those extra pounds too, and it was in an area that I thought would be the hardest to lose, so double yay!

I've also come to the realization that I've been relying on Rob for workouts for too long. I want to do this for me, no one else, so if he's working his night job after our day job, that doesn't stop me from taking a walk. I've set a schedule for schoolwork and housework, so I'm just going to throw my workouts in there too.

Since a simple :-D type emoticon will not show my excitement…

This hands up in the air, cheesing grin should show a glimpse of it!

Update Time!

So things have changed a little since the last entry I posted, but it's all good! First of all, Rob and I decided to do the Couch-to-5K on our lunch breaks instead of at night and we have another person at work who is going to join us! We decided to start yesterday and yeah, so not happening. But that's not a bad thing. We're going to walk everyday for the next week and decide on Monday if it's a go. If not, we'll walk for another week straight and then that following Monday we should be all good. Also, since the C25K is only 3 days a week, which for us would be Monday, Wednesday, and Friday; we decided that on our off days, we're going to walk for a half hour as well. Unfortunately, due to some unforeseen circumstances with our lunch breaks today, we weren't able to go for our walk. :(
But! We will tomorrow, so yaaaaaayyyyyyyy!

As for eating better, we have started the process and we're only on like day 3, but we're loving it and I have pictures to go along with what we've started! I'm a dork, what can I say. :-P

Sunday

This was our first day of being more careful of what we were eating and everything, and of course I just didn't know what to make for lunch, so we decided to order from Jimmy John's. I'm not sure if NY has a Jimmy John's but they soooo should! They make gourmet sandwiches and they're just delicious. Here's the link if anyone wants to check out their menu: http://www.jimmyjohns.com/

Anyways, I decided to go with the Club Tuna on 7 grain bread and added some avocado. You of course have to add a pickle to the side, which are huge!

Monday

For lunch on Monday we just decided to take leftovers from Sunday night's dinner which was chicken, mac & cheese and corn. They were all really small portions, so I was surprised when I couldn't even finish my piece of chicken for lunch! I'm hoping that means that this is working. I do have granola bars twice a day however. Once for a morning snack and then again for an afternoon snack. We did have BK for breakfast since we were running late, but at least I only had a chicken biscuit. Btw, chicken biscuits and biscuits and gravy have become my weakness for breakfast since moving to the south. 

Anyways…since I hadn't taken any meat or chicken out of the freezer to thaw out while we were at work, we had no idea what we really wanted for dinner besides salad. After wandering around the store for what seemed like forever, we decided to try turkey burgers! We also decided to add chives, onion and radishes to our salad along with the usual tomatoes, carrots and cucumber; and try a new low calorie salad dressing. 

This dressing only has 40 calories and is now my favorite. 

Yes, that's the rest of my pickle from the day before lol. It may not look it, but that burger is huge! (Side note: I just realized I've said huge a lot during this post…hmmm.)

Turkey burgers are very filling in case you didn't know. Ours were also seasoned already, and it was a sweet onion flavor. They also came pre-packaged which was convenient, but we do want to experiment and try our own versions using regular ground turkey meat where you have to form the patties on your own. If you're wanting to try the sweet onion ones though, they're from Butterball. Jenni-O makes them too but I'm not sure of their flavors. Also, Jenni-O's were like $2 more! Of course, because I remember Dolvett from The Biggest Loser talk about Jenni-O's a week or two ago, I wanted to try them, but the hubby didn't think that it was a valid reason. -_-

We did make an extra 2 burgers last night so that we would have a good lunch today, and that paired with a couple apple slices…not only delicious, but filling again! 

Today we decided to do a simple breakfast with bagels and melons. I love everything bagels with chive & onion cream cheese, and I'm not giving that up lol. The melons were watermelon, cantaloupe and honeydew. It was part of a melon trio package from the store. So to me, that was a pretty good breakfast. And like I said, we had leftover turkey burgers and apple slices for lunch, so it's been good so far today.

We did decide that for dinner tonight we wanted to try ground turkey in our spaghetti sauce instead of regular ground beef; and also turkey Italian sausages instead of regular pork sausage. I tried some of the sauce a few minutes ago and it is better than regular ground beef! We did get the Italian seasoned ground turkey since it has a label that said it was best for pasta and stuff like that. It definitely has a little kick to it…yum! Rob can't go without garlic bread when we have pasta, which I admit, I love it too, but I wanted to of course try something a little healthier in that aspect. We ended up getting Texas Toast's Garlic Knots (they remind me of the garlic knots from Gino & Joe's back home…sigh), and I only won that one because they're 30 calories less than the regular garlic bread. 

I promise I won't always post pictures of what I ate, unless it's something new I've tried or something like that lol.

As for Papa T…my dad is kicking ass! I'm so proud of him!!!! It has been hard with the loss of my grandfather, but I'm so proud that my dad has channeled his emotions into the gym instead of food. We're both emotional eaters, so this is a big thing for us. Keep up the awesome work daddy, I love you!

It certainly been a while

While I haven't posted for a while, work and as Jenn mentioned it her last entry, I lost my Dad April 18. It's been hard, but I have held up well for the most part. Need to be strong for Mom, who comes back from Florida Tuesday for the summer with Dad's ashes, and my two daughters who meant the world to him. Of course the holding up was working until 2:30 this morning when I woke up in bed crying "My Da has died. My Daddy's gone!" It took a while for Keri (my wife) to calm me down, but I guess that's the first real realization that he's gone hit me. I didn't expect that until Tuesday when I pick up Mom at the airport and take her to Afton and I see a big empty house with just her there. Well, that's where that stands.

As for working out, more people have been telling me my face looks thinner and Keri noticed my waist is thinner. I still can't see over the belly, but I trust her. I'm proud that Jenn and Rob are working out together and working on portion control with their meals. That's the thing I have done the most with since Jenn and I started this trip. I have noticed I don't eat as big a portion of food as I use to. Sometimes I do have to fast food it when one the road covering games, but even then, I can't finish my normal orders, so this orders are getting smaller as well. I must be doing something right.

I have truck to my one mile of pool walking twice a week, but the Tuesday, the day before my Day died I increased the distance. Today with be the four trip with the new mileage. Since I was doing the mile in just under an hour, I added another 17 full laps, now 83 each workout, which give me a distance one and one-quarter miles. It now takes and extra 15 minutes, but I love being in the pool and I've found a good pace that's not real fast and is more even-paced from start to finish. I also have changed how I move my legs. Sometimes I still use the normal strde, other times I do more of a marching step in the deeper water to lift my feet up much higher. It's a nice change and it seems to be helping my knees as well as the knee bends do between segements.

My younger daughter, Katie, did go to the pool last Sunday with me, but she got bored quickly and has vowed not to go back again. She splashed around, but wouldn't walk with me. At the end, she did want to show me how she could swim in the deep end. I guide myself via the wall to the end of the pool so she could swim to me. She did the shallow to deep end twice, and that was it, she was ready to go home. I surprised myself and breaststroked my way from the deep end to the shallow end. It went well so I swam back to the deep end wall and back to the shallow end one more time. I was a little winded, but the breathing was easier than the front crawk stroke so I have hopes of eventually doing part of the workout in the deep end as a swimmer down the road. Baby steps in that aspect, but it is a goal that I think I can reach in a while.

I guess that's it for now. Since I woke up at 6:30. I got this entry in before my normal Sunday pool time so I say goodbye for now and get ready to head to the pool. I love my pool time and I love my family.

Dad

I Know, I Know….

I've probably come up with more excuses than anything since I started this. I finally have my hubby on board now though, like he's finally fully committed to doing the Couch to 5K plan and changing our eating habits. Not that I needed him to be doing the same things as me, but it makes it so much easier this way. I signed up for the mobile version of the C25K plan which has a virtual coach helping push you through your workout and let you log the workout, which I think is pretty cool. I also created goals on the training part of the active.com website which I think will help keep me on track more.

Also, since Rob and I are now working at the same company (hopefully that will continue longer, since technically I'm on a temp assignment. I'm hoping that it changes though because I love it! Anyways…) we have decided to follow suit of some of our co-workers and start walking around the complex on our lunch breaks. So not only will we be doing the C25K at night, but we'll have that walk during the afternoon as well.

I have to say, I'm very excited about changing our eating habits. That sounds strange, I know, but I really am! I've been trying to get Rob on board with this for awhile and he finally is…woot! Some of the people in his department are starting the South Beach Diet but I'm not sold on it. You can't eat yogurt or certain red meat ever again and I just can't do that. Not to mention, those are both healthy foods! Anyways, while browsing around on Active.com I found an article about what kind of eating habits are best and stuff like that. We both have got learn portion control, but we also have to learn to eat more than we do. I know that sounds like an oxymoron, but I swear it isn't. We need to be eating more throughout the day, use portion control and eat healthier, less processed foods. It's not like we eat horrible, but after reading that article, talking with him about it and realizing what we have in our home now, we need to change some things. First of all, less boxed foods. Yes, the Velveeta box dinners and Hamburger Helper meals are quick and easy on nights that we don't have time to make chicken or pasta, but they're really not that great for us. He's also got me to do boxed potatoes for a few years because when we first got married I didn't know much about fresh potatoes, and I could never figure out why a 10 lb bag of potatoes didn't last long lol. However, we're going to just buy one of those packs of potatoes that have like 3-4 in it and do it that way from now on. We are going to finish up the boxed stuff we have because it would be a waste of money otherwise, but after they're gone, that's it. I also finally got Rob to agree to eating fish. I love salmon and tuna steaks and he said he could live with those, especially if he can try grilling them so yay! We're also going to stock up on more fresh fruits and veggies which I love and I'm hoping it will get him to try new ones. We're not worried about sweets because we've noticed that if we don't have them in the house, we don't miss them. We've also noticed that if we get a craving for something, just ignoring it makes the craving go away. Now, I know you can still have treats, and we will, but it's going to be a rare thing.

Once again, I have to say how proud I am of my Dad. He's been doing awesome! I can't wait for him to write his next post so y'all can see what I mean.

On a sad note, my Dad and I lost someone very special to us this past week. My Grandpa Vartanian (my Dad's dad) passed away on Tuesday night and we found out on Wednesday morning. It's been a hard time for our whole family and Grandpa is missed tremendously. I hope that he's very proud of my Dad and I for this journey we're on to getting in shape. I like to think that he's up in Heaven playing golf with his friends and getting lots of hole in ones. :-)

I love you Grandpa!

I'm back!

One month in and I am so glad that my daughter has talked me into this. I know I haven't blogged since April 1, but I have been working in the pool and really enjoying it. I wasn't able to go Sunday with the YMCA being closed for Easter so I felt it a little more today, but still got my mile in.By the way, I felt I was a little rushed with Keri having a doctor's appointment so I hustled right along. Instead of talking about that part of the workout, I thought I would pass along some other observations instead.

I have started to develop some friendships, especially on Tuesday morning, because you have the same people at the same times. Instead of being a stranger amongst a bunch of strangers, you find yourself talking about why you're there and what you hope to accomplish and reach as goals. I now have three or four "coaches" there offering encouragement or suggestions about things they did. It's more than just a workout by yourself. It becomes a social time with common people having common goals.

One of those friends, I believe his name is Dan is one of those older guys who can kick my butt swimming, but we spend a few minutes before our workouts talking about the past week. He gave me some insight into why it is good that I'm doing this. He has an out-of-state friend doing the same thing and another person he would like seeing do this. He told me that I have the right reasons for wanting to work out and is happy to offer support. Will we have a social moment outside the Y, probably not, but what's wrong with having a social time in the Y. If he is the guy I think he is, he is a very good swimmer in the age-group in the New York State. I hope I can be as lively as him when I'm his age.

Another benefit I have discovered is how I feel after my workouts. I can get to the pool stressed out from the days before. Getting into the pool and into my little zone really helps me relax. My muscles feel more relaxed and I know I still have problems to deal with later, but I find myself in a much better frame of mind as my pool session goes on. Pool time is becoming a great time to relax and recharge myself. The physical aspect will start to show the more I do this and I know my mental state is also improving.

As far as the time I am in the pool, I have decided that my schedule is really allow just two days a  week right now so I may try to capitalize on that. I actually hate when I reach the end of my workout. I don't have to rush anywhere when I'm done......so.........I think I might start increasing my distance to more than a mile. I know I should try to speed up the pace, but I'm really not ready for that yet, still feel that pull in one right shin and calf in the pool, but it seems to go away the longer I'm in the pool. Why not capitalize on that and work up to adding another quarter mile for now, maybe another 16 laps or 400 yards, nearly a quarter-mile. It won't take much longer, but could feel so much more satisfying. I've found something I really like so why not take advantage of that. Who knows, maybe I could be up to two miles in another month. I'll let you know about that idea more in the future.

Anyways, I've never stuck to any kind of working out for a month before so again, it's a milestone for me. Thank you so much Jenn for suggesting this idea. I love you!

Dad

Coming Soon...

I do have an update complete with a video that I do plan on posting very soon. Didn't want anyone to think I just dropped off of here. Just been busy. Hoping to post later today!

Motivated

Today when I was on Pinterest I stumbled upon a pin about interval training to go from walking to running and it brought me to a website about Couch-to-5k planning. It's to get couch potatoes to be able to run 3 miles (or 30 minutes) in about 9 weeks. I decided that it was the kick in the butt I needed. Not that I'm a complete couch potato, but I do have my days. You basically start out with warming up each time with a brisk 5 minute walk and then the first week you jog for 60 seconds and walk for 90 seconds and do this for 20 minutes. The first two weeks you only do it 3 days a week and then on week 3 you go up to 4, but you always have a day of rest in between.

I've mentioned the track near our house and it's not the kind of track I thought, but there are guides and markers and you have a choice of 3 "tracks" to choose from. We ended up doing the 1 mile track aka the blue track. There's one below it but I'm not sure how far it is, and there's also one above it called the black track which is 1.25 miles. Since it's been storming all around us and we were bringing the dogs we figured it would be best to start with only a mile. Rob was convinced it was going to downpour and I think he was secretly wanting it to happen so he could rub it in my face. I won though! It did sprinkle but that's it so hahahahaha!!!!

Anyways, enough gloating. I only ended up doing one minute of running the whole time. Before you tell me that I didn't do enough running, I'm very well aware of that. I also had a dog to control, pants that were a little too big, and oh yeah, I'm out of freaking shape. I am very proud of my one minute straight of running, and if you have a problem with it, click the little box with the x at the top of the window :-P

I'm also proud of myself that it wasn't just leisurely walking with the dogs for the rest of the mile. It was a very brisk pace and the next step up would've been jogging. I did work up a sweat and my lower back was sore after running so I need to find some lower back exercises to do at home. In all actuality, lower back problems do run on my mom's side of our family and I really am out of shape so once I get in better shape I'm hoping it'll all be good.

We've decided that we won't be bringing the dogs to do this sort of thing again. We do want to take them at least once a week on one of our rest days so that they do get a nice exercise in though, they definitely enjoyed it! On the other rest days I plan on doing some sort of toning or crunches type of exercise so that I'm not just relying on the track days. I may also do pictures throughout to show my progress, but I'm not completely set on doing that yet. I think it will hold me more accountable however, so it's a good possibility.

My goal is to have Rob and I registered and running in a 5k here in Knoxville by June/July if one is going on around then. There's one in May that I'd like to do but I know I wouldn't be able to give it my all by then, so I'm going to have to be patient.

I'm already wishing it was our next day of training!

Good Day and Sick Day

Sorry for a week between posts, but the high school season is back in full swing so I'm been busy.

Tuesday was a good day in the pool. I gave up speed for distance. As I said last time I did 55 laps or 1,500 yards. I knew 60 laps would be 1,600 yards (0.9 miles). I decided so I only needed six more laps (150 yards) to reach 1, 730 yards or one mile. I pushed for the 66 mark, (actually 1,750 yards) and it was bothering that right shin again so I slowed down a little. I figured, for now, that the one-mile mark was better than the one hour mark. It only took 10 more minutes because I pushed that first segment, trying to do 17 laps in 15 minutes. Will pace myself better next time, but the goal will now be get the one mile down to the one hour limit.

The best part of Tuesday's pool walk was having one of my inspirations with me. Keri came and sat by the pool while I was walking. It was nice to have her there and having her support. She means so much to me and one of the reasons I'm undertaking the project with Jenn. It was also nice (?) to have her pick on me because my legs were sore because I was almost power-walking to cram those extra laps in the 15-minute window. They really hurt, but they felt better a day later. I also talked to Jenn and my mom later in the morning. They were proud of me as well. My mom has been on me about my weight to so she was really happy that I'm doing this. She was surprised I was up to a mile, but she said that really good. She told dad and they both want me to keep it up.

That was Tuesday. A good day and a nice milestone.

I woke up Sunday (today) and was sick so I didn't go to the pool. I feel bad about it because I enjoy my time there. I've been adjusting my bedtime to get a better sleep routine, but I've still been tired and the cold weather that I sat in to cover games for two days certainly wore me down. I did wake up, but I just couldn't shake the sick feeling so I went back to bed and actually slept two more hours. Good in the long run, but I still miss my pool time. Can't wait for Tuesday.

Dogs and exercise...

are normally a pretty good combination in my opinion. You get to get a workout in while spending quality time with the fur babies who also are getting their exercise, how could it go wrong? Let me show you how it can:

+

=

TROUBLE!

Don't let them fool you! They may be all cute and adorable but it's all an act. I've taken them for walks around other places we lived and they were fine. Today was a whole different story. They wouldn't listen to me at all. It only ended up being a 10 minute walk today because of their behavior but at least it was something. It wasn't a slow walk, it was a brisk pace and I worked up a little bit of a sweat. I wasn't pouring buckets of sweat, but hey, at least there was some and I could tell my heart rate was up. That could be due to me getting irritated with my pups though lol….kidding. 

I think that another factor was that I decided to do it at noon so it wasn't a cooler part of the day and that's really when I believe it would be best to walk them. They were panting horribly when we got back to the house…you would've thought that they had been running around for a half hour or so. I'm also thinking that this will be more successful if we take them to the track near us so I'm hoping to be able to do that by Monday at the latest. I may attempt to walk them around the subdivision tomorrow but not in the middle of the day. 

It's About Time

My dad is sooooo kicking my butt with workouts. I have not worked out in over two months and I'm the one who came up with this idea…smh. Anyways. since I'm not always able to get to the gym I found something to start doing. Starting tomorrow, I'm going to start taking my dogs on walks around the subdivision with me and work my way up to a run. On nights and weekends I'm hoping to get Rob involved and take the dogs to either the track or a new park I discovered. Both are fairly close to the house and I figure that if I can't start doing that, there's no hope for me. Plus, this gives my dogs a chance to get out and get all the exercise they need as well. We live in a condo so we can't just let our dogs out in a backyard and run around, but I can bring them on runs with me…woot!

Btw, I would start today but once again I procrastinated on schoolwork and I have some assignments due today. I actually wrote about that on my other blog That Other Jenn…so I'm off to write some wonderful papers.

Sunday is pool day!!!!

After passing up on my Thursday workout time due to some unforeseen circumstances, it was hard to believe that I was back at the YMCA at 8 a.m. for another one-hour pool walk this (Sunday) morning. It was actually fun, but weird at the same time.

I was battling a sore right shin, which doesn't outside the pool, but hurt in the pool. Still did 55 full laps (wall to middle of pool and back or 110 half-lengths, roughly 1,325 yards). I could have done 60 laps if I didn't get cocky the very first thing.

I was on the swim team my senior year of high school. Well, I got to my turnaround point and thought, I can swim that short distance. OMG!!!!!!! I am so out of shape. That swim into the deep end and back to the 5-feet mark felt like 500 yards. I thought I was going to die, but I survived. It cut down the number of walking laps in my first 15-minute segment. I can do roughly 15 full walking laps (25 yards each) and my 15-20 deep knee bends in a 15-minute segment. That translates to 60 walking laps or 1,600 yards or 0.9 miles, not bad for an out-of-shape overweight papa. I may have to rethink the walking-swimming combo in two months, maybe not. I should be walking more, so maybe I'll still be able to. Anyways, it felt good to have two pool walking sections in less than a week.

Now I need to get my younger daughter (Katie) to get out of bed with me on Sundays. She just growled and rolled over this morning after telling me she wanted to go yesterday. Damn teenagers anyways! I still love her though.

Well, I guess that's it for now! I'll go for another update Tuesday after another pool session.

Bye for now! Love ya Jenn!!

Shoutout to my Dad

I just wanted to give a shootout to my dad for doing so well. He's been telling me how his eating habits have changed, and now he took his first step for starting to workout at the gym and I'm just so proud of him! Love you Dad and keep up the good work!

YYYYYYYYEEEEEEEESSSSSSSS!!!!!!!!

   I got in the pool for the first time Tuesday and did an hour of walking to start my fitness program and IT FELT GREAT on my knees and back!!!! It was the first time, other than coaching a softball or soccer game of Katie's, where I was actually moving most of the hour straight.
  
   I know I wasn't sprinting, but just the walking felt good and I'm excited about doing it again. I actually joked with Keri about going again this morning, but Wednesday morning isn't a normal day off for me. She has some doctor's appointments and test to do so I took a vacation day today, but looked at the pool schedule at the YMCA and I have figured out a three-day schedule I am going to start following. Of course, Tuesday from 7:45-8:45 a.m. will happen much every Tuesday. I'll actually start the week on Sunday mornings (pool open 8-11 a.m.) Probably try to get in first thing at 8, a good reason to get up and get going before church. The final day looks like Thursday nights 7:45-9 p.m. when I'm not covering a game.

   I know it doesn't sound like the most physical way to work out, but I'm over 400 pounds and, like I said last time, very limited stamina right now. It's baby steps as far as exercise, but better than none. I alternated from small strides and normal walking stride to vary the initial workout and went in four 15-minutes segments. The break between each segment wasn't a rest, but a moment to do 15-20 deep knee bends (getting into a baseball catcher's position) in the 3-foot end of the pool. I didn't count how many laps (technically half-laps to the 5-foot-5 water mark since I haven't learned how to walk underwater yet or about 13 yards in the 25-yard long four-lane pool.) My real goal will be to combine walking and swimming full 25-yard lengths within two months and, hopefully, swimming full lengths within four months. I was on the swim team in high school so I know what my workouts were like back then and will attempt to recreate those workouts from 38 years ago in the future. Something I could actually do the rest of my life, maybe even join the Cortland Masters Swim Team for the old folks. I think I could take those 60-70 year old guys someday. LOL! They are good!

    All I know is I was tired later in the day, but I also felt a new energy after the first day. It does feel weird when you first get out of the pool and your legs feel a lot heavier than they really are, but I'm sure that will pass with time also. All I know is I look forward to getting back in the pool soon and get into the regular pattern of working out.

    I wouldn't started doing this without Jenn's suggestion that we do something like this, even though we are states apart. Keri has been bugging me to do this and I should listen to her better also, but now there just seems to be a new purpose in trying all of this. Thanks Jenn for the suggestion and thanks Keri and Katie for also being my New York motivation.

    I guess that will do it for now, but I'll have more to say soon!

Time For A Change....

So I decided that the blog needed a change...and I'm pretty sure my dad is not going to like it. I tried not to be too girly in picking  a new background, but I didn't like any of the sports themes or not so girly ones either lol. Sorry dad, but it looks good!

Also, I did decide to create a new blog as well. I've only got the layout and design done, but I will be posting a "welcome" entry either tonight or tomorrow. The new blog is http://thatotherjenn.blogspot.com/

I hope all of you start following me on that one as well....well, the 3 of you that read this anyways lol.

Also slacking!!

My little girl is sooooo much like her father! lol

It took me a long time to finally find what I really wanted to do and to find the person I really wanted to spend all my time with. I'm in my 16th year with my loving wife (Keri), along with our daughter Katie (13), and of course, Jenn. Longer than both my previous marriages combined.  I'm also in my 13th year as a sportswriter at the Cortland Standard newspaper. Twice as long as I've held any other job.  I did both of these things after turning 35 so Jenn, you still have time to find your true path (hee hee). I know you're headed that way with Rob and with all the hard work you're doing with college.

I understand the time to find to working out is hard. I've been in the same boat. I was in Albany for two days three weeks ago covering the state wrestling finals while also covering sectional volleyball in Syracuse. One week later, in Binghamton covering sectional basketball action. Tougher to eat right being on the road so much, but I've did do better than previous road trips. The traveling did allow me to get some more workout type clothes so the trips were a positive in that direction.

I did get a membership at the YMCA here in Cortland as well. Looking to do some lap-walking for starters in the pool starting Tuesday. Will try that once or twice a week with at least one trip to the equipment room (maybe two depending on the pool) for a total of three days a week. This is a man with no stamina right now so I need to start slow and survive to begin with, plus the lap times at the pool are only from 5:30-9 a.m. in the morning and I still have to be to work by 6:30. It means getting up earlier in the morning and going to bed earlier at night even though I still cover things at 7 p.m. some nights during the high school sports season. It just needs to be done. It's all because I need to be there for Keri, who is not in the best of health physically, and for my daughters here in New York and Tennessee. I love them all so much and need to be the person that can turn to for a long time.

I knew this blog would be a good idea when Jenn asked to start and I think it will pick up as we both get more active in the working out phase and get things into a better routine.

Jenn, I know we've been talking and things have been rough, but I also know things are going to get better. In fact, they have already gotten better. You're stubborn like your old man, but you're also very loving like your old man. It took us some time to discover that with each other and it has only helped us become closer now. You're setting your course that you want with the man you love. That's more than half the battle. It's time we wage our little battle even though we are in different states so that we make our families proud and become even better people for them. I hope you're ready because your old man wants to kick your exercise butt.

I love you!

Dad

What's up peeps? I know, I know, it's been like almost 2 months since I last posted and I said I wouldn't get so behin in posting again...my bad. I don't have much of an update on gym time and getting fit because the truth is, I haven't really been going. I keep using the excuse that I don't have time and I have too much going on, well it's time for me to stop making excuses! As you all know, I'm loving The Biggest Loser now and this season is all about No Excuses...how fitting. I can say I've been eating less at least, so yay me! Don't take away my happiness for that, just let me have that self happiness right now, ok? Anyways, since I don't have much of an update on that, I feel I should at least update everyone on the craziness that has been my life the past couple months.

First off, about a week ago, I quit my job. Now I know some of you are like What? Are you crazy? This has been a long time coming...I was very unhappy and it was going to be so long before I was hired on from being a temp. Bottom line, it just wasn't what I was looking for and it wasn't a good fit. My next update is verrrrryyyyyyy exciting, well at least to me it is.

I finally signed up as an independent Scentsy consultant! You may be wondering why I'm so excited over this, well it's simple, it's because I LOVE Scentsy! Anyone who knows me knows I have loved candles forever, so this made perfect sense for me. It's a better, safer way to make your home smell ah-mazing! The warmers use a low-watt lightbulb to melt the wax. Oh, and they're cheaper and last longer than candles, in addition to having much better scents that you can also mix and match to create your own scents. If you want to learn more about it, check out my website: https://jennlynn831821.scentsy.us/Home  and also feel free to "like" my Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Jennifer-Costley-Independent-Scentsy-Consultant/311615048899643  :-)

Like how I did a little self promoting there? Lol.

My last update is probably the most exciting and most stressful at the same time. We're officially house hunting! We've decided we want to finally pick one place to settle down and turn a house into a home, complete with a big, fenced in backyard for our dogs to run around in! So needless to say, any tips on the whole buying a house thing, will be greatly appreciated!

I did forget to mention that Rob got his foot in the door at a very well-known Fortune 1000 company as a temp and he actually loves it! I'm so proud of him and I know that this is only the beginning for him! Keep your fingers crossed that they hire him on soon! And just so no one is worried about me not having a job at the moment, I am job hunting! I was bored after two days of not having one, so I'm definitely looking and hoping to get a new one ASAP! I do have to say that's know I've made mistakes in my career, but at the same time I don't regret any of them because I've learned from them and wouldn't be in the mindset that I'm in now. And this new mindset is going to be an awesome asset for any employer that's lucky enough to hire me. :-)

I am thinking about either changing the type of blog this is or creating a new one...I have some ideas bouncing around in my head and I don't want to just write about my journey to getting fit. I want to do one that's based on my daily life and everything that is going on...I know I've had a few posts that have already been doing that, but I guessing want to make it more "official." Let me know what y'all think about that!

A couple more short, quick things...one, since I have been slacking at the gym and I do have some extra time right now, I plan on walking my dogs around the subdivision more and hopefully taking them to a nearby park I recently discover! Second, I've officially started taking my concentration courses that are required to receive my degree. My concentration is in Human Resources and I have to take 3 extra classes...so right now I'm taking two classes atoned and omg...definitely need to practice time management to do this lol. I think I've covered everything that has happened, or at least close to everything. And I will definitely update y'all more...and if I do make a new blog I'll let y'all know the new link! :-)

Slacking...

I know I've been very MIA on the blog lately, just had a lot going on. Rob and I have been going through some things that I won't talk about on here, because certain things do need to be kept private. I can say that what we have been through had brought us closer, made us stronger, and has shown me what true love and unconditional love really is and that it does exist. :-)

The other reason I didn't post anything last week is because I didn't go to the gym at all last week. My workout buddy hurt her back, I hurt my tailbone and we had a lot do for our last class of our management course so we decided to focus on that. We slacked so much during this course that it was very stressful and we vowed to never let that happen again. I do have to say that the tailbone thing was my fault. A night of drinking and a small hill in the backyard are not a good combo lol.

I can definitely say that I can tell a difference in my mood and energy when I don't go to the gym, and I hate it. I went to the gym on Thursday and sitting on the machines irritated my tailbone so I didn't do very much. I skipped Friday night so I could recover some more, but I did go yesterday morning. I did free weights and one machine so that my tailbone would hurt that much. I also ended up doing 30 crunches and a total of 10 minutes on the elliptical. 10 minutes is my personal best, so I was very proud of myself! I ended up asking my workout buddy how she stays on so long because once my legs burn I feel like I'm going to die, even though I know I really won't. She told me how her boyfriend said that it's good when it burns (which I've known, but it still sucks). and that she just does less strides. After asking some more questions I learned that she focuses on the number of strides she does rather than on the time. I tried that for the last 5 minutes I was on the elliptical and it totally makes a difference. When I start to feel that burn and don't think I can go any longer, I take a 15-30 second break, and then start back up. I'm thinking that on Tuesday night I'm going to be able to stay on even longer...I actually can't wait to see my frenemy, the elliptical!

As for the crunches, I haven't done those in about a year. I was up to 50 last time I did the gym so it did kind of suck that I only did 30, but at least I started them back up. I'm paying for it today. My abs are so sore, but it's well worth it and it lets me know that I'm doing what I need to be.

We all know that what and how you eat is just as important and working out though, and since I wasn't going to they gym last week, I was worried about how my eating habits would be. I think I did alright overall. There were times that I probably ate more than I should or ate something I shouldn't have, but it wasn't too bad. About a month ago I decided to start going to Earth Fare, an organic supermarket here in Knoxville, but never ended up going. The reason I wanted to go was because another woman I go to school with had started going and said after a few days she could tell the difference and she felt so much better by replacing what she ate with the organic/gluten free food. On Wednesday she told us that she had lost 15 lbs just by starting to buy her food from Earth Fare and that she hadn't worked out. I figured that if I replace certain foods in addition to my working out, it'll be a good combo. And it really isn't that much more expensive than normal groceries, I can't wait to try it out!

Oh, I almost forgot, I've also signed up for kickboxing classes! I'm soooooo freaking excited about this!!!! I've been interested in kickboxing since I was about 18/19, but because it's not cheap, have never been able to do it. Well, the other day I received my daily email from Living Social about a local martial arts academy offering unlimited kickboxing sessions for one month for only $25 instead of the normal $150. That's an 83% discount! I texted Rob immediately and after talking with him, decided to go for it! I signed up for the deal, and now I'm just waiting for the e-mail that gives me all the details about when it starts and everything. I've never purchased anything from Living Social so I'm not sure how long it takes, but I know it'll be well worth it!

Once I start the kickboxing sessions, my gym time will be cut back, but only by a day or two, and it'll only be for a month. I'm also hoping that I'll be able to get in some sessions during other days that aren't my normal gym days so that I won't really miss that much gym time.

I think I've covered everything that's gone on since the last update, and I'll make sure to not go so long without posting again! Now if only my Dad would get back to posting more too... :-)

It's Been A While...

Bank on track...woot! In my last post I said that I would be back in the gym on Thursday, but that didn't happen. Here in TN, just the threat of snow is enough cause for businesses to close and people run to the store all in a panic for milk and bread. Well, we got snow and ice on Thursday and since the way to the gym is on back roads, neither I nor my friend wanted to chance it, plus there was the possibility that the Y would close before normal time. I know,I know, I'm from Syracuse, so I should be fine with snow...I am, it's ice and people in TN that scare me in regards to driving in the snow. Seriously, light snow causes them to slow down to 5 mph, yet in the rain it makes them go 90 mph, so don't get it.

 Anyways.... I got back to the gym last night and it felt great! I've been feeling like the treadmill just isn't doing it for me anymore, so I want to stick with the bike and elliptical. The elliptical and I have a love/hate type of relationship. I want to be able to do a high resistance at a fast pace, but it just isn't happening...yet. I know it's something I have to build up with, but for anyone that knows me, I have no patience. Since I've only been able to use it for about 2 1/2 minutes and then felt like I was going to die, I figured I would increase my time in increments of 30 seconds. I told my friend to make sure I at least stayed on for 3 minutes last night, I ended up staying on for 5 minutes! For those of you that are like, "that's not very long," if you've never used an elliptical and you're just starting to get back in shape, they are a bitch! I've used them before, but only for a couple minutes at a time, and the one time I was able to stay on for 15 minutes was after doing lots of cardio on other machines. My goal is to eventually be able to stay on for 30 minutes. I love that the elliptical works multiple areas, whereas the treadmill doesn't really. The elliptical works your glutes, calves, quads, hamstrings and anterior tibialis for your lower body; and for your upper body it works your lats, pecs, triceps and biceps. For more information about how it works these muscles and the benefits of an elliptical check out this site: http://www.livestrong.com/article/159027-what-part-of-the-body-does-the-elliptical-target/  It will give you all the info you need. And Dad, it helps people with knee problems, because it takes the weight of them, so you may want to check it out!

 After my proud 5 minutes on what it going to become my new best friend (the elliptical), I did my circuit set that ActivTrax printed for me. We skipped the additional 20 minutes of cardio because we were both feeling the burn, and since it was our first night back to the gym in a week, we felt we did good. I have decided not to keep going with the ActivTrax because it keeps printing the same workout and it's supposed to generate new ones each day and it hasn't been doing so. It did teach me about circuit training though so I know which machines I want and need to use so I think I'll do just fine without it.

 I can't remember if I've posted about The Biggest Loser or not, but in case I haven't...this is my first season watching and I love it! Bob and Dolvett are hardcore! This season is about no excuses, so I've decided to apply that to myself as well. For me, it's just a very motivational show. I seriously end up all teary eyed by the end, I have no idea what is wrong with me lol. This week they had the nutritionist on and I learned some things I didn't know and different variations on some recipes that I'm looking forward to trying. I haven't checked it out yet, but on their site they also have different recipes. The one that I really want to try is a variation on pizza. Instead of ordering pizza or buying a frozen one, you take a sprouted tortilla, add some marinara and a little cheese and bake it in the oven for a few minutes. It's like your own little personal pizza, but much healthier! I'm also going to see if picturing Bob and Dolvett all in my face will help me push myself harder. It helped me a little last night, so we'll see how it works today.

 Another thing I'm trying out is eating yogurt for a snack or dessert. I really like the Yoplait Light; they have so many different flavors and they're all very yummy and satisfying. I've had the apple turnover and strawberry shortcake so far, and I still have key lime pie, blueberry patch, red velvet cake and black forest cake. I've had all of those flavors before except the apple turnover and strawberry shortcake, and after having those as well I can say that they're all delicious!

 Well, time for me to get ready to head out to the gym, I'll try to post more when I'm back!