Week One of New Vigorous and Vivacious Motivation

Hello Blog Peeps!!  This week has been a week of finding out what I am made of.  Since last Monday afternoon when I met Ali Vincent here in Kansas City and was challenged to lose another 40 pounds by September 7th I have been more dedicated than I have been in many months.  I feel a new vigor- a renewal in my motivation.  I have longed for this feeling again.

 This week I took Ali's advice and went back to my very beginning basics.  I get a 15 minute break approximately every hour at my job during my 10 hour shift.  I have been bringing my MP3 player and headphones and been hitting the pavement in the parking lot outside of our break area.  The weather has been a crisp and beautiful spring type weather in the middle of the night when I am out there.  Simply breathtaking.  I have found that these little spurts of exercise also helped me feel renewed to go back out there and do my job with a little extra energy that I welcome!!  For the last two minutes of the break I use a curbside as a stairmaster and with a little Hinder "All American Nightmare" blasting in my headphones I tackle that curb until time to go back.  Some of my co-workers have seen me doing this and think I am crazy but I don't care.  I prefer to think of it as "crazy like a fox".

My week started with my friend Kristin from work unexpectedly joining me on one of my walks in the park.  That was great!  It made the time go by quickly and it was fun to have some girl talk time with someone who also has a healthy lifestyle mindset.  Thanks Kristin!  I have been at the park a lot this past week and I just can't describe here how much I love it.  Got lots of walking in and used my ankle and wrist weights to step it up.  I felt it in my legs and unfortunately in my poor knees.  I made it to jazzercise 5 times this past week and that was an accomplishment and last Saturday I made it to my last Aqua Boot Camp class and got some good swimming in all week.  I truly love the pool.  My knees appreciate the low impact factor but I feel so free, strong and healthy in the water. 

It has also been an emotionally trying week.  My mother has been grieving and exhausted.  We lost two of our beloved cats.  KittyBoy was with us 11 years.  He was literally my mother's shadow.  From the time he was a baby he was full of personality and my mother's constant companion.  Peanut was 14 years old.  She lived a good life too.  She loved my mother and was beautiful and smart.  I have been to my mother's home many times this past week to help her with housework, to make sure she would eat, etc.  Yesterday I made more than a few trips up and down steps in the basement, up and down the stairs in the front yard as I packed the car with stuff to haul away, moved an old couch out to the curbside down a bunch of stairs in the front yard by myself and raked leaves out of the driveway.  I counted this as calorie burn. 

After my visit yesterday I went to the pool and swam 10 laps which is a lot for me.  I breast stroke all the

way down the lap lane then backstroke back.  They are really the only two strokes I know.  Then I did some laps in the Lazy River and finished in the hot tub with the jets massaging my aching knees.  After the pool closed that evening, I went upstairs to our indoor track and walked a mile then left as the gym closed.  I thought I put in a good night of workout.  My workout game has definitely stepped up.  At my gym they are going to offer a kettlebells class complimentary if you are a member that I am dying to try out.  For those of you who don't know what kettlebells are take a look at this video clip.  Kettlebell Workout


My gym is also offering a PiYo class beginning at the end of this month.  Now admittedly my flexibility and range of motion are still limited.  My knees do not allow me to be on all fours with my weight bearing on them.  This has been frustrating for me for a VERY LONG TIME!! But I am still fascinated by this fusion class that is a mixture of Pilates and Yoga.  I have shyed away from yoga classes because of the whole getting in the floor business.  I have enough trouble with this at Jazzercise and usually have to try standing options for a lot of that.  I took a look at this video and it does seem challenging for me but I am wanting to give it a shot.  Let me know what you think.  PiYo Workout Preview

This Saturday I get to attend my "new" cousin's Bachelorette Party.  I am very excited.  But I am going to be tested with my decisions as far as food and drink.  We are going to a Mexican restaurant first, then over to her house to have cocktails and then finally on a party bus to local nightclubs etc.  My game plan is to BYOB to the house party portion of Skinny Girl Margaritas.  Skinnygirl Cocktails 

I will also have to be careful with the Mexican food and just make sure to dance my behind off and just have fun!

Ali's visit to Kansas City probably saved me literally.  I was in a dangerous place where you keep going or go backward.  I had been discouraged for a while but now I feel like I did when I first started the process.  Tonight after my library venture here I will be at Jazzercise getting my sweat on for an hour aerobic class then taking a strength training class with Body Sculpting and ending the night with my final Ballet Body class.  I will most likely be ready to be scraped up off the floor by the end of all that but it will be worth it.  Here is my autographed pic of Ali that I carry in my purse with me at all times with my former "fat" pics to remind me of my purpose and my goal. 

My nutrition has also come back into play and that is why this week ended in victory with a 2.5 pound loss.  I am ECSTATIC!!!  I have really been tracking, being mindful to eat every 3-4 hours, getting lots of protein in and a significant decrease in carbohydrates.  I am counting my PointsPlus and trying hard to get that balance of eating right and the workout in sync.  So far so good and I feel really good.

Still looking ahead to the 4 Mile Trolley Run on April 29th.  I would LOVE to complete this race in under an hour.  I will be pushing hard and will definitely be posting pics here of the race for all to see. 

Well I had better get going so I can enjoy some of the wonderful sunny weather we are having here today and get prepared for my classes.  HAVE A FANTASTIC WEEK!!  I will keep everyone posted on my progress.  I will leave you with one more motivational pic as I sign off.  Till the next time we blog- So long :)