As many of you may know, I have been on a long and winding road of weight loss and exercise. On November 30, 2009 I took body measurements in several key areas with my trainer at the gym. I decided to update my measurements tonight and to my great delight, I have made some noteworthy progress in the last two months.
1. I have lost a total of 17 inches in 14 areas.
2. I have lost 3.5 inches in my chest. I know...girls don't usually like to loose in this area...but I am quite happy with the results.
3. I have lost 1 inch in each bicep.
4. I have lost 2.5 inches in my hips.
5. I have lost 1.5 inches in my R thigh and .5 inch in my L thigh. But, at least they are now both the same size.
I have been doing a ton of weight training so I began to think that I was getting stronger. Last week I was feeling especially cocky so I wrote my little brother an email requesting an arm wresting contest. I was humble when I wrote this email and said that I didn't think I could beat him but I wanted to try. What I really was thinking was there was an itsy bitsy chance that I might actually beat him. My brother doesn't do any working out but he is a normal enough man when it comes to his natural muscular abilities. He is also about 10 inches taller than me and I think his femur is a good four inches longer than mine. So just with leverage he had quite an advantage.
Friday came and I went to his house for some homemade pizza and Mario. Shortly after I arrived I reminded him of my proposed contest. We sat down at the kitchen table and a couple of the children gathered around us. However, I am not sure who they were rooting for. We clasped hands and WHAM...my hand was immediately on the table. I tried again and again and again...and he kept easily beating me. Little Bastard! I told him to give me a slight break and let me try my hardest without him immediately laying me out on the table. I still didn't win but I held him off for a good 20 or so seconds of me scrunched up my face and groaning. He told me when we were finished that I made him use about 75% of his available strength.
So I think we should have a rematch in about four month and I can measure that progress. However, if I actually do get close to beating him I am not sure his pride will actually let him admit it;) Game on Lou!
Workout Stats:
I can do about 15 traditional push-ups without collapsing. Hell Yea...there are no girlie push-ups in my regime!
I can do about 30 leg lifts with 160 pounds. My god that is another person!
I can do about 50 lunges holding 40 pounds.
I can bench press about 30 pounds.
I can endure Evil Trainer Mandy for 60 minutes;)
O...I have also lost about four pounds in January so my no eating in the evening decision could be working. This brings me to a total weight loss of about 35 pounds in the last year or so. Woot! Woot!
January 27, 2010
January 21, 2010
Financial Diet
My checkbook and I recently had a heart to heart talk and we decided I needed to curtail my spending. It went something like this:
CB: Gee…my balance sure is low
ME: Please stay positive…I am sure I will be paid soon
CB: I would appreciate less swipes at restaurants
ME: I know…I know
CB: Vacations will need to be put on hold for a while
ME: PLEASE NOT THAT!
Seriously, I really need to make some changes in my current lifestyle. The biggest is my dining out budget. I know I want to eat out but I need to put a limit on it. I think I am going to start with $150 a month. Please understand when you ask me to go out and I have to say no….it is really going to hurt. I propose more social engagements at people’s houses and free activities. Biking season cannot get here soon enough for me.
Vacations…Vacations…Vacations…How am I going to go a year without you? I could possibly dive into the debts of despair. Ok…so I don’t think there will be none. But, I don’t foresee a fancy overseas trip anytime soon. I know I want to take my yearly visit to NYC and perhaps a couple smaller long weekend trips in the US.
The other big budget item I am giving up is my personal training. I am extremely sad over this decision. I know it is the right financial move but I will really miss this weekly event. I told the trainer and my training partner about it tonight and they were very sad. They tried to think of ways we could still do it...but I had to be firm and say NO. Ugg...that was hard.
Being a financially responsible adult sucks!
CB: Gee…my balance sure is low
ME: Please stay positive…I am sure I will be paid soon
CB: I would appreciate less swipes at restaurants
ME: I know…I know
CB: Vacations will need to be put on hold for a while
ME: PLEASE NOT THAT!
Seriously, I really need to make some changes in my current lifestyle. The biggest is my dining out budget. I know I want to eat out but I need to put a limit on it. I think I am going to start with $150 a month. Please understand when you ask me to go out and I have to say no….it is really going to hurt. I propose more social engagements at people’s houses and free activities. Biking season cannot get here soon enough for me.
Vacations…Vacations…Vacations…How am I going to go a year without you? I could possibly dive into the debts of despair. Ok…so I don’t think there will be none. But, I don’t foresee a fancy overseas trip anytime soon. I know I want to take my yearly visit to NYC and perhaps a couple smaller long weekend trips in the US.
The other big budget item I am giving up is my personal training. I am extremely sad over this decision. I know it is the right financial move but I will really miss this weekly event. I told the trainer and my training partner about it tonight and they were very sad. They tried to think of ways we could still do it...but I had to be firm and say NO. Ugg...that was hard.
Being a financially responsible adult sucks!
January 12, 2010
I am a Daydream Believer
Do you ever daydream? I do! I recently become aware of the quantity of time I spend daydreaming each day. What kind of thinking is a daydream? I don’t include thinking of everyday stuff like making a mental list of errands or thinking about a future social event. I would consider daydreams as thinking about things that could happen, perhaps unlikely, but are not necessarily based on my real life. Ok...I do think of things that have ZERO chance of happening...like riding to Mars on the space shuttle.
When the glass shattered and I started to keep track of my daydreaming I was amazed to discover that I spend an average of two hours a day on this activity. Go ahead and gasp...I did. Sometimes I do it in short 10 minute increments and other times I can do it for 30 to 45 minutes at a time.
I will provide you with an example from this morning. I woke up to my three obnoxious alarms and I killed the beeping one. I then decided to be irresponsible and go back to bed and listen to the radio for a few minutes. The commentators were talking about the Colts playoff game on Saturday and how you could win two free tickets if you call in and give a clever answer to what we should call the opposing team (I cannot remember the team name;). Anyways my brain begins to engage in a dream about winning the tickets (even though I never had any intention of calling the radio station) and who I would share them with and what it would be like to go to the game. I assure you I generally don't ever think about going to sporting events but I had a pretty extensive fantasy going for about fifteen minutes. I managed to keep thinking about it after I got up and I was engaging in my morning routine. Weird!
I do this all day long. I will often find myself looking out the window at work dreaming about something outside the context of reality. These daydreams encompass a variety of topics and locals. I find that I do this when my brain isn't otherwise engaged in a specific task or conversation.
I never hear my friends talking about this topic and I was wondering if other people spend time in this endeavor? Do you wish you could do it more or less? Do you dwell on specific topics?
When the glass shattered and I started to keep track of my daydreaming I was amazed to discover that I spend an average of two hours a day on this activity. Go ahead and gasp...I did. Sometimes I do it in short 10 minute increments and other times I can do it for 30 to 45 minutes at a time.
I will provide you with an example from this morning. I woke up to my three obnoxious alarms and I killed the beeping one. I then decided to be irresponsible and go back to bed and listen to the radio for a few minutes. The commentators were talking about the Colts playoff game on Saturday and how you could win two free tickets if you call in and give a clever answer to what we should call the opposing team (I cannot remember the team name;). Anyways my brain begins to engage in a dream about winning the tickets (even though I never had any intention of calling the radio station) and who I would share them with and what it would be like to go to the game. I assure you I generally don't ever think about going to sporting events but I had a pretty extensive fantasy going for about fifteen minutes. I managed to keep thinking about it after I got up and I was engaging in my morning routine. Weird!
I do this all day long. I will often find myself looking out the window at work dreaming about something outside the context of reality. These daydreams encompass a variety of topics and locals. I find that I do this when my brain isn't otherwise engaged in a specific task or conversation.
I never hear my friends talking about this topic and I was wondering if other people spend time in this endeavor? Do you wish you could do it more or less? Do you dwell on specific topics?
January 5, 2010
Scrooge McDuck
I believe I have turned into Scrooge McDuck. After a chilly camping experience in October 2007 I realized that I could tolerate a colder sleeping environment. We were tent camping and it reached the low 40’s at night. Don’t get me wrong, it was cold but with the proper gear it was tolerable and enjoyable.
After I came home from that trip I decided that I didn’t need to have my heat so high in my house. I experimented with temperatures and I decided that I would keep the heat at 66 degrees in the winter. That worked well for me last winter.
This winter I thought I would lower it again, the roommate and I have been basking in the balmy indoor temperature of 64 degrees. I have gotten used to this temperature and I generally don’t worry about being cold. I usually wear warmer winter PJ’s and socks and on occasion I will don the fuzzy robe as extra insulation. I don’t usually find myself cold, especially if I am walking around and doing chores.
This changed this week with the extreme cold snap. I was cold last night but I just couldn’t bring myself to turn up the heat. I finally gave up at 11:30 and I crawled in my bed under the 3.5 covers I utilize every night. The 1.5 represents a king size blanket that I have folded in half. I don’t think it can be considered two since I have been using the same blanket for the last 20 years. Really 20 years! I think I got in when I was in junior high.
Anyway, I was laying in bed trying to read my book. It quickly became unbearable to have my arms and shoulders uncovered. I tried just poking my hands out to hold the book but I found that awkward. I tried to rotate arms and hands out but the book is so big, I need both of my hands to hold it. At one point I found myself totally under the covers and sitting on my hands trying to come up with a resolution to my problem. The resolution was clear, but I just couldn’t bring myself to increase the heat. I finally gave up reading for the night so I could huddle shivering under the covers.
What is wrong with me! Ok…don’t answer that question. I am having guests over for a breakfast book club in a few weeks…I am considering increasing the heat for them. But…it is still up for debate.
After I came home from that trip I decided that I didn’t need to have my heat so high in my house. I experimented with temperatures and I decided that I would keep the heat at 66 degrees in the winter. That worked well for me last winter.
This winter I thought I would lower it again, the roommate and I have been basking in the balmy indoor temperature of 64 degrees. I have gotten used to this temperature and I generally don’t worry about being cold. I usually wear warmer winter PJ’s and socks and on occasion I will don the fuzzy robe as extra insulation. I don’t usually find myself cold, especially if I am walking around and doing chores.
This changed this week with the extreme cold snap. I was cold last night but I just couldn’t bring myself to turn up the heat. I finally gave up at 11:30 and I crawled in my bed under the 3.5 covers I utilize every night. The 1.5 represents a king size blanket that I have folded in half. I don’t think it can be considered two since I have been using the same blanket for the last 20 years. Really 20 years! I think I got in when I was in junior high.
Anyway, I was laying in bed trying to read my book. It quickly became unbearable to have my arms and shoulders uncovered. I tried just poking my hands out to hold the book but I found that awkward. I tried to rotate arms and hands out but the book is so big, I need both of my hands to hold it. At one point I found myself totally under the covers and sitting on my hands trying to come up with a resolution to my problem. The resolution was clear, but I just couldn’t bring myself to increase the heat. I finally gave up reading for the night so I could huddle shivering under the covers.
What is wrong with me! Ok…don’t answer that question. I am having guests over for a breakfast book club in a few weeks…I am considering increasing the heat for them. But…it is still up for debate.
January 4, 2010
Look at Me – I Did It!
I hurt my pretty green car the week of Christmas. I love my car and it is with a sad heart that I describe its damage. I recently moved things around in my garage so the roommate could park her car inside in the winter. Not two days after she started parking in the garage did I hit (my head is hanging down in shame as this was the second time I have done this in three years) the recycle bin and I broke off the passenger mirror.
I drove to work in a bit of a panic because the next day I needed to drive to Ohio for Christmas and I knew I needed to have a resolution to this problem. After I calmed down I decided to take my car to the Nissan dealership and get an estimate on the repair. $320! Seriously! They said the part would cost $217 and the labor would run about $100. This did not include the green cap that matches my car. They though this part could be salvaged.
I drove away in the depths of despair because I knew I didn’t have $300+ to fix my car. I called my brother to complain about this recent problem in my life and he tried to calm me down. We talked about the possibility of purchasing the part online. A light bulb started to flash with this new bright idea. Lou and I together could fix the car.
While we were discussing the problem I explained to him that I had requested that the guy at the dealership remove the old mirror so it would not chip the paint, and I discovered it was held together by three bolts. That appeared to be simple enough to repair. I made plans to stop by his house on my way home so he could look over the car and decided if we had enough skills as a team to fix the car. Let me explain to you that Lou and I are not car repair people. We don’t fix things ourselves…we outsource.
When he looked at the parts he was optimistic at our ability to repair the car. We decided to go for it and order the part online. Thanks to the nice people at the dealership for giving me the part number. Including shipping the new part cost $70. The dealership was going to charge me $217 and we purchased it for $70. I cannot explain to you my joy at saving all of the money.
The part finally arrived on Saturday and I went to Lou’s house so we could attempt the repair. When we had assembled the necessary tools it only took us five minutes to make the repair. By us, I mean Lou as I acted as the Sous Chef in this situation and only held things.
Five minutes and $70! I was so ecstatic! I this just goes to show how a lack of money can increase ingenuity.
I drove to work in a bit of a panic because the next day I needed to drive to Ohio for Christmas and I knew I needed to have a resolution to this problem. After I calmed down I decided to take my car to the Nissan dealership and get an estimate on the repair. $320! Seriously! They said the part would cost $217 and the labor would run about $100. This did not include the green cap that matches my car. They though this part could be salvaged.
I drove away in the depths of despair because I knew I didn’t have $300+ to fix my car. I called my brother to complain about this recent problem in my life and he tried to calm me down. We talked about the possibility of purchasing the part online. A light bulb started to flash with this new bright idea. Lou and I together could fix the car.
While we were discussing the problem I explained to him that I had requested that the guy at the dealership remove the old mirror so it would not chip the paint, and I discovered it was held together by three bolts. That appeared to be simple enough to repair. I made plans to stop by his house on my way home so he could look over the car and decided if we had enough skills as a team to fix the car. Let me explain to you that Lou and I are not car repair people. We don’t fix things ourselves…we outsource.
When he looked at the parts he was optimistic at our ability to repair the car. We decided to go for it and order the part online. Thanks to the nice people at the dealership for giving me the part number. Including shipping the new part cost $70. The dealership was going to charge me $217 and we purchased it for $70. I cannot explain to you my joy at saving all of the money.
The part finally arrived on Saturday and I went to Lou’s house so we could attempt the repair. When we had assembled the necessary tools it only took us five minutes to make the repair. By us, I mean Lou as I acted as the Sous Chef in this situation and only held things.
Five minutes and $70! I was so ecstatic! I this just goes to show how a lack of money can increase ingenuity.
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