Same Sweaty Story

Oh. My. Goodness. Who would have thought that a mat with a little cushion and three little tubey things with handles could be conductors for so much pain?

I have been to work out with my new trainer three times, and every single time I have poured sweat like it's raining indoors. We start with 15 -20 minutes of cardio. Once the heart rate is boosted we move on to resistance training. As usual, I am the only one in the room that looks like a heart attack is imminent. But I have discovered that I have a second little manifestation of how hard I am working: my breathing. Not kidding. I sound like I am giving birth. Whoo, hooo, hooo, hooo . . . you get what I'm saying here? Loud, unsettling and disruptive breathing. I mean, why me? Why can't I just get in there, perspire and turn a pretty blush color and get done? Noooooo! I turn scarlet red, pant and gasp like I'm in labor, and sweat buckets and buckets.

It's very attractive. Really. :)

After our workouts with the trainer we skate. Just about 1/2 hour or so. I love that part. It's literally the "cool down." Turns what was suppose to be an hour of exercise in the early morning to an entire 1/2 day of exercise but I don't care. I feel so blessed that I have the flexibility in my schedule and the time to fit this in that I can't complain for a second. Well, maybe I can for a second but only about how my muscles ache -- not about the process itself.

And my weight? BOOOOOOOO!!!!!! I am still the same as last week. Sick-en-ing! It may be that my body is readjusting, it may be making other changes since I am very, very 40's. Whatever it is, it's ticking me off. BUT! But, but, but . . . my jeans this weekend were really baggy through the butt and thighs. Really baggy. I think I might even be able to throw them in the dryer and still wear them again. Haha. So I'm sad about the numbers but happy about what is sure to turn out as a loss of inches.

I also have to say that I am really watching what I eat. I had a little too much bread on Saturday night when I went out to dinner, but my meal was broiled fish with no butter or oil. The rest of the weekend was pretty good. So it'll happen. I just need patience.

Okay folks, I am off to watch hockey. Have a fabulous evening. God love ya!

Another Trip From Twoderville

I know I've been here before. A year ago actually. I marched happily and proudly out of the 200's and into the 190's. Goodbye Twoderville. I honestly thought I'd never go back again, but I was wrong. I could lower my head and pout about this, but I'm not going to. That would be counter-productive. I am back on track and I am proud to be at that 199 mark again.

Working my tail off to get there, too. Started with my brand new trainer yesterday. I think I'm really going to like working with her. I am attaching a video here of her and a product that she developed (and we used). Don't be misled though. It's tough business using those things. I was sweating and shaking at a level you all would be proud of. Did I say sweating? Yea. I meant POURING water out of my pores. D and Natalie were poised and controlled. I looked like a big bag of cherry jello-o trying get control of my contours. Hehe. It was good though. It was good.

D and I left Nat's and went skating for a 1/2. That was great too. Then onward for a veggie omelet. Today it was 45 minutes of skating. After that I went swimming for 40 minutes. That's twice this week! I am on target folks. On target for 2 pounds a week. 15 weeks = 30 pounds = 170 by June 1st. That would be positively grand!

The other side to this, of course, is that I need to get into a walking/running/marathon training groove. I have decided that I can take February to get in the habit of regular exercise and good eating. Then I'll try to get into a more regular walking / running program. That's the plan anyway.

Okay. That's today's wonderful report. Glad you could join me to hear it. You all have a good evening, and I'll be back soon! :) Here's the video I promised!

The Way God Answers Prayers

It's always been difficult for me to understand why God can't show me His presence in a more concrete way. For years I felt like he was playing peek-a-boo. What I learned after a lot, lot of years is to recognize his voice. Pray enough and you get used to being able to discern whether you're hearing your own voice in your head or whether you're hearing what God has to say. So too, you recognize God's hand in almost every single situation you face. And when it comes to humor, God will not be outdone.

For example, I have been praying pretty intensely since the summer ended for the strength to pick up my guns and win this weight battle. I have a running list of petitions that I keep reminding Him need His attention, and this is one of them. And He has answered this particular petition in a way that I have come to recognize from him - with ironic humor. "Ok, ok" He's says as puts the idea in my brother's head to run a marathon AND to ask me to do it with him. Then He orchestrates a new trainer for me. My friend D and I start next Wednesday. Three times a week.

Now I am starting to get a little nervous.

But then comes the icing on God's sweet surprise. It turns out someone from my past is one of the owners of an EXTREME gym called API. See that little skull and crossbones there? That's their logo. Apparently the trainers are . . . scary tough. My friend is an owner and I trainer. He sent me a message saying he heard I could use a little boost and wants to help. I have to track all of my meals and eating for a week and send it to him. He's going to design a program for me. And when I get to his neck of the woods, he'll be having me come into their facility to kick my butt. Hopefully my training now will prepare me for THAT. Someone told me they have big orange buckets in their gym so people have a place to throw up. YIKES!!!!!!!

All of these worries will make my hair fall out. I'll have the butt of an 18 year old boy and the scalp of a 60 year old man. What a trade-off. Hahaha. All the while, my good friend Jesus is smiling. He's giving me what I asked for. And once again, I am reminded of the value identifying what I am asking for in a very specific way. We all know the adage: "Be careful what you pray for, you just might get it." There's a reason such advice exists. I'm proof.

So I will keep you updated. It's going to be a ride and I'm already white-knucked!!!! In the meantime, I stayed in a weight-hold over the weekend. A good thing. I even avoided the GREAT treats the little people in my world made over the weekend (pictured here). Woot!

A belated Happy Valentines to you all. And if someone out there doesn't love you, c'mon around here. I do.

♥

See Jane Run

Some of my days are definitely scarier than others. Take last Monday, for instance. I got an email from my youngest brother that simply said:

Twin Cities Marathon October 3. I'm in. Are you?

Talking about stopping dead in your tracks. I stared at the screen. Holy cow! Am I in?????

Running a marathon has always been a dream of mine. Not sure why, but it's always been something I wanted to do. The problem is that I am a big, big person right now. On top of that, I am completely out of shape. A marathon is a daunting endeavor for young people who are in the best shape of their lives. But a middle-aged fat lady? Hmmm . . . .

I started to do a little research. I know from friends who have undertaken this mighty feat that if you don't finish the race you don't get a t-shirt. And you don't technically finish unless you cross the finish line in under 6 hours. Is this even possible for me?

I registered for the race, posting my non-refundable $100.00 last Friday. I did it because I know several things for sure:

- I have 7 months to train
- If I can walk or run every mile in 13.55 minutes or less, I can finish in under 6 hours.
- I want a t-shirt.

So there it is. Insanity in its fullest measure folks. A goal that seems infinitely unattainable as I sit here and type out this post, but completely do-able if I set my mind to it and get going. And that's what I intend to do. My mother has said I need someone to push me. I have put in an SOS to my big dog friend who walks with me. We are going to visit a trainer. And now I'm scared. :)

Still fighting the good fight daily. Getting lost . . . I mean LOTS of exercise. Loving my treadmill, although the weekend was busy enough to keep me from it.

That's the good word from God's country, where the whole of civilization has been shut down due to snow. Love days like that. God love you all and keep you safe and healthy and motivated to do your own thing.

LOST

I am not sure all of you remember, but at the beginning of the summer my treadmill died. I thought it was a pretty good one. I didn't pay a lot for it but it did the job. Then out of the blue, nothing. The motor simply stopped. The lights didn't light. Dead.

I had someone come and look at it and he told me it was toast. Done. Finito. But I didn't really mind because it was the middle of the summer and all my exercise was happening outdoors anyway. So it was sayonara.

Fast forward to autumn. Again, didn't really care about the treadmill because I kept telling myself I was going to get to the gym, go to spin class, blah, blah, blah. And of course I went once, maybe twice and that was it. All the while my weight was creeping up and terrible eating habits creeping back in. Christmas hit, and I knew I had to get serious. But I didn't.

By mid-January, I was just about at the point where I couldn't stand it anymore. So I bit the bullet and bought a new treadmill. I have in the house instead of the garage, in a conspicuous place that's an eyesore, but I don't care. I have to get going.

So I got on it, and was bored, bored, bored. My brother told me he watches a movie when walks, so I decided that was the ticket for me as well. I started searching for some movies and came across a television show that one of my hockey player - adopted-type sons absolutely loved: LOST. I called him and asked him if it was a show that an old lady like me would like. Affirmative. So I got the first season (which he recommended so I have lots to watch and so I would know what's going on). I watched the first two pilot episodes, plus one more. That's all it took. Three times to create an addiction.

So . . . I decided that since I like it so much, I would only allow myself to watch it when I am on the treadmill. A good idea, since I couldn't wait to see the next episode. So back on I went. And again. I moved a TV up and in front of the treadmill because the volume on my MAC isn't loud enough to be heard over the sound of the treadmill. Perfect. I am so excited. It's perfect. And once again I'm walking to Vegas folks. Walking to Vegas.

I should add that I got back on the ice yesterday in spite of my injury. Still can't stop well, but the work out is great. I also got in a 40 minute swim. So today my weight was already down to a dead-on 200. Woot!!!!!

So I am off to lead my busy life. I'll be back over the weekend. Peace out.

Back from the Dead

That's what it feels like, anyway.

It's been a long, hard 6 months. My busy summer and unusual schedule of traveling and activity put choices on my shoulders that even the prior 6 months of diet and exercise didn't prepare me to handle. And is seems once the momentum was lost, so was I and so was the battle.

I have tried to start again, over and over. I have been back to the "grind" of it every Monday since September. But I couldn't seem to get back into it. The comments from my last post were a big help, and actually right on. But I still couldn't manage to find the "groove."

So. Here I am. Back at it again. One of my followers started a similar blog recently. That motivated me. But . . . the REAL motivation is some traveling I have to do again in the spring. I have a wedding and a birthday party. I don't want to be a pudge-mo when I go. I don't. So I am back to the grind people. Back to the grind.

Today I went to the rink to skate. I have done that a few times in the last couple of weeks. I just need to make a habit of it. So there I was, skating along, burning those calories. Then we decided to change direction. I tried to stop too fast. Now let me just jog your memory here and remind you that I am Dorothy Hamel. :) OH!!! And I traded in my figure skates with a toe pick for hockey skates with no visible means of braking power. I love the skates. Really. No more blisters. But when I tried to stop and turn today, I spun in a circle. The next thing I knew: WHAM! The sound of my cheek smacking the ice. Wow. It really, really hurt. And now I have the most beautiful shiner you've ever seen on a woman. I honestly think I rearranged my teeth I hit so hard. Lots of ibuprofen for me in the next couple of days. Ouch.

So, my first day back to a serious, goal-inspired program I become a casualty. C'est la vie. It's part of the story I guess.

Alright. Baby steps. That's what I'm taking. And just so you know, the damage is pretty severe from the past few months. I am at a whopping 202. I hope, hope, hope to be down 35 pounds by mid-May. That's the plan. Hope. Pray. Excercise.

I'm off to run a quick errand before I lay my head down tonight. Sleep tight all. I've missed you.