Day #3 (or the day I fell off the bandwagon)

Today's workout:
One mile gentle walk from the Walk, Eat, Lose set

Please feel free to notice that it is day three and you don't see a T25 workout up there.


I am not proud, but I am also not beating myself up.  I had an exhausting, stressful day.  I honestly was considering skipping the walk this morning, but I thought it would make me feel better, and it did.  But I think T25 would have destroyed me.  I was ten minutes late to work this morning because of a cement truck that decided it could only go about 3 MPH.  Perfect.  It took me 12 minutes to drive what should take me about a minute and a half.  Then there was traffic in the parking lot and trouble with the bus... work itself was not stressful, but it is tough to recover from a rushed, panicked morning.

I had also forgotten that I had an extra long shift today, so I didn't get home until about 5:30.  Then I needed to run errands and pay bills... then I was a bit hungry so I made myself a snack... then I wanted to relax a little after my long day... and then before I knew it, it was 8:30 and I was falling asleep on the couch.  Yup.  I am still 80 years old stuck in the body of a 26 year old.  It's so sad.  But in my defense, I went to a friend's birthday party last night and didn't fall asleep until about 1 am, so when the alarm went off at 5 am, it wasn't pretty.  If I had remembered that I had a nine hour day ahead, I may have just turned it off and kept sleeping.


Regardless, today ended up being a one mile walk day.  I did walk plenty during the day - my Fitbit says I've walked about 6.5 miles today.  And since I did my one mile walk and I tracked my whole day, I am not going to beat myself up about skipping T25.  Honestly, I think doing it on 4 hours of sleep after a stressful day would have been dumb.  Today was supposed to be Total Body Circuit, which I think is the hardest one of the workouts in the Alpha phase.  I find it pretty intimidating.  Not perfect for when you're exhausted!  

I guess this means I have a fourth goal for the month of October - work on not beating myself up.  I'm choosing to work on that one today and leave Shaun T for tomorrow.


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Day #2 (or why my bed will be the death of me)

Today's workouts:
One mile walk from Leslie Sansone's Ultimate 5 Day Walk Plan
Focus T25: Speed 1.0

I have to admit that I am really proud of myself for both workouts today.  I know it's only day two of my October challenge, so I shouldn't be hitting a wall yet... but let's be honest, sometimes getting back into the swing of things is rough.  I put off my T25 workout for a long time before I had to face the music today.


This morning my alarm went off at 4:30 am.  Oof.  The sun wasn't even awake yet, and there I was, struggling to function so that I could do my one mile walk.  I will admit that I got dressed and then crawled back into bed and thought about blowing it off.  I love my bed and it was super comfy this morning... just like every morning.  But then I remembered that it was day two and that I was going to have to blog about it later, so I better get it together.  I must be honest and say that I didn't go all out with this one.  I took it a little easy, because really?  That is too early to be going crazy.  But I got it done and that's what matters!

I then got ready for work, made myself a super delicious breakfast sandwich (note to everyone: buy Canadian bacon right now) and went on my merry little way to work.  Work was an adventure today.  One of the tours I do is called Family Magic, and it is quite fun, but the tone of it completely depends on the group because it is very interactive.  I've done that tour with one family of four and it's very different than it is with a group of 20, but it's always entertaining because kids are entertaining.  Today was a unique one for me because I only had two people signed up, a mother and daughter.  It ended up being a lot of fun (for me, at least, I hope they enjoyed themselves too).  You have to love how honest kids are, though.  At one point today, she looked up at me and told me my teeth were yellow.  Yikes.  Time to get some whitening toothpaste!

Seriously.  My day to day life is so fascinating I end up talking about toothpaste.

But I digress.  I did suffer a slight setback to my October challenge already, but nothing major.  I packed myself a healthy (also boring) lunch of a turkey sandwich and applesauce.  Then my tour admin suggested we get corn dog nuggets from Casey's Corner.  In case you're not a Walt Disney World person, corn dog nuggets are exactly what they sound like.  Little bites of corn dog.  They are heavenly.  Obviously I said yes.  Do you know what's not in the Weight Watchers database?  Corn dog nuggets.  I, too, was shocked.  But I decided to track them as two corn dogs and move on.  So yes, I tracked them!  I am still inching closer to that lotion!

When I got home from work, I crashed on my couch.  Then I crashed in my bed.  I love my job, but it takes a toll on me physically.  I am just exhausted after work most days.  So I took a half hour nap, then I sucked it up and did my T25 workout.  And you know what?  It wasn't awful.


Happy Wednesday!

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Day #1 of my October challenge!

I just want to note here that this is my second time blogging in two days.  This is the first time that this has happened since May.  I don't want to get cocky or anything, but this is exciting stuff, kids.


So here I am on October 1st and I am officially one day into my challenge!  It's pretty simple, really - I am just making a few important changes to my lifestyle because the lifestyle I'm living right now is not working for me.  I mean, don't get me wrong, I'm happy!  But I'm also dangerously close to my Weight Watchers starting weight and that is pretty horrifying.  Thus, for the month of October, here's what I am doing:
  1. I am setting my alarm 15 minutes early and doing a one mile Leslie Sansone walk.  I am aware that I am an old woman and that me and all my old woman friends are the only ones who own a bunch of Leslie Sansone DVDs.  But I know that a morning workout sets a good tone for my day.  When I worked nights, it was easy to work out in the morning, but now that I work crazy early mornings, I cannot face a long or intense workout before I leave for work (read: at 4 am).  So the one mile walk will have to do.
  2. I am recommitting to Weight Watchers.  I know, I know... I've said it a million times.  But I mean it this time.  I even went to a meeting last night.  It wasn't a great meeting and I am not sure I will be going back to that specific one, but it was a reset button for me.  My mini goal is to track every day this week.  As usual, I am bribing myself.  If I track every day, I get to buy this lotion. And I really want that lotion, so I am going to freaking track.
  3. I am restarting T25.  Kill me.  It's tough, it's exhausting, and I will be doing it after work.  And since work usually means tours now, I will be doing it after walking about 5 miles in the heat, in a costume made mostly of wool, pantyhose, and heels.  This is the part I am most concerned about.  But I really, really, really want to get back on track with this and I know it's only 25 minutes and that I can do it.  I just need to get back into the habit.
I successfully performed all three of these things today - I did one mile with Leslie this morning, I did T25 Cardio this afternoon, and I tracked my whole day.  I also made dinner for Jamie and I instead of going out, which I am incredibly proud of.  He and I have been eating out a whole bunch lately (and by lately I mean always) and it's rough on our bank accounts and our waistlines.  So I have been on Pinterest more than anyone should for the past few days just pinning recipes.  Apparently number four on my list of things to do in October is learn how to cook more than the 3 things I make regularly.  And I will be trying not to go to Chick-fil-a several times a week, which may actually destroy me.


That's it.  I have nothing more exciting to report.  I cleaned my apartment today, took a shower, washed my hair (which really is news, let's be honest), and hung out with Jamie.  I love days off.


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October 1st

On October 1st, 1971, the Magic Kingdom opened and began filling Florida with a little bit more pixie dust than it had before.  With it, Disney had conquered both coasts and a dream was realized - Walt's dream to transcend reality and enter into a world of fantasy.  Then on October 1st, 1982, Epcot opened, and the world got a little smaller, a little happier, and got to take a slow moving ride through the history of human communication on Spaceship Earth (which I only mention because I love it and could ride it every day).

I don't talk about Disney a whole lot on this blog.  I don't talk about anything a whole lot on this blog lately, and that is not okay.  So I'm changing both.  Because on October 1st, 2013, I want to change a whole lot of things.  I have come and gone from the blogging world a lot since first entering it, and so I'm sure when I say "I'm back" for the umpteenth time, no one is listening.  And that's okay.  I don't need someone to be reading this blog.  But I need to be updating it.  

The truth is, I haven't been doing so well with eating.  Or exercising.  I really haven't been doing well with running, which is why I made this blog in the first place.  But it's no longer a matter of "I missed one long run" or "I gained two pounds" - since moving back to Florida last June, I've put on nearly 30 pounds and have fallen off the exercise bandwagon so hard it's a miracle I can still walk.  I just recently ran the Disneyland Half Marathon on September 1st and it took me about 25 minutes longer than my first half.  And it's not just because I didn't train so well for it, or because it was ridiculously hot.  It's because I'm overweight, out of shape, and not doing anything about it.

That's where October 1st comes in.  If Roy Disney could come out of retirement to get the Magic Kingdom open on October 1st, 1971 and if the Walt Disney Company could honor Walt's dream of the Experimental Prototype Community of Tomorrow in the best way they knew how on October 1st, 1982... well, then, I really ought to be able to eat right and exercise.

So starting on October 1st, 2013 (also known as tomorrow) I will be back to blogging, back to tracking, and back to exercise.  

Get ready.

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Remember that time I said I was going to blog every day?

Waaaaaaay back in April I declared that I would be blogging every day.  I believe I said I was back and here to stay.  I'm sure if anyone is still reading this blog, then the fact that I haven't blogged since May is probably rather amusing.

I am not going to make any sweeping declarations today... chances are there will be days that I do not blog because unlike successful bloggers, I somehow always forgot to update this thing.  I wish I had a good excuse like "I'm too busy," but let's be honest here - I usually work 6-8 hours a day, 5 days a week, and the rest of the time I either hang out with my boyfriend and the cat or play on Pinterest while watching Frasier.  You guys know this.  

However, this blog has been getting attention from others and no attention from me.  It's a bad sign when people are e-mailing you about your blog and you haven't even looked at it yourself in a couple months.  So here I am to give a bit more attention to it.  Please forgive me in advance if I fail a little bit.  I am going to try to update every day, but again... no sweeping declarations.  It is embarrassing.


So for today's update out of nowhere, let's recap my run yesterday.  I ran 11.5 miles.  It was absurdly hot, I was ridiculously slow, and my iPod shuffle decided that all I wanted to listen to was Daft Punk.  That thing is packed with music and aside from a few samplings from other artists and genres, the bulk of my run was the two Daft Punk albums I have.  That was interesting.

This morning I got up early because I wanted to restart Focus T25.  Let me back up just a bit to say I really like Focus T25.  I am not a Beachbody coach, so I will not steer you in one direction or another with Beachbody programs - I'll be honest.  I hated Insanity.  It made my lower back hurt so much after three days that I couldn't continue.  So maybe that's not fair, maybe I would have loved Insanity if I could have physically done it.  But something like that should be hard on the muscles you're trying to work, not hard on your poor little back.  So I was reluctant about Focus T25.  But this is a totally different workout and I really like it.  For one thing, I like that it is only 25 minutes.  As you learned earlier, my Pinterest and Frasier schedule really takes up a lot of time.  But in all seriousness, devoting an hour to exercise on work days is kind of exhausting, especially when your work day consists of putting on pantyhose and a variety of wools and taking people on a five hour tour through the Magic Kingdom in 95 degree heat.  When I am done with a tour, the last thing I want to do is exercise.  And if I want to exercise before the tour, I am getting up before dawn even has a chance to crack.  So the 25 minutes is great for me.  I feel like I can deal with 25 minutes even when I'm exhausted.  I also just like the workouts.  And Shaun T has a modifier for this one!  It's really great to have an option when you don't feel up to jumping around.

But I digress.  I planned on restarting Focus T25 this morning.  I missed a couple workouts over my first two weeks and wasn't thrilled with that, so I thought I'd just hit the reset button.  I got up early to get T25 Cardio done before work.  When my alarm went off, I was ready to show Shaun T what I was made of.  And then I got out of bed and remembered that I had run 11.5 miles the day before and it hurt to move my hip flexors.  So... just kidding on the T25!


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Runner's World Run Streak and why I want to chop off my own legs.

I did something stupid.
I decided that even though sometimes it's hard for me to manage three runs a week, I should commit to running every single day.  With this silly Runner's World Summer Run Streak 2013.  Now yes, it only requires you to run one mile a day, but let's be real.  Sometimes getting out of bed is all I can handle.


BUT I have made it four days so far!  Yes, you read that correctly - I have made it through four days of the running streak AND since it didn't start until Monday, but I ran on Sunday, I ran five days in a row!  This is impressive for me.  I am taking it very slow and very easy on the one mile days (sticking to the one mile for now since I want to focus on my training runs for Disneyland and cross training), but it is still running, and I'm still really stinking proud of myself.  I've been posting about it on Instagram with my account for Tone it Up - you can find that here.  I am "tiurunnerjess" on Instagram if you want to come follow me!

I've been posting pictures of my Garmin with a date stamp so that I can keep track of my runs, except for the last couple days when I used pictures of my RunKeeper app because my Garmin died (oops). 






I just started using RunKeeper and I'm pretty impressed so far.  It will never replace my Garmin because that is my sweet baby, but what I love about RunKeeper is that it lets you set a goal for yourself and it shows your progress.  I set a mileage goal and it's fun to see the little chart pop up at the end of each run and watch myself get closer!

And speaking of goals... I have (once again) recommitted to Weight Watchers.  I'll be totally honest - I have been struggling.  It's hard having been a Weight Watchers Leader to go back in and admit how badly you need help.  On top of that, I don't particularly like any of the Leaders and meetings I've encountered here.  They're okay, but it's a long drive to the meeting location (about a half hour each way from my apartment) and I have better things to do than drive an hour to go to a half hour meeting that doesn't get me motivated or excited.  But meetings are what got me to my goal weight.  So I've been having a bit of a crisis.  So I dug down deep today after talking to my mom about it and really tried to figure out what to do.  And when I thought about it, it really wasn't a tough decision - Weight Watchers was the only thing that worked well for me before, and I know it will work for me again.  I just have to do it.  I cannot keep making excuses.  Yes, the meetings worked for me and helped me get to my goal.  But it wasn't the meetings that got me there - it was me.  It was my hard work and determination.  Just because I don't love the meetings here doesn't mean I'm off the hook.  I can still work hard, eat right, track, and exercise.  This program works if I follow it, but I have to follow it.

So I'm taking a tip from the Tone it Up girls today.  The inspirational challenge of the day from them for the Bikini Series is to "Think about 2 small adjustments you can make to your routine! Think about little changes that can pay off BIG by the time summer arrives. Maybe you need to go to bed 15 minutes sooner, add one mile to each workout, take a walk on your lunch break, spend a few extra minutes prepping your meals or just keeping healthy snack with you on-the-go! It can be as simple as focusing on drinking more water! Whatever it is, tune in and find what small changes YOU need to make!"


Wish me luck!

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Sometimes Florida sucks.

So today I did a tour in pantyhose, heels, a wool skirt, a puff sleeve shirt, and a thick vest in this:


This physically hurt me.  I didn't realize how much of a pansy I am about heat, especially if I'm in that much clothing.  I felt so bad for everyone on my tour because I was dripping sweat.  I made the mistake of wearing my bangs down and I feel like they were super duper attractive the whole time.  To make it even better, I wanted to be extra impressive on this tour because Jamie and two of his best friends from home were on it - I'm sure they were very impressed by how much I could sweat.  Jamie assures me that they were also impressed with the tour and had a great time... but I have a feeling they were also impressed with the sweat.  Let's be real.


The real problem with the heat is that it knocks all the energy I ever had out of me.  Please notice that there is no "today's workout" or "today's run" at the top of this page.  I had a really great streak going - I exercised Monday through Friday this week, every day.  I had planned on doing a HIIT workout today, but there is no way that is happening.  My head hasn't stopped pounding for hours.  I am currently guzzling water in hopes that it will help, and I'm going to go to bed early, which will be delightful.  There's a part of me that wants to push myself to do a quick workout, but honestly, I am drained.  I think if I did exercise, it would do more damage than good - plus, I want to go to bed soon and I think it would be better if I just relaxed.  And I had a salad for lunch on the tour instead of getting chicken nuggets and I only stole one of Jamie's fries when he wasn't looking so... I think we're okay here.

... really, that's it.  It's 8:51 and I'm thinking about crawling into bed right now.  In my defense, my alarm will be going off at 4:30 tomorrow morning, so going to bed at 9:00 is justified.  It's either that or I go to Chick-fil-a for the millionth time this week.  We shall see what happens.

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A four mile run and why I need new shoes.

Today's run:
4.01 miles in 57:00
or...

I am newly obsessed with this app called BeautifulMess that allows me to add heart borders and squiggly lines to photos.  Which helps with my other obsession, Instagram.  I don't even remember life before iPhones and apps.  I think it was a dark and sad time.

This was a tough run to get up for, and though I woke up before my alarm was supposed to go off, I did NOT want to get out of bed.  Bed was very cuddly, and I had plenty of time to sleep in before work today.  But instead of sleeping in for an extra hour and a half, I got up and went out for a four mile run. And though it was slow (still sore from Wednesday's HIIT workout... seriously rough workout) I am incredibly glad that I went.  The weather was lovely and it was nice to just go out and run.  I'm getting back into the groove of running - I know I run best and enjoy it the most when I'm running 3 days a week and focusing on cross training on the off days, rather than just sitting around.  Today marked my fifth day in a row of exercise (yeehaw!) so I know that if I keep at it, it will just keep getting better.

That being said, though I'm glad I went for the run, my feet are going to fall off.  After the run (and a delightful shower, courtesy of new Bath & Body Works products) I got into my pantyhose and heels and went to work, and then I got into my yoga pants and sandals and met Jamie and his friends in Epcot.  In the back of Epcot.  And then I walked around Epcot, walked out of Epcot, walked to my car... and then this happened.


This earned me at least one new pair of Toms, right?  Right?

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100 by Summer

Check it out, kids... this makes two blog posts on two consecutive days.  I'm on fire here.


I would love to say that today was a wonderful day in the world of weight loss and fitness because after all, I was just here yesterday posting about how I'm trying to do check-ins with the Tone it Up team and how I'm trying to blog more and isn't that wonderful motivation to stay on track?  You would think.  And to my credit, today started off well - I had a healthy smoothie for breakfast and had plenty of water before I even got to work.  But I didn't have time to pack my lunch before I ran out the door, so I had to buy lunch at work.  I told myself that I would get a grilled chicken sandwich, and hey... I did!  It's not my fault that onion rings jumped into my hand too.


That being said, one of the things that I am working on along with my weight loss and fitness goals is not beating myself up over every little thing.  This is something that I have always struggled with, and I probably will always struggle with it, but I want to work on it.  I'm very hard on myself, and this applies to everything - not only am I hard on myself with weight loss, fitness, eating, healthy lifestyle and all that fun stuff, but I'm also hard on myself with friendships and relationships.  I was hard on myself in school and now I'm hard on myself at work.  I am easily my toughest critic, and while sometimes that works out well because it forces me to push myself, sometimes it backfires badly and I end up just feeling terrible about myself.  So I'm working on it.  And I'll start with lunch - yes, I grabbed onion rings.  But then I grabbed water instead of soda, and when I had a couple onion rings and realized I didn't like them, I stopped eating them.  Tiny successes, right?

Then I came home from work and napped.  Let's be honest, I don't even feel bad about it.  That nap was glorious.


But I did manage to get a little exercise in today!  I did a 2 mile Leslie Sansone workout.  I don't know if I've mentioned Leslie Sansone on the blog before, but I love her.  My mom started using her DVDs a few years ago, and I will admit that when she first told me that she had purchased indoor walking DVDs, I scoffed.  You can walk outside, I said.  Indoor walking sounds dumb, I said.  

I was wrong.  First of all, Leslie Sansone is a delight.  I think she and I would get along very well because we are both super bubbly and we both talk a lot.  Plus, she seems to like bright colors and sparkly things.  We'd probably be best friends.  Which means that honestly, her workouts are fun.  They are not crazy choreographed or super strenuous because yes... they are indoor walking DVDs.  But do I sweat?  Does it get my heart rate up?  Absolutely.  Love her for days when I cannot face jumping around like a crazy person with Chalene Johnson and TurboFire, or when I cannot face HIIT workouts.  Which is most days.

Those two miles that I did with Ms. Sansone got me two miles closer to completing the 100 miles by summer challenge that the Tone it Up girls started.  On Monday, they announced that they were challenging everyone to complete 100 miles by summer, whether it be walking, running, biking, swimming, hiking, on the elliptical... they even count dance!  So I've been tracking my miles!  I'm doing pretty well so far - on Monday, I went to Body Jam, which is an hour dance class.  That counts for 3 miles.  Then on Tuesday, I went for a 3.75 mile run, and yesterday I did a one mile Leslie Sansone workout after a brutal HIIT workout.  Which means that including today, I'm up to 9.75 miles - not bad for four days!  Tomorrow is another run for me, so that will get me a few more miles as well.  At least if I actually get up at 6 am to run.


Aaaaaaand... that's it.  Really.  I went to work, came home, took a nap, did a quick workout, and then went to P.F. Chang's with Jamie and ate too much.  But I drank plenty of water and had brown rice and brought home half of my entree, so... I'm saying we're good.  See?  I told you I was working on that whole beating myself up thing.  One day at a time, kids... one day at a time.


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Trying to get my head on straight.

This is a quick little blog post because it's almost time for bed for me.  As always, I am having trouble committing to regular blogging.  But there is something that I have committed to more successfully - regular Instagramming (is that a verb?) for the Tone it Up girls. 

I've mentioned the Tone it Up girls before, when I was just starting to like them and follow them.  Now I pretty much adore them.  I want to buy their Beach Babe DVD and I'm trying to talk myself into their nutrition plan.  There's some sticker shock involved with that one ($150?!) but people say it is worth it. And truly, I think they are just sweethearts.  And not just because their videos are cute and they are very sweet to one another, but because of my experience with the Tone it Up girls, the Tone it Up community, and Instagram.

I love Instagram.  I think it makes pretty cool pictures into super cool pictures, and it entertains me.  Well, the Tone it Up girls love Instagram too, but they use it for what they call "check-ins" - meaning that their followers, or the Tone it Up community, post pictures and details about their workouts, their daily meals, etc.  I started doing exercise focused Instagram posts when the Tone it Up girls started their Bikini Series (check it out here) and encouraged everyone to check in on Instagram.  I made a new account just for exercise related posts (if you want to follow me, I'm tiurunnerjess) and started checking in.  I try to post a picture a day, if not more.  I have skipped some days, and some days have been kind of pathetic posts, but I try.  And it got me thinking - if I can manage to commit to doing check-ins on Instagram, can't I try a bit harder with my blogging?

So here goes.  Once again I commit to blogging regularly, and I really hope I can stick with it.  But since I know my track record, I'm going to cut myself some slack - sometimes my blog post might just be a repeat of what I've put on Instagram.  Possibly not the most original thing in the world, but it gets the job done, right?

And since I've already said I'm going to do it... let's go ahead and do it.  Here's my most recent check in on Instagram, also known as the look of horror that was etched onto my face after I tried the 30-minute lower body HIIT routine from this DVD.  Dear heavens.  My poor legs.

Can you see the drop of sweat about to fall from the tip of my nose?  Seriously.  I am so pretty.

Now it's definitely bedtime.  See you again tomorrow!

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Jessica vs. the ActiveLink

This is my ActiveLink.


The ActiveLink is one of my many beloved gadgets.  It is a Weight Watchers gizmo, and it was designed to track your movement throughout the day and convert that movement into Activity Points.  Sounds cool, right?  On a good day, it makes life super easy and it either motivates you to work harder, or makes you realize how hard you're already working - for example, if you plug it into your computer in the afternoon (it has a nice USB plug on the end, making that super easy) and see that you've earned 6 points already, it's a good day!  But if you plug it into your computer in the afternoon and see that you've earned 1 point for the day, it might motivate you to work a bit harder and get in some more movement.

Please note my use of the word "might."

On a good day, the ActiveLink is motivating and inspiring.  But on a day like today, where my appetite and desire to sit on my couch and watch TV greatly outweighed my desire to go to the gym or eat carrots, the ActiveLink can be discouraging.  Frustrating.  Infuriating.

Because when I finished my workout for the day and plugged that sucker in, this is what I saw.


Can't tell what offended me?  Here, let me zoom in for you...


I beg your pardon, ActiveLink?!  One activity point?!  This is after my workout, kids.  Now yes, this is also after me sitting on the couch and then me falling asleep on the couch, but still?!  I thought I was going to punch something.

So, the rest of the day can be seen as one long battle of me vs. the ActiveLink.  I went to Target and walked around (and then bought everything in Target, but that is unimportant).  Jamie and I went to Hollywood Studios and I kept walking.  And finally, I got home and saw this.


A vast improvement.

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Three things.

1.  I am not succeeding at my "blog every day in April" goal, I know.  But I am trying!  Already I have blogged more in April than I did in February or March, and I'm getting close to beating January.  So... yay for that!



2.  I just bought myself a new app for my iPad and had to recommend it to anyone still reading this (so... myself) - it's called Sworkit, and it creates a random circuit workout for you.  You input what kind of workout you want to do (cardio, strength, yoga, etc.) and how long you want to do it (I tried 15 minutes to start) and it starts you on a workout!  I was impressed at the variety of moves, and I really enjoyed the format.  You do each move for only 30 seconds, which was especially nice for hateful things like burpees.  It also gives you random 30 second breaks, which is especially nice after hateful things like burpees.  I found that I worked hard because I knew it was only 30 seconds, and I wanted to keep going because I didn't know what was coming up next!  I don't think I would have the patience to do a long workout with it, but for a 15 minute burst of cardio when I felt like I hadn't done enough, it was nice.  Recommended!

3.  I have finally gotten used to my haircut... so here goes.  Photographic evidence.

Completely down.

Half up.

TINY PONYTAIL!


I'm still getting used to it, especially now in Florida humidity where it kind of puffs out.  It is shorter than I expected, but it has grown on me.  And several people have told me that it looks great, so... I'll take it :)

Until tomorrow!
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I did something kind of crazy today...

I got my hair cut.  Actually cut.  Not my usual haircut which is essentially just trimming off the last inch of hair and making my bangs into bangs again.  I looked in the mirror, completely frustrated by how long my hair had gotten, and called the salon that I normally go to in Colorado.  The stylist I really like is almost always swamped, so I was assuming that they would tell me to book an appointment for the next time I was in town.  But she had an opening at 12:15, so I took it.  I assumed it was a sign and I was meant to get my hair cut today!

... I'm still deciding if this is true.

I knew what I wanted going into the appointment.  I was a little nervous, of course, because I've had my hair pretty darn long for a while now.  

See example: a picture from pretty early on in this blog's life.  Long-ish hair.

But I'll be honest - for the past couple months, I have not been thrilled with my hair,  It had just gotten way too long, to the point that it didn't have any actual style.  I would blow it dry and straighten it and it would look great for a little while, but it soon fell very flat and looked limp.  Plus, it was hard to do anything with it.  My standard side ponytail was absurdly long, to the point that it interfered with my nametag if I wore it that way for work.  The sock bun, one of my favorite things now, was even getting difficult because between my layers and the length, it was almost impossible to get all the pieces into the bun.  The point is - I was ready for a change.  I was ready to have her chop off a few inches.

I was not ready for what happened.

I love my stylist still, and by no means would I say I got a bad haircut.  It's a great haircut, it's just not what I thought I had described.  It seems she and I had a different vision of the kind of change I wanted.  Hers was a bit more extreme.  As in... my standard side ponytail?  Not possible right now.  The sock bun?  I haven't tried it yet, but considering the size of my wee little ponytail, I'm not thinking it will work.  I said goodbye to a lot of hair today, and while I was ready to say goodbye to some, I'm not sure I was ready for everything that was chopped.

As my mom gently reminded me throughout the day - it's just a haircut.  The hair will grow back.  And my hair tends to grow very quickly, so I know it will grow back.  And it is a cute haircut... but I keep going back and forth between liking it and then wanting to cry and go back and get extensions.  If I had to decide right this second, I would go with a slight panic attack, especially since I made the poor choice of Googling "how fast does hair grow" and learned that it could take a year for me to get back all that was cut off.  So right now I am feeling a little overwhelmed.  Let's see how I feel tomorrow.
 
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I am an old woman.

It is 8:30 here in Colorado and I am typing this on my phone because I am already in my pajamas and tucked into bed. I could use the excuse that I am still on Florida time and that it feels like 10:30 to me, but let's be honest... Really I am an 80 year old woman and if life allowed me, I would be asleep by 9 pm every night.

This is why I'm super popular and have a buzzing social calendar. Ahem.

Regardless, I am home and in bed and even if I am lame for going to bed this early, it feels fantastic. You all should go to bed right now too, I highly recommend it.

And with that... Sleep. Byeeeee!

Off to a good start!

Expectation:  to blog every day in the month of April.

Reality:  missed April 1st, posted intentions on April 2nd, then missed April 3rd.

Doing super well so far!


So I guess to make up for it, I'll just blog twice today.  That's the same thing, right?

I have plenty of time right now because I'm sitting in the Orlando airport waiting for my flight.  I am taking a last minute trip home for a few days and I am so excited about it, especially because lately I've been absurdly sleep deprived and I know that when I'm home, I will be able to just relax and sleep.  My mom has offered to treat me to a nice pedicure, so obviously that will be happening, and I'm hoping I can talk her into some massages too.  And napping.  Lots and lots of napping.

This is the first card that pops up if you search "nap" on their website.  Perfection.

Buuuuuut I did bring my running shoes, my iPod shuffle, and my Garmin, so I have every intention of exercising while at home as well.  Which is good because I worked out every day last week (yay!) and then decided to take Monday through Wednesday of this week off (oops).  Time to get back into the swing of things.

For now, though... it is Starbucks time.  Next time I blog, it will be from Colorado!  Hooray!


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My April challenge... a day late.

Yesterday was April 1st.  Yesterday morning, as I walked to work, I decided that I would blog.  And not just that day, but every day in the month of April.  I knew I had gotten away from blogging, and I knew I missed it, but I have let excuses get in the way - I work a lot, and when I'm done working, I'm tired, so I nap, and when I'm done napping, I just want to eat things and hang out with Jamie.  But those are just excuses.  Plenty of people who work a lot, nap a lot, eat a lot, and spend time with their loved ones still manage to blog.  So I made myself a promise to blog every single day in the month of April.  And then I went to work.  And got off work.  And I was tired, so I napped, and when I was done napping, I ate things and hung out with Jamie.  And surprise!  I did not blog.


But today is a new day.  Today is April 2nd, which means no one is playing any practical jokes today, and everyone might just take me seriously when I say that starting today, I will be blogging every day in April.  Sometimes it might be a long post about running, sometimes it might be a long post about weight loss, and sometimes it might just be this:


Regardless of the content, I will be blogging.  I am back and here to stay.  You're all welcome.



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