Need to be Prepared...

I hate not having enough sleep, but with my schedule this semester, it's kinda inevitable.  So when I woke up today, after a whole 4 hours of sleep, I had all I could do to turn on the tea water and get my daily dose of my caffeinated green tea.  Without it I can't even function.  I can't drink coffee anymore, so my green tea keeps me moving.  I love drinking it after I eat too, I feel like with my slow digestion, it helps me feel better.  I had a banana with a little bit of natural peanut butter and normally I pack something to eat during the day or I have protein bars in my car waiting.  I had my grapes (Frozen grapes with sugar free lime jello mix on them- they taste like lime skittles!) and I had a bottle of crystal light (well the cheaper version that I can't remember the name of right now) and I thought I was ready to go.  Unfortunately, I forgot my grapes on the counter, and forgot to put water in my bottle.  So by 12:30 in the afternoon I had to suck it up and buy a salad from the school's cafe.  Then I got a text message from my gym bff, Lori, telling me that she wouldn't make it to the gym today because my friend (her boyfriend) and her broke up.  I'm so upset about it!  I know that her and I will continue to work out with each other because I feel like we've bonded over our weight struggles and our workout obsessions, but I really thought that her and my friend were perfect for each other!  I don't know what happened yet, and I'm struggling to not butt in until she's ready to talk, but i'm just hoping that she's going to be ok.  She's such a great person, I just wish he realized that!  But I did go to the gym all on my own- she's given me confidence to even go into "manland" on my own.  It was a leg day and I'm hoping to be hurting like hell from it tomorrow.  That's why I love the workout, I love feeling the burn the next 2 days...

Anyway, on a positive note, I got my juicer in the mail yesterday!  I couldn't believe how easy it was to operate and how quiet it was!  I guess the infomercial didn't lie!  That made my night.  I made such good juice.  The hubby even like it too.  There's no name for it, I just kept throwing stuff in the juicer until I loved it... here's my recipe:

-Half a watermelon half

-2 carrots

-1 macintosh apple

-grapes

It makes about 2 cups of juice, I promise it's so good... it was so tasty and the best part is, with the juicer that I got you can put the whole rind in and everything, even the vines for the grapes go in because of the nutrient value.  The hubby thought it was so tasty and I couldn't get over how sweet it was and how filling.  I honestly didn't want anything else to eat- normally towards the end of the night I'm fiening for something, but not last night, I'm very happy with my $140 purchase.  Definitely worth it-  I debated because I'm saving money for Aruba and the wedding, but I need to stay motivated and this is another spindle on my wheel.

Today my mother and I signed up for Sam's Club in order to buy bulk fruits and veggies for the juicer.  I also bought some Slim Fast snack bars- the peanut crunch ones taste just like butterfingers!  Granted, you have to have willpower in order to buy these because they are wayyy too good, it's kinda scary how good they are.  I say put them somewhere where you don't see them... Outta sight out of mind, right?  Back to the fruits and veggies,  I know in the end it will be worth it, but why does everything have to cost so much damn money?  Shouldn't the healthy stuff be cheaper than the shitty stuff?  Why are bags of chips cheaper then bags of grapes?  America wonders why people are fat!  The poorer you are the less good stuff you can afford- we've definitely got our priorities in the wrong places.  It's so sad, thank God I have a little extra to buy fruits and veggies- I count my blessings everyday...

I'm a little full right now from the salad I ate earlier with my mom and the chicken I had, so I can't even think of juicing tonight.  But tomorrow I want to think up something where I can add some baby spinach to- I love baby spinach, I'm hoping it juices well.  

Can't wait to start a new day, but I need to get some sleep, I've been up way too long.  Long walk with my mom tomorrow (if the weather coroporates) and I've got some stuff to do for the wedding and for classes, all before work at 4... At least I'm off Thurs and Fri from classes for Holy Week.  Now, it's Family Guy and nap time till the hubby comes home.  Gotta love it... 

Just Another Rainy Day...

I'm sitting here on the couch finishing up the last little bit of my research paper.  I'm exhausted from sitting in front of the computer all day and not seeing any sunshine in my window.  But I'm feeling good, aside from my recurring headache.  My "husband" thinks  that it may be from the new protein shakes  that I've been drinking.  They're EAS- I guess he drank them a few years back and had some of the side effects that I've been having.  This recurring dull headache and the breaking out that's occurring on my face like I just hit puberty.  I usually take the kashi golean shakes but when I went to Walmart the last time they didn't carry the Kashi so I ended up getting these shakes.  I guess it wasn't the best idea I've had, so I promised the hubby that I would stop taking them and go back to my old reliable shakes.  A little bit of kashi protein powder, some light soymilk, a mini banana, some natural peanut butter and some flax oil.  It's so tasty!  I'm telling you it tastes like you're drinking a chocolate peanut butter milkshake... two of my favorite things!  I usually freeze the little mini bananas because it gives it that milkshake taste, especially with a few ice cubes thrown in the mix.  So until I get my kashi, no more protein shakes for me because I can't take these breakouts or these headaches!  Hopefully it's that simple and it's the reason for them.  I know there's probably too much sugar in the EAS shakes so I wouldn't be surprised; my body really doesn't like sugar that much anymore.  We shall see. 

The other day I was reading a friends blog and she talked about avocado.  I love avocado!  I haven't been able to find any good ones around here but the last time I went grocery shopping at shoprite I found some ripe and big ones.  Granted they are without a doubt not organic because they're way too huge to be, but I couldn't resist because I've been craving them ever since I read her blog.  Today I had a spinach salad with flax seed meal, some low sodium turkey breast and avocado.  Little bit of organic chipolte ranch dressing and it was the best salad I've had in a long time!  I highly recommend it!  I've been making the hubby's sandwiches with turkey, spinach, red onions, and light mayo.  He swears he can tell the difference between full fat and light mayo but he really can't.  He never knows!  I'm just trying to ferment him for the next 50 years, so we live long and healthy lives together.  I'm cutting out his red meat to only a couple times a month because I know it's not good for him, and he says he knows it too.  He's always been a chicken guy anyway, but he loves roast beef sandwiches for lunch.  No more.  If not eating red meat is going to keep us going longer, then I'll do anything for an extra couple of years.  He's my baby, I can't live without him, even if it's when I'm 80 years-old.  

Another day, trying to be healthy, trying to keep my head and my heart in a healthy place...

Doing Nothing Today...

Yesterday I was back in the gym with Lori and today I'm definitely paying for it.  Every part of me hurts like crazy but I have to admit I do love it!  But today I'm stuck in the house, huge rain storm lurking overhead, and I'm doing a hypothesis paper that is definitely throwing me for a loop.  I'm a journalism major, not a polysci major, and I have no idea how to write a 15 page hypothesis paper!  But here I am, laying on the couch, being completely lazy and unproductive, at least health wise, while I try to figure out how to do this paper.  I had to skip classes today in order to get a head start on this thing because I knew that otherwise this weekend would be way too stressful, and I'm trying to avoid stress as much as possible.  I've been having some tension, sinus, I have no idea what kinda headaches lately, and I need to do everything and anything to help them pass because no pills are working...

I can't wait for classes to be over, then I can start concentrating on me and our wedding (and first our vacation).  And my juicer will be here in a couple of days too!  I'm super excited... Lori and I are going to start doing yoga together at her house and maybe some hikes during the summer.  I love this!  I love having someone to keep me moving... plus I'll be doing some tennis on the weekends soon too with one of my bff's.  I can't wait to just keep moving, and hopefully keep toning and keep losing! 

Exhausted!

Today I'm exhausted.  I called up my mom to do our long walk and felt motivated, but today we went a little longer and it kicked both of our asses! Going up the last long hill that's close to my house we both had all we could to make it the last two miles.  But alas, we finished and drank a whole 32oz of water within a matter of seconds.  I've never felt so thirsty in my life!  I'm loving this 60 degree weather and these long walks but man I'm exhausted and the last thing is what I want to do is work tonight.

I also bought a juicer today! I'm so excited about it.  I've always wanted a juicer because it's such an easy way to add more fruits and veggies into my diet.  Coming home from our walk I had a huge salad and some peanut butter on some kavali bread.  I'm stuffed full of veggies and some green tea.  I'm exhausted but feeling good.  I can't wait to get the juicer in the mail- I'm thinking I might have to get a sam's club membership in order to buy veggies and fruits in bulk.  I love being motivated like this.  It's been so long since I've felt this good and this inspired!  I love it... I can't wait for our September wedding

Motivation Motivation!

I am so motivated right now to get healthy.  I'm loving the gym right now.  Lori couldn't go to the gym today, but I was motivated to go on my own after my morning classes.  I can't believe the amount of energy that I have right now.  I can't believe how I'm coming home after classes and going to the gym.  I can't believe that I'm going for walks before work.  I would have just "rested" before work, rested after classes, rested any chance I could get before.  But now I'm so motivated to get my ass moving and keep moving.  I can't believe how 3 weeks of the gym and lifting weights can change the energy levels completely.  I'm always tired.  I have the worst schedule.  Early mornings of classes and late nights working at the bar.  But instead of being tired all the time from the crazy schedule, I'm full of energy.  I'm so excited to see that at the end of the night I'm now burning over 2700 calories and I'm eating about 1200-1400.  So yea for me, I'm feeling better, I think and my "husband" thinks I'm looking better, and people have commented that they see the changes already.  My mom told me that after I visited her the other day at her job during lunch that people commented on how pretty I am and when she mentioned my quest to lose weight, they commented how I looked great and that they wished they looked like me!  Like me?! ha ha. But it keeps me motivated to hear stuff like that.  It keeps me motivated to know that people see that I try to be healthy.

Right now I hope that I'm motivating others too.  My girls at work want to go for walks with me, one of my best friends bought the bodybugg too... I feel like maybe my LIFESTYLE changes are helping others to get motivated too.  I need support and I want others to know that I'm here to support them as well.  I need a kick in the ass.  I can't do this alone.  I used to think that I didn't need anyone to help me out, but now that I have Lori pushing me at the gym,  I realize that I was never pushing myself enough.  I was never doing enough, I was always doing this half ass or taking the easy way out, and I refuse to do that anymore.  I'm proud of myself right now and I hope to keep pushing myself and hopefully push others.

The tuesday Oprah show with Dr. Oz encouraged me even further to do this the right way.  I want to live a healthy lifestyle in order to prolong my life as well.  I don't eat red meat and I rarely eat sweets, other than if I snuck them, and I refuse to hide anything anymore.  I can't emotionally eat anymore and I can't eat anything that I wouldn't eat in front of others.  It's not a secret when you eat along because it still shows in the sadness in your face and in the tightening of your pants.  I'm done killing myself.  By eating processed foods and eating junk food here and there, I'm making my life shorter.  I want to live a full and healthy life.  I want to be 65 and going for my 9 mile walks still.  I want to get my "husband" to realize that he needs to think the way I've started to because I refuse to lose him because of something he could change now.  He goes to the gym, he eats well, he motivates me everyday to be healthier, but there are little things (like his beer) that terrify me... one day I know he'll let it go, I just want him to realize that he can live even healthier than he does already.  This Dr. Oz show motivated me to change my eating habits even more... I've pretty much eaten well, but I had that "Ahh haa" moment of I CAN DO SOMETHING MORE!  What I've done isn't enough.  I know now that there's so much more to do... I'm so motivated!  Getting off the couch and moving around is the best feeling... I feel so blessed... I'm loving life.

Check this 85 year old out... tell me this doesn't motivated you! 

Today was my second day working out with Lori and I have to admit she doesn't disappoint.  I'm in so much pain and I'm loving it!  I got to the gym about an hour earlier then she did in order to tan (only once a week for my vacation) and to do cardio because she called me and told me she already walked today.  Pushing through the cardio without her wasn't that much fun, but thankfully knowing that she may walk through the door at any moment pushed me to stay on until she got there.  I did about 3.5 miles before she got there and then we pushed and did legs again.  Only this time it was a lot more intense and we used a lot more machines.  She's just like when I've worked out with trainers or my "husband"- every five seconds it's, "a little higher, a little more weight, or one more set of 15..."  I NEED THIS.  I need someone to encourage me and push me when I'm feeling like I can't do anymore.  After we did legs, we ended up getting back on the elliptical- she said we were only going to do a mile but it ended up being a half hour more.  I'm exhausted to say the least.  She also bought us these sweat bands that go around your waste in order to burn off more water weight.  It was a $4 buy at TJMaxx... I have to admit, I sweat like crazy and I'm not much of a sweater, even in the dead of summer, but damn I was dying today.  Hopefully it helps out with flattening out the stomach.  Speaking of flattening out the stomach, we did this exercise that she picked up in a kick boxing class last year.  You get a flat weight bench and you and your partner are on opposite sides, diagonal from each other, you hold on to your partner's foot and do a sit up and hit opposite hands.  I have never felt my abs burn this bad before!  I couldn't do the third set up to 20 but she ended up pushing me to finish.  Note to self: bring a water bottle!  I'm so happy I have some motivation.  Finally.  We both have vacations coming up this summer, so it's something for us both to work towards.  We're meeting up again tomorrow around 4 to do upper body.  I'm using machines that intimidated me before and I'm pushing myself harder than I ever thought.  I can't let her completely show me up right?! LOL.  I like having a friend who pushes me to do more.  I feel so inspired by her- I want to be in shape when I'm her age.  Shit, I want to be in shape at MY AGE.  

Right now I'm just sitting for a little bit and recovering.  I'm watching family guy and drinking green tea.  My "husband" is at the gym now because it's hard for us to work out together because we end up coming over to each other too much.  We've been saving money up for the wedding and our trip to Aruba is already paid in full.  Life is good...  

I Guess I Do Need A Swift Kick in the Ass...

Today I pushed myself so hard to get myself to the gym.  After going to bed at 2am and waking up at 8am, all I wanted to do was go home and take a nap, but I pushed myself to take the exit to the gym on the highway... I really just wanted to go tanning for the Aruba trip coming up, but then I thought, "ok i'm here, get moving..." Then it was about 25 minutes into my elliptical workout when one of my oldest friend's girlfriends happened to come up on the machine next to me.  THANK GOD! I was so unmotivated, but having her to talk to next to me, the time just seemed to fly by, and I stayed on for a whole hour.  It's been a long time since an hour elliptical workout.  But it felt like nothing because I had a buddy to talk to.  Then afterwards she pushed me to do the half hour circuit training and I felt like I was dead to the world, she pushed me to do legs and go over to the "men's domain."  I'm always so intimidated by the free weight area where men are doing squats and grunting (and looking at themselves in the mirrors).  I always thought that I worked out better on my own, but I would have done my half hour elliptical and then been on my way.  I'm so happy I had someone to motivate me, I really needed it today.  By 4pm I had already burned close to 1800 calories.  It was crazy, I haven't been this happy with a workout in awhile.  We exchanged numbers and plan on meeting up on Monday  too.  I guess she needs a little motivation too.  But if I look like her when I'm her age, I'd be pretty damn happy with myself.  It's funny, looks can be so deceiving.  This woman, in my opinion, is gorgeous and has a gorgeous body, especially for a 40 some year old woman, but she weighs more than me.  I guess a number really is JUST a number.  Because to her, the number doesn't matter, she worries about toning and told me that she never envies anyone.  She says "the girl who can eat all the m&m's she wants, and all the snicker bars, is still going to have a problem with her health in the end."  

I'm  really hoping that we keep this up because she is without a doubt so motivating.  I told her she can be my buff bride trainer because my "husband" and I are getting married in September and I want to make the dress maker take in my dress so bad.  It's so discouraging when you're a size 10 in real life, but in bridal world you're a size 14.  Why make a bride any crazier by doing that with the dress sizes?  The girl at the bridal shop, who is TINY, said that she's normally a 4 but wears an 8 wedding dress!  WHY DO THIS TO BRIDES!?  Don't we have enough on our mind to have to concentrate on a dress number.  It's the biggest day of our lives!  My dress will be taken in.  And I will be the sexiest woman my "husband" has ever seen...

I'm feeling so motivated, and I'm loving every minute of it!