Right now....

I've been reading a lot of blogs lately. I enjoy seeing what others do. How they blog there motivation and if what they are doing works. I stumbled across this one a few weeks ago and really enjoyed this comment: 
    "Until YOU realize the importance of YOUR own health and well-being, no one else can force YOU to care. Until YOU realize that how YOU treat YOUR body (food, exercise, care, kindness and forgiveness) is a practice of love and a statement to the world about how YOU feel about YOUR own value, YOU will continue to see diet and exercise as a cycle of deprivation or guilt followed by punishment. YOU will feel any sense of self-worth to be misguided, selfish, or entirely absent.
The Epiphany is that it is not about deprivation, guilt, or punishment. The Epiphany is a deep and abiding sense of self worth, of value, of presence. The Epiphany is the sonic boom or the quiet whisper simply of "I matter." The Epiphany can be broken down into various "I matter" phrases -- such as "my feelings matter" or "my health matters." When your heart/mind/soul beings to stick up for yourself, it is only natural that your body does as well, as they are all interrelated"
(I go through life through inches and pounds)
 I have always felt this way about weight loss. It is what motivated me from the start. I really think it is a good reminder about what I'm doing and which direction I need to head. I think to focus on how I got distracted or why I stopped trying is for another day. Today is where I start, right now is where I decide what I need to do to get back on track. I could wait till January, I could say next year is where I start...but I don't want to wast the rest of this year the rest of right now. So here are some things I have done this week.
 Tabata Protocol: I did start this week. I started on the bike on level 10 for warm up. Level 15 for 5 rotations and then level 10 for cool down. Starting heart rate was 125, highest was 175. The cardio machines are upstairs at the gym. Waling down the stairs after the protocol was kind of scary! ...so glad there was a handrail. :) Ill have to do my measurements tomorrow so I can monitor.
 Daily workout: I have started my resistance training back up as well. Arms, legs and abs all are pretty sore today. I need to do more research on why it takes a full 24hours for all my limbs to hurt after a good solid workout...why not right away?
 I'm going to do Tabata Protocol for two weeks. Then in the beginning of January I will be starting spinning class. Why January? ....honestly it is because I don't know a lot about it and when I went to try it a few weeks ago, I chickened out. So I thought there will be a lot of newbies at the gym and maybe I'll start with them. :) I get a little overwhelmed at the gym. So my goal for right now is to try everything and find out what I'm really good at. To not be afraid of trying new things and to push myself like Ive never pushed before!

Friendship

Life happens. You get busy, you spend time with your family, you go to work, play and go to bed. Somewhere in all that you realize that you need more. You need someone to talk to, someone who understands the women's point of view.
I have always had good friends. I am always amazed at how friends come and go and then come back again. I know that I have friends that I will always be able to call on for help, guidance and a good laugh. Some help with comfort, some with attitude and some with everyday well being.
 Why this post? A couple of weekends ago I spent time with a couple of my closest friends. It dawned on me on what weight loss has done for me in more aspects than physical appearance and health. At my heaviest I always felt that I wasn't good enough for people. I felt uncomfortable, worthless in any conversation. That has changed now. Not because of my appearance, but because of the ability to open up. To put myself out there. To realize others are looking for someone to be close to as well. These friends of mine know a lot about me. They each are special in their own way. I have come to the conclusion that all good things take work. Friendships in the past have drifted not because I did something wrong, but because life happens. Life gets in the way. Work, kids, building a life with my husband, all are important primary parts of my life. My husband's friendship is what keeps me going through everyday life. He is what I come home to when life is just to unbearable. He is strong and dependable. and male.
 Friendship is something that I have always felt was important. I'm not the type to have a huge circle. I enjoy having a few special people close. A few that I can give all that I am able . Each person has something that I cherish and depend on. I am truly honored to call each one friend.

Check in

 I logged 36miles last week. A little less than planned, however I accomplished my workouts for last week. I learned that I can go to gym on my way home and still be home in plenty of time for meeting. So I have no excuse for Thursdays now. This week will be the same 5 cardio workouts along with 4 20min circuit workouts after cardio.I had a few times this week I really had to fight for it, but I won out, so Im happy.
 I had a different post planned, but haven't had time for it. I didn't want you all to think I was slacking so I want to throw this one out. I wrote the first part on Monday. So far this week I am up to 24 miles biking and running. I have done multiple arms and need to start on legs this week. I really need to find some workouts to do at the gym. Im kind of feeling overwhelmed a little.

Reality

So again, when I think I'm being realistic, I realize that I want so much and achieve very little. The 500 miles isn't going to be completed this year. So my goal for this week is 5 solid workouts at the gym. I don't have as much time in the evenings this week as we have Circuit Overseer visit. My solid workouts will include at a minimum 11 miles on the bike, or 4 miles on elliptical, along with 20 minutes of strength training 3 days this week.
 I do have another milestone goal to accomplish as well. As of December 1, I am insured! Yeah! I have worked at the same office for 15 years with no insurance offered. I have had it through my husband, but not for about 2 years. So I am making a physical appt for February and will be lower than my lowest. So that means 15lbs need to be gone. I am not loving my decisions lately. I am not please with my focus. And I am definitely tired of my whining and complaining  and my lack of completion on anything!
 So this month (December), this week, this day, I work on feeling proud of me. I work on caring again!

Slow Start

So I really need to get going here. My goals have been a tad bit on hold. For reason after reason, excuse after excuse, I have taken my time getting motivated. I could say that work has been miserable. I could say that I don't have time, or its been too cold.Truthfully, I have been still totally unmotivated. Ive been thinking a lot about things that need to change. Adjustments that I have made for the good and adjustments I have let slide. I have totally stopped taking care of me. My family loves their mommy/wife time. I cant say that I dislike it either. What I need to do is balance things out again. Take time for me. This last week when I got to the gym, I had my clothes in the car and stopped on my way home. I need to do that more. Im going to be working a few more hours this week, so this week I am going to push myself to go to gym first, so I don't go home first. Once Im home, Im not leaving. The cold has hit and Im bribing myself with the sauna. I get my miles and I get to heat up in the sauna for a few.

I also need to have a charged phone at the gym for my mileage pictures, I do have a day included in my mileage without a photo. 14.2 on level 3/5. . Spencer and I went on a bike ride yesterday. Ignore the time on it. I got home and forgot to turn it off. The mileage is actual though. On the top picture I went another .2 miles after the timer stopped to get a straight 14.

FireFighters

Uncle Jeremy was working at a station near our house. In fact it is the oldest fire house in Washington. He gave us a tour (which i pretty cool, because I used to work down the street, and always have been fasanated with that building) The kids got to put on his gear and slide down the pole and sit in the truck. They had a blast!

                                                 Yes, we got a pose even in heavey gear!

Thank You Uncle Jeremy!

500

What are these numbers? You know the song 500 miles? Well Im gonna move 500 miles before January 1st and these are the first 15. I was going to walk it, but realized that was 9 to 10 miles a day without a break.( I have also set a goal to be a little more realistic about my expectations.) So, I decided that I would add bike riding to the mix. I can ride 11 miles in 45 min, so maybe I can make up some of the miles ahead of schedule. I was considering registering for a run or walk, but the idea of training in the rain or the snow all the time kind of looked ugly to me. I want to do something that will truley be difficult and I can say at the end, that I did something this year that Im proud of. So here I go!
 So Im going to log in all my miles here on the blog every few days, either with a picture like above or by map my fitness(I have the cool app on my phone). I will also be doing a ticker or some kind of mile countdown on the side bar. I have a friend coming over for Audrey this weekend so we have lots of Princess time and playdough time for me to do more planning on it. I am already behind, so I'll be doing alot of walking, running, "500 Miles"!
My Start date is 11/7/11....