Friday

Friday night, 10pm, and I am still awake.  I'm not sure if I allowed myself to drift past my bedtime, or if its a result of today's indulgent foods.   After work, I had some delicious 5-layer dip... beans, guacamole, sour cream, cheese, tomato, salsa ...something like that.  Mmmmm. 

Then I decided to experiment with some cooking tonight.... using Pillsbury Grand muffins, I cut them up into quarters, piled them into a pan, then dumped on some pizza sauce, pepperoni slices and cheese.  Bake 30 mins and wow ... not bad for a quick and easy dinner!

I also made the apple pie dessert with the same Grands muffins, apple pie filling and sliced almonds....  served warm from the oven with a dollop of vanilla ice cream.... w00t!  very scrumtiliciuos!

Why all the extra foods today?  This has been a very stressful week at work, our store manager was asked to step down from his position.  It's kind of like a ship without a captain:  we all know what needs to be done, but there's no one directing the bigger picture.  Ahh well, hopefully this will be rectified soon.  Which probably explains why I'm still awake so late in the night for me.... too many good foods and not enough water and exercise.  I'll have to make up for this oversight tomorrow.

Today ends the month of January -- what sort of plans for the coming month?  I'm hoping to work more on some photography, some slide scanning, and yes, some yard work too :)

And now that I've put my thoughts out there to you in this big cosmic void, I feel like I can finally close my eyes and get some sleep... sweet dreams to you!

Well Done!

ok, I am tooting my own horn .... today, I put in over 90 minutes at the gym... which is a nice accomplishment in the overall!

But today I broke another personal record: 

one mile in 13:50!

My ultimate goal is a 13 minute mile!  

and I'm well on my way. :)

Change it Up

Because retail is a crazy world when it comes to work, because of the position I am in, when my worker takes vacation, I'm the one who has to take up the slack.  For me, that means doing a shift of 12 days in a row.  Granted, they're shorter days (sometimes only 6 hours!) but still, it means hopping out of bed on a weekend when the only thing I want to do is curl up and sleep in!

But, I didn't.  I headed in to work, and of course, being the gym is right there - no excuses for skipping out on gym time!  I think my exercise routine got stuck in a rut. I've been doing the elliptical, because let's face it, its much easier on the joints. But I've worked my way up to a resistance level 8, doing 13 minute miles, a minimum of 2 miles per day. While its great cardio, I decided I needed to switch it up, so I hopped on the treadmill last week.

Walking can be repetitious without some a goal to achieve. So I walk/jogged a mile, and it was 14:50. I've never been much of a runner, but hey -- things change! And so can I! I did some reading on ways to transition from walker to jogger, and have decided that I will walk 2 mins and jog 1 min, for a minimum of 20 minutes. I'm hoping that this pace will ease me from being a walker to jogger for more than a minute at a time. An entire mile would be a major milestone!

Along with that, I also need a goal to reach, and I believe that striving for a 13 minute mile is a good goal for 2014. Because the gym is right next door to work (really handy, no excuses for not making it to the gym, I'm already there 5 days a week!) I tried out my theory by heading to the gym (on a Saturday!) and did my walk/jog rhythm, and set the bar at a 14:28 mile! Ok, so that's not a speed record by any means -- except for me!!

And that's the whole purpose of gym time --- improving me!

Try

Yesterday at the gym, I decided to give jogging a try again -- just a half mile to see how I did -- and today I was no worse for wear.  So when I hit the gym, I jumped right on the treadmill and started on a new thing:  I walk for 2 mins, jog for 1, and repeat 4 times.  I went a total of 18 mins for 1.2 miles.  Not that I'm setting any kind of speed or endurance records, it's only about improving my own performance.

I sure would like to be able to jog for an easy 10-15 mins.   Never been able to in my lifetime, but not because I couldn't - more because I didn't care to even try.   But it's time to take the bull by the horns and shake things up!  

Maybe I'll never be able to jog for 15 mins straight through,
but it won't be because I didn't try!!

Is there something you've been wanting to try???
What are you waiting for?? 

Believe in YOU

You have to believe in YOU!


Sometimes we women get so busy with our lives --  work, family, and obligations --  that we forget to take care of ourselves, to remember who we are, how far we've come, and how much further we can go.

I was thinking about this when I listened to Katy Perry's song, Roar, which is about a woman who wasn't living up to her own potential, standing on her own.  And now she's ....

... got the eye of the tiger, a fighter, dancing through the fire

'Cause I am a champion and you're gonna hear me roar

Louder, louder than a lion

'Cause I am a champion, and you're gonna hear me roar.

 

This isn't the first time there's been a song such as this.  Back in May 1972, Helen Reddy's song, I Am Woman, became a number one hit, selling over one million copies. A song celebrating female empowerment, it became an enduring anthem for the women's liberation movement.  It was the theme song for 1975 which was declared International Women's Year.

I can remember back then, I would have been 12 or maybe 13, and we'd sing the chorus out loud and strong, believing in the power of the words, and all that was possible!  

I am woman hear me roar

in numbers too big to ignore....

i am strong.

i am invincible

i am WOMAN!

(hehe, in 45rpm even!)


in 1968, Virginia Slims told us "You've come a long way, baby"

But no matter how you say it, the message is the same.

I think these are good reminders for women.....
what we're made of
what we're capable of
and how far we've come!!

Weigh In Weds

Well, I'm back to doing my weigh-in Weds.  I don't have money to hire a trainer this spring, altho if I came into some Lottery money, that's what I'd get!!  But that doesn't mean I can give up on my goal --- to lose 35 lbs by my birthday at the end of July.  Statistically speaking, if I lose 1 lb a week, I can make it, and dang, right now that sounds really easy!!  Ok, maybe not easy, but do-able.

But then there are days like today .... stress is when the cravings kick in.  I splurged on some Hershey's covered pretzels today.  It only ruined my day by 300 calories, not bad considering I made sure I headed to the gym for a good workout.


Faced with a time crunch, I boogied on the elliptical for a mile, did my stretches, my crunches with a medicine ball, some "seated torso twists with medicine ball" (sounds fancy, huh? lol )  and then hopped on the treadmill.  I've been avoiding it because I get some serious leg pain for some reason.  But I'm determined to get into some running.  Half Mile in 8 minutes - didn't push myself, wanted to see how the legs react to short intervals.  So far, only a few slight twinges, hoping some aspirin before bed will do the trick.  If not, I'll be having a nice long visit with my heating pad over the weekend!!

End result of the past week's work:  down 2 lbs.  *pat on the back*

(Don't you just love Maxine's viewpoints?? hahaha)

Goals

Two days into the first week of the new year.... and I've made it to the gym twice!  hehehehe  I've also managed to put all my laundry away and my lunch is packed for morning.  Now where did I get all this energy and determination to get this stuff done?  Because I've been so lacking for the three weeks prior.  Guess it's all the time and work and coming home exhausted that robbed me of the normal things I get done in a more timely manner.

Working out again feels wonderful, I like the tug on muscles and even the tenderness the next day that lets me know that I've actually used them. lol    And maybe its the fact that I started eating better - there's a challenge I spotted somewhere "10 days of real food".   At first you think, hey, I can do that.  But then you start to check things and look around and you realize ummmm yeah, no chips, no crackers,  no chocolate -- yeah.  Its an effort because you're actually cooking meals.  Not that I mind that so much - the harder problem is actually deciding on a menu first!

I've also started 'juicing' fruits.  Sunday was 2 oranges, 1 apple, 1/2 c. pineapple chunks, 1 lemon, 1 celery stalk, 1/2 c blueberries.  It was pretty darn tasty!  I also tossed in a teaspoon of ground flax seed for a little extra fiber.

I'm hoping the effort will pay off in a couple of ways:  first, yeah, the health thing.  We gotta have better foods, not stuff out of a snack bag!  and second, having a menu and buying only what ingredients are needed helps the pocketbook as well as the "I wanna snack...." cravings.

Home made stew on Sunday.
Scrambled eggs with ham on Monday.
Salad and a few leftovers on Tuesday.

We'll see if we can make the 10 days! 

Say Something

A Great Big World, and Christina Aguilara have this wonderful song out called "Say Something" .... and so many lines in the song, maybe its the piano ... I just love the chords in this song.  Marvelous.

But in this gal's saga, there's someone who, two years ago, I would have followed anywhere.  I believed in something, in someone, who wasn't - couldn't - didn't even try - to be honest with me.  People are funny, me included.  We want to believe things, want others to be as truthful as we are.  But there are those out there who aren't - can't - don't even try to be.   How sad.  It brought me to a huge realization in the past month or so about who I am, and why I choose men that I do.   I had an idyllic childhood, things that TV shows are made of. Take your pick:  Wonder Years, Leave it to Beaver, Brady Bunch even.  My family stayed together, we did things together, traveled, camped, and truly enjoyed each others' company (most of the time! haha)  We had our own little problems within our family, but they were all overshadowed by the fact that we were a family, and loved each other despite our differences.

Because of what I had, I found myself wanting to give that to men who didn't have that.  All three of my husbands had a less than idyllic childhood, and I created that atmosphere within our own family, first with my own kids, and then with stepkids.  We traveled, camped and had family fun times.  What became the issue, it seems to me, is that I expected them (the husbands and kids) to be like it was when I was a kid too.  And life can't be recreated.  Life is to be created anew within the confines of the family you are in.

Maybe looking back, I can see now how my choices were formed.  And I can definitely say I've learned from it.  There was an encounter with a fellow named Dwayne -- and I could see the pattern all over again.  But the one thing I know now is that I'm not willing to share and make sacrifices to create that again for anyone.  I'm at a place in my life where I've found contentment in having the time to do things for me.  Is it as fulfilling as I'd like it to be?  Naw, life can always be better.... but its enough.

Here's a link, give it a listen if you want to:  Say Something

Michael:  anywhere I would have followed you.

I have swallowed my pride
You're the one that I love
but I'm saying goodbye.

Mission Accomplished!

My New Year's Resolution is pretty basic this year:  Do things for me, to please me.  Maybe that sounds a little selfish, but it isn't mean to sound that way.  What I mean to say is that we (yes, all of us) get so busy doing our routines, the need-to's and the have-to's, that we forget that there is a beautiful world out there, and we should be finding our joy.
   

This was a really busy work week for me - all those Christmas presents being returned make for a lot of work and I was working extra hours in the beginning of the week just to catch up.  Working retail means nothing more than 40 hours per week, once the max is reached, they scoot us out and send us home!  Being it was a gorgeous day when I walked outside, I got home and mandated that Brian get dressed and head with me over to the Lost Dutchman State Park.  I have gone two or three other times with the goal to complete the Treasure Loop hike -- and haven't ever gotten all the way.  One time it was nearing evening, the sun was low in the sky, some clouds moved in; we needed to turn around and head back, as it was nearly dark by the time we reached the bottom again.  Then of course, the rain drenched us just after we reached the car.  (Drenching rain in the desert can make for slippery hiking, for sure.)  The next time, my girls were with, and the little one had a cold.  We turned around and headed back after we'd reached a resting place on some rocks.  Had I known we were less than two minutes from the top, I might have insisted we keep going! 


Yesterday, however, was a huge TAA -DAA moment!  We reached the summit of the hike, and down the other side to complete the loop.  Was THRILLED!  Going up you ascend about 700 feet in just under a mile.  It's a trek if you're not prepared for it, but we were -- plenty of water, snacks and rested part of the way because Sadie was panting a little.  hehehe

It was a beautiful day, warm and sunny at 70 degrees, just right for an afternoon hike in the sun.
A beautiful "me" moment, for sure!

This last picture of a Saguaro Cactus
I like a lot because of the streak in the sky
looks like lightning!