They’re always watching…
Maybe this can be the start of a new thing. Phone pic of the day. I think pictures make my long winded postings more enjoyable. Or at least tolerable.
Day 3 P90X Just a quick note…
I swear I am in muscle hell. Every single one in my body hurts. I WISH I had started these discs earlier. The BEST by far, of any I have ever done and I have done ALOT. Trust that I could not complete any of the three workouts so far, but I am trying. The Ab Ripper is seriously not even funny as a workout. When I complete this series I know that I will have accomplished something here. And the nice thing is that it is going to take a really long time to get all the exercises, with all the reps, in the time allotted. But in case you didn’t get me before, I LOVE this workout.
And here’s something that I did not expect: Every workout person/tape/company says you have to do the workout AND eat right for it to work…blah blah blah we all know but we never do it do we? We keep eating crap and tell ourselves we will just work out harder next time. Well let me tell you, do this program for 2 days. That’s it. Do the Chest/Shoulder/Abs…that’s good. Then go eat lunch, dinner whatever.
Day 2, do the Plyometrics. Basically Jump/Squat/Lunge Hell for an hour. Any muscle that did not hurt from the first day will now be screaming in pain today. Then I dare you to eat some junky food. I love fast, junky food because I don’t like to prepare and cook stuff. But I swear on all that I care about I DID NOT want to eat anything that might be “unclean”. I’m not sure what is going on with these discs. Maybe some kind of subliminal messaging while you’re slowly dying of your own accord and on purpose.
Now I am not going to be all holy here and say that I am not eating and drinking this weekend. I picked Fourth of July, party people, to start this madness, but I WILL be thinking twice about every bit of food I do eat, and probably eating a little less and drinking slow with lots of ice. This workout requires alot of work and effort and it seriously feels wrong to sabotage it with nasty food. The food doesn’t even taste as good. (I tried. I ate about half)
I know I can go on and on but it really is amazing to me that some simple dvd’s can change my entire outlook like nothing before. Maybe it’s just the right time for me. If you try it, please please, let me know! I would love to hear from other people out there doing it to. I cannot even imagine where I will be in 10 days and 20 days and then 90…
For me, I am adding in some running on the “weight” days to supplement my cardio because I still have a five mile to run on Labor Day, but otherwise the workout as it stands would prob be enough. I will be streamlining my food (after tomorrow) and the whole family is going to have to get on board or they will be hungry! Kids are already in a semi-program of my doing but it’s really not enough…won’t they be sorry when they get back! They have no idea trolling around out there in the sun…
So that’s it for now, Day 3 complete. More weights and arms and abs…which was comical because I could barely raise my body off the floor…the abs are already on holiday. I have to go change and hit the stores. I have buns to buy for the bbq (say that five times fast) and some pasta salad to throw together to impress the fam with. But I’ll be back tomorrow—just cause it’s a holiday doesn’t mean I can skip the workout, not this early in the game.
And please drop me a line if you are as excited as I am. Let me know how and why and what you are doing! XOXOXO
Kentucky Kids. Arriving at 8:05 AM Friday Morning
Catching the first fish....4:45 PM Friday afternoon.
Hanging out on the boat at about 6 PM. Life is good!
And that’s my first post after all this time??
Dead flies and a new swatter?? Yes. That is what inspired me to get off my lazy bum and start this up again.
Please excuse the process for a little while and the pictures I will be posting. I am limited, at the moment, to what I take with my phone and pull from facebook. We had a computer malfunction over here and some things were lost. Like my entire I-Tunes/music library…dramatic pause…
The computer I am working on has been slow anyway, so it needed a re-boot or re-start from scratch or whatever is done to fix these kinds of things. All our data and files and folders and pics and music were on my old hard drive (an ancient, heavy thing that looked like a book). After my last I-Tune purchase and Ipod uploads for all, I smartly backed everything up as I have been doing, but have not done for over a year. That drive was grinding away burning those discs, making all kinds of noise. And wouldn’t you know it? Next time we tried to use it…no good. Dead in the water. Just nothing. No recognition from the computer. In fact, it would shut the computer down and threaten to leave the premises if we didn’t stop trying to make it work. Luckily, I had mentioned this to the BF while we were out and about and we picked up a brand new, credit card hard drive that all the pics and folders got moved to from the computer, but no luck transferring from the old hard drive. Whatever data is there is destined to stay there now. Long story short: The new drive has what could be salvaged off the laptop, the drive was wiped clean and rebooted and the only thing we have on the desktop now is Internet, an empty documents folder and an empty pictures folder.
It’s nice and clean and I like it. But I am a bit worried for my music. It’s technically not gone. (Yet) I have 48 backup discs that are the light. I have 30,000 songs, movies and tv and video and pictures just sitting now. I have to re-install I-Tunes, hook up the new drive, point it in the right direction and start dropping dvd’s, and hope hope hope that all my stuff is there. If not, that’s the breaks right? I may start next week. I’m afraid of the unknown here.
I still have my Ipod, but when it rains it pours and my songs are starting to skip on the playlists. I have had unbelievable good luck with every Ipod purchase I have ever made (alot) and I have the big one. It has gone everywhere with me, everyday, work, school, exercise, rain, cold, heat, car, planes, trains…where I go it goes…for 3 + years, so I’m a little sentimental and I can’t really complain ’cause I’ve heard stories of people that have no luck with them. But, it is what it will be and this seems to be turning into some kind of love letter to an Ipod.I just wanted to explain the picture situation…so if you got all that…there ya go!
Alright, the kids are gone. Kentucky bound. Well, they’re actually already there. They’ve been there for 12 hours now and they have sent me pics. I will be posting those at the top of the page!
That means mommy gets to play for the days now…I am smoothed and lubed and ready to go. That’s not exactly as bad as it sounds…apparently I have scratchy old lady skin (according to the children), soon to be replaced by papery old lady skin if I don’t do something about it NOW. My sissy, their aunty has smooth, soft, supple skin that I FAIL to achieve on any level. Whatever! So, I have taken some personal time today and removed hair and added lotion. (Exercise totally helps when you want to feel good about your body. Strong, clean and lean. What does she mean by that??)
Day 1 of the new skin!
Day 2 of P90X…oh yeah! I am bringing it! But, that’s a whole other post….
$1.49 Well Spent!
I do not know what this says about me…these are the first fly swatters I have ever purchased in my life. They were at the Alsip Nursery in Frankfort for the bargain price of 2 for $1.49. Orange with the purple or yellow with the pink. Sold like a couple of sponges.
Upon the first fly swat, the VERY first swat…DEAD. The fly was struck down by my mighty hand (holding the swatter and not a rolled up magazine as previously used thru the years) And more importantly, the swatter did not fall apart or rip.
I have no picture of the dead fly. I tried but my camera phone wouldn’t take a nice clear shot.
Is it still a Margarita??
So, basically I have been drinking since about 2 pm Chicago time. I started out with the cocktail mixer and measured amounts of Tequila and whatever else you put in a margarita. This, pictured above, is basically a glass with ice, a bunch of leftover lime pieces, tequila, triple sec, mixer and another lime piece dipped in salt. It’s good but I can’t feel my face. Enjoy the night wherever you are….
Forgive Me, My Queen
I always think it’s weird too when people shout out a birthday wish to someone they do not know.
But I’m doing it anyway.
Happy Birthday!
You are my favorite and I named my daughter after you.
Running!….is NOT what I am doing…
Plodding. Staggering. Hobbling. Half-stepping. Walking. Limping. Collapsing. Crawling…to a shaded area and sitting. Pretending to remove phantom rocks from my shoes. So sad.
I started on Monday like the original plan dictated, but I just now have recovered the strength to type about it.
Well, not really…but close. At this very moment I am trying to cool down and lose the sweatiness from my legs so I can put pants on to go to the store. And that is no lie. I forgot a few things yesterday for our “health plan” and I want to go get them before the kids get back from school. I have shorts but my legs are a bit too white and stubbly and I have long workout/sweat pant/joggy things that I would never wear outside to a public store-like place. I need some cute capri-type casual slip on pants of a comfortable material that is flattering yet stylish. Hmm. I was at Target yesterday too (the store of everything) but focused on my daughter and groceries. Maybe tomorrow. I can’t walk thru there again so soon. Plus I have to go to Jewel, the actual grocery store. Sometimes you just have to. Sorry Target.
Anyway, I am still serious. Let me run it down for you. Monday. Kids to school…drove to the outdoor trail. Nice and early. 9 am. Crowded, which is good because then you have less chance of being assaulted or injured. Not that it’s dangerous, it’s lots of seniors and workout people and even a Forest Preserve Police presence, but it’s ALWAYS dangerous for women alone in woodsy settings. Plus if you fall or heatstroke out or something, lots of people to call 911 for you! Back to this gripping tale…it’s still hot here in Chicago, like summer hot, in the 80’s to 90’s every stinking day now, it’s really ridiculous actually because it’s no joke what they say about our area here; it was literally like 40 degrees one day and 90 the next. I’m not sure how it keeps happening and why we are never prepared and I have lived here my whole life…anyway, so it’s hot, but I figured it’s also 9am, so it won’t be THAT hot. WRONG. It felt like the fires of Hell were chasing me around that trail and I could not get out of its path for nothing. I managed to stagger around the trail, in shade and out, for a grand total of 1 and ¼ miles before I gave up and walked/ran for the rest of the 3.6 miles. I am not proud or happy about it, but I could not pull up enough strength to keep “running”. I could not even do a jog. My legs felt like the leadiest lead in the world and it was SO hot!! I also never used to have a problem with heat either, I was the last hold out for air conditioning and I was sincere. It really never used to bother me, but now I can barely stand in front of the oven without complaining. So needless to say, I was sweating, and I never sweat like all that, and I wanted to sit down so bad in the grass, and there was goose poo and deer poo and snakes and ducks and who knows what else kind of poo all over that trail. But I really didn’t care. The only thing that stopped me was the fact that I was on the part of the trail that follows to major roads, so there is no tree cover on the street side and the sun is blazing right in your direction, into the tree line so, basically there is no shade until you get back into the woody area. From about the 2 mile mark until the 3 mile mark I was out there, roasting, baking, shriveling and dying in the sun like a juiceless raisin. Ugh. My worst workout ever. I am so pathetic that I tried to stay next to the trees even though there was no shade, but I felt that just being closer to them might make me feel cooler. Not so. But I did keep going. I walked and sipped my water which was warm at this point but still watery, and just willed myself to keep moving forward, try not to look like you are actually weaving on the trail, and take deep breaths and let that heart rate go down, let that body cool off, just make it to the car, and hope you can drive without passing out. It felt kind of like being drunk but without the fun of alcohol or throwing up thank goodness! I never wanted to puke so I consider it a win! I ended up finishing in about 50 minutes so looking back it wasn’t that desperate, but it did feel like slow motion death.
When I got home, I took a shower and tried to remove leg stubble but I think I caused a rash with the chemicals and the heat skin I inflicted on myself. So whatever…White and hairy it is for another week. Luckily Tuesday my daughter Stevie (hey girl! cutie! with the free arm!!) had to go to the doc to get that cast off her arm! She was happy, and I was happy because we got to spend the whole day doing the opposite of exercise. After two hours of removing the cast, x-rays, and returning to the doc to get the all clear, she is good to go for now, no more cast but no kind of activity that would cause a fall or a chance to land on the arm again and potentially break it all over for 4 weeks when we go back to check it one last time! Hooray, now we can go have LUNCH! We love the Mexican food, El Famous Burrito, I think they are in lots of places…really good if you like this kind of food. We particularly like the Chicken Quesadillas. The best, hands down, you may have had anywhere. They’re not on the menu you just have to ask…so worth it. Then the usual guac, salsa, beans (all made on site–so always delicious and always just a little different) We go to one in particular, so I can’t speak for all, but if you like it or try it…let me know! I’d love to hear from other fans.
Anyfood…back to the story…we eat and hit the Target. Stevie wants some capri’s she saw and needs a shirt for the WW2 Veterans Honor Assembly she is part of and has been practicing for the last month. I am so proud that she is so part of her school and all its activities. These are meaningful things and I like when the kids know it and understand that the world is so much bigger than just them and their lives. But let’s not get all teary eyed now…stay focused on my detailed list of MTW…ok still Tuesday…at the Target. Successful shopping. Alot of money is spent. Besides not having food in the house…I have kind of let it get to the point where we have literally just those things I listed yesterday. Like, nothing. You have to eat a hot dog bun with Ranch dressing, seriously. Hot lunch at school and take out dinner. NOT healthy, not good, not cheap. Thank goodness my kids eat minimal breakfast. Fruit Loops out of the box is usually good enough. Besides not having food in the house, we need to have “healthy” food in the house. It is not cheap, and it requires more steps to eat. Like cooking, peeling, combining….it’s such a hassle and that’s why I can’t manage it during school. One day…they say it takes 6 weeks to keep to a routine before it becomes a natural part of life, and 3 months for it to stick permanent…I hope so…that’s just about how much time I have to make it work this time. So, food is bought. Put away. Made dinner. I grilled. Used the grill. I have a crazy fear of it for some reason. Fire and all that…but I managed to do it, and I will continue to do it now. The kids like it way better than the oven and it keeps the heat outside. So blah blah, watched tv, went to bed. Big finish there. Sorry.
Now it’s Wednesday, and I really do have to get my butt to the store. Time is ticking and I want to be back before the kids. It’s still hot. I know, no one can probably believe this. But it’s true. I sent the boy to the bus, and walked Stevie (her idea) and a good one, because it loosened up my legs just enough so that I didn’t look like a complete handicap trying to “run” around the trail. It was not pretty. And I did not complete the circuit. Again. I hate my out-of-shape self. It also doesn’t help when you have some Marine guy running around the track, looking all buff and Marine-y, passing you twice going in the other direction! And he wasn’t even from around here. He’s driving around in his big, red, truck with out-of-state license plates. Marines. Showing up in Illinois and exercising just to make us look bad! Plus, I have the pressure of the Warrior Dash on the 19 th of June. It’s looking like a Warrior Dud. I am going, but it will not be mighty. As for today, I started off strong, said to myself, slow and steady. Slow and easy. Just casually go around the track. No rush. Just run it nice and easy. Nice and easy. Nice and easy. And it worked! I made it all the way to the 2½ mile mark! That is right in the middle of the sun spot. No cover. Someone kindly repainted the mile markers in bright red numbers. Nice and big and correctly I assume. They are not in the same places as the previous markers painted in yellow. Turns out each quarter mile is just a little bit farther than they were on Monday. But I really did make it to the 2½ spot and I tried for more, but I couldn’t do it. I half-jogged it every few paces but I was pretty much done for. At the 3½ mark I kicked it up for that .10 mile and brought it home. Too bad I had to park my car near the entrance today, so I had to walk even more just to collapse out of sight of the more athletic types who were just dashing around looking all happy and fit. Next week. Next week.
Again, not happy. But it is pretty funny and it makes a good story. Isn’t it better than, “Oh today, Monday, ran 4 miles. Tuesday, ran 4 miles. Wednesday, ran 6 miles and did an obstacle course…blah blah…” My version has that gritty-real-life-down-in-the-streets kind of attitude. (Because I am gritty, from being, literally, down in the street, weak and tired).
Also, in my defense, I am on the pre-week of my “cycle”, notoriously makes me exhausted and hungry and not able to do alot of energy requiring things. I hate when it coincides with my plans for higher living, and race events like the Dash or the 5-Mile. Next week though will be different. I tend to be a heavy “exit-er” (if you catch my drift without me being too graphic on the technical details part) but I get my energy back and I’m not hungry. So I should just be flying around that trail with no trouble at all!
On a happy note, I have maintained my weight for one whole week despite the period problem. So that’s really good. Course it does help that every time you step outside lately the sun and heat suck away all the moisture you have in, on, or near your body.
So I am all cooled down and my pants will probably slip on now…I had eaten a sammy (healthy bread, turkey, lettuce, tomato, onion–love the onion–not good for the breath tho) and a banana, felt like vomiting…for real. I held it in. And I think I’m good to go there too. I would have been so mad. I haven’t made an actual sandwich for myself, like that kind with stuff on it, for a long long time and I would have been super-mad if I just threw it all up. But I am better now.
It’s one p.m. in the city. I will be back later with some coins and cars and pictures. I’ll probably throw something on top of this…but I don’t know what yet. It will be a surprise for all of us!
Enjoy the sun, apparently it’s here to stay! Toodles.
just shy of pretty 