Transition week!
Day 30 for me and I think I found my new favorite workout! It’s Core Synergistics. And it’s sweaty good fun. I need to make this somewhat short…my short I guess because I have got to get to bed. Besides school and the P90X I’ve recently devoted my life to, I am going to take a motorcycle class in the early a.m. (and then the next day and the whole next weekend…I mean if you’re gonna do it…) with the BF and get my license to ride, all official like. I even went to my first Harley store to purchase some gloves (they’re required for class) and got on the mailing list and a rewards card! I suppose it’s not really bad ass to take a riding class thru the state but…I get to ride a motorcycle!
So P90X. Day 29 and 30. Start of Week 5. I added an extra week of Phase 1 because I wanted more of a boost into hardcore fitness. Plus, I have to run 5 miles in three weeks so I need the weight help. And I didn’t feel like I was really “getting” the exercises and I missed a few days here and there. Also my diet was not the greatest. Besides, Tony says you can!
So now I am in transition week to Phase 2. Yesterday was Yoga X. Oh man! What a workout! I had sweat dripping in my eye! I was super warm and stretchy!
Here are my big accomplishments:
1) I was able to do the standing leg extension, one leg, TOE GRAB!!, and balance for almost 30 seconds! That felt great! What a difference! I almost had to take a picture for proof. I still might actually.
AND:
2) I was able to do crane! Oh yeah! I did it. I did it for, like, 2 or 3 seconds! Then I fell. Then I did it again. Then I fell. For one minute. Up and down. But it was feet off the ground! What’s funny about this yoga though is that I did alot of these moves in grade school. We used to balance on our elbows all the time and do plough and shoulder stand for fun. But that’s the key probably. We didn’t know what the hell we were doing and we weren’t aware we were “exercising”. Now it’s like work. Dammit.
Then we (kids and I) did Tony & the Kids for about 30 minutes. It’s an older DVD geared towards kids and it takes all the P90X moves, funs them up, lowers the reps, but keeps the cardio aspect. It was goofy at first but we were sweating by the end. Plyo, Kenpo, Yoga, Core, it’s all there.
Then today. Day 30. Core Synergistics. My first time. Holy Ab-A-Rolly I don’t even know what this is! Everything. Arms, legs, abs, weights, pushups; Ridiculous. WTF. Pushups. I was so beat by the end of the hour I could barely lift my arms for the cool down. Now that’s crazy and that has got to be X enough!
So after I’m done and I can lift my pen and my arm has stopped sweating all over the paper, I can write in my exercise/diet notebook. I like to keep track daily of what I’ve done and how I feel and all that good stuff. It’s kind of like this but much much shorter and to the point. This is the expanded version of…everything. Anyway, it’s about diet. I tell myself to eat better, drink more water, keep exercising, don’t overweigh, etc., etc. Then I give myself a pep talk along the lines of: if you stop eating crap you can get more muscles/tone/definition and less flabby/shaky/jiggly/cottage cheesy/dimply. I can be smooth and firm! I’m brutal!
Clothes Alert!! Final boost of the day!
After my shower and personal hygiene thing, I prepared to put a pair of jeans on with the usual tug and pull maneuver I named the “Pants Dance”. My kids think it’s pretty funny. I jump from foot to foot, holding onto the beltloops for dear life, while thrusting a limb through a pant leg until they basically work their way up to my waist then I can stand or lay into them with a classic scootching, twisting, wriggling shimmy, so I can get them high enough to zip and button and adjusted to fit around the thigh and knee and crotch and waist all at the same time. Occasionally (every single pair of jeans I own) the loops break and leave the telltale hole at the seam. Don’t need beltloops when your pants are almost too tight to even put on. A belt really doesn’t add anything to the party when there’s already too many people there!
But today, lo and behold, those pants slipped right on! My weight hasn’t changed beyond the 6 pounds (maybe 7) I lost already, but my body feels different. Those pants went right up very comfortably with little to NO muffin top! Now that is worth pushing play everyday! P90X! Bring. It.
And that’s where I am ending it tonight. It is way too late and I am way too close to 5 am! I’ll post more about all the other stuff and pictures too after I get my three hours of sleep and finish my class and go bowling and eat and school supply shop and all the things that everyone does everyday.
Wherever you are…enjoy the day, for it is glorious! And I love a good sunrise.
Thanks for hanging through to the end. Until later then. X it.
Day 26 trying to keep the momentum going…
I have about 3 more weeks before the real world kicks back in and I cannot devote my mornings, days or nights to this workout thing. I am trying to work the schedule now. I can do it with the kids yelling in the background that they want to go do something fun! I can do it with them walking in and out of the room telling me how gross and sweaty I am! I can even do it with the BF in the room watching or not watching! That’s how you know you have passed a roadblock in your mind! If you can bring it just as hard with other people staring at you as you would alone with no one around then you have crossed into another area of fitness! I’m a little hesitant on the “Oms” for the Yoga still, but in my defense I don’t have the big breaths anyway that can carry my voice for that long.
Here’s a funny thing that happened today: I gave my daughter a little pop in the jaw this morning as she walked past me while I was doing my warmup jumping jacks. It tapped her perfect right under the chin and clicked her teeth together. I swear I almost pee’d after the sound it made and her voice that said, “Oh!” I said, “Why the heck did you walk past me when you knew I was throwing my hands up?” And she said that she knew how light I throw my arms up and she didn’t think it would hit her and even if it did it probably wouldn’t hurt anyway! She’s a koo-koo but it made the workout less serious and more fun. And don’t worry she is totally fine. She went right on into her room to watch a movie while I dripped all over the living room floor.
Anyway, I want the exercise part of my day to be seamless for when I start mine and the kids school schedule. I’ll need to workout the minute they leave for the bus and then shower and get the heck out of here to make my classes. 16 weeks now. 16 weeks after X-Mas. Then I am done. Done done done and I can work work work for the rest of my natural born life. Good thing I’m working out now. I’ll be so strong I’ll never die! Ha.
Alright, well, I need to motivate my son to finish his “job” for the day. He’s so close! All the lawns are cut and all he has to do is sweep and get rid of the big stalky weeds.
Oh and if I haven’t talked enough about how great P90X is and how much I love Tony Horton (is it wrong to have a crush on my fitness instructor??? heehee) then here’s one more reason to love him and the system: Tony and the Kids! The DVD I just got for my son (and daughter) but mostly my son. HE WILL BE FIT! No more beer belly! Haha. For the record, Mason says, “I don’t have a beer belly!! You are not even funny anymore MOM!”
Then let’s go! Everyone push play and bring it with whatever you got! I’ll be back later. X it!
Drizzle
That’s the weather sprinkling on my chair sitting and magazine reading.
I just want to update quickly for the P90X crowd. Skipped Thursday for the garage sale….the drinking portion is below…and went to the early morning fitness training session with my friend Beth, today, Friday. It was at 7 am. Maybe not early for some, but too early for me to have to get up and dress and drive and exercise. I was regretting the margarita’s and pizza (ugh…I did THAT too—horror!) because I felt pretty crap ass this morning. But I did it and it was awesome. VERY glad I went…thanks Beth!!
Her trainer ran us through all these drills and arms and cardio and I really can’t even remember the order or what exactly. It was fast and sweaty and quite a good workout. What’s weird is that the whole time he was showing us what to do and timing us and we were doing it, Tony Horton’s voice was running in my head. “You can do anything for 30 seconds”, “Do your best and forget the rest”, “I’m done talking. 5 4, 3 2, let’s go”. I really believe doing those workouts, even for 24 days now, has vastly improved my ability to work out in other areas! Just like the program promises. I know I’m like a running commercial for the stuff, but I love it.
At any rate, I’m worked out for the day and I had nothing but time left to finish some school stuff and update other things so that’s good. I made Beth run an extra 10 minutes with me—squeezed off a fast (for me) mile to prepare for the weekend—so I don’t feel guilty about missing my P90 workout. Tomorrow is another day. Shoulders and arms and abs. I like having arm muscles, and abs I guess, although they are still not visible. Then I can go to the gym and run and that will make up for movies and popcorn which is the next thing I’m going to do tonight. And NOT the healthy air-popped corn. I’m having the nasty, buttery, stomach cramping kind. Sounds yummy doesn’t it? I’m thinking I’ll skip the alcohol though. I’m a cheap date. Ahem.
I’m going to attempt more sitting now. My Achilles tendon is hurting from the incline and I need to rest. I’ll put a little ice cream on the wound, from the inside, and all will be well. I filled all the birdfeeders and we have a BlueBird so I want to get a picture. Hummingbird pics are coming. I caught a really good one and the camera died so it’s trapped on there for the moment, but there’s another kind of bird: One on top. One below. Hahaha. X it.
Storms are rolling in…
And it is dark at 4 o’clock. I posted yesterday morning but I never did come back. I apologize to all those breathless to read more about my long, boring, days of summer until school starts again…it’s a me thing.
I did complete Day 22 and Day 23. That would be some chest and back–so misleading–when it’s just endless push-ups and pull-ups and ab exercises–and Plyo, the jump stuff. I managed to half-ass my way thru that too today. I have a theory on my lack of energy and it’s not pretty. Reading the books that come with the program (P90X–got it in there for ya’ Amanda) They talk about the diet, eating healthy, I get that. They also talk about eating enough. Yes, eating more than you want to because you are burning the cals and you need the food to help you make it thru the workouts. I thought that was a load of crap. I have plenty of food stored in me that I should be able to go for many more days without any extra. But I might be wrong. Hardheaded. It’s all written. I read it. Didn’t believe it.
Here’s the unpretty part: (Turn away if you are squeamish, it’s about to get too personal) This is my first period, menstrual cycle, whatever you want to call it, while doing this program, and since I am a bit older than I’d like to be, things can be fast, slow, heavy, light, if you get my drift, AND I was trying to burn up the cals with some double workouts (got one tonight) and some leaner eating–by which I mean NONE. No food. Just some fruit and a chicken breast with some steamed beans…like literally, I cut my cals by three-fourths. Well, lo and behold, I can’t get up and once I do, I can’t do the exercises. I can’t get the same intensity because I have no energy. Like none. It’s strange. No food in, lots of draining body fluids (sweat and other things, sorry) and I am dogging it. My booty is not lifting, as much as sagging, around the living room trying to keep up with the gang on the TV.
But I think I got it now. I’ll increase the food or at least go back to my normal diet. Normal, healthy, low-fat, no-dairy, diet, I mean. Of course.
I’m excited though because I weighed yesterday too. I am trying to do it about every two weeks. Nothing drastic. Slow and steady. It’s good. I am down 5.5 lbs in 27 days. It is not noticeable on me whatsoever. It’s just the way I’m shaped I guess. And I’m not starving myself or starving at all. My appetite is less lately. Although that could also be because it’s 90+ degrees every day now and that kills any urge to eat or move or breathe. But I don’t care anyway because it’s for the long haul and I don’t have alot of years left to be getting down to little old lady size. Gotta do it now.
Last night we did dinner with the family. Pizza–so good. Tried to eat the smallest, crustiest pieces I could, as slow as I could. I even had dessert. Key Lime pie. Not my fav but it was ok.
Here is a fun fact for you: One eighth of that pie had 450 calories. I wasn’t cutting so I tried to get a small piece, but isn’t that alot?? I thought so. Sometimes all that labeling is evil.
So hopefully I will go to the gym again tonight and run my miles…do I even dare try the 55 mins.? I don’t know. I’m scared thinking about it. Have to do something as my sister Amanda and my friend Beth are trying to kill me in the next two days. Garage sale tomorrow, nice and early, all day and an hour away…I have to get up sooooo early and I don’t even get any of the money!
Then Friday is my cardio-fitness-trainer-tag-a-long workout with Beth. Again with the early. 7 am. People are crazy. Who can exercise that early? I’m really not an early morning kind of girl for doing stuff. Any stuff. I like to lay and drink coffee until my eyes open better. I am already overly worried about my school schedule and I still have three weeks! I’ll be getting up early for sure, but it’s mostly moving the kids around and putting on clothes. Then driving in the car. The nursing part is not nearly as hard as balancing on half a ball for a minute holding dumbbells and jumping 50 times. Or sitting at a garage sale in the sweltering sun bargaining down my sissy’s belongings, praying for death or at least a big rainstorm. (Just kidding…I’m sure it will be fine. And fun!)
Anyway…I’ll wrap it up for today. It’s longer than I thought, as always. I can’t even shut up typing! And the sky has cleared. I’m going to go back outside and finish sitting in my chair, looking at the backyard. We have hummingbirds!
There’s some pictures around because I took them and it looks better than just all words. I may be back. (She says mysteriously) Later.
Good Morning! Awake!
And updating the last post because I know you were wondering all night if I did go run at the gym with the BF. Take a deep breath, rest easy, and start the day, I DID drag my sorry butt out and over!
It was crowded but cool (when I go earlier in the day it’s kind of dead and warmer), and I was lucky to get a treadmill near the BF’s stair machine, but I punched in my info and hopped on for 31 minutes. AND I ran at a faster rate to try and “push myself”. I protest other people telling me what to do, but I have to admit I was struggling and I guess that’s what it’s all about.
I also managed to cut the 2.5 mile distance down by 5 minutes. So, I guess I can improve my time on the short distance or bump up the time to 55 minutes and squeeze in the 5 miles. Either way I have about a month to run faster. Any thoughts??
Also, I totally forgot, OMG! Haha. I am using the 10 pound hand weights now, up from the 8 lbs! If you are not impressed by my arm strength (to lift individual weights not body weight) then I encourage you to go do a round of arms and see where you are at! The girl in the P90X uses 12 lbs so I’m feeling pretty strong. Anyway, if I’ve gained anything, it’s the coolness of having workout equipment laying all around the house, and hopefully, soon, I will have the coolness of losing the lunch lady flaps, and my kids will stop jiggling the back of my arms and laughing!
Day 22 coming up shortly…dinner with relatives later tonight so I have to extra “BRING IT” even though I am only going to eat a cracker pack and some tea. Maybe dessert….winkity wink.
Wherever you are, get up, press play and enjoy the day….I’ll be back later!
So, where was I??
Let me go back to my P90X notebook (yes, I have a separate notebook just for the X–don’t laugh, you really need one or you can’t gauge the process) last time I was here was….Day 10? Well, I guess I’m behind. Here it is already Day 21. I’ve done the sequence three times now and it’s a tiny bit easier. I say that with emphasis on the tiny bit. Let me re-cap, but quickly:
Day 10, I finished my arms and abs and went running. I discovered a better way to train. Use the Random setting on the treadmill. It’s got inclines and all that. I started with a level 10 of 20 just because I didn’t know where to go. Did 30 minutes. Started slow. Like, walk/jog slow and worked up to actual running. I increased speed every few minutes. The BF says I don’t work hard enough and that may be true. I like the feeling of running not the feeling of winning. I only have to do five miles in less than 55 minutes. That’s my goal. Very achievable at the slow ass rate I run on the treadmill. So that’s that. I highly recommend some extra cardio with the P90X, especially if you have the time and if you are like me and not eating perfect. Plus it makes you feel darn good and so strong.
Anyhoo…I have to hurry because I told the BF I would run with him today at the gym and I really don’t want to…I really brought it today to make up for me NOT bringing it the last three days. Blah. Here’s the fast version:
Day 11 thru 20: I ran thru the schedule just as written. I think I missed a day or two, but nothing drastic. Still hurting. Still can’t do all the Abs to save my life, but I can do all 25 of the first exercise. Ten more to go at the same rate. I am using my pull up bar and it’s good. The day I can do unassisted (without the chair) is going to be a highlight. Push ups are moving along. Still on my knees…uh huh…but working toward on my toes. You people are sick.
The best news is that I actually lost 2.2 pounds and did not alter the diet super dramatically. I will say that I am eating far less than I was and I try to make the good choices but I am not there yet. I feel better in my skin even though the jeans still fit the same.
This week, my kids are gone again. 😦 They get another vacation with their dad which I am happy for, but sad because summer is flying by and we have to start the grind, and I love having them around me all the time. But I am taking this week to clean up my diet. It’s easiest when there is only you to worry about.
Day 21. This is today. Felt really out of it because I skipped Friday, Saturday and Sunday: Lazy/Fatigued (thanks monthly cycle—it hits me harder some months than others, damn aging), Birthday Party (happy b-day to my double nieces born on the same day, Elexa and Jesse, 8 and 15), Pierogi Fest (the Polack in me must go eat bad foods and drink the hootch). So after getting up to move the car for the BF and assessing the monthly situation…I went right back to bed. And after sleeping my once a year, 12 hour nap, I was ready to get up for good.
I picked Plyometrics as my choice workout. It gives me the best feeling of working and the most fun and activities. Then I added in my own push-up/ab/arm exercises to finish the burn and punch out that last little bit of strength I had. The sweat is unbelievable and disgusting. I like to keep the air off for that extra bonus “heat” effect. Glistening. Anyway it’s not nearly as hot as it was outside so it’s saving money too.
Now it’s about 6:30 pm Chicago time, and I am dreading the phone call to meet at the gym. I am trying to clean out my body today. Nothing bad in. Water (and coffee–I’m not a superhero) and I ate blueberries and a banana. One day of “sort-of-fasting” is not going to kill me.
For tomorrow, Day 22, I am adding in one more week of Phase 1. I feel I need an extra boost with these exercises and a nice clean lead in to the rest phase and the next weeks to come.
I’m going for alot this week. Exercise, complete catch up on this site, complete school reading before the new stuff comes, an I-Tunes/I-pod updated player and lists, money–in and out, the never ending always waiting laundry and housecleaning. Yuck to the yuck. I’m even gonna go workout special with my friend Beth on Friday—so I really got to work it this week. And I’m gonna help my sissy with her garage sale for one day—I’d love to help all three, but…no I wouldn’t! Sorry Amanda!
Follow me here if you care, and give me your comments and advice and any other thing that crosses your mind. I know I can ramble with the best of them.
Just because I love it, I’m putting pictures of the Pierogi Queen and her Babushka Brigade around all these words. Just a bunch of Polacks having fun!
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
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.
Hot in the City….
It is Sunday, May 23, in Chicago. It’s a blazing 90 degrees and I have been drinking margarita’s all afternoon. This is my first post, post-nursing, first year. I am done for the summer! Passed successfully the course, the final and the final-final for the past year of material. I will be enjoying this afternoon and evening and start reading some more stuff on Monday. It’s recommended. But, no pressure so its really more for fun. Haha.
Anyway, let me rewind the week, but fast-forward the boring parts (zip it Amanda…some people do not think this is ALL boring like you…har har) anyhoo…let’s see…oh yes…my sister (Amanda) squeezed out yet ANOTHER child into this world…good job! Welcome Everet Jase! Congrats to the family!
I passed my classes, I registered for fall, I paid for fall (lots of money I don’t actually have…and don’t even qualify for using student aid…but hoping for good luck with some working scholarship money, and I bought some lottery tickets also as a back up plan.
Saturday, myself and the family (kids and bf), babysat for the new bean so my sister could go to a wedding and try to wear sexy clothes and drink for the first time in 9 months. She looked cute but the alcohol didn’t take. She tried her best but we are thinking that the bartender thought she was still a pregnant lady and gave her non-alcohol drinks! We have to get that baby weight off! Which leads me to our next big thing…Warrior Dash! It is coming fast and neither of us is ready and I don’t have a baby as an excuse for my chub…only fast food and laziness. So that means you get to follow along on the progress all summer! I may have pictures…they are guaranteed to be funnier this year because they have that same wall for me to not be able to climb over again AND a new net-wall-army-thing that I will probably never get my big booty up on. So you’ll definitely want to stay tuned.
After the babysitting, 3 am, yikes, and an hour drive home, we get to bed at 4. Kids leave at 11 ish to go to an other-family-thing with their dad, and I get the idea to go for a nice bike ride with the bf, you know, get a jump start on the massive diet and exercise program that begins tomorrow for this entire household. The “Summer of Slim”, the “Focus on Fat”, the “Abolishment of Adipose”…we need a catchy slogan for my program, especially since we will all be crying by Tuesday about how hungry and tired we are of this horrible plan…and how we’d rather just stay fat…no no, not this year. My goal is my son. Slim by seventh…that’s good too…hmmmm….anyway, it’s happening and I will be unliked for some time this summer.
Back to the bike ride…we decided on a modest 9 miles (thank goodness the bf doesn’t listen to me, because I first suggested the 19 mile loop we were doing last year, which we would still be doing right now). So, to the trail, on the bikes, riding, riding, riding, sweating, hills, 90 degrees, more hills, sweating, still riding…9 miles is really long, even on a bike, if you haven’t done it in a year, finally down to 2.8 left, I was like, what???, man I thought we were done, but we made it back to the car and even went past and back to make it a nice even 10 miles. Felt good. Felt sexy, in that sweaty, I-just-exercised-don’t-I-glisten-in-the-sun kind of way! And then driving home we go right past this Mexican restaurant with awesome margarita’s and I said that’s what we should do…have margarita’s for the rest of the day. So we change, drive back, drink margarita’s, eat guacamole and enchilada’s with green sauce, and watch the Hawks win it for the city! But the fun doesn’t end there….we need home margarita ingredients!
To the liquor store…got it all, Tequila, mixer, salt, limes….and more heat. It’s still like 80 something outside, no air conditioning inside, wouldn’t put it on anyway because it’s only May, and it’s 8 o’clock pm. I’m on, like my third glass, but it’s hard to tell because it’s never really an empty-fill thing, it’s more like a continual addition to what is already in the glass thing. At any rate, it’s lovely, and it’s getting hard to type or see, because dusk is upon us here in the Midwest. My kids should be home soon. Dirty and sweaty from their day and needing showers for school in the a.m. Well, shower for one anyway…the girl broke her arm again and is limited to baths with her cast sticking out…I have pictures!
I have lots and lots and lots more stuff to tell and write and show and post, I have missed so much since Easter because of school, but I shall have the whole summer to amuse my loyal fan base!
I also have pictures but cannot post any because I am not typing this on my computer where the pictures are. My computer is trying to get reconfigured for better speed and quality of content. So this will have to be good for now.
I have money to post! I have found alot of spare change in the last few months. I have saved it all for you in one location so I can total it up and be very dramatic about it. And I have Cool Words galore thanks to my girl…she has been saving them and is anxious to start helping me. I have Warrior Dash training, and PF 5-Mile training, and get-my-son-slim-by end-of-summer training and healthy cooking (?) attempting, and music! Music music…I have been so slacked…playlists and inspiration….you do not want to miss any of it!!
Also I want to thank my followers, particularly the one who sent me the notice about the creator of my favorite coffee cup…the New York Coffee Cup….we are happy to serve you…blue with gold trim….passing away recently. I have the Time magazine write-up abut it and him and the iconic piece of history he left behind. Thank you for keeping me informed when I cannot! If you want to see more about the cup, click here, NYCC, and if you just want more, I will be back soon with all the good stuff…hopefully late late tonight or tomorrow once the computer is fixed, the kids hit school and I hit the gym (training starts NOW), I also need some healthy food items in the house…we are down to coffee, 4 slices of bread, almond and rice milk, and eggs…which I am going to go boil right now for tomorrow.
Until then, have another drink, maybe one more for tonight, and enjoy the heat wherever you are. It’s good to be back! Cheers.
SuperFastUpdateForTheSeventeenPeopleStill
Following This Mess…Even though there is NOTHING new to read. I mean, I like my writing style, and I think that I am pretty interesting, and there is alot of stuff in past posts that you should totally check out…but I am straying off my original path here….
Since I had a comment (thanks Jesse!) I thought I’d throw down a few words and let the last of November fade out with a quick update.
This is week 15 out of 16 in the nursing program. Two more weeks and a Final. I am hanging in there to say the very least. My grades are fine, but the stress is going to give ME a disorder. I have dreams every night about what I read (tomorrow is ostomy care so…maybe I should just stay up…)
Nutrition has been the focus for the last few weeks…it is interesting and VAST. I cannot dream about vitamins and beriberi and rickets one more night! I used to laugh at my ex-father-in-law and his beriberi comments as excuse to call in sick, but not anymore. I thought he was making it up! It’s not as funny when you have to actually know what it is!! And then identify it in an application question about thiamine or niacin or B6 with staggering walk and mental confusion….see?? Remember in Down and Out in Beverly Hills when Nick Nolte grabs the grapefruit off the tree and says, “Don’t want to get scurvy!” He’s not kidding. Same thing. I see this learning-stuff everywhere! It’s terrible!
However, it has made me more aware of my diet and my family’s diet, and guess what?? It sucks. We are flabby and unhealthy. We eat poorly and we don’t exercise enough. So, I am inviting you, along with me and the kids and BF, to jump on my bandwagon. Check out this site:
Go to the My Pyramid Tracker portion of it and start calculating that food and energy. Let’s really do something next year for our health. I mean, if it really blows that bad you can always just quit and eat chips and junk again!
It’s a cool site, really. Very helpful. All about the food pyramid and guides for healthy choices. It takes some time and effort to make it work for you, but believe me, I had to use it for a graded assignment and I spent lots of time, back and forth, tweaking the thing. My family can testify to the choice words I may have uttered (shouted screamed yelled) but in the end…Pass. Satisfactory.
Also in honor of better health, I started running again. I stopped after the 5 Mile. Ran every few days to weeks, but nothing in the last month, until Saturday. Do I pace myself? Take it slow? Easy? 30 minutes, maybe a few miles? Oh No! I go full out five mile run for 65 minutes. (Not a great time, but let’s see how long any of you would do after a month break) And then to top it off I go do some sit-ups and arm exercises. You know, gain all that fitness back in one giant shot. HA. FAIL.
I can barely walk 2 days later. Stairs are excruciating, especially down. Why is that? I should probably know huh? Oh well, we ain’t on muscle disease and disorders yet…I blame my sister Amanda. We were supposed to be running together but she got all preggers with another kid and now we can’t do that. Thanks alot babymaker. Heehee.
Anyhoo, that’s all for now. I have to go back to studying. The ball keeps rolling and I like to stay ahead of it. Check out that site. Check out my stuff and stay tuned! I have some really awesome playlists to catch us all up on. Perfect for getting back into shape with and just rocking out. (Rocking out…what a nerd!) I also found more money! Nothing spectacular like twenty bucks, but change and stuff. Also we have sushi pics (I know there is at least one person out there who likes to look and tell me what I’m eating! Thanks to you-know-who-you-are!) And what else…I think I have Challenger pics and some other stuff on my phone that I can’t think of right now. You know me. I’ll get all the useless info out there for ya. I’m a giver. I also have some serious stuff too…for real. I wish I had enough time to do it justice. I will in about three weeks. For now, let me just say:
Good luck Scotta! You are the bravest woman I know! Keep fighting the good fight and do not lose that sense of humor. You rock! We are sending out all the love and strength in the world to you!
Alright. I have to attach some kind of pictures because these are just too many words. Talk to you all on the other side.
You have to ask yourself, "What could this be?? And why did she post it??" Best guess gets a shout out...and an explanation to follow later.
just shy of pretty 