Finding My Voice

P90X Flunkee

2011-02-28T20:04:00.000-08:00

Well that was short lived. A little shorter then I planned. So in looking back at why I failed miserably...

1.) Time. I simply do not have the time to adhere to a routine that takes more than 60 minutes daily. Especially not in addition to a training routine. I would very much LOVE to have this much time but given work already takes 11 - 12 hrs of my day (I'm including my commute time), and I have a family.. a very active family it's just not reasonable.

2.) The diet. It wasn't bad but I felt like the calories were a little high for me.

3.) I have 2 dogs who need to be walked daily. As noted in 1 time is an issue and working out AND walking them wasn't happening. Every time I workout I felt guilty if they hadn't gotten their daily walk.

That's pretty much it in a nutshell. In moving forward I've tried over and over to think of a plan that will work. So many things run through my head. Should I spend the time to pack my lunch or plan ahead and purchase it daily possibly saving me time AND calories if i stick to a plan. Should I focus on my training with TKD and with walking the dogs and call it good enough? Most of all am I beating myself up too much about it. Should I just let go and live a little.

For right now I can't figure it out. I feel like I spend more time planning to eat healthy and exercise more than I do actually doing it. I could really start to analyze myself and point out that I likely do this because I'm using it as a distraction to avoid getting to the "root' of the real problem. However, for now I'm just going to sit here and eat a huge piece of cake while contemplating what I should do tomorrow to make it better.

P90X Day 17: Hells Yea I Can Do This!

2011-01-24T20:40:00.000-08:00

I'm feeling pretty good right now. My legs are sore and wobbly, (Legs & Back this morning, TKD tonight and in moments I will be doing the Ab Ripper X). I actually enjoy the soreness, it means the workout was good. I have a new problem though, at work I sit at a desk and I find throughout the day that sitting really makes my legs restless. When I walk to the printer I don't want to walk... I want to run and stretch and move. I do have a small standing station at my desk to review papers but I don't know if using it more will be enough. Additionally, a good portion of my day is spent on the computer and I can't stand and type at least not with how my desk is currently set up.

Other news for the evening.

-My son has his first girlfriend. He is ten years old and it's so adorable. I'll have to create a separate post for that. It deserves one of it's own.

-My butt hurts. They are doing road construction so my already long drive into work just got longer. No one should have to drive over an hour to get to work and certainly not an hour to get home. Sitting all day (see above) does not help.

-My grandmother tripped during the night and cracked her ribs. She has been in and out of the hospital since around early November. This makes me sad. I cooked two OAMC (Once A Month Cooking) dinners for her freezer. Hopefully this will help her and my grandfather in the evening. I'm hoping I can make it out for a visit this weekend. I worry about her.

-I really wish I could browse through more blogs. I've subscribed to two or three. I do find others thoughts interesting. I also find people watching interesting, like at the mall or coffee shop.

Well that's it for now. I have Ab Ripper X to burn though and a recovery drink to down. Nite!

P90X Day 16: Bad Influences

2011-01-23T19:40:00.000-08:00

It had been a while since I invited the parents over for dinner so this morning I asked. They accepted. I carefully planned a "P90X Friendly" dinner and bought fruit sorbet bars for dessert. My father decided to make chocolate cake and of course I had a small slice, with vanilla ice-cream. It was good, scratch that, it was great but I feel bad for once again blowing the nutrition part of the plan. I'm finding I have little control when it comes to company, parties, events, etc. I would hate to see what I do at a buffet at this point. I definitely need to come up with a better plan in the future. Otherwise I'm never going to lose this dreaded weight. I have lunch out at work on Monday and Wednesday this week. So far my only thoughts are:

1. Don't skip breakfast. That way I won't feel so deprived by lunch.
2. Pack snacks like I would any other day... again that way I won't feel so deprived by lunch nor will I feel like I need to gorge myself in the hopes I'm not hungry by dinner.

okay so I guess that isn't much for planning but at least it's a start

We have a small house, and my brother stays in the extra room which makes it seem even smaller. The last few days the Mr. and I have taken the laptop into the garage so we could workout without interupting the kiddo and his friends in the living room. Tonight it's awfully cold for that. I think I'm going to kick them off the t.v. I refuse to do 90 minutes of yoga in a cold garage.

I really feel in a mood right now. I don't like Sunday evenings. It's the end of the weekend and the eve of a workweek. I know some say money doesn't make the world go around but.. sometimes I think it would sure make things easier.

P90X Day 15: Two Weeks Down!

2011-01-22T18:02:00.000-08:00

Two weeks under my belt. Feeling pretty good. I went shopping today, it was good for the mind and body. I used some Christmas giftcards and bought myself a new pair of pants for work. A size smaller than usual!!! I purchased three shirts. It's really nice to fit into size medium since a year ago I was wearing extra large. Then headed over to REI and purchased an annual NW Forest pass. Very excited since we can hike all around the NW now.Our next stop was to Dick's sporting goods. We purchased a free standing punching bag. This will allow me to train at home and I can work on some of the kicks that I'm more insecure about in class, like the spinning ones. Final stop was at a local Frozen Yogurt store for a treat.

I have a problem with random thoughts and just in general being scattered. Which is unusual because I am such an organized person. You know the type, I fold my underwear and type out my grocery list. However, when I write or sometimes even when I talk my thoughts are all over the place. So for now I'm just going to blurt out my thoughts. It's what works for me and that's what this whole lil blog is about. Me.

1. I love eating healthy but I need to plan a little better and prepare for lunches and dinners out.
2. I need to find a beter way to handle stress. I'm a little sore, a little tired and a little overwhemled with life in general. Working out an additional hour plus daily is quite an addition to everything I already had on my plate.
3. I need to learn to ligthen up.
4. I should save a spreadsheet shopping list so that I don't re-type it each time I go shopping.

Oh gosh I have more but I recently started watching old episodes of the tv show Weeds. It's hilarious. Besides Ab Ripper X killed my tummy and I need to find a place to lie down and stretch out.

P90X Day 11: New Level of Exhaustion

2011-01-18T21:32:00.000-08:00

I meant to blog every day but I haven't been on since Saturday.. or may be it was Sunday. The days kind of run together. I'm quite exhausted. I'm on Day 11 and I've only missed working out one day. Even on my P90X rest day I have training for TKD.

The Diet:
Mostly same-o, same-o. I'm finding a routine and getting comfortable with the new style of eating. Basically less carbs and fats. I want to be creative and come up with new recipes but my work schedule isn't exactly cooperative these days.

Tonight I made boneless skinless chicken breasts baked in the oven with a little mozzarella and a tad of parmesan sprinkled over them. I had some whole wheat pasta with a lil marinara as a side. I found it rather plain. I tried to add some basil but it just wasn't a match for the chicken parmesan I used to make. Oh well it was worth a try. The Mr. loved it. The kiddo did not. He said it was boring and pulled out a frozen dinner for himself. He said if I make something gross tomorrow night too he is going to break out a Mountain House dinner. For those that aren't into the outdoors - Mountain House makes freeze dried meals that are fairly decent... if you are in the outdoors. I find it amusing that he likes them so much and would actually chose to eat that over "real food".

The Exercise:
I posted the week's exercises in an earlier blog. I've managed to stick with them so far. I feel like I do nothing but eat, sleep, work and exercise. I'm able to do just a little bit more each workout and I feel improvement in my TKD training as well.

In general, how am I feeling? Well, it could be that I'm hallucinating from the exhaustion but I feel stronger when I walk or move and I swear my jeans fit a little better. The scale says I've only dropped 1 pound but that's okay. Despite the exhaustion I am committed. I can do this. I will do this.

Dirty Little Acronyms

2011-01-16T13:34:00.000-08:00

Yesterday we stopped for lunch in one of the cute but overpriced lil cafe's at the zoo. My son in an attempt to show off in front of his Scout friends decided to snort pepper. The other boys giggled and my son was quite proud of himself.

My boyfriend teasingly told him it wasn't a very smart idea and that he was going to start calling him DA, (short for Dumb A**). Note, I wasn't thrilled with this acronym for two reasons. One, it didn't bother my son, he thought it was kind of funny which means he will likely repeat it. Two, even when joking I don't like name-calling of this nature. I think it sets a horrible example.

I stepped in and told my son to reply with YTD (Younger Then Dad) and grandpa stepped in and said or SG (Smart Guy). So of course we were giggling and coming up with acronyms right and left. That is, until my son decided to blurt out that he is STD (Smarter Then Dad). This resulted in all of the adults giggling which then led him to repeat it a few times, each time a little louder and a little more animated. At one point he did a little dance singing out, "I'm STD, STD, STD".

My boyfriend discreetly and quietly told him as appropriately as possible that it wasn't really a good acronym and carefully explained to him what else STD stood for. An older couple at a table near us gave us that "you are the worst parents in the world look" and a younger childless couple near us looked relieved and reminded as to why they have no children.

My son was quite pleased with himself for not only showing off to his friends, but for saying something "naughty" even if he didn't know what it meant at the time he was saying it. I apologized to the other Scout parents and found they thought it was hilarious as well and were not offended. Although a little embarrassing it gave me quite the laugh which I really needed. These are the moments that remind me I wouldn't trade him in for a thing.

P90X Day 8: It's All About Finding What Works For You

2011-01-15T23:14:00.000-08:00

Such a lovely day today, most weekends are. I'll share another P90X friendly recipe. So Yummy. I have portion information as well. I really needed to up my daily protein, I'm just not used to eating so much. The recipe below really helped today.

Spinach Mushroom Scramble
6 Egg Whites
4 Pieces of Turkey Bacon
1 Cup Fresh Spinach
1/4 Cup Diced Mushrooms
1.5 oz Shredded Reduced Fat Mozzarella Cheese
Pepper to taste

1. Cut up Turkey Bacon into smaller pieces. Size is your preference. Cook in a skillet sprayed with PAM until lightly browned. Add Spinach and Mushrooms and cook for a bit til Bacon is completely done, and Mushrooms & Spinach are cooked. Drop in all egg whites and sprinkle mozzarella cheese over it. Scramble it all up and cook until eggs are done.  Add pepper to taste.

This counts for 3 Protein, 1/2-3/4th a Vegetable and 1 Dairy.

The workout today was Kenpo X.  Annother one of my favorites. I enjoy Taekwon Do so this one was right up my ally. We re-evaluated the weeks plan and made a few adjustments. Here is our weekly schedule:

Sunday- Yoga X
Monday - Legs & Back, Ab Ripper X
Tuesday - Kenpo X
Wednesday - Rest or X Stretch
Thursday - Chest & Back, Ab Ripper X
Friday - Plyometrics
Saturday - Shoulders & Arms, Ab Ripper X

This way the workouts fall in the same order but the start date was adjusted a bit. This allows for us to do Yoga on the weekend when we have more time and the rest day falls on one of my TKD Training Days so although I won't get a rest I won't have a double work-out that day.

Whew. So by posting that now I have decided I don't need to detail my workouts each day for at least the next week. I'll only note if I strayed away from it or succeeded in it. This should give me more freedom and time to write about other mundane stuff that really no one else likely cares about. Yea Me!

On a more personal note, we took our Scout group to the Zoo today and had such a fun time, despite the yuckie rain. Corrrection. It wasn't rain, it was a downpour today. May be we will get some snow soon. Sun is my first choice but if I can't have that I'll settle for snow.  I hate the rain and certainly shouldn't be living in a State with so much of it. Unfortunately, moving is not an option so for now I will go bury my head under a nice warm blanket, try to shut out the dreary sound and hopefully dream of warmer days.

Thank Jeez for the Weekend

2011-01-14T22:25:00.000-08:00

I'm taking a break from blogging about my P90X journey, mainly because I am soo tired of thinking about fitness and exercise and diet and eating and blah blah blah. After the week I had at work all I want is a nice cold beer and I don't even like beer!

Sometimes I wish I could run away.. grab the boyfriend, the kiddo, the dogs, the cats and just head on out. Find somewhere new. I'm feeling a bit restless, I have worked for the same company for 15 years now and that's saying a lot considering I'm only 33.  With the economy where it is I suppose now isn't exactly a good time to be thinking about a career change though.

I have quite a few random thoughts tonight so I'm just going to blurt a few of them out. What the heck right because tomorrow it's back to responsibilities.

1.) For all you women out there.. one of the newer Victoria Secret Bra's, the "Incredible" is amazing. Buy One! It makes me feel absolutely sexy and all of the men in your life will thank you.

2.) Pineapple makes the best dinner when you have had a long day. It does not however taste very good with beer.

3.) I'm taking five Cub Scouts to the Zoo tomorrow. If I don't feed at least one of them to the tigers it will be a miracle.

4.)  Speaking of children, one requires a license to have a dog but any asshole can have a child. I will never undersand this.

5.) Speaking of children again, remember to treat your child(ren) as you wish to be treated when you are old and crippled.  My son has already promised me the best old-folks home, with fine dining, crafts and an indoor pool so I think I'm doing a pretty good job of parenting so far.

Well that's it. I mean I have a ton more but I promised a few and I think five exceeds that standard. Not to mention my son has a friend over, and the house is a bit chaotic.   Nite for now.

P90X Day 6: Yoga Isn't As Boring As I Thought

2011-01-13T23:20:00.000-08:00

It's late.. I mean really late for me but it's because we pushed ourselves through P90X Yoga and it was so worth the entire 90 minutes. Yes, there were some positions I was unable to hold, moments when I tumbled a bit and times when I watched the screen in amazement that someone's body could actually move that way. I've tried Yoga before and always found it to be boring but this wasn't boring at all and it was a challange. I'm hooked!

I think to make this fit into our busy lil lives better we may re-arrange the workout schedule. Same number of workouts but moving Yoga to a Saturday or Sunday is more reasonable. Additionally, I think our "rest" or P90X Stretch would be best on Wednesday's when I'm feeling a little burned out, short on time and when I have training for TKD anyhow. Tomorrow is Kempo X and I promised the Mr. we would toss in an ab workout since we missed the last one. Saturday I will re-evaluate the schedule and then post it here.. mainly to help me remember.

My diet was super fantastic today, with the exception of dinner. I saved my carbs and dairy for our "Thursday Family Pizza Night" but still had 2x the amount of pizza I should. At least it was BBQ Chicken and not covered in the yummy goodness of fatty greasy meat. I make no promises about next Thursday though.. I can not live without pepperoni and sausage.

I'm staying away from Starbucks. I'm sure making my lunch and avoiding Starbucks is saving me a ton of money. May be one of these days I'll do a cost analysis. For the moment I can't imagine having the time. Speaking of which I am out. It's brush, floss and off to bed for me.

P90X Day 5: BBQ Chicken Salad and Double Workout

2011-01-12T22:55:00.000-08:00

First of all, I had a rotten day at work. I'm finding this happens more often than not lately. I don't mean just a bad day I mean a day so horrible you feel like crying, throwing up, screaming and walking out all at once. I'm not sure if the lack of sleep I'm getting lately contributed to it but I'm quite certain it has something to do with the D'Bags that run the company. Word of advice, if you work for a decent size company that goes from a Mutual Company to a Stock Company, start looking for a new job.  Anyhow, in order to avoid any more tears and rants lets move on.

I ate much cleaner today - less poison as Tony Horton would say. Well.... okay, with the exception of a piece of cake I had at a babyshower. I couldn't help it. I bought her an $80.00 gift and if I'm going to spend that much money on someone else's kid. I'm going to at least get a piece of cake out of the deal.

I finally tried the vegetable soup I made over the weekend. It was really good. I'm a bit confused by the P90X diet plan but I'll blog about that a different day, I'm trying to give it a chance to make sure it isn't "user error".    I'm really excited (yes food excites me) to eat my BBQ chicken salad tomorrow for lunch. Here is the recipe:

Ingredients:
2 Cups Salad Greens
6 oz cooked chopped chicken
1 Tbsp Red Onion
1 Hardboiled Egg chopped
2 Slices Turkey Bacon, cooked and crumbled
A few cherry tomatoes or tomatoe slices

Dressing:
2 - 3 teaspoons reduced-fat mayo
2-3 teaspoons bbq sauce
1/2 teaspoon lemon juice
dash of pepper

Mix dressing ingredients together and coat chicken.  In a bowl top salad greens with red onion, hardboiled egg, turkey bacon and cherry tomatoes. Pour chicken mixture over. Optional - mix it all up.  I prefer not to mix my salad up before digging in. I like to make it look pretty first, but that's just me. Oh also, sometimes I add more BBQ sauce if I think it needs more dressing.

I think this is one of my favorite recipes and as far as I can tell it counts for 2 (+ a lil) towards protein, 1 towards vegetable and 1 towards condiments.

Best news of all, I worked out twice today! This morning the P90X workout was back and legs. Not liking the Sneaky Lunges one bit but I do think they are better than the Mary Catherine's we did in one of the other videos.  Tonight I worked out again in Taekwon Do class. It was amazing. I really worked up a sweat and it felt good.  Punches, Knife Hands, Kicks, Forms and Sparring.  I made it through all 16 of my knuckle (and from the toes) push-ups with less of a struggle. Whew good stuff. All-in-all it was a good day.

P90X Day 4: Only 86 Days Left To Go

2011-01-11T21:50:00.000-08:00

So tonight it's going to be the quick down and dirty since I've got a grumpy 10 y/o sitting next to me. He is working on homework and has asked that I declare to the world how much homework stinks. If only he knew the "world" is not reading this.

The Mr. wants to do this with me but I realized this morning that he may not be the motivator in this relationship.  The alarm sounded... okay several times since I hit snooze a LOT.  I had to be the first one out of bed and we ran late.  Today's workout plan:  Shoulder & Arms and Ab Ripper X. We made it through 40 minutes of Shoulder & Arms before I had to call it quits to hop in the shower and wake up the kiddo to start the day. Not exactly a failure but I wouldn't say it was a grand success either.

I ate fairly well, that's what happens when you are so busy at work you don't have time to think of chocolate, hot tamales, burgers, fries etc. I won't summarize it because there really wasn't anything noteworthy and again, just the down and dirty for today.

I didn't drink a "recovery" drink because I didn't feel I really had anything to recover from. We didn't complete the full workout and I'm fairly certain I need to up my weights from my puny 3lbs to 5lbs. I didn't eat Breakfast which is a no-no. I am very happy to report (drum roll please) I made it another day without Starbucks!

I do feel a little bored just blogging about P90X.  I have so many other random thoughts in my head to share but for now I can't wrap my little brain around anything else long enough to come up with a coherent sentence. I have homework to help with, lunches to make and a thousand other interruptions and distractions. Feeling stretched a little thin these days... figuratively speaking of course.

P90X Day 3: Three Steps Forward and Two Steps (or Three or Four) Back

2011-01-10T23:33:00.000-08:00

Today did not go as well as I hoped. I thought about not posting this at all but I promised myself aside from random ramblings and quotes that I would hold myself accountable while on this crazy P90X journey so here I am.

The workout schedule said Shoulders & Arms and Ab Ripper X. The Mr. and I planned on getting up early to work out. At 5:30 a.m. the alarm clock went off, and when he said he was really sore and asked to skip today I was too tired to care and agreed. Shame on me. As if that wasn't bad enough my menu for the day follows:

Breakfast: Coffee, and Creamer. Not a very good breakfast.

Snack: Cliff Bar.

Lunch: Twelve boneless Buffalo Wild Wings. I know, I know, what was I thinking but my-oh-my those things are so yummy! At least I ate them without the ranch and I did have two celery sticks with them.

Dinner: Fried chicken breast, small piece of lasagna, garlic bread, two biscuits and a coke. Game night, Ducks vs. Auburn. Buffet style dinner. Wow. Not really an excuse. I think after the Chicken I figured what the hey.

Not a very "Tony Horton" friendly eating plan. The only good thing I can say is that I stayed away from my usual Starbucks. That's three days in a row!

I did some additional planning tonight in preperation for tomorrow, well at least for Breakfast, Lunch and Snacks. I'm not sure what to do for dinner. I work full time and after dropping my adorable son off at school in the morning I do not get to see his smiling face again until I come home from work, usually arriving at about 6:00 p.m.

Tomorrow evening I have a parent meeting for my sons Scout group at 7:00 p.m. This means I have less than an hour to plan, cook and feed my family a healthy meal. This also means I don't have time to workout in the evening which in turn means trying again tomorrow to get up at 5:30 a.m.

If I go to bed right this very second I should get in six hours of slumber. Not enough beauty sleep for me, I prefer at least seven but I guess it's time for ths princess to "suck it up". There has to be a change for change to happen.

P90X Day 2 : What The Hell Have I Started

2011-01-09T20:46:00.000-08:00

My original plan was to post my before pictures. I still intend to but not until I have some "after" pictures as well, or at least some "check-point" pictures. Seeing my before pictures was definitely a wake up call. I knew I was out of shape but really? That much so? Ew! So in four weeks, I will post "before" and "four week" photo's.  Seeing how fat I was.. as in past tense will be easier for me to swallow and certainly easier for me to share then to post them now.

Today's workout, plyometrics, is beyond my capability but I struggled through what I could and made excuses when I needed a break. E.g. the cat needed to be let out, a light was left on, etc. The diet today was:

Breakfast:  Sammy made with Soy Sausage, an English Muffin and Mozzarella Cheese. I scrambled some egg whites on the side. I have to say it wasn't awful but it wasn't anything like a McDonalds Sausage McMuffin for sure.

Snack: Coffee with a bit of creamer. Not exactly on the plan but... it's way better then Starbucks right?

Lunch: Big ole salad with greens, a few cherry tomato's, diced chicken, turkey bacon, egg and avocado.  The salad would have been perfect but I ruined it with fat-free salad dressing. Blech. Next time may be I'll use olive oil and vinaigrette.

Snack: Cliff Bar

Recovery Drink: Chocolate Milk

Dinner:  6 oz Chicken with a Cherry Tomato sauce. 1/2 cup of rice and a side of zucchini & bell peppers sauteed in a bit of chicken broth. A little bland but not bad. I used oregeno, basil and pepper to add flavor.

So in summary today wasn't too bad and you may be questioning why I referenced hell in my title. Wait for it... wait for it... Planning for Day 3 - Day 7 sucked and the details are still a little wonky.

The thought of getting up at six a.m. to workout before work makes me sleepy already. Additionally, two - three days a week I train in Taekwon Do which means double work outs. As if that isn't hard enough to swallow planning the meals ahead of time makes my brain hurt.

I meant to do more planning and to be more prepared but failed miserably. I have a large pot of vegetable soup and it smells terrific.  I sectioned some raw chicken into four servings, and it's ready to be cooked be it poached, grilled, or broiled.  Not much progress. Instead of focusing on what I have not accomplished I'm going to focus on what I have. I just hope I can find enough time through out the week to plan for each day and to take each day at a time.

Random Adorable Moment

2011-01-09T12:17:00.000-08:00

I have much to do today, chores and preperation for the work week ahead. Monday through Friday is always so busy for us. In the name of procrastination I have decided at least for now to share a sweet moment I had recently with my 10 y/o son.

We were laying on the floor watching t.v. I was enjoying the snuggle time because at the age of 10 I'm finding hugs, kisses and loving moments come less often. My boyfriend must have been feeling a little jealous because he said, "you know kiddo.. when I marry your mom we are going on a honeymoon. I'm taking her on a cruise and your not coming."

Now I felt his comment was a little harsh, he often comes off a little brash. I do understand his frustration because in the few years we have been together we have not been away on our own for more than one night. I will save reasons on why I am so uncomfortable with leaving my son and why he is so uncomfortable without me for a different day as it is the darkness that is my past and this is about a "random adorable moment."

I leaned into my son and giggled and whispered in a voice loud enough for all to hear, "don't listen to a word of it buddy.. he doesn't know what he's talking about."

My boyfriend softened a bit and explained that he wanted to take me on a cruise because he knew if we took a vacation by airplane or car I would not stay. That I would cut the trip short to be home. He noted that if we took a cruise I would be stuck on the boat in the middle of the ocean.

Now for the "adorable moment". My son looked up at me and said in the sweetest little boy voice.. "I don't know dad... she's awfully beautiful. The captain might turn the boat around for her."

It left me speechless, words can't even describe as a mother how that made me feel. He's a sweet-talker that one and I couldn't be prouder.

Ready, Set, P90X GO!

2011-01-08T21:03:00.000-08:00

Today marks the first day that I jump head first into the crazy world of P90X. Preperation included grocery shopping and menu planning for both the Mr. and I. We are making a few changes to the plan as I really don't see it necessary to stick solely to P90X bars, protein drinks, recovery drinks etc.

So far my thoughts on the matter... well it's a whole lotta protein and the workout today was hell. I'm extremly sore althought that could be from the Thai massage I enjoyed earlier. The worst part? I don't know how to fit my daily Starbucks habit into all of this. Now dropping the habit wouldn't be that bad of an idea.. it would certainly help with my goal of reducing debt because those 1% pumplin spice latte's can sure add up. I'm just not sure I'm ready for that. Today was a sucess but tomorrow is a new challange.

Should someone stumble upon my page, I don't mean to bore you with details but here is what I ate:

Breakfast: Banana. I know, I know NOT ideal. I don't normally eat breakfast at all though so I see it as an improvement.

Snack: Jillian Michales Whey Protein powder mixed with fat-free milk. Yum!

Lunch: Coffee. No not Starbucks, super plain and not my favorite for sure. Chicken Salad with Balsamic Vinaigrette. I was at Burgerville waiting while my car was being worked on. For those of you who don't have a Burgerville... I am so, so, sorry. They are fantastic and local and definitely not your typical fast food joint.

Snack: Odwalla protein bar. Not bad, but I prefer Cliff Bars.

Dinner: Beef and Broccoli stir-fry with soba noodles. The recipe came from the P90X nutrition plan. I would share it but I really wasn't that thrilled with it. If I come up with some good ones I'll be sure to post.

So there it is.. my "P90X Day 1". Logged. Done. Accomplished. I plan on posting some before pictures tonight, or may be tomorrow a.m. For now, I'm grabbing a big bottle of water and settling in to watch a movie. A little bit of lazy won't kill me.

New Year's Resolutions

2011-01-07T13:10:00.000-08:00

I despise New Year's Resolutions. I see them as a fad, or a phase. Something everyone starts and 99.99% give up, often before January ends. However, this year I have decided to give in and to give it a go. So here they are, my New Year's Resolutions.

1. To find a better balance. I hope that by being this broad on December 31, 2011 I will be able to say that I was successful. On a more serious note, what I mean by this is to find a better balance between work and home. To remember that my family comes first, but to also remember that work is how I provide for them. I need to make time for myself as well. If only there were more than 24 hours in a day.

2. To achieve a brown belt, (3rd kup) in Taekwon Do. This should be attainable if I continue to train with reasonable pace and consistency since I am currently a purple belt, (5th kup).

3. To reduce my credit debt by 50%. Notice I said "credit"? I don't want to include my mortgage or car-payment into the equation since I don't expect to win the lottery anytime soon. A rough estimate of my credit debt is $5,700.00. This means paying off about $2,850.00 by December 31, 2011.  This also means budgeting better for Christmas 2011 and avoiding credit cards come next holiday season.

4.  To try to be a better mom, a better lover, a better pet-owner.. in summary yep you guessed it. a better me.

and so it begins

2011-01-07T11:19:00.000-08:00

I have been thinking about starting a blog or a journal for a long time now. I questioned the content.. well... continue to question the content. I never realized how daunting an empty page could be. Should I write of day-to-day events such as joys and struggles in parenting, at work, and in relationships with friends and family or select a specific hobby such as cooking, gardening or my new found love for martial arts. I wonder if using a blog to document my ongoing battle with striving towards a healthier lifestyle will help keep me on track or if after a few days, weeks or months it will sit, untouched along with the exercise dvd's and diet books that are gathering dust.

I'm not sure where this will end up or what this "blog" will be. However, I have a feeling that at least in the beginning it will encompasses it all. This will be something to help me organize my thoughts as random as they may be. A place where I have the ability to speak up and write about anything. From the deepest darkest things I could only share with those who don't know me to wondeful joyous moments that I wish I could shout from a roof top to the world. Most will likely fall in the middle, but what is important is that this is my place and it's about having found my voice.