Looking Back

We had a lot going on this past year and are ready to put it behind us.  Quite a few family members had major health issues so 2011 wasn’t the best year for us and was pretty challenging.

My father in law had a major stroke and many didn’t believe he was going to make it OR even ever go home if he did but he fought hard and was able to go home this past week.

My stepdaughter and her hubby announced they were due with their 1st baby in January 2012.  So we have been preparing to spend some good quality time with them in Oklahoma.

This past year we also completed our home gym, a dream we had for a very long time.  We spent the summer building a shed so we could move everything from the garage into it.

We then set out to remodel our home gym garage space.  It turned out exceptionally well considering all the time and hard work and we are so happy with that.  YES, I still need to get more pictures and a video together to share with you.  I haven’t forgotten!

Looking Forward

I have high hopes for 2012!  There are so many things I would like to accomplish this year.

I gained back a lot of the weight I previously lost and need to get back into consistent healthy habits.  I do have some specific healthy living goals for 2012 listed below in no particular order.

1)  Keep a food journal

When I first started my healthy living journey over 5 years ago, I kept a very specific food journal and was successful with losing weight.  I should have never stopped that and I want to get back to it.

My goal for the food journal right now is to just jot down what I eat throughout the day.  If I find that I’m still struggling with losing weight, I’ll have to get back to adding more specifics like how much I eat, the calories, etc.  This might take me on the hunt for an iPhone food journal app. But I like to keep things simple plus I’m really not THAT techy.

On the topic of food, I personally don’t like to follow any one diet plan BUT I do want to learn more about low carb eating options, Paleo for weight loss and even the vegan lifestyle.  I’ll just combine them all to find a healthier way to eat for ME.

2)  Train for December Reggae Marathon 10k run/walk

Kev and I have been talking about returning to Jamaica next December to participate in the Reggae Marathon again. This time, instead of doing the half marathon, I’ll train to do the 10k (run/walk).

3)  Fitness every day

I want to be more active!  I love to exercise but lately I have been slacking big time and just finding excuse after excuse to not do it some days.  I want to make it a point to do something active every day even if it’s not a full fledged workout.  Whether it’s Wii Fit, a walk in the park or a quick 100 crunches on the ball, my mantra will be fitness every day.

4)  Cook

Kevin is the one who does all the cooking around here OR we eat meals out.  Starting in February, I would like to cook at least 2 meals a week. To do that I must learn how to cook ha ha.  I’ll be on the search for easy vegetarian recipes!

5)  Weight Training/Abs program 3x a week

My mom and dad were VERY generous and bought us an adjustable weight set for Christmas.  This has been on our home gym wish list for quite some time so now I have no excuse.  Looking forward to this.

6)  Lose 85 lbs

Enough said!

So now that I have looked back over last year and set goals for the new year, I’m ready to rock 2012.

What are your healthy living goals for the coming year?

 

My November Fitness Goals:

1) Participate in the Pile on the Miles challenge starting Tuesday, Nov. 1st.

Goal:
Walk/Run at least 5 miles a week
Update spreadsheet with mileage 11/4, 11/11, 11/18 & 11/25

2) Participate in Holiday Bootie Buster Challenge starting Saturday, Nov. 19th

Goal:
Earn points!
Update Google doc 11/25, 12/2,12/9, 12/16, 12/23, 12/30, 1/6

Here’s the point system-

1 Point per mile (run/walk)
1 Point per 3 miles biked
1 Point per 20 minutes of weight lifting, Pilates, yoga, stretching or abs
1 Point per 15 minutes of low impact cardio (i.e. low impact aerobics, easy biking, skiing, skating, water aerobics, snow shoeing)
1 Point per 10 minutes of high impact cardio (i.e.spinning, kickboxing, lap swimming)
1 Per day where you reach a minimum of 7 servings of fruits and veggie

See blog post for ways to get additional points.

And I’m going to throw something in for good measure.  We just bought a vertical knee raise ‘machine’ so my goal is to work up to at least 30 knee raises at one time by Nov. 30th.

I had a similar goal a while ago when we were gym members and I accomplished 20 knee raises at one time.  So we are going to work on it again.  I love this exercise!

 What are your November fitness goals?

 

My Happy Place

Don’t just count your years, make your years count. Ernest Meyers

Before I get to my April goals, I wanted to give you the final update on the 2 goals I set for the 48 Days to a Better Me challenge.  You might recall that one of the goals was a bit silly but I wanted to learn how to put on eyeliner  and although I waited until this past Tuesday to do it, I got it done.  I went to Sephora and the gal was awesome.  I will definitely have to work on the technique for a while but I was thankful she showed me how to do it.  Time to watch some You Tube videos on eye makeup application and hopefully one day feel comfortable doing it.

The 2nd goal was to come up with my workout plan for after my personal training sessions end.  I have come across a lot of great ideas but have not put together a solid plan for strength/weight training.   If you know of any great plans please feel free to post links to them here.  I am looking for a 3 day a week plan, a mix of upper body, lower body and core work.

Here are some of the great ones I have come across so far:

12 Week Weight Training Program by FitBlogger

Workout Nirvana has a ton of great training ideas on various muscle groups

Biceps

Shoulders

Back

Hamstring/Glutes

Inner Thighs and Glutes

Here is a full body workout I found there too.

Now all I have to do is put a plan together.  I’ll need to print it all out and add it to a journal type book so I can carry it with me during my workouts.  Another thing I thought would be cool is if I had it on my iphone so I could click to see what the actual exercise is they are talking about.

My last personal training session is April 11th and although I’m glad I’ll be out of the old gym for good, I will miss the training.  Scott has been a great trainer!

My healthy living goals for April:

Kev and I have plans to try the Pilates and yoga classes at the new gym to see what we think.  We will not be spinning as much as we used to because of the condition of spin bikes at the new gym but that gives us an opportunity to try new things.  So here is a list of some of my April goals.

• Start back with Pilates (week of April 18th)
• Start my own strength/weights training program (week of April 11th)
• 3 days of cardio (which include spinning, treadmill, elliptical, home DVD workouts, etc.)
• Lose 15 lbs (I really don’t like to focus on the scale but starting this Sunday, I will plan to weigh in weekly and will share my numbers with the world)
• Over the last month we have eaten out a lot less than usual and have made some really tasty meals at home. And I have personally not been eating dessert hardly at all.  My goal is to not eat after 9 PM (we eat dinner a bit late so that’s what works for me).
• Do 39 (my age) miles this month (walking outside/inside & Walk Away the Pounds DVD’s)

So there you have it!  Ready to kick off the month and my birthday with a workout so I’m out.  Have a great day and HAPPY APRIL.

What are your April healthy living goals?

Hope to see you for daily accountability on my Losing It and Loving It Facebook page.

 

It’s fitting that the 48 Days To a Better Me starts today AND it’s Feb. 14th, Valentine’s Day.  I went over and over various things that I could do but decided on just two thing that will help improve my life in the next 48 days.  I shared these two goals on the 48 Days To a Better Me podcast where you can also here a bit about my story and how I have improved my life over  the last 6 years.  Learn about my #1 obstacle, why I don’t focus on the scale and the thing that has changed the most with me over the last six years.  I had a great chat with Kelly and Tishia.

Below are the two goals I will focus on for the next 48 days.

Health/Beauty goal:

1)  Learn how to put on eye makeup

I know it might sound like a silly goal but I have wanted to learn how best to apply eye makeup. I recently bought eyeliner and eyeshadow from my friend Dawn with Avon and need to find some guides/You Tube videos to help me with the process.

Fitness goal:

2)  Work on a weight/strength and boxing training program for myself

This goal is really important!  I need to make sure that I keep up with my weight/strength training after my personal training contract is up. I’ll need to be my own personal trainer for a while so with a workout plan in place I will have no excuses as to why I can’t keep up with it.

Remember the 48 Days To a Better Me is here to help you improve something in your life whether big or small.

What is your goal for the next 48 days?

Happy Valentine’s Day,

P.S.

Enjoy working out with your significant other?  Check out this couples guide to transforming your body and your relationship.

 

So it’s been a while since I posted. Sorry to leave you hanging. Things have been crazy busy both business and personally.   I know I owe you all a recap of half marathon memories (if I can remember now LOL) plus I have lots of goodies I want to share with you this year.  Oh and our vacation to Jamaica was great, once again.  We love it there if you couldn’t tell!

As for goals for 2011, I honestly haven’t had time to sit down and plan anything out.  I know that I want the normal goals to lose weight, watch my portions, etc. BUT mostly I want to have fun, help others and live in the moment. I’m thankful for so many things!

I’m going to be buying boxing gloves and punch mitts because I LOVE boxing but I also won a punching bag so that should be fun.  Also looking to get more active with the Wii Fit and I might even start to journal and weigh/measure my food again.  I did that a long time ago and it just got to be annoying BUT it worked.  I won’t go crazy with it but think it will be good to keep track of what I’m eating throughout the day so I don’t go overboard.

I don’t think there will be any more long distance races in my future however I’m not opposed to doing some 5k (3.1 miles) and 10k (6.2 miles) races.  I’ll probably walk those but you never know I might try a little run walk to see if I can get past my breathing issues.  However I’m not worried about not being able to run.  I have found it was an awesome sport to learn about  and even attempt (I did give it a good try) and I give so much credit to my awesome runner friends out there. You all absolutely amaze me!  What I want to do is get back to some of my favorite things like kickboxing, Walk Away the Pounds, rebounding and stuff like that.

Kev and I are seriously interested in turning our garage into a home gym.  It’s packed full of junk and yard/house stuff right now and in the Spring he hopes to build a shed so we can move stuff to that.  We don’t use the garage for the trucks so I think a home gym would be awesome.  I’m writing a blog post about our dream home gym!

I haven’t mentioned it on the blog yet but my mom was recently diagnosed with breast cancer and is having surgery today.  Please keep good thoughts for her, she could really use them!  Good to be back in the saddle even though I might be traveling a lot over the next few months but I’ll still be around. Thanks for sticking with me.

Hope your New Year started out great.  Kev and I celebrated 14 FABULOUS years on New Year’s Eve and had a good time at Benihana and just spending time together as usual.  Love him!

What are you up to?  Got any goals for 2011?  Give us the scoop!

P.S. Thanks to my stepdaughter, I have joined Groupon.  And just bought my 1st Groupon for a new local pizza place today.  Looks like I’ll have some fun with this.

P.S.S. Are you a member of Losing It and Loving It on Facebook?  Come join us and stay accountable to your healthy lifestyle!

 

Just completed the Reggae Marathon Half marathon yesterday!  13.1 miles behind me and I’m so glad I made it.  Hubby has been the best support in all this.  So thankful for him! Here we are just after the finish.

Totally forgot to stop my Garmin watch so the numbers are not accurate.  I finished the race in 4:28:43.  We estimated just over 4 so came close.  It was the biggest challenge of my life and very emotional too.  The last 6 miles were a blur, my feet were hurting so bad and my knees ached too.  BUT I did the entire race with no breathing issues.  That was a miracle!

The Reggae Marathon expo and pasta party were hosted by Couples Swept Away, the resort we stay at and it was great.  What an awesome turnout and the food was fantastic, dishes from various local resorts and restaurants.  Music had everyone in the mood too.

This is my workout check in for the week and obviously I didn’t do anything other than walk the half marathon.  I’ll write more about my experience later and get some pictures and videos uploaded after our vacation for all to see.  Thanks for all your support over the last 10 months.

Angie

 

I have tried it a few times now and just have to laugh every time because I really do look like a total fool on it HA HA!  It’s going to be a major challenge.  Please send good thoughts my way because I’ll really need them LOL

I have been in a poopy mood lately when it comes to running, weight loss, etc. and just need to get out of the funk.  I am most likely going to have to face the fact that I won’t be able to run the 1/2 marathon and it wasn’t for lack of trying.  I’m pretty sure I’m going to go in the race to run the 1/2 marathon BUT I am going to find out where the 10k runners will break off just in case I’m having issues at that point.  So a definite run/walk is in my future and I’ll mostly be walking due to the breathing issues.  No worries, I’m just bummed about it but want to try to get something out of it because we did pay over $80 EACH to participate.  We’ll see how it all plays out!  And it’s not until Dec. so I still have some time to figure it all out.

Workouts for the week went OK but I definitely SLACKED!

Monday-

*Personal Training (legs/core)
Time: 30 min.

*Mowed the lawn
Time: 2 hrs

Tuesday- Day off

Wednesday-

*Spin class
Time: 60 min.

Thursday- Day off

Friday-

*Personal Training (upper body)
Time: 30 min.

Saturday-

*Zoo walking ALL DAY LONG

Went to the zoo and had a blast but it was long and exhausting.  I got to touch the rays, it was so awesome!

Sunday-

*Spin class
Time: 60 min.

How did your week go?

 

Angie’s Rockin’ 2010 Healthy Living Personal Goals

• Do a 5k (walking)
• Do a 10k (walking)
• Learn more about the vegetarian/vegan lifestyles while cutting down on processed foods and eating more whole foods (these are some of the things I will try to focus on: Resolve to Eat Right)
• Lose 50-100 lbs and tons of inches (I would like to fit comfortably in a size 12 by the time we head back to Jamaica in December 2010)
• Try new class at the gym
• Participate in a different workout challenge every month (whether it’s my own blog challenge or others)
• Strength training/Ab work 3x week

I know there is more I want to accomplish and I can update this list as I go along.  I really struggled weight wise in both ’08 & ’09 and just want to be able to learn to Embrace the Struggle this year.

My weeks vary but will look something like this:

Monday- Spin class

Tuesday- In home workout

Wednesday- Spin class

Thursday- In home workout

Friday- In home workout

Saturday- Wii Fit

Sunday- Spin class

It is my goal to do something active every day!

P.S.  Above I linked to the book, Embrace the Struggle by Zig Ziglar. I was given this book to review and found it so encouraging when others shared different ways they have struggled in their life.  Whether it be addiction, physical impairments, financial troubles, etc., it just showed me that everyone goes through tough times and CAN come out on the positive end.

I wish each and every one of you a wonderfully successful 2010!

 

I know you’re used to seeing Menu Plans here on Monday but for the last few weeks it’s been pretty lame.  Kev and I haven’t been to the grocery store so we are just flying by the seat of our pants when it comes to meals.  We don’t have much in the house but I think we are going to try to go through what we do have so it should be an interesting week.

As for motivation, I am ready to get moving again.  Today was good when it came to exercise and meals but I overdid it on the sweet consumption yikes!  Today I walked 20 min. outside and did 40 min. on the elliptical at the gym.  Tomorrow the plan is a 3-5 mile Walk Away the Pounds dvd and walk outside.

I’m so excited that The Biggest Loser show’s premier is tomorrow night.  Will you watch?  Although I decided not to follow the goal I had to do The Biggest Loser DVD workouts, I’m still going to watch the show.  Looking forward to it!

Next Monday 9/21/09, I start the Fat Loss Quickie program and I’m very nervous ha ha! Scott, the creator of the program has a home office fitness transformation contest starting then and I want to be involved so I decided to get in the program.  It’s free to enter the contest if you become a member of the program.

Many of you ask what my motivation is to keep going and really it’s because I want to be healthy and eat healthy, I want to get rid of body fat and ultimately have a toned body plus our Jamaican vacations are a big motivation.  I need to keep going!  I have had many set backs and have lost and gained back weight but I know that I am not going to quit and that a lifestyle change takes time.

What is your motivation to live a healthy lifestyle?

 

My Biggest Loser challenge this month is to do at least 3 days a week of the original The Biggest Loser Workout, Power Sculpt and even throw in some of the 30 Day Shred.  I have some of the other DVD’s on my wish list (like Cardio Max, Boot Camp, Yoga, The Biggest Loser workout Volumn 2 and all of Jillian’s DVD’s too ha ha) so maybe if I can grab a few of those, I’ll add them in as well.

Mom threw out a challenge for our immediate family (mom, dad, uncle, myself and Kev) to lose 20 lbs each by Thanksgiving.  I have various challenges over the next few months so I’m excited to see how it all plays out.

My goal for September is to lose 8 lbs BUT ultimately inch loss is more important to me so I’m not going to stress out over weight.  In addition to the 3 days of Biggest Loser workouts, I will also be doing the normal gym routine of 2 days of spin class and 2 days cardio.  There will be at least 2 days a week of strength training too.

Two questions for you….

1) Do you watch The Biggest Loser TV Show?

2) What are your weight loss/fitness goals for September?

Let’s hear from you!

Happy September,