Challenge!!

Store closings mean storewide clearance sales! We just picked up a Nordictrack treadmill regularly at $1300 for a wopping $700!! Talk about a win. Sam has used it a few times already but I have yet to clock some mileage. I've been meaning too because the both of us need to get back in shape. I'm not happy at the weight I am and unfortunately its all gone to my belly and my thighs just a smidge. Becoming recently fully employed working 40+ hours 5 days a week, I just don't feel energized to jump on a treadmill even if its for an hour or so. I need to though and have been meaning too for the past week.

I'm currently an unappetizing 146 lbs. Makes me cringe that Sam still finds me attractive. But I guess I could say the same about him. He thinks he looks disgusting with his belly and I find him still as sexy as ever. I'd like to get back down to my 125 range. Once there I can finally get my tattoo!!! I'll either get my left shoulder done or start my lower back. Both I've wanted for a few years now. Hopefully my lower back one won't be too expensive....I had gotten it priced once at a shop near my college. The price I was told was a bit high and that artist does tend to over charge. I think it was around $300 just for the outline. I decided to just stick with the shop that I got my first tattoo. They were reasonable and I liked the shop atmosphere. I've since added another element to the tattoo, which I may or may not keep. I just hope I'm not getting in over my head.

I'll be posting updates now and again.

Physical!

Lobo, I'm a failure! No really, I am. It's already April and I haven't stuck to one of my resolutions. My story is still the same as it was but I've been gradually easing back into it. Job wise I'm bleck; I'm at the stadium but only for a couple of hours everyday in the evening but I'm actively sending out my resume and scouraging the earth for either something else or to add on as a second job. With exercise I've been really slacking. The 5K was really the only exercising I've done all year to date and that just needs to change. I NEED to stick to these resolutions!



My mom and I did hit the gym today for about an hour. It wasn't too bad. Here's what I did:
35 minutes (that's including the 5 minute cooldown) on the Eliptical burning 210 calories, going approximately 2.34 miles at 3,663 strides.
Arm Curls (working the biceps) 2 sets of 12 repetitions lifting at 20lbs with a short break to stretch inbetween sets.

Usually, I like to also work the triceps, shoulders and back but will probably save that for Monday. I don't want to do everything all at once. Then to balance everything out once I was home, I enjoyed a rather large glass of chocolate milk. I had read in the Woman's World magazine to drink chocolate milk in order to avoid those post-workout blahs. That "chocolate milk is proven to reduce inflammation, plus soothe hurt muscles and boost their strength within two weeks. ...Women who drink it after exercise lose twice as much body fat as those who sip sports drinks, studies suggest." All you have to do is have a 8-16oz glass of it within 30minutes of the workout. So we'll see if it changes anything.

Well I have work again at 5, last night wasn't too eventful, and I should be seeing Sam afterwards...so it'll be a good night for me. If work gets too boring I may update again.

2011 Memory Walk

(image courtesy of alz.org)

I'm very excited to be participating in this year's Memory Walk! I've never really done anything like this before so I hope I'll be ready. I'm going to start working out this week (finally!).

I've already recruited my mom and my friend Megs to walk with me. My mom and I will be walking for my Grandad who currently has Dementia. Megs expressed to me that she wishes to walk for her Grandfather who passed away 3 years ago after suffering from Alzheimers. Hmm, maybe I'll be able to drag Sam out too, since he's been complaining about getting back in shape. Anywho, we'll be walking at Tradition on March 26, Saturday.

(image through DeviantArt : Bike Ride by *allmixedupp)

A way I'm hoping to get in gear for the big walk is through daily exercise either at the gym or biking with my friend Ashley. First things first of course...I need to get a bike. Maybe I'll talk Sam into going with me if I have a free day when he is off and he isn't too tired. This will be great for my New Year's Resolution of getting back into shape as well.

Anywho, I've got to turn in a little early tonight. I'm going to be working down at the stadium tomorrow morning. Extremely happy about that because I'll feel like a productive member of society again. Hopefully, I'll have plenty of time for everything else I've got on my plate - exercise, family, boyfriend, and continuing looking for another job. Night everyone!

Happy New Years!

Happy New Years everyone! Sam and I tried our best to stay up for the big event but around 10:30 we couldn't make it any longer. We had our early New Year's kiss and zonked out. Yesterday, according to Sam, was our "last night of debauchery" (when it comes to diet and lifestyle). It's true though, we both need to get back in shape, he just finished cutting out the seams to one of his uniform shirts because its too tight with him and his vest.
Weight loss seems to be one of the big resolutions out there this year. On my MSN homepage was an article on 13 Ways to Keep Off Pesky Pounds for Good. I'm looking forward to slimming back down hopefully to my 125 or somewhere around there but also to shape up my arms and tummy at the same time.

Howls to the New Year

Sweetest Lobo,

2011 is practically right around the corner and I'm hoping for new and grand adventures to happen right off the bat. I'm actually looking forward to bringing in the new year, something I haven't done in the recent years past. Something else I want to make sure I do is stick to a New Year's resolution (something else I haven't followed through on in a few years and it'll be the first resolution I've made in a while). I have 3 resolutions so far:

1. Whip it good!! I want to get back into shape. I'm a 140 lbs and I hate it! We're having another cold winter and only one pair of jeans fit. You can only wear a pair of jeans for so many days in a row. Luckily I won't be alone in this venture. It's actually my boyfriend's resolution to get back in shape starting in January so he can get back into a regular shift at work (he's a police officer and broke his leg on the job two weeks before Thanksgiving and just started physical therapy a few weeks ago. He was lucky he didn't need surgery). He said he was going to wait until the end of December before he started getting back into regular workouts and I said I would do it with him. It probably won't be pleasant since he has the P90-X DVDs. They're brutal! My goal is to get down to my normal 125 lbs and get more definition in my arms and stomach.
2. Meet my deadlines. Another deadline for my fox story has come to pass and the manuscript wasn't ready in time. It's no excuse but I have been busy; when my boyfriend had his leg broke and out on worker's comp, I was there to help him out with much objection. I've also been busy looking for work and rejuvenating my resume, which has been a bitter process. So every time I sit down to work on my manuscript its either late at night and I'm just too tired to think of anything or its the middle of the day, my mom is home and she's pestering me about wasting time on the computer when I should be out looking for a job even though she is one of the main people pressuring me about finishing this story now coming in its seventh year of revisions. Don't get me wrong. I want to finish this story as much as the next person but with all the stress and pressure, its been difficult to find the inspiration. Regardless, it will be done hopefully sooner than later.
3. Get that job! Like I said, I've been looking for work and constantly working on my resume. Technically, I've been regularly unemployed since September. I've had some Per Diem work as a file clerk at the jail and doing some pet sitting, which has grown from one to two clients this past month. Financially, I'm doing okay. I don't have too much of a social life outside my boyfriend which can get a little mediocre but it really helps with the bank account. But I can't support myself like that for much longer. I want to feel like I'm contributing to something even if its only to myself like not having to rely on my parents to pay for my bills and stuff. My boyfriend told me last night that he may be able to get me a job at Publix (yeck!) between the city he lives in and the city he works. Its like 7.5 miles north of his house on city streets (just short of a 20 minute drive, which means I would stay with him on the days I would work) but its almost 30 miles from my parents house so close to a 40-45 minute ride via I-95. I could give it a try but I would really need the wages per hour and schedule to outweigh the price of gas it would take me to get there and back each day. Because I just got the offer to come back to work at the baseball stadium in Jupiter. Its only seasonal work and I was lucky I got to work there the whole season this year (Feb-September). By 95, the stadium is again just short of 30 miles and a 35-40 minute drive. By the end of the season I was making $8 an hour only working upwards of 4 hours a day but I was working everyday and I'm not sure if I would start at $8 or back at the $7.50 when I started. Maybe I could pull off both jobs. I'd only be driving through three different counties but I'd be making money. I'll have to talk to my family and boyfriend about it. They don't know yet that I got asked back to the stadium for the upcoming year. I would probably have to give up my pet sitting though which would suck, but I may have to sacrifice it in the end.

Also, its not a resolution but I have been thinking of writing a letter to my younger brother who is currently serving time in Brevard County. I'm not sure what to expect but I'm not going to let it stress me out for one second.

Well, that's enough for today. I'll check in later but I need to get back to finishing this manuscript and looking for a job as well. Its so wonderful that I can multitask...sometimes anyway.

Drink: Dark Chocolate Hot Cocoa mix
Watching: Maury
Outside: Currently sunny and 34 degrees