My Epic Return To Yoga

Today I went to my first yoga class since September or early October.  My work schedule and transcript orders got crazy around that time, so I had to spend more time working on that than coming to yoga.  I missed it, but I didn't realize how much.  Sarah had also suggested that I get back into it.  You know I do everything she tells me to do.  ;)

I went to the 1215 Ashtanga Vinyasa class taught by Rickita.  I really like this class.  It is a longer class at 75 minutes, but it flies by.  I was a little nervous that I would be rusty, but I think I did pretty good.   I was sweating like a pig.  Overall though I am glad I went.  I definitely am going to re-introduce yoga into my schedule.

My downward dog was a little sad and painful the first few times that I did it.  I couldn't get my heels down on the mat to save my life.  My calves were so tight.  After a few times, I was warmed up and was able to do much better.  That alone told me I had to make more time for yoga.  I thought that a rest day and a massage once a month was enough to loosen up my muscles, but obviously not.

My balance was a little rough, but my boat pose was much better than the last time I did yoga.  My stamina was much improved, too.  I didn't go into child's pose once to rest.

I went through the Lifetime Group Fitness schedule and I'm pretty excited that there is a Friday evening class added.

After class, I felt about ten pounds lighter and my breathing was pretty easy.  :)

Couch To 5k Week 4 Day 3

Today I went to the gym to finish out Week 4 of the Couch to 5k program.   I've been having a real issue with the second five minute run.  I am just so out of breath by the time I have to do it.

I got about 1:19 into the last 5 minutes and had to walk.  I did eventually finish the remaining 3:41, but I did it in 3 additional rounds.  So, I did do the 5 minutes, but I needed more than the 90 seconds of recovery.  I was disappointed in myself, but I also didn't want to cause any sort of injury or respiratory issue if I pushed myself too hard.  I know when to stop.

So, the thing I had to ask myself is whether to move forward with Week 5 or continue to try Week 4 Day 3 until I nailed it.  I took a look at the next run and decided to move forward.  My main issue was the recovery time and the next few runs have longer recoveries.  Week 5 Day 1 is run 5 minutes, walk 3 minutes and repeat 3 times.   This should work out a little better for me.  I plan to try this on Monday afternoon.

My Disdain For Gastric Bypass

I've made it no secret to any of my friends that I totally can't stand people who have gastric surgery (bypass, sleeve, whatever).  My PCP actually recommended it to me in late 2012 and I briefly considered it.  I had lost weight in the past, so I knew I could do it without surgery and I think I would have been very disappointed in myself if I had caved.  

Now, it seems as though everyone is having GS.  GS was designed for people who were 100+ pounds overweight.  It's just a straight cop out.  Get off your butt and move.  Watch your nutrition and don't depend on having your stomach redesigned to help you out.  

I only know two people who had GS that it worked the way it was intended.  My friends Norri and Anissa.   Norri had the surgery close to ten years ago and worked out, maintained her diet just like she was supposed to.  She may yo-yo up a size or two here and there, but she knows when to get back on track and get her weight back down.  Anissa is a little over a year out from her surgery and she participated in a half-marathon in November.  These are success stories and probably the only two people who had surgery that I respect...because they used it as a jumping off point to get active and eat the way everyone should eat.

The number of people that I know who have had the surgery and gained all the weight back and/or do not follow the post-op lifestyle are unfortunately the norm.  Why would you alter your body only to gain it all back?  What a let down.

Now, some of you might think that I am harsh and wrong to judge people who choose surgery, but I don't necessarily blame the person per se.  There are so many doctors that must be getting referral kickbacks because I can't imagine why someone would think that a patient who had less than 60 pounds to lose should opt for surgery.  Sure, they'll argue about joint issues, diabetes, high blood pressure, but I had the same issues, too, and I am doing things the least invasive way by going to the gym and learning about nutrition.

Rant over.

Training This Week

I trained with Sarah on Monday before I left for my mom's house and today, Thursday.  I was super sore on Monday from doing the Couch to 5K two days in a row and the Sunday afternoon Spinning class.  I'd have had to overdose on Glutamine to feel better.  I was seriously sore in my abs.  But I remember the old saying,  I think it was Gandhi that said:

On Monday, we did a little bit of arms and legs, and my cardio was mountain climbers.  On Thursday, we did arms with my cardio being running .25.  Both days were pretty tough.  I thought I was going to die today.  You would have thought I had taken a month off and not two days!  

But I survived and I am glad I stuck it out.  I'm really trying to hit that 50 pound mark by December 31st and I am so close.....

Healthy Christmas

My mom had previously mentioned having a healthy Christmas this year.  My mom's sister and my favorite aunt, Fina, died the Saturday after Thanksgiving of a massive heart attack.  I'm not sure how big of a part this played in my mom's request, but my mom is a Type II diabetic, has high blood pressure, and high cholesterol so it's best if she try to eat healthier.

On the menu for Christmas were the super delicious Spinach Artichoke Portabella Quiches for breakfast.  These are so yummy, you can eat them at any meal.   For lunch, I made cooked some meatballs that I got from Bon A Rose and some of their gluten free marinara sauce.  For dinner I made Pork Tenderloin and roasted asparagus.  Everything was quite yummy and a welcomed change from our past Christmases.

A sign of how eating well can change your health, my mom usually has a morning blood glucose reading in the 120s and an evening reading in the 150s and above.  Her reading on Christmas evening was 125 and her morning reading on the 26th was 105!!!!  There were plenty of leftovers for my mom to enjoy over the next few days.  I have to say she's really become very conscious of trying to eat healthy although she does tend to slack occasionally.  Hopefully, as I continue to eat healthy, she'll follow my lead.

Happy Festivus

I celebrate Festivus.  It is totally my type of holiday.  I don't really decorate for Christmas, I don't like to listen to Christmas music, I don't really get into the spirit of Christmas.  It's a short work month and signals a long vacation from work before the busyness of the new year comes.

For the last three years, I have celebrated Festivus by having a meal with my cousin, Maria, and her daughters.  Here is a current picture of her three girls:  Olivia will be 9 on the 30th, Dalia is 4, and Marcia is a year-and-a-half.

This year, we invited my mom and Maria's mom, Aunt Basil.  We had lunch at Mario's Mexican Restaurant in Adrian.  Hands down, they are the best Mexican restaurant around.  If you think the crap in Mexicantown Detroit is good, you are seriously diluted.

I totally let myself splurge and chowed down.  This was the first time I had been to Mario's in 2013, so I think I could let myself go nutso.  I don't think they use gluten because I had no negative reaction to any of the food.  It's all homemade and cooked to order that same day.  I had some chips and salsa, the special (one beef taco, and two tostadas on corn tortillas), rice and beans.  I had water to drink.

It was a really great Festivus and a nice time spent with family.   Hope you all have a wonderful Festivus and don't forget....

Massage Saturday

Today was my monthly massage.  I look forward to these Saturdays because the massages really help the issue I have with my left thigh going numb.  I had surgery in 1999 on my low back.  I had herniated discs at L4, L5, and S1.  I had horrendous sciatica and I have suffered some long term nerve damage in the form of my outer left thigh going numb.  It wasn't much of an issue when I was sedentary, but once I started working out, it became an issue.  Luckily, since I've been working with Drea at the LifeSpa, it has gotten much better and only flairs up occasionally.  

The last month or so I've also had some issues with my neck.  I think it has to do with how I am sleeping and it can get quite painful.  It hurts to turn my head to the left sometimes.  So, we started the massage this morning working on my neck and upper back area.

My neck feels so much better and my leg doesn't have the numbing feeling anymore.  My next massage will be on January 11.  

After the massage, I made my way over to a gluten free bakery in Plymouth that I've been dying to check out.  Oh my God, it was AMAZING!!!  Gluten free as far as the eye could see (hey, that rhymes!).  If you are gluten free and in the Plymouth area, check out Rumi's Passion Gluten Free Bakery.  You will not be disappointed.  I bought a loaf of white bread for my mom, some pepperoni and cheese bread and a peanut butter brownie for myself.   I'm eating the brownie right now and it is slap-your-mama good.

Then I made my way to Lyon Township to pick up some gluten free Italian fare at Bon-a-Rose Foods.  Their website is currently down, so you might want to try back in a few days.  They have the most amazing apple sauce (GF), which is actually made of beets.  Their marinara sauce (GF) is also incredible.   They sell other great products as well as frozen meals.  I'm not sure of the GF status of the prepared foods, but I have had the lasagna and the meatballs.  I know that some of the pastas they sell are organic.  So good!!!  And it's great to support local businesses that make the effort to bring healthy foods to people watching their diet.  

I plan to take some of the products from both Bon-a-Rose and Rumi's to my mom's house and have a healthy Christmas Eve and Day.  

I got home and then caught up on some of my DVR'd shows.  I then went back to Lifetime to do Week 4 Day 2 of the Couch to 5k program.  I had planned on going to spinning this morning, but I just couldn't get out that early.  I decided to let over 30 hours go before I ran again since I did Day 1 yesterday.   I would say Day 2 went better than Day 1 although I was sweating even more this time.  The second five minute run was still a killer, but I got through it.  I will probably do Day 3 next Friday.

Have a great weekend everybody!

WARNING: TMI POST

Just a heads up before I fully go into this post.  This post has to do with my recent doctor's appointment that was my annual "female appointment."  I'm not going to go into gory graphic detail, but just explain how I believe my weight loss, exercise, and diet changes have positively affected my health and my test results.

Now, if you still want to read on, feel free.

So, I got some FANTASTIC news today from my doctor's office.  My pap results came back NORMAL!!!  This hasn't happened to me since 2006!!  In 2007, my results came back irregular and I was referred to another doctor to have additional testing done to rule out cervical cancer.  I had an extremely painful colposcopy (aka cervical biopsy) in the Spring of 2008.  I didn't have cancer, but I did have irregular cells and I had to have quarterly pap tests for a year.  Getting a pap test once a year is bad enough, but 4 in a year is just plain awful.

I haven't been as diligent in getting my annual exam, but now I'm not as afraid of the doctor as I had been.  I hated getting weighed in general and then getting "the talk" from my doctor about my weight continually climbing and all the risks associated with being so obese.  Now, I enjoy going to the doctor and getting weighed because the talks are much more happy and less grim.

I really think that not drinking pop, exercising, losing weight, and changing my diet have helped contribute to my great test results.  I'm extremely happy with how this is working because it's not just about what you look like on the outside, but what happens on the inside.

Couch To 5k Week 4 Day 1

I'm writing this post as I sip on my latest mixed drink L-Glutamine and water.

Today (aka Day 1 of Christmas Vacation), I went to Lifetime bright and early to start tackling Week 4 of the Couch to 5k program.  Let me illuminate you on what Week 4 is.  As with every week of the program it starts and ends with a 5 minute walk.  After the warm up, you run 3 minutes, walk 1.5 minutes, run 5 minutes, walk 2.5 minutes and repeat the sequence a second time.

I prepared by putting some nasal spray up my nose about an hour before I arrived at the gym in order to fully open my nasal passages.  There is no way I'm going to run with a plugged nose.  That's just crazy!

I got through round 1 okay and the second 3 minute run.   I was a little nervous about the second 5 minute run.  I was really pooped...well, I could have used an extra one minute of recovery is what I should say.   But I knew that I would be super disappointed in myself if I didn't do the program as planned.  So, I started the program when prompted by the app and I did the full 5 minutes.  Ahh!   I was happy to be done with that and thoroughly enjoyed the 5 minute cool down.

My feet were so sweaty, it was gross.  I ate breakfast at the Life Cafe and I really wanted to kick off my shoes, but unfortunately I have a horrific foot odor problem.

I plan on doing Day 2 on Sunday and Day 3 on Thursday.  Then it's on to the dreaded Week 5.

Year's End!

I am done with work for the year!  Thank goodness!!!

One of the things I am most excited about is being able to come in and workout early and take some group classes.  I'm also looking forward to starting Week 4 of the Couch to 5k program tomorrow.

This was a good week for me in Pilates and with personal training.  I am loving the Glutamine powder I bought.  It sure is helping with recovery.  I'm not even sore after Sarah trained the crap out of me this week.

Today, I bought my first ever Groupon.  It was for 2 weeks of unlimited boxing/kickboxing classes at Title Boxing in Farmington Hills.  The groupon doesn't expire until April, so I will probably use it some time in February or March.  

I'm also thinking about some potential New Year's resolutions.  I am considering possibly doing a 5k every month.  We'll see because that could get pretty expensive since most of them are over $30.  I definitely want to do the Super Bowl 5k since it is here in Novi.   Definitely going to continue training with Sarah for the near distant future.  I want to continue losing weight (duh!).   I want to resume doing yoga at least once a week.   Continue with Spinning/Studio Cycle.  And of course, continue doing Pilates and maybe even bump it up to twice a week.

'Twas Arm Day

It's Monday which means it's arm day.   I'm sore as I type this.  I've got to have my glutamine shortly so that I can move my arms tomorrow.

I have to say I like how my arms are looking.  I've always hated my arms, they were gross.  They are looking much better.  I fear arm flab.  I seriously dread arm flab.  I wouldn't say I necessarily have arm flab, but I watch my arms very closely.

I had a little incident while I was walking the path from my apartment to Lifetime.  I have to alter the path I take thanks to the snow removal people piling snow where the trail connecting the two ends.  A branch got in my way and dug into my thigh.  Luckily my pants weren't torn, but I know I'll have a bruise there by tomorrow.  As I got undressed to get in the shower, I noticed that I actually got cut!  There was blood!  Ugh, it's so tragic!  It is going to be scabby and bruised now.  I guess I'll live!

Have a great Tuesday!

Couch to 5k, Week 3....DONE!!!

I have officially ended Week 3, Day 3 today.  This week has been difficult, not so much because of the running but because my nasal passages are swollen.  This is pretty common for me during the winter.  My doctor has prescribed something for me, but most insurances don't cover it and it costs $140.  Through trial and error I've discovered that the CVS brand nasal spray that costs $6 works just as well.

So week 3 consisted of a 5 minutes warm up, run 90 second, walk 90 second, run 3 minutes, walk three minutes and repeat once, then a 5 minute minute cool down.  I ran 5.5 mph on the treadmill.  Not too shabby except for the nasal passages issue.

All of this is in preparation for the Commitment Day 5k I am running.   I won't have the program completely finished, but hey I'm trying.  I'm getting really nervous about Week 5 Day 3....20 consecutive minutes of running!!!  Yikes!  I'll probably lower the mph on the treadmill and that should help.

I'm also a little sore from my training session with Sarah on Friday.  I bought some Glutamine to help with my recovery.  I'm going to start using it today and hopefully it helps.

This upcoming week is my last work week for the year!  I am so excited.  It has been a long but great year.  I'm glad to have a break.

Exercise-wise this week, I am training with Sarah on Monday and Wednesday, Pilates with Cassie on Tuesday, and then I'll try and fit in some days for the Couch to 5k program.

Have a good week!

I LOVE Beyonce!

"Pretty hurts
Shine the light on whatever's worse
Perfection is the disease of a nation
Pretty hurts
Shine the light on whatever's worse
Tryna fix something
But you can't fix what you can't see
It's the soul that needs the surgery"

This isn't going to be just a Beyonce post.  This does have something to do with fitness and my journey.  So, unless you've been living under a rock for the last 24 hours, Beyonce released a new album on iTunes complete with videos for each song.  IT.IS.AMAZING!  My favorite song is Pretty Hurts.  Here is a snippet of the video:

The song is about perfection and our obsession with it.  It's a pretty powerful song and video.  I've watched it at least a dozen times today.

In all the videos, Beyonce is in various forms of undress and she looks amazing.  I'm pretty sure I've mentioned on this blog that Beyonce's body is my general goal body.  Yeah, I know I'll never look as good as Beyonce, but I love her curves and her confidence.  If I can get a teeny tiny bit of that, I'll be happy.  

I'm still pretty gung-ho about working out and going forward with working hard to get fit, but this series of videos is totally inspiring.  Have I mentioned how phenomenal Beyonce looks in these videos?!?!?!?!

Clothes Shopping

One the bonuses of losing weight is buying new SMALLER clothes.  When I started working with Sarah, she asked me what my goal was.  I really didn't have a number on the scale picked out and I still don't.  Mainly, I just want to be able to shop in "normal" stores and not be restricted to plus sized stores.

When I started out I was in size 22 pants.  22!  Even my tops were 20/22.  That's the middle range of the plus sized stores. They start at 14 and go to 30 (some go to 32). 

I'm pretty excited to say that I am a solid 14.  Even some of my 14 things are loose.  I have a pair of size 14 pants from the Limited (a normal store!!) that are just a little snug.  I hope to be in them in January.   The good thing about winter in Michigan is that you can wear your sweaters on the larger, baggy side since it's so flipping cold right now.

Even my workout clothes have changed.  I love the C9 line by Champion that is sold at Target. I bought some pants, t-shirts, and sports bras in size XXL the day I started working out.  The t-shirts didn't fit when I got home and tried them on, but I kept them anyway.   The pants and sports bras were snug, but not excessively tight.

In September, I bought more workout clothes, but in size L!  And those XXL t-shirts that didn't fit?  They fit now!  I think I might have to buy medium sports bras soon and probably pants, too!

So, all of these changes have got me feeling........

Gone Gluten Free

In October, I just wasn't losing weight as easily as I had been.  The scale at Lifetime Fitness said that I was inflamed.  Hmm, what was going on?  Sarah suggested that I should try cutting out gluten.  Okay.  I tried.  I failed.  I just love pita bread so much.

For some bizarre reason, I decided to go gluten free in November.  I cooked my first gluten free meal on November 2 during the Michigan State-Michigan game.  I made Coconut Chicken.  It was so simple.  It was so yummy.

I started searching the internet and Pinterest for gluten free recipes.  Wow, there are a TON of recipes out there.  I've cooked many meals.  Some I will make again, some I will not.  All are tasty and good, but I definitely have my favorites.

I have to say that going gluten free was so easy.  And the weight started coming off again.  I lost 7.5 pounds in November.  I really noticed a change in my body.  I really started liking this whole gluten free thing.  Even Sarah has gone gluten free!

I have to say some of my friends think that I'm crazy for going gluten free, but they just don't understand it.  I have to be honest and say that I feel great.  It's like everything has just clicked and I feel like I really have gotten my eating under control.

And while I've gone nerdy for gluten free, I'm not this crazy.......

"I Was RUNNING!!!"

Early in the 90 Day Challenge I tried to start the Couch to 5k program.  Yeah, that didn't work.  I just wasn't ready to go there.  Imagine my surprise when I used my first TEAM freebie session that I won from the Fitbit Challenge and I had to RUN A MILE FOR TIME during Erica's 6 am TEAM Fitness class.  I picked the wrong day to show up to TEAM Fitness that's for sure.

Well, I'll just do my best.  Let's not expect miracles here.  I'll run slow (4 mph).  I'll run for three minutes and then I'll walk.

Three minutes come and go.  Okay, I'll run until I get to 5 minutes and then I'll walk.

Five minutes come and go.  Okay, I'll run to the half mile point and then I'll walk.

Half a mile comes and goes.  Okay, I'll run ten minutes and then I'll walk.

Ten minutes come and go.   Okay, I'll run to the 3/4 mile point and then I'll walk.

I got to the 3/4 mile point and I WALKED......for about 45 seconds and then I started running again and finished the mile.  I finished in just over 15 minutes (but under 16 minutes).

I DID IT (sorta) and I didn't die.

And that is the story of my first TEAM Fitness class.

90 Day Challenge

In early August, I joined Lifetime's 90 Day Weight Loss Challenge.  On the day of the official weight in I was already down 22 pounds.  I was totally psyched because the previous 90 Challenge in 2012 was a disaster.  I dropped out after a week.

Going into this 90 Day, I had a plan of attack.  I was training with Sarah twice a week, I was doing Pilates once a week with Cassie, I won the Fitbit challenge so I had two TEAM sessions to use from that, and I still had 6 TEAM sessions left from 2012 to use.  I also wanted to go back to one of my favorite exercises, Spinning or as Lifetime Fitness calls it Studio Cycle.  I also wanted to try their Yoga classes.

One of the bonuses about being self-employed is that I can make my own schedule.  Also, the summer tends to be a little slower, especially the month of August.  So, I used it to my advantage and  started taking classes in the middle of the day, sometimes doing 2 a day like a crazy person.

I started taking Spinning classes and I was so glad to be back.  It took some getting used to because that bike seat can do some damage to your rear end.  I had a gel seat from a few years back, but I couldn't find it.  So, it was off to Target to get a new one.  (Wouldn't you know, I found my old gel seat last week!)  I also needed some Spinning shoes.  You don't necessarily need them to Spin, but they do make a difference.  I finally got some shoes in late September at a local bike shop that was having a model ending sale.  See.......

I started taking the Sunday Yoga class that Martina teaches.  I really enjoyed it.  I took some classes and seminars with Rickita.  I truly did enjoy yoga, but once September came, my schedule got crazy busy and I haven't gone to a yoga class since.  I plan on going back soon because I do miss it and now have more free time in my schedule.

Another thing that I incorporated into my plan was massage.  It not only helps my muscles recover from working out, but also from sitting for long periods of time and typing transcripts.  I get my massages at the LifeSpa with Drea every three to four weeks.  It helps me tremendously. I had lower back surgery in 1999 and leg surgery in 2006.  I need to keep these areas particularly strong and free from injury.  I live for my massage Saturdays.  

The 90 Day Challenge ended in early November.  I didn't meet my goal of losing 20 pounds.  I think I lost 15.   I did finish in the top 10 at the Novi club, which I was pretty proud of.  I'm also proud of finishing this time.  I didn't do every Try It Tuesday.  I think I did three.  Nothing against them, but they often interfered with my Pilates class.  They are a great way to get introduced to classes you have always wanted to try.

So, all in all, I would say I had a successful 90 Day Challenge.

I Just Registered ......

.....for the Commitment Day 5k through Lifetime.   I'm doing the Couch to 5k program in preparation.  For those who don't know, it's a 9 week program to get someone ready for their first 5k.  I am currently on week 3.  I won't be finished with the program by January 1, but that's okay.  And I make not run every step of this 5k but I've got to start somewhere, right?

Fitbit

This is a Fitbit One.  I ordered a Fitbit at the suggestion of a few friends shortly after I started working out.  I love my Fitbit.  I credit my purchase and ownership of a Fitbit in getting me moving and also giving me a perspective on exactly how sedentary I was.

It tracks my steps, floors climbed, calories burned, and distance.  It also tracks your sleep patterns.  It's a teeny tiny dynamo.  You can also follow your progress on your laptop/tablet and on your smartphone.  I check my Fitbit app many times during the day.  It's hands down my favorite gadget.

It also sends you messages to encourage you and congratulate you.  You enter your name or any name and it sends you messages.  I chose the name Bitch.  "Get moving, Bitch!"  "Way to go, Bitch!"  are just some of the messages I get on a daily basis.

Shortly after I got my Fitbit, Lifetime Fitness had a Fitbit challenge.  It was a 90 day challenge and the winner got a free Metabolic Test.  Also, if you logged 10,000 steps a day, you won 2 free sessions of a TEAM class.

It was close, but I ended up winning the challenge.  It was quite a fete because another competitor named Jenny was logging a lot of 20,000 step days.  Finally, she had a day under 10,000 steps and essentially disqualified herself from winning.  YES!

My best day was a 33,000 step day.  I went into Lifetime and walked a 5k.  Then I went to Kensington MetroPark and walked around the lake, which was 9 miles.  And it just so happened to be the most humid day of the summer.  I got lapped by a park employee who took one look at me with a raging sunburn going on and said "You picked the wrong day to walk the trail."  Really!?!?!?!  Thanks for the tip!

I signed up for the second Fitbit challenge that coincided with the 90 Day Challenge, but I didn't win.  There were days I didn't make it to 10,000 steps per day, but that's all right.  I'll talk more about what I did during the 90 Day Challenge in a separate post.  There will be another Fitbit challenge in the new year and I definitely plan on participating in that.

I still wear my Fitbit daily!  I love it!  I look forward to graduating to the brand new Fitbit Force.  Hopefully, Lifetime gets it soon........

D.tox

After I got settled into my Pilates class and finally got over my first few workouts with Sarah, I decided to do the Lifetime D.tox.  I'll be honest and say that I wasn't really excited to do it.  Two weeks of cutting out caffeine and many other things I loved.  I really didn't understand why I would pay $200 to do such a thing.

I braced myself for the worst and took the first two days of the d.tox off from work.  I wasn't sure just how weak or irritable I would be.  Other than having crazy hot flashes the first day, I actually enjoyed having an energy boost!

I went on the grocery tour that Lifetime offered.  Jillian took us around the Better Health Market in Novi.  It was pretty informative.  I do like Better Health Market, but I'm partial to Trader Joe's since it's just a mile away and a little less uptight.

I made some of the recipes on Lifetime's D.tox webpage and they were okay.  I altered some of my favorite recipes like Carne Asada tacos in collard green leafs instead of tortillas.

At the beginning of Week 2, my smoothie maker died while making my afternoon shake.  It was a pretty sad looking smoothie maker, but it still bummed me out.  Fortunately, I went to Target and  picked up a Ninja XL660 blender.  It's pretty pimp for a blender.  See......

I survived D.tox!  I lost 8 pounds!  I had Jillian do a before and after D.tox Health Score.  The only thing that stunk was that my blood sugar went up by 4!  Completely shocking and quite disappointing to me because Type II diabetes runs in my family and I was classified as pre-diabetic.  Jillian suggested that I take the Stress and Resilience test to see what exactly was going on.

I took the test and got my results about two weeks later.  It was really great!  I plan on retaking in the new year. I was put on several supplements to help me out and I noticed a vast improvement in my weight loss.  If any of my readers are Lifetime members, I strongly suggest the Stress and Resilience test.

I also suggest doing the D.tox.  I plan on redoing the D.tox sometime in the new year, as well.  Maybe after my birthday,

Pilates/Pie and Lattes

It's Tuesday and for me that's Pilates day for me at Lifetime.  I first started taking Pilates classes about 12 years ago when I lived Downriver.  At that time, I was sporadically using my Bally's membership that I got in 1996 when I lived in Chicago.  Follow me?  Okay.

So, during my meeting in May with Greg, I mentioned that I liked Pilates.  Well, I love Pilates actually but it seems like it's hard to find.  I was much bigger in May than 12 years ago and Pilates isn't for wimps.  All I had ever done was mat classes, never ever had I been on a Reformer, but I REALLY wanted to try one.  Greg told me to come to the Saturday class at noon and Cassie would help me out.  Okay.

I was so excited!  I hadn't done Pilates in years.  I couldn't wait for Saturday!!!

Finally Saturday arrived and I went to the  Pilates studio.  Unfortunately there were too many of us to do a Reformer class because Greg kinda forgot to tell Cassie I was coming to check it out.  Oops.  But it was a nice sunny Spring Saturday in Michigan, so we went outside and did a mat class, which is what I was used to anyway.

I loved it!  I didn't realize how much I missed doing Pilates.  I was so happy to be doing it again.  And I think I did pretty good, all things considered.

After class, I spoke with Cassie to talk about what I should do.  I really wanted to take Pilates again and thankfully I was able to do it. I signed up for two private sessions to get acclimated to the Reformer and then I would start attending the Tuesday 7 pm class that started in early June.  

Since June, I have been faithfully attending that class.  I just adore Cassie.  She is an awesome instructor.  And I love the ladies in my class, Linda and Maureen.  We have about as much fun as you can have in Pilates and still work your butt off.  I LOVE waking up on Wednesday mornings and feeling my core aching from class the night before.

Also, I feel like I've come a long way since that first class.  My range of motion on some of the exercises we do has vastly improved.   My abs look pretty decent so far.  I think Pilates has helped me stay firm and avoid the dreaded flab that sometimes accompanies weight loss.  

So, my Pilates goal for 2014 is to continue with my class and possibly add on a second day a week.  

I'm really thankful that I can do this and that I got back into it.

An Introduction

I'm writing this partially because my trainer, Sarah Depa, thought it would be a good idea.  I have written blogs before and I think I'm pretty good at expressing myself in words.

As of this date, I have lost approximately 45 pounds.  I say "approximately" because I weigh myself at home, in the morning, and I use my bathroom scale as my official weigh-in scale.  Sarah weighs me in every Monday before our workout, but that's not an empty stomach weight.  I like weighing myself on an empty stomach (and colon).

I started this journey on May 15, 2013.  I already belonged to my gym (Lifetime Fitness Novi), but I hadn't gone there for eight months.  I joined Lifetime in March of 2012 and I joined the TEAM Weight Loss class and attended for two 12 week sessions.  I didn't  change my diet, I wasn't as motivated, it just wasn't "my time".

I had been thinking about coming back to the gym for a while.  I wasn't happy with my appearance.  In November 2012, my doctor suggested I have weight loss surgery.  I was just getting too large and becoming too much of a health risk.  Maybe if I had health insurance at that time, I would have seriously taken my doctor up on her recommendation.  But I knew how to lose weight the "old-fashioned way."  In 2010, I lost 30 pounds while working with a personal trainer for 30 minutes twice a week and eating clean.  I just had to find the motivation to get started.

In April of 2013, Greg Hill from Lifetime started bugging me via email about coming back in since I still had some unused TEAM sessions.  Ugh, okay.  I was nervous.  Lifetime is HUGE and a bit intimidating.  But I was paying for a gym membership month after month and not using it.

I met with Greg and told him what exercises I liked.  I also told him to NEVER EVER high-five me.  I hate that shit.  I could tell he was a high-fiver and I had to put him in his place immediately or else I was walking out the door.

We decided that doing personal training was the way for me to go.  I agreed to 2 - 1 hour sessions a week for the time being.  I mean I was doing great in my business and making a ton of money.  Now, some people will think I pay too much, but in the long run imagine how much I would save in medicine and God forbid out-of-pocket doctor/hospital expenses.

My first training session with Sarah was on May 15, 2013.  It was a disaster.  I only made it halfway through.  My sugar was crashing.  I didn't prepare my body for training.  I was so embarassed, but also doubtful of whether this was such a good idea.  But then again, I don't quit things very easy, so I decided to stick it out.

The next morning, I was freakishly sore.  I mean CRAZY SORE.  We're talking "Brittany almost had to help me off the toilet at work" sore.  I was sore for about four days!  It got to the point that I hated going to the bathroom because getting on the toilet and up from the toilet was so painful.

Sarah was very nice and would text me and check up on me.  I mean, it was the least she could do, she tried to kill me.

So, that's how this all started.  I hope you liked reading this.  I'm going to try to play catch up with my first few posts and get everyone (if anyone actually reads this) caught up to where I am and you can read along with my progress,