Stay tuned.....Three years later!

Stay tuned.....

my story continues! 

1+1+1 = ???

What do you get when you add July in the Midwest + a Team Beachbody challenge + joining a new gym?

*S*W*E*A*T*

That's what!!  And, hopefully inches & pounds melting away each week.  I mentioned in my last post I wanted to elaborate on joining Club Fitness, a local gym in my town.

Last week I decided that since my car would be paid off at the end of July I would join a gym starting in August.  The last time I lost over 50 lbs I had also joined a gym.  I am not saying you cannot lose weight unless you belong to a gym because I have lost 30+ lbs in 6 months never stepping foot into a gym.  Eating properly (95% of the time) & exercising at home in my tiny living space has yielded me so very healthy results.  However, after 6 months I am finding I need to push myself more.

I realized in June, not being in any kind of competition or being held accountable by anyone, I became unfocused on my goals and complacent in my routine.  I never had a gain during the month and while I still ate fairly well, it probably dropped to 75-80% of the time.  I did exercise but not NEARLY enough.  The scale and my mentality was proof I had slacked off.  I didn't beat myself up over it.  Granted, I had some other emotional obstacles last month that made things worse.  Life happens and sometimes we just have to settle in the pit for awhile before we realize if we just look up, there is help all around us.  God has mercifully pulled me out of these "pits" many times in my life.  He never makes me feel unworthy or guilty for yet having slipped into one again.  He simply wants to see me dusted off and standing tall again.  If God doesn't want to beat me up, why should I beat myself up?

Therefore, on June 29th I drove to Club Fitness with full intentions of putting my stern face on and ONLY doing a one-week trial membership.  After that I planned to try out my local YMCA for a week to compare the two.  I very much believe God had other plans in mind.  I walked in and Daniel introduced himself to me and had me start filling out some paperwork.  Immediately I stiffened up and said "oh, I am just looking to do a trial membership - I am not joining today".  He explained the paperwork was to help them understand what me goals were and it was nothing binding.  I remained cautious.  I am my mother's daughter after all.  I diligently filled out the questionnaire and the listened as Daniel went through the questions & my answers and talked to me about the club.  When he saw I came in because a friend of mine was a member he explained I was eligible for a 30 day trial membership.  He went on to explain the special they were having in June where you could sign up for only $1.  Now, I don't know if that is just something they say to hook you or not but it certainly peaked my interest.  He knew I was waiting for my car to be paid off at the end of July and told me my first payment would not come due until mid-August.  Hello?  I felt the hook sink in a little deeper at this point.  I remember praying silently "God, is this what I am supposed to do"?  I talked to Daniel about wanting to try using a personal trainer as well as extra accountability and support.  He told me about an offer that would allow me 4 sessions at around a $40 savings.  Score!!!  I remember having such a peace about it all and how I interrupted him to say "Daniel, I didn't intend to join this gym today but I believe this is where I am supposed to be so let's do this!  What do I need to join today?"  His reply, "Just $1 is all you need today"  And guess what???  I had exactly ONE SINGLE DOLLAR BILL in my wallet.  People who know me well know I rarely have cash on me.  Ever.  I smiled as I pulled it out and handed it to Daniel.

Two days later I met with Beth, a personal trainer at the gym to walk me through a routine designed to help me reach my goals.  She was very nice, attentive and encouraging.  At the very end of the session she high-fived me and said "Helen, you did it!"  Other things were said during that session that confirmed to me what God knew before I ever walked through the doors two days before.  I was where I was supposed to be for now on this journey.

Slowly I am building my confidence where a public gym is concerned.  It is still a little awkward feeling moving from machine to machine, having to check my card to see what the seat & weight should be set at, etc. etc. etc.  THE biggest obstacle for me to overcome is doing my functional exercises on one of the benches where the body builder guys & gals workout.  I admit I chickened out my first time and didn't do them.  Even with a friend with me yesterday I still felt very intimidated in that area.  Confidence building is a work in progress just like weight loss & anything else you have to work for. And that is my Club Fitness story.  Here is a post workout sweaty pic from this weekend:

I also mentioned a Team Beachbody challenge so let me talk a little about that.  An online friend and former Biggest Loser teammate of mine became a Team Beachbody coach as she was working to reach her health goals.  To know more about this company you an click HERE.  In a very small nutshell, they offer a large line of fitness training programs such as TurboFire, 10-Minute Trainer, and the one I purchased a few months ago, Body Gospel.  I also began using a product they offer called Shakeology.  It wasn't something Tricia required in order to participate in the July challenge but she recommended it.  I bit the bullet and decided to go all out and try it for a month.  In 6 days I have lost 4.2 lbs.  I won't deny some of it was probably water weight because I had slacked in June but I believe I have kick-started my metabolism again with the use of these shakes and increasing my exercise.  I don't expect to see a 4+ pound loss in one week again this month but I fully expect to be closer (if not there) to my goal of fitting into several pairs of capri pants in the next size down from where I am now.

I am just so thankful for people like Tricia, Club Fitness trainers, friends (both in real life & those I only know through my computer) and most of all, God, for the support I get to help me keep pressing forward.  Just like diet & exercise are keys to reaching health goals - SUPPORT is a key one should not forget!  I challenge you to find a support system if you are going this journey alone right now.  There are so many great places to tap into - just ask me and I am happy to share!

I will end with a few collages of my July challenge...

I do cardio at home (Body Gospel) one day & the next I go to the gym for the machines and strength training.  Doing both maximizes the results!

Thanks for letting me gush about getting re-focused and energized this month!  Have a great Sunday everyone - it is back to work (after 4 days off) for me tomorrow!!!

Happy Independence Day!

I am always thankful for a day off of work, however, must never take for granted the greatness of this day.....The United States Day of Independence!  We are an overly blessed nation and it saddens me to see where it is headed but, I won't get into that because I want to stay in a good mood :)  Fireworks are already going off in my neighborhood and it is only 8:30 a.m.  Really?  What ever happened to all the anticipation leading up to the night of July 4th when it was FINALLY dark enough to start lighting the sparklers & bottle rockets?  Now days it seems they start setting them off a few weeks before and continue for a few weeks after.  Sorry, that is another pet peeve of mine.  Moving on.....here is a pretty photo to start this LONG post where I will catch up the last 3 weeks of my life!

I guess the biggest event that has taken place since June 10th was Father's Day.  I am incredibly grateful to still have my dad here to celebrate this day with.  We had a BBQ at Jeff & Julie's home (the go-to place for our family gatherings now).  I made sure to snap lots of photos.  Are you ready?

Dad & I

Brian (my brother) & Trevor

Jeff (my brother) & his oldest son, Josh

Jeff & his younger son, Jesse

Trevor, Brian & Dad

Trevor & Grandpa

Caiden & Great-Grandpa

Brian, Dad & Jeff

Josh & Caiden

~Four Generations~

Great Grandson Caiden~Grandson Josh~Son Jeff~Father

We also had a special cake to honor Mom & Dad's 54th Anniversary that was actually June 6th.  Plus, it was a great excuse to have a Kruta Bakery cake - yum!

Now, the following photos are not in chronological order because I am too lazy to look and see when exactly they were taken and then re-position them in this post.  Hey, give me a break - I have been awake since 4 a.m.  I did my workout at the gym before 6:15 and was home with groceries before 7:30.  I am already ready for a nap.

I went on a kick of wanting to clean out & organize my refrigerator.  I bought the little bins at Dollar General and this was the end result.  Ahhhh, I love an organized fridge :)

We had some monsoon-like rainfall in June.  This downpour hit just before leaving work one afternoon about 3:00 o'clock.  Across the road is a farmer's field.  Yes, that is a field - not a lake!

The next morning you can see the field again.

I found a $25 gift card to QVC that I received for my birthday last September & it had never been used.  Hello?  What is up with that, I thought?  Suddenly the money was burning a hole in my pocket so online I went to see what they offered in exercise equipment.  Found this space saving mini-elliptical.  Despite my hopes it turned out to be a dud.  Too choppy feeling when in motion and it hurt my knees.  I decided to pack it up - which, by the way, gave me more of a workout than actually using the machine itself!  It was not a pretty sight trying to get that little monster back in the box.

Yes, I still treat myself to a Starbucks iced, non-fat, no whip Mocha now & then!  Moderation is the key to any weight loss success!

My poor Molly had to be rushed to the vet one evening because she had a cyst on her left, front leg that had become infected (unbeknownst to me until too late).  I jokingly said it cost me $80 to have a huge zit popped on my dog's leg.  She is all but healed up now but, I felt so bad I didn't notice it getting infected until her leg was swollen like it was :(

Would you look at these ginormous grapes?  I love grapes despite the fact I cannot eat them as just an in-between-meals snack (they make me hungrier).  However, I often enjoy them after a meal - kind of like a dessert I guess.  That way, I can relish their yumminess without the downside of feeling hungry since I already ate my meal.

See?  Told you, love to indulge in Starbucks now & then.  Twice apparently in the month of June.

I bit the bullet and ordered a month's supply of Chocolate flavored Shakeology.  I did so because I wanted to participate in the July Team Beachbody challenge and they recommend you replace 1 meal a day with a Shakeology smoothie. The challenge is being hosted by my Beachbody coach (and online friend, Tricia).  I met her in January as a teammate on a different weight loss challenge we were doing. She inspires me to keep going because she started her journey very close to the same weight as I did and seeing how far she has traveled & amazing she looks.....well, it's amazing!!!  This challenge is challenging me to workout more often again & be held accountable by other ladies who are facing many of the same obstacles as I am.  I cannot stress enough how important the support is for success!

To wrap up this crazy long post I wanted to share this photo because on June 29th I walked into Club Fitness, a local gym in my town, with intentions of only doing a week trial membership.  I was impressed enough to join that day.  More about that in another post because it really does require a post all its' own.

Whew, I really should NOT go 3 weeks without posting!  If you hung in to the end then I say THANK YOU!!  

God bless,

Monday & me

Monday's and I don't always get along too well.  At least not for the first half of the day.  It doesn't matter whether I have had a relaxing weekend or a non-stop kind of weekend.  Monday always reminds me the weekend is officially over and I don't get another one for 5 days.  Feeling sorry for me yet?  Yeah, didn't think so.

Anyway, this Monday started like most.  Me dragging myself out of bed at the last minute to get ready for work.  Realizing as I get in my car (several minutes later than I should be) the gas tank is nearly on empty.  I decided to live on the wild side and forego stopping for gas.  Yep, I know I am in a mini-mood when I don't want to stop to put gas in the car.  It was a busy Monday and had some co-workers who were obviously not enjoying their Monday as well.  I admit I was a little happy inside that I wasn't the only one.  Despite a brief urge to pass by the gas station on the drive home from work, I ultimately decided to stop throwing caution to the wind and I filled up the tank.

Since I procrastinated this morning I knew the first thing I had to do upon walking in the door was change my clothes and get a workout done.  My friend & Beachbody coach, Tricia, sent me a Facebook message asking if I had been using my Body Gospel program.  I wasn't overly thrilled with the first 2 routines I tried, therefore, I was having a hard time going back to try another one.  But, I told her I would try one of the strength training workouts and so I was determined to stick to my word.  I popped in the Strength & Spirit dvd and got to sweatin'.  I quickly found out this was a 50 minute routine that was broken down into alternating strength/sculpt & cardio routines.  I liked the back & forth between the two.  I wanted to poop out after 30 minutes but I decided to keep going and see if I could get in 40 and then at 40 I said, "Na, just do it Helen....take it to 50!"  And, I did.  There were some moves I couldn't do because of the knees (lunges) and others I couldn't do because I was too tired but I kept marching in place no matter what and picked back up the next move when I could.  I burned around 700 calories, yes!

This was the cool down portion of the routine.  Try not to judge me for the dust.  And yes, that is my stability ball behind the TV.  It is the perfect spot for the giant gray orb in my tiny house :)

Love my 3lb hand weights.  At times during tonight's workout they felt like 10 lbs.

I never ever ever regret working out once I have done it and tonight was no exception.  Sweat dripping off of my chin and feeling weak in the legs & arms can be such an exhilarating feeling of accomplishment.  With that accomplishment behind me it was time to decide what was for dinner.  Since I was sitting at my computer trying to cool down I opted for a cold, corn & avocado salad.  I was first introduced to this salad years ago by my friend, Glenda.  I fell in love with it then and have loved it ever since.

It is so simple and so delicious and so perfect for those hot summer days when you do not feel like turning the oven on.  Simply grab a bag of frozen corn from the freezer and defrost it a little in a bowl.  While defrosting, halve some cherry tomatoes, dice an avocado & mince up some fresh cilantro.  Throw those ingredients in with the defrosted but still cold corn.  Add some olive oil, juice from a fresh lime, salt & pepper and you have yourself a party for the taste buds!

I didn't use both limes but had an extra just in case.  You can also throw in some red onion but I didn't want to mess with onions tonight.

This was a beautifully scrumptious end to a Monday if I do say so myself!  Now it is time to kick back and watch a few episodes of Alphas (my new favorite TV show at the moment).  

Good Night,

Six Days of Crazy

It has been 6 days since I blogged and let me just say, it was a crazy week.  It all began on Monday at work when I and Jeff made the decision to upgrade our business accounting software to something that would hopefully be more efficient.  We stayed with Quickbooks as I have always been very pleased with the program, however, we went from the 2008 Pro version to the 2013 Enterprise Solutions version.  While the price jump was significant, the features & peace of mind that came with the change were nearly priceless.  I brought in a friend on Tuesday to cover the telephones while I spent what I anticipated to be a nerve-racking few hours with tech support trying to install the program and then convert our company file data to the new version.  All in all it went much smoother than I imagined and while there were a few hiccups over the next few days as kinks were worked out it is a decision I am very glad we finally made.  With much of my Tuesday & Wednesday spent playing the role of an I.T. geekette, I was thrown behind on all of my other usual weekly tasks.  One major task is making sure we have money in the bank to cover payroll and bills each week.  Thankfully and by the awesome grace of God, business is booming and we have had a good carry-over of funds each week so I was able to take care of the immediate needs on Wednesday.  Thursday, however, I faced a 2 1/2" stack of work orders that needed to be typed and distributed to our customers so we continue to have money coming in.  Funny how the business cycle works.....gotta keep that money coming in so you can send the money out. I worked an 11 hour day at the office that day.  That isn't something I have done in a long time.  Granted, I might have other things after work that keep me going for hours before walking through my front door but there is something about 11 straight hours sitting at a desk in front of a computer that just sucks everything out of you!  By the end of the work day Friday I was in a much happier & contented place having worked through the invoicing at last.  So, that was just the WORK week!

Away from work in the evenings it seemed there was something going every night.  Tuesday is my usual night out with my mom & aunt.  We run errands for my aunt to places like Walmart, Walgreens, the bank & post office.  Then we go to dinner at either Bob Evans, Ravanelli's, Steak 'N Shake or Bandana's.  I know, you are jealous aren't you?  Wednesday night I went with friends to visit a special man known dearly as Mr. Bill.  He is in the V.A. hospital with a stomach infection.  It was so hard to see him lying there looking so frail.  Thursday night was well, after working 11 hrs & then running errands again for another hour, I wasn't going anywhere else!  Then last night was a Dove Chocolate Discoveries party at a friends house.  Nice way to end such an intense week.....sampling chocolate, yum!

My parents celebrated their 54th wedding anniversary on the 6th (my crazy 11 hr work day) so I asked them if we could either go to dinner on Friday before my other engagement or take them out for breakfast Saturday morning.  They chose breakfast and I am glad they did.  I took them to eat somewhere they have never been called The Egg & I.  It is a locally owned & operated restaurant that serves breakfast & lunch only.  The atmosphere is so nice - it just feels good to get out of our boring town of Collinsville and try something new.  I could have easily slept in until about 8 but we were going to leave at 7 so no extra rest for this girl :(  I am blessed to have the chance to spend this time with my mom & dad because you just never know when the opportunity will be taken from you.

Looking very patriotic this morning :)

I chose the Egg Byte Omelette made with egg whites only, mushrooms, spinach, onions & tomatoes.  It was okay as long as I had the salsa and some salt/pepper with each bite.  Only ate 2 pcs of the wheat bread and ate most of my fruit.

Dad ordered the Colorado Omelette & it looked more yummy than mine.  Not sure why I didn't snap a photo of Mom's scrumptious Egg Croissant Sandwhich.

After breakfast I went to Walmart to grocery shop but ended up buying a new portable kitchen island and some other household items.  No room in cart after those purchases for food, lol.  I called the nephew and asked if he would be willing to put the island together for me if I dropped it off at his house and he, being the amazing guy he is, said yes.

Can't wait to get this baby in my kitchen and do some rearranging of dishes!!

Next on the to-do list was to set up a new clothes hamper in my bathroom and install a panel curtain to cover up my shelves.  And, here are my before & after's....

Ack!  I'm out of towels & wash cloths!!!!

I was too lazy to iron the curtain but I still love the results!

Now, instead of a white, plastic clothes basket sitting on the floor I have this color coordinated hamper!

It is now 1:00 p.m. and I am starving - must go make some lunch and I just might take a nap after I throw in another load of laundry downstairs.  Loving this non-crazy Saturday so far!!!!

xoxo,

Weekend Roller Coaster Ride

You know, all those politicians out there in Washington are pushing for one outlandish law after another...I say pass a law that mandates there be 3 full days to a weekend.  Yeah, now THAT would be a law I could easily abide by.  Ha!  I won't hold my breath.

This weekend started with me starving myself to meet a weight goal for a competition I was in during the month of May.  I had the continuing effects of a PMS headache and was sound asleep at 8 p.m. on Friday when my mom called to warn me about the impending weather coming our way.  My town was unscathed for the most part as the worst of it all with north and south of us.  It was 1:30 a.m. before I could get back to sleep.

I woke at 7:30 a.m. Saturday and while very groggy I stepped on the scale and held my breath.  Yes!  I made my weight goal so I hurried to take the necessary verification photos and sent them in and was verified a winner within a few hours.  I won $42.50 and ended up netting $22.50 when you take off the initial entry fee of $20 I paid at the beginning.  I'll take it!

With that feat behind me I made a fruit smoothie w/protein powder for breakfast and considered what I needed to do before leaving for a graduation party at 12:30.  I set out to make a card and envelope for the graduate using patterned papers I have on hand.  I used some patterned Washi tape to keep it all together.  It took me about an hour from start to finish but that also included the time I took to write my message on the card to my cousin.  He not only graduated high school but he leaves for Fort Benning in two weeks to begin Army Infantry basic training.  I believe he made an amazing choice and if he is serious about it all, they can really get him going in the right direction.  Not that he was going in the wrong direction because he wasn't :)  Here are some shots from the party:

Brian & Trevor came up for the festivities and I caught some fun shots of them (and Uncle Jeff) playing on the slide:

Cute moment between Grandpa & Grandson

I stayed home from church today and I am leisurely getting things done that need done badly.  I ran to Walmart early to get some groceries and I also picked up some Command Hooks to work on a project I saw on Pinterest.  I don't have any good place to store my pots & pans so I keep them along with other cookware inside my oven.  That means I have to pull loads of stuff out each time I want to bake something.  I set out to hang the pots & pans on my wall.  I mean, it is unused wall space so why not maximize its use.  For about $12 I was able to do this....

...granted, I am not the best at making these projects look super pretty but hey, I am happy with the results and that is all that matters.

This is what was left in my oven so I am storing them in this Pampered Chef wooden rack I bought eons ago.  I have had this rack sitting in this spot for as long as I can remember.  I really only ever use 2 burners at any given time so it works for me.  However, I don't like it anymore and want to do away with it.  More on that in a second.....

My thoughts are, I need to clean off the top of my refrigerator and move this rack up there.  Dare I tackle this task today?  I don't even know how old that cereal even is!  Can't remember the last time I even ate cereal.  I bought the Honey Nut Spins the last time Caiden spent the night with me.  Yeah, I don't remember how long ago that was.  The oatmeal hasn't been touched since probably March.  Oy!  I need to get up there and go through that stuff soon!

I could move the rack to sit on top of my portable dishwasher but I currently use that space to do food prep right now due to having oodles of those little black ants all over my counter tops.  Speaking of that, I gave in & just bought some Raid from Walmart to try and get rid of them.  I wanted to use a natural remedy but just haven't taken the time to research Pinterest for ideas.  I need the pesky things GONE!  The gel I squeezed on the backsplash behind my sink & under the window sill has attracted what looks like the entire hive (is that what you call a group of ants?) so I hope that by days end they will have sufficiently filled their bellies with the goo and taken it back to the nest to kill off the rest of the buggers.  

While all of this has been going on I have been following the updates from two friends (sisters) who set out to depart for a mission trip to Africa on Friday morning only to be delayed due to some major luggage issues.  Missed their first flight out that would have kept them with all their team members.  After a LONG Friday of trying to find new flights & keep track of their luggage they finally departed St. Louis for Chicago but not before another major delay (in St Louis) due to inclement weather in Chicago.  This caused them to miss their connecting flight to Paris from Chicago.  A dear friend lives near Chicago and put the girls up for the night and they are to depart later today for what will NOW be Instanbul, Turkey instead of Paris.  Not a bad trade but all this is taking its toll on them despite trying to remain faithful to God's plan and trust there is a reason for all the setbacks they have encountered.  I believe they will get to their destination and be able to love on those beautiful orphans in Kenya & Uganda but it won't be without endurance & patience on their part.  Mission trips are ALWAYS emotionally & physically draining even when it all goes perfectly smooth (and they NEVER go perfectly smooth).  Still, God does NOT make mistakes & He is NOT the author of confusion.  Praying He clears the path wide for them today and for the remainder of this trip.  

And there you have it, my weekend through 11:30 a.m. on Sunday morning.  What will the rest of this day hold?  I am afraid to ask too loudly!

God Bless,