Halloween already?

Well, it is officially Halloween- not that this holiday really means anything to me, we don't get into dressing up or going to costume parties, but it does signify that there are only two months left in the year and that the Christmas Holiday is going to be quickly approaching.  I am so far behind in my organization for the holidays this year and have been a bit in a panic about it.   I feel a bit better right now as I have knocked off about 12 gifts from my list.   Still have about 11 more to work on and some of these people are tough to buy for this year- just have no ideas whatsoever.  Then there are friends like Diane & Janet who I can keep buying and buying for- they are so easy, guess that is why they are the BFF's!  

We got home Monday evening and I did do a little bit of work and then relaxed with Bill before the rest of the work week really kicked in.  I ended up staying up late two nights this week "tweaking" on my photo books!  I can say that I have finished and ordered 3 books for 2010, one book on Spaz and the other two span January-October.  I have started the final 2010 edition with November-December and hope to get that one finished this week.  I did find that it's something I can work on while watching TV in the evenings.  I always have the laptop with me while on the couch with the illusion of "doing work"- who am I kidding, the pile of work sits next to me and I hardly ever touch it- so I am going to really make an effort of not bring work down to the couch with me for the next two months, maybe that will start a new habit and I won't work on the couch anymore.   I am excited to see these photobooks when they come, maybe in a week or so they should be here.  My procrastination is going to cost me because now that I'm getting them done, I want to order them right away instead of waiting for a super duper sale!  Well, I did get 30% off and free shipping and did use my $75 in gift cards that I had.   Oh- gift card..I am waiting for a $250 visa gift card from Pleasant Holidays- maybe I'll use that for the next round of photo books!

I have also been extremely busy this week with my group that departs this coming weekend.  Lots of changes, additions- the kind of hectic week that makes me scared that something is going to slip through the cracks.  The type of week that you wake up in the middle of the night and think "crap, did I do that?"   I was actually pretty proud of myself for attempting to reach out for help.  I sent an email to several Redeemer mom's that I know who have teenage daughters to see if any of them wanted to earn some extra cash.  Although there was interest, the timing didn't work out right and it then seemed it would be best for Bill & I to work on the document project together and I'm glad we did.  Once we got down our system, it went smoothly and although it was about a 7 hour project, we got it done.

Fitness has been a tough thing to fit in this week since being back.  I did teach my two Body Pump classes and they were both great- had large classes (large for these gyms) and they were happy to have me back since I had subs last week.  I also taught my spin class and went for one walk with Diane this week- we both had some scheduling issues and we were both exceedingly tired on differing days.  We did not go dancing this week at all.  Wednesday I had a birthday dinner for a friend and Friday both Bill & I were tired.  We had a super busy weekend with a 50th birthday party Saturday and then the 49er game and So You Think You Can Dance LIVE tour in San Jose- I should be fast asleep right now, but no I'm up tweaking here on the computer.  Off to bed after I finish this- promise!

This week should be a mixture of crazy and not so crazy.  Hoping more of the "not so crazy" variety.  Monday & Tuesday should be off the hook with final group details and document delivery.   We are planning on going Trick or Treating with the Godkids tomorrow night, since Halloween is a Monday, it's more conducive to our schedule so looking forward to seeing them.  I am going to try to get in 3 walks this week with Diane.  I am not teaching spin on Friday- since my 200 passengers depart on varying flights Friday, it's best that I am "on call" just in case someone misses their flight- which is a real possibility.   Planning on going dancing Wednesday & Friday and not have a super busy weekend ahead- although lots of holiday preparations to make.  I need to get my database cleaned up and ready for client holiday card sending and I need to update my website and take care of back office stuff.   Bill has a pedicure and I have a facial lined up for Saturday and my brother just invited us to see South Pacific at WHS Saturday night- seems my nephew is a stage hand and is dressed up like a sailor man- which would probably be worth the cost of admission to see.

Trying to also figure out what to do for my birthday- part of me would like to do something fun, but it sucks having a holiday weekend birthday...so who knows, plans may just not happen.  If I don't plan something this week and get it set up, I know it won't happen and maybe I'm ok with that...I could probably use the extra time over the weekend to get the house ready for the holidays!  Ugh...craziness!

Family means Everything!

I am sitting here in the guest room at Bill's brother's house.  We have been here since Thursday and we are having such a wonderful visit with his family.  Such a fun, warm-hearted family.  I'm actually ashamed that we have not been here to visit sooner, it's been 3 years since our last trip to Arizona.   We need to come visit more often -- Family is much too important!    We have been having a pretty mellow visit, not a lot of plans, just visiting.  Our previous visits (two of them) have been touring the Grand Canyon & Sedona  or involved with Wedding Plans when Bill's sister got married 3 years ago.  This time, it's just chillax time.  Something that we don't get to do very often.

We got in late Thursday- it was close to 9pm by the time we got to the house, such a long travel day.  We left our house at 1030am, had a 1pm flight that was delayed until 145pm- then it took over an hour to get the bags and rental car which put is in the heart of rush hour traffic in Phoenix,.  We finally got to Walmart around 7pm to do our nephew gift shopping and pick up a few grocery items which put us at Bill's family house around 830pm-9pm.  Luckily, the nephews don't have school on Fridays, so one was up, the other got up momentarily to say hello and we did get to visit some before crashing for the night.    Friday I overslept my alarm, but still managed to wake up early enough to still get to the gym in Prescott to take two classes.  I took a Body Pump class and then Body Flow.  Both classes were excellent and it was fun to take classes instead of teaching them.  Body Flow was AWESOME!!  I have loved teaching Yoga in the past, but have not loved taking Yoga from other instructors because classes can be so different one from the next.  Well Body Flow was so close to the yoga formats that I've taught, I felt like I was home again.  It was such an amazing class and I loved it!!   Two great instructors who team taught both classes (husband & wife)- they were super welcoming and I felt like I was at home.  Several regular gym members welcomed me and introduced themselves to me as I was definitely a "new face" to them.  The benefits of a small town!

I ran some errands on my way back to the in-laws house and then hung out with the family- mostly the nephews who were busy playing with their remote control combat trucks that Bill & I had bought for them- they loved their gifts!  It's fun to see them playing with them day after day!   Had a nice day, I felt super proud that I had gone to the gym, got my groove on and didn't feel guilty about enjoying the food and drink for the night!    Today the family was waking up fairly early for us (830am)- but that's sleeping in for most of Bill's family, so we got up, relaxed and eventually made it out to a local winery for wine tasting.  We are spoiled in California with the wine options, it was fun to get out and experience something - but our wines are superior!   The family made a great dinner: - roasted chickens,  baked potatoes, salad, homemade dinner rolls and then my sisters-in-law (Debbie & Sheila) surprised us with a cake- it was a "Happy Anniversary" cake with Mom & Day in big print..but then Cami & Fritz on one corner and Bill & Pam on the other corner- to celebrate all three of our anniversaries, even though ours was months ago.   I was very touched by this, it was very thoughtful to have included us in this, since we are not around when our anniversary takes place.  We ended the night after everyone dispersed back to their homes (all on the same property) in the hot tub.  Bill's brother Fritz & his wife Cami and the two of us sat out there, enjoying the hot tub and great conversation, while enjoying the beautiful night sky!  We saw at least 4 shooting stars and the amount of stars in general that we could see was unlike anything I've ever experienced.  They really do live in the boondocks where you don't have street lights and the night sky just illuminates the area!  Plus you are about 6000 feet closer to the stars than what we are used do with living at sea level.   It was simply spectacular!   So relaxing and enjoyable.

I am happy to say that when I weighed in before leaving on Thursday, the scale said 165- this meant 29 pounds lost to date and I was thrilled!!  I can confidently say I'm in the 160's and can feel good that the number will only go down- in other words, I won't be in the 170's again...EVER!    I am managing my weekly points pretty well.  I'm not getting a ton of activity this weekend, but didn't expect to.  Maybe tomorrow, Bill & I can go for a walk, we'll see.

All in all, this has been a great weekend and I am so happy that we get this time to spend with Bill's family.  I am spoiled that we live so close to my family and can see them as often as we wish.  Tonight we took a ton of family portraits- all the siblings, then siblings with spouses, then all girls, then all boy, then all in-laws....you get the idea, but it was fun and we were all cracking up so much that I doubt we have any photos where everyone is all smiling perfectly at the camera at the same time...too much laughter.  But it was a lot of fun!  I will upload some in a few days when we get back home!   One more day before we make the trek back home.  I fear the work that will be waiting for me when I get back.  It's going to be a busy one!

All Hell Breaks Loose!

Why does it seem that every time we plan to get out of town for a bit, all hell breaks loose?  It's only Tuesday and I feel like it really is time for the weekend!   Work has been insanely busy with changes on my huge group that I finalized last week - changes are inevitable, but just surprised at having them this soon.  Then got approval on a smaller group today for travel this weekend!  So that kept me pretty busy for awhile.   It just seems that no matter how hard I try to plan out my day, there always seems to be a curve ball.

Today's curve ball was my brother, who I love dearly.  Lord knows he has a lot on his plate and I can't even imagine how he gets up each day and functions.  But he faxed me last night the paperwork regarding his next Family Court appearance, he was supposed to fax this to me last week!  So now he's under the gun to file his response paperwork and because we are going away this weekend, my choices were either tonight or tomorrow night.  I knew that tomorrow night would mean no dancing and that would break Bill's heart.  He has been so supportive of my family and all the curve balls, there was no way that I was going to do that to him, especially since it is like our Friday (we fly out Thursday to Arizona)!  That meant tonight and when I really looked at the overall schedule of how things were going today- I had to find a sub for my Body Pump class.  That just about killed me because I love that class and hate that all these "subbing needs" are happening at the same time.   I was lucky enough to find someone to help out (thank you Al!), but I really missed being there tonight.

You do what you need to do for family, so I donated almost 3 hours of my time tonight researching for the proper forms, completing them, printing them, etc.  It will be so nice when he will no longer have to deal with her.  She is only in his life for money and when the courts finally cut her off, nobody will see or hear from her- very sad actually. Of course, it's not like she does anything for her kids even when she does have money!    There is something really wrong with our society when someone can "claim" disability for years like her and live off of the system and an ex-spouse all the while living with a boyfriend- where is the justice in all of that?  Really?   It's not like he's swimming in money- quite the contrary, he's bankrupt- literally!   Just makes me mad.

So tomorrow is "Friday" for me!  YAY!  Going to get up early (so off to bed NOW) and go take Body Pump at 7am, then walk with Diane & Pammy T.  Work, work, work all day and get things wrapped up so that we can go dancing tomorrow night.  I think I'll save packing for Thursday morning- it'll be easy, mostly lounging clothing since we're visiting family all weekend.

AWESOME Weekend...and Future Goals...

AWESOME!  Yes, one word to describe this weekend!   Had a super time dancing Friday night, we actually got an early start and met friend Cathy from High School at PF Chang's for dinner.  We had a wonderful visit - she used to live in So. California and recently moved up to Chico but her employer is located in Scotts Valley.  It was really nice to catch up and start the weekend earlier than normal for a Friday night!   Dancing was a lot of fun, got to spend some time with BFF Tiina, danced all our favorite dances and stayed relatively late for us on a Friday- almost 1am.   Had a great night sleep and felt refreshed Saturday morning.

I subbed Body Pump at PAC for Kristy on Saturday and it was a great class, my legs were tired after all the dancing the night before but it's amazing on what an energetic class can do to you - all of a sudden it's like "what legs"?  :)  I had a great compliment after class.  I always talk up push-ups when we get to the shoulder track in all BP classes that I teach.  Partly because I used to be a wimpy push-up person and in reality, I was just plain lazy when it came to push-ups.  I had plenty of excuses over the years (in my head) and didn't really think much about it when I was not teaching regularly.  However, ever since I have started teaching regularly and have my own classes, I bumped it up a notch and have been doing all my push-ups on my toes since August.  I even pick out tracks that have a lot of push-ups in them.  So I tend to challenge the class and explain to them that I was once lazy about my push-ups when I was not teaching for awhile and that there is no harm in trying a few on your toes- whatever you are able to accomplish today is more than you did last time- it's forward progress.  Well, this one member came up to me afterwards and thanked me for the push.  He explained that for whatever reason he's been doing push-ups on his knees forever and that day in class he answered my challenge and did 16 of the 24 singles on his toes.  He said he might have been able to do more, but decided to finish up on his knees.   I was so excited to get that sort of positive feedback and gave him a huge High Five, called him a Rock Star for doing it and thanked him for letting me know.  It really makes teaching so worth it all! That is why we do this, why we bring fun, hard working classes to our participants - to get this sort of feedback and see that they "get it"!  Very AWESOME!

After a few errands on the way home, it was time to get ready for a fun-filled AWESOME Saturday night!  Party Bus with 20 people from Redwood City to Shoreline for the Journey, Foreigner, Night Ranger concert- what a blast that was!!  Such a fun group of people, great show, all three groups were fabulous. Great music, great memories!  The weather was phenomenal - never put on my jacket, just amazing!  Party bus got us back to Redwood City around 1145pm, enjoyed a midnight snack and some conversation with Janet & Scott before heading to bed.  They stayed at "Horst Hotel" for the night.

We got up today and made a grubbin' breakfast along with Mimosas, watched the 49ers kick butt over Detroit, caught up on our Friday night programs and then had our couples massages!  I've been meaning to get some work done today- really have wanted to, but I keep staring at my pile of paperwork.  Maybe I'll get in an hour of work before hitting the sack tonight.

I weighed in and have lost another 1.2 for a total of 26.2 thus far.  YAY- some more progress.  Now I'm sure this weekend put a hurt on me.  PF Chang's is far from friendly on the point grid and of course a drinking/eating night like the concert...ugh!   Oh well,  I am living my life and losing weight- I have to realize that this is nothing like my first journey with WW when I was married to Ron.  He & I had no social life, so all I did was workout and never drank.  Life is much different this time around and I'm happy!   I am out of all weekly points right now and have dipped into my activity points, so I need to step it up the next couple of days.   We head to Arizona on Thursday to visit Bill's family.   A weekend full of challenges...but the good thing is that my mother-in-law and sister-in-law are also doing Weight Watchers, so I think that will help with regard to cooking more point friendly things.  We'll stop at the store on the way and stock up on things like my yogurt, eggs to boil, etc.  I have checked out a gym about 30 minutes away that offers Body Pump & Body Flow and am hoping to get there on Friday.  Now normally I sleep in on "vacations", but Bill's family has roosters...so I tend to wake up early when we visit- LOL.   I will say that I put on my Size 8 Christine Alexander jeans for the concert and they looked good!   It's very exciting to be able to pull out so many options from my closet right now!

I have been thinking about my next goals for weight loss and fitness.   I would like to lose 5 pounds by the next vacation (not Arizona)- but we go away in November for a week.  This gives me about 4 weeks to lose 5 pounds- might be a tiny bit ambitious, but going to shoot for it.  Then another 5 pounds by New Years.   That is 6 weeks to lose 5 pounds with all the holidays, my birthday and vacation to deal with.   In any case, 10 pounds by the end of the year from this point forward.   I have been in touch with the local YMCA's and I was actually hired by one of them over a year ago and have never been contacted to teach, which is not uncommon when you're the unknown sub on the list.  But I have been connected with the directors for the other Y's in the same network that are closer to me and that through that, I can get sponsored through them to take the next RPM training that comes to the area.  I'd like to take my cycle class experience up a notch and I think it would be great to teach both RPM and Spinning. Since both are copy write formats, I would only be able to teach RPM in a licensed facility like the Y.   So I'm excited to start pursuing this.

I'm thinking this week is going to be a little crazy busy with work, especially since I really only have 3 days to work.  We go dancing on Wednesday nights and Bill is already talking about how we can stay later this week since he doesn't go to work Thursday.   This means I really need to get all of my work done Wednesday so that I'm not scrambling Thursday to finish work, pack and get to the airport.   I will undoubtedly be doing some work while away, at least checking emails from my phone and if there is something urgent I will pop open the laptop and take care of it.   It's supposed to be in the high 70's, low 80's so hoping to get some sunshine by the pool!

So Monday is upon us once again- but I look back and am thankful for an AWESOME weekend!

Yes, it has been storming!!!

I could not have named my previous blog any more accurately.   I had one quiet day this week and the rest has been completely off the hook!   I knew that my upcoming Vegas group was going to be a pretty quick forming thing that would need a lot of immediate, intense attention  - so that has been my life the past couple of days!    I try to keep my eye on the prize and know that all of my hard work does pay off! I stayed up until 1am last night working on this group, got up at 5am to teach 6am spin and have been going, going, going, going all day long!  I am exhausted right now and plan to head up to bed after I post this entry!

I realized early on today that I was going to need a full day at my desk tomorrow, so I sent out the request for a sub for my spin class tomorrow.  Fortunately, Blair is able to teach for me  so I will be able to get a good night sleep and then get the group air manifests together in time for the 2pm deadline. There is no way I would have gotten that done if I was out of the office all morning.  I am bummed that I had a sub for my Body Pump class tonight, but I had a business meeting to attend and actually in hindsight- I would have not been in any good, physical shape to teach tonight.

I missed a call tonight from my nephew, then he texted and asked if we could talk later as he had something he wanted me to go over.  Well, finally- it was his college process stuff.  There is a survey that they have to complete for their counselors to request recommendations.  He wanted me to "proof" the survey before submitting it.  I was touched and also moved by some of his responses:

One of the biggest personal circumstances that has effected my educational experience in a positive and negative way was my parents divorce. The divorce itself was not the real problem, but rather the ripple effect. It made it where the only one raising me was my dad. At the same time as raising me and my brother he was also running his own business. This made it where I had to become much more independent because he did not have a lot of time to spend helping me while trying to keep his company afloat, keep the house from being foreclosed on, managing a bankruptcy, and fighting a lawsuit. It seemed that everything had come at our family at once. One positive thing that has come out of all these events is that I have become stronger and more independent and learned how to stay calm in difficult situations. Though there are many negative situations that I am surrounded by, the many things that can be learned from them are far more positive and important.

Wow- that's all I can say, what a resilient, young man he has turned into.  It makes me sad that he has had to grow up so early in life and deal with such "adult" issues at such a young age.  That is something that I would never have hoped for my family  - but he certainly has a stellar attitude about it all.  Very proud of him and really wish so much for him, he has such a bright future ahead of him as long as the black cloud that has followed his father for so long can dissipate!

So, WW has been pissing me off this week.  Monday the website went down- could not log in, then finally on my phone I was able to log my food, but the daily point allowance was all wrong- well that just plays such a psychological game with me.  I contacted them several times, get the generic responses, etc.  Today I finally got someone on the phone and they said they need to run an update to the system and they 'hoped' it would be done by Sunday.   Fun - NOT!   I am doing pretty well, been incredibly hungry and things are all starting to make sense....I FINALLY got my period!  It's only been 60 days since the last one - and really I am not complaining, would be happy to be done with that phase in my life- but I hate not knowing!   I was also very edgy earlier this week...so again it all makes sense!  I am hoping for a weight loss tomorrow, we will see.  My new bikinis arrived in the mail yesterday and I am excited to have some new ones for our next vacation- YAY!  

Well, looking forward to the  weekend...dancing tomorrow of course, subbing Body Pump Saturday for Kristy and then Saturday night the party bus to shoreline with a great group of people to see the Journey/Foreigner/Night Ranger concert.  BFF Janet and her BF Scott are going to crash at our place that night, we plan to cook breakfast and watch the 49er game.  My nephew wants to come over Sunday afternoon to go over more college application stuff- excited that he is starting to take interest in all of this- felt like pulling teeth there for awhile.   We have massages Sunday afternoon, which will be great- but I am a bit bummed that I won't be doing the Nike 1/2 Marathon on Sunday- I picked up my race packet today and passed it onto the gal who paid to "take my place" - darn foot!  It's going to be a beautiful day too- weather is amazing right now!

Ok- so off to bed I go- NOW!

Calm before the Storm...

I had a super crazy busy weekend.  We had a fun time dancing Friday night, went to dinner beforehand and Tiina met us there, so it was nice to have some chat time before dancing since we never get to talk once we start dancing the night away!   We danced a good 3 hours, my feet felt pretty good- I used my normal inserts since my orthotics don't fit in my dance boots- it seemed to be ok.   I am thinking that my problems are starting to heal themselves.

I taught two doses of Body Pump Saturday morning, Gold's & then Pacific Athletic Club ~ both went really well, great energy, fun classes and I am loving the new release.  It's a tough workout and a helluva lot of fun to teach.   I came home, made my corn dip for Brynn's birthday party and then relaxed on the couch for a few hours before it was time to get ready.  Was nice to have a little bit of down time.   We then got up to Diane & Mike's around 5pm to help get things ready for the party.  7 little girls for a "rock star" slumber party.  Fun times!   Of course, older cousin Morgan took care of the girls, so then the adults were able to relax fireside.  We had such a nice time with  Diane, Mike, Janet & Scott.  We didn't go home until 130am...and nobody fell asleep outside!   So happy for Janet and her new-found love with Scott, they are so well matched and he is such a nice guy.  I have not seen her this happy in such a long time.  It is very heart-warming to see.  They are like two teenagers and excitedly talking about their future plans together!  

Sunday came way too quickly and neither of us were full of energy, but we had to get up and out for the bus to the 49er game and WOW- what a game!! The Niner's killed Tampa Bay 48-3.  It was like watching the Niners of old and very exciting to see that we are 4-1 for the season thus far.  We may very well see a post-season this year, which will be a first in a long time!  It was a beautiful day at the Stick, they have made some stadium improvements that were noticeable and was overall a very nice day.  The perfect end to a great weekend!  

Monday came way too quickly...but started out right- on a spin bike at 6am subbing at the Palo Alto JCC.  Great group of people, I've been subbing the last 4 classes for Darlene while she is on her European Adventure and her class makes it very clear that when she can't teach, they want me to sub.  They are always super friendly and welcoming.  Then a nice 3 mile walk with Diane and off to work on Travel all day.  I made some progress on work things and fear that tomorrow is going to be off the hook crazy.  Working on a new group of 200+ people to Vegas in 3 weeks, so it's going to be nuts for the next week or so most likely.  I will be needing my laptop when we go to Arizona I think, but that's ok, I can do what is needed.

I was happy to see on Friday for my weigh in that the scale tipped back down into the 160's, making the downward progress that I worked very hard towards last week.  169 on weigh in day.  Of course after dancing Friday night, it was 168 Saturday morning--but that would be cheating...LOL  Hoping the weekend has not damaged this progress...so I am staying off the scale for a couple of days.  Today I have been in a panic because the WW website has been down and the mobile app is doing weird stuff so my point tally is all off - it's amazing how much I rely upon that logging.  I hope the site is back up tomorrow so I can get that on track.   My new bikini's arrive this week and I can't wait to try them on and hope they look decent...the countdown begins for the next vacation!     Bill took a picture of me at the 49er game and I keep looking at it because I actually look pretty good- you can see my waistline curve and things look smooth (no love handles).  I also was able to put on a brand new pair of black jeans that I probably bought 2 years ago that never fit ...felt great to put them on Sunday!

I am starting to think about broadening my fitness horizons.  I am having so much fun teaching classes again, now that I've been teaching so much lately and I want more.  I love sharing fitness with others, getting them excited to exercise and sharing quality programs that help people meet their goals.  There is no doubt the the Les Mills programs are the best out there, but they are not everywhere which is a problem.  I see that the Page Mill YMCA has RPM, which is the LM cycle program and I am thinking I would like to take that training to enhance my existing Spinning certification.  I would love to take on more formats, but I think one at a time is enough at the moment.   So something to think about there.  I also want to sign up for the Advance Instructor Training Module.  They just had a workshop this past weekend and a colleague attended- in fact, she had asked me a month ago if I was going to attend, but I was already scheduled to teach that day.  There is another one in November, but I will be out of town for that one too.  So no idea when they will have another, although I'm guessing it won't be until January- which with the holidays so close is probably a good thing.   Funny thing is that tonight Kristy blogged about trying to sign up for AIM 1 in November but had website problems, not sure if the training is full or if it was a computer glitch.  Sort of hoping that it's full so that she & I can take it together next time around - it would be fun to take it with someone I know.   The other fitness thought that I've had is to renew my certification for PiYo.  I did check on the site to find out what needs to be done- I can re-cert with a home study program and/or take an in person workshop for reduced cost.  So that is on the agenda to look into as well.

So a lot to be thinking of and yet not a lot of time...I must be crazy to want to add more onto my plate. Balance is something I keep saying I need to find, yet I get further and further away from it.  Sigh.   I sent out the Holiday party invites tonight- exactly 2 months until the date.  I bought 2 more Christmas gifts today also, but still have so much more to get!  Ugh!   I am definitely feeling the stress of the season, but much of that is the stress that I place upon myself to be done by 12/1 with all shopping, cards, wrapping & decorating.    And did I mention that I have one free weekend between now and the end of the year - November 5th & 6th.  Note to self:  DO NOT schedule anything that weekend!

Ok- time to de-stress and get my butt to bed..fortunately, not a super early morning and it is raining now, guess if it's still raining in the morning there might not be a walk...time to think about Plan B for the cardio workout.

Where do I begin?

Well, today was kind of a strange day.  I woke up in time for my walk with Diane, although I was secretly hoping that she would text me to cancel- really wanted to just lay in bed and listen to the rain- well it wasn't raining at that time either, which would have been a reason to cancel the walk.   I got my phone- no text.  Getting ready, my phone blings- "cool, a text" I think.  Well Diane was asking if we were walking because it was raining up by her house, but not hard.  I told her "yes, let's walk".  I was proud of myself because I could have taken the easy way out.  We had a good walk/talk session and seem to be doing our 3 mile gig faster each day.  I did well in my shoes with my orthotics..felt good.

Came home to start my work day, answered some emails and then felt lazy.  See I really did need to sleep in this morning.  Anyway, I had not gone to Angie's Zumba class in quite awhile and I found myself thinking that I could fit it into my schedule today- so I scrambled out of here at 1030am for her 1045am class.  She was so excited to see me there, I was happy to be there.  It's really cool to get a glimpse of yourself in the mirror while taking a class (something I don't get to do nearly often enough) and my first thing I noticed was that I did look thinner...then I noticed that I was beaming with an ear to ear smile. Angie's Zumba class does that to me, she has such infectious energy!  It was so far a pretty great day.

Spent the afternoon on travel work (not enough, I still have plenty to work on), and decided I would take my shower early and get ready for dancing tonight so that I would not let the lazy gene take over and cancel the dance plans.  Although, I really do like having a night home during the week and that is something we don't have very much of lately.   We went dancing and had a decent time.  It was a small crowd tonight and I felt a little less energetic tonight- gee perhaps it was the walk and zumba from earlier.  I had hoped to try my orthotics in my dance boots, but they would not fit.  So I decided to put them into my dance gym shoes and they fit, but I still had some discomfort during the evening and it made dancing just not a lot of fun.  I was happy to see 10pm roll around so we could come home.   So I think dancing will be the one non-orthotic activity.  I'll have to use my boots with their normal inserts.  Usually, my foot doesn't bother me dancing, so hopefully that will remain the same and dancing won't irritate my foot problem.  

Bill had asked me a valid question tonight and I'll have to remember to ask the Foot Dr. when I go for my follow up visit.  Will these orthotics be a way of life forever now or will my foot "heal" and I'll be able to go back to my normal shoes w/o orthotics.   Who knows.   Overall, right now my feet are feeling better using the orthotics on my walks and today's Zumba class was pretty good also.  I would usually experience some numbing in my left foot on occasion during Zumba, but not today.  I'm optimistic with a tiny bit of guard. 

Today Steve Jobs, CEO and Co-Founder of Apple passed away.  56 years old.  Facebook was flooded with "RIP" messages and links to famous quotes and videos of his.  I was particularly drawn to his commencement speech that he presented to the Class of 2005 Stanford Graduates.   Quite inspirational.     

Something like this makes you a bit more reflective than you would normally be.   I had a long conversation with my brother tonight and we were talking about Jobs and his speech - my brother was also moved.   This lead to a discussion about "life" and actually got to be quite philosophical.  I really do worry about my brother.  He has had so much CRAP to deal with over the last 5 years and I honestly don't know how he keeps on keepin' on.  I mean how can one person have so much shit delivered upon them and still go about their daily lives?   Just when things start looking up, it's the classic two steps forward and one step back, hell sometimes it's three steps back.    I often question how such negative crap can happen to a truly good person.  Sure, he has his faults - we all do, but he really is good person with a big heart.  It's that big heart that has gotten him into trouble- he gives and give and gives and unfortunately gets taken advantage of by greedy, selfish people.   If he weren't my brother, he'd still be a friend (we can't choose our family, but we can choose our friends).  I am at such a loss talking to him because I have absolutely no answers for him.  His crap has been going on for so damn friggin' long and seriously I just don't know how he has dealt all this time.   I feel helpless.  He needs things to turn around for him and there is no time to wait.  Patience is long gone and the clock is ticking.   One day at a time....guess that's all we can focus on for the time being. 

Today was a Good Day!

I woke up rested. I might have gone to bed at 1230am..but I did not have my alarm set until 750am..other than the obligatory trip to the potty room around 5am..I slept and I slept very well!  I woke up sore--was it yoga from yesterday or was it the new orthotics- guess I'll never know that answer for sure.  Met Diane and Pam T. for our 3 mile walk- I changed out the orthotics into my second pair of walking shoes and did much better today, was not in the same pain that I had yesterday.  I actually kept the shoes on all day long.  They say to wear them 1-2 hours the first day and then add an hour each day until you can wear them for a full day.  The counted hours do not include standing or sitting..so figured I was safe since I am at my desk during the day.  I taught Body Pump in them tonight and did not experience any issues during lunges- which was the tough track with foot pain that I've been working through for the last month.  Me thinks these inserts may actually be good.

I am even more sore tonight, which I think I can thank Body Pump 79 for that!  I taught my first class with the new release tonight and it doesn't matter how much I know the new release, butterflies seem to always knock me off kilter someplace during class.  Nothing noticeable to the class, but noticeable to me, but I guess if we were all perfect, it would be a pretty boring world.  I had a nice chat with one of the participants after class and she was saying how hard the release was and that she was so happy to see such a challenging release.  Her name is Angela and she has been at every class that I've taught at Gold's- she's a ROCK STAR!   I thought it was super nice that she helped me put away my equipment at the end of class also-- that is something that I have always done for my instructors when I've been a participant - even now when taking classes from my friends, I help them clean up.

I received two compliments today.  Patricia, our house cleaner came today and this was her first time here in about 2 months since she just had a baby 3 weeks ago (talk about Rock Star!)..and she noticed that I had lost weight, which made me feel really good- this coming from someone who didn't know that I was "trying" to lose weight.  Then a bit later my friend Maura dropped by to pick up some Giants memorabilia stuff that I received for her and she said she could totally see the weight loss and commented that "I'm sure people who see you all the time don't notice as much, but I have not seen you in a few months- I can tell".  Helps to validate the fact that the scale does not always reflect reality.

My nephew got his Driver's License today and I think he may actually have a glimmer of excitement about that, even though he has had ZERO interest in getting it for the last two years.  It's been like pulling teeth for him to take the test and get it!

I got a lot of travel work done, almost done with two of my groups and another one is now kicking into gear (small one), but should have a group of 250 people starting to kick into gear in the next couple of days (pending approval from the powers that be).  Hoping for another productive day tomorrow.  Now, I see the light at the end of today's tunnel and it's called BED with FRESH SHEETS!!  A.K.A. - HEAVEN!

Ouch!


Ouch applies to so many things right now.  Ouch the scale didn't really budge on Friday..Ouch the weekend went by too quickly..Ouch it's raining on 10/3 and I'm starting to freak out that the Holidays are right around the corner and I'm in no way close to being prepared like I normally am by now...Ouch my foot hurts after my first walk with my custom orthotics...ouch my whole body hurts - could be the orthotics or teaching yoga today after not teaching/taking it in over a month.
So much to be "ouching" about! 


So the scale isn't moving and I am getting a little frustrated.  I am keeping track of my points diligently but do see that I am eating more than normal.  Could I be "storing up for winter"?- I've talked to other people who have said they feel like they have been eating more the last couple weeks also.  Maybe it's a seasonal thing that our bodies kick into.   I think I am officially on a plateau and I need to do something about it ~ just not sure what.  Our dancing has been lacking, we didn't go Friday night (that's two fridays in a row)- we were both tired, in fact Bill was in bed by 10pm!   Saturday I taught two awesome classes in South San Jose and then we went to the Roy Cloud Spaghetti fund raising dinner and up to Casa McClymond for fireside fun.  Sunday was all about football and naps on the couch!   Overall, a good weekend - but lacking movement on Friday night and Sunday! I love this picture of the "girls":

HELLO MONDAY!
I did my first walk today- the normal 3 mile loop using my custom orthotics for the first time. Well as soon as I put them on my feet I knew it wasn't going to be pleasant.  They do warn that you need to break them in, adding an hour each day.  They also warn that your legs, ankles, knees back may hurt during the breaking in point.  So I am sort of thinking- why do I hurt?  is it a good hurt?  Interestingly, my trouble area on my left foot was fine- no burning feeling at all...it was my arch that was killing me.  The orthotics have a really stiff/hard plastic support around the arch and that is what was hurting me- my foot still hurts in that area.  Now the right foot doesn't hurt at all, so I'm guessing that arch support is different on my left due to my other problems.  I'm hoping that "this too shall pass".  I know that my walking has slowed down and I've been apprehensive to do anything else fitness wise - other than teaching spin & body pump: two classes I know I can do.  But I'm dying to get out on some long walks again and take Zumba and Kickboxing classes to change things up.  Patience was never a strong suit of mine.  


Hoping to go for a walk tomorrow, but the rain has come early this year and if it's raining we won't go walking.  I need to figure out a backup plan to get in some form of cardio.  I am launching the new Body Pump 79 tomorrow night, so I am planning on going to the 6am class tomorrow just to "run through" the moves with light weights before I have to teach it for the first time.  I love the new release: music and moves! 


Speaking of rain..it has rudely awakened me to the fact that it is October and we are getting very close to the holidays once again.  When I look at the calendar, we have very few weekends open between now and January and I am very behind with my shopping.  I need to get moving on that right away.  I am getting a little overwhelmed thinking about it.  Have to get party invites out, have to get some ideas for gifts and I'm blank on some people.   I have been very diligent the last several years to have all gifts shopped for and wrapped by Thanksgiving and I usually decorate Thanksgiving weekend.  Cards go out sometime between Thanksgiving & December 1st.  Not sure I will get help from my nephews this year, I think they are getting too old for it ~ even though I do pay them.  May be time to move onto other "kids" who are willing to do the grunt work of stuffing, licking and stamping envelopes...to the tune of 500 approximately!  It's a project!  Oh, but then again I need to get my photos uploaded to Shutterfly so I can design and order my cards first!  That's the other project, I am almost 2 years behind on my photo books.  I swore I'd keep up with those on a regular basis ~ really not sure how I let that get so behind.  


Ok- enough doom and gloom and OUCH!   Time to get this aching body into bed..I'm sure it aches due to the orthotics and also from yoga today!  Yoga feels so good in the moment, but when you have not done it for awhile, it bites you back!  (Of course, you can say that about any fitness activity)

I Said I wouldn't, but I still am....

Why is that scale so darn tempting??!!!  Even though I know in my head that I should not weigh in every day- I am still doing it.  I am seeing the number go down...so that is good.  But I find it quite amusing that we do place so much validity on that little piece of equipment.  

Today, I was exhausted and skipped my morning walk (partly due to exhaustion, but my foot was also troubling me)- I decided to go back to bed after taking my nephews to school.  I slept until 1130am and then hit the desk with a vengeance- was extremely busy, but still had a very productive day!   In any case, I got up, decided I would weigh myself, but didn't want to take off my pj's since I planned on working in them today (a true luxury of working from home from time to time).   The scale said 170.6.   So then I got curious- after all, this was good- the darn thing was close to 173 the other day when my vacation must have "caught up" to me.   I wondered how much my pj's and socks weighed and I normally weight myself in the buff.  So I stripped down to my birthday suit and got on the scale- STILL 170.6...I did this 4 times, same reading.  I put my pj's back on, got on the scale again and STILL 170.6.   I know my pj's weigh something-  .2 or .3 or something...so now I'm beginning to wonder just how reliable that darn thing is anyway!

Nuts, that's what it will do to you, drive you nuts!   Funny thing tonight I get home from my BodyPump class and go to take a shower.  I notice my towels are not hanging properly- this is always the "sign" that my  husband has weighed himself.   So I start to chuckle because this means that he came home from work, after going to the gym and decided to weigh himself....so it's not just a girl obsession...it's a losing weight obsession.  I asked him "how was your weigh in tonight?" - he laughed because he knew how I knew and said that it was much better than Saturday's weigh in day for him.  I teased him back and said "were you checking to see how your two nights at the gym sized up on the scale?"  Oh the games we play with ourselves.

I received a nice, encouraging email tonight from my friend Katy and she included a link to a blog about the scale and why we should toss them out:  http://everydaypaleo.com/2011/06/22/attention-scale-addicts-part-2/   Now although it makes a lot of sense and it's pretty "telling", I'm still not sure I am ready to part with my scale!   Maybe once I get to a desired "size", then I can get rid of the scale.

This brings me to another point.  Everyone says, don't pay attention to the scale and that number, pay attention to the measurements and how your clothes feel.  I totally agree with this- how your clothes look & feel are a true testament.  However, anyone else ever notice how clothes these days, more and more are manufactured with more elasticity?   For a very long time, prior to this weigh loss journey start, I was wearing size 12 jeans and I would be scared to death to wash them, because I was afraid they would not fit again and I was not going to go buy 14's.  I would wear my jeans 5-8 times before washing them- I mean I'm not dirty, I wear undergarments, so unless I spill something on them- do they really need washing (that was the mentality)?!  So now the 12's are very loose and I wash them after each wear or two.  Now I play the game with the 10's and I even have a pair of size 8 capris that are fitting now, but I'm sure that they were probably stretched out to be a size 10 over the years...
It's just a bit crazy the games that we play with ourselves...but we have a lot of help from outside influences too!   Heck, 12 years ago when I did the WW journey for the first time--it was cotton leggings that got me into some trouble- you never really knew you were getting fat- you were wearing stretch pants!

Anyway, based on my scale cheating, I do expect to be back in the 160's by weigh day on Friday, although it is tempting to change weigh day to Saturdays after a good night of dancing!  That's what Bill did- he liked his Saturday morning numbers much more than Friday...and the game continues!

Monday already?

Well, I am certainly NOT ready for this week that faces me.  It is going to be a VERY busy week with travel and I should have gotten some quotes done today, but I was in major LAZY mode.   I still have my pile of work sitting here next to me, but have I touched it- no!  Meanwhile, I've gotten two new trip requests today from brand new people!   Sometimes it takes this craziness for me to button down the hatches and get focused...here's hoping for that!

The weekend was good- a birthday party for our two nieces Kinsley & Shelby who will be 5 & 4 in the next 30 days.  We stayed in Friday night, which was needed after a long day that had started early for me with 545am spin.  Saturday before the birthday party I subbed two classes at Gold's - spin and then Body Pump.   The Spin class was not good.  This is the second time I've subbed for the same instructor and the first time some of the members got on my case for teaching a 45 minute class (the schedule says its 45 minutes, I didn't know that the instructor usually went about 50-55 minutes)- I had gotten lots of great feedback though from other members that day about my cues and reminding them of good form and explaining why we want to climb this way or sprint this way.   They made it very clear to me that they don't get that sort of instruction very often.  Sad.  So I went to sub the same group of people again and before class even started one person asked me if I was teaching a 45 minute class and I told her that I had a 57 minute CD I was playing and that we'd probably be done about 55 minutes.  She seemed pleased with that reply.  However, the class had about 1/2 of the participants that just would not do what I was instructing:   we were doing a seated climb and several were out of the saddle, we were doing seated sprints and several would stand going as fast as they could without resistance,  some riding flats with "no hands" , even after I'd continue to reiterate what they should be doing and why, I got some people chuckling.  It really pissed me off, but I refrained from saying anything to them.  I continued to teach and was thankful when it was all over.  I might as well have been a DJ for them and told everyone to "have fun for the next hour, ride however you like" because it really didn't matter what I was instructing, they were going to do their own thing.  I have NEVER been so disrespected in a class like that before, EVER in 11 years!   Now people like this don't just do this because there is a sub, which now makes me wonder what does the regular instructor teach?  I mean I honestly think that she probably lets them do whatever they want and that is not what we are hired to do- we are supposed to be leading a safe class so that members have an enjoyable and effective workout.  I know that each class has a certain style and we as instructors all have our own styles of teaching, but this type of reception from participants is not right and uncalled for to say the least. I can't change them in one class- afterall, "I am the sub"- my word doesn't mean crap to them vs. the regular instructor.

Body Pump was fantastic though- had a decent size class, some of the members I knew from my Tuesday class- great form, high energy and they worked it hard.  So thankful for a good class to help me get over the crappy Spin class.  I will go back and sub these guys ANYTIME!  They were fabulous!

We went dancing Saturday night and had a really good dance night- I danced more than Bill but only because I know many more dances than he does, but I think he was happy to have gone out and got some movin' & groovin'!    Today I slept until noon and could have slept longer, it was a need for the bathroom and the desire to see how the 49ers were doing that got me out of bed!   I remained on the couch the rest of the afternoon in PJ's, watched some of our shows from the week that we had missed.  It was divine!  

I decided to get on the scale this morning- and I know I should practice what I preach, by not getting on the scale anyday other than weigh day- but I think I was a bit in disbelief that I was still in the 160's on Friday after vacation, so sure enough I got on the scale and weighed in 3 pounds heavier than Friday.  Ugh!   I know that vacation was not good, was expecting a negative result, but I had kicked things into high gear since being back and thought that would have negated the effects..guess not.   I also think that things are a little screwy with my system- I know I am peri-menopausal and my cycles are very inconsistent right now...from a  20   day cycle to what is now a 43 & counting day cycle...still waiting...that could have something to do with my lack of significant change on my weight as well.  I figured that I should take measurements though to really validate the progress that I am making and I am making progress.  I do know that muscle weighs more than fat and I've been doing a lot of Body Pump in the last month....that's got to have some impact as well.

The last time I measured myself was 8/9/11 - so about 6 weeks and I have made progress:  1/4 inch on my arms, 1/4 inch around the chest, 1/2 inch on the waist, 1/4 inch around the tummy, 1/2 inch on the hips, 3/4 inch on the thighs, 1/4 inch on the calves.  The interesting thing- my weight this morning was only 1 pound lower than what I logged on 8/9/11.  I was a bit in disbelief that I really have not made any progress on the weigh in number in this amount of time.  But then again, the measurements do show that I've made progress...the mind games can drive you crazy if you let them.

Hoping Friday will bring a good weigh in and hopefully I can reverse the impact of vacation.  I am not teaching a lot of classes this week- 3 Body Pumps, 3 Spins.  I plan on walking 4 times with Diane this week, Dancing with hubby twice and hope to schedule in a few other visits to the gym.  I am tempted to join a fellow instructor Saturday for the launch of the new Body Combat and Body Flow releases at the Y, but am a bit leery after teaching two classes that morning myself...I'll decided soon.

Two Day Work Weeks are not fun!

Wow, I really earned this Friday night!  Back to work Thursday after Palm Springs and it was like  a Monday on Crack.  Just non-stop requests to take care of and 4 decent size groups to work and get quotes for- with ever changing dates.  Just a little nuts!   Today...more of the same, although I was able to make some progress on two of the groups - a little more finalization accomplished!   Still plenty of work left to do and I am hoping to set aside Sunday to really accomplish a lot.  I need to buckle down because next week will just be 5 more days of the same!

My saving grace these past two days- teaching classes at the gym and getting my body moving after a lazy five days down south!  I unfortunately did not teach the 6am spin class Thursday morning - I really tried, but as best I can tell after all this time of eating "better", I don't think my system approved of Chevy's Wednesday night.  Without going into TMI, I was a bit afraid to not be close to a bathroom, so I called & the club manager said they would cancel the class.  It is always a small class (2-3 people), so I hope that whoever did show up was not super disappointed.  Lord knows I've gone sick to many 6am classes before with Kleenex, Theraflu, Cough Drops- you name it, just to not disappoint the early risers!  I just couldn't do it.   I was much better by mid-day and several trips to the potty room!

I taught my Thursday night Body Pump class and really am feeling like we are becoming a family.  I'm learning names, we're chit-chatting before and after class, getting to know one another.  Lots of smiles during class.  I thoroughly look forward to seeing them each week!   Friday started with an early spin class at Crunch and once again, I tweaked my knee (recurring injury that flares up)..I ended up getting a sub for my 915am spin at the JCC so that I could rest my knee and ice it up- seemed to do the trick.  I was in good shape to sub Body Pump tonight at PAC.

I love subbing at PAC!  People are so darn friendly and warm!  My buddy Kevin, a participant who used to take my Body Pump class at 24 hour fitness 10 years ago is a member at PAC and I see him every once in awhile in classes, but almost always see him when I sub for John.  Well, he showed up and paid me such a great compliment,  "When I found out you were subbing tonight, I changed my plans and am not attending a dinner party so I could take your class."  That just made my night- I was beaming with smiles.   I had several members come up afterwards and tell me what a wonderful class it was and how they really appreciated the time I took to go over form.   In fact, I had seen a few people doing the Clean & Press incorrectly (doing the reverse curl instead) and during our first "bar down" break, I reiterated what I was seeing and for everyone to really take notice of their form and I saw instant corrections on the next round of Clean & Presses - it was pretty awesome!  Of course, every class has to have that one participant who lifts too much in biceps and rocks their body all over the place...couldn't get her to stop no matter how I tried with my general comments to the class.  Never fails the one person you really want to talk one on one with after class, is always the one who leaves during abs or the stretch.   In any case, it was a fabulous class and a greatly attended class- we had 20 people for a 630pm Friday night class!  WOW!

I received an email today from my boss at Gold's, she was actually looking for a sub for 4 spin classes at the Palo Alto JCC while she is on vacation and she prefaced the request by saying that her class specifically requested me to sub in her absence.  She said that they are so hard to please and she was hopeful that I could sub for her.  I am available- so adding 4 classes to the next two weeks for those!   I will round out September with 27 taught classes in total, not bad for being gone 5 days.  I've also taken several clases and gone on several walks.   I have 16 classes on the calendar for October so far...but plenty of time to pick up some more and we are gone for another 5 days to visit Bill's family...I actually have subs for 3 of my own classes in October!

Fitness fun is going well.

I did get on the scale this morning and was pleasantly surprised that I am still in the 160's after our crazy eating out vacation in Palm Springs!  I've stayed pretty stagnant on the weight loss the last few weeks- too many eating out things, but that is dwindling down and I should be back on track once again.  It feels GREAT to have my point bank account back again - I don't like the negative points at the end of the week!  

Now off to bed, must get up early- picked up a 9am spin class to sub since I was already going to be at the same gym for 1030am Body Pump.  3 Pumps in 3 days- my legs are already mush from all the squats and lunges...just one more day - then Sunday is rest day!

The party is OVER...time to get back in the Saddle again...

Back from Palm Springs- to date have only earned 29 activity points- I've used them ALL, have used ALL weekly points and am currently sitting in a NEGATIVE 74 points for the week- OUCH!  This has got to be the worst tally since I started Weight Watchers back in May.   We really have not traveled since I started - we did have our Anniversary Cruise, but that was 3 nights of lots of dancing..so the activity was there!  

We were lazy these past few days ~ sleeping in, watching TV in bed until 1-2am (Bill of course out like a like as soon as his head hits the pillow), lounging by the pool and enjoying good food!   Now on one hand, taking the time off of activity was probably a good thing for my foot, to help give it a chance to start healing and I am having a few other issues (a knee issue that comes and goes and a shoulder issue as well)- so I'm sure many of my wise friends would say that my body has been talking to me and I have not been listening.   I hope the body enjoyed the few days off ~ because tomorrow GAME ON!  

6am Spin will start off my day, I may (or may not) stick around for 7am Pilates/Yoga fusion class and finish off the day with 630pm Body Pump.  Must review my choreography sometime tomorrow to refresh ~ I was going to put together a new playlist- maybe I'll piece together a new one from the last couple to change it up a little bit.  Have been devoting a lot of time to Release 79 since most clubs will be launching the first two weeks of October- I need to be prepared with that.  Loving the music and loving the choreography so far.  I need to DO the release with my bar to practice the movements and transitions ~ that should happen this weekend.    I have three classes on Friday plus a night of dancing with the wonderful hubs...and am teaching one class Saturday for sure, but told another instructor that if he really couldn't find anyone, I could help him with another class that same day- we'll see.

Happy to say that this coming week on WW should be relatively easy- only one "occasion" - a birthday party Saturday for our two nieces: Kinsley & Shelby...will make sure I eat before going so I won't be tempted with all the snacky food that you find at parties.  My plan is to not use any Activity points this coming week and would hope to see the scale go back in the right direction.   I'm a bit nervous about the scale on Friday- I'm probably OK with 1-2 pounds up, but anymore and I'll be a little pissed off!  Of course, I'd rather not see any gain- but I know what the points tell me.

Tonight at Chevy's was a bit of a disappointment for me..I ordered my beloved Steak Quesadilla and it really was not that great- I think it was a fluke, or maybe I've just had this Quesadilla up on a pedestal all this time!  The Steak really was not good.  I ate it, but probably would have been happier to have just had chips & salsa all night!   Now WW says that this Quesadilla is some crazy 38 points or similar- I don't believe that.  Now I know the "set up" is pointed with the sour cream and guacamole, but I ordered without the "set up"- that has to knock off at least 8 points.  Then when I calculate all the component points for tortillas, cheese, steak - i calculate something around 22-24 points and back on the "old plan" when I had put in the calories/fat/fiber it used to be 18 points- so I really don't see how it could have increased by so much more.   Anyway, I won't have to spend a lot of time worrying about this...this less than pleasant experience has been good for me- no desire to go to Chevy's anytime soon!

Ok- well off to bed, it's going to be a crazy two day work week for me - lots of things to work on and quotes to put together!  Yikes!  Looking forward to the weekend...it's going to be filled with healthy things:  eating right, working out, dancing and being productive!

Vacation is Tough on WW!!

Sitting here in Palm Springs after a very indulgent dinner and feeling like a huge tub-a-lard!   I have to say that being in vacation is certainly a challenge being on WW, but we are doing as much as we can to be "good"- I mean you have to find a balance between enjoying your vacation and trying to stay on program.  We are on plan up until the evening- that is when all hell breaks loose.   I guess all in all, I'm not doing too terribly all things considered.  We did go shopping and stocked up on our breakfast/lunch things so that we could dine out for dinner.  But it's not like us to go out to dinner and order a glass of wine- it's a bottle.  I think the problem is that at home- we don't have a full bottle, but we don't have just one glass- somewhere in the middle  - you can't order 1.5 glass of wine in a restaurant.   Oh well, guess it's a learning process.  We agreed we would not have dessert every night while on vacation and tonight was the first night.  That was probably the nail in the coffin for how I'm feeling right now!

Ok- it's done, it is what it is  - tomorrow is a new day and our last day on vacation, although I have one more eating out function when I get home Wednesday night and it's Chevy's- one of my weaknesses.  I have actually  not gone to Chevy's but once since starting WW back in May.  Too much temptation and now I know what my Quesadilla adds up to in points!

I have not been very successful with the gym program down here.  I had contacted the two Gold's Gyms nearby to get their guest policy and was armed with their schedules for Body Pump and Body Combat...well today I had set my alarm for 7am to make it to the 8am Pump class...to my dismay at 830am, I discovered that I has set my alarm for 7pm- a huge "thank you" to 40's eye-sight- the AM and PM on a digital watch look pretty darn close to each other!   So I did not make it to Body Pump today.  The evening classes are tough given the not wanting to eat dinner at 8pm- we'll see what tomorrow holds- might just be another walk- we did go walking for an hour today and then we walked to/from dinner- which was about 20 minutes each way.  So better than nothing.  I still have not swam!  I brought my goggles so that I could do laps, but I think part of me is a bit afraid that I may have forgotten how to swim! really?!!??!!  Again, tomorrow is another day!

Prior to going on vacation, I did weight in on Friday and the scale has not budged- I guess that's better than going up- although after this vacation, I would be very surprised if the scale doesn't go up.  Part of me is ok with that, I've been making such progress that I think a plateau was inevitable- so maybe these few days will jump start me into another losing spree!   Two steps forward, one step back ~ or something like that!

It was very exciting though to put on a bikini that I have not worn for 4+ years and although it didn't look perfect, it wasn't hideous either!   Bill will be very honest with me, so I know if he let me out of the villa wearing it, it was acceptable.  

We are having a very relaxing time here and I'm trying to stay away from work- I will probably have a few things that will need my attention tomorrow, but it's all good!  Our last day- already!  So we will get some more fun in the sun time and one last dinner out before heading back home Wednesday.   Back to working my ass off once again!

MY Left Foot!

Well today was the day that I finally went to see a foot Doctor to find out why I get pain in my left foot during a long walk- 5+ miles is usually the key.  I don't have any pain during other activities, so it was time to get answers, even though I've been in denial.

So after an hour in the reception waiting area, I was finally taken to an exam room then seen about ten minutes later.  He did some looking at my foot, watching me walk and then said he was pretty sure it might be a genetic thing, but wanted to get an X-Ray to confirm.  A little more waiting for the X-Ray and then voila- my left foot:

Now I have added some arrows to the photo- not sure you can really see it.  But I basically have a foot defect.  The part where the toe bones are connected to the foot bones with ligaments is where you want to look and ideally you want each toes connector point to be lined up from one side to the other.  My big toe connecting point is quite a bit lower than the connecting points for my 2nd and 3rd toes.  That is where I experience the pain and culprit for the pain.  Now I've had this all my life, it was most likely aggravated last year during the Nike 1/2 Marathon when I experienced shooting pain in my hip and had "worked through" that pain by walking a bit differently.   Sigh.    The Dr. said that since I only have pain on the long walks, that the best remedy right now would be to get custom orthothics for my feet to help support that section of ligaments.  If I had pain all day long regardless of what I was doing- then it would be surgery to cut the bones and match them up- Yuck!  I'm not a good candidate for surgery on the psychological plane!

The Orthothics have been casted and ordered, I should have them in approximately 3 weeks.  So this forced me to make a decision about this years Nike 1/2 Marathon.  Even though I might have the inserts about a week before the race, I would more then likely not have enough time to test them out on a long enough walk to make sure I  would not be in trouble on the race.  So I am going to pass on the race this year.  I guess it was meant to be since we were invited to join a party bus the night before to the Journey/Foreigner/Night Ranger concert that we've had tickets for since May!  Now I won't have to worry about getting home early that night and getting to SF at the crack before dawn!

Hoping that this works.  I am not a fan of pain, especially pain that slows me down and keeps me from my activities!

Other than my 3 hours at the Dr. office, I did have a great Monday- taught Body Pump, went for a 3 mile walk with Diane, taught spin and then had our first Tap Dance class tonight at the Rec. Center.  It was fun, but maybe not the best thing for my foot. :(  Bill did give me a nice massage when we got home.  I will put in my non-custom inserts for our next class for a little extra support and/or put some moleskin in that area to help cushion.  I never realized or remembered that so much of tap is done on the toes/balls of your feet- my trouble area!

Should work on travel stuff, but going to get to bed early.  I need more sleep and this is my chance- I don't have to get up super early tomorrow, but it would be nice to get in some Yoga before my 820am walk with Diane!

Now for some ZZZZzzzzzzzzz's!

WOW- it has been awhile.
I should really be heading to bed right now, but I am still on the awake side even though I have an early morning tomorrow.


September is not quite as crazy as August was - but I am still teaching a ton of classes.  So far this month I have taught 10 classes and have taken 7 other classes/walks as well.  Bill & I took a 9 mile walk on Labor Day and it was beautiful.  I did have some issues with my foot again after about 5 miles and seems it is aggravated by mileage and then further with downhills after a certain mileage point.  I finally broke down and have an appointment tomorrow to see the foot Dr.  I hope it's something easily remedied because I don't need something  like this to interfere with "life".  Although, on the up side, the foot does not bother me for spin, Body Pump, Yoga or dancing- so definitely walking related. Sigh.


I am teaching 8 classes this week (M-F), have 2-3 walks scheduled and we start our tap dance class tomorrow (well technically today since it is officially after midnight).  We will also go dancing Wednesday night.  We have other plans this Friday night and leave early Saturday for a nice Palm Springs getaway, which I'm looking forward to the down time for sure!  Then I have another 9 classes waiting for me when we get back through the end of the month.  So I will end September with having taught 27 this month.   I am thrilled that I now have another Body Pump class to call my own - Thursday nights at Fitness 101, it's a small class- so I am hoping that I can do some promotions to get more people into that class.  Maybe a contest of sorts.  We'll see.  


I am still thoroughly enjoying teaching so much.  I feel like I am back in my element and it's great connecting to the members and seeing them enjoy the classes.   It's been fun reviewing old choreography and even in spin class, I've been digging out some old playlists and having fun with that as well.  It's all good!


My WW journey is going pretty well, but slower than I would prefer.  I think the Labor Day weekend did me in.  A lot of eating out and not nearly enough activity.  We didn't go dancing that Friday night, I actually chose to stay home and had a wonderful phone conversation with Tiina, we talked for close to two hours and it was awesome.  When we see each other, we're always dancing and don't get to talk much, so it was a welcomed luxury.  Saturday after the Giants night game, we went to help Julie celebrate her 50th and didn't expect there to be dancing- but there was a DJ and we danced for about 2 hours non-stop. We had a blast.  Then of course that 9 mile walk on Monday.  It was still a very nice weekend though.  We also saw the movie "The Help" which was very good.  We finished off the holiday weekend with dinner out for Jocelyn's birthday at Benihanas - which overall, not too point unfriendly - except for the fried rice, who can resist that?


So after the holiday weekend, I was out of weekly points and still had a few more "occasions".  Diane's birthday was over the weekend, so we went out to dinner during the week. It was nice going out with a group of ladies who all want to be aware of the eating- so a couple of us shared entree's - it was perfect.  So I know I had to spend activity points, but it would have been much worse if we weren't sharing!   I did not expect the weigh in this past Friday to be good and there was no change from the previous week- so I sit at a total loss to date of 26 pounds- over 19 weeks on WW.


Friday started a new bank of points and right now, Sunday night I am almost out of them!  It's been another very social weekend.  Between Friday's Ship Tour in SF, dinner our Friday night with Bill before dancing.  I did cook dinner Saturday night, but ate a bit more than necessary in an effort to fuel up for dancing, but we ended up staying in Saturday night instead.  Today we had the Giants game and ate there, but then also went out to dinner on the way home.  Bottom line, we love good food and neither of us are fond of cooking.  So it's back on track tomorrow so that I can conserve the rest of the points I have left in the weekly bank- although one more Giants game on Wednesday ~ hopefully, all the activity this week will help! 


So Palm Springs will be a challenge for sure.  But I know that Bill & I will go for walks, I plan to swim- which is a treat for me and we will find a place to go dancing.  I've called ahead to two Gold's gyms and found out their guest policies- so I plan to go take Body Pump and Body Combat while down there.  Hoping the resort has a convenient yoga schedule.   We will make sure to eat as normally as possible...it will really only be a problem for one meal a day, I'm hoping.  We want to be "good", but also want to enjoy vacation.  Fingers crossed.


Everything else in life is good.  I mean sure I question things from time to time.  I can get very pensive at times.  I am learning some valuable lessons.  I am learning that there is most certainly some validity behind this poem:

Reason, Season, or Lifetime

People come into your life for a reason, a season or a lifetime.
When you figure out which one it is,
you will know what to do for each person.

When someone is in your life for a REASON,
it is usually to meet a need you have expressed.
They have come to assist you through a difficulty;
to provide you with guidance and support;
to aid you physically, emotionally or spiritually.
They may seem like a godsend, and they are.
They are there for the reason you need them to be.

Then, without any wrongdoing on your part or at an inconvenient time,
this person will say or do something to bring the relationship to an end.
Sometimes they die. Sometimes they walk away.
Sometimes they act up and force you to take a stand.
What we must realize is that our need has been met, our desire fulfilled; their work is done.
The prayer you sent up has been answered and now it is time to move on.

Some people come into your life for a SEASON,
because your turn has come to share, grow or learn.
They bring you an experience of peace or make you laugh.
They may teach you something you have never done.
They usually give you an unbelievable amount of joy.
Believe it. It is real. But only for a season.

LIFETIME relationships teach you lifetime lessons;
things you must build upon in order to have a solid emotional foundation.
Your job is to accept the lesson, love the person,
and put what you have learned to use in all other relationships and areas of your life.
It is said that love is blind but friendship is clairvoyant.

I am finding that some friends who I really thought would be lifelong friends are turning out to be "reason" friends.  A bit disappointing for sure because I had higher opinions about this friend.  Oh well, someday perhaps this will change.  We'll see.  What I am choosing to do is to focus on the many LIFETIME friends that I do have, because there are many and I am completely blessed.  I am a good friend, always have been. I live a good life and have some amazingly wonderful people in my life.  I am blessed beyond words! 

Sitting here and thinking that I really need to get to bed, but afraid that I might not be able to sleep because my brain is on fire and I am so thoroughly pissed about a situation- one that I can't go into detail here...but damn I sure can't wait for Karma to work its magic - patience is such a tough thing for me sometimes and this is certainly one of those times.   


Suffice it to say that the song "Mean" by Taylor Swift has some really great lyrics that resonate with me about this person:  


All you are is mean
And a liar, and pathetic, and alone in life
And mean, and mean, and mean, and mean

Ok - enough said about that person! 

On a very good, positive note- I had such an AWESOME class tonight at Gold's- the numbers keep growing- had 6 people the first night and a month later tonight we are up to 13 people and 3 of them were brand new to Body Pump.   Everyone worked really hard, they challenged themselves - just very uplifting and positive.  I left the gym on a cloud having taught a great class and feeling like people went home feeling good about their hard work.  YAY!    I also spoke to the director of the facility in Newark and she said that all the members who took my Body Pump class this month LOVED it, they loved the class (new to all of them) and loved my teaching style.  So now it's all about the budget to see if they can work Body Pump into the schedule full time.  Again, patience...story of my life.  But this feels like it could happen. 

Off to bed- up way too late.  This is the only downside to my Tuesday class- I get home just after 9pm, take a shower, make something to eat.  By the time I barely get on the couch, Bill goes to bed and voila it's now 1am and I have not done anything except email, facebook and blog!   So much work I should have done!  "Tomorrow"....yikes!