Happy Groundhog Day! I Ran From My Shadow, Too!

Lately, my clothes have been tight.  Uncomfortable. Unflattering.  I mean, I can still wear them.  I haven’t gotten THAT far off-track, but, they tell me that I am not currently in possession of my desired physique. 

I do not own a scale.  Not that I’m against them, but I just haven’t ever felt the necessity to own one.  My clothes and the mirror (and my husband – he is brutally honest) are what I personally use to keep track of my body composition fluctuations.

Well, when I was home at Christmas, I stepped on my parents’ scale.  Just out of curiosity.  An’ it weren’t pretty.  I was about 10 pounds heavier than where I like to be when I’m feeling and looking my best.  It was no surprise, really, but disconcerting, nonetheless.

With today being Groundhog Day, it reminded me that I’ve been acting like a scared groundhog.  At the end of December, I curiously and tentatively stepped on the scale (the groundhog pokes his sleepy head out of his hole), I glanced at the digital read-out in shock and quickly jumped off (he sees his shadow looming and scrambles back into his burrow) and I continued my unhelpful behavior  for, roughly, six more weeks – too reluctant to make a commitment just yet to get the body composition changes that I need and want (the skittish groundhog hides out underground for six more weeks thinking he’s better off delaying the inevitable end of his hibernation).

Well, I’ve had it!  I’m sick of running away from hard work and discipline.  I’m sick of hibernating and postponing my day of reckoning.  The time has come to stop mindlessly stuffing my face and to become more consistent with my workouts.

It’s time to start casting shadows of a different kind:



If this is what 6 more weeks of winter looks like in Vegas,
then I'll take it!



Just had to throw this one in:  Those are our shadows being cast
from no other light than the bright moon!


What shadows are you going to cast this year???

Girl Power Playlist

Music is so powerful.  When I blast some kickin’ tunes during the day, the girls and I can’t help but MOVE with the energy of the music.  Countless times, just the right song has made all the difference for me in a critical “throw-in-the-towel” moment during a tough workout. 

I have been having so much fun lately making playlists from my library of music and recent song downloads.  I’ve been grouping them according to mood, mostly.  Some examples:  Ultimate Feel-Good, Anger Management, Brooding, etc.

Music is also very personal.  I choose some songs for their powerful message, some for the memories they conjure, and some simply because they just plain ROCK!  I consider myself quite eclectic in my taste and find songs in almost every genre that motivate me.

In my opinion, this Girl Power playlist is just what you need to rouse your kick-arse mojo… whether it’s for a killer workout or just a killer bathtub scrubbin’!

GIRL POWER!



Girls Rule, Boys Drool!



Wind It Up – Gwen Stefani

Trouble – Pink

Black Cat – Janet Jackson

Hit Me With Your Best Shot – Pat Benatar

Maneater – Nelly Furtado

Fighter – Christina Aguilera

Bang bang bang – Christina Perri

Bulletproof – La Roux

California Gurls – Katy Perry

Girls Just Want To Have Fun – Cyndi Lauper

Would I Lie To You? – Eurythmics

Girlfriend – Avril Lavigne

Raise Your Glass – Pink

Rich Girl – Eve; Gwen Stefani

Your Love Is My Drug – Ke$ha

Don’t Stop The Music – Rihanna

Heart and Soul – T’Pau

Note:  I’m a good girl (excuse me while I adjust my halo… there) and prefer my music cleaned-up.  I download most of my songs from walmart.com because they usually have an edited version of the edgy songs.

How I Overcame Lazy This Week: I Got Away From It All



Not the roughest trail, but tough enough for me!



I have taken my bicycle off-roading twice now.  It is a new obsession for me.  I love it!  I blogged recently about the value of stepping out of the box and trying new things as I did with Zumba and now trail biking.  Well, while I’m not exactly a Zumba convert, I’m certainly a new trail biking aficionado.  I definitely plan on incorporating this into my fitness repertoire!

In the past, I’ve been too intimidated by the difficulty of mountain biking to try it.  Well, that and I didn’t have a bike until a year ago.  Plus, frankly, I’m a total scardey-cat: crashes, lack of control, SPEED!  Yikes! 

Yes, for me, it is tough.  It is scary.  But the exhilaration of it all far outweighs any of that, making it addictively invigorating!

When K and I stopped for water breaks on this last outing, I would gaze back at the suburban neighborhood we’d just biked away from and I enjoyed watching the houses get smaller and smaller with each subsequent stop.  We also had a good, albeit distant, view of the Las Vegas Strip and it struck me how nice it was to be away from civilization. 



Yes, that's the Strip behind me...
Far, far away.



While I enjoy working out with others, I also cherish the opportunity to be able to separate myself and revel in the solitude of my own thoughts and feelings.  As I get away from it all, sure – I mull over some of the current stressors in my life, but I find my thoughts quickly shifting to reflect on my blessings and how good life really is.  It’s hard to be anything but positive while doing invigorating activities in such vitalizing surroundings.  I also find my thoughts becoming more ambitious as I invent and then resolve to incorporate new methods to make life even better!  I usually return from these outings ready to take the world ON!

We recently took the girls on a “staycation” to the Golden Nugget here in town for a night so we could play in their pool and swim with the sharks.  As we drove through the garish, neon-flooded downtown area toward the hotel, R – my 5 year old - asked, “Are we still in Las Vegas?”

We laughed as we answered her, “Most people would consider this the heart of Las Vegas.” 

But we know better.

Get away from it all occasionally.  Exercise isn’t always something you have to sweatily slog through as you ceaselessly watch the clock.  Look forward to it as your “me” time and see if you can solve a few world problems while you’re at it!

How I Overcame Lazy This Week: I Officially Declare My Independence (From Laziness)



It’s finally the 4^th of July holiday weekend!  And we’ve got a beach vacation on the agenda.

Great new novel to read?  Check

Little nest egg I’ve been saving for shopping spree?  Check

Birthday cake fixins to celebrate two birthdays?  Check

(Neither my brother nor I was born on the 4^th of July, but close!)



Ummm, I think he's declared his
independence from laziness...
but not hunkiness!!!



Oh, and tennis racquets, and bicycles and hiking boots and wet suits (did I mention it’s the Oregon coast?  Brrrrrr!) Check, check, check and check!

Yes, while there will be plenty of relaxation and indulgence, this will not be a vacation from our active and adventurous ways.

Nope.  In fact, in the true spirit of Independence Day, this week I’m declaring my family’s independence from Lazy!  Like our forefathers 235 years before us, we feel Lazy has been unfairly taxing us.  Most certainly, Lazy has been brutally taxing ON us in many ways by constantly threatening to authoritatively rule our thoughts and actions to make us virtual pawns in its imperialistic fast hold.

Well, not the “T” family.  We are declaring war on Lazy!

Here’s our official Declaration of Independence From Lazy:

(Don’t worry:  it’s waaaaaay shorter than the original… and possibly a little less dry).

When in the Course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to hoist their lazy posteriors off the couch and to wrest the Cheetos bag from their steely grip and to assume among the power of human nature, the magnificent potential yet imperfect qualities with which we are all bestowed from Nature’s God, that a decent respect to their well-being requires that they should declare the intentions which impel them to pursue an improved, un-lazy lifestyle.

We hold these truths to be self-evident that all men are created with flaws, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unenviable Characteristics, that among these are slothfulness, gluttony and the pursuit of Laziness.  That to overcome these tendencies, Exercises and Nutrition Programs are instituted among Men and Women, deriving their degree of effectiveness from the dedication of the participants.  That whenever any Form of Laziness threatens to overtake our lifestyle, it is the Right and Duty of the People to  alter or abolish it… and kick its arse* to the curb!!!**

This is war, Lazy!  We’re sick of you trying to dominate our lives.  We’re knocking you off your high and mighty throne and wiping that smug, confident smirk off your face!  You’ve ruled our thoughts and actions long enough.  You are our dictator no longer!  We’re the new Superpower in town now and just wait till you see what we become in 235 years….or more like, 5, since we’ll be dead in 235 years!

WE SHALL OVERCOME!

We’re already winning some of the battles, however something tells me this is gonna be a looooong war.  But - like our founding fathers discovered – it’s well worth the fight!

HAPPY INDEPENDENCE DAY, EVERYONE!!!

*When I use naughty words I tend to use a cockney accent.

**Also, I try not to use massive amounts of run-on sentences (not that I haven’t!) like our friend Tommy Jefferson but I wanted to remain true to the style of this historic document.

How I Overcame Lazy This Week: I Ditched The Kids!



I ran across this pic at
The Great Fitness Experiment

My daughters are one of the greatest joys of my existence.  I feel so blessed to have them in my life and to be able to spend my days with them full-time.  I love my little family. 

And yet, I have to say, as Grandma chauffeured the girls off for a sleepover, I stood waving good-bye and was awash with a giddy feeling of… freedom!  What to do first?!  My initial action was to do a kind of involuntary happy dance; it just sort of spontaneously sprung forth.  Next, I ran inside and blared the music that I wanted to listen to without worrying a whit about its appropriateness for the five-and-under set. 



And then… I got down and dirty.  Oh yeah, folks, I went into a House. Cleaning. FRENZY!!!  The carpets hadn’t been shampooed for months, the tile hadn’t been mopped for days and I had nobody getting in my way, demanding sippy cups and potty breaks nor making me feel guilty for not paying attention to them.  I was in heaven!

Ugh.  I’m a full-fledged, boring “housewife,” aren’t I? 

In my defense, my very first fantasy was, in fact, to hop in the car and go on a shopping frenzy.  However, that yearning was quickly quashed by the fact we have no expendable income and K was at work with the car; hence my enthusiastic focus on the next available option.

As I came to a cleaning break, it hit me that, despite my lack of motorized transportation, I wasn’t tethered to the house like I usually am.  I realized I could go out and do any type of workout I wanted to do for as long as I wanted without having to worry about the usual 20-minute prep of sunscreening, pottying, packing snacks/drinks, etc.  Nope, I just had to lace up my sneaks and head out!  I went for a neighborhood run.  I was in paradise!

Then when K got home later that night, we were discussing what in the world we were going to do with our kid-free morning the next day.  We were glumly listing the errands and home projects that we needed to get done when suddenly, it hit me that I’ve been wanting to go trail biking.  K’s been able to go a few times recently with friends, but I’ve had to stay with the girls because it’s not a very-young-kid-friendly activity. It struck us that we were unencumbered with the kiddos and we would be remiss to not take advantage of this sublime situation.  We were in ecstasy!

Quick aside: Two words for my mountain biking experience:  Awe.  Some.  This will be a topic for another blog posting very soon here, but I’ll just leave it at that for now.  Incredible.  Okay, now I’ll leave it.  Exhilarating.  For real, I’m done.  FAN-FREAKING-TASTIC!!!

What was a happy realization from all of this is that, when faced with the delicious prospect of some self-indulgent free-time, what I truly was most excited about was the option to do some lively, un-lazy activities that I haven’t been able to do recently and I actually got out and did them!

Now, don’t get me wrong, I LOVE relaxing down time that involves a good book or a good movie.  I LOVE indulging in some yummy treats that I don’t have to share with anyone else!  And I manage to do those things occasionally as well, but I like being in a place right now that, when give the choice, my first desire is to do something fun and active and to just jump in and enjoy life!

I also want it understood that I LOVE adventuring with my girls and even thrive on the challenge of ensuring their participation and enjoyment of our active lifestyle.  But, boy, it sure was nice and a bit refreshing to be a little selfish! 

So, my advice:  take a break from something that usually gobbles up your time and energy (kids, work, America's Got Talent re-runs, etc.) and do something un-lazy for YOURSELF!  It’s usually a win-win situation.

When we went to pick them up, the girls didn’t even complain when we smothered them with sweaty, stinky hugs and kisses.  They'd had a blast with the grandparents and I think they enjoyed their little break from us as much as we did!







Doggonit, People Like Me



"I'm good enough, I'm smart enough, and
doggonit, people like me."
- Stuart Smalley



I’ve been tapping into the power of mantras lately.  Ever since I got a boost from a quote I had posted at the right place at the right time, (see previous post “Do It Anyway”) I’ve been reminded how powerful a few phrases - or even just a few words - can be.

So I’ve issued the challenge to my family to choose the inspirational quote or mantra that will help them keep steadily moving toward their health goals.  I told them to print it out, post it somewhere prominent and recite it verbally at least once daily this month.  (Hence the Stuart Smalley reference – as goofy as that guy was, he was on to something!)



Just a small part of my vision board.  There's more
on the other wall above the toilet paper roll.



I’ve had a hard time choosing my current favorite because there are so many that inspire me.  In fact, I have what mizfitonline (a blog I’ve been enjoying lately) refers to as a “vision board”.  It’s a collection of pictures and quotes and phrases that I find motivating and inspirational that I’ve posted somewhere where I will see them often.  Yep, as some of you know, for me that’s the bathroom.  By the toilet.  I’ve been doing it for years and I have to say I’ve really found it helpful many times.



So I’ve narrowed it down to the two that are most meaningful to me right now:  “Do It Anyway” and “It’s about progress, not perfection.”



My daily mantras on the mirror, along with K's inspirational quote.
Plus my monthly exercise log!
Pretty soon I won't be able to see myself.



However, I can’t help but add a few more that have struck a chord in me lately:

“Act the way you’d like to be and soon you’ll be the way you act."  –Leonard Cohen

“Now if you are going to win any battle you have to do one thing.  You have to make the mind run the body.  Never let the body tell the mind what to do.  The body will always give up.  It is always tired in the morning, noon, and night.  But the body is never tired if the mind is not tired.” – George S. Patton, U.S. Army General, 1912 Olympian

“Putting on your workout clothes burns half the calories.” - Trainermomma (another blog I’ve been enjoying).

"NO EXCUSES!"

I’m sure I’ll be sharing more as they inspire me… and I encourage everybody else to do the same!