Sunday, June 29, 2008

P.S. on exercise

We did buck 53 bales of hay on Friday night. It was good, strong, sweaty work :) I like it!

A good week of exercise!

     Numbers-wise the miles didn't add up this week. I didn't walk or ride the bike that much. My total is only 15 miles and that counts Hoop Fest!
     But, we were very active with daily bowling, swimming, and our weekly horseback riding lessons.
     This week I plan on riding the bike more, and I am definitely hooking up with the weights on Tuesday and Thursday.
     We are camping for the Fourth of July, and I plan on hiking while we are up there, and riding the horse, since we are taking the horses with us, too.
     So, it was a good week of exercise, just not intense exercising!

We survived Hoop Fest!

     Well, we headed over to Spokane, and we had a good trip! I packed lots of healthy snacks and water, which ended up being important and good since it was SUPER hot over there, and water ran about $2 a bottle! Yikes!
     I wore my counter which logged in over four miles of walking each day!! That with the sweating from the extreme temperatures, I am sure I melted away a million calories.
     It was so good to see all of our family. We had all the grandkids and kids (minus Cody--he was greatly missed) together.
     We also went bowling while we were there, and that was fun because the bowling alley was HUGE!
     I know I wrote about how much I love Spokane, but I do. It totally reminds me of when I was a wee little one :)
     I loved Hoop Fest, too! I have been there before, but it still always amazes me how many people are playing. I think I heard somewhere that they had 7000 teams this year!
     Lots of action and exercise, for sure!
     Well, I am tired but happily so!!

Wednesday, June 25, 2008

Loser!!

I lost 1.2 pounds. I don't have everyone else's stats because I had to leave as soon as I weighed to get to our swimming lesson. More to update tomorrow!!

Teeter-totter of energy

     I woke up this morning with a headache, and that has not happened in a very long time. I think maybe it was allergies, but I am not for sure. I drank tons of water, and now I feel better!
     Today was both eventful and uneventful! We had horseback riding lessons this morning, and I cannot believe how much we have improved in just two lessons.
     We LOVE it!! Now, we are shopping for a perfect horse that will suit those of us in the family that are not as experienced as Ricky.
     I am really excited because we also decided to go camping with the horses (and dogs) for the Fourth of July weekend! I can't wait!!!
     Our hair appointments were all cancelled, as our hair dresser had an abcessed tooth (ouch), so we had to reschedule our appointments, and that's OK because today is such a busy day anyhow.
     We all went up to Rick's for lunch. I made tuna sandwiches, and they were perfectly yummy! You know how when you are hungry and you eat the exact thing you maybe didn't even know you wanted and it more than hits the spot. Well, that was all of us today! Even Jordie mentioned how good the sandwiches were, funny!
     I have noticed that we are falling into an easy schedule of being busy, and then in between busy times, in those pockets of lull we are finding mellow time, which is a nice balance.
     Lots of reading, napping, doing puzzles, or whatever that means we can unplug and relax.
     For the rest of the day, we still have our private swimming lessons and lap swim, and I have a final meeting for Relay for Life tonight. And, I also have weigh-in at Weight Watchers (I will update my weight later tonight). Busy couple of hours ahead of us :) Good thing we all recharged this afternoon :)

Tuesday, June 24, 2008

Another great day in the books!

     We are 100% enjoying this summer! Today our private swim lesson was changed because of a swim meet, but we just switched to a different time that lap swim was offered.
     I woke up this morning and the muscles in my arms and upper back felt tight, not painful, but definitely used.
     That was from swimming yesterday! What a great workout. I love to swim.
     Swimming is nice because you can have an intense workout, and it's easy to interval train.
     There is something about being in the water that makes me feel all relaxed. You are weightless, for one. And, all of your movement feels easy even though you have resistance from the water.
     Yesterday I watched an aerobics class while I was swimming laps. It looked fun, too.
     We also went today to the Farmers' Market. We bought yummy snow peas, my favorite!
     I must confess. We planned on going bowling this afternoon, but instead ended up reading and having another cat-nap!
     I am looking forward to a busy tomorrow!

Monday, June 23, 2008

We had fun today!

     We were quite active today with bowling and swimming! And, we even squeezed in a nap this afternoon!
     I love bowling, and the kids are fun to watch. I used to bowl in a league MANY years ago, so I always think about that when we bowl.
     Then we had a private swim lesson and lap swim for almost an hour this evening. It was an awesome workout!
     I love swimming because you don't feel your weight, and you burn calories while you are having fun.
     And, in the middle of the day, we snuck in a nap. I don't do that often, but we were reading in bed, and next thing I know it, we are waking up and hurrying around to go swimming.
     It was a busy but restful day. Now we look forward to tomorrow!

Sunday, June 22, 2008

Miles update!

I was inspired by running into the people who truly are biking the coast to coast trip! How cool that they were in Omak! Here's their offical Sea to See Ride Across America from Washington to Maine site.

It made me think how I could someday do something similar given that I have summers off. I have the perfect job to go on such an adventure.

My update for miles this past week: 40 miles! That's both walking and biking.

I will write about where that puts me tomorrow, because I am tired right now, and my book is calling me!!!! I am so into it, that I am thinking about it all the time when I am not reading it. You know where it feels like a movie playing in your head!

Yummy dessert tonight

Tonight we made homemade ice cream, but via the plastic bag method!! It's super easy, and using nonfat milk makes it cheap in calories, but still yummy. We like to add strawberries or vanilla. We love it, and it's fun to make!

I feel giddy!

      We have a FUN and busy week ahead of us! I can't wait, and I will definitely keep you updated!
      Swim lessons (and adult lap swim), horseback riding lessons (I can't wait to ride again), haircuts (all of us except Ricky, who got his last week), library time, bowling (we are going with a big group of kids), and we are hooking up with the grandkids, too. Then ending the week with an exclamation point of Hoopfest!
      We will be busy with exercise, eating right, and drinking tons of water (hopefully not tons of pool water!!!)

Hit the road running!

     I have lots to catch you up on! Thursday for lunch I reconnected with my friend Dee. That's been one of my goals this summer, to search out some of my friends that I care about deeply, but we have lost touch.
     We had a yummy lunch from one of my favorite places, Wallwebbers. I grabbed Dee the special, and I had the best ever veggie sandwich also known as the Cool as a Cucumber.
      What I love about eating healthy is that IF you look, you can find good and healthy choices, even when eating out!
     Friday morning I was up early to ride the bike and then to head down to Wenatchee. I love going down there!
      I did eat a 5 point Sammy (a little sandwich from Quiznos), and I loved it. I love that smaller portions do fill me up nowadays.
      I returned home, and we headed up to the storage unit to grab stuff for a yard sale. We loaded up the truck, and I am glad to report that we have less than one truckload of stuff, all in tubs, left up there. (We are moving all of that this next week, and NO more storage!!)
      We set-up the yard sale, and that was a good work out! My biggest goal was getting rid of stuff!!! We didn't have any big items, just TONS of clothes and little stuff.
      Saturday we had our yard sale, which ended up a nice time to read, too. (I am totally into my book!!!)
      In the afternoon, after we sold stuff and made some good money, we decided to not pack up, and just leave it all out there for today.
      We then headed to the Demolition Derby and lawnmower races! That's always a good time, too. We sat with friends, and we had a nice time out.
      Then when we returned home last night, Rick's brother from Seattle was here! That was a pleasant surprise!!
      Today, I did not do any working out, except running and playing outside with the kids. We played tag and jumped on the trampoline for a long time.
      OH! I almost forgot to tell you that I had the pleasure of listening to a group that is riding their bikes from coast to coast! They were here in Omak! Very cool considering what I am virtually doing! Here is the link to one of the rider's blogs about their trip including pics of Omak! Also, here is the official blog for the Sea to See Ride Across America from Washington to Maine.
      It's been a VERY good week :)Check out my other blog for some other stuff, not related to exercise and food!

Heyyyyyyyyyyyyyy!

I have lots to blog about later today! For now, we are off an running :)

Thursday, June 19, 2008

Feeling more committed than ever :)

     Yesterday I went on a hike with my class, and we hiked over four miles! I logged over five miles total on my pedometer, and that counts taking it off early in the afternoon at 3 p.m.
     I went to Weight Watchers last night, and I thought for sure I would've lost more weight for how good I ate, exercised, drank water, etc. But, I only lost .6 pounds.
     What's frustrating about that is that I am still making up the 2.4 pounds I gained the first week school was out. I am now at a total of 22.2 pounds (was up at 24 pounds lost).
     But, a loss is a loss, no matter how small! So, I will take it! And, I just know all of these good habits will catch up one of these weeks!
     The good message to me is that it really is important to not get all off track, even if only for half a week! It's OK to have an off day/night, but I do need to stay focused.
     Last night's meeting was GREAT! The topic was about losing weight as a journey. And, how sometimes it feels like we are on Route 66, the scenic road.
     I really thought about this while the discussion was happening. I realized that even though I wanted to see big numbers as I approached my 16th week (got the little hand clapper award last night for going to Weight Watchers for 16 weeks), that 22.2 pounds for 16 weeks is NOT bad. It's still averaging over one pound a week.
     I realized that sometimes I prefer the scenic route as opposed to powering through going a million miles an hour and missing everything around you.
     Then, a lady said something that really resonated with me. She said going slow, losing a pound or two a week, means that you are already on maintenance mode.
     By that, she meant that some people lose their weight quickly, and then have to learn how to maintain it once they have lost it, but she felt like people who go more slowly are actually learning maintenance as they go.
     This made complete sense to me, in that what feels the best about this experience is that I don't feel like I am dieting. I feel like this is a way of life. I feel empowered to make good choices, and I don't feel like I can't have something I really want.
     So, in reality, slow and steady does win the race! I am even more proud of myself for living the "stop and smell the roses" way of life. I feel even more inspired right now to keep this way of life going.
     This morning, I worked out on the bike and I rode for 10 miles! I feel awesome! I am going to work on the weights later today, too!
     Keep positive! Remember life is the journey!

THANKS TINA!!!!!

     I have to start today's blog off with something cool!OK, so this morning I decided since I didn't have any obligations that required me to be up early that I would sleep in.
     Jordie does have Driver's Ed, but he said he would do his alarm, and that he would just walk down since it's so close.
     Well, I woke up at 7:45 a.m. (which is sleeping in!), and I debated about getting up to see if Jordie was gone or not. The house was quiet so I figured he had already left.
     I decided to check, just in case, and good thing I did!!! He was still crashed out. His alarm was going, but it didn't have a ring or something. Anyhow, mad dash around the house, and I drove Jordie to class.
     A side note: You can't miss Driver's Ed classes or you can fail the entire class!
     So, after I drove him to class, I decided to go grab a coffee. I was sitting in line when I realized that I forgot my wallet. But, I knew I had enough change and loose dollars in the car to cover a drink, so I was scrounging.
     Anyhow, I pulled up and Tanya at the window told me that the person in front of me had bought my drink!!!! I do know the mommy in front of me, Tina!! Thank you, thank you, thank you!!
     The super cool thing is that in my lifetime I have bought probably over ten drinks for people behind me in line at a coffee stand. Sometimes I have known the people and sometimes they have been complete strangers. Well, NOW I know exactly what it feels like when you roll up to the window to find out that the person that is pulling away just bought your drink! It's a HAPPY feeling, let me tell ya!
     The coffee people told me that when it happens, it's one of their favorite things, too, and that it brings them joy as well. VERY, very cool! Thanks, TINA!

Tuesday, June 17, 2008

Book club!

     I can blog about my book club here (as opposed to my other blog) because it is VERY relevant to anyone interested in healthy living.
     The book was fantastic! I love Barbara Kingsolver, and I have read mostly her fiction work, and this was a non-fiction book.
     I highly recommend reading Animal, Vegetable, Miracle: A Year of Food Life.
     I love the premise of the book, and although I am not in a place in life that I could do what she and her family did, I do like the little things I can do to improve my life and this world.
     I am impressed with how things have improved in our world. It's kind of amazing that organic foods are offered at regular grocery stores now. Even if sometimes they "stretch" the meaning of organic.
     This year we have a nice garden (squash, pumpkins, corn, green peppers, sunflowers, and lots of herbs!) planted, and I am thinking about starting another one, that would be just a salsa garden.
     This book was quite inspiring, and it just makes you think about food. It reminded me of how I felt after reading Fast Food Nation.
     That book inspired us to not eat fast food anymore. We do eat Subway, but outside of that, we do not eat ANY other fast food.
     I would love to have a community garden here in the Omak/Okanogan area, and I do know of one that I am going to investigate.
     As well, I think it's very important that we support our local farmers. We can buy at fruit stands, and the farmers' market, as well as even buying shares in our local community supported agriculture (CSA).
     Definitely the book is worth reading!!

Walking and riding and where am I now?

     My total for last week including the days in Silverwood is 46 miles, plus the 15 miles from the week before that I didn't count. So, that places me 61 miles down the road!I am just 40 miles west of Hermiston, Oregon.
     For sure next Sunday, I will have a couple of interesting places to blog about besides making it to Hermiston and blogging about there! So, stay tuned!

Yesterday, today, and tomorrow...

     I have been teaching an outdoor class this week in Conconully, and I have had such a blast!
     We have been cooking our meals on the campfire and eating lots of healthy, nutritious snacks.
     At first the teenagers were a bit skeptical of my affirmation that the healthy stuff would give them more energy.
     But, today one of the boys said he thought I might be right because he doesn't feel hungry and he doesn't feel like he is eating as much as when he eats his normal diet of junk food.
     For lunch on the first day we made pita pizzas. They were delicious! We split open whole wheat pitas, added a little bit of spaghetti sauce, reduced shredded cheese, and pepperoni (I used turkey).
     I have been wearing my pedometer out there, and the first day I walked 5000 steps (2 1/2 miles), and today I logged 8000 steps (4 miles), and tomorrow we are slated for a long hike, so I will have at least 10,000 steps for just while I am "working."
     We are also reading Into the Wild. This has been interesting as our focus is really about unplugging and also appreciating nature.
     What's amazing is that when I give the kids a short break, guess what their choice of activity is? They play tag on the big toy! They are just little kids in big bodies.
     I like that we have had time to read and write and discuss life; it's been a rewarding class, both as a teacher and as a learner (I learn from the kids each day.).
     I am excited about tomorrow's hike!

Weekend RECAP

     Let's catch up from the weekend! Well, we went on a family vacation to Silverwood!
     It was one of the best trips ever! We had tons of fun, and lots of family time :)
     I wore a pedometer the first day when we headed off to Silverwood to ride all the rides. I logged in over 10,000 steps! That's actually five miles!!
     We ate really healthy while we were there, and I wanted to save money, so I made a bunch of our food ahead of time and packed it in the ice chest.
     We would walk over to our campsite and eat a yummy and healthy lunch or dinner and then walk back over to the park! That's the great part about camping right there.
     I also packed in nutritious snacks and water, which we just refilled at the fountains. What was good about this is that we weren't on sugar highs and lows and we had tons of energy to just go and go all day long!
     We did have one snack both days from in the park, so that was a nice treat. On the second day we had ice cream, and the cone Rick ordered looked like it had a half-gallon of ice cream on it! I bought the kid size, which was still gi-normous, but it was a nice treat.
     Each night we dragged ourselves back to the campsite, following behind our still energized kiddos! HOW do they have all that energy anyhow?
     We would watch a movie on the computer (The sites all have full hook-ups.), read, and relax. It was really cozy and comfy and I LOVE those times just as much as running around the park all day.
     The weather was PERFECT while we were over there. A little wind on Friday, but sunny and warm, but not too hot!
     On Friday we didn't have to wait for any rides! That was crazy to me because when I used to take the boys when they were younger, we had LONG lines for all the rides. I guess we had the perfect timing!
     On Saturday I did not wear the pedometer because we headed to the water park. What a fun place!!
     We loved all the slides, especially Avalanche Mountain which was a family ride where we all were on a tube going down a slide together.
     I must confess. To the chagrin and amusement of my family, I am a SCREAMER!! When I am nervous I laugh and scream!! So, lots of screaming and laughing on all the rides.
     We played in the water park for half the day, and really it wasn't that warm (not that the kids seemed to mind, of course), so I was glad when we headed over to the campsite to change and eat and then back over to the ride side of the park.
     The nice thing about the water park is that you had tons of walking and lots of uphill or up stairs walking. Also, we really liked the wave pool, which is a gi-normous swimming pool that simulates the ocean with HUGE waves. I could feel my leg muscles really working to keep me steady while playing with the kids.
     The rides were fun, and I have determined that we are a family of adrenline junkies. Well, everyone except Rick. He didn't really like the roller coaster rides like the rest of us did.
     We rode the roller coasters probably close to 20 times! And, the roller coasters are FUN and huge. They also have a new one that will be up and going in July, and it looks freaky.
     I even went on the Panic Drop, which was this machine that you sit in, and your legs hang down below you, and then it takes you up 180 feet!!! Then it drops you down quickly.
     I, of course, screamed the entire time, which had everyone on the ride and watching the ride (lots of bystanders because the ride is incredible) laughing (glad I can be entertainment).
     I figure all that screaming, laughing, and riding coasters (besides all the walking) must have burnt some serious calories!!
     Even though we did drag Rick on some of the coasters a couple of times, he was a real trooper for going on the spin rides. I can't do those anymore :(
     All in all, water consumption, exercise, eating were perfect this past weekend! But, the best was our family fun!!!!!!
     And, we are already planning a trip back in August maybe! Now, I can't wait for Disney Land, which will be a trip next summer!

PROMISE!

I have LOTS to update you about on both my blogs. Yesterday I taught an outdoor education class (headed back there today, too), and then I rushed off to my book group, which was excellent, too.

SO, I PROMISE, I will be blogging LOTS tonight. I have at least three different ones coming!!! See ya soon!

Sunday, June 15, 2008

Delirious and tired!

      We are home safely, and I have lots to tell you about, but it will have to wait until later tonight or else tomorrow.
      We have some fun things planned for this upcoming week, too. Lots to blog about.
      We are all unpacked. Two loads of wash already done, and now I just want to relax.
      We are all happy and tired!

Thursday, June 12, 2008

Woo hoo, almost the weekend!

     OH! That's right, I am on constant weekend mode, tee hee! That's for Rick and also my good friend Mick who both have what I call SUMMER JEALOUSY!
     They both know I work my patootie off during the school year, and that I work far more than 40 hours a week then, and that I deserve my summer break! BUT, they both pout when summer rolls around!!
     Mick always sends me a text really early on the first day of summer break, but this year...I was up exercising!
     Anyhow, we have a fun family trip planned for this weekend, and I can't wait!!!
     Today I am doing great on eating and drinking water. We went for a LONG walk/jog (kids on bikes - me on foot)! We went for four miles, but we had several hills (this even meant pushing the bike).
     We went after Rick came home for lunch, so in addition to burning calories for the exercise we were all toasty and sweaty because of the warm weather (woo hoo).
     We also went over to a friend's house this afternoon for a play date, and I shared with my friend some specific exercises to tone the triceps.
     And, all the packing and organizing for the trip...that equals lots of sweating, too :)
     My muscles are STILL sore from Monday, so once again I blew it by going to hard and too fast right at the get go.
     I am starting over on weights next week, and I plan on going LIGHT weights with more reps.
     Well, I probably won't blog again until Sunday. So, I hope you have a SUPER weekend!!

Wednesday, June 11, 2008

Good news and bad news!

     OK, I am not going to call it bad news, but rather a reality check! I gained 2.4 pounds tonight! Grrrr...that was not surprising.
     I am glad I didn't skip the weigh-in or give them that little you don't have to weigh coupon because I know that it keeps me honest.
     The funny thing is that I am not really upset about it (other than drifting back into the two thirties), but I feel VERY motivated!
     I haven't had a gain like this the entire time we have been doing Weight Watchers, so feel good about that.
     Results for the group: One person lost 2.6 (This gal has lost over 40 pounds!!!!), another lost .4, another gained 2, and I am waiting on one more gal.
     Good news? Besides riding my bike this morning, we all went bowling again this afternoon. I LOVE BOWLING!!! It's a blast. And, we have quite the bowlers in the family! We all improved our scores from yesterday even.
     It's fun because we have another family that also has come with us both days. Good times!
     We also took our first horseback riding lessons this monring, and those burn calories, too! We had soooo much fun at lessons! I can't wait to go back!!! I learned a lot, and I even built up more confidence as far as horses go.
     For sure, it made me want to find us a perfect horse, what my instructor called a lady's horse: gentle, patient, even tempered.
     SO, now I can't wait until the next weigh-in. I predict a BIG number!!!

This next Sunday evening

      I am planning to just add last weeks 15 miles to this week's and make a mile update on my map this upcoming Sunday evening.
      So far this week, I have been working hard! Monday I logged 7 miles total. Yesterday I had 8, and this morning, I have rode 7 miles on the bike, but we have more exercise to go today!
      My muscles were not sore yesterday morning, and I thought they would be because I had not lifted in so long. Ahhhh...but, here is the rub: They started hurting last night, and today I am REALLY sore!
      But, I feel good!!!!! I feel strong!!!!
      I have a BBQ tonight, and I plan on making good choices, since I am back on track!
      Well, we are off to enjoy this sunny day! I will write more later today to share all the fun things we are doing :)

Tuesday, June 10, 2008

A GREEEEEEEAT Birthday!!

     Well, I started the morning off with an 8-mile bike ride on my recumbent SINCE it was rainy, cold, and we were surrounded by snow-covered mountains.
     We also went bowling today! It was tons of fun!! And, it's good exercise :)Various sources cite 150-200 calories burnt per hour, and that's for a person in the 150-pound range!
     Albeit, one arm will be more buff than the other, if we bowl regularly, which we are considering doing!
     I am not too excited about the weigh-in tomorrow afternoon, since I had a bad weekend eating.
     But, even if I gained weight this week, I have re-dedicated myself to my healthy habits, so I know that the weeks coming will produce good results.
     I did drink all my water today, too. I ate really well, both healthy and small portions. We had my favorites for dinner, turkey lasagna and fruit salad.
     I did have a small piece of spice cake with cream cheese frosting, heavy emphasis on the SMALL.
     I received some very thoughtful gifts and cards today. I also had two different people, who I haven't spent a lot of time with this past year, reconnect with me! What great gifts, indeed :)
     So, my birthday was filled with exercise, family, and family. What a beautiful day!!
     I am excited for what tomorrow will bring!!

Happy BIRTHDAY to me :O)

     I am excited for today!! It's my birthday!!
     I have already had fun phone calls with beautiful serenades (thanks Cody and Lorri), and lots of texts (with music) and happy birthday calls (sans singing). I feel loved!
     My mom is so cute, she texted me right at the minute I was born 37 years ago!!!
     Yesterday the cards started rolling in, and I am excited to go to the post office today. Of course, my absolute favorite cards were the homemade ones I received this morning when I woke up!!! I cherish those!
     I even got a free coffee at Starbucks this morning (only because they were having a tough time making my coffee), and I considered that as an indirect birthday present!! LOL.
     I have lots planned for today, even in spite of the rain and SNOW!! And, of course, that includes EXERCISE! I will update you on that later tonight or tomorrow morning.
     I am glad to be alive!! I am happy that I have made this commitment to health because I plan on being around for a LONG time and celebrating many more birthdays. That's the BEST gift I could ever give myself!!
     P.S. Yesterday I drank all my water!! Lately I have not been meeting my water quota, but I am back on track now!! Woo hoo!

Monday, June 9, 2008

Yesterday continued...

     Our day consisted of THREE parks/playgrounds, two different beaches, and I ended it with working out at the gym last night with Jordie.
     First, we discovered a unique and interesting place today! Just below Wells Dam there is a public fishing access road.
     We decided to explore down this road which nestles in between rows of an orchard!
     In the end, we found an incredible beach, hidden from everyone unless you are searching it out!
     It reminded me of an ocean beach, with waves breaking on the sandy shore littered by driftwood. VERY cool, and just a special place to us now.
     Then we headed to Lake Chelan. We played at the city park for over an hour! I ran up and down the slide, which is a decent workout, and of course, swinging, that works the legs, too! Good times!
     At the end of the evening, Jordie and I went to work out at the school weight room. It was nice because it was just us and one other kid.
     Anyhow, I forgot how much I LOVE to lift weights! I knew that I was going to start as soon as school was out, and I am so glad that we did!!!
     It was funny though because my arms felt like noodles when we were done. I started my weight routine out with chest and triceps. Wednesday I will do shoulders and biceps, and Thursday I will do legs, and I work abs every time.
     That's the schedule for this week, but next week, I will get on the Mon/Wed/Fri schedule.
     I also added in more cardio last night on an upright bike, but I didn't like that nearly as much as my recumbent!
      All in all, the first day of summer break rocked for me!!

1st day of Summer Break!

     We did sleep in a little bit, but I got up shortly after Rick left for work and just had some quiet time in the house before the day got raring up to go!
     We celebrated with homemade waffles, and we even took some down to Rick at work!
     Then we headed off to walk at Eastside, and I was a bit leery because of the blasphemous mosquitoes. Thankfully they were not interested in us, and we logged our time without a single bite!
     I have figured out the key to easy interval training!! Follow kids on bikes!! I jogged, walked, jogged, raced (those darn bikes always won, though), walked, etc.
     Then I called the City of Omak to find out exactly how long the walk is there. As you walk there are all sorts of markings on the pavement, but it's hard to figure out exaclty what is what.
     The City didn't know for sure, at least no one that was in the office when I called. Then I called the visitors center, and they told me it was definitely and exactly half a mile once around.
     If that's so, we clocked two miles today, and just had a fun time doing so.
     Then we headed to the sports complex to play on the playground and scope out their walking set-up.
     We have lots more planned for the day, so stay tuned. I also need to update the miles for last week, as I didn't do that yesterday. I will later tonight.

Saturday, June 7, 2008

Celebration food--too much celebrating!

     At last night's end of the year BBQ, I celebrated too much in the eating department. I ate two plates full of various salads, beans, and desserts. BAD, bad, bad.
     But, I just decided that even one weekend of eating too much is NOT going to be the end of the world. Even if I gain this upcoming week, I can lose it right away.
     I did take smaller portions, and IF I would've stuck with the one plate, then it wouldn't have been so bad.
     I did also drink three beers which are definitely empty calories. By the way, I read a SUPERB article in this month's Women's Health Magazine about light beers. They have an online version of the article, but in the slideshow format. Of course, this info is for all of you 21-and older readers out there :)
     And, now we are off for another party. The one big difference between tonight and last night is that all day yesterday I ate NOTHING, so I was famished by the time the food started at the party. I did not count points, and I have no clue how many I consumed. BUT, I do have the 35 extra points a week.
     At tonight's party, at least I had a good lunch (Ricky and I went to Subway), so I don't feel like a starving lunatic.
     Thank goodness every weekend is not filled with CELEBRATIONS!! LOL.
     It does, though, make me think about get togethers and eating. When I host a bbq, I like to make sure there are lots of healthy options!
     I know for our upcoming Silverwood trip that I am packing all healthy food!! It's about planning and purposeful choices.
     I did walk today, rather short, not sure the mileage, but I walked with the cheerleaders through the Okanogan Days Parade.
     It was so fun to see everyone out! And, thank goodness the weather was decent. Last year I thought we might die with how hot it was!!!
     Stay tuned tomorrow to see how I do tonight!

Friday, June 6, 2008

I'm SOOOOO excited!!!

     I can't believe this school year is over!!! I went and checked out the new weight room at the school, and HOLY COW!! I can't wait to start working out!
     Tonight we have an end of school year BBQ, and I made a scrumptious salad. It's kind of a take on my Carmel Apple Salad (snickers and apples). I haven't named it yet, but it is a hit at my house, and I hope the fam leaves some for the actual BBQ!!
     I used two cans of Mandarin oranges, three cans of triple cherry mixed fruit, one tub of FF whipped topping, one SF/FF banana cream JELLO pudding mix, and mixed it all up! YUMMY!!
     Anyhoot, I might make it again tomorrow for the graduation party we are attending.
     I will keep you posted on my food choices for the two events.

Thursday, June 5, 2008

Another loss!!

     I was feeling like maybe I had gained weight during the last week. Even though my clothes were feeling better, I just have not exercised much lately, both with being busy and sick.
     But, I still lost .6 pounds, which brings my total to 24!! I am one pound away from my 10% goal!! That inspires me!!
     Last night was week 14, but really we have been doing the program from 13 weeks, because they count the first week you show up as week 1.
     With that in mind, I have lost 1.84 pounds a week!! That's a perfect average.
     The other people lost 1.4, 1.2, and 2.4, and I am missing one person's weigh-in. So, it's looking like a loss for everyone!!
      I am really looking forward to what this summer and all of our activity will bring!!

Tuesday, June 3, 2008

Best Birthday EVER!

     My birthday is a week from today, and I can't wait!! I am already excited for giving myself the present of health (losing weight and exercising..woo hoo), and I can't wait to see just what's wrapped up inside here. Just imagine what it could be next year at this time!!!
     I love birthdays!! I do! Anyhow, this year Ricky asked me what I most wanted, and we decided to pack up the family and go to Silverwood for my birthday this year! Well, we aren't going on my actual b-day, but close to it, and it will be FUN!
     We also invited Rick's oldest son who lives in Spokane, and hopefully he will be able to join us for part of the time.
     And, Rick's brother's family are coming with us, too! It will be good times for everyone.
     Hopefully the weather will be better! At least we have a little while until then.
     Write now I am working on either a cold or allergies, not sure which. Just know that I feel kind of icky. Thankfully no headache, but I am pretty foggy. I even wrote a poem about it! It's the one titled, "Am I allergic to you?"
     Needless to say, I am not feeling overly motivated to work out. I need to get to it! I am little nervous for my weigh in tomorrow!

Sunday, June 1, 2008

Super COOL news!

     Today we went up to Chelan to pick up Jordie. We were there early, so I decided to try on some cute summer clothes.
      To my surprise...I was ALL of the clothes I tried on were size 18, and some of the clothes were even size 16! OMgoodness!!!!!!!
      Now, that's the way to end a weekend :)

15 more miles added to the trip!

     The Sunday update: This week I didn't have nearly the amount of exercise that I should, but I still did some moving. I only have 15 miles in for this week, all walking.
     I know this next week will be a little busy, too, but I am SOOOOO excited for next week because I won't have school, and I know I will have more time to exercise!! Woo hoo!!
     At this point, fifteen miles down Highway 84 doesn't really put me much anywhere (so, I didn't update my map), but I am headed down the road to Hermiston and Pendleton. I can't wait to arrive in both of those towns, as my boys and I have some fond memories in those places. So, hopefully next week!!
     This summer, I am going to try for one week to have 100 miles!! I am totally serious about it!
     I haven't done any interval training since last Sunday, so that didn't go as planned, but I am hoping that this summer (in just another week), I can get back there! I am also looking forward to working out at the gym at school!