PiYo

Stupid me thought I would give my legs a break today by going to a PiYo class today during lunch. The class description called PiYo a unique, athletic blend of Pilates, Yoga, and more. My legs have been feeling a little tight lately, and I thought that sounded like a perfect light workout out after the last week, when I've been a little brutal on my legs with a couple of great, hard runs and no true rest days. 

I was thinking of PiYo as like a gentle stretching class, which I thought would help with the tightness in my legs.  Boy, was I wrong. 

Instead, it is a rather quick moving, highly choreographed strength training routine that uses your own body weight as resistance. How dare they! Don't they know that my body weight has crept up lately?  Don't they know that I haven't done strength training in months?  

Needless to say, I did a fair share of huffing and puffing and got nice and sweaty.  It seemed to concentrate on my legs, and I walked away a quivering mass of jello from the waist down.

I liked the class. It didn't make me feel as stupid as Yoga always does (I usually end up in a giggle fit in Yoga, because of how stupid I'm sure I look.  Although, I should note that I did giggle once or twice today too).  It didn't feel like a waste of time either, as I got red faced and sweaty by the end.  It was nice that it was only 45 minutes, so I could do some quick ab work and get changed/cleaned up before heading back to work.  

Have you ever done Pilates or Yoga or even better PiYo?  What do you think of it?  I've never been much of a fan of these types of workouts, but after today, I think I'll give PiYo another shot next week. It's fun to mix things up and test my body with new workouts.  See the video below for a PiYo example of the kind of workout we did today.





Oh and if you're wondering, I did pretty good on my Goals of the Week last week: I did seven workouts and drank all of my water every day but Saturday.


Goals this week include increasing my fruits and veggies to at least 3 servings a day and getting back into the swing of logging my calories on www.loseit.com.

Confessional Friday

I first learned about Confessional Fridays from April, who linked up with the Blonde Ambition blog the last few weeks to do her own Confessional Friday posts.

So, here goes:

1. I almost never remember to wash my fruits and vegetables. I'm sorry if that grosses you out.

2. I LOVE  receiving Christmas cards, photos and letters, but I don't send any.

3. My biggest food weaknesses are Moe's and peanut butter.

4. I slept in a double bed for years, but recently switched it for a twin and I am so much more comfortable in that.

5. I've been a subscriber to Entertainment Weekly for almost 17 years. 

What have you got to confess?

Thankful Thursdays: January 5

After a brief holiday hiatus from Thankful Thursdays, I'm thankful that it is back.  No, really, 'cause I love Thankful Thursdays.

Today I'm thankful:
The Englands are moving back to Charlotte.  

My favorite family-by-the-sea and some of my biggest triathlon fans are moving five hours closer to me. Hooray! And, I get to help them move!  (Confession: While I HATE moving myself, I actually like helping other people move as long as they are packed and organized. Just a little tip to keep in mind if you ever ask me to help you move.)

I've finally discovered Downton Abbey.

I had read about this British drama set in 1912-1913 in several places before being motivated this week to go find the full episodes of season one online (first season is only four episodes!). It is beautifully shot and well written.. Season two premieres in the U.S. on Sunday night on PBS (I can't believe I'm watching a show on PBS), so you have time to catch up.

I've had some great workouts this week.

On Monday I finally got back to run/walking again; the first time I've run solo in several weeks.  Tuesday and today I had the chance to Turbo during lunch with some work friends.  Yesterday I got in a game of racquetball. There is no better workout than Turbo, really. Tonight I'm heading out to meet Cindy for another run.  Sweating just makes you feel good.

That Old Man Winter decided to lighten up.
I mean, was it just me, or was the beginning of this week teeth-chattering, see-your-breath, straight-to-the-bone cold? I live in South Carolina, and I have not signed up for that kind of cold. Thankfully, it was gone in less than four days.

That Natalie is sitting up.

Because of low muscle-tone, a symptom or byproduct of Down's Syndrome, Natalie is a little bit slower in some developmental areas.  She started sitting up really well, unassisted for longer periods of time, this past weekend when my parents were up to visit.

For a fresh calendar.
There's just something about a new year; it's full of possibilities. I can't wait to see what 2012 brings each of us.

Who God Loves

I don't have any deep health and fitness thoughts to drop on you guys tonight, so I thought I'd share this awesome video I found stashed in my bookmarks on my computer.  A great reminder.

Happy Here

I don't think I had realized quite how much this summer/fall weight gain affected the way I look until I spent Christmas at my parents' house.  The thing you should know about my parents' house is that there are many pictures of me there (and, of course, my three siblings and five nieces and nephews). 

Looking at shots taken just last Christmas or last spring made me realize just how much weight I've put on.  It's a noticeable difference.

But last Christmas and last spring I was still not at my goal of 100 pounds lost. So I was continually trying to lose and not appreciating where I was.  I was upset when stepped on the scale and it didn't go down or when I got off track.  When people said to me, "You've lost weight!" I brushed them off with my standard response, "Oh, I've still got more to lose."  

Now that I'm 30ish pounds heavier than I was then, I wish I had stopped to enjoy it.  I wish I had appreciated a little more of how hard it was to lose those pounds and how grateful I was to be fitting in sizes I hadn't seen since high school.

Speaking of high school, I always felt like the fat girl, but looking back now I realize I was a pretty healthy size.  I wish I hadn't lived life with the self-imposed "fat girl" label, but instead appreciated my body for the unique composition of cells that it was.  

So what lesson am I trying to teach myself today? How to appreciate what I have instead of thirsting for something else.  Yes, I wish I hadn't gained back those 30ish pounds, but I'm still 60ish pounds lighter than I was when I started.  Yes, my pants may be a little tight, but they're still several sizes smaller.

Goals for 2012

Thanks for indulging me this past this week as I went a little overboard with lists and "Gee, isn't my blog great!" posts.   This is my last of my New Year's posts: Goals for 2012.

I've been having a hard time coming up with solid, measurable goals for the upcoming year.  I know that I want to pray more and love more and give more, but it will be hard to judge at the end of the year if those tasks have been accomplished. Still, I will try.

I'd also love to say that I will make it to 100 pounds lost, but given my history of the last two and half years, I'm not positive that I will be able to seal that deal. Still, I will continue to try.

In racing news, I have more concrete goals.

• I will complete at least two sprint triathlons this year and perhaps an Olympic distance triathlon.
• I will run a personal record in the 5k, which means I'll finish in less than 33:36.
• I will run at least one more 10k and then decide once and for all if I will attempt a half marathon sometime in my lifetime.

In the area of personal goals:

• I will to try that trampoline aerobics class, Airobics.
• I will paint at least one wall in my house that I've lived in for 4.5 years and never painted anything.
• I will continue blogging.
• I will get my savings account back up to where it should be.
• I will read at least 60 books.  (This year I read 67.)

That's all I've got for now, but you know I'm always adding to and amending these goals of mine to stay focused.

Now for this week's goals.  Over the last two weeks, I've abandoned all of my healthy habits, so my goals are back to the basics:

Five workouts a week, including three runs, and three liters of water a day.
I can do this.

What goals do you have for Twenty-Twelve?

Checking off 2011's Goals

Today's the day.  My friend Cara B's birthday.  Oh, and also the day we all start our new year's resolutions.  I prefer to think of mine as goals for the upcoming year.  I'll share with you my goals for 2012 tomorrow, but first, let's check out how I did with 2011's goals.

1) Lose 100+ pounds.
Big, fat fail on this one (pun intended).  I did not, in fact, lose 100 pounds in 2011, and I'm further from my goal now than I was this time last year. But I'm trying really hard not to let that bother me as I press on toward the goal.

2) Visit England and France and my friend Stephanie Hardy.
Fantastic check mark for this one! I miss Stephanie.

3) Run my 2nd 10k and hopefully a sprint triathlon. I'm still thinking about a half marathon. Maybe.
Check and check and the jury's still out on the half marathon.

4) Visit the doctor for a physical for the first time in two years.
Done. While it wasn't the weight loss inspiring conversation I hoped for, at least now I can wait another few years before going back.

5) Celebrate my parents' 40 years of marriage!
They made it to 40 years in June, and we celebrated with the whole family, all 13 of us, in one beach house. That's how we roll, Stuckey-style.

6) Read through the entire Bible.
Check!


So to sum up, I've got a bunch of big checkmarks on the giant 2011 to-do list, except for one of the most important.  oh, well, that's why we have 2012, I guess. It's another try.

So, how'd you do with your 2011 goals/resolutions?