Plus-Sized Pin Up

At the beginning of the week, I ordered Running: Getting Started by Jeff Galloway and an interval timer with my Christmas money. According to Amazon, the book has arrived in town this morning! Hopefully it will be delivered today!! I'm excited!

Nothing really to report. I didn't overeat over the holiday. However, I did spend a lot of time playing video games with my brother, reading, and generally being lazy. I also drank way too much pop. Starting Monday, I'm getting back to the gym and working hard on this running program. I also need to start being more mindful of the food I eat.

Anyways, I hope you guys had an awesome Christmas and New Year! See you in 2011!!

I decided to separate this blog somewhat. Since this blog is more devoted to health, fitness, exercise, etc., I made another blog for my thoughts. It is Sinnful Thoughts if you want to head over that way. It would be awesome if you guys follow me there as well. But no worries if you don't

Last night was awesome! Only two people ended up coming, but it was still fun. Angel was afraid of the weather forecast, but it never did snow ^_^ After talking for awhile, we pushed our coffee table out of the way and put the first game in. If you want a good cardio workout, play Just Dance 2! We were jumping around the floor, swinging our arms, and having a blast! I totally clocked KT while we were battling. I think it was during one of the duet pieces. Ninja hit our fan and dislodged some gross dust build up. He apologized for finding all the unclean areas of the house.

We finished the evening playing Mario Kart. It was really fun, and a nice break from Just Dance 2. KT had to end up leaving early. Her poor puppy was left home alone all day! Hubby and Ninja played a round of Halo Reach. Since it was nearly 3am, I start snoozing on the love seat. Juneau was so beat and came to curl up next to me. It was sweet.

While playing Just Dance 2, I found that I had a lot more endurance after going to the gym. I'm still a far way from being in shape, but I could see some of the payoff. It was awesome!

We didn't get to bed until close to 3:30am! It would have been nice to sleep in longer, but Juneau was whining in her cage. For some reason, I cannot block out her whining. Needless to say, I was going to get anymore sleep. And, at this very moment, she is conked out on the love seat!

We're going to catch Tron: Legacy tonight. We're all pretty excited to see it!

While I was goofing off and avoiding house work on Wednesday, I updated/finished my treadmill playlist (okay, general gym playlist). That's one thing I miss about working at the radio station! I really enjoyed making playlists! Anyway, today was the first day using it, and it went pretty good. Well, here it is:

1. I Gotta Feeling - The Black Eyed Peas
2. For Your Entertainment - Adam Lambert
3. September - Earth, Wind & Fire
4. Poker Face - Lady Gaga
5. My Humps - Black Eyed Peas (LoL, kind of boring)
6. Shut Up and Let Me Go - The Ting Tings
7. Tik Tok - Ke$ha
8. Every Time We Touched - Cascada
9. Disturbia - Rihanna
10. Your Love is My Drug - Ke$ha
11. Boom Boom Pow - Black Eyed Peas
12. Genie in a Bottle - Christina Aquilera
13. Teenage Dream - Katy Perry
14. Dance, Dance - Fall Out Boy
15. Bad Romance - Lady Gaga
16. Single Ladies - Beyonce
17. Hot N Cold - Katy Perry
18. Party in the U.S.A. - Miley Cyrus
19. I Kissed a Girl - Katy Perry
20. Just Dance - Lady Gaga
21. Don't Stop the Music - Lady Gaga
22. California Gurls - Katy Perry

Observation: Huffing, puffing, and sweating must be a weird occurrence at the gym. The guy on the elliptical next to me kept turning and staring at me. Sheesh, dude, take a damn picture and leave me alone! LoL, maybe the fat jiggling was memorizing!

I made it through 3-4 sets of running this morning! LoL, it has been a struggle! When Cascada came on, I told myself that I could DDR through her song previously, so I could run 60sec. It didn't work! I got 45sec! However, I had a hard time going straight from jogging to walking. I had to stop and stretch out m calf muscles and then work back up to a high intensity walk. However, just the fact that I did it is important. *Pats self on back*

Avoiding cleaning the house is not an option today! I need to pick up a few things that migrated to the floor last night, vacuum floor and furniture, Febreeze the hell out of the furniture, clean the upholstery (Juneau is in heat and no matter what towels we put down, she has still bled on the furniture!), and finish the kitchen. I told myself that I would sit on my ass and watch an hour of afternoon TV, but it is rather boring. I'm almost itching to get the stuff done. Unfortunately, I'll get more stressed about hubby's chores not being done.

Hubby hasn't been walking Juneau in the evenings; he's been sick. I would walk her, but I lack a winter coat!! Okay, well, the cat the stupid cat (aka, Dizzy) peed all over it last winter, and the damn coat is wool! I know I need to get a coat, but the money has been tight. Walking between the car, the house, and the gym isn't too big of a deal, but walking her in 14 degrees w/ no coat is pushing it! I feel bad, because she just whines and whines by the back door, the garage door, and looks at her leash. I feel like a bad puppy parent!

Tomorrow is the gaming weekend!! Booya!

Whoa! Carnie Wilson is putting all of her weight back on! I remember when she really put the weight on back in the day, but she ended up making a big deal about getting gastric bypass. She was able to work it off and keep it off. But now, watching them on TV, she is putting it back on. Sad! She was always an inspiration to me, and I always thought she was so beautiful (not saying that she isn't pretty due to her weight).

I've been cleaning the house the last couple of days. Since FIL fixed the sink, I've gotten just about all the dishes clean. There are a few that I have to wash by hand and some going through a rinse cycle in the dishwasher. Walking into the kitchen no longer causes a lot of stress. Something about a clean-ish kitchen just makes you feel good, even when the rest of the house is a disaster!

I've tried to keep the coffee table clean. However, over the course of a week or more, it has started to get cluttered again. It's not that bad, but some glasses and garbage needs to be picked up. I started clearing out under the table. LoL, I really don't want to follow through! However, I was able to tackle moving the coffee table and pick up all the junk and trash trapped under there. That will make vacuuming a lot easier. Since we're moving the coffee table for the game night, it would be a wise idea to clean up and vacuum the floor under the table!

At this point, I need to finish decluttering the floor, clean off our long serving table, vacuum the floor and furniture, and Febreeze the furniture with pet odor stuff. I'm hoping to keep Dizzy off the chairs, She sheds enough for 10+ cats! Most of the backs of our furniture is covered with black fur!

I gave my hubby garbage and bathroom duty. Unfortunately, I'll have to pester him about it if it is going to be done. Is it just me, or is that a typical guy thing? Whatever it is, it annoys me to no end.

In other good news, hubby had a job interview this afternoon. After the interview, he said that he was everything they were looking for. However, they are not sure whether they can match his pay. She told him not to accept a position where there is a pay cut. Sadly, the job wouldn't have benefits. If I get a job with the city, it really wouldn't matter. They have kick ass benefits!

When I got home from the gym, I really sat down and finally thought about things.

Getting exercise has been amazing! My hubby has even noticed my increased energy, mood, and general health. I have been plugging away at the gym since August, and I'm very proud of myself. I haven't needed an accountability buddy to keep me going. I have been my own motivation, and that is really affirming. And, even though a lot of weight has not been lost, I feel sexy! For the first time, in a LONG time, I feel sexy and hot!

While the exercising has been amazing, my eating options have not been the best. At this point, I am just maintaining my weight: Exercising enough to burn off the calories I consume. I'm tired of that lifestyle. And, yes, I admit that I like soda, I enjoy eating out, not having limitations on what I eat, overeating due to love of food/flavor, etc. But, you know what, I am worth more than that. As discussed in older posts, I come from a long, long line of diabetics. All of my mother's aunts (and mother) have diabetes and my dad has to give himself shots. Even though all of my blood chemistry is awesome, I am still setting off pre-diabetic warning signals. If I die early, I want to due to something outside of my control. I don't want to be sitting here 20+ years from now and wish/regret that I never cared about myself.

Granted, it would be nice to lose weight! But I don't want that my focus. If I eat healthy and continue with the exercise and don't lose weight, *shrug* than I don't. However, I think keeping a tab on my weight is a good thing. For one, I will know what is normal for me and possibly when I hit a plateau.

Anyway, here is the plan:

• 151 days (5mo) to change blood chemistry/diabetes markers and get into regular healthy eating habits (actually getting a food journal going).
• By the first week of April, I want to be able to jog 3 miles in about 30 minutes and be able to keep up with Juneau
  

The strategy:

I need to get back into the habit of weekly menu planning. We are tight for money, so it would save a lot. Well, it did save a lot of money. We were able to stay within our food budget. As for exercise, I'm planning on working through Couch to 5k. I don't want to run a 5k, but it would be awesome to have that ability!

I usually have issues with New Year's resolutions, but this is mine. I'm going to continue heading to the gym 3x/wk and working myself hard. However, while still thinking about being mindful of portion control -- especially on the holidays! -- the major food overhaul will start on January 1, 2011. My counter of 151 days and 3 miles will start on January 1 as well.

Anyways, that's it. It seems kind of daunting, but I know I can do it!

**Jumps up and down** I was able to jog this morning!! Granted, it wasn't very long, but I did it!

I also added some new leg weight-machines into the mix. Man, even during cool down/stretching, it was burning! I think being winded was my asthma acting up, but it didn't cause too much of an issue. Even after relaxing in the bathtub and a nap, my legs just don't want to work. When I stand up, my legs complain: "Why?!" LoL

Today is my birthday. Hubby and I are heading to the cheap seats to watch the Town. After that, we're heading to Applebee's with a gift card from my in-laws. And, yes, I am getting a mucho mudslide. In the bigger picture, I might have 2-3/yr. I'm not a big drinker.

Since my sink is now working, I got a load of dishes into the dishwater. Even putting in one load, I feel so much better ^_^

Well, off to put feet up and play around with Gimp ^__^

In-laws just left. It was awesome! The conversation really helped me look at the accident in a different way. It also helped me realize just how much God was working. Really, have you seen people walk away from getting hit by an 18-wheeler? Anyways, just spending some time, laughing, and shooting the breeze was pretty refreshing.

LoL, FIL got our sink working! It has been plugged and the garbage disposal has been acting up. Hubby has been putting off cleaning it, so every dish in the house is filthy. The dishwasher backs-up into the sink, but it wasn't draining. Anyways, we tried it last night and got the same response -- nothing. FIL comes over, turns on the disposal, and it WORKS! Yay!! Now to get to work cleaning my kitchen all over again

Given the time, I'm thinking about skipping the gym tomorrow. I know I need to get in and work on the weights, but sleep is so much better. Juneau woke me up this morning with diarrhea, so I wasn't able to get a ton of sleep.

In other news: Our new car is home!!! Booya! Hubby wanted to take the car to work, so I couldn't take it for a spin. But tomorrow I get the car

Well, off to bed!

• God saved us and Juneau in our nasty, nasty car accident. There is no doubt in my mind that she should have died.
• We were able to buy a new car today -- a 2010 Mercury Mariner limited, sync/blue tooth for phone, surius enabled, USB port, etc. for only $500/mo payments (same as our Zephyr)
• I got an interview with the police department on Jan 13th!!!

Yes, ma'am, God is good! He is telling me to let and and allow Him to do His work. He is also telling me loud and clear how much He loves me.

In other news, the gym . . . Ouch, the gym! I decided to up my walking speed, so it was killer. Jogging for about 1 minute and walk 1 minute alternating sounded like a good idea. Um, yeah, my legs totally did not agree! I ended up just sticking to the kick ass walking. However, the jogging will commence next week. After that, I worked my chest, shoulders, and back on the weight machines. My ass has been totally kicked, and it feels damn good! I have a total high today, and I hope it's not a hard come-down.

On top of this, I think Dollhouse and V are waiting in my mailbox!!

**happy Snoopy dance**

My in-laws are coming into town tomorrow and want to take us out to dinner. One of their close friends just lost his wife last week. The memorial service is on Friday. I guess she had a hard battle w/ cancer. She didn't go through chemo. However, she raised her kids and saw her grandkids. I know she's still young, but it is almost a blessing. Anyways . . . Back to the high!!!

This afternoon, I applied for a technical writing position. They wanted a writing sample, so I sent the grant I wrote in a grant writing class. My cover letter was also rocking! I'm hoping that something will come of it. It pays between $12 and $15/hr depending on experience. Even at $12/hr, that's approx $23,040/yr. I'm keeping my fingers crossed! This is firmly planted in my degree. It would be awesome!

The insurance totaled the car. They are paying out $14k. We're hoping that we owe less than that. They stop paying for the rental on Friday. We're thinking about keeping it over the weekend, so we can buy a car. I'm excited, but also a little nervous. We're leaning towards and SUV because of Juneau. We're also afraid of the payments we can make; it limits our options. It would be so much easier if I already had a job!

Everything in good time, I suppose.

It's always the same people at the gym: the skinny girls pounding away on the elliptical machines, the sweet lady who runs for an hour on the treadmill, the 65+ year-old lady rocking the hell out of those weight machines (with heavy weights!), the little old ladies tittering in the dressing room on their to/from the pool, etc. There is something comforting about the constant. I've even got used to my autonomy being disrupted by the PT saying "hi" to me every morning (and he uses my first name, so it is kind of weird . . .). At some level, I have finally gotten over my anxiety over the way I look. But, really, no one looks their best at the gym. For goodness sake's, we're all hot and sweaty!

Last week, a girl told me that she thought I was really flexible. I'm not sure whether it's true, but it really stroked my ego You know how muscle builders have a problem lowering their arms all the way? Yeah, well, that is my legs! They are rock hard! It's awesome, but it makes it harder to find jeans. Meh, you can't get it all, I suppose.

Still no job. I've been calling, trying to get on for seasonal work, etc. Nothing. A big, fat nothing! I considered moving 4hrs away to get a job at the mine paying $35/hr. I'm not sure if they are hiring or they would hire me, but it would be money. Honestly, I'm afraid of leaving hubby and Juneau. It would be really hard on everyone. LoL, hubby suggested that we should both get jobs at the mine. It would end with a salary close to 140k/yr!

Christmas has been postponed this year. Since I don't have a job, we don't have the money to celebrate and gift family. *sigh* I'm still trying to trust God, but I have so many doubts flying around my head. However, we did purchase my mom a gift during the summer, and I've made a blanket and plushy Cthulhu for my niece. The yarn was from my massive yarn stash, so it didn't cost much. We're also getting her an ornament. It is a tradition in my family to give all the kids an ornament every year. I want to bring this tradition into my new family

We started looking for new cars. The insurance hasn't told us if the car has been totaled. However, once they decide it was totaled, we only have 4 days with the rental before we have to pay for it. Since Juneau is a part of the family, we're actually considering an SUV. We loved our Lincoln Zephyr, but it is more practical to go a different direction. She would fit in the back better, we could actually have more room for her and stuff, it would work wonderfully in the mountains, and hubby would be able to fit his skis in the car for ski-joring.

My birthday is in a week! Since it is during the week, we're having a party of the 18th. It's going to be a geek-end: all video games, all the time! We're getting a couple of pizzas and 2-liters. Everyone is supposed to bring games/systems and favorite video munchies. Angel is driving over for the weekend, and Torg is going to be there too. Since Tron: Legacy is coming out that Friday, Ninja, Angel, Torg, hubby, and me are going on Sunday afternoon. Hubby, Ninja, and I just re-watched the original last Saturday.