Adios 2012!

This year flew by!  

I started off the year by giving up pop for the month of January.  It was successful and I really don't drink pop anymore. I only have Sprite occasionally.  And the only time I have Coke is with Jack Daniels, and then again, it isn't that often! (mmmm...jack&coke!)

That sort of kick started on this whole getting healthier thing.

I had lost weight in 2009/2010, gained all but 10 back after the death of my mother, and then 2012 showed up. 

I was tired of sitting on the sidelines.  Passing up opportunities to have fun adventures because couldn't do/didn't feel comfortable doing xyz.

One of my biggest fears can be summed up by Carrie Underwood (btw, my "The Band Perry" Pandora station is ROCKING MY FACE OFF today.  LOVE!)

Cause' I don't wanna' spend my life jaded

Waiting to wake up one day and find

That I've let all these years go by

Wasted

Oh I don't wanna' keep on wishing, missing

The still of the morning, the color of the night

I ain't spending no more time

Wasted

I don't want to waste my life away!  And 2012 turned out to be quite an  experience.

I started swimming again in January. 
I joined the Y in March. 
I ran for the first time in March.
I ran/walked my first 5K in June.
I did my first Pilates class in June.
I ran my first mile non-stop in October.
I graduated (self-promotion!) to Pilates 1 in November.
I started Yoga in November.
I tried Hot Yoga for the first time in December.
I completed my second 5K on Thanksgiving and had a 2 min, 37 sec PR.
I rocked the Holiday Bootie Buster Challenge too.

I definitely could NOT have done those things physically or mentally in the beginning of the year.  What I have accomplished this year makes me so proud!

Things definitely aren't perfect.  My confidence is not always at 100 or even 99 :)  Just last Saturday I had to switch out Bosu balls in Pilates class because I could hear the air leaking out of one when I tried doing a plank on it.  And of course the next thing was to stand on the Bosu ball.  I nearly asked if there was a weight limit.  Once again, holding myself back, argh!  I mean, I did put my weight on it later, but not standing.  Oy!

But then again, HEY I'm doing planks!  And Pilates with classmates who TEACH fitness classes.  As my instructor says "Do what you can".  That means "don't give up" "don't compare yourself to others" "do your best". 


So I have done so much this year, I can't wait for next year.  And if you are curious, here is my journey as told by the scale (I apologize for the face I am making):

January 2012 Weight:  280
December 31, 2012 Weight:  246


Some recent pics...

Side view - a little less forgiving!

HAPPY NEW YEAR MY BLOGGER FRIENDS!!!

My Thursday Eats

Well I did gain over Christmas, but it wasn't as bad as I imagine past years were.  Luckily, I was only at my dad's house for about 26 hours.  Let me just say to that relative that brought 3 desserts (for 13 people - really? and SwimSis brought one too)...the double decker cookie cake with loads of icing was NOT necessary.   I could have resisted the other crap.  Oy.  :)

But it was a good holiday indeed.  I am back in my townhouse by myself for the rest of week...so peaceful!  My family is a loud bunch.  Wednesday we had a "blizzard".  I say "blizzard" because I think we got 7.5 inches of snow.   You could have knocked me over w/a feather when I went to college in this same city and there was some substantial snow and the roads were terrible!  I come from a town that gets Lake Effect Snow and we're used to having an adequate snow removal fleet :)  But a paid day off from work, I'll take it!

I picked up some stuff from Walgreens then night before the "blizzard", as they were the only place open on Christmas.  If I haven't said it before, I'll say it now.  I love, Love, LOVE Walgreens for their fresh foods section.  I bought bottled water, some OJ (for this cold of mine!), 1 lb of mango (sliced & everything!), and an asian salad. 

For breakfast I had my usual sausage/egg/cheese on buscuit breakfast sandwich (Jimmy Dean brand, I think)  Sorry no picture!

Then I munched on my mango spears throughout the morning.  And then it came time for lunch....

That Asian Salad was SO FREAKING GOOD.   The veggies were good and crunch along with the little pack of crunchy things and the dressing was sweet with a zing.  Nom nom nom!  I had a few mango spears too. 

Sometimes I get a sweet craving really badly at work and rather than go to the vending machine for an entire candy bar/box of whatever, one of these Nips really does the trick.  And for 30 calories...can't beat that.

A few hours later I had a Cashew Cookie Larabar (contains only cashews and dates).  Not my favorite, but it did the trick. 


On Wednesday, I had Ramen Noodles - chicken flavor for dinner and it was delicious and in my mind, the chicken flavor was helping my cold, so I grabbed another pack on Thursday night.  I had stopped at the store and found a couple packages of broccoli, zuchinni, and yellow squash (fresh) for $.99 each.  It came with a creamy lemon dill sauce, but I thought I would save that because it sounds better suited for salmon than veggies. 

Of course I got some OJ too.  I was going to have the apples and grapes too, but I was so freaking full.



So that was my day and let me tell you, it was so freaking delicious.  I love days like that when food, especially healthy food, was absolutely delicious!

Life, lately.

Holy smokes!  Time is flying and December is busy!  A Merry Christmas Eve to you all!

So, here is what I have been up to lately:

HBBC week - 3? 4?  (whichever was 2 weeks ago)
Monday: Yoga @ Yoga Place 2
Tuesday:  Yoga @ Yoga Place 1
Wednesday:  Yoga @Yoga Plac 2
Thursday:  Rest
Friday: Rest
Saturday:  Pilates, Yoga @ Yoga Place 1, Yoga @ Yoga Place 2.
Sunday:  Rest

HBBC week 5 (I think that's right...last week)
Monday:  Yoga @ Yoga Place 2 (last time I was able to go before my intro package expired)
Tuesday:  Yoga @ Yoga Place 1
Wednesday:  Rest
Thursday:  2200 yd swim in 51 mins  (this workout, modified some)
Friday:  Rest
Saturday:  Pilates, Yoga @ Yoga Place 1, 22 min run/walk outside...1.5 miles
Sunday:  3300 yd swim in 1hr 15 mins (this workout, minus the butterfly set), 1 mile walk with friends

With that swim yesterday, I noticed that one of my suits split (it is very old!) but I took a note from my high school swim days and just tied the loose pieces together so it can hang on until I can order a new one in a couple of weeks. 

So as you can see I've been busy, but pretty good.  Yesterday, I left to work at the church a little before 9:30am, I stopped back by my house to drop off/pick up some stuff after my swim, and went to see a friend who was in town and got back at 10:30 that night...definitely past my bedtime! 

I've even seen some new #s on the scale, despite my wanting to eat all of the treats I see around the office!

I wish you all a Merry Christmas and a happy New Year.  I've very excited for 2013, 2012 itself hasn't been so bad either.