Um... stop please!

So, I've had this crazy stomach bug where I get sick halfway through the day and can't eat much. No fun. The worst part? I have NO energy, and when I say no energy, I mean it. I have slept like 10 hour nights, and still am tired during the day. I'm really hoping this will end quickly, because I have had it already!

The good news? I'm still at the same weight. No gain, no loss. I'd rather have it that way right now. Honestly. At least that's the one positive out of this.

Sorry, but that's all I have the energy to write now... thanks for the positive thoughts about this! I know I haven't said anything about it, but I'm now starting to get messages about how I have inspired some people, and I honestly never intended to "Inspire", just to share my story. So I'm glad some of you have drawn my energy! :)

"The devotion of thought to an honest achievement makes the achievement possible." - Mary Baker Eddy

Happy Easter!

Just wanted to take a minute to wish everyone a Happy Easter! I have had a great day so far - I came downstairs to an amazing Easter Basket - probably the best one ever! :) It had a slap-on watch (um... can we say perfect?), a HUGE candle (for my bubble baths, of course!), a bag of sweet potato chips, and a little case of M&M's (100 calories for the whole thing... LOVE IT!). Thanks, Mom and Dad! :) I'm glad the "Easter Bunny" knew that I was making a lifestyle change!

So the past few days have been crazy busy, but so much fun! My sister in law got me a lunch box that is huge, so I can fit healthy foods in it! So Thursday I had my first opportunity to use it, and I love it! I could pack all kinds of yummy stuff! We had to take Gidget to the agility class on Thursday night to check things out and have them meet her, and I'll tell you what, it's definitely going to be a GREAT workout! I am going to have to run with her all over this huge room while she jumps and runs through tunnels and stuff! I can't wait! That will be my Saturday workout, for sure!

Friday, I worked at the salon. The salon used to be a huge diet killer for me when I worked there. They ALWAYS go out to lunch, and usually at places not so healthy. I did convince them to go to Subway, though, even though I wasn't eating lunch with them :) Hahaha... but I realized how educated I am becoming on how to eat healthy. I mean, even at Subway, there are unbelievable calories that can accumulate on those sandwiches, and I was so glad that out of the people there I would have been making the best choice!

Yesterday was the "test" of how much I have learned. We had our Easter dinner last night, because our families had to split today to make it to all the in-laws and stuff. So we had our usual food, I just made different choices. I filled my plate with veggies (not too colorful of veggies, but still veggies!) They took over about 3/4 of my plate, then instead of ham I had turkey, a few potatoes, and a piece of bread. Then, Ian and Mandi brought brownies that were 30 calories a piece, which were amazing! And I kept some in the freezer for when I want something like that! :) Thanks, Ian! I did also have a piece of carrot cake, but only 1/2 of a piece. The best part? I stayed in my calorie range! YAY! After dinner, we went for a long walk around the neighborhood, burning 368 calories! Woot woot! (Normally, I wouldn't have gone on this walk.... Mom and Aunt Jody go every time we get together)

So I guess we could say I've been successful, huh? LOL I haven't weighed myself or measured myself lately, but I can definitely see a drastic change... and one of mom's long-time clients noticed my weight loss on Friday! She couldn't believe it was only 10 pounds! :) Good sign, huh?

Enjoy your Easter! And remember, be light on the candy! Is it really worth the taste for the calories? I survived, and felt good afterwards. So will you!

"All glory comes from daring to begin." - William Shakespeare

Dust myself off and try again...

Ok, I am open to admitting I had a really rough week. I let my schedule get the best of me. Plus, at my nannying job, the mom told me not to pack lunch, and they had NOTHING healthy in their house. The end result? Ramen Noodles for lunch. Ugh. But the good news? Well, there's a lot of good news.

First things first, the parents at the house I nanny at told me to make a grocery list of foods I eat. :) Yessir, I will be eating SO MUCH better next week.

Second, I got back on the bandwagon of exercising. Keep in mind, in my diet history, NEVER have I been this routine about exercising. And when I quit, I quit. I don't go back. I started back into it last night, and then today mom and I went after school. I actually WANTED to work out. Kindof. I wasn't totally convinced, but I went before I could really ponder it.

Third, I got back on track with food. I actually made our lunch for tomorrow since I'm working with mom. Ask her how healthy the lunch is. Just ask her, please! :) (She'll beat you to the punch and comment first, I promise.)

Ok, so I thought of a really good quote with Mom in the car today from "Legally Blonde". :) Enjoy. (And Brenda, I miss you. Like for real.)

Elle: I just don't think that Brooke could've done this. Exercise gives you endorphins. Endorphins make you happy. Happy people just don't shoot their husbands, they just don't.

The Treadmill of Death

So, let me tell you a story. It's a fun story for those of us that enjoy working out, but not so much on a treadmill, because there's not much variety, right?

We have a VERY OLD treadmill at our house, and I repeat, VERY OLD! We are lucky it even runs anymore, that's how old it is! A few months ago, I wanted to walk on the treadmill, so I went downstairs, and it was my first time using this treadmill since I was like 12. In 5 minutes I was totally wiped out, mainly because it was on an incline. YES, DAD, AN INCLINE! (Dad liked to claim it wasn't on an incline. Notice he never used the treadmill to figure it out.) But, thankfully, Dad fixed it a few weeks ago so that we could use it again. Sweet!

That was just the set-up for my actual story.

Tonight, I got to see a friend that I won't get to see much for a while, since she is marching drum corps this summer. So I went to visit her (she was getting her hair done at mom's salon), and we wound up talking for like an hour and a half before I finally left. So I STILL hadn't gotten in my workout. I picked up Subway for dad and I, and the whole way home I was trying to think of how to get my workout in. It's Survivor night, so the Wii wouldn't happen until LATE tonight.

Yep, you guessed it. I thought hey, you know what? Let's do the treadmill! It's fixed!

First of all, it takes a little while since it's so old to get it started up. After 5 minutes of adjusting the speed, I finally got it at my normal speed. I was psyched to get started. I started, and the treadmill slowed down. My normal speed is about 3.5... again, background. So it slowed down to like 2.8.... ok, no biggie. Then it slows down further to 2.2... then it suddenly picked up, kept picking up, and I look down and HOLY CRAP! I was jogging at 4.5! What?! Did I not set the speed at 3.5? Yep, it kept going up and down. I lasted 20 minutes! LOL

So that's my story.

"Making good decisions is a crucial skill at every level." - Peter Drucker

Gidget!

I have to apologize for my lack of blogging lately... our family has been slightly pre-occupied with a new addition to our family! We just adopted a 2 year old portuguese water dog, and she is just so cute! But she needs SO MUCH attention. She has really latched on to me, she wants to be with me all the time! Not that I'm complaining, though, because really, I burn so many calories hanging out with little miss Gidget! She keeps me active at home, which is AWESOME! Just tonight, in the 5 hours I have been home since work, including a 1 hour nap, I have burned 700 calories!

So with that, I need to cut this short! I need to sleep, I didn't get much sleep last night because it was her first night with us and she is going to be sleeping in my room. I wanted to make sure she slept through the night and things like that, so now tonight hopefully I will just pass out! :)

I promise to write more tomorrow!

"Goals are not only absolutely necessary to motivate us. They are essential to really keep us alive." - Robert Schuller

Words to Live By - Mia Michaels

Ok, Ok, I know... I already posted today, jeez.... but I was on facebook and saw a video posted of a speech Mia Michaels gave to the WGI members who stayed for a clinic with her the day after world finals. These are words that I live by, seriously, and she said it so well. Did I mention that the whole "I can't" is what I tell all of my guard kids? I mean ALL of my guard kids, from elementary to high school. So here you go... words to live by via Mia Michaels...

Challenge yourself, push yourself, alright? You want to really push yourself. This moment that we have together will never ever ever happen again, ever. This is all we have right now. This is it. If you want to walk out of here after class and go “I pushed myself to a place I never knew I could.” Always keep breaking down those walls. Keep breaking down what you think you can do, always. Don’t stay comfortable, ever. There’s no “I can’t” ever. And anybody who’s around you that says you can’t, you need to discard them and move them out of the way, because it’s like “No, I can. I can do anything. Anything is possible.” But it’s all your choice. It’s about what you want and how you want to process and how you go on your journey. So you can go on your journey halfway, which will manifest halfway. If you’re like “Oh they’re really lucky” or “they’re this” or “they’re that”. No, they’re probably not really lucky they probably just really went for it full out. And we don’t know that. They just kept knocking down doors and barriers and walls and went full out all the time in order to get to where they want to be in their life. So that’s all it is. If you choose to just kindof walk, or choose to sprint. You know like when you’re a little kid, and you close the door to your bedroom and you put music on and just go. Do you remember that? Remember that freedom? And that like lack of judement? Right? You just go, and you go hard, right? If you can un-cage your spirit and allow it to just go and dance and be free, your body has got to get in line. It has to. It has to listen to it and it just goes. And that place of freedom and that place of just trust, is the most amazing place you can dance from.

Didn't I used to do this everyday?

Oh man... today was my first day subbing in a while, especially in the lower elementary grades. I was a 2nd grade teacher, and you know how I said I was excited to see how many calories I would burn subbing elementary? It's NO JOKE! I burned 1300 calories in my few hours of teaching! Crazy, right? I'm sure kindergarten would be even more wicked... can't wait to find out! :)

I wound up going to work out at the gym last night. Mom called around 5:00 and was wanting to work out unless I didn't want to, so we met at the gym! Even when I didn't have any desire! I was just going to work out at home, but this was much better!

I may have to go walk on the treadmill tonight, though. Dad and I just had Wendy's for dinner... YIKES! I feel guilty. Incredibly guilty. Oh well... at least it wasn't a Big Mac, right? I did good... for eating fast food. Ugh. Treadmill? Yes please.

Allergies = No Fun

Well, it has happened. Not feeling well today because of allergies. YAY for Ohio... but, I'm still not going to let that effect my workout! I have been sitting here, taking care of my daddio, trying to figure out a good way to get in my workout for the day. Luckily, pre-surgery, Daddio set up our workout room downstairs, so I'm thinking I may have to work out with the Biggest Loser tonight! I love working out during the show... I feel like I'm a part of the group! :)

So yesterday I didn't get to write a blog, but we did work out with Brenda yesterday! It was amazing! She worked us harder than she has worked us together... and I loved it! We walked up a hill with the treadmill, then we went upstairs and worked on martial arts. I even got to fight back a little bit while holding the pads! Granted, when showing Mom what to do to hit back, Brenda hit me so I hit my own face with my hands... but still... fun! :) Hahaha... luckily, no visible bruising today! I did kindof punch myself in my eye at one point...

Well, I hopefully will have a more exciting update for you all tomorrow, but you never know! I may be a kindergarten teacher tomorrow for my sister-in-law! It would be interesting to see how many calories I burn in an elementary classroom! :)

"There is real magic in enthusiasm. It spells the difference between mediocrity and accomplishment." - Norman Vincent Peale

Weekend of Realizations

I apologize for the long time since the last entry. I have been crazy busy the past few days, so I didn't get a chance to update. For those that don't know, my dad had a knee replacement on Friday. He went through it really well, and is walking REALLY WELL with a walker :) We are also in the process of getting another dog, but she is up in Michigan, so we need to "make arrangements" for all of this to happen as well. And yesterday was WGI finals in Dayton, and I went with some friends. So finally, here I am, finally able to write! Yay!

It has been a few days of realization for me. First of all, yesterday I realized WHY I need to count calories constantly. On Friday, being at the hospital all day, I took the calorie counter and wrote down all of the calories I was eating. I was very well aware of how many calories I needed to burn, yada yada yada. But yesterday, I figured what the hell? I know what I'm eating, and I'll be fine. Um... no. I went way over my calories, and I didn't burn more calories than I ate. Bummer. But, lesson learned, I now need to track absolutely everything. Got it.

I also, as I told my mom earlier, feel like a totally different person lately. I make the time to go workout, I don't over-do it, and I feel confident. Going out with friends yesterday really was nice, I liked having the time to do that. And I am feeling confident when I go places now, instead of feeling so on-edge and wondering if people think I'm too fat to be a part of the guard world. I felt really good! And that's only 8 pounds later... not even the full amount of weight I want to lose. Who knows, maybe next year at this time I'll be in the world class finals performing? :) I'm thinking about it. It's definitely under consideration!

Well, since dad is home, I feel like I need to be hanging out with him, so I will take off from here. I hope everyone had a "weekend of realizations"!

Oops... forgot a quote!

"When we accept tough jobs as a challenge and wade into them with joy and enthusiasm, miracles can happen." - Arland Gilbert

7 Pounds... That's a Small Baby!

As of this morning, I am officially down 7 pounds! All I could think of when I saw that was "Oh my gosh! That's how much a baby weighs!"

Also, I measured myself the other day, and so far I have gone down 4 inches... 2 inches in my waist, 2 inches in my hips. :) I may have already written this, so if I'm repetitive I apologize!

So today, like I said, I went to my first spinning class in a while at the gym. OH MY GOODNESS! The instructor was awesome! She was a sub for today, and I loved her! She told me everything I needed to know - things the regular instructors never told me! Then - get this - she says to me "Don't stay the whole time, only stay for like 45 minutes today." WHAT?! Here's why: She said that if I stayed the whole time and did everything all-out, I would hurt so bad tomorrow (true, been there) that I wouldn't want to come back (also true, been there). So at 6:15, I got off my bike, stretched, and cleaned the bike. The best part? This is why I love this gym... EVERYONE in the class as I left said "Great job today Erin! See you next week!"

There is so much support surrounding me, and I have to take a minute to thank my readers :) I know a lot of you are family, but still. It means a lot to me that when I post this, all of a sudden I hit "stats" and it tells me 10 people are already reading my post! So thank you! With this outpour of support, I truly feel like this is my time. I feel different, I carry myself different (so says my daddio), and I feel CONFIDENT! I honestly haven't had a day yet that I haven't hit my calorie burn target. It's amazing!

THANK YOU!

Unlimited Tip:As u envision the changes in ur future u have to let go of the mistakes in ur past. Learn from them then let em go! Transformation is not 5 min from now,it's a present activity. In this moment u CAN make a different choice & it's these small choices & successes that build up over time to help cultivate a healthy self image & self esteem. What are u gonna do differently today to live happier & healthier? - Jillian Michaels (direct from her Facebook)

Brenda = Jillian the Second

Well, going in to work out with Brenda this morning, I had NO IDEA what to expect! She surprises me every time I come in now!

So I started out just warming up, she was still working with her other client. So I was warming up on the treadmill. She came up, turned off the treadmill, and we went back to do weights. Now, usually, if I needed to take a few seconds (ok, minutes... wah wah wah) we would just pick up where I left off. Um... I would like to point out that I rested once for like 2 seconds, and she said "Well, now you have to do 5 more!" WHAT?! This is it, ladies and gentlemen, Brenda has officially transformed into Jillian Michaels... with a big old smile on her face! AHHHHHHH!

So when we finished with weight training, she took me upstairs to do our boxing.... wait... let's call it pain and torture! I was so proud of myself in the end. I would do like 1 minute straight of drills, then 2 minutes, and then, she told me 2 minutes, but I actually wound up doing 3 minutes and 15 seconds! Again, let me repeat, CRAZY PERSON! But I did it, nonstop, and I was so excited! I do believe at one point, I laid down on the ground to cool off, and I literally said "Brenda, you're beating the shit out of me today!"

We were both excited to see how many calories I burned during this workout, so when I got home I plugged in my bodybugg, and I burned 850 calories! YAY! It was amazing!

As you can tell, I'm unusually positive today! Probably because I measured my waist this morning and I have lost 2 inches! Again, YAAAAAAAAY! I'm feeling good, and I'm super peppy! Love it! I love feeling good!

"Success is steady progress toward one's personal goals." - Jim Rohn

"You're Tired, Let's Stop"

Yep, my mom actually had to say those words to me today. We worked out more than we usually do, and it was time to stop when I felt pain in my knee.

We started off today with a 9:30 AM Line Dancing class (super fun, by the way!). I could actually get into dancing and have fun with it, so it was great! And the instructor was happy to see us back, probably because when he says things like "jump, then wiggle" we know what he means and we do it, LOL. (Wiggle = shake your booty... sickos... where was your mind?)

After the class, we went into another room and did some boxing. I feel like we really pushed today, which was awesome! We brought in my iPod and used some music to pump us up. Thanks to Britney Spears for making an amazing album to work out to! Seriously! But after about 45 minutes, I started to feel a sharp pain in my knee. My mom knew, so we stopped. Well... let me rephrase that... she uttered the words, I said "let's do drills then stop", so we did drills, then we stopped.

I feel great! The scale isn't reflecting too much this week, but it's also the dreaded second week. I'm trying to push through to make sure I lose the weight I need to! :)

Well, that's all for today... I need to check about a summer job, here... and Ian, you haven't commented in a while... disappointing... LOL

Fitness to me isn't about a crunch or a push up, it's about taking your power back. - Jillian Michaels

No Workout Day = No Workout Day... Finally

Yes, it's true... I really took a day off. My muscles were yelling at me last night, and I finally caved. I could barely get out of bed this morning. My entire legs hurt. It was awful! But, I thought about it, and I really haven't taken a true day off. (And, admittedly, I didn't really "take today off" as I say... I did like 30 minutes on the Wii... guilty)

I was very strict about my diet though today, because I knew I wouldn't be burning as many calories as usual, so I preplanned lunch and dinner to make sure I was on track. I still haven't burned my 1000 calories more than I consume, but I have faith it will happen. I will make it happen! I am determined!

I can't quite find the words to describe what's going through my head right now... but I can say that I am really really confident this time. I can feel the commitment in myself. Usually after taking a day off of working out, I'm planning my next day off. Instead, I have emailed Brenda to plan our week of working out, planned working out with Mom tomorrow, and am planning on going to a spin class this week! I am trying to get an old friend to go with me, but I don't think it's going to happen... those closest to me know what I'm talking about. But I will be going to the spin classes myself, and I'm totally ok with that! Classes are fun to take with other people, but I feel more focused when I go by myself... especially spin. I can't wait to get back into it! I enjoyed it when I used to go with Cortney and Ashley! :) So here I go again... I will probably go Wednesday night. Updates will be coming!

And my good news of the week? I lost more weight than people on the ranch this week! Definitely made me happy! I always compare myself to Courtney, and she only lost 2 pounds this week on the show! :) So proud of myself!

“Don’t quit. Don’t give up.

It’s just that simple.”

~Biggest Loser

Unlimited Tip via Jillian Michaels

Just saw this on Twitter and had to share...

Unlimited Tip - The top tips to achieve your goals. We all have dreams that should be pursued with zeal & fervor. A key component to that is setting & achieving goals. Although it sounds easy enough, 95% of the people who set goals never achieve them.This isn’t because they’re incapable, it’s because they don’t know how. These 3 steps will help make success a certainty. 1st, be realistic. I’m 5’2. I’m not gonna be playing pro B Ball. Instead, however, I could study the game, play in an amateur women’s league & coach. Next be specific. Don’t just say “I want to be healthy”. That’s like saying I want to go northeast vs I want to go to the empire state building. What does healthy mean to you? Does it mean running a marathon? Getting your total cholesterol below 200? Define your goals so you know what deliberate steps to take in order to achieve them. Last, be authentic. You're much more likely to reach your goals if they're your goals, speaking to your desires, rather than the desires of outside influences. Goals that are meaningful to you will keep you inspired & driven towards success. - Jillian Michaels

I'm Shrinking... Quickly!

So today I went to see "Hop" with Erica... the first thing she said to me when she saw me? You look great! Yep... I'm shrinking.. it's official. When someone that just saw you less than a week ago mentions it, it's official. :) I love this!

I am struggling with my afternoons when I'm home, though. If I'm home the whole day, I find that around 2 or 3 I get STARVING, and no matter what I eat, I'm still hungry. I am convinced that this is boredom speaking. Actually, I'm sure of it. When I work, I have no problems with that, because I'm busy. So this week, spring break, shall prove to be a challenge. Perhaps this is a time I need to go work out this week?

Mom and I tried a line dancing class today. I couldn't enjoy it to it's full potential (for one thing, the instructor did the electric slide wrong... as a Springfield alumni, this simply cannot be happening...) but it was mostly due to the fact that I got a brazilian blowout done yesterday, so my hair can't be up in a ponytail, tucked, or get wet for 72 hours. Yep. Sweating was a concern, so as soon as I started to feel it affecting my hair, I stopped. So hopefully next time we go I get to actually have fun with it. Regardless, I burned 900 calories this morning with the class! That's pretty darn good! :)

Well, I think it may be bubble bath time.. so be it! :)

"This is where it matters the most. This is where lives are made, in these moments where you can choose whether or not to say "I can't" or "I can." It is a choice that will either make or break you for life." - Jillian Michaels

Do Squats to make you Hot!

One of the many hilarious quotes that Brenda came up with today during our workout... or at lest, it was the first of many...

"Do squats to make you hot!"

"Lateral raises get you praise!"

"Lunges make your weight plunge!"

"Presses help you weigh less!"

Have I mentioned my love towards Brenda lately? :)

Today was tough after just having a session with her yesterday, but I went in, no complaints (it helped that I had a paycheck at the gym waiting for me...). I started off VERY sore, but she fixed that with a treadmill/hill workout for 30 minutes! That helped out the soreness in my legs, for sure!

I have noticed a difference in my body, as well as attitude. My body is so different already! I'm getting a preview of what my shape will be when I lose the weight - and it's amazing! I can't wait to see what I look like at my goal weight... :)

Sorry for the short post, but it's time to get moving! Need to find a summer job! Go go go! (Notice the change in attitude?)

"Patience, persistence and perspiration make an unbeatable combination for success." - Napoleon Hill