Hiking up the mountain

The last few days were spent hiking up a mountain. It is the 4th highest mountain east of the Mississippi (I think). So total our hike was about 6.5 miles.



The previous weeks of working out really paid off on this trip. It was beautiful, and I was able to enjoy it without feeling the pains in my body as I have on past hikes. I am looking forward to doing more hikes like this in the future with my family. One of the neatest experiences about hiking to such great heights is the serenity and calm you feel, that you worked so hard and only a precious few have experienced these same things.



I am headed off to the beach tomorrow to swim, kayak, build sand castles, walk the beach, bike ride and anything else that is pleasant and wonderful. I hope that I can be equally as successful with my eating habits as I have been with my fitness. It has been hard, but I am trying to do my best.

Vacation... is hard

First full day on vacation - I have to say that it is harder than I expected. I thought that even though people say that it is difficult, that I was prepared. I knew what I would do....

Yeah right.

When your mom has cookies (low fat) on the counter, Ritter Sport in many varieties availble to try, and yummy dinners. I have definetly gone over my calorie limit. I don't know how well I will do this whole trip, but I will try my best. I am at 184 right now, so I guess the scale will tell me how I have done when I get home.

Start of Travels

I started my vacation today. I woke up and went on a nice bike ride to the library to return a video before I left. As we started our journey, I thought that I would be fine and that I was very well prepared.

Well, I finally got to my parents house and realized I was starving. The airplane ride took it out of me. I underestimated the energy it would require to sit in the same spot for so long. With pasta on the counter... I just went into it. My mother also had a number of packages of Ritter Sport out on the counter.... well to say the least... I ate over my calories. I don't even know by how much. Tomorrow, I will do better :)

It is contagious.

I talked with two people today who have hopes to lose weight in the near future. I told them what I was doing, and that it is really important to know the reasons why you are losing weight. Without really knowing, it is easy to give up (heck, it is easy to give up even when you know :). I am excited for them, and hope that I can be as supportive as my friends have been for me.

Good news. I wore a size 14 pair of pants today! That is very exciting to me.

I also noticed today that you can get your work out in many different ways. I started sweating as I was cleaning my room and dancing to the upbeat/techno music playing. Ginger loved it. I realized that I have so much fun just jumping up and down, spinning around, shaking my hips and waving my arms that it is just as good of a cardio work out as any dvd I have.

Creativity is key!

Bees on the brain

For the last number of weeks my mind has been on my goals of healthiness and trying to keep track of everything I have been doing, well not today......

This morning, I did a relaxed exercise of biking, and I today I tried to eat well. We ended up eating at a place called Sharky's where you can order "naked" items. This means they use fat free sour cream, fat free cheese, cook with no oil, and have limited carbs. It was very tasty. I will probably go there again (my meal was only 398 calories).

Most of the day, however, was spent dealing with the overwhelming amount of bees that showed up at my doorstep with in about 3 hours...







Yes, I know. Now you know why I was more consumed with this problem at my door step than eating right or working out (which luckily I was able to do anyway). We got a nice beekeeper to come out with a hive and transfer them. So any that are left, after he takes his hive, we will just kill with our killshot spray stuff.



p.s. I spent the day at my friend's house so to avoid the bees that had come into my house. She has let me borrow her hand weights (3 lbs, 5 lbs, and 7 lbs). I am excited to use them during my strength workout. Stretch bands are hard to use for certain exercises.

Women's Health

I found myself at the library yesterday looking for a calorie catalog (a book that lists the nutritional value for food, e.g. black beans, banana, peach, etc) and I happened to find a book on women's health, The Active Woman's health and Fitness Handbook by Nayda Swedan MD



I would like to quote a bit from it....

"Body image is a term used to describe how you see your body. It is a state of mind that can affect confidence, not only in regard to how you look, but also how you feel about yourself, which can affect your physical and mental health.

Unfortunately, many women have poor body image; even those who are beautiful, thin, fit bodies can look in a mirror and criticize themselves for their imperfections (that are often out of proportion to how they look) rather than their strengths. In contrast, women who have positive body image are confident in knowing that, no matter what the weight on the scale, they are fit, strong, healthy, and beautiful.

....

The best way to have a positive body image is to feel positive about yourself as a person. Stay active, exercise regularly, and feel strong and fit. Nurture your muscles, feed them healthy food, and maintain goals for your life and achievements. Wear clothes that flatter you; have friends who flatter you also."

She goes on to talk about other women's issues with weight and fitness, but I felt that is section was very nice. I generally have a positive body image, but as I go through this process I have to remember that it isn't just being skinny that is important (if it were my body image would be really bad right now :) but it is to be healthy and active. With that in mind any step closer, every workout, every veggie I eat.. helps me be a fit, strong, healthy, and beautiful wife and mother.

I am getting really interested in learning more about women's health, and the specific needs women have physically. If anyone knows of some good books... pass them along. I would love to read them.

Soon, I will hopefully meet with a dietitian just to make sure I am eating the right stuff. I believe that I am, but it is always nice to hear it from someone else too.

p.s. Right now I am eating a delicious slice of garlic & herb Laughing Cow light cheese with (instead of crackers or pretzel thins) slices of cucumber. It is tasty. Total calorie count... 50 kcal YAY!

p.s.s. My calves are looking spectacular :)

Remembering Reasons

There are just those days that seem like this quest is just so silly.... Why would I want to lose weight when I know I am going to get pregnant right after... It doesn't seem to make any sense, at least it didn't today.

Luckily, I have a telephone. I called up a few of my friendly support club members (aka friends) that might also understand this "family way" difficulty. And they reminded me that this journey is so much more than just being thin. They reminded me of all the other reasons I am doing this.
- to be a good mom, who helps her children be active and healthy
- to have healthy future pregnancies
- to be a spectacularly beautiful wife
- to live the commandments and abide by the teachings of the prophets
- to be the best me I can be

Plus, I have heard that it is doubly hard to lose the weight of the first baby after you have had a second.... Well I am 10 pounds away from where I was when I got pregnant with Ginger, so that is almost accomplished.

Downside of today:
Overeating on cantaloupe and cheese with crackers.

Upside of today:
I realized what good supportive friends I have. Thanks you guys for listening.