A Saturday post for Friday!

      I did not post last night because we left around 6 p.m. to head over to the Lockwood's house, and we didn't get home until after 2 a.m.!! We had such a good time :)
      It's so nice to have a couple with whom you are close, and that everyone likes everyone!
      I was bad though in my consumption of calories, and I did not even keep track. I know I had a couple of smaller pieces of Papa Murphy's pepperoni pizza, and I ate chips and salsa, and I consumed some beverages, but mostly I used club soda, although then I did switch to orange juice as my mixer later, but hey that's vitamin C, right?!
     Friday did start off right, LOL!

Exercise =
Recumbent bike 11.55 miles, 600 calories, 55 minutes

Water = 60 ounces

Food =
Breakfast
Coffee with International Delight
Oh’s cereal – one cup – didn’t drink milk

Lunch
Mozzarella cheese (60 calories, 4 g of fat)
Salsa
Bruschetta Tomato Basil Parmesan Bocca Burger (70/1.5)


Afternoon snack
Bagel from Safeway with fruit cream cheese

Dinner
Read above

OK, so overall this wasn't the best day. I did get exercise in, but it wasn't as good as the day before, and I only exercised once.

Water same story as exercise.

So, I guess we will count this as the worst day of the week! But, in the big picture of things, I did exercise :)

And, something for me today?? I had a blast with one of my best friends :) Enough said.

Rev Run

I have two quotes that I received on my Twitter today that even though they are not written specifically for someone who is losing weight, they certainly have meaning to me.

They are from Reverend Run (Joe Simmons AKA Run of Run-DMC).

Persistence, dedication, focus, pushing relentlessly 2wards the things you wanna see happen! PERIOD!

Continuous effort,, not strength or intelligence is the key to success! A consistent water flow can wear any hard place\ rock.. OUT!

Right on target...

I ran across this, as I follow Paul Coelho on Twitter. Here is the link to his blog.

He discusses the importance of repeating the same thing, and it just resonnates with me and this journey and trying to make good habits this summer. His poetic writing inspired me, and I wanted to share it with you! I especially like his last line. ENJOY...


     An action is a thought that manifests itself.
     A small gesture denounces us, so we have to make everything perfect, think about the details, learn the technique so that it becomes intuitive. Intuition has nothing to do with routine but rather with a state of spirit that lies beyond technique.
     So, after practicing a lot, we no longer think about all the necessary movements: they become part of our very existence. But for this to happen, you have to train and repeat.
     And as if that were not enough, you have to repeat and train.
     Watch a good blacksmith working the steel. To the untrained eye he is repeating the same hammer blows over and over again.
     But those who know the importance of training know that each time the hammer is raised and then lowered, the intensity of the blow is different. The hand repeats the same gesture but as it approaches the iron it knows whether to touch it harder or softer.
     Look at the windmill. Whoever sees its vanes just once imagines that it always turns with the same speed, always repeating the same movement. But those who know windmills know that they are conditioned to the wind and change their direction whenever necessary.
     The hand of the ironsmith was trained after the gesture of hammering was repeated thousands of times. Windmill vanes can move fast after the wind has blown a lot and polished their gears. The archer lets many an arrow pass far from the target because he knows that he will only learn the importance of the bow, posture, the string and the target after he repeats his gestures thousands of times without being afraid of making a mistake.
     Until he reaches the moment when he no longer needs to think about what he doing.
     From then on the archer becomes his bow, his arrow and his target.

Thursday :)

     Today was yet another SUPER day!! I had some goals, and I was able to accomplish those!

Exercise =
Recumbent Bike 55 min/ 627 calories/12.11 miles while watching Top Chef Master. I did only ride the bike, and did not go out on my horse tonight.

Water = 148 ounces! HOLY COW!! I had a big gallon jug at the baseball games!

Food =
Breakfast
Coffee with International Delight

Lunch
Chicken salad – used leftover chicken breasts from a couple of days ago. Lettuce, red pepper, yellow pepper, almonds. Dressing = Huckleberry.



Dinner
Taco and more Chicken Salad (Dressing = lime juice)


Dessert
Ice cream sandwich

     So, I didn't add more exercise, but I definitely added more time/distance/calories onto the bike! I couldn't believe the difference in the final stats for just a little while longer.
     It makes me think about a couple of different things I would like to do. I know someone who "ran" for 17 minutes every ten days just to see how far he could get each time. I kinda like that challenge idea.
     Speaking of challenge, I also recently read about a challenge on one of my favorite blogs, Fat Dad, where every Friday he and some other people drink a 5-hour energy shot, and then they exercise for one hour to see who can burn the most calories in one hour. Each person competing can choose any form of exercise s/he wants for that hour. I like this idea. Hmmmm.
     I am also proud of myself for all the water!! WOO hoo. That's something to strive for tomorrow :)
     OK, so what good thing did I do for me today? Well, I did take a nap early evening, and that was nice. I read a little, and then slept for an hour. NICE.
     Also, I went to Jordan's doubleheader baseball games today in Brewster (they won one and barely lost the other), and I sat with his girlfriend, Ramsi.
     We laughed so hard so many times, that my face and stomach hurt! I told her that I was going to blog about that being one of the good things I did for myself...hang out with her all afternoon! The laughter is AMAZING! You can't have a bad day when you laugh that hard!!!
     Goals for tomorrow? Well, besides keeping everything to the same level as today, I would like to try one more form of exercise besides the bike and the horse. I did DVR some fitness shows, so maybe that or a walk or a hike.
laughter

wHaTtA WeDnEsDaY!!!

     Another day in the books, ladies and gentlemen!! I was a little worried because I woke up with a gnarly headache! I think it's allergies, but I guess it could be that I slept strangely or something. WHATEVER it was, OUCH.
     So, I got up and exercised!! I was hoping it would kick the headache in the butt; unfortunately, it did not. Migraine Excedrin did the job in the late afternoon.
     With that all said, I wasn't super hungry, which I guess is an OK side effect. I would rather have no headache and be hungry, though!

Water = 80 ounces - that's an improvement :)
Exercise =
Recumbent bike/40 minutes/475 calories/9 miles - OK, so my goal for today was to ride as long as I normally do, but to increase the calories and mileage, which I did!! WOO HOO!

I also spent almost two hours outside sorting bulbs (a big cheer fundraiser), and since it was humid this morning, I was sweating like crazy.

Tonight we rode the horses around the block, and we went twice, so I rode for over an hour! And, bareback...so that's another at least 300 calories!

Food =
Breakfast
Coffee with International Delight creamer
Bagel (big one from Safeway)

Lunch
Tomatoes with melted mozzarella (reduced fat) and 1 tsp olive oil, balsamic vinegar, basil, oregano, pepper.



Dinner
Taco on whole wheat tortilla (hamburger meet, corn- from a fresh piece of corn on the cob-, tomatoes) with small amount of cheese.



Coleslaw - Cabbage, carrots, light Miracle Whip, cilantro, lime juice, pepper.



I didn't have any snacks today. Just felt nauseated all day.

     What nice thing did I do for myself today? Well, I did stop by and make a much needed dentist appointment to have my teeth cleaned. I also ordered a book that I really wanted online!

     On the list for tomorrow? Well, I want to try to do some sort of other exercise tomorrow IN ADDITION to my bike and horse riding. Maybe I will squeeze in a walk. I know that next week I am starting up the weights again.

Right on track!

Sorry forgot to post my pic last night...I had to add radishes because the food looked too brown and yellow, LOL!


Today was another pretty good day in the health department! I had a few things I wanted to improve, and I was able to do that!

Exercise =
Recumbent bike, 40 minutes/420 calories/8 miles (watched another episode of RH)
Riding the horse, 30 minutes/130 calories/ not sure on the mileage, just around our block tonight, but bareback, so that's more of a workout :)

Water = 70 ounces

Eating
Breakfast
smoothie – coffee, milk (8 ounces), ice, banana - SURPRISINGLY, this was really yummy, and it was just an impromptu sort of thing!

Morning Snack
cottage cheese (1/2 cup)with pepper

Lunch
Salad – red, yellow, green pepper, tomato, lettuce, almonds, cilantro (I love cilantro!)
Dressing – tsp of olive oil, balsamic vinegar, lime juice

Afternoon Snacks
90 calorie rice krispy treat
150 calorie Fiber one bar
Radishes

Dinner
Country Chicken – Chicken breasts soaked in FF Ranch dressing, then rolled in bread crumbs, and baked (spices – garlic, celery salt, oregano, pepper)
I love this recipe! It comes from our family Texas Cookbook!

Baked Potatoes – I cut up the potatoes and then did the shake in a bag of spices, then streamed them. (Spices – 5 spice, fresh basil, pepper, garlic, 1 tsp of olive oil for entire bag, 1 tsp of soy sauce, 2 tsps of Worcestershire sauce)

Leftover fruit salad from last night.

Dessert
one Skinny Dip beer (114 calories)

I did squeeze in 30 more minutes of exercise today. I want to do the same tomorrow!

The only thing I would've liked to have done differently would be to not eat any processed food...I had two snacks today that fall into that category.

OK, for what I did nice for myself today...I had my hair done :) I love going to Shelley! She's great! She knows how to expertly cut naturally curly hair. It's so relaxing to go there!

Good day!

     Nahhh...make that a great one!
     I slept in :) Then I got up and rode the recumbent bike while watching one of my shows on DVR. I can't believe it took me so long to get one of those machines! LOL
     I headed into school to tie up some loose ends, and also use the scale. I weigh 232.8 pounds. An increase since my last WWers weigh-in, DANG it, though I am not surprised.
     Well, here's how today went:

Water = over 64 ounces (yeah, first time in a long time that I have accomplished that!)
Exercise = 40 minutes on the bike, 420 calories melted away, 8 miles
Food =
Breakfast
coffee - I just used some International Delight creamer, no milk or anything else.
banana

Lunch
veggies – yellow pepper, red pepper, tomatoes, squash, lettuce, cilantro
dressing - olive oil (1 tsp), balsamic vinegar, A-1
corn on the cob - cold (was BBQed the other night), no butter, some lime

Afternoon Snack
iced coffee - fat free milk and sugar free flavors

Dinner



shrimp salad - same veggies as above, but with yummy shrimp that I simmered in lime juice, garlic, pepper, cilantro, and balsamic vinegar. Also, added almonds and a few croutons.
dressing - A little bit of A-1 and lime juice.
corn on the cob - little lime, cold, no butter. YUMMY!

Dessert
fruit salad - fat free cool whip, fruit, and some crushed up graham crackers.

     So, I will blog this kind of stuff each day. I will try to take at least one pic of my food to inspire something yummy and healthy to eat.
     I also decided that I am going to do at least ONE thing a day for myself every single day this summer. So, today? I had a lovely and relaxing massage ;)
     What would I like to have done differently today...a little more exercise. That will be the goal for tomorrow.

New news

      Well, tomorrow starts my new focus! I am recovered from my sinus infection, and ready to get going.
      I did ride the recumbent bike this morning for 45 minutes, while watching an episode of Real Housewives of New Jersey that I had on my DVR.
      And, on Saturday I rode Joe bareback, so I definitely am feeling those muscles today because normally I am in my saddle.
     It felt good to exercise and sweat :)
      I am going to do a bit of a boot camp this week, as far as exercise goes. I want to do some hiking even.
      I am going to do a bit of a detox this week regarding my eating. I am going to do my best to not eat ANYTHING processed, and I am going to record everything I do eat.
     So, you will see a little something different this next week. I am going to blog my exercise and food journal each day!
      I am going to weigh in tomorrow, so I know where I am at as far aas that goes :)
      I decided to drop Weight Watchers. I wasn't going to the meetings or using the website anymore, so it seems like a waste of money, and I am going to go at it my way. I know what I need to do...track! And, I am all over it!

We r up in the mountains riding and just saw a bear cub.

Not so on the mend, I suppose

     I am sick! Grrr. I am sick and tired of being sick and tired. I want to go play and enjoy the sunshine. I want to ride my horse. I want to exercise. I want to do yard work. I want, I want, I want...OK, I want to go to bed and sleep for a week, and when I wake back up not be sick anymore!!
     I had a few days of feeling like I might be perking up, and then BAM! Back to the yucky sicky icky. SIGH.
     I think I should go to the doctor, as my glands are swollen (have been for over a week), my sinus is plugged (going on almost two weeks), I have a fever off and on, and now my ear is sore.
     I am happy that I don't get sick often because I couldn't handle it!
     To top it all off, I am pretty sure I also have some allergies going on, too.
     I want to be back to my normal self RIGHT now! And, I have a handful of new babies in my life right now, and I can't hold them or even visit them yet!!! It's killing me!!!!