Pics for brochure and promo video....

So Mercy wants me to go get my pics taken for their brochure. I'm putting it off until I can afford something decent to wear that actually FITS me!
They also are going to shoot a promo video for their website before too long. Hopefully it'll help motivate others!

Last night's weigh-in....

So last week I had gained 1 1/2 pounds.
I didn't go to the gym last Friday because I was out way too late Thursday night. I was worried that missing that day might have a negative impact on my weight loss. Well, I was wrong.

I lost 3 pounds this week! I'm now 2 pounds from my goal! I've now lost 114 pounds since the end of September of last year! I'm at 202!

I never would have thought a year ago that I'd have lost this much weight. I knew I'd do well, but never dreamed THAT much! I hear from people all the time how much of a difference they notice and how good I look.

Today's workout....

Today was body-sculpting class. Not only did we do weights, but we also used the exercise ball.
With the dumbbells, we did the usual upper-body workouts. It was nice, because we did some upper-body w/ bars at our Tuesday aerobics class. So this week I'll have done upper-body 5 days in a row.
We used the exercise ball for some resistance when we warmed up before we went to the weights. We then used the ball for ab exercises.
I didn't get to the gym in time to do much of a warm-up before class, so I just walked around the gym for 5 minutes or so. After class I walked on the treadmill for 5 to cool down.

We'll see what happens with the scale tonight. 5 to go as of last Thursday....

Last Thursday's weigh-in....

I gained 1 1/2 pounds last week. Hopefully I'll make up for that this week.
5 to go.

Too busy to blog....

I got a promotion at work and have been training for the last couple of weeks or so and am never at my computer, so I never have time to blog. I'm also stage managing a play, so I never have time to blog from my phone in the evenings. Still working out hard.

Today's crazy schedule; I got up at 3:40am for the gym....

I start my new job at ABC 5 today at 4pm. That means I have to leave my full time job at 3:50 or 3:55 (ABC 5 is a couple of blocks away from my FT job). I had to come in to my FT job 2 hours early so I could get off 2 hours early. That also means that I had to get up at about 3:40am to go to the gym.
If anybody questions my commitment, even after losing 112 1/2 pounds so far, I think waking up at 3:40am to get ready to go to the gym kind of shows how committed I am!
I didn't get to bed until 9 or 9:30pm.

Anyway, so I went to the gym then got to work a bit before 7. I work til 4 and start my job at ABC5 at 4. I work til 6 or 6:30. If they let me work the 10pm news, then I go back in at 9 or so and work til 11pm or so. If I don't work the 10pm news, then I'll go to play rehearsal at 8pm til 10 or 10:30. Blah.

Tuesday's workout....

Tuesday I did about a 3 minute warm-up on the treadmill. I then went to step-aerobics class. We also did abs. After class, I did a 5 minute cool-down or so.

Monday's workout....

Monday I ended up doing the recumbent bike for like 20 minutes or so then switched to the cross-trainer for like 20 minutes or so.
After that, I hit the weights as usual.

I did it!....

Wow.
I finished the 5K. My goal was simply to run the entire time & not
walk, and I met my goal! Not only did I meet my goal, but I finished
in the top 1/3 or 1/4!!!
I have to say, about 2 miles into the 3.1 miles, I wanted to stop
running and walk. The 3 people running with me encouraged me to keep
going.

The organizers accidentally messed up and put the finish line about
1/2 mile further than it should have been. I ended up running about
3.6 miles in about 30:30 (30 minutes, 30 seconds). I poured it on at
the end and sprinted the last little bit.

The people running with me (Chris, Sara, & Adam) were surprised by my
pace at the beginning. Chris said afterward that when he saw my
starting pace he about gave up and said he was going to slow down and
would meet us at the finish. They also noticed whenever anyone passed
me or came close I would speed up. I guess I kinda noticed that, too.
Psychological, probably.

I am SO proud of myself! A year ago you couldn't have paid me to run.
Today, I paid to run! Funny!
I kept up an awesome pace and did better than I had hoped for!!!

Oh yeah! I forgot to mention, I got my race shirt last nite. I ordered
a size large and it fit! Wow! A year ago I wore a XXXL shirt!!! I now
wear a large?!?! That's incredible!

Sent from my iPhone

Getting ready for 5K right now....

I'm standing here at Water Works right now getting ready to run.
Pretty excited, but a bit nervous!

Sent from my iPhone

Tomorrow is the big race!....

Tomorrow at 8am I'm running the 'Run for Your Life' 5K at Water Works Park.
I've gotta say, I'm a bit nervous. I've never done this before and don't know what to expect. Will the mosquitos be bugging me? Is it going to be one of those humid, foggy mornings which will make it hard to breathe? Am I going to be able to run the whole time?

My number one thing for tomorrow is to run the whole time. I don't want to end up walking at all if I can help it. If need be, I will, obviously. I want to run the whole time.

My trainer, Deb, will be there to watch and cheer me on. My co-worker, Sara, will be there to run with me. She's going to follow my pace. My friend Annie's husband, Chris, may be running with us as well.

Stay tuned for an update....!

Today's workout....

I got to the gym and talked to my trainer a bit before class, so I didn't have time to warm up before class.
In class we did exercises on the exercise balls. We also did a bunch of ab exercises in between stuff.
After that, I hit the weights as usual.

Tonight's weigh-in....

So I'm coming off of a 1/2 pound gain last week.
This week I lost 2 pounds! I have 3 1/2 to go! I've lost 112 1/2!
Not bad!

Sent from my iPhone

Today's workout....

Did about a 3 minute jog today before I had to get to class.
In class we did the body bars and resistance bands. The bars are just steel bars of varying weights. I use the biggest (18lbs). We just did various lifting and such for body sculpting.
We then did abs.
After the weights, I did about a 5 minute cool down walk.

Today's workout....

So today my trainer was gone. I walked into the gym and Abby was at the desk. For a second I wondered if it was Thursday.
When I saw Abby was there, I went back to my car and got my iPhone so I could listen to my headphones while I jogged. Deb likes to talk to me while I jog. Sometimes it's easier for me to focus on what I'm doing if I can listen to music, because it's hard carrying on a conversation when jogging.
I did a 2 minute warm-up walk then jogged for 30 minutes straight then did a 5 minute cool-down walk. That was the first straight 30 minute run I've done in the gym for a while. It was really quite easy today and almost relaxing listening to music while running.
After the run, I hit the weights and did the usual routine. We've upped most of the machines as of late. I can really notice a big difference in my muscle tone lately.

New position at work....

I was offered a new position at work a couple of days ago. I accepted it today. It's more responsibility and might lead to more stress, but it's what I need to do to move ahead. If I can lose 100+ pounds, I can do this.

Today's workout....

Only had time for about a 3 minute warm-up jog before class today.
In class we did step aerobics then abs and stretching.
After class I did about a 5 minute cool down walk.

Good things happening....

So I had an interview at Border's Book Store on Friday for a part time job. They offered me the job right then.
I had applied online with ABC 5 for a part time camera operator position last week and got a call today for an interview on Friday at 4pm. I asked for Friday because I'm getting my hair cut at lunch Friday! Hopefully my boss will let me off a bit early to run over for the interview and come back when I'm done. I'm excited about the opportunity. She asked if I have experience. I told her just shooting local theatre for archival purposes and such and she said that it didn't matter anyway because they'd train me.
My boss is also offering me a promotion, essentially.

Keep your fingers crossed....

Frisbee golf yesterday....

I went and played some frisbee golf yesterday with some friends. We went to Ankeny on First Street, right before you cross under the interstate.
The park was under water quite a bit back in the spring. I guess it's got like 27 holes or something. We had to cross over a dam in the creek at one point to get to some of the holes. The water was shin-deep over the dam, so our shoes were soaked. We ended up quitting a bit earlier due to that. It's a fun game, though. :)

My first outdoor jog yesterday....

So I decided to go for a run outside yesterday to help prepare myself for the Run for Your Life 5K this weekend.
I was thinking of doing it then not then thought about it again. I got bored Saturday night and decided to go to Billy Joe's for some karaoke and beer. It was dead and I was bored there, so I only stayed 2 hours for 4 beers. I went home and drank a bunch of water to rehydrate before bed so I could run in the morning.
I went out about 8:30 or 9am Sunday since the 5K will be at 8am or so. I don't think I ate enough for breakfast before I went running. I was running out of energy. I had just 3 whole grain crackers w/ a tablespoon of peanut butter on each and a glass of skim milk. For Saturday, I'm going to eat my supper for breakfast to ensure that I have the fuel. I kept petering out needing to walk. I didn't do terribly bad, but not what I had hoped for. Plus, it's really hard to run alone and to not be able to judge your pace at all. On the treadmill, my pace stays at 6.5mph the whole time. I have no idea what I was running on Sunday. I think I started too fast, too.

I have at least one person running with me. My co-worker Sara, who runs a lot, is running with me. She's going to let me set the pace. That will help me a lot, I think. My friend Annie's husband, Chris, may be running with us as well. My trainer might be there to cheer me on. Channel 13 may film it to update my progress. Wish me well! :)

Last Thursday's weigh-in....

I gained 1/2 pound last week. I'm not too concerned like I was those 3 weeks when I was going back and forth between losing and gaining 1/2 pound. I'm just going to keep doing what I'm doing and let my body decide when it wants to let go of the weight. After those 3 weeks of back and forth then suddenly dropping 4 1/2, I realize it's up to my body as long as I keep doing what I'm doing.
5 1/2 to go!
Down 110 1/2!
At 205 1/2!

Busy, busy, busy....

So I'm stage managing a play for Theater for a Change. I'm also looking for a part time job right now for extra income.
The stage managing thing takes up 4 nights a week or so. I want to work about another 20 hours a week at a part time job, but I don't want to take up big chunks of my weekend if I can help it. I might cut the stage managing back by a night to 3 nights a week or so.
I have an interview Friday morning at Borders Book Store down the street from where I work. I like that place. Seems pretty chill. I know someone whom works there, so I have an in there.
We'll see....

No workout today....

I didn't work out today because I had to attend the deposition of a physician's assistant who treated me a couple of years ago. I won't go into detail about the case here and now, but we have the hearing Friday afternoon. I will be working out Friday morning.
I can tell I didn't work out. I don't feel as good. I don't feel bad, by any means, just not as good as when I do work out.

Today's workout....

So today I did a brief warmup before class. I jogged for about three minutes before it was time to go to class.
In class, we did step aerobics. We had a couple of new people which is always nice. We rarely have new people come in for some reason. It's a great class. After doing step, we did some yoga exercises.
After class, I jogged for 5 minutes.

Played frisbee on Saturday....

So I tagged along to a barbecue w/ a couple of friends of mine Saturday night. I didn't eat too bad. I had like 3 ribs, some baked beans, pasta salad, and some sort of cauliflower hybrid or something. I also had a strawberry cobbler smoked over apple wood and cherry wood served over ice cream. DELICIOUS. Oh yeah, and 2 kringle (pronounced kring-gluh) -- yummy Norwegian pastry/cookie. I like the way my grandma makes hers better than the ones I had there.

My friends and I played frisbee. Just regular frisbee, tossing it back and forth. When you're chasing it, it's a great workout. And fun. I've always loved freestyle frisbee. Nothing better!

Today's workout....

Did a 2 minute warm-up walk this morning on the treadmill before running.
I upped my speed today to 7mph the whole time I ran.
I did 7 minutes then walked 1 then ran 6 and walked 1 then ran 5 and walked 1 then ran 4 and walked 1 then ran 3 and walked 5 or so.
I went over 3.5 miles and burned over 400 calories.
I gotta say, I really didn't notice any difference in running 7mph compared to 6.5mph previously. I wanted to up my speed to prepare for the 5K on August 16. This way, even if I run slower outdoors, hopefully I'll still be at a decent clip.

After running, I hit the weights. We've upped nearly every machine by a level or two recently. I figured they'd be tougher to do, but some of them seemed so easy that I had to ask my trainer if she accidentally set them to a lower level but she hadn't.
After the weights, we hit the ab exercises using the exercise balls.

My cab ride home with a VERY smart South African....

I wasn't drunk, but I don't chance it when I've been drinking. I hang
out at Billy Joe's for karaoke. They have a sober ride which is a free
cab ride which takes you home.
I take it often because I'm afraid to drive even after a couple of
beers. I've had cab drivers high on Meth. I've had cab drivers whom
are hippies. I've had cab drivers who don't speak a word to me.
Tonight I rode with a scholar. I got in and heard an accent that
sounded British. The cab driver looked maybe Indian. I later asked
where he was from and it turns out he came here in 2000 or 2001 to
chase the fake American dream.
We started out with small talk. He asked me how my night was and we
immediately turned to the smoking ban and how it's hurting businesses
and how it's against what this country was founded upon. I referenced
the Boston Tea Party, not sure if he'd know what I was talking about.
He certainly knew. He picked up my train of thought and ran with it.
We discussed politics and how the two party system is a ruse. It's a
sham. We discussed how this country is not an actual democracy and far
from it. We discussed imigration and how this country was founded upon
imigration yet we're trying to make imigrants evil these days. We
talked about how corporations control this country and the elections
and the presidency and the parties and the entire country. And they DO!
We sat in my driveway for 10 minutes and discussed this. He made a
comment that as a foreigner he has no business discussing this. He has
EVERY business discussing it because he's what this country is based
on. My people came here from Norway. I'm from America, but my
ancestors came here for a better life in the early 1900's. He came
here in 2000 or 2001 for a better life. YOUR ancestors came here from
their land of origin. Nobody reading this damn blog is 100% Native
American and if you were, you'd be just as mad and impassioned.
The corporations want you and I to be poor. They have power over the
poor. I don't know about you, but my dollar doesn't buy what it used
to. That's why suddenly I have to get a part time job in order to LIVE!
If this cab driver were a woman, I'd have proposed on the spot. This
30-something man knows more about this country and its history than
most people of my generation. And he's more patriotic, too. He loves
this country for what it was. For what it's supposed to be. For what
it was founded on.
We both agree that this country needs a revolution. People of my
generation need to stand up. We need to take this country back and
return it to the country that our forefathers gave us. A peaceful
democracy that cared about the freedom of its people. This man from
South Africa knows more about this country than most of our generation
and cares about this country more than most Americans of this
generation.
When are we going to wake up? When are going to realize this isn't
America, but instead a company known as America, Inc.???
Somebody back me up here. I know you're all smart. I know you can see
the forest for the trees. I know we're not the only ones that feel
this way.
We need to band together and begin to take our country back.
Wow. I just blogged for 30+ minutes on my iPhone. I want to say so
much more. McCain is Obama. Obama is McCain. Don't buy into the BS
that is the system designed to keep you in check. Designed to keep you
poor.

How are we going to organize? How are we going to rise up? It starts
with a smoking ban. It's a slippery slope. What right is next?! Wake up.

PLEASE SHARE YOUR THOUGHTS EVEN IF YOU DISAGREE!!!

Sent from my iPhone

Won something on Mancow today....

So I listen to 105.1 from Ames. In the morning, Mancow is on. I tune into that as I drive to the gym. They were discussing that there may be a new Ghostbusters movie sometime. They threw out a trivia question: "Who were the original 4 Ghostbusters?"
I figured why not call and try to win? I knew the answer and figured I could multi-task while driving.
I called in and got thru on my first attempt. The call screener asked for my answer. I gave it to him:
Dan Aykroyd, Bill Murray, Harold Raimis, and Ernie Hudson.
He put me on hold until they got to that portion of the show. After 15 or 20 minutes, they got to that portion. When you're on hold, you can hear the show over the phone. I heard everyone calling in giving the wrong answers. I knew they'd be getting to me soon with the correct answer. Then it happened. Some OTHER dude gave the correct answers! I couldn't believe it. I thought, "Gosh. Do I hang up or wait on the line?" Glad I waited. The phone screener came back on and apologized profusely. It turns out that when the guy called, he gave the screener the wrong answers then probably looked up the correct answers and when it was his turn changed the answers. The screener said that he hung up on the guy and he wasn't getting the prize. He took down my info and they're going to mail it out to me. Not sure what I'm winning, but it's just cool to win. The screener couldn't have been a nicer guy! :)

Today's workout....

In class we worked out on the exercise balls. Did some aerobics-type stuff on them.

From there, I did the weights as usual. I'm really building up a lot of muscle.

Updated measurements....

So below I have charted out my measurements since the end of October....

I've lost 35 inches in 9 months! WOW.