Basement Day a No Go

Sad to say basement day didn't turn out the way I hoped. Jen was sick, so we didn't do DDR and my scale ran out out of battery power, so we didn't weigh in. That is just sad.

But, I'm back on track with my eating. Woo.

And I did Yoga today with Angela.

Long Week

I failed to write anything all week! I was really busy with work and life... or maybe I just didn't want to face up to the music that I haven't been eating right and it's only three weeks into the whole changing of my dietary habits thing.

Tomorrow is weigh-in day and I just know I haven't lost any weight. Tragic. I have been working out, which I am very proud of, but my food choices have been up and down. I don't have any groceries, so that makes it even more tempting for me to go out and buy something that's not good for me.

Oh well. I guess I just will have to try harder tomorrow. 

Bad Weekend

Weekends have been proving enormously difficult for me when it comes to sticking with my new healthy eating habits. I don't have a schedule, I'm feeling more indulgent and I'm relaxing from working all week. BAD combination!

If anyone out there has tips on how to stop emotional eating and eating from boredom, please share! This is me getting desperate.

On the up side, I went to Yoga yesterday and walked the track this morning. I ran two laps before I left. Yay! :)

Refueling

My mom is like many mothers, she gives of herself more than she takes from this world. For Christmas, I gave her a gift card to Somerset Day Spa. She talked about going there, but I knew she wouldn't go or that it would be after she'd done everything she needed to do for everyone else. 

Society has taught women to sacrifice their needs and wants, to give and to nurture and to be there for others. It isn't awful that some women put others before themselves. What's horrible is that they do this even when they can't afford to do it, when they have no energy left and when they should focus on themselves. How can you take care of someone else when you are spiritually, emotionally and physically drained yourself?

How can you live a happy, fulfilled life when you have given everything you have away without stopping to re-energize.

So that is why my mom and I spent the whole day together Friday. We went out for breakfast, we played Rock Band at Best Buy while we waited for our appointments at Somerset, we got full body massages, we went to see The Curious Case of Benjamin Button and then we went out for Mexican dinner. 

It was an excellent day. I didn't think about my weight loss. I didn't think about the economy. I didn't think about whether I would have money for graduate school. I didn't think about my brother living far away and getting shipped to another country who knows where who knows when. 

I just thought, 'My mom needs a break. I need a break. We deserve a break.'

So now, I'm feeling very relaxed and re-energized. I feel good. Today's a new day and I can get back to my worries, my mom can get back to her mothering and we both have the energy to face anything that comes our way.

Food, Exercise and Politics

This week I made a few discoveries and re-discoveries - Greek yogurt, public radio podcasts, pilates video podcasts and home exercise videos by Crunch. 

Greek Yogurt

Mmm... I tried this yogurt by Fage USA on a whim. Jen mentioned this once. This morning after my 6 a.m. walk at the high school, I went to Kroger to get food for breakfast and lunch. I saw the yogurt 

and thought I'd tried it out. 

I bought the honey and yogurt package because I'm a sucker for anything sweet and I wasn't sure how I would like the yogurt. I figured at the very least I could cover the taste with honey. 

When I opened the package, I was a bit hesitant. It smelled similar to cream cheese and it was very thick. Brave as I am, I forged ahead and tried it. It is really tasty stuff! It's thick, creamy, sweet and good for you. This is definitely going to become a staple in my food choices.

Pilates on Fifth, Pilates Digest and YOGAmazing

If you have iTunes you have to check out the podcasts and video podcasts available. Those things are a goldmine for free information. Of course, finding a reputable podcast is important. You don't want to listen to or watch a show with a host who doesn't know what they're talking about.

That said, I've found that Pilates on Fifth, Pilates Digest and especially YOGAmazing are helpful. 

Pilates on Fifth and Pilates Digest give you snippet videos of individual moves you can do. If you download these, you should already have an understanding of pilates. It's a really nice way to learn some moves, write them down and then put them all together. What I really like about podcasts on iTunes is that you can easily download the older episodes. You might want to do that with the Pilates podcasts because they are such short segments - about 2 minutes long.

YOGAmazing is a program shown on the Lifestyle Channel. You can get the free podcast videos on iTunes or you can get them at the Web site. What I like about this one is that it's about 25 minutes and it's an entire routine that the host, Chaz, does with you. He explains what the moves are, why they are important and alternatives to them if you are not there yet or if they are painful for your body.

Crunch Fat Burning Dance Party and Cardio Dance Blast

I love the Crunch brand. If Crunch had a studio in Michigan, I would be a member. Or at least tour. I'm sure it'd be hella expensive. 

My favorite work out by Crunch is Fat Burning Pilates. The tape provided my first experience with pilates, which I am a huge fan of. Unfortunately, I only have Fat Burning Pilates on VHS and I am without a VCR. Instead of buying a new DVD, I've been content with other work out videos I have. I've re-discovered two - Crunch Fat Burning Dance Party and Cardio Dance Blast.

The videos don't teach you how to truly dance. It's not as if I'm expecting to pull off a complicated dance routine because I have these videos. They're just fun and similar to step aerobics, only not as boring and without the platforms. It's like DDR that way - a series of steps taken in a rythmic pattern to a nice beat. 

Although they don't teach you any new moves, the videos are fun and a good work out. The instructors are all smiles and overly enthusiastic, but they are so in a fun way. The instructors explain the steps to the dances several times and slowly. Both videos are about 45 minutes long and a good work out when you can't make it to the gym.

Left, Right & Center

I'd forgotten how much I love podcasts. When podcasts were the new hip thing, I immediately went online to learn more about them and downloaded a ton. A couple of years later, I had forgotten about them. 

I'm not sure what prompted me to browse the podcasts on iTunes this weekend, but I'm glad I did.

I've discovered that I have a real love for Left, Right & Center, a talk radio show on KCRW. The show is all about politics - from the left, right and center points of view. I really like that about the show. The show doesn't lean one way or the other, instead the personalities on the show are obvious about which way they lean and then they debate in a civil, but interesting and often humorous way.

The show doesn't have much to do with my blog theme of embracing change, but I couldn't ignore the little voice in my head begging me to share this with someone.

So there you are. My recommendations - food, exercise and politics.

Schedule to Success!

I have discovered that in order to be successful at something, I have to get into a schedule, a routine. Basically, I have to write everything down in a planner. For me, if I put it down in a calendar, then I'm more likely to get whatever it is done. I set aside my time and I do what needs to be done. Exercise is no different.

I'm very proud of myself today. This morning I woke up at 6 a.m. and did some jogging (alternating it with walking) at the track at the high school. It was pretty tough, but I'm going back tomorrow.

After work, I got my membership set up at the U of M rec center. Afterwards, I did Yoga with Jen. That was the highlight of my day. I really enjoyed the class. The instructor was a small blonde woman named Jessica S., who has with a feathery and cheerful voice. She even spoke some sanscrit before the class. I felt extremely relaxed after Yoga class.

So my new schedule is a run/walk every morning at the high school, Yoga every Monday, Boot Camp on Wednesdays and CrimFIT on Saturdays. 

Fire up for schedules!

It's Alive!!

I live! 

I survived the cold I most likely caught from the newsroom and I'm mostly over it. Yay! I'm still taking my DayQuil just so I can kick the virus out completely and not have a relapse.

I slept a lot the last few days and stayed in the house quite a bit, hence no blogging.

But I am alive and well and with plans to get myself set up with a membership at University of Michigan's Rec Center tomorrow. So there ya go.

I also have re-discovered podcasts. I'm pretty psyched about this. I can't wait to listen to some podcasts while I'm doing my jogging or running... I'm still in need of guidance on the best way to start running. 

I also found a free yoga podcast. I'm not sure how good it is yet, but we'll see.

And, because my love for YouTube and music is infinitie, here is a video. An oldie, but a goodie.