Quick Update

Ok, so an update on how I've been doing as far as fitness goes. Let me tell you: having a body bug sure does make it a no-brainer. I mean, I can sync up and find out how many calories I've burned, and then make sure that I eat less than that. So far, I've lost about 2 pounds since I got the bug. Which brings me to a little over 4 since I started wanting to work out. I would really, really like to get down to my goal weight before we head to Belize. I also want to be really strong when we go so I can enjoy all the hikes and stuff while we're there. I don't want to be a slug and sit in the hotel all day, every day.


So, here's the summary that I get every time I plug my bug into the computer.

The first graph shows calories burned per minute. It's pretty cool. You can really see how many calories you burn with different activities. Then, calories consumed depends on you inputting the information  yourself: you have to be honest, or it won't work!
Physical activity breaks down into moderate and vigorous activity. I have daily goals for amounts of each. I also have a daily step goal, which I almost never reach for some reason. 10000 steps is a lot, I guess...
This thing also keeps track of my sleep. It can tell when I'm sleeping and when I'm just lying down. It is interesting to see how well I sleep through the night--usually not very.
And,of course, I keep track of my weight and weight loss. Another thing I have to input myself. Honesty is key.

Well, that's it. I have a really busy week ahead of me. I have 4 students to tutor today, starting at 1 and ending at 8. I also need to start making some of my Thanksgiving dinner. I've decided to make the Cranberry Relish, sweet potato tarts, and apple tarts today, if I have time. Also, I need to work some more on my Christmas gifts. Oh, and get in a workout, as well. Whew! Let's see if I can figure out how to get all this stuff done!  And go check on the turkey. It needs to defrost! It was still a block of ice when I checked on it this morning. I put it in some cold water, which I'll be switching out periodically, until it gets defrosted. Nothing worse than waking up on Thursday morning with a frozen turkey! :)

~Pam

My Body Bug (Bio Fit Media)

Ok, so I got an early Christmas gift from my husband (he rocks, by the way!). He got me a body bug, you know, the things they use on The Biggest Loser, that keeps track of the calories you are burning all day long. He gave it to me early, since he knew I wanted to work on my fitness goals before our trip, and it made sense to open it now and put it to good use. If nothing else, it is really fun to look at the graphs of my physical activity :) Anyways, this is just one more tool to help me reach my goal.

So, yesterday, I did spin, and boy did it about kill me! Today, I did Boot Camp, lifting weights again. I felt really good afterward. I actually had a really fantastic day today. I feel like I got a bunch of stuff done, AND I fit in a really intense workout, and my tutoring sessions went really well. Even though Christmas is coming up fast, and I have a bunch of projects to get done, I feel really optimistic about the next couple months :) Life is pretty darn good, you know? :)

Love you all.

~Pam

Monday

Well, today I woke up with Matt at around 6 with a splitting headache. I REALLY didn't want to go workout, but it is difficult to cancel when you sign up in advance like you have to...so...I went. I'm really glad I did. I did a boot camp workout, and we worked on strength training. I'm already feeling stronger and that I have more endurance than I did even a week ago. I'm feeling pretty good about these workouts. It doesn't hurt that the numbers on the scale have gone down steadily, either! :)

Speaking of numbers, I've decided to cook Thanksgiving dinner, and try not to sabotage the work I'm doing on my body. So, my dinner will consist of <500 calories per plate (not including dessert). What's on the menu? Well, I'm signed up at Spark.com, and they had a great idea for a low calorie Thanksgiving dinner. So here it is:
Appetizers:
Pumpkin dip and apple slices
Soup: Roasted Squash Soup
Main Course:
Vegetable and Fruit Stuffing
Roasted Root Vegetables with Apple Cider Gravy
Herb Roasted Turkey with Cranberry Relish
Dessert:
Mini Apple Tarts
Mini Sweet Potato Tarts

Guess I'll have to start grocery shopping, huh? :)

I have one student to tutor this evening. I need to be there around 530. So I still have time to do the lesson plan, right? I've got dinner in the crockpot, laundry done, floors swept and vacuumed. I'm exhausted, but I got a lot done today :)

~Pam

Update, Update

Ok, so last week, I worked out 3 days: Tues, Wed, Thurs. By Friday, I knew I needed to take some time off. It is kinda hard to get into a routine working out. I also have to consider when to prepare my lesson plans, and figure out what will be for dinner. Not that I'm making an excuse or anything, but...
So, since I worked out really hard 3 days last week, I'm thinking of setting a goal for 4 days this week. I am scheduled for M, Tue, and Wed, for workouts, but I'll see how I feel on Wed if I want to schedule a spin class for Thursday.

On another note, I got paid for last month's tutoring. No missing or incomplete paperwork for me! I dotted all my I's and crossed all my T's. Paperwork competed satisfactorily for 11 students. I'm actually pretty proud of myself :)

Well, I'm bushed. We painted the white on the front of our house today. It looks awesome. Oh! And, we ate some turnips and turnip greens for dinner. The turnips were kind of spicy. And, I'm thinking I need to figure out how to cook greens. They were ok, but nothing spectacular.



 And, finally:

My latest craft. (Those are supposed to be turkeys. They look much more turkey-like in real life...)

Love,
Pam

How am I doing?

Well, I'll admit. My body is sore. I can barely move. But I feel pretty good. I did the bootcamp yesterday, which was a bunch of different cardio and strength exercises (a whole hour's worth!) and today I did spin class. I seriously about died. At the end, the instructor was like "I know you were holding back! Don't hold back now!" I looked at him like he was crazy. I must have lost ten pounds just in sweat!

Anyways, I need to get some lesson plans done. I'm totally multitasker Pam today. I've worked out, done laundry, folded clothes, done dishes (twice), put food in the crockpot (and figured out what will go with dinner tonight), watered the plants, showered, and now I'm onto my lesson plans. Whew! It will be a later than usual night tonight, since I have my rescheduled student from Monday after my usual Wednesday students. Ok, I'm done procrastinating. Let's get this done!

~Pam

My Goals

Ok, that's a little frustrating. I had this whole big post, but I lost it all. So, here's the abbreviated version:
I'm writing down my goals, so that I can be held accountable.
I want to lose 10 pounds by the time we go on vacation to Belize.
How will I accomplish this:?
I am committing to working out 6 days a week.
Tue/Thur will be All About You Fitness Bootcamp-8 more sessions.
Wed/Fri will be Pedal Spin class-9 rides left.
Sat/Sun/Mon will be working out with Matt. One of those days will be rest day, but it will depend on our schedule.

So, that's it. That's my plan. Wish me luck. I know it takes 23 days to make a habit, and I'm hoping that I finally make a habit of fitness once again. I was so proud of myself last year and the accomplishments I made, losing ~45 pounds. I mean, who wouldn't be proud of that? But, I've let myself slip lately, and would like to get back down to that weight (and maybe pass it up, too!)

Anyways, wish me luck. But I'm excited to get started.

:)

Pam