So, one of our fitness challenges this month was to "zone train" for 40 minutes. I did it tonight. I stayed in my target heart rate for 40 minutes, and I live to tell the story.
God is so faithful. He is the real reason why I am able to stick with this weight loss thing. I don't want to yo-yo forever. I want God's wisdom when it comes to diet and exercise. He has a plan for us, not matter what area of our lives. Isn't that amazing?
Gene and I will have been married for 10 years June 7, 2007. I was thinking that around that time in my life, I was the smallest ever. I was even smaller than my sister, Jenny, who was actually named Jenny at this time. (that's another story)
As we embark on the last few months before this milestone, I want to commit the rest of my weight loss journey to the creator of the universe and ME! It is through his grace and provision that I am able to accomplish this goal. Thank you, Lord.
And, by the way, my youngest sister has joined the quest for fitness. She was shocked to discover tonight that I weigh less than she does. She will catch up in no time though, there's no doubt. And, it's only two pounds anyway :)
Wednesday, February 28, 2007
Tuesday, February 27, 2007
Lists
Tonight my dear friend and faithful poster Anna declared to another that I was two weeks behind on my blog. Ha! My last post was Feb. 21. It's only Feb. 28, is it not?
Anyway, I digress. Tonight over a wonderful meal of tacos, my Bible study group got into a spirited discussion of lists and how we use them or fail to use them.
One of the group members feared she would always be mocked from here on out as being a major list-maker. For me to tease her, this would be calling the kettle a bit.
In the last few years, especially with the addition of two boys, I have become increasingly aware of how nuts our culture is. I like lists, but I don't like being a slave to one. There is no such thing as a completed job anymore. The jobs just go on and on and on and on and on.
We all feel the pressure to do more and more each and every day. We need to take a stand!
Speaking of which, I have to run. I should NOT be blogging because I have stack of coursework that absolutely "MUST" be graded tonight.
Toodles.
Anyway, I digress. Tonight over a wonderful meal of tacos, my Bible study group got into a spirited discussion of lists and how we use them or fail to use them.
One of the group members feared she would always be mocked from here on out as being a major list-maker. For me to tease her, this would be calling the kettle a bit.
In the last few years, especially with the addition of two boys, I have become increasingly aware of how nuts our culture is. I like lists, but I don't like being a slave to one. There is no such thing as a completed job anymore. The jobs just go on and on and on and on and on.
We all feel the pressure to do more and more each and every day. We need to take a stand!
Speaking of which, I have to run. I should NOT be blogging because I have stack of coursework that absolutely "MUST" be graded tonight.
Toodles.
Wednesday, February 21, 2007
I'm tired
Today was a long day. We are in the interview process of our search for the perfect chair for the mass media department at Washburn. It's a tough task hiring your own boss. Everything went well today, but the process is a bit draining.
At any rate, I am trying to get myself to bed at a decent rate because that is one of the many "healthy" tasks I am working to implement in my life.
I will tell you now though, I am a night person who hates going to bed. I have been faithfully using all six steps of my face junk (hopefully to lose the stupid two zits that plague me) and even flossing before bed. I hate flossing, but I have sucky gums. At any point, I am not sure why I decided to type this up.
Did I have a point and then forget? I am not sure. It's been a very, very busy week. No time in between things. Appoitments, appointments, etc. I have already worked out twice this week (thankfully) and need to do weights desperately. I hope I get to the gym Friday and Saturday. We will see. The scale this a.m. says I have lost 8 pounds. I am not wanting to step back on in case it was a fluke or something.
Well, I'm off to scrub my face and floss those teeth. Hope you have a terrific day, world.
At any rate, I am trying to get myself to bed at a decent rate because that is one of the many "healthy" tasks I am working to implement in my life.
I will tell you now though, I am a night person who hates going to bed. I have been faithfully using all six steps of my face junk (hopefully to lose the stupid two zits that plague me) and even flossing before bed. I hate flossing, but I have sucky gums. At any point, I am not sure why I decided to type this up.
Did I have a point and then forget? I am not sure. It's been a very, very busy week. No time in between things. Appoitments, appointments, etc. I have already worked out twice this week (thankfully) and need to do weights desperately. I hope I get to the gym Friday and Saturday. We will see. The scale this a.m. says I have lost 8 pounds. I am not wanting to step back on in case it was a fluke or something.
Well, I'm off to scrub my face and floss those teeth. Hope you have a terrific day, world.
A challenge from my sister
My sister, Jenny, and I e-mail back and fouth. She has challenged me to a weight-loss competition. And she has a funny streak today. Even though she uses way too many exclamation points, I still love my "poised" sister.
Jenny: You are on. First one to 150 gets to what?
See her e-mail below and my initial one following:
From Jenny:
i've been sick lately, too....we should do this feat together! Maybe we can play a healthy little bet??? Whomever reaches closest, or under 150 pounds by May......would you like to wager? You've got a headstart on me, btw...I'm at 189. But am losing around 2-3 pounds per week! The weather has been a bit deterring, but it's warming up and the snow is finally starting to melt. Sorry I haven't been as windy on e-mail lately...very busy and tired....but I will catch up soon!!!
you have all my sympathy....spending all your life trying to live up to my beauty, talent and poise must be hard, and I sympathize.
hehehheheeh
LOLOLOLOL!!!!
On 2/21/07, Regina Cassell wrote:
Where's my LONG e-mail? What are you doing? I have no water in my office, no money and I am very thirsty! I have lost 8 pounds though, 32 to go! My goal is to weigh 150 by May, and I am at 182 this a.m. Did I tell you my throat also hurts? I need some sympathy.
love always, regina
Jenny: You are on. First one to 150 gets to what?
See her e-mail below and my initial one following:
From Jenny:
i've been sick lately, too....we should do this feat together! Maybe we can play a healthy little bet??? Whomever reaches closest, or under 150 pounds by May......would you like to wager? You've got a headstart on me, btw...I'm at 189. But am losing around 2-3 pounds per week! The weather has been a bit deterring, but it's warming up and the snow is finally starting to melt. Sorry I haven't been as windy on e-mail lately...very busy and tired....but I will catch up soon!!!
you have all my sympathy....spending all your life trying to live up to my beauty, talent and poise must be hard, and I sympathize.
hehehheheeh
LOLOLOLOL!!!!
On 2/21/07, Regina Cassell wrote:
Where's my LONG e-mail? What are you doing? I have no water in my office, no money and I am very thirsty! I have lost 8 pounds though, 32 to go! My goal is to weigh 150 by May, and I am at 182 this a.m. Did I tell you my throat also hurts? I need some sympathy.
love always, regina
Sunday, February 18, 2007
Exercise
OK, the official word is that I've only lost five pounds, but I don't care. My pants almost fell off in the parking lot last week. yeah, me!
I plan to start my day out tomorrow with yoga and workout Tuesday afternoon.
It's going to be a busy, but great week!
I plan to start my day out tomorrow with yoga and workout Tuesday afternoon.
It's going to be a busy, but great week!
reflection
I went to a funeral this weekend. It was for a man from our church. He was 55 years old, and I was glad to know him. His life though, was littered with poor choices involving drinking, lying and cheating.
After a few of our church members spoke, his daughter summoned up the courage to approach the pulpit herself. It was clear she had something to say, and she started speaking very quietly.
This man, who had been such a blessing to those of us who knew him in the last few years, had not been an ideal father. The pain and rage in this young woman's voice broke my own heart.
She wasn't quite convinced that her father's faith journey was legitimate because he never had the time to truly reconcile with his family. I can't imagine how difficult that would have been to face the people you loved the most in the world honestly, knowing all that you had put them through.
Many who knew him lately believed he was on the right journey to get there, but as his daughter cried out at one point, now she will never know.
She's not sure who to be angry at or what to believe. She wonders why God was able to transform her father when years of her own begging and pleading had fallen on deaf ears.
Oh, I know this woman's pain is long from gone, and I grieve for her. There was a time in my own life when I did not have a good relationship with my own father. I thought he was a mean, hateful jerk who did not care anything about me.
After I gave all of my hurt and frustration to the Lord, the Lord gave my dad and I a new chance. I started praying for my parents as a teen. It was an amazing and joyful moment when there were baptized this past December. And, for many years now I have had the relationship with my father that I had always wanted. I never wanted a perfect father; I already have one of those. But, I did want a relationship with the man who is my dad, just as he is. You have to take all of the good with the bit of bad that is in each and every one of us.
I really don't think it's possible to love people just as they are without a relationship with God. We can try all we like, but family members and even our closest friends are sometimes going to hurt us, disappoint us or even abandon us. We must find the courage to forgive and truly love each other as Christ loves and forgives us. Without Him, I don't see how it's even possible.
If you are believer, pray for Katie. She needs to find Christ.
After a few of our church members spoke, his daughter summoned up the courage to approach the pulpit herself. It was clear she had something to say, and she started speaking very quietly.
This man, who had been such a blessing to those of us who knew him in the last few years, had not been an ideal father. The pain and rage in this young woman's voice broke my own heart.
She wasn't quite convinced that her father's faith journey was legitimate because he never had the time to truly reconcile with his family. I can't imagine how difficult that would have been to face the people you loved the most in the world honestly, knowing all that you had put them through.
Many who knew him lately believed he was on the right journey to get there, but as his daughter cried out at one point, now she will never know.
She's not sure who to be angry at or what to believe. She wonders why God was able to transform her father when years of her own begging and pleading had fallen on deaf ears.
Oh, I know this woman's pain is long from gone, and I grieve for her. There was a time in my own life when I did not have a good relationship with my own father. I thought he was a mean, hateful jerk who did not care anything about me.
After I gave all of my hurt and frustration to the Lord, the Lord gave my dad and I a new chance. I started praying for my parents as a teen. It was an amazing and joyful moment when there were baptized this past December. And, for many years now I have had the relationship with my father that I had always wanted. I never wanted a perfect father; I already have one of those. But, I did want a relationship with the man who is my dad, just as he is. You have to take all of the good with the bit of bad that is in each and every one of us.
I really don't think it's possible to love people just as they are without a relationship with God. We can try all we like, but family members and even our closest friends are sometimes going to hurt us, disappoint us or even abandon us. We must find the courage to forgive and truly love each other as Christ loves and forgives us. Without Him, I don't see how it's even possible.
If you are believer, pray for Katie. She needs to find Christ.
From the pulpit
Our story for today's sermon can from Exodus. God had freed his people from Egypt, and they were whining because they were hungry. God brought manna and quail for the people to feast on day by day. As he was trying to teach them a very important lesson, they were only to gather enough for each and every day.
Daily dependence on God. I love our pastor. He's young, and it's so obvious that he truly preaches from his heart. It's also obvious that God is with him. The heart of today's message is that faith does not keep. It spoils. You need a fresh batch each and every day. It's not enough to have one hallaluhah moment every six weeks or so. Daily faith builds us up, helps us become more like Christ and deepens our very relationship with our own creator.
Wow. God wants me to walk with him every single day. He doesn't need his own space, and he never tires of spending time with any of us. That's amazing.
I think the key to faith is the Bible. You can talk to God and pray as much as you want, and those are both solid things to do. But, without a regular dose of God's word, you are not going to get a ton out of that experience. God wants to meet with us through his word. Study it for a week and see if I'm right. Just one week. Every single day. Meet with the creator.
Daily dependence on God. I love our pastor. He's young, and it's so obvious that he truly preaches from his heart. It's also obvious that God is with him. The heart of today's message is that faith does not keep. It spoils. You need a fresh batch each and every day. It's not enough to have one hallaluhah moment every six weeks or so. Daily faith builds us up, helps us become more like Christ and deepens our very relationship with our own creator.
Wow. God wants me to walk with him every single day. He doesn't need his own space, and he never tires of spending time with any of us. That's amazing.
I think the key to faith is the Bible. You can talk to God and pray as much as you want, and those are both solid things to do. But, without a regular dose of God's word, you are not going to get a ton out of that experience. God wants to meet with us through his word. Study it for a week and see if I'm right. Just one week. Every single day. Meet with the creator.
Wednesday, February 14, 2007
Fitness update
I have decided to reward my weight loss with a variety of things. Next fall, I plan to take my skinny self back to my former, expensive hairdresser in Lawrence. I miss him. He does an amazing job with my hair, and I'm worth it.
I have a ways to go, but I have lost and kept off seven pounds to date. I've lost a GRAND total of 15 pounds since last August. Not nearly as quickly as I would like, but now I am exercising, which makes all the difference. I want to lose 40 pounds, which leaves me 33 to go. I will get there. I am also going to reward myself with a bra that I love for every day of the week. Maybe two per day.
And, I don't even hate exercise as much as I used to. Now I find that I am giving myself permission to enjoy myself and work out with passion. I use the time to pray for friends, which also helps me. I bought another yoga mat and the DVD "Yoga for Dummies," a great workout, which kicked my butt the other night.
God is great, and I know I would be failing miserably without his assistance. Start exercising ladies and gents. Even if you walk your butt to the corner twice a week, it's a start.
I have a ways to go, but I have lost and kept off seven pounds to date. I've lost a GRAND total of 15 pounds since last August. Not nearly as quickly as I would like, but now I am exercising, which makes all the difference. I want to lose 40 pounds, which leaves me 33 to go. I will get there. I am also going to reward myself with a bra that I love for every day of the week. Maybe two per day.
And, I don't even hate exercise as much as I used to. Now I find that I am giving myself permission to enjoy myself and work out with passion. I use the time to pray for friends, which also helps me. I bought another yoga mat and the DVD "Yoga for Dummies," a great workout, which kicked my butt the other night.
God is great, and I know I would be failing miserably without his assistance. Start exercising ladies and gents. Even if you walk your butt to the corner twice a week, it's a start.
I hate doing the dishes
I really, really really hate doing the dishes. I have a wonderful husband who actually washes more dishes than I do.
Tonight is Valentine's, and I am blogging. Things I am not currently doing: putting clothes in the dryer and adding a load of towels to washer; the dishes; my new Beth Moore Bible study, which is awesome; finding our bed, which is covered in clothes, toys, etc.; grading or cleaning up toys.
I did manage to make dinner tonight for the fellas. Had to remove all of Jacob's toys from his room because he was warned about making bad choices at preschool and informed of the consequence. I told him that his bad choices were making lots of work for me. He just cried harder. Yesterday, he was naughty enough to warrant a note home to his parents. Well, the little sneak decided to pull the note out of his box while no one was watching and throw it away.
We did play with playdough tonight. Yes, I have evolved as a mother. I now allow my children to play with the dreaded substance. It wasn't in his room, so it did not qualify for banishment to the garage.
That's my lonely rant. My hubby is at NWMSU without me for work. I teach until 5 p.m. Wednesdays or I would have happily tagged along with him. I miss going with him to games sometimes. Mostly I just miss him. I could care less about sports.
Tonight is Valentine's, and I am blogging. Things I am not currently doing: putting clothes in the dryer and adding a load of towels to washer; the dishes; my new Beth Moore Bible study, which is awesome; finding our bed, which is covered in clothes, toys, etc.; grading or cleaning up toys.
I did manage to make dinner tonight for the fellas. Had to remove all of Jacob's toys from his room because he was warned about making bad choices at preschool and informed of the consequence. I told him that his bad choices were making lots of work for me. He just cried harder. Yesterday, he was naughty enough to warrant a note home to his parents. Well, the little sneak decided to pull the note out of his box while no one was watching and throw it away.
We did play with playdough tonight. Yes, I have evolved as a mother. I now allow my children to play with the dreaded substance. It wasn't in his room, so it did not qualify for banishment to the garage.
That's my lonely rant. My hubby is at NWMSU without me for work. I teach until 5 p.m. Wednesdays or I would have happily tagged along with him. I miss going with him to games sometimes. Mostly I just miss him. I could care less about sports.
Friday, February 02, 2007
I am a rockstar!
And, a very humble one at that.
Well, I am still working out and attempting to monitor my food consuption habits. The word "diet" makes me cringe.
Anyway, here is a summary of the reasons I choose to put myself into the rockstar category.
Week one at the SRWC: Jan. 8-12: Gene and I went every day to spend at least 2o minutes using the equipment and walking.
Week two at the SRWC: This is the week school started. I had my fitness assessment Wednesday, Jan. 17, but it was a slow workout week.
Week three at the SRWC: I worked out Sunday, Jan. 21 and then did yoga at 6:45 a.m. Monday, Jan. 22. I had my appointment with the wellness coordinator to go over my exercise prescription. I will tell you about that momentarily. I did manage to make two and maybe three appearances this week as well.
Week four at the SRWC: Was this really week four? I again worked out Sunday and did yoga Monday a.m. I went to the gym Thursday and Friday and did cardio workouts on the ellipitical at my target rate. Yeah!
I have lost six pounds, give or take. And, again, I am seriously working on limiting my calories. The wellness gal says you should consume your weight plus a zero in calories and a few more on days you work out. She also says it can take a few weeks to start seeing real difference. I am seeing the difference on the scale, with a few pounds, but not really on my clothes yet. Hmm.
OK, now to my exercise prescription. I am to do two cardio workouts a week. One with a target heart rate of 155-160 and another with a rate of 160-170. I am to do 10 weight machines, 12 reps and then another set of 10 with a few more pound added. Then I am supposed to do these plank things (this is not happening. I am a plank-challenged idiot at this point!) We are also supposed to do another kind of plank and then crunches on the evil exercise ball. I have not mustered up the nerve to completely humiliate myself at the gym, so I have been skipping these components. OOPS.
That's the update!
Well, I am still working out and attempting to monitor my food consuption habits. The word "diet" makes me cringe.
Anyway, here is a summary of the reasons I choose to put myself into the rockstar category.
Week one at the SRWC: Jan. 8-12: Gene and I went every day to spend at least 2o minutes using the equipment and walking.
Week two at the SRWC: This is the week school started. I had my fitness assessment Wednesday, Jan. 17, but it was a slow workout week.
Week three at the SRWC: I worked out Sunday, Jan. 21 and then did yoga at 6:45 a.m. Monday, Jan. 22. I had my appointment with the wellness coordinator to go over my exercise prescription. I will tell you about that momentarily. I did manage to make two and maybe three appearances this week as well.
Week four at the SRWC: Was this really week four? I again worked out Sunday and did yoga Monday a.m. I went to the gym Thursday and Friday and did cardio workouts on the ellipitical at my target rate. Yeah!
I have lost six pounds, give or take. And, again, I am seriously working on limiting my calories. The wellness gal says you should consume your weight plus a zero in calories and a few more on days you work out. She also says it can take a few weeks to start seeing real difference. I am seeing the difference on the scale, with a few pounds, but not really on my clothes yet. Hmm.
OK, now to my exercise prescription. I am to do two cardio workouts a week. One with a target heart rate of 155-160 and another with a rate of 160-170. I am to do 10 weight machines, 12 reps and then another set of 10 with a few more pound added. Then I am supposed to do these plank things (this is not happening. I am a plank-challenged idiot at this point!) We are also supposed to do another kind of plank and then crunches on the evil exercise ball. I have not mustered up the nerve to completely humiliate myself at the gym, so I have been skipping these components. OOPS.
That's the update!
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