Hot, HOT... YOGA

I’m finally going to do it…. I found a yoga studio close to my home that practices HOT Yoga. Never heard of it before today and I learned about it from a co-worker who has attended a couple of classes. She sent me to their website and I learned a little about it and made a decision to give it a try.

Here is a little spiel from their website:

The Original Hot Yoga
Bikram's Beginning Yoga Class is a twenty-six asana series designed to scientifically warm and stretch muscles, ligaments and tendons, in the order in which they should be stretched.

Bikram Yoga's twenty-six posture exercises systematically move fresh, oxygenated blood to one hundred percent of your body, to each organ and fiber, restoring all systems to healthy working order, just as Nature intended. Proper weight, muscle tone, vibrant good health, and a sense of well-being will automatically follow.

It kind of fits in there with the book I am reading (I believe in synchronicities J) as the 7 Day Total Cleanse requires that you do some Yoga Poses during the day and since I have NO idea really how to do them, attending one or two of these classes before I start that cleanse, should help me out quite a bit. Since this yoga practice is done in 105 F temperature, I know I will struggle a bit with the heat but if it will help me with my hip pain, then I’m all for it.

I know for a fact that there is NO WAY I will be able to do all 26 poses and those that I can attempt will not be a full version but I have to start somewhere – right?  It is 90 minutes long and the co-worker here that has tried it say’s you are absolutely done afterwards. I thought going to the 4:00 session tomorrow afternoon would be a really good way to start 2010.

I’ll let you know how I feel on Saturday.

I wish everyone a very Happy New Year!

Xxoo

Sandra

Hot 100 Final Update

Wow, what a busy Christmas that was. Ron’s two kids came from out of town to visit the family for Christmas so between occupying them, getting ready for Christmas, celebrating Christmas, more step kids (previous marriage) visiting, own natural kids and grandkids – I just didn’t have any “ME” time at all. I did manage to get some workouts in though. 

Today I am back at work and am quite thankful for that. Having a desk job allows me to rest for 8 hours now and not have to cook, clean, organize anything (other than work stuff). So I opened my Google Reader and I have 645 messages to read. I was behind before Christmas and I am really behind now. I am sorry if I’ve missed any milestones from anyone. Since it is quiet here right now, I will get a chance to read and comment on some blogs, but I won’t get to them all…. Sorry if I miss your news. 

I was thinking last night that I seem to be ending this year and starting the new with a different attitude. I did get a few minutes to add up my numbers for the year, I measured and took some pictures. With Christmas gain included, I dropped 8.8 lbs since January 1^st 2009 – not good but as I mentioned in a previous post, I did learn and do a LOT of good in the last year. My measurements went down 7.75” which really isn’t huge but it has made a difference.  Looking at those numbers didn’t get me all depressed and upset like they normally would. I know where I went wrong and I know how to fix it. 2010 will be a whole new year of doing and no longer trying.

So my official and last update for my Hot 100 Goals that Steve so kindly arranged for us.

The Hot 100 - Goals

1. Drink plenty of water – well I aced this one all the time. Water is not an issue for me. I think – no I know, I put this there because it was easy for me. I need to be more challenging for myself next year.
2. Take all my supplements – again – this one was a success. I take my supplements all the time – easy peasy… J

3. Exercise at least 30 minutes a day – well I half did this. I would work out 6 days one week, then only work out 3 the next. So I’d say I met this one about 50%
4. Do not eat after 7:00 p.m. – Nope – complete fail.
5. Lose 24lbs by end of the year – Ha! This one was funny…. Challenging yes, reachable – NO – can’t even lose 24lbs in an entire year, never mind 100 days… what was I thinking….

So in summary, I failed the above goals when you really look at it. What I did do successfully with this Challenge is that I found I was making new goals on a weekly basis that I tried to reach and maintain. I found that very beneficial and I also found everyone else’s support very helpful – THANK YOU!

Now I have to get busy and get my goals for the next challenge for 2010 and get them  written out.

I hope everyone has a fantastic Day and is making good choices (I need to practice what I preach J)

Sandra

HOT 100 Update - whoops I forgot

I have been so busy I forgot to do my Hot 100 update last week L So here are my results from my last set of goals:

• I will thank my food for providing me with the nutrients my body needs just before I chomp on it
• It is getting easier to do this and is coming more natural.
• Cycling my calories between 1300-1700 changing it every day. Get a good visual idea of how much I can eat for XXXX amount of calories. I do not want to count them for a lifetime.
• I did OK on this, but Christmas cheer is hard to resist when you have so many gatherings to attend. My alcohol intake made my numbers higher than they should be. I really need to focus on getting better at this next year
• Strength train 3x a week – include lots of stretching after
• I did not do this 3x but only twice..
• Walk/jog 5x a week
• Nope – didn’t do this one either. Well last week I guess I did, but this week  hasn’t started out so good

For my last and final week:

• Enjoy my time with my family. All the extended kids are here in town and it is nice to see them all safe and sound
• Watch my alcohol intake and keep it reasonable.
• Exercise at least 30 minutes every day whether is just walking on my treadmill, C25K, or a few 30Day Shred sessions (starting today until Dec 31^st)
• Establish my plan and goals for 2010

OH and I got my new Wheatgrass Juicer yesterday. It was waiting for me when I got home and I am very excited. I’m not sure my current wheatgrass is as nutritious as it could be because it has grown to long, but it is still better than nothing. Going to start a new batch of seeds tonight to get the next lot growing for next week. I made sure when I took it out of the box that it was room temperature before I touched any cords (not sure if that is what happened the last time when it was exposed but you just never know).

Hope you all have a wonderful Christmas.

Xxoo

Sandra

Happy Holidays!!

Merry Christmas to each and everyone of you.

 

I hope you have a fantastic couple of days with your loved ones.

I want to thank you for being here for me this year - it is truly appreciated. I look forward to next year with lots of determination and attitude and getting to know each of you a little bit better.

xxoo

Sandra

2009 in Review and Looking Forward to 2010

I moan each time I look at the numbers on the scale and in my numerous spreadsheets – that number just didn’t go down much in the last year. I accomplished a total of 10 lbs. In a YEAR!!  It’s pretty sad really….. There is no one to blame but my own self.

There are so many folks out there in Blogland that I am so proud of and love reading their successes. I know why I haven’t had so very many successes (in the scale number anyway)  it is always my choices that I have made over the year.

However on a positive note: When I look back on the year, there are a LOT of things that I have learned and done right.

• My blood pressure is back down to normal.
• My blood work numbers are all excellent. Everything that was a concern in October 2008 when I weighed 210 lbs are much different than they are today. I am a LOT healthier
•  I am learning to eat more cleanly, making healthier choices. Selecting organic and using foods not processed. I am juicing fresh organic vegetables once or twice a day and soon Wheatgrass on a daily basis.
•  I started a “Learn to Run” program and although I couldn’t finish the actual course due to injury’s (foot in May, Hip in September), I continued through the months of June/July on my own and I was able to jog for the longest time I have ever in my entire life. I never ever thought I would ever jog, so getting up to 20 minutes in September was a HUGE victory for me. I am back at it again, more stretching this time, so I will make the 5k in 2010 (not sure which one yet).
•  I’ve made a ton of new online friends since starting blogging in February and it is an amazing world out there.

So when I look at the whole picture, it was not a wasted year. It was a learning year. Now next year I have to faithfully put into practice what I have learned and I may need everyone’s push once in awhile when I start going off track. My biggest time of the year to lose weight is between February and April – that seems to be when my body is responsive to it the most. So I have to work on establishing very good habits in January and then just watch the inches fall off in Feb/March/April. Then focus on keeping them off for the rest of the year.

I must put this out there, in my face, and admit to everyone that reads this blog that alcohol is a HUGE factor in why I am not losing weight like I should be. I certainly don’t overeat but I do drink and with it, sometimes there are very bad food choices. They always say that after a few drinks, your inhibitions seem to melt away and then I get that “I can start again tomorrow” attitude or “I’ve worked really hard today so I can afford to have this”. But it is the long term effects that I need to put out there in my face when I am making these choices. Having a couple of beers a week may not hurt me at that time, but they have a longer term affect and my body can keep the lbs on for days on end after. Then I go out again a few days later and I am not doing myself any good, it doesn’t pile on, but it doesn’t go away. AND I must stop eating chips…..

In a couple of days I am going to post my “Plan” for 2010 and you guys can critique it for me. Hopefully see spots that I may be able to improve (we can all help each other).  I need an accountability partner and why not all 40 people that read my blog J

I hope everyone is having a FANTASTIC day and is all ready for Christmas (if you celebrate). Make good choices – someone has to cause it certainly hasn’t been me lately.

Ttyl

Sandra

(Kat, email me and we can work on the Level2 plan J)

I'm soooo busy....

I am having a hard time finding time to do anything in the blog world.

I have actually been too busy at work to spend any time reading and catching up on what is happening in your lives - I am sorry about that. Guess that's what they pay me the bucks for – work J normally we are slower in December but I guess with losing a lot of folks lately there will never be a slow time anymore.  I know we have a lot of new projects coming up in 2010 that will keep us really busy. I am looking forward to it. And my evenings and weekends have been messed up too!!

I ended up ordering another juicer through Costco. I went to community health and they had the manual ones which the cheapest was 129.00 which really is pretty costly when I intended on getting a new electric one so I used my self control against my compulsive buying it and ordered another online through Costco. I suspected at first that I wouldn’t get it until after Christmas but as of Friday it has already shipped so I hope to get it this week. I may be able to salvage one of my trays of wheat grass – I am so excited to really get into that part of my healthy lifestyle.

My exercise has been pretty good. Did my complete Week 1 of the C25K and on Sunday started Week 2.  2 of the minutes rather than running, I walked as fast as I could, really got my arms pumping and short little legs almost running. Probably looked really funny but I wanted to really just push myself. The rest of it was done jogging like I normally do (slow). Sharon wants me to incorporate those two minutes right now into my cardio routine. I know in January she is going to get me to do something else.  Then I actually got my lazy butt up out of bed at 4 today and did a Jillian Shred day. I have not been consistent with this and probably won’t do it 30 days straight as I really love my cardio days. I also need to move up to Level 2 and see how that goes. If it is too hard, then I’ll drop back to Level 1 and up the weights. Some parts of the workout is easy, others I still find difficult. I’m just happy I am doing something.

Because if I wasn’t doing any exercising, I’d be gaining weight. Christmas is not a good time for me, or anyone else for that matter and I seem to have less willpower than most. OK, it’s not willpower but a choice I am making at the time. But the week is behind me and no more parties, just good ole Christmas day on Friday and I’m planning on being good all through the rest of the year. People, I have been not doing well.

Well that’s all I have time for today, I hope to spend sometime today catching up but you never know. I’m the only one here for this week and have to cover for 4 other folks. Hopefully it will be quiet week.

Ttyl,
Sandra

Had a nice LOOONG Weekend…

As I previously mentioned on Friday, I thought I would start up my C25K program again. Other than reading it over again (I know lazy J) I am not sure if I mentioned that I thought it was much easier than I remembered from the first time I tried it. And that I was worried about my hip and how it might feel at the end of the day.

Well, it was sore, but I KNEW what to do this time. I knew what or rather what to stretch. I think it completely made a difference this time.

Saturday I only walked on my treadmill then walked on my treadclimber – two totally different machines but still worked me fairly good. Not as good as a jog/run session does but I still pushed it. I have to admit, I truly think I could push it harder on my walks. Why I don’t – that is something I really need to get over and get on with…..

Then we travelled across the city to friends for an Xmas Party. Believe me, we should have packed a lunch. With the road condition the way it is, it took some time (Syl – I am talking Spruce Meadows to Balzac).  And I really mean it that I should have packed a lunch because I didn’t eat enough during the day and the food at the party didn’t come out until at least 9:00 p.m. The choices I made were good but it turns out that I didn’t fill my plate enough because soon after, they started to put it all away. I was still hungry and I am sure that  a lot of folks were also hungry. However, by the end of the night, I made up for it in the spirits version way too much. Ever tried a Cinnamon Snaps? Holy mouthwash batman…..

We stayed overnight (no drinking and driving in this family and these are the same folks we camp with throughout the summer so we have a good time when we get together) and therefore by the time we made our way home (saw 4 accidents on the way home by the way that is how bad the roads were) I did not get any exercising done. Recuperate is what we did.

Today, I got up and got in another session of my C25K. Again it felt “easy” but I did not want to go to week two because I do NOT want to hurt my hip. I want to ease into this.

Ever heard of a program called “Chi Running”? Well I had bought it just before my hip went out on me back in September. I kind of lost hope of ever practising it. But I listened to the first session on Friday (after running) and the second session (today). Today he was mentioning how important your posture is.

| have always known this but what made perfect sense to me today was he had us stand straight and look at our feet. See where they are pointed. It is important for them to point in the direction you are going. Less resistance that way.

Well my right side has ALWAYS pointed – well right. Not prominently but just slightly  He said this was due to the inner thigh abductors being to weak or the outer butt/hip muscles being too tight. I am definitely positive it is the later. It is what my Massage Terrorist said as well as the Physical Terrorist. It can be fixed.
Anyways, I know I need to continue to stretch and strengthen all of these muscles so there is hope for me to complete a 5K soon (within the next year).

So I also took my broke Juicer back to Costco today (don’t people work on Mondays…. that place was SO busy) and all they could do was refund my money. Which means I need to order another one online or see if I can find one at a reasonable price at our Community Health Food stores…. not likely there as that is where I would have tried to purchase the first one. So in the mean time, I have tried to juice my grace in my current juicer but I am just masticating it. Probably no nutritional value after I am done with it.
HOLY I just realized how long this post was already……. sorry…

Oh and Steve, Facebook is where they are…

I hope you are all having a fantastic day and making good choices.
ttyl
Sandra

My Wheatgrass Experiment

I took pictures of my grow op through out its growing phases. I was amazed at how fast and how healthy it was.

 Day One – Soaking process

 

 

 

 

 

Day Two - Preparing the tray. 

 Laying out the seeds and then I covered the tray.

Day Three – I was amazed at how fast the seeds grew.

Day Four

Day Five

Different view

Day Six – I took off the lid this day.

It took off from there as soon as it got under the lights.

And then finally on Wednesday my eagerly anticipated juicer showed up at my doorstep.

So I put it together, ran down to my wheatgrass and harvested a handful to put through the juicer.

And Viola!

So then I took my juicer apart and cleaned it and found this :(

Exposed wires. So I have to take it back and it will probably be another two weeks before I can get a replacement. My Wheatgrass won’t last that long. I can go get a hand cranked version but they are still at least $100.00 and not sure if it is worth getting it for my $4.00 worth of grass. I’m just naturally disappointed as I was really looking forward to juicing my own grass.

Oh well, such is life…..

I hope everyone is having a FANTASTIC day and making good choices.

Sandra

Hot 100 Update

Decembers contribution towards achieving my year end Hot 100 Goals:

• I will thank my food for providing me with the nutrients my body needs just before I chomp on it
• Well it is not an easy habit to get into because I keep forgetting but the more I do it, the more natural it will become.
• Cycling my calories between 1300-1700 changing it every day. Get a good visual idea of how much I can eat for XXXX amount of calories. I do not want to count them for a lifetime.
• I did OK on this, it is easier of course to stay on track with the higher calories than the lower end but I managed OK. On my high day it was a “downer” day for me so I did get the munchies. Kept them healthy though and stayed on track.
• Strength train 3x a week – include lots of stretching after
• I did not do this because I hurt my back last weekend. I thought it best to give it a break. Nothing worse than when your back hurts because it affects so much of what you do.
• Walk/jog 5x a week
• As of this coming up Sunday, I will have made this goal

So as for lbs lost, between Wednesday a.m., and Thursday a.m., I lost a total of 3.4lbs. I had to get on and off the scale twice to make sure I read it right. Today I am back up 1.2 lbs. I retain water and other stuff for days on end. I really can’t watch my scale on a daily basis and tell what the heck I am doing. But I have such a hard time doing it only once a week. Uncle Tom was due this week so I expect to go up but that 3.4 drop overnight kind of blew me out of the water. Wish it would do that on a weekly basis J Oh well, wishful thinking.

We will see what it is tomorrow for my Christmas challenge update and maybe I won’t get back on that scale until NEXT Saturday.

That alone will be a challenge J

I know… two posts in a day. I’ve got some catching up to do.

ttyl

Sandra

 

Well I think I’m back….

Thanks to everyone that left a comment on my last post. I am out of my funk because I had a talk with the source of my sadness and for me getting things out in the open is like opening the flood gates. A whole lot of pent up frustration and emotions were just let go and I feel a lot lighter, physically and mentally. It never pays to hold things in. So thanks again for pushing me through…. :)

I ran today. Nothing special, just did the first week of a C25K on my iPod and my hip hurt a bit but I certainly did not run fast by any means so I think I will be fine tonight…. I’ll let you know tomorrow. It felt good to be back at it again and it was so much easier than when I attempted it for the first time way back in March. I think  your body remembers.

I took today off of work so that I could get some shopping done, so after my jog/walk, I took my daughters car and went to the mall. It started snowing right when I left but the roads were OK. Black ice in a lot of spots, but you just have to drive carefully. No heavy foot in this type of conditions.

When I was at the mall, I realized that I left the house without eating anything after exercising so I grabbed a protein shake from Jugo Juice. It was good. This is a problem with me on the weekends… or days off… I forget to eat and by the time I do, I’m starved. I need to plan that better.

Tomorrow is going to be good too!

I hope everyone has a FANTASTIC day and is making good choices.

ttyl

Sandra

Lurkin these days....

I'm feeling in a bit of a funk since Sunday and can't seem to get
myself out. This is not normal for me and I don't like it one bit. I
don't have much to say right now because my mind is in a jumbled mess.
I hope soon I can get it all written down and it all washes away.

I am trying to read your blogs and comment where I can so I am not
totally lost in the abyss.  :)

You guys motivate me !

Ttyl
Sandra

Ouch my achin back...

Well what a cold and windy weekend we just had. Our temperatures are down in the -20+ Celsius (well minus but higher than 20, or rather lower than 20… you know what I mean  LOL) . We are definitely paying for our warmer weather that we experienced in November – payback time. It was -30 C at my house this morning when I left to catch the bus. I dressed in layers so as to not feel the cold but then when I get to the train, I sit there for 35 minutes roasting. Oh well, I just unzipped as much as I could J I hate the cold – have I mentioned that before….

On Saturday my Grandson did not come. As I mentioned we had a storm come through on Friday night and they did close quite a few of the highways. She had called into work and was not going to try to drive the roads. As much as I miss him, I agree with her decision. I ended up doing my Shred Day 6 program and then cleaned out the storage under my stairs, put up my tree, hauled things up the stairs, put things away back under the stairs. By the end of the day I could hardly move my back. Under stairs = bending over quite a bit of the time (thank goodness I am short) and then also lifting things from the ground to shoulder height (bent over position). Not a good thing.

So on Sunday, because I was still so sore I just walked for 2.5 miles on my treadmill.  The movement warms up the muscles and they aren’t so sore but I wanted to make sure that I did not bend over too much more (Ok I put away a few more boxes but no strength training). Again, sore overnight so this morning I did not get up and do my Shred – should have gotten lazy butt out of bed and walked on the treadmill – but I didn’t.

And now in my Oh So Active day job (sitting on my fanny all day looking at a computer screen), my back is getting more sore by the minute. Each time I get up, my coworker across the hall from me, laughs. Fortunately he is about the same age as me and so really is laughing because he can relate not because I look funny (however I think I do there as well). Takes me a good 30 seconds to fully stand up and then move one leg forward. Oh how important stretching is….. And oh how much your back is used in every day movement…

My food was OK on the weekend (more or less). I’m not eating enough but yesterday I ate some junk which still brings my calories too high (at least yesterday). I was upset at Ron, and was spending way too much internal energy on being upset at him so I focused on trying to let it go. I kind of succeeded but I’m sure he didn’t feel it…. Nothing worse than a woman scorned. And then I got the munchies because of it (not hungry when mad and upset, let it go, want to munch).  So I ate some Nuts N Bolts that I make every year for Christmas and which are a total complete risk for me. Crunchy, salty, crunchy… my nemesis.

AND I only juiced once on Saturday and once on Sunday as well. Not good considering I have 27 lbs of carrots to now go through J

Today I am back to normal and eating when and what I need. I function so much better on a schedule than ad hoc. I must plan plan plan… that’s why I have so many excel spreadsheets…..

I hope everyone is having a fantastic day and is making good choices.

Sandra

Winter Wonderland….

Syl is a very brave lady and is running today in our Santa Shuffle. We had a storm start yesterday morning and with it lots of snow and wind. The wind is still blowing and she is still running. Stop by and cheer her on. She is much braver than I would be.

My grandson is to arrive today as well (yeah) and I’m worried about his Mom driving the highways to get here. I know she will be fine as she has done this drive countless times in the winter but I always worry. I HATE winter driving and really dislike the cold as well and every year, I stress out about having to drive the icy roads. I truly think I was born in the wrong country :)

I did not make the opportunity to do my Shred Workouts Thursday or Friday. I guess they were my day’s off and now I have to work my butt off today and tomorrow to make up for them. Mind you, that really is the norm for me on the weekends. My eating has been very good and I am very proud to state that I did not eat after dinner not once since last Thursday. I am quite proud of that fact.

My weight stopped moving later this week and I’m 100% sure why (after my Yahoo it's moving post on Wednesday). I did have three pretty carby dinners this week but not really high in calories – well at least I tried to stay under my allocated calorie limit for the day. I LOVE Vietnamese food and went for dinner on Thursday night with Ron, then for soup yesterday with co-workers. Oh and I also had yummy sushi on Wednesday. All three days I still factored those meals into my day’s limit. Now this part is going to be TMI – but I’m not flushing any of it out if you get my drift. Having quite the issue this week even with all the veggie juice I drink. I’m going to have to look up a flushing juice combo and give that a go for the next couple of days…. sorry about reading stuff you really didn’t want to :)

I got my container of Organic veggies at 8:30 on Thursday night. Turns out that will be his regular scheduled time which kind of sucks. Thursday nights are normally our “date” night and we do get home around 8-9 but having to clean and put away veggies at that time of night kind of makes for a late night. This is the reason I didn’t get up early on Friday to exercise.

Thursday’s excuse was because I was out late on Wednesday watching the Top 10 performers from Season 2 of “So You Think You Can Dance Canada”. Man that was a lot of fun. I was so impressed with their skill and strength and I really enjoyed the show. We had fantastic seats and I had such a great time with my sister.
I had my crappy underwater camera with me because I didn’t think they would appreciate me bringing in my Nikon with the big zoom lens. :)
 

























Those kids could really dance, and what a way to spend life at 18 –20 years old – living your dream.

I’ve got more to post but I’ll be doing that later… this one is long enough.
I hope everyone has a fantastic day and is making good choices.
Sandra

Hottie Update

I love that name "Hottie".

My dream to becoming one one day in the very near future (ok, within the year).

Decembers contribution towards achieving my year end Hot 100 Goals:

• I will thank my food for providing me with the nutrients my body needs just before I chomp on it.
  
  
• Cycling my calories between 1300-1700 changing it every day. Get a good visual idea of how much I can eat for XXXX amount of calories. I do not want to count them for a lifetime.
  
  
• Strength train 3x a week – include lots of stretching after
  
  
•  Walk/jog 5x a week
  
  

Well all I can say is that I’m passing with flying colors on all of the above already so I’ve got hope that I will keep it up for the remaining 29 days left of this year.  I’ve managed to fight my night time snacking very successfully since last Thursday evening. I am on my 5^th day of Cardio/Strength training sessions (30 Day Shred). I’ve gotten in lots of walking and going to keep it up. I’ve also managed to keep my calories between 1300 and 1700 all week. And I can see the scale finally moving. Yahoo!

I’m still “blocked” somewhere, somehow (this came out with my latest biofeedback) and I’ve got to focus on releasing, gaining freedom, accepting that it is OK to lose the fat. So since I don’t know what I’m holding on to, I’m focusing on those positive thoughts.  Hopefully the positive focus will get my body to move….

And tonight I’m going to watch the top 10 dancers from the last show of “So You Think You Can Dance Canada” with my sister. We are having a girls night out and I am SO EXCITED about watching this. Dancing was always a dream of mine and at 48 I won’t have any of these kids range of motion, stamina or talent, but I truly hope one day I can just get out there and DANCE!!

I hope everyone is having a FANTASTIC day and making good choices.

Ttyl

Sandra