PE Class in the Pool...

So....here I am in the middle of Paradise but it comes with responsibilities. 

Leaving home in January is all fine and good but with a nine year old it also means pulling him from school. 
We're pretty lucky because we are self-employed and so long as we have a computer, internet and telephone we can work from anywhere....we decided to try the same with school.

The teachers gave us a whole folder full of reading and worksheets that have to be completed prior to our son returning to school.
He has agreed to work hard and get the homework done--without giving me any grief.
So...today it is Monday, a school day, and the lessons must begin!
Instead of getting out the ruler and notebook we decided to start the day with PE.

We headed straight for the pool.  He swam laps and also chased after a sinking thing that he could dive for...Me? Well I used the opportunity to do some moves that I learned at Fitness Ridge. 
So...if you have the opportunity to do this, its a great way to raise the heartrate and burn some good ol' calories.
First one: just hang onto the side of the pool and kick as hard as you can for as long as you can! those legs will burn.
Second one: push yourself off the side (with your feet); kinda throwing your self back so your arms go against the water.  This will create a lot of movement in the water. Stand and "run" back to the side--knees high--and then do it again. This will have you going against the waters force and is a great work out.  Do this 25 times....lotsa fun!
I plan on doing this tomorrow too.
aloha....

5KM, 10KM...1/2 Marathon....

So...Fitness Ridge brought me back to moving and feeling better but it is up to me to KEEP the momentum going.
That is not always an easy thing.
Sooooo.....I have run in the past and completed several organized 5 km and 10 km runs.  I've always done these for fun and not competition...so they are "runs" not "races".
I go at my own speed and have always completed them sucessfully.
My last 10 km run was April 2009...and it almost killed me!
Yikey doodles...even the training for the run sucked.  I developed bone spurs on my knees and also had trouble getting a proper breathing focus (ended up that I was suffering from some self imposed anxiety...the harder I tried...the hard it became.)
My doctor told me to stop....so I did. Put on 20 pounds like over-night...or it sure felt that way and I felt like crap because I didn't replace those 3 or 4 days of running with anything.....I sat down on my patooty and stayed there.
My trip to Fitness Ridge proved to me that I could work my way back there. My knees are fine and just need to be respected....and what better way to respect them but take 50 pounds of pressure off them.  that's my goal!
So before going to FR I started walking again.  Not just a little stroll but a good clipped walk. It gets those old lungs moving again and wakes up the muscles etc.  After being at FR for two weeks I felt like I could take on the world as far as movement went.  My lung capacity, flexibility and strength had all improved and I was able to show myself that once I put my mind to it I can do anything that I want to do.
Well....I've now signed up for the Seattle Half Marathon with my FR roommate Eve!!  It is in June 2011 and I'll begin training for it upon my return home.

I can do anything...and I will.

 

Voices from Fitness Ridge ....

We are in Maui right now and I'm not sure there is any more beautiful place on earth.  The stunning ocean vistas against the vibrant colours of the foliage is just breathtaking.
We are so blessed to be able to call this place "home" for the next couple of weeks.
We are in Kaanapali, staying in a condo with a loft. We didn't get in until about 1 am after a very long day of travellng.  Our condo is perfect as it has an upstairs loft with bed/tv/bathroom and our son claimed that and then claimed this whole place to be Paradise on Earth! Boy is he happy.

We knew that we were going to arrive in the middle of the night and that food and such would be an issue for the first morning.  Coffee is supplied but pretty much every thing else is the guest's responsibility. So right by the airport we were able to stop and get some milk and that was pretty much about it.

First thing this morning we went to a local restaurant for breakfast.
Oh...the eggs Benny looked soooooo tempting and so did the cheese omelette but what I ended up choosing was two pouched eggs and toast. This was a  very good choice for me as it was filling and not too high in the calorie count.
It is very easy to let those sauces and condiments add to your day.
We spoke about what our plan was for eating and my hubby initially wanted to do breakfast out every morning but I've convinced him otherwise. 
I like a good solid breakfast but the choices in restaurants can be so tempting.
We all went to the local Safeway and the voices from Fitness Ridge followed me throughout the whole shopping experience....
I would stop and ask myself if I really....like REALLY....needed that. Most times the answer was no or I'll come back tomorrow if I decide that I can't live without it.
I'm very proud to say that we stocked up on eggs, english muffins, hummus, fruit and veggies. We did good.
I'm not saying that I'm a perfect little prima donna here....there was also chips/munchie and wine in the cart too but it's not like the old days where I'd hit the bakery and snack aisle and that would be it.
I bought a huge bag of sunflower seeds which take forever to eat but for me satisfies the hand to mouth munchies when I'm just sitting and reading or something like that.
Sometimes it's just those little steps that can help me maintain my confidence and keep me Going In the Right Direction.
Have a fabulous Sunday!

Bathing suit shopping....

I believe the title pretty much says it all....yucky pooey to bathing suit shopping.
I believe that it doesn't matter whether you're 100 pounds or 600 pounds...shopping for a bathing suit is not only a humbling experience, but a depressing one too (if you let it--it's all in the way you choose to look at it!).
Let's face it-- we're all our own worst critics and there's nothing like putting on a skin tight piece of lycra to make reality slap you across your face.
ah yes....the dreaded bathing suit shopping trip...I recently had my fix...how 'bout you?

Here's what happened to me...we decided to do an after Christmas quick trip to Hawaii.
Yay!!
How exciting is that to get away from the snow and rain and escape to the beautiful Islands of flowers and white sand?
All I could do is embrace the romantic picture of myself, lounging lazily by the pool or under a palm tree by the clear waters of the Pacific Ocean.  In my little fantasy I looked pretty darn good....I was wearing a beautiful one peice bathing suit, cut to make me look slim in all the right places and of course enhance all my good spots....Ahhhhh it was an amazingly relaxing and perfect picture in my minds eye.
Reality: Standing with six suits on plastic hangers in a 3x3 cubicle, lit by harsh florescent lighting, with no mood music, or drinks with a little pink umbrella--sucks.  Underwear left on (of course!) to pull on these tiny pieces of shouldn't have had that damn carmel frappacino with double whip; full of expectant jubilation in knowing that it will mete with my wee fantasy of sun, fun and impecable nicks and tucks from just the right suit.
Harsh Discovery:  The terrible glare of the long tubed lighting puts on at least 20 pounds! (and 30 if you didn't pick a suit with a tummy tamer!) Yikes!!

Thanks I'll stick with my old, stretched out, comfy suit until the stores do something about their lighting.

Aloha!
 

Merlot and Brie....

I've now come down off the mountain and therefore back to reality.
It is amazing what this last month or two has brought.
From travel, tears and triumph; from highs and lows; to deepening friendships and to the nurturing of new acquaintances...
Its also brought a new self awareness and a deep seeded knowledge that I will continue to grow and learn as each day passes. 
And, of course...these last few days have also consisted of a lot of Merlot, Brie and Baldersons (an aged cheddar....) OMG can you say YUMMY!!!
Over the last couple of days I totally gave myself permission to relax, enjoy and indulge. I basically ate what I wanted...when I wanted....and even how much I wanted!  Oh, and of course that goes for drink too...I have a new found fondness for a good Merlot and let's not forget the hot chocolate and Bailey's Irish Cream (gotta have something to keep you warm when you're out walking in the night and temps are -20C!)
I thouroughly enjoyed the whole three days and the bringing in of the New Year.
While my friends and son skiied their days away I lazed about and just enjoyed solitude and the environment of a snow laden ski village...beautiful!

This is me and my nine year old son.  I am so proud of him as he learned to ski this year!  He took to the hill so quickly and totally loved it!

Here he is just before they all took off down the hill. He now wants to teach me how to ski...hmmm...maybe next year!

Life is funny in how it gives us what we need, when we need it, if we're open to receiving. 
This morning I went for a 5 km walk and felt strong for doing so.  It would have been very easy to just lounge on the couch and let the weekend slip by but by going for a long walk I not only felt better physically but my resolve to continue on my journey to wellness was reinforced!  There were no excuses or even the thought of "starting on Monday"...
It was just a part of my day that makes it better for me and I refuse to slip back into bad habits and broken china (you'll have to read the blog posts to understand the china thing...) For me it will no longer be an all or nothing thing but a conscience choice to live life to the fullest and sometimes that means Merlot and Brie are on the menu!!
Happy New Year everyone.

Post Christmas but Pre New Years....

It's been a while since I actually took the time to write anything.
Christmas is such a crazy time of year for me.  This year was especially so becuz of my trip to Fitness Ridge.
By the time I got back home the Season was in full swing but I felt completely and utterly out of the loop.
I think it was the 14th of Dec when I got home to find all the house decorated and festive looking (Thanks Michael and Parker)...but really it was just the beginning for me.
I had to shop, plan and organize.
It seemed like every single day after returning home was filled with Christmas concerts, business luncheons or shopping.
This was also the year for us to go travel at Christmas to my mom's.  This meant a 4.5 hour drive thru the mountain to my moms.  The weather cooperated and Christmas Eve was truly awesome.  I was glad when it was over tho and the stress of travel is never easy. 
Food you ask??? Hmmm....I got to a place where I had to give myself permisssion to eat.
Man oh man at first I was beating myself up for eating canned soup and not making it from scratch like they showed us at the Ranch.  I was label reading like crazy and getting way too stressed out.
Once I relaxed a little bit, it was all good becuz then I was so fixated.
I enjoyed little bits of everything at Christmas dinner and wouldn't have it any other way! 
What I have done tho is maintain my initial 17 pound weight loss.  I haven't lost any further but I havent' put on either.
So here it is almost New Year's Eve and where do I find myslef but at a condo at Apex Mountain.  My son Parker is in ski school and it is a real treat to be able to stay up at the mountain for a couple of days and celebrate the coming year.  As I sit right now, the kids are outside and the other family that we're staying with, are kicking back and relaxing.  All goood.....
Gonna have me a little bit of wine tonite along with some hummous and veggies and just enjoy the ambiance of the ski hill.  I am so blessed.
After New Years I do have a plan.
It is right in my head but I'll write it all down.  Like they say...if you fail to plan...you plan to fail.
I have no intention of failing or going backwards!  
Just relax and enjoy!

A word about Resting Metobolic Rate (RMR)...

We hear all the time about our metabolism and how it affects our weight but what we really need to know is what we can do about it and assist ourselves in our journey to wellness.

First....a few facts:

• one pound = 3500 calories.
• your rmr is the rate at which your body burns calories while at rest.
• look at calories "in" versus calories "out".
• any calories burned above your RMR go towards that 3500 cals.
• any calories eaten above the rmr need to be burned or weight gain as it adds up to the 3500.

So....google: shapeup.org rmr calculator
fill in the blanks of weight,height,age and sex...this will give you your RMR (so if you laid around on the couch all day the rmr is the number of calories that your body will burn by doing "nothing").  This gives you a good indicator of what calories you can take in to maintain your weight.  If you stay at your rmr calorie count then your weight won't change.

Now...you need to track the calories "in"...the only way to do this is by keeping a journal and noting everything you eat.  There are plenty of calories counters on-line so there's no excuse for not writing down the calories.  Don't forget the "little" things like the mayo that you put on that sandwich...every single little calorie counts. Be truthful...it's for your eyes only...If you give in and eat that chocolate cookie--no big deal--just make sure you track the calories.  Read your labels and nutritional guides for any restaurants (again...easily available on line)...no excuses!

Next...you want to calculate your calories "out" or burned.  This is a little more difficult.  I love the polar 7 heart rate monitor which tells me the calories burned in a day as well as my target heart rate while exercising. These numbers of how many calories burned can be estimated but won't be very accurate unless weight, height, sex and age are taken into consideration for the calculation.  Don't trust that treadmill at the gym that says you burned 400 calories....unless you input your personal stats--it's not accurate.

What you want to see....is the calories "in" to be at or below your rmr rate and "out" to excede the rmr.
For every 3500 calories "out" a pound will be gone.
Soooooo....if your rmr is 1500 and you eat 1500 calories a day...you need to burn an additional 500 calories per day to lose one pound per week (500 cal x 7 days = 3500 cal = one pound);
Now ....500 cals to burn over and above your rmr is very doable.  Get moving. A good walk can burn 300+...taking the stairs instead of the escalator burns extra...every little calories makes a difference (both "in" and "out"...!!!) 
Options:
if you can't burn 500 cals/day...then lower your calories "in" by 200 and do it that way... The choice is yours.
Don't take your calories below 1200/day tho because then your body could think it is in starvation mode and stop burning those calories.
Set a calorie range that is reasonable....ie: 1300-1500 or higher if your rmr is really high; Don't box yourself into a corner....there are days when you need those extra calories.

So...I sure hope all this make sense!
Once the math makes sense, the whole weight-loss thing makes sense.
Good luck. You can do it!