Day 72 - BFFs & Sweaty Chocolate Cake

Oh yeah. Today was a rebirth. After getting hit with that super-bug last week and into the weekend, it felt GREAT to wake-up today feeling 95% well. The BFF took the day off so I grabbed the rest of my Birthday money and we hit the Hard Rock circuit in the morning.

We love poker. She's better than I am. She's rock solid. Poker is an endurance game, but not in the sense that you might normally hear the word "endurance." It's more of an emotional and psychological endurance.... especially after sitting at a table for 3 hours.

I came home in time to get the house cleaned, get Lil C from the bus stop, fix dinner and hit the gym.

It was good to get back into the gym....flipped on the iPad and caught up on Grey's Anatomy. I'm almost through with Season 6...it's getting better as the season goes on. I started sweating and I swear I tasted chocolate cake. (That was for you, Matt). I am actually starting to enjoy the heat and the sweat. I get hot, and then I sweat, and then I get cool again. It's becoming a cleansing ritual...like a shower from the inside out... only, you need another shower afterwards. While I was walking, I noticed this big football player sized guy next to me. He was plugging away...just like me...watching his own show on his teenie weenie iPhone. I felt bad for him. He must be reading my blog. Hahaha. Wouldn't THAT be funny!

Photo: Me and the BFF - Circa 1990

Day 71 - Harry Potter meets The Beverly Hillbillies

Sunday. Charlie and I decided to go check out the Gun Show at the Florida Expo Hall. I really don't know why I was so surprised by what I saw, but that was a freaky group. What scares me the most is the fact that all of those people were gun-carrying citizens. Some didn't look intelligent enough to get through life, much less have the money to purchase expensive weaponry.

There were those who were clearly hunters, decked out in their camouflage. Then, there were those well-dressed folks who I assumed might be collectors. Aside from those two groups, it looked like Harry Potter meets The Beverly Hillbillies. I think Gandalf from Harry Potter was there...he was wearing overalls.

We didn't stay long.

When we got home, I felt very tired and so I decided that I would rest one more day before jumping back on the wagon full force. My body was telling me something and so I listened. Good thing. I slept for about 2 hours on the couch. I should be good to go tomorrow. Fingers crossed.

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Day 66 - Truth, Love & Consequences

I'm back on my daily wagon, but, boy, am I feeling the repercussions of eating fast food three times last weekend. My wedding band is tight and I can feel the swelling all over my body - especially in my face...around my eyes and cheeks. If you're a chronic fast food eater, there is no way to sugar coat it. You need to stop. On a monthly basis, we might eat "fast food" three times, with two of those times being pizza from Bosco's or Marco's. This weekend, however, I ate fast food 3 or 4 times. We were going non-stop all weekend and fast food was easy and cheap.

In the past, I would blame it on my busy schedule, however, now, I know that it's not because of a busy schedule. It's a simple lack of preparation on my part. It's not difficult to pack a lunch and a few snacks in a cooler and throw it in the back of the car. It would take less than 10 minutes to prepare lunch and snacks for the entire family, pack it in a cooler and put it in my car. Pure laziness. SMH. I'm paying for it now. I'm hoping that if I drink lots of extra water this week, I can flush out the swelling and get back to feeling normal.

I hit the treadmill again today. Managed 45 minutes before my episode ended. While I was walking, an older gentleman opened the door and just stood there. I watched, curious as to what he was doing. Turns out he was holding the door for an older heavyset lady, who I assumed was his wife. She came into the gym on a motorized wheelchair. My heart broke. Here is this man, who loves his wife so much that he loads her into the car, drives her to the community gym, helps her out of the car and onto her wheelchair, and then helps her squeeze into the gym (it's a tight entrance...but I'll be up there tomorrow to re-arrange the equipment for her). He goes to, what I can imagine, a great extent, just so she can do pull-down exercises while sitting in her wheelchair. You could tell that they had been at this routine for a while because once she was in, he let her go her own way. She did her arm exercises while he did the elliptical. They didn't speak. They didn't smile. Then they left.

I don't want to be that couple. When Charlie and I retire, I want us to be physically healthy. I want to go on cruises and travel the world, not be confined to a wheelchair. I want to believe that 2012 will be my turning point. 300 days to go.

Photo courtesy: www.sodahead.com

Day 54 - Birthday Mission Completed

Today is my Birthday. I'm 38. I'm ok with that, but ask me again in two years and I might still be 38. My mother has always told me that her 40's were the best times of her life. She said something happens and you start thinking less about what others think, and more about what YOU think. Sounds good to me.

So today, my friend Amanda suggested I walk 4 miles and then get a pedicure. The conversation went something like this:

Amanda: Happy birthday!!!!! Treat yourself - walk 4 miles & get a pedicure ♥

Me: I'm thinking 2 miles and a new pair of kicks.

Amanda: no. i said 4.

Me: Challenge accepted.  

I don't take challenges lightly. I am competitive to a fault. Always have been, always will be. It took one and a half episodes of Grey's Anatomy to get there, but I did it. My legs felt like jello when I finished, but I did it. I had to pull out my inhaler when I got home, but I did it.

Plus, I did it in my brand new kicks!!! I went with Saucony Pro-Grid Guide 5, and donated my old shoes to charity.  Putting my Birthday money to good use!!! Check out my video below.

I wish I could say that maybe I'll lose an extra half-pound, but I know how much pizza and chocolate cake I ate yesterday. I might be back at square one, but I had chocolate cake, so I'll call this a "Win." 

My new kicks:  <3 PINK <3 (And they match my ear buds!!)

My new kicks IN ACTION:

Day 52 - Time Travel Camera

Light is a funny thing. You can't see it, but without it, you can't see. Plus, when you take a picture of yourself in the mirror with light coming in from the back, it lets you see into the future. I snapped this photo this morning and the light bending around my waist took off a good 3 inches. Don't be fooled. Those jeans are size 13.

It's a fabulous camera trick, if you can get it just right. I once lost half of a bride's neck in a very similar situation. It wasn't an important shot...so she never saw it. Ha!

I had 45 minutes to exercise today, (and by that, I mean that I procrastinated up until I only had 45 minutes left), so I used every single minute that I had left, truckin' with Grey's Anatomy. I'm almost finished with Season 6...then pulled back into the garage just as Lil C was getting off of the bus. Whew!

I still can't believe I'm walking for 50 minutes at a time, and it's a breeze. I remember the day when it took everything I had to stay on for the entire 20 minutes that I started with, and I can't imagine where I'll be on December 31st, 2012. Hopefully looking something like I do in that photo up there!

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