Slowly, inch by inch

You would think with that title I would be talking about my measurements, but alas I am not. Actually I have not taken measurements since the day before my surgery, so I should probably do that soon. Anyhoo, I am referring to how slowly the scale is moving. While I would be thrilled if this 45 represented the number of pounds I have lost (it doesn't!), it does however represent the percentage of the excess weight I have lost. My doctor is always referring to the % of excess weight lost more than pounds lost so I have chosen to take that outlook too. 45% is nothing to sneeze at for sure, I am excited to be at this place and even more excited about what is right around the corner. With the next 5lb block that I lose I will be below the lowest weight I have been in 3 years, and when I was that weight 3 years ago (for a brief second in time) it was the lowest I had been in 20 years!!! So you can see that while the weight is not flying off of me but rather creeping off slowly, inch by inch - it is such an exciting time that I have to celebrate where I am at and what is about to be!!!

Who Knew?!

So as I mentioned earlier in the week, I am traveling this week visiting friends. Which means I don't have access to the gym - or my treadmill. So I have had to be creative in my workouts. This morning (for the second time since I have been here in Seattle) I got up at 6am my time - which is 4am here in Seattle, and did some exercises in my room while the rest of the house was sleeping. Today I actually wore my heart rate monitor just to see how many calories I had burned during my little impromptu workout. 450!!! Can you believe that? That is what I usually burn while running on the treadmill. I did a little cardio to get started. Walking in place, high knee cross overs - and a little flashback to my drill team days...a few high kicks. :) Then on to lunges, squats, push ups, plank, tricep dips, overhead press, etc - followed by a few yoga poses and stretching. It was actually a great workout and I am still surprised by the calorie burn. I really wanted to be able to run outside (or at least walk) while I am here, but it has been raining the whole time. Bummer! I leave today to fly to Denver - to visit another friend - so I am hoping the weather will cooperate there so we can be outside more. And that friend has a membership at the Y, so I am sure we will get a couple workouts in there as well. I am feeling great about getting back into the swing/habit of exercise so I want to keep finding ways to fit it into my day.

Wk 1 completed - and Traveling

I completed Week 1 of Couch to 5k yesterday. Actually I am a day behind - but that is ok with me, at least I am still doing it so that is a big improvement! It will be a little challenging for me to get my runs in the next two weeks because I will be traveling. But I will do what I can and be happy about what I accomplish.

I am in Seattle today, visiting a friend. I flew in late last night so it was dark and rainy and I didn't get to see much. I did see the Space Needle - you know the one you always see in movies? So that was pretty cool, and I am hoping to get to see more of Seattle over the next few days. I will be here till Thursday and then I fly to Denver to visit 2 more friends. (I needed to get out of my house for a while - long story that I may dive into another day). I will be in Denver till Sunday, then I fly home again. But I am only home for a couple days then I fly out again on Wednesday for a business trip -going to Vegas! Yay! I am excited about that too. So, as you can see with my travel schedule it will be difficult to get my runs in. I also brought along the Biggest Loser game that I got for my Nintendo DS recently, so I will be doing that as well. I really want to keep up with the exercise trend that I have started cause it is so hard to keep restarting.

I am feeling really good these days, more positive, more energetic and just overall GOOD. I believe it is the great combo of Water, exercise and Contentment. :) Anyhoo, I like it and plan to continue. Hope you all are having a great day!

Word(s) of the Year

So, I have been thinking alot about the word for 2010 that fellow bloggers have posted about. I have been contemplating it for several days. I am surprised by how much time it has actually been on my mind and it reminded me how many of the blogs I follow inspire me and lead me to action. And just earlier today someone included this quote in an email to me, which I found so fitting! I am so thankful for each of you that shares your story and how much it rekindles me!

"In everyone's life, at one time or another, our inner fire almost goes out. It is then miraculously burst back into flame by a powerful encounter with another human being. We should be thankful for those people who rekindle our inner spirit" -- Albert Schweitzer

So, my word - really has come down to two. The first being Content. I desire to be content. Content with where I am at each day. Not constantly dwelling on what could be or what should be but really being present and OK with where I am at right now. Knowing that the number on the scale does not define me...and actually doesn't even matter in my overall happiness. Does that mean that I would not continue to weigh myself several times each day? That is alot to hope for and though I am not sure that I will get there this year - it is ultimately where I would love to be. I don't think you can be truly happy without being content, so that is what I am choosing. I also think that contentment is not something that just happens. That it's actually something you have to actively practice at. So, the practice starts now! The second being Hydrate. I struggle with drinking enough water. Plain water, without anything added. I know that being hydrated is so important to so many daily functions and I have really started to see the effects of being dehydrated. My hair, my skin, nails, energy level, metabolism, hunger, headaches, joint stiffness - you name it basically - and it is effected by hydration. So I am determined to give it more attention in my life.

So, that's what I have come up with. Not one word but two, and I am excited to see what the outcome will be.