[21 days.]

First goal of 2012: to exercise 21 days in a row.

They say a habit can be formed or broken in 21 days, so that's where I'm headed. I started early, so today marked day #5.

I'm going to use my blog to log my gym time each day on this journey. Here we go ...

12/27 - 30 minutes on the elliptical

12/28 - 35 minutes on the elliptical, 10 minutes on the stair stepper - 425 calories burned, 3.62 miles total

12/29 - 60 minutes on the elliptical - 733 calories burned, 6.25 miles total

12/30 - 30 minutes on the elliptical - 361 calories burned, 3.08 miles total

12/31 - 45 minutes on the elliptical - 535 calories burned, 4.55 miles total; also did arms (triceps & shoulders) & abs.

1/1 - 60 minutes on the elliptical - 727 calories burned, 6.19 miles total; some arm work as well

1/2 - 50 minutes on the elliptical - 610 calories burned, 5.19 miles total; arms & abs, too.

1/3 - personal training session with Minh - kicked. my. BUTT. :)

1/4 - 30 minutes on the elliptical - 352 calories burned, 3.0 miles total

1/5 - 21:36 on the elliptical - 245 calories burned, 2.09 miles total

1/6 - 1-hour spin class at MCRD - calories & distance unknown ... butt = KICKED.

1/7 - 50 minute walk from Princess St. along La Jolla cliffs to the Cove and back - distance & calories unknown

1/8 - 60 minutes on the elliptical - 750 calories burned, 6.39 miles total; ab routine & arm raises with 12 lb. medicine ball as well

1/9 - 45 minutes on the elliptical - 564 calories burned, 4.8 miles total

1/10 - 60 minutes on the elliptical - 713 calories burned, 6.08 miles total; some arm work as well

1/11 - 3.25 mile walk from La Jolla Shores to Seal Beach & back

1/12 - 1-hour long yoga class @ Corepower

1/13 - 30 minutes on the elliptical - 360 calories, 3.06 miles

1/14 - INSANITY Fit Test & some ab work

1/15 - 30 minutes on the elliptical - 364 calories, 3.10 miles

1/16 - 45 minutes on the elliptical - 545 calories, 4.64 miles

21 DAYS COMPLETE!!!

10,095 = approximate # of calories burned

85.12 = approximate # of miles logged on elliptical & walking days

WOOOOOOOO!

[11.18.11]

So I had a couple of busy days & didn't blog ... so what? :)

Today is a new day. I missed the gym for a few days - wasn't feeling well at all.

Back to it today.

I worked last night. Got home this morning, had a nice bowl of steel cut oats cooked with some dates & a bit of coconut milk.

Now I'm trying to get motivated. Saw a Nike ad online that read, "Yesterday you said tomorrow." Pretty much. ;)

Food log:

• Steel cut oats cooked with dates, topped with a bit of coconut milk & agave

[11.14.11]

Crappy day.

Everything went wrong.

I had a busy morning when I got off of work - started wonderfully. Went home quick, made an awesome protein smoothie, went to the chiropractor, then had a nice pedicure. Packaged up a bunch of goodies for Charlie and took 3 flat rate boxes to the PO for him, only to find out that the stuff my parents had picked up wasn't supposed to go until Christmas, and my Dad was upset that he didn't get to wrap it all. I had no idea, and I feel terrible. Oh well.

Then I napped for a few hours since I was headed back to work my 3rd night in a row ... well UPS came with my new iPhone while I was asleep, required a signature, and well ... no phone today. Apple doesn't allow the shipment to be held at the UPS pickup location, either, so I have to wait until tomorrow and HOPEFULLY be home when UPS comes again. SO obnoxious. Didn't make it to the gym today. Didn't have an AMAZINGLY healthy lunch (see food log below). Then when I got to work, the door was unusually locked and so I was stuck outside in the cold for about 15 minutes until the day nurse came and let me in. Ahhh. I'm ready for it to be tomorrow already. I did get a call from Charlie on my way out this evening, so that was nice. :)

Anyways ...

Food log:

• Strawberry banana protein smoothie with coconut milk
• Brussel sprouts
• Chicken Tikka Masala bowl
• Another 1/2 of a strawberry protein smoothie for part of my dinner
• One chicken taco from Chipotle for dinner - on a corn tortilla with corn, bell peppers, onions, lettuce, and a tiny bit of sour cream
• I ate some semi-sweet chocolate chips this afternoon. Probably about 2 Tbsp worth. And a Lindt chocolate truffle. GAH!!!

[11.13.11]

I worked last night, so I came home this morning, had some breakfast, and then crashed for a few hours. I got up, had a snack, and will head to the gym in a bit.

Had a lovely Skype chat with Charlie. Grandma and Dad were able to talk with him for a bit, too. It was an emotional morning, but a good cry is necessary every once in awhile. I miss that man, miss his face, his hugs ... what I wouldn't give to feel his arms around me today ...

Food log:

• 2 oatmeal pancakes with organic peanut butter and pure maple syrup
• A few tortilla chips with roasted red bell pepper hummus
• Brussel sprouts
• Dried blueberry, cranberry, and almond mix - after gym snack
• Organic chicken thighs baked with mushrooms
• Big salad with mushrooms, bell pepper, and tomatoes with ranch dressing
• Butternut squash baked with coconut oil
• Small serving french vanilla ice cream
• Popcorn

Exercise log:

60 minutes on the elliptical - 6.01 miles, 705 calories

I was POOPED at my 32-minute mark, but I pushed through. Ugh.

At work for the night, now ... signing off. :)

[11.12.11]

sweeeet Saturday.

Got up & made oatmeal pancakes with Mom & Dad for the family. Had tons of fun doing it.

Helped Dad put a cork board up on my wall, and then spent quite a bit of time getting the TV mounted on the wall in my room. Lots of laughs while being productive. :) Thanks, Dad!

Headed to the gym here in a bit ...

My hip is really bothering me just walking around the house. Will try and get to the chiropractor on Monday, and get some new shoes early this coming week.

Plans for exercise will include the elliptical, and no running, yet. :( Kind of bummed about that.

Exercise log:

60 minutes on the elliptical - 6.1 miles - 714 calories (hip tolerated WELL)

30 chest press

24 each arm - triceps

24 each arm - biceps

Food log:

• One oatmeal pancake with pure maple syrup
• One orange
• Small serving of butternut squash (baked with coconut oil)
• Some home-roasted pumpkin & butternut squash seeds
• A few corn tortilla chips with roasted red bell pepper hummus
• Small red potato with butter & plain Greek yogurt
• One organic free-range roasted chicken leg
• Brussel sprouts - steamed & sauteed (at work)
• Raw almonds & walnuts (at work)
• Blueberry Larabar (at work)

I miss coffee today. A lot. Not because of the caffeine, but because it's rainy and dreary out, and I want some yummy coffee with cream & sugar to sip on ... end self pity party. :)

Oh, and I miss Charlie. An extra bunch today. I finally plugged the PS3 into the TV that we mounted today, only to find a Netflix DVD in it - the Dexter Season 5 disc that Charlie & I had been working on ... the night before he left. :( I miss you, handsome.

** Side note: I had horrible junk food cravings immediately following my workout. I seriously got home and wanted to eat everything in sight. But I didn't. Note to self: Eat more PRIOR to workouts. This is a must. I got a little too shaky towards the end of my workout and on the car ride home. Lesson learned.

[11.11.11]

side note: Happy Veteran's Day to all those who have sacrificed in the past, and who continue to do so presently. Here's to my husband - one of the few & proud, a U.S. Marine. I am so proud to be your wife. Come home soon, handsome.

*******************

It's log time. I've GOT to start journaling, in hopes that it will motivate me to MOVE & eat healthily.

Today, I spent about an hour and 15 minutes in the gym.

I restarted the Couch to 5k program, so let's talk about that briefly.

About a year ago, I made it about 5 weeks into C25k when my hip started bothering me. After months of seeing different physicians, I was told that I had bursitis, and with a few amazing acupuncture treatments, I felt wonderful. I was off of my hip (not exercising) for way too long during treatment, and haven't tried to run since. I've resorted to other forms of exercise like the elliptical, spin classes, and walking. BUT, the weight just doesn't fall off like it did when I was training with C25k, running. SO, I got a hair up my rear and decided to give C25k another shot.

And here we are today.

Almost immediately, my right hip bothered me. ::le sigh::

What gives??

I pushed through, and made it the entire Week 1, Day 1 cycle, but I was done after that. I climbed off of the treadmill and hopped onto the elliptical and finished my cardio there.

I'm at a loss.

Anywho, here are my gym stats for today:

Treadmill - 36 minutes, 2.67 miles, 355 calories burned

Elliptical - 25 minutes, 2.58 miles, 302 calories burned

12 Super Roly Poly's (don't ask, it won't make sense unless I demonstrate ... and that's not happening)

30 crunches with large exercise ball

And my food log:

• 290-calorie smoothie with whey protein from Jamba Juice
• 2 eggs, poached
• BIG salad with fresh sliced mushrooms, orange bell pepper, and canned turkey breast topped with cough-cough ranch dressing
• Grapes - maybe about 10 or so big ones
• A chicken street taco on corn tortilla with guacamole
• A few cocktail shrimp
• A margarita (small, maybe 6 oz.)
• Some veggies (carrots, broccoli, snap peas) with ranch dip
• A few too many tortilla chips with guacamole

Could have done without the margarita and the excessive tortilla chips.

see you in 210 days, my love.

welp.
Said good-bye to Charlie again.
The last time we did this was over 5 years ago, and he's been home for over 4 and a half years now. I got spoiled. :))
Monday was rough.
Good-byes are never easy.
But here we are, and I'm ready to face the next 7 months with optimism and a good attitude.
I'm loving Blake Shelton's new song, "God Gave Me You." Quite an inspiration.
Someone reminded me today that God understands ours prayers even when we can't find the words to say them. I needed to hear that.

Here we go ... I'll be updating here more often than I had been recently. Keep your eyes open for new posts. :))

adding a quote that I came across ... "Missing someone isn't about how long it's been since you've seen them or the amount of time since you've talked. It's about that very moment when you're doing something and wishing they were right there with you."

[day 60.]

March 1st
made it through February!
It was a double-shot of espresso kind of day.

[day 59.]

Feb. 28th
nommin' on some GF cookies.

[day 58.]

Feb. 27th
fabulous Mom at 55. :)

[day 57.]

Feb. 26th
egg sandwich on GF bread - awesome breakfast!

[day 56.]

Feb. 25th
In N Out FTW!

[day 55.]

Feb. 24th
I wanted to takes him homez wif me.

[day 54.]

Feb. 23rd
this is what friends are for. :)

[day 53.]

Feb. 22nd
my tulips opened up over the course of the week :)

[day 52.]

Feb. 21st
visited Salton City/Sea & took some awesome photos.

[day 51.]

Feb. 20th
my Pandora bracelet with its Valentine's addition. <3

[day 50.]

Feb. 19th
yea, getting paid to house-sit here isn't so bad.

[day 49.]

Feb. 18th
celebrating Pop's b-day, a day early. :)

[day 48.]

Feb. 17th
mister Kona.

[day 47.]

Feb. 16th
yours truly.

[day 46.]

Feb. 15th
the beginning of house/dog sitting & my dream bath tub.

[day 45.]

Feb. 14th
My Valentine and his love.

[day 44.]

Feb. 13th
stunning tulips from my Valentine. :)

[day 43.]

Feb. 12th
bicycle crash road rash. :)

[day 42.]

Feb. 11th
my mood. crossing my fingers.

[day 41.]

Feb. 10th
story of my life. :)

[day 40.]

Feb. 9th
the pickle. HA.

[day 39.]

Feb. 8th
game night & no TV with the mister. :)

[day 38.]

Feb. 7th
the beast. again.

[day 37.]

Feb. 6th
the sister & her bestie.

[day 36.]

Feb. 5th
The mess that is our master bedroom & living room.
Both sliding doors are being replaced today, WOOT!

[day 35.]

Feb. 4th
my goodies that came from Monica, woot!
I WILL enjoy them after my cleanse is complete. :)

[day 34.]

Feb. 3rd
miss her. and the mini's.

[day 33.]

Feb. 2nd
my favorite snack currently.

[day 32.]

Feb. 1st
Flat Stanley is visiting from Texarkana. :)

[day 31.]

week one of purification program complete = WIN!
10 capsules 3X/day. sigh.

[day 30.]

going to miss her.

[day 29.]

my birthday present from Mom & Dad, and the matching butter dish I splurged on yesterday. :) these make me happy.

[day 28.]

the man that makes me want to be a better woman.

[day 27.]

so I'm sitting at the computer, and I decide to open the blinds to my right (which I hardly ever open), and this is what I am pleasantly surprised with.
unexpected lilies.

[day 26.]

after waiting almost 4 months, I am finally licensed to practice in California!
best. day. EVA!

[day 25.]

self-portrait sans makeup.
:)

[day 24.]

put my feet in the ocean today. :)

[day 23.]

stunning friend.

[day 22.]

spent a fabulous, yet *crazy* day & night in LA with Cat ... completely EPIC.

[day 21.]

downtown San Diego at the Embarcadero.
freaking fabulous.

[day 20.]

birthday flowers for the WIN!
they brightened my gloomy day.

[day 19.]

the birthday girls.
yep, she gave birth to me on her 29th birthday, 26 years ago. :)

[day 18.]

didn't get to publish this yesterday.
a love note that keeps on giving. :)

[day 17.]

the original caramel recipe from my great-great grandmother on my mother's side & the candy thermometer that belonged to my Mom's mother, who I was never lucky enough to meet. :) I am attempting these tomorrow.

[day 16.]

another one of life's little smiles, right in my own backyard.

and in sepia because I love it.

[day 15.]

A morning full of gluten/dairy/egg free WIN!

Start with Bob's Red Mill GF pancake mix. Substitute approximately 2 Tbsp cinnamon applesauce for egg and vanilla almond milk for regular milk. Add about a tsp vanilla extract.

Plop on griddle.

Drizzle boysenberry syrup & NOM!

[day 14.]

I'm going to use this blog as an opportunity to journal today.
It's been a rough one.
Had an appointment at the Naval Hospital and was told that I've got to rest my hip/leg for 6 weeks. NO exercise. Walking, only. And slowly. Only THEN can we get an MRI done. Yea, I'm crushed. All that New Years motivation gone to hell. And the pounds slowly creep ...
I'm horribly broken out, fighting with the whole celiac thing. I'm just spent.
It was then, at my breaking point, that I realized - I still have my hands. So what did I go & do? I took photos. With my hands. And so I thought that a picture of ... my hands ... would thus be appropriate. Thank God they still work.


And because my evening walk with Charlie on the beach brightened my day.