Vacationitis

Lazy, lazy lazy, eat, lazy, lazy lazy, eat more, lazy, lazy, play Scrabble, lazy.  

I'm clinging to my last few days of vacation. Next week I'll be back on the grind.  Promise.  

Aww Geesh!

Well...if I tell you when I win I guess I need to tell you when I lose.  And Readers...I lost terribly in a racquetball league match tonight.  Yikes!!  I knew she was going to be tough, but holy smokes....between her being as good as she is and me playing as poorly as I did...good things did not happen on the court tonight.  I won't even tell you the score.  I felt sluggish and a bit on the oafish side.  I was nervous all day and tried to ready myself for play.  I think I psyched myself out.  But all excuses aside...she was better than me.  As true as it is...it still hurts a little.  I prefer winning if at all possible.

I get a chance to redeem myself tomorrow.  I'm taking vacation and I'm playing a singles match at 11:30 in Harker Heights and a doubles match with my husband at the Summit at 6:00.  Lots of racquetball this week and then it's off to San Antonio on Sunday! Rest, relaxation, and looking around checking stuff out.  Oh yeah...and sleep...BUT we are staying at The Menger Hotel.  It's right next to the Alamo and is supposedly haunted.  Ghost stories to me are like  a scary movie...I'm interested in it even though it scares the bejeezus out of me. To make matters worse...I'm reading a book about it now...I haven't reached the paranormal section yet, that's in part 2.  I'm not sure if I'll sleep much, but you can bet I won't be alone in there very long.  spppooookky...

New Week

So let me update you on my weekend...I WON my racquetball match!  Hooray!  I could definitely tell that the little bit of aerobics I did this week helped ease me into activity again.  I was supposed to go to the Big Step class tonight at the Summit but I whimped out.  I'm still sore from r-ball this weekend.  Every part of me is somehow sore.  I just wanted to wait a bit until some of the soreness goes away before I head back to class.  We are going to San Antonio next week, so I have some matches to make up since I'll be gone this weekend.  This week I have step aerobics tomorrow, a racquetball match Wednesday at the Summit, a doubles match on Thursday, and possibly a singles match during the day on Thursday.  I'm going to attempt to exercise while in San Antonio, but it might just be the 16 oz. curls, or walking around downtown.  

I haven't stepped on the scale just yet...I wanted a couple of weeks to get back into it before I torture myself with a number.  

This summer season of racquetball league play will be interesting.  There are 8 women in our league.  I can already tell that the competition will be intense. This spring I knew that I had a chance to play everyone three times because there were four of us and the league was 12 weeks. This time, there are nine of us and the league is eight weeks.  I've got to be on target if I'm going to have a chance to be in the top three.  After watching some of these women, I doubt it, but I'll give it everything I've got.  

I tried to find a good action picture of r-ball to share, but all I can find at the moment is a picture of me and my husband at the end of season dinner at the club.  Before you even think it...he's not 12....he's 33 just like me!! I'm leaning over him a little so he looks smaller than he is and he's always looked younger.  Stupid men...

Back to Mary Ann

So the class last night (Big Step) was very fun and fast paced.  Edward has a nice way about him and he's very energizing.  The class was basic and I think most people could follow if it were a first step class.  I'd like to encourage others to come to the class, but there was barely enough room for the people that came.  I was able to do the whole thing and the frequent breaks were appreciated.  It was a good "coming back" class for me.  I'll definitely go back.  That room is a little difficult because it is long and narrow making it tough for some people to see all the way to the front and the acoustics in that room make it difficult to understand some of the instructions.  I love the floor though.  I didn't have any aches and pains and my knees felt good.  I felt like I was in a ritzy club in some trendy city somewhere.  My daughter Maggie really enjoyed the new kids work out room. She liked the bicycle game.  Maggie liked the bike game so much last night that she wanted to come with me tonight just to ride the bike and play the "dragon game".    I didn't realize that the kids gym closes at 7 so she was disappointed but enjoyed the movies in the little kid area.

Tonight I was reunited with Mary Ann and her half and half class.   It's a lot easier to go to classes when you have a buddy to go with.  I've got Libby and I'm so glad I do.  We to talk on the way to class, support each other when we're there and talk about everyone in the class on the way home.  Just kidding about that last part...sort of.  :)

I liked going back to Mary Ann.  It was like putting on an old shoe.  I know her moves, how she does things, what her cues are...She keeps it interesting with different choreography, but it's always fun and challenging.  I'm not just saying this because she might read this one day...

So tonight I used a riser the whole time.  Edward's class last night gave me more confidence to use a riser tonight.  Generally I just use the step.  My knees tend to hurt and I get too tired if I use a riser.   So tonight...for your benefit, I used a riser the whole time.  I took about ten breaks for water...but I used the riser the whole time.  Those two to three inches make a HUGE difference in the amount of energy you have to exert.   My legs are sore already.  I've decided that I'm just going to use a riser and stick to it, breaks and all.  If I don't make it happen, I'll be on a lonely step forever.  That's how I started just the regular step.  I was tired a lot at the beginning, then as the class went on I took fewer breaks and fewer breaks until finally I did the whole class, that is until Mary Ann bust out with some crazy hard new routine...then I need breaks.  It's those repeaters that always kick my booty.  

I'm glad I went to class twice this week.  I think it's been a successful week.  Tomorrow night we're going to dinner with friends then off to a play at the Temple Civic Theater.  Saturday racquetball...I feel more prepared this week than last.  Maybe I've got a shot.   

SERIOUSLY going to AEROBICS TONIGHT

I'm going to try a new class tonight at the Summit.  I'm going to go to the Big Step class.  I'm not sure what to expect, but if I don't get some cardio in this week I've got no shot at r-ball this weekend and no shot at weight loss.  The class starts at 5:30 so I'm here on my lunch break gathering my clothes and shoes for the class tonight.  There is no BAIL OUT tonight.  

Wish me luck.

quick update

The diet is going pretty well, but not so much the exercise...

I'm skipping aerobics tonight so that I can stay at home and "swim" in our blow up pool with my family.  Maybe afterwards I can try out our new Wii Active.  I've been wanting to try it out but haven't yet.  I'm exercising my lungs right now by blowing up a new floaty.  It's tough to want to leave my family after I've been gone all day, so tonight...I stay home.  Thursday back to aerobics...I'll let you know if I get to try out the Wii Active tonight.  

Baby Steps

This morning I took the dogs for a walk around the neighborhood.  I think I remember that 2 laps around is equivalent to about 1.5 miles.  It's hot out there.  Yesterday I bought an armband and a new set of headphones for my ipod.  I then rocked out to Black Eyed Peas and Matt Kearney while I cleaned the kitchen.  It was nice.  I like the armband.  I wore it this morning while walking the dogs and it kept an extra bounce in my step.   This might be a new critical piece of equipment for me.  Here are the dogs...Daisy and Shadow, our Temple Animal Control rescue Lab pups and my walking buddies.  

The final countdown

Two days left until Doomsday, DUM DUM DUM.  Monday I start Weight Watchers again, exercising regularly, yada yada yada.  I've been there and done that.  How do I get it to stick and how do I make it not feel like punishment?  I always feel that I'm being punished for being so ridiculously large and now I'm on "restriction".  I need to break that mind set and somehow tell myself that it's a reward to eat healthy food and exercise.  I've tried this brainwashing before with little success.  1-2 weeks into the plan (most of which is spent being grouchy, irritable, and fighting with my husband because I feel like I'm being punished the whole time) I feel like "the Man" has got me down and that I'm fine the way I am (see anti-anorexia on Day One post).   So smart me quits the plan and embraces the fatness, quickly gaining whatever weight I lost.  

Since today was Friday and not Monday,  I went out tonight with a couple of girlfriends to Deadfish Grill.  It was nice out there.  We sat on the patio when we first got there and sweat it up.  It was pretty, just really hot.  Our waitress looked just like Ann Hathaway.  We had a good time: drinks, food, and lots of laughs.   Too bad I'll be obsessing about calories the next time I go out with the girls.  On the plus side (and I'm not talking about my big pants) maybe I'll fit in the chair a little better next time.  

I need to get my attitude in gear before Monday.  It turns out that my racquetball match for tomorrow is off since my opponent is out of town.  There goes that motivating factor, so I'll have to find something else.  I'm off to bed for now.  I think I'm going to like this blog. 

Day One

Today marks day one of my year long blog for the City of Temple Parks and Recreation Department.  I'll be cataloging my attempts at health and fitness for the year.  I'm reluctantly excited about getting started because then there will be some REAL accountability and I can't just fool around anymore.   

I looked at the other bloggers in this series and I appear to be the "token" really really fat person in the group.  I knew that if I just held out long enough, this mass would get me something free one of these days.  Booyah!

It is what it is and why and how I'm doing the blog is no matter...the fact is that I am and it's time to get started.   Right now I work full time (except that I have this week off - just so no one thinks I'm goofing off at work) and I go to Mary Ann's step aerobics on Tuesday and Thursday nights at the Summit with a friend of mine and my husband.   I've had some setbacks this summer due to going through an alternative certification program to teach.  It had my nights wrapped up for all of June.   

I also really enjoy racquetball and I used to be pretty decent. We played a lot in college.  I played in a league at the Peloton Ridge Country Club in the spring and I'm getting ready to play singles and doubles in a summer league starting this weekend.  It should be a good butt kicking since I haven't played since the spring league ended.  If anyone is interested in playing in this or future leagues, let me know and I can get you some information.  

As far as diet goes...I'd been doing really well on Weight Watchers and I'd lost 20 lbs.  It was fun; people were noticing, I was feeling good about myself...then for what ever reason I just quit doing it.  I'm going to get back on this monday...I swear. 

I believe I'm inflicted with anti-anorexia (a friend of mine made up this term).  What is anti-anorexia you ask???  If I had anorexia, when I look in the mirror I'd say "wow, you are gigantic, you gross, disgusting pig - no food for you today."  Being that I have anti-anorexia, when I look in the mirror I say "wow, you're looking pretty good girl...a little on the chubby side, but overall pretty cute for a big girl - have a cupcake."    See how dangerous this can be???

So here you have it...the good the bad and the ugly.  I'll share it all with you this year.  I hope you cheer for me and let me know you're reading.  It will keep me interested in continuing.