So, I had an interview yesterday. It was for a membership sales rep position. I found out right before the interview that the posting was for a full time position, but the gal interviewed me anyway which was really great. It's always a good idea to brush up on interview skills. I can't and won't take on a FT position because my main focus is on my children and I want to be available for as much as I can, especially when Haley starts kindergarden. I want to volunteer as much as possible.
Up until I had Haley, I always worked, sometimes two jobs at a time. So, I get the itch to work and lately it's been stronger than ever. I've done a lot of the "Independent Rep/Consultant" type jobs and still do. I am an Usborne Book Consultant which is awesome. Someone throws a book party and I get to sell these amazing children's books and earn money and free books in return. I love that it gets more kids reading which is so important.
Well, I'm just babbling now. The point to this post was to tell the story of how I rushed from teaching my step class in downtown Portland, all the way to Tigard so I could get ready in the locker room for my interview. Of course, I was a sweaty pig so used the hair dryer to remove most of the persperation and then applied deoderant which was directly deposited ALL OVER my new black interview dress. Damn it! Another instructor pointed it out to me, so I had all of 5 mintues to try to remove it which you know is impossible. Good thing I had a blazer to cover it up and my interview was conducted sitting down, so it wasn't all bad.
I do however wish I would have been offered the job, working only 15 hours a week (the hours of my choice obviously) and lots of good pay. HA. Life doesn't work that way. So, I'll keep checking back on the job posting board every day hoping for something to open up. I really, really love this facility and hope to become more and more involved in the future.
It's funny because I've been wondering how I can help my family survive these economic times, and have been stressed a little. THEN, I opened my "Mother's Daily Prayer" book and this it what it said. 'Gracious Father, I have often asked myself this question: How do I make my home a place of joy? A place where my children and husband can relax and be happy? Now I know~the answer lies with you, O Lord. Our Hearts are restless until they find their home in you. Joy begins when we let you in. Life seems steadier, brighter, friendlier, safer. Your presence fills us with music.
Awesome, huh?
Joy is the presence of God in our lives, which brings music to our souls.
Tuesday, February 10, 2009
Saturday, February 7, 2009
Cheating
Okay, so I cheated Thursday and Friday when I went on a ski trip with my husband. It wasn't the worst cheat ever, but I had a couple beers and ate a yummy chicken ceasar salad. My husband and I had a blast skiing. It had been a long time for both of us, but we took to the slopes like champs. The weather wasn't the greatest and we didn't ski too long. After 4 hours, we decided to wrap it up and had back to the condo where I proceeded to fall asleep until 5:30 the next morning. 12 hours of sleep.....WOW! We didn't ski the second day because we both had colds and were a little sore so we went to The Ratskellar for beer, salad and pool. When my husband and I met, we played pool all the time. It had been a long time so it was alot of fun reliving some of our fondest memories. Of course he beat me 5 out of 6 games, but that's normal.
So, it's back to the grindstone now. I don't feel like I slipped too badly. It was worth it to me. I'm back on track and hoping to make up for my "slip" before I have to check back in with Mark next Saturday. My tummy feels a little bloated, so I'm sure it's the carbs from the beer. Yay, me.
So, it's back to the grindstone now. I don't feel like I slipped too badly. It was worth it to me. I'm back on track and hoping to make up for my "slip" before I have to check back in with Mark next Saturday. My tummy feels a little bloated, so I'm sure it's the carbs from the beer. Yay, me.
Sunday, February 1, 2009
My pas t struggles
I thought it might be worth mentioning that in my earlier years, I really struggled with my weight. I want people reading these posts to know that what I'm doing isn't something that I will be able to maintain for life. It's a challenge for me and a goal I want to reach just for my own satisfaction. You can't live your life happily on a diet such as the one I am currently on.
I grew up thinking I was fat and ugly. I'm not sure where that came from, but I vividly remember hating my body and wishing I could have any other body than my own. Food became a comfort to me rather than a necessity and it only got worse as I grew older and became a victim of peer pressure and all the advertisements out there saying "thin was in." I've been as big as 160 (not pregnant) and as small as 100lbs (I had a bad drug problem way back when, but that's a whole other story that I may or may not tell) and everywhere in between. I wore big baggy sweatshirts and other clothes to hide my body and only dressed up when I felt I was thin enough to look halfway decent. I would diet and exercise to extremes only to end up over eating and having awful feelings of guilt and hatred toward myself. It was not a fun life to live.
It wasn't til I met my husband that I began having a better relationship with myself and learned to love myself. My husband is one of those guys where what you see is what you get. He's honest with all his being, so when he said he loved me, I believed it and my struggle with weight became less and less. Over the last 10 years, I have learned to like my body, to make changes where it is realistic and be accepting where I can't make changes. There are still days where I can pick myself apart, but I try to limit those days and laugh it off. Nobody is perfect.
These days, I exercise so I can have a healthy heart and strong bones and muscles. It's such a wonderful feeling to be strong. I love that I can run up the stairs with my son in my arms or lift a big case of bottled water at Costco with little effort. It's simply a bonus that I fit in smaller clothes and look better in the mirror.
So, there was a little hesitation when I decided to do this competition because it meant going to extremes and pushing my body beyond what is healthy and normal. I don't recommend this kind of diet for someone struggling with body issues because I believe it will just make it worse. It's only because I have a healthier body image and lifestyle that I'm willing to take on this challenge.
I grew up thinking I was fat and ugly. I'm not sure where that came from, but I vividly remember hating my body and wishing I could have any other body than my own. Food became a comfort to me rather than a necessity and it only got worse as I grew older and became a victim of peer pressure and all the advertisements out there saying "thin was in." I've been as big as 160 (not pregnant) and as small as 100lbs (I had a bad drug problem way back when, but that's a whole other story that I may or may not tell) and everywhere in between. I wore big baggy sweatshirts and other clothes to hide my body and only dressed up when I felt I was thin enough to look halfway decent. I would diet and exercise to extremes only to end up over eating and having awful feelings of guilt and hatred toward myself. It was not a fun life to live.
It wasn't til I met my husband that I began having a better relationship with myself and learned to love myself. My husband is one of those guys where what you see is what you get. He's honest with all his being, so when he said he loved me, I believed it and my struggle with weight became less and less. Over the last 10 years, I have learned to like my body, to make changes where it is realistic and be accepting where I can't make changes. There are still days where I can pick myself apart, but I try to limit those days and laugh it off. Nobody is perfect.
These days, I exercise so I can have a healthy heart and strong bones and muscles. It's such a wonderful feeling to be strong. I love that I can run up the stairs with my son in my arms or lift a big case of bottled water at Costco with little effort. It's simply a bonus that I fit in smaller clothes and look better in the mirror.
So, there was a little hesitation when I decided to do this competition because it meant going to extremes and pushing my body beyond what is healthy and normal. I don't recommend this kind of diet for someone struggling with body issues because I believe it will just make it worse. It's only because I have a healthier body image and lifestyle that I'm willing to take on this challenge.
More fat lost!!!!!
So, I met with my trainer Mark yesterday. Good news and bad news. Good news is that I went from 13.19% body fat to 11.22% in two weeks. I never realized how much diet had to do with everything. The bad news is that he didn't up my calories. In fact, my diet is remaining exactly the same for another 2 weeks. Here's a quick breakdown of my inches lost...
Neck 13.5 to 12.8
Chest 38.6 same
upper arm 11.4 to 11.2
forearm 10 to 9.9
Abs 30.25 to 30
hips 35.9 to 35.2
quad 20 to 19.3
calf 13.75 same
Mark added a shoulder routine to my schedule to help round out my shoulders and really make them pop. He also taught me about how to breathe during the concentric and eccentric contractions to really rush blood into the muscle and help it develop. Who knew?
He explained that the rest of my body looks really good and it's just a matter of losing more body fat to really help the lines show and get that defined hard look.
I'm also taking a new supplement called procasenoid to help with mental energy without the jittery feelings.
I'm not gonna add more pictures until I feel like there are some major chages that will show in pics. I plan to get some professional pictures when my body is in peak shape. Who knows when that will ever happen again. Might as well capture it, right?
More to come.....
Neck 13.5 to 12.8
Chest 38.6 same
upper arm 11.4 to 11.2
forearm 10 to 9.9
Abs 30.25 to 30
hips 35.9 to 35.2
quad 20 to 19.3
calf 13.75 same
Mark added a shoulder routine to my schedule to help round out my shoulders and really make them pop. He also taught me about how to breathe during the concentric and eccentric contractions to really rush blood into the muscle and help it develop. Who knew?
He explained that the rest of my body looks really good and it's just a matter of losing more body fat to really help the lines show and get that defined hard look.
I'm also taking a new supplement called procasenoid to help with mental energy without the jittery feelings.
I'm not gonna add more pictures until I feel like there are some major chages that will show in pics. I plan to get some professional pictures when my body is in peak shape. Who knows when that will ever happen again. Might as well capture it, right?
More to come.....
Sunday, January 25, 2009
2 more lbs
Okay, so I've lost two more pounds for a total of 6. Again, mostly water, but I'm a little concerned that I'm losing too much too soon. I tried to wear my mostest favorite Hudson's, which are a size 27 and they fell off me. Hmmmm, not good. Well, I meet with my trainer in one week to re-measure and hopefully tweak some things. There are some new cardio classes at my gym that I want to start taking but I can't do more cardio if I'm gonna keep losing weight at this rate. A healthy rate is 1-2 lbs per week. I'm sure that will taper off. I'm looking foward to upping my lifting and upping the amount I lift. This is a strange adventure, but I'm feeling positive.
Friday, January 23, 2009
4 lbs
Well, I've lost 4 lbs in one week. I imagine it's mostly water, but it feels good knowing my eating less is making some kind of difference. I'll get re-measured in another week so will be nice to know what those numbers look like.
Today I feel much better. Stronger. I've been getting alot of support from the people around me which really helps when things get tough. I'm excited.
Today I feel much better. Stronger. I've been getting alot of support from the people around me which really helps when things get tough. I'm excited.
Thursday, January 22, 2009
Dragging along
Well, I'm still feeling really weak from cutting calories so drastically. I'm planning on talking to Mark, my trainer and getting my calories increased some so I can function. I can't see myself physically training if I'm dragging my feet. I'll keep you posted. I visited a Sports Nutrition Center today and bought some good coffee and Clif Builder Bars for when I'm on the go.
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