Holiday Mantra...

I'm finally getting back to my old self with my workouts.  Claudine is on vacation, so I'm working out on my own for the next two weeks.  It's good timing, because I'm getting my "mojo" back.  Mostly sticking to the treadmill & doing my core workout.

I just wanted to share my plans for the holiday season... I made a goal to lose 5lbs over the holidays.  I won't use the Thanksgiving/Christmas/Holiday parties as an excuse to lose weight.  I will enjoy myself, but I will also work extra hard to make sure I don't put on pounds during the next month. 

So here's my holiday mantra.... feel free to adopt it for yourself!

LOSE or MAINTAIN...

but DO NOT GAIN!!!

I'm still feeling GREAT.... so let's get it!  Don't fall back into old habits during the holidays!!!

Checking In....

Just a quick stop to let you know that I've been sick... so no workouts.  I guess there is a blog in here somewhere... because it's KILLING ME!  I've decided that my body was trying to tell me to take a break, and it knew the only way that would happen was to make me sick enough, weak enough, to not be able to exercise.  So that's what happened about a week ago.  I had already decided to take a couple of days off during my trip to Atlanta & Tuskegee for homecoming... but this chest cold or whatever added a whole extra week to my three little ol' days I had planned.

The good thing is that I realize exercise is a part of my life... like brushing my teeth or combing my hair.  I enjoy it.  I MISS IT! 

I miss the sweat. 

I miss the pain. 

I miss Claudine telling me I can do 8 more (even though I already did 8 more!) 

I miss the treadmill. 

I miss the girls at bootcamp. 

I miss trying to keep up in Zumba class.

I miss my Sunday hike with Daddy.

I miss lacing up my sneakers for a deliberate workout.

I miss how great I feel when I'm finished.

I'm hoping to get back in the game tomorrow.  I walked on the treadmill the other day... just a slow walk to warm up my muscles.  I'm going to take it slow, but I can't wait to get back in action!

A Plus For Me...

Long time no blog, but I promise I've been getting my workouts in!  The picture above is the step in my home gym... I keep my sneakers there.  I'm the person with the treadmill at the house who actually uses it. :-)  It's not a clothes rack for me.  Sometimes when I'm on the couch I'll just get up, lace up my sneaks & start walking.  Having the treadmill right there is a plus for me.

Somehow I've decided that walking/jogging is something I can get into lately....  I'm pretty sure the number one motivator is my Nike+ iPod kit.  Thank you to the good folks at Nike & Apple for coming up with this little gizmo.  Basically, there's a chip that goes in my sneakers that sends a signal to my iPhone while I'm walking or jogging.  It is calibrated, and it keeps track of how far I go.  It's not a pedometer.  It's for deliberate walking/jogging/running type exercise.  I just love it to pieces.  You can set it for distance, time, or calories... or you can set it at nothing at all.    I usually choose "none" because I'm on my treadmill at home watching TV.   If I'm at the gym or outside, I can listen to the music on my iPhone... periodically a voice will come in and say, "1 mile" or "15 minutes", depending on what setting I've chosen.  When I'm done, sometimes the voice will say, "Congratulations, you've just recorded a personal best in the mile."  It remembers what I've done.  I sync it with my laptop, and I can keep track of all my "runs".  There are people all over the world using the Nike+ system, and you can find various challenges on the Nike+ website.  The first walker to log 25 miles in November... or the first runner to 50 miles, for example.

A feature I really love is the "Power Song".  You can pick a song that pumps you up or motivates you, and that's your Power Song.  You can press a button & your Power Song will come right on if you're feeling like you need some motivation.   My Power Song is "Victory" by Yolanda Adams.  I don't know why, but that song always gets me going again.  Below is a link to the song:

Yolanda Adams singing "Victory"

I'm pretty sure Yolanda Adams could sing the white pages, and it would pump me up... but there is something about her singing, "I've got, got the victory, I've got the sweet, sweet victory in Jesus, yes I do" that inspires me.   Sometimes I'll play my Power Song right when I start, and then I play it again when I'm almost done to get me through the home stretch.  I'm feeling good!!!