3 Miles!!!!!!!!!!!

I ran three miles today on the treadmill at the gym! It was so awesome when the screen hit 3.0. I did it in just under 35 minutes. I decided to try a 10K or Half Marathon this summer. So now I have something to work toward.

YAY!!!! Go Me!!

The Stress Diet

I don't really feel like eating much today, which is good because I wont be able to workout. I have a really uneasy feeling my stomach about job stuff right now. It is just scary. It gets me thinking.

Like a Bowl Full of Jelly

We all know the story of "The Night before Christmas". The star of the story is good ol' St Nick with his cherry red cheeks, loud jolly laugh, and the infamous belly that shook like a bowl full of jelly. I think this is best depiction of what people turn into right around the time St Nick is due to pay a visit. Judging by the way the break room looks, I would say the whole office will have a jelly filled muffin top, once January 1st rolls around.

I of course, am no exception. I arrived at work this morning after consuming my apple and resisting the urge to stop at Starbucks, only to find a bag of homemade goodies on my desk from one of the best chefs in our office! With a gleam in my eye, I slowly opened the bag to see what the damage would be. I decided, I will eat only one frosted sugar cookie. Then I realized, I didn't really eat much for breakfast, so I will have another treat. So I went for the peanut butter fudge. It melted in my mouth and begged me to have some more. One cookie led to eating half the bag of goodies. Then came the guilt.

Noon rolled around and I knew I had to erase some of the damage I had done this morning, so I threw on my running shoes and ran around mile loop twice, with very few walking breaks. At least I felt a little better.

But when I went into the break room to heat up my tomato soup, a gleam of light shone down on a pan full of fudge. It would be completely wrong of me to not have a piece. It is fudge! And can I say, it was the best fudge I have ever tasted.

So, what I want to know is, who started the Christmas tradition of eating sweets until you burst? America has the highest obesity rate in the world, and we are still in our kitchens baking dozens and dozens of cookies to give the gift of flab. Maybe I am a Bitter Betty, but it makes it much more difficult to drop the nasty poundage when there are treats staring you strait in the face. I am not just worried about my uncontrollable urges to stuff my face, but the people with health problems that have a hard time controlling themselves.

So lets make a new tradition! Lets give people the gift of health. They may not initially smile when you give them the asparagus wrapped in a bow. But when they discover their blood pressure, cholesterol, and weight has went down, they will thank you for caring about their welfare.

No Excuses!

I woke up Saturday morning and put on my running shorts, Nike's, and a zip up sweater because I wanted and needed to run before I started my weekend. After a failed attempt to run my dogs, (trot, sniff, squat, sprint, stop... you get the picture) I decided to hit the trail alone.

The sidewalks were still smothered in a inch or two of snow, but I figured, "This must be Denver's equivalent to running in sand!" It was a bit of a struggle at first but I did quite well balancing myself with each stride. As I was pushing along that chilly winter morning, I started to think about the many reasons I could have given to not exercise that morning. A year ago, I would have woken up, laid on the couch and focused my entire day around what to eat next. I never would have thought I'd be running in snow in the middle of December.

It just got me thinking about how far I've come. I still have a ways to go, but my mentality has changed about exercise and taking care of myself, and that is the most important thing right now.

If I could just only change my mentality about eating sweets!

Blog Direction

I have been thinking about converting this blog into a health/wellness/fitness blog. I don't really want to start a new one, so I figure using this one might just have to work. So, brace yourselves(if anyone even reads this anymore) for a whole lot of diet and exercise talk! With January quickly approaching and weight "weighing" on a lot of peoples minds, I think it fits!!!

Doing Just Fine in 2009

We are quickly approaching the end of the year, and it has me reflecting on the happenings of the last eleven months. This year has been a whirlwind of excitement, confusion, stress and optimism, and I feel my soul has grown more this year, than any other year to date. From sitting on a jury for a murder trial to walking down the aisle, there was never a dull moment.


January: My year started out like any other, being a new homeowner, paint swatches were randomly placed around the house. There were boxes still waiting to be unpacked, and remnants of the family Christmas Party were begging to be cleaned. My strong desire to be more vegan filled my cupboards with egg, milk, and cheese substitutes. I was going to have a Happy New Year!

February: I found a wedding dress! Off the Rack! 70% Off! But... I can't even get the dress up over my hips. Motivation I say! The purchase (and commitment) is made. I'm chosen to sit on a jury..for a Murder Trial! Two whole weeks of not speaking to anyone about the case. It was torture. I enjoyed the courtroom, but the deliberation room was total hell. It is amazing how 12 people can hear the exact same information and all get something totally different from it. My biggest regret is giving in to the eleven opposing idiots that didn't think it was self defense. I have been guilt-ridden all year. Especially when I read an article after the fact, confirming my intuition. It is funny how such critical information can be "left out of the courtroom"! Luckily he only has a couple years left until his release.



March: Chris decided to help me with my unsuccessful weight loss, and be my personal trainer. I am surprised he is alive right now, because there were a couple of times I wanted to strangle him for putting me through so much pain!

April: At an annual OBGYN checkup, I ended up having some problems, so had to get surgery. But, everything went well and I was back to normal again. I flew to Utah to see my girl Britney Spears! It was an amazing performance. I knew she would make her comeback!


May: Surprise! "You are eligible for a free personal training session"! This was a life-changing day for me. Hiring a personal trainer was one of the best decisions I've made in my life so far. True, it was a little pricey, but it changed me on the inside and out. Mike pushed me far beyond my limits and taught me that I am capable of more than I give myself credit for.



June: Busy, Busy Month. I was going to school twice a week. Friday nights our rec softball team, Scared Hitless ran the bases. Plus, I was seeing my personal trainer twice a week sweatin it up! I felt really stressed out, but secretly loved the feeling that I was accomplishing something every day. This is also the month that wedding reality started to set in. Yikes



July: One month until I have to get into my dress! One month until I have to change my name! One month until I make a huge commitment! One month until the honeymoon! One month until the stress is over. This month definitely took the prize for most stressful. I had a nervous breakdown halfway through it because Chris got laid off from his job (Big blessing in disguise!) and we were cutting it close on money for the wedding. Plus, I have issues and was finding any reason not to get married. I am so lucky to have such an understanding spouse. (Especially when I started hyperventilating and crying on our way to get the license!)



August: The Festivities begin! My family started arriving, and I was checking the last minute items off my list. I was incredibly lucky to have my Surrogate Mother, Jean and Chris' Mom, Kim throw my Rehearsal Dinner. It was lovely! And Chris' awesome Aunts, Ginger and Bonnie threw an amazing bridal shower for me. My Bachelorette party was soooo much fun, thanks to my bridesmaids! It was definitely a weekend to remember.

The wedding and reception were lovely. Everything came together beautifully. It was so nice to see all of my closest family and friends there to support me on my big day. I had a lot of fun and aside from the cake, I was really happy with my vendors. I am excited to see the video because I want to see all the wedding party dance down the aisle!



The honeymoon was great! We got a beachfront hotel room that was overlooking Ft Lauderdale beach for the first 2 nights. There was even a Starbucks in the hotel! Heaven! I got to Para sail for the first time, and we ate at a fun restaurant called "Oasis". Your table and chairs are swings!

Then we went on a cruise to the Caribbean. We got to swim with string rays and snorkel in the Bahamas and we visited the Tallum Mayan Ruins in Mexico. We had a lot of fun!

September: With the wedding over and school finishing up for the semester, I started to get bored and a hint of depression started to rise within me. I decided it was time to hit up the gym again. The endorphins were just what I needed to stay above the game of life. Facebook and the new season of The Biggest Loser, helped me through the slump. Jill's wedding was this month! It was so fun to be a part of it! Everything was so beautiful and she looked amazing!



October: I applied for a lot of seasonal jobs and wasn't hearing back from any of them. The gym became my hobby this month. I started going to a Zumba class that is a latin cardio class with a zexy instructor! For Halloween, Chris was Sailor Jerry and I was a Sailor. Awwww....

November: No longer feeling like a blondie, I decided it was time to dye my hair brown. The color is called "Iced Tea" to be exact. I originally wanted to be a red head, but stuck with the brown once I saw how it turned out. I had great luck with it too! I ended up getting a seasonal position at Ulta! I also became quite the gym-rat this month. I was at the gym at least four times a week and starting to see some muscles pop up every once in awhile. But the scale wasn't budging. What gives?!


December: It is too soon to tell how this month has been, but I am forecasting that it will be great. I started Ulta, I am still going to the gym. I looked in the mirror this morning and my body is starting to take a shape other than a circle! YAY. I am thinking I will be 5 lbs lighter by the end of this month is everything goes right! Chris and I adopted a family for Christmas and it has been fun buying a few gifts for each of the kids along with the gifts we are buying for our own families. I think I will finish the year off with a bang!