Exercise! I hate it!

My life has been very hectic as of late and as such the first thing to go for me is exercise. I would rather get the other things done. Until this changes in my life my weight will always be a challenge for me. Until I decide that exercise and a well balanced diet comes first as a daily chore before things like errands and sleep I will never be the size I want to be. Now as a part of this challenge this goal or pursuit if you will I need to daily decide what is most important and what is best for my life, which should always be my health.

So as we move through the weeks, I ask you to hold me accountable, to choose exercise over sleeping for just a bit longer.

This is the same concept as your daily time with the Lord, so many times when our lives get out of control or get to busy the first thing we put on the shelf is our Bibles and we leave them there until it is convenient for us again. Just like with exercise we will never get where we want with out daily being engrossed in the Word of Christ, with out His daily guidance our day just wont go right.

So a new challenge has just been formed, along with daily saying I am going to exercise instead of sleep, first wake and read some scripture, spend a few moments quietly speaking with God, then move on to exercise. See if it makes your day easier, see if you feel healthier and happier through the day, see if you dont struggle as much to put the important things first. Let me know how it changes your life.

Good luck! I will let you know how it changes mine.

DPA

DPA Meeting two commenced. Lets start with old business My name is Ginger Davis and I have not gone a day with out Dr. Pepper in a long time. I am struggling with my ability to give this horrible, yet so deliciously wonderful drink up. Last time we talked about knowing how bad it was for me but drinking it anyway. Well once again all the bad side effects have not swayed my desire to drink it. However moving on to new Business next week I will be embarking on a Cruise with my mom and Best friend, Robin. If any of you have been on a cruise before you know how outrageously expensive sodas are, so I will be going a week with no Dr. Pepper by the sheer fact that I dont want to PAY that much for one. So hopefully that week on the ship will have a huge impact by the time I come back and my cravings will be down allowing it to be easier for me to accomplish this goal. Now if there is no more new business this meeting of DPA is adjourned.

Well I have not been faithful and diligent in this challenge, I have not put as much focus into this as I really should have. In the past couple weeks my life has been insanely busy from taking on a remodel project, having company, to hosting a garage sale at my home, I have not had time to focus on anything. During week four I did lose 2.5 pounds, but this past week I fell short and stayed right where I was at. Sadly this week has not been a huge change from the norm. I have eaten slightly healthier but not like I should. I did go shopping last night and purchase food that would make healthy eating decisions easier bc I didnt buy the bad stuff lol.

On the Menu for lunch today is a 350 Calorie Marie Calendar meal with a salad and all the trimmings, mushrooms, carrots, cucumbers, spinach, romaine, purple cabbage, with lite honey mustard dressing. Heres to trying for another week and hoping that week six is better than week 5.

Next week on my cruise, they have such a wonderful array of healthy foods, but dessert is always my favorite so I will keep you posted on the decisions that are made. Wish me luck.

Week Five We're half way there

It seems like nothing in life can come easily, but gaining weight, however the hard part is in taking it all off. So here is the struggle from last week as we try to focus on healthy eating, exercise and making time to change our lives for the better.

Beth ~ Lost .5 lbs! Way to go Bethany, she says, "I lost half a pound, but that is ok, because I am on my way at least"

Robin ~ " I lost nothing, didnt make a true effort towards the goal so I deserved it"

Ginger ~ I stayed the same this past week. Struggle with so many things going on in my life. Choosing to get less sleep to exercise is still not my first choice. It is a learning process and I am getting better. Still on my way to better health.

The 30 Challenge

So I set out on a challenge of running 30 mins in 30 days.

It seemed crazy to me to think that I could ever in my entire life run for 30 mins straight, but with a 5k goal by this summer it was something that I need to accomplish.

So on wed. April 14th I reached day 30 and I could run for 30 mins straight! I was pretty much running very slow, but thats not the point right now! I ran 2.3 miles in 30 mins! I couldn't have done it without the support of my husband with me. 23 laps around the indoor track (because it was pouring snow outside) is kind of boring! but we made it!

I would encourage anyone who doesn't think they can run for a long period of time or at all to give it a try. The routine is pretty simple. On the first day you run for one minute walk for 29.
The second day you run for 2 mins and walk for 28. And you just follow this schedule until you make it to day 30 when you run 30 mins straight. I still walked a couple laps at the end of my 30 mins, to slow my heart rate back down, but thats good.

so at the begining of my month I could probably not have even jogged for 5 mins and now i can do it for 30 mins straight. Running really is a good endurance workout. It helps you be able to last durning Turbo Kick class and do now if i do the eliptical for 30 mins I can burn more calories then before in the same amount of time.

So 30 mins might not seem like that long, but I sure am proud of myself! So now I'm going to continue on towards the goal of the 5k and the 10% and of course those skinny jeans!!

Week 4 How did Easter affect us?

Week for proved to be a trying week for all of us. Easter hit us pretty hard. Why do Holidays come with so much eating? I think we need to set out to change that. So here is how it went for everyone.

Robin ~ "I stayed the same, again! Really it makes sense though because I've been so scattered, I haven't been focusing on what I eat - plus Easter = coconut filled Hershey kisses"

Ginger ~ "I lost 2.5 LBS!!! I was super shocked, with Easter candy and not working out like I should I expected to have gained, but my husband and I worked our tails off all week on our house and putting in the garden. All that sweating must have paid off."

Beth ~ "Well this week I stayed the same on my weight. But I have kept on schedule with my running so that's a plus!"

Three weeks and counting

I guess the title has two meanings - we've been going for just over three weeks at this challenge and I haven't stayed steady on towards my goal.  Also, its three weeks and counting (down) until I embark on a cruise.  I want to hit my goal by that time - 10 pounds in 3 weeks, I can do it!   I think...

I tried on some shorts (old, yes) that I'd put on last summer to have fit (I'd lost some weight then too) and they sure didn't fit on Saturday... They may not fit by the time we leave but they will again sometime soon.

On that subject - I need/want to go clothes shopping before we leave - I can't be walking around the cruise ship in jeans.  It's hard to accept buying new clothes when I am not at my goal weight, but the point is that I will look better in clothes that fit rather than baggy or super tight pieces.  If I take a real liking to a piece, I can get it altered, or do it myself once it no longer fits.

The Biggest Loser Pound for Pound Challenge

Last week was a rough week for me. I started out good doing lots of out door activities and being unusally active for my self. Not necessarily doing any specific exercise, but doing lots of out door chores. Then as the week went on I managed to get the flu which put a nice little halt to most of my activity. So when the week came to a close and I had only lost a pound I wasnt to happy about it, but decided to cheer up and look on the bright side of things. Now this has been three weeks since we started and I have lost 3 pounds. If I am going to reach my goal of ten percent in 10 weeks I really need to step up my game. I need to focus more and really try my hardest to accomplish a healthier life style, something that will make the rest of my life so much easier if I could just get over the hurdle of losing the weight.

Now on a different not as I am sure you could tell from one of my previous post I am an avid biggest loser fan. I have been watching since the very first season. I can still remember watching that with my older brother every week during my first year in college. As many changes have come with my life since the first season so they have also come to the show. The Biggest loser now provides a simple and easy way to be involved and help the hunger epidemic in America. Which is huge because while most of the American population spends their time over eating there are still so many people who must spend their days in hunger only dreaming of when they might be able to get another meal.

Through all of this watching the biggest loser I have seen the pound for pound challenge for several seasons and done nothing about it. Now that I am committed to a weight loss of 10% in 10 weeks I have no excuse not to join. Today I took the plunge, no more excuses. I encourage everyone out there to also take the pound for pound challenge and be apart of helping the vast and widespread hunger issues in America. It is simple easy, and only takes a few moments of your time to change the lives of several Americans.

Best of luck!

Week 3

So as I'm sure you can tell from our posts, week three was a slow one - or a busy one, depending on how you look at it.

Robin reports in with "no weight loss - better than last week's gain, but still not quite helping towards my goal."

Ginger says: "One pound this week, nothing to blame it on, but lack of energy towards the goal. Pushing on for better results this week."

Bethany shares: "One more pound down this week and up to 19 min jogging outside!"

Great job ya'll - let's keep going!

Theses are the shorts that I would love to fit into again. Along with some fab skinny jeans of course!

but these are my favorite pair of shorts and I use to wear them all the time. This picture is from almost 4 years ago, the last summer that I wore these shorts.

I still have them of course and hopefully I will be able to wear them soon!

So off I go to Turbo Kick again tonight. Justin is going to the class with me. So that should be fun =)

Week 2

So week 2 is over - one of the  hardest weeks, according to the Biggest Loser.  Our bodies have gotten over the shock from starting our diets.  And that fact was definitely proved by our results this week.


Robin backslid - she reports, I'm up 1.5 pounds, making my total weight loss 3 pounds.  Not too off track, (goal was 4 at this week) but still not encouraging.  I'm not giving up though.  Onwards, and downwards!


Ginger says: "I stayed the same, really feel like it had a lot to do with the weather and not being able to get out and exercise as much I would have liked." Well Ginger, its gorgeous out now, so I'm sure that will be helpful.


Bethany is the winner this week, losing two pounds! She reports: "This week was pretty good, I went to the gym every day and I even ran my first mile in a very long time! So I'm on my way to running that 5K! "


This makes our totals as such:
Robin - 3 pounds
Ginger - 2 pounds
Bethany - 2 pounds


Its a step in the right direction! Let's keep going, ladies!

A new incentive

So, in 1 month I'm embarking on a cruise with Ginger and her mom.  So so excited!  But with that excitement comes trepidation.  Cruises bring to mind swimsuits, shorts, skirts - all wardrobe pieces I haven't chosen to wear in a while.  So this is providing a very real goal to work for.  The week that we leave will be week 7 - by the start of that week I should have lost 13 pounds total - I'll be under 200 again if I'm on track.  I can do this!

For all of the Dr. Pepper Addicts out there!

Hi, my name is Ginger Davis and I am a Dr. Pepper Addict. I just cant help it. It has been one full day since my last taste of the delectable delight of 23 flavors of Dr. Pepper., which in no way means that I did not crave, ask for or really really want to drink one, but we did not have any in the house to speak of, thank goodness. I have read and know all of the horrible things that drinking carbonated beverages does to you, but I love Dr. Pepper. I have also studied and know that my daily fatigue, headaches, problems sleeping, weight loss issues are all largely due to the lack of water in my body. So why cant I stop drinking it? Why cant I just say Ginger, you know this is not good for you, and not drink it. What power does it have over me? Well I am here to take all power back, I am here to say that because I know how bad Dr. Pepper is for my body I wont be drinking it. Now for the close of the DPA (Dr. Pepper Addicts) meeting, thanks for all who shared in the heart felt moments and trials of learning to live a life with out Dr. Pepper. Will it be hard, yes, Can we do it? YES!

Now on a lighter note, 2 pounds this week!! And now is when Allie turns to the biggest loser contestant standing on the scale and says and how do you feel about those two pounds. My answer would not be like any contestant on the show who lost only two pounds, because I am ecstatic. Yes I could say that I was disappointed that I did not lost more, but unlike any of the contestants, I am not worried about being kicked out of the Skinny Jeans project. I am just happy that I was able to lose a couple of pounds and know that the actions I have put in place are helping. Does only losing two pounds mean that I need to take hold and step up my game really push hard for what I want (Skinny Jeans) yes.

After the first week I know that I need to drink less Dr. Pepper (see above DPA meeting minutes), say no to dessert, walk my dog daily, exercise more and make healthier eating decisions, but I also know that if I strive at making those decisions I will see pay off and return for the time I put in. I know that some weeks I may not lose any weight or I may lose 4 pounds, but as long as I remember the goal and stick with the journey I will make progress.

For my second week I plan to cut our Dr. Pepper (very sad day I know, but I will accomplish it), continue everything I started in week 1, but I will be more diligent. I am going to truly take hold of this challenge so that I get every benefit possible out of it.

Tata for now.

4 pounds down and what are you going to do next?

If yesterday is any indication, I went straight to Canes.  How healthy right?

Starting this week, I'm doing my Wii's EA Active 30 day challenge.  Last time I did it, I made it 2 days in and then stopped... Here's for better perserverance this time.

I'm also going grocery shopping today so I can get salad to take for lunch and soup perhaps.  The canned ones have SO much sodium.

Week 1: Mixed Results

So I know you're ALL dying to find out how we did our first week out of ten, right?

Well, we had mixed results.

Bethany reports in with "I stayed the same : (."   She didn't backslide any though!

Ginger reports "2lbs down!"  YAY! That's great.

Robin lost 4 and a half pounds, and fully blames it on being sick at home for two days without groceries, so she subsided on odds and ends - much fewer calories than eating out. 

So all in all, we had no negative progress, and its only the first week!  The individual participants will give you their percentages if they feel like it.  Stay tuned for our thoughts on week 2.

And the Yellow-Green Dust Covers Everything

I gotta say, I'm not particularly looking forward to weighing in tomorrow.  I've been sick this week, not necessarily because of allergies but I thinkn from a sinus infection caused by the pollen.  So I stayed home two days this week and haven't felt up to exercising.  I know this blog is to help us stay accountable to each other but I am having trouble making myself step up. I CAN do this.

So, as part of my 10 weeks I'm going to do my EA active 30 day challenge.  Its a dumb feeling, jogging around in front of my tv, but it counts, right? 

Until tomorrow...

My Hardest Temptation

Today was going so well, then my dad sent me a text asking if I wanted to meet him at the Petroleum club for lunch along with my mom and two of my brothers. Of course I agreed and walked the couple of blocks from my office to meet up with my family. I had a nice salad, steamed veggies and grilled chicken. (good healthy choices) Then Dessert came, Creme Brulee and Chocolate pie how can some one resist two things which taste sooo good. So I had some what small portions of each, but I shouldn't have had any. That my friends is my hardest temptation dessert, sweets, chocolate. I love it and have the hardest time saying no. So now I have added a step four to my process, say no to desserts. After Lunch my office mate, Jayne, and I took a small little walk around down town. I hope that helps a little with my deviation from the journey at lunch. But dont worry all is not failed, I will be walking Joe Joe extra long tonight.

Another part of my journey is preparation for a 5K run in Alaska next spring. I am very excited about this, but any one who knows me knows I am not a huge runner. Ok lets face it I NEVER run. So this 5K is a major step for me. I am taking the leap of faith tonight and starting the process of training for this run. It will be a slow and steady process, but I have a year and I will be prepared for it.

So long for now, more on the journey soon to come.

Tackling Tuesdays

So lets just say that Tuesdays are my LEAST favorite day of the week. They are my least favorite day of work. Timecard Tuesdays is what we call them at work, and they're a pain. Then there is running home after work to let the dogs out and grab something to eat and then off to school until sometimes 9PM! So usually no gym time on Tuesday, but last week I started going to the gym in the mornings before work. It was also spring break though, so this will be the first Tuesday that I will be awake early in the morning and then at school until late at night. So I guess I'll see how it goes.

On Saturday I weighed in for our 10 week journey, lets hope that the next 3 months goes better than the last 3 months! I also got a notebook to record my weight and my exercise routine so i can know whats working and whats not working out for me. I also got a new pair of shoes to motivate me in the gym! So I'm all set and ready to go, well except that i just found a small hole in the butt area of my new workout pants...so that kinda sucks hopefully I can mend that....

How it all began

Well I weighed in on Saturday and wasn't to happy with the starting weight, but that is what this project is for, right? I started by heading to the grocery store and buying fruits and veggies to help me make better eating decisions. However this weekend I was out of town like Robin in College Station so there was lots of eating out, which means I probably didn't make the greatest decisions considering our goal of 10% in 10 weeks. I am back at home now and ready to make some much needed healthy improvements to my lifestyle. Step one make better eating choices, step two walk Joe Joe (my cocker spaniel) daily, step three get some much needed exercise into my life as a daily routine. As the weeks go by I hope to be able to tell you the progress I have been making regarding those three steps. I hope that more times than not the progress is beneficial to my health and our goal, but even if it isn't I will keep you informed to help me get right back on track. So wish me luck, because there is no holding back now.

Starting off on a great foot

Yesterday was the start of our project, and I have to say, it might not have had the best start for me...  I was visiting in College Station, so we ate out the whole time - yesterday was Jack in the Box, Rudy's, and McAllisters, today was Cane's and later, Canyon Cafe.  My choices weren't too bad, but not good either.  I'm going to have to make a change if I'm going to succeed at this challenge.

My goal for tonight at the recruiting dinner is to not eat any chips (Mexican food :-S) and to order sensibly.  I can do it.  I also will be going to the grocery store so that I can stop eating out for lunch.

The Skinny Jeans Project

Ginger, Bethany, and Robin are making a change for the better.  We've decided we want to wear Uggs in Alaska, so we need to look good in skinny jeans. ; )
We've agreed to weigh in weekly and use this blog to keep ourselves accountable to each other.  Each week, each of us will be posting, sometimes about how we're approaching weight loss and getting healthier, sometimes about how the week is, and about progress, good or bad.  On Saturdays, we've planned to have a summary posting. 


Our first goal is 10% in 10 weeks, we'll see how it goes.