Yeah! It's Friday!!

Just a super quick post as I actually have time to work on my class project today and I want to get as much done as I can...

Weighed in this morning to 179.6 so that's good. Still up from where I was about a month ago but it's been 3 weeks since I've weighed. I'll keep eating well and running and I know that I'll get down a bit more.

I ordered a new swimsuit from Land's End and it came in the mail. I love it!!

The shirring across the middle really does help to camoflauge my lumpier bits and from the back it looks like a retro 50s style suit. It's really awesome!!

Today's Plan:

Activity: 5.5 mile run at lunch, 20 minutes yogaBreakfast: Hungry Girl's Oven Baked Omelette, 1/2 cup oatmeal with 2 Tbsp flax and 1 apple

Mid-morning Snack: Fruit from yesterday

Lunch: 1 Tilapia fish loin, Tomato and Mozzarella salad over Spinach, Cherries

Afternoon Snack: 1 mini Luna bar, 1/2 cup Kashi Cinnamon Harvest squares

Dinner: ??--out somewhere--if I follow my eating plan for the rest of the day and get in my run and yoga, I'm letting myself have whatever I'm craving at whatever place we go to

Have a great weekend!

I ran 7 miles!

Yesterday at lunch instead of doing my 5.5 mile run, I went 7 miles!!! I didn't run the whole thing, I took several good walk breaks in the middle but I still went 7 miles!! I am freakin' awesome!! As you know, I planned on doing 5.5 miles but when I got to the Lincoln Memorial (my halfway point on the 5.5 mile route), I thought to myself, "I want to keep going. I want to do 7 miles today." So I did!!! I went to Arlington Cemetery and turned around, which means I ran into another state yesterday!! I'm such an awesome runner that I ran not only in the district but also in Virginia!! Granted, I was only in Virginia for about 5 minutes but still, it's cool!! (Can you tell how freakin' excited I am by the 19843 exclamation points I put in that paragraph?)

Anyways, I still didn't get to work on my project for my class yesterday. :( (Totegirl, the class I'm taking is "Financial Statements and Analysis". I really like the class. I want to go into the finance area and while I hated finance in college--it was just computing numbers using formulas--this class is much better because we don't just learn the formulas, we learn what the numbers mean and how to analyze them. Our project is to analyze the financial statements of a public-traded company and write a paper and do a 20 minute presentation next Thursday.) Seriously, as soon as I was going to start working on it, people came by wanting to talk about this pharmaceutical project for work. And they gave me a list of stuff they wanted yesterday and a list of stuff they want today. My plan for today is to get that pharmaceutical stuff out of the way early this morning and then start working on my project. I must get some of it done today or I won't get it finished before next Thursday. Part of the list of stuff the work people want is a timeline for how long I think it will take to finish the project and I'm putting into the timeline my project for class (since I'm technically taking it for work) and letting them know that I don't plan on working on the work project until my class project is done and turned in.

And, on that note, I'm going to get this work stuff done while I've got a lot of momentum this morning!!

Today's Plan:
Activity: 5.5 mile run at lunch, 20 minutes yoga (in my office)
Breakfast: Hungry Girl's Oven Baked Omelette, 1 whole wheat tortilla
Mid-morning Snack: 1 banana, 1/2 cup pineapple, 1/2 cup strawberries
Lunch: baggie of peppers, carrots, and tomatoes; 1/2 cup vanilla yogurt with 2 Tbsp pumpkin and 1 serving Kashi granola (leftover from yesterday's uneaten afternoon snack)
Afternoon Snack: 1 kashi oatmeal dark chocolate cookie, possibly a mini Luna bar depending on how late I'm at work
Dinner: leftovers--I think I'll have pork tenderloin, corn, green beans and asparagus
*Looking over this, there's not enough calories so I think I'll hit Starbucks here in an hour or so and get an iced latte and maybe a fruit/yogurt/granola parfait.

Test Results

I went for my run yesterday at lunch and it was so humid outside!! DC has very humid summers but this was my first run in about a year with all the humidity. I definitely felt more drained after than I usually do but I also haven't ran 5.5 miles in about 2 weeks so it's hard to know how much was the humidity and how much was the time between runs. Anyways, I still did it but I'm 100% sure I'll need to get some form of hydration belt or bottle for my runs, particularly since it will only get hotter and more humid. Today, however, it's much cooler outside and it's sprinkling a bit so as long as it doesn't downpour, I'll be going again today.

I had a very frustrating day at work yesterday (which only served as a reminder why I need to get another job!!). When I was gone on vacation I got an email asking me to do some additional work on one of my projects. So yesterday I started in and spent all day working on this additional stuff. I sent an email to the economist "in charge" of the project asking her a question about the work she wanted done. She sent me an email back saying "So-and-so did that while you were on vacation." GRRRRRR! You couldn't have sent me an email telling me not to worry about doing the additional work?? I only found out because I asked you a question?? Really?? I'm not mad that someone else did the work. I'm mad because there was no common courtesy extended to me. Politeness tells you that if you send someone an email asking them to do something for you but then someone else does it, you should send an email or notify the original person and tell them not to worry about it! I'm especially ticked because I spent most of the day yesterday working on it when I have a project due in my class next Thursday that I could have been working on instead. I have another project for work to be working on but it can wait until my stuff for my class is done. I'm really in no hurry to make anyone else's life easier when they don't do the same for me. Bad attitude? Yes. Wrong attitude? Not sure. Okay, rant over.

Last night I was so munchie while I was cooking dinner and even after dinner. I ate 3 pieces of banana bread that I had not planned as well as some pretzels. Today I'm going to eat a more substantial afternoon snack and that should help hold off my pre-dinner munchies better. Also, I'm implementing a new "rule"--I can snack while I'm cooking dinner but I can only have carrots or other veggies. Also, yesterday was the first day we woke up at 5 in almost two weeks so I was more tired during the day which, for me, always leds to not-great food choices.

I had my physical at the health unit yesterday and we went over my blood and urine results. The only thing that was out of range was my potassium...it was high by .4. The doctor didn't seem to think it was anything to be worried about but just to keep an eye on it during future blood tests. (She said it would only be a concern if my sodium was out of whack too but my sodium level was fine.) My total cholesterol was 193 which is at the upper part of the recommended range but my HDL (good cholesterol) was at 93 which, according to the doctor, is one of the highest numbers she's seen for HDL. Most people's is around 40 or so. My LDL (bad cholesterol) was 70something but well below the recommended high number. The doctor did hear a soft heart murmur but she's the first doctor to ever tell me that and she could only hear it when I was sitting up and said it was insignificant. So, all in all, good results!

Today's Plan:
Activity: 5.5 mile run at lunch
Breakfast: 1 serving Hungry Girl's Oven Baked Omelette, 1/2 cup oatmeal with 2 Tbsp ground flax
Mid-morning snack: 1/2 mango, 1/2 banana, 1/2 kiwi, 1/2 orange, 1/2 cup strawberries and blueberries
Lunch: 1 Tortilla factory Sun Dried Tomato wrap with 1 laughing cow wedge and 4 slices pepper turkey sandwich meat; 2/3 cup peas; Salad with spinach and green peppers with 2 Tbsp ginger pear dressing; 15 cherries
Afternoon Snack: 1/2 cup vanilla yogurt mixed with cinnamon, 2 Tbsp pumpkin, and 1 serving granola
Dinner: BBQ Beef Sandwiches (recipe from "Clean Eating" magazine), sauteed green beans, roasted potatoes, and salad

Shopping weekend

I had a good weekend. We didn't have any plans...we thought about going somewhere but since we just came back from a trip, we decided to save our money and just hang out at home. Saturday Stephen had an appointment with the chiropractor so while he was there I went to Target and just browsed around (Stephen's much more of a get in and get out type of Target shopper and I like to look at their clothes and shoes). I did have to get some things for the apartment and I also picked up a pair of shorts and some cute sandals. Then we went to the outlet mall and I picked up a cute skirt, a short sleeve sweater, and a green cardigan at Ann Taylor, a black short sleeve cardigan at Gap, and 3 cheap books at Books-A-Million. I tried to find pics of the clothes online but since I bought them at the outlet mall, I'm not having any luck.

Sunday we went to the regular mall and I got some new makeup at Sephora (love that store, I could've been in there for hours but Stephen said he felt like he was losing his "man card" by being in there so long). Then we went and saw the new Indiana Jones movie...it was really good!! I don't remember much about the first 3 movies, I know I saw them but I don't remember any of the details. But the 4th movie is good and you don't need to remember the other 3 to understand this one. Then we went home and had a simple supper and watched "Resurrecting the Champ" on Netflix. That movie was good too!! It's sports-based but not completely about sports at all.

Then Monday we got up and did our laundry. We ran the usual weekend errands and then hung out in the apartment watching TV and NCIS on Netflix. Last night we grilled out and had chicken and tomato skewers with a hosein-BBQ dipping sauce, corn on the cob, salad with balsamic strawberries, and peach and pineapple skewers with a cinnamon-vanilla yogurt dipping sauce. It was a yummy, yummy meal!! All in all, a good weekend. A little too much spending of money but I'll just have to watch it for June.

We didn't go for any bike rides since my bike is in the shop (still!!) but we did do a lot of walking around malls and so forth. I'll definitely be going for a run today!! I made a new running mix and I'm excited to listen to it.

I have an appointment at the health clinic this morning and I'll get the results of my blood and urine tests from last month. I'm excited to find out what my cholesterol is and hear what the doctor has to say.

Today's Plan:
Activity: Run at lunch (5.5 miles)
Breakfast: 1/2 cup skim milk (in iced coffee), 1 light whole grain english muffin with 1 laughing cow wedge, 1/2 banana, 1/2 cup strawberries and blueberries, 1 serving Hungry Girl's Oven Baked Omelette
Mid-morning snack: mini Clif bar; pineapple chunks, 1/2 pear, 1/2 kiwi
Lunch: Huge salad with spinach, romaine, tomatoes, peas, peppers, cucumbers tossed with 2 Tbsp ginger pear dressing; 2 slices Nature's Own Double Fiber Light Bread with 1 Tbsp peanut butter and 1 Tbsp peach jelly; 15 cherries
Afternoon Snack: 1 slice homemade banana bread
Dinner: Spice Rubbed Pork Tenderloin, Asparagus, Brown Rice, Salad
Dessert (if needed): fruit dipped in light chocolate syrup

Okay, I know I've only had to work two days this week but I am so unbelievably excited for the 3 day weekend! It's ridiculous!! The pools at my apartment complex will be opening up but it's only supposed to be around 80 degrees which is pretty chilly to be jumping in water. I want to go for a few bike rides but my bike is still at the shop. :( I have to call about that today since they've had it for almost 3 weeks now. We don't have any plans for the weekend but I'm sure we'll grill on Monday and there should be some great sales so we'll probably do some shopping. All in all, it should be a pretty low-key weekend which sounds so good right now! I just have to make it through today!!

I went for a run yesterday and it felt so good! I didn't do any running or working out when we were on our trip and my legs were ready to stretch and hit the pavement. I may go for a run or walk today or I may just do some yoga...we'll see what I'm feeling like.

I'm ready to get to the grocery store and get some good food for meals next week. We ate out soooo much on our trip and my body is tired of all the processed, sugary crap. Bring on the fresh fruits and veggies!! Today I'm going to work on my menus and plan for next week. I didn't weigh in today b/c I was scared of what the number would be after no working out and eating nearly every meal out for the last week. I'll weigh in next Friday.

Well, I've got work to do and a class project due in two weeks so I better get some things accomplished today!! (Plus it will make the day go by faster!!)

Have a great weekend!

Pictures from Trip

Hey everyone!! I'm finally back from vacation. I should've been back to work yesterday but Stephen did something to his back getting off the plane so we went to the chiropractor yesterday and he's having X-rays done today. The trip was good. For many reasons, I haven't had a great time the last few trips we've taken back to Oklahoma or Texas. I'm catching up on all your blogs but logged in to reader this morning to find over 500 unread posts so it'll take me a couple of days. Here are some pictures from our trip:

This is Stephen and me at the Texas Rangers game...our seats were 3 rows from the field!!

This is Stephen, me, and Stephen's friends Van and Kelle at the Rangers game.

Stephen and me at my grandma's house.

Me, my dad and his wife Connie.

Stephen and me in front of the Mickey Mantle statue at the Sunday OSU v. OU baseball game at Bricktown Ballpark.

I'll have more of an actual post tomorrow!

A Hop, Skip, and Jump Away

Today's my last day of work before leaving on my trip tomorrow morning! I'm excited to be away from work but not really too excited about the trip. We're trying to see a lot of people when we're back so our schedule's jam-packed and we're not staying in any one place longer than a night. Plus there's going to be a LOT of eating out and I've been struggling with my eating so much lately. I'm bringing lots of snacks and bars to stash in my purse since we're going to 3 baseball games and I'd rather have a Clif Z bar than a hotdog anyways. (Don't get me wrong, I love a good hotdog cooked on the grill but hotdogs at most ballparks aren't that good.) I am taking my running stuff and I am going to try my darnedest to squeeze in some runs or walks while we're there. It will be good to see everybody but I really hate going back to Oklahoma or Texas with Stephen because between the two of us, there's too many people to see and someone always ends up feeling short-changed.

I did some yoga last night and today the weather is sunny and warmer so I'll definitely be doing a run at lunch. I've missed it so much (running and warm weather)!! Since I've been getting to work at 6:30 I've decided to eat 2 smaller breakfasts in the mornings instead of my usual bigger breakfast and mid-morning snack. It's roughly the same amount of calories but splitting them up more evenly. Hopefully, this will give me some better fuel for my runs...worth a shot anyways.

Today's Plan:
Activity: 5.5 mile run--may try for 7 today, we'll see what the weather's like
Breakfast 1: 1 english muffin with 1 tbsp jam and 1/2 tbsp peanut butter
Breakfast 2: 1/4 cup oatmeal with 1 banana, cinnamon, and 1 tbsp peanut butter
Lunch: Lean Cuisine Roasted Turkey Breast, 1 cup peas, 1 1/2 cups green beans
Afternoon Snack: 1 Clif Z bar
Dinner: Subway--6 inch sandwich and apples
Evening Snack: 1/2 cup vanilla yogurt with 1 banana and flax seed

Have a great week everyone and I'll be back next Wednesday!!

It's Thursday (to me anyways)

Today's my Thursday since we're leaving for an Oklahoma/Texas trip on Wednesday morning!! Yea!! Since I've been so busy the last couple of weeks, I'm ready for a break from work. Unfortunately, I don't think our trip back is going to be very relaxing.

My weekend was good. Friday night we made homemade pizza and relaxed. Saturday morning we got up and went to Stephen's office. He was working on organizing his new office and I was going to workout. He decided he wanted to workout too so as I was waiting on him to get ready I fell asleep on the couch in his office. He kept organizing stuff and when I woke up a couple of hours later, we nixed the working out. I was a little ticked that I didn't get in 5 workouts last week but I knew I was also exhausted. After that, we did some shopping and then headed home to watch TV. Yesterday we did our usual laundry, grocery store, Target stuff and also went to see "Iron Man." I highly recommend this movie...it was really good and both Stephen and I liked it a lot!! So, that was my weekend. Nothing too exciting.

No run for me today at lunch...it's pouring rain and it's windy so the rain ends up coming at you sideways. I don't think it's supposed to let up at all today but I'll still check throughout the morning and if it looks halfway decent, I'll try to go but I'm not holding my breath. If no run at lunch, then I'll do some yoga or hit the apartment gym when I get home.

Today's menu:
(I forgot my Lean Cuisine in the freezer at home so I switched my planned breakfast of a yogurt parfait to lunch and grabbed a muffin from the deli downstairs for brekkie.)
Breakfast: muffin from downstairs deli
Mid-morning Snack: banana, orange
Lunch: 1/2 cup vanilla yogurt with 1/2 banana, 1/2 mango, and a package of South Beach Living granola clusters, watermelon
Afternoon Snack: mini Luna bar
Dinner: chicken, lots of veggies to eat them up and because I won't have had any veggies for the day yet

Have a great Monday (or Thursday in my case)!!

Thank Goodness it's Friday!!

So, so, so glad it's Friday!! I've been really busy this week which makes the time go by fast but it also makes me a walking bundle of stress and frustration. Honestly, I think my attitude had a lot to do with starting off my week by only getting a few hours of sleep on Sunday night and Monday night. I hate starting my week off on the wrong foot. But anyways it's Friday!!

To give you an update on the dentist/insurance situation: I talked to the dentist's office and the office manager said she was willing to split the $269 with me, I would pay $134.50 and she would write off the rest. I first told her that would be okay but then the more I thought about it, the more I realized that I shouldn't have to pay any of the $269. When I made my appointment I asked if they took my insurance, they said yes so I was under the impression I wouldn't have to pay anything besides my $10 co-pay. So I called the office manager back and told her that I changed my mind, I wasn't going to accept the offer of splitting the $269...I wanted them to write off all of the bill since it was their mistake for telling me they took my insurance. She was not happy at all but said she'd have to talk to the dentist that owns the practice about how much the dentist was willing to write off. So as of this morning, I haven't heard anything back from them so we'll see what happens. I'm really proud of myself for standing up to them. I hate confrontation (I'm such a people pleaser) and will usually go out of my way to not have to argue with people. The office manager even told me on the phone that they've done the same thing to other people (told them they took their insurance when they didn't)!

Anyways, enough about that...yesterday's food wasn't the healthiest so my weigh in this morning was 180 but I know most of that is sodium and bad food choices yesterday. Today is already much better food wise. It's pouring rain here so no run at lunch but I am planning on doing some yoga and body weight exercises when I get home tonight (or maybe I'll do them in my office this afternoon).

Food for today:
Breakfast: Starbucks Venti Skinny Cinnamon Dolce Latte (Amy, I'm addicted!! Help!!), 1/4 cup oatmeal, 1 tbsp flax, 1/2 banana, 1/2 tbsp peanut butter
Mid-morning Snack: 1 mango with a few strawberries and blackberries
Lunch: 100 cal wrap with mustard, spinach, and cucumbers; leftover chicken taco meat (about 1/2 a chicken boobie); orange; bag of veggies (grape tomatoes, pepper slices, baby carrots)
Afternoon Snack: 2 Vitamix Brownies
Dinner: Homemade pizza with whole wheat crust, turkey Italian sausage, peppers, homemade sauce, and a tiny bit of cheese; big salad; leftover asparagus; glass of wine

Have a great weekend everyone!!

I cannot wait for this week to be over...

Seriously, it has not been a good week. I'm so ready for it to be over. I've been getting up at 5 to get to work by 7 b/c I have so much to do right now (and I'm going to be gone for a week starting next Wednesday). Keep in mind that we live in a studio apartment so when I get ready super early in the mornings I have to get all my stuff in the dark from the living area/office/kitchen/bedroom/dining room/foyer area and take it into the bathroom and close the door. Well yesterday as I was turning the coffee pot on, Stephen had put the lime squeezer and shot glass from making a vodka tonic right near the coffee pot and as I went to turn on the coffee pot, I knocked the shot glass off the floor and it shattered. Not such a big deal but at 5 in the morning I felt like throwing a temper tantrum.

Then last night I get a bill in the mail from my dental insurance company saying that the dentist I went to a few weeks ago is not a provider for my plan and I need to pay the dentist's office $269. Before I made my appointment I searched on the insurance company's website to find a dentist that was a provider and when I made my appointment I verified with the dentist's office that specifically took my plan (which they said they did). I talked to the insurance company this morning and they said that the dentist was a provider for the company but not my specific plan (he's a provider for other plans). Then why the hell don't you put that on the website when someone searches for a dentist? Why don't you list the plans they are providers for? Am I the only one that makes sense to?? Seriously, I would not pay 30 f'in dollars a month for insurance if I'm going to pick someone who's not on my plan and I would have to pay the entire amount. Who the f would do that?? So the insurance company can't help and now I'm waiting for the dentist office to call me back since they told me they took my specific plan. It's their fault. I asked if they took my plan (not just my company, but my plan) and they said yes. And now I find out they are not a provider for my plan. I am so pissed right now b/c I got totally f-ed on this deal. This is why I went two years without dental insurance because I didn't want to deal with this shit.

And I keep getting more work and I feel like I'm not getting ahead at all. I'm tired and cranky and mad as hell. (I sound like a lot of fun to be around right now, huh?) Anyways, sorry to be a cranky biotch today.

To end on a positive note, I covered up my air vent in my office and it's now 70 degrees instead of the 65 it was yesterday! Yea for packing tape and file folders!! And now I can actually unbundle from my sweater, scarf, and fuzzy socks and do some work without my fingers turning purple.

No menu today...it's a total grab and eat type day.

Happy Humpday!!

I feel a hundred times better today! I was swamped yesterday at work so I opted out of doing any walking. This is the first time this has ever happened to me...I was working away and the next thing I know it's 2:30 and my stomach was angry!! I thought about doing some yoga when I got home but I opted out and instead went to bed at 7:30. I read for a while but I'm pretty sure I was asleep before 9! And I feel so much more rested today! Food yesterday wasn't so great...lack of sleep makes me crave those carbs and processed foods.

Not too much to say today...my huge bruise just looks worse and worse. Ah well, it makes me feel like a hard core softball player. Like, "oh, yeah, I'm so hardcore when I play softball that I have all these battle scars." Ridiculous, I know, but I still feel like a badass.

Today's Plan:
Activity: 5.5 mile run
Breakfast: 2 Kashi waffles with 1/2 Tbsp cashew butter, 1/2 cup vanilla yogurt with 2 Tbsp ground flax, 1 banana and strawberries and blackberries
Mid-morning Snack: orange
Lunch: whole wheat english muffin with 1 laughing cow cheese wedge and spinach, bag of veggies--carrots, peppers, grape tomatoes, 2 Tbsp. ranch dip, 1 banana, espresso truffle
Afternoon Snack: Clif Z bar
Dinner: Steak gyros, roasted asparagus, big salad

A Well Deserved Day of Rest

Whew...I am exhausted. I forget how much I enjoy getting to bed early and getting a full night of sleep until I have two nights in a row where I don't get to bed until 11 or later. Then I remember how much I love my sleep!!

Well, yesterday was one of those Mondays where I felt like I was barely keeping ahead and didn't get anything accomplished. I was put on two more projects yesterday. The commissioners of my agency are voting on a case today and depending on how the vote goes, our entire division may be put the case and it would have some very tight deadlines. Seriously, this is the busiest I've ever been at my job and I've been here for almost three years. I have 4 projects going on right now so trying to split up my day among them is difficult. Add people popping in to check on "their" project or wanting to chat about "their" project and all I did yesterday was go back and forth between projects without really getting anything done. :( I hate that. I started something yesterday at 8 am and I didn't finish it until almost 5 pm because of all these little interruptions. I want to tell people when they're checking on a project, "If you'll leave me alone and actually let me work on something without interrupting me, I'll have your project to you 15 times faster." But I can't really say anything.

Anyways, enough about work. I went for my run yesterday and did 5.5 miles. My muscles were so tired though, I only ran 3/4 and walked the rest. Last night's softball game went well. We didn't win but we only lost by a couple of runs, so much better than I was expecting. But I got hit with a hard, fast softball. Luckily, it hit my calf muscle (pretty close to my shin) but today it's all bruised and very sore. I did ice it last night for about 15 minutes but it's still pretty sore today. So I made an executive decision today and I'm going to take a rest from running. I'll probably go for a walk just to keep the blood flowing but I'm not going to change into my running stuff. I'll just put on my sneakers. (If I change into my running shorts, bra, etc. then I'll run...I'll say "Oh, I'm only going to walk" but once I get started I'll change my mind and decide to run but if I don't change into my clothes, I won't run because I don't want my boobies flopping all over.) I do need a rest/lighter day today. With practice on Sunday, my lunch time run yesterday, and the game last night, I've had 3 workouts within 24 hours and I haven't had my usual amount of sleep...my muscles just need a break. I'm going on and on about this because I'm trying to tell myself that it's okay if I don't run today. Yes, the weather is nice but I can still enjoy it on my walk...I don't have to be running. Besides the nice fist sized black and blue knot on my calf muscle is a great sign that I need to take it easy on my legs today. Okay, I think I've talked myself into it...

On a bit of digression here, I'm super frustrated that the weather is finally warm enough to wear a skirt to work without hose and I have a massive bruise on my lower leg that a skirt won't cover up. Yep, I'm wearing pants today.

Alright, I promise to comment today. With yesterday's madness, I didn't get to but today I will!! Have a great Tuesday everyone!

What a Weekend!

First of all, thanks for all of your congratulations on Friday. It means a lot to me to have your support and help!!

Now on to the weekend...it was busy and not as relaxing as I like but we got a lot of stuff done. Friday afternoon after my dentist appointment (and after I did some yoga!), Stephen and I took my bike to the bike shop. (I've only had my bike for 6 weeks or so but the bike shop wanted me to bring it in after about 20 hours of riding so they could check that everything was wearing properly.) While we were there I had them look at the suspension fork because it is way too stiff and neither Stephen or I could get it to loosen up. Well, neither could the people at the bike shop! So my bike's still at the shop and they may have to send it back to the manufacturer and get me a new one. We took it in on Friday because the weather forecasts were calling for rain most of the weekend. Well, of course since my bike's in the shop, the weather all weekend was beautiful!! Sunny and moderate temperatures...both Saturday and Sunday Stephen and I talking about how great the weather would have been for a bike ride. But I needed to get my bike looked at because after the last time we rode, my shoulders were sore from absorbing all the jolting.

Saturday and Sunday we came into Stephen's work. He got a different job and is moving offices so we came in to move some stuff over and clean. On Saturday while he was cleaning, etc. I hit the gym at his work and did 60 minutes on the elliptical and 15 mins of lifting! It felt really great and I was proud of myself for going. Then we did some shopping and went to the movies. We saw "Made of Honor." I thought it was pretty cute. Stephen thought it wasn't too bad (and that's saying a lot for a chick flick). It's predictable but it's a girly movie so what else would you expect?

Sunday evening we had softball practice. We practiced for about 2 hours. We have our first game tonight and our team is not going to be good at all. It's pretty sad as a matter of fact. Hopefully, we don't get "run ruled" or anything humiliating like that. (I know, I know, I should be more positive but I should also be realistic.) I'm tired today though...we didn't get home until 9:30 and by the time we had a bowl of cereal, showers, fixed lunches, etc.--it was almost 11 when we went to bed. And for someone who gets up at 5 and is used to going to sleep by 9:30, 11 is late!!

So, all in all, a good weekend. I did really well with my calories this weekend and stayed within my range. I got a workout in on all 3 days and even did one session of yoga and one session of weights. I also took my vitamins everyday which is huge for me on the weekend!!

Today's plan:
Workout: run at lunch (5.5 miles, maybe something shorter...I'm tired and we have a game tonight so I know I'll get some exercise in then); softball game
Breakfast: Oatmeal with banana, 2 Tbsp flax, 1 Tbsp peanut butter
Mid-morning Snack: 1 plum, 3 strawberries, pineapple (about a cup?)
Lunch: 1 whole wheat english muffin with 1 Tbsp peanut butter, baggie of baby carrots and pepper strips, 1/2 cup vanilla yogurt with 2 Tbsp pumpkin and cinnamon, orange, maybe an espresso truffle for dessert?
Afternoon Snack/Pregame Snacks: I have all of these to snack on before and immediately after the game (since it will take us about an hour and a half to get home) but I probably won't eat all of them--Clif Z bar, 1 banana, 1 serving whole grain Goldfish
Dinner/Postgame Snack at home: I'm thinking an english muffin breakfast sandwich--english muffin with swiss cheese, mustard, and scrambled eggs, side salad or veggies to snack on

Have a great Monday everyone!!

Friday Weigh In

Last week's weigh in: 178.6
This week's weigh in: 177.2
Change: -1.4 lb

Just a quick note to mark my weigh in as I'm off to the dentist (yucky!).

I'm actually a little surprised...my food hasn't been fantastic but I'll take the loss! And those chocolate donuts I've been craving...I don't want them anymore!!

Have a great weekend!

May Day!

I cannot believe it is May!! It seems crazy to me. I'm glad to be getting some warmer weather though. Looking back over April I did not meet my exercise goal of 22 times--I only did 15 which is pretty pathetic. Most weeks I only worked out 3 times! I can do better than this!! That's why I'm really enjoying the Summer Challenge because I've challenged myself to 5 times a week which is completely doable. So my May goals are:

1) Eat within my SparkPeople limits (~1600-2000 calories a day) with an average of 1800 calories a day.
2) Workout 23 times
3) Do one yoga session a week (5 total)
4) Do two strength training sessions a week (9 total)
5) Take vitamins every day

I'm really liking SparkPeople (more than I have in the past) because not only is it tracking my calories but it's tracking my macronutrients (fat/protein/carbs) and nutrients that are important to me (sodium, potassium, fiber). I'm going to continue to use it and try to get myself away from carrying a notebook everywhere with me to write down my calories.

The working out I can do. There will be a slight challenge in the middle of the month as I'm going back to Oklahoma and Texas for a week but I will still get in my exercise!! Plus with seeing my family, I'm going to need the stress relief!

I've been very bad lately about running as my only form of working out. I'm starting to get some minor aches and pains (nothing at all serious but just uncomfortable) from not cross-training, stretching, or weight training. I love yoga, I just don't make time to do it. It really helps me stretch my muscles. So two of my goals for the month are to incorporate yoga and weight training into my workout schedule. This will be a little more challenging for me to "schedule" the time but it's important that I do so that I can remain a healthy runner.

And #5 is pretty explanatory...I've been slacking on taking my vitamins on the weekends. I'm also going to incorporate an Omega 3 supplement. I like fish, but Stephen doesn't, so I don't eat it as often as I should.

I've set up a spreadsheet both for the Summer Challenge and for my May goal so I can keep track of all of this.

On to today's menu:
Breakfast: 3 oatmeal pancakes made with 1/2 cup rolled oats, 1/2 cup egg whites, cinnamon, vanilla, and 1 banana, spread with 1 Tbsp. peanut butter
Mid-Morning Snack: 1/2 mango and 1 cup pineapple
Lunch: A version of taco salad--spinach with peppers and tomatoes topped with 1 fajita burger crumbled and 2/3 cup corn, all with 2 tbsp. ranch dip, espresso truffle for "dessert"
Afternoon Snack: Clif Z bar
Dinner (during break in class tonight): 1/2 cup vanilla yogurt, 1/2 cup strawberries, 1 banana, 1 cup Kashi GoLean, 2 Tbsp flaxseed
Snack before bed (if I'm hungry): pineapple