My poor, lonely, neglected fitness blog. I'm sorry I haven't been posting much lately, everyone. Life has been on the tough side lately, so finding the motivation to blog hasn't been easy.
Despite the downtrodden case of the blah's I've been trudging through over the past month, I've been doing my best to stick to staying active and eating smaller portions. I still miss biking TERRIBLY, but I've been walking about 2.5 miles during the work week with my pal Craig, and I'm still doing the crazy Jillian Michaels Shred Level 2 workout that I posted last time I blogged about 3 times a week.
I've managed to lose one more pound as of November 22nd!
The Thanksgiving holiday was a bit on the gluttonous side, but I let it all slide since that's kind of what Thanksgiving is about! Enjoying food with family and being thankful for all of it!
Nick & I spent the 1st half of Turkey Day with some of my relatives at my parents' house. The evening half was spent at his grandma's in Orange.
Something crazy happened on Thanksgiving morning, though. I'm sure many of you have heard about it on the news, but if not, there was a MASSIVE accident on a stretch of Interstate 10 that was actually located at the exit to my hometown of Fannett, TX (Beaumont). One of my high school classmates was actually in the huge pile-up, and she is expecting her 2nd child. Thankfully, she, her husband, her baby, and her daughter were not seriously injured, but their car was totaled. Makes you step back and remember that we need to be extra thankful for the time we've been given, doesn't it?
Otherwise, there's not much else to report. Life can get pretty lousy sometimes, but it goes on. When things are bad, I try to remind myself that the misery is only temporary and that a new day can bring about something uplifting and wondrous for the spirit. Here's hoping that something blesses my family and me soon.
I know I've complained over and over about the end of daylight savings time taking away my precious biking workouts, but it's really been getting to me. I miss the open air, the constant breeze, and the repetitive hum of my pedaling and the wheels against the concrete. I even miss having to avoid the dog poop and the stupid walkers and joggers who are going the wrong way on the trail, and I miss my bike.
But since biking alone in the dark just is too much of a safety hazard for my tiny 4'10" self, I have to resort to working out in my dimly lit apartment to stuff I find on the Internet. It's definitely better than nothing.
I'm still feeling strong symptoms of depression lately, but yesterday I had an evening of relief. Why? Because I exercised my ass off. Thanks to the almost masculine pushing of Miss Jillian Michaels and her YouTubed 30-Day Shred workout, I felt like a whole new person for several hours.
I've been doing her Level 1 Shred on and off for the past 3 or 4 weeks, and I've gotten a little tired of it. At least I've gotten BETTER at it in the process. I decided to try Level 2 of the Shred tonight, and HOLY CRAP I could barely get through it! I intend to alternate evenings of Level 2 and Level 1 on days when I'm stuck working out inside.
I apologize for the mean names I called
you during this workout, Ms Michaels.
I intend to bike on Saturday morning if it isn't too windy. Heck, I might still go even if it's really windy just because I MISS IT SO MUCH. My little folding bike has helped me lose 14 pounds since April, and I've formed a bond with it! I don't intend to break it just because it's cold and dark.
On an unrelated note, I'm missing Nick more than usual over the next few days. Although I miss him terribly and I'm sad I won't be seeing/meeting our Animation Mentor friends, I'm super excited for him today because he's in California for the next few days attending the CTN Animation Expo in Burbank, CA. I guess you could call it the "ComicCon for Animators." Here's hoping he networks like crazy and has a fantastic time with all of his animation brethren. He 1000% deserves this trip, and I'm so happy that he gets to be with his own kind for a few days!
I'm beyond ready for the weekend, my friends. One day at a time.
The past few weeks have felt like an awful roller coaster, especially this past weekend. There have been moments of complete perfection full of joy and love and there have been hours of utter hopelessness, depression, and confusion.
I haven't REALLY worked out (with the exception of walking) for almost 2 weeks now, and my intake has been much less than stellar since my mom was put in the hospital. Multiple recent events have dragged my mood and me down, and I'm beginning to shut down like the old me used to when I got extremely stressed. I've found comfort in eating, and I find myself staring into space or just curling into a ball in the dark. This is who I was before I started this journey, and I refuse to be that person again. That wasn't really a person...it was a shell.
In the words of my favorite person, when I'm not feeling like myself and I'm feeling lost, I've got to take the initiative and the opportunity to reinvent myself. Now if I can just find the strength to get up and do it...
I know what I need to do, but wanting to do it is a whole other story these days. It's colder, I'm exhausted, and I lack discipline. With the end of daylight savings time, I've been making excuses and justifying not working out by blaming the lack of sunlight after work when I COULD always just wake up 2 hours earlier and get it done in the morning OR go to my apartment complex's gym right after work. Why won't I just go all Nike and DO IT?
Anyone who has known me for a long time knows that I am NOT a morning person. I've always been a night owl. Heck, it's already past 11 p.m. and I'm still awake even though I need to wake up at 6:45 to be ready in time for jury duty tomorrow morning. SOMETHING needs to change or all the hard work I've been doing within the past 202 days will be lost.
I was able to cook myself dinner for the first time in what seems like ages tonight, and it felt strangely liberating. I made chicken breasts with bell peppers, onion, broccoli, and zucchini in an Asian inspired sauce (lite soy sauce, rice vinegar, oyster sauce, garlic powder), and it turned out pretty tasty. I was able to walk 2.5 miles with Craig during my lunch break today also.
Luckily, I was able to lose the weight I gained when my mom was in the hospital, and I'm back at 134.8, but I know that my body is weakening because my effort has decreased. I can feel the difference in my moods as well, and I don't want to keep feeling like this. I know this can't happen. I just pray that some day SOON I will snap out of this and get my butt back into gear again.
It's been about 2 and a half weeks since my last blog entry, but I am sure that most of you know why. My mom was hospitalized from October 20 - October 25th due to blood clots in her lungs. She complained about shortness of breath and chest pains that Saturday (the 20th), and after a lot of badgering from several others and myself, she finally went to the emergency room that night at around 9:30. She, my dad, and I spent a few hours in a private room of the Emergency Room unit until the results from her tests came back revealing that she needed to be admitted right away. They discovered multiple blood clots in both of her lungs, so they immediately placed her in the ICU and on blood thinners to begin the process to dissolve the clots.
The entire ordeal was very surreal. My mom is kind of a hyper active person, so the diagnosis was a bit of a surprise to us since clots are typically found in people who live sedentary lifestyles. Other than the shortness of breath, she was pretty much acting like her normal self while she was in the hospital.
My mom & dad are troopers...
I visited her every day during my lunch break while she was in the hospital, and we're keeping an eye on monitoring her INR number to make sure her blood doesn't clot more or her blood doesn't get too thin. Here's hoping she's out of the woods sooner than later!! Thanks again to everyone who has sent positive thoughts & prayers our way. They've definitely helped because she seems to be doing fine for the most part. She still has to visit her cardiologist twice a week for blood tests, but that's definitely more than OK.
It's been a rough year for my parents and me regarding their health issues. These situations always make it difficult to maintain a good healthy lifestyle both mentally and physically. During the times my parents have been in the hospital this year, I've found myself slacking on everything because my mind is preoccupied with their well-being. Of course, this is only natural, but why do people (myself included) tend to do such a horrible job of making better decisions for themselves in these kinds of stressful situations when the mind and body need better care the most? I hate that I found more comfort from eating when my mom was sick, and even to now, I'm still struggling to ween myself back into eating better after that time.
My body is still catching up from the exhaustion of the past couple of weeks' events. Thankfully, I've still been relatively active by walking about an hour per day with my friend Craig during our lunch break. I believe I had just begun tracking our walks with the GPS MapMyRide app in the last blog entry I made. The only exercise I've been doing since I last blogged is walking and this awesome Jillian Michaels Shred workout that my boss told me about.
Otherwise, I've been busy playing catch up on freelance projects and work, but I feel like I'm constantly running behind.
Even though I still have a lot to do, I decided to be sure to blog today because today was one of my capstone events of the year regarding health: THE HEART WALK. I know those of you who've been reading have seen my link to ask for donations at the end of each entry over the past few months. Thanks to those of you who donated!! I was able to reach my goal on Tuesday and exceed it on Thursday of this week! I raised a total of $1,060, and I was the top fundraiser for the Heart Walk in Beaumont this year. THANK YOU ALL who helped me accomplish this!!! Nick wasn't able to walk with me this year like he has over the past 2 years due to his school work, but he was definitely on my mind and in my heart along with all the other people I walk for every year today!
With my daily walking buddy, Craig. I'm so proud of his dedication to be active!!
The top fundraisers of the Heart Walk!
I walked for these loved ones and so many more people today. It always feels so rewarding!
When I finally feel caught up with my rest and my other work, I will definitely begin blogging regularly again. I hope ya'll understand! I have just felt extremely overwhelmed lately, so blogging has had to go to the back burner for the past couple of weeks. I'm actively seeking ways to better deal with my stress, and I definitely have some happier things to look forward to this week, so I'm hoping those help me get back into the swing of things more quickly.
I've gained about 3 pounds since my mom got sick, so I'm back up to 137. I'm trying not to be too hard on myself for it, but I definitely do not intend to let that number go out of control. If I can get into the 120s before New Year, I will feel extremely accomplished! If I do not, well, I won't hate myself for it, but I need to kick my butt into high gear despite the delicious holidays that are quickly approaching.
OK, goodnight, everyone! OH and for those of you who have to worry about it, don't forget to set your clocks back an hour! My bike is crying because I may be using it less due to the end of daylight savings time for the year. I hope to be riding again soon.
