"T" Minus 72 Hours

In the wake of a much needed mini vacation, I am now officially counting down the hours until my departure. I purchased a new suitcase today (Brown faux-aligator Adrienne Vittadini, on clearance...) and have started filling it with outfits, toiletries, and travel necessities. Three more days and I will be Seattle bound. Here's to safe travels....

Happy Thanksgiving Eve 2011

It's already gobble time! Where has 2011 gone, anyway? Well, I have to be honest, so far 2011 has had it's fair share of financial hardship, love heartache, health concerns, and future uncertainty. But through all the struggles, I have been blessed with friends, family and two wonderful offspring who have supported me. In this line of thinking, I offer the following tributes of thanks.

* I give thanks for my job, the stability it offers and the medical benefits it provides to get better body mileage, despite the rough start.
* I give thanks for my children who continue to suprise me with acts of kindness, appreciation and maturity. 
* I give thanks for my family circle who have always been there for me. Even during the times when the truth was hard to swallow, they told me the real deal and offered words of wisdom.
* I give thanks for having the most awesome friends imaginable. No matter what idiotic things I do, lapses in judgment, dumb words that come out of my mouth, or crisis I find myself in, I can count on a handful of  people to say the right thing to make me feel better.
* I give thanks for the tears shed, the laughter that followed and all the lessons in between.
* I give thanks for memories that will remain in my heart of loved ones who have passed this year and wish for them no more pain or hurt.
* I give thanks to a higher power can be felt in my heart every morning. No matter what stresses I know I will be facing that day, I know I will get through it with the power of prayer.

In closing, I wish everyone a Happy Thanksgiving. Be safe, enjoy the loved ones around you and cherish the simplicity of laughter and love in your world. God Bless.

Officially checked OUT of the Backsliders' Club

The first 2 weeks on my fitness journey began with a huge gust of motivational wind, daily anticipation of the next go-round and aiming to improve number of reps, weight on machines, and time/speed on the treadmill.  Unfortunately as fast as the wind moved in, it moved right back out. I had one very busy week of post-work appointments causing me to skip my workouts several days in a row. Then came a bout of depression for a few days with some not-so-good test results after my physical. Although serious, it is nothing some further medical management and prescription therapy can't cure. The silver lining? I now have health benefits through my employer and am back on the road to improved health. To solidify this fact, I started going back to the gym today, with a 15 year old support partner next to me. (My daughter joined me on this Sunday morning workout.) Looking forward to getting my hind quarter back in shape and bringing those deficeit levels back up to par. For my upcoming trip I made the conscience effort to "CHUZE" a hotel with an on-site gym. Now THAT is dedication. =)

Please Excuse the Repetition...

I realize the last few posts have been all about the gym and how I have made some major changes in my life. I apologize for the monotony, however, I am just so psyched to be taking such a determined approach to improving my lifestyle that I can't seem to stop talking about it. Well, at least on the blog. I try my hardest to not drone on and on to my friends and family about it.

This weekend I had an epiphany. I had to go to Kaiser for pre-physical lab work after a 12 hour fast. Upon arrival I realized not only did I use the stairs instead of the elevator, but I also chose the farthest parking spot instead of the closest. Small steps leading to giant leaps.

Rage Against The Machine(s)

Today started out as a normal work day filled with phone calls, emails, contracts, proposals and managing a crew short staffed because yet again, someone didn't come in to work. Towards the end of the day I had a rather irritating interaction with one of the crew guys and basically, to excuse my French, he pissed me the hell off. Instead of hollering about it, I simply informed my boss and decided "screw him and his disrespect." At 5:00 on the dot I clocked out and by 5:15 my workout pal and I were in full treadmill sweat at the gym. All the irritability in my head was worked out by putting the focus on something better.

We had a great workout and even tried a few of the weight machines out. It is a bit intimidating to be surrounded by all these toned and shaped people who know exactly how to use every station and look good doing it. I feel like my girth needs its own zip code for all the space I take up in my 3X t-shirt. However, I take comfort in knowing I am being proactive and taking charge of my health with exercise and eating right. I took a photo of myself on day 1 and hope to be able to post an updated picture in 30 days that shows some sort of visable progress. Until then, I will continue to dissipate my daily stress out there, one stair step at a time.