Personal Update

So I know it has been forever I posted a review or anything else here. I went home over Labor Day weekend to visit with my grandmother who was in the rehab section of the nursing home. My sister and youngest niece met me there and we had all planned to visit for the weekend and then all head home on Labor Day. However, my grandmother took a turn for the worse and we all ended up staying until she finally passed away early last Thursday morning. She had been in so much pain in the last week she was there, that it was such a blessing when she passes away peacefully in her sleep.

My grandmother loved her family more than anything on this earth. I was lucky enough to grow up living right down the street from my grandparent's house and I'm pretty sure I was there almost as much as I was at my own home. I had a very special relationship with my Nannie. She was my mother's mom and my mom passed away when I was 12. My grandmother stepped up to be there for my sister, brother and me. We shared a love of books, Tennessee Titans football, college football (although she cheered for UT Vols and I usually cheer for AL), food, and shopping. I will miss our annual Christmas shopping trip more than I can say. I moved to Nashville in 1995, and until she went into the nursing home 5 weeks ago, we had talked every single Saturday morning with very few exceptions. I'm pretty sure this Saturday will be tough.

I plan to start posting reviews again this weekend, but needed to explain why I've been gone the last 2 weeks. Thanks for everyone who stops by and I'll try to get back to more consistant post in the next week or so.

Fitness and Weight Watchers Update

I haven't posted an update on my fitness and WW progress since before my Vegas trip, so I thought I would post an update tonight.

I took an entire month off from Weight Watchers from the time I was in Vegas until after my 40th birthday. I never really planned to take off that much time, but I got really lazy and went back to my old ways of picking up fast food rather than eating healthy. I also took off from exercising after my friends and I did our 5K in Vegas. Again, not planned, but my laziness wasn't just tied to eating right.

I somehow only managed to gain 4 pounds from the time I left for Vegas until the beginning of last week when I started back on WW full time. In my first week back on the plan, I managed to lose 2 of those 4 pounds and I feel much better about getting back on track. I know WW is the plan for me because it allows me to eat regular food and helps me stick to the correct portion sizes. I also earn activity points from exercise, and I can use those for treats.

I've also started working out more since I've been back on WW. Mostly because I feel better when I exercise, but my work has set up a voluntary exercise program. Work now wants us to exercise 15 minutes a day 3 days a week. Now that isn't really enough to work off much in the way of calories, but it has been a good way to get me started back on my fitness goal. Today I walked a 5k with my aunt, and even walked an extra mile getting to and from the car. It felt really great and I now plan on joining up for another NOBO training starting in January. I've missed my run /walk schedule, and am excited to get back to it. I'll be sticking to the elliptical for much of the next month and walking on the weekend. With the time change, it is dark when I get home from work, so the weekends will be the only time I can get in a good walk or walk/run.

So i have a plan now and I plan on sticking to my plan this time. The holidays will be hard for me, especially Thanksgiving when my sister, brother, dad and I make all my favorite dishes. I plan to really watch my portions that week, and walk at least a couple of days while at my sister's house. Luckily, my brother will be with me, so I know he will help me with my exercise plan.

Weight Watchers Update

Sorry I haven't posted any updates on my Weight Watchers journey in the last few weeks. I've had some ups and downs, but am happy to say I've lost a total of 10 pounds as of today. The heat has been an issue for my running, but now that we are starting to get a taste of fall temps, I'll be better about getting outside to run/walk. I have used my elliptical some, but found I don't really like it as much as I like running/walking outside.

I've been pretty happy with my food choices over the past few weeks. Luckily, I love some veggies and can always go to those for meals when I feel like I've fallen off the healthy food wagon. I have picked up dinner a few time over the last few weeks rather than fixing my fresh veggies, but have decided to put a stop to that until after my Vegas trip. I need to get back to my training and I'm not doing that if I'm eating the wrong food.

I'm going to run/walk a 5k while in Vegas with my friends. Two of they will have rock star times, and my goal is to run at least half of the total race. I'm still hoping to run the entire 5k at the end of October on my 40th birthday, so figure this will help to get me going.

Week 4 Weight Watchers Update

So week 4 wasn't as great as the first 3 weeks. I had a bit of a setback and gained 1 pound. Now, I'm not overly surprised by the gain. I wasn't as worried about keeping within my daily points. In fact, I went over my points most days. I didn't use all my weekly points allowed, but still went over my daily points too many days. I also didn't make the time to exercise each day. In fact, other than moving boxes on last Sunday, I really didn't have any other exercise for the entire week.

Time to get back to being really strict with myself on what I eat and get back to upping my activity daily. I will go over my points today, as I'm meeting friends for dinner at a restaurant that really doesn't have any WW friendly items. Must make up for that over the next 6 days and get back on track.

As much as I feel like I failed this week, I'm not letting myself call this a failure, rather I hit a bump in the road this week. Now to get back to doing what I know I need to do. I still need to register for the Franklin Classic 5K for Labor Day. I haven't trained well, but will walk/run the race and cross the finish line, which is the whole point.

Week 3 Weight Watchers Update

So in week 3 of Weight Watchers, I started craving certain items I'd been without for the last few weeks. One thing I wanted more than anything was french fries. I did my weigh-in on Saturday morning and had lost another 2 pounds. That's right, in 3 weeks I've lost 7 POUNDS!!! I'm hoping to keep this rate up, until my Vegas trip. If I can pull this off, I would have lost close to 20 pounds in 7 weeks. BTW, my one cheat item of the week was an order of chili-cheese fries yesterday for lunch.

I'm upping my activity goal for the week. I got my bookshelves in order yesterday. I finished getting the last few books put away this morning. However, moving boxes of books equals lots of activity points. I earned 3 on Saturday and 2 today moving boxes out to my aunt's car. With temps hopefully dropping this week, I'll be able to run/walk some outside. If the weather doesn't get any cooler, I'll stick to the elliptical again this week.

I will say it is getting easier to pick healthier food. I even had lunch with my aunt today at Logan's and went with the health nut meal to cut down on calories and fat, and even skipped the rolls and sweet potato. I am craving chocolate more this week, but luckily have some Fiber One brownies to get me by.

Week 2 Weight Watchers Update

So I lost another 1.8 pounds this week. My total weight loss for my first two weeks on Weight Watchers is 5 pounds!!! Didn't make the time to get on the elliptical this week, and I think that kept me from losing more weight.

I went to the grocery store this morning and bought more fresh fruits and veggies for the week. I've started only buying enough food for one week at a time, so I always have fresh food. I would really love to lose another 10 pounds before my Vegas trip at the end of September, so I'm going with as much power food on WW as I can, so I can still have snacks, yet keep within my point+ available each day.

Week 1 Weight Watchers Update

So I made it through my first full week on the Weight Watchers plan using the new points+ plan. I didn't get to exercise as much as I would have liked (only managed 2 days of exercise), but I stuck the the points+ as best I could.

Results: I LOST 3.2 POUNDS!!!

I know I can do this now! I plan on exercising more this week and hope I can continue to have such great results this week too. Off to buy more fruits and veggies at the store today.

Diet and Exercise Update

I know I've been a bit quiet lately. I took a few days off work in the last couple of weeks to go hang out with my cousins. They live about 2 hours from me and have a pool in their backyard. Now it has felt like it is 150* in Nashville for the last few weeks, so the idea of hanging by the pool for a few days sounded great. I was great, even if it felt even hotter there than it does here. Granted floating around in the pool for a few hours really does make it easier to deal with the heat index.

Of course, when I got home I realized how out of control I've let my diet and exercise routine get...maybe lack of diet and exercise routine is a better description. So to help get me back on track, I re-joined Weight Watchers this week. Now the new points+ system is taking some getting used to. I knew many of the old point values on some of my favorite items. Now those numbers are all out the window. I'm up for the challenge. I would love to lose at least 15 pounds before my Vegas trip at the end of Sept. If I'm really careful with food and stick to my exercise program, I'll be there. So now, I have it set up to use my elliptical 3-4 days a week and run 2-3 days each week. I'll mostly be on the elliptical until the temps drop a little. I'm also training for the Franklin Classic 5K for Labor Day, so I need to make sure I'm doing interval training even when on my elliptical. I'm sure my neighbors will love me when I workout at 4:30 in the morning, but mornings are best for me to stick to a workout schedule. Running will take place on the weekends for the next little bit, with 1 run after work each week.

My goal is to be down 20 pounds by the time I turn 40 at the end of October. So tomorrow is my last day to eat junk. After that I'm sticking to my WW diet very closely. Wish me luck, as I love junk food probably more than most teenagers.

My First CMA Festival

I’ve lived in Nashville since late 1995, and last week was the first time I attended CMA Festival (formally known as Fan Fair). Let me just say it is a known fact in Nashville CMA Fest weekend will be the hottest weekend to date for Nashville. However, my friend Paula and I made plans to go a while back, so I stocked up on SPF 50 sunscreen and decided to give it a try.

The whole weekend was hotter than 18 hells. No other description comes to mind for me. In fact, at one point I saw a temperature reading of 101* on the church sign next to the Bridgestone Arena. There were all sorts of fun things to do throughout the day. Lots of free concerts by new artist and even some well known artist were happening all over the downtown area. You could go to the convention center and hopefully get in line for pictures and autographs from artist. Tickets for the signings were given out when the doors to the convention center opened at 10:00 am each morning. Picture Black Friday and the mall opening, and you have a pretty good picture of trying to get in line for tickets each morning. I did manage to get in some hopeful lines and was able to meet Craig Morgan, Joe Nichols, and a couple of other artist. The highlight for me was meeting Kristin Chenoweth at the Wildhorse Salon on Saturday. I’ve been a huge fan of hers since I heard the Wicked soundtrack for the first time, and she is one of my favorite guest stars to appear on Glee (hope she is back again next season). She has a country album coming out in September, and I’ll buy it on release day. She sang a few songs for us and I loved them all (she really makes me think of Dolly Parton).

The shows each night were amazing! Thursday night’s line-up included Zac Brown Band (Alan Jackson and Randy Travis came out and sang at different times), Easton Corbin, Sara Evans, Jason Aldean (Kelly Clarkson came out for one song), and Brad Paisley, with special guest Alabama. Friday night’s line-up included Ashton Shepherd, Dierks Bentley, Lady Antebellum, Sugarland, Keith Urban, and Reba. Saturday night’s line-up included Chris Young, Little Big Town, Josh Turner, with special guest AI winner Scotty McCreery for one song, Trace Adkins, Martina McBride, who had AI runner-up Lauren Alaina join her for one song, and Rascal Flatts, who were joined by Little Big Town for one song. Big & Rich and Gretchen Wilson even came out for a surprise performance. Sunday night’s line-up included The Janedear Girls, The Band Perry, Darius Rucker, Blake Shelton (Trace Adkins came back for a little Hillbilly Bone), Miranda Lambert, and Taylor Swift.

While I enjoyed every single performance, I have to say Martina McBride blew me away! She got a 5 minute standing ovation following her performance of Broken Wing. I now have several concerts on my wish list for the future. I would love to see a full concert by Zac Brown Band, Brad Paisley, Lady A, Keith Urban, Blake Shelton, Miranda Lambert, and Sugarland (again).

Not sure I’ll do CMA Fest again next year. I love the nightly concerts, but the daytime heat was really too much for me. I'm not a big fan of temps so high, I feel sick most of the day. I did have a fun time overall, and can say I'm glad I went this year.

Running Update

I'm about to start week 6 of my 5k running training. On my group run last week, I had my first great run since I started back. I'm running my first couple of intervals extremely slow, but by the 3rd or 4th interval, I was moving a pretty good pace. I didn't have my Garmin with me last week, so I don't know how much faster I was moving, but I felt like I had upped my pace a good bit. I'll have my watch with me this week, so I can track my pace as we run/walk each interval.

I'm also going back on my lower carb diet in the next couple of weeks. I'll be going to the CMA Festival in Nashville next weekend, so know I won't really be able to each right most of the weekend. Plan is to get back on track with my eating after CMAs. I figure the combination of eating better and increased run time will help me lose some of the weight I've put back on this Spring.

No Boundaries Training...Here I Come

This time last year, I signed up for the No Boundaries training through one of the local fitness stores. Fleet Feet offers a training program to help people prepare to walk, run, or walk/run a 5K. I did three 5ks last year following the training, as well as one 10K. I started training for the Nashville Half Marathon and ended up with a stress fracture in my right foot, and had to stop running for about 8 weeks. About the time my foot healed completely, I was diagnosed with bronchitis. It took me over 4 weeks to recover, and I really haven't run more than a few times since January.

The No Boundaries program helped to get me going last year, so I decided to do the training again this year. We have our first group run on April 26th, but they have suggested we start getting ready for the training by walking or working out at least 3-4 days a week for 30-45 minutes. I figure the training will not only help me to get back into shape, but will also help me with my weight loss. I've really gotten away from taking care of myself lately, and I know this is the first step to get me back on track.

Life has gotten crazy

I've once again fallen down on my blogging because life has gotten crazy. I've been reading like crazy lately and have already read almost 16 books this year. However, since I had a horrible case of bronchitis, I fell down on my job of posting my thoughts about the books I've been reading. Here is a list of the books I've read since my last blog post:

Happy Ever After by Nora Roberts

Love Me If You Dare by Carly Phillips

Ecstasy Unveiled by Larissa Ione

Darkfever by Karen Marie Moning

The Perfect Play by Jaci Burton

Over the Mountain and Down By the River by Robyn Carr

A Place to Call Home by Christina James

I've been lucky with picking really great books to read lately. I haven't read a single book this year that I would rate below a "B". Not often do I have a year that starts off with 13 books all rated B or above. I did lose almost 2 weeks of reading to recovering from bronchitis, since all I did for almost 2 weeks was sleep. Luckily, I only ending up missing about 1 week from work for being sick and I'm feeling much better now.

Up next will be me getting back on track with my running. I haven't run since late December. First it was really way too cold outside for me to run. I've found I don't enjoy running in extreme heat or extreme cold. This winter has been one of the coldest and snowiest on record for TN. Now that the temps are starting to be more Spring-like, and it is daylight longer, I'm ready to start running again. My goal is to start training for a 5K race. I do much better with exercise if I have a goal. My running goals for this year will include running at least 3 5K races, including one on my 40th birthday in Oct, and at least 1 10K race. I've thought about adding a 1/2 marathon to my goals, but will hold off on that goal for a bit longer. I love an 8 mile run and even a 10 mile run, but know I'm not up for a 13.1 mile run at this time. So, I'm going to stick to my 5K and 10K races for this year.

2010 in review, and 2011 blogging goals

In 2010 I managed to read about 75 books. I was really hoping to read more books this year, but am happy with the books I read. Of the 75 books I read, 18 were by new-to-me-authors. I'm pretty sure that is a record for me. I finished up December with 2 amazing books (Jaci Burton's All She Wants for Christmas and Chloe Neill's Twice Bitten), and now I'm hoping to get back on track with my reading.

My blogging goals for 2011 aren't too different from 2010, with a few exceptions.

1) Read at least 1 new-to-me author each month.

2) Read at least 2 books a month from my TBR mountain range(seriously, it takes up an entire bookshelf)

3) Keep a spreadsheet of all books read and thoughts on book

4) Post my thoughts on books I've read in a more timely manner(really sucked at this in 2010)

5) Post about my fitness and health goals at least once a month

6) Post about favorite movies and shows at least once a month

7) Read more books on my Kindle and buy most of my books for my Kindle(running out of room for books in my house)

I really want to make my blog a little more diverse than it has been in the past. I turn 40 this year, and I want to post about the changes and choices going on in my life as I turn 40.

Back on Track

So I saw the PA at my orthopedic surgeon's office today and can now go back to wearing regular shoes. I was told I had to hold off until next Monday to start running again, so just a few more days until I can get back on track fitness-wise. I have to start back slowly, but I am so ready to get back to running my intervals. I plan on starting back with 2-2 intervals(run 2 minutes, walk 2 minutes) for the first few weeks, and work back up to my 3-1 or 4-1 intervals. My goal for now is to get back to running my 6-mile or 8-mile runs for my longer runs, and get back to my 4-mile runs for a good short distance. Will have to settle for 1-3 miles until I get back into the the shape I was in 4 weeks ago. Not sure I'm ready to start training for a 1/2 marathon at this time, but I might start over my training for another 5K or 10K.

I will also start getting back on track health-wise this week too. My goal is to go back on my low-carb diet until I go home for Christmas. My dad always makes homemade pizza for dinner on Christmas Eve and we have a big family dinner on Christmas night. I don't want to go crazy on those few days at home, but I do want to enjoy those holiday-only foods. Once I head back home, I plan on getting right back to the low-carb diet. I feel healthier when I have fewer carbs in my diet and eat lots of green veggies and lean proteins. I also have fewer stomach issues when I stick to a lower carb diet. I'm also hoping by going back to my lower-carb diet I'll lose some of the weight I've put back on and can hopefully be able to stop taking my blood pressure medicine soon.

I have been very lazy lately with my diet, but I know I can get everything back under control.

To run or not to run...

So I finally went to the doctor the first week in November about my foot. I had continued to have trouble with my right foot since running in Percy Warner Park several weeks ago. So I couldn't get in to see my actual orthopedic surgeon, but was able to see his PA, who shares all x-rays with my doctor. I had multiple x-rays done on my right foot and Dana, the PA, told me I had lots of fluid surrounding all the bones in my foot. He said that was a sign of a stress fracture and told me I couldn't run for 4-6 weeks. I do get to see him after only 4 weeks, and I'm hoping I'm released to run again at that point. I haven't stopped exercising, but really miss my weekly runs. I've done the elliptical machine and even gone on a long walk with my brother(took off my surgical boot and wore my running shoes), but neither make me feel as great as running.

Yesterday was supposed to be my first 1/2 marathon ever. I hate that I missed out on this one, but know there is another one out there for me. I also have fallen off the eating healthy wagon I was on through my friend's program. I'm so ready to get back on track with my healthy eating and my exercise. Seems that once I couldn't run, I suddenly fell back into my old bad habits. I know this must stop and I have to get back on track.

Reading Update & Running Update

I've been really horrible about posting updates on my reading in the last month or so. I've been reading quite a bit lately, but feel that I'm so far behind in doing individual post that I'll never catch up. So I'm going to do a post about all the books I've read in the past 6 weeks in one post.

First up is Can't Stand the Heat by Louisa Edwards. I absolutely loved this book. Louisa Edwards writes smart, funny, strong and sexy characters. I loved watching Adam and Miranda fall for one another. I already have her next two books in my TBR pile and can't wait to read them.

Next up is Fairy Tales Come True by Silver James. It was a sweet short story about two people finding one another again at their 25-year class reunion. Derek, know known as Deke, actually had a crush on Alexandra, or Dorothy as she was known in high school, when they were younger. I'm a big fan of Silver's and can't wait for her next book to be released.

Crimson Moon by JA Saare was a fun and sexy paranormal story. I found Jaime's books through many of my blogger and twitter friends and I'm so glad I listened. Crimson Moon is another winner in my book. Emma is a really strong character and I loved both Caleb and Trent. I must admit as much as I love Caleb, I'm a little bit more in love with Trent.

Crave by JR Ward is the second book in her Fallen Angel series. I'm a huge JR Ward fan, and was a little hesitant to read Crave, since I didn't love Covet, the first book in the series. However, I absolutely loved Crave and now am really excited to read more books in this series. Envy is the title of the third book and will be released in October 2011.

The Princess's Bride was another super sexy f/f story by KT Grant. I'm a huge fan of KT Grant and try to read everything she publishes. She once again delivers with this sexy pirate story. I loved watching Daisy come into her own with her sexy lover Chelsey.

Double Cross is the second book in the Disillusionist Trilogy by Carolyn Crane. This is such a great series. I love Justine and her other disillusionist friends. Her attraction to both Otto and Packard keeps the readers guessing. I've always thought Packard was the better man and my feeling still haven't changed after reading Double Cross. I look forward to reading the final book in this trilogy next year.

Another book many of my blogger and twitter friends have told me about is Unholy Ghosts by Stacia Kane. Unholy Ghosts is the first book in the Chess Putnam series. Now, I'd heard everyone talking about how much they had "Terrible Fever" from reading this book and I have to say, I too caught "Terrible Fever". I already have the next two books in this series and can't wait to get more time with Terrible.

The final book in this update is No Mercy by Sherrilyn Kenyon. It is the latest in the Dark-Hunter/Were-Hunter series. I absolutely love this series and really loved reading Dev and Samia's story. I actually borrowed it from the library so I could read it sooner, since I have to wait to get it in paperback. I've always loved Dev Peltier and think he and Sam are a perfect match to one another.

Hope to not get so behind that I have to post about 8 books in one post again. Part of the reason I'm so behind is due to all my running. I've been training for my first 1/2 marathon since September. I've now run two 5k races and one 10k race. The 1/2 marathon seemed to be the perfect next race to complete. However, I injured my foot a couple of weeks ago and don't think I'll be able to actually compete in my first 1/2 marathon in November. Luckily there are 1/2 marathons in the area almost every month of the year. So tomorrow I'll give my orthopedic surgeon a call and see if I can get in for x-rays to make sure there is nothing seriously wrong with my foot. I'm still good with short runs, but am not able to make it more than 8 miles without having a problem. I'll post more once I talk to my doctor and hopefully I can start training for my first 1/2 marathon again soon.

Half Marathon Training Update

So when I started running back in April, my only goal was to finish a 5k. Once I did my first 5k, I decided I wanted to see if I could do a 10k. Well, I did my 1st 10k in September, and thought what the heck, I want to try a half marathon. So I signed up for a half marathon training group and started my training in September. I've now had long runs of both 8 miles and 10 miles. I absolutely love an 8 mile run. You burn lots of calories and still feel really good when you finish. I loved the first 9 miles of my 10 mile run. After that point, the run turned into a bitch with teeth. Part of the problem was I hurt my right foot last week on the 6 mile run through Percy Warner Park. It pretty much is 3-5 miles mostly uphill, with the final mile being almost all downhill. No matter how I tried to control my speed, I ended up running downhill too fast and did something to my right foot. In my run yesterday, about mile 9 or so my foot started hurting to the point that I actually had to walk about 1/2 of the final mile.

Now I'm trying to figure out if my foot will heal enough for me to actually run my half marathon in 3 weeks. We do a 12 mile run on Saturday, and depending on how the run goes depends on if I register for the race. Luckily, the race I'm looking at doesn't sell out and you can register for it up the the morning of the race. I'm limping along today and will do a couple of short runs this week before the long 12 mile run on Saturday.

Behind once again...

So, once again I've gotten behind in my blogging. I have 2 reviews to post this weekend(so know it won't happen before tomorrow night), a 3 mile run tonight and a 6 mile run on Saturday. The run Saturday is followed by a baby shower and dinner out with friends. I'm so ready for our Girls Night Out on Saturday night. I also have to find time to watch about 8 shows on my DVR and cheer on my Titans against the Giants on Sunday. I really need a nap just typing up my list of things to do this weekend, which doesn't even include the grocery store, laundry, and hopefully some time to read. I haven't really had much time to read since Sunday and I have to say I really miss it. Might skip dinner out after my run tonight so I'll have time to read.

My diet did take a bit of a hit over while I was home for my aunt's funeral. Must be a law somewhere in the South that states fried chicken and pound cakes are brought in mass quantities. Have to say the fresh apple pound cake was about the best cake I've ever put in my mouth. Yes, I am having to really watch what I eat now, but I'm still glad I ate a piece of cake when I was at my grandmother's house. At least I got in a 3 mile run on Monday and a 2 mile run last night to help with the calorie hit. Will have to continue to watch my carb intake until the final weigh in and measurements. Need to find out if that is happening this week or next.

Fabulous run to sad Sunday

Yesterday morning I had my first 8 mile run for my 1/2 marathon training. I had never run 8 miles in my entire life and I have to admit I was a little scared to try. I woke up yesterday with the temps in the low 60's, which is perfect for a run. I tend to run about a 12 minute mile, so I knew it would take me at least 90 minutes to run the 8 miles. I actually finished in 1 hour and 43 minutes, and felt AMAZING when I was finished. I know getting my first 8 mile run in was a little bit psychological, and I'm glad the first one is behind me. I totally felt great the entire run! When I hit about mile 5, I knew I totally had at least 3 more miles in me. I only have a couple of short 3 mile runs on my schedule for this week's training, and I can't wait for my next run.

Also in the last week of my fitness challenge. I've lost 10 pounds so far over the first 4 weeks, and don't think that will change any for this week. However, I've really noticed the change in my body more than any actual weight loss. Most of my dress pants for work are now too big and I really need to buy a couple pairs of running shorts in a smaller size again. Still being very careful with my carb intake, but know the next few days will be a bit of a struggle.

My great aunt Jane passed away this morning. She had been in the nursing home suffering from Alzheimer's and lost her fight today. I know she is in a much better place now, but that doesn't make me miss her any less. She was such a wonderful and special lady. When I was growing up, my sister, cousin and I would go spend a week every summer with Jane. She totally spoiled us rotten the entire week. We got to spend time at her apartment pool, go to any movie we wanted to see, pick out all the food for the week at the grocery store, and usually make at least one trip to the Space Center in Huntsville. Jane worked there for years and it was one of my favorite place to visit when we were at her house. After I moved to Nashville, I would go down and visit Jane on the weekends. We would visit with many of her friends and go to movies and the Space Center, much like we had when I was a kid. I'm so glad I have all these special memories of Jane.

Latest Fitness and Training Update

So I started a fitness challenge called “6 Weeks to Your Skinny Jeans” 4 weeks ago. In the first 3 weeks, we pretty much stuck to a low carb Atkins-type diet. In week 4 we were able to bring certain fruits and whole grains back into our diet, and we get to keep those items in for the final 2 weeks of the challenge. The biggest things I’ve had to give up are baked chips, the occasional light beer, candy, and most of the snacks I kept at work. I have to say that after the first few days, I’ve done pretty well without the crap I was eating before. My lunches would usually be a frozen Lean Cuisine or Smart Ones meal. Sure it is really cheap to eat those meals for lunch each day (about $2.00 per day), but I was having all sorts of stomach issues and nothing I was taking was making it better. Imagine my surprise when I switched over to eating no frozen meals and all fresh food, my stomach issues almost completely went away. I still have some problems, but nothing like I was having before I changed my diet. I’ve also been on Weight Watchers since mid-August of last year. In that time, I lost a good bit of weight. In the last 4 weeks, I’ve lost 10 pounds. That’s right 10 POUNDS!!! Granted I’m probably eating fewer calories and I know I’m exercising more, but I haven’t lost weight like that since right after I joined Weight Watchers. I actually canceled my Weight Watchers membership this week and plan on continuing calorie counting and fat gram counting until I reach my actual goal weight. I'm still really limiting myself to the number of fruits and whole grains I'm eating each day, but don't feel like I'm cheating anymore if I want fruit or a whole wheat bagel thin.

I’m so happy with my progress to date. I went shopping yesterday to find a couple of pair of dress pants for work and a pair of jeans. None of my jeans have fit for a while, but it hasn’t been cool enough to worry about it until just recently. I went to the Goodwill store in Franklin. It seems crazy to go to the mall to buy clothes at every size, so I’ve tried to save a little money by going to Goodwill until I hit my goal weight. I’m also bagging up clothes as I go along and donating them to Goodwill. I never really know what size to look for, since the majority of the clothes have been worn and you never know if they have maintained their original size. However, I found a pair of jeans that still had the store tags on them and they were at least 1 size down from the ones I wore last year. Bigger bonus, they were from a regular clothing store, not the women’s stores I was shopping in last year. No, I’m not in my skinny jeans yet, but I’m at least one size closer to being in the size I want. I also found 2 pairs of really great dress pants for work, which were also down a size from ones I bought about 2 weeks ago. No more clown pants at work…I know my co-workers will be happy.

Part of the weight loss progress can be attributed to the amount of jogging I’m doing each week. I started training for my first half marathon on Saturday. Last week, I managed to jog 15 miles total for the week. That is the most I’ve run in a week ever! I jogged 6 miles on Saturday. All half marathon trainees were given the choice to run either 4 or 6 miles. I chose to run the 6 miles because I might run in the Nashville half marathon in November rather than the half marathon I was originally looking at. That race is 3 weeks earlier, so I need to make sure I’m ready to jog/walk 13.1 miles by November 20. I actually kept a pretty good pace the entire run and jogged with one person the entire run. I didn’t run 1 whole mile without stopping, but was very happy with my time. I know I can complete a half marathon, and also know I won’t set any records when I do it. I’m just excited to work towards this goal. At this time, I’m hoping to run 1 half marathon before the end of the year and then run the Country Music Half Marathon in April. That would give me 2 half marathons run before I turn 40 and would make me very happy.