Day 13

Finals hit about day 12 or so, and I had a ton of stress going on, so instead of working out to help relieve the stress, I stared at the grades pending area of my school stuff, willing grades to be posted, and relaxed by reading two books that had nothing to do with school. It was a great mini-vacation before the summer semester started, and then we went to Turkey Run this past Sunday. In my 28 years of living here, I had never been to Turkey Run (that's right - a born and bred Hoosier that had never been to that state park), so I had no idea what was in store for me. I let my Eagle Scout husband take the lead, and he chose the hard course - 140 steps that trek over .7 miles, leading to what is known as the 'Ice Box', as the temps plummet in this little cavern, past Wedge Rock and Rocky Hollow into the Punch Bowl, which contains a small pool and a waterfall (and felt very good to stand in), then back over the suspension bridge and home. It was longer than .7 miles, as the 140 steps part is just .7 miles, and we slept great that night. It also made me realize just how out of shape I was, as I huffed and puffed all the way up and down those stairs, and my legs killed the next day, but it was so worth it. Tuesday I started my internship at the historical association, and got a tour of all 4 floors of the Fowler House, and the Genealogy center where I will be working - that's right, more stairs with sore legs, and I took all those steps in 2 inch heels. Ow. Finished out the week and decided no more! I shall not huff and puff like a chain smoker when taking stairs, and I have chosen the lifestyle of an outdoorsy hiker, as Zach LOVES the outdoors, so if I'm gonna do this, I'm gonna do it right! 

I got up this morning and donned my workout gear, then started out on a walk. I planned to go for 2 miles, but I ran out of steam at 1.8 miles - close enough for starters. Came home and drank some water, took a slight rest, and did circuits one and two of the Jillian Michaels "Frontside for Beginners" DVD. There are 6 total, so I figure I'll do two a day til I get all the way through. I also have Jillian's "Backside for Beginners", as well as her "No More Trouble Zones" and several pilates and yoga DVDs - I figure I'll swap them out after a 1.5-2 mile walk each day. My cousin is getting married in Florida in February - I'll be damned if I don't look good enough to sit a bit on the beach in my bikini!

Also new in the world of me, thanks to Lauren, I am becoming a fitness coach! This should be interesting, but I hope it'll also be the nudge I need to help me stay on track. Plus, I'm using MapMyWalk for the walks I take each day, and an app I found today called EveryMove. When I workout, I gain points for each exercise, and those points can be spent on retail, charity, etc. I decided my points will go toward the Make A Wish Foundation, so for every 500 points I get, the foundation gets $1 (kind of a cheap trade off, I think, but every little bit helps. 

I'm also going to borrow from Walt Disney for my new motto (which fits, since I'm such a Disney buff): Keep Moving Forward. So, to those of you who read this thing and may be having a bad day remember, if you work out today, you're lapping everyone on the couch! Keep moving forward!

Days 10, 11, & 12

Tuesday - Went to work from 4:30-8 and loaded and unloaded a couple carts filled with books, lifting them above the waist onto the conveyor belt, then sorted like a crazy person onto the shelves. Thanks to trying to get my paper written for 650, I didn't get to the actual workout, but I'm still claiming a workout with all the lifting. 

Wednesday - Spent the afternoon finishing the paper, then went to work from 5-8 and sorted some more. Thanks to stress, instead of working out, I came home and had popcorn and wine for dinner, then fell into bed. I'm claiming this as an off day, and I'll work out on Saturday instead.

Thursday - Thank God for days off. I didn't attempt my usual workout, instead I decided to tackle the yard before it got too hot. In the area next to the driveway, the old owner planted copious amounts of ferns, which I detest, so I spent the better part of the morning digging up those stupid plants, along with many thistles, and transplanted some of the tulips that were trying to grow among the ferns. Below are the before and after shots for those that care. 

Before

After

Then mom called and informed me she was home from work, so I could come dig up and transplant the bleeding heart bush from her yard to ours. There's also some coleus waiting for me, but it's going where the ferns currently are, and since I'm too worn out to finish today (and I ran out of space in the garbage can), I'll have to go get it another time, as I don't want it to sit in a pot and die while waiting for planting. I do, however, need to go clean up my mess. There's also bowling later tonight, so not only did I get a workout in gardening, I'll be getting a workout then, too. 

Day 9

I haven't yet done my "official" workout for today yet, BUT I did so much lifting at work, then power walked Meijer afterwards to get a few things for dinner, and I am WIPED. I did have to add bananas to my list, as my calves have been a bit tight after stretching. We'll see how I feel after dinner, but considering my back is sore, and I lifted several bags/boxes of heavy books - and blew out the knee of my jeans in the process - I'm seriously considering calling it a day. 

Motivational picture for today: 

I have several of these revolving as my background, so no excuses!

Days 7 & 8

Day 7 - Mom and I walked the mall yesterday. I think I've finally gotten her to the point where she wants to start exercising. She bought one of those huge balls at Dick's, mainly because the person at her chiropractor that helps her with workouts to keep her back and hips in decent shape has her doing squats with one. When her tush hits the ball, she knows it's time to stand back up. Anyway, we walked everywhere around that mall, even bought a few clothes - I got a few dresses, and they're very clingy, so as I keep up with this workout stuff, they'll fit all the right curves and I can show off how my hard work has turned out. This shall be awesome!

Day 8 - For the first day, I got up and actually wanted to exercise. I'm hoping this trend continues, as otherwise I have to force myself to exercise. I think the dresses from yesterday, and the fact that I can feel hard muscle under my stomach flab is what is my motivator. Zach has been helping as well, which is awesome. I'm not comfortable enough to workout with him yet, but just knowing he's cheering me on from the other room helps. I may model the dresses for him later. 

I did two sets of each rep today, and we're supposed to go walk around the Jeff antique show later, so I'll try to remember to take my pedometer with me. What I really need to do is buy a new one - I'm not entirely sure I trust the one I have, as I've had it for years. 

I also have another system to keep myself accountable, and it only cost me $3. I have old flower vases lying around with nothing to put them in, so I dragged two out and bought a 2 pound package of glass beads (champagne in color so I can use them for decor stuff later). One jar is filled with all the beads, the other jar gets a bead each day I work out. I don't get anything in the end - the beads don't transfer to some form of money - just the satisfaction of being able to put a bead in the emptier jar. As of today, I'm up to 8 beads, and it feels AWESOME.

Day 6

Yesterday was spent at work, moving boxes to another area of the basement, sorting books onto their appropriate shelves, pushing heavy carts and doing heavy lifting. Although I didn't do my squats, push ups, sit ups, etc., I still managed to get a workout in. And then we went bowling...
3 games of bowling, and at about the 3rd game, I found myself getting bored. Yes, it was a good workout, yes, I broke 100 each time, even getting into the 150's one game, but still. I think it was the fact that I was getting tired and just wanted to sit and talk with our friends at the table.