Vacation to Orlando

We had a great time in Orlando. It was fun seeing Trav's parents and my friend Amanda. It was a fun filled, packed trip...no rest for the weary. It was hot, hot, hot but we all had a ball. Just wish we had a few more days as it went so, so fast. Here was the itinerary:

June 3rd: Arrived at 2PM, got our rental car, found our hotel and then went swimming with kids and adventured down our 80 ft hotel water slide at least 100 times. Hudson was so brave! You were supposed to be 48 inches to go down, he is 38...but he wanted to so bad and no one said anything. He even went down it backwards a couple times with grandpa Clair.

June 4th: Disney World Magic Kingdom, got there at 8AM stayed till 2:15 went back to hotel for a rest, returned to Disney at 5:15PM and stayed till 11:30. This day was packed! We went thru our two day itinerary in almost one day. We did several rides (Dumbo, Peter Pan, Small World, Winnie the Pooh, Pirates of the Carribean, Alladin Magic Carpet, Splash Mountain, Thunder Mountain Railroad, The Jungle Cruise, Astro Orbiters, Buzz Lightyear and more), we met characters (Pinocchio, Cinderellas evil step mother, donald duck, and goofy just to name a few), saw the afternoon parade, the electrial parade, the new magic and memories light show and the fireworks. I think we walked 5 miles this day and sweat 5 gallons. It was so hot!

June 5th: Return to Magic Kingdom. This time we slept in and didnt get there until 10:15. Went to meet Mickey and Minnie Mouse and the princesses. Cinderella had a little crush on Hudson and he had a little crush on Belle from Beauty and the Beast. Rode a few of our favorite rides and a few that we had missed the first day. Bought some souveniers and got done around 5. It was a much easier day and we were about Disney'd out. Came back to the hotel for more swimming and more water sliding! Enjoyed a bucket of crab at Joe's Crab Shack.

June 6th: Went to eat lunch at this crazy Dinosaur restaurant in Downtown Disney and visited the Lego store. The sculptures were amazing! Me and the girls hit Macy's and I bought a new outfit. Felt great to slide on a pair of 12 capris and a large shirt. I could of bought 10 things but my wallet only allowed for me to buy one outfit but it was fun trying stuff on! Back to the pool for more swimming and sliding and then enjoyed some yummy mexican food at Chevys.

June 7th: Got to Universal Studio's Island Adventure Park bright and early right when it opened. Visited Dr. Suess land and the kids loved it. We got to meet the characters and ride some rides. Off to Harry Potter World. It was amazing, the castle, the stores, rides, etc. Hudson got to ride his first roller coaster called the Flight of Hippogriff. He screamed but loved it and asked to go again. Then off to Jurrasic Park where we saw dinosaurs and go to ride on a ride where we were flying dinosaurs, Hudson loved this one too. We visited toon town for lunch and let the kids play at the play ground while Trav and I got drenched on a water ride. Comic Place was next where we met spiderman, wolverine, cyclopse and rode the Hulk coaster. Hudson loved the storm ride that was like the tea cups. We rode a few more coasters and the kids were out. We wore them out! They loved it though. Another day of walking about 5 miles and sweating 5 gallons.

June 8th: Came home...we needed one more day but it was a good trip.

I definitely didn't eat on plan. We were on vacation but I did try to make better choices with out totally over indulging. We walked a lot and I did do the stairs several times up to the 6th floor. Lots of treading water in the pool, so I do feel like I got some exercise. A little scared to jump on the scale tomorrow but I feel good about the way I am looking and my clothes are still fitting so I am not going to let myself get too down. On the way home I read about the 20 best diets. The number #1 is Weight Watchers. It is what worked for me the best this past year and I am still a member, so I am going back to counting my points every day. We are talking about a possible trip to Idaho for Labor Day and I want to be 20 pounds thinner by the time we get there. That is about 12.5 weeks from now so I have given myself a small cushion but trying to lose about 2 pounds a week. I know I can do it. I am excited that it is now summer and we have lots of fresh veggies and fruit and it just seems easier to exercise in the summer too as you are outside more often and can do more physical activity.

Hard Week

All week I have kind of been down in the dumps ever since taking those pictures. All my friends think I'm crazy and swear there is a big difference but it is still hard for me to see. Gaining those 2 pounds has been hard and I still haven't lost them. I think I am just disappointed because I am going to Florida next week and I am going to see a good friend and my in-laws. I was kind of hoping that their reaction would be "oh my freakin gosh!" and I know that it won't be. I really don't look that different compared to when my in-laws saw me at Thanksgiving. This week I am just working on losing the 2 pounds. Don't get me wrong...I am proud of my accomplishments but I am ready to see the 160s and to never look back. I really just want to be in a normal weight. I have to weigh 145 to just have a BMI that is considered "not overweight". That is a long ways from where I am at.

I am trying not to get discouraged. I just printed off some food log sheets and I am going to be very strict about filling them out. I am going to post them as a picture on the blog every day until I leave for Florida. I am also trying to already come up with a game plan for FL. My friend Amanda is coming and she is staying in a condo with a kitchen. I have offered to pay for the groceries if she will do the labor of making our lunches everyday. I know we will do lots of walking on this trip so the biggest thing to not gaining will be what I eat. I'm sure I will get plenty of exercise each day.

Well...here is to my last week before vacation. Now lets get off those 2 pounds!

One Year

I can't lie...I am not happy with these pictures. Travis swears there is a big difference but I just don't see it. This was about a year ago and 40 pounds ago. I feel like I look almost exactly the same! I tried to mimic the same pose. They are different pants but the same shirt. Just in case you can't tell the pics on left are before, pics on right are after.

I have got to get this figured out. My pants are 2 sizes smaller my shirts are smaller but I just feel like I look the same!!! Diet...Diet...Diet. Why do I love to eat so much? I just love yummy food and it all has so many calories in it. Feeling discouraged right now.

I really didn't want to post these pics but I felt like I had to. Maybe this is just what I needed.

Easy Exercises to do at Home: Part 3

Here are three moves that you can try at home:

1) Combat Pushups

They are not really a pushup because you lay on the floor in between but you lift up and do a knee to chest lift, lay flat, pushup and do a knee to chest lift with the other leg, lay flat, roll over and repeat. Try to do 10 total and to go as fast as you can.

2) 1 Leg lunge w/ dumbbell curls

Put one leg on an elevated surface and then squat lunge while doing dumbbell curls. Switch legs and do the other side. Try to do 15 on each side.

3) Jack Jumps

Do four jumping jacks, then do a squat jump while you do a squat jump with a one quarter turn, then do a squat jump with a half turn. Repeat. Do 5 on each side. (this video is cheesy..sorry. It also made me realize that I need a new sports bra, haha)

Wedding Dress

So last night we were in the basement about to watch a movie and while Trav was popping some popcorn I decided to go in the guest room closet and see if there was a light blanket in there. I am weird like that; I'd rather the house be a little on the cold side and get a blanket than to be too hot.

As I opened the closet door the very first thing that I saw was my wedding dress hanging up. I am not sure what got into me but I just decided to try it on and see how far I had to go. Since it was an a-line dress it slid right on but I have about 1-2 inches that need to be lost before it will zip all the way up. I think another 20 pounds and it should fit like a glove. I'll be sure to try it on and take a pic once it fits again.

I definitely was not skinny at my wedding. I think I weighed around 155. I had just gained about 30 pounds after my freshman year of college and after taking the depo-provera birth control shot for the past couple months. That thing was the devil! I gained weight as soon as I took it. It totally screwed with my head too. I was insecure, moody and cried at everything. I later went back to the doctor and they confirmed that all my hormone levels were totally screwed up and my endocrine system out of control. I quit taking it but I had gained 30 pounds in what literally seemed like 60 days.

I have since read about the effects that this has on some women. While most people only gain about 5 pounds there are several occurrences where women have gained a lot of weight. I also recently read a study that pointed out that women that gained weight from the Depo provera shot had a harder time getting it off. The feminists women's health group in Washington DC state that over 70% of women gain weight while using Depo as their form of birth control. This definitely is not the only reason that I gained all my weight but it DEFINITELY started the snow ball effect.

I can't believe that in July, Travis and I will have been married for 13 years. The funny thing is, Travis almost looks exactly the same as he did in this picture. Maybe I can lose the weight, put on the dress and we can recreate this picture. How funny would that be? I am hoping to be able to fit into that dress soon. I wish I could do it by our anniversary but I know that is unrealistic. I'll be keeping you posted. Maybe I need to put it in a place that I will see more often to remind me of my goal!

Accessories

There are two things that I have really enjoyed having. These are not essentials but definitely can make your life a little easier.

1) Splash Guard for Nalgene Bottle
This little contraption just fits snuggly in your nalgene bottle and it is amazing. I love drinking cold water and this makes it so the ice does not come and splash in your face. It also makes it easier to drink while exercising and running. It makes it so you don't drench yourself. However sometimes I like to drench myself. You can find these at outdoor store like Little River Outfitters, REI and Dicks. They are about $5.

2) Water bottle strap
There are pros and cons to this contraption. I don't like having anything on me while I am running but this isn't bad. It is pretty small and holds your water against your back while you run. It also has a small little pocket where you can put your ipod, phone, a few bucks, chap-stick and car keys. I get very thirsty while exercising so while I don't like having to wear this I do think it is much nicer than carrying your water bottle in hand or not having water at all. I bought this one at Dicks for about $15.

Judgement Day

So for those of you with your heads in the sand...there are a few people that think the rapture is coming tonight. They came up with this based on dates and calculations from a few verses in the Bible. However, I think they are crazy! Anyone that has read the bible and believes it has read Matthew 24:36 "36“However, no one knows the day or hour when these things will happen, not even the angels in heaven or the Son himself.^k Only the Father knows." Trust me if I truly thought that tonight would be my last day on Earth then I would not of woke up and spent the morning getting my butt kicked by my trainer. I would of flew to Hawaii and sipped Pina Coladas and ate donuts today. But, since I don't think the rapture is tonight, I feel like I faced my judgement day with Tammye this morning instead. Trust me, you don't want to face her wrath! Sometimes I think she gets joy out of watching the looks of pain on my face that I give her after she says what we are going to do next. Really??

We started out with a 1.2 mile run; the entire thing is practically up hill. It kills me, as I always feel like the first mile is the hardest anyway. When we reach our destination it is a big set of 120 stairs. We do the first time up them just regular as you would climb any stairs, the second time we do doubles (skipping every other step), the third time we go up sideways leading with our right and the 4th time we go up leading with our left. Today I did it 8 times, so 960 stairs! This is a lot of stairs. Typically there are about 16 stairs in a flight, so this is equivalent to climbing 60 stories. Did you hear what I just said? 60 STORIES! This is like climbing half way up the empire state building. After we finished the grueling stairs then we run back to the gym. I will admit that it is easier since now it is more downhill.

I have been trying to work on my form when running. I spend a lot of energy bouncing up and down trying to run slow. My trainer has been encouraging to pull my shoulders back, put my head up and stay lower to the ground taking longer strides. It is hard but I am working on it. I do see why I get tired so quickly though. I take twice as many steps to go the same distance and waste too much time bouncing.

Once we get back to the gym we did a strength circuit that lasted about 45 minutes. A couple of the moves we did today were kind of hard for me and I didn't feel like my form was perfect so I asked my friend Kelly if I could take her picture for my blog. They are below. We also did some modified exercises of some of the moves I showed in my earlier exercises posts. Today we did star cruches but held a dumbbell. I will try to post some modifications.

It was a great workout. Feels good to accomplish something first thing on a Saturday morning.

I am glad that I don't have to fear the real judgement day and the best part about it is that if that day ever comes then I will have my perfect, healthy body! Till then I guess I will just have to keep trying to improve what I have. Happy Judgement Day!

Tricep hover

(This is kind of a combo between a plank and a push-up but you place hands a little closer together and further back, hold 10-30 seconds. For more of a challenge try to lift your leg, alternating)

Elevated Plank with Hydrant

(With feet elevated get in plank position, make sure to keep your butt down parallel to the ground. Then pull your knee in to your chest and then out in a hydrant position, then switch legs. Do this 10x on each side)