It's already Thursday?!

I can not believe it is already Thursday night, practically Friday already! Where did the week go?! I have been really busy getting lots of business stuff done, we've got a lot of great ideas that we will soon be starting to work. We've been doing a lot of research and brain storming and so I am really excited for that.

I had a soccer game on Tuesday night - it was not too bad a game for me. I was feeling very discouraged after the game before. It was the first place team, much younger girls that were very fast, and I had no hope in keeping up. I felt quite down and upset at myself. Thankfully I did not take this out in eating, instead I got right back in there and didn't do too badly against this last team. Although yesterday and today I was quite sore and was having a bit of trouble walking/moving first thing in the morning.

Today we were going to do a photo session with Rylee to get some new pictures of her in some SUPER cute outfits I have. It was raining when I woke up so we post-poned to tomorrow morning. Instead of going back to bed I went to the gym to do a cardio session to get my legs loosened up. Following the cardio session I did a good stretch - it felt amazing to start the day off with a workout and a shower before getting going.

Tomorrow we are going to do the photo session (and get a family picture as well). Hopefully I can sneak some on my phone to give you a peak before the real ones are ready. After that I am heading to the states with my dad - last week I had to pay to get a new fan put in my lap top because it was over heating. Not even 12 hours after getting it back, it got dropped and the screen smashed *cough*husband*cough*. It truly was an accident, so it's not really a big deal, but I ordered a new screen and that has come in. Hopefully soon I can have my lap top back so that I can give my parents their little pee-wee back ;).

Anyways I have a long day ahead of me and a long weekend too so I am going to head to bed, even though there are a million other things I could and should be doing, I also need some sleep.

Night!

NSV's

Good afternoon everyone!

I hope everyone is having a good, productive Wednesday so far. Last night I had my soccer game (we lost) but afterwards I still had a few points left over. I was thinking I wanted a donut with my left over points but then I got thinking about an ice cold fuel and that won.

When I got home I put my fuel into a glass with ice, had an apple with peanut butter and was quite pleased with my choice of snack.

Since starting weight watchers again after Rylee was born I have been really focusing on making small changes that I am able to do forever. Because let's face it - this is a life long journey I am on and I need to be able to maintain my weight loss. Which is why when I found Nutrie I was SO excited to get started because that is their slogan - one small change - and their products are so simple and tasty because they believe that ingredients matter!

The program is SO simple to follow and I do it along side my weight watchers (since again they promote the same idea of small changes for a healthier lifestyle). Automatic body even has an app that sends me reminders of when to do things. It gives me one new small change a week and sends me little text message reminders when to drink my fuel, and a glass of water, and each little change that it makes. It has actually become very routine now - so much so that I have been carrying a water bottle with me when I go out of the house now, which is something I never used to do before.

So I mentioned a bit yesterday that I have been having a lot of NSV's (non-scale-victories). I am really really proud of how I have been able to do things - like throw out a pan of dessert that I didn't care for so that I wouldn't eat it anyways - that I haven't been able to do before. Now, I am not perfect, I still have slip ups, but the difference is I am getting back on the wagon right away and making up for it.

Tonight I plan on getting to the gym for a cardio workout once Sean gets home from work, then I am going to take a nap because I am going to be picking up my dad from the Toronto airport at 1:30 am. It's going to be a very long night and tomorrow will be long as well since Sean is on days so I'll be home all day with the babe.

Some times I wish I liked coffee - but at least I have my energe drink!

I workout...

Who doesn’t love the song by LMFAO “I’m Sexy and I know it”??? Such a good song that just makes you want to…ummm…wiggle?!

I have played soccer for many years now. I have been an assistant coach, a head coach, but more than anything a player. I did stop for a few years near the end of highschool because I was working at camp and there would have been no way I could make it to practices/games. Plus that was when I was my heaviest as well and moving a 274 pound body around a field is not easy.

When I started losing weight with weight watchers I joined back up with soccer and couldn’t get enough of it. I was playing at least two games a week and practicing when I could. I am no super star but I’m not awful. Since most of my younger years in soccer was playing goalie my footwork needs some help, but for the most part I do alright.

Two summers ago I switched clubs that I play with and have been with them ever since. I did change teams due to time commitment and personal reasons. Last year I had a blast with our team – and we did alright. We travel to places around London and overall had a great time. I am going to be going back again this year to the same team. I did want to move up a level this year, but with my time commitments it’s just not possible.

As I was losing weight I spent a lot of time at the gym. Now before I continue I want to add that I truly believe that you do not need a gym membership to lose weight. Get creative and find ways to move and you don’t need to spend the money for the membership. Sign up for classes in your spectrum (often costing a great deal less than the gym).

BUT for some people, the gym is great. I happen to be one of those people. Although I have not been as much as I should lately, I really do enjoy the gym. I used to hate the fact that the gym had mirrors everywhere, forcing myself to see what I didn’t want to see. Now when I am there I spend most of my time starring in the mirror! Checking my form, of course.

I don’t go to the gym that much in the summer because there are so many ways to be active outside, and in the winter it can be hard to stay motivated, so here are a few tips I found to keep me going:

1. My iPod. As you read in my previous post, music is very important to me. I love going to the gym when I have added new songs to my playlist to workout to. This is even great for warm up and cool down – change the pace of the songs and try to match your breathing to them.

2.  Classes. The classes at your gym are a great way to keep yourself motivated and give you new workout ideas. One of my favourite classes is Zumba. Not only do you get a good work out, you have SO much fun doing it! Go at your own pace and don’t care what others around you are doing.

3. Have a workout partner. This is something that I don’t have, but I do know that when I have worked out with people before, time goes by MUCH faster.

4. Don’t be afraid to try new machines. The big thing here though is to make sure that you learn how to use them properly. The staff at your gym should be willing to show you how to use the machine so you don’t get hurt. Most of the machines also come with written instructions and pictures on them. I cringe when I see people using the machines wrong because a) they could get really hurt and b) they are being completely ineffective.

5. Youtube. Youtube is not just for music! There are thousands of videos showing you different workouts/ activities you can do. Don’t know how to do a proper bicep curl? Look it up on youtube. That is why the mirrors are there, so you can check your form and do it right.

6. Personal trainer. I know that personal trainers at the gym are really expensive (at least at my gym), but they usually offer one session for free. Using the session will give you some ideas of workouts you can do. Another thing you can do if you have the money, is to find a PT that is not affiliated with a gym. They usually offer much cheaper rates and you get the same benefit. I had to go to a few different ones before I found the right fit – but I will talk about him more in a minute.

7. Start slow! When I was first starting my gym sessions were like 15 minutes. I did a 5 minute stretch and 10 minute cardio. Then I left. I SLOWLY built up from there. If you are starting any kind of new exercise program, talk to your doctor first. Take baby steps. Your weight did not go on in one night and it sure as heck will not come off in one night!

8. Food/drink. Make sure you drink plenty of water during your workout to stay hydrated. If you are doing a hard workout you can drink h3o to stay hydrated and replace your electrolytes without all of the additives that come in sports drinks. LiftOff, is a great way to give yourself the energy boost you need to help you reach your personal records. Eatting something small before you work out is a good idea to give you energy but be cautious to not eat too much. Your body needs the energy to be working out, not trying to digest your food. *Remember I am NOT a doctor, or dietitian, this is just what I have learned over the past few years of becoming healthy.

So that is a few of my tips for now – I’m sure I’ll have more at another time.

I’ll share a little bit about my trainer. He was training my soccer team once a week when I first met him. This was around the time that I was trying to find a personal trainer and I had some bad experiences. I found out that he also did one on one sessions, so I gave him a call to set up a first session. Ever since then I have been going there.

He does it two different places. If it’s nice (summer), we workout outside at a track, and if it’s crappy (winter) we workout inside. When I did my first session I told him that I couldn’t do push ups – literally, not even one.  So, one of the first things he makes me to…push ups! Way to open my mouth. I had to do 5 – and it took me forever to do them. I figured that when he saw that I couldn’t do them, he wouldn’t make me finish. Mistake number two. You ALWAYS have to finish, no matter what. Not even crying will get you out of finishing something; it just makes him push you harder – which is what he is paid for after all.

So I managed to do 5 extremely pathetic push ups, and we moved on with the rest of the workout. A lot of the things that we work on are quick feet and our starts. So for example – when you go to sprint in soccer, how fast you can get going. Since I have been working with him, my coaches have commented how much they notice a difference.

I do complain a lot during our sessions, which are often held in small groups, but I always feel better after the workout (even if my legs are quivering so much I can barely walk/drive). I try hard not to mention drills that I really hate because then we just do them even more. I secretly think he finds joy in making us hurt. But seriously, he pushes us all really hard, he knows when we can give more, and even when we can’t he still pushes us. He cares about each one of us and how we are doing/progressing. It would be really easy for him to just show up, run the session, and leave having no contact in between sessions, nothing – but he’s not like that. Anytime you have a question he answers it, if you’re struggling, he’s there to tell you to smarten up.

 And he’s tough, very tough, but would you want your trainer any other way?

My amazing sister

Sorry I haven’t written over the past few days. A few times I sat down to write, but just didn’t really have much interesting to say.

Monday night – I wasn’t feeling very well and ended up going to bed fairly early.

Tuesday night – Kelsey came over and we scrapbooked (I started working on my Alberta/BC book from our trip in September).

Wednesday night – I went to dinner with my parents and then to a jewelry party with my mom. We ate some goodies and I got to see some people that I have not seen in a while. We had a good time and shared some laughs. I also got to see the horses – well see isn’t exactly the right word since it was pitch black, but I did get to pet them! I miss horse back riding so much – but there are very few places that offer it anymore, and it’s so expensive! And for that money all you get to do is walk a trail – which is fine but I want to trot and run with them, not just walk a trail for an hour.

Today I am going to share a little bit about my sister – Tara. Tara is 21 years old. Exactly 2 years 6 months and 6 days younger than I am. That is the equivalent to: 920 days, or 79,488,000 seconds, or 1,324,800 minutes or 22,080 hours or 131 weeks (rounded down). *Note I used a website to figure this out, I did not do all of that math.

Anyways,  back to Tara. It’s a true story that I still remember the day she was born (even though I was only 2 ½ years old). Okay well I remember one part of it. I remember going to see her at the hospital where she was born. I was standing at the fence and looked at the hospital as I was told that my brand new little sister was in that building – it was from that moment that I hated her. Okay well maybe hate is a strong word – and keep reading because the story gets better.

I was am an attention hog. I like to be in the spot light and clearly life is all about me all the time. For those of you who really know me, know that is not far from the truth. So here was this little baby that was taking away the attention from me.

Let it be made known that my sister did not have an easy time growing up with me being older. I was bossy and controlling and I was ALWAYS right. I knew the way things should be done and if she wasn’t doing them right she knew about it (and so did my parents). Saying I was a tattle tale is an under estimate. I started babysitting Tara for short periods of time when I was fairly young (10-11 years old). I would watch her for 20 or 30 minutes here and there and that time grew a bit longer as I got older. I loved having the control and “being the boss”. My parents had to remind me quite often that in fact is was them that was in charge and I was not to be telling her what to do. She was always so quite, you never heard a peep from her, but let’s be honest and just put it out there…I never gave her a chance to talk because I never shut up!

Looking back I feel really bad for my parents and I hope that I never have to go through what they did with us. We fought like cats and dogs growing up. Tara was good in school, and pretty much everything she did. We did have some times where we got along and played well together, but they were few and farther between than the fighting. I have so many stories that keep popping in my head and I don’t know where to start and what to share.

We used to go places with our Nanny and Papa – on long drives and such. To keep our selves entertained we were very silly (and were probably more than they wanted to handle). I remember Tara and I in the back seat just giggling uncontrollably and my Papa saying “I need a screw driver, your giggling pins have come loose!” which of course would only make us giggle more.

I think one of the biggest beefs I had with Tara all growing up (and even still *a little*) was the fact that she “stole” my soccer number. Ever since my first year playing soccer I was ALWAYS number 12 and she was number 6. Then one year she was number 12 and that was not okay with me. Oh was my nose ever out of joint. That was MY number and she TOOK it. Still to this day on her soccer team she is number 12 - and it is both of our favourite number. *Scowl*.

Anyways, as we got older things started to change. We started talking more and hanging out. Now we get along really well, talk often (mostly via text), and try to hang out whenever our schedules allow. She works the same type of job I do, lives in a building owned by the same company as I do, and pretty much tries to be like me in everyway. Okay that was complete sarcasm, but honestly, she is one of my best and closest friends. She understands me like very very few do, she is ALWAYS there for me even when I am usually complaining constantly, and is one of the greatest people I know.  Now she is all grown up, living away from home, and engaged to be married next summer. We have a number of running jokes (that others don’t get) and we are usually in hysterics most times we hang out.

And all of those years fighting are long over, I don’t think we’ve had a fight since I was in high school. Even if it sounds like we are fighting we actually aren’t – but again, very few people understand. The bond with a sister is one of the greatest gifts I have been given and everyday I am so thankful that she came into this world and stole part of my thunder.

Until next time...

Dead weight

Even when I was at my goal weight, I felt like a blob in the sense that I didn’t move very gracefully. I feel like I walk like a man, and not very elegantly. I am heavy in my steps and don’t have very good movement.

Why is this coming up you ask? Because the personal trainer I go to (who is great) focuses on sports training. We do a lot of foot work and quick feet, two things that I don’t have. I always dread the part of the session where we have to do foot work through the ladder.  First of all I am trying to focus on what my steps are – because each time we go through it’s something new and my coordination is not great and second trying to stay light on my feet.

I always get so frustrated because I am trying to move quickly, yet I am going so slow.  Plus trying to remember to move my arms at the same time – there is just too much going on!

After my session yesterday I asked him why I was having such a hard time moving and staying light on my feet – and it all depends on the position of your body and how tired your legs are. The more tired your legs are the harder the drills are. WELL THAT EXPLAINS IT! My legs are always sore just from the warm up! Haha. No but for real, I need to work on the position of my body and hopefully I will be able to have quicker feet. I tried it after we were done talking and I was able to move quicker, but I was also in a good mood so that probably had something to do with it as well.

I am also going to try to walk lighter on my feet too – more on the balls of my feet. One reason why I never wear heels (besides how much they hurt my feet) is I always feel clunky and clumsy walking in them. I know I am tall – but I am not that big, I should be able to be somewhat graceful.

I guess I can’t have it both ways – competitive soccer player and graceful female…or can I?

On a different topic I still need to find a new sport/activity to do. Yes I have my soccer and my trainer, but since I gave up running I want to find something new.

I used to go to the Zumba classes at my gym, which I loved, but haven’t been in quite a while. Perhaps what I’ll do is look at the schedule and pick out some gym classes to go to and try something new next week!

Tomorrow is my birthday...stay tuned for a special post!

P.S. I sprayed my clothes with laundry smelling fabreeze this morning (even though they were clean) and now I am getting this GREAT smell every time I move!