Pushing 50 Update: 03/22/2012

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If you read my last post "Pushing 50 is the Only Exercise I Get," then you know I am on a one year mission to get into shape before that dreaded birthday arrives.  I don't wanna be Fat and Frumpy 50, but rather Fit and Fabulous 50.  It's been a week, and I'm not there yet, can you believe it?  LOL  Nope, I have a long road ahead of me.  I've found myself wondering if a year is even enough time.  I need a LOT of work.



It didn't start out too well.  Actually I didn't start out to well.  Literally.  The very next day after I posted my ambitions to get it together, I came down with a nasty bug.  So much for exercising, organizing, and eating right. The bug had me down pretty much all weekend.  I really didn't even think about my new goals until yesterday.  I did get a hold of my hairstylist niece, and I'm hoping to get my hair cut Monday.  If I do, I'll probably get around to coloring it some time next week. 



I don't think I've taken any of my supplements all week.  Maybe once.  Not yet today.  I am going to have to add that to my "things to do" before I allow myself on facebook list.  


My laptop is broken, so I haven't researched any natural cures for asthma.  I'll get to it...


I did get an under the bed shoe organizer for like $3.75, and organized all my shoes!  Woohoo!  I have a tiny room and nowhere to put them but under my bed.  It's always been a challenge to crawl under it and find two to match.  Now I can!  I also cleaned out a box of papers that had taken on a life of its own.  It is now my "stationary" box, which is what it was supposed to be all along.  


I can't say I've done anything really fun with the kids.  Too much sickness around here.  (I wasn't the only one with a bug.)  Perhaps today I'll get outside with them for a bit. 


Yesterday I really did try to keep my food portions small.  I promise.  :)


I still haven't missed a day of Bible reading.  


Now for the big news.  I WENT TO THE GYM TODAY!!!  Yes, my dear friend Barb came and picked me up at 9:00 a.m., and off we went.  I only did 15 minutes on the treadmill, which was enough to make me feel light-headed and my legs feel wobbly.  But I did it.  I did it. I did it. I did it!!!

Become a Loser and win a Prize!!! LOL

This contest is now closed.  Congrats to Debra!!!

 

OK, friends, I have pledged to lose ten pounds, and I am helping to feed the hungry in the process!  No, I'm not going to give away my leftovers; I'm participating in the Pound for Pound challenge!!!  I hope you'll join me!!!  Here's some info from the folks who are sponsoring this effort:

The Kroger Co. Family of Stores, General Mills, NBC's hit TV Show "The Biggest Loser" and other key sponsors are partnering to donate up to $1,080,000 to Feeding America this year.


Here´s how you can help:

Visit http://www.pfpchallenge.com/Kroger to make your pledge to lose weight and to get more information and to find tools to change your life for the better. It is free, easy and only takes a minute to make a change that can help you and help the hungry in your local community.

Through June 30, 2010, for every pound you pledge to lose, the Pound For Pound Challenge will donate 14¢ to Feeding America® - enough to deliver one pound of groceries to a local food bank.

As the official supplier of the Biggest Loser Ranch and partner of the Pound for Pound Challenge, the Kroger Family of Stores wants to help you achieve your goals. If you´re a fan of the Biggest Loser, you may have seen several great General Mills products featured on the show. These products, including Yoplait Greek yogurt, Total, and Multigrain Cheerios, are available at your local Kroger Family of Stores and can help you stick to your weight management plan.

So are you into it?  I hope so!  I know some of you are already the perfect weight, but it' a rare person that doesn't need to lost a pound or two. 

Now for the contest!  Would you like a $30 Kroger* card so you can buy some of the products that are featured on Biggest Loser?  Just leave me a comment telling me whether or not you have joined the challenge.  You don't have to tell me how many pounds you pledge to lose if you don't want to. :)   I'll accept comments until Sunday, June 13, 2010 at 11:59 PM.  Anyone can enter who is at least 18 years old and is not in my immediate family.  Of course, you'll want to be in an area where there is a store where you can use the card!  LOL  You must leave me an e-mail address or some other way for me to contact you if you win!!!

I'll also let you get an extra entry for following me on Twitter, Facebook, or as a Google Connect friend.  If you subscribe via Feedburner, I'll give you THREE extra entries.  You must leave a seperate comment for EACH of these additional entries. 

~ The Kroger Family of Stores gift card, information, and giveaway were all provided by the Kroger Family of Stores and General Mills through MyBlogSpark.

*The Kroger Family of Stores includes Kroger, Fred Meyer, Ralph´s, King Soopers, City Market, Dillon's, Smith´s, Fry´s, QFC, Baker´s, Owen´s, Jay C Food Stores, Hilander, Gerbes, Food4Less, Pay Less Super Markets and Scott´s Food & Pharmacy.
 
Good luck!!!  :)

Fit Mommy Friday ~ March 5, 2010 ~ More Sly Moves

Well, the whole Rocky thing works for me, so I'm sticking to it.  If you didn't read my post last week, I got the idea to exercise to the theme from Rocky because you can hardly listen to it without feeling some sort of compulsion to work out. 

So Wednesday and Thursday of this week, I put in fifteen minutes of exercise.  Yes, that is fifteen minutes EACH day, or thirty minutes total.  I know, I know, I still have to do another day.  (Though, to be technical, I only promised three days for ten minutes, for a total of thirty minutes, which I've done.)  The plan is to do it some time today, though it might be difficult as we have to go to my in-laws' for a birthday party tonight.

****
Okay, I'm back from the party.  It's after 11:00 PM and I have not exercised, though I did have cake and ice cream!  LOL  I will try to remember to at least do some stretches and crunches before I got to bed.  Not aerobic stuff.  Don't want to get all energized before going to be.  (Like that ever happens!)

Anyway, I am very happy to report that doing 15 minutes actually seemed a bit easier than when I was only doing ten.  I must be doing a little better.  It's going to be a long, long road, but I am determined to walk down it.  I'll be turning 47 soon, and while I'm not exactly a spring chicken, I am not so old that I should be feeling the way I do.  I'll never be a physical trainer, but that doesn't mean I can't feel better than I do now.  The fam needs me!  :)

Are you ready to join in and become a Fit Mommy? Do you wonder how the rest of the girls are doing?  Then come on over to Chai Mommy's blog and read all about it! 

Yummy! Yummy! Yummy! Fiber One Bars and Another Contest!!!

Now, if you know me, you already know that I just LOVE Fiber One bars.  Way back when I first started my blog over at homeschool blogger I posted about my three favorite products.  One was Mr. Clean Magic Eraser, one was Cover Girl Outlast liptick, and one was Fiber One bars!

Now they've gotten even better!  The chocolate bars I was sent courtesy of Fiber One  and MyBlogSpark had a delicious layer of chocolate on the bottom.  And, they are portioned to be only 90 calories per bar!  I love that because I find they are more filling than a candy bar, but have less calories.  Can't beat that!  Plus, of course, they have the fiber!  :)

I was thrilled because when they sent me my box of Fiber One bars, they also sent me a pedometer, a water bottle, and a diet and exercise journal.  How would you like to get everything I did?

That's right!  A contest!!!

The picture above shows everything you will get if you're my lucky winner.  (Sorry the pic is so small, but when I tried to make it larger, it got all blurry.)  Anyway, here's the deal:

To enter, all you need to do is leave me a comment telling me one of your best tips for weight maintenance.  Mine is to not drink calories.  I stick to tea pretty much most of the time.  :) 

This time, though, I am going to give you more ways to enter.  First you must leave your original comment; that will enter you into the contest.  However, if you want more ways to win, come back and comment once for each of the following:

You follow me, or become a follower on Twitter
You are or become a Facebook Fan
You subcribe or sign up to subscribe to my blog through Feedburner
You follow me, or sign up to follow me with Google Friend Connect
You follow me in some other way.  (I can't keep up with them all!  LOL)

YOU MUST MAKE SURE YOU LEAVE YOUR E-MAIL OR BLOG ADDRESS OR PROVIDE SOME OTHER WAY FOR ME TO CONTACT YOU IF YOU WIN.  ENTRIES THAT DO NOT PROVIDE A WAY FOR ME TO CONTACT YOU WILL BE VOID. 

You must also be 18 or older to win, and unrelated to me.  :)  The contest will end Sunday, March 7 at 11:59 PM Eastern time. 

Fiber One® provided me with the free product, information, and gift packs through MyBlogSpark.

Success! Success! Epic Success!!!

Well, folks, I did it.  I exercised three times, for ten minutes each time.  Yes, I did thirty whole minutes of exercising!  Okay, maybe it's not EPIC, but for me, it is quite the feat!  :)

So, I think it was Saturday and Monday, I got on the floor and did a bunch of stretching exercises and crunches.  Nothing too aerobic.  But Friday, well, you won't believe what I did.  I was in the basement sitting at the computer minding my own business.  I needed to finish up some school work with the kids, but they had come into the basement and had the Charlie and the Chocolate Factory DVD in.  (Or is it Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory?  No matter.)  Anyway, they weren't watching the the movie, they were practicing the Oompa Loompa dance.  You see, their grandmother, for whatever reason, wants them to learn it so that they can perform it for her next time she sees them.  (Oh, it's Charlie, BTW, my son just checked.)

So, you do all know where I'm going with this, right?  Yes.  It's true.  I stood in my basement, with my four youngest, and followed along with the Oompa Loompa as my "dance instructor" and spent ten minutes dancing.  It just about killed me and I barely made it up the stairs to get my inhaler.  But I did it.  All it took was an Oompa Loompa to show me the way!  LOL   Of course, if you read my post last week, you also know that I made a committment to God that I would do my three ten minute sessions.  I will do the same this coming week. 

I want an Oompa Loompa NOW!!!  LOL

~Do you want to join Chai Mommy, me, and the rest of the gang as we try to get into shape?  Check out this week's Fit Mommy Friday here! 

Fail. Fail. Fail EPIC fail!!!

Imagine me hanging my head in shame.  Well, I'm not.  It's too hard to eat that way.  No, I did not exercise this week.  Not once.  Not one jumping jack, not one crunch, and ZERO push ups, unlike some other people.  I am truly a bad, bad girl.

I've tried to think of a good excuse.  I didn't feel well earlier in the week.  I was out a bit more than usual.  I was wearing my boots and not my running shoes.  I am already wasting away to nothing.  No.  Not one of those excuses will work.  I was just a very, very bad girl.

Sweet Michelle has been so good to me and has even reminded me to exercise, but I haven't.  I meant to.  I really did.  But I did not.

So this week, I am going to have to make myself accountable to someone else.  Or should I say Someone else?  Yes, that's right.  I am going to make myself accountable to God this week.  If I tell him I'll exercise, I'll exercise.  At least ten minutes three times this week.  I have to.  I can break a promise to Denise, Mrs. White, Michelle, etc.  But when I make a promise to God, I will keep it!!!

Now, Michelle, that does not leave you off the hook.  I'll still let him use you to remind me!  :)

And BTW, Mrs. White, don't worry about that M&M Mars stock!!!

To join us, just go to Chai Mommy's site and check it out!!!

Fit Mommy Friday ~ Week 5

 

I know you're all dying for an update from me.  Well, I actually do have a little bit of good news to report!  Thanks to Michelle's nagging encouragement, I did exercise twice this week for ten minutes!  (Yes, I mean ten minute EACH time!  LOL)

On both Monday and Wednesday I actually set my little microwave timer and exercised.  I am not exaggerating when I tell you that ten minutes has me feeling like I need to call 911.  I am that out of shape.  To make things easier on myself, on Wednesday, I had my daughter put on Weird Al so I could dancercise away those pounds.  I haven't weighed myself lately, but I doubt too many of those pounds have actually dancercised too far home, but it's something, isn't it? 

Can't say my eating has been great, but I do try to hold back just a little.  Looking forward to Lent when I give up all sweets completely.  Of course, then I am just compelled to eat a lot of salty stuff, so I'm not sure how much good it does me spiritually, but I suppose it can't hurt.

Anyway, that's it.  Not much to tell, but I am making baby steps. 

Michelle, I'm counting on you to keep on me again this week!  :)

To see how the rest of the gals are doing, click here. 

Fit Mommy Friday: Week 4

STOP!!! I'd really like it if you'd take the poll in my sidebar, if you haven't already. (Scroll down.) Also, from my sidebar, you can follow me on Twitter and become a Facebook Fan.

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Okay, so I skipped out on week three.  I admit it, I failed.  Miserably. 

So here we are again.  I do have to mention that I did actually take Annie Kate up on the challenge to do eight minutes.  Right after she challenged me I set my microwave timer for eight minutes and began to exercise.  Funny thing, I didn't hear it go off, and it was probably at least ten minutes before I realized it seemed like it had been a while.  I went to the kitchen to find it flashing "end."  Way to go, me!  Too bad it was an isolated incident.

That was the last of my exercise with the exception of one evening when I remembered my goals and did a whopping ten jumping jacks.  I'm a real exercise junkie, ain't I?

Okay, something must change here.  I promised to "try" last time.  This time I think I need to promise to actually DO something.  The problem is, I am always just so focused on everything else I do around here.  I do have eight children, a husband, a house, etc.  Yeah, yeah, I know, all the more reason to get and stay in shape.
 
So, this is what I'm going to do.  I am going to add exercise to my list of things to do each day.  I give the kids a list each day, and I used to make myself one.  I need to do that again.  I'm sick right now, but I'll start Monday.  KEEP ON ME ABOUT THIS!!! 
Now, it probably won't be much.  Maybe a few jumping jacks or lifting some light weights.  Whatever it is, it has to be better than nothing, which is pretty much what I do now.  I just keep getting fatter and out of shape, and if I don't do something soon, I'll be too fat and out of shape to do anything!

So, here it is:  I PROMISE to do more this week.  Do you hear me.  I PROMISE!!!  So, keep on me.  Bug me.  Threaten me.  Bribe me with chocolate.  Well, maybe not, that would work, but it would be a bit counter-productive!  LOL

Anyway, I'll see you all next Friday.  I WILL be reporting some progress!

Click HERE to see how everyone else did this week!!!

Fit Mommy Friday: Week 2

Okay, peeps, you want the good news first?  Or the bad news?

All right, the bad news is that it's nearly noon on Friday, and I have yet to exercise.  That's right, not for one minute.  Now Annie Kate challenged me huge to break my record and do eight, and I am really going to try to do that.  If I do, I will come back and update. 

Now technically I did to a teeny tiny bit of exercise.  Last Sunday the fam went sledding.  I hate cold, and thus, sledding is not my thing.  Well, I suppose I'd like it if it were, say 70 degrees or more out. 

Anyway, the place we went also has toboggan runs, and I was determined to go down once.  I did.  I was fun, I admit.  BUT!  Getting off the thing was a challenge in itself.  I have bad knees and it was not pretty.  Then I had to walk back UP that hill.

So I started up the hill, s l o w l y.  Yeah, I mean, I have asthma too.  You see, I've got LOTS of excuses for being so out of shape.  So it's taking me a while and Sane Man actually had to send out the dogs!  Well, he sent out one.  He had one of the kids take the dog to me so she could PULL me back up that hill.  He stood at the top and called to her so she would go up.  Now THAT, my friends, is pathetic. 

Oh, well.

BUT!!!  I do have some good news.  Earlier in the week I weighed in at 166.6.

Today I weighted 165.6.  You do the math.  Girlfriends, that is a WHOLE POUND!  Do you hear me?  A WHOLE POUND!!!

So, it's all good.  I have made a baby step towards my goal of hitting 140 sometime again in this lifetime (without getting some terminal disease.) 

So, yeah.

To participate or just read other Fit Mommy Friday posts, click here.