Last night I did a 10K on my treadmill. I was sort of dying at the end and cheated a little by holding onto the machine, but I finished with a bit of extra speed for the last few tenths of a mile. The running program I got for my iPod is so cool -- it tells me when I've passed each mile ("You are now at the halfway point, with 3.1 miles remaining") and even gives me a nudge when I'm almost done. All while I'm listening to my music! Very cool.   Maybe one of these days I'll just run for the love of running but in the meantime a little bit of checking out can't hurt.

This morning I went to the 6AM kettlebell class with Serge. That is a tough workout! Since I was the only one there I got a lot of one-on-one attention, which helped. After 15 years of training with weights and doing controlled moves it takes some getting used to. I have to let myself loosen up and use momentum when bringing the kettlebell up in a swing -- exactly the opposite of how I've been taught all this time. The difference in effect is immediately noticeable, and it will be a good addition to the cardio workouts I've been doing.

My overall life changes continue, and I am more able to give myself a break, allow a treat once in awhile without mean recriminations in my head, and give it my all when working out, knowing that I can do more than last week even. Amazing that after waking up this morning to a loud alarm when there wasn't any light in the sky and it was still so early my dogs didn't even lift their heads as I walked past... and 90 minutes later I was whipped yet happy watching the sky turn pink and a band of sunlight rise up the side of the Catalinas! Again: Very cool.
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The past few weeks have been up and down. Work has been over the top, conference calls all day, no time to get caught up on e-mails or ongoing projects, etc. Not to mention that’s it’s been really difficult to get away and go to a Spinning class during the day. It seems like once at the office I’m gone. One day this week I had planned to go to the noon class, then the 4:15 one, and finally made it at 5:45. It was a good way to end my day.

It has been simpler for me to maintain my workouts at home and to eat well for some unknown reason. Well, maybe not completely unknown. Since my “re-commitment” to the Challenge I’ve been aware of my need to have balance and peace in my life. Over the last few weeks I’ve been more gentle with myself, more conscious of my self-talk, more able to interrupt a negative thought with at least a neutral one if not positive.

All of these pieces coming together right now tells me that I’m changing, and it feels like on a level deeper than an increased ability to keep up in Spinning classes (although that’s not a bad perk either!). Whatever it is, I’m grateful.

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This week I recommitted myself to the Challenge. After being out of the country and away from O2 for over a month I feel like I lost some ground and slipped back into old ways of eating, working out, and thinking. During my time away I also started to face a personal issue that really needed confronting and I have begun to deal with it in earnest. For both of these reasons I feel like I'm starting over again, and it doesn't feel horrible.
Last Sunday afternoon I went to my first Spinning class since being gone, and it was not fun. It felt like it did back when I started. After my very first class Susan asked me how I it went and the answer she got was "I hated it"! Well, she did tell me I had to be honest with her...  J Last weekend it wasn't really that I hated the workout, just that it was harder than I remembered, if that's even possible. It wasn't too hard to keep me from coming back the next morning though, and that class was just a little bit easier.
One of the things I love about working out here is it isn't just working out. When I first came here I heard people talk about how they felt like part of why they come is because of the community. Uh huh, yeah. Sounded like a long shot to me, especially when coming to a class took every bit of self-discipline I could muster. But now it's clear to me that working out at O2 isn't just working out. It's changing my way of looking at things, my self-talk, my outlook. While I have yet to make a certain class my "home" class, it is one of my goals this month. Part of the Challenge for me is to gain accountability for my actions relative to eating and working out, and being a 'regular' in a class seems like a good part of that.
Over the Thanksgiving weekend I went running 3 times, and didn't eat ridiculous amounts of food. I didn't deny myself anything (except the pecan pie, which wasn't hard since I don't really like it anyway) but had very small portions of the less-than-healthy stuff. Since we were the hosts of the day I had a lot to say about what went into most of the dishes and it was all much better for you than in previous years. Whoever thought of putting marshmallows on top of perfectly sweet yams? Still, this is literally the first year I've made sweet potatoes without all the unnecessary added sugar. My attachment to tradition dies hard!

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So I’m not in Vietnam after all – I’m in New Zealand. Long story with an ok ending—we had trouble with our visas at the Tucson airport (“It probably won’t be a problem when you get to Saigon but…”) and we decided to go home and regroup instead of taking the risk of flying for 24 hours and having to turn around and come home. So we traded in our tickets, tried a few options and NZ was the one that worked out. Wild, huh?

Considering our rough start, the trip has gone amazingly well. We have seen parts of the country we haven’t seen before (we were here 4 years ago) and have done some really great stuff. Hiking, biking, kayaking, more hiking, some running on my part, whitewater rafting, more kayaking, glacier exploring, and a lot of driving. It is beautiful here and we have had great luck with the weather. The day of the glacier hike we got rained on for most of a 3 hour trip and it didn’t make such a big difference because the scenery was amazing. Our guide had to use an ice ax to carve out steps as we went up and in more than one spot we had a rope to hang onto for stability. On the way back (about 1 ½ miles) Mike and I motored past everyone else, even the guide, so we kept our blood racing.  J  

Here’s how O2 has made a difference to me: On one of our hikes, mainly uphill, when we hit a relatively level place I’d speed up, then when we started climbing again I’d hear Krystal saying “Keep up your cadence” and I’d try to keep my speed up. On our first kayaking trip when my shoulders ached I heard Dara saying “Your body is your temple” and I would try to relax my shoulders and urge myself onward. On our biking trip, in winds that almost knocked me over, I’d hear you, Susan, saying “Keep it up, watch your form, you’re doing great, I know you can do it!” and I would arch my back more and lean into my handlebars.

In all of our activities I have noticed how much easier it is for me to not only keep up but to stay at the front of the pack. Yesterday Mike and I rented kayaks and were on the water from 9AM until after 5, with a few stops for lunch and relaxation. Overall we kayaked 21 KM (about 13 miles) and on the way back we were paddling against the wind and waves. Something that would have horrified me to even attempt a few years ago. Something that made me really crabby when we were here last time, come to think of it. But I just kept on keeping on and today, while my shoulders are sore, I feel great about it. Mike pointed out how, considering that I do very well on this type of activity, I continue to expect myself to fall behind or fail. A good observation and another reminder of how my psyche is my worst enemy, not my body…

Today we had a 7 hour hike planned and our car battery died. We’ve spent the morning waiting for the rental agency to get us a new car or battery and now we’re about to go out and explore the area on foot. Maybe risk a zip-line tour as well, although it sounds little scary to me. Queenstown (where we are now) is a mecca for adrenaline-boosting-type stuff and there’s tons of adventures to choose from. We tend towards the activities that require movement on our part, rather than sitting on a tour boat, and it always gives us just as much scenery and way more fun.

As for the food, it’s almost impossible to eat healthy food here. Every time we order fish that is “grilled” or “pan-seared” it comes with breading and it’s clearly fried. We try to take off as much breading as possible but still, it’s not what we would have been eating in Vietnam, where most everything is steamed or truly pan seared. Even when we go to markets to pick up a picnic for our day out they mainly have white bread, meat, and lots of mayonnaise. Still, we’re doing our best. I’m not convinced I will see a happy difference on the scale when I get home but for now it’s not my main focus, just paying attention and doing the best I can.

The best thing on this trip is that my improved fitness is apparent. A few days ago I took a walk to a place we visited last time and it’s all uphill from our hotel. I noticed that when I got there it seemed like I had hardly worked at all, when I clearly remember that last time I was pretty much dead by the time we reached the top. That type of improvement in my overall health is what matters the most to me right now, not so much the scale. Remind me I said that when I get home!

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This past week went well, considering all the treats I had in front of me.  I believe had I not attended Susan’s class on Saturday, I know I would have taken a bite of something sweet.  Instead, I ate apples to satisfy my craving.  Plus, Susan’s class was very challenging and I spun my way through it and I completed it.  I didn’t want to waste the effort I made and give in to the treats.  Also, on Saturday afternoon, I attended the 20 min. session on spinning.  I should have done this a long time ago for I really never had the proper instruction on what my body position should be or how my legs should be moving.  I can picture the oval much better now and it does make a difference.  Thank you Susan.  Again, I really enjoyed your class and thank you for NOT giving the two of us any breaks.  I was surely spinning round like a record, round, round!!
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Last week I managed all of my workouts! I felt very accomplished this morning. I didn’t feel tired like I had been feeling the first 2 weeks of my challenge. Maybe my body just needed to get adjusted to working out consistently. I did a nice ride on Saturday- more of a casual ride and enjoyed company of a friend. This week I plan on sticking to my work out schedule even though I have some work scheduling issues, I plan on doing my work outs around the work schedule. Saturday 11/6 is going to be a very challenging bike ride therefore, this week plan on eating clean and drinking plenty of water. Sunday I am bummed I will not be able to do the O2 ride, but still plan on doing something in the morning. Clothes are fitting better and I am actually not obsessing about my weight! Seems that now that I know I am doing something about it, I don’t obsess about how I feel or look, because I am feeling healthier.
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I found the time to meet my "tweak for the week" this week and doubled my excercise from  3 hours to 7 and a half hours!  It feels great!  For the coming week, my change will be to not eat cheese and crackers when I come home from work at 11pm, if I am hungry, I will have fruit!  Kim :)
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I am on my final month of the challenge and although the results I received from Susan on Saturday were good, I still have a long winding road to go.  Since the weekend of September 11th, I have been struggling with a very personal issue and am still trying to recover.  Sometimes, I think it’s better for me just to give in and give up on some things, but something inside me keeps me going.  I know if I was not in the challenge, I most likely would have been a distance memory in Susan’s mind.  However, since I have not given up and when even on travel, I still make it a point to get some type of physical activity in my week.  Plus, I know that the challenge is working because today I put on a pair of pants that a month ago, I could not wear.  Oh, and when I went home for my “feast day”, my monta was too big for me as compared to last year.  I am happy to say that I finally found something that works.  And this challenge is working.  You just have to stick to your plan and the rest falls into place.  I think if I had not been so involved with other issues my results Saturday would have probably been a bit more dramatic, but again, I am just being hard on myself.  If anything, I am my worst critic.  Do any of you feel this way?  Also, if anyone else in the challenge read these blogs, I had talked to a few people after class and inquired about other recipes for making large quantities of food for the week.  So, if anyone has any recipes or ideas to share, please let me know.  I thank everyone for the input.  Making salads a head of time, boiling my cage free eggs, and baking my potatoes helps a lot. 

 

I would also like to mention, because of the challenge and being exposed to the spinning classes, I am close to purchasing a road bike!!  Susan and Kurt have been very helpful, I even was able to test one out.  I never knew anything about road bikes and didn’t even know there was a difference between a mountain bike and a road bike, of course I knew the tires were bigger on a mountain bike.  Anyhow, I’m so looking forward to getting out on the road.  I still laugh at myself because I had asked Susan if you had to try out for her O2 team and she just giggled and said there are no tryouts, you can join any time.  I hope to bike up to A Mountain and Mount Lemmon some day.  I never thought I would even have thought of doing this.  I want to feel the wind in my hair and be one with the road!

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I meant to send you a blog about last week but the time got away from me over the weekend. My trip to Madison was difficult in that it was hard to see my mom so limited in her health and movement. I took her to a medical supply store to get her a walker, since she can’t go very far even with two canes. I also took her to Macy’s, since she never leaves the house and with the walker she’ll be able to get around more. She was so happy just to be in a store again it was touching and also a little heartbreaking. I can understand why my sisters and father are so tired; taking care of her is a full time job. In any case although it was tough I was glad to have the chance to help her out.

 

I got to the gym once and took a spinning class! It wasn’t nearly as good as yours are  (  J  )  but it got my heart going. I also went for a run  in my parents’ neighborhood one day. I have no idea how far I went but I ran/walked for about 45 minutes. The weather there was chilly in the mornings but perfect in the afternoon for a workout. I went to Whole Foods and bought them a bunch of healthy food, cooked a few times and froze the rest. I made my dad promise to shop there and buy organic as much as possible – the first night they had this frozen oversized stuffed chicken nugget or some other unidentifiable substance.  I ate a lot of salads and only had cheese once (major win for me).

 

To bring you current, you know that shooting that happened near O2 last night? I was there. The guy was no more than 10 yards in front of my car, running towards my car and he had a gun. I backed up (on Broadway, without even looking) and he must have turned to run in a different direction because the next thing I knew the police car parked at the corner was driving away and the police officer was shooting at it. I was a wreck and still am pretty shaky. Came into the office this morning only because I have a budget to get sewn up before my trip Thursday. As soon as that meeting happens I’m going home to work until I leave early Thursday morning. I think you will understand why you probably won’t see me at O2 before I leave.

 

It wasn’t until this morning that someone told me the guy was a suspect in two car-jackings and the reality of what could have happened to me hit home. Today all I can think of is how life goes by so quickly and everything can change in an instant. Between my recent experience with my mom and the incident last night, when for a second I thought I was going to die, today is a day of gratitude for me. Shaky gratitude but thankful nonetheless. Moving forward I intend to answer the question “Why me?” by not looking for a rational explanation but by cultivating a healthy response to it and valuing every day if not every moment.

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Hi Susan, just thought I would touch base on how my challenge is going.  The nutrition is going perfect; I am fitting in either a ½ of a Julie bar before a workout or ½ of a banana. This morning before my 1 ½ hr bike ride I actually had a ½ cup of fiber one with ½ of a banana!  I am extremely proud of myself that I said “No” to two happy hours this week!
Regarding the workouts my goal for next week is to stick to your fitness plan. This week instead of taking Wednesday off, I did the 5:30am spin and was pretty tired to do another on Thursday morning (spin boot camp) but I did manage to make it to Betsy’s Pilates.  I can see how Pilates will help me in cycling and overall flexibility and spinal health.
This weekend I am looking forward to time on my bike and Doyle (husband) and I are doing a grocery shopping field trip! He has been very supportive.

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