What does happiness look like?

What does happiness look like? 

This...

And this... 

This too...

Kickboxing class. 

I attended my first "kickboxing" class this past Saturday, I signed up through the community ed programs thinking it would be a great cardio workout, and envisioned an aerobic style of exercise. 

Oh.my.gosh. I was wrong, like really wrong. 

I walked in, not knowing anyone, and I felt like Rocky. There was a boxing ring and big guys working out that I was actually afraid to make eye contact with. The people were really nice, and showed me where to go. I walked in, and saw an empty space surrounded by about 12 boxing bags hanging from the ceiling. Those can't be for us? I thought to myself... Holy shit. I had no idea what I had coming to me! 

The class started out with a "warm up", which I am not even sure why it was called that, it was the hardest workout I have had in a while. At the end of the 20 or so minutes, I was thinking (in my head) is that it, are we done now? Nope. Not even close, we had a straight hour of kickboxing, with boxing gloves...punching and kicking those bags. 

I thought I was dead, I actually think I saw the light. It was the hardest thing I think I have ever done, but boy did it feel good! I felt like I could throw out some serious whoop ass without anyrepercussions. After the class, I went to my car and was so shaky my fingers decided to basically stop working. For like a day. The next day, I could barely move, every muscle in my body ached. Things I didn't know could hurt, did. I laughed, and thought I broke a rib it hurt so bad! ha! But I cannot wait to do it all over again this coming Saturday! I am excited to see my progress in this class, it was so intense but in a good way. 

Side Bar... I went to the dreaded Perkins with my husband this morning and did my homework! I order the Spinach & Mushroom Scrambler, which was much better on points (13!) and I asked for no toast, extra fruit so it is even less than that now :) I would say close to 6, maybe 7 but I haven't added everything up quite yet. Here's a pic! It was delish! And those are chicken apple sausages, and were really good! 

Ok got to go! Class is starting :) 

Well the mornings are becoming much easier...

And still at it, working hard! Yes that's a sweaty beast at 5:15am after my morning workout. BOOM. 

Double workout Wednesday! Yes... you read that right

It's been no secret that I have had a love/hate relationship with exercise over the years, when I am into it I love it, and when I stop I seriously struggle getting back into it! Well I am on my game right now with my workouts and have been on track for 5 weeks - which is A-mazing! I have been getting up each morning before everyone (like 4:45am) and getting it in before the day starts. For me, morning workouts are my only guarantee that I will get one in. If I wait and "do it later" later never happens. The first few days were a BITCH getting up, and I honestly don't even think I was awake half the time but now I have been waking up before my alarm goes off and it is becoming much easier! 

Well I signed up for a yoga class on Wednesday nights at our local elementary school, and I was deciding on if I should still get up and workout in the morning or if I just go with the yoga in the evening because I knew it was still going to be a good  workout. I decided to still get up, and keep my flow going so I did TWO workouts yesterday, TWO. Hot DAMN! It actually felt really good, and wasn't that challenging to do them both and I still managed to get up this morning to do it again, sore and all :) 

Here's a little non-scale victory for me... my pants are getting baggy! YES! Not like poop my pants baggy, but I've got wiggle room in the waist so that's a major win! 

Anyways, class is starting in 5 minutes - I have got to go! :) Have a wonderful day! 

Ok Perkins, let's get with the program here!

This morning I volunteered at my kids' school before I had to go to my own class, after I was finished I had about an hour so I decided to get myself some breakfast at Perkins. 

I decided to go with an omelet, and went with their special... the Denver Omelet. I looked it up on ETools and realized that is was 29 points!!!!!!! OMG! That is more than what I get in a day for points! Good grief! Just when you think an omelet might be a decent option. What shocked me more as I was looking through all of the other items listed under Perkins, is that I hardly found any options that were considered reasonably healthier options. I remember this from a few years ago when I asked the manager if they had nutrition facts anywhere and she looked at me like I was crazy... 

Anyways, there was NO way that I was going to spend 29 of my 28 points on breakfast so I made some alterations to try and help. 

I asked for: 

Egg substitute instead of eggs

No cheese 

So on my omelet, there was egg substitute, celery, onion, and 1/2 of chopped sausage patty. Not too shabby for what it was to start with. I did get the hashbrowns, and ate them. It was just one thing I couldn't pass up.

But one other thing I noticed is that the toast is 8 points - for bread w/ butter? Um, no thanks. It didn't look that good anyways. 

Note to self, be prepared and look ahead of time - know what you are going to order and when all else fails, make some changes if needed! I seriously cannot believe 29 points! Anyways, there's my rant for the morning. 

Perkins, get with the program and come up with some healthier alternatives. 

Ugh, let's take a quick breath and catch up!

Ok, I finally have a moment to just sit and take a breath. Man, I am pooped out! So let's catch up!

1. I started college again last week, and man, I am old! hahaha... No really, probably the oldest one in my classes :) Oh well, what do ya do! I am ready and anxious to be back at it and feel very determined to finish with my head held high! Here's a picture my daughter took of me on my first day of school lke I make my kids do each year... 

2. I started work again last week as well! I had been off work since mid-October so starting both work and school in the same week was a definite challenge, but it felt good to be busy again! I work at the middle school and elementary school in our school district as a paraprofessional, and it's still really early but I really, really love it! For the first time, probably ever, I feel like I belong. Like I am exactly where I need to be! The kids are amazing, and it keeps me away from sitting at a desk all day long! It's pretty exciting, and I feel very blessed! 

3. I signed up for two fitness classes through the community ed programs - yoga, and cardo kickboxing! They start next week, I am really excited about them! I am happy to say that I am just finishing my 4th week in a row of doing Jillian Michael's 90 day body revolution. I must admit, this is very significant for me because I have started this program about 4 or 5 times and have NEVER made it past week 3! Last week was hard because of work/school and just feeling like I was on overload but I still got up early each day and did my workout... I missed two days, so I made up for one over the weekend and went for a nice brisk walk with my dog & daughter :) 

4. I have tracked my food EVERY SINGLE DAY! Really, everyday! This is major for me! I have tracked everyday since December 28! Yahoo! 

5. I am starting to notice some small changes in my body, nothing big, but little things that probably only I would notice but I will take it! 

Ok, well that's about all of my updates for the last couple of weeks :) Overall, I feel like I am doing really well, better than I have in a very long time! And it feels really good... Like so good that I actually look forward to my workouts and am making a very strong effort to continue on this path. I do think it helps that I haven't weighed myself (remember... RIP scale...) so I am basing my feelings on how I feel and little things I am noticing - it's been a huge motivator for me! 

Here's to a great week & weekend, cheers! 

RIP Scale.

I mentioned a few entries ago, that I hid my scale from myself. I have a very unhealthy relationship with the scale and have a history of solely basing my success on what that number says, I figured if I hid it I wouldn't be tempted to see what it says... I was wrong. I have weighed myself twice, and was unhappy with what I saw after all of my hard work and eating right. Although I KNOW I am doing the right thing, it's hard not to let it get to you when you see little to no movement... 

So this is what I did today. I threw it on my garage floor to break it a little. 

Then I...

Threw it in my disgusting garbage, broken, so there was no way I could turn back. 

I have to admit, it felt liberating! F-U scale! I will NOT allow you to dictate my sucess anymore. I want to feel good, and if that means I don't know how much I have gained/lost through the process, I am ok with that! 

Anyways, I am off to class! Yes, my own college class... I'll write more about that later :) 

Turkey bacon just isn't bacon.

My husband left today to work out of town for this coming week so I made a big breakfast for our family before he left. French toast, scrambled eggs w/ onions, green peppers & tomatoes, and (gulp) turkey bacon. Now, I've substituted turkey meat all over the place and typically can not tell a major difference... that is not the case with bacon. Nothing should be substituted for bacon. Just throwing that out there. It was thin, flat, overly crunchy and seriously lacked flavor. But hey, can't blame a girl for trying!

This weekend was a little tougher for me because we had kids events ALL day long yesterday, which typically equals the dreaded concession stands. This time around, I packed my own healthy snacks to munch on while I sat in the dressing room with 30 dancers, plus other dance moms for 9 hours. Yes you read that right. (insert bottle of wine here...) I left the morning without eating breakfast, I think I honestly just forgot to. I was in such a hurry after getting myself and my daughter ready for her dance show I just spaced it. Well, it's our tradition to stop at Caribou on our way for a coffee for me and a cookies & cream snowdrift for her... Of course we could not break tradition so we stopped and I got myself a latte, her drink and an egg white and turkey bacon breakfast sandwich to the whopping tune of 8 WW points! It was the best choice I could make there, oh well. That was at 9:30am, the next time we got a chance to eat an actual meal was at 4 in-between dance shows so another family and us went to Buffalo Wild Wings for lunch/dinner. By this time I was dying, stomach growling, borderline shakes going on - waited WAY too long to eat. I did have a few snacks throughout the day but I needed real food. I order a Buffalo Chicken Flatbread WITH blue cheese, hey now, don't judge. I am human, and I was freaking starving. Not my best choice by any means, and boy did it cost me. This little flatbread was 26 WW points and the side of blue cheese was 8! Are you kidding me?!?!?!?! Needless to say, I will be working extra hard this upcoming week to make up for it!

Truth be told, it's ok. I didn't beat myself up over a day of poor choices, I am human and if I think I am not going to have splurges I am only setting myself up for failure. I could've made a better choice for sure, but I didn't want to. I wanted to eat it, enjoy it, and I did. But I also tracked it. I owned it. I didn't try to hide it!

Anywho - this week will be a biggie for me. I start a new job tomorrow and I have my first day back in college on Tuesday! EEEEK! It will be crucial for me to stay on track this week because it is my week #3, which has always been when I start to fall off the wagon and stress is hard for me to deal with. So here's to an excellent week! I WILL stay on track, I will do this. I will get past my week 3/4 curse and make it all the way! Wish me luck on my new ventures!