Row Row Row your boat.....

Rowing class was awesome!  Definitely harder than I thought.  It is one of those things that doesn't come naturally to me, but I plan to keep working on it.  If you want to find out more about it, go to http://www.indorow.com/scripts/cgiip.exe/WService=indorow/story.html

Maybe you can find a class near you.  If you can't find a group class, maybe you can find a rowing machine.

I am going to keep the momentum going by mixing up my cardio workouts.  Especially after the race.  Speaking of the race....
Yesterday was my 2nd "long" run.  I couldn't classify it as a run, nor long.  I was supposed to run for an hour.  But I waited too long and it was so hot at 8:30 a.m.  I had to walk most of the way.  I still got my 4 miles in, but was so disappointed.  I am going to try again this week and get up earlier.

In other news, I lost 2.8 lbs!!!  Woohooo!!!   That's the most I've lost since about March.  I am very very happy with that number.  176 is my official weight.  I met my goal of 3 lbs per month for the month of July in 1 week.
That's all for now.  TTYL

Alert, don't breathe.

Today is an ORANGE alert for air quality.  Therefore, I am heading to the YMCA to run on the treadmill and do my 2nd workout from New Rules of Lifting for Women (NRoL4W).  Everything needs an acronym.

Yesterday was a day off.  I intended to go to the gym, but laziness took over.  I only have this week and next before school starts so I am trying to make good habits.  Tomorrow I am going to a 6 a.m. (yes, you read that right) rowing machine class.  I have wanted to take this class since I joined the Y back in December.  I will let you know how it goes.

Hot stuff

So last night I went back to a hot yoga class.  My first foray into this form of yoga ended with me puking in the bathroom due to overheating and dehydration.  This time, I was better prepared.  I drank a lot of water before class, stopped eating about 3 hours before, and brought frozen water to have something cold.  I was a little over prepared this time, however.  Turns out, there are more types of hot yoga than bikram, and the class I attended was a little less intense.  It was called the Barkam Method.
It was a great class.  The room was just hot enough to loosen up the muscles and allow you to get deeper into the poses.  By the middle of the 90 min, I was sweating but able to complete the entire class.  I'd say the room was about 80 degrees.
http://www.barkanmethod.com/
In Bikram yoga (I went to Hot Yoga Nashville), however, the room is heated to 105 or so degrees.  There were times I had to lay down because I was light headed.  I spent about half the class laying down and I still got sick.
http://www.hotyoganashville.com

Will I go back to bikram?  Maybe this winter, when I want to get warm.  Right now, I think I will stick with Barkam yoga at the East Y.  It was a good class and I will go again.

Tomorrow is a running day.  Today is a weight lifting day.  I am doing the program outlined in The New Rules of Lifting for Women.  I have lost a lot of my strength, and am looking forward to getting it back.

Till next time.

slow and steady

I started my training for the Women's Half Marathon this week.  I got 2 runs in  and 2 spin classes.  Today was my "long" run of 45 min.  My normal baseline run is 30, so I am adding 15 min every week to my long run.  I didn't get started until about 8:30, and it was already pretty hot by then.  My legs were sore and tired from lifting weights on Friday, but I made it through.  I now have a tired dog as a reward.  Merlin went with me, and now he is done for the day.

Unfortunately, so am I.

Tomorrow I am going to a hot yoga class at the Y.  My first try at hot yoga ended with me upchucking my snacks into the closest toilet after class.  This time, I hope to be better prepared with a gallon jug of water I plan to start drinking first thing in the morning.  Also, a frozen bottle of water and cold towel for my face.  I will keep you posted on my status.  It should be a good way to stretch my sore muscles.  I'm also planning to wear my heart rate monitor to see how many calories I can burn in hot yoga.

It's official.....I'm crazy.

I just signed up for the Women's Half Marathon in Nashville.  I have 66 days to train.  I am crazy.

Women's Half Marathon Nashville

Thursday and Sunday I start my running.  I have been swimming and spinning, but no running.  I'm sure I will be slow, but going to do it anyway.

Anyone want to join me?????

new goals and new program

Sort of.  I dropped my traditional WW program because I was having a hard time getting to meetings.  Also, I had switched to a night time meeting and just wasn't happy about not being able to weigh in early morning.  PM is on WW online, so I decided to join him.  Our weigh in day is Monday, and I can weigh in the comfort of my own closet in my birthday suit.  So, my newest weight is 179.2 (yikes)  I have gained since I was able to fit those jeans back in March.

I was thinking about small goals tonight.  If I break up my weight loss into the months before the wedding, I only need to lose 3 lbs per month.  I think that is very doable.  That gives me 8 months to lose 24 lbs.  Well, we'll say 25 just to make it even.  That should put me at my original goal and make me look FAB in my strapless dress.  I am also going to run the Women's Half Marathon again in Nashville.  Its in September and I am starting my training late again this year, but not as late as last year.  However, this year I am not in as good of shape.  Hopefully I can bounce back quickly.

back to the blog

Not sure if I still have any followers or not.  My life has changed so much since my last post, I don't know where to start...

So I will start with the month of April.  I found out my father was going to have bypass surgery.  It was an awakening for me to realize that I need to take better care of myself.  However, during that time, I stopped working out and eating right.  I have gained about 5 lbs since my lowest weight.  On the bright side, I got engaged!!!!!!!  PM and I are going to tie the knot April 21st 2012.  I have picked out a dress, and now I want to focus back on my and my training.  My dress is strapless, and I want to ROCK it on my wedding day.

I always thought I would get married, but the past 10 years, I had written it off.  I definitely didn't think I would be having a big wedding....but here I am with a fancy dress.  It is gorgeous!  It has a corset and sucks me in everywhere, but it is strapless, so my arms, back, and shoulders will be on display.

I am refocusing my goals to loose weight and shape up for the wedding.  I hope you will continue to follow me, I admit I have not been a very good blogger.  I promise to do better!

I have added swimming to my regimen.  I am still spinning, and hope to run the Women's Half Marathon in September.  I am going to really work on strength training, especially upper body and core.

So, shoot me a message if you want, I love getting comments.  I will do better with posting, and am setting a goal to post 2 times per week for the rest of the summer.  I go back to work in August, so I have a month of posting ahead of me, then I may have to revisit my goal.

Until then....