Photo Tuesday

It's hot in central Texas!  My roommate took Gus for a quick walk around the apartment complex while I was at the gym this afternoon.  This is the picture message I had when I got off the treadmill --- with the caption HOT DOG.  He was still crashed on the kitchen floor, just like this, when I got home and he didn't even bother to get up and greet me at the door.  He must have been HOT!

I took this photo while I was in Kansas for a family reunion a couple months ago.  The sky was so blue and full of fluffy clouds, so I used the color selection for the blue and took this photo of one of my favorite places - it is the symbol that I am HOME!  I got it made into a poster-sized print and hung it in my office.

There is nothing like a Kansas sunset...

Good night.

Ready for a vacation

Another stressful day at work.  We are getting a new person, actually several new people, in our program at work.  So we are rearranging our offices and moving people around and figuring out what supplies we have, what we need, and where it all needs to go.  Luckily, my office is staying the same for now, but we have a lot of moving parts and lots of personalities.

So I went to the gym this evening.  Just walked on the treadmill - trying not to run too much because I want to give my legs a chance to recover like the couch to 5K plan says I should.

I had to get home in time to watch The Bachelorette: The Men Tell All episode!  The most dramatic season EVER.  Or perhaps the cheesiest.  :) 

The Rogue got an oil change and inspection today.  While I was waiting for my ride to pick me up at the dealership, I wandered around the lot and looked at list price on the 2013s.  And it made me happy that I bought a certified pre-owned with a better warranty.  I got all the fun bells and whistles without all the extra dollars.  I'm glad that I went Rogue!  :)

Sunday Funday

Another good day of exercise!

Gus and I woke up early and headed out for a walk.  We just went to the park and back, about a mile.  I feel the need to ease Gus back into it AND even at 7:30 a.m., it is hot and humid since it's summer in central Texas.  I think we'll be able to increase our distance but I'll have to start taking along a water bowl for him so we can grab a drink during our outing. 

I went to the gym later in the day and spent some quality time on the dreadmill and the stationary bike.  I need to check out the new rowing machines and visit my old friends, the weight machines.

I'm headed to Kansas to visit the fam in a few days!  So I need to figure out how to keep it up while I'm there, where I don't have easy access to the gym and my food choices are limited by the unique situation at home. 

I have a busy (stressful) few days at work before I can head out, so exercise is the name of the game this week!  Train the brain to crave some exercise to get through the stress!

Train my Brain

so I know that a huge part of successful weight loss is mental.  Or maybe it really is all mental. 

The logical side of my brain says exercise is better than carbs or chocolate for dealing with stress.  Now, I just need to train the emotional/instinctual side of my brain to crave exercise instead of carbs when I'm stressed.

I know that I feel better after I exercise than after I binge on some food that I shouldn't, but how do I make that my first move when I'm stressed.

I think I have to change my surroundings even more than I already have.  Now the question is: 

• Do I go extreme and remove all processed carbs? 
• Do I remove those things in increments? 
• Do I try something like paleo and see how it makes me feel? 
• Do I try something like vegetarian or raw?

I need to figure it out.  I need to start food journaling again.

And...

• I need to make sure that my iPod is always charged and ready to go with cool, new songs. 
• I need to make sure I always have clean, cute workout clothes and shoes in an easily accessible place.
• I need to make sure that I always have a cold bottle of water, ready to head to the gym, in the frig.
• I need to unplug more, less screen time.
• I need to write it down!

and all of those "I needs..." need to be "I wills..."

So here's to trying to figure out how to train my brain!  I've been successful at it when it comes to school and work, so here's to training it to live my life to the fullest!

And I really think I'm moving toward that! 

This week has had its own special weird kind of stress that I can't even describe.  There have been moments where I felt like I was on the verge of a panic attack -- struggling to just breathe and not knowing what to do about it.  There have been moments where I just had to wait to cry until I was alone.  No clear reason why, no single stressor, no even truly big stressors -- maybe it was just the cumulative effect of all of life's challenges this week. 

Anyway - instead of going to the store and getting chocolate or pizza last night, which is what I really wanted to do, I went to the gym!  And I ran on the treadmill.  Not a lot but I ran for the first time in a while.  And I felt better --- just like I knew in my brain I would.  This morning, I'm still feeling it (the stress) but instead of going to Shipleys for donuts, I took Gus for a walk - good for him, great for me! 

(re)Train my Brain!

No Weigh July

In an effort to switch things up, I'm going to put away the scale for a month.  And make decisions based on how I feel and how my clothes fit. 

I weighed myself this morning.  That number is on my calendar.  No more weighing until the end of the month.

My friend still wants to do that triathlon.

The idea has totally grown on me. 

It's just very intimidating. 

And expensive?  I have no idea where to even begin when it comes to buying a bike.  Or a helmet.  Or other gear needed for this adventure...