August Squat Challenge Complete!

1,960 squats in August!  Thanks to my sister for challenging me to complete the squat challenge this month!  Did it make my legs stronger?  I don't know.  Did I ever get sore?  No, which was weird.  Do I feel a little more muscular/toned?  Yes.

Should I repeat it for September?  or take on some other challenge?  I do need to get back to the Couch to 5K training, but I never seem to get past the week that has me running 1 minute intervals.  I think it's mental, but how do I train my brain and my body to run more than 1 minute at a time?

I look at August as a success!  Here is to making September more of the same!

Wednesday Weigh-In: 8/28/2013

A little bit of movement on the scale this week.

July 1 - 271
July 31 - 271.4
August 7 - 265.6
August 16 - 261.4
August 21 - 261.4
August 28 - 258.8

Still not as much as I'd like, but at least the number is going down.

Yesterday was a state holiday, so I had a random Tuesday off!  Gus and I went for a walk down to the park when we woke up.  I really do need to start taking him for more walks but it is so hot even in the late evenings that I don't want to make him sick.  I also went to the gym yesterday, so yay me!

I also got a chance to go to the post office with some care packages I've been meaning to send for the last few weeks.

The big care package was for my adopted soldier.  It was a random assortment of things - books, magazines, batteries, laundry detergent, toiletries.  It's a nice change to have a female adopted soldier, because I can send her things I know I would like and magazines/books that I read. 

I also sent out some jump drives with photos and music on them to some family members.

And the small care package was for my cousin, who just moved into her first apartment for her 3rd year of college.  The card said "just wanted to send you a little bit of sunshine."

Anybody else notice that apparently this week is the first day of school for about a million of their fb friends' kids?  :)

Wednesday Weigh-In: 8/21/2013

Sometimes the numbers just don't add up... or in this case, subtract.

Despite having a calorie deficit of over 9000 calories since last Wednesday, this week's weight change was zero.  It should equate to 2.5ish pounds lost, but the scale did not agree this morning.  Maybe next week...I have to remember that I have lost 10 pounds this month.  I'll keep working at it.

July 1 - 271
July 31 - 271.4
August 7 - 265.6
August 16 - 261.4
August 21 - 261.4

Less than 2 weeks of the squat challenge left!  Today's number was 145 and I finished then all while I was waiting for Wednesday night  tv to start.

Short post because I don't have any fun pics to share today.

Old Stompin' Grounds

After sleeping in a bit this morning, I drove the 70ish miles to College Station to meet up with another of my college roommates and her family.  They were there to shop for new furniture for their living room.  It's about halfway for both of us, so we used it as an excuse to meet up for lunch.  She has been my sounding board for the last couple weeks, because it is primarily due to her having a puppy in our college apartment, that I even have Gus and am ok with dogs inside.  I may have come around eventually, but I was forced to live with a puppy my last year of grad school and Buccannan was a challenging roommate, to say the least.  But I loved her and her human loved her, so we put up with her illness and its associated smells.  It made me really appreciate how easy it was to housetrain Gus!

I listened to the new Luke Bryan "Crash My Party" CD during my drive.  I bought the Target version so it has 4 extra songs.  It's a pretty good CD.  Fun for driving.

I arrived in College Station a while before my friend did, so I checked out Half-Price Books and Kirklands.  I managed to make it out of HPB under $10.  They had their clearance paperbacks on sale for 50 cents!  Usually they are $1.  I got a few for me and a couple for my soldier.  I didn't buy anything at Kirklands.

Then I roamed Post Oak Mall for a few minutes.  I was on the hunt for socks and was hoping that Lady Foot Locker would have the same kind that I bought last time I got new shoes, but no such luck.  The mall was busy because the college students are moving back to town this week.  I found a cute necklace at Aggieland Outfitters and got a bright pink Texas A&M workout/tech shirt at Inspirations (it was on clearance!). 

Both stores had some super cute headbands but I feel like I look funny in headbands (just because I'm not used to them) and they cost more than I was willing to spend on something I may or may not wear.  I do need to start wearing the soft wraparound headbands to catch the sweat and decrease the frizz when I work out!

I caught up with my friend while they were finishing their furniture purchase, so I got to hold her baby while they were working out the final details and delivery.  Check out her cute shoes!

Lunch was at Blue Baker - one of my absolute favorite places to eat in College Station!  An original College Station restaurant!  They recently opened a new location in Austin, but I haven't been to that location yet.  I opted for a small Neapolitan pizza - yum!  I usually get the Powder Blue sandwich, but since I have been so good with my calorie counting, I treated myself with my favorite food - pizza!  The Neapolitan is a cheese pizza with fresh tomatoes, chopped basil and shaved parmesan cheese, so vegetarian and not too terrible for me.  They bake all their own bread and their pizzas in a huge brick oven. 

After lunch, the kids were tired and ready to get home so we went our opposite directions.  I did stop at Kroger to get a Sunday Houston Chronicle so that I could get some good coupons!

The gym was calling my name when I got home, so I changed my clothes and hit the dreadmill.  I managed to complete all 125 squats as directed by the squat challenge!  And now it's bedtime!

Farmer's Market

I met up with my college friend, Emily, this morning at the Water Street Farmer's Market and the monthly Belton Trade Days.  We wandered around the square in Belton, checking out the vendors. 

I found some new bars for my Scentsy, which I am thinking of moving into my bedroom (it's in the kitchen/living room right now but I don't use it out there because I don't want to bug my roomie).  And I have a shelf that it will sit on now!  I really need to get some grown-up furniture at some point - there is something weird about the fact that I still do not have a dresser or chest of drawers in my bedroom. 

I also got a potato baker bag.  It's a fabric bag that you put potatoes in to "bake" in the microwave.  I usually do 'baked' potatoes in ziplocs in the microwave, which always makes me nervous that I'll melt the bag or something crazy will happen.  Emily said she loves the one she has because even when she cooks sweet potatoes in it (which can be messy), she can just toss it in the washer and dryer to reuse again next time!  A cute elderly couple was selling the bags and a bunch of crocheted hats - the husband sews the bags, so I enjoyed supporting their retirement hobby. 

I also got some fresh produce - peaches and tomatoes!  I'm not normally a peach fan, but they had samples and they were yummy so I'm switching up my fruit snacks from the normal apples, oranges and bananas to include fresh peaches! Yum.

 

 

After the farmer's market, we met up for brunch at a local café.  I went with simple - 2 eggs, house potatoes, and toast.  Good food and great conversation!



 



Weekly Weigh-in Update

Minus 10 pounds since July 31!! 

Lots of stress has led to lots of time at the gym in the last couple weeks.  Keeping up that brain training that I've been working on.  I have had my days where I want chocolate and carbs, but I have managed to keep my calorie intake under control and my calorie burn up!

July 1 - 271
July 31 - 271.4
August 7 - 265.6
August 16 - 261.4

I requested today off and gave my boss the reason of "for the sake of my sanity."  Like I said, lots of stress.

So this morning, Gus & I headed to the new dog park.  It was pretty warm, seeing as it is the middle of August in central Texas so we didn't stay long even though we were the only ones there.  Gus did chase his new soccer ball around the park and even brought it back to me, most of the times!  I took my camera but the battery was dead, so I'll have to try to get action shots next time.  Here's one I snapped with my phone.

This afternoon, I went to Target.  I have been trying to use coupons more, so I had my stack of coupons with me.  I needed a lot of toiletry stuff - shampoo, body wash, toothpaste, etc - and I happened to have coupons for a lot of those things.  I usually just get the cheapest or the store brand for many things like that, but if I have a coupon that makes it cheaper or balance out, I'll try something new or namebrand.  My original total was $72, but after coupons it was $56.  Not bad. 

We have made it more than halfway through the month-long squat challenge.  Legs and butt are feeling good, strong!

So my roommate got a puppy.  She is bringing him to live here next week.  It will be an adjustment.

And I foresee more time at the gym, because that is an added stressor no matter how you look at it, in addition to all the craziness going on at work.  So, moving forward with the train my brain plan.  :)

Woes of Living by the Numbers on the Scale

No-Weigh July was not a success.  It also was not a total failure.  My weight was less than a pound different at the beginning and the end of the month.  I am glad I didn't gain because I didn't really start working out again until the last full week of the month, then I traveled to Kansas for a long weekend which meant no exercise and not the best eating.

Since July 31, I have been tracking my food again.  And I've been so stressed out between work and home that I have spent lots of time working on that brain training - crave exercise, not carbs.  It seems to be working.  I have eaten several hundred calories under the max set by bodymedia and have burned close to or more than it recommends burning, which has led to some decent calorie deficits!

So the numbers.

I have debated for a long time if I am brave enough to put the numbers out there. 

And since my sister is brave enough to do it, I'm going to suck it up and just do it.

July 1 - 271
July 31 - 271.4
August 7 - 265.6

I am still going to limit myself to weighing in once a week, so that I can avoid some of the frustrations of not seeing the number go down quickly or the fluctuations that come with daily life.

My sister challenged me to a month-long squat challenge.  It's 4 days of squats followed by a rest day.  The numbers vary greatly.  So far, the max number we have done is 90 and the minimum was 30 on Day 1.  Sunday is 120!  It is a challenge.  I hear my aerobics instructor from Virginia in my head every time I stand up, saying SQUEEEEZE. :)  And that makes it a little more enjoyable.  Not to mention the fact that I do feel like my legs and butt are getting a good workout and building some muscle! 

Here's hoping for more exercise and less stress in the coming days!