What doesn't kill you...

Only makes you stronger...I think this is actually true in the exercise world. I can remember reading this quote on the wall of the gym I used to work out in when I lived in Thunder Bay and at first I would think "yeah right, if it doesn't kill me it surely will eventually". I think after time though I agreed and found that perseverance and confidence that I can do what I set out to do came naturally. I've been exercising for four months now and I have stayed true to my diet plan and exercise regime although I'm finding some of it a bit stale at this point and I can only thank God for giving me that confidence and stamina as well as the motivation to keep going. He puts people in my life to encourage me and prods me to get up off my butt by reminding me why I'm doing this. Today I was doing tricep extensions and by the time I got to 18 of 20 on each arm I found it so hard to keep going. I felt like I would have to stop but then I remembered I'd done all 20 many times before and I could finish. It hurt, my arms were shaking and afterward I could barely lift them but I felt good that I had done it! I think there is always a point in the workout (if you're doing it right) that you will face the I can't moment. It's then we need to focus on something and just push through it. I'm inspired by my baby sister who is going to run the Calgary marathon this Sunday. I know she's faced many "I can't" moments and yet look at how much she's accomplished. Sarah, you're my hero!

My weight loss buddy

Today we brought home a new member of the family. His name is Jake and he's the cutest weight loss buddy you could ask for. He needed a home because his owners are moving away and I needed someone to go on walks with me. I have had success this past week which is very encouraging. I'm down a total of 27 pounds now so I feel pretty good. Last Friday we walked to the mall and back which was over 2.2 km and more than an hour of walking. Unfortunately I have bad arches and injured my right foot. I bought insoles right afterwards but I'm still recovering. I'm still planning on my wii fit strength training this evening but I'll be very careful when doing so. Thanks for your support yet again.

Disappointment

I wish I could say something inspiring today, I really do. But the truth is, somehow I've put back on 3 pounds and I can't figure out how. Possibly it's just water weight but I don't know. I've been working harder and watching everything I eat with the exception of yesterday as it was mother's day and we went out to dinner. I was still very reasonable with what I ate aside from dinner. I'm disappointed and more than a little discouraged. That doesn't mean I'm giving up though. I just need to re-evaluate things yet again and see what I can change. Today as I sat in my despair I listened to my husband and decided to try his suggestion. We'll go for a walk every day in addition to my regular workout which will double my exercise time to 40 minutes. If I can sustain that for the week I hope I will see some benefit from it. I really wish things were going better though. I really want to lower my blood pressure and weight without weight loss surgery.

Plateau? I don't know...

Well I weighed myself yesterday using Aimie's scale and unfortunately the numbers haven't changed from last time. I didn't gain but I didn't lose either which is somewhat disheartening. I know this will happen from time to time and I won't give up, I just like to see the numbers drop to get me motivated. I did my strength training outside yesterday because the weather is warming up so nicely. The only issue is that the ground is so uneven it's very hard to balance on and I felt some pain in my ankles and knees. Today I took Olivia outside in the morning because we have another gorgeous day out there. She wasn't content to just play in the backyard though. First we walked around the outside of the house and then she pointed to the garage. "Not the dreaded wagon" I thought. I did not feel like pulling her around the neighborhood in that thing. "Do you want to go get the ball?" I asked her.
"Nooooo". It was clear she wanted her wagon and that was all that would make her happy. So I hauled it out and strapped her in and off we went. I just started walking with no set path in mind but at least it was a new one to what I had been doing before. I walked to the Fields store and then down to Citee de Jeunes and then back up Marquette for a grand total of 1.3 km in about 20-30 minutes, I'm not sure how long I was out there. It felt good to go so far but pulling a wagon is hard work. My shoulder is definitely feeling it this afternoon. Please send more encouragement and prayers my way so that I can do more and lose more!

Back after a short trip

I'm baaaaack! We were in Thunder Bay this weekend to take Olivia to see Dorothy the Dinosaur in concert. It was a quick trip and I'm exhausted. I didn't track my meals this weekend but I did try very hard to stick to portion sizes and I only had 1 pop which is all I allow myself each week. I was able to get in a few walks here and there and of course there's the walking I did while shopping. I was able to try Vitamuffins which are spectacular although quite expensive. They are full of protein and fiber and are only 100 calories so I added one to my breakfast each morning. It's too bad they don't sell them around here. I still don't have a working scale so I guess I'll have to borrow one from my neighbour Aimie until we can get it to work or get it replaced. Today I'll be back to my regular schedule starting with strength training. We'll be grocery shopping so I'll also get some cardio in. Today's dinner is turkey soup (thanks mom for the corpse, oh I mean carcass) plus I added in carrots, celery and half a bag of coleslaw. I'm going to puree it before I add the meat back in. We'll also have some dempsters wraps with low fat turkey lunchmeat or Livvy may have peanut butter again, it depends on what she will eat. I've discovered I really like talking to others about what I'm doing and my goals. I really enjoy encouraging other people and I hope this blog will reach more than I can in person. I also discovered my husband didn't know I has started a blog! Well honey, I'm mentioning you so you'd better read it! And maybe we can inspire him to eat fewer chips and try the wii fit with me folks, just make your comments and I'll make sure he reads them. I love you all and your support means more than gold to me. Please keep it coming!