1 month and 6 days...but who's counting?

Hi there!

Sorry I have been a total slacker on the blogfront. I have no good excuse and need to add it to my New Years resolution list this year.

Hope you and yours are buzzing with holiday joy and good cheer. I have almost all of my shopping and wrapping completed and after I decorate 3 more kinds of cookies I will have completed my 12 different kinds. This is the first year I have made 12 kinds...not sure if I will do it again. However, I do really like the idea of gifting a dozen cookies of a different variety. Check in with me next year.

Although I haven't been blogging I have continued to go to gym and am trying to watch my diet. Watching the diet during the holidays is always the hardest! Not to mention all the bites, licks and taste I'm tempted to indulge in during my baking extravaganza. I haven't weighed myself in a long time...longer than the hiatus I have taken from blogland. Today I caved and fired up the Wii Fit. I am so elated to share with you that I am down 11 pounds from the last time I took the Wii Fit body test (55 days ago)! Not only do I feel great about this progress...I am re energized to continue my fitness regime.

I think I will gift myself some new workout clothes and running shoes after the holidays. I really need both and I feel good about investing in them and in myself. Many of you may know this, but in a little over a month I turn 32. I have counted down to turning 32 since the age of 5. For some reason I always have thought that 32 was going to be a magical year. I am lacing up my running shoes and recharging my engine. I look forward to starting the year ahead with a heart overflowing with love, a mind seeking more wisdom and a spirit with her gauge set to high for a wonderful year of adventure.

Happiest of holidays and the very best of the New Year to you all!

I'm back...did you miss me?

I realized it has been some time since I updated this blog. I also realized that is has been some time since I hit the gym. Why is it so easy to fall off the horse and so hard to get back on? I wonder...at what point does one stop falling off the horse? I was going so strong for weeks...and then boom...a little detour..followed by another ...and you get the picture. Today I finally made it back to the gym. I was kind of in a funk. There has been part of me that has been longing to be back at the gym and part of me that forgot the gym existed. But, reality bite me in my ass and I realized that I'm not doing myself any good by not going to the gym. Today, when I returned to the gym, I struggled. It was much harder than when I last was there. I rowed less, biked less, nu stepped less, treadmilled less and hurt more! No kidding!! I am sure you are not shocked. I hope as the weeks pass by my post become more exciting and my aches and pains from the gym become less difficult.

Hoping you are all having a great week and have fun a way to keep active even when ol' man winter is rearing his ugly head!

Pilates - should be named Painlates

I went to my first Pilates class on Sunday. It was only 45 minutes long - I thought how hard can it be? The class started at 11:15 am and went until 12 noon. At around 11:32 am I was wondering if I was going to be able to make it until 12 noon. Intense core workout like this ol' body has never experienced before. I am happy to tell you that I sucked it up and forced myself to stay until the end. The instructor told us that if our stomach was burning to just push through it. My stomach was like an inferno! I seriously expected Dante to rear his ugly head in the mirror in front of me at any moment. Class ended and I told my friend Sara that I was so happy that I pushed myself to stay and that I was feeling great. She said, "Oh, just wait until tomorrow." I thought how hard could this be on my body. I am exhausted after Zumba and Group Groove, but always feel wonderful the next day. Aside from the day that I felt like I rowed the length of the entire Chicago river and convinced myself that I was having a heart attack that night...the pain hasn't been too bad. Oh..and I probably only rowed 1500 meters that.. lol. This morning when I woke up and I went to bend over for some reason I was astonished at the amount of pain I was feeling. Every time I would laugh - pain...take a big step up...pain...bend...pain...squat pain...from my hips to through my abs...I am coping with some serious pain today. I keep telling myself that this is good pain and that the more times I pilatiate myself the better it will start to feel. So friends, if you have never been to Pilates be forewarned it is much more intense than yoga. Give it a shot...you might be like me and find yourself experiencing and discovering muscles you never knew existed.

I wanna see sweat coming out your pores!!!

The eye is healing :) I'll be back in my contacts on Monday! Thank goodness. I did learn that the left lens of my specs was made incorrectly so first thing next week I will be having that corrected - at no charge to me thank you.

Yesterday I went to Zumba - another fun night of shakin what my mama gave me. It really is an enjoyable time and you get a total body workout. Today I went to the gym with my workout partner and we did a few different things. I totally enjoy going more with my workout partner - the time seems to fly by. Today I biked, walked on the treadmill and a pretty good clip I must say and NuStepped for 2500 steps. When were finishing up on the treadmill and getting ready to head home I said something I never thought I would hear myself say. I looked at my friend and exclaimed "Oh yeah, I'm sweating..look at those toxins coming out of my system...damn it feels so good!"

So, I was feeling the little curious when I got home...having put in a good 120 minutes at the gym already this week...so I got out the Wii Fit. I am confused..I have been eating better and working out a lot. Why is the scale not going down? I wonder what I am doing wrong. Perhaps it was just the time of day and I should try again in the morning. I don't want to become one of those people who are so obsessed with the scale that they step on every day, but after all my hard work these past few weeks I sure as hell want to see the number decrease.

Eye, eye, eye...

Happy Monday! My husband was kind enough to remind me that it has been a few days since I updated my blog. Thanks, honey. Isn't it sweet that he is an avid follower of my blog :)

The reason I have not updated in a few days is because I have been dealing with an eye issue. It turns out that I have a corneal ulcer in my left eye ball...and let me tell you...it is extremely painful! I went to the opthomaligist on Thursday and gave me some antibiotic drops and requested that I return the next day at 9:20am so he could see how the ulcer was healing. After he put various drops in my eye and looked it through many different scopes - he said, "Well I have good news and bad news." Great! Just what I wanted to hear. The good news was that the ulcer was starting to heal the bad news was that the antibiotic was causing a toxic reaction in the rest of my eye and causing my cornea to be bumpy instead of smooth like glass. No wonder it continued to be so painful. He prescribed a new antibiotic drop for me to use and rewetting drops. Today is day 4 on the drops and I happy to tell you that the eye is feeling better. I actually was able to wake up turn on a light without feeling like a gremlin or having to put on a pair of sunglasses over my reg specs to see...oh that looks so attractive too...lol. I go back tomorrow for another evaluation. I'll be sure to update you.

So, how does this impact me losing my ass you wonder...my gym is extremely bright...so for the last few days I haven't been able to be in very bright setting. Just yesterday I was able to return to the gym. I have to tell you I was so happy to get back at it. My husband came to my gym as my guest yesterday. We each did our own thing for an hour and then headed home. I am happy to tell you that in a weeks time I was able to go an additional 500 steps in 10 minutes on the Nustep :) so I stayed on and extra 5 minutes and went a total of 2000 steps. I also rowed and walked the treadmill. I did a great job of keeping me heart rate up :) Working out in glasses is a bit of a pain. Sweating causes them steam up a bit and slide on my nose. It is only a matter of time until I am back in my contacts :) I'm not sure what classes we are going to go to this week. I'll be sure to update the blog and let you know.

Have a great week everyone!

Feelin' Groovy

Happy Wednesday all :) Today has been an icky Midwest damp, rainy day. The kind of day where the last thing you want to do is venture out doors if you don't have to. I woke at 5am with terrible sinus pressure and itchy, watery, red eyes! Happy morning. Here's a glimpse into me...I loathe mornings...so being up at 5am makes me one mean monster. Just ask my loving husband. I would make a redneck truck driver blush for certain. I found yesterday at the doctor that she thinks I have non allergy rhinitis - which is a mix of things that show up as a hay fever reaction, but are brought on various other things such as weather change, odors, pet dander, etc... There is not too much to do for this ailment. I took some nose spray, some OTC sinus/allergy meds (sometimes they help sometimes they don't) and some advil. Oh and used some great lubricating natural eye drops :) They work sooo well. All I wanted to happen was for this reaction to subside and for me to crawl back under my warm covers with my husband and our cats. After two failed attempts of returning back to bed - I was up for the day.

Here's another glimpse into me (bonus you are getting two of them today!). If I don't enjoy doing something I will find every excuse not to make it happen. Come on now- that is one that I know a lot of us do. But, I'm reaaalllyyy good at it. I can talk myself out of just about anything. Given the weather and the ailment inflection this morning I wondered if I was going to follow through and make it to the gym for Group Groove. Guess what happened? Ahh the title gave it away - didn't it? I did it! I was moving and grooving all over that studio. Well maybe not so smoothly...I trip myself on the box step and the grapevine. I sure as heck disco fingered, shimmied and shook my thing.

Perhaps I really, really do like going to the gym. I wonder if it is because of how I feel or the social aspect. Either way...win/win for me. I need to get in shape and I crave human interaction. I love working for myself but, it does get lonely at times.

Gather round my friends...let us shake our groove thing! See you next Wed at Group Groove!

Gym week two :)

I can't believe I have completed my first week of working out at the gym. I am happy to tell you that I enjoyed every day! It was honestly great.

Tonight Mindy and I planned our workout schedule for the week and picked various classes to attend. We scheduled ourselves to attend Mon-Fri again :) We are going to try a few new things this week including Big Band, Group Active and Pilates. I think doing various classes is going to keep our workouts interesting and fun. Our strength training with our trainer may start this week too. Pow! Pow! Look out...I'm gonna beat your booty...lol just kidding!

I was so inspired again by working the marathon this weekend. It always amazes me to see 40,000+ people of all ages, shapes and sizes pounding the pavement. I don't think I will ever run a marathon...running and Allie just don't go well together. Don't get me wrong...if I am in danger or being chased I would haul my caboose just as fast I could. Aside from that scenario...I would rather walk or saunter even.

I hope you all have an amazing week. I will keep updating on my daily gym experiences. Again, if any Chicago locals want to check out Galter let me know - I would love for you to be guest!