Diving In Headfirst

I've gone on a shopping spree.  The best kind, in that most of it was paid for by someone else.  When I graduated from the COSE Wellness Tracks Program, they told us that we could apply for a $300 Wellness Grant- i.e. $300 to use on health and wellness items that COSE would pay for.  I'm not one to pass up free money, so I've spent the last week deciding what to spend my bucks on.  I got my grant approved yesterday, and immediately got to work on my list.  I plan on reviewing these items individually, as well as posting pictures of the mini-basement gym that I'm working on, but those are all future posts. 

What I've purchased lately- (not all of these were with grant money):
BOSU Balance Ball
Free Weights
Weight Bench
Fit Bit Activity Tracker
Polar Heart Rate Monitor

These items will all either help me get in shape, or help me to figure out the most efficient way to get in shape.  I've read a lot on the LoseIt forums that FitBits and HRM's provide so much valuable information on how your body handles workouts and burns calories.  I've also read that to maximize this information, they're best utilized together.  So I bought both.  I can't wait to try them out, I will definitely be posting about the results I see from these products!  I feel like the more information you can derive about how your body handles and burns calories, the better equipped you are to not only lose weight, but gain muscle and maintain a healthy weight. 

I've found that I really like weight lifting, but I much prefer to do it at home, where no one can see that I look like an idiot.  At this point, I mainly use the gym for classes and not much else- I'm fine with that though.  I feel like I'm still getting my money's worth since I go several times a week.

Weigh in tomorrow- full disclosure, I ate a lot.  Didn't exercise a lot.  That being said, I'm glad my 'high' weights are lower than they used to be after a weekend of bingy eating and drinking.

Coming up Roses

Maggye and I- Halloween 2003

I had a yearly doc checkup this morning.  Everything is fine with me, don't worry- but I realized that despite recent events, I've had an amazing year since the last time I saw my doctor.  I may not be where I want weight-wise yet, but I have so many things to be thankful for.  On top of all that- a good friend of mine who I've only gotten to see a few times since college is coming to visit this weekend!  I'm so excited I get to show her and her husband around my beloved Cleveland.  We have a trip to the West Side Market planned, tours around Tremont and Ohio City, a visit to my parents house for a bonfire, and a tour of TallBoy's brewery.  Buster will get to play with their dog, Walter- who is roughly horse sized.  Buster loves horse-sized dogs.  That and probably a lot of crying from laughing so hard.  That happens when we get together.  We'll probably talk about our Japanimation Halloween costumes from 2003.  We tend to be ridiculous together.

For weigh in- I had a really good week.  I dropped a little more weight, and have been motivated to get to the gym.  I plan on buying a heart rate monitor soon, so I can more accurately gauge my calorie burn from workouts.  All in all- things are getting better.  I hope everyone has an amazing Memorial Day weekend!

This week: -1.2 lbs
This year: -5.8 lbs
Total: -15.4 lbs

On The Way To Normal

Three days.  The worst.  Pretty satisfying once it was out though...

In an effort to get back into everyday life, I've been coping in a way that really surprised me... gardening?  Yes, folks, black thumb over here has been spending a lot of time in the yard, making it look nice for once.  Weeds be gone!  That plant I don't like?  Sure, I'll spend THREE DAYS digging it up.  Like I said, I'm surprising myself.  Two Saturdays ago, TallBoy and I spent seven hours weeding, edging and mulching the front gardens.  Last night, I spent two hours in one of the back gardens weeding.  I think I'm only a quarter through that one garden.  I've really let the yard go these past few years while focusing on the interior of the house.

Regardless of what may seem like a manic gardening mode, at least it's a productive, healthy way to cope.  Not only am I making my yard healthier and look better, it's also good exercise.  We've gone back to eating fresh grilled food, and my body is THANKING me for it.  I didn't think I'd lose this week, (I have been up by a few pounds on the scale), and I've maintained from the last time I weighed in.  I haven't been tracking the last few weeks, and have been eating like a pig.  I think I expected to have gained ALL the weight back, and am pleased with getting back to what, for me, is a normal weight.  I think all this outdoor time has done me some good.

This week: No Change
This year: -4.6 lbs
Total: -14.2 lbs

The Past Few Weeks

Hey blog- long time no see.  The past few weeks have been an unfortunate series of events, starting with my grandfather falling ill, and ending, with his death on May 6th.  These past two weeks have been filled with a lot of tears, a lot of sadness, but also joy in celebrating his life.  He was the kind of guy that got knocked down repeatedly and got back up, time and time again.  He lived life until the very end- just six weeks ago he was in California, visiting his army buddy.  He drove out to the Grand Canyon and took a helicopter to the bottom. At 85!!  He traveled, he loved his family, he was a tough old bird.  It was his time, and he knew it.

With all of this happening, The Cleveland Dilemma has been the last thing on my mind.  I've treated my body pretty poorly the last few weeks, and I'm paying for it.  Starting today, I'll be reintroducing my body to vegetables and exercise and trying to stay away from the pizza and wine for a little bit.

My grandpa always said that Life Goes On.  So it will, for us, without him.  Grandpa- you will be missed. 

And now, back to our regularly scheduled (sort-of) posts.