Catching Up With Runaway Wagons

Eau dear.

I've fallen off the wagon.  Not just fallen off the wagon.... fallen, skinned my knees, broke a hip, lost a tooth, and cried like a little girl.

Here are a few very large wagons that have left me in the dust lately:

• Eating healthy (the fact that we have a kitchen full of leftover party food doesn't help)
• Exercising
• Blogging
• Feeling sassy (due to all of the above)

I started this little bloggity blog to catalog all my successes, wins, thoughts, fails (including those of the epic variety) to help me through times like this when my motivation has gone by the wayside.  So I have used it as intended today -  I went back and reread my entries, and remembered how well my pants fit.  How much more energy I had.  How much self-confidence I had.  How proud of myself I was. 

Why wait until tomorrow to get back in the swing of things?  Right now sounds like as good a time as any, right?  

Here's hoping my next blog will be me shouting from the rooftops that I am back on track.

Niki's Truths About Exercise

"I don't exercise.  If God wanted me to bend over, He would have put diamonds on the floor."

 ~Joan Rivers

I'm human.  There is ALWAYS an excuse not to exercise.  I have gone through stages of exercising like a fiend (divorce diet, anyone?), but sadly, those have all been short lived.  Over the last 8 months (eight months - whoa!), I have been incredibly proud of myself for sticking with my exercise guns.  I may miss brief stints here and there, but I always get back in the swing of things, and I always feel better for it.

I caught myself thinking, what makes this time different?  How do I know I'll still be at this in a year?

Here are just a few things I think have really made a difference.


Space.  I have a space that is just mine, and it is only used for exercise. I call it my "workout room," but that might be overselling it a bit.  It has inexpensive flooring, a tv with a DVR for all my fave workouts, a table to keep my stuff on, and fan.  Not to mention, it's in the basement - it stays about 10 degrees cooler than the rest of the house!  Knowing that space is there keeps me motivated to use it.   Oh, and no one ever goes down there but me.  I can sing along with the music and act a fool, and the boy is none the wiser.


Variety.  I am up to about 12 different workout DVDs.  They vary in length, from 20 minutes to a full hour.  I have weight training, cardio/aerobics, yoga, toning.  Of course, I have my favorites, and there are a couple that are straight brutal.  Changing it up keeps things challening, and it keeps me from getting bored.


My heart rate monitor.  Oh, I am full on addicted to this thing!  There is nothing more motivating than seeing your stats flash across that little watch.  I love knowing how long I've been in my target heart rate zone, what my maximum heart rate was - not to mention the calories I've burned!  It challenges me to keep going.  475 calories?  I can make it to 500!  


Gear.  Gear, gear, gear.  I always went el-cheapo in the past.  $10 sports bras and stretch pants from Walmart.   This time, I stepped it up and spent a bit more than I normally would. I think buying better stuff helps working out feel like a commitment, rather than a passing phase.  After all, when is the last time you saw someone run a marathon in cheap ass shoes? Here are a few things I have committed a little extra cash to:

• Ryka shoes.  I've tried several brands, but I always come back to Ryka. They are made for women's feet.  Narrower through the heel, a little wider in the metatarsal, and light!  I love that I can feel the floor through them.

• Fila gear.  Those cheap workout pants from Walmart?  Their only true use is sliding off your rear end while you exercise.  So unless you want to spend your quality workout time hiking your drawz up, pick up some pants that will stay with you while you move.

• Decent sports bras.  I have a few, mostly Nike and Fila.  The support can't be beat, particularly for aerobics.  My old ones have been relegated to sleepy time.

• Socks.  Yes, I just said socks!  I had a conversation that went like this.  Me:  I think I need new workout shoes.  The Boy:  I think you need better socks, not the cutesy dollar socks from Target.  Me:  Huh, never thought about that.  So I went and bought new socks.  Turns out, the $12 pack of socks was a waaaay better investment than another $75 pair of shoes!

So there you have it - Niki's list of fabulous exercise stuff.  Because we all know......

Surprise!!!

I have been needing a shopping trip lately.  Not needing as in "jonesin' for commerce," but needing as in I was down to a few pieces that weren't looking like they'd been washed a million times.  The boy doesn't understand why shopping trips require planning and coupons and sale watching, and possibly trips to the same stores at two different malls.  After all, he just waltzes in, picks up a pair of pants with the correct number on the tag, and  tah-dah!  They fit!

Several times, I have tried to explain the nuances of womanly figures to the boy.  Hips, thighs, short legs, skinny jeans (ack!), jeans for curves, tummy control jeans, long legs, short waisted - Heaven forbid you get home to find you bought a pair of high-waisted mom jeans with a baggy crotch (ladies, you feel me on the baggie crotch, right?).   Not to mention, shopping for pants has been known to cause extreme depression that can only be cured with a bottle of Syrah.

I stopped by Kohl's to pick up a pair of Levi's while I was out yesterday.  Not a fan of Kohl's generally, but they seem to have a pretty decent selection of sizes and fits (particularly for us short chicks) in jeans.  I quickly found the fit and size I needed, and just for kicks and grins, grabbed a size smaller than the last pair I bought.

Pretty sure the lady in the dressing room next to me thought I was having a seizure by the sight of my feet doing the happy dance under the wall. The smaller size fit like a glove!!  Also, there may or may not have been strutting as I left the dressing room.

This is what one would refer to as a NSV, or non-scale victory. w00t!

Oh dear....

Not-so-good stuff I've done since Friday:

• wine
• eggs, bacon, sausage, potatoes
• pizza
• more wine (hey, don't judge me!)
• Taco Bell 
• margaritas 
• cheeseburger & onion rings

I know, right?

Now, here's they WAY better stuff I've done since Friday:

• Kicked it into high gear
• a morning/afternoon full of fresh fruits & veggies
• tons of water
• baked chicken & veggies for dinner
• 40 minutes of ass kicking cardio
• planned a healthy menu and inked in workout time each evening

So, all the good stuff happened today.  When it comes to getting back on track,  no time like the present, oui?  Even after just 4 days off, I felt so sluggish - I had to make myself work out tonight, but I feel so much better for it.   It was definitely an epic slip up, but I'm determined to make an epic recovery.

so THAT is what motivation feels like!

About 6 weeks ago, I joined a commercial "diet" plan.  Two things about that sentence:

1. Okay, I'm totally busted.  I re-joined.
2. Am I allowed to say Weight Watchers on here, or will the WW police show up and shut a girl down? 

I was doing pretty well.  After the first week, I tracked my weight, and found I was down two whole pounds!  I danced my way to the coffee maker that Friday morning. And I danced all day.  Well, I danced while no one was looking.

I was feeling so good about myself, the next week, I kicked it up.  Measured food portions, journaled every bit that went into my mouth, did cardio for 25-40 minutes 5 days that week.  That Friday morning, I pulled out my scale feeling pretty good about what was about to happen.  You know that cartoon face, where the dude's eyes bug out, the jaw hits the floor and the tongue rolls out?  Yep, that was me.  I gained a pound.

I GAINED A DAMN POUND.

After a short bout of wallowing in self-pity, I decided there MUST be something else going on.  Water weight, right?  So, I got back on that horse.  Subsequently, I also got a wicked cold.  Oh, and let's not forget our dear hormone friends.  For two weeks of feeling just straight up bad and needing to feed my cold comfort food (carbs, anyone?), I couldn't bring myself to step back on the scale.   I got it together, started exercising again, and three weeks after the great scale debacle, I cautiously stepped back on the scale.  I got off, made sure it was correct, and got back on.  I was down an additional 4.5 pounds!

Logging that new number has upped my chutzpah level tremendously.  It has helped me pass up the Doritos and make a commitment to exercising.  Heads up, y'all.  I've got a cute vintage baby blue brocade dress I'll be rockin' this spring.  And it will fit like a glove.