This blog started as a place to write about my life after graduation from college. It has since turned into a book review blog, a food challenge blog, a Whole 30 experience blog and soon, a pizza diet blog. Basically I write about a lot of things and I'm happy you're here to read it!
I did okay this past year. Here's to hoping I do better this year!
1. Tattoo. This has been on my list for the past 3 years. I have an idea and know where I want it finally so maybe this will really be the year.
2. Cupcake photo shoot! 3. Dad and Mary adventure day
6. Pay off credit cards, cut them up and be done 7. Visit another country
Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic, March 2014
8. Go golfing (just once would suffice)
Yeah I've got the fancy shoes and glove and bright pink golf balls but I seriously have no idea what I'm doing.
9. EAT CLEAN
10. Spend more time with the fab five and Gibson
11. Sew the rest of the Gib's Bibs and coffee cozies that are sitting in my parents' basement 12. Go to church at least one Sunday a month
I even joined Christ United Methodist Church officially in March. I'm so pleased.
13. Make a pom-pom rug (inspiration here)
14. Go to a concert for an artist I've never seen before (I keep going to see the same artists- time for a change! But if Matt Nathanson is back in town in 2014, I'll be there in a heartbeat)
15. Visit a MN tourist attraction I've never been to (I'm thinking giant ball of twine...?) 16. Enter an eating contest of some sort.
American Pie Pizza eating contest, June 7, 2014- I ate 5 pieces of pizza in 12 minutes. The winner (a woman) ate 41 pieces. I ended up in second to last place beating the only other woman who entered.
17. Do a fun new manicure a week (#marysmanis on Instagram!)
I don't know that I did every week but I think I did a great job! These are a few of my favorites.
18. Blog once a week
19. Arm knit a scarf
20. Make an ugly Christmas sweater (I want to make one just like this)
21. Exploding egg painting (I know children are making this one but I think it would be so fun!)
22. Monthly (or more) acts of kindness like paying for coffee for the person behind me in the drive-through or leaving someone a nice note) 23. Join a CSA! And blog about the experience
I definitely didn't do the best job blogging but I did share a CSA with my neighbors for 18 weeks. It was a lot of work and I feel like a lot went to waste because I didn't know what to do with things or because I forgot things were in the fridge... http://missmary-collegegrad.blogspot.com/2014/09/csa-life.html
24. Reorganize our kitchen. I have so many great ideas pinned.
25. Pub crawl. 26. Adopt a cat (hopefully it's Walker or Wayne or whatever his name is right now)
1/19/14 This happened faster than I expected. After Walker left us, I felt like I needed a cat of my own so here is Marvel, a 7 month old black domestic shorthair. He's cuddly and curious and clumsy and I love him.
As I write this, I noticed that I happen to be wearing my Colorado State University sweatshirt. Total coincidence. I've been meaning to post this all day and now that it's 10:30 and I have done (most) of my activities for the evening, I finally have some time to sit down.
Evidently a couple undergrad students died in residence halls on the CSU campus in the past couple weeks. I had no idea until I got this email from President Tony Frank. Tony Frank is an amazing guy. He sends the BEST campus-wide emails. Not too often, not too sparse and always interesting, entertaining and genuine.
You can see some pictures of him on the CSU website here: http://www.president.colostate.edu/ He just looks like such a nice guy. I want to be his friend.
I found President Frank's response to the tragedies on campus to be very well put so I decided to share his email below. Even though I am not on campus, I always feel a little more connected to CSU when I get an email from President Frank, even under circumstances like these.
Dear Students, In the past two weeks, two of our first-year students have died in our residence halls. Many of you knew these students and have been personally affected by their loss. Others of you have lost other friends through illness, suicide, accidents – and recent events have awakened many of those memories. And so today, many on our campus are struggling with anger, guilt, sorrow, questions, and even fear. Some of you are worried. Others want to know what the University can and should be doing to honor these students and help others in need. Maybe it’s the leaves falling from our trees or the chilly and cloudy skies, but I find myself struggling with what to say to you that might offer something useful, something with comfort and perspective. Words seem insufficient, but please bear with me while I try. There’s so much that all of us at the University want to tell you: Ask for help when you’re hurting. Take care of yourselves and each other – and tell someone when you have concerns for a friend who’s struggling. Understand and never forget that you are important and have value, not just to your families and our University community but to our world. In an age when our planet faces enormous challenges that are increasingly complex and perplexing, we desperately need your minds, your talents, your energy, and the insights that you and you alone will bring in the years ahead. I also want to let you know that your residence hall staff and our Student Case Managers are here for you and want you to come to them when you feel lost, that the counseling services in our Student Health Network are available 24/7, that the CSU safety site (www.safety.colostate.edu) has a wealth of resources and information, and that every single member of the CSU faculty and staff is invested in your personal and academic success and above all your well-being. I want you to know that this generally has been and remains a very safe campus and that your safety is among our greatest responsibilities and our absolute highest priorities. Still, I know you’ve heard all this from me before. What I want to write to you today is a bit more personal. On a campus of more than 35,000 people, we share all the joys and grief that are part of human life and community – births, weddings, graduations, illness, and deaths, some of which come at the end of a long, productive life and some that come much too soon – knocking us off balance, shifting our view of the world, challenging our own thinking on mortality, and sometimes just breaking our hearts. As an older person writing to a group of people who are mostly quite a bit younger, it’s easy to say that this is a difficult part of life and one that we all have to come to terms with at some point. But I’m not sure it’s possible for thoughtful people ever to really come to terms with losing a young person of extraordinary gifts who seems to have so much yet to hope for and look forward to. At least that’s not something I’ve ever been able to fully come to terms with myself. With proximity of space and time, that loss is deep and raw. But still, we do have to find our own personal ways to move forward that are healthy and meaningful, and that’s where your youth gives you an edge over some of us older people. Your anger, your sense of loss, your questions can transform your view of the world and give deeper meaning to the choices you make and the ways you spend your days, months, and years going forward. You have the great and wondrous gift of time, and what you’re learning through all of this, however painful, will deepen your perspective and be yours to teach to others in the years ahead. And one of the most difficult lessons to accept is that some of your questions may always remain unanswered. When someone dies, we all have to respect the rights of family members and close friends to grieve privately and in peace. This can be difficult and in some ways unsatisfying, but it’s a part of what we have to do. We also need to find ways to recognize and honor the lives we’ve lost and the friends and colleagues we miss. And so we’re going to start a new tradition this year at CSU – a tradition that recognizes that we are part of a great community and that the connections among us – including the sinew of memory – are lasting and strong. We’re going to find an evening for the campus to come together – to gather, reflect, and pay tribute to the members of our community who have left us during the year. It will be a time to remember and a time to look forward. Dean of Students Jody Donovan will lead this effort and will work with our student community to create an event that will be meaningful and respectful for all of us. It’s not an answer, but it’s something we can and should do. And so we will. As we head toward the coming weekend, I have a request of you: Let’s all work to be a little bit kinder, a little bit more decent, a little bit more responsible toward each other, acknowledging that while we never fully can understand someone else’s struggles – while we never actually can walk in their shoes – kindness and compassion never hurt. Make smart choices. Take care of one another. And remember that we need each of you. Our world needs you. CSU needs you. Each and every one of you is irreplaceable. -tony Dr. Tony Frank
I was going to write a post about how hard grad school is and how I'm just not sure how well I thought this through...
But then I finished my homework and I'm feeling slightly better about life (for now) so I have decided to write about my amazing long weekend.
On Thursday liz and I drove to Chicago. It was a 6 hour drive made better because we were driving in my awesome new car. We got to Chicago, had some mediocre (see: bad) pizza (its because it wasn't deep dish, a poor decision on my part) then found some fro yo and hung out at the hotel.
On Friday, Liz and I drove downtown for breakfast at Little Goat. A friend actually recommended this place as good for breakfast and it had already been on my radar of Top Chef restaurants downtown (Stephanie Izzard owns Little Goat and Girl and the Goat which is across the street). Liz had Elvis waffles (peanut butter butter, bananas, bacon maple syrup- so freaking delish) and I had sourdough pancakes (simple but good). We took this super cute picture in the photo booth inside the front door:
After breakfast, we wandered around for a while and found Garrett's popcorn for mom. We also checked out the Boeing store which was pretty cool. Then we drove out to Wheaton to find Ellie! She showed us her res hall and mentioned that C.S. Lewis' actual wardrobe and desk were on display in a house on campus so we had the check that out. Liz flipped out and loved every minute of it.
With Ellie reunited with her cool cousins (see below), we headed back downtown for lunch at XOCO. Ellie got to experience wonderful new flavors and tastes because Liz and I are foodies and like eating at Top Chef restaurants (Rick Bayless is the mastermind behind XOCO).
After that we went to the Sears Tower (now known as the Willis Tower but I think it was douchey of them to change the name, even though they had naming rights). Liz and I had been through the educational part before but Ellie hadn't so she read a ton about the city and spouted facts for the rest of the afternoon and evening. When we got upstairs (to the 103rd floor after a freaky fast elevator ride), we went straight to the ledge.
It was a gorgeous day to be looking out at the city. El wanted to stay and see it in the night time but we didn't. That is definitely a plan for a future visit though. After the Sears Tower, we took a rickshaw ride to Millennium Park. There was an event happening so most of the park was closed but we still enjoyed it. The bean was open so of course we took adorable pictures.
Then we started up Michigan Ave to Water Tower Place and got stopped by hundreds of bikers riding through the city. It was CRAZY and one of the coolest things I've ever seen. It's called Chicago Critical Mass and its this organized bicycle ride through the city on the last Friday of every month to reclaim the streets for bikers and show a peaceful way to assembly. It was awesome and I wish I had taken pictures or at least gotten a video of the dude who yelled at the bikers for "not following the law" and for creating a disturbance but damn was it a cool disturbance.
We did some shopping at Water Tower Place and then had dinner at Roy's Hawaiian Asian Fusion restaurant (a place Liz and I stumbled upon during our trip 2 years ago and had to come back for more). After dinner we returned Ellie to campus and drove back to the hotel. It was a late night and it was an even better day.
Saturday morning Liz and I made the trek to Oshkosh. We changed into our wedding attire at a rest stop. We're classy dames. The wedding ceremony was wonderful. Heidi and Ryan's priest was so funny and was perfect for them as a couple. Heidi looked AMAZING as did her 9 bridesmaids. It was just lovely and I cried. The reception was great too because we got to choose our seats so it was not as awkward as it could have been (I wasn't sure who was going to be there that I knew). Dinner was buffet style and was so tasty. There was a photo booth, a thumb print tree, a guest book, notes to leave for the happy couple, a candy bar and such beautiful decorations. It was just an amazing wedding all around. Plus the fact that I love Heidi and think Ryan is fantastic doesn't hurt either.
Here's a great (creepy eyed) picture of Heidi, Jenna, Erin, myself and Carissa- all my residents when I was an RA. This made me incredibly happy. And speaking of being an RA, at 6:00 this morning (Sunday), our fire alarm went off in our room (on the 7th floor of the hotel) and told us an emergency had been detected in the building and we had to evacuate. Knowing how fire alarms work, I took my time putting on pants instead of my PJ shorts and grabbing my keys and such. Out in the hallway, it was like a flashback to Lourdes where everyone was standing in the hallway all bleary eyed and hungover, wondering if we really had to go outside. The alarm stopped so I called down to the desk to find it was a false alarm. I gave the all clear to those around me (including Jenna and Erin, just like the good old days) then yelled down to the really old lady (I think it was Ryan's 92 year old great-great grandma) about to go downstairs with her walker. Disaster avoided there. Back to bed we went with a sense of accomplishment for me. If I could be an RA in Lourdes for a few more years I think I would be happy. :)
Anyway, after breakfast this morning and saying goodbye to the happy couple, Liz and I made the 4 1/2 hour drive home and we are now back safely.
I am exhausted. I am happy. I wish this weekend could repeat all the time (without the driving).
Online dating sucks. It is frustrating and dumb and I'm sick of it. I have been on Match.com for a year as of yesterday. Here is what I've ended up with.
First there was Brandon. We went on 4 dates. He was tall and cute and seemed to really like me. Unfortunately, he seemed to like me too much and was constantly texting me. He used too many smiley faces and said "lol" too many times in his texts. He also couldn't spell worth a damn and I still don't understand why his phone wasn't correcting his spelling when he texted me. It drove me nuts. In the end, I didn't feel the connection with him that I was hoping for so I ended it.
Then there was TJ. We met for drinks one night. He was also tall (it's a preference that I have). He didn't go to college which bothered me more than I thought it would. We didn't have a lot to talk about.
Next was Ben. We also met for drinks one night. He used to date a girl I went to college with so he seemed familiar. I thought the date went well- we carried the conversation easily. We talked about doing dinner the next Wednesday. I texted once to set a time, he didn't text back until the day of our proposed date to tell me he "didn't want to date right now". That turned out to be a straight lie since he was still active on the website. That annoys me because I would much prefer to be told the truth but whatever.
Skip ahead through a few months of no prospects and I met Matt. He went to galas. I was intrigued. He texted me one Friday night to get me to meet him downtown but I didn't feel like getting all dressed up and leaving the house so I politely declined. He seemed annoyed. The next night I ended up meeting him after I was at a fundraiser and he was at a gala. He was drunk but he "doesn't usually drink" and made a complete ass of himself. Not only did he make me uncomfortable but he flirted with other women for the whole 45 minutes I was there and then he ditched me. He LITERALLY disappeared with his buddy never to be seen or heard from by me again. Here is an article about Matt, the founder and owner of MN Pro Paintball. http://sunthisweek.com/2012/04/12/matthew-ames-awesome-adventure/ One would think he might be a nice, humble guy after what he has been through in his life but that is not the case. He is just a giant douche.
More recently I haven't even made it to the first date. For whatever reason I decided to respond to an email from Adam. He seemed nice. He also lives in Big Lake so before I got too attached, I told him it was just too far for me. A cop out perhaps but I barely see my best friend and she just lives in Shakopee so trying to arrange to see a guy from Big Lake would just annoy me. Yesterday I started texting Ray. Literally yesterday afternoon was our first text after one email through the website and this is how it ended:
What a freaking joke. I refuse to drop everything in my life for a man. Don't you think that moving is a pretty reasonable excuse to be busy? Good grief. I didn't even have a witty comeback text for him I was so surprised.
This doesn't even include the winks or picture likes or email I've gotten from weird dudes who are way out of my age range, who don't even live here and who are just creepy. It happens a lot. Or the guys who seem nice and normal and like we have a lot in common so I email them through the site and never hear anything back. That's frustrating because I like to think I'm a normal kind of gal who is not creepy but who knows.
So here I am again with a subscription that ends in July that I have zero intention of renewing. Those people in Match.com commercials, though it says they are not actors, must be very carefully screened to make sure they're pretty and normal looking because that certainly has not been the case from what I've seen.
The only positive thing I can think of is that it got me into the dating scene, which is something I didn't do before. So I'll give you that, Match.com.
It just sucks to put in all this effort when I know there is someone out there that I was just a little too late with.
And that is my experience this far with online dating. People keep telling me that I'll find someone when I stop looking but it is really not in my nature to leave things up to fate not to mention the fact that I'm not getting any younger (this is half a joke and half my quarter life crisis). Hopefully those people are right and someone surprises me when I least expect it. We will see.
Do you ever wonder how your life would be if you made one different decision?
I went to Macalester College today for a homework assignment. When I was in high school, Allison and I used to go to an art store right next to campus. We would walk down Grand Avenue to look at the school from the sidewalk. It was pretty but I never even gave it a second thought. I have this homework assignment where I am supposed to visit a campus and comment on the ecology of said campus as well as interview a student affairs professional. I chose Macalester pretty randomly and ended up knowing a staff person so it turned out to be a good project for me. Since I work all day, I am unable to visit campus during the school day and take an actual tour so I decided to head out there today.
It turned out to be reunion day on campus. Graduates from 5, 10, 15, 25 and 50 years ago were gathered on campus for lunch, classes and tours through buildings, new and old.
Even though I was wearing shorts and a t-shirt and I was not an alum, I still felt comfortable on campus in a situation where I usually would have felt out of place and like I would get in trouble for being there during the celebration.
I wandered around campus, watched the reunion from afar, and walked through a building.
I had an overwhelming feeling of internal conflict. Should I have gone to Macalester? Why didn't I even look at it as an option?
How would my life be different now had I gone to Mac?
I feel a little weird about it all. I loved WSU and I'm in a good place now because of it but what if?
Even my underwear is too big. That may be TMI but I honestly never thought I would say such a thing so I had to share.
I got my results from Peak 10. I think this says it all. (You might have to click on the picture to see all the before and after stats but damn, look at those before and afters! Its not a huge difference but enough to make me very happy).
The creator of Peak 10, Michelle Dozois, will be at Bring It! this Saturday for a special class. I'm going and I'm super excited.
In the weeks since Peak 10 ended, I have been sick and so I haven't been very healthy food-wise or exercise-wise. Basically I ate every fast food last week that I hadn't had in two months. I hope to get back on track next week because I feel gross and I WANT to exercise. Who am I? :)
If you want to see results like mine (or even better), you should sign up for the spring Peak 10! It starts May 4- I highly recommend it. Check out the info here.
When I was in my undergrad at WSU, I found the women and gender studies (WAGS) program and knew it was going to be interesting and something that I could really get behind. It is only offered as a minor so I jumped on board. I started with a class called Power, Privilege and Gender and I think that really changed my world. As my undergrad career went on and I faltered about the choice of majors I entered with, my WAGS minor stayed strong. I got the opportunity to study race and class on the most amazing travel study trip ever on the island of St. Croix in the USVI. I will never forget that trip and what it taught me. I took Feminist Theory, Feminist Political Theory and a field experience class where my friend Jaci and I created women-focused programs for students living in the res halls. Every class taught me something new. They taught me to be analytical and how to really think about the world around me and how I fit in. They taught me how to be strong, opinionated and confident. I know I wouldn't be the woman I am today if it weren't for the WAGS program.
So of course when I found out that WAGS was celebrating its 20th anniversary on campus this week, I had to come for the festivities. I couldn't make it to the Feministing.com panel on Wednesday (check out the website though, it is so current and covers so many issues and topics you might not otherwise hear about from your regular news networks). I was here Thursday for the founders panel luncheon where the handful of professors who started the WAGS minor spoke about their experiences. One of those professors actually sued our university and the MNSCU system for women faculty on campus to be paid equally with their male counterparts. I had no idea this happened and it was amazing.
Later in the afternoon, we had an alumni panel. I didn't want to sit on the panel because I really didn't think that anything I was doing in my life after graduation had anything to do with WAGS. Boy was I wrong. I happen to be in a situation in one of my classes that fit into the discussion perfectly and it was at that moment yesterday, looking around at all the amazing women who surrounded me on that stage (some I knew, some I just had the pleasure of meeting) and looking out at the audience at current students, faculty and some of the founders, I realized I was a part of a sisterhood of sorts.
I felt so comfortable being part of this group even though I wasn't very active in WAGS in college due to other commitments. Everyone was so friendly and attentive and genuinely interested in what each other had to say.
It was an amazing feeling.
Add this to the reasons I love Winona State University so much. I wouldn't have had this experience any place else and I realize now how unique and important it was to my growth and identity.
So if you ever have the chance, take a women's and gender studies course. I promise it will be thought-provoking and eye-opening and hopefully you'll learn something in the process.
After our final workout on Thursday, I almost cried due to relief and also sadness that a small chapter of my life is over!
I will wait to post my final results when I get my pictures and info from Erin. The good news is that it was worth getting up at 6 a.m. today to go to Bring It! for my final fit test. It was early but the results were pleasing.
What's next for me, you ask?
TCO is starting a running club that I've decided to try out. One of the physical therapists is going to be in charge and work with everyone in the group to modify and make the best run for each of us. My knees suck but I'm going to the first run just to see how it goes.
I'd also like to find something that involves kicking. Right now I am considering Tae Kwon Do because I know a TKD master and all... otherwise maybe I'll find a good kickboxing class. I'm not sure yet.
Erin told us today that this is our new starting point- how we feel today is our new zero and it should only go up from here. If someone asks us to play a sport this summer, we should do it (sand volleyball, here I come). I plan to spend a lot more time outside this summer wearing shorts and being active. I'm excited. It should be good.
Anyway, I'll post again when I get my final results so you can see how awesome this was for me! I can't wait to go from here. I may have fallen off the "clean eating" wagon a bit today (first time I ate Panera in 2 months then I had gourmet donuts for dessert) but I'm back on tomorrow... or Monday. :)
1 more pound down! And my goal for the week is to lose 3 more.
On Tuesday, I did all the moves all the way through for the first time in seven weeks. That means all of the kicks, all of the mountain climbers, all of the punches, all of the weight lifts. It was an accomplishment to say the least.
On Wednesday I went to Zumba and kicked its ass. The last time I went to Zumba was before I started Peak 10. This time was awesome because the moves were easy (if not a little hard to catch on to with the choreography) and I felt great. Then I did some reading and stayed for yoga.
On Thursday, I freaked out about school and psyched myself out enough to skip Peak 10. Luckily, I did actually get homework done when I stayed home so it was productive, I just feel bad for letting it happen. School is catching up to me and not in a good way.
This morning at the cardio class, I made it all the way through which was difficult because I am sick and it is kind of hard to breathe on a normal basis let alone with a chest cold. But still, I was there and I managed to make it through.
One more week. Two more weights classes and then our final fit test on Saturday. Then we get rewarded with bagels. Ha.
I stopped by the Vera Bradley store tonight and all of my old coworkers told me how great I looked. I really don't see a change but I look at myself every day so its nice to hear that other people see a difference with my working out!
I'm excited to be done in a week but at the same time I really have enjoyed this class!
This week did not start well for me. After a frustrating day at work on Tuesday, I went to Peak 10 and Erin told me I was doing a couple of the moves wrong. I appreciate that she is there to help each of us succeed and overcome our individual issues. Mine is posture. I couldn't do dead lifts or squats correctly. She showed me what I should be doing right and a couple of stretches to help the squats. I was super frustrated after class. I don't like to struggle. I don't deal well with constructive criticism, even when I know its for the greater good. I was displeased.
I woke up Wednesday morning determined to make a change. I finally took the step to "eat clean" as Erin calls it and cut out all the processed foods I've been eating. I had a kale, blood orange and grilled chicken salad for lunch. I had chicken and asparagus for dinner. Fruits and veggies are once again my only snacks. On Thursday I had granola and milk with protein powder for breakfast, more kale and chicken salad and asparagus for dinner before Peak.
Thursday night Peak went so much better. I'm still having issues with some of the moves like the push ups but I've never been able to really do a push up well so I'm not as frustrated about that. I figured out the squats on Thursday. I did okay with my dead lifts. I felt so much better.
This morning when I weighed in, I was 1 pound lighter on the evil scale (Erin calls it the scale of doom because she knows its not 100% accurate but its what we started with so its what we're using). They just installed a medical-grade digital scale so I checked myself on that and I weighed 3 pounds less than the scale of doom. Erin high-fived me. She said the medical scale is our true weight so I'm feeling a lot better about that.
This morning before I went to class I took this picture.
I wore all Under Armour clothes to work out today and thought, when did I become an athlete? It wasn't until this week that I actually have been sore after workouts and made the changes I needed to. I became an athlete this week.
Two weeks left! Only one more full week with cardio and then the last week we'll do our fitness post-test instead. Crazy.
Also, because I forgot to post this last week, here is the video that was on Twin Cities Live about our class! I cannot embed the video so check out this link.
Not much change this week other than the fact that new parts of my body keep hurting. Left hip, right hip, right ankle, two parts of my left knee. Such is the life of a person who exercises, I suppose. Also I gained a pound. Still not following the diet. Bleh.
I went to a yoga class last week and loved it. I found the right instructor so I'm pretty happy about it. Of course I can't go this week because of snow today and cupcake baking on Wednesday but it'll work out next week.
I got to see my trainer at LA Fitness when I went to yoga. We've been texting occasionally but I actually saw him and chatted with him on Wednesday and that made me happy because I miss him. He is the reason I'm doing this Peak 10 thing so basically, I think he's great.
I'm trying to figure out what to do after Peak 10 is over now. Bring It! has added some "Peak Performance" classes three times a week. I'll probably do that for the first block of classes. Either that or I'll just do various classes at Bring It! Who knows.
Perhaps the best part of this week is that I have inspired my mom to start classes at Bring It! They're doing a cool bunch of classes for teachers in my mom's district. She said that I've been coming home with so much energy that she wanted to do the same. I'm pretty excited for her.
And I'm actually sore today after the cardio workout. That feels good.
Some updates from the week:
On Tuesday, I was really worried about going to Peak with my knee feeling the way it was. So I finally asked Jason, one of the physical therapists, at work to take a look at it. Turns out that the muscle on the outside of my left thigh is very strong and the muscle on the inside of my left leg is weak and therefore my knee is getting messed up in the process. So he taped my knee on Tuesday and Thursday and I felt more confident and secure in my workouts. It still hurts so I have more work to do on it (exercising and hopefully some other therapy things) but at least I know what the problem is.
My right ankle started hurting last week. Then I got some foot orthotics so I'm breaking those in now and I'm hoping that eliminates the ankle pain AND some of the knee pain.
Channel 5 news is coming to Bring It! studios on Monday to tape a Peak 10 class. Its at 9:30 a.m. though so unfortunately I cannot go as I will be at work (I tried to get the day off but it was too short of notice). It'll be cool to see on TV though! Hopefully as soon as I find out when the spot will be on the news I'll post it on FB so you can see what I'm doing three times a week.
I didn't gain or lose weight this week. I blame this 100% on my lack of focus and doing the diet so I'm determined to stick to the program for the next 4 weeks and see if anything changes. I WILL be at yoga and Zumba this week in addition to my Peak classes. I WILL eat better this week.
This morning Erin, our instructor, told me that when I do some of the weight exercises that I'm arching my back and throwing my weights up. I know I do this. I've been doing this ever since I started working out. Its a bad habit but I just can't get the motions right. She said that next week she'd help me work on it so I'm happy about that. The last thing I want is to throw out my back in addition to my other stupid body pains.
I shall leave you with my favorite pre-workout song that gets me hyped up for Peak 10!
Here is a list of negatives and positives about the past week:
- I gained a pound
- I am still struggling with the diet
+ I think I'm doing well with my calorie intake
- I'm just not eating the right foods...
+ I like the cardio day- I can keep up and don't stop the whole time!
- A lady was all up in my space today- she had all sorts of room behind her but she wouldn't back up and it was driving me nuts. I should have "accidentally" kicked her
- Erin was out of town today so Kitty taught our class- she's far too perky
- Our workout today was very right-side favored. We do each circuit twice and I'm pretty sure one time is for the right side and the second time should be for the left side but Kitty has us do the right side the whole time today. My left side is my weak side so I was annoyed that it was left out today.
- Speaking of my left side, my left knee HURTS. It started on Tuesday. It hasn't gotten better. I'm not totally sure what to do...
+ We're almost halfway done!
+ I feel sore after the workout today which is good because that means I actually did some good work today.
- I don't think I'm seeing any results... unless that pound that I gained was all muscle.
More negatives than positives this week but I think that's just because I'm crabby today. I'm still really happy with how this is going!!
I've officially finished my second week of Peak 10!
Challenges:
The thing I'm having the most trouble with is my diet. I realized this morning that in the nutrition book we were given, there was no mention of bread or cheese. Those are the two foods I eat the most of. I have cut back on my cheese consumption (woe is me) but I'm having the biggest difficulty not eating bread or things in the bread category. My favorite meal right now is Greek yogurt with a cup of Kashi Go Lean crunchy cereal. It's delicious and filling but I'm pretty sure it's not something I should be eating. My theory has been that as long as its healthy and within my allowed calorie range, I should be able to eat it... except for the giant sushi meal I ate last night but that was a special occasion.
I think I did an exercise or two wrong on Thursday night and tweaked my back a bit. I feel okay today but yesterday wasn't so good. I knew one exercise that wasn't working for me so I asked Erin how to modify it so I'll know what to do differently on Tuesday. I'm fixing and learning so I don't hurt myself!
Successes:
I weighed in at 184 today meaning I lost 3-4 pounds this week. Apparently my sushi binge last night wasn't as big of a deal as I thought!
I showed off some of my exercises to my coworkers this week. I'm excited about what I'm doing and I'm proud of the fact that I can do it!!
I started with 8 and 10 pound weights. Erin told us to increase our heavy weights this week so I went up to 12 on Thursday. I was struggling a bit and at one point Erin said (to the class) "Mary's using 10 pounds for the first time and she's feeling it!" and I yelled back "These are 12s!" She came over to me after that circuit and told me if I ever couldn't find 10 pound weights to just take hers. Then I told her I started at 10s and she told us to go up. I think she was impressed.
Erin knows my name now which is good and bad. Its good because I feel like a bigger part of the group. Its bad because she calls me out in class when I can do something better. I guess this is actually a good thing because it pushes me. There are two Marys in my class so she yells "Mary Palin get those knees up!" which I think is pretty funny. I'm the only person whose last name she has to use. Maybe I'm special?
I went to Jerry's today looking very obviously like I just worked out and bought a bunch of stuff to bake cupcakes. I no longer care what anyone things of me when I'm out in public with my workout clothes looking like a hot mess. It just shows that I'm awesome and I was working out and everyone else should be jealous of my fit self. :)
