Exercise: Week 3 Update

As many of you know I have started a new workout routine that has me pumping more iron, running more miles, and raising my heart rate to new heights. It has been 3 whole weeks since I officially started this new regime and my body has been acting accordingly:

1. Being tired all the time
2. A little achy in the morning/evening
3. 5 pounds lighter
4. Able to run 4 miles on the elliptical (rather than dying after 3)
   
5. Chase down and restrain my student with more ease
6. Calves that have more definition when flexed (I love this!)
7. A stronger ankle (the one that I hurt) I don't roll it as much
   
8. Fit better in my pants/shorts
   
9. Needing the daily exertion or it gets antsy
   
10. And just feeling better all-a-round
    

I know it has only been a few weeks, but I can see a very small change. I am hoping that if I keep this up and continue to watch what I eat I'll be able to make my 20 pound goal by the end of the program and keep it off. I would love to get down to the weight (or less) that I was prior to moving to Utah.
There is a lot of work yet for to do and I know that it wont be easy, but I have had a little success and that helps to motivate me to continue and achieve my desired goals.

Freebies

For those of you that have been to my apartment, you know that the color scheme is mostly...well brown. Not the most flattering of colors when your carpet looks like poo brown, with a shade of yellow that has a hint of brown it. It makes is feel cramped. To top it off the couches are a horrid blue plaid with tan and brown stripping and feels like burlap when you lay on it it transfers the pattern onto your face. It has been a long time dream of mine to get some couch covers that would cover the eyesore and maybe even brighten the room up a little. My wish has been granted!
My sister has been telling me about this website called Freecycle.com. Basically it is an online local forum that people can join that allows people to post their wants and things they are willing to give away. It is totally free and all you need to do is act fast and then pick it up.
Since I am the cheap person that I am, I signed up in hopes of finding my slip covers. No luck. The trick was to post my 'want' and Ta-Da i got an email from a woman in Cedar Hills the next day who saw the post and remembered she had some in her basement just sitting in a plastic tub for years.
I have to admit they aren't the ideal perfect color that I was looking for, but when you aren't willing to go out and buy new ones the denim covers sure don't look bad for being free. It is just amazing what a little color can do to make my front room a little more inviting and comfortable.
I was lucky, a lot of the things that are on there happen to be baby related i.e. strollers, clothes, cribs etc... It is just nice to know I can get the things I need for the cost of a gallon of gas. I think it is a great deal.

No pain no loss

Recently I have made it a goal to lose some of the "more to love" I have acquired over the last year. Why is it easier to add rather than shed. That isn't true. Some people are able to bounce up and down with little effort, while it is a real struggle for those like me. I just want to be able to look in the mirror and like what I see and not cringe and shy away from it. Being able to fit into my clothes again would be an added bonus since a new wardrobe isn't in the budget at the moment.

To aid me in my desire to shed inches and pounds, while adding definition and tone I have employed the help of my local gym with its equipment and a website the has prescribed a work out regimen for me to follow.

I am one of the people that needs something to follow or nothing will happen. While I am motivated to do the needed work, I don't have an overall knowledge of exercises that need to be done to achieve that desired results. I can run my heart out and lift weights, but nothing ever seems to come of it. So I need the guidance of a "trainers" knowledge to know what and how many of whatever I am doing. It seems to make a difference when I am more accountable for what I do.

At the moment my muscles are screaming at me for putting them through such a grueling first day, but deep down they know it for their own good. So as I hobble around and strain to stand and sit I have to keep reminding myself that this is for my own good and I will be happier at the end of my 12 week program. If it successful then it will become a perpetual thing. I think it will, but only time and my pant size will tell.

In Need of a Scratchin'

So lately I have been getting an itch that I just can't seem to scratch. This is an itch that every women gets from time to time and I guess it is just time for it to come back. It is the Baby Itch. It seems as though ever since Jake and I celebrated our anniversary over the weekend it has returned with a vengeance. I have dealt with it before and usually I get my baby fix by going to one of my siblings homes or go to work (wonderful birth control sometimes) and get my dose and am good for a several months before it comes back. But this time it just does not seem to want to abate. I think one way it could be connected is the baby blankets that I have been in the process of making. They are so cute and completely different from anything that I have ever done before, and I just want to have my own little one to wrap up in. I am hoping now that my hormones are getting back into balance this itch with subside and I can get focused on life and not the "wants". I know I am not alone in this, this was revealed in a VT visit a while back. However, it still makes me feel like there is a giant blinking neon sign above my head telling everyone that can read what I am thinking and wanting.

Yet, what I find most interesting is that this feeling has only gotten stronger since I have been married. When I was single it was more of a fleeting thought and less of an intense desire and need. I think it has to be associated with the fact that I know have that power with in my grasp and I can have it whenever I desire. Yet, I know that it takes two to tango and to be realistic Jake and I are just not ready to take that step yet. Even though I see the desire in his eyes from time to time, especially when he is paying with a baby in church (he is so adorable! He will make a fantastic dad someday) we both know it just isn't the right thing to do.

I guess this will mean I just have to ignore my itch and find other ways to distract my wants for a couple more years until things are more stable for us and we are truly ready. Sorry my wonderful sisters that mean I will come bug your kids ever once in a while when then itch needs a scratchin'.

Happy First Anniversary

Once upon a time, one year ago to be exact, a beautiful young maiden and a handsome young gentleman were wed in the Salt Lake Temple.....

Today is our first year anniversary! Holy Cow I can't believe that it has already been a year. Granted the calender and my wedding certificate both verify such a thing, it is still a little mind altering that we have been married for a year already. It has been a wonderful first year. Many people say that the first year is often the hardest. I respectfully disagree. Jake and I have had a great time. Very rarely do we ever bicker or fight, what is the point especially since we both like to avoid confrontation as much as possible. True, we have had some ups and downs, but nothing monumentally devastating or scarring. It has been wonderful.

Looking back at reviewing the last 12 months has made me confident that I love Jake more now then I did back then. This is not to mean I didn't love him, it is just that the love and admiration that I had has now blossomed into something far deeper and more meaningful. If this is the trend think of what it will turn into as we live, learn, and grow in the future. The possibilities are endless.

I have been thinking about some of our favorite memories and/or things that Jake and I love.

1. Having my best friend beside me every night
2. Watching the other strive to be the best they can be
3. Having Jake hold my hand and tell me is will be alright when I got hurt
4. Being a shoulder to cry on or just rest a weary head on
   
5. How excited Jake gets when he sees something he loves (like rainbows, snow or rain falling)
6. Tickle fights
7. The way both our eyes crinkle and twinkle when we smile
8. I love Jake's enormous smile and how it takes up his entire face
9. Holding hands, even if we are just sitting at the table or doing nothing
10. Hanging on his arm while we take walks
11. Dancing in the kitchen
12. Just being his wife
13. Going to the temple together
14. Jumping into his arms when he gets home from work/school
15. Sharing sweet pillow talk
16. Cuddling on the couch
17. Notes left
    

The list could go on. It is often the small things that makes life wonderful and I am grateful that I have so many small, and big, things that have helped to strengthen and deepen our love for each other and look forward to allowing it to continue in that manner.

And they continue to live happily ever after.