Rachel's week 27

Much better week in being active... most workouts came from walking to places instead of driving....very resourceful on my side.

Depositing $9 this week

MJ is Getting There! Week 27

First of all...
Great Job, Maria!
I admire your endurance!

Good news this week, I'm getting stronger!!! Last night I worked out using one of my favorite DVDs. This series from Carmen is a little cheesy and somewhat sleazy if you you look at the other discs but #2 is just a workout to tone up. I used to do it after spending 30 minutes on the treadmill. (Last night it was only the disc but next time I might be able to do both.)



This is the first time I've been able to handle an entire workout since last year. (Hooray!) My lower back and hip are letting me know that I need to take it easy today and tomorrow but I'm getting there!


$10

xoMJ

Adventures in the Diet Yo-yo . . by Jj

Ugh. So sorry about not posting last week. I totally spaced it and then by the time that I thought about it and I actually had time to do it, it was Monday. So I just gave up. Didn't really matter anyway, I think I only got in about four 15 minute cardio workouts and one toning workout that week. . . and now that I think about it . . this week too. I've done pretty good with the vegetables but I tend to overload on the Easter candy when I'm shooting all the time. So I've banned myself from the candy isles (At least until right before Easter and I need to stock up for the rest of the year. Kidding . . sort of.). I'm not going to bother with measurements or weight this week. I stepped on the scale yesterday and I'd gained back 3lbs . . but that's been over the last three weeks where I've been borderline sedentary thanks to the loads of elementary school teacher jewelry I'm shooting. Unfortunately, it doesn't really lend itself to a lot of exercise. Maybe if it weighed more I could count it as toning but sadly, it does not. Stupid jewelry.

Anyway, sorry for the lame boring post this week. I promise to do better this next week. I even got up and went to the gym this morning for the abs and buns toning class AND I stayed and did 35 minutes on the elliptical. It's a good start and I'm really going to try to get up every morning and get it out of the way. If I don't, I get caught up in what I'm doing and I totally forget it later. So I'll be depositing $6 each for the last two weeks. Next week. I'm determined to be back on top of maxing out my deposits. I mean, it's not like I've got a job or a social life to keep me busy, right? I should have TONS of time to hang out there and flirt with all of the meat heads. Like the black guy with the bleached mullet and the short shorts . . I may have to draw you a picture to get the full effect.

Week 20 something

oh the great day of 20 something...but I do love being 30 something

$7 for workouts and veggies

xoxoxoxox

Maria Week 27 - Recovery

Big week for me! WOW! As you can see from my previous three posts things have been a bit crazy.

So Saturday was the BIG day. And as you can see from my post about the half-marathon I was really hurting by the end of that race. I was in a lot of pain on Saturday, soreness and stiffness of my knees set in pretty quickly. My hip hurt, but not like my knees. The sciatica issue is easily remedied. Stop moving. As I mentioned - it hurts worse to walk than to run, but if I stop moving COMPLETELY, then the majority of the pain goes away. I thought, like following my 10 mile run, I'd need a day to recover. My hip would feel better in only a few hours really. What I was not expecting was the intense pain in my knees....WOW! I truly underestimated the damage they had suffered.

Woke up Sunday morning at about 4 AM - very uncomfortable in my current position, but to try and move - unbearably painful! It was all I could do not to cry or scream whenever I tried to move I was in so much pain. (It's hard for me not to cry now just thinking about how painful it was.) You just have no idea how much you use them (even when you don't think you're using them) until every tiny movement is excruciating.
The rest of Sunday was pretty bad, but I loosened up a bit by Sunday evening - to the point that I could walk by myself and could actually sit in a chair and then stand back up by myself.

Sunday night/Monday morning I set my alarm for every few hours to wake up in the middle of the night and take meds as needed for the pain. I think that helped a lot. Was pretty stiff again by the morning, but after a few hours I loosened up again to the point that I could do many things by myself - including move my foot from the brake to the gas without too much pain so I could drive to work.

By Monday night I was feeling pretty good. As my knees loosened up I started to feel how sore my muscles really were. My left knee didn't really hurt at all anymore and my right was feeling much better. Went to bed Monday night feeling pretty good again.
Woke up Tuesday morning a bit stiff and sore again. But loosened up pretty quickly.

So my recovery has not been as quick as I had originally expected, but quicker than I estimated based on how terrible I felt on Sunday morning. I am just about going crazy actually taking time off from working out.

Now ... here's what I've learned from all of this ....
Huge way to relieve or prevent sciatica - stretching.
The problem with my knees, based on some internet research (not a doctor's diagnosis) - IT Band Friction Syndrome. Very common in runners. One of the easiest ways to prevent it - stretching.

Moral of this story - STRETCHING IS IMPORTANT! Take a leaf out of Mj's book - stretch.

It's going to be a new goal for me. I am going to stretch every night for 15 minutes. And for every week that I do that - a milestone.

Depositing - $8. $6 for working out and $2 for the half marathon milestone.

And the winner is ......

As many of you know, my husband's sister started a family weight loss/fitness challenge. There were essentially two categories ..... highest percentage of body weight lost and highest number of points. To see how to earn points check out the blog at http://sanderslosers.blogspot.com/

It was a close race. Justin was weighing in at 264 yesterday afternoon. That's 13.68% loss of his body weight. He got out the calculator and started to figure out what his weight would need to be as well as that of his closest competitors to determine if he could easily win or not. If he could maintain that weight - he'd have a very good chance of winning.

Justin's oiled up striped down brother-in-law Brock came out in his tiny shorts and jumped on the scale. He had lost 13.9% of his body weight. Poor Justin.

But wait... Justin hadn't OFFICIALLY weighed in yet. Justin would need to weigh 263. He climbed on that scale (that only an hour ago he had used to weigh himself at 264) and .....

263!!!!!

Justin lost 14.25% of his body weight and took home the title of Sanders' Family Biggest Loser! He lost 44 lbs in 11 weeks!

Good job, Baby! I am so proud of you!

Oh.....and I won on the points section.

But the most important thing is that we all started making healthier changes in our lives. Just like the Butterfly Girls.

Our vacation will be great, but honestly ladies, we've already been rewarded by how much better we all feel about ourselves and the love, friendship, inspiration, and encouragement that we've received from each other.

Keep up the good work BG's. Keep up the good work Sanders Family. And keep up the good work to all of you out there striving to improve your lives!

MARIA'S 13.1 MILE-STONES

I did it. It wasn't easy, and it wasn't pretty, but I did it. I ran the Canyonland's (Moab) Half Marathon on Saturday. I may not have finished strong, I may not have finished fast, but I finished - and I ran the whole thing. (It wasn't a pretty run, but it was a run nonetheless).

I need you all to look closely at my clothes. I had this cute melon or salmon colored tank top that matches my new running shoes that I wanted to wear, but at the last minute I had to change. It felt wrong to NOT wear my butterfly tank top in honor of my Butterfly Girls. I am also wearing the beautiful necklace they bought me to wish me luck. Ladies, you couldn't be there physically, but I know you were there in spirit and you were all in my heart.

The canyon I ran through was beautiful. The weather and temperature were perfect.
I felt great through the first half of the race. Hip was bothering me a bit by about mile 3, but not too bad. Definitely tolerable. By mile 8 my knees were starting to bother me a tiny bit, but again, tolerable. By mile 9 I got cell phone reception and my phone started vibrating like crazy. It was very encouraging to get voicemails and text messages from my Butterfly Girls and other loved ones cheering me on. At mile 10 I reached the tribal drums. I could hear them from about mile 9 through mile 11. They were amazing and inspiring. Also by mile 10 my knees and hip were REALLY hurting. By mile 11 I was choking back the tears - unsuccessfully. And by mile 12 - I just let it go. There were several people along the route, aid station workers, race route volunteers, spectators, racers who had already finished - cheering everyone on, encouraging us by telling us we were almost finished and many of which asked me if I was ok or needed help. (God bless them.) I must have looked pretty bad.

Justin and Hiro were waiting for me near the finish line to snap a photo. I put on a brave face for the photo op. (It looks like I'm walking, but I promise I'm not - not exactly).


Once I passed the finish line I had to walk and the pain of walking was excruciating. My knees felt better walking, but my hip hurt so much worse. Justin snapped a few photos and I finally had to ask him to please stop taking photos of me crying and in pain.



I had a medic with me pretty quickly after finishing and she was so sweet and so concerned. She wasn't going to leave me until she knew I was taken care of. She walked with me, told me where the doctor's tent was, and encouraged me to go. Then when we reached Justin she turned me over to him.


Justin took a few photos of me in the doctor's tent. So the good news - it's not a joint issue. The doctor is pretty sure it's a nerve issue...sciatica (just as I suspected). I didn't talk to him about my knees because at that time - I hadn't yet realized the severity of the damage done there.


Easing myself - gingerly - into the cot.


Despite the pain, I am so happy that I did it. I'm not giving up on running....I'm just going to make sure I get in to see a doctor before I continue.

As I have mentioned before in this blog - running has always been tough for me. I've never been able to run far - never ran further than a mile and a half before last summer. So to run 13.1 miles was a big deal for me. I've also always admired endurance runners. Saw their ability to endure as a sign of strength. For me to have accomplished this myself is exciting to me. It was an incredible and emotional experience.

(There were photographers along the route taking photos and I'll post those as soon as I get them so please check back!)

Luckiest Girl on the Plant

OMG! I have the best friends in the whole world. They have made me feel like a high school football star - and that is a very good thing.

Back in my high school days I decorated many of the football players houses before homecoming with big posters, balloons, etc along with my beautiful BG's. Today, I joined their ranks. Today, I was on the receiving end of that same sort of love and support. This is what it is all about ladies. This morning I felt like the luckiest girl on the planet!


I woke up early this morning and went out to hit the gym for some last minute prep for my half marathon tomorrow and found a very amazing surprise.





(You made me cry you little stinkers!)
Thank you all so much for your love and support. This half marathon is a big deal for me. I realize that to many other people it may be ... half marathon, eh...no biggie. But for a girl who's never been able to run more than a mile and a half until last summer - it's a HUGE deal.



This is my favorite part - hehe ..... Go Rams!

Maria Week 26 - Can I sympathize with Mj?

I'm in the final home stretch of my training....for THIS half marathon anyway. I hope that there will be many more to come and if all goes well, perhaps even a full marathon someday. I don't want to make a habit of running full marathons, but one or two might be nice. IF I can stand to continue running.

I want to thank Brady for his words of encouragement regarding my running issue. You have given me hope. I am determined to become a runner. That was a very daunting thought in the beginning, but now I believe that I can learn to love it. Thank you for that.

On Saturday I ran 10 miles - my longest distance yet (and a milestone). I started off the run with some minor pain in my hip and knees. Knee pain and often shin splints at the beginning of a run are very typical with me and if I can tough it out for about 30 - 45 minutes the pain usually goes away. Saturday, the pain in my hip slowly increased. By mile 7 it was approaching unbearable. By mile 8 I was choking back the tears. By mile 9 I considered, for the first time, walking - at least for a short distance. And it occurred to me - I've been in this same stride for so long that I'm not really sure how to walk at this point. But after a few minutes of serious thought I figured out how to walk again. The pain was unbearable! I probably only managed to walk about 15 feet when I had to start running again. It was much more painful to walk than to run. (Go figure!) So I kicked it back into gear. I cried the last mile. And by the time I finished I was in so much pain I wanted to collapse and just sob. (I nearly did). I don't know what it's like to live with that pain everyday, but Mj, for one day, maybe I could sympathize just a little. You are a real trooper.

I do at least one hour of cardio everyday but one. And on one day I did nearly 2.5 hours (Saturday). I am also pretty good about eating fruits (although not so good with the veggies). So I'll be depositing $12. My max amount plus one milestone.

Courage, Determination & Independence...MJ Week 26

When we started this challenge, we all talked about getting into shape and looking great. I was hoping to trim down my waist and tone up a little bit. At that time, I never imagined that half way through the challenge, all I would want is for my hip to look like this!


I can't tell you how many times I've woken up in the night because my hip, leg and lower back were throbbing. It has been difficult. The physical pain brought out the emotional pain that I was holding onto from the original injury. It forced me to work on my emotional self as well as my physical condition.

But holding true to the butterfly analogy that we decided upon in the beginning, I kept working toward the person I wanted to become.

I have taken courage from Rachel, who was in as much pain as I was, just a different kind of pain. And who reached through the darkness to find the light.

I borrowed determination from Maria who was loyal to herself and to her goals, breaking down wall after wall as she pushed herself to new limits.

And I learned independence from Janis who doesn't let anyone tell her that she can't do something and who stands with inner strength because she stands on her own.

Cheer for me, girlfriends, I have been working hard & at the same time, forcing myself to take it slow. Allowing myself to heal. It has been discouraging and frustrating. But for the first time in a long time, I have hope! In fact, I am going to add a milestone to my total for this week.

Yesterday was pain free for me!!!

My hip didn't hurt for the entire day! It has been months since that has happened. I didn't take any ibuprofen the night before or yesterday and I haven't taken any today!!! I'm not finished recovering yet. I have a lot of work ahead of me. But it is as if I have finally climbed to the top of the hill and I can see the other side.

Bless you Butterflies!

xoMJ

$12

Rachel's week #?

I don't know what week I'm on!!! Any who, here is the lowdown on the past week and a half
exercise 5 times...not too good but better than before.
toning 1 time ????????????????
fruits and veggies in the bank every day! yeah baby!

So my deposit for a week and a half $11.50

That's really sad... that's the amount for a really good week!!!

I have a milestone for the next week no sweets and my goal is to exercise EVERY day!

I will be strong!!!

MJ. . . What week is it anyway?

It happened about 10 minutes ago...I suddenly remembered that I didn't post on Wednesday! What can I say, Brady has the week off of work and we are having a blast together. (While accomplishing absolutely nothing.)

Sorry ladies! Good to see that I'm not the only one who is posting on Friday!

$6

xoMJ

Maria Week 25

Jj - I'm with ya! I was just thinking yesterday afternoon that it was Thursday already and no one had posted. Of course, that didn't get me moving either. I've been preoccupied - sorry.
So....shout out to my BG's who are awesome and bought me a beautiful necklace with a 4-leaf clover for luck in my upcoming half marathon.
Haven't really done much with regards to workouts aside from my running and then doing some light cardio or weights on my "rest" days.

Depositing $10 for workouts, fruits and veggies.

Rachel is moving Wednesday to Monday

Okay Jj here I am! but this isn't my real post! I've decided that I'm, if it is okay with the rest of you, to post on Mondays?! Wednesdays have become a very long day with no me time! so let me know. And since you all love me sooooooo much you'll just nod your heads and say "but of course" -and it has to be with silly french accents because that phrase only works that way. Let me know if you're okay with my crazy plan.

Seriousy?!?

Has it just been "one of those weeks" that it's now Friday and still not one of the four of us has posted? I'm unsure if that's good or bad. For me, it's bad. it means that I'm STILL working on my freakin lameo kitchen. And when I get that done I have a freakin HUGE jewelry shoot that I've got to get done on bright sunny days and in of all places . . my kitchen. Seriously, I hate my kitchen right now and if I could help it I'd never go in there again. I'd just stay in my room and live off the Eater candy that I've got stashed under my bed. Oh that would be the life. Until it got to the point that I was too big to get out of bed and had to use a bed pan and they had to take the sliding doors out of my room and lift me out via crane so they could put me on a truck scale. That part would not be so good.

Okay, done rambling on about nothing. I really haven't kept track of what I've been eating as I've been covered in paint EVERY dang day (notice the obsessive use of caps lock today) and I haven't been to the gym at all and yet I feel as though I haven't stopped moving. Poor, poor Chuck the Wonder Dog is still afraid to walk through the kitchen and he's only been walked twice in the last week. But, I know that most days, I've forgotten to eat. I know you're not surprised. Do send me emails about how bad it is not to eat - I know! I just forget. I always get this way when I'm home too long. Anyway, I'm just going to guesstimate this week and say $7. I haven't weighed myself and I haven't taken any measurements because honestly, I just don't want to see that. But I should be back to normal (as normal as I can be) in the next week. Wish me luck.

Now . . where are the rest of you hiding???

Easter Candy Will Be the Death of Me

Okay, can I just say how glad I am to see that I'm not the only one that missed yesterday's posting? I was feeling like such a slacker and logged in at 11:30+ something last night to post when I realized that no one else had written anything yet either so I just went to bed instead.

Can I honestly tell you something? I've got a HUGE stash of Easter candy hidden in random places around my room (for those of you that may be visiting and need a chocolate fix, most of it's under my bed). I've always been a candy collector. I blame my mother. She does it too. I RARELY eat it all. I often end up throwing away stale candy (except for the Peeps which are always better stale anyway) but yet, there it is. I think it's a comfort thing. I feel better just knowing it's there. If only I could save my money and not bother buying it in the first place. But no! No matter now much I try, I continue to buy it anyway. One day I'll find some kind of a rehab program. But, I can also honestly say that Easter is the only holiday that has multiple kinds of candy that I buy/crave so every year I keep telling myself that it will be over soon and then the sneaky candy companies throw me a curve ball and take my favorite Cadbury chocolate mini egg things and introduce them as a Christmas candy. Their new slogan should be, "Cadbury: Making Girls Fat One Holiday At A Time." Of course something similar could also be said of the new sweet potato fries at Arctic Circle which is less than a mile from my house. Damn you, sweet potatoes!


So due to the home remodeling/construction I haven't gotten many traditional workouts in this week - and that includes walking poor Chuck. Sad little guy has been "walked" more than once this week by running up and down the stairs in the living room multiple times. I believe his record was 27 times up and down. One day he'll learn that I'm not really going down the stairs when I act like I am. But hopefully not before I'm done with the house.

I'm depositing the max of $10. I'm counting 5-6 hours a day of cleaning/painting/climbing stairs/moving furniture/running to the trash/climbing ladders as workouts. Also, I've developed a new salad addiction which is great for the whole fruit/veggie thing. Especially when it consists of about 1/2 cup salad and a cup of pineapple/apple/avocado/raisins/sunflower seeds/craisins/carrots. I'm really into the /// this evening. Sorry about that. Oh, and I've also started buying Crystal Light in the little tub things instead of the individual pouches (WAY cheaper) and making a pitcher up in the morning and trying to drink the whole thing throughout the day. Don't get too excited, I've only finished the whole thing once. But I find myself going for that instead of the calorie filled milk with my meals quite often.

And just in case any of you are bored and want to help, I'm hoping to finish painting the kitchen and the upper cabinets tomorrow and then I'm going to be painting the counter tops and the lower cabinets on Saturday. And then I'll be listing my house, and shooting all of the jewelry for my freelance job, painting the bathroom in the basement, painting the half bath . . and then I may be out of projects so I'm really hoping to have a job before then and I lose my mind. Wish me luck.

PS I stole the Peeps image off someone else's blog but felt it was totally appropriate. So thank you Brian Groce, whoever you are. And while I stole the picture of the Mini Eggs too, I totally could have taken that as well since I've currently got two bags under my bed. That is one candy that I can always finish before it goes stale. I believe there may also be two bags in the freezer from last Easter. My bad.

Where did Rachel GO!!!

Hello..... I'm back! It's been a very interesting month (to say the least). My kids are back in school once again and we will go off track once more and then this crazy on and off business will be a thing of the past...well at least for the next three years; at least that's what the school district has promised?! I'm beginning to think that traditional school is going to be great!

As for my fitness program.... it went out the window! I've only exercised maybe twice in the past two weeks...I'm ready for the sunshine. Thank heavens that we are out of the doll drums of February.

Depositing $1 for last week because I remember exercising once!
Depositing $3 for one workout this week and I know I ate my fruit and veggies on Monday and Tuesday but I can't recall any further!!!!

I WILL do better this coming week. I'm taking back my life...laugh because I know that I don't know how to do that or what "my" life in compasses but I'm going to be active so it doesn't kill me!

Thank You, Martina!!! MJ Week 24

Hey, Butterfly Girls!

I've been thinking about inner beauty this week.
I know that we are focused on changing our outer appearances, but what we are on the inside is very important too! (You three ladies are some of the greatest inner beauties that I know!) As I've been working on taking better care of my body, I have noticed that I feel better inside...happier, more energetic, etc. But I'm at a place in my life where I feel emotionally exhausted. I need to take some time to strengthen my inner self.

This week, I'm going to work on doing some things to keep myself beautiful on the inside. They are: scripture study, prayer and serving others. I know they are all religious things but religion is a defining part of my identity. I always feel better when I do these things! Maybe we'll call them the golden specks on my wings! I hope you all have a great week!

P.S.

I love these song lyrics!
I thought I'd throw them in this week!
I love you, Butterflies!

She remembers when she first got her wings.
And how she opened up that day she learned to sing.
Then the colors came, erased the black and white.And her whole world changed when she realized


She's a butterfly, pretty as the crimson sky.
Nothing's ever gonna bring her down.
And everywhere she goes Everybody knows,
she's so glad to be alive She's a butterfly...


Like the purest light in a darkened world.
So much hope inside such a lovely girl.
You should see her fly, it's almost magical.
It makes you wanna cry, she's so beautiful...


God bless the butterfly, give her the strength to fly.
Never let her wings touch the ground...

--Martina Mcbride


xoMJ $10

Maria Week 24 - To be or not to be....That is the question

What does it take to be a "runner"? Do I qualify. I run 3-4 days a week. And I have now run as far as 8 miles in one run. I am signed up for and training for a half marathon. But does that make me a runner? I sure don't feel like a runner. And while I plan (at this time) to continue to participate in races and half-marathons; I plan to continue to run 3-4 times a week; I gotta be honest with you all ..... I don't think I enjoy running. And that sort of bums me out. Because I want to like it. Hopefully my problem is that my running at this time is primarily on a treadmill. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that THAT is my real issue here; that once I get outside with the sunshine on my face and shoulders and a breeze in my hair - I'll catch the running bug and be addicted!

Ran 8 miles last Saturday - new milestone!

I want to take just a minute to revisit a monster from my past. By the time I had graduated high school I had never successfully run more than about a mile and a half without stopping to walk a while. By the time I was 31 I had never run more than about 2 miles without stopping to rest or to walk a while. I have now run 7 miles without stopping at all. (I took a much needed potty break with my recent 8 mile run - hehe). I think I'll pat myself on the back today. And when I finish that half marathon in a little over 2 weeks - I think I might reward myself. Not sure what my reward will be yet. But I believe I will have earned SOMETHING!

Depositing $12. Max $10 for workouts and fruits and veggies and $2 for the 8 mile milestone.