a tale of two scales

My scale at home tells a slightly different story.  It also showed a loss today, but I always seem to be a bit heavier than this scale.  My scale at home is digital.  I wonder which is closer to the truth?

Today, I'll take 156*.  It's the closest I've been to my first goal weight in ages.  With a few weeks to go until Spring and a few months until Summer, maybe this is finally the year I get back to ME after all of the baby weight.  Still working on whatever the magic move, cure, exercise is to get rid of the "pooch" after three c-sections in 5 years...  so if anyone knows, clue me in?!

I've given myself one more week to get all of my sugar cravings out of my system.  Come Saturday, if you see me with a soda in my hand, slap me.  I need a bit of an intervention where that's concerned and won't mind the added support.  That said, I do realize that not many people read my blog, so I'm actually talking to myself and need to hold myself accountable.  Ha!

Alright, alright...  workout logged for today.  I'm good.

*This shows slightly higher because I grabbed my phone to take the picture, adding weight to the scale.

A year behind me

Found this picture on my phone (with the date to actually reference) and was proud that I have maintained a pretty good weight loss since it was taken back in January 2013.  Still down and hovering on the 10 lb. loss since the weight shown.

My body composition has also definitely changed and maintained as a lot of the pants/skirts I have had in my drawer for winter no longer fit me around the waistline and have joined the donation box!

Lately, however, I've failed lately in staying on track with much of anything else.  Life and busy-ness has gotten into my way.  My eating habits have fallen by the wayside (going on vacation a week ago didn't help that) and my exercise has also waned.  We did manage to walk from sun up to sun down the whole five days we were in NYC though, so I came back to a scale that remained stable.

My attempt at the 100 days also failed.  I'm trying to decide if I should just delete my efforts from the website. One more tracking tool was apparently not what I needed to keep me on track.  Ha!  Too much effort trying to remember to videotape something every day, especially if it was the "same thing" day after day.  I may use the site for something in the future, but it won't be weight loss related.

This week...  I got back up, and in the seat after a couple of weeks away...  and biked my booty off yesterday!  Well, now that I am looking back at other photos of my biking progress, I guess I took a rather slower pace yesterday instead of biking 7 miles in 40 minutes.

Donated blood today at work and forgot that I cannot work out after donating.  Guess I'll take a day of rest and get back into the groove again tomorrow.

My goal weight is still in sight and with a new Go Giant FITBIT reward coming soon from my employer, maybe the daily wrist reminder will be just what I need to jump into Spring 2014!  You can follow along with our progress on Twitter under #gogiant if you're interested in seeing how we've managed to make this program work at the General!

Feelin' Fine

Made it to the fitness center all but one day again this work week. Finished up today with a little over 7 miles on the stationary bike.  Feelin' fine and looking forward to the weekend.  Tomorrow I am taking a two hour yoga class at the Hindu Temple and hoping to feel refreshed & renewed!

 

continued eating well #gogiant

 

 

I was feeling a little guilty about not making it to the gym yesterday.

The article in my Health magazine helped ease the guilt today!

 

"..be sure to take regular breaks, whether it's every other day... or once a week."

 

 

100 days

Today's attempt at recording 10 seconds for my 100 days project.  Posted about this project yesterday on my other blog.

I did manage a short yoga session after I let the dogs outside!

this is how you do "down dog" Mom!

and this little piggie

went wee wee wee all the way to the gym!

157

Give or take a little. 

{with cell phone in hand and towel wrapped around me}

Back in the saddle...

2nd Sunday

It's been quite some time since I've been back to the Yoga Center in St. Louis Park.  They are part of YCM and have some great space and classes.  A few of us have committed to going to the following class on the 2nd Sunday of every month this year.

Yin, Restorative & Yoga NidraYin yoga is a form of Chinese yoga and works the six major meridians from the navel to the knees, this strengthens the immune system while stretching the connective tissue to release chronic held tension. The postures are all practiced on the floor and are held for 3 to 5 minutes. This enables one to harness the mind together with the breath to release more deeply into the body while tapping into the vast reservoir of vital energy within us all. Restorative yoga, developed by B.K.S. Iyengar, is a form of therapeutic yoga and is considered to be an antidote for stress and stress related diseases. It too, is practiced on the floor with longer holds using the support of props to more fully relax. A restorative class moves the spine in every direction and counters the effects of gravity through supported inverted poses. Like yin, it accesses the life force and builds energy to heal and nurture oneself from within. Whether you are new to yoga or an established practitioner, these styles of yoga offer a wealth of benefits. The class ends with Yoga Nidra, a form of guided meditation.

Tonight was a great way to get myself back on track and thinking of ways to mix it up again!  The floor was full with mats and it seemed most of us had been there before, as I didn't hear too much instruction given. What I did hear, however, was plenty of snoring.  Not my own, mind you.  And I was reminded that I truly have a love/hate relationship with this class in particular.  It's a very soothing way to finish the weekend/start the week, but holding these poses seems to put many into a slumber.  They generally awake every 3-6 minutes when our instructor chimes in and lets us know it's time to change positions.  That said, and if you know me, you'll know I have plenty o'opportunity to hear snoring elsewhere...  I really really dislike hearing it in a yoga studio.  To me, it means that the individual has gone beyond awareness and centering straight into oblivion!  Okay, well, you know what I mean.  Oh well.  Suck it up, Julie, and find a way to get over the fact that you're going to hear snoring in this class. I really enjoyed my practice and the depths to which my body could stay, even in inversion for 10 minutes.  The positive definitely outweighs the negative.

I cannot go in February due to a travel conflict, but will be back in March!  That much closer to spring and hopefully an early thaw?!  A girl can dream.

If I haven't scared you away, join me if you're local and give it a try!  I promise you'll feel refreshed, and even make a few new friends.

2014

Off to a walking start!  The fitness center wasn't too busy today, but I'm not surprised.  With the crazy cold weather we've had, we all seem to be in the slow-mo gear of getting back into a regular fitness routine. The usual suspects were on the treadmills and elliptical machines.  The lunch hour fitness class was full and loud.  I grabbed the December issue of the latest magazine and walked a good two miles.  Finished off by weighing myself on the fitness center scale and the numbers were kind to me.

I haven't worked out much in the last two months, but that's okay.  I've been eating well and watching the scale only occasionally, instead of my usual daily check-in.  

Happy.

Content.

Exercising for health & wellness.

All with another 5 pound loss in mind.

Before Spring.

But it's not a resolution.  No, really. 

Next up:

Fitness center tomorrow over lunch.

Yin yoga on Sunday evening.