Challenge Update

There is only 6 days left of the 24 day challenge I am currently doing to lose 10# and 10 inches. I am doing well and feel thinner already. I don't have a currently loss of weight or inches but I will next Tuesday.

I am doing well with most challenges that come my way. I did make some caramels and had to wrap them up so I would stop snacking on them and stick with my healthy snacks.

I don't feel that this challenge has been overly challenging to actually follow. I have had to think about the gluten consumption and really read labels to see the sugar content.

I am hoping that others see how good I have done with this challenge and might be interested in the Advo.care products. If someone does want to start this program I will consider becoming an advisor and save some $$ on my own products. I will have to take a break from the program until February so I can pay off the alarm system and not have to worry about that debt and doing the program.

I am also feeling better and have more energy since doing the program and taking the thyroid meds. I have not felt this good in ages. I am happy and really am loving who I am becoming.

I have also started going to church with my friend Renee and her family. It is a spiritual church and not the traditional church that I grew up in with my family. I have really appreciated the message the I have gotten from the services. I want to figure out how to get there on Christmas Eve and still manage the family obligations of the holiday.

My kettlebell training is coming along very well. I am trying to step it up with my training and using heavier bells and really push myself to train harder to get the body shape I want.

I will post my final result next week once I have them for the challenge...

The Challenge Update and Max Vo2

I started the 24 Day Challenge on Sunday so today is day 5 and all is going well so far. I have managed to stay away from refine sugar, gluten and dairy by cooking my own foods and knowing exactly what is in the food I am eating for all my meals. I don't seem to miss any of it either so far. I am drinking lot of water too. I finish the cleanse part of the challenge on Tuesday and I move to the "regular" part of the challenge. I am feeling a lot more energetic so I don't need to take a nap when I get home from work before heading out and doing errands or working out.

I am feeling thinner and people are starting to notice that I have lost 18 pounds since the end of September.

My workouts are still just doing my kettlebells classes 4 times a week. Last night we did the Max Vo2 and I was so happy to be feeling well enough to get through the whole thing. I originally planned on doing 7 reps per working set with the 8kg (18#) bell but at the start time I chose to grab the 12kg (26#) and I did 7 reps for the first 10 set then dropped to 6 reps for the last 70 sets. I was tired but I made it. I was standing by Mary and Leah and we were all pacing our sets off of each other and that really helped get though the 40 minutes of the Max.

The next time (in January I am guessing) I am going to still use the 12kg bell and work towards doing 7 reps for 40 of the 80 sets. I then in February will try to do 7 reps for the entire 80 sets, then after that I will step up the 16kg (35#) bell and do 6 reps for the 80 sets and then work from there on increasing the reps to 7 for part the 80 sets.

I am so proud of myself for getting though the Max. I now know I can do anything when I have a bell in my hands.

My allergy doctor appt today was a good thing. I was talking to her and told her that I now have hypothyroidism and I am taking meds to bring up my TSH levels and I am feeling better now. I also told her that I have have a really congested head since the fall. She said that my hypothyroidism could cause the congestion and that I most like have a secondary sinus infection. She even got experience my sniffing first hand and that just concreted her thought on having a sinus infection. She gave a script for an antibiotic and a nasal spray. She wants me to use the spray for a couple of months to make sure I get every thing cleared up with my sinuses. I am happy to try anything to get the sniffles to stop for a good since it has really been going on since last fall on and off.

I am feeling great and am looking forward to moving ahead with the challenge and getting stronger with my bells.

that is it for now...

peace out

1 Week to the Challenge

That is right ... next Sunday I start the 24 Day Advo.care Challenge to lose 10# and 10 inches between Nov 29th and Dec 22nd. I don't think it will be too hard to stick with the nutritional part of the challenge since it is not too far from what I eat today. The first 10 days though will be more challenging with no dairy, gluten, sugar, and no booze; the last 14 days will be easier being I can have those missing things. I will also be working out 4 days a week with Kettlebells and maybe add in a day of cardio at the gym or go over to Fawn's KB class for a 5th day. The kickoff meeting is tomorrow night so I will pickup my product then and get the real details from Brad on how this whole thing works.

I feel like I might have a bit of an advantage from others being I also have a Body.Bugg to track my food and calories burned on a daily basis.

I have also been getting ready to head to my parents for Thanksgiving. I am bringing up lots of snack food and a couple of other things to go with dinner.

I have most of it ready and will finish preparing the rest on Tuesday and Wednesday.

Today I tried something new, for me, to help my sinus issues... a neti pot. It feels very weird but it seems to help I can breathe out of my nose for the first time in weeks. I will try it again tomorrow to see if my breathing improves any more.

Yesterday at KB I talked with a person who is trainer and also teaches yogo to see when she has yoga classes so I could see if that helped with hip issues. She gave me a couple of things to try out on my own to help strengthen my core more and to get my glute to fire because right now it is not firing like it should when I want it to for movements. I can tell you my glute and hip were sore from doing just a few moves she showed me.

I need to keep up the exercises and check in with Laura if I see her in the skyway during the day.

That is it for now... until the Challenge starts ...

Happy Thanksgiving

Peace Out

Farmers Market and Weekend Training

So my Saturday plans did not go quite as expected… I did not ride the new Northstar train I had won tickets for the Grand Opening.
My neighbor who I invited to join me with her two boys discovered on Friday at 4PM that they had a birthday party to attend at noon and the train would not be back to the station until 1230 so that 30 minutes overlap was too much for them to manage in their schedule. It was too late to find 3 others to go with me so I went with a different plan for the day.

I went to the Farmer’s Market and got lots of yummy things to eat for the week. I was so surprised by the variety of vegetables I could still get there. I got lettuce, cauliflower, broccoli, leeks, onions, sunchokes (Jerusalem Artichokes), carrots, celery, brussel sprouts and some chicken for me and stock and pork chops. I am thinking some potato leek soup is in store for me this week.

The sunchokes are new to me so I am learning how to cook them. I have only used them in salads right now but I have read that they are very good sautéed with some olive oil because they get really sweet and earthy tasting. I am also going to clean and chop up the celery I have so that I can freeze it and have it for the winter to make sauces and soups.

After I was done gathering all the yumyums at the market I went to kettlebell class and did lots of snatches for an hour. We did the SSST (Secret Service Snatch Test) which is 200 snatches in 10 minutes. We did 10 every 30 seconds; the gals were to use a 16k (35#) bell and the guys a 20k(44#) bell. I started with a 16 but after 4 sets (40 snatches) I dropped to the 12k (26#) bell and did the rest with that one. My arms were sore Sunday from all those snatches. Because of that event in class I decided that doing the Max Vo2 was not a good choice on Sunday. So I need to find another weekend (maybe Thanksgiving) to do that on my own. I will have to get an 8k (18#) bell from Michael that weekend if I plan to do the Max.

I have also been fighting this stupid sinus thing since before Halloween and I am so tired of it. It makes it so hard to breathe at times and yesterday I had such a horrible headache I thought I was going to die. I thought it might be from wearing my new glasses and my eyes not used to having them on all the time that caused it but once I took some sinus meds at home the headache went away and ad.vil did not cut it when I took that at work. I ended up going to bed at 830 and not working out because I felt so horrible. If it that headache comes back again today I will call the doctor and get an appt to see if this is an infection or not. I just can’t shake it and have had head congestion for over a year now that doesn’t go away.

After I was done Saturday wearing out my arms with snatches I ran out to Woodbury and got some more Advo.care from Brad. I just got the MNS.-E supplements to get me through until I start the 24 Day Challenge. I also stated my concern to Brad about no coffee the first 10 days of the challenge. He said as long as I don’t do milk based coffee drinks (latte types) I can still do my morning coffee. Yeah! I have emailed Casey to see if she could do the measurements for me this weekend when I go up to see Ruby for her 2^nd birthday on Saturday. I emailed Brad to get the measurements that I need to get done so I will have what he is looking for regarding this.

Peace Out

The Challenge and Max Vo2

Well I am ready to take the next step in my weight loss journey.

The Sunday after Thanksgiving I will be starting a 24-Day Challenge to lose 10 pounds and 10 inches in 24 days.

This will be run thought Kin.etic Edge Perform.ance in Woodbury that is owned by B.Rad Nelson using Advo.care products.

He helped me get started a couple of weeks ago with Advo.care so this should not be too difficult to add a couple of new products and really dial in the nutrition with only lean protein and lots of veggies.

I am ready to totally rock this whole challenge out and hopefully do more than 10# loss.

I would love to leave Thanksgiving one size and then return home at Christmas two or more sizes smaller.

The biggest hurdle will be the no coffee in the morning for the first 10 days then again, dialing in the food and making sure I have plenty of stuff I like in the house to eat and to bring for lunch.

I will be getting another box of meal replacement shakes this time I am going to get vanilla but I will see if anyone at our kick off meeting gets chocolate and might want to swap 7 vanilla for 7 chocolate. I have berry at home already and those are not too bad I add some frozen fruit to add a serving of fruit to what I am getting in the morning.

I will also have to get measurements so I will see if Casey can help out with those and if not I will see if Laura would help me out at C.E.S. I am not sure what I will need to get measured but I am sure BF% will be part of it, if not I will do it myself so I can add it to my BodyBugg program. There is also a weekly meeting to attend; it is really a conference call, so those in the challenge can talk about things that are working for them and the moral support that will be needed.

For me the hardest thing will be the holiday baking and stuff. I never really made a lot of stuff but, my girl’s winter party will be a new thing… I am going to do a homestyle healthy dinner, with roasted chicken and roasted veggies and then have everyone bring something to share. I might even do some mashed potatoes so I will know what is in them and if I can eat them.

I am planning on getting up early and going to the farmer’s market to get some chicken and veggies to have in the house for the week. I am not sure what to expect for veggies but I am guessing root veggies will be the big thing. After the market I will head over to kettlebell class and get in a good workout for an hour. I will then leave and head towards Woodbury and pick up some MNS.E supplements to have in the house. I only have 2 days left and I do not want to go a week with them before the big challenge starts. I might have to look at becoming a distributor of the product so I can get 20% discount on my purchases. I can also then sell to other people and make some extra $$ that might cover my monthly Advo.care bill, now that would be great!

The last big thing this weekend will be me giving the Max VO2 workout a go with the 8k (18#) bell. I want to do the full 80 sets in 40 minutes. I am hoping it is nice out so I can do this outside and not worry about the hardwood floors if I drop a bell. Being I am going to class Saturday I am going to do this when I get home from church on Sunday so I have that stake in the ground with what I am able to do regarding this protocol. I am excited to try it out.

That is all for now..

Peace Out

Back on Track with Training

After taking a couple of weeks off of training because of a head cold/sinus congestion made it a challenge to breathe, kind of a good thing when training.

I am happy to say even with the break I was able to keep moving forward with my weight loss journey. I don't have exact numbers to share but my clothes are getting bigger and my stomach is getting flatter. I am still wearing my bodybugg every day and it makes it so easy to be accountable to how active I am or might not be on a daily basis to make sure I am able to keep moving forward on my journey. I am still taking Advo.care supplements and have the meal shakes for those days when I need to make something quick or while running errands and need something to eat that I can control.

I have also added a thyroid med to my morning routine being my thyroid is not working and this replacement could make losing weight easier for me. The Endocrinologist, suggested that I try the med to see if I can feel any different so I compromised, being I did not want to even try it, and agreed to try it for 3 months to see if going down my weight lose journey is any easier.

I also found a program at Kinetic Edge Performance in Woodbury a 24 Day Challenge to lose 10# over the holidays! The challenge starts the Sunday after Thanksgiving and ends on December 22. I emailed to see if I can be included but, I have not heard back yet if I am accepted into the challenge. I would LOVE to lose 10# over a month especially over the holidays.

I missed the Max VO2 session at the studio a couple of weeks ago so I want to get an 8k bell from the studio to do the Max on my own at home. I am going to see if I can take one on Friday this week and try it out on Saturday afternoon since I have to miss class in the morning.

I am missing class so I can go ride the new commuter train in Minneapolis, the North Star. I am taking Beck and the boys. It should be fun to give it try before it opens to the public.

That is it for now...

Peace

End of the 2009 CSA and Dizziness

 Last week was the final CSA box for the season.  We got squash, potatoes, brussel sprouts, carrots and beets.  I will use the sprouts tomorrow when I do a roast and the squash will keep for a month or so.  

I also found out today what is causing dizziness, Positional Vertigo.  I am go to to the National Dizzy and Balance Center for treatment.   The sheet I got about the center states I could be in rehab 5-10 weeks to fix this issue.  I hope it is less.  

I also met Brad Nelson this week of Kinetic Edge Performance, to get some Advocare products to help me with the weight loss journey I want to take in the next year.  He had me start with Probiotic, nutritional supplements, meal replacement shakes and an amnio acid to help maintain muscle when losing fat.  When I was at the doctor today I saw that I lost 6# since the end of August so far.  Not bad for not working super hard at it.  

I am determined to reach my goal of being 75# smaller in a year.  I can already tell a difference when I wear certain clothes because they are getting baggy.  I am going to have Becky take some before photos of me this weekend so I have something to compare to in the future.  

Next Wednesday is Vo2Max day at bells.  I am going to do 80 sets with the 18# bell.  I made a music CD that is all fast stuff and no pause between the songs.  I am excited and nervous all at the same time to do this.  I am do what I can and plan to do it again in December myself if I need to so I can get the 80 sets done.  

I also finished my sox that I made from flatfeet yarn and they totally rock!

That is it for now... peace out

No Training... Rain Rain Go Away

After training after Friday last week I woke up Saturday morning with a screaming sinus headache that put a stop to the kettlebell training in the morning.  I also ended up canceling my training with my personal trainer but still had hopes to go to a yoga class at 2.  I hate to admit it but I did not make the yoga either.  I just felt like crap all day.  

I was hoping to go to yoga on Sunday morning but I still did not feel great.  I even feel bad today still and did not train.  I need to get my gymboss back from Becky and see if I can take a 18# bell from the studio and start working on getting close to being able to do 80 sets for the Vo2Max that we are doing in 3 weeks.  

I also want to try and find a place to go to yoga.  Casey thinks that it will my hip.  It has been feeling better until the last few days.  I need to make an appt with Mark to get an adjustment, and see Becky for some reflexology and see if between the two I feel better again.  

The highlight of my sick Saturday was I finished the first sock of my flat feet yarn.  I am now busy working on the mate so I will have 2 warm feet.  My goal is to be done by next weekend.  

It is raining again here ... last Thursday and Friday we got almost 2 inches of rain.  My yard got the fall feeding today and the late fall will be in 3 weeks.  With all the rain I will not have to water the treatment in like I normally do that night.  

Lets  hope that the advil I take tonight will help my headache.  I will get some Advil sinus tomorrow when I get my repeat blood work for my thyroid done.  

Thats all

peace out

Training and the Bugg

I trained tonight for the first time since last Saturday.  My right shoulder was so sore last week I could not raise my arm straight out.  I also feel like I am battling a cold with this huge weather change we have had this week and the 2 inches of rain we got in 2 days.  

I will be making up for the lack of training this week tomorrow.  I am going to kettlebells at 830; then home for a bit then training with Casey at 11; home again for a bit and then doing a heated yoga class in Edina at 2 for an hour.  I will be ready to take a nap that is for sure when I am done.  After yoga though I have swing by the Ace Hardware on Diamond Lake and get the new spring assist band for Lucy so I will have 2 working grills again!!!  

I am already planning dinner for tomorrow night... beef stew with lots of veggies.  I will be cooking it in my new Le Creu.set French Oven that I got on Tuesday night using my birthday money.  I did have to pay 2/3 of it myself but well worth it being I paid only $169 for it and it is normally $300.  

I have also been using my Bugg and I totally love it.  It is so comprehensive and easy to use ... I enter everything I eat or that goes into my mouth like gum, the program figures out calories consumed  then the band calculates the calories burned and then I will see if I am at a surplus or deficit.  So far I have always had a deficit.  I however have never meet the goal of burning 2700 calories a day.  I get close but never meet or exceed that number.  

I am looking forward to stepping on the scale tomorrow to see where I am at from a month ago.  

I am tired tonight so I am going to end this now and will post again tomorrow after my nap.

Peace Out 

The Bugg - Day 1 and Setup

I got the Bugg setup tonight, after I replaced the cable modem and had it provisioned by Com.cast.  

I was able to get the needed software downloaded onto the new PC (BuggPC) and started getting everything finished with setting it up.  

I did wear it today to see if it collected any information even though it was not setup and it did.  I found I need to move more on the days I don't workout.  

The program has me only losing 75# and the goal date is next June.  I will be down to just under 12% body fat too, in fact most of the weight I will lost is fat because my lean muscle mass did not change once everything was plugged into the program.  

I will have to keep journaling all my food consumption because daily I will need to enter what I ate into the program so it can figure out if I am at a deficit or a surplus with the calorie burn/consumption.  

I am excited to see what my KB work does tomorrow night for calorie burn.  I will reset the trip settings so I will be able to see what the Bugg says for calorie burn vs my heart rate monitor.  

The Bugg doesn't have a heart rate monitor built in so I will have to continue to use that too.  

Tired tonight so just wanted to post an update on the Bugg since it is now fully functional.  

Peace Out.

The Bugg has arrived!

It was sitting by my back door when I got home tonight from work.  I was patient and slowly opened everything in the box and looked it all over then immediately got it connected to my MAC to start charging it so it will be ready to wear.  

I was able to secure a cheap (free) monitor today that is now at home and the Bugg PC is all setup ready to go.  I just need to get the comcast modem replaced as it has stopped working over the weekend.  

I skipped my workout today.  My shoulders have been sore and I could hardly lift my right arm today because my shoulder hurt so bad.  I did not get the box tonight either.  I will have to see if Becky can go get it tomorrow or I will have to run there when I get home from work.  

The date has been set at the studio for the Vo2MAX workout.  It will be Wednesday October 28th.  I am going to go conservative so I can make it through the entire thing, I am going to use a 8k (18#) bell.  I would rather make it through with that then only do part of a set with the 12k (26) bell.  I will then work towards the 12k Vo2MAX for mid December.  I will do it alone if I need to but I will get it done.  

I am looking forward to getting my Bugg setup and working this weekend so I can start to see what I am really burning on a daily basis then start setting some goals for daily and weekly.  

I want to lose 90# in the next year but more important, I want to keep it off.  

Quiet day tomorrow after work so I might go for a walk.  If I get home early enough, I might run to get the new cable modem to replace the broken one I have now so I can get started with the bugg.  

That is all for now...

Training again on Friday for sure.

RKC Victim

Today I started out with having coffee and watching the Sunday morning news shows with my mom who was down for a birthday gathering I had last night with my girlfriends.  

This afternoon I volunteered to go be a victim for RKC candidates who want to become a certified instructor.  They need to teach the victims how to use kettlebells safely doing various drills.  I was training with another person from NE Kettlebells, Matt Thompson.  Our candidate had me working on squats and Turkish Getups, both things I am not very good at.  Roxanne, Dave and Ben were also there from NEKB.  Mary Powers from work was there with her husband but Emily from work did not make it.  

The highlight of my day over in St Paul was I got to meet Tracy Reifkind, who's blog I follow all the time.  She used bells and diet to lose 120 pounds, doing nothing but swings with a 12k bell. I saw her walking in and just stopped her and said hi.  I told her I followed her blog and worked out with Fawn, whom she is very good friends with.  Tracy  saw me after the work out and asked how it was.  I also told her that on Friday I did double snatches for 40 minutes and she was very impressed and wanted to see a video of it sometime.  I thought that was way cool.  

I will hit it again with Michael tomorrow night with the plan to make it 4 times this week to his class.  I am re-engergized to get in shape and lose the weight I was told I just need to learn to live with for the rest of my life.  

I have to this week again start to document my food, my birthday week is over and I have no more reasons to splurge on calorie intake.  

I am going to try making a shrimp risotto rice dish for dinner one night this week.  I bought a bunch of head on shrimps to use and I will make shrimp stock with the shells and heads, following an Alton Brown show I saw once.  

I am still waiting for the bodybugg to get here and it is not working with my laptop right now so I am still working on a solution to get it working.  I am going to send out an email to those who might have an old laptop laying around to see if they will give or sell cheaply to me.  I have found some laptops on dell and hp outlet websites that are $350 so I might have to do that if I can find one for free.  

I also have to finish paying for my new alarm system and monitoring for the year before I buy the laptop.  I have committed to getting that system paid for by the end of October and then I will pay the monitoring in November, that way I will be good with that until next November when I have to pay the monitoring again for the year.  

that is all for tonight. 

Training - Double Snatches

Last night we were working towards getting ready for the Vo2Max.  

I did 40 sets of 7 doing double snatches.  We had 30 seconds then our partner has 30 (we rested while the other worked).  

We tried with the 12k bells but decided right away we would not survive so we switched to 18# bells for the next round and it was a good choice.  

I feel good this morning so class later will be interesting to see what he has us doing.  I hope no snatches!

Tomorrow I am going to free KB lesson so I am excited to work on my swing some more to make it even better. 

BodyBugg

I splurged on myself today.  I got a Bodybugg.  It is a device that help manage calorie consumption and expenditures.  It was not cheap but, I figure it will be worth it if it helps motivate me to get the body I want to have.  I saw someone at work with one on today and talked to her about it and she has lost almost 10# in 4 weeks since she started to wear it.  

I had looked at them before but they were really expensive (they still are) but it was $100 off until the end of the month and that included the watch to wear with it to see where you are at realtime.  

The only issue I foresee is that it might not work with my MAC.  It will work with a MAC but only ones with an Intel processor not a PowerPC processor.  Worst case I use my work PC to download the stats weekly from the Bugg to the website.  I will find a way to make this work for me.  

I will post about my progress once I get the Bugg.

CSA Boxes 7,8,9,10,11

Box 11

Box 10

Box 9

Box 8

Yikes I am behind in getting the photos up of the boxes.  

I have no photos of box 7, because I did not pick it up.

It did contain though, Raspberries, yellow squash, zucchini, lettuce, cabbage, kale, radishes and potatoes.

I used lots of this to make an Asian brown rice and veggie salad.  

Box 8 had more good stuff in it.  Green Top beets, Potatoes, Eggplant, Shell Beans, yukina Savoy, cucumbers, zucchini, onions and basil.  

I gave the eggplant and basil to my neighbor being I have lots of both in my own garden this year. 

Box 9 again had potatoes, onions, cucumbers, zucchini, carrots, celery, bok choy, green beans.

Most of this box started as veggies for a lunch and what was left turned into pasta sauce that was combined with tomatoes from my garden and put into the freezer for the winter.   

Box 10 provided more potatoes (am I in Ireland???), tomatoes, zucchini, cucumbers, red onions, bunched salad greens, broccoli, green peppers, beets and tarragon.  I have a nice potato collection going on right now so I need to use some of them up so they do not go bad.  

I have bought a few more beets at the farmers market and I have roasted them and made a warm beet and goat cheese salad... it was yumm-o!  

Box 11 continues to provide me with potatoes.  I have to cook some this week so I can get ahead of them and get them off the kitchen counter.  It also had tomatoes, muskmelon, spinach, arugula, carrots, onions, zucchini, cucumber, eggplant, celery and apples.  

I ate the muskmelon over the weekend and it was very good and sweet.  I am going to make more pasta sauce for the freezer with the carrots, onions and celery along with tomatoes from my garden.  I am having an internal debate if I want to freeze tomatoes again this winter and I think I am going to get some so I can use them in soups, rice, and other things that call for tomato sauce instead of canned tomatoes.  I will be reaching out the CSA farmer to see if he will have extra or I just might go to the farmers market and get them.  

I am still doing kettlebells multiple times a week in most cases.  I had a bad week this last week and only went once.  I have also decided that I will stay away from alcohol for 2 weeks and I am on day 7 and no issues of temptation for me.  I have done this in the past for 3 months when I was in a fitness bootcamp and rule #1 was no booze.  

I have also added some other natural stuff to my diet and removed other things for awhile to see how I feel and if it will jumpstart a weight loss that I want to have happen.  

I have also taken to writing down EVERYTHING I am eating again.  I know this will help alot.  I see that today I am totally craving sugar and I have given in to it.  Oh well.  It is a learning process.  

 

I tried some reflexology last week with a massage and it really helped my hip.  I was surprised for sure with the results.  I am going to have it again next month for an hour instead of just 30 minutes to working on making my hip feel better.  It also helps more than my hip but it helps the whole body heal itself.  

That is it for now...

3rd Anniversary!!

That is right I have owned my house as of today for 3 years.  I can hardly believe it.  Time has flown by that is for sure.  I love my house more and more as projects get finished.  My neighborhood is beyond awesome.  I love my neighbors.  My closest friend was the first person I met when I moved in the day of my closing.  Her boys are like my nephews and I love them to death.  

Got to love some good and dirty yard work by adding some blvd gardens and getting the yard weed free.  

CSA Boxes 5 & 6

Box 6

Box 5

I am a bit behind on keep up on posting about the veggie boxes this summer.  

The boxes are now having more things than just lettuce and salad makings.

Box 5 contained: Green Beans, Summer Squash, Rapini, Scallions, Lettuce, Broccoli, Basil, Tarragon, and a bag of Birchwood Granola.  The granola was awesome and I am going to call them to see if I can buy some more from them.  I used everything but the basil Saturday night when my Aunt was over for dinner.  

Box 6 that was picked up yesterday had  no lettuce in it!  It did have though: Potatoes, Onions, Zucchini, Cucumbers, Carrots, Broccoli, Arugula, Mizuna, Red Mustard, Flat Leaf Parsley, and Raspberries. My half of the raspberries were awesome and gone within in minutes of getting the box split.  

My hip is feeling a bit better, I have gone back to my chiropractor and he is getting me aligned so things are feeling better.  He has also given me some stretches and exercises to do to help strengthen the muscles in my core to stabilize my lower back and hips.  I will call him next week to let him know how I am feeling.  

I am going to try Kettlebells again tomorrow for the first time since seeing the chiro.   I will be interested to see how well I move.  We as a class are working towards doing to Vo2Max in the next couple of weeks.  I need to get into class and start getting ready for it since I have that as a goal of mine to do by October.  

I have also written down my goals for the next 3 months and year for my physical gains (with KB) and losses (of my size) this should help me keep on track with reaching some of my goals.  I am going share some of them with Michael so he can help get to some of them.  

This is it for now...

Linnea

Motivation or Lack there of...

I am not sure what the deal is this weekend or even this summer.  I have had no motivation to do any kind of work outside on the yard.  I have the stuff to start planting but no motivation to get out there and get at it.  

I have managed to keep up with the veggie garden but not too much with the patio or gardens in the front.  

I think lots of it might have to do with work, or the lack of work to do at work right now.  This merger thing has everyone wondering what is going to happen.  I know where our group will be in the organization but there still is nothing for us to do work wise.  I might as well take some time off and get some things done around the house soon so when there is work I might not be able to get time off.  

I also took the week off from Kettlebells last week.  My hip is no better so that is not the issue.  I will have to call the chiropractor tomorrow to get an appt this week to go and see him and see if he can make any improvements to how I am feeling.  

I think it will work out okay to work from home being I am just planning on doing some Ci.sco Vo.IP training on line this week.  That way I can get in and see the chiropractor with more ease than if I was at the office.  I also need to get in this week and get my allergy shot... I am so over due!

CSA Boxes 3 & 4

Box 4

Box 3

CSA Box 3 was picked up last Wednesday after working out and grocery shopping. 

CSA Box 4 was picked up today.  Both boxes were heavy with salad fixings; lettuces, greens, radishes,  peas, and kohlrabi.  The farmer says soon we will start to see other things in the box.  I hope so; I am tired of salads and greens.  I know we are getting some kale so I am made a Italian sausage, kale, tomato, pasta dish this tonight.  
I brought most of the 3rd box to the cabin for everyone to enjoy this past weekend.  Everyone really liked having fresh lettuce and radishes for dinner. 

 

I had my 3^rd acupuncture treatment for my hip last Thursday. I am not able to tell a difference yet with reduced pain so it was suggested I take it easy with the workouts this week to see if I can tell a difference.  I am going to only workout  a couple of times this week and I need to call my old chiropractor to see if when I can get an appointment to see him to see if that might help too.  The logistics of seeing him will be a pain to manage because I will have to work from home those days to get the appt. 

Saturday morning at the cabin I went for a walk with Dan and by the time we got back to the cabin my whole left side was numb, leg, arm and back.  It is just a huge indication I must do something to figure out what is causing this issue.  I also need to make sure that I get up and walk around a bit every 60-90 minutes at work so I don’t get so stiff and sore. 

 

Last night Dan and I went mini golfing in Edina.  We played 9 holes and had a fun time, he kicked my butt.  Afterwards we went to Five Guys for burgers.  The food was quite good but I really did not appreciate the gangster styling of one of the male employees who was cleaning tables.  He had his jean below his butt being held up by a belt showing off his blue underwear.  I did not find that to be appropriate at all for a food service place for an employee to having his underwear showing as part of his uniform.  I did send an email through the contact us option on their website and the GM emailed me back apologizing for the inappropriate uniform and that it will be addressed.   

I had an alarm company owner out today to get a quote for an alarm for the house.  I am waiting to see the final cost of the system but, most likely I will be putting in a system.  It was also suggested I do a fire alarm too and then I will get a really good homeowners insurance discount.  

The Summer Midway Point

The midway point of summer is just around the corner, 4^th of July.

I can hardly believe that it is already here at the end of the week.  Where has the summer gone?  It was just Memorial Day and now it is the 4^th of July.

 

I was in Brainerd this last weekend visiting the family.  I was able to see my Mike, Kara, Matty, Caleb, and Chloe. The boys are busy this summer with sports and being with their friends.  Chloe is getting so big.  I can hardly describe how different she looks now compared to Mother’s Day.  She has become a little girl who knows what she wants and more what she doesn’t want.  She is just so cute and will be a knock out some day soon.  My brother will have his hands full with her that is for sure. 

 

I got new tires for my car while up in Brainerd too.  It is something I have needed to do for awhile but finally had the extra cash to get it done.  I am happy that I was able to do this and now I can save towards getting new doors and more insulation for the house.  I really want to get this done this year to take advantage of the tax rebates you can get for doing this kind of work on a house.  It will also help with the heating and cooling bills.  I also need to see if I can find an inexpensive air conditioner for upstairs to help keep it cool … it gets really hot up there when it is hot out even with the central air running. 

I will just need to figure out how to block off the top half of the window without the AC unit because the window is a slider.

 

I was able to workout 4 times last week!  I felt good even though it was really hot out until Saturday.  I did the fourth workout at my parents in the driveway.  It was a 35 minute workout 7 sets with 30-50 reps per set.  It was mostly swings but there were some cleans and snatches too. 

It was not a huge calorie burner, 200 calories, but I felt better having done it than I think I would have felt if I had skipped it. 

I got this workout from Tracy Reifkind who is an RKC and though diet and exercise lost over 100 pounds and has kept it off doing Hot Yoga (Bikram) and Kettlebells.  You will see that there is a link to her blog as one of the blogs I follow.  She is so inspirational to keep motivated with exercise and good eating.  I know I can do this and be successful and get the body I want to have with lots of dedication and hard work. 

This week is going to be a challenge to get in 3-4 workouts but I am determined to get it done.  
I am thinking I will be training with Fawn Tuesday, Thursday, Friday and with Michael on Wednesday.  I might even try to knockout the 7 set work out Saturday morning, depending on what time we leave for the cabin.  I will need to do something physical this weekend because I know I will be eating lots of junk and having more adult bevys than normal on Saturday. 

 

I did meet with a trainer last week to talk about nutrition but I am not sure she is the one for me.  She was very nice but, I don’t know.  She did give me some meal replacement granola bars or you can split them and have half as a snack.  I have not tried one yet but if they are good I will get a box from her to have in the house for those I need to eat after working out because I am crazy busy.  I am going to talk to my regular trainer to see what she might be able to offer for nutritional assistance and what it would cost.  

 

The garden in the backyard is look very good.  I need to get out and purchase some cages or u-hoops for the tomatoes because they are growing tall and had started to flop over just as I feared.  There are lots of actual tomatoes on plants and now peppers are starting to show up too.  I need to water today or tomorrow because it was starting to look dry in when I was cultivating and weeding last night.  Soon I will have a bounty tomatoes and put up for the winter.

Last week I ordered some new buffs to wear as head bands for day to day and to use when working out to keep my hair out of my face.  I got them from Planet Buff out of San Diego.  I was surprised when they were at my door this afternoon when I got home from work.  I totally love them and I am excited to wear them all the time.  

I also bought some flowers at Linders Flower mart tonight.  I got some Endless summer hydrangeas for up by the house in the front and other flowers for the blvd garden I am going to do next week.  

It is going to be a busy week this week and I still need to get ready to go to the lake with Dan and the kids along with the rest of his family.  

 

Until next time…

CSA Box #2

I got the second box of the CSA season.  It had lettuce, arugula, mustard greens, radishes, kolrabi, peas and black beans.  I am looking forward to salads again this coming week.  I need to work on making them more interesting to eat though.  

The black beans will take some work to get ready to cook being they were from some bean crops from last year and there are stones, and other non edible things in the bag.

I went to kettlebells tonight and the guys were complaining that we girls were taking the heavy bells and they had to wait for us to get done doing our speedy farmer walks around the studio with heavy bells.  I was not able to do the 88# bells but I am going to try again sometime to farmer walk the bulldogs.  We then did planks, and then variety of other things, double swings, snatches, squat presses, then back to planks.  I was feeling very strong at the end of the night.  I did burn about 370 calories according to my heart rate monitor.  I do need to check my resting heart rate again to see if I need to change it on my monitor to get a more accurate reading of calories burned.  

Dan and I finally talked tonight.  I mean really talked to each other about what was happening between us or not happening between us.  It was a good talk and we both decided we need to step back and work on communicating with each other and to really enjoy each other again like we did when we were first dating.  I have decided not to go to the cabin with him and all of his family next weekend for the 4th of July.  

I figure I can work on my blvd garden and the gardens in front of the house.  I have just the weekend off and nothing extra for vacation time so it will be a perfect time to get that done being I have wanted to work on that since last summer.  

Until next time...

hot Hot HOt HOT!

Summer has arrived in the last day in full force.

It was 94 yesterday and hotter today.  Good thing I watered the garden on Sunday to get it though this heat.  I watered everything again tonight when I got home from work. 

I did notice that the ground cherry plant has 3 ground cherries on it.  I am excited to see everything progressing in the garden.  The brandywine is getting huge!  I need to get more u-hoops to hold up the plants up soon or they will be flopping over onto themselves. 

 

I met with my trainer yesterday and she helped me get some really good stretching in and worked pressure points to try and release some of the muscle tightness I have going on right now throughout my body.  I then went to Kettlebell class.  Holy hanna was that work … we were all sweating like crazy.  It was from a combination of the work we were doing and how hot the space was.  The AC was on high but it was still hot hot hot. 

I managed to burn about 500 calories in the hour.  I have not done that in a while in class so it felt good.  The class consisted of doing 5 double swings at progressively heavier stations from 10# to 44# we hit each station 10 times for a total of 250 swings.  I only did 3 swings 3 times so I was down by 6 swings from the 250.  After that we did walking presses and then waiter walks and finally walking, stopping and pressing. Everyone in class did great. 

 

I get the next CSA box tomorrow.  I have managed to eat almost everything but a bit of lettuce, which I will finish tonight, and a couple of radishes.  I still have not used the corn meal but that will not go bad.  I think I need put it in the fridge though to keep it longer. 

I will post a photo of box 2 tomorrow or Thursday. 

Last week I found a fabulous gourmet store in St Anthony that sells really good olive oil, balsamic vinegar, pastas, and salts.  You can read more about what she has to offer here... www.annonagourmet.com

I have also arranged to get new tires for Beverly over the weekend from one of my parent's neighbors.  I am getting a Cooper tire that is a 50K tire with a road hazard.  The price out the door is $392, this is better than what I could get at Sam's club and I trust the guy who will be doing the work.  I am excited to get this done so I do not have to worry about the tires and also because I have the spare on the car right now.  I drove for almost a year with a nail in one of the tires before it gave up the ghost this Spring.  

 

I did not talk to Dan yesterday or today at all.  I did invite him and the dog to stay at my place being I have AC and he does not but, he did not take me up on the invite.  I did talk to sister though about what is happening and she gets my point of view and how if we are to be together Dan needs to let me have opinions and comments about the kids and what they are doing.  She even told me that she doesn’t think she would have been able to date someone who has kids.  I think she feels bad about what is happening with us. I hope he figures out what he wants soon with our relationship because I am not waiting around for him very long.  

Until next time...

Fabulous Busy Saturday

My morning started out early today... I was at Kettlebells at 830 this morning for an hour to start out with a bit of exercise to get really get up and go.  I had my first outside class this morning since we moved to our new location on Central Ave.  We did a racked walked to the first loading dock down from our loading dock, about 100 meters, and then Michael had us jump onto the dock and we did pistols off the dock.  It is much more challenging  outside because we did not have our ropes to use for balance.  I think I might even be able replicate this in my backyard with my retaining wall for the garden.  I had a chance at class to also talk with Katie for the first time too other than saying hello.  We talked about our CSAs and how to preserve veggies for the winter.  She suggested I read the book Animal, Vegetable Miracle.  She found it very insightful on how to eat local all year around.  She has a great goal for the summer too; to be able to do one military style pull up by the end of the summer.  I am going to join her in that goal.  I would be thrilled to do that.  

Once I was done with bells I was off to St Paul to get my eyebrows done for month.  When I was leaving I was surprised to see a coworker standing there to get her brows done too.  We just laughed because neither of us live to close to downtown St Paul.  

After leaving St Paul I ran home to change and I was off to get Dan's kids to take them shopping to get Dan's Father's Day gift.  We went to Hallmark to get a CD that Connor wanted to get him.  I paid for it and now Connor will mow my lawn 4 times to work off the $20 bucks I spent on the gift.  Then we were off to Gander Mountain to get a gift card from the girls.  I spent $15 for Molli and Dani paid $20 so he will be able to get tackle to go fishing or stuff to use hunting.  When the shopping was done I was hungry so we ran to the store and I got some sushi and the kids went and got samples from around the store.  

On the way back Dani asked if we go to Payless or Famous Footwear to see if she could find some shoes she saw on some girl, I did not know where these stores were but we end going to Marshalls and DSW instead; with no luck.  

Once all the shopping was done we went to my place and the kids did some yard work.  Connor got his first lawn mowing done and then Molli weed whipped the yard until the string ran out.  Dani sweep my front walk to make that look really good.  

They even said that they would like to keep coming down to help out and make some cash.  So I have 3 tasks they can choose from: mowing, weeding the gardens, weed whipping, and I will pay them each $5 for doing these tasks for me.  They thought it was fair and I will help me out alot.  

Tomorrow I am going to meet Tanya for breakfast.  I have not seen her in ages and I am really looking forward to see her again. 

The 1st CSA of 2009

I got the first of 18 veggie boxes last night.  It looks great and I am ready to up the veggie consumption this summer.  

The box had lettuces, radishes, peas, corn meal and an herb pot with 8 herbs in it.  

I had a salad last night and it was very good.  

I also went to Kettlebell class last night and I am feeling it a bit in my lats this morning.  We did pull up or controlled descents in my case.  We also did pistols and these funky hip swing things with really heavy bells.  We finished the night with planks and swings, I used a 44# bell for this.   The 44# bell is the start of me wanting to use a heavier weight more often.  

The New Beginning

I am starting with a renewed effort to lean out my body and train harder to get to where I want to be with my body.  I am happy with who I am but, I know I can be better.  I just have to get up and move when I get home each and every night, regardless or I need to make time to get to the gym each day at work and just work longer hours for doing that.  

I want to start working towards completing the kettlebell VO2Max by Kenneth Jay.  It is a protocol that is 15:15.  That means you work for 15 seconds and then rest for 15 seconds.  I would be using a 12kg bell for this and doing 7 snatches every 15 seconds of work.  I will work up to 80 sets at one time.  

Next week I am seeing a trainer in Forest Lake to talk about nutrition and seeing what she has to say about that and what I might be able to do to lean out more.    

My hip still bothers me off and on but I am working through it.  I meet with Casey yesterday and for the hour she just worked on pressure points and stretching me out to try and get it to loosen up.  I totally felt better yesterday afternoon compared to the morning.  I am getting an acupuncture treatment on Thursday and I tracked down Mark Pappenfus my old chiropractor and will go see him next week.  

I need to also decide what is going to happen with Dan and I.  We are just not getting along anymore.  I have had two friends tell me today that I am smart and should not take any thing from him and there are better guys out there for me.  I just need to remember that.

Until next time..

L