2016 Goals

New  Year, New Goals. How did I do last year? Go here.

-Train to complete STP in 2017. This is a 200+ mile bike ride over 2 days from Seattle to Portland. In order to be ready to bike 200 miles, I'm going to do 3 long rides: Living The Dream Ride, Cycle The Wave, and the Tulip Pedal. I'm excited about this goal and can't wait to start training.

-Take one dance related class a week (Zumba, pole dancing, etc). Dancing doesn't feel like exercise and I love it so I'm going to do that more.

-Continue to set aside time for myself. Continue going to the spa, get my hair cut on something of a schedule, get my nails done. That time is important.

-Clear out the clutter. Last year I worked on physical clutter. I'm going to keep working on that as well mental clutter. There's a lot of shit in my head that needs to go.

-Use up what we get in our Full Circle box each week. Every week we get an amazing box of organic produce and sometimes we don't eat it all. If we haven't finished what we have by the time I need to order again, then we don't order. Also I need to order smarter.

-Take 3 more cooking classes. I'm already signed up for one in March. I enjoyed the ones I took previously and they teach me new things.

-Expand my cooking horizons. Learn to make one Thai dish, one Korean, and one Vietnamese. I went all Asian since we are still doing the no dairy thing.


I'll note my progress each month like I did before. Let's do this!

My Fitness Journey

I was on my way home from a Zumba class, thinking about how far I've come. From dance classes as a little girl to virtually no exercise as a teen to feeling forced to exercise in my twenties to an almost 40 year old lady who looks forward to her gym time. I thought I'd share my story so far.

When I was a little girl, I took dance classes like a lot of other little girls. Tap, jazz, and ballet from when I was 4 until 6th grade (12 years old?). While I enjoyed dance, I loved ballet. I loved the positions, the grace, and elegance. I felt my most beautiful when I was dancing ballet and other ballerinas were so gorgeous. At 8, I wanted to be a professional ballerina. But when it was time to transition to pointe, my ankles were too weak and I wouldn't be able to. My teacher told me I would never have strong enough ankles to dance pointe and steered me to tap and jazz. Tap is only fun when you are a little kid and I couldn't see a life in jazz. This was the late 80's and jazz/hip hop wasn't big yet.

Here are a ton of photos from me back when I danced. Remember it was the 80's but I have no excuses for the perms:

I think I was between 7-9 here. These are probably the best outfits I got to wear to dance recitals.

 Now for the embarrassing ones. I should have never permed my hair. The two on the right are my last year of dance so I was 10-11, What is up with the iridescent legs on the bottom one? The one on the left was my favorite costume and my favorite dance recital ever. We danced to Conga by The Miami Sound Machine, thus starting my love of Latin music. 

I was moving to a more academically rigorous school and I agreed to drop dance until I got settled. I never went back.

My mom did Jazzercise when I was little but stopped when I went to school. Exercise wasn't something she did after that. My dad played handball until he broke his leg. And exercise in our family was minimal at best. My dad tried but my mom always shut it down. She didn't like getting dirty or sweaty. She didn't think anyone else should either.

In high school, I joined the track and tennis teams. I quit tennis when I found out we had to run laps daily. I hate running and refused to run. I wound up on track team because I discovered I liked throwing the shot put. Running wasn't mandatory when you participated in the other activities like shot put and javelin. We did some weight lifting but not much. No one wanted to be bulky.

In college, I discovered you could take all sorts of classes for your PE credit. I took bowling. I tagged along with some friends when they went to the fitness room but I mostly complained I was hungry and wanted to lay down. Other than walking, I did virtually no exercise until I left college.

At my first job, my coworker invited me to check out her gym. My coworker and I took yoga classes together. My mom was getting sick at that time and the gym was a great stress reliever. I would hop on a treadmill, walk for 45 minutes, and turn off my brain. I worked out almost daily for 2 years.

Then I switched jobs. My new job got me home later and I missed some of the classes I had loved to take. Then I met Taiki and I had other things to do than go to the gym.

After our wedding, I headed to Zumba and did that for about a year. Then the times the classes were offered changed and I couldn't make it anymore. Taiki and I joined a gym but finding time to go was difficult. When my dad first got sick, it was harder to find the time.

Last year, I had enough. I was tired of not feeling my best. I made some changes to my diet and headed back to the gym. I no longer rely on classes to get my workout in. I use Pinterest to find new workouts and I discovered kettlebells. I love kettlebells and I feel like such a badass when I do my kettlebell swings. Working out has become less of a have to and more of a want to. The time I spend at the gym is my time. It's all about me. And finding me time is essential to reducing my stress and increasing my sense of calm and well-being.

It's no longer just about the number on the scale or about the number on the back of my pants. It's about how much more I can lift today. How much more I'll be able to lift in 6 months? It's about how I feel.

What about you? Have you found your workout groove or are you trying to get the groove back?

Party In My Pants

This post is filled with TMI.

Several months ago, I read about Party in My Pants on an Offbeat Home post. I'd been reading a lot about chlorine in pads and how generally not the best thing for your lady garden. I switched to chlorine free pads but they were expensive and hard to locate. I had good luck with the Whole Foods brand but sometimes they were out and it wasn't always convenient to head to Whole Foods. Party In My Pants stuck in the back of my mind. But I felt that was a lot of money to spend on pads and held off buying them.

Fast forward several months and I had a small problem in my lady garden. I decided that it was time to bit the bullet and buy some cloth pads. My health was worth me spending a little more on myself. So I purchased several cloth pads from Party In My Pants. Mostly a mix of Luxe Liners and Super Overnight Pads. I bought them all in cotton with the optional snap.

The Luxe Liners

The optional snap is great for narrower panties like bikinis and boy shorts. I love the patterns.

The Super Overnight Pad

I was super impressed with how quickly they shipped. I thought it would be at least a week for me to get them but they came 2 business days after ordering. 

I'm happy with my purchase and plan to buy more cloth pads in the future.

Have you ever bought cloth pads?

Party in My Pants didn't pay me to say these nice things about them. In fact they don't know me. I bought these pads with my own money. Just a happy customer. 

Awkward And Awesome Thursday

Awkward:

-I've cut bread out of my diet mostly. I'll still eat it sometimes. But it make my tummy most unhappy. It's hard for some of my friends to understand especially since they know how I feel about bread. It's usually not worth the pain.

-Speaking of bread and pain, Friday night I had to bail on date night with Tai. I stupidly ate some bread. So instead of watching Gravity, I was curled up in the fetal position in bed.

-The ridiculous amount of money I spent at Costco this week. I'm glad we are Executive members. I'm looking forward to that 1% check we get back.

Awesome:

-Marta moved back from Las Vegas! Yay for one of my besties being local again!

-We got a new tv and a Roku. I love being able to watch tv on something larger than Tai's laptop.

-I bought a Sodastream. I love it. 

-I did the Down Syndrome Buddy Walk with my friends Erin and Sean and their two kids, Finn and Winnie. Such a easy walk and we had a beautiful day, hanging out in the sunshine. 

What's been awkward and awesome for you this week?

Life Lately

As I've mentioned, life has been busy. I was at the urgent care 5 times in January. Four more times than I would have liked. One time was when I sliced my finger open. But the other 4 times were due to my dad's health issues. Dad's been feeling crappy for the last couple of months but in January it seemed to get worse. We were in and out of the doctor's office, looking for an answer. Last week they determined that his heart was the problem and on Monday, he had triple bypass surgery. He's recovering well at the hospital for now. We are making preparations for when he comes home so I've got a lot to do before he can come home. Thankfully Tai's been a wonderful help, running the usual household chores so I can focus on Dad.
Dad and I hate to have our pictures taken so here's one from my wedding:

And since this is Thursday, I'll leave you a little awkward and awesome.

Awkward:

-Trying not to see anything below my Dad's belt. Some nurses are very conscientious about his privacy, some are not.

-Running from place to place and sometimes forgetting where I'm going. 

Awesome:

-The support of my friends and family. Gold stars, guys.

-Being able to be there for my dad. 

Review: Zumba Fitness 2 for the Wii

I've been going to Zumba classes for the past 2 years. I love Zumba. But recently I wasn't excited to go to class. The classes have been super packed. There are 2 new gyms opening near me soon so I was hoping to hang on and keep going to the overcrowded Zumba classes until the new gyms opened. But I found myself wanting to skip classes more and more.
I decided to buy the Zumba 2 game for the Wii. When I was at Gamestop they only had the second one, not the first. The gal at the register said she heard this one was better. Does anyone have the first Zumba? Any thoughts?
I did want to buy Zumba for the Kinect but we don't have one and I wasn't willing to shell out the cash when I bought the game. Maybe another day.
Anyhoo, I've had the game for about a month. I like being able to do the workout when I want, when I want. I get the same workout as the class. In fact a lot of the songs and moves are just like the class. I would recommend this to someone who wants to learn Zumba before heading to a class or someone who's enjoyed the classes but can't attend them for whatever reason.
My favorite songs are Pause by Pitbull:

I couldn't find the Wii version but the Kinect has the same moves. This is the same choreography that we would do in class.
Poison by Nicole Scherzinger:

I would never listen to this song outside of the game, but it's a great workout song.
Caipirinha:

I loved this one in class.
What I don't like:

• Sometimes it's hard to follow along. The cues only show a few steps. Also there's few cues to transitions. I get lost sometimes. But the more you do the less you'll need the cues.
• Perhaps it's easier with the Kinect but sometimes the Wii doesn't seem to pick up my movements. I'll be killing a song but only half the steps register. I'm still getting the same workout but I like the positive reinforcement of the Zumbas and the stars. 
• The belt that came with the game didn't fit :( I bought some elastic at the fabric store and threaded it through the back of the Wii rubber grip. Sometimes it slips down but can be easily adjusted. 

Overall two thumbs up!

Disclaimer: I bought this game with my own money and no one asked me to write this post. I really like the game and wanted to share my thoughts.

The Love List

♥Insanity
♥PB&J shakes from Emerald City Smoothies

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♥Peanut butter in my oatmeal
♥Oysters

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♥Burgers
♥Spending the whole day at home with Tai

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♥Flannel sheets
♥Puppies

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♥Pinterest
♥Trying new recipes

What's on your love list?

Brave Girl Eating by Harriet Brown

I added Brave Girl Eating to my library queue after reading about it on Weightless. I've know women who've struggled with anorexia and wanted to know more about it.
Brave Girl Eating is the story of the Brown family before and after their daughter, Kitty, develops anorexia. At first the Browns don't notice that Kitty has changed. In fact Brown comments on her daughter's commitment to not eat dessert, thinking that her daughter is just being healthy. Soon Kitty starts cutting out other foods, does 100's of sit ups a night and withdraws from friends. The Browns struggle to find a therapy suited for their daughter and struggle to help her recovery. Anorexia is a lot like alcoholism, one day at a time.
Brown does a lot of research and devotes a lot of pages to studies about anorexia. I definitely came away with a lot of knowledge about eating disorders, the behaviors of starvation, and the theories about why people become anorexic. It was intense. I started noticing my own eating habits. I actually think was I was less restrictive in my eating after reading this book. I'm not in danger of being anorexic but I've dealt with binge eating in the past. It's hard to have a healthy view of food when you hear so many negative things about food (this is bad for you, don't eat that). I struggle with it all the time.
Recommended to anyone who is affected by anorexia or anyone with children (boys or girls can become anorexic). Others who shared their thoughts on Brave Girl Eating: A Book A Week, Thinking About... and Dog Ear.
If you or someone you know is struggling with their eating disorder, there is help. The National Eating Disorder Association has a toll free number for those in the US: 1-800-931-2237.

What Is Beauty?

While reading The Beauty Myth, I started thinking what do I find beautiful? The women on tv, in magazine ads or people I know? Honestly I stopped reading magazines cause they made me feel bad. I don't have her body, her skin, her wardrobe. I feel a lot better about myself since I stopped reading those magazines and focus what I like. Perhaps I don't have the latest clothing or the newest hairstyle but I feel better.
So I want to show you what I think is beautiful. Starting with me:

In November I started a project where for the entire month, I took a photo of myself everyday. This is my favorite of the bunch.

 Two of my favorite people, Pat and Jen. And they look this beautiful all the time!

 Ashley and Marta, two beautiful women I'm lucky to call friends.

 Another beautiful friend, Erin.

 Adria and me on my beautiful wedding day. Adria's beautiful and a bad ass to boot.

And the beautiful Cindy with me at Kris' wedding.
Then there's all of you, my beautiful readers. Yes, I honestly believe you all beautiful too. How often do we give ourselves compliments? Probably not as often as we criticize ourselves and others. Stop looking for the flaws and look for the beauty in life. It's so much more rewarding.
Heather of Heather's Dish started The Faces of Beauty website "to celebrate the incredible and unique beauty in all of us.  It throws off the societal pressures to look a certain way and gives an opportunity to share what we love about ourselves." Check out the beauty there and spread the love, starting with yourself.

Fighting Negative Talk

Back in February when I was feeling low, a lot of you mentioned you felt similarly. Since then I found a lot of great ideas and tips to help combat negative self image. I thought I'd share what I found and hope it helps some of you as well.

10 Ways To Stop Fat Talk For Good-Weightless is a great blog with lots of great information about eating disorders and negative body image.
Body Image & Self-Acceptance-Another great post from Weightless.
Happily Overcoming Depression- The Art of Wise Living is a great blog with a wonderful message about positive life goals.
The Fat Girl's Guide to Being Irresistible-Even To Yourself-The Fat Girl's Guide talks about all sort of topics relating to living life, happy in your skin.
Women's Magazine: Body Shame and Subtle Messages-One reason that I stopped reading women's magazines.
What We Can Control-Sally has such a positive message and I love how she talks about body image and celebrating all body types.
Boost Your Body with a Mantra-Going from negative thoughts to more healthy positive thoughts.

And I have 2 songs that also help me get through anything:
This Too Shall Pass-Ok Go

The Middle-Jimmy Eat World


Do you have any tips that work for you?

My I Don't Have Cancer Story

Carly's post the other day about how she doesn't have cancer made me think about a funny story about how I don't have cancer.
This happened a few years ago. I went in for my normal pap. It came back abnormal. I went back about 6 months later and it was abnormal again. My GP asked me to see a gynecologist for "a more complete exam". I called the lady parts doc for an appointment and was told the first appointment was in 3 months. I figured that it wasn't serious and I shouldn't worry. I waited (patiently) for 3 months and went to my appointment.
Once inside the gynie's office, the nurse asked me some routine questions (if I had abnormal paps regularly, if I had spotting or other problems). The abnormal pap was the strangest thing so the nurse told me the doc would right in.
About 2 seconds later, the lady parts doc comes racing and loudly says "You don't have cancer! I don't see why you had to keep calling in a panic for an earlier appointment." Huh? I never called during that 3 months to request an earlier appointment. And I never thought I had cancer until she mentioned it. Another woman had a similar problem and the doc confused me with her. Nice, glad to see you read the charts. And thanks for scaring the crap out of me. I love being naked and scared!
We started the exam and that's when she tells me she's going to numb my cervix so she can take a sample.

Me: Hm, what does that mean? 

Lady Parts Doc: Oh I'm going snip a bit of your cervix off. 

Me: Wha-Oh shit that fucking hurt! 

A word to the wise, don't let anyone take bits of your cervix. It ain't fun. Doc tells me the results will be ready in about a week and leaves.
I went home and waited (slightly freaked out that I could have cancer). The results came back negative and I've never had an abnormal pap since. I still remember with terror though the cervix snipping. Haunts my dreams, man.

Update on Health And Fitness Goals

So since my last update my pants have not gotten any looser. I'm still solidly one size smaller than when I started but haven't seen any more progress. 
I'm definitely getting 5 servings of fruits and veggies right now. Summer is so easy. Fresh fruit is plentiful.
I've been making it to Zumba at least once a week (often 3 times a week) and hitting the elliptical machine when I can't make it to class. I've noticed my endurance has improved. When I started Zumba I would be huffing and puffing by the 2nd song. Now I can make it the middle of class (5 or 6 songs) before feeling tired.
I'm going to keep my current goals for now (lose another pant size by Christmas, continue to eat 4-6 fruits and veggies, and continue to go the gym).

Shakey-Shakey

On nights were I go to the gym or Tai plays volleyball, I get off easy on dinner. Instead of making a meal, I  make us each a shake. This is Tai's recipe. He used to make them for me but I usually make them for both us as I get home before he does.
The cast of characters:

Non-dairy creamer, whey protein powder, frozen fruit, milk (lactose free). The creamer helps make the shake creamy like a milkshake. You can choose from different flavors or get fat free if you wanted to. I use frozen fruit most of the time unless it's summer (soon!) and I can get fresh fruit. I bought this Spectrum Blend from Costco, but I prefer the berry mix instead. We buy the Gold Standard whey powder from Amazon. It lasts us a few months and I think it's pretty good.
So I put 2 huge handfuls of fruit, 2 scoops of protein powder, 3 cups of milk and a splash of creamer. I blend it up and usually add more milk/creamer as needed for the right consistency.
The finished product:

To be honest we each drink 2 of those (about 32 oz) after each workout. On gym nights this is my dinner. One time I tried to eat after drinking that huge shake and gave myself a tummy ache! This is a meal. It fills me up and I don't need to eat anything else. I actually look forward to them. These shakes are delicious!

Progress Made, Goal Met

About 2 months ago I made some health and fitness goals. I'm happy to announce I met my first goal-Lose one pant size by July. I tried on a pair of jeans one size smaller this weekend and discovered they fit. Yeah! So my new goal is to lose another pant size by July.
With the exception of two weeks, I've been to at least one Zumba class a week, but usually two. I'd love to add another one, but it's been difficult lining one up with my schedule. I'm going to try to add one on Mondays but I'm usually in a horrible mood on Mondays and rather come home and sack out on the couch. But Mondays are my best option and hopefully Zumba will be something I can look forward to at the end of a long day.
I'm doing better with my fruit and veggie intake. I'm still not hitting 6 servings but I am closer to 4 servings. I add fruit to my after workout shake and pick up fruit on my way into work every morning. If I could add an extra veggie I'd be set. I am loving these Fruit Crisps. I bought a box at Costco and I am plowing my way through them. Even Tai likes them. Gotta make another Costco run soon to get more!
Just had to share my progress. Fitting into those smaller jeans really made my day!

Linky Love

Lately in my quest to be more healthy (eat better and move more), I've found some incredibly helpful blogs. I thought I'd share them with you since I find them so fabulous!

FitHacks-A no nonsense look how to improve your workout. I like how they don't push fads and in fact debunk myths.
Get Sassy Fit-These local babes know how to pump you up. There tips range from good music for workouts to pointers on how to get the most out of your workout.
Weightless-Excellent straightforward information about eating disorders and tips on how to have a healthy body image.
Peanut Butter Fingers & Food, Fitness, Fashion-both these lovely ladies love BodyPump and eating yummy treats.

Do you have a favorite healthy blog?

My Health & Fitness Goals

I started this week pretty low with no plan on how to get to normal again. After talking to some of you, I realized I should have some goals and write them down.

Goal #1-Lose One Pant Size by My 2nd Wedding Anniversary.
With a combination of little less food and more exercise, I think I could do this one before July but I rather set it on easy and be really happy when I get there before. I've been using LoseIt on my iPhone and it really helps me see how much I'm eating or not eating...

Goal #2- Eat 4-6 servings of fruits and veggies.
I love both but sometimes it's really hard to eat another banana when I really want peaches and berries. I can't for summer to get here fast enough.

Goal #3-Go to Zumba and Kickboxing class- at least one once a week.
I really liked Zumba. It was like an hour dance party. Kickboxing was a little harder but I think it will help me get to goal one faster.

I'll keep you updated on my progress and let you know how things go.

Currently....

drinking

Tai and I started drinking acai berry juice every day. Tai really feels that it's helping him and giving him more energy. I haven't noticed a difference yet.

using

 

I needed a new night cream. I liked Oil Of Olay's night cream but I was starting to break out. Mostly due to the fact I forgot wash my face at night. So I decided to try Boots Anti-Blemish Night Moisturizer.  My skin's been clearer this week and some of the redness I had disappeared.

eating

I discovered these turkey meatball one day. Now we always have a bag in the freezer. Such a great quick meal. I've used them in soup, spaghetti, on sandwiches. They are delicious.

Currently....

creating
I decided to play around and Mad Men myself. I look pretty fierce as a 1950's gal. Love the dress and the blue eye shadow!

reading
As you know Tai and I started the Sookie Stackhouse series. We both liked the first book and can't wait to continue the series.

eating
Tai brought this licorice home last month from Trader Joe's. I love it. I cannot stop eating it. And I usually dislike strawberry licorice. But this stuff is so yummy!

disliking
I haven't talked about something I tried and didn't like, but I really don't like these floss singles. I bought them because I liked that they were precut strips. I thought they might make flossing a little easier, but it's the worst floss. It doesn't glide at all and is a struggle to use. Plus I obviously use more that 18" of floss at a time because I've had to use 2 packages most night. I'll pass next time!

Ow!

I'm not an accident prone person. I don't stumble and fall frequently. I've yet to break a bone (knock on wood). I rarely fall and injure myself. The only place I'm accident prone is in the kitchen. At least once a night Tai will hear me say ow! I usually burn, cut, or otherwise injure myself during the cooking process. This week I grated my finger on the zester! My beloved husband keeps the band aids close since I frequently need them!
Tai thinks this is sign that I rather not be cooking. So far from the truth. Usually my mind wanders and I forget what I'm doing or I forget that I just took that pan out of the oven. Sometimes I think I'm Claire and that don't need my mitt to get that pan out of the oven. Often times I'll remember in time. Others I'm not so lucky. I've never seriously injured myself in the kitchen. Never required stitches or anything but I go through a lot of band aids :)

Good Habits I Wish I Could Do Everyday

1. Drink enough water. I feel better when I do. On weekends I don't drink enough water. I wish I could find someway to make it easier for me.
2. Empty my change purse once a week at least. I usually wait til it gets full and overflows. We have change jars to save change but I can't seem to get off my arse to do it.
3. Do WiiFit daily. Again during the week is easier to do than on the weekend.
4. Clean a little everyday rather than try to clean everything on the weekend. By Saturday the house is a mess and it's too overwhelming. I usually just do enough to keep the health department away.
5. Put my shoes away everyday. I have a shoe rack but my shoes seem to like to stay by the bed or the front door. I think Tai's shoes are a bad example.
See? I'm so far from perfect!