Working Out Against Drugs

I have one of the most rewarding jobs. I'm an elementary school counselor. Yes, many times it is challenging, but overall, I get up excited to go to work and LOVING what I do. Today we started our Red Ribbon Week Campaign. A new theme each day to help instill in kids the importance of never starting drugs. Today was "Work Out Against Drugs". Great way to start the week...dressed in workout clothes! I decided that to kick the week off I would go into each classroom for a five minute cardio workout. We have 15 classrooms. I scheduled all of the visits within two hours. The longest break I had was 7 minutes. I had an absolute blast. I think many of the adults couldn't believe that I was actually doing this much cardio. At several points I was asked if I was going to go home and shower. Not only is it so important for our kids to realize how unhealthy it is to start drugs. They need to learn how easy it is to get addicted. They also need to learn how important it is to take care of our bodies. I told them all that the more they move the better. Exercise is a great way to relieve stress. As I've been process today there are several things that have come to mind. 1. The sad part of the day was that I had a few kids who complained. Please know this was very few, but still. Now that I am so into taking care of me, it scares me that these little people don't want to move. Our society has become so sedentary. It's soooo sad and scary. If you have kids you need to get moving as a family. 2. When I was a child, I dreaded gym. I HATED it. I was not a competitive person. I was also overweight. I couldn't run like the other kids. I was always worried they would make fun of me. In middle school and high school I would sometimes fake injuries (I can't believe I just admitted this publically) to get out of PE. I remember spraining my wrist during a volleyball game and having to go to the dr. I was thrilled when my hand went in a brace and I couldn't do PE for 4 weeks. Having that experience, and being where I am now...the wheels are turning. What can I do for the kids I work with? How can I get them more active? I welcome your suggestions. 3. Two years ago, I would have never dreamed of doing something like this. Let's start with the attire. I wouldn't have worn work out attire to school unless it was REALLY baggy. Nothing fitted like I had on today. I would not have wanted anyone to see the fat rolls. Oh yes! I know! There are still rolls there. I am not perfect by any means. I'm in a way better place than I was two years ago in so many ways. Two years ago there was no way I would have even dreamed up something like this. If I had, someone else would have needed to do it because I didn't have what it took. So the fact that I came up with this plan and put it in place is a pretty big accomplishment for me. I'm feeling really really good about today. I'm a bit tired and my legs are a little sore. Every workout involved 25 jumping jacks and 25 squats among other things. That's 350 jumping jacks and 350 squats total. I had a couple of teachers come up to me at the end of the day and tell me they thought we should start each day like that because it did make a positive difference in the kids for the rest of the day. We might be onto something here. Hmmmmm.....the wheels are turning!I welcome your suggestions here too.

Patience, Measurements, and Food Excuses

I met with trainer Brandon this morning. As I handed him a picture of me from the spring of 2010, I said, "This is how it started 2 years ago." Brandon is keeping the picture because he says it will come in handy in the future. He said, "That's a big change." So we did thirty minutes of upper body today. Next week will be our sixth workout so Brandon has promised we are going to measure again. About two sets after he made this announcement, I said, "What if I haven't made any progress? I'm nervous." "I'm nervous too." I gave him a weird look, I'm sure. I was thinking...nervous? why is the trainer nervous? I told him, "Look if I'm going to be nervous that's one thing. One of us has to be strong so that's going to be you." We then went over what I would be eating for the rest of the week. Knowing that the tape measure is coming out on Saturday morning and that body fat tester thing a ma jig! I will be eating ONLY what I'm supposed to eat and for sure six times a day. I was pretty happy this morning because the scales had gone down two pounds. Brandon isn't as worried about the number on the scale as I am. He is more concerned with body fat numbers, and inches. I should be concerned with what Brandon is concerned with too. However, I can look at the number on the scale more frequently. This is when I told Brandon I was getting frustrated. I can see these big changes I've made, but at the same time I have so far to go. I look in the mirror and there are parts that just don't make me happy. Brandon told me I need to work on being patient. PATIENT???? Obviously, he doesn't know me very well yet. Patience is not one of my strengths. Bottom Line: I will probably be increasingly nervous as the week begins to approach Saturday morning. I WANT RESULTS! With that being said, I did wear a pair of jeans to work on Friday which were a size smaller than the ones I had been wearing. It's a GREAT feeling to be able to continually downsize your clothes. Just today I cleaned out two bags of clothes that are far too big to wear. My husband was laughing that we could have used a pair of the pants as a tent. People have been asking what I eat for my six meals a day. I usually start out with a protein bar. Although, I'm switching that to oatmeal this week. My mid morning snack is a greek yogurt. Following that I have chicken and a vege for lunch, then a couple of hours later I eat an apple with some peanut butter, my afternoon snack is usually a hand full of almonds. For dinner, I eat a protein with a vegetable. Now, I've only truly done this for one week. I spent three weeks complaining and making excuses. Like last week when I met with Brandon and he asked me how the eating had been going and I said, "I have been sick this week so the eating hasn't been good." He said, "What does hasn't been good mean?" I said, "Epic fail. I didn't have an appetite so I didn't eat. It wasn't that I made bad choices as far as what food I did eat. I just didn't eat a lot. Brandon looked me in the eye and said, "Sweetheart, you are preaching to the choir. I used to have to eat 7,000 calories a day. I would go to bed and my jaw would hurt because I had chewed so much meat. Sometimes, I had to force myself to eat because nothing sounded good and I didn't want to eat because I wasn't hungry." Well...I guess he just put my excuses to rest. As I was trying to process what he had said, he spoke again, "I don't care if you have to force yourself to eat. You eat six times a day. You eat your 1200 calories. You eat your hundred grams of protein and don't have more than a hundred carbs." At this moment, I realized Brandon is really really serious about eating. You might think I'm being sarcastic, I'm not. The reality is when I worked out with Mike, he told me what to eat and it was so outrageous that I struggled with it. We were getting results so as long I didn't eat ridiculous food it was ok. We also didn't talk about food regularly. We were much more focused on the workouts. When I worked out with Kelly she told me what to eat at our first session and then we didn't talk about it again. (SSSHHHHHH...no accountability for me there.) Food has been such a battle for me my whole life that I'm scared of it. I feel like if you don't eat enough you won't lose weight. If you eat too much you gain weight. I can never figure out the balance. Brandon is teaching me the balance and he's also holding me accountable. Here's the other thing that I'm just now figuring out as I'm typing this right now...throughout these two and a half years of my getting fit journey I've still made excuses for food. Now, I'm getting really good at saying, "No. I don't eat cake, or no I'm not eating that." I don't worry that I'm offending someone because my health is more important than their feelings. (Truthfully, if someone gets their feelings hurt because you aren't eating their food...that's a whole other issue that I'm glad I don't have to worry about. I can't imagine having hurt feelings because I cooked something and someone said they didn't want any, BUT we all know there are those out there who walk around in a fragile state most of the time.)So I'm getting good at saying no, but I'm still making excuses. Excuses such as: "I didn't feel well enough to eat." or "I'm too busy to eat six times a day. I'll eat as much as I can." I think that Brandon is good enough at what he does and he's probably worked with a lot of people like me and he knew they were excuses even when I didn't! AHA! Wow...sometimes this blog surprises me so much because I figure things out while writing it. He knew that I was making excuses. I didn't know it then, but I do now. This is really really big for me. I still waiver on going to the gym in the mornings. It's nice to get it out of the way, but I am not a morning person. I feel like I do a much better workout in the evenings. However, I will go when I have to.

The Trainer "Brought It"!

I met with my trainer on Sunday morning. It's Wednesday night and my arms are still on fire. I do NOT like assisted pull ups. I do not like them at all! All day today I've had to stretch my arm by applying force. I had lost range of motion and doing the simplest tasks resulted in pain. I don't think this part of my arm has ever hurt before. Our first two workouts we had done a mix of exercises some stable and some not. This time we did everything on the free weights. I wasn't feeling well and Trainer had the same crud. I knew I wasn't on my best game, but I think the part of him that wasn't feeling well went into crazy man mode. I told him before the first session that I was paying him for challenges so "bring it!" He told me to be careful what I wished for. Obviously, he "brought it!" on Sunday. From this point forward, I will probably be nervous before our workouts. Pain is weakness leaving the body...right? If that's the case bring the pain and let me embrace it, my goal is to become strooonnnggggeeerrrr!

I did miss Monday and Tuesday workouts this week. A sinus/upper respiratory infection does not lend itself well to going to the gym. I came home early from work on Monday and slept. I stayed all day yesterday, but didn't feel well and was cranky. I was trying to keep my crankiness to myself, but much to my dismay it came out in a wrath to two of my closest friends late in the day. I felt so bad. We had just found out that another of our very dear friends had been diagnosed for the second time with breast cancer. It was that news that put me over the edge. The pre workout Bunchy would have not connected the dots. However, I did connect the dots rather quickly. I hadn't worked out in two days and I wasn't having any stress relief. I came home last night and got my workout clothes ready. I was waiting for the alarm this morning when it went off. I did think I was going to pass out on the stepper this morning. My cough was triggered. My heart rate went higher than it should. Sweat was dripping off of me. Yet, I did my 30 minutes of cardio and my 30 minutes of strength training sans assisted pull ups. Now my legs are sore and I'm good with that. Might as well have balanced soreness...upper and lower body! Truly, exercise does keep me much calmer. It keeps me in check. There are times when I feel really stressed and think "I've got to get to the gym! I've got to get an extra workout in!" There are other times like yesterday when it rears it's ugly head and smacks me in the face "GET OVER BEING SICK AND GET BACK AT IT!" (Thank God for understanding friends who realize sometimes you unleash your emotions on those you love the most because you know they will be there for you. They then call and check on you and help you process through your day. Thank God for friends like AW and LB!) After making such a big deal out of eating in last week's entry, I better not avoid it this week. The food journal looked better to Trainer. He was pleased. I was getting my calories in and keeping my proteins and carbs where they need to be. I'm just going to tell you right now, I haven't journaled since Saturday because I have had no appetite. I haven't felt like eating. Today was the first day I actually ate three meals. Yes, Brandon, I know I need 6. That's tomorrow's goal. I did post some great ideas for breakfast on my FB page. If you all have ideas for what you do for breakfast I would love to hear it. Please share. Above all else, this is a process. Sometimes, it's more painful than others. Make sure you are setting a fitness goal each day. Working out in the mornings isn't my favorite thing to do. In order to make that happen, I have to get the clothes, shoes, and socks laid out the night before. I cannot leave myself any excuses. I have to be ready to roll or it won't happen. I don't know if I've shared these before, but it won't hurt...

Introducing...A New Trainer

It's been too long since I have posted. Trying to work on the dissertation, get my workouts in, long days at work, while planning and throwing a surprise 40th birthday party for my husband have left my blogging time limited. I have soooo much to catch you up on. First, let me introduce you to Brandon. In August, I was at the gym working on getting miles in. I had finished 5 on the stepper and decided to do some on the bike. This nice guy came up and introduced himself as a new trainer to my gym and asked if I wanted to do a free intro session with him. We ended up talking for a while and I gave him some highlights of my journey. I was up front with him and told him I had no intention of hiring a trainer. We ended up scheduling my intro session for a couple of days later. I felt an instant connection. He laughed when I was a smart aleck which is a huge plus for me. Seriously, if you aren't going to laugh with me, you're not my cup of tea. I came home and talked to my husband and we pondered it and decided that my health is worth the financial obligation. I decided to try it and see what happens. I needed to get through the month of September which kicked my butt because of after school obligations. This morning was my second official workout with Brandon. Last Monday, I sent him a text to thank him for the soreness I was experiencing. During the first workout, Brandon told me that I needed to keep a food log for the entire week. If I ate it or drank it I wrote it down. I realize this is good diet practice. However, I'm letting you know I've not done it. I record my workouts, but not my eating. Obviously, I tried to be EXTREMELY careful of what went into my mouth because...you guys that have been reading for a while already know this...I can't fail. NO!!! That would not be an option for Bunchy! EXCEPT...that's EXACTLY what happened! My mom and I talk every Sunday morning. Today I told her I was a little scared to meet with my trainer because I thought he might yell at me. Of course she wanted to know why. "Well, I didn't mean to, but there was a 29 hour period where I didn't eat at all." "TAMMY! You tell Brandon that he has MY permission to yell at you. Are you going to be honest with him? Even though I've been sick this week, I've eaten!" Way to make a girl feel MORE scared about going to meet with the trainer. Into the gym I went, not feeling confident. Knowing I had to turn the food journal over to the trainer. First words out of my mouth, "My mom said you can yell at me. Trust me, she already lectured me." I'm thinking I'm going to get reprimanded for this period from Thursday into Friday which I did, but there was more. There was only ONE day out of the week when I neared getting enough food. REALLY? REALLY? I completely missed the mark each day. One day would have been okay if I had switched my lunch and dinner. Brandon's philosophy is that I'm going to eat right so WE can get the workouts to be effective. If I don't get enough food or I eat too much food the workouts are for nothing. This is common sense right? Yet it's so freaking complicated. I didn't eat for 29 hours because I woke up on Thursday morning with pink eye in both eyes. A parent of three of our students died in a motorcycle accident, a nine year old student who is watching her 19 year old sister battle bone cancer, lots of people in my personal life dealing with health issues, lots of stuff going on at school. I think I was suffering a bit of compassion fatigue. I know I was because I totally lost it a couple of times. Thursday I totally didn't make time for lunch and by the time I arrived home, I was simply too tired to eat. And I was just telling a friend, I'm scared of food. Poor food choices led me being unhealthy and fat. I just don't trust it. Okay, I get that food is inanimate. I don't trust myself. I just can't get into the routine of eating 6 times a day. This is a huge challenge for me. It's mental. I'm typing this with tears in my eyes. WHY WHY WHY do I continue to make eating an enemy??? Guess I'm going to have to trust this process and realize I need food to lose weight. I do like Brandon. He takes my success personal. He told me that we are in this together. I need that. I'm very impressed with how far I've come. I'm very proud of my cardio this summer. 100 miles in June. 100 miles in July. 125 miles in August. 100 miles in September. Now it's time to get the resistance and strength training back in. Having Brandon to guide me is going to be a huge help. Let's talk about early morning workouts now. I hope you didn't fall over reading that. The last few weeks have been so busy and I haven't been home much before 7:00 with several nights as late as 8:00 or 8:30. It wasn't an option to not go to the gym so I started setting the alarm for 5:00 or 5:30 depending on my morning schedule. The first week Mom said, "Don't you love going to the gym early?" "NO! I HATE IT!" By the end of the third week which was last week, I was starting to like it. I think if I had the option, I would probably choose after work, but I do like going in and knocking it out before the day begins. Typically, the gym isn't that crowded at that time anyway. Still making progress. Still enjoying the journey. Still amazed at where I started and where I am now. Take a look... This pic was taken in April 2010

This pic was taken in September 2012

If you are struggling with your journey, don't give up! PLEASE! Don't give up. Message me. I will do my best to help you through. It's not all easy, but I wouldn't go back for anything. Being healthy, feeling good, and having energy is worth every challenge and obstacle.

A Workout with Biggest Loser Winner, Ali Vincent

My friend, Belinda, and I started our day out by working out with Ali Vincent who was the first female to win Biggest Loser. My alarm went off and I didn't even hit snooze. I catapulted out of bed because I was so excited. We arrived at our destination an hour early. A beautiful park just off of the plaza in KC with the JC Nichols fountain. The morning was brisk, but that feeling didn't last for long. Once we spotted Ali, I felt as though a mega star had entered the park. I felt like I was at a concert or backstage or something. Never in all of my excitement did I feel anxious about doing the workout. Nope those thoughts never crossed my mind. Ali was soooo sweet. She took pics with us and kept encouraging us to ask questions. When a crowd of 42 people had arrived and all had signed media and injury releases, the workout began. The sweet Ali disappeared. I have never ever done that many burpees at one time in my life. Remember how I couldn't hold a plank for a minute? I did plank walks for four minutes. Crunches, sprints, jumping jacks, toe touches, bicycles, back pedals, side steps, frog hoppers,sprints, sprints, and more sprints! It was absolutely fantastic! Ali is very driven. She was yelling at us to go faster and hustle. Sweat was pouring off of me. As we started to cool down and stretch, Ali opened up for more questions. A participant asked: "How do you support your mom or others around you who are trying to lose weight?" I loved Ali's response: "Well there is a difference between support and enabling. We never make excuses for those we love because that is enabling."She also talked about the importance of child proofing your home. Just like when you have kids in your house you childproof, when you are serious about a healthy diet, you shouldn't have tempting foods in your house. She has kept a food journal since Biggest Loser and credits a lot of her success to that tool. Everyone who participated received a pink wrist band to remind us we are responsible for our choices. Be they good or be they bad, we are responsible. I will let you know I am a little concerned about tomorrow. My legs are ON FIRE! I had never watched an episode of Biggest Loser. My sister had told me a lot about the show. I had blown it off. The season Ali was on was my first season watching and I am now an addict. Ali has always been an inspiration to me. Today I worked out with one of my fitness idols. VERY exciting. Thanks Belinda for finding this opportunity!

A Year, A Gift

Saturday I turned 41. I spent time with family and friends celebrating the gift of another year. Some people get really depressed around their birthday and even refuse to celebrate. I can't say I understand that mentality. Having come scary close to lose each of my parents earlier in my life, I realized early on that our time here is limited. As the media is filled with stories of mass shootings and other tragedies and daily we are hearing of loved ones and friends who are being diagnosed with horrid diseases, one doesn't have to think too much about how short life is. We are reminded of it all the time. I believe that each of us is here for a short time with a purpose. It is up to each of us to figure out that purpose and fulfill it and strive to do our best. :) It is this belief that makes me celebrate my birthday each year with vigor. I'm 12 miles away from my monthly goal of 125. I met with a new trainer last week for a free consultation. He put me through a workout and talked to me a lot about the importance of including strength training in my workouts. I have been neglecting this since starting my monthly cardio challenges. Since our meeting last Wednesday, I have done strength training three times. Tonight I went through a circuit. It feels quite good to be lifting again. I like it. Brandon encouraged me to try to do it three times a week. This past weekend I did NOT eat clean. Mini cookies and cream cheesecakes Friday, Mexican food and sopapillas Friday night, a cookout Saturday night with cookies and cream ice cream cake, and a lot of fried fish last night. I spent a chunk of time yesterday preparing food for this week. I baked chicken breasts that had been marinated in Italian dressing. I'm not sure why I didn't grill them, but that will be next week's project. The best part of my lunch was the green beans. I bought fresh green beans and cleaned them. I put them on a cookie sheet and drizzled olive oil over them. The beans baked on 350 for 10 minutes. They were still crunchy when I ate them. YUMMO! you should try it. I want to share a brief story with you. Last year a soldier was killed in Afghanistan. He was from a city very close to my hometown. This summer there was a 5k in his honor and the slogan was "Make it Count". Apparently, each morning as the soldier was growing up, his dad would look at he and his siblings as they were leaving for school and say "Make it Count". This soldier carried that with him while serving our country. Since my mom shared this story with me, I've been saying this to myself each morning as I get up. If we live each day with the intention of making it count, I wonder what we can accomplish? Hmmmm.... Thoughts?

Steps

I have had more than a few pebbles on my journey. Some have felt like boulders. You just have to keep on moving on. Climbing the mountain, one step at a time. Tomorrow my work schedule starts again. I have to be intentional about getting my miles in as well as my strength training. I have enjoyed these last few weeks of being able to go to the gym in the morning and spend as much time as I want. The gym has truly turned into a refuge for me. A place where I feel confident and really good about myself. As I set new challenges for myself, I have a great time trying to accomplish them. I've been really successful this summer. I also realize that those of you who are not educators and don't have the luxury of a few weeks off in the summer, deal with this challenge year round. I am grateful for the luxury I have had. As I look at my schedule this first week back and realize I already have three nights when I am not home, it makes me cognizant of the fact that I have to be extremely intentional to stay on track. I can't allow myself to slip. I've come too far. I have had to lay the goal of a one minute plank aside for a while. Two words: shoulder pain. Even after pain pills and muscle relaxers last night, I didn't sleep. Today it is better. I have been seeing my chiropractor who now has a rehabilitation specialist in her office. The rehabilitation specialist has given me stretches to do and has also been doing some trigger point stuff. I've had MRI's, physical therapy, shots and it all works for a bit and then I'm back to the horrible pain. Yesterday, I couldn't turn my head to the left. I don't let the shoulder and neck pain stop me. When the rehabilitation specialist told me to stop planking for a while, he says I gave him a look. I'm sure I did. I don't like being told not to do something that I am working very hard to succeed at. EEERRRR!!! Anyway, I'm not stupid enough to continue when a specialist tells me that I'm aggravating an existing problem. It's a plank pause. I am over 50 miles to my goal of 125 for this month. WOOT HOOT!!! Clean eating is going better than expected. My cheat meal this week was an Oreo Earthquake from Dari Queen. YUMMO!!! I also had 2 chocolate chip cookies. This is a huge success for me. Tomorrow I'm going to add a water challenge. I'm hoping to drink at least 100 ounces of water a day. Remember Friends: NO EXCUSES! You are responsible for the choices you make each day. If you have a set back, get up and go at it again. Think of watching a toddler learn to walk. They walk, they toddle, they fall, they get back up and repeat it all over again..Baby steps...

Olympic Inspiration

I'm on my way to achieving August goals. I have increased my mileage to 125. I'm doing a 14 day ab challenge which is 225 crunches a day. I'm also working toward a one minute plank. Right now I'm at 30 seconds and it's a challenge. While on the treadmill, I'm pushing to shave time off of my miles. The final goal for this month is clean eating. As Stephanie says "You can't outrun a bad diet." I haven't been eating bad, but I haven't been eating clean. I've been a bit sloppy. After one week of clean eating I feel better and the scales are down four pounds. I need to make sure I am getting in a gallon of water each day. I've slacked on this too. I've been drinking much more tea and lemonade. I only have a lemonade a day, but that's still a lot of sugar. I'm certainly on the right track now. This is the last week I am off before I go back to work. I have really enjoyed having the gym to myself during my morning workouts or during the case of summer school I had it to myself in the early afternoon. I like to be able to do what I need to do when I need to do it. Going in the evenings that is not always possible. The gym is much busier. However, it will all work out just fine. I think what I really enjoy is the ability to go to the gym and spend an unlimited amount of time there because I have nowhere else I have to be. I can focus on my goals. It's a mind shift. I will make it. We have hired two new trainers at the gym and this Thursday I get to take part in a body sculpting class. Very exciting. We should have another class added before long too. GREAT. I like mixing things up. I like feeling challenged in a workout. This past week I spent a week taking classes or teaching classes for our district's professional development academy. Each day at least one person and sometimes more than one would compliment me on how I look or they have been reading my blogs and seeing my Facebook posts and are complimenting me on the challenges I have been a part of this summer. I'm not gonna lie. People dish compliments like that out and it feels GOOD!!! Today I went into my school for a couple of hours and the same thing happened. I tell people these compliments keep me going. What I don't mean and I don't want you to think that it gives me a big ego because that is not the case at all. It validates that the hard work I am doing is paying off. I see myself every day. I can't see the big changes that other people see. Of course, when my clothes are too big I get excited because that's a huge validation. Its the encouraging words that keep me going. Sometimes I'll be on the treadmill and think of a compliment someone has said to me and it will cause me to run that much faster. Those words are pure inspiration to me in the journey where I still don't have everything figured out and still get frustrated at times. Being part of these virtual challenges with people from around the world has also been a great source of inspiration. I enjoy cheering them on and I get so many ideas from them. While we are on the topic of sources of inspiration...let's discuss the London Olympics! I am an Olympic addict. I remember watching them at home growing up and I still do today. First, I feel it ignites within us a deepened sense of patriotism. We are Team USA. I don't have a preference over summer or winter Olympics. My favorite events in the summer Olympics are the swimming, diving, running, and gymnastics. There has been so much hate this year. So and so shouldn't have worn her hair that way. So and so might have tested clean for drugs, but I don't believe it because there is no way they could perform that well. Did you see her thighs? What were they thinking when they picked out those uniforms? Can we just let it go? These people are conditioned and perform at a level that 99% of the world can't. You do not just run onto a track or jump in a pool and break world records. The hours and hours and hours away from family to devote to training, the passion, the sacrifice...They are Olympians. If this kind of criticism continues we are teaching our kids that they will never ever be good enough. I've had it with this kind of thinking. I will be the first to admit that I am absolutely into the Olympic games. It's all I watch right now. I will have withdrawals next week. Olympians from not just the US, but other countries as well have inspired me and motivated me to do more with my health and workouts. Go TEAM USA and to the rest of you...Make it count. Every morning when you wake up say to yourself "I'm going to make today count."

Pants on the Ground

Some of you might remember the song Pants on the Ground from a popular search for talent show. I had my own experience with pants on the ground Thursday at the gym. Since I've started working out I haven't spent money replacing any workout clothes. Replacing clothes are expensive. There have been a couple of times when someone at work has mentioned my pants being too baggy and I have taken those out of my wardrobe. I've been vigilant about taking clothes to thrift stores as they become too big because I'm not going bak there. With my workout clothes, I pull the draw string tighter and roll with it. Thursday I was on the stepper forcing myself to do my four miles. It was hot outside and I wasn't really in the mood. The particular pair of pants I had on were really baggy. Somewhere in the third mile something didn't feel right. I'm glad I checked. My pants were no longer around my waist, but around my hips and slipping further. I grabbed the string very quick and had a moment of gratefulness that my shirt was so big and I had on a pair of good underwear (you know as opposed to old or in my case big and saggy. I have spent money replacing underwear along the way...) because there were people behind me lifting weights. I would have hated to have been the cause of someone's injury because of the moon which arrived in the gym! I finished my workout and went into the owner's office to share my story. Tears of laughter rolled down our cheeks. Sonya took a picture and made me promise I would purchase a some workout clothes which fit. We took before and after pics.

I went to Wal Mart (still not willing to invest a lot of money in workout clothing)and tried on a size which I knew would be too small. I don't know what the lady at the fitting room must have thought as I let out a scream and started dancing around. The pants weren't too small. They fit! When one is so used to wearing such baggy clothing one doesn't realize how much more comfortable and safe it is to not have to continually be tugging up your britches and holding them on. Are you ready for this? The new pants were 4 sizes smaller! 4!!!!

I wore those workout clothes all day yesterday. I went to dinner with a friend and still wore them. I wore them with pride. I have sweated and, as a result, earned the right! This morning I was up before the sun. My mom and dad arrived here at 6:15. Mom and I did the Julia's Warriors of Hope 5k in Smithville. This 5k raises money for breast cancer research. The walk went well. The last mile was uphill. I took a picture of a sign. The sign says a lot to me.

This month's challenge has been to incorporate strength training into the workout. I have to admit I have slacked on strength training. I gave myself the first week back from vacation off except for cardio (I'm determined to get my 100 miles in!). Last week I decided I would focus on abs for strength. The goal that some are hitting is 1000/1000/1000. You pick three strength moves and do 1000 of them each week. On Monday I thought I could hit 1000 crunches in a week. Tuesday when I went to get out of bed my abs were so angry. I'm at 300 crunches and 300 reverse crunches. Hoping to hit 1000 of each by the end of the month. This painful experience has reminded me that you can't neglect the strength training portion of your workout. It is so important. Hope you are taking care of you! I have added a new song to my playlist for this blog. It's called "Break My Stride". When I was so down because of my dissertation setback, my friend DB called me immediately upon seeing my post. She said, "Bunchy, you get one day. One day to feel bad about this and then you are going up and at em again." I was doubtful. I was devastated. DB said, "Bunchy, this is who you are. You don't let things get you down. That's just who you are." As much as I wanted to believe this was the thing that would throw me into a state of depression, the next morning I woke up brainstorming what to do. My mom called later that day to check on me and I told her I was coming up with some new ideas. She said, "I knew you would. Your dad and I knew you wouldn't let this get you down." A couple of days later my husband and I were driving down the road and Break My Stride came on the radio. Dave said, "This is your theme song." I looked at him perplexed. He said, "It's how you are about life. Your dissertation, working out, anything. You might have a set back, but you are going to just go after it harder." DB, Mom and Dad, and my husband are such VERY important people to me. All are so special. Their faith in me has helped create who I am. Thank You, All for always believing in me even when I don't. I love each of you very much.

Tears of Pride

Today I completed 100 miles in 29 days for the challenge, Just Do It June, created by my dear friend, Stephanie. There were days I didn't want to go to the gym. There were times it was flat out difficult to get motivated. Thankfully, those days were few. I missed three days out of 29 and managed to make those days up. Doing the intense cardio became such a stress relief that I really enjoyed it. The support group that developed as a result of the challenge helped immensely. Stephanie is creating another challenge for us in July and I can't wait. My chiropractor wants to join now!!! I had to do five miles today to finish and when I did I walked right into Sonya's office. (Sonya, owner of the gym, my cheerleader, and friend) I said, "I did it. I did it. I did 100 miles in 29 days." Then my tears came. And so did Sonya's. (This is what makes her such a great cheerleader! Sonya cries when I cry in pain, sadness, or joy. Mostly, Sonya reminds me of how far of I have come in this journey. She vividly remembers the day when I walked into the gym. I told her I was going to give it a try. She reminds me of the lack of self confidence I had on that day. The growth has been amazing.) I'm so blessed to have Sonya there to share these celebrations and milestones with me. She is a blessing for sure. As I left the gym I called my mom, "I did it mom. I did it. 100 miles in 29 days." "Oh Honey, I am not surprised. I knew you could do it." I cried again. My mom has been a big cheerleader for me in this as well. I came home and saw my honey. I said, "I did it. 100 miles in 29 days." He said, "I knew you would and I was the first person to respond to your post. Read it." Dave gets to see me at my worst through this whole thing. Whether it be the time commitment (19 hours and 20 minutes this month) or the sore muscles. He is another great piece of my support system. All my messages on FB from followers. Wow that helps so much. Keep em coming. I appreciate them so much. We had another member of the challenge who was doing no exercise, started the challenge 10 days late and is already doing 5 miles in an hour and five minutes. It's stories like this that continue to inspire me. We all have to continually seek our inspiration from others because it's never easy. A weird thing happened last Sunday. I had to go give a presentation for the Northland Childhood Hunger Fund (great charity with which I am involved). Anyway this presentation took place in a very nice home. I was standing in the foyer and I happened to glance a person. I don't know how to really explain this except that I was looking into the biggest mirror I had ever seen. It was 14 feet long. Once it occurred to me I was looking at a mirror I did a double take. The person I had caught a glimpse of was ME!!! It was ridiculous. I didn't readily recognize me. It's a strange phenomenon for sure when you don't realize you are looking at yourself. It reminded me of a conversation I had with Trainer Mike on the phone before ever meeting him in person. He asked me what my goals were and I said, "I want to be able to look in the mirror and not be disgusted." Readers, I'm not disgusted anymore. I'm PROUD! During the challenge I didn't measure...EEEERRRR! I'm going to do that soon. I did weigh. I'm 5 pounds down. 5 in a month. I realized I haven't added some pics on here in a while. The following one was taken this week.

Tears of Pride...I was moving. I did more cardio for these past 29 days than I have done in any month since beginning this journey two years ago. AND I was going for longer periods of time at much higher intensity than ever before. I am proud at how far I've come. Thank You to each of you for cheering me on and supporting me! If you hear of some random girl announcing to everyone she sees..."I did it. I did 100 miles in 29 days" Just say, "Ya. I know. That's my gal Bunchy. :) Cause seriously, I told the checkout lady at Wal Mart. Now...I'm getting off of here. We are leaving for Yellowstone tomorrow morning. VACATION HERE WE COME!!! When I get back, I'll post about the newest challenge. And even though I will miss the first week, I'm going to make it my goal to meet the challenge. :)

Little Shocked...A Lot Proud

I know you are shocked that I am writing two days in a row. I have BREAKING NEWS!!! I wasn't really in the mood to go to the gym today. I tried to talk myself out of it actually. I didn't feel good. I had too much to do. Thank goodness I ended up there. I planned on doing three or four miles on the stepper and running a mile. Both of the steppers were taken. I had to get on the treadmill. You need to know that normally I do two miles on the treadmill and I am done. Last week I hit my personal best in running. Today, not only did I hit my new personal best as far as time goes, I ran for 3.1 miles!!! I'm still in shock. I can't believe I did it. I had tears in my eyes. Thank God for Luke Bryan, Rascal Flatts, and Kenny Chesney. Those boys helped me through. However, the best was when my friend Sonya came over beside the treadmill and was cheering me on. She's so fun and a huge fan! I LOVE her!!! There is one strange thing...ever since I finished...I can't stop sneezing. It's weird. I hardly ever sneeze. It's an event when I do. I bet I've sneezed 50 times since my run. Holy Cow. To all of you pro runners out there. I still don't know how you do those 10 minute miles. But...I didn't know how you ran at all until recently! :) This is what the journey is all about the SWEET reward of finding something within you that you didn't even think was possible!

Bootcamp!!!

The 17th of June and I have 62 miles down! I'm not kidding this is tough. Not physically tough so much...but the time required is excessive. It's like a part time job! I'm loving the changes and I love how I feel. I've also started a bootcamp class on Thursday nights. CHALLENGING for sure. I've done it twice and the first time I thought I was going to throw up if we had to squat one more time. I made it though. The soreness didn't hit until Friday afternoon. It was just in time for the Saturday morning kickboxing class I started the same week. I LOVE kickboxing. Talk about a way to get rid of stress. When the instructor tells me to kick or punch the pad...watch out!!! If that pad were in front of me right now, I would kick the heck out of it... Have you ever known people that get so caught up in doing things their way because it's the only way? It's the RIGHT way. Highly frustrating. Good thing I went to counselor school. It provides some insight and reminds me when I should just bite my tongue because there is no arguing with these type of people. It doesn't do a bit of good. Feeling very frustrated. On a GREAT note. I LOVE being a principal. I'm having an incredible time!!! So grateful for this opportunity!

100 Miles or More

Three weeks since I posted??? What in the world have I been thinking??? Well let me tell ya! The morning after my last post I opened an email at work from the gatekeeper to those who want to do research in my district. Two years ago I had met with the superintendent and assistant superintendent and interviewed them regarding teacher evaluation. At the end of the interview, I shared with them that teacher evaluation is my area of focus for my dissertation. The superintendent shared with me that he was extremely passionate about changing our evaluation to make it more meaningful for teachers. He shared that a committee would be formed and the instrument and process revised. I asked how I could get on the committee. They told me I was on. For the first year the committee met at least monthly for no less than four hours at a time to identify best practice and rewrite the process and instrument. This past year teachers and administrators have been using the new instrument and process. I had been up front with the committee about wanting to interview teachers and administrators to find out if they felt the new evaluation had impacted their classroom practice. I sent my formal request for research to the gatekeeper who asked me a gazillion questions and then took it before the research committee. DENIED!!! Reason? I'm too close to the research and my data would be skewed. Six months of intense writing to develop chapters 1-3 of my dissertation and 2 years of intense committee work. I'm a counselor. I understand the stages of grief. I was able to identify each of them as I have gone through. The first night was shock. I intended to work through the stress by going to they gym. I came home and fell into bed while crying. I didn't eat. I was done. I am now stuck in the bitter stage. I'm trying to let it go. I realize bitterness is not doing me any good. I have the worst case of writer's block I have had EVER! Thank God for an amazing advisor. She made some contacts at the state level with policy makers who are rewriting the teacher evaluation policy. I've already been in touch with them. I will be going to Jeff City to conduct interviews. This has saved me a lot of time and headache. I won't have to start from scratch. I will use some of the work I have already done and change from a program evaluation to a policy analysis. I'm hoping to meet with my advisor this week and maybe talk through some of the block I'm having. With that and May being so busy, I did not meet my 100 mile goal. In typical Bunchy fashion, once I realized I was behind on the goal, I quit keeping track. I have no idea how close I was. I kept up with friends who surpassed 100 miles and am very thankful Stephanie is keeping us on track by starting us fresh in June. I'm nine miles in. Again, I'm really excited about the challenge. I've completed these first miles on the PRECOR step machine which seems to be my favorite. My goal is at least 100 miles. I'm really hoping for more!!! Please remember how important it is for you to get some form of exercise every day!

Since we are in our extended school year (summer school) and I get off earlier each day, I plan to add strength training back into my workouts. In other shocking news: My husband has developed this craving for chocolate Frosty's from Wendy's. There is a Wendy's ten minutes down the street from us. The first night he wanted one I jumped in the car and came back with a cookies and cream treat for me. The second night I was tired and refused to go. (Please note it had nothing to do with knowing this wasn't good for us.) He shocked me and went and got it and came back with a vanilla one for me. (Yes, I always choose vanilla over chocolate ice cream!) The third night he wanted one I put my foot down and told him we could not get into that habit. I'm grateful he didn't override my decision! Since I've started this journey he has been the hard nose about me not having ice cream. His cravings could be a road block for sure. Tomorrow I have my first day as summer school principal.We worked on Thursday to get ready, but tomorrow it is official because all of those smiling little ones are going to join us! SOOOOOOOOOOO EXCITED!!! Be it my weight loss journey or my goal to become a principal..the following quote seems fitting. :)

It's a Wrap

Last night I had ten friends over for a Wrap party. We all had our stomachs wrapped except one who had her thighs wrapped. Before and after pictures and everything. I don't just jump into things like this. I had seen people posting on FB about these drastic results they were getting after being wrapped. I didn't even know what that was. I finally found out and then two friends started selling them. I contacted one and she said that had she not seen the results with her own eyes she wouldn't have believed it. Out the door went the modesty. The girls came one by one into the bedroom to be measured, have before pics, and get wrapped. After an hour we unwrapped, remeasured, took the after pic, and rewrapped. I slept in my wrap. After the first hour I had lost an inch. This morning I woke up with three more inches gone and two pounds down. During the process you have to drink a ton and I mean a ton of water. I'm a little tired today because I was up multiple times going to the bathroom. :) I'm at 21 miles right now in my 100 miles in May challenge. I'm four miles behind where I need to be. I will catch up. I have a plan. It will happen. I am totally loving this challenge. Thanks again, Stephanie. We have a group on FB where we check in and it's so inspiring. Tonight I did some walking and in an effort to increase my mileage I started running. Tonight was a ten minute sprint followed by some five minute sprints. Where did this girl come from? Who is she? I'm hoping to get up in the morning for a four mile walk before work and then I'll do another 3-4 after work. This should get me back on track! I fell behind because being the chair of a 5k in 90 degree humid weather zapped my exercise effort for the day. The picture below describes how I feel about my effort in this challenge!

Saturday was the school district education foundation 5k. We have started from nothing and this is our fifth year. It was so inspiring to see so many people out there walking. My mom walked by herself. She was jamming to her tunes and booking it. She walked it in 52 minutes. I'm so proud of her. The participant that stole my heart was one of my fourth graders. She came with her mom who was running the event for the third year in a row. This mom runs marathons and her daughter decided she was going to do it too. I have to check her time again, but that little thing ran the whole thing. I ran across the finish line with her as I had tears in my eyes. Very inspiring. And on the job search... No interviews for next year yet....HOWEVER...I had a long talk with God on Sunday night. I told him I know he has a plan for me and I do trust him, but after being at the job search since January I was feeling a little frustrated and impatient. I told him I needed some encouragement. Less than 24 hours later I had a phone call asking me to be principal at one of our elementary schools for summer school. I heard you loud and clear God. I'm so excited. The school in which I taught for five years is where I get to go. WOOT WOOT! I kinda see that as a double sign. I've always had a dream of working as a principal there. Even though it's only for four weeks it counts on my list.

100 Miles in May

My dear dear friend, Stephanie, posted a challenge on Facebook last night. She is going to run 100 miles in May. I don't have to run all 100 miles. I can bike, step, use the elliptical or walk. No brainer. I'm in. What a great way to motivate some more cardio. It's the third and I'm already at 5.65. All I have to do is average 3.6 miles a day. I figure on the weekends or evenings when I have extra time I'll so some extra. I've been averaging about 2 miles maybe a little over a day. Increasing to 3.6 will be a great boost for the metabolism. I'm always up for a challenge and I'm quite excited about this one. When I say Stephanie is a dear dear friend...I mean it. I've known her since Kindergarten. She always makes me smile. It is rare you find someone as humorous, caring, and loving as Stephanie. Friend, thank you for the 100 Miles in May. I really appreciate it. Great idea! I haven't the time nor energy to go back through this blog and figure out how many times I have said I'm going to be a runner, but I've been running a bit. No distance. I do 2-5 minute sprints. Those of you who have been reading since the start know that running triggers anxiety for me. I haven't put any pressure on myself. On days when I go to the gym and feel like it, I hop on the treadmill and go for it. It relieves a lot of stress for me. And there is still that challenge word. Jeez I'm motivated by a challenge. Grandpa Update: Grandpa was diagnosed with prostate cancer close to ten years ago. The cancer was maintained by oral meds and shots for a long period of time. Shortly after my uncle passed away from cancer in 2010 the doctors found the cancer had spread to Grandpa's bones. Again the numbers didn't grow a lot with the oral meds and shots. Recently, the cancer has started growing. A few weeks ago Grandpa underwent his first chemo treatment. The treatment almost killed him. He ended up in the hospital for a week and then rehab for another week. Last Saturday I went and had a wonderful visit with him. I really wish I could bottle Grandpa up. He is one of the finest people I have ever known. When he has had every right to complain, he doesn't. When others question God or their faith, he turns deeper to prayer and the Bible. On Saturday we had an hour long discussion about faith. I spent my childhood years raised in a Quaker church. Since then I've attended baptist and a variety of non denominational churches. I told Grandpa that I still struggle with finding the right church. He explained things to me about the foundation of the Quakers of which I had not been aware. These fundamental beliefs are what have been at the heart of my unsatisfaction with other churches. I've felt more at peace about this aspect of my life since our conversation. If I could bottle some of Grandpa's spirit I would. We need more of it in this world. My prayer is that Grandpa will not suffer with the nastiness of cancer. I love that man. Dissertation Update: I'm now waiting on my district to let me know if the study is a go or not. IRB is at a standstill until I get approval from the district. I'm trying everything I know to keep my mind off of the fact that we are ticking away at the days in May when I am supposed to be interviewing. Job Search Update: One interview. I felt it went well. The district is much smaller and pays way less. I haven't heard anything yet. More applications are out. I'm trying to keep my mind off of this as well. Ha! After writing this, I realize it's no wonder I've been compelled to run. Want a little stress with your life? Alright...I need to wind down. Tomorrow is 5k Friday. The day before the 5k I chair. Lots of prep to be done. Lots of packets to be handed out. I can't wait. This is year number 5. It started as a small dream of mine and now it's grown into an annual tradition!

Trainers and Life Thereafter

I had my last session with Kelly on Saturday. We met at the park and she made me work for it. The sun came out, the humidity went up, and I was doing a lot of squatting. I could barely move yesterday. Now it's on to life after the trainer. I feel as though I am ready to take this challenge on. I know tons of people who are successfully changing their lives without a weekly session with a trainer. I have become friends with people all over the world on FB who are faced with the same weightloss battles as I. While Mike inspired me to 1) enter a gym and 2) do things in a gym I never thought possible, Kelly taught me about eating and routine workout sessions. By routine, I don't mean easy. I mean which body part to work when and how to fit cardio in the workout. Kelly also told me that no amount of working out can make up for bad eating. The picture above is pretty fitting. She also taught me how to get out of a plateau by working with my training heart rate. I have the tools. Now it's time to put them to use. I think it is going to be a lot like what I've been learning about food. PLAN PLAN PLAN I can't just show up at the gym and workout. I have to know what I'm going to do ahead of time. I did cardio tonight. Tomorrow is going to involve abs and more squats. See...I have a plan. I also have this cool ap on my phone that shows me lots of different exercises for each body part. I guess I should add that to my list of tools. The thing that's different now is I enjoy going to the gym. I love sweating. I love the changes I'm making. The spark has been ignited!

On the employment front...not one. single. interview! It appears that right now the market is saturated with people who have experience. Other districts wouldn't even consider an interview. Our district had openings. I didn't get an interview there either. HOWEVER, I did something I would have never done before the changes I've made in my life with working out and the doctorate program. I sent an email to our assistant superintendent and our superintendent. The tone of the email was one of curiousity and confusion. The assistant superintendent met with me and explained that there had been over 90 applicants for the jobs and 90% of them had experience. I explained to him that I am frustrated because my principal gives me a lot of experience, but I can't put it formally on a resume. He was extremely encouraging which I appreciated. I am still pretty bummed that it's not happening. Friends tell me God has a plan and when it's time he will move me. I truly believe that. I just wish the time was now. I do LOVE my principal. We make an outstanding team. She's one of my biggest cheerleaders. So it's not that I don't want to stay where I am. I like my job. I'm just ready to move. Bottom line: keep the prayers coming I need them.

Abs of Pain

I missed a week of working out thanks to bronchitis. I met with my trainer this past Tuesday night where I was introduced to a new circuit. I won't bore you with all of the mundane details. One piece of the circuit does deserve special mention. A pushup into a plank into a leg lift. You think it sounds simple? Get on the floor and try it. Oh oh oh...wait...if your shoulders, hips and knees are not in a straight line then you aren't doing it correctly. "Lower your hips, Tammy." I arched my back. "Tammy, watch me do it again." "Tammy, do you need a visual?" After getting the correct form finally by Kelly pushing my body into place I did six in a row and then I started thinking about it and messed the whole thing up and we had to start over. On each circuit we did a set of twelve. I did the circuit THREE times. Each time that pushup/plank thing threw me. I knew I was in trouble Wednesday morning when my abs woke up before the rest of me. They were screaming. I kept thinking..."Gee for someone who couldn't even do the move correctly most of the time I sure did work some muscles." It was worse today. I went to get out of my chair one time and let out a squeal. A student said, "Mrs. Bunch, are you okay?" "Yes, yes, I'm fine." Tonight's workout took place in the park with no mercy on the sore abs. You haven't lived until you've done crunches on a park bench. WOOT WOOT!!!

Monday our cafeteria ladies put rice krispie treats in the lounge. I walked by and said, "I really want one of those." One colleague said, "Well, go ahead. That's what they're there for." Another colleague said, "Tammy, you look too good to eat one of those. You are looking really good and I know how hard you have been working. Don't ruin it." Well okay then. That's all I needed to hear. I kept on walking.

On Wednesday a colleague's husband joined her for lunch and he didn't even recognize me.

Today I put a new outfit combination together and had tons of compliments.

Don't worry. I'm working out and getting fit because it's healthy and I FEEL so much better. It has little to do with vanity. However, on days when I really want to fall off the wagon or my abs hurt so bad that it's painful to walk, compliments lift my spirits, stroke my ego, and keep me keepin on!

Epic Fail to Major Success

A week ago this past Thursday I met my trainer after work. We had a nutrition session which started with me getting on the scales and having a gain. It was small, but still a gain. She asked me what was going on and I said, "I'm not eating right." Of course she wanted to know what I had been eating and I tried with all my might to dodge the question. Then she made me list what I had eaten that day. I was in the cafeteria all day as we were trying to establish some new procedures. Lunch was a choice of chicken nuggets or chicken fried steak.I had my lunch in the fridge, but opted for the chicken fried steak with mashed potatoes and gravy and a homemade dinner roll. As if this wasn't bad enough someone had left three different cakes in our lounge. In typical Tammy mentality, I went for the cake because I had already blown the day with the lunch right? Not just one kind of cake. I tried two. The look in Kelly's eyes made me wish I had never even thought of eating such poor choices. Then came the lecture. You can workout as much as you want, you can have the best workout plan in the world, you can have professional help, BUT if you don't have the diet...you will NOT be successful. Then came the eight step eating plan.

I started the plan a few days later. I couldn't start immediately because I needed to wrap my head around it and go to the store. I played around with it a bit and officially started it one week ago today. The scales keep going down. I keep getting on thinking I've got to be doing something to make them go back up, but they keep going down. I can't tell you how much yet because I don't want to jinx anything. BUT THE SCALES ARE GOING DOWN SIGNIFICANTLY!!!! I announced this news to my sister on Saturday while she had me in the car and we were driving toward Lawrence and then she lectured me. "Sister, you cannot get on the scales every day. I was telling my friend at work about it and she says you need to get rid of the scales. I told her how your other trainer made you throw the scales away." Okay, okay, okay...so I haven't been on the scales since Saturday morning. Until this morning when I had to go to the doctor....AND THE SCALES WENT DOWN AGAIN!!!! It's not all about the number, but I've been stuck. I realize it has been my fault. Having these eight steps that I had to write down and knowing I have to get on the scales the next time I meet with Kelly has totally helped get me jumpstarted. In all honesty, part of today's loss is related to me developing bronchitis and the flu. I've been trying to get everything in that I'm supposed to eat, but when you can't taste anything and your throat hurts and you are coughing so hard you puke...food isn't always the first priority. All of that said, I think the biggest success has been being prepared. I pack the food and don't even think about it throughout the day. I pull it out and eat it on schedule. Simplify. Simplify.

Another success in the eating realm is that I made 6 dozen sugar cookies and 4 dozen brownies frosted with fudge icing. I didn't eat a bite. I had to rely on others to tell me how it tasted. I hope there is not one person out there thinking this is no big deal. When you feel like a sugar granule because you've smelled so much of it and you look like the Pilsbury Dough Boy because you've been so into your cooking and you have the biggest sweet tooth this side of Paula Deen then it's a pretty darn big dang deal that you didn't eat it even though you wanted to take just a little lick of that icing and you thought one cookie couldn't possibly hurt, but you knew if you did it might cause the scale to go in the wrong direction so you just stayed focused on your journey in hopes that one day you might beat the stupid bulge!!!

I'm a little frustrated that I haven't been able to workout since last Thursday. The cough has been too much. Not to mention I have had no energy. Working out takes so much stress away. There's nothing like turning the iPod on with my favorite playlist and hitting it really hard. Hopefully, in a couple of days I'll be back to the gym. UGH!

Many of my loyal followers have asked about job prospects. Here is the update: I have heard back from two districts. One had 37 people apply. 21 of those had previous experience. They interviewed six of those. The other district had 54 people apply. I'm still waiting to hear from others. I am extremely hopeful, but worried too. I appreciate your prayers and positive thoughts.

From Epic Fail (making super bad food choices) to Major Success (putting steps into place and being diligent enough to make the scales go down!)Because there can be no more excuses. I've been making excuses for way too long. I have to make necessary changes. I have to find the thin Tammy because I deserve it!

Until next time...

OOOOWWWWW!!!!

Yesterday afternoon my trainer texted me and told me to meet her at the park. I had no idea what was in store for me. We started off with a brisk walk talking about how nice the weather was. How unbelievable it was that on February 2nd we were doing a workout outside and not uncomfortable with the weather at all. I was thinking...this isn't too bad. I can keep up. I'm going to be out of breath, but this isn't bad. Then we arrived at a park bench which turned out to be my first station. Pushups and squats and then we jogged to the next bench which was across from some bleachers. Stepping up and down off of the bleachers for fifteen times on each leg works leg muscles. We moved to the bench where I did more pushups, crunches, and calf raises. No time for a break we took off jogging to the next bench where I had to step up and down off of it for 15 times on each leg. I finished with more crunches, squats, and calf raises. Then a jog to the gazebo where I held onto a beam and lowered my leg off the back of the gazebo. 15 times each leg followed by running sideways up and down the stairs and then running up and down the stairs like any normal person would do. We took a quick break for some water and I was back lowering myself off the side of the gazebo and running stairs. I should have known I was in trouble when I woke up this morning and my upper leg muscles were talking to me before I ever tried to move them. They screamed when I moved them. The pain became slightly worse as the day wore on.

Being ever so dedicated I went to the gym after work. I hit the Helix for ten minutes. The leg muscles were screaming in a very hostile manner. Yet, having gone farther on the Helix than ever before I hopped off feeling quite successful. I meandered over to the stepper and was only going to go for twenty minutes. I was listening to my ipod, but watching the news. I saw a Deffenbaugh truck and saw a clip. I changed my headphones over quickly. (My dad is a supervisor for Deffenbaugh.) A driver was killed in an accident where his truck backed over him. I unplugged the headphones and called my mom. (Over Christmas I was told by my sister and my aunt who alternated cleaning an office with Mom on Friday nights that if I texted or called Mom on a Friday night I would owe them a cleaning because my calls and texts distract Mom and put them behind. I have adhered to this because I do not like to have to clean the office. However, this involved my dad and I classified it as an emergency.) Dad did in fact know the man who was killed. It's a tragedy that brings back even more emotion than knowing the man who was killed. Almost 16 years ago my dad was crushed by a trash truck. The fact that he didn't die was a miracle according to police officers who worked the scene and doctors who treated my dad at the hospital. Knowing that my dad is dealing with the hurt of losing a co worker and remembering his own accident, combined with me remembering his accident invoked a new strength in me. I went faster on the stepper than I have in a long time. So fast my heart rate was too high. I ended up on the stepper for 30 minutes instead of 20. Now trying to stand up from a sitting position isn't at all graceful. Don't fear Readers, I'm enjoying the burn. Hurts so good.

I haven't cut my hair for a year. There have been two trims and that's all. I was standing in the hall today problem solving a situation with a teacher. As I was playing with my hair I discovered it might be long enough for a pony tail. I made a trip to a friend who lent me a pony tail holder and I swept it up for the first time in 17 years. (I've been more partial to a shorter hair style for a great number of years.) Toward the end of the day some fifth grade girls saw me and said, "Mrs. Bunch you look beautiful with your hair up like that." "Mrs. Bunch you look fine." "Mrs. Bunch if you keep losing weight and growing your hair you aren't going to be a counselor they are going to want you to be a model." Oh one of the benefits of being an elementary educator is when you have students swooning over you. :) I could actually feel my head getting bigger. I see many more pony tails in my future. HA!

A public shout out to my new friend Belinda. I met Belinda as a result of this journey. I am soooo proud of her. She is hitting that gym so hard. She's getting results too. Go Belinda!!!

The Helix

Today I was in collaboration meetings all day in my principal's office. It's a great time where we get to look at growth our students are making and put plans in place for those who need extra help. I love being able to collaborate with colleagues in this way. It was all of the candy and popcorn that caused the day to be a bit of a challenge. A couple of people even went to grab Sonic for lunch. I am working out with Kelly and want to make the most of the time I have with her so I am working really hard to follow all of the rules especially with the diet.

I went to the gym after work to do my strength training workout for the first time on my own. The sheet Kelly gave me that has everything on it with the amount of reps and weight??? Yep. Forgot that. I remembered it all though. As part of this workout there are one minute recovery sessions. I'm not sure why they are called recovery because I feel like I'm going to croak each time. A minute of mountain climbers or a minute of plyo jumps on the step. On my fourth day of cardio I'm supposed to be on the Helix for thirty minutes. The only way to describe this thing called the Helix is for you to imagine yourself pedaling a bicycle sideways. I tried it the other night and said there was no way I could do it for thirty minutes. Kelly assured me that was okay and told me when I had to take a break to run to the bike and do that for a minute and then go back to the Helix. I had the brainy idea tonight to do a minute on the Helix as one of my recovery sessions. I made it. For those of you who know how uncoordinated I am, I can't think about it. I have to get on and go. I did two one minute recovery sessions and then decided at the end of the workout I would do the Helix for as long as it took The Black Eyed Peas to sing "Tonight's Gonna Be A Good Night". Kinda forgot I had a remix of the song on my playlist. Six minutes later the song was finally over. Sweat was pouring off of my face, but I survived!!! WOOT HOOT! Go Me!!!

My friend Zedena posted to me tonight about a sign she saw at her gym. I think it's so fitting and true...
"Sweat is your fat crying"
I smile as I type, but at the same time I think...I have a lot more sweating to do...
What about you? Are you getting your sweat on?

Hunger Pains and Inspiration

I didn't eat well over the weekend. I would give myself an F if I had to fill out a report card. Yesterday morning I woke up with renewed vigor ready to attack the food demons that plague me. I packed my lunch of asparagus and chicken along with two snacks, started the day off with oatmeal and finished strong with chicken and a salad. There was only one problem. I was so hungry all day I couldn't stand it. Friends, I am not talking about the kind of hunger in your brain where you "think" you want something to eat. I'm talking about the kind of hunger where your stomach is growling and you actually feel the hunger pains. You have trouble focusing because you are so hungry. I was counting down the minutes between times to eat. Thank God I met with Trainer Kelly tonight. She encouraged me to mix a protein and a carb for each of my meals and snacks. In this way I am increasing my metabolism and my body will feel full longer. Aha! I will be forging on with my new plan.

I had a good workout with Kelly tonight. We also talked about the pain in the neck. I told her that since one of my goals is to run a 5k I get going on a routine where I am incorporating running and after a couple of days my neck hurts so bad I can't run and have to force myself to do anything at all. According to her, the impact of running is actually not good for my condition and she advised me to lay off the running for now until the neck is under control. Please don't think for one second I am upset by this. Just the opposite. I am excited to take the pressure off of myself. I know have a plan for working out as far as when and how frequently to do cardio and when and how frequently to do strength. It is my intention of mixing it up a bit and three days a week getting two workouts in. This is a goal and if I achieve it I will be lighting that metabolism up.

Today was a most uncomfortable one. I had to go through recertification for proper techniques in restraint. The entire day puts me on sensory overload. The only way for the training to occur is for the trainer to demonstrate and then with another person you practice. In the morning session it's about releases and you are with one partner. This wasn't so bad because my principal and I were partners. We had quite the fun time taking out aggression on each other. Please understand we have no aggression directed at each other...just the aggression that builds up from the stress of everyday life. The afternoon session involves being restrained by and restraining everyone in the session multiple times to practice/learn new restraints. I like meeting other people. I enjoy interacting with other people. The three hours of touching tests my personal space senses for sure.

Even with all of that I left the training flying high! One of the trainers complimented me on how small I'm getting. She also told me how inspiring my blog is to her. Again, I never cease to be amazed when people say I inspire them. WHAT??? I'm really struggling with the fact that the scales still aren't going down as fast as I would like. It was so encouraging and inspiring to me for her to say that. And then...in the middle of me being restrained by someone I've known for a few years...she pauses and says..."Tammy's getting skinny!" The words from both of these ladies might be just what I needed to hear until that number starts to move again!
Thanks, Friends.

As I'm writing this, I realize that as I notice others losing weight I need to be more intentional about giving them verbal praise. If it means as much to me as it does to them then it's pretty darn important!

So one of my biggest followers, mom, has had a tooth problem for the last couple of weeks. I think it started on New Years Day. Tooth pain. She had the name of three dentists and went to see the one who could get her in first. A root canal and crown were necessary. It is rare for mom to let pain get her down. She lives with it every day. I could hear how bad she hurt over the phone. They started the root canal, where she was in the chair for almost two hours, finished up for the day, and told her it would be another week and they would finish the job. She hurt so bad and I felt so bad for her. All during December she had been telling me that after the first of the year she was going to get started on her diet and exercise again. I joked with her and told her that only being able to eat soft food was a good way to start a diet. The dentist called her the next day with a cancellation and was able to finish the root canal, but she had to wait until today to get the crown. (I had forgotten today was the day because she really doesn't complain.) So for three weeks she has been on a diet of soft food! I left the gym and called her. "Watcha doin?" Please understand that when she answered I could HEAR the smile in her voice. "Just finished eating fried chicken." "What? That's ironic since I just came from a workout with my trainer and a discussion about diet." "Hey! I finally got my crown on and I wanted fried chicken and I've been eating soft food for three weeks so I had me some fried chicken!" Touche! Tammy Touche!

That's all for now. I'm going to get my food ready for tomorrow. (It's my hope to have a good loss next week! A little jumpstart if you will...)

Just a little message for one of my followers...

VR (You know who you are!) Even if it's a thirty minute walk three times a week, you need to be doing some sort of exercise. It doesn't matter if you have weight issues or not. You care a lot about all of those little hearts out there. Those families need you. You owe it to your own heart, yourself, your family, and all of the others you touch to keep yourself healthy! ;)

Degenerated

All of these posts you have read about my neck and shoulder pain. Finally! A diagnosis. The doctor called me this week to tell me the results of my xrays show I have degeneration of discs C5, C6, and C7 with C7 pressing on a nerve. Of course I had to research this to find out how one gets disc degneration. It can happen with age. It can be caused by a major trauma (car accident) or a minor trauma (a fall) or in some cases just by getting out of bed wrong. I can hear you all laughing. As my friend Amy said, "This could have started the moment I was mobile." Mom thinks with all of my accidents there would be no way to pinpoint how this process started. For now (and insurance purposes) I am working with a physical therapist to alleviate pain. Doc also told me to keep up with the ice. Really challenging when it's 17 degrees outside.

I've met with my new trainer two times. The second time we hit it. I woke up the morning after and wasn't sore at all. It was about 12:30 the following afternoon when the abdominal muscles and legs started speaking to me. Almost as though they were laughing and saying, "Hi! We're still here. Don't you love a little burn?"

I can't wait for this week's workouts. I missed two workouts last week because of the stomach flu. YUCK!

No news on the job search. More application opportunities. No interviews scheduled yet.

I've been watching some other weight loss blogs. Love finding inspiration to keep me going.