Coverage of the Super Bowl has started. The chili is cooking. The Packers are in the SUPER BOWL!!!! Here is something to get you in the spirit of things:
Let’s go PACKERS!!!
Workout Music February 4, 2011
When I’m working out on my treadmill, I usually listen to music on Pandora. I LOVE Pandora, by the way! A couple of months ago I created a station devoted to songs to get me motivated to workout hard. It includes a bunch of hip hop/rap/club music/completely random songs, mostly from my days of partying (think late ’90′s – early 2000′s).
Totally awesome song to get your sweat on to:
Totally NOT what I had in mind to get my sweat on to:
But I totally LOVE this song. So much so that I had to stop running and start walking so I could sing along at the top of my lungs. And then I clicked “like” and totally messed up my Pandora. I now have cheesy, romantic songs mixed in the middle of my workout mix. Damn it.
What is on your workout playlist? Any songs you would recommend?
An Unhealthy Addiction January 28, 2011
Hi, my name is Amy, and I have an addiction:
Unfortunately, the time has come where my love affair with Ms. Daisy Sour Cream must come to an end. Ms. Daisy has done me NO favors over the past few years.
Yes, Ms. Daisy was there me when I lived 1100 miles from the love of my life and I needed some comforting; she left her mark on my thighs!
Yes, Ms. Daisy was there when I was upset over rocky friendships; she left an impression on my buttocks!
Yes, Ms. Daisy was there when I lost a grandparent; she’s still sticking around on my belly reminding me ‘it’ll be OK.’
Yes, Ms. Daisy was there to help celebrate birthdays, weddings, showers, holidays, births of babies and everything else in between; she’s still hanging out on one of my multiple chins
Yes, my addiction to sour cream is THAT bad! So bad that I often plan my meals around what goes good with sour cream. Did you know sour cream can complement just about anything? Try it mixed in with mac & cheese and some Frank’s Red hot sauce. On second thought, scratch that idea…I wouldn’t want you to be responsible for encouraging unhealthy eating addictions!
Before my bachelorette party, my matron of honor, Betsy, asked my fiance (now husband) to answer some questions about me. At my bachelorette party I was asked to answer the same questions, and the point was to see how close (or far off) our answers were. Here’s a hint: never ask a man what size bra his wife wears! I’ve witnessed this game three times and all three times the bride-to-be was embarrassed by her soon-to-be-husbands answer (one husband answered ‘training bra. I’m saving for the implants!’). I digress. One of the questions Betsy asked was “what is Amy’s favorite food?” I thought about it and blurted out pizza. Perhaps my answer was a bit tainted, since the pizza delivery guy had just stopped by to deliver pizza (and drink shots with us)! Betsy had a discouraged look on her face and told me pizza was not the correct answer, and she didn’t understand why my husband had answered SOUR CREAM. I smiled. I knew EXACTLY why he said it. My husband had witnessed my ‘side of sour cream’ with nearly every meal during the entire length of our relationship.
And so, my friends, it is time to kick this unhealthy addiction to the curb. For me, this is one of those items I just cannot have in my house if I am trying to lose weight and be healthy. Before you suggest I try an alternative, let me tell you, I already have. No-fat sour cream is disgusting and full of sugar! If I use a low-fat version, I just use twice as much (why not, since it has less fat and calories). And greek yogurt…well, for those of you that swear by this stuff…lucky you. I cannot do it. The taste and texture make me gag. I don’t know why, but it just does.
I used the last of the sour cream tonight, and I have permanently removed ‘sour cream’ from our weekly grocery list. I’m sure my thighs and hips and belly and double-chin will thank me one day for this! For now, I’m going to stomp my feet and pout for a bit though. I’m allowed…until my husband kindly asks me to stop.
Gosh, I love that man!
Do you have any food addictions? How did you overcome your addiction to that food while losing weight?
No Soup for You! January 27, 2011
Today has been one of those days! Not an overly exciting day, but a busy one. And I’m too tired to put much thought into a post for this evening. So, instead, I’m going to rant for a bit.
Tonight we had to run some errands. The plan was to make a quick stop at Trader Joe’s to pick up a few things we needed for dinner. We did our errands and then realized it was already 5:00…and we were starving! After much debate, we finally decided we would stop for dinner. We are on a budget (trying to save some $), so we limit our dining out to just 1-2 times/month. We ended up stopping at Champps, mostly out of convenience. Champps is just another restaurant chain, similar to Applebee’s or T.G.I.Friday’s. I decided prior to going inside that I was going to stick to soup and a side (to save both calories AND money).
A BOWL OF SOUP WAS $6.29!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
SAY WHAT???? A bowl…..of SOUP! Not even a BIG bowl…more like a CUP of soup! $6.29? How could that be?
Dinner for the 3 of us totaled $45.00. A sandwich, a wrap and a bowl of soup! No alcohol. No dessert. No appetizers. What the hell? How on earth can families afford to go out to dinner on a regular basis.
There was nothing fancy about my dinner. And the flavor was nothing to brag about. It just left a big hole in my wallet. The only good thing to come out of this dining experience is it reaffirmed our decision to cook more meals in our own kitchen, and dine out less!
How often does your family dine out? What are some of your favorite restaurant dishes that you’ve recreated in your own kitchen? Or would like to recreate in your kitchen?
Dreaming Big January 26, 2011
Today’s workout:
The best part is I felt pretty good for most of it. I was having some difficulties the last few months of 2010 with some bad pains in my feet. So much so that there were days that I struggled to just waddle around the house. I tried different shoes, and a couple times I even tried walking on the treadmill barefoot. I’m thankful that so far I haven’t had any pains. Keeping my fingers crossed things stay that way!
When I first started this blog I had just signed up to run in Grandma’s Marathon. It has been a long-time dream of mine to run a marathon. Back in 2006-2007 I was preparring to run some races; I wasn’t quite ready, but I was getting there. To tell you the truth though, I was completely clueless and it was probably a good thing I never did sign up to run the Broad Street Run (a 10-mile run through downtown Philadelphia). I wasn’t prepared and probably would have ended up with an injury.
After our wedding in 2009 I decided I needed something to focus on. So I actually signed up to run a marathon. I signed up for Grandma’s Marathon in Duluth, MN, since it was the race that first got me interested in running. I was determined I was going to run in it and immediately started this blog to track my progress. Unfortunately my enthuiasm only lasted a couple of days. Perhaps it was the discouraging words I received when I shared the news with a couple of friends. Perhaps it was because the task suddenly seemed too overwhelming to me. Perhaps I wasn’t dedicated enough. Perhaps I’m just full of excuses.
Either way, that dream to run a marathon is still burning deep inside of me! This time I’m even more determined to accomplish this dream. It won’t be this year (I need to focus on my weight loss first!), but maybe next year or 5 years from now. What I do know is that I am going to start with a realistic goal. Last year I walked in 2 different races; one a 10k and the other a 4-mile walk. The 10k pretty much kicked my ass…probably because I didn’t prepare AT ALL for it. I just showed up expecting a miracle to happen. It was advertised as a walk/run, but it actually was more for runners. I was among about 15 walkers participating, and was the slowest one! I ended up skipping part of a loop to catch up with all the rest of the walkers. I didn’t want to be the last person to cross the line!! My 1st goal is to try it again this year. I don’t even know what my time was last year (I could look it up if I wanted, but I’m too embarrased). My goal is to not be at the very end of the pack. I’m working on putting together a training schedule. Unfortunately, I refuse to run outside until some of the snow melts and the temps rise a bit. So my runs will be limited to my treadmill, which I’m ok with. I’m also planning on incorporating some Yoga & Pilates into the mix too. I’ll share as soon as I get it ready.
What are your dreams? Do you enjoy running in races? Tell me about your experiences training for a race (5k, 10k, half or full marathon, or anything in between).
Biggest Loser Challenge January 25, 2011
First things first, the Green Bay Packers are going to the Super Bowl!!!!!!
The last week has been filled with some sleepless nights in anticipation of the match-up with division rivals, the Chicago Bears. I think, more than anything, I was afraid of the harassing text messages I would receive from my Chicago friends had the Bears pulled out a win. All in good fun, of course. Instead I got bragging rights this time around. The fact that there was a lot at stake this time around just sweetened the deal! Can’t wait for February 6 to get here! Hopefully the Packers can pull out one more win this season! GO PACK GO! Stay tuned for my Super Bowl menu, complete with 2 Wisconsin staples: beer & cheese curds. I can’t promise it will be entirely healthy, but it should be tasty.
For the past few weeks my local news station has been promoting the Biggest Loser Minnesota Challenge. I have been watching The Biggest Loser since one of the first seasons it aired. I love watching the show and have learned some things here and there. I also understand some of the negativity surrounding the show (contestants being treated poorly, losing weight too fast and unsafe, etc.), but it’s still not enough to stop me from watching. I think the premise of the show can be inspiring to others, and it’s one of the few shows on the air that conveys a (somewhat) positive message. I also like to believe it’s creating a positive impact on our society and encouraging people to live a healthy lifestyle by making each of us more aware of the negative impact obesity can have on our lives. Of course, it is up to each person to take away from the show the things that can benefit them.
So, back to the Biggest Loser Minnesota Challenge. I decided to accept the challenge and signed up! I am participating on the Kare11 team (the local news station we regularly watch). Honestly, I don’t really know the whole deal (ie: is there a winner? Are there prizes, etc…the only prize I want is a HEALTHY ME). What I DO like about this challenge is that not only is there a weight loss portion to the competition, but there is also an emphasis on physical activity AND healthy choices. You can earn points daily for the number of minutes you workout, as well as a whole list of healthy choices for each day (ie: drinking water, eating 5 servings of fruits & veggies, ordering a healthy dish at a restaurant, chosing water over soda or other sugary drinks, journaling your food for the day, etc.) How COOL is that??? I’m totally excited for this challenge and love the fact that they have this emphasis on healthy choices. What a breath of fresh air. My goal is to achieve 300 hours of physical activity/week, and achieve 8 of the 10 nutrition activities for each day. I am not going to focus on a specific weight loss number. I have proven over and over to myself that the more emphasis I put on the number on that scale, the more unmotivated I am. I don’t want to set myself up to fail. I really just want to focus on healthy behaviours, and hopefully the weight loss will follow. That being said, I DO weight myself every day and I WILL report in my weight every Monday. I won’t be disclosing my weight on this site, but I will be reporting my weight loss each week.
So, tell me, will you be cheering on the Pack during the Super Bowl? What are your favorite game-day dishes?
Today January 23, 2011
What I did today:
Love this book!
Read more of this book. I love Kristin Hannah, and have yet to be disappointed by any of her books. This one was a bit more challenging to get into than others, but I’m loving it now! I had a hard time putting it down this afternoon.
Part of our garden last summer
Dreamed about warm weather on this freezing cold January day in Wisconsin. I think we had a high of -5 degrees today! I even started planning for our summer garden! Can’t wait for all the fresh produce (and not going broke at the grocery store)!
Is it time for lunch yet?
Snuggled with my little snuggler! She is also disliking this cold weather…it’s putting a damper on her barking at the neighbor’s horses!
Can you ship me to some place warm? I don't like this freezing cold white stuff!
Tried explaining to Sparky that the birds on the TV were fake! He wasn’t buying it. He even gave the cardinal (aka: the TV) a kiss.
GO PACK GO!
And nervously paced around the house thinking about the Packer game tomorrow. Will Sunday ever get here??? Can the Pack pull out a win tomorrow? God, I hope so!!!!
Who are you cheering for tomorrow?
I said I’d never do it… January 21, 2011
I did something today that I said I would never do.
You can't burn calories reading on the treadmill!
When I was at the peak of my healthness journey I would judge people who were reading while they worked out. It didn’t matter what the story was; maybe they were recovering from an injury, or it was just a warm-up to a really intense workout. I still judged. Shame on me!
Because today, I did it! I read while I walked on my treadmill.
I insisted on the 'fancy' one and promised to get lots of use out of it!!!
It’s been a busy week, so I promised myself that today I would spend an hour on the couch reading. I justified it by listing off all the things I had accomplished this week. It was time for my hour of glory and as I sat on the couch, I started to feel guilty. You see, I didn’t do anything all that stressful or strenous this week. I was just using a ‘busy’ week as an excuse to justify spending even MORE time being lazy. And then I had a thought.
“I should read my book on the treadmill! I can walk and read. I get to enjoy my book AND get in some physical activity. And I don’t even have to walk fast, just walk a little.”
And so I did it. I grabbed my book, started up the treadmill and began my 60 minutes of pleasure. And then something happened. 10 minutes in I had an urge to go faster and harder. So I increased the incline. 4 minutes later I wanted even more, so I put the book down for a few minutes. Then I wanted music, so I paused and cranked up the Pandora. Before I knew it, I was walking fast/jogging! And then I started sweating.
I worked up a sweat
That’s right, folks! My hour of laziness turned into an hour of sweaty pleasure! I feel sooooo much better, and I know had I sat on the couch to read, I would probably still be reading – 2 hours later!
60 minutes later...
Instead I burned some 400-calories. I don’t typically go by what the calories say on the treadmill. I usually wear my heart rate monitor and calculate it from there, but I never bothered to grab it, since I wasn’t really going to ‘work-out.’
One day at a time, one meal at a time, one decision at a time. I can do this!
Do you ever read while you are working out?
What one thing are you going to do for yourself today?
Temptation January 21, 2011
A couple of weeks ago I won a bet when the Packers beat the Philadelphia Eagles in the first round of the playoffs.
Those of you familiar with Philly know all about Philly Soft Pretzels. Yummy! I used to eat one every Friday when I lived in Philly (no worries, I planned for it). It was a weakness of mine, and I haven’t enjoyed one in over 3 years! So when the Packers beat the Eagles, memories of those pretzels flooded my mind. I think I was drooling when I told my husband we would be receiving a package of pretzels in the mail!
The thing about these pretzels is they are cheap! As in it costs 3 times as much to ship them as it does to buy them. So, you don’t just send 5 pretzels to the person you lost a bet to.
You send 50 pretzels! That is right folks. I received 50 of these delicious beasts in the mail today. 50!!!!!
What the hell am I going to do with 50 soft pretzels calling for me to eat them?
The husband is being forced to share the pretzels with his co-workers tomorrow, and the rest have been packed away hidden in the freezer. Out of site, out of mind. The next time I start talking smack and making bets, remind me to make a bet for something non-edible, like a massage or some money!
Thank you to my dear friend Nancy for making bets and sending pretzels! They are delish, but my waistline doesn’t need all 50 of them 
We will be breaking into our ‘stash’ for the Packer game on Sunday. GO PACK GO!!!!!
I’m going to post every day in 2011! January 20, 2011
I’ve been trying to post more frequently…to keep me motivated and all…but I’ve been lacking some serious motivation lately. It’s time to really challenge myself! My goal, starting today, is to post every.single.day.
It certainly isn’t going to be easy. Some days I don’t want to recognize my latest failure. After all, I did start this blog as a way to journal my training for Grandma’s marathon. That boat sank after about 3 weeks! Then I wanted to journal about my emotional struggles/weight loss/getting-back-in-shape/journey-to-be-a-better-me. My track record so far is a bit depressing, but I’m not going to let that hold me back this time. I will be using The DailyPost for inspiration when my inspiration is lacking (so, about 90% of the time???).
If you are a current reader to my blog, thanks for sticking with me (hi Mom!). Welcome to any new readers that happen to stumble upon my blog. Thanks for reading!
