An AMAZING early Birthday Present!

So today, I am not going to complain (or over think) about the Chinese Food I ate last night, it was sinfully delicious, or the desert I had afterward at the coffee shop, yum lemon crumble tart.  What I am going to talk about is the amazingly awesome birthday present my husband bought me a whole month early last night.  He bought me a beautiful pink cruiser bike.  Can I tell you how long I have wanted a bike for.  Like I have been talking about it of over a year.  But I didn't want a mountain bike, I wanted a comfy cruiser.  One with a big comfy seat, curved handle bars, single gear, need to get a basket for it kinda bike.  So my entry is going to be really short because the sun is shining and I wanna get out there and try out my new bike!


Have a fabulous Saturday!

Cheers!
Leah

Weigh-In Friday!

So today is my day to weigh in and I am happy to report that I am down another 0.7lbs.  I feel as though I have worked really hard this week.  Maybe that's because my abs and arms are killing me after my workout yesterday.  :)  But seriously, I have stepped up to the plate, consumed at least 4 glasses of water a day, got my workouts in, and eaten healthy foods with good portions all week long.  I am really aiming to see a smaller number on Monday after this weekend as well.  

I am noticing this pattern of gain between Sat-Tues and then losing from Wed-Fri.  I am hoping to stop the fluctuation and get keep it going down.  I know there will be minor ups and downs but these have been fluctuations of quite a few pounds.  I suspect it's because I relax from my routine on the weekends, eat a little more then I do during the week.  Really though there is no excuse.  My body doesn't want or need more just because it's the weekend.  I know that, now I just need to pay attention to it and watch myself a little more. 

I got some pretty exciting news yesterday evening.  It seems that I have an interview on Monday for a small permanent teaching contract.  Getting this has the ability to really set my career in motion.  I am so overwhelmingly nervous, anxious and excited, that it's hard to describe.  I barely slept last night with thoughts rolling through my head.  So I am off touch up my portfolio, get an appointement to have my hair cut and try try try to relax a little.  Monday seems so far away from now, beside I have an entire weekend to enjoy before that interview.

Have a great day!

Cheers!
Leah

Yoga

I have been interested in yoga for quite sometime.  I love the way it looks and how calm it is. However, I had never ever attend a class.  I have done yoga at home over the last few years but I have to say it does not really compare to the in class experience.  My friends over at A Nu(de) Motivation have been doing yoga together since we started this challenge.  I unfortunately live far away from them so I haven't been able to partake.  And honestly I was happy with just doing it at home until yesterday.  I was inspired to get my butt to a class by Emily over at The Front Burner.  If you check out the link, she wrote a fabulous beginner's guide to yoga.  It explains everything from what to expect to what you need to bring with you.  So much really useful information for a newbie like me.  

So last night I set out to my gym knowing there was a yoga class being offered.  I got there a little late and almost chickened out because I got lost (it's a pretty big gym) and couldn't find the room I was looking for.  I talked myself back into it and headed to the front desk for directions.  Once, I got to the class they had already started and I almost back out again.  But as luck or fate or whatever would have it, one of my new buddies from the pool was late too and she encourage me to head in even though we where late.  So in I went.  The class was great.  My self talk was not.  I really have to work on this.  Again, I was really worried about what everyone else what thinking, not good.  I eventually calmed myself enough that the voice inside my head stopped.  It was great.  The class was hard for me, even though she didn't lead us into anything complicated. I was a sweaty mess by the end of it and when I looked around everyone else seemed so relaxed, no sweat.  Oh well, I am who I am, and I am a sweater. LOL  I will certainly be heading back for more next week and I won't be late.   

After a great yoga session, I headed to the pool and swam for half an hour.  It's funny how all of sudden I just feel like I belong at the gym instead of being a visitor.  I know all the regulars and they say hello and smile at me.  It's just really nice to feel like I belong.  

I am off to enjoy another day, albeit a gloomy one.

Cheers!
Leah

Locker Room

I have always, always, always hated the locker room.  The idea of communal showers, changing in front of people or rather trying to hide has never appealed to me.  One of the biggest challenges to adjusting to going to the gym was getting over this hate/fear of the locker room.  It is after all really a necessary part of the gym and now that I am swimming every time I go, I have to change not once but twice...ugh. 



Hurdle one, trying to get from the shower to the locker area without creating a giant puddle.  There is a huge sign as you leave the shower area telling you to dry off before going to the locker.  Well there are a few problem with that.  #1 I don't bring my shower things into the pool area with me so I have to go to the locker before I even shower.  #2 I don't want to bring multiple towels so that I can accomplish the task of drying off twice.  I have honestly given up on this and just allow a small puddle to exists.  Those who can do it.  Good for you but I am a puddle creator apparently.

Hurdle two, learning to tie my bra behind my back.  I know, I know silly but seriously it makes the whole process easier.  And somehow I never taught myself before now.  

Hurdle three, I am so friggin worried about what everyone else is thinking.  Seriously, why I am so concerned if that very trim girl sees my large butt.  She's not paying attention to me, she's changing. This one I worked on so so hard. 

And so yesterday, after leaving the shower area.  I did not try to hide behind a towel, awkwardly trying not to drop it while putting on my girly things.  I just dried off and changed. And you know what.  I didn't die, no one said anything, no dirty looks....NOTHING!  Except it took me way less long to get dressed and get out of there.  I was thrilled with myself.  Clearly.  I felt the need to share. LOL 

I am off to enjoy the day!

Cheers!
Leah

So busy...

      This weekend was crazy amounts of busy, followed by a busy Monday.  With the end of summer almost hear.  Hubby and I are working a tone on our bathroom renovation.  It's actually been kinda fun.  I always love it when we have a task to complete together.  What I love even more though, is picking out a new tub, sink, fixtures....oh so many options and choices.
     
       So needless to say, getting to the gym has been challenging due to these wonderful renovations.  Saturday, I spent probably 6 or 7 hours outside, helping my husband jack up the room so we could level it out.  Carrying large pieces of wood, cement blocks and doing a whole load of crawling or rather squirming around in the crawl space below our little house.  I followed all that up with a 45 minute session of yoga which was divine because my legs where so stiff.   Sunday, we spent the afternoon fixing the roof (we had a leak), lots of nailing shingles and tarring.  Smelled so awful.  There was no extra workout.  :(  Oh well.  We did get over to the in-laws for a lovely dinner and had the chance to pick vegetables from the garden for this week.  YUMMY! 

Yesterday, we spent the day running errands, and we stopped and had sushi for lunch.  I am a sucker for sushi!  I love it! I have a really hard time with portion control.  But we had a really light dinner and I do believe it will all work itself out at the end of the day.  I did make it to the gym yesterday but I have to say it was a half hearted effort.  I wasn't feeling it.  We got to the gym and the machines I like to use were taken (there are only 2 of them), leaving me picking another cardio machine.  Well I'd like to say that I am flexible and it's no big deal but these ARC trainers they have are like half elliptical half stair master, and they are HARD.  I am sure I will get to the point where they are a good option for me.   But friends, that day was not yesterday.  I did better in the pool though later on.  Scale is up today.  Thank you sodium + indigestion.  Hopefully the new iron supplements I got last night will cure my indigestion problems and I'll flush out the sodium with lots of water today.

Well I think I have rambled enough for one morning.
Enjoy your day everyone!

Cheers!
Leah

A Nu(de) Motivation

Have you been over to A Nu(de) Motivation yet?  Well if not, you are in for a treat.  This blog is about 5 women who over the years have put on extra pounds.  They are putting themselves to the challenge this year.  Each woman will spend 14 months on a journey of self discovery and weight loss.  In August of 2011, the women, regardless of how much or how little they have lost, have all committed to being photographed in the nude.  And I am one of those women.  If you head over to A Nu(de) Motivation, you'll find me listed as Vera Strange.  I encourage you to read up on each of the women, we are all on our own uniquely beautiful journey.   My week 12 update can be found here!

Have a great day!
Cheers!
Leah

The Fat girl in the Family

I was over here at With a Side of Sneakers today reading some older posts.  This post in particular was about how she and her family would like to find a way to motivated the one family member in their family that is overweight and who's lifestyle is suffering because of it.  Let's just say it really really got me thinking about my family. 

My immediately family consists of my Mom, Dad, brother and myself.  Of the four of us, I am the only one who is or has ever been obese.  For the most part they are pretty slim people.  We were a really active family growing up and until I faced some pretty serious trauma in high school I had never even been overweight.  Somehow in a split second that all changed and I began to eat away my feelings.  By grade 11 I was a little heavier but certainly not what I would label as fat.  I was still exercising taking dance classes and skating regularly.  The huge change came during university, where left on my own, I had to make my own food choices all the time.  Lets just say I ate a tone of fast food.  Thank you university meal card!  Man oh man. 

So this is a round a bout way of me getting to wondering how my gaining weight affected my family.  I know for a fact it worries them all.  They always comment about how happy they are that I am making better choices, losing some of the excess weight.  I really think they felt they were unable to help me, they could encourage but at the end of the day it has to come from within.  Kinda the way I feel about my parents smoking, I worry that it will cut their lives short. I worry about their overall health.  I am sure they feel the same way about my weight. 

Even more so, it makes me wonder what it will be like to not be the fat girl in the family.  I have for years now been the only obese person in my immediate family.  I wonder how it will change our family dynamics.  I know I will stop wondering if that chair is big enough to sit in when we go out for dinner.  I will enjoy a walk after dinner instead of worrying if there will be a hill and how embarrassing it will be that I am huffing and puffing by the time we get to the top.  I know my family will be proud of me and all I have accomplished.  They already are. 

Have you ever wondered about how your life choices impact others?  

Have a great day!
Cheers!
Leah