Here comes Big Bad Fran....

 So  Today for the first time it has been nice outside and I mean mostly warm .... it was 1degree..... sounds pretty damn cold still right ..............noooooooooo your wrong I mean really it's been minus whatever for what seems forever and I am so sick of it all I just want to go outside and walk for hours and maybe for a run.  I miss the outside.  Don't get me wrong I do brave the cold Canadian winter , I just don't like to and frankly I'm done.   And once I don't need to worry about Inara getting frost bite on her face I will be doing a hell of a lot more exercise outside and that's the way I like it.



But , on the bright side of things I am getting more and more pumped since it's starting to look nice outside, Tara ( who is awesome) sent me workout dvd's that I am starting today, I am writing my blog entry now because Miss Inara is actually having a nap without me today !!!! but now that I have said that she'll probably wake up.

And as well I have decided that since I cannot have a horse and ride right now that I am going to so something maybe equally as dangerous and go roller skating, yes I said roller skating.  Now , I haven't roller skated in a very long time so I am going to practice A LOT.    That is the first step in my master plan.  Once I have mastered not killing myself while roller skating I am going to try to see if I can get on a roller derby league, there are a few out there and there is one in Hamilton called the Hammer Girls.  They have a Roller derby 101 class that teaches you the basics of roller derby, so I plan on doing that and then do the whole league thing.  Plus it will be another awesome way of getting in shape, and hella fun too!!
And I already have a name " Big Bad Fran" , but we'll see how the whole roller skating goes first.

The gym is going good  I am going to switch it up a little at the gym just because it's getting boring , but other than that  things are good.  |Inara is awake now gotta go

Gearing up

     In Japan the new school year starts in April, so March is going to be the last term of this year. Why am I telling you this? Well it's because in a month my schedule is going to undergo a drastic change.

                                                     Oh wow, that's one scary lady.

    I'm not worried about the material for the new classes, but the sheer amount of classes I'm going to have.  I don't know yet how this is going to effect my workouts, there are days now where I find it hard to get my workout and my walking both done. I'm really considering changing my step count back to something that I was able to reach without a problem.

                                          Well courage wolf hasn't steered my wrong yet. 


     I the mean time I'm going to continue as I am. I'm really enjoying the P90 program, and I really think it's having an effect. The inches are still going down, but I still have not reached my goal (I hadn't expected I would have by this point).  Don't worry I'll post here as soon as I do reach my goal.

Tara

Get'er Done!

so yesterday I went to the deitian  and I have lost 6 pounds !!  almost at my goal but not quite  but i am so happy with 6 pounds. so over all i  have lost 12.5 pounds.  so i go see her again in april.  so hopefully by then i have lost more .....I am going to try for 10 pounds.  I know that i can get it done.  so now I just have to get'er done!

if you are wondering why there are no capital letters or there are some weird things going on with my post it's b/c   i am typing with one  hand and breast feeding Inara in the other......multi-tasking isn't that what moms do?

  Anyways , yes everyone wants a magic pill for not just weight loss but everything!  as you said no one wants to work for anything anymore.  I know that at the end of this ...although i don't know if i will ever stop going to the gym .....none the less you and i will be better off because we did work our asses off for this and didn't take  some magic pill.

but i gotta go work out before inara gets too crazy

Long term thinking.

      Long term thinking is not something humans tend to be good at. We as a species like immediate gratification, it makes sense when you break it down. We evolved to want to do the least amount of effort for the largest possible payoff, the problem is that with the world we've created for ourselves we get big payoffs for little effort all the time.

     I've noticed lately that this lack of long term thinking is all over the "weight loss" world. Diet plans, work out equipment, supplements, hypnosis, even special soap are all out there promising people major weight loss in little time and with no effort.

   The truth is that for most people it took a long time for them to reach the weight their at, and it's going to take just as much time (probably more) to get that weight off. I've been trying to remind my self of this during my workouts in the hope that I will start to train myself to think long term (at least about my weight). Not only is loosing weight the slow and steady way healthier (1-2 pounds a week), but it also has been shown in studies that those who loose weight like this over time are more likely to keep that weight off in the long term.

Tara

Family day.

 I am not doing so well today , my head hurts and my insides hate me.  On the plus side today is family day.  Yay! so that means that Damian is home and helping me with Inara today.  I would much rather have a day with Damian and Inara when I wasn't feeling like poo, but , Oh well.

so Today I am going to stay in and take it easy.  Now that I think about this weekend was a bit of a gong show we went to Damian's parents and his sister was there with her kids from Nova Scotia and ya it was a wee bit nuts. Tiring doesn't even come close to how I feel.  

I sure do love my apartment  even if it is a small  it's ours.

I'm going to go lay down now.

I for one welcome our new computer overlords.

     The day has finally come, I have rebelled against my computer master! Ok, that might be a little exaggerated. I did however refuse for the first time to up my step target on my DS walking coach.

I pledge allegiance.....

    My current step target is 15000, which takes roughly 3 - 4 1/2 hours to reach per day. I already find it difficult to reach this target some days so upping my goal to 16000 was just out of the question. I'd rather stay at a target I know I can reach than take on a goal that would leave no time for my day to day life.

                                    Oh, the things I could get done in a day with one of these. 

    On the upside I've really gotten into audio books lately, as they last longer than my walks do. If you find yourself getting bored with listening to music during a workout I would recommend checking out the selections on iTunes or audible.com. Both have a good selection, but I would recommend comparing prices before purchase.

Tara

Why Justin Beiber .. WHY?!?

 I am so dine with this whole Justin Beiber (JB for short)  I know that with every new group of T'weens there are the new t'ween heart throbs.  Just like me I had a hard on for The new kids on the block  how ever short lived that phase was it was still there.

  Now JB on the other hand has taken over the world literally  last week was JB week no joke .... Seriously? people come on now what he's 12 or something how in the world can he be that AWESOME to have a whole week of JB, not to mention the  fact ever TV show I watch BAM there he is on CSI , Glee etc.... I want it to stop , I have my drive back , thanks to this jackass that won't leave me in peace.  I know it sounds silly but , I am going to get myself in tip top shape and some how find this 12 year old punk and kick his ass  personally for the sane people of this world.
On the plus because of this douche bag I have a new goal in my weight loss challenge and much more drive. However , I still am not going to thank JB for this.

I did weight myself today and it's not looking so good for my weight I am 224 pounds so that means I have another 2.5 pounds to go I have no idea if I can get there before next week. Maybe my new found hatred for JB will push me that extra mile this week .... here I go ....

C is for Cookies

Due to cataclysmic circumstances beyond my control, I am unable to fulfill my blogly duties today...  stay tuned for my world exclusive involving a certain Canadian teenage heartthrob (his last name rhymes with Keebler) coming tomorrow.

Change of season.

    It has been almost like spring here in Japan for the last few days. Meaning that a lot of the snow on the sidewalks has melted or finally been cleared away. This is very good for me as it means I can finally get back to walking at a proper pace, without fear of slipping.

    I'm optimistic that by that start of March I'll be able start doing the bulk of my walking outside again instead of in my classrooms and apartment.

Tara

Happy Valentine's day

ya, Valentine's day isn't really all that important to me, it's just another day. Anyways , Happy Valentine's day!!!

I

 am having a really hard time trying to get to the gym  my ride ( my dad) is constantly canceling on me and leaving me in a bind with mo time to find another way to the gym so having to do the workouts at home is okay but I really want to get to the f'ing gym so I don't have to worry about Inara.  Plus, it's my me time , I miss it .... we haven't spent alot of time together lately and I think I am going koo koo bananas but any ways....

I am feeling couped up inside , walking all the time inside is again getting boring I can't wait for the weather to get better so I can spend more time outside walking and even possibly jogging. 

I'm getting to the point where I need a good swift kick in the ass to get my butt in gear again to just go to the gym by myself ... here's to me time.

Unexpected

    When trying to loose weight there are some things you expect sore muscles, fatigue, a heightened awareness of what you eat. But, there are some things that; at least for me I did not expect at all. The most prominent thing I've noticed is just how annoying knickers are once they're to big for you. I have never been so aware of my undergarments in my life, and since I'm between sizes and still loosing weight I think it would be silly to buy new knickers now.

                                                 I really wish I wasn't.


     Normally I would have more to write but today has been a little busy due to my having to get two days worth of errands done in one day. So, I'll leave off here and say night, night.

Tara

Friday ,Friday... do do do

so It's Friday and yes today was suppose to be my day to go to  the Dietitian and well I couldn't go so I had to reschedule.  BOOERNS but on the bright side I have reached my goal of doing my workout video everyday !! woo go team me.  And strangely enough Inara did let me do the whole 45 minutes most of the time.   Plus I feel awesome!!  

And I tried to start running again on the treadmill , my knees did not give way or feel like they were going to fall apart so next week I am going to start extra super slow with running again I really don't want my knee to get all messed up again. 

Because I didn't get to go to the dietitian this week I am going to get weighed tomorrow on a reliable scale to see if I made it to my goal this month. I am just happy that I am starting to feel good again about myself , I don't shutter when I look in the mirror anymore (just joking)  but you know what I mean.  I am looking forward to going shopping at the end of this month for clothes to see where I am in dress sizes.

I hear lots of good things about the P90X program I was thinking about starting that too but I can just go to the gym everyday too.  well anyways , I'll just post a little blurb tomorrow after I weigh myself.

A change of plans.

     Ok, so the workout I had planned for this months (Carman Electra's fit to strip) just didn't challenge me. This feels strange to say, but it was kind of easy. I wasn't even breaking a sweat and it's about a 45 minute routine.

Blah

    To challenge myself I've decided to jump to a more challenging and structured routine, specifically P90. Now you might have heard of the P90X program, the program that I'm doing is the precursor to that.

   Now this might be a bit of a stupid move on my part. I have a strange schedule, and this program has only 1 scheduled day off. Also this program as the title might suggest goes for 90 days, and just from reading this blog anyone can see that I tend to get bored and jump from program too program so will I be able to stay with the same program for three months.

Everything's better with rainbows.

    I'm optimistic that things will go well. I've previously done the 10 minute trainer and enjoyed that program. I've also started P90X in the past, but due to a sever ankle injury I had to stop about halfway through and never started back up. Having tried P90X I know that I like that style of program, and got results from it. I'm not doing P90X right now because I know that it's just a little to intense and time consuming for my schedule right now. P90 is a mid-point between 10 minute trainer and P90X, and has slightly shorter  and somewhat less intense workouts. All this makes me think that this can work... I hope.

Tara

what day is it?

 ya lately I have been so busy that I have been missing days or skipping them  however you want to say it.  So Friday I have my appointment with my Dietitian and I really hope that I have got to my goal of 6.5 pounds this month.

At the start of February my brother started the gym with us which I thought led to more time at the gym, however that hasn't really been happening.  And I am trying to go more I find that if I am at the gym I feel more motivated.  It's even better when someone is with you.  But, anyways Scott just wants to go by himself for now.

I have been using this video this week that seems to be really awesome it's about 45 mins and there are different sections to the video.  It kinda reminds me of the fitness workouts on t.v you saw as a kid but less lame.  The video is called the belly off workout.  And let me tell you I can really feel my core being worked.  It also incorporates upper body and lower body workout moves as well.  The next few weeks this video is going to kick my butt and then I will have new ones !!! yay!  Tara you rock!

This week my goal is to try and do the whole workout video (if lil Inara will let me) and since I am not running right now I swapped the running for the video for now I am going to see how my knee is today at the gym on the treadmill but we'll see.

sorry for the lack of pictures.....


Franny

Confessions of an accident prone girl.

     I am one of the clumsiest creatures you are ever likely to meet. I walk into doorknobs, I trip over my own feet, I bang my head weekly. As a result of this I tend not to pay much attention when I bump into things, because of this I often end up with bruises and I can't quite remember how they got there.

    Then there are the bruises that I'm astonished I don't remember getting, case in point the middle toe on my right foot. It is tender, bruises, a little swollen and I have no idea how it got that way.

                                                   Where the hell did you come from?????

   I haven't stubbed my toe, I haven't dropped anything on my foot, no one's stepped on my foot. I am completely dumbfounded about this. Now normally I wouldn't care about a mystery injury as small as this one, as I said I get them quite frequently. The difference is that this injury will not let me forget about it. Because pressure from the underside of the toe  make it hurt I feel this bruise with each step I take, and I take a lot of steps in a day.

   I know I'm never going to know how I hurt my toe, but I also know that until it heals all the possible ways I could have hurt myself and forgotten about will be bouncing through me head with my every step. I promise you this is worse than having a bad song stuck in your head.

Tara

guh I want things just to STOP ....

So this week has been less than great I mean working out at home more this week because of the snow we had.

Not to mention we didn't go out on Wednesday for out anniversary, and poor Inara has been teething like no tomorrow. Me so tired  my brain is not really functioning on the higher levels right now. Oh yes today I had my MRI it was fabulous!!  being stuck in a tube for 45 minutes while it makes all kinds of weird sounds and jolts is what I wanted to be doing this morning.  I'm a little pissed  because for the past few nights my neighbors have been fighting at night and early early in the morning waking Inara and all of us up.  It's really great. 

As for your joints popping Tara I would try to stretch more before you workout and when you get up in the morning I find that doing that it  helps my joints from popping all the time.

This week I have kinda lost my appetite a little bit , I'll eat but I am not really all that hungry.  I really have no idea why.  Also, this week I have gotten some videos to workout to thanks to Tara, I have I few to start with plus I downloaded the Zumba dance program which is suppose to be really awesome kinda like dance yourself thin type deal.... we'll see about that.

at any rate before I go and crawl into my bed I miss you and can't to see you!!

love your goo 

Fran

Pop

  Since starting to workout on a daily bases I've noticed a strange thing about my body, my joints pop a lot. Not painfully so, but just very noisily. The joints that do it the most tend to be my shoulders, and for some reason today my back was popping. As I said this isn't painful but I'm starting to find it very distracting.

                                                    Shut up you bastard. 


     I'm not sure what I can do to stop this. I know it's not a result of bad form, I've been sure to double check that. Short of blasting music I'm out of ideas.

Tara