My Secret Life.

(This picture has nothing to do with me really, but how could I resist adding those OMG arms and shoulders to the blog?! It's like eye candy....with no calories! I can't stop looking. Issues, I know.) Image via WikipediaIt seems ironic that I have a blog called Confessions of a Gym Mama when I haven't been to the gym in who knows how long. It's been over a year for sure. Actually, it may even be two. Huh. Time flies.

Anyway, in order to be true to my blog and, more importantly, to get myself moving and in shape, I have been secretly exercising. I say secretly, because I haven't told all of you. Well, one or two of you know, but for the masses, this new information is startling I'm sure.

Since exercising can mean many different things, let me clarify. I have been running on the treadmill twice a day, almost every day (I didn't when I was sick, but I also couldn't really breathe that day either).

Twice a day? Yep. Twice a day. Usually morning and night.

Why twice a day? I'm not entirely sure actually, someone just told me it would be a good idea. So, I run twice a day. Of my own free will. And with no one chasing me. While listening to club/dance music on Pandora.

And you know what?

It's exhilarating.

Really.

I'm excited every single time I finish.

Why? Because it feels good to feel strong.

I've also been counting calories. Every single bite gets logged on my MyFitnessPal app. It's a free app that helps you set a calorie goal and then makes logging calories as easy as.....well, pie.

Honestly, at first the idea of tracking my calories was daunting and none too appealing.

Now....it's a game. Every food choice influences whether I win or lose the daily game....so I have been making better choices. And becoming more aware of what I eat and how many calories everything has. Trust me, once you realize what you should be eating and how much you actually are eating....it can be a little shocking.

So, for a week now I've been exercising. And I've lost over two pounds. But more importantly, I feel.....better. I still have this cold/allergy/sinus things that's been lingering, but I feel better. And that's definitely worth working out for.


(A special thank you to those who have been pushing me to lace up the sneakers and hit the treadmill. You know who you are. Your "no excuses, get exercising" attitudes are better than any personal trainer. You rock....and are very appreciated.)

Spring Body Challenge

Well, I guess my inability to remove myself from email lists may be slightly advantageous. Hefty emphasis on slightly. Discovery Health is, apparently, having a Spring Body Challenge and you too are invited to join.

What will you receive that will make your life oh so much better, you ask? Well, according to the email here's what's included:

"Join now and receive FREE:

* 2 week Bally Total Fitness® membership*
* Custom meal plans with over 1,000 easy, healthy recipes
* Progressive fitness plans, tailored for you by experts
* 24/7 support from successful Challengers
* Individualized weight and fitness trackers
* Video and interactive tools from fitness and weight loss professionals
* A weekly e-newsletter filled with recipes, tools and helpful articles"

There was a whole bunch of legal disclaimer stuff about the 2 week Bally's pass. Like you have to print it out and redeem it between today and May 11, 2009. I didn't read all of the teeny tiny fine print, but I'm guessing you'll also have to listen to a sales pitch from a blond muscled guy named Sven. Those sales pitches start out okay, but then they turn ugly.

They turn ugly when things start to happen....like them weighing you and calculating your BMI with that "Holy cow, I can't believe you're not strapped to a heart monitor and iv drip" expression on their perfectly tan faces. You know, I'm needing blog material so much, that I may just go and take them up on a free trial. I'll sacrifice because I know you all need a good fitness related laugh.

I'll keep you posted.

If the President-Elect Has Time to Exercise, Why Don't I?

I saw an article in The Philadelphia Inquirer today about Obama's workout obsession. Maybe "obsession" is a bit inaccurate. "Dedication" might be more fitting. Now. whether you're an Obama fan or not, you have to admire his visible passion for a good workout.

How is it that the soon-to-be leader of the free world has 90 minutes a day to exercise and I don't? For some reason that seems oddly peculiar. Maybe I need to hire some Secret Service guys to watch my kids and convince my husband that the gym membership fee really does fit into our budget.

"Sorry, honey, but we really can do without food this month. Me having a gym membership (and Secret Service babysitters) is much more important."

Yeah, don't think that's going to fly.

Maybe Obama just has extra hours in his day. Like 26 instead of 24. Maybe it's a little known perk of presidency.

Okay, I admit it. This post is just about jealousy. I want 90 minutes a day of uninterrupted, trainer driven workout time. Maybe I should run for office.

Putting It Off

I'm putting it off. Unfortunately, I'm not talking about the weight. I'm talking about the gym membership. I can put it on hold and I'm putting it off. I know I have to. Really, what's the point in paying for it if I can't get out the door to go?

But it feels like giving up.

And that I don't like.

So, I have a few more days until I have to make those dreaded keystrokes and resign myself to giving it a go at home. Which I doubt will actually happen. And that stinks.

Darn.

Darn.

Darn.

Gym Mama Without a Gym

Honestly, I don't think I'm ever going to get back to the gym. Unless Mary Poppins comes knocking at my door with the Publisher's Sweepstakes people I just don't see it happening.

And actually, I think I'd want to spend the day with Mary and the kids and those chalk drawings.

SO, what's a gym mama to do with no gym? For some reason "Home Gym Mama" doesn't seem quite right. True, I have a treadmill and an exercise ball and some hand weights (somewhere),but if you thought the Cardio Killer was amusing....well, it doesn't hold a candle to the exercise ball.

Of course the last time I was on the exercise ball I was about 30 pounds heavier and had just given birth a month or so earlier. But truly, it was an experience not to be forgotten. I couldn't get on it and then once I did I couldn't get off of it. If I remember correctly, my oldest son commented, "Oh, this is not going to end well." Out of the mouths of babes.

Welcome Back

It's been over a month and I'm finally back.

The summer has not been kind to dreams of stress-free times.

My brother-in-law passed on August 8th and I can honestly say that there are few things that are sadder than watching an 11 year old and a 5 year old tend to their daddy's casket. Some things just should not happen.

The proposed CNA class that was not thought to happen until early fall was surprisingly scheduled for the two weeks before my brother-in-law passed. A blessing that my husband took time off to watch the kids and, thus, had more time to spend visiting his brother. I finished the class, have been working on the floor as a trainee, and last night took my state exam. I am now a Certified Nurse's Aide (CNA). A difficult and not at all glamorous job, but one that's so appreciated by the residents and family members. I've discovered that it comes rather naturally for me and I enjoy caring for those in my charge.

With all of that going on I have seen the gym only when driving by it. My plan is to start going either tomorrow or Thursday morning. I miss being there, but I'm happy to report that I've actually lost more weight and am 13 lbs. lighter than I was when I got pregnant last year. I still want to lose another 25 lbs. so the gym is definitely needed.

I hope your summer has been kind and I promise to update much more frequently. It's time to get back into the swing of a routine. Don't you agree?

Sick

Not only is working at night conducive to weight loss, but it's also pretty good for catching body achy colds. Ugh.

Today was my one day to go to the gym early, but after a rough night of feeling awful it was clear I was going nowhere.

My darling husband took the day off, so that he could help with the kids while I snoozed. What a great man!

I actually went to the doctor's...by myself, for myself! Don't be surprised if it snows. The good thing about it was that my weight was down a bit and much lower (by about 10 pounds) from the last time I was there before I got pregnant with the baby. So, I've got my supply of antibiotics to rid my throat of the golf balls that have apparently lodged in there and will be back to sleep shortly.

Oh, and I received the same "words of wisdom" (or warning!) from the residents of the nursing home...that zucchini is going to be full of seeds. Don't worry, next time I won't let it get that big!

The Morning After

Even though I woke up and would have had time to go to the gym this morning, I decided I'd try to fall back asleep since I have to work again tonight. Unfortunately, it was a lost cause. I finally ended up going downstairs at 6:30 with the boys in tow and washed up all of the dishes before breakfast. I've got to get that dishwasher fixed.

So, last night went well. I worked until 10, but honestly, no one had a clue as to what I was supposed to be doing or when I was supposed to be working. I already put a call into the HR director asking if I could work three nights, plus my receptionist job every other weekend. I'm scheduled to work every weekend until the middle of September at this point, so it would give me 38.5 hours each week. We'll see what he says. I know they try to have you work every other weekend in the nursing department, but I don't want to work every single weekend forever. Until the middle of September is long enough.

Everyone was quite confused to see me in scrubs. Pleasantly surprised, but slightly baffled was the overwhelming reaction....mine too, actually. Strange.

Crowded

Holy cow, you know it's bathing suit season at the gym, because it was PACKED this morning at 6am! There's a usual core group of people that are always there, but this morning...holy cow, there were about 3 times as many people!

I had the choice of only 1 open elliptical machine, 2 open treadmills or 2 recumbent bikes. You'd be proud. I chose the elliptical. The entire time I kept thinking, "I can't wait until the winter when all of these people stop coming and the gym will be less crowded again." Well, I was thinking that and "I need to cut this short to go home and feed the baby." The joys of nursing.

SOOOO, I bought scrubs yesterday in a size smaller than what I thought I'd need. I could have actually gone down one size, but the pant legs were too short in the smaller size, so I went with the Large. I never did hear from the woman who was supposed to call me back and let me know if I was starting tonight, so I'll have to give her a call in a little bit. I know it's bad, but honestly, I forgot Wipeout was on tonight....I would have said I could start tomorrow. *grin* Priorities, right?

Shopping!

So, I'm going to start training this week for the CNA position. I'm not sure if it will be tomorrow (Tuesday) or later this week, nor am I sure if I'll be working 4:30-8 or 4:30-12...or somewhere inbetween. Either way, it's exciting and I'm looking forward to it.

I got to go buy scrubs today, but still have to find shoes, a waterproof watch and a combination lock. Shopping! Wahoo! =)

I've decided that if I'm working until 12 than I'll pay the extra money each month to bring the kids to the gym while I workout, because there's no way I'll be getting up at 5:30 after going to bed around 12:45-1. If I'm only working until 8 or 9, I have no excuse not to go early.

I'll let you know how it turns out...

40 pounds & 9 years

40 pounds doesn't seem like a lot...until you realize that my youngest son weighs 40 pounds. Then it seems like a lot. Well, the day I had my daughter I weighed 40 pounds more than I do today. And I now weigh 10 pounds less than before I got pregnant with her last March.

I told my oldest son this exciting news and his reply was, "Cool. How come you're not any smaller then?" *sigh* Kids.

I hopped on the Cardio Killer again this morning and decided that I actually enjoy it more than the treadmill. Amazing, huh? I get a better workout and the time goes by quicker. And you sure do sweat more. Remember, it's gross, but in a good way. At least that's the story I'm sticking with.

It's my 9th wedding anniversary today. Happy Anniversary, wonderful husband of mine. You're awesome and I'm so happy you picked me. =) I love you!

My hubby and the baby (who is apparently very uninterested in playing UNO)...

A Banner Day

OMG, guess what?! I was on the Cardio Killer for 35 minutes this morning! Wahoo! I know, it's hard to believe, but it's true.

There are two different types of Cardio Killers. The one that I had tried before has the handles that move back and forth. Really, it's a machine that should only be used by the highly coordinated. That is definitely not me. The Cardio Killer that I used today has stationary handlebars - a much better choice, I must say. It has this cute little display that lights up the parts of the body that it's targeting at the moment. I was also fond of the encouraging little scroll bar..."You've completed 30% of the workout," "You've completed 60% of the workout," "Time to cool down."

I have to say that the time went by very quickly and my back didn't hurt when I got done like it sometimes does after walking on the treadmill. The bonus was that I could still walk after the time was up. (Okay, so it was touch and go there for a moment, but you try ellipting for 35 minutes and see if you can walk straight!)

I had done abs and stretching before I hopped on the Cardio Killer, so it was a good workout day. You know you're burning calories when your forearms are sweating. Gross, but in a good, burning calories-slimming my lower body-not going to have to wear a tent for the rest of my life sort of way.

Focusing On The Positive

I asked my hubby to push me out of bed this morning if I didn't get up when the alarm went off. Apparently, it wakes him up more than it does me. Go figure.

Thankfully, no pushing was necessary. The baby woke up at 5:20, so I just shut the alarm off, fed her and got ready to go. You'd think that would have been easy.

Let's just say it was a challenging morning before, during and after the gym. I thought about listing the myriad of things that made me want to just climb back in bed, but really, does that accomplish anything? (And, holy cow, the baby just peed on my leg. *sigh*)

So, I'm trying to focus on the good things this morning instead. Like the beautiful sunrise, the gas in my car's gas tank, the low humidity, the coffee I've been steadily drinking, toothpaste that will freshen my coffee breath, and on and on. The simple things.

I know you're dying to know what happened, but don't even bother asking. We're going to be positive today!

What to do...

I've decided I need to do one of two things. I either need to get myself to the gym 4 days a week, every week, or I need to just usemy treadmill at home. It makes no sense to keep the gym membership if I can't manage to get myself there early enough in the morning.

Even though I have the treadmill I find it harder to use it than to get to the gym. Imagine that. It's not because I don't want to, it's because I get distracted. The treadmill is in the laundry room which is in the basement. So, I think, "Well, since I'm going down there I should throw in a load of laundry. So, let me gather laundry from upstairs. Oh, wait, I have to put these other clothes away first. Now, let's take these downstairs. Hmm, clothes are in the washer and dryer already. Gotta' fold the clothes in the dryer first, then switch the clothes before I can put a new load in to wash." 45 minutes later it's too late to get on the treadmill for more than 2 minutes, because then I have to start dinner or it's time for my hubby to get ready for work.

At least not going to the gym can be attributed to not being able to stop my bionic arms and not to doing chores.

So, with 4 weekdays left this week, I have to go. Every. Single. Day. Call me. Hold me to it. Even on Thursday (our 9th wedding anniversary) and Friday (the 4th of July). I have to just GO!

The bug

My sister-in-law was right...I have caught the exercising bug. I was lamenting that with the very real possibility of soon having to work from 4:45pm-12am I would probably have to give up going to the gym. Where would I find an hour to go during the day? She said she thought I'd figure something out, because I'm hooked. She was right. Coincidentally she also said my legs were getting slimmer and since she was right about the gym bug thing, I'm going to take her word on the thinner thing too. I love my sister-in-law. =)

I spent an hour at the gym this morning and was still home by 6:45. It was an early morning. I realized though that I like going in the morning. There is comfort in seeing the same people day after day and being able to spot the "newbies" in the morning crowd.

And some exciting news...I've lost a few more pounds! Wahoo! I've been waiting to see the scale dip down to this new number for some time, and it's actually just 4 ounces away from the number below it. That's exciting! It also makes me want to throw away the rest of the chocolate cupcakes sitting in a pan out on the kitchen counter.

Well, it's a great day for the park in the morning and a swim in the afternoon. Time to corral the kids and get going...

Miscellaneous Monday

I worked until the wee hours on Friday and Saturday nights, so the gym was certainly not in the early morning cards this weekend. This morning was another no-can-do, because I literally had nothing to wear. Laundry is overdue....way overdue. In fact, I think by the day's end I may have exceeded the world record for number of loads of laundry done in one day. There really is that much.

So, this weekend we visited with family from Texas and the boys got to meet their cousins. They all seemed to have a good time. Of course, the older two separated from the younger two and we got to see a new dynamic emerge. Interesting. Oh, and sister-in-law from Fingergate 2008, did you know the older one has been hiding in the small attic part of the room (and apparently there's a small hole for mice?!)? My oldest one told me about it this morning....

I made sure I told just about everyone I saw this weekend at work that I wanted to take the CNA class. Yeah, I know, I said I didn't want to, but it's going to be my best option at this point. I can work at night after my hubby comes home and it pays better than Target or Walmart. Besides, I love the residents. Love, love, love them. And honestly, I know it's a lot of hard, messy work being a CNA, but there's nothing I wouldn't do to help them. So, I'm going to take the class. Now, hopefully, they'll find an instructor and offer a class soon! I've also been thinking about nursing...we'll see...

Well, it's off to switch some laundry so I have something to wear to the gym tomorrow morning. Have a fantastic Monday!

(Oh, here's the blog I started for my dad for Father's Day. You'll pickup some real gems of wisdom from this one!)

I Need Some Coffee...

I spent an hour at the gym this morning. 5 minutes stretching, 10 minutes on abs, 25 minutes on resistance and 20 minutes on cardio. I had the treadmill inclined, so it was "fun" to really work those muscles that don't normally get challenged too much. It actually did feel good to workout that long, especially since I knew my youngest son was going to be in rare form today.

In fact, I might even sneak out to the gym later tonight just to help work off the stress of that "rare form".

There were a few new people there this morning working out. So, I am officially not the largest person there anymore. I don't think I ever was, but now I am definitely not. I hope they stick with it. It will be like watching The Biggest Loser live.

Speaking of The Biggest Loser, why don't they have something like that for those of us who want to lose 30 pounds? I may not weigh 400 pounds, but I sure would like to be on the show. Unfortunately, I'm not big enough. How messed up is that?

Ah, well. See you tomorrow.

Gym Cheapskate

I've lost a few more pounds. It's really not a surprise with everything that's been going on outside of exercising. I'm still very far away from the weight I'd like to be at, but my body seems to want to hang on to the pounds and I seem to want to hang on to the Thin Mints. Go figure.

So, this morning, after running through a quick upper body resistance circuit to get rid of my Jell-O arms, I got to thinking about getting a personal trainer again. It's expensive and you have to sign a contract for 18 months. 18 half-hour visits for forty some dollars per visit...once a month. That's pretty high for my budget. I like using the machines and find that I'm not really comfortable dabbling in the free weight section. Better results from free weights, but if I don't feel comfortable being there I'm just not going to do it. I'm stubborn like that.

What's a girl to do. Stalk, er, covertly observe other gym members that is. I've been noticing certain people who do employ a personal trainer and if I can just watch their routines then I'll copy them. Lordy, I'm a cheapskate at the gym.

So, here's my plan. The treadmills look out over the rest of the gym, so starting on Monday I'm going to start observing the circuit that a couple of the people who are there regularly do while walking on the treadmill. I'll watch and then when I leave I'll jot it down in a notebook in the car. I know, it sounds creepy to be watching someone workout, but I'm not really watching them. I'm mentally recording the machines that they use, so that I can use them too. Without having to spend money that I don't have. Tricky.

I used to go to a gym in Phoenix where the personal trainers met with you once a month and wrote down a routine for you to follow. There was no extra charge (although it was slightly more expensive...about $10 more a month) and even if you just grabbed them to ask a quick question during the month they never acted like you were stealing their time. I liked that. I think that if this gym did the same thing their member retention would be higher. Better support yields better results which yields happier, more motivated members. So, if you're from the gym I go to...HINT, HINT, HINT!