Disney Princess

Well, my friends.... it has certainly been awhile, hasn't it?

So much has happened in the past few months- I did a lot of training and feel I am becoming a MUCH stronger runner. Multiple times I managed to run 3 miles without having to stop and walk- that's a major achievement!

As you may or may not have known- a few weeks ago, I took an 11 day vacation to Orlando. My boyfriend and I spent two days at Disney's All Star Music resort, then hopped on the Disney Dream cruise ship for 5 days! It was amazing! I was still in training for the Disny Princess Half marathon so the first thing I did was check out the spa area where the fitness center was. I was super excited to do a run on the treadmills overlooking the ocean. But, when I went the next day all the treadmills were taken! So, I went to my back up plan which was the out door running deck on level 4 of the ship. It's 2.5 laps for one mile- so I did 5 quick laps and called it a day. I enjoyed the rest of the cruise- the relaxation, the Aqua duck water coaster, Castaway Cay island, Pirate night and fireworks! If you ever get the chance, I definitely recommend a Disney cruise- they're phenomenal (even if you don't have kids)!

After we returned from the cruise, we headed to Disney's Caribbean Beach resort. Absolutely stunning resort (plus a pirate themed pool)! I did my last run before the race at the resort. The humidity knocked me for a loop and slowed me down, but I powered through it. I have to say, that was my only issue with my training for this race. I did my runs in the New England winter, mostly cold days and lots of trips to the gym to go on the treadmill because of the 3.5 feet of snow and ice outside. My body wasn't truly ready for the Florida humidity. Live and learn though, right?

On race day, we got up at 2:30am to catch the shuttle to the race area. I made my boyfriend go with me even though he wasn't running- he did cheer me on throughout the course though. The race officially started at 5:30am and my corral took off at 6:27am. By mile 1, I was already a disgusting sweaty mess, but I kept up with my 3 minutes of running, 1 minute of walking ratios. Soon, the miles were flying by and I was having fun looking at everyone's costumes (some pieces of which littered the race course).

I have to say, Disney definitely is the best race I have ever done. They had water and Powerade at every mile marker. And every few miles they had medic tents with gallon pump bottles of BioFreeze. My legs held up pretty well, I only stopped around mile 10 to slather some BioFreeze onto my calves. I managed to keep trotting along, all the way across the finish line! My official time was 3:34:45. Not as good as I had hoped, but I finished and that was my main goal. If I do do another Disney race, I will try and start one corral up from where I was. I was having difficulty doing my jogging portions every now and again because I had to continuously weave in and out of all the walkers. Don't get me wrong, I definitely had many times when I walked, but I made sure I went to one edge or the other of the course. I was slightly disappointed about being able to run through the castle. I was really looking forward to doing that but once I hit the back of the castle, I came to a dead stop because there were SO many people going through the castle at the same time (a total of 26,000 runners!). We kind of herded our way through and then once we got past the castle a bit I was able to run again.

All in all, it was the BEST race ever! The 13.1 miles went by pretty fast compared to my last half marathon. Perhaps I was in a better mindset because I stuck with my training and felt stronger overall? Maybe it was just being swept up in the Disney magic? I don't know but I loved it!

My boyfriend and I after the race with some pretty sweet Disney bling!

There is another part to this story though! It turns out that my Princess medal is not the only shiny and sparkly thing I came home with! While on the cruise, my boyfriend proposed to me (on the grand staircase, in front of tons of people!) and I, happily, said yes!

 February 18, 2013

We haven't set a date yet. In fact, we are planning on at least a 2 year engagement in order to save up money. In lieu of all of this amazingness, I have decided to step up my healthy eating and living. I have come SO far in my weight loss, but I still have a ways to go in order to be where I want to be. I am challenging myself to lose another 50 pounds in the next two years so I am ready for my wedding and honeymoon (I would really like to be able to wear a bikini and not feel self conscious on my honeymoon). My goal is to get back into blogging. I am starting off slow, because it is the most hectic time of the year at work, and aiming to post twice a week. I still plan on running 2 times a week, and am going to add in 3 times a week of 30 Day Shred. I am begging you to please keep me honest with this. I often get overwhelmed by work and life in general, but this is a totally do-able weekly goal! I may just need a kick in the pants every now and again!

What do you say? Who has their kicking boots on?

6 Miles and a Happy 4th!

First off- Happy belated 4th of July everyone!

Source

I hope y'all had a safe and fantastic Independence day- I know I did! I got to spend my day at Mohegan Sun Casino. They have an amazing fireworks show at the end of the night, and wouldn't you know it but my boyfriend was on the pyro team! Woot! Anywho, we got to the casino around 1:30 and the fireworks didn't go off until a little after 9pm, so while he was working away and playing with explosives, I did laps around the casino, gambled a little, did some shopping, and then headed to the garage roof party to wait for the show. I walked around for about 6 hours! Holy crap crackers!

In other news, I've been keeping up with my training as much as humanly possible with my new summer hours. Today I was hoping to do a 6.5mile run, but I only managed 6 miles before I had to shower and head out for work. On the up side, I did those 6 miles in 1:29:50! Just under one and a half hours! HOORAY!! I'm kind of proud of myself, if I'm going to be honest. I was really feeling tired during mile three, but I managed to continue to push myself. I played around alot with my intervals. I mostly stuck to run 3, walk 1.5. But sometimes I would switch to sprint 2, walk 3 just to give it a little extra oompf.

My legs and back are already starting to feel a little sore, but I'm planning on going in my pool today after I get out of work at 12:30. Hopefully, the weightlessness and the refreshing coolness of the water will help relax my muscles while keeping them active. My next run I'm moving to Monday morning because Tuesday I will be very busy with work. It's only a 2 mile run so it shouldn't be too bad at all.

One thing I'm trying to do for myself this summer is to make sure that I have at least 5 out of the 7 days where I have done some sort of exercise- Whether it's a short swim, a run, a walk, Just Dance on the Wii, or even cleaning- I'm trying to fit something in. I've been stuck at 209-210lbs for the past 3 weeks and it is killing me! So, not only am I trying to increase my calorie burns, I've decreased my daily caloric intake. normally I stick around the 1770 range, I've dropped myself down to 1600 calories a day (this is not taking exercise into considerationg- with more calories burned, I can add on more calories to replenish my system). I'm also trying to more diligent about increasing my daily water intake. I keep a water bottle with me wherever I go, I just have to remember to keep drinking it throughout the day. Ugh!

I would like to be under 200lbs by the time October hits. Not only because that is when I have my half marathon, but also because I will be going on vacation to Las Vegas! I feel that this is a very do-able goal- I just need to stay motivated. Sometimes I get into these funks where I practically convince myself that I will never get through this plateau and under 200. Any advice on how to break that habit?

http://pumpkintoprincess.blogspot.com/2012/07/firecracker-5k-to-benefit-leukemia-and.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+PumpkinToPrincess+%28Pumpkin+to+Princess%29 posted an awesome motivational status on facebook the other day and it really applied to me:  "The BEST muscle to work for weight loss?? Your brain. Change the way you think about food and exercise and it's affect on your health & you WILL change your body." I love that! Also, while I'm talking about Amy- check out her blog and register for her Firecracker 5k Virtual Race to benefit the LLS. You get an awesome engraved finisher medal too! Great stuff!

Anyone have any fun and exciting plans coming up for the summer?

My Fitness Pal

                 Have no fear, fellow bloggers, my training plan is here.

I had a few requests to post up my new training plan, so I did. I even put it on it's own page. Feel free to check it out, follow along with me, etc. I have to say, I like the fact that the traiing plan incudes easy walks in them. Sometimes it's nice to go out and just take a short, relaxing walk to keep the muscles warm and stretched. If I hadn't mentioned before, the plan is actually one designed by Jeff Galloway (though I think I tweaked one or two things). I was doing some research about different training plans online and came across this one. I really liked it, so decided to go with it.

He does include a few runs that have "MM" next to them. "MM" stands for Magic Mile. Basically, the Magic Mile is a one mile timed trial run that you do at a good, but hard pace for yourself. You take that mile and multiply it by 1.2 (for half-marathon training pace). This gives you a pace time for your training runs. There's a whole explanation HERE, along with a handy calculator that lets you see different paces/times for different races. It also gives you a walk/run ratio that seems easy to follow (depending upon your MM).
For me, my fastest mile when I push myself is about 13minutes. Therefore, my training pace will be 17:54/mile. When I do "MM" runs, my goal will be 15:36/miles. Make sense? It took me a bit to wrap my head around as well. ut, I think it's a pretty nifty guide.

Another thing I wanted to discuss today was this app I have on my phone called My Fitness Pal. Does anyone else have it? I love it. I was tossing around the idea of doing Weight Watchers online, but I'm cheap and didn't want to pay $20 a month for it decided I liked My Fitness Pal app better (plus, it's free!). I plug in my current height, weight, daily activity level, and how much I would like to lose per week. It then calculates how many calories I should be eating per day. From there, I input what I eat and drink either by searching food, or using my camera to take a photo of the barcode where it auto-searches the product for me. I can also input my cardio and strength training. Just like with Weight Watchers online, if I exercise, I get more calories to eat back. So, if I know I want to have a small bowl of ice cream tonight, I know I will want to burn some extra calories at the gym beforehand. It's pretty sweet.

My favorite part though? You can connect with friends who have the app as well and leave comments for each other. I can see exercises that friends have done and send them supportive reminders when I see they haven't logged in for a few days. It also has a corresponding website http://www.myfitnesspal.com/ that's user-friendly and has some great user forums.

I've been using it for awhile now to try and get myself back on track. So far, it's been a huge help! I suggest checking it out, and feel free to friend me on there (biggergirlsrun2). We can help each other out! YAY!



A Rant and Getting to Know Your Cupcake

Well, it has most definitely been a hectic week. And it's only Wednesday. OY!

I've been kind of down lately because I got on the scale today and I've gained back 15 pounds. UGH! I'm so angry with myself I could spit! Maybe some of it is because I'm suffering a visit from a not-so friendly friend (ladies, you get my drift). Maybe it's because I just haven't been able to find the time to get my lazy butt to the gym. I've been working so many hours that all I do when I get home is try to unwind a bit and then catch some sleep. On the up side, seeing those numbers on the scale has definitely re-motivated me to get up and get back to the gym more often. I refuse to back track all of the hard work I did last year!! So, tomorrow, I am getting myself up early and going for a run BEFORE work. I'm not a morning person, but it's got to be done.  End rant- now to the fun stuff.

Recently, I was tagged in not one, but TWO different blogs for the 11 Random Things post. So, I'm going to apologize in advance for the super long post - prepare to learn WAY too much about me!

Rules of the Post:

1. Post these rules.
2. You must post 11 random things about yourself.
3. Answer the questions set for you in the post you were tagged in.
4. Create 11 new questions for the people you tag to answer.
5. Go to their blog, FB page, or wherever you can grab their attention and inform them of their obligation to the blogosphere.

11 Random Things About Cupcake:

1. I LOVE baking cupcakes (hence the nickname). Seriously, I delight in coming up with various and sometimes random recipes for people. Apparently my cupcakes are pretty good too because I even got asked to bake them for a wedding in May (Sweet!!) My favorite cupcake to make is my pumpkin spice caramel- sooo yummy and SOOO under 300 calories (as most of my cupcakes are).

2. I am addicted to Bath and Body Works. It probably doesn't help that I work there part-time. But I legit cannot help myself from buying up all of their products! The lotions, the shower creams,soaps, wallflowers, candles... everything!

3. I truly enjoy dancing but have absolutely NO rhythm or dance skills whatsoever. Except when it comes to swing dancing. I took 2 years of swing dance lessons in college and can totally jitterbug with the best of them.

4. My favorite late night snack is a large bowl of mixed fruit (grapes, apples, bananas, berries) topped off with greek yogurt and a handful of gluten free granola and some almonds. YUMM!!

5. I went to an all-women's college and I have never regretted my choice. I loved my school because it was academically challenging and set up in such a way that it helped mold me into the empowered and intelligent woman I am today. It taught me leadership, responsibility, the true value of sisterhood and SO much more.

6. My bedroom is currently painted to look like an ocean. I'm a Pisces- I love water, enough said. One whole wall in my room is a mural (painted by one of my mother's friends) and has dolphins, fish, a beach, a ship, etc all done on it. The opposite wall has the moon and some stars.

7. I love pirates. Not just the Johnny Depp looking ones either, but all kinds of pirates. y family encourages my obsession by gifting me with pirate themed objects. My favorite gift is rolling luggage in the shape of a pirate treasure chest.

8. When I was a young kid (around 9 or 10) I was part of a children's chorus group that was invited to make a cd with Jose Feliciano (the original singer of Feliz Navidad). I went to his house in CT and sang in a sound studio and met his family and everything!

9. I have a candle addiction. At any given time, I have about $250 worth of candles in my bedroom. Totally came in handy during the freak October storm where I was without power for a week.

10. I enjoy painting my nails. It's something I tend to do on my "Me" nights. It makes me feel all girly and pretty. I've gotten much better at doing my own nails also. I don't make nearly as big of a mess as I used to.

11. I have my bartending license. Yup. One of the things I did after I graduated college was get my bartending license. You never know when you may need a second job to help bring in some extra cash. Plus, I love mixing drinks more than I love actually drinking them.


11 Questions I have to Answer:


Questions from Becoming An Ironman

1. What did you want to be when you were growing up?  What do you want to be now that you have grown up?         I remember being in sixth grade and having to write down what I wanted to be when i grew up. We then had to hand in our answers and go around the room trying to guess who answered which job. I wrote that I wanted to be a comedian. I love making people laugh! Now that I am grown up, I still want to be a performer, just not necessarily a stand-up comedian.
2. If you came into a large fortune all of a sudden and were set for life, what is the first thing you would do?     I would pay off all my parents bills and make sure they were financially secure. Then, I would pay off most of my debts, donate a large portion of money to various charities and then put some into my savings. Sensible, right?
3. What is your favorite flavor of ice cream?    If we are going original- vanilla. If you mean "out of the box" flavors- peanut brittle.
4. Of all the places you've been - vacation, work, or any other reason - which was your favorite and why?    I LOVED Italy. Probably one of the most beautiful places I have ever been in my entire life. The way that the past and present is so intermingled in all of the cities is truly astonishing and absolutely breathtaking.
5. What is your favorite time of day to exercise?   Mondays. I feel it usually helps me get my week off to a good start.
6. Everyone has an innate fear.  What are you naturally afraid of?  I am truly afraid of disappointing people. Random, but it's true. I can't stand having people being disappointed or upset with me- it eats away at my heart.
7. Which holiday is your favorite?, and why?   Probably Halloween. Not because of the candy- but because I get to dress up and act silly.
8. It's Friday night and you have the whole weekend ahead of you, what do you do?   I would probably be out performing in a show or watching a live show somewhere.
9. What was the very last meal you ate?   Fish, brussel sprouts and some mashed potatoes.
10. What is your big race this year?, and what is your goal for that race?  My big race is another half marathon- The DIVA half (hopefully). And my goal is 3 hours.
11. What is the toughest aspect of training for you?  How do you overcome it?  My toughest aspect is finding the time and maintaining the motivation to keep running. I'm still working on overcoming it. I feel if I start to set smaller goals for myself I might be more willing to continue.

Questions from BabyWilt

1. When and why did you start to run and if you don't run, why did you start to exercise? I started running in the fall of 2010 because I wanted to cross "finish a race" off my bucket list.
2. Where was you last vacation?  My last "vacation" was to North Carolina for my 5 year college reunion.
3. What phrase or word do you tend to overuse? I say "you're welcome" and "I'm sorry" a lot. (The first one I got from Chelsea)
4. How many hours of sleep do you average a night? I try to get at least 6.
5. How many siblings do you have? Two. One brother, one sister.
6. What is you favourite food and why?  My favorite food is sushi. I love seafood!!
7. What do you like to do most in your "me time"?  I tend to put on either a movie or some music and chill out while I give myself a manicure.
8. Have you ever done something you thought (or were told) you could never do? Yes. I finished a half marathon.
9. What is your favourite post exercise meal or snack?  I love peanut butter and bananas after a run.
10. What is your favourite time of the day?  My favorite time of the day is about 11:30am. At least, that's my favorite time to go work out.
11. I work at home at my computer so check blogs/emails/twitter/facebook regularly; How do YOU organise the social media in your life?   I have an iPhone that helps me keep in touch with social media. However, I have been slacking on a lot of my social media outlets simply because I just don't have the time to respond/post/etc. 

People I am Tagging:

Wells L @My Story... Chapter 2
Amy @Pumpkin to Princess
Suz and Allen @Cows and Lasers and Everything in Between
Carly @Chubby Chicks Run Too

Questions They Must Answer:

1. What is your all-time favorite season and why?
2. If you could run a race anywhere in the world, where would it be and why?
3. What is your fondest memory?
4. What is something that you have done in your life that makes you proud?
5. What is something that you are terrifies of?
6. If you were stranded on an island and could only have three things with you, besides a form of travel and food, what would your three things be?
7. What is your favorite animal and why?
8. Have you ever wished upon a star? If so, did it come true?
9. What is the most current book you have read?
10. What is your favorite piece of running gear? Why?
11. How much wood could a woodchuck chuck, if a woodchuck could chuck wood?

Happy Holidays

Ok, I'm a little late on the holiday message, 

but I hope everyone did have a Great Holiday!

 Source

I was very very spoiled by both my family and my boyfriend- much more than I deserved!
I got a great stash of exercise stuff (what better way to re-motivate myself into working out again!).
A 5lb kettle bell, Wii Just Dance 3 (cause we all know how much I love that game), and a new BRIGHT PINK running jacket are just some of the goodies this kid got to open on Christmas day!

Needless to say I've already sported my new jacket (just to see how it felt) and I've done a Just Dance 3 workout (epic!!) and a kettle bell circuit. I know I gained some weight over the holidays (I went up 8 lbs - boo! hiss!!) so I'm determined to drop those pesky 8 and another 15 by my birthday at the end of February.

For now, Just Dance is going to have to suffice, at least until my cough/chest congestion is gone. It's hard to run when one cannot breathe. I finally gave in last week and went to the doctors. Got put on antibiotics and allergy meds to help dry me out. The doctor then told me he wants me to start drinking a gallon of water a day. A gallon!? I mean, I hydrate pretty well. I usually hit my 8-10 eight ounce glasses of water per day... I always have a water bottle stashed somewhere... but a gallon seems a bit much. I'm doing my best though (even if my bladder isn't happy with me).

One problem I've been running into though is how much I crave salt while drinking ll this water. I think I'm flooding my system a bit too much so my body is trying to get some electrolytes in there (same as when running long distances, right?). So, I may have to add a bottle of gatorade in along with my new hydration plan. I'm also working on spacing out my cups of water. Sometimes I intake about 3 glasses of water in a very short period of time (because I get thirsty), so I'm trying to slow my pace and drink one glass of water every hour and a half or so (unless I get thirsty... but I figure if I'm maintaining a steady intake, I shouldn't get overly thirsty, right?).

Anyway, how was everyone else's holiday?! Anyone get any fun/exciting/new/unusual presents?!

Darn You Lance Armstrong!

No, it's not what it seems. 

I love Lance. 

Really. 

 The things he has had to overcome, and the fact that he HAS overcome them, gives me hope and faith that I can do anything- even run a half marathon. "So, why are you dissing on The Boss?" you may be asking yourself. To clarify, I'm not dissing him at all. His exercise equipment, however, almost made my legs fall off! I tried out a new cross training machine today, it was a Live Strong LS13.0 Elliptical, and man did it kick my ass!

Source

Let me tell you a little bit about it: Firstly, the frame it has actually helps keep your body upright while you're working out. This helps lower the stress that is placed on your joints when using an elliptical machine. I noticed this myself when I tried to lean forward a bit and rest my arms through the loops (what? My arms get tired easily! Don't judge me!) and it felt really uncomfortable. Normally, on the elliptical I use at my gym, I can lean forward and rest my upper body and it doesn't bother me at all. Hooray for my own observational powers!  Another thing that rocks about this machine is the fact that it has arch pedals. They are rounded up (as opposed to the bucket ones on other machines) and this aids in stimulating your glutes and other various leg muscles so you get the ultimate workout.

As I've said before, I tend to use the elliptical for my cross training, so I figured this would be a "no sweat" workout for me. I put on an episode of Ghost Whisperer on my laptop and jumped on the machine. I planned on 45 minutes (the length of an episode, minus commercials- thank you Netflix) but made it about 25 minutes before I felt completely spent. I felt like I was running uphill the whole time- my glutes were most definitely engaged (and they turned into some monster Bridezillas! Youch! Get what I did there? Engaged...Bridezillas. Just me? Okay... moving on.)

Anyway, it was a great workout, just much more intense than I anticipated. I know Lance is hardcore and loves a challenge (don't we all?) but that was INSANE! Anyway, I hope everyone is having a fantastic holiday weekend! I may or may not be having a bbq tomorrow at my parents house, but either way, I've got the day off and I may try and use this killer machine again. Now that I know what to expect, maybe I can make it 30 minutes!

Happiness... in my Pants

A quick post because I had something awesome happen to me today.

A very good friend of mine gave me some of her old size 14 jeans that she no longer can fit into (because they are too big). I decided it would be funny to try one pair on. Lo and behold I managed to get into the jeans and pull them up, I just couldn't button them!

Ok, why am I excited that I couldn't button jeans, you may ask?! WELL.... because they were a size 14 jeans! I've been wearing 20 and 18 for as long as I can remember and even trying to get my leg in a size 14, never mind pulling them all the way up to my waist, was a laughable thing. But now, I'm so close to being IN a size 14, I can practically taste it! SO EXCITING!

In other news, I'm feeling almost 90% lately, and I'm hoping to return to my previously interrupted running schedule come this Sunday. I'm still coughing a bit, but it's mostly when I go from warm air to cold air and vice versa. The temperature change aggravates my lungs for a little bit. Even during the show tonight I wasn't coughing nearly as much as I had been last week. Hooray for antibiotics! So my goal is to run at least 1.5 miles this Sunday before I go to work. Woot woot!! Size 14 here I come!!

Don't Rain on My Parade

Sorry for not updating last night. We had a winter wonderland of a storm hit during the show, so I stayed at a friends house. The same thing happened tonight, but it wasn't nearly as bad of a storm so I made my way home for the evening.

I will be honest, I'm probably not going to update my food and exercise for the past two days:
1. because most everything is essentially the same.... at least exercise-wise and
2. because I feel like crap and am in a rotten and foul mood.

So, I apologize in advance for my ranting and lack of happiness and sun-shiny brightness. As soon as I return to a healthy physical state, I'm sure my mood will lift as well.

I am angry. Not just because I'm sick and feel awful, but because in being sick I couldn't finish my 5 miles for the week and Lord only knows if I will be able to run any day soon. Also, I'm missing out on being able to bond with my cast mates. Everyone went out tonight for a cast members birthday and I had to scuttle home and hide in quarantine. Granted, this was my own decision and I probably wouldn't change it, I don't want to give people what I've got because it is not fun. Besides passing along my plague (as we can all plainly see) when I'm sick, I'm rotten and mean and have a very short fuse. No one deserves that kind of personality to be around on their birthday... or even just in general. It has nothing to do with my friends, family, or anything besides me. I'm just mad at myself for getting sick and having to be in quarantine. Sounds crazy... probably is. Don't care.

I'm not going to harp on "oh woe is me" because no one wants to hear that shit and as I said before, this is of my own choosing. just wanted to clarify why I will not be doing my usual update tonight.
For now, I've taken multiple cough meds, a flu med and an Advil PM. I have Halls and Vicks by my side should I happen to wake up out of the medically-induced coma I'm about to embark on. See you all in a few days hopefully.

P.S. I wonder how many calories are in the medicines I just took. Will find out late. Peace!

...And a Little of That

I ran 2 miles today! Yay! Well, technically, I actually ran 1.5 of the 2 miles, the other parts I ended up having to walk. But my endurance is getting MUCH better! Hooray! At first I wasn't going to go to the gym to run because I forgot to set my alarm and woke up later than expected. I had a bunch of errands to do, but I motivated myself and went and I'm glad I did. I've officially completed 3.5 of my 5 miles for the week! Woot! I think I'm going to run the other 1.5 outside this weekend hopefully- it depends on if it snows or not.

Here's today's breakdown:

Food

Sushi (I forgot the name of the roll, but I looked at the nutrition label at least)- 95 calories
Garlic Hummus (4 servings throughout the day)- 240 calories
Baby carrots (2 servings)- 70 calories
Sliced white mushrooms (3 servings)- around 30 calories
Chicken Soup: homemade (half a serving)- 100 calories
Peanut Butter on Whole Wheat Bread- 450 calories
Banana Nut Cheerios with 1% milk-150 calories
1 glass of 1% milk- 110 calories
Half of a 12oz sugarfree redbull- 7.5 calories

Grand Total: 1252.5 calories



Exercise

2 mile run in 20 minutes- 245 calories
Dancing for 30 Minutes- 300 calories
Acting for 2 hours- 500 calories

Grand Total: 1045 calories burned!

(I wonder if I'm burning more calories than this though because I do the entire show in 3 inch heels? Possibly? If anything, my legs are getting toned, haha!)

All in all, it was a good day. I'm glad I managed to motivate myself to go to the gym, even when I didn't really feel I had it in me to go. But, not only did I go, I pushed myself and did more than I had originally planned. Awesome!

A Little of This....

Howdy Howdy Howdy!

Tonight is probably going to be a short update, but oh well, I suppose not every day needs to be a novel haha.

First, we shall start out with a story..... Today I went shopping for a new bra for the show I'm in (because the one I was wearing is too big, which is fun times). I decided, whilst shopping for my brassiere, to also try on a pair of pants, just to gauge where I am size-wise in a particular store. I managed to slip into a size 17 comfortably, which was exciting. I didn't try to push to a size 16 though. The 17's were comfy on the waist, but loose in the legs, so I figure I have a few more pounds to go before I hit a 16, but it's not far away by any means. Hooray me!

Here is today's stat updates:

Food

Deli sliced chicken sandwhich with honey mustard and 1 slice of American cheese (white) on whole wheat bread- around 550 calories
Can of Light Italian Vegetable soup- 200 calories
Pistachios- about 85 calories (for the small serving I had)
Veggie Burger with Honey mustard- 180 calories
Small serving of Kielbasa and Sauerkraut- 140 calories
Redbull sugarfree 12 oz- 15 calories

Grand total: 1170 calories


Exercise

Acting for 2 hours- about 500 calories
Dance for 30 minutes- around 300 calories

Grand total: 800 calories burned!

And I swear I'm going to start next week with the weigh-ins because I have to get a working scale. Tomorrow's plan is to run another mile and a half, though I may push it to 2 miles tomorrow if I really feel like it. Then, more dancing and acting with the show tomorrow night.

A Good Way to Start the Day

Today was a very productive day. I woke up early and went running (of my own free will haha) at the gym. I ran a short mile and a half run, but it was so much better than expected. I finished it in 22 and a half minutes flat, so I'm running about a 15min/mile. The exciting part, however, is not only did I run over a mile of the 1.5 miles (I managed to run 1.1 miles in total) but I also ran for 12 minutes straight without having to stop to walk!! I'm so proud of myself! And considering I haven't run since the 5k, this is awesome!

Kurt also helped me map out a 5k run on the streets around my house so I can do some outside training as well. I've given myself a goal of running 5 miles a week. So, however I feel like breaking it down is up to me and how I am feeling that week, but I am going to meet or exceed 5 miles every week, for the next 6 weeks. Once I've completed 6 weeks worth of this goal, I'm going to increase it to 8miles a week, then 10 miles and so on and so forth. I've decided that, not only do I want to run in a few more 5ks, but I also would like to possibly attempt a half-marathon. I'm hoping to be able to run in the ING half-marathon in Hartford this fall.

Anywho, now on to today's stat updates-

Exercise:

1.5 miles run in 22 and a half minutes- 181 calories
Dance (for the show) for about 30 minutes- around 300 calories
Acting on stage for 2 hours- about 500 calories

Total calories burned- 981 calories!!

Food:

Soy Protein shake with 1% milk- 220 calories
Can of tuna fish with light mayo- around 100 calories
Soy Protein shake with 1% milk- 220 calories
Chicken and Vegetable Stir-Fry (homemade)- around 350
Hummus and Rice Crackers (90 calorie pack)- 170 calories

Grand Total- 1060 calories!!

All in all, not too bad of a day though I am under in calories. Tomorrow's plan is to do some toning and/or strength training. Hooray!

Healthy Holidays!

Happy Holidays to everyone!
I hope y'all had a fantastic holiday weekend with loved ones, I know I did. :)

I did a lot of cooking this weekend: kielbasa and sauerkraut, bbq kielbasa ham, turkey, broccoli cheese and rice casserole, chicken curry, cocktail sauce for shrimp and a key lime mousse pie. Phew!

I ate little bits of different things, but managed to not go overboard thankfully.
I also used some of Kurt's ideas from his blog and did little spurts of exercise throughout the day. Calf raises while cooking, bicep curls while carrying dishes, played with my new Wii dance games and my brother's new Xbox Kinnect. The Kinnect is pretty awesome and I fell in love with the Kinnect Adventures Rallyball game. Sooooo much fun. My brother and I also played beach volleyball, river rafting, agility courses, and bowling.

I also received my S2H Replay watch that I had mentioned in an earlier post. I've already wracked up over 60min of exercise time and got my first points (yay!) Some people think the watch is weird but I think it adds some extra motivation to my life. I can get gift cards to Best Buy, Dick's Sporting Goods, a Spa, Farmville, all kinds of crazy places. I love it!

Kurt also gave me my own headwarmer for when I run, since during the race I had to borrow one of Chelsea's. (Another very exciting gift!) I also received a lot of candles (I have a passion for candles and scarves lol), a really cool infinity reflections candle holder, Wii exercise dance games and lots of healthy foods (pistachios, soy protein, hummus, etc). All in all, a fantastic holiday!

Leave a comment and let me know how your holidays went and what cool presents you received!

Not too Shabby

I'm currently sitting at my desk, having just gotten in from rehearsal. I made myself a small salad and decided, while I (finally) have a free minute to myself, I should update. (Also, Kurt reminded me at rehearsal to update, so- Thanks Kurt!)

Today was another day of the same ole same ole. I worked, hunted down some more things I needed for my costume, finished some last minute holiday shopping, picked up the keys I needed for the place I will be house-sitting next week, showered, changed and got dolled up for rehearsal.
Rehearsal was good, I'm enjoying doing the dancing, I'm just sad it's the only physical fitness I have time for in my schedule right now. (I don't think walking around the store for 5 hours really counts, though sometimes I do break a sweat).


And now I am sad because I just dropped my salad all over my floor because I accidentally knocked it off my desk. 5 second rule applies, right? :( SADNESS!!!!
That was the last of my lettuce too. Argh! I guess my Gatorade will have to tide me over till morning.

Anyway, things I have eaten today:

a handful of cheez-its (roughly around 13 crackers, which is the serving size oddly enough): 150 calories
a handful of strawberry peanut butter m&ms: roughly around 240 calories
3 molasses chicken legs (the tiny, party size): around 350 calories
small salad with deli sliced buffalo chicken and a teaspoon of peppercorn ranch dressing: around 400 calories
low calorie gatorade: 45 calories
3 glasses of Smart Balance fat free milk: 330 calories

Grand total: 1515 calories

I don't think that's too bad. I just need to start taking a protein shake to work with me so I don't snack on random things during my break. I'm proud I kept the serving sizes small though so the calories didn't add up at all. I also drank around 8 glasses of water today, so yay me!

As far as exercise goes I walked for 5 hours today, but it was at a very slow pace, so I'd say that burned around 500 calories (I was loading and unloading large boxes of product as well, so that counts too). Then I did dance, sporadically, for about 30 minutes, which burned about 300 calories.

Grand total: about 800 calories burned.

Not too shabby I suppose. I would like to get it to wear I am burning at least 1000 calories a day.

I forgot to purchase my body band today so I could start my new toning routine. I have it on my list to do so for tomorrow though- along with working, wrapping presents, rehearsal, etc etc.

Back on Track

I believe I mentioned (possibly a few times) that I'm training for a 5k run. Well, I took a little under 2 weeks off because I wasn't feeling well and life just got very hectic for me with performances, trips, rehearsals, interviews, etc. Anyway, I got back on track today and started week 4 of the 9 week program. I'm up to running 16min out of 30min. Not too shabby! If I'm honest, I didn't make it through all of the last 5 minutes I was supposed to run, but it's my first day back so I can let it slide. The next two days I run there will be no slacking though!

Here's what I did today for exercise:

Week 4, Day 1 of c25k training- Brisk 5min walk warm up, run 3 min, walk 90sec, run 5min, walk 2 and a half min, run 3 min, walk 90sec, run 5 min, walk 5 min cool down.

After I finished the training program, I was at 2 miles, so I continued walking/running intervals until I ran a whole 5k. I finished in 48min, which is roughly 15min/mile. YAY!!! My time has dropped- I used to run a 16 1/2 min mile.

On top of this, I also found a really fun circuit training program in my Fitness magazine. It was designed by Bob Harper, one of the trainers on Biggest Loser. It's a circuit training that targets abs, arms, shoulders, butt, back and legs. It's really easy to do, but I felt the burn and worked up a sweat while doing it. You can see the workout here: Right to Bare Arms.
I highly recommend it :)

A side note- I found this watch in my Fitness magazine as well and I really want (and it's only $20!!!) S2H.com

On another happy note, I just got hired for a second part time job. I will be working at Bath and Body Works at my local mall. I'm excited! I worked there when I was in college and I really enjoyed it so I'm glad to be hired back. Plus, it's still a relatively flexible schedule as I'm only a seasonal employee and it provides me with more income for the holidays (on top of an awesome discount at the store, which is where I will probably end up getting everyone's gifts hahahaha).
I was also recently cast in another show: Chicago.

Things are looking up for me. I've been keeping a positive attitude and going after the things I want out of life. It seems to be working, if current happenings are any indication.
It's true what they say- think positive thoughts and positive will come back to you!

Exercise, Zumba and Meditation

The past few evenings I've been trying to keep myself occupied so I don't feel so utterly alone. I mean, I've gone to the gym, even started taking Zumba classes (which are utterly amazing and SO much fun, I'd like to add) just so that I'm not sitting around the house twiddling my thumbs. I had said that I was going to focus my energy on me and that's what I'm attempting to do now. I don't mind going to the gym by myself- it's actually better that way because then I can stay however long or short I want. And the exercise makes me feel better all around- makes me happier, makes me feel healthier, look better, have better self-confidence. I think I'm going to like this "me" time I'm investing into.

As for Zumba, tonight was my first class. My friend and I went to a place a few towns over. The class was held in a dance studio and it was a ton of fun! Everyone was really nice and even though most everyone knew the routines already, it was still an enjoyable time for us newbies as well. I can't wait to go back. I'm sure I'm going to be beyond sore tomorrow but I don't care- I had fun! I also picked up the studio's fall semester schedule and there's a beginning jazz dance class I would love to take as well, though doing Zomba 2-3 times a week, on top of the gym is probably going to kill me haha.

I've heard people say that exercise can make you feel happier but I guess I never really experienced it for myself until now. Now that I'm not stressing over certain things *cough men cough* it's easier for me to enjoy my workouts. I just put on some rocking music and get down to business or turn on the television and before I know it, I've been working out for over an hour! Friggin sweet! Now I think I just need to work in some meditation into my day.

I took a meditation class in college and it didn't go so well. I mean, I like being able to sit and relax and just breath but I have two huge problems when it comes to meditation:
1. I cannot get my mind to shuttup! My thoughts always start out being focused on a word or a color or a scene and then they pole jump from topic to topic and I get lost in my thoughts. ANdI try to bring myself back to a focal point but a few minutes later, the same thing happens. Correct me if I'm wrong but I was under the assumption that when meditating, one was supposed to be able to quiet the mind and free it from all thought. If so, I fail. Epically.
2. If my mind is not jumping from one lily-pad of thought to another, it's because I fell asleep. I just get too relaxed I guess and I drift off (probably from the sheer exhaustion of trying to reign in my thoughts). It was actually rather embarrassing to be caught snoring when I was supposed to be meditating. Ugh.

Oh well, I suppose like all things, it will take some practice. Maybe I can find a guided meditation and follow that for awhile before trying a quieter, more focused one. Here's hoping!