And now it's May

Well, time is just flying right by, isn't it?? 

Time for my monthly update! 

SCRAP AREA

About halfway done, which doesn't seem like much since it's been weeks since I started. It would really help if I could stay healthy for longer than 10 days. But I did get my table in place, & have my Copics at the ready. All I have to do is find some paper & a stamp & I'm back in business! 

This poor project is kind of the "when I have a spare hour I'll work on it" project. And with the weather {finally} getting nicer, time indoors will become even less. I no longer care about the walls. I mean, I will finish painting. Eventually. I just want to get MY stuff back in its place & get crafting! 

KITCHEN

This is the project my brother is helping us with. My brother, who lives an hour away & has his own kitchen remodel going on. This also has become a when-it-gets-done project. There really is no rush, because when it IS finally done I'll have to paint the whole kitchen. Ain't got time for that right now. At least I no longer have a hole in my wall. Always look on the bright side, right? 

DISNEY/ UNIVERSAL

Yikes, our vacation is only 3 months away! I've got some shopping to do!! 

FITNESS

This is big for me. If you are friends with me on Facebook or read this, my always-current blog (!), then you will know that I have struggled with weight gain for over a year now. My doctor isn't concerned. She said the gain, plus the rise in my cholesterol, can be contributed to menopause. Probably also the reason I don't sleep well. Thanks a lot, middle age. But it's so weird .... I've been gaining SINCE I started going to the gym. 

I was only about 5 or 10 lbs up when my son convinced me to get a membership. I started out just walking on the treadmill. I now take classes, walk the treadmill on at least a 5 incline, & use the weight machines & free weights. And yet, I keep going up. My diet isn't perfect. Anyone who knows me knows I'm a super picky eater, I love fruit but hate most veggies & I do have a sweet tooth. I'm trying to be better. I eat more of the veggies I do like (I should be orange from all the carrots I eat) & have really cut down on the sugar. But I'd rather not eat at all than eat kale, which apparently is THE best food to eat. I worked at Ponderosa in high school. Kale is a decoration for the salad bar, not something you make a smoothie with. 

So now, I've decided to start running. I decided to try the C25K program. I've only been doing it for 2 weeks but did skip ahead right off the bat, since I have been using the treadmill for a while now & can easily walk for an hour. So I'm on week 4. I've joined some chat forums for c25k peeps, plus a couple of other fitness boards. I magically started receiving SHAPE magazine at work. Seriously, one day it was in my mail box, addressed TO ME, but I never ordered it. I've been getting it for a months now & normally I don't have time to read magazines but I really like it. The fitness gods must have gifted me the subscription.

I did a bit of research before starting to run & guess what. I step completely wrong. Remember the song "put one foot in front of the other .... & soon you'll be walking out the doooooor"? {you have that in your head now, don't you? You're welcome}. Apparently walking isn't that easy. Apparently I'm a heel striker & apparently I have to learn how to step properly.

If that wasn't bad enough, I also don't breathe correctly. Geez, having to start all over again with breathing & walking .... does this mean I can go back to taking 3 naps a day as well?? 

We shall see how this all plays out. I would like to try to run a 5k by the end of summer. Just to say I did it. I'll keep you updated on my progress!! 


If you made it this far, thank you! I really hope to be back to making something other than a mess sometime soon! 

My attempts at fitness

I have never been a runner. I could walk forEVER .... but running just wasn't my thing. Shin splints ..... cramps .... & the fact that I really don't sweat so my face turns purple .... all the things I have to look forward to if I try to run.

In January I joined a gym. However, I was sick 3 times in 2 months, which means I kept having to start over. I've gained 5 pounds since that day I joined. And do NOT tell me it's muscle. This body has nooo muscle.

What do I do at the gym?? Everything. Except the evilliptical. And I haven't tried any of the classes yet, but I will. I walk or run on the treadmill, I bike, I spend about 1/2 hour on the weight machines. Maybe I'm doing it all wrong. Or, maybe I'm just defective. 

I'm not overweight. I'm the one that perpetually needs to lose 10 pounds. Well, now it's 15 because of the 5 the gym made me put on. I just want to be healthy.

When I joined the gym, I bought a Fitbit. I've been trying for the last 1/2 hour to get a screen shot of my dashboard from my phone onto my computer, to no avail. I'm getting irritated. Does irritation burn calories?

Anyway .... between the Fitbit & the gym, & now summer & all the yard work I've been doing, I figure I should be a size -4. Unfortunately I'm still in the positives. Double digits. Ouch. 

So..... this post is about nothing more than my frustration with my journey. I thought I'd lose those 10 pounds and get fit & healthy in the process. Instead, I've gained weight, & still can't run more than 1/2 mile. 

What do you do for your health?? Do you belong to a gym? If so, do you like to mix it up, or do you stick to one or two things?? Classes?? Or, are you one of those who eats 80,943 calories a day & doesn't work out, & is a size 2? If so, please don't comment, just move along to the next blog.

Linking up with:

Wordless Wednesday

Wake up Wednesday

Happy Valentine's Day!

Hahaaa sadly this is so true! My husband just got home from work and ... well, it's just another day. It was fun back when we were dating, but I'm ok with it just being Saturday :)

But .... to all of you who do actually celebrate, I hope you have a fantastic night! It's about 500 degrees below zero here with the windchill & I am not leaving my house until Monday when I have to go back to work. I have a list of things to get done around here & so far I've ..... well, I've made the list.

The last couple of weeks have been rough around here ... there's just not enough Lysol in the world. First I was sick, thankfully not the OMGI'mdying kind of sick, but enough that I did miss one day of work. I was just feeling better, when my 12 year old became ill. Again, thankfully, no fever nor stomach issues -- the 2 worst kinds of sick. But he did miss 2 days of school. 

NOW we are all better **knocking on wood** ... and I am back on the fitness track. We joined a gym last month, & I LOVE it! Wait ... who said that?? Never did I imagine I'd like going to a gym. When I was sick all I could think about was having to start over & that I couldn't wait to get back. If you are into fitness, I found a GREAT blog .....

Fitness Food Diva

now, I don't do nearly what she does ... nor will I ever ... but what I love about her blog is all the different things she does with weights & machines. I've been using the machines as I was shown only ... she shows ways to use them that are a bit more creative & works other muscles than what they were originally intended for, & the more things I can do during my time at the gym the better. Check it out if you're looking for a little something different in your routine!

And .... still loving my Fitbit!!!! Very motivational ... instead of thinking "I do NOT want to go all the way down to the warehouse" when I'm at work, I now offer to go for other people LOL. It's an awesome feeling to see at the end of a long busy day that I've walked more than 15,000 steps ... makes me feel like I accomplished something, even if I accomplished nothing.

I am leaving you with a photo of one of my favorite Valentine's Day cards I ever made, with one of the cutest High Hopes images ever:

Yes, I miss making cards. Yes, I still read craft blogs & follow craft boards on Pinterest. You can take the girl away from the crafts, but you can never take the craft out of the girl, I guess. 

I bought a Fitbit!

See? I told you I was serious about this fitness stuff! I bought a Fitbit & I am loving it :)  

Some friends had mentioned trackers in a Facebook conversation the other day & it really got me thinking. I knew about them of course, but I didn't know much about all the different ones out there. Spent the next couple of days reading online reviews & blogs ... & decided the Fitbit One was the best one for me. I wore it for the first time yesterday & made it to 6,300 steps. The optimal is 10,000 so I have a ways to go. It's hard because I have a desk job. But I do get up often .... to the copier .... to see my boss ... to the kitchen to load up on coffee & water .... then to bathroom to unload all that coffee & water. 

It's 7:30 PM right now & I'm up to 6,721 steps .... 24 flights of stairs .... 2.98 miles .... & I've burned 1,644 calories. We also decided we are going to give the gym a try, I can't wait to watch my numbers go up! 

If you want to be Fitbit friends (yes, there is such a thing LOL) email me! I welcome any extra motivation! 

Certain songs can amp up your workout?

So I mentioned in my last post that this is the year I will start working out on a regular basis. I'm not talking a walk around the neighborhood here & there .... which has basically been my routine till now. I'm talking either joining a gym .... or buying a treadmill or elliptical. I've been doing lots of research about different types of exercise .... weight training (because I have old lady arms) .... running vs walking .... cute workout clothes (ya gotta look good to feel good!) .... & I came across this interesting article. It basically says that while listening to music can intensify a workout, there is scientific evidence these 5 songs are the best to listen to while working out, to maximize the benefits: 

"Eye of the Tiger" (Survivor) 109 BPM

"Don't Stop Me Now" (Queen) 154 BPM

"Beat It" (Michael Jackson) ... one of my all time favorite songs ....needless to say it's already on my playlist! 139 BPM

"I Like to Move It" (Reel 2 Real) ... if I'm going to listen to this I'll also have to watch Madagascar in my head. 123 BPM

"Push It" (Salt N Pepa) ... one of my favorite club songs back in the day. 130 BPM


Not only that, but they included a link to this website, which will calculate the BPM of any song! 

I checked a couple in my play list ..... 

"You're the One That I Want" (Grease) 106 BPM

"Enter Sandman" (Metallica) 139 BPM

"Back in Black" (AC/DC) many version listed, with BPM ranging from 96 up to 193

"So What" (Pink) 79 BPM

I know, my play list is very eclectic! 

Anyway, I found this all very interesting & I can go to bed tonight knowing I learned something new today :)