Spring is here!

Of course it is still chilly here but the rain is certainly a sign of spring. I have been able to walk outside a bit more. I am still at the gym whenever I can get there. On the nights I can't then I workout on my treadmill at home or with a video.

I am planning our own Easter dinner this year which is great because then I can make only healthy options and not feel guilty about enjoying my holiday meal.

I am a few weeks away from getting my first blood check done but I am trying to do it sooner. I have been so tired and having the paper in hand that says it isn't due to cancer would be great!

Good luck to all who are in the Gold's Gym Online Challenge! I lost 11.5 pounds in two months. Not great but I can't complain since I had a surgery right in the middle of it all!

Reality Check

I was thinking tonight while sweating on the elliptical that I haven't been getting up early to work out like I did during the challenge last year. Things are different now. Last summer I didn't have to worry about getting kids up, fed and dressed for school. Last summer I didn't really have any hair to take the time to style. Last summer it was light out at 6:00 in the morning. Now in order to get in 30 minutes of cardio before getting ready for work I would have to get up no later than 5:15. I am soooo not a morning person so this has been very difficult for me. Especially during the winter when it is cold and dark. I enjoy working out at night anyway. It is a good way to release the stress of the day.

Also the reality of being the mom has come back to slap me in the face during the challenge. It is difficult to get in workouts at night when you have scout meetings, soccer games, school programs, doc appointments etc. Then comes the money part. I have one child who just got braces and also broke his leg the week before that. I just paid to have the dog "snipped" and "chipped". Gas and food are becoming more expensive every week. And of course there are my own medical bills. This makes it difficult for me to justify paying for training sessions and supplements etc. I always allow myself a gym membership but everything else I want for me - time and money - will go to my family first when needed. At least it is starting to warm up and this will allow me to workout outside with my family - bike rides, swimming, even yardwork.

Thought for the day

I was attending and speaking at a women's conference yesterday and the coordinator had a wonderful quote.

What I do today must be important, because I am paying a day of my life for it. What I accomplish must be worthwhile, because that price is high.

As a cancer survivor I know this well, live each day to the fullest and give thanks for it every day. Get up off the couch and make the most of your day.

Leap Day and "March"ing on

Happy Leap Day everyone.

I hope you are taking advantage of this "free" or "extra" day although we don't really notice it that way. (Wouldn't it be great to get an "extra" Friday!) But it is one more day toward making your February goals and one more day of putting off things that are due in March, so I can't complain about that.

Of course on a more selfish note, I am the March person for the Gold's calendar so I am ready to change the calendar to March!!! :-) Hopefully looking at that picture of myself spinning away will remind me several times a day of what I am slowly but surely achieving. No doubt it will motivate me to make sure I get to the gym at night instead of settling in on the couch. It is one thing to have a picture of yourself back in the skinny days to help keep you focused, but being on a national calendar about health and exercise certainly kicks it up a notch.

Frustration

I know I should cut myself some slack. I just had surgery and I am on medication that causes me to be in menopause and slow down my metabolism. I still don't give up but I have to admit I am a bit dismayed. I lost weight much quicker in the challenge last spring/summer but I was also on different medication then and I didn't have to slow down for a surgery during that time.

So my frustration is due to the fact that I have the mid-point weigh in at the gym this Saturday. They have a different scale in the results center now and when I stepped on it this evening after biking for 30 minutes I was only down 3 pounds since starting their challenge almost 6 weeks ago. Granted I weigh in there in the mornings and this was in the evening and after consuming about 20 ounces of water while cycling but it is still depressing... I am down more than 3 pounds on my home scale but I anticipated it would be about 10 pounds by this point.

I just want my body back to it at least where it was before cancer. My reconstruction is well on its way and now I just want the rest of my body to follow suit!!!!

Slowly back to it

This surgery was my easiest one to bounce back from (knock on wood). I still tire out quickly which I am sure is side effects from the anesthesia but my pain hasn't been bad at all. So today I will slowly start walking on the treadmill again or ride the bike at the gym. I really want to run or elliptical but I know that I am not ready for that yet and I don't want to sidetrack my recovery. I will do some lunges and stretches too just to keep something moving. :-)

Last Chance Workout!

Tonight was my last chance to workout before surgery tomorrow. I was supposed to have a training session over a long lunch hour today but I couldn't get away from work. Dang it! But I did get in some cardio tonight. It will be a few days before I can start walking on a treadmill and several weeks before I can run. And then even longer before I can do overhead weights. But I will come up with stretching exercises etc to do in the meantime.