Keep PUSHing....

Special thanks to this kid, for giving me a great photo-op with Push, everyones favorite trash can. :) Granted, moments later, the kid KICKED Push...but hey - let's not dwell on negative things.

So - I'm learning a valuable lesson. I once read that using Advil or some other NSAID when you're sore from a workout short-circuits the recovery process, and in fact, means you don't get as much out of your workout as you'd like. 

That being said - it's been DAYS since I've been able to fully extend my left arm, and my back has been nice and sore since my workout with Angie. That's part of the reason I haven't been back to the gym - waiting to recover.

And this morning, I popped some Advil finally. Yes - it might mean that my muscles don't grow as big as they could - but it hopefully will aid with the PAIN I'm in - and get me back to the gym on Thursday for at least one more upper body workout before seeing Angie on Monday again.

That being said - instead, I'm NOT sleeping in. I'm using the treadmill - and in fact, did my LONGEST 30 minute run yet this morning - 1.920 miles. 

In food news - staying with the points and doing well as far as I know (will know more Monday) - and will start posting food again - promise. :) Amber and I are evaluating our 'nicer' cookbooks to look for a nice home-cooked romantic Valentine's Day dinner that is on the 'healthier' side...a few selections from "Delicious Disney" are standing out - but we haven't decided yet.

How's YOUR Tuesday going?

MAIN STREET AWAITS!

299.7

Okay - first of all - let's address the official number.

It's DOWN - way down from where I was last time. That's good. It's up a little from Wednesday - that's NOT bad. Frankly - it could be muscle, it could be something sticking with me, it could be a variety of things. But I'm not going to sweat it. I've been losing consistently for the last several weeks, and a SMALL gain (but still in the 2s) is NOT going to get me down.

I love this quote from Walt. 

It reminds me of why it is I'm doing what I'm doing. To help not only me, but the Make-a-Wish kids, and someday, my own children. To show them all how much we love them by raising money, and by being healthy.

I'm ending January today with a total loss (from NOVEMBER, which was our last sponsor letter) of 9.6 pounds. If I can keep that pace up on a monthly basis, I'll do FINE.

I want to again, as always, thank all my sponsors, and let you know that your letters are on their way (later this week) - and encourage you all to keep moving forward, because just around that bend is the street we're all waiting for!

MAIN STREET AWAITS!

OW!

So today my arms HURT. A lot.

Granted - it's a good hurt - it's a hurt I haven't felt in quite some time - since I was doing free weights a long time ago.

Foodwise, first - staying on track with points (and will get back to posting EXACTLY what I eat - but rest assured, I'm tracking it on the WW website) - and doing great.

Exercise wise, I realized I'm NOT going to hit 26 miles this month, but partly because I will have traded about 6-7 days of running for 6-7 days of weight training. I'll get close, but still off by about 5 miles, I think (planning a 4 mile run tomorrow).

What am I doing at the gym? Glad you asked. Each time I see Angie, we change up my routine. This new one is the best/worst! LOL

We start with 5 minute warmup on the treadmill and about 5 minutes of ab work (25 crunches, 20 opposite arm/leg stretches on each side, and 25 more crunches). Then to the weights.

3 sets of seated chest press. In between those sets, weight assisted chin-ups.

Then the semi-seated cable row - three sets. Like this!

Then to the free weights for side raises with preacher (bicep) curls inbetween.

Then a triple threat - three sets - tricep dips, then bicep curls, then the ab crunch machine. Lather, rinse, repeat.

I feel GREAT.

And there she is. My own personal gym nazi. Nah. She's a sweetheart, and she's a WONDERFULLY motivational trainer.

I highly recommend a trainer for EVERYONE who's working out. I think Angie is going to push me harder and faster than I'd ever do myself, and help me reach all new heights!!!

THANKS ANGIE!!!

MAIN STREET AWAITS!!!!

Quick Update

No time for a full post today except to say that I had an AWESOME workout with Angie today - I'll have full details (with PICTURES) tomorrow!!!

I hope everyone is having a great week - and while we're discussing exercise - PLEASE do this:

Listen to:

AATM

WDWRadio

MouseGuestWeekly

All three shows have WONDERFUL marathon weekend wrapups this week - and they REALLY help to keep me psyched and ready for this challenge! I know I can do it! I know YOU can do it!!!

MAIN STREET AWAITS!

The return...

Sure it's $475, but I love it and want it.

I'm back from Oklahoma, and only have time for a quick update today - the trip was great - like all family trips it had it's ups and downs, but on the whole it was wonderful to see my parents and grandmother. They were so happy with how I looked, and so supportive of our goals and even let us do most of the cooking.

We did go out a few times, but I made good choices, and counted points as best as I could.

I was worried about a return home weigh in.

The official one is Monday.

But today's number is:

299.1

Do you have ANY idea how good that feels? HOLY COW!!!! I can't even explain what I felt when I stepped on the scale.

If I wasn't excited before (which I was), and if talking to Lou and Mike last night didn't get me super pumped (which it did) - how's THAT for a kick start?

TWO HUNDRED NINETY NINE POINT ONE POUNDS!

Over seventy pounds lost. Under 300 for the first time in close to ten YEARS.

I can't adequately express my gratitude to you all and my excitement for what's to come. So I'll end here with a hearty, TEAM VOICE and of course...

MAIN STREET AWAITS!

Checkin' in from Okie-land

Hello friends!

This morning I did one of Angie's homework assignments - she wanted 30 minutes at the maximum incline I could do on the treadmill without holding on at all between 2.0-3.0 speed. WOW. I was able to sqeak out 20 minutes at 4 incline at 2.3mph - but I'll try again Monday.

Yesterday I did resistance training per her homework - push-ups, crunches, step-ups, jumping jacks, knee lifts, planks - several sets, 15-25 each - repeated twice. Holy cow some of them were hard. But I did them.

We've been tracking our food - and doing well - although haven't been using ALL my points every day - have been drinking water like it's going out of style, though. :)

I miss having more frequent internet access (the iPhone gets lousy signal here, so the net is SLOWWWWWWWWW) - so I'm using the hotel computer. But on the bright side - I'm having a nice time with my family.

We're going OUT to dinner tonight - mexican. I'm going to stay away from the chips and Amber and I will likely split some chicken fajitas or something similarly heathier.

I feel good though about my progress - and the rest of the weekend, we're doing the cooking - so I should come home doing fine. :) Which is exciting. A vacation that doesn't present a stumbling block. How cool is that?

MAIN STREET AWAITS!

Late Night Update

It's about 11pm, and I'm still not done with one project for the trip - I promised a DVD scrapbook of Maui and MouseFest, and it's still compiling. It could be an hour or two - so I'm getting back up at 2am to finish it off. Our flight leaves at 6 which means leaving the house around 3:30 after taking out the garbage and taking back our videos.

Long night.

Crazy week.

But here's the FANTASTIC news: I'm officially registered for January 10th, 2009 - the WDW Half Marathon. I've paid my dues, I have my chip being mailed, and I've ordered my pins.

There is NO turning back now!

Let's face it, whether I like it or not:

MAIN STREET AWAITS!!!!!

Talk to ya'll from Oklahoma!

Craziness

Okay - maybe not as crazy as PapaGoof, but crazy nonetheless.

Things here are, that is. Lots to do before i leave for Oklahoma.

Did well with points yesterday, but had too many leftover (around 8). Had a GREAT workout with Angie (chest press, pulldowns, step ups, shoulder press, jumping rope - holy cow) - and will have more info about my homework tomorrow.

Just wanted to stop by and say hi, and let you guys know that craziness is NOT going to bump me off track. And that before I leave for Oklahoma, I'll be registered for the race. Now how's THAT for stepping up? :)

MAIN STREET AWAITS!

304.9

Alright! One week of WW down, and 2.3 pounds go with it!

The working out has been going great, and in fact, I'm about to leave and head out to see Angie for another killer workout!

I did want to mention, quickly, before I go, that this Thursday we're leaving for Oklahoma, and won't be back until Tuesday. Nevertheless, my parents have already asked what they can stock the house with so we can stay on track - and we'll be using the gym at the hotel to workout.

Angie is even going to give me some tricks and exercises to do weights without having weights (since the hotel just has cardio).

I have no idea what the next weigh-in will look like - but I'm going to stay on the plan, and go from there! The next weigh-in will be Thursday morning, and then the following Wednesday (just to accurately gauge what happens when I'm gone).

Until tomorrow!

MAIN STREET AWAITS!

THEY DID IT!!!!

TEAM VOICE HAD A STRONG SHOWING IN THE 2008 WDW HALF MARATHON!!!

Their reward?

A picture of me in a funny hat.

I am so proud of Bryan, Lou, Deanna, Kate, Scopa, Lisa, and everyone else who ran!

I'm proud of Eric (HAPPY BIRTHDAY!) and Rae for supporting them and everyone else who was there!

I'm proud of everyone who even THOUGHT about them.

I'm proud that I got woken up at 7am with a text from Bryan telling me he finished and so did everyone else!!!

I'm proud of me for doing 47 minutes this morning for 2.832 miles (longest run in awhile - tomorrow I'm headin' for Huey country)!

I'm proud of me for stickin' to my points!!!

Preworkout: Protien Shake (5)

B: Cereal/Milk/South Beach Breakfast Wrap (13.5)

L: Soup (progresso Chicken Herb Dumpling)/WW Yogurt/100 cal bar (7)

D: 2 WW Calzones/WW Yogurt (13)

Dessert: 1 bag smart pop (4)

Total: 42.5

And I'm proud of you for reading this today - and staying with us! Exciting things are going to happen - just keep moving forward!

MAIN STREET AWAITS!

Congratulations to us all!

Good morning friends!

First an update - the last two days have been a little weird with exercise. Lack of sleep plus Amber's been sick - and a CRAZY work schedule have kept me from the treadmill. But no worries - I've already been to 24 hour fitness today for my 2nd weight workout (following the plan Angie and I started Monday) and had a great workout. I look forward to seeing Angie on Monday! And I look forward to two longer cardio sessions Saturday/Sunday (45-60 minutes).

Foodwise however, everything's been going GREAT. Here's yesterday's points:

2c Special K Vanilla Crisp (5.5)

1c skim milk (2)

1 Thomas' plain bagel (the last one in the house and now there will be no more) (4)

2 Tbsp Smart Balance (2.5)

1 Hershey's 100 cal bar (2)

1 Lean Cusine Chicken Fettucine (6)

1 WW Amaretto Cheesecake yogurt (1)

1 large apple (2)

1/4 pound lean pork chop (4.5)

1 serving Rice-a-roni Spanish Whole Grain (4)

1 cup cauliflower/broccoli/carrot (0)

1 Skinny Cow sandwich (3)

1 bag Smart Pop Popcorn (4)

1 Breyers 100 cal cookies and cream ice cream (2)

2-4 Tbsp CoolWhip Free (.5)

Total: 43 throughout the day Right on target. I still have

 32.5 of my 35 weekly points remaining and 11 activity points saved up.

Now - onto the Congratulations.

Look at this picture:

It's beautiful, isn't it? This is Cinderalla Castle in all it's glory. It is the hallmark of Disney beauty. And it stands at the end of Main Street.

Tomorrow many of you will be running/walking/jogging through it as part of the WDW Half Marathon. One YEAR from tomorrow - I will be as well. 

I wanted to take the opportunity to first congratulate everyone who is making that run this year - and every member of Team Voice that will be there to support them and run with them. All of you are winners for just wanting to be a part of it. And I'm proud of each and every one of you.

And then a shout out to those of us who won't be there this year, but are shooting for 2009. I know we've all come this far since I started in February (nearly a year ago) - and we've made GREAT strides forward. Sometimes we've stumbled - but we've KEPT MOVING FORWARD. (Right Byron?)

I know we can all get there - with love from ourselves and support from Team Voice.

You guys are wonderful.

Please stop by any blog on my list today and please wish them all wonderful luck in their continued journey. We all are moving forward, and the castle is waiting for us at the end of main street.

Say it with me, Team Voice:

MAIN STREET AWAITS!

Lesson Learned - Workouts

First of all,  yesterday's workout was incredible (with good and bad). Half-way through the workout, I asked Angie to take me over as a client from Todd, and she readily agreed - so I am happy to announce that Angie is my new trainer!!!! This is fantastic news for me - she's going to push me harder than I've ever pushed before, but I know from yesterday - keep me safe while doing so.

Here's the workout plan (for now): 

2-3 days a week weights. Other days cardio (30 minutes for now - longer run okay on weekends).

Weight plan begins with a 5 minute cardio warm-up.

Foam Roll exercises to work deep muscles in the legs.

25 crunches

Floor balance exercises to strengthen core.

25 more crunches.

Chest Press (30lbs x 20 reps) - then what I'll call "up and overs" (stepping UP to a weight bench, then down on the other side - then back - in a cardio rythym for 1 minute) - then back to chest press for another 20 reps at 40lbs - then another minute of up and overs - one more chest press set (45lbs) - and one more up and over.

Then we go to lat rows - and similarly, inbetween sets I'm doing cardio - this time five times up and down the flight of stairs. Here's where the bad came in.

After my second set of stairs I felt VERY lightheaded. Broke out in a cold sweat and got VERY nauseous. Angie promptly took me into the trainers office, and got some cold water on my towel for my neck, while I proceeded to get sick, bringing up the crystal light I'd been drinking all morning.

Aside from being HORRIBLY embarrassed (which Angie assured me I didn't have to be), I learned that apparently working out on a TOTALLY empty stomach is a bad idea. Angie got me a protein shake to slam, and man did I feel better quickly. So that concluded my workout - 10 minutes early and one set short. But my arms feel NICELY sore today. :)

Foodwise - Amber checked at her WW meeting yesterday - they've changed the plan for men. If you're a man on WW, you should be on the "WW for Men Online" program - it's better balanced for men, and points top out at 44. I do NOT actually have 44 points. I have 43. But they say it's accurate. So we'll give it a try. I didn't get to 43 yesterday - only 42. They say if it's too much, then shaving a point or two would be okay - but not too much more so I don't go into starvation mode. Fair enough.

Yesterday:

Protein shake (5)

2 cups Special K Vanilla Almond Crisp w/ 1 cup skim milk (7.5)

1 Thomas' Cinnamon Raisin Swirl Bagel w/ 2 tbsp smart balance light margarine (7.5)

Coffee w/1 tbsp fat free vanilla creamer (1)

1 WW Smart Ones 3-cheese Ziti (6)

1 medium apple (1)

1 6 oz Yoplait White Chocolate Strawberry Yogurt (2)

1 chicken breast (3)

1 cup cooked broccoli (0)

1 cup cooked cauliflower (0)

1 serving Rice-A-Roni Nature's Way Parmesan (6)

1 skinny cow cone (3)

Total: 42

MouseFest Sunday (quick wrap-up):

Breakfast was WONDERFUL at Chef Mickey's! See? I even got a picture with the chef himself!

We meandered the Magic Kingdom for the morning, re-doing a few favorites like PhilHarMagic, the Haunted Mansion, and Big Thunder Mountain. And at 1pm, headed over to the Noodle Station for TRIVIAFEST! (You can see how puzzled Bryan was at TriviaFest! LOL)
Then a short walk over for some lunch at Liberty Square, and over to Big Thunder and Splash for the LTAD Hillbilly Hill Climb. WHAT A FUN BUNCH. Our boat on Splash had me, Amber, Paul Barrie, Tairy Woodard, and Jana. Holy cow. What a fun meet.

And then - the Great Grizzly hunt! Granted, I didn't win the prize - but I'm sure i got all 10!!!! And how cool was it getting some last minute audio from everyone, like Lisa (a darn cat).

And then for us, MouseFest was pretty much over. We didn't have any MouseFest stuff for Monday, so we took a boat and headed over to the Whispering Canyon Cafe. GREAT food. But apparently, I have an Iced Tea problem.
Eh - it's alright - at least I kept hydrated!

MAIN STREET AWAITS!

307.2

2.2 pounds in a week is about the right amount, according to my trainer and according to WW, so I can't be unhappy with the results, although I suspect this week will provide LARGER losses, since this morning I begin my weight regimen.

Although it won't be with Todd. 

I got a call last night that Todd wouldn't be able to make it so the club set me up with Angie for my first workout. 

If I click with Angie better than I did with Todd, I'm going to request she remain my trainer, frankly. Just seemed to be too many problems with Todd, you know?

And on top of that - remember the 'online tools' I was getting with my package? Yup - they don't work with a Mac. So then, last night I signed up for WW Online for Men. At 307.2 with my daily workday being "mostly sitting, but occasionally walking around" I start with FOURTY FOUR points a day. Holy cow. That just seems like an enormous amount. Amber gets 31. I might have her check in on it at her meeting today and see if the website is as accurate as it should be.

Either way - I'll stick with it - and go from there - but I don't know if I'll use all 44 every day.

Starting tomorrow though I'll be posting my entire points intake, as well as the Sunday MouseFest report.

Have a great day Team Voice! 

MAIN STREET AWAITS!

Does Swimming Count?

Good morning!

So - yesterday's exercise wasn't running or jogging. Amber and I went to the gym and swam. I learned two things:

1) You can't swim anywhere NEAR as far as you can run (see numbers).

2) MAN are my arms out of shape. I'm dreading tomorrow's weight workout, because I found out that while I've been working my legs for the last 10 months, I have neglected my arms entirely!!! OH MAN!

But I digress. We also saw National Treasure II yesterday - GREAT movie - and the Goofy Short in front of it was SUPER.

This morning I've already run, and we're going to do some meal planning when I get back from church. 

Here's the GREAT NEWS: LOOK AT HOW MUCH MONEY WE'VE RAISED!!!! That total includes money raised at MouseFest plus the last sponsor checks. Sponsor letters will go out at the end of January, starting a whole new year, with new challenges and new surprises!!! Team Voice is going strong!!!!

Tomorrow a quick post with a weigh-in and then I'm off to see Todd - Tuesday an update and the SUNDAY MouseFest report!!!

MAIN STREET AWAITS!

HUGE CORRECTION

I cannot believe I forgot something to add to my Saturday Mousefest!!!! 

At 7am, the ENTIRE FOUNDING TEAM VOICE (myself, Bryan, Rae, Eric, Kate, Deb, and Jeff W) met at the boardwalk and did three laps around Crescent Lake.

This was my first meeting with Kate, and all of our first exercise together! What a wonderful experience it was!!! We all chatted, walked, and just got to know each other more and more. 

I have to say it was awesome seeing you all together. It was awesome knowing we're all here for each other.

And to clarify how/why I didn't mention it - I'm doing my trip report primarily from my PICTURES and I have NO PICTURE of Team Voice. Can anyone rectify this? :)

My apologies my friends. Team Voice rocks!!!

And as always...

MAIN STREET AWAITS!

Training Update - and MouseFest Saturday

Good morning my friends!

Yesterday was a long day. I was up at 5am to head to the gym to meet with Todd at 5:45am. I had my bag all packed, and was ready for my workout. But I had forgotten that the first session would be mostly measurements and assessments. Todd says I favor my right leg, and gave me some massage exercises to do with a foam cylinder. Have to find one for home.

He's very goal oriented, which is good - and seems dedicated to helping me achieve MY goals, which is also good. 

I'm a little concerned that he wants to see me twice a week at the outset, since the sessions are expensive and I only bought 9 to start with. I might talk to him and see about once a week, or even twice a month. We'll see. We start weights on Monday. He asked me to do 30 minutes of cardio at moderate intensity each day until then. So today I started with 30 minutes of walk/jogging for 1.757 miles.

Yesterday was also my paralegal's first day back at work after her surgery! Welcome home! We are all glad to have you back! 

And yes, I'm in for Team Voice's January challenge - running a full marathon over the course of the month.

Food-wise, I'm going to stick with the WW points as a guideline. And will be posting full accounts of what I eat and how many points it is. I should have 34 points per day, plus 35 weekly points, absent any activity. So we'll go from there (Amber's going to get me a few meal log sheets from her next meeting, so I should have more accurate stats for you).

Back to MouseFest!

Saturday morning opened with the Beaches and Cream Kitchen Sink Meet! WOW! What a great turnout - you guys devoured FIVE kitchen sinks and TWO no way joses! Aside from the first ever live AATM roll call, we had prizes to give out, and some were small....stickers....and some, like Glen's (below) were VERY nice and large.

After that I headed over to the Mega Mouse Meet. TALK ABOUT HUGE. This was immensely fun, as Bryan gave me the recorder and I proceeded to get lots of live audio. We even interviewed Mr. Charlie Ridgeway himself! We got a signed book to give away, and generally just really enjoyed ourselves. Special thanks to Meg, Deb, Rae, Eric, and Glenn for hanging out with me, taking pictures, and sometimes even holding stuff for me. :)

Then it was off to EPCOT with Amber for the afternoon - we rode Nemo, and the ALL NEW SPACESHIP EARTH (still under construction). I'm going to reserve my comments until it's done, sufficed to say that if the technology I saw in the beginning keeps up - it will be FANTASTIC at the end.

We rode Test Track - I had my first ever ride on the less intense Mission: Space - which was VERY fun - and then headed over to World Showcase to head to Lou's DWT Family Reunion Meet. We stopped along the way to see Donald at the Gran Fiesta Tour. Fun ride.
After a quick photo op in Italy, we headed to Japan to watch Illuminations with Lou Mongello, Deanna, Jon Corigliano, Bryan, Amy, and many others. What a show. Incredible. The holiday tag was marvelous.

But by far the best effect was the little island by Japan catching fire. NICE. :)

See you guys tomorrow!

MAIN STREET AWAITS!

Person-less Training? and HAPPY NEW YEAR!

So I headed to the gym yesterday at 6am for my meeting with Todd.

Todd didn't show up. As it turns out there was a computer glitch and he won't start until tomorrow. 

But the lady at the front desk (Jennifer) told me that I was already there and ready to work out, so why not do cardio? Wow. Talk about putting it out there. So I hopped on an elliptical machine for 20 minutes. I forgot how hard those work your butt! LOL

Amber has joined WW as well, and we spent a good part of yesterday calculating points, etc. I'm going to consult with Todd tomorrow and decide what a good meal plan for me would be (did you know my normal cereal/bagel breakfast is nearly 13 points???) to combine with my new workout regime. 24 Hour has it's own meal planning and website that I'm a member of with my training with Todd - but WW is easy and familiar - so I might do WW, or 24 hour - either way I'll talk to Todd and get his suggestion.

It was hard not to be discouraged, but I made it through the day - and tomorrow starts the new chapter. I've really lost track of things lately - and just kinda going through the motions. That's not working for me. So I'm going to get jazzed tomorrow with Todd (tomorrow is mostly assessments, and less 'workout') - and then send out sponsor letters with goals for the new year.

It's January - the beginning of a whole new year for us all. Let's make it count!!!

Hey Rae - what's our January challenge for Team Voice?

MAIN STREET AWAITS!