Week 1 2011 ...

3:21 PM | 0 Comments

So my 1st week of trying to get fit and healthier wasnt exactly a success lol

I DID make it to the gym twice last week, however i did not work out at home 4 times.. in fact I didnt work out at home once

And as for eating healthier - I kinda fell off that wagon too .... In fact i had some frito's and cheese dip yesterday and that probably put me over the edge lol

SO.. I weighed in today and I guess the *good* news is that I didnt GAIN any weight .. but I didnt lose any either :(

I did start the Jillian Micheal's Jump start your weight loss program - which is probably what saved me from gaining!!


SO this week I decided to take a different approach! Yesterday while at the store I chose to TRY the Special K Diet ...


Today is my first Day and so far so good ... I had Special K Fruit & Yogurt cereal for breakfast, a cup of coffee, a Meal Replacement Drink, a raspberry Cheesecake Special k Bar, another cup of coffee, and then I will have a usual dinner - in this case it is Chili! YUM which is great for snowy yucky days!!

I also shoveled snow today - burned 211 calories doing so too!!
Next is getting on the Wii .. Havent decided what program/ game i will use - I have Zumba, Biggest Loser Challenge, and Wii Fit Plus to choose from

I post this not so inspirational blog to show that we all have crappy weeks.. we have weeks we gain.. weeks we stay the same .. weeks we cheat .. and weeks we just dont care!

BUT all you can do is say ok - well last week sucked - BUT this week is a NEW week and a NEW opportunity to start FRESH!!

I hope to hear how your week went - i welcome successes, hurdles, obstacles, - i dont like the word failure cuz none of us are!! - so let me know how YOU did :)

A New me in 2011

9:41 PM | 2 Comments

WOW has it really been that long since I posted a Blog? Yikes! I have made a point to post 1x a week on my business blog so I shall make the same for my *ME* Blog!!

Last year was crazy - I was on and off with working out and eating well - I lost 35 lbs by the time Will came home .. then slowly added weight back on :( My best guess - as I have not weighed in, plan to tomorrow Jan 1st, that I have gained at least 10 lbs!

SO My new plan is to go to the Gym at LEAST 2x a week and work out at home at Least 4x a week! And of course to eat better! I need to get back to wearing my Body Bugg and really paying attention to what I do!

I purchased Zumba and I am going to check that out tomorrow as well as finish setting up my Biggest Loser Challenge Profile :)

My Monthly Goal for January is to lose 10lbs .. that is 2lb a week approx .. and I KNOW I can do it!! I will do my best to keep a log and keep you all apprised :)

I would also love to hear how your doing and what your goals are!!

Week 2 on the Body Bugg

7:14 PM | 3 Comments

So yesterday was my 2nd weigh-In .. I was quite hopeful and my hard work did NOT let me down :) I lost 3 1/2 lbs!!! That is 10 1/2 lbs to date since learning about and purchasing (well getting) My BodyBugg!

The one thing that I think really keeps me on track is the fact that I have to log my calories! I have NEVER counted calories - and now I realize that was probably the reason of my demise for so many years! Some times i will indulge in something i think *Cant be THAT Bad* And when I go to log it I about fall out of my chair! One such instance was that I recently looked up the Jr Breakfast Burritos at Sonic - LOVE those things .. I used to get 2 of them on my way to Ft Carson whenever I was working out there .. drum roll please..... 660 CALORIES!!! OMG My goal is like 300 calories a meal MAYBE 400!! PLUS I would get a Rt 44 Dr Pepper! now granted i get extra extra ice but it was prob still like 12 oz of pop at least! Which is another 150 Calories!

Here is an example of my Day on Sat - Calories Burned vs Calories taken in:


SO .. One of the things the body bugg system does is also let you know how much of diff things you consumed such as Fat, Sodium etc - see example pic (also from Sat 9/4)!

As you can see Though I did eat a LOT of protein - I also over indulged in Fats & Cholesterol
So - even though I am hitting some good numbers others need to decrease and yet others need to increase - such as my Fiber and Calcium!

So to say the least I am learning more and more about eating Healthy! I am excited about having a shop at a Farmers Market - I have been trying some amazing food that I have NEVER tried before! I will post my recipe for Summer Squash Parmesan soon :)

I would love to hear from you guys - Any healthy Recipes You enjoy? How your doing on YOUR journey? Or just to say HI!

Aug 28 2010 - the new journey

12:27 AM | 3 Comments

Hello my loyal followers - I just realized last night that I had not written in my blog since my husband left for Afghanistan! Things have been incredible - Crazy - Exciting - Insane - Exhausting - and a few other adjectives that fail me at the moment!

So a few months ago I decide enough is enough and I need a REAL kick in the ass! SO.. I join Anytime Fitness in Fountain AND I hire a personal Trainer named Jean - she is amazing.. i like to call her Mean Jean LOL I initially signed up for 12 sessions and at the end of those extended it into a 30 session contract which dropped the price per session HUGELY!

Jean has been amazing and has pushed me and shown me I can accomplish some things I didnt think I could accomplish! We worked hard most weeks 3x a week for about 7 weeks .. and then life seemed to just get in my way! I ended up not going to the gym for about a month while I set up a new shop for my business and settled into working ungodly hours and days! I was working 11 days on 3 days off .. and i use the term Off VERY loosely .. Well thanks to some amazing women that are helping me out I am finally getting some time off so I can get back to the gym!! at this point it is 2x a week BUT I am pushing myself at home as well!

In addition my amazing friend Holly introduced me to a device called The Body Bug I researched it and thought this may be something that is just what I need in addition to Jean pushing me, and boy was I RIGHT! First let me say that i decided to look for a used one on Craigslist and I found one being offered for $50 (a new one runs about $120) this was the old style but heck it still works the same!! After dialogue with the person that had it I submitted my payment - just to have the payment returned to me! They decided they wanted to give it to me for FREE I just didn't even know how to react! All they asked was that I do something nice for a stranger :)

This device is attached on your arm and it counts the calories you burn throughout the day as well as counts the steps you take! It takes into account your heart rate and when it is increased due to activity the BB senses it and can do an accurate reading of how many calories you are burning!



I have now had my BB for 1 week as of today .. in fact today is the dreaded *weigh In*

SO... without further ado .. my first week weigh in with using the body bug is ....

7 lbs!!!

WOW! I am super excited!!! That is SO encouraging!!! I REALLY put my nose to the grindstone and it paid off!!! I obviously do not expect to lose that much every week but it sure does motivate me!!!

Today for breakfast I had a breakfast sandwich from Subway and for lunch I am having a Chef salad :) Oh and to drink FUSE! love the stuff - so tasty!

So How are YOU doing on your journey?? I would love to hear from you :)

This and That

9:03 PM | 0 Comments


Well everyone its been a few weeks and well things have been quite the adjustment.

After I got back (after the accident) I went into my adjustment phase of the deployment .. well you never really totally adjust but you start to get more into a routine.

I had a Booth at Ft Carson March 29th - April 3rd and did pretty well :) I got a lot of custom requests and just put in a HUGE order and it will be like Christmas when it all gets here ha!

I had to drop the Pathfinder off at the body shop April 5th and they said it would be approx 10 days so we shall see!

In addition Mom and I have been going to the American Legion on Friday nights and having a good time! Great company and cheap drinks - and great food!!

Last week i got hit with a Vicious cold and i was in bed from the afternoon of the 5th - the morning of the 9th!! I finally kicked it though so that was good!

Will is doing well - he actually got sick (and is on the mend I hope) they have been busy - they finally got computers in the MWR and they got payphones, unfortunately the payphones they installed can only be used with their phone cards.. and the phones are busy all the time! Will has his Afghan phone so we talk on that usually .. its a bit expensive but i guess you do what you have to do ..

My Aunt bought us a $10 card through the company I buy my cards through (THANK YOU AUNT SUE!!) and right now they have a promotion for everyone you refer you get a $10 credit on your acct!

So if you ever call overseas and would like a referral through this company just let me know I would be happy to refer you!!

Other than that I have been trying to get things in the house on track and have a massage client in the AM and then I have a Table up at Petersen AFB Wed the 14th - Sat 17th!

Unfortunately I was sick as a dog when I was to meet with the trainer though so I will reschedule that for next week and then get on track with working out again!

Oh and I got Just Dance for the Wii - its a blast :)

I guess thats about it - Will just came online so I am off to chat with him!

Hope you are all well and I look forward to hearing how you have been doing!

My Week of I Love You's and goodbye's

12:01 AM | 6 Comments

WOW what a vacation ... If you want to call it that ...

So Not all of you know but some do - My Husband is now deployed to Afghanistan for a year. This was not a planned deployment - In fact he had transfer papers in to move to a unit on Ft Carson to help soldiers returning from the war zone to deal with their physical and mental roadblocks they were facing. But a phone call on Jan 7th 2010 changed all of that... He was informed that that weekend he needed to take a physical - well being as he is in good shape he asked why? Well apparently 3 E-7's that had been transferred into his Unit could not pass their physicals and therefore my husbands transfer was revoked and he was told to be ready to report Jan 18th (they gave us a week to go see his family) and then he left the State on Feb 2nd to head to training for 5 weeks.

Fast forward to March 8th and I am on my way to see my Hubby! I actually first went to visit a great friend of mine Amy in Rio Rancho NM on Sunday Night and then headed down to El Paso on Monday! The wonderful surprise was that though the guys were not s'posed to get released until midnight they actually got released early so I was able to go pick him up by 6pm and we basically had an extra evening together!

We started off at Whataburger - if you have ever had one.. you know why I was so excited to get one! I had not had a Whataburger in 20 years! After dinner we went across the street to the Dollar General and got a few snacks and some sleeping pills lol Back to the Hotel to cuddle and enjoy times together!

Tuesday - We went up to Ft Bliss and ate in the Food Court and then shopped in the PX and looked around the vendors (I had several people tell me I should go down there to sell my Italian Charms.. hmmm) After that was just driving around the post and checking out different places including the Museum - Pictures included :)

These first 3 are in the parkinglot in front of the museum...



These are just a few diff pics from inside the museum


And this is the "Booze" box HA! I had to photo this!!



After the museum we went back to the hotel to clean up and get ready for dinner - we went to Shoguns Japanese .. WOW It was good! It is the type of Restaurant where they cook right in front of you! We were at a table with another military couple their lil girl and 3 business men - 1 was the Regional Manager .. we all chatted and drank Sake and were enjoying our dinner .. At the end the RM from Napa Valley PAID for our dinner! I couldnt believe it - very unnecessary - but very appreciated! He even ordered us some white fish/ Butter-fish sushi that just melted in your mouth! I must admit I was a bit tipsy after dinner haha we drove around town looking for a place to stop but since we didnt know where we were going we ended up just driving back to the hotel lol Unfortunately after we got back home i ended up getting an excruciating headache blech!

Wednesday - we went out to lunch at Furrs Cafeteria and then browsed around the complex and shopped in a few stores. We then took a drive around town and learned that Ft Bliss has a HUGE new training area - in fact as we left the area it said "Now leaving Ft Bliss Reservation" The military installation is really growing! Dinner was Fudruckers .. if you have never eaten there the portions are HUGE!!!! unfortunately halfway through dinner the damn Migraine came back :( So we went back to the hotel and just spent time together and hubby rubbed my back trying to help me get rid of the headache - in the end he had to go find meds and eventually it went away (Yeah!)

Thursday - ok so for the life of me I cannot remember what we had for lunch lol But Dinner was Olive Garden - one of our Fav places to eat :) The day was pretty lazy and we just spent time together!

Friday - Well we thought this would be our last day together - we went to Chili's for lunch - silly pics below



For dinner we had heard about this lil Fish N Chips place so we went there - it was very good in fact - it was called Tug Boats! After dinner we went back to post and Will picked up the last few things he needed from the PX .. we then went back to the hotel and Will took 1 last shower and packed all of his things and then we started on the 90 min drive out to his camp.

It was hard to say goodbye and drive back to the hotel but we do what we must do - I was holding out hope that we would get to steal some time away .. even if it was just me driving all the way back out to his camp and having dinner together Sat .. so I sat around the hotel all day and relaxed and then to my surprise I get a call at 3pm asking if i can be there by 4 .. I had just gotten out of the shower so I rushed to get ready and went and picked him and another soldier up. Well apparently the 1st Sgt found out that myself and the other wife had stayed in town and sent the guys on a "secret mission" lol so we got one last night together!

Well I had looked around to see what was going on in town for the heck of it and found a Ghost Tour! It was a lot of fun! Here are a few pics ..

This is where the tour started .. well the very beginning was in a lil courtyard in front of the library which is actually the location of the 1st ever graveyard in El Paso! The headstones were moved.. but not the bodies! The 2nd Photo used to be a very elegant hotel and Liz Taylor once rented the entire top floor for a month!



In this Photo we have a clock that has never stopped working! it has been around since the 1800's!



This is the Group that took us on this amazing tour http://www.ghosts915.com/..
Downtown's San Jacinto Plaza was home to alligators from 1883 to the 1960s. In the old days drunks would catch the gators take them back to the saloon and then release them in the AM - they werent sure if the gators could handle the cold nights! Today, there is a very large commemorative statue of the beloved gators at the plaza.



And then Sunday Morning - packed up the hotel .. I drove Will and Scott back out to their camp and then drove home. The drive was pretty uneventful until I got to Raton Pass .. where unfortunately I had an accident :( trying to avoid an accident on the right side of the road i started move to the left, hit a patch of black ice, bounced off the guardrail, spun, hit the back side of my Pathfinder on the guardrail and skid about 200 yards sideways, finally I got it under control and pulled to the right side of the road. Scariest damn thing I have experienced in my life! Luckily I was unharmed - the Pathfinder unfortunately has about $6000 worth of damage :(

And that my friends was my week of I Love You's and Good Bye's

WOW! What a whirlwind!

11:17 AM | 1 Comments

Well I know I have not posted in months and months and that is just wrong! I had a lot going on in my life and it has been a whirl wind of craziness!

Lets see.. to start with My hubby was to deploy and start training in Nov - well he went on Rear D and though he was staying his job was phased out so he became unemployed for 3 months! He had another job lined up with a Unit on Post but was A. waiting for the Commander of his old Unit to sign off and B. waiting for the guy he was replacing to leave! In all of that time we fought and fought (and are still fighting actually) with Unemployment to get paid - to Date we still have not received any monies and his last day of work was Oct 21st

I really put my nose to the grindstone and with hubby;s help worked my Kiosk at Ft Carson and with the help of a dear Friend Jenn B got my Website http://CharmsnThings.com up and running!

Well On Jan 7th we got a call from the S4 of his "old" Unit stating that 3 E7's had failed their physicals and that SURPRISE he was now going to deploy! Well he went that weekend and did his physical (and passed of course) and the whirl wind began .. he drilled 9th & 10th - at 1am on the 10th/ 11th we left for ID to go see his family for a few days .. got home on the 15th and packing and check lists came flying out! He left Monday Jan 18th to start training in Denver - was able to come home that night to pack personal belongings in a container that would be going forward and then headed back to Denver again. They had Sat/ Sun off (well sorta) There was a Farewell/ Moving of the colors Ceremony on Sunday that we all attended and then back home.. Will asked if I had any big things going on for the week and since i only had a few minor things outside of the house we decided I would go to Denver and spend his last week together! It was great getting to spend the extra time with him even though he was training every day and so we just got a few hrs in the evening to have dinner and spend time together.

Well he left on Feb 2nd to head to TX for additional Training - it was a very early morning and a VERY long drive home from Denver alone that day :( Not the greatest pic but here is a quick snapshot from the day he left:


Well the next few weeks were a little strained and crazy .. I had a Booth at Ft Carson the 8th - 14th and did very well! Had some friends from AZ get stationed here so we went out to the American Legion on Friday the 12th and had a great time singing Karaoke! The next week I got sick :( in addition I had a week packed with Massage Clients! On Friday the 19th we went to the American Legion again for a Benefit dinner for a member that had a Kidney Transplant and again had a great time doing Karaoke and hanging with good friends!

Well On to the amazing news .. I made a pact with myself to lose 10 lbs before i get to see Will on a 4 day pass .. well I ended up weighing in on Feb 5th for my starting point .. as of today Feb 22nd I have lost 5.8 lbs!!! I am SO excited .. I thought for sure I had gained weight from all of the stresses but I am headed in the right direction! I started taking SlimQuick and did a Gentle Cleanse from 2/12 - 2/19 and then started on the weight loss pills on the 21st (I was a lil hungover on the 20th so decided to wait) I am very excited and I think I am headed in the right direction! Stay tuned for more updates :)

About

This is a personal Blog about Me and the transformation I hope to go through on the next journey of my life! I have known for years that I needed to do "something" and today i start that journey!