Last Thursday, in honor of DC Fit Week, four members from the Board (including myself) stepped a little out of our comfort zone and attended one of the free classes we were offering during the week – Soldier Fit. We’ve all heard of “boot camps” and a lot of people are beginning to familiarize themselves with Crossfit as well, but here was a class that was intended to whip your booty into shape by use of basic training methods (see their website for a more detailed description of what exactly they do).

I have to admit – I’m a bit of a gym rat, and those who know me will tell you the same. I love the atmosphere of group classes. It’s all I do. I used to go to the gym and workout with a friend or by myself, doing our/my own thing, but I found that I work best with lost of other people around me. Why? I think it all truly has to do with the healthy competition I set for myself against all others in the class… but I digress.

This class, or basic training workout, was one of the toughest workouts I have completed in a long time. We experienced a four-station circuit training during this class, and it definitely made me realize I’m NOT in as great of shape as I can be, that I have some more work to do, and there are definitely areas in my current workout routine that are lacking. However, we all pushed through the pain, and I’m happy to report we are all alive and well, although some of us may *or may not be* walking with a funny stride!

During the circuits, they had some good music pumping in the background, and me being the social and energetic person that I am, started talking with people, or rather talking TO people, encouraging them and singing along. At one point, one of the regulars there asked me exactly how I was singing through the workout. Let me put it this way: Working out gets me pumped up. I don’t HATE working out. I’m not there to torture myself like I feel some of those people were (they were stopping to catch their breath when I felt they really didn’t need to). Quite the contrary. I LOVE to work out. It’s a real high for me. So pardon me while I have a smile on my face and you are groaning and rolling your eyes at the instructor…

I get motivated by others around me. It’s a simple fact. People working hard cause me to work hard. I also believe this is a full circle in that I then also make them work hard as well. The motivation I have gotten over the past five weeks is showing, too, as you can see from my previous blog post. But I also understand there are the people out there who literally work out because they feel they have to, so my bubbly spirit makes than a little angry… maybe envious? Folks, it’s simple. Working out should be FUN! You should WANT to get off your couch and make a difference in your life! What good is a workout if you’re only goal is to burn a few calories to have that piece of cake later? I workout simply to enjoy LIFE. I can do the physical things I want to do! I eat clean and feel great from the INSIDE out. And I feel GOOD about myself, instead of feeling guilty because I ate something horrible and now must force myself to 50 minutes on the treadmill.

So look at yourself and think hard. What motivates you?

It’s been a little over a month since I have started the 12-week challenge with some fellow fitness addicts at the gym. My goal? Lose about 15 pounds over the next 12 weeks. I am happy to report I have lost 13 of those 15 already and have lost 9″ total from my body (3 from my waist, 2 in my chest and another 2 in my hips!). I am, obviously, extremely excited to be almost to my “high school skinny” again. It feels great. The best feeling is how I feel on the inside though.

Even though I can obviously tell a difference in my weight and how I can carry my body (you really do feel lighter, leaner and better from losing weight!), but my body is thanking me for getting rid of all the crap I used to feed it, even though, compared to most Americans, I was pretty good with my diet.

I think the biggest challenge so far has been keeping on track with not eating too much sugars, even natural sugars. Before I started, I ate a TON of fruit. And while fruit is considered a “health food”, I definitely had too much of it! No wonder I was always dragging in the afternoons! Now my energy (and my metabolism!) are SKY HIGH! I don’t miss carbs much at all. I don’t crave potato chips, or salt, or breads even, although right now I can have whole wheat products, so I allow myself one item a day such as whole wheat bread, a pita, brown rice or steel cut oats. Eating tons of fresh vegetables for dinner has been a cinch since I pretty much did this already. I also eat about 5 times a day, generally my Shakeology for breakfast, a light snack, such as Greek yogurt, light string cheese or a handful of nuts, then lunch, another small snack and dinner. I eat a lot more than I used to for dinner, but the best thing is that I don’t feel overly full or huge from it all. And when I wake up in the morning, I’m hungry, which rarely used to happen before (probably because I was eating heavier vegetables like potatoes that are high in carbs).

So now the pictures. The first picture was taken the night we started the 12-week challenge on April 1, 2012. The second picture I took April 22nd, so roughly 3 weeks in. I look even BETTER now and have lost another ½” off my waist since this was taken. You can most definitely tell a difference. Those pesky little love handles are ALMOST gone. Be nice

My RPM instructor at Gold’s Gym (are you stronger than ordinary?) finally convinced me to do a 12-week challenge. We begin April 3^rd. The challenge starts with replacing one meal with Shakeology® with 5-6 days or exercise (2-3 of them weight lifting, the rest cardio) and being on a strict diet. Every two weeks we will end up adding something back in, but only the good stuff.

Back in January I did a strict diet as such and lost 8 pounds. Now I’m ready to lose the remaining inches on my waist. I’m have a beast of a build for a girl, so I refuse to rely on a weight number to judge what I’ve lost. Instead, I judge by inches.

I don’t think much is going to change with my workout regiment. I pretty much do that already. What’s really going to have to change is my diet–no more Starbucks, no more eating out like we do and certainly no more late snacks J  Hell, I’m not even allowed to eat FRUIT the first two weeks (no carbs!). WHAT!? I’m going to be the crankiest woman on the face of the planet without carbs, but without my FRUIT I’m going to be even worse. I’m a fruit fiend. My coworker calls me a fruitarian because I eat so much fruit. Which, when you sit back and think about, is probably one of the reasons why I can’t lost those last few inches–that’s a lot of sugar intake. While it’s good sugar, it’s still a lot. Sigh.

Regardless I’m ready, and some people are trying to convince to become a Beachbody coach. We will see. I don’t exactly have the time and the effort to do it, and before I did that I would consider becoming BodyPump and RPM certified because that’s what I really love. Those classes keep me going. Tuesday night RPM and CXWorx is the best night of the week for me–I get to see my favorite ladies at the gym, I get to work out, and best of all we have FUN. I look forward to Tuesday every.single.week.

Do you want to join me in the 12-week challenge? All you have to do is purchase Shakeology®, get your diet plan together (I can give you that info) and we’ll keep a running log together of what we put into our bodies each day. Mots of all, this challenge is an accountability group. Are you ready to get in the best shape of your life? YOU CAN DO IT!

If you live in the area and want to join us at the gym one night for an awesome class, let me know. I’m more than willing to show you around!

In no way do I advocate for people to place themselves in what I consider dangerous and outright stupid places. So what happens when someone you consider a friend asks for your advice but then turns around and immediately does what you’re telling them NOT to do?

Is it time for me to give up, step off the soap box and just admit that most likely they will never change, always making what I consider the wrong decision? Do I stand back and tolerate it, watching her life and sanity dwindle to nothing?

This is exactly what happened to me this weekend. After going in circles many times since this past summer, I’ve finally concluded that things are not going to change. That the person I thought was stronger than what they are showing just can not step up and be the bigger, bolder person in their situation.

Needless to say, I’m disappointed. And more honestly, I’m scared for them. I’m scared for their safety because of what has taken place in the past and what could take place in the future.

How many of you have been here with your friends? Any advice? I’m through with being “supportive” because I can’t stand by idle and watch things go to the wayside, but at the same time, I don’t think walking away completely is the best answer for the situation either, mainly because if I’m not there when something does go wrong, whom might they turn to after pushing everyone else away?

It’s that time of the year where it seems no matter how much sleep I get, I wake up feeling like I have the weight of the world on my shoulders.

Normally I can function on as little as 5 hours of sleep and be fine, but lately, even my seven I have been getting (and thanks to my new prescription for muscle relaxers, they’ve actually been seven GREAT hours of sleep), I wake up and just want to snooze and lie in bed all morning curled up in J’s arms. On a side note, I’m sure he’s utterly frustrated with all my snoozing, especially when the alarm goes off at 530 and sometimes I don’t make it out of bed until 615. Oops.

In case you haven’t heard, being a public accountant is a tough job this time of the year. There are demanding hours with even more demanding partners. You have a “goal” of hours to meet, but generally, you’re almost always working more. At least, that seems to be the case. We just received our February work effort reports and if I remember, correctly, every levels average hours worked were in the 30-40 hours over the monthly goal. And last year, we were under (so I guess we really were overstaffed).

I’m tired. Actually, I’m exhausted. Long hours. Still having to workout. Still having to cook, clean and do all those “domestic” type things and still trying to have a social life all are bombarding me in the face. Sometimes I wish I worked in an area where social and work got to interplay. You know, those jobs where you have to network, network, network? That would be ideal for the Type A Extrovert that I am. I love people. I love talking. And I’m also the kind of person that just wants to be IN YOUR FACE

This weekend is our home soccer team’s opening day, and I. am. Stoked. It has been since October since I have seen the boys play, and while they have a lot of trasitioning to do this year, and a lot of growing up as well, it seems, I think it’s going to be a good year. There will be a lot of learning, struggling, fans questioning what they were thinking when they actually became a fan of DC United, but all-in-all, the atmosphere of the games and what my fellow Barra give me is the best part of it all.

VAMOS UNITED!

I title this post because I’m so active on Twitter, and with being so active on Twitter, I find myself reading complaints from those whom I follow about how unhappy they are with themselves. I post this question because I believe there is an epidemic in this country; an epidemic that has become so common in today’s world, we rarely notice it anymore. The background:

You see, growing up, I was a modestly “chunky” child. I’ll admit it; I ate my fair share of cookies, crackers and ice cream and drank more than my fair share in Coca-Cola. By the time I hit the age of 14, I thought I wasn’t just chunky anymore; I thought I was downright fat, so I posed a simple solution for myself: lose the weight.

While I had become extremely active in sports when I hit middle school, I always seemed to carry around a little extra “baggage”. I was fed up with it, and there was only one way I could see to lose the weight: stop eating.

And that’s exactly what I did. I rarely ate breakfast. I never ate lunch, except for drinking one of those Coca-Colas. And dinner I always ate, mainly because I was at home with my family and had to cover it up somehow. If I happened to be out for a sports game with my school, I wouldn’t eat much, thankful I could get a break from a real meal for once.

And the weight? It definitely came off. Around 25 pounds. At one point, when I was 17, I actually weighed 103 pounds, which may not seem to be a low-ball number from someone else struggling with an eating disorder, but for those that know me and what my body build is, you’d understand that I was thin–extremely thin for me.

I was always cautious to not try and lose too much weight though; I knew people were watching me. I went through all of high school existing like this. I went through my first two years of college like this when I was in Indiana and away from my parents. I even went through part of my failed marriage like this. But then finally, something clicked inside my head. Something great and grand and wonderful.

When I got divorced, I realized that I didn’t have to please anyone but myself when it came to multiple areas in my life, including my weight. I was constantly trying to become like these supermodels, who were always so drastically thin. I thought I’d never be able to achieve it. And I didn’t. I’m 5’3½” with a super-muscular build. The scale would always be a much higher number than I ever wanted it to be. So I took the stance that I would eat for me and I would exercise for me. I didn’t need to do it for anyone else out there.

Fast forward to now where I weigh 146–the most I’ve ever weighed in my entire life. And while I realize that I’m not the thinnest person and that I could stand to lose another ten pounds, I also realize that I don’t have to do it. So when I see these girls complaining on Twitter about their weight, how unbeautiful they are, how they wish they could change things about themselves, I completely empathize with them. I’ve been there. Hell, I’m still there. I look in the mirror and see someone who weighs around 300 pounds because unfortunately, that’s the image I have ingrained in my brain thanks to the deathly media. Every morning I get up, stare at my naked body in the mirror and analyze, analyze, analyze.

So for those women out there struggling with their appearance, I want to tell you that you are beautiful. You are exactly who you are supposed to be and exactly what you need to be. You. Are. Enough. Don’t ever let anyone else make you think otherwise.

Have you missed my updating? I’ve certainly missed blogging, allowing strangers into my life and venting about certain things that may have popped up in the not-so-recent past. But at the same time, realizing that my blogging has taken a backburner lately means I’ve also been giving a higher priority to the more important things in my life: my career, my health and my boyfriend. These are all good things.

My career: While I have yet to get those three little letters after my first name, allowing me the ability to really push myself further faster, I realize that where I am right now is exactly where I need to be. My time this spring and summer will be well spent advocating and motivating myself to pass those wretched exams. I took two back at the end of last year and managed to be within a few passing points on one section (drat!) and well below the passing point on another. After speaking with a few people who have taken and successfully passed the CPA exam, I have realized that my studying was not done the way it should be. Apparently there are these little things called practice exams with lots and lots of questions which allow you to see your strengths and weaknesses, as well as give you a precursor as to what the exam will be like. Hmmmmm, really!? So my next bout of studying will be mostly focused on those questions. Questions, questions, questions!!!!!

My health: While I’ve always been active, I have realized that I haven’t always been the best eater in the world. Boy, so I love carbs!!!! And while I do like fruit and water, I was never eating enough or drinking enough of those two things. I have changed that over the past few months and am proud to say that as of today, I roughly drink about 90-100 ounces of water each day, as well as my five recommended servings of fruit, in some form or another (raw or juiced are my main options). Sunday morning I made J a generous breakfast of my famous sourdough french toast (trust me, guys, it’s the bomb-diggity and you’d droop over the smell of it cooking in my kitchen alone), turkey bacon and a mango-apple-spinach juice (fresh, of course). It was, how to say it, TO DIE FOR. Man, am I good cook, even at the simple things.

My boyfriend: He’s pretty much the best thing that’s ever happened to me, aside from seeing myself through undergrad and a master’s program. It’s been a little over a year of the best relationship of my life. I’m surprised at how easy it is. Is this what it’s really supposed to me like??? We’ve fought a total of two times in that time-span, and that’s only over stupid things where a misunderstanding has occurred. He’s calm and collected, so when we talk about things that may be bothering one of us, he communicates, as opposed to threaten or manipulate me like my men of the past. He’s just an all-around caring, awesome, handsome man. That’s all there really is to it.

In the next few months, I’ll be finshing up this busy season and gain most of my freedom back, moving in with J and starting some house renovations on our temporary future home (it’s going to be a rental once we’re finished with the upgrades). It’s exciting, scary, but most of all, exactly where I want to be.

What’s happened with you guys in the past few months?

This blog used to be my place I called “home”; a place where I vented and shared my deepest secrets; a place I thought I’d forever be able to utilize as “mine”.

Things change, however, and I’ve come to realize that friendships are my most prized outlet these days, not some blog space a few people might read.

But putting aside all that, I have also come to realize that writing is a way of expression and a way of being able to allow myself some creativity, even though I have very little of the sorts.

I’ve been in the DC-metro area for well over a year now. When I first moved here, I loved venturing into DC. In fact, I was probably there around 3-4 days a week, even with living in Bethesda. Upon my arrival in the DC-metro area, people told me that by moving to the suburbs and not into the city itself would eventually turn me into a snooty “outsider”, spending more time in the suburbs than I did in the city.

I didn’t believe them.

Now that I have finally settled and call this small town of Bethesda home, I have to agree with them. I have become that person. I love going out into Bethesda. It has wonderful places to eat, great, vibrant night scenes and my favorite people live here, too. Also, I could never do without a car and Metro just down right sucks right now. It’s the most unreliable public transit system I’ve ever encountered.

Regardless, another little shocking turn of events took place this week/weekend. I’m moving in with J.

He is currently in search of a third rental property, but by making it your principal residence first for a required period of time, you can get a lower mortgage interest rate (trick of the trade), so when he finally finds one, we’re both going together. Where? Who knows. We’re looking anywhere from Kensington (my preference) to all the way north in Germantown. The only requirements are that it’s appreciable, allows room for improvement, is a single-family detached home and is in a commuter area.

Really, the search has been on since early fall, but with the new development that I’ll be moving with him, I figured it was prime time for an update. Oh, and J’s requirement for me to move in with him? I have to be a “good girl”. HA!

Let’s just hope my landlord allows me to convert my lease to a month-to-month after it ends April 30. :-/

It’s been a few weeks since I’ve become a Tough Mudder.  I think it’s now due time to look back on it and give you guys a recap, particularly those of you who are interested in joining my team for next year’s (mark your calendar—it’s October 6, 2012).

First, let’s talk about training for this SOB. While I had injured my ankle pretty badly only two and a half months before (and it’s still healing), I felt pretty prepared . . . that is, until we arrived and I saw the massive ski slopes we were going to be walking up and down . . . and up and down . . . and up, up, UP and down and finally . . . back up again!  The best thing that prepared me for this? All the extensive backpacking J and I did while he was prepping for his mountaineering trip in Washington. Lifesaver right there, I tell ya.

But first, I want to backtrack to the night before Tough Mudder.  We left the DC area to head down to the Wintergreen Resort around 345 PM. After copious amounts of traffic getting from DC over to the west side to I-81, I was already beat and anxious to just get the hell there. We stopped for dinner at a Mexican joint in Harrisonburg. It was okay, but probably not the best choice the night before a race such as the one we were about to compete in. Then we arrived at our campground . . . or so I thought. We turned onto a gravel road, which at this point we were just following directions given by the national park we were staying because we were so far out in the middle of nowhere that we didn’t have GPS (well, we had GPS, but the maps couldn’t get downloaded).  So we drove for about . . . oh, 7 miles or so? At this point in time I was getting very anxious . . . we were nowhere near where we needed to be. Finally, cell service came back and my fears were acknowledged.  We needed to turn around and trek the 7 miles back and hit the road again. Thankfully, once we arrived at the end of that turn-around (which, by the way, in case you were wondering, we could only go about 20 mph on, so it took us a good half hour to go those 7 miles each way), we were only about two miles from our true destination.

We got to our site, relieved that no one had taken it so no fights were necessary to defend what was rightfully ours. We made camp and my sleep-deprived night began. First, we had extremely noisy neighbors. Apparently people have zero comprehension that when they are out in the wilderness with wide-open spaces their voices travel. And being right next to these obnoxious loud-mouths didn’t help one bit. I should also mention at this point in time I was not that cold, so falling asleep during this period would have been best for me.

They eventually shut up, but by now it had dropped below 40º and I was freezing. I had my entire body snuggled deep inside my mummy bag with nothing but the tip of my nose, but I was still shivering. Commence sleepless night.

By the time 4 AM rolled around I was begging and pleading with the sun god to make it rise faster and for Father Time to push my clock forward. Finally, after a long, cold night, my alarm sounded for our 540 AM wake-up call. We packed up, loaded up and trekked our way out.

Tough Mudder tale to be continued . . .

I’ve been given the challenge to write more in my blog.  I guess some people out there are actually starting to miss my writing.  Either that, or their are some serious stalkers in my life who like to closely monitor it . . .

Regardless, I have a lot to catch up on.  I haven’t really written since Memorial Day about any happenings.  While my life hasn’t been TOO exciting, I have grown a lot, it seems.

The other night as J and I lay in bed talking, I started to realize that, in reality, I have absolutely no freaking clue what I want to do with my life.  You see, I was thrown into what I’m doing mostly because I had to fend for myself.

I got married young and thought that was going to be my life.  I went to school on a whim and studied accounting mainly because it was something I was good at and liked, and at the same time, I loved to learn, so why not?

Then the divorce came and I was caught up in a whirlwind.  Suddenly, I was living on my own, having to pay a mortgage and take care of myself.  I was lost.  I was confused.

I stayed with the firm I took an internship with prior to my divorce mainly out of comfort.  I liked where I was and what I was doing, but mostly I really didn’t want to change.  Not to mention, I had a house I had to worry about.

Fast forward to last August and I started to realize that where I was living wasn’t where I wanted to live.  I needed a more fast-paced lifestyle.  I needed more people surrounding me.  Then you all learned I was attempting to move down here to “the city”.  I ended up coming to Bethesda in October of last year, happy and willing and ready to face whatever it was I needed to face.

Then I met J.  We clicked instantly and have been inseparable the past seven months.  He made me realize what a real relationship is; he’s taught me how a man should treat a woman; and more importantly, he’s taught me what I deserve from a man.  He fulfills me and–yes, as cliche as it may be–completes me.  He makes me whole.  I love that man with my whole being.

But the question still remains: what do I really want out of my life?  I’ve been pondering this all weekend, trying to figure out exactly what that might be.  And to be honest, I’m still not sure.  Things are beginning to develop in my head.  I want to be a career woman.  But I also want a family.  Juggling those two things in the industry I’m currently in is going to be extremely hard, particularly if I want to be the kind of mom I really want to be.  I grew up in a household where my dad was fully retired when I was five and my mom was fully retired when I was nine.   They were with me every step of the way.  Every sporting event, near or far, they attended.  They gave me a blessed life.  And that’s what I’d want for my kids, too.

So, now what?  Where do I go from here?   What steps do I need to take in order to make that possible?

I’m trying to make a transition in my life once again.  We will see if and when it occurs, but until it does, of course I’m going to be extremely vague on here about it as protection for myself, but be ready to join me in the process.  I’m sure it’s going to be long, enduring and emotional.