Cravin a Cabin

This winter has put me in the mood for hot soups and warming red wines. I've had the crock pot roaring with spicy bean and tomato soups that have just hit the spot. What I am really craving though, is a weekend trip to the mountains. My favorite times during the winter are spent in a hot tub with a nice glass of wine. I would love to just get a cabin with a hot tub and just relax all weekend! Luckily in Georgia, there are plenty of opportunities to do this. The north GA mountains have awesome cabins with great views of our mother earth. If all goes as planned, we are having a group mountain trip over New Years. I'm looking forward to this very much and hope that maybe Ian and I can have our own little private get-a-way as well!

Ahhh, Now I Feel Better

Okay, another week and another 4 lbs. Ian has lost a total of 8lbs! This is great for him but super frustrating for me. I don't think i have even managed to move the scale at all. So, in spite, i decided to put his before picture up. And from the looks of it, he has more to go than me anyway!



Sorry sweetheart.... he he he!

How To Cheat and Get Away With It.

My new fitness routine has really taken off. I am dedicated and working very hard to reach my goals. Like every challenge, there is something to hold you back or cause you to "give in". Here in the workout world, its called cheating. Eating sweet foods, going to restaurants and having cocktails with friends. It is easy to stay clear when these goodies are not around, but how can we give them up completely? Last weekend, Ian's mom made homemade cheesecake for dessert. Would i have bought or made a cheesecake at my house? No, of course not. But this was here, in front of me and it looked and smelled amazing. So my point is, yes i ate the cheesecake but how can i get away with cheating? Tonight, we got asked out by some friends and everyone will be drinking sweet drinks into the wee hours. Now, how can i go out with a large group of people and not have cocktails?? Some people may be stronger at this than me, but i enjoy my social gatherings that are filled with good drinks. How do i get away with this cheating?

I have come to the realization that if i didn't cheat, i will just be miserable! Will i gain 5 pounds because i went out with some friends or had a few cookies for dessert, of course not. So to cheat, it is all in moderation. I have given myself one day a week at most for cocktails with friends. If i want dessert after dinner, I'm going to have dessert. If i keep these things in moderation, I'm going to be happier and more lively. I can't always worry about how many calories or in this or that or how it will affect my diet. Once in a while is not just OK but needs to be part of my lifestyle for a well rounded me!

New Fitness Plan!

I have survived week 1! Last week, starting Sunday, Ian and I decided to get serious about our fitness/health plan. We have been talking about our goals for quite some time and now it is time to do it. We hit the gym everyday and ate healthy meals, keeping our calorie count much lower. The biggest struggle with getting going is definatly motivation and dedication. With any plan, it is always the hardest when you start. I truly believe that most people just don't enjoy their workouts and food plans and it causes them to give up. I personally cannot exercise at the gym unless I enjoy it. I think most of us have just done what we can to cut calories and had to suffer through strenuous exercise plans that feel like boot camp. I have come to enjoy many things at the gym that are actually quite fun. I mean, why would you want to get up and go do something you can't stand to try to feel better. That ties in with motivation. Getting motivated to do something you hate... not fun. I personally hate the treadmill. It sucks. It is boring and if I'm going to walk or jog, I'm taking my dogs and going outside. Nothing is worse to me than walking in place for an hour. Not only that, it burns the least calories than most of the machines at the gym. I did try a plan, which i was really excited about, to learn to run a 5k in 9 weeks. I'm not a runner and I'm pretty terrible at it but the plan seemed interesting and only 20 minutes on the treadmill. However, somehow i broke a small bone in my foot and the impact from the treadmill is pretty painful. I would have tried it outside, but the intervals of run/walk had to be timed which is much easier on the treadmill. It is also very good for your body to do run/walk combinations. What i do like is the Elliptical. It's a very low impact machine for your knees and hips. This machine is a magic worker! Want to burn 200 calories in 20 minutes.... this is your pick. It is difficult, but i usually only spend about 20 minutes on it and then do another machine. I need fast paced music to get me going so i make my play list with my top favorites and go to town. My next favorite is the cycling bike. I love going to the cycling classes at our gym. The instructors are great and the music if fun and upbeat. A cycling class can burn 600-1000 calories!

The best motivation of all though is that i have a partner that is helping me. He enjoys these workouts as well and we do them together. I also have put together a "Fitness Journal" to record my workouts each day. I think that updating this everyday will keep me in focus for the next week's goals. My last week's cardio minutes totaled 338m (5.6hrs) of both low and high impact cardio workouts. Ian has decided to do a weekly weigh-in and he lost 4lbs as of today. I decided that I would do it every 2 weeks since I'm not loosing as much as him and i don't want to get discouraged by not having a good number on the scale.

Now, about the dedication. The hardest part. Yes, you can get into a routine for a few days, weeks, months... but the rest of your life? My ultimate goal is to begin a new lifestyle that will carry with me throughout my life. I want to be healthy and active and live a longer, more youthful life. So what is my plan? Well, I'm not too sure. It takes 28 days to form a habit. I feel that if i can get through a solid month of intense dedication, it will get easier to keep it up in the future.

I will keep you updated with our success!

Here is a *BEFORE* pic (celebrity style):

My Best Friends

I had the idea that it would be more fun to give you a profile on my friends instead of me right now! These are my nearest and dearest friends that i love to death. They have been there for me through it all. And this is much more fun that talking about myself right now.


In no particular order...


Sister

This is my one and only big sister. She is pictured here with her boyfriend Aaron. She lives in Minnesota so I don't see her often. She is a wild and crazy woman that is very strong willed. We grew up together in North Dakota in the country on a farm. Yes, we are country girls and damn proud of it. She was the one with more of an adventurous mind. Always looking to make something, or build things in creative ways. She was always in Dad's shop getting wood and nails for something, usually another bed for our cats. They pretty much had a line of condos. Remember that time when you backed Dad's yellow truck into that salt block?? Again, always being creative to fix things.... Anyway, i love my sister dearly and can't wait to see her sometime soon!



Natasha-




This is one of my best friends from ND. We met in the 7th grade and we best friends through our Sophomore year in High School, when i left to move to GA. We are still great friend, however, we also don't see each other much. She has come to visit me twice and i have been back to see her a few times as well. She probably hates this picture and will make me change it to a picture she chooses because she's a crazy picture fanatic. She's obsessed with pictures, myspace, and text messaging. So like i said, she will probably be the only one to comment on any of my blogs. She lives up in blizzard town Williston, ND and has two wonderful kids. She's an amazing mom and a cherished friend of mine. I am very lucky to have her in my life.




Carli-



What a beautiful bride, huh?! This is Carli and her new husband Glenn. I met Carli when I moved to GA. She lives in North Carolina now and it stinks because i also don't get to see her as often as i would like! She is originally from South Africa which is really cool. She comes to visit every few months or so and we go out dancing all night. Carli is a very inspiration person and she has been a loyal friend to me.





Arlynn-



This is the fabulous Arlynn Marie Rook Wilbanks. She over uses the word fabulous but its okay. She was an absolutely stunning bride as well. We met in college when we were going through sorority recruitment. She was always in front of me in each rush line, and we ended up pledging the same sorority. She became our rush chair for two years, leading it to the best sorority pledge classes we've had. Her blog is really fun to read and you will know everything about her... http://www.fleurde-licious.blogspot.com/. She's a great decorator and has been helping me out with some great ideas lately. Her wedding was amazing because she has such wonderful taste. She will defiantly be my wedding coordinator when the time comes.

Tia-

I figured I'd keep going with the wedding photos! Another gorgeous bride and close friend of mine. I met Tia in college, we were sorority sisters. She was a few years a head of me but I grew very close to her. She has a "mothering" nature to her that makes you feel comfortable and content. I've always like being around Tia because she's a very good listener and has always supported me. After college, we still stayed in touch and are closer now that when we were in school. Her wedding was so fun! The reception lasted all night and we all had a great time. Although i didn't get a martini glass, i still love her!

Mike-

Mike and I became good friends right after High School. We met through Carli and became good concert buddies. We both like good music and late night trips to steak and shake. We've just became beer pong partners and we're pretty good at it. His mom is the sweetest lady ever and she does really awesome invitations and such... check out her site- http://www.allforyou.invitations.com/index.mhtml


More to come...

Lets get started...

Its very difficult to start writing about nothing. I mean, where do you start? I have never blogged before but maybe this will give me an opportunity to stay closer to my friends and family. As we all know, i am terrible at returning calls and emails even though i do have a lot talk about. I guess I'm not a phone person, or maybe I'm just lazy! I know my blog won't be as cute and creative as Arlynn's (http://www.fleurde-licious.blogspot.com/), but she gave me the idea to start doing it myself. I really don't feel like giving the"about me" tutorial right now,but maybe later... again, there is that procrastination i was saying. I would rather start discussing other topics to get me going on this thing. Please leave comments to my posts, i will enjoy reading them. Well, if anyone actually reads this other than Tasha.

So there's your intro, now lets move on...