I AM STILL REELING IN THE EXCITEMENT OF THE NEWS I JUST RECEIVED FROM CHAD AND JULIA THAT I WON FIRST PLACE IN THE GHF "12 WEEK CHALLENGE"!

I just want to say thank you to everyone for their support and encouragement and inspiration. All your wonderful comments and all the emails from Julia, Eric, Jenny, Chad, etc. have been wonderful!

THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU! I LOVE GHF!!!!

2 miles on elliptical + weight workout
starting to put more workouts together and hopefully the cold is behind me for good

Well..I haven't posted for a while so decided to put up a recent pic from New Year's Eve. I'm feeling great. Down to 115lbs but am not really trying to "lose". That just seems to be my consistent weight with my lifestyle habits. Still hitting the gym every other day for weights...still doing daily cardio. Started a blog on healthy alternative recipes, more for posterity, as it's a collection of many of my Mom's converted recipes. She's been cooking healthily for years so I wanted to categorize and organize them to have. I'm just at the beginning of it, but you can check it out at:
Mumzie's Kitchen.

Ran 1.5 miles to Y and did weight set; did about 75% of the exercises. Still not feeling 100% after the cold. Walk / ran back home 1.5 miles.

Did first run after layoff from chest cold. Went pretty slow and did some walking intervals - 2.7 miles in all and didn't get my heart rate up very high at all. Right hamstring a bit tight, so I will do some stretching. Hopefully I can put this cold behind me and do more strenuous and longer workouts.

Strength Training - Phase 3 Week 5 Workout 1

I find I struggle the most with tricep and shoulder exercises. However, I'm starting to find with more reps that I am getting used to the various exercises for the most part. I don't think I was doing the lateral raise exercise correctly, so I'll have to look at the video again and try it with less weight.

My legs were very sore from the run yesterday.

3.6 mi run with 1.46 mi warm up / cool down.

Ran outside - it wasn't too cold (31 F) but it was a bit mucky to run in the snow, but not to the point that it impeded my run at all. I ran pretty slowly (about an 11 min pace) but felt OK.

Strength - phase 3; week 4; workout 3

I had the time to go through the entire workout, all sets. I'm getting through about 3 of the resistance training sessions each week.

Strength
Total Strength Duration: 0:49:30 hh:mm:ss
Total Strength Calories: 257 kcal

Duration: 0:49:30 hh:mm:ss
Calories: 257 kcal

Ran outside in the cold, which actually felt pretty good. I interspersed walking as I am tiring pretty quickly on my runs now that I have been lifting 3X a week. Covered 4.49 miles but only ran about 3 of them.

Submitting contest "After" materials today. If you're not in it, wish me luck!! :-)

20 minutes on elliptical. Didn't have much time, so went at a hard pace. I find indoor cardio workouts to be pretty boring and it is hard to get motivated, so I try to find a podcast or something to listen to in order to make the time go by.

Aloha

Wrote a blog last night and laptop froze and I lost it! Arrrgggghh. LOL

Well I hurt! Backs of upper arms sore and reduced mobility LOL. I forgot about that! Oh well it will pass. Kids think it's funny dad can't get jacket on!

Tops of shoulders a little sore to. Boy it was fun doing strength work this morning. Reduced weights and I get a day off tomorrow and then 3 days off. Wish I could do 2 on 2 off 2 on but I'll work with what I have.

It is good, despite the soreness, to be back at it though. I do need to get nutrition sorted out. Especially first thing before getting to the gym. I'm short of time and need something to get me started. I really need to up protein as well. Mmmmm yummy protein shakes! LOL.

Thanksgiving is around the corner and we look forward to hosting U.S. Marines from Camp Pendleton in our home again. This year, I will be doing a "healthier" version of my traditional dishes. Not that hard to do...except for the Louisiana Bourbon Pecan Pie (that's just NOT negotiable!)You can take a girl out of the South...but....well, you know the rest!

Anyway...here's a great link if you don't have it already:

Healthy Thanksgiving

Ok...I tried to post one simple pic that is re-sized to 110 kb and it still says "error, exceeds maximum file size" so I don't know..can't find where on the blogs to get the rules on photo attaching.

Well here I am. Joined up yesterday and just spent time getting about the site. I am starting a new lfe/health style from tomorrow and now Julia has made her reccomendations to me I am ready to rock and roll.

I don't know how many others will look into this blog, I hope some do and any support, comments or kicks up ass will be much appreciated and they will be returned.. I assure you.

I am not only looking to record in this blog but it will transform in to a motivation blog for me mainly (but hopefully for others).

Any way that's opening blog and I will go out for a walk tonight and kill my lazy dog!

I'm a little bummed about my nagging upper back and neck muscles. They've been getting so tense that my back exercises trigger an excrusiating headache. I'm booked for some diagnostic testing to rule out the scary stuff, but I'm sure it's muscle related. I've been stretching my neck, upper back and shoulders daily and zapping them with TENS ans EMS and getting a deep tissue massaged weekly. It's helping, but the progress is so slow. I tried another full workout last tonight with my nephew, but needed to really lighten up my back exercises because they triggered my headache again. My improved stretching skills limited the duration and intensity of the headache, but it was frustrating to experience again. I'll get this licked, just haven't found the right combo yet.

I last blogged at the end of August. I haven't given up, failed miserably or quit, just couldn't figure out the new site and thought I lost all my blogs.
I've kept on schedule and this is my last week of a 12 week program. What have I accomplished? well I only lost 5#s in the twelve weeks, but the weight was never my issue, it was the fat and I've got less. Im stronger lifting 15%-40% more weight, I have more stamina and eat well balanced meals that keep me energized throughout the day. My blood pressure is normal, my resting heart rate has dropped by 12 ppm, my heart rate recovers much faster after workouts.My cholesterol and blood glucose are normal and when I get dressed I put on a pair one size smaller than when I started 12 weeks ago and they are comfortable. So who needs a stinking scale?

Is anyone else having trouble accessing "My Profile" from the home page? I've tried from 3 different browsers, 2 different computers, and from various links on the site...it just refuses to allow access to my profile info.

Midway through my workout today, I stopped and looked around the gym. My gym is on a military installation so the gym is full of military men and women keeping in shape, getting in shape and those forced to get in shape (believe me you can tell the difference). But there was also quite a few of us retired military who are there every day also. A couple of gym rats I know are 30 yrs older than me and they're there 3 days a week. My father-in-law just celebrated his 85th birthday Saturday and the man mentally is sharp as a whip! Unfortunately, a mini stroke has affected his motor skills
but nothing else. Prior to his illness you would have thought he was in his sixties. He has always been healthy. I think the stroke was due to aging and family history. He adopted a healthy life style about 15 years ago because his cholesterol was a little high. He always ate small frequent meals. He limited the things he had to and ate lots of veggies. He still does this now. These are the people that inspire me. I want to be agile and spry when I'm 80+ yrs old.

Oh...please, don't think I mean "LOVED" and "ALWAYS" "enjoyed eating fairly healthily" as though it's always been easy or routine! NOT!!! I was raised in N'awlins....and I can assure you I DO love creole gumbo, crawfish etouffe, shrimp jambalaya, creme brulee, roast beef po-boys, muffalettas, and cofee wth chicory and steamed cream! I just mean, I enjoy the benefits of clean eating and for the past 20+ years have tried to use about 75/25 ratio of healthy choices to "old favorites"....but over time, I kept increasing the healthy choices over the other and have reached about a 95/5 ratio....overall, not daily.

Ran 2.75 miles outside and then another 26 min on an elliptical trainer. Walked 3 miles. ITB feels OK