In The Refiner's Fire

It's official! I'm officially a certified Jazzercise instructor!  Whoo hoo!!!!  (And I have the official microphone belt to prove it!) :) Boy, can I tell you that it's been a process and one I am so glad that I've gone through.  And, my, has it been humbling, as well! I have been "Jazzin'" for 11 years now.  I thought I knew what I was doing.  Boy, did I have a LOT to learn! I learned that even though I have a small amount of dance background, I really needed to learn a fair amount about dance. I learned that I really can push myself a little more than I thought. I learned that I am stronger than I thought I was - physically and mentally. I learned that I really and truly don't embarrass easily - that is a very good thing! Interestingly enough, the thing I learned the most was this:  I'm not giving my life my "all". At workshop, my trainer said "I really don't think you're giving this everything you've go...

I only have a few short weeks until I go through my "final" workshop as part of the Jazzercise Instructor certification process.  I'm a bit pumped, a bit scared, and just plain really excited about the whole thing. The hardest part of this journey has been learning to do all the things I've been doing wrong right. Yep, you read that right. I had been doing several things wrong for years and just found out now.  In the last few weeks, I've been up on stage, behind the current instructor, practicing during class.  What I've noticed is that a lot of people are doing things wrong too - almost everyone in the room. Can I offer some unsolicited advice to anyone doing aerobic exercise?  (If you don't want it, you can skip these next two paragraphs - you won't hurt my feelings.  Really.) Good posture is really important and it will make your workout far more effective than if you don't have good posture.  Keep that tummy tucked in and that pelvi...

I hit a plateau with my weight loss these last few weeks.  The good news is that I haven't gained any weight back or any inches back.  The bad news is that I'm stuck. So.... For July.... I'm planning on working out 4 or 5 times each week (which is fairly easy since I'm not teaching at night right now). I'm planning on not eating seconds at dinner and not finishing the kids' breakfasts (bad habits that I've gotten into). We also have a few parties coming up (a relatives retirement party, an off-to-the-military party, a reception lunch after John serves at a church out of town, and a couple of delayed graduation parties), so I'm planning on skipping the cake or only have cake and some veggies/fruit depending on the time of day of the party and making some wise choices about the other food there too.  I have found that if I have a glass of water in my hand I won't eat as much because I can take a sip of water if I feel I need to "eat". ...

I have written before a little bit about how one of my main reasons for getting healthy is to keep these two chronic illnesses that I have in check.   One can be controlled very well through diet and exercise - and that works very well .  The other has fewer flare-ups if I eat right, exercise and get enough sleep. Sleep being the key point here. I found out last week that I've been in a flare-up for about 12 weeks.  This week (and for the next 3 weeks) that  means nasty-scary antibiotics, plenty of sleep and prayers that I don't have to go on something stronger and more invasive again. I had just thought I was tired from all the end-of-semester chaos and everything else that's been going on in my life.  I totally didn't realize that the 4 1/2 -5 hours of sleep I was getting a night was not helping and that my fatigue was due to a flare-up rather than just being 'regularly tired.' My problem is this - I do...

One of the really fun things that is happening this summer is that John is taking the summer off from his Seminary classes.  Ideally, so that I can write on my dissertation.  In reality, since he needs a desperate break and needs to get some much-needed balance in his life. After watching him struggle with full time and 2/3 time school and a schedule that leaves very little time for anything else, even my head aches.  His shoulders get tense, he starts craving junk food, and he feels very listless and lethargic. One day in the last month we decided that we would work together on this goal of getting healthy. We've always done pretty well in terms of eating meals.  Snacking, not so much.  Working out? I do okay. John's workout is non-existent. We're both wearing pedometers now. We're both keeping a food journal now. And we're both reporting in to each other weekly about our progress now. How cool is that?  We've starting taking family w...

The last couple of weeks haven't been so hot for working out.  I pinched a nerve in my neck 2 week ago and last week only got in 2 workouts instead of 4.  This week I have a colossal sinus infection, so I missed my weekend class since I was running a fever.  Today I missed most of class since I did something to my ankle and it hurt to put any weight on it (I did do the arm and abdomen parts though and then went for a walk later today with my family when my ankle was feeling better). That means, unless I drag myself to class at 730am on Saturday, I'll have worked out once this week.  *Sigh*  The good news?  I had to measure myself in order to cut out my Easter dress. Here's what I found: Waist: 3 inches down! Hips: 6 inches down! Left Thigh: 3 inches down! Right Thigh: 2 1/2 inches down! That's a grand total of 14 1/2 inches down!   Whoo hoo! I am so psyched about all of that!  Who cares of the scale says only 5 lbs down (whi...

Soooo, how's that weight loss thing going, huh? I'm down 5lbs. I'm also down 2 inches on my waist! I have a pair of pants that have been snug for the last several years and I had to wear a belt with them to work yesterday to keep them from falling down to my hips.  I LOVE that! I have also been able to work out an average of 4 times per week for the last month. I am giving that extra working out the credit for not gaining back those 5lbs since I spent last week eating a ton of junk food - cheesecake, chocolate lava cake, hot soft pretzels, ice cream, and a whole bunch of other stuff that I probably shouldn't even mention on a healthy habits entry!  We had several events where we needed to eat desert and, of course, I didn't plan ahead and went with a basically empty stomach each time.  (Or I did like I did today and forgot a spoon to eat my yogurt with! Opps!) That meant lots of eating things I shouldn't have. We have loads of fruit in the house...

So, me being me, I decided that I needed some outside accountability in my little weight loss journey. When Jazzercise started their Jazz It Off! promotion this month, I decided I'd do it.  Never mind that I hate public accountability of my very personal habits. Never mind that I REALLY don't need a single other thing on my plate right now.  REALLY . Never mind that in order to do that I need to add two more exercise sessions a week to my current crowded schedule. Never mind that when I'm on a "diet" all I can think about it food - I rarely think about food when I'm not "dieting." So.... Last week was the first week. I chose my weigh-in day as Thursday. I attended 4 classes between last Tuesday and today. I watched what I've eaten more than I have for a long time  and asked myself a lot if I was truly hungry or eating because I was bored.  Mostly the answer was "bored".  I went to a baby shower on Saturday afternoo...

I'm really excited with what I've been doing on this area.  Even with being sick and having a house full of sickies for the last two weeks,  I've made progress.  I found and calibrated that darn pedometer.  Progress. I keep forgetting to wear said pedometer.  (No, that's not progress!) I've been doing much better with snacking. Progress. It's really hard to snack when you're doing things that require your hands and when I have to tell my accountability partner what I've eaten it tends to cut down on mindless eating.  Crackers are still a weakness - especially right before bed (a habit I started when I was pregnant how many years ago now!) - but I have managed to cut down to a few oyster crackers from a whole bowl of saltines.  I don't need the salt  and I don't need the calories! The biggest thing - and the most exciting - is that I took that first step to being a Jazzercise instructor! I had an impromptu opportunity this week to d...

My dear friend Bea and I went to breakfast last weekend.  I won't even talk about what I ate (it was very high in calories - but I did get a side of fruit!), but we decided that we're going to be each other's accountability partners in this whole weight loss thing! She has several physical difficulties that mean strenuous exercise is out of the question for her.  After some extensive surgery 2 years ago that finally allowed her to move without pain for the first time in the entire time I'd known her (since 2000), she was able to lose 60lbs!  Whoo hoo!  You go girl!  It's amazing what being able to move at all can do to your physical fitness level!  I tell you, she's an inspiration to me in so many ways, and that's just one of them! Anyway, she has a grand baby (her first!) due in May and is hoping to lose another 20lbs by then.  I am planning on being certified as a Jazzercise instructor before the end of the year and would like to lose 15lbs b...

Nothing like a new year to get things rolling along in the weight loss realm!  I think I remember reading somewhere that losing weight and getting out of debt are the two most often made New Years Resolutions.  I believe it.  Because both being overweight and being in debt have a lot in common and both aren't any fun! My plan in 2011 is to lose 15 lbs and several inches. (I haven't measured myself again so I will have the inches numbers for next week - gulp!).  Last year I managed not to gain any weight from beginning to the end of the year and my weight went down and then back up during the course of the year.   My goal for this year is to have it go down and then stay down! :) How? That's always the trick question isn't it.  I could focus entirely on what I eat or exercise like crazy or crash diet or something that would work temporarily and then be difficult to maintain in the long run.  I won't do that.  Here are some thing...