God and Santa Were Good To Me!!!

I hope all of you had a wonderful Christmas! I know I sure did...we still didn't have a lot of funds to spend for the holidays this year, but that didn't really matter. The major gift I asked for was a pair of new running shoes, the Nike Dual Fusion in Blue/Green. Santa (my husband and son) could not find that color combination, so they got me the Dual Fusion pictured above in Black/Retro/White. When I unwrapped them on Christmas morning, I discovered that I like this color combo much better, so it all worked out. Plus...I have new running shoes!!!

Even better was Christmas Eve Mass at my sister-in-law's church...even though we had to stand the whole time the service was beautiful. We spent time at her house and then went to my dad's on Christmas. Everyone had a great time and it's truly a gift to catch up with all of our friends and relatives at the holidays. Jesus is the true reason for the season, which makes Christmas special no matter what the material gifts are under the tree.

I did weigh myself this morning, and I gained .6 pounds. No beating myself up over that, because I enjoyed some treats without going overboard and gained only a little over half a pound. Back to business today...and I get to break in the new shoes!

Christmas Fitness...and Caroling!

It's been a really busy week, but a lot of fun. I still kept up with my December plan, and hope I get extra fitness points for fighting the crowds on Saturday to finish my shopping. What a zoo! I usually am done well ahead of December 18th, but with money being tight we have to buy a little at a time when the funds come in. I'm finally done...even with my grocery shopping! I started baking already, but have more to do during the week. Luckily I love to bake, so I will crank up the music and have at it!

Speaking of music, I did something I haven't done in years...got up to sing in front of a bunch of people. You may remember that being one of the goals on my list from earlier this year. It was kareoke, but still it was all me singing. We did some Christmas carols along with other songs, and I enjoyed every minute of it. It's time to get out there and start singing again...besides just at home or in my car. I will be back again next Sunday for more!

Today was weigh-in day, and I lost .8 pounds. Not quite a pound but still good for the holiday season. I've lost 4.4 pounds so far for December, when in the past I would usually gain, or stay the same if I was lucky. I have some other exciting news on the fitness front that I will share with you shortly, but for now let's all enjoy the week leading up to Christmas!

Weighing In on a Wintery Monday!

Now the weather outside is REALLY frightful. Plenty of blowing and drifting snow, wind chills below zero...Jack Frost is nipping at more than just my nose! My son does not have school today, and I wouldn't be surprised if they close for tomorrow as well. We're supposed to get more of the same all the way through Wednesday.

Inside of my nice warm house, I stepped on the scale this morning to find a 1 pound loss. Although I would have liked to see more gone than that, I'm pretty happy with it. Last week was my son's choir and band concert, and then we found out my cousin John passed away and had his memorial service a couple of days later. I fit in my exercise anywhere I could, even if it was in smaller amounts. I managed not to eat my sorrow about my cousin...instead being motivated to get myself in better shape due to his medical problems.

We're not quite halfway through December and I'm right on pace...almost halfway to my goal for the month. I will step it up this week even more. If you are a regular reader of my blog, you know how I want to get back into skiing shape. My article was recently published about other sports and exercises that will help you with your skiing, which you can read at http://www.suite101.com/content/perfect-workouts-to-keep-you-in-skiing-shape-a316887. I am incorporating some of these into my workouts to strengthen up for the slopes.

Though my workouts are indoors for the next few days, they will be intense. Here's to a fit week...and please stay warm!

Life Lessons...From My Cousin John

This has been a rough week...my wonderful cousin John passed away a few days ago, and we had his memorial service last night. He was only 58, but he left behind a lot of amazing memories and a gift of life lessons to all of us. Here are a few that hit home with me:

Do what you're passionate about. John always followed his passions...computers, technology, and science fiction were the main three, and he always gave his all to everything he did. He also loved playing blackjack and went to Las Vegas, Reno, and Atlantic City every chance he got to play as often as time and money would allow. If you love doing something, go do it. Make the most of every moment you have on this earth.

Take care of your health. Unfortunately, John gives us this lesson because he did not take care of his own health very well. He was severely overweight and diabetic, and although at times he tried to take control he didn't stay with it. I firmly believe that he would still be with us if he had taken better care of himself. Do everything you can to get fit and healthy, so you can be around for a long time...to live your dreams and spend more time with your loved ones.

Family is important; don't let too much time go by. This is another lesson learned the hard way. At John's memorial service, there were some cousins, aunts, and friends of the family that I hadn't seen in years. Some of my cousins' children are already grown up and we all missed out on a lot of time together. We are working on keeping in touch much better...we want to start making the time for each other so we don't only see each other at funerals. As with John, we don't have unlimited time on earth so we need to find the time in our busy schedules to spend time together. Call that relative that you haven't talked to in a long time...or stop by to see them. Don't wait!

Now that John is in heaven, we need to remember these lessons and make the most of them. Rest in peace my dear cousin....and as my cousin Tom said yesterday about his brother, "Warp speed...into the new world."

Weather Is Frightful...But Fitness Is Delightful!!!

Yes, the snow is falling softly outside of my window as I write today. It looks very pretty now that the wind has died down, and since I'm not in the Snowbelt it's not piling up too high (at least this time!). And the city snow plow has actually been coming by regularly to keep the streets clean!

I got my workouts in every day this past week...some were longer, some were shorter, but I still got my exercise in each and every day. This has always been a challenge during the holiday season for me, which is why I made it one of my December goals. It's my Christmas gift to myself - much better than "treating" myself to unlimited holiday goodies all season. Weigh-in was this morning, and I lost 1.6 pounds. This means I lost what I gained over Thanksgiving plus a little bit more...and it's a great start to my goal of at least 8 pounds lost during the most wonderful time of the year.

Speaking of December fitness, I have a new article published with an overview of the health and fitness magazines that are out this month. Please check it out at http://www.suite101.com/content/health--fitness-magazine-roundup--december-2010-a316015 and see which articles intrigue you the most. Onward toward our December goals...fitness really is the gift that keeps on giving!

December Workout Playlist

Now that it's snowing outside, I need more fresh tunes to keep me motivated and going strong. More often than not, I'm walking or running on the treadmill and the music keeps me from being bored with no change of scenery. I do sometimes put on a football game or another good program on TV to work out, but music is still my number one way to stay the course.

Here are a few of the latest songs on my playlist:

Wildflower - JaneDear Girls

Put You In A Song - Keith Urban

My First Kiss - 3oh3

Start Me Up - The Rolling Stones

Felt Good On My Lips - Tim McGraw

Get On Your Feet - Gloria Estefan

Family Affair - Mary J. Blige

Shut Up And Drive - Chely Wright (not the Rihanna song, even though it's great)

Crazy Little Thing Called Love - Queen

Smooth Criminal - Michael Jackson

Rock What You Got- Superchick

All I Want For Christmas Is You - Mariah Carey ('tis the season...have to have some holiday music!)

If you have any other great suggestions, feel free to add a comment and let me know. Let's all keep each other inspired through the holidays!

December Goals: Merry Christmas to Me!

Happy December 1st! It's time to make a new set of monthly goals, even though we are diving into the holiday season. I had set goals for November, but some of them were not met because of the chronic fatigue problem. However, as a blog reader pointed out, I did something about the fatigue problem and went about finding a solution instead of just using it as an excuse to abandon my healthy plans. In the past, I would have just quit on my fitness goals with something like this...but I really have come too far to go back. I really like being able to accomplish things!

I also did modify some holiday recipes and drink plenty of water, which helped me get through November in better shape than I normally would have. Now that I have my energy back, here are my December goals:

1. Continue with the H2O, while limiting the special holiday beverages that are so tempting this time of year.

2. Modify some more recipes and find healthier cookie ones. I have to get my brother's awesome veggie casserole recipe he served on Thanksgiving...it was healthy and full of flavor!

3. Even on the busiest days, I will get at least 30 - 45 minutes of vigorous exercise. On days I have a little more time, an hour will be the goal.

4. Remember that working out does not give me license to eat unlimited amounts of cookies, candy, eggnog, or other holiday goodies. The calories and fat will still add up to more than I can burn off!

5. Lose 8 -10 pounds during December, by keeping to my plan listed above.

6. Find non-edible ways to be in the Christmas spirit, remember the true meaning of the holidays, and fully enjoy the season!

Feel free to share your December goals with me as well...together we can keep each other on track to start 2011 in a much healthier way!