I've been bad at blogging recently. I've also been bad at going to the gym/working out. In the past two weeks I've gone three times, and one time was to play league tennis so I'm not sure if that really counts. I simply have no motivation to work out. I seem to have plenty of motivation to order Dominos, drink hoppy beers, and eat at Noodles though... I've been on the cusp of the 150s for the past two weeks. Each week I state to Rudi that "this is the week I break into the 150s!" and each week I fail. 


I'm going to try and motivate myself this week. So far, so good. Ate well today AND worked out AND shoveled. Snow is Mother Nature's way of building in extra exercise to my day. Tomorrow is going to be my most challenging day: I need to elliptical at the JCC before I lifeguard or I'll be too tired and hungry afterward to have the motivation. I also need to pack a sandwich and perhaps some chippies for lifeguarding. If I have food, I'm not tempted to pick something up on the way home. 


Wednesday: must make myself go elliptical after the chiropractor. I'm not sure if this messes up what he just did, but I need to get over that three-day hump. If you do something for three days, it will stick (hopefully)!

Thursday: make-up tennis match at 98th St. Lifetime. I'll elliptical after because we're up 3-1 in the second set and I can't imagine I'm going to get much of a workout. 


Friday: supposed to be warm (35!). May finally get out to x-country ski at Fort Snelling. ...Or I will elliptical at Lifetime. 

Saturday: see how I feel. Will weigh myself in the morning. If I've dropped into the 150s, it's a rest day! Otherwise, it's the gym, brunch with Stew, and then off to get my hair done.


Keep me motivated (esp RU!!). 

Wordless Wednesday

GO BEARS!

Three Things Thursday

1. I'm becoming more and more tempted to buy my house, even if I can't build out into the side yard. Anyone want to lend me that 2.5% down?

2. I've learned that the only way to stay sane while shoveling is to keep up with the snow. It's easier to shovel 1" at a time than it is to shovel 5".

3. This weekend I'm going to check out some cross-country ski boots and then hopefully find some trails! We've received at least 4" of new powder this week.

Getting My Mojo Back

After my last post, it seemed like something happened. Perhaps sending my butt-kicking wish to the internet gods did the trick. Perhaps it was the box from Amazon that came in the mail. In that box there was another box - another box filled with Clif Mojo bars. And that is how I think Allison got her mojo back.

The box contained three different bars - dipped chocolate peanut, peanut butter pretzel, and mountain mix. Oddly enough, this was the variety pack that they came in and they just so happen to be my three favorite mojo bars. I got the dipped one at the Reindeer Run that Jen and I did in December. I was just grabbing protein bars left and right and happened to pick up that one. Man alive was it good! I tried the two other ones when I wandered into the protein bar aisle at Target. I was hooked. They are sweet with chocolate or raisins and salty with peanuts and pretzels. Killer. 

I had one yesterday as my snack between 7th grade PE classes and I was back in it. I proceeded to kick butt at the dentist and then work out while my glasses were being fixed. I even stuck to my diet and didn't get Noodles, even though I passed two on the way home. 

It's paid off and I've already lost a little bit of the 3 lbs I gained over break. I've decided to reward myself with Punch Pizza after I break into the 150s. I had Noodles tonight for dinner, but I worked out really hard at the gym today, adding a mile run to my typical elliptical workout. And even with the Noodles, I'm on track for -1.4 lbs/week for today's My Food Diary entry. 

I'm currently sitting in the Starbucks on Robert St. and I can tell you that I am not impressed. I miss the north woods feel of my local Caribous. The hot chocolate here isn't as good as Caribou's either. But I have $65 to blow here. The whole vibe here is weird. It's chilly. There is a couch that I'm sitting on, but it seems kind of out of place, like someone donated it. I need to find a different one bc this one is totally bumming me out. 

It doesn't help that the couple next to me is totally having some issues. She just keeps talking and he seems totally uninterested and she keeps asking him what's wrong. Then she launches into some story that she finds funny and he barely responds. And they both have their Bibles out. Totally weird.

And so goes my Friday night.... 

Slow Start

2011 is off to a slow start. I've been having trouble getting myself to the gym. I've stopped in at Noodles two too many times. I need to get back into a groove. I need a kick in the pants. I need to stop eating the chocolates that I brought home from Asher's and Bergin's. 

In other news, I introduced my 8th grade fitness fun class to Gaelic football today. They seemed to enjoy it and even watched the videos without me having to stop the video too many times bc they were talking. 

Here are the videos that I showed them:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iIlsRsMMJUc 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dpdoJnsDHIY&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Ip9dNCuy_k&feature=fvsr

I'm looking into purchasing an indoor Gaelic football online. It's about $16, which is much better than the original outdoor ball, which is $65.

Year in Review

I stole the idea of 2010 in pictures from Katie. At the end of the pictures I will review 2010 as I saw it. (PS: Yes, I know there is no January or April. I guess nothing monumental happened!)

 February

 Our last year at Castle Rock in Lutsen, MN.

March

 My first Firkin Fest at The Happy Gnome. 

May

 Annual Memorial Day camping trip. Willow River State Park.

June

 Finally made it to Byron, MN.

July

 Our road trip through the south took us to Bourbon Street in New Orleans.

August

 My first time on a boat! Lake Minnetonka.

September

 The 2010 Minnesota State Fair, natch.

October

 I brought field hockey to Edina, MN. 

November

 My sweet new baby! 

December

 The largest snowstorm to hit Minnesota in the 12 years I've been here.

2010 had a lot of twists, turns, and uncertainties. Most of the year I was caught in an uncertain whirlwind, which wrapped itself up around the middle of August so that I could enjoy the rest of the year, which I did. I kicked my butt into gear from August to December and really turned things around. I lost 10 lbs. I decreased my mile time by over two minutes. I ran a 5k in under 40 minutes (39:39). These were all huge accomplishments for me. I still have plenty of work to do with regards to my "running," but I'm happy with what I've done this year. On January 5, 2010, I weighed in at 172.8 and on December 18, 2010, I weighed in at 160.2 (yeah...we're not counting the 3 lbs I gained in PA over Christmas...). As I said, I didn't really get serious until September. Just think what I can do in 2011! 

Longest walk: 14 miles

Miles run/walked/ellipticalled (Aug-Dec): 171

5Ks completed: 2

Unworthy boys dissed and dismissed: 3

Blu-ray discs owned: 3

Loads of laundry still to do in Mt. Laundry: 10 

Gopher volleyball games attended: 3

Gopher football games attended: 2

Dome collapses: 1

I have a few goals in mind for 2011, all of which I think are completely do-able:

1. Get mile time under 9 minutes. (11:19)

2. Run a 5k in under 37 minutes. (39:39)

3. Do not settle for ANY unworthy boys. Set standards high and keep them there.

4. Lose another 10 lbs., which allows for any setbacks or bad weeks along the way. 

I was going to make a goal for Mt. Laundry, but I know myself all too well. C'mon. Even if Mt. Laundry is tackled, it will only come back. Mt. Laundry and I are connected at the hip. Buddies, even. 

The last official day of 2010 was spent doing what I do best: exactly what I want to do. I started it off by seeing The Black Swan at 9:40 am (incredible movie) and then I had lunch at high noon with one of my best buds, Jen. We tried out a new place - Stanley's Northeast Bar Room. Jen's been on this kick of trying out new places for lunch and I'm digging it! I'd love to go back and try out Stanley's when I can have a few beers. The beer list seems pretty good for a small place in NE Mpls. Then I went home, picked up my laptop, and settled in at Caribou. I got my small hot chocolate (skim milk, no whipped cream) and started typing. 

I re-set my fantasy football line-up for this weekend, benching Vick, Akers, and Jackson and sending in P. Manning, Sebastian Janikowski (Oak), and Avant. No one had Avant so he was an easy last-minute pick up. If I win this week, I will win the entire fantasy football league. Jodi better get cracking on that traveling trophy! 

I don't have any plans for tonight. I'm thinking of going to Punch Pizza in Highland Park if it's not too icy out and then watching a movie - perhaps 17 Again on blu-ray (thanks Ru!). Then I'll switch to my man Ryan Seacrest and watch the ball drop with a Yuengling. Tomorrow morning may be quite ambitious - barbell strength class at Lifetime if it's open and then perhaps I'll take in another movie. 

Well, people are starting to annoy me at Caribou so I think I'll see what the roads hold for me.

Take a part of 2010 that you liked, think about it, and then launch headlong into 2011. It's gonna be a good one.

So, How'd I Do?

On Saturday, Day 19, I weighed in at 160.2. That was close enough for me! My goal was to be under 160 by Dec 31st. Since being back in PA, I've been trying simply to maintain instead of lose. Yesterday, my first day back, included Auntie Anne's pretzel bites with cheese, 2 cokes, a Wawa hoagie, Herr's Sour Cream & Onion chips, a 9" cheesesteak, and peanut butter Kandykates. I tried to talk Rudi into walking the 5 mile loop around Valley Forge park today, but she is illin' and chowing down Advil cold & sinus. Perhaps Sunday morning, she said. 

Total lbs lost since 9/8/10: 10.6
Total lbs lost since 7/2009: 20.2
Goal for the entire '10-'11 school year: -30...1/3 of the way there!

So since I'm back home for awhile, I thought I'd post some fun Friday facts regarding home.

1. Every TV in the house needs to be turned up so that my ears are nearly bleeding. Dad is deaf in one ear, Mom's hearing appears to be waning, and Rudi's ears are clogged up. 

2. I never remember the house being warm when I was a kid, but now it seems like a sauna, even at night. Ru and I are trying to talk Dad into taking the heat down to 58 at night instead of 62. 

3. Homemade cookies have just been dropped off by one of Dad's friends. So we have Coke, Tastykakes, cookies, and chocolates in the house. It's all I can do to not dive into all of them all at once.


4. Upon entering the airspace over Pennsylvania, four new zits sprung up on both Rudi's and my face. "It's not the heat, it's the humidity!"


5. Tonight is the McClure's annual Christmas Eve party that the rest of my family attends while I watch It's A Wonderful Life. Since I've already seen that this year, I believe I am going to watch The Bishop's Wife starring Cary Grant. 

6. While PA has not even a dusting of snow, St. Paul just got another 5". I am very grateful to have such awesome neighbors! 

7. My dad is a very good cook, and the smallest liquid measuring cup he has is 1/4 c. The next step up is a huge measuring cup, which holds between 1-4 cups, with nothing in between. I had to measure my juice in three 1/4 c portions. 


8. Tonight we are having turkey and mashed potatoes - yum! 


9. Mashed potatoes are quite possibly the best food in the world. 


10. I cannot wait until Sunday, the one day a year when I get to watch the Eagles in a bar where everyone else is rooting for the Eagles. Eagles + Yuengling + old friends = an awesome time!