Who Is That Hot Sit Ups Chick?

Day 53 was crazy - getting ready for our get away but did my 100 while i was awaiting my hair dye to set up, Day 54 - was our incredible Hot Springs Get Away! Did my 100 sit ups on the front seat, as it was a 7 hour drive. Then we hiked in 1 1/2 miles to the springs and spent the rest of the day out there along with other misc exercises :-) Day 55 - Did my 100 on the hotel room bed. Day 56 - Did my 100 and 100 after company left that night and got in a short hike with my Honey. Day 57 did my 100 and 100 in the afternoon along with a short hike in the COLD temps.....

Here's more pics and story about the HOT SPRING :-)

Black Black Sit Up Day

My husband and I My Daughter "The Sock Fashion Expert"

Me

The Big Boys - My MAN, "Fiery and Matthew", The Archer

Art Dog and SFE getting off the lift

I knew the day would come..... it haunted me..... it teased me...... it tormented me......... The Black Black Sit Up Day came upon me. It happened toward the end of our girls group fast. I had been emotional for a long time, and not gotten much sleep in days. It was day 51...............

On Day 49, I got up from my night shift and skied an hour. I did 100 sit ups and 100 cross crunches. On Day 50 I did the ab ball routine along with about a 4 mile ski trek. Day 51 - Black Sit up Day. Day 52 - I woke up ready for all day snow boarding at the local ski resort. It had been days since I'd slept well, but I felt like I was coming out of it. I began to get dressed. As I walked by my mirror, I recognized abdominal muscles I'd never seen before. In my sleepy haze, I began admiring them. I had never looked like this before, not even in my teens or 20's. All at once it occurred to me that the figure I was admiring was my own. At the same time, the realization hit me that I had neglected to do any sit ups on day 51! We'd been gone at church and then over to friends until that night. I had gotten home and climbed into bed exhausted. I always knew that it would eventually happen, but had never wanted to consider it. How am I supposed to get through doing this for a year when my record was now tarnished? The dread and frustration never came. I just kept looking in the mirror in wonder. That's when I knew that I needed to keep doing it. I would do what I could to make up for yesterday, but I wanted to keep going. In 50 days, I had produced something I never imagined or had the motivation to do. I had real ab muscles under there and they were beginning to show.........

On Day 52, that day of dawning, we were to be gone snow boarding all day. It was the first time in years we'd gone. The younger kids were traded for some friends husbands while the older kids remained with us. The big ol' caravan of us stuffed together in our Suburban managed up to the Chalet. For the first time in a long time, I rode the lift up to the top. As I followed the kids down an easier hill, I marvelled at how it all came back to me. In minutes I was carving gracefully. I had carved a bit here at home, and on the road, but have had trouble doing it in powder. The groomed hill made it really really easy. As a matter of fact, over the course of the day, I was amazed that fear didn't seem to have a hold on me. I tried anything with whomever I was with. When it was my turn to board with the big boyz, I wasn't as fast, but had fun following them around. My favorite memories included riding the lift up with my husband, seeing how well the kids did and also another shocking realization........ The last time I'd been here, I remember that I had gotten 3/4 of the way down and I hurt bad. I think that day I maybe only made it up and down 3 or 4 times the entire day. It just hurt too bad and I wore out fast. This time (maybe 5 years later) I could make it down 3x before I needed a rest and ended up doing it 8-9x total. That was just so cool.... When I got home, though I was hurting after 7 hours on the mountain, I did my 100 sit ups for BLACK SIT UP DAY AND I did 50 for that day........ Then I joined my congregating family in the ol' hot tub ;-)

dayz go bye

Day 45 was Valentines Day. I ran 3.2 miles and did 100 sit ups and 100 cross crunches before heading over to dinner with friends. Day 46 was a busy day in town. I ran 4 miles when I got home and did 100 sit ups and 100 cross crunches. Day 47 I was getting ready for work but got in a good hike and 100 sit ups and 100 cross crunches. Day 48 CRAZY DAY!! After work my car (first time ever driving it) was running and wouldn't let me in even though it was unlocked. A would be helper broke off the handle. I was stranded at work. My hero husband came to get me and had the problem fixed before I could walk across the parking lot to get to him. Long story short I ended up riding over to another city with him to pick up our new washer and dryer. Since I never went home, but just got dropped off back at work, I never got the chance to do my sit ups. I PANICKED! How would I get any done?!?! Oh the drama!! The ER nurse is fretting over sit ups. I snuck into the locker and did a quick 20 - te he he - whew! Not too impressive, but some done none the less. If i get the "Q" word, maybe i'll get in a few more before midnight ;-)
Recently I've been challenged in my faith in a big way. I decided the best thing I could possibly do is to have a week of prayer and fasting. Every time I do that, GOD MOVES in a BIG WAY. Instead of doing any kind of diet plans, I have called a group of close friends to pray and fast with me. We all fast from different things. Some times its coffee, sometimes chocolate, food, etc.. We all agree that God will move on our issues spoken or unspoken among the group. We don't always share, but support one another fully in prayer. This has been a huge pillar in my life and comfort in times of trouble. Wishing you all a wonderful rest of the week!

Catching Up, Post Hysterics......

Seared Chicken half with couscous, home made marinara topped with mozzarella; Cauliflower on the side.

We were given several boxes of these off sized grapefruit. They are deliciously sour :-) All the kids have been eating several a day, even Moonbeam is eating them. Somebody told me they jump start metabolism. Have you ever heard that?

Oh Dear I'm behind on blogging these in!! Day 40 was yet another all day trip to the city. We came home with an older Toyota Corolla and had gone washer/dryer shopping. I got my 100 in before bed. Day 41 I was a basket case of emotions, not to mention rather hysterical most of the day. I ran 2 miles, which didn't help my frame of mind much. I was not paying attention to the time and realized I was 10 min late in leaving for work. I hadn't done my sit ups nor was I ready. I got ready and did 20 quick ones before heading out the door 20 minutes late. Glad I did, because I wouldn't have wanted to try doing them at work before midnight ;-) Day 42 I ran 3.2 miles in about 42 minutes. Then I did 100 sit ups, 100 knee elbow crunches, and 50 leggie up and down deals. Better. Day 43 I was again a ball of hysterics, but did get in a 3.2 mile run and 100 sit ups. Darn that time of the month anyway! Day 44 I seem to be coming out of the darkness and seeing light once again. I hiked Miss Moona about 3 miles with the sled and did 100 sit ups and 100 knee elbow crunches. Whew! So relieved to be caught up with that!!

The End of 1500 For Now

Before Church on Sunday. It was kind of fun to wear something that felt good and not have to layer up to try and camouflage flab.............

Stuffed Red Peppers with venison burger, tomato sauce, brown rice, Parmesan and mozzarella (about 400 calories per pepper).

Thank you Julia for your advice :-) I will do that!! So I ended my week of 1500 calories. Heather asked me where I got that number and it was from a couple of places - an Internet site suggested 1300 some for losing weight but I didn't think that was enough. Another bloggie buddy, Amber, is doing 1500 so I thought I would try and see what happened. Well, in the end it was a challenge but I learned a lot during the week. I will go off it for now. I wish I could say I lost some definite pounds, but I'm not really sure. I was in the 128's and 129's during the week, which was exciting, but the last day I was in the 133's. Who knows? That seemed a bit frustrating, so I measured (which I hadn't done since Jan 1st) and I'm down an inch or two most places. In fact, I'm starting to measure in at my normal summer measurements so I guess that is progress.

Sit Ups wise, well, I haven't been very progressive with them as I'd hoped to be. The whole calorie thing has kept me focused along with other exercise endeavors, so I've mainly been in holding there. Day 36 my friend, "The Dolphin Goddess", called and invited me on her 4 mile ski trek. She does 2 miles up a mtn and then 2 back down. It was hard work!! She's the one I am doing Bloomsday with. I did my 100 and maybe a few cross knee/elbow dealys but that's it. Day 37 was a busy day in town. Got home tired and did my quick 100. Day 38 I did a 3 mile ski around here and was busy busy busy all day. By evening, I was falling asleep in the couch and forced myself to preform 100 before heading off to brush my teeth, Moonbeams, and Super Catman's (now that he has his braces, I have do that every so often). Day 39 I knew we have an evening engagement, so I did my 100 as soon as my husband and I got back from a 3 mile hike together. You may see a common theme here - that would be the same boring 100 sit ups..... Really, it is my intention to do other ab work, I've just been mildly distracted. Better luck the rest of the week ;-)

To Count or Not to Count - That is the Question

Seared lemon peppered chicken paired with grain salad

My girl friends eat a lot of this kind of thing - Soaked, boiled, rinsed, grains (mine are rye and wild rice) tossed with fresh, diced veggies, fresh herbs, high quality olive oil, toss in raisins or currants.

Though Moonbeam doesn't eat many raw veggies on her plate, she will chow on them if I let her "help" me cook.

Well I blogged about my adventure in a Gigantic Organic Health Food Store on Yaak Adventures. If you want to have a laugh about my husband's culture shock, you can mosey over there. The result of that big shopping trip left me pleased and also a bit unsatisfied. PLEASED because I have some new grains to try cooking with, along with a host of other healthy whole foods I am excited about. A bit unsatisfied, because, I couldn't buy very much fresh produce. We were 6 of us jammed into the cab of a 6 seater Toyota Tundra. It was below zero and anything not being jam packed around us would freeze. Well, I guess you gotta take what you can get :-) I have been doing some sprouting lately, which is fun. Have any of you guys ever tried making wheat grass? Have you ever actually utilized wheat grass in something that tastes good?

As for sit-ups, day 33 we were getting back from the big trip. I did my 100 right around bed time. Day 34, I did a mini combination earlier in the day before I ran a couple of miles. Its kind of a nice warm up before going out into the cold, anyway. Day 35 I forgot, climbed into bed and then furiously did 100 with my husband laying there. He didn't say much. He never does ;-) For this I am quite fortunate.........

The whole calorie thing seems hard, but I am choosing to learn. The truth is, I am totally undisciplined when it comes to food. I might have good intentions for a while, but in the end, I find myself over indulging. I have just learned to overindulge less than when I was 50 lbs heavier. I am quite sure that I eat WAY MORE than 1500 calories a day. However, I have learned to be content with it. There have been a few times I felt like my blood sugar was dropping, and few times I felt hungry. I've really had to budget those calories and try to make the most of them. I've had to cut serving sizes in half to have everything I wanted. I've had to beg, borrow or steal the computer from my family to find out if what I wanted to eat was within my calorie means. Despite these grave inconveniences, truthfully, it hasn't been that bad and I haven't gone to bed starving. I even occasionally feel full - ha ha!! All in all its been a good learning experience.

Our couples get away might be getting rescheduled to a couple of weeks later. So what should I do now? Should I keep doing it for a couple more weeks? Forget it forever? (probably not) Take a week off? I don't know. It is good for me to have something to focus on or I might get terribly bored and start hounding my kids ;-) On the other hand, counting is rather time consuming and constraining........ what to do what to do???

A LOT TO TELL.....

Me On Top The World!! My Eldest "The Archer"

Art Dog Hiding from the WIND!!

Weary Band of Summit seekers, Art Dog in front

Elasta Woman and I

Oh my goodness i have a lot to tell....... I'll start with the most PAINFUL part which is, I have decided to copy cat Miss AMBER's challenge and try doing 1500 calories/day for a week. Honestly, I can't remember the last time i SERIOUSLY counted calories. Some people think that's terrible, but here's my life MOTHER OF 5, HOME SCHOOL TEACHER, EMERGENCY ROOM RN, WIFE, BLOGGER, FITNESS FANATIC, I'll stop there. I just do not have the time to do it - REALLY I don't. I can't keep up with it on a regular basis, so I've never forced it upon myself. I decided to really push myself and try doing it for one week. My motivation : Couples Hot Spring Getaway in one week. Anyhow, I figured maybe i could shed a few pounds and it wouldn't be any big deal. Really, IT HAS BEEN A BIG DEAL. I decided to start it Monday when I spent 4 hours doing intensive snow shoeing up a mountain and snowboarding down in below zero weather. I just don't know whats the matter with me (calorie wise). I know I should have picked a different day to start, but it all worked out okay. I had to think hard about what calories would benefit my body the most. I chose egg-spinach-vegetable-Parmesan saute for breakfast and a chicken/raisin/feta/grain salad for lunch. For dinner I had a lean venison burger and fixings. In the end, though not all that smart to start on such a high energy day, the choice of foods made a big difference for me. It got me to realize that I really should be thinking about fueling my body daily rather than when performance is so important. We would never throw a bunch of garbage in the gas tank of our new (insert dream car here) and hope it passed for fuel. Anyhow, even though I hate doing it. I'm forcing myself and learning in the process. Thanks Amber for your inspiration :-)

Day 30 was a fun 3 mile ski after church and my 100 sit ups. Day 31 was the CRAZY ordeal, which story i am posting at the bottom of this post. I copied the story from my other blog, Yaak Adventures. When I got home, I was so exhausted, I didn't know what to do with myself. After the hot tub, blogging, dinner, i fell into my bed, EXHAUSTED!! Then something stirred me and I remembered OH NO!! I looked at the clock, got up and did 50 sit ups. Super Catman did them with me. Yes that is rather anal - AS IF all that wasn't ab work - but i just had to do some sit ups. After all, i just wouldn't feel right not doing at least a few now that I've made it through an entire month. Day 32 I did a quickie combination of 100 early this am before our trip to the big city and a motel room..................................

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Here's MY CRAZY STORY!!

Even I questioned my own sanity when I agreed to snow shoe up Mount Steele with my friend, Elasta Woman, and then snowboard down it.

It was something we'd wanted to do together for a long time, but when it really came down to it, I had no idea if it was something I was even capable of. Much less, when she called that morning to tell me her thermometer was registering -18 BELOW ZERO! By now Archer and Art Dog had joined in on the adventure and were about ready for departure. With a stiff upper lip, I told her I'd meet her at my mail box at 8:30am. I had gotten up with a lot of fears and doubts, but that's when I sat down and turned to the verse that said "cast not away your confidence, for it holds great recompense of reward". Then I knew that I needed to go with an attitude that said "I CAN".
Hiking up wasn't as bad as I thought, but that was only the first 10 feet up the trail and I had stopped about 5 times to fix my snow shoes.

I felt haphazardly dressed. I don't have all that fancy gear that the pros have. Instead of high tech light weight long underwear, I was wearing my black polyester pajamas. Over that was my $2 heavy, rummage sale sweat shirt. Instead of extra warm light weight boots, I was wearing my hiking shoes with 2 pairs of socks. I just didn't know if I could fit boots and snow snow shoes in my backpack on the way down. Instead of a high tech coat, I was wearing a clearance $30 down one I found many years ago. My glasses fogged up and crystallized so I had to make the entire trek with my naked eyes, which was a bit unnerving. I could go on, but you get the picture. This was no professional group here. Just some people who wanted to see if they could do it.

The first 1/3 of the journey was not too eventful. Elasta Woman fell down a few times, as she was wearing my husbands big snow shoes. The boys waited for us often. A couple of times a big spring area caused a 2-3 foot drop to gravel in the trail. Otherwise, we trudged on......
When we got to the "avalanche area" I was really feeling like a pro. I hammed it up for a few pics, though I was feeling pretty sore and glad it was almost over. I thought I remembered the open area as "almost there".

Suddenly it started getting really really steep and it was hard to keep going up. Just to make one step, I had to plunge my snowboard into the powder and pull myself forward. It was painstaking at the least. I kept telling myself that it wasn't much further. Before long, I had to begin telling my legs to move, purposefully willing one in front of the other. I was glad, though, because I hadn't been able to feel my big toe for a long time, and it finally seemed to be loosening up.

I was wet with sweat from head to toe despite the subzero temps. Long ago my coat had been tied to my back pack. I just couldn't stomach the idea of getting up that far and not going to the top. I tried to remember the sermon I'd heard about "attitude" on Sunday. I also had to remind myself that Archer is the fittest 19 year old I know. Art Dog, tough as nails, all muscle and no fat, can keep up with any man. Elasta Woman is probably 15 years younger. She has one of those tall, lean frames that was meant for athletics. Then there's me. I guess I have to give myself some credit here :-) I'll get up there. It just will take me longer, no big deal.

Once we reached the top, I thought it would be all hamming it up for photos and lunch and gloating. Once we reached the top, a bitter cold wind ripped through us like no tomorrow.

We tried to get our food out, but when we took off our gloves, our fingers instantly hurt and numbed. Soon the sweat on my body froze into a glaze (or so it felt). I dove into a hole surrounding the only tree and tried to eat a few more bites in there. Elasta Woman couldn't feel her toes. She got worried and said she was getting out of there as fast as she could. We climbed out of the hole and tried to change shoes. Elasta woman put her cross country ski shoes on. It was around then she told me she'd never down hill skied (or snow boarded) a day in her life. I knew she was tough though. I had a hard time getting my boots changed over with all the lacing, but donning a snowboard felt good to me.

I plunged down the mountain screaming wildly. Elasta Woman sat on her skis flying down in a ball like a banshee.....It was like one of those cartoons where you see a big snowball with arms and poles sticking out. The powder seemed to surround her so you couldn't see all of her. It occurred to me that packing cross country skis up a mountain was probably not a good idea.

I, on the other hand, suddenly felt like I was really alive. On the heel edge of my board, I navigated the mountain feeling like I owned it. "Carve!" my son yelled. I wasn't sure about carving in powder, but I figured I'd try....... Next thing I knew I was buried in powder. When I tried getting up, I remembered how hard it is to squirm out of powder wearing a board and loaded pack. I was REALLY GLAD for my new goal of 365 days of sit ups. I think it helped allot.
Elasta woman wanted to stick to the trail, but Archer insisted I take another steep plunge. I worried about her, but he assured me we'd be able to see her. Again that Euphoria took over as I flew....... After that, we all stuck together and made our way down the rest of the mountain. It was hard. We were tired, but the incredible feeling never left us.......
After a quick visit at Mist and Firey's place, we headed home to my beckoning Hot Tub. I sat in there with a grapefruit and recounted an embellished version to my husband.