Life Lyn Style

Monday’s SPIN class with Beth has become routine.  I love starting my week with her class.

Today, I walked in and all of the furniture had been rotated 90 degrees.  It was so different.  Everyone that walked in did a double take.  We have a rectangular room and the instructor has been in the front (one of the skinny ends) with rows of bikes in front of her. (Think bowling alley).  Today, she was shifted around and the bikes formed a semi circle type of pattern.  There were maybe 50% less rows and they were wider.  So, we were all much closer to the front than before.  I think it was great and added to the intimacy of the class.  I hope they keep the change.

It was a bit weird to pick a bike in the “right” place.  I always pick a bike in the same spot.  Actually, I always pick my spot and then move a bike I like to that location.  I consider mirrors, instructor spot, fan locations/path, neighbors, etc.  It’s quite the process.

The class itself was AWESOME.  I can’t wait for next week.

Next up: trainer workout with Paula in the morning.

I didn’t have a workout to speak of today, but I will definitely have a solid cardio workout tomorrow.  That said, I didn’t sit down much today.  Being active is GREAT!

I spent most of the day cleaning.  It was really nice to make some forward progress on the house today.  Sometimes, I think we have too much stuff.  Today, it was confirmed.  I can’t wait for trash pick up this week!  I’m also gifting some of the baby stuff that we don’t need anymore.   Delivery for that is this week as well.

I had the rare opportunity to shop without the kids today.  My sister and parents both got me gift cards for clothes for my birthday.  I have tons of clothes, but nothing that fits and feels great right now.  I really felt like a few tops (and bras) that fit right at my current weight would do wonders for me.  I haven’t really gained or lost pounds lately, but my sizes are going DOWN.  Several times at the store, the salesperson, Rachelle, had to bring me smaller sizes.  Rachelle and her coworker kept telling me that my shirts were too big.  I was happily surprised.  I think my strength training regiment combined with cardio is really paying off.  It was the first time in years, that it was fun to try on clothes!

Wow, what a day.  Sometimes my emotions really get the best of me.  Today was one of those days.  In a nut shell, about 6 weeks ago, I screwed something up.  In the scheme of  life, it’s not that big of a deal, but today, I was blind-sided having that mistake come back to haunt me.  The details are no longer important, but the thoughts that came from today are.

Everyone makes mistakes.  It’s part of life.  Forgiving and moving on are also part of life.  The sooner and easier you can pick up and move on, the better.  Tomorrow is a new day.

Lately, I’ve been overwhelmed by my schedule, house, kids, and weight.  The funny thing is that I’m the one with the ability to make my schedule (within reason), manage the house (with lots of teamwork) and choose what to eat.  The kids, well, they are kids and usually they are happily persuaded to go with the flow of the day.

So, I’m making a few changes.  I’m not going to do the c25k at this time.  I will do it at some point, but I think the runs are hard on me at this weight and the scheduling is tough.  I can’t really fit them in without adding them to a workout or replacing something else.  When I add them to a workout, I’m overly tired and stiff/sore and when I replace them with another workout, I’m unhappy because I give up something I like.  At this point, I hate running.  I hope that I won’t always hate it, but right now I do, and it’s not a good use of my time.  I need to be happy when I exercise.

I’m going to give Weight Watchers a break.  I still think it’s important to eat more veggies and take off weight, but my focus needs to be on shopping/cooking/chopping and not dragging my kids to a Weight Watcher meeting that I don’t usually get to hear much of.  I love Weight Watchers, but I need a break.

My husband and I need to make a plan for the house.  A projects list and cleaning schedule of sorts is needed with a few realistic goals.  I think a few trash bags or donation boxes will help as well.

So, for the next 2 weeks, I am going to really focus on taking care of me and getting my “house” in order.  Hopefully, by the end of the month, things will be in better shape and better weather will join us too.

On the exercise front, I did 15 min on the treadmill at the J.  It wasn’t much, but it was a nice stretch.

Next up: afternoon BOSU Sculpt class with a friend.

As I approach my bed time, here are 10 things that are on my mind.

1. I didn’t track my food yesterday or today.
2. I need to track since I want to get to a healthy weight.  I’m considering the 100 days of real food challenge to help spice things up a bit.
3. I took photos of my food on Saturday.  It was challenging to stop, think and shoot, before eating.  I’d like to do this once per week.  It’s different and will also allow me to practice my photography.
4. I took Beth’s spin class today.  It was GREAT!
5. I’m looking forward to my first trainer workout with Paula tomorrow morning.  I’ve wanted to try one of her workouts for a while.
6. I’m thinking about putting my C25K training on hold until later in the year.  (Read: after I take some more weight off so it’s a bit easier on me physically.  I think extra walking and keeping up with other cardio is better at this point.  I haven’t made a final decision yet..)
7. The kitchen is still a mess from dinner, but it was yummy.  We had pork chops, red peppers, green beans and sweet potatoes.  It’s time to do the dishes.
8. I still need to pack for the morning.
9. I’m happy and tired.
10. I did three blog posts today and feel caught up from the weekend.  I’m learning a few new tools to make photos easier and I’m liking it.

Sunday, we enjoyed breakfast at the hotel, swam again and then headed over to the National Aviary.  It’s also known as a bird zoo.  We were happy that our Akron Zoo membership that we purchased through Groupon, entitled us to free entry.  We aren’t beyond paying entrance fees, but we enjoy getting our money’s worth out of our memberships.

Here are out first impressions.  Sally was worn out from the swim and slept for the first 30 minutes or so.

Stephen and Nick were sporting their hats on this beautiful sunny day.  Here’s Nick looking at the first birds we saw as we entered.

We saw lots of other birds.

We enjoyed a feeding here at the Wetlands.

We fed the Lories.

We also had lunch (1/2 packed and 1/2 purchased from the café), saw the penguins, and enjoyed a flight show during our visit.  The kids started getting crabby around 1pm and we headed home.  We arrived home in time for dinner.

My activity for Saturday and Sunday involved site seeing and swimming with the kids.  It was not a lazy weekend by the pool.