Comments and Confessions...

• I ate very, very, very poorly yesterday and today!  But it was, Oh!, soo delicious!  MMMmmm {that was for Megan  if she is reading this =) }
• I did not get my Saturday run in...if I miss it Saturday I run it Sunday...didn't happen.
• I completed 8 sprints at 8.5 for 45 secs. on the treadmill today.  45 secs. at 3.0 in between.  It felt good...really good!  
• Went to a Pampered Chef Party where old co-workers told me I "looked great" and was "wasting away!"  I need to hang out with them more often!  I purchased a garlic press!!! {Megan will also appreciate this!}
• Tomorrow is an abs day.  I am gonna rock them again this week because apparently my core strength sucks!
• Arts Camp was this weekend.  I wish I had at least an ounce of the energy these kids have.  But am glad I am not that annoying anymore.  I am not...right guys?!!!
• My room is messy.  Like messy to the point where it is bugging the crap out of me.  I have it penciled in on my "To-Do" list for Wednesday along with cleaning every other surface in this house!  
• One of my all time favorite passages: "In his heart a man plans his course, but the Lord determines his steps."  Proverbs 16:9

Good Night All!  Hope your weekend was lovely!

XoXo,
     NMO

Ugh

                                        Poorly lit post yoga shot...don't be jealous of my photography skills!

Procrastination.  I am writing this post, not because I have something intelligent to share, but because I am procrastinating.  I should be pulling my hair back into a ponytail as we speak...but instead I am lying in bed thinking about how much work the gym is going to be.  I contemplated skipping today.  I have never skipped a lifting workout.  But that would be very weak of me.  And since I am going out of town tonight I won't get a work out in until Sunday evening.  So let's be honest, skipping really isn't an option.  It just sounds like a lot of work.  Ok, I KNOW it is a lot of work...not even guessing.  Obviously, I am not getting stronger by lying here.  So I need to pull on my big girl panties and just do it.  They should make a Nike commercial about that.  Just sayin'.  Ok, up with me!  Off to the gym...I'm gonna fake it until it is real!  

XoXo,

         NMO

Recap

I broke down on Tuesday and did my abs.  A whole hour of abs.  It was pure torture and I am only exaggerating a little.  It hurts to lay, move, and even breathe.  Seriously, they are sore to the touch.  Ok, I'm done whining.  Obviously, it is good for me if it hurts so much.  Why can't getting in shape be easy...something like eat this candy bar and you will be a size 2!  Ha!  Now that is what I am talking about!

I was scheduled a 40 min. run today.  It felt amazing.  Right now my runs are dictated by heart rate zones.  My long runs are always 2 minutes in zone 1 and 1 minute  in zone 2...rinse. repeat.  I can tell my heart is getting stronger.  I have to run faster to get my heart rate up and my recovery rate is also improving.  Definitely a good thing, unless I want to be a slacker that day...then I have to work hard anyway!  Sheesh, I tell ya, this getting in shape stuff is not for the weak ;)

Tomorrow is yoga day!  I still think yoga is really boring but last week I did find an amazing stretch for that spot in my buttocks that has been bugging me.  It also does not involve lifting massive amount of weights 3 sets of 15.  I really like that fact.  I find I have to psych myself up for Mon. and Fri. which are my lifting days...it's really not that bad but I have sprints after too.  Ok, now I am just whining again! 

Now if I could just maintain some healthy eating habits.  I have been craving chocolate like no man's business lately!  All this Easter candy does not help.  Need. Self. Control.  I'll work on that...but now I'm going to bed!

XoXo,
     NMO

So Many Thoughts...Very Little Organization.

Hey All,

Over the last couple of days I have formed numerous blogs in my mind...and that is about as far as they have developed.  You see, I have some issues with organization and follow through.  Some may call it procrastination.  Let's be honest, most of the time that would be the correct assumption.  I would just like to say I excel in procrastination :)  But truthfully I think I am missing some part of the organization gene. 

In my mind I can organize my thoughts, my clothes, my plans, pretty much anything.  Then I go to do it or put it down on paper and somehow it just doesn't seem to translate.  Does anybody else have this issue? 

Well, in true form I purchased a 2011 DayMinder today with some over priced highlighters (Sucker ----> ME).  'Cause you know I am going to be a student again!  If we were to predict the future from past experiences...I will use the planner for about a month (that is generous).  And then it will grow dusty in a pile of 'I don't know what to do with these papers' and it will be forgotten. You see, eventually, I feel that I don't need a planner to keep me on track 'cause I'm amazing!  Ha!  Why do I do this? -----> This is where I think that organizational gene comes in.  My mom is a clean freak but she has 'piles o' papers' too!  Does this mean I get to blame her?  One of life's many  mysteries. 

Please enjoy this horrible picture of my attempt of organization =)         

XoXo,    
     NMO

In Case You Were Wondering...

• I have been avoiding my Ab workout all week.  I can only imagine what the trainer is going to have to say about this. 
• I was down 2 lbs. this week...up 2 lbs. last week...now if I can keep the downward trend.
• I am an emotional eater evidenced by the chocolate chip binge tonight.
• I am not a fan of chemo.
• The Lord has plans; they don't always match mine.
• I was not accepted to U of M's Social Work Program...their loss.  I'm not too heart broken about it since I had already decided that I wanted to get started with school this summer.  St. Kate's program allows me to do that. 
• Orientation is tomorrow.  I am nervous.  Seriously, I'm sure all we will be doing is sitting there for 3 hrs. getting talked at...why would one be nervous for that?
• I got to talk to a good friend last night on the phone.  It has been way too long.  It amazes me how we can pick up right where we left off despite the life changes and distance. 
• I successfully donated plasma twice this week.  Thank you Lord for calming my heart rate!
• I have a really great cousin.  She grew up...but she will always be my little cousin.  On Sunday, I am helping her take 7 of her little hoodlums to a T-Wolves game.  I have already started praying for patience. 
• My heart is heavy tonight...can you tell?
• "The mind controlled by the Spirit is life and peace."  Romans 8:6

That is all.

XoXo,
     NMO

Look Out World...

I might poison you!  So, lately I have really been into making things.  Baking and cooking.  I made these delicious Buffalo Style Stuffed Celery for "The Bachelor" party I went to.  This is not my pic...my presentation sucked but they tasted great or so the people told me...I thought they were good. 

I also have made cupcakes with cream cheese frosting.  The cupcakes were made with a can of diet soda and cake mix. The frosting was fat-free pudding and cool whip.  Absolutely delicious!

And my third endeavor was Parmesan Crusted Chicken Tenders and Spicy Chipotle Potatoes. MMMMmmm!  Cooking is a lot of work but now that I have more time on my hands I think it is worth it.  And I haven't set anything on fire and no explosions.  I call that a miracle.  All of the recipes have been "point" friendly but still have had great flavor.  I will be a lean, mean, cooking machine before you know it!

XoXo,

         NMO

Today I...



Today I got up at 6:15 a.m.!  Hold your applause ladies and gentleman!  It of course was not by choice, my chauffuer duties were needed =)

I was very sad when I realized I bought the (Lemon Scent) Bathroom Spray Dow =(  Seriously, gross!  But the bathrooms are clean!

I missed yoga so I had an active recovery run (whatever that means) instead.  It felt real good. Then proceeded to stretch my body out...I have had this tightness in my left buttock that I have not been able to stretch out.  Annoying! 

I did laundry which means my room got a little bit cleaner too.

I completed the FAFSA...yup I'm poor. 

And today was weigh in day.  I was up 2 lbs.  Not too worried about it.  I decided to take measurements in hopes for a non-scale victory (NSV) and was down an inch on my waist and hips!  Hooray!  I will admit I had a couple of binges this week.  The cookies and trail mix were calling my name!  Self control went out the door...but thats how the journey works.  Something about chocolate and sugar...they have been calling my name. 

Tomorrow is a new day and my dear friend Jenn is coming to visit.  I can't wait!!!

Progress



Today was a very long day.  Most of you already know that my mom was diagnosed with a brain tumor on 12-1-10.  On 12-3-10 she underwent brain surgery to have it removed.  Pathology came back and it was classified as a Glioblastoma Multiforme IV.  Her prognosis was stated as 12-18 months but there are cases of 19 years on the books and a co-worker of hers is 2 1/2 years out.  We are a positive bunch around here.  One of my mom's favorite sayings is, "There is no expiration date on the bottom of my toe!"

Anyway, she completed phase I of her treatment which consisted of radiation and chemo.  She had a three week break and today she went in for a MRI to see if there had been any re-growth (the type of tumor is very aggressive).  He scans looked excellent!  The swelling in her brain has significantly gone down and there is nothing visible to the eye on the scan to worry about!  God is good! 

Look out phase II here we come!  Phase II will consist of continuing chemo.  She will start up again next Monday.  The dose will increase.  She will take it for 5 consecutive days on and then will have 23 days off.  The dose will then be upped again.  Same thing, 5 days on and 23 off.  At that point she will have completed 2 cycles and will go in for another MRI and MD appointment to make sure the treatment plan is working. 

It absolutely amazes me how mentally and emotionally draining something like this can be.  We were at the hospital from 10:15 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. today.  I got home and went to the gym.  Needless to say, I really didn't do much today but I am exhausted.   Um, and who knew that the brain cancer ribbon color was grey?!  Seriously!  Thank you google images.  Maybe I can sport a glitter silver ribbon...do you think that is close enough to grey?

XoXo,

        NMO

Recap

I know you all have just been dying to hear about my 8:00 a.m. training session.  You know, when I type that out it really doesn't sound that early.  Then I think back to when I woke up at 7:00 a.m. and every excuse known to man ran through my mind as why I shouldn't get out of bed.  Needless to say, the responsible side of me won. 

So here is what happened.  My lovely trainer had typed up three pages of exercises to go through with me.  They are split up like so: Upper Body, Lower Body, and Abs for Runners (Runner!  Eeek!  That's me!).  There is a set for weeks 1 &3 and weeks 2 & 4.

If you were a fly on the wall this is what you would have heard numerous times...

*  push through the heel!
*  breathe through your mouth!
*  you are doing great on the other part people normally get wrong but are screwing up the easy part...bend your knees!
*  is that too easy?  (silence from me, followed by smirk)  go grab the 45 lb. bar!
*  where do you feel that?  (usually some smart alec remark from me like my legs) which would be followed either by push through the heel! or get more weight!

I am feeling pretty cultured. Last week it was Bulgarian Squats and this week we have Modified Turkish Get-ups and the Cuban Press. It took us about 2 hrs. to get through everything and to be perfectly honest I am not quite sure I am going to remember them all! She was pretty nice and said I could skip running or do the elliptical after but I was only scheduled 15 minutes on the treadmill so I did it. I'm pretty much a superstar!


OK, here is a cheesy YouTube video of Zottman Curls.  They may quite possibly be my new fav!  Enjoy! 

XoXo,

     NMO

In Case You Were Wondering...

*Read at your own risk!*

It is possible to cut your hand with a bread knife.  I proved it today.  Skills, I know.

Yoga was OK.  Some things were hard.  I broke a sweat but am not seeing what all the hubbub is about.  I will go again, maybe it is one of those things that you have to do multiple times before you love it?

Thursdays are my weigh in days for WW.  I am down -.2.2 lbs. this week for a grand total of -9.6 lbs. since I started.  Pretty cool my friends!  I got my 5% star today.  I feel special ;-)

OK, so I often wonder...where does the fat/weight go?  Does it disintegrate?  Do we use it as energy?  Do we poop it out?  Ha!  I am pretty sure I probably learned this in one of my Bio classes...but let's but honest...I am a Social Worker not a Scientist!

And stretch marks! Seriously!  Come on skin...you are making me sad here =(  work with me!

I am doing laundry.  I have found that the messiness of my room is directly correlated to how much dirty laundry I have.  In case you didn't know, I hate laundry.  I will buy multiples of clothing items just so I don't have to do laundry as often. That means my room is often messy and I am pretty sure that also makes me lazy.  Pathetic. I know. 

Alright, I need to go make some chow!  Hope everyone is having a lovely day!

XoXo,
     NMO

Torture Comes in All Forms

Nothing but good....psh...nothing but good my arse!   Ok, so I put my brave cap on and tried some greek yogurt.  It was vanilla flavored and it was disgusting!   Supposedly greek yogurt is an acquired taste.  I was only able to stomach about half the cup.  I have two other flavors that I will try but if I have not "acquired" the taste by then, it's bye, bye, to greek yogurt. 

It kind of tasted like sour cream gone bad...not bad like rotten, but bad as in not quite right.  *Sigh*  I am hoping the other flavors will redeem greek yogurt for me cause it is an excellent source of protein and calcium but there is only so much I will do in the name of "living healthier" and greek yogurt may not be one of them. 

Anywho,  here is a glimpse of my workout schedule:

Monday: Lift + Sprints
Tuesday:  Active Recovery
Wednesday:  Long Run  (I ran 3.12 miles today in 40 minutes.  That includes my warm up but not my cool down.)
Thursday:  Yoga
Friday:  Lift + Intervals
Saturday:  Tempo
Sunday:  Off  (What a beautiful word!)

Rinse. Repeat.  I have to admit, so far what the trainer has me running is easier than what I was putting myself through BUT I am pretty sure her runs are more effective training wise.  The lifting is definitely kicking my butt...my quads are still screaming at me.  I have been avoiding using the bathroom cause it hurts to sit.  Also going down stairs is a cruel form of torture.  I found that if I turn my body sideways it isn't as bad.  Pathetic. I know.  Hopefully yoga tomorrow will help a little with the soreness...

XoXo,
     NMO



Purposeless

1)  This post is going to be very random...which will probably be the norm.


2)  I am currently having a love affair with the color saffron...ok that probably isn't it's legal name... I'll use golden-yellow for descriptive purposes.  It is almost like the color of a "pedestrian crossing" sign, but not quite.   


3)  My quads are screaming at me from Bulgarian Squats amongst other torturous exercises that I performed yesterday.  You don't want to know, trust me!


4)  I agreed to an 8:00 a.m. training session on Friday.  What was I thinking?!?!  Me. Mornings.  Not. So. Much.


5)  I bought some greek yogurt tonight.  I thought I would be brave and try it.  Please pray for me!  Seriously.


6)  I am taking my first Yoga class on Thursday.  I'll let you know how it goes.


7)  I am pretty sure I have a shopping problem.


8)  I have some shirts in my closet that I bought this fall that were a tad too tight.  They still have the tags on them.  They are now huge.  How did I miss the window of when they were supposed to fit?!


9)  Number 8 is why I need to refrain from shopping...


10)  I need to dust.  I hate dusting.


Obviously this post had nothing to do with passion...but maybe it did.  I think life is all about the little things.  These are little things.  =)


XoXo,
     NMO