The View from the Classroom

Got up this morning just a bit later than most Monday mornings…5:30ish instead of 5:00…went to the gym for an easy 3.25 mile run…surprised that most of the Monday morning regulars were nowhere to be seen…oh well…returned home to my usual egg white and spinach omelet, bowl of oatmeal, granny smith apple and a slice of cantaloupe…let that digest a little than headed back for round 2…shoulders…

I LOVE my Monday shoulder routine…short and sweet…

Shoulder Press on the Smith Machine…3 sets ( 8 reps at 50 lbs, 6 reps at 50 lbs, 5 reps at 55 lbs) after an easy warm-up set at 30 lbs.

DB Side Lateral Raises…this kills…start with 15’s and work down the rack (15, 12, 10, 8 lbs x 12, 10, 8, 6 reps), rest then repeat for 3 sets total…shoulders will be burning…

3 sets of cable rows…12 reps at 60 lbs, 10 at 70 lbs and 8 at 80 lbs

Shoulders done in about 30 minutes so I decided to work on the abs…they’re burning…but I feel so good having got both the cardio and the weights done for the day…off to visit some family

Have a GREAT Memorial Day!

I’ve been dreading telling my kids about my upcoming surgery…they’re 15 and 17…but, I knew that I needed to tell them before it happens.  So…yesterday, daughter and I are on our way home from getting our hair done and I figured what the hell…now’s as good a time as any…so I told her.  "Nuh uh.  You’re lying, Mom" was her first response.  "What are my friends gonna say?" was her next. 

Isn’t that typical of a 15 year old?  So concerned about what everyone else is going to think.  Or maybe it’s not just that age, but people in general.  We get so caught up with other peoples’ opinions of us that we do things for the wrong reasons.  Or…we don’t do things at all.

That’s one reason I’m growing to love my 40’s.  I find that I don’t care too much about what others are going to think about me anymore.  I mean, I still have those thoughts, but my response to that…WHO CARES!!  It’s my life and I’m going to live it the way I choose.  Period.

I still gotta tell my son.  The response I anticipate from him…"Can we talk about something else, Mom?"

So I’ve had some time to think about my upcoming surgery and I’m feeling much better about my decision.  I think 2 weeks completely off working out will be good for me.  I’ll continue to eat clean and hopefully, everything will proceed smoothly.  I’m getting excited about having boobs.  I mean, to be able to buy an bra without padding…I can’t wait!

Size is my main concern right now.  I’ve been told that most women tend to wish they had gone bigger, but I remind myself that I’m not like "most" women.  I’m more practical.  Not doing it for anyone but me.  And…being athletic, my worry is that I’ll go too big and they’ll get in the way, be an annoyance.  So…I’ve been looking at pictures and pictures and pictures trying to decide.  My plastic surgeon suggested a small to medium C and I’m starting to think that would be about right.  I’m not looking for the "OMG she got boobs" reaction, but more of the "Did she get boobs?" kind of thing.  DEFINITELY no super-sizing for me!!

The saline vs. silicone decision has already been made…going silicone…due to my leanness…doctor said they would look more natural and be less prone to visible rippling.

Anyway…pre-op appointment is Tuesday which will be EXACTLY one week before BA Day!!

Yep, I said it…boobs…I’m getting them…decided to do it.  Why?  My husband can’t tell the difference between my bras and my just turned 15 daughter’s bras and this problem hasn’t been confined to the last month or even year.  It has gone on for a while now.  Simple as that.  

So, as soon as school is out (9 school days left), I’m going under the knife.  Those that know me know that this wasn’t an easy decision.  I’ve always been of the opinion that you should make do with what you were given.  I mean, spend money for boobs?  Ridiculous.  Needles to say, as I’ve gotten older (and leaner), I’ve changed my thinking on this as I have on many things. I mean, really, people get braces to fix their teeth, laser surgery to fix their vision, etc…why shouldn’t I get boobs to fix my lack of?

I must tell you, though, one thing scares me a little…

I won’t be able to workout in any form or fashion for 2 weeks and then I can only do lower body stuff for another 2 to 4 weeks…when I found that out, my first thought was "that could be a deal-breaker"…is that sad?  I have so engrained working out into my lifestyle that the mere thought of not doing it for 2 to 6 weeks scares me.  Why is that so scary?  I think because of where I’ve come from.  Those that have followed my story know I’ve lost a LOT of weight.  I did it the old-fashioned way…working out and eating right…and so, not being able to work out for awhile makes me think that I will gain wieght.  Now, in my mind, I know that not working out for a short period of time shouldn’t make that much of an impact as long as I continue to eat clean.  In my mind, I know that the break will actually be good for my body.  In my mind, I know that I will get back to it with the same passion I have now.  In my mind, I know that I will eat clean.  In my mind, I know that even if I do put on a couple of pounds, I can take it off pretty quickly once my life is back to "normal". 

We all know, however, that fears are often not "of the mind".  They are often irrational things based on emotion.  And…the best way to get past it is to stare it in the face…take action regardless, right?  So, I’m doing it, regardless.  Regardless of my fears, regardless of everything else, because I want to.

Stay tuned for my post-boob implant surgery thoughts.  I’ll have LOTS of time to post since I won’t be in the gym!

I don’t usually take Saturdays completely off, but I had worked out in some form everyday for the last 7 days and thus, decided to make yesterday my off day.  No running, no lifting, no rollerblading, nothing!  It was awesome…had a nice lunch with friends, got a manicure and pedicure, did a little shopping, had dinner with the hubby…even had a margarita…first one since the holidays (at least the first one I remember having since then) and I slept like a baby until about 7:00 this morning.  Oh yeah, I forgot to mention that we stopped by the store on the way home from dinner to pick up some Ben & Jerry’s ice cream…I purposely didn’t get any last time I grocery shopped and I literally did not cheat once this past week…got "Chubby Hubby" and "Peanut Butter Cup"…had a little of both.  Ok, maybe more than just a little, but it was oh so good…heaven on a spoon…of course now the leftover portions are in the freezer which will make not cheating much harder this week!  I’ll have to summon some will power from deep within…or, I could just get my daughter to eat it.

Anyway, I feel SO rested today!!  Isn’t it amazing what a day of personal pampering does?  Now I feel really ready to tackle this next week and it promises to be a difficult one…we’re down to 14 school days…in 8th grade…brains are off…hormones are on…need I say more?

Back to the working out today…fixin to go rollerblading and for you non-Texan speaking bb’ers, that means I’m getting ready to go rollerblading…9 miles, nothing but me, my music and my thoughts…a different kind of heaven if you ask me…and the weather looks perfect…not a cloud in the sky, a bit of a breeze, temp in the 60’s…gonna be another AWESOME day!!

Thought I would check to see if the official results from my 10K were on posted online (last time I looked, they weren’t) and WOW…my official time was under 56 minutes…55:58…I shocked myself…I placed 5th in my age group…I’m feeling pretty good now!!!

It has been a few weeks, but I did the 10K and I even finished under my goal time of 57 minutes…56:25 or somewhere thereabouts…I didn’t stay for to check my official time.  It was a GREAT feeling to train for that and actually do it.

Since then…I’ve done a couple of 5K’s and I think I like that distance better.  I ran the last one in 26:17 finishing 4th in my age group (old women) out of 49 of us.  I’m doing another one next weekend and my goal is to finish in under 26 minutes.  Wish me luck!!!!!

I discovered (or rediscovered I should say) rollerblading a couple of weeks ago.  Not sure what made me think of it, but I decided to dust them off (it was literally 10 years since I had worn them!) and head out to a trail not far from us.  It’s in a really nice area along a river, lots of trees and such.  It was really peaceful and I had an awesome time.  So much so that I’ve made it a weekly habit.  I go about 7 miles and it’s a pleasant change from running and lifting.  Not to mention that it’s a great cardio workout. 

Still working on the PT certification…been hard to get my intern hours with work and working out…but, I know that’s just an excuse…I’ll get it done soon.

Went to the Ronnie Coleman Classic last weekend…was ok as far as shows go…nothing spectacular.  Missed the men, but the women looked awesome in their suits…made me think about competing again… 

Other than that…5 weeks of school and I’m out for summer…can’t wait!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 

Until I signed on here and saw the date of my last post, I really didn’t realize how long I’ve been away.   I must say thanks to those of you who have sent me messages asking where I’ve been.  It’s nice to know that people are checking up on me.

Truth is, I’ve been GREAT. 

I’m training for a 10K…running three time per week…a short 2-mile run during which I try to improve upon my time (last time was 17:15), an interval run where I alternate between sprints and walking/jogging and then my long run which is currently at 5.5 miles.  Initially, my goal was just to run the whole 10K, but I now KNOW without a doubt that I can do that so I’m thinking about a goal time…maybe 57-60 minutes…I don’t know…putting a time in writing scares me.  Anyway, as someone who always hated running, I honestly cannot believe that I’m calling 2 miles a "short" run and that I’m actually running more than that at one time and REALLY enjoying it.  In a sense, I’ve already accomplished so much…actually running the thing will just be icing on the cake.

I’m also working on my PT certification…passed my tests and doing the internship now…I’m thinking I’ll do a little personal training during summer break and go from there.

My daughter’s soccer season is in full swing and son’s baseball season is starting up so schedules have had to be adjusted…with all that and work, free time is in short supply these days, but I don’t think I would really want it any other way.

I’ve been experimenting with the diet.  Trying to figure out the best way to balance the desire to get super lean (I’ve put on a little weight and would like to lose about 7-10 pounds) and stay there while providing enough of the right type of calories to fuel my running.   So…currently I’m following about a 50-55% carb, 30-35% protein and 10-20% fat diet and my calories are in the 1900-2200 range on most days.  I’ve been doing this for about the last 4 weeks and feel great.  I think I’ve lost about a pound or so…NOT great, but I’ll take it…and I honestly don’t know about the body fat%…I THINK it has gone down slightly, but very slightly…so, next step maybe cut down a little on the calories?????  I don’t know….why does it have to be so hard?  Any runners with advice out there?  Please share…

That’s it for now…everyone have a WONDERFUL Sunday and an AWESOME week!!!

I didn’t really believe it was gonna happen until I saw it last night on the website…my weight loss story is featured in the December issue of "Women’s Health" magazine.  I’m not sure if the issue is out yet, but they already have it on the website.  You can see it here:

 http://www.womenshealthmag.com/article/0,6176,s1-11-68-1052-1,00.html

Just in case the few friends of mine I do have are wondering, I thought I would share a little bit of what I’ve been up to…

WORK…teaching middle school is hard work!!  I don’t know how I’d do it without my workouts.  They are my stress relief.  At the same time though, this year has been one of the best in my short teaching career.  I’m teaching a lot of the same kids as last year since I moved up a grade and our class sizes are significantly smaller…I have about 40 less kids than last year and it makes a HUGE difference.  Work is the main reason I’m not on here too much these days.  Just don’t have the free time I have in the summer!!

WORKOUTS…Weight training 4 to 5 days per week and still trying to add some mass to the upper body.  I think I’m seeing some results, but it’s hard to tell when you see yourself everyday.  I’m doing 4 days of cardio, mixing it up, stairmaster, elliptical, some running now that my disc seems to have recovered for the most part.  I still have to be careful and feel that it could flare up at anytime, but the running hasn’t bothered it at all and I even ran 3 miles the other day.  Did some sprints today.  Anyway, it feels good to be able to run once again.  I’m keeping the cardio because it really seems to help the disc problem.  Hubby and I went through a boxing session with a PT at our gym the other night.  It was AWESOME!! My shoulders/arms were a little sore the next day, but I loved it and think we may start adding that once a week to our workouts.  For me, that will mean I will get to nix the 2nd day of early morning cardio I do during the week.  Gotta love that!!

OTHER STUFF…Finished a PT class and took my test.  Won’t have the results for a few weeks, but I feel good about it.  Not sure what my intentions are as far as using it, but I don’t have to decide that right now. 

I’ve had a hard time keeping the diet clean for the last 6 weeks or so…it all started with my birthday.  Problem is, it just didn’t stop.  And…I have put on some weight.  I’m up to around 142-145.  Body fat % is still in a good range…11.5%-15% depending on the time of day I take it, but I’m having a hard time getting ok with my clothes fitting tighter.  I really don’t want to start buying larger sizes.  So…decided a  couple of days ago to clean up the diet at least until Thanksgiving break and I’m doing well with that thus far.  It’s just a matter of making up the mind and doing it, huh? 

Oh yeah, I almost forgot, I’m supposed to be featured in the December issue of Women’s Health Magazine…I’m sharing my weight loss story…including the real before pics…it should be out later this month!! 

Other than that, fall baseball and volleyball are over and neither of my kids are playing basketball so we get a little break.  I actually get some free time!!