Week 2 Weigh In

I worked VERY hard last week and the results are showing it. I am very pleased! Yay me!!!!

weight: was 165 lbs NOW 163lbs

waist: was 33.5 in NOW 32 in

hips: was 42 in NOW 40.63 in

R thigh: was 24.5 in NOW 24.5 in

L thigh: was 24.75 in NOW 24.5 in

R upper arm: was 12.25 in NOW 12 in

L upper arm: was 12 in NOW 11.75 in

This is a great start to my week. Now all I have to do is maintain it.

Goals for this week:

I need to focus on shaping up me eating habits. I will stick with the NO Starbucks Monday - Friday. That worked out well last week.

I am also going to focus on not hitting up anywhere with a drive-through or super size meal option. No fast food!

I will walk six days this week for at least one hour, totaling 30 miles by Sunday. This will be a little tricky because it's Thanksgiving Week, but I am determined to make it happen!

Have a great week and I will talk to you soon :)

Trail Focus: Grant's Trail

Today's Trail Focus... Grant's Trail

Grant's Trail is an 8 mile "rails to trails" bike trail stretching through south and southwest St. Louis County, Missouri. As a former railroad right of way, Grant's Trail is flat and perfect for biking, running, inline skating, walking, or cross-country skiing.

I liked walking on this trail. There were many interesting things to look at such as beautiful trees, streams, and wildlife. At certain points, the trail backs up to residential backyards and I found it fun to see what items people have back there and imagine what kinds of people like in the houses. The trail intersected busy roads at certain points, but it was a welcome rest waiting for the crosswalk sign to change. :)

If you are in Saint Louis, make sure to check out this trail. It is crowded with lots of bikers, rollerbladers, joggers, and moms with strollers but so worth the energy maneuvering through the masses.

Some Points of Interest:



The Lodge at Grant's Trail - This log cabin lodge, located at the Eastern end of Grant's Trail, serves as a bed & breakfast.



Saint Louis BMX Bike Park - This off-road BMX bike park is right off of Grant's Trail. It is only open when a "supervisor" is there. According to the signs, the park attempts to be open on weekends from 12:30 until sunset, but it is not guaranteed. If you are into that sort of thing, it is worth checking out.



Trailnet Office - Visit this office for maps and other in-depth information on this and other local trails.



Lil Cherrybomb Snowcones - YUM! Snowcones!!! This snowcone stand is right next to the trail, but hard to see from the trail. Just go around (behind) the public restrooms at the Reavis Barracks intersection. (Opened seasonally).



Gravois Creek Hiking Trails & Clydesdale Park - Grant's Trail loosely follows Gravois Creek, and at this point there are paved trails through the wooded area up to the creek. This path follows a long gradual uphill route across two bridges to the Clydesdale Park parking area.



U. S. Grant Historic Site - This historic site (a national park) contains one of President Ulysses S. Grant's homes on several wooded acres, as well as an interpretive center.



Grant's Farm - One of my favorite places from my childhood and a new favorite place to bring my son. View wildlife from a tram ride, see animal shows, and sample Anheuser Busch products all for free! A highlight of the trail, you can view Clydesdales in the pastures without even leaving the trail. Or you can see them up close in the stables at the north end of the parking lot.



Whitecliff Park - A municipal park of Crestwood, Whitecliff Park offers wooded trails and an old quarry pond. Crestwood's recreation center is here too, including a residents-only pool and several ball fields.



Father Dickson Cemetery - A historically black cemetery. If you are interested in old cemeteries, this is the place for you!



Sappington House - Listed on the National Register of historic places, the Thomas Sappington House was built in 1808 and is the oldest brick home in St. Louis County. In addition to the Sappington House, which is a museum, there’s the Library of Americana, plus the Sappington Barn Restaurant & Gift Shop.

Week 2 Walking Recap

It was a great walking week! I had set a goal to walk 30 miles this week and I did it!! Woo Hoo! I actually walked 31.03 miles... a 3.42 mile increase from last week. Way to go me!!

Monday: Walked for 1 hour and 45 minutes (5.5 miles) around the neighborhood. That was a great walk. I was feeling it.

Tuesday: Walked for 1 hour and 15 minutes (4.4 miles) around the trail at JB Park. I always feel like I walk so quickly here because I know the trail like the back of my hand.

Wednesday: Hiked for 1 hour (3.1 miles) around nature trail at Laumeier Sculpture Park. This was such a relaxing walk... I love this park!!

Thursday: Walked 1 hr and 30 minutes (3 miles) around neighborhood after work. Was not the greatest walk ever. I was cold and I was preoccupied with my text message convo I had going on with a friend. Girl Talk threw me off a bit.

Friday: Off night. Went to bed early.

Saturday: Walked for 1 hr and 15 minutes (5 miles) at Grant's Trail. This was my first experience on Grant's Trail and I enjoyed it. It was freezing cold... like 35 degrees... but I bundled up nice and tight and got those miles in.

Sunday: Walked for 2 hours and 27 minutes (10 miles) at Grant's Trail. Used my new Nike shoes and IPOD technology to track my progress.

I had set a few other goals this week, other than walk 30 miles.

1. Walk 6 days a week for at least 1 hour. COMPLETED

2. Walk 6 miles on Sunday. COMPLETED

3. No Starbucks. Err. SEMI-INCOMPLETE (I had my beloved Frapuccinos this weekend. BUT I did NOT drink them Monday - Friday. It's a start.)

All in all, I am thrilled with how this week went and I hope next week is even better. We shall see how my hard work has paid off on my measurements tomorrow... stay tuned!

10 Miles Today!!!!

I walked 10.02 miles today, folks!!! I have never done that before. It was a challenge, but I feel so good about it. I cannot wait to do it again.

The weather was beautiful... 58 degrees and sunny. I chose Grant's Trail for this long walk. This trail, which I will tell you more about when I feature it on my Trail Focus (a new blog feature I am working on...) was ideal for this walk because the trail was a flat paved surface with prominent mile and 1/2 mile markers.

Overall, I made AWESOME time - it took me 2 hours and 27 minutes from start to finish and my pace was 14:42 min/mile. FOURTEEN MINUTES PER MILE!! Holy Moly, am I silly or is that pretty quick??? I strived to keep my pace consistent throughout the entire walk... it was difficult, especially for the last two miles, but I made sure I counted "one, two, one, two, one, two" in my head as I walked to keep up the speed.

I am satisfied with the way things went, but I did make some mistakes. First off, I wore my brand new shoes without breaking them in first. This is generally a big NO-NO but I was so excited to put my Nike+IPOD thing to work. The shoes did not give me too many problems, but I still should have stuck with my tried-and-true pair for such a long distance.

As I was getting ready, I had a list of items I always bring for my walk. Chapstick? Check. IPOD? Check. Gloves? Check. Pedometer? Check. Water? Ch... uh. Wait. I did not bring water. Stupid me. I knew I needed my water out there to keep me going, but I left the house without even thinking about it. Needless to say, having no water made the walk a lot more difficult than it had to be.

By the time I reached my car, I was practically a shriveled raisin from sweating so much and not having any liquids. Yikes. Won't do that again.

Lesson learned. Will know better for next time. Still, though. At the end of the day I walked 10 miles today without dying and that really is something, eh? :)

The Nike+ lady voice told me that I had burned over 1,000 calories on that walk. Wowzers. Does that mean I can hit up a Taco Bell without feeling guilty? :)

Nike+ Is My Savior

I was in the market for some new tennis shoes (preferable ones for walking specifically) because I have had my current pair for... hmmm... forever. Cannot even remember when I bought them. They are still in decent shape but they are clearly a running shoe which does not allow my foot to roll as easily as a walking shoe would.

I ran into Lady Foot Locker and began my search. I saw a pair on sale for $49.99. Bargain!! Of course, they did not have the sale shoe in my size. Or the other sale shoe I asked to see. How convenient. So I told the lady what I was looking for: a lightweight shoe that had a flexible sole, good arch support, and a slightly rounded heel to help with my foot roll. It would help if they were cute, too, but comfort was my main requirement.

She listened intently and after running to the back, she appeared with this:



Nike Zoom Air Shot+

I liked the look of them... lots of mesh for breathability and the soles were super bendy in all the right places. I was facinated by the toggle lace lock thingamabobs. It seemed nice to never have to worry about my laces coming untied.

This particular shoe is a part of the Nike+ series. The genuises at Nike and Apple have teamed up to produce a line of shoes that coordinates with the IPOD Nano to track workouts.



You stick this IPOD sensor in the sole of the left shoe, plug in the receiver to your IPOD, enter in your workout information and then start walking or running. This little gadget tracks your pace, mileage, calories burned, time, etc. It even interupts your music to tell you how many miles you have gone so far and how many you have left if you are working towards a specific goal.



You can use Apple ITunes and nikeplus.com to create workouts, track your progress, create and accept challenges from fellow athletes across the globe, and more! Check out my challenge status below (I am currently #1!!!)



How freakin cool is that?!

So I walked away with the shoes and the IPOD thing. It was alot more money than I wanted to spend, but I am looking at it as an investment in my health... and an early Christmas present to myself.

So excited!

Babies Babies Everywhere!!

Congrats go out to two of my best friends, Jess and Sara, who are expecting babies next summer!!!

Geez, don't drink the water... the pregnancy bug is really making it's rounds!!

:) :)

Brrrrrrrrr...

Holy moly, it's cold out there! Winter time has finally hit St. Louis after what felt like a super-extended fall. Since it is 22 degrees outside, I have decided to take the night off from walking. I walked last night in the 30 degree weather and that was a little brisk to say the least.

Last night's walk wasn't as enjoyable as I had anticipated. Maybe it was the cold weather, maybe it was the shin splints, maybe it was the fact that I was having a text message conversation the entire time... who knows. It just did not click last night. I have been walking alot both at work and outside of work so maybe I was just tired. That's why I am hanging out and keeping it low key tonight. I hope tomorrow is better.

On another note, I just want to take the time to mention how OUT OF CONTROL my eating habits are. It's not how much I am eating... it's what I am eating. I have completely relapsed on my diet soda addiction which is so disappointing. It's funny because when I decided to stop drinking diet soda, I did not miss it. Somehow I just had a sip and one day then it was all over. Other than that I have been munching on salty chips and pretzels and candy from the vending machine at work. I am consuming all of these empty calories and then busting my ass to burn them off. I could just not eat the empty calories, but alas... it is not so simple. That would require a little something called WILLPOWER which I do not have.

We will see how my measurements reflect my naughtiness on my Monday Morning Weigh In.

*Gulp*

Off The Beaten Path...

I do not have to be at work until 2pm today (thanks to a significant hour cut this week – YIKES!), so I thought I would switch it up a bit for my walk today. I headed out to Laumeier Sculpture Park, one of my favorite places on Earth. I love this park. It is basically an open-air museum for many contemporary sculptures. The art pieces blend into the environment and change as the seasons change. One of the reasons why I enjoy this park so much is because it is constantly evolving. New pieces are coming in, old favorites are being updated… there is something different every time I go there. It is a perfect blend of my two loves: inspiring outdoors space and art. And since the weather was cooperating (52 degrees and sunny), today was the day to go!

This morning my walk was all about taking it easy. I wanted to just fill my head with music and let my thoughts wander as I roamed through the wooded trails with no particular destination in mind. I walked at an easy pace, making sure I took full advantage of the sights and sounds of the forest. I was all alone on the trail. The wind was blowing through the trees, causing the leaves to float down around me like confetti. There was no sound of traffic or modern civilization whatsoever. There was just peace and quiet. I find that taking the time to get back to simplicity truly is essential to my personal well-being. Today I was not thinking about my (over-abundance of) bills, work stressors, or the frustrations in my love life. I was content just to be quiet with myself. Although I was not sitting on the ground with my eyes closed and my legs twisted like a pretzel, I would consider this kind of walking to be my meditation. It was fantastic and I feel lovely. I cannot wait to do it again.

I was purposely not concentrating on how long I was walking or how many steps I was taking, but at the end of it I was surprised to see that I had taken about 6,983 steps or 3.2 miles. It was a good workout (without feeling like one!!) because the up and down of the unpaved trails offered me some resistance to fight and also raised my heart rate quite significantly at times. It was like unintentional interval training.

I will do a more traditional walk around the neighborhood tonight once I get home from work.

Have a great walking day!!!

Spreadsheet Spaz

I am currently taking a mini-break from Excel Hell to blog about these nifty spreadsheets I am crafting to track my progress. It is hell because the formulas are so tedious and I am by no means an Excel Whiz. I do enjoy playing with color and graphics to make my stats really POP, though. That's the whole point. I will do anything to get these numbers burned into my mind. I am only on "Week 2" but there is something extremely gratifying about being able to enter information into those cells... it means I am actually out there doing something!!!! Go me!

As I am sitting at my kitchen table pounding away at my keyboard, I am unsettled. I cannot sit still for some reason. I do not feel like my day is complete. I am looking at this nice little chart I just made and the data says that I only walked 4.4 miles today. I am not satisfied with that. I feel like I should have snuck a few more miles in there, especially because I was off work today with nothing better to do. I went for a little walk, came home and devoured some really-bad-for-me food, and then sat around watching "Nightmare Before Christmas" while I waited for my laundry loads to finish washing/drying.

Look at that: walking (GOOD). Eating and Sitting (BAD).

Oh no! Am I undoing all of my good work????

The crazy thing is that I want to get up RIGHT NOW and get in a few more miles. What's crazy about that? Well, it's 10:15pm and 30 degrees outside. Brrrrr. I just need to stay inside.

Guess I will have to walk double time to make up for these setbacks.

I Was Bad Today

I did everything wrong today... yikes.

I slept in late which resulted in me rushing out of the door without breakfast. I had a screaming three-year old in tow and that made for a stressful car ride to the baby sitter's house.

Once I dropped my son off, I thought I would take advantage of being off work today and go for a nice morning walk. So I headed over to my favorite trail, popped my ear buds in my ears, and set off on my merry way.

It took about 2 1/2 miles before my poor shin muscles loosened up enough to walk comfortably. I felt like I was clodding along the trail like a horse.

By the time I hit the 4.4 mile mark, I was exhausted. I had not had breakfast to fuel me for a longer walk. And since I was burning calories and not drinking liquids, I was suddenly VORACIOUSLY hungry. I wanted food immediately. I decided to drive up to Walgreens to grab a little bag of pretzels, but changed my mind at the last minute because I did not feel like getting out of the car into the cold air again. So, I hit up a Jack In The Box for a burger, fries, and soda.

Ugh. Bad, bad, bad!!!!!

I am definitely not going to make my food goals this week. Bummer. I am not going to beat myself up over this, though. Everyone falls off the wagon once in awhile, right? I just have to pick myself up and start again.

On a positive note, I have not had my Starbucks Frappucinos in two days. :) That has saved me $9.00!! Yay!!

Week 1 Weigh In

I am officially one week into my new fitness regimen and I am seeing some surprising results in my measurements.

I measure myself once a week, in the morning, before I have had anything to eat.

weight: was 166 lbs NOW 165 lbs

waist: was 35 in NOW 33.5 in

hips: was 42 in NOW 42 in

R thigh: was 25.5 in NOW 24.5 in

L thigh: was 25.75 in NOW 24.75 in

R upper arm: was 12.5 in NOW 12.25 in

L upper arm: was 12.25 in NOW 12 in

This could just be water weight but still... WOO HOO!!!!!

I should see dramatic results next week because I am giving up my coffee, soda, and junk food.

Wish me luck!

Before Pictures

Thought you might like to see some "before" pictures of me in all my glory...














I'm sassy.

Making Sacrifices

So, while I have been walking my tail off in order to reach my fitness goals I must admit I have not been paying much attention to what I am eating. I know eating and exercising go hand in hand. Well, my MIND knows that... I just need it to control whatever it is about me that has NO willpower. For instance, the other day I caught myself having a bottle of diet soda and a bag of chips from the vending machine for lunch. Sheesh. That's terrible. Especially the soda thing because I had given it up (a MAJOR addiction of mine) and was doing so good until I had a stressful day and relapsed. I have not been drinking as much soda as I was, but still. I am disappointed in myself for reverting back to my unhealthy habit.

I realize I need to make some dietary sacrifices. I need to commit to some goals in writing and know that only I am accountable for what I do. I am going to begin small because I don't want to overwhelm myself. So, bear with me as I take baby steps.

This week: No soda, food from the vending machine (or any place with a drive-through), or beloved Starbucks Frappuccinos. I have two of those suckers every day and I hate to even imagine how many calories that is... yikes.

There it is. I will keep you updated on my progress.

Week 1 Walking Recap

Geez, I was doing so good with the regular blogging there for a minute. I have been so busy WALKING that I have not made time to write to you. So, let me recap my walks for you. I might just make this a walking blog, I enjoy it so much...

Monday: Walked for 1 hr 45 min around the trail in the park (4.4 miles). I love this trail. Lots of beautiful scenery to look at while I walk and time just flies as I make my way around the 1.1 mile loop. I have walked this trail for years so it is very comforting for me to be there.

Tuesday: Walked for 35 minutes around the neighborhood (about 2.2 miles). I came home from work and made it a point to get my walk in, even if it was dark outside. There were streetlights so that made me feel better. I carry my keys like they are daggers just in case, so that makes me feel like I look like a super-intimidating badass. Ha!

Wednesday: Walked very briskly for 1 hr and 15 minutes (about 5 miles). Again, this was at night around my neighborhood.

Thursday: Walked for 1 hr (about 4 miles) while Grey's Anatomy recorded on my DVR. I hate commercials so I figured I would walk while the episode aired so I would have the luxury of fast-forwarding through the commercials once I returned.

Friday: No walk. Drank beer with my friends instead. :)

Saturday: Walked for 45 min around trail in park (about 2.2 miles). I went before work that day and the walk made me feel more energized then my normal cup o' Starbucks does. I am impressed. Wish I could walk every morning before work.

Sunday: I took two walks today. I first walked for 1 hr and 30 min (5.5 miles) around trail in park. It was blustery outside so I wore a mllion layers (shirt, fleece shirt, jacket, scarf...). I eventually became hot and sweaty so it was difficult to really focus and enjoy the walk as I normally would. I felt better once I de-layered and finished my walk. I took another hr and 30 min walk around the neighborhood this evening (about 4.5 miles). I bought a pedometer today and it said I took 10,226 steps in this night walk!! Holy moly!! The experts advise you to take 10,000 steps for an entire day!!! I bet I walked +20,000 steps today. Incredible!!

I averaged about 27 miles this week. That is crazy. I have always enjoyed walking but I have never kept track like this before. I am feeling so good right now. I am highly motivated to make it to 30 miles next week. I know I can do it.

Wish me luck!!

Skin Brushing?

Has anyone else heard of this?

I stumbled upon this technique a few months back on my search to rid the cellulite that has taken up residence on my thighs. Apparently this technique is used to eliminate toxins from your body.

Interesting! How does it work?

According to this site, "when you do Skin Brushing, you HELP your Lymph System to CLEAN itself of the TOXINS, that COLLECT in the Lymph Glands. You use a Simple Technique to IMPROVE the Surface Circulation on the Skin and KEEP the Pores of the Skin OPEN, encouraging your Body's Discharge of Metabolic Wastes, and resulting in an IMPROVED ability to COMBAT Bacteria, plus HELPING your Skin to look and feel HEALTHIER and MORE RESILIENT!"

I'm sold!!!!!

How To Do Skin Brushing:

Buy a NATURAL, NOT synthetic, bristle brush, since it does NOT SCRATCH the surface of your skin.

Buy a brush with a LONG handle, so that you're ABLE to get to the areas of your body, that are NOT EASY to reach, when doing your own Skin Brushing.

Skin Brush, before showering or bathing, at least ONCE per day, and TWICE, if possible.
Do NOT wet your skin, since it will NOT have the SAME Effect, because this stretches your skin.

Do LIGHTER Strokes over and around your breasts, but do NOT brush the nipples.

Brush each part of your Body several times VIGOROUSLY, COMPLETELY brushing your WHOLE body.

Brush the soles of your feet FIRST, because the nerve endings there affect your WHOLE body, next Brush your ankles, calves, and thighs, then brush across your stomach and your buttocks and lastly brush your hands to your arms.

ALWAYS skin brush towards the heart.

Do circular counter-clockwise strokes on your abdomen.

Take a WARM bath or shower, which should always be followed by a COOL rinse at the end to INVIGORATE blood circulation and STIMULATE surface warmth.

Wash your brush every few weeks in water and allow it DRY.

Has anyone done this? Did you see results? I am thinking about taking a before/after picture of my thighs to see if the results are noticable. Would that gross you out? Eh, oh well. It would be awhile if I did. I read somewhere that in order to see worthwhile results, you have to dry brush your skin consistently for five months.

Obviously, changing my diet is another good way to help battle cellulite, but if this dry brushing thing works, I am willing to give it a try!

I will keep you posted....

****UPDATE November 17, 2008****

I have been skin brushing for a few nights now. I must admit, the bristles are a little rough over sensitive skin on my chest and upper arms. It can be slightly uncomfortable. I do enjoy how soft my skin is afterwards, though. My legs are so itchy because of all the dry skin so this helps aleviate the itchies. I plan to keep it up.

I *Heart* Walking!

Luckily for me, I love walking. Love Love Love it. I look forward to being off work just so I can go for a nice, long walk. (Just to clarify - when I say walk, I do not mean slowly amble all willy nilly... I mean I power walk like it's going out of style. Momma works it out until she breaks a sweat!!) I stick my headphones on and take off and the world melts away. I particularly love walking during this time of year when the trees look as if they are on fire. When the wind blows, leaves fall like confetti. It's like Mother Nature is throwing me a surprise party!! There is something so relaxing about watching the leaves float to the ground, never knowing where the wind will cause them to land.

I always listen to music when I walk. I sink myself into the music and I do not notice myself exercising. Before I know it I have walked five miles in an hour and a half. Unintentional exercise always scores high in my book.

I plan to use walking as my main excercise, at least at the beginning. This should be no problem because I enjoy it. I have found a great website that has neat little pictures for all sorts of upper/lower body and core exercises. Check out www.sparkpeople.com. I have a log that I using to track how much time I am spending walking each week. I will track distance more closely once I get a pedometer. At this point, I just want to enjoy the walk for what it is without sucking all the fun out of it by making it a scientific experiment.

Speaking of pedometers, can anyone suggest an accurate one that will not cost me my first born child?

Yesterday I walked 5 1/2 miles in 1 hour and 45 minutes. I walked the fitness trail in the park next to my house.

Tonight I walked for 35 minutes. Couldn't tell you the distance because I did not keep track. I just walked the neighborhoods near my house. It was dark so my beloved fitness trail was closed.

Hello To You!!

Yay! My first blog post as a soon-to-be former chunky monkey! I have been reading so many weight-loss blogs lately and I AM PUMPED. Thanks for the inspiration, ya'll! So, let's begin, shall we?

First a little background info:

My name is Nick and I am 24 years young. I call St. Louis, MO home and I wouldn't have it any other way. I love this town.

Right now I am in a weird transitional part of my life. It's like I am having a "quarter-life crisis". That whole "finding yourself in your 20's" trip is no joke. After many hours of self-reflection I am ready to take control of the aspects of my life I am unsatisfied with. Better sooner than later, eh? I know that I will never feel completely happy until I am happy with myself. So what better way to dive into happiness than with a new smokin' hot bod??? :)

Don't get me wrong, I do not consider myself "fat". That's a terrible word that should never be used to describe someone... just our bank accounts (well, not mine. My checking account definitely falls under the "malnourished" category...)!! I do have curves and definitely some junk in the trunk which has served me considerably well up until this point. But I do not feel... right. At this point I am not comfortable in my own skin. I am at an age where I should be coming into my own and discovering my own sexuality... or so they say. I do not feel completely sexy physically or mentally. I have some personal things to work out and I plan to do so with the help of my Ipod and a treadmill.

So stay the course with me, new friends! I need your support and stories. Feel free to stalk this blog as I post my trials and tribulations with this whole weight-loss/fitness/empowerment journey.