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A Zen State Of Mind

I've been attending the Yoga Teacher Training at the U and I'll be finished in a month. The first week of school I was exhausted and cranky about the program. Doing 4 hours of yoga on each day of school and all the hours we had to complete outside of the class room were intense to say the least!

There are 7 others students in the class and they all bring their own spice to the mix. Its been so amazing to learn so many new wonderful things from the instructors and my classmates. I've tried things that I thought I might never do, I've done things wrong for years without knowing, I've felt inspired by something as simple as breathing. Not to mention that its done wonders with my weight loss goals! Its a lot of extra physical activity but I think the real trick has been in the meditations practices. Accepting where you are on any giving day and allowing yourself to be human but to also improve.

I know that if I hadn't changed my habits a year and half ago and I had let myself accept that were I was in life was all I deserved I would never have taken this program. I would have never believed in myself and my ability to make the things that I want happen for me. Nothing is beyond reach if its something that can enrich your life and the life of those around you.

Something like being a healthy weight seems so simple now but I remember when I really didn't believe that I would ever feel thin. I actually believed that it was just not the way my body was built. Now when people say to me, oh I couldn't do that, or I've tried and it just doesn't work for me I want to shake them. It's a mind set and of course our naturally amazing, intricate and self balancing bodies want us to healthy!

Looking back I don't miss a single food that I said no to. I don't feel tired from the mornings I had to literally drag myself out of bed to work out. Looking back it seemed so easy. So worth it. So rewarding! If you are thinking that you want to loose some weight or you want to shape up for the new year my only piece of advice would be to JUST DO IT! Its not as hard as it seems and the benefits are manifested daily.

Thanks for the love.

As a side note I've been teaching Yoga on Monday and Wednesday at Far East Fitness in Cottonwood Heights at 6:30 and I would love it if you came.

The Day has finally arrived!

I reached my WW's Goal this week!!

I've lost a total of 42.6 pounds! After years and years of being over weight I can finally say that I am within my healthy weight range! I thought I would list some of the things that I love about being 131 pounds!

• Having my neck back!
• I thought I just had collar bones that couldn't be seen.....
• I would go running right now, no hesitation!
• I'm in the Yoga Teacher Training and I would never have done that before.
• I don't have to have my sweat shirt of shame whenever I go out... even if its 90 degrees.
• Talking to other people about what they have been doing for their health.
• I wear a 6! I wore a 6 for a very short amount of time in Junior High.
• The way people look at me now.
• When the people I love tell me that they can tell a difference in the way I look.
• Clothes shopping!!!!
• Feeling healthy! My body, and mind feel so much different.
• I'm in the best shape of my life and its getting better every day!

My own personal goal is only 6 pounds away! 6 pounds! I am in a "Maintenance" period at WW and have to stay at my goal weight for 6 weeks to become a lifetime member! I feel motivated and excited!

It was a great idea to set a group goal with my sisters and mom. It has been so helpful to be able to call each other and celebrate together. Thank you my lovely's!

Also thank you to everyone that has said I looked good or that I was doing a good job. It helped every time to hear someone else say it.

I love you guys!

Its a Bird! Its a Plane! No its just Sunnie on her new bike!

I rode my bike to work this morning!!

I have wanted to ride the four miles to work for awhile and I borrowed a few old bikes and started to ride around the neighborhood to get the hang of it.

There is nothing like a new bike! The other bikes had a few issues.... like flats and gear problems. It makes a big difference to have a bike that actually works like it should. When I first started riding all I could think was how in the world did I ride a bike everywhere I went as a kid?

HOW WAS IT POSSIBLE!!!

It was so hard. I kept trying but never worked up the courage to ride to work with the other bikes. Now with my new, sweet, fast, bike I've opened up a whole new world of possibilities. Its still harder then I remember from my childhood years but now it doesn't seem impossible

anymore.

Another one for the books!

Thanks to Ivy's ambition and my refusal to back down from a challenge I can now say that I've run a 10K! It was a beautiful July 4th morning and we arrived at Sandy City hall pumped up with nerves and adrenaline. After a pre-race leg massage from Ivy I was feeling pretty confident that we would finish in about an hour and 20 minutes. We took our places in the crowds of people and the anticipation built and then we were off!

We were pacing together very well but I was not feeling up to par when the race started. I started to feel pretty ill but I was just going to push through it! I didn't want to tell Ivy that I was feeling sick because it might hurt our Race Day Mojo! I thought that the feeling would pass and I would start to get into the swing of things soon enough........ A mile later I finally started to feel okay. The cramping had stopped and I was finally falling into my stride. That first mile was through a neighbor hood and was pretty much all up hill. It was the hardest part of the race. The rest of the first lap was a piece of cake! It went by quick and when we came up on the second lap we were greeted by an exuberant Shawna cheering us on and Sam snapping away with the camera!

Then it was time for the up hill neighbor hood again. Then like falling into a frozen pond the mental butt kicking began! Ivy said mostly to herself "If I can make it up this hill I can run the rest of the way!" and my personal favorite "Channel the inner Tara!" referring to the biggest loser contestant and an amazing inspiration! I was repeating my usual mantras "Am I really going to die if I don't stop? I'm not going to let the race beat me! Its not the hardest thing I'll ever have to do." We busted out the hill and were panting like crazy and then we knew it was down hill and we only had 2.4 miles left to go!

Sounds a little easier when your not in the thick of it! When we came out of the neighbor hood our faith full cheerleaders were there to push us along! The rest is kind of a blur. I think I had to let go of the mental and let the physical take care of itself for awhile. When we knew we were almost there and all we wanted to do was STOP RUNNING we did the only logical thing and ran faster! On the home stretch our cheerleaders had returned and Shawna was screaming! "Your almost there! Sprint! Sprint! You can do it!"

Crossing the finish line is always an amazing experience. Its like a little slide show of all the things that you've done to get healthy and everything you've done to prepare for this just rushes over you! Its so worth it!

We ended up with a better time then we were expecting! We were pretty proud of ourselves! A year ago this would have been impossible for me! It could have taken my hours to finish this! I wouldn't have had any confidence to even attempt a 5K and a 10K would have been completely out of the question. So blowing those bearers to shreds always feels surreal and empowering!

Little did we know but our Mojo would have been impossible to destroy that morning because a few states away Bliss was busy with labor for our beautiful new nephew! Thanks for the help Bliss! We were right there with you sista give you our all!
Now on to the next challenge!

I'm back in the States!

I'm back!!! What a trip. It was so amazing. Let me just recap what has been going on for the last 3 weeks.

Before my trip I was stressed and working very hard to loss as much weight before we left as possible. I also want to run a 10K on July 4th so I was working even harder to prepare myself for that. So it was a very big shock for me when I stepped on the scale and in spit of my efforts had gained about 4 lbs. I was devastated! I couldn't understand how I could be working so hard and eating all the right foods and still I could be gaining weight! So I went on my trip frustrated about my weight. But I was determined to enjoy myself. I tried to count my points the first day...... It was pretty hard so I decided that portion control would have to be my friend on this vacation.

So I ate whatever I wanted! I relaxed! Weight loss was finally NOT constantly on my mind and I have to say I felt amazing! I managed one run of about a mile and a half down a tiny country lane with farms and fields which was really different then the run around my neighborhood and very refreshing. I walked constantly to the sites we wanted to see so I was being active but it wasn't timed or at a high intensity but exercise all the same. I had some really great food! I tried many ice creams, chocolate, pastries, and incredible main courses and I didn't count my points for my entire vacation. It was the break that I needed to unwind from a health nut to just a normal person again. It felt really good to loosen the reins and just enjoy where I was.

I avoided the scales like the plague! I thought I would leave that part of me at home and deal with it again when I stepped on US soil. Instead I wore T-shirts without a sweater, a bathing suit without a cover-up and I didn't feel ashamed or self conscious! Even though I didn't make it to goal before my vacation, which is what I had been killing myself trying to do. I was at a very comfortable weight and enjoyed myself without having to constantly worry about what I would look like in pictures or bringing my sweater even when the weather was nice. It was liberating!

Now I'm back at home and I had to face the scale. So Sunday morning I stepped on and prepared myself for a number in the 140's... again.

139.6!!!! That is exactly what I was when I left! I didn't gain a thing! I was shocked and excited and learned some very important lessons!

• Stress really is a factor! I was going crazy before this trip to make myself loose anything else that I could and I was working ridiculously hard and it had the opposite effect on my weight loss. Now I feel like I should just enjoy the ride a bit more. Relax a little and I'm sure I'll have better results. I resolve to enjoy the weight that I am! Every pound is a milestone.
• Enjoy the ride! Not all my exercises has to be sweat my brains out intense. Any activity is just that... ACTIVITY.

What a great vacation! I'm so happy I had the chance to go!

Takin' Care Of Business!

My trip is only 9 days away!  I've been making the most out of the last few weeks until I head out for the Queens Country!  I've kept up with the exercises and the healthy eating even though I hadn't seen a big drop in the scale for 2 months!!!  I knew a plautu was a lurking possibility but I had high hopes anyway.  It was very discouraging to be working just as hard as I always had and not to see the results that I wanted.  But thanks to my Brother-In-Law who said just don't give up, been there and done that!  Just don't do it!  I kept on keepin' on!  

I also didn't want to buy to many clothes because I wasn't yet satisfied with the look of my new bod.  I'm sure there is some deep phsycological reason why I've held on to my old clothes but we wont get into that today.  I decided I had to have more then 2 shirts to take with me on my trip.  I set out to a store that 35 pounds ago I wouldn't have dared to venture into!  Charlotte Russe!!!  I've always been an accessory shopper.  I have no trouble finding shoes, jewelry, sunglasses, jackets, and lounge clothes.  Anything with a "one size fits all" tag!  but I haven't had a real t-shirt in years.  So with a little inspiration from my sister I set out for the dreaded GRAPHIC T!  

I'm a big baby because it was awesome!  Why didn't I do that sooner?  I left the store with a multitude of new shirts and of course like always a new sense of self!  

Down to business.  I weighed in on Saturday and I've been dying to share the results with EVERYBODY!!

Weekly Weigh-In: -2 glorious whole pounds!

Total Weight Lost: 37.2 lbs

Weight Left To GOOOO: 11.4 lbs

I just can't believe this!!!  I'm so close!  11.4 pounds I can burn in my sleep....... Well nothing will stop me from trying!  Here are some HUGE milestones that are approaching!!

• In 2.8 pounds I will have lost 40 pounds!
• In 4.4 pounds according to the BMI I will no longer be overweight!
• In 5.4 pounds I will have reached my WW goal!
• And of course the Ultimate goal!  In 11.4 pounds I'll weigh 125 pounds!!!!!!!!!!!

Food is good!!!  I happen to love it!  But nothing beats how good I feel now!

What A Race!!

Wow!  What an amazing experience!  When they said to take Trax.... They were right!!!  I've never seen so many people in once place before!  Not so much a run as a shuffle through the crowds!  

When we got to the race the traffic was backed up from the free way all the way to the parking spot that you might find about 10 blocks from the race.  When Ivy and I finally got the start line and found Cozy I had to go to the bathroom!  They had a bunch of Porta-Potty's with huge lines so I started to wait.  I probably moved 3 feet before I heard someone on a megaphone say "On your mark!  Get set!  GO!!!"  So I ran to where Ivy and Cozy where waiting and we started the shuffle!  

At this point I really had to go!  I thought that maybe I could ignore it for the next 30 to 40 minutes.... but it wasn't likely.  So when I saw a guy that worked at a Mexican restaurant hanging out outside looking at all the commotion I asked if I they had a bathroom.  I guess I wasn't the only person who had the same idea because I had to wait in another, shorter, line.  Then we were off.  

I would say about half way through we got our stride and we started to jog.  Ivy had been pushing the stroller with a mesmerized Anya in it and she had been pushing it up hill and through the swarms of people and I knew it must have been harder then it looked.  So I asked if I could push it and she handed over the stroller.  Believe it or not, it was MUCH harder!  Kudos to Ivy because wow!  

When we were about 3 blocks from the finish we passed Sam, Mom, Mike, Greg, and Roz cheering us on!  At the finish line the crowd came to a dead stop and it was like being at the start line again!  We finally found an uncrowded spot to meet everyone and we celebrated the race and the cause!  It was amazing!  I refused to take my "Race For The Cure" shirt off for the rest of the day!  That was an incredible experience that I'm so happy I was able to be a part of.  Thanks again to every one's support and love and don't worry if you couldn't make it because Mike took some amazing pictures for us and I can't wait to see them!  

Race For The Cure is finally here!!!

The race is finally here and I'm ecstatic!  I did the Law Day Run last week to get a feel for it because I had never done a race before.  Besides the rain, (I was soaked!) I loved it!  

Race for the Cure is this weekend!!  May 9th at the Gateway 400 W. South Temple.  Festivities will start at 7am but the race begins at 8:30.  The starting point is 300 W. North Temple and it will finish at the Gateway Legacy Fountain.  I would love to see you there to race or to support. The foundation has suggested taking trax.  You can sign up for the 5k run/walk or the 1 mile fun run/walk at komenslc.org.  

Thanks to everyone!  Its been amazing to make these changes in my life and this race is the embodiment of my accomplishments.  I love you all and the support and love that I've had from you is amazing!  I can't wait to see you this weekend!

Wowza! I Think I Might Be A Runner!

I finished the 5K training!!!  I can run a 5K in 35 minutes!!!  I don't need any breaks either!  I'm running straight through!  That is crazy!  I'm averaging at 15 miles a week!  A week!!!  Before I started this that would have been more then I ran in 5 years!  

The only thing that I can think to say about this is that, seriously, if I can do it anybody can do it!  Its amazing how the only thing that was holding me back was myself.  I was looking at the program and saying "Yeah Right!"  But every time I tried a new intensity I did it!  EVERY TIME! Its hard don't get me wrong.  There are a lot of times that I think I need to take a break but I just think about my muscles and my body and ask myself a few questions.  Do I really need to stop?  Am I going to go flying off the treadmill from exhaustion if I don't stop right now?  The answer is always NO!  So I keep going.  

Something that I've learned about myself is that when I start to feel like I need to eat something right now or I have to stop whatever physical activity I'm doing what I really need to do is get in control of my thoughts!  Stop being a drama queen, let go of the panic and really think!   

I read in a book that a quick meditation before eating can really help you stick to the right kinds of foods.  Also to set an intention every day.  So when your first waking up and your thinking about your day set a goal.  Today I'm not going to have an ice cream at 10pm or Today I'm going to run a 5k!  And just do it! 

If you want a copy of the running program let me know!  If you start today in 12 weeks you could be running a 5k just in time for the Race For The Cure on May 10th!   I want to start a team but I need at least 5 people to start.  Let me know if you want to be on the team!  Here is a link for registration fees and forms.  LETS DO IT PEOPLE!

http://www.komenslc.org/RaceForTheCure/Registration/tabid/81/Default.aspx

Fantastic New Finds!!

I've been looking for new things because.... well you have to or the fall off the wagon will really hurt your tushy!  So here's to seeing less of you next time!

These are from Goody and those little grey dots are rubber.  They are great!  They never fall off and they don't pull my hair!  

Well who doesn't love a bit of cake!  For one of these its only 3 points and it takes literally 30 seconds to make!  Really delicious!

ZERO POINTS!  I'll leave it at that.

My new running shoes!  Custom colors and they say "Sunnie Rocks" on the back! They are from Nike.com and it was really fun to customize them and I look forward to breaking them in!

Oat and Apple Strudel....... Yummy!  Only 2 points.

These delicious babys are only 1 point and they are amazing!  Just enough sweet to keep you away from the vending machines but don't put a huge dent in your day.

These taste like Wheat Thins!  They are a little smaller but you can have 17 for only 2 points!  That is the perfect amount for a wedge of laughing cow cheese (only 1 point)!  I did like the original better then the tomato basil ones.

Sam is a success story!

I have been doing WW with Sam since July.  When ever I tell people that they say to me "I didn't know he wanted to lose weight" all I have to say about that is isn't he lucky!  He started playing squash and doing WW and at long last Sam has lost 20 lbs and...... HE IS A LIFETIME MEMBER AT WW!!!  He got to his goal weight and finished his maintenance 2 weeks ago!!!  I've included some before and after pictures of Sam.  He is my inspiration!  Enjoy and be inspired! 

Sensationally Fantastic News!

So in my last post I gloated about buying a size 12 pant..... Well yesterday I bought a size 10!  Bam!!!  I've been prancing around the house in my new pants for hours and I just can't get enough of them!  I can't remember the last time I had a size 10!  In fact I don't think I ever did!  I went straight from an 6 to a 12....... I really don't know how that happened!  But that is not the point.  The point is I'm wearing a size 10 pant!  Yeah buddy!!!