HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!

Happy New Year Everyone.

I hope you all have a safe and Happy New Year!

May 2012 bring all you ask of it.

Katie :-)

Been a while....

since I posted. I'm doing pretty good, I'm back into the swing of things and I'm enjoying it. My husband and I have joined a Gym! Yes, a real bonnified gym. It's a far cry from the REC centre that's for sure. There's no waiting for machines, no waiting for weights.

The gym is three levels. On the bottom level, they have more cardio equipment than I have ever seen before. There must be at least 30 treadmills, 30 ellipticals, 15 stair climbers, 15 bikes. I've been there when the parking lot is full but it's not packed it's amazing! The second level of the building is the weight zone. They have got three of every machine! THREE!! They have a tonne of free weights, the have three sections for the circuit. There is no waiting for anything and none of the intimidation that I felt at the Rec centre. It is great, then just for us ladies, on the Third floor, that's our area, we have a cardio area with a lot of equipment, we have a circuit area and we have a free weight area.

The best part for me, is they have actual change rooms! At the REC Centre, there were no change rooms, you had to go into a bathroom stall to change. At this gym, they have hundreds of lockers, they have 12 shower stalls (including a handicapped stall) there is a ladies Sauna in there as well, there are two large private change rooms in the back ( if you're modest like me, or rather afraid of people seeing me in all my glory). They have even provided hair dryers. There's 10 of them around the dressing room.

It's a great gym, and I'm really enjoying going there. I've just printed of their class schedule (their classes are actually included!) I'm thinking I may just take my chances and attend a Zumba class....maybe we better not test fate yet. The leg isn't 100% yet but it's getting there.

I hope you all enjoyed your summer, now that fall is coming, it's time to get back into the swing of things.

Take care my friends....talk to you soon!

Hi There~~~~

It's me the infamous missing Katie. I've been around, just not blogging. Pretty much because I don't have anything to blog about. Weight loss has stopped, exercise has stopped and I got tired of my own whining so why make anyone else listen to it or read about it?

It's been a rough few months, injury to my knee in March knocked me out of the gym, the thing was, I didn't get back into the water. I had a bad experience and didn't want to go back.

Now, I have no choice, because the extremely klutzy Katie came and paid a visit a little over a month ago. The visit lasted only seconds, but the results are as blatant today as they were in the seconds after the visit.

You see, klutzy Katie, didn't lift her leg quite high enough when she was entering the back door, causing herself to trip over the sliding glass door runner, sending her flying into the bed where she knocked her pretty little head and landed in a heap with 300+ pounds landing on her left hip. This has resulted in a small fracture in the hip, a deep bone bruise and something going on with the muscle in my thigh that my doctor isn't paying attention to and is driving me crazy.

It is, I can't get into the driver seat of the car without having to pull my leg into the car, I can't lift it more than a couple of inches without hot stabbing pain in my thigh. It's not my hip, it's my thigh and no one is listening to me! It's driving me crazy. My husband wants me to go to a walk in clinic as my own family doctor has told me, "it's osteo arthritis, you just have to deal with it" I would believe him if the pain was in my hip, but it's no it's in my THIGH!!!!

Anyway, enough was enough last week when I stepped on the scale for my at home weigh in and I had gained another 8 pounds, a talk with my husband and about 60.00 later, I have started going back to Weight Watchers, I need the accountability. I need to know that someone is looking at my little book, and accessing how I'm doing. Note I said accessing, not judging, but I need that.

I also need to get moving again, walking isn't working right now and the Grouse Grind Goal I set for myself back in January, well that's going to have to wait as I can't lift my leg the height of a step.

But I'm here, I'm determined and this will happen.

Stay tuned. I'm around, I just get tired of my own whining. I hope you are all doing all right, I've got a lot of reading to make up for. Talk to you soon!

Ugh!

I'm feeling horrible right now. It's after 11pm and my stomach hurts, it's upset and there is no way I'm going to get any sleep for the next couple of hours, at least. I've been doing really good lately, no I haven't been blogging, mostly because there is nothing to report, go to work, eat dinner, go to gym or walk dog on long walk, go te bed, and repeat. I figured it would make for some really boring reading, so really who wants to read boring.

My husband left on a business trip last night, I came home from work, took the dog for a walk, and couldn't decide on what to have for dinner. I made a salad and grilled a chixken breast and sat there looking at it in disgust. This wasn't what I wanted for dinner. So instead of eating my healthy dinner, what do I do? Really what do I do? I head to McDonalds, with the thought of getting a large Ice Tea, because you know for a $1.00 what the heck...yep...an ice tea, one dollar, a six pack of chicken nuggets, large fries and a 1/4 pounder with cheese later...here I am. after 11pm, feeling disgusted and annoyed with myself with the inside of my body lieterally jumping around...waving it's fist in the air, yelling at the top of it's lungs..."WHAT THE HE** WERE YOU THINKING YOU CRAZY WOMAN!!!

I don't know what I was thinking...was it because there was no accountablility...knowing full well that if my husband were home we would have had salad and grilled chicken breast but because he's away I felt justified in going on a fast food binge? I don't get it...when will I get to the point when I can stop the insanity, the absolute ridiculousness of what I do to myself sometimes?

Healed Up?!?

Hey everyone~~~~~
How is everyone doing? It's been a while but I am finally well on the road to recovery and I'm actually ready to get off on the exit of let's get our big behind moving and grooving again. The knee feels good, the headaches are mostly gone and best of all, I got clearance from the doctor to hit the gym again. In the past couple of weeks I've managed some fairly lengthy walks with the dog. ( Our 5km route). and the knee held up so I'm ready and raring to go!

I haven't been this happen since I don't know when. Wahoo! Look out elliptical here I come!

I hope you're all doing well. Have a super fantastic type day and I'll talk to you soon!

Shocked.

I am truly shocked. I don't know what to think or how to react so I'm just sort of stunned. My husband and I went to a hockey game recently. As is often the case, the mascot runs around the stands and they show him and the crowd around him on the jumbo tron above. As the game went on, during one of the "Radio Commercial Breaks" I looked up and saw this incredibly large woman who looked like she was stuffed into her seat. I started to feel bad for her when I realized it was me! I didn't even know what I looked like, it was seeing my husband that caught my attention that it was me. I am the incredibly large woman who was stuffed into her seat. I wanted to cry. I don't know how it is that I don't see myself the same way that other people see me. I had to ask my husband is that really, what I look like? I don't see myself as this incredibly large woman. I see myself as someone who has to lose weight, that is heavy, but I was shocked when I saw myself up on that jumbotron. How is it that we don't see ourselves the size we really are?

Body over all...

My body has taken over, went to the doctor and I have torn a muscle in my knee and my calf. I start my physio tomorrow morning at 7am. I tell ya, I think there is a conspiracy out there with my name on it and I've had it. The frustration level is through the roof as the Dr. doesn't want me in the water for at least a week so that the muscles can heal....argghhh, arrggghhh, arrrgghhh!

Mind over Matter

...or matter over mind. I have really been struggling in the two weeks since I returned from my trip to Toronto. Hurting my leg on the plane, has really put a wrench in my plans. I've not been to the gym in almost seven weeks now. (first the concussion, now the knee) I've not been working out and to be honest I haven't been tracking my food like I should have been doing. I have the world's most loving and understanding husband. He's patient and kind and never, ever, ever says anything about my weight or anything out.

He called me out. He did. My husband came through to me, sat down beside me and said "What's it going to take to get you back in the gym. It's been a month" I have to admit, at first my back went up. He knew my leg hurt, he knew that I had had a concussion, he knew, he knew he knew. I thought to myself.

And then I realized, I was making excuses. Yes, my leg hurts, when has that ever stopped me before? I blew my knee out on km 57 of the 60km Weekend to End Breast Cancer, but Crying and limping and getting angry at the suggestion that they could get me a wheel chair, I walked that last 700metre, because I was going to finish what I started darn it!

Where did that spirit go? Did it get lost along the way? Was it hiding under a bush some where? No...it's been here, but I've been putting matter over mind, not mind over matter.

I work the night shift tonight 1-9 so this morning, I'm off to aquafit. I enjoy it, and it gives me the exercise that I need and it will get me going again. And the best part? My husband. He just stood in the bedroom and smiled as I put my swimming kit together this morning.

Mind over matter....makes a big difference.

Work out!

Sort of! I've ended up having to work the weekend, a 10 hour day Saturday and again Sunday. Getting to the gym didn't get done. I did however take the dog for his walks around the block. Now, you may be saying, that's not a big accomplishment, but we have two blocks, there's our Horse Shoe which is 1km, and then there is the big block, 4.5km's. Add the 1km to the 4.5km and you get 5.5km's, twice, in one day! I was pretty happy!

The leg is still really sore, but I will continue to ice and heat it and it will get better. I hope you all have a fabulous day!

Headache Free!

Yeah! I have finally been able to go three whole days without getting a headache. The type of headache that feels as though there is a metal band wrapped around my head and someone is pulling on it as hard as they can. This is a good thing! A very, very, very good thing. I feel so much better. I can concentrate again, I can think without the cast of Riverdance stomping away in my head. Now the bad news. I went to Toronto last week and as I was walking off the plane I've wrenched my left knee. The pain has been pretty incredible. Heat and Ice are my friends...again! However, it's been over a week now, the leg still hurts but I'm aching to get back into the gym. I will go to the gym in the morning and I will work out. I'll let my leg guide me. I may have to get back in the water but at least I'll be moving again! Hip Hip HOORAY!

Rough Go of it...

...the past couple of weeks. I discovered that a concussion is not as easy to get over as I had originally thought. The dr. said I could go back to the gym after I was headache free for 3 days in a row. Well it's been three weeks and I've managed two days now, tomorrow will hopfully be three and then I'm back in the gym.

This has also been a very difficult week for me emotionally. I have two animals, a cat who I rescued 8 years ago and a dog. On monday I took Duncan, the cat, to the vets for some dental surgery. It should have been simple, I should have had him home that afternoon. Instead I got the call that my beloved Duncan had passed away.

It has been a very difficult week...

Injured Reserve List...

that's where I will be for the rest of this week and possibly into next week. I had a great workout at the gym yesterday. I did my elliptical and I was doing my weights when my common sense apparently took a holiday. In my weight lifting repertoire, I use what's called a "Heavy Bar". It's a metal bar used when doing various chest exercises. The Heavy bar weighs about eight pounds. So common sense, and practicality tells you that when you remove the pin from the weights to increase the weight, you either place your hand on the weights to keep the 2.5lb weight from flying up into the air, or you take the 8lb bar off, before you take the pin out. Well, somehow my common sense obviously got left behind on the elliptical, because I attach the bar to the over head pulley, then proceed to pull the pin out of the 30pound weight to move to the 60 pound weight. And yes...you guessed it, the weight went flying up, the bar came slamming down and hit me in the head, momentarily stunning me before I could get myself together, pulled the bar off of the cable, sending the weight slamming down on top of the other weights where I was able to rectify the situation.

Of course, I was mortified, because this had to happened in the free weight section with a bunch of the muscle men around. One guy who was doing the bench press did ask if I was all right, before he said "I bet that hurt...next time, hold on to the bar!"

"Yep! I knew that already, really I did!" I know that you change the weight before you put the bar up on the cable. I just don't know what happened, or why I didn't.

Despite being mortified, I did finish out my work out, which I think may have impressed Mr. bench press. The headache to end all headaches, wasn't quite full blown. It didn't get to that point until we were halfway home. On my husband's insistence, I went to the doctor's this afternoon. My headache today is just about as bad as it was yesterday. I keep getting nauseous and light headed. Of course, the doctor tells me I have a mild concussion, to take it easy, no exercise for a few days, try not to bend over or lift anything heavy. If the headache doesn't go away in a week or so come back and see him, etc. etc. etc.

Oh joy! No working out which means almost positively a gain on top of the gain I had this week. Yes, I was up 4 pounds this week. Ask me how annoyed I was about that. I can pretty much chalk that up to water retention as I currently have no ankles, my socks are leaving crease marks in my legs and most of my shoes don't fit.

So everything combined...I'm done, stick a fork in me this week as I'm not allowed to do anything at all. Injured Reserve list...hopefully I can get off it quickly!

Holy Smackles!!!

what a week! It's been an intense week, that is for certain. I've managed to get in some really good quality gym time. I had Wednesday off so I really racked up the exercise, and made up for missing Monday and Tuesday. I headed up to the gym, did an hour on the Elliptical, did weights, stretching, then came home and took the dog on an 8km walk. It was great, it seemed the more I did the better I felt. Thursday night had me back at the gym where I got in a solid hour of cardio, a mix of Elliptical, track and stair climber. Today, I'm on afternoon shift so off I headed to the gym this morning. I got in 30minutes on the Elliptical, 45 minutes of weights,including in the free weight section...which I now own by the way! Take that mean men who think they can intimidate the fat chick! HA! I say HA! It was a great work out and I'm feeling really positive.

I did however make the mistake of weighing myself at the gym this morning, just out of curiosity sake and I was shocked. According to their scale, I've gained 4 pounds this week. I'm not bent out of shape about it yet, my official weigh in isn't until Sunday morning at my house, on my scale. However, how on earth could I have gained that much in a week, when my eating is good, I'm using almost all of my points (I'm struggling with using them all since the change to the new plan) but I'm only leaving 2-3 points behind. I'm getting in good solid intense workouts. I mean intense. I'm leaving the gym with my shirt clinging to me and my hair soaken wet. I'm just at a loss right now, but I'm not going to worry or stress until Sunday, then I'll sit down and analyse when and if I've gone wrong.

Until then, have a great day!!!!

Week from h**** over!!!

Last week was a very, very rough week. It was one of those weeks, that when it was done, it was like, please lord, never again! I had a pretty packed week planned last week anyway and then some work stuff happened and low and behold before I knew it, it was Friday night, doing a twelve hour shift and realizing that I hadn't made it to the gym once in the week. I plain and simply didn't have the time! It was also a week with a lot of stress and very little sleep. I made it through the end though, I really and truly did.

On Saturday, after getting barely 3 hours sleep all night, I was up and on my way to the gym with my husband. While he went to spin class I hit the elliptical and weights for all that I was worth. I worked out and I worked out hard. I burned almost 2200 calories in that work out and it felt good!

When I first got to the gym, I was dog tired and didn't think I would have the energy to keep moving for the almost hour and a half that I would be there. However, ten minutes into my workout I was like the energizer bunny! There was no stopping me!

Sunday mornign came and off I went to the gym, first thing, got in another solid hour of cardio and then weighed in. I maintained. Hip Hip Horray! I didn't gain and I didn't lose. For me that's a good thing. However, the one thing that it does prove is that I really do have to hit the gym 5-6 days a week to lose weight.

Fitness Goal Decided on.

So, if you've been reading back as far as the beginning of the month, you know that I don't do resolutions. I don't see the point, I would rather set goals for myself. Well, after much consideration, including some pretty wild and wacky out there ideas, I've come up with my fitness goal.

I am going to do the Grouse Grind in July. I have never done it before and I know that it will be quite the challenge to do. I know that the fastest time is under half an hour (yeah, good luck with that one) and that the average time is just over an hour. I'm going to set a time of 1 hour 25 minutes for it.

To start training for "Nature's Stairmaster" I'm going to have to get going on the stair master again. It's been quite a while since I have tackled that beast but here we go. I know that I can do it!

Three weeks in a row...

I have lost weight. This week, I only lost 6oz, but hey, a loss is a loss, is a loss right? Considering my husband took me out to dinner two times this week, and I've really struggled this week with the gym. I'm going to be happy with my loss.

I only went to the gym four times this week and getting no where near the work out I want to get in due to the time restrictions on the cardio equipment and the line up's to use the weight, bosu, balls, the whole kit and kaboodle. I just about threw in the towel the other night, however, I came home, ranted and raved and then just got on with it.

I have discovered the key to a quiet REC centre. Canucks game on Hockey night in Canada, plus 7pm start time = practically an empty gym. I LOVED my workout last night. I was able to do a full hour on the Elliptical because hey, there were six empty ones! I was able to use the Bosu, and Ball, and medicine Ball and free weights! I actually gathered everything I needed and went for it so I wasn't breaking my reps down between changing what I was doing. It was Fantabulous!

Hopefully with some luck I will be able to get in some really good Gym time this week. It's going to be hard getting to the gym this week due to being busy with work stuff and volunteer stuff, Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday. I do have a plan though. I'm going to take my runners to work with me and take my actual break. I'm going to put those runners on and power walk around the mall. It won't be the same as getting to the gym, but at least it will be an hour of activity other than sitting on my behind all day.

Question: How do you get in a work out when you can't make it to the gym?

Struggling....

with my gym right now. It is SOOO busy there that you can only use a machine fo 30 minutes, if you manage to get on a machine at all. The wait for the weight's last night was 3 people deep on every aparatus. I am SOOO Frustrated. I just wanted to go in and get a good 90 minute work out. Instead I got 30 minutes on the treadmill and some crunches( There was a wait for the floor mats even). Arrrggghhhh! This is super annoying.

So Far So good...

...I'm here and going strong. I had a super busy few days with work. Friday I worked a 12 hour shift so I did not get any gym time in. By the time I got off work the gym was closing. I also didn't get there on Saturday or Sunday as I was working a bridal fair booth, and honestly after being on my feet for 10 hours each day, I got home around 7pm and just wanted to soak in a hot tub. Standing on my feet, smiling and talking all day are not what I'm used to. I'm used to my nice comfy office chair with my nice comfy desk. It is not the same when your setting up a booth and working a bridal fair, talking to brides and their mother's all weekend. I did get activity in on the weekend by setting up the booth, hauling around all the boxes of brochures, hauling the unhanded brochures at tear down and carrying them into the office one by one. I did that last part intentionally, there's just something about carrying a box of brochures that weigh about 40 pounds, through a store, up the escalator, through the store and into your office that makes you feel good. I could gave used a hand cart but I wanted the activity. YEAH ME!

Monday saw my return to the gym, it was actually fun. The gym was really busy for some reason, my husband couldn't get one of the bikes he likes to ride, and the treadmills were all full. Just as we met up to talk about walking the track, two elliptical machines opened up so over we hustled and we did the elliptical together. We had never done this before and it was fun. In the end my husband racked up more mileage than I did but I'm good with that, he's more than a 100 pounds less than I am, he was hustling and he was just doing the manual program. I was doing my hill climb which ranges the resistance level from 2-15 so it is really hard to keep an even speed all the time.

Tonight saw me back at the gym again. I chose the rolling hills program tonight and upped my resistance level by one it was a great work out. I didn't feel like going to the gym on either of the past two days. I've been really tired as I'm going through my no sleep faze again but I can honestly tell you. When I get there and I get going, I'm so glad that I went!

Oops I did it again...

well, not really oops, but I heard that song today and it stuck in my head. Thursdays are the nights when I work until 7pm. I had a plan, I took my workout gear with me to work, and I was sure that I would make it to the gym, to rock out another work out.

Boy! Did I ever rock out that workout. When I first arrived my beloved elliptical section was full, not a one to be had so I continued over to the Cardio side of the centre. I said "HI" to one of the guys from work who was on a machine and selected the stairclimber. It's been a very long time since I used one but I was confident I could knock out at least a couple of minutes on it Well by minute three I thought my legs were going to fall of and my lungs were on fire, but the guy from work kept looking over at me with that "what the heck are you doing look" so I was determined to stay on the darned thing. I lasted 10 respectable minutes before I moved on, a quick glance showed me that the Ellipticals were all still in use so onto the treadmill I went, rolling hills program at 3mph for 30 minutes.

Then I did it! I went back into the weight section! Wahoo, I walked up to the machines as though I owned them and I worked them hard! I was very proud of myself, I even asked one guy if he was actually going to use the lat pull down or was he taking an extended rest. He actually got up and went over to sit on the floor! WAHOO!

As I was finished my weight program, I noticed two ellipticals were available. I figured if I was meant to do the Elliptical tonight, by the time I got all the way across to the other side and one was still available I would just have to hop on.

Well hop on I did, 40 minutes later, I considered my work out complete!

I LOVE feeling this WAY! It really does feel good! I'm going to miss the gym tomorrow as I'm working a 12 hour shift between my two offices, but I figure that maybe, just maybe, my body will be thankful for the one day break!

Going Strong

I hope you have all had a great week. I'm doing good. I didn't get to the gym on Sunday, my husband and I had to head into town for a meeting and by the time we got home I honestly, just didn't feel like it.

Monday I hit the gym and hit it hard, cardio and weights, and my husband even thanked me for making him go with me. I didn't really make him go, I told him after dinner I was going to the gym and asked if he wanted to come along. 50 minutes on the Elliptical, 30 minute weights, 10 minutes of stretching. I was feeling good!

Tuesday night saw me back at the gym, a little worried as they were forcasting major snow for us here. Something we don't get a lot of, and honestly, people here just don't know how to drive in the white fluffy stuff. I only did Cardio as it was starting to snow when I went into the gym, 50 minutes on the Elliptical and back out into our quickly growing winter wonderland I went.

This morning I actually got to shovel some snow. 10 inches of it!!! Dug out the drive way, just as the snow plow came along and cleared a path up to the gate of our complex. I have snow tires so I was pretty confidant I could get going but I was amazed when I got to the top of our slope to see that the plow had lifted his blade at the top of the hill and I had a mound of snow to plow over to get onto the street. This is how little snow we get here! Even the snow plows don't know how to clear the snow properly!

Anyway, I got out of work and the rain had started, the roads were fairly clear so after dinner up to the gym I went again, 55 minutes on the Elliptical tonight. I didn't do weight as it was simply too busy. With the schools closed today, I swear, every school's athletic team was at the Rec centre getting their fitness on. I was happy though, they can run the track, use the free weights and hog the weight machines. I had my elliptical and not a single person approached me to see how long I would be.

Tonight, I had my work out grove on, and it showed. I don't think I've sweated that much in a very long time. My towel was wet, my shirt was clinging but man do I feel good! I can't wait to do it all over again tomorrow!

First weigh in of the new year...

And I am down 6.6 pounds! Wahooo!!! It's great to see such great results after a week of tracking and being back in the gym.

Over coming Fears

I've managed to go to the gym for 6 of the last seven days. I've worked hard, I've sweat and I've overcome some of my fears.

My husband and I used to belong to a gym that had a women's only section upstairs. I pretty much worked out up there exclusively. It wasn't as busy upstairs and when it was, I could put myself in a corner on the elliptical, put on my headphones and just go for it.

This isn't the case any longer. After hurting my knee last year and it progressively getting worse, the doctor suggested that I get into the water. As our gym didn't have a swimming pool and the REC centre down the street does, we switched over. I stayed in the water for a good six months but I wasn't getting the results I needed in the water, so back to the gym I have returned.

I have been very apprehensive about going into the gym of the Rec centre. There are a LOT of people there, not just on the equipment but walking the track, playing basketball or indoor soccer etc. The weight room is usually full of groups of men, grunting, groaning and generally making a lot of noise. I've been very wary of going in there. I need to go in there, I KNOW I need to go in there. I'm a fairly shy person to start with,(all right stop laughing!) I am when it comes to people I don't know, especially when I'm out numbered.

I had an incident happen this week, which almost sent me running with my tail between my legs. My beloved elliptical's were all being used, so I had no choice but to use a treadmill over in the section connected to the weight section. In had just finished my walk, I turned off my ipod but still had my earbuds in. As I was wiping down the machine, I over heard someone say something that almost stopped me in my tracks!

The young man, pushed one of his friends and said "Don't get on that one, the fat lady probably broke it." The small group laughed and went on their way into the weight section. It was all I could do not to run out of the Rec Centre. I was so upset I wanted to throw in the towel.

Last night, my husband and I headed up to the gym. I knew that I wanted to do some weights, I've missed doing them, but I didn't really want to go into the weight section by myself. My loving husband told me that when I was ready to go do my weights, come get him and he would go in with me and ensure that I got to use all of the equipment I wanted to use. I went and did my cardio and then headed over towards my husband at the other end of the rec centre where he was on the bike.

Something came over me though as I walked over to him. I had to do this. I had to get over my fear and just go in there. I told my husband that I would be all right and I plunged into the weight room. I almost walked right back out. One of the men who had been with the group earlier in the week was in there. I steadied myself, walked up to the machine I wanted to use, put on the hand grip I wanted and just got to work. Six reps later, I was ready to use another machine. Two men were leaning up against it talking, I walked up to them and asked them if I could use the machine, to my utter surprise they moved. I could feel the one man from earlier in the week watching me, because yes, I actually do know how to use the machines. When I was done with my the machines and it was time to go over to the free weight section, I turned and smiled at him, from the look on his face, I'm sure he knew that I had heard his friends. With my head held high, I went over and finished my workout.

It's amazing how grabbing the bull by the horns, really does make it possible to conquer your fears.

Busy week, great workout!

It's been a busy week this week, and I'm glad to say I've gotten four workouts in over 5 days. I skipped going to the gym on Tuesday as both my back and knee were sore from the day before so I just let it rest. I'm trying to follow the doctor's orders, trying is the operative word. Sometimes I'm just too stubborn! The doctor said if the knee starts to hurt than stop....to me that means, finish my work out, go home, shower change and then ice it. Somehow I think he actually means, when it hurts, that's the end of the workout, but I've lost so much ground in the past six months that I need to get it back. Before I started swimming for my cardio, I was up to level 9 on the elliptical workout programs. I've felt frustrated several times this week when I try to push the level on the elliptical upwards but end up having to move it back to level 2 or 3.

I feel that I have taken a big step back with my fitness, but I'm back and I'm on track and I'm ready to rock my workout!

Goals

Do you set goals? I've never really been a New Years Resolution type person, I don't believe in them and if and when I've ever really made them, I didn't keep them, so really what was the point?

However, I'm a big believer in Goal Setting when it comes to work and fundraising, I make a goal and I work, and work hard towards that goal. I've been thinking long and hard about what type of fitness goal I should set for myself. What sort of goal is going to help keep me focused on the end result? To be perfectly honest, I haven't yet managed to figure that out.

A few years ago, my goal was to walk 60km's in two days. I did it and then repeated it, however the volunteer work I'm doing now is in conflict with the other organization so I'm not participating this year. Should I set walking 60km to be my goal? Should I set some sort of running distance as a goal? Should I set a bike riding distance as a goal? There are so many different fitness goals that I COULD set, but for some reason I just can't seem to make my mind up.

What sort of goals have you set for yourself for the coming year?

Happy New Year!!!

It is hard to believe that a new year has already begun. Welcome to 2011 and my journey to be forty, fit and fabulous!

If you've followed me over from Katie is Passionate about, please bear with me, that blog is now going to be dedicated to the work that I do to help find a cure for women's cancers.

This new blog will dedicated to my weight loss, fitness and nutrition journey. 2010 in all was a pretty good year for me, despite injury I worked out pretty steadily until October, then I fell off the weight loss, exercise wagon. Boy did I fall. In just two short months, I gained back almost all of the weight that I had lost in the previous 10 months and that has completely devastated me.

I have realized that now is the time that I have to get myself together and get this done for me. I turned 40 in December and with that is the realization that almost half of my life has passed me by. I don't want to be on the sidelines any longer. I don't want to be sitting on the bleachers watching everyone else do things that I can't do. So...here I am...ready to go. I hope you're ready for a heck of a ride, because I know that I am!