FAVORITE days...

Today was a beautiful late summer clear blue sky day in Michigan. Took my daughter and her friend to our favorite lake and I just can't stop smiling. The water is much cooler than earlier in the summer but still so refreshing and very clear. I love the water...I think that I come from water somewhere deep in my soul and many lives ago...LOL. I just wish I could hold my breath forever so I can swim longer down at the bottom and look at the fish and the sand. It is all so fascinating to me...that whole world that exists down there. The green trees blowing in the breeze alongside the lake was breathtaking. The warm sun beating down on me as I read Bel Canto by Ann Patchett. I'm still smiling. This was my favorite day!

WTF---A CARDIO CLASS? ME?

So...the other night at the gym I met this really cute trainer guy. Side bar: Why are cute trainer boys floating around the gym so charismatic and personable? He talked to me for a while about health and fitness and about...not giving up and getting moving. Shocking I know. LOL Anyway, he invited me to take a cardio class he was teaching this morning. I NEVER do the class...I like going at my own pace. But...I decided to just do it. It was definitely something different...and I really liked it! There were women in there from 18 - 70, just like he told me there would be. He made adjustments to some of the exercises for those that couldn't do them, but kept the music up beat and kept us all moving. It totally kicked my butt! But seeing all these women who didn't really know each other cheering each other on and just having fun. It was inspiring and is still making me smile. 6 hours later and I feel sore but really good. Really...sexy actually. Maybe it is the endorphins...but I feel lighter somehow. Like weight has been lifted from me somehow. I'm wearing something I haven't worn in awhile because it's a little revealing and shows my curves too much, something I don't like doing much anymore. But tonight, I'm going out to dinner with the family and I'm showing off my curves and I feel sexy. My husband is going to get very lucky tonight...and he should thank the cute trainer boy. LOL

Besties Back at the GYM! WOOT WOOT!

Both Sarah and I are back in the gym this week! Great minds really do think alike..even hundreds of miles away! No bike riding yet, but it's only Tuesday! Met one of the trainers at the gym who invited me to one of his cardio classes this week and I think I just might do it! He told me that exercise and diet are both equally important factors in losing weight, and if I could find a way to exercise at least 5 times a week that would be a huge step in the right direction of my goal of being healthy and fit. I don't want to be skinny...I want to be healthy, this I know for sure! I enjoy food too much to ever be a skinny beyotch and I'm okay with that! And yes, Sarah and I pronounce that word "bee-ahh-ch." LOL

Another 15 Miles...Woot! Woot!

So I put another 15 miles on the bike this past week. I was hoping for 20, that's my goal, but my husband had a slight accident with his bike so it made riding together a bit difficult. I am riding more hills...boy is that killer on the leg muscles! And I'm always the last one up the hill that everyone is waiting on...love that..NOT! But I tell myself it will get better...keep at it...keep at it...keep at it. Now it is the beginning of a new cooler week with the coming of the fall season and I'm excited about not sweating my ass off when I ride!

It's like riding a bike....

No really, it is exactly like riding a bike! Who knew I would actually find an exercise I don't hate and I actually look forward to and make time for?? Astonishing isn't it?! Well, it exists...for me anyway and I'm so excited about learning to become more stealthy on my bike. I started out with a beach cruiser bike..simple, big seat for my big girl butt (LOL)and no gears to deal with! I loved this thing they call bike riding! Way better than walking everywhere! But when I wanted more...like to try going up hills, even the slightest of inclines on the sidewalk...forget about it! I needed gears! My legs could not handle it! So I stuck my toe in the pool of gear bikes...and oh that water was cold at first but it warmed up quickly! Last weekend I put 17 miles on my husband's second hand B-list mountain bike! 17 MILES!! He of course rides the A-Lister happily alongside me and is ecstatic we can enjoy this physical activity together. I like it because now we can bike as a family all around town or on the many trails Michigan's parks has to offer. Now the seat, I'm still trying to get used to...it did things to me that I can't even explain....but my hubby kindly put a gel cover on it and it rides soooo much easier on my private parts...LOL

I'm BAAAAACKKKKK!

Has it really been six months since my last posting?? So much for my New Year's Resolution of not giving up! Well, at least I'm trying to get BACK ON TRACK, finally! Where to begin...spring came and went and now summer is just starting its downward slope towards fall...my other favorite season! I love the summer because I'm a swimmer and I love lakes and all forms of water really. So my tan is deep, but as for exercise...no gym but my husband did purchase me a new beach cruiser bicycle for our 9th anniversary in May and I have a new found love of bike riding! So my exercise regimen has been chasing after my nephew, taking care of the house, swimming at the beach or pool and occasional bike riding around town. Not bad, but I've pretty much gained back the weight I lost at the beginning of the year. Not all of it but several pounds...I'm too ashamed to even weigh myself or stick my head back into the gym at the YMCA! But a very close friend said something that hit home recently. She said she was very into self-awareness and self-discovery and reading some books on the subject. I thought, WOW--SELF? ME? Being a stay-at-home-mom for so long, like most of us I've lost site of who ME really is and what I really want, outside of the kids. Mostly, I want them to be happy, healthy and thrive. Everything I do revolves around that idea. But lately, I've become short, frustrated, and somewhat bitter. It finally has dawned on me that what the kids need is for mom to find happiness again--happiness within herself. It's not just about losing weight and being healthier...that's only one portion of it. I need to do some self discovery of my own and I think it starts with a JOB. Wish me luck!