New Year, Fresh Start

2005 is past and 2006 has taken over! What will change in the New Year? Many people ponder that question and try to renew themselves in various ways through New Years' Resolutions. We see people making an earnest effort to improve upon some aspect of their being: weight loss, better physical fitness, more attention paid to spouse, etc. Unfortunately, before many days, a lot lose sight of their goals and slip back into old habits. Changing takes discipline, devotion, time, and cheerleaders! While deciding on what changes to make in the new year, surround yourself with others who will positively influence and support you.

My support person (Hubby Flamingo) and I have gotten back out on the streets and trails. Though we sometimes do it grudgingly, we both feel 100% better after returning from a walk or finishing a video workout. And as far as my weight loss goals, Weight Watchers is really helping with that. It's great to go to a meeting and hear the stories of others who are trying to make healthy changes in their lives. It helps me to stay focused and motivated (besides that, I'd really like to fit into my favorite jeans again!)

I hope that you all are able to find the encouragement you need to make the changes you want. It really makes all the difference.

Best wishes in the New Year,

SF

Oh that slippery slope!

We (Hubby Flamingo and myself) have slid down the "no time to get out" slope! HF had the flu, then family visitors and Christmas came; the time, energy, and dedication slipped away. I got some really nice training tools for Christmas, so hopefully those combined with my desire to lose weight will get us back out on the right path to fitness and healthy living. It is a continuous process, that's for sure.

Best wishes to all for the New Year!

SF

A rough week

Well, this is looking like a rough week and we're barely three days into it. I just can't seem to get motivated. There's just too much crap going on - with the holidays, with work, in my personal life... I'm feeling very overwhelmed, and it's making me eat bad foods and avoid running. This is NOT the most healthy way to cope, but it's how I'm coping right now.

The only thing that saves me on weeks like this is the fact that my job keeps me on my feet A LOT. I'm an intensive care nurse, and I don't spend a lot of time sitting. I work 12 hour night shifts, and when I take a pedometer to work it isn't uncommon for me to log 12000 steps. I just can't sit still when I'm on the job, and this keeps me from turning into a total couch potato on these bad weeks.

I guess I just have to tough through it. I'm going to consider it a successful workout week from here through the first of the year if I get three workouts in each week. That's doable, I think, even during the worst slump. And I'll hold out hope for a better routine after the first of the year. In the meantime, hope all of you are having fun with your holiday preparations! Stay pink!

NF

We need a do-over!

Last week was a TERRIBLE training week for Hubby Flamingo and me! We are requesting a "do-over" training week, so that we can get back on track. Today, we are half way through our training week and have been doing much better than last week. I guess as you all know, things come up that make getting out to run/walk or do other exercise a low priority. We dealt with minor sick bugs and major cold, wet weather! We tried to do a cardio workout in our house, but that did not go over well with my mother who lives in an in-law suite downstairs. She thought we were being attacked by a herd of elephants! Needless to say, that workout was cut short. I am traveling this week (in the verrrrry cold mid-West! brrrr!), so I have exercise rooms to keep me going. HF is doing pretty well at home, too.

Moral of the story, even if some weeks are bad training week...don't give up. Get out the next week and get it going again!

Later,

SF

Dance Revolution

Or, How I Got Hooked on a Video Game...

Do any of you out there have teenagers? What about teenage boys? Well, I have three of them (two still living at home) and they love video games. I think we have every video game known to man.

A couple of years ago, the boys got a game for Christmas called Dance Dance Revolution (yes, there are two dances in the title) and started playing it now and again. One night they were playing it in the living room and asked if I wanted to try it. I did, and was immediately hooked.

The game has a dance pad (and you have to buy it separately) that acts as a controller. Japanese pop music plays on the television and arrows scroll up the screen. You have to strike the corresponding arrows at exactly the right time with your feet to the beat of the music. Sound easy? Trust me, it isn't - particularly on the more difficult settings.

The neat part is that there is a workout mode, and you can program in the number of calories you want to burn. I just programmed 500 calories for my workout today, and it took about 4o minutes to reach it. But, I don't just step - I jump on the pad as fast as I can. See, the thing is, you get so into playing the game that you forget you are exercising. I have been known to play so much that I develop blisters on my feet! It's that addictive.

There are reports of folks all over the country losing a tremendous amount of weight using this program. For me, though, it's a cross training workout that is pretty darn close to sprinting. This is because, as I said earlier, I jump as fast as I can! It improves my foot-eye coordination and my foot-strike speed, as well as increasing my anaerobic capcity. This makes those fast runs just a little easier. Here is a website that talks about Dance Dance Revolution as a weight loss tool: http://www.getupmove.com/

So, if you have kids who turn into little couch potatoes in the winter, or if you just want a change in your work-out routine, give DDR a try. It's one of the healthiest addictions I know of!

Stay Pink!

NF

Frozen mix...

The weather report for East Tennessee today says, "frozen mix." This means, I guess, a mix of rain and snow. Well, I was just out in it a few minutes ago in my new, warm running pants, and I didn't feel the cold at all. Okay, my ears were cold, but that's my own fault - I didn't wear a hat or an earband.

Today was just 45 minutes of running wherever I felt like it, at whatever pace I felt like running. Overall, it was a pretty good run. I took two very brief walk breaks, and kept a solid pace going in between the breaks.

I have a new strategy for work. Since I have to do those awful 12-hour night shifts (okay, they're not THAT bad!) and that lets me have three or four days off every week, I'm going to concentrate on running long on my days off. On the days I have to work, I'll just try to get out there and run a couple of miles. I'll also schedule off days as work days, so one or two days a week I can just come straight home and crawl into bed. :)

I'll keep you posted on the new plan, and how well it works. In the meantime, hope everybody is having a great holiday season so far! Stay pink!

NF

Training so far...

So, in order to not look like a total doo-doo bird I have to let you all know that I do understand that there are mountains in Kentucky! I just flew over the flat part last week.

Training is going well so far. Hubby Flamingo and I have logged in some miles and are getting more and more invested in making progress. We have both been losing a bit of weight and enjoying being more active together.

Hope everyone out there is doing well and had a wonderful Thanksgiving! Not too long before that next big holiday is upon us!

Keep on, keeping on,

SF