single digits baby

sunday night was monumental for me. i left the gym after running 3.3 miles, headed to my local kohls, confidently grabbed a pair of size 8 levi's jeans and dashed into the dressing room quickly before someone caught a whiff of me. as i slipped on those single-digit pants i held my breath... i put one leg in... then the second leg in... pulled them up... secured the button... zipped the fly and... VICTORY! they fit! even after i released that breath.

so i did what any normal social-networking-crazed-woman would do- i snapped a photo with my iPhone and quickly took to twitter to share my joy!

within seconds the replies to my tweet came flying in and that's when i lost it. yes, i had a breakdown in the dressing room at kohls. i apologize to the other customers who had to hear my muffled sobs. i promise they were happy tears.

i sat down out of shock.

and then i stood up just to check myself out again.

just 11 short months ago i could barely fit in my size 16 jeans. i never thought single digit pants would be on my radar. i never thought i would run but yet i completed three 5k's in just two months and now i'm starting to train for a 10k. i never thought that i would be able to inspire people through my journey to health but somehow i find people telling me that i have and i am humbled.

and every single time i've taken to this blog or to facebook or instagram or twitter to share an accomplishment or milestone i am met by an overwhelming show of support. the tears that i shed in that dressing room weren't just for how far i've come but it was also for those of you that have come with me. that have cheered for me. that have congratulated me. that have motivated me to get off my butt and go run when i didn't feel like it. you can't place a value on that. to know that there are people out there rooting for your success... people you have never and maybe never will actually "meet?" it's incredible and so much of what i have been able to accomplish would not have been possible without YOU!

this year has been hard in so many ways but i know that i'm coming out of it a stronger, more confident, more beautiful woman. there were so many days where i felt alone and abandoned and after reflecting today i am reminded of how untrue that is.

i can and will set out to finish what i started and i hope you'll stick around to see it.

much love today,

the gym situation

last night i took a big step. i visited a new gym... planet fitness to be exact.

now this might not seem like a big deal to the rest of you, but just the idea of going to a gym (especially a new, unfamiliar one) can be very intimidating. all these crazy thoughts go through your head and psych you out. so when my friend allison asked me to go with her last night my immediate reaction was, "no thanks." then my sister called and told me she was going and that i really should come try it out and see if i liked it.

i must preface this with the fact that i've been a member of the coatesville ymca for about a year now and just this past january started actively going again. the great thing about the Y is that it's only a mile and a half from my house. i even walked there once! they offer great classes which i recently took advantage of only to have my favorite step class time changed and now i can't go. so for the past 2 weeks i haven't been going to any classes and have hardly been making it to the gym to workout.

so i went to planet fitness and was immediately a bit overwhelmed by the massiveness of it and the crazy amount of people that were there. allison and i couldn't even find 2 ellipticals open next to each other. then my sister showed up and filled a now-vacant spot next to me and we gabbed for the next 15 minutes which made it much easier to stay on the machine. after that we headed over to do this 30-minute circuit they setup where you do 2 minutes of step-aerobics, rest for 30-seconds, do a machine for 2 minutes, repeat... and repeat and repeat until before you know it you've completed a 30-minute intense workout. it was fun and different and i really enjoyed it!

so now the dilema... do i stay at the Y? do i join planet fitness? ahhh too many decisions!

i decided to list the pros and cons of each so i can come to a better decision. here goes:
YMCA:
pros

• close- quick drive or walk
  
• they off lots of different classes
• there aren't a lot of people that go there that i know which is kind of a plus for me
  
• more intimate setting (although could be a con depending on how you view it)

cons

• expensive!!! $55/month is ridiculous... although if i would get my butt in action and fill out some paperwork i could get it reduced to $31 because of my low income
• older machines which are very confusing
• too many mirrors!!!
• intimidating people... there are always a lot of really buff people there lifting massive amounts of weight in front of you while you're walking 4mph on the treadmill
• class schedule changed and i'm too intimidated to try a new one

planet fitness
pros:

• $20/month which also gets me unlimited tanning which is always a plus! also i can bring a guest whenever i want which would be nice if i want a workout buddy. i know my mom would probably join me there a lot which is cool.
• they have massage chairs! need i say more?
• judgment free- so planet fitness has this motto of "judgment free zone." basically they want to be a gym for real people and it is which is nice
• there are a TON of machines
• they have that 30-minute circuit setup which is really nice and helps you get comfortable with the machines
• i have a lot of friends who go there so i could meet up with people and not feel so alone while i'm there

cons:

• it's a 10 minute drive to get there which isn't a big deal but it is a con compared to my 2 minute drive to the Y
• there are a lot of random people there like from high school and other weird places so it's a little odd. i hate running into people from HS so that's a little annoying.
• it seems like it's busy all the time which can also be annoying. if you're working with a buddy you can't always work out together
• i noticed last night that a lot of their treadmills are broken. i tried 3 or 4 and all were out of order which was kind of a pain

so you can see why i'm confused and don't know what i should do. plus, i need to find out if planet fitness can do anything while i'm out of the country for a few months this fall. will they put a hold on my account or will i have to keep paying? not that the Y does that, but it would be nice to know.

so i put a little poll here on my blog to get some help.

is it time to take another big step and switch gyms???

HELP!!!

exercise = a happier susan

sometimes eating healthy can be a drag, but over the past couple of weeks i've really enjoyed it. what i really enjoy more is the 6lbs i can now say has left my body. that my friends is a good feeling indeed! one nice thing about diet-crazy-america is that companies have to cater to it. you can now go down almost every aisle of the grocery store and find your favorite snack in a 100-calorie version. i've found that when eaten in moderation these snacks give you the feeling of indulgence without all the guilt. and if at the end of the day that means less on my hips then i am all for it!

here's a pic of me eating my yummy fat-free vanilla frozen yogurt topped with fresh strawberries (which were on sale this week). mmm!

i also made it to step class at the ymca for their tuesday and thursday class this week. thankfully my friend kim was there as well so we could sweat and complain together! haha! actually we didn't do a lot of complaining other than to tell each other that we couldn't breathe. it's a great workout though and a nice way to mix things up!

now to just keep the momentum going!

oh and P.S.- check out the band "tenth avenue north." i downloaded their cd on itunes the other day and i just love them! cute boys who love jesus and sing great songs? can you ask for more? i think not!

new day

well it's the new year and that means new starts so along with probably half of the world i'm resolving to be healthier this year. monday was my official starting day which began at the gym followed by a trip to the grocery store to buy some healthy food. in the meantime i made mom clear out some of the junk in the fridge. :)

it actually hasn't been that bad at all. now i realize i'm only 4 days in but i haven't really been grumpy or irritable... although you should probably check with my family on that one just to be sure. i have noticed hunger pangs a lot more than i did before which i'm not sure is a good sign or not. i realize that when i feel that way it's ok to eat something, but it should just be something healthy like a clementine or something. speaking of clementines, i must thank God for inventing that delicious fruit! i bought a box on monday and they are my little treat each day. so yummy!

i've also been hitting the gym which hasn't been too bad either. i'm still totally intimidated by all the weight machines so for now i'm sticking to the treadmill, elliptical, stairmaster and bikes. today i ran into my friend kim who also has a new year's resolution so i think we might go to a step class together next week. it's so much better going to a class with a friend!

today i decided to walk to the ymca. it was a beautiful morning, but very cold and very windy. i pressed on though and by the time i got into the gym i was plenty warmed up! it's about 2.5 miles roundtrip so it adds a nice extra half hour boost to my workout. i really enjoyed it. plus, after walking so much in zambia i've come to really appreciate walking. you're able to take so much more in when you walk and really look at things that you can't when you drive. so we'll see if i'm able to do that some more in the coming weeks!

so here's to a new year and a fresh start. let's make 2009 the best one yet!