March 4, 2009

Maybe someday again.

I have a friend through my blog, Kelli, who was asking me just the other day about ellipticals and which ones were the best in my opinion.
Well the only one I have ever used for any length of time is the one I own, and it's a Nordictrack, and I love it.
I haven't been able to use it since June 2008, but man, I freaking loved it when I could use it every day.
I was doing so well, I was working out for an hour every single day, I was losing weight, I was toning up my leg and arm muscles, as well as my back muscles which definitely need to be toned up and worked on.
I was having massive pain in my left shoulder for months, and while searching for the answer as to why, they found that whole thing wrong with my neck, told me I absolutely had to stop working out, and that I had to have surgery ASAP.

I do hope to get back to my elliptical someday soon though, I plan on asking my surgeon about it when I see him on the 25th, asking him if after this next neck surgery, if I'll ever be able to use it again, because honestly, the elliptical was the only real exercise other than walking, that i have been able to do since my first spine surgery in February 2006.
It's the best too, I loved it, I really did love it, still do love it, miss it, so I hope that he'll say after the next surgery, that I'll be able to use it again.

February 21, 2009

They all looked guilty.

I don't know which cat did it, we do have 4 of the little fuzzballs, but 1 of the cats peed on a blanket that was left laying on the floor of Sebastian's room.
Not a good blanket thank goodness, just a really old 1 that I've had for about oh, 15 years now.

The cat urine soaked through the blanket and onto the linoleum, so I had to clean it all up today.
I had the teens bag up blanket and anything else that was under it on the floor and now covered in cat piss, and toss it all out in the garbage.
Then I had the teens sweep the whole room, and then I mopped that whole room, then my room, the hallway, and then the bathroom and kitchen.
Don't worry, I did change out the mop bucket water and cleaner before doing all of the other rooms after cleaning up the cat pee.

It was like all 4 of the cats knew what I was doing because they all came to watch.
They were all up on Sebastian's bed just watching me, so I looked over at them and yelled, "OK! Which 1 of you did this?!
Which 1 of you peed all over the blanket and the floor?!
Huh!?
Which 1 of you did this?!?!"
They all looked away and at each other, as if to say, "It wasn't me mom, they did it!" *wink point wink*.

I don't know who the kitty culprit was, but there's just 1 thing that I cannot stand about cats.
The pee.
Even if they all used the litter boxes all of the time, and the litter boxes stayed clean all of the time, the smell of cat piss is enough to make me want to commit caticide.

I used some of the Clorox "green" cleaner, it seems to have cleaned the smell off of the floor pretty well, but I need to pick up some more cat urine enzyme cleaner when I get paid next.
I think I'm going to try the new Rug Doctor Urine Eliminator that they have.
I've used Urine Gone before, and it did work well, but I'm always up to try something new and see if it works better.
Rug Doctor says their product can totally get rid of all urine stains and smells in 2 applications or less, with the Urine Gone, I know I had to use it at least 3 times on some spots that were heavily contaminated by multiple cats.
I hope I can find the Rug Doctor stuff in a local store, I don't want to have to order it and pay a crazy $7.95 shipping fee on it.

When Sebastian and I walk to the store later, I'll check and see if they have it.

January 9, 2009

Clean again, but for how long?

I finally did what I said I was going to do for like the last 3 months, I cleaned off the table of death.
This is how it looked at about the halfway point, so you can tell that it was a really big, horrible mess.

I threw like 80% of what was on it, in the garbage can, I filled up 2 whole 30 gallon sized bags with crap that I've just let pile up.
I think I may have thrown away some important stuff though, like a couple of the performance parts for the elliptical, just extra screws, I think, I know I tossed the bag of grease that is used to keep it lubed up.
I also tossed a few extra pieces to the new AC that I got, they weren't needed, or at least I hope they weren't needed. hahah
This is what it looks like right now, I still have a few more things to put away and find homes for, and that's what you see left on the table along with like 4 out of the 5 neck braces that I've gone through since September's surgery.

I'm really hoping to be able to keep it at this point of clean, but it's difficult for me. The table is where I read my mail, report cards, send stuff from, it's my work station, and it gets away from me all of the time.
I start tossing receipts on it, boxes, tissue paper, all kinds of crap.
I had stuff on there that I don't even know why I saved it.

July 23, 2008

Sweaty, drippy mess.

I have Sebastian usually, go with me on my daily walks, and it's been getting hotter and hotter out every single day, even in the evening when it's slightly cooler, it's still suffocatingly hot outside.
So last night when we went on our walk, I was dressed for it, shorts, light-weight cotton t-shirt, ankle socks, my jogging shoes, had my hair up, and I had a little hand towel with me to wipe away the sweat.

We were about 3 quarters of the way done and Sebastian blurts out that I'm a sweaty, drippy mess. That my hair is stringy and wet, my skin is just "oozing" sweat, I look like I've been in a sauna for an hour.
I was like well thanks bonehead, I appreciate the loving compliment. *eyeroll*
If I had a treadmill, I wouldn't need to go outside for long walks, I could stay inside where the AC is, and be nice and cool while I work out.
I have started using my elliptical again every other day since it started getting hotter, and I'm not using the hand things to go back and forth because of my shoulder, so I'm just resting them on the main hand grip panel area, so I'm not moving my shoulder around as much.

But I would love having a treadmill though, I've always wanted one.
I'll have to check on freecycle again and see if anyone has one.
Every time I see one on there, it's already been snatched up, like someone claims them as soon as they get posted by others.
Maybe if I had one, Sebastian wouldn't be calling me a sweaty mess.

June 11, 2008

Still no idea what it is.

I just got back from my pain doc appointment a little bit ago.
The pain doc is till not sure what it is, and is very glad I'm seeing my surgeon on Friday.
He said no matter what it turns out to be, call his office, and tell one of his nurses when I get home from that appointment.
I'm still banned from doing any ellipticals workouts until we know what it is, but amazingly, even without working out, I've lost some weight.
I told him it's not that amazing, I've been sick the last few days.
When you're vomiting and the smell of food makes your stomach turn so much you can't eat, it's pretty damn easy to lose weight.

But I am doing better today.
I've been taking it so easy the last few days and having the teens put staphaseptic on the red spot, so I was able to eat last night and today.
Mindy drove me again, and we took her daughter Katie, and Sebastian.
When we got done at the docs, I had promised Katie that if she was good and patient while waiting for me, that I would treat her to McDonald's for lunch.
But when we got out, it was still too early for lunch, so we went to Best Buy and bought Sebastian the graphics card he needed for his computer.
He had most of the money in a gift card he got for his birthday from his Aunt Heather, and I paid the balance.
Then we got to McD's, and ate, then came home.

I installed his graphics card, and then he installed the rest of his Sims games, and now he's a happy camper.
I'm way tired, and need to rest for a little bit, and then I have a lot of catching up to do.
Later days.

April 19, 2008

Plumpadump.

So I didn't make it to the store, she never felt better, and neither did I.
No big deal, I'll attempt it again tomorrow.
But anyway, after I wrote that last post about the cake, I started thinking how I don't really need the cake.

I mean, I have this undying craving for it, but I certainly don't need it.
I feel like I should be wearing some maternity clothes with all the weight I put back on over the last month.
I lost about 10 pounds when I was working out every day on my elliptical, then I kept injuring myself, and told not to do anything strenuous, so I put that weight back on and then some I'm afraid.
Afraid because I haven't actually looked at the scale, and I'm afraid to look at the scale.

But I can tell I have, I just know the spots on my body that weight appears in first, and yuppers, there is some extra poofiness for my lack of being able to work out and eating things I don't need but need.
Being unable to do things tends to get me down and I'm one of those emotional eaters, so when I felt down, I felt like I needed a boost, so I ate what made me feel good.
Good ol' fattening, high caloric intake, thick, rich, oh so bad for me comfort foods.
Like princess cake, which I will try like hell not to buy when I go to Publix tomorrow.
I will go, I have to.
We have other family food needs aside from my emotional cravings.

April 11, 2008

I haven't been the best support lately.

Belle posted how she's been having trouble staying motivated and on track with her eating, and how a friend recommended some really good diet pills that worked, so Belle is going to try some.

I'm supposed to be her workout support buddy, and I haven't been doing that lately.
I've been so wrapped up in my own life stuff, that I have not been visiting her blog as often as I should be doing, and being supportive.
I will now make more of a conscious effort to go and read, leave supportive comments and share ideas.

Just like her, I have the same issues with food.
I am an emotional eater, I know this, and I try to fight the cravings off when I get sad or depressed, but I usually crack at least a little.
I'm not completely against diet pills, I have taken them in the past and they worked, but as soon as I stopped, I put the weight back on.
If the ones she takes works for her, I'll ask her what they are and maybe give them a try.
I am not doing as great as I hoped I'd be doing by now.
My total weight loss has only been 8 pounds, I want to lose more, much more, but I also want to make sure what I take is safe and actually works.

March 25, 2008

I woke up thinking it was Saturday.

I woke up at 5:45am to get the teens off to school, then I went back to bed for a little bit more sleep, and when I woke up the second time, I thought it was Saturday.
I really did.
I came out of my room, expecting to find Mark still sleeping, and Sebastian already awake and playing video games.
I even had plans for "today", I was going to take the boys to the movies, to either see Shutter or 10,000 B.C.
The teens want to see the latter, and of course, I want to see the scary one.

But it turns out it's only Tuesday.
*sigh*
The teens are at school, it really is Tuesday, not Saturday.
Bummer.

After I finish my breakfast, I'll be hopping on my elliptical for 20 minutes, and then I'll get cracking on the housework I didn't do all weekend.

But I wanted to leave you with this video about "B.C." tours through a natural history museum.
The B.C. stands for biblically correct.
It absolutely blows my mind.
Radiometric dating is completely ignored, they claim that the T-Rex, with his claws and giant teeth, was actually a fruit and leaf eater, and only started killing other animals for meat after Eve ate the forbidden fruit.
At 7:29, at least they admit that there are several problems for the creationists.
This type of stuff makes me feel so sad for these children.
They are all home schooled, they are only taught what their parents and churches want them to know, and the facts about evolution are completely ignored.
They call the dioramas of how some dinosaurs lived, "artwork", not science.
It kills me when the tour guide says to the kids, "It's a great fairy tale, but it's not good science."
Really? All those bones are just a fairy tale, yet they have absolutely nothing to show the proof for their theory of creationism.
Baffling.

March 24, 2008

Today isn't half bad.

I spent most of the weekend dealing with pain issues due to the weather, but today the sun is shining, and my body feels good.
The teens went off to school, I sat and chatted with a neighbor out on their lanai for awhile in the cool breeze, took a walk up to the store to get my much needed money out of the ATM so I can pay a bill that I only pay in cash, and came back.
I'm just sitting here chilling for a few before I go help another neighbor with her computer.
She's such a sweet lady, but she has absolutely no idea how to make things work right.

One of the things I really like about Amscot, is that even though they say that money transfers will take 3-4 business days, it's usually a whole lot faster than that.
I transferred the money out of my paypal account on Friday morning, around 11am-ish, and wasn't expecting to be able to access it until at least Tuesday or Wednesday, but I woke up this morning to see it there.
I do need to call them or go in to talk with them about my card though.
It expires in a few months, so I need to find out if I'll just be sent a new one, or if I'll need to apply for one again.
I just have no idea how that works with them.

After the boys get home, I need to go to the grocery store and pick up some stuff we need, and then I can relax for the rest of the day.
But today has been a good day so far.
I'm not in any intolerable pain like I was this weekend, I feel good, and things are just going good for me.
I do have a lot of things I have to do, the house is a tad on the messy side, but I'm just not going to worry about it right this minute.
I'm having a good day, and cleaning would totally ruin that for me. Hahaha

I sent my Netflix movies back and need to go set up my queue for my next two movies, but their site is under maintenance right now.
Bugger.
I hate it when I forget to check my queue, and then I end up with a movie I didn't want right now.
I know they are all in my queue because I put them there, but there are certain ones I want first.
I'm totally anal like that.

Anyway, I guess I blathered on for long enough, I hope you are all having a good Monday too, or if it sucks, I hope it turns around for you.
Later days!

Oh! Before I forget, I lost another 2 pounds!
I absolutely love love LOVE, my NordicTrack elliptical!
On painful days like this weekend, I didn't get on it at all, but on most days even when I have a little pain, I hop on and do as much time as I can.
After I got back from my walk, I was feeling really pumped, so I hopped on and did 20 minutes.
Then just for giggles, I stepped on my scale.
I'm really trying hard not to obsess over the numbers, but it's an awesome feeling seeing them go down.
I'm now down to 182.5.
Not bad, not bad at all.

March 5, 2008

Biowhatback?

I have an appointment Friday afternoon for something called biofeedback therapy.
The way it was described to me was as-like acupuncture, minus the needles.
Then at my doctors appointment on Tuesday, the physicians assistant showed me the chair.
It's a bean bagg-ish type chair really low on the floor, and what it does is send all kind of vibrations and pulses while you sit in it.
She admitted to me that she absolutely hates it, and that not many people like it at all, so I shouldn't be surprised if I sit down in it, they turn it on, and it seriously freaks me out.
That makes me kind of nervous to be honest.
Not to mention how low to the floor the thing is.
But hey, I'll give it a try.
I'll try anything at least once.

I did do 20 minutes on tension level 2, on the elliptical today.
I was a little bit sore in the left hip area, when I got done.
It's a slightly tighter workout, so I figured it would hurt at least a little bit.
The pain went away within a few hours, so it's all good.

At some point down the road, I'd like to incorporate some weights and weight benches routines into the mix.
Some laying flat back on the bench, doing some flat bench presses or chest presses, to help strengthen my shoulders.
I'm so over the weight limit restrictions, and I know I would have to start off low, at my current lift limit of 5lbs, but any workout at any weight, would help at this point.
A bench would also make doing small crunches easier, to strengthen the core muscles.
That's an area I really need to work on.
All in due time though, I don't want to rush things and risk an injury of any kind, because believe me, a blown shoulder, or bursitis in the shoulder, oh man, it hurts something fierce.

March 4, 2008

I can get back to work now!

Yup, by tomorrow, I should be feeling a whole lot better, and get back to my workout schedule.
I've been really missing it.
Mine is not a Precor elliptical, but it's a damn good one, and I love working out on it.
I can either do it while I watch my morning tv shows, or with my mp3 player cranked up, and get to town on it.
If you've never tried an elliptical before, it is fun and easy, and there's no stress on your knees.
I love being on mine, and I think after tomorrow's workout, (it's been about a week since I've been able to work out) I should be able to move up to the next tension level.
I'm so very excited about that!
The higher the tension, the more your burn!

Do any of you at home, have an elliptical, or other workout machine?
Do you do it everyday? Every other day?
How are you doing on it?
What's your goals and have you met any of them yet?

And to my partners, Belle and Mindy, I apologize for not being here to cheer you on and get updates. (Bad workout partner,bad)
So gals, where's your updates?!

March 1, 2008

Rabbit rabbit March 1 2008.

You know, for prosperity and all this month.

I'm officially 38 now.
Eeek!

I tried to go to bed, but I have a raging migraine, so I can't sleep.
It just keeps on pounding away.
It needs to be gone by the time I do wake up tomorrow.
I have things to do, a birthday dinner to eat, a birthday cake to wish upon, and a night alone to watch some vampires kill people in Alaska.

And then on Sunday, I promise I shall work out on the elliptical.
I have not done it in a few days (bad girl) because of sickness and soreness, but I will get back on schedule on Sunday.
I'll need to work off the birthday indulgence.

February 13, 2008

Oh please make it stop raining.

I wish I had one of those popup tv lifts in my room, with a nice flat panel digital or LCD tv in it, for days like today.
With a dvd player.

It has been off and on rain with high humidity, for the last 2 days now, and will be like this again tomorrow they say.
This sucks.
These damn titanium rods are ice freaking cold.
I tried working out on the elliptical this morning, but because of the massive pain in my hips and lower back, I only managed just 10 minutes before I had to get off of it and lay down.
Agony on days like this.

I either laid on the couch or in my bed, most of the day.
I did manage to go to the store, pick up Tylenol and toilet paper, cat food, cat litter, all that stuff that we needed, then I came home and laid down again.
Dinner is being cooked, and then it's couch and blanket time for me again.
I just can't get these rods warm to save my life.

February 7, 2008

Keep it coming!

Coming off with the weight that is.
I am so determined to lose this extra weight I've put on.
I get more and more excited as my workouts progress, I start off slow, but build up speed.
I want to be able to kick it up to the next tension, but I want to have the first tension mastered on all the various workouts before I move up.

There are 10 different workouts that you can do on each tension level, so I want to complete them all on tension 1, before I move up to level 2.
The weight is coming off, it's slow going with that, and some have suggested I try some supplements to help speed it up like maybe an eca stack, or one of those many other ones you can pick up at Walgreen's or other vitamin stores.
I used to do those kinds of things back in the day, and I would like the weight to come off a wee bit faster, but because I take different medications, 2 of them being depressants in a way, I need to be careful.
I'd definitely have to ask my doctor if they are safe for me to use or not, but that's something I can discuss with him at my next appointment.

But ya know, I feel so good right now, I feel better, have a bit more energy, still not sleeping properly, but in time I hope that will change as my body becomes more fit.
I have some hand weights, just one pounders, that I can use while working out. You don't have to hold the handle bars or the pulse rate handles, you can swing your arms on your own, so maybe I'll throw in some hand weights into my workouts, get a better upper body workout while my lower body gets it's groove on.

I have close to 300 mp3's on my mp3 player, all hard rock or fast beat, to keep me pumped up and motivated.
Classic rock, new rock, speed metal, and even some death metal on there.
I get so wired out when a song comes on by Dimmu Borgir.
Man, it is some seriously intense music, especially when I'm already flying at a fast pace.
I hope to be down to my goal weight of 145-150, by June.
I think I can do it, I know I can.

February 7, 2008

I will wear them again.

One of my hopes from all this working out on my elliptical I'm doing, the physical and massage therapy, and eating better, is to get back in my shoes.
I have the most awesome pair of platform shoes, that I have not been able to wear in like 6 years now.
I adore these!
Yes, they are a bit dusty, they haven't been worn in ages, so they sit on my shoe rack, waiting for the day that my back and legs are strong enough to allow me to walk in these again.

They have a 4 inch heel on them, they are super comfortable, and they are just awesome looking in my opinion.
I want to get back in these, and someday, I will.
Oh yes, I WILL wear them again.

February 6, 2008

Feed oh feed, oh where did you go?

The massage was nice, weird, but nice.
I haven't had a real back massage in ages because my back has had some major issues, and it sort of still does, so it's just weird for me.

We did some range of motion tests first, to find the areas he needs to work on, and then it was time to remove my shirt, bra, and shorts, and get under the sheet, face down.
Um what?
See folks, years since I've had a real back massage.
I am pretty sure I almost bolted when he said to pretty much strip.
Yes, it was a 'he', so yeah, that made it even weirder for me.
I can't explain why, I'm just a freak.
I mean, do you have any idea how many people have seen all my girly bits in the last few years?
Tons of them!
And here I am all freaked out by one male masseuse.
Sheesh.

So I do what he said, and my back is hypersensitive, I warn him of this, and he gets to work.
I thought I was gonna freak out.
Pins and needles galore!
But he put some numbing cream on my back, and after a few minutes, all better.
Then he did some deep tissue massage which is kinda painful.
Owie.
But my hip does feel better, my lower back is feeling not too bad either.
When I got up after the hour long session, my neck and entire back, snap, crackled and popped, like a box of rice krispies.

I came home, did my 20 minutes on the elliptical, answered some emails and posted a few places, and now I'm gonna get some lunch.
And then I'm going to attempt to figure out where my feed went.
It's vanished yo.
Maybe all the posts will show up at once again, who knows.

February 6, 2008

A morning massage. Ahhhh.

I have a doc appointment this morning, for a massage.
That's right, one part of my new PT involves getting a massage twice a week.

I'm not super big on massages, I tend to get nervous and tense up, which defeats the whole purpose of getting a massage.
But I will go and try it at least.
I honestly don't know how this is going to go because of the sensitivity issues in my back.
I still have very little touch sensation on the top layer of skin, but if any type of pressure, even just placing a single finger and pressing lightly, I get massive sensations shooting through my whole back.
The nerves have not fully regrown since surgery, and it's quite a unique feeling.
I can't even really describe it well.
A single finger, pressing just barely, feels like thousands of needles being poked simultaneously into my entire back.
It doesn't matter where the press takes place, the entire back feels that way.
A massage could potentially send me into fits of agony on the massage table.
If that happens, I'll just have to cancel the rest of them due to hypersensitivity, but I'm keeping my fingers crossed I'll be able to tolerate it, because those lower back muscles are so tight all the time, they need to be worked on.

Then I'll come home, work out on the elliptical, finish the house stuff I need to, and hope that the forms and other papers I've been expecting, finally show up.
The mail is still screwed up.
Nothing again yesterday, not even the usual Tuesday junk mail fliers.

February 5, 2008

Shopping and weigh-in.

Sebastian and I went to the grocery store today, we needed food and trash bags, and some other household goods.
I had to stop in at Pak Mail to send out a package because it didn't go on Friday like it should have, and yesterday was just not the day. (sorry for the lateness, but it's coming!) $28 bucks later, the package is en route.

We were walking down the sidewalk to head into Publix, and there's this young employee from Papa Johns standing on the sidewalk with a small pizza box.
He stops us and asks if we'd like to try their new cinnamon sweet sticks.
Sebastian was all over that, and I hadn't eaten all day, so I took one too.
OMG, yum.
It is a little dough stick covered in this buttery-drizzled cinnamon stuff, then drizzled with a vanilla frosting.
So so good.

We went in and bought all the groceries we needed, and I stepped on the scale.
Another pound lost!
W00t!
I seriously love having the elliptical in my house.
I have zero excuses as to why I can't work out.
I can't say well, I just don't want to go to a gym today, or it's raining and I can't go for a walk, or too cold, or too hot, no excuses, and I'm doing great!
My left hip is always sore of course, but I'm building up my strength in my lower back and legs.
I pop in my earbuds, crank up my mp3 player, and just go with it.
The weight may be coming off slowly, but it took me a few years to pack it on, so I don't expect it to just fall off in a month.
The weight loss is really great, I feel better about myself because of that, but knowing that my back and legs are getting stronger, that I can do more, stand for longer periods of time, walk longer distances without having to stop and rest, is so so awesome.
This elliptical really has made a major difference in my life already, and I haven't had it that long yet.
It's a good thing going on here, and I intend on keeping it up.

February 1, 2008

Yeah baby! Another 3 pounds lost!

My doc appointment went great!
We are still working on cutting down on the amount of narcotic pain relievers my old pain doc had me taking, and I feel so much better about myself because of it.

Did I ever give you guys the amount of pills my old pain doc (Doc F.) had me taking every day?
He had me taking 12, 10mg/325mg, Lortabs every single day.
I was a walking talking stoned out of mind opiate user.

My new doc, just since December, has gotten me down to just 4 a day.
That's so awesome!
I take just 4 a day of those now, 2 muscle relaxers, (down from 6 a day) and all those other drugs he had me on, are completely gone.
Gone.
I am no longer taking 13 separate drugs a day now.
Just two.
It's incredible to me how different these two pain doctors are.
Doc F. had me taking sleeping pills, testosterone, high potency and high dose opiates, high potency and high dose muscle relaxers, vitamins, and various supplements.
I feel so so much better being off all that junk.
I still have trouble sleeping, but if I take one of the muscle relaxers about an hour before I want to go to bed, I actually am tired enough to doze off within just a few hours instead of laying there bug eyed all night long.
Even with the sleeping pills, I had trouble sleeping, so it's nice to be off the 30mg Ambien.
Those things are dangerous to take all the time.

I was there for a wicked long time, he got backed up, but after I left I went straight to Walgreen's, the teens met me there with a friend, we went and picked up some Publix subs for them, and then I hopped on the scale.
Down 3 more pounds!
My starting weight was 192, then I lost 2.5 pounds, and now 3 more, so a total weight loss of 5.5 pounds now.
Yay!
186.5lbs and dropping!
W00t!
Losing weight feels great combined with everything else I am doing health-wise, so it's a huge motivator to keep on going with my daily exercise.

The teens are going to my sisters house for the night, so I'll be able to not only catch up on my work, but I'll have total peace and quiet for the night.
Yeusss!

February 1, 2008

Busy morning 'round here.

I'm off to the docs this morning.
Time for the monthly check in and med evaluation for pain levels.
Then I'll be heading to Walgreen's and Publix to do the shopping and I'll hit the scale.
I don't expect to have lost too much weight, but then again, between the flu and working out on the elliptical, maybe I have.
It'll be exciting to find out anyway.

Yeah, I have pushed myself this past week even with not being back to 100%, to work out on the elliptical.
I need to keep going with this or else I might get lazy, and nobody wants lazy...LOL
I didn't do crazy amounts of time or push up my tension yet, I have been sorta weak from having the flu and didn't want to over do things.
Keep your fingers crossed for me that all goes well today.

January 22, 2008

Workout progress.

My progress is a bit slower this week.
I had company for a few days, and we did a lot of walking and sight seeing, so I didn't get any exercise in, and now I have a back injury.
I have absolutely no idea what happened, but my left lower back is on fire and the muscles are tight and spasming.
I think it may have happened on Saturday night when the power blew out.
It was so loud and so bright, I'm not kidding when I say it felt like the neighborhood had been bombed, and we all jumped and screamed.
I may have pulled those muscles when that happened.

So, I'm taking it very slow on the elliptical the past 2 days.
I'm only doing 10 minutes a day and very slow. I'm trying not to flare that injury up any worse than it is.
I have done 10 minutes per day, then a hot shower, then rest.
I have to be as careful as possible because I don't want to cause an injury that knocks me down for the count ya know?
I'm going to keep going though, even if it is only 10 minutes a day, I have made progress with the elliptical.
My legs are stronger, my knees especially are not getting as sore as they used to when walking. My hips are still always sore, but what do I expect?
There's a broken screw in there.
Next time I go to Publix, I'll do a weigh in, might be going tomorrow after the teens get home from school.
I'm not sure if I've lost any more weight, but we'll see.

January 15, 2008

5:30? Where did my day go?

Wow, today totally flew by wicked fast man.
I can't believe it's the time it is already. I think I lost a few hours some where.

Anyway, I'm so totally excited about my weight-loss so far, even if it is just a little bit, it's a start to where I want to be.
I've been asking some of the health nuts on the local forums the same questions I asked here on my blog, about supplements and stuff, and most of the guys came back with taking bodybuilding supplements like protien powders, creatine, that kind of stuff.
I'm not looking to bulk up here, I just want to lose weight. I know that taking in more protien will help with not only that, but with muscle growth as well, which I do need to have in my legs and lower back.
I like some protien powders, but some of them are just awful, I'll have to shop around for some good flavored ones.

I gotta get busy. I have like 3 days worth of emails to reply to.
Yikes!
Later days!

January 15, 2008

2.5 pounds down!

I wanted to update you all on my weight-loss progress so far.
I went and did my grocery shopping, and then stepped on the scale at Publix because it's more accurate than mine at home.
I am happy to say that I have lost 2.5 pounds so far.
It's not a huge loss, but it's a damn good start doncha think?

And here's my video explaining all about my new Nordictrack elliptical.
No, I couldn't edit out the silly and 'and all that' thing I did, but go ahead and have a laugh on me.
This machine seriously rocks.
It's so easy and fun to use, and that makes exercising so much easier for me. It's not boring so I have fun doing it, and therefore am losing weight.
Yay me!

January 15, 2008

Wake up, shake it off.

It takes me a long time to get moving in the morning due to my spine being all stuck and locked up in a corpse type position, but after I get myself unstuck, I do my 20 minutes on the elliptical, and then set to getting everything else around here done.

I'm so insanely picky about pictures and videos of myself, that even though I have taken some of me using the elliptical, I'm still editing them (the videos) to be just right.
I found that I say something really weird when talking about how the elliptical works.
I asked my kids if I say this all the time, and they were all 'no, but it's weird that you do it almost every time you make a video mom.'
What is it I'm saying?
"And all that."
And all that?
What the hell does that mean?
I have no idea, but it sounds absolutely bizarre in the videos, so I'm attempting to edit out that weirdness, and then I'll show you the videos I've made.
If I can't edit that part of my stupidity out, I'll just have to suck it up and let you hear me be a fool saying and all that.
I'm also waiting on something else before I post the video, but I can't tell you, so neener neener.

I have to go grocery shopping today, after I un-stiffen anyway.
I swear, it takes me like 2-3 hours to get un-stiff.
I am hoping that with more and more exercise, that this stiffness issue will start going away.
So Shell, if you are thinking that I'm going to be able to just get up and go while you're here, it's not gonna happen. Sorry girl, I'll do my best, but maybe I'll just have to get up earlier than normal in order to be able to be ready to go by a certain time each day.

January 14, 2008

Gas it up, rev it up.

Has anyone ever tried Miracle burn as a diet supplement when working out?
I'm not trying to lose weight the wrong way here, I am just curious what people have used, and how well it worked for them.
I figure between exercising every day on the elliptical, trying to eat right, and adding more fiber to my diet, I may just lose some weight quicker.

I know I don't eat right, I pretty much hate most vegetables unless they are covered in some sort of sauce, like cheese, and my fiber intake is pretty much nil.
I don't eat many bread items to get my fiber because most wheat and gluten products cause joint pain.
Pastas, breads, all that kind of stuff, I end up hurting in my knees, lower back, etc.
I've tested this and had a few doctors confirm it for me, that some people do have issues with wheats, flour, gluten, and joint pain.

So on the suggestion of a friend, I decided to try getting my fiber another way, swallow it down in a pill.
I already take a bunch of pills every day, what's another one added to the mix right?
Wrong.
See, when you don't normally consume lots of fiber, your body has to take some time to adjust to it, and during that adjustment period, you end up a bit, shall we say, gassy.
This is the 4th day taking the Benefiber, and let me tell you, it's like I won the chili eating contest.
Woo-eee!
I'm not even taking the recommended dose, it says to take 3, 3 times a day.
I'm only taking 3 a day, and I've got enough gas to power a car.
I am trying to imagine if I actually took all 9 caplets they recommend.
It's a scary thought.

So what are your health supplements, what do you take to help you get your weight under control, help you lose it, and to help you get the stuff your body needs without having to actually ingest all those fruits and veggies?

January 12, 2008

Weighty confession.

Well I did say that I would post my starting weight and my target goal, so here goes.
After all these years of being pretty much sedentary, (almost 7 years now) a weight lifting restriction of no more than 10lbs max, and no strenuous exercise beyond walking, my starting weight is:

I know that is accurate because I used the scale at Publix. My house scale is old and while it was close, I know that is my real weight.
Ugh.

I've been working out on the elliptical everyday now for 20 minutes a day, and I just pop my earbuds in and crank up the music on my Sansadisk mp3 player, and go to it.

Once I figured out how to get the batteries in, having the control panel lit up and working, makes working out much easier. It keeps time for me, miles, measures my heart rate, and beeps when I'm supposed to end.
I'm really enjoying this a whole lot more than just walking.
As for my weight, I am going to lose weight, but I'm not going to obsess over the numbers on the scale.
I'm not going to weigh myself daily, or even every other day, only once a week so I don't get all nutty looking at numbers.
I feel really good so far, I'm not having too much pain after working out, just the usual left hip area, but that's to be expected with a broken iliac screw in there.

I have two workout and health buddies Belle and Mindy.
We're going to do our best to help keep each other motivated, be a sounding board for each other when we just don't wanna keep going, swap healthy recipes the whole family can eat, and just be supportive.
That's the most important thing in my opinion.
Working out and trying to lose weight can be so difficult when you don't have a good support system to keep you encouraged, to keep you motivated, and applaud your accomplishments no matter how little they may be.

My goal is to get back down to what I was pre-sedentary, before they told me I could no longer work, and that surgery was needed.
I weighed 145 then, and it was perfect for my height and frame. Any lower than that, I start looking like a skeleton.
My weight right now is not horrible, but I'm not happy with it either. At least it's not what it was when I moved here 10 years ago. I weighed 235 when I moved here, got a job doing manual labor, and dropped down to 145 within 6 months and kept it off for 4 and a half years. I would have kept it off longer than that too, if I hadn't been forced by my doctors to stop working and to not do anything to further complicate my back and spine issues.

So there we go, my starting weight and goal weight.
I know I can do this, it's what I want, and if I want it bad enough, I will achieve it.

January 12, 2008

No box removal for you!

That is a sticker from waste management, on the side of the box the NordicTrack came in.
It says they won't take the box.
I broke down all the cardboard the elliptical was packed in, and placed it in the box. There was no way it was going to fit in the small recycle bin.
But no, they won't take it.
I now have to place as much of the cardboard in the recycle bin as possible, every week until it's all gone.
I called them to come get it for a one time pick up, they said no, I had to break it all down and place it in the small recycle bin.
It's going to take about 3 weeks to get rid of all this cardboard.
I don't understand why they just couldn't take it.
Grr.

January 9, 2008

20 minutes a day, keeps the flab away.

I am heading out to Publix shortly, to get groceries and some D size batteries so I can show you all how the elliptical works.
I am loving this so far.
Every morning now, I wake up, really wake up, and then do 20 minutes at a reasonable pace on the elliptical.
This machine is so exactly what I needed in my home, you have no idea.
This is a far better workout than just walking around my neighborhood, and I'm not at risk for getting run over on my sidewalk-less streets, or falling down.

This is all so exciting to me after years of being on weight lift restrictions of 10lbs or less, told not to do any exercise more strenuous than walking, so to get the go ahead from my docs, had me near tears.
Years of being almost sedentary, I have put on weight, and I'm not happy about that.
When I get home, I will officially start my diet and exercise plan, and even post my starting weight *gulp* and my goal weight.
I hope y'all stick with me and keep on reading, as I go through this journey to get back in shape after almost 7 years of being on some sort of restrictions because of my back.
It is going to be quite the process, but I am determined to not get any heavier.
I'm almost 40, ok so, turning 38 this March, but 40 is just around the corner! And I'm not going to enter my 40's out of shape.
I will be making post and posting videos as I go, and I hope y'all stick around.
And if any one out there wants to start working out and have like a workout buddy, let's hook up!
We can keep each other motivated, updated on our progress, share recipes and stuff.
All my posts about my workouts on the elliptical, will be in their own category from now on, you can find it here in the category elliptical.

Ok, time for me to get going and get things done.
Later days!

January 8, 2008

Happy Tuesday morning!

I'm still in a super good mood, feeling really good still as well.
I worked out on the NordicTrack elliptical this morning for 20 minutes, and feel great.
I was a bit worried about my lower back and hips, but after 2 full days of doing a 20 minute workout each day, I am not having any problems.
I have it right here in my living room so I can watch all my shows, and have the AC on me as well, and it's great.

I made a video about how it all works, Sebastian helped me with it, and I'm finishing editing it, and then I'll show it to you.
I love how easy this is to fold up and unfold, and when it's folded, how easy it is to move around.
It is heavy when it's unfolded, but when it's folded up, you just tilt it on the stabilizer bar and roll it around, it glides and moves around the rug so freaking easy!

When I go shopping tomorrow, I'm going to pick up the D size batteries for the control panel, and I can't wait to see how the heart rate monitor and the programs work. I'll also be able to change resistance right from the control panel. I've been reading the manual, and it seriously looks too easy to use.
I'll take pics and all of that once I get the batteries, and I'll also be doing a starting weight (ugh) and my target goal weight, and update as I go.
I'm just so thrilled with the elliptical already though, this is probably the best thing that's happened to me in awhile.
It's exactly what I needed to get my health going on the right track after years of not being allowed to truly exercise, and my doctors are 100% behind me on this.
I'm just so happy with it, and cannot thank NordicTrack enough for sending this to me.

January 5, 2008

We built this elliptical on rock n' roll!

Ok, maybe not on rock n' roll, I actually shut off all the electronic noise in the house because this required some deep reading and comprehension skills.
Thank goodness my sister is awesome at this stuff.
That's right, I never did come back last night and tell you that my sis was coming over to help me put this together, so there ya go, she did!
Jo came over with the girls, and between her, Mark, Sebastian, and myself, we managed to put this together and keep 2 little girls entertained.
There were a lot of parts, many, many parts, screws, and this big wheelie part.

Lots of parts. We had all the big parts on the floor, and all the little parts and screws on the coffee table.
Yes, that is a huge stain on my rug. I have no idea what it is or how it got there.

Sebastian was really good at figuring this out and putting it together.

There were various wires we had to hook up inside of the pole parts, before we could attach the control panel.

Getting the pedals all connected and greased up.

And finally, it's all done!

It took us approximately 2 hours to put it together, not too bad for what this is actually. It's much more complicated than say, putting together a child's bike on Christmas eve.
It works really well, I rode it on the lowest setting for about 15 minutes. I will definitely have to work up to full workouts.
You can feel this in your calves, thighs, buttocks, and your arms, and because of the arm grips, your torso does get some of the movement, and as time and strength, and stamina improve, I have a feeling the core will also get a fairly decent workout.
I couldn't really do more than the 15 minutes because I never did go to sleep last night, and then was doing this all afternoon and running around playing with my girls, I was exhausted.
After Jo and the girls left, taking Sebastian with them for the night, I laid down on the couch and passed out for about 2.5 hours to catch a little bit of sleep.
After I hopefully get a good nights sleep tonight, I will give myself another 15-20 minutes on it tomorrow.
Oh yeah, for some reason, I thought this was electric, and would need to be plugged in, but it doesn't.
It takes 4 D size batteries in the control panel, to make all those programs and monitors work.
I'll have to pick some up tomorrow when I go shopping, and then I can see all the neat things this elliptical is capable of.

January 4, 2008

We'll be working on out, all weekend long.

Charlotte is another blogger who won one of the ellipticals in the contest, there are 3 of us who won one.
Anyway, Charlotte's elliptical also came today, and she opened her box up and started putting it together.
Oh my word, this is gonna be fun, just look at all those parts we get to put together!
Hee hee, I know the teens and I will be able to do it, but instead of tonight, I may have to hold off till morning when the sun is out.
I don't have a lot of light in my living room, so we're gonna wait.

And speaking of parts, my neighbor asked me when he saw me coming home, about setting up his home network, and if I knew how to do it. I told him I did, and asked him if he had all the needed parts.
He was like what parts? I said well, you'll need a router, wireless or wired, your choice, and the various ethernet cards and cords if we go the wired way.
he had no idea what I was talking about.
Oy.
So I told him what it was, how much they generally cost etc, and so he asked for the names of the stuff. He wrote it down as I spoke, and I told him he could probably get a decent used cisco router for way less than new, and it would work just the same, where he could get the cords and cards, mainly at the Radio Shack or even Best Buy or Circuit City, but Radio Shack has them cheaper than those stores.
Then I told him once he gets everything, to call me and I'll come over and show him how to set it all up and all that jazz.
he said he'd go out and get everything tonight and some time tomorrow, if I could come over and do it. I said sure.
I have an awesome idea though.
I can go set up his network, and he can come build my elliptical!
Great idea right? LOL

January 4, 2008

Build it with love.

The doctors appointment went very well.
He listened and took me off of that synthetic tramadol crap.
We talked about other options, my PT, swim therapy, and my new elliptical.
He said to go right ahead and do it, but take it very slow at first, build up to longer times and different work outs.
His PT therapist is going to create a workout plan for me using the elliptical, and it will all be coordinated with my other PT therapist.
But first, we have to build it.

That's right, the elliptical is in this box and 'some assembly is required'.
It arrived right before I left this morning.
Sebastian is going out rollerskating with friends tonight, so Mark and I will tackle putting it together.
I'll take pics and stuff as we go along. It shouldn't be too bad to build, I'm pretty good at this kind of stuff and I have plenty of tools

It was a wicked long day of waiting in offices, waiting at Walgreen's, and then walking home.
Oh, let me tell you about Walgreen's.
See, it's the new year computer and insurance screw up time.
Every year, the first week of the new year, Walgreen's computers cannot process insurance claims for some reason.
Their system totally sucks.
Their computer system kicks out every single patient they have on the first of the year, so every person who comes to get a prescription filled, has to go through the whole entering of insurance info, phone numbers, addresses, and all of that other crap, all over again.
So after going to the doctors and getting back to my side of town and handing over my script, I waited at Walgreen's for over 2 hours while they waited on a massively huge line of customers who came in for scripts and had the same insurance issues as last year.
But at least we finally made it home, and I'm taking a little rest before I begin putting the elliptical together.
Later days.

January 3, 2008

It's such a long day.

Today has just dragged by so slowly.
It's been cold all day, and it's supposed to warm up again starting tomorrow.
Sebastian and one of his friends are here and they are playing Rock Band.
This is a wicked cool game, but man oh man, it's so hard singing some of these songs.
The kids are all laughing and having fun screwing up though so I guess it's all good.
They are trying to play Long Time by Boston right now.
It's hysterical...LOL

I'll be at the docs tomorrow and the boys will be here for the delivery of the elliptical.
I hope they can at least help the boys get it in the house.
I can't wait to see it and get it set up.
I hope it's not too difficult to put together though. That would suck..hahahah

I know I've been complaining about this pain medicine he gave me, and you're all probably like Kat, it can't be that bad, or wondering what medicine it is.
It's Tramadol ER, a synthetic opiate.
It affects the central nervous system, and it's affecting mine in a wicked bad way.
The side effects I'm having are some of the ones that you're supposed to tell your doctor about, but I didn't have the deductible to pay him to go see him until tomorrow.
I'm having blurred vision, anxiety, sweats then chills, double vision, neck pain, pain in my calves and ankles, lack of concentration, trouble performing any tasks that require any kind of attention.
At first, it was ok. Like the whole first week, I was like cool, this works, then slowly these side effects started showing up. It's been really bothersome having my vision all screwed up like this.
My balance is off because of it. I'm like staggering and stuff.
So hopefully tomorrow, the doc will listen to me and get me off of these.
I've been taking them for almost a full month, and instead of the side effects going away like most people, they are getting worse.
I don't handle synthetics very well obviously.

Ok, gotta go. The boys can't sing the Train kept a rolling by Aerosmith, and need me to do it.

January 3, 2008

It will be here tomorrow!

The delivery company just called me, they are bringing my new elliptical tomorrow afternoon!
I'm so excited!
We did make room for it right here in the living room, and I can't wait for it to get here, even more so now that it's 'winter' here.
It's so freaking cold outside..hahahah
Sebastian came home and was like 'mom, it's sooo cold outside,' and I'm all dude, I know, I've had the heat on since I got up this morning, and I've been wrapped in blankets all day.

It's going to be so nice to be able to do my PT and exercise right here inside the house.
Away from the cold and the extreme heat that Florida gets.
If I end up not being here tomorrow afternoon, the boys will be here and they can legally sign for it.
I should be here.
If I end up actually going to my doc appointment, I should be back by the afternoon.
But if I can't make it to my docs, then I'll definitely be here.
Once it's here and set up, I'll take pics of it and stuff.
This is so cool!

December 28, 2007

Getting this house in order.

With the new year fast approaching and my elliptical on it's way, it's time to get this house in order.

I need to get rid of all the bikes that are too small, broken, and not in use anymore, clean up the holiday decorations, and move some stuff around so I can set up the elliptical in here.
I have the perfect spot for it in mind, but it's going to take some moving of other stuff to put it there.
But it will be so perfect when I get it all situated, so I need to get cracking on this house and my plans.

December 28, 2007

My new elliptical is on it's way!!

I'm so excited!
The elliptical I won right before Christmas has shipped, it should be here in about a week, and it's compliments of Nordictrack.com.
I can't believe it!
It's one of their space saver elliptical machines.
It folds up so it can be stored easily when it's not in use.
This is what it looks like when it's set up.

And this is how small it can fold.

I am really excited about getting this elliptical.
I told my pain doc about it, and he was very excited about it as well. I will be able to do my physical therapy at home now. Not all of it, but they had me scheduled to use an elliptical 3 times a week, and now I can do that part of it at my own home.
And not only will it work for my PT, but I'll be losing weight too.
I'm so excited about that!
With these titanium rods in my spine, I can't do traditional sit ups or crunches etc, so keeping in shape has been rather difficult. But I'll be able to do that now and won't have to risk getting hit by cars anymore, or falling down on the pavement anymore, when going for walks every day.
I can just workout right here in my own home every single day.
I plan on keeping track of my progress on my blog, weight lost and all that.
I am just so psyched up for this!!
This is so perfect for me and I can't wait to get started!!

December 22, 2007

Egads! That much?!

How much weight do you all think you have gained so far this holiday season?

I've been bad so far, I know I have.
Cookies, cakes, pies, chocolates, candy canes etc.
The holidays are so hard on people with any kind of weight issues, and it's doubly frustrating when your exercise is limited to walking or a treadmill, or an elliptical.
Seeing a how I have no treadmill, and the elliptical I won will be delivered in a few weeks, walking has been my main exercise for nearly two years.
You don't burn off many calories just walking. If you did, I'd be thin as a rail by now.
I can't wait for the elliptical to get here. We are going to start organizing the house right after Christmas, get things moved around so I can make room for it.
I want to put it here in the living room where the AC, TV and stereo are.
I want it out here so it's more comfortable to use and I won't have to crank the stereo up to hear it from the laundry room.

My lower back is stiff tonight, and my right shoulder seems flared up again, so I went and laid down on my bed for a few minutes after taking a pain pill and muscle relaxer, so they could kick in faster while I rested.
I'm quite proud to say that in just two weeks, I've cut back drastically on the high dose pain pills thanks to the extended release, once a day ones the new doc prescribed.
He still gave me the high dose ones, but not nearly as many as Doc F had me taking.
That amount could have knocked a horse out cold.
The new pain doc has me taking the extended release tabs once a day, a muscle relaxer 3 times a day, and the high dose ones only as I need them for severe break through pain.
I've only had 3 days of severe pain in the last 2 weeks, so I'm so very, very happy with my new doc and how things are going.
He actually listened to me and the new plan is working a lot better.
I feel better. I'm not in a drug induced fog anymore, I can do a little bit more than I was.
Things are going good now.

But anyway, back to going to lay down.
I went in my room to stretch out and rest while waiting for the meds to kick in, and Nova the fat cat was laying on the end of the bed.

I laid down on my side of the bed, got comfortable on my pillows, and just tried to relax all my muscles down.
Nova fatty got up from the end of the bed and made her way to her usual spot near my pillows, and smooshed herself right up against my face.
We were face to face, her rubbing her head all over my face and licking my nose, purring, her paws 'kneading' into my hair, and it was just the sweetest thing.
Nova is getting older, she is 8 in people years, and just over the last 5 months or so, she has started to become a super loving kitty.
She used to hate everyone but Mark when we first got her, no one could pet her, go anywhere near her or she'd hiss and growl.
Now, she lets everyone pet her, gets excited if you reach your hand out to her, even more excited if you walk in the front door with a handful of fresh grass.

So there I was laying down being snuggled and loved by fatty no tail, and it was so comfortable and peaceful, I almost fell asleep.
I had to get up though because the boys are still up, and I hate going to bed before they do.
I hope she's still in that mood when I do go to bed.
It was really nice.

December 19, 2007

I don't believe it!

So the order got canceled this morning, right?
They said they canceled the order and to make up for my troubles, they were sending me a $20 gift card.
Right?
Well about 30 minutes ago, the UPS guy walks up to my door and hands us this.

Um.
It was overnighted, next day aired to my house.
But at 4am, they said they did not have the item.
At 8am, they canceled the order and said they did not have any but were expecting more on Monday.
Um.
On my order history page, it is canceled.
I have no freaking clue what the hell Walmart.com is doing.
Is it really canceled?
Is my money being refunded still?
Do I call them again and say what the hell are you people doing?
Or do I just let them wallow in their own mistakes?
I'll wait the 24-28 hours for my CC transaction to update, and if it's been refunded to me, I'll call them.
Or maybe I should wait 3-5 business days to notify them. *evil grin*

But it's here, the teens are happy, I'm happy.
Yup, I got them a new computer because theirs was broken, and Pete did send me a tower, but i was unable to get a windows xp installation to work on it, and so I'll strip it for parts. There's some good working parts in it.

Annnnnd, I won one of the ellipticals!!
W00t!
So even though today started out like total crap, it has ended totally freaking awesome!
Yay!
Whoo hoo!
Later days!

December 18, 2007

Today may turn out alright.

I went to my docs, they fixed the medication problem that Walgreen's wouldn't fill because of a drug interaction with something else he gave me.

I got the money order I was waiting on, just need to get to Amscot to deposit it.

Annnnnd, I am keeping my fingers and toes and everything else crossed, that I may be one of the lucky people to win an elliptical machine today.
I could so totally use that.
I could do all my working out right here at home instead of having to go for long walks around my hood that has no sidewalks, where I almost get hit by cars, where I take the risk of falling again, and I could use it for PT at home instead of having to go to a PT place and pay money I don't have for someone to tell me to work out on the elliptical for 30 minutes.
It would be awesome!
Keep your fingers crossed for me ok?
Please?!
I want it so bad.