Hey all! I had another checkup this morning, and I only lost 4.5lbs since January 20th. I say “only” because I’m used to losing as much as 2lbs more than that; however, I know I’ve been slipping up lately, so I wasn’t that surprised I didn’t do as well. I’m just happy I pulled out as much as I did.
13 by 26
I turn 26 in 3.5 weeks (February 28th – mark your calendars! I want everyone dancing in the streets!!), and I’m going to try my damnedest to get below 200 by then. I’ve got just under 13lbs to go, which translates to ~4lbs per week. Can I do it? God I hope so. There’s no prize if I do or consequence if I don’t, but it’s a neat small-term goal that I can keep my eye on. I’ve never really had a goal like that, so I’m hoping I’ll be able to keep up with it since I’ve got actual numbers to work with. I’ll keep ya posted.
Zumba
Tonight I went to my first-ever ZUMBA class! Rachel and I looked in on it last Wednesday when I went back to the gym, and it didn’t look too bad from the outside. Little did I know how hard it would be…. There were maybe 40-50 people there (I’m terrible at estimating numbers, though, so don’t listen to anything I say), and it started at 5:45pm. By 6:15, the windows and mirror were completely fogged and the floor was slick. That many hot bodies in the room really does a number on the nonporous surfaces. The class is comprised of a lot of dance-type moves that are Latin in origin (salsa, merengue, and cha-cha steps a-plenty) and that make you move your hips. As a general rule, I don’t dance unless it’s choreographed because my hips don’t know what to do with themselves. I have a feeling that if I keep taking Zumba classes, my hips will be liberated from their nerdy white prison, a.k.a. my lower half, and I might actually find some rhythm. (Rachel did give me what I consider to be a friggin’ awesome compliment; she said “I can tell you used to dance,” because some of my tap and jazz moves came back with my fancy Zumba footwork
)
I sweat an embarrassingly large amount when I work out hard, and I felt like I was going to pass out a few times, but other than that, I had a blast! A couple more classes, and I’ll have the moves down pat! I’ll definitely be going back next week! Oh, and when I got home and changed, I split a Magic Hat Circus Boy Hefeweizen with Mom, and it was the best beer I’ve ever had in the entire world forever and ever amen. Burning a kajillion calories probably had 70% to do with that, but it is a pretty good beer all on its own, too.
Dinner
Tonight for dinner, we tried a new recipe we found in Good Housekeeping, salmon with a dill, horseradish, and panko crust with a baby spinach and cucumber salad (recipe can be found here). I’m sometimes weird about fish, but I can say with 100% confidence that this is the best fish I’ve ever had. I was worried either the dill or the horseradish would be overpowering, but they balanced each other PERFECTLY. It was AMAZING!!
I made steamed zucchini on the side. No big whoop here. Let’s see that fish again, shall we?
Wow! I’ll probably make this again in a few days.
The Society Series
So I hope everyone’s got their thinking caps on about today’s earlier post. I’m sure you guys have some neat ideas to throw around with everyone about how your healthy lifestyle fits into your little corner of society. I’m still working on my first entry and will try to post it tomorrow night! I’ve titled it “The Double Standard of Dating”
And now I'm going to go PTFO. I'm going to sleep soooo well tonight after my hour of bustin' a move and bustin' my ass!
13 by 26
I turn 26 in 3.5 weeks (February 28th – mark your calendars! I want everyone dancing in the streets!!), and I’m going to try my damnedest to get below 200 by then. I’ve got just under 13lbs to go, which translates to ~4lbs per week. Can I do it? God I hope so. There’s no prize if I do or consequence if I don’t, but it’s a neat small-term goal that I can keep my eye on. I’ve never really had a goal like that, so I’m hoping I’ll be able to keep up with it since I’ve got actual numbers to work with. I’ll keep ya posted.
Zumba
Tonight I went to my first-ever ZUMBA class! Rachel and I looked in on it last Wednesday when I went back to the gym, and it didn’t look too bad from the outside. Little did I know how hard it would be…. There were maybe 40-50 people there (I’m terrible at estimating numbers, though, so don’t listen to anything I say), and it started at 5:45pm. By 6:15, the windows and mirror were completely fogged and the floor was slick. That many hot bodies in the room really does a number on the nonporous surfaces. The class is comprised of a lot of dance-type moves that are Latin in origin (salsa, merengue, and cha-cha steps a-plenty) and that make you move your hips. As a general rule, I don’t dance unless it’s choreographed because my hips don’t know what to do with themselves. I have a feeling that if I keep taking Zumba classes, my hips will be liberated from their nerdy white prison, a.k.a. my lower half, and I might actually find some rhythm. (Rachel did give me what I consider to be a friggin’ awesome compliment; she said “I can tell you used to dance,” because some of my tap and jazz moves came back with my fancy Zumba footwork
)I sweat an embarrassingly large amount when I work out hard, and I felt like I was going to pass out a few times, but other than that, I had a blast! A couple more classes, and I’ll have the moves down pat! I’ll definitely be going back next week! Oh, and when I got home and changed, I split a Magic Hat Circus Boy Hefeweizen with Mom, and it was the best beer I’ve ever had in the entire world forever and ever amen. Burning a kajillion calories probably had 70% to do with that, but it is a pretty good beer all on its own, too.
Dinner
Tonight for dinner, we tried a new recipe we found in Good Housekeeping, salmon with a dill, horseradish, and panko crust with a baby spinach and cucumber salad (recipe can be found here). I’m sometimes weird about fish, but I can say with 100% confidence that this is the best fish I’ve ever had. I was worried either the dill or the horseradish would be overpowering, but they balanced each other PERFECTLY. It was AMAZING!!
I made steamed zucchini on the side. No big whoop here. Let’s see that fish again, shall we?
Wow! I’ll probably make this again in a few days.
The Society Series
So I hope everyone’s got their thinking caps on about today’s earlier post. I’m sure you guys have some neat ideas to throw around with everyone about how your healthy lifestyle fits into your little corner of society. I’m still working on my first entry and will try to post it tomorrow night! I’ve titled it “The Double Standard of Dating”
And now I'm going to go PTFO. I'm going to sleep soooo well tonight after my hour of bustin' a move and bustin' my ass!
That class sounds really fun-they don't have much like that around here-I will have to investigate, your food looks yummy.
ReplyDeleteyou can do it!
ReplyDeleteI think you can do it!
ReplyDeleteI want to try Zumba so bad, I am gonna have to wrangle one of my friends to come with me. It sounds like fun.
I have white girl hips too! And my dance career never made it past the early years of grade school, so I think be pretty horrendous at Zumba.
ReplyDeleteI'm glad you found a form of exercise that you really like! It makes exercise seem much more endurable. :-)
I just cant dance. At all. And I'm ok with that.
ReplyDeleteMe too I can't wait to be under 200. 14 and I'll be there. It can be so hard sometimes.
ReplyDeleteYou can do it! :)
Check, will be dancing in the streets Feb 28, will direct neighbors to your blog if they stare!
ReplyDeleteGood luck!
Zumba is the BEST!! Glad you tried it. Sooo much fun.
ReplyDeleteI really think you can do it. 13 by 26!!
Hehe, your birthday is my blog birthday! LOL
Man, everyone I know IRL and on the web has been getting into the Zumba action lately. I am super jealous and clearly need to try and find it in my area.
ReplyDeleteGood luck with the weight loss by your birthday! It is a good chunk to lose in that amount of time, but with some exercise it is possible. Time to hit the dance floor!
That's quite the goal you've set for yourself, YOU CAN DO IT!!!!! Lots of hard work, and when you do it you're going to feel amazing!
ReplyDeleteThat is still a great weight loss.
ReplyDeleteim glad that we have both been giving Zumba a shot. If i feel better by this afternoon, I will be going in for another class this evening - doesnt the time go by quickly?
ReplyDelete@Candace - it was surprisingly fun! I looked angry about 70% of the time because I was concentrating so hard on the moves, and the other 30% I was laughing at myself for screwing them up! When I get it all down pat, I'll be smiling the whole hour!
ReplyDelete@Sweet Tater - thanks! I hope so!!
@Randi - Thanks for the vote of confidence! If you get the opportunity, try Zumba. I think it'll take me a few classes to really get it, but it was a blast!
@Lily - Ohhh my poor white hips. I only did dance until 4th grade, but some of my little tap-dance arm moves were sneaking in. It was kinda cute, and it made me actually look like I knew what I was doing (at least I think/hope so!)
@Abby - haha!! My friends all know not to ask me to dance unless it's the Electric Slide or Cupid Shuffle, but I could follow Zumba because they tell you what to do. And if you're really super duper bad, you can snag a spot in the back. I think so many people were so focused on their own moves, I, again, think/hope nobody was paying attention to my awkwardness.
@Scorpiowoman - thanks!! I'm so frustrated because I'm reaching that point where I'm bored, I've been doing this diet long enough that I see myself trying to break free of its confines, and this is where I need to stay the most focused. I know it's just a number, but there's something magical about being under 200 that really makes me feel like I'll be ok.
@Kat - oooooh, please dance in the streets, AND direct the neighbors to my blog, even if they don't stare. Mama could use the pageviews.
@Mary - Thanks, girl! And I did have fun! Too bad we don't live closer, or we could have a ginormous nerdy birthday party!
@Fallon - I know, I was hesitant to try Zumba at first because 1) I'm afraid of classes, and 2) EVERYONE does it, and I usually shy away from ubiquitous things like that. I'm stubborn, what can I say? I just looked on Amazon, and there are DVDs!! I might have to get one so I can study up on the moves on my own. My goal is a pretty lofty one, but I'm hoping to get back on track and at least put a large dent in it by then. It's not impossible, but it'll be tough!
@Freak4Fitness - [sigh] I know...it's helping that it's a short-term goal; I'm not used to setting those. Plus it helps that I'm getting back to the gym. I just need to get out of that mindset of "I went to the gym, so I can eat/drink an extra X, Y, or Z" While it's not a conscious thing, I find myself slipping into that mindset sometimes.
@Amanda - thanks! You're right, I should celebrate it, because it's still nothing to sneeze at.
@Heather - I'm so proud of us! I only go on Wednesday nights so far because that's the only class my friend can make, and I'm not brave enough to try it on my own yet! When I was in the class, the time was creeping by, but after I was done, it didn't seem like we were there as long as we had been. I HATE staring at the clock in situations like that because i get hyper-aware of how slow time really is, and then I get impatient, tired, etc. Also, our class didn't have what I'd call a proper warm-up, and the cool-down was at the last minute...our teacher went over the allotted time, so that didn't help my nerves any! But blah blah blah, yes, it didn't seem like I was there for over an hour, which is AWESOME.