I'm back!!!

Okay, so I know it's been FOREVER!!  but I have recently had some life changes take place which has now opened up some time in order for me to return to blogging.  I'll be honest and let you know that I haven't really done a good job of keeping up my journey.  I honestly think I'm back where I started before I went out to Malibu, but I don't like to get on the scale that much so I'm not quite sure.  The last few months have been very busy on the work side of life and I had a lot of temptation at my job with eating unhealthy, so it's actually a blessing that I no longer have it!  I've been able to bump up my workouts and am looking forward to actually sitting down and figuring out a meal plan and begin cooking healthy again now that I have time.  I know that this isn't a realistic situtation for most people but my hope is that I can figure out how to do it now so that when I do go back to work I can do a better job of balancing life and work.  I know I have a tendancy to be a work-a-holic so that's something I need to be aware of in looking for my next job.  So thanks for sticking with me on the journey!

Life is like . . . . a hiking trip!

So this weekend I had the opportunity to get back out in nature and to hike like I had done when I was at the resort -- it was AMAZING!!!!!  And while on my journey, I realized that life is very much like a hiking trip.  So let's go . . .

When you first start out, you're excited, not sore, ready to go!!

The way up seems a little daunting, but you're so excited to see what life has in store -- you charge on!!

The way up to Pole Steeple, Pine Grove Furnace, PA

You stop along the way to look back at where you've come . . . .

As you're hiking, you are following the signs -- but if you don't look up and stop navel gazing, you'll miss the signs

Sometimes you will miss the signs -- and end up on a different path all together.  It takes you stopping and looking around for the signs and maybe backtracking a little bit before you get back on the right path.   But eventually if you're following the signs, you do.  Because ultimately, the sign giver has a plan for your hike!

You may have a VERY steep climb -- but look what you see when you get to the top!!

And it's always nice when you get a little encouragement along the way on your journey :)



And remembering the whole purpose of the journey is good every once in awhile too . . .

You can see Laurel Lake in the background

Sometimes on the journey there will be times where you feel so very alone -- there's no one else in sight. 

This is actually part of the Appalachian trail

And remembering that your journey is just part of a MUCH bigger story is important too . . .

There will be times in your journey when you're following the signs and you come to something like this . . .

And you think . . . . you want me to do what??  But seeing as there's no other way to continue on, you take the leap (well, more like a cautious step in this case!)  And don't worry -- I didn't fall in!

Until  you get to your destination!!

And you can appreciate where you've traveled and the beauty that accompanied you!!

In the 'MEAN'time

Okay -- so I know it's been almost three weeks since my last post, but life has been BUSY!!   So here you go . . . . .

Ever feel like you're so close to making some kind of breakthrough?  Like you're just on the brink of a huge revelation?  It's no secret from my posts that things haven't been easy since coming back from the resort.  For some reason my motivation has been dwindling since coming back.  I just can't seem to connect my head and my heart when it comes to diet and exercise.  And there are many times where I feel like I just want to give up.  But I know that I need to go through this.  I know that I need to experience every bit of this journey.  Every high and every low.  If I truly want to help other people with their weight loss (which I really do) then I have to know what they're experience first hand.  So that leads me to in the 'mean'time.

Last week our sermon was all about having faith in the 'mean'time.  And what a sermon it was -- I highly recommend you check it out if you have the time -- http://www.lcbcchurch.com/media/ -- "Stuck".  It began with Journey's song, 'Don't Stop Believing', which of course always makes you want to smile.  He then proceeded to talk about the faith that Abrham (Abraham) had to believe in God's promise that he would make him a father of many nations.  Now the reason this was so poignant for me right now -- and yes, I honestly felt like the pastor had read my journal!! -- is because I feel like my life has been a series of steps (well, more like leaps) of faith.  And putting it into that perspective, I am encouraged when I think about this current journey and challenged to apply my faith to it as well. Now what exactly that means, I'm not sure :)

For me, my biggest challenge up until this point was my singleness.  I had to laugh at the sermon because if you listen you'll see he makes the comment that Abrham had to wait more than a decade for his promise from God to be fulfilled. He then makes the comment that usually we don't have to wait nearly that long for our promises to be fulfilled -- that's when I turned to my friend next to me and said -- wait, what?  I've waited more than a decade to have a family!!!  But rather than crying at that comment, I was laughing.  That's because that challenge has finally gotten to the point where I trust God completely.  I know He is good and He is great (check out the sermon from today to understand that comment :) ).  And I can finally say after a VERY long time that I do trust Him.  And I am happy with whatever He decides.  It's the most amazingly freeing feeling.  Now if only I could apply it to this challenge -- we'd be golden :) 

So -- how can I apply it?  Hmmm . . . well, considering food is something you have to deal with on a daily, sometimes hourly basis, it makes it a little tougher.  I've tried praying whenever I have the urge to eat -- doesn't seem to work.  I've tried to recite bible verses.  Doesn't seem to work either.  Hmm . . this one's tough. I had started reading a book when I was at the resort that I had picked up at Saddleback when I was there called Crave that talked about this very thing -- maybe I should pick it back up . . . ya think? :)

I'll keep you posted on this one in the 'MEAN'time :)

34 Years in the making

Well, so today is it.  The big b-day.  Now I'm going to put a disclaimer on this post for those of you who don't like talk about religion and faith, you may want to stop reading.  But being my birthday and all, I took some time to reflect about my life and my journey, and for me, faith is a HUGE part of that so I can't NOT talk about it.  But then again, I figure if you're following this, you probably are close with me and therefore you already know this so I probably don't need this disclaimer . . . . but I digress. 

So . . . .

Today's revelations.   (Oh and another disclaimer -- this is cathartic for me more than anything so if I bore you, don't feel like you have to read it :) )

I have had a GREAT and very blessed 34 years.  I was born to AMAZING parents who from the get go instilled in me a love of traveling and appreciation for my country and other countries by choosing to spend two very formative years in Korea.  Now I don't remember any of it unfortunately (which is sad) but I no doubt know that it did instill these things in me. 

We lived in a great place to grow up (Dayton, Ohio) and they chose a wonderful church for me to grow up in which was the beginning of my faith journey and the beginning of 5 very specific wonderful friendships (word to my Concord UMC peeps!). I had a great education and was able to experience many wonderful extracurriculars like drama club, mock trial, marching band (and YES, I have many 'This one time at band camp' stories -- so don't mess with them!), Spanish club, volunteer organizations, baseball managing, etc.  Each of which taught me something unique and exposed me to new friendships.  Growing up, my parents encouraged socialization and imagination which was cause for so many fun times (and lots of blackmail through homemade videos which I have yet to use!! :) ).
I was surrounded by love both from people AND animals -- which I think is important. 

I travelled on to an awesome place to go to college -- University of Evansville -- Go UE!!  where I was introduced to freedom, individuality, responsibility, even more great friendships, love, heartache, maybe a little bit of alcohol ( -- only after turning 21 OF COURSE ;) ), organizations like Orientation Leaders, Student Activities Board, Alpha Omicron Pi, and one of the best parts of college, studying abroad at Harlaxton College in Grantham, England.  That semester alone taught me years worth of life lessons. 

I stop here and think, wow -- how lucky am I.  But it doesn't stop there --  after college I was able to move to Orlando, FL and work for the mouse!!  Yep, Disney World.  I LOVED living in Orlando -- working for Disney, well, that's a story for another time, but again, another experience that introduced me to some life lessons and another slew of fabulous people from literally all over the world.   Skip forward a year and I was down in Marathon, FL, in the middle of the Florida Keys volunteering and then later working at the Dolphin Research Center (www.dolphins.org)  -- I mean really -- did I REALLY work with dolphins?  It was like a dream for me -- yes I did!!!  And man, do I miss those grey faces and dolphinalities!!! 

And even my time spent here in PA has been amazing.  For the first time, I was able to experience what it was like living among extended family and it is FABULOUS.  I LOVE my cousins so very much and I LOVE being 'Aunt Cyndi' to their kids.  And having family that are also good friends -- it doesn't get better than that.  They're stuck with me!! :)  Here in PA I've had the privilege of working with organizations like the Whitaker Science Center, Good Hope Animal Hospital, Central PA Magazine, and several health organizations.  All experiences which have taught me new skills, life lessons, and again, introduced to amazing people.  I was part of a great church here, Daybreak, that grew my faith in leaps and bounds in a more personal way and from that have an AMAZING!!  small group that I have grown, weeped, laughed, lived, and learned with ,in what I truly believe God intended by community.  They are my dearest friends and make my life so much more enjoyable with their love, support, and yes, even loaning of their children when I feel a little lonely! :)   My church now, LCBC, has also had a huge impact on my faith, growing it even deeper and challenging and convicting me to make it real and practical in my daily walk.

So -- what is this trip down memory lane all leading to, you may ask?  Well, because there are some people who might say that a 34 year old single gal must be miserable.  Must have something wrong with her.  Must have missed the boat somewhere.  But I'm here to tell you -- I'm not.  I don't.  I didn't.  I have had and will continue to have a wonderful life.  I am SO very blessed.  It doesn't get much better than this.  I know that it can, but for me, right now, it doesn't.  And this morning, when I was reflecting on all of this (warning -- here comes the heavy duty faith stuff!) and talking with God and thanking him for all of this (which is truly just all prayer is), I realized that I really think that in my being single, He has protected me.  This doesn't mean that I haven't had heartache -- which I have.  But what it means is that He knows exactly how He created me to be.  He knows exactly what will and will not trigger me into unhealthy behaviors (aka emotional eating).  He knows just exactly how much I can take.  And I truly believe that until I am ready to handle the next step (whether it be marriage or not) He won't provide the opportunity.  He knows when I'm ready -- and of course when it comes to marriage, the other person has to be ready too -- gottta love timing -- but He knows when that person's ready as well.  And I'm not naive enough to think that when (or even if) it does happen that it's going to be all bells and whistles and romantic comedy moments (that was a life lesson learned already) but I do know that it will be easier because I am ready.  And I am grateful that He loves me enough to prepare me to be ready.  And I'm proud of myself that I am truly seeking His best for me in this area.  

And I truly believe that this journey (or struggle as I sometimes refer to it) of life change/weight loss/healthy living is very much a needed journey in my life right now. In order to be the person I know I want to be and that I believe God is calling me to be, I need to go through this.  There might be times where I feel like I'm learning the same lesson time and time again -- sometimes beating my head against a brick wall (hey -- at least that's still burning calories, right?!) but I HAVE to go through this.  I have to learn these lessons.  To be the best possible version of me.    Even when I feel like a hypocrite or failure because in one post I say I can do this, I'm doing great, and in the next I've fallen off the wagon again, I need to go through EVERY part of this journey. No phoning it in -- right Bob Harper? :)

So -- in summary.  I am exactly where I'm supposed to be, doing what I'm supposed to be at this time in my life.  And I truly love it.  It doesn't mean I'm happy all of the time (more like joyful --- and there's a difference between joy and happiness) and it doesn't mean that there aren't times I wish I were married with kids, but what it does mean is that I'm living life to the fullest.  For such a time as this.

Sick and tired of . . . . . well, mostly just sick!!

So -- Monday night when I posted my last post, I was all pumped up and ready to start a new day.  Yeah -- so that lasted all of about one night.  Wow -- this is really hard.  It's those stinkin' drug rep lunches!!!  Last week it was pizza.  I just CANNOT turn down pizza.  And my first go round was fine -- two pieces and I was done.  But it was after lunch time that got me.  So -- Lesson #4  -- NOT ONLY DO YOU NEED HEALTHY LUNCHES AT WORK, BUT HEALTH SNACKS TO STOP YOU FROM SNACKING ON UNHEALTHY LUNCH LEFTOVERS!!!  So -- today at lunch I went out and purchased some applesauce, Larabars, bananas, and peanut butter cheerios (which are whole grain) to hopefully curb that problem. 


So come Friday (which I had taken off) I was all ready to start over again and make it a healthy choice weekend filled with exercise.  It started off great.  I walked down to my little town to the bank and the post office and then walked to a friends house.  After that I walked back to my house a different route, so in all, I probably walked about 9 miles.  It was about 2 and 1/2 hours total.  And let me tell you, about the 7th mile -- I was scared I wasn't going to make it!! I thought I was going to have to call someone to come get me!! But I pushed through and did it!! It reminded me of the morning hikes at the resort.  Which I miss.  I really do need to find a hiking club in the area to keep me motivated and hiking!   And my body recovered much quicker than I thought it would which was great.


Then Saturday started off a little odd -- I was hoping to work out again but ended up feeling like I needed to rest a little -- well, little did I know a lovely 48 hour bug that's going around was creeping up to get me.  And get me it did!!!  Best part -- I only ate 790 calories Sunday (for some reason, the only thing my stomach could stomach (ha!) was pizza -- something about the bread and cheese I think) but worst part -- I felt HORRIBLE!! and I missed Easter with my family :(  Although all that yummy food would have presented other challenges I'm sure!    I've only just begun to feel better within the last few hours.  And of course, my appetite feels much better too :(    I wasn't too bad today simply because I'm still feeling a little yucky but at least I feel like I can make it to the gym tomorrow.  Still pushin' on!!!!

Lost and Found

I debated what the title of this post would be but after this long last week, I determined that 'Lost and Found' was the most appropriate title.  Not only does the title of my blog talking about losing yourself, but this week I truly did just that.  I lost myself.  The me I had found while at the resort.  This week was a TOUGH week. 

First off it didn't help that I suddenly was hit smack in the face with a nasty cold on Tuesday afternoon that had me down for the count, but for some reason I was completely swept away with drug rep lunches this week.  I thought for sure that coming back from the resort my resolve to pass up drug rep lunches would be strengthened, but I didn't account for the fact that life doesn't always work as you plan it.  This week I caught myself eating Cheeseburger Sliders from Applebees twice at work -- do you have any idea how many calories are in one of those little things??? It's almost 400 calories!! Crazy!!! Part of it was because I wasn't feeling good and therefore what resolve I had was spent on just making it through the day and part of it was because of poor planning.  So out of that poor planning came Lesson #1  --  MAKE SURE YOU BRING HEALTHY FOOD YOU CAN GRAB QUICKLY AND GO WITH TO WORK.  The first slip with the sliders was due to having to rush out for a meeting and not having had time to go home for lunch first -- it was quick and easy -- and OH so unhealthy.  Then once I tasted the deliciousness it was too hard to resist when I couldn't escape home for lunch the following day.  Lesson learned.  Unfortunately that lesson was learned over and over again this week -- you think it would have sunk in the first time, but no -- this skull is thick (and stubborn!) :)  But -- tomorrow I will be purchasing some healthy on the go meals to keep at work. 

I did try the B Healthy meals and although they were good, I'm not quite sure that it is going to work for me.  At least not every week.  I feel like I didn't eat enough of them to make it worth the money.  It was good for a few healthy meals this week though.  Maybe it will be an every other or every three weeks thing.  But they were yummy.

Lesson # 2 came during a particularly anxious time for me.  I was stressed out with a personal situation and the first place I went to was food.  This one is going to be tougher to overcome.  This one I'm going to have to find some kind of mantra or way of avoiding food whenever this happens.  Therefore Lesson #2 -- FOOD IS NOT THE ANSWER TO ANXIETY OR STRESS -- MIND OVER MATTER -- YOU CAN DEAL WITH IT WITHOUT EATING FOOD.  This lesson was also repeated this afternoon as things got pretty hairy at work.  I was pretty pleased with myself with my control at lunch in only eating one piece of pizza (yes, another drug rep lunch --- Dr. Smith I never realized how good I had it at Bent Creek not having to struggle with this temptation!!) because pizza is my all time favorite food.  But when the stress level went up -- so did my hand towards the pizza box -- ugh!!! 

So through all of these lessons and situations, I was feeling pretty lost.  Feeling like I wasted my week at the resort and frustrated with myself for not being stronger willed.  Then, I went to Zumba tonight.  And I was found.  It was during the last song that sang about being free and strong that I remembered who I was.  Who I am.  I am strong.  I CAN overcome.  There will be hills and there will be valleys in this journey, but those are what make the journey.  That is what makes me stronger.  And viola -- Lesson #3 -- EVERY MOMENT CAN BE THE START OF SOMETHING BETTER --  A DO OVER.  So I came home, ate a healthy dinner and found myself feeling more centered and happy than I have been all week.  And tomorrow is a new day!

Weekend Update

Okay -- so this won't be as funny as Kevin Nealon's but it's still my weekend update :)  I'll be honest... this weekend was HARD!  Again -- it's the food.  I worked out Friday (did an awesome spin class at the YMCA with two of my friends) and then I was able to walk tonight and burn some calories, but man, this food thing is hard!  I cracked and had my first soda since I got back.  The good news is that even since I had that,  I still feel like I could wait awhile before having another.  And I was still craving water today.  I really think that's a big part of my answer -- drink more water. I drank so much water when I was at the resort and I really think it helped with my hunger.  I just don't drink as much here because I usually drink when I'm working out.  There I was working out all day, here I'm not.  That will be my goal this week -- to drink more water!!! 

I've kept pretty much to my 1600 calories a day during the week as well.  The weekend I was probably over a little -- maybe 1800 or so, but nothing too crazy.  But I know I'm not nearly getting the nutrition I need -- as far as veggies/fruits, etc  -- that I had at the resort.  So -- my solution?  I'm trying a place called B Healthy Meals -- http://bhealthymeals.com/  My previous roommate, Leah, had actually learned about this place at a benefits fair she was at for work and at the time I was hesitant to spend the money on it, but honestly, after finding out how hard preparing meals (and I mean HEALTHY meals) was during the week, I decided to give it a try for a week. The meals look good.  And I keep saying that if someone prepares the food for me, I'll eat it, but on my own, I'm less likely to make a healthy meal.  So -- I pick up the meals Tuesday -- I'll let you know how it goes!!

PS -- even thought I haven't done the best I could this week, I haven't gained any weight and I'm still down 11 lbs from when I started which is a bonus.

Oh -- and I saw the Hunger Games last night -- I had a really hard time picking out Dakota (my seatmate on the plain) because she looks a lot like one of the other tributes -- and of course I didn't want to miss any parts of the movie, so  I'll have to watch the movie again just to look for -- okay twist my arm.  :)  It was a great movie.  Here's a cute clip of her I found though --  http://www.imdb.com/video/hulu/vi3997409561/

So -- I'll keep you posted about the meals!!  A new week, a new start!!

In the Real World

I wanted to quickly post today because I had two victories today that I wanted to share with you . . .


1)  We had cupcakes at the office today and they looked so good that I wanted to try a 1/2 of one.  So . . . I cut it in half, took a bite and YUCK!!!  It's true what they say -- your taste buds do actually change!!  It didn't taste good at all!!


2)  I did make it to the gym and boy -- did it feel good!!!  I felt so energized it was crazy!!!


In my mind, those were two major victories for me!!  This is doable!!!

Home Sweet Home!!!

So, back in PA.   The flight home was uneventful -- but I got some pretty pics leaving LA.

I still hadn't seen a grey whale yet and they were supposed to be migrating so my nose was pressed to the window looking one last time!!

 And I guess the rain and yucky weather had to follow me :)  Anywho -- I'm glad to back and from what I can tell, so is my cat.  She won't leave me alone!!  I actually couldn't sleep last night because she was purring so loud!! 

And there's the three hour time difference -- that may have played a role in it! 


I probably won't post every day, but I would still like to occasionally post when I've learned something or when I'm experiencing a challenge in this journey.   So if you'd like to continue to follow, just sign up to follow by email and every time I post, you'll get an email. 


So today was a good day.  After finally falling asleep at 3 am, when my alarm woke me up at 6:30 in order to go to the gym, yeah . . . I hit snooze.  And then I reset it.  There was no way I was going to the gym on 3 hours of sleep.  So, needless to say workout today did not happen. But that's okay.  It's probably best to give my body some more rest.  I will definitely make it tomorrow.  BUT . . I did really well with food today.  I was able to withstand temptation several times (although when I got stressed at work and felt overwhelmed it took EVERYTHING I had to not go into the kitchen and look for a snack -- but I didn't!) and I even ate pretty healthy.  I know I didn't have a 1200 calorie diet, but more like 1600 which is pretty reasonable considering.  And according to my polar watch, I've burned 2300 calories already so I've got 700 in the bank already towards weight loss.  I can live with that :)


I did treat myself one more time and went and got my hair done this morning before going into work . . .

So, day #1 post BLR was a success in my book!!  I'll keep you posted as the weeks go by!!!

I did it!!!!

Yep!!!  I did it!!  I survived the week at the Biggest Loser Resort Malibu.  And today was  . . . .well . . . an interesting end to it!  I woke up this morning to a downpour of rain and headed over to get my final assessment where they measure me again like they did when I first arrived.   Guess what -- I lost 8.5 lbs!!  I'm sure the majority of it came from not drinking any soda all week, but still! I'm pretty pleased.  Sometimes you don't even lose any until you're home for a few days because you're muscles are all swollen up and retaining water while you're here so I may lose even more!

After the assessment and breakfast, I was headed off to another beach hike.   As I was getting ready to go, Ramon and Jessica (BL Season 12) were trying to pack up their car to catch a flight.   I got to talk to both of them and even got a sneak peak at what Jessica will be wearing for the BL Season 13 premier! 

On Saturdays, we can choose to either go on one of three hikes or attend a cardio blast class.  Then we have our last chance workout.  Because I couldn't stand the thought of 4 hours in the gym, I chose the hike.  Not only was it to the beach which was my favorite hike, but it was really cool to see how far I've come in the three days since I had last hiked it.  I wasn't nearly as out of breath going up the hills -- it was awesome.  The only non-awesome thing about it was the weather.  It was COLD, WINDY, and RAINY. . . yuck!!  Check out the pictures today and compare them to Wednesdays!

This little guy was sure enjoying the rain even if we weren't!!!

After the hike and we dried off it was time for our LAST CHANCE WORKOUT!!  It honestly wasn't as bad as I had thought it was going to be -- not sure if that's good or bad!!!

Then it was time for lunch and my facial!! It was AMAZING!!!  She not only did my face (which was so dry from all of the pool time) but also my hands, arms, and FEET!!  What a great facial!!!  I came back and took a lovely nap and awoke in time to prepare for graduation to hear none other than HAIL!!! Yes . .  it was hailing!!!  I thought for a second I had been transported back to PA, but yes, indeed, I was still in California!!  Crazy!!

You have to see it to believe it!!!

Then it was time for graduation.  They created a wonderful DVD for us of all the pictures and videos they had been taking this week. It's really great. 

The dining hall

And finally the week has come to a close.  Although I know I could probably benefit from a few more weeks here, I'm definitely ready to come home.  I miss everyone.  And I know if I really put my mind to it and don't let my emotions get the best of me, I can do this.  And I know I have a great support system.  Thank you all for being that support system.  Thanks for joining me on this journey!!  I love you and will see you all soon!!!

TGIF!!

Truly it should be TGISITF (Thank God I survived it to Friday!).  Wow -- I am definitely sore.  Now besides my knees hurting me, my foot also started bothering me today.  Luckily, we only have a hike and Last Chance Workout tomorrow.   So . . . .Friday . . . .

Today's hike was at Nicholas Flats (Malibu Springs portion) and it would have been great -- if we could see through the fog!! It was completely foggy the whole time. Today in general was a gloomy, cold day . . . yes, I know it's been beautiful in PA this week. But it's probably best it's yucky here because otherwise I'd want to be out lounging by the pool rather than working my butt off inside a gym!! Here are some pics from today . . ..


Here's the van that we travel in every morning to the hike sites



Check out that fog!!

Check out that spider web! That was about the extent of our wildlife we saw today! :)

The ocean is supposedly what we're looking at : )  We called it the 'Nothing' all day -- Neverending Story flashback :)

This afternoon was actually a 'lighter' afternoon if you can believe it!!  We started out with cardio circuit in the gym, then went on to Disco Dancing class -- boy was that hilarious!!  But  . . .  good lesson for me was that I can get my heart rate up to the rate it needs to be to burn max calories in a dancing class -- Zumba here I come!!!  Then we ended up playing water volleyball in the pool for our last class.    For dinner we had this yummy meatball sandwich and a chocolate parfait.  During dinner, the chiropractor on campus, Dr. Ray did a little spiel and then introduced a guest to demonstrate the muscles of the body since he said his powerpoint slide didn't do it justice.  I got all excited when he said his guest's name was Jerome and from the picture I could see I totally almost had a heart attack thinking it was Jerome Bettis . . .no luck . . . .it was a pro body builder named Jerome -- but trust me, he wasn't bad to look at!!!!

Then I had my free nutritional session.  The great thing about this place is that everyone is really supportive.  They give out their emails and the life coach today even gave out her cell phone number and they tell us to contact them anytime we need help or have a question.   The nutritionist is even going to email me some hints and personalized menus based upon our discussion today! 

After that session, it was time for my mani/pedi!!  Check out these nails!!

After coming out of my mani/pedi, there was a familiar face in the dining hall that I couldn't quite place.  Turns out to be Ramon from the Biggest Loser season 12!  Rumor has it that he and his girlfriend Jessica (also from BL 12) are going to be heading up the Niagara resort!!  Very cool!  He looks amazing, so he is obviously keeping it off! 


So here's my insight for today -- I obviously knew that I was going to be experiencing healing while on this journey, but what I didn't account for was healing that I wasn't even aware of.  Each night I have had some CRAZY dreams.  A lot of them involving ex boyfriends -- which has been interesting.  I think that even my brain is trying to heal me emotionally while I'm asleep -- trying to work through emotions and feelings that sometimes lead to me want to eat for comfort.  I thought that was very interesting.  I did have a brief emotional break down this afternoon -- not really sure why.  Just was upset about something (nothing major) and felt myself just about lose it for really no reason.  BUT . . . . instead of what my normal emotion would probably be (eating if it was available) I handled it properly by deep breathing, crying to release my emotions, and then taking a nap!!!!  :)  A success in my book!!


Well -- the week is almost over, and to be honest, I'm ready to come home.  I miss my family, friends, and cat :(  and my body is SORE!!!  but I'm also nervous simply because I now have all of the tools I need to succeed -- it's just up to me!! 


Catch you all tomorrow! Happy Saint Patty's Day!!!


Cyndi :)

Thursday?? Already??

Okay, so in some ways my body is saying, 'Thursday!! Finally!!'  but my mind is saying, 'Really? It's already Thursday?'!!  It's crazy how fast this week has gone, I can't believe it's already Thursday!!


So today's hike was to Tapia Park which is part of Malibu Creek Park. Before land for Malibu Creek State Park was acquired in 1974, it was divided into three parcels belonging to Bob Hope, Ronald Reagan, and 20th Century Fox, for which it is still a popular place for movie filming. One of our guides for this trip, Colton, was very unique. He works in rehab in Malibu (so you can imagine he knows a ton of stars) so he was very knowledgeable about the area. He pointed out the house that the Bachelor/Bachelorette is filmed in, Mel Gibson's private church, Charlie Sheen's previous house (which his neighbors ran him out of!), the bar that Bob Hope, Clint Eastwood, and Ronald Reagan used to share drinks, Sherwood Forest where the first Robin Hood with Kevin Costner was filmed, the actual Biggest Loser Ranch among other things. BUT . . he is very 'nature oriented'. He actually played his wooden flute for us on the trail and had lots of interesting information regarding the flora and fauna of the park. It made for a very interesting trip! Here are some pics . . . .




View from the top -- today started off foggy and yucky as you can tell!

We think that the area down in the valley there was a youth detention center . . . talk about isolated!!

Colton 

You can see some of the group on the trails below

A baby gopher snake.  Colton is a snake charmer in his spare time :)

By the time we returned from the hike, the sun was starting to shine and things were getting warmer. We had our first pool class of the day (which I'm learning some great exercises in the pool, especially for my abs!) and then went to a delicious lunch -- Pumpkin Soup and Hawaiian pizza -- yum!! 


We had a little bit of time in the afternoon, so I came back and took a nap  . . . .ahh!  The first afternoon class was another pool class, then we went to a ball class.  We took the large stability balls and did all kinds of upper and lower body toning exercises on them.  Then it was off to treading which was basically a cardio class where you start off high intensity for 5 minutes, then recover for 5 minutes, then high intensity for 4 minutes, recover for 4 minutes and so on.  During the one minute intensity, I chose to do 'Jacob's Ladder' which wow . . . that's a challenge.  I remembered a Biggest Loser episode where they did that for a certain amount of steps --  1 minute was rough, I can't imagine how long they had to do it!!! 


After that I had another massage -- ahhh -- and then dinner.  After dinner we had free time, which feels weird!!  I'm used to having lectures or appointments, but not tonight!  So I am able to relax a little tonight and rest my tired body :)


So, that's Thursday in a nut shell.  I think the biggest thing I'm taking away from this is that I can survive on 1200 calories and not feel hungry!!  It's amazing.  I'm excited and nervous to keep this up when I come back.  I think I'm going to try and get another freezer so I can make up a bunch of these meals and freeze them so I don't have an excuse for not pulling one out when I'm tired at night and don't want to fix dinner.  It really can work -- but I definitely have to put forth the effort!! So if you live close, I might just need people to test out these meals on -- expect an invite!!  And don't worry -- they are yummy as well as healthy!!! 


Thanks again for supporting me through this journey . . . . until tomorrow!!!

BLR

Since I promised . . . .

The gym

The aerobics room

 

Walkway down to the main dining area

Walkway down to the main dining area

The pool at night

The pool at night

Wall Wednesday

So, they warned us today that Wednesday is when guests hit their 'wall'.  Yep -- they were right!  I actually felt pretty good when I woke up.  Mostly because I skipped stretch this morning and slept in :)  But my body needed it.  Then . . . today's hike was AMAZING!!!!  So VERY, VERY beautiful.  Check this out . . . .

Wow . . . .loved the beach hike.  We saw a ton of surfers, dolphins, a sea lion (way far out), and a star (of the human variety) ! :)




Check out some of these pics . . . .

You can see the rest of the group hiking up behind me!

Our group added a few more today and we also hiked with another group

We hiked that beach right after taking this picture

I thought this pattern of the water running through the sand (minus the footprints!) was cool.

We found a starfish who was still alive . . . totally reminded me of the speech I gave at our High School Graduation -- 'Made a Difference to that one!' (and don't worry, we threw it back in the ocean so it really did make a difference!)

Birds of paradise flower -- so very cool!

For the way back chose to hike back through the development where Sean Penn lives -- here is his house.

After we got back, we had a pool class.  Then lunch (an amazing Greek Pita) and then CRASH -- smack dab into the Wednesday Wall.  After lunch we had a lecture on emotional eating (which I was very excited to hear about) but I couldn't keep my eyes open!  We had a 30 minute break before our afternoon workouts began so I decided to head back for a quick cat nap.  Wow -- when my alarm went off . . I TOTALLY did not want to get up.  They hold us accountable for attending classes, so if they see we're not there, they do call our rooms, so I was debating calling and telling them I wasn't feeling good because I just couldn't fathom getting up and going to kickboxing.  BUT . . . I was reminded of what I'm here for and how much I'm paying and how many people I have supporting me and I drug my butt out of bed for kickboxing, mountain (which is increased intervals of either speed or incline), and another pool class.   Next came dinner and then another lecture on Intuitive Eating . . . very insightful.  Finally I had an adjustment by the chiropractor here.  So, needless to say, the wall was beaten. I have to include here that a big part of the wall coming down was when I returned to my room after the lecture, I had a very sweet voicemail from my small group encouraging me.  It totally made me break down because it made me realize that I really do have a wonderful support group at home and I really shouldn't have any excuses for continuing on with this healthy lifestyle.   So thank you.  Thank you for encouraging, loving, and supporting me through this.  I love you all!!!

Oh -- and I forgot to mention who the celeb was that we saw . . . as we were walking down the beach, there was an attractive man walking with what looked like his parents and his adorable dog. The dog was running up ahead and of course, I couldn't help but reach out to pet him, he was too cute.  On the way back, we passed the threesome again and this time I commented to them that the dog was definately keeping an eye on them because he kept running up ahead and looking back . .it was too cute, but they didn't really respond, just gave me a nod which is odd seeing as most people here have been so friendly.  When we got up to the resting point, our guide asked if we recognized the man . . . I had no clue -- it was Josh Harnett.  Probably best known for his role in Pearl Harbor with Ben Afflec.  No wonder he wasn't so friendly :)   Celeb sighting #2 :)  Maybe #3 will be tomorrow as there are rumors that they're filming an episode of Glee here right now at the resort!!