Say Yes to Sledding!

So being that biking outside is out of the question right now and I don't have a bike trainer I have to seek alternative exercises. Not that I have been very motivated to put in a tape and exercise to it but I am trying not to totally lose myself to the sedentary life of winter, as well as all the yummy comfort food. I mean, who can stop eating? So at the very least I try to take my kids outside to play. What better fun is there in the snow than sledding with kids? All the laughing, crying from snow in the face, then asking for more is just way to much fun. Not to mention how many times I have pulled them up the hill in the sled. One being 35 lbs, one is 25 lbs, and the oldest is 90 lbs. Now I don't normally pull the older one. Only on occassion and never up a hill. The other two I pull around all the time. Not just running around the front yard, but up the hill everytime. That certaingly gets my heart pumping! After about an hour of playing like that outside I am whooped! But it feels good and I think I got my workout in. So even though I can't seem to quit eating the food and I'm not motivated to do a regular exercise routine, at least I go sledding 3-4 times a week (and karate 2x). So I will sled on, my friends.

News...

I have not been neglecting my blog on purpose, just been really busy with other things lately. One of which is the fundraising for the WAM 2008 bike tour. I have to say that I am happy with how it is going. I have had a lot of support from a lot of people. Thank you so much for all the donations towards my fundraising goals. I hope you are as excited as I am about being that much closer to granting a wish. These children certainly deserve it. The last I checked F2F and I have raised over $600!! Yeah!!!

Now for that training. Haven't been doing so much lately. And of course with all the comfort food and Thanksgiving holiday I may have sabotaged myself! lol This time of year is bad for my hips. :) Thank goodness for karate 2x per week. I know I get a good workout there! Plus I love it. I am excited to say that I have just tested and passed for my 3rd grade brown belt! WooHoo!! I can't believe I am actually a brown belt. I'm thrilled! It means I am that much closer to being a black belt. According to my instructor about another year, though it is hard for me to imagine! Now I'll be getting into more self defense (against knives and guns), some more weapons training, and then having to do some reading on martial arts history. I'm excited! Sparring is one thing in karate I don't do often but participated in last night. Now I remember why I haven't done it in a while. No shin guards! I desparately need some. My shins are looking a pretty shade of purple. Don't get me wrong, I love purple-just not when it hurts!

Stay tuned, I'll keep you posted on the fundraising, bike training, and how much better I am at kicking my own butt...:)

It's Official

Yep, that's right. You can now classify me as out of my mind. :) I have just registered today for the WAM 2008 bike tour. Wow! All I can say is that I'm excited and nervous. I mean 300 miles. I was just on the site to see what the route would be and here's what was posted: Start in Traverse City and ride to Big Rapids. Day 2 Ride to DeWitt. Day 3 Finish at Chelsea. Ok, doesn't sound that bad right? Then I looked at the state map. Holy COW! Definately nervous. I think it's time to change my workout stratagy which hasn't been much lately. Definately going to have to get the aerobics in so that I'm not breathing like I'm a smoker after about 10 minutes of working out. lol I'm so excited too! Can you imagine?

I've registerd with my anonomyous friend :) as the team 1st Century Riders. If you're reading this, we could really use your help in donations. You can click on the donations link on the left. Remember, it's to give children that are terminally ill something joyous, hope. Every little bit counts!

A Big Thank You

I just had to dedicate this post to BJB. You are awesome! Why? Because you are always helping others out!

Since deciding to try this bike tour you have not only been emotionally supportive, but you go the extra mile and try to help me raise money for it too. That is above and beyond. I want to thank you for doing that for me. Like I said AWESOME!

Always Something...

Sometimes the best intentions just get squashed with other things that seem to take priority. Sometimes it's that piece of chocolate just calling my name. Maybe it's that really wonderful dinner that I had at the restaurant that was loaded with God knows how many calories. Yummy! The extra hour of sleep I felt I needed. The projects that get in the way. Somehow these things just keep sneaking their way back into my day. How it happens is sometimes a mystery. But the fact of the matter is it does happen. My motivation needs a swift kick in the butt!

Once again my biking was put on hold. Why this time you ask? (I bet the suspense is killing you!LOL) Landscaping! Yep! That's it! The thing is I started this project last weekend and what happens? It's dragged out because, you guessed it, other things get in the way of me finishing it. I am mostly finished with it now. Just have to transplant of few things. Then it's onto working on the back porch. The good thing is that I am still finding the time for karate and yoga, or some sort of aerobic activity. Now if I could just get that biking in...I'll keep you posted.:)

Been A While...

I haven't been on my bike in weeks! It's pathetic really. But I am happy to say that last week and this past weekend I was able to go for three different bike rides. Not as long as I would have like becuase the kids only tolerate so much. All total I probably only biked about twenty miles. I'm happy with that. I guess I figure if at least I got out there then it's all good!

I know that I attend karate pretty regularly but we are always training of various things. Because it gets switched up there are times some of the things we train in don't happen for a while. Bow form would be one of those things that I haven't done in a while. So Monday was the first night in about 7 weeks that I have picked up my bow to train. It's not like I was great at it to begin with and Monday when I picked it up I was rusty on top of that. Let me tell you that whirling around, striking and blocking with a six foot stick is harder than it looks. I have the bruises to show for it! :) Becuase of striking and blocking techniques I now sport bruises on my left arm (about 4 inches in diameter), my right shoulder (about 3 inches in diameter), and my right knee (about 2 inches in diameter). If you haven't guessed it, my problem is in my control! lol I need some so that I don't beat the hell out of myself! Needless to say I took the night off on Wednesday.

Which leads to the other activity I haven't done in a while: hiking. Now, ordinarily I am not sore from hiking but that is when I do it more often and am not backpacking a kid. I realize my little one may only be 23 lbs. but after an hour hiking up and down sand dunes two consecutive days in a row, I'm a little sore. Not my legs so much but my shoulders. Oh well...

I can't complain though, I have gotten three really good workouts in in three days. It feels awesome, if not a little sore. So even though I haven't done these things in a while I do plan to do them more often.

On a side note, I just started practicing with my nunchucks. Quite exciting really! Wish me luck that I don't beat myself up to much. Though I have to say, so far so good.

Weapons

Wow, can you believe it? They actually gave me a new weapon at karate tonight! Not that I know anything on how to use it. I will probably beat myself up more than anything else. LOL I am excited though- my first pair of nunchucks. How cool is that? I already have a bow that I am finally learning to use without injuring myself as much. Not proficient at it yet but I hope to be some day. It won't be too long before I am training on the nunchucks so I'm geeked. I am sure that I will sport some nice bruises to show for it too. :)

I also refereed my first katarte match tonight. I sucked but that was ok, it's all about learning and they were trying not to get me too confused. All good! Just had to share!

Yes to Yoga!

I use to do yoga all the time when I was working full time. Don't know what happened to that dedication. I must have lost it somewhere between work and having kids. :) So the other day I decided that I need to get back into doing it again. I know my body felt a lot better when I was doing it all the time. Especially my back. I have to say that doing it for the first time in who-knows-when it went really well. I found out I still have a lot of flexibility and can do most of the poses fairly decent. I'm excited about that cause I thought I had lost a lot of that by not doing it for so long. Not only that I thought my knee would bother me to much to do it again. But that wasn't the case. It felt pretty good. I could tell that I worked out the next day due to the soreness of some of my muscles. Forgot I had some of them. :) But got my mat out the next day and did it again. The only thing that bites is that I have to get out of bed and doing the workout at 6am. Oh well, it's worth it. Here's to yoga. Now only if I could get that darn bike ride in it would be perfect. lol

The cake did it!

Ok, so I'm trying to be good about what I eat and getting in some exercise. I have been doing some weights and walking to keep me moving. And karate is twice a week. But this past weekend we had a birthday party for the kids. The kids had a great time and lots of people came. It was nice. However, the following day I think I had the effects of too much sugar! :) Is that possible? Yes, not that I want to admit it since I am a sugar freak. Cake. It was yummy, frosting covered, yellow/chocolate cake. I have to say that it tasted great! But with the cake there was lemonade, punch, pizza and pop, also. I'm sure that the sugar from the drinks and empty carbs fromt he pizza didn't help. The next day I was tired and had no motivation what-so-ever. Not for a walk or weights. Probably because I had 2 pieces of cake instead of one. Definately the cake. lol

Big Hugs!

This post is dedicated to my support system both near and far. You know who you are. I couldn't do it with out you guys. You keep me motivated and push me to do my best when I workout, not just half-assed. Thank you, Thank you, Thank you.

Also, I started out thinking that this blog would just go by the way side and I would lose interest. I've never been one to really keep a journal, let alone online. However, it has turned out to be a great thing for me. I am working out almost everyday, even if it is just something small, becuase of this blog and the support I get from you guys not only through my blog but yours also. So special thanks to the person who "pestered" :) me into having this blog. Let me just say, you were right.

Angel Eyes...

I hate doing arm exercises! I don't know what it is about them that I don't like. Maybe becuase I don't have a lot of upper body strength compared to my lower body. Whatever it is I think they suck. However, I have decided that I need to get the upper body toned up some. So lifting my two little ones ( 20 and 30lbs) is my form of "weight lifting" and it is more fun for me cause they are usually laughing. The problem is the number of repetitions that I can do. Not many and the kids are always asking for more! There's motivation for you. Nothing like a couple pleading angel eyed kids with cartoon hearts popping out of them as they ask you to do it one more time. How can I refuse? Now all I have to do is get my butt out of bed to get on that bike. Somehow a 5am alarm isn't very appealing! F2F and NAA...wished you lived closer, I could really use the motivation.

The Mile...

I have to say that I am not really a runner. If anything I just jog if I go out. Well, for the first time in at least two years I went out jogging this morning. For some reason the pavement was just beckoning me. So at 5:30am this morning I rolled out of bed (yes, willingly!) and put my running shoes on for this event. I only went 1 mile. Yes, that's right, one mile. I know not really far but it's a start. I have to say that I use to do this all the time and had forgotten how much I enjoy going out and exercising in the morning. Especially when I get back and the house is still quiet. This is my first real workout, aside from karate, in weeks. It felt good. I can feel that my knee is a little sore so I don't know if I'll be doing that often. But I can't imagine once in a while it would be so bad. I won't even mention my time. NAA has me beat hands down I'm sure! :)

The Next Belt

Yes!!! I passed! I'm geeked about it. I am now a 4th grade green belt in AKS. I think that is so cool. I have to say that the test was not as nerve racking as I thought it would be. Usually the instructor runs you through everything that you have learned from the begining of class to date. Those of us that were testing started at our belt requirements and worked backwards to the begining. We didn't get through everything. But what we did cover we covered thoroughly. My legs and feet are feeling it today. It was also very humid out. I think my deodorant gave out about 15 minutes into class. Sweat was rolling off everyone! It was great though. Now it's on to training for my 3rd grade brown belt. Can't believe I'm this far already but I am happy about it.

As for the cycling, that has taken a backseat at the moment. With the past month being so busy I haven't had much of a chance to ride. I'm looking forward to school starting because I keep a much better routine then. And with the oldest child in school I am hoping to get out more on the bike. I need to put the bike trailer I bought to good use! Also, maybe by then the weather won't be so humid. Ugh. Talk about a motivation killer. I'm doing some exercises inside but not wanting to go for that bike ride, hike or otherwise with weather like this. Hats off to those of you who do. Feel free to pass on some of that motivation to me!

Women's Self Defense

The really cool thing about karate is sometimes I get to teach something to someone else that may help them out in the future. Last night was one of those nights. Our school held a self-defense class for those who wanted to come. Mainly women. Though last night was not the workout karate is usually, it was still beneficial. Helping others learn some techniques that would help them out was fun. Some of the women there gave some senarios that they have encountered and the instructors were able to demonstrate some ways in which you would be able to defend or escape the situation. The women that came were really interested in learning this information so that made the class much more involved and exciting. I too learned some new techniques and situations that one could be faced with. Overall a very good night.

I think the biggest thing that I took away from that class is this: BE AWARE. Karate has certainly done this for me. I know this sounds like a simple concept but sometimes I forget. Like when I am loading groceries in the car and the kids are whining that they are ready to go. Although I would like to think that all people have good intentions I know that's not true. Just turn on the news! So if I can help someone else by reminding them to always be aware then cool! So, to all you ladies out there, remember BE AWARE!

Surprise!

Karate was awesome last night. As I predicted, it was a good work out. I know in my last post that I said I was hoping to test for my next belt by October or sooner. Well, guess what?!

Yes! I test in 2 weeks! I'm excited. I wasn't thinking that I would be testing quite this soon but when I talked with my instructor he said that I was ready! I'm going to be testing for my 4th grade green belt in AKS. In AKS it counts backwards as you go up in rank until you get to black belt. Everyone starts at white belt then goes to 8th grade yellow etc...until you get to 2nd grade brown. Then you go to black belt. After this upcoming test I will be a 4th grade green belt. Then after that I will work towards a 3rd grade brown.

As with every upcoming test I will be cramming. I always do. I really need to work on my kata as I haven't had much time to do that. You can bet that between now and testing I will be spending a lot of time practicing when the kids are sleeping. Think I could put them to bed at 6pm instead of 8pm? It's a nice thought but somehow I don't think so. LOL It just means that after 8 I'll do my practicing, not to mention when they are down for a nap. So wish me luck! I know I said that in my last post, but I really need it!

aiyah!

Karate is a great thing for me. It really helps keep me motivated to keep going. I have goals for that and it translates into goals in other parts of my life. It's a wonderful thing! Been a little home bound this week because I'm packing an extra little one and no room in the bike trailer for her. However that doesn't mean I can't get my workout in. Let me tell you that carrying two little ones at the same time can be a real workout. Yesterday I had one in the backpack and one in the frontpack and walked for 45 minutes. I was sweating by the time I was done! It was great!

Tonight I get to go to karate, have someone coming over to watch the kids. I'm looking forward to it. We always do a lot of kicks and punches in low stances so I get a good workout. Plus the self-defense that we learn is always good! I'm hoping by October to be able to test for my next belt, if not sooner. It will depend on how often I can get to karate during the summer. It's a busy time of year for us, so it's nice when I can get to karate at least once a week right now. 4 more belts until I get to black! WooHoo. I'm hoping to get there in 3 years so wish me luck!

Falling Apart Already

I'm not really sure what is going on but my knees have been bothering me since March. I think it has to do with the weight that I gained after the third baby. I went back to karate practice and started training in forms for a tournament and then in March I just woke up and my knees were bothering me. I am trying to combat it with taking glucosamine/chondroitin complex. I think it might help if I was much more diligent about it. That is probably why I am not feeling the effects of this yet. I'm trying to set up a routine on when I take my pills. Hopefully it will force me into a habit. I hope it works because I notice that after biking any distance (like yesterday's 7 miles) I could feel my knees bothering me.

On top of that my feet are bothering me too. Plantar fasciitis. Sometimes my feet hurt so bad that I look like a 90 year old woman trying to walk and in need of a cane! It sucks. I have found some great shoes to help combat the issue. I do notice that even when I am biking and not putting the strain on my feet like when I am walking/jogging that they still hurt. So I guess wearing the cheap shoes are out. Just have to have shoes with good support. Can't believe I'm falling apart already!

Relay...

I have to say that running relays in the yard with the kids is a great way to exercise! I'm not a very good runner. Pretty slow and awkward looking but I guess that it doesn't bother me so much when I'm running with my kids. And wow...great way to get cardio. We were doing sprints and we all had a lot of fun. Which of course only translates into doing it again.

I was able to go biking two more times this week. Like I said, only three miles but I do try to push myself the whole way. I usually make a 3 mile trek then go to the park for the kids. I don't count the ride back to the house as it's only a few blocks. I think the kids are getting into it which may mean I can take longer bike rides with them. So long as there is a park involved they don't seem to mind.

So wish me luck, maybe I'll win my next relay! :) LOL

Looking Forward to the Cold Front!

Ok, another 3 mile bike ride under my belt. I know it's not far but it's good. Yeah, I know, only 3 miles. But with my schedule it's good that I can get even that in. I also went to karate again this week and that was an awesome workout. Of course being outside it was hot as all-get-out! I think I dropped a few pounds cause I was sweating so bad! That humidity is killer. It's hard to stay motivated with weather this humid so hearing about a cold front that is going to move through tonight is making me happy! :-) That is the kind of weather I can go biking with the kids in. They won't fry in the trailer.

As a side note: Reason to buy from a bike dealer.
A month after the purchase of my bike trailer there was a problem with it. The cover was bent. I wasn't sure what I should do about it or if I had to pay to replace it. I stopped in and talked to the people at the bike shop. No questions asked, no reciept of purchase, no product in hand, they ordered me a new one and apologized that there was a problem with mine. Within the week I had a new bike trailer cover. I am so happy. Wish I could afford to do all my bike shopping there! :)

Shedding Inches

I am excited! Ok, after baby number three and the eighty pounds that I thought I would never shed, it is finally happening! This morning I tried on a pair of size 12 pants and they fit! YEAH!!! I don't know that I can contribute it to my workouts exactly. I think it has more to do with me just being busy all the time. But either way, I don't care right now. The fact of the matter is I haven't been able to wear these pants for 1 1/2 year! So that's my excitement and motivation for the day. Just got to keep moving. Seeing how I have an over-flowing plate at times that shouldn't be to hard. Fitting in a workout with the kids will be challenging but I just have to get creative. Use them as weights, play some football or something like that. Looking forward to an afternoon bike ride too. WOO HOO!!!

Still Motivated

Yes!! After 3 weeks of not being able to go to karate I was finally able to make it back there last night. It was great! I had a great work out and look forward to going back next week. Nothing like a little karate to kick your a--! (No pun intended)

I've been lifting "weights" too. One is a twenty pounder and the other right around thirty. They are great for my biceps and even better when I do squats with them. Not to mention the cardio when I am carting them up and down the stairs. My "weights" laugh and squirm the entire time but they're kids so what do you expect? I guess you could say the I'm getting my kids involved in my workout too. :)

The biking has not been as frequent as I would like it right now. Summer is so busy and it's hard sometimes to fit in a longer bike ride. I have the best of intentions though and been keeping myself motivated if nothing else. I know that I will get in that biking time sooner or later. Preferable sooner. But on the other hand I am always on the move for one thing or another so I don't feel to bad about missing some of those bike rides.

Sleep needed

Ugh! What a busy week! Getting workouts in on weeks like this is not only challenging, it's damn near impossible. I was reduced to just doing some walking. At lest it's keeping me moving. The bike ride I took with my kids two days ago doesn't really count becuase it was so short. I've been trying to do some ab workouts since I haven't been able to get the cardio in as much this week. I should be doing those anyway so it's probably good that I had this week to do that. Now I just need to balance the two. Looking to have that summer beach body by next year so wish me luck. After kids it's not easy. But that's one of those personal goal things. Fortunately today is somewhat slower in pace so I went for nice bike ride with kids in tow. It was three miles, that seems to be the tolerance level right now. Hopefully by end of summer I can go longer with them.
Being busy is a good thing but sometimes you can be a little too busy. Trying to cram 36 hours in to 24 doesn't work and forgoing sleep only kills the motivation to do any workout. I am glad to see the end of this week coming to a close and trying to put everything back on track. Getting a decent night's sleep will be key to bringing up my motivation to hit the pavement. So that's what I plan on doing this weekend. Actually try to get in eight hours of sleep instead of four. Here's to a good night sleep.

Towing Kids

Wow, what a busy week. Sometimes it's a llittle overwhelming how busy it can be. I did get out on the bike again this week. However I could only go for a 3 mile ride. I was towing kids and they weren't about to sit any longer. That's ok though, at least I got out right? There's been plenty of yard work and kids to run around after this week. I think that I got my cardio in and that's a good thing. Not to mention how many times I had to climb the stairs for one thing or another. I would think that as many times as I did climb the stairs this week I would have buns of steel! :)

I did go out and purchase a new bike trailer for the kids this week. I decided that if I was going to be able to get on the road more often that I would have to invest in a bike trailer that was dependable. So that's what I did. This one is quite the upgrade from the old one I had and I'm very happy with it. So no more excuses about not being able to go cause I can't take the kids. With the new bike trailer and the kids outfitted with the proper saftey gear hitting the road is definately easier. Looking forward to another bike ride today. Stay tuned! :)

Playing With Sand...

I'm trying to keep up with the cardio part of my work out. It can be a challenge. I did make it to karate class on Monday and hope to go again on Wednsday. However today I think that digging in sand counts as cardio! My hubby decided that the firepit that we have needed to be extended. This decision is the cause of the 2 yards of beach sand that are now occupying our firepit. Of course I helped him unload and spread it. It took about twenty minutes and by the time I was done I felt like I worked out. So, that counts right? Weeding too right? Don't forget that I helped our daugther build sand castles and played tag. :) Hopefully I can get out biking later today. In the meantime, shoveling works for me!

The Begining

Ok, so I'm a novice when it comes to blogs but here I am starting one at the urging of a friend who will remain anonymous. You know who you are!:) Why am I doing this? Because having support to motivate myself when getting fit helps me. My goal is to ride the Wish-A-Mile bike tour in 2008. It's a tall order but why not try, right?

I have purchased a new road bike for the training and this event. Nothing fancy, just functional. There are a few other things on my list that I'm sure will trickle into the house as the summer starts to pass. Trust me when I say that I have a running list. When it all comes down to it though, it doesn't really matter unless I get on the bike and start riding.

So Saturday was my first real bike ride in a long time. 8.5 miles in 30 minutes. The route was pretty flat too. Ok, so it's a little short, slow, and easy but I have to start somewhere. I have to say that it felt pretty good! I'm looking forward to doing it again soon. I think that I will set up some type of weekly schedule to help keep me on track and motivated. Wish me luck!