Keep Calm and Love The Life You Live!

That's the motto!

Well I have been a bad bad blogger... I apologize but life has...all together now...been sooo busy!!! Right! What is new!? Well I have millions of updates MILLIONS but I will narrow it down to three!

FIRST! My 37th Birthday was AWESOMMEEEEE!!!! I am SOOOOOO grateful for my life and not just the fun times but literally for my life. The end of 2011 up until..well last week I have experienced a lot of death family members, friends, sorors. Some as young as 32 some as seasoned as in their 80s. I really can’t tell you how sobering it is for me to lose all these people back to back to back. I've been to more funerals in the last 6 months than in my entire life!

Its just renewed my belief in celebrating life and living my best life ever. So in keeping with that I picked an adventure themed birthday weekend which included white water rafting! I am awesome! Yup I said it!

Wisp Resort so peaceful!

View from our room!

My Birthday Goodie bag for my guests :-)

The girls!

I along with some friends and my Bobbie Christina went to Deep Creek, Maryland on the Saturday before my birthday and stayed at the Wisp Resort in McHenry. The Whitewater rafting took place at Adventure Sports Center International.  From Baltimore its less than 2 hours and it is a picturesque trip. The five of us road along our merry way and got there in no time! I had a whole itinerary planned out (which none of them read by the way!) and we were going to do the ski lift and hike back down but it didn’t look operational and to be honest the five of us are busy career women and I think we were so taken by the beauty of the place we just went to the restaurant and opted to enjoy the beautiful scenery and each other’s company! We even skipped dinner got to bed at a decent time because we... ok I... went on youtube looking for whitewater rafting videos and I was getting a lil scared lol But it was too late to punk out now!


I came up wit the idea from a friend who went a few years ago and I thought what a great idea but at my highest weight I couldn’t really imagine doing that so set it as a goal threw it up on a vision board and when I began this blog I thought of all the things I could do with this new body and I posted a few on the poll and I am checking each item off  1) Hot Yoga – √ 2) Indoor rock climbing-√ 3) hiking-√, anddd now white water rafting-√

Here are a few pictures! And as my life would have it I was the ONLY one to end up in the dang gone water lol The 15 minute this is what to do if you fall out the boat message basically was “Keep Calm” so when I saw the Keep Calm & Love the Life You Live poster it seemed like a perfect fit! :-)

 I had a blast!!!  It was a great getaway and I would do it again in a second! I actually won two free white water rafting passes at my Sorors’s nonprofit’s annual fundraiser Hand in Hand Baltimore! As my life would have it I lost the certificates :-( I called the and even though they couldn't find it in the system they let me book the trip anyway! Of course I found it last week so I plan to scan and email the kind woman who believed me! The ASCI set up is great and our guide was awesome! I have been convinced to start a travel blog so I will put more details there on how it all works, cost, etc. In the meantime here are some pictures!

Anddd we're off!

See how I am no where to be found?!?

#2 Non stop eating-Conference recap

Last week I had a two day conference in Baltimore! It was awesome! Ok the conference was just ok but the commute was awesome! I was back to my 20 minute door to door commute what a difference that made in my life! I love my job but the commute is horrible because I spend a good 3.5 hours four days a week just getting to and from work! On a good day. If it rains forget it! Anyway I used the extra time to hit the gym and pack snacks I was so prepared for the carb loaded stuff they had there! I was proud of myself!

One thing I noticed was I eat nonstop. Literally. ALL. DAY. It stood out because we were sitting in rows and while others were taking notes or texting nonstop I kept eating nonstop!  lol Now the items were low cal or healthy items I accounted for point wise but it just made me realize when I am NOT mindful of what I am eating that is how the calories add up so quickly!  I work with someone who is very very thin and I guess because I am always looking at food and weight/sizes I notice she eats non stop all day too but its like shredded wheat and carrots. :-/ Boo! When I really get into something work wise I eat non stop and I don’t usually pay attention to what it is.

I know this was true in law school and I know that contributed to my weight gain because of the stress. I don’t know the take away other than I understand I use food for stress and as I work on reducing that I need to be mindful of what I am snacking on. Stick with zero point fruits and veggies or be mindful of the portions of the other types of snacks I keep around. I went shopping for stuff because I didn’t want to be at the mercy of the vending machines and that worked well.

Conference stash didnt have half of it but better safe than sorry!

#3  The Set Point and Switching Up workouts – Percor and Stairmaster

I was watching Discovery health and they had a special about obesity and the effects of the body and they began discussing the Set Point Theory and it reminded me of the fact that I can’t do what others do and lose weight. My set point is higher and my body will fight me to keep it there out of self preservation. My body doesn’t know that I am still overweight. I went back and did more research again and it was a good reminder that while my set point may be higher than what I want I can beat my body into submission. It sounds cruel and abusive however it is what must be done. That was why Charles was so critical when I lost weight in 2009-2010 he kept switching up my workouts. My body had to keep guessing and building muscle helps to speed up my metabolism which is key in re-setting your body’s set point.

I posted something on the article that basically said this information was liberating to me because I spent a lot of time beating myself up about not having enough self control and motivation to lose weight but its deeper than that its biological. Knowledge is power. So I am jumping out of my box while Charles is in transition (he is closing his gym this month) so I tired some new machines and my goodness is my body responding. I feel good. Stronger. Leaner. I set a goal earlier this year to lose 44 pounds by the end of the year I am already 10 pounds in! Leaving 33 to go! More info on Setpoint can be found. As I said on the board it goes under the file of life isnt fair but its good to know. I wont lose 5 pounds in a week like others b/c my body will crave high calorie/fat food to feel safe at its set point so I have to ride it out and workout hard. Or don't! My choice.

http://www.livestrong.com/article/326795-how-to-change-your-body-weight-set-point/

http://www.livestrong.com/article/256965-how-to-lower-weight-set-point/

Da Beast!

I have also been obsessive over my calories/points because a piece of cheesecake will add 5 pounds to me while my body is fighting to get back at its higher weight and in someone else it will have no impact. So as I have been out and about traveling, partying, and socializing I am being overly critical of portions and options. I lost 2.4 after July 4^th that’s a huge victory! I had bites of a few things and didn’t over do it. Same at my Aunt’s 75^th birthday dinner which was held at Pine Bar & Grill in the Bronx. The food was great but the portions were huge! A few bites and pushed the plates away! It helped that my dress was so cute and I didn’t want anything poking out that shouldn’t be ;-) But honestly the first bite and the 25^th are the same except the calories.

On my way to my Aunt's 75th Bday dinner!

The beautiful birthday girl a two time brain cancer suvivor! She's amazing! 75 years young!

My fave Doc and Cuz all the way from JA!

My Cuz cuz (aka second cousin!)

White Sangria!

Pine Bar & Grill very nice! The BX!

I had another birthday for Soror and the restaurant's portions are crazy huge I went in knowing I would take food home and it’s a 2 for 1 dinner and lunch the next day. Blue Dolphin is great though! Just not diet friendly without self control :-)

All in all life is good! My workouts are back on track. I am glad I am not someone who hates working out I do get a great sense of self satisfaction when I compete a workout!  

My heart rate monitor has been key! I stopped using the new one it was low balling me! I think my old one with the new strap may be a lil high but its closer to the online calculators so I am going with that. My goal isn’t to eat any of them anyway so its all good!

Oh I also joined Black Girls Run Baltimore! I will do another post on that! I heard about it from Mimi and she has a workout blog I have mentioned before Again not a huge fan of walking or running but it works! It’s a cool group and some of my friends 10+ years joined me last Saturday to do it! It was about a 5 miler! Whew~!

The pink BGR  pom pom I am legit now!

Last week I went to the Baltimore Farmer’s Market and got some great stuff! I spent like $25 and good tons of veggies and fruits! They taste so clean and pure! Love it! I know I still owe yall a Farmer’s Market post and I will get it done soon promise!! Last week was their 35^th Anniversary so there were a lot of people including the Mayor who is looking gooodddd and thinnnnn! I saw her in Annapolis at a sorority event and I was so shocked I gave her a high 5! It was good to see she was still holding on tight to her results! Awesome!

That's all for now! Ok a few more pics from the shenanigans over the past few weeks!

  

 Remember!!!

Keep Calm and Love The Life You Live!

At the July 4th Baltimore NPHC Day Party

SkeePhi- Rho Xi Omega's event with the Alphas

Vegas baby!!!!

Birthday Cigars! Yes I am GROWN!

My Birthday Happy Hour!

My chapter Sorors!



Life is good!
:-)
If you are keeping track I am back to being 75 pounds down! :-)
That's like the size of a 1st or 2nd grader! I didnt really appreicate that last time so I need to celebrate!

June 2012~ Look At Me Naw!

It’s the first week in June already! What can I say? Time flies!

Last week I was pumped to drop 2.6 pounds after going out every day for a week straight. PUMPED! I got back to the gym and worked out with my personal trainer Charles. What a workout it was! He pulled out all the big guns! This month is our 3 year personal trainer-versary! And like any good man he knows how to keep our relationship fresh lol he pulled out the floor latter which I had to jump in and out of while doing bicep curls with 10 pounds weight, some new ab workouts, as well as some crazy BOSU ball push up and lifts I aint never seen’t before! All good stuff! I also ran on the treadmill like without stopping. I mean I know that’s not a big deal for some people but I usually walk and job lightly but I ran the whole time and I felt GOOD! Needless to say I am still sore like 3 days later! LOL To my credit I also stayed for his Chizel It class which is a combo on weights and cardio. So I got a good 2.5 hours in and I aint mad!

Laundry day I guess! Yikes! My old work shirt...



Some extra room there for sure lol



Sunday I went to the Great Grapes Wine Festival with some friends and my cousin cousin (2^nd cousin) who came by on break from medical school. I found an old picture of his brother, him, and me over 10 years ago and I was wearing the shirt above and it was TIGHT!!!! I don’t know why I still have these random 2 and 3x clothing hanging around but my Mom came recently and did laundry (didn’t know she put them in the guest room until my cousin came and I found them) so I found that old tshirt and wore it to the gym. It wasn’t until I was doing weights in the mirror that I noticed how HUGE the shirt was on me. I looked crazy! Why do I still own this shirt? Its trash! But I washed it and kept it anyway I guess its a good reminder.

That was over 10 years ago so I think those pictures will do the trick. Anyhoo the event was great! Here are a few pics!

Love my new dress!

Me Cousin cousin & lil sis

Love them!

This journey has had its ups and downs that’s for sure this week has been pretty busy and I have not cooked which means I have been eating out. Last week went so well but I am not too sure about this week.

I went to the Capital Jazz Festival on Saturday and I had food before I went but I was sooo tempted to have a fried plate of fatness and I know this is gonna sound horrible BUT there were so many morbidly obese people there I bought some peach lemonade and called it a day. But even the peach lemonade was a size gigantic! It was crazy! I didn’t see a lick fresh fruits or salad ANYWHERE! Good thing I wasn’t hungry anyway! My sister and I went to Red Lobster and even though I did ok the calories added up sooo quickly! We also went out Friday night and again I spilt everything in half but still!

Sunday I had a crab cake at the Great Grapes Wine Festival and threw away the bread and had a good bit of wine and enjoyed some music and sun! But they had these fresh cut & fried potato chips and by the end of the afternoon I couldnt resist! the only plus side is I had 5 people to share them with and I did! No food P@#n pic its better that way lol

The Blueberry was gooddd

Monday I took my cousin to IHOP for breakfast and again the calories just crept up on me! I saw Beres Fan yesterday (yeaaa and booo hiss) he bought (another vintage) car needed a favor in the form of a ride so I said ok. I felt really bad I forgot his birthday! Like totally forgot then I ended up getting him a gift so when he called it seemed like good timing. We got the car, went to the auto parts store for a few things, then we went to dinner. We had a good convo but he’s still a man and they have their limits when it comes to chatting! LOL but I dunno I think we are too different and both too stuck in our ways to change enough to make it work… but only time will tell in the meantime its almost my birthday!! And whitewater rafting is on the menu! But so is losing this extra 7 pounds!

I am logging everything into My Fitness Pal and well we’ll see how next Saturday goes.

I packed my lite Cesar salad kit, watermelon, apple, soup, and fiber 1 bar to take with me today. I am already halfway through my 64oz water bottle and I plan to finally hit that boxing class tomorrow night! All good things!

I hope all is well on your ends!!!

I survived!

Well I survived this week long of craziness and lived to tell the tale of dropping almost 3 pounds!!! *praise dance* I weigh in almost daily but I've been so on the go lately I really have not taken the time to. I even missed my Weight Watchers meeting! I did workout on Sunday for two hours! I did Body Pump which I have not done in forever and then I started doing spinning but got PUT OUT! YES CHILE! PUT OUT THE CLASS!!! LOL It wasn’t funny at the time but I can kinda laugh now. Well it was a new teacher and her music sucked I had my blackberry and kindly put on pandora to rock out with some Jay Z well didnt she get off her bike and come tell me to take my earphones off. I kindly told her I do this anytime I dont care of the music and I have been a member for over six years and I've never been told to take them off. Well she told me if I want to listen to my music I can do it outside on those bikes and turned her back on me! :-O Say what now? So needless to say I took off my earphones and walked right out and saw Body Combat going on and jumped in. I mean seriously! Now I am a letter writer for good and bad issues so I wrote a longgggg letter before I left the gym and sent another longgg email to the manager. I mean I can see a teacher not liking that BUT at the end of the day the goal is to support the members’ health and fitness goals. Period. Put your ego aside and get some better music is what I would say to myself.

Anyhoo the manger called and emailed me to apologize and said she spoke with her and she was new and please don’t leave over one incident. I’ll see about that. I do like that gym and I found out my personal trainer is closing his gym! I am sooo upset! I need a gym and there are options in the area that’s for sure so we will see.

The weekend! What a weekend it was! Saturday I bought a new car! Yeahhhhh! Well I am really not at the yeahhhhh stage! LOL All I keep thinking is now I have a car note! But its nice I like it. I named her Tami yes after Tami from Basketball Wives b/c of all the internal drama I went through to make up my mind to finally take the plunge and get a new car! LOL

She is nice though leather interior, sun roof, GPS, and all the bells and whistles. She’s pretty and she’ll grow on me. Justice is still hanging around but she’ll go to the dealer sooner or later I have to clean her out and say my goodbyes! She was a faithful car for 10 years! So much change going on its crazy.

Tami :-)

Well after getting the car I headed to the Linganore Caribbean Wine Festival! Whew! What an afternoon! Had great fun even though we got there late! The wine, music, and company was great! I had a crabcake that was delish and shrimp and no fries oh and copious amounts of wine. The one thing about weight loss is it doesn’t have to mean you put your life on hold. I really worked hard this weekend to be active on purpose. For example by the time we got there parking was still packed I parked wayyyy down a long hill rather than scooping out a closer spot! It wasnt much but it was work getting up that hill lol 

Because I had some many activities I made sure I didn’t go anywhere hungry! I had a dance that night and had a wing (yup just one) and a glass of wine and just people watched!

On Sunday my friend Dawn and I went to the Farmer’s Market! I had a ball! I will do a post just about that because they have really done some great things there and gotten some cool new vendors! I did indulge in some mini donuts, fried fish, and a cupcake lol

Afterward was Rashid’s Relaunch it was agreat opportunity to see him in his element as a writer! The books are good!  The setting was perfect and the crowd was good. All good energy. There was a lot of food! I had half a sandwich and chips and I brought grapes, blueberries and strawberries! I also picked up some cupcakes and another treat from the Farmer's market both went rather quickly lol I was happy to share the calories! I did have some mystery punch ok like 3 cups and I had a great time!

Monday I met up with the photographer from the day at the races event for my CD cant wait to see the pics! We had a good covo for about 2 hours then I went home and rested! Tuesday was work from home then I had to teach that night. TOM is in full full effect and it wasn’t a pleasant day but made it to class and then home to bed!

Its Wednesday and the first time in 8 days I don’t have something to do after work so I plan to go home and go right to bed!

Whew ~ Of course I have plenty pics to share below! This week’s workout plan is well to be honest I am not sure! LOL Saturday a workout with Charles for sure and Sunday spinning and I am going to the Great Grape Wine & Food Festival! Can you tell I am sooo ready for summer fun!!!

I am also putting the finishing touches on my 37^th Birthday Whitewater rafting getaway! How exciting!

Well here’s my review!

Clearly a few bottles later

With Soror Sheila!

Getting my books!

We cut up!

Rho Tau Lambda's Barnyard dance with my friend Ariel

My Lord!



Didn't my Lord deliver Daniel... then why not every man!

 

This has been a super busy crazy week and there’s more to come if I didn’t live this life I wouldn’t believe it lol One of my sorors calls me the soror socialite lol as a recap! I lost .2 pounds at Weight Watchers last Saturday. At first I was a lil disappointed but then I recalled eating McDonald’s ice cream almost every damn day. I mean seriously who does that?! I do! Its hot! LOL I know so I’ll take my .2 and go ‘head. Well my week in review:

Saturday I went to visit some of my former chapter sorors then hit a “Spinning Party” hosted by another soror at the Baltimore Fitness & Tennis Club. It was a typical spinning class and it looks like the idea was to introduce people to spinning. There were mostly oldies but goodies playing and it was fun. Afterwards she served a healthy lunch fruit, meatballs, salad, etc. I however…ahem… unfortunately gobbled down 2 1/2 slices of pepperoni pizza when I met up with my former chapter Sorors! I was hungry! Well after spinning I just had 2 cups of fruit and to be honest I don’t think I journaled so no telling what went down later.

Sunday was the official launch of my business From Theory to Practice Consulting, LLC. (Like my page please!!) Ahh what a great day! What a great event! I had about 10 women and one even blogged about it! Check out Kim from Chic Mommy, Cool Kid! What a blast the vision board party was! I will post pics promise!

Monday was my work from home day and I was super busy but I made it to the gym and worked out for a little over an hour! Score! Then I had a committee meeting and a board meeting. I didn’t see my house again until almost 10 pm! For the love of AKA!

Tuesday I am supposed to teach but I had my usual sub who is an alum from that college and students always love her. I had the Junior League of Baltimore Annual Dinner. It’s a cool tradition at the end of the League year we have a dinner and the outgoing President gets serenaded by The Larks with an original song giving the highlights of her life and her League year. I got a cute little plant from the outgoing President for coming in mid-year to revive the Wise Penny committee and the members seemed pleased with that! It was a nice event but there was a little tension in the room. It’s a long story but the take away lesson is I am a rules person. I have talked about my personality either I am on or off, hot or cold…that relates to everything even my diet and exercise. So when rules are not followed I am not pleased and there was an issue that arose regarding my committee and I was not consulted or even an afterthought really lol That is very odd to me. I would never not (shameful double negative) address concerns or suggestions I have about someone else’s committee to everyone BUT the Chairman of that committee. I mean that’s the RIGHT thing to do. Right? And I would hope if I had a good idea and I felt the need to speak with others at the point that it trickled down the line to the appropriate person and they seek me out I would hope the response I would give would be better than the one I got is all I will say. The whole situation was just odd but whatever the true motivation the person is now a sustainer and moving away so I can’t and won’t dwell on it. I have long learned the way I treat people doesn’t always come back to me so its just a helpful reminder that I need to treat people with common courtesy and respect because it isn’t a good feeling to feel…dismissed and disregarded. I tedn to be pretty type A and my demeanor when there is work involved is very hard nosed so again maybe they didn’t mean it the way it came off but it was a not so gentle reminder to me and I had my say on the matter. I will chalk it up to two similar personalities that clashed... 

Onto more happier female inter-actions… lol

Wednesday was AKA night at Alvin Ailey in Baltimore! I am the Fundraising Chairman of my chapter’s Foundation and let me tell you its more than a notion! I am not a money person, don’t really liked dealing with it or tickets or every detail but this is expanding my knowledge in other aspects of the Sorority and I cant be mad at that. The first event I did was the Day at the Races, which was actually planned well after this night with Alvin Ailey but came first! Well last night was spectacular! I was feeling a bit overwhelmed with the reception part and I basically said I’ve done everything else from flyer to getting some of the dancers to come to the meet & greet and I can’t do not one more thing! Well they heard me loud and clear and she jumped into action! By the time I got there all that had to be done was to change my shoes and take pictures! Sweet! The performance was amazing as always and everyone had a great time! I love the song "Didn't My Lord Deliver Daniel" its so heartfelt! The new stuff was good but Revelations is forever a signature Alvin Ailey performance! If you've never been PLEASE don't delay!

Tonight I had a law event. Tomorrow I have a Cotillion to attend hosted by a local chapter. Saturday it’s the Linganore Wine Festival, a Soror’s cookout, and another cookout in memory of a soror and then the Rho Tau Lambda chapter of the Alphas have an event at 9pm that night.  Sunday my friend Rashid Darden who is an excellent writer is having an event for his 

three awesome novels, Lazarus, Covenant, & Epiphany! I am excited for him! Be sure to check out his books! great reads! Awesome story!!! There may be one other thing that day and I’ll discuss that at another time. ;-) 

Then before I know it its gonna be Monday again! When will I workout? I don’t know I know the scale was down less than half a pound and I will take it because well any loss is a loss! I planned to take off today but had some work to do and I figured I would save the leave. I am leaving a bit early gonna catch lunch with a high school buddy then get a mani pedi and go to my law thing and then home!

But my workout question. Saturday morning I will plan to catch an early spinning class or something after Weight Watchers! Sunday’s event isn’t until 3 so the trick will be not to overdo it at the Wine festival on Saturday J Monday its work from home and Charles and I need to reconnect so not too shabby now that I think about it! Anyway so pics from the world wind that is my life J Enjoy you know I did!

With my former co-worker Michelle who has become a skinny mini runner! Go Michelle!

With one of my Fave Sorors getting her Masters from GW!

Soror Delores's spin party I am repping the Ja bandana lol

Motherhood in Bloom Vision Baord workshop with teen Moms and mentors and Moms! Awesome

Ladies Only Vision Board Afternoon Tea Party

My Workout Superstar Soror! Soror Twyla's Vision! Beautiful!

Post Alvin Ailey :-) I shared one of the sinful Crème brûlées :-)



What Getting Back on Track Looks Like (Spr 2K12 edt.)

Well I am back! Did ya miss me?! :-) If I was a good blogger I would post all the prior entries on the series “What Getting Back on Track Looks Like” but yall know me so sorry!

For the newbies I have done several posts over the years that provide good tips, reviews, and feedback on different product to help you get back on track or stay on track.

Food reviews are my favorite because I like to eat lol and when you are watching your weight in general or trying to “release” weight you  don't want to  feel like you are on a diet so when I find good stuff I share!

So today is one of those days. I left home a little late and missed my bus. Talk about mad! That heffa was still there and just drove by me and acted like she didn’t see me. In an effort to take lemons and make lemonade since I had 30 minutes to kill I went to the grocery store. I cleaned out my fridge and was left with wine, mustard, and protein shakes lol seriously. I never made it to the grocery store on Monday because it was raining cats and dogs so this was perfect timing.

Giant had Chobani & Fage on sale 4 for $5.00 THAT NEVER HAPPENS! I will say I am not a good coupon shopper because I like only certain things and tend to be brand loyal so a few others were on sale but I know I only like Cho & some of the Fage flavors so it was like Christmas since both were on sale so I got both! I opted for the Cracker Barrel since the Laughing Cow was really high I’ll hit Trader Joe’s for that this weekend. I also got 2 bags of salad they were only 2 for $4.00! One was a Cesar salad kit and the other was a mixed green bag so gain good deal! I also stumbled upon a cute bag of Pink Lady apples! My fave! Only $2 and change!  I spent less than $20.00 in 15 minutes! I think the fact that I only had a short time frame forced me to be focused! I think that’s a steal!

I know people complain about eating healthy means spending more money and I will not be all elitist and say well being healthy costs. I will say eating healthier means being creative and using your resources to do it on a budget.

As a mentioned (in passing) I started my own business called From Theory to Practice Consulting, LLC. and on Saturday I served as a facilitator for a vision board workshop for Jewel House. The owner hosted a symposium for teen Moms. It was a great experience. I think every business owner has a few moments when they realize THIS is why they wanted to own their own business and Saturday was one of those moments for me. The local community center has a community garden! How cool is that and after the workshop they gave the moms and their family members some of the vegetables for free. One of the young ladies didn’t know how to cook one of the vegetables and almost turned it down! I told her to take it you cook it by boiling it lol  

So Jamaican I know!

I know everyone especially young people can’t afford to buy pink lady apples for $10 a bag (yes I have done this) or getting only certain vegetables even if it is out of season and costs an arm and a leg because you want to try a new point friendly meal! 

BUTTTTT there are options! Such as framer’s markets, community gardens and co-ops are excellent resources that are pocketbook friendly. So here are some resources so you can find some healthy but cheaper options!

  

http://www.localharvest.org/farmers-markets/

http://communitygarden.org/

http://niany.com/food.coop.html

On the exercise front today I am going to the Columbia Boxing and Fitness Center ! I bought a 30 class drop in pass from Groupon way back when and it expires in August so I figured I will shake things up and start going at least twice a week! I will check in to let you know how it goes! Accordingto the website

"Columbia Boxing and Fitness Club offers a traditional “Old School” boxing fitness program. The program incorporates functional, interval cardiovascular, and circuits built around a proprietary system of over 10 challenging workstations developed by former boxer Derwin Powers. These routines will get you in shape faster than P90 and all the other so called hard core workouts. Within 3 weeks you will see noticeable body change and boxing skill. Every workout is different and fun, and typically include: rope jumping, medicine ball drills, punching drills, weight training drills, striking mitt drills, natural calisthenics, and much more.."

 The owner looks like he's no joke! Yikes! Pray for me yall

Coach Derwin Powers

The 5 Week Birthday Countdown Fitness Challenge!

Yeah I know that's a mouth full lol but it is an appropriate title for what’s about to go down over the next 5 weeks! Yesterday I realized my 37^th birthday is 5 weeks away! I don’t know where May 2012 came from but its already the middle of the month and a mere 5 months ago my birthday goal was to lose 37 pounds by my 37^th birthday. It was aspirational I know that because it would have been like losing almost 3-4 pounds a week. My body doesn’t do that. 1-2 maybe if I am great but on average that would have been me being on my bestest behavior and well we know about my theory of swapping calories from chicken for likka when the time comes. J I’m human!
 Ok I am Cylia J Better

The fact of the matter is 2012 has been super busy! And it’s not to use that as an excuse but I have had my hands full with AKA, Junior League, other volunteer work, starting my own business, my real job has been crazy, and my part time teaching jobs have been demanding my time as well. There are only 24 hours in a day and I often blog about balance or my lack there of…it usually causes me to get back in a groove then things spiral out of control again. Its one of those times again and I went to Weight Watchers on Saturday and I will be perfectly honest I only went because I weighed in at home and saw I was down and I wanted it recorded for “the record” LOL Sad but true! The lady behind the counter let me know I had not been to a meeting since March 30^th!!!! Almost 2 months! Between traveling and other activities my Saturday meetings have been hard to make but thankfully I was down 1.8 since my last visit! I am down a little over 10 pounds and that leaves 27 to reach my goal (again!). Since its May 15^th however (lol) realistically I cannot lose that in a month (although I will come back to fume about the 8 Week Brick over challenge in a second!) I set a reasonable goal of 10 pounds= 2 pounds a week.

The end of 2011 and the start of 2012 have been very stressful and emotional. I don’t even want to go through all the names of family members and friends that have passed away but its just been crazy. I am fortunate that my family has not had a lot of death considering both sides are pretty sizeable and it’s like 2012 is making up for lost time… so all that is to say I can’t deny my relationship with food and the source of comfort it provides me with.

I am still working on using exercise, mediation, and journaling as other ways to cope but it’s a process plain and simple and in times of stress and anxiety people tend to fall back into old patterns.

So I am being proactive rather than reactive and I called my therapist who I aint seen’t in forever and a day and I called on my sorors on the Facebook workout group to join me in this 5 week challenge. Because the fact of the matter is life isn’t going to stop. Death isn’t going to stop. Bills are not going to stop. Community service isn’t going to stop. Challenges are not going to stop… so for someone like me I will never have all this free time to do what I need to do to lose and maintain my weight loss. So I have to go back to my 2009-2010 mindset of MAKING TIME & SAYING NO!

Now I was inspired by a few things. 1. My jeans got tight again and I had to take my big back up jeans to Jamaica. Not cute. 2. I had to buy a few new suits for my sorority conference and the 16s were too tight in the arm so I needed an 18 and the 18 pants were a bit snug. I mean I could wear them but I was a bit perturbed at the idea of buying any article of clothing with a 2 in front of it. Like that’s never gonna happen again. Not ever. I know about different designers but I aint trying to hear all that. If I was where I was in May of 2010 that wouldn’t matter!  3. I feel tired. Granted I have been traveling and in hyper mode as a newly minted Fundraising Chairman and I’ve really shouldered a lot of responsibility in that role. The fact of the matter is being busy and running around like a chicken with its head cut off is not a substitute for real exercise. It just aint! 4. While I am on that topic. Where the heck is my new heart rate monitor? Or my spinning shoes? I mean seriously! That’s when you know your workouts have been on the back burner!!!! Seriously anyone seen my new heart rate monitor? I saw the strap on my dresser but the watch yo no se?! *smh*
5. So the 8 week Brickover challenge at my gym is over and the winner lost 48 freaking pounds! 48! I mean damn! if thats not motivation I don't know what is.


Ok that’s enough so much for not going in on myself but that’s how I do I guess. Good ole Jamaican bashing lol

Yesterday was a good first day! I had my Atkins shakes, made veggie soup, and even worked out for 1 hour at the gym even though my trainer was out of town! Today I woke up at 4:45am and went to use the treadmill for 45 minutes. I swear I wanted to stop after 15 minutes then I said ok 30 minutes then I remembered my Week 1 Goals:

1)      Burn 5,000 calories and/or exercise 4 days for a mini of 45 minutes

2)       Drink 64 oz water

3)       Pray daily, &

4)      Post menu daily for others to see

I also went and found my Groupon for this boxing class I bought 30 drop in class way back in January and I haven’t been yet! So I plan to go tomorrow after work!

This week will look like this
Monday: 1 hour elliptical –Check 1200 calories!
Tuesday:  45 minutes treadmill- Check- 700 calories!
Wednesday- 1 hour Boxing fitness
Thursday- 1 hour Gym
Friday- 1 hour Boxing Fitness

Well we're counting down to 37 baby!!!! I had to go down memory lane on that one! This is my sister and I! Whew what a difference 3 years makes! This year we are going White Water rafting! Cant wait! Still working on a theme for 37 though lol I'll check in soon!

33 is the age to be & In the Mix at 36 

When was the last time you watched the sun set?

When I came up with this title last week while in Jamaica I had no idea the new meaning this question would take on. I was in Montego Bay with my sister and we got in somewhat late in the afternoon hit the beach then did dinner as the sun was setting. I feel safe to say it was the first time either of us watched a sun set, at the very least first time we watched together that's for sure. We were so taken by it all we could do was sit and watch and marvel at how absolutely beautiful it was. I felt a deep sense of gratitude and appreciate for having a really good life and the opportunity to be able to sit still (for a change) and see something so wonderful! The end of 2011 and the start of 2012 has been challenging emotionally there has been a lot of change and a lot of death and its taking it toll on me but for that moment I felt such a feeling of peace and tranquility…

The rest of the weekend consisted of my Uncle’s book release party, my Grandmother’s 94^th birthday, and our family reunion. Again I felt a sense of gratitude and appreciation for being able to be there (even though I was a bit cranky) and learn about my Uncle’s autobiography which is actually more of a family history book, spend time with my Grandmother who is 94 *cough or 99* years old and still in her right mind and strong as ever, be with my Dad who is really an amazing man and Father. I have a great Dad granted I am a Daddy’s Girl but I really saw him in a different light and I am so blessed to have a Father like that. One of my oldest friend’s once told me how much she liked my dad because he was “The Community Dad!” because he would pile (maybe illegally) all the neighborhood children in his car and take everyone swimming at the pool or beach and she always remembered that. He’s still the community Dad in a lot of ways lol but meeting some of my cousins and seeing their relationships with their fathers in comparison really made me pause and tell him he is a good Dad. I guess as a parent you really never know for sure what your kids think about you. I know on the last trip we took for my Uncle’s funeral my Mom pointed to me and I overheard heard say to my Dad, “Well at least we know we did one thing right.” Ahh divorce guilt.

But, I felt good to hear it and I know my parents are proud of me and all that I have done in my life and they set the bar of expectation VERY VERY high and with good reason both were born in a Third World country, made it to American, and grabbed a hold of the idea of this ideal of “The American Dream” the dream everyone is promised and totally rocked it! Its amazing and I was telling my Dad that visiting Grandma keeps me humble and I don’t know if that was their plan all along but you don’t appreciate things like hot water and air conditioning until you don’t have it at the ready lol

All in all it was a great weekend and I was able to present my Uncle with a token of the family’s appreciate for his hard work and dedication to science which has and will benefit so many people. I was able to share a few kind words about my Grandmother and let her know I appreciate her and I am so grateful to be blessed with a Grandmother like her. We all are. She prays for all of us and I wanted her to know those prayers have made a difference in our lives and we are ever so thankful for her love.

Well fast forward to when I came back from Jamaica and why this title is a double entendre. Well… I came home and my cat of 16 years Sunni had a stroke and passed away around 4am that morning. I am still in shock because she hurt herself a few months ago and she bounced back well but it looks like she had blood clot which probably formed as a result of her more limited mobility and had a stroke I rushed her to the Falls Road ER they tried CPR but she died :-(

When our other cat CJ passed away over the holidays I started to think man I would hate for Sunni to hang on that long and then I would have to face the fact that I may need to put her to sleep her. But now that this happened I feel so cheated! She was fine that evening and that whole night. I have never seen or gone through anything like this.

I was saying to  some friends that I feel silly to be so upset because I know people have lost their parents, children, and friends and she was a cat but I am really...well anyway… she was not a “good” cat in the sense that CJ was.

CJ was so sweet and nice! Gentle spirit. Sunni was actually a little touched and would bite you while you pet her and look you in your eye as if to say and I’ll scratch you if you take too long to pet me again. LOL But she was my little Sunshine (called her Sunni for short) I adopted her after a realllyy messy break up and ever since I picked her up the first time in the Waldorf ASPCA and she threw a hissy fit when I put her back in the cage I knew she was the one I wanted! She loved me and I loved her she saw me through college graduation, law school graduation, bar exam studying, moving like four times, new cars, homeownership, new jobs, weight gain and ultimately loss and I just knew I would have her as a back up babysitter for when I finally had a kid or two! Pets are really amazing talk about unconditional love...

But to everything there is a season and our season was over I guess…I am really going to miss her. RIP Sunshine…

Clearly her bed

Sunni & CJ back in the day. Clearly their couch! LOL

I mean this is what I was dealing with lol

Look how tiny!

Sunshine in her bed...clearly... lol

Sunset

So peaceful

And just like that the sunshine is gone!