Injuries, Set-Backs, and Triumphs!

SO...

Neola 5K came and went and I was not amongst those runners who made their way down Uintah Canyon. WHY do you ask....WELL CUZ I AM CURSED!!! LOL!!! Just kidding, I am not cursed BUT, I have been VERY serious about changing myself and my lifestyle AND this means I am bound to get injured whether I mean to or not!

OF COURSE...if you know me personally, then you also know that I am not the exact word of grace! LOL In fact, I am pretty much a MAJOR KLUTZ!! :) Thats ok though!

5 days before the 5K, I was bucked off my horse while I was running barrels in Duchense where I am a member of the Turn 'Em Tight barrel group! (NOT FUN!!) I bruised my lungs, had some serious muscle strains through my pectoral muscles, AND YES, I WILL ADMIT IT...I HAD MAJOR BRUISED EGO SYNDROME!! But lets just say to even breath at this point WITHOUT moving was about enough to make me pass out! LOL!!! So I thought I would just use a compression band that my husband has and just tough it out! Afterall, I am a cowgirl and that old saying you always hear about "cowboy up"...WELL IT IS TRUE!! It hurts, but grow up and do it anyways! SO I figured I would just have a bad time but do my run anyways!

SO...this is not the end of my tale! Since I am doing the jackpot series for my barrel group, I try to ride several times during the week so that my horse and my kid's horses are ready for Monday nights. Well on Wed night, June 30, after my accident in Duchesne and I was at the arena in Neola where I was riding and trying out a new horse my parents let me borrow when I had another accident. I remember saddling all the horses and getting on the ride. I was riding my horse Jazmyn and I was ponying (leading) the new horse Copper. This is all I remember, until I woke up the next morning at 6 AM because my alarm went off and I SWEAR i thought I had been ran over by a steam roller!! (it is ok to laugh because I am now!!!)

Well I guess my ride went great that night and when I went to load the final horse she thought she was going to get kicked by the horse in front of her so she tried to unload herself and when she did she hit the end of her trailer tie and it swung her head into the side of the trialer. Not a big deal, except my head was inbetween her head and the trailer and I went DOWN!! BIG TIME!! Like it knocked me out for about 2 min and I was unconscienous under the feet of this horse. (Good thing they are well behaved horses!!) My husband finally was able to pull me out and get me to come too, but realized how badly I had hit my head when I couldnt even remember the last 2 weeks of my life. SO I ended up the ER in Roosevelt where my neighbor was my attending physician! (THANKS JASON!!) SO...with a HUGE black eye and all my other bumps and bruises, I was forbade by my family to run on July 4th! SORRY GUYS!!!

HERE IS MY BIG NEWS THOUGH!!

So I went down yesterday to work out with Shilo and we did measurements (AND YES IT HURT LIKE HELL, BUT OH WELL!!!) AND I HAVE LOST MORE WEIGHT!! I am down to 214!!! YEAH!!! The point is that even with my injuries and set-backs, I was able to still find a way to keep going!!

JUST WAIT!! My goal for the end of July is 205 (if not lower!!)

AND I AM GETTING NEW PICS READY TO POST TO SHOW YOU THE WEIGHT I HAVE LOST!!!

Another Small Step

So I have to post this! I WAS SO STOKED LAST THURSDAY! Shilo and I do my measurements every 4th workout. Normally this means once a week. I try to get down to Kody's and workout with her 4 times every week.

I know this isn't for everyone but it is for me. The reason why, is because then I do it! I have such a busy life and lead such a hectic lifestyle that I simply can not trust myself to workout as hard as I should being at home alone! I do get my cardio in, but even that I don't work as hard as I know I should! It is just really easy to say "15 minutes running on the treadmill is better than nothing, right? Even though I know I should be 20 or actually 30 minutes of straight running!"

Yes, I am a slacker...well not really, but in that aspect of my life, I am! I am a very type A personality and I have decided that I am going to clean the floors with my two companions. Which means I am going to take full advantage of Shilo being mean to me and forcing me to do the one more set of calf raises at 210 lbs, even though I truly thought at the time my calves were going to rip my achilles tendon right off of my calcanus bone! (YES, I HAVE DONE IT. 4 sets of 25 to be exact! Go try it, it is not easy!) I want Shilo to tell me to watch my salt! I get pissed, sure, but I also know that she is right and I am wrong, because guess who is fat and who is not! (if you haven't seen our cutie Shilo, then log onto The Edge Magazine website and look on the Healthy Edge Link or check out the March Issue ot the magazine)

I want this because I want to win! Not just so I can rub it in Christine and Jenn's face, but because I am really starting to feel the difference in my life! I can get up easier in the morning! I am sleeping better at night. I can go through the day without thinking I need a caffiene IV at 3 pm or a nap just in order to get up the enegery to make a not so healthy dinner for kids. I want to help inspire others to do this.

So, with that being said. I have been truly working out faithfully with Shilo for the last 5 weeks. Every week we can did my measurements, and every week, I saw hardly anything happening to the scale. I was losing inches though. Actually I lost nearly 6 inches in two weeks on my thighs alone. (I gaineds 2 lbs that week FYI!) So last Thurday, which was my birthday, We did measurements again. AND GUESS WHAT, I was done 5 lbs! Probably more because we weighed at 3 pm which is actually one of the worst times of the day to weigh yourself!

AND EVEN BETTER, I HAD LOST OVER 1% OF BODY FAT! I was down to 223 from 246! WHICH MEANS I HAVE LOST A TOTAL OF 23 LBS SO FAR!

I am not going to lie, it was hard and I even had a couple of times where I broke down with Shilo and told her I was really scared it wasn't going to happen and so why should I even bother trying. Well she gave me my moment to feel bad and then she told me pity time was over and that we needed to get back to work.

I did! I got back to work and it seems like every sinlge time I go in and work out, I am beating a personal best. I still have a long ways to go, but I have nearly reached my first goal which was to be to 220 by the end of the first quarter.

Well, I have 1 and 1/2 weeks left in this quarter and I am going to make it happen. Because this would just be another small step in reaching my really big goal!

THANKS FOR ALL YOUR SUPPORT! I love hearing from you guys.

Talk to you soon

Michelle 03-19-2009

LIFE

HOLY COW! This is crazy! I am so sorry that I have not written for so long. I have been so crazy with work and just life in general that I have not been able to get a new post on my Healthy Edge blog!

Things have been going good. I have not lost anymore weight, but I know that I am down inches again.

I am trying to be positive about the not losing weight thing. It is quite frustrating, but at the same time, I was counseled to simply rejoice in all my successes, no matter how big or small.

This is where I am hitting a plateau and so it is time to switch it up. I am going to go and see Dr. Shurtliff tomorrow and I am going to see about switching up my exercise routine and see if I can break this plateau that I have hit.

I think I can...

I think I can...

I think I can...

:) I know, I am funny...LOOKING THAT IS! HA HA HA!! Ok, well I am going to go! I have to run Shyanne to dance and also get a few more sales appts in for the magazine. Wish me luck!

Michelle 2-4-2009

My Saturday Workout!

He He! This is how I got my workout on Sat! I will admit I played hookie from work on Sat because I needed to get out on my new mare! (I STILL HAVEN'T NAMED HER!) She is so awesome! She is VERY tall so it is kinda of funny to watch my fat butt try to mount her. ALTHOUGH, when I am not wearing my bibs I am able to do it without to much struggle! THANKS CARL!!! It is because I am getting stronger and losing weight that I was able to get on her! She is SSSSOOOO AWESOME! She is going to be a runner which I love! There is really nothing better in the entire world then having a horse sit underneath you running at top speed. It is really hard to explain. You can literally feel their muscles bunch and relax as they stretch their stride and run faster and faster at your urging. She has an amazing gait and is almost a prancer! For you non-horsemen, this simply means the style in which she walks. Some horses are just jerky when they walk but she is smooth as silk and is even better when she runs. PLUS, SHE IS SO FAST!!! I want to take her down to the rodeo arena so I can really open her up without fear of a twisted ankle or broken leg because of hitting a hole we don't see in this snow! But yes, it is a workout to ride horses, at least if you like to run! :)

Here I am carrying Pedro! OF COURSE I TOOK PEDRO! He is my puppy after all! Actually he did walk most of the way but when he got tired then I carried him which was kind of tricky! AND MAN MY ARMS GOT TIRED! He wieghs about 6 lbs but when you are carrying 6 lbs, in a crooked arm while trying to steer your horse with the other, it is not the easy and I AM SORE THIS MORNING FROM DOING IT! OH and before comments are made about how fat I look, I AM WEARING INSULATED BIBS and they are big on me so I look HUGE in these pictures. Granted, I am not small but I have lost weight! :)

Here I am bringing her to a stop after running her! It was cool because she jumped over a little ravine and then Seth told me to run back towards him so he could take my picture and this is one we got! AND YES I AM SMILING!! (while I am saying "Whoa!"). THIS IS WHY I AM LOSING WEIGHT!!! I LOVE TO DO THIS STUFF AND I WANT TO MAKE SURE I CAN FOR A LONG, LONG, LONG TIME!!!!

Here are my awesome riding companions! My gorgeous husband Seth and my beautiful little girl Shyanne!

Michelle 1-18-2009

It Must Be a Tuesday!

LOL!! SO I hate Tuesday! Ok, not really but Tuesdays are always SO busy! Not just for work, but also for the stuff the kids and I do. From 3:00 PM until 8:00 PM we are down in town running them around to a few of their after school activities. My kids do art, dance, and tumbling and I am so glad!

Here is the problem...
because we are in town so much, we end up eating in town and YES, I caved today and ate 2, just count them 2 Arby's Melts. I am sure they are like 5 million calories each, but I was hungry and tired! I have found that the more tired I am, the more I eat. Have any of you noticed that before?

I am sure that means I should go to bed earlier. LOL!!! I laugh about it, BUT it is only because anyone who has ever been a parent or tried to build a business from the ground up will understand my fatigue! Even better yet, if you have ever done both like Christine, Jenn and I are doing, then you will REALLY understand it! BUT, this also means that sometimes I miss my appt with Carl.

I AM SO SORRY CARL!!! I had a meeting come up and it was one of those important ones because it had to do with my kids!

OH WELL...I am constantly telling myself this...

"Short term sacrifices for long term gains!"

This simply means that I must do the stuff that is a pain in the butt for a little while, just so we can get to the point where we can begin to enjoy the fruits of our labors. The day will come and I will be able to fit into the those "skinny" jeans! I am going to see Carl tomorrow. I am not giving up. I did get in 4 sessions with Carl last week and that doesn't count the stuff I did on my own. I am getting there.

I am nervous because Jenn and I were talking today about trying on and fitting into some of our jeans that we keep buried in the back of our closets. I told her that I had lost enough weight that I was considering trying some of mine on, but I am SSSOOO nervous and scared that I don't want to. LOL!!! I just don't want to find out that I am still to fat to put them on.

Oh well, I will just have to pull up my panty hose and be a big girl, huh?

Talk to you tomorrow!

Michelle 1-14-2008

Mondays...UGH~

Ok, So a while ago I said that I loved Mondays, and I still do, except for the fact that Mondays are now my....(GASP!)...dreaded weighing in day with Carl! UGH!

Actually, I feel really bad because I didn't get to go and work out with Carl today. After a meeting I had this morning, my 4 year-old started to not just complain, but cry profusely that his ear was hurting. I knew that there was no way I could feel good about me dragging him to the gym and working out with him being in such pain. That is not what a good mom does.

Instead I went home and got him settled into watching a movie and then I set about the (GASP!) wonderful task of cleaning my office. Ok so I will admit that I am not a dirty person, but I am a cluttered person. I am a classic stacker! I can have piles and piles and piles of paper and for the most part, I know where things are. Most of it is my fault because I simply need to get better organizational tools, like filing cabinets and book case and a bigger desk, but the other part of it is that I am a procrastinator and I will wait until the last minute on somethings when I really shouldn't! BUT, at least my going through stacks of paper and organizing things was productive and NOT eating candy. (today was stressful at work!)

BUT GUESS WHAT!!! I am going in tomorrow to work out with Carl and then again on Wed and hopefully Thursday too! I am doing SSSSOOOO good at avoiding those Christmas treats and I can not wait to see what to see how much weight I am hopefuly gonna lose!

WISH ME LUCK YOU GUYS!!! I am nervous and scared, but I am hoping that I get to see those numbers go DOWN!!!

YEAH!!!

A little bit of insight...

Ok, So I went in today and got to see Dr. Shurtlef again. It was good! It also sucked because even with the counting calories and excercising, I only lost 2 pounds! Ok, so my earlier excitement of thing I had lost a bunch of wieght was swiftly shot in the ass and quickly deflated!

So the moral of this story is...

ONLY WEIGH ON ONE SCALE!!!! Or two actually, the one with your doctor and the one at the gym because they can vary!

So Dr. Shurtleff did tell me he was very proud of me and the fact that I actually lost weight over the Thanksgiving weekend. He said most patients are lucky to maintain because all those holiday treats are hard to resist! AND THEY ARE FOR ME TOO!!!

I told him I had a couple of breakdowns where I had indulged in candy, BUT I was still excercising and NOT DRINKING DIET COKE!!!

He said he was proud of me! YEAH!!

I must also say that even though I broke down and ate that candy, it was like a handful of M & M's instead of the whole 2lbs bag. (yes, I have done that before!) Also when I did do these things, I made myself work extra on my treadmill!

It is coming, I know it is. I had Carl, Jenn, and Christine tell me that they can see it in my face that I am losing weight. I am so glad, I want this SSSSOOOO bad! I really am trying so hard to be good with how I eat and excercise. It is hard but like I told Carl last night,

NO PAIN, NO GAIN...RIGHT?

Ok so to prove how serious I am about doing this, check out my knuckles! This is from using the punching bag. AND YES, I HAD MY KNUCKLES WRAPPED!!! I was seriously trying to hit that hard! THANKS CARL FOR KICKING MY BUTT INTO SHAPE!!!These are my knuckles after last night's bout with the punching bag! I know they are kinda gross! BUT WORTH IT!!!