35 inches ............... 5 down, 3 more to go :)

I now have a 35 inch waist. I know I know .... I cant believe it either. I started this journey with a 40 inch waist. I was at risk for high blood pressure, heart disease & diabetes ....I had people asking me if I was pregnant when I wasnt ...... but most of all I was not healthy at all and not happy either. I mean really .... do you know how frustrating it is to have to explain that you are NOT pregnant O_o

As I've said before health professionals suggest a waist of 32 inches. I was 8 inches over and while the number 8 seems minimal it actually was anything but that. I measured yesterday and again today to make sure everything was correct and it was ... I currently have a 35 inch waist. \o/ It has taken me two months and hard work to lose the 5 inches and I give lots of credit to Shaun T's Hip Hop Abs workout series.

While I am 3 inches away from meeting the goal that was set for me I am aiming for something more. Why stop at 32? Why not go for a 28 or a 26? My goal is to be out of the 30's period! I'm sure that I can do it. I didnt think a 35 inch waist was possible and look at me now. So 28 I'm coming for you baby. Look out world!

Karma is a snitch!

So I had the opportunity to wake up this morning and have a nice long date with Shaun T and I did not take it. At the time I kept saying "do it, get it over with, dont put off what you can do right now" and I still did not do it. I figured hey I'll lay around and get a good workout in this evening. Right? Wrong.

I had a little accident and in the process I ended up facedown, on the floor, on my knees and in pain. All of my weight as I fell landed on my knees and I now have a new level of  respect for athletes who deal with knee injuries. They are no joke. I was in a lot of pain for a minute and then slowly it faded. Or so I thought it did. Me being hard headed me, I got up and started walking ... .washed a few dishes ... yada yada yada. I even convinced myself that I could sneak a little walking in. WRONG! As soon as I went to get dressed in my exercise gear I noticed that my left knee was hella swollen. Bending it is out of the question. The bad thing is that last year I was in a car accident and it was my left knee that was affected. I dont want to aggravate it so that means no exercise for me tonight.

Normally I wouldnt be so bummed about not exercising but today is different. Had I known that I wouldnt be physically able to exercise, I wouldnt have laid up on my couch snacking on snickerdoodles. Yes they were yummy but they were also 300-400 calories that I now can not burn off :/ *kicks a table* It all sucks right now. I've learned my lesson though. When you have the time to exercise ... USE IT!

I just hope I'm ready for my 5:30 date with Shaun T tomorrow. *fingers crossed* Knee, PLEASE get better.

Another moral .... I should've taken my azz to church this morning :/

99 and 1/2 just wont do

I woke up this morning and did 5 miles of power walking. After logging it onto my ticker I realize that I have walked 99 miles so far. I'm one mile away from the 100 mark. I'm so proud of me! I plan on doing one mile this evening so that I'll officially be at 100 miles. My goal for this summer was to walk 200 miles and lose 20 lbs. I'm sure I have walked over a 100 miles when you consider how much walking I did in New Orleans and while I was at the theme parks but thats ok. I'm moving towards my goal....slowly but surely.

For some of you interested in power walking, here are a few benefits:

• Heart Health. Daily physical activity can benefit people of all ages. And according to the American Heart Association, low-intensity exercise, such as power walking, can help reduce the risk of coronary heart disease, high blood pressure, peripheral vascular disease, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

• Weight Loss. A 150-pound person, walking at a brisk pace, approximately four mph, for 30 minutes can burn 183 calories. In addition, power walking regularly can help control weight in the mid-body region, where doctors believe excess pounds are the most dangerous. Power walking can also build muscle, which will enable you to burn more calories at rest.

• Mental Health. Studies have found that walking allows the body to release adrenaline and endorphins. Adrenaline plays a key role in your nervous system and in boosting your mood, while endorphins help create a sense of happiness and relieve pain.

• Memory. The Harvard School of Public Health conducted a study that found women who performed a moderate amount of activity 30 minutes a day performed significantly better on cognitive tests (those that involve logical thinking, reasoning, and memory) than women who walked less than one hour per week.

• Bone Health. Power walking is a weight-bearing exercise-meaning the body is working against gravity. (Exercises such as swimming and cycling are generally considered non-weight bearing.) Weight-bearing exercises have been shown to help strengthen bones and reduce the risk of bone diseases such as osteoporosis and osteoarthritis.

• Sleep. As if having a stronger heart, mind, bones, and body aren't enough, power walking can also promote a better night's sleep. A study conducted by the National Sleep Foundation found that low- to moderate-intensity exercise in the afternoon can help deepen sleep in the evening as well as cut the time it takes you to fall asleep.

3 months from 30

I'm three months away from my thirtieth birthday. People have started to point out that I'll be 30 this year ... what am I going to do? What do I want? I thought long and hard about this and I've decided what I would like for my 30th birthday. I dont want a party. I dont want a dinner. I dont want a big hoo-lah. For my 30th birthday, 1.  I would like to be 20 lbs lighter than I am today .... so that would make me 162 lbs and 2. I want to go to a place that I've never been before. In a perfect world I would finish off my "30 before I turn 30" list(I'll post it later) but the world is not perfect. Those are my two wants and thats what I'm working towards. Anything else is extra. Extra is always appreciated but its never needed. I have 3 months left .... lets go! #TeamFABand30!

Attempting to remain positive

I have an attitude. That attitude has me in a negative mind frame. Ughhh that sucks. Especially when I have so many positive accomplishments to share. So I'm going to do like the title and attempt to remain positive. I'm going to post all of my positives and then at the end rant my booty off and talk about that one little negative. Ok? Here goes

Positives:

* I now have a 37 inch waist. I'm down another inch! Yay! I started out with a 40 inch waist and my goal is to have a 32 inch waist(out of danger). I'm 5 more inches away from my target.

* I lost another inch in my left thigh and two more inches in my right. Its melting baby its melting!

*I'm down another 1.7 lbs. I'm now 8 lbs away from my goal weight. My fitnesspal ticker shows that I have lost 12 lbs. I'm so proud of me!

* I successfully completed the green cardio program. I had to stop to catch my breath a couple of times but I did it!

Negative:

Ok here's the thing that's getting on my nerves. In June I dropped 10 lbs. July was such a slow month. I've only lost 2 lbs in the entire month of July. That sucks! It really makes me mad because I'm suppose to lose 2 lbs per week and July had what? 4 weeks? That does not add up. I know July was difficult because I went away twice on vacation and then I had a funky attitude for a week but still. I'm trying to remain positive and say that maybe I'm gaining muscle. We all know muscle weighs more than fat. I mean I am losing inches right? Wrong! I WANNA SEE IT ON THE SCALE TOO DAMNIT! :/  I went to see my doctor last week. I'm suppose to have my first weigh in on Thursday. I was suppose to be 5 lbs lighter. *laughs* We shall see when Thursday gets here but Im not optimistic about that one. So now we're in August. I'm 8 lbs away from my target weight. I can do this! I'm optimistic about that one.  I WILL DO THIS!

Green Shaun T

I've completed 30 days .... actually more than 30 days .... of Shaun T's hip hop abs. The first 30 days are what are considered blue days. The last 30 days are considered green days. I've been trying to avoid the green days but today I decided to go ahead and try them. Chillllllddddddddd.

First of all the green exercises are longer...much longer. Also the green workouts are more intense. Of course he gives you the option of being low impact with Tonya...which I am going to take full advantage of .... but its still a lot. Lord I'm going to need major motivation, hot music, extra energy and grace and mercy to complete these last 30 days. lol Pray for me

A black womans hair + exercise = a huge headache

I've heard the term "sweat your perm out" several times while growing up but I never knew it was true.  Well I've learned that it is. I've sweated my perm out this summer. My hair is thick and kinky. To me its a small price to pay for losing a few pounds. I've pretty much stayed in the house all summer and when I did go out I rocked a baseball cap. It has worked for me. However now its time for me to go back to school. I've been tossing and turning since yesterday with what am I going to do with my hair. I love my short style and originally had planned on scheduling an appointment to have my hair cut, dyed and permed. The only problem is I am no where near where I would like to be physically. Yes I am 3 lbs(last time I checked) from saying bye bye to the 80s and 8 lbs away from meeting my original goal BUT my belly is still bigger than I would like for it to be. So I have to continue working out. I have to continue with Jillian and Shawn. I have to keep sweating.

Therein lies my problem.  I cant go to work with my hair sticking straight up on top of my head :/ But I dont want to sacrifice meeting my goal for the sake of hair. What do I do? What do I do? The thought of braids/twists entered my mind. They are convenient and will allow me to look great at school and still be able to work out. However I'm a little fearful of braids every since I went to a bad stylist and she took my edges out. They still have not grown back :/  Another option is to simply cut all of the hair off. I've been wanting a baby fro for a little minute now. However I do not know if I'm ready to make such a huge move. What is a girl to do? lol