New Calendar

I made a new calendar to track my success.... not the best picture... I'll try to get a better one up later

Motivational Stuff

So... I love this top and this woman (Tiana Gonzalez) has a fab body! Love her back! One day this year I will have on a similar outfit and be just as hawt. Oh Yeah!

Definite photo shoot idea...



Okay, that's it for now. :)

Fighter Diet

Yesterday I did most of the Fighter Diet. Had a planned dinner out, so mostly on track. Today I am going for 100%. I am having trouble with the volume of food, but I plan to be clean and only eat what's authorized. This has to be one of the stranger meal plan I've had, but looking at Pauline... yeah, I'll try it! I'm pushing extra, extra hard in my workouts. I keep imagining Pauline looking at me saying I can do more, I can do better. I hear my own voice telling me that I am awesome and strong. I MUST keep going. And I have. And I will continue. I'm done settling for what I think I can do. Its time to push beyond that. I have more in me than I have ever imagined. I am NOT going to be stopped. I am going to make the stage in May with a body that defies my circumstances. A body that no one will believe belongs to me. But I will know. I will know what it took to create my dream body. It won't be easy, but no one ever said it would be.

Bucket List & 2010

So the holiday season has kept me abundantly busy at work. I have been super busy and sick on top of it. Great combination to wipe someone out. During my brief downtimes I came up with a bucket list. I won't accomplish all this in 2010. Its meant to be more of a long term list. I would love to accomplish some select things. I will highlight those...
BUCKET LIST

1. Go Skydiving
2. Ride horses again
3. Photograph in Africa
4. Photograph in Galapagos
5. Compete in Figure/Bikini Contest
6. Learn to fire a gun
7. Take martial arts class (tbd)
8. Learn to ballroom & Latin dance
9. Run a 5k
10. Play the guitar
    
11. Run my own photography business
12. Do 100 push ups
13. Go to England
14. Go to Italy
    
15. Make my own pasta from scratch
16. Do pin up calendar
17. Go downhill skiing
18. Accomplish the these yoga poses: Scorpion, Crane, Headstand, Wheel- variations too
19. Own and train dogs
20. Go ice skating in Central Park
21. Visit NYC
22. See the Redwoods in California
23. Visit Portland, OR
24. Hike the Appalachian Trail
25. Do a fitness photoshoot- as the model not photographer!
    

2010 Goals-

1. Hit goal weight
2. MAINTAIN healthy goal weight. (may fluctuate from comp weight)
3. Compete with my Diva friends in at least one show.
4. Do fitness photoshoot as model
5. Do pin up calendar
6. Do photoshoots for friends and new clients
7. Go skydiving
8. Increase Photoshop skills
9. Get more photography equipment
10. Go hiking and camping at least 3x !
11. Enter photos in contests
12. Go on at least 1 wine tour
13. Do 2010 Calendar
14. Run a 5k
15. Learn one ballroom dance
16. Go ice skating in central park (this may have to wait til Jan 2011 depending on my job situation)
17. Consume more organic foods
18. Be more environmentally friendly
19. Learn more about alzheimers
20. Put scrapbook together for my grandma (to help her with her struggle with alzheimers)


So yeah... lots of goals and dreams. :)

I am so excited to start using my fitbook that Cori gave me. I'm so excited that she was my secret santa. She chose a perfect gift! I'm going to start using it Jan 1 so I have a plan in place and I can track from the very beginning of 2010. Love the compact size!

Quickie?

So I am at work attempting to blog. :P

I got hit hard this last week with some crazy arse infection. My throat felt like it was going to swell up and close off completely. It hurt SO bad. My coworker went to the doc and he was told it was strep that he had. I had the same symptoms a day later. I loaded up with Vit C, echinacea, green tea, probiotics and I managed to get some antibiotics called in as a favor from my doc since I don't have health insurance until the 1st of the year. I feel a lot better but not top notch yet. My head is still a bowl of mucus. Yuck. I can't wait til its over. I got a short cardio session in. It felt good to move again, but I could tell I was pushing my limits. I'm going to keep moving the rest of the weekend. My plan is to be ready to push hard by Christmas.

Speaking of Christmas... its been tradition to have a glass of eggnog (or three!) on Christmas morning. I love the stuff. This year I passed up gallons of the stuff. Finally my habits got the best of me and I picked up a beautiful carton. I held it in my hand and imagined the smooth, creamy, spicy drink flowing over my tongue. THEN, I stupidly read the back of the damn carton! I knew the fat and sugar was bad. That actually didn't phase me. I was aware of those damages. What I was completely unaware of was the HFCS!! I always thought eggnog was just milk/cream, eggs, spices and sugar. Uh..... Frickin High Fructose Corn Syrup???? Damn you HFCS! Its listed 2x! So yeah.... my beloved eggnog is off limits. The hubby has offered to make me some homemade stuff, but its just not the same. I tried to spice up my UMP protein shake with all the right spices... it was okay, but not eggnog. I even tried adding an egg! lol So, I guess all good things must come to an end. :P Eggnog neva did nuttin' for my body anyway.... except tickle my tastebuds....

K, gotta run. I only have 1 day off before Christmas. :( Time is short.

The Sickies and attitude

I haven't been feeling too spiffy the last couple of days.
It was some fake it til you make it until my body just broke down and said no. I felt like junk yesterday and today complete garbage dump. Thankfully, Mucinex is helping me breathe easier now. My stomach has been a mess the last 3 days. Its been hurting and I have been so nauseated. I have felt like I need to burp but can't. Just a few hours ago I finally got some relief. I guess the flu has been going around. Perhaps I just got that. I hope its over by tomorrow. I need to get back to my workouts and eating on schedule. I mostly avoided food this weekend because it hurt to eat and I was nauseated anyway.
I made some homemade veggie soup tonight. It tasted good and so far my stomach is okay with it. I'm sure it will help with energy. I just didn't have any today. I slept so much and now I am in trouble tonight I think.


I have a lot on my mind. I've been doing a lot of thinking lately. I liked this quote and thought I should share it:

"Seek out that particular mental attribute which makes you feel most deeply and vitally alive, along with the which comes the inner voice that says "This is the real me", and when you have found that attitude, follow it." -- William James

Inspired: The Movie

I haven't seen the movie but this trailer made me cry... pay attention to the first guy they show- wait til you see the end!

PCOS, support and a nugget of truth

Discovery!
One of my Diva friends linked to a new site today. As some of you know, I have PCOS. Learning how to deal with various aspects of this syndrome has been a journey for sure. Its still not over, but I *think* things are going in the right direction. Anyway, I was aware of Soulcysters. I signed up and have read lots over the last year. I really may have benefited more had I participated and really got involved in the board more. Instead I just lurked periodically. Usually I was searching for more information to try and cope with some hormonal catastrophe I was experiencing. Most of the time I try to deny my situation. I try to pretend that I don't have a metabolic issue at play in my weight loss and overall health. My friend found a related site called Fitcyster. Its a branch off of soulcysters. Its really focused on the fitness side of things- the EXACT thing I have been wanting. I wanted to find a group of women that could relate to the reality of PCOS but still had goals to be fit and healthy. I have requested to be a part of this group and I hope that I will be allowed to join. The weight loss part of this journey is so pivitol to me managing my symptoms. I know the basics and even most of the details. The inspiration of successful women and those who are struggling, fighting and succeeding in the quest for health will be so helpful. I've been trying to do this on my own. I've tried to deny that my situation is real. It is real and having a specific support system means so much.
I absolutely love and adore all my Co-Diva and blog friends. I am not seeking a replacement for you!! I am just seeking to add a more specific support system to my already wonderful friends. :)
I am hoping to gain more knowledge and learn from other women's experiences. 2010 is my year to shine. I am committing to a lifetime and lifestyle of health. 2010 is just the beginning. ;)

Now for the nugget of truth. I found this on the Fitcyster site: An article from the Dayton Daily News.

Simply gritting teeth and using willpower might work for a while, the long-term weight losers say, but eventually they'll need coping skills for when the willpower runs out. Ultimately, Eshbaugh says, losing weight comes down to the things a person will do for himself. “Willpower is what you won't do.”