Joined a Gym Again

Three days ago I joined a gym.  Planet Fitness is the gym I joined.  People may have noticed that it's the gym The Biggest Loser recommends.  Or at least they sponsor a lot of things for The Biggest Loser.  I actually just finished watching the latest episode.

I have found a workout buddy, and I am so happy for that.  She is smaller than me but loves working out as much as I do and we can go together at random times.  So on Tuesday night we went at 10pm.  The gym has a circuit area that takes 30 minutes.  It goes by so fast and felt so great to work out all the muscles of my body.  I haven't done a full hard core workout yet but I will.  She prefers to go running outside but since it's almost always the rainy season, she has been ok with going to the gym.  It was kind of fun to show her all the things that I learned about machines etc.  

They also have a tanning bed there.  I did 10 minutes and felt great afterwards.  Since it rains here so much or there is cloud cover, I am not getting enough sun to help with my depression.  I wasn't realizing how much it was effecting me until recently.  I love that this gym has that.  I felt great afterwards.  I even went again today for 8 minutes.  It was a little shorter this time because I sort of burnt myself a little last time.  I thought I was safe but these are a bit stronger than others.  Here's just little snap shot of the one used today.

Yesterday I got a new Fitness magazine and a couple of treats with it.  I love getting tools to inspire my weight loss.

I am still trying to find a way to making my workouts more central in the house.  Putting the bike out of site makes it hard for me to go do it.  I was thinking of putting it in my bedroom but I am not sure what to do.  If we had different furniture then it would make it easier.  But I have no budget for that.  They say you should only sleep in your bedroom but I don't think I have a choice.  

President's Day was Monday and I went with a friend to Astoria, Oregon.  I have never been to that town before and it was great.  I drove and that is so therapeutic for me.
Here's a picture of me in the gym lockers that my friend took.  So I guess I'll catch you guys later.

Catching Up - changes to the house

I can't believe it's been so long since I have posted.  I want to start up again just for motivation to myself.  I am back in school for my Winter Term.  It is not going so well.  Just like with my weight loss, it has been hard to find the motivation to just do the homework. There is so much reading and writing journal entries.  

BODY CHANGES  I saw this thing on Pinterest about drinking apple cider vinegar in your water to help detox your body.  It is supposed to help with kidney function as well.  I have been doing it for about 2 days now and I think it might be helping.  It doesn't taste too great but if I'm thirsty enough, I'll drink it.

  I got a wii!!! with the fit balance board etc.

I have only done it a couple of times but it's better than nothing.

LIVING ROOM CHANGES

  My room mate was going to buy a house but she hasn't done it yet.  So I have want to make the house I do live in to be cozier.  I actually have a little station set up in the living room with my desk etc. (which freed up space in my bedroom).

It has wheels on it so I can pull it out when ever I want.  I am trying to make as much stuff as possible organized in my life so I can concentrate on my school work.  So far I have barely been able to get out of bed. 
   My next project for the living room is to sand and paint my coffee table.  It has gross stains from people's feet being on it.  I figured I could wash it off and go from there but then it would just come back again.  So I thought better to paint it a dark brown (to match the stains).
  I took down all the decorations we had in the living room before and started from scratch.  I talked to my roommate about what color palette she likes. She doesn't like light colors but we both agreed on turquoise and I am lucky enough to have tons of things that are turquoise. This is the Fireplace decor to far.  I am not 100% completely happy with it, but it'll do.

If anyone has an suggestions - I am all ears. I am still going to paint the little cage white.

KITCHEN
   The kitchen table has also been bothering me.  I stained it a while ago but the stain is coming off.  I don't think I did it right.  I bought some contact paper a while ago to go around some boxes I wanted to put in the cupboard for storing things.  Then I got this brilliant idea to put it on the kitchen table...So I did. 
BEFORE                                                                                   AFTER

I am not completely done with the table.  I still want to paint the legs white. And also re-upholstery the chairs and paint the wood white.

I bought two storage shelves for the kitchen.  We have so much stuff I can never get to what I need.  I still have some organization to do in the cupboards.  But I love the new space.  It's almost like more counter top space (which I LOVE).

BEDROOM

 I rearranged my bedroom too.  I wanted to make it more cozy and the decorations more sophisticated.  It's still a work in progress.  I have plans for it though.  I have been holding up on hanging curtains because the plan was to move out within a year but I am just gonna hang 'em now.
One thing I am happy about it the shelf.  It used to hang higher and have my stuffed animals on it but I have used Pinterest to see what else I could do with it.

It hangs right above my bed and honestly I was a bit worried it might fall on my head while I slept but it seems to be holding up.

  OK, enough about my house.  I am cutting down on my facebook to leave more room to do something like this blog.  I want to lose the weight and I have a friends wedding coming up in April.  I have a dress I want to wear but I HAVE to lose weight in order to fit in it.  So I guess we'll see.

First, Accept Your Body

It has been speaking to me the last couple of days that I really need to think about how I think about my body.  When I started my weight loss, I was happy with my body.  I just wanted to be healthy and not be held back by anything.  Not that my weight was holding me back from being happy but sometimes it would throw it's ugly truth into my face at times...trying to buckle on the airplane and a stewardess asking if I need an extension.  Anyway, I realize that I have been putting my body down as a gained back all of my weight.  Every time a pound was gained I got depressed and ate some junk for comfort.  I think I am beginning to realize that I have been thinking poorly of my body instead of just excepting it and moving on. Of course there is a benefit of being fit and skinnier but that's just the added bonus.  So on this note...here's to loving my body and learning to accept me for me.  This is what God gave me to work with and He loves me either way.  He just wants me to be happy.  I have to learn to motivate myself.

    I am excited for Thanksgiving coming up.  I am going to love my body and only put healthy stuff in it.  Step 1.

    This last 24 hours have been torture since I seemed to have caught a stomach bug.  It's finally gone and I have time to get about 3 hours of sleep before I have to be at work at 2am.  On a better note, I am getting hired to work in the day care at school...the one where us students learn to be teachers and I am only one year into the program.  

  I am starting of thinking a small blog with tips for working/raising children and also include many activities that are appropriate for certain ages of children.  I'll think a little more on it but if people have opinions, please leave a comment.

**that posture I have on my wall to remind me to love my body and only make it better.

weigh in

It's been 2 weeks since I weighed in so this morning I decided to go for it.  I was already having a hard time getting out of bed and thinking this is gonna be a down day for me so I hopped on the scale.  I am down 1 lb since my last at 303.4  That's progress.  Last night I was laying bed watching a movie and I wanted so bad to go get some fast food....SO BAD.  But I didn't and talked myself out of why I shouldn't do it.  So that was a victory for me.