Tried something hot!

.....hot YOGA that is!

After being given a free one week trial pass to a yoga studio the other day I decided to finally try it out! I was sooo nervous to go. Ive done tons and tons of fitness classes but for some reason I have always been super intimidated by yoga...especially hot yoga. So I walk into the yoga room and omg the heat slaps me in the face! My immediate reaction is that it is SOOO hot in here and there is no way I can work out in this heat. So after looking around at everyone else I realize I have NO idea what Im doing....so I lay on my mat and begin to stretch like everyone else is doing. Just as I start feeling relaxed the instructor walks in and starts telling us to do these different moves....that Ive never heard of! Because of the initial heat and having no idea what hes talking about I was thinking that this was going to be a train wreck....but I obviously kept going and by the end of the class I couldnt even notice the heat and LOVED IT!  I left feeling super relaxed and  let me tell you...what a fantastic workout!!...so fantastic that I am heading for another class tonight! So if you are looking for something different or thinking of trying hot yoga - do it!!!

New Year, New Start

Cliche...I know.

I strongly dislike New Years resolutions. I am not back on here just because it is January 1st 2012. I am back on here because it just worked out that way. Back in June I quit my office job. It was Monday-Friday 8-4 and that just didnt work out with my kids and my schedule...or they way I wanted my schedule to be. I was thinking that quitting my job I would have tons of time to work out and post on my blog. Well I was wrong. Truth is, after spending almost 5 years sitting at the computer every day, I really didnt want to be blog posting while Im home. So I stayed away from the computer. Then, having the kids all day, every day, it pretty much became impossible to go to the gym. I didnt have anyone who would watch the girls while I went to the gym every day. Then factor in everything else that goes on in the Summer and I have a big pile of excuses and no working out.
Now we are in to September/October when I vowed to get back into it again. BUT. (here comes another bunch of excuses) my fiance is a hunter. Anyone who is a hunter's wife knows that September to November is hunting season. Well, my hunter is gone ALOT during hunting season. And Im perfectly ok with that....but with him being gone, again, I dont have anyone to watch my kids. So I didnt really get into a routine. I know certain people would say "Well you can work out at home"...but I cant. I cant focus on what I need to do unless Im at the gym. I mean, I could do a little something at home, but nothing that is me focusing for a solid hour and a bit on the task at hand.
So now we are into November and my old office job calls me and says they are looking for some part time seasonal help. With Christmas coming Im OK with this. . . so  now its November and I am working 3...yes THREE jobs and I have 2 kids. I do day care a couple days a week, I work in a restaurant a couple days a week, and I work at my old office job Sunday-Thursday and sometimes Sunday-Friday. This leaves me with one day off a week. . .and Mon-Friday I am working double shifts. Somebody please let me know how I could possibly pencil the gym in that schedule without running myself into the ground?
So now it is January 1st.
I am still working the 3 jobs but the madness seems to have subsided. I am not working crazy long hours anymore and no more weekend work. YES. I have a little under 5 months til I get married. I need to look my best for it. So I am starting back at the gym today. I am going to make it my goal to get there as much as it can possibly happen because for me, I need a routine or I just fall off the wagon. Who's with me? xo-Brit

Life Changes & Weight Loss

I have been at this for 7 months now. It seems like sooo long ago that I decided that it was finally time to do this...but at the same time, time has flown by. In the past 7 months I am down 45 lbs and 5 pant sizes and I intend to keep going. By the time I get married next year, I would like to be down another 10 lbs. 10 lbs in a year doesn't seem like much, but, as Ive gotten smaller these past few months, it has been MUCH harder to lose. The lbs are coming off VERY slowly. I am to blame for this obviously, as I have not been to the gym since Mexico....(oops) but in my defense, life has been crazy. In the next few weeks, I expect life to slow down at least a little bit, and when it does, you better believe I will be hitting the gym hard and staying active as much as I can. I am determined to do this once and for all.
In the past I have lost a little weight, and then gotten comfortable and stopped. Then the pounds slowly creeped back on again. Not this time.
This time I have surpassed the lowest weight I have been in the past few years and am fully determined to hit my goal. IT WILL HAPPEN.
I have learned sooo much about eating, and eating right, and I know that its a no-brainer. As long as I eat my targeted number of calories daily and get my activity in, the weight can and WILL come off.

I have something else to share. For the past 5 years I have worked for an awesome company with some great people. This past year there has been some major changes in my life including miss H doing her first year of full time school. Because I work 40 hours a week I cannot be a part of very much of her schooling....and I want to be. I have missed countless field trips & concerts and other things that I - and especially miss H - want me to be a part of. I have realized that this is a very important time that I cannot and will not miss any more of. Life flies by, and we'll never get this time back, its time to start doing what I want and need to do. So, on Monday, I put in my notice. I will no longer be an employee of this company after my last day on the 30th. It took a lot of thinking, but we have decided that its best for me to just be mom right now. I want to be there, and my kids want me there.

SO that's my news! Lots of changes going on, very exciting, but very nerve-racking at the same time. Life is good!

Disgusted

As I sit here and reflect on the events of last night, I am just horrified by the actions of some people. It is not only disgusting, disheartening and HORRIBLE but it is also sad. Sad that some people were out to do this no matter what the outcome of the game. Sad that somebody's family members were deliberately wreaking havoc over the city of Vancouver. Sad that people will wake up this morning and feel proud of the despicable acts of violence they committed last night.
I am completely sickened and hope that anyone who reads this who is not from BC understands that although this disgusting situation made world news...this is only a small portion of hooligans who decided to act like fools. We're not all like this. Most of us just sit back and say too bad, we'll see you next year Canucks. Most of us care about our city and the well-being of others. Most of us hope that these imbeciles are taken into custody and charged.

The bottom line: Most of us are not like that.

Latest pic..

For those of you following my weight loss progress.....here's my latest before and after. Embarassing!

Playoffs Fail

So I have been having a rollercoaster couple of weeks. Ever since I got back from Mexico things have been sooo up and down. 1 week I lose nothing, the next week I lose 1.8 lbs. The next week I lose nothing, the week after I lose 2 lbs. etc etc. Its so annoying because I am SOO close to my goal. Since weighing in yesterday and not losing anything, I decided right then and there that I was going to focus hard this week. The problem isnt so much my eating, but more the fact that I have literally ZERO time for the gym.
With my packed schedule this week, I am thinking I will be able to get to the gym twice...if Im lucky. Guess I will just have to improvise and do what I can at home. Has anyone else out there struggled with a seriously hectic schedule? How do you deal?
I am not one to make excuses, but this IS a valid excuse. I don't want or like to not go to the gym. I know I need to be there so that I can finally hit my goal weight.
On second thought, I know what else is a bit of a factor in this rollercoaster...the Stanley Cup playoffs. I am not a drinker. Usually. BUT with the playoff games comes friends. Friends come over and they bring beer. Of course I have to have a beer or two when watching the game with friends. So looks like the formula is: beer intake up + gym sessions down = fail on my part.
GOOD NEWS is, the playoffs are almost over. If all goes to plan, Canucks will end this on Friday night. YES. Win.

Anyway, just a brief update. Hopefully I can think of some more exciting things to write about soon. The blog is beginning to fail!

xo-B

Went Fishing on Sunday....

....and caught this little guy. Thought I'd share the couple pics we took before put it back.