Peace, Love & Core

Hi friends, how are you?  Glad it's Wednesday. No work out for me this evening... but after last night's "Peace, Love & Core" routine, I could use a rest.

This workout was insane.  I was dying when I got to the Walking Lunges and the Triceps Extensions had my arms screaming.  I completed this round with no cheating.  I started a second round but only finished Plank Leg Lifts and had just started Ball Ups when our coach called time.  For a cool down, we walked around the building and did some stretching. If you want a challenge, please give this workout a try. I'm amazed that I completed it.  I'm surprised by what this body can do...

 It was a great opportunity to use my Christmas present.  My daughter gifted me the Polar FT4.  I love the simplicity of this heart rate monitor. The band you wear around your chest is surprisingly comfortable and my only dislike is I can't always tell if I've turned it on or turned if off.

Last night's workout had me burning 435 calories in 1 hour.  Not bad.  I was also 15 minutes in HR zone 171 and was steady at 145.  I think this little monitor will help me in gauging my progress.

 

 

 

On  Saturdays, we jogged/mostly walked 4.5 miles.  My monitor said I burned 1,000 calories.  Hmmmm. I wonder about that.. I snapped this picture of my daughter during our jogging. I can't believe this beautiful Nature Preserve is close to my home. Must go back.

I did great 5 days out of 7 our my cleanse. I won't be too hard on myself because I am still drinking my coffee without sugar which is huge... I am still eating dairy free and even though I've introduced carbs over the weekend and today, I will continue to reduce carbs as much as possible.  I ate a bagel today with peanut butter and a little jam. That was the first sugar I've eaten in weeks and even though I feel like I fell off the wagon, it was glorious but I WILL NOT MAKE IT A HABIT.  A TREAT is not something you have every day...

Just so that I'm being honest, I do want to share a couple of pictures of some of the foods I've been enjoying besides that blasted bagel.

Egg white omelette with mushrooms, peppers and avocado.

This is another favorite of mine. Romaine lettuce, tuna, shredded carrots, garbanzos and jalapenos... Yum...

I've also cooked up a batch of chili for lunches.... I'm in a slippery predicament right now. By eating that bagel, I run the risk of introducing more carbs. It's a nasty cycle with me... once I start, it starts a snowball effect.  I will definitely need to be conscious of that... I truly am logging everything in my food journal. I didn't turn in my food journal like I was suppose too but not because I was bad. Merely because I just didn't have time to turn it in. 

I can honestly say I've been eating 85% on plan.  Note to self:  "Paula, please focus on the foods you can have and not what you can't... It's not the end of the world that you ate a bagel... just be mindful... NO MORE CARBS my friend. Remember how great you felt without them.

Well, that's enough self talk... Better get back to work. Hope you're having an awesome day and I hope you'll try the Peace, Love and Core workout... I would love to hear you felt afterwards.

Best,
Paula

Allow yourself to be a beginner

Hi friends, how's your week going?  I'm on week two of our BRIK session at Kaia Fit.  I do believe I'm getting stronger with each class.  Monday and Tuesday we did lots of burpees and push ups.   My arms are still on fire.  Sometimes, I feel silly taking these classes. After all, I 'm no spring chicken. I have to remind myself that I'm 51 years old.  I get competitive. I want to do as good as the person next to me. I forget they're younger and stronger.  I find myself looking at some of the women who are my age. I compare myself. I want to do better than they... Can you relate? 

It's okay to be a beginner. I don't have to knock each exercise out of the park. Hell, I'm ahead of the game just by making class.

This session at Kaia is called BRIK. It's a 6 weeks course.  Each week we turn in our food journals. My coach's comments were helpful. She gave me suggestions and commented on my fiber, sugar and protein intake. Having someone carefully review your food is extremely helpful. I'm thinking twice before I put anything in my mouth.  Again, I'm competitive. I want to do well.

This week we are doing a 7 day CLEANSE.  No processed foods, sugar, carbs, and alcohol.  Let me just say that not having flavored creamer in my coffee has taken the joy out of my morning ritual. But I am glad to say that Day 4 of no sugar hasn't been so bad. Today I actually enjoyed my coffee with a splash of soy milk. Removing sugar from my morning coffee has certainly reduced my need for food. I've heard others say the same thing, but it's something one needs to experience for themselves.  I'll continue to nix the sugar, carbs and processed foods in the weeks to come. Wish me luck okay?  Very curious to see how my body reacts in the weeks to come.

I  haven't weighed myself in 2 weeks.  I don't see many changes in my body physically and it's deflating to work so hard and not see fast results... I think I've sort of given up on losing weight... I keep telling self STRONG IS THE NEW SKINNY.

Maybe my body just likes 180 lbs.... or maybe i"ll see results a year from now.  We shall see, right?

Well friends. I gotta run. Hope your day is going well.

Later, gators.
PWC

Getting comfortable with being uncomfortable.

Happy Thursday my friends. I am on day three of our brk revolution. It is a 6 week bootcamp where i turn in a food journal, take a physical assessment and meet with my coach weekly, we meet 5 days amweek. I decided to join Kaia Fit on a monthly basis instead of in 5-6 week sessions. I just went for it. Each class we are given a mantra. Today's mantra is the title of my post. Pretty cool, right?

Last night i got creative in the cocina. I looked in my cupboards and spied this:






I had Guajillo, New Mexico and Japones peppers. I know, i have an insane supply of peppers. I also had ground turkey in my fridge. I decided to make Chorizo. I watched my MIL make it when she visited the United States. Instead of ground pork, i will use turkey.




I took my peppers and soaked them in hot boiling water for about 15 minutes. While my peppers were soaking, i marinated the turkey with vinegar. I used 2 ounces but immediately realized i should have used 1 ounce. I let the vinegar and meat sit for 30 minutes. Meanwhile, i added the chilies with the water to the blender. Added two cloves of garlic, a pinch of cumin, and a pinch Mexican oregano, added salt and blended for five minutes. I also realized i had menudo mix. Next time, i will just use a table spoon of that since it has cumin, oregano and pequin peppers.




I then added the paste like sauce to the meat. Covered it and let it marinate over night.





Tonight, after Kaia, i cooked some up while prepping my lunch for the next day. I begged Daniel to taste it and he liked it. He agreed, i should have added less vinegar.

I will definitely try this with tofu.

I will add the chorizo to my salads for lunch. Give this recipe a try. But only if you are willing to get comfortable with being uncomfortable. LOL. Please let me know in the comments if you give it a try.

Later gators.

HOPE. It's a glorious thing

Dear Paula,

Happy New Years.  Are you excited for 2014?  You should be!  Last  year was a bear and you now have an opportunity to rewrite the year.

Do I really want to re-write the year? Probably not.  Cancer was scary but I learned a great deal and it brought me closer to my loved ones and my Lord.  I've always looked to God, but I relied on him heavily this year and I don't think that will change. I'm happy that I have Hope.

Paula, I am proud of you for starting the New Year with a hike.

You felt marvelous while hiking the Sierras.  You even had a snow fight.  I think it's great how being out doors soothes your soul and has a way of putting things into perspective.  We are so tiny in the grand scheme of things.... I think you captured that wonderfully in the picture below.  However, Girl, you really should use more lotion. Your hands look old and dry.  Moisture should be your motto of 2014 LOL.

I know you were super excited to have Daniel join you on this hike... Even though he scared the bejesus out of you when he hid from you behind those big old trees.  That's a great picture of him walking in the woods. 

Paula, I know you absolutely love the warmth of the sun.  I think you said it felt as though the Lord was embracing you... Yes.  I think you find the outdoors healing and "church-like."  That's a good thing my friend.

I know you're extremely grateful to have good health this year.  It's written all over your face as you walk the river banks near your home. Your hair is growing and well, I'm not too sure I like your new highlights but hey, I get that you wanted to look like Toni Braxton... you crack me up.

You feel very fortunate and want to be a blessing to those around you.  If you see a need. DO WHAT YOU CAN. If someone needs encouragement, SPEAK UP.  Put yourself out there my friend.  A smile is something that doesn't cost you anything and has the capacity to lift someone up. Practice it wherever you can.  Find a way to give more this year.  Give of your time and your resources.

You also started your Revolution Boot camp series last night. What is your goal?  I know the weight has been slow to come off but that's okay. You're living in the moment. You're pushing your physical envelope and that my friend is worthy of celebration.  Remember, Strong and Fit is the new Skinny.  Strive for that okay?

Yes, Paula, hope is a wonderful thing. Hold onto it... because it's always the last thing to go...

Que dios te bendiga mi amiga.

Strong

Hello friends, how was your week? Can you believe we Christmas is just 5 days away? The house is as decorated as it can be.  Last year, the day after Christmas, I bought a 7.5 foot tree and several ornaments on sale.  We didn't decorate last year since I was going through treatment but this year, it was on...  My grands came over and decorated the tree. My tree isn't fancy but every ornament is special to me.

I've been having headaches lately but the good news is my CT scan is negative.  No tumor. Just migraines.  I've never dealt with that kind of pain before but an injection and Hydrocodone has helped. I am so incredibly happy to have that CT scan behind me. 

 

Last night I finished my second boot camp and I do believe I'm getting stronger. The scale is actually up but maybe that's because of muscle. I feel amazing after each class. So amazing that I committed to joining the Kaia Fit gym. I'll pay $119 a month but it's cheaper than doing the 6 week classes. On January 6, we start our BRK classes which will be 5 days a week with a running day on Saturday.  I'll have an assessment with a coach and will be required to keep a food journal which I will need to share with my coach each week. 

 

I'm stoked....

 

About my breast reconstruction surgery. I've put that on hold indefinitely.  After meeting with my oncologist and hearing the statistics on my cancer coming back (I'm being positive here. I know I'll be in the percentage where it WON'T COME BACK) so instead of fretting, I will focus on health and fitness and when I'm down to 165, I'll contact my surgeon. Until then, I'll work towards being FIT AND STRONG.  How does that sound?

 

Gosh, I'm happy.  I just wanted to come here and wish you all a merry Christmas.  Talk to  you soon.

12 day challenge

• Our Kaia coaches challenged us to do this 12 day challenge. Sadly, I did not partake. But to my credit, my co-worker and I did a 40 minutes workout at lunch. The weather was gorgeous and we worked out by the pool. I decided to take my own advice and use the gym at work. Time to let go of being self-conscious.
• Another item I want to work on his monitoring my food more closely.  I was keeping a food journal but fell out of the habit.  Time to be more mindful of my eats. I'm even thinking of doing a fast 1 day out of the week.  
• Here is why I need to track my meals.  My co-workers have been indulging in bagels and cream cheese. I am guilty of doing the same. I used to eat a bagel every morning and sadly, I weighed 213 lbs when I did that... TIME TO NIP THAT BAD HABIT.
• My house is decorated for Christmas. It feels festive. A far cry from last year. :-)
• I've been suffering from headache since Thanksgiving. As a precaution, my oncologist scheduled a CT scan for tomorrow. Please say a prayer for me if you have a moment.  I'm trusting in the Lord, but I still need to ask him for good health. So if you'll stand in agreement with me, I'd really appreciate it.
• Well, that's all I got folks. Just wanted to share this 12 day challenge. Let me know how you feel after doing these exercises.  

Later folks.

keep on, keepin on

Exercising after a double mastectomy sans prosthesis.

Hi friends.  Can you believe I did a warm up that included 100 jump ropes before starting boot camp? Man, it felt great. I've not jumped rope since I was a kid.  I am not fast but the fact that I can do them is pretty significant. At least for me.  I asked Daniel to take the picture above when I got home. I left class feeling strong and thin.  I know the picture is not great but I am not thin by any meas.  I felt thin because my t-shirt felt longer.  Looser.

I wanted to share something about  this picture. I am not wearing my prosthesis. It's been 13 months since my double mastectomy.  It's been a tough year is not surprising if you've read PWC for any length of time.  I have felt insecure being in a gym without the prosthesis. It sets me apart.  I've had to check "self-conscousness" at the door when walking into a gym, or the boot camp class designed for woman. Luckily everyone is very supportive.  I know they are because when I'm last to finish a set, I have the coach next to me doing the exercise along side me, with the class rooting and counting down as we finish. Everyone cheers.  Yea, it makes me uneasy but at the same time. I'm here. I"m living this moment. I'm doing my best to live my life.  I want to define the quality of life.  Don't get me wrong. There are moments where I feel sorry for myself, but then I check self because I know it's up to me to make my moments GREAT.  And it's up to you to make your moments great despite your insecurities or what life has dealt you.  Does this make sense?

If you are reading this post and feel self-conscious about going to the gym. Please get over it.  If you feel you are too fat to take a zumba class, You must GET OVER it. Life is short.  Enjoy each day as much as you can. As soon as you wake up.  Decide. Decide right there what kind of day you are going to have. For me, it's calling on God. I remind myself that this is the day the Lord has made for me.  I will rejoice in it... I'm going to have problems. That's a given. But it's up to me to stay calm. Stay out of fear and to keep on keeping on.

Don't let the small shit keep you from missing out.  That's what Cancer has taught me.... keep on, keepin on. I hope if you're reading that you hear what I have to say and do your best to let go of your fears.  Don't let it stop you from enjoying what life has to offer.  Keep on keepin on, okay?

Later gators.
Paula