Goal 1: Exceeded!

Well I did it! I have exceeded my first goal of walking a mile 4 times a week. I finished my last walk this morning. I really did not feel like going this morning, but talking to a good friend while I walked helped get me through it! You would think that it would get easier, but this last week has been so tough! Even yesterday, the dogs were pulling me almost the entire walk! I think my body is starting to fight me because I really am trying to change, and right now, it doesn't like it. I think if I can keep pushing through, I will start to see results. I have to say, I thought I would be more excited about completing this goal, but I just felt kinda "meh" about it. I think it's because the scale isn't really going down yet. People say when you start working out you build muscle right? Let's hope that is what is happening. I do feel like the appearance of my body is changing, so I'm not completely discouraged! Here was my view during our walk yesterday!

I say I have exceeded my goal because in addition to walking I have also been going to Camp Gladiator which was not planned when I set my original goal. Camp Gladiator has pushed me beyond my comfort zone in many ways, physically and emotionally. Overall I think it's been a good experience, and I still have 2 weeks left of the free camp. I really like the trainer, and the people that go have become really encouraging. Yeah, I'm still last in everything we do, but I'm trying, and everyone sees that. We had to do broad jump thing this past week. You basically jump as far as you can, and you keep jumping from one point to another. Now, gravity I can't decide if gravity is my enemy or my bestie.. b/c I don't leave the ground without a lot of effort. So here I am jumping beside this guy that can get across the space in 3 jumps, while it takes me about 20. He was going to so much faster than me! At one point I looked over at him, and I said "well, I'm glad you're making me look so good!" He laughed and said "as long as you're moving.. everyone starts somewhere." So true! So I just kept trying to jump my tiny jumps, and I was happy that I was moving. Tiny update about Camp Gladiator - +Jimmy Ho and I now put our mats together. I don't feel like I need to be away from him to focus on myself. Even though he is beside me, I am still focusing on me, and I don't mind if he sees me struggle. We have even been partners for some of the activities, and I feel okay about it. Having him there has been good, and I don't treat him like a crutch.

I have now been working at home for 6 weeks. Crazy right?! Since I've been working at home, we eat at home SO much more!! It seems like we only eat out once, maybe twice a week. We have been cooking a lot, and through my +Vitamix experimentation, things have not gotten boring. Last night we made a different pasta sauce. We used this vitamix recipe.

We added 3 cloves of garlic instead of 1 because we really like it, but other than that we followed the recipe exactly. I'm not sure that I would advise trying this one in a blender because the finished product is really thick like a paste, and I'm not sure it would work well in a blender. A food processor might work though! Some things you can't see about the instructions are to first microwave the balsamic vinegar and the shallot for 1 minute. Then put everything except the EVOO into the container, mix everything up, and then add the EVOO while mixing.

We also added some ground turkey, but that isn't in the pic. We used the Smart Taste Noodles. This sauce was SO flavorful!! It tasted like something you may get in a restaurant. The vinegar added a bite, so you'll have to play with the recipe and adjust it to your liking. I think next time we are going to make this sauce,  we will add some fresh tomatoes to make it saucier, simmer it, and add some chunks of tomatoes and onion.

Because I'd like to see more progress, from April 1st - until we go out of town at the end of April, I'm going to be cutting out all white starches, processed sugars, cheese, and alcohol. Sad right?! I've done this a few times, and I always feel better.. so here goes! I've been trying to decide on an exercise goal for the month of April, and I just don't know what to do. I don't want to get bored, but I need to keep moving. I still have 2 weeks of Camp Gladiator, but what else should I do? Keep walking? Anything else? I saw a news report the other night talking about exercising for your blood type. I wasn't paying too much attention, but they said Type A's should do things like yoga and tai chi because we carry a lot of lactic acid in our muscles. So I've been thinking about adding in yoga once or twice a week. AT HOME. It is one thing to go grunt at Camp Gladiator when everyone else is grunting. But I can't imagine going into a quiet yoga studio and being the only one grunting and squealing (yeah.. I felt pig sounds were appropriate.) Anyway.. just a though. Here's the latest pic of me!

Hope you all have a happy Easter!!