the schoon's

4 weeks

It's amazing to see the changes in 4 weeks...  4-5 days a week of bootcamp is starting to feel like a routine, rather than a chore to get up for.  

Almost 2 years ago in May I had my right elbow reconstructed.  It has taken a long time, but I finally am feeling like I am 98% there.  My pain is gone, my range of motion is back, my strength is building back up, my tennis hits are stronger than ever.  The problem was and is still weight-bearing activities...  mountain climbers, squat thrusts, plank holds.  It just would hurt so I have been doing the modified versions.  This last week I tried these things again, and I think something is wrong with me when I say that I am happy I can do squat thrusts and mountain climbers again.  Planks are still an issue, but I'm ok with that.  ;)

I love that I'm starting to see the results of the hard work and changes.  Not only am I finally seeing changes in clothes sizes, I'm seeing changes in my strength and endurance. 

This week I have been tasked with an layout for Designer Digitals...  it's an All About Me page...  the challenge as described to me is:

"This week's assignment is one that will be repeated again towards the end of the year. It's entitled, "A Day in My Life." It's an easy assignment but one that takes just a bit of planning. Choose any day of the week and photograph your activities as you go about your regular routine. You will want to take at least 3-4 photos that day but you may want to take a lot more. A layout might include photos such as these: photograph your kitchen as you cook breakfast, the kids as they leave for school, your cup of coffee, the drive to work, a meeting with your co-workers, the laundry, a grocery run in the afternoon, your hubby coming home, the kids going to bed and then you logging onto DD as you settle into your evening. The point is to take photos of the everyday routine that you have and to focus on the details that you might otherwise overlook. "

Tomorrow is my day that I am tracking this.  As I think about the assignment, it makes me wish that I would have done this a year ago.  I feel like my balance is starting to return.  Instead of all work, I am remembering to focus on me... through exercise, through diet. 

So it will be interesting to track my day... picture by picture, hour by hour, of what a day in my life now consists of.  

So far so good....

It's all a numbers game. 

At least that's what I'm telling myself.

Calories Burned needs to be greater than Calories Consumed.

The Accounting major in me loves these numbers... 

Since 2/15:

• 1470 exercise minutes
• Daily average calories burned 2642
• Daily average calories consumed 1235
• Average daily steps 10081
• 17 days into the challenge, 81 days to go
• 67 days left until the mini-marathon

Jeff keeps telling me... Surrender to the process...

My calendar is keeping me on track... with meals, activity, and all work/volunteer/kid activities...  I haven't felt this focused in along time.

I work for that cheat meal on the weekend... where I let myself enjoy whatever I want... but I've been happy to see that the cheat meal is still coming within my daily allowance and not consuming more than I've burned for the day.

This Saturday is the test.  The first weigh-in for the first three weeks.  I have snuck a few peeks on the scale.  The first week was really good, second week didn't move at all, this week I've hid the scale even harder to get to so I won't get on it.  I keep reminding myself that they don't lose in the 2nd week on Biggest Loser either.

I'm finding that I am getting addicted to certain new things in my diet... I live for my protein shake in the afternoon, love my grapes in the morning, and breakfast in a bowl (yogurt,oatmeal,cottagecheese mix) is way better than it sounds.

So what is different this time around? What will be different for me after this SLAMBAM?  I feel like I am finding some really good meal options this time that work for me and the family that are healthy and taste pretty darn good.  Who knew I would eat a FISH TACO? and like it? 

I live by my calendar... I'm so list oriented, that having a plan everyday is actually quite a relief and makes it much easier. 

Bed at 9pm?  Who would have thought?  The girl who normally is not in bed until after 12 is hitting the sack 4-5 nights a week early.  Amazing how a full night of sleep makes you feel :)

81 more days.  I'm pretty sure I can do it...the question in my mind is still the after and working on these things now, to continue past 81 days....

Day 2 of 98

Day 1 done.  On to Day 2.

2nd day wasn't as hard to pull myself out of bed as I thought it would be, going to bed at 9:30pm probably helped as well. 

I'm really struggling with wanting to step on the scale.  When you do something everyday, it's hard to break that habit.

thoughts?  do you step on the scale daily, weekly, or never when trying to lose weight?

-k

Today's activity:

• 60 minutes bootcamp at 5:30 am

SLAM BAM time... Day 1 of 98

It has officially started.

SLAM BAM...  defined as: 

"SLAM B.A.M. TRANSFORMATION CHALLENGE = B.A.M. (Body and Mind)

Your ability to gain self-love, self-respect, and success is within your reach with Indy Adventure Boot Camp's SLAM B.A.M. Transformation. I’m sure that you want a "slim, trim, new body", but this contest is about more than that. This is a transformation of the body and mind. As you build a leaner, healthier, and stronger body; you will find a deeper sense of success. Your new image will help you see that you ARE beautiful, you ARE strong, and you ARE a champion of LIFE!"

14 weeks of boot camp, meal plans, essays, guidance.  Saturday was the weigh-in, measurements, before pictures and get your meal plan.  Sunday was a last day of "freedom".  And today, on track and on plan....

 

My fridge is prepped and ready.  Luckily I have a very "Kari-friendly" meal plan and limited prep, and so far, it seems very family friendly as well.  I'm only into it for 8 hours, but dinner plans look pretty good for the kiddos too.

98 days...

I'm not worried about the 98 days.  I'm actually rather excited about it.  I like the tracking, the accountability, the tasks and seeing a project through. I'm even excited about increasing the number of days a week for bootcamp.

The numbers part of it is fun too... tracking all my calories, protein, carbs, etc and seeing how it compares to my caloric burn throughout the day with boot camp and other activities.  The planning part of it fits well for me... all the meals for the next 3 weeks are on my calendar, color coded to SLAM BAM meals.  Activity is scheduled on my calendar as well in red SLAM BAM.  

What I'm really trying to do is find that balance... the balance of taking time for myself while still giving my time to work, family, volunteering and anything else that comes along.  I see my calendar as being an integral part of this process for me.  Scheduling in that exercise time for me and making that time just as important as a work meeting or kid/family event.  I feel like since I finished the SLAM BAM 2 years ago, I stopped the taking care of myself part.  ...thinking "hey, I did it...now lets get on with life".

Well, taking time for myself and exercise needs to continue to be part of my life... forever.  It's very easy for me to give my time to anything but myself.  So that's the part that worries me... the after 98 days are up.  Will I continue to give myself the focus I need?  

I guess can't worry about that now though,  I just need to make these changes now, gradually and with purpose and hope that the Mind transformation part of this will be just as strong as the Body transformation part. 

My challenges for this week are:

• follow the meal plan
• work towards a goal of 5 days boot camp
• stay hydrated
• keep my calendar updated
• look forward to my allowed cheat meal on Saturday

It would be great to lose 10 pounds this week too, like they do in Biggest Loser, but I figure if I do what I'm supposed to from the list above I'm doing good.  As I keep going in this, the losing weight part will just be the "icing on the cake". 

I'm actually thinking of hiding my scale too.  Our next weigh-in is in 3 weeks.  I keep thinking how fun mentally that would be to follow the plan, do the work and get that reward on the scale at the weigh-in and not know before hand what the results will be when I weigh in.  I love that control right now, weighing each morning, seeing how I'm doing... but maybe that is one control thing I need to give up? 

Ok - I've put myself out there. Any support during this SLAM BAM challenge is greatly appreciated ;)

-k

Today's activity:

• 60 minutes bootcamp at 5:30 am
• 90 minutes tennis clinic

Happy 2010!

Happy 2010!

Hard to believe that this year marks 3 years we have been in our current home, 3 years that Jeff has been in his new job, 3 years of good things....

We have been making plans for the year... (when am I not planning?)

Our family command center... planning what projects we want to do this winter, things to do, places to go....  already starting to fill it up with ideas.  We did this for summer last year, then again over Christmas break.  The boys are now expecting it and always wanting to add more to the list.

Erik's new interest:

Erik loves making comics.  He started doing this earlier in the school year, when he was learning powerpoint.  Pulling in clipart, writing his stories...  Well, I had this software and figured it was time to install for him to play with.  I haven't even had to show him anything.. he has figured it all on his own and now is thinking of more places and stories to take pictures of for his creations...

365:

Have you heard of this project?  a picture a day...every day... for a year.

I tried last year... I had a good start... but fizzled out mid february.  Sure, I still took pictures often, but I stopped picking that one picture for the day.

This year, I'm trying again. 

I got inspired by all those who made it through the year. 

And... as I'm reminding myself, I always have a camera with me., even if it is a crackberry. (PS. rumor has it verizon will have the iPhone mid-year! so I will too :) )

And... this is helping inspire me and give me ideas of pictures.

Here's what we have so far for week 1 of 2010:

2010 365 Project

Trim in 2010:

Isn't losing weight and getting fit always a resolution?  I've decided I'm not making a new year's resolution.. just continuing with plans already in motion.

This last year I decreased significantly my time at boot camp.  Took a break.  Realized I missed it and have been getting back into it this past fall.  I even signed up to do the bootcamp challenge again this spring like I did 2 years ago.  

Erik has found that he LOVES boot camp too.  He went with me a few times last summer and we have now found him a class that he goes to for kids once a week.  Combined with swimming, fall soccer &tennis, and lots of playing outside, he's enjoying building those muscles.  

Our family fitness plans have been added to our command center tracker:

Erik - Triathlon in april

Jeff & Kari - Mini-marathon (Jeff-running/Kari-walking) again in May

Kari - SLAM BAM - intense bootcamps from Feb through end of May

Kristin - being the crazy 4 yr old that he is...

Crafting and Scrapping

Along with work, volunteering, family life, and fitness plans, still trying to keep up with my family scrapbooking and I have even pulled my sewing machine back out with plans to use it :) Before Christmas I cranked out 3 homemade snuggies, and I have 4 other projects waiting in the wings.  Now when I find that extra time after that, my beading supplies have multiplied and are waiting to be worked with and there are 11 unread books in my Kindle. Oh, and the canvases and painting supplies are waiting in the garage for me as well.

A good start to 2010

Plan, tasks, goals...  everything is lined up to set this year in good motion.  Now, can I keep it up?

Erik - get back to school work!



Love you, MOM

Me on Wizard 101 (it rocks)

If you see someone on Wizard 101 named ********* (edited by mom - contact us if you play and want to add Erik)  that is me. I will usually be in haunted cave battling Lord Nightshade. I am wearing black and white with a funny hat. I wish I had a pic. If you don't  have a account you should get one. ( You seriously need one. The game rocks ) 

My Day at School

FROM ERIK:

My school day was probably just like everyone else's day but only if they had to write a biography and finish their first draft and graphic organizer for it  and had music and is in fifth grade with a awesome teacher. But, when I put it that way my day sounds pretty good.

new author....

Erik discovered at school last week that we had a family blog...

He wants to be a guest author and why not?

So watch for some posts from a 5th grade point of view....

fun times on halloween

Halloween this year was so much fun.  Falling on a Saturday, we had a whole day to find stuff to do.  In the morning, we walked over to the grand opening of the new Harvest Fresh Market & Delicatessen. It is so nice now to have a grocery store in our own neighborhood.   

In the afternoon, we gathered with neighbors and had a pumpkin carving party.  Erik had fun digging out all the goop and Kristian went more refined with his Pirate face. 

Trick or treating started early at 5pm.  We headed out and got a start on that.  We trick or treated with some of Erik’s friends from school.  The boys were all scary creatures and Kristian felt compelled to shoot them whenever possible with his clone trooper gun.  Kristian tired out earlier so we headed home while Jeff and Erik kept on going. 

After trick or treating we all met up at a neighbors house for some good chili, soup, and fun conversation.  Jeff and I even dressed up for the occasion.  Yes, Buzz and Jesse made their appearance that night.  It was so cute that a little 2 year old at the party actually thought Jeff was Buzz. 

This Halloween had to be one of our most fun yet...  Carving pumpkins, watching the boys enjoy trick or treating, and fun times with neighbors that are not just neighbors, but friends too.

 

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