Another Week of Fitness & Lemon Water :)

I'm so happy there is finally enough snow to snowshoe in!
Even though it kicked me in the butt :) My legs were dying but it's all good. Overall I felt pretty good ~ better than last year thanks to being in the gym the last 3 weeks!
It was so beautiful ~ quiet and peaceful. 


I went to the gym 4 times last week. Monday's workout with my trainer, Ryan, was the hardest one yet. I almost threw up in the shower afterwards. We did 25 minutes of nonstop cardio circuit. Well, almost nonstop. The idea is to keep your heart rate up the whole time. 
I had to really push through some of the sets but I did it. Now I know you truly can feel really good and really horrible at the same time! Good because I finished everything ~ Horrible because my body was hating me.
Now's a good time to say wall squats are the enemy ~ ugh! You put your back on the wall and slide down like you're sitting in a chair. Then you hold that position. Your arms can be anywhere but on your legs.
On a positive note I drank alot of water this week! Yeah :)
Every morning I put the needed amount of water in my pitcher. I read somewhere women need 9 cups a day ~ add 2-3 cups if you do moderate exercise.  Our water is nice and cold out of the tap. I squeeze half a lemon in it and drop the lemon in. I know I need to empty that pitcher by the end of the day. 
It works for me.
I'm noticing a difference in my stomach. Shirts are loser :)

            Blessings,

                              JanMarie

Fitness Update

I needed a cheery picture today. Winter without much snow is a bit dreary so I found this picture to post :) It's a flower arrangement on our desk while living in Sicily. The flowers were so cheap to buy at the cemetery ~ so many varieties and colors! It was awesome.
The little dish holding the candle is one I found in a thrift store over there. I was sad when it didn't survive the trip back to the States.


Ok, so here's another fitness update.
I still didn't drink much water! That has to change. I'm going to try something different this week. I'll fill a pitcher each night with the water I need to drink the following day and put it in the fridge with lemons. That might work ~ hopefully!
I did eat better and went to the gym 3 days. No hiking. I've got to step it up and get to the gym more if I want to lose this weight.
My session with the trainer yesterday was great. Tough but great. I sweat like crazy. I do 30 minutes of weight training with him then I do 30 minutes of cardio on my own.
We are slowly moving towards eating 5 smaller meals a day rather than 3 big ones. It's much better for you. You eat smaller amounts with a mix of carbs and proteins. It keeps your metabolism working throughout the day ~ which is a good thing :)
My goal this week is to get to the gym 4-5 days and hike at least once. Also drink more water. Seems silly that water is such a struggle.


I hope you are having a wonderful day :) Here's hoping for some snow this week!

Blessings,

JanMarie

Fitness Update

Here's a quick fitness update for this past week.
Yesterday I worked out with my trainer.  I am sore today but it's a good sore :) It's interesting how some areas of your body are stronger than others. My shoulders and quads are 2 of my weakest areas. I did hike twice last week and went to the gym twice.
I didn't drink near enough water ~ I have to work on that this week!
This is a short post because I have a busy day. I'm looking forward to pushing myself more this week ~ reaching towards a better, stronger me :)

                                                                  Blessings,

                                                                  JanMarie

Beauty and Tragedy

The day started so beautifully this past Wednesday, the 4th ~


My friend Laura and I went hiking about 10am. We headed up to the 29th St. trailhead and hiked up to the "boulder fields" as Ben calls them. It's an area that has massive boulders perched seemingly haphazardly on the side of the mountain.
We explored a little bit then found a boulder to sit on for awhile looking out over Ogden on a beautiful, clear morning. The world felt right in that moment. We prayed together and chatted about life.

Hiking along the Ogden bench ~ Regretfully I have to say that ribbon of pukey yellow in the distance is pollution. Gotta love Utah's air quality!

Looking up towards Taylors Canyon

These boulders are massive ~ Their color and texture is amazing!

Rugged Beauty

Later that night Heather and I went to see "Sherlock Holmes". Very good movie :)
We drove home about 8:30pm. 10 minutes later the first shots were fired a block away that would take the life of Officer Jared Francom.
The Weber Morgan Narcotics Strike Force did a knock n serve and were fired upon by a lone suspect. It resulted in 6 officers being shot. Officer Francom was killed, 2 are still in critical condition, 2 are in stable condition and one was released.
The lone suspect was shot and is in the hospital also.
Heather and I were in the computer room when we heard cars that were going at very fast speeds with sirens. We ran out to the living room and realized the flashing lights were stopped a block away. At that point there were cop cars from different surrounding cities screaming up and down our road. They did a road block in front of our house.
We couldn't imagine what was going on. We thought maybe there was a hostage situation. DJ came home from school a bit later and then Dani and Ben from youth group after that.
We watched out our living room window for the next 3 hours as the local news channels set up and did broadcasts by the road block outside our house. We went online and read what had happened.
It was sad and surreal that this was happening in our neighborhood.
Please pray for Officer Francom's young wife and 2 children, ages 3 & 5, as well as the other wounded officers and their families. We appreciate the sacrifices they make each and every day. They are truly HEROES.


Beauty and tragedy all in one day ~ 
Hold on to each moment you have been given! Purpose to live with gratitude the moments God has blessed you with!

Blessings,

JanMarie

The Journey Begins :)

Happy New Year!


~The poster is made
~Goals are set
~First weigh in is come and gone
Our family Biggest Loser~ish contest is on a roll!

This is my portion of the poster we made.  No one else is real excited about me blogging  on their journey so you are just stuck with me :) 
In case you can't read the inspirational quote here it is :
"The only one who can tell you that you can't is you. You don't have to listen!"

Heather and I decided to join a local gym. It's a smaller fitness center. Warm and inviting. Friendly staff.
I made the commitment to work with a trainer once a week for the next 6 months. It will help me be more accountable in getting to the gym 5 days a week. It will also be very helpful because I'm lost when it comes to weight training!
Yesterday was my 2nd session with my trainer ~ he's great! Very encouraging. I need that ~ alot :) This journey to losing 50 lbs. won't be easy. I won't always want to go workout. I won't always want to make better food choices.
BUT....I do want to feel better.....stronger! I don't want to sit around waiting for health problems to fall into my lap because of being overweight.
So. The journey begins :)
I'm hoping to blog each Monday about this journey. That's the day I meet with my trainer. I think it will be helpful to blog about this journey. Writing is a powerful tool. Maybe someone else will be inspired to take the first step towards their own journey!

DJ and I took the dogs hiking along the bench Sunday morning. It was so beautiful. Not to cold. So quiet and the air was clean :)

Persevering With Purpose,
JanMarie