Watermelon, Almonds and Eggs

I am enjoying my breakfast of watermelon, almonds and eggs. Yes, it sounds very appetizing, but it actually is one of my most satisfying breakfasts. Watermelon is my favorite fruit. If I were stranded on an island, it would be the first food that I'd select. Yummy! I usually have one whole egg and 1 egg white. I count out 12 almonds. I don't even remember if that is the serving. It just sounds correct. Do you know?! LOL

Yesterday was a good eating day. Unfortunately, I didn't get any activity in outside of walking around the office. With all of this heightened awareness around TB, I am really getting my worth in pay. I also had 2 meetings AFTER work so that dug into my normal workout hours.

Today, I have to go to my MK meeting. I haven't been in quite a while. It just wasn't serving me like it used to. Fortunately, two team members will be there and I will be promoting my "Color Insider" certification program. I teach most, if not all, our glamour training/workshops. It is being held on the 23rd of this month. It is a 3-hour hands-on workshop that I am building from scratch. I know that it will be a lot of fun. So, I have 18 days to pull it all together. That should give me enough time to make it a "kick ass" program. If it goes well enough, I will be doing it again.

The exciting news is that we are having a "Model of Beauty" contest. This is so great! We will be choosing 4 women to be featured in the Look. They will also win a trip to New York and a $500 shopping spree. I'd love to go through a makeover experience just to have a totally new look. I usually do that every other year to prevent getting stuck in a certain color scheme or hair style.

As a makeup artist, I love to have other artists do my makeup. Sometimes, it is easy to get stuck in a rut with your colors. I had an awesome experience with an artist from Paula Dorff who gave me such a fun summer look that it opened up a whole new selection of colors that I had never tried. It was so fun. I remember that my friend, Erik, was with me at the time. It was so random that we were even shopping together, let alone having him wait while I got a new look. He was such a great sport. I don't know where he is now. LOL

I love success stories and stories of people who just "get it". I just happened to stumble across a women who is 39 who has an amazing figure. www.bunklers.com She is known as "Chicken Tuna" in a few circles. At first, I thought that it was a derogatory name. Then, I read her bio and how she came to choose that as her screename. I had to laugh at myself. What I enjoy about her is that she does share that it is hard, that she does have to make sacrifices (pizza vs. tuna pack), that there is ALWAYS a choice, even at McD's, she lifts heavy, and that there is a "No Excuse" policy when it comes to workouts. I also had to laugh at her love of workout videos for cardio.

It is very important for me to find people who are living the lifestyle and succeeding. I find that keeping in touch with those who are successful keeps me more focused. As James Ray always says, "Where attention goes, energy flows." It's so true. I know that I need to place more images of health and fitness in my path each day. I have a couple old photos and old video of myself, but it is certainly not enough.

My plan for today: Follow my food plan. Go to my step class and meditate.

Knocked Up!

Not me, silly! The movie! Knocked Up is a very funny, on the verge of gross, romantic comedy. Matt and I saw it this evening and we both enjoyed it. There was a group of early-20 year old men who sat in front of me that laughed so beautifully at the movie. It is definitely great for men and women to see together. A great date movie!

I had a relaxing weekend that is just ending. I have to get my lunch ready for tomorrow. I will probably build a lunch around soup or a lean cuisine as my salad is not ready. I have a crazy schedule tomorrow and hope to eat a healthy dinner at some point. I am heading to SF after work and then to Pleasanton by 7. I might be able to stop and get a salad from somewhere.

I am sleepy. What is my plan for tomorrow? To have my meals planned for the day and get a 30 minute TT workout in before work.

2nd Day of the 6th Month

Step Class at 9 AM, Mary Kay Product delivery at 10:15. Oil Change at 11...I like when my schedule has some structure on the weekends. Otherwise, I tend to just get going and spend lots of money in the process. LOL

I had a pretty good night's sleep. I was awake at 5:30 but stayed in bed until 6:45. That is the luxury of the weekend: Get up when I damn well choose. LOL I am about to jump in the shower. Yes, I am showering before my workout. If I wake up this far in advance, I just feel better once I've taken a shower. It also helps to ensure that I have removed ALL of my mascara so that it doesn't burn my eyes during step.

I am proud of myself. I have taken 6-8 step classes in the last month. This is huge since I have not done step for so long. I can definitely tell that my endurance/cardiovascular fitness is improving. This is so important to my training and weight loss.

Today. I am going to be having some fun with some cookbooks. I was watching Paula's Party last night and just wanted to experience the feeling of cooking. I did make a Krispy Kreme Donut Bread Pudding on Monday. It was quite something. I was able to just eat a few bites. If you can eat more than that, you've got a major sweet tooth.

I am not sure what I am in the mood to prepare, but it will be something nutritious and fun...I hope.

I'm off to shower. Have a wonderfully productive day!

First Taping

I just found my video camera and my AC adapter. I recorded myself "raw" for my first video journal for my weight loss program. I was watching my footage from summer 2004. It is so incredible how amazingly fit I was. I did two minutes of intense jumping jacks and was able to hold a conversation WHILE I was doing it. I also mentioned in the footage that I had brought my mile run time down from 12 minutes to 8:20! That is pretty awesome. I know that I am going to do a time trial to register where I am in my cardiovascular health now so that I know how much I am improving.

I am listening to Scott Tousignant from www.thefitchic.com. He is sharing how to "Get your butt to the gym." Sign up for the FREE mp3. It's worth a listen of how to approach your fitness goals, how to maintain your motivation, the different types of workouts for efficacy and so much more. I really like is speaking style. There are quite a few fitness trainers that have teleseminars, podcasts, etc. that have the best information, but their speaking style is in the toliet. This is such an important part of success for anyone who is sharing information with a large audience. Anyway, back to the reason for the post.

I am excited that I took action today regardless of the fact that I was so far off track from obtaining my eating goals. I am proud that I took an initial step in tracking my progress to my goal. It's about mastery, not about perfection.

It is really important for me to record my goals and objective, my action steps and my plan on video. I think that it will make a difference in my personal motivation and allow me to revisit my enthusiasm for my plan regularly. By having it on film, I will be able to see, hear, feel and know where I started and where I am going.

My Objective: to be added!

TGIF: Mental Blow Out

I am so glad that it is Friday. Ugh! What a day! The worst of it is that I had a major graze fest: a chocolate croissant, Wheat Thins chips, a chocolate chip cookie, chips and tomatillo salsa. I did get some good in there: an orange. LOL I didn't eat any nutrient-dense food at lunch either. I don't know what got into me. I just know that it wasn't pretty. The good thing that I can say is that I stopped my grazing at around 5:15. I have been food-free for about an hour. I don't think that I am going to eat anything for the rest of the day. I will definitely drink some water.

I did pick up my brand new (to me) 12kg kettlebell that I received on Tuesday. It is a red Dragon Door KB that I got from ebay for $10! What a steal! It was from a private seller and I had no competition. I did pay $21 for shipping which is still better than buying for any direct seller. I would like to find a twin soon. I am in no rush as KB training is very new to me.

So, as I was saying, I picked up my KB and started to perform some swings. It is amazing how quickly your heart rate jumps up. It is also very fun to be "swinging" as it does not feel like strenuous exercise, although my hamstrings would say otherwise.

I have decided that I am going to do my own personal research on weight loss and fitness. I plan on trying a new program every 4-8 weeks in hopes of continuing to blast through my weight loss journey. I also know that it will be fun to witness the evolution of my body through video, photos and of course, this blog. I am going to have Matt assist me with some video and photos. I'll be sure to upload the goodies to the site.

My profile photo is from 2004. It is when I was at my weight loss goal. I like to have it up there as a reminder of where I am going. I also keep a photo of myself from 2003 in my paper journal. It is probably at my thinnest. I still cannot believe that I thought that I was still heavy. Now, I know that my body tends to carry muscle and I love it. That is why I can weigh so much and wear a smaller size. It is also why I can lose weight more quickly as my developing muscle incinerates the fat. (Let me dream people! :)

I am sorry that I repeat myself. It's that I get excited about the same things in my life. Is that so wrong?! LOL

Boo Hoo!!Back to Work!

I was dismissed today from jury duty. I was certain that I would be selected. I spent 2 days in the jury box as "#7" only to be cut. I am disappointed. However, good things did come from an early dismissal.

I met my friend for lunch and she shared about her trip to New York, he 6-month anniversary with her girlfriend and her return to the gym. She also mentioned that she noticed my weight loss. That made me feel great.

It was great not to have to be anywhere until 9:30. I would very much enjoy a 9:30 to 4:30 schedule daily. My current schedule is 7:30 to 4. I changed it recently so that I can make it to step as well as get my workout into my day before I am starving. It is incredible what the hour does for my psyche. I am at the office for about an hour before my supervisor and am leaving right as my energy is waning. This has been a great lift to my spirit. The schedule change also allows me to enjoy more sun during the day.

So, tomorrow, I'll be back in the office. Fortunately, it is only for part of the day. I will probably take a solo trip to another county for some work on Monday as my co-worker's mother is set for surgery and there is pressure from our supervisor to do all of these tasks. Sadly, my co-worker and I see a lot of this work as "wasted energy." Oh well, it's better than being in the office.

My friend from work emailed me to share that she had a dream about me. She said that we were running. (She is an avid runner and agreed to run the half with me.) Well, she said that while we were running, I was talking about MY wedding. The strange thing is that last night, Matt shared that he was thinking about our future together and that he was thinking about what our kids would look like. It's as if she sensed this. I thought it was pretty neat.

I have a wacky couple of hours to take care of some work things. I have to drop off my car at the dealership for air conditioning repair, then, get a rental car for work purposes then hit the gym. I should just bring all of my workout items and head to the gym close to the dealership. It stays a bit less crowded than the one closer to my house.

Here's a wacky story: Matt comes out to watch me play my last game. I told my friend, Mark, who is on the opposing team, that I was going to introduce them. I call Mark over and Matt and he look at each other and say, "Don't you work out in MV?!" How crazy is that! They already have crossed paths MANY times. It was pretty cool. So, all this time I have been sharing about Matt to Mark and they know of each other. LOL Small world!!

Jury Selection

Today, I had jury duty. Luckily, we did not have to report until 10 AM which allowed me to get plenty of sleep and play around the house in the morning. That is always a fun thing for me. Well, I am currently juror #7 in the jury selection process. We will know by tomorrow the complete jury and 2 alternates. I hope to get selected. The entire process is supposed to last through next week.

It is interesting the types of questions that you are asked. Most people say that they will be impartial to the attorneys and to the defendant. There were a few that were dismissed because of prior experiences. I sat there wondering if I could be 100% impartial. I think that it would be a lie for most people to say that they are.

I saw myself looking at the prosecution attorney who had a nose brace on in the morning. Did she have a nose job? I looked at the defense attorney. He's cute. I wonder if that makes me impartial. The other fact is that the prosecution is being run by a law student. How serious are they taking this case? Interesting.

Anyway, I met a women who happens to live in my city who is of the selection pool. I ended up driving her to where her car was as it was on my way home. I am always quick to offer convenience to others even if they are strangers. I have been told that I trust too easily. I think that my intuition is pretty strong and allows me to stay out of harms way. I like how quickly I connect with good people.

I am having dinner with Matt tonight before my last softball game which is at 9 PM. I am happy to have Matt see me in action. Hopefully, I have my best game yet. LOL

Eating today has been relatively good. I did get a dulce de leche latte from Starbucks. I had to laugh that my Vietnamese lunch cost me $4.50 and that the coffee cost $3.15. What is wrong with that picture?! LOL

I also stopped in to not one, but two Chinese bakeries during our lunch break. The first bakery didn't have the coconut bread that I love. For four items, my total was $1.90. If I am ever down and out, I will be eating well in Chinatown. LOL

Jury Duty and Progress

I report for jury duty today at 10 AM. Every time that I share with people that I have jury duty, they ask, "Did you try to get out of it?". I must be an anomaly. I enjoy getting the day off from work and going to get excused from jury duty for another 18 months.

About 3 years ago, I served as a jury member on a civil trial. It was quite an experience and led me to meeting a good friend of mine. I was just thinking about her and how we drifted after a couple of years. That friendship was definitely a "season" in my life. I am so appreciative of my friend and what a wonderful person she is.

Step class was awesome last night. I arrived right before class started so I was not able to get my normal--by-the-mirror spot that I enjoy. It ensures that no one is on my right side and I get to look at myself while I am sweating. LOL I like to check my form and see the progress that I am making.

I was definitely tired from 2 back-to-back step classes. I am giving myself today off to recuperate and will be hitting it hard tomorrow with my new Turbulence Training workout. It is a 4-week rotation for shedding fat and building muscle. Woo Hoo!!

I have to go get ready now. I plan to take the train, but if parking is non-existent at the station, I will be driving.

My Weight Loss Site

I've decided to share with you my past: www.geocities.com/mikkame77/weight_loss1

This is where I've come from. Now, is where I am going...

Monday Morning

I had an interesting night's sleep, waking up multiple times during the evening. Finally, I awoke to my alarm at 5 AM and got out of bed at 5:04. I contemplated hitting the gym early, instead choosing to play with my new TTmembers.com membership. I downloaded some of the awesome Fat Loss manuals and one of the fat loss teleseminars. I plan on listening to the teleseminar on the way home this evening.

On the way in to the office, I listened to half of Scott Tousignant's (www.unstoppablefatloss.com) interview of John Allen Mollenhauer "JAM" www.performancelifestyle.com. The topic of the call was how we can use the ways of a peak performer (athlete, top business person, etc.) to make lifestyle changes in our lives. The key point that I took away is that "non-performers" tend to think that we have to perform at 100% all the time in our lives. No wonder it is so daunting. It made me think about top athletes: they have an "on-season" and "off-season" for good reason. The on-season is for performing and achieving the benefits of all of the work in the off-season. In the off-season, they are practicing and training, tweaking and revisiting their performances from the on-season. They are working hard, but they are also recuperating and getting the "game face" perfected. They allow for slip-ups, screw-ups and set-ups.

Why don't I follow the same game plan? I wonder when my "on-season" is and when I have my "off-season". I think, easily, on-season for fitness is summer when I vacation, participating in summer sports and activities and am wearing less clothing. :) If I were a winter-sport enthusiast, I would assume that my on-season would be winter and my off would be spring-summer. I am going to play with this idea and see where it takes me.

My gym time will be at 5:30 PM with my advanced step class. The instructor, Renee, decided to offer a 9 AM class yesterday morning. Boy, that class is fun, but MAN, it kicks my ass. I am wondering if two step class days in a row is a bit for me because I am just getting back to it. Enjoying it so much, I think that I will be okay. I will still monitor my energy throughout the class and for the rest of the week.

Overall, the weekend was fantastic. Matt met my mom on Saturday evening as planned. When she first saw him, she exclaimed, "Oh, he is so cute!" He really is! I asked her later about him and again she said, "I cannot believe how cute he is. I didn't expect him to look anything like that. I thought that he would look much older." I laughed. So, an old, ugly man for your daughter? LOL

After dinner on Saturday, Matt and I had an incredible time lounging on my couch talking about "us". It feels great to be where 'we' are in our relationship. It's been a long time since I've had such a solid sense of direction in a relationship.

We ended up going to my friend's 70's themed party in the city. Wow! Her home is gorgeous. We stayed for about an hour and a half before I got too tired to continue. (We didn't leave my house until 10 PM.)

When we got back to my house, we went to bed. What I didn't was such a rush of intense emotion to overwhelm me. I cannot even remember experiencing anything like it with anyone else. I do remember having such an experience while meditating. I am glad that he was there to experience it with me.

So, today's plan is to have about 1400-1600 calories and do my step class this evening. I am very excited to review Craig Ballantyne's Turbulence Training Manual. I'll have a review of it here.

Friday!

So, I am happy! Do you know why?! It's Friday of a long weekend. I am so excited to go running shoe shopping, get my butt kicked at step on Saturday morning, have mom me Matt and attend a friend's party on Saturday. Yes, I did say that my mom is about to meet my new "boy". She is preparing dinner for us. I hope that the weather is great so that we can eat outside.

I spent the night at Matt's. This was my first time doing so. It was a great way to spend time with him and still get to work on time. There is nothing like having to get out of a warm bed with a warm body and head out for work. He said, "I could get used to waking up to you."

Last night, as we were drifting off to sleep, I had terrible stomach cramps. There is nothing like having to use the bathroom at your new guy's place. Fortunately, there was little embarrassment on my part. I remember one time actually leaving a guy's house because of 'having the stomach flu'. I talked to him the next day and told him why. He said, "You should have just gone here." Yeah right!! LOL

I didn't train last night for my half. I need to create or find a training schedule so that I am not just shooting in the dark. I like having a plan as well as flexibility. I am definitely going to make sure that I am doing plenty of cross-training for different reasons. I want to have fun and stay healthy while I am training. Doing much of one thing is never good. When I was losing weight the first time, I did a little of everything workout wise. Walking, running, elliptical, step aerobics, circuit training, heavy lifting, high-reps were all a part of my weekly routine. I think that is how I was able to love my workouts. I worked out indoors and out, at home and in the gym. Wherever, whenever, however, I always was well-equipped with a contingency plan.

Dancing, Dieting and Divas

I love Dancing with the Stars. I think it is a wonderful show that illustrates what hard work and dedication can do in a short period of time. It is also just plain entertainment at its best. What I really enjoyed on the last show was when the producers showed clips from the people around the two finalists: Apolo Anton Ohno and Joey Fatone. What struck me about Apolo's corner was that each person talked about how hard Apolo works at everything that he does. That spoke so loudly to me in so many ways, the most impactful being that he trains in life to be great. I reflected on my own life and wondered where I was giving 100%. I was startled to think that I rarely give 100% honest effort anywhere. Luckily, I feel I am giving what it takes with my relationship with Matt. I am going to assess where I stand in each important area and see what it will take for me to give 90-100% more consistently.

So, my food journalling continues to be successful. I am excited to add some video to my blog of my workouts, thoughts and experiences as I train for my first road race and get back to goal.

I was proud of myself for making a better choice with dinner yesterday. I went to my mom's house for dinner last night. She prepared tacos! Yummy! Well, I normally eat two, but instead and because of my goals, I ate one with an ear of corn. I ended up being hungry later so I had a fruit juice bar 70 cal (for something sweet) and a mango dried fruit bar (60 cal). I held off on eating veggies chips and chocolate which would have not been good for my day. I made better choices and I am proud of that.

I was pleased that Jordin Sparks won AI last night. She was the better singer of the two. Blake was AWESOME last night as he performed with Doug E. Fresh. I will go on record and say that Blake stole the performance from D.E.F! His range of talent is incredible. I wonder where he is going to be able to go with being runner-up AI and his beat-boxing.

So, I officially started training for my 1/2 marathon on Tuesday, but I haven't started running yet. I plan to do some run/walking this evening. I have a lot of questions about training and of course, there are thousands of links for HOW to train for a road race. I plan on getting some new shoes this weekend to assist me in staying healthy as I train. Woo HOO!!

Weight Loss Blogs, Half Marathon and My Boy!

I love weight loss-related blogs! And I love RSS! Some days, I check my favorites 2-3 times in hopes of news messages, photos and, my absolute favorite, VIDEO. I love seeing video of people in their weight loss/maintenance journey. One of my current faves is Tracy Reifkind. http://tracyrif.blogspot.com/ She has lost over 100 lbs through a modified diet and kettlebell training.



Oh, speaking of kettlebells, I just won my first one on Ebay. Those suckers are pretty pricey. I just won mine for $10. There wasn't any competition unlike most other auctions. This one is shiny and red. I have a couple of DVDs that I purchased first. I hear that you can get a KB from GNC for $10. I'd like to check that out.



I have been journalling my food for the last 5 days which is a new current record. I used to keep my food journal so accurate it was amazing. It also was the reason that I was able to lose 85 pounds in about a year and a half. This time around, I am making no judgement on my food choices quite yet. The funny thing is that I automatically look for healthier alternatives when I know that I am writing it down. I like that...a lot!



I have been studying a lot on nutrition and exercise in desire of creating a lifestyle change that will last. I am a lot more interested in how foods affect overall health and discovering the most effective ways to get fit, shed fat and build muscle. It is such a complicated mess of information but I like reading and APPLYING the information that I am learning. I will probably lean to a 80/20% (healthy/'extras) rule and create my meals around vegetation, cut back on refined products and keep a small amount of animal products in my diet. I have contemplated becoming a vegetarian for about a year now. I will see how my diet evolves through my lifestyle change.



October 16th marks my 30th birthday. In celebration, I have decided to run the San Jose Rock and Roll Half-Marathon on October 14th, 2007. I have never done a road race before. I am excited that I have begun to enlist a team to join me in my training and my race. What a wonderful way to get healthier together and celebrate a new decade.



So, Matt and I officially are exclusive. He was so cute on Sunday. He knows that I am working to release my excess fat. He wanted to make it very clear to me that he "loves" my body as it is and that he would still "love" it if I didn't lose any weight. That gave me such energy to continue my program. To have someone that you care about express his feelings of acceptance to something that you may not totally accept is an awesome feeling. Thank you, Matt!

I will update my blog with training, progress photos and VIDEO!! since I know how fun it is to see a transformation.

Always a new day

Good Tuesday morning! I am about to listen in on a conference call that will discuss "Emergency Turn Around Tactics" for weight loss. I have been working out and watching my food intake for about 5 weeks. Well, last week, I was sent out of town on a work assignment. I didn't continue my workouts nor my better eating habits. Why is it that when I am not home, all goes out the window? That is how I gained all but 15 pounds back from the 85 that I lost over a 14-month period.

This is crazy.

I am hitting the step class today at 5:30. This will DEFINITELY get me on a positive track. The step class is 60 minutes of pure sweat and I need it. I am also going to hit the gym in the morning again. I know that this is the only way that I ensure that I am getting my workout done.

My workout schedule was also messed up due to the collapse of the interchange. Who knew how a road condition could screw up one's day so immensely. LOL

I am seriously considering a return to Weight Watchers. I know that this program works for me and I can reconsider my program as I approach goal. I need the support. I need the accountability. I am looking at starting this evening or in the next 2 days. I am not going to wait for the time to be right. I am just going to get started!

Thanks Tony!

So, today as I am driving my 40 mile commute to work in traffic, I decide to get grateful! I am a huge Tony Robbins fan! I have one of his series, "Get the Edge" on my iPod. For some reason, I decided to listen to his Power Hour program. One of the segments is called, "Get Grateful and Visualize". I started tapping on my heart and thinking about all the wonderful things in my life that I am grateful for. I thought of my health, my family, the faces of my nieces, my Mary Kay business, Bea, my car, my desire for knowledge and application, etc. Then, I started thinking about my immense gratitude for my Date with Destiny experience. I started to tear up. It was so beautiful. I have so much gratitude for the wonderful experience, the people and the knowledge that I gained from my week-long trek back to myself. Thank you Jen for your brilliance, your beauty and your friendship. Thank you Vito for your sensuality, your amazing humor, your beautiful smile and tremendous style. Thank you Ray for your energy, your enthusiasm, your willingness to grow. I am forever moved by you all! I treasure my experience so deeply.

My wish for you is to experience gratitude like you've never experienced it before. Get up and get grateful!

I feel this incredible sense of calm in my heart.

THINK IT SO

OMG! You have to do this! It will change you forever.

Pass It On - The Movie Trailer

If you've enjoyed "The Secret" check this out.

Breathe....Just Breathe

Music, it is so powerful and transforming. How quickly can I change my mood and my state with a song. I am listening to music on my laptop and each song changes me in the moment. It is so incredible how listening to Breathe (2 AM) makes me take such deep breaths. I have noticed recently that it feels as if I am holding my breath. I don't know why. I just find myself thinking and holding my breath. I don't think that I am stressed out or crazed about something. I wonder what is causing it.

So, I have completed 5 days of my three 30-day goals. I shared the 30-day concept with Karen in the office and she was totally intrigued. I gave her http://www.stevepavlina.com/ to check out. I so am digging that site and his 'experiments'. I am so digging my 5 days of success. I am excited to increase my list of goals to tackle for the upcoming year.

I signed up for Marcia Wieder's http://www.dreamcoach.com/ Dream Circle this week. I have had a tons of fun downloading her teleclasses to my iPod. (Speaking of which, I need to manifest another larger MP3 player into my life. I need more space for more music, lectures, etc.) Anyway, yesterday on the way to work, I listened to "Dealing with Doubt". There were some gems in the lecture that got my brain going. One of the things that really got my attention was sharing your dream with others. How many people talk about their dreams anymore?

So, today, I shared my dream at lunch which my co-workers. It felt kind of awkward and empowering at the same time. One of the ladies got excited and shared that she wanted a career makeover. I shared the information about "What Color is Your Parachute?" http://www.jobhuntersbible.com/. I listened to Richard Bolles today on the way to work. I ended up buying one of his recommended books: ASK. It's about a woman who finds that just by asking, she gets so many awesome perks. I can't wait to read and apply this information. I really enjoy Jack Canfield's Aladdin Factor which is similar...I think. I need to re-read that book and APPLY the knowledge.

Another gem of an idea came from MW herself. The topic was Big Intention 2007. She shared that we need to set our intentions (goals, prayers) out ahead of us. She also shared that we should place our intentions in OUR own actions and not on the outcome. This is such a powerful idea. I know that it is not the first time that I heard this, but this time it really struck my core. While coaching with Shyanne, she shared this idea. It worked well, but I allowed my old pattern of thinking of the outcome get me. I know now that it is because I value "certainty" so highly. Yeah, I learned that too is an illusion. Ha ha!

Due to my 5 days of working out, I am (happily) sore. My abs, my glutes, my calves, my back are all sore. Woo Hoo! I am working it baby. It reminds me of what I get to look forward to: a fit, healthy, ready-for-action, kick-ass physique. I will be doing cardio tomorrow. More Chalene baby!

On Monday's episode of Oprah, Bob Greene shared his new program and book, The Best Life Diet http://www.thebestlife.com/ . Debbie encouraged me to enter for a chance for Oprah's crew to follow me while I achieve my goals. Wouldn't that be something for accountability?! So, today, I sent my 2000-character, online entry with 3 photos to http://www.oprah.com/. I wonder when they are going to announce the 'winners'. How incredible would that be?

I was supposed to meet Dave for our second coaching session in SF. I decided to re-schedule our appointment due to the fact that there were only 2 lanes open on the bridge at commute time. I chose to not sit in the crazy traffic even though I was excited to meet for our planning session. I hope that he can get me in this weekend.

My intention for tomorrow: To get an awesome workout in before work. To walk with calmness in my heart. To be a blessing to each person that I encounter. To do a great job with each interview.

2006--->bleck, 2007---> My best year yet!

So, I realize that I haven't updated my blog in a loooooong time. A year to be more precise. I expect this to change. I am totally into journalling now...okay, I want to be, but I have been so consistent in writing. It feels great.

I also just realized that I need to come up with some new adjectives for awesome, great, fantastic. I want to expand my 'positive reaction' vocabulary so that it is more exciting and a better representation of my true sentiments.

Anyway, 2006 overall was a poopy year. I gained another 25 pounds. I grew deeper in debt. I still am at my job that does not fulfill me. It's funny how this happened despite the fact that I was VERY aware of my ability to create any change that I desire in my life. It is as if because I was aware of it that it became larger than me.

The highlight of my year was my Date with Destiny experience in December. Shortly before attending my six-day event in Palm Springs (December 6-11th), I reviewed my year. It was then that I realized that 2006 was an utter disappointment. Thank goodness that I didn't have to leave 2006 that way.

With just 3 weeks left, I created the best experience of my life. I see now that my "winter" allowed for my 'SPRING' to take hold. I am ready for change, I am ready for growth. I am ready to implement the knowledge, tools and resources that I have spent the last 2 years growing, gathering and cultivating. It is now time to pluck the ripe fruit from the vine. Not another book, lecture or coaching session is going to make me 'even more ready' for what actions I need to take. It's time to use industry to make my goals a reality. Pure, consistent, hard work is going to take me through what I know to what I am. This is something that I have been unwilling to do. No one gets to a dream without doing the work necessary. I have been waiting for my dream to land in my lap. When was the last time that ever happened?! Ha!

What I want:
1. Lose 70 pounds by October 1st, 2007.
2. Grow my spirituality through practice of meditation, self-love and manifesting.
3. Reduce my debt by $15,000.
4. Attend and graduate at the top of my makeup artistry class. Be invited to work with a well-established organization.

Why I want it.
1. I want to be show up at my 30th birthday fitter and finer than ever!
2. It feels so great to be connected to God. I know that I will have a sense of fulfillment that is available regardless of material matters and current external circumstances.
3. This is more weight than the excess weight that hangs on my body. Reducing my debt by $15,000 will alleviate so much pressure and stress from my life. This will also bring me closer to financial freedom
4. Makeup artistry has been a love and passion of mine for a long time. It is therapy for me. I love how I feel with a job well done. I also love to see how the women react when they feel good about how they look. It's a portal to creating a stronger sense of internal beauty.





What I am doing now:





I am working on my goals in stages. Currently, I am working on my spirituality and health and fitness goals as they are higher on my values list than the other goals. I have set up '30-day trial periods' to get my goals jump-started with a focus. It is so easy to create goals and even easier to forget about them. I found that working in stages with a short-term goal, I am more conscious of my desires. It also helps with my habit of procrastination.





I didn't realize how bad my habit of procrastination is. I didn't realize how quickly I create excuses to get out of what I need to be doing and stray from what is important to what I want now. Focusing on these short-term goals allows for me to focus on NOW instead of later. It is so simple, it's a breakthrough for me! Transformational!!!

Main Entry: excellent
Part of Speech: adjective
Definition: superior
Synonyms:
accomplished, admirable, attractive, capital, certified, champion, choice, choicest, desirable, distinctive, distinguished, estimable, exceptional, exemplary, exquisite, fine, finest, first, first-class, first-rate, good, great, high, incomparable, invaluable, magnificent, meritorious, notable, noted, outstanding, peerless, piked*, premium, priceless, prime, select, skillful, skookum, sterling, striking, superb, superlative, supreme, tiptop*, top-notch, transcendent, wonderful

I am soooooooooo bored!

I've got less than 19 minutes to add a post before the scheduled outage.

Ugh! I am so incredibly bored at the office today. When am I going to get it that I have the means to get out of here and never look back. I hate these days. It is such a waste of life to sit at a desk and just wait for the work hours to elapse so that I can escape to the world that entices me.

I have been snacking because it gives me something to do. After my bowl of soup for lunch, I had 2 chocolate Riesen, a Jolly Rancher Mango spicy lollipop and 2 maple cookies. Now, I needed none of that nor was I in the slightest hungry. But again, it gave me something to do.

I had my coaching call this afternoon during my lunch break. I started crying twice. We were talking about 'old stuff' and how it continues to affect what I do today. I can't wait to bring it all up. I have stuffed it down and ignored it for so long. I can't wait to release it and let it go forever. I didn't realize how I have let my past experiences affect me for so long and so unnecessarily! Yuck.

I have come to a few realizations that have been big eye-openers. They've all been popping up so quickly in these last few weeks. I hope that I am ready to shed the garbage and get on with living the life that I am supposed to enjoy.

Let me say this, in no way am I miserable or depressed. I just know that I deserve to have a more incredible life than I am allowing fo r right now. Interesting stuff huh...