The good news? I'm definitely getting stronger. My arms and shoulders are more defined. My legs, although still not where I'd like to be, are definitely stronger. I'm lifting more weights and doing more reps than I did 28 days ago.

The bad news? I found out my most recent lab work for my thyroid levels was really wonky, which means I'll be hitting a brick wall fitness wise simply because my TSH. T4 and T3 levels are nutso. A medication change will gradually improve the situation, but in the mean time I'm at the mercy of my endocrine system and it's unwillingness to cooperate. My hope is that it's a temporary setback.

I haven't lost much weight, and although weight loss wasn't my objective, it's still frustrating not to see much progress on the scale. In my mind weight loss is part of getting lean and strong. 

HOWEVER.... my pants are fitting a bit better, so I'll keep plugging away. 

In terms of food. My diet consists of a lot of tuna, eggs, fish,  lean meats, salads, and vegetables. Lately I've allowed myself some oatmeal with flax seeds and pecans for breakfast. 

17 days to go.

I use to get up super early and run every morning, how hard could it be to get back in that habit? 

HARD

My goal, then, was to work hard and retire by 40. Of course at nineteen, forty seemed old. :) 

I'm a lot like my Dad in that I'll probably never TRULY "retire", but today is the end of an era and the start of a new blank canvas. 

I've never worked for anyone in my life, and hoped that as a business owner that I'd be the kind of employer that I'd want to work for if I hadn't been the owner. Laying in bed at night I worried about two things primarily; my family and my team. Was I a good Mom/Employer? Was I meeting their needs? Were they happy, strong and inspired to be all they could be?

I can honestly say that I've spent the past 21 years doing exactly what I love, and learned so much along the way. There were struggles and triumphs, but each day was an opportunity to grown, learn and make a difference in how people feel about themselves.

It's been four salons and over 40 employees later that I realize that I've proven everything I needed to prove to myself. It's time to pass the torch and challenge myself in new ways. 

So today is the first day of the rest of my life. :) I'm retired! 

I've got some irons in the fire, but mostly I'm going to play with my kids, read as many books as I can get my hands on, go on fun adventures,  and get into the best shape of my life.

In spite of it I'm forcing myself to work out every day. 

One thing I've notice is that for me it works well to do mini workouts here and there throughout the day. I have a few quirky rituals that seem to work for me, so as dumb as they might seem, I'll share them in the event it helps someone who might not have the time to fit an hour long workout or run into their daily schedule. 

Every time I go into the bathroom I do 25 squats. If you have time to pee you have time to work out. It takes 25 seconds :)   (No, I don't do it while I'm peeing. Pee first. Wash hands second. Squats third. :P)

Calf raises can be done any time you're standing, so I tend to do them when I'm cooking or doing dishes. It doesn't take long to do 100 calf raises.

While watching TV I do planks. If you dedicate just 5 or 10 minutes a day while you're watching TV to get off the couch and do planks your core will thank you.

If you're in the mood you can do leg lifts and various yoga poses while you're watching TV, too.

Before bed I always do at least 25 pushups and as many crunches as I can muster.  

I keep weights in my bedroom and resistance bands in the living room so when I have a few minutes here and there I'll do a few sets of bicep curls and overhead presses, too.

And... driving in the car is a great time to work your gluts. Nobody wants a droopy butt. Squeeze as long as you can, release. Repeat. (This works best when you use your cruise control.) ;) 

A really good work out can be fit into a few minutes here and there throughout the day, and I'm willing to bet you'll feel stronger and in better spirits as a result.

All it is is junk.

Although my house is pretty clean, my computer is a total mess. I hate the feeling that comes along with disorganization.

I don't know how it is that I can clean my toilets several times a week, but at the same time I'm the person that just wants to toss everything into one giant folder and hope that I can find it when I need it.  (It's not quite THAT bad, but close)

I have hundreds of unread emails and exactly 9862 old emails that should be either filed or deleted. Why not delete it right away? I have no trouble going through my house and getting rid of things I don't use or need, yet I can't delete an email or file a document properly. Am I a digital hoarder?

When I log on to gmail every day I make a mental note to come back and clean things up when I have some down time, yet it never happens. 

To the left of my emails are all the little green circles beckoning me to say good morning. Even right now, I am catching up with what's going on in a friends life while I type this blog post.

So today I just decided I'd had enough of the clutter. I started deleting old files that I no longer need.  I made a huge dent in cleaning out my inbox and while I was at it I even removed people from my chat window that I either never talk to or that have a negative impact. Surprisingly, it had a remarkable impact on my mood. No longer seeing names that have a subtle yet negative effect on my spirit made me feel stronger in some strange way.

Becoming stronger and healthier usually means creating new habits. Sometimes cleaning up the clutter at home, on your computer and in your personal life makes a tremendous difference in not only how you feel about yourself, but how you feel about life in general.

Gmail: done. Next up; Facebook. 

Studies have shown that although aerobic exercise burns more calories than weight lifting, the after burn effect of aerobic activity lasts 30-60 minutes while the after burn effect of weight lifting last as long as 48 hours. 

Where getting your heart rate up is extremely important to cardiovascular health, too much aerobic exercise might actually lead to muscle loss and a lower basil metabolic rate. (Resting metabolism)

In a study using runners and lifters, it turned out over time both groups lost weight. The runner lost both fat and muscle. The lifters lost only fat and had a more efficient basil  (resting) metabolic rate.

**Note: I found the book The Abs Diet at Savers and read most of it yesterday. I'd always known the importance of protein in building lean muscle, but never realized that when I run five miles that my body actually turns to muscle for fuel before fat.

Here's my getting stronger menu for today: 

P90X Plyometrics workout

Mix together:

I can tuna in water - drained

1 can chick peas- rinsed (sometimes I puree half of the chick peas before I add them) 

2 table spoons Light Mayo (I use the olive oil variety)

1/2 red onion

pepper flakes

cumin

garlic salt

fresh ground black pepper

pine nuts or almost slivers (toast them on the stove top)

Put mixture into fresh crispy iceberg lettuce cups. Yum! 

Lean ground beef (seasoned the way you like it)

Black Beans 

refried beans

Avocado

Home made salsa: Tomatoes, onions, jalapeños.

Spoon into fresh lettuce cups! (The kids get taco shells & cheese) 

Body combat class (The kids go to swimming class at the same time. Win/win.)

You just made me a cup of coffee while singing Rolling in the Deep. If only you knew how often you take my breath away.  :) 

You are someone special in a way I can't fully explain. I hope some day you realize all the beautifully unique qualities that make you who you are. 

Always remember that although you are a beautiful girl, beauty isn't how you look, it's who you are and how you treat people. A person can be physically beautiful and  truly ugly at the same time. 

Surround yourself with people who add value to your life. People who are supportive, open minded and treat you well. People you can learn from. People that inspire and encourage you. Never allow anyone, no matter how much you love them, to damage your sense of self. 

Never let anyone tell you that you can't do something. YOU are the only person allowed to determine what you can or can't do. 

Truly good relationships are a balance of give and take that isn't measured. It's appreciation and respect that leads to a balanced relationship.

It isn't the number of people in your life that matters, it's the quality of those relationships that is truly important. Never take the relationships that are dearest to you for granted. 

Women can be catty and mean. If you're treated badly don't compromise who you are by stooping to that same level. Walk away. There will always be people who deal with their insecurities by hurting or ridiculing others. If you retaliate, they win. Stay who you are, always. Trust your instincts, even when it's not the popular thing to do. Part of being beautiful is having the confidence to just be who you are even if it isn't popular.

Do not conform to fit in. It's okay to have a different or unpopular opinion. Listen to the beliefs of others because perspective is a pretty neat thing. Be open to REALLY hearing and learning from what others have to offer. Keep a warm heart and open mind.

Don't waste time complaining. Vent; and then identify the problem and determine possible solutions to the problem. I will always be here for you, but I will not let you complain about the same problems over and over if you are not taking action to solve the problem. Find a solution or accept the situation.

Please don't get married too young, Bella. Some day you will fall in love and you won't be able to imagine your life without that person. Love is blind, and when you're young you don't have the ability to really think rationally about relationships. Expect to be heartbroken a time or two before you meet the love of your life. When you meet him, ask yourself at various points in the relationship if this is the person who can be your PARTNER in life. Imagine all the things you've dreamed of doing and ask yourself if the person you're with will be by your side or holding you back. Then take the time to fully understand what his dreams are, then ask yourself if you can truly be the person he needs to live the life he's always imagined. Be sure your idea of family and partnership are the similar before you commit the rest of your life to someone. Forever is a very long time, and if the relationship lacks a strong foundation, it will never survive the storms that life will bring! If you want a career and family but the love of your life wants a  more traditional wife, a wife that is a stay home Mom; you'll be tempted to give him what will make him happy. You might have to choose between your dream of a career and your desire to have a family. When you love someone you make sacrifices, but you have to ask yourself if making that sacrifice will leave an emptiness inside you that might some day leave you deeply unhappy and resentful toward the person you love. Marriage and parenting means something different to everyone. Make sure your idea of partnership is compatible with the person you decide to spend the rest of your life with. When someone is prevented from being who they truly are or who they are meant to be, it slowly kills their spirit. Only make sacrifices that can be made without feeling a loss of self.

There will be nobody in your life that will love you as unconditionally as your family. Remember we are your truest friends. We will always be here for you. There will be nobody more proud of who you are than your parents.

Always be true to who you are, no matter what others expect you to be. Don't take the popular road, take the unique path that you design; and enjoy the simple joy and beauty along the way.

Life isn't about stuff. It's about experiences. Fill your life with fun, laughter and meaningful moments.

I love you, Bella Bean. You inspire me.

One June 10th I'll participate in my second sprint triathlon; a winter spent baking resulted in a bit of a muffin top that wasn't there last summer. Mmmm. I'm thinking of cheesecake as I type. Anyway......

From a cardio stand point, I promised myself to work out with more intensity. These ho hum workouts are getting me no where. 

From a weight training stand point I've vowed to increase, weight, reps and frequency of weight training. 

This week has been slightly disappointing, but I'm seeing a little progress. I had a setback drinking red wine one night, but tried to make up for it by working extra hard at the gym the following day.

Being aware that going through the motions isn't going to produce the results I'm hoping for; I'm committed to pushing myself a little harder to get results; workouts have been much more intense from both a cardio and weight training standpoint, which feels really good.

Why is it that we can't just work out really hard and then see the results immediately? ;) I hate waiting! 

Here's what I'm I doing to track progress. 

1. I bought a body fat caliper to gauge my body fat percentage. I'm hoping in a few weeks to see a reduction.

2. I took measurement, and plan to repeat and track weekly. In the event the scale doesn't move, I should see some results in the measurements. 

3. I bought a new bikini and took a picture of myself in it on day 3. (No, I'm absolutely not going to post them online.) I'm not gonna lie. It was somewhat horrifying; but a great motivator. I'll retake the photo weekly and include it in my "Getting Stronger" journal.

4. Speaking of Journaling, I'm writing a private journal to track what I'm eating, workouts, measurements,  recipes, and photos. Also little inspirational tid bits and notes about the process.

Day 6 results

3 lb weight loss. 

I'm definitely feeling my abs and upper body from the increased weights and addition of dips and pull ups. Hopefully it means I'm gaining muscle strength.

I tend to not work my legs hard enough, but I have been doing more leg presses than normal and dedicate next week to more attention to lower body strength training.

39 days to go!

It was September 1996. Derek was about to turn four. 

I sat on the kitchen floor organizing the cabinet that held the pots and pans. 

I gave Derek two wooden spoons to bang on the pans as I organized. 

He stood up next to me and put a large stock pot on my head, then stood there, smiling and said: 

"Mommy. You're a pot head."

:)