Weight loss Wednesdays: I Canoe and you can too!

One of my favorite activities is back in style! I love being on the water, and my favorite water activity is canoeing. Summer is here so we'll be going as often as weather and finances permit. It can be relaxing and tranquil among the bright shades of green that nearly canopy the river and, the sounds of birds singing sweetly in a chorus that only the Pure Moods CD can compete with. And yes I own the CD.

The reality is it's hard work that gets you sweating and working as a team with whomever you choose to canoe with. You enjoy the views and the sounds, it's true, but your arms get an incredible burn while your abs get the workout of the year! Ah canoeing, nature at it's finest and my arms at their strongest.

Kevin and I got some bonus ab workouts this last trip. We took our dog, Bailey, on her first canoe ride and her pacing the first half hour of the outing had us leaning every which way trying to prevent the big flip. Which we did. Successfully. The only thing that got wet was Bailey's right front paw as she toiled with the idea of swimming after a goose to which we both shouted "NO!"

I recommend the canoe as a weight loss/active life tool because it's fairly inexpensive, fun and challenging, and can be tailored to any ability based on where in the river you canoe and how long your trip is.

The dirty little secret

Everyone's got one, here is mine. That's right, here, for the World to see is my secret.

I made a compromise about a something we bought for the house. I didn't feel like arguing anymore at the time. We were getting married and I was searching for that happy sweet state-of-mind so I said "You can pick it out."

I liked almost every one of the 40 or so options that you could choose...yet, of course, he picked one of the three I thought I would never like.

And I lied.

I said it's nice, if you think it is the right one for US then it is.

And he did.

Even with a loaded question like that, he thought it was. So now I am stuck looking at this very expensive something for the rest of my life.

The moral of the story? Speak your mind, cause a fight. Being passive is soooo not worth it. Lesson Learned.

Feel like sharing your own, just post anonymously and only you'll know!

The Tamagotchi: Can that possibly be the most memorable gift?

A while back my friend Pamela was on a hunt for the Mariposa Barbie, it had just come out, an Easter release. Presents are the new Easter basket. Anyways, everywhere she went the thing was sold out, so Kevin and I got in on the fun.

Kevin was so adorable as he made me stop store after store proclaiming "I didn't even know what a Mariposa was before today but I simply must have it." He will be a good/spoiling dad someday.

After two days of searching we found the Barbie. I drove to a mall in a mostly African American area and bought the sparkliest one. Perhaps African American little girls don't care for Barbie in the same way, there were many black and many white versions of the doll still available.

I saw the doll last weekend, in pieces at Pamela's house. As appealing as the sparkly doll is, apparently her large wings were not as fun and seem to fall off easily, proving more of a bother to Emma than a thrill.

It all makes me wonder what lengths my parents went to in order to buy me the perfect gift and whether I appreciated the toy as much as their efforts (mostly mom's efforts) would have deserved. There are a few that I still appreciate to this day, some of them Barbie related.

The Barbie Ice Cream Shoppe, which made real ice cream (maybe twice), and Peaches and Cream Barbie are two specific Barbie ones. I loved that peach dress and her soft curls, and after watching that terrible commercial, I wish she was here to play with right now. There are many other great things I was given through the years, but the Tamagotchi is possibly the strangest of all.

The Tamagotchi - I wanted this stupid digital pet so bad. It was shaped like an egg and had a couple of buttons that could be used to "feed" and "play" with the pet. I remember sitting in the kitchen on Nelson, talking about this toy and then out of nowhere she bought it for me simply for wanting it. It really was a stupid toy and I was a little old to be wanting it, but I still remember how awesome it was at the time and how surprised and happy I was to get it. Makes me smile just thinking about it.

Images from www.wikipedia.com and www.ebay.com

Weight loss Wednesdays, So it's Wednesday again

Monday expressed a lot of what is happening in my workout life, but there are a few more details from the weekend that I feel I must share.

I weighed myself Saturday. Up. I can't begin to explain the devastation I feel.

But I begin... at the gym. While on the elliptical, I look to my right, and who is there, this guy, checking me out. I mean staring me down, and not in the "I want to be on that machine so don't you dare give it to someone else," kind of way.

If you haven't guessed by now, that guy was my sweet husband, always trying to make me feel good about myself, even in paint speckled sweats and a ratty old ESPN shirt.

Then I look left, and there was this woman. And my husband was checking her out too! And to top it off, she was fat, like face lost all definition, waddle around, you shouldn't wear those pants pudge-master.

I was standing on the end. Next to the mirror. Horrible. Today is not so positive, I know. My silver lining can only be that Kevin doesn't see it. He is like Niles when Daphne was chunking out over the stress of their relationship. To him, I am as I always have been, except with a few more grays.

I must reiterate, if only for myself, do not obsess over the scale and keep trying.

My goal for the week
Cardio = 3 hours by Sunday.

This was not so inspirational. So I will leave you with some...


That is Ella, the most determined animal I know.