Motivate Me Monday

Upcoming Posts

If you read the previous post, you'll recall I said that I had a lot planned for April. Day 90 is quickly approaching (Friday, April 4th), but there are a few other things I've been working on, too. This week, I'll have the normal M3 post, but expect a special post to celebrate my first quarter by the end of the week. Beyond that, I don't want to give away too many spoilers (you know how hate those) but there will be a week, sometime after my finals, that I have a special event planned. There is also another planned for later in April or the start of May. If you know anything about me from reading my posts, then you might guess what they are. But, for now I'm spending the day snowbound indoors (yes, it's a freaking blizzard outside) putting the finishing touches on things.

There are a few other things I'd like to add. So far, I've only received a few suggestions for the April playlist, a lot of  people seem to think this theme is too hard. I'm excited by some of the suggestions, and I do hope that more people throw in ideas. If you didn't read the last post, the theme is "Comic or Parody Songs" in honor of April Fool's Day. There are lots of choices out there, and the few that were recommended so far are hilarious.

Lastly, I'd like to take time and urge you to donate to Tyler Oakly's Prizeo. I mentioned this back when I made my donate about a month ago, and today is the last day. The Trevor Project is an incredible organization and it relies solely on donations to function. Already, the Prizeo has raised over $450,000, but Tyler has raised the goal again (several times, as he has very generous followers) to $500,000. It would be amazing for the Trevor Project to receive half-a-million dollars this month. So if you haven't donated, now is your chance.

Well, that's all for today. Thanks again for reading, and peace till next, y'all!

Updates & the Next Playlist

My apologies for the lack of posts lately. We're reaching the end of our Winter term at school so I've been busy finishing up my final projects. For the most part, I'm done with everything important and can focus on the final exams. And even though the finals are about 25% of our test grades, at this point I could bomb them all and still have B's in all of my classes. Knowing that is really keeping the stress down (not that I won't study my butt off regardless) so I can focus a little more on other things- like my blog!

Thank you to everyone who is still visiting and sending me email comments. On that topic, as I am starting to get blog mail mixed-up with spam and other emails, I'll be creating a NEW email just for the blog. Yes, now I won't accidentally condemn you to the trashcan or spam folder. That is one of the major blog-related projects that I be focusing on this weekend. A second project will be my Day 90 progress report, but more on that when it happens.

March has gone by so fast and, especially having some restrictions from my knee injury, it seems as if I barely used my March playlist at all. But April will be better, I promise, and I have a really interesting theme for next month. In honor of April Fool's Day, the theme is going to be comical songs and parodies. Weird Al, The Lonely Island, MC Chris - the list goes on and on. There are a ton to choose from, so send me a comment, note, email, or Tweet letting me know your funny song for the April workout list.

I've gotta go, but thanks again for reading. Peace till next time, y'all!

Motivate Me Monday

A Rough Week

I'm not going to lie, it's been a rough week. It started last weekend with a pile of bad news that had me an emotional wreck for Monday. If you recall the M3 post this week, you'll see I mentioned it.

Without going into details about everything, I learned that my father has prostate cancer. We've been though the cancer scare before with him (skin cancer), and he came through it okay. But this time, he has to decide between surgery or radiation. It's a tough call as there are benefits and downsides to both.  Cancer, diabetes, and heart conditions are big problems on his side of the family, which is yet another reason I decided to get healthy. Next week, he meets with the radiologist to talk about his options and then has another meeting with his oncologist to discuss his decision. So currently we're playing the waiting game.

I got a bit of bad medical news myself this week, too. I'm not sure if you recall the post I made a week or two ago about adding running into my workout routine. Well, it turns out I developed "runner's knee," which is not so odd given that I was running when it happened. However, I also suffer from chronic costochondritis (inflammation of the cartilage surrounding my sternum). Whenever I damage a joint, or other place containing cartilage, the imflammation from my costochondritis spreads to that area, causing more pain and requiring more time to heal.

In the end, I was told that, since runner's knee can happen again and again, I should stop running. After some protesting on my part, I got the okay to run again BUT I have to wait until I hit the 50-pound mark. Less weight on my joints means that there is less of a chance that I will develop it (though it can happen to runners of any weight). So, the running dream isn't going to happen, at least not now. But on the plus side, I'm more than half of the way to the 50 mark.

I've had a few other, more personal, issues going on this week that I don't feel comfortable sharing here, at least not yet. But the important thing is that I'm still going. Despite a rough week, I've been trying to go through everything with a smile on my face and not sink into my old habit of using food for comfort. It's not always easy, but a lot of prayer and some good friends are there to help me get through and keep me motivated when I can't do it myself.

Motivate Me Monday

I had a horrible, emotionally depressing weekend. Today I have two tests and my final project presentation - yes, all on a Monday. I just wanna crawl back in bed with the covers pulled over my head. I really need the motivation today:

March Workout Playlist

I know I said there was a possibility of me posting this list on Sunday, but I got preoccupied working on a school project and it just never happened. I must say, this list is full of energy - or maybe it's the theme that has me pumped. There were a few songs people didn't recognize last round, so this time I'm posting links so that you can hear them, too.

So without further ado, here are the songs chosen for my March "Gettin' Lucky" Workout Mix.

The Bad Touch - Bloodhound Gang

Blurred Lines - Mod Carousel (boy parody)

Butterfly - Crazy Town

Candyman - Christina Aguilera

Cherry Pie - Warrent

I Just Had Sex - The Lonely Island

I Touch Myself - The Divinyls

Love In An Elevator - Aerosmith

My Humps - Black Eyed Peas 

Pink - Aerosmith

Rude Boy - Rihanna

Sexx Laws - Beck

Just a little note to keep in mind. While none of the songs are outright dirty, they do have suggestive lyrics and themes. Please view only if age appropriate. Thanks!

Motivate Me Monday

5Ks & Making Fajitas

It's been a pretty productive weekend. Yes, I have not been trolling about the Interwebs (which is most likely why it was so productive), but mostly because the weather has taken a turn for the better the past few days. As part of my PNM360 goal, I've started to add in a bit of running to my walking schedule. I'm starting off pretty slow, as I'm only running about 1/4 of the distance, but planning to work up to running the whole length. I'm not sure if I've mentioned it anywhere, but one of my Bucket List items from a project last term is to successfully run a 5K. And I mean run. The entire thing. I'm not even saying that it's something that's going to happen this year, but it's one of my life goals to run one before I die.

If you knew me in High School, you would know that the one thing I dreaded most in gym class was the President Fitness Test. I hated it. And there are very few things that I hate. It's not that I mind participating and trying, but the sheer embarrassment of being one of the very last to cross the finish line every year has made me want to cross this off my Bucket List more than any other. And I don't have to come in first, or even place. The goal is for me to run and not stop until I cross the finish line.

So, how has it been going so far? Well, I've only run three times. And today I am so achy that I wonder if I will even be able to do this. My poor body has been put through so much these past 60 days that it's screaming for a break. And as much as I would LOVE to take a bit of a break, I know that I can't stop. If I quit now, I don't know if I'll have the motivation or momentum to do this again. I'm going to keep pushing through and taking things slow until I adjust. The first few days of my workouts are always a bit of an adjustment. But as they say: No Pain, No Gain.

In other news, I came up with a healthy recipe for Black Bean & Chicken Fajitas and decided to test them out the other day. Here's a pic of the finished product:

They're really good, and pretty easy to make, too. I added in some homemade refried beans and guacamole in place of the usual sour cream and shredded cheese, and it made them even better. I'll post the recipe soon.

There's a lot I need to work on this weekend. I used my last M3 plaque this past Monday so I've got a dozen in the pipes to design. I also have to find all of the songs for my March playlist. A lot of you thought that when I said songs about "getting lucky" that I meant actual songs about luck. Nope, sex. I did get a nice selection to choose from, however, so expect that blog post soon. Maybe tomorrow, but no promises.

Thanks again for reading. And until next time, peace, y'all!

DAY 60!!!

Well, today is a pretty awesome day. For those new followers, and those who didn't read the title, today is Day 60 of Project New Me 360! This is officially the longest that I've ever stayed on a fitness and nutrition program of any sort. And the best part is that I'm not following some fad or trend diet routine, it's just me using good old common sense and willpower for once.

I know that a lot of people have been wondering about my progress up to this point. I started at a shocking 308 lbs. I say shocking because no one ever guessed that's how much I weighed, which is complimentary to a point. Part of it was my height (I'm 6'2"), so it's spread out over my frame a bit more. I also tend to wear baggier clothes, again partly because of my height, which hides my weight better. So after 60 days, where am I? I'm actually down to 277, which - if you don't have your calculator handy - is 31 lbs. THIRTY ONE POUNDS!!!! That's such a great start for me. My final goal is still about 90 lbs away, but I'm just thrilled with my progress so far.

Day 60 also means that I'll be bumping up my caloric intake from 1400 to 1500. If you don't recall, I drastically cut my calories at the start - which was really tough at the get go - but every 60 days I'll be adding 100 calories back into my diet so I can get accustomed to a 2000 calorie day. Honestly, I'm pretty happy on the 1400 calories, but there are days when I wish I had a few more to throw around. There's also the nagging feeling that with 100 extra calories, I'll have to work harder to lose weight. Not true if you think about it. The whole point of this is to change my life and learn to eat better. I'm constantly shocked at how much I can eat at now at 1400 calories, so that extra 100 will most likely go to additional protein so I can start building better muscle.

I've still got 300 days left of PNM360, but so far so good. I've been getting a lot of support and even changed the minds of a few people with their own eating habits (which is pretty awesome). It's been a tough, but amazing journey thus far - and I hope that everyone will stick with me to the end and beyond!

Motivate Me Monday

For the most part, it was not the best weekend. First, I'm suffering from my seasonal sinus congestion and, second, I was a bit depressed over a problem that's been bothering me the past few weeks. Suffice to say that I have not been in the most energetic or fitness-minded mood the past few days. But I guess that's what Motivate Me Mondays are made for! I think this week's M3 is very appropriate after the weekend I had.