Trouble with the Curvy

Today I am officially a Graduate Student! I was a little apprehensive that adding something else into my life that needs dedicated time and focus would send me over the edge. After looking at the course schedule and not having to fill out loan applications I feel soooo much better about it. My first class is April 10th. Economic Systems sounds pretty enthralling... The good news is that I'll have access to their gym too! I am looking forward to making some use of that or at least having it as an option. The class is also on a Thursday night so it won't conflict with my Zumba schedule. I am 80 days away from my one year anniversary of TWTC. I have lost 25lbs and feel like, as a general disposition, I am happier than I have ever been. I have another 30lbs but I feel like I have accomplished a lot in the last 285 days. My goal for the next 80 is to workout more often and eat more salads and less bread. When I started this journey I thought there was some sort of magic or sci

I mentioned last week that I was on a 14 day work stretch. While I pride myself on being a little energizer bunny it has been about a year since I've pulled a stretch like this. Over that year I must have gotten into one hell of a groove because I was completely and utterly unprepared for this Monday morning. Friday night was the only time I really had to destressify from my week. The grocery shopping hasn't been done and I wasn't prepared for feeding myself. Not having at least one day to get my crap done just throws me off my game. When I get into these situations I identify that I have failed to prepare and then have to figure out how to proceed. Add all that to Monday morning work loads and BAM you've got yourself a recipe for a frazzled Katie. I couldn't seem to focus on anything today. I had a great breakfast of bran flakes and blueberries but when lunchtime came around I got to a meeting and then BAM it was 3p. I didn't have the fuel to focus on my afte

"Clap along if you know what happiness is to you!"   I'm have always been the "If it is mainstream I might like it but it doesn't define me. My indie music DEFINES me." Cut me some slack. Being a music snob comes with the whole bad ass radio DJ thing :).... I never would have expected that a song I heard at Zumba would change my entire attitude. Tell me the quote at the top isn't at least a little cliched but the way the way that Pharrell Williams delivers it changes it entirely "Happy" by Pharrell Williams is my new anthem. I have always made it a mission in my life to be happy more often than not. I've known people that find happiness to be over rated and annoying. I don't hang out with those people anymore because that is the dumbest philosophy I've ever encountered. Happiness is hard to achieve but when you can achieve it on a regular basis that is something to be thankful for and celebrate. Others think happiness is a myth

In short, last week was a disaster. I didn't stick to anything last week. The only exercise I got was from the storm on Thursday. Granted I was shoveling for a good 2 hours and probably burned at least 1000 calories, but that doesn't really cut it if you only do it once per week.  This week MUST be better. I've enlisted dinner making help from Ben so I can Zumba without stressing about the after meal. Tonight's blog is short because I've got to get home and change so I don't miss the class for tonight.  This week has to be better because I'm working all weekend suddenly creating a 14 day stretch with no day off. Having peak energy and endurance to make it through the next two weeks will be incredible because it doesn't stop there. I'll have the 28th and 29th off but then there are events every weekend after that in April. Basically when May comes around I will either be a lot thinner and feeling like a fitness goddess for keeping my routine OR

I was looking through some photos to clean out the cards in my camera and I came to this one photo, taken in September, and I was utterly shocked. I spent a decent part of this journey so far, frustrated that I wasn't seeing results. It is only recently that I FELT a difference. Based on the picture I saw, I realize I should have kept doing the photos each day like I started. The difference shocked me. I felt like I was huge. I don't ever remember feeling as big as I look in that picture. I'm sure it is just not a flattering angle and such (because I am obviously a hottie) but it just made me appreciate the part of myself that said enough was enough. For the first time in my life I can look at a picture and have a reference of what weight I was. I genuinely have no idea what weight I was throughout my life until now. At about 13 years old I started to identify that I was at risk for letting my weight consume my life. At that point I had been a chubby kid growing up in the

Yesterday we set the clocks back and instantly made the daylight stick around an hour longer each day. I'm so excited that I'll get to walk again. Tonight I went on a ride to plan out a safe route. Sadly, my typical route is pretty snowy and icy. My favorite part of that route doesn't even have a sidewalk right now. The back roads seem to be my best bet. I'll just have to wear something very bright, walk against traffic to ensure I see cars coming, and not walk with my headphones in. I should have gone to Zumba tonight but I didn't. No excuse I just didn't and I should have. I get into these "negotiations" with myself. I won't go to Zumba but I'll have a salad for supper- I basically bargain my way out of doing something that I've vowed is important to me.  This is a very bad habit and I'm hoping that talking about it will help me to identify it as a red flag when I do it. I need to stick to the plan. Furthermore, I need to put more

Last night I talked about excuses and as I sit here writing my last blog for the week I realized that one of my most common excuses is "Because it's Friday, Saturday, or Sunday." I'm not quite prepared to give up my Friday or Sunday excuse but I'm toying with working out on Saturdays. Last week I went snowboarding with my Dad. I hadn't been on a snowboard in 10 years. If I was good at it 10 years ago it is pretty safe to say I wouldn't have let 10 seasons go by without me. They say it's like riding a bike, you never forget. But what if you never learn to ride a bike and then try again 10 years later. The results will cause hilarity to ensue.  Lucky for me my Dad is incredibly patient and has a really great sense of humor. He helped me up time after time, stayed behind me to make sure I didn't go off on a wrong trail, and didn't rush me or make me feel like I was holding him up. He is as much Bode Miller as I am NOT Seth Wescott but we had a bla

There is this song by Nickel Creek called "Reasons Why" that I've always really liked. There is a line in it that says "Others have excuses. I have my reasons why." I think subconsciously that has been my mantra. Anytime I'd use an excuse I would tell myself it was really just a reason why. Semantics, I know, but I think it is important to mention because I have finally identified this about myself and it really is something I should aim to change. I think the difference in a reason and an excuse is important too. The dictionary suggests there really isn't a difference as it states the definition of excuse is a reason or explanation put forward to defend or justify a fault or offense. My offense is usually not exercising or eating something I know I really shouldn't. My reasons are usually stupid and I think that is the difference between an excuse and a reason. A reason is legitimate. An excuse is pretending the reason you're citing is legiti

I think today was meant to test my dedication. It seems like everything today isn't going right. Nothing seems like smooth sailing and I've got all kinds of stressors working on me from every angle. It is days like today that made me fail in the past. Stress makes everything seem overwhelming especially trying to figure out a plan for a healthy meal and fitting in a workout. It keeps coming back to planning doesn't it? I need to get my workouts in before work unless I'm doing Zumba. That is why walking works so well for me and it is seriously hindering my efforts! Luckily the time change is this weekend so even though it will be so friggin' cold, I'll be super excited to get up and go out in the mornings again. That way, there is no way I can talk myself out of it if I have a day like I had today. I really am fired up about celebrating in June and I want to know that I earned it. It really is important to me so today is all about finding a way not finding an e

I am closing in on one year of this. I started in June of 2013 so it only seems fitting that in June of 2014 I celebrate my progress and start to set goals for another year. In honor of my 1 year anniversary I'll be taking a road trip to the Stephen Kellogg Family BBQ just outside of DC with Hillary and Ben. While we are there we are going to see our old friend Rick and it has been far too long. I am so ridiculously excited for this trip and to have gone a whole year and seen a big difference in how I look and feel. The goal is to really get tough the last 3 months. It's like when you're running a race and you save up the energy to really make the pass in the last leg. I know what works for me now and all I need to do is execute. Zumba-Instructor-the-Terrible isn't booked much for March and I've got this Jillian Michaels thing down. If I were a really tough chick I'd do P90X but I'm really not. It's been so long since I've wrestled a shark.... or