Thankful

Who I'm thankful for today...

1. Damon, for always being there for me.

2. Kristjana, for bringing out the girl in me.

3. Cooper, for introducing me to Brenna.

4. Brenna, for showing me a new side to fitness. 

I'm not sure what else to say tonight...

here's a good workout:

8 reps of pushups, 20 seconds on 10 seconds rest

8 reps of sit ups, 20 on 10 rest

8 reps of squats, 20 on 10 rest

run 1 mile, 400m easy, 400m hard, easy, hard

50,40,30,20,10

Unfortunately, being sick for about 5 days ruined my week. Until yesterday, I hadn't worked out since the 24th. I did a simple, not too deathly workout of 50 sit ups, 50 pushups, 50 squats... 40, 30, 20 10. It took me about 8 1/2 minutes. I could only do increments of 25 push ups at a time, so I just decided to do 25 push ups every round instead of the usual. Luckily, the sit ups didn't seem to be a problem, they never are really. That got me thinking. Why is it that I have a little flab now, when I can still do sit ups, crunches, reverse crunches, etc. like I used to? GRR! Oh well, just another thing to concur! 

I'm just ranting now, but it really ticks me off sometimes how our bodies turn on us :P

Anyways, my new goal is to be able to pull off vertical stripes and polka dots again! Hopefully, by this summer I won't feel uncomfortable wearing a tight tank top and shorts. My motivation today is clothing.

Ramble On

It's utterly amazing how time continues to move on forward. It seems like just yesterday I was moving to Talkeetna, afraid to move on and meet new friends. I've realized that I need to do something with my life, something that I love and will always love. History. I LOVE history! From wars, religion, art and philosophy it all amazes me. The greatest thing about history is that each day it's happening.
I want to be a history teacher. Being out of school for a few years has made me realize that people that have truly shaped me into becoming who I am today are mostly teachers. If I could, I would love to teach in Talkeetna. There is a different vibe at the high school here then in most places, it's a big family. I hate saying something so terribly cliche, but it's true. You look out for each other here, if someone is failing you rise up and help them in whatever the case may be.
How perfect would it be to teach at a place where I've been taught and where I was, in a sense, created. To raise a family in a place where freedom is an actuality, not just a right. A place where you treat your next door neighbor as a friend and can ask to borrow a cup of flour without worry.
Growing up here I hated how small it was, I hated the community feel of it all. I felt as if I could never get away. Then moving to Wasilla, I realized how ugly a place could be and my love for my home came rushing back to me. If anything, when I teach I hope to instill a deep and everlasting love for community enrichment. I hope to have at least one student fall in love with a topic that I'm teaching, have someone enjoy learning through discussion, and realize that there is more to school then textbooks and tests.
I love being raised in Talkeetna with such amazing teachers, and with such unique individuals.
Today, teachers of all trades are my motivators.

Sick.

There is nothing a despise more then being sick. Ok, well that's not entirely true... but when it comes to me, there's nothing I hate more. Having the sweats and a fever is an awful way to spend a day. Under the blankets, over the blankets, repeat! I can NOT just sit around all day, so my motivational task of the day was to make "healthy" muffins! I've been drinking tea the past two days like nobody's business... and to me nothing goes better with tea then muffins.

My Recipe:
1 cup of milk
1 cup cooking oats
1 egg
1/4 cup vegetable oil (didn't have applesauce)
1 cup flour
1/4 cup of honey
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp of salt
1/4 cup craisins
1/4 cup mixed berries

The muffins are in the oven right now. So what am I doing? Besides writing this blog that no one is reading? Sipping on some chamomile tea while reading Pride and Prejudice.

What Started It All...

First off, I decided to start this blog to motivate myself. I am not a huge fan of working out, in fact I really dislike it entirely. I love sports, but going to the gym and running in the same spot and lifting weights doesn't excite me. So here's my story...
Last year I moved to a new city with my boyfriend... I hated it there. It was ugly, all grey, no color, everything seemed dead. I was depressed from the moment I walked into our apartment, but I didn't want to say anything because I love him and this is where his job was and where we needed to be. Anyways, I didn't get a job, all I did everyday was sit on my ass and eat while watching television. Needless to say, I gained weight, and gained it fast. I have never been one to just sit around all day, and certainly never had to watch what I ate. I was always active and doing something, but I didn't eat healthily, which lead me to bad habits. I would make pudding and eat the entire bowl, eat all the cookies and drink as much soda as I wanted. I never gained a pound. I was extremely muscular since I was a child and had a fantastic metabolism.
Obviously that didn't last long. In one winter I had gained 10 pounds and lost all my muscle. I always weighed 155 pounds, but it never bothered me since my body fat percentage was 18. Quickly I had lost all my muscle, jumped to 165 pounds and had a fat percentage of 23. That winter was the winter I got stretch marks, because of those little suckers I dove into an even worse depression. I had always been the type of person who would wear tight clothing and short shorts and never had a second thought to how I looked. Now I'm always trying to hide my stomach because I remember how it used to be.
Anyways, about 2 months ago I decided to take control and start working out more frequently. I joined MMA (mixed martial arts) and get my ass kicked 2 times a week. I play volleyball and basketball, and try to do crossfit. But alas, I still have no motivation to run and on occasion do crossfit's "workout of the day".
I decided to start this blog in hopes that it would keep me more into check. I'm sure no one will actually read this, but by doing this I'll at least be able to write down my struggles and hopefully my accomplishments!
SO! As of today, January 25, 2011... I weigh 147 pounds and am 5' 6"