The Last Few Days...

Before I go into everything I have been doing I have to thank my Heavenly Father for all of the support and strength He has given me throughout this adventure. I know the power of prayer is so real. There have been days when I would have such high anxiety about a class or even the whole day and He has calmed my soul and helped me get through each day. Sometimes I have only been able to get through one class at a time and He has been there for me, strengthening me and helping me to do my best. I know that Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ live and I know they are mindful of me each day and in everything that I do. I know that they always have been and always will be there for me throughout my life.

So I think that I will start back on Friday. Friday afternoon I got to go to the Santa Monica stairs. Duhn duhn duhn. It is 170 steps that we went up and down for just over an hour. All of the stairs are wooden, there is a railing on either side and only about 3 people can fit across it at one time. On both sides there are some dense trees and at one point a few houses with gates. It takes you from one street at the top of the hill to another one down below. These little stairs are very popular! Because they are pretty steep and I have a fear of heights and tumbling down the staircase I took it pretty slow going down each time. But there were people running down and up the stairs. Other people were taking two stairs at a time with weights in each hand. I could go about 25 steps and then have to take a little rest but my heart rate was 150 most of the time. It was good to get out of the classrooms and do something else. Going down and back up the stairs is counted as one and I did it 4 times with a 1 mile walk to go to the bathroom. I was pretty proud of myself for being able to do that much.

On Saturday my friend Susan and I did the 5K walk and then we headed off to beach boot camp! We started by running/walking to a life guard station about 1/4 mile away and back, then doing some warm up exercises. The "boot camp" part after that was going down the beach and stopping at each life guard station and doing 20 squats and 20 push ups. And each station was 1/4 mile apart. Now if the sand was flat like it is in Oregon that would have been no problem but here to be able to walk on the more compact wet sand it was at more of an angle. Probably 30 - 40 degree angle. So it really worked on leg on the way out and the other on the way in. It was an overcast day and we got some misting but no rain. I enjoyed it and was glad that it wasn't blazing hot. Once I got back and cleaned up my roommate, Carolina and I went out for some fun! We went to The Grove in LA. It is a big outdoor shopping center with a grass area in the middle where live music was playing and you can walk in the middle of the street (because no cars are allowed). It is just what I imagined LA shopping to be and it was nice. There was Nordstrom, Barnes and Noble, Coach, Gap and a few high end stores I didn't go into. Again it was just nice to be out and enjoy the evening. We went and saw Moneyball which was pretty good. I really didn't like how Brad Pitt was constantly chewing tobacco and spitting into a cup but I guess that is what baseball players do.

On Sunday I surprised my friend, Nicole, who is serving in the area and showed up to her ward. She was super surprised and it was great so see the look on her face. She is doing awesome in the mission and I can tell that the ward is lucky to have her and her companion. That ward was so nice! I wish I could have had that wonderful of a ward in my mission. I must have talked to 20 different people and they were all interested in what I was doing and where I'm from. I will definatly go back to that ward after General Confernece.

After 1 1/2 days of fun and rest it was back to the grind today.

Successes for today:

1. I ran for 13 min at 4 mph. I have never done that before =)
2. I ran for 15 min at 3.6 mph at incline 1.5. I have nevr done that before =)
3. I made it through the day and hit my calorie mark =)

I started off the day with Austin for personal training and we did a lot of weight lifting and using the resistance bands. Next was boxing which is always fun. I was able to get out a lot of aggression by hitting the punching bag and it felt so good! I had TRX and core and then O.C.F. Outdoor Cardio Fitness. In this class you are at a station for 2 min and they are jump rope, slamming down and catching a medicine ball, consistantly picking up one end of a punching bag that was on the ground and slamming it down, and there was another punching bag that had a rope attached to it and we had to pull it towards us and then run away from it until the rope was tight and then put it towards us again. Those bags are heavy! I had an hour to do my own cardio work out and then a stretching class. I love stretching. It feels so good at the end of the day. Tomorrow I get to go swim laps and have personal training with Omari. Pretty sure that he is going to kick my butt but I say, bring it on.

Two Weeks Done!

I had my second weigh-in today and I lost 8 lbs.!! I was shocked! I was prepared for only two for my second week but I'm so happy. Total weight loss is 19 lbs. in 2 weeks =) My original goal was to lose 30 lbs. but that  goal is going to have to go a bit higher.

Successes for yesterday:

1. I went to all of my classes that I was signed up for. It is so easy to skip and go do something on your own but I'm glad that I stuck to my schedule. 
2. I survived a personal training session with Omari. I did 2 min on the stair stepper and then an exercise with weights and then back on the stair stepper. One exercise I had a 10 lb. weight in each hand and I sat down on the edge of a bench and then sat up and lifted the weights over my head. I did everything 29 times because that is how old I am. I should have told Omari that I was 22 and he would have totally believed me =) 
3. And I reached over 4000 calories.

 Successes for today

1. Losing 8 lbs. my second week
2. I survived another personal training session with Omari. This time we did some drills that I could do in 30 min that are pretty intense if I don't have the time to have a good cardio work out. I don't know if I can even describe what I had to do but for the weights they look like round balls with a U shaped metal handle at the top. And I had to lift them over my head, do lunges, do squats, jump up in the air and all sorts of crazy stuff.

Today was a pretty hard day even though I kept reminding myself of my weight loss. It is now getting a lot harder to burn the calories I need each day. Because my cardio fitness has improved I have to work harder to get my heart rate up and burn calories. Before I go back to the apartment each day I try to get at least 3700 calories burned so that I can hit 4000 for the day. Most of the time it happens but sometimes it doesn't, like today =) I just have to keep working hard and then I know that I will be able to reach my goals.

P.S.

I can't wait to get out of here and have real food! Not like a burger or pizza but here they cook the meat the exact same way every time and it gets hard to eat it every single meal. When I first got here I wasn't hungry at all and had to try really hard to get a couple of bites each meal. The nutritionist said that it was pretty normal and give it a week. Well I do a have more of an appetite but I don't know how much more my tummy can take of the same food! Just sayin =)

Thanks!

I have the best family and friends ever!! Thank you so much to everyone who has given me word of encouragement and support. I do work really hard everyday and do my best in each class that I'm in. Sometimes it is really hard to be positive and keep the affirmations going in my head but coming back and reading all of the positive comments helps out so much!

Believe it or not but I haven't always been the "glass is half full" type of person so this positive thinking every minute of the day is something that I'm working on. I have decided to write down all of my successes for the day so I can build upon them and see how far I have come. So todays successes are:

1. In my boxing class this morning I kept good form for the entire class and I kept practicing the drills even though a lot of people get tired and stop.
2. I made it through a pyramid class! This is the class where you raise the incline on the treadmill by at least 2 every three minutes and you try to keep your speed or go faster. I usually have to take my speed down a bit when the incline goes up but I did get through the whole class.
3. I had a new class today that I haven't had before called  outdoor carido fitness. There were 9 different stations all designed to keep your heart rate up. We were outside and some of the stations were jump rope, bringing a medicine ball over your head and then slamming it down and catching it, mountain climbers - your are on the ground in push up position and then one leg comes up at a time and you alternate at a fast pace and of course there is a really long heavy rope that you have to move up and down. Each of these stations lasts for 2 min and for some of them that is a super long time. But I did all of them even though it was really hard and my heart rate had to be above 170. Thats pretty high =)
4. I ran for 20 min at speed 3.7 on the treadmill in the morning and in the afternoon I walked for 40 min at speed 3.4 on the treadmill. And I didn't have to be told to do it, I just did it.

I was scheduled to stay for the crossfit challenge today but my feet were killing me, especially with all of the blisters and my Dad was coming to visit me. Has anyone gotten blisters in between their toes? I have them now and each toe is individually wrapped with a band aide. I think that I keep the local store in business with all of the band aids and powerade I buy. I found out that on the TV show Biggest Loser they give each person HCG shots and the trainers that you see on TV are really only there 2 or 3 times a week. I was surprised but actually not really. It is reality TV so you can't expect to much. It was super cold here today and that says a lot because I never get cold. During a class you get so hot and just want to go outside and cool off but today it felt good for like a minute and then I started shivering. It is kind of a nice break from the heat and I don't mind overcast skies.

I hope that my little feet can get enough rest tonight to be able to pound it out tomorrow. I will let you know what successes I have tomorrow!

One Week Down

One week of working my buns off, literally, and I have lost 11 lbs! I didn't think that I would pull this big of a number on my first week but I'll take it. I did work really hard and I am pretty proud of myself. =)

After a good weekend it was back to work on Monday. I really wasn't to excited to back but it is my "job" =) So the day started out with intervals. You go up and down on incline and speed for an hour. I had no idea that a treadmill could go up to an incline 15! But I found out quickly. We started out at incline 5 and then went up to 8, 12 and then 15. Each interval lasted for 3 min and I had to adjust my speed each time the incline changed. There was no way I could go 3.5 at an incline 15. I would fall off and injure myself. I'm not sure how many calories I burned but it was a lot and I was super sweaty after. While I was going through it I wanted to cry because it was so hard but after the class I was so glad that I did the whole thing and I felt great. My next class was boxing and I do like it but my arms get so tired from punching. The trainer for the class is Marco and he fought professionally in Mexico when he was younger. He is a great trainer and really nice. I had been pretty emotional all day because you are dealing with so much and your body is kind of "in shock." After my butts & guts class I talked to my trainer, Schyler, and he gave me a pep talk. He assured me that I'm doing great and to forget about everyone else and what they are doing, because it is pretty easy to get competitive here, and focus on myself and remember why I'm here. Of course the trainers push you to go a bit longer/farther/more weight but if I'm doing the best I can then that is all I can to. Sometimes it is hard to remember that when you are in an abs class and are supposed to be doing an exercise for a min and I can only do 30 seconds. That talk really helped and I could finish the rest of the day. Good thing I stayed because I burned 4962 that day and I was super tired when I went to bed that night. One of the funnest classes is dance cardio. My first class was with Amber and she is a super small super spunky girl that bounces off the walls. In her classes she has a routine that we follow but there is another instructor, Omar y, who is Jamaican so he has that natural rhythm. His class is much more free style and it is fun watching him dance because it is awesome. He got some bad news that his grandma passed away suddenly back in Jamaica. So he took off and I hope that he comes back before I leave. He always was so positive and had a smile on his face.

I'm just writing down what I do daily and not sure what else to write. If anyone has any questions or wants to know more about what I do here just let me know and I will answer. I am going to try to update more often but by the time I'm done with my classes I have to eat, take a shower, have some down time and do a few other things it is time to go to bed. But I will do my best. Thanks so much for all of the support!! It seriously helps and I read them often. Goodnight!

Day 3 =)

I had a really good day today. Saturday and Sunday aren't packed work out days but we still have a couple of things to do. My first class is usually at 8:00 am but  Saturdays start at 9:30 am. I didn't know if I would get in all of the calories I need to burn today so I went an hour early and walked 2 miles on the tread mill and then gym boot camp started. We warmed up with cardio for 10 min and then Austin, the trainer, told us that we were going to work a specific muscle group. We had two options, either work the muscles that you  use when you push something or the muscles you use when you pull something. I chose pull but at the beginning I was working on all of the machines cause I didn't really know what I was doing but then I asked and understood it all. Next we did some sprints on the treadmill and then we were done. It wasn't as bad as I thought it would be but the next time I have that class I will probably have another trainer so I'll have to see. Next we had lunch and then it was off to do a 5K!! I walked it with Sara and Susan. The first 1/4 of the walk was pretty flat and then we turned the street and then we started up a hill that gradually went up for at least a mile. I thought that it would never end. Then we turned that corner and the rest of the way back was all steep uphill. I was taught to always finish what I start so up we went. Our pace did slow a bit but it was hot and I was tired. On the last stretch we did take 2 breaks but we did finish it in 1 hour and 10 min. I thought that we were going at a good pace but it turns out we were walking at about a 2.5 pace. We all go much faster on the treadmill but at least we have a time to improve on. We came back to the apartment and rested for 30 min and then we were off to Sports Chalet for Sara to get some new shoes and I wanted to try some new socks cause the bottom of my feet were burning on the walk. I wear Saucony shoes that I was fitted for and Susan suggested that I try some new socks. Any other suggestions? We also stopped at the grocery store to pick up some Powerade and protien bars. We got back to the apartment at about 5 pm and have not left. I don't think that I have the energy for anything else besides take a shower and go to bed. But the good news is that I burned 4432 calories today and yesterday 4009 =) I should do a 5 k everyday if I get those kind of results.

I am really excited to go to church tomorrow with my friend Danielle Boinay. I haven't seen her in at least 10 years. I'm not used to all of the swearing that goes on around here and I hope I never do. I have had a couple of missionary experiences. Nothing like teaching a first lesson or talking about Joseph Smith but questions about actual church and I got to explain about wards and meeting times.

Well it is about bed time again. Thanks so much to everyone for all of the emails and messages of support. I really do appreciate them and read them often.

Day 1 and 2

Wow. I knew it would be hard but WOW. I'm sore pretty much everywhere, I go to bed at about 9 pm every night and this LA sun is killing me. My first day was pretty good. I got familiar with the classes, coaches and sweating a lot. About half way through the day I got pretty emotional and then when I got back to my apartment I don't how many times I broke down and cried. Sometimes you just need a good cry - or a couple. I was mostly upset because I was wondering how could I let myself get this big that I had to come to a place like this to lose it. Plus the day was really hard and the though of doing that everyday for 6 weeks...oh boy. But I have two amazing roommates that talked it out with me and helped me feel better. I also met an amazing woman Trina that has "taken my under her wing" and has been really encouraging. To bad that she leaves tomorrow.

Today I had all different classes than yesterday so I got to learn a whole bunch of new stuff. I really enjoyed boxing. We put on latex gloves before we put the boxing gloves on and when we are done and take the latex gloves off it feels like you have just put your hands under a faucet there is so much sweat. I had a class called butts and guts and then right after that a core sculpting class and that just about killed me, I'm already feeling it =)

Tomorrow we work out for only 4 hours total and then on Sunday for 2 hours. I am so excited to go to church and get some spiritual nourishment! Not only for the emotional I have been feeling but also for all of the swearing I hear on a daily basis. I think that the F bomb was the word of choice today. It really bothered me! I am really going to do something about that.


Well it is almost my new bedtime =)

So Far So Good

Today after a 6 hour drive I arrived at Live In Fitness! It was such a hot day that I would defiantly pass way my first day of working out but the evening turned out to be beautiful so I think that I can make it =) I was shown around the facility and brought to my apartment. It is a 4 person apartment but only 3 of us are here now. My room roommate, Sara, is from England and is here for 2 weeks and Carolina is from Mexico and will be here 4 weeks. They are both super nice and I just love hearing Sara talk because of her accent. So I got all of my stuff up to my apartment and started unpacking. Dad had a meeting to go to and there really wasn't anything for him to do so he took of and of course I break down and cry. I cried when I said goodbye to my Mom back in Oregon! What 29 year old still has separation anxiety?! Me. I got all unpacked and my orientation wasn't for another 2 hours so I bummed around for a bit and went down to the meeting. I learned how to read my schedule, learned when and how to pick up my meals and got a tour of the place. I'm feeling a bit better about the whole thing.

So tomorrow morning starts with a bunch of stretching, meeting with my trainer, boxing and 2 minute drills - which are exercises (machines, dumbbells, cardio) done in 2-minute increments. In the afternoon I eat lunch, have another coaches meeting, TRX & Core - no clue what that is, Mat Class - no clue what that is either, a nutrition class and yoga. And that is what the first day holds for me. I will have to get back to you on what those other classes are later.

Well I better get ready for bed because it is the first day of my new "job" tomorrow =)

Night Before Jitters

Today Dad and I drove from Oregon to Sacramento. A total of 9 hours and we have another 6 to go tomorrow. Awesome. We are staying at my cousin Allen's house and he and my Dad are talking in their "computer language" and talking about the best way to solve the rubix cube. I can follow along pretty well but most of the time it goes over my head.

The agenda tomorrow is to leave at 6 am and drive to LA. The whole time leading up to this trip I have been pretty excited but now that it is the night before I'm getting a bit anxious =) Especially since it is 100 degrees here, literally. I just keep on reminding myself that it is going to be a great experience and that I will learn a lot! Plus there are a bunch of other people going through the same things I am. I'm sure that once I am there I will love it but right now it is the fear of the unknown.

Thanks so very much to everyone that has sent me such thoughtful and encouraging message! I appreciate them so much!!

Because I'm Worth It

I have some big changes coming up this week and it basically the reason why I started this blog. On September 7th I will be going to a place called Live In Fitness in LA for 6 weeks. Basically it is a resort where you work out all day every day. Think Biggest Loser minus all of the tv cameras. Not only will I be working out a lot but I will have nutrition classes, cooking classes and get to go to the grocery store to learn how to shop for the goals that I have. I will be going to have a complete lifestyle change and a jump start to hopefully a big weight loss. I am really excited to go and get started but also pretty anxious about all of the changes that will happen. I have never really liked change but with it comes challenges that only make you stronger.

I am taking on this adventure because I do need a change in my life. I have been very aware of my weight since I was in 5th grade, 10 years old. It has been a big road block to a lot of things that I want to do in my life. Go up a flight or two of stairs without getting winded, play sports without having to stop and rest every 5 min., bend over and tie my shoes and be able to get on a flight without having to ask for a seat belt extended. Those are just some of the things that I deal with on a daily basis and that is about as personal as I'm going to get right now. Some people will post before pictures in just shorts and sports bra but I don't feel the need to do that. I figure there are 29 years worth of pictures out there so I will just up date on the weight loss. And hopefully within a short amount of time I will be going on lots of dates and not have to resort to being a cat lady =)

Now is the time that all of that is going to change. I have moved back to Oregon where I have a lot of family and they will be a huge help and support system when I get back. I will be looking for a new full time job when I get back and most likely starting up a massage business on the side.

I have laid it out all on the line here and really opened myself up. I will be needing lots of support from my family and friends. And that is where you come in. An email, text or phone call of encouragement will really help me in the next few weeks.

I am really excited to start on this new adventure. I know it will be really hard, I will be really sore and will want to quit but I won't because I know that I'm Worth It.

Little Whitney Turns 3!!

I can't believe that Taylor and Whitney are growing up so fast! It seems like yesterday they were just learning how to walk. They are two wonderful kids and so much fun to play with. Right now Taylor is into dinosaurs, swords and pirates. Whitney is interested in all things princess and that was the theme for her 3rd birthday.

All of the girls got crowns and the boys got party hats

The dinner feast was spaghetti and bread with peas, corn and carrots all on Tangled plates

These cupcakes were so good! Tye dye coloring for the cupcake with a whipped frosting.

This little princess definitely go way too many presents for a birthday but it is so hard not to spoil your nieces and nephews! Like I said before Little Whitty loves all things princess so that is basically what she got. I think that her favorite present was her Rapunzel doll that she got from her Grandma Curtis but right up there was a dress that Mom made her. She got lots of dress up princess clothes so during the present opening there were 3 wardrobe changes.

First she started out as Cinderella

Next was Tinkerbell

And then a Tinkerbell nightgown

By the end of the night she was back into her Cinderella dress. She had a great birthday party had so much fun. Erin is such a great Mom! She got most all of the costumes second hand which compared to the Disney Store she saved a lot of money and all of them where mostly brand new. Not only that she put on a great dinner and birthday party for Whitney. She is amazing! I love her so much!

Rafting On The White Salmon River

I have been rafting a few times in my life but each time I get ready to go I get scared that I will fall out of the boat, hit my head on a rock and die. But if you do all of the things that your guide tells you to do you will be perfectly safe, right?

All geared up to head down to the river

The Group: Andy (Ali's friend), Ali, Woody (our guide), Dad and I

Having a good time on the river and still in the raft =)

At first some parts of the river look pretty scary but you actually only get bounced around a little so those weren't so bad. I tried to not think too much about the big class 4 rapids we were going through and just did what our guide, Woody, told us to do. Ali and Andy were in the front and they were getting soaked. Come to find out that there is this nice waterfall right in the middle of the river. Great. It was a 14 foot drop so you had to paddle really hard and then get down and sit on the bottom of the raft into a little ball and hold on for dear life. Lucky for my, and a few other people, we could opt out and walk down the side of the river. Woody gave us enough information so that we could make an informed decision and he did say that you could be underwater for about 30 seconds. Now that doesn't sound like a long time but when your underwater it probably feels like an eternity. Ali and Andy decided to go on this fun little adventure and they did great. There were only 3 of them in the raft, so there wasn't to much weight, and once they went down they popped right back up. The raft behind them had 6 teenage boys in it and once they went down the blue raft totally disappeared for 3 seconds and then came back up. They all had very surprised looks on their faces that they all stayed in the raft. Overall it was a great experience and by the end I didn't want to get off of the river =) After getting all of the gear off we went up to out cabin on Mt. Hood and had a great dinner and relaxing evening.