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TODAY'S WORKOUT: Cathe Friedrich's Low Impact StepIt's July 29th. Guess what we did tonight. We lit a fire. We went outside for a while at dusk. It was chilly and I started to get cold. We came back inside, but the house was quite cool and I just couldn't seem to get warm. So, Mr Moo lit a fire for me and the kitties, and we basked in the heat for a few hours. It was lovely, but I still can't believe we had a fire in the fireplace three days shy of August. |
Weigh-in day today. This week's weight loss: 0 lbs. I'm not surprised after last week's wonky 3 lb loss. Based on the rest of the week's readings, it's probably more accurate to say I lost 2 lbs last week and 1 this. Whatever. I didn't work out yet again today (I've been in such a funk this week), but I did work in the yard for several hours this afternoon, so I don't feel super guilty about it. I'm hoping the black cloud that's been hovering over my head all week go away soon so I can re-focus and get back on track with stuff this coming week. |
Look! |
I cannot begin to describe how much the cats are loving the new birdfeeder outside of the office window. |
My husband, The Shoveller. |
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TODAY'S WORKOUT: Cathe Friedrich's Low Max
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((sings)) We're going to see the Red Sox! We're going to see the Red Sox!The other part of my "job": |
TODAY'S WORKOUT: Cathe Friedrich's Low Impact Step & Gilad Janklowicz's Arms of Steel Worked out for almost two hours today. Phew! Mr Moo did the Arms of Steel video with me. I think that one is about 50 minutes long. The step workout I did alone and that runs, I believe, 45 minutes. I am now very pooped and sore. I might take the day off from working out tomorrow. I'll have to wait and see how my poor muscles feel in the morning. If I do, I certainly won't feel guilty about it after today's torture. |
"NAME THAT MOVIE" CONTEST - 104 Round 104 is still open. Anyone? Anyone? |
Unfortunately, I wasn't able to work out today. I spent almost the entire day in bed with a migraine. Nasty business that. Mr Moo helped dope me up with my meds a few hours ago. Between that and the shower I just took, I'm starting to slightly resemble a human being again. I think I jinxed myself yesterday. I was commenting on how much better I've been feeling lately. Since I've been eating better and exercising more I haven't had much trouble with my IBS or my migraines. Famous last words. Anyhoo, workout or no workout, today was still weigh-in day. This week's weight loss: 3 lbs. I don't think that's 100% accurate because I was in bed all day, didn't eat anything and was a bit dehydrated when I weighed myself. I'll probably not show much, if any, loss next week because of it. Oh, well. Even if it was only truly a 1-2 lb loss instead, it's still a loss and I'm happy about it. Height: 5' 2" Current Weight: 119 Highest Weight: 167 (January 14, 2006) Goal Weight: 110 - 115 Pounds Lost: 48 |
TODAY'S WORKOUT: Cathe Friedrich's Low Impact Step & Stability Ball Abdominal Workout Tomorrow is weigh-in day. Oh joy. |
Snip! Snip! Snip! |
TODAY'S WORKOUT: Cathe Friedrich's Low Impact Step I have stepped up my workouts this week and am being careful about what I'm eating. I'm hoping all of that combined with my usual couple pound drop after my period bloat will be enough to break my plateau this week. Keep your fingers crossed! |
From last week. Helping my sister with her major ironing board malfunction. |
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TODAY'S WORKOUT: Cathe Friedrich's Body Fusion
"NAME THAT MOVIE" CONTEST - 104 Did anyone miss the movie contest? |
TODAY'S WORKOUT: Cathe Friedrich's Low Impact Step & Upper Body Sculpt It was very late before I got a chance to work out today. I was very close to talking myself out of it, but I drew inspiration from my sister. She went to the store, bought herself a step and worked out today. Figured I'd better lead by example and get my butt on the step, too. The workout I did was a bit longer and more intense than the one I was doing with my sister while she was here. It was quite grueling, but, if I'm ever going to drop these last 10 pounds, I need to do it. |
Yup. Definitely a skunk. |
Had a scary moment at the grocery store today. My wedding ring fell off my finger and went clanging across the floor. Fortunately, I felt it fall off and I was able to track exactly where it went. I doubt I would have ever gotten it back if I hadn't. My ring has been big for a while now, but since I have my PMS bloat on, I thought it would be okay today. Guess I thought wrong. I'm not going to wear it at all anymore until I get sized down again. I didn't get my workout done this afternoon like I wanted. However, I did work outside in the yard for a few hours, so I don't feel quite so guilty. Today was weigh-in day. This week's weight loss: go ahead and guess. Yup, another big fat zero. With all this plateauing, it's going to take me another year to lose these last 10 pounds. I keep telling myself that not losing anything is way better than gaining, but it's still very frustrating. I really need to step up my workouts to break out of this. |
It was strange waking up this morning and not having my sister here. I miss her. The kitties miss her, too. They were in the guest room wandering about and looking for her this morning. I guess it's going to take all of us a few days to get back into our normal routine. On the agenda for today... umm, not exactly sure. I do know we need to do some grocery shopping and I have to work out today. My "short" nap yesterday ended up being not so short, then my MIL called and asked us to go out to dinner with them, so I never did get a workout in. And we ate out. Ugh. I need to do a bit of yardwork today, too. Guess it's going to turn into a fairly typical Saturday of chores and errand running. Anyone out there have more exciting plans for today? |
We just got back from dropping my sister off at the airport. It was hard saying goodbye, but at least we didn't bawl like babies this time like we normally do. Hopefully, we'll be able to see each other again before too long. I only managed about four hours of sleep last night. Methinks it's time for a snack followed quickly by a nap with the kitties. |
I present my sister and her very first ever sewing project - an apron! |
TODAY'S WORKOUT: Cathe Friedrich's Basic Step Today was my sister's last chance workout and she did a fantastic job. We weighed her after our workout today because, if we get busy or distracted, we may forget to tomorrow morning. Her final result: 11 lbs lost since she arrived 10 days ago. WOOT! Awesome job, sis! She's well aware that it was mostly water lost and she will not continue to see such dramatic results from here on out, but it's a great start and I think she's really motivated to continue with this food/exercise program. I can't believe she'll be leaving for home already tomorrow. The time went by much too fast. It's not looking likely that she'll be joining us in Massachusetts for Christmas this year either, so I don't know when I will get to see her again. We've briefly talked about taking a vacation together sometime early next year, but nothing is definite. Guess we'll have to wait and see what happens, and I'll just miss her buckets in the meantime. |
Giving my sister sewing lessons. |
TODAY'S WORKOUT: Cathe Friedrich's Basic Step & Stability Ball Abdominal Workout Tomorrow is my and my sister's last workout together before she leaves. She's on target to lose a few more pounds this week. Will be interesting to see how well she does with the food plan and exercise routine once she's home and on her own. |
TODAY'S WORKOUT: Cathe Friedrich's Basic Step & Upper Body Sculpt My sister will be leaving on Friday. Only two more days of working out together. I will miss the company. |
On the agenda for today: sewing lessons! My sister wants to learn some basics so she can make curtains for her sunroom when she goes home. I believe her starter project is going to be an apron. We're heading out to the fabric store in just a minute to purchase a pattern, fabric and supplies. It's supposed to be 102F/39C today, so I want to do our shopping and get back before it gets too sweltering. |
A long-time visitor to our patio that was finally caught on the MooCam... |
TODAY'S WORKOUT: Cathe Friedrich's Basic Step & Stability Ball Abdominal Workout I did not eat well this weekend at all. Ugh. I really should be doing a longer and more intense workout than Basic Step, but my sister isn't ready to move onto something new just yet. She leaves on Friday, so I'll kick it up a few notches then. |
Today we went to Portland Japanese Garden and The International Rose Test Garden, both of which are in Portland. Afterwards, we drove to McMinnville to visit Evergreen Aviation Museum and see the Spruce Goose. We got home around 1800. I cleaned the house a bit, then did some yardwork, a whole bunch of laundry and some grocery shopping. It was a fun and busy day, but I am pooped! |
TODAY'S WORKOUT: Cathe Friedrich's Basic Step & Crunch - Total Resculpt Today was weigh-in day. This week's weight loss: 0 pounds. I'm a bit frustrated by that since I ate well all week and worked out five times with my sister. I know the last 10 lbs are the hardest to drop, but it's still irritating. There is a possibility that all the meds I've taken this week are affecting my weight a bit. However, I'm not going to use that as an excuse. Tomorrow is a fresh start to a new week. I'll just look ahead and move on from there. While my weight loss for the week was very anti-climactic, my sister's was not. She's lost approximately 8 pounds since she's been here! I say "approximately" because we neglected to record a formal baseline weight when she first got here. She did get on the scale her first day here, but she was completely dressed and neither of us can remember exactly what the scale read. She has more accurate records of her weight using her own scale at home, so we'll get a more definitive number once she goes back. Even if we're off several pounds, she still showed a loss, which is fantastic. |
Looks like we had yet another new visitor to the patio last week. |
TODAY'S WORKOUT: Cathe Friedrich's Basic Step My sister made it through the entire workout today with only a couple missteps. I remember how worried she was just a few days ago that she was never going to get it and now she's doing the whole thing with ease. Tomorrow is weigh-in day so we'll be doing step again plus a weight training workout, too. |
We went to see Body Worlds 3 this morning. I didn't bring my camera because there was no photography allowed anywhere even near the exhibit, so I don't even have any photos of us at the museum. The exhibit was amazing and, while I like to think I have a fairly decent knowledge of anatomy, I learned even more today. This exhibit travels and I would definitely recommend catching it if it comes to your area. And, if you do go, make sure you go very berry early. We were in the first group of the day (9:00am). There were quite a few people there, but we didn't have any trouble at all moving around. By the time we exited, we could see that it was packed near the entrance. So, go and go early! Here's a link to the official Body Worlds website for anyone interested in reading more. |
Have I mentioned lately how well Zoe is doing? |
TODAY'S WORKOUT: Cathe Friedrich's Basic Step & Stability Ball Abdominal Workout Another day. Another workout. My sister's getting good at it. She'll be outstepping me before too long. |
TODAY'S WORKOUT: Cathe Friedrich's Basic Step & Upper Body Sculpt My sister worked out with me again. It was only her second time doing the step routine and she did really well. She used my step while I used an improvised one made from some shelves that we taped together. We're going to hit the sporting goods consignment store tomorrow and see if we can get another real one on the cheap. I also have to see my doctor in the afternoon as a follow up to my ER visit for my staph infection, which is slowly starting to get better finally. Hopefully, Mr Moo will be feeling well enough to go with us (he's feeling a lot better already tonight) because I think we could all stand to get out of this house for a while. |
Good news: Mr Moo is off work today and the rest of the week for the holiday. Bad news: He's sick as a dog. He's got some sort of viral gastroenteritis (stomach flu). He started feeling sick a few days after he got home from his business trip, so I'm fairly certain he picked something up in one of the airports or on the plane ride home. Between my arm rot and his stomach flu, we're making quite the pair this week. |
My sister and I don't have much of a game plan today. We've got waxes scheduled for this afternoon, but, otherwise, the day is open. I do know that I need to stop by the pharmacy to get a new antibiotic prescription because the yuck on my arm isn't showing much improvement yet. It hasn't gotten any worse, which is a very good thing, but I don't think it looks any better than when I went to the ER. So, as per instructions, I need to get my other antibiotic script filled and start on those today. |
TODAY'S WORKOUT: Cathe Friedrich's Basic Step & Stability Ball Abdominal Workout My sister worked out with me today. It was nice to have the company. My knee feels better so I gave the workout a shot. I lowered my step all the way to the floor and told myself if my knee even twinged, I was going to stop. Fortunately, it didn't and I did the whole workout without any issues. I may still have the Martian Death Rot on my arm, but at least my knee is healed! |
I woke up about five minutes ago. My sister called about two minutes ago to tell me she's in the car and on her way here from the airport. What timing. |
We're back from the hospital. I think it was the fastest ER visit I've ever had. Good thing, too, because Mr Moo is shattered and he has to get up for work in just a few hours. We got to the ER around 2330. I checked in. A nurse took my vitals and history. I was registered, given a wrist bracelet and basically told to hurry up and wait. We had to wait about 30-40 minutes before I got called in. Fortunately, we had thought ahead. Mr Moo brought his laptop and I brought a puzzle book, so at least we weren't just sitting there bored to tears the whole time. I was taken to a room in the farthest part of the ER. I swear we walked a mile before we got there. I was given a gown to change into then we got to wait some more. I don't think it was more than 15 minutes before the doctor came in to see me. You know your infection is bad when the doctor takes a look at it, makes a face and says, "Ewww." She could see how much it had spread past the ink line from yesterday and that made her concerned that I might have some sort of drug-resitant staph, which would not be a good thing. She also didn't like how puffy it's getting. After she poked at my arm some more and made a few more yuck faces, we decided on a course of action. At the hospital, I got a large dose of ibuprofen to try to reduce the inflammation and an antibiotic that is a lot stronger than the pills I've been taking. The ibuprofen came as tablets. The antibiotic was a shot. That I got... In. My. Bum. The needle stick didn't hurt at all and I said so to the nurse. She chuckled and said, "Just wait a couple seconds." That's when the burn hit. Youch! It felt like a cross between a muscle cramp, being burned with an iron and being punched in my butt cheek. It hurt, but, like I told the nurse, if it helps clear up my infection, it's worth the pain. I had to stay for an additional 20 minutes after my shot to make sure I didn't have any reaction to it. Good thing we stayed. I laid back down and within about two minutes, I thought I was going to throw up. I had sudden and horrible nausea. We're fairly certain it was from taking such a high dose of ibuprofen on an empty stomach (I hadn't eaten anything in several hours). The nurse brought me a barf bag and some crackers. I did some deep breathing and somehow managed to not hurl. Then, not long after all that, I just as suddenly had a histamine reaction to something. I sneezed about half a dozen times in a row, my nose and sinuses completely filled up and my eyes started to itch. The nurse told me that she'd never heard of anyone having that kind of reaction before. Mr Moo and I both explained to her that I'm one of those people who seems to suffer from all of the weirdest side effects, no matter how unlikely they are. Eventually, my nose started clearing up a little and my stomach calmed down enough that I could go home. The doctor checked on me one last time. She said as long as I didn't have hives, a little Benadryl would help with the drippy nose and I was good to go. Long term game plan: I'm to continue with the antibiotics I already have tomorrow. I'm also to take regular, non-puke-inducing doses of ibuprofen every 8 hours. If there isn't marked improvement by Tuesday morning, I will switch to another stronger antibiotic and get myself to the doctor again. If the stronger antibiotic doesn't work, then I think we'll be talking about me getting checked into the hospital for more serious treatment and start praying my arm doesn't rot off. In the meantime, I watch, wait and have to deal with Mr Moo shouting "Leper! LEPER!" every time I walk by. On a totally different and brighter note, my sister is on her way here for her visit. Yay! She'll be here for almost two weeks. I just spoke with her on the phone. She's on her way to the airport right now. She should be here in about 9 hours. I can't wait to see her again. And, with that, I must away and attempt to sleep. Goodnight, fishies. |
After I took a shower about an hour ago, I took a good long look at the fungus mungus that's eating my arm under the bright lights in the bathroom. The infection has spread. Sigh. Not a ton, but it's outside the line in more than one place now. The one spot that troubles me the most is the shorter of the two streaks. It's gotten longer. The doctor told me yesterday to get to the ER if it got bigger at all, so it looks like I might be seeing the inside of a hospital before too long. Like I had nothing better to do tonight. |
From this year's Chick-fil-A calendar, The Good, The Bad and The Hairy: |
It all started innocently enough Monday with a bug bite on the inside of my right elbow. And by yesterday... (Interesting trivia - Did you know that infection streaks always point towards the heart?) I've been watching my arm all week. When I noticed the streaking growing on Friday night, I knew it was time to see the doctor. Mr Moo took me to the clinic yesterday afternoon, which is where I got the lovely "tattoo". Without doing a culture, they can't be 100% sure it's staph, but the doctor seems fairly confident that's what it is. He wrote me a script for antibiotics, traced the infection and told me to watch it very closely. If it got any worse at all, he wanted me to go immediately to the ER so they could lance out the infection and get me on IV antibiotics. In case you aren't familiar with staph infections, they are seriously nasty and you can die from certain strains of it thus the urgency. Fortunately, it did not grow at all overnight, so no trips to the hospital for me today. Phew! After speaking with the doctor this afternoon (He actually called me to see how I was doing - impressive!), I have to continue watching it for growth, finish up the rest of the antibiotics and, obviously, see the doctor right away if it starts to get worse again. Hopefully, it will resolve itself quickly. While I was at the clinic, I had the doctor check out my knee, too. He felt all along my leg and did some pressure tests on the knee itself. Official diagnosis: minor tear or strain of the plantaris muscle. It's pretty much a completely useless muscle that no one even knows exists until they hurt it. Like me. I'm to stay off it as much as possible for a few days, but, otherwise, there's no real treatment for it besides time. Figures that, just as I break through my weight plateau and was getting into a good groove with my workouts, I have to stop. At least it wasn't my PCL like I was fearing. |
