snow day, legos and hot chocolate!

We finally got a good Northeast snowstorm!! 

yay! 

and the boys' first snow day for this school year!

it's about time :)

so...what is that expression again about March?
...in like a lion...

lifestyle change goals for March...

I would love to say that my March goals were to lose 5lbs and more inches, but I'm going for the behavioral changes this month. My trainer thinks the physical changes will follow...we'll see.

I got my body fat testing results back...very surprised that I am considered "obese," and very depressing to think that I have over 12lbs of fat to lose! Talk about deflating my high!! :(

I'm doing it all for them...

But I suppose it's good to know, so I can work on decreasing my overall % of body fat...all in the name of HEALTH, of course.

Call me courageous for sharing this information ;)

#icallitaccountability

Name MaryAnne R.  Date 2/18/12; Waist  36 /Hip 44

WHR -  .82

Waist to Hip Ratio Chart
	Female	Health Risk Based Solely on WHR
	0.80 or below	Low Risk
	0.81 to 0.85	Moderate Risk
	0.85+	High Risk

Body Fat %  36.18

Pounds of Body Fat  60.79

Pounds of Lean Body Weight  107.21

Goal:  31%   ***Lose 12.6 pounds of Body Fat

Percent Body Fat Norms for Women
Description	Women
Essential Fat	10-13%
Athletes	14-20%
Fitness	21-24%
Acceptable	25-31%
Obesity	>32%

Here are my two little S.M.A.R.T. (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic and Timely) goals for March--

Goal number one: fasting! Fasting is not for everyone, and certainly not if you are diabetic!

What I will be doing is fasting once a week for 24hrs, most likely from 6pm - 6pm. That way, I'll be asleep for part of it! LOL!

This will be a water, green tea, possibly juice, fast. Nothing else for 24hrs. Hopefully, this will help detox my body and boost my metabolism.

Goal number two: sleeping! My goal is to get 8hrs of sleep every night!  My average to date has been around 6-7. My body is telling me that's not enough. My body needs more sleep to recuperate. Too little sleep has also been linked to obesity.

So that's it! My March lifestyle change goals laid out there! I'm hoping I can stick to these for one month...remembering that doing something for a month = HABIT!

Here's to healthier habits!

winter blues?

I've been feeling out of it lately...out of the loop, out of sorts, out of my mind ?? haha!

Just plain out. 

I really miss the snow this winter. But my mind is also set on Spring...we've been teased so long with this nice weather, I feel like Spring should be here already! But alas, it's still at least a month away.

This is the time of year when I start to lose focus of my goals and maybe slip back into those bad habits that I am trying to let go of for life.

I am beginning to want that snack at 9pm! ugh! It doesn't help that my hubby is eating ice cream and chips either! please STOP!!!

I have been migraine free for the whole month of January and so far in this month of February! That's HUGE! My h20 intake has taken a dive to about 60 oz/day. I really need to get it back up to 70-80 oz.

I really haven't had too many "cheat" meals, although I am allowed at least one per week. Last night, I did have a dessert after going to the movies with my sweet hubby (our first real date in a while).

I have met my first two healthier life goals: 1. I have been doing 3 HIIT classes a week, plus an additional fit test on my own each week, and 2. I lost 2 inches overall! (now to come up with my March goal!)

I had my first ever body fat test done. ugh! How embarrassing! and OUCH! Those pinches hurt!
But at least I will know where I stand with all that. One of my long-term goals is to be at a fitness level of body fat. (I haven't gotten my results back yet, so I don't know what percentage I am at right now.)

Fat takes up way more space than muscle. However, muscle weighs more than fat. So you cannot count on the scale to tell you how healthy you are. That, my friends, is a myth. I'm not saying to throw away the scale, but you probably shouldn't rely on it as your only source of measuring how healthy you are. If you are gaining muscle, you will most likely not see a huge drop in your weight...and that's a good thing!

Another thing I have been pondering is my position/place at MOPS. I am feeling a bit out of it there as well. I will be praying about my usefulness at MOPS, and where/if I fit in anymore. Please pray with me on that one!

Spiritually, I am definitely feeling out of the loop...only because I don't talk to God as often as I should. I know He's waiting by the phone...anxious to talk. I really need to dial that number...soon.

So maybe all this is just winter blues...but it's what I am feeling lately.

Mare out.

My next challenge...

Have you ever jump roped as a girl? I have...

but it's been, oh, about 35 YEARS since I picked one up!! 

OUCH! That's gonna hurt! 

So my next challenge is...

to master the jump rope! 

oh man! I can feel the burn already!

my new fully adjustable jump rope...i can also add weights in the handles! 

LOTS and LOTS and WHOLE BUNCHES!!!

"This is the Man"

On this our 11th Valentine's Day together as a couple, I am in awe of God and all he had planned for us, and all that is still yet to come.

I love "this man" I call "hon," "sweetie," "Hank," "the Hankster," and the father of my children...

This is the man who, knowing I had a boyfriend, waited 6 years to ask me for my phone number (when I became single)...SIX years!

This is the man who had "moments of silence" whenever he heard my name spoken during those 6 years.

This is the man who, while we dated, said, "I don't do casual."

This is the man who asked my father for my hand in marriage. So "old school."

This is the man who proposed to me on bended knee, just 3 months after we started dating, in a room FULL of roses and flaming candles.

This is the man who loved me for me: 2 cats, gray hair, neat freak, and walls of brick built up after years of emotional abuse from my previous relationship.

This is the man who I married only 6 months after we started dating, while most everyone told me "what are you thinking?"

This is the man who on our honeymoon sacrificed his sweatshirt to wipe the barf off of my face after I got sea sick on a whale watching boat.

This is the man who has been with me, right by my side, through the birth of our three beautiful boys (and the emotional state that followed each), the death of both my parents (and the aftermath with my family each time), and moving twice (both of which were during a time when we had a one week old child!).

This is the man who brought me chunkey monkey ice cream after I had a terrible "migraine headache day," and I was laid up for two hours, not being able to even stand up to get the boys their lunch.

This is the man who pays attention to the little details about me that no one else sees, or cares to see.

This is also the man who sometimes keeps me awake at night with his horendous snoring!

This is the man who makes me smile and laugh every day that we are together.

This is the man who tells me every day that he loves me and every night before we fall asleep says, "thanks for marrying me!"

This is the man who is such a wonderful father to our boys; so patient, so gentle, so understanding.

This is the man who God chose for me. It is no coincidence that we are together as man and wife. God is in the details.

This is the man that I love...lots and lots and whole bunches!

gardening...yup. start thinking now!

For my gardening friends, this link will bring you to an article that my friend, Heather Fischer, wrote for the "From Scratch Club."

It's truly informative and gives some great ideas on how to start planting, or expanding, your garden.
Take a read! You'll be glad you did!

Gardening in my little neck of the woods has proved to be somewhat of a challenge. The soil is mostly clay, so we had to adjust it with some top soil and manure. yuck! but what a crop that yielded! woot!

our small garden on the side of the driveway

one of the many bounties produced from our garden

What I didn't know about raised beds, is that you can plant different plants that require different pH level soils right in the same garden! I think I will have to investigate this further.



I was going to get into the planning and planting of our garden, but time is not on my side today.
So that will have to wait for another post...

Tuesday Exercise Challenge...

Here we are at another Tuesday...that means CHALLENGE time!
Jodi sent me the following challenge for today:

Fighting the Battle Within Challenge

(mats and handweights)

***COMPLETE ALL PARTS WITH MINIMUM REST IN BETWEEN!!

Modifications in blue

**Get a timer to time how long this takes you until completion!

Part 1: 10 jump knee tucks  (10 REGULAR squats, hands and arms outstretched in front of you)

Part 2: Repeat part 1 add 20 dancing crabs (reverse plank position, kick up right leg while reaching for the right toes with left hand.  Then switch legs and hand.)  (Hold Reverse plank position and do 20 kick ups alternating legs.)

Part 3 : Repeat parts 1 and 2 add 30 fast squat thrusts.  Hands down to the floor, jump into plank, jump back in and stand up! (walk into plank and walk back in)

Part 4:  Repeat Parts  1,2 and 3 and add 40 Side to Side plank jumps on elbows.  Get into plank on elbows and jump both feet to the right back to center, (that is 1) then left and back to center (that is 2)  Modification ( walk to the right, right step out, left step out then back...left foot in, right foot in and reverse sides)

Part 5: Repeat parts 1,2,3,and 4 and add 50 reverse lunges with lateral shoulder raise (weights) alternating legs. (no weights/  Stand up and place the right foot on the floor behind you in a lunge while raising the arms out to the sides stopping at shoulder height.  Bring right foot back to the start and lower arms.  Repeat move on left leg, same arms.)

My completion time=15min58sec; I modified parts 1, 2, 4 & 5. I'm a wimp! hahaha!
This was a tough one for me! Brought sweat to my eyes!


DARE YOU!