2014 GOALS!

Yes, I have quite a few goals for the new year. I'm confident though that I'll be able to complete them all

PERSONAL WELL BEING 

Put a positive note in the “Positive Jar” every day



(I saw a post going around FB about this and thought "What a great idea!)

Blog or journal every day -- I got a gift card from my uncle for Target. Going today or tomorrow to pick one out.

Communicate more with family & friends -- People have gotten so wrapped up in using FB to communicate. I can't remember the last time I sat on the phone and gabbed with a friend. I'm going to make a point at least once a month to call someone and catch up with them

1 day a month commit to myself -- Pretty self explanatory, either a pedicure, chick flick marathon, or dinner out

Visit family in IL in June

Enjoy our Disney timeshare in November and remember Maddie on what would have been her 9th birthday

RELATIONSHIP 

Daytona beach once a month -- We loved spending Christmas at the beach this year. So we decided to get our "beach fix" once a month and spend the day.

Date night once a week -- This doesn't have to involve money. We can stay home and cook dinner and watch a movie

Help Alan in his journey to lose weight & stop smoking -- He wants to accomplish these goals this coming year. I'm can help him with the weight loss part of it. The smoking part I'll be supportive, I can't imagine trying to stop a habit like that.


HEALTH & FITNESS 

Complete St Patty’s Day 5K in March in our town

Register for St Jude race in May

Complete Biggest Loser half marathon June 2014 in Rockford IL (same time we’ll visit family)
Complete St Jude race in December

Cook more at home (started a new blog that I'm posting recipes on that I find interesting.)

Size 14 shorts by beginning of summer (Memorial Day weekend)

Lose 20 pounds by end year (Hoping that'll put me in the 150s. I'll update this part of the blog the morning of Jan 1st)

Fitness Minutes Goal: 18,000 (1,500 per month)

-- 2013 GOAL was 11,968, I've gone over 2,000+ minutes and still have today & tomorrow left --

Mileage Goal: 1,800 (150 per month either walking or riding recumbent bike)

FINANCIAL 
Out of debt!

Build up savings again

Cut up credit cards! (Paying them off and cutting them up. Keeping 1 for emergencies)

OCTOBER 23, 2013 -- 2 YEAR KICK BUTT ANNIVERSARY!

2 YEAR KICK BUTT ANNIVERSARY! (PIC)

Wednesday, October 23, 2013

When Josh & Maddie passed away I lost almost 20 pounds in a month. Then I steadily started losing. I think at one point I was 150 pounds (from 180). Then life got back on track, I met Alan, and I started coming out of the blackhole I had been living in. From the summer of 2008 until beginning of 2009 I gained 50 pounds and the scale kept rising. 

I remember vividly the night I stepped on the scale and I saw 200 flashing back at me. That's when I had had enough and I joined a gym and got a personal trainer. Well, I slacked off and didn't really take it all that serious and in May of 2010 I topped the scales at my heaviest weight ever, 233 pounds. I didn't change a whole lot in my diet and exercise that year and managed to lose 9 pounds. 

Then we moved to FL in September of 2011 and that October I decided to get my life back in order. I was in a new place with new people and surroundings. I had put myself on the backburner all thsoe years and not caring about my health or well being. From October 2011 - October 2012 I lost 30 pounds! 

I was astounded I lost that much weight in one year. It was in June of 2012 I finally got a diagnosis of PCOS. Have you ever known something was wrong with you and tried telling a doctor and they don't take you serious? Yeah, they ran blood work and did all the usual tests but everyone kept telling me "Oh its because you've gained so much weight. Lose weight and everything will be okay." 

You fast forward to summer of 2012 and that's when I finally got a dr who listened to me. Its pretty sad I had to move all the way to FL to finally get my PCOS diagnosis. Ever since then with the help of medication, exercise, and diet I've been able to lose weight. 

October 2012 - today was not so easy as last year. Its like when I weigh in on Wednesdays for my BLC. Those weeks that I do great are always followed up by a not so stellar week. Well, that's how this year panned out. Oh, don't get me wrong I'm still proud of the 13 pounds I lost! 

As a whole this year has been difficult and not just in the weight loss area of my life. There has just been a lot going on. Then my body decided to hit a major plateau and the scale literally did not move for almost 6 months. Thank you PCOS! Then back in September, almost 6 months since my last menstrual cycle everything starting working again. The scale moved and my TOM showed up! I finally feel like I'm on the right track again and I'm excited to see how the rest of 2013 pans out! 

Although the scale hasn't moved as well as I would of liked I do have many things I am proud of: 

 I CAN WALK A 17 MINUTE MILE 

 AUGUST 28TH I WALKED MY 1ST 5K EVER IN MY BACKYARD 

 OCT 20, 2013 -- I WALKED THE FURTHEST I'VE EVER WALKED, 5.11 MILES! 

 The same day I walked 5.11 miles I decided to start training for the 10K during the Disney Princess Half Marathon Weekend at Disney World in February 2015! 

FUTURE GOAL:  

I can't wait to see what the next year has in store for me! 

 

If you're having a hard time reading the numbers LEFT TO RIGHT: 220, 194, 181 

10/22/13 -- Start slowly working on training for 10K and Weight Loss Achievements!

Okay, well after making the commitment to do this 10K (or further) at Disney World I couldn't just sit on the sideline and not do anything today. I'm in a Biggest Loser Challenge with Sparkpeople and our Last Chance Workout is today!

www.sparkpeople.com

I had already tracked .45 of a mile on my app. So I decided "Okay, I'm going to crank out a mile and see how truly fast I'm going." Well, this app has kept my history of every mile I've tracked. I can tell by looking through everything that my mile averages anywhere from 16 to 18 minutes. Yeah, imagine my shock today when it says I walked a 20 minute mile! Yeah, I wasn't happy. I thought I was flying and going super fast!!

Alas, I wasn't but I'm at least glad I got my cardio in. I'm going to do my strength training while Biggest Loser is on! Speaking of Biggest Loser I'm loving the season so far! I think its awesome that the trainers helped in choosing the contestants. I'm hoping this will change the feel of the show and there won't be as much drama. I got really turned off in seasons past and at one point stopped watching it all together.

Oh, and before I forget tomorrow is my 2 year KICK BUTT ANNIVERSARY!

At my heaviest in May 2010 I was 233 pounds. In that year I lost 9 pounds. Then between October 2011 - October 2012 (after moving to FL, being diagnosed with PCOS, and starting meds) I lost 30 pounds! It just so happens my Kick Butt Anniversary and BLC Weigh In are both tomorrow! This is my progress so far:

I started October 2011 at 224. I don't have a picture of me so that's why I used November instead.

This is me at the beginning of BLC 23 with Sparkpeople back at the end of September

183 lbs

So as you can see I have a LOT to be proud of! I can't wait to see how tomorrow pans out and to get the next work out / walk in!

Training for 10K!

I'm going to start training November 4th (1st Monday of the month). If everything goes as planned I should be walking my first 10K on December 29th.

Registration for the race is sometime in the summer (I'm thinking June). If I do well with my 10K I'm seriously debating on doing the half marathon. I'll have between end of December and the summer to debate on what I want to do. Every Disney race is walker friendly as long as you can keep the pace of a 16 minute mile. Right now my walking mile pace is 17 minutes. So I have a little tweaking to do. I don't see that being a problem and am confident I could do a complete race in a 16 minute mile pace.

Going Out Of My Confort Zone, Disney Style!

I love living in Central FL! 

 

This is an awesome thing for me because I am a Disney - o - holic like you would not believe. Before we moved to our new town we lived 15 minutes from Disney! Although now I have to admit I don't miss the crazy city traffic, HOAs, tourists, etc. 

Having said all that I'm at advantage when it comes to accomplishing my next goal. 

If you read my blog from yesterday you know that I got support from Biggest Loser contestant Courtney Crozier and all of the FB followers she had. Yesterday was an awesome day! I walked my fastest 5K ever, in 48 minutes! Then to see all the support I was recieving from Courtney's followers after she shared my story I got pumped! We got home from celebrating at IHOP (I was craving pancakes!) and I walked another 2 miles! My total mileage yesterday: 5.11 miles in 1 hour 25 minutes! My mile pace was 17 minutes. 

I tell you all of this to lead up to the HUGE GOAL I made for myself! 

 

DISNEY PRINCESS HALF MARATHON WEEKEND AT DISNEY WORLD, FEBRUARY 2015!! 

No, no I'm not doing the half marathon (at least not yet anyway). They have now added a 10K race to that weekend. I originally wanted to do the marathon weekend in January of that year. However, I couldn't turn down wanting to feel like a princess!! 

 
This is the 10K medal for the race during marathon weekend in January of next year. So I'm sure the medal will look a tad different but oooooo pretty bling! 

This is new and uncharted territory for me. I've never been one to walk long distances much less run! You have to keep a 16 minute mile pace (Run Disney actually recommends 15). So I have a little tweaking to do. I could technically walk this 10K and not have to run any of it. Yet, I'm going to try. I'm going to start running in small spurts and see how I do. (Note to self: Buy good sports bra! LOL). 

Then I'm hoping in 2016 I can tackle the princess half marathon! 

 

I owe all this excitement and pushing myself to Courtney Crozier and her followers. If it weren't for me stepping out of my comfort zone and sharing with her my story I would of never walked 5 miles yesterday. I would of never realized "Kristina, a little over a mile more and you would of walked a 10K!" I would of never found this inner distance walker/runner in me. 

I printed off a 10K training guide to help me. I'm starting that on November 4th and should walk my first 10K December 29th. Wow! What a way to finish the year! 

Mixed Emotions & 1st Pay Day at Ghirardelli!

It is after midnight and I'm a bag of mixed emotions. Today marks 5.5 years since Josh & Maddie passed away. I've had a lot going on the last few days but its been in the back of my brain all week. I cried myself to sleep a few times this week.

The job is having its up and down moments. One day I love it and the next I'm ready to just throw in the towel and quit. I was suppose to work the last few days but I've been sick and having issues with my leg. I went into the doctor today to have it check out and I have plantar fascitis. I'm hoping to look for the arch support things the doctor was talking about. She also wrote me a note for work so that I can sit on a stool during my shift. I'm hoping that's going to allievate a lot of the pain & overall make my job a lot more pleasant to work.

Speaking of job, yesterday was pay day. I'm going to go later today and pick up my check. However, I was able to look at it online. I know it wasn't for a full pay period so I knew it wasn't going to be much. It was a tad higher then I thought which is always awesome.

It feels strange working again and earning a paycheck. I can't wait for the next pay period. It will definately be a bigger check.

Day 2 & 3 of new job!

Friday was another training day. However, I trained on how to make drinks. I can say it was a lot of information but I think overall I did really well. I for the most part got the ice cream stuff down (shakes, etc). The tricky stuff for me were all the hot & cold coffee beverages, only because I don't drink it. I had no clue (until yesterday) what the heck went into a cappuchino, LOL.

Surprisingly my feet didn't hurt as bad because I was moving so much. Oh my gosh at one point we were so busy we had drink makers, managers, and supervisors all making drinks. I think there were 9 of us in total. It was  mad house!

Today I trained on cash again. Surprisingly for a Saturday day shift we weren't as busy as I expected. I had a lot more slow time to talk with my trainer (Kevin, different from Jackie). I was able to ask more questions and had more time to just "study" what all the buttons were and where they were in the register. I really think it helped me. I also spent some brief time being a greeter today as well. I never truly realized how many people come into that store until I started having to hand out chocolate samples. WOW! I believe my one manager now when she says we get on average 4,000 people a day through those doors!!

 Kevin gave me "homework" to do for tomorrow. He gave me a copy of our menu (they're paper) and I have to look everything over and get an idea of what all is on the menu. I have a hard time upsaling items & I think its mainly because I still don't know the complete menu. So I'm going to work on that tomorrow, my day off.

I worked 23.02 hours this week. Next week I'm working Monday - Friday. Monday - Wednesday are day shift. Thursday & Friday are closing shift. I calculated my clocked hours and I'll work 30.5 hours next week! I'm excited to have Saturday - Monday off as well.

My first paycheck is on Friday and I can't even describe how excited I am! I know it'll only be for last week but still money is money. I won't be surprised if I get emotional on the way home with that check in hand. Its been a LONG time since I've worked a job and got paid for it.