the year of Laura

What do you do when you're feeling under the weather? Take a day off the gym, go for a light gym session, go anyway and go hard to sweat it out?

I'm sickly (cold and sniffles mostly) but I skipped the gym on Sunday and Monday. I did go out dancing Saturday night, then skating for a half hour on Sunday, but yesterday was a pretty relaxed and lazy day as I dealt with sniffle-central.

A friend of mine mentioned a few months back that she had a 3-month free trial pass to the gym chain I go to. I told her we should go together a few times - she's never been a 'gym' person, but neither was I until maybe six or eight months ago. So we talked about a gym date a bit, and then it sort of got pushed aside. And then we went out dancing for my birthday and she brought it up - and then we made a date!

She sent me a text from her car - let me know when you've parked so we can walk in together. It was one of those moments where I realized that she really is super nervous to tackle "the gym" and I remembered how apprehensive and intimidated I was at first. So we found each other in the parking lot and headed in.

Got all set up for Body Pump class. One of my favourites, and man I've come a long way since my first class last summer. We put together her equipment, having a chat, instructor checks in to make sure she's doing OK and feeling comfortable. Makes a few weight suggestions (which were pretty well what I made suggestions for...yeah!!) and we are ready to start the class.

Yep, it's a hard new release!  After the warm-up track, she turns to me and asks if I actually think this is fun. LOL.

Long story short, as we're sweaty and gross and leaving, she says to me that she doesn't understand why anyone would ever come back. Then she laughs and says it wasn't that bad, but damn it was hard and she only did maybe 50% of the class - and that that was pushing herself because she saw me making it happen for probably 90% of the class. Otherwise, she'd have given up after a few tracks or done less than 30% of the time. It felt nice to be the person to push her to push herself a little farther. I'm by no means someone who is super-fit, or super motivating, or anything like that, but knowing that I made her challenge herself is pretty cool.

Fitness, you're fun!

It's been almost a year since I started my keto journey. March 10 will be my anniversary. Wow.

I've been a bad Laura lately. I've been a little lenient with myself. I haven't tracked the food as well as I should, I haven't hit the gym with the commitment I should be showing. I've been on work trips and allowed myself more "cheats and treats" than I should allow. I'm getting a little comfortable and I'm realizing I'm not OK with that. Pushing forward!

Since the last time I was posting reliably, it's been Christmas and birthday and a ton of changes in my life. Casual sex is out of my life (wise decision, I'd think) and a very wonderful love interest is in the picture. It's the definition of "complicated" though - so likely more information will follow a zillion months from now when he and I figure our shit out. It's good, though. Very much a positive in my life and a wonderful support and motivation for me.

Weight wise, I've been a bad tracker for months. I was sitting at about 175 prior to my two week work-trip that I got home from yesterday. Back up to 180 - the wine and some of the cheating probably contributed to that. Did a big grocery shop when I returned home and I'm stocked and planned with meals and workouts for the week.

I'm still very much pleased with my progress - even without tracking, I was pretty much able to maintain my weight-loss weight, though I wasn't losing any. The last four months I've dropped only about a dozen pounds total - not happy about it, but not angry with myself. Just ready to re-commit to my goals.

2015 Goals....

Achieve weight under 150lbs. 150 would be a BMI of approximately 27.5; still overweight but nowhere near the 47 it was when I began my journey.

Enter a race. Run the race. I'm thinking an early summer 5k and then maybe something a bit longer come fall.

Survive to the end of a BodyPump class without taking a break or dropping any reps.

Go on the biggest adventure of my life - a three week holiday to New Zealand to spend time with someone who is very, very important in my life.

Pay off the credit cards...$6,000 is staring at me and it feels like it's pretty obscene - but I've been on a bit of a spending diet and I'm doing OK so far. The cards are already 40%-ish smaller than they were a year and a bit ago, so baby steps...we'll get there.

Yikes.

Three cavities. Overall not bad. Still so scary. Why are dentists so scary? Why so many sharp pointy things? Arrggh!! 

I'm glad I went - if I'm taking better care of my overall health this is just one more thing to add to the list, and I feel good that I went. I was so embarrassed and scared about how bad it would be after so long, by the hygienist and dentist both commented that it was a good thing to come and go get back in the habit and that I should be pleased with myself for making the effort and getting things under control. I was scared I'd be lectured and that was not the case at all. So I'm feeling much better about it all now. 

Not quite six months - Size 22 (that I was muffintopping in...) and now a size 16. 

Sorting clothes is kinda fun!

I've packed two boxes and I just don't even want to look at the rest of my apartment. I've been in this place for four years and I've accumulated so much....stuff. Why?! Why?!