Cheryl's Journey

Happy Holidays!

2008-12-25T22:30:00.003-05:00

I wish everyone a wonderful, safe and happy holiday!

Three Times A Charm

2008-12-20T13:52:00.002-05:00

Hello Everyone,
I just registered for the 2009 Niagara Falls International Marathon! I will be doing the 1/2 Marathon Walk. I am going to do it. I regret not doing it in 2008 but have not given up!
Take Care
Cheryl

Happy Holidays

2008-12-20T13:33:00.002-05:00

Okay, I continue to be a bad, bad blogger! I have fallen off the wagon with my weight loss efforts and apologize to the taking if off together group.

I do wish everyone a happy holidays. Here is a great video I saw on YouTube. If you love the old Bing Crosby, Fred Astaire type movies, you will enjoy this holiday remix.

Happy Holidays - Bing Crosby & Fred Astaire - Holiday Inn

I've been a bad, bad blogger!!!!

2008-10-29T20:17:00.003-04:00

Hello Everyone,
I am so sorry - I have had so much going on with work and my life. I have not posted in quite some time and really have been out of the loop. I do keep up with how the group is doing with weight loss - everyone has been doing an amazing job. Here are the posts for this week (Week 20!)

The prize this week is sponsered by Chris. She is offering two beautiful Christmas mugs and a $10 Chevron Gift Card for the prize for this week! WOW! What a great prize. Makes me wish I had lost this week. If you'd like to sponser a prize, let me know! We are currently out of prizes!

The names of this week's "losers" were dropped into a coffee cup and this week's WINNER is Christy!

Congrats to Tina for being this week's biggest loser of pounds!! She lost an amazing 5.2 pounds. I wonder if she is willing to loan out her personal trainer. Be sure to cruise over to her blog and congratulate her!

Chris - 2 GAIN
Tammy - 1.5 LOSS
Life With Hashi-Thyroid Blog - no report
Grace - No Change
Leigh - 1.5 GAIN
Clara - 1.2 LOSS
Julie - 1 GAIN
Cheryl - 1 LOSS
Audrey - 0.8 LOSS
Christy - 1.4 LOSS
Tina - 5.2 LOSS
Danielle - 1 GAIN
Jessie - no report
Steph - no report
CYN - no report

This week's total - 5.6 LOSS! WOOT!

Marathon update:
Unfortunately I was unable to walk the 1/2 Marathon in Niagara falls. (But I am still training - my sister-in-law found one in April 2009 in our local park system. I am also planning for next October!!!).

This week's progress

2008-09-13T20:01:00.002-04:00

TUESDAY

Everyone Kicked butt!

Last week we announced a contest where everyone who reported a LOSS had their name added to a drawing for a lot of 100 Mary Kay samples! The motivation worked! Nearly everyone reported a loss this week. So we will have the same contest this week. Just remember that maintaining doesn't count, sorry!

The names of this week's "losers" were dropped into a coffee cup and this week's WINNER is Ciara!

And check it out! We had an over all loss again this week! Congrats to Cheryl for being this week's biggest loser of 4 pounds!! Be sure to cruise over to her blog and congratulate her!

Chris - 4 GAIN
Tammy - 1 LOSS
Life With Hashi-Thyroid Blog - 0.4 LOSS
Grace - no report
Leigh - 2.0 LOSS
Clara - no report
Dette - 0.5 LOSS
Julie - 0.8 LOSS
Cheryl - 4 LOSS
Audrey - 0 CHANGE
Christy - 1.6 LOSS
Tina - 1.4 LOSS
Danielle - 1 LOSS
Jessie - no report

And please give a warm welcome to Steph who lost 2 pounds this last week!

This week's total - 10.7 LOSS!!

I did very little exercise this week Tomorrow is my Long Walk! - 9 miles.

Sunday

2008-09-07T22:42:00.003-04:00

Today I walked 8 miles. It took me 2 1/2 hours. It was a tough walk - I had to push my self mentally to follow through. I am happy with the time considering my recent hiatus! Saturday I did 2 miles. I am back on track.

TGIF

2008-09-05T23:24:00.003-04:00

Yeah! It's Friday.
My eating was poor but I did get in a workout!

Friday's Progress
Activity: Walking
Distance: 4 miles
Time: 1 hour, 10 minutes

Thursday

2008-09-04T22:02:00.002-04:00

Today I worked until 8:45pm. I am going to hit the gym tomorrow. Too tired tonight. My eating was so-so. I did make much better choices though.

Wenedsay's progress:
Activity: Walking
Distance: 4 miles
Time: 1 hour, 10 minutes

I use YuwieBling.com Graphics!

Update tonight

2008-09-02T23:12:00.003-04:00

I couldn't take it anymore - I walked 2 miles since my last post! I have to get back into the swing of things. Thanks everyone! You really helped to motivate me by your dedication and progress!

Tuesday's results

2008-09-02T22:11:00.002-04:00

Well I have not been doing very well these past few weeks. The days are ticking away and I need to seriously get back on track! Here are the results for this week! A contest is being added this week (see below)!

This week we are adding a contest! It seems we all need motivation after all. So, for everyone who reports a LOSS (maintaining doesn't count, sorry!) on the next weigh in will have their name put in a drawing for 100 assorted Mary Kay samples! So drink your water and count your calories. We can all do this!

And check it out! We had an over all loss! Congrats to Christy for being this week's biggest loser of 5 pounds!!

Chris - 3.2 LOSS
Tammy - 1 LOSS
Life With Hashi-Thyroid Blog - 0.4 GAIN
Grace - 0.4 LOSS
Leigh - 0.5 GAIN
Clara - 0.5 GAIN
Dette - no report
Julie - 0.2 LOSS
Cheryl - 0 CHANGE
Audrey - 2 GAIN
Christy - 5 LOSS
Tina - 1 LOSS (from last week)
Danielle - 2 LOSS
Jessie - 0 CHANGE

This week's total - 9.0 LOSS!!

Monday

2008-08-25T22:04:00.003-04:00

Hello,
It has been a long time since my last post. Not a good week. I exercised once. Work has more pressure. My eating has not been so great. I was supposed to walk up to 7 miles today but instead watched 3 back to back episodes of project runway! I have to turn it around - especially since I have October 26th coming up so soon.
Take Care
Cheryl

Motivational Monday

2008-08-18T22:56:00.002-04:00

Here is a motivational video. Click on this link --> Nature of Success. I love these little movie snippets. The pictures are beautiful and I love the quotes, inspirations etc.

Training Progress:
Activity: Cross Training Day - Leslie Sansone 3 mile video
time: 45 minutes

Training

2008-08-17T23:06:00.003-04:00

Progress for Sunday
Activity: Walking
Distance: 6 Miles
Time: 1 hour 50 minutes

Progress for Saturday
Activity: Walking
Distance: 2 miles
Time: 34 minutes

I use YuwieBling.com Graphics!

Quirk Meme

2008-08-16T09:26:00.008-04:00

I've been tagged! Okay, I am giving this a shot. I am very new to blogging so here it goes. Thanks Leigh

Here are the rules:

Link to the person who tagged you

Mention the rules

Tell 6 quirky, yet boring, unspectacular things about you

Tag 6 other bloggers by linking to them

Go to each of the person's blog and leave a comment that lets them know that they have been tagged

If you participate, let the person who tagged you know that you posted your quirks

1. I have to finish eating my fries (chips etc.) first before I finish my sandwich when I eat out

2. I have to have diet pepsi in the house at all times - probably an addiction as opposed to a quirk!

3. I love office supplies & can spend a great deal of time in office supplies stores

4. I clip coupons every Sunday and rarely use them

5. I love, love, love to sleep

6. I've been working at the same place for over 15 years

Here are the 6 people I tagged: Clara, Tina, Chris, Audrey, Dette, Life with Hashi

Tuesday Update

2008-08-16T09:19:00.000-04:00

Here are the updated results for Tuesday's progress:

Here are the reports for this week.

Chris - 1 GAIN
Tammy - 1 LOSS
Life With Hashi-Thyroid Blog - 0.6 LOSS
Grace - 1.4 LOSS
Leigh - 5.5 LOSS
Clara - 2 LOSS
Dette - 1 GAIN
Julie - 0 CHANGE
Cheryl - 4 LOSS
Cyn Blue - no report
Audrey - 0.6 LOSS
Christy - 7.2 LOSS
Tina - 0.5 GAIN

Please welcome Danielle to the group with her starting result of 0 Change!

This week's total - 19.8 LOSS!

Training Progress

2008-08-15T23:28:00.002-04:00

I have to catch up on my training progress! Here's a run down of how I did:

Wednesday
Activity: 2 miles
Time: 30 minutes

Thursday
I did not train (was supposed to do resistance training)

Friday:
Walked 2.5 miles in 48 minutes

Chocolate Fix Friday

2008-08-15T23:05:00.002-04:00

I was reading my book - You on a Diet. A recommendation was made that you put a small piece of chocolate (70% cocoa)in your mouth and meditate - savor the flavor. Do this to reduce stress and increase serotonin. I kind of like that idea. I highly recommend the book (not just because it recommends eating chocolate and meditating!)

I found a fun site - Virtual Chocolate. It's an interesting site. The name caught my attention. There were several quotes about chocolate. Here's one of my favorites:

"It's not that chocolates are a substitute for love. Love is a substitute for chocolate. Chocolate is, let's face it, far more reliable than a man." Miranda Ingram

Tuesday's results

2008-08-12T22:23:00.002-04:00

Finally a weight loss! My eating is still so-so, but I am okay with that! Everyone else did great too! Congratulations to everyone!

Here are the reports for this week.

Chris - no report
Tammy - 1 LOSS
Life With Hashi-Thyroid Blog - no report
Grace - 1.4 LOSS
Leigh - 5.5 LOSS
Clara - 2 LOSS
Dette - 1 GAIN
Julie - 0 CHANGE
Cheryl - 4 LOSS
Cyn Blue - no report
Audrey - 0.6 LOSS
Christy - 7.2 LOSS
Tina - 0.5 GAIN

Please welcome Danielle to the group with her starting result of 0 Change!

This week's total - 20.2 LOSS!

Motivation Monday

2008-08-11T23:24:00.003-04:00

Need a dose of Motivation, positive thoughts or inspiration? I found a good site. I am into reading quotes and bits of wisdom. To me it is a quick boost! The site is www.motivateus.com Here are a few quotes that I like:

" It's amazing how many cares disappear when you decide not to be something, but to be someone."--- Coco Chanel

" Your past is not your potential. In any hour you can choose to liberate the future."Marilyn Ferguson

" The superior man is modest in his speech, but excels in his actions."Confucius

I added the website to my favorite's list. I guess I like the fact that you can get bits of wisdom in small pockets of time!

TRAINING PROGRESS:
Exercise: Leslie Sansone 3 mile walk
Time: 45 minutes

Sunday

2008-08-10T21:47:00.002-04:00

Glitter Text Generator

Activity: Walking
Distance: 5 miles
Time: 1 hour 35 minutes

Today was rough, but I completed my walk! I am fortunate that my sister in law is going and will be running the 1/2 marathon. This really keeps me on track. Now if I get the eating in line I will be set!

This weeks training

2008-08-08T23:42:00.002-04:00

Wednesday:
Walking: 4 miles
Time: 1 hour 15 minutes

Thursday:
Rest

Friday:
Walking: 3 miles
Time 57 minutes

Chocolate Fix Friday

2008-08-08T22:11:00.003-04:00

I got this idea from a friend (I think she got this from Weight Watchers). She used to take grahm crackers and make a sandwich with cool whip. She would then freeze them. She also did the same with chocolate grahm crackers and put a drop of mint extract in the cool whip. It is a wink and a nudge to the thin mint Girl Scout Cookies (I know it is a stretch, but they are pretty good)

I use YuwieBling.com Graphics!

Tuesday

2008-08-05T23:52:00.002-04:00

Group Progress:
Here are the reports for this week.

Chris - 3 GAIN
Tammy - 0 CHANGE
Life With Hashi-Thyroid Blog - 1 LOSS
Grace - 0.4 LOSS
Leigh - 2.5 GAIN
Clara - 0 CHANGE
Dette - 0.5 LOSS
Julie - 1 LOSS
Cheryl - 0 CHANGE
Cyn Blue -0 CHANGE
Audrey - 5.2 LOSS
Christy - 3 LOSS
Tina - no report

This week's total - 5.6 LOSS!

Today's Progress
Exercise: Leslie Sansone 2 mile tape (3o minutes)

I use YuwieBling.com Graphics!

Motivational Monday??? Not this week!!

2008-08-04T22:35:00.001-04:00

I use YuwieBling.com Graphics!

This about describes how I feel today! Hope everyone else's Monday is better.
Take Care

Sunday

2008-08-03T23:35:00.002-04:00

Progress Report on Training:
Activity: Walking
Distance: 3 Miles
Time: 54 minutes

Overall my time has improved. Eating is poor but I am getting the miles in. I am still reading the book "You on a Diet" Excellent book! I really get into the whole biology behind weight gain. It is an easy read and really gives great information on the whole subject. I highly recommend it. I am about 2/3 of the way through the book. Here is a link to the book: You: On A Diet: The Owner's Manual for Waist Management Whether you get it from your local library or from a bookstore, it will be a worthwhile read!

Chocolate Fix Friday

2008-08-01T22:55:00.004-04:00

Kitchen Sink Cookies: Here is a cookie recipe that I love. If you can find the whole wheat pastry flour, it really makes a difference. It is really worth it to buy it. I like to use it in baking. It has a lighter texture than regular whole wheat flour. I made this without the addition of the dried fruit. It is a recipe from the food network - Ellie Krieger. They are not exactly low calorie, but they are definitely a healthier version of my favorite - chocolate chip cookies. Here's the link to the recipe. Click on the cookie to get the recipe!

Tuesday & Wednesday!

2008-07-30T22:30:00.002-04:00

TUESDAY'S RESULTS

Wow! Everyone is doing a great job so far. What an amazing group!!!!

Chris - 2.8 LOSS (-5.8 overall)
Tammy - 2 LOSS (-7 overall)
Life With Hashi-Thyroid Blog - 2 LOSS (-2 overall)
Grace - 1.6 LOSS (-51.6 overall)
Leigh - 4 LOSS (-31 overall)
Clara - 1 GAIN (-9.5 overall)
Dette - no report...?
Julie - 1 GAIN (-4.1 overall)
Cheryl - 2 GAIN (+2 overall)
Cyn Blue - no report
Audrey - 2.6 GAIN (-0.4 overall)
Christy - 0 (-11 overall)
Tina - 1 GAIN (0 overall)

Totals:
this week - 4.8 LOSS
over all - 120.4 LOSS

Tuesday's Progress for Exercise:
- Walking, 3 miles, 50 minutes
- Resistance band training

Wednesday's Progress:
- Worked unitl 8:30pm, did not exercise.
- I need to change some priorities!

It's been a while

2008-07-28T22:22:00.002-04:00

It has been a while! I had a very rough week. Our agency had to close 2 programs. Fortunately none of my programs were affected. Unfortunately I had to be part of the layoff process. Very, Very, Very scary times in the non-profit world!

Last week was horrible, talk about stress eating! I had my annual physical - according to my scale I gained 2 lbs! According to my doctor's scale - I lost 6 since my last visit a month ago. I like her scale better! I also stopped exercising last week. I am hitting the gym tomorrow though. I am officially starting my training schedule for the 1/2 marathon.

I hope to have some chocolate recipes posted this week. I was thinking of making Fridays - "Chocolate Fix Fridays" and have lower cal/fat/sugar types of recipes posted.

Take Care

Taking it off Together

2008-07-15T11:25:00.001-04:00

Here are the reports for this week:

Chris - 2 LOSS
Tammy - 2 GAIN
Life With Hashi-Thyroid Blog - 2 GAIN
Grace - 4.6 LOSS
Leigh - 1 GAIN
Clara - 2 LOSS
Dette - 1 LOSS
Julie - 0.8 LOSS
Cheryl - 1 LOSS
Cyn Blue - no report?
Audrey - 3 LOSS

Everone help us welcome our 12th member Christy with a 3 LOSS!!

Total : 11.68 LOSS

Motivational Monday (Part 2)

2008-07-14T21:09:00.002-04:00

Motivation
Originally uploaded by aaronwtong

I saw this on Flickr and liked it a lot! See below to check out a quick motivational movie from Success Magazine. Take Care

Motivational Monday

2008-07-14T20:50:00.001-04:00

Greetings!
I hope everyone is doing well. Here is a great 2 minute movie that is very inspirational. I hope you enjoy it! Here is the link http://www.success.com/definingmoments/

Training Progress

Activity: Cross Training Day - Turbo Jam
Time: 40 Minutes

Sunday

2008-07-13T23:33:00.002-04:00

I need to get the eating in order. I did so so with this. I did get my exercise in. I am happy about that.

Progress:
Activity: Walking
Distance: 4 miles
Time: 1 hour

I took all of my supplements!

I came across a new website on walking. They have some good basic walking information and a variety of locations to walk. The site is The Walking Connection.

What a Gem

2008-07-13T00:40:00.002-04:00

Hello,
This is a fun little site. If you like to take quizzes, check out blogthings.com

Your Gemstone Says...

You are stable, strong, and full of life. You are an inspiring person.

People turn to you first for leadership and advice.

You are able to gently help people get to where they need to be.

And while you aren't afraid to lead when necessary, you are never heartless or bossy.

The Gemstone Test

A long, hard and stressful day

2008-07-11T22:41:00.003-04:00

Working in the non-profit world is rough right now. I am extremely exhausted and stressed out. Of course I turned to my way of coping - stress eating and working too late (trying to accomplish what seems to be a never ending / growing amount of work). Enough whining though - I am blessed to have a job. Thanks to my hubby and best friend, I am reminded that I have the power to change things. Which is why I am involved involved with Seriesse! I am soooo excited to be attending a meeting tomorrow morning with this group of wonderfully positive people.

I did not exercise - My eating was poor - chocolate, chocolate and more chocolate. (I did take my supplements though!) I will get a good night's sleep and get back on track Saturday.

A long day

2008-07-11T00:20:00.003-04:00

What a long day. I am spending way too much time at work. I am going on vacation next week. Which of course means extra long days before and after vacation. I really need to cut out soome time to focus on my business. I did manage to exercise! (Hopefully it off set the 3 chicken strips I ate from KFC - Ugh!) Now I can't sleep because I think I exercised too late!.

Progress Update:
Activity: Strength Training (I got these great bands from bodylastics) and Turbo Jam - 20 minute work out.

Progress for the day

2008-07-09T23:06:00.002-04:00

Progress Update:
Activity: Walking - 3 miles
Time: 62 minutes - Yikes!

I have been doing well with the exercise and workouts, but my eating is so so. I say that I make healthy choices about 75 -80% of the time. I have also been consistent with the supplements.

Taking it off together

2008-07-08T22:57:00.000-04:00

Here are the reports for this week:

Chris - 2 LOSS
Tammy - 0 change
Life With Hashi-Thyroid Blog - Out Of Town
Grace - 2.4 Gained
Leigh - 3 LOSS
Clara - 2 Gained
Dette - 1 Gained
Julie - 2 LOSS
Cheryl - 0 change

Please help me welcome Cyn Blue who is reporting a 1 pound gain.

And everyone welcome my aunt Audery to the group who is reporting a 3 pound loss!

Total : 3.6 LOSS! YAY!

Motivational Monday

2008-07-07T23:07:00.002-04:00

Here is a link I received from my mother. It is called Finding Joy. Here's the link http://www.thejoymovie.com/ I hope you enjoy it.

Quick update on my training progress!

Exercise: Turbo Jam Cardio Party 40 minutes!
I managed not to gain during the holiday weekend (which I was quite happy with!)

Quick progress update

2008-07-05T00:14:00.005-04:00

Activity:Leslie Sansone - Walk Away the Pounds Express - Super Challenge
Date: 7/4/08
Completed all 4 miles!

I love this video. It is all cardio and it is at a much faster pace than many of her other videos. You have the option to stop after each mile or do the whole thing!

I plan to walk on Saturday at the gym.

HAPPY 4TH OF JULY!

2008-07-04T00:49:00.002-04:00

Happy Fourth of July Everyone!

Most people have probably seen this web site - you can use your mouse to set off fire works on your screen! Check it out!

Have a great weekend!

Cheryl

Check out the progress!

2008-07-02T22:41:00.002-04:00

Thanks to Leigh for putting this all together! Check out the results of everyone. I have joined this wonderful group for weight loss and am very motivated by everyone's results!

Here are the reports for this week (and everyone either lost or stayed the same!):

Chris - 0 change
Tammy - 1 LOSS!
Life With Hashi-Thyroid Blog - 0 change
Grace - 0.8 LOSS!
Leigh - 7 LOSS!
Clara - 0.5 LOSS!
Dette - 2.5 LOSS!
Julie - 1 LOSS!

and every one be sure to welcome Cheryl with her first weigh in at 0!

Total 12.8 LOSS! Congratulations!!

Rest Day

2008-07-01T21:52:00.003-04:00

Hello Everyone,

Today is my day to rest! (From exercise that is - I had a long day at work!) My eating was so - so. Tomorrow I walk 2 miles. Hope everyone is well. Here's a picture of my cat - Boots. She's about 14 years old (but acts like a kitten!) She's kickin back and relaxing too!

Quick progress update

2008-06-29T21:54:00.002-04:00

Activity: Walking
Distance: 4 miles
Time: 1 hour

Have a great evening!

On the edge of death, literally. Niagara Falls

2008-06-27T23:20:00.001-04:00

This is absolutely heart stopping.

A So So Week

2008-06-27T22:37:00.002-04:00

This was a so so week as far as my fitness and eating. I did a lot of stress eating this week and only exercised one time. I managed not to gain any weight. I have to get on the ball with my walking / exercise routine. October 26th will be here before I know it! I am still taking my supplements on a regular basis and I am more mindful of what I eat.

Take Care

Back in the Swing of Things

2008-06-25T22:59:00.002-04:00

Greetings!

Activity: Walking
Distance: 2 miles
Time: 30 minutes

Just a quick note - hope all is well.

Something New

2008-06-24T22:52:00.003-04:00

Hello Everyone,
I always thought I new everything about dieting and excercise - I just needed to put it into practice. I think this week for the first time, I really got an education on the effects of obesity on your health. Yes - I know about the high blood pressure (which I have), high cholestrol and diabetes, but there is more. Discovery Health had several episodes of the "You" doctors (You on a diet) - what an education on what excess fat can really do to your body. I have been fortunate enough not to have a tremendous amount of complications due to my weight, but I think I really need to stop taking it for granted. There is a great article from Discovery Health - It is an exerpt from "You on a Diet" by Doctor Roizen and Dr. Oz. I am getting the book. If anyone has read the book - I would love to hear feedback.
Take Care

It's been a while

2008-06-17T21:07:00.009-04:00

Hello Everyone,
I have been away for a bit - things are a bit hectic at work. I also admitt to letting my training go for about a week and a half! Talking with my sister - in - law and niece really helped me re-focus! They both are training for Niagara Falls as well.

Check out this link - carefull, it may make you dizzy It is El Camino Del Rey I love to hike, but I don't think I could handle this one!

Take Care Everyone!

Happy Memorial Day

2008-05-26T21:41:00.003-04:00

Happy Memorial Day!

I hope everyone had a safe and wonderful holiday. A special Thanks to all the men and women who served our Country!

Daily Progress:

Activity: Turbo Jam

Time: 20 minute workout

Take Care

Cheryl

Believe in Yourself!

2008-05-25T22:12:00.013-04:00

Activity: Walking
Distance: 2 miles
Time: 36 minutes

I finally developed my full training schedule for the 1/2 Marathon. I used the one at The Walking Site. I adjusted it to fit the date of the marathon. I created a calendar and used clip art to decorate it - make it fun! I will post it on the refrigerator.

You know how you read something or hear something over and over again. Then one day, you hear the same message but with a different twist and WHAM - it hits you! If finally sinks in! well that is what I recently experienced. I was listening to a 4 part teleconference training through Seriesse - A company I have joined. I am lucky to be on the McCortney Team- Mindy had arranged a teleconference with Author, coach, and Speaker David Benzel. He did an excellent teleconference on achieving what you desire in life. I have done a lot of goal setting in my life - actually this was influenced a lot by Anthony Robbins. What struck me was the power of BELIEF. I understand how your belief system develops and can shape your life. He said some things that really had impact. I found out this was one reason I typically would fall short of achieving some goals Through listening to this, I created a positive belief that I am now repeating throughout the day. I say this to myself as if what I desire is already occurring - don't say / write something as if it may happen.

Here is my new belief:
"I am an Athlete training for a 1/2 Marathon. I eat, train and make choices for peak performance"

This is working for me. Repetition is the mother of skill - I have been stating this several times throughout the day.

I highly recommend David's books and websites:

David Benzel's newest book - you can get it at Amazon:
From Chump to Champ: How Individuals Go from Good to Great

Here are 2 of his websites:
http://www.davebenzel.com/
http://www.fromchumptochamp.com/index.htm

Take care and have a wonderul holiday

Update on Training

2008-05-24T00:31:00.003-04:00

Daily Progress
Activity: Walking
Distance: 2 miles
Time: 4o minutes (yikes!)

I have to start following my training schedule more closely. I have a tendency to skip a day and try to put in all of my walking in at the end of the week. My diet was alright today - I focused on healthy choices and have increased my water intake. I am taking a few days off for the holiday which will reduce my stress level.

Take Care

Starting to Train

2008-05-19T22:31:00.003-04:00

Hello, I have actually started my walking program today! 2 miles down! There are a lot of free training schedules on line for walking the half marathon. Most are based on a 16 week training schedule. I have started early. I am slowly working up to the pace of the 1st week of my training schedule. I am using the schedule at Marathon walking.com There is also a great book out called "The absolute Beginner's guide to Half-Marathon Training, Get ready to run or walk a 5K, 10K or Half-Marathon (Hedrick, 2005). It has some great information that would benefit anyone interested in doing this type of thing!
Well that's it for today!
Take Care

HFCS

2008-05-18T21:57:00.005-04:00

My sister told me about an article she read about the evils of High Fructose Corn Syrup. I decided to research a bit on line. There seems to be a debate over this sweetener as to whether or not it has contributed to our nation's obesity problems. Manufacturers seem to like HFCS a lot because it blends well with food, is sweeter than sugar, has a longer shelf life and is cheaper. It was introduced in the 70's. An article in msnbc reported that while our consumption of refined sugar decreased, our consumption of HFCS has increased by 250% over the past 15 years. When I went grocery shopping today, I was shocked on how many products contain the stuff! I kind of figured that many of the dressings, ketchup, canned fruits and such would have it. I was shocked to see my favorite brand of whole grain bread having it listed as the 2nd ingredient. Here are a few sites that have some information on the stuff. Bottom line - all things in moderation. I will be changing bread and reading my labels more carefully - but I will probably have a bit of ketchup and some BBQ sauce every now and then! Here are a few links:

MSNBC.COM

CBS News

Sparkspeople

Web MD

Okay - here's something fun to motivate towards the Niagara Falls Marathon:

Check out Niagara Falls live web cam I always forget to look at this during the day!

Here are a few pictures of the falls (go to Yahoo Travel to see a slide show)

I wish everyone well
Cheryl

A New Way of Looking at it

2008-05-17T22:49:00.001-04:00

Hello Everyone,

I am new to this blogging thing. Thanks for taking a moment to check out my post. I have had a life long battle with being overweight. So I am looking at this all very differently! I have a lot of weight to loose. My focus is now eating healthy, eating when I am hungry/stopping when full and exercising. No more diets, counting calories, points etc. etc. I watched Paul McKenna on TLC and am utilizing his concepts. I believe you can still register at his website for free and use some of the online tools. I also set a goal to walk in the Niagara Falls International Marathon. I am going to walk a half marathon with some of my family at the end of October. My goal is to cross the finish line walking - not crawling :) Of course in order to do this, I need to eat healthy and exercise! I have decided to use the ticker above to track the total number of miles I will be walking to train for the 1/2 Marathon. (It adds up to 265 miles). I am not brave enough to post my weight publicly (I really admire those who do!) I will post any pounds lost though. Well that's it for now.
Take Care
Cheryl