Recorded Calories Burned To-Date

Just to make it clear, this is not me in the pic... it is just how I feel at the gym.


I have recently learned that my Polar can only display a certain number of previous workouts. I know that it is keeping track of the total sessions, but only displays a certain number of those. When I train tomorrow night, the oldest day displayed will fall off. It will still add it to the total, but I won't be able to look at the details of that day. Because I want to keep this info, I have decided to start recording the data here.

As of now... my totals recorded to date(there were some days that I forgot my hr monitor after I had purchased it).

TOTAL SESSIONS SINCE 2/17 - 22
TOTAL TIME SINCE 2/17 - 23 HOURS, 19 MINUTES, 32 SECONDS
TOTAL CALORIES SINCE 2/17 - 12,244 CALORIES

3/5 - 1:03:13 - 571 calories
3/7 - 1:19:53 - 830 calories
3/8 - 1:07:07 - 494 calories
3/9 - 1:17:44 - 776 calories
3/10 - 0:45:13 - 298 calories (dental work day)
3/11 - 1:16:07 - 701 calories
3/13 - 1:15:12 - 678 calories
3/14 - 1:02:02 - 745 calories (spin class)
3/15 - 1:03:23 - 582 calories
3/16 - 1:10:38 - 702 calories

These are all the individual days that are currently showing, although the total calorie count goes back to 2/17.

My First Spin Class

I have heard people talk about spin class for years now, how it burns lots of calories, kicks your butt, etc. I have always wanted to go, but simply because of the endurance required, I have never gone to a class. After a friend asked me to go, I decided to suck it up and try it. I have been working out for awhile now, and I have gained strength and endurance... so today I tried it.

It was hard, but I did it. I made it through the whole class. My heart rate got up to 195 at one point, when I tried to slow my knees kinda locked up and came to a stop for a sec. I was just trying to slow down and lower my heart rate a bit. Other than that, I was able to learn the resistance and have better control. I burned about 745 calories during the hour long session.

Anywho... I am so glad I went. It is something I have always wanted to try and now I have done it.

The Virtuous Woman

Since I was a teenager I have routinely taken a look at Proverbs 31. It is the story that many refer to as "The Virtuous Woman". It describes a woman who is full of grace, class, discipline, and a really hard worker. She is a career woman who takes care of her family and supports her husband in all he does. Tonight I was noticing that in verses 11 and 12 it says, "The heart of her husband safely trusts her; so he will have no lack of gain. She does him good and not evil all the days of her life."

I am not sure why, but when I read these verses a vision of a man came to my mind. It is a vision of a man who has so much responsibility, so many burdens, and such a heavy load to carry. He is doing all he can to make sure his family has all they need. And in the midst of all these burdens, standing behind him, supporting him, loving him... this woman, his wife. She is his escape, his peace, he may not be sure about everything else in life, but he is sure about her. He is completely confident that he can count on her, trust her, and knows that she will not miss a beat to make sure he is supported, helped, loved, and has his moments of safety, peace and rest amidst all his responsibility. She is his refuge.

I want to be this woman. I want to make sure that no matter what, Brian can find rest, trust, safety, love and comfort in me. He does so much and works so hard with military life and deployments, less comfortable surroundings and his service. He does all this and still makes the time to tell me he loves me. I am so lucky to have him. I want to do all I can to make sure he knows how loved and appreciated he is by giving him all the support he needs.

I pray for him everyday that God will bless him and make him a blessing to those around him...that God would use him in a mighty way to do things bigger than he knows he is capable of doing...that Christ would be to him as an anchor to the soul, both sure and steadfast...that God give him favor amongst his coworkers and those in authority over him... and that at the end of his day, God will lay him down in perfect peace so that he may rise the next day, ready for his service.

Weigh In: March 11

Tonight was my night that I weighed in with Trainer Trey aka Coach. Things are moving slowly, but they are definitely moving. Regardless of how fast the pounds are dropping, I am really excited that they are. Besides, I am feeling stronger, faster, and more full of life than I have in years. So... here are the results. I have lost 5 pounds over the last 4 weeks. Left arm is -1/2", Right arm is +1/8", Left Thigh -1", Right thigh no change, Chest -2", waist -2 1/2", Hips -1 1/2". So ... about 7 1/4 total inches lost in 4 weeks. I am super excited. Also, I don't think I really had any expectations about how many inches in a month I might lose, so not having a really high expectation helped.

As far as my routine at the gym, I go at 7pm Monday through Friday and whatever time is most convenient on Saturday. I give myself Sunday off. The only reason I go on Sunday is if I missed a day, which has only happened once so far... but I made it up. On Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays I do 60 minutes of cardio. The intensity level changes daily so I never do the same exact cardio workout two days in a row. On Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays I do resistance (weight) training for about 30-45 minutes depending on my trainer who trains me each Thursday night giving me a new resistance program for the following week. Each resistance training session is followed by 30 minutes of cardio.

I wear a Polar FT4 everyday. It keeps track of my heart rate and calorie burn during my workouts. I am currently burning between 650 - 830 calories per workout. I try to compete with myself daily determined to beat my burn from the day before.

I am so excited about all of this. I know I haven't accomplished anything huge in the grand scheme of things. But I have accomplished something great for myself in my own little world.... and that is far more that I could have hoped for.

Dinner and a Movie

Jennifer Reed, me (I'm the hobbit in the middle) and Rhonda Jackson


Last night Jennifer Reed invited Rhonda Jackson and I to hang out and have dinner. We all met up with Angie at Bono's near Town Center for an ALS Association Fundraiser Dinner. Angie is involved with the local ALS (Lou Gehrig's disease) Association. Our sailors are all on the same ship together and currently deployed. We had a great time talking at dinner. It is so interesting to hear the other stories and perspectives of how things are going aboard the ship. Some of our stories are the same, and then some were different. None of our sailors work in the same department so they are all involved in different tasks. Also, some of these ladies have been married to the navy for about ten years... maybe more. Angie's husband was former enlisted and now an officer, Jennifer and her husband have lived in foreign ports, and Rhonda's man is highly ranked and she knows much of the lingo that I am not accustomed to.

Once we left the restaurant we headed over to Cheesecake Factory to pick up a few pieces of cheesecake. We carried those back to Jennifer's house and had some wine and watched a movie called The Invention of Lying. It was interesting. Really funny at first and then not so much. Anywho... the guy got the girl at the end and the main characters didn't die, so it was better than a Sparks film. Nicholas Spark's movies aren't all that bad as long as you don't watch them during a deployment. Somehow sadness seems so greatly intensified during deployments.

We had a great time and it was night to get out on Saturday evening after I had such an incredibly rough day on Friday. I found myself in tears missing Brian and had one of those days where I just needed to get a good cry out and then move on. I hate days like that, but they always make the following day seem better. Thanks to Jennifer (the fantastic hostess), Angie and Rhonda my Saturday evening was the highlight of my weekend.

For Brian .... 1,2,3,4 by Plain White T's

1,2,3,4

1,2 - 1 2 3 4
give me more lovin then i've ever had.
make it all better when i'm feelin sad.
tell me that i'm special even when i know i'm not.
make me feel good when i hurt so bad.
barely gettin mad,
im so glad i found you.
i love bein around you.
you make it easy,
as easy as 1 2,(1 2 3 4.)
theres only one thing two do three words four you.
i love you.
(i love you)
theres only one way two say those three words
and that's what i'll do.
i love you.
(i love you)
give me more lovin from the very start.
piece me back together when i fall apart.
tell me things you never even tell your closest friends.
make me feel good when i hurt so bad.
best that i've had.
im so glad that i found you.
i love bein around you.
you make it easy as easy as 1 2,(1 2 3 4.)
theres only one thing two do three words four you.
i love you.
(i love you)
theres only one way two say those three words
and that's what i'll do.
i love you.i love you
(i love you)
you make it easy, its easy as 1234
theres only one thing two do three words four you i love you
(i love you)
theres only one way two say those three words
thats what ill do i love you
(i love you)
i love you i love you.
one two three four i love you.
(iloveyou)
i love you
(i love you)

Childhood Reflections

The top photo is me at sixteen. The bottom is a fairly recent pic of my mom and dad.

I have so much to be thankful for. When I look back on my childhood, I think of all we had and I never knew. I have a mom who still to this day irons my daddy's shirt every morning for work or church. We ate dinner that my mom prepared together every night at the table and said grace before every meal, the whole family. Tommy and I didn't know there was any other way to eat. Daddy has always worked so hard and his hands show it. He has the hands of Goliath, big and strong and mysterious.... yet gentle enough to hold and comfort his baby girl. We didn't have everything we wanted, but we had more than we ever needed. When we were really little daddy worked multiple jobs to make sure we had all we needed. He even sold his fancy pickup so that we could get a better house in a better neighborhood with a better school. My parents have never been crazy about credit. They basically have always taught us that if you can't pay cash, you can't afford it... and to save for a rainy day. They have that old school mentality that seems to be sadly unappreciated these days. I think everything they own is bought and paid for. We were in church three times a week. I never imagined that it was optional for folks because we did it like breathing. I can't fathom having done any differently. Thanks to my parents and the church I have a very strong spiritual life, and I can quote an immense amount of scripture that brings me so much comfort. I was never fearful of my mom and dad splitting up. I have friends who discussed that childhood fear, but I felt sure that mine would always be together. Since Tommy and I have grown up and left it seems as if mom and dad are more in love than ever. He refers to her as his "bride", and it makes my heart sing to hear it. There is nothing better than knowing that after all these years, they never stopped loving each other. My mom won over my dad with her mad cooking skills... pinto beans in the crock pot. I never have gotten the recipe but I need to put it on my to-do list. Tommy was so protective over me. He once got in a fight with a neighbor boy who cussed in front of me. He warned him first, but the kid didn't listen. The guys seemed to like me so Tommy was always extra protective. I remember when we went on a trip to Canada for choir, he caught me being flirtatious with this guy that was a senior, I was a freshman. He didn't like and made me come and sit next to him! I was mad at the time but looking back I wish I would've done less pouting and more hanging out with my brother. Tommy has the most beautiful wife, Chanda. They were high school sweethearts. She kinda looks like an even mixture of Julia Roberts and Kyra Sedgwick rolled into one. I am so glad Tommy has her. She really gets him and for a guy who is just like daddy (the strong, silent type) that isn't an easy task. My mom, dad and brother spend their days together, doing locksmith work for their community. My great-grandad, grandad "Papaw", grandmother "Granny", my daddy, my uncle and my brother have done lock work for the area for what seems like forever. You can even mention my great-granddad's nickname, "Keyhole Miller", in public and most know exactly who you mean. He was kinda notorious for a few service calls he did. Some days I wish I was back at home with them all, but I think of all I have here. Florida had me at my worst and I still intend for my best to be seen here. I found love in Florida and I have a great job and wonderful employers. I know that one day the Navy will call us to leave, but wherever life takes me I will have the love and support of my family and my handsome sailor by my side.

Ramblings About Life

This morning I logged on to blogger for the first time in awhile. I didn't realize that it had been so long since I had written anything. I mean, I knew I had definitely been slacking, but I didn't realize it has been about twenty days since my last vent, blurb, journal or whatever these writings are. Here are a few things that have been on my mind.

I am marrying the most incredible man ever. Honestly, although I think deployment stinks, I believe that it has made the both of us grow individually and closer together. It is strange to think how him being worlds away could bring us closer, but I think it has. I am more grateful, more respectful and more aware of how much I absolutely can't imagine my life without him more every day. It's like the 80's song..."You don't know what you got... til it's gone." One thing rings true in me, I will never take another home day for granted.

In regards to my weight-loss, training, and getting into shape... I had to step back from the scale a bit. I am really working harder than I ever have before. If I let the scale alone dictate my success I may drive myself nuts before I reach my first goal. It is so easy to let the scale disappoint you. If I do that, I will give up before I ever get anywhere. Last night at the gym I beat my calorie burn. In fact, I squashed it and passed it by so much that I will have to really bust it to pass that burn again. Although the scale is slow to move, I can see physical changes in my body. Also, when I first began working out regularly it would take very little movement to get my heart rate up. I could be walking at the very lowest incline at what seemed like a snail's pace and my heart rate would skyrocket. This is no longer the case. I sometimes walk at the highest incline and can make my walking speed almost a jog. Sometimes I just want to run! I have found that I am not there yet though. Sometimes I jog for a bit, but never for very long as my heart rate gets too high. I don't mind getting it way up there, but 180 for an extended period of time isn't good. My trainer tells me to chill when I hit 175. I try not to exceed that number.

Okay... I will try to write more thoughts later this evening. I need to get a move on and get to work.