Goal Attained

Wednesdays have become my favorite day. It starts with a Boot Camp class at 5:15 am. Love the early morning - although my coordination takes a bit more time to kick on... In the evenings, Dexter has had a Lego class at the Rec Center the last few Wednesdays. I drop him off, take Adeline to the child care center (or as she calls it, her Lego class) and then I head upstairs to the Stairmaster.

And I have a real love/hate relationship with that machine. It has a lovely TV on which I am able to find reruns of Friends, LOVE. It has a motor that makes it move relentlessy, HATE. But the best thing - at the end of my time - it gives me a message. Such a sweet, encouraging message. At the beginning it asks for my goals. And my activator self beams as I type in my weight, HATE, my desire - always the Fat Burner and my time. And then it goes. And when I reach the end of my time - it stops, LOVE. And then it flashes on the screen, GOAL ATTAINED. LOVE, LOVE, LOVE. A piece of victory - albeit small, but still GOAL ATTAINED. And that so speaks to every aspect of my personality.

So I ride the machine down to the ground and move on to the treadmill - another object of mixed emotions. And I tell it what it wants to hear - again my weight, my goals, etc. But it doesn't have the same message at the end. And I curse the machine in my mind - reminding it that I am going a pretty quick clip - and that its incline is definitelly high - but it doesn't seem to care. Which is why it will always be second fiddle to the Stairmaster. I need a machine that affirms my effort!

So working towards my marathon. 3 weeks in a row of consistent work outs. Runs that feel good - and almost fast, at least for me... One run that involved a minor case of whiplash and a flirtation with concussions - but ended peacefully. My long runs are only 6 miles this week - the mileage kicks up soon - and I'm looking forward to the alone time, the time with friends, and the chance to breathe in and out.

Some positive side effects - our healthy eating has reduced my acne, my cravings, and has had some interesting effects on the kids. Last night Dexter said he just really, really wanted a nice, big, juicy vegetable. Tonight he loved the chicken, pepper, onion, mushroom, pineapple skewers - even asking for more mushrooms. Adeline begged for more pineapple. Ryan made a great ice cream made from coconut milk - which was yummy.

And I have lost 10 pounds, 3.5 inches, and tonight took the kids swimming with my sister and her kids. Didn't even shy away from the swimsuit. Ironic since I know I don't look that different, and a glance in the mirror was discouraging - but I felt good, even confident. Apparently the mental impact of working out is pretty powerful for me.