Everything But the Kitchen Sink

I have been MIA for a few weeks, sorry kids! But thanks all for the really nice comments on my Weightless interview! I'm really feeling the love.

Sorry that I have been stinking at blogging lately. I have been tossing around the idea of switching over to Wordpress for awhile now, because blogger just doesn't make blogging fun or easy. Its not an excuse for not blogging, but it has definitely affected my motivation to write lengthy posts. So that switch will probably happen soon. And possibly a whole new blog, too! But more on that in another post.

Currently, life is just super busy. Which is cool.
In personal news: I have committed to coaching 5 people through a program that I took myself last spring. It is amazing experience but a total time suck.
Its is also busy time with my work, which is actually nice because my days have been FLYING by.
I have literally been crashing into bed at night and falling right asleep. This basically never happens.

In health and fitness related news: I have decided to get my certification to be a personal trainer. I registered for a two day hands on workshop to take place in NYC later this month. In addition to that, I have books and study materials to prepare me for the exam (which I can take whenever I feel ready).
I would by lying if I said I had given the decision an extensive amount of thought because I thought about it for maybe 2 days. The decision was easy, really. I'm at the gym everyday (sometimes for several hours), and I love working out. The only piece that was missing for me was to make some money doing it. I went to my gym and spoke with the owner about the various programs, she gave me some advice and off I went. While it is not set in stone, I am about 96% sure I will be able to work at the gym I go to. So even if I have zero clients, I get a free gym membership which is TOTALLY worth it.

The reading has been really challenging. My degrees are in political science, theater and government administration. You will notice that none of those have anything to do with science.
I did take AP bio in high school but I fell asleep almost every day. While I read this book I think about AP bio a lot and how, if I had stayed awake, I probably would have done a LOT better on the AP exam. Turns out, this stuff is pretty interesting. Especially when I can apply to my diet and exercise routine. I am getting a much clearer picture of why my body behaves and reacts the way it does.

In other personal (and work) related news: I spent all of last week in Las Vegas for a work conference. I have never been to Vegas. I probably won't ever go back, but it was fun. Andrew flew out on Thursday and we spent the weekend wandering around. Here are some highlights:

Drinking beer on the astroturf in front of the Wynn (pretty much the only green you'll see in downtown Vegas):


















Lake Meade:


















The Hoover Dam:


















Can you tell I'm terrified of heights?


















We make a tradition of seeking out local brewpubs when we go places:
























Beer flight. The Blueberry Bock (top left) was AWESOME!
























Mmmmm beer!
























We found a program from the Bette Midler show. Naturally, I needed to include Bette in all of my photos that night.
























I bet this guy ends up on a lot of blogs.
























So, yeah, Vegas. A very shiny, dirty, lonely, depressing (and yet highly entertaining) place to visit.

We are also just shy of the three month mark for our wedding. I have so much left to do it makes my head spin. So I will probably put most of it off for another few weeks or so.
Also, the new (and final) season of LOST just started. I will spare you my theories for another post. But I think I know where it's going and I'm NOT psyched about it.

Oh, and in the interest of full disclosure, I ate french fries for dinner last night.

A Shout out to Myself!!

Margarita Tartakovsky over at Weightless recently interviewed me about my eating disorder recovery for her blog (which I linked to last month) and now its posted!

It was my first official "blog interview" so it was exciting and also kind of scary to post my deep, dark secrets for the interwebz to read. But if it can help just ONE other person from succumbing to the evil vortex of an eating disorder, then it's worth it.

So go check me out, yo!

What's Up, 2010?!?

WOO! I have now officially had this blog for 5 YEARS!
5 years and I haven't even hit 100 posts. That means I now have my first official goal of 2010!

So, here's the bottom line: I think New Year's resolutions are total hogwash. No one takes them seriously for more than a month. Then we all stumble around for the next 11 months either feeling like total failures, completely unaware of the resolutions we made, or vowing to make the changes "next year."
It makes no sense to me. So I don't make resolutions. I set goals.
If there is some positive and permanent change I wish to see in my life, I don't understand the benefit in waiting until the start of the next year to begin working on it. Why not just do it right then? Why do we always have to have "occasions" for things? Things like nice dishware and fancy soaps and candles, and a nice dinner out. We hoard these things for some occasion and then never really get to enjoy them. Just burn the damn smelly candles from Pier 1 that cost 12 dollars. And when it's gone, go get a new one. Go out to dinner for no reason. You might get hit by a bus tomorrow. If so, I bet you'll wish you had that amazing last meal.

There is no special occasion to warrant making positive changes. So just do it. Don't turn it into a damn "resolution," just do it.
But goals on the other hand, are different. Goals are quantitative. Some boys think that girls don't understand numbers, but they are wrong. For those of you who don't know:
quan·ti·ta·tive (kwnt-ttv)adj.

a. Expressed or expressible as a quantity.

b. Of, relating to, or susceptible of measurement.

c. Of or relating to number or quantity.

Goals are measurable. I like this. Its the easiest way to say "I did it!" or "I didn't. I stink."
Resolutions, typically, are not.

Anyhow, goals should be able to produce a measurable result. Like, I will eat 17 cupcakes. You should be able to look back and say with certainty whether you did or did not eat 17 cupcakes in 2010.
Or, I will workout 3 times a week. Again, either you did or you didn't.
Well, what about my broader, more general goals, you ask? Like, for example, getting healthy.
A great goal, I might add. So for those, think about what things you would need to do to start getting healthy. Then assign them a quantitative value. For example, I will include one fruit and one vegetable in each meal I eat. Or, I will do 30 minutes of physical activity each day. Or, I will read 2 books about healthy lifestyles. You get the idea?

Try to focus on things you will and CAN do, instead of things you won't. Instead of saying "I won't eat cookies" try "I will allow myself two dessert per week." The idea is to keep the verbage positive. If you focus on things you will do (CAN do) you are far more likely to stick to your goals, rather than if you add in things you "won't" "can't" or "shouldn't."

Make sense?

Some of my goals for 2010 are:

*complete the Broad Street Run (10 miles) in less than 1:50:00
*complete the SheRox sprint triathalon
*weight train 2xs per week
* drink at least 32 ounces of water a day
*get to 100 blog posts
*blog post once a week (at least)

there are others, but you get the idea.


What are your goals for 2010?