Scale

I'm not going to bore you with the details of why I didn't start the 30 Day Shred today, but I will tell you what I DID do:

- buy 2 sets of weights: 1 set of 3 lb and 1 set of 5 lb

- buy a scale

- receive my Samsung Galaxy Nexus sports armband in the mail

- spend 60 minutes on the elliptical while watching Dexter

My sister and Hozay are leaving for Florida tomorrow and will be gone through next Sunday. I am going to go to the gym after work tomorrow and do the 30 minute circuit / 30 minutes on the elliptical, come home for dinner, and then start the 30 day shred tomorrow night (it's only 20 minutes....I know it's going to kick my butt, but I have nothing else to do with no one home, so I might as well do double time with the working out).

I figure that by the time they come back from Florida, I will be nearly half way through the 30 Day Shred and will have really developed a knack for it. I'm hoping to be able to increase from 3 lbs to 5 lbs at day 15 of the shred.

The shred is interesting in that you do the same routine every day but there are 3 different levels. So essentially, you could do the 30 day shred on level 1, another 30 days on level 2, and another 30 days on level 3...making it a 90 day super shred. Or you could just keep rotating them. Or do the 30 day shred on level 1/2/3 for longer than 30 days...vary it however you want to meet your needs.

I am thinking that I will stick to the book and do the 30 day shred on level 1 for 30 days and then see how it's going and move on from there. I also plan on continuing going to PF a few times a week (have to make my $10 a month fee worth it!).

Also, I had a NSV (non-scale victory) today! My pants actually felt a little saggy and big in the waist/back.

And speaking of scales, tomorrow I will be doing my first official weigh in on my new scale and taking my measurements. I am planning on doing a weigh in one time a week but for the Shred, I will do an update every 10 days (on weight changes, photo progress, and measurements), as this seems to be the most fun way to track results.

Wish me luck! Tomorrow is going to be a sweaty day :)

Plans

I had planned to do my first weigh-in on Sunday. I haven't weighed myself
since I've started hard-core gym-ing a few weeks ago, but alas, it was not meant to be. The scale had dead batteries, and with those dead batteries came shattered dreams of a smaller number.

I have done a lot of self-reflecting in the last week and have also made some upgraded plans:

1) I am going to buy a scale so I have a consistent one to measure my weight on rather than using other people's scales and getting all different readings. Even if my new scale isn't the most accurate, having a consistent number to base my results on will be better in the long run.

2) I am going to start Jillian Michaels' 30 Day Shred tomorrow. I have been looking at Success Pictures on My Fitness Pal and I am so impressed wit

h the results! I am going to take my "Before" picture tomorrow and do my measurements and I can't wait to see the changes after 30 days!

3) In order to start the shred, I am also going to buy some weights (a set with a few different weights, that way as I progress to the 2nd and 3rd

shred videos, I can increase the weights).

4) I bought new sneakers and a new armband for my new phone. I want to be able to run a 5k by the end of this year. Some day soon I will write a post about me + running. Be advised: it ain't cute. But I'm excited to try out my new Reebox Real Flex sneakers and write a (hopefully stellar) review!

Resolve Review

Reduce Stress: I did pretty okay in this department this week. I stayed on top of my tasks at work and I was surprisingly able to wake up at least 20 minutes earlier than I have been (on work days) every day this week! However, my stress level went through the roof last night on my drive home from Boston. Scariest car ride I've ever had in my life. I seriously must have had like 20 heart attacks. Damn snow!

Maintain Exercise Goal of 3x week +: I was really good in this department! I went to the gym/worked out 6 out of the last 7 days. And the only day I didn't work out, I did a ton of walking (in subzero windchill - yay!).

More Conscious Food Choices: You win some, you lose some. I officially have no more food in my desk drawer aside from my breakfast bars and tea. No more stress eating at work! I also gave myself a few indulgences over the weekend and I don't feel too badly about it, considering I also made some healthy choices. They balance out, right?

Enjoy My Hobbies: I only played the piano 1x last week, but I have been keeping up with the blogs I like to read, went to a concert for one of my favorite bands, and spent a bunch of time with some of my favorite people. I am also in the middle of a great book - The Edible Woman by Margaret Atwood. I consider this a win.

Keep My Close Friends Close: I was lucky enough to be able to see a bunch of wonderful people in the last week. I just wish they all lived closer...

Do What I Can For My Health: I kind of slacked off in the water-pik department this week. I always forget to refill it before I get in the shower. I did use it 2x last week, which is an improvement over the week before. I'm aiming for every day this week.

Thus sums up my first week of attempting to I.M.L. So far so good, I say!

Weekender

With the except of my sister, Hoz and assorted work acquaintances, every single one of my friends lives at least one hour away. And Art certainly takes the cake in the distance department, living over 3 hours away. What this means is that I hardly ever spend a weekend at home. What this means is that I hardly ever work out on the weekends.

And the weekends are almost inevitably full of a few things: friends (duh), food (read: restaurants), shopping (always spending money on something or other), and sedentary activities.

Not that I'm complaining. I love every single one of those things.

But what gets to me is that the weekend can singlehandedly destroy all of the effort that I put in for an entire week. Which is probably just another reason why I am not seeing very many results from my work.

During the week, I try to limit myself to going out for one meal only, whether it be a sister-date with Becca @ Panera or a happy hour with work people @ Sliders.

The weekend, however, is a horrible mess of zillions of calories and zero physical activity.

Which is why I've started making a concerted effort to incorporate my weekly routine into my weekend routine.

For the last two weekends, I have managed to get at least two work-outs in.

Last Friday, I went to the gym after work, went to the gym Saturday morning, and went as a guest @ Natalia's gym on Sunday. This weekend I was originally planning on heading to the Cape directly from work, but I decided to head there on Saturday afternoon instead, thus allowing myself ample time for gym-ing.

After work yesterday I headed to the gym and I spent the evening at home doing various chores like cleaning and laundry. I opted not to go to Hibachi with my sister and Hoz and instead made myself a turkey-pepper jack melt w/ banana peppers on Healthnut bread, a pickle, and reduced fat cheez-its. Not a totally healthy dinner, but certainly less caloric than a hibachi dinner!

This morning, I went to the gym for a 1.3 hour session, tried a sample size of the new Starbucks blonde (delicious!) and made myself a bowl of vanilla yogurt with pear, blueberries, and Kashi go-lean crunch.

And now, I'm finally ready to head to the Cape for a gluttonous rest of the weekend.

My one consolation: knowing that I worked out 2x more than I would have if I'd left on Friday makes me feel so much better about myself. Annnnd I plan to hike Walden Pond/go to the gym with Kate on Monday [day off].

So all in all, I'm going to consider the last two weekends a success.

Stay tuned for my weekly update (and 1st weigh in 2 wks!) tomorrow :)

Lunks

So I'm sure many of you have seen this Planet Fitness commercial where an employee is giving this ridiculously muscled man a tour of PF and he is shown the door due to douche-cockery.

Well, I am now a member of said gym and they have a sign over the mirror near the weights declaring PF a "lunk-free" zone. What is a lunk? PF made the word up, and it is intended to refer to those who grunt, drop weights, and judge.

The walls are plastered with images that proclaim PF is a no-judgment zone. And sure, I appreciate it. Doesn't mean we're not all silently judging one another, though. And I've found a few groups of gym-goers to be more annoying than lunks:

1) People Who Don't Read Directions: My favorite room at the gym is the 30 minute Express workout. The room looks like this and is basically a big circle with alternating weight machines and stair steppers. It is my go-to work out and I do it every time I'm at Planet Fitness. There are signs everywhere, including a giant white board at the entrance to the room which reads "EXPRESS WORK OUT ONLY." And yet, the amount of people who completely ignore every single one of these signs baffles me. I HATE HATE HATE when random people jump into the room on random machines, getting in my way, ruining my circuit. Um, hello? If you were paying attention, you would see that according to the NUMBERED SIGNS, the machine you're using is next in my sequence. But now I'm forced to skip over it because you, who haven't already been sweating your ass off for the last 20 minutes in here, have lumbered in and decided to plop down right where I need to be. Rude.

What bothers me the most about this is that the same exact machines that are in this room are available (2 each) right outside. Seriously?!

2) People Who Don't Clean the Machines: This is a no-brainer. When you work out, you sweat. When you sweat, you excrete dirty oils from you skin. Gross. I hate when people use a machine and then just walk away from it like it never happened. Nuh-uh, bro, I see your moist and sweaty butt cheeks outlined perfectly on the seat you just vacated. And I want to vom.

I have to give PF some credit in the cleanliness department, though. Every time I go in I see employees vacuuming and doing other such maintenance. Not only that, but there are literally more than 10 stations in that place with rolls of paper towels and spray bottles with cleaning solution. It would be a very clean facility if it weren't for its unclean clientele staining the equipment with their nasty bodily secretions.

The bottles are not there for decoration, people. Wipe your shit down when you're done.

3) People Who Squat On the Equipment So They Can Text or Talk on the Phone: As a rule, I do not take my cell phone with me out onto the gym floor, and if I do, it is only so I can watch something on Netflix while I work out. Which is why it drives me NUTS when I see people (usually teeny boppers) lounging around on machines or weight stations texting their little hearts out or chatting away as if they're sitting on a couch. You're at the gym to work out. So work out or go home and sit on your actual couch if you want to chat w/ your bff.

4) New Years Gym Members: I avoided the gym like the plague the week after New Years. The parking lot and gym were so overrun with people determined to shed their holiday weight that it was overwhelming. And annoying. Even though I only joined the gym three months ago, I had gotten into a really great routine. I get out of work at 4:15, which is pretty early for a standard work day, and so normally the gym is nearly empty when I go. Nowadays it is buzzing with activity and you have to fight rabid soccer moms with fanny packs and fupas for 30 minutes on the elliptical.

Let's just be honest: if you didn't work out before the New Year, chances are you won't be working out by the end of the year, either. This isn't to say that no one ever makes good on their resolution, but incorporating a regular gym routine into your lifestyle requires a certain devotion that most people just don't have in them. And while they're wasting their money and time pretending that they're actually going to do something about their muffin top, they're also keeping people like me - who do genuinely make an effort - from getting parking spaces or being able to keep up the routine we had already developed.

In conclusion, maybe I'm the asshole here, but I'm being realistic. More than 80% of those people will stop going by the end of the year, if not more and sooner.

5) People Who "Can't" Put Their Arms Down: you know the dude. The one who walks with a swagger like he owns the place. The one who is completely delusional in believing that his muscles are so large that he cannot lower his arms to his sides. You are not cool, bro. You look like a straight up douche.

6a) People Who Make Up Their Own Parking Spaces: I get it. It's winter and it's cold and you are a lazy American. But seriously, if you are going to the gym, you can spare the few extra calories to park in a real space and walk to the door like the rest of us, rather than making your own space on the grass or behind another car or making your own row along the driveway to the place.

6b) People Who Park in the Handicapped Spaces: If you are at the gym, you are most likely not in need of a Handicapped Parking Sticker (unless you are going for physical therapy purposes). Therefore, you are most likely one of two types of assholes: the one who stole a handicapped parking sticker from someone else because you want the privilege of primo parking or someone who received a handicapped parking sticker by lying about your abilities. Either way, shame on you.

There are many other kinds of assholes at the gym and I'm probably one of them in some way or another. What it comes down to in the end is that working out is about you. It is about improving yourself and it has nothing to do with anyone else. You wanna walk on the treadmill at a pace of .03? I might want to shake you and scream "WHY GOD WHY?" because I think that walking that slow is absurd and useless, but you're trying, I guess... So go for it, knock yourself out. Try not to lose your breath.

The one thing I truly believe is that you can't really judge anyone when they're at the gym. Because they're at the gym. So regardless of whether they're morbidly obese or anorexically thin, they are, at that moment, attempting to make their bodies better. And I can't hate on that because I'm doing the same exact thing.

Where it's at

I suppose this post is more about where I'm at, but I had the Beck song stuck in my head at the time and it seemed aptly named.

As I mentioned in my previous post, I am trying to I.M.L. And since I've been on this path for nearly 3 months now, I figured I'd give you a brief recap of what it's been like since I started.

I've been going to the gym for an average of an hour a session and an average of 3 sessions a week since I moved to CT and joined PF. This is the most consistent routine I've had since Sophomore year, which was 7 years and 30 pounds ago.

Since I've gotten back into the routine, I have made some pretty big strides for myself. My average work-out consists of a 30 minute circuit (which alternates between weight machines and cardio) and then a 20-30 minute session on the elliptical (while watching Portlandia, obviously).

I have definitely seem some improvement in the way I feel. I have more energy. I don't feel like I have to drag myself to the gym...in fact, most days I am looking forward to it, which is mildly terrifying (is that really a source of excitement in my life?).

The most important change I've seen has been in my stamina. When I first started the circuit, I was doing between 10 to 15 lbs less on each weight machine than I am now...and I'm feeling about ready to up the pounds on a few of the machines, which is fun.

I am also getting winded less frequently and sweating less (yum). Running up and down the stationary steps for 1 minute may not sound tiring, but just give it a go and see how those 60 seconds stretch on and on. I seriously glare at the Green light the entire time willing it to flicker into Red so I can move back to the weights and away from the exhaustion.

But the bad news here is that my body isn't reflecting the way I feel.

I feel like I lost 10 pounds, but it is just wishful thinking. In reality, I haven't lost squat. I don't need a scale to tell me that - I just put on my pants and note with dismay that they fit exactly the same way they did nearly three months ago. Why, body, why?!

I'm sure I am more fit. There is no way I'm not more fit. But would it be so hard for my body to give me a glimpse of hope, to pare down a few centimeters, or at least flatten out a few rolls?

I guess it is. Traitor.

I keep looking in the mirror hoping to see slimmer lines, the glimmer of a muscle, the firming of flab. And what I see in the reflection is disappointment.

I know I will most likely have to change my diet to make a real difference in the way I look. I know I would see some real results if I were to start dieting. But honestly, I'm not willing to put that kind of restriction on my life. Isn't making a drastic change in my physical activity enough?

I am not eating more than I was prior to this change. I am also not eating less, but I am eating (somewhat) healthier.

You would think this would surely lead to great victory! Alas...

I am going to do my first weigh-in on Saturday and I am curious to see the results. I am hoping to be down at least 2lbs from my last weigh-in 2 wks ago, but I'm not going to hold my breath.

So that's where it's at. (And so is this).

Resolve

It has been a long time since I logged into this site, but I assure you, friends, that the rest of my summer and start of my fall was full of long and laborious bike rides and trial gym memberships, which I used to fill my time while I was unemployed.

A lot has changed since then and I now find myself in an alternate universe: I live in CT, I have a full time job, and my life - for once - is normal [read: regulated]. So what better time to muster up my resolve and make some resolutions?

No, this has nothing to do with the New Year. In truth, I have been trying to better myself for the last few months. Since the end of October, I have been going to the gym for 1 hour sessions at a minimum of 2x a week and an average of 3x a week. This is the most consistent schedule I have ever had. And yet, I am sad to report that I have met with less than stellar results.

I am not the heaviest I have ever been, but I am certainly not happy with my self as-is. This sentiment applies not only to my physical self, but the whole shebang. And so, I resolve to Improve My Life.

Improving One's Life can take a variety of vague forms. I'm done with vague. I need resolve. Here are the steps I am taking to I.M.L.:

- Reduce Stress: sounds like a standard resolution. For me, it takes the form of waking up earlier so I don't feel rushed in the morning and have enough time for breakfast. It also includes cutting out interpersonal conflict when possible, managing my finances so I don't feel overwhelmed with debt, and maintaining strong relationships with my friends.

- Maintain exercise goal of 3x a week: I have been pretty damn good about dragging myself to the gym. In 2012, so far, I've been killing it. In the last 7 days, I have worked out 7 days.

- Make more conscious food choices: I've tried to diet and I simply do not have it in me - or rather, I do...in the form of calories. I find that the more I tell myself I can't have something, the more likely I am to binge. I have been using My Fitness Pal again to monitor my daily food intake and pinpoint my trouble areas. As per usual, the glaring issues tend to be snacking and portion control. When I am stressed or bored, I equate that with hunger. I can be really good all day and then totally crumble when I'm sitting at home and decide I want potato chips and ice cream and coffee with cream and soda. Work is just as bad. When I feel overwhelmed or anxious, I open my desk drawer and pull out some candy or chips. The obvious solution here would be to not keep this kind of temptation around. Just try to refrain yourself while you're grocery shopping! It's hard. In terms of portion control, I often find myself going back for second helpings. It's not that I'm still hungry, exactly, but I'm also not full. I need to learn to reduce my portions and refrain from grabbing the ladle once I've had my fill.

- Enjoy My Hobbies: this is something that I really lost touch with while I was in school. Now that I have a "real life" I find that I have re-fallen in love with reading. I am reading on average 2 books a week, which is insane for me. Prior to this year, I was reading maybe 2 books a year (aside from school books). And I love every second of it. I spend every lunch break nestled in the break room reading for 45 minutes and savoring each word. Right now, I'm addicted to Margaret Atwood and compulsively reading every single novel she's ever read (and trust me, there are a ton). I had also lost touch with my musical side. But since I moved my piano over, I've been trying to play/sing 3x a week to keep myself in tune. And finally, crafting and cooking have always been near and dear to my heart. I am so happy to have a full kitchen at my disposal and to live with people who appreciate food. We have set up a dinner schedule and each one of us cooks one meal a week. It's fun to plan! And I have also been keeping up with my creative side, though I need to get back into scrapbooking, as I have tons of pictures collecting dust.

- Keep My Close Friends Close : I have a select few people who have really stuck with me in my life, despite the changes in location and self. I am making a concerted effort to keep in touch with them and see them when I can. I made a ton of acquaintances while I was at school, and although I considered many of them to be friends at the time, I realize that many ended up being convenience friends, and those relationships have since dwindled. The people I keep in contact with are the people I need to pour my energy into: they are the ones who will be in my life always. And I intend to keep them there.

- Do What I Can For My Health : now that I'm working in disability claim and coming into contact with so many people who have awful afflictions, I have a new found appreciation for my own immune system. I am hardly ever sick and I intend to keep it that way if I can help it. Reducing stress, exercising more, trying to eat healthier, and being happier are certainly going to contribute to my overall health. I have also started using an Aquapic (better version of flossing) to keep my mouth health, am getting at least 6 hrs of sleep a night, and am drinking green tea/tons of water every day. And honestly, I can't remember the last time I even got a cold. Now i just to have set myself up with some doctors in this area; it will be good - and strange - to have a primary care physician.

So there you have it. My life plans. Here goes nothing...

Recovering

Over the past 7 days, I have stuffed an unimaginable number of delicious foodstuffs into my mouth. We went out to eat for at least one meal a day and I probably ate the number of calories I eat per day PER MEAL whilst on vaca. Yikes. We ate so much that my boyfriend gained 8 pounds. Lucky for me, I gained not a one. Still not sure how that's possible, but I'll take it!

Here is what our daily routine looked like:

8 am: wake up

9 am: go out for breakfast/make breakfast

10:30 am: bike to the beach

12: swim

1:30 : bike home from the beach

2: make lunch

3: read on the back porch or walk into town

7: eat dinner / go out for dinner

9: drink / play games / eat backdoor donuts

It was glorious.

And now it's over and it's time for me to put the backdoor donuts out of sight and out of mind. Let me just tell you: I have never ever had a more delicious pastry in my life. Martha's Vineyard Bakery, located in Oaks Bluff, operates out the "back door" from 7:30 to 12:30 serving piping hot fresh-from-the oven delicious baked goods. I tried the infamous apple fritter (my personal favorite - often resulting in mouthgasm), the butternut donut (so hot it fell apart in my hand!), the honey glazed donut, the cinnamon roll....need I say more? We seriously went there almost every night. It was decadent and amazing and my mouth is watering just thinking about it...

Unfortunately, my vacation from both diet and the Vineyard are over.

Yesterday, I started anew with oatmeal and cranberries for breakfast, almonds for a snack, and pasta with black beans + spinach + feta cheese for dinner. I also did a 14 mile bike ride at the Cape Cod canal.

Today, I anticipate much of the same. I think it will be fairly easy to fall back into the nice routine I'd developed before I headed off-shore. Cliff bar for breakfast, something light for lunch, gym after work, a healthy dinner and perhaps a walk or bike ride in the evening.

Back to the grind I go!

Just keep biking

So I am officially on Martha's Vineyard and on vacation. With the most athletic family in the world. This makes me feel horrible about myself. I have biked over 350 miles this summer, probably more than all of them combined, and I still can't keep up! They go about 15-16 mph while my normal pace is 13 mph. It's not even that my legs get tired or anything, I just can't sustain the pace. Who knows why.

But anyway, so we docked around 11 and walked to town to grab lunch, then biked into a different town and biked around and watched a shark being gutted and biked some more and then had a cook out and drank. A lot. I'm sure the alcohol alone would have pushed me over my calorie limit for the day.

After we were sufficiently sloshed we decided to walk into town to see the lighthouse. But it apparently wasn't turned on or something so we chilled in the grass for a while and then walked back.

All in all it was a satisfying day, minus my lack of athletic ability. It is so frustrating. Oh well, I'll just keep doing the best I can and try not to hate myself for things I have no control over.

Holy sodium, Batman!

Alright, so I'll start off by saying that I feel pretty guilty. I'll give you one guess as to why I feel guilty. I'm sure, given my rocky past of exercise and wagon-falling that you've guessed correctly: I've been bad.

Yesterday, I walked around the Emerald Square mall with Kate for an hour or so and then went to Panera and had a salad and soup and bread and had a free dessert reward on my Panera card, which I obvs had to use. I was planning on going on a bike ride when I got home, but that didn't happen. Laziness did.

Today, I thought I was going to bike the cape cod canal after work. Obviously it was way too hot to do such things, lest I die from heat stroke. Then I decided I would go to the gym instead. Until the university got the word that the air conditioning across campus must be turned off, due to immense power usage. And I remembered that the gym closes early on Friday. By the time I dragged myself home, it was already 4:30 and the gym closes at 5 on Fri anyway. That + the fact that it was eight million degrees and I had a headache prevented me from hitting it up.

So then I went to Target and got a large mocha coconut frappuccino, which I devoured like it was my last meal. Now I'm at Art's making kielbasa, black beans and rice, and brussel sprouts for dinner. It doesn't sound too terrible until I read the Zatarain's nutrition facts on the side (I wanted to get Lipton bb+r but Target didn't carry it :( ). The sodium in one cup of the concoction is worth 49% of your daily sodium intake. It is so salty it even SMELLS salty. Kielbasa also happens to be pretty salty. Yikes.

Today has been so full of fail. I had a fiber bar for breakfast, yogurt with fruit & nuts and greenbeans with cheese for lunch, and now this. Definitely over my calorie, sugar, and sodium intake for today. Ugh.

And now I'm off to Martha's Vineyard for vacation. Luckily, my bike is coming with me. She and I have a lot of work to do. Keep your fingers crossed for me that I won't undo all of the hard work I've put in so far while I'm away!

Weight-ing

I didn't let my [rather disappointing] weigh-in get to me yesterday. I continued about my day as usual, spending minutes upon minutes viewing photos in the MFP "success stories" and the reddit r/loseit section. I'm not sure why I'm so obsessed with viewing before and after pics of people who've lost a lot of weight. It certainly IS inspiring. Perhaps I'm hoping to have my own inspiring before and afters some day.

Anyway, during my forum scouring, I happened across a post that someone had made who instructed women not to trust the scale. There were a ton of people who had done the P90X challenge and the 30 day shred who came out looking AMAZING and totally transformed, but who had only lost 1 to 10 pounds. Weight isn't everything. There is certainly something to be said for fitness and feelings and measurements.

After I got out of work, I had my lovely roommate measure me. The first time she measured me was on June 27, so it's been nearly a month.

Here were the [rather pleasing] results!

June 27

38" - bust
32" - waist
36" - abdomen (navel)
45" - hips

July 20

37.5" - bust
31" - waist
34.5" - abdomen (navel)
44" - hips

Not bad, right?

After that, I headed to the gym and did 30 minutes on the bike and 30 minutes on the elliptical and then went for a 2 mile walk around Ring Road. While at the gym, I read a captioned episode of Oprah to keep my eyes off the clock. Ironically enough, the episode was about weight loss and looking 20 years younger. She, also, informed me that the scale is not to be trusted. There are so many variables with weight and we shouldn't let ourselves get down when we don't see the numbers change. The non-scale victories are just as -if not more- important. And if Oprah says it, it has to be true, obvs.

Later, I got a call from the bike shop and they said my bike was ready to pick up! I had dropped it off last Thursday, so it was a happy reunion after having gone so many days without it!

While there, I found a great tread and the guy said he could install them on my bike for $12 each. Now, my bike is supposedly a hybrid, but the tread is thick and chunky and closely resembles that on a mountain bike. I'd heard from several bike enthusiasts that changing the tire would give me a smoother, easier ride because there would be less resistance against the pavement if I had less knobby tires. I expected that it would cost about $60-$100 to get new tires, so I've been putting it off, but knowing that I can get them for $24 makes it absolutely worth it. Now I just have to wait for them to get the tires in!

After struggling yet again to stuff my bike into the car, I realized that it's definitely about time I got my hands on a bike rack, as well. It's just not worth the frustration. Time to do some research!

To celebrate a successful day, I obviously had to stuff my face with Coldstone Creamery's "Cheesecake fantasy"(cheesecake ice cream, graham crackers, strawberries, blueberries). Just our luck, it was free waffle cone day! Suffice it to say, today was the first day in nearly a month that I've gone over my calorie allotment. :/ Oh well, tomorrow is a new day.

PS: Has anyone tried Jillian's "30 Day Shred"? I am seriously considering ordering it. It's only $7 and all of the before and after pics I've seen of people who did it looked fantastic!