My friend are simply the best!!

My friends (most of you I have not even met in real life) keep me strong!

My friends stand beside me, hold my hand, and let me cry or scream or both.

(Even if they live thousands of miles away)

My friends have super powers!

Did you see how far away they are, yet are able to hold my hand?!?

I am feeling a bit emotional today.

In a warm, snuggly, I have great friends way!!

**I think some of this may be because one awesome friend proposed to another awesome friend today. Romantic shit like this makes me weepy every time.

I feel loved and blessed to have such awesome friends.

I want to thank you!

If I had the abilities, I would stop by and hand you each one of these:

*just don’t be mad, I probably picked it out of your yard!

]]> http://www.jeninreallife.com/2010/07/29/for-my-friends/feed/ 6 http://www.jeninreallife.com/2010/06/11/the-proof-is-in-the-sweaty-pictures/ http://www.jeninreallife.com/2010/06/11/the-proof-is-in-the-sweaty-pictures/#comments Fri, 11 Jun 2010 10:43:04 +0000 jen http://www.jeninreallife.com/?p=1176

What is better than ONE sweaty Jen?!?!

TWO sweaty Jens, of course!!!

LA Boxing has been a great experience! I absolutely love the way I push myself every time I walk in the door. Prior to LA Boxing I did not think I was a sweater. Walking was a great workout for me, when I first started, but I wasn’t getting super sweaty doing it.  I thought I didn’t sweat….how silly and wrong I was!!

I sweat!!

A LOT!!

And, I like no LOVE sweating! Ok, maybe it isn’t the actual sweat I love but the sweat produced from a killer workout, that I LOVE!!!

How do you love to sweat?!? What workout gives you that killer/sweaty/rockstar-I-can-take-on-the-world feeling?!? For me it is kickboxing and running – both leave me sweaty and exhilarated. I may be shaky when the workout is over but I feel amazing and ready to take what ever life throws at me.

Pic 1 – is me after a particular killer workout. It was last week, last Wednesday to be exact and it was National Run Day. Wednesday is also one of my favorite kickboxing classes at LA Boxing. Kevin is a great instructor and the classes are usually small so we get extra instructor attention.  Last week was  no exception.  I added in a mile on the elliptical  for National Run Day. I was sweaty but I felt like a ROCKSTAR!

Pic 2 – one week after pic 1, after a very sweaty Wednesday Kickboxing with Kevin. This week I used my “bring a guest” pass and had my girl, Jen, come to class with me. I arrived at LA Boxing early and put in 15 minutes on the elliptical and 10 minutes on the bike. Then Kevin kicked our asses in class. It was fun to have Jen with me – we goofed and laughed and sweat our asses off. Working out with a friend is so much fun.

SO, a weekend challenge to you! Tell me what you are doing to get sweaty this weekend? oh yeah, PROVE IT!!! Send your sweaty proof to jeninreallife@yahoo.com and I will put all pics up in a post next Friday. [I am totally stealing this idea from another Jen, my dear sweet friend who loves sweaty pics ~ love ya girl!!]

*Full disclosure: LA Boxing is providing me with a free membership in exchange for my honest opinions. I simply write about my experiences. You only get  the real deal from me.

A gain! It sucks but it is what it is! I am not surprised at all about the gain but I was a bit surprised to gain over 3 pounds.  I have not worked out since last Wednesday. I have had a nasty case of bronchitis. I was down and out: sore throat and aches all over!

And just because being a girl is oh so much fun, my little friend decided to be wonderfully on time! OH JOY!

I did not allow myself to eat like crazy! In fact there were times when I was just too dang tired to want to eat. Big Man wouldn’t let me starve and even made me homemade soup! I drank an entire carton of orange juice on Sunday. I drank a crapton of coffee.

Life happens & the scale sucks. What really sucks is I am on a team for the current Shrinking Jeans challenge. Gaining makes me feel like I let my team down.

Moving on!!

How does one move on?!? She makes a workout pledge with some friends and she walks for 90 minutes!!

Yep, I walked 90 minutes this afternoon! I promised Mary and Steve!! I am so glad that I got my butt out there and walked. It was not my best showing at all and I felt so out of shape. Every inch on my body let me know it has been one week of lounging on the couch since I last worked out. I kept going! I had my tunes (I listened to the Dead show from 5.1.09 in Philly) and I had a beautiful blue, warm sky. One foot in front of the other! I usually cannot turn my brain off but today I did! I just let the walk happen.

Thanks Mary!! I needed to get my butt back out there and this was the perfect time and way to do it! I just walked – no worries for speed or distance just had to walk for 90 minutes!

Thank you for reading my blog and being awesome FRIENDS!! Thank you for allowing me to be ME and to learn what the hell it means to be Jen!

Last week: 195.4 {actually this was from 2 weeks ago}

This week: 198

Change this week: +2.6

You may have noticed that Saturday Scale Time did not happen last week! You can thank the wonderful snow storm! I found at today, that I was not the only one who did not make it to WW last week!! In fact, WW canceled the meeting and closed the building!

I must admit that going to my WW meeting was not the first thing on my mind when I climbed out of bed this morning! I had one hell of a belly and head ache!!! I truly think I had a sugar hangover. I love Christmas and part of my traditions include certain foods. We have made somethings healthier but I truly believe in enjoying certain things certain ways and I do not feel guilty about that!

Every year on Christmas we go to my mom’s house for our non-Italian take on the Feast of Seven Fishes! OMG! Calamari and shrimp and crab (jumbo Lump) and Ahi and Alaskan Salmon and Scallops and more crab (Kind Crab Claws)! Last year, we turned it into Seven Fishes Tapas! The appetizers are so yummy and plentiful that we are so full that dinner is almost a waste! This year we only had appetizers and it was perfect!!

Christmas is MY holiday. I do not go crazy with decorations or anything like that! When I was a kid I hated any holiday!! My parents were divorced and the schlepping from one family to the next and all that anxiety in between ruined most of the experience for me. When Q was a baby and I left her sperm donor and came home to my family, the holidays were almost as bad as when I was a kid. I schlepped me and my kid all over the place and I hated it!! When I met Big Man he changed everything about holidays! We were a new family and he helped me make traditions to enjoy the holiday. Our first Christmas together was 6 years ago but our first Christmas living all together was the next year. That Christmas, 5 years ago, changed everything for me! We did not leave our house but invited everyone to “pop” in anytime during the day. I prepared buffet-style, easy picky foods and casseroles so everyone could eat but I didn’t have to spend all day cooking. I have gotten much better at cooking and my meals have evolved but this is how we spend every Christmas now!

I LOVE CHRISTMAS!!

The food has gotten healthier! But the tradition is there!

This year, I made chocolate chip cookies at 9:30pm on Christmas Eve. I know I have a problem with cookies!! ESPECIALLY, fresh from the oven chocolate chip cookies!! I cannot control myself! I had a ton of cookies (enough to gain 2.6 lbs)!! A TON OF cookies I ate yesterday! And they were so yummy!!

And then…

I woke up with a belly ache and a head ache!! I swear I had a chocolate chip hangover!!

But…

I went to my WW meeting anyway! and I gained 2.6 pounds! Phew!! I thought I was gonna gain about 7 pounds.

and this is where I confess…

I have not been tracking and I have not really been working out! I have been a slacker! But, I went to my WW meeting anyway!!

It may sound crazy, but I think those cookies were good for me! I think waking up feeling lousy was good for me!! I know going to my WW meeting was good for me!!

I am feeling very reflective!! I am also feeling very much in need of some change! Earlier I tweeted it out about taking some time away from blogging and I was hit back with the sweetest and most supportive tweets:

1. PatBarone

   *@bwJen What a great time of year to retreat, play and plan next year! I did a mini retreat for myself Dec.23 to plan next year! about 1 hour ago from web

2. LowFatKat

   @bwJen Heck no! Your blog, your journey. You should take all the time you need! We read bc we like you, not bc you owe us content! about 1 hour ago from UberTwitter in reply to bwJen

3. chivetalker

   @bwJen morning, friend! Hope you had a lovely Christmas! Taking a break is necessary sometimes to refocus. about 1 hour ago from web in reply to bwJen

4. ComplicatedMama

   @bwJen absolutely not.. I did the same a few weeks ago, sometimes a break is good. about 1 hour ago from web in reply to bwJen

5. brimil

   @bwJen absolutely not! that sounds like a good idea actually about 1 hour ago from web in reply to bwJen

6. Fitarella

   @bwJen NOT AT ALL! take time for yourself and figure out what YOU need about 1 hour ago from TweetDeck in reply to bwJen

7. debroby

   @bwJen NO. Actually perfect time to do so. Many fewer readers/less activity this week than any other all year. about 1 hour ago from web in reply to bwJen

I will be taking a little trip to the Poconos tomorrow! Me, the Big Man and the karate kid will hit the road sometime before noon and it shouldn’t take up longer than 3 hours to get to our cabin.  We will be home Wednesday night! I cannot wait for 3 nights in a cabin in the mountains with my favorite peeps! I need to get away from everything and (with permission from my tweethearts) I am also going to step back from blogging this week. I need time for reflection and refocus and change!

Stay tuned!! I will be back very very soon!! [There will be a Mindful Menu plan posted tomorrow]