Friday Five: Last Friday of Summer

(I used the Rhonna Designs app on my iPhone to make this pic. I used this picture I took from my recent visit to Santa Cruz Boardwalk).

1.  This is my last Friday of summer vacation. 😦  This time next Friday I’ll be at a “Welcome Back” meeting for the start of the new school year for our first teacher workday.  My plan for the day is to spend it the way I’ve spent the entire summer – a combo of fitness and fun.  Fitness: a session on my home elliptical, walking the dogs with my dad, and swimming some laps. Fun: a bit of shopping (just took advantage of Victoria Secret’s most recent email offer), reading poolside, and a possible date later tonight.

2. This week has been a very social one, getting together with lots of friends that I’ve known since high school, which I’ve loved.  That’s one of the huge distinctions between my life now and my life before I lost all the weight.  I was always a social, extroverted person, but I often felt a bit depressed about the way I looked. Not to mention the clothing issue – I always tried to look my best, but nothing ever fit the way it should’ve.  I can’t count the number of times I turned down an invitation or made some excuse just so that I wouldn’t have to deal with all of that.  Now, I have tons of clothes in the closet that look great and make me feel fantastic.  Now, I am happy and excited when someone suggests going out.  I’m actually getting teary-eyed thinking about what a huge switch this is.  Just one more thing to be so grateful for about this new life.

3. I’ve been getting into Instagram a lot this summer, as you can tell by my feed on the right.  I post daily check-ins for my workouts and lots of pics of other things that just strike my fancy.  While I’ve been off, it’s been easy and really fun. This month I’m participating in three different photo-a-day contests, and I’m hoping I can keep up with them once school starts. If you haven’t joined a photo-a-day contest, I righly recommend them…maybe not just three in one month.  Still, the contests are a great way for me to stay focused on fitness, get motivated, and inspire myself and others with all the photos.

One is for the TIU community,

one is hosted by @MoxieFitchick,

and the third is the Active Living Challenge with Fit Approach and Lorna Jane Active.

4. In anticipation of the school year starting in about a week, I spent a good portion of the day yesterday mapping out my school year workout plans in my iCal.  Since I have a morning prep period on my B days (which means I can get to school a bit later than normal) I’m going to fit in early morning fitness classes at the gym several times a week.  The live Insanity class that I tried a few weeks ago is now offered Tuesday mornings at 5:45am, and I’ll be there whenever Tuesday is a B day.  I’m also going to spinning at least once a week at 5:45am.  I’m still undecided about what I’ll do on my A days, when I need to leave my house by 7am.  Towards the end of last year I was waking up at 4:30am to do a morning workout, but that is just SO early.  Although it’s not ideal, I think I may go back to afternoon workouts on A days, because I really did enjoy them and they’re a great way to relieve the stress of the day.

5. Kandis, one of the TIUgirls, mentioned a week or two ago that she had started reading Gabrielle Bernstein’s May Cause Miracles.  Who doesn’t want “subtle shifts for radical change and unlimited happiness” right? The reviews and general internet buzz about the book was so positive that I thought I’d give it a try.  Have you read it?  What are your thoughts?  What book are you reading right now? Let me know in the comments.

That’s my Friday Five – I’m off to enjoy some pool time.

Happy Friday! I hope you have a wonderful weekend, full of fun and exciting adventures.

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Less Than Six Days to My New Life!

I’ve been wanting to write a post for the past day, but when I sit down to write, I don’t know exactly how to put what I’m feeling into words.  I keep using works like surreal and amazing, but even those seem to pale in comparison with the experience of my heart beating out of my chest every time I think about the fact that my life is going to change in less than 6 days.

So many people have asked me if I’m nervous or scared or worried about the surgery, and I can honestly say I’m not.  Not even one bit.  Sure, I realize there are risks, even death, but I am certain that’s not my fate.  I know it like I know my name.  The possibility of pain doesn’t faze me, either.  I’ve always had a high tolerance for pain, and I’m in good condition for someone of my weight, so I don’t think that will be much of a factor.

When I used to think of weight loss surgery, before I imagined it as an option for me, I focused on all of the restrictions to the post-op person’s diet.  Back when gastric bypass was the only surgery that anyone ever talked about.  I was so concerned about what “they” couldn’t eat, and couldn’t imagine my life with severe food limitations.  Today, after over 2 1/2 years of research, I know that there will be very few foods that are completely off limits.  Sure, there will be foods that I only enjoy on rare occasions, but I also realize that my life will be about more than food.  It will be full of all the new activities that I’ll have more energy to pursue, and all the people who I’ll have the opportunities to meet.  I’m not at all concerned about what I won’t be able to eat, but rather, excited by all that I will be able to participate in.

So I guess tonight I’m in a really peaceful, reflective mood.  It’s been a long, unsteady road along this weight loss path, but on Monday as I wake up from surgery, I’ll take that deep breath and I will start on the exciting new leg of my journey.

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