Weigh in Wednesday

THURSDAY I got warm doing P90X3 The Warrior.

FRIDAY I stretched doing Isometrix.

SATURDAY I did Agility X.

MONDAY I stretched some more with X3 Yoga after waking up with a sinus headache.

In the afternoon I visited the ENT about my nose.  I was in the room probably 45 minutes before a doctor came in (an intern I think).  He did the exam and sprayed some stuff up my nose, not before telling me it'd taste gross and numb things.  Man, was it gross!  It opened up my nose a bit and only numbed my nasal passages a tad but it sure numbed my throat and front teeth better than the dentist!  I asked for some water and did pretty good taking little sips but once I did take too big of one and almost choked in front of the actual doctor.  They said the stuff would start to wear off in about 30 minutes.

After I got home it did wear off completely.  However, it appears that I got a cold from it or the office.  I was so sleepy I dozed on the couch the rest of the evening (when I wasn't cooking or eating dinner).  My nose kept dripping like an annoying faucet and my throat was sore.

TUESDAY I woke up with the cold continuing, adding the dull muscle aches after doing Accelerator slowly.  I sent the office a message asking what the stuff was and also letting them know I couldn't fill the prescription they gave me for Flonase (assuming it's because it's OTC now).

The nurse's response:

The numbing spray consists of phenylephrine and tetracaine. Phenylephrine is the active ingredient in Sudafed. It works to constrict or narrow blood vessels, which decreases bleeding and the inflammatory response which produces excess drainage. The inflammatory response and/or bleeding can be triggered by Dr. Ting removing any crusting or scabbing in your nose during debridements. Tetracaine is a topical numbing agent. Since the spray only lasts 60 - 90 minutes, it is normal for the response to last another day or so. You can use Afrin nose spray (available over the counter) two times daily for 3 days if you are continuing to have symptoms (drippy nose & sore throat). I would begin to use the Flonase as well. Sometimes the Flonase can take up to a week to take full effect.

Flonase is available over the counter. We submit the prescription in an attempt to run the medication through insurance, but some insurance companies do not cover medications that are available over the counter.

WEDNESDAY I did CVX with a headache.  This afternoon I go to my regular doctor for my annual physical.  I'm going to have him order the scans so we can see how the stones are doing.  Also, the ENT wanted one for my nose and sinuses so might as well get them done before the end of the year!

MONDAY share your family's favorite holiday recipe.  We don't have any special holiday recipes.

TUESDAY swap out a snack or dessert for fruit.  I often have an apple (or two) with peanut butter as my dessert.  But I'm out of apples...and peanut butter.  All I have is canned pineapple.

WEDNESDAY post a selfie of your workout. 

A photo posted by Cassandra Schmigotzki (@longandwindingroadtowellness) on Dec 9, 2015 at 5:19am PST

THURSDAY share your family-sized activity.  We don't have any of these either...

FRIDAY show how do you play on your forearms. 

 

Don't forget to enter the MealEnders Giveaway (ends Friday)!

Linking up with

MealEnders Review & Giveaway

Almost as soon as I was accepted as a Sweat Pink Ambassador I signed up and was accepted into my first campaign!  I received one of each flavor of MealEnders for free in exchange for my honest review.

About MealEnders:
MealEnders Signaling Lozenges are a first-of-its-kind weight management tool designed to curb overeating and teach portion control using a combination of behavioral psychology and sensory science. Free of stimulants or other harmful “diet” ingredients, MealEnders catalyze behavioral change by retraining the mind to stop eating with the eyes.

MealEnders consist of two components: a sweet, outer reward layer and a cooling/tingling inner core. The outer layer provides a measured dose of “dessert” associated with the end of a meal, while the inner core engages the trigeminal nerve (the nerve that senses “taste”) with long-lasting cooling/tingling sensations that cleanse the palate.

Sucking on a lozenge when you know you’ve consumed enough — but can’t stop — keeps your mouth and mind occupied during the 20-minute Overeating Zone, giving your body’s natural satiety process time to catch up. MealEnders are an easy, safe and sustainable way to curb your appetite. Each Signaling Lozenge contains only 2 grams of sugar and 15 calories…and they taste great!

My favorite flavor

I was so excited that I tried the Chocolate Mint flavor the first night.  Once the chocolate was sucked away it was like BOOM MINT!  I'd used it as dessert that night so I couldn't tell if I was still hungry afterwards.

I brought the Citrus flavor with me to work the next day.  The key lime pie flavoring was good but I couldn't identify the citrus flavor once that was gone.  I don't know why but that bothered me.  I shared some with my coworkers.  The lady in the office next to me tried it first (which was surprising because she's not really into stuff like this).  Both of us identified that the MealEnders kind of numbed our tongues where it sat in our mouths which we assumed was part of the signaling process.

My least favorite flavor

Don't shoot me - I do NOT like anything coffee or mocha flavored.  I try and try different things but just don't like the taste.  The Mocha flavor was also brought to work to share with my coworkers.  I truly suffered through this one after the chocolate was gone.  I kept chugging my water throughout and afterwards but the taste would not go away.  I had to eat something else once it was gone to return my mouth to normal.  Now my coffee drinking coworkers loved this flavor so I gave one the rest of the bag.

I was sort of disappointed with the taste of the Cinnamon flavor as I had expected it to be more like the cinnamon candies.  The flavor was very mild.

Overall I couldn't tell if the MealEnders actually helped me to stop eating.  They were more of a filler, like when you've finished eating but are still just a little hungry and don't want to have another serving of dinner.  This is how I plan to finish out the rest of the 3 flavors I kept.

Here's your opportunity to win a bag of each flavor to try as I did!  If you don't want to wait you can purchase your MealEnders with a 20% discount using the FitHolidays20 code at checkout.

Entry-Form

After getting the bird in the oven I did P90X3 The Warrior.

I ate a white Thanksgiving dinner with a little pop of color.

Turkey, Mashed Potatoes & Gravy, and Cauliflower & Peppers

FRIDAY I did Isometrix.

SATURDAY I did Agility X.

MONDAY I stretched with Dynamix.

TUESDAY I did Accelerator.

Because of our current bills (including my surgery back in September) I don't have the budget to be able to pay for the Group Exercise and Wellness Coach Specialty Certifications.  I haven't had any luck with finding a part time Wellness Coach position without any certification.  So I'm not sure how I'm going to pay for this yet.  If you have any ideas please let me know!

TODAY I ran through CVX again.

MONDAY:  Of course we had to jump for joy for Monday! Whether it’s snowing outside or not (who wouldn’t jump for joy for snow angels?!), show us what kind of ups you got!  I rarely jump because of my weak ankles.  They may be better since I've lost weight but I don't want to risk an injury.

TUESDAY:  I didn't do the HIIT workout they shared; mine is enough!

WEDNESDAY: Show us how you balance sweaty workouts, sweet treats, and savory snacks over the holidays! For me it all starts off with Austin's birthday cake.  I try not to eat it every day.

THURSDAY: Did you know 75% of your annual weight gain happens over the holidays? Get moving & stay fit during the Holidays! Show us how you get moving in thirty minutes!  Since that's the average length for my workouts it's easy to show.

FRIDAY: It’s Family Fitness Fun Friday! Grab a family member and enjoy a favorite activity! It can be: going for a walk with your Mom, taking the kids Roller Skating, Cross-country skiing with your significant other. Anything Goes, just have fun being active with your loved ones!  I'll have to see if I can get Austin involved in something this weekend....

Linking up with

Midori Spring Matcha Green Tea Review

I received a can of Midori Spring Ceremonial (GOLD) Matcha Green Tea for free in exchange for my honest review.  I had tried matcha previously and didn't like the flavor but decided to give it another shot since my tastes have changed. I'm definitely glad I changed my mind! Midori Spring has a completely different taste and mixes better than what I'd used before. I've not only successfully used it in a smoothie but in my oatmeal, a cookie, and in nog.

Failed attempt at a mug cake

Warm Matcha nog

Matcha oatmeal

Order your own can of Midorispring Spring Matcha Green Tea from Amazon today!

Happy Thanksgiving

The First Bird I Cooked - 2009

I have a busy night ahead of me.  Thanksgiving is tomorrow.  Austin's birthday is Saturday.  We have to pick up the turkey and everything for Austin tonight.  Why haven't I bought the turkey earlier?  Low funds and no room in the fridge!  Why haven't I bought Austin's cake or presents?  Low funds and he hasn't done a good job with telling me what he wants.

Last weekend Austin finally told me what he wanted.  For his present he wants a chemistry set something like this:

For the cake he wants the shape and/or design as the vault door on the Fallout 4 game.  No clue how I'm going to work the pattern into the cake.  I looked but didn't find any patterns/templates that I could use.

THURSDAY I did Kelly Coffey-Meyer's Lift in Full Throttle Olympic Lifting.

FRIDAY I did P90X3 Yoga X.

SATURDAY I did my first workout from Kiqplan that I won from The Yogi Movement's giveaway.  My phone was fighting me the whole time but I got in Slim & Trim Total Body 1.

MONDAY I did P90X3 Accelerator, modifying the modifier throughout most of the workout.

TUESDAY the Kiqplan app wouldn't load the schedule so I had no clue what workout I was supposed to do.  Instead I did P90X3 Total Synergistics.

This morning I tried the app again.  There was an update so I had my fingers crossed that I'd be able to get somewhere on Kiqplan.  Schedule loaded but again the sound wasn't there.  Without the beeps I don't know when to move to the next exercise or when it's time for a break.  I can't keep staring at my phone during my workout and expect proper performance.  Should I give them another shot or call it quits?  I ended up doing P90X3 CVX (weighted cardio).

Has anyone followed P90X3 following a 6 day schedule?

How do you keep fitness fun?  Variety is the spice of life!  You have to change things up to keep your mind and body interested in physical activity.

MONDAY show us your good time from a laugh post run, to a Zumba class, whatever helps you enjoy moving!  I can't grab a shot during the middle of a workout but OMG Tony has me chuckling every time!

TUESDAY show us your piled plate of freggies (fruits & veggies).  My freggies have been really sucky this week and I haven't been eating what I normally do.  Laziness perhaps?

WEDNESDAY show us how you stay hydrated. 
At home I have a liter bottle frozen and add water too it for my workout.

At work I'm using a Propel bottle from one of the Kroger Friday Freebies.

THURSDAY show us how you get your family active on Thanksgiving.  My family doesn't get active, just me.  After the turkey's in the oven I get in my scheduled workout.

FRIDAY How do you fit in activity throughout the day?

Linking up with

Show Me Your Core

This week's Holiday Sweat Challenge focuses on working your core.  I don't really have any favorite core moves.  I believe core work has been a part of every program I've done, whether they specifically call it out or not.  My core has never been a strong area.  I often struggle with core work as some exercises irritate my lower back or neck.  With crunches I use one of the 3 lb dumbbells under my chin to keep my head in the right place but it still bothers the back of my neck from time to time.

MONDAY:  What's your core strength goal this week?  I'm making the focus of Monday, Wednesday, and Friday's workouts centered on my core.

TUESDAY:  Show us your plank!  How long can you hold it?  I haven't timed them but I've finally been able to hold a forearm plank on my toes for 30 seconds!

WEDNESDAY:  Show us your most creative core move.  Well, I don't think I'm very creative with exercise....

THURSDAY:  Show a watch photo of sweaty fun for the day.  I don't wear a watch since I'm not tracking my heart rate.

FREE FRIDAY:  What are you up to today...sweating, eating, cooking, etc.?

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Since Winter and I took over WIW the linkups seem to have died off.  We don't know if we should change it (to something other than Weigh In Wednesday) or if we should end the linkup.  Please leave a comment with your thoughts of how we should proceed.

THURSDAY I went back to Kelly Coffey-Meyer's Split Sessions, Full Body Time Saver Premix.

FRIDAY I did Brazil Butt Lift Bum Bum.  Neither of these workouts felt right to me with my uncoordinated self so I returned the DVDs to the library.

SATURDAY I did the upper body workout from Split Sessions.

MONDAY I woke up with a sinus headache.  Since this week's theme is your core I popped in the 21 Day Fix 10-Minute Fix for Abs.  I'd never tried this one before.  There was quite a variety of crunches to do in this workout.

TUESDAY I did the lower body workout from Split Sessions.

TODAY I did P90X2 Ab Ripper.  For some reason this seemed super easy compared to the Fix one I did Monday.  I won't be able to do this program as the rest of the workouts are too long for the time I have weekday mornings.

Linking up with

Thank You Veterans

Veteran's Day

Happy Veteran's Day and thank you for your service!

I haven't been feeling myself lately (hence why I haven't been doing much in the way of workouts outside of Super Heroine Fitness.  I think it's something to do with TOM.  I started spotting on 10/29 and it never filled up a panty liner.  Besides that I just feel off with fogginess, exhaustion, forgetfulness, and I don't know what else.  I asked the GYN about it Monday and he said either wait it out or take a pregnancy test.  He said that if it was negative I should take birth control for a month to sync up my uterus.  Then of course Tuesday morning I was hit hard with full on TOM (YUCK!).  So here we go again...

I'm participating in Sweat Pink's Holiday Sweat Challenge to wrap up 2015.  Here are my responses to this week's prompts (less Friday's).

MONDAY:  What's your minutes goal this week?  How will you get there? - I don't keep minute goals; I go by type of workout since I have limited time.

TUESDAY:  What's your favorite workout outfit or gear? - I don't have a favorite workout outfit and really the only gear I regularly use are my weights.

Additional Weight Plates to be Added

 

My Dumbbells

WEDNESDAY:  How do you take your workout outside when it's cold? - I don't...except for shoveling snow like I did this past winter.

THURSDAY:  What's your favorite strengthening move (i.e squats, planks, pushups, etc.)? - Hmm...that's a tough one.  Maybe squats.

 

FREE FRIDAY:  What are you up to today...sweating, eating, cooking, etc.?

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THURSDAY I did Super Heroine Fitness Episode 3 Adventure 3.

FRIDAY I did some Yoga with Adriene.

SATURDAY I debated whether or not to do Adventure 4 Circuit A & B but opted just to do A.

TODAY I tried Brazil Butt Lift High & Tight.  Was like 37 minutes of Pilates with jelly legs and all!  I'm just not coordinated enough to do some of the "dancing" part of the workout; I got so lost LOL

I'm trying to decide if I'm going to bother with Circuit B tomorrow or just do one of Kelly Coffey-Meyer's lifting DVDs I picked up from the library on Saturday.  Will see how I feel in the morning.

Linking up with

Final Week of Super Heroine Fitness

Welcome to The Long and Winding Road to Wellness all ye visitors from the Grow Your Blog Hop!

Not long after I published last week's post I received notification that I'm a Sweat Pink Ambassador!  I'm excited to see where this takes me.  I already ordered and received 40 #sweatpinklaces to give out for various special achievements over the holidays. 

This also adds to the Fitfluential Ambassadorship.

5 Random Things About Me

Since there are new folks visiting as a part of the Hop I thought I'd try another 5 random things about me.  It's been a while since I've done one of these so bear with me.

1. It's only since starting on this journey that I discovered it's my dream job to be a Wellness Coach and run a Wellness Center.  Finding the money to pay for the certification through NETA and getting my foot in the door somewhere without any formal experience and education is proving to be a mighty challenge.
2. Growing up I used to be scared of the grates in the sidewalk downtown.  I would do everything I could to avoid walking across them.  For some reason I had this fear that I'd fall through.  Some days it still bothers me but for the most part on my walks I go over them with no problems now.
3. I used to regularly dye my hair an auburn color but wouldn't go full red.  Can you imagine me as a redhead?
4. I took ballet & tap in preschool.  My uncoordinated self would be the one you'd often see going the opposite direction from everyone else.  Grandma (mom's mom) still has a picture somewhere from a show where this actually happened.
5. I've never been drunk.  Buzzed but never fully loaded.  Every time I tell people this there's always someone that says that they're going to get me drunk but never invite me anywhere to even try.

What are 5 things you'd like me to know about you?

And now back to our regularly scheduled programming...


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THURSDAY I got in more reps during Super Heroine Fitness Episode 3 Adventure 4 Circuit B than the last time despite being sweaty and lightheaded with my nose dripping.

SATURDAY I began the final week with Adventure 1.  The first song that popped up on my Pandora was a perfect title for Halloween - Ghosts 'n' Stuff by Deadmou5.  After eating lunch Austin and I headed to the library.  Austin wore his costume (less the knife).  Because it was Irvington's Halloween Festival we had to park about 3/4 mile away and walk in.  After picking up our items we checked out the non-food booths but didn't see anything we wanted to buy.  It was windy and sprinkled on us a couple of times while trick-or-treating that night.  (I had to wear my jacket draped over my shoulders but Austin was hot.)

SUNDAY night I went to bed with the chest and back pain similar to what I've been experiencing during the early phase of a gallbladder attack.  I took 4 acetaminophen and went to bed.  The pain didn't increase but held steady throughout the night.  I think I just dozed and never really slept.  I was so sleepy I couldn't bring myself to even do some yoga Monday like I'd planned.

TUESDAY I did Adventure 2 sans sprints.  This was for two reasons - I didn't feel like doing sprints of any kind and I took Benny to his first election.  Sure, it was only the municipal but he needs to know how it works without the crowds.

How was your week?

Next Tuesday will be the last Super Heroine Fitness workout.  I don't yet know what I'll be doing next.  I'm considering designing my own program as I had to make many substitutions due to the lack of equipment or ability/comfort in doing some exercises.  If you have a program that you recommend or something like a template to help me come up with something please be sure to leave a link in the comments.

I was excited to find out that our team is FINALLY offering a weight maintenance contest!  If you're not already involved with Beachbody check out this little press release I wrote up about the contest.  I'd love it if you'd join so we can maintain together.

Linking up with

#MotivateMe Monday Linkup with Fitness Cheerleader & Running Rachel