Blog TWO: 2 Weeks Into It, and Feeling Good

"There will come a time when you believe that everything is finished. That will be the beginning." Louis L'Amour


Well, my dear friends, you probably just finished reading my first blog post. I wrote it two weeks ago, but just posted it tonight because I was waiting to get my pictures up with it!

Two weeks into my journey, and I am SO MUCH HAPPIER. I have lost 5 pounds and 9.5 inches off of my body! 3 of those inches were around my shoulders alone, and I KNOW WHY. It's because of boxing.

The first night that I boxed, I really did feel like I was going to pass out quite a few times. I knew my muscles could've been pushed farther, but my cardio had a long way to go (and oh my goodness, it still does!). Even in 2 weeks of going to the gym 3x a week, I can do MORE. I can push myself harder. And I don't really feel like I'm going to faint flat out on the floor as much. =) Which is definitely a nice feeling (to NOT have to faint).

I went out with a girlfriend tonight for coffee, and I said, "When I started eating really healthfully 3 years ago and lost 50 pounds (which I have more than gained back), the first week I lost 7 pounds. Now, it's been two weeks, and I've lost only 5". She said, "We're getting older". It's true...I think I'm realizing that it might be harder at 28 to lose weight than at 24-25. I'm in my LATE 20's now. NOT THAT I THINK I'M OLD! Cause I don't. But...I'm OLDER than I was last time I got healthy. Maybe she is right.

I haven't been perfect. There were a few days in there where I cheated. Definitely. So...maybe that has something to do with the lack of weight-loss, too. But 5 pounds in 2 weeks is still good, because I figure if I lose and keep off 2 pounds per WEEK this year, I will reach my goal of 100 pounds by the end of 2010! Whenever I would say that I only lost 2 pounds or that it was going to take a year to lose all the weight I needed to lose to be at a goal, my mom would say, "The time is going to pass by anyway....so you might as well be at your goal weight by the end of it instead of the same weight or more than you are now". I miss my mom. The hardest part of all of this, the toughest thing about doing anything exciting is that my mom and dad aren't here to share it with. I think they know, though...I can't imagine that in heaven they have just lost interest in what their kids (and grandkids) are doing here on earth.

I am also more excited about my music. I have been humming (no pun intended) and hawing about whether trying to "make it" in the music world was something I really wanted. But...I think I was selling myself short when I thought that I didn't want it. Part of me is just....scared. That I don't really know the music business enough, and that I could end up trying for years and not make it to where I want to be. HOWEVER.... MUSIC IS MY CALLING. (PS. If you want to check some of my music out, it's www.andreagal.ca) I know beyond a shadow of a doubt that as I continue on my journey to healthville (some awesome people live there hhaha), I will get progressively more confident, energetic, and excited about where my music is going, along with the image I am creating for myself within the music part of my life.

A story about my kickboxing instructor. He is a triple black-belt crazy kickboxing in-amazing-shape man. He is a slave driver. In fact, I'm surprised he doesn't have a whip! Or use his skipping rope as one, anyway! One night after class, I saw him at the grocery store, and he was all smiles and small-talk (I was happy I had apples and pears and water in my cart, not chips and chocolate and cookies). It's funny how you see different sides of people in different settings.

Each time I write a blog, I am going to give you a tip or a quote, and/or some "natural highs" (which are things I find in life to be absolutely wonderful, don't cost a penny, and you can smile about throughout a day)...something for you to hold onto. Today I'm going to give one of each. The tips are going to be my own personal findings....they aren't necessarily proven to be true (I'm just saying that for my own protection! lol)

TIP: If you buy boneless, skinless chicken breast in bulk, it is MUCH cheaper than at the grocery store. There is a place in my hometown where it is $4/lb and I bought 10 pounds of it last week. AS SOON AS I GOT HOME, I cut the impurities off, the little bits of extra fat, etc, and put them into SERVING SIZES in freezer bags, and into the freezer. This way, when I want to have chicken, I can thaw the perfect amount I need for 2 servings of protein, and I don't have to cut it at all...it's already done! It saves a lot of time and hassle during the week.

NATURAL HIGH: Closing your eyes and imagining yourself where you want to be in life: you look like you want to look, you feel how you want to feel, and you are happy, contended, excited, and successful. Do it now....

I need to do this more often. It has been hard, I will admit. It has been difficult to see the "good" in life this past year or so. But I believe the more the year progresses, as my journey continues and I continue to be successful in what I set my mind to, it will get easier to see that there are good things in store for me. And that good things CAN happen to me, not just to everyone else.

Okay - well, I have to get up for work quite early tomorrow, so I'm going to sign off. I will write again later on this week, probably Wednesday night after kickboxing. I'm always on a "high" when I get home from working out.

Have a blessed day. If you haven't started yet...if you are procrastinating and thinking you'll "start on Monday" or "start next time" or "start later"...stop it. You can do that for a VERY LONG time before you realize you are even deeper into unhealthy habits and you have MORE weight to lose.

Join me. Let's get healthy together. IF I CAN DO THIS, SO CAN YOU! I am nobody "special". I just decided to do it, and now I am.

xo - andrea