I have mixed feelings about having a co-worker join me at the gym. In one hand, it would force to have someone relying on me in the mornings to get out of bed and do my best at the gym (cause I don't want to look like a flake) but on the other hand, I am still not really in shape and I don't want her to think like "woah, what a cow ..." or something. :)

She asked me today "do you only do cardio or weights?" I said it really depends on my plan, I mean if I have strength training, I do that ..... :)

I am really excited about it but I am also nervous. I am going to have to get my "A" game to the gym. :) I am really going to show her what a "phit girl" is like.

I had a talk with Corinne last night and all of sudden, I am feeling better, I am feeling like I am doing good on exercise now my next step is to really nail down my foods. I am going to be quitting WW as I just don't think that its the program for me. I mean, I look at the points and I eat junk to fill in the needs. I am really going to concentrate more on eating healthy and clean foods. :) I really think that sending my journal daily whether its something embarrassing or not for the day is really what is going to keep me focused. I have Corinne, dear Corinne who is willing to pick at my journal and help more more than the support I get otherwise. :)

I have to get my head wrapped around this ... I have to bring it all to the table and workout hard, I have to eat better and I will start feeling better. I want to be wearing the springy clothes but I don't want to be buying them in "HUGE" size but I would like to see a little more progress. :) I am just tried of wearing the same ol' clothes and I am tried of wearing baggier, darker clothes to hide(Don't get me wrong, I will never give up black ... but I can add some spice to my black). I want to be free of my weight! :)

One of the things I worry about my weight and health is breast cancer. The reasons is that I have larger boobs and my gramma eventually died of breast cancer and I dont want to risk it and that is why I am trying to loose weight!!! I hate the thought of getting breast cancer. It scares the crap out of me!!!!

Anyhow I came across this article and I think everyone can read it!!!! Its good to know!!!

Enjoy your day!

3 Ways to Prevent Breast Cancer

Article By: Marisa Weiss, MD

Maintain a healthy weight.

It goes without saying that weight plays a role in helping you stay healthy, but it may also affect your risk for breast cancer as well. There is substantial evidence to support the theory that obesity increases the risk of breast cancer in postmenopausal women. In fact, a 2006 study involving more than 87,000 female nurses showed that weight gain during adulthood (e.g. 20s, 30s, 40s) is a strong risk factor for postmenopausal breast cancer. The good news though is that maintaining a healthy weight through the years, along with losing weight (if overweight) after menopause, can do a lot to lower your risk.

Eat a healthy diet.
Maintaining an overall healthy diet not only offers your body the energy and nutrition it needs to function, but offers health benefits as well.

Several studies suggest that a healthy diet may play a role in reducing the risk of breast cancer. For example:

• A low-fat diet may help reduce the risk of breast cancer recurrence. In a 2005 study, women with a history of breast cancer, who got only about 25 percent of their daily calories from fat, had a lower risk of the cancer coming back.
• In 2006, the Women's Health Initiative Trial suggested that a low-fat diet may reduce the risk of first-time breast cancer for women whose diets are very high in fat to begin with.
• A 2007 National Cancer Institute study of middle-age women, who ate a wide range of fat, showed that a high-fat diet raises the risk of developing invasive breast cancer.
• Women who eat a lot of meat, particularly red or processed meats, may be more likely to develop breast cancer, according to a large study of British women published in April 2007.

Stay active.
Besides giving you more energy and helping you lose weight, physical activity also can help lower a woman's breast cancer risk. Two studies completed in February 2007 confirmed that six or more hours of activity each week can reduce the risk of invasive breast cancer for most women.

Changing your diet, losing weight and starting or ramping up your exercise routine can be hard. But with information, support and practical tips on how to make the changes, you can begin working toward a healthy weight that will help your body stay strong and healthy.

About the Writer
Marisa Weiss, MD, is president and founder of breastcancer.org. Visit the "Lower Your Risk" section at breastcancer.org to learn more about breast cancer risk.

Today I feel really depressed about my weight and its really getting to me. I sit here on the chair and I want to get out and move but I have no one to go with ...... It depresses me to look and see what I allowed myself to get into it. I am just falling into every temptation out there. Sugars, mainly! I am having a hard time fighting the urge to crave sugar. And I hate it. No I am fat and I have no sense of pride in myself. Right now, I just want to cry!!!!!!!!
I look back on pictures and I use to be strong, and I am finding more and more that I am not. I know that part of this depression has come around because Thursday was my 26th Birthday and I realized how far that I have gotten into a rut in my life!!!!

Anyhow I hope that I can find a way to get myself out of this rut, I hope that I find myself able to pull myself out of the place of eating foods to comfort myself in some way, or out of boredom, or the thinking I am going to be fat anyhow I will just have another bite.

Someday I hope to be proud of who I am, what I look like, how I feel!

I completely just stole this from the Phit N Phit Member page but I know that people will understand and for those who aren't Phit N Phat, I think its a great staying.

"Champions aren't made in gyms. Champions are made from smething they have deep inside them: A desire, a dream, a vision. They have to have last-minute stamina, they have to be a little faster, they have to have the skill and the will. But the will must be stronger than the skill."

I think this can really sum up this journey that I'm on. I can go to the gym, go through the motions but that will not, in and of itself, do it. I have to have desire to change my eating habits and be healthier, a dream pushing my body past anything that I may have thought possible and a vision of how to put all these new found skills into practice.

I think the last sentence of this quote is the most important part. We can all learn these skills. In fact, most of us know them and we have been doing them or trying to do them for years or off and on for years. However, the skills mean nothing if we do not have the will, determination and strength of character to put them into place and follow them.

Going back to some posts from last week, I saw this in an email today from Sparkspeople:

They are small words. They can be easy to miss. They slip off your tongue as you order your food, without even knowing what you are saying. Yet they mean the difference between a healthy or unhealthy meal. What are these unassuming potential land mines? "Menu Watch Words"--and it pays to keep your eye on them.

Not all "Menu Watch Words" are bad. When you go out to eat, just go prepared. Know which words to look for and which to avoid. Below is a quick hit list of "Safe" Green Flag and "Warning!" Red Flag food options that even young children can understand. Challenge your kids to see how many "red flag" and "green flag" foods they can find, and let them choose their meals out of the green flag options.

The watch words below are a guide. Still, food items can be very healthy or unhealthy regardless of the use of any of these words. There are times when these words are used to mislead you (which is why we call them "watch words" and not "guarantees"). So use this along with your good judgment to steer clear of the bad stuff. More often than not, you'll end up making a smart decision.

GREEN FLAG - Usually Good for You
Steamed
Reduced
Baked
Marinated
Seasoned
Fat Free
Whole Wheat
Multi-grain
Vegetarian
Light
High Fiber
Fresh
Red sauce
Vinaigrette

RED FLAG - Usually Bad for You
Breaded
Fried/Deep Fried
Creamed/Creamy
Béarnaise or hollandaise
White Sauce
Crispy
Cheesy
Buttery
Loaded
Bottomless
"Bet you can't finish it..."
Au gratin
Country-style
Volcano

Decrease Cravings with These Tips -- By Holly Little, Certified Personal Trainer

After indulging for the past 3 months on foods that you would normally “restrict” your consumption of, you might be having a hard time kicking the habit of giving in to your sweet tooth. From the leftover Halloween candy to the chocolate overload on Christmas night, the cravings have been constant and hard to ignore. Like any other addiction, sugar intake can be a tough one to kick. It seems like the more sugar and desserts you have, the more you are waiting for the next hit. Where does the battle end?

I am not sure that I have the easy, cure-all answer, but here are a few tips that might help you pull your own sweet tooth.

• Try to find a substitute. Generally, you tend to crave sweets after a meal or in the late afternoon. It might be helpful to have something else there and ready to fight off those cravings. For example, peppermint tea might work in the evening, a box of raisins in the afternoon, a piece of fruit, or anything else that you can think of that would be somewhat nutritious and easy to keep with you.
• Wait out the craving. Most experts say the cravings you experience will only last a couple of minutes and if you can wait it out, they will pass and you will be better for it. Try to occupy yourself for a good 10 minutes when you get a craving and if it lasts longer, then it might be time to indulge in something.
• Set daily goals and reward yourself for meeting them. To a sugar addict, nothing is tougher than getting through the day without any type of sugary treat. The longer you can hold out, the easier it will become, so try to find a reward that would be worth holding out for. I did this about a year ago and gave myself a dollar for every day that I did not indulge and at the end of the month or however long it was, I would go get a manicure or buy myself something nice.
• Recruit someone to do it with you. If you are married or have a family, this would be a healthy habit for everyone to adopt. Clean out the cupboards and refrigerator of all bad foods and make the effort a team effort. Hold each other accountable and support one another through the tough times.
• Put yourself in good situations. If you are one who loves to use the vending machines at work or will drive through the local gas station to fill up on snacks, try to do things to prevent you from continuing on with these habits. Clean out all of the change and single dollar bills in your wallet. Make sure you fill up on gas when someone is with you. Go grocery shopping after a meal, so you don’t load up on bad food.

As hard as it might be to believe, you CAN quit this evil thing called sugar and you will be a better person for it. Not only will you probably lose some weight, but you will feel better and more energetic. Good luck!

Did someone say bootcamp? Heck ya!!!! Corinne is putting together a bootcamp in September. I am pretty excited as I am planning on going to it. Now its time to get my bootie in shape for the bootcamp! :)

I am pretty excited!

Yesterday was my big girl day! Yep, I decided to commit myself to the gym I have been "visiting" and get a membership. So now I am all grown up and I am commited to doing alll of this.

I read an awesome site and I really do think everyone will enjoy reading this. I do love to lift weights, I hate the cardio part of it but I love to have defined muscles and lift weights like the boys! :) hehe!

Here is the link: http://exercise.about.com/od/exerciseworkouts/tp/liftweights.htm

Enjoy reading!

I also wanted to share from my trainer that she sent these questions to us and I really did think it was great. If you are starting out and you want to get moving, setting goals is a great way of doing that. Here are a few things to think about.

Monthly Goal (Be specific…describe your goal like you would describe your favorite meal.):

Specific Steps you will take to make this happen:

What you will feel when you reach this goal:

Daily tasks that need to be done to get to your goal:

Potential pitfalls to achieving your goals:

How you will overcome those pitfalls:

Now, what do you need from me to help you get there!

WAIT!!! ONE MORE THING!!!! :)

What kinds of self-talk should you watch out for?

1. Self-Limiting Talk. When we are self-limiting we may say things like, "I can't tell him how I feel" or "It's too hard to finish the project" or "I'm getting so fat!" Self-limiting talk creates a self-fulfilling prophecy because we stop looking for solutions and assume defeat. Instead of looking at our options, we tell ourselves that we can't handle the things that face us.

2. Jumping to Conclusions. When we experience an uncomfortable situation, we make interpretations rather than simply stating the facts. For example, we'll say, "I tried on my jeans and looked so disgusting" or "Tom talked to me and I made a fool of myself" or "If I go to the gym, people will talk about me." When we jump to conclusions, we too often

assume the worst and make fact out of what might be fiction.

3. Habits of Speech. Our speech patterns can be so automatic that we don't even notice them. And though we may not even really mean what we say, it can have a negative impact on how we feel about ourselves. This may sound like, "What do you expect from a dumb blonde?" or "I'm so stupid!" This habit also shows up in the way we discount ourselves to others. For example, when someone tells us we look nice and we respond, "Yeah, right!" Though these detrimental habits may sometimes be disguised as humor, they aren't funny at all.

4. Other's Thoughts Become Our Own. Some of our thoughts are planted by external sources such as our parents, spouse, colleagues, or friends. These well-meaning voices have clear expectations of us that become a part of our own self-talk. Though their thoughts can serve us, they can also become detrimental when we are unable to distinguish their ideas from our own. One sign of this form of negative self-talk is when we begin to hear ourselves say things like "You really shouldn't..." or "You ought to..." When other's thoughts become our own we begin to act out of guilt, rather than desire.

My newest favorite coffee ...........

Venti Iced Americano with a little slash of NF Milk!! Yummmy!

Going to go pick me up one today! :) MMMMMMMMMMMMM! Coffeee!!!!!!!!

1st WW Meeting

Ok I am back from my 1st WW meeting and I don't know if I liked it or not. First of all, I will not judge this one because its the fact that the WW leader was out sick and so we had a receptionist fill in and she never did a meeting before. I will go again next week and see about how I like this. Basically I felt like someone was already telling me everything I knew so there was no like "woohoo" for me at the meeting today.

But my woohoo of the day is that my butt is sore from all those lunges but its GREAT! Today I was on the treadmill and I was thinking I can do more than 20 minutes, what is Corrine thinking? But I did it and then I went and did my supersets then about crawled into the bathroom to take a shower. I was like omg I am glad that I listened to Corrine on the treadmill.