Day 248 Better Choices Come Naturally and An "Extreme Energy" Challenge

Day 248

Better Choices Come Naturally and An “Extreme Energy” Challenge

I most always have apple slices marinated in lemon juice for a snack at some point during the day, usually around three hours after breakfast, about 8am. Irene is like a master at slicing those things so perfectly, so she sliced up several baggies full, poured in the lemon juice, and put 'em in the fridge. This morning I enjoyed apple slices marinated in lemon for over 24 hours! It was amazing. The lemon juice had started taking off some of the color, making the lemon juice pink. The apples were a tad softer than normal and the combination of sweet and sour exploded with every bite! This is really a perfect example of how my eating habits have naturally evolved over the last 248 days. Not too long ago, say even as close as 120 days ago, a typical snack for me might be 110 calories worth of Funyuns, now it's lemon marinated apple slices. It wasn't forced, I didn't make myself do anything that I didn't want. Oh and just to show you that I'm not finished occasionally enjoying Funyuns, I had a 110 calorie pack of 'em this afternoon. But overall my choices have naturally improved without any feelings of deprivation.

If you haven't subscribed to my Twitter, then I invite you to do that! I was extremely reluctant to join the Twitter craze, but I do see some value or I wouldn't still be Tweeting. I often send Tweets that tell what I'm eating, when I'm exercising, and I try to offer some little motivational blurbs here and there. Some days I Tweet a bunch and others not so much. If you feel inclined my Twitter profile is www.twitter.com/SeanAAnderson

I had the opportunity last night to have a little more rest than I normally do, and I have to say, it makes an amazing difference! I know, big news flash huh? Proper rest makes you feel better? Really Sean? Of course it does. I plan on getting some more tonight! I sincerely appreciate all of the wonderful comments and e-mails I received about last night's blog. One anonymous comment from someone who lives close by I'm sure, suggested I try a workout class called “Extreme Energy” with fitness and life coach Melissa Walden. I sent a text to Melissa asking the when, where, and how much? She replied with a wonderful answer! She teaches the class every Wednesday at 5:30 at the YMCA, and it's open and free to members of the YMCA! That's us! She told me to be there and I said I would try. I thought seriously about going to this class all day. Then I would think, well, maybe I should just stick with the tried and true for now. But what am I afraid of? Getting my behind kicked? I love the feeling of a great workout and this “Extreme Energy” sounds like it would be an amazing thing! I made the decision to go and give it a try. I recruited Amber to go, because I can't get Courtney away from her school books today with tomorrow being the last day of finals and Irene had to get some rest before working all night at a job where she's constantly moving. Amber enthusiastically accepted the challenge and soon we were on our way to the YMCA with a little bit of nervous anticipation.

I think at 505 pounds I would have died at the Y had I attempted this class. They probably wouldn't have allowed me to even make the attempt at 505. Of course at 505 I avoided the YMCA at every turn. I wouldn't even drive by the YMCA at 505 pounds, I didn't want to be reminded that I really needed to be in there doing something. Melissa told me it was a combination of kick boxing and Tae Bo, wow, really? Both? Maybe I should just start at kicking, then see where it takes me from there. The combination kind of sounded a little too advanced at my current weight, but Melissa assured me that I would be fine. I could do it at my level and to just “keep moving.” Oh my, did we ever keep moving. In the first five minutes I discovered muscles I didn't know existed. My legs haven't kicked like I was a street fighting Rockett since I was...wait a minute, they've never kicked like anything. Suddenly my legs felt like they weighed a thousand pounds each. Burn baby burn! I did my best to keep up, but as expected I fell behind a few times. I looked over at Amber a few times and we gave each other the look of oh my, what have we got ourselves into here? But we couldn't quit. We had to keep moving. Melissa is a wonderful teacher, she wasn't putting any unreasonable demands on me or Amber, she said “just keep moving.” I can do that. We were staying for the duration! I noticed the padded mats hanging on the wall and I hoped that Melissa was about to announce “Nap Time!” Maybe a break with a little snack? No. OK then, let's do this! And I couldn't stop in front of Amber! She looks up to me, she's following my lead. The leader can't quit! After a half hour I looked over at Amber and she was really giving it her best, so by golly I was going to give it mine too! Who's the leader here? I'm very proud of her, she's going to have an amazing transformation and story to share someday! She's already come a long way. As we got into the stretching and mat exercises late in the class, I could clearly see that I was going to make it just fine. I'm still shocked by the burn I felt from muscles that have been silent for years. It was exactly what the name suggest, pure energy. It was truly an amazing workout. I'm so happy we did it and I'm positive that it will not be the last time. A very nice lady came up to me after the class and told me that she reads this blog everyday. That made me feel even better. I thanked her for reading and asked if she was the one who suggested the class in that anonymous comment this morning, she said she wasn't. Thank you Melissa for a wonderful experience for my daughter and me!

After the class we hurried home and had an amazing dinner. I grilled some chicken breast on the backyard grill in between errands and appointments this afternoon, I almost over cooked them, but really they were perfect. We warmed them up, added a baked potato, and a bunch of green beans and it was a fantastic meal! I enjoyed sour cream on my potato and I mixed a couple of cheese slices with the green beans, allowing it to melt, then mixing right before serving. The entire meal checked in at 440 calories and it was very satisfying! After dinner I still had nearly 300 calories left for the day, so I enjoyed a 60 calorie Dark Chocolate Ice Cream Fudge bar, the Popsicle brand. I just enjoyed some more apples and a 40 calorie Bomb Pop. That's right, 40 calories in a Bomb Pop! It's my favorite popsicle treat of all time. As a kid I would run down the ice cream truck to get one of these sweet creations, totally unaware that I was making possibly the best choice on the old ice cream truck. I do think the Bomb Pops of old were a little bigger in size. But hey, the 40 calorie version is totally wonderful!

Day 248 was a fantastic success. Another day, another page, another stride toward my ultimate goal is in the books. Thank you for reading. Good night and...

Good Choices,
Sean