staying fit!

it's 2 days in a row here... could i be back in blogging?! yesterday i talked a bit about diet- but i wanted to hit a little on something i think is even more important than dieting- exercise. when i was pregnant, and even before... and sadly for a year or more after- i wasn't very active. dave & i would go on walks from time to time, but nothing major. when dave suggested we do a triathlon to celebrate our 30th birthdays, i thought he was crazy- but then i started working out, and you know what? it wasn't hard- it was actually kind of... fun. now working out isn't always an adventure, but it certainly feels good most of the time, and even better- it makes it a little more satisfying when you want to indulge every now and then. i've posted before on keeping your children active- but what better example can you set for them than the example of you yourself being active. i want ian to see that i tried, and that i worked hard. i love when we pick him up from the gym nursery and he says "momma's 'esser-sizin!'" i love being that example for him! i wanted to share this infographic because i think physical activity is so important, not only for children, but adults as well... just see what only a few minutes extra a day can do for you!!  lack of proper nutrition and activity is a serious deal for people everywhere- it's really scary stuff.  so please, take a look!

Infographic courtesy of here!

weight ain't nothing but a number

mcfatty monday has come to an end.  and it's only appropriate that it ended on the same day i planned to write this post.  i've said it 100x... i've been working out for 6 months tirelessly, i've been tracking my calories for 2+ months religiously... and all for 8 lbs.  blah blah blah.  i've been so worried about the number on a scale, that sometimes i think it stands in the way of being able to see my true losses.  for me it's hard not to concentrate on those numbers b\c i remember the time (not terribly long ago) when i stepped on the scale and there were only 2 digits.  those days are in the past- and i've got to let go. 

last week i got some really awesome comments here (this link keeps getting jacked up) and then i read this post (especially note the last 2 photos- she weighs 10 lbs MORE than she was at her lowest, yet looks better than ever).  so leah, sarah, heather & jess... thank you.  i don't know you, but thank you. 

it's not about that digital number.  it's about how you feel.  how you feel in your clothes, how you feel in the gym.  how you feel day to day.  it's about the number of inches you've lost, the amount of muscle you've gained. 

feeling good and looking good are my new focus, no matter what my scale says, no matter how "overweight" my wii says. 

enjoy the journey.  updates will follow, but i just won't focus on it weekly.  i've got this.

the dust settles

birthday week and father's day weekend  aren't ever good for eating.  for one, we usually end up going out for both.  it's harder to track my calories when i'm out b\c not all restaurants are listed in the myfitnesspal app.  also, we end up eating home-cooked meals with family during that time- and that's even harder to track calories b\c i'm not the one who made them.  i'm happy to say that i'm back to my own home-cooked meals made by me where i'm able to track and list every ingredient.  although i do love family dinners. 

i'm also pleased to report that i finished my 1st 2 weeks doing wii fit workouts/weigh ins/body tests.  due to the wii fit being crazy- i had a goal of 138 lbs to lose in those first two weeks.  and although the wii said i was approaching my goal at a good pace- sadly, i didn't make my goal...  this time i was able to set a more reasonable goal.  my current goal is 11 lbs.  losing this 11 lbs will get me into the "normal" bmi range, and perhaps will get the wii fit to stop saying "that's overweight" every time i step on.  so far i've lost a total of around 7 lbs since i started getting serious about the way i eat.

workouts were also a little crazy this week.  monday, i missed the gym b\c they now close the nursery early, and it's become impossible to get ian there before his nap begins.  tuesday we ended up walking around the neighborhood.  wednesday, my sweet husband took ian during his lunch hour so i could go to the gym & run (our jogging stroller has a flat and the pump is missing a piece, grr), all so i could go to a party with my friend that evening (therefore sacrificing his own workout).  thursday we had to be in the city, so we missed that workout.  and friday we were finally back together @ the gym (even though i forgot my shoes- and sadly that's not the first time).  saturday we finally were able to hit the bike path.  i have to admit- every time i get on the bike i'm scared.  i actually had tears in my eyes at some points during this ride.  i did pretty well, if you don't count the time we were stopped at a red light and i freaked out when it turned green therefore letting dave ride across the street without me... oops.

goals for this week-  keep tracking, don't miss a workout, keep watching calories and sugar.

i'm linking up with Blair for McFatty Monday over @ Heir to Blair

leave the past in the past

i was definitely slack this week- in fact, i'd say i did pretty bad.  thursday i had a pretty crappy day- and i took it out on myself with food- that's not a normal reaction of mine- to eat my emotions.  it was more of a convenience thing.  my body definitely let me hear about it afterwards.  surprise, surprise coming from me, right?  although the scale does seem to show another pound lost, i don't really feel like i'm doing any better, and i'm beginning to think this weight loss thing is impossible.  i just can't figure out how there's no way that i am dropping these pounds.  i am controlling my sugar intake, i am working out 6 days a week- busting my tail.  this is coming from someone who has proclaimed herself to be lazy when it comes to working out.  i don't run, i hate sweating, i get tired easily.  here i am working out 6 days a week- and i am seeing no results.  it's kinda disheartening.  i know that i have potential to be small- i was the girl who was 90 lbs until i was about 21.  now, i am not asking to be 90 lbs again, but i'd like to be in a healthy weight- especially for someone as small (short) as i am. 

example- here i am in college-

me and my roommate sophomore year.  i am in dire need of about 300 sandwiches to eat.  seriously.  oh, and we are so thug.

 here i am with my suitemates senior year, and with my brother & grandfather after i graduated college.  i like to call this photo collection spray tan- before & after.  or it's not easy being orange.  i am out of control.  i am also out of control thin.

it's funny how your body image morphs as you get older and look back at photos.  i'm sure then i thought i could afford to lose some weight.  of course, then i knew i was thin.  after i graduated college, i put on a pretty good bit of weight- but i lost that weight.  i stayed a pretty comfortable weight from after that weight loss through after i got married.  of course, i always thought i was huge after i got married.  i complained all the time, i cried when i stepped on the scale...  ridiculous.  it's now one of those things where i look back at photos from before being pregnant and i'm like... wow, you really were thin- what was wrong with you.  again, it's all in the perception.  here i am shortly after we were married.

this is probably a good weight for me.  i wish i knew how much i weighed then, because this would definitely be my goal weight.  i like to call this photo: so i really was thin.  

but i can't think about this.  i can't think about college.  my husband says that i watch biggest loser and set unrealistic expectations for my weight loss goals.  they lose 10 lbs in a week- of course they do- they work out 8 hours a day.  so my goal this week- stop thinking about the past.  don't think about what you weighed last week, last year, last decade.  think in the present, and be in the present.  i can only control today.  that's what i'm thinking about this week.

i'm linking up with Blair for McFatty Monday over @ Heir to Blair

detox- week one- am i doing this right?

thanks for the super-supportive comments on my previous post.  it means a lot!  very encouraging!

as previously mentioned, i started my no-sugar detox monday evening.  i had a couple of sugary things in my house that i wanted to rid myself of (including a meal with fruit in it), so i had that for lunch monday.  i have been going strong ever since... maybe.

i can't decide whether i'm doing this right or not.  am i supposed to be having zero sugar?  because i find that sugar is naturally occurring in things i thought were "safe" to eat.  ie: milk, almond butter, tomatoes (i guess a tomato is technically a fruit, which i'm not supposed to be eating), sunflower seeds.  i haven't had a single sugar-free day yet.  here's the weekly breakdown (remember- i ate "normally" (not really b\c i was eating stuff for the sake of getting it out of my house) on monday).

monday - 102 g (holy crap)
tuesday- 16 g
wednesday - 11 g
thursday - 19 g
friday - 7 g
saturday - 12 g
sunday - 18 g

i mean, i guess when you look at monday- i appear to be hitting it out of the park.  but i am wondering about the other aspects of detoxing- such as the fact that my fat & cholesterol numbers are through the roof!  is that right?  i mean, i guess it would be if i'm eating a lot of proteins.  it just sounds weird.  here's what this week has been like:

eating:

breakfast- plain greek yogurt w\ cinnamon and/or almond butter.  or an omelet or scrambled eggs.  milk to drink

lunch- salad- spinach topped with various veggies, a small amount of cheese, seeds and a protein- either chicken or an egg.

dinner- i've made salmon and 2 salads this week (one steak, one shrimp).  tuesday we go out to dinner and i also had a salad.

snacks- mixed nuts, hummus with veggies or terra chips, almond butter with terra chips or jicama, brie with veggies, string cheese

water:  i am weird.  i could go an entire day without drinking ANYTHING.  i don't know anyone else like this.  it's odd.  so to drink anything- esp water- it's like forcing it down my throat.  i'm trying.

exercising:

we worked out 6 days this week, which is our norm.  we take sunday's off b\c dave plays hockey (so he works out 7 days) and thursday i don't really go work out, i just go to work, which is 4+ hours of standing, walking and lifting.  i re-learned how to ride a bike.  they say you never forget, but "they" are liars.  i have scrapes on both legs and a nice bruise on my tail to prove that i forgot...

side effects:

i keep getting wicked headaches.  they flare up for about 10-15 minutes at a time and go away.  i'm guessing it's either from caffeine or sugar- or both.  oh, and despite all the protein i'm eating- i find myself hungry a lot.  i'm a BIG eater.  i always have been (i know where my poor child gets it from).  i can put food away- and then be hungry in an hour.  that's still happening.

set backs/cravings:

i am actually doing really well as far as dr. p goes- i haven't felt any real need for it.  i am having the desire to tear into a bunch of bananas or just eat some fruit.  i also really want a coconut frappuccino.  so i love chocolate- like- a lot.  i was so desperate for just a bite by saturday night.  dave & i went to the grocery store to pick up a movie and i bought  box of unsweetened baker's chocolate thinking that would do the trick... hello.. that stuff is SO BITTER.  gag.  still, no sugar.  today however, i did get a lindt 90% cocoa bar- 4 squares has about 3 g of sugar, so i had 1 square.  i felt that would work- and dark chocolate is so good for you anyway.  it was a perfect treat.  and now i might be a cheater.

weight loss:

i don't feel smaller and i don't think i look smaller.  my clothes don't feel looser either.  however, i stepped on the scale monday and i stepped on the scale sunday night and sunday night was reading 5 lbs less!  eek!

recommendations:

if you are looking to lose weight or just to track your calories, i can't recommend enough the myfitnesspal app.  the fabulocity of this thing is unmatched.  it has just about every food you can imagine (you can use a bar code scanner for the things it doesn't have) and it has foods from many major restaurants listed.  plus, you can put in all the ingredients from a recipe you're going to make with the servings and it will split up the nutritional value for you.  plus, you can track your workouts and water intake.  i love it!

i probably won't complete a full detox b\c my family is coming into town this week and we will probably hit up some fun chicago spots- but i will be watching what i eat very carefully and probably be eating 95% of what i eat according to my detox plan.  that won't be until this weekend though!

also, i have an exciting giveaway coming up this week!  stay tuned

i'm linking up with Blair for McFatty Monday over @ Heir to Blair

this time it's for real

i am overweight.  i don't care how many times my husband tries to pick a fight with me about this one- it's the truth.  my bmi is in the "overweight" range.  in fact, it's hovering closer to the "obesity" range than it is to the "normal weight" range.  this hasn't been easy for me.  i gained 45 lbs when i was pregnant, and here i am 16 months later, and i still have 15 of those pounds.  i.  want.  them.  off.  15 extra pounds is not my ideal- whether it's watching my mii grow a belly, still looking pregnant or listening to 2 high school girls in my gym have a conversation where they talk about weight, bring up my weight and then refer to that as "chunky."  i'm tired of it.  i'm tired of having to make 2 outfit changes, or looking in the mirror and wanting to cry some days. 

i can be pretty lazy.  i love to sleep and i love just sitting around doing nothing- i thought that was my problem. wrong.  13 weeks ago husband & i started working out- we work out at least 30 minutes (usually 45+) 6 days a week.  i have lost ZERO pounds.  it's not that.   something is wrong with the way i eat- i think we eat healthy, but in the same vein, i think i snack too much.  it's time to fix what's broken.

i have asked around in several places- friends, my husband, my mentoring group- we're trying to nail this thing down.  they all have the same solution- count your calories- get the best idea of what is going in your body.  i also mentioned here that i was interested in doing a detox.  that has all started today- i'm counting my calories and exercise and i'm giving my body a 2 week sugar break.  no sugar, no bread, i'm forcing water down my throat (more on that later).  it's time to see what i'm really eating- and hope that the little changes make all the difference!

i resolve... april

not to make stupid resolutions this year that i will have forgotten about by... yesterday.

instead.  my "resolution" is to make a short list of attainable goals each month- and to share them with you.

i'm getting earlier with my posts... that's good.  let's review my goals for march.  i feel like i kicked some serious tail this month!

• go to bed before 2 AM ---maybe i did this 3 times...
• list clothes on smashion --- boo.  ya.  smashion is like ebay in that listing stuff takes for.  ev.  er.  it probably took me 4 hours or more to upload all of this stuff- and i don't plan on keeping it all up for months until it sales.  if it's not gone by a certain point- it's off to goodwill.  so, buy this stuff.   seriously- i want it out of my house.  shop
• seriously, clean your house, it's a disaster. --- we tried to take on a "project" per weekend on top of making extra efforts to clean.  our 4 projects:  1.  dig out backyard jungle weeds for future garden.  2.  fold and hang 6 weeks months of laundry that we i had lying around.  3.  clean out from under our bed (how did that stuff even get there?!).  4.  organize, try on and pull clothes & list them on smashion.
• finish something else on the 30/30 ---while i was unable to mark anything off the list, i did print more  pictures (#9) and started getting serious about date nights (#11).  ok, wait.  we did FINALLY pay off the hospital bills from having Ian (#14), but now we have hospital bills from the er visit.  i'm conflicted about whether or not this can be crossed off the list. 
• read 2 books --- yes!  (although i just finished the 2nd last night).  i finished butterfield 8 and another book having to do w\ my 30/30.  it's a secret.
• have 2 "date" nights with husband.  one where we stay at home and the other where we actually pretend like we have lives and we leave our house without our child (we will leave our child with someone, not alone if you were wondering).  --- we did have our at home date night.  we made a special dinner together and snuggled together for a movie.  we never got a chance to go out b\c dave's parents were on vacation during our free weekends.  we did have more than one at home date night. 
• see to it that the first day of spring arrives in the midwest.  i curse you snow, i curse you with 1000 curses. --- even i can't make the seasons change and that groundhog is a filthy liar.  it snowed at least twice this month.  40 degrees is not spring.
• win march madness (or my husband can win... what's yours is mine...) --- talk about the fail of the century.  i don't watch college bb, but i love march madness- this year's tournament was totally whack.  dave & i finished in a tie for 2nd to last place out of 24 brackets.  the pool was decided before we even got to the final four b\c everyone's teams were eliminated except for the winner who had 1 final four team.  sad.  i don't wanna talk about it.

and now for april!

• finish 2 more books
• finish 2 more 30/30 items.  
• don't spend any extra money on crap this month.  approved items are:  tv with tax money (planned ahead), lunch this weekend w\ friends we haven't seen since october.  easter basket goodies for ian.  out of the house date.  trip to milwaukee to see the braves (tickets are $0.75).  all of this total (not including the tv should cost less than $100).  
• 2 date nights.  1 at home.  1 out.
• lose 2 lbs.  i didn't bother with this in march, but i'm coming back to it.  it's been 8 weeks now- the weight has got to start coming off.  i'm busting my butt.  
• figure out how to spend/save the remaining tax money.  we could pay off ian's hospital bills in full, but would like to save some money as well.
• cash in my bonds.  they're earning about $0.25 a year.  ridiculous.

we'll check back to see how i did in a few weeks!!

updating

a few updates on my recent posts

wedding guest dress - i couldn't decide.  plus, half the dresses went into "out of stock" or "size 2 available mode.  and since most forays into the dressing room for me have a 17% success rate i decided this:  purchase 7 dresses that i liked best ie: were most affordable, try them all on, and send back the 6 losers, hopefully keeping 1 very awesome winner.  my husband frowned upon this idea, wanting me to purchase 2  instead and choose from those.  next time, you can have the baby and jack your body up.


ditch the shampoo - this got worse before it got better.  not only are my grays sticking out and holding up little "look at me" signs; i was wanting to shave my head and vomit every time i saw my hair, which stayed perfectly placed in a ponytail every time i removed my hair band.  gag.  when i was begging for my shampoo, husband suggested i follow the baking soda wash- it made a major improvement to my hair from first wash, and my hair is gradually starting to look cleaner.  i'm hoping that holds up, because it's time to color it... AGAIN. 


shredding - ugh.  epic fail.  i got through 10 days, then hubby's gma died and we were out of town for the long weekend, and it was just so difficult to get back into it.  i may start up again, but for now husband has a big plan for us that i'm keeping to myself for a while.  good news is while i didn't lose any weight, i haven't gained any since then either...

ian and i are flying to the atl tomorrow.  i'm so excited.  i need some south in my life.  we are flying, and did i mention it's just going to be the two of us?  after we get to atlanta, we'll be driving to nashville for the weekend for a family reunion (a little counter-productive) and then it's loads of fun in c-town.  this will be the first time husband has been away from ian- and he's a little bummed (so are we).  thank God for skype.  i'll be sure to include a post on traveling with baby. 

i won't be posting much during my vacay, but i do have some guest posts lined up- so keep checking in!!

call me the shredder

well, not quite, but that's the husband's new nickname for me. yesterday i started jillian michael's 30 day shred.  a girl from my new mom's group mentioned that she had bought the dvd, and was going to start it- so i figured i'd start it too (i had the dvd pre-baby) that way we could keep each other accountable.  we started on monday, so it's day 3.  i really hope i keep it up until day 30.  i need this.  

 

i need this because my self-esteem has taken quite a few hits lately...

#1 - i decide to use the wii fit for the first time since I was pregnant- over a year ago.  i was still in the early stages of my pregnancy then, so i had only gained a few pounds- but wasn't to point that i'm back at now.  so i step on the board and the wii tells me i gained 8.8 lbs, makes my mii fat and tells me that i failed at my weight loss goal (the one i set before i knew i was pregnant).  if only the wii knew i had gained 45 total lbs and lost all but 10...

#2 - i downloaded a new app on my phone that tracks your weight.  you put in a goal, and then you put in your current weight with your height.  i put in all this information, press enter, and the app replies, "you are   fat."  nice.  i guess it could be worse- just playing around, i put my weight down as 200 lbs and it said, "you will die."


so i need to lose 10 lbs to get back to pre-baby weight, but everything i read says that i was still 20 lbs overweight then (wtf?!)  regardless, i'm about to get serious!

so i figure, what better way to motivate than to humiliate...

so, here i am on day 2 of the 30 day shred

from the front.

and from the side - still looking preggers.  boo.

update in 27 days...

McFatty Monday 1

i have decided to join Heir to Blair in her mcfatty monday campaign. this is perfect for me considering i'm already a "mcf" myself! so the point of mcfatty monday is to talk about my weight loss goals for losing my baby weight, etc.

here's me the day before giving birth:


this is what craving candy, pizza and pasta will do to you when you're 5'1". in the end i had gained 45 lbs, and i had already thought myself to be overweight for my small frame before giving birth. of course, now anytime i see a picture of me from before giving birth, i can't help but think i really was small...

when i went back for my 6 week post-partum check up, i had lost 26 lbs. when we were at my parents house, the scale said i had lost another 3 lbs. our scale at the house is broken, so i will not be weighing myself again until my yearly ob appointment, which is another 3 weeks away. i like not having a scale because i don't constantly obsess over what i weigh, but at the same time, i can't keep track of my weight and know what i'm doing. i think i prefer not obsessing.

so i'm 29 lbs down. 16 lbs to go to my pre-baby weight, and 26 lbs to my goal weight. if i want to really stretch it, 36 lbs. that's probably a little much, so i'm going to stick with 26 lbs.

so, i'm trying to eat better, but it's just so hard. i have quite a sweet tooth. i love treats!! it's so hard to not want a treat every night!! we do eat out a lot less now that i've given birth because i'm not always craving pizza, and because i didn't cook much when i was pregnant. now i have my love for cooking back, and i'm cooking at least 2-3 meals a week (most meals give us at least 1 night of leftovers). so i know i'm eating better, and i'm trying to avoid that need for sweets by filling it with fruit, or yogurt instead.

i'm also lazy (weight loss is going to be a battle, i feel it). when i took ballet, i stayed really thin, and when i was cheering i was thin, but the minute i stopped those, i didn't really work out anymore. i hate running, and i can't keep up with a regimen for more than a few weeks it seems. i've tried pilates, jillian michael's 30 minute shred- nothing keeps my interest. i'm hoping to start cycling soon, and we're going for walks with ian when it's warm outside (spring is so fickle, we've only been able to have him out a handful of times).

so i don't have a definite plan, but now i've called myself out in front of the blogging world. i will work out, i will lose the baby weight, and i will be a hot mom!

more next monday!

post-partum exercise aka things i went and opened my big mouth about

first, let me brag on myself. i was a pregnant fatty (this does not sound like a brag so far) .i gained 45 lbs (when you are 5'1" this is probably not a good idea). so last wednesday i had my post-partum checkup- i had decided i was not going to step on a scale until i entered into that office (ours was broken thank the Lord, or else i would've stepped on it 30x a day), and i stuck to my word.

the verdict at my appointment (here comes aforementioned bragging) i had lost 26 lbs! omg! pretty awesome if you ask me. that means i only need to lose 19 more lbs to get back to my pre-baby weight (i would like to make this number 25). this is the hard part...

sadly, i am lazy when it comes to exercise. this is really sad because i took ballet for about 7 years, and then i did cheerleading for 4 years. ballet keeps you nice and slim, and with cheerleading i ran until i wanted to throw up. ever since i have been out of those i have rarely kept a routine. before i was married my mom & i would walk either at the walking track at our church or take the dogs around the neighborhood. sometimes we would do pilates. when i lived on my own, this stopped. after i got married, i would sometimes do pilates, or sometimes do my jillian michaels dvd. then husband and i started walking the silver comet trail with our dogs, then we moved. then i was pregnant. then i stopped doing anything...

i now have the clear to exercise again, yet i haven't. i'm too busy caring for baby, and when he does sleep, i usually either sleep myself, or i have become a clean freak (more on that later). i really should work out.

enter where i opened my big mouth... my husband bikes. he is of a family of cyclists. my in-laws tandem. they go on 800 tandem trips a year. my father in law bikes to work rain or shine, snow or whatever nearly every day of the year. they are serious. my husband and his dad have been to peru, where the biked up the highest unpaved road in the world (my father in law has been twice). i like to brag about this too- because it's pretty amazing. here they are...

pretty awesome, eh?

so i said this to say that last week i told my husband, "i think i might like to try biking." oh, what have i gotten myself into? ::sigh::

there will be more updates on this later, as i am now a cyclist.

::i need to follow this up to quote my husband: "you haven't even been on the bike yet, you are not a cyclist." we'll see.:

Let's Get Physical, Physical (Therapy)

Yesterday I had my second session of physical therapy as recommended by my OB. At my first appointment I felt a little stupid going in because my pain is never as great in the morning as it is in the evening. While the PT was working on me, I really wasn't feeling a lot of pain, but as soon as I left the pain began and I felt pretty sore for the rest of the day. She concluded that my pain was more than likely a muscle strain brought about by posture and work movements. Posture isn't a strong point of mine unfortunately (you would never have known that I danced for many years), and pregnancy is only making it worse. My height finds me constantly leaning over because my arms aren't long enough to reach things, and the constant back and forth motion at work doesn't help things. She recommended that I am not to be a cashier for more than an hour or 2 at a time. I took these concerns to Target,who had no regard to her instructions. I worked 6 days straight leading up to yesterday's session, so I've had plenty of time to feel lots of pain. I've been working really hard at trying to remember and follow my list of exercises- but we are so busy at work, and with me constantly cashiering, it's sometimes hard to squeeze in the 2 minutes of required stretches per hour.

So at my appointment yesterday, the PT looked disappointed when I told her that work wasn't moving me around to keep me from cashiering up to 6 hours straight. She started the session with asking me how the pain was feeling- good news- the pain isn't lasting after I leave work, bad news- the pain is now on my left & right side at work + I've had some excruciating pain in my rib cage toward the end of my shift- now this could be an extremely severe case of heartburn, because I usually don't eat until an hour or 2 before I leave work- but combined with my back pain, I think I know what Scarlet O'Hara felt like when mammy laced her up in her corset. The pain on my left side is probably from over-compensating for my right side. I've definitely worked a lot harder on concentrating on my posture and trying not to do too much leaning over the belt to reach things.

My actual therapy started with a deep tissue massage- this got me aching. I think my therapist is a little stumped about the root of my pain in relation to where it is- I mentioned my scoliosis to her, which she said definitely is contributing to my pain. After the massage, we got to work on the exercises. Today I had way more exercises to work on then with my previous appointment, including some work with a band and a ball. I was feeling sore at the end, but not like last week. I have my exercises to work on over the next week, and luckily I only have 4 days in a row to work before my next day off (Dr.'s appointments every other week are really helping this)!

My next therapy appointment is Monday afternoon following my Dr. appointment. For now I've got the rest of this week to test out my back at work, and work on my new exercises- I'm hoping to start to see some improvement. We're only 4 weeks away from the dreaded holiday shopping season- and everyone has already told me that it's an absolute nightmare. It makes me not even want to Christmas shop! So let's keep our fingers crossed that the therapy is working for the sake of my back, and most likely, my sanity!