You know how they say that for each pregnancy you have, you add another 5 pounds? They also say that each of those 5 pounds is very difficult to lose.

Well, after months of trying, and you know my littlest one is now 3 and a half right? Well, after months of trying, I’m now within those last 10 pounds. Mind you, my goal is 12 pounds away still, but the fact that I’m within the dreaded 10 pounds, 5 pounds per pregnancy, is quite amazing. I’m thrilled, I’m excited, I’m looking forward to pushing through to the end.

Weighing in this weekend (I weigh in each Saturday morning as part of a competition which I’ll talk about another time) made me so incredibly happy! I wasn’t expecting to lose this much this week, but it happened. Something seemed to click in place this past week. I also ate very well and watched all my carb and sugar intakes (apparently makes a big difference) and was vigilant about drinking water to stay hydrated after my workouts.

Today marks the last big push before my Cancun trip. I really want those sculpted arms and firmer middle. I’m on my way! yay!

What to do in a zoo? See the Mandrils of course!

We met up with some friends at the SF Zoo today. We have a membership and try to go a few times a year. With a membership, it becomes a very affordable entertaining way to spend the weekends. We usually go after lunch and we stay about 2 hours, 3 hours at the very most! We bring some snacks for both the parents and kids. After running around from one exhibit to another, the kids are exhausted and the ride home is very quiet.

We were at the zoo only a few weeks ago. My little one remembered seeing the Mandrils and that exhibit was the only one she was really interested in seeing today. She didn’t know the name of that animal. She just said “You know, the monkey with the stripes on his blue nose?” And my older daughter says, “Oh yeah, the one with the rainbow butt!”

So after strolling through the petting zoo, insects and aviary we meandered over to find the Mandrils. Sure enough they were there in all their colorful beauty showing off for all to see. My little one was so happy to see them there we stopped for a snack to watch the Mandrils.

Never mind that we got to see the lions being fed, or that the rhino decided to take a dump with his rear end facing us, the peacocks came strutting among the visitors and the goats at the petting zoo got excited and locked horns. No, the most memorable part of the zoo was the Mandril and his rainbow butt.

I’m a natural motivator. I know, pat myself on the back. Really though, I got a whole bunch of people on P90X when I first started. I was so pumped about it, if anyone commented on how great I looked (I was 30lbs overweight and lost 20 at that point) I would just talk to anyone about my workout and all the wonderful results. And these people (sister, brother in law to name a few) would look at me and wonder, well hell, if she can do it, I should be able to.

I’m the least athletic person in the family and the last one to get into such an intense workout program, so seeing me get into P90X made them want to give it a try. They’d think, it’s not that extreme if she can handle it. Ha ha! And I was the one laughing when they said their first workout made them want to throw up!

My latest convert is my brother who just started his first week. I’m using myself as a tool to keep him going. He can’t quit if his oldest sister is on the program. That would just be humiliating and no one would ever let him live that down.

Part of the motivation to lose this weight and get fit is not just for a healthier me, but more to get in shape for my trip to Cancun. I want to feel good in that bathing suit (preferably a bikini since I’ve not been in one in oh so very long) as I lay out by the pool and watch my kids play. I swore to myself I will throw away (and burn if I have to) all my old bathing suits with those silly skirts to “hide” those dimply thighs and wide cushy hips. Ugh, can’t believe I let myself get to that point. Someone shake me the next time I let myself go like that. Please!

Yesterday was a holiday and I indulged myself an extra workout. It felt great. Did I mention that working out isn’t a chore anymore, but it’s something I look forward to? Well, yes, I’ve evolved. Strange how that happened. Wonderful and strange. Progress.

Anyway, yesterday I did my usual P90X workout (the Chest Shoulders and Triceps dvd) and followed that up with a 45min rowing session. OMG it felt incredible! So incredible that I went to bed sore. And I woke up not in the mood for a workout cos I was super sore. Not to worry, a workout is planned for this evening.

As I was doing my pushups (not my fave) I kept telling myself that CUN is getting closer and I really had to take it up a notch if I want to see myself in that bikini. I’m really going to need to do some extra work these next few weeks before I will feel great in that bathing suit. Throwing in a couple extra cardio workouts during the week will help me lose those extra pounds.

Stay tuned… countdown has begun. (BTW, my countdowns go a long while…I just love the anticipation)

So I had a weight goal to get to for the big Rotary at the Ritz event for my Rotary Club. The Rotary at the Ritz is a gala event to raise funds for our club’s programs. Its a big production and we get all dressed up for it and its a grand time.

I planned on wearing a purple dress with a halter top and fitted through the waist to fall in an a-line knee-length skirt. I’d worn it last fall when I was 15lbs heavier and although it was very flattering, I still looked like a sausage (or a budbud) with big shoulders and padded back. Yuck.

Long story short, I didn’t make my weight goal but was very happy with the results of my workouts. I was 2lbs away, which isn’t too bad but I’m just going to continue this slow but steady pace to get back to my target weight (12lbs away).

I’m being realistic with my goal and how I’m getting there. I’m letting myself have treats every now and then and I give myself a cheat day (although sometimes its 2 days). I want to make sure that this time around this is not going to be just another diet adjustment. This has to be for life. So the changes I’m making have to be sustainable otherwise I won’t make it past month 2 of maintenance mode.

These last 12lbs might take a while but I want to make sure it stays off. Stay tuned for updates because I will surely write about them.

I’ve been a Rotarian going on 5 years now. I know what you’re thinking…. You’re too young for that club! or That’s a bunch of old retired white guys!

Far from the truth. I belong to the Rotary Club of Half Moon Bay and our club has about 46 members and about half of them are women. Active, participating, relatively young, business women. Yes, I’m probably still the youngest one there, but at one time or another, there were members younger than I. It’s just that it can get difficult to stay in the club for various personal or professional reasons.

Being a Rotarian is a wonderful for me. It has introduced me to some great friends I wouldn’t have ordinarily have met otherwise. These friends share the same values of service and dedication to a greater good not just in our town but around the world. These friends come together in friendship, fellowship and whenever we need it, we help each other when times get tough personally.

I often get the question “Why do you do it?” or “Why are you part of the Rotary Club of all things” and I can’t imagine not being a part of it. It’s a way for me to give back. I don’t want to be that person who waits until her retirement to “give back” and “volunteer”. Why wait? Who knows if I’ll have that time in the future? I know I can carve out some time now to make a difference. There’s not going to be a “good time” to do these things. The time is now. I will make the time to do so now.

Phil has been super supportive of this. I can’t be a part of an organization that meets weekly, be on the board of directors that meets monthly and on top of that, there are some other social or volunteer obligations that comes with being a Rotarian. If not for Phil’s support, I couldn’t be a productive Rotarian. Phil has to take on single dad duties while I attend meetings or work on projects. He gets “dragged” to social events where he does small talk with everyone (he doesn’t hate it, but he doesn’t love it either).

The best thing about being a Rotarian, is the difference I’m making now. I am not one of those people who asks themselves, “What am I here to do?” “What have I done to leave this place better than it was” or “What is my legacy going to be?” I KNOW I’m making a difference and I’m making a difference through my work with the Rotary Club and Rotary International. I’m making a difference NOW.

Our club has been instrumental in starting a free medical clinic in town. We have a major fundraiser each year to help fund the clinic. We have helped non-profit organizations around our community with small grants and helped with different service projects.

We introduced the Laws of Life Essay contest that gets rolled out to the high school kids in our community (including the young men’s detention facility… not sure it’s the correct term) and the continuing education high school. Probably the most moving experience of the year is to listen to the writers read their stories, heartfelt, tear-filled personal essays of their lives and what they’ve learned. Sometimes my heart just hurts to know that such young people have gone through such adversity and have the courage to share it to a room full of strangers.

Internationally, our club has helped bring clean running water into several villages in Ecuador. I don’t think many people realize what the lack of clean water can do to a village. Imagine having to walk for 2 hours to get water each way, each day just to get clean water. But that’s not all, if there’s no clean water and there’s no clean or safe way to dispose of waste, there’s bound to be many cases of diarrhea. And that’s what kills young children in these poor villages. Bringing clean running water is a key way to help lower the mortality rates and increase their production by freeing up time for the women to do other things than haul water each day.

There’s just so much that we Rotarians do. I’m proud of what our Rotary Club does and I’m super proud of the fact that I’m one of the cogs in the wheel that helps to make it all happen.

I often tell people that if they really wanted to make a difference, they’d join a Rotary Club, or some other service organization NOW. Not later. There’s no time like the present. There’s no telling what the future will hold. There will always be something that comes up and stops you from doing something, contributing and making a difference. Just do it. NOW.

So I didn’t do P90X like I thought I was going to do. Instead, I got up and popped in my Jillian Michael’s 30-Day Shred video. Jillian Michaels is The Biggest Loser trainer and is a really tough woman who yells at people and motivates them to do better. Now, The Biggest Loser has some 400+ pounders on the show and I only really want to lose another 10lbs. But, she’s motivating and really tough and I thought I’d spend the $10 to buy the video and give it a try.

So I gave the video a try and after doing P90X for so long (I’ve been loosely following it these last few months) I figured it might be too easy. What can 20 minutes really do? There are 3 levels of videos each advertised to be 20 minutes long (it really was more like 27min but who’s counting, right?). I chose to try Level 2 and it was great! I was so pleasantly surprised and felt challenged at this level. It got my heart rate up during the strength training and jacked it up during cardio and lowered it a bit (catch my breath) during the ab workout. She does circuits with 3 minutes of strength, 2 minutes of cardio and 1 minute of ab work using only a small hand weight (I used a 3 pounder) and a mat. You don’t need much to get started, so there shouldn’t be too many excuses!

Jillian reminds you to that if you want to get results in 20 minutes you have to “push through” it. That helped me get past the burning shoulders and the seemingly unending pushups (obviously not my forte). After finishing Level 2, I felt like I could still keep going. Considering that I normally workout for at least 40 minutes, I still had some time left. I quickly got the dvd going again and did Level 1 for another 10 minutes or so before I had to call it quits to get started on the lunch-making part of my morning.

Overall, Jillian Michael’s 30-Day Shred is a good workout. I will be doing it again and this time, I think I’ll give myself enough time to do 2 full sessions. It’s not P90X material, but it’s enough to give a little variety in my routine.

I started this blog because I wanted some sort of journal. I knew this wasn’t going to be easy, but I thought I’d have something to say each day. It’s much harder than I thought. Finding the time to write, coming up with a topic to write about and actually sitting down to do it takes some effort.

Speaking of not having the time. It’s past bedtime for me. It’s Sunday night and I usually try to get to bed by 10:30 so that I can get up for a workout by 5:30am. Working out in the morning seems to work really well for me. Besides not getting enough sleeps, I don’t have many other excuses to throw out to skip a workout. If I wait until the end of the day, I have so many more reasons (kids need dinner, exhausted, homework time etc etc) to bag the workout.

Working out was never my “thing”. It was always a necessity. It still is a necessity, but it’s also become a part of me. Now, if I skip a morning workout, my whole day is off and I lament the fact that I just gave up and slept in. Knowing that the sleeping in wasn’t even quality sleep makes it worst. Now, if I slept in by mistake and was in a deep comatose type of sleep, that’s different.  But my day isn’t right without that morning workout and I will try really hard to have a workout later that day (not always successful).

Now it’s time to close up shop so I can start the week off right with a good dose of P90X and my buddy Tony to keep me company in the pre-dawn hours. G’night.

It’s Monday morning again and as I sit at my desk at work, I realize what a morning I’ve already had.

Wake up, workout, make lunches, get showered and dressed, make sure girls are dressed, rush through breakfast, rush some more to get them in the car. Race down the highway to get to school on time. Give up in traffic and park a block or so away. Walk then start to run in skirt and heels with 3.5yr old on hip (otherwise, little legs can’t keep up) panting and legs burning from exertion just so we can make it to class before the tardy bell rings. Kiss big girl goodbye and wish her a happy and fun day.

Back to car to drop off little one. This time, not so much of a hassle as no bell haunts me with the dreaded pink slips. Give her hug and a kiss, then another kiss and say bye-bye. Get back in my car, take a deep breath, get a drink my almost cold coffee.

It’s 8:15am and now, it’s time to be my professional self and drive to work.

I missed my workout yesterday morning and felt so blah about it all day. I went home and I squeezed in a workout while Phil took care of the girls. I really didn’t want to end the day on a blah note. It made me feel much better although it did push my bedtime past 11pm. Still worth it.

This morning, I woke up and despite the lack of sleep (tossing and turning kind of night) I got up and worked out because I didn’t want to spend another day thinking about a missed workout.

Phil’s really great about giving me the time to workout whenever I need it. It helps that we’re on the same page about getting healthy and working out. It keeps us both motivated and on track.

My older one asked me why I workout. I explained to her that since I sit behind a desk all day and don’t get to go outside to play and run around, I have to workout to get some exercise. She asked why I sit around all day and I had to tell her that for some people, their jobs make them sit in front of a computer almost all day. She suggested that I should go for a walk or run around after I finish up my lunch. Good idea.