Relay for Life: Triumphs and Failures

All kitted out.

Let's start off by saying I think the Relay for Life is an amazingly good cause. I think next year if I decide to participate (which I most likely will) that putting together my own team of friends and family will be the single key ingredient to making it an absolutely memorable experience for me. I'm thinking board games, card, games and a roster of participants and their designed walking hours to make it so people don't have to be tethered and wondering exactly what is going on and how it all works!

Regardless though, it was a worthwhile cause and a wonderful experience to be a part of something bigger! The end result was through all your generous donations I managed to raise $521.00 - $321.00 more than my original goal and in only 29 days! At a 3.2mph clip I walked 7.2 miles, and burned approximately 842 calories. What a night for weight loss.

Participants Lap

This event did teach me a few things about myself and my body though, and for that I'm grateful. Firstly, I have more stamina and endurance than people think I do. I have a love/hate relationship with the way other people seem to underestimate me. Secondly, in my mind's eye I am bigger than I am in reality (case in point: I ordered a size 2X shirt that needed to be tucked up, cut down and pinned in to look like a shirt rather than a night gown).  Thirdly, I don't deal well with negativity - whether it is actual or perceived, my own or not. And for the grand finale of "things I've learned about me": I must be gaining a crap ton of muscle because my quad muscles are rock solid (now to translate that to my inner thighs hehe!) and my weight is a pretty solid 225 (223 actual) on the scale. I know it's only been one week since I weighed in at 223lbs at my official weigh in but it does help my head-space to see the scale dropping toward the 100's rather than rising up the other way. I've kind of accepted that this is just another one of those things everyone losing weight has to deal with and that I really should cut myself some more slack.

Fabulous Hat is Fabulous!

I'm exercising daily and trying my hardest so that's all I can do! As a reward I bought myself a new hat from a local Thrift Shop. Isn't it fabulous? On May 8th I did my weigh/measure at Curves and decided on that day that I'd start a daily exercise routine. I've been keeping an exercise log (as I always have) and decided that I'd plop down the last week's results for a recap. It is Sunday - Sunday.