O.M.J. (Oh My John!)

5:30 am comes early around here.  First of all, because the beds are so darn comfy, and second, well we stayed up a little late last night:0  Made it to stretch class at 6 am and there was my Kelli teaching.  You do stretch in the gym now and even though there were more than 30 of us, it was so spacious!  No elbows in your butt or anything;)  If you have been here before you can appreciate that:)  I am happy to see several friends back again this year.  People are already calling me the 'goat lady' LOL!  I can't get away from that one.

We are hiking on the Winter schedule now and it's very different than Summer.  We do stretch, eat breakfast, go on the hike, have a class, then eat lunch, have another class, then three more afternoon classes and supper, then a lecture.  We start at 6 am and finish at 7 pm.  Yes it's grueling, but yes it's doable and worth it.  It's only 2 pm here and I've already burned 1600 calories today!!!! 

The best thing about today so far was Jen's class where you access where you are.  Many of us have been here before and we are in all different places.  With my hip injury, I have found that I went into all or nothing mode.  Because I couldn't modify, I just quit.  Some days it was hard to walk even.  I tried to keep it all going with my food and did well with that part, but no matter how it went for any guest, they aren't worried about the past, just the future.  Where do we go from here?  How do we jump the next hurdle?  How can we make life easier? 

Some of Jen's thoughts for the day:  Carbs can be a train wreck for a lot of people.  That's why South Beach and Atkins work so well, but you pack it back on when adding carbs back in.  Our Fitness + Nutrition + Emotional Management = Our Life  We have to figure out what percentage would be our ultimate goal to shoot for.  I need my fitness to be at 60%, nutrition at 30%, and emotional at 10%.  Everybody is different.  You have to figure out what works for you.  We come here for a good fitness kick in the pants, but every part of the equation weighs in on your success.  If your nutrition or emotional management are off, you may lose weight, but you won't keep it off.  If you gain it back likely you have emotional management issues that need to be addressed.  Many of these are so unseen that people don't even realize they are there.

OK so it's 8:15 pm!  Total calories burned today were 3,368 minus 1,200 for food, giving me a deficit of 2,168!  I was so stinkin happy:)

I think Chef Cameron read my blog, marked his calendar, and fixed my favorites just for me today;) 
We had our hike and I got to do Lower Gila.  I asked Kelli and Tracey in the parking lot how it was and Kelli said it wasn't bad, kinda like Chuckawalla!  Are you kidding me???  That's the one that half killed me on day one last time, right!  So I go to the van and guess who's there waiting for me?  You guessed it John;)  Love him.  He's actually the reason I'm not dead from the first hike last year because he taught me to breath.  The air is soooooo thin out here, it must be counting it's calories too.  You just can't get your breath going up hill, so you are gasping for air, literally.  Well I did tell them I was intermediate.  John and I got another 'first day pic' at Heart attack hill.  Called that because a Dr. rode his bike up, sat down, and died!  True story, well if John can be trusted;)  If you have been here, you get the humor in that too!  I did really well until we started climbing.  Bottom line:  last year I started in the bottom of the three intermediate hiking groups and worked my way up through those ending in Expert B.  This year I got the top intermediate.  So I'm feeling pretty good about how I did. 

Lunch was great, and so were the afternoon classes.  We had Core, my least favorite, but it was with Annamarie and not Nicole so I left feeling like I still had some muscle left in my middle;)  I could actually do all of the workout.  This one was the hardest for me last year.  After having three C-sections, there ain't much down there that works if you know what  I mean!

Next was pool with Sharon and as always she made it FUNNER!  It really was the first half of class since we ran back and forth in the shallow end doing crazy things for her while she pumped out the Journey on the stereo.  We were all singing to the top of our lungs..."Just a small town boy..."  and "Wheel in the sky keeps on turning".  We were laughing like school kids at camp and then Sharon decided to make it even FUNNER.  She had us go down to the deep end and swim all kinds of laps for 25 minutes then end with the pool game where you are against the other side of the pool.  I have never been on a team that lost at this ever!  Victory dance;)

All in all it was a great day.  I'm really tired and want to go to sleep, but I know you want to see some pics so I'm going to try to download a few for ya.  Peace out and sleep well, and kudos for all of you that called me and sent encouraging messages.  It really helps to know so many peeps are rooting for me all over the US and Canada. 

 LOL they are so out of order, this is a new dessert, Guava Ice Cream!  The bomb!

 Sugar snap peas with a salmon burger on toast

 salad with dinner

 BURRITO - do the happy dance:)

 carrot soup

 Mexican Fritata

 fruit

 Sunday night's supper: chicken with spaghetti squash and turkey marinara and grilled brussel sprouts

 The menu board for Sunday

 Shayley and Ben a couple of my favorite peeps here.  They help you in reservations

Got some giant sized new towels by the pool - It's the little things people!!!!  Don't you know we are all just prisoners here, by our own device.

 Upstairs in the new gym

 Ceiling of the new gym

 Seating

 Pool Table

 Computer Center

 LOL Dr Suess Chairs - love them!!

 Gym

And the classiest bathroom I have ever used in my life - this picture simply does not do it justice.  There is leather on the walls!!!

The View From Here in Ivins

I got up, had breakfast with my couchsurfing family, hit Wal Mart for some last minute items, and ate lunch with my good friend Chelsea Williams from last year and my new friend, Linda Ashe.  We did the Mexican thing.  My favorite:)  Chelsea looks amazing.  She is living in St George and coming to Fitness Ridge every three weeks and going through the program for life coaching in St George.  Linda and I drove to FR and got checked in.  My roomie is Phyllis Norton and she is amazing.  We have so much in common I can't even begin to list it all.  After my hike in Zion my legs are killing me!  I stretched out but this is deep stuff.  I'm sure the hike tomorrow will whip me into shape.  They have new tshirts with Stop Sign Hike on the front and a list to check off and date on the back so you can remember the ones you did.  I shall get myself one of those;)  The kitchen fixed us chicken breast, spaghetti squash, marinara sauce, and brussel sprouts.  Don't get behind anyone, I'll just tell you that!!!  So after we ate we came back to the room and hung out.  Life is so calm and boring here so we make our own fun.  My roomie and I were up til 10:30 pm looking at pictures of our family and fun trips.  I know that's my number one rule for myself, bedtime by 8:30 sharp!  I'm sure I will be crashing early on Monday;)  Sharon will see to that!  I do have pics but will probably download them on Monday, sweet dreams.

Come As You Are

 Ahhh! Zion...  Your beauty is far above many things my eyes have seen.

 Glass by product.  We figured they buy it cheap and sell it for lots:)

 Knock your socks off beautiful!

 We made it to the top of hike something or other.  LOL can't remember the name, they all ran together!

 BREATHTAKING!!!

 Check out the yellow strip at the top!

 I'm so adorable they hired me to look cute at this National Park

 Reminds me of Snow Canyon

 Welcome to Virgin, UT

 Forget Texas, burritos as big as your head!

 Entering 'the narrows'

 Makaila striking a pose

 I think this one was called Great White Throne

Utah hiking at it's best

Come as you are...it means you are among friends.  It means that nothing special is expected of you.  It means that no matter what happens, you are welcome here.  This is the essence of how I feel right now.  I have come as I am, right now, and I know I am accepted.  I know that I am among friends.   And I'm here to work....hard.  But no matter what happens, there will be joy in the journey. 

Here I am in Utah again and another year has passed.  What's different about this year?  Well for one thing, I don't need your approval.  Fitness Ridge did that for me.  They taught me that I am stronger than I think and I'm good at it.  So I can be my own person and live life large.  That has been the most freeing benefit of last year's trip.  I also came here last year afraid of a challenge.  Not any more.  I say - "Bring it!"  Last year I visited Red Rock Canyon before Fitness Ridge and drove around taking pictures of the canyons, but dared not to hike the trails, not even leave the side of my car!  Today I went to Zion with my couchsurfing host Mikaila and we hiked 5 miles!  I have had ups and downs this last year.  In September, I hurt my hip and for the last 8 months, I have been trying to recover it without surgery.  After my 5 miles I'm sore, but not injured.  I have learned a lot about myself, and those around me.  I have challenged myself to keep trying to find the right mix to maintain what I have lost without going berzerk.  I want to finish strong.  Last year I just wanted to hide under the bed on day one.  Tomorrow is day one and I'm having lunch with some past and future friends from here.  By day seven I will be doing the Ivins Fitness Festival 5K.  Everyday in between will be beyond crazy.  I can't wait to see what will go down.

It's going to be a good week.  Visit me here every day to get your daily dose of living dangerously!  Cause that's how we roll at Fitness Ridge.  Weigh in tomorrow.  Wish me luck:)



Got Me A Ticket On An Aeroplane

I leave in 10 days...TEN DAYS!!!! Why do I feel so bland about it right now? I think it's known as the second trip, been there, done that, blues. I have tried to get scared, lose 10 lbs in 10 days so I go back in the game, but alas, there is more to do here at home than I have hours for in the day. I try to get nervous, wondering what trail I will have on Monday and how it will kick my butt into next week, but I think, "I've done most of them out there and lived to tell about it" I try to imagine how much pain I will be in and how well I will sleep, but I'm so tired in my current life I just long to feel something other other than numb right now. So here is what I've decided to do. Enjoy my trip!!!! Yes, I know - that's an alien thought huh? Last year this time I was so keyed up I had trouble sleeping at night, and now I think I might sleep through the whole flight to Vegas. I shall ENJOY MYSELF:) Hum...it sounds better every time I say it.

I have a goat milk soap and bath products business and right now it's going like gangbusters. By April 28th I will start a festival lineup that covers 5 of 8 weekends! My sweet husband and two sons will cover two of those parties for me. I have been making soap until we can't eat on our own table. There is soap everywhere. It will be nice to set that all aside and just enjoy some time with the girls and occasional male guest that happens along at Fitness Ridge. Speaking of which. I will be meeting three alums at Cafe Rio in St George on Sunday before heading out to the Ridge. My husband says I'm a people gatherer and just can't help myself. One is an old friend from last year, Chelsea, my hiking buddy. One is a new friend that will be coming in from Canada. And one is DeeDee, who wrote one of the first blogs I ever read before going to Fitness Ridge. I remember crying my eyes out as I read every step of her journey, looked at every photo of all those people on red rocks, and salavated over every turkey concoction that Chef invented. Now I get to meet the famous DeeDee;) I will be couch surfing in St George with a girl who just signed up for couch surfing. I will be her first guest! Woo Hoo! Breaking her in right:) She has volunteered to take me to Zion for hiking and I am so excited. After I leave the Ridge I'm surfing with the Jacobs who let me stay with them for two nights last year. We have kept in touch and Irena and I are going to try to take in a show that evening.

I have a lot to look forward to on this trip. I'm only counting on the things that I know will happen right now, but I know there will be so many new friends (I'm living proof of that from last year!), so many fun conversations, so many times that Sharon will hit me and scream at me, those special moments when Tiffany will jump on the front of my treadmill screaming "YOU CAN and YOU ARE WORTH IT". I look forward to the Ivins Fitness Festival 5K and hope we get a tshirt, cause you know, it's all about the tshirt;) Oh and I hope the tshirt isn't hideously ugly like the one from that streetlamp 5K I did last summer. Steve and I are embarrassed to wear that one;P Yes I will ENJOY this trip. And you know why don't you??? Yes that's right, say it with me, BECAUSE I CAN AND I"M WORTH IT! Love you Tiffany and can't wait to see you riding on the front of my treadmill:)