Is the World Rotating Faster?

I swear the sun came up a little earlier than it should have this morning. I think good ole Mother Eart is rotating a little bit faster. Must be because of all the weight that the RFL BU is losing. We're relieving some of the pressure off of the axis, allowing the Earth to rotate faster.

Have a great Easter, and remember - it's ok to indulge this weekend...so that Jeff can take the lead.

Exercise Partner & Motivator

I thought it would be nice to have a place where you can post a mention of your exercise partner, or motivator (whether that is a coach, a friend, a spouse or animal) that really helps you get going, get exercising and meeting your goals of health!

I of course have many friends that are encouraging, but my spouse is the most amazing person to support me! He loves to go with me to races - that is a HUGE committment for someone who doesn't race and Oakley of course is the one clawing at me in the mornings to get out of bed and make those miles count! He is finally slowing down a little, which makes me sad, but still can do 3-5 miles with no problem. My super puppy!

So here is my photo of Steve & Oakley - the best motivators and partners a girl could dream of! Please make a comment or post a separate post with your story!


photo 1: Steve & I at the Boston Marathon last year
photo 2: Oakley

Musical Motivation

Last night, I ran the farthest I've ever run in my entire life (without stopping or walking). Hell, I don't even think I've ever even walked that far (discounting Relay For Life events, of course). 4.5 miles. That's right - I jogged 4.5 miles last night. No, I'm no Nancy Cook....but I'm getting there.

To what do I credit my accomplishment? For starters, Nancy and Judy have been telling me for months that my shoes are important. It's very important to have the right shoes. Nancy sent me a link to a website. I checked it out, found out what kind of foot I have (didn't realize that mattered, but apparently, it does). My height, weight were all taken into consideration. I took that information and went to a running/shoe store here. No, not Payless. It's a locally owned store that is owned and operated by runners. What better place, right? They fit me into at least 20 pairs of shoes, and I finally found the right ones.

I strapped those puppies on and took off. The last couple of weeks, I've been breaking them in - On Friday, I hit 3 miles for the first time. And last night, I hit 4.5. Wow!

But - it aint just the shoes. Another vital ingredient is my musical motivation. And while running, I thought of writing this blog with this idea in mind (you have a lot of time to think when you're running). I want to know from each of you - When you are exercising/working out/running - and you are getting a bit fatigued - what is your trusty "old reliable" song that always gives you the motivation to keep going? You know what song I'm talking about. The song that when you need it most, you skip ahead to it and it's like Popeye eating his spinach. I want to know - WHAT IS THAT SONG? And which artist?

We're Baaaaaack!

That's right Ruffle Boo - we are all back. Based on feedback, there is demand to start up the Ruffle-Boo Fitness Challenge. And, since I was the last winner (yeah.yeah.yeah - shining fingernails on front or shirt)...I suppose that means it is my responsibility to kick you people in the butt!

So, same deal - we have from now until the next IN-PERSON RFL BU meeting. According to my schedule, that is still looking like June...unless plans change, in which case, we'll deal with on a situational basis. All that means is that it's important not just to lose weight for this tentative period, but to make an attempt to live a healthier lifestyle. After all, isn't that the real goal of this challenge?

So, weigh yourself in by tomorrow morning (since we're the lightest in the mornings!) and get in gear. The winner will win the money like always. And to make it more fair, we're going to go based on percentage of weight lost - not the number of pounds lost. Just like the Biggest Loser.

Put on your running shoes, throw away the twinkies, and get off the couch - it's time to be the sexiest looking Ruffle Boo ever! Let's show off how fit we can be at the Leadership Summit!

Where does the time go?

If I'm being totally honest with myself, I can admit that I let things like posting to the blog or stepping on the scale slide for "just one more day" when I know I'm not as focused as I need to be. I suppose we all have our own ways of trying to stay focused, and I find that I need concrete tasks to keep me connected to my goal.

So... I am sneaking back here to the blog to see if I can remind everyone to stay inspired in the home stretch!

Don't forget to weigh in this Sunday for our second round of the Ruffle Boo Weight Loss Challenge! We will pay up and reward the winner in Atlanta. I hear that Judy is running like a fiend and has even made a little extra commitment to push through till the end. What is everyone else doing? Are you ready for next week??

The Scale - "Friend or Foe"?

After getting on the scale this morning that shows me weight, body fat and percentage of water, I pondered the idea of daily weigh in again to keep myself on track. Seems as though when I go days, or sometimes months avoiding that crazy little silver thing that sits in the corner of my bathroom I wonder if looking in the mirror at my body isn't enough to tell me - - but it isn't - - the mirror can't give you a number... And for all you BLUE people - data centric crazies - - you NEED a number to motivate you. I guess I should know that being a racer / runner and needing the clock and timing for each run to get me ready for a marathon.

BUT the scale can make or break my mood and I REALLY don't like it. Looking in the mirror should be enough. I feel good about me today - - that is important. Take the scale for what it is worth - use it as a motivator not a menace to your mind. It will help us beat the percentage of the population that are obese. A new program focus in the EI - with the new "Choose to Change" program centered around the NuPA trials that my friend Heather managed these past 3 years or more. Stay tuned and keep your ears open for what ACS is doing about it.

I am glad that we are all on track and have the minds to look within ourselves to motivate for a better YOU - a healthier YOU.
So get on the scale - make it a habit - get on track. Stay motivated.

Here is a great article from Good Housekeeping comparing body fat scales (remember weight is comprised of fat and muscle and water!)...
An excerpt of the article below:

Will your body be less fatty next year than it is right now? If you'd actually like to answer that question, check out the new scales that measure not only your weight but the percentage of fat in your body composition. We tested seven scales and compared their results with those of the Bod Pod, a $32,000 machine that's the medical benchmark. All seven overestimated body fat -- but they came a lot closer than the caliper method (favored by many health clubs), which was off by 50 percent. "These scales, even pricey ones, aren't absolutely accurate," says GH Institute Technical Director John Kupsch. "But they can track whether your body fat is fluctuating over time.

I have a Tanita and currently am using a HoMedics scale that measures water percentage as well (So I don't dehydrate - as one must be at least 50% water!) ... ask Judy (no more ER visits for me!).

Go Ruffle Boo - let's get it down!
Cheers to you all for making the decision to get it done!

Thoughts? Post your comments below....

Some Success Finally!

It has been a long slow process.. this losing weight business! It sure was easy to put on 30 lbs but a lot more difficult taking it off. Last week I went to Austin and Michael Hulse took Shannon and I to this, as he calls it, very "Austin" restaurant. The food was about as anti-Sonoma diet as you can get but of course I ate it up. I didn't get to exercise for 3 days either last week. The weird thing is I was afraid to weigh myself when I got back home so I waited one day. I took the plunge on Saturday and miracle of miracles I had somehow lost 3 lbs from the week before! All I can say is sometimes you have to shake it up, but then hop right back into it. My conclusion is that my body had kicked up my metabolism to adjust for less exercise and not healthy food and when I came back home and ate healthy and exercised it burned it up! Not saying that you should go off of your plan every week but I guess once in a while doesn't hurt. I have cut way back on my wine consumption too. About half of what I used to drink so I am sure that is helping too. I can relate to Karen's blog though I think that sugar has been creeping back into my diet more and more. Well everybody have a good week and remember if you fall off for a day or two the important thing is to get right back into your healthy routine as soon as you can!