20 miles on recumbent bike!

I did it! I clicked play on my recording of the Biggest Loser and rode my recumbent stationary bike all the way through it... worked out to 1 hour 44 minutes skipping the commercials... and .... drum roll please... I am so thrilled... 20 miles... YEAH BABY!

This is so major for me... when I first started on this bike... I could barely do 5 minutes! If I can do this so can you.... Yes You Can!

Mary E. Robbins
307.788.0202
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Robbins Run Ranch

Sort it out, find what works for you and make it happen...

 This caught my eye, because like the rest of the human race I am always trying to "find the time".  Chris has some viable, useful suggestions.  As for me, I made the decision to work out on my elliptical before I eat.  No workout... no eat. Keep in mind I work at home.  This could be a bit more challenging for those of you that do not. 

I am planning on adding Turbo Jam and or Hip Hop Abs back into my weekly routine. I had thought of pushing play in the evening.  Unfortunately that does not seem to work for me, I am an excellent procrastinator.  Both workouts are excellent; and I have wonderful results from them. But trying to get myself to do them in the evening is an exercise in futility at this point. 

Soooooo.... I will be more than likely adding them to my morning workout.  The workout before you eat... no workout no eat time of day for me...lol...  It's what's working for me now.

When I get into serious distance training for the marathon and/or century bike ride this will not be a viable technique.  I will need to eat before I  head out and take energy  and hydration with me.  Although I will probably keep up the workout before you eat for my morning workouts.  I must admit I feel sooooooo much better throughout the day when I've worked out in the mornings.

Sort it out, find what works for you and make it happen...

Life is a journey, how you travel is up to you.
Mary E. Robbins
307.788.0202
Robbins Run Ranch

Finding The Time To Be Active...

Posted by Chris Freytag at 4/28/2010 5:12 PM CDT

Time, time, time…where does it go?  Do you ever feel like you just don’t know how you are going to fit one more thing into your day, let alone a workout?  It is a common complaint!  People often ask me about time management and how I do it being the mother of three, working and staying fit. 
The answer is not only do I map out my days to include exercise breaks but I have also organized my life so I’m always ready to get up and get moving when the opportunity presents itself.  I try to manage my days and not let my day manage me (although there will always be those days where life just takes over)!
I thought I would share a few of my favorite time saving tips with you, or I should say time MAKING tips.
•    I like to teach my clients and friends to “bundle their busywork” into one convenient time of day, like the lunch hour. By doing your bills and miscellaneous paperwork at your desk while you eat lunch, you can free up 20 or 30 minutes at the end of the day for exercise.  I know that some experts have stated that you should focus on your food while eating, but if multitasking while you eat once in awhile allows you to fit in a workout that’s time well spent! 

•    Take advantage of time-saving technology like online banking, bill paying, and post office services.  A few less errands in the car is not only earth friendly but time friendly.

•    Limit your time on the internet!  How many times do you sit down to complete one email and a half hour later you are still on the computer looking at something completely off the subject?  Schedule internet and email time and limit yourself to 15 or 30 minutes.
•    Buy two pairs of workout shoes, one for the office and one for home, so you’re literally always good to go. I even keep a pair in my car, just in case I find time when I’m on the road.

•    Place a pile of clean workout clothes close to your bed so when that alarm goes off it is easy to get dressed and go.  Spending 15 minutes looking for some clean running pants and matching socks is a waste of precious time in the am and might set you back so that a workout will no longer fit in.
•    Piggyback a workout with your favorite never-miss activities like watching Dancing With The Stars or your mid-afternoon latte break.  Walk on the treadmill while you catch up on TV programs or ride your bike to the coffee store to meet a friend.

•    Have a standing appointment with a workout buddy. If it’s an always-there, can’t-miss appointment, you’ll just do it. Besides, you would never stand up a friend, but you would definitely stand up yourself.
•    Rather than sit for hours (and hours) at kids’ sports practices, fit in a workout while you wait.  I always do cardio walking during swim team practice in the summer. During my son’s hockey practices in the winter, I sneak over to the gym attached to the ice rink.

•    Save yourself from the laundry. Try to only do it 2-3 days a week.  Even with three kids…everyone in the family should have 5 shirts and 5 pairs of pants they like for the week. If there’s anything they need, they’d better throw it in the hamper realize is may be a day or two till it’s clean. This alone will save you hours.
Through such simple strategies, exercise becomes a part of the fabric of your life instead of something requiring a complete overhaul of your life plan. This is the “magic bullet” women are always asking me for!

Walked the Loop

Good morning on this cloudy spring day. Walked the driveway loop with min min and Cheyenne again this morning. Stomach still funky, but manageable. Not running to the toilet every five minutes. Just feeling gaggy.

Feels good to have walked that loop each day. I can really see a difference in min min. That hill is quite the incline. I thought I could train on the elliptical for the most part to be able to complete the Cheyenne/Laramie marathon. Wrong! Woof Wrong! My elliptical is good basic training but to be able to handle that mountain marathon I’ve got to work the hills for real. I found that out pretty quickly walking the driveway loop. Driveway loop sounds kind of silly until you know what it actually is. Our drive way is around ½ mile, one portion is on about a 40 degree angle upwards. That’s what it looks like anyway. I just know I have to lean into it to walk up it.

The loop is actually more of a triangle. With uneven surface and steep grade. The loop isn’t all that long. Something between ½ mile and a mile. It was a major wake up call. I’d been doing 10 km (a bit over 6 miles) on the elliptical and I thought that driveway loop would be gravy. Ha! Not. It feels good now. But it tells me that I need to take more training time before attempting that marathon. Frankly I want to be able to enjoy that race. Feel good about doing it and actually feel good during the walk and enjoy the mountain scenery. Completing a marathon isn’t about beating someone else for me. It’s about being well, and physically fit enough to be able to complete it and enjoy the process. It’s about being healthy, mentally, spiritually and physically.

Gotta head out the door, time to feed and water the kennels. We brought in the feed last night. This time my husband unloaded the truck. I truly appreciated that. I was having painful muscle spasms on my left side yesterday. My hand, wrist, arm, and leg were being just nasty. I’d missed my vitamins a few days, and had not drank enough water either. At least I think that’s what was going on. I’ve been hydrating this morning and took my vitamins and the pain has eased off a bit.

I think my body is fighting off some kind of bug. Something has triggered a gastric attack and diarrhea. I used Imodium to stop the diarrhea one day and as soon as the drug was out of my system it came right back. So something is going on. Don’t really care whether I eat or not and my body wants to sleep.

That is exactly what I’m going to do after the kennels are taken care of. The baby ducks are picked up from the store and taken care of and some book work is taken care of. Then I can sleep a bit.

Frankly a hot bath with some essential oils and Epsom salts sounds good to me. That is where I am going after my work is done for today.

Life is a journey…one day one step at a time.
Mary E. Robbins & the Hairballs
Robbins Run Ranch: Living the Dream with our Pomeranians
307.788.0202 Mountain Time USA

In like a Lion

Whoo Hoo it’s March! Makes me think of a rhyme a grade school teacher taught. I can’t remember all of it. But it’s about what happens in each of the months. March in like a lion out like a lamb and she had these cute pictures that went along with it. Wow flash back to over 35 years ago. That soooo doesn’t seem possible.

Of course turning 48 this year didn’t seem possible either. I remember being a teen ager and in my 20’s and thinking how different people in their 40’s 50’s and so on were. Now it seems strange to be in a 48 year old body looking out. Wow. Got to take care of this body or the rest of my time on this planet is going to be hellish.

I don’t mean to not live. I mean take care of that carcass you are living in or you will regret it. Wow. I’ve been working on this one. Yes I used and abused it in my teens and 20’s part way into my 30’s. Any of you that have been following my blogs at all know that I got fat. Woof fat. Got very ill, then even fatter. Up to 299 lbs. Yes I know there are folks out there that are even larger. Frankly I cringe at the thought of it. They must be in constant pain.

Our bodies are pretty amazing pieces of engineering. After all the crap I’ve done to mine over the years. I don’t mean just sports. I mean starving it, over feeding it, feeding it crap, drowning it in alcohol, various drugs-prescriptions and all.

I’m not saying to not eat or drink. I am saying all things in moderation. Frankly when it comes to drugs, do your research. The side effects of many are not worth the perceived benefits. Especially if you are on them for a very long period of time. Please don’t depend on your doctors to tell you the side effects. Especially if you don’t ask them. Geez, people do a little research. If you are reading this you have access to the internet. Do some searches on the drugs you are taking and take responsibility for your lives.

I used to hear the side effects of drugs and think “Oh that happens to other people not me.” Surprise! It happened to me and it can happen to you too.

Oh my God! What are they selling with this diet drug ALLI what crap is that? It’ amazes me that it was approved. Bottom line is it’s up to you as to whether you take that crap or not. And can we say crap. As in crap yourself. That’s right, leaky crap your pants. As in oily bowel leakage. It’s actually causing oily bowel leakage.

So, just what do you suppose it’s doing to your body.

Bottom line, a pill, diet shake, surgery, none of it will address the issues that are behind you being too bloody fat! These are just tools.

If you don’t address the issues they will continue to sabotage your life!

You know, it doesn’t have to be some big major thing, it’s one small change at a time. Not overwhelm change your whole life all at once. Like that works, not. One small thing at a time. I’ve been reading a book that really explains it well. Excellent Excellent Read. The Slight Edge by Jeff Olson.

I could ramble on for pages, but there’s kennels to care for, a workout to be attempted, email to sort, and so on and so on.

Later Tater…

Life is a journey… enjoy the trip…
Mary E. Robbins & the Hairballs
Robbins Run Ranch: Living the Dream with our Pomeranians
307.788.0202 Mountain Time

Thursday Morning: Up Before the Butt Crack of Dawn!

Thursday morning… I’d say bright and early … but the only thing bright here right now are the embers in the wood stove. The stars are even hidden behind an early morning cloud cover… the moon is barely peeking through… It’s supposed to warm up today. I hope they are right. It’s still 4 degrees Fahrenheit here according to the weather channel on my computer. Happily my thermometer says it’s closer to 20 in this hollow. Much warmer than yesterday at this time.

My back feels better, Thank God! Literally! I used my abdominal/back band all day yesterday and I’m using it again today. I thought I could go without using it much and just build the strength in my abs and back. Unfortunately I was mistaken. I have built strength, but I’ve injured myself along the way. So, I’m taking a new tack. I’m using the back and abdominal supports. It will probably take a bit longer to build the strength as my body will rely on the supports. However in the long run I think I’ll come out better for it.

The kennel work has to be done, so does my house… in the process of this work I’ve been hurting myself. So I’m using the supports to protect myself and I’ll use oxycise, to help build the muscle strength.

It’s been miserable, absolutely crazy pain from the muscle spasms in my back pulling me over backwards after taking care of my kennels. That’s just nuts, and it’s damaging to my body as well. Bloody muscle spasm pulled my spine out of alignment to the point I could barely use my legs from the pinched nerves. I was losing control of my arms as well, then there was that nauseating pain. Ugh.
If I’m a wimp for using the supports, then so be it. But in the long run I’ll be stronger and healthier for it.

I should have used supports from the start of my recovery rather than listening to those that said I shouldn’t. I could have gotten a lot more done, with a lot less pain.

I’m not talking about being totally dependent on supports, I’m talking about using them to protect my body while I’m healing and strengthening my body. Frankly it’s amazing to me just how long it’s taking to regain even part of the strength and endurance I had before I was ill. But then I was ill for a long time. Long time to me anyway, over 5 years, and 2 major surgeries. With a nasty case of West Nile Virus tossed in the middle of it all. Ok, all things considered I’m doing pretty well. Maybe just maybe I can piece my superwoman cape back together… lol…

At least, get into good condition physically, mentally and spiritually as well… oh and lets not forget financially. Illness can certainly do a number on the finances… eeeewwww… Happily I’m starting to turn that around as well…

On to fitness:
I did the elliptical for 1 km yesterday… and again this morning
I wrote down everything I ate yesterday.
Had a tasty breakfast this morning of hot tea, Yoplait… the sugar free/fat free kind, and a toasted English muffin with a bit of butter and honey.

Nope no coffee first thing this morning, my tummy was a bit off and coffee just doesn’t appeal to me when I feel like that. Now a good spot of tea does just fine. Yes I’m still a coffee lover and I will more than likely have some later. Just didn’t want any this morning.

As for the rest of the day on the exercise front; I’m going after kennel feed, and supplies so I’ll be blasting around the store and unloading supplies at my mom’s before I come home to take care of the kennels. Dump that Ice wield that sledge hammer, unload those bags, scoop that feed, muck out the whelping house… and so on and so on… it’s get fit or croak…lol… soooo… I’m working for get fit. It will be so nice to feel a spring in my step, rather than trudging under the weight. Just the thought of that makes me smile all over.

Life is a journey… how you take the trip is up to you!
Mary E. Robbins & the Hairballs

Bright Cold Wyo Morning, fitness goals Jan. 2nd

Good Morning…
Yes it is a good morning. It’s bright sunny and cold, and absolutely beautiful outside. It was 2 below zero Fahrenheit when the dogs chased me out of bed this morning at 5:00.
My back seems better, still pain radiating down my legs and arms and a bit dizzy; but not as bad as yesterday pinched nerves can be a bugger.

I’m hoping using the reverse incline will pull me back into alignment. I was having severe muscle spasms in my back after taking care of the kennels for several days. I’m thinking that is what pulled me out of alignment. I am wearing an abdominal and back support trying to hold things together. That has helped a bit. I’m thinking that the more I move the more chance I have of coming back into alignment so I walked a km on my elliptical this morning. I am restarting my training program to get ready for the half marathon the end of May 2008. I’ll be adding 1 km a week up until the race, maybe a bit more just before. At any rate it will help me to increase my endurance and elongate my leg muscles a bit.

My Daily Meal Plan at this point is as follows:
Eat at least 1 fruit daily
Eat at least 1 salad daily
Listen to my body
Eat only when hungry
Write down what I eat
Write down my exercise/workouts

Workout Plan:
Elliptical-start with 1 km per day increase 1 km per week
Oxycise Level 1-several times per week
Hip Hop abs-several times per week
After it warms up a bit do some lifting on my bowflex. The bowflex is out in the quonset… there is no heat in there and frankly I refuse to lift any more weight than I already am in subzero temps. I’m lifting 20 to 55 lb bags of feed, dragging 100 foot hoses full of water, dragging my feed tubs, beating the ice out of water containers with a 3 pound sledge hammer. That 3 pound weight doesn’t seem like much until you do a couple hundred reps with it. Tossing bales of straw into pens and distributing the straw about with a pitch fork. Once it warms up I’ll be cleaning out kennel runs with a rake, shovel, and pitch fork, and grooming dogs as fast as I can to get their coats brushed out before the heat of summer gets here.

At any rate that’s the plan for now.

Life is a journey… enjoy the trip…
Mary E. Robbins & the Hairballs

Eat to Live or Live to Eat, The choice is Yours!

Ok it's true, when you are getting in condition; Changing your body composition, building muscle, losing fat, getting healthy, sometimes your actual weight increases.

No that's not an excuse to go binge, stuff your face or whatever. Muscle weighs more than fat does. Fat takes up 5 times the space muscle does. Fat burns much fewer calories than muscle does.

As I said, sometimes your actual weight increases. Keep on working out and your fat content will decrease. Your weight will decrease as well; that is if you have more fat to lose. Ok now that's not an excuse either.

The most important thing in losing weight, becoming healthy, any kind of training or life changes is (drum roll please) your mindset.

I used to Live to Eat, now I Eat to Live. Understand the difference? Yes? No? I can’t answer that question for you, only you can. When you understand the difference losing weight is no longer an issue.

No I don’t mean you will become healthy overnight. What I do mean is that when you understand that food is fuel for your body so you can live, not a coping mechanism to bury your emotions, or a place to hide. Or any number of other things, the list could go on and on.

You can actually enjoy what you eat, you are not limited in your selections.

You don’t have to use The Forte Diet to lose weight. Wow did I say that? Yes I did. Yes I market The Forte Diet. That said yes I use it. I like it. It makes for a quick and easy meal for me. I tastes good, is full of vitamins and minerals, keeps my energy levels at a good level, and my body feels good when I drink it for a quick meal.

That said, no it’s not the only thing I eat. I enjoy a good grilled steak too. Actually I enjoy meals now. No guilt over whatever I happen to eat. Woo Hoo! I used to freak over every bite. I eat to live now. I also listen to my body. Listen, your body will tell you when it’s had enough.

Yes you can ignore it and keep eating. You know that already, all you have to do is look around at all the obese people eating themselves to death to see that.

On the flip side-folks: starving yourself to death is not any healthier than eating yourself into size of a bloated walrus. Neither extreme is healthy!

I weighed in this morning. I gained 2 pounds. I knew I was going to gain, I’ve been lifting very heavy, working my muscles to exhaustion. No not in a gym, I’ve been working on the kennel getting it winterized. That involves lifting 13 foot sheets of tin, bales of straw, tires, posts, 2 by 4’s, and so on. At this point the Robbins Run Ranch: Pomeranian Kennel workout is all I can handle. Woof baby.

I can feel and see the difference in my body. It’s a good thing I have some suspenders or my jeans would be falling off. They look like baggy clown pants as it is. Lol.

Truth be told I’m looking forward to a new wardrobe as my size continues to drop. I’m also looking forward to being able to walk the Medicine Bow Half Marathon (13.1 miles) Sunday, May 25th, 2008.

It’s been a long journey from extreme illness to this point. It feels good being able to pick up a 13 foot sheet of tin, or a post driver. After surgery I couldn’t even lift a coffee pot. Forget picking up my Pomeranians. That was sheer torture.

My abs have healed back together, they were cut from my navel to bikini line. Now my body is getting stronger, and stronger. The fat is coming off my waist. I’m on my way to six pack abs.

It will take at least a year to work the fat off. I don’t want to take it off really fast, because I do not want my skin to be hanging all over the place. The goal is to lose fat at a steady healthy pace.

That said hopefully my skin will tighten up so I will not have to have it surgically removed. That said: if I have to have some removed, then so be it. But, I am going to do whatever I can to make that unnecessary, and still reduce my body size.

Life is a journey… enjoy the trip
Mary E. Robbins & the Hairballs
307.788.0202

Whoo Hoo... I lost 3 lbs... that makes 21 lbs down!

I am a happy camper! Yes it's true... losing another 3 pounds puts a smile on my face...lol... 21 pounds lost so far. Yeah ok, I’m excited. I hadn’t been on the scale in a bit and I was concerned that I had gained. Happily I did not.

The process of moving the rescue dogs to our property has been an extremely stressful one. Unfortunately I allowed my state of mind to bounce all over the place. Bottom line, Mindset is the most important thing in getting healthy, losing weight, anything you attempt to do.

I am using the forte’ diet to help things along. It tastes great and is a quick meal replacement. My energy level is staying pretty high as well. This is a good thing since there is much to do…

Check it out… If I can lose weight using this so can you!

It's pretty exciting to me watching the pounds roll off. Feeling good while losing weight is a much appreciated added bonus!

For those of you with business on your minds. This is an excellent business opportunity! Take a look, it can add an additional stream of income to your business portfolio. Or if you are just starting in the home business arena it is an excellent opportunity to launch yourself into financial freedom!

Life is a journey... enjoy the trip... Mary E. Robbins & the Hairballs

307.788.0202 USA MT

Brain Twister

Wow… Even though I had to decided to not let it bother me. It did.That weight bounce did a number on my attitude. Truthfully it frustrated and pissed me off. But you know it was a HELLO … pay attention to what you are doing. Part of it was due to fluid retention from working out. However, most of it was from an ice cream binge. Ok there it is the truth is out.

On the high side I got on the scale this morning, and voila! 282 lbs. I lost what I’d gained and dropped an additional pound as well, YAY!

I’m seeing some bobbles in my progress, lose some, gain a bit, and lose again. Happily it’s a healthy progression in the right direction. The right direction in my mind being losing weight. So far I’ve lost 17 pounds.

I finally picked up the tape measure and checked my hips measurement. I”ve lost 1.5 inches off my hips from the last time I’d measured. Truthfully I didn’ t measure them at 299. But I could barely get my biggest jeans on so I know I’ve lost more than an inch and a half. But I am 1.5 inches smaller than I was in January of this year. I weighed 285 then, shot up to 299, and now am down to 282. I’m going to work for a 7 inch loss on my hips by my anniversary. I plan to use oxycise to do this. I’m not sure it will take that much off by October 26th 2007 but it will be interesting to see.

Gotta run, full day ahead. I’ve already done several hours on the computer, now it’s get changed and out the door to go buy dog food and unload it. That will be a workout, especially if David doesn’t help. I’ll be buying a bit over 1000 pounds of feed.

My workout yesterday consisted of dragging the 150 ft water hose, and moving 11 or 12 stock panels. Carrying them one at a time to where I’ll be putting up some more dog pens. Gotta get the pens up and prepared for winter before the end of September.

There are around 50 dogs coming in to board for the winter. Whoo Hoo… it’s the dog care workout.

Life is a journey… enjoy the trip… Mary E. Robbins & the Hairballs

Sunburned Nose and Toasted Toes

It's been 100 or above for weeks. Truthfully I feel cooked. Well done... ugh... on an up note I got on the scale this morning. Didn't want to. My husband talked me into it, I was feeling like jabba the hutt before the remake... on one of his bloated days. Then what do my surprised eyes see. I lost 3 pounds. YAY! So my workout plan is working. My workout plan at this point is ... WORK... pull the water hose, clean the kennel, groom the dog. Drink fluids like they are going out of style... only a slight exaggeration. I'm drinking quite a bit because it's hot, I'm working and I'm sweating like a horse on a cattle drive. geez...

I want to do oxycise in the evenings. Before I can do that I need to clear space on my office floor. I have tubs of work stacked in there.... as I get the work done I'll have more room, and I sent for a belly dancing dvd.

I've always wanted to learn how to belly dance. and dancing off some fat appeals to me. should be fun. As far as lifting weights. for now that consists of dragging the water hose (150 ft full of water) dragging/lifting stock panels (heavy welded wire 52 inches high, 16 ft long) loading cement pieces and cement blocks on my pick up truck, unloading them here, stacking the blocks, and working the pieces into walkways. unloading wooden pallets off my pickup truck and trailer. dragging my feed cart with 50 to 100 lbs of feed on it.

Repetive motion from dog grooming, raking kennels, mucking out the whelping house, etc. Once I get some projects well underway to completed, and we get more into winter I want to get back on the bow-flex. I like the way lifting weights makes my body feel. I want to go after my heavy bag a bit too. That is so nice if I've had a frustrating day. He he... I can just beat the snot out of it and not be concerned about hurting someone or lawsuits...lol...

I'm not getting much distance work in at all. Just walking up the hill and back around the kennels. I'm going to have to set aside a bit of time specifically for distance. Take one of the mastiffs with me and work them a bit while I'm at it. If I start dragging my legs then they can pull me home. plus it will give me some upper body work handling their leads. It will have to be early in the morning though. the heat is to much otherwise.

Today's Workout: drag water hose. groom dogtake photographs. I know that sounds strange. but dragging the hose is walking and resistance work. Grooming is repetive upperbody and arm workout. taking photos involves knee bends, and walking, as well as holding position in a partially bent knee position.

Ok my goal is to get fit. Healthy... be able to enjoy life in this body. Since it's the only body I have this go around. I'd like to be able to enjoy it. Frankly dragging around an extra 100 plus pounds does not give me much enjoyment.

How did I get to 100 plus pounds overfat.

In a nut shell. I saw myself as obese when I wasn't. I ate compulsively until I was. Got sick, west nile crud, had major surgery necessary but completely trashed my abs. Messy hysterectomy, lots of toxins drained into my body. Recovery has taken a couple of years. But I am recovering, and getting into condition one day one step at a time.

I see myself as I am now. I have no desire to be a bobble head doll (so skinny that I look like a bobble head). Compulsive eating is behind me. Happily no longer an issue. Yes I know sounds flip, it's not, took a good bit of work to accomplish that little feat. Now I journal instead of eating myself to death.

Happily I eat to live...rather than live to eat.

I want to be able to walk a marathon. I've picked out one the end of May 2008. I don't care where I finish in the race as long as it's not dead last. So I picked one that has an ultramarathon along with it.

Hopefully I should be able to finish before the last ultramarathoner gets in.

It would be great to have someone to train with. If not locally... then over the internet.

Completing a marathon is not a new goal. It's been on my life list for a long time. It's not about winning a race. It's about getting healthy, and actually being able to enjoy walking.

A walk around a fair, going shopping, having a spring in my step ...rather than every step being an effort filled with pain and frustration.

How am I doing? I'm overwhelmed but making it anyway. One day at a time...

Life is a journey... one step at a time... Mary E. Robbins & the Hairballs

http://www.robbinsrun.com/

Good Morning To Ya!

I'm feeling much better. Was feeling and looking pretty scary cruddy. Face swelled up...eyes all red like pissed off stoplights.. nearly swelled shut. Yes I went to the doctor. I'm already on allergy stuff... so she tried steroids and antibiotics. It hurt to close my eyes... especially my right eye... not any more. What a relief.

I stepped on the scale this morning. I had gained up to 299 lbs on my scale. He He… 7 pounds down. 292 lbs on that same scale this morning. 7 Pounds down! I’m losing fat… Good by fat… rat-a-tat-tat… Actually part of that's probably swelling going down. Frankly I don't care... it's that much less weight I have to carry around. My hands aren't swelled anymore either.

Work out routine… isometrics in the car to and from the airport. Actually that helps to keep me awake on that 400 mile commute.

Yard work, kennel work, … want to get on the elliptical, red exerciser, and get going with oxycise again. I like the way lifting weights makes me feel. No not initially but I like the results and the way it makes me feel to have my strength building again.

This has been a loooonnnngggg recovery processs… happily I can finally see and feel progress. Have a way to go… to get my body to the physically fit state I want it in. But I’m on my way.

Building the snow fences, kennel cottages, decks, running yards, … blank spot… I lost the word for the slatted shades.. I’m looking forward to trying my hand at some walkways and furniture too. It’s a productive creative workout… lol… rather than only hitting the bow-flex … don’t get me wrong… I love the bow-flex.

I bought a signature tree the other day. No the tree is not called a signature tree… by that I mean it is a tree to stand by itself in the center of the circle drive. I believe it’s an Austrian Pine… could be an Eastern Pine. I knew but forgot. I’ll check where I bought it. I love those big craggy evergreen trees…

I’m going to plant it and put a windbreak/ snow fence on the southwest and northwest side of it. As well as put a little fence around it to keep the rabbits from eating it’s bark.

Bought a few tomato and pepper plants and a couple of squash. And some landscape fabric… thank you very much. I’m not dealing with the weeds this year …not like I have before.

Junior is in his new home. Beautiful dog… wow… what a coat. I took him to the airport on Friday. He did great. It wasn’t just his coat that was beautiful… he’s a wonderful loving spirit…

I’ve been working on my main page… as well as The Arfing News… Puppy pictures going up… beautiful little hairballs… I started the great spring hair off Friday after I came home from DIA (airport) . I took a bucket of hair off of Nasty Boy with the slicker brush. Those work sooooo nice… just don’t drag it across their skin. He has a lot more hair that needs pulled… I imagine I pulled about half of what needs to come out. I think I’ll work that way… Remove what’s already loosened … leave the rest till it releases. Much easier on my happy hairballs and myself as well.

David (hubby) goes on vacation tomorrow. Dad is coming for a visit from Minnesota mid month… Gotta go run the mama hairballs… and do basic kennel chores… then jump back on this computer and work on site … RobbinsRun:Living the Dream

Life is a journey… enjoy the trip… Mary E. Robbins & the Hairballs

307-788-0202

RobbinsRunRanch: Living the Dream With Our Pomeranians

The sun is shining... hopefully more snow melts off today ...although my drive way is a river now... a muddy river

Yard and driveway photos... snow frozen mud.. one of life's adventures... lol...

This morning is a bright and shiny morning outside… and one of those days that I miss my hot tub on... our previous… before ranch home had a hot tub that was a wonderful blessing on sore muscle days…lol…

I mucked out my whelping house yesterday… I had been layering down bedding through that cold cold weather and I pulled it all yesterday… and of course put down fresh clean bedding… it was a joy to spend some more time with my hairballs too…

Sore puppy that’s me today… lol… make my self move or I’m going to be stiff stiff stiff…





I meandered onto the scale this morning out of curiosity… and had dropped down 3 pounds…from yesterday morning… 287 this morning… I know that my weight will bounce … bounce… bounce… the point is to have it bounce downward over all… I’ve seen it bounce between 10 and 15 pounds in a day before… that doesn’t happen very often… but 5 to 7 pounds is not uncommon for me… bounces up… and takes a few days to come back off usually…

Ok.. I’m not gaining and losing that much fat on a daily basis. It’s swelling, fluid retention.

It used to just make me crazy. Back when I was actually at a good weight for my frame… 145 lbs and thought I was obese… I was fixated on the scale and getting my waist down to 26 inches rather than the 28 that it was… I used to run 2 to 5 miles a night… be in the pool several times a week… lift weights… and get on the scale and freak out… not eat… or eat everything in sight…



Its amazing just how much we can torture ourselves over a twisted body image… and not understanding what is actually happening



The plan for today… or at least part of it…
Oxycise
Epsom salt & Essential Oil bath
Let Mother dogs out for most of the day…
Cook breakfast for hubby
Hand Cart Straw bales to the ex pens… as the snow is melting water is pooling and making a mess…
Order Healthy Pet Net Feed
If time allows go to town for supplies
Photograph Sylvie’s new babies
Snap some quick photos of puppies
Work on computer
Make appt for Hubby
Dishes
Laundry
Elliptical…



Life is a journey… enjoy the trip… Mary E. Robbins & the Hairballs
307-788-0202
Mountain Standard Time

One step forward five steps back... here I come... yee haaaaaaaaaa.....

Ok… I got so tied up in putting my online systems together that I neglected everything else. Managed to blow up several pounds… not sure if it’s fat gain or the initial muscle growth from working out a bit… curling ice buckets and sledge hammers…dragging that hose through the snow and ice. Any way you look at it I bounced 5 lbs. Hello 290. I’m not going to freak. Just keep on keeping on.

Beats me up pretty good… at least that’s what it feels like… I’m going to be sooooooooo glad when I start seeing the inches come off… I need to be consistent with the oxycise to really see any improvement in that area… wouldn’t think such a benign looking exercise could make you so bloody sore.

Ok… so here goes… anyone that has ever dealt with getting into shape or weight loss issues … knows it is a mental battle… so armor’s on… charge…

Lost a Pound!

Ok… here we go. Weighed in this morning… lost a pound… yay! 285 today. Last night was rough after taking somewhat care of the dogs. Man that just kicks my ass. Excuse the language... but that's exactly what it did. Geez... dragging around a 150 foot long rubber hose full of water is no big deal for me when it's not burried in crusted frozen snow.

The water temp melts the hose down through the snow and the wind blows (and blows and blows and blows) snow over the top of it... then the whole mass freezes into place... so it's take a couple of steps... and pull with everything you have to break the hose loose. It's one of those heavy industrial strength black hoses... good thing or I would have torn it a part...

I tried using my feed cart yesterday evening... whoa baby... just enough melt in the snow for the wheels to fall through... so it's dragging a 120 pound weight up out of the snow... across the top... fall and stick back in the snow...

Wow... talk about a work out... it' took me a couple of hours to get the dogs tended... I am happy to be able to say they are doing great... wow... do they have heavy coats... little furballs bouncing all over the place... playing in the snow...


On the bright side kennel care is working as training. Soooooo as I keep at it I should continue to get into better and better condition. I have a long way to go to get into the condition I'm working for. To be able to take part in the Wyoming Marathon May 27th, 2007 I'm signing up through Active.com if anyone wants to come along... be great to meet and walk as a group... By the way... I'm working towards the half marathon distance this year. I'm walking it... working with my kennel... and an elliptical... as well as oxycise...

The snow is melting…now we have massive snow… along side squishy.. .very slippery mud… yeee haawww… Those stock yard boots I bought a few years ago are really coming in handy. Plus they are like walking with weights on my feet and ankles. At this point it’s get into shape or die trying.

You know the biggest part of fat loss and/or conditioning is mindset. Getting your mind around what you are doing makes all the difference in the world. In life in general… personal life… weight loss… business… across the board…


What you do is up to you…

Life is a journey… enjoy the trip… Mary E. Robbins & the Hairballs
The Business End
Robbins Run Ranch Enterprises
skype: robbinsrun
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mountain standard time