I won!

So after everything has been said and done, I won the fitness challenge! I get to split the money with one other person and the real prize is the fact that I'm actually in good shape! It has been a few years since I could say that!

Last week while we experienced record high temps for New England, I raked and cleaned my yard with my husband for four hours! I couldn't have done that last year! And I hiked Purgatory with one of my 12 year old students--I had to slow down for him! Then we went to the Zoo on Friday and all three of the kids in my group kept having to remind me to slow down! It is a very exciting thing when you are in better shape than your teenage students--and a little sad for them...but maybe their teacher being in good shape will inspire them to be as well!

I haven't lost a ton of weight--just five pounds and I'm in between sizes so my jeans fit really well when they are first washed then by the end of the day they are a bit saggy, but I can live with that!
A ton of people say my body shape has changed, and I think that is just as important as any weight loss. So here is to continuing to live a healthy lifestyle and keeping active!

Healthy Living Update

So I am almost done my month long healthy living cleanse and I am three and a half weeks into my workout challenge! I thought I'd offer an update to the few out there who read this (not because all of the others don't care, but because I am so horrible at updating my blog!)

Anyway here goes.
Healthy Living Cleanse:
Things have gone well. I was not crazy psycho about everything with this cleanse. I knowingly and willingly ate cake on three birthdays (bro-in-law, mother-in-law and newphew), and ate cheesecake because I went to The Cheesecake Factory and will not refrain from cheesecake at The Cheesecake Factory! And I ate pizza once because I was out with my students and was not going to deal with their short attention spans while I ate a salad (real food definitely takes longer to eat!) I did subsequently find out that even though I have been in denial for years, gluten and I are not friends--not at all. Four of the five times I ate it, I distinctly remember a sinus headache coming on within the half hour. Antihistamines worked, but maybe my environmental allergies are all to blame for the pounding of my sinuses at least twice a week!  So even when I go back to eating more foods on Thursday (I'm almost there!), I will refrain from gluten as much as possible and be prepared with antihistamines just in case!

Workout Challenge:
Now this is amazing even for me! I have worked out 6/7 days a week for the last 3 and a half weeks! I am in the lead with a few others who are keeping up with this challenge as much as I am! I'm psyched! I am not always the most competitive person, but with this I will absolutely not miss a day!

So this New Year, New Me stuff is working out pretty good and I am not stopping!