Tranquilized Giraffes and Rates

Well.... I'm just not seeing the weight come off and I have a couple of theories:

One is that this is my second week back from Indiana where I sort of pigged at least through the latter part of the week that I was there. I KNOW I had to have put on some weight then. So now I'm taking off again maybe?

The second is, I'm stranded at home this week because my car is in the shop until next Tuesday so I'm even more sedentary than usual. I'm still running 2.5 mi every other day, but I can't get to the Y for strength training/aerobics classes on the days in between. I'm really considering running just a bit on the days in between. Once my car is back I could even go to the Y in the afternoons when I know Ellen is on or something. You know they have those treadmills and elipticals with the TVs on them? By the way I have to ask...does anyone else feel completely retarded on an eliptical? The movement just feels so weird to me like I'm trying to run in some campy slow-motion. I feel like I look like a giraffe that's trying to get away after being tranquilized. Or maybe its just me..

So I'm wondering if its okay to run two days in a row. I've always been told that you should rotate muscle groups every other day because the muscle fibers actually break down when you're using them and then build up (and then some) while you rest them. I was told that if you didn't rest them you wouldn't build up muscle.

Swimming used to be an option, but right now I'm signing up for swim lessons. Yes I can swim, but I feel like my forward crawl is really awkward and I've never know how to use proper breathing techniques. So when I swim I do the backstroke (quite well actually). But I need to know how to swim forward properly. So until I take the lessons I'm kind of holding off on that.

Another option is that I could go biking. Bicycling is something I really love to do. But is that letting the muscles rest? I mean its still using my legs, but to me it feels totally different than running. I could really use some advice here from...well...anyone who knows what they're talking about haha.
Okay so Rates..

So here is what I'm interested in folks. And of course its all going to depend on A) If I get in (PLLLLEASE let me in, Uncle Sam!) B) What my ASVAB scores are, and C) what's available.

If I really feel good about a rate I would consider holding off until it became available. So..My choices right now are as follows with the perks and the downsides as I understand them..

Master At Arms-

• Perks- MA's (I read) do more than just police work these days. They're also involved in anti-terrorism and things of that nature. I'm interested in patrol duty. When my husband and I went to Norfolk we saw some MAs on a small craft guarding a large ship. That looked interesting. Also you get to work with weapons more, learn self-defense, and be in a position of leadership. Please don't read that as a power trip. I'm a teacher so I naturally want to lead situations.
• Downsides- Pepperspray. Yay! You get sprayed in the face at A-School and then have to go through this gauntlet of obstacles while blind and crying for Mommy. That looks pretty awesome. But seriously..downside..it sounds likely that I would be overseas a LOT. Like stationed. That will work for my husband to be at most bases, but I have to consider how to get my pets over. Thats kind of traumatic for them and then you have to deal with quarantines in foreign countries and whatnot. Also a lot of ppl have complained that being an MA means you professionally stand watch. I'm not sure what that entails but ppl say its incredibly boring.
  

Gunners Mate-

• Perks-I get to play with guns. Maybe big guns or small guns. Very cool.
• Downsides- I'm reading that its some times some SERIOUSLY heavy weight lifting involved on a daily basis. It can also be dirty. Whether thats gun grease or what I don't know. Gun grease I can handle.
  

Operations Specialist

• Perks- My understanding is that you can work with radar. That looks awesome
• Downsides- I've read that its another rate where you're mostly deployed and stationed overseas.
  

Sonar Technician

• Perks- this is actually the rate that I've wanted to have since I was a kid. Ever since I saw The Hunt For Red October. I was like..that job is cool.
• Downsides- I've read you have to be really intelligent to get in. I'm not saying I'm stupid but it sounded like you had to have extremely high test scores. Also I think it requires Top Secret security clearance. I could be wrong. But I have a couple of student loans in collections (they came due without my knowledge while I was still in school..LONG story!...and defaulted). Also you have to have fantastic hearing I'm sure and I'm just not sure how mine is.

So those are the choices I'm considering and the pros and cons as I see them. If I've said something that you know to be incorrect or you can give me advice I'd LOVE to hear from you.

I'll write again soon..

-Gina

Silliness and Strains

Well its been several days since my last post but good lord have I been busy!

On the 17th I headed home to Indiana to stay with my parents for a week and 2 days. I stayed for a week last year and didn't make plans with anyone before I arrives. So I ended up being bored silly because all of my friends had other plans or had to work. This year I made plans ahead and was so busy it was ridiculous. But it was great. I had a really good time spending so much time with family and friends.

So I'm back now and even though I ran a couple of times while I was up in Indiana I've kinda dropped off of that for the time being. One of the things I really wanted to do this summer was to get back to the Y and take advantage of their workout classes. Monday I did Hip Hop Hustle which was like Zumba had sex with Usher. I also managed to mysteriously pull something in my calf over the weekend so that hurt like hell the whole time. It was fun though but because of my calf I was VERY ready for it to end by the time it did.

Yesterday I did Matworks which is basically Pilates with a touch of Yoga for good measure. That went fairly well considering that the one and only other time I did it a couple of weeks ago I thought I was going to cry. I can definitely tell that I've improved. I think this is really going to help my core strength develop. There are a LOT of core stability poses and stretches. You know the kind of thing where you shake like jello trying to hold it? Which is why I was a little miffed last night when my husband scoffed at what I had done and told me it was "recreational". He also refused to try it himself. Nice. I'll remember that when I'm at my Navy fitness peak and I can bench press him. Of course he tried to back out of it and said that he was just saying that the fact that I have the summer off was recreational. Um...sure dear...dig the hole.

So anyhow I was really disappointed this morning when I woke up and my calf was really hurting. I went ahead and texted the friend I was going to Zumba with and told her that I was going to have to beg out. I hate to do that. Its just that I pushed through the pain Monday and Tuesday and I guess it didn't help the situation out much. I might have to consider getting a heating pad. I think this type of strain or whatever requires heat, right?

On totally random note I'm sitting here reading about how the USS Oak Hill is putting in at Boston today. That must be really cool, especially for the sailors on board. I really can't wait for that kind of experience.

In my next post I'll try to talk about some of the rates that I'm interested in.

Until then!!

"Do Hard Things..."

20110614

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>ATTENTION, ATTENTION<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<








I know, I know..Hide yo kids. Hide yo wives, and hide yo husbands.

Well.. After much debate and some very intense soul-searching...I've decided to continue my training for the Navy. WOOT WOOT!

Let me try to explain this in order... Last year sometime I totally fell off the wagon. I became convinced that my debt or some bizarre, miniscule little health problem was going to keep me out of the Navy and I was busting my butt for nothing. So I just quit. Yeah, I said it. I'm a quitter. Ugh...that's even ugly to type!

But you know how people say that you should never give up on anything that you can't go a day without thinking about? Yeah..that's the Navy for me. So I thought about it for months and always managed to talk myself out of it. But then multiple forces seemed to come together to push me in the right direction...

• For one thing a teaching job didn't exactly fall into my lap and doesn't look like its going to.
• My husband constantly reminded me how much he thought I was going to regret not going for it (and he's right)
• I prayed really hard for some guidance and found myself facing two paths...teaching or the Navy
• Strangely enough I got a free tarot reading at this hippity dippity shop in town, and although I don't buy into that stuff I thought the lady gave me really sound advice which is too complicated to go into on here, but she basically told me to meditate. I did for the first time and believe that something.. call it the Holy Spirit or my unconscious mind or whatever...showed me exactly which path to take
• And lastly, I checked back in on here months after abandoning my blog and found this comment from someone named Jen..

"Gina,
Do Hard Things.
That is just it. You may be on again, off again because it is difficult. Only you can answer the question of what you should do - but what you list as obstacles - are only that - obstacles that can be overcome. You can lose the weight - it takes time and lots of hard work - it takes making conscious decisions and sacrifice. The debt ratio - that too - takes discipline and hard work.

What is it you want? What is it you seek? What happens on the day it becomes difficult to walk into the classroom because you have students that are not motivated to listen? What happens when the parents of the kids you teach do not support you? Would you give in and quit because it is hard.

Make your blog about self realization - I read a blog called eyeonthediscoball.com - and what those ladies are trying to accomplish is simply ink therapy.

If you do not want the Navy - then stop reaching - but do not for one minute wish you stopped trying. I had been running from making the best decision of my life and I will never regret the hard work and effort it took. I love the Navy. I love what it stands for. I love being a part of something bigger. I would hate for you to walk away - but it is work and it is an effort but reaching the goal - that is the best part.

Open your heart - but do not let your mind defeat you. Make a decision and focus. Keep your eye on the disco ball... "


"Do hard things..". That may be the simplest advice I've ever gotten, but man that really resounded with me. Why did I quit? Because it was hard and I wasn't guaranteed anything. I wasn't willing to put forth the effort and get let down. But what am I going to lose? I've GOT to get this weight off. If I do that and then they don't let me in then I've still got the weight off.

So that's what I'm doing. I'm reminding myself to do hard things. And, I'll tell you...I've never realized until now just how quickly I wanted to give up when things get tough. I've picked back up on my running and have had to build that mental toughness back up from nothing all over again. It hasn't been easy, but it's been worth it.

Last summer I was barely able to fit into 14s after coming down from a size 20 at my highest weight of 238lbs. In February of this year I was devastated to find that my weight had shot up after I totally fell off the Navy/exercise wagon. I found myself wearing 18s again. I was in total denial at first and even bought my first home pregnancy kit thinking that I had to be pregnant if I had gained so much weight so quickly. Of course it was negative because the truth was that I just got fat again. So I said SCREW THIS. I'm not going back there! I got back up to about 220 and started working my ass off again.

Now its June and I'm fitting into some of my 14s again. I still haven't gotten below 200 again which is frustrating, but I'm going about my fitness differently.

Last year when I was training I was getting really discouraged with the push-ups/curl-ups. I mean seriously...YOU try to do sit-ups when you're 200lbs. I also have a really weak core. However....this time I'm taking my husband's advice and I'm going to get a lot of the weight off first before I start doing that stuff again. Thats just a lot of weight to be working with and though it's possible it feels terrible!

The running is helping. I can tell that its trimming my belly up and the rest of me. I'm not losing the weight as quickly this time, but I think that might be a good thing. I'm trying to focus on a lifestyle overhaul instead of letting myself get frustrated because I'm not meeting weight-loss goals.

That was another problem. People..if you're going to set a weight-loss goal then please do so realistically and not like I did. I had this idea that I was going to go home to my family last year and look like a completely different person. And even though I was doing REALLY well with my training and had lost a lot of weight..it came to about two weeks before I was supposed to go and it hit me like a ton of bricks that there was no way I was going to meet that goal. That really sent me into a downward spiral and was the beginning of the end for me. So please don't do that to yourselves!

So anyhow I'm running every other day and I'm back up to 2.5mi and anxious to get back to my 5k distance. I'm eating a lot better as well. So I'll keep you all posted as far as my progress.


I can't wait to be a United States Sailor.



-Gina

Sing yourself with fife and drum, sing yourself to overcome

Ahhhh! The windows are open, there's a cool breeze moving through the house and it feels like Fall. We've had a total cooldown here today in Greensboro and its lovely!

Autumn is my favorite season and I just wish this weather would start now and last until Winter. I've already bought the stuff to make a Fall foliage wreath and I might go out and get some fabric to make a fabric wreath as well. :)

I went for a run today outside and it was fantastic! I did about a mile and a quarter which is less than the 1.5 I've been doing lately. But I haven't run outdoors with hills for quite some time. It felt really nice.

Ladies, I'm thinking about making some changes to this page and I want to share with you my reasons and see what you think.

I'm just not sure about the Navy. If I'm really and truly honest thats just how I feel. One day I feel like its definitely in my future and another I don't. Quite honestly I feel like I'm meant to teach and I just haven't found a teaching position. So during the days when I'm not feeling so hot about the Navy (more that its just not realistic for me) I say that I'm just training for the Navy as a backup.

I'm not sure I can get into the Navy with my debt-to-income ratio, and there are times when I feel its not for me. I feel that teaching is definitely for me but I'm sending resumes out left, right, and center and not hearing a peep back in return.

The bottom line is this: I need to get the rest of this weight off, and I need to start a career.

So I'm thinking about making this page more generalized to a blog about my life but the scope of that idea seems so broad to me right now I'm not sure I would find much to write about. I can certainly write about my fitness/nutrition..

What do you think? What should I do with this blog and what do you think is the deal with my on again, off again attitude? Is anyone else in the same boat?

Until this is settled, I sign,

Gina

I wonder whats gonna happen to you..

Something is about to give
I can feel it coming
I think I know what it means

I'm not afraid to die
I'm not afraid to live
And when I'm flat on my back
I hope to feel like I did

And hardness, it sets in
You need some protection, the thinner the skin

I want you to know
That you don't need me anymore
I want you to know
You don't need anyone or anything at all

Who's to say where the wind will take you?
Who's to say what it is will break you?
I don't know which way the wind will blow
Who's to know when the time has come around?
Don't wanna see you cry
I know that this is not goodbye

In summer, I can taste the salty sea
There's a kite blowing out of control on a breeze
I wonder what's gonna happen to you

You wonder what has happened to me ...

I'm worried and I need to share this.

My Mom has been having some health troubles for many months now. I thank God all the time that she was able to quit smoking after, I think, nearly 40 years. I begged her to quite since I can remember. It broke my heart that, when I was working at a CVS just after HS, she came in the front door while I was at the back of the store and I heard her cough and knew that she was in the store.

She doesn't really seem to cough anymore, but instead of her health improving after she quit it got worse. Several years ago she told me that Doctors had told her she had pre-emphysema and that it was mild.

Now, after many trips to a pulmonologist to see why she just can't breath, we've finally gotten some answers. The nurse yesterday when calling about Mom's catscan results asked her if she knew about the emphysema. Mom said, "Yeah but I was told its pre-emphysema and mild." The nurse said, "No. Actually its moderate to severe."

My husband, having had family members who have had this disease, told me (not to be blunt) but that I needed to start preparing myself for the worst. He said that emphysema is a progressive disease and even though quitting smoking slows it down it doesn't stop it.

Mom's on at least two inhalers every day and right now is hooked up to a heart monitor at home.

I just don't know what to think. I need to read more about emphysema. I think that my Mom is either unaware of the seriousness of this or she's in denial.

My heart aches and I'm praying for God to heal her and to not take her from me early. I would deeply appreciate your prayers as well.

-Gina

An Cat Dubh

Today I am fierce. I am a warrior. Yesterday, and since Thursday last, I was a by-stander, a lump on a log. . Not today. Today I am a lioness.

Something clicked today as it always seems to do after a dry-spell with my exercising/eating. I haven't exercised since last Thursday when I did Zumba (which I dearly love!). I sort of fell off the wagon again. I'm not sure why this happens sometimes. And worse than all of this I haven't run for something like 2 weeks now I think. I was kickin' ass and takin' names in the gym for a week straight and finally moved up to a mile and a half with me run and then totally fell apart. Thats when I had the string of bad workouts. I'm not sure where that came from but I certainly know I've been in a weird, dark place since then.

Today, I tore into a couple of morons on the Women Redefined Facebook page. These morons have been creeping on the page for a few days now and generally harassing the women on there. They started posting comments that were extremely derogatory towards women and several things which fit the definition of sexual harassment to a T..so I took them apart. I didn't get emotional..I didn't really even get upset at all. I just put them in their place and then toyed with them for a while..like a cat with a mouse. ;)

For some reason today if you have a penis you're going to act like a moron. This generalization is not extended to my husband and a few other good men. First it was the idiots on Facebook and then (if you can believe this) these college-aged guys at the Y today nearly got into a fight. The guys were obviously friends but started raising their voices and making fun of one another until they started talking about taking it outside. Now..I am of the opinion that boys don't become men and grow a brain until at least 30..and even then not always. Sure there's are exceptions but they are just that! I was amused that during all of this there was an older guy with gray hair and a young face that just casually kept on working out and ignored them. He was so yummy. This, ladies, is why I married an older man. 'Nuff said! LOL

So I was feeling very fiesty after dismembering the misogynists on Facebook so I took my fierce behind over the Y and ran a mile and a half again! Woohoo!! I also did it while sprinting at 6 mph! I had soooo much energy and I've never run that fast before. I usually run between 4.3-4.5mph. I felt awesome! My strides were so long I felt like a freakin' gazelle. Take that boys!

Ladies...not that this was the case, but don't ever let a man belittle you, try to control you, or tell you that you're not good enough.

We are women. Hear us roar!

Future Sailor, GM Ringle

After the flood all the colors came out..

Phew! What a rollercoaster my moods are lately. For this I blame Mother Nature..pure and simple. I came to that realization yesterday evening and when I lie in bed last night I prayed..

"Okay God...PLEASE let me be myself tomorrow. Please let me get the things done that need to be done. Let me actually accomplish something. I need to workout. Help me to do that. Give me the air in my lungs, the strength in my muscles, and the stamina in my mind to do that......"

Well it seems to have worked. I woke up this morning. Or, rather, was woken up by the guy arriving to do the semi-annual inspection on our heating and A/C. Let me tell you..alarms thus far have proven to be worthless for me. With a normal alarm I just hit snooze until I either tire of it and turn it off (all done in my sleep mind you!) or I wake up and hour and a half past the time it was scheduled to go off and don't remember hitting snooze 400 times.

I've tried putting it across the room. I just hobble over totally pissed off and shut it off because, I will NOT be getting up to do that again!! I have an alarm program on my cellphone and at first I thought it was great. One of the features of it is that you have to solve a 3-digit+3-digit math problem. (Like 394+283) Now...I do not consider myself to be very good at Math. In fact, I have sort of a block about it because I had such an awful Math teacher in HS that made me feel like a retard. So I'm really slow at it. Well guess what I now do? I solve the question half-asleep without thinking about it and it snoozes. So I shorted the snooze to 3 minutes. I just do it again and immediately fall back asleep.

I'm actually pretty worried about this. When I student-taught I was able to get up on time every day. But I think it was in the back of my mind that I COULDN'T be late. That was in the Fall of 2008 and since then I haven't had to get up early for hardly anything. I'm worried about either getting a teaching job and sleeping through my alarm or not being able to wake up right away in the Navy. Can you imagine how much that would piss the lovely folks at RTC off? Yikes!!

So thats my alarm dilemma. I have found a huge list of alarms that do all sorts of crazy crap which you can view here. I am also going to ask my husband if we can spend the money to get me this. This bad-boy allows you ONE snooze and then leaps off of your bedside table and goes rolling around so that you have to get your sleepy butt out of bed and find it. This one also has a touch-friendly face that works like an iPod and you can add your favorite mp3s to it to wake up to or even a voice recorded wake-up call. Pretty rad, huh? Its kinda expensive though, thats the only problem. My dog also tends to sleep on the floor RIGHT beside my side of the bed and I can just see this thing popped off and landing on his poor head.

Any suggestions?

On another note I just biked around 8 miles which felt awesome after four days of no exercise and (Shhhh!) 2 days of McDonalds. So maybe I'm coming out of this. Again..I blame Mother Nature. Either way..as of right now I'm moving forward and not backward. Thats always good for me. :)

Later Taters!

Future Sailor, GM Ringle