Thank You

Thank you to everyone who entered my bloggiversary giveaways.  If you haven't yet, the end tonight.  Check them out!
#1 - CSN Stores
#2 - Fiber One Yogurt
#3 - A Homemade Hat

Thank you to everyone who peeked at my new crafting blog.  I'm really enjoying having a place to share all my crafty project.  I recently added some more scrapbooking layouts and plan on putting up another crochet project tonight.

Thank you Jillian for kicking my butt tonight!  Patrick and I have been getting in a track workout three times a week, but I've been neglecting any sort of weight training.  So tonight I pulled out Jillian's No More Trouble Zones Video.  And boy, it has been awhile!  It showed me how out of shape I am.  But that's okay because I'm heading in the right direction.  I've got two new Jillian videos coming my way from Amazon that I'm looking forward to trying out.  I find new workout stuff helps keep me motivated.  Has anyone tried either of these new videos?

 I'm hoping the ab DVD will go well after a running workout because I know a solid core can only improve my running.  And the second DVD is supposed to be done with a kettlebell, which I don't have, but can be done with a hand weight.  If I like it, I may invest in a kettle bell.  Anyone have any recs on kettle bells? 

Now I'm watching the Biggest Loser.  Is anyone else watching?  Any favorite teams?  I'm really like the aqua team and the dad on the blue team.  I'll be interested to see who goes home this week!

If Only Everyday...

...was as good as yesterday.  Eating wise I did really well.  I got in all my servings of dairy, water, lean protein, and fruits and veggies (a tough one for me!).  To top it off, when I got home from work I managed to motivate myself to run 2.5 miles.  I almost skipped it after walking the mile home from work, but I got out there.  And you know what?  It felt awesome.  My mile splits were faster than my previous run and I'm starting to get back in the running groove.  Sure it was cold and a bit windy, but my legs felt good and I was happy to be out running and getting some fresh air! 

I'm trying to stay focused so that today can be just as good!  Tonight is the season premiere of The Biggest Loser - one of my guilty pleasures.  I'd really like to see a female win this season.  I'm thinking it's time!  Is anyone else watching?

Oh Jillian...

As some of you may or may not know, I'm a big fan of the show The Biggest Loser and of Jillian Michael's.  I own all her fitness DVDs and I respect her ass-kicking approach to getting people in shape.  Recently on the internet I saw some commentary on her comments on pregnancy.  Essentially this gist was that she personally would prefer to adopt when ready to start a family than get pregnant.  Apparently lots of people were outraged that she wouldn't want to get pregnant because she didn't want to put her body through that.

I've been thinking a lot about it.  I figure that 1) it's a personal choice.  She can do whatever she wants with her body.  Besides, she makes a living off the fact that she's in shape.  I think if I worked as hard as she did to get in shape, I'd probably would want to keep my body that way too.  However, I do think she could open new doors for herself if she did decide to get pregnant.  She could relate to new moms struggling to get the baby weight off, as well as to women who are looking to stay healthy through their pregnancies.

Secondly, I think people who adopt are doing a great service to this world.  Some people reacted to Jillian's comments because they're afraid this would spark some mass adoption craze.  Who cares!?!  In all honesty, our world has a bit of an over-population problem.  People who decide to adopt are doing us two favors.  They are taking in children who would otherwise not have a loving home and a family and they are not contributing to an already over-crowded world.  How can that be a bad thing?

I'm curious to know what you think about this topic?  Would you ever consider adoption?

Please don't misconstrue what I'm saying to mean that I don't think people should have babies.  I think people who get pregnant and have kids are entitled to do so and it is something that I too would like to do eventually.  I'm just saying that people who are willing to adopt are just as much parents and should be appreciated as such.

Bummer

Did you enter my Progresso Soup Giveaway yet?  If not, click HERE.

On Wednesdays I usually get up and get my run in before my 11am class.  Mostly because I TA in the afternoon and I'm exhausted by the end of the day.  Well, we lost power at 3am this morning which woke up Patrick which woke up me.  Long story short, we had to get resettled and reset alarms, etc.  So when my alarm went off on my cell phone this morning I dismissed it and rolled back over and went back to sleep.  That was not part of the plan.  Thankfully I only slept an extra 45 minutes.  It could have been longer and that would have been much worse.  Either way, it meant I didn't have time to get my run in and still make it to class.  So I guess I'll just have to run once I'm done in lab.  What do you do if you have to change your workout plans?

The other reason I was so tired is because I stayed up to watch the Biggest Loser.  I think I'm addicted to that show!  NBC pushed it back by an hour though (because Jay Leno is back to the later slot) so it was on from 9-11 instead of 8-10.  This is kind of disappointing because this is the one show I watch regularly and if it's on as late as it was last night, I have to stay up by myself to watch it.  Patrick likes to go to bed by 10 at the absolute latest because he has to get up at 5:30 for student teaching.  I don't blame him at all, but it sucks to go into bed and he's already asleep.  And I don't want to wake him so I have to be extra quiet.

Finally, as it continues to be quite chilly here in Maine, I made a yummy fruit salad that looks rather tropical to me.  It has strawberries, kiwi, pineapple, and cantaloupe.  Such a yummy treat!  And it makes me think of warmer places.