The 45 day Challenge....

...to myself. So I need a little (okay a lot) of motivation to keep up on working out. I do okay most of the time but not great. Lately my average has been two to three days a week. It's just not cutting it.

About a month ago I really started to notice my clothes not fitting as well...pants getting tighter and a lot of my summer clothes from last year just do not look great (in my own opinion). This is when I started to get concerned. I knew over the past three years I've put on a few pounds. A couple pounds here and there really adds up over three years. Three summers ago I weighed 152. Last week I weighed myself and I was 172. TWENTY POUNDS. 20. Veinte. Vingt. Zwanzig.

It's not easy for me to put the fact that I gained twenty pounds out in the public eye(or rather the five people that look at this blog). In fact, its really emotional to do so but I have to have more accountability.

Although in the past three years I've also become more athletic - running a lot more and have more endurance. Before you say it could be muscle...maybe some of it but believe there is a lot there that isn't muscle.

So they say (whoever 'they' are) that it takes twenty days to build a habit. I'm going to go with 45...starting today Sunday August 30th.

The challenge: Complete Jillian Michael's 30 Day Shred in 45 days.



Why 45 days: In between doing the Shred I also have to keep up on doing my weekly yoga and running. On September 20th I'm running in the Trails to Ale 10K. And I'm a realist knowing some days I may not have time/energy to run and Shred.

Why the 30 Day Shred? Well, I've done the workout before although only a couple of times. It's quick and its effective. And if you have ever seen The Biggest Loser Jillian is tough. Although in this video I like her honesty and encouragement. It keeps me going during all those push-ups.

The Stats (posted weekly for accountability as well as a recap of the week):
Weight: 172
Height: 5' 11"
Waist: 33.5"
Hips: 40.5"
Bust: 38"
Thighs: 23.5"
Arms: 11"

Day 1: Completed

Eat - Die - Indiana

Wow! It has been a while since I've posted here - so many things have been going on this summer it's hard to know where to start. I have so many photos I want to share from our summer, but seeing as how I just spent the weekend in Rockland, Maine with Valori, Shalimar and Anita I'll start with the highlight of the trip and the inspiration for the title of this post!


Robert Indiana. I'm officially obsessed with the artist right now. Heading up to Rockland Shalimar had provided an article that talked about his EAT piece but it wasn't until we were at the Farnsworth Museum on Sunday that I really delved into his art work. Maybe I was brought in by the Indiana/Maine connection - but the stories behind his painting and sculptures really moved me...and I'm not normally a person that art moves. If anyone gets a chance to go to a Robert Indiana exhibit I highly recommend attending!




LOVE sculpture created for a MOMA Christmas card and now found worldwide.






EAT famous for being at the Worlds Fair in NY - had to be taken down because people thought it was a restaurant. The real story is here.


Myself, Valori, Shalimar and Anita at the Breakpoint Lighthouse - we didn't have time to walk all the way to the lighthouse which is about a mile but I've added it to my to do list.