Zumba August 2015

Marian's Morning Class in West Jordan. 

August 2015 Stats

I hit 29 Zumba classes during the month of August. I did double (back to back even) classes on Monday mornings, and double classes on Thursdays (one in the morning, one in the evening). I didn't hit any Saturday classes in August though ... with basketball games and family outings, Saturday mornings were pretty booked, and it's a sleep in day ;) With school starting back up, I got back to Heather Jones's class on Friday (a little further, but the only one that works with the late start at the middle school). It was fun to get back to that one!

I like to post my "winners" for the month ... the highest average heart rate, highest steps, highest calorie burn. Sometimes the three different stats are achieved by three different classes, and sometimes they all are credited to one. That is the case this month. My Wednesday, August 19th class with MZL hit highs in all three categories. Class was 66minutes long, and those few extra minutes do help push the final stats up, but it was a great class that day.

Here are a few snapshots from some of the other classes this month ...

(Well, I guess they are all actually from Mountain View. Thursdays in West Jordan). 

Silvia is one of the helpers at Mountain View. She has the moves!

Kristen Swinton and I have been Facebook friends for a while, but had never met in real life. She is a Zumba instructor over on the East side (Cottonwood/Holiday area) with both free and paid classes. She had a Thursday free and decided to come hit a class with us at MountainView. It was fun to meet her in person, and of course we had her do a few numbers too!

One week at Mountain View, we didn't have a key to the building. That can't stop us though! Marian plugged her ipad into her car speakers and we Zumba-ed in the parking lot. It was a nice cool morning with a breeze, and it was almost preferable to the hot church gym! It's not the first time this has happened, and it probably won't be the last!

August 2015

Well, I keep thinking the weight can't possibly get worse when I am still trying. I haven't given up. I'm still exercising and still tracking my eating (or overeating as is obviously the case). Alas, August again went up. Started the month at 163.10 and ended it at 169.70. Yikes. One week, I had an unexplainable four pound jump. Those were my low and high for the month as well. Average was 166.49. As noted in the chart above, average intake was 2584, average daily burn 2820.

August was busy, as we crammed in all the end of summer stuff. We went on a couple of hikes, hit the lake with the waverunners, went to Lagoon (the local amusement park). Hubs organized a very successful family reunion, and the boys spent many a day playing basketball and swimming at the local rec center. August was the end of our duckie days too, as two of our duckies flew away, and we found a home for the one who didn't (as she seemed sad and lonely all by herself). We will miss our ducky time, although they did require a bit of time too. Hubs and I also made a return to the racquetball court ... I hope it wasn't a one time thing!

Last year, September/October were very good months for me. With the return to routine and the structure of school, I was able to control the calories better, and up the exercise, and I lost enough to dip down below 150. I'm at a higher starting point than I was last year, but I really hope I can regain some of my motivation and willpower to have some success this September.

***JenB's Journal ***

0801 (Saturday) Weight 163.1. Bad Day. Total Burn 2502. Exercise Burn 600/744 (50minElliptical + Lawn Mow). Calories in 2800.  #5 had his basketball game at 11:00. I hadn't been able to pull off my video from the last few games as the card reader on the computer seems to have gone kaput. Hubs brought out a portable card reader, so I was able to get that taken care off before gathering more video footage. Hubs brought home some yummy donuts, and I indulged in other treats during the day. Got in some elliptical, mowed the lawn and hit the grocery store. In the evening, we went out to my brother's house. He's been helping us get our trust/will set up (something my mother has been pushing all us kids to do) and had hired a notary to come over to finalize things for us and for another brother. So we turned it into a party with Papa Murphy pizza. We stopped at Cabellas on the way home, wandering past the trout tank, trying some fudge samples and seeing all the animals on display. It was a fun evening.  

0802 (Sunday) Weight 164.3 Bad Day. Total Burn 1993. Exercise Burn 0/228 (no exercise). Calories in 3100. Fresh croissants for breakfast. I walked to/from church, that was only activity for the day. Got in a nice nap ... I've been sleeping really badly almost every night, but I was OUT this afternoon. In the early evening we went out to my folks for the monthly family gathering. Hubs made his waffle mix (we'd skipped our usual Sunday Circles at home). My SIL stepped up to man the other waffle maker, so it was a little more relaxing for me this time than the past few, when I've been "on duty".  My brother and his wife announced the gender of their baby, another girl! I worked a bit with my dad's Fitbit, as it hasn't been working. Got it updated and charged (I think the upstairs charger may have been on the fritz). Hopefully Dad can get back to wearing it again now. High calories because of excess snacking, including a piece of cheesecake, which I don't even really like that much.

0803 (Monday) Weight 165.1. Okay Day. Total Burn 3027. Exercise Burn 1150/1257 (40minElliptical, Zumba x2). Calories in 2900. It was a cool and rainy morning. An instructor I like has started a Monday class at 8:30 in the morning. I figured I could hit it, and then go straight to Southziders. Back to back Zumba! I took a wrong turn on the way, which made me a bit later to my second class, but they hadn't started yet. The divider in the gym was locked, so we only had a half. We usually spread out more, but it was fine. I stopped at Kmart on the way home, then went to Smiths. With the cool weather and the rain, it just felt like a soup and breadstick sort of day. When I got home, I got started on the dough and got the breadsticks rising. I got in a little elliptical then worked on the soup, and used more dough to make cinnamon rolls. I really felt like I was on my feet all day. It was a yummy dinner though. #2 had his girlfriend over and she and our neighbor boy ate with us. Daddy didn't make it home until a bit later, but I'd made a second small pan of breadsticks so he could have some fresh ones too. No basketball practice in the evening, as the rec center is refinishing the floors. It was rather nice to have the evening off. With all the baking, my calories were high for a Monday.

0804 (Tuesday) Weight 164.8. Bad Day. Total Burn 2694. Exercise Burn 740/926 (30minElliptical, Zumba). Calories in 2800. The day started good, I had invited a neighbor to Zumba and we walked over together. Class was good. Another friend got a Fitbit ChargeHR! #5 had a dentist appointment at 11:00. I took him in, and while they were working I ran a couple errands (Walmart/Sears) and got back before he was done. Set up some additional appointments for the other boys too.  I made scones for the boys with the remaining dough from yesterday. Tuesdays are usually great workout days for me. Should have been weights and bike, but I only got in 30min on the elliptical. I was going to do 10 more minutes, but #4 was beating me in steps and seemed SO happy about it, I almost didn't want to overtake him. Also ... I was feeling rather crappy! I spent a bit of time just reading in bed. I did finish TWO books. Prepping a bit of salad for the duckie, I sliced the tip of my thumb. Ouch! Already feeling off, and now woozy too. Hubs was out late with a co-worker, and #2 worked late then went with friends for a final "summer overnighter".  Another high calorie day. Tried some of the new "Jif" Keebler cookies, and obviously I liked them ...

0805 (Wednesday) Weight 163.6. Pretty Good Day. Total Burn 2712. Exercise Burn 881/951 (30minElliptical, Zumba, Bike30) Calories in 2300. Zumba in the morning, with a quick stop at the store for things I'd forgotten in Monday's grocery store run. A little bike and elliptical during the day. My current show, "Call the Midwife" is great, but it's 50minutes each episode, which leaves me with odd numbers ... either 50 minutes or 30 minutes of elliptical.  The gym floor is being refinished a the rec center, so the kids can't play basketball this whole week, but I did drop them off to swim for a while. Kept calories a little better today.

0806 (Thursday) Weight 164.1. Good(ish) Day. Total Burn 3294. Exercise Burn 1517/1530 (40minElliptical, Zumba x2, Bike30). Calories in 3000. Great fitness day, but ate back almost all of it in food. Zumba in the morning, with ANOTHER store run ... I haven't been keeping a good check on what we need (out of milk!) Got in elliptical and bike. Hubs took a couple of the kids to see a climbing competition in Park City. I hit my evening Zumba and grabbed Crazy Bread on the way home. Calories spiraled a bit out of control today... TOM is coming.

0807 (Friday) Weight 164.7. Good(ish) Day. Total Burn 3000. Exercise Burn 1019/1233 (60minElliptical, Zumba). Calories in 2800.  Debbie in Daybreak has had to cancel classes the past little bit, but she was back, so I hit her class in the morning. Got in an hour on the elliptical. Fitness was good for a Friday. Food intake was high though (those new Jif cookies are yummy, and I had Hubs make popcorn as we watched a show in the evening).

0808 (Saturday) Weight 166.4. Okay Day. Total Burn 2664. Exercise Burn 660/887 (10minElliptical, 40minRball, Hike). Calories in 2500. Not really surprised with the weight jump with the high food, and the popcorn late last night. Hubs made pancakes for breakfast. I usually don't eat breakfast, it was a little heavy on the tummy. No basketball games today. Got in a mini session on the elliptical, but then didn't make it back down to my gym. Not that I wasn't still active, after a nap anyway. Hubs and I went and played racquetball, and then we went on a hike with the three little boys. Both were a nice change! But ... food intake was high for the day, even though our stop at the cupcake shop after the hike had an abrupt end when Hubs didn't have his wallet with him.

0809 (Sunday) Weight 166.  Bad Day. Total Burn 2214. Exercise Burn 100/439 (10minElliptical). Calories in 3350.  We did our Sunday Circles in the morning. I got in 10min on the elliptical and walked to/from church. Lazy day. Hubs made mac&cheese and the boys played on the tramp while we had some duckie time. Food was BAD ... between some Krispie Creme donuts that appeared, some red gummy bears Hubs bought me, and me making homemade oreos. And of course the waffles/bacon and mac&cheese too ... sheesh!

0810 (Monday) Weight 167.3. Good Day. Total Burn 3147. Exercise Burn 1385/1365 (40minElliptical, Zumba X2, Bike). Calories in 2550. Weight is up even more... not surprising of course. Did my double Zumba morning, 8:30 and 9:30 class, then got in some elliptical and bike during the day. Back to basketball practice in the evenings, but I just dropped the boys early at the gym and they stayed. Made fried chicken and yellow rice for an early dinner before. I only had a little, but still was over for calories for the day.

0811  (Tuesday) Weight 166. Good Day. Total Burn 3096. Exercise Burn 1070/1321 (30minElliptical, Zumba, WEIGHTS, Hike). Calories in 2700. Started the day with Zumba, walked to and from. Only a few more weeks of that, as I don't have time to walk once school starts back up. Got in some elliptical and WEIGHTS, a full hour! In the evening, we went up the mountains for a hike. It was quite similar to the other in basic stats. Just over a mile, but it was a bit more of a climb in elevation. This hike, we had the entire crew along (grandma, aunts/uncles/cousins and even #2's girlfriend), and instead of leading the way with a quick pace, Hubs was in the rear, helping out. So I know I personally didn't push as quickly as I had on our first hike, trying to keep up ;) We're lucky it turned out. On the way up the mountain, it started pouring rain, and at the top, although it was clear, there was thunder and stormy clouds. Poor #4, my weather-phobic child was in quite a state. I found some headphones in the car, and pulled out the ipod with music on it and had him use that to try and drown out sounds of the storm. He was okay after a while. We went out to Crown Burger after.

0812 (Wednesday) Weight 166.4. Pretty Good Day. Total Burn 3078. Exercise Burn 1177/1301 (60minElliptical, Zumba, Bike). Calories in 2450. Hmmm, not much going on today. The usual Zumba and elliptical, also got in some bike. Food ... not good, I don't think I ate one thing that could be considered nutritious. Hubby was out late. 

0813 (Thursday) Weight 166.4. Good Day. Total Burn 3118. Exercise Burn 1487/1341 (60minElliptical, Zumba x2, Bike). Calories in 2000. No key at Zumba this morning, so we danced in the parking lot. It was actually very nice, a shady spot with a breeze, but it was short (just 40minutes). I got in an hour of elliptical and 30min on the bike at home. Hit evening Zumba, taking a neighbor who hadn't been before, so I didn't stop and grab the usual Crazy Bread. Actually kept calories somewhat in control ... even with some Snickerdoodles that Hubs had brought home from work. #2 texts late that he's going to a friend's for a sleep over ... at 11:30 when we are already in bed. That kid! I didn't sleep that great, had to get up and lock doors and such (usually he does that as he's the last one in).

0814 (Friday) Weight 165.5. Bad Day. Total Burn 3001. Exercise Burn 993/1229 (60minElliptical, Zumba). Calories in 3300. Hit Zumba in Daybreak, and stopped and grabbed some Crazy Bread on the way home, as I hadn't last night. That was lunch.  I wasn't doing good today on eating, too many treats! Still some snickerdoodles and candy temptations. In the evening, Hubs took the boys over to Maga's house where he had set up three tents. Cousin sleepover. He took his projector and they watched a movie. #2 had to work, and got home late enough that he didn't think it would be worth it to go over (after 11:00). I indulged in a little popcorn, which wasn't a good idea as I was already way over in calories. And when I make it myself, it isn't nearly as good as when Hubs makes it.

0815 (Saturday) Weight 166.5. Bad Day. Total Burn 2585. Exercise Burn 900/808 (60minElliptical, Bike). Calories in 2100. Back to a basektball game for #5 ... the crew did return from the sleepover in time (the game wasn't until 11:00). #5 didn't make any baskets himself, but he had a ton of assists! Easy win. Hubs was out looking at cars, as we need something for #2 (he's currently driving the older truck, but it's registration has expired and it won't pass the emmissions inspection without a costly and time consuming repair). Hate car shopping and situations! Craving candy ... Twix and peanutbutter stuff!

0816 (Sunday) Weight 168.6. BAD Day. Total Burn 1719. Exercise Burn 0 (no exercise). Calories in 3500. Hello jump on the scale! And today won't help. We decided to make the most of the end of summer and hit the lake with the waverunners. Hubs and work buddies have been out a few times, but the kids and I haven't had a chance this summer (not that it's something I really enjoy). We set out pretty early, did the stop at McDonalds where I indulged in a couple of hashbrowns. Yummy. We also dropped off our ducky. She's been lonely since the other two ducks flew away. We contacted the fellow we had adopted those two from and he agreed to take Andy. It was sad to say goodbye, but I think she will be happier. Snacking on treats while sitting on the beach ... I got in a few steps, but I forgot my Fitbit! I didn't even get in the water. It was a nice day. We had to get back as #2 had to work at 4:00. Hubs was craving some fried chicken I guess, so we went to visit him at work. He treated us to some extra cookies and a shake. Too much food today!

0817 (Monday) Weight 168.6. Good Day. Total Burn 3356. Exercise Burn 1565/1567 (60minElliptical, Zumba x2, Bike). Calories in 2200. Hitting my double Zumba mornings while I can, before school starts. 8:30 class, then straight to the next one starting at 9:45. Made several stops on the way home, at Kmart, Papa Murphys (pizza and breadsticks for dinner), Walgreens (I had earned a $50 reward there through Fitbit Sync and some purchases in their Balance Reward program) and then, as I was passing Little Ceasers, I grabbed some crazy bread. I really need to stop doing that, as it's so yummy and I can't resist! Got in additional exercise at home, even considered hitting Debbie's Zumba to make it three in a day, but I didn't. Eating wasn't horrendous (it wasn't good) but not my usual motivated Monday. 

0818 (Tuesday) Weight 168.4. Pretty Good Day. Total Burn 2988. Exercise Burn 1200/1200 (60minElliptical, Zumba, Bike). Calories in 2400. When Hubs gets up and off around 5:30 each morning, I am awake, and I often don't fall back to sleep. I just lounge in bed. That will end once school starts next week, and today I just decided to get up and get going. I hit the elliptical and got in 20minutes before walking to Zumba (also the last week for that, as I don't have time after kid's carpool) and hit my 10X10 Tuesday, which I haven't done in quite a while. It should have been a great day, but my motivation slipped a bit. Ran the kids to the rec center, then #5 had scouts and I went back to Walgreens to pick up some pictures for a photo project for the missionary. That's been taking up a bit of time too. Should have done weights today, but it didn't happen. 

0819 (Wednesday) Weight 168.6. Good Day. Total Burn 3076. Exercise Burn 1310/1287 (60minElliptical, Zumba, Bike). Calories in 2200. Got up early enough to get in 10minutes on the elliptical first thing. The 14-year old and a friend have been working out in the mornings, mostly while I'm at Zumba, but sometimes a little earlier. I've been hitting a different Wednesday class, but went back to MZL today. My last visit there hadn't been great, but today was. I could tell right from the first song, my heart rate was up, and it was songs I knew and liked. They also pulled me up to do one, and then had me stay up as a "backup dancer" which I usually shy away from, but I must admit I do think it helps up the heart rate. Good stats today! I stopped for some shopping on the way home, hitting Sears and Walmart.  Additional exercise at home during the day. The boys hit the rec center again, trying to get the most of their membership before school starts back up. Unfortunately the tramp has ripped, so I did order a new one (from Sears, using some Fitstudio points) so hopefully that will be back up and running for them. They get a lot of activity on that. I thought about hitting an 8:30 zumba, but it's hard to get motivated that late. And, hubs is often only getting home around that time and would be asleep before I got back, and I want to spend a little time with my man! 

0820 (Thursday) Weight 167.8. Good Day. Total Burn 3057. Exercise Burn 1265/1272 (60minElliptical, Zumba x 2). Calories in 2250. Zumba in the morning, some elliptical at home. #5 had a friend over, but they all still went to the rec center for a bit. I did get hit with the sleepies during the day, should have got stuff done while they were gone but it didn't happen. Other than I did stop at the post office and mail off a package (photo album and such) to our missionary in Mexico. Hope it makes it there okay! Made spaghetti for dinner ... it's a little hard to Zumba on a full tummy, and I did have Zumba that evening, but still got good stats. Couldn't sleep well for some reason though ...

0821 (Friday) Weight 167.6. Good Day. Total Burn 2950. Exercise Burn 900/1166 (40minElliptical, Zumba/Bike). Calories in 1500. Crappy night, I'm not sure why. I think I did sleep a little after Hubs left, and before I finally rolled out of bed around 8:00. Crappy weigh-in, up two pounds again. Off to Zumba ... and I forgot my ChargeHR. Duh! I almost turned around and went back for it, but I was already running a little late (although I did make it there before the music started, just barely!) Missed checking my heart rate during and after. I passed Little Ceasers ... and did NOT stop and grab crazy bread (I didn't last night either, but last night everyone was full already anyway). Had a pretty productive day at home. Got in additional exercise on the elliptical and bike. Also cleaned some, prepping for school stuff, lawn mow, really never stopped and sat all day. Also controlled calories ... which was really quite miserable! Hubs took #2's truck to get it inspected, although we really didn't think it would pass ... it didn't. #3 rode his bike to  the orthodontist (it's close) as his last braces appointment had left a wire that was poking him.

0822 (Saturday) Weight 165.7. Bad Day. Total Burn 2470. Exercise Burn 400/697 (30minElliptical). Calories in 3000. Busy family day today. Hubs was up and off running errands. I took #5 to his final basketball game of the summer season (they won). Now I really need to get to his videos! In the early evening, we had a family reunion, that Hubs had actually put together. Over 80 people, all the local family (his mom's side) and even one cousin from out of state came. Visiting, waterballoons, jumprope, memory books, family photo, eating dinner and donuts ... uber over calories!

0823 (Sunday) Weight 166.2. Bad Day. Total Burn 2352. Exercise Burn 0/576 (no exercise). Calories in 2800. Today we had a family day going to Lagoon, a local amusement park. I can't remember the last time we went, it was years ago. Stopped at McDonalds for a quick bit on the way. As soon as the park opened, some of the kids went to hit the new ride "Cannibal" (and it was still a 30+min wait). #4 and I hit a couple others with Daddy. We met up with the other kids. It was pretty busy. Long lines. We were ready to call it around 4:00. Eating wasn't great ... lots of snacking. I actually hadn't done too bad at the park, but I ate quite a bit back at home.

0824 (Monday) Weight 168.5. Pretty Good Day. Total Burn 3011. Exercise Burn 1012/1222 (30minElliptical, Zumbax2). Calories in 2650.  The high school started today, so #2 was up and off early, as he's taking LDS seminary before school and it starts at 6:00. I did set my alarm, but I heard he was awake, so I didn't get up that early myself. Hit my usual double Zumba in the morning, last time for that for me. Stopped at a couple stores on the way home, then #3 wanted a ride to a friend's church to play basketball (which was the church I'd been hitting Zumba at a few times on Wednesdays). We had "Back to School Night" at the elementary. Happy that #4's class is inside, no windows even. 6th grade has been in the portables for the past few years, and I wonder if the principal moved them in just for my weather phobic boy. My 4th grader IS in the portables this year. We found their classrooms, met the teachers, etc.

0825 (Tuesday) Weight 168.5. Good Day. Total Burn 3291. Exercise Burn 1235/1502 (60minElliptical, Zumba, WEIGHTS, Bike). Calories in 2350. First day of school for the other three today. #2 again got up and off on his own. I've been prepping his lunch the night before so I don't have to get up that early myself. The other boys got up easily too. I had been worried after the summer of sleeping in. I'm back to driving #3 to school. I got spoiled last year after #2 got his license and started driving them both to school. One drop off at 7:20, the elementary at 8:30. I made it to my 8:45 Zumba and hit my 10x10. Had a productive day at home, getting in additional exercise, even weights! Did some cleaning and such too. It was a good day, although I could have controlled the calories a bit better. Too many treats, and then I put a roast in the crock pot and made Brazillian Cheese Rolls, and those added up too!

0826 (Wednesday) Weight 166.2. Ok Day. Total Burn 2892. Exercise Burn 763/1116 (30minElliptical, Zumba). Calories in 2650. It was a bit stormy today, so the morning was a little rough with #4. I went to MZL for Zumba, as it's nice and close, and I just do tend to get better numbers there then the one out by Sunset Ridge. I hit some stores on the way home (Sears, Walmart, Sams). The big bags of Brachs candy corn were available ... yes, I ate too much candy corn today! Only got in 30min on the elliptical. I was waiting for someone to stop by, and I don't feel like I can hit my gym, as I can't hear the doorbell downstairs. So ... it wasn't a super productive day.

0827 (Thursday) Weight 166.8. Good Day. Total Burn 3562. Exercise Burn 1765/1783 (70minElliptical, Zumba x2, Bike). Calories in 2200.  On Thursdays, I don't really have time to go home after dropping the kids off to school, so I just go straight to Zumba, even though I end up there quite early. Today, I stopped a couple blocks down from the church, dropping the car off at our mechanic, as the power seats/windows haven't been working. Hoping it was just a fuse that could be fixed in an hour, I left it there and walked up to the church for Zumba. Good class ... lots of purple today! After class, I walked back and yea, it had been a fuse, so we were fixed. Stopped at Smiths and grabbed my prescription and some groceries. Got in quite a bit of elliptical today too, I'd started early, actually getting up at 5:30 today, and getting in 30min before getting the kids off to school. I was wrapping up a series, and watching the new Walking Dead show. Got some reading in too ... I've had several of my holds come in all at once! Did okay controlling calories ... dang candy corn temptations! Evening Zumba too.

0828 (Friday) Weight 166.8. Bad Day. Total Burn 2818. Exercise Burn 630/1039 (20minElliptical, Zumba). Calories in 3000. Happy Birthday to my #4 today. I was going to have nice fresh croissants but I forgot to lay them out to rise last night, so we did french toast instead. I got the kids off and went out to Heather's class in Sandy. I hadn't hit it all summer, as there were closer ones, but with school back in session, and late start at the middle school, it is the only one that fits my schedule... and I love Heather. I was a little afraid I would have "first time syndrome" again as it had been so long, but it all came right back and I got good stats. I stopped at Sears on the way home and grabbed some shoes and t-shirts to add to the few presents I had (oh, and picked up a new mat for the trampoline as well!). Early out at the elementary, then middle school pickup. Then we packed up for the weekend and headed up to Park City for a birthday weekend of family fun. The boys hit the pool at the condo and we went out to dinner. I'd brought up a birthday cake too.

0829 (Saturday) No Weigh In. Bad Day. Total Burn 2258. Exercise Burn 0/479 (no exercise). Calories in 2900. We headed out to grab some breakfast. There are no chain restaurant places like Denny's or Village Inn in Park City. We did a quick stop at Walmart (I ran in and grabbed a swimsuit for #4 who had forgotten his) and Hubs filled up with gas. We ended up at a Mountain Grill, which a website had said was inexpensive, but it was pricey for small servings! We then hit the mountain resort ... and want to talk pricey! It was $75 per person! Yikes. We hit the Alpine Coaster a couple of times first. The two little boys went with Mom and Dad the first time, then alone. Then we hit some of the other attractions ... the trampoline, rock climbing, a bounce obstacle course and mini golf. Then we did the Alpine Slide and rode the lift up the mountain. The lines were pretty long, and we all got some sun, even with sunscreen. The passes/park closed at 6:00, but we were all pretty much done by 4:00. We had a nice dinner (some at the restaurant, and bringing some back to the condo, as they had a take out deal that was so much better than the sit down prices) and then some more swimming and then to bed.

0830 (Sunday) No Weigh In. Bad Day. Total Burn 2017. Exercise Burn 0/226 (no exercise). Calories in 2300. I wish we could have extended check out in the morning to let the kids get in one last swim. Check out was 10:00, and the pool didn't open until 10:00. So we just packed up and headed home. We were going to stop for breakfast, but the location of choice (Pancake Haus in Sugarhouse) was packed and overflowing. We decided to just head home and make our usual Sunday Circle breakfast. The kids were anxious to see the kitties (after leaving them for a day and a half). It was nice to have some home relax time before the week started up again. #2 did have to go into work, and the rest of us enjoyed a dinner at Tepanyaki (#3's birthday choice).

0831 (Monday) 169.7. Good Day. Total Burn 3432. Exercise Burn 1350/1636 (60minElliptical, Zumba, Bike). Calories in 1450. Okay, I admit I may have stepped on the scale more than once to get a reading under 170. I really didn't think I'd be seeing these numbers again. :(  Motivated me to have a good day. Got in my elliptical, zumba and bike and mowed the lawn too.  I even kept calories in control, despite Hubs deciding to buy a brand new car (the cost of which stressed me out) and it being #3's birthday (I resisted the birthday cake). Good Day.

WWI #109 - At Least It's Not Up

Last week, after my miserable and mystery two pound jump, I was motivated enough to have a good food and fitness day on Friday, and I did have a two pound drop for the weigh-in the following morning. But Saturday and Sunday were full of family fun (no exercise, lots of eating) and the week wasn't all that great (even with the start of school and return to routine). NUMBERS: Down .8 from last week. Average is down .64. Average intake was 2450, average daily burn was 2933 ... equaling an overage of the week for 225. Here's my quick weekly recap:

• Friday (0821): Had a good day with quite a bit of activity (although I forgot my ChargeHR for my Zumba class!). Also controlled calories, but I was very conscious of it, hangry by the end of the day!
• Saturday (0822): Started the day watching #5's final summer basketball game, then we had a family reunion. It was a lot of fun. Hubs had put the whole thing together! Only 30minElliptical today.
• Sunday (0823): We had a family day at the local amusement park. No exercise, but quite a bit of walking (over 16K for the day). Between all the standing yesterday and today in simple sandals, my feet and legs were quite exhausted! Didn't do horrible on food at the park, but was starving back at home.
• Monday (0824): #2 started high school. Up and off by 5:30 ... Legs still feeling tired, but I did my double Zumba in the morning. Only 30min elliptical during the day though. Back to School Night for the elementary kids.
• Tuesday (0825): First day of school for my 9th, 6th and 4th grader! Got them off, then hit Zumba, got in elliptical, bike and WEIGHTS. Productive day, and eating was okay.
• Wednesday (0826): Zumba in the morning, just 30min of elliptical during the day. I was dragging a bit, and expecting someone to stop by. I can't hear the doorbell downstairs, so I didn't feel like I could workout for most of the afternoon.
• Thursday(0827): Got the kids off to school, dropped the car at the mechanic, and walked to Zumba, which was at the church just down the street. Luckily, my minor electrical issue was fixed when I walked back. Got in quite a bit of elliptical (catching up on some shows) and some reading/riding. Didn't quite keep calories under 2000, but it was a pretty good day. 

Family Reunion Picture. See the MUVEE too ... 

Our trip to Lagoon

First Day of School Photos

... and this coming week? It's BIRTHDAY week. Three of our boys have birthdays! We're also having a family getaway weekend, so ... that will be a little tough on the eating and exercise!

Hello Holds!

I love my local library. I rarely make it into the physical building anymore, as most of my borrowing is done digitally. It's just so easy! Select an item, and I'm taken to my Amazon account to download it to my Kindle. It's a three week lend, which is generally plenty of time for me to finish me read. Then ... the book goes back automatically. Impossible to have a late fee!

Just like physical books, digital books do have limitations on how many copies can be loaned out at once (depending on how many copies the library has purchased). There are almost always dozens on my list that are available for immediate checkout, but others, if I want to get them, I'm going to have to stand in line. I can put them on hold, and I'm notified when they are available.

Back in July, I put several titles I was interested in on hold ... some only had one copy, some had multiple, some had several holds ahead of me, some might be available as soon as the current copy was returned. I watched with a bit of trepidation as four of the books suddenly said "You are next in line for this title."  Of course I am happy to have my hold come in, but I wasn't sure about having FOUR come in at once! I'm a fast reader, but that might push my limits. Sure enough ... three of the titles became available. It's a use it or lose it (you have two days to check it out before your hold is cancelled). So I grabbed all three, and hope I can make it through! Of course I had to finish the book I was currently reading, and my son wants me to read "The Scarlet Letter" to help him with his school homework.

I received The Heir ... book #4 in "The Selection" series, which I really liked. It was at the top of my list, so it's what I'm reading now. Then I have Sever, the third and final book in the "Chemical Garden" trilogy. I read books 1&2 in the past month and figured I'd finish the series. The third hold is Ashen Winter, book #2 in the Ashfall series. I read the first book back in 2012, it's been a while, but I've seen book #3 always available for immediate download, but of course I can't borrow it until I'm done with the second in the series.

So ... I hope to be reading quite a bit in the next little bit. I'd like to hit the stationary bike almost every day, as I get 30 minutes in with that. I have been getting quite a bit of reading/riding in lately, I really enjoy perusing the pages as I pedal. Sometimes if I'm laying in bed, reading at night (or during the day) I'll get sleepy. Not a problem on the bike! And I love accomplishing two things at once.

Wish me luck, I have three weeks to read these three books, plus Indigo Spell (Bloodlines #3) might become available any day too! Time to get reading!

WWI #108 - Two Pounder :(

I know I'm not eating as I should. I am tracking, sticking all treats in my out of control "Completely Empty Calories" category I created on my MFP tracker.  I have been exercising and staying active ... what would have happened these past few months if I hadn't? As I've crunched the numbers these last few months, I'm really not surprised in some of the scale shift, but there have been some jumps (two pounds this week, four pounds on week at the end of June) which really seem unexplained. I certainly wasn't over by 7000 calories this week. I know scales can shift by quite a bit in a single day, but when I see the jump then stay day after day ... it's so discouraging! And that just makes we want to seek comfort in food.

NUMBERS: Up 2.1 pounds from last week. Average is up 1.5 pounds. Average intake was 2564, average daily burn 2830. Overage for the week of 217.   Now I know all these numbers are just estimates. I am not  weighing and measuring everything, so I know my food tracking could very well be off, but I really am trying to record everything. I also know the exercise/activity estimates can easily be off too. I try tracking with two different devices, and try to be conservative (whereas with  my food I try to be generous with my estimates). I know I'm not doing great, so I'd be ok with no losing weight ... but this steady (and at times jumping) weight gain these past few months has been frustrating.

This was the final week of summer. School starts next week. We'll see if the return to routine can shake anything up!  Here's the weekly recap ...

• Friday (0814): Zumba in the morning and an hour of elliptical throughout the day. NOT a good eating day at all, as often happens on Fridays. Hubs took the kids to Maga's house for a backyard campout.
• Saturday (0815): An hour of elliptical, and I hit the bike. #5 had a basketball game ... I was craving candy today, caved to some Reeses/Twix but didn't get totally out of control. 
• Sunday (0816): Family beach day, we took off ... and I'd forgotten my Fitbit. Not that I get many steps at the beach, but still, I like to have it! We dropped off our ducky to a duck farm family on the way too. Too many treats and a little KFC to really push me over calories.
• Monday (0817): Good exercise day, with double Zumba in the morning, an hour of elliptical and a session on the bike. Calories not out of control, but not great either. Too much bread (Crazy bread and some from Papa Murphy's).
• Tuesday (0818): Got up early and thought I'd have an uber productive day. Got in my 10x10, but then slowed down, was very tired. Did some running the kids around and worked on a photo project.
• Wednesday (0819): Good class with Zumba in the morning, and an hour of elliptical and a session on the bike during the day. 
• Thursday (0820): Double Zumba day, with a class in the morning, and again in the evening. An hour of elliptical throughout the day at home. Ran kids to the rec center and went to the post office to mail off my photo project to our missionary.

Backyard Cousins Campout

Day at the Lake

Basketball Boys ... Lots of time at the Rec Center this summer!

$50 Payout with Pact

Time for another Thrifty Thursday post ... what? It's Friday? Oops, I guess I got busy yesterday and didn't get my post up. I'd say I'm a "day late and a dollar short" but I'm actually $1 over ... I had posted about Pact back in January (My Yearlong Pact) and figured I'd do a follow-up this year when I hit the $50 mark. And I did that this past week (payout updated on Tuesday 08/18) ...

I made a total of $113.38 in 2014, so I thought I'd hit the $50 mark around the middle of the year (in July). I was close, but it took me until August. Last year, I committed to six days a week for both exercise and eating ... this year I decided on five days, as there had been some times last year when I did really  have to push it on a Saturday or Sunday to get my 10,000 steps in (and earn my "gym" credit). 

So as of today ... I still have NEVER had to payout anything to Pact. I did actually miss a day logging on MFP (blowing my 700+ day streak) but it was on a Saturday and I'd already fulfilled my Pact for the week. With my Zumba and elliptical on the weekdays, hitting 10k five days a week is a breeze. There was one week several months ago where my Fitbit was on the fritz and I was worried about fulfilling my Pact. You can use a manual tracker, starting the timer in the Pact app and getting a certain number of steps in a 30min session. Luckily I only had to do that a time or two before I got my Fitbit back on track, automatically syncing. I did put my Pact on hold for a week while I worked out those issues.

So should I redeem my Pact Payout now (it's easy, just request it transfer to your Paypal account) or hold out to the end of the year and see where I'm at, and then redeem for the year?

If you are willing to put a little at risk ($5 for a missed workout or logged meal day), Pact can give you a pretty decent payout for eating/exercising that I for one, am doing anyway!

Hiking Heart Rate

Last "Workout Wednesday" I mentioned resuming racquetball ... but that is not the only new activity we've reintroduced into our routine. Hiking is another "new" activity this summer. 

#2 son (16-years old) has gone on a couple a hikes this year with his girlfriend. I'm not sure if that inspired Hubs or what, but we've now gone on a couple hikes as well. It's been a while! I did a "Take a Hike" post back in 2013, and it was actually a throwback to 2008! That was a hiking summer, but I don't know that I had been back up since ... seven years!

Both hikes we've done this year have been pretty mild and easy. Just over a mile to our destination. Some elevation, but a trail all the way. Both times we took the kidlets ... hike #2 was the ENTIRE crew (aunts, uncles, cousins, Grandma ... pictures were posted on my WeeklyWeighIn #107). It was fun to have my Fitbit ChargeHR, and be able to watch my heart rate rise on the way up, and to catch the elevation changes in the "floors" reading.

 Here's a little screen capture of Hike #1

Hubs lead the way at a pretty quick clip, but I was still a bit surprised at how quickly and how high my heart rate went up. Sometimes I have a hard time getting into the 140s at Zumba. I was a bit out of breath. Then we took some pictures at the bridge, and went back down. Not nearly as challenging. Hike #2 was actually a bit more challenging in actual terrain, but with Grandma along, Hubs was at the back, helping her, so on my own (and corralling kids) we took the climb in a more leisurely fashion, and the heart rate never got quite as high. 

Here's a little screen capture of the "floors" for the month ...

The two hikes are easy to see compared to my daily average.

It was also fun to compare stats to the kids ... happily all of our "floor" readings were quite similar for both hikes. The kids often had quite a few more steps, due to their littler legs and smaller stride. In the picture at the top, there are four people ... and four different Fitbits (Zip, One, Flex and Charge). We are a Fitbit Family! I love to see all the stats (calories, steps, elevation, heart rate, etc.) and not having hiked since I got my ChargeHR, I was really excited to try it out! Hopefully, we'll get in a few more hikes before the cooler weather comes in!  And maybe I need to "practice" at home too, upping the incline on my treadmill and "hiking" away while I watch a show, just in case Hubs wants to go without the kids ... I need to be able to keep up!

TV Tuesday - Summer Series

It's TV Tuesday ... time for another episode of "What I'm Watching".

I only have a few series that I follow throughout the year. Grey'sAnatomy, Good Wife ... I'd finished up The Walking Dead right after it aired, but Hubs just BARELY made it to the last few episodes. And that is why I didn't wait for him! Being a little more action packed, it's a good one to workout with ... gets the adrenaline pumping. 

MY shows finished up months ago though, which really isn't a problem for me. I have tons of possibilities in my Netflix queue and Amazon Prime list to keep my occupied whilst I elliptical.  I know there are several "summer series" ... but I usually just wait, rather than watching anything week to week.

I did make some exceptions this year ...

The new series Humans caught my eye. I liked the movie "I Robot" and the series "Battlestar Galactica" and the "Partials" book series ... all with a cyborg theme. We do have cable to access AMC, but I am not one to watch when a show is actually on, and our cable doesn't include the gym television.  Luckily, with my PlayOn/Play Later service, I could record the shows to my computer, then stream them to the Roku downstairs. I quite liked this series. It was too short. I'm sad it's over (for now). I was actually quite excited to go elliptical just to find out what was going to happen next. 

As I mentioned in last week's post, I also went ahead and watched the Wayward Pines miniseries, also reading the trilogy over the summer months. I know Falling Skies, Extant and Under the Dome were airing new summer episodes as well ... but I haven't gotten around to watching them yet.  I'm both waiting for the season to be done (to watch the episodes back to back rather than waiting a week in-between) and in the case of Falling Skies, for it to become Prime (I don't want to pay to purchase!) 

Hubs was super excited for the second season of True Detective. For me ... I just had a hard time following it, especially watching week to week. It is one that would have been better to wait and catch the episodes back to back. I wasn't the only one less than impressed with it (according to talk I've heard). 

Do you catch any of the Summer Series?

WWI #107 - And Up Again

It started with the weekend ... high food intake days. Although I did quite well with exercise, it just can't combat the bad eating. After last week's weigh-in, weight jumped a couple pounds for the weekend and I never got it corrected. I didn't have any low calorie days ... I just keep eating. NUMBERS: Weight up .8 from last week, but more telling is the average, which jumped two pounds to 166.17. Average intake was 2621, average burn was 2902 ... overage for the week was 951.

Now the GOOD ... I added some new activities. Racquetball, and two hikes! I also did an hour of weights this week. This is in addition to my usual Zumba, elliptical and several bike sessions. The BAD ... staying up late and sleeping in (per usual for summer ... this should shift with the return of the school schedule), endless, uncontrolled snacking, and being super sore from said weight workout. The UGLY ... Sunday's food intake was ugly (3350) especially as that was also a low activity day.  Here's the weekly recap:

• Friday (0807): Debbie in Daybreak has had to cancel classes the past little bit, but she was back, so I hit her class in the morning. Got in an hour on the elliptical, good for a Friday. Food intake was high though (those new Jif cookies are yummy, and I had Hubs make popcorn as we watched a show in the evening).
• Saturday (0808): Hubs made pancakes for breakfast. I usually don't eat breakfast, it was a little heavy on the tummy. No basketball games today. Got in 10min on the elliptical, but then didn't make it back down to my gym. Not that I wasn't still active, after a nap anyway. Hubs and I went and played r-ball, and then we went on a hike with the three little boys. Both were a nice change! But ... food intake was high for the day, even though our stop at the cupcake shop after the hike had an abrupt end when Hubs didn't have his wallet with him.
• Sunday (0809): We did our Sunday Circles in the morning. I got in 10min on the elliptical and walked to/from church. Lazy day. Hubs made mac&cheese and the boys played on the tramp while we had some duckie time. Food was BAD ... between some Krispie Creme donuts that appeared, some red gummy bears Hubs bought me yesterday, and me making homemade oreos. And of course the waffles/bacon and mac&cheese too ... sheesh!
• Monday (0810): Double Zumba morning, 8:30 and 9:30 class, then got in some elliptical and bike during the day. Back to basketball practice in the evenings, but I just dropped the boys early at the gym and they stayed. Made fried chicken and yellow rice for an early dinner before. I only had a little, but still was over for calories for the day.
• Tuesday (0811): Zumba morning, with a walk to/from the church. I was determined to get weights in today, and I did. An entire hour. Just 30min elliptical. In the evening we went for a hike up the canyon, one mile up/one mile down. Probably a bit harder than Saturday's incline, but with the entire family along (young kids and Maga) the pace was considerably more relaxed. Food ... too many treat splurges, plus Popeyes and then Crown Burger after the hike.
• Wednesday (0812): Zumba, plus an hour of elliptical and bike. Not a good food day, nothing nutritious. Hubs wasn't home until late.
• Thursday (0813): No key at Zumba this morning, so we danced in the parking lot. It was actually very nice, a shady spot with a breeze, but it was short (just 40minutes). I got in an hour of elliptical and 30min on the bike at home. Hit evening Zumba, taking a neighbor who hadn't been before. Actually kept calories somewhat in control (right at 2000). 

 Hike #1 (Saturday) ... heading up the hill.

Doesn't my son look thrilled?

 A suspension bridge was the destination.

Hike #2 (Tuesday), to Cecret Lake.

The whole gang!

...and a couple more fun pictures from that hike ...

 Hubs and my little nephew. 

Hubs carried him up most of the way!

We get pictures like this on our phones 

if we leave them unattended around my BIL

And of course ... the aforementioned red gummy bears

I only like the red ones. 

Hubby thought of me when he saw this.

I ate them all.

My Walgreens Reward Redemption

It's Thrifty Thursday, and I got $50 of stuff free at Walgreens today!

It's been a while since I posted about my Walgreens Reward program. Not that I shop at Walgreens all that often myself. There are a couple close by, and as I examine their ad in the Sunday paper, there will be some deals that peak my interest. So while I have made a trip or two in, I had NOT attempted to redeem my rewards, until today. 

With the Walgreens reward program, as you earn more points, you can get a little more credit for said points if you collect them. I went ahead and let my points pile up, rather than spending them as soon as I had a $5 credit. 

I linked up my Fitbit and my Aria scale  quite a while ago, so I was getting points for my activity and daily weigh-in.  I also started to pay more attention to additional ways to add to my points. In every ad, Walgreens will have deals where you can earn points with purchases. Generally, points are only earned on specific featured products, which change weekly. However this summer there has been a perk you can add to your account to earn 10 points for every $1 spent. There are also frequent "Spend $25 and get 5000 points($5)" specials. I did participate in some of those, and at this point, had over 40,000 in points. I figured I'd go ahead and test the "spending" of them. 

I went into Walgreens today, even knowing that I could pick up $50 worth of products for free, I still looked for deals and things we needed as a family. I grabbed some tissue and TP at comparable sale prices. I grabbed some beauty stuff (makup remover, hairspray), found an O2CoolMist&Sip Water Bottle that Hubs had been requesting ... $10, about the same as on Amazon.  This and that ... and I was at just over $50. Checkout was absolutely painless ... I just input my Balance Rewards # and my credit came right off without any issues.

Now one thing to be aware of ... some of those deals? Where you get balance rewards points with a purchase? They do NOT work when you are redeeming points. You can only earn OR redeem in a transaction. So I didn't pick up any of those other deal items today. I did use some coupons, and they still worked just fine with the rewards redemption. 

Now - I had mentioned Walgreens, Fitstudio and Achievemint on a Facebook post and someone came back with a question about signing up ... saying that some Fitbit models (ie, Charge) weren't working with it. I had never gotten around to signing up my son for Walgreens Balance Rewards, so I went ahead and did that. It WAS a little tricky to figure it out at first. I hit the "join now" and filled out his info, and when it came to linking a device, only the Flex and Zip were showing (as they are sold by Walgreens). But ... if you just choose either, you will then be taken to a step to sync to your Fitbit account. There on your Fitbit account, it doesn't matter which device you are using, the data will come across to any of the partner sites (trust me, Hubs has gone from a Zip to a Flex to a One to a Surge and back to a Zip and none of the partner sites have blinked an eye). 

 So just in the past few days since we did the new sign up, my son earned points for connecting a device, and then all the other "walk or run" entries just happen automatically. So he will have a way to go before he earns anything substantial (as there are monthly limits on how much you can earn) but it does add up. Not long ago my mom called and asked me to check her rewards (as we'd gotten her signed up when she first got her Fitbit) and sure enough she had $20 waiting for her there. It's just a nice little program to set up, forget about ... then remember and redeem! Or ... as I'm sure Walgreens hopes you'll do, pay more attention to their ads and promotions and add a more points through purchases as well. I do appreciate any company that as willing to promote fitness rewards though!

 Why yes I did. Thank you!

I have mentioned the Walgreens Balance Rewards program before, and how you can earn points with your daily activity. Back in my original Reaping the Rewards post and then a more specific look  (Walking with Walgreens).  I just thought it was time for another update, when I'd actually redeemed them! Back to piling up my points ...