So where am I now? Well, my BMI is currently at 27.4 which is 2.5 above normal. I would need to loose 16 lbs to get back into the normal range, or down to 154. That is not the goal though. The goal is to be at roughly 130 lbs by June 30th. That would put my BMI at 21. I would love to get down to 120 lbs, but frankly I think that is unrealistic to maintain, though I will try since if I accomplish this I will have lost 32.3% of my body weight which means that I have a good chance of winning the contest at work.

The contest at work is Super Loser. The weigh in is tomorrow and to say I am bloated right now is an understatement, so several of the lbs tomorrow will be off by the end of the week without effort. It ends June 30th which timing wise means I don’t have to calculate for those lbs again in the end.

The contest is whoever looses the biggest percentage of body weight wins. The prizes range from $2500 for the main winner down to $500 for 5th place. It is well worth the effort.

That said, lets talk mini goals.
At first I was going to do every 5 lbs, but I think that is too small. I think every 10 lbs I will buy myself a new pair of shoes or a handbag. Its cheap enough that I don’t feel too guilty like buying myself a new video game every 10 lbs but its something I normally feel guilty doing for myself so it is definitely a reward.

Now there are two more goals. If I weigh 145 lbs or under by March 31st, the midpoint check in, I will take the following weekend entirely off. No cleaning, no obligations, no anything. Just a weekend of pure relaxation and enjoyment.

Now the split goal. If I make it to 130 lbs by June 30th I will buy myself new summer clothes for the trip to Comic Con. If I get down to 120 lbs, I will let Todd do the Superhero photo shoot he offered to do at Comic Con. It will be fun and frankly, I know when I am fit I look smoking, so why not put on those ridiculously constructed superhero outfits and get pics of it before I get old and wrinkly?

So the plan. Well, there is the contest at work which is a huge motivator. There is also Comic Con. But there are several other aspects too. The place where the kid is taking Hip Hop lessons will be starting up a Bollywood Class at the exact same time as Hip Hop. If that isn’t fate helping I don’t know what is. Then there is Kung Fu on Wednesdays which is good. The boyfriend got me a mini-tramp for Christmas, which is a blast and we are actually moving his weights in this weekend. Along with this I am planning to try a new thing every month, whether it be a strip tease class in February or Rock Climbing in March. Plus there are a couple other goals that are going to help this goal out. The main thing is to stay focused. Dieting has never really worked for me. I find that if I exercise, my eating naturally changes to more healthy fare, so focusing on that first is the better plan.

So wish me luck!

Physical/Health/Well-Being: Become a Buff Mom

Mental: Get Straight A’s in my MBA courses

Spiritual: Start my Yoga Certification

Financial: Pay off Bad Debt

Ego: Win a Medal

Overcoming Fears: Skydive

Household: Update the Kitchen

Community: Volunteer for 1 Political Campaign and 1 child-oriented non-profit

Now, I will be posting on each one of these in much more detail. I will include any sub-goals and rewards in place, along with any punishments for not accomplishing them. I also will be posting current status so I have some accountability with everything.

Now I know, why didn’t I post this January 1st, right? Well, first there is a competition at work that starts tomorrow that will kick off the Physical goal. And it seemed like I might as well, start with that one since, it will probably be the most detailed goal out of the list, if not the hardest one to accomplish (the Financial one might be hard too).

So, I think this will prove to be a great year. I just need to stay focused and on track. And that is where you guys come in. Help keep me going and I will do the same for you. Just let me know what your goals are and we can make this the most kick behind year yet!

January:

Book of Eli – 1/15 What better way to start the year than a post-apocalypse movie with Denzel Washington and Gary Oldman. One of them alone would have hooked me but together, with Mila Kunis as the protégé and a plot that can’t help but have explosions, how can I say no?

Legion – 1/22 Brink of Apocalypse, small town is last defense against Angels. Whether it turns out campy or well done, its going to be fun.

February:

Dear John – 2/5 Okay, I have a confession, I have never seen the Notebook, never had any desire to. I am not built for sappy love stories. My favorite romantic movies are LA Story, Terminator and Love Actually. But something about this trailer got me. Maybe it’s because for once I actually saw chemistry between the couple. Well, I can be girly once in a while, right?

Wolfman – 2/12 To be honest, something about this trailer just seems off to me. The movie doesn’t feel right. That said, amazing cast, amazing story and amazing CGI, so I will assume that the people who cut the trailer just suck.

Beauty and the Beast in 3D – 2/12 Yes, that Beauty and the Beast. Because of my sister’s constant watching of this movie, I still remember all the songs.

Lightning Thief – 2/12 Based on a teen series, this is the supposed first of a series of movies. The books are decent so we will see if this is a Harry Potter or Aragon adaptation.

The Crazies – 2/26 I love zombie movies, so sue me.

A Couple of Dicks – 2/26 Kevin Smith directing for the first time where he didn’t write it. Bruce Willis and Tracy Morgan. Nough Said.

March:

Alice in Wonderland – 3/5 When I first saw Tim Burton’s Charlie and the Chocolate Factory the first thing that popped in my head was “I wish he would do Alice in Wonderland”. Wish granted.

Clash of the Titans – 3/26 Nothing with replace that wonderful Owl, but come on, this has got to be fun.

April:

The Losers – 4/9 ex-CIA accused of bad stuff looks to clear their name. Burn Notice meets A-Team. Yummers.

Kick-Ass – 4/16 Watch This: http://www.latinoreview.com/news/kick-ass-teaser-trailerr-8512 Okay, now, how could I NOT go see this?

MacGruber – 4/16 Yes it’s a spoof movie and from SNL but I grew up on MacGyver so I have to see this. Plus I hope his gay son is in it…

Babies – 4/16 A documentary that follows 4 babies and how they are born and grow in 4 different parts of the world.

Wall Street 2 – 4/23 Yep the sequel. Given how much I love the first, I will give this one a shot even though I don’t have much confidence that it will be good.

A Nightmare on Elm St – 4/30 I am not normally a slasher porn type of girl. I like blood and gore but I prefer them to have a bit more finesse to how people die that a serial killer going apeshit. That said, Jackie Earle Haley is playing Freddie so I’m in.

May:

Iron Man 2 – 5/7 Obvious as to why I am going

Robin Hood – 5/14 Though I do love the Mythos, the fact is this cast is stunning. It will be worth the price of admission to just watch them do a first read of the script.

Prince of Persia – 5/28 I love the video games and I want to lick ice cream off of Jake’s chest. This is a win/win as a date movie, some for the guys and most certainly something for the gals.

June:

A-Team – 6/11 Okay, when I first heard they were making this I panicked. I LOVED this show. But lets look at the cast – Liam Neeson as Hannibal, Bradley Cooper as Faceman, Rampage as BA, and Sharlto Copley (District 9) as Murdock. My love is in good hands.

Karate Kid – 6/11 Another movie that made me panic but we have Jackie Chan and Jaden Smith (Will Smith’s kid) so at least we know the stunts will be awesome.

Toy Story 3 – 6/18 I am a sucker for Pixar

Jonah Hex – 6/18 Voodoo zombies and Josh Brolin, come on

Footloose – 6/18 I will face death in the eye for this one. I don’t think for one second this will be good, but its like when your mom tells you don’t touch the pan because its hot and you will hurt yourself but you do it anyway and then cry because you are hurt. Yep, that is what I am expecting.

Grown Ups – 6/25 Adam Sandler has made me laugh in years. But I am, if anything an eternal optimist. Or a masochistic idiot.

July:

Sorcerer’s Apprentice – 7/16 I have easily seen Fantasia over a 100 times. My one and only tattoo is from it. I am willing to see this portion made into a live action full length film even though I have no expectations will be as good as Mickey.

Salt – 7/23 I saw the trailer for this at 2012. It was better than 2012. Chicks with guns are awesome.

Now I am sure there are more, and this is not my normal calendar of events. But if you know of something I missed, let me know. Movies are like a drug for me, and I need my fix.

I have a lot going on in 2010 so I need to make sure I don’t accidentally screw myself over. For one thing getting straight As in my courses for my MBA is definitely going to be on the list.

Some will be repeated from this past year given that I didn’t accomplish them like do the splits, do the bridge and do a handstand without support. But along with this goal I think I will officially start my yoga certification this year. I won’t start until around September, but I think it is time to get this going again. Life got in the way, and it is time to stop putting something I truly love on the back burner.

But these only cover two aspects of my life, my intellectual and my physical. I like to add overcoming at least one fear this year, there are potential financial goals and then goofy fun goals.

Now along with these goals there are the 5 goals from the Master100 I need to start to work into the calendar. Now I have accomplished 17 off the list, but looking at the list, I will be working on at least 10. So aside from those 9 (one will be count as part of the five to start, get yoga certification), I need to start 4 more.

Those in the running:

Learn to properly Tango
Skydive
Learn Rock Climbing
Win a Medal
Join a Book Club
Learn Golf
Learn to Ballroom Dance
Visit Canada
Update the Kitchen
See Oprah Show Live (granted I really don’t want to do this anymore, she has become a nutter)
Snorkel

So I have until December 31st to decide and then plan. Wish me luck.

http://www.twohundredsquats.com/

www.twohundredsitups.com/
I know, seems like much, but I was challenged by Katie to finish the year strong and after doing the primarily test, the only one that concerns me is the pushups. Upper body strength is not my strong suit, but doing this and the weight training program will. The two hundred squats and crunches don’t worry me at all, I am in the excellent category on the testing for that, so 6 weeks to build up the endurance should be good.
Now for the last two pieces. I have a gym at work. Not just like a treadmill, like classes, fitness assessments and coaching kind of gym. I will take a class daily. Shouldn’t be that hard, I am already there. I just need to get to work a little earlier to budget in shower time and bring clothes. This will allow for 45 minutes of cardio a day. And Ginger, the one who does the majority of classes I will be aiming to do, is nuts. She works you hard.
Then there is out of work. I am starting up taking Belly Dancing Classes again, those will be on Mondays in Westlake. I can do 1 or 2 hours and that will be a nice cross training to the other class I am taking Kung Fu. Those are on Wednesday and Sundays for an hour each.
The goal is to get at least 1 hour working out a day. I know, seems like a little too much? That is why I am only doing this through the end of the year. I have scheduled a fitness assessment to reevaluate my fitness levels for New Years, and that will allow me to retool the workout plan. But, if I do this, for 6 weeks straight, I should lose the 20 lbs. I should have upper body strength. I should have endurance built. I should have an ass that looks amazing.
Before you freak, let me break down the numbers for you. 20 lbs is roughly 3.3 lbs a week for 6 weeks. That means that I need to cut/burn 11,666.66 calories a week. That is 1666.66 calories a day. Now if I work out for 1 hour a day, that will burn anywhere between 400-600 calories a day (yes, I am aware that Cardio Interval on Thursdays will burn 800). So that takes me to 1100 calories roughly.
Now I am giving up pop. I drink on the conservative side 3 pops a day (and that is really underestimating) at 150 calories a piece for a total of 450 calories. That takes me to 650 calories left to deal with. Now for the first two weeks, I am on a restrictive diet that covers that extra 650 calories.
But also, lets take into consideration I am also doing a few other things. I am not snacking all day like I normally do. So that blow pop at 2 for 100 calories, gone. Those 3 laffy taffys at 10 am for 15 calories each, gone. Plus doing normal switches, like Ranch to Balsamic which for one tablespoon saves me 85 calories, will also help. But see, I know there will be days were I only get in an hour.
That is what the classes are for. Kung Fu burns between 800-900 calories for an hour. Belly Dancing, 700-900. And those are extra burns. The challenges too are extra burns. And those won’t be killing a lot of calories, maybe an extra 100 a day I do them, the main thing is they are building muscle, which burns calories faster than fat.
Plus at the end of the day, will I be disappointed if I don’t lose 20 lbs by New Years? Yes, somewhat, but at the same time I will be back doing something I love, Belly Dancing, learning to be strong, Kung Fu, and be able to do 100 freakin push ups. And at the end of the day, that is the real goal. The BMI just gives me measurable numbers I can start with, but I will know when I am healthy and fit. My sister can bench press my son and I want to be able to do that too. But I have to start somewhere and this is a good place to start.

So, new month, new month goals. But first recap on last month’s goals. July sucked. Stuff happened, well, you all have read about the stuff happening, so I won’t go on about that. And though I would normally not allow that to be an excuse the fact is it rocked me.

I am not an emotional person. Yes, I laugh loud and I feel strongly, but when it comes to things like anger and sadness, I try my damness (did I make up a word?) not to show it. That doesn’t always work well. Lately I have been sobbing more than a spoiled fat kid who dropped her ice cream.

Given that I HATE drama queens, I can’t stand coming close to being one. Not to mention the fact that I always feel weak and I really hate feeling weak. So I have been trying to deal with that, plus the lack of a filter on my speech for the last several weeks due to this damn emotion thing. I feel like Austin Powers when he was unfrozen. Whatever is in my head has been just flying right out of my mouth. Okay, not all of it, but close enough.

So, that has put me on damage control and barricading myself in my house for the most part, granted I have been entertaining a lot so go figure.

So August, here are the goals:

Cut down the garden
Loose 10 lbs (already off to a good start)
Post 20 times on each website
Watch new SQL Server 2008 Training DVD
Run 4x a week
Do yoga at least once a week
Steam Clean the carpets
Clean and Organize the bedroom
Prep the budget
Fix the calendar and finally update them and put them back on the wall
Clean out Anakin’s room
Start my MBA Courses strong

I know, kinda cheesy, but I need to get myself refocused. The yearly review is a month away and I need to start thinking about the coming year and what I want to make from it.

Also, I have only been half behind with the 3rd website, so I need to get that up and running.

There will be more to come, I promise, but at least you know, there will e 19 more posts this month at least.

Working in the Healthcare Industry, I have seen so much that needs to change. I have seen waste and poor policy. I have seen unrealistic expectations coupled with underwhelming results. I have seen poor planning, poor execution, poor quality controls and most importantly, little education as to the real cost and needs concerning healthcare.

I am going back to school to get my degree in Business Administration and Finance so I can start to change the system from the inside. Healthcare reform is vital for this country and needs to have real change, not just a Iittle liposuction here and there. I plan on going on to get my MBA and becoming an actuary. I can then take these skills to better understand the underlying issues and develop ways to improve the system as a whole. This way I can participate in the healthcare debate and changes in a more meaningful way.

I am also using my education to start educating others. I have recently built a website. This website will cover educational information on finance and technology. It will also help to decipher news and current events for people. So often, especially in healthcare, statistics are confusing and laws are not as clear as they should be. I want to be able to help people to better understand the impact on their life these events will have.

But most importantly, I do it for my son. I want him to see that you can accomplish anything you put your mind too, even when there are obstacles in the way.