I had a piece of cake today. It was pumpkin spice or something along those lines. It had frosting too, but I wiped that off. Not that it makes it any better- I still cheated when I said I wouldn't before Thanksgiving.

This is my confessional. Feel free to throw rotten food at me now.

No workout again today. This blog is going from one about working out, to one about why I didn't. So, let me tell you why- I got to work early (around 6 AM) to get work done. I won't be here at all next week (YAY!) but that just means I have a lot to do! It's not like anyone covers your work for you while you're out (not that I want anyone touching my work). It just waits patiently for your return.

I love getting to work early though. It's wonderful- definitely one of my favorite things to do!

This morning I came in and pulled up our budget. I've made some changes for 2010 and I wanted to see how it would impact things. First, our premiums for insurance increased slightly so I updated our budget for that. I also started contributing $20 per paycheck to the United Way- our company matches 50% of your contribution, which means they contribute another $10 per paycheck on my behalf. It's such a cool thing that it's hard for me to pass up.

I've been wanting to give more so it was really a no-brainer. We're also going to do one volunteer event per quarter so that goes right along with my goal to give back more in 2010.

Michael's bootcamps are starting up this coming weekend now that the weather is cooler in AZ. They'll be every weekend for the next 6 months or so! He did it last year too and it was really awesome! We're throwing around the idea of advertising that kids can come for free. It'd be our way of giving back while encouraging a healthier lifestyle at the same time. Right now it's just an idea, but one that I really like if we can make it work.

Okay, so back to this whole budget thing...like I said, I was just quickly playing around but I'm already overwhelmed at how things will go in 2010. Up until now, all extra money has gone to debt or to the emergency fund. The budget is quite simple- list your income, subtract expenses, whatever is left goes to the goal whether that was debt payoff first or the emergency fund that we're currently working on. EASY-PEEZEY!

Come 2010, our EF should be in place and already I can see it's going to be much more complicated. We'll have multiple goals we're trying to save for at the same time including (in no particular order):

Retirement
New Car Fund
Vacation (5-yr anniversary trip)
New Mattress
New Furniture
Michael's business (future)
New House (future)

It was so much easier when there was only one thing to save for. I feel like it's a juggling act and I can't juggle.

I'm sure I'll feel better when the time comes but right now, it's stressful and overwhelming. Once I create some new savings account each with its own name, get some tickers going on my blog, etc, I'm sure I'll feel more organized and a lot better about the whole thing. Until then, I'll just be thankful for how easy it is right now with only one major goal- our emergency fund.

Until tomorrow,
Kelsalynn

I didn't workout this morning. I was awake, dressed in my layers to bike to the gym, all ready to go. Michael wasn't getting ready which was weird so I said, "you better start getting ready, you have to leave in 10 minutes." To which he replied, "No, I don't have to be in until 7:30 today."

So instead of working out, we both crawled back into bed! It's cold at night and in the early mornings here in AZ and I refuse to turn the heat on. It's in the mid 70's during the day so the house always warms itself up on its own- seems wasteful to turn on the furnace. So, we cuddled together with the pup and fell back to sleep for 45 minutes.

It was wonderful.

Amy asked me yesterday what I have in store for next week's vacation.

The answer?

Absolutely nothing!

No work.
No working out.
Maybe some cleaning.

But mostly, I plan to just relax---- sit outside and read, take the dog rollerblading, on a long walk, or a stroll along some trails in South Mountain.

I also plan to do some soul-searching... I need to set some new goals but I'm not sure what those goals even encompass yet. I think having some goals will help me feel more focused again.

It's going to be an awesome week!
KelsaLynn

I'm frustrated w/ my workout this AM. Or maybe I should say w/ myself. Clean and jerks:
65, 75, 80, 85, 90, 95, 100f, 100f

can't wait for 1 week off!!
______
I wrote the above from my phone sitting in the gym locker room. I'm at work now and realized I just did clean and jerks on September 5- 2 months ago and my weight was 95# then too.

I'm not sure why I thought I should have cleaned more than I did 2 months ago.

Suffice to say, I'm no longer frustrated.

Awesome post right? Who wants off this rollercoaster?

AAAAAH! Help me stay strong! There are donuts and bagels right outside my office that someone brought in today. The ladies who we cheered on this past weekend for the 3-day walk brought it in as a thank you to everyone!

No. No. No. I do not want a nice sugary donut with chocolate glaze.

Repeat as many times as necessary.

_____

This morning's workout didn't really go as planned. It should have been 4 rounds of 400m run, 20 kb swings, and 20 pull-ups. I did the run and the kb swings and 2 pull-ups before realizing my hands are shot. They hurt SOOOOO bad! I have a blister that's about ready to break open. The pull-ups were not going to happen today.

I ended up doing some hip strengthening exercises (with the band around my ankles) and some stretching of my hips. It's something I need to do more often than I do if I ever want my hip and knee issues to go bye-bye.

Dinner last night w/ my girlfriends was a great time! Having them over for dinner was a much better idea. We sat around the dining room table for hours and talked after eating. I made ham and fresh green beans. I even made them a baked potato but did not make one for myself since we don't eat potatoes. It was a success and I don't feel like I deprived myself at all!

Until tomorrow,
Kelsalynn

Ever since I wrote yesterday's post, I've been put to the test! I said I was not going to eat out anymore this month and not spend any more money! And as soon as I hit "Publish Post", figures fate would challenge me to uphold that statement.

About 30 minutes after I wrote it, two of my girlfriends from MI called. They're in town until Tuesday and wanted to get together for dinner on Monday night. I said Yes!

I felt guilty, but what was I supposed to do? I wanted to see them!

A few hours later, we went grocery shopping and it dawned on me! I should have them over for dinner instead! That way, I can control what I eat and not spend extra money!

So that's just what I did... I bought a ham, which is hella cheap right now, and my girlfriends will be coming over for dinner tonight instead of us eating out! It would take Michael and I days to eat a ham by ourselves so by serving it tonight for friends, really I'm only giving up one day of leftovers- no biggie.

Whew! It might seem minor, but it's me sticking to my word and my goal so I'm proud of my small victory!

The second test came last night as the night of football continued. I make a weekly bet against my boss- whoever wins the most number of games wins something trivial. This past week it was M&M;'s and a pop. This is the first week I've won since we started the bet 6 weeks ago! AAAH! I win and I don't want the M&M;'s or the POP! HAHA! Fricken figures... I didn't win when I actually wanted the candy! Damn it!

Oh well, so this morning when I came to work, I told him I wanted a Sprite Zero (no caffeine, no calories, no sugar) and the M&M;'s I'm giving to an employee as a "thank you for their hard work." They won't know I won them in a bet and just don't want to eat them, they'll just think I'm a nice boss! Win-win!!

So almost immediately I've overcome two different temptations and did not break my personal oath of no more treats and no more spending! Granted, it's only Day 1 of gaining control, but that's the hardest day isn't it?

Today's WOD-
3 rounds:
45# push jerk, 10 reps
3 pull-ups
L hold
3 pull-ups
L hold
3 pull-ups
L hold

Total time = 12:00
A little weird b/c the longer you hold the L position, the higher your time. Obviously you WANT to hold the position for as long as possible so keeping time on this workout is almost pointless.

Thank you for all the encouragement yesterday on yesterday's post! I really appreciate it and needed it!

Kelsalynn

To say that my diet has faltered in the past month would be an understatement. I keep saying I need to get it under control, but then nothing changes.

Let me say that I still think Michael and I eat better than most people. I know this, you don't have to tell me this. But lately I've been eating worse and it could definitely be better. Plus, I want to figure out how to get it under control before it continues to get worse. I want to fix it now before it gets so out of control that it's harder to fix. This blog is just my thoughts- I've been having them for a while, it's time to put them out there, in writing.

I went from never cheating even once in July to October being one of my unhealthiest months (eating-wise) and November is right up there with October. What a big difference in the matter of a few months!

It's a slippery slope you know? I probably had a piece of cake one afternoon that someone brought in, then the next day your body craves that sugar at that time again. So maybe you give in, maybe you don't. Chances are, I did, then the next day the craving shows up again, but more intense.

That all leads to this past Friday, a bunch of people went to In-N-Out Burger and I tagged along. I had a burger, fries, and pop. That's unheard of for me! But I did it without questioning why or how I'd feel afterwards. There was no hesitation. And I had a lunch in the fridge that was perfectly Zone that I could have eaten.

I strongly believe in the saying that what you put in your body one day affects it the next. Yesterday my workout was pure shit and I think it was directly related to the fat-filled, greasy food I had eaten the day before. Not to mention that Friday afternoon I was completely unmotivated and had no energy after lunch. How stupid of me.

I feel so much better when I eat healthy. I have more energy, I feel more motivated, I think more clearly. Then why have I stopped? These splurges I have of treats that people bring to the office do nothing for me or my body- the only thing they do is satisfy a craving temporarily and simultaneously assure it will come back later.

I need to shock my body back into zone-only foods. That one little Starburst candy in the afternoon affects my body's need and desire for sugar. So even if it's only one little candy, it absolutely makes it difficult for me to keep my diet under control.

I need to re-read this blog when I think eating a cupcake that someone brings in is a good idea. It always seems like no big deal at the time but then I find myself craving that kind of food later.

I know I'm going to say this and some of my friends are going to laugh, but I feel like the past 6 weeks, I've lost control. Yeah, yeah, yeah, I realize not in the way it sounds- I'm not some drug addict that has no control, I still have SOME control. I get that, but I've lost quite a bit.

I've overspent in my budget. I've cheated on my diet. My workouts haven't been as disciplined.

I'm putting this out there and want you to help me stay accountable-
I cannot eat out anymore this month. I can't. It's not in the diet and not in the budget. I've already spent all of my "spending money" for the month (plus some) so it truly cannot happen.

Effective immediately, no more treats. Thanksgiving is coming up and I will allow a treat then, which is why it's important for me to be disciplined up until then and afterwards.

No more overspending. The two are very related. Don't think I haven't noticed that my first bad month of eating was also my first month being debt free. It was easy to say no to eating out, etc when it wasn't budgeted. Just because I have $40/month to spend however I want, doesn't mean I should choose fast food.

I also think it's all related to how stressed out and overwhelmed I've been at work since October started. I come home from work and have no energy. It takes a lot of discipline and energy to be in control of your diet and spending and lately, I just haven't had it. I've just been too exhausted to focus on anything outside of work and it shows.

Okay, I've had 6 weeks of stupid eating and stupid spending, time to get it back under control.

Sorry this has been diarrhea of my mouth!

Kelsalynn

Here are some pictures from the past few days of festivities at work... it's been crazy-busy but tons of fun! Everyone seemed to really come together as a team to support our 2 co-workers who participated in the 3-day, 60-mile walk for breast cancer. It was an amazing team building activity without even trying.

First, we decorated the office with pink table cloths and wrote inspirational messages to the two ladies- Peggy & Mandy.























Then we had a pink-food-only potluck. I wish you could see it better in the pictures, but even the rolls and the butter for the rolls was pink!



Those activities brought us to today, when the walk actually started. They left around 7 AM, but we met up with them at one of the spectator's stations at mile 16, so they were almost done for the day!

We were all dressed in pink, had posters, noise-makers, and capes!







Peggy and Mandy








All of it was AMAZING!

I was at work until 7 PM again today. Another long day. This time, though, it was for a good cause.

Two of my co-workers walk each year in the 3-day, 60-mile walk for cancer. It's this coming weekend and we like to show our support for them. This past weekend I purchased ROLLS of pink table clothes from Party City and 4 of us stayed late tonight to drape every cubicle wall and hallway we could... then we took markers and wrote quotes all over that have to do with giving and how it makes you richer, etc. You get the idea. It looks really good! I'm going to be sick of pink by the end of the week because it's EVERYWHERE!

Tomorrow we're having a pink potluck where all the food must be pink. Myself and two other supervisors are going in on a ham, so I have to cook that tonight yet.

Then on Friday, we all caravan to one of the spectator spots w/ posters, noise-makers, and of course, all dressed in pink. You can imagine- 40+ people SHOUTING your name, blocking the path, making a scene as you walk down the road! It's so much fun! We have an amazing team of people working together and it's things like these that really prove it.

Another thing, I have my very first ingrown toe nail ever- it hurts like a bi-otch! Oh my gosh! I had no idea an ingrown toe nail hurt this bad! I've had one on my finger nail before but on the foot, it's way worse!

So this morning I did "Nate", which is as many rounds in 15 minutes of:

6 pull-ups
6 tricep dips
4 handstand push-ups
8 kettlebell swings

I did kipping pull-ups, dips on the bench, hspu on the 7th level up on the smith machine, and 35# kettlebell swings.

total rounds?

7 full + 3 extra pull-ups

The weird thing is I landed on 16 minutes instead of 15, so I essentially worked out for an extra minute. I'm adding a Timex or athletic style watch to my Christmas list!

No workout tomorrow, I'm taking the ham into work so I'll be there at the butt crack of dawn... after working late tonight, that's not going to be fun. Ah well. Such is life right now at work.

Until tomorrow,
Kelsalynn

It's 7:45 PM. I just got home from work about 10 minutes ago.

It's been one of those days. Considering that I wake up at 4:45, leave for the gym at 5:45, and get to work by 7-7:30, it's been a long day. I'm pooped.

And to top it off...

99.9% of the time, we go grocery shopping on Sunday nights. Well, last night I didn't feel like it so I foolishly said, "I'll go tomorrow night."

So, after the long day I described above, I'm going to eat very quickly then head to the grocery store- oh joy. I should have gone last night, that was stupid of me.

Before I do anything though, I need to peel my contacts from my eyeballs...

Here's my workout from this morning:

4 rounds-
3 snatch (45#)
15 overhead squats (45#)
400m run

Time = 25:36

I only did 4 rounds by accident. I thought the WOD called for 4 rounds and it wasn't until I got to work and pulled up this blog that I realized I skipped the 5th round. Oh well, it was still a kick ass workout.

Until tomorrow,
Kelsalynn

One of the things a lot of personal finance bloggers track is their net worth. Essentially all that number does is compare how much you have versus how much you owe. So, to determine your net worth, take everything you own and subtract everything you owe. Simple.

Since we started on our total money makeover, we've focused so much on individual transactions that we weren't looking at the big picture. Our approach thus far has been very narrow--- track our income and expenses monthly so we could pay down our debt. There's nothing wrong with this at all and it most certainly served a strong purpose.

Now that we're debt free and we have a working budget each month, it's time to start looking at the big picture. We've grown a lot this past year and it's time for our perspective to grow and change as well.

I have to warn you, though... it's not pretty. Our net worth is ugly but so was our debt load one year ago and we overcame that hurdle so I know we can fix this too.

Here's our net worth statement for October:


Like I said, it's not pretty.

The biggest culprit is that our home in Michigan is valued at $64,000 less than we owe on it. If this were valued at what it was when we bought it ($167K), we would actually have a positive net worth of $44K. There's no sense in crying over spilled milk...

There are some positives though and that's where I'd like to focus on:
1. Our savings will continue to grow as we build our emergency fund.
2. From what I can estimate, one year ago our net worth would have been -$80,708 because of the debt load we had. (Add $60K worth of debt yet 1 year ago, our home appraised at $110K)
3. We're trending in the right direction.

I'll be adding this chart to my blog somewhere that will track our total net worth each month. As you can see, our net worth was $5,000 worse last month which is a direct result of the money we added to our emergency fund in October.



Our current goal as you all know is to fund our Emergency Fund. Once that's complete, we'll begin saving for a 2nd car. Both of these will indirectly increase our net worth as well. Simultaneously, we're contributing 3% to my 401k (w/ a 3% match from my employer) and next year we'll start funding our retirement accounts at a full 15%.

Next year, I'd like to set a net worth goal to aim for, only I'm not sure what a good number would be quite yet. I have to crunch some numbers and see what I come up with.

What is your net worth?
Are you trying to improve this number?
Do you have a goal and a plan?

Kelsalynn

This morning my WOD was 5 rounds of 5 squats. I'm really trying to focus on my form, so I'm a little bummed this workout came up. I would have liked to test the waters a bit more before doing a WOD, but oh well.

On October 27th, I worked on my squat form at 95#- doing 30 squats at that weight. I felt very confident that 95# was "easy" so I decided that's where I would start today.

Here's where I ended up:
95
105
115
125
135 (3)

As you can see, I only did 3 squats at 135. On my 3rd squat, my form wasn't perfect- I felt my back curl slightly and my knees came in. Maybe I wasn't focusing enough, maybe my legs are still fatigued, maybe this, maybe that... the point is that I didn't get it and I didn't want to keep pushing with bad form. That's exactly the kind of mentality I'm trying to eliminate.

I didn't feel guilty for stopping after that, I was only 2 reps short of the WOD and I honestly think my priorities were where they needed to be.

Until tomorrow,
Kelsalynn

My blog title sounds a little cocky, I really should be nice to Annie, after all, she still totally kicks my ass... for now.

Annie is 50-40-30-20-10 reps of double unders and sit-ups (150 reps total of each).

If you recall, I have a very love-hate relationship with double unders, except without the love. On September 24th, my workout was simply to practice double unders because I suck at them so terribly.

Then on October 6th, I did my first workout ever actually doing double unders during the workout and not some sort of modification. This obviously was a step in the right direction but that day, it took me 6 minutes to do 20 double unders. Yikes!

So, consider the fact that Annie involves 150 of these wretched things, the jump roping alone would have taken me 45 minutes! That's not even including the sit-ups.

Last night I realized that I do not have enough time to do this WOD in the morning before work. And I don't even know if I can do it---that's a lot of double unders and my frustration level with myself while I do these would escalate and not be pretty.

So, I did the Pack Scale which was slightly easier- 35-25-20-15-10 reps of double under and sit-ups. Instead of 150 reps, it's 105 reps of both exercises.

The reason I'm being cocky toward Annie is because I'm totally pumped with my time...just don't go comparing it to anyone else who did this WOD because it sucks in comparison.

My time was 18:19.

Like I said, the time itself totally blows, but I did 9 (yes, count them - 9!) double unders in a row today! That's such a big improvement! Two months ago, I could not do 1 double under in 10 tries let alone 9 without stopping.

I am still pretty inefficient at them, but I'm figuring out how to find a rhythm and they're getting easier so I consider it a huge success!

And that's why Annie needs to go home...

Kelsalynn

I can honestly say that I felt guilty for staying home yesterday for only the first hour or so...then I read everyone's comments and deemed you all geniuses! So I took your advice and granted myself permission to be fricken lazy and not feel bad about it.

It truly was a mental health day. I admit to cleaning up around the house, but nothing major, no cleaning out the closets or anything like that... normal stuff I didn't get to beforehand. I also admit to watching a ton of TV and spending far too much time on the computer.

But last night, I had absolutely no problems falling asleep- nothing on my mind- no worries- no stress. A day off "just because" was what I needed.

I actually got lucky today because Michael didn't have to go to work until 8 AM, which means we were able to workout together this morning. My favorite workout ("Tabata Something Else") is easier to do with a partner b/c you have someone there to write down your # of reps each round. So I switched up my workout schedule to take advantage of having Michael there.

Yesterday someone wrote, "More is not better. Better is better." (or something along those lines.) It pretty much sums of what I've been thinking lately with trying to work on my form even if it means my weight drops or working on increasing my weight during WOD's even if my time gets worse.

Although I've done Tabata Something Else plenty of times before, I'm not going to compare today's Tabata to my previous reps. I know the numbers this time around will be worse, but I's ok with that. Today I worked on each rep really COUNTING because of good form so I know my total score suffered as a result. It's the perfect example of why more is not always better.

Pull-ups: 34
Push-ups: 57
Sit-ups: 97
Squats: 95
TOTAL = 283

Until tomorrow,
Kelsalynn

Extremes that is...

Yesterday, I made our meal plan, our budget, and my workout schedule. I was dedicated to being disciplined with ALL THREE during the month.

Then last night I could not fall asleep. I wake up at 4:45 during the week and here I was staring at 1:00 AM and I was still awake.

I just had a lot on my mind.

I decided to call in sick today. So now I'm here sitting on the couch, watching TV, just relaxing. And at the same time, totally regretting it.

I think I'm just completely burnt out right now. I know this day will be good to have, but the guilt I feel almost makes it not worth it.

Here's our budget for November:



There's not a whole lot new to the budget, actually. Just about everything is the same as every other month with the exception of "gifts." Michael has a gift exchange at his work on December 2nd so we'll have to spend $25 for that in November. And the first few days of December also includes a few birthdays so we'll have to buy some cards for that.

If all goes as planned, we will send $4,050 to our Emergency Fund this month!

My goal for November is to be much more disciplined in general--- with our budget, my workouts, and my eating habits. October wasn't a good month for any of them really. We overspent in a lot of categories and didn't really watch our spending like we normally do. It was our first month debt free, so I'll give us a pass, but only one! Time to reign it back in for November.

Same with my workouts and eating...most weeks I only worked out 3 or 4 times. My goal is to follow my weekly training program as planned, no excuses. I also want to be better about eating out. I'll be on the road one day during November, so I will eat out then. I also have two employee reviews this month so I will be treating them to lunch as well. Those are the only 3 times I should eat out this month, because that's PLENTY!

In regard to my post from yesterday, we made a decision on how to handle my recent 5% raise. Michael and I talked about it and we decided to contribute 3% to my 401k so I can receive the match. I will still see a 2% raise on my paychecks so it's kind of the best of both worlds. Plus, it's the decision that we both feel most comfortable with.

Until tomorrow,
Kelsalynn

Sorry for the lack of posts in the past few days... I've just been really busy at work. I was sore on Thursday so I didn't workout and took a rest day. Instead, I got to work super early (like 1.5 hours early) and got a ton done before people showed up.

On Friday, we had a potluck at work; I signed up to bring a dish of course. When you're a bike commuter, something as simple as signing up to bring a dish to a potluck really throws a kink in your plans. After all, I can't very well carry a crock pot on the bike with me can I? So I rode into work with Michael but it makes for another early day to the office again. I showed up about 2 hours early. I don't even tell people at work when I do that b/c they just look at me funny. Like, "What the hell is wrong with you?"

Honestly, when I get there at 6:00 and most everyone else starts at 8:00, those two hours are by far the most productive of my day! The office is nice and quiet, I don't even turn on all the lights- just those I need to work. I'm not interrupted every 3 minutes, my train of thought is straight and focused, so I'm able to accomplish so much more! I'm one of 3 supervisors in a department of 31 people so being interrupted even if it's a 2-second question is commonplace.

To say my review went well on Wednesday would be an understatement. It was MORE THAN POSITIVE I'm super excited. I even got a 5% raise! Take that RECESSION!

I'm kind of torn right now... we're scheduled to have our Emergency Fund in place by the end of the year- just two more months. The EF is the next step of Dave Ramsey's baby steps and once that's in place, that's when we start contributing to our 401k and retirement again. Since we started his program, we've stopped all retirement contributions, including the 401k. It was really hard for me to do that.

I'm torn between sticking to funding our Emergency Fund or starting my 401k contributions right now. Since I am getting a 5% raise, if I start my contributions of 5% again, nothing will really change. I won't even notice yet I'll stop losing out on the 3% match that my company offers.

What do you think?
1)Do not contribute to my 401k, let my paycheck increase as a result of the raise and fund my Emergency Fund faster.
or
2)Begin contributing to my 401k, essentially not feeling the 5% raise and continue to fund the Emergency Fund as originally scheduled, having it in place by the end of the year.

Thanks or your input.

Kelsalynn

Until tomorrow,
Kelsalynn

Today's WOD called for 7 weighted pull-ups. It hasn't been that long since my very first kipping pull-up, so I'm still working on just doing them strict (no kipping).

Twice this morning I tried to add 5 lbs to my pull-up but I didn't get all the way up either time. So close though! I'll keep working on it. My strict pull-up is getting slightly easier each time but I was still glad to work on them this morning.

After that I worked on my squats. I randomly chose 95 pounds (two 25# plates were easier to grab then two 45# plates- who knows). I did 30 squats at this weight. Again, 30 reps- totally random. I didn't get there and say, "I'm going to do 30 reps", it just sort of happened. But as I did them, if I didn't get low or my form wasn't perfect (elbows back, head down, etc) then it didn't count.

I feel confident moving on from 95#. I hesitate to say anything is ever "easy", but it kind of was. I had no problem getting low and driving from the hip. Next time maybe I'll do 115 pounds and make sure I'm equally as comfortable at that weight before moving on. I don't antitipcate any problems at 115 but I like going back and ensuring my form is correct... this is serving as a good reminder to check yourself.

Check yourself before you wreck yourself. Yup, that's what I always say :)

KelsaLynn