Fat Nerd Fit

I just finished reading The Devil in the Junior League by Linda Francis Lee. I recommend you don't. The book was terrible, two stars because the plot was coherent and there were not major holes. This book follows the turmoil of Mrs. Fredericka Mercedes Hildebrand Ware who discovers that her husband has been cheating on her, is leaving her, took all her money, and divorced her all without her knowing. You would think that the character would be crazy sympathetic, but she's not. Frede, as her friends call her, grew up crazy rich and is sure to remind you that, while she and her husband are rich, it's all because of her money. We're never told how she managed to make so much money, so I am forced to assume that it was given to her and she doesn't understand that people have to work. The story is told in first person and that person is as full of herself as can be. She is quick to remind you that she's rich, that she's beautiful, that everyone is jealo...

I've been keeping my feet up and trying to heal from my Plantar Fasciitis. With the exception of when I have to work I keep off my feet and when I am walking around I make sure to wear shoes that have some insert in them for extra support. It took a solid twenty days, but I am pain free when I get up in the morning! Today, being a nice cold Texas day, I hopped in my car and drove to a nearby park for a run. I put on my Couch to 10K app, made sure Charity Miles was running and hit the path. The park wasn't as nice as I was hoping. It was just a circular path around the soccer field with a small off shoot loop trail that went into the woods, but both loops combined wasn't even a full mile. When I go running again I'm going to look for a different park. I like getting to run through the trees and get a bit of nature. Running in circles drives me almost as crazy as running on the treadmill. So far, so good on the pain front. Granted, it's only been a couple...

I've already mentioned how the Hogwarts Running Club got me out and running again. The club's main focus is charitable fundraising through running. Every year there are six virtual races of varying distances and there are special medals for each race. When you register for a race, you're paying for your medal, but mostly contributing to the charity that the race is supporting. Right now we are doing the Alastor "Mad-Eye" Moody Constant Vigilance 5k in support of Limbs for Life . I think the HRC website explains the connection between Mad-Eye and Limbs for life the best: "Moody never let his injuries stop him. Moody fought in both the First and Second Wizarding Wars and captured many dark witches and wizards, but at a cost. He lost a leg, an eye and part of his nose in carrying out his duties as an Auror for the Ministry of Magic. It is in this spirit, we are thrilled to announce that proceeds from this event will go to support the Limbs for Life Fou...

My first book of the year was a pick by the Ravenclaw bookclub. I'm pretty open to trying out new authors and genres and try not to allow myself to get stuck in a book rutt. I've never read anything by Fortier and was intrigued by the Shakespeare meets Da Vinici Code references on the cover blurbs. I like Shakespeare and while I was not impressed by the Da Vinci Code, I liked the idea behind it and honestly only saw the movie. I'm not impressed by Juliet. Like Da Vinci, I like the idea behind it: the "plague on both your houses" from Romeo and Juliet stems from a true story and a curse that has followed two families throughout the generations. Our modern day heroine, Julie, discovers she is a decedent of Juliet's family and travels to Italy to find out the truth of who she is and where she comes from only to be swept up in a mystery, conspiracy, and adventure. The story is told in two intertwining parts, modern day with Julie and 1340 where we learn the...

One of the terms that comes up over and over again in the From Fat to Finish Line Facebook group is "NSV" or Non Scale Victory. I hadn't really taken this side of the journey into consideration until I starting seeing other people's victories. When working on weight-loss and health it is so easy to just look at the scale as the only tool of measurement. When I confessed my weight to the group at the New Year one of the first comments I got was to only weigh once a month and not focus solely on the number as there is so much more to take into consideration. Yes, we celebrate everyone's weight loss numbers but there is also just as much support and excitement for the NSVs in the group. Yesterday I posted that it was my fourth day with no cream or sugar in my coffee. Over 120 people as of this writing have showed their support for my achievement. From a huge group of people who have either been there, done that, or are struggling themselves, or just starting...

If you follow me on twitter ( @fatnerdfit )you already know this, but I made good on my deal with the internet and got my butt to the gym today. It was my first visit to this location of the chain I'm a member of (and by member I mean I pay every month and then don't ever go) so I kept my glasses on so I could actually see what was going on while I did my thing. I found the locker room no problem and made sure to check out the showers and sauna for future visits then hit the floor. Man is my butt out of shape. I started out on the stationary bike. I chose the upright one, not the fully seated one, because I'm curious about trying a cycling class. I did two miles and my quads were throbbing. I did have it on level 7, but I'm making no excuses. After the bike I did 100 crunches on a crunch machine of sorts. It gives you a rung to drape your legs over so you can't use your quads to help you, which was awesome. I did have to mess with my form a bit to keep...

I was very hopeful that my plantar fasciitis was going to clear up by now. It continues to noticeably improve, but it's still not healed to a place where I can get out and actively exercise. It's easy to sit here and swear that I'd totally be hitting the gym and/or the road if only I could be out there, but I feel like I'd at least would have made two or three workouts in the last two weeks if I'd be able to. That's still not the every other day I've got my eyes set on and it's certainly not the every day my subconscious ego swears it would be, but two or three times in two weeks is a true estimation of what I've lost out on. It's still a win for me, though. Not very long ago I would be quite happy sitting on the couch for two weeks with my feet up. I'd have a six pack of beer, a pizza delivery on its way and be planning on wine and Chinese take away tomorrow. I'm actually kind of proud of myself that I am anxious to get out there. ...