because i am very excited about my new fitbit and have nothing else to share

i'm shocked i beat my previous weekly step goal of 20,000. so i bumped it to 35. i climbed the equivalent of 19 floors today, which is one more than the leaning tower of pisa :)

...damn, i'm boring

review: #bengay zero degrees

so a little while back, i was approached about reviewing a newer bengay product. since i'm not an 85 year old grandma with arthritis or joint pain, i'd never bothered with bengay. that's changed over the last couple months... (using bengay, not becoming elderly... sorta...)

my little package arrived during what would have been the perfect week. i was planning to restart my workouts. plus i was dealing with pms muscle ache/pains. i'll try just about anything to soothe my cramps. unfortunately, the many workouts didn't really happen, but i did have plenty of opportunities to use it. here my bullet point highlights :) [would have written a more cohesive post, but i'm a bit short on time]

initial thoughts (unfrozen):
- packaging has a funk, but product actually is kinda nice. i'm weird and like the smell of menthol
- menthol scent fades over time
- easy to apply, like a deodorant applicator
- muscles looser within minutes with slight tingling from menthol. made stretching much less painful so i was able to stretch more deeply
- will stick to fabrics

(frozen):
- oh my god. i'm in love!
- not as sticky, just as soothing
- beware of overapplying. that tingling will become an unpleasant burning :-/
- menthol tingling/cold lingers after absorption, but definitely didn't stick. i think it might absorb quicker when "frozen"
- SO good for joints and muscles

i used it in vegas since i'm an insane person who went to the gym before 8 am (vegas time) every day. i wish they made small freezable packets or a travel sized container. hot plane + semi-liquid do not really mix. it did travel well to pa for a weekend with jesse though. think what you want; that shit came handy ;) and i used the hell out of it after aerial class. unfortunately, it has no effect on bruises heh... at this point, i take it on every trip away from home. i even brought for my dog/house sitting venture just in case. i'm still in love and highly recommend everyone pick some up

disclaimer of sorts: bengay sent me a full sized sample of bengay zero degrees along with a gift bag for reviewing their product. i received no other compensation, and everything above is my own honest opinion

progress: 17 in 15

i've been weighing myself twice a week since i bought my scale last year. the goal was to use the numbers so i could adjust every few days, rather than wait a full week to see how my body was responding. my official weight watchers weigh in day was wednesday so that's my "real" number. that's the same day i'm using for my self challenge. sundays are my back up check in days. it's been a handy cycle for tracking how my body naturally fluctuates when i'm trying and when i'm not

that all being said, i weighed in at 130.8 this morning. a 6.6 drop since wednesday (6.2 since last sunday). a drop that shouldn't happen given my complete lack of exercise or smart eating choices last week. i'm not stress eating (even though i want to), but i'm eating whatever junk happens to be around. the only "workouts" i've done are my half hour physical therapy sessions when i'm at the chiropractor. trust me when i say that they aren't stenuous. i just don't trust this record. scale says my fat percentage is down two, and my water is up two. my muscle is only up a half point. i've had similar numbers before, but my total weight loss has been modest. so this is freaking me out

because if i actually dropped 6.6 pounds, i've lost my grief weight. if i actually dropped nearly seven pounds, i'm back at the top of my weight range. if this isn't a glitch in the system, i have only 10.8 to hit my new goal and 12.5 weeks to get there. i'm making ridiculous progress

or my scale is trying to psych me out before telling me i really gained this week... i want to be happy about the progress. i just won't be until wednesday

17 in 15

so i've slowly been creeping away from my goal weight over the last six(ish) months. yes, it started with the death of my grandma. yes, it got a little worse with fall semester stress. yes, it got out of control with the holiday season. yes, i'm putting on the breaks. i'm not WAY off base when you look at my numbers, but my eating is a mess with few workouts to speak of

as of today, i'm starting over. my suggested weight: 118-128. my ideal weight: 128-130. my current goal weight: 120*. my deadline is bisc**. this gives me 14 weeks to drop that shit like it's hot. i'm going back to planning every meal with fruit and veg, and i'm going to move three to five days a week. for every extra calorie i burn, i'm only going to eat half (like i did when on weight watchers) if i'm hungry. i will not stuff my face just because the wiggle is there. it's time to stop making excuses and putting shit off. i don't want to end up where i started nearly three years ago. i like this person i've become, and i promised i would keep her

today's weight: 136.6; 16.6 to go (ps it's moments like this that i especially miss the IITGI community)

*this allows for a little gain back while staying within range. gaining is inevitable. i'm hoping for muscle, but we all know that's gonna be tequila weight
**i'm not doing this for bisc; it's just a great hard deadline. otherwise, i may drag this out instead of working at it consistently