Spring?

It's been a gorgeous couple of days here in Washington DC--up to the 60's in temperature with shiny sun, which makes everything feel better.

The shedding-clothes season has begun! People are already starting to shy away from the winter coats, scarfs, hats, and mittens of winter and break out the spring jackets, the bright colors, and short sleeves. We're not yet to sandal weather, but we're close. I love having naked feet, so I can't wait until flip-flop season is upon us.

This summer will technically be my second summer post-WLS, but really it will be my first summer really enjoying my weight loss. I'm so close to "normal" shopping--where all my clothes can come from any store in the mall. I know that I'll be there in the next few months, which will be awesome.

At work, I started a "Fit Club." It's a two-month "program" with a $20 buy in; the winner takes the pot. The goal is to be the person with the most workouts at the end of the two months. We've established some rules already--walking to work doesn't count (in a pedestrian friendly city, many of us walk to work already) unless you walk with weights. A workout is defined as a half hour or more of continuous activity. A 1 hour workout doesn't count as two workouts, but workouts space more than 4 hours apart from each other do count (for example, walking to and from work with weights). The other clicher is that a entrant who does not have three workouts in a 7 day period pays a $5 penalty into the pot. Everyone at work is excited to get involved (I work in a small office of 12 employees total and we're all pretty healthy, or trying to be...), and we're all so competitative, that I think this is really going to help jump start my weight loss!

I also have my first appointment with a personal trainer at my new gym next Monday. Hopefully, she'll give me a good starting workout (I'm more concerning with strength training info than cardio help) and we can follow up a few times during the next few months to tweak it so it keeps working.

I do have some weird exercise goals that I'd like to accomplish this year--why don't I share them with you?

• Be able to earn a Presidential Physical Fitness Award. This was something I never was able to (and frankly didn't try) do in High School, but I'd love to be fit enough now to make it into the 85th percentile category in 5 events: Curl ups, Shuttle Run, 1 Mile, Pull ups, and vertical sit ups. I'm going to aim for 85th percentile as a 17 year old girl, and we'll see how far I can get. :)
• Run a 5K. My goal in this would be to run the entire distance, rather than run/walk.
• Do a GI Jane push up. Yes, you may remember a shaved Demi Moore getting brutal in SEALS training in the movie. That's what I want to do. At least one!
  

Ok, back to work.