Aspiring to Be A Freestyle Playboater

It's official:  I'm gonna be a freestyle playboater.  Yesterday was a pool session at Boiling Springs High School and we stopped at Blue Mountain Outfitters (the aboslute best kayak outfitter in Central Pennsylvania IMHO) to pick up a playboat to demo and I was sold after the first couple rolls.  It's a Wavesport Project X 48.   My other boat, the Jackson Allstar, is also an all-out playboat but a little too big for me to play in.  The weight range for the Allstar is 130-200 and the weight range for the Project X is 100-170 - a much better fit and feel.   Rick's happy too because he can now also play since the Allstar will be a perfect fit for him.  The first move to learn is the bow stall.  Of course Rick has tons of videos I can watch to learn.  Now I can't wait for roll sessions.  Woohoo! 

Week Three Results

We're dropping in the ranks! Our weight was down this week and the secret weapon on Team Reducing Government Waste lost 18.3  pounds/11.35% boby weight this past week.  Since this thing is based on percentage, that team will win hands down like they did the first year we did this competition.  We just don't know how he does it... he's not a big guy to begin with.  He claims he sweats it out at the gym and doesn't really change his eating.  Then again, I think it's something to do with those Kenyan genes -- you know how runners from Kenya are freaks of nature!  I think Paul is too. 

TEAM RESULTS (lbs and % body weight lost in past week)

Team	loss/gain (lbs)	Percent
Thin It To Win It!	5.50	0.45
Processing not included	11.40	1.02
Victorious Secrets	4.60	0.44
The Number Crunchers	19.30	1.51
Chubublicans	7.70	0.64
Mission Slimpossible	4.20	0.34
Winners	8.80	0.72
Reducing Government Waist	21.90	1.86
Burgers in Our Sites	9.80	1.09

Waiting Week Three Team Results

We're patiently waiting for the overall week three results.  One of our team members couldn't weigh in until late yesterday or even this morning, so it backed up the results and we're dying to find out if we're still leading.   It's very possible we continue to lead with our 8ish pound total loss this week.  Yes, that's not much, but judging on what teams lost the week before, our 8ish pounds would still be ahead.  At the half-way point in the game, some continue to be serious (most of our team) while other teams are already losing interest.  I heard of one girl that dropped out already (her team was in last place and she was the team captain!).  This is a very typical new-year's weight-loss habit:  folks are gung-ho to start it and about 3-4 weeks in, give it up.  When will people realize IT'S A LIFE CHANGE?   We all need to practice good eating habits ALL the time, not just for the new year.  I certainly learned a lot the past couple weeks and changed some bad habits.  I now know EXACTLY what I need to do to lose and what I need to do to maintain.  So being a Loser again was worth it.    This week was another 2.1 pounds down for me so my total is about 8. Well, maybe only 5 because that first weigh-in was exaggerated with water weight to make me heavier.   I'm tickled pink to see the 140's again.  Will post team results as soon as I have them.

Biggest Loser at Work Update Week Two

My Biggest Loser Team - the Chubublicans --  is now in 1st place after our 2nd week weigh-in.  Woohoo! The team behind in second is trailing by 6 pounds.   Of course we are ALL motivated now!   Very cool (and fun!).

Thin It To Win It!   42
Processing not included   21.3
Victorious Secrets   24.9
The Number Crunchers   44.6
Chubublicans   56.1
Mission Slimpossible   31.2
Winners   50.2
Reducing Government Waste   26.6
Burgers in Our Sites   27.5

Losin' It At Work Update

Our team, the Chubublicans, is in 2nd place after the first week challenge of the DCED version of Biggest Loser.  It's a six-week competition with nine teams of 6 people competing for the top prize of cash: about $500 smackaroos.  I say "about" because during the competition, those that gain are required to dump a buck in the pot for gaining leaving the prize a tad bigger than $500 bucks.  I ended up dumping in a buck or two in the pot for gaining in 2009 when we had this competition.  Ricky Brown ain't gonna let that happen to me this time around!  (It's all about the mighty dollar when you are retired... trust me!).  One of my team members was the top loser the first week with 13 pounds lost!  Wow.  I was the slacker on the team with 1.5 pounds lost.  All the other girls had significant weight-loss: 4, 7, and 5 pounds were common numbers.  Our team lost a total of 38.8 pounds, but we had a higher percentage of weight-loss of 3.10% which is what we are going by.   The winning team lost 43 pounds.  There's a team close on our heels at 2.94% so we need to stay on our toes.   And me?  It's hard as hell.  It's all belly fat - the hardest to lose.  I'm still focusing on the 1500 calories or less a day but that too is very, very difficult.  But... it's for the team, so I'll stick with it as best I can!

TEAM RESULTS

	11-Jan
Team	loss/gain (lbs)	Percent
Thin It To Win It!	31	2.46
Processing not included	15.3	1.35
Victorious Secrets	17.5	1.62
The Number Crunchers	38.9	2.94
Chubublicans	38.8	3.10
Mission Slimpossible	11.3	0.88
Winners	47.4	3.86
Reducing Government Waste	24	1.99
Burgers in Our Sites	23.1	2.48

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Yup, that's me.  Being me.  And wishing you a Happy New Year, but also yelling, "RICKY BROWN!"  He hates when I do that when I see him.   But sometimes I can't contain my excitement when I'm racing and see his familiar face in the crowd. It's my gut reaction.   HAPPY NEW YEAR to all my friends.  It's New Year's eve and I'm trying NOT to reflect on what was, what is, and what will be.  I like the now.  Thinking about what was generates way, way too many rambling thoughts of good and bad and it makes my head hurt.  Thinking about what will be is equally painful.  But the now... now THAT'S painless.   No head swimming in thoughts, no random wanderings and what-ifs, and no little monsters in there saying do this or do that.  Right now is where you want to be.  Today.  This second.  Doing what your gut (and heart) is telling you to do.  You're reading this which means you too are in the now and you aren't worrying, wondering, or contemplating anything.  Just calmness...and no thinking going on and on and on. Doesn't it feel good?  Ha.... I made you smile too.   So I think I'll attempt to live the upcoming year in the present moment as best I can.  Definitely no new year's resolutions, no random thoughts of what if this and what if that and none of the worry or baggage that comes along with those random thoughts and contemplation.  The present moment -- the now -- it's the only place you can be absolutely certain of peace.   PEACE!  I like that. 

Riding Road on the First Day of Winter

I haven't been on a bike in a llooonnngg time (months??) and Rick and I decided to take advantage of the 57 degrees and do a 20 mile road ride to Millersburg yesterday.  We did it to save money (obviously!) to pick up our van at the garage.  Rick said the day before he hated to "waste" the money to go down there to get it.  (We typically do all of our shopping/stops in one trip on one day -- this would have been an extra, not-needed trip that would have cost us about $5.00 in gas round trip, two vehicles.  Yes, retired people have every cent accounted for!).   It took us two hours!  But we were on our mountain bikes so that's partly to blame for the slowness.  Neither of us were in any kind of hurry though.  We talked almost the entire trip.  We talked about the goats, the trophy buck, the Amish barns, the chickens, the bridge that's closed, my old homestead where I grew up that no longer has the outdoor oven (I'm thinking I want to build an outdoor oven), our sore butts, how far we have to go, coasting, standing, and anything else that came up along the way.  It was awesome.  I love being retired with Ricky Brown.