Winter Break 2012 has BEGUN

Well I'm officially on winter break! Had a blast at work yesterday and I must say I'm enjoying myself for the most part. I received some great gifts from students and staff throughout the week and also brought some items of my own to share as well.

Tis the season to be thankful, kind and (hopefully) giving

The note above came from a substitute employee who worked in the office today. He has been carrying this scrap of newspaper around in his wallet since the date above and yes it says Sunday, Dec. 19, 1976.

Christmas is a time when people get together and enjoy each other in the various forms of fragrant foods, anticipated presents, & the loving spirit from family and friend alike. Yet for others it's another holiday which is met with uncertainty in regards to if there will be enough food on the table, a roof over their heads, and if Santa will come down their chimney or at least knock on the door.

Naughty or Nice Inaugural Run 2012

This past weekend I participated in my first race, it was called the Naughty or Nice race. The Naughty is a four-mile loop featuring the Mile High Hill. The Nice is a two-mile riverwalk along our bicycle trail. Start and finish at the Big Kahuna located at Grafton Harbor. I participated in the Nice version so I enjoyed a NICE brisk walk.

I was informed about this race from my boss and I thought it would be fun to get some friends involved. So I put up an Event pages on Facebook and Google+. In the end it was just myself, my boss and some of her friends. I woke up early Sunday morning to get dressed and printed out a map to my destination in Grafton, Illinois.

Conclusion to my two workout challenges this Fall of 2012:

For motivation!

The two challenges that I had signed up for earlier this fall have both come to a close. I had a good time participating in both of them and can't waint to sign back up next year.

The first challenge I completed was..

Fall 2012 Walking Works District Challenge

This challenge which started Oct. 1st through Nov. 11th, included 20 other school districts within Missouri and we competed against each other to accrue the most miles via walking, running, and other activities. Since I was doing boxing and kickboxing that conversion into milage for me was quite interesting;) Overall I did 134 miles via walking, boxing, and kickboxing. I know I could have put more effort into it with my boxing and kickboxing days especially since I didn't go on my regular days as much as I should have. But I did win the first and last week of the individual competition. On the first week I won a pair of socks and on the last week I won a goodie bag with some various items in it. Yet I wasn't one of the top 3 participant winners. I can't wait to sign up next year. I definitely will keep up with my Walking Project which I felt really helped with racking up some of the miles;)

 
 These are the results for this fall with all the different school districts

#	Team Name	Total Miles	Average per Walker
1	Wright City School District	4564.4	114.11
2	Meramec School District	3619.57	61.35
3	Maplewood Richmond Heights School District	3166.37	105.55
4	Union School District	2977.21	53.16
5	Riverview Gardens School District	2921.46	47.12
6	Pattonville School District	2847.19	49.09
7	Hazelwood School District	2487.45	65.46
8	Ritenour School District	1869.57	81.29
9	Warrenton School District	1643.72	182.64
10	Wentzville School District	1542.13	25.28
11	Normandy School District	1494.68	166.08
12	Brentwood School District	1200.97	133.44
13	CSD	1032.29	73.74
14	Webster School District	824.57	117.8
15	Strain Japan School District	818.03	116.86
16	Windsor School District	800.92	72.81
17	Crystal City School District	660.94	220.31
18	Hancock School District	558.76	31.04
19	Jennings School District	160.15	14.56
20	Spring Bluff School District	150.33	12.53
21	Bayless School District	57.39	57.39
22	Lonedell School District	0	0
23	Franklin Co School District	0	0

 



The second challenge I completed

STL Lose to Win Fall 2012 Challenge

Now this challenge I really enjoyed. Overall I lost 15 pounds with this contest which started from September 9th to December 6th. As I was working out I would go weekly to my designated weigh in site and have my weight loss/gain results recorded. What I really loved about this challenge was the accountability factor. If I missed two weigh-in's then I was out of the contest. The kickoff event for this on Sept. 9th was really nice and I left with alot of information. The Curves location that I go to weigh-in near my house was less than 10 minutes away and the staff is great.

I've already signed up for next year's contest which starts January 19th and I can't wait to pay my $10 entrance fee. I've decided I'm going to keep with this contest until I reach my goal.

weigh-in results from Sept. 9th - Sept. 30th

weigh-in results from Oct. 1st - Dec. 9th

 
What I can tell from looking back on this contest is that I definitely need to get a steady rhythm in regards to proper eating habits and get back into my workout schedule on a regular basis. Yet my biggest battle is definitely the eating. At this point I know I'm not eating enough and need to up it some more, but the challenge is not being bored with the same ole foods and probably trying my hand at making some new dishes.

What really is unfortunate is that now that this contest is over and the next one doesn't start until January 19th I'm already thinking, "What do I do now?" Maybe I can call the Curves location that I was going to for weigh-in's and ask if it's still ok for me to come through and weigh myself to keep me focused.


My latest walking project was walking to North Hanley and then around by UMSL (University of Missouri Saint Louis). Before then I hadn't been walking in over a week and my legs let me know it also;)





Until the next episode....

 All That MsJazz