It wasn't good today...

Today's workout was the toughest one I've done yet...UGH! And while I would like to tell you all that I trudged through it...I can't. :( I felt sick to my stomach, my bad shoulder was feeling iffy, I was exhausted, and overly frustrated so I just picked up my belongings in the middle of class and walked right on out the door. :( I know...I know...I shouldn't have done it but sometimes you just have to remove yourself from the situation and calm down on your own. The worst part is that I didn't tell anyone that I was leaving...well except for Aaron so at least someone knew.

On the flipside of the coin, though...I'm looking forward to getting back into the gym on Monday. Guess I had better go sign up for my classes since I haven't done that yet, huh? Sorry for the inconvenience Nathan & Tina...that's not usually like me. :T

Determined to look fine in 2009 -
~Shannon ;)~
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Another mailbox surprise!

Thank you so much to my friend Cherie Lynn H.! How sweet is she?! She sent me this adorable cupcake jar and a very sweet note - just because. :)

Cherie Lynn...you are so sweet! Thank you so much! I love it and can't wait to use it and display it. :)

~*Stampily Yours*~ Shannon Buck! :)~

Sushi Saturday was moved to Friday!

An update for:
Friday, January 30th, 2009

Dear Blog Journal,
With a busy weekend ahead of us we decided to go out for "Sushi Saturday" (our weekly tradition) tonight (Friday!) instead. While the food was good it wasn't as great as it always is. We experienced slow service and so that was kind of a disappointment because our tempura wasn't as warm as usual, etc...bummer! But oh well...I still got it in for the week and that's most important, right? :)

My workout was good today...and man did I sweat! Not that you all want to know that! LOL It was a "Structured Play Day" so it was kind of cool to try some of the new things like Dot Drills and Beam Ball...even though I was sorta scared to give it a try. LOL Had fun, though, and looking forward to tomorrow mornings workout. :)

Here is what we did for the Workout:
Skill was: 6 rounds

• 3 DB Cleans
  
• 5 Ring Row
  

Workout was:

• Dot Drills / Powerwheel
  
• Beam Ball
  

My food intake:
Breakfast: 1/2 cup Oatmeal w/ 1 scoop Glutamine & 3/4 scoop Max Pro Vanilla, 1 oz Max Ultra 100 Vitamins
Lunch: WW Meal Rice & Beans
Snack: 4 oz Monavie, 2-100 Cal Snack, Pretzels
Dinner: Sushi!!!! (too much of it, oy!)
Snack: York Peppermint Patty
Water intake: Not enough :(

Determined to look fine in 2009 -
~Shannon ;)~
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I'd rather row than run!

An update for:
Thursday, January 29th, 2009

Dear Blog Journal,
Another good day at the gym...and man it was a tough one! I didn't think I would make it through the 1000 m row that I substituted for the 4 laps of running...but I did! Lucky for me my hubby came over and helped me to set my pace while I kicked out the last 250m because it was kickin' my butt! I was exhausted and I kept telling him, "I can't do this. I can't do this." ...and of course he kept saying, "Yes you can!" ...and in the end I did and I finished with a time of 11:49. Again, not very fast but I'm happy that I wasn't the last one in the class to finish. Yay me! I must be getting better and stronger, right? :)

Here is what we did for the Workout:
Skill was: 5 rounds

• Barbell Push Presses (5 sets - I did 60lbs)
  
• 5 Pullups
  

Workout was:

• 500 m Row (or 2 laps around the building)
  
• DB Dead Lift - 30/20/10
  
• DB Push Presses - 30/20/10
  
• 500 m Row (or 2 laps around the building)
  

My food intake:
Breakfast: 1/2 cup Oatmeal w/ 1 scoop Glutamine & 3/4 scoop Max Pro Vanilla, 1 oz Max Ultra 100 Vitamins
Lunch: WW Meal Rice & Beans
Snack: 4 oz Monavie, 100 Cal Snack, Pretzels
Dinner: Tilapia, Veggie Medley, Asparagus
Snack:
Water intake: Not enough :(

Determined to look fine in 2009 -
~Shannon ;)~
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Sodium Intake

A Dieting Tip: Watch your sodium intake.

Try not to eat foods that are too high in sodium unless you are prepared to double up on your water intake to help flush the extra bloat out of your system.

Determined to look fine in 2009 -
~Shannon ;)~
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I'd love to share some tips!

Wow is all I can say! You all really know how to make a girl feel good! :)

I am totally enjoying all of the emails that I've been receiving both congratulating me on my recent (and ongoing) weight loss as well as all the questions you've been asking me on advice and motivation for yourselves. I would be flattered to mentor you via my fitness blog and help you (and many others!) in your journey! :)

A couple of you have also asked me if I would share some before and after pictures. *GROAN* Do I have to?! LOL! I am AT LEAST 110% embarrassed about what I use to look like even though I shouldn't be because most of you have seen me like that for years at the different CTMH events! LOL I'll continue to give it some more thought, though. ;)

So anyways...what I would like to do is to start answering specific questions here on my fitness blog. I will also be randomly posting different tips that I think may help you in your journey. If there is something in particular that you would like me to cover please let me know by leaving me a comment! I will do my best to address it within a day or two for all my readers to enjoy. Sound good? :) Right on! Can't wait. :)

Determined to look fine in 2009 -
~Shannon ;)~
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I tried to kick "Jackie's" Butt!

An update for:
Monday, January 26th, 2009

Dear Blog Journal,
Today was an interesting day for me. Basically put...I was crabby! All day! LOL I won't even bother to go into all the details since its now in the past but just know that it started off by almost being slammed into the guardrail on my way to the gym by an elderly lady in a minivan that apparently doesn't want to allow people to merge onto the freeway at the proper speed. Eek! Oh well...at least I lived to tell the story, right? LOL

My workout went well, though...I think. :T It was a benchmark day and since I've only ever done a couple of these I was kind of nervous about being able to complete everything...but I think I did ok. I clocked in at 14:07 which pretty much meant that I was almost last. UGH! No fun but I guess I have to start somewhere right?

Here is what we did for the Workout:
Skill was: 5 rounds

• Barbell Front Squats (I did 67 lbs!)
  
• 5 Spidermans
  

Workout was: "Jackie" for time!

• 1000m Row
  
• 50 Thrusters
  
• 30 Pull ups (I did 10 pullups and 20 ring rows)
  

My food intake:
Breakfast: 1/2 cup Oatmeal w/ 1 scoop Glutamine & 3/4 scoop Max Pro Vanilla, 1 oz Max Ultra 100 Vitamins
Lunch: Panera French Onion Soup and Whole Grain Baguette
Snack: Popcorn (too much at the theatre...oopsie!)
Dinner: Fresco Chicken Bowl (Taco Bell - oopsie again!)
Snack:
Water intake: Not enough

Determined to look fine in 2009 -
~Shannon ;)~
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More Retreat Layouts

Here are some more Retreat Layouts. Enjoy! :)

~*Stampily Yours*~ Shannon Buck! :)~

Laughter

Here is another layout that we did at the Album Retreat. :)~*Stampily Yours*~ Shannon Buck! :)~

Its all about improving...

I just realized the other day that I've been working out at Recreate-Fitness, now, for 2 months. And this comes from a girl that has always HATED to work out! LOL

I've been trying to faithfully get my rear into the gym at least 4x a week and because I'm doing my best to accomplish this I've seen many, many improvements happen quickly over the last couple of months - totally awesome!! For example, I've gone from not being able to do any pushups (regular OR girl ones!) to being able to do a few good quality ones - Amazing! (at least to me it is! lol) - I am even doing some beginning push-presses for the first time in my life, too. Wow!! I never thought I would ever do anything like that.

Here is a picture of my back the first week that I started at Recreate-Fitness...I got the whole flabby arm thing going on and have some love handles happening around the middle...LOL!

But now, check this out...here is a picture taken of my back just the other night after 2 months of solid workouts... My arms are beginning to define and my love handles are disappearing...NICE!

Anyways, I hope you've enjoyed this little peek into my accomplishments, thus far. ;) I've heard from many of my CTMH Sisters about how inspiring it is to watch me in my journey and I am just thrilled to have the opportunity to be an inspiration to each of YOU! So please keep your emails coming...I love hearing from you and feel blessed to be able to inspire you in your individual weightloss/exercise programs as well. :)

Determined to look fine in 2009 -
~Shannon ;)~
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Check it out!

My friend Pam finally uploaded some of her cruise pictures. Woohoo! Here are some more fun pictures from our cruise this past October. Thanks Pam!! :)









~*Stampily Yours*~ Shannon Buck! :)~

Yay! I did it!

An update for:
Thursday, January 22nd, 2009

Dear Blog Journal,
Today was a good day! Not only did I enjoy today's workout at the gym but I also tried some new things that I hadn't tried before...namely push presses with a real push press bar! I pressed approximately 60 lbs and impressed not only myself but those around me that were witnessing it for the first time. Very cool! Nathan also set me up for throwing down the bar so that I can get comfortable with that. OY! That just made me feel plain stupid. ROFL I think I tossed it down like a sissy! I was scared to do it and scared that it was going to make a loud bang...UGH! But oh well, it's over and done with now and hopefully I won't have to use that technique very often. ;) I wonder what's in store for us tomorrow. Hopefully something as fun as today's workout. *fingers are crossed*

Here is what we did for the Workout:
Skill was: 5 rounds

• 2 practice push presses
  
• 5 push presses
• 5 cross chop to halo each side
  

Workout was: # of rounds in 15 minutes - I did 10! And was 2 push-ups shy of 11. *groan* :T

• 5 right kettle bell swings (20 lb)
  
• 5 left kettle bell swings (20 lb)
  
• 5 hi-pulls right side (20 lb)
• 5 hi-pulls left side (20 lb)
• 10 push-ups
  

My food intake:
Breakfast: 1/4 cup Oatmeal with 1 pk. Kashi hot cereal w/ 1 scoop Glutamine & 3/4 scoop Max Pro Vanilla, 1 oz Max Ultra 100 Vitamins
Lunch: Lean Cuisine Chicken Enchilada
Snack: 100 Cal Pack
Dinner: WW Sesame Chicken
Snack: 1 slice of frozen pizza
Water intake: Not enough

Determined to look fine in 2009 -
~Shannon ;)~
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Thank you Jeanie!

I wanted to be sure to say thank you to my friend Jeanie W. Upon returning home from the album retreat I had the cutest gift waiting on my diningroom table from her. A pair of warm fuzzy socks packaged up like a cupcake! She included it an ADORABLE box and it also housed a popcorn container so that it wouldn't get squished. How adorable!

Thank you so much for thinking of me Jeanie. I absolutely love it and can't wait to wear them...even though its going to break my heart to rip through the packaging. LOL

I love the card and special msg you wrote on the inside too. Thank you!! :)

~*Stampily Yours*~ Shannon Buck! :)~

And a few more!

Oh how awesome! My friend Amy posted these on her blog and I couldn't resist grabbing them for mine too. I hope you don't mind Amy! :)~*Stampily Yours*~ Shannon Buck! :)~

I can't quit yawning!

An update for:
Monday, January 19th, 2009

Dear Blog Journal,
Today was my first day back to the gym after being gone at the CTMH Album Retreat where I had so much fun hanging out with all of my favorite friends! We stayed up late and got up way too early every morning...but that's just typical and fun! I knew I would be super tired and sore after this first workout but I surely didn't expect to yawn so much during it. LOL I felt like a walking zombie but yet I felt good about getting back in there after having some time off. :)

Here is what we did for the Workout:
Skill was: 5 rounds

• Barbell Front Squats
  
• 10 ring pushups
  

Workout was: 7 Rounds (I only did 5)

• 7 Med. Ball Cleans
• 7 Burpees
• 7 Ring Rows
  

My food intake:
Breakfast: 1/4 cup Oatmeal with 1 pk. Kashi hot cereal w/ 1 scoop Glutamine & 3/4 scoop Max Pro Vanilla, 1 oz Max Ultra 100 Vitamins
Lunch: Panera French Onion Soup
Snack: Grande Dirty Pumpkin Spice Chai
Dinner: Chicken Rigatoni, Garlic Toast
Snack: 100 Cal. Pack
Water intake:

Determined to look fine in 2009 -
~Shannon ;)~
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More Retreat Pics

Here are a few more pics from the Album Retreat that I would like to share. Enjoy!
~*Stampily Yours*~ Shannon Buck! :)~

Share

I had so much fun at the Album Retreat this past weekend so I wanted to share with you one of my favorite layouts that we made. Isn't it cute! One of these days (soon!) I hope to get some pictures on this layout. :) I'll also be sharing some of the other layouts over the next several days so stay tuned! :)

~*Stampily Yours*~ Shannon Buck! :)~

I'm in Utah!

Having a great time in Utah!

The first night in town Amy M., Alex G., and I walked to the nearby shopping center for a Starbucks (because the one in our hotel closes at 6pm! Can you believe that?!)...it sure hit the spot with the cool weather, though, and I spurged and got a Grande!

Also, someone recently asked me when the Pumpkin Spice mix would no longer be "in season" and I was told that the supplies are no longer being shipped so when Starbucks runs out that means that they are out for the season. *Boohoo!* :(

The next day Amy M., Michelle N., and I went shopping! We tried on funky pants in J. Crew and had the sales lady take our picture. Kinda funny! Then we went next door to Ann Taylor Loft (one of my favorites!) and found GREAT deals on clothes! I bought a cute pink cardigan and a black lacy top for $20 each (plus 25% off!) and then I bought a sexy black dress and a hot pink satin halter shirt for DIRT CHEAP!! I bought the dress for $6 and the shirt for under $5 PLUS got 25% off. LOL What a deal! Woohoo!!

We went to the first event of the day and made a mini album (that I of course didn't get done...but no one else did either!). Then we went out to the bar for a few drinks and some laughter...LOL. Those darn Canadian friends of mine. *hehehe* That's all I'm gonna say! LOL They are such a kick and I love hanging out with them!!!!

Well, its Friday morning and we're scramblin' to get ready to go to our first class - I only had a few hours of sleep so it should be interesting! LOL I'll let you know how it goes. :)

Have a great day all!! :)
~*Stampily Yours*~ Shannon Buck! :)~

Heading to the Album Retreat!

I can't believe I'm under 24 hours away from hopping a plane to this years Close To My Heart Annual Album Retreat! Woohoo! This is going to be my first one and I'm getting very excited...especially to see all of my friends that I rarely have the opportunity to see! :)

While I'm there I'm planning on doing some shopping and then once the event gets under way it will be time to complete and entire album while chit chatting with all my favorite friends. I'm planning on taking lots of pictures, too, and will do my best to update my blog each night but we'll see how that goes. I'll keep my *fingers crossed* though!

Hope you had a great day...you should be hearing from me again in Utah! :)

~*Stampily Yours*~ Shannon Buck! :)~

One tough cookie!

An update for:
Tuesday, January 13th, 2009

Dear Blog Journal,
Today's workout was tough...but when is there a day when its not tough? LOL Once again I ended up with a side cramp, though...again, very disappointing but trying to be a tough cookie about it I just did my best to work through it. :)

I don't think that I will be updating my fitness blog for the rest of the week since I'll be out of town. But I do plan on working out while I'm at my business function so I guess we'll see what happens. :)

Here is what we did for the Workout:
Skill was: 3 Rounds

• Turkish get up
• Heavy KB Swing (20lb/25lb/35lb)
• Jackknife x 12
• Farmer Walk with 2 35lb weights
  

Workout was: 40 sec /20 sec x 4

• Kettlebell Swings (35 lb)
• Super Plank
• Shuttle Run
• Rope Snaps
• Jump Rope
  

My food intake:
Snack: Banana
Breakfast: 1/4 cup Oatmeal with 1 pk. Kashi hot cereal w/ 1 scoop Glutamine & 3/4 scoop Max Pro Vanilla, 1 oz Max Ultra 100 Vitamins
Lunch: Lean Cuisine Sesame Chicken
Other: 4 oz MonaVie
Snack:
Dinner: Tilapia, Asparagus, Brown Rice
Snack: 100 Cal. Pack
Water intake: 50 oz

Determined to look fine in 2009 -
~Shannon ;)~
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Recipe: Broiled Tilapia Parmesan

Broiled Tilapia Parmesan
Preparation Time: 5 minutes
Cooking Time: 10 minutes
Serves: 4

Ingredients:
1/4 cup Parmesan Cheese
2 T. Reduced Fat Butter
1 T. and 1-1/2 t. Reduced Fat Mayonaise
1 T. Fresh Lemon Juice
1/8 t. Dried Basil
1/8 t. Ground Black Pepper
1/8 t. Onion Powder
1/8 t. Celery Salt
1 lb Tilapia Fillets

Directions:
Preheat your oven's broiler. Grease a broling pan or line pan with aluminum foil.

In a small bowl, mix together the Parmesan cheese, butter, mayonnaise and lemon juice. Season with dried basil, pepper, onion powder and celery salt. Mix well and set aside.

Arrange fillets in a single layer on the prepared pan. Broil a few inches from the heat for 2 to 3 minuts. Flip the fillets over and broil for a couple more minutes. Remove the fillets from the over and cover them with the Parmesan cheese mixture on the top side. Broil for 2 more minuts or until the topping is browned and fish flakes easily with a fork. Be careful not to over cook the fish.

My Comments: This was so frickin' good! Unbelievable! A must try. I can't wait to have this again! :)

Determined to look fine in 2009 -
~Shannon ;)~

Need a lift?

An update for:
Monday, January 12th, 2009

Dear Blog Journal,
Another good day at the gym! There were only 5 of us working out today and while I know that this isn't as economical as it should be I have to admit that I really liked the low class size! It was awesome!

Nathan and Tina decided that today would be the day that I would actually try Deadlifts with a bar - my first time ever! Can't say that I lifted a lot but the point is that I still did it! :) I need to start somewhere afterall, right?

Here is what we did for the Workout:
Skill was:

• Deadlifts (my first ever!) bar/bar/5/10/10
  
• 8 Ring Rows x5
  
• 5 Spidermans
  

Workout was: 10 minutes, rotate every 1 minute and combine numbers for score

• Rowing for Calories (57?)
  
• Slam Ball 12 lb (70)
  

My food intake:
Snack: Banana
Breakfast: 1/4 cup Oatmeal with 1 pk. Kashi hot cereal w/ 1 scoop Glutamine & 3/4 scoop Max Pro Vanilla, 1 oz Max Ultra 100 Vitamins
Lunch: Lean Cuisine Lemon Grass Chicken
Other: 4 oz MonaVie
Snack: Max Gourmet "Hot Chocolate" w/ 1 scoop Glutamine
Dinner: Chicken and Green Beans
Snack: 100 Cal. Pack
Water intake: 30 oz :(

Determined to look fine in 2009 -
~Shannon ;)~
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