I had a wonderful time at the rec center today. 14 laps around the track equals a mile and to go slow and not push myself too hard I started out by running one and then walking one. It still gave me a pretty good workout and I was sweating by the time I got done. Before leaving I hopped in the sauna to clear some of the toxins out of my body. I found sitting in there with a water bottle makes it so much better. I’m not sure what a safe amount of time is to be in a sauna so I am limiting my duration to no more than 15 minutes. Usually by then I am so hot and cannot stand another minute. It’s a little awkward since the sauna is so small and it’s very quiet inside but it feels so wonderful when I leave that it’s completely worth it. I need to find my IPod which is in one of the boxes I have yet to unpack. Once I have that I can really start getting on a machine after running my laps. My slip up of the day came when I went home and made pasta. I felt very guilty but it was a small plate and I used Tapatio instead of actual sauce. Welcome to the new me! I hope you are all thinking of healthy ways you can change your life. Trust me if I can do it so can you!

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Day two is here and today was a big day for me as I entered the scary, looming place known as the Cedar Falls rec center! Well it really wasn’t scary at all and I feel so accomplished that I could just shout it from the rooftops! I signed up and changed into my workout clothes and headed towards the track. It’s so nice that it’s not busy at all when I get off work. After running a few laps around the track I saw a familiar friendly face none other than my neighbor Don Blau! He was kind enough to give me a tour and some tips about using the center. He has been been going with his wife Linda for several years and was a great resource on little tips and tricks to get the most out of my experience.

After the tour we decided to go into the sauna for a bit. I wasn’t quite sure what to expect since I haven’t been in one for many years. At first it was completely comfortable and I almost fell asleep but after about ten minutes I could see why everyone else was sweating profusely. I had to get out after about 15 because I couldn’t stand it any longer but I did feel very clean and relaxed like toxins had been released from my body.

Guess who is going back again tomorrow to kick some butt?!

Cannot wait!

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What a nice weekend I had at home with the family. It was so nice to be able to see them and spend time with the folks. I got there on Friday and my mom had made my favorite dish! It’s somewhat of a Pakistani pizza with spicy beef tucked into a naan and rolled out flat. It’s delicious and it takes my mom a long time to make so I know she really wanted to make it a special night. Saturday I slept in and then went out with my mom and sister for a fun day of shopping. We ended up going to the Mall of America and though I didn’t find anything for myself I bought some nice things for my mom and little broth

Sitting down to a delicious meal

er Robby. We had another delicious dinner on Saturday night and then I started to feel sad because I knew I had to leave the next morning.  Sunday I woke up bright and early and headed back to the Cedar Valley. I like to come home early on Sunday’s so I get some time to relax before the long week starts again. My mom of course sent me back with a ton of delicious Pakistani food but I can’t eat any because my healthy eating initiative started today so into the freezer it went!

For my first day of healthy eating I must say I am quite proud of myself. I had 10 almonds today and a delicious cup of fat free yogurt to start my day. I also replaced three cups of my usual coffee with water and I plan to make that a habit that I can stick with.  I also made a delicious low fat vegetable soup with lima beans, carrots, peas and green beans that I had for lunch. I am so committed to this plan! The only damper in it was that I forgot my tennis shoes at work and couldn’t go running today. That’s okay because Eileen and I climbed the steps in the back of the KWWL building for some exercise today and thought it wasn’t as much as I would have liked, it was a good start for Day one!

Posted under February 2012

Where do I start? I am very thankful to have Jeff as my co-anchor! Jeff makes me laugh every single day! He’s smart and funny and has me in stitches during Today In Iowa! I appreciate his wonderful news judgement and he does small gestures that are very sweet such as bringing me coffee in the morning and other things! Thank you Jeff for all you do!

Jeff and I with Chef Henry from Otis and Henry's

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Well I did it! I went to the Cedar Falls rec center and got the grand tour today. I saw the machines, saw the activity rooms, saw the track and shivered with delight!  The kind lady showing me around told me that the time I will be going to the gym is the BEST time to go. Not a lot of people and pretty quiet around the place. The machines are all very new and each treadmill has it’s own personal television attached! How exciting! I need to make sure I channel this excitement the right way and don’t go at it too hard as to burn myself out before I even really start.

As soon as I got home I called up my good friend and former co-anchor Seth Wayne who just lost 35 pounds working out in the last few months! He had some great tips and was excited for me to start. He gave me some good easy recipes including hard boiled eggs for breakfast with turkey bacon and protein shakes. The key he said is not to starve myself. I am really so proud of him. He just got to a point where he didn’t want to feel awful about himself anymore and decided to make the change. Are you ready to make the change? Even if you don’t have any weight to lose we can all get healthier. Let’s do this together and track our progress!

Posted under February 2012

The time has come to really whip this body in shape and this time I’m not taking no for an answer. Those excuses that I constantly make every time I get on a diet plan are out the door. I am all set to join the Cedar Falls rec center and start going DAILY! I need you guys to keep me on track and make sure I don’t get lazy. I think it will not only help my goal of weight loss but also help with the stress that I deal with in my job. Let’s face it–working 10 hours days and the crazy schedule that I do something has to give and I think this will help all around. For those of you on pinterest you know how much fun it can be to pin your favorite outfits, cakes, etc. I have started a pinboard for all my workout motivation quotes to make sure I really don’t slack. Does anyone want to jump on the bandwagon with me? If we all keep each other on track can we really fail? I’m looking forward to the new me and I still have enough time before summer to really make it happen. I’m putting away the nachos and picking up the weights. The time is now.

I will be honest with you and say that I have a very hard time sticking to a healthy weight loss program. The only time I ever lost weight before was starving myself which left me nothing but irritable and angry. It was unhealthy and awful but it worked…for a short time and of course the weight just came back.

This time I am determined to lose weight in a safe and healthy manner. I owe it to myself. Love that body of yours!

Motivation!

Posted under February 2012

Today really felt like a Monday. Not only did I not get enough sleep last night but it was not restful sleep and I tossed and turned in this strange haze of half sleep most of the night. This schedule has really taken some getting used to. Especially since I worked the night shift in Eugene and didn’t have to be at work until 2:30pm. When my alarm goes off now it’s all I can do to not throw my phone at the wall or kick something in sheer frustration. Ok so maybe it’s not that bad but it is truly miserable to be at work at 3:30 when the rest of the world sleeps on. I feel a bit better after my shower and then the first I do when I get to the station is brew up a pot of joe which helps things tremendously.

Not gonna lie…From the 5-6am hour you can pretty much expect me to be zombie like and read the prompter much like Ron Burgundy. Once 6am hits I get a jolt and the energy pumps up. Jeff keeps me laughing and Eileen and I are good friends which helps the entire situation. Then we do a round of cut-ins that air during the Today show program and then a few hours to wait until we are on the desk again and anchoring the noon. By noontime we are so giddy and delirious from lack of sleep that the show is more comedy than news. Sure we deliver the goods and the hard news as it comes but give us one slightly funny story and we are in hysterics like 12 year old kids. By noon I have about ten layers of makeup over the original makeup that was applied at 4am and someone yelling “cue” or “camera 3″ can send me laughing so hard I can barely breathe.

It’s not so funny  now thinking about how mentors and peers always told me I would be great on a morning news program. Despite all the crazy times and crazy hours I cannot imagine doing anything else. We are all slightly crazy in news and I am no exception

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What a wonderful lazy weekend it’s been! Friday was a great time with good friends and last night I had a fun, cozy get together with work friends. Today is all about being lazy and having a relaxing Sunday. I had an epiphany last night when I was laughing and joking with people. I think after nearly four months of being here I finally feel like everything in starting to make sense.

I finally feel like I have good friendships and am really starting to fit in here. I have met amazing people in just a short amount of time and I meet more of them constantly. I read a quote the other day that was something along the lines of “Friends are family you get to choose” which I thought was so very true. I love being around people and laughing and joking and I have met some of the BEST down to earth friends here. I think back on how lonely I was my first month here and now things have completely changed. Life is so crazy. It can change before your very eyes and many times it’s a beautiful change if you can trust in the process.

Posted under February 2012

Thought for the Day: Don’t miss the party because you’re too busy planning it! Let life happen naturally

Posted under Thought for the Day: January 2012

Everyone has had that co-worker that makes them smile despite how you are feeling on a given day.  I think that honor would best be bestowed on Nikki Newbrough! This bundle of energy always has a smile on her face. Even in moments of stress she finds a way to bring laughter to those around her. You cannot help but smile when she is around. There is a very good reason she is better than a cup of coffee in the morning! She’s like that little sister that you want to protect and take care of but is very good at her job and a serious dedicated journalist at the same time! This week I am offering up appreciation for the lovely Nikki! Who have you appreciated today?

Nikki and I

Posted under Appreciation Time