The Only Thing to Fear...is Fear Itself. Oh, and the Boogeyman too.

At first I didn't want to go...well, I knew that I needed to go, but I was scared. Scared about panicking. Believe me, I was thinking of EVERY excuse not to go.

For example:

"I don't have my lock with me so I can't put my stuff in a locker and I don't have a quarter to use the paid lockers."
Damn! I found a quarter in the shotglass on my desk.

"I don't have a towel. You need a towel to workout."
Damn! There's a towel I left in my file cabinet at my desk.

"Hmm...if the signal shows Don't Walk, that's a sign I shouldn't cross the street to go to the gym." Damn! I missed the bus. No sense just standing around doing nothing for 15 minutes.

I waited at the bus stop for a few seconds thinking to myself, WTF am I worried about? Eventually I remembered all of the friends who comment that they read my blog and I'm inspiring them. I thought to myself, What the F am I thinking, trying to avoid absolutely nothing and scaring myself for nothing?!?! Can't let my FANS (I mean, friends...hehehe) down! Sexy B*tches got to work it!!!! SOOOOOOOOO...I walked around the block...and...

YEYYYYYYYYYYYYY I did it! I finally went to 24 Hr. Fitness Downtown ! It's not the one where I had the last panic attack, but I also had a semi-attack (I didn't know what a panic attack was at the time) at this location too. Once I got there, I admit I was a little jittery. Must be the adrenalin. I only planned to stay for 5 mins. (they say when you conquer your fears, you need to expose yourself to what scares you, even just a little bit at a time...not sure if this holds true for fear of spiders though LOL!). But...YEY!

I did the naughty ab/adductor machines for my thighs, then upper body work, mostly on my arms and shoulders. Oh and some chest presses for the "twins". :)

Me on the naughty machine

Some motivational/promotional posters they have up in the locker room. You're not supposed to take pictures in the gym but nobody noticed. Hehehe:

Your
Goal is not far if you believe in your
Self

Your
Happiness is a Reflection of Your
Health

Your
Health can add value to your
Life

Me, sneaking a pic of myself while doing tricep kickbacks

I stopped after I felt a little woozy doing lat pulldowns. I will need to go more often though; now that I'm losing weight I feel certain things jiggling (and no, I'm not talking about the "twins"). Hopefully next week I can catch up with my sleep so I can start going early to work so I can leave early to hit the gym before the 5 p.m. rush comes.

While I was waiting to cross the street, I took a pic of my shadow. Only when I got home did I notice something else in the photo:
Yes, it's the street lamp, but looks eerily like a cross? :o Hehehe...guess someone "upstairs" is saying to not be afraid anymore. :) It's always healthy to have some sort of belief system. Whether it be Christianity, Buddhism, Islam, or what not. I'm not the most religious person but I do believe in God, though times can be tough.

Went to Costco and bought a sh*tload of stuff (excuse the expletives but really, it was truly a lot of stuff) for the next 2 weeks meals. I have not gone out to eat since...sheesh...the day before the Challenge? Oh wait, there was that sushi frenzy last payday. LOL! I will try to not eat out until the end of the challenge unless someone treats me. (Anybody? Anybody? Bueller? Bueller???)

A good way to burn off extra calories: return your cart to the front of the store, especially when shopping at Costco. LOL! More to come tomorrow...better head off to bed.

Breakfast
Banana
KASHI Honey Puffed Cereal
WESTSOY Lite Plain Soymilk

AM Snack
Bear Naked Triple Berry Crunch Granola
Cottage Cheese Low Fat 2%
SUNSWEET Tropical Mix Dried Fruits

Lunch
Broccoli Frozen Chopped Boiled Drained
Orange
Quinoa Cooked
Salmon

PM Snack
Banana
Slices Bread Oat
Laughing Cow Light Swiss
Oven Roasted Turkey Breast

Dinner
Cup Almonds Chopped
Chicken Salad
Salad Dressing Balsamic Vinaigrette Low Fat
OCEAN SPRAY CRAISINS Sweetened Dried Cranberries
Mixed Baby Greens with Arugula Butterhead Endive Radicchio

Steps: 14,207
Calories Consumed: 1709
Calories Burnt: 3406 (nice!)
Activity: 2 Hrs, 7 mins.