26: mormons and mountain goats

i hiked to the top of pinnacle this morning. it was absolutely amazing and gorgeous. it was up through a lava wash, to a pathway of sand until you hit sandstone. once you hit the sandstone, the climbing begins. it was truly an amazing experience to climb that high on sandstone. when i say climb, you have to realize you may be exaggerating it in your head, but its steep enough that you do have to hold on at times. i'm really glad i did this hike. i was super nervous yesterday and really not excited this morning but now i could not be happier. also, we saw a rattlesnake!!! i was so happy and i know jessica will be too. i didn't get a picture but jordan walked right past it and i spotted it first. it didn't hit me that it was a rattlesnake until other people were afraid but i was honestly so happy that i saw a snake. trip complete. time to go home. no, but really....

the hiking guides move around the hills like mountain goats. i was talking to jordan through most of the hike until we got to the sandstone part. i had to tell him i couldn't talk anymore because i was gonna get too out of breath. he literally takes three steps and is 20 feet ahead of me, immediately. i love him though. jordan and mason are my two favorite hiking guides. i can't wait until you all get to see them!

breakfast was muesli but i opted out for peanut butter and toast with banana. it was awesome. i think that i might love peanut butter.

after breakfast i went to the label reading class. i regret this decision a lot, as there wasn't much i learned other than which protein bars were best. pure bars are the way to go. they're about the same as lara bars but they have way less calories. i almost fell asleep during this lecture and i think my body took it as a sign it was time to slow down a little. i went to my room to take a nap for the second class but i felt totally guilty so i called my mom first to try and judge the amount of disappointment she felt by listening closely to her voice. there was enough. but i napped anyway.

lunch was mushroom soup and a turkey sandwich. the sandwich has sprouts and red onions and tomatoes and hummus and it is absolutely delicious thickly sliced turkey.

i went to the departing guests announcements after lunch which led right into the budget review (also for departing guests). we went over a bunch of details on how to maintain life at home, etc. i started freaking out a little bit because i know that at oswego there aren't many healthy dinner options. i decided to meet with rachel after the lecture. she gave me a solid hour of her time to go over some of the acceptable options, decide whether or not to count calories, and how to deal with the partying and excess calories that come with it. i found it very helpful and it really eased my nerves. she allowed me to understand that it's okay to indulge as long as the calories are quality calories. this means more natural than processed. she told me that with insulin resistance, a lot of times it will be better for me to eat what's more natural and wholesome rather than what is lower in calories. i feel a lot more confident now that i've talked to someone.

this afternoon i took treading first. nicole was instructing and she had me running faster than ever. i ran the first interval initially at 6.2 &increased throughout. the rest of the intervals i attempted to get to 8 every time. for the last 30 second sprint, i broke my speed barrier and ran at 10 for a good 15 seconds. i know that doesn't sound like a lot but 10 is a scary speed to run at. my legs were flying. it was awesome.

i moved next door into the aerobics room for ballworks. nicole had that class too. she kicked our asses! i never thought i could work so hard with a pilates ball but honestly every single exercise we did i felt my body burning. it was wonderful.

dinner was two stuffed peppers and broccoli. it was so filling! dessert was tiramisu which wasn't actually tiramisu at all. no coffee, no tiramisu.

after dinner we went to menu planning lecture. we went over some frequent concerns such as caffeine, alcohol, artificial sweeteners, supplements, and high fructose corn syrup. caffeine and alcohol are always okay in moderation, just like anything else. artificial sweeteners are to be avoided but truvia and stevia are natural sweeteners so they're more acceptable. a lot of people are deficient in vitamin d and it's important that you take supplements for any deficiencies you may have if they're effecting your health.

there's a 7 day meal plan in the biggest loser book i received on the first day and i also ordered chef's cookbooks today. i'm excited to leave. i want to continue losing weight but if that deems ridiculously hard at school, i'll be perfectly happy maintaining weight.

i spent the rest of the night trying to complete a puzzle with maria, annie, and dylan! we got pretty far, i hope we get to finish it tomorrow.
putting the pieces together with love,
goodnight.