7 mile hike!

On Saturday, Jan 21, 2012 I agreed (for the second Saturday in a row) to go hiking once again with Scotty. This time he assured me that it would be a SHORT hike...no more than 5 miles...which is totally my kind of hike.

Kapalama Loop is located behind Kamehameha Schools main campus in Kalihi and it is NOT 5 miles! By the time we finished the hike the LOOP part ended up being 6.52 miles with a little over a half mile added with the elevation changes.

Surprisingly, this hike was my most favorite that I've been on so far, which is funny because I prefer the Waterfall hikes the most cuz they are usually cooler and have a neat destination at the end.

This one was interesting. Plus Scotty made me a yummy breakfast sandwich AND brought a Lunch so I was much happier and had lots more energy.

We seemed to have navigated between almost every terrain that Hawaii has to offer....

"Regular" forrest that is more like what I'm used to in the mainland.

"Jungle" or "Rain Forrest" - my favorite.... even though I don't like all the bugs and how humid it can be. Plus the idea of all the "animals" living in the underbrush. At least there are no snakes!

I love how lush and green everything with vines everywhere. So different from anywhere else I've ever lived.

The there is the "DRY" Hawaiian desert-y forrest....

All the dead pine needles blanket the forrest floor and it's a little tricky to walk on as they can be super slippery. It really reminded me of playing in the woods at my Grandma's house.

There was the ridge- where you got to see the beautiful views....

There even was a little rock climbing involved too...

At the top as we began our descent, the trail was perfectly "paved" with grass..which was nice on the footsies....



We even got to see some of the beautiful plants and flowers  that ONLY Hawaii has to offer...

All in all it was a great workout!

Jan 26, 2012

It's day 4 of our Thrive Across Hawaii Challenge at work. Basically you log the time you perform aerobic exercise and based on the time spent exercising will unlock various "locations" across the state of Hawaii. So eventually after the 11 week program you will have "walked" across all the Hawaiian islands. My work has partnered with Kaiser Permanente for the challenge and as you unlock the locations you see pictures of points of interest and you see your little avatar change location on the map. It's actually very rewarding and motivating.

My team consists of 4 people and we've all committed to walk the maximum of 60 minutes a day. This week I'm in training and have been taking the bus into work and then walking home, rather than taking advantage of the free parking that is such an anomaly here in Honolulu.

So far I have walked over 1 hour each day! I'm feeling really good, am sleeping better at night and am finding it lots more easier to pay attention in my training classes.

Jan 18, 2012

Walked home from work today...

Worked up a nice sweat ring.

Success: walked home!

Need to do better: make better food choices.

Breakfast: left over Panda Express

Snack: peanut butter granola thin

Lunch: left over pork chop w/ cheesy pasta

Snack: apple and a see's candy bar

Dinner: homemade tacos

9 Mile hike!

After being all motivated at my shrinking figure, Scotty and I went on a hike. It wasn't until we were ON the hike that I learned it was 9 miles! only to learn at the end is was ACTUALLY 9.2 miles!

This is the farthest hike I have EVER done to date and don't plan on doing another one anytime soon.

As you know I don't really enjoy hiking, but I tried to stay positive and "enjoy" the journey. I liked this hike because it was cool and shady and not too steep....until the very end as you climb to the "saddle" summit.  (I didn't know what Scotty was talking about when he kept saying we were hiking to the saddle in the ridge- and then figured it out when I saw the point between 2 ridges that dipped down in the middle like a "saddle".)

What I liked about the hike:
- I felt skinner as my pants kept sliding down, so Scotty "McGyvered" my waist band using nothing but a shoe string and a rock! The picture is a little embarrassing cuz it looks like I have a little tail (like George Costanza from the movie Shallow Hal). But it sure made me lots more comfy. Please disregard my little flat Native bum and stretch marks :oP

- There were lots of pretty flowers, I took this picture...almost as good as Scotty's huh?

- I took a little nap at the top while Scotty took pictures (unfortunately of me...)

(I'm just missing Edward next to me in my grassy field here lol!)

- Scotty carried EVERYTHING so I felt light and free

- I wasn't sore! Except my feet being a little tired and achy I felt great! I attribute this to the walking I'm doing now.

What I didn't like about the hike:

- I took a spill coming down the ridge - my face broke my fall into a bunch of scratchy ferns- so NOT fun.

- We only ate a snack pack of cheese nips, a granola and clif bar and I had very little energy by the end.

- it was 9.2 miles

It was definitely a successful hike where the complaining from me was impressively minimal.

(I am so glad to be done!)

Check out more pictures on our Flickr page and coming up on Scotty's Stuff.

1st milestone

I was looking through some old pictures and stumbled upon a picture of me from EXACTLY one year ago today.... January 17, 2011. It is a HORRIBLE picture of me that I would NEVER EVER want to show anyone, but it made me excited to see that I've actually made some improvements to my appearance since then. 
Here is the awful picture

It is so shocking to see myself in this state. I don't look very happy and I look TERRIBLE! I happen to still have this exact outfit and tried it on.

Here is what I look like today....still NOT perfect and still have a long way to go but looking much better.



I've been so busy this past year dwelling on the fact that I haven't lost any pounds that I didn't even notice some pretty significant changes. As you can see I have DEFINITELY made some improvement and it is just enough to keep me motivated. Consistency is the key! I'm so proud of myself for actually TRYING to exercise more than I have in years . The past 6 months I have been inconsistent with exercise  and even very sporadic for the month of December but a little effort really has made a BIG difference. I am looking forward to what trying a little more regularly could accomplish!

Thirty two...

I turned 32 the other day and am so happy.... I have friends and family who cares about me, a loving husband, easy going job, fun coworkers, enjoyable calling, and have all my needs and wants fulfilled.
So why do I so often fill like a failure?...that I am not enough and that I've let everyone down all the time?
I've decided that it is because I haven't celebrated my successes enough. I AM enough but I haven't taken the time to really see all that I've accomplished.

This is what Sommer's Success is all about...join me on my journey....hopefully you'll see your success along the way too!