Week Four and the Dreaming is In Motion!!!

Today was the first day of week 4 of this HealthQuest on the HomeStretch and it was a good day! My knees are still very achy when I'm doing the squats (150 or so today) and going up the stairs and I still can't do that squat thrust thingy the correct way, but I'm not giving up and I was told by Dawn, one of our mentors, today that she had the same thing happening with her knees when she first started and now her knees don't ache at all.....A GOAL for sure!!! and good news to my ears (and knees)!

But onto the dreaming....a few little things I'd like to do in the future that I think this HealthQuest on the HomeStretch will help me be able to do.......for years I have wanted to go white water rafting, but when I was thinner, my daughter was too young and by the time she was old enough, I didn't feel I was in adequate shape to go without completely embarrassing myself. My goal is that if I fall out of the boat, I want to get myself back in it! So, THAT is something I definitely look forward to doing after this quest is over and my goal weight is reached...which will be a few months after the quest ends. Additionally, I want to go two-stepping and waltzing. I used to go dancing all the time and now while it would be good cardio, I'm a little self-conscious and want to be much smaller.

It will also be a blessing to make my annual mission trip to Belize much lighter and healthy than I am now. I'm headed there again in June 2009. We always have an excursion to see the Mayan Ruins at Xunantunich and while I always make it to the top, I'm definitely winded and need help to climb the huge hill before you even get to the ruins. Yeah, not so much fun!! But next year will be different, much different.....because even after this HealthQuest is over, I am determined to keep up the workout and diet disciplines needed to continue my quest for being healthy from the inside out as well as much, much better numbers on the scale...a goal weight of 155. And a Body Fat Goal of 18-22%. Those are my goals and I am so thankful for this opportunity.

I would also love to run in a marathon with several friends who run them regularly. First one on the agenda.....the Country Music Marathon as well as one ran on behalf of the Tennessee Baptist Children's Home that my church participates in yearly.

BUT....my ultimate goal is to be here to see grandbabies graduate college!!! I know I am only 46 and my daughter is only 14, so that is a long way off....but changes we are making today and all the information we are learning from our HealthQuest Support Team can only help in that process and ensure that not only will I see my grandbabies graduate college...I might even see great grandbabies do the same. Wouldn't THAT be awesome!

But...now, back to the present and how much I am looking forward to tomorrow. My friends keep asking me how I like it and I guess I'm really enthusiastic when I say I AM LOVING IT, because they say...."no, tell us how you REALLY feel"!

I continue to be thankful to Magazines.com for this opportunity to join a great group of sisters and friends (which is what they are becoming) on this very fruitful journey....I continue to be encouraged by the team helping us on this Quest and I still believe that Carter is the MAN!!! I was encouraged by Carilu Robinson (nutrition) and Dr. Gupta (internal medicine) yesterday and believe I may actually have a grasp on nutritional life style changes and how to bring some of my numbers to a level where I'm not pre-diabetic. My numbers were within ranges, but if I had continued my lifestyle prior to the Quest....I was certainly headed to a grim health path and future!

Thanks everyone and thank you God for this opportunity to care for this vessel you have given me!

Blessings,
Juji