Day 27 - Last Workout day!

So today is my last day, and because it is Saturday, it is only half a day.

Dinner was very good.

Today I chose to do West Canyon hike.  It is a nice hike, not too difficult, but you go at your own pace.  Today I felt my tank was running on empty, I was so exhausted, so my hiking was not at a quick pace at all.

I finished off the day with a stretch class and somehow was able to do a mountain class.

View I have when I am on the treadmill

You can't beat the view, looking out at the beautiful mountains.

Saturday night is graduation night.  They show us a dvd of some video and pictures of the past week and we all get a copy of it.  They do a really good job of putting it together.  Afterwards they pass the microphone around and ask you to say a few words of something about your week if you wish.  I passed on saying anything in previous weeks, but spoke today and maybe shed a tear.

Tomorrow I "test out", I get weighed, measured and body fat percentage all get redone.  Then I fly home

Day 26 - Final Friday!

Today was my last full day here.  The hike I went on today was Scout Cave, which I did a couple days ago, but it is a beautiful hike and I really enjoyed it.

Salmon burger, so good!

I had a great stretch class after breakfast, which was well needed.  The afternoon consisted of circuit class, zumba and then a pool class.  Originally I was planning on doing double circuit class followed by pool, therefore skipping zumba.  But I ended up giving it all in curcuit class and therefore no energy to do another one, so zumba it was.  I didn' t think I would enjoy zumba, but I had a lot of fun. Even better than that I had a great surprise, my friend Emily who I met here my first 2 weeks popped in for a quick visit.  Her daughter is doing a mini - triathlon in the area.  She then came back in the evening and we sat and talked for about an hour, it was so nice to see her.

Day 24 and 25

So, Wednesday first.  Today's hike was Scout Cave.  I really liked this hike, dirt, volcano rock and rocks.

Today was a good day, followed by a nice massage!

Thursday's hike was Red Mountain Trail

.  The majority of the hike was different than what we had done in the past.  It was mainly through the wet sand, and some rocks, but we were in the trees the whole time until we reached the "Overlook".  I almost felt like I was hiking at home a bit.
When we got to the "Overlook" we had an amazing view.

I tweaked my left knee again on this hike (not happy). So the hike I was suppose to go on with my group I will not be doing tomorrow.  I will probably do Scout Cave again with another group.  I am icing my knee so it should be fine to do that hike.

Day 23 - Stop Sign no more!

Ok so first thing is yesterday I forgot to say that I got a letter from my youngest niece Michelle.  Thank you Michelle I loved it.

So today the hike was again Stop sign, my least favorite, but I did manage to take another 4 minutes off my time so that was good.

The rest of the day was good.  I am doubling up on my cardio classes now and not going to pool class to get the best calorie burn.  I just want to squeeze the most out of this place these last few days.

I got a card from my Mom today, made me cry and miss her so much, thanks Mom!

Day 22 - Last Week

Today's hike was Upper Gila, which I have not done before.  I enjoyed the hike, it had sand, dirt, rocks and climbing over rock formations.

So, today we started hiking early and had breakfast when we came back.  I didn't mind it too much and we were back from the hike around 09:15.  The day was tough, but I did manage to laugh in all my classes. I want to enjoy every class here and really give it my all.

I returned my rental car today, and I managed not to get pulled over by the police...haha

Day 21 - Skyping with Kristina

Sunday, day of rest and saying good bye to departing guests.

I always find if very odd, all week you are on this regimented schedule and then they tell you to rest and relax in Sunday.  So, I had a leisurely breakfast and hung around the dining room and said a few goodbyes to some very nice people.

I decided to take advantage of having wheels and went to church today. I did manage to find a non-mormon church, though they are few and far between.                  

Today was my niece Kristina's bridal shower back at home.  I felt bad missing it, but I know I am exactly where I am suppose to be.  I set up with my other niece Tara to Skype with Kristina at the end of her shower as a surprise. Well, it worked out perfectly and it was nice seeing everyone and especially talking and seeing Kristina.  I would like to thank my brother Rob (Kristina's father) for waving a Corona in front to me, knowing all I have been drinking here is water and herbal tea (love ya Rob).

With summer approaching here, it is getting warmer, so starting this week there is a change in the schedule.  We start hiking earlier in the day to avoid the heat of the day.

We leave for the hike at 06:30...yuck

We also don't get breakfast until we return from the hike, not sure I am going to like that since I have been eating breakfast at 07:00 the last 3 weeks.  We are encouraged to take a snack to have in the morning or on the hike. I will have almonds( 12 almonds for 100 cal) and a banana.

I do not have to attend the lectures in green as I have done them all my first week, the red Gym Class I need to do.

Well, starting my last week here tomorrow, looking forward to a great week!
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Ok, I was convinced to tell this story that happened to me today.
The speed limits here change very frequently between 30, 40 and 50mph.  I was also told that the police will pull you over and give you a ticket for only going over by a few mph. That being the case I was very aware of my speed and I was driving along looking for a turn off and realized I missed it so I take the next road and am going to turn around..when I see flashing lights behind me. The officer comes out and asks me if I am aware that the speed limit had changed from 30 to 40 to 50, I told him no and he said he pulled me over for impeding traffic!  He takes my driver's license for about 10 minutes and then gives me a citation for impeding traffic.  All good, means nothing, just a warning.  He told me he is required to either write a ticket or a citation whenever he pulls someone over. He also said they pull you over in case it may be a medical situation. Can't believe I got pulled over for going to slow!!

Day 20 - Freedom Thy Colour is Red

Friday night I was getting a little bit stir crazy so I went online and looked into renting a car for the weekend.

Enterprise had a great weekend price so I arranged it on line.

Saturday morning I hiked West Canyon again, it is a nice, relatively even hike and one you can have your ipod on and go at your own pace.
I did not go to my last class of my half day because I was being picked up by the car rental company. So we get there and what do they have waiting for me but a nice red HHR (if some of you don' t know I drive a blue HHR at home).  I was so excited and was very comfortable in it.
First stop since I was not on the resort was lunch at Subway, don't worry I stayed within my calories and it was very yummy!  Next I did some shopping here and there, buying some scar stuff for my leg and a new pair  of jeans and I think 3 tops (hey I need something to wear that is not work out gear and the clothes I brought are getting big :)
I was home in time to throw my clothes in to wash and then head down to dinner. Saturday night is graduation night and they show a video highlighting the week here, it was very funny.
Tonight we went bowling, lots of fun. I bowled a 107 with the bumper pads up and then a 103 without the bumper pads so I was happy.
Tomorrow a full of rest and new people arrive.

Day 18 & 19 - Stop Sign and Sand

So, Thursday I did Stop Sign hike again (everyone does that hike once a week).  The good think is that I took 5 minutes off my time.

Peach Cobbler...yummy!

Friday, the hike I did was Fern Gulley, sometimes I wonder how they come up with these names.

Everything was very good today

The hike was very pretty, but again I did have to plod my way through a lot of sand.

My hiking group had an extra treat on our hike.  One of the guests is studying to be an opera singer and she gave us a sample of her beautiful voice.

Fridays here are always a little bit more relaxed.  We still have our 3 afternoon classes, but the trainers do not mind if you switch up what you want to do or if you want to double up on 1 class and don't do another as long as you do participate.  Friday's classes are a water class, circuit training and zumba.  I skipped zumba and doubled up on circuit training.

Tomorrow is only half day and then I am off till Monday, starting my last week here.  I can't believe that I have been here 3 weeks, the time has just flown by.

Day 17 - No Falling Today

Another Wednesday, another sore day.  I started the day with stretch class at 6am, it was good and needed.

Best breakfast!

The hike I went on today was Hidden Pinnion which I did 2 weeks ago and fell and scraped my leg on.  Good news I managed not to fall today!

Piano Rock

I did do my scheduled pool class today and it was so nice to be back in the water.  I also had one of my favorite classes, kickboxing.

All around it was a good day, and at supper tonight I don't know when I have laughed so much.  We were getting strange looks from other tables and at one point I even spit my water out.

I can't believe that wednesday is already over, the week is just flying by.

Day 16 - Doing it Again only Better

Today's hike was Temple Quarry which I did 2 weeks ago.  I didn't mind doing it again and the good thing was that I was able to hike a lot further than I had previously in the allotted time.

Everything was very good today

Beautiful cactus on my hike

And yes, I drank all my water that I had brought ( I have a 2L Camelbak).  Felt better today and was able to eat all my food today.

I have been out of the pool since last tuesday and I think I am ready to head back in starting tomorrow, as my leg is healing up very nicely.  The one problem with not going in the pool is having to double up on one of my other classes.  So today I doubled up on total body toning, the good thing was that I had 2 different trainers, so they both worked the muscles a bit different.

One more thing, I want to thank my great hike guide 'Tim' today for all his encouragement .

Day 15 - Cold and Rainy

Today there was a large drop in temperature, I do not even think it reached 15C.  It was also drizzling and raining most of the day. The good thing was that for our hike it was mostly dry.

The hike today was another assessment hike for the guides to determine which group you should be hiking with.
The hike I did was Wall Street.  It is in Snow Canyon and very sandy.  I think I was hiking through the sand about 95% of the time (lots of fun).

After the hike I did Mountain class, that kick my butt.  It is a cardio class that you increase your speed or resistance every 3 minutes for 12 times.

After that was lunch and I was not hungry at all.  I think I was a bit dehydrated because since it was a cooler day I did not drink my usually amount on the hike.  I took my lunch to go and layed down in bed and ended up sleeping for about 45 minutes.  I managed to eat most my lunch when I got up and also continued to drink lots of water.

I attended all my afternoon classes even though I still felt a bit off.

Dessert today was again the delicious chocolate covered strawberries and I savored the chocolate immensely.

Day 14 - New Room

Today is a full day of rest.  I slept in a bit, had a leisurely breakfast and finished packing up all my things because I am changing rooms.  For my last 2 weeks here I am having a private room and for some reason even though the rooms are the same I had to change rooms.

Pictures of my room before I settled in and spread my stuff all over the place

Beautiful view from my room overlooking the pool 

I didn't have any plans for today, so I tagged along with some other guests here and went to the movies (I know I was just there on Friday) and saw Thor.

New guests arrived today and tomorrow starts my 3rd week.  I cannot believe how the time has flown by.  The days seem long, but the week goes by quickly.

Oh, my leg is doing much better and when I did laundry on Saturday I made sure I checked my pocket before`I put my clothes in the wash.

Day 13 - Race Day

Today was different than other Saturdays here.  Today there was the Ivins  Fitness Festival, held in conjunction with the St. George's Iron Man.  There was a 5 and 10k held and everyone here at Fitness Ridge participated and were encouraged to do the 10k, as we all hike that almost everyday anyway.  I walked the 10k as did a lot of people.

The course like everything here had plenty of inclines.

Crossing the finishing line!

Myself, Barbara, Emily, Malini, Stacey

It is getting pretty warm here now, I think the last 2 days it got up to 90.

After the race we were done for the day and I did some exciting laundry.

At dinner this evening there was graduation ceremonies for all the departing guests.  Unfortunately for myself the people I have been hanging around with are all leaving this weekend.  I am sure I will find new people to get into trouble with this coming week.

Day 12 - Movie Night!

Today I decided I would not go on the hike scheduled with my group, but I would go on the West Canyon hike.
Same hike I did last Saturday, relatively flat and very pretty.

As for the Lasagna tonight I can not comment on how good it was or wasn't.  Five of us had planned on going to the movies and it ended up the movie started at 6:15, meaning we could not make the movie and have dinner here. We knew we had a bit over 400 calories we could , so we went to Subway, it was very yummy.
The movie we saw was Something Borrowed, I would have to say that it was not that good, but it was nice being off the resort.  Don't worry we did not have any popcorn, but we all did enjoy our diet pepsi. (here we only have water and herbal tea to drink)
After our movie it was still early so of course shopping was on the agenda and I bought myself this really pretty red purse.

Day 10 & 11 - Struggling = Success

Yes, I know I did not post yesterday so today I will double my efforts.

That was the best dinner I have had since I have been here!

This morning I was all ready to go on the hike today but my leg said otherwise. I wasn't too happy about it, but after being convinced I stayed back from the hike and was in my room resting with by leg elevated.  I watched last nights Biggest Loser and a couple episodes of the Big Bang Theory.
I did do the rest of my classes, kick-boxing being my favorite (I did that twice since I can't go in the pool).
After dinner a few of us went out and did a little shopping.  It was so nice getting off the resort for a little while.  I bought some cool Nike flip-flops that has memory foam insoles...very nice and squishy.
Tonight I had an other acupuncture appointment and she worked on my knee and also my leg. I am sure that will help.

New friend Sophia 

Thursday I did go on the hike and my leg is looking a bit better.

Apple Cobbler was yummy


 

The hike I went on this morning was called Third Canyon and it was different than all the other hikes I had been on so far. It was very rocky and was not my favorite as I am still a bit nervous about falling again.

my hiking group

Besides not really enjoying my hike I also was having a bad day.  They do say that usually sometime during your stay here most people have a melt down day, well today was mine. When  I got back from the hike a couple of the trainers talked to me about some of things that were bothering me. Everyone here is so great and supportive.  One of the trainers Nicole said to me that outside here when we struggle it is equated with
being weak or being a failure.  But here when we struggle it is equated to success in that the way we are able to change our bodies and mindset is through our struggles. (I am guessing that I am very successful here than...lol)

My friend Emily knew I was having a bad, so she bought me these beautiful flowers, she is no nice.

Day 9 - Trip to Urgent Care

Now, a week ago I fell during one of my hikes and scraped my leg up really good.  Well, it is not looking very good right now and I decided it was time for me to go to the doctors.
But first I did the morning hike (don't want to miss out on a chance to burn some calories).

Best dessert ever!!

The hike this morning was Stop Sign. The hike is all on pavement and 4.5miles. Now one thing I must point out is that the elevation of the hike is 1000ft, with the majority of the incline being on the last 1.25 miles. I made it to the top.

After the hike I decided I had better go the doctor with my leg because it is actually looking worse than when I first fell.  Doctor decided I needed to go on antibiotics and give me a different antibiotic ointment along with telling me no pool and to elevate it whenever I can...haha!
Fitness Ridge was great, they drove me to the clinic, picked me up and took me to Walgreens to get my prescription filled.
Funny, I felt like a kid in a candy store when I was at the drugstore, but I didn't buy anything but my prescription.
Now for some good news and some bad news. First the bad news is that my ipod is toast, the good news is that my friend Tracy sent me her ipod so now I have music. Thank you Tracy for helping me keep my sanity here (I know...I know, that is if I ever had any sanity in the first place.)
I ended the day today with another lovely massage, it was wonderful.

(P.S. don't tell my mom about my leg or the visit to the urgent care clinic. I don't need her worrying any more about me than needed)

Day 8 - Kickball

So, its my second Monday, which means the pain begins again.

The salmon burger was so good!

Monday morning means we all go on an assessment hike based on our performance last week or if you are new on the form you fill out. Today my van went on Barrell Roll, it was a nice hike.

Today was the first day I did not have to attend the post lunch and dinner lectures.  So after lunch I had the choice of going into the gym for an hour or playing kick ball with one of the trainers. I chose kick-ball.  We started off by riding some bikes about 0.5km to a park.  I haven't played kick-ball since I was a kid, it was so much fun and we laughed so hard.
The rest of the afternoon was some real work, core training, h2o intervals and circuit training. I am going to be sore tomorrow.