Ok-- I am SO-- what is the word........

Hey guys!

Hey guys!

I finally did it. I went for it. I got a Personal Trainer (PT). I finally decided that I needed guidance and motivation for my workouts. I was getting all my information off the dang internet and you really don't know what is fact and what is someone’s opinion. The up and down weight loss is frustrating and motivation really suffers when the weight goes up. So I needed something. It took me a while to decide because it is very expensive- $100 a month for a year. Yes- there are two plans for lower amounts of money but they really didn't fit what I wanted to accomplish. One was $50 a month and it was once a week for a month then 11 months it was 1 time a month. The $75 a month was once a week for 2 months, twice a week for 3 months and then the rest was once a month. This plan is once a week for 5 months, twice a week for 5 months and then once a month for the last two. I felt I needed more than the other two plans gave. You can get more than what I get. I think $300 a month gets you three times a week for 5 months and so on. No way can I afford that. Russ is my PT so anytime I refer to Russ you will know who I am talking about.

Our first meeting was Saturday the 6th however we did no training that day. We went over all the exercises I have been doing and all the charts that I have shown you guys in the past. We also did measurements and a weigh in. He said I was very organized and determined. I about fell off the seat- me organized…. LMAO you guys KNOW better than that! We went over the long time goal I have of doing the Derby Marathon. He said he could get me there! Awesome.

So yesterday was my first “real” visit. I was to do cardio before I saw him. I got there too early because I had an hour before the session and I usually do ½ hour of cardio. So I got on the elliptical and did ½ hour on the weight loss program which does an incline of 4 on level 1 part of the time and then does an incline of 10 on level 8 part of the time. And I did it at a good pace. With ½ an hour left before the training I hit the track. I walked the length and then ran the end caps for ½ hour. He was watching me as he trained another person… I felt paranoid.. LOL. He told me in training that I was doing awesome on the track.

So our session- I had just done an hour of cardio.. right? So… our session. I still don’t know what the word is to describe it. Difficult comes to mind. I am so out of shape it is pathetic. How I could do an hour of cardio and not do what I am about to tell you we did is beyond me. This was the “dynamic” workout he had me do: 25 sitting squats (where you go down till your bottom almost touches the bench and then back up), then he gave me a 25 lb weight and told me to bend at the waist and touch the floor and then bring it back up- 15 times, next he got the step aerobics bench with 3 risers and had me do the shuffle step for 30 seconds- you straddle the bench and then step up with one foot then the other… then you step down with one foot then the other and repeat for 30 seconds… then you pass out. After that he handed me the weighted bar (I have no idea how much it weighed- it was not bad so probably 10 to 15 lbs) and had me squat and swing the bar above my head at the same time. I had to do 25 of those. After that we got the half ball and he had me stand on the flat side and balance myself (which I am accustomed to) and squat. While I was squatted (is that a word???) he handed me the weighted bar and told me to do 20 arm curls with it. Then he told me to get on this contraption- let me see if I can explain it so you get a picture of it in your head- upper body torture chamber device??? Probably not the right picture, huh? Well I found the correct name. It is a Vertical Leg Raise. Look it up. The only difference is mine has a bar underneath that you stand on and you raise it up with your legs while holding on for dear life with your upper body. So what you do is put your back flat against a platform, bend your arms at the elbow and put them on a pad on each side of you and hold on to the bars…. Support your weight and then lift your legs straight out in front of you. Yeah. 20 of those! I was about dead after that….. Then we repeated it three more times!!!!! With a two minute break in there somewhere that I don’t remember- I just remember him saying 45 seconds left of rest.

I was seriously thinking afterward can I really do a year of this stuff? What was I thinking? I am not in good enough shape for a PT! What is wrong with me!? And I am sore today- so I am still thinking all that LOL. But I am committed for a year now. I don’t think it will get easier and I don’t think- all joking aside, I want it to. The reason why I paid for a PT was to push me to my limits and give me the workout that will work for me. Now if I could just get this food thing worked out I may reach my goals. I have a year to get myself healthy- change my eating habits- change the way I think about activity and exercise- change my life! Wish me luck- or better yet- start the journey with me!!

Love and Hugs,
Christy

NEW GOAL

Hey guys,

Losing weight this summer got an extra bit of motivation. I have pledged with Feed America through Biggest Loser to lose 45 lbs over this Summer.

WISH ME LUCK,
Love and Hugs,
Christy

Wednesday :-D

Hey guys. The gym was good and eye opening for me on Wednesday. It seems that I had been holding myself back with my perception that I couldn't do some things that I could. This is what I did:

Bike- Random Hill program - 31.33 minutes, average RPMs = 89, average MPHs= 20.8, average Heart Rate= 131, 10.48 miles, Levels 7 to 16 (all but 2 of the hills were at level 16)

Elliptical- Weight Loss Program Interval- incline 4 level 1 and 10 incline level 8, 31 minutes, 2.05 miles.

10 and half miles on the bike in 31 minutes that was amazing.

Love and Hugs,
me

Monday-Tuesday and Wednesday

Hey guys- here is the run down for the last three days.

Monday's Exercises

Went bike riding for 6 miles in half hour - level 4 - 9. I did 12 minutes on 9 then droppped to 4 for 8 minutes then I went back up to 9 for the rest.

I jogged (on the elliptical) for 2 miles on incline 5. I did that in half hour which means I went a mile in 15 minutes. I was so proud of myself- I haven't done that since I was a kid.

I did 4 sets of 15 on the Ab Solo. That thing is yucky!


Tuesday

Went over Stevens moms for dinner and then watched Biggest Loser. Spent the whole time bawling. sniff sniff... Good Luck Kristin!


Wednesday

Had study group at school about partnered project. Met with my instructor. Came home and chilled for once. Back to the gym tomorrow!

Love and Hugs,
me

Two days without gym was not good

I am really not sure how I should be doing my workouts because I am trying to do it on my own. I am seriously thinking of getting a personal trainer after vacation this year. I will have to talk it over with Steven and review our budget to see if I can afford it. We will be paying off two loans in about five months. One is $182.00 a month and it will be paid off in 3 months. One is for $115 and it will be paid off in 5 months. After the 5 months I want to get a loan to fix the kitchen. I figure the payments will be around $200 a month and so that leaves $97 that we are normally paying out that I could get a trainer with. But both of our vehicles are getting older and I don't want to put us in a position where we can't afford to get another one if we had to. Sooo I don't know. I have a lot to think about. So as I was saying... not knowing what my workout is supposed to look like I kicked it three days in a row last week. I did 1 hour and 1/2 cardio. Today, after two days off, it was difficult for me to do an hour of cardio. Stephanie is doing much better with the cardio than I am. Her treadmill and bike speeds are phenomenal. She seems to be able to endure more than me too. She can go longer and faster at higher levels than I can. I am very proud of her for that. In the meantime I am struggling to keep up and I don't know why. Weigh in was yesterday and I did terrible. I gained two pounds after busting my butt three days last week! I also gained a lot of my inches back from last weeks weigh in loss. The only thing I lost in was my calves which should have gained muscle but didn't. It is "that time of the month" so maybe that caused the weight and inches gain. I do feel bloated but my ankles don't appear to be retaining water. I did a little research and found that a woman can and usually does gain water weight before and during their periods- up to five lbs- but quickly lose it during and after their periods. So maybe that is a little of my problem. Another problem is that I really haven't changed my eating habits. Yes- I am aware of what I eat more. I know I shouldn't have a large fry at Arbys... but I do anyway. It's sad that you can sit there and eat something thinking the whole time I shouldn't be having this but you do it anyway. I think my food is a major obstacle right now. I don't know how to eat any other way than what I am. I get tired of sandwiches and not having- what I perceive to be- a complete meal. Our lunches at work are elaborate and shouldn't be. Why do I need a 4 course meal for lunch? We have a meat, potatoes and peas or green beans, corn, beans.... so on so forth. It's just too much. That's something I am going to have to work on. Well anyway- here is my "beginning exercise routine". This starts the beginning of our week. I wanted to start of strong but it wasn't as much as I did last week- I just didn't have the energy. Steven coached me today and that was great- I would have done less if he wasn't there because my head was just elsewhere.

WORKOUT:

TREADMILL--

15 minute Weight Loss Program- set program for HR between 97 resting and 139 exercise: Warm-up for two minutes at 1.0
Workout went from 5 to 10 incline and 1 to 3.5 mph- the machine adjusted according to HR setting- if my heart rate was too low the machine would automatically incline and increase speed- if it was too high it would do the opposite.

Then I did 15 minutes manually.
I manually changed incline from 1 to 10 - never had 0 incline
Manually adjusted speeds from 3 to 5.1
Did 5.1 for 45 seconds- pants started falling down... almost tripped- looking back it was quite comical- however I about passed out. I may have made it a full minute if my pants would have stayed put.
Then I did a cool down for three minutes at 1.5

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Recumbent BIKE:

I did 20 minutes manually on the bike between levels 4 and 9 at an average of 78 mph. During this time I did the following speeds in succession so that I could exceed what Stephanie did on our little competition!:
168 rpms for 10 seconds
158 rpms for 3 seconds
165 rpms for 5 seconds

phew...

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MACHINES:

Total AB:
15 reps at 50 lbs
15 reps at 60 lbs
10 reps at 80 lbs
10 reps at 80 lbs
5 reps at 80 lbs holding at each rep for 10 seconds

Lower Back:
15 reps at 70 lbs
10 reps at 70 lbs
5 reps at 70 lbs holding at each rep for 10 seconds

HOIST- Seated Dip:
15 reps at 91 lbs slow (was shaking- too much weight I think)

HOIST- Back:
40 reps at 85 lbs

HOIST- Leg Press:
40 reps center at 83 lbs
20 reps ankle at 83 lbs

AB Solo:
4 minutes with two stops- one light and one heavy ball

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For information on the HOIST machines go to http://www.hoistfitness.com/. Ok that was my workout. I am going to do homework now. Love and Hugs all around,

Love,
me

OMW

Yes that about covers it (OMW) ... Tuesday and Today at the gym were something else! My legs are killing me.. HONEST! I am doing NOTHING but cardio this week... trying to burn as many calories as I can and building up my endurance. My last chance workout will include more than cardio. Here are my workouts:

Tuesday:

BIKE:
5 min at level 10-- between 14 and 21.59 mph Could not keep a constant speed.
Then I did a 7 min fitness test. Avg RPM was 67 (had to keep at 6o and it kept telling me to pedal slower) was at level 9. Avg HR was 121 and it said I was 13% fit- whatever that means.
Then I did 20 minutes at level 9 at the following speeds:
1.5 Min at 21.97 mph HR was 160
15 Min at 10-15 mph HR was 118
2.0 Min at 20.2 - 21.97 HR was 155
1.5 Min at 8.7 to 9.2 (Cool down)

OK so now I am about ready to pass out right? To give you a little reasoning behind my madness.... We (Stephanie and I) are having a biggest loser contest. Which I have said before... but we are also having competitions on certain machines. She did 21.4 MPH for two minutes Monday. I did not win!!! I could not keep it there at ALL! I could get there but the MPH kept jumping around sporadically!

So after I steadied myself I went for the elliptical - I did 30 minutes on a #5 incline and average 68 RPM (resolutions per minute). OK.... 30 minutes on something that when I first started couldn't do even 5 minutes on. I am loving my new fit level! I want to be running on that thing SOON!

Now Monday wasn't a planned session at the gym- I just needed to get some stuff off my mind. Tuesday WAS planned but I had to get out of there to watch Biggest Loser on TV.. the ONLY show that I watch. So I was out of there after an hour and half-- and was still late.

_____________________________

Today:

OK.. now you are going to think I am really insane.. buttttt... I just HAD to see how fast I could get that bike! So I scooted up in the seat all big and tall .. almost like a traditional bike where your feet are below you instead of out in front of you.... but they were still out there.. just more straight... and I peddled with ALL my strength. The numbers kept climbing and climbing and I finally topped out at 161 RPM.... CAN YOU BELIEVE THAT? Anyway.. the bike don't like getting up that fast.. it was movin! LOL Neither do I.. my legs are hurting bad tonight. But Stephanie and I decided to see who could go the greatest distance in a certain amount of time. Today my average was 1 mile in four minutes. I did the machine at level 4-9 for 40 minutes so I went 10 miles according to my average mile/minute calculation. Now she will have to beat my 1 mile in four minute AVERAGE tomorrow.... which means she will have to do a mile every four minutes she rides the bike! Beat that Stephanie!!!!! ha ha - remember to get your average distance vs minutes.

After 40 minutes of torture (lol) I went to the treadmill. I put it on 5 incline and started going to town. I had to beat Stephanie's 1.5 miles in 30 minutes. WELLLLLL she beat me on that one. I don't care too much for the treadmill. I would rather do the elliptical. I did 1.23 miles in 30 minutes. Which means she walked faster than I did... but I bet she had her incline down.. LMAO!! Yeah.. we will blame it on that. I had to walk up hill both ways in a blizzard-- barefoot even :-p .......

After that I went to the elliptical and did a 1/3 of a mile in five minutes. I couldn't do much on the elliptical after the above.. my muscles were burning. Some of them were even screaming at me!

Then I finished up with about 4 minutes of crunches on the exercise ball. My abs are sore too now. I know.....complain complain complain... that's all I do. Giggles.

Anyway.. great workout. I will be glad when I can RUN a mile and a half... or at least jog :-)

LOVE AND HUGS.. thanks for all your support!
Love,
Me

Weigh in and today

I did my weigh in Saturday. My scale broke so I had to use the other one and it showed a 2 lb gain! So I will go with that. I lost 7 more inches! I also worked my butt off at the gym Saturday. I did an hour and 48 minutes of cardio. 38 min on bike; 35 min on treadmill and 35 min on elliptical!

Today I went to the gym because I needed to get out some frustration. I did 32 minutes on the bike at level 9. Then I went to the elliptical and got into a zone and did 40 minutes on it on an incline of 5 and heart rate at 151. I literally ran on the thing. I would go frontwards for a while and then backwards for a while.. I kept switching on and off like that. I wasn't paying any attention to the time because I was watching a movie. Sweat was pouring off me-- running down my face. I felt like an athlete. I was so proud of myself when I finished the workout. Thank God for the movie room because if it is an action movie I can focus on that and not on the workout. I was lost in it and didn't realize how fast I was going on the machine! It helps! All I need is a backer!

Love and Hugs,
Me

Thursdays Workout

Hey guys....

Yesterday my workout was awesome (for me). I went to the movie room and started on the Ski machine. I did 5 minutes on that then I went to the bike. I did 24 minutes on the bike (4 min was cool down) on level 8. Ten of those minutes were at level 10. After that I went to the Elliptical. I did 22 minutes on it (2 min cool down) on level 2! Five of those minutes were at level 5! The ARC machine really has helped me build up enough endurance to go longer on the other machines. I am looking forward to tomorrows workout. Although I don't think I am doing too good on this weeks competition I am getting back into the swing of things.

Love and Hugs,
Me

Started Back!

I have been going to the gym regularly but not posting and really not paying any attention to the details. I had lost a little fire. The competition between me and Stephanie will do me good. I went to the gym today after fighting with myself whether to go or not. I was late getting out of work and I just didn't feel like it ... but I went. I didn't stay as long as I wanted because I had to get food and get back home in enough time to see Biggest Loser! LOL. I did strictly cardio today. I did 20 minutes on the ARC machine which is like the Elliptical only it is designed to burn more calories. I did the fat burning session and it was harder than what I am use to. After my usual 15 minutes on it my heart rate started raising fast. I got up to 148 on my heart rate. I did a steady pace throughout the exercise which is why I think it did that. I usually slow down a lot during it and then go real fast.. then slow.. then fast. This time I did what the machine had me do and it was a tougher workout. Plus I am use to 15 and I did 20. After that I did 5 minutes on the dreaded stair master. And I did the fat burner workout on that. I originally set it for 10 minutes but the fat burning workout kicked my butt!!! After that I did 1000 meters on the rowing machine. It took me 6 minutes and 21 seconds- which is why Stephanie beat me on the challenge last time she was here. :-) Then I got my stuff and went to eat. I missed 12 minutes of Biggest Loser.... but I got to see most of it. Till next time.

Love and HUGGSSS,
me

I need...

I need to get back to this. Stephanie and I are doing a Biggest Loser contest so I will be posting regularly. :-) Sorry for not keeping you guys updated!

Love and Hugs,
Christy

Good Grief

OK... this nutrition thing is really annoying. I mean 1 item at Moe's has 1/2 the daily allowance for sodium!!!!!! I really shouldn't be eating out but I haven't been to the grocery yet. I am trying to be easy on myself because at least I AM looking at what I am eating. Before I would go to eat and not care. But I compared Moe's with Taco Bell and Moe's is fresher, no trans fat and less saturated fat than Taco Bell. I got the junior size instead of the regular size. So - I feel I am eating healthier than I WAS... but not as healthy as I COULD- if that makes any sense.

I had a peanut butter sandwich this morning which consisted of 2 slices of Natures Own Double the Fiber Whole Grain bread and 1 tablespoon of peanut butter. Bread had 100 calories, 1 gram of fat (0 saturated; 0 trans- all fat grams from good fats), 270 mg soduim, 26 carbs of net 10 grams of dietary fiber (4 soluble; 6 insoluble), less than 1 g of sugar and 6 g of protein. Peanut Butter had- 95 calories, 8 grams of fat (1.5 grams saturated and 0 trans), 75 g of sodium, 3.5 g of carbs net of 1 g of fiber and 1.5 g sugar, and 3.5 g of protein.

I am having a Joey Junior Burrito consisting of Grilled Chicken, Pinto Beans, Rice, Cheese, Lettuce and Pico de Gallo. It has 403 Calories, 14 grams of fat (no trans fats and only 5.3g of Saturated fat- the rest are the good fats your body needs- this is compared with 8 grams of saturated fat and .5 grams of trans fat at Taco Bell), 1200 mg of SODIUM!!!!!, 48 carbs - (6 of net fiber and only 3 g of sugar from carb), 22 g of Protein and various vitamins and minerals that they listed on their nutritional fact sheet.

Write more later.

Mid-Term Grade :-)

Hey guys,

Got my midterm grade back and thought I would share. Apparently I am doing SOMETHING right.. LOL! The grade is at the bottom if you dont want to read my ramblings. :-) Love you guys.



Leadership Self-Reflection
Christy Ward

Ward, Christy L
2/15/2009


Abstract: This purpose of this paper is to identify my personal strengths and areas for growth or study. I will be using the Keirsey Style Sorter (David Keirsey, Marilyn Bates- Please Understand Me) and two self-assessment tools taken from a Leadership textbook (Lusseir/Achua- Leadership: Theory, Application & Skill Development). In order to understand where the information of my strengths and growth areas originated I will first explain my personality type, according to the Keirsey Style Sorter, and the results of the two self assessments taken from the textbook. I will then identify personal strengths and growth areas. After these have been identified I will then give examples of how these strengths and growth areas help me achieve or hinder my work in my current job. Finally, I will explain the benefits of understanding other personality styles and how understanding these styles would help in a leadership role.


What does that mean?
ENFP! According to the Keirsey Style Sorter by David Keirsey and Marilyn Bates that is my personality type. I scored the same on the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator test that I took three years ago. In order to understand my strengths and growth areas and from where I received such data you must first understand what the letters ENFP are and why they are indicators that lead to strengths and growth areas. In this section I will explain what they mean and identify general strengths and growth areas for persons of similar styles. I will then focus my attention to my leadership style and my normative leadership style. The results of these two self-assessments will come from Lusseir/Achua Leadership text. Finally, I will combine the measurements and form personal strengths and growth areas about myself.

The Keirsey Style Sorter is very similar to the Myers-Briggs but a much shorter version. The results were the same for both assessments. As stated my results indicated that I am an ENFP. Keirsey/Bates explains that there are four pairs of preferences (what I described as letters). They are E- Extraversion and I- Introversion, S-Sensation and N-Intuition, F-Feeling and T-Thinking, and finally P-Perceiving and J-Judging. (Keirsey/Bates, 1984)

Given the meaning of the letters we can see that my preferences are toward E which means extraversion, N which means intuition, F which means feeling and P which means perceiving. There are cases, which I will not go into detail about, where the subject indicates no clear preference to either indicator. In this situation Keirsey/Bates afford them an X in place of the letter which indicates that the subject could use either preference given the situation. I had no such indication as mine were clearly one way or the other.

According to Keirsey/Bates extraverts need sociability and introverts are territorial. Thus extraverts are pumped up when they are around people and get lonely when they are not. Conversely, introverts may want or not care to be around people but it drains them. They need their space and alone time. (Keirsey/Bates, 1984) The E fits me well. I thrive on being around people. I can not be alone for long before I feel lost and alone. This does not mean that I am never comfortable being alone. There are times when it is quite acceptable for me to be alone. Some of those times are when I need to reflect or when I am cleaning. The latter may sound funny, but given that I am sociable, if someone was with me during that time I would be socializing not cleaning.

When studying the N and S of the equation I found that I show the same preference as only 25 percent of the population. Keirsey and Bates state that seventy-five percent of the general population prefers sensation. The S person is fact driven and practical where the N person is driven by “metaphor and imagery”. (Keirsey/Bates, 1984) This also describes me. I feel restrained and bogged down when given a bunch of facts. I look more toward what could be than what is the actual. This, as I will explain later, can be taxing for the sensible who deals with facts. Most of the time I have a hard time with seeing things black or white- I am forever seeing everything else- the “gray” areas.

“More women than men (6 out of 10) report that they prefer deciding on the basis of personal impact {F}… more men than women (6 out of 10) report that they prefer to make decision on the basis of principles, that is, logically and objectively {T}”. Keirsey/Bates state that this is really not a good indicator of what the preference is going to be, however, it is the only one of the preferences that shows a gender difference. (Keirsey/Bates, 1984) I found this section to be curiously interesting! Stereotypically women ARE more feeling oriented than men. However, that trend is changing and we can see this by Keirsey/Bates statistical information. I can safely say that I definitely fit the F profile. My decisions are emotionally and not logically driven most of the time which would also compliment my intuitive side.

As I stated above, I would prefer to look at what could be instead of what is, which is somewhat explained my preference to the perceiving type. If I had the J or judging preference I would want things settled. However, having the perceiving preference I like to leave my options open because what “could be”. Keirsy/Bates state that Js will set deadlines and keep them/take them seriously but Ps don’t put much value in a deadline. (Keirsey/Bates, 1984) I am a procrastinator; in fact, I feel that I am the definition of said person. This particular preference causes me great stress at times and I feel uncomfortable with setting exact times. I find myself telling people with whom I am setting a date/time with to be there on the “ish” (i.e. let’s make it around 11:30 ish- which could be 11:35 or 11:59 – but as my friends know- rarely 11:30).
Of ENFPs: “Nothing occurs which does not have some significance… sees life as an exciting drama… found in only about 5 percent of the general population, but they have great influence because of their extraordinary impact on others… hard on themselves… considers intense emotional experiences vital… possess a wide range and variety of feelings and afraid of losing touch with them… brilliantly perceptive but makes serious mistakes in judgment … optimistic… people to people work is essential… have difficulty working within the constraints of an institution especially following rules, regulations and SOPs…”. (Keirsey/Bates, 1984) When we put all the preferences together the above are some of the things that Keirsey/Bates relay about our type. I do, but not all of me, fit within my type’s preferences. I do see life as an adventure and things happen for a reason- the reason of which I am constantly wondering about. My feelings about rules and regulations are true to form. I feel that they are for situations that fit neatly into a little box with no variance. This of course, is impractical and never happens. I also see the importance of rules and regulations – a necessary evil if you will. As a supervisor, manager and/or leader I may be more likely to enforce rules and regulations depending upon the situation. This could be a growth opportunity. Inconsistency in this area would lower morale and reduce productivity. This will be discussed later in the paper.

As we move into leadership style as measured by Lussier/Achua in the textbook I will note how my personal preferences connect with my leadership style. I see a direct correlation between the two. In chapter 3 of our text, self-assessment 1, I determined that my leadership style was a high people leadership style (10/10) and a medium task leadership style (6/10). Because of my ENFP preferences, as noted above, people to people work is essential for me. People are my main priority when leading; however, I realize that tasks need to be accomplished in any organization.

My preferred normative leadership style is facilitating. Lussier/Achua state that Facilitate Leadership Style is:
“…includes having a group meeting to get input from members as you attempt to support the group to agree on a decision within boundaries set by you; in other words, you still have the final say on the decision. As a facilitator, you are supportive and encouraging to the group members to both make the decision and implement the decision.” (Lussier/Achua, 2007)
I feel this also feeds back to my preference to work with people. I also have a strong drive to find out what could be and what better way to find that out then from other people’s ideas and perceptions?

Strengths
One of my strengths is working with people. As a leader I want to accomplish tasks through others. I will find this easier because of my strength of working with people. My leadership style and normative leadership style reflect this strength. I am people oriented while maintaining knowledge that tasks need to be accomplished. I run meetings in a facilitative manner including everyone involved in the process. In doing so I get the best of everyone’s knowledge and perceptions while making them feel included in the process and part of the change. At the present my job is not related to a leadership position. I work in a small office with three other women. It is important for me to be able to communicate and work with them. I have struggled in the past with some of the employees because of my laid back personality. Eventually, through persistence, I helped foster a relationship with each of them.

The second strength I wish to highlight is my “talent for seeing life as an exciting drama, pregnant with possibilities…” (Keirsey/Bates, 1984) As a leader I need to have my eye to the future. This brings about innovation and change. I, in my current job, have initiated many changes. This has been part of the struggle aforementioned. Because of my ability working with people I was able to help others through the changes. It was not without their help that the full change was founded. I may have “dreamed” up an idea but others added to and helped with that idea.

Growth Opportunities
As stated above: “As a supervisor, manager and/or leader I may be more likely to enforce rules and regulations depending upon the situation”. This is indeed a growth area. I find it hard not to see both sides (and everything in between) to every story. Where this may appear to be a strength, and in many situations it would be, it can also lead to confusion of followers. Inconsistencies of how I deal with my team regarding rules and regulations may lead to views of favoritism. It could also confuse my team and they would not know what “version” of the rule to follow. For people with preferences to “knowing a rule and following it exactly” this would be a cause for great distress. Productivity and morale would suffer in this type of environment. If I were in a leadership position I may bring everyone together to discuss the rules and regulations. If we come up with the rules together everyone, including me, would agree that they were important and needed to be followed. My current job, much to my benefit, has a flexible working environment and we have unspoken rules that we follow. These rules have more to do with respect for the boss than an SOP. For example, I don’t leave work without telling my boss where I am going. This is not because the rule says I will get fired if I do not. I do it because I respect my boss. For now, as a follower, I need to understand the rules were made to protect the company as well as the employee.

Another opportunity for growth lies in the “P”. My perceiving nature leads me to be a procrastinator. I am more comfortable with open ended opportunities. Deadlines have the ability to cause a great deal of stress for me. However, I realize that if I did not have them I would never get a project completed. As a leader it would be vital that I complete items on time so that my followers would have the information they needed to complete their jobs. I lead by example. If I am always late I can’t expect my employees to be on time. I can grow in this area by setting an action plans to follow. Peter Drucker in his book The Effective Executive points out that “time is an executive’s scarcest and most precious resource … the action plan will prove useless unless it’s allowed to determine how the executive spends his or her time”. (Drucker, 2006) The action plan will act as a time management plan and therefore squash procrastination tendencies. It is also flexible enough to allow for new opportunities and this is very comfortable to me. Drucker states that an action plan must not “become a straight jacket” but should “be revised often to create new opportunities”. (Drucker, 2006)

Why is important to understand others preferences/personality tendencies?
As a leader I should understand my individual team member’s individual styles. Everyone is unique and they are motivated by different things. If I don’t understand what motivates them I can’t get them to be productive. I have a recent example of the importance of understanding individual styles. I am a life coach for someone in another state. This person recently had weight loss surgery and was overwhelmed and confused by food choices. I suggested that she go online to look up the food pyramid. To me, this would be an endless supply of information and opportunity. To her it was ok I see the food pyramid- so what. Her preference is to be directed to particular groups of information contained within certain limitations. To her it is easier for me to say look at the food pyramid and tell me how much whole grains you are supposed to have in a day. If this had been in an organization and she was one of my followers it would be beneficial for me to know this about her. I would know when and where to utilize her talents. She would be very task oriented completing a specific task within the boundaries and specifications I gave her without supervision. However, she may not do as well if I asked her to create an idea for future growth.

Conclusion
I have done much work to understand myself in the last three or four years and I have grown considerably. I have found that I have a lot more growing to do. However, this fits well into my preferences too- forever looking toward what could be!

Bibliography

Achua, R. N. (2007). Leadership: Theory, Application, Skill Development, 3e. Mason: South-Western Cengage Learning.
Drucker, P. (2006). The Effective Executive. New York: HarperCollins Publishers.
Keirsey, D., & Bates, M. (1984). Please Understand Me. Gnosology Books Ltd.



Christy,
This is an excellent, well-written reflection. I hope the materials continue to give you tools for present and future leadership successes.
Score: 100

Hi *blushes*

Hey guys ...

Sorry its been so long since I posted. It's been a crazy week. Anyway. Hope everyone is doing well. I would first like to say HAPPY BIRTHDAY SUSAN (tomorrow)!!!!!!!!!!!!! :-) I am on time this year! You should have already got somethin in the mailllllll.. hee hee.

I have been doing a lot of reflecting about the gym and food and what/how I want to work it. Nothing seems to work for me. I have lost inches but not much weight. Now my inches have slowed down to losing nothing or gaining inches. I expected to gain a little bit of the inches when I started developing muscles or being more fit. It is still discouraging.

I think part of my problem is food. I have changed a lot about my food. Here are the things I have changed:

I don't sit and eat at night while on the computer. That was a major change for me. It was a habit that has been hard to break. I still get figity and start looking for something to eat. If I get that way and get too figity I have been just grabbing a handful of Cheerios and eating them and it seems to work.

I eat at work instead of going out. We may go out once a week or we may not.

I eat breakfast every morning. I was not eating before. If I did eat it was because someone brought in donuts or something. Now I eat eggs and toast or toast, peanut butter and banana or just plain toast. But I do eat something every morning.

I have not been eating out as much for supper. Although we have this week.

I have cut out sweets a BUNCH. I used to eat them all the time. Now if I have something sweet it is a mini candy bar or something healthier- like we made a "Eat Right America" recipe made with strawberrys and bananas- it was a tart. Last night I had cheesecake but that hasnt been happening. I have been skipping desert altogether.

What I haven't done that I could/should be doing concerning food:

Cut portion sizes down

Make healthier choices

Start eating different foods when eating out. Try different things that will deal with my metabolism differently

No eating after 8:00 regardless of how "figity" I get! *lol*


Well thats about it for the food issue. I have a lot to write and will do so tonight. I want to go to the doctor and get a complete physical so that I know what I am dealing with and how hard I can push myself. I want to do a week of writing everything down so I can show the dr- SO I will write more on this later.

Love and Hugs,
me

Was waiting for this day....

Well, I was dreadfully waiting for this day to come. The day I had to tell you guys that I either gained or stayed the same in my quest. I have gained this week :-(. The only place I lost was my belt line. I actually lost another inch- must have been those crunches I did Thursday. I expected to gain. I didn't do crap at the gym and my food has been off. I didn't gain much weight I think- .6 of a lb and it really depends on when i weigh... but I haven't went back over 300 all this week. I read in a book to weigh every day so you know where you stand and what you need to do that day. It didn't work for me. I just kept getting scared of going over 300! So, I don't think it is wise to do that to myself until I get more into my program.

But... I am ready to start on my action plan and will post it when I get it completed. Thanks for every ones support.

Love and Hugs,
me

Working on it!

Hey guys... I have had three people give me suggestions so far. Waiting on some OTHERS TO HELP PLEASE!!! But anyway... I need to make a Plan of Action for the next two weeks (which I am going to start this Saturday). I am starting Saturday because this week wont count- I didn't have my plan ready to take on a task as hard as losing 10 lbs. So whatever the weigh in shows on Saturday I will strive to be 10lbs less that. I hope I havent gained weight this week. I havent been to the gym as much as I should have. Saturday we had to get trees up out of mammaws yard so I didnt get to go to my Zumba class (tears because I missed it.. not because I had to help family). Then Sunday we were gonna go.... but never got around to it. Monday was gym day- skipped Tuesday and Wednesday. Went today. Monday was a light day at the gym. Hardly any cardio at all- didnt feel right. I wasnt warmed up so the machines felt unhelpful to me. Today we did cardio and the workout felt better. Plus it got rid of my headache- which just totally freaking amazes me. I need to have the dr explain that! I did 10 minutes on the elliptical on level 15 with an average of 81 strides per minute. Ugggg. I was all yucky and sweaty! But this time was easier on my legs. So I am building endurance a little. At one point I had it up to 181 strides per minute... I held that for 15 seconds and my heart rate got up to 143. Good Cardio workout. And I burned like triple the amount of calories than I would if I did 15 minutes on the treadmill! That is so important. Then I walked around the track picking up Steven along the way (he did the treadmill). I ran the end cap. But he didn't feel like it so we only went all the way around again. Then we hit the machines. We did a lot of machines - that was fun. And from what I am reading those machines do a lot for diet and your heart! So those who haven't send me anything for my action plan.. .PLEEASSSSEEEE help!

Love and BIG hugs!,
me

Charts

Here are the charts for this last week! I gained a few inches in my boobs.. but I actually think its just really hard to measure em... I mean picture me trying to hold them up straight and Steven measuring.. LMAO!!!!! I also gained in some other places but lost another inch in my belt line.... I think I am evening out! Hee Hee... The big accomplishment, however, is that I met my goal! I actually weighed again this morning to make sure it was for real! It was 297.1 - down two more lbs... but I am not counting on that - you are only supposed to weigh once a week. We will see how it goes :-). My major weight goal now is to get down to 289- 10 lbs. I want to give myself two weeks to do so. So over the next two weeks I will be doing things to lose 10 lbs. This week I plan on eating cereal again for dinner. It was so easy last week and felt so good to just be able to go home and eat instead of deciding where to eat and how to get there. I would like to eat at Stevens mom's one day this week though. So I dunno- will have to make an exception that night. Maybe eat cereal for lunch instead. I am going to outline a plan of action for the weight loss that will include mini goals. I am a collaborative person so I AM ENLISTING ALL OF YOU FOR HELP ON WAYS TO LOSE WEIGHT!!! So everyone send me two suggestions on exercises or plans to help me achieve my goal and I will implement them into my schedule. After I get all of your suggestions I will post a PLAN OF ACTION!!! I am excited to see what you guys suggest!

LOVE and BIG BIG HUGS!
me

I DID IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Hey guys.... I MADE MY GOAL THIS WEEK... I am SOOOO happy! I officially broke 300.... I am UNDER 300... and that was my goal. I am 299.2!! Go me .. GO ME!!!

We haven't measured yet... I will put the charts up when we do!

Love and Hugs,
me

Headache gone

HEY COURTNEY..... I did what you suggested and loosened my mask... and I woke up without a headache this morning! Love and Hugs, me

HMM... Awesome workout today

WOW--what I did at the gym was unexpected today. I intended to go and do the treadmill and a few machines. Didn't work out that way. I had to force myself to go because Steven didn't go tonight. In fact- I almost went to Target instead. But told myself I was in the freaking parking lot just go in and do the treadmill. So I went in and people was standing by the group class doors and I wondered to myself what was going on. I put my stuff in a locker and checked the door and it they were having a class called Beat, Drum and Boogie. My kind of class! So I said well if I am still here I will go to it. So I went upstairs and got on the treadmill. I started out at 3 mph and did 15 minutes. No running today. I wanted to go do the elliptical. I am bound and determined that it is not going to get the best of me!!! So I set it on manual -- and set the time for 10 minutes. My goal was to go more than I did with Terri - which was 5 minutes. So at 5 minutes I was dying... sweating like I never sweat before- my heart rate was at 80% and I was only doing an average of 80 strides per minute. Luckily a song came on that I loved and I zoned out for 2 or so minutes!!! I opened my eyes and I had 3 minutes to go. I told myself come on ... you can do it.. only 3 minutes! Yes I know that sounds dorky.... but hey.. I am a 301 lb lady....... That's a lot for me! At two minutes I said you have this beat and started doing 120 strides per minute. My legs burned SO bad... My breathing was labored and my head was saying you are an idiot! :-) ..... At the 1 minute mark I cooled down to 58 strides per minute and said NO way was I stopping now.... and I finished TEN whole minutes on the machine from Hell!!!! Yippeee. Then I wobbled downstairs cuz my legs were wobbly.... and I looked at the clock - 5 minutes until the class so I said what the heck. I got a drink of water and went in. Everyone started grabbing the step risers and a big exercise ball... so I did too.... set it up in the back (ball on top of the risers)... and waited. The instructor came out with drum sticks... asked who was new.... told us to scrunch together because we had to hit our neighbors ball sometimes... and then all hell broke loose. She played this music that had a really good- but fast- beat. And we beat and drummed and did a grapevine where we went over two balls hit that one... came back hit the ball on the other side twice.... and we did squat tap (drum sticks in air) squat tap until I thought I was going to go kick her if I had the strength in my legs! Then we did this thing where you squatted hit the floor with drum sticks and then hit the side of the ball on each side with the drum sticks... we did that twice .. then you stood up and "middle side tap middle" and againnnnnnnnnnnnnn............ And we didn't STOP.... With Zumba you have time for a sip of water between songs.. noooooooooooooo not with this one... this one was 45 minutes of constant moving and banging.... And I thought I would never make it! But I did.. Thank God for the cool down session- it was 5 minutes! Then I put my stuff up and wobbled out the door and drank water and more water and more water! So I turned and looked at the machines and said Okkkkkkkkk just a few of you! I did Leg Lifts, Leg Curls, and this machine where you lay on your tummy...... and kick your leg straight out with the weighted bar... I like that one.. it stretched my legs out. And then there was this machine where you laid on your tummy with your bottom up in the air (oh brother)... and curl your legs up toward you- I did that one. And then I worked on my arms for a few machines like the rower and the chest press and some other ones I don't know the names of. NO AB SOLO today!!! Needless to say I am one tired little girl! I was going to go to Target and the grocery on the way home but Steven needed me home to switch cars before he went to bed so I had to come home.

Food for the day:

Points target 32

Breakfast - 1/2 Banana and 2 pieces of Toast = 2 pts
Snack- rest of the banana = 1 pt

Lunch = 1 cup of spaghetti with 1/2 cup of sauce = 6 pts
2 pieces of home made garlic toast (with regular bread) = 4 pts

Total points = 13 ----- 19 left

Supper= 2 bowls of Frosted Flakes Cereal= 6 pts (actually did the points finder for this and that is how much it is)

So 13 Pts left??? YYYYYYYYYYYYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

Love and Hugs,
ME

What a week!

This week has been rough for Kentucky!!! A big ice and winter storm came our way. We have trees down everywhere and close to 280,000 without power. In Louisville alone we had 1091 power lines down. I will post pics and maybe a video when I get it downloaded on my computer. All of my family, except me, lost power- Stevens mom and brother, my brother and sis(nlaw), my momma and daddy, my mammaw and papa, and various aunts and uncles. To date all of them are still without power! Not only residential areas were without power- but so were businesses. So, unfortunately, due to Steven being sick Sunday and Monday and all heck breaking loose the rest of week- we didn't get to the gym but one day this past week. I also went Saturday of this week. But I watched what I ate and didn't stay stationary long. That with my body still working at high energy levels helped with this weeks weight and inches loss!! Check out my charts!!! I am now down to 301. I want to make this weeks major goal to be to get below 300. My plans are to eat cereal for supper every day this week (except Friday and Saturday). It's not really as drastic as it seems. I am SOOO tired of EVERYTHING to eat!!! I don't even want to think about supper. I love cereal- so I got some cheerios, sugar crisp, frosted flakes and kicks.... All are made with whole grains and have vitamins and minerals. So I will be fine. The rest of my food plan this week will be a bread and fruit or yogurt for breakfast- like toast and banana, then a fruit or veggie for snack (apple w/peanut butter or cauliflower & baby carrots) and a nice lunch. I have already planned to have spaghetti one day for lunch, chicken Caesar salad one day, Beans, potato, and spam or jowl bacon one day <-- have to watch sodium that day because spam and bacon is loaded with sodium, and home made Paninis one day. Then if I have the money I would like to eat out at Shogun one day. We have cut down eating out at lunch during the week and it feels great to eat home cooking for a change. I will attempt to post every day this week on what I ate for lunch. And then cereal for supper- I am SO happy I don't have to figure out "whats for supper" this week!!!! We will see how it goes!

SHOUT OUT to my friend who is on vacation-- HOPE YOU ARE HAVING A GREAT TIME!- Love you!!!! Be safe!

Love and Hugs, me