Maybe I’m making excuses, maybe I just need to justify my actions, but honestly, sometimes I feel like someone is out to get me.

• A few months back I was gifted a bootcamp experience.  The day before I was going to do it, I got food poisining. I will take advantage of the next session…but have yet to go.

• I started doing the Jillian Michaels 30 Day Shred. My XBox (aka my DVD player) broke. I have recently been informed that its on demand too, so Ill do that while waiting for a new DVD player.

• This weekend I am flying down to SD to participate in the Shamrock Run 5K with my sorority sisters (one of whom I’ve mentioned is Biggest Loser 9′s Stephanie Anderson). I have since come down with a chest cold, am out sick today, and will likely just be walking the 5K while hacking along the way.

My immediate goal…after I beat this chest issue, is to actually run a 5K…even if its just on a treadmill or if I successfully run around Lake Merritt. I think the distance is about 3.5 miles. I owe that to myself after not being able to run this weekend. My preparation for this will be continuing the Couch to 5K program that I have downloaded from iTunes. Its actually really great and I highly recommend it..I just hope I feel better, and start motivating myself to go. I did head to the gym during lunch the other day, which is a start in the right direction, but I had to get off the treadmill due to the cold getting the best of me.

I really just need to stop whining and blaming others. “I’d work out if I had a treadmill. I’d workout if I wasn’t sick. I’d work out for longer if I had the time”….I need to STOP making excuses, and just be my own motivator. You would think that watching and knowing someone on The Biggest Loser would be enough, but I think that my problem is that the 10 lbs I could lose is pocket change, and my real motivator needs to be my level of fitness…thats the part that takes work. Thats what I need to do. Stop talking about it. Just do it. (haha)

Not sure how many of you know that I was in a sorority in college. San Diego State- Kappa Delta, Beta Rho Chapter, 1996. I am not your typical sorority girl. Never have been and never will be…and thats why I liked KD and they liked me. Since moving to the bay area, I haven’t had too much interaction with the house.  Being an alumni is difficult when you dont live close. However, some of my sisters are my best friends, a few in my wedding, and since Facebook blew up…I have been in contact with more now than ever.

Which brings us to the Shamrock and Run. A few of you may know that Stephanie Anderson, of Biggest Loser fame was in fact in my sorority. Well, due to her being a huge motivator to all of us, and this years philanthropy choice being a good one…I’ve decided to make the trek down to SD to do the 5K.

It will be a great opportunity to see many of my sisters that I haven’t seen in years, in addition to meeting the current Kappa Delta’s and seeing how our house is holding up. It will also be great motivation for me to get running in the next 3-4 weeks. I can’t even run a mile…let alone a 5K. More about how I’m going to attempt this in a later blog entry. A picnic following the race will be a nice opportunity to catch up with my old friends.

This year, Kappa Delta Sorority is in partnership with Prevent Child Abuse America and Olive Crest Organization of Mission Valley to raise money for this important cause.

The Cause:
After nearly 30 years of partnership with Prevent Child Abuse America, Kappa Delta Sorority has been able to raise $10 million towards this organization.

20% of the 5K Walk/ Run’s proceeds will be sent to Prevent Child Abuse America Nationally while 80% will stay here in San Diego in the Mission Valley community to benefit the Olive Crest Organization targeted towards helping the lives of neglected and abused children.

I know that they are still looking for additional sponsors as well, so if this topic hits you personally, or just tugs at your heartstrings and you have something to contribute…let them know. shamrock.betarho@gmail.com

Last night we had the opportunity to go see the Purple Team once again. If you remember, I got to hang out with them in their backyard while filming the first episode.

Stephanie put a call out on her handy Facebook page once again to let us all know that she was back in town for a bit (she lives in LA), and we had the opportunity to come see her and her mother at the 24 hour fitness in Moraga.I guess we all thought that we were going to be in a room or have the volume on in the gym, but instead, we had to hop on treadmills, plug in headphones and watch on the TV screens in the gym. Fitting and appropriate I guess.

It was fun for me as well, as a few of my sorority sisters who live in the Bay Area actually came this time too. There weren’t a ton of folks, just a few who came out to say hey and check on progress, but it was nice to see the girls as well. I haven’t seen them in years.

Little did I know that we had this opportunity to come see the Purple Team because it was unfortunately Patti’s last night on the show.

I will say that Patti looks amazing. She has spent these past months at home doing it on her own, and has still managed to take 50 pounds off, and she has 4 more months to work on herself till the finale. She is going to look AMAZING.

What little I can say about Stephanie, is that she looks killer. We couldn’t take photos of her, because we aren’t supposed to know when or if she has gotten eliminated yet. She is doing GREAT, and her change is remarkable. Especially because this was the episode where they do their health assessment. It was pretty surreal watching the “old” Patti and Stephanie on television at the 24 hour fitness, while the “new” ones were walking on treadmills watching themselves.

I think that another party is in the works as soon as the show is finished and the finale has happened. This way she can answer all our questions. So cool to be on this journey with her, albeit from my couch every Tuesday.

Some of you know that I’m a sucker for my Guilty Pleasure TV shows. The Biggest Loser (we can call it TBL for short) is definitely one I don’t miss. It makes it easier that its only one day a week, as opposed to shows like SYTYCD and American Idol that have the vote off show as well. I make sure to catch every week of TBL, and recently I came to realize that my whole family is fans. My mother, grandmother, aunt and sister all watch it too. Its fun to connect after each episode and chat about how great the weight loss was, or how good they look with their new hair cuts.

This show also proves to be a great motivator, as usually if I haven’t hit the gym in a while, I’ll go the next day. With my New Years resolutions in full force (I’ve hit the gym both days this work week), I’m setting my own goals in line with the show. I know I don’t have a ton to lose, but I want to get down to my first goal by the season finale.

Well…this season is going to be EXTRA fun to watch. Not only does the new season start today, but I actually know one of the contestants! My Kappa Delta sorority sister (yes I was in a sorority), Stephanie is Team Purple with her mother Patti, and its going to be amazing to watch their progress on the show. This show has become a brand in itself, and there is no escaping the fact that she and Patti will now be household names.

A few months back she put out a call for her friends and family to meet in her home town (close to where I currently live), to experience the first weigh in with her. This season is a bit different, as their first weigh in isn’t at the ranch, its at their home, and they are exposing themselves in front of their loved ones.

It was great to see her, as I hadn’t seen her in quite some time, but it was also neat to be a part of the process. I’m not going to get into too many insider, behind the scenes secrets (I don’t want to ruin the Hollywood illusion), but if you watch TBL, please keep an eye out for me tonight. My friends Pete, Esme and I are all in Stephanie and her mother’s backyard, holding a sign that says “Purple is the new Pink”, and cheering her on.

Root for Team Purple. Fan her on Facebook. Wish them luck!