Fitness Goals...

As you know, I have starting grabbing the proverbial bull by its horns. 11 weeks ago I started running, I have my first 5K in 2 days. 10 weeks ago I started going to the gym to cross train. On those days I do cardio, upper body, cardio, lower body, and some more cardio.  I didn't think that I would stick to any goal, let alone running and the gym. My work reimburses me when I go to the gym at least 8 times/month. That was originally my goal, just go 8 times/month. Well, after seeing this...

I am rejuvinated and know that it is all worth it! In all, with running, working out and utilizing the program LoseIt, since May I am down 38 pounds! Right now I am one pound from my original goal, but that will be reassessed once I reach that.

As you may or may not know, I also signed up for my first 10K! That is Superbowl Sunday. I am so excited. I never thought I would really enjoy running, and now that I do, I can't get enough. I just might have to change my schedule and instead of having a rest day, I will make tthat another run day so that I am running 4 days a week! Who would have thought I would just say that!

Enough about me, here is a video of Makayla walking away!



It's a new day!

I always talk about joining the gym, I pay up front and then after 8 times, work reimburses me, but, that is not practical for me right now. So, I decided to take matters into my own hands. While Makayla slept I took my workout inside. We get VOD with our cable company so I shopped to see what they had for free. Well, I have a love/hate relationship with Jillian Michaels, so when I stumbled upon one of her exercise programs I thought sure, why not. Well hells bells, I NEVER thought I could sweat like this before. I did the 6 weeks 6 pack abs and let me just tell you, it is no joke! The beginner skills are good, although some of the exercises I couldn't do, not because I didn't want too, but because well I tried to do the workout without shoes on. Tomorrow I will put shoes on to do the workout and hopefully there will be different results. While I didn't get to do the whole workout without stopping (Makayla didn't sleep long AT ALL, and like I said I couldn't do some of the skills) I feel like I ran 5 miles but really it was only 38 minutes. I have decided that I make time for everyone and everything else in my life, it is time I make time for myself. I am also hoping to start walking with some friends/family on Sat afternoons to spice up my life a little bit. I figure I will do the free stuff while I can, and then in the winter, join the gym so that I can work out and so Makayla and I can continue swimming. I might not do the abs EVERYDAY maybe every other day. There are A LOT of free exercise programs, so I know that I can find something that I enjoy. Maybe tomorrow cardio kick boxing? Or 20 min Cardio Yoga, groove nBurn Disco, Less is More Cardio Workout? The possibilities are endless, but I know I really do need to make time for myself. I missed the deadline this time around, but in July I am going to do WW at Work. I pay up front, as long as I don't miss more than 2 meetings in 8 weeks, my job reimburses me. I did WW before and it worked, so I am DEFINITELY going to do it again. I am not happy with how I look, or how I feel about the way I look so it is time I did something. What I am doing is not working, so something has to change.

Workout..

You know what I love about working out...how it makes me feel after it. I might not like it while doing it right now, but I know that will change too. I was never really a runner growing up, but there is something energizing when I see the little numbers on the treadmill slowly change. I feel completely different after running than before I start...it feels like my stress level plummets completely during the race. It's like my body says to me, wait, you don't need this anymore and off it goes. I also know how much healthier I feel after I workout. Yes, I know that I am carrying more weight than I should, but I also know that I have lost 18 pounds since Jan. I try not to focus on that so much, but I know how far I have come, and how much further I want to go. I want to be a healthy weight, healthy by my standards, not society per se. Because quite frankly, I am an athlete, or well once was. There is no way that this 5"3" girl can get down to 115 pounds and not look like I am starving. So, I want to get a lot lighter, but still be healthy. I know I can do it. I gained a workout friend who will keep me motivated because she wants me to keep her motivated. We are going to try to hang out a lot outside of work, and hopefully, the weather will clear up by Thursday so we can go bike riding. Oh, today she said she loves to swim...be still my beating heart. I need.to.swim before camping, besides, I think cross training will do me some good. Anyway, not much else is going on here. Hubs has a job interview tomorrow for another part time job, so fingers crossed here. I work tonight, then am off until Friday night. Looks like the middle of the week will be a "normal" days, that will definitely include working out and eating right. Hope your Monday leads to an excellent week!

Happy First Day of Spring..

Today is the first day of spring! Yay!...to bring in my fav.or.ite time of year, I wanted to let you know that Rita's opens today.

and this year, they have a new flavor...PEEPS! Yep, those little marshmellow treats are now a Rita's flavor. If get my studying finished today, AND I get to the gym...Rita's here I come! How will you bring in spring?

Shred Day 5

Today is Day 5 of Shred. But, before I get to that, let me just say how excited I was to wake up to SNOW!!! I took the dogs out at noon, and there was nothing on the ground, but while I was out there I got hit in the face with a snow flake. Needless to say I woke up to snow!
OK, now back to Shred...
5 Days in a row...for me this is a huge accomplishment because I have worked everyday since Wed, so making sure that I have made time for myself, even if it was just the 27:36 that it takes from warm up to cool down, I am still making time for myself. So, what have I noticed...
1- No changes physically yet, although I am hoping to start seeing changes soon
2- This is not a workout that I should do in front of hubs; while I was exercising here is what I had to listen too : Hubs "push it ladies, I want you to feel the burn, burn this skinny b*tch." (Jealous much?)
3- While I haven't noticed a huge change in my endurance, I have noticed that I only had to stop once because my arm weights are really too heavy. Oh, and I HATE, no wait, loathe, jumping jacks. Being a girl with really large tatas, even with the specialized sports bra, they are still uncomfortable, although getting more tolerable.
4- I actually feel hungry sometimes, and for me that is huge. I know that I am an emotional eater, so I am fighting hard to only eat if I am really hungry
5- (this part is gross, so readers beware) I have now remembered how gaseous I am. I am so glad that this is a workout I do at home. Hopefully this will get better..otherwise, maybe I need been-o or gas ex.
6- Hopefully I will be in at least a little better shape by the spring so that I can run and not feel like a tub a lub

30 Day Shred Part deux

So, if you have been reading my blog then you know that the day before Thanksgiving I posted this blog. Well, with the holidays and all we had a house guest, and while I don't normally mind having a house guest, it felt awkward to me to be working out in the living room while she was trying to sleep on the couch. Yes, Penguin and I are thinking about a 2 bedroom, but then again it is just the 2 of us, so maybe more year of the 1 bedroom and then we will either upgrade or hopefully by a house. ANYWAY, today I restarted my promise to myself and restarted the 30 Day Shred. Today I even feel like I dressed more the part, meaning I had my hair pulled back and even wore sneakers. I went into it thinking it would be a wee bit easier...boy was I wrong. It might as well have been my first day ever looking at it. I knew I was out of shape, but never in my wildest dreams did I imagine letting myself get this way. Man. My motivation is that I want to be healthier. I also want to be able to buy normal size clothes and be able to dress like I belong into today's day and age and not like I am always wearing a burlap sack. I also thinking about going away with the hubs to celebrate our honeymoon. I think my family is going camping here although some talked about going here. I on the other hand wouldn't mind having the best of both worlds of camping and the beach by going where the wild horses are. But either way, I will need to be in a bathing suit, and in the current state I am in...I think even those who have a loss of sight would need to put glasses on.
In the meantime, I am really going to try to do this this time. Even if we have company I need to do this for me. I need to feel better about myself. I think I am even going to join ww again, this time through work so it is paid for and see if that can help me get on my goals. I will take a picture of myself today, then hopefully in weekly increments so that maybe I will see a difference. In the mean time, I hope you all have a wonderful Tuesday and enjoy the new month!

I've been working on the railroad...

...all the live long day. Well not that kind of railroad, but I have been working...a lot.. and not just at work, I have been working out and eating healthier. See, I have always had an issue with how I looked. In college I was diagnosed with activity induced anorexia, and now that I am so far removed from college I see how I got wrapped up in body image. Every where on television there are actresses worried about weight gain/loss. These people are supposed to be role models to children today, so if they are always worried about their appearance, then no wonder we always worry about what we look like. Growing up, I lived in a typical suburban family, both my parents worked and my older 2 sisters and I were always active. We were doing something just about every day, so there was no need to stress the importance of family dinners. Dinner consisted of what ever the folks made, and if you didn't like it, you didn't eat it. While I am not blaming my raising to what happened in college, seeing my mom worry about her appearance probably affected me more than I knew.

As I am aging, or um maturing...I have realized that poor choices that I made earlier in life are coming back to haunt me. I am not in the best shape that I should be, and my weight is definately a concern for future health problems. Heart disease runs in my family, as well as diabetes, and hypertension. Again, all concerns that I too can face if I don't do something now. So, what did I do? See, tomorrow, Monday will be a month that I started ww, and I am really proud of myself for sticking with it. I used to pride myself on all the hours I logged in at the gym, but never really held myself accountable for the foods that I consumed. I would work out and then eat and eat and eat, and then workout again bc I felt guilty. With ww, I hold myself accountable for EVERYTHING. And I mean everything. I make sure that I log everything that I eat, even down to jelly beans. Yes, I do sometimes have those moments when I am tested, take Easter for example. There is always some kind of junk food around at Easter time, but I chose to eat the fruits and vegetables. I felt very proud of myself for being able to make healthy choices in a situation where ordinarily I would have caved. I am not saying I am perfect, I am far from it, but when I do stray off course, I hold myself accountable and then get back right on track.

See, I am not just trying to get healthy for the long run, I do have some instant gratifications. Knowing that my wedding is a little over 3 months away, I am determined to look my best for it. Even if I don't reach my goal weight, just knowing that I am closer to it is something that I am hoping that I can accept. I also have a niece and a nephew who when I am with them I want to be able to keep up with them, I don't want to have to say no because I am too tired.

Right now I don't see any difference in myself, but I am hoping that on August 9th, when Penguin and I are poolside on our honeymoon that I will be able to be poolside knowing that I look ok in that bikini and that all eyes are on us bc well quite frankly we will be the newlweds.