Good Workout Today

I dragged my sorry butt out of bed this morning to find it was below 0 degrees!! Yuck. I hate that much cold this late into April. But, since I was up anyhow, I figured I might as well get out for a run.

I only ended up being out 25 minutes which is actually a victory, since it means I am covering the same ground in less time. I guess it is time to safely increase my distance next week. Right now I am walking about 1/8 of a mile, then running 1/2 mile, 1/8 mile walk, run 1/2 mile, recover/walk 1/8 mile. I haven't quite gotten to the 1/2 mile marker on the one road, so I am going to aim for that next week. It's about another 1/8 of a mile from my current turn around point. Not a big change in the goal but it sure looked a loooong way off this morning. Maybe if I'd known I'd be at least 5 minutes short in my workout, I would have pushed to it.

I feel really great after this workout - I had really consistent speed and don't feel totally winded and tired now. That's a big change even from last week. I think it is the toning work I did earlier in the week also paying off. My legs feel much stronger. You wouldn't think 1 killer toning workout would have that many benefits, but I feel like it did. Of course, now I have to do it again, either today or tomorrow, which I am kinda dreading. At least the first time I didn't know how hard it was!

My water intake is really improving, I have hit my goal everyday and am increasing it just a bit. My bladder is starting to keep up better and I see that my skin is getting more clear. I always breakout terribly when I first start drinking a lot of water but if I stick with it I end up with gorgeous, soft skin. I hope it is just around the corner!

I am committed to getting in shape and I can't wait until I can fit into some of my skinny clothes! I have a pair of pants in a size 8 just begging to be let off the hanger and out for some fun!

Week 2

So, I weighed in this morning and drumroll....

I gained .6 of a pound. I am now 157.6 lbs. This sucks. I worked hard this week for nothing.

I had planned to treat myself to a home hair colour for weight loss. I really am sad about the gain. So, instead of waiting a month (like I probably should) I decided to try re-measuring to see if that would show me some results.

Measurements:
Waist (belly button) 35.5 (-1")
Hips 40 (-.75")
R Upper Thigh 23 (-1")
R Upper Arm 11.5 (-.5")
Underband 33 (same)
Bust 37 (-.75")

That's a total of 4 inches! WOW. I am currently colouring my hair. Even if I was a little off on how I measured from one time to another, I rechecked each measurement and I can't make the tape fit snuggly (especially on my thigh - which is still screaming from all the squats). Yikes! I am glad I measured now!

Easy Day

I have to take it easy today, I am in too much pain to push myself. Darn it. I guess all those squats are coming back to haunt me because my upper thighs are still screaming 32 hours later. Yeah, I'm counting. So, I suppose I learned a lesson here - I need to do more squats.

I took a long walk, slow pace this morning, just a little shy of 1 mile. That took me down to our pasture end and back, about 30 minutes. My heart does not feel like I had a workout, but at least I'm still moving around. That was the goal this morning, just get moving. I also went ipod-less, so that I could have a quiet heart-to-heart with myself.

I weigh 157 pounds and I'm 5'2. This is not a healthy weight. I carry a lot of flab from having 2 kids that I don't like. I was thin in high school and college and really only put on the weight afterwards. I feel like I eat pretty healthfully but obviously my nutrition is not on target, since I have all this weight to loose. I know the steps, I've done them before, but I can never break through that 150 pound wall. Every year I say I am determined to do it this year.

And I really, truly am. I am tired of being fat. I am tired of being winded after walking up stairs. I am tired of not wanting to be in a bathing suit because I don't like how I look. It is going to be beach season soon and I want to be proud of my outside, the way I am of my inside. For the first time, I am really content with who I am and where I am in my life. Now, I want that inner self to be reflected in my outer self.

It is my hope that by writing this blog and being accountable, I will be able to break through that wall and find a new me on the other side.

Woo Hoo Me!

I'm tooting my own horn this morning, I had a great workout last night and this morning. I like to do toning at night since it helps me to stay away from the food. In a back Fitness issue, I found a bunch of exercises and they are t-o-u-g-h. I managed to do most of them in about 45 minutes, though the article suggested they should all take about 30 minutes. I didn't modify or beginner-ize them either. (Yes, that's a word, I made it up, but it is a word)

Then, this morning I did a mini-duathalon. Ha ha. That just means I went biking and running. For 30 minutes. So, it is definitely mini. I rode 1.5 miles then ran 1/2 mile, then run/walk 1/2 mile back and finished off biking 1.5 miles. It was hard but I did it and I am sweating in plus 5 degree (C) weather so I think I finally burned it like a Biggest Loser.

I nearly met my water goal yesterday but actually did overall. Let me explain: see I'm supposed to drink 3 coffee mugs of water at work. I only drank 2. But, I had an extra water at home, so that made up for it. Today I am going to try harder to drink those 3 cups at work. It is getting in the habit and remembering that is the real problem. (Oh, and all my water yesterday was plain. That has to be some kind of a record.)

Favorite Salad

I'm a creature of habit. I eat the same oatmeal (rolled oats, dried fruit, cinnamon & honey) every morning. I ate homemade soup every day for 6 months. Currently, I am out of my soup, which is so sad, so I've had to move on to salad.

This week's salad is: lettuce, carrot, zucchini topped with 1/2 cup of chickpeas and then 1/3 cup of cottage cheese. Pack this in a lunch container. Don't mix the salad together & it stays super crunchy. At work, open container, dig down about 1/2 way, add a squirt of fat free Ranch dressing and then mix.

Savour and enjoy all the delightful healthy bites. (And feel just a little bit superior to your co-workers who are eating fried, battered or otherwise unhealthy lunches.)

Weekend Blahs

Well, I did say any workout on the weekend is a bonus.

So far, I have had no bonuses. In fact, we had a big party on Saturday & I didn't say no to a second piece of brownie cake. Yes, it was low-fat, no it wasn't healthy & the salad I also ate didn't exactly "make up" for the cake. But it was oh-so-good. And, there's no need to go through life eating no cake at all, right?

I was watching an old Biggest Loser episode on Slice this morning. Guilty pleasure, but I love that show. It was one of the non-Gillian seasons, but I don't know which one. Anyhow, it occured to me that I don't work out even half as hard as they do. Not the last-chance workouts, just the regular ones. No wonder I'm not having a lot of success. Lightbulb! Maybe if I put a little more effort into the exercise, I'd see a little more results.

Sad truth when you "learn" about weight loss from being a couch potato.

Not a Great Start for a Friday

Today isn't starting out the very best, I have to admit. My usual schedule is: get up at 6:18, out the door by 6:25 and walk, run or bike ride for 30 minutes

Today, I got up at 6:30, left the house at 6:35 and was back from my walk (stroll, is more like it!) by 6:55. So, not exactly my regular 30 minutes of heart pounding, waist shrinking exercise. I'm tired & didn't even want to get out of bed, so I'm counting this as a victory anyway.

This week's goal has been to get up and exercise every day, so I think I've met that goal. I don't count weekends (for exercise) in goal setting, because they are so variable. That's just setting me up for failure. I figure any workout I get in on the weekends is a bonus day.

My next goal is going to be drinking more water. I don't really like plain water, so I mostly jazz it up with lemon or lime juice or crystal lite. The goal for next week is going to be:

Drink 3 large glasses of water at home (1 must be plain water)
Drink 3 coffee mugs of water at work (1 must be plain water)

I think that works out to a little over the 8 glasses per day. Right now, I am drinking 2 and 2, so that shouldn't be too much of a strain on my body. I will also commit to continuing to workout every morning.

I am hopeful that next week, I will start to see some positive changes in how I feel and how I look. I've been back at this new workout for about 2 weeks now and only seen gains on the scale and my clothes fit exactly the same. I am really needing a little extra boost to keep going, but I know it's coming, I just have to work for it.

Stats

So, here are my stats for April 16:

Current Weight: 157 lbs
Measurements:
Waist (belly button) 36.5"
Hips 40.75"
R Upper Thigh 24.5"
R Upper Arm 12.0"
Underband 33"
Bust 37.75"

Why I'm Worth it

Welcome to my new blog - a little corner of the internet for me to track, obsess and fret over my own journey to better health. Yes, I'm trying to focus on being healthy as opposed to a certain size, shape or weight. I'm nowhere near ready to give up my scale, but I hope that someday, I can be.

In an interview, Michelle Obama commented that she gets up at 4:30 a.m. to exercise. When questioned about why she gets up so early, her answer was

Well, I just started thinking, if I had to get up to go to work, I'd get up and go to work. If I had to get up to take care of my kids, I'd get up to do that. But when it comes to yourself, then it's suddenly, "Oh, I can't get up at 4:30." So I had to change that.

That is exactly how I'm feeling these days (except that I get up at 6:18 a.m.), I have to make myself the priority, just the way I would make my kids a priority.

So here are the top reasons I am worth it:

1. My kids depend on me to be healthy, active and live a long life.

2. My family has a history of heart disease, diabetes and cancer

3. I have spent a fortune on Weight Watchers and having nothing to show for it.

4. I have an outfit in my closet I have never worn because I bought it that last time I lost some weight

5. When I work out: I feel better. I look better. I am more active. I am less depressed.


So, welcome, again, to my new blog. Join me on the journey to healthy living.