Monday, August 30, 2010

10K Race

I think I'm going to do it.  The comment made by my "friend" the other day is driving me nuts and I just want to prove her wrong.  I CAN run a 10K and gosh darn it, I'm going to!

There is a 10K in my neighborhood on the last weekend of September.  That's a bit sooner than I would like, but I was looking at the online training program for a 10K and it seems reasonable.  I think I'm going to attempt it.  My leg is still sore so I will listen to my body and if training starts to hurt too much (the bad kind of hurt) than I will readjust my timeline if necessary.  But for right now, the goal is to show that 10K (and my friend) who's boss!!  :)

For those interested, here is my training program:


Hopefully you can read that.  Today will be a 3 mile run.  I'm going to try to do all of my training outside (weather permitting) to get me ready to run outside on the actual day of the race.  I think it makes a big difference.

Anyway, wish me luck in this new endeavor!  I can't wait to check the 10K off my list of goals!

Sunday, August 29, 2010

Zipline Craziness and Run from Hell...

Hubby & Me
Me & My Pops!
Hello hello.

This weekend was my family reunion, and it was WONDERFUL.  It was so nice to see so many people that I love and enjoy.  Plus we had a blast--there was a zipline and canoe racing and all sorts of fun activities.  It was much more fun than I expected.  Also, I didn't let my weight get in the weight of enjoying the zipline.  I nearly passed on it because I was worried my arms couldn't support my weight or I would cause the line to sag so much that I would end up in the lake soaked to the core, but I went anyway.  Guess what?  None of my fears proved true--it was awesome!
This zipline is higher than you might expect...
Last second prayers that I don't get soaked...(they were answered)
Preparing to get into the canoe for our relay race.  We won!
There were a couple of bad news items this week.  Number One--my fears about the weather and Table Rock proved to be true.  Thunderstorms rolled in and made it too dangerous to hike.  :(  Talk about a disappointment. It has been tentatively rescheduled for Sept. 11th, but I might be in Pittsburgh which would make that impossible. So we shall see...

In an effort to still get in a killer workout, I decided to run 5 miles outside for the first time.  I was staying at my sister's house which is around 6500 feet in elevation.  In Utah, I run at about 4300 feet above sea level.  Apparently that difference in elevation made a difference.  Also, I was running and wasn't paying attention to where I was going and tripped and twisted my calf muscle.  That's bad news item #2.  I tried to run through the pain, but after a mile or so of trying to push through it I realized it was only getting worse.  So I walked 1.5 miles back to the house defeated.  Sad.  I also got a wicked sunburn for being outside for that hour.  Apparently it was not my day when it came to running!  Better luck next time!

Bad news item #3...I sucked at eating within my calories.  My family had WAY too much tasty food around, and apparently I was ravenous.  I didn't overeat like I would normally do, but I still ate more than I knew I should.  I haven't done the official calorie count yet but I'm sure it will be ugly.  This week will be much better as I can be in control of what is available for me to eat!

My cute niece!
Me and the hubs again...

Thursday, August 26, 2010

Update on Some Goals...

It is time to review some of the goals I set for myself when I started this blogging journey.  Within the last 24 hours, I have conquered TWO of them.  And yes, I feel like dancing like a crazy person because I'm so excited. Yay for results!!


Here are the goals as a refresher:


Short-term:

  • Lose 8 lbs (from starting weight on first blog post) by family reunion (August 28th)  Accomplished August 26th
  • Run 2.5 miles on treadmill (end of August)  Accomplished 2nd week in August
  • Hike Table Rock in the Grand Tetons 
Long-term:
  • Run a 5K  Accomplished August 25th
  • Run a 10K
  • Hike Lake Blanche in Big Cottonwood Canyon  Accomplished August 21st
  • Lose 20 lbs
  • Lose 30 lbs
  • Lose 40 lbs
In one month, I have knocked out 4 goals.  This is WAY more than I ever could've hoped for.  I'm so excited!!  There is a slight chance I might even be able to cross one more off my list by the end of the month.  I am supposed to hike Table Rock tomorrow, but the weather looks kind of sketchy and just a few weeks ago they had 17 climbers get struck by lightning up there so I'm not willing to take that risk if the weather doesn't cooperate.  I'm still hoping that a miracle happens and the weather breaks and we are able to go.  I WANT to go so bad!  Last year my family all went without me because I was too out of shape to go.  Talk about a sad situation.  I refuse to let that be me again this year.  Come on weather...give me a break!!

Top of Table Rock with its impressive view.  I want to see this for myself!!
So, you can see above that I ran a 5K yesterday (with my hubby and no stopping to catch my breath or walking!!!) and then today I weighed in at exactly 160 lbs.  At the start of this blog, I weighed in at exactly 168 lbs which brings me to exactly 8 lbs lost.  The family reunion is tomorrow, so I'm pretty excited about reaching this goal.  I wasn't convinced it was going to happen.  Success!

It is so wonderful to see my hard work and dedication paying off.  Have there been slip ups?  Definitely.  But the whole "slow and steady" mindset is definitely paying off for me.  I'm so excited to reach my other goals!

Wednesday, August 25, 2010

Busy Schedules and Butterflies

Do you ever have those weeks that are so mapped out for you that you know what you will be doing down to the individual hours of each day?  Yeah, that's me this week.  Guess what has gotten squeezed out of the calendar?  You know it...exercise.


I'm frustrated with that.  I know that in order to get fit you have to "put yourself first" and shirk some of your other responsibilities to focus on getting yourself healthy.  I'm having a hard time shirking my responsibilities.  I think I've found a way to make time for a workout tonight, but the rest of the week is a struggle since I am going out of town to a family reunion that has activities every hour.  
Also, I'm a bit down on myself for yesterday.  I was out at a job site installation with a client and we went out to lunch.  Old habits took over out of nowhere.  I ordered an appetizer, an entrée, and a salad.  That's way more food than I needed.  I was like "hey, I'll order a salad because it's HEALTHY," but really it was just an additional 500 calories of food I didn't need.  I should've just skipped the entrée and ate the salad.  I was full before the entrée even showed up!  Did that stop me?  Nope...I still kept eating.  I really need to learn to focus on my hunger cues much better.  I did skip dinner to try and keep my calories down, and I wasn't even hungry because of my big lunch.  


I guess that's why we are here though.  This is a journey, and every day won't be perfect.  The struggles make us stronger and if we can somehow come out on top, we WILL beat this.  We will make new habits, we will make new patterns, and we will finally be able to break the chains that we ensnared ourselves in and become the person we want to be.  


I'm reminded of the story of the butterfly emerging from the cocoon.  It's a bit cheesy, but I really do like the story:


"Once a little boy was playing outdoors and found a fascinating caterpillar. He carefully picked it up and took it home to show his mother. He asked his mother if he could keep it, and she said he could if he would take good care of it.


The little boy got a large jar from his mother and put plants to eat, and a stick to climb on, in the jar. Every day he watched the caterpillar and brought it new plants to eat.
One day the caterpillar climbed up the stick and started acting strangely. The boy worriedly called his mother who came and understood that the caterpillar was creating a cocoon. The mother explained to the boy how the caterpillar was going to go through a metamorphosis and become a butterfly.


The little boy was thrilled to hear about the changes his caterpillar would go through. He watched every day, waiting for the butterfly to emerge. One day it happened, a small hole appeared in the cocoon and the butterfly started to struggle to come out.


At first the boy was excited, but soon he became concerned. The butterfly was struggling so hard to get out! It looked like it couldn’t break free! It looked desperate! It looked like it was making no progress!


The boy was so concerned he decided to help. He ran to get scissors, and then walked back (because he had learned not to run with scissors…). He snipped the cocoon to make the hole bigger and the butterfly quickly emerged!


As the butterfly came out the boy was surprised. It had a swollen body and small, shriveled wings. He continued to watch the butterfly expecting that, at any moment, the wings would dry out, enlarge and expand to support the swollen body. He knew that in time the body would shrink and the butterfly’s wings would expand.

           But neither happened!


The butterfly spent the rest of its life crawling around with a swollen body and shriveled wings.


It never was able to fly…


As the boy tried to figure out what had gone wrong his mother took him to talk to a scientist from a local college. He learned that the butterfly was SUPPOSED to struggle. In fact, the butterfly’s struggle to push its way through the tiny opening of the cocoon pushes the fluid out of its body and into its wings. Without the struggle, the butterfly would never, ever fly. 


As you go through school, and life, keep in mind that struggling is an important part of any growth experience. In fact, it is the struggle that causes you to develop your ability to fly."


These struggles we go through that help us push through and change habits that have been around for several years are going to strengthen us and make us grow.  Will it hurt?  More than we know.  Will sometimes we feel like giving up?  You betcha.  Can we one day turn into the beautiful beings we want to be?  You better believe it!


So my challenge to you (and mostly directed at myself) for the week is to not let your struggles defeat you.  Instead, let them mold you into the person you are striving to be.  

Monday, August 23, 2010

Weekly Weigh In (As Promised!)

Here they are!  As you can tell, I am not one to lose inches on my calves.  They always stay the same size.  But I am really excited about losing inches on my waist and hips.  These are happy things for me!

As a side note, I am not what you would call a graceful person.  Case in point--tonight I was mowing my lawn and somehow managed to trip and eat it on the pavement.  Sadly, I crunched my knee and it is all swollen and cut.  Oops!  I'm hoping it doesn't hurt too bad when I work out on it.  I'm icing it as we speak to try to keep the swelling and bruising down.

How's your progress coming along?  Are you tracking your small victories that lead to the big victories?  It is fun to see the results!

Weekly Weigh In will be delayed until tomorrow...

Why?

I left my dumb measurements at home and can't remember what they were off the top of my head!  Oops!  Either way, I will add them tonight or tomorrow so you can see my progress.

This weekend is my family reunion and I am NERVOUS.  I am close to my goal, but not quite there.  It would be awesome to be back in the 150s by the time it rolled around, but I'm not sure it will happen.  If not, I still have lost weight so I can't get too discouraged!

Speaking of discouraging things...do you remember my goal to hike Table Rock on August 27th?  Well, I was going to do the hike with my family, but they cancelled on me last night!  My sister can't get a babysitter.  I'm totally disappointed!  I am debating just hiking it with my husband.  I'm not sure what we are going to end up doing, but I really want to hike it because I have been giving myself a pep talk for the last month about doing it and I don't want to let that go to waste!  :)

Today I signed myself up for a new challenge.  30 lbs gone by Christmas.  It's a tough goal, but I think I can do it.  That gives me 4 months to work out hard and eat right.  I can't think of a better present to give myself than to be able to unwrap a new wardrobe for my svelte new self.  Can you?  Care to join me on this quest?

Sunday, August 22, 2010

Community

Hello!

I've spent the majority of my evening thinking about the power of the weight loss community.  I've barely stuck my toe in the water and already I feel the strength behind it.  Not only does it provide the ability to make friends from all across the world who all have one goal in common, but it gives a feeling of responsibility that I couldn't find in the day-to-day world.  I don't want to let anyone down in blog land.  I want readers to be able to come here for support and for motivation.  One day, I hope to be able to be one of the success stories that have inspired me so much to keep focused every day.

If you're just dropping by for the first time, don't hesitate to leave a comment or click "follow".  I would love to meet more people out there!  I think that's the key to this weight loss thing--strength in numbers.

Saturday, August 21, 2010

Lake Blanche

I am exhausted, but so happy to report that I finally conquered the devil hike that is Lake Blanche.  It was BEAUTIFUL.  We ended up going even further past the lake and up to see the other two lakes next to it.  We went 7 miles total on this hike.  It's got an elevation gain of 2700 feet--nice and steep!

Anyway, here's one of the photos I took on the hike:

Absolutely beautiful!  It was worth all the effort!

Friday, August 20, 2010

Some updates...

I added some new photos and things to the pages at the top of my blog.  Those are kind of a work in progress!  I hope you enjoy the additional stuff!

Awww yeah...

That's what I'm talkin' bout!  Yesterday was a MUCH better day than Wednesday.  I felt the same temptation to just go home and eat a huge dinner and not work out, but I knew that was super dangerous territory.  I was very concerned that if I were to do that, it would be the beginning of the downward spiral I always seem to go down. So I left work early and forced myself to go home straight away to run.  I made a goal to do 45 minutes on the treadmill, but I ended up going for 60 minutes!
You have no idea how big of a deal this is for me.  My asthma has made it impossible to run for long periods of time in the past, and even when I was in the best shape of my life I was only running for 30-45 minutes.  Granted, I ran these 60 minutes at a bit slower pace, but I finished!  I ran 5 miles!  It's a personal best for me.  I'm so proud, even though compared to a lot of people this is considered an "easy" run.  Well, it wasn't easy for me and I can't believe I actually was able to do it!

So yeah....I'm excited and feeling much better about myself.  It's crazy how big of a self esteem boost these things can give you.  I can see how exercising can get addictive.  That's one addiction I wouldn't mind having!

Today I will not be working out, but not because I don't want to.  I actually wouldn't mind hopping on the treadmill and getting a run in.  However, tomorrow I am finally facing up to that demon of a hike.  Lake Blanche and I have a date!  And I don't want to be too sore to do the hike, so I am going to give my legs a day off today.  I am pretty sure I'll need it, because I am already sore from the run yesterday.
I can't wait to update this blog after my adventure tomorrow!  I hope to have some beautiful pictures to share with you, as well as a story of victory over the devil hike.  I'm so nervous!  I hope it goes well.  Send good thoughts my way!

Thursday, August 19, 2010

Definitely an Emotional Eater...

*sigh*

Yesterday was a bad eating day.  As I mentioned earlier, I have been counting calories this week.  I've been doing well.  Well, that is until yesterday.  Towards the end of my day I felt my resolve weakening.  I was in trouble.  I would like to say that my willpower was strong enough to resist, but alas, it wasn't.  I was foiled.  My arch nemesis of favorite foods-that-will-kill-you was calling my name:

Hello, Becky...
I even tried to talk myself out of it by going to the website and looking up nutrition information.  Bad idea...once I got there, I was linked directly to a coupon.  Delicious goodness for only $1.99!!  

I did find the nutritional info, although not on the website.  It's roughly 90 calories per breadstick.  My inner demon say so to me, "Becky...just have a few.  You haven't gone over your calories yet.  A couple won't hurt you."

Evil demon lies.

I ate the whole freaking bag.  All 800 calories.  They were delicious, but I was disappointed in myself.  So how do I handle this let down?  Do I go home and workout extra hard to compensate for this gorging?  Oh no...I get home and decide that those Lucky Charms look DELICIOUS and I must have a big bowl.  What the heck?  I couldn't have been hungry after stuffing myself with breadsticks.  What was going on?

Stress.

I was stressed about work.  So I decided to try to eat it, I guess?  There is no logic to emotional eating, but it definitely exists.  And it haunts me...  When I get overwhelmed (whether by work or by life), I try to eat myself into a solution.  

*Spoiler Alert*

It doesn't work.  

I think this will be my biggest challenge by far, especially considering that I am aware of it and still couldn't defeat it last night.  I KNEW it was stupid; I KNEW I'd regret it, but I still did it.  And that, dear readers, terrifies me.

As a side note, I am tracking my calories on www.myfitnesspal.com (free!) and when you log your food and exercise at the end of the day, it gives you a nice motivating note:

This was Tuesday.  I like Tuesday.  Let's have more Tuesdays in my life...

Curse you Wednesday!!

Both are motivating, but in very different ways.  I like it though--it's a nice reminder at the end of the day why I am doing the things I am doing and why it important to stay on track.  Let's pray that next time I am stressed, I learn to use exercise to relax.  I want to make every day count towards my end goal.  

Wednesday, August 18, 2010

Adam's Canyon Hike


I love hiking.  This is something you should know about me.  I think it is one of the best ways to get in a workout without really feeling the regular "suffering" from a workout. Why is that?  Because I get distracted by the beauty of my surroundings and I am too busy having fun to take note of the calories I am burning away.  What a perfect set up!

Unfortunately, I am not able to get out in the mountains nearly as often as I would like.  This is especially frustrating because I live only 10 minutes away from some phenomenal hikes!  To try to remedy this, my friend and I are trying to meet up every week to go on a hike together.  This week's hike was Adam's Canyon.  It's a steep hike up to a beautiful waterfall.

The beautiful creek along the way


It's me!

My faithful hiking companion, Jess.

Jess at the creek

We made it!

It is always nice to have an end goal during a workout to keep you going.  The last part of this hike involves some scrambling, and the steepness of it makes the legs burn (especially since I ran yesterday).  Knowing that a beautiful waterfall was waiting for us, it was much easier to push through the pain to get to the goal.  

Speaking of goals...guess what I am doing this weekend (weather permitting)?  I am taking down another one of my goals.  That is right, I am finally hiking Lake Blanche.  



Just a bit of history on this hike...

Three years ago, my friend and I decided to hike this trail.  We were newbie hikers and wanted an easy to moderate trail to start the season off.  We looked up local hikes in our area, and found this one.  The website said it was easy and any beginner could do it.  The lake is beautiful, so we decided it would be the perfect hike.

THEY LIED.

It is basically a stair stepper the entire way.  The first part of the hike is in the sun, so you are melting as you climb up this trail.  I've never felt my thighs burn that way.  Eventually, the sun got too low in the sky and we had to turn around before making it to our goal.  Talk about disappointment!  It has haunted me since that day, and I have always wanted to go back and finish what I started.

That's what I'll be doing this weekend.  Wish me luck!

Tuesday, August 17, 2010

Willpower


Thank goodness for the power of the mind over the power of the body.  If it were up to my body, I wouldn't be able to do a lot of the things my mind wants to do.

For instance, last night I hopped on the treadmill with a goal of going for 45 minutes at around a 5.2 mph pace.  For me, this involves a short one minute warm up and then running at somewhere between 6 mph and 5.5 mph (depending on the beat of the music!) until my heart rate gets too high and I have to slow down.  I was able to complete my goal through sheer willpower alone.  After running 2 miles, my legs were burning and my lungs were screaming and I had a very odd sharp pain behind my shoulder blade.  However, I wanted to finish the run SO bad and on my own terms, not my body's.  So I powered through.  I used every trick in the book I knew to keep myself going.

*inner dialogue*

"Becky...you can make it.  Just ignore everything else except that little blinking light that is telling you how far you have to go to make it another 1/4 mile..."


"Becky...you made it another 1/4 mile.  How about just one more?  Then we'll see how you feel..."


(I say this knowing full well that I will be running a whole half mile more after finishing the quarter mile, but perhaps I can trick my body into not knowing that so it won't rebel...somehow this logic works for me)


"Becky...a 1/2 mile isn't realllly so long.  It won't take more than a couple of minutes.  What's that?  You know that it will take at least 6 minutes judging by our current pace?  Nahh....just ignore those numbers.  Only a couple minutes more!!"

This continues for a long time.  But ya know what?  It worked.  I finished my 4 miles (I only stopped to catch my breath once and hopped right back on!) and then cooled off for another 1/2 mile.  For me, this might actually  be a personal best.

I felt like a champion.

I haven't felt like a champion in a long time.

Yay for a much needed self-esteem boost!

Monday, August 16, 2010

Calories In...Calories Out

I am beginning to think that in order for me to meet my upcoming weight loss goals, I am going to have to begin counting calories.  I usually try to steer clear of counting calories because it makes me a bit obsessive and also makes me feel like I am too confined, and that always makes me want to rebel.  Not a good thing when that means stuffing your face in shame.
Om nom nom.

Anyway...what makes me think this needs to start again is last week's weigh in.  I had the exercising thing down, but still gained some weight.  Logically, this means I must have made up for the calories burned during exercise by eating more than I should have.  So alas, it begins.  If it feels too controlled for me, I might end up backing off the counting but for now I will be counting calories.  The goal range is between 1200-1500 calories per day.

Some days, that feels like all I get to eat is this:

Other days it isn't so bad.  However, in the past I have noticed that this switch is difficult for about 3 days and then your body adjusts and you suddenly don't have hunger pains anymore.  Our bodies aren't meant to eat as much as a normal American does.  The nice thing about a eating within this range is that I normally don't experience "food comas" after a big meal.

Yep.  Food comas...you know what I'm talking about.

Sunday, August 15, 2010

Importance of Taking Measurements

This weekend I was reminded of how important it is to take measurements of your body in addition to tracking your weight loss.  Why?  Well, I worked out hard this week and watched what I ate pretty well. I was feeling pretty good about my upcoming weigh-in.  However, when I stepped on the scale for a sneak peek this weekend I was greeted with a not so friendly weight GAIN rather than weight loss.  As someone who has been making a big effort this week to "do the right thing" I was very disappointed, and frankly, a bit pissed off.  I think it would've been very easy to get so discouraged that a person would just give up right then and there and say "To hell with it!  Where's my Big Mac??"  



However, before I decided to go eat my emotions I reminded myself that muscle weighs more than fat and that I should check my measurements.  Here they are:


Neck:  13.25" (Last week should've been 13.5.  I misremembered!)
Left Bicep:  11.5"
Right Bicep:  11.5"
Bust:  37"
Waist (smallest part):  30.75"
Waist (biggest part):  36.25"
Hips:  45"
Left Thigh:  27"
Right Thigh:  27"
Left Calf:  16"
Right Calf:  16"
Weight:  165 lbs.


Anyway, while some of those numbers didn't move, others saw a pretty decent drop.  I was happiest with my waist and the hips.  It was a good reminder that while I may not be able to see a difference on the scale, things are changing on my body.  My hardwork is paying off, even if it doesn't show on the scale.  Perhaps I will be like those Biggest Loser contestants who have a one pound weight gain one week and then the next week lose 15 lbs.  One could hope, right?  Nah, I know that's not possible but I do hope I can continue to stay motivated for this week.  One week at a time!  

Thursday, August 12, 2010

Gimmicks

Last night I went to a multi-level marketing pitch.  In Utah, these are very common events.  Our great state thrives on these "Get Rich Quick" schemes.  To be honest, they drive me absolutely crazy!  Anyway, this particular event was focused on healthy dark chocolate.  Admittedly, I am not a fan of dark chocolate.  If I'm going to eat chocolate, it needs to be the creamy milk chocolate, preferably from Europe!  Dark is just not my thing.

Anyway, they were positioning this healthy chocolate as a weight loss product and had someone who was involved in the case study give her testimony to its benefits.  Here's the premise of the product:
  • Replace two meals per day with dark chocolate protein shake
  • Calories for women should be 1200/day
  • Person should walk 20,000 steps per day
  • Shake meals should be supplemented with bright colored vegetables
They say that if you follow these things, you will see the benefits of this magical protein shake and watch the pounds fall off!

Admittedly, I am a skeptic when it comes to these things.  I'm especially sensitive to weight loss gimmicks because there are SO many out in the world that are promising quick results with little effort.  This one rubbed me the wrong way because of COURSE you are going to see dramatic results if you suddenly get off the couch and make an effort at working out, in addition to drastically slashing your daily intake of food.  That is simple math.  The case study for this product didn't have a placebo group, but I would imagine that the weight loss from the placebo group would've been very similar to the protein shake group.  It's a winning formula!  If your eat less and workout more, you WILL lose weight.  
Anyway, this has been kind of a soap box post but I have been frustrated with all the marketing and blatant lies that are coming out from weight loss companies across the globe.  Losing weight isn't easy.  It's hard work and takes a LOT of effort.  I think our obesity epidemic wouldn't be as bad if they would just tell it to us like it is.  No more sugar coating!

Wednesday, August 11, 2010

It's Funny cuz it's True!

Something to Remember

Yesterday was yet again another day where I did NOT want to work out.  I got home and begrudgingly got into my work out clothes.  I dilly-dallied around the house "prepping" for the workout, which really should just consist of filling my bottle with water.  Somehow I stretched it into more than that to delay the inevitable meeting with the treadmill.  Finally, I sucked it up and hopped on the machine.

Instantly, my shins were in pain.  Because of the extra weight I carry around, the motion of running is extra hard on those precious shins.  Pound, pound, pound on the treadmill...I wanted to stop after one minute.  I nearly did.  However, I decided I could push through the pain.  A quote my friend had posted on facebook just that afternoon came to my mind: "Who do you want to be?....Now you know what you have to go and do." I knew that the person I wanted to be was not the lazy person who comes home and vegges out on the couch.  The person I want to be is strong, confident, and sexy.  She's a person who doesn't have to obsess about her weight because she's in great shape already.  She is someone who just has to focus on maintaining her body weight, not shedding it.  Oh how I long to be in the maintenance mode!

Anyway, so that quote was the last minute inspiration I needed.  I ended up running straight for 2.5 miles and then walking another .75.  After I was done I felt so proud of myself.  I know it is a small amount, but for me it was huge especially considering the roadblocks I had put in my way that I had to overcome just to get on the treadmill in the first place.  I think I need to focus on striving for the feeling I get AFTER I work out, not during.  I think that will keep me much more motivated in the future to workout!


This is a nice visual of how sweaty I am after work outs like that.  Gotta love it?

Tuesday, August 10, 2010

Frustrated

Do you ever have those days where you find it super hard to get motivated to go to the gym?  For me, it is pretty much a daily occurrence.  Yesterday was one of those days for me.

I was working late (I should work 8-5, but quite often i work 8-7+).  It was 7:00 and I knew that I needed to pack up and leave for home before it got even later and I lost all motivation to go running.  I pulled in the driveway only to remember that I absolutely had to go to the grocery store that moment and it couldn't be pushed off (birth control is a necessary thing, ladies!).  So I backed out of my driveway and drove the 15 minutes to the pharmacy and hurriedly shopped for the items I needed, and nearly got a ticket on the drive home!

Upon my return home, I looked at the grass on my front lawn and realized it had to be nearly 8 inches long.  Curse you, fertilizer!!  It couldn't be ignored, so I decided that would be a nice warm up for my workout.  I mowed the lawn (took about 1.5hrs) and then came inside to cool off.  I quickly changed into my workout clothes.  I decided that while I cooled down from being outside, I would put away the tent that was set up in my kitchen (totally random, I know, but my nephews spent the weekend with us and we camped in the front room!).      It was taking up a ton of space!

As I am tearing the tent down, my husband calls to tell me our friends from out of town are stopping by RIGHT NOW.  Not much I could do about that, but I love these friends so I was excited about it.  They stayed until about 10:00, and which point it was way too late for me to work out.  I can't sleep for a few hours after finishing running, and since I have to wake up early it wasn't a good idea.  It was frustrating though!  I was so proud of myself for getting home and getting in my clothes to run and being so close to conquering my lack of will power, only to not end up actually being able to follow through with it.  I guess the only consolation is that I didn't just come home and sit on my butt!

Monday, August 9, 2010

Weekly Weigh In

It's that time!  Here are the latest measurements:


Height:  65.5"  (hooray!  I haven't gotten shorter!)
Neck:  13" 
Left Bicep:  11.5"
Right Bicep:  11.5"
Bust:  37"
Waist (smallest part):  31.5"
Waist (biggest part):  37"
Hips:  46"
Left Thigh:  27.5"
Right Thigh:  27"
Left Calf:  16"
Right Calf:  16.5"
Weight:  163.4 lbs.


It looks like my body is following its typical weight loss path--I lose the weight in my gut and arms first.  It takes FOREVER to get the weight trimmed off my legs.  Oh well--I will take any sort of trimming I can get!  I was actually surprised my weight stayed low after the weekend that I had.  My family came into town to visit, so there was a lot of eating out.  Additionally, we bought some soda for everyone to drink while at our house (we never buy soda for ourselves) so I had one of my biggest vices readily accessible.  Going along with that, we also went out and got Nielson's Custard (ice cream) as a family and I got a big oreo shake.  Yikes.  I don't even want to think about the calorie content in that thing...



Either way, I am happy with the results from last week and look forward to working hard this week.  I just need to do a bit better with my diet.  My family reunion is only 3 weeks away and I want to be in the 150s before then.  It would be awesome if I could get down to 155 by then, but I will likely barely get to 158.  Here's hoping for miracles!