Journey to a 5K, June 11, 2010

Week 1
Day 3

OK, so yesterday I was awful. I didn't do anything! I intended to get up and go to the gym at 5:45 AM for "Group Power." Yeah. Didn't do that. I turned off the alarm and rolled right over. Then, I planned on going to the pool to swim. Yeah. That didn't happen either. I even thought about coming on here to post about not doing anything, and even that required too much effort. I did, at least, go to VBS and jump and sing. That gave me at least a little movement. Not a whole lot, mind you, but some.

So...this morning, bright and early, Lori knocked on my door, and off we went. We started off with a good bit of walking since my legs (and hers, too) were really tight and sore. Yesterday I was only able to jog twice. Today, I was able to get in three times. I figure that's improvement! We went half a mile farther, and we figured out that if we had stuck to the same route, we would have taken about 7 minutes off our time from Wednesday. We're going to stick to roughly two miles for a while so that I can build up some endurance.

It felt great this morning to get out and do something. It didn't seem as hard or as impossible today as it did on Wednesday. I love that I have someone to push me. Lori encourages me and pushes me, but she also knows and accepts my limitations. She has gently encouraged me to push just a bit harder to stretch those limits. Yes, this is only after two days running/walking with her. I could pick that out immediately. I don't think I'd do well with a "Jillian" type person yelling at me. I don't want to go to boot camp, ya know?

A positive side effect of working my body harder is I want less junk. I don't want chips and soda. There are Oreos in the kitchen that are not at all a temptation. I just don't want to do this good for my body and then undo it by eating crap.

Another positive side effect is that I actually am more motivated to go to the gym and push harder (well, not yesterday). On Wednesday, I went to the gym after I did the run/walk with Lori. I did "Group Kick" for an hour, and I noticed me really pushing myself harder. Then, today, I went to spin. I only made it 20 minutes, but I was pouring sweat. In the past, I would have not even tried to do another activity. But two days now I have done the run/walk and then something else.

Tomorrow we are having a birthday party for Logan and Colleen. I have no clue whether or not I'll be able to get to the gym. I'm actually thinking tomorrow afternoon or evening would be a great time to hit the pool. We'll see what the day brings, I guess.

Journey to a 5K, June 9, 2010

Week 1
Day 1

Yesterday my friend Lori called me, wanting to encourage and motivate me. She challenged me to start running and train for a 5K. I accepted her challenge.

Now, I am well over 200 pounds. And I do mean "well over." I've never run. Let me take that back. I have only ever run when I absolutely had to. And those occasions are have been rare. I'm simply not a runner.

So, this morning Lori arrived at 6:30, ready to begin my training. The goal was a mile and a half. My neighborhood is hilly, which is great because the 5K I chose is pretty hilly. I walked more than I ran, and it took me about 40 minutes. My calves are killing me. I am seriously hurting. But, I know this is a good thing. I've never worked my muscles like this before. I've never had to learn to breathe like this before. So, all "well-over" 200 pounds of me walked/jogged this morning, and we'll do it again Friday.

Patrick went to the grocery store to get bananas for me, and I have to really up my water intake if this is going to work. Wish me luck.

Day 1

I am finally actually getting with the program. The Weight Watcher's program, that is. I've done it before, and I know it works. But for some reason I keep thinking I can do it on my own, so I cancel my membership with them. And, I end up quitting even following the program on my own.

So, I went back yesterday.

Today was my first day back "on program." It's been a good day. I've been satisfied with what I've eaten, and as I type this I still have a couple of points leftover so that I can have some popcorn after band rehearsal tonight. Can't complain about that.

January 2, 2010

I made my resolutions yesterday, now it's time to start sticking with them. I poured out the almost full Mountain Dew last night. I made myself a cup of coffee and a bowl of Raisin Bran. I'm off to a good start. I am optimistic that this is my year to finally get healthy.

New Year, New Me

Happy 2010! It's been a lazy start to the new year for me. We got up at around 9AM this morning, headed over to a friend's house for brunch, and now we are back home watching football. It's been a nice day.

So, as I sit here being lazy, I am at least thinking of what I am going to do for myself this year. Call them resolutions, commitments, goals - whatever - I am setting them today.

1. No more regular soda.
I honestly don't know if I can give up regular soda for a year, but I am certainly going to try. I drink way too many sodas. I have consumed many calories in my beverages alone.

2. At least 8 glasses (64 oz) of water a day.
In order for my body to function properly, I need to keep it hydrated. Not only that, but if I am not drinking sugared soda, I have to drink something.

3. Exercise 4-6 times a week
This is a no-brainer. I need to move my body. I won't commit myself to getting to the gym 4-6 times a week. I know that sometimes I'll have to do something here at the house. But I must do something.

4. Three meals a day - no excuses!
I'm very bad about not eating breakfast. I have some Herbalife nutritional shake mix. If I am not going to eat something in the morning, I will have a shake. I simply can not skip meals.

5. Write it down!!!
There's a saying that I've heard a lot when I attended Weight Watchers: If you bite it, write it. I need to write down everything I put in my mouth, even the "BLTs." You know, the "bites, licks, and tastes." In addition, I am going to keep up with my activity and how I am feeling. I am hoping to pinpoint if I am eating because I am hungry, bored, stressed, happy, not feeling well, etc.

So, there they are. My goals/resolutions/commitments... whatever.

5 Pounds!!!! And what I'm planning on doing about them!

And nope, that's not a five pound loss. From mid-December to today I've gained 5 pounds. Guess I enjoyed Christmas and the days leading up to it a whole bunch. Now it's time to get those New Year's Resolutions going and get off the pounds.

I've enlisted Patrick's help with getting rid of all the leftover candy and junk food from Christmas and also with dumping all the sugary sodas down the drain. Next on the list is to clean the kitchen and take inventory of what we have and figure out what we need.

Getting the house clean is the next step. I will be more relaxed and more focused if I am not constantly looking at a mess. A clean house is less stressful, which means no stress eating because of a dirty living space.

I am also going to work on getting my scrapbooking/sewing area cleaned and organized. This will give my idle hands something to do when I would otherwise be sitting on my butt on the couch eating something out of boredom. I can't/won't eat when I am scrapbooking or sewing. I am hoping to take up card making, too. My mother-in-law does it, and she creates some beautiful cards. I'd like to learn card-making techniques.

OK, so starting now... I am heading for the shower, changing clothes, and getting started on the kitchen. Maybe I'll even post some after pictures of my progress. (There's no way in creativity I'm showing anyone what my house looks like right now! LOL)

"Two Thousand THIN"

Third Day's Mark Lee tweeted last week, "I have officially declared next year Two Thousand Thin. Who's with me?"

Of course, I had to respond that I am in. Of course I'm in. I mean, what's a new year without a New Year's resolution to lose weight? Why do we (certainly, why do I) keep doing this? What is it they say? The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over expecting a different result.

Well, I must be insane, because I am planning on trying again. I am currently working on a plan. What am I going to eat? Am I going to follow a specific diet? Or maybe I'll just count calories. Then, how many calories do I need to sustain me, but to also lose weight? When am I going to go to the gym? What am I going to do when I am there?

I haven't ironed all that out. I need to. I need to start Day 1 with a workable plan. Something I can do. Something I'll stick with. I'm eager to start, eager to see my body change for the better. Eager to feel better and have more energy.

So, I'm with Mark Lee.... "I have officially declared next year Two Thousand Thin. Who's with me?"