Owwwww

Yesterday I missed my morning workout. I took a sleep aid and it made me groggy for most of yesterday. I don't tend to do well with sleep aids. So I ended up doing my workout at night. My husband joined me and dictated what we did. It was a lot of good full body stuff -pretty intense workout. Pushups, burpees, squats with weights lifted overhead and behind the back, Turkish getups, planks, pullups, and a few other things. He ended up having to stop because he felt queasy ..and eventually threw up! I felt fine and kept going for a few more minutes until my legs started cramping up. Not good, as Thursday is a run day.....

I woke up with sore legs. Still I headed out for my 6am run - indoors, on this windy 30 degree morning. I barely ran 2 miles before my legs started to cramp and I had to stop. Ended up walking on an incline for the last 20 minutes because it worked my glutes and not so much my quads. I didn't feel too disappointed because it means I did something challenging last night. And I still got a good 40 minute calorie burning workout.

I don't know what I will do tomorrow. I'll see how I feel.

My husband got me a new running jacket and belt for Christmas! I will definitely get some good use out of them

Dashing through the rain....

It's christmas eve!

Screw traditional stuff - today I am making some of our favorite foods. Our famous spicy chili, my famous mexican dip, and homemade cranberry bliss bars (like Starbucks has). We're not on a mission to pig out, just to enjoy some of our favorite comfort foods. And I say famous because we are known for this stuff among our family and friends, who often request us to make it. I'm going to try my best to exercise portion control and resist the urge to graze.

The thing I hate about fall and winter... is that all my favorite fatty treats are available. Normal candy doesn't really hold much sway over me these days, but anything pumpkin, peppermint, ginger, cinnamon... I go crazy for that stuff. This time of year I actually put cream in my coffee (so many tasty holiday flavors!) and there's things like peppermint bark and cranberry bliss bars and those amazing white chocolate Lindor truffles. So much badness!

To compensate a little for the evil food, I've resolved myself to making sure I get workouts in over my 4 day weekend. I went for a quick run around the neighborhood this morning. It's not a very big neighborhood - running to the entrance and back = 1 mile. This morning I did that twice, so 2 miles. My time today was 19:53, barely squeaking under a 10 min/mile pace. There are decent inclines and hills here which is very good for my training. This run was very well timed too, because it was drizzling when I started, changed to full on rain about halfway through the run, and then about 5 minutes after I stopped it turned into a total downpour. I'll run in the rain, but I'd imagine things would just get kind of miserable during heavy rain. It wasn't too cold or windy so the rain was actually very refreshing. It felt good to get out there on a day when most people are not. 4 day weekend? Heck yeah, I have TONS of time to work out! I'll even try to get one in tomorrow at some point. 

Hopefully christmas doesn't set me back too badly. I want to enjoy some treats, because if I completely deprive myself then I'll be miserable. So I'll enjoy these couple of days in my warm home, gaming with my husband and cooking some good food. Hopefully in front of the fire in the backyard if the weather allows. Then get right back to the 6am thing on wednesday!

The only person stopping you... is YOU

Today I went from feeling like shit to setting a new personal record.

How? Well...

For starters - I slept terribly last night. The worst sleep I've had in a very long time. It was a combination of feeling sick to my stomach + chills (I think I ate some bad food) and really bad girly cramps. I woke up much later than I would have liked to and in a pretty grumpy mood to boot. I downed a few pills to help with the pain, did my morning routine, and pretty much resigned myself to not running today. But after an hour or so I started feeling better and thought "Wait, why can't I run today? What exactly is stopping me?" So I went out and did it. By the time I actually got out there I was feeling pretty good. It was an unusually windy 50 degree day...and running into the wind does royally suck, but I felt good. In fact I felt great in comparison to the morning runs I did last week, where my legs literally felt like lead. A daytime weekend run is so carefree compared to the mornings!

Today's run was - 3.50 miles in 34:06 - a 9:44 pace! 

This is huge - my first under 10 minute pace! I have been stuck in what I like to call the "terrible tens" of running, because no matter what I did I could not get under 10 minutes. Today I ran my ASS off - the home stretch of this run was an absolute burnout. I kept telling myself I could NOT let that watch hit 35:00. I felt so good after this run.

Next up... 9:00!
My best EVER time is 9:30. I think it was from 7th or 8th grade. And I'll beat it at 26 years old, and be in the best shape of my life.


Here is what I have learned this week

I think I need to try harder in the mornings. I think where alot of my problems lie is in my head. I tell myself I'm tired, I can't do it, etc. Yes, it does feel 10x more difficult to move my arms and legs at 6am, but alot of this is mental. Exercise is a mental game. You complain, tell yourself you should quit, etc. But really if you just push a *little* harder, you CAN do it. This week I've learned I need to get past the mental block - don't listen to the evil little voice in my head that is telling me I need to stop or rest. The voice that tells me "I've done enough". Don't listen to its lies!!!! It's myself making excuses. Half the time I don't even realize I'm doing it. I have to be aware of my mind - it tries to hold me back.

Today - when that little voice popped into my head, I didn't listen. I kept going. I pushed myself hard. And I claimed victory.



Side note - I signed up for my next 5k
Dog Gone Cold 5k
I'll most likely sign up for another one that's taking place on the prior weekend. Why not, right?

179.2 - bye bye 180's!

Still getting used to this morning thing.

Yesterday I was about to leave for my run in the morning and out of nowhere I suddenly had a wave of really bad nausea. Ended up having to lie down until it passed and ended up not running. I have deduced that my vitamins are to blame (b complex and women's multi) and after learning what my husband does for morning PT, I am changing things up again. So today here is what I did

Got up at 445
Half a cup of black coffee
Drank a scoop of muscle milk light with water
Went running
Got ready, had more protein and a banana

The run wasn't as long as I normally do. My legs did not want to work! But what made me stop running was a massive headache. I tried to hydrate last night (3 glasses) and then another 2 this morning. Maybe it's a morning thing? My husband keeps telling me it's hard to adjust to morning workouts but that it will get better in time. I think I finally got a good routine with travel and nutrition. So I will keep doing it - even a little bit over the holidays

I have finally passed the 180 mark!!!

This is huge for me. I haven't been this light in 2 years. But getting under 170 will be insane - I haven't weighed that since high school.

Tomorrow I will do the early thing but this time it will be at the pool.
Until next time....

Posting from work

Adjusting to my new routine is hard.

I am on day 4 of my new job. Its going well, still training and learning alot. The first three days were tough since I havent worked a 40+ hour office job in 2 years. My commute can be long at times also. Last night I had alot to do when i came home and I just had no energy and went to sleep early. Today I feel better..so far

Yesterday was my first 5am wake up and work out. It was not a great run by any means. I also had to rush to get ready as its quite busy at the gym in the morning.

Today I got up early and did my body weight exercises at home. I sucked at that too! I just do not have that AM energy yet. I am drinking coffee and water first...I think I will changr my pre workout snack though.  Im going to keep trying and hope that in time my body gets used to it. After all its a big change...going from doing nothing all day except chores to a 10 hour day of work, and suddenly switching my exercise time from whenever I want to 6am  I guess its reasonable to expect my performance to be impacted a little bit.

Tomorrow I will run again, outside if its not too cold. I gotta make myself do it no matter how tired I am.

Blah

After 3 days of not exercising I went out for a morning run. I ran the same trail I ran a week ago. To me it didn't seem like a very good run. For whatever reason I felt like ass. 3 days of not doing anything, adjusting to working in an office again and long commutes, not so healthy dinner with some Army buddies, take your pick. It was also a chilly 40 degrees out there. First I was too cold, then too hot, then when I stopped running I was cold and sweaty, etc... body temp has just been all over the place but it's finally getting back to normal. And today for some reason I could not get my breathing right. I just felt completely out of breath for the majority of the run.

But somehow I managed to run it in 31:59 which was 37 seconds better than last week's run, during which I felt totally awesome and energized. I tried to push myself towards the end of this run. And even though it did not feel very good I'm glad I got out there and did it. Some days are better and some days are worse I guess.

Now I really need to try and find some energy because we're about to go out and do a whole bunch of important stuff today.

Weighing in

Today I didn't meet my weight goal... but I pretty much knew that was going to happen at one point or another. The goals I set for myself serve more as guidelines for roughly where I should be at a certain date. I only missed it by 1.4 lbs which I'll most likely lose over the next few days anyway. No big deal.

I've been taking progress pictures every 2 weeks too. There have definitely been some changes - 14.4 lbs worth, to be exact. So, since I don't really want to put pictures of myself in my underwear on the internet...I took this one! Plus I got my cute Victorias Secret US Army pants!

Over the next few days I should pass the 180 mark. This week has kind of been a weight roller coaster but now I'm steadily losing again. Huzzah!

Starting to suck less at running

Another good run today

I went into it thinking I probably wouldn't have a whole lot of energy. I had been out running errands from 10-4, and some of that time was spent in the mall. I had my not so comfy shoes on and the mall in general just sucks energy out of me. But somehow I managed to have alot of energy, maybe because I had a good lunch? Who knows...

The track on the Army base was my run of choice today. 1 loop is 1.75 miles.

I ran the entire loop without stopping once.

That's... not bad, considering I normally take a brief walk break around 1-1.25 miles. Then I ran the loop again with only 2 walk breaks. And during the run I tried to sprint as much as possible. Downside is I left my watch at home so I have no idea how I did time wise. Still, it's a sign of my endurance increasing which is very good.

I've come quite a ways in 3 months. A complete non runner, who only ran in gym classes in high school 8 years ago, to being able to run nearly 2 miles straight. It's been a hard transition. I've learned I can't run as much as I want to, and that my rate of progression is only what my body will allow. This whole time my husband's been saying "Look, you are suddenly asking your body to do something it's never done in 26 years." And he's right, this has been a giant WTF for my body, it's not used to this and has to figure out how to do it. But I think I'm finally starting to see some results. Running outdoors has helped tremendously. There's nothing holding me back and my body is having to figure out how to deal with real terrain instead of rubber. I like running outside - not sure how I'll like it in 6 months, but the heat is something I'm sure I'll acclimate to. 

Tomorrow I'm going to swim again, then its a 2 day break since I'll be starting my job. By monday I should have a routine figured out and will probably switch to early morning workouts. 

Side note - some Navy guys were out there on the field today doing burpees. Not even full ones, they did a plank instead of a push up. They did a set of 10 and I could tell they were struggling... so glad I'm not the only one!

Staying busy

Sunday was yoga day. This was my third time doing it and I noticed alot of improvement. There are still a few things that are tricky for me and I can't hold certain poses for the entire time.

This is my goofball kitty. Old picture, but its one of my favorites. She is extremely curious and keeps getting in my way when I do yoga. It's actually really cute - yesterday she walked right underneath my stomach and then brushed up against my arms and meowed at me while I was doing planks and downward dogs. Then she just proceeded to circle my yoga mat and chirp at me. I don't want to shut her in a room or anything... I do yoga in my living room which is really more like a great room...thus it does not have doors. As long as she doesn't start interfering too much I'll just let her keep doing it. It's really cute after all :)

Today I did some stuff here at home. It went something like this

50 jumping jacks
13x2 burpees
20 assisted pull ups, 10 each side
3 arm hangs (until failure)
15 full pushups
3 planks until failure
20 squats
20 prisoner squats
2 side planks

Basically I do them until I can't do any more. Before this I spent 2 hours cleaning the house so now I'm just tired.

Tomorrow is another run day, but I got a whole mess of other errands to do as well... so I'll definitely be exhausted by the end of it all

Trail blazin!

Feeling good about today's run!

I ran Euchee Creek today. This trail is right near my house. It's a nice little nature trail - part of it circles a lake with these big boulders all around, another part is just one long bridge, lots of big pine trees, etc. I saw alot of dog walkers, one other runner, some kids, and even a small wedding was about to take place right as I was leaving. 

http://www.mapmyrun.com/routes/view/158163395

So it's 3.14 miles if I run the entire trail twice, which I did

I ran it in 32:36 - this is my best non treadmill 5k time so far! 

My walk breaks were 

40 seconds x1

50 seconds x1

25 seconds x1

Overall my pace was about 10:22. Not bad! And this was a decently hilly run too. My legs are not in agonizing pain today, though my right hip did cramp up a bit. Did 2 small sprints too.

Before I went for my run I did a few "pullups" lol... and some burpees. My new strategy to tackle the burpee is just to do one more each day. Right now I can do about 10 at a time, so today I did 11. And tomorrow 12. Etc, etc. It's the pushup part that kills me!

I'd say I've done good today. Celebrated my new employment and ate bad last night but now I'm right back on track.

Feeling accomplished

I've fallen out of my rhythm a little bit this week due to lots of stuff happening in life. Yesterday I had a root canal for the first time ever. It's an arduous 3 hour process that left me tired and hungry (and hungry = cranky) but I am so glad to not be in pain anymore. For the past month I have been eating on the left side of my mouth only, and something as simple as drinking the slightly cooled water out of my fridge's dispenser was extremely painful - and I do that all day, every day.

 I also had a job interview this week. I planned to make my rest day the same day as my interview but then it got rescheduled to the following day. And I had flooring people come to the house that morning too. I spent alot of time preparing for the interview, and the event itself took nearly 2 hours because I met about 4 different people and got a mini tour of the facility. And yesterday morning I was offered the job! I am so thankful to finally be starting work again after several months of searching. I'm excited about it - it's going to be alot of Excel and analytical number work, and I'm a geek for that stuff. I did not think finding a job would take as long as it did (I guess in the past I always been really lucky with finding work quickly?) and our budget was starting to get really tight. Until yesterday we didn't think we'd be able to afford christmas this year, even as small as ours is. So it's a huge relief to now be able to not have to worry about money so much. We'll have extra money for all these races I'll be doing :)

 I am going to start next week and it will be an 8-5 job. It may take me a few days to get used to the schedule and figure out what traffic is like, but once I know my commute I think I will be working out in the mornings. I have no problem getting up at 6 - and an evening workout will probably not work for me. I like to cook dinner and depending on what I'm making it can take awhile, and I don't want to eat dinner at 9pm and then be so exhausted I just go right to sleep afterward. Plus I will be driving right by the base, which is going to be my primary running spot (as long as they aren't using it for PT - my husband doesn't think they will though). Eating patterns might change as well. I'm going to have to figure out what would make good healthy work snacks. Lunches for the most part will be leftovers but I will need other ideas for that as well. 

Oh, and tonight we are going out to celebrate :) This will be a big time cheat night, but after the stress of not being able to find work for 4 months I really want to relax and enjoy. 

Today I went swimming. This time I did 12 50m laps plus 2 for breathing practice and cooldown. I think I'm getting better at figuring out correct breathing with freestyle, didn't struggle nearly as much as I did last week. I swear it wasn't a problem for me as a kid! I never even really thought much about breathing back then. Then again, think about all the things kids do that are so very much harder now! Like I don't even know how I swam that many laps in a row at swim team practice without food or water and then rode my bike 3 miles to get back home! Still, the improvement will come in time. I've definitely improved from last week anyway.

Tomorrow I will have to atone for tonight's food sins. I want to run on base again, but gate 2 is closed and I really don't want to go all the way around to the main one. I'm going to run Euchee Creek, it should be about 3 miles if I do it twice. It's a nature trail about a 2 minute drive from my house. And once again we will have 70's weather so it should be a really nice run!

My weight's been steady this week despite the 3 days of non exercise - haven't gained but haven't lost either. I am so close to seeing sub-180 numbers! 

Re-evaluating

Today after talking to my husband and completing my daily run, one thing became apparent - I need to ditch the treadmill completely. Well ok, unless its 30 degrees, windy, and rainy, all at the same time - but that has maybe a 5% chance of happening during the mild winters of the south. Treadmills are good for people who are just starting out, but I need to break through beginner phase and advance my running. I'm going to be running races outside, I should practice outside for every possible run.

I ran on the Army base today, since my husband had a dental appointment I figured it made sense to make a single outing out of it. There is a dirt track right outside the gym I go to, which is perfect... locker rooms, bathroom, recovery shake if I need...plus I keep hearing it's best to avoid running on pavement if possible. Perfect. Only trouble was I had no idea how long it was! My first thought was 2 miles, since Army run PT tests are 2 miles long. When I got home I used Map My Run and found out it's only 1.75 miles. But, I ended up running a total of 2.75 today. I did it in 28:30 or so, putting me at a pace of 10:36. I did pause my watch and drop by the car for a quick drink which took a minute or so. If I had known how long the course was I might have been able to push myself longer. It felt like a longer run than it was, and my legs were starting to cramp up so I decided it was time to stop. But this just made me realize that I need to be running outside. It's more difficult than running on a treadmill but also a much more accurate representation of how I am really running.

So I'm going to keep running on the base, my short term goal is to run the entire track twice (3.5 miles) in one sitting. I may need to keep my water bottle on the side of the path near my car for a quick and easy stop halfway through. There is also a trail right near my house that I will go check out. If I run the whole loop twice it would be about 4 miles. I think the whole thing is paved, but I'll still go and try it out. I'll have to be on the lookout for other places to run in this little town :)


Tomorrow = rest day. I haven't had a rest day since Sunday. But I planned it this way because I have a job interview tomorrow, and I just didn't feel like working out and then having to clean up for the interview. Plus I need to make sure I am as prepared as possible and have the whole day to get my mind right. We have been here for 3 months and I have just not had any luck finding a job. I will say this, increasing my level of activity and losing 13 lbs has really increased my self confidence and made me much happier. And I am sure it will show in my interview.

Bucket List

In the past 2+ months of my healthy quest I've come up with a few things I'd like to accomplish. Maybe over the course of the next year, maybe lifetime. I'm going to list them here and mark them off as I complete them - it'll be interesting to look back on all this and see what I will have accomplished.

I'll put this on the main page of the blog too so I can add things to the list in the future

Weigh 155 lbs

Fit into size 6 jeans

Run a 5k

Run a 5k in under 30 minutes

Run a 5k in under 25 minutes

Run a 10k

Do a pull up

Do 30 burpees in a row

Do 30 pushups in a row

Run a 9 minute mile

Run an 8 minute mile

Complete a Spartan Sprint

Complete a Super Spartan

Complete a Spartan Beast

Complete a Warrior Dash

Complete a Tough Mudder

Oh, here are the aforementioned size 6 jeans.

I usually get American Eagle jeans - for some reason I just like them. As long as they arent skinny jeans, that is. I have some 10's and *gasp* a 12 in my closet that are now too big :) The only pair that fits right now is a 10 that is slim cut - it's still tight around my huge legs,  but loose on the waist. I'm a weird fit, I usually have to buy a larger size of pants to accommodate my huge legs.

These size 6's don't fit yet, but they will some day! God, I don't think I've worn anything this small since middle school.

I got these for 12 bucks a piece from their website the day after Thanksgiving. 

Health challenges

So. Hungry.

I'm still trying to figure out what to eat and how much to eat to stay within daily calories, and just getting the whole balance right. Today I thought I ate enough... then around 1 I did some yard work. Finished raking the backyard... there weren't tons of leaves, but since there is no house on the right side of ours we get some big pile ups over there. And the weeds. Georgia is ridiculous, I pulled weeds the size of -bushes- on December 2nd. I let them go so long because I figured the cold would just kill them off, but evidently it hasn't been cold enough here because they were thriving and growing monstrous! After that I ate some apple slices, almond butter, and a string cheese, and then did yoga again (the 90 minute P90X yoga course) and I didn't have as much energy as I did last week. Then I looked at my phone and realized I have a 1100 calorie deficit! Had some protein and a banana and felt fine, but now I'm hungry. And I'm tired and lazy. All weekend I've been exercising, doing chores, and running around town trying to look for employment. I just don't feel like cooking right now! I want pizza. Aside from Thanksgiving, I haven't eaten bad in 2 weeks, not since after the Santa Chase 5k I ran on the 17th. I have worked really hard these past couple weeks. So you know what, I'm ordering some damn pizza. I just won't gorge myself on it - gonna eat it slowly, only got a medium for the 2 of us to eat so there won't be extra food to tempt me into overeating. Gonna have me some pizza with my favorite 2 toppings - pepperoni and jalapenos. Mmmmm.

I think I've done a good job so far of shifting my mind towards a healthier lifestyle, thus cleaning up my eating and exercise habits. One of the main reasons I started this initiative is something I have not yet discussed - my health. I have a couple of conditions which if not managed properly can cause serious health problems down the road. I have Hypoglycemia and PCOS. It's very important that I treat both of these conditions correctly to avoid them turning into something serious.

I have had hypoglycemia for about 5 years now. I unfortunately found out I had it on a hiking trip. When we still lived in Virginia we always took trips up to Shenandoah National Park to camp and hike. One of our favorite trails was White Oak Canyon, you start at the top of the mountain and hike down a series of 6 waterfalls and then hike back up to return. One day when we got to the bottom we decided to take a different trail back. We found out after the fact that Cedar Run trail was one of the most difficult trails they had. Some time into the hike I started feeling really weird. Shaky, cold sweats, weak, like I was going to pass out from exhaustion. My judgement even got a little hazy. I kept thinking "What the hell is wrong with me? I shouldn't be this worn out from hiking! I'm not that out of shape, I've done this kind of thing tons of times before!" I kept telling my husband he had to go find help, because I absolutely could not make it. I had to stop every couple of minutes. But it was getting late in the day so he made me push on. At the top I puked my guts out. When we got back to camp I just felt so sick, yet my body seemed to tell me it needed food. Specifically I wanted something sugary, but I couldn't explain why. I felt like it would just make me sicker, but I ended up eating a can of pears and I actually felt better afterward. When I found out hypoglycemia was the cause, I learned that I need to eat a snack every 2-3 hours, or just whenever my body tells me (I start to get the shakes). I need to carry snacks with me. I need to avoid sugar, alcohol, and white flour. I need to eat alot of protein and fiber because they are filling and don't cause blood sugar highs and lows. When my sugar drops too low I can eat sugar to bring me back up, but it needs to be followed with a more substantial meal. I also learned that when I exercise for 30 minutes or more, I need Gatorade or some source of calories. I knew this was true, because I experienced the weird shakes after intense gym sessions too. So I have lived with this for years now and it's quite manageable. I just need to be careful - diabetes runs in my family and hypoglycemia has the potential to one day cause diabetes. Challenge #1.

PCOS is a more recent diagnosis for me. I've had issues with irregular periods since 21 or so - strangely enough, around the same time I found out about my low blood sugar. I saw about 6 different doctors and none of them could tell me what was wrong, and to my frustration, brushed it off by telling me "its fine, this just happens to some people" or "why do you care, you told me you don't want kids anyway" Um, I care because something is WRONG and this is my health? Only when I came here to Georgia did a doctor finally think to run a blood test - which came back with elevated testosterone levels. That plus my other symptoms = PCOS. I have a pretty minor case, in worse cases there are more extreme treatments, but diet and exercise are said to be the best way to minimize symptoms. My doctor put me on the pill, and at this point I had already begun my weight loss program so she just said to come back in 3 months for a follow up. Losing weight should help with the hormone imbalance. Again, diet is important here. Whole grains, fruits, veggies, lean meats, little sugar, few processed foods. PCOS is often linked to diabetes and obesity, and even though I am the reverse of diabetes it probably explains why I have sugar issues in the first place. So again, key here is management. Challenge #2.

These issues have caused me grief and some stress, but you know what? I'm at a turning point - I can let them run my life, or I can do something about it by improving my diet and weight. Yes, I'm at a disadvantage since I need calories during intense workouts to prevent blood sugar crashes. I could potentially pass out, go into a coma, and even die if I crash and it is not treated. But all that means is - I prepare, make sure I get calories when I need them, carry ID saying I'm hypoglycemic, and train harder to accustom my body to endure. I'm not going to let these things stop me from becoming an athlete. I have my own unique challenges to overcome, but that just makes it all the more worth doing. 

Running woes

After 3 days of non running I went back at it today. And I think I figured out why I'm getting shin pain.

I've gotten to a point where I can run a 10 minute mile, take a break for 30-60 seconds, then run 2 more 10 minute miles with one more 30-60s break. But I'm also at a point where I feel like I should be going faster than I am, but at the same time I can't maintain a faster pace for as long and I eventually have to slow down again. So I'm at this weird in between stage. I think because I am wanting to go faster I may be overstriding a bit. Maybe I'm so gun shy after overdoing it last week that I am too conscious of my form, instead of just letting myself run naturally? And once again it probably all goes back to me trying to push myself too hard. I'm very guilty of pushing myself too hard. On my next run day I'll have my ever so awesome Army husband watch my form and see what he has to say. He should know - for the past 2 years he's been dealing with stress fractures caused by running, so he has made every attempt to perfect his form... even though it actually turned out to be a problem with his feet which was impacting the way he ran. So on monday I just have to do my best to run naturally and let my body do its thing - and not overwork it 

I did do some sprints today. I did 3 of them during my 3 mile run, just for as long as I could go. I had to compensate though, so I ended up taking longer walk breaks after each sprint and even taking walk breaks more frequently. But the time still averaged out to about the same as I normally do. Still, sprinting every now and then will help me perform better and increase my speed. Sprints are also part of Spartan WOD's - and although I'm not doing WOD's every single day, I need to make sure I am doing similar activities to what they recommend. Last night I did their Ab 300 (well, as much of it as I could do) and I added in 3 sets of push ups, assisted pull ups/hang until fail, and BURPEES. God damn burpees. They are freaking hard, I can't do more than 10 at a time! They just make me so dizzy and cause my heart rate to go crazy. But I gotta learn to love them and make them my friends. Because I know I'll be doing them on March 9th! 

Oh yeah, that chili I made last night was really good! Here's what I did -

Vegetarian Chili

• 1 can Rotel
• 1 28oz can organic diced tomatoes
• 2 15oz cans of organic tomato sauce (might use a little less next time for a thicker chili)
• 1 can pinto beans (I go with the low sodium option for all my beans)
• 1 can dark red kidney beans
• 1 can black beans
• 8oz organic frozen corn
• 1 green bell pepper, chopped up
• 1 red bell, chopped 
• 1-2 jalapenos, chopped
• 1 poblano, chopped
• 4 cloves garlic (or less, I really like garlic)
• 1 yellow onion, chopped
• 2 tablespoons chili powder
• 1 teaspoon oregano
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• 1/4 teaspoon paprika
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper

Throw everything in the crock pot, cook 5-8 hours and ravenously consume!

I ate mine with a small amount of blue corn tortilla chips. My husband loved this chili too :)

I'm getting ever closer to the 180 mark! At this rate I should hit it before my goal date of 12/12, which would be awesome. I have really cleaned up my eating and made further improvements to my diet this week, and we really haven't been eating out at all lately - partly due to us being poor right now, and partly because I don't have the same eyes for bad food as I used to. Sometimes I do crave things like pizza, but then I also think "AHHH!! Would ya just look at all the calories in this!!! I can't do this to myself!!" And thus, my willpower wins. Not all the time, but most of the time.

Nutrition is important!

I've made some pretty tasty healthier meals this week. Chicken and cheese taquitos, strawberry pecan spinach salad, almond chocolate chip cookies, and roasted red pepper and feta pasta - all of them whole grain, low fat or fat free, no butter or flour, no conventional sugar and instead sweetened with raw honey, and just as home made as possible to avoid all the processed junk. And all of them husband approved :)

Today I am making some meatless chili. I am trying to go vegetarian 1-3 nights a week. This particular recipe I found online and it was really simple, so I added a ton of stuff to it. I am a ravenous chili eater and have made several good recipes over the years. So I know how to make some healthy, good chili.

Tons of peppers and beans and tomatoes. Yes, some consider beans and tomatoes to be a chili-sin, I lived in Texas so I know. I love them in my chili though. I like having tons of different things in chili, adds variety! This is what it looks like uncooked and in the crock pot. I crock all my chili, ideally for at least 8 hours. Today time got the better of me and I don't get to cook it for quite that long. Ah well. If it turns out to be super tasty then I'll put the recipe up here!

Food is really important. The equation for a healthy body is simple. Exercise + Diet. You can't do one without the other and expect to be slim and healthy. I know this from my early 20's and spending tons of time in the gym but still eating like crap. And the famous "I just worked out really hard so now I can go out to eat and reward myself!" Thus, the weight was not lost. Now that I am serious about becoming healthy I understand the importance of a proper diet. Your body needs the right fuel - protein, fiber, healthy fats, carbs (within reason), vitamins and minerals. Most of which are completely absent in most traditional foods. So I am buying fresh ingredients, fruits, veggies, organic foods, whole grains, lean meats and proteins... and just making everything from scratch. It's so much better for you and often times tastes better too. 

Food is a challenge for me. I have always been a picky eater. Growing up my mom didn't make me eat my vegetables and basically let me eat whatever I wanted. We didn't have very many sit down family meals, it was more like telling her what I wanted to eat. Which was usually mac and cheese or chicken nuggets or ramen noodles. And the amount of coke I drank... by the time I was in high school I was drinking 4 cans of vanilla coke a day. It had just come out back then... that stuff was really good! But as I got older, and especially after meeting my husband who pretty much eats anything placed before him, I've started broadening my horizons. At first it was just going out to eat at places I thought I wouldn't like and trying new foods. Now I am challenging myself to eat *gasp* vegetables and salads! And nuts - never did like them much either. I also don't like seafood, so a long term goal of mine is to one day learn to like it. Being picky sucks. It's really hard to get outside your food comfort zone... but by god, I will do it!

Things I have learned about changing my diet:

• Research. There is a ton of information on healthy eating on the internet. Over the past few months I have read alot of articles from all kinds of different sources. I have learned what to eat in order to lose weight, what foods make the human body healthier, the role of fats, carbs, protein, and fiber, what fats are healthy, how to portion meals, what snacks to eat during the day, and the importance of expending more calories than you take in. And I am continuously reading more - I've genuinely become interested in healthy eating.
• Planning. Making a plan of what you will eat for dinner each night of the week will set you up for success. Set a couple nights a week as vegetarian nights, maybe plan to make a dessert or treat meal once a week, etc. Since it's just my husband and I we usually end up eating leftovers for lunch the next day. And as long as I plan correctly we won't ever go "Crap, what's for dinner? Guess we have to order something...." and I don't ever have to resort to pre packaged meals - don't even keep them in the house anymore! Planning also saves me money at the commissary/grocery store - I go in with a list and know exactly what I am going to get instead of just going in there and buying stuff all willy nilly.
• Make swaps. Again, research the internet for some good healthy swap ideas. Here are some I use
• 100% whole grain everything as much as possible, instead of regular white flour
• Plain nonfat greek yogurt instead of sour cream, milk, or cream cheese. A very versatile ingredient that you can substitute with and get a rich, creamy element to your dish.
• Wheat germ for breadcrumbs. This is an awesome one - if I'm making some baked chicken tenders or anything else that's breaded. Wheat germ has fiber, protein, and lots of vitamins. Plus it has a much heartier texture than bread crumbs. I usually go half breadcrumbs and half wheat germ.
• Quinoa for rice. The texture and taste take some getting used to, but it is packed with the amino acids your body needs. And rice is terrible for you. Quinoa cooks just like rice and can be added to lots of different foods.
• Chia seeds. I used these in a salad dressing the other day (the recipe called for poppy seeds) but you can throw them into a smoothie too. They have protein, fiber, vitamins, and omega 3's and are barely noticeable in most foods.
• Almond flour and almond butter. Almonds are great for you! I just made some awesome cookies using almond flour. They tasted great and had a nice texture that you don't get with regular cookies. A good pre workout snack is a few apple slices with some almond butter. You can make your own, just toast about a cup of almonds and blend them with a few teaspoons of olive oil in a food processor. I have not been an almond fan in the past, but I am trying to get used to them as they make great healthy snacks. Just don't eat mass quantities of them - they are high in calories, but also great for energy throughout the day and providing your body with healthy fats.
• Spinach or other leafy greens for iceberg or romaine lettuce. I've been on the spinach train lately! Never been a big fan of salads, but I think I've just realized that I don't really like iceberg or romaine lettuce that much. They make for good taco toppings but that's about it. Spinach just tastes way better to me. And it's much more nutrient dense than regular lettuce. So I've been putting it on sandwiches, blending it in smoothies (barely noticeable!), tossing it into pastas, and making salads with it. I've heard great things about other dark leafy greens such as kale and arugula, but those will enter my life in due time. I am still in the process of getting used to veggies.
• Add veggies! Add them to whatever food you are eating - chopped, pureed, whatever. Your body needs them! Even if you have to mask the taste with other foods, which I have certainly been known to do.
• Raw honey for sugar. Sugar is terrible for you, and it's in most everything we eat these days. And you don't want a bunch of disease causing chemicals from those artificial sweeteners either. So as you are cooking/baking or sweetening your foods and drinks, use raw honey. It has a lower glycemic index, meaning your blood sugar doesn't rise as quickly after eating. Raw honey also has lots of vitamins and may help with allergies. Just make sure it's organic, raw, unfiltered honey. Regular honey's nutritional content is pretty much completely filtered out. Stevia is a great option too - just research it first to see if it's right for you. I can't have it because I have low blood sugar. Stevia lowers your blood sugar, so I end up feeling really sick whenever I eat it.
• Olive oil. Big one here, use it instead of butter and vegetable oil. Most times I don't notice a difference in taste, but it may not be a good idea if you are baking a dessert or something. It has tons of great health benefits - just don't drench your food in it.
• The number one thing I have learned about diet - Change it slowly! Picture this - you walk into your doctor's office. He tells you you're fat and unhealthy and that you need to cut out all the bad food you love to eat and just eat fruits and vegetables. You get scared. So you try to change the way you eat overnight. You will be hungry, you will probably hate the way it tastes, and you will experience physical symptoms as your body is not used to the new food yet. Sounds like a sucky experience. Alot of people go this route when they try to become healthier - they try to do too much at once and then get discouraged and quit. Make small changes instead. Start off by choosing low fat options of the foods you love. Go whole grain instead of white. Add vegetables to the dishes you normally make - throw them into soups and stews, pastas, tacos, make a veggie stir fry with chicken, etc. Cut out the bad stuff like sodas and sugary foods. You will feel like crap at first, but after about a week you will feel alot better than you did with all the sugar. And eventually you crave less and less of it. Make gradual changes, and continually improve your diet over time. Once you're used to your new style of eating, make a bigger move such as reducing or eliminating dairy. I have learned that once I get comfortable with certain foods, my next step is to re evaluate my diet and say to myself "Ok, I'm at this point, where are some areas I can make improvements?" And before you know it, you'll be addicted to healthy food.

Life is about growth. I'm continuously learning and evaluating my eating habits to improve them. It's very hard to change the way you eat. Food is a huge part of our lives! But you gotta do it. I already feel so much better - physically, and mentally because I know I am doing what is right for my health. 

Into the water

So I've gotten to the point where I am starting to notice some changes. I may not notice it in the mirror just yet, but just by touching certain areas I can tell they are getting smaller. I always lose weight in my lower back/hips/love handles first. I don't have love handles to begin with, but for some reason that's always the first place I lose. It makes me look kind of weird, because from the back I look totally skinny and in the front  I look like a fattie cause that's where I carry all my weight. My bad zones are my front and inner thighs, arms, and belly. So those will probably be the last places I lose. But even in those areas I am noticing changes. I am also noticing my muscles are getting harder and more defined, mainly in my legs. Clothes are starting to fit a little better. I'm gettin there!

Today I went swimming over at the pool on base. I'm going to try to go once a week because its such a great workout and it will pretty much work my entire body. I'm not new to swimming at all - I was in the water before I was a year old and I was on swim team from 5-12 years old. I blame my big upper body on it. But it's been at least 2 years since I swam laps so it kicked my ass pretty good. I did 10 laps - well, we always used a 25m pool so in my head I consider a 25 to be a lap. But this is a 50m pool. I guess in the real world a lap is 50, so yeah - 10 laps. Breaststroke was always my best stroke, followed by freestyle, back, and the dreaded butterfly. Breaststroke was mostly what I did today along with a little bit of free. For some reason free was really hard on me today and I couldn't finish a 50 without running out of breath. Probably a combination of technique being rusty and me not being used to swimming. In swim team they don't focus a whole lot on perfect technique considering they are trying to corral 50+ kids aged 5-14 early in the mornings of precious summer vacation. It was more like "Shut the F up, get your head in the water and swim dammit!" So technique is something I'll have to work on,  and the endurance will come with time and repetition. I'm also trying to hold my breath underwater - sometimes in swim team they'd have us push off and swim underwater until we ran out of breath. I was never good at it, but I know it's going to help make me a better swimmer. 

Still sore from yoga. Muscles I didn't even know I had are sore. It's great. Think I may start running again on saturday. My shins and legs don't hurt anymore, but I'll do one more day of rest just for good measure.

182

Today's been good. Met my goal weight and then some!

So glad, because I have really been conservative with estimating calories. I use the Lose It app for tracking calories and exercise. I freaking love it. Here's why:

• It has a whole database of foods, even from restaurants, and not to mention a barcode scanner! Scan the barcode on the package and bam - all the nutrition data is added and you just pick how many servings you had.
• You can create your own custom foods with calorie and nutrient data.
• It has a nutrient tracking option, so you know how many grams of fat, protein, fiber, carbs, sugar, etc. you are getting daily.
• There is a database for exercises and you can also create custom ones. You can customize the length, intensity, and type of your exercise. Then it will estimate how many calories your exercise has burned and subtract them from your daily total.
• You can track your weight loss over time and it will adjust what your new calorie intake should be.
• It will tell you if you are over or under your calories for the day. Since I cook all my own dinners/most lunches, my strategy for that is to count and estimate the calories based on the ingredients (that is if I am not using a recipe where I already know the calories) and then just make a custom food called "300 calorie meal" or whatever. That way I don't have to enter in every single recipe I ever use. And as I said I'm pretty conservative with this so I always over estimate. The drawback to this is you don't get an accurate picture of nutrients. But for me that's ok. With the amount of different things I cook, it would be insane for me to enter every single one into my phone!
• Knowing how many calories you can eat really makes a difference - makes you think twice about eating those chips at night!
• There are a bunch of other cool features that I don't even use. You can share your progress with friends and all that good stuff

Today was a yoga day. I am doing the P90X yoga which is 90 minutes. Thats a long freaking time. And it's hard. I am not new to yoga but it has been awhile - still, I think I did a decent job. I had a really calm mind today so I was very focused on what I was doing and it seemed to help alot. When I did yoga in the past I always had trouble with the breathing - remembering to breathe, make the breaths long and deep, and timing them with the movements. But if I do my best to concentrate on it I tend to do a much better job. I need to focus on breathing and study all the poses to make sure my form is correct. And I need to not kick my overly curious cat when I'm coming out of runners pose :)

My body feels a bit weak and tired right now, but at the same time I feel great. I feel very loose and stretched out. Evidently this yoga class burns a ton of calories too. So I think I'll be doing this 1-2 times a week. It'll keep me in good shape for running and help build up my core.

Too much stuff

I've been working way too hard this past week.

I'm sitting here sipping a healthy smoothie I threw together (spinach, blueberries/mixed berries, tiny bit of greek yogurt, chia seeds, protein powder, green superfood powder, and a bit of water), took some ibuprofen, iced my legs, and resolved to take a day for recovery.

So I'm still fairly new to running. And by new I mean a complete non runner who probably hasn't run this much since 8 years ago in high school. I've been at it for 2 months and have the occasional shin pain, and I have realized that for me, at this stage, I can run every other day and be fine. But last week I began doing a workout on my off days that is basically an obstacle running bootcamp. Jumping jacks, jump rope, push ups, pull ups, burpees, squats, turkish getups, and all kinds of general bouncing around. And all the bouncing around has been aggravating my legs. All my muscles have been sore, but my right calf has been the worst and I think I may have pulled something in it. And the shin pain has been creeping up on me daily. I am definitely doing too much impact on my legs at this point. Today was a run day and going into it I didn't know what to expect because I knew I was sore,  but I figured I'd just do what I could. I originally wanted to run outside but it was rainy and very cold so I told myself I'd just do it on one of the many 60-70 degree days we have around here. So treadmill it was. The first mile was fine. Then right when I hit the second mile my right leg just said - no more dude, I'm done. I limped off the treadmill and finished it out on the elliptical.

I know my legs need to rest and that it means taking days off from running or anything high impact. But this sucks. I'm supposed to be getting better, not going backwards. Yeah, there's lots of low impact stuff I can do... Ellipticals are good for cardio, but other than that they won't help me be a better runner. Plus ellipticals are boring as hell. I'm sure I can find some good low impact stuff to work on my core and muscle strength. I can still push/pull up (by pull up I mean hang there as long as possible! that's about where I'm at, lol) I just feel like all the stuff I need to be doing to train for the Spartan Race is stuff I really shouldn't do right now while my legs are hurting so bad. I'll do my best to work around it for now though. Tomorrow I'll be doing yoga, and maybe I will be doing yoga 2 days a week instead of just 1. It should help prevent this type of thing from happening in the future.

I need to find a balance - I want to do as much as possible, but I am probably doing too much too fast. I need to remind myself that this is all new to me - sure I've done these types of exercises from time to time during my prior half assed attempts to get in shape, but I have never gone all out and committed myself to fitness. I have never been athetic. My body has alot to get used to.

Tomorrow is one of my weigh ins. I'm really close to my goal. I can't wait to get under the 180 mark - that will be pretty significant for me. That should happen in mid december - or sooner :)

Future Spartan

Well, I finally did it. I signed up for the Georgia Spartan race.

http://www.spartanrace.com/

I have never done anything like this in my life. This challenge will test my strength and push my limits big time. It will be a true test of how fit I will have become. It looks terrifyingly fun. Mud, climbing, running with heavy objects, fire, heights... there is alot to be scared of but once I complete it I will no longer have any doubt. I need to get out of my comfort zone, overcome my fear and my doubts about my fitness abilities. I'm not ready yet, but I have just over 100 days to train and prepare for it. The fact that I have committed to this is going to push me to get into my best shape. This is a whole new challenge for me, and I'm going to dedicate myself to it over the next 3 months. When I complete this I will be one proud, bad ass Spartan chick. And very very muddy.

103 days!

Becoming a Warrior

Today I am posting about the inspiration behind the name of my blog and for what I do

The Fit Viking - strange name, but I wanted to name it something that encompasses all that I hope to one day be.

I am inspired by the past. Anything to do with ancient civilizations, vikings, warriors, greek/roman times, etc. Part of me despises modern society and longs for a simpler time. People respected their land and their community because it was crucial to their survival. Sometimes I am guilty of romanticizing about the past, but I definitely realize that while life was simpler it was also harder. We have many modern conveniences today such as good food and water, shelter with climate control, clean clothes, medicine, and not to mention entertainment and leisure activities. Each day I am thankful for these things. But what modern society lacks is the drive to be strong and physically fit unless it is a personal goal. There is no benefit to your social status or your wallet. It benefits your health, but many Americans are much more content with eating junk food and watching tv and then taking pills for their illnesses. Therefore it is an element missing from today's world. And as a result so many people's lives pass by while they waste away, then they hit 40 and wonder what the hell happened. I aim to change that and become fit now, at 26, so I can get out there and do whatever I want. I love the outdoors - simply being outside, taking walks, hiking, kayaking, skiing, swimming, biking, etc. I love watching outdoor/survival TV shows. And if I'm watching something like 300 or Spartacus, it makes me think "Wow, there's no way I could do any of this stuff" Well, why not? Why not become a modern day warrior? I also love anything to do with zombies. And if the zombie apocalypse happens I want to survive! Remember Rule #1 - Cardio? Might sound silly, but these are just some of the things I'm interested in that I draw inspiration from.

Another driving force is my religion. I have been Asatru for 8 years. I am half German - my ancestors came from an area in northwest Germany that was once known as Frisia. I don't think I was ever truly a Christian because it just never seemed right for me. I feel that I have much more in common with the gods of my ancestors than a middle eastern god. In a nutshell, Asatru encourages you to be your best. You may pray to the gods, but it ain't happening unless you get off your ass and work for it. The gods are our teachers, they inspire us to grow and reach our fullest potential. We honor the virtues of strength, courage, honor, discipline, fidelity, self sacrifice, hospitality, industriousness, and perseverance. And unlike Christianity, the physical body is considered to be a part of your soul - because it is the vessel in which you carry out your will on earth. It cannot function properly if it is not taken care of. A thought has been in the back of my mind over the past few years - I don't feel truly 100% Asatru if I'm fat and out of shape. The Norse gods are known for their physical prowess. I aim to become a warrior in order to allow myself to accomplish more, and just become a better and more whole person. Whenever I am pushing myself during a workout, the gods inspire me to go just a little bit longer.

My husband always tells me to "be a viking" and that I have the genetics and physical ability to do it. Well...I do have a large build and my super pale skin gets lobster red any time I run...lol. But seriously, he's great at inspiring me as well. He is health conscious and loves to be in the gym, so as soon as he is fully recovered from his foot surgery he will be back at it too. He's always been in better shape than me, but who knows, maybe I'll be his equal in a few months ^_^

So. I'm on my way to becoming an in shape viking chick. I seriously can't wait. I've become addicted to fitness. Weird I know... I have never been athletic, but now I am really loving this. It gives me something to strive for.



Side note - owwwwww. This morning I did my cardio/strength workout and it involves things like jumping jacks, shuffles, hopping, and running in place. I think I overdid it on my shins because I also ran yesterday. It hurts bad. But I put ice on it immediately and stretched plenty, so hopefully a day and a half of rest will fix it.

Getting better

We've made it through thanksgiving, or as I like to call it, "Eat until you hate yourself day"

This year I realized I can't eat alot of thanksgiving food. Before I thought it was due to the fact that both my parents and my husbands parents are divorced and so we had to go to 4 houses on thanksgiving, each one of them expecting us to eat the food. But this year I realized that thanksgiving food is way too heavy and rich for me. I don't usually eat stuff like that, especially these days since I've cleaned up my diet. Seriously, every single dish I made had butter in it. I know, I know... but since this was our first thanksgiving with just the 2 of us, I wanted to make sure my husband had all the comfort food he'd be getting if we were with our families. And we had a great thanksgiving. Got lots of leftovers, but I am just eating small amounts of them and praying it wont affect me too badly. 

So I went and did some treadmill running today and managed to run 5k in 31:57. I wanted to get 32 when I ran the Santa Chase 5k last weekend but alas I got 35:51 or something like that. Obviously treadmill running is alot different than outdoor, but I am making sure to do a little bit of both - treadmill to track myself and try to improve my speed, and outdoor to get used to the terrain and elevation. Recently I've been trying to use the incline feature on the treadmill too.

Since it's been about 2 months since I first embarked on my fitness quest ..thingy.. I have learned alot of stuff.

Things I've learned:

• I can't run every single day. At least not yet anyway. I started out trying to do it because I assumed that's what most runners did. You know, go out for the morning jog like they always do in the movies. Well every time I ran on that second day I was totally wiped out and ended up walking for most of it. Plus my shins hurt bad. The body needs to rest, especially when it comes to a beginner whose body is not used to the demands of running. So now I am doing alternate forms of exercise on my off days.
• HYDRATION. Everybody always says its important, but you really have no idea until dehydration happens to you. And don't get me wrong, I have always been a big water drinker. I love water, nothing added to it, just plain old water. I very rarely have soda or juice. Just the occasional light beer!  And tea! But I still wasn't drinking nearly enough. It is super super important to drink LOTS of water BEFORE you run or exercise. Otherwise you will feel like utter crap about 2-3 hours after running. For the last 2 months I was trying to figure out why I always had a headache, stomachache, and just felt weak and horrible after running. The internet pointed to one thing - hydration before workout. So I've recently tried to make a conscious effort to drink alot of water throughout the day. 4+ glasses if possible. Then I also have to make sure I'm drinking while I run and after I run. As long as I am doing this... no headache, no nausea, no chills and weakness. 
• Food! I believe everyone has their own unique needs when it comes to food, but there are a few general rules. Your body needs fuel before and after strenuous exercise. And since I'm hypoglycemic my needs are greater than most. I definitely need to make sure I am not exercising on an empty stomach. When I first learned I had this condition my dietitian told me I needed to drink Gatorade any time I exercised for 30 minutes or more. Blood sugar drops during exercise, and since I already have a condition where mine drops after eating, the effect on me is even more intense. I use the powder and make a pretty weak mix so I'm not overdoing it on sugar, but just getting enough to keep me from crashing. Then afterwards I have some protein, and I usually have a small snack if I start feeling funny. I am still trying to figure out the right balance, and what snacks are good for pre/post workouts. Bottom line is, it seems to be the right mixture between simple carbs/sugar, complex carbs, and protein. 
• Varied forms of exercise. When I first started doing this it was just running. It's a good way to lose weight and work the majority of your muscles. But it's not enough. Believe it or not, women need to strength train in order to burn fat and avoid bodily injury. Variety also keeps your body guessing. The majority of us, myself included, have been guilty of getting into a habit of always doing the same exercise. Eventually your body just gets used to it. Plus, if I am going to do crazy obstacle races I need to build muscle strength! 
• Push yourself. If you're serious, you will push yourself. During my early 20's I did the health yo yo. Either I was going to the gym alot and weighed about 175, or I didn't care at all and weighed more like 190. But I was never truly serious, aside from in 09 when I trained for a 43 mile hiking trip. Even then, I didn't truly understand the importance of eating properly and I still kind of had a terrible diet. My problem during these years is that I would go to the gym and work out, but I would always kind of half ass it. I rarely pushed myself to go past my limits. Or I made up excuses like "I'm tired, I can finish a few minutes early." Now I am serious about this. I want to be fit. And the only way to do it is to improve a little bit each time. I push myself to get past the pain. It doesn't have to be alot - go just a little faster, take a shorter break, work just a little harder, do a few more reps before collapsing in utter exhaustion. Just gotta get a little better each time.

I'm freaking sore. I'm still sore from the strength training I did on wednesday. Then I cooked a bunch of food all day yesterday, which believe it or not is tiring. And today I ran 3 miles. Tomorrow I'll see how I feel and maybe try my strength training again (I did kind of a pathetic job the first time) or maybe I'll do some yoga. Then rest sunday. Or, maybe rest tomorrow and work sunday. We'll see. 

Goals

Now that I have this thing up and running I figured I'd state my goals here.

Back on September 19th I did some research, and determined that for my height and frame, 160 lbs is a good weight to get to. I can't remember the last time I was that light - maybe high school? I dunno. I've never been skinny... but I've never been downright fat either. Just somewhere in between. Recently I began wondering if I can get to 155. So I think I'm changing my eventual goal weight to 155. I am 5'7" with a large frame, so 155 would be about the best I can get to. It would put me in a normal BMI range too. I made a chart that tracks my progress and every 2 weeks I have a weigh in. Okay, I'm still weighing myself daily anyway, but 2 weeks is the official weigh in! And I have this fancy scale that tells me my weight/body fat %/water weight/muscle mass!

Starting Stats:

9/19/12
Weight - 195.8
Body fat % - 34.2
Muscle mass - 30.1
Mile time - 12:30
BMI - Don't know as I wasn't measuring it at this time. If I had to guess I'd say 29-30

Yikes. Ah well, gotta start somewhere!

As of 11/14/12...


Weight - 185.0
Body fat % - 31.2
Muscle mass - 30.9
Mile time - I can run a 10:00 mile for sure, but after the first mile I start slowing down
BMI - 28.3

Beginnings

First post!

This blog shall document all my ramblings throughout my quest to become healthier. Yes.

I'm not going to pretend like there are people out there just dying to read about me. There's already too much of that on the internet. This is (or will be) more of a personal timeline of my fitness goals. A place where I can share what I learn about diet and exercise while I am doing it, where I can talk about the events I participate in, and just document my thoughts and feelings during the whole experience. This is a tool for my own personal motivation, because when I look back in a few months/years and see how much I've accomplished, it's going to drive me to go even further. I aim to change my entire life, because thats what being healthy is. A *lifestyle*. For most of my 20's I have done the yo yo, and I am tired of it. For the past 2 years I have fallen pretty far, hitting my worst this past summer '12. Lets face it, I was freaking FAT.

This is a pretty horrible picture of myself that I'm actually quite embarrassed about - but I put it up here for precisely that reason. To say "Holy god, I have GOT to not look like this!" This was a really happy day of my life, as it was the day after my husband came home from a 1 year tour overseas and we were visiting his family (plus my sweet "I <3 my geek" shirt!)  BUT ... my god, I have let myself go. I was around 195 lbs here.

This, however, was me in 2009. We were at the Grand Canyon and then hiked the 43 mile Paria canyon in UT/AZ. It was something my husband wanted to do and I had spent a few months training for, so I was in pretty decent shape back then. I'd say I was probably at about 175, maybe 180 here - still a little pudgy, but not bad.

This was me 4 days ago right before running a 5k. I am currently at 184.8 (11lbs lost in 2 months). So far I have mainly been focusing on running, but I have learned that I cannot run every single day and therefore will be incorporating strength training, yoga, and swimming on my non run days. 

So that's pretty much where I am at right now. I've made some decent progress leading up to this point. I'll be posting more about my goals, philosophy, and details on what I'm doing to improve my life!