Interesting

This past week I told you that I have joined the Y and have been working out way more than I had in a very long time.  I exercised 6 out of 7 days and when I say exercised I mean sweat pouring off of me kind of sweat.  I have been pretty good about not eating junk but did allow myself a bit of extra food this week.  Meaghan works at my most favorite restaurant and I did get something to eat a couple of times when she finished work but that's not a new thing.  So what the heck is with the lack of weight loss?  I know that I had more salt than usual this past weekend and I know that I haven't been getting quite enough fibre so those could both be contributing factors.  I also know that next week should be "the week" and that can cause some serious issues for me.  On the other hand I set a goal a the beginning of the month to lose 7lbs and with this weeks weigh in I'm at 5.6lbs so I guess this week's minimal loss isn't so bad.  Don't get me wrong I am super proud of the fact that I managed to lose 5.6lbs in a month.  I'm happy that I spent the day today sitting in jeans that a few weeks ago  would have caused me crazy amounts of pain and discomfort after only a couple of hours.  I just don't get why in the week I burned the most calories I had the least weight loss.  Maybe it's for all of the reasons above or maybe I'm just not eating as well as I thought (I will admit I didn't track my food much last week).  Whatever the case I will continue to work as hard as I have the past week and I will not be discouraged by the numbers on the scale because really I have lost 5.6lbs in the month of January and that is a huge accomplishment!!! 

0.2lb loss is better than 0.2lb gain I suppose:)

Another Week Begins

Well it's Sunday night which means tomorrow starts another week of work.  This week is our training week at work so I'm going to be a lot less active than usual.  On the plus side of this I will also have limited access to food and the food I have access to will be food that I bring with me.  It's going to be a good week of training.  Some of the usual stuff like first aid and some new and interesting stuff. 

Exercise will be key this week and I have a plan to make it out and run with Runners' Edge on the usual club nights, I will go to the Y on three days and on the other day I will relax!  I'm going in to meet with Benny tomorrow after the Y to set up a plan for half marathon training.  I am going to run a half in June and none of the current schedule work quite right for my timing.  He will help me out with that part.  Then it's up to me to make it all happen.  I will make it happen!!!

This past week in our Do Life Challenge we had to pick a partner and keep in close contact with them.  We had to get to know them and what their goals are and try to support them to reach those goals.  My partners name was Megan and I picked her solely because we have the same amount of weight to lose.  Once I started to get to know her I found out that we have a ridiculous amount in common including our area of employment.  We both work in social services although different areas.  It was great getting to know her and being inspired by someone else.  She is an amazing woman and I am so glad to have gotten to know her and hope to keep contact with her even after the challenge is done.  We continue with our partners this week and I am looking forward to finding out what the challenge is.  It's going to be fun I have no doubt about that!

I'm a Superhero!!!

Something strange is happening!!  Hopefully this isn't just another phase but I have exercised one way or another 4 days in a row!!  As I believe I mentioned our family joined the Y this past weekend and we have all been very excited about it.  Anna loves the "Busy Buds" program, Christina loves the Play Centre and the adults love everything else. 

I love going so much that some of the exercises I have always seen as hard and annoying are actually fun and exciting.  If you'll remember a couple of weeks ago I had to figure out how many push ups I can do.  I didn't want to do the girly ones because I'm "too cool" for that.  I could only do 3 regular push ups:(  Yesterday I did my 35 minutes on the elliptical then wanted to do some upper body work but had over done some of the weight stuff on Monday so decided I would head up to the top level and do some ab work and play around with the balance ball.  Well there was a mat set up in the corner with a balance ball right there beside it.  I couldn't help but try push ups again but decided it would be ok to do girly ones.  I DID 30!!!  It amazed me how much easier it was!!!  I was so happy that I then decided I was a superhero and did some planks.  We do planks as part of our warm up at running and everyone moans and groans the whole time.  I decided that they weren't so bad and actually did four:)  I made my own little routine doing push ups, planks and ab stuff on the balance ball.  I alternated between the things and it was fun!!! 

Tonight should have been a run but it was yucky out and I'm a big baby sometimes and didn't really feel like getting soggy.  I have been feeling a bit guilty about it so I think I'll pull out the Wii Fit or the dreaded Jillian Michaels game after Anna goes to bed in a few minutes. 

This is a whole new experience for me and it's going to be a wild ride but I'm loving every minute of it!  As I said a few months ago I have started going to the gym and exercising several times over but this time just feels right.  I've been really conscious of what I am putting in my body and not eating the things that I know will create a downward spiral.  I'm not depriving myself either.  I'm making smart choices and it feels great!  The kids are happy, I'm happy and that means everyone else will be happy too!!  It's a good life:)

Better late than never:)

So I said I would post this last night after my run but by the time I got home I just didn't feel like blogging!

I went for my run which was nice but odd.  I felt strange the whole time I was out there.  I may have been over heating or may have not eaten enough good food during the day but after about 3.5k I knew I needed to just stop and walk.  I could breath fine and my legs felt great but my head felt like I was going to float away at any point.  Someone actually passed me and asked if I was ok because I was weaving back and forth. 

I then went for coffee with a friend and enjoyed every minute of it.  It was a friend that I have known for about 12 years and love spending time with her.  We laugh, we cry and we just have fun:)

So here is the picture!!  It's not a huge loss but considering I was sick and didn't move much last week at all I will take it:)

Phase 2?

Yesterday marked a new and hopefully wonderful stage in our lives.  We got a family membership at the YMCA!!  I have had memberships before but was never really dedicated.  I always made excuses not to go and just didn't.  This time is going to be different for several reasons.  The first and probably most important is Anna.  She loved the group that she went to today and as soon as we left asked when we were going back.  I love that she was that excited about it.  It makes me feel better about leaving her for the couple of hours while I work out and it makes me happy that she is getting to do something she loves.  The other reason I think it will be different this time is that I feel good being there:)  My favorite thing at the gym is the elliptical machine.  I get a good workout on it and feel great afterward.  The really cool part this time is that I got on yesterday and set the time for half an hour thinking that would kill me.  To my surprise I got to the end and almost felt like it wasn't enough!!!  That alone will keep me going.  I have come so far over the last 16 months and this is just the next step on the road to becoming a healthy momma!!!

Tonight I headed back and Anna went to her class, Christina went to the daycare centre and I worked out blissfully!!  I felt great at the end and was so very happy to pick smiling little girls up!  This is going to mean a bit less family time but I think it will also make the time we spend together that much better!

Sorry I don't have a picture today:(  I had to charge my phone last night and it was in the kitchen this morning.  I got dressed and had breakfast before I realized I hadn't taken my scale picture.  I'll get one in the morning and post it tomorrow after I run.

A little rest goes a long way!

As I mentioned Monday I have a cold.  It started Sunday and by Monday morning I felt like I might die!  Ok that's a bit dramatic but it was bad enough that I decided to take the day off.  Tuesday I had my annual physical booked in the morning so I decided to wait until after my appointment to go into work.  I was still feeling pretty awful and my lungs were burning so I decided to stay home again and not annoy the asthma gods.  I got lots of rest and today I couldn't believe the difference!!  I never, ever take two days off for a cold but figured I had the sick time and may as well use it!  I also have a co-worker leaving for Costa Rica and the last thing she needs is my cold for her trip.  The two days off seems to have been one of the best decisions I have made in a very long time.  I'm not 100% but probably about 75% which is good enough for me!  I did some light exercise tonight and if my breathing isn't horrible tomorrow I might actually try to run.  If I do I will likely stick close to home and pick a route that I can expand depending on how I feel.  I expect that Saturday I will be able to do my planned 8k.  That makes me one happy girl!

Short and Sweet

Today's post will be short and sweet because I'm not feeling really well.  I caught a cold from Christina and have spent the day on the couch trying to sleep off and on.  I've also been watching The Next Great Baker which is really not a good choice but since I don't really eat much when I have a cold it's ok.  I also had some birthday cake yesterday and there is some left so I won't eat everything else in the house trying to fill a void.  So here's todays weigh in photo.  I'm very happy with the way things are going and since my goal this month was to be down 7lbs by the end of the month I am confident that I will get there:)

The flash reflected badly off the screen but it's still readable!!

Week three of the Do Life Challenge starts today and it's a good old fashioned scavenger hunt!  It should be  a really fun week!

Lonely Run:(

Tonight I decided to run right away when I got home from work instead of waiting to run with the group at Runners' Edge.  Adrian was going out and I thought it would be best to get it done so that my Mom didn't have to worry about putting the girls to bed.  It was an ok run but it was lonely.  The interesting part of that was that when I do run with the group I don't actually run with anyone.  I'm much slower than everyone else so I end up pretty far behind the pack and alone for most of the time.  The difference, I guess, is that I know there are people out there and that those people will pass me on the way back which then gives the sense of not being alone.

The alone time was good as well tonight because I was very stressed after work.  We had a team meeting and we're going through some changes that are freaking people out.  Everyone deals with this kind of thing differently and I'm usually pretty laid back about things.  The problem is when other people get stressed about it and get upset I tend to get frustrated with it.  Unfortunately there were just one too many negative comments today and I snapped at someone.  I didn't mean to be rude or to upset anyone but I did.  I apologized later and I think everything is ok but I felt horrible.  The run tonight was just what I needed to deal with some of that frustration.  I cam home feeling much more refreshed and was able to think things through.  Now I get to enjoy my Birthday weekend:)   It's going to be a good one!!!

Oh and I also came home from my run to find this waiting for me!!  You have to love the silliness:)

Yummy:)

Much Better!

Sunday afternoon I decided to bust out a new game on the Wii and oh boy did it kill me!  It's the Jillian Michaels Ultimatum 2011 game and I never in my life thought I could be in so much pain from a video game!  It has training mode then you can unlock mission mode.  I got through the first three exercises of the mission but the forth was a big fail.  It was swing squats and the idea is that you have to swing the remote up and down while you do 10 squats.  If you don't do it right you have to try again.  If you try four times and don't do it right you get sent back to the beginning of the mission.  I got sent back to the beginning 3 times.  That makes about 120 squats plus other exercises before I decided enough was enough and quit.  For the past three days I have hobbled around.  My upper legs have been so very sore.  The whole thing, not just one isolated muscle but pretty much everything above the knee.  Today it is finally bearable so I did some light exercise and hopefully tomorrow I'll be able to run.  I wanted to run yesterday but when I tried to just run from a store to my car I thought I was going to throw up so decided trying to run 5k or more wasn't the best idea.  I've been eating well though so hopefully the lack of exercise won't be to detrimental. 

I've gotten back into making Green Monsters pretty much every morning and love them!  They just give that bit of a boost that carries me through the day.  If you haven't tried one I highly recommend you check them out.  Don't let the green part scare you away.  I was sceptical at first too but oh boy am I glad I tried them.  Tonight I also made some fresh juice!  I'm not a big juice drinker.  I would rather eat fruit and veggies but we got a Bullet Express and it has a juicer attachment so I tried it out and if I'm going to drink juice it may as well be the real deal.  I need to look up some juice recipes though and find some really good ones that are packed with good for you stuff.  Adrian made me a big batch of broccoli soup tonight too!  I love soup and much prefer the homemade kind.  It's so much better when you know exactly what's in it!

Tomorrow is my Friday and the weekend is going to be packed with fun!  I will start with a run tomorrow night followed by a nice relaxing day on Friday.  Anna has her first Hip Hop class Friday evening and I am going to take her to see Beauty and the Beast after that.  Saturday is my birthday and I plan to start it with a 6 to 8k run and then we are heading out to a Buffalo Bandits game in the evening.  Sunday is family time and Clifton Hill in Niagara Falls has a great residents special that we are going to take advantage of.  I am so looking forward to this weekend:)

Anyone out there have good juice recipes or recommendations for websites???

That's the way it should be!!!

Today starts week two of the Do Life Challenge and it's even better than the first!!  This weeks theme is "Pay it Forward" and we have to do two acts of kindness to make someones day or life better.  I have some ideas for my acts but I'll share those later.  We also have some homework questions that we have to answer on the forums but I'm going to answer one of them here.

The first homework task is to tell a story about someone who went out of their way to do something that changed your day or life.  My answer to that is two fold.  It started with one person and continues with lots.  The first thing that came to mind when I read that was when I started running.  I went to ask Celine about it and she spent a bunch of time telling me about Runners' Edge and running.  She then encouraged me to join the beginner clinic.  I did and that changed my life.  I didn't know what I was getting into when I started and was scared but she was right there encouraging me along and still does today (she said something about a full marathon because she's hilarious like that).  I have changed in many ways since that first run back in September 2010 and will continue to change.  The reason I say it continues with many people is because the other runners from Runners' Edge have always been so encouraging and accepting right from the beginning.  I really truly feel that without all of those people I wouldn't be where I am today!! 

Where am I today you might ask??  Well really considering signing up for my first half marathon in June instead of September for one thing and almost 3lbs lighter than last week for a second!!  Yep you read that right!!  I lost 3lbs this week!!!  Ok well 2.8lbs but close enough:)

Yippee!!!

Week One Done!

Today marks the end of the first week of the Do Life Challenge.  I am happy to report that I stuck to my goals and had an amazing week!   I enjoyed time with my girls, I exercised more than I have in months and I ate really well.  I'm looking forward to tomorrow mornings weigh in to see what the numbers show.  I won't be disappointed if it's not a huge drop.  As long as there is a little drop I'll be happy. 

The week two challenge wasn't up yet when I checked but I am prepared!  I have lunches all made for tomorrow, I organized my cupboards today and I know what is for dinner most nights this week.  The only big challenge I face this week is still a few days away so I have time to prepare.   Next weekend is busy and involves eating out twice which doesn't fit my goals.  I know that goals aren't meant to be perfect and I know that just because I am eating out doesn't mean I have to make bad choices.  I plan to take a look at the menu for both restaurants before hand and will pick out something that is tasty but healthy.  Then there will be alcohol and cake but those I can handle.  The trick will be getting the cake made without extra icing hanging around.  It's like a drug to me and I just can't resist!! 

Well I hope everyone had a great weekend and is as ready for this week as I am!

One Lucky Lady!

Today marked my first official run of 2012 and what a great run it was.  I've been a bit gun shy since a run about 3 weeks ago when my asthma flared up really badly and I had to cut  my run way short and walk back to the store.  I have never had a problem with my breathing when running before but I think a combination of things caused it including some pretty strong head winds and cold temps.  Today however was a fantastic run.  At the beginning I was a bit wheezy but I had my inhaler and when we stopped to stretch I used it and it was smooth sailing from there. 

The weather is so strange right now and it was 5 degrees at 8am!!  It was sunny, calm and just beautiful:)  I was reminded this morning of how wonderful the people I run with are.  Everyone is so supportive and encouraging.  No one passes you without a smile or a wave and everyone looks out for everyone else.  It's so reassuring to know that if I did run into trouble I would have someone out there looking out for me. 

The rest of the weekend is supposed to be pretty nice too:)  I have movie date with one of my best friends tonight, tomorrow we have to morning to lounge around  and late in the afternoon Meag will be home:)  She's been at her Mom's for the week and I'm eager to see her! 

Who could ask for more than great weather, super running buddies, wonderful friends and fantastic family time?
I hope everyone else is having a great weekend too!!

It's Friday!

This week sure has flown by!  I can't believe that it's day 5 of Do Life Challenge 2012:)  I have stuck to my goals very well this week and have completed not just 120 minutes of exercise but 150 minutes and I still have my Saturday morning run to complete.  I think next week I'm going to have to look at the Intermediate/Advanced exercise challenge.  Never in my life would I have expected to write that last sentence!!! 

I'm so excited for my run tomorrow too!  It's been weeks since I have run with the wonderful people at Runners' Edge:)  It's going to be beautiful weather too!  Can you believe that it's 6 degrees at 8:41am on January 6th?  That's insane! 

Tonight is movie night with Anna and I think we might watch it snuggled up in bed instead of on the couch.  I always resisted getting a TV for our room but now that I have it I don't regret it (yet).  It's been nice having the option to snuggle up in bed to watch Anna's movies and it's nice to stick it on and have the news playing in the background while I get ready for work in the morning.  That used to be one of my favorite things before kids.  Now we don't have the TV on in the living room in the mornings or Anna would never make it to school on time.  It doesn't matter what is on that thing is like a magnet for her and if it's on she is so distracted.  Luckily she knows the morning routine and knows that it doesn't get turned on until every last task is complete and then only if there is time.

So if this first week is any indicator it looks like 2012 is going to be as great as I expected!  I hope everyone else gets to get out and enjoy the beautiful weather with some kind of activity this weekend:)  Enjoy!

Weigh in day!

As I mentioned yesterday we have to set goals for the month for the Do Life Challenge.  They can be physical goals, health related or anything we want.  Since I joined the challenge to help get my butt moving a bit more my first of the five goals is to lose 7lbs by February 1st.  Sounds like a lot but when you look at the fact that the professionals say a healthy, sustainable weight loss is 1-2lbs a week it's not too crazy.  My reason for this is based on what I weighed yesterday morning when I started.  I haven't gained since last week but haven't lost either.  My other fitness related goals are to prepare all of our meals with the exception of one per week and to cut 1 minute off my 5k time.  I'm going to have to run 5k this week to determine what my current time is.  Now I know a minute is an awful lot but I think it's possible.  I know that I can push a bit harder than I usually do and since my regular time has always been somewhere around 45 minutes I think cutting it by one isn't too much.  If I only cut 30 seconds of that is ok too.  Any improvement is good in my books.  I took a picture this week in part because I need to keep myself accountable and partly because when I didn't last week it was out of pure shame.  Ignoring it and pretending it didn't happen won't change it.  Really gaining 4lbs over Christmas really isn't much when you look at the statistics.  I believe that the average is between 5 and 10lbs over the month of December.  Since I lost a little bit at the beginning of December I'm happy with where I am right now and know that I won't see this number ever again:)

Say goodbye to that number:)

Day One

Today is the first day of the Do Life Challenge!!  Late last night we were given our challenges for the week and instructions for what we have to do to complete them.  The first in the list is to set five goals for the month.  When I read that part I thought it would be easy peasy.  I was so wrong!!  All day today I thought about it and in between working on things at work I would jot ideas down.  They definitely formed into goals but the tough part is that they are supposed to be quantifiable and I'm not certain that they are.  We then had to look at where we are now in those areas so that we can measure success at the end.  The exercise portion consists of seeing how many push ups we can do at one time (mine was only 3 pathetic push ups) and then I have to do 120 minutes of exercise.  I chose to go in the beginner group for this one because I haven't been exercising as much the past few weeks so I thought to start this I would stick to the lower level.  If I find I do way more this week between running and other stuff I will chose the intermediate/advanced group next week.  The final portion of this weeks challenges is to reflect every night on four things we did well that day.  So tonight my four things that I did well today were that I ate well and didn't turn to junk food at the first opportunity, I played Monopoly Jr with Anna and when Christina wanted to play we found a way to make sure she could join, I engaged with my family instead of plunking down at the computer the minute dinner was cleared away and finally I exercised for just a little bit longer than I planned to:)

This challenge is going to be an interesting one and I think it's just what I need to kick my butt into shape!

Happy New Year!

It's January 1st:)  A new year, a new outlook and great plans.  Who could ask for more? 

My birthday is in two weeks and we have plans with friends to go to a Buffalo Bandit's game on my birthday!  It's the home opener and I am told that it will be a great experience.  I have never been to a professional lacrosse game before.  I'm very excited! 

I have signed up for the "Do Life New Year Challenge" as well.  It's a 12 week challenge and I have no idea what I've gotten myself into but it's sure to be fabulous!!

As for running I have plans to run several races ranging from 5k to a half marathon (or 2?).  I started the day today planning to only run one half but then someone told me about another one that is being held in June that is all women and it's the first year for it.  Sounds like something I can't miss.  I'm excited for all that means for me!!  If I am going to run all of these runs I will be sure to keep my eating in check too!  It would be silly to spend all that time training but putting junk into my body all day long. 

It's going to be a great year so check back often!!!