January Round Up!

Wow!!  It's already one month into 2015! My goal for January was to move everyday. I kept track of my movement in a note on my phone so that it would be quick and easy to enter things.  I also started wearing my Fitbit Zip again.  For the month of January I had purposeful exercise (running, walking or the gym) 24 days and the other 7 involved long shopping trips, trips to the library and market and tourist stuff in Florida.  Some days I had purposeful exercise and leisurely movement.  I'm very happy with how January went. 

Near the end of the month I decided to join a challenge in a facebook group.  It's called a no junk food challenge and there is a list of things we aren't allowed to have.  

It's a 21 day challenge and I am currently on day 11(12?).  I'm very proud of how I have done.  The first couple of days I was dying.  I joined the challenge becaus I wanted to try to train myself to choose healthier things for snacks.  I also wanted to cut out pop and decided what better time to try.  I have had nothing on this list.

Since the beginning of January I have lost 7.2lbs and am back to where I was a couple months ago before the wheels fell off.  I feel great.

February's goals will be to keep up the daily movement and bring my lunch everyday for the month.  I know, I know!  I've said that before but this time I'm much more serious.  I spent today making soup, chopping veggies, making hummus and Glo Bars.  I'm going to make a big salad tonight that should last a few days too.  This week is the perfect week to start this one too, it's my annual week of training and there is not enough time to go out and buy something.  

Don't forget!  February is "Heart Month" and not in the valentine sense.  It is a month to raise awareness for heart health and heart defects!!  More on that as the month goes on though;)  

Runs for Cookies Virtual 5k Report

Several months ago, maybe even a year, I started following the blog "Runs for Cookies".  The writer is a runner who has lost a bunch of weight and is part of a documentary (yet to be released) called "From Fat to Finish Line".  There is also a facebook group of the same name started by the people in the documentary.  These groups and blogs have been very inspirational to me over the last few months.  A few weeks ago Katie posted that she was holding her Virtual 5k again to celebrate her birthday so I decided to sign up.  I've never done a virtual race before but thought it would be fun.  People from all over the place had signed up and today was the day.  

I had planned to run it outside because the weather hasn't been too bad the last few day.  Last night it was very icy though so I decided to move it to the treadmill.  I run on the treadmill most of the time now but sti don't love it.  I usually keep it to 30 minutes or so.  Also my treadmill may be on its last legs.  It takes a bit to warm up and the first few minutes the belt seems to slip making footing odd.  I did the 5k though.

It took me a significantly longer time than it would have in a road for several reasons.  On the treadmill I tend to stumble and trip easier. I also run slower and am more likely to take walking breaks. Today was no different.  I was happy with what I did though and am so happy I signed up.

I have been running pretty consistently but not very far over the last few months.  Today's run was the longest in weeks!  This run has shown me that I can still push longer and feel good at the end. It helped me decide that I will start training for a spring half which I hadn't been sure of for the last couple weeks.

Runs for Cookies and the whole From Fat to Finish Line Family are some pretty amazing people!!

Here's my "proof picture".  I'm really not a selfie person so that's the best I got:)

2014 in review

Another year has come and gone.  It seems to me that the older I get the faster time goes.  I don't know where it goes but before we know it the year is gone.  

A year ago I sat down and set some goals for the year.  I planned to run 400k and one half marathon.  I met both of those goals.  I then amended my 400k goal to 600 or 700k.  I think I hit 600k but cannot be sure.  I stopped tracking distance a couple of months ago in an effort to find the love of running again.  It worked and I am ready to start tracking again.

I planned to take my lunch to work more and that seemed to sort of happen.  I think I took it more and when I did buy it I often made much healthier choices.  

I wanted to go away for my 10th anniversary.  That didn't happen.  There were a few reasons for that.  We didn't really have anyone who was able to watch the girls for the whole weekend and we were saving for a trip to Florida.  In a week we will leave for Florida so that worked out.  We did get several camping trips in this summer just not anything alone.  I'm okay with that.

I have decided that 2015 is my year.  I love my family but I don't always love myself. It's time to love me again.  They will adjust and we will all be happier.  I am reluctant to set any specific goals because the ones floating in my head might be a bit lofty.  So for now I am going to set monthly mini goals.  For January it is going to be a move everyday challenge.  I'm going take advantage of the beautiful weather in Florida and run everyday while there.  I'm going to run 3.7 miles on my birthday.  For the rest of the the movement can be fun or hard but it has to be movement.  We bought a dancing game for Christina and she loves it so on the days I can't get to the gym we can bust that out.  As long as I move I've met the goal.

I'm probably the healthiest I have ever been and am going to make 2015 my healthiest year ever.

December is here!!

I can't believe it is the last month of the year!  This year has gone by way too fast.  November was a good month all around. I was able to get to the gym a lot.  I started to go to a new class which is so fun.  It's called Group Power and it is a full body strength training class.  It's tough and feels awesome at the end.  I'm back to going to Gravity and CycleFit too.  Running was good in November.  I did mostly treadmill runs and didn't track my mileage.  I would estimate that I ran 10 times for about 50k total.  Not bad when you add it to the other classes.  

Eating wasn't spectacular.  I do really well lol day the in the evenings things get a little out of hand.  

My goal for this month is to keep things going as is and to keep my whits about me when it comes to all the holiday eating.

Reverse Resolution

A few weeks ago I joined a group on Facebook.  The goal?? Lose 20lbs before the New Year.  It was a sort of way to keep on track over the holidays and to have a support group to go to when things get tough.  The first few weeks have sucked for me.  I am moving more than I was but my eating is off the hook bad.  I am so aware of this but honestly just haven't cared.  Today I decided to start caring again.  I am absolutely addicted to junk food.  There isn't much I won't eat and I can be very impulsive about it.  Today I have decided to get myself back in control of that.  The next few weeks will be riddled with food, get togethers and drinks.  I will make the best possible choices.  In January I always go for my yearly physical and I want to see continued downward results in the numbers.  I want to see and feel the results.  

Last week I went to gravity class again for the first time in ages.  I went a lot when the class first started then the timing was off but now there is a class right after the girls swim.  Last week I hurt for days after that class.  I had to skip a run because just walking hurt too much.  I walked the same length I would have run but there was no way a run was happening.  Yesterday I did the class again.  The moves were similar but not quite the same.  Every move was done on both sides, then one side and the other.  She called it a unilateral workout.  I expected immense pain this morning.  I had a very slight ache!!  Nothing really hurt.  I was disappointed!!!  So tonight I pulled out a ladder workout I had been given.  I should have run but by the time we got home time was limited so this was more bang for my buck so to speak.  I am hoping I can manage a run after work tomorrow but if I don't Satuday it will be!!!  

On the weekend I am going to be super brave and take real before pictures.  Although they aren't true before since I have already lost about 40lbs over the last 4 years. They will be what I judge all my results in though.  If I'm really brave I may post those so that I have a real out there before!  I will update my pictures every 12 weeks.  It's on now!!!

Pondering

Four years ago today my father passed away.  I never really knew him.  My parents divorced when I was 5 and he remarried shortly after.  He didn't visit much.  His family did and I am fairly close to my aunt, his sister.  She called one night just after I had started running to tell us that he had been diagnosed with cancer and didn't have long.  I was very conflicted on what I should do.  I felt like I needed to see him but at the same time I guess I held some anger towards him for never making an effort to know his kids.  In the end I decided that I was now an adult and could make the effort myself. My aunt and uncle were going to see him so I tagged along. The day we went I was supposed to run 16 minutes.  That seemed like forever at that time.  I decided to get up early to get that run done and to think before we saw him.  I wasn't worried about how he would look or the illness.  I just wanted him to see that after all those years I was around.  I wanted to show him pictures of his granddaughters.  I did those things and he seemed pleased.  My aunt later told me that our visit made his day.  That was the last time I saw him and I felt like it was a good visit.  Closure maybe.

My aunt made a point to tell him that I had run that morning.  At that point I had no clue where this journey was heading. I had no idea that I would finish that running clinic and go on to run 10k and half marathons.  Often during tough runs I will think of people who are no longer with me and hope they are there pushing me a little.  I live about 5 minutes away from my grandfathers house and often run by there.  I was very close with my grandpa.  On those really tough runs when I am almost home and need that extra push I will ask grandpa for that extra push to get me to the end.  I have no idea if they are there or if I'm being silly but I'll keep doing it because I like to think they are there.  I hope that I am making them all proud with this new life and that they are there at all the finish lines.  

Uh October?

Well October didn't go at all as planned.  I was sick, sick, sick! Started out okay but got hit by the cold from hell just before Thanksgiving and it lasted a good two weeks.  Just got better and had a good run then BAM!  Stomach bug!  Seriously?!?!?  Can I catch a break please?? 

Honestly I don't even know my run total for the month but it probably isn't more than 10k.  

Of course after the cold I struggled just to get my groove back.  It's way too easy for me to just quit exercising and way to hard to get myself back out there.  I am doing it though.  Tonight was a wicked awesome run.  It was forty minutes on the treadmill and it felt awesome!  

I am part of a group on Facebook that's members are all people who have lost or are losing large amounts of weight. Just what I needed.  I've looked to them a lot lately for inspiration and motivation when mine is waning. It's odd to feel so connected to people I have never met but this group has been awesome.    I have several people in my real life that are super supportive and that have helped me along the way to where I am now.  They have always supported what I am doing and listened or offered advice when I struggle.  I wouldn't be where I am without them but none of them have lost 100lbs or more and there is something about someone who has been through the struggles and come out on the other side.  

November is looking to be a great one.