4 Weeks Fit Challenge: The Goals

Two posts in one day.  Say whaaaaaaaaaa?  Oh yes, folks.  It's that important.  Erin and Kristin (I totally spelled that with an "e" the first time) are holding a challenge that I intend to be a part of.  It's no secret that I've been straight up failing at the weight loss and exercise game lately.  I'm hoping this is just what I need to get back on track.

So, goal check?  I never thought you'd ask...

1.  Workout at least three times a week.  With my in-laws visiting, graduation, and a weekend getaway coming up soon, that makes this challenge extra tough.  But, it needs to be done, and I am determined to try my best.

2.  No after dinner snacking at home.  Another hard one for me.  I successfully gave up dessert for Lent (holla!), but I still did the occasional snack.  So, this is one upping that.  No popcorn, chips, cheese...nada.  Doubly hard with all that is mentioned above.

Can I do this?  I sure hope so.  It's so nice to have all of these fabulous virtual ladies in this with me.  What do you say?  Do you have faith in me?  Want to join along???

Weigh-in, umm, Thursday?!

A day late and a dollar short, am I right?  I have been a day off all week, since having the holiday off of work on Monday.  So, I completely forgot to weigh-in yesterday.  But, I wanted to stay accountable, so here I am.  On a Thursday.  But, before we get into things, can we just take a moment to discuss this?

Umm, yeah.  That's the actual temperature when I got to work this morning.  There was a wind chill of -17.  Old man winter is bi-polar this year!  I am done with the cold and snow already.  DONE!

Any, who.  Back to the weigh-in.  I finally remembered to do this at home this morning.  Drumroll, please...

Starting weight:  155.9,  Last weeks weight:  156.2,  Today's weight: 155.2

See that, guys.  I lost a pound!  Finally!  I was elated to see this number this morning.  It's not even close to where I want to be, but after gaining weight during the holidays, I will take a loss that's a whole pound.  Squee!

I am still chugging along on my C25K.  Last week, I repeated week 4.  I was having a hard time building up the speed and stamina, so I gave myself some extra time.  I started on week 5 today, and so far so good!  I have also been saving some workout videos to add to my routine.  Some core strengthening and kettle bell workouts.  Joel gave me some kettle bells for Christmas, so I might as well put them to use.  I also bought a little stand thing for my tablet so that I can do these in the basement.  I plan on implementing them next week.

This week, I've been a little under the weather.  Not sick, but pretty sluggish and, well, just "off."  I took yesterday off from running, but I don't feel a whole lot better today.  Hopefully as the day goes on I'll perk up a bit.

Weigh-in Wednesday

 

 Starting weight:  155.9,  Last weeks weight:  157-ish,  Today's weight: 156.2 

So, this weight thing is really becoming a thorn in my side.  For the past four weeks, I have done the C25K program and consistently ran three times a week.  I am running farther and longer, and am really proud of myself there.  I am even down a pound from all of my holiday weight, but still not down more than where I started before the holidays.

I don't know what my issue is, but I have been having some pain near my Achilles.  I bought a silicon sleeve that has helped, but this week I have limping around a bit.  Hopefully that ends, pronto.

This week I was supposed to start week 5of C25K, but due to the pain in my Achilles and the fact that week 4 was super tough on me, I am repeating it.  I was hoping to be father along, because I have a 5K on the books for next weekend.  I knew I wouldn't be able to run the whole thing yet, but I wanted to be farther along.  Oh, well.

I am also going to try and stay at the gym to work on weights.  I know the combo of weights and cardio are best, and I haven't been doing anything besides the run.  We have a cruise booked for March (more on that later), so I want to be a lot more fit and in shape, not to mention skinnier.

Starting Over - Week 1

With my weight, that is.  My weight is always an up and down roller coaster.  When Joel is gone, I eat better and exercise more, which means that my weight goes down.  When he was deployed, I lost nearly 20 pounds.  He's been home a little more than a year now, and I put all of that weight back on.  I feel like I constantly have an excuse.  Some are legitimate, such as not having the energy when I was student teaching.  I could have done better, but I really couldn't stick to a schedule, because my work/school load was so unpredictable week to week.  But now?  No excuses.  Work is predictable and school is over.  Starting now, I am getting back into a routine.  I got into running last summer, and the weight dropped pretty fast.  So, I am going back to the basics.

Day one, completed on Monday.  Day two?  As soon as I get off of work.  I will stick to this.  I have to.  I feel fat, and that affects so many things in my life.  The way I feel, how confident I am, how I dress, and my energy.  I will be doing a weigh-in Wednesday in hopes that I can use this little ole blog of mine to keep me accountable.  So here is my first weigh-in.  I am hoping to lose at least 20 pounds.  Wish me luck!  And please ignore how badly I need a pedicure...

Weekend Update

I am finally doing a weekend update on a Monday!  Never mind the fact that it isn't technically from this past weekend.  Let's just move on from that, shall we?

I have no idea what is going on with me, because I am rarely sick, but, man...I am down and out.  Feels like a serious cold with some sort of sinus infection going on.  I actually had to stay home from student teaching today which I hate doing, but I know I would have passed this on to my kids and cooperating teachers.  I have been out of it most of the day, but finally got a bit of energy to try and write this out.
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A few weeks ago, to kick off the beginning of the NFL season, Joel, me, and some of our friends got together and participated in the NFL Run Series here in St. Louis.  It was a 5K, but probably the coolest 5K I've done, as a football fan.  We finished the race on the 50 yard line of the Rams Stadium, and an announcer called out your name as you finished.  SO cool!  Here are some pics from the day.

The next day we went to the Rams game to cheer them on.  Thanks to the race, we were able to get $5 tickets to the game.  Not the best seats in the house, but hey, they were more than worth their $5.  We also went to my favorite breakfast spot in St. Louis, Rooster.  Do yourself a favor and eat there if you ever get the opportunity.  I can't say enough good things, so I'll let the pictures talk for themselves.

It was a blast hanging out with friends, and hey, the Rams won!  That's what I call a successful weekend.  And the Dolphins are 3-0!  My Indy weekend recap with the Phins game will appear before too long.

To Chicago, WIth Love

My friend T and her sweet daughter M and I drove to Chicago for the weekend for a little girls' getaway.  Our main purpose was to participate in the Shape Diva Dash, but I couldn't go to my favorite American city and not do it right, could I?  Of course not.

Me getting ready for the Dash.

The Diva Dash was an obstacle course 5K.  It wasn't a mud run (thank God!), but there were about 10 obstacles we had to conquer along the way.  It was great, and definitely broke up the monotony of just running the whole thing.  Costumes were encouraged, so my lovely friend made us some flashy wear to run in.

All finished!

After the race, we went to our hotel, showered, changed, and were ready to go out on the town!  I love anytime I can squeeze in some Chicago time, and I was glad to show the ladies my favorite way to enjoy the city.

I wish with all of my might that I could move to Chicago.  It is such a busy, bustling city.  I could be content being on the go or doing nothing at all.  We have at least a couple more trips planned, and I can't wait.  I haven't been able to see Chicago much in the summer, and it was absolutely a beautiful, perfect, but all too short, weekend.

I went running!

So, remember that yesterday was National running Day?  Well, not only did I go (sorta) running, but I also signed up for a 5K race!  I really enjoyed the few races that I did last year, but since I'm not really a serious runner at the moment, I wanted to make sure what I signed up for was fun, too.  That way, I am motivated to actually show up for the race.  Wanna know what it is?

Ok, so this is last year's logo, but it's the NFL series back to football run!  Anyone that knows me knows that I am a huuuuuuuuuuuuuuge football fan, and am so excited each year when the season starts.  The NFL is gearing up for their season, and many teams are hosting races the Saturday before the opening game, in which you get a ticket to the season opener!  This year it is only a 5K, but I'm still pretty stoked.  I wish they were playing my team (the Miami Dolphins), but I'll get to see them week two in Indy (my hometown).

A friend also talked me into a few things in order to keep me fitness motivated .  In August, we will be doing the Diva Dash in Chicago.  First of all, I love Chicago, so just about anything will get me there.  This is a 5K obstacle course (women only), so hopefully I won't be too intimidated!

Lastly, we are set up to do Caliente for the Cure!  It is a two-hour Zumba Fitness Event where 100% of the proceeds will go to benefit Susan G. Komen for the cure.  I'm really excited.  I did the race in St. Louis last year, and it was great!

Weigh-in Wednesday - Week five!

Link up with Erin and Alex!

Ok, I am not going to pretend I had a good week.  I battled headaches for five days, felt under the weather, and I can never seem to get full when it is cold out, so I know my calorie intake wasn't too great.  I mostly kept up at the start of the week, but kind of lost track.  So, bad fitness week and bad Lenten week.

But, every day is a new day, and I am starting fresh.  I had a great workout with my trainer yesterday, and am charting my caloric intake.  But, since I didn't weigh-in this morning, and I have been in the snacking mood lately, I thought I would just highlight some of my recent snacking/food finds.

Perfect little snack!  The Raspberry with dark chocolate is my fave.

These are great to grab and go for breakfast.  And so much protein!

One word...yummers!

These are fab when a sweet craving hits.

Weigh-in Wednesday - Week four!

Follow along with Erin and Alex!

Ok, so, I didn't come up with this fancy button, but I did find a few other people doing a Weigh-in Wednesday feature, so I thought I'd just tag along!

Weigh in Wednesday!

 FEB 7 - 13, 2013

Starting Weight (Jan 1, 2013): 155

Last Week's Weight: 151

 

Current Weight: 151.8

 

 

Well, well.  That isn't exactly what I wanted to see, but I can't say that I didn't expect it.  While I did well and worked out three times during the week, I also ate hellaciously over the weekend.  French fries, not one but two cupcakes, a few slices of king cake, and pizza.  Not my finest weekend.  I'm learning that diet and exercise go hand in hand, and if I cheat, I better be prepared to face the consequences. 

 

But, I haven't completely fallen off of the wagon.  Today is the official start of Lent.  I'm not sure exactly how I can explain this, but I am basically giving up "cheat" meals during Lent.  I am still doing well with tracking my food, so I am making a plan to stick within the allowable calories each day.  And I am going to try to make it to where on days that I don't have class I do some form of physical activity, even if it is just walking the pups.  That bring my activity schedule from three to five days.  A lofty goal, but I am going to try.  The real test will be when we get to Ecuador.  I probably won't have access to reliable internet to track my calories in my online journal, so I need to take the time until then to really learn what I am putting in my body so I can make healthy choices while I am away.

Working on my fitness - update!

Is it really already the middle of January?  I swear, the older I get, the more time flies.  Well, anygettingofftrack, although I haven't lost any weight so far in the month of January, I am working on getting my rear in gear (ha, I just rhymed...I'm hilarious, wink, wink) on this whole fitness thing.  There are a few changes/decisions I have made to help me accomplish my goals.

1.  I downloaded the Couch to 5K Running app.
I started this program (C25K) over the summer, and had a lot of success with it.  I made it to week five or six before Joel got back from his deployment, and then dropped it like a bad habit.  It got some glitch or something, so I deleted it off of my phone.  Since I had that awful run time, I thought it was time to go back to the basics and start over.  Week 1, Day 1 completed.  Week 1 Day 2, to accomplish (hopefully) tomorrow.

Great and free!

2.  I bought a heart rate monitor.
Now, I don't know if this is total BS or what, but Joel listened to a fitness guru talk about how you should train your body within your target heart rate.  I wore it for the first time when I did the above run, and at about halfway through it, I never got back down to my target heart rate.  Now, I don't know what to really do about that, but I will be having a googlefest to try and figure out how to get back in my target heart rate while doing the C25K program.  And while I don't have much experience with heart rate monitors, I have to say the one I bought was super comfortable to wear and program, so if you're looking for one, I would definitely think it's a good one for the basics.

Bought from Amazon here.

3.  I hired a personal trainer.
Some might consider this cheating a bit, bit I'll be the first one to admit I need help.  I bought some kettlebells for home and I have a yoga DVD, but I find that I never want to do them.  I would much rather go to a yoga or exercise class.  I know trainers cost an arm and a leg, but there is a fellow milspouse that does personal training on base for much less than normal gyms start at.  I know where I am weak at, and that's pushing myself.  But, I am excellent at staying on a schedule, so having her there for accountability will be the push that I believe I will need in the beginning.  My first meeting with her is on 22 January.  I hope I'm ready!

Image found here.