Everyone makes New Year Resolutions, and everyone breaks them. Seriously, who is still on track with their New Year's resolution in March? We all know the gym packed with new members in January, but stick around and you will notice that the crowds thin out by Valentine's Day.
I believe there is a huge different between resolutions and goals. Resolutions are thing you want to do, goals are dreams that you have but you also have a plan to get there. So while we all might say, "I want to lose weight," or "I want to run faster," this year I have goals with outlines of plans on how to get there.
1. To lose at least 7 pounds by my birthday in October.
My plan: workout four days a week and to eat better food. Already I have totally given up regular soda, only drinking diet sodas. And with those, I only have 1 a day. Baby steps, if I change too much too soon I know I will fail. And another change I have made, and this is huge in my book, is not putting creamer in my coffee, not even skim milk! This is big, HUGE, for me and I personally am very proud of myself! :) GO ME! Anyway, 7 pounds in 9 months seems doable.
2. To run a 5k in less than 30 minutes.
My plan: to run more. Seems like an easy plan, right? But I am seriously hoping that Joel's schedule will not derail these plans again. I am starting, again, the C25k program, and while I think I am a little further ahead in it, I really want to complete this timed goal. Currently I am focused on distance, as in trying to run further each day, and from there I will focus on time. I know you remember from way back when when I wrote how much I love my Nike+ system, so with the tracking of splits in that program I can learn how fast I am running, and where I need to work on my time. Currently, I am running with an average pace of 12:35/mile, which means I need to know off 3:00/mile in order to reach this goal. I foresee A LOT of sprint training in my future to reach this, but goals are suppose to be hard, right? If they were easy, everyone could achieve them.
3. To complete a 10k.
No time limits on this goal, at least not yet. This is probably the "pie-in-the-sky resolution" that I have, because I feel that I need to mentally and physically get past the 5k distance, and then I can see the starting line of a 10k race. But it is something to keep on this goal list to work towards in the coming year.
So there it is, out for all of the world to see. I hope someone out there can help keep me accountable and cheer my lazy butt along on some days. :)
Monday, December 31, 2012
Saturday, December 29, 2012
What I Have Learned: Volume
The other day I jotted down several different ideas of things I wanted to write about, and a few of those ideas could be grouped together for a series. I thought a series would be more entertaining, and it could make the entries shorter, thus (hopefully) keeping your attention.
This series comes out of what I learned during December, after the coughing sickness that lead to my losing weight. I realized that I *am* capable of losing weight, and now need to focus on how to keep doing so. Obviously, not eating is NOT an option. So I did some reading, and started to focus on the cues that my body was giving me, but that I was obviously ignoring.
The other day after a workout, my stomach did a huge growl and since it was lunch time I decided to treat myself and stop into the nearest Burger King to pick something up to take home. Once there, I ordered the Grilled Chicken Sandwich, which was a change from the Whopper Jr. meal that I typically order. No drink and no fries for this fitness girl! So off to home, where I could sit on the couch, watch MSNBC in peace, and eat my sandwich with no kiddo distractions. Once I got half way through my sandwich, I realized I was full!! Crazy, it was only half eaten, and remember I had no side items!
So it seems that the doctors and nutritionists might be on to something...eating less food but more often is the way to go. Instead if eating the entire chicken sandwich, I wrapped up the other half, and ate the rest a few hours later. Yes, I might be eating or drinking something all the time, but my body was not designed to be stuffed until you need to roll me home. My stomach is only so large, and I am on the road to being healthy. I will not over eat, I will not keep eating once I am full. I will be mindful of what my stomach and telling my brain, and stop eating once I am full.
Seems simple enough, but if it that simple, why is it so hard?
This series comes out of what I learned during December, after the coughing sickness that lead to my losing weight. I realized that I *am* capable of losing weight, and now need to focus on how to keep doing so. Obviously, not eating is NOT an option. So I did some reading, and started to focus on the cues that my body was giving me, but that I was obviously ignoring.
The other day after a workout, my stomach did a huge growl and since it was lunch time I decided to treat myself and stop into the nearest Burger King to pick something up to take home. Once there, I ordered the Grilled Chicken Sandwich, which was a change from the Whopper Jr. meal that I typically order. No drink and no fries for this fitness girl! So off to home, where I could sit on the couch, watch MSNBC in peace, and eat my sandwich with no kiddo distractions. Once I got half way through my sandwich, I realized I was full!! Crazy, it was only half eaten, and remember I had no side items!
So it seems that the doctors and nutritionists might be on to something...eating less food but more often is the way to go. Instead if eating the entire chicken sandwich, I wrapped up the other half, and ate the rest a few hours later. Yes, I might be eating or drinking something all the time, but my body was not designed to be stuffed until you need to roll me home. My stomach is only so large, and I am on the road to being healthy. I will not over eat, I will not keep eating once I am full. I will be mindful of what my stomach and telling my brain, and stop eating once I am full.
Seems simple enough, but if it that simple, why is it so hard?
I'm back!!!
Hello there!!! Remember me? :)
Yes, it seems that I have taken some time off from the this blog....and from running. Sadly, other things seemed more important at the time, and recently I have shed a lot of those responsibilities. My husband changed jobs, which means that my job as head cheerleader for his company was put to rest. I resigned one of my consulting jobs, and another volunteering job that I currently hold will end in May 2013. So here right now, on this blog, I am officially declaring 2013 is the "Year of ME!".
I know what you are thinking---how rude. Seriously, as a mother and wife, I have learned a lot over this past year, and I know that I need to start treating my body like a temple and not a trash can. Good things need to go into it instead of the trashy food that we as Americans consume on a daily basis. And I need to produce a good output (exercise) to keep up with these energetic kiddos that rule my house.
And yes, this is also a selfish journey for me as well. Here is what happened: Over Thanksgiving weekend, I developed a cough which was really tough. It was one of those coughs that took over your entire body when you did cough, and it eventually sent me to the doctor. I rarely go to the doctor, like most moms out there (I think) I was just content to let things take their course. But there were two days in a row that the cough was do violent that I was sent running to the bathroom to get sick. Seriously, that is a BAD cough.
While the cough did eventually go away, so did some of my weight. I lost seven pounds in seven days. Yeah, not the healthy way to do things, but with getting sick, and my throat being so sore from coughing so much that I could not eat, the pounds fell off. And crazy thing is that I have plateaued there for awhile. So that goes against my theory that I could not lose the weight. Dang it! So now my new goal is to have the first two numbers of my weight to be "13" instead of the "14" that it currently resides at, which is down from the "15" it was a few weeks ago. Lucky number "13"!
So that is the story behind the starting line of my selfish journey for 2013. I hope you will join the journey with me!
Yes, it seems that I have taken some time off from the this blog....and from running. Sadly, other things seemed more important at the time, and recently I have shed a lot of those responsibilities. My husband changed jobs, which means that my job as head cheerleader for his company was put to rest. I resigned one of my consulting jobs, and another volunteering job that I currently hold will end in May 2013. So here right now, on this blog, I am officially declaring 2013 is the "Year of ME!".
I know what you are thinking---how rude. Seriously, as a mother and wife, I have learned a lot over this past year, and I know that I need to start treating my body like a temple and not a trash can. Good things need to go into it instead of the trashy food that we as Americans consume on a daily basis. And I need to produce a good output (exercise) to keep up with these energetic kiddos that rule my house.
And yes, this is also a selfish journey for me as well. Here is what happened: Over Thanksgiving weekend, I developed a cough which was really tough. It was one of those coughs that took over your entire body when you did cough, and it eventually sent me to the doctor. I rarely go to the doctor, like most moms out there (I think) I was just content to let things take their course. But there were two days in a row that the cough was do violent that I was sent running to the bathroom to get sick. Seriously, that is a BAD cough.
While the cough did eventually go away, so did some of my weight. I lost seven pounds in seven days. Yeah, not the healthy way to do things, but with getting sick, and my throat being so sore from coughing so much that I could not eat, the pounds fell off. And crazy thing is that I have plateaued there for awhile. So that goes against my theory that I could not lose the weight. Dang it! So now my new goal is to have the first two numbers of my weight to be "13" instead of the "14" that it currently resides at, which is down from the "15" it was a few weeks ago. Lucky number "13"!
So that is the story behind the starting line of my selfish journey for 2013. I hope you will join the journey with me!
Monday, January 16, 2012
So far, so good
Yep, I've only half-way fallen off my wagon of 2012 Goals....I haven't GAINED any weight, but I have not lost any either. On the positive side of things, I am getting to the gym more often. YEAH ME! I have to average 9.7 miles per week to reach my goal of 506 miles in 2012. And I a head so far! For example, for this current week I only have 4.17miles still left to log, and that is before my run on Saturday.
At the beginning of the year, I decided to join the Clarksville Running Club. It's a group of runners (duh!) that meet every Saturday morning for a group run. Most of the members are SERIOUS runners, and on that first Saturday in January they were like "Oh, I think I want to aim for ten (miles)," in such a nonchalant kind of way. I was PUSHING to reach four (I managed 3.78) But I always have to remind myself that I am (still) a beginner runner, and at one point they were at the point that I am at now. I do like how I am accountable that morning, since two of my neighbors have also joined and we carpool together. Makes it a little more bearable when rolling out of the bed before 7am on a weekend morning.
But I also feel like I am "cheating" some days when working out---like I am not totally pushing myself to the limit that I know I can reach. For example, one day this week I cycled since all of the treadmills and the working elliptical machines were taken. GRRR!!! But I stayed at the gym, and logged 5.11miles on the bike, followed by 1 mile on the elliptical machine that had just opened up behind me. And while I did log 2/3 of my weekly mileage in that one day, I still left the gym like I had not totally pushed myself to the extreme. I kept waiting for the cycling to get harder and to hurt more, but it never came. I only did the elliptical for that small amount because of time constraints, but I still was not exhausted by the end of the workout.
Hopefully, someday soon, I'll find an exhilarating fitness routine that will leave me winded, but coming back for more....
At the beginning of the year, I decided to join the Clarksville Running Club. It's a group of runners (duh!) that meet every Saturday morning for a group run. Most of the members are SERIOUS runners, and on that first Saturday in January they were like "Oh, I think I want to aim for ten (miles)," in such a nonchalant kind of way. I was PUSHING to reach four (I managed 3.78) But I always have to remind myself that I am (still) a beginner runner, and at one point they were at the point that I am at now. I do like how I am accountable that morning, since two of my neighbors have also joined and we carpool together. Makes it a little more bearable when rolling out of the bed before 7am on a weekend morning.
But I also feel like I am "cheating" some days when working out---like I am not totally pushing myself to the limit that I know I can reach. For example, one day this week I cycled since all of the treadmills and the working elliptical machines were taken. GRRR!!! But I stayed at the gym, and logged 5.11miles on the bike, followed by 1 mile on the elliptical machine that had just opened up behind me. And while I did log 2/3 of my weekly mileage in that one day, I still left the gym like I had not totally pushed myself to the extreme. I kept waiting for the cycling to get harder and to hurt more, but it never came. I only did the elliptical for that small amount because of time constraints, but I still was not exhausted by the end of the workout.
Hopefully, someday soon, I'll find an exhilarating fitness routine that will leave me winded, but coming back for more....
Sunday, January 1, 2012
A new year
Yeah, yeah, yeah. I know....long time, no post. But it's a new year, and hopefully a new and improved me! Right???
I know that each year we all make resoultions, and they are usually dropped right around Valentine's Day. So this year I made goals in my fitness program. I guess you could say they are resolutions, but I prefer to think of them as goals. I have set a deadline for them, because without an end date they are just dreams. But here my 2012 fitness goals:
I know that each year we all make resoultions, and they are usually dropped right around Valentine's Day. So this year I made goals in my fitness program. I guess you could say they are resolutions, but I prefer to think of them as goals. I have set a deadline for them, because without an end date they are just dreams. But here my 2012 fitness goals:
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