Get UP!

Get up, get up.. get out of bed you lazy head.....

I had no clock this morning. My new, yes new alarm clock broke. The alarm on and off button pressed in and disappeared. This is why I purchased a new clock, just for the alarm to work and now I don't even have a clock, let alone one that will wake me up with the alarm.

I have a bad habit of waking up every hour or two, sometimes more to check the time. Even with an alarm set I still need to know what time it is all night long. Last night was no exception. I bugged Steve all night long with asking "what time is it?" I tried to hold back by not asking as much and I did.. I think it was only 3x's which in my book was a success. Steve didn't think so.. I'd better get my clock replaced today because he might not be so happy about telling me the time for another night.

We had one of those mornings where we were both still tired. I could have just laid in bed for another hour and then ran outside this morning. Steve wanted to sleep more, but since I woke him up all night long, he couldn't go back to sleep. So, off we went to the gym... I really thought I'd have a hard time getting going on my workout. I didn't, thankfully!!!

Today, I have time to run either this afternoon or in the evening. Do I ever feel like it in the afternoon or evening? Nope.. I am always lazy at that time of the day. It's my down time. I'm thinking it's probably not the best idea for me to have hours of down time. I just want to eat and make poor food choices.

Yesterday on the eliminating white bread I did okay..

I had a sandwich for lunch but it was with my whole grain bread. Dinner I did have 2 slices of pizza.

Then Logan wanted a bagel bottom so I ate 1/2 of the top. Not my best moment of the day!

In all.. I ate okay.. I'll try to do better today... same weight as yesterday..

Let's Do This!!!

Let's just do this and get it over with. Words I say to myself every morning lately. At 4:30am when your tired and can hardly open your eyes, I need all the pep talks I can get. I have to remind myself that I need to do this, have to do this and want to do this. All "This" is Exercise!!

Some days are easier then others but most are a challenge. I look forward to the days were I don't have to get up so early to workout. I do enjoy working out once I get started and am super glad I did it when I'm done.

I do love the feeling of sweating away all my fat, all those calories I consumed and knowing I'm getting stronger, more tone. Just knowing its going to make me feel great!

My progress on eliminating white bread from my diet didn't go so well yesterday. I didn't eat a bunch of white bread for just a snack. I had 1/2 a hot dog bun and 1/4 a bagel with dinner. Plus a flour tortilla with lunch and a little pie crust with my fruit tart. Today, trying to eat the bread only with whole grains or not at all. It's hard giving up white bread. I did it for over a year.. time to get back to giving it up! It's not my friend.. so lets just do this and get rid of it from my diet!

A short week....

It's a short work week so that also means a short gym workout week. 1 day down.... 3 to go! Should I be complaining? Not really.

I could tell my right leg needs a break from running on pavement. My leg somewhat hurts on the inside by my knee. Not sure why?

I had a good run on the cross ramp this morning. I felt good and refreshed. Got there late to the gym so we only had 15 minutes of weights. I worked mostly on my abs and did little for my arms.

I was not happy to step on the scale this morning. I was up 2 pounds since Friday. Bad eating this weekend. Full of bread, chips, pizza, wings and whatever else. Time to purge my diet of all bread again and get my eating back on track. I can have fruit, veggies and protein.

Even though I noticed a weight gain. It still pays to always weigh yourself. It's easy to let the scale creep up and up and before you know it.. it's more then a few pounds you have to lose. 2 is a lot more manageable to get rid of then to re-lose 50+ pounds.

This morning I did have some pie crust with the last slice of fruit tart. I had extra fruit on it so I'm not counting that little bit of white flour. Planning on having cole slaw salad with a balsamic vinegar dressing and a banana. Dinner veggies and protein. Plus any snack will be veggies, fruit or popcorn -air popped.

Feeling very tired at the moment.. time for a 10 min shut eye... before my busy day starts..

Memorial Day Exercise..

I was up late last night, midnight. So much for sleeping in this morning. My legs started twitching and I was laying there wide awake at 6am. Guess all I needed was 6 hours of sleep to be well rested. I didn't bother waking Steve to run with me. He was sound asleep and no amount of noise would wake him. I got ready, check the temperature outside 55*F and went out for my hour long run.

It was quiet on the streets. I didn't see anyone until the end of my run  and only a few people out with their dogs or just starting out running. I did enjoy seeing a mother deer and her baby cross the dirt road, there was also a very wet wood chuck that crawled back under a pine tree and a turkey that ran along side of the road for 20 feet before running back into the woods. Plus, there are always a lot of different kinds of birds, some ducks, various states of worms (squished, dried up, fresh and still wiggling) and bugs along the way. You just never know what you will come across or see when running and that's part of the fun.

Well, since I'm tired.. off to take a mini nap...



I did my hour, and planned to bike since it was so nice outside. I talked Steve into riding the bikes up to Cub a 3.5 mile ride, buying fruit (strawberries, bananas, raspberries and blue berries) getting a coffee at Dun bros and having our b-fast out on the patio. After our b-fast, we biked home with much of it down hill another 3.5 miles.

Cross Training..

One of the best things about exercising is that you can do a variety of activities to get in exercise and make it fun. I do a variety to keep things interesting and prevent injury.

I've done rock climbing, walking, hiking, swimming, weight lifting, floor exercises, cross country skiing, roller skating, biking, mountain biking, running, cross ramp, elliptical, treadmill and the list goes on...

It's good to mix things up and keep life interesting and just to keep moving.

I usually go back to what I like and what is easy to do on a daily basis which is weight lifting, running or the cross ramp. Once a week, I try to fit in some other fun activity. This gives my legs and muscles I use every day a break. I get to use new muscles that don't get as much exercise.

Yesterday I had a weird pain that would all of a sudden be sharp in my lower leg. It didn't last long but it kept coming over and over. I took some Advil but that didn't seem to help. Today, all seems fine with my leg. Wonder if I just didn't drink enough water?

My goal tomorrow is to run my 4.1 mile route 2x's in each direction for variety. A total of 8.3 miles instead of my normal 6. If I go around 3x's I will have completed a half marathon. I'll have to work up to going around 3x's, as it will take me a little under 2 hours to run. That's a lot of running and I'll need a break the next day from running. It's my next big goal.. more so then running a 4 mile race.

Race Prep...

I took the last 4 days off from running outside. It felt like I hadn't ran in ages. It felt good and I felt renewed. I ran a 8:55 minute mile for a leasure run for the 4 miles. Now I know when race time comes, I have to take a few days off from running. I still can do the cross ramp inside, but I will take the day before a race off from everything.

I've been reading up on Marathon racing and just training over all for any type of running race. I don't always take the books advice, but it's good information. At some point I might want to take some of the suggestions. I'm not that serious of a runner or that concerned with my race time. I do want to improve from last years time, which I'm sure I will. I would also like to place this year in at least one race in my age group. That's 1 -5th place which I'd take any of the places. I'm not going to be picky!

I was reading an article in the news paper about a group of women most in their 70's who have been running together for 20+ years now. They will be running a dualathon and a tri-athalon this summer. It sounded interesting to me. I use to be a good swimmer, but I haven't done a lot of lap swimming in years. Once a year I do sign up for a free week at lifetime and use the pool to do laps. The tri-athalon is swim 500 meters, run 3? and bike 20 miles or something like that?? The dualathon is run 2 miles, bike 22 miles and run another 2 miles. I kind of liked the dualathon idea since I've been biking and running. It sounds a lot easier then swimming in a cold lake. I'm not sure I'm crazy about that idea? Might just have to sign myself up for that dualthon.. Wonder if I could get anyone to join me? It's women only!!

I will post the info once I find it again about the races coming up.. time to get ready to do some of them!!!!

Just a little bit more...

If I just lost a little bit more weight I could see my stomach abs. I've been so unmotivated to try and lose weight. It's a wonder I am even maintaining. Thankfully, I still exercise every day for at least an hour to burn, baby burn.

Funny how even after I exercise, run for an hour, it doesn't feel like I've really done anything. It's so apart of my life now, so automatic just like brushing my teeth. You just do it and don't really give it much thought.

When you first start off exercising, it's hard. Your body hurts, you feel tired and it requires a lot of change and effort. I'm past that point, so some days I feel like I didn't do enough. It doesn't feel as hard and my body isn't sore and I feel good. Too good to have just worked out for an hour.

There is always this on-going battle in my mind that if I have the time. If I'm not doing anything or if I'm bored, I should be out there, out running, or doing something to burn calories instead of consuming them.

I feel like I let myself down a little when I choose to not do anymore then the minimum. I have to remind myself that I'm in the minority. The minority of people that actually exercise an hour a day. If I do anymore it's above and beyond and I should not feel like I have to.. I just want to feel like.. I want to.. I want to because I feel good, it's fun, it's something I like doing.. Good enough a reason. Not because I feel like I'm going to disapoint myself for not pushing myself.

Too much pushing isn't good either. I don't want to risk burn out, or an injury. I need this to be about me and having fun, enjoying the time I spend exercising. I don't want to ever hate it. I can't aford to feel that way because it would be too easy to slip back into weight gain mode.

40's are a time in my life where I needed to re-invent myself. I'm doing it.. Day by day. I'm becoming the person I want. Healthy, fit and in control of my life..my body.. my mind..

So I'll do just a little bit more exercising when I feel like it.....

Comments

Good old comments that can lift you up or deflate you..

I've had a lot of nice complements since I've lost weight. It definitely lifted me up and kept me going.

I've also had some not so nice comments. It's only from one person that has said it to my face and to others. Apparently, I looked better fat. That's right, I looked better with more then one neck, a bloated face, weight that kept going up along with my size and not to mention my health was going in the wrong direction.

Some people just like to bring you down. I'm not overly skinny, just a healthy weight for my height. I workout to be tone, not overly muscular. I'm happy, healthy and what more could I ask for. Guess not everyone is happy with my changes, but I just have to ignore that.

This person that tells me all the negative stuff is over weight, unhappy and un-healthy. I am guessing it's hard to ignore the damage they have done to their own body. Its far to easy to make negative comments about me then deal with their own issues.

Yes, people talk about others. We all do it. We are all interested in each other, whether we like the person or not. It's human nature to talk about each other and it's not always the good stuff.

I will say this. It's not easy to lose weight. It's also not easy to be over weight and to not like yourself. Where ever we are at, we need to help each other out, be supportive and lift each other up. Be positive and positive things will happen. Be negative and nothing good will come of it.

So today, I'm going to ignore that one not so nice comment and concentrate on all those that have helped lift me up. It's an on going battle and it's never over..

Cross Ramp

It was a cross ramp day today in the gym. I really didn't want to go workout inside but I haven't been running  more then 4 miles outside and I missed doing weights 3 of the 4 days I didn't go. I did go lift weights yesterday even with running outside.

I really like running outside now that the weather is nice. It gets light out by 5:15am so I can run early. I just can't get Steve to want to run with me. He likes the gym and running inside on the cross ramp. It's easier on his joints and then he can lift weights after.

I just have to push through and do it. Just go and exercise at the gym and then go running later on so I can have the best of both.. an indoor workout and my favorite outside run.

It's suppose to rain tomorrow, I probably won't have trouble wanting to workout which will be good.

Reverse.. Mind Games!

I got over my fear, my fear of more hills and ran my route in reverse this morning.

It is a mind game after all. I was so afraid the hills going the other direction would some how push me over my limits. I was happily disappointed.. It was not bad at all. In fact the complete opposite. It was refreshing to go in another direction. It completely changed up my running. I enjoyed the new scenery going in reverse order.

My heart rate was higher, but I didn't seem to mind or think I was working extra hard. I also noticed that I was not as the same place I thought I would be at a certain time. I still finished in 36/37 minutes for 4.1 miles, so it made no difference that I had more hills to climb.

It's good to get over your fears. It is in fact a mind game that we all play. I had to get comfortable enough, bored enough to break out of that fear. I did it!

I have another mind game... mountain biking.. I did it last year and just went by myself. Why won't I this year? I am stopping me for some reason.. time to get over it and just do it!

Try Something Different!

Okay, I'm already bored with my outdoor run route too. I'm less then thrilled these days to get out and run. I just didn't want to get out of bed this morning. I skipped the gym because I thought I wanted to run outside for a break from the same old, same old gym cross ramp.

I still ran.. took me longer to do my stretches.. tried to convince myself I could run later. I know for myself that if I don't get up and run before I have b-fast, there is no way I can run. So, out of bed I went, stretched for 15 minutes then checked the temperature.. 50, needed a long sleeve shirt today to get me started.

I think the first 10 steps of a run are the hardest. It gets easier the farther from the house. After 20 minutes into my run, I realize that I feel pretty good. Any where between 30 to 40 minutes I'm running by our house again.. time for a bathroom break.. and out the door I go again to finish the last 2 to 3 miles around our neighborhood.

Today, I didn't finish the last 2 miles.. my calves hurt and I had a hard time walking. I feel fine now but my legs got stiff in the short break. Best to stop before an injury. Plus, since I don't take rest days.. I'm considering this day a rest day.

I have to say.... I'm a bit afraid to take  rest day. I have a few good reasons. The main reason is that it's easy to stop.. what if I decide to take another rest day and another one.. then I'm out of the habit, out of shape and it's too hard to start back up and too easy to quit. It's the quitting at this point that I'm afraid of.

The other main reason is that I eat a lot of sugar.. yes, junk foods.. I'm out of my healthy eating habits.. Here I am typing this out and downing 2 rice crispy bars for a mid morning snack. I use to be soo good, eating only veggies, fruit and my rice and salsa. It seems little by little I'm letting my old bad eating habits creep back into my life. My old life that was comfortable on the couch, surfing the Internet and watching TV for hours. Wasting away time... eating what ever I wanted.

I need to snap out of that.. I need to get back on track with my eating. I at least have exercise! It's my only way to control my weight. It's the one thing I can count on to burn those junk food calories. That is why I'm sooo afraid to take a rest day. It will lead to weight gain. I need to burn all those extra calories just so I can eat a rice crispy bar and not gain back all the weight I lost.

It's sooo much easier at this point to keep on running then it is to stop.. I can't stop.... I have to keep running.. running for the new me.. this too shall pass.. I will get a hold on my eating or just keep running to maintain..

Which leads me to my post title.. Try Something Different... while running I decided the next time I run I will do my route in reverse.. .that's right... take the harder route.. up more hills and have less down hills to run. I know it's more challenging but at this point.. it's more a mind game.. it keeps me interested and mixes things up enough to get me to want to go out and run.

I'm sure as time goes by.. I will keep changing up my running route.. I will find new paths to take.. because after all.. it is good to try something different...

Almost forgot... week 21 ran a total of 55.2 miles,
I'm on week 22.. but whos counting..

Sunday Run..

I ran solo the past 2 days. No Steve to keep me company as he was sleeping in.

Yesterday and today, I had perfect weather to run. Yesterday was warmer and today was a bit cooler in the morning, but both days I had a super nice run. I ran both days for an hour, just doing an easy run without trying to push myself to run hard. I just wanted to enjoy running and I did.

I still haven't cured myself from eating whatever I please. Today was no exception.. pizza & frosted flakes for b-fast, followed by 2 dounts and 2 bananas for lunch. Not a good combo of healthy eating, but I figured that I ran enough to burn off 700 calories today. I think that cancels out some of the junk.

I'm really not looking forward to the gym tomorrow. Mosly because I really like running outside as my workouts go by much faster. The only plus of going to the gym is that I can use the weights to stay tone on my arms and abs. I've been skipping the weights on the weekends and letting my body rest.

Off to enjoy the rest of my Sunday.... ;0)

Burn OUT...

Oh am I tired. Here it is Friday afternoon and I'm exhausted. I worked hard today cleaning 3 houses, exercised early in the morning running 6+ miles, lifted weights and now I'm on the couch not moving!

There will be no more running today, no more cleaning, no more doing anything other then relaxing. I'll save the run for tomorrow morning.

I'm also not doing very well limiting junk food. Who needs to when I burn so many calories in a day. I must have exercised off at least 1700 calories today. So what did I have to eat?

2 cups of frosted flakes
chocolate chip cookie dough
4 chocolate chip cookies

What did I eat that was healthy?

Brussel sprouts package with butter
Hamburger bun 1
Banana 2
Blue Berries 3/4 cup
Almonds handful
Canadian bacon 4 slices
 Dinner: I'll be eating grilled chicken and baked sweet potato fries. (I know.. said I was sick of sweet potatoes but this is baked in the oven not just microwaved)

Do I know how many calories I'm eating? A good guess would be around 2300 calories per day. That is why I need to exercise every day!!

Now.. time for a nap...

Har D run....

I had a really tough run yesterday afternoon. I worked out in the a.m running 6 miles and lifting weights then worked for 2 hours. I decided to run after a small lunch of fruit.

Well, I should have known I was not up for running 4 miles when I started out and my leg hurt. It never got any better. After a mile of having a hard time running I started walking. My calves and feet were killing me. I'm not talking a little ache. It was full blown pain. I had another 3 miles to walk up and down hills in pain. It took an hour to finish.

When I got home, I drank lots of water and had 2 Advil then elevated my legs and rested. I read on the Internet the pain is due to being dehydrated. Could be the case because I didn't want to drink a lot before I work and before I ran so I needed a lot more water. After 30 minutes, my legs felt fine, like nothing was ever wrong. Ugh!!! I won't do that again!!!

I'm hoping today if I decide to run, I won't have the same problem. Maybe I'll bike instead. No need to risk it!

Today.. rock climbing.. working, running and biking.. looking forward to a nice summer like day ahead!! .. ( rock climbing was good... only had trouble getting to the top of one climb. Tried 2x's but never made it to the top!)

Another note: I'm 100% sick of sweet potatoes. I cooked one yesterday for lunch only to take a small bite and that was it. Plus, I can't stand the though of eating rice with salsa or butter and pepper. I need to find another low cal food to enjoy?? Note: Tried more protein to keep me full. Canadian Bacon.. not so sure I'd want to eat this every day? Also had coleslaw with balsamic vinaigrette..good!

I am liking all the fruit.. bananas, green apples, blueberries, pineapple and strawberries... lets hope I don't get sick of my favorite fruits too!!

Happiness

Happiness.. have I found it?

Did I think I'd be happier once I lost weight?

Did I think I'd be happier once I was fit enough?

I'd say YES! I am happier with my new life.. the new me.. I am happy I lost 50+ pounds. I am happy I am more fit then I ever have been before.

Is my life perfect... ? Almost! Nothing ever is 100% perfect but it can be pretty close.

I'd say for the majority of the time.. I am happy. I think exercising makes me happier. I have a more positive outlook on all. I enjoy being more positive and looking forward to spending time making me happy. Plus happiness = energy!

I do get the case of the blah's, which I've written about where I feel like I could be depressed. It's usually a fleeting time where I feel tired, hungry or bored. It's up to me to fix that, and I do.

It does take effort to see the happiness in life sometimes. I look for the small things to be happy about. Good health, an easy day, finishing my to do list, smiling, something making me laugh, looking forward to seeing my family, living life.. reading, and letting my mind wander in meditation.

It's all about how you see life.. half full or half empty. I like to be optimistic about life.. and see my glass more then half full..

So today.. I'll be happy it's spring, happy I work, happy I can run, happy I have my family, happy for all I have, happy I have time for myself, happy to have a todo list, happy to take a mini nap later on... and happy I am...

So smile and fake it until you are feeling happy.. because happiness can be contagious and you need to spread that stuff around.

Sore.. Stiff

I was a little sore and stiff this morning. I'm sure it was from all the fitness tests I did yesterday and I bet it was mostly from the squats! My calves were really feeling it! Not exactly where I need to tone up! So much for squats targeting your butt... didn't even feel it there.

I'll have to keep up doing squats every day or for that matter all the fitness exercises. It's good to get sore to know I've changed up my exercises enough to feel something.

Today, I'm doing more rock climbing. I'll climb for as long as my arms hold out. I didn't do any arms weights today at the gym knowing I'd be climbing today. I'm hoping that will help me with climbing longer then an hour.

I'm also going on another morning run. Found out I was running 4.12 miles so I'll chop off the last part of my run to make it an even 4.0! This should help my mile time.

Fitness Test

Week 21... I start a new fitness book.

Time also to re-assess my fitness level. In my fitness book there are a few tests to determine how fit you are based on your age.

I plan to do the tests and post the results... Should be interesting!!

Starting Results:
Heart Rate resting: 41- 47 (excellent)
BMI: 20-21 (healthy)
Push up: 7 guy push ups & 16 girl push ups (excellent)
Sit ups: 24 (1 min - average) * b=need to re-do based on my heart monitor digging into my back!! Note... can't do more sit ups.. tail bone too sore!!
Squats: 44 (excellent)
Sit & reach: 26" to 27" (Good)
Chest: 35"
Waist: 30"
Hips 38"
Thigh: 22"
Bicep 12"

In one month I'll re-take the tests and see if I have any changes in fitness levels!!

Workout today:
63 minutes on the cross ramp - 6.5 miles
20 minutes weights
20 minutes bike ride - 4.12 miles
39 minutes - run outside 4.12 miles
Fitness tests...
Food:
am - 2 bananas
        hotdog bun
        strawberries 1 cup
noon - plain sweet potato
            1 banana

snack - 1 cup berry slushy
             4 mini chocolate chip cookies - ortho treats!!
              20 pringles.. needed some salt after the sweet!

Dinner- veggie burger/1/2 wheat bun
             cole slaw with vinegar dressing
             small slice of cherry chip cake
             1 cup snicker apple pudding/whip cream lite

Not the best choices but good enough!

Mother's Day Run...

It's Mother's Day... a day to run just like every other day. When I finished running today, I came home to find my kids had made me breakfast. They cut up a banana, some strawberries and made toast with jam with we love you on it, then baked orange sweet rolls. It was delicious.

The kids even ran this morning. Good to see I'm having some positive effects on my own kids. They want to run and be healthy too. Their goal is to run a mile every day for a week, the next week do 2 and so on until they can run 4 miles with me. Nice to know I'll have 2 more runners in the family to keep me company on my run.

This morning I wanted to run the race route in Rosmount. Steve biked and I ran. I started off slow because the first section is up hill. Not an easy way to start a race but a good way to spread out the runners. I picked up the pace or tried to and finished in just under 34 minutes for 4miles. So that's a 8min,30 sec minute mile... I was hoping for a better time, but that's okay.. something to work on.

I've been trying to decide if I want to run the mile first then run the 4 mile race? I know the mile run will help warm me up for the 4 mile, but I want to be well rested for the 4 mile race. Not sure what to do, but I know I should do both. We will see how I feel race day.. Some time in July.

Steve didn't want to run today so we drove home from the Rosmount route and I ran our 4 mile route. I did that slow and took my time enjoying the run,  the morning, sunshine and the start of summer. I finished that in 39 minutes.. a slow almost 10 minute mile... felt great and I could have kept going...

Off to get in more exercise.. mow the lawn.. clean the house and then take a nap and maybe go for a bike ride later on. .... a great Mother's Day!!

Intervals

Wonderful Intervals... or not so...

Seems people I know who run are always doing intervals when they run. Intervals are run for how ever long you determine fast, followed by running slow for a set time and doing it over and over again until your run is done.

I can tell you that its hard enough just to run for a set amount of time and a set amount of miles at a constant pace or better yet, just to keep moving and running to finish.

Oh, but lets make it even harder. hum.. not sure this is such a good idea. You have to first give yourself credit for even going running in the first place because it's not always easy to motivate yourself to just do it. To even think about pushing yourself so hard is just not very appealing to me. Oh sure the benefits of interval training are more calories burned for the same amount of time, maybe a faster run/mile time. It's also harder on your body, feet and mental state.

I've read in various sources, that you should do intervals once a week, then follow that the next day by an easy run etc... I can tell you that the runners I know, do intervals every day. Is this normal? Is this even fun?

Last week while I had been running for 55 minutes, I was told by a passing walker/runner that I should be doing intervals. Yeah... someone just starting out running for who knows what distance is offering me advice. Thanks, but I just want to finish the last 5 minutes of my 6+ miles and be done!
Other's I know do intervals every day, at 9.5mph on the treadmill, then down to 7.0mph every other minute. I can't go that fast.. I'd fall on my face or land wrong on my foot and hurt myself.

Today I decided to try intervals. I warmed up with running for 8 minutes then I ran every other crack in the road, slow then fast for about 2 blocks. This was enough.. not fun. As I was running up a hill, I decided I could do intervals running down the hill. The momentum from going down the hill would give me the push I needed to run all out, followed up running up the hill at a slower jog. It felt great to fly down the hill, kept my heart rate up. Running up the hill, slowed me down but still kept my heart pumping.

My 4 mile run time was 34 minutes today. Not bad.. not bad at all...for a hilly route.  The last half of my morning run, I ran slow keeping my heart rate around 127- 130 for 30 minutes. In all, I think I ran about 8 miles today in 62 minutes.

So will I do intervals every day? Nope....Will I do it on the hills one in awhile... sure but don't push me. It's enough I'm just out running!

I would like to get faster and I do know this would be a good way to train myself. Running slow or at a constant pace won't help increase my time but it will help me build endurance. Just depends on if I really feel the need to be faster or do I just want to do it because it makes me feel good, not exhausted!

It's going to be a good life....

I love that song... It's going to be a good life..

I do have a good life. I love my life! I work part time. I have time to workout every morning. I can nap if needed during the day. I have time with my family, home for my kids, I am back to my pre-kid weight. Feeling better then I ever have in my life... Love my family and life is good!

My workouts are going good again. I was back to the gym.

Today, cleaning, working out, running, walking around the lake and biking... beautiful day!!!

I Feel Alive!

Once again I feel awake and alive again. Full of renewed energy and a love for working out.. running.

I skipped the gym again, over slept. Ran outside for and hour or 7 miles aprox.

I will go to the gym later on today like I did yesterday and lift weights. I also plan to take a walk around the lake.

I have a busy work day which also means extra exercise.. and burning calories.  I want to try to avoid the 2 to 4pm time of day where I want to sit and eat junk. That's the hardest time of day to eat healthy. I do great the rest of the day, but not during that part of the day. ugh!!! Time to do something about it! I know I need a plan but my plan is usually, sleep, read, internet or TV. Those are not good options obviously. Get out of the  house? Go for a walk? Will that help? I have to change something or I'm never going to get rid of the jiggle in my buns. I still feel the jiggle when  I run. It's hardly there anymore, but I can still feel it..

When I was running this morning, I thought about the cookie dough I ate yesterday. All the butter!  I think that goes right to by buns. Time to give it up! I don't want to run and feel my buns vibrating.. bouncing, jiggling, wiggling. Time to firm up! Time to give up the cookie dough and the sugar in the afternoon. It's not doing me any good!

I need to feel alive and well and that means giving up something that's dragging me down.. Bye, bye sugar! You are not my friend!!! My buns will love me for giving you up!!!

Depression?

How can that be? How can I feel depressed with all the exercise I do? Is it really depression or a rut?

I have read all kinds of articles on how exercise is suppose to help with depression. I'm not saying I have a full blown case of depression.. I just feel kind of down and out lately. Of course it doesn't help when it's cloudy or raining because who wouldn't feel a little down and out. That's not the case today. It's mostly sunny with a few bright white puffy clouds.

I think most of the reason I felt kind of blah, is due to lack of sleep and exercise recovery time. I wanted to test my theory on sleep, so I slept in this morning until 6:30am. I slept a whole 2 hours more then I usually do and it felt great! I got up refreshed and ready to go.

Instead of going to the gym, I took my run outside. I ran for an hour at no particular speed and just kept going until my hour was up. I felt alive and refreshed.

After breakfast, I was feeling a little sluggish again. So, I went shopping, ran my errands and that still didn't help pep me up. Felt like I was walking in a fog, just going through the motions, emotion-less. I took a detour coming home and headed straight to the gym to do my 20 minutes of weight lifting. It woke me up a little, but it still wasn't enough. I still felt blah...

I decided to head to the local nature park, Lebanon Hills and go for a mile walk around the lake. It felt good to be outside, walking in the woods, listening to the birds, hearing the rustling of animals in the leaves, and watching the birds and clouds float by.

So I no longer feel blah.. .I know what does the trick for me. Get outside.. fresh air.. .appreciate what is around you and take it all in.... and rest.... a lot of recovery rest for all the exercising I'm doing.. my body and brain needs it!

Tomorrow, I need to do this again... a longer walk? Might have to walk more tonight with Steve and the kids... Anything to get me out of a blah mood!

Worst Run...

My worse day of running is still better then no running. I am having a hard time wanting to workout in the mornings. Even with caffeine it's still hard.

Is it always going to be hard? Well, yes and no. Some days I feel like exercising but more and more I don't feel like it. I always go and exercise no matter what because even if I don't try hard, I'm still getting exercise. I'm still there doing something  and something is way better then nothing. I don't ever regret going but I'm sure to regret not going to exercise.

I had a lazy day off yesterday. I had big plans to do a bunch of stuff. Instead, I sent the kids off to school, climbed back into bed for 2 hours. 6 hours of sleep at night are not enough and I needed 8 yesterday. My extra sleep wasted away the morning. I'm lucky to be able to catch up on sleep.

This morning was no better, after getting home at 6:30am, I climbed back into bed and slept for another hour. I'm sure my body needs the extra rest. I've been craving it. All that hard work of building muscle and running has taken a toll.. time to repair and refresh myself.

Today, I'm working in the morning. Burning more calories, around 500 or so with the extra bending, cleaning, and lifting I'll be doing. I also want to find time to run 4 miles. I do love my outdoor running time. Even if it's hard to get going.. after 15 minutes I feel great and am glad I went out and did it. I've just been going slow.. 10 minute miles just to be out there is good enough right now. No need to push myself. I'm just coasting along until I find the energy to want to do more. Right now.. I'lll keep plugging away...

Monday Already?

It's Monday. It came so fast! I need a 3 day weekend, wait I do have today off. No work for me.

It was still hard getting up early and working out this Monday morning. I even took the weekend off from the gym, but of course didn't take it off from running.

I'm tired of working out every day at the gym. I know I have to keep going... Just wasn't feeling it this morning. I know this too shall pass. Week 20.. last week in my fitness book!

This weekend I ran outside, which I love. I did realize that I need better running shorts. My knee length running shorts work fine for the length, but they like to slowly fall down as I run. I'm constantly pulling them up and pulling down on my top. I need a tighter pair at least tighter around my waist. My mission today is to find that perfect running short!

In addition to running today, I want to mountain bike. That's right... go out and hit the trails. I've been putting it off even though I do like it. Guess, I just think I'd enjoy it more with someone then alone. I've waited long enough and now I'm on my own.

This week I won't be able to do any rock climbing on Tuesday or Thursday since my work schedule is too busy those days. I'll go next week instead.

This week, I'll go to the gym every morning at 5am, run for an hour then lift weights for 20 minutes. I'll try to run outside as much as possible in the afternoons or evenings. Try to take less naps during the day. Work on the yard a bit, weeding and planting flowers.

I also have plenty to do inside the house. Go through the kids toys and get rid of some, clean up the laundry room art area. Wash my floors, do laundry and do whatever else needs to be done.

I do want to find time for my Pinterest projects. I'm going to spray paint some wine bottles and roll them in salts for flower vases. Hoping they turn out nice.

So that's my week.. in addition to celebrating Steve's b-day all week... and with Celina's tennis starting today.. busy busy,..  the way I like it!

Mow.. mow.. mow your lawn...

I just love a good excuse to get in some exercise. I don't hire out mowing our yard. I didn't get Steve or the kids to do it. I do the lawn. I do it because I know I'll be burning calories.

I always love it when people say they are too busy to exercise. Yet, they have plenty of time to sit inside, watch tv or surf the internet for hours.

Progress report....

I ran today, just 4 miles and did them slow. It was windy and there were lots of worms to jump over and go around.

I purchased a few fitness book, the same one. Why change something that works?

Tomorrow, I start week 20... then I start all over again from week 1 in my new book.

The week ahead is busy with working Tuesday - Friday. Exercising at 5am, and running more outside this week. Celina also starts Tennis on Tuesdays/Thursday fro 6:30 - 7:30pm so I'll be running around Rosemount while she plays tennis. Using my time while she is at her activity.

We are also celebrating Steve's birthday.. having cake and ice cream... and enjoying life.... one day at a time...

Weekly running totals = 45.5miles.... going down but a needed break!

Looking forward to ?

I was sooo looking forward to running outside this morning. I took a week off from running in the afternoons. I was up and ready to go at 6:30am this morning. It was drizzling just a tiny bit, but it wasn't very cold out. The drizzle actually felt good, cooling me down and keeping me from over heating.

I ran the 4 mile neighborhood route, through the woods and down the dirt road came back into our neighborhood where Steve put away his bike and joined me running. We ran back out to the main road and around the neighborhood for another 2 miles. He was done running/biking for the day so I took off and ran down our path, behind the houses and around the lakes and back through our neighborhood and did that 2x's plus, went around our little circle 3x's which is another mile. I'm guessing I ran for 50 minutes then another 55 minutes.

I felt good running. I did the first 4 miles in 36 minutes for a 9 minute mile. When I ran with Steve I had my heart rate around 125 and when I run by myself it's around 145. So, it's a very leisure run with Steve. After, Steve was done with his 2 miles, I continued running and decided to just keep my heart rate around 125 to 130.

I'm guessing I ran about 10 to 11 miles today?

It was nice just running and not worrying about how fast or where I would run.. just to be outside looking around the time went by fast. My right foot toes still cramp up, so I have to stop every once in awhile and flex my toes to continue running.

Looking forward until tomorrow when I get to do a long run again.... Oh sooo nice taking a gym break. Love, love the fresh air!!!

Journal

My trusty fitness journal has been with me now since the first week in January. I started recording number of miles, how long I lifted weights, how many days a week I worked out, what I ate and my todo list for the day etc.. It's now been 19 weeks.. coming up on 20 and the last line in my journal to record all.

I'm saying good bye to a trusted source of keeping me going, motivated and honest about my daily workout and eating. If I could, I'd keep adding on to the pages where I keep my totals but there is no room. I need to start fresh again.

It's off to the book store to pick up a new fitness journal. I won't get the same one. I like this one I have but I'm sure to get new motivational advice and tips in a new book. They don't come cheap at $15 or more for a journal. It is cheap in comparison to not doing anything. I'll gladly shell out $15 if that's what it takes.

Come next Monday, I'll be starting fresh. Hopefully, with a new sense of motivation.. with 20 more weeks to record all in one place.

It's nice to look back at all the weeks, seeing how I changed and how far I've come. I haven't made huge strides but more little ones along the way. My weight really hasn't changed that much in 19 weeks.. but I feel more fit, more tone and know my lungs & heart are stronger. My will power is stronger then ever to keep going.

I'll keep the used up fitness journal to keep a record for myself to know how far I've come and how far I have to go....

So start fresh with me next Monday.. get yourself a journal and track everything on a daily basis. Your life will look so much more full.. You'll feel good about your accomplishments and you'll have a record of it.

Activities any one?

We all make sure our kids are signed up for endless activities throughout the year. Well, what about you? What are you signed up for. Are you running to your own sport 1,2, 3, 4, 5 days a week? Do your kids tell you to be on your "A" game before you go for a workout? Do they make sure you never miss a workout?

That's right.. we need to take a look at what we expect from our kids and turn the tables. We need to participate in just as much as our children. DO we all need to be on our "A" game all the time?  Maybe there would be less obese adults if we did what we expect out of our own children?

I see parents run their kids ragged. Every day of the week after school they participate in sports or some other form of activities. We as parents take on the bystander role. Pushing our kids to perform for us as we stand on the sidelines. It's easy to give advice and tell someone what to do. It's a lot harder to get out there and do it.

We make sure our kids practice and what  do we do while they are doing that? Sit on the couch? Stand there and watch them. Is that really the example we want to set?

Why not run yourself ragged. Follow your own advice you give your children. Participate in activities 5 days a week, always be on your "A" game and see how long you last! Is it realistic? Probably not but you need to try it. You need to do it so you can know if your pushing too much or not at all. Run to your own activities. Make your kids proud because I can tell you ... they aren't proud of you sitting on the couch or the sidelines, not understanding they are trying their best, being told how to do it by you.. so get off your own butt.. do your own activities! 

It's time to be fit and healthy just the same standards you set for your children you need to set for yourself!

Flat Stomach

It it possible after 40 to have a flat stomach? Not sure??? I do countless sit ups, crunches every day on various machines and use my own body weight to tone and firm up.

I think my stomach looks better for just doing some form of stomach toning. I have some definition of muscles. I won't ever have that six pack look. I'd have to get down to really low body fat and I'm still not sure that would make my lower stomach smooth and flat.

You eat, drink some water and there it goes.. all round and puffy. Do I really care? Nope.. I've come this far, I know it's just from eating and not fat.

So why worry about it? I'll keep at it.. keep doing my crunches, sit ups and using the machines every day to tone but I won't obsess over it!

And for the record.. My arm pit area hurts on my body today.. Could that be from rock climbing or heavier weights? Not exactly where I was hoping to tone up! lol....

Becoming the "B I T C H"

Your inner BITCH.....
B - Become
I - Inspiring
T - Totally
C - Confident
H - Hot

I love this new book I found at the library.. "The Female Body Breakthrough" by Rachel Crosgrow. This is her books term for being a BITCH.. and I like it! It's one of the best fitness books I've ever come across. I've pretty much read them all thanks to my local library.

Out Of My Comfort Zone..

I had to get out of my comfort zone to make any new progress on my fitness. Today, I upped the speed on the treadmill. I went from my leisure 6.0 to 7.0mph. That's a nine minute mile for 1 hour. I didn't add in any hills like I normally do when I run a 10 minute mile. I figured this was enough change for one day.

I finished my run and my totals were 7.0 miles and I burned 766 calories. I had 20 minutes left to lift weights. I increased the weights I lift too. I never feel any soreness after lifting so it's time to add in more weight. Due to the heavier weights, I did less reps. I'm sure as my body gets use to heavier weights I'll be able to do more but for now I'll just work on making small changes.

I thought I'd be sore from rock climbing yesterday since my forearms were tired after climbing for the hour. Nope, woke up and nothing hurt. Guess that's good but then I got to thinking... maybe I didn't work as hard as I could have. No, no need to push myself past exhaustion.

So, I was out of my comfort zone today.. running my butt off and liking the changes I made to mix things up and keep me motivated. I'm now working on speed.. not distance and I'm working on more definition of my muscles instead of maintaining.

I do know that I need to keep moving out of my comfort zone. It's soo easy to stay where I've been and figure it's good enough. I'll never reach my next goals if I don't keep my body moving and ever changing.

So I challenge you to get out of your comfort zone. Work hard, sweat and make that fat really cry today!

Can't be on a diet forever!

No, it's true that you can not be on a diet forever. I am slowly going back to old bad habits.

I use to love rice and salsa. That all ended yesterday. I didn't have it for a at least 2 weeks and decided I'd make a fresh batch of rice. I had rice with my favorite salsa and I could barely eat it. It was spicy enough but just not what I wanted to eat for dinner. I joined my family and ate pasta instead but limited the portion size and had a salad with fresh asparagus.

I've taken up eating frosted flakes for breakfast with 2 bananas or toast with my fruit. I still love bananas, so at least that's all good!

I also still like sweet potatoes plain and sometimes popcorn. Plus, we always have almonds around the house to nibble on even though they are not low ,but a good source of fat.

I still think about what I'm eating and I do record what goes into my mouth in a journal. It seems more and more I'm tempted by sugar. Not just once a day, but throughout the day. Salty and sweet two very good combinations.

I know that I really need to be careful. I still weight myself every day and the scale has not changed much. I'm not at my lowest but in my normal range. I was hoping to have lost the last 5 pounds by now but that is not happening. I'm holding on to just maintaining, even with all the sugar I've been eating, is all I can expect. 

I've also cut back on running this week. Seems the few days were I was sick made me slow down. I felt better today about working out then I have in a long time. Maybe I was over doing it? At any rate..

Here's my plan.. because yes you always need a plan!
Try to limit sugar.. find something else like fruit that is sweet.
I'm trying rock climbing today.. will run if I feel like it
make some coleslaw for lunch and dinner so I won't be tempted to make poor choices.
Quit buying M&M's and Frosted Flakes! Even if the kids want it! I can't have it around and I know this!!
Give myself permission to not have to run 12 miles a day, there is nothing wrong with 6.

Rock Climbing update!! Yes, I went rock climbing today at Vertical Endeavors in St. Paul.  Every Tuesday & Thursday they have a lunch special from 11 -1pm you can rock climb for $8 and that includes a harness! It's usually $15 plus $4 for the harness. It's not busy at all and I'm sure that's why the special is in place. I went around the room in order as much as possible to all the auto belay climbs. I took any path up the wall. At one point, a 40+ year old guy suggested that I follow the color markers on the wall to make it more challenging. Yeah right! It's challenging enough since I knew my arms would give out before the rest of me was done climbing. I managed to do all but 1 climb. The last one I had to skip due to someone being on that climb. I had forgotten about it until the very end. I had done all the walls some even 2x's plus did take that guys suggestion and try the easiest route up the wall. Still not easy! Well, the last wall my arms were tired, I was hot and sweating. I just couldn't do it. It was more of a challenge then I was up for!

Glad I went.. conquered many climbing walls. I'll be back again next month because for the hour I climbed, I burned about 500 or so calories and had fun doing it!

Will I go for a run outside today? Not sure.. Plenty of time as it's only 2pm but now it's time to read and rest. Plus, it's pretty windy out there. What happened to 77*F?