In Process Pictures

I decided, after my workout today, to take some progress pics.  My weight this morning was around 180, but I'm starting to see a bit more definition I think.  Somewhere I have some before pics from last year.  I'll find those and post them later.

Please ignore the dirty mirror and the poor quality phone camera pics.  My kiddies have misplaced my camera battery charger for me and I'm left with my phone for a camera.

I've got a bit of a waist starting to show through.

My shape is round

backview

I Want to do This

What is this? It's the Tough Mudder .   The Tough Mudder is a 10-12 mile obstacle course, running through mud, over walls, through tubes, fire, smoke and electric wires.  It sounds like fun, huh.  They're having one sometime in 2012 in Nashville and I went ahead and pre-registered.  I think if I continue to train throughout this year then maybe(hopefully) I'll be in good enough shape to finish.  The website says about 78% of participants complete the course...sounds like pretty good odds really.

The Thing About Exercising is...

The more you do, the more you want to do.  The more you want to do, the more you will do.  Eventually you get to a point to where you wonder why you didn't do this sooner.  If I could go back in time I would tell my teenage self that she is stupid for not working out.  Muscle doesn't make you look fat, that scale lies. You will regret not working out when you're in your twenties having babies and getting big.  You will regret it when you hit thirty-two and one of those babies you had enjoys poking you in the belly commenting on how squishy you are.  Muscles are sexy, skinny is not.I would also tell my teenage self to tell anyone who says 125 is fat on a 5'6" very active girl who runs track, cross-country and has no jiggle anywhere to shove it. I don't care if it's your mom and grandmother saying your healthy, muscular thighs are too big. 
Anyway, good workouts today. Gonna rock tomorrow's too.

That Running Feeling

You know that little high you feel when you finish your run for the day.  Well even if you don't I do. I feel so fit and in shape(even if I'm not) when I finish.  I like morning runs the best, around 6am-7am.  In my neighborhood that's the time those who work days are usually all gone, so little traffic. Everyone else is still in their homes and beds. I just make sure one of my kiddies are awake and then go for my 20 minute run.  It's just me, my mp3 player and the pavement (and my cell phone for just in case).

I've not been real consistent with my running lately and I have to change that.  The 5k I signed up for is in just over 7 weeks and I need to be ready.  So this week I'm going to try to run everyday(well for the rest of the week anyway).  Then next week on I'll aim for 3-4 days. I want to train not burn out or risk injury.  My goal is not to win the 5k but to have a strong finish.  If I can run the whole way without walking then I'll say it's a success. 

First Day of Summer

So what are you doing to day to welcome in Summer? I'll be sitting in a Chemistry class for an hour and a half then coming home eat lunch, do homework, and going for a run.  I was going to go this morning, but I'm just not a workout in the morning type of person.  On top of that I went to bed a bit late last night and my sinuses are acting up so yea, not going to happen right now.  This afternoon, though, I'll put on my shorts, hook up my mp3 player and take off. I'm going to restart the week one of the couch to 5k plan.  It's suppose to be upper 80s today with chances of rain, so I may be running between the rain drops.
Yesterday's workout was finished at nearly 10pm last night, but I did it.  Hubby didn't get home from work till 9am and so when the rest of us got home he was sleeping and I didn't want to disturb him by working out (my Gazelle makes a bit of noise).  Still I did it and I'm glad I did.  Now I wish I would of gone to bed before 11 because I'm going to be dragging for a bit.
Okay in the midst of all this rambling I'll write about today's plan. Exercise: run/walk C25K, 10-20 minutes of  yoga.  Food: breakfast was coffee and scrambled eggs(about 1 egg) with smoked sausage (about an oz), Parmesan cheese(about 1/2 oz) and salsa(about 1 T); lunch tuna salad sandwiches and baked potatoes; dinner will be mixed bean soup with smoked sausage and a veggie(I hadn't decided yet) and biscuits or cornbread.
I know bean soup seems odd in the summertime, but I'm making it in a crock-pot so it won't heat the kitchen up. Also, the bread(whichever I make) will take 20 minutes or less so it won't heat the kitchen up too much.

New Week, New Start

The great thing about trying to lose weight, get healthy, get fitter is that every day can be a do over.  If you screw up tomorrow IS a new day and it's fine to start over.  You can start over as many times as you need (goddess knows I have to start over many, many times).  So last week I flopped, this week I'm ready to rock.  I'm doing a  beginning strength program from active.com. Today's workout will consist of bench press, twisting sit-ups, dips, lateral raises, chest flys, reverse crunch, extensions, abdominal curls, triceps pushdown, shoulder press, side crunch.  To top it all off, I'll do 30 minutes on the Gazelle.  Sounds like an awesome work out, huh.
Today's food is Nature's Path Flax Plus cereal for breakfast (which isn't too bad) and coffee. Tuna salad sandwiches (whole wheat bread) for lunch,  Pears for snack, Grilled steaks, potatoes and carrots for dinner.
So here's to hopefully having a great Monday and a wonderful week.

Half the week gone by...

and I haven't done a thing really.  My energy levels have been dragging while stress levels, well they've been okay.  There was that incident Tuesday where I got to school and realized I forgot my backpack at home (which of course contains my notebooks and calculator) and knew I had a Chemistry quiz in 5 minutes (home is about 45 minutes from school).  So I had to run over to the campus bookstore and grab a cheapy calculator and notebook so I could be somewhat ready for class.  Nothing like getting your adrenaline pumping right before a quiz.  I detest being unprepared for class, so the whole hour and half I felt off.  

I've had a few sodas, and I shouldn't.  I'm going to try and end the week better then I started it.  I've not taken had the time to workout really.  Still my goal the next few days is to end the week strong.  Tomorrow is always another day and for some things you do get a do-over.  

Still Around

I'm here, I've just been trying to get some ideas/plans worked out before I post them.  I trying to work on a exercise plan that will work for me time-wise and I'll post that as soon as I get all the details sorted out.  I'm also working on a no or little sugar plan.  I would like to have no white sugar for me and little sugar for the Hubby and kiddies.  I know getting them to go no sugar is like trying to get milk from a bull.  Just not going to happen.  Maybe when the kids are grown and make their own decisions about what they eat they'll see how unhealthy it is. Unfortunately that is not taught in elementary, middle and high schools.  What is taught is moderation so my kids learn, from school, that a little sugar is okay.  So as not to confuse them, much, I'll let them have a little sugar.  I'll incorporate non-sugar, natural sweeteners in my baked goods that they eat and know that I'm doing my best to get them to eat healthy.
For myself, I'm going to have to stop drinking soda. Yes I've been drinking it again. How much depends solely on what kind of day I'm having.  The more stress I feel the better that can of Dr. Pepper or Mountain Dew sounds. Well one can was pretty good, how about another.  I usually don't drink more then 3 (4?) cans a day and not every day.  On a good day I may drink none to one.  A bad day and I've drank four and am forcing myself to not drink another one.  Do I feel less stressed after drinking a can (or four) of soda? No, not really. I usually end up feeling guilty on top of being stressed. So I need to stop and use other, healthier resources for dealing with stress. I live on a quite street, I can go for a walk.  I may have to ignore some looks, heckling from some obnoxious children that live two doors down, but still doable.  I have some hand weights/dumbbells. I can workout.  I have access to internet(obviously) I can look up some yoga videos/exercises.
So goals for nutrition this week are:

•  Ask myself if I really need that soda or just want it. If I'm frustrated with kids, homework, or whatever maybe I should look to do something else.  If afterwards I still want that soda then I can have one, in a glass over ice. 
• To try no-sugar for me and less sugar for the rest of my family.

I do have some fitness goals, though I didn't mention them in what I wrote above. They are:

• To do 30 minutes of weight exercises and 30 minutes of cardio for 6 days this coming week with Saturday being a rest day.
• Cardio will be 3 of the days working on the Couch to 5k program so that I can be ready for the 5k I signed up to run in August. The other 3 days will be 30 minutes on the Gazelle Freestyle I bought at a yard sale last weekend.  I really like this, it's low impact but I'm still able to work up a sweat and get my heartrate up to 130-160 bpm, which is my target rate for weight-loss/fitness.

I'll try to post a couple times this week to update on how it is all going. It's sometimes difficult to post with classes and life, but I'll try. 

Here is the Gazelle freestyle I have and love.