What a Weekend

Sorry I've not been posting more lately. Between the kiddies all being back in school, work, and getting ready for my classes and life in general, I've been busy.  I've a million and one things to do this week to get ready for my classes starting next week, but I thought I would jump on here real quick  to let my dear readers know how my weekend went.

On Saturday I ran the Celebrate Munford 5k. I was hoping for a 36 minute finish, but ended up with a 39:10.  I haven't been training near as much as I should of and I think I forgot all about the hills on the course...or at least imagined them as less then they were. I still did better time-wise then I did last year. I came in at 39:45 last year. I was 200th place overall (I was looking at the results and a 81 year old man came in at 30:45, how amazing is that!).  The greatest thing to come from the race is my two youngest sons want to run the next 5k with me. There's one at the end of September I think we'll sign up for, I can't wait. It's sort of a dream of mine, since I started running again, to have my family with me in a race. My middle son says he's going to have me running everyday. So it looks like he's assigned himself as my personal trainer. 

Also on Saturday I started a new job. It's a new type of work for me, but I think I like it. However I wore the wrong shoes and so I was hurting when I got off work.  Standing for 6 hours in heels (no matter they were only like 2 inch chunky heels) right after running a race isn't a good idea. I was so sore and tired when I got home, I may of been a little cranky as well. I went to bed at 8:30 that night without telling anyone good night...I had debated on taking another shower or just going to bed and the bed was just much more inviting. I had taken a shower before going to work so I wasn't all icky or anything.

Sunday was my second day at work and I was kept so busy. 6 hours has never gone by so quickly, I love it. 

So now I'm getting ready to head to the gym to work out some sore muscles. My legs, and for some reason my back muscles, are feeling this past weekends activities. No pain, just the good soreness from being worked.  Have a great week dear readers, I'll try and update on how my August goals have gone/are going in a day or so.

A quick snapshot Hubby took of me at start of the race. Middle sons hands and my dear daughter are also in the picture.

Making Plans for August

So I've been thinking on what my plans and goals should be for August. I know one is a no-soda challenge. Another is to continue the 30 day Ab Challenge, I've had to restart this one but it's not failing unless you quit doing. I've not quit so I'm still good.

I'm going to be working on menu plans for this month. I think I'm going to do them one week at a time and find a good rotation that works for my bunch.  I'm going to be concentrating on freezer cooking for breakfasts and dinners, healthy school lunches for the kiddies and I, healthy after school snacks, crockpot meals  and easy meals for when Hubby has to fix dinner or we need something easy due to busy nights. I've got a ton of ideas on my Pinterest boards. Some are fine like they are, some I need to tweak to make them better.  

Non fitness/food related plans are homework for the kiddies. They do not have any assigned anymore. The teachers don't want to grade homework so they don't assign it  The kids are not taught cursive anymore. My fifteen year old cannot sign his name, it's embarrassing for him. His signature looks the same as it did in the 3rd grade, I hate it for him.  So I'm going to work with them all to give them the education that is lacking at school. I told my daughter the other day that we had three recesses, a 30 minute lunch and still learned more then they do today with their none to maybe one recess and, if they are lucky, 30 minute lunch.  I want to laugh when someone tells me kids are learning more in school today. Just go ask an eighth or ninth grader to do a paper including a resource/works cited page.  Find out if they can do simple multiplication or addition without the use of a calculator. I feel as if we have a ton of college dropouts coming because they've not ever been taught how to do that type of work. They're just not prepared for life after high school.

Anyway, enough of that soapbox, I'll step off for now. I hope all my dear readers are having a great week.

Do or Do Not...

The ladies who run Skinny Ms. website have posted another challenge. This is a 30 day ab challenge and I think I'll do this one.  I'm not going to try and do it, I'm going to finish it. Speaking of "try," I need to take a couple of words/phrases out of my vocabulary. One is the word "try," if I say try I'm automatically giving myself a way out. Say if I only finish a week of a 30 day challenge, well I tried...I didn't try, I got lazy and quit. For a while I'm taking the try out and putting do. I'm going to do this, I have to do this.

The other word is willpower. I'll drink a soda when we have it and just chalk it up to having no willpower. Another lazy way out, I can always choose not to drink. I'm using the word willpower as another excuse for bad decisions.

So from now on I won't try, I'll do. I won't say I have no willpower to stop something(or start). I'll just do it. I read it can take anywhere from 21 days to 60 days to create a new habit. I usually make it 2 weeks before I stop or slow down. I know I can battle through and make new habits. I can quit drinking soda, I can finish a 30 day challenge, I can stick with a workout plan. It's all a matter of determination, not willpower. Willpower is a human weakness, an excuse. I'm working on reducing my weakness, ending excuses. In the famous words of Yoda "Do or Do Not...There is no Try."

I hope you dear readers all have a wonderful weekend.

It's the 2nd week of July, already!

One day this summer feels like it's dragging by...then a week later I wonder where time has gone.  Sorry I haven't been posting much, between work and kiddies I've stayed busy.
I'm still going to the gym, just not as much as I should. Last week I only went once, this week I plan on going every other day and then working out at home in between times.  So yesterday I went did spin bike for a few minutes, ran/walk on the treadmill for about 15 minutes then 10x up and down the stairs(there's 26 of them, I counted yesterday).  I finished up with ab machine, leg press, leg extension, abductor/adductors and some decline crunches.
I plan on signing up for my next 5k this week. The race is next month, so I need to up my running so I can beat my time.  It's hard to run when morning temps are in the 80s and 90% humidity.  I can handle the heat no problem...the humidity saps my energy though.  I'm thinking of running in the late afternoon(about 5-6pm), but that has other issues as well. There's more traffic/people about, it's hotter(but less humid) and we're usually fixing/eating dinner at this time.  Oh well, I'll work it out somehow.
I guess I need to get off here and get moving, I've got a ton of outdoors/yard stuff I want to get done today and they're calling for rain this afternoon. I've got my fingers crossed that it rains and not just thunders and pretend like it's going to happen.  My veggies and flowers and water bill appreciate every little drop the clouds allow.

Juneathon Fail

Last week ended up being a wash exercise-wise for me. There was vacation bible school at church all week and I just didn't feel comfortable working out with all those people around(they said they averaged 400 kids a day). That time of month also kicked in and that made me feel washed out and tired most of the week.  So working out consisted of nearly nothing.

I'm making up for that this week.  Yesterday I did 30 minutes on the spin bike, ran up and walked down 2 flights of stairs 8x, 40-50 minutes of upper body using weight machines and free weights.  After about an hour and a half at the gym I came home and mowed my yard for another hour.  Oh and we do abs everyday yesterday and today I did 72 decline crunches and 72 reps on the ab machine. It's suppose to be 3 sets of 12 times 2, but I get in a groove and forget to pause between sets.  Oops. I usually do about 24 reps then pause for like 30 seconds then another 24 pause, then a 3rd set of 24.  I may need to increase my weight/difficulty.

Oh and I've been asked if I can help some of the other church member with making healthy choices with food/eating. I'll probably enlist the help of another dietetic student who is working out with us, if she's comfortable with it. I have no problems sharing with others the things I learn in class as long as they don't request meal plans.  I don't want to get accused of working without a license and there is a fine line.  I'm sure showing people proper serving sizes and how to make better choices is fine because the SDA does that all the time.

On a good note, one of the ladies working out today was talking to me about her junk food cravings and asked what I thought. She was happy to have some of her questions answered and said maybe God was making this a calling for me. I know was feeling good about talking with her and I really love learning about nutrition and how it affects our bodies. So maybe she's right. As I finish my undergrad I'm so happy to feel as I'm on the right path.

Well, I want to do some more things before my workout high wears off so I guess I need to get off of here and get them done. Have a wonderful day dear readers.

Day's 2 and 3 of Juneathon

Day 2 I sorta took a rest day. Between taking oldest son to his Civil Air Patrol meeting and picking middle son up from a sleepover, then doing other odds and ends around the house...I just didn't get around to working out. The most I did was walk around Wal-mart for an hour. So that will have to count as my exercise for day 2 of Juneathon.

Today is day 3 and we went to church this morning and now we are working in the garden. Planting, weeding and going up and down the hill that is my yard is plenty of exercise. It's like a whole afternoon full of squats. I had thought of going for a run, but I keep hearing thunder and so I think staying at the house is better for today.    I may get on my gazelle this evening and do a few miles that way.

Tomorrow is Monday so I'll be at the gym. Some of the ladies I usually work out with won't be there due to vacation bible school. So I may be by myself. If so I'll get a long walk/run in on the treadmill before hitting the weights.  I hope all my dear readers are having a wonderful Sunday.

Day 1 of Juneathon 2012

I didn't run today but I did go to the gym and walked at a brisk pace on the treadmill for 30 minutes (3.7mph with a incline of 4).  Then did 8 stair repeats and finished with 45 minutes of weight training working upper body. Oh and I forgot to add in decline sit ups and ab machine to my log on runningfreeonline.com. 2 hours at the gym and I feel great, hungry now, but great.

So I'm going to go and fix some lunch then check out the other Juneathoners. Hope everyone is having a great Friday.