ROAD TRIP!!

Today's the day that we head out for 2 weeks on the road!  For anyone following I wanted to give you a heads up that I don't know when/where I'll have internet so my posts may be sporadic and few and far between!
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That being said, let's talk about today!  The Reba concert was awesome, got home pretty late, slept in later than normal but then I GOT UP AND TOOK MY WALK!  My cousin told me that she wanted to leave early this morning but I told her I had to walk first! :)  Now if only I could be that bossy with myself when it comes to getting up and doing my resistance training.......
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A lot of people out this morning which is really nice to see!  Just gives it a greater sense of community around here.
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I added some distance to my walk this morning.  Found a route where I could take a different loop and make it longer.  Still took me the same amount of time though which means I'm getting faster!  I'm not real strict on timing myself.  I prefer to just find the pace that I can keep steady.  I can tell however that my pace is getting faster! :)
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Sorry no pictures today ~ gotta finish packing and loading up the camper!!

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To insure good health; eat lightly, breathe deeply, live moderately, cultivate cheerfulness, and mantain an interest in life

-William Londen

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It's health that is real wealth and not pieces of gold and silver - Mohandan Gandhi

Confession.......

Confession time...I didn't do my workout this morning :(  I was supposed to do my resistance training today.  I was up late packing for vacation, my mind was super busy so I didn't sleep well.....excuses, excuses, excuses!
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That shouldn't have stopped me but it did.  And I'll be going non-stop for the rest of the day and literally won't have 10 minutes to fit it in.  I know I'm not perfect and I knew this journey would not be perfect.  But that being said I'm still not happy with myself!  Everyday that I don't step up to my own plan is a day that sets me back and puts off my goal that much more.

But enough about my pity party!!  Tonight I'm going to see REBA McENTIRE!!

Then tomorrow as soon as we're ready my cousin and I are heading out on a 2-week road trip!  We are beyond excited!  We don't really have definate plans, just a loose route mapped out ~ we're gonna just go where the road takes us!!

We have plans to keep active on this trip so even though it won't be structured I know I'll be moving! :)
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Can't wait to come back and share all sorts of stories!
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The joys of walking walking walking...

Today's walk was amazing!  Ok, so maybe not the actual walk but my attitude :)  And I'm so glad that I started my day out this way because it gave me the right attitude for dealing with what followed....being literally run of the road on the way to work, one very cranky co-worker, electronic malfunctions.... but all that's a whole other story!
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I woke up twice in the night ready to go.  Silly me though - it was only 2:30 & 4:30! :)  But at 5 I was up and ready to go.  (I'll still admit to having that tiny struggle getting from prone to standing!)  It was barely light when I started out and a very cold wind was blowing.  It's a weird feeling having the wind bite your face while you're sweating!

Here's my mini hike!!  Haha!  Not really, just a small detour from the paved path.  I finally took it this morning.  There's bench at the top to sit and watch the golfers but I just kept on moving.  Plus there weren't any golfers out quite that early! :)
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I'm glad no one was close enough to see my face this morning.  As I was pushing up the hills I was just visualizing the day I'll be running up those hills and I'm sure I had quite the goofy smile on my face!  I've never worked so hard for anything before.  I'd given up long before this.  That's why it's so so important to set specific goals and lay out the steps that will help you reach them!  If I didn't have this goal of running I certainly wouldn't have any motivation to get out of bed.  Yes I want to lose weight.  Yes I want to be healthy.  But those are so vague and they don't give you any direction!  I know that one day I will run ~ but ONLY IF I'm willing to go through these different steps that I've laid out for myself.  That's what gets me out of bed!

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Someone posted the following on a friend's wall on Facebook:
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    "People always ask me what I did to get back into shape but once they hear what's
    required they come up with a ton of reasons why they can't do it. Still at the
    same time they say they want to be fit or healthy. I guess they want it like I
    want a pony. Sure it be fun to have but there is all that feeding, brushing,
    cleaning up after it. Who has the time! Not to mention the expense! I guess at the
    end of the day I really don't want a pony …"

That's what it used to be like for me.  I'd say I wanted it but obviously not really since I didn't do what was required to have it.  Now I'm working for it!  Some days are harder than others and I think it'd just be easier to stay in bed.  Then I think about how bad I want to run and that it's not going to come easy - but it will come if I do the work!

Abs

So today instead of my regular 10-Minute Trainer resistance training I did the 10-Minute Abs.  I got a good workout - I was definately feeling it - but an honest review would be that this workout is not geared towards beginners who don't have much core strength.
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I used it because I know I don't have much core strength and wanted to work on that.  But in order to do even the modified versions it took more that I had.  I have no doubt I can work up to them but it just felt awkward trying to do modified versions of the modified version!

I'm not giving up on it after just one test run.  I'll definately do it again but probably after adding some other ab moves to my regular routine until I have the basic strength it takes to do the modified version at a minimum.
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I leave on Saturday for my 2 week vacation and I'm getting nervous about my lack of structured routine.  My cousin has agreed to my emphatic decree that we be active on this trip but I know for myself I do so much better with structure!  And spending 4,000 miles in my truck will surely be a test for me!  I'm a travel snacker with the bad habit of mindlessly snacking to pass the miles!  Our plan is to stop and buy fruits & veggies for snacking.  I have a feeling that I'm going to be consuming a LOT of carrots on this trip...... :)

I seem to be pretty much out of my "funk" and am really looking forward to my walk in the morning!  I've been doing a lot of visualization lately and it's been an incredible help!  When I hit a tough stretch of road I just imagine myself running and it's amazing the burst of energy & motivation it give me!
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Tomorrow and Saturday will probably be my last outside walks for now since when I return it will most likely still be dark at 5 am.  So it'll be a move to the treadmill.  Not my favorite BUT I am excited to be starting the C25K program!



"You must see your goals cleary and specifically before you can set out for them.  Hold them in your mind until they become second nature" - Les Brown

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"See things as you would have them be instead of as they are" - Robert Collier

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"Make sure you visualize what you really want, and not what someone else wants for you" - Jerry Gillies

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"We are what we think" - Buddha



Starting Week 4: Don't Give Up

I woke up late today but still got up and went for my walk.  Missing one was bad enough and I knew I could make all the excuses in the world but I'd only feel miserable if I failed once again.  I was going to take a shorter route since I thought I'd be pressed for time but stuck to the longer route.  I didn't add any distance with this beginning of Week 4.  I didn't feel quite ready for that yet.  I clocked the route I'm taking now and it's 2 1/2 miles.

There was nothing exciting on my walk today.  No deer or skunks but I did see one bunny off in the distance.  Very few people out this morning so I had a lot of time with my thoughts!
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I was thinking about the hard work that comes before success.  On one hand I really didn't want to be out this morning, I would have rather stayed in bed for awhile.  On the other hand I was proud of myself for sticking to it and getting out there.  I realized that I've never worked hard enough before to realize any of my goals.  When the going gets hard, I'd give up.  I'd make up excuses and quit doing the things that would make my dreams a reality.

What hit me really hard this morning was that by quitting the steps that will lead me to success I was giving up on myself.  And by quitting I was saying that I wasn't worth it!  If I want to achieve my goal I have to work for it!  It's not going to come just because I want it.  I have to go out and WORK HARD for it!  It won't be all fun & games.  There will be times when I want to quit, when I want to give up.  But those are the times when I have to suck it up and push on.  So right now, my enthusiasm is lagging and in the past this is the time when I would just give up.  But not this time.  This time I pushed on.

When I was walking this morning I just kept telling myself to picture me running.  To imagine what it'll feel like.  Self-talk and visualization are what got me through today.  Very helpful tools that I'd never used in the past.

Ending & Beginning

What a terrible past few days!  I've failed myself and am not happy about it!  I know it's hormonal but that's really not an excuse.  I haven't worked out since my walk last Thursday.  And in turn it's effected my eating.  I've been stressing about a lot of different things and instead of dealing with it in a productive way I turned to food.  Which in turn makes me feel worse.
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It's been a "dark" few days.  Those with depression would understand.  It's frustrating when you have these feelings that you know are beyond your control and there's nothing you can do about it.  I want to "snap out of it" but I just can't!  I know it will eventually pass but that doesn't make it any less frustrating in the moment!
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My cousin and I did go and get pedicures on Saturday.  It was my very first one!  My feet are so ticklish that I wasn't sure if I could handle it!  :)  It was fun and did seem to lift the clouds for a little while!

Today I'm feeling like it's finally lifting so that's good.  I'm actually starting to look forward to my walk tomorrow which is a feeling I'm very glad to be having!

Tomorrow will be the beginning of Week 4.  So here's to ending a bad stretch and a new beginning!  I have one more week until I leave for vacation.  Then when I come back I can finally start my "official" C25K training!  Very excited about that!

I was looking for a picture to represent a new beginning and this one just made me happy!  How am I going to color my world?  It can be dark and gray or it can be bursting with color.  The choice it mine!
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I don't want to lose my momentum on vacation so I told my cousin that we ARE GOING TO BE ACTIVE!  We are not only going to find things to see, we are going to find things to DO!  She's been running every day and says she plans to keep doing it on vacation so we're on the same page ~ thank goodness! 
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Here's to not giving up.....

....because I'M WORTH IT!

Oh Deer...

I was feeling better this morning.  I think my mood and general funk these past few days are hormonal!  Oh the joys of being a woman!
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I still struggle between waking up and actually getting up.  And it baffles me because as I lay there I think about how great I feel when I'm walking and pushing myself!  And yet something still tries to hold me back.  I've never regretted getting up and moving.  I know that I feel an incredible rush when I get up and move.  So why oh why do I struggle so?
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I seem to have gotten shin splits.  I haven't have any pain before today.  So I'll ice them and see what happens come Saturday.  I can't let this de-rail me but I also don't want to make anything worse.
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It was quiet, quiet, quiet this morning.  Felt like I had the world to myself!  I did run into these two though:

Not sure who was more startled when I came around the corner and saw them!  It's kind of hard to tell in the picture how close they are but they were RIGHT THERE!
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Lots of rabbits out today but they don't let me get close enough to take a picture before they scamper off into the underbrush.
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I don't really have another topic to talk about today!  I'll be here tomorrow after my 10-Minute Trainer workout!

Struggling

I'm in a funky mood today.  I hate dwelling on the negative things but the truth is today I'm struggling with my attitude.  Last night I was again feeling so tired by 8 o'clock.  So I went to bed and still go woken up by the alarm buzzing at 5.  I've never been a long sleeper.  Getting 7 hours of sleep a night was what I considered a good night for me so this is feeling very foreign to me.
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I wasn't feeling like working out.  I had planned on adding the Ab training to my 10-Minute Trainer but was just dragging!  But like Mandy also says "just press play".  So I did.  I'm glad I did but I just couldn't wait for it to be over.  I was dragging through the exercises, thinking that I don't seem to be getting stronger - feels like I'm still at the same level I started at 2 weeks ago - which is a downer.
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All this after the great day I had yesterday is just depressing!  My attitude also affected my eating this morning.  It's crazy the way those two are so tied together!
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So what can I do about it?

1. Keep telling myself that this too shall pass
2. DO NOT let my own bad attitude de-rail my progress
3. Look forward to better days
4. Anticipate my morning walk, remembering the rush and the sense of accomplishment that I get from pushing up those hills
5. DO NOT sit and mope ~ keep busy!
6. Think about what is positive in my life - no matter how small or insignificant they may seem

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A dog that makes me laugh

New cyber friends who encourage me to keep on going

A creative mind

My job that is allowing me to go on a 2 week vacation

My general health

My cousins who make me laugh

My "other" family who encourages me in all I endeavor to do

The sunshine

The sense of community I get from my community

My friend Erin ~ who's a hugger

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Starting Week 3:

I killed it today!!  I'm flying so high right now I can hardly contain my excitement!  I woke up refreshed and ready to go.  Since today is the start of Week 3 for me I knew that I had to continue on the route that I'd walked on Saturday.  It's about 2x as long as the route that I started out on and has a LOT more hills!
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The first 3/4 of my walk was very solitary and it was really nice to just be with ME :)  I did however run across Thumper & Flower!  Haha!
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So as I hit the part of my route that is about 3 hills all in a row I was imagining what it is going to feel like when I'm running those same hills!
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It was hard going but I was going at a steady pace and I just kept pushing on!  I felt a little like the Little Engine That Could...but with a small difference:

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I was literally saying "I know I can! I know I can!" over and over to myself!  As I was pushing up the last big hill I came across about 6-7 runners coming the other way.  I just smiled and knew that soon I will be joining them! :)
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I do have a confession to make about yesterday.  I ended up not doing my resistance training.  "Life" got in the way!  This is why for me it's so important that I get my workouts done in the morning which I failed to do yesterday.  By the time I got home last night my body just felt exhausted which is unusual for me.  So I made a grilled chicken salad for dinner and went to bed.  I think it ended up being the right choice for THAT day but I will try to avoid that same thing happening in the future.  I refuse to dwell on it, especially since it'll only bring me down.  I can't go back and re-do yesterday but I can learn from it, make a new commitment today, and move forward!  So that's what I'm doing!

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One of my past posts was on my avoidance of numbers and how that works for me.  I've been thinking about that these past couple weeks and I realized that it was through that learning experience with the numbers, mainly Weight Watchers and their Points system, is what helped me figure out what works for me.  Even though I'm no longer following the WW plan I am so grateful for what it taught me.  It showed me correct portions ~ by using their points system I learned how to measure which is what I base my "eye-balling" method on now.  I learned how much I should be eating each day.  So without that experience I would probably be lost today and that makes me value the knowledge I received when I was on the plan.
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I still won't get on the scale.  I know what I weighed last time I went to the doctor.  At this point I have to admit I'm scared to weigh myself.  Because I know the evil power that thing has over me.  I don't have a specific number of pounds that I think I should have lost but what if I get on and see what it says and suddenly I don't think it's as much as it should be?  I know that something like that has a great potential to de-rail me.  I know I will weigh myself one day but for now I have to stay away.  I prefer to gauge my success by how I feel physically, mentally, and how my clothes fit.

One of those days..........

Saturday was just a completely awesome day!  Started off with my wonderful, long walk followed by a walk to the Farmer's Market:

Then lunch with my cousin, then another walk up to the park for street fair, then sitting at the pool dipping our feet in and just chatting.  Then off to a cooking class where we learned how to make stuffed green peppers.  They were so amazing!!  Stuffed with rice and veggies ~ yum!  Then topped the day off with a nice, cool, refreshing orange sorbet at The Chill Spot! :)

These aren't the ones we made but this is what they looked like.  Don't they look delicious?!
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Sunday was my rest day so I took it easy.  Cleaned house, got some things organized.  I think I may have had a touch of sun exhaustion from Saturday.  I'm not a napper but in the afternoon I couldn't even keep my eyes open so I did sneak in a little nap.
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And then comes today ~ blah!  I went to bed at my normal time last night but I didn't sleep very well.  Didn't beat the alarm, hit snooze a couple of time, then got up and realized I had a ton of fly bites all over and they itch something fierce!  So no 10-Minute Trainer this morning.  It just seems to be one of those days!  But I'm not going to let that slow me down!  I've vowed to myself to do my training after work even thought it'll be hot and stuffy!

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Goals:  Until now I've never understood the importance of having specific goals.  Sure I had goals but they were very vague, I never wrote them down, never considered how I could achieve them.  And as a result I never reached them!  Imagine that!* (note sarcasm!)
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Since pin-pointing my goal of running, writing it down, developing steps that will enable me to reach my goal, I have seen more daily successes!  I know that when I get up and walk in the morning or get up and do my resistance training that these things are steps on my way to fulfilling a life long dream!  It keeps me very focused on why I'm doing what I doing as I'm doing it!  Will this choice help or hinder my dream?

One great thing for me is that by having a goal that's not weight related it's turned my focus away from food.  When my vague goal was to lose weight (how much? how fast? by what means? - things that I never addressed) my focus was about food and was bordering on obsession.  And if you're a stress/emotional/boredom eater like me, it was like dangling alcohol in front of an alcohalic!  Now that my goal is RUNNING, my focus is on the proper way to train, the proper shoes, getting out and moving, building up my endurance, visualizing myself running.  Things that get me away from my food obsession!  Which in turn makes me eat better!  Which makes me feel better!  Which makes it a whole lot easier for me to make the choices that will help me reach my goal!
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Of course it's different for everyone and the key is finding what works for YOU!