One Month at a Time

Happy February! January went by so quickly.  I did not do as well as I had planned.  I just could not stay healthy.  I am still not 100%, but I am pushing through it.  I am not one for conspiracy theories BUT I am almost convinced that this year’s flu shot made me sick.  Each time I recover, I get different symptoms.  Now I am battling a sore throat and upset stomach.

Weights.  I laid off the heavy weights because I just did not have the strength.   I’ve been picking up the dumbbell here and there.  I’m going to try to hit the weights tomorrow. 

Plank.  I planked the entire month!  I got up to two minutes.  My goal is to do a five-minute plank, at least one time in my life.  Last week I struggled to do one minute.  Not sure what’s up with that, but I am going to continue working on it.  I know having a stronger core is going to help my running.

Pushups.  Last week my friend Bianca invited me to do 22 pushups a day for 22 days for Veteran Suicide Awareness.  The first day I did them I almost started crying.  It is so hard to imagine that each day 22 veterans commit suicide.  Each day I dedicate a pushup to the memory of a veteran and his or her family.  Yesterday, I figure I will have done a push up for 484 veterans and their families. It is a very humbling and sacred experience. 

Running.  I started my Couch to 10K a couple of weeks ago.   I completed Week One no problem.  I have had on and off days with Week Two.  I completed the first session with no problem.  The next time I could barely get to the halfway point.  I almost completed the third session.  Yesterday, I made it to the halfway point and walked the rest of the session.  I am not moving on until I can complete all runs in all three Week Two workouts.  

Swimming.  On back burner until I am feeling well and it is warmer!

Nutrition.  I am feeling really good about my nutrition.  Today I made quinoa vegetable “fried rice.”  Last week I made quinoa veggie patties.  Yummy stuff!

Fitbit.  Well, I decided to go with the FitbitSurge.  I need an extra-large band so it on back order.  I can’t wait to get it!

Before Photo

A new year and a new me.  I just complete 50 minutes on the treadmill, nice and slow.  As I walked, I listened to a Jillian Michaels podcast.  I also began visualized myself running.  I have decided to do my best to take a photo each month.  I was doing a great job taking monthly photos in 2014.  I just wasn’t uploading them.  Unfortunately, my old phone completely died, without any backup or way to retrieve them, I lost all those photos.

I took a photo today and really looked at myself.  I now have this yucky spare tire.  This time last year I was at least 25 pounds lighter.  I am not going to beat up myself about it.  I know my journey and success to fat loss and a healthy weight is not going to be linear. I’ve been experimenting here and there with my eating habits.  My last experiment resulted in a weight gain.

 

Now, I’m back to a semi-vegetarian eating plan.  I have to admit that now that I have been lifting on a regular basis I am worried about not getting enough protein.  However, my body responds much better when I eliminate red meat and poultry from my diet.  I feel more energetic.  The podcast I listened to today was about the spirituality of food.  I am already one of those people who says grace before I eat.  I made a mental note to pay better attention to how I prepare and eat my food.  Am I truly grateful for the food I receive?  Do I understand how the  food I eat sustains me and gives me energy?  Which foods are good for me and the environment from a spiritual perspective?

I am looking forward to another year on this journey.  I can’t wait to see more muscle and less fat!

Happy New Year

2015! It’s a new year! 2014 was very good to me.  I completed my first 10K and I starting lifting on a consistent basis.  My goals for this year are to improve my running, continue lifting, eat clean, and drop some body fat.  Actually, one of my goals is to start running again.  I have not been running on a consistent basis since the Peachtree Road Race.   I also want to get back in the pool and work on my swimming.  So now I need to work these into SMART goals.

Running:  I will run 3 times a week.  I plan to complete a 5K in March/April, the Peachtree Road Race in July, and another 10K in September/October.  I will log my runs/walks on Daily Mile.

Lifting:  I will continue following a lifting plan.  Right now I am following JamieEason LiveFit program.  My focus is on form and building strength.  I will log my workouts on Body Space.

Nutrition:  I will eat healthy foods.  Planning and prepping my meals in advance works best for me.  This year I will work on maintain sustainable healthy eating habits.  I really like Jill Coleman’s approach to healthy eating.  I will use MyFitnessPal and my recovery app. 

Lose Body Fat:  The way I see it, my goal in this area will be achieved based on my success on my other goals – running, lifting, and healthy eating.  

Swimming – This goal is easy.  Sign up for swim lessons and get in the pool.  Practice, practice, practice!

I know I say it every year, but I want to purchase a bike… I admit I have a lot of fear about purchasing a bike.  I am worried about safety.  Just recently I read an article about a hit and run, and the cyclist was riding in the bike lane!  However, if I ever want to check triathlon off my fitness bucket list, I need to get a bike.  So, for now, I’ll stick to spin class.

I also plan to sign up for the health program at work.  Last year I made it to level 4 out of five levels.  I earned $300 off my insurance premium.  I could have made it to level 5 but I lost the pedometer and my HRM stopped working.  I held off  replacing them because I want to invest in a a different fitness tracker.   I was set to get the Fitbit Flex until I read about the Surge.  I am holding out for the release of the Surge because it can also serve as a GPS watch.  

Well, I'm ready for the new year.  I am, once again, hoping I will post regular updates on my blog. 

September, Sweaty, September

Today is the last day of the Awesome August challenge.  It was great! I’m down four pounds.  More than anything else I am very proud of myself for being consistent with my strength training.  It’s been a month now with working on the fundamentals.  I have been doing three full body workouts a week.  

This is the first time I have really stuck with a weight training plan.  I set up a profile at Body Space at www.bodybuilding.com.   There is a tremendous amount of great information, training programs, and motivation on this site.  I think I’m ready to work on one of these plans BUT I’m a little apprehensive about working out in the free weights section of the gym.  I have to admit I am still working on building my self-confidence.  It will be okay.

Tomorrow I am also going to get back to my running.  I’m signing up for a November 5K.  I’m not sure how I’m going to do this.  I’m thinking about doing my running early mornings and keeping my strength training after work.  Not sure if I should do both on the same day or alternate days – this would mean I’m working out six days a week.  Right now I’m working on five or six days.  The sixth day is usually water aerobics, which isn’t too strenuous.   We’ll see how it goes.  

August was awesome.  September is going to be sweaty. :)

Daily Nutritional Commitments -- Part Two

I came up with the idea to establish three daily nutritional commitments (DNCs) from Jill Coleman.  I like her approach and philosophy to keep things simple and sustainable.  At the time I couldn't come up with three DNCs. 

I've been thinking about the third commitment for a few days.  This morning it dawned on me that my third commitment should be maintaining my daily food journal. Whether or like it or not, I do so much better when I keep a record of what I eat. This practice helps me to stay aware and conscious.  There are days I have no idea how little or much I've eaten until I complete my food journal.

I also like the fact that these commitments are not set in stone. I can change them at will.  For now, I think I will set with:

1. Eating breakfast
2. Eating protein with eat meal
3. Completing my food journal

Number three is also going to help me with my weight loss goals.  I need to do a better job of tracking my macros.  I do not eat nearly enough protein on some days.

Daily Nutritional Commitments

I love Jill Coleman.  Yesterday she posted this awesome piece about daily nutritional commitments. According to Jill, DNCs are supposed to be easy to do every day and leave very little wiggle room for getting into too much nutritional trouble.  

When I thought about it, I only have one DNC and that is to eat breakfast every day.  It has taken me a long time to get used to getting a daily breakfast and, to be honest, there I some days I really wish I could skip breakfast.

At any rate, I decided I am going to implement three DNCs as Jill recommends.  Mine are to:

• Eat breakfast each day.
• Have protein with each meal.

Truthfully, at this time I am having trouble coming up with a third commitment.  So, for now, I will continue working on these two.  I’d give myself an “A” with number 1.  I still have some work to do with number 2.  I'll give it some thought and see what my third commitment will be.

What I like about I am learning is that when it comes to good nutrition one size does not fit all.  I like to keep my food plan as simple as possible.  One other tip I learned from Jill Coleman’s site is to keep my food plan sustainable.  As I make changes or try new recipes, this is the question I ask myself:  Is this sustainable?  Can I see myself eating like this in a few months? If I can’t see myself doing something long term, I don’t try to force myself into it.  I try it and let it go.