Progress, Not Perfection

I have less than a week until the Peachtree Road Race I am on the verge of having an anxiety attack. I am as ready as I will ever be. Today my intention was to run six miles. My knee is not feeling so great so I didn't want to risk injury. I walked about four miles and decided to give my knee a rest.

I am going to continue stretching, hydrating, and preparing myself mentally. No matter what happens on July 4 I am so proud of myself for what I have accomplished. The Peachtree Road Race has been on my bucket list for years. I am going to cross that finish line!

Sick Days!

Today is the last day of January. Sadly, I did not stick to my training plan. I’ve been sick this past week. I didn’t want to spread my germs at the gym so did not do any running this week. I’d do a few squats here and there. Did a plank or two. Today I felt well enough to do a little weight training. It was too icy to go out for a walk. I am not going to let it get me down. Tomorrow I plan to do the Elliptical and Sunday I’ll get the treadmill. I will not be deterred!

On a positive note, I am doing really well with my hydration. My food plan could use some work. I will say I am eating clean at least 75% of the time. Now, if I can just stay healthy, I’ll be okay.

NeoCell Beauty Bursts

NeoCell Beauty Bursts are gourmet collagen soft chews. Per the label, the benefits it’s a skin rebuilder (Collagen type 1 and 3); Skin Hydration (Hyaluronic Acid); and Collagen Enhancer (Vitamin C). It had a weird consistency, more sticky than chewy. I didn’t like the taste. It was medicine-like. These candy-like supplements are not my thing.

I don’t see the benefits of this for me. My skin and nails are okay. I use a good skin cleanser and moisturizer. Plus, I have good genes on my side. The best way for me to keep my skin hydrated is to drink water.

Thirsty Thursday

Tonight’s run sucked! I was not happy at all. Within the first five minutes, I was taking a walk break. I am becoming more accepting that walk breaks are supportive of my running goals. I just do not understand why I am having such a hard time lately running nonstop. I’ve done it before.

More than anything I think it has to do with inadequate sleep and hydration. Even though I have been going to bed at a decent hour, I still find it hard to fall asleep until 11 or midnight. Tonight I plan to meditate for 15 minutes before going to bed. Hopefully, this will help.

I also need to do better with my hydration. Today I took a look at my pee. It’s way too yellow. I would say I was about a 4. Not too bad, but not good either.

I’m not good with drinking plain water consistently and I do not like putting a bunch of artificial sweeteners in my water. I’ve tried lemons and limes. This last for a couple of days and then I’m bored with it. Today when I was at Whole Foods I picked up some packets of Ultima Replenisher. I’ve had it before. It was pretty good. I feel comfortable drinking more than one packet of this a day before it doesn’t have any artificial junk in it. I think I’m going to get a large container tomorrow.


I also think I need to push myself more to build my endurance. Tomorrow I plan to walk four miles. The Elliptical is great exercise but I’m thinking my primarily cross-training activity should be walking. I have actually one month until the Big Pumpkin 5K and I’m feeling a little nervous….

On another note, I saw buzz on Twitter about FitBloggin’ being in Savannah next year. Since it’s only a six hour drive for me, I really should go. I mean I lurk on quite of few blogs and it would be nice to meet some of the people I follow.

Motivational Monday

I love September – it is my favorite time of the year! I had every intention of running this morning, but my body said no. I wanted to try to run after one rest day but I think I better stick with two for a while. My back, neck, and shoulders were aching. It could be because I cleaned a closet yesterday. I lifted a bunch of boxes then I did some strength training later in the day. If I want to meet my goals, the best thing I can do is stay injury-free.

Next week I am getting an adjustment and a massage. I can’t wait! Everything I have read says that one of the biggest mistakes new runners make is pushing too much too soon. While I am so excited to get going, I have to curb my enthusiasm somewhat. So, instead of running (I thought about getting on the treadmill later today), I am going to do some yoga. It looks like rain so I may not be able to go for a walk. If not, I will hit the Elliptical at the gym. I also need to hit the foam roller!
My goals for this month:

• 50 Miles — I signed up for this 50-mile challenge on Daily Mile. I’m averaging about 2.5 miles each run. I know will not meet this goal but it is something that will help me stay focused.
• Strength training — I am going to work on pumping the iron at least twice a week. I love deadlifts! This includes #PlankADay
• Virtual 5K — I plan to run a 5K on my birthday. It is my birthday present to me! 
• Healthier Eating – The key to healthier eating is meal planning and prep. As long as I prepare my food in advance, I’m good. I am also working on eating every two or three hours. This also includes my hydration. I am not good about drinking enough water. I do better with hot herbal tea. I do not use sweetener in my tea so it counts!

Challenges

It's been a while....

Lately I have been consumed with challenges. Yesterday I finally completed the 30-Day Squat Challenge. I am so proud of myself because this was my second attempt at this challenge. My intention from this challenge, besides learning how to do squats with proper form, was to develop consistency in my fitness routine. I am very grateful for the willingness to complete this challenge.

Another challenge I've had is with the scale. I have gained 10 pounds! At first I wasn't that worried when the scale was moving up because my clothes size has moved down. I'm still getting comments about looking great. I had lunch with a friend a few days ago and she said my face looks slimmer. I don't know. My eating and portion control has been okay yet I had to admit I have been indulging in way too many yogurt pretzels. The bottom line is that I am motivated by numbers. I still want to see a certain number on the scale. Sigh....

I have also had a challenging time listening to my body. Last week I was supposed to do a 5K. The truth is I was in no position to run. Beside not training, I needed to give my knee a break. I want to run but my body is saying not now. The challenge has been keeping my ego in check.

Tomorrow I am started a 30-day yoga challenge. I have seen a number of yoga challenges. I have decided to take what I like and create my own challenge. My intention is three-fold: integrating mind, body, and spirit into my fitness journey. I believe for the most part I do this. However, completing this challenge is also about focus and consistency.

In addition to yoga, I will be drinking a gallon of lemon water, meditating for at least 30 minutes, and reading 10 pages from The Art of Happiness each day. I am also thinking about blogging/journaling each day but I'm not sure.

Week Two: Weekly Weigh-In

I lost one pound! There's a huge part of me that is disappointed. There's another part of me that has seen those pics of a pound of fat and is very pleased that stuff is gone from my body! I'm continuing with my plan to add more fruits and veggies to eat meals. I am also working on my daily water intake. Some days are harder than others. My body is getting used to it and the constant trips to the bathroom! I need to do a better job of drinking first thing in the morning instead of trying to get it all in at the end of the day. I'm making progress. Spin class was fun! I'm looking forward to class next Thursday. My meal planning wasn't so great. I ran out of food by Friday. As a result, I ended up eating not one, not two, but three energy/protein bars on Saturday. I guess it's better than fast food but I do see the opportunity. I should have purchased fruit instead of bars. However, I was concerned about getting some protein.

Rest and Recovery

I have not been feeling so well today so I did not jog today.  I'm planning to go out tomorrow so I'll be on a Sunday - Tuesday - Thursday schedule and then go back to Saturday - Monday - Wednesday.  In fact, if all goes well, I'll be a couch to 5K grad on Tuesday.  Yay! 

I did do some mental work on my first 5K.  I checked out the course today.  I drove the course and visualized myself running it.  It's not as bad as the AIDS 5K I walked last October out of the same park.  I was worried about this one hill because it was tough walking.  In fact, my friend almost had an asthma attack while walking up that hill.  I'm very grateful to God the course is different. 

Today I went to an arts festival so I did a lot of walking.  I could feel that my body is tired.  It was confirmation that I made the right choice in taking today off.  I also have a slight headache so I've been working on resting and hydration.  The fatigue is also probably because I worked seven straight days. 

Week Seven, Day Three -- Repeat

Repeated Week 7, Day 3 again today.  I did so much better.  Yesterday I worked on my hydration, stretched, and went to bed earlier.  I read somewhere that running keeps you honest about your fitness.  It’s so true.  There’s no half-stepping in this running realm.  You have to eat, hydrate, and rest properly or you will pay!  It's all good because the pay-ff is wonderful.  Today I ran 27 minutes!  I'm a runner!

Week Five, Day One

After hitting snooze three times, I hop out of bed, drink some water, do some dynamic stretching, and hit the road.  Today’s  workout wasn’t as hard as I expected.  I can’t believe I’ve made it this far.  I was so nervous because my legs, despite icing for two days, were a little sore.  I am very grateful my training is going so well.  Three more weeks to go!  I do need to update my playlist :)

Awesome August Update - Week One

Happy Monday! Let’s see:

1. My meditation practice was consistent. I sat on the cushion for at least 15 minutes each day. I also attended my meditation group on Thursday night.

2. I hit my exercise goal exercising for a minimum of 60 minutes (can you say overachiever?) and burned at least 400 calories each session. My legs are sore! My knee is bothering me a little bit. This week I want to put more emphasis on my stretching routine.

3. Hydration. I could have done better in this area. I’m not tracking my water intake every day. There were a couple of times I thought I’d finish my water only to find my bottle on half full on the kitchen counter or my night stand.

4. Sleep. I am most proud of my achievement in this area. It was a struggle but I did it. One or two nights I was 10 minutes or so late get in bed but I did it! The only problem I had with going to bed by 10:30 pm is that I found myself tossing and turning until midnight and waking up at 5. I’d eventually go back to sleep until 7. It is weird how my body has gotten used to so little sleep. I do feel a bit better.

5. Play. Saturday night I attended a birthday celebration at an Indian restaurant. Food, friends, and fun! What more can I say about that?

Awesome August Challenge

Today is the first day of Healthy Loser Gal’s Awesome August Challenge. I’ve decided to fine tune a few healthy habits I’ve been working on for the past few months. One of the things I need to focus on is consistency.

1. Prayer and meditation. While I do this on a regular basis, I want to schedule dedicated time for my spiritual practice.

2. Exercise. I want to continue working out for at least 45 minutes, burning at least 400 calories per session five days a week.

3. Hydration. This is a HUGE challenge for me. I am going to drink at least 64 oz. of water each day.

4. Sleep. I am very hesitant about putting this one in writing. However, it needs to be addressed. I am not getting adequate sleep. I’m going to take a tiny step here and commit to going to bed by 10:30 pm, Monday – Friday.

5. Play. There is a HUGE opportunity in this area of my life. I work between 40 – 70 hours a week. While I had made some improvements, I need to be more consistent. I will make sure I schedule a play date each week.

Okay, I've marked my calendar to post an update next Monday.  Let’s do this!

I'm Back - Part Two

I experienced another week of ailments and knee problems.  Yesterday I had bloodwork done.  The doctor thinks it simply be the heat.  I've been doing my best to stay hydrated.  I'm feeling pretty good right now.  I'm going to go to the gym soon today.  I'm going to take it easy and see what happens.

C25K: Excuses, Excuses, Excuses

It’s hot!  I’m exhausted! I don’t have the energy!
Excuses, I know.  Ugh!  Unfortunately, my C25K training has slowed down a bit. I have been walking and stretching but I just don’t have the energy to push myself. I’ve managed to complete one C25K session this week. I am very frustrated but I am determined not to give up.

It’s not what’s going on in the gym that is keep me from moving forward. It’s other factors:  work, lack of sleep, last week I think I may have had some dehydration issues. I realize that if I expect to finish this training I am going to need drink more water and get more than six hours of sleep each night.  If I take care of my body, my body will take care of me.

One thing I am learning is that running/jogging is a different beast.  You really learn a different type of respect for your body.  The mental challenge has been totally different for me as well.

C25K: Delayed Week Three, Day Two

Although I was supposed to do Week Three, Day Two today, I did not complete it. I didn’t sleep well last night. I woke up around 4 am with a stomach ache. I went to the gym with every intention to complete it. I hopped on and off the treadmill. I couldn’t get past not feeling well. I hopped on the Elliptical. I was dripping sweat within the first five minutes. It was also pretty hot in the gym. After about 20 minutes, I started feeling nauseous. I banged out another five minutes and called it a day.

On the way I felt a bit sad that I didn’t at least try. I questioned whether or not I was looking for an excuse. However, three hours later, my stomach still feels queasy. So, I’m going to hydrate, get some rest, and try again tomorrow.

Good news and not so good news

The good news is that I did a really good job food shopping yesterday. I got eggs, fruits, veggies, multigrain crackers, and protein shakes. I made a nice post of veggie soup. Today for lunch I'm going to have a nice salad with tuna.

My focus this week has been hydration and increasing my endurance level. Instead of drinking Crystal Light, I've been teaching myself to drink plain water.

The not so good news is that my knee is bothering me. The weird thing is that it's not the knee I was complaining about initially. Now it's my left knee. I did some stretching and yoga exercises. After this, my knee buckled about three times--very painful. It's happened two times today. So, I'm going to see a different doctor this afternoon. He specializes in sports injuries.

This is not good. My 5K is in 17 days. Today was supposed to be cardio day with Kimberly. We're going to try to have my session on Friday, after I see what the doctor says.

I'm on vacation next week so I'll be on my own, as far as training goes.

I remain hopeful. Kimberly thinks it may be the increased activity. I have been pushing myself. I hope she's right.

Week One

Today is my first week of training with Kimberly. I've been nervous about it all weekend. My goals for the next six weeks are weight loss and improved fitness. We're going to focus on cardio and endurance so I'll be able to reach my 5K goal on Oct. 10th. My plan of action is to come in 30 minutes before my appointment to hop on the treadmill. I'm also doing my best to improve my nutrition.

Today I have Cheerios with rice milk for breakfast, two veggies patties and salad for lunch. I haven't done so well with my water intake today.

I have a new subscription to Fitness magazine. There's a goat cheese salad recipe that I'm going to try. There are also a bunch of 300-calorie breakfasts I plan to try.

Tomorrow is the day

The Surgeon General's 5K is tomorrow evening.

I'm nervous. I really haven't been walking like I should. I've been stretching, working on the stairs, step aerobics, and weights here and there.

All I can ask of myself is to do my best.

I've been spending today stretching and hydrating. It's supposed to be hot tomorrow. Yuck!

I'm thinking about joining the company gym. I'm not too sure about working out with my co-workers around. Since I work from home, most of the people there probably won't even know me. We'll see. I just don't want to use the heat/weather as a reason not to exercise.

I'm still here

I have less than a week to go before my next 5K. I haven't been working out as much as I'd like. I'm swamped with work. Not good. I'm tired. I really need to take the time out to get some rest. I know I have a tendency to overeat when I'm tired and stressed. So far, I have been conscious of this and it hasn't happened. The best thing I can do for myself right now is stay hydrated and get some rest.

The Good Life

Well, it's been a while. I'm still here.

Florida was fun. I didn't do as much walking as I thought I would. It was H-0-T! My sister and I managed to get in one nice walk. I was happy she could see the results of all my hard work.

Monday we went to exercise class with my 77 yr. old aunt. She goes to goes to these classes at the senior citizen center near her home three times a week -- twice on Mondays. I'm 46 and my sister is 38. There were some of the exercises my sister couldn't do. I kept thinking to myself...a few months ago you wouldn't have been able to do this, Sheila. It was an eye-opener for us both. It was inspiring to see these elderly people exercising and enjoying life. My sister reminded me that Dad is turning 75 next year. He's still very active. He still rides his bike most days. I've been away from home so long I often forget how much he likes bicycling. I know he's pretty healthy. However, I forgot how much exercise he gets on the regular.

I see I have 19 days until my event. I need to get some timed walks in to see how much my pace has improved. At this point, I think the best thing for me to do is focus on hydration.

I have my 3-month check up with my doctor next week. I'm looking forward to seeing how well I'm doing medically. Hopefully, I can get another dosage lowered on my medication. I really can't tell the difference since the last reduction -- which is a good thing. My goal is to get off these meds by the end of the year.