It's been WAY too long!

Wow! The new year is just around the corner. Can you believe it? I love this time of year because it has us all looking back on the previous year and trying to find ways to make the next year even better! I am also coming up on the 1 year anniversary of my first blog post! It's amazing how time flies!

So I haven't posted in quite a while. Sorry about that. Things got a bit nuts! My hubby and I ran the Las Vegas Rock 'n' Roll Half Marathon on November 17^th. It was the first half my hubby has ran and my 2^nd. It was a TON of fun! If you haven't heard of that race before you run the Las Vegas Strip at night. The race started about 4:30pm on the south end of the strip. You run all the way up towards Fremont Street then head south again down the strip and finish around the Monte Carlo Hotel. I was really happy with my race time. I managed to finish in 2:32:33! My goal was under 2:30 but still I'll take it! That's 8 minutes faster than my first half. I know it's slow progress but any progress is progress!

While training for this last race I have been dealing with some hip pain that was really exaggerated from the half marathon race. I decided to take a bit of time off after the race to just let my body heal. I went to my weekly run group workout on the 2^nd of December and almost couldn't handle the pain as I walked off the track that night after about 2 miles of interval running. I decided that I needed to seek out some help to get this fixed! I visited a Chiropractor a handful of times since then and am happy to say that I feel like I'm on the mend!

The month of December was a bit nuts for me. The hubby and I were traveling almost every weekend including a plane ride to Lake Tahoe for my sister's wedding the weekend before Christmas.

The lack of normal schedule and being sidelined by an injury really caused a slide for me. My eating habits really went out the window. I've consumed way more sugar and beer in the last month or so than probably the whole year put together! NOT GOOD!

I've decided that today is a new day and no better time like the present to get back on track! Today started out with a 5am workout in my garage (Les Mils Pump and Burn) and a Shakeology shake right after! I'm going to continue this routine of 5am every weekday from here on out. If there is an excuse to get out of working out, it seems like I've been able to find it lately, thus the 5am workout. Get up, roll out of bed, get dressed and workout. No time for excuses. The hubby has also promised to help me get my behind out of bed! (I really HATE mornings). This is just one piece of my New Year's resolutions. I'll post more soon! Stay tuned!  

The beginning of a vlog

Ok...for some time now I've been thinking of starting a vlog (video blog). Some days/weeks get away from me and I don't always find the time to post about what's been going on...I think the videos will be a little easier way to relay info when I'm in a time crunch... Here's my first vlog. Please let me know what you think!

Volunteering TRF

So as you may know I recently joined the local running club in Flagstaff. It has been very interesting to start running with a group. I have really liked the people that I have met thus far.

At the Team Run Flagstaff Workout on Tuesday. It was rainy :)

The running group, Team Run Flagstaff (TRF), hosts what they call Step into Running. It is a beginner program that takes someone who’s never ran to a runner in about 6 weeks. Typically they host this program in the spring and fall. They have asked those of us that are members to sign up to help with the group. We are there just to be supporters/encouragers. Not coaches.

I convinced a coworker of mine to sign up for this program. She has wanted to get back into running for a while so I thought this may help. She was really excited about it!  I told her that I would attend a few workouts with her also. 

This last Thursday was their first practice. They had two groups “A” and “B”. I love that they never the words fast and slow! So basically the A group repeats running for 1 minute and walking for 1 minute for a total of 20 minutes and the B group repeats running for 2 minutes and walking for 1 minute for a total of 17 minutes. I signed up to help with the “A” group, as that was the one my coworker wanted to be in. 

The first maybe ½ mile of the workout I ran with my coworker. It was a lot of fun just running and chatting with her but I felt as though I needed to breakaway from my comfort (just chatting with my coworker) and start encouraging the others that were in this group. So I drifted back in the pack…Most of the participants were already chatting with a volunteer. I was looking for someone that possibly was on his or her own. 

I found two girls running together. You could tell they were friends and that they were working quite hard to keep up. I began chatting with those ladies as we were running. They were asking about “why do you run and walk” and “are my calves supposed to be burning”. I felt very honored to know how to respond to their questions and it was very humbling to remember how I used to feel when I started all of this. 

Towards maybe the middle of the workout one of the girls had asked how long I had been running. At this point you could tell that she almost wanted to throw in the towel. I told her that I’d been running for just about a year now but only with the club, TRF, for a few months. I also told her that I had lost about 70 lbs in that year. Immediately, you could see her face light up. I wanted to give her a reason to keep going and thought that might help. 

The questions then started pouring in. it was so awesome that both of them took interest in it. They ended up completing the run and took tired but accomplished. I hope to see them next week! They are going to do awesome if they stick with it!

Some things just touch my heart. I feel so compelled to “pay it forward”. I have been so blessed getting my health and life back and I feel as though I need to help others do the same. I hope that my story can help these ladies and maybe one of you. I consider myself an open book. If you have any questions, please let me know. You don’t have to do something crazy like sign up for a running group to get started you just need to start doing something. 

“The difference between a goal and a dream is a deadline.” – Steve Smith

25 Things You May Not Know About Me

Just a quick post... Most of you know a lot about my fitness and weight loss journey but I thought I would share something a little more personal about me. Here goes...

Things you may not know about me

1. I rarely wear makeup (only a few times a year)
2. I have just enough curl in my hair that if I don’t flat iron it I look like I came straight out of the 80s
3. I cannot stand it when my toes are naked (free of nail polish)
4. I have recently fell in love with junk stores and exchange stores
5. I have always been a brand snob (you can find some awesome stuff at Savers btw)
6. I hate mornings
7. I hate to cook
8. I won’t eat avocadoes
9. I tell people I’m allergic to nuts so they don’t make me eat them
10. I don’t like fish either
11. I am convinced my hubby married me because I love hot wings, beer and football
12. I actually played football (with the boys) in the 8^th grade
13. I refuse to quit anything
14. I’ve always been competitive, I can turn anything into a competition
15. I have a degree in Computer Information Systems
16. I have three hard drives full of music. I’m obsessed with it!
17. If I ever win the lottery, I will quit my job and travel the world and attend every concert and musical I can. Then probably get my teaching degree.
18. I love school! I never faked a sickness as I child I love it that much. (thus the teaching degree above)
19. I was always in trouble in school because I talked too much but now I am a shy adult
20. I am not a good speller. I am always asking my hubby “how do you spell _____?”
21. I would live on pizza and ice cream if I could
22. I love the beach but am afraid of the ocean.
23. I love to travel, by car, by airplane but I do get seasick so I’m afraid of taking a cruise
24. I love German Shepherds
25. I can’t watch scary movies, they terrify me

My Next Half!!

So it’s official! I have signed up for my next race. I will be running the Rock ‘n Roll Las Vegas half marathon on November 17th! I am also pleased to say that my hubby will be running it with me! It’s his first half marathon! WooHoo! Go babe!

I am really excited to run this next one. For my first race my goal was to finish with a smile on my face. As I’m sure you know I accomplished that! My goal for this race is to run the whole darn thing! I don’t really care what my finish time is as long as it is faster than my last half. I just want to make sure my goals are attainable.

It’s been a pretty quiet summer, I know. I have been focused on a few other things while taking a break from racing. This summer I have been using the new program from Shaun T, Focus T25. I’ve really enjoyed this program. This is the first of Shaun T’s programs that uses weights and I’m really starting to see some definition in my upper body! Running really does nothing for my upper body so it is in desperate need of some help!

I can’t wait to start training for this next half marathon. I have really missed my time in my running shoes. The program I am using this go round is from the same guy, Hal Higdon, but I am doing more of an intermediate program now. You can find the program here. The program calls for a once a week runs at your race pace (the speed in which you want to run the half marathon at). I don’t know if I have mentioned this before but I do not run with any music. I really have learned to enjoy the noise in my head as opposed to music. However, it is really amazing what your body does when you listen to music while running. Your feet follow a beat! I am going to make a playlist to listen to once a week (the day that I’m running at race pace). I really want to see if listen to music strategically picked for a certain speed will help me run faster. It’s worth a shot right?

Ok this is already longer than I had planned so I’ll let you go…

This was on my Runner’s World daily calendar the other day and I really liked it. Hope you enjoy it as much as I do.

“Every morning in Africa, a gazelle wakes up. It knows it must outrun the fastest lion or it will be killed. Every morning in Africa, a lion wakes up. It knows it must run faster than the slowest gazelle, or it will starve. It doesn't matter whether you're the lion or a gazelle-when the sun comes up, you'd better be running.”

The power of your mind

Have you ever had that discussion in your head that sounds something like this? ‘Yes I can, No I can’t; Just a little farther, I’m too tired; or One more rep, It’s too hard’? Sometimes the hardest part of any decision we make is convincing the mind to do so.

I have struggled with this so many times! From talking myself into a workout, to pushing towards the next distance, or even as simple as telling myself to eat this and not that. Why is it that my mind is always fighting against me? Doesn’t it understand that everything I am doing is better for my entire body! Mind included.

Today so far, has been an awesome day! Woke up to an alarm at 6am to go watch a good friend of mine compete in an Olympic distance triathlon. If you have been following my blog you have heard me talk about Billy. He is by far one of my biggest influences of my journey. He himself has lost the extra weight and ventured into the life of an athlete.

For about the last 6 months or so he has been trying to convince me to sign up for a triathlon. I have been very hesitant because the swimming part scares the CRAP out of me! I don’t know why, I can swim, I won’t drown, but by no means do I have good form or consider myself to be a good swimmer. Then you add a swim in a lake (open water) and holy heebie-jebbies!

Back to convincing my mind! As my hubby and I stood there as spectators we watched all shapes and sizes in the completion. From the skinny “gazelles” to some with waist lines bigger than me! Why am I so convinced I can’t do this? I need to change that thought into a positive one!  So I have a weakness in the swim. Everyone completing in a triathlon has a weakness in something. Becoming truly great is when you have the power to overcome that weakness! So I am on the hunt for a triathlon to compete in! I will let you know when the race has been selected.

What do you have that may be holding you back? Is it just your mind saying that you can’t? What would have happened if I never decided to get off the couch? Take the power, overcome those thoughts and you will achieve things you never thought possible!

That number on the scale

Are you trying to reach that certain number on the scale? Throughout my journey I have set a goal weight then readjusted as time has gone on. At first I thought it would be awesome to get to Onederland (when you are finally out of the 200s), then I thought I would try to reach my high school weight (I'm still not there). However at time continues I am realizing that it isn't so much the number on the scale as it is the way my jeans fit or how I look in the mirror.

All of these women are 150 lbs. We come in all shapes and sizes.

The last few months I have really been kind of stuck. The number on the sale hasn't really moved in either direction. I am grateful that I haven't really gained, but I do wish that I would lose a little more. I am mostly just enjoying summer and all that goes with it, barbeques, beer and yummy deserts. All throughout this journey I have never deprived myself of anything. I have had pizza, beer, ice cream and any other food item I craved. I have just tried to cut back on how much and how often I eat it. I am a firm believer that if you cut yourself off of any one thing that you are more likely to binge on it later. So my progress may be slower than others but I am convinced that if I can still lose while still occasionally enjoying the things that I do, I will be more successful in the long run.

Ok...back to that darn scale. Over the last few months I have started keeping track of my measurements. While I was still getting comments like "you look like you are still losing" the scale wasn't moving. I decided to keep track of my measurements to see if I was still losing even though the scale wasn't budging. Over the last month or so I have lost a few inches. I don’t have the numbers but I think you can see the difference.


May 2013

July 2013

No matter how fast or slow you are going. If you keep focused you will reach your goal!

My First Giveaway!!!

Sorry for my lack of posts. I promise that soon I will updated you on all that is going on. Be sure to like my page on Facebook. Sometime its easier just to put up a quick post on Facebook as opposed to a post here :)

As mentioned before on my Facebook page. I finally secured an item for my first giveaway! Thanks to Running on the Wall! Below is a photo of my first giveaway item as well as the ways to enter. Please be sure to share it!

Thanks again!

 

 

The difference a year can make

One year ago today I made one of the biggest decisions of my life, to get healthy. I pushed play on the first disc of Insanity. It was probably the hardest workout I've ever done. I almost couldn't breathe and my face was a darker shade of red than a fire engine. I am so thankful for that day! It has allowed me to become the best version of myself.

You all know the story of what has gotten me this far, so I don't need to repeat myself. If you don't, check out my prior blog post HERE. Over the course of a year I have lost 69lbs! Unfortunately I did not measure myself before. I wish I would have to tell you how many inches I've lost. Honestly I was horrified at my waist size before, and though I'm not in love with it yet, it is WAY better than it was a year ago. I have gone from a size 20 pants to size 12! I don't think I wore that size in high school! 

Some things I have learned over the last year:
• To eat better
• Cooking at home is not only cheaper, but much healthier
• The right results can't happen if you don't exercise and eat right
• To love to sweat (if you don't taste salt when you rinse your face in the shower, you didn't work hard enough)
• How many calories I burn a day
• How many calories I need to consume in a day
• Why some foods are referred to as 'junk'
• A run is much better without headphones
• Some days you just need a cheerleader
• One bad day can ruin your good week but won't take you off track
• Your actions can inspire many more than you realize

I think I could go on and on, but I'll save some of those for a later blog post. I want to thank some of those special people in my life that have helped and continue to help me along this journey.
First and foremost, my husband. He has done this journey along side me. Without his encouragement and 'babe you can do this' I would not have made it this far! You have always believed in me and I love you for that! Secondly my mother. She has always wanted me to be healthy and I hope that I am alleviating some of her worry. To see her look at me and all the changes I've made makes it all worth it! Love you momma! To the rest of my family, Dad, Ashley, Matt, Dean, Laura, Emily and everyone else. I appreciate you and all your kind and encouraging words! Love you all!

I also have to thank Billy Burnett, he is part of the reason this all started. Somewhere in my head I thought to myself 'if he can do it, why can't I?'. Thank you so much for all that you've helped me with, I'm forever in your debt. 

Lastly, the part I hope you have all been waiting for, the big reveal. The picture on the left is me May 2012, 69lbs ago, and the picture of me on the right is me today May 21, 2013. *Note both top and bottom are the same in both picutes.

Though it is still a work in progress I am so humbled to see my accomplishments. I do not wish to brag, yet my only wish is to inspire all of you. I am no professional athlete. I did not have any kind of weight loss surgery. I just sweat a lot and changed my eating habits. Anyone can do what I have done if you set your mind to it! If I can help you in any way, please let me know.

Now I leave you with a quote, one I look at every day as it is the 'wallpaper' on my cell phone.

'Focus on how far you've come not how far you have to go'.

Insanity Week 2

Well, I've got another week in the books. Insanity week 2 is over and week 3 begins tonight after work. Somehow I still have a smile on my face.

This week wasn't as challenging as last week. The soreness is gone now. Now I just have to focus on pushing as hard as I can. I think some days I don't push as hard as I can. I don't know if it's the endurance runner in me that always wants to just save a little for the end or what. I need to spend the next week pushing myself to the max!

Unfortunately I have only made it out for a run once since I started Insanity. It is hard to get myself up at 5am to go for a run. I told myself when I started Insanity that I would not quit running, it is my passion and I refuse to let it go. I think I will register for a 5k or 10k. Having paid for a race seems to keep me committed to a training schedule.

Last week I talked about my eating habits and how they have slid backwards a little bit. Once Colin finished the semester and Mother's day was over (we treated both our mommas to delightful meals), I got back on track. I am not 100% clean eating but at least 80-85%. Back to oatmeal, juicing smoothes, salads, and healthy snacks. Trying desperately to make myself cook Oh how I hate to cook!

Overall the week has been good. We will do another Fit Test tonight. I am really curious to see how much of an improvement I have made. At this point we are only 15 days in. It's almost impossible to see results yet but the Fit Test will give us a glimpse of how it is working.

The last few posts I have been leaving you with a statement or quote that helps inspire me. I think from now on that will be a tradition. Here's one I found this last week.

“If my mind can conceive it, and my heart can believe it - then I can achieve it.” ― Muhammad Ali

Insanity Week 1

Last night was the last workout from the 1st week of Insanity. I can sum it up in a word, WOW! First of all, I am in good shape compared to the last time we did Insanity. What used to seem like torture (a 3 mile run or 5k distance) is now my almost daily habit. So I thought that this round of Insanity wouldn’t be so bad. That’s about half right.

With the Insanity program you do a series of Fit Tests. These are timed workouts that you do to judge your progress. These are done at the beginning of weeks 1, 3, 5, 7 and the last day. After completing the day 1 fit test I pulled out the fit test numbers from our last go round. I was amazed with the difference. I started this go round about day 30 or 45 from our last session! Wahoo!!



Previous Fit Test - Insanity Round 1



Current Fit Test - Instanity Round 2

This gave me a tremendous boost going into day two. Good thing because I needed it! Just because I did so well in the fit test doesn’t mean I aced day two. I’ve always told people that if you can keep up with the people on Insanity then you need to be doing something harder. I should have reminded myself of that prior to day 2. Though I could do A LOT more of it than I could the first time around. I was still left in a puddle (maybe small lake) of my own sweat and gasping for air.

Average of about 10 Calories a minute

This continued all week. Though I did better with each day I was still tired and dripping wet when I finished each DVD. I was bragging to my hubby after day one that the only thing sore on me was my shoulders and arms from the pushups. I just knew I had awesome legs from all the running. WRONG! By day three my calves were so sore I was walking like I just crossed the finish line of a half marathon. I should have put my foot in my mouth prior to bragging to my hubby. Oh well, that’s what I get right?

All Hot and Sweaty after a Workout

By last night most of the soreness has gone away and I am glad we get day 7 off. I know I will start next week that much stronger. Stay tuned the next 60 days! I will post at the end of each week and post some progress photos along the way.

Too Big of a Bite

So I have officially come to terms with the fact that I bit off a bit more than I can chew in regards to the triathlon.

My swimming hasn’t progressed as quickly as I would have hoped. The thought of swimming in open water with my current swimming technique scares the crap out of me!

I have decided to forgo the triathlon in Show Low in June. I will still continue to train for a triathlon but will do a sprint distance for my first race (that’s half the distance of the Show Low race). Just like running, you train for a 5k, then a 10k, then a half, same goes for a triathlon. I will start with the shortest distance, at first, before advancing to the next level.

I also have been a little too lax with my eating; enjoying food just a little too much. I think the inner fat girl will always be there and the power to say 'no' isn’t always going to be there. I haven’t gained anything back but I’ve only lost about 1 ¼ lbs. in the last month. Not Ok!

I have found that the harder I work, the better I eat.

With that being said, Colin and I have started Insanity again on May 1st. This is the program that started it all. It is amazing how much easier it was to do the fit test on day 1, this go round, compared to this time last year. Those extra 65+ lbs. gone really makes a HUGE difference! I don’t expect to lose another 30 lbs. in 60 days, though that would be nice, I do plan to tone up. I can already tell Insanity targets some of the areas that running doesn’t. I promise to never give up!

Words to Live by - ‘Life throws you curve balls every now and then; the thing is you gotta know when to swing to get far.’

What's on your shopping list?

I went out for my weekly shopping trip today. It got me thinking, what's on your shopping list? Me, being a former coupon extraordinaire, I rarely use coupons these days(they don't have coupons for broccoli). I have learned a lot about my grocery shopping habits over the last 10 months.

First thing I learned was to shop the perimeter. Take a look at your local grocery store, you will find the majority of the healthy things are along the perimeter of the store. My local store has a few of these things within an isle or two but the perimeter foods are produce (most important), meat, dairy and bakery. You should rarely venture into the isles. Sure from time to time we may need some canned tomatoes or some baking soda but the majority of your shopping should be along the perimeter.

Secondly, I learned to read the label! (More important than reading the label of the beautiful dress you are about to purchase to find out if you'll have to take it to the dry cleaner weekly.) You'll have to read the label on all the packaged food you buy. Just because it says 'all natural' or 'whole wheat' doesn't mean that it is! This really saddened me about how dishonest the food suppliers have become. Clean eating rules will tell you if it has more than six ingredients it is not clean. Also if you can't pronounce any one of those six, it isn't clean. I think this is a bit harsh but they do have a point. Do you really want to be eating something you cannot pronounce? Honestly what is Maltodextrin (found in Doritos) anyway? Per Wikipedia Maltodextrin is an oligosaccharide that is used as a food additive. It is produced from starch by partial hydrolysis and is usually found as a white hygroscopic spray-dried powder.[1] Maltodextrin is easily digestible, being absorbed as rapidly as glucose, and might be either moderately sweet or almost flavorless. It is commonly used for the production of sodas and candy. It can also be found as an ingredient in a variety of other processed foods. Do you really want to be consuming that? Though living by the rules of clean eating can be somewhat tough to follow. I think we all can adapt a few of them. Try to be picky about the foods you consume. Read the labels. If whole wheat isn't the first ingredient listed on your bread, don't buy it. Try to buy organic when possible.

Speaking of organic: there is a lot of misinformation out there about organic. First, just because it says organic doesn't mean that it is. It has to be certified organic. Also, you don't have to buy all your produce in the organic section. Some fruits and vegetables have thick enough skins to prevent the pesticides and chemicals to penetrate through. For example, bananas and oranges; both of these have thick skins that can block the chemicals from making contact with the fruit. Now if you are zesting that orange for a delicious cake or marinade that may be a different story. Now your leafy greens or those fruits and veggies that have thin skins you'll want to buy organic as often as you can. An example of these would be: spinach, kale, grapes, apples, berries, etc. These fruits and veggies are considered to be the most contaminated. I could go on about this forever. For more information please visit the website below. It will give you the information regarding the 'dirty dozen' (the items we should purchase organic) as well as answering a lot of other questions you may have on buying organic.

http://www.organic.org/articles/showarticle/article-214

Lastly, I just want to leave you with my shopping list to give you an idea of what my fridge is stocked with.

Fruit - Apples, Bananas, Oranges, Strawberries, Red and Green Grapes, Pears
Vegetables - Romaine Lettuce, Spinach, Cucumbers, Roma Tomatoes, Green Peppers, Garlic,
          Carrots, Broccoli, Radishes, Mushrooms, Kale, Cabbage, Beets
Meats - Pork Tenderloin, Ground Turkey Breast, Sliced Deli Ham, Fresh SeaBass (we freeze a lot of
          our meat so we don't buy much)
Grains - Ezekiel Bread, Kashi Cereal, Granola from bulk isle
Dairy - Greek yogurt, Milk
Other - Coffee (this girl can't live without it), Canned black beans

If you have any questions on the above, please let me know. I would love to share any recipes or cookbooks that you may be interested in.

A Whole Other Level of Fitness

I was told by a friend of mine that triathlon is a whole other level of fitness. He sure was right! Yesterday was my first two-a-day workout for my triathlon training. Swim in the morning and run after work. Exhausting just about sums it up!

Tuesday morning I attended my first Master’s swimming session at NAU. Wow! I knew it had been a while but I didn’t realize my technique was that bad! I took hours of swimming lessons as a child. I am not afraid of drowning, I feel as though I am a confident swimmer, I just may not swim well. That sure made light of its self on Tuesday.

The coach pulled me aside and told me that if I keep my head up like that it’s only going to exhaust me (I was already exhausted at this point). He pulled me off to the side in the kiddy pool and had me doing exercises to work on breathing. First I started by holding onto the side of the pool and practicing exhaling under water and then lifting my head to the side to inhale, then by doing the same while holding onto a kickboard and going about half the length of the pool and back. On Thursday, he told me we’d incorporate strokes into it. The hardest thing is trying to tell your mind you aren’t going to drown. I hope to get the hang of this sooner than later! After practice I calculated that I had probably done about 6 laps in the pool, which was great because I was only on schedule to do 3 per my workout calendar.

Unfortunately NAU’s pool is closing next week for 10 days for some renovations. I plan to go to the Aquaplex here in town while they are closed. They have the smallest lap pool on the planet (Theirs is 16M, NAU’s is 50M) but it will do the trick for breathing technique practice. Hopefully when NAU’s pool opens back up on the 15th I will have my breathing under control and can focus on building my stamina and getting faster in the water.

The rest of my training is going awesome! I have really enjoyed getting back on my bike! It’s probably my 2nd love after running! We went home last weekend for my sister’s baby shower and I had to figure a way to get my bike into my car. I discovered if I take off the front and rear tire as well as the handlebars it fits! Yay! Plus it forces me to learn more of the bike parts. I went for a ride on Sunday in Eagar/Springerville and overshot my route by 2 miles. I was only to do 10 and ended up logging 12! I felt great! The wind was in my face most of the time but the thin road tires really help with the drag! The running portion of the training is quite simple, I look at is as maintenance more than anything. I am running about 3 miles 3 times a week. Much easier than my half marathon training but it gives me the ability to focus on the other parts of my training that need it, swimming!

Besides that, all else seems to be going well. I am still working on my clean eating. The last week or so I’ve had to cheat here and there but the weight is slowly coming off again. I believe it’s due to the combination of good nutrition and increased training. As of today I am about 8lbs from my new goal weight. It’s awesome to put on clothes that I wore in High School and they fit! Once I pass the 8lb mark they should fit like a glove. At 185, I believe that I will have hit my high school weight and I plan to surpass it by race day! Even if it’s only by a pound.

Clean Eating Update #1

Strawberries in Greek Yogurt

The last week and a half have been quite busy. On the 4th, the hubby and I started our clean eating lifestyle. It has been a learning experience thus far. Our initial grocery shopping experience was quite pricy and involved Sam’s Club, Safeway, Fry’s, New Frontier and Natural Grocers. Now that I know who carries what, hopefully the next shopping trip won’t be so colossal. At least this week’s shopping bill was cheap, I bought WAY too much for last week!! We only needed more spices and vegetable stock. 



Steel Cut Oats with Berries,
Coffee, Hardboiled Egg


I’ve learned to eat a lot of things that I have hated. In the last week and a half, I have had: nuts, fish, oatmeal, carrots and quinoa. If prepared right, anything can taste good. I have found amazing marinades for meat, dips and toppings for veggies and oatmeal. The major thing I have noticed is everything tastes SO good! None of this has been a lack of flavor!








Baked Sea Bass
with Golden Couscous


The first week we followed Tosca Reno’s Cooler 2 program, just substituting a few veggies here and there. That was a bad idea! All of the food was good, however, it was too much work! If you knew anything about my cooking habits, you’d know that I don’t have any! So taking on a program that has all home cooked meals was more than overwhelming. I didn’t make it to the gym or take off on a run all week! This week, I’ve tried to scale back a little: we did some cooking and prepping on Sunday, now we just get up in the morning and fill our lunch boxes. It’s much easier! We are just going to have to adjust our weekends to accommodate some Sunday prep time.



Mixed Greens, Chicken,
Raisens and Almonds

Next week I start my triathlon training; I’m so excited and nervous! I can’t wait for the next chapter of my workouts to begin! I need to get myself ready for two-a-days, which is what my training regimen requires. I have been trying to get myself up a 5 a.m. all this week and so far all I have done is wake up, sit in bed and fall back asleep. I am thinking of setting an alarm in my bathroom to force myself up out of bed! I also have yet to get signed up at a pool! I plan to head over to NAU this weekend and get something set up. I never heard back from them regarding swim lessons, like I had hoped, so I guess it’s time to take matters into my own hands.


Baked Pork Tenderloin,
Golden Couscous, Cucumebers
and Cherry Tomatoes

So far I’m only down about 1 lb. but I did have a cheat day this weekend, as we were visiting some friends in Phoenix. I will update you in a few weeks on the benefits of clean eating. I’m told/have read it takes about 2-3 weeks to really start to feel and see the difference. I do have a feeling though, this clean eating lifestyle will help me achieve goals I never thought to be possible!

'Diet' Overhaul

Throughout my entire weight loss journey, I have refused to say I am on a diet; nothing about this journey is temporary or short term. This is a lifestyle I have adapted and plan to continue for the rest of my life. The word ‘diet’, later stated in this post, only refers to my food regimen.

As far as my diet goes, I have managed to strip most fast food from my diet; the only ‘fast’ food I eat these days is Subway and Chipotle. I no longer like Taco Bell, it tastes disgusting! If you knew my prior eating habits, Taco Bell was something I ate at least twice a week. I have only had 3 sodas since May 21, 2012: 1 Dr. Pepper as my Christmas present to me; 2 7ups for an upset tummy that was caused by my pain pills prescribed for my dental work. I still allow myself the occasional beer or glass of wine, Starbucks (now nonfat and no whip) and an occasional ice cream treat.

I have acquired more of a taste for vegetables. I actually crave them from time to time, which still astonishes my prior veggie hating self. I truly believe that good habits inspire more good habits, i.e. a good workout inspires good eating habits. Don’t get me wrong, there are days that I LOVE an ice cold beer after a great run but that ice cold beer is typically accompanied by a large salad and maybe an entrée I share with my hubby.  All of these small changes have helped me reach my 60 lb. weight loss!

I have been thinking over the past month or so that my diet needed an overhaul. Everything I have been doing up to this point has been great but the more weight you lose, the harder it is to get it off. I have not yet reached my weight loss goal. I still want to lose at least another 15 lbs. (that number changes all the time). Friends that I know and bloggers that I follow have been working towards figure competitions or bodybuilding competitions and I have witnessed what a change in diet can do for those competitions. Most of them refer to their diet as shedding or cutting. I recently saw a photo that stated ‘abs are made in the kitchen not the gym’. I have witnessed my hubby doing rigorous ab workouts in the gym and yet he still has the small remnants of a beer belly he once had 35lbs. ago. I needed to find a way to help him reach his goal of six pack abs by summer. Also allow myself to start toning up some of this loose skin I have hanging around after the 60 lbs. have melted off.

I recently bought ‘The Clean Eating Diet Recharged!’ by Tosca Reno. If you haven’t read it, I highly recommend it.  I think she should change the name of the book because nothing about it is a ‘diet’. She refers to her ‘diet’ as I do- It’s what I eat. This is all a lifestyle change. When you break it down, it’s quite simple: avoid all the processed food and to focus on the basics, try to eat as natural as possible and remove the white (refined sugar and flours), saturated fats, preservatives, and sugar loaded beverages. Make each of your meals consist of a lean protein and a complex carbohydrate. I have known for quite some time that my dislike of fish and nuts where hindering my intake of good fats and Omgea3s. Time to change this! I will be making homemade peanut butter and almond butter to help with the intake of the good fats and I am going to make myself like fish! It’s going to take a lot of trial and error to find something that tastes good but I have faith that I will.

I have my meals planned for next week. Monday the 3^rd is officially day one (I need the weekend to grocery shop and prep). I have purchased my cooler and all the containers and gizmos to go inside to make this as easy as possible. I also will no longer leave work for my lunch breaks. I plan to eat my lunch in the break room while reading then take a 20-30 minute walk. This will save bucks on the restaurant bill, reduce my gas bill and burn a few more calories each day! Yay! I will continue to post to share things I learn along the way and the awesome recipes I discover.

February Hurdles

It’s been a while since I last posted. I don’t know that I have too much to report at this point. This month hasn’t been quite the ultimate workout month I was hoping for but I continue to push on.

For the last three weeks, I have been doing a series of spinning, weight training and running; It has been nice to add the additional workouts into my regimen. For the last six months, I have been focused solely on my running. Though I feel like my running has taken a back seat, I have been able to rekindle my love for spinning. I can’t wait for the weather to turn to spring so I can dust off the bike and get back on the road.

The second weekend of this month my hubby and I celebrated our 4 year wedding anniversary. It was great! I did however decide to have a splurge weekend. I only gained a couple pounds which I expected and figured I could burn off in a few days or a week tops. Unfortunately, I was sidelined by some dental work last week and have been unable to work out for the last four days. It’s amazing to me how depressing taking four days off is. I plan to hit the gym this evening and do what I can. I don’t know that I’ll be able to put in 100% but I’m going to give it my best! I refuse to give up.

I promise to post more frequently; I have just been in a bit of a slump recently. I will leave you with this. “It’s not what happens to you, but how you react to it that matters.” ~Epictetus~

The Beginning of Chapter Two

I have decided my next milestone will be an Olympic distance triathlon. For those of you that are not familiar with triathlons, the race includes: a 1.5k (0.93 miles) swim, a 40k (25 miles) bike and finish with a 10k (6.2 miles) run. This will require a new schedule of training to include both swimming and biking. Luckily, I already own a great bike and a decent bathing suit so I'm all set :-) Just need to find a pool to work out in. I am a little intimidated about the swim but I plan to take a few swimming classes to help boost my swimming confidence.

My training for my first triathlon will begin on March 18th. I plan to race my first triathlon on June 2nd in Show Low, AZ at the Deuces Wild Triathlon event. www.trisportsracing.com

 

As you can see, I don't have a set training schedule until March 18th; this is the first time in my entire journey that I have not been on a set training schedule. In fact, I have been forced to make my own. Eek! I have molded my routine from the workouts that have gotten me this far, together with pieces from my upcoming triathlon training. My workouts will be as follows:

Monday - Spinning class in the evening

Tuesday - Speed work Run on Treadmill
Wednesday - Strength Training and Cross Training

Thursday - 4 Mile run (or more) outside

Friday - Spinning class in the morning

Saturday - Strength Training and Cross Training

Sunday - Long Run outside

This is also the first time since Insanity that I am working out all week. The running training schedules I have done have all required rest days or cross training days to allow your body to heal from the running. While I am still incorporating the cross training days (Monday, Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday), I have added strength training. I have also submitted my paperwork to start swimming lessons. Hopefully I will hear back this week on those. I am nervous but excited to get back in the pool again!

I have also adjusted my weight loss goal. When I started this back in May of 2011, I set a goal to be in 'onederland' (a term that means you are finally out of the 200s). As I am currently about a half from my goal, I have adjusted my goal to 185lbs. I have set the goal of reaching that weight, losing about 15lbs, by March 18th. It is going to be hard! I have realized that in the last month or two of my half marathon training, my diet has slipped a little. I will be refocusing my diet and going back to the basics that helped me in the beginning.

If you would like any further details about my workouts or diet, send me an email or message me on Facebook.

Only Half Crazy

Running the half marathon was rewarding, painful and emotional for me! First of all, this is the longest race I have ever undertaken (The longest race I had ever tried before was 8.9 miles shorter than a half marathon). Though I did not finish the race within my anticipated time (I went over by 10 minutes), it is still the most rewarding race I've ran thus far.

The painful part of the race were my shoes. The cushioning is gone and I think I've finally put enough miles on those babies to retire them. The rest of my gear and my body preformed as expected; it is astonishing how successful a race is when you have prepared for it. No blisters, no missing toenails (I am told this is common and it scares the crap out of me), and no chafing to speak of! Just the usual soreness and stiffness that I have after my normal long runs on Sundays. Woo Hoo!

As for the emotional part, did I say how much of step up this race was? I was standing in corral #3 and was finally not intimidated by the other runners in my corral because I was one of them! After the gun went off, I kept getting choked up along the race route. I was quite emotional every time I thought to myself 'you are really doing this!' Then seeing the look of joy on my mom's face as I came into the finish line culminated everything I had felt! As I made it out of the finish area and met up with my hubby (who ran the mini marathon) and parents, my mom asked me, "So do you think you'll do this again?" My response was Hell Ya!

After the race, while discussing everything with my mom, she had made mention that the completion of my half marathon was the end of my journey. I joked with her saying, "It was only the end of a chapter."

And so begins Chapter Two...

From the Beginning

The Beginning

 

I guess this has been a long time coming. I promise my next posts will not be this long but I need to catch you up on where I started and where I currently am.

My weight loss journey began May of 2012 with a little something called Insanity by Beachbody. I am not quite sure what got me started on Insanity; a little was the infomercials, partly my husband, but mostly, I was convinced that I could do this. Little did I know, that would be the beginning of the most challenging, yet rewarding journey of my life.

If you don't know anything about Insanity, the name speaks for itself! It is a 60 day program that comes on DVD. The workouts vary from day to day but require you to work out for 6 days a week. The program requires no free weights, just using your body weight as resistance. And when you start the program weighing in at 261 lbs, that's a lot of weight to work with! By the end of 60 days, I was down 30 lbs! Not too bad! That's an average of 1/2 lb a day! I heard a quote on their infomercial that stated "the only way this program doesn't work is if you don't push play". It's SO true! I would recommend it to anyone that needs to lose weight, whether it's 20+ lbs like me or the last 5 or 10 lbs! This program will do it!

After the completion of Insanity, I shifted my focus to running. For quite a long time, I have yearned to be a runner but have had a hard time starting or keeping with it. I used to run in high school as a way to keep up my athleticism but haven't really taken up the sport. It was much easier to transition into running after Insanity. At that point, I was doing the Insanity workouts for about 60 minutes each day...so how hard can running 20 minute be? HARD!

It's amazing the muscle groups you use to run. You'd think you just need to propel forward with your legs right? Wrong. You use your legs, your core and even some of your upper body. Since I have a history with painful shin splints, I decided to start slow. The first program I started was Ease into 5K. This program is 8 weeks that start with interval workouts (walk then run then walk etc.). I finished this program in September 2012; I don't think I considered myself at runner yet at this point. I had only ran 30 minutes straight and running at a slug pace. I did run the Tour de Pee Vee in Prescott Valley, AZ in September with a finish time of 36:07. I didn't have a PR (personal record) at this point though I had done prior 5k's. This was however the first one that I was able to complete that I wasn't dead at the end of it. I was truly ready for it.

Tour de Pee Vee September 2012

 

The next step was to continue my running with the Bridge to 10k program by the same company as the Ease into 5k (Both of these programs are available on the app store). I liked them because they have a built in GPS, allows you to use music from your current library and it talks to you when to run or walk or half way done. The Bridge to 10k program was a total of 6 weeks; takes you from running 30 to 60 minutes straight. This was the point in my training that I started to consider myself a runner; maybe a recreational runner but a runner none the less. My workouts started getting longer and I started shifting away from listening to your typically 'gym' music of rock and hip hop and transitioned more towards alternative rock. something with a slightly slower BMP (beats per minute) but this allowed me to enjoy the journey. This is why I started all of this in the first place, to enjoy the journey.

After completing the 10k training program, the step towards a half marathon was only natural. I convinced myself to sign up for the Rock'n'Roll Arizona half marathon. If I've learned anything about myself over the course of this is that I am goal driven. I have to set a goal for myself and the best way to keep myself focused on that goal is to sign up for something. In this case it was the half marathon. I had found the Hal Higdon Novice 1 Half Marathon training program online. It was a twelve week program that would prepare you for your first 1/2 marathon. This program was the first mileage based program compared to my prior workouts that were time driven. Now I would have to complete the mileage regardless of how long it took me. The first week was quite easy with running about 3 miles twice during the week and 4 miles on the weekend. This program also included cross training (mostly I did walking and elliptical work) and stretching. This program was 6 days a week. The 5k and 10k programs were only 3. This was a big step up. No excuses I told myself. You are already registered for this race! You have to do it no matter what!

I started my half marathon training in October. If you know anything about Northern Arizona it is most common for us to receive our first snow around Halloween every year. This was the time of the year you have to transition from your fall light jacket to bringing out the down and wool jackets. All I could think of is that it's going to be a LONG winter! I have to run in this stuff! By now I had been doing at least 95% of my running outside. The treadmill is just boring after about 30 minutes! My running gear had changed from a workout tank and capris to ColdGear tights and long sleeves. I also found that a good pair of gloves and a beanie are life savers! In December, my husband and I ran another 5k race as part of my 1/2 marathon training. We shattered our PRs! I ran the 5k in 31:58! This was the fastest I had ever ran a 5k and the first time ever I was able to complete it without walking even a step!

Hot Chocolate 5k December 2012

About half way through these twelve weeks I finally started to consider myself a runner. I think that came to me when I went for a run on vacation, Thanksgiving and mostly when the weather is just plain crappy but you head out for a run anyway. Last weekend was the longest run of the program, 10 miles. On that run I had on two tops, two bottoms, gloves and a hat. I think the high that day was in the 20s with a wind chill in the single digits. Brr!

As I write to you, I am one day away from my very first half marathon race! I have completed all twelve weeks of the half marathon training as well as the eight and six weeks of the 5k and 10k programs! That's a total of 26 weeks! I have been training for this race for 1/2 of a year! If you include Insanity into that its nine weeks longer than that! This journey has been hard! It was gallons of sweat (I found they make special laundry detergent for all that sweat), lots of time on the sofa with an ice pack and more ibuprofen than I'd like to admit. It has all been worth it!

At this point I am down a total of 57.3 lbs! I am the thinnest I have been since at least my first year in college, if not high school (I pathologically lied about my weight in high school to the point that I don't even remember the real number), and in the best shape of my life (including high school). I want to thank those who have inspired and encouraged me along the way! Firstly my husband (who has lost over 35 lbs together with me) for being the motivation I required and the support I needed! I love you! To my Mom, your concern for my health and your pride in my hard work is why I keep going! Also to Billy Burnett, you sir have shown me what all your hard work can do! Keep it up! I look forward to racing alongside you some day!

I look forward to the next step in this journey! Come visit this blog frequently as this will be my diary of my journey. Please feel free to leave comments along the way! I would love to hear from all of you!