From Start to Finish

Yesterday, I entered my first official 5K. I didn't run the whole way, but I ran more than I have maybe ever.

For this race, I was totally unprepared. I am ashamed to admit, but I did not properly train or really workout for almost a month. I am not proud of that, but I am being honest.

My diet has also been trash as of late. We have been travelling a bit, and I have been using that as an excuse.

Had I been fueling my body properly and doing what I needed to do, I could have run even farther.

So how did I make it through?

I will be honest, every step I made yesterday morning from getting out of bed at 6 AM to crossing the starting line to finishing was nothing but sheer willpower. My body wasn't ready for that and it was a battle every literal step of the way. 

I passed some churches and buildings and I even thought to myself, what if I could go and hide behind one, wait about and hour and call my husband to come and ger me. When I came across the EMS truck, it tool all I had not to throw myself on it and fake some injury (Please note, if you are truly injured, you should always seek medical attention). 

Yes. These thoughts entered my mind. Yes. I entertained them, but there was something there driving me. You see, I made a commitment to myself to change my life, my health. And even though lately I have managed to fall off the wagon, there was still that goal there and it was more realistic than ever. If I could do as well as I did with the lack of training and improper body fuel, what could I do if I was doing what I needed to do?

The answer: the impossible.

And that my friends is the journey. I am going to see where it takes me. Wanna come?

Motivating Monday: May 14, 2012: Making Habits Stick

Hi Everyone!

Happy Monday to ya!

I have decided to kick off each week with a motivational piece. I'd like to call it Motivating Monday, because if you are anything like me, you need a swift kick in the girdle right about now. Speaking of starting (and more importantly keeping up with) a new habit,today I want to talk about Habits. (Love the segue?) I'd like to focus on what happens once you make the change in habits, maintaining them.

With any lifestyle change, there is always the fear in the back of one's mind (or at least I have felt this way) in which certain questions begin to surface. Questions like 

• How long will this last?
• How long can I keep this up?
• Why should I even do this? It's never gonna last.

Changing your lifestyle to the improvement of your overall health and well-being is a very important step. It is too important to start this battle without the proper tools in this arsenal. And if you have ever tried to change anything in your life, you know that it is a battle.

So you have started working out, and/or you have started making changes to your diet, but you haven't committed fully, as you don't want to start anything that you won't see through. What can you do to make these newly formed changes stick?

Here are a couple of ideas. See how these hit you:

1.  Establish Importance: Why are you making this change? Are you doing this for yourself? Or are you doing this for someone else? If you are not doing this ultimately for yourself, chances are, you won't stick with it for the long haul. Ultimately, you must have your own conscious buy-in for any new changes to become a long-term way of life.
2.  Do It For A Month: Got 30 days? Experts say that 30 days of consistent behavior is all that is needed to see a real change in habits. Does 30 days seem too much to reach for?
   

MWF Seeking Motivation...

Ugh.
That's the best thing I can say about the past few weeks. Ugh.
There has been too much life in my life lately. Throw in some good old fashioned familial drama along with the depressing day-to-day job search, it's enough to make anyone want to crawl under a rock.
And then today happens. I get up right after my husband leaves, seeking to get back at it and conquer the Dam. My hopes are dashed as quickly as I open the curtains and see the downpour. No dam today. Dam it! (I couldn't resist!)

So here I sit, just about to dive into a fresh Kale salad (got a recipe from my friend Meghan and I will post later), only to be back at the Blah.

I've spent a good part of the day looking at Facebook posts of other inspirational people that are out there getting it done. I am quite certain that they have had days or weeks or maybe even years of days like this, and yet they still went out there and they still did it.

Makes me feel a bit pathetic actually. I sit and think of every reason why I shouldn't:

• Not sure where to start. I want to slim down, but I want to develop lean muscle....
• I need to stop flip flopping around on my routine. I need to pick something and stick with it...
• I could go on and on, but I won't...

There are a million reasons why I can't, and they hold up about as good as a spaghetti noodle in a pasta dish- not very well.

It's in these moments that I have to stop myself... and the persistent whining... and say- GET UP OFF OF YOUR BUTT!!! YOU HAVE A GREAT LIFE AND YOU DESERVE TO BE HEALTHY AND FIT!

That's really all that seems to ever work for me. Just being honest and acknowledging for the umpteenth time that if I don't do this for me, no one else will. That's the truth.

So I am back on the wagon. I am gonna get something done today. And I will tell you all about it tomorrow.

If First You Fail...

Wow.

I amaze myself. I pledge that I am going to be a better and more consistent blogger, then I wait almost a whole year before I continue.

A lot has changed in my life since last I posted.

In November, I got married. Yes. You read that right. I married my best friend and we have been married for almost 6 months!

My Husband Tom & I on our Wedding Day 11/11/2011

Things were moving along at a great pace and then March came. Just as the fiscal year end approached at my company, I was told that my position was no longer needed.

So where does that leave me? Unemployed and dealing.

Prior to this event, however, my husband and I had committed to ditching as much processed food as possible. I firmly subscribe to the ideology "GIGO" or "garbage in, garbage out".

We have been doing very well. Each week, I go to the local Flea market and buy fresh fruits and veggies. The amount of processed food we eat has gone down considerably.

My other focus has naturally shifted to getting more active. I really want to run. I have been walking about 10 miles a week on average. I have participated in my first walk. I feel like I am getting somewhere.

This is ultimately an update, but also it is re-purposing of this blog. I still want to ditch the granny panties, but that is fast becoming more of a figurative notion, than literal. I am caring less about fitting into smaller panties, but more about pursuing the dreams that I have been short selling myself into not pursuing. And that is perhaps the most important lesson that I could learn.

Keep on Keeping On

It has been a while since I have updated this blog. There is a reason for that.

I have recently decided that I want to go to law school, so between work, full-time school and studying for the LSAT (June 6, TYVM), there hasn't been time for much else.

I started Weight Watchers in the beginning of January. I haven't been religious, but I have definitely made some changes to the way I eat. I figure I have lost 10-15 pounds. I haven't been exercising at all, but that too shall change shortly. I joined a gym yesterday, and tonight should be my first outing.

I am taking this all one day at a time. I am approaching it very nonchalantly, but it is happening. And I will take it.

I will try to be a better steward of the blogosphere and update this more often.

Happy Travels :)

Where Am I?

Wow.

Looking at the blog, I have really fell down on my blogging duties. I don't think that many people read this blog, but that's no reason for me to not do my job.

I have struggled with my weight pretty much all my life (since the age of 6). It has been a long journey. Along the way I have only managed to pick up a few things: more weight and a slew of health problems.

The one thing I have found along the way, is the way to get rid of the weight and ditch the issues associated with it: eat right and exercise. Sounds easy, right? Well if you are reading this blog, chances are you know that it's not.

I have been guilty over the years of trying pretty much everything to quickly purge myself of these extra pounds. Needless to say, none of that has really worked.

So if I know the answer, the magical secret, the absolute way to get rid of this weight and get healthy, why don't I weigh a heck of a lot less than I do?

I have scratched my head over that one for quite some time. The answer that I have come to is that for something to change your life, it will be life changing. You have to commit to making those choices that are hard. You literally have to change the way you think about a lot of things. And this is a hard pill to swallow.

I have learned that I have to change my relationship with food. I have to expect more from myself, but be able to accept less. I have to be willing to make small changes and I don't have to do them all at once. Small is better. Slow is best.

I am rambling a bit I know, so let me tell you about a conversation I had with a very dear friend this week.

This friend is doing this hcg diet with injections and very limited caloric intake. I read the instructions for this diet and God Bless her, because I know that I couldn't do it. She was telling me about it and asked if I wanted to try it. Because of the myriad of things that are wrong with me, I don't even attempt to think about these things anymore. While she and I have a lot of things similar in our respective situation, this is not for me. The more dangerous thing about this plan for me, though, is that it does nothing to address the issues that have plagued me my whole life. This does nothing to address the cause for my "situation". I have to change the way I eat, move and breathe and more importantly, how I think about all of them. I will be right back here or worse if I don't deal with these causes and triggers.

As my mom has told me most of my life, "You didn't wake up fat and you won't lose it in the same time frame either."

I wish my friend the best of luck. I know that she will be very successful on this because she is very dedicated. I hop that this works for her and gives here everything that she dreams of because she definitely deserves every last piece of happiness.

For now, though, I will take where I am and see where I can get.

Until next time.

Finding my stride

I haven't written in a few weeks, but I have been on my "journey" so to speak.

I am going to water aerobics on Tuesday and Thursday, led by my friend Robyn Dowling. It's awesome and I love leaving work at 4:30 to go (I have been in that 8-5 rut for so long, that 4:30 feels like I am getting out early. I am not, just taking a shorter lunch).

I also went this week and signed up at the Jewish Center of Columbia. Today will be the first day that I go to a water aerobics class there, but I am rather looking forward to it.

I have also decided that I am going to start swimming. This is likely going to take some time to get going, but I am starting today.. after water aerobics. This is my plan.

I chose water aerobics because land exercise is just too much for me and my back... at least right now. I played tennis this weekend (or attempted to, rather) and I really think I aggravated my back. (I think a chiropractor is in my not too distant future) I digress. It's just working out in the water is just a better option for me right now.

And I love the water! My grandmother had a pool when I was younger and I can't tell you how many hours I spent in it. My cousins and I did our own versions of surfing and gymnastics. Those were the best times. I think, though, that my love for the water stems from the fact that I never really felt out of place or uncomfortable in the pool. Outside, however, is another issue.

So as I close out this post, I think that I am making steps. I am far away from where I will ultimately be, but I am not where I was three weeks ago, either. Like anything else in life, there is a certain amount of give and take.

Until next time.....

B;)