Words of Inspiration

I officially completed the Couch to 5K workout program today! I’m excited for my progress, but I’m sad to say that I’m not actually running a 5K distance . . . my pace is still too slow. BUT, considering where I came from, and how out of shape I was in the beginning, I’m thankful that I can actually jog for 30 minutes straight! Now I’m going to start working on my speed a little bit so that I can actually run a 5K in 30 minutes.

With that said, I saw a quote on Pinterest recently that really got my attention.

No matter how awful I’ve felt after a workout, I’ve never regretted completing it.

 

What do I regret?

 

All those times I should (and could) have worked out that I chose to be lazy instead.

All those times that I should have gotten up early to workout, but chose to sleep in instead.

All those times that I ate food without considering the effect it was having on my body.

All those times I told myself that it really didn’t matter.

All those times I told myself that I couldn’t do it or that it was too hard.

The years that I have spent neglecting my health (eating and exercise).

 

BUT, I think I may have changed. I think I’m on a road to less regrets when it comes to my health. Sure, I know I’ll have ups and downs when it comes to taking care of my body. But, hopefully, I’m finally on the path where the ups greatly outnumber the downs.

My on-going journey to a healthy life

Journeying to a Health Life: 3 Month Report

It has been a little over 3 months since I committed to living a healthier life, and I’m excited to say that, so far, I’ve actually stayed pretty well on track! I’m finally getting to the point that eating healthier and exercising seem like a natural part of life. Staying within my calorie goals everyday isn’t a burden like it was in the beginning (I still remember those first few weeks feeling like I was going to starve!). Is it always easy? No. In fact, today has been one of those days where I haven’t done so well eating, but I’m ok with that because it isn’t my lifestyle to eat poorly anymore like it was before. {As a side note, mostly to myself, I suppose, I definitely get the urge to snack more when I have a lot of nervous energy . . .I probably should have put that energy into a workout instead of snacks!}

I’m down 14 pounds since November (9 since coming back from the Christmas holidays over which I had gained a bit back). Although I don’t really feel “skinnier,” I have finally been able to see some changes in how my clothes are fitting. I am down a pant size! It is great to have that kind of progress (even though I still have a long way to go).

I’ve also noticed a great improvement in my physical fitness/endurance. I’ve been completing the Couch to 5K program, and I’m a week and a half from finishing it. I can actually jog for 28 minutes without stopping, which is a HUGE accomplishment for this non-runner. Unfortunately, about a week and half ago I sprained my ankle (from being a clutz tripping down my front porch, not even jogging!) and I haven’t been able to jog since I hurt my ankle. I’m really hoping I’ll be able to pick back up on Wednesday. I was really, really bummed when I hurt my ankle. BUT, it has given me a great opportunity to make sure that my eating stays on track without burning extra calories from exercise, and I’ve actually done pretty well with that.

2 Month Report

2012 Goals

Rather than making resolutions, I’m setting goals for myself in 2012. I guess it might just be a different way of saying “resolutions” but, to me, goals are generally more tangible than any resolutions I’ve ever made, and I hope to be able to check them off the list sometime during the year (or at the end of the year). I realize this list is probably very boring to you, but I wanted to have a place to make myself accountable.

Spiritual Goals:

• Daily Bible Reading
• Focused/Planned Bible Study
• Write Bible study lessons (and execute them) for the kids.
• Develop a deeper prayer life.

House Goals:

• Get the house organized, and purged of excess junk at the beginning of the year.
• Have a garage sale (sooner rather than later).
• Keep up with Flylady’s daily assignments to help keep the house in a manageable state.
• Handle papers (mail, or otherwise) when they come into the home, rather than just piling them up to handle later.
• Get one “house” project done each month (paint the front door, repair the floor, etc.)

Health Goals:

• Complete Couch to 5K (I’m currently in week 4).
• Lose weight. (I’m currently down about 8 lbs from November)
• Gain strength and endurance.

Family goals:

• Eat at home more often.
• Stick to our budget, and look for ways to save more (including getting back on track with coupons – it is always hard for me to keep up with those over the holidays).

Photography:

• Complete Project 366.
• Learn more about off-camera flash.
• Learn more about Adobe Photoshop (I’ve only recently purchased Photoshop).
• Work on posing.

Other:

• Exhibit more patience towards everyone, but especially my husband and children.
• Work on time management, including getting up at a more consistent time in the morning, and going to bed earlier in the evening.
• Spend less time on the computer.
• Get outside more (especially with the kids).

Journeying to a Healthy Life: 2 Month Report

Two months ago I wrote about starting a new diet, well, actually about starting a new lifestyle in regards to forming healthy eating and exercising habits. I’m removing the word “diet” from my new venture because to me there is something that isn’t permanent about a diet – it is just an activity you do for a little while to produce desired effects. I don’t want to only do something for a little while. I want to make a serious lifestyle change that results in a lasting healthy lifestyle.

So, how have I done these past two months? Have I made any progress in the right direction? Overall, I definitely think I am moving in the right direction, but I’m not where I want to be yet.

I’ve lost about 8 lbs, which isn’t a lot, but it is something, especially for me. Most of the times I have tried to lose weight in the past, I’ve never even made it to 8 lbs before reverting back to the old bad habits. Combined with the fact that we’ve had Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s in the time I’ve been working on this new way of life, I’m certainly pleased with an 8 lb weight loss.

I’ve completed 4 weeks of the Couch to 5K program. Although I technically should have completed 7 or 8 weeks at this point (not really wanting to count it up right now), I’m excited that I’ve made it this far. I had a wicked cold/cough during December that prevented me from running (I have terrible asthmatic cough problems at times), but I’m back on track now that I’ve gotten past the cold. On top of completing those workouts, I can actually notice a difference in what I’m physically capable of completing. During the first week, I felt like I was going to die (well, almost) when I had to run for a minute and half. Yesterday, I was able to run for a total of 16 minutes – 2 3-segments, and 2 5-minute segments, which is good progress!

Finally, I feel like I’m slowly developing a better relationship with food. Two months ago, I was at a point where food controlled me. And, although I’m not 100% in control of the food in my life, I’m at a MUCH better place than I was two months ago. I’ve thoroughly enjoyed using the My Fitness Pal app, and I highly recommend it! The Couch to 5K app is also great.

No official after picture yet, but hopefully it’ll be coming in the next few months as I continue on my journey.

I need to take a before picture

Ugh, this has to be about the 500th (ok, maybe 1000th) time in my life I’ve decided to start a diet. Except this time I’m planning for it to be different. I don’t need a diet. I need a lifestyle change. And, I need to take a before picture, because I’m determined that there will be an after worth seeing.

I started this new life on Monday, and so far have managed to stay focused. I started Monday morning off bright and early by doing the Couch to 5K workout. (If you aren’t familiar with the Couch to 5K program, it is a program that you follow three days a week to slowly build yourself up to running a 5K in 9 weeks). I’m not going to sugarcoat it – I felt absolutely awful after completing the workout. I complained to my husband that I thought exercising was supposed to make you feel good, but I felt anything but good. But, I did it. I made it through the first workout. And, then I made it through a day of counting calories and staying below my calorie target. And then Tuesday came around, and I made it through a second day of counting calories. And then today, even though I absolutely didn’t want to get up, I completed the second day of the Couch to 5K workout.

I know that I’m really going to have to do some serious training when it comes to food. I certainly have some internal struggles with food. For instance, yesterday we had a soup and salad luncheon. I counted calories, was barely able to eat anything {especially considering what I normally eat}, and left hungry and unsatisfied. I really thought eating at a soup and salad luncheon would be easy. But it wasn’t, not even close. I need to learn to exercise self control in my life. I know I can do it; after all, I had to follow strict food restrictions in both my pregnancies because I had gestational diabetes. My actions must reflect the importance of being healthy.

10 Pounds

I might be a little crazy to put myself up to this challenge, but it is something I've been thinking about and something I really want and need to do. What am I challenging myself to do? Nothing too hard I suppose. I am challenging myself to lose 10 pounds in about a month's time. Twenty-five days to be exact.

Losing 10 pounds in about a month is completely reasonable. It is only about 2.5 pounds a week. I can do that, right? Yet, I am only slightly (please read lots of sarcasm in my slightly) apprehensive that I'll be able to complete the task. Why?

Well, there are lots of reasons.

First off, I've never been successful at losing weight, only at putting it on. Over the past 10 years or so, I've pretty much done nothing but gain weight. Sometimes the weight gain was slow, and in my mind no big deal. At other times, the weight gain has been fast, and yet I still have a hard time controlling myself.

Secondly, I'm great at starting things, but not finishing them. I have no problem undertaking a task, but when I have to press onward to complete the task, or when the going starts to get a little tough I give up really easily or put it off until tomorrow. Just ask my husband about completing my graduate degree. I've been almost done for two years now . . . but that's another story for another post.

Thirdly, I'm lazy, terribly lazy. I hate this about myself, yet I am constantly making excuses for my laziness. I'll tell myself that I really deserve to be a bum on hang out on the couch watching TV even though there are things I need to get done. If I'm going to lose 10 pounds in 25 days, I'm going to have to spend some of my time working out.

And finally, I'm slightly skeptical because I'm challenging myself to lose ten pounds between now and Christmas. I already have three Christmas parties on the schedule, and one big family gathering before Christmas Day even arrives.

Something finally kicked in for me recently when I was considering this challenge. If I'm ever going to live the healthy life that I want to live, I'm going to have to learn to live that life all the time, even during holiday seasons. During the month of October, I found myself thinking, "Oh, once all the good pumpkin treats are gone for the season, I'll really start in on my diet." Once Halloween passed, I was rationalizing again, "Once Thanksgiving has passed, I'll really be careful with how I eat. After all, Thanksgiving time only comes around once a year." I cannot live my life always waiting for the next special time or season to pass before I commit to the healthy lifestyle I need to be living. There are too many holidays, birthdays, and special seasons year round to live my life that way.

Just a little over a year ago, I was diagnosed with gestational diabetes. Although many women who develop gestational diabetes are not overweight when they become pregnant, being overweight is a risk factor for getting gestational diabetes (and I was definitely overweight when I became pregnant). I was diagnosed just a couple of weeks before Thanksgiving, and at first I felt like I'd really be missing out during the holiday season because I had to follow a very strict diet to control my blood sugar levels. And although there were definitely things I wanted to eat and enjoy that I couldn't, I learned that it is possible to make it through the holiday season without over-indulging. For this challenge, I'm leaning on my experience from last year.

I KNOW it is possible to lose these first 10 pounds of hopefully many more to come during the holiday season. At this point, I am way too embarrassed about my weight to post it. I will, however, post my gains and losses over the next 25 days. My goal is to be at -10 pounds on Christmas morning!