Sporadically Sandra

So, over the holidays I was super lazy when it comes to exercise. I did some jumping jacks, and some squats but no real cardio, nothing challenging. Now that it is January, it's time to get back in the swing of things. I've picked Couch to 5k back up, unfortunately my two and a half month break has done a great deal of damage to my stamina.

I started back on week 3 and after working on that for a couple of weeks I was ready to move to week 4. Until... I started running. Four minutes and then six and then four of running, sure there is some walking in between but that is FOURTEEN minutes of running. HOLY COW. I am NOT fit enough for that much running.

So, I start the first four minute run and I am doing GREAT. Four minutes? Pft.. that's nothing. That's only one minute longer than the three minutes I was doing before. Oh, now it is time to walk. Wow, those two minute sort of flew, but it's telling me to run again...

The entire six minutes I play this ridiculous mind game with myself "Thirty more seconds and if you want to quit you can"... And then, I hit the point of having ONE MINUTE LEFT and I want to die. I'm suffering, it's bad.

But, I can do ANYTHING for a minute. It's what I learned in week 1, actually, (of the original program, not the one they renamed "Ease into") where you have to run one minute and walk for 90 seconds. I learned, hey, I can run for a whole minute. WTF how did that happen? Good job legs.

And amazingly, this applies to all parts of my life "Ugh, I don't want to empty the dishwasher." Stop being a brat, I can do anything for one minute. "Bleh, I don't want to get up and get something from the car." It won't take longer than a minute!

So, when I'm jogging and I'm exhausted, if I can make it to the last minute, well then, I got this because I can do ANYTHING for one minute.

And, so can YOU.

September Goals:

Run/Walk/Jog 20 Miles - I'm pretty sure I didn't finish this. I actually took a couple of weeks off and then I focused on running for longer periods of time as opposed getting in lots of mileage. I have, however, picked C25K back up and am on Week 6, Day 3. I've run for 20 minutes straight this month which is a HUGE accomplishment in and of itself!

Finish Reading my Self-Improvement Book - Well, I didn't finish the one I had been trying to read but I did read a different self improvement book. I started and completed New Rules of Lifting for Women, so I consider this goal met.

Figure out a Solid Strength Training Routine- I've completed the first day of NROLFW and I'm super excited to do day 2. I will be continuing forward with this program because it is something I honestly believe I can stick to and complete.

October Goals:

Participate in a 5K - I'm looking to complete one with at the end of August. I don't care if I run the whole thing or walk the whole thing, I just want to start participating in races.

Set and Follow a Workout Schedule - If I continue working on C25K and NROLFW, I need to get 3 workouts of each a month. I'm great at exercising M-TH, but that is not enough. I may cut down on the workouts if it proves to be too much, but I need a solid schedule either way.

Pay off Furniture - Right now, according to our budget, we will pay off our furniture midway through October. I can't wait until it does get paid off!

211, 64, 33, 24, 26, 1987, 7, 145, 5, 105, 135, 16

All numbers that relate to me, all numbers that I let define me, define who I am. I refuse to be defined by a number. I am so much more then my weight, my age, how much I make, how tall I am. I am so much more than just a series of numbers that list random figures about me, but don’t speak to who I am.

I get so caught up in what I lose, what I gain, what I weight, how many points I ate, how I can’t run for five minutes. I let all these numbers just control me and it’s ridiculous. I’m a brilliant, kind, loving, caring, beautiful, talented individual and numbers don’t speak to any of that.

For so long, I was stuck on week 4 of C25K because there was no way that I could possibly jog for more than five minutes. There was no way I could possibly jog for eight, there’s just no way. So, I got rid of the numbers, I got rid of the structure, I removed the “I Can’t” and just focused on the “I Can”

Please, please, please, push me faster


I want to Fly


Please, please, please, push me higher


I’ve got to Fly

I can jog for a song and walk for a song. I can do just one more extra jog. I can jog two long songs in a row and hit ten minutes by barely trying and I can do it because I didn’t let numbers define me. It’s amazing what I could do when I forgot about the seconds counting down until I was done and instead focused on the music, my breathing and my posture.

C25K taught me some very important lessons. It initially taught me that I can jog for a minute at a time, 8 times a work out. It taught me how to breathe in through my nose and out through my mouth. But, it also held me back because I focused too much on “I can’t make it through five minutes”

What other areas of my life have I held back because of the numbers I feel define me, because my number is too high or low but never just right? I refuse to accept that. I refuse to limit my potential or who I am because my number might not be ideal for society, or someone else or even me. I want to be an extraordinary person, and I won’t be if I let numbers define me, if I let fear of not being the right person effect me. I’m so much more than just a number.

I think I wrote monthly goals once before. I don't remember if it went down well or not, but that's no reason not to try again, right?

Goals for June:

1. Get to week 5 of Couch to 5k
I've been stuck on week 3 for *how* long now? First a hip injury, then a closed gym. Well, the hip is better and the gym is reopened and I redid a day of week 3 today and it was awesome!

2. Complete 3 weeks of GSP Rushfit
Um, life gets in the way sometimes. But I really need to do this. It is great strength training for me and an awesome all over body workout. Plus, I need to spend more time with my boyfriend

3. Close on my house
Did I mention I'm in the process of buying a house? If everything goes well, I close on the 24th.

4. Move to my new house
Any strong men with trucks want some free beer and pizza to help me move houses?

5. Not kill my herb garden
I think this is my third year growing an herb garden and so far I've gotten exactly ZERO herbs from it. I killed a cactus once, true story.

6. Stay OP and track Everything
'Nuff said about that.

So, I had my first evening weigh in. I know that many people tend to eat less or lighter so that they will weigh less, but, I figure I should just keep it constant and so I ate normally.

Between eating normally, wearing my (not so light) work clothes and changing both my weigh in time and date, I gained 3 pounds.

The horror! Gaining so much, right?

Sure, if you only want to look at the numbers, but let's look at something else:

My mind is in the right place. I have my menu plan, I've followed it and tracked it. I'm getting in all my fruits, vegetables, water, oils, vitamins and dairy in, along with some yummy lean protein.

I'm getting in exercise. Between walking/jogging, GSP Rush Fit, Zumba and Clogging, I am getting a variety of workouts in. For the most part, I'm actually enjoying most of them.

Regardless of what my weight is, I am slowly shrinking. Clothing is the clearest indicator that this is working. I've had to buy smaller clothes, securely moving down in sizes, which is AMAZING. I was given some cute clothes by a coworker and half of them fit and the other half are just a tiny bit away from fitting.

So, I gained three pounds (most of it from the food I ate today), but I've also gained some awesome peace of mind, love of exercise and part of a new wardrobe.

I started Rush Fit last Wednesday. The basic premise was do a dvd one day and cardio the next.

The cardio during the week was clogging, C25K W4D1, Touch Football and Zumba. The DVDs were Strength & Endurance, Abdominal & Core, *Bonus* Stretch and Fight Conditioning. Everything was accomplished except for Fight Conditioning. It was planned for Easter and, well, after two Easter Dinner's and some Touch Football, it just didn't seem that important to do a DVD.

The plan was to do the DVD tonight, but that didn't happen. I appear to be in super witchy, total brat mode and I just want to veg out on the couch and watch Eclipse (who else thinks Edward is creepy, possessive and controlling?) and eat way too many mini Reese Eggs (Working out tomorrow is NOT an option)

All in all, I'm very proud of my working out over the past week. I was active 6 out of 7 days. That's phenomenal for me.

Tomorrow starts Week 2 of GSP Rush Fit. I'm really looking forward to it.

I obviously did not get to the body I did, because I enjoyed working out. In fact, working out used to be the BIGGEST chore possible. I hated cardio, I hated weights and I really hated overly happy workout coaches. I would try and get into an activity only to have it last two times and then I'd stop because I didn't enjoy it.

So, how did I become the working out lover that I did? Simple:

1. Find an activity you love
I discovered Zumba! I love dancing. I have done some sort of dancing since I was 6 or 7, so I really love dancing. Any sort of dance moves with music, especially in a group setting is just a fun time for me. I can't wait to go to my Zumba class because I truly enjoy it.

2. Start out slow
Too often, people give up on an activity because they start out doing it full blast, they can't finish it and give up because it is too hard. I want to love running, but if I go out there and try to run a mile I am only going to get discouraged. So, instead I am working on Couch to 5K which slowly moves me from running 1 minute at a time to a whole 5k. Each time I do a harder run I feel so powerful and proud of myself that I don't want to give up.

3. Don't workout alone
I do Zumba with my best friend, I walk 3 days a week with a friend at work and I do GSP with my husband. Zumba is one time a week when I know I get to see and hang out with my best friend, therefore, not only do I look forward to seeing my best friend, but I look forward to doing Zumba with her. I enjoy walking with my coworker because not only is she an awesome person but I inspire her (how awesome is THAT?!). And, when do I not love getting more fit with my husband. I've made working out into hanging out time and that really makes it so much easier to start working out.

4. Track your workouts
There is something ridiculously enjoyable about seeing how much more working out I do from week to week. Weight Watchers keep track of "Activity Points". I've gone from earning 0 to earning 40+ a week. That's crazy. Each week, I want to do the same as the last week if not more. It is like a challenge to myself and I don't like letting myself down.

Eventually you wll become crazy and actually start to love working out like I did.

So at the beginning of March I made some goals. Let's review them, shall we?
Enjoy my Anniversary! - Easiest Goal ever. See previous Anniversary post to see how much fun we had on that!


Hike a Local Park - Never did this. Between injuring myself, rainy weekends and not having time, it never happened. *But* I did tour Turner Field, which I feel should almost count.

Continue with C25K - Back to the darn injury. That threw a 2 week wrench in my plan, on top of that the gym at work has been closed. I have been walking with coworkers and this past week was my first week back on running and considering th rain forcasted for this week, I probably won't get to run this week, much.

Move on to Level 2 of 30 Day Shred - Although I did this with semi regularity, let me remind you of the darn injury. Seriously, stupid hip! But I also bought Jillian's Yoga Dvd and switched the two out. Still on level 1 but not giving up.

Workout 16 out of 31 Days - Even with the hip injury I'm pretty freaking sure I completed this goal. I've learned to actually *enjoy* working out so I do make sure to do it at least 4 out of the 7 days of the week and most weeks at least 5 days.

Attend Church at Least 2 of the 4 Sundays in March - Done. We didn't go today and that makes me sad, but once we are back from the beach, Church is on the To Do List

Make the Bed Every Morning - This was such a failure, not even funny.

But, I have some goals for this week I want/need to accomplish:

30 Day Shred - I want to complete this on Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday for sure. Friday might be difficult since it will be super busy with depositing my dog at my mom's, packing up the car for the trip and getting my nails done, but if time permits, I'm pretty sure I can talk the sis in law into doing it with me.

Laundry - it certainly is one of those things that is never done. BUT, I need to get it under control. I need to make sure everything gets folded/hung in a timely manner and keep the dirty laundry to no more than 1 dirty load at a time.

Pack for my trip - The list of things I need to pack for this trip is ridiculously long. Since we are staying in a condo for the week, not only do I have clothes to pack, but both kitchen supplies and cooking ingredients. I'm also one of those people who simply cannot pack light. I have a packing list (considering how messy I can be, I'm very list oriented) and I just need to make sure to follow it and add stuff as it occurs to me.

Stay OP- Ever since my anniversary, I've had the hardest time not going over points. It doesn't help that I haven't done a lot of cooking, Joseph has. But, I've discovered that for me to be successful, I have to be involved in cooking. This week we are having Turkey Burgers, Scilian Rice Ball Casserole and Chicken Taco Chili. Super yummy foods that will make it easy to stay OP.

When you workout in a gym, on a treadmill, there are no worries that you will go so far that won't make it back to the start. When that gym is taken away from you and you have to go into the real world to work out, there is no guarantee.

Joseph today wanted to walk from work to Walmart and back again. That is 1 1/2 miles *one* way, 3 total. I told him I would only walk for peanut butter cups but in reality I was wondering what I was going to do if I couldn't make it. I mean, since working on being fit and getting healthy, the farthest I have gone is 2 miles. I know without a doubt that 20 pounds and two months of not working out ago, I probably wouldn't have done it, and especially not how well I did it. There were some hills, changes in terrain and a mixture of super cold wind and hot sun. Not only did I walk all 3 miles, and get my peanut butter cups, but I did it like it was nothing.

I wouldn't have known I could do that until I got rid of the safety net. Slowly and surely, I'm having to remove these safety nets I've placed around myself to keep stuff from being too hard, too challenging or too intimidating.

I went and Zumba'd with my best friend Sarah on Monday night. It was a huge group class with women of all shapes, sizes and skill levels. Normally I would be so concerned with how I look to everyone else to have fun; but that wasn't the case. I just worried about having fun and getting my burn on and I did have fun. I removed the safety net of worrying what other people thought of me and had a great experience.

At the end of May, I'm removing a huge safety net. I like to call it my "Crazy" safety net. Because it is what keeps me from doing stupid crazy stuff. Well, end of May, I'm participating in the Warrior Dash. That is a 5K (3.1 miles) with obstacles, including: running through fire, climing a cargo net, running through tires and wading through water. There are parts of this race that really worry me. Am I strong enough? Will I fall face first into the fire? Will I fall and die at the cargo net? But, I'm removing the safety net because it will only make me a better, well rounded person and I will be so amazed with myself when I finish it.

It helps that my sis-in-law has promised to stay by my side.

So, after weeks of not running, having stupid hip pain and feeling like a sloth (even with doing Jillian Dvds), I got to run today! Is it bad I want to leap around declaring in a singsong voice "I got to run!" "I got to run!"? I picked up on Week 3 of C25K. That was the last week I successfully completed before my hip gave out on me and started sucking it up. I wasn't able to run the entire last 3 minutes, but every single run seemed to be UP hill and I'm not going to sweat it. Because, I got to run!!

It is amazing how much I look forward to working out now that I do it regularly. When I started working out, it was a struggle. We are talking: whine, complain and moan; "I'm only going because I promised I would Zumba with you" And now? I'm like "Come on, lets go walk/zumba/run/Jillian! whatever. Additionally, I'm making hang out time with friends be fun workout time instead of eat food time.

I went with my bestie, Sarah, to a group Zumba class on Monday night and we had an awesome time. Firstly because Zumba is fun, I don't care who you are or how you work out, if you can NOT take yourself seriously it is a fun time. And secondly because she is my bestie and we get along so well. We were cracking up the entire time and getting to dance our bootys off, well, my booty anyways... And I've decided we absolutely *must* go again next week!

So, to sum up, I Love working out AND *I got to run!*

So, I started working out in January. It was really easy for me to make myself go because the building I work in has a gym and I would go during lunch. I pretty much resigned myself to the fact that I would just look like crap the second half of the day and I was alright with that because as sweaty as I got, I knew I was getting more fit.

Then I got a hip injury. This threw my C25K dreams out the window.

More bad news this week: The gym at my work is closed for the next 5 weeks. No treadmill, no elliptical, no floor space to Zumba. No place to work out.

Now, my work out buddies Dani, Joseph (my husband) and Karley have decided we will go out and walk at least twice a week in the neighborhood behind our work that has huge, mountainous hills. However, that still leaves me with at least 3-4 days where I have to push myself to work out, after work and at home.

Sheesh.

I guess it is time for me to put my money where my mouth is and prove to myself that I can work out, I can push myself to do it and I'm stronger than the excuse I make. I have workout dvd's galore. Zumba, Yoga, Flirty Girl AND Jillian Michaels 30 Day Shred and Yoga Meltdown.

Today I did Yoga Meltdown. Wow, does Jillian know how to kick a girls butt. I mean, I was totally resisting the work out at first. It was brand new to me, I hadn't done yoga in years and I knew Jillian would make me hurt. And she did. She made me sweat, hurt and my limbs *shake*.

When it was done I felt strong, lean, tall and powerful. I felt accomplished and amazing and I was happy. Some where in this whole journey I have fallen in love with working out and knowing that I am bettering my body. So, I need to hold on to that feeling, that awesome feeling and help it push me to work out. Tomorrow I think I'm going to 30 Day Shred. Thursday it is more walking on mountainous hills and Friday is probably going to be a great day of rest. I will have worked out 4 days in a row without a gym.

Let's see if I do it. I believe I can and I know I can. Because, after I finish, I'm going to feel amazing and know that I pushed my body harder than today or the day before or the week before.

So, on Sunday I completed week 3 of C25K. I don't know if you know, but you go from running 1.5 minutes and 3 minutes to running 3 minutes and 5 minutes in Week 4. Well, this girl was not ready for that change. Not only was I defeated before I even started, I had no belief in myself, my body was just tired. My hip *hurts*, my calf is sore. I could never get my running groove or my breathing.

In my opinion there is nothing wrong with knowing when you aren't ready and I'm not ready to move on to week 4. I never felt confident in myself with week 3, not like I did with week 1 or 2, even with completing it outside. So, I'm going to stay on week 3 this week and revisit the idea of week 4 next week. There is just something about running 5 minutes in a row that is extremely daunting.

But, there is always a silver lining to every day! And today's silver lining is dinner! I made barbeque chicken, green beans (which didn't turn out, but I don't like fresh green beans anyways so I'm alright with it) and skinnytaste.com 's Mac and Cheese. I am practically a hobag for some homemade Mac and Cheese, it's probably my favorite food ever (Chocolate doesn't count since it is a whole food group). Joseph made me this for Valentine's Day and we knew instantly it was a winner, it even beat out the best of the best cooking light recipe in my opinion.

However, this deep love of mac and cheese that I have, it also keeps me from being able to portion it very well. As in, I want to eat all of it in one sitting. Just give me a huge bowl of mac and cheese  and I will devour that. But, tonight I got out my measuring cup, measured out a serving of mac and cheese for Joseph and Me and then portioned the rest out in containers so that I can't go back for seconds, thirds and fourths.

Seriously though, go make that mac and cheese. It is so delicious. And, while you are at it, check out her other recipes because they are ridiculously good.

February Goals and Conclusions:

Make the bed every day of the month
This was definitely a team effort. Joseph helped or made the bed himself more than once in the past month. Often times we made it right before getting in bed just so we can say we made it. Although technically, yes, this goal was met; it was fudged a little.

Do something super special for Joseph once a week
I don’t know if I did something super special for him every week, but I did make an effort. I helped out with the dishes more than once. I made his favorite flavor of cupcakes. I made him a great Valentine’s present and cake. And I discussed on here how much he means to me.

Work out 14 out of 28 days
I think I actually worked out 15 days this month. I’m sure that is a new record for me.

Cook 1 New Recipe a Week
I didn’t really keep track of this. But, considering how much I cooked and the variety we had, I’m pretty sure this was completed. We had 2 different mac and cheese recipes, chicken spaghetti, cupcakes, cake, random thrown together and made up foods.

Do 1 day of C25K outside (Weather Permitting)
Joe and I did this together yesterday. It was a beautiful, sunny, chilly morning; perfect for a nice jog. We ran to a little park that is near us and back again.

Complete weeks 1-3 in C25K
Done! I finished the last day of week 3 outside with real hills and stuff. I was really surprised and proud that I was able to do it. It’s amazing that in just three weeks I can go from feeling like I was dying for running 1 minute to flying through three minutes of running. I’m not going to lie though, I’m already nervous about

March Goals

Workout 16 out of 31 Days
I’ve really come to enjoy working out. I enjoy the feeling of accomplishment. I enjoy becoming strong, bettering my endurance and knowing that I’m making myself better.

Make the Bed in the Morning
Although I would love to do this every day, I don’t want to be so focused on fulfilling the goal that I miss feeling accomplished if I miss a day. So, I would just like to make a concentrated effort to make the bed every morning, but if I forget, I’m not a failure.

Continue with C25K
Now that I am progressing into the harder weeks, I don’t want to set a goal of finish week 7 by the end of March, because I might need to repeat a day or so. But I want to continue pushing forward with it and I want to progress.

Move to Level 2 of 30 Day Shred.
This is a great DVD for working on strength training. It has a lot of classic moves and it does push me to work harder. Although it is not strictly strength training only, it’s probably the closest I will be getting.

Hike a Local Park *weather permitting*
Ideally I would like to explore Sweetwater or a park similar. Something to just get outside and have fun with Joseph.

Enjoy my anniversary!
Joseph and I have our 2nd anniversary on March 21, but we are celebrating the Saturday prior. Melting Pot and a hotel room!

Make it to Church 2 out of 4 Sundays
This is pretty self explanatory

So with all this losing weight and exercising and heing a healthier gal, there are a few things that I just could not live or be successful without.

• iPod Touch - besides the C25K app that I adore. There is a Weight Watcher's app taht is amazing, tracks points, gives values for foods and restaurants and I can search recipes without being online. It also tracks weight and gives me success stories to keep me motivated.
• Headphones - I can't C25K without them! Not only do I need to hear music while I run, I need to hear the prompts on when I can *stop* running.
• Girl Talk - an artist who does amazing pop/hip hop/rock mashups. If you want to get pumped up to exercise, this will do the trick. Locate a free copy of his most recent album here: http://illegal-art.net/allday/
• Green Monster Smoothie - I've already waxed on about how awesome they are. But just to recap: Amazing energy, easy way to get in leafy greens and other vegetables, delicous easy and nutrious breakfast.
• Sprint Vibrams - These "toe" shoes are amazing. I can run without getting shin splints and they are great for my feet. Who wouldn't dig that? Although they do require a learning curve for most people (apparently I'm a natural Vibram wearer because I've had no issues) I fully recommend them. I love my pair and when these run out, I plan to buy a new pair. Best part? They cost around the same as a really nice pair of running shoes. http://www.vibramfivefingers.com/products/Five-Fingers-Sprint-Womens.htm
• Pretzel M&Ms - For 4P+ a bag, they are one of the friendliest chocolates you can eat. They are a great combination of salty and sweet and super fun to eat because they are M&Ms and all M&Ms are fun to eat. Duh.
• 30 Day Shred w/ Jillian Michaels - Oh how that crazy woman makes me hurt so good. Just one session with her and I know I am getting a full body workout.

I've heard from various sources that this week is Body Appreciation Week. How do you appreciate your body?

I appreciate my body daily by feeding and hydrating it correctly and by letting it move.
I get a minimum of 5-6 servings of fruits and vegeables a day
I drink at least 6 servings of water and often times more.
I eat a variety of foods from lean meats, to dairy and some delicious starches.
I've worked in 4-5 exercise sessions in a week with a variety of cardio and weights.
I get 7-8 hours of sleep on average.

This has been my life for the past 3 months. They say it takes 3 weeks to make a new habit. I didn't just make a habit of eating correctly and exercising, I made a habit of appreciating the only body I will get. So I struggle through workouts so that my body can become strong and powerful. I pass up rich and fatty foods so that I can stop stressing my body with extra weight.

And by showing my body appreciation, I'm slowly able to find new appreciation for my body. Today, after doing Week 3, Day 1 of Couch to 5K, I stood in front of the mirrors, a weight in each hand to work on my arms and I appreciated how I looked. I was sweaty and smelly and my hair was a mess and I could appreciate the fact that slowly, my body is moving from a ball shape.

I work really hard to stay a positive person. When someone comes to me because they are having a bad day, I want to find a silver lining for them; something to help them get just a little bit of happiness and yesterday I didn't have that. To work out and eat correctly and to not lose any weight over a week had me down to the point where I just wanted to curl up and cry. And the amazing thing is, the very next day, I could look in the mirror, staring at myself looking absolutely horrible and appreciate my body.

So, even when it is hard, or it sucks to say no, it is worth it to me to keep appreciating my body. Any day that I can look in the mirror and see something positive staring back, I'll trade chocolate for that. I'll trade, ice cream, soda, you name it. Because first and foremost, I need to remember to appreciate my body.

So, again I ask: How do you appreciate your body?

Many of life’s failures are people who did not realize how close they were to success when they gave up. – Thomas Edison

I get up at 5:30 in the morning. I leave my house at 6:45 to get to work by eight. I leave at five and get home between 6:00 and 6:30. I make dinner and it is usually ready between 7:00 and 7:30. Then I rest, I read my blogs, do some writing and watch some tv. That kind of schedule doesn't leave much time for working out, especially since if I do it too late at night it might keep me up.

Figuring out when you can work in working out is a common dilemna; whether you are a parent, a full time student or a full time employee and if you are a combination of any of the three, well you don't even have time to sleep. Yet, the past two weeks I have done C25K 4 times, Elipticalled 3 times, Clogged 2 times and Zumba'd one time.

It seems I've officially given up reading (or playing angry birds or shopping) during lunch, with the exception of Friday when I actually go out for Mexican. Mondays & Wednesdays have become my C25K day and I still need to figure out where and when I can do a day on the weekend. Tuesday and Thursday are my Zumba days unless P90X guy is using the tv in the gym then I hop on the elliptical for 25 minutes. Thursday nights are the one night I have clogging and I clogg my heart off.

I'm crazy because now that I've found my 30 Day Shred Dvd and I'm determined to fit it into my weekends and possibly Friday nights. And, I've learned that I don't mind giving up my reading time during lunch because something in me has changed.

I enjoy working out

I don't know how this happened or when or even why. I do know that a switch has flipped in my brain and every time I C25K I am happy and excited about it. Especially when I finish a new day and a new challenge. I will be going into week 3 next week and I have to run for 3 minutes straight. That's crazy, but I'm going to do it.

It wasn't until this year that I realized how important exercise is. I can lose all the weight in the world and I will still be fat unless I become strong. I want to build muscle every where. I want to feel strong and powerful and I don't want any athletic limitations to hold me back.

I rewarded myself for my working out by getting a cute gym bag and some new work out clothes and I realized that as much and hard as I work out I'm going to have to actually buy more work out clothes unless I want to start washing them everynight. Because, when I work out, I work out hard and I do not smell sweet like a flower afterwards.

Now, I just need to figure out when I can fit in some reading, because I do miss books!

(AKA: How to tell it is time to move on to Week 2 of C25K)

So yesterday I did Week 1 Day 1 of Couch to 5K. Which, for those of you who don't know, you do a five minute warm up walk and a five minute cool down walk with 1 minute of running and 1.5 minutes of walking in between (for a total cycle of 9 runs). In total this takes 31 minutes. In theory it sounds relatively easy, until you consider the fact that actual running for a minute over and over again is rather hard.

Way #1 I am Crazy: After two runs, I think "Hmm, sort of easy" and I bump up the incline.

Way #2 I am Crazy: With two runs left, I think "Hmm, still sort of easy" and I bump up the speed.

Way #3 I am Crazy: As the last cool down nears I start thinking, "I could keep going if I had the time."

Day 1: I feel like dying.

Day 3: Hm, bored, I will keep kicking it up a notch.

I didn't even want to go to the gym that day. I had talked myself out of it because I needed to run by Hobby Lobby (still do) and Walmart and you know, anything else I could think of to get out of it. I didn't feel well, allergies were starting to hit after all. Then, some switch in my brain flipped and I decided, "Nope, I'm going to at least try." I mean, if I didn't feel well enough to finish, that's cool, but I could at least put forth my effort. And not only did I put forth the effort, I freaking KILLED it.

I can't wait for Week 2 Day 1 to kill me next week!