2012 Miles

I was attempting to track my total mileage for 2012 but I am hitting a brick wall.  Will have to develop a better system this year.

Of the reports I was able to get...I had 120 miles by foot (not counting the biking I did in the summer).

27.7 miles were in the month of December so I know this total is waaayyyy off but I am not worrying about it at this point.  I am sure it will eventually bother me and I will take the time to combine all the different tracking systems I used over the year before I found the one I liked andI will come up with a real total.

I will take any ideas about a simple mileage tracker if anyone has one to share.  Right now it is a toss up between Garmin connect and MapMyFitness. Both are good but they are just not set up to communicate the way I want them to.  I need a stinking widget that will do it all!

HELP!!!!!!

New Year Resolution

I must say that I was very happy with my health assesment this year.  To keep up the healthy progress I have decided to try another round of the juicing to jump start the new year.  I got some good veggies at the store today and found some recipes for tomorrow.  Wish me luck!

I am also determined to stick with the running/walking as it seems to be making a difference.  Interval training has been proven to be awesome for fat burning and improving heart health.  Apparently those Dr.'s know what they're talking about (at least some of the time).

Oh the holidays...

I have been horrible at motivating myself lately. Squeezed in a quick lunch workout to help whittle off the pounds that found me last week. My walk/run partner left early today but even without her I managed 3.13 miles at a 14:30 pace. Go me! Hated every minute of it though. Lol. Never have liked the winter! Come on spring!

BP update

BP was 122/74. Last year same time it was 139/89. Yay me!

Couch to 5k progress

I downloaded a new couch to 5k app in an attempt to get back on track.  I have done a few walk/runs and do notice that it gets easier each time.  The cold stinks though and it is really hard to get motivated to run when the temparature is simply frigid. 

I enlisted the motivation of a co-worker who will be getting me out there to run on a more routine basis.  With the upcoming holiday, next week will be difficult but we have scheduled the time for Monday the 26th.  Having someone to be accountable to definitely makes it impossible to throw in the towel.  She is a fitness nut so I am sure she will ultimately kick my hiney into gear!

I am also looking for some cold gear that will not tear holes in my budget so I can stay warm and cozy.  I got shin splints on the last attempt and I am wondering if the cold may have been the culprit.  I am going to add more stretching and see if that helps. 

Massanutten!

It's so pretty in the mountains!

Hungry Girl

My biggest battle is always FOOD!  I absolutely love to eat...and I eat a lot.  One of the goals over the course of this journey has been to incorporate more "home cooked" meals into my meal plan.  I have never been the type to "diet".

I am currently a Vegetarian (although I do eat fish, dairy and eggs).  I made this decision about 5 1/2 years ago for health reasons.  People typically assume that being a vegetarian of any kind means that you are extremely health conscience and eat very well.  In my book, cookies and candy fit just fine into a vegetarian diet like mine.  I am a junkie and I struggle every day to choose healthy options over Reese's cups.

One of my choices has been juicing.  I have incorporated occasional meals of fruit and vegetable juices.  I have gotten some good recipes off of http://www.jointhereboot.com/ and http://www.all-about-juicing.com/.  I have also downloaded the sparkpeople app for my phone to encourage me to eat healthy meals.  They have some really good recipes on there as well.  I am absolutely loving the roasted squash filled with apples and a smidge of brown sugar.  Yummy.

I have fallen off the juicing wagon in the last few weeks and I want to try to get back on.  I am even thinking of taking the juicer on vacation to keep me from eating everything that is not nailed down.

Walking has also been difficult with the heat wave.  At least this week we are supposed to be back down to some normal temperatures.  Thank goodness!

Stay cool!

Bob Harper’s Skinny Rules—And How You Can Win a Signed Copy of the Book!

Check out the link below and then spread the word - you can win a copy of Bob Harper's book - The Skinny Rules.

http://fitbottomedgirls.com/2012/06/bob-harper-skinny-rules/

Enjoy!

Running diva mom giveaway

Check out the Running Diva Mom blog for an SPIband giveaway. Great way to keep small items safe during your workout.

Click on the link from the blogs I follow. Good luck!

Relay Recap

So the Relay was great.  We had a great team and a bunch of us stayed to support the team through the wee hours of the morning.  My hubby tied for first place in the UPS relay race.  Woo hoo!

He hung with me and racked up over 9 miles for the team.  I put up over 16.  Our total team mileage was 125.  I was determined to make it to 500 laps before the end of the relay. 

We had a great time and supported a great cause.  I can't wait for the next event.

I am very proud of all who showed up and represented our company and kicked it to cancer!

We rock!

Graduation Time

It's that time.  My little boy is moving on to Middle School.  Farewell assembly is tomorrow.  I can't beleive how time has flown.  So my baby is growing up!  Boy I feel old!

I forgot the Garmin!

I have been so insane over my work mess that I nearly forgot that I got a GARMIN!  Ok - so it is a used Garmin but who cares!  It is awesome and I love it!  I got the 405 touch bezel.  So far GPS works great. so much easier then trying to use the apps on my phone.  They are good for a while but can be a pain.  So - I will be replacing my dailymile app - move over old friend!

Does anyone have this watch.  Open to suggestions and cool tricks and ideas!  I love to play with stuff.  Can't wait until I learn it all!

Ouch!

I am a stubborn girl and will push through just about anything.  This week I had knee issues.  I always have knee issues - they come and go but this one is not going.

Monday I went for my walk at lunch (wearing an ace on my knee).  Then off to Jazzercise where I grimaced my way through the routines and popped some ibuprofen to get through.

Tuesday was another brace day!  My knee was still bad and I babied it a bit.  Still walked at lunch.  Hobbled through Jazzercise and got the look because I am normally all over the floor and a loud mouth to boot.  When you go from that to barely bending and tight lipped to keep from crying you get stares.

Wednesday I still had pain.  Tried to leave the brace off for most of the day and was able to walk without it.  Only used it during Jazzercise for the routines that are hard on the legs.  Made it but I hurt.  Got home and my calf and hamstring were soooooo sore.

Today I walked at lunch.  Back in my office the leg starts to feel fevered and sore.  Let me say that I never cop out of a class but I am today.  With the relay coming up I need to make sure I stay injury free.  So - I came home and took another short walk as that seems not to bother the knee.  Hopefully this will feel better.

Writing this blog as I sit here with an ice pack on my poor leg.  Little cold but praying for a pain free tomorrow.  Have I mentioned that I also HATE the doctor???

Week of Worry

This week has been a hard one.  I work for a small department in a large company and Monday I lost a great employee.  Although I wish her well she will be missed a lot!  I am attempting to fill in for her while we work to fill the position but it is hard to keep up with my own work, the open position and still try to make time for myself and the family.

I know this will pass but it does get to you and you feel like you are spinning your wheels and not accomplishing anything.  Monday and Wednesday I worked from home until about midnight to get some of the mundane things completed and out of the way.  Still tons to do but at least I felt like I made  a little progress.

Please send luck my way that I find someone to fill the void and that she is as wonderful as the person we lost.

Still doing my best to stay positive.  Eventually it will all get done!

Relay for Life

So my office is sponsoring a Relay for Life team and my husband and I have signed up.

This will be our first walk both as individuals and as a team.  I am so syched and so happy to have him there with me.

It will definitely be a challenge.  I am already trying to guess what my limit will be...I mean my brain is calculating how many times I will have to take a break during the 12 hours...to pee...to eat...to rest.  If I walk the relay just how many miles can I complete?  Will I jog just a little to up those numbers?

My goal will be to push myself to the max and see what I can do.  Hopefully I will be pleasantly surprised and it will be the boost I need to do more.  I am definitely competitive so if I make this a challenge of sorts I know I will push myself to do what needs to be done.  I can't wait to see what I am really capable of and I know I will have people around me that will cheer me on and support me!

Click on my badge to see my team and track our progress or donate and support a great cause.  We would love for you to cheer us on for our first relay!

To run...or not to run

I have been a little lazy with adding the jogs intervals in my lunchtime walk...

I think a part of the problem is that I am just too scared to pick up the pace again. 

To take you back, I started the daily work walks in January and was pushing to walk at a good pace.  I quickly found that by increasing my stride I developed some really painful shin splints and was pretty much out of commission with cramps so bad I was not able to finish what is now a pretty easy 3 mile walk.

I have been working on modifying my stride, bought new shoes to add some extra cushion and took it easy to allow myself to heal.  I do not like to take it easy!

I am now back to walking at a brisk pace and started to add a few minutes of jogging to the routine.  In less than a minute my knees start to ache and I pull back to walk a bit more.  It seems like each time I try the fear of my body failing me holds me back.

I have been reading several blogs lately and the success stories are inspiring.  I know they all say just suck it up and do it and you will be amazed with the results.  How do you get past this???

I desperately want to see if I can really be a "runner".  I mean more then the sprints that I used to pull off in high school.  I want it all.  Yeah - no paience here!  Then I think what happens if I blow out me knee or pull my back again.  Then I would be out of commission for god knows how long...

Help!

Thankful

I hope to add to this list frequently and review it often to remind me of how lucky I truly am.

These are the things I am thankful for...

• my children are happy and healthy - and too smart for their own good
• my husband loves me unconditionally (and I am not the easiest person to get along with)
• I have loving parents who give me more than I deserve or could ever ask for
• my Zia celebrated her 100th birthday in March and is still happily ironing away
• I have a job
• when I make a birthday list there is really nothing that I "need".
• I am healthy
• I live with my family - there is always help if and when you need it
• I have the cutest little niece in the world
• my sister and I have grown closer
• I always have clothes to wear and food to eat
• I have people I call true friends that would drop anything for me in a second if I needed them.

Reflection

A few friends have suffered the loss of someone very near and dear to them over the past week.  It really makes you think about your life and what is important.  I also read an article today in Self by Jillian Michaels about the upcoming adoption of a 2 year old baby girl from Haiti.  The article focused a lot on balancing your life to make sure you still achieve "me" time without leaving out your family.

Lately I have tried to fit in all I can without sacrificing the time I spend with my family and fiends.  I can definitely say that at times it is hard and there has been some crazy juggling needed to get it all done.  My husband is extremely supportive and I could not do this without his help.

I have seen a drastic improvement in my mood, my fitness and my outlook and I owe a huge thanks to those who support my decisions and make my "me" time possible.

I have also seen several friends struggle with fitting in time for fitness while battling their illness to try to improve their health.  They have been such an inspiration to me and I have adopted the philosophy that if they can push through it then so can I!

I think I have pulled out of the work funk and am on my way to a better mood because I am grateful for so much in my life!

Birthday purchases

At a certain point purchases become kind of borderline nutty.  I felt the need to document my birthday gift list (as it related to my recent fitness obsession) - just in case I needed to laugh at myself at a later date...

Green Tea capri's - 2 more pair (I love these pants!  Super soft and reasonably priced!)
Green Tea skorts - 2 pair (Have I told you I love their stuff! LOL)
Asics gel Kayano 18 - pink (had to get the pink for my b'day since I already own the blue)
Brooks pure connect - had to try these - light weight, well vented...we will see how they hold up!
Socks  12 pair
Sports bras - 5 (old navy had a sale...)
Body fat analyzer
Life is good shirt (for motivation)
Free weights

I did get a few things that were non fitness related but in looking back this was a little over the top.  But at least my new gear is comfy!

Work Funk...

Have been in a work funk over the past week and have been using my aerobics class and walks during lunch to pull me out of the duldrums.  Same old crap - busy, stressed, etc. - at least I have an outlet to make me feel better.  I can remember back on the day when I used to feel soooo much better after my trip to the gym.  You never really realize how good it makes you feel until it is gone.  Now that I am back in my workout regime I can really see a difference in my mood after a workout.

I know I need to suck it up and put my big girl panties on but it has just been so hard to do.  Have to get back on track and start to enjoy the days again!  Must find that one thing each day to make me smile!!

My current plan

I have a plan for the week that I stick to with the exception of impending school projects, client meetings, special work deadlines, etc.

I can honestly say that interruptions to my plan are few and far between but they do happen.  I do my best to re-arrange to make time for it all and I think I do fairly well.

Here is the current schedule:

Monday and Wednesday:
2-3 mile walk during lunch (add short jogs to increase cardio)
Aerobics (1 hour)

Tuesday:
2-3 mile walk during lunch (add short jogs to increase cardio)
Aerobics (45 minutes - short class to take daughter to dance/gymnastics)

Thursday:
2-3 mile walk during lunch (add short jogs to increase cardio)
Aerobics (1 hour)
Elliptical (1 hour while husband is playing basketball)

Friday:
2-3 mile walk during lunch (add short jogs to up cardio)

Saturday/Sunday:
Time spent with kids - possible bike rides on the trail or in the neighborhood depending on the weather.  Clean house and do laundry.  REST!

**I add time on the elliptical as I am able to each of the days above.**

A little about me...

As I approach my 36th birthday it becomes more clear how much harder it gets to get fit and stay fit as our bodies get older.

I consider myself an average person.  I work, have 3 children, tote kids to sports practices and dance lessons and generally struggle to fit time for my own wellness into the mix.

In November my employer changed their health plan.  The new plan requires that employees and spouses earn credits that go towards paying their deductible.  For all of you that have 3 kids...you can imagine I was all about earning the money!!!  This was the kick start I needed to get to where I am today...

Let me go back and explain my fitness journey so far...

In high school I was a sprinter on the track team and co-captain of our volleyball team.  I considered myself in decent shape.  Not skinny by any stretch but healthy and a reasonable weight for my 5'1" body.

I got married at 22 and baby #1 followed 2 years later.  I gained 13 pounds while I was pregnant and I took my aerobics class all through my pregnancy and up until a week prior to delivery.  I also walked 4 blocks to and from work each day which helped a bit.  After he was born I tried a new form of birth control which added a whopping 40 pounds to me in 3 short months.  Once the fat was there...it stuck fast and would not budge.  I topped the scales at 181 lbs.  My knees hurt, my back ached and I hated the way I looked.  Not a fun time for me!  I had no time or money to put towards my own fitness and as any new mom will tell you - you do for the baby before you do for yourself.

Eventually...I go back to aerobics to try to find myself again.  Still overweight (although getting better!) I get pregnant with baby #2 at the age of 27.  Only gained 9 pounds during my pregnancy and worked out as long as possible.  My second pregnancy came with a myriad of problems.  I was taken out of my workout regime and put on bed-rest about 2 months before I was due to deliver.  I ended up in the hospital about a week later and they said I was not allowed to return home.  About 3 days after that I was told that the baby was starving, my body was not giving him what he needed and I needed to deliver him as soon as possible.  The baby was diagnosed with IUGR...I was diagnosed with pre-eclampsia.  I found myself being rushed back for an emergency C-Section and delivered a "peanut" (6 weeks premature).  He came home from the hospital at 3 pounds 1 week after being born.  Then I turned into super-mom...must breast feed-good for preemies, must wake baby every 3 hours, must pump extra all the time in case I need to leave him with a sitter...basically became a woman on a mission to make sure he stayed well.

Let me tell you how wonderful breast feeding is for weight control.  My weight was getting back under control and life was good...until he turned one and started eating food...back to the gym.  This time not only did I join a gym but I got a part time job!  How wonderful is that for weight management and fitness!  I became the psycho workout girl!  I got up every morning and walked 2 miles at 5:30 am.  Showered and went to work.  Walked another 2-3 miles during my lunch hour every day.  Coupled that with some situps and pushups before returning to my deskjob.  Worked out at the gym at least 3 days a week and the days that were not scheduled as my work-out days...I worked at the gym training others on equipment.  Boy did the inches fall off like you would not beleive!  I was not light...I was 140 lbs. but I was a size 2.  I was happy and I was fit (although a little crazy when you said I had to miss a walk or a workout...).

Then came baby #3 at the age of 30.  I actually continued my nutty routine until a month before my baby girl was born.  I had gained 30 pounds and wanted to make sure I had no problem getting the weight back off!  I can honestly say that when I delivered her I weighed a pound less the day after she was born then I did when I got pregnant.  Mission accomplished!

Over the past 5 years I have gained 20 pounds and gotten into lazy mode.  The new health program through my employer was a perfect excuse to get back into the swing of things.  In November we all received our health assesment reports (mine was very ugly).  I also found out that my cholesterol is a little high so they recommended increasing my activity.  We began implementing these "employer verified" activities to earn our credits so I have been walking at lunch ever since to try to get back in shape.  A couple months ago we added an aerobics program as well which I am loving as it gives me the opportunity to incorporate the strength training back into my schedule and it is on-site so there is no excuse not to go.

In this blog I will delve into the good the bad and the ugly as it relates to my plan, progress and goals.

Hopefully I will have good news to report on the weight and the workout progress!