Monday, November 7, 2011

Monday Morning Motivation

My motivation for this week: Diabetes.

November is Diabetes Awareness Month. I know that after having Gestational Diabetes, plus a family history of the disease, I am at a higher risk of ending up with it. A healthy lifestyle is a major factor in preventing Diabetes. Getting my exercise and eating right will not only keep me in shape and feeling good, it will also help avoid Diabetes.

Living a healthy lifestyle will help to prevent a host of diseases and conditions, like Diabetes, Heart Disease, cancers and more.

This is what will help keep me on track this week. What will your motivation be?

Sunday, November 6, 2011

New Shoes!

Hi friends!
I have been a little bit of a slacker this past week in the exercise area. I was at the beach the last week in October, and I did SO GOOD exercising on vacay. However, while I was there I figured out that my shoes were REALLY.WORN.OUT. So, I had to take a break until I could get some new running shoes. I got shin splints and my ankle hurt, so I had to recover from that as well. I feel better now, and my new shoes are awesome, so I'm pretty pumped to get back at it.

I went to Charlotte Running Company over in the Ballantyne area of Charlotte. I had heard great things about them, and I knew that they offered gait analysis to find the best possible shoe for me. It was a little hard to find (for me anyway, lol), but I called and they so graciously advised me of where to find them, and even offered to come out in the parking lot to help...haha! (I'm only a little bad with directions...) Once I finally made it into the store I was good.

I had been using Nike Lunar Glides that I was really happy with, but I had also been told about some more serious running shoes made by Mizuno and Brooks. I did the gait analysis and found that I had a pretty big overpronation on the left side, and a little bit on the right. So I needed some stabilizing shoes. I ended up with a pair of Mizuno Wave Inspire in a size 7 that felt GREATGREATGREAT on my feet. It felt like it completely contoured to my foot and was super lightweight. And they're pretty :-P Which everybody knows is REALLY important.....Lol!

I haven't done a good run in them yet, so I'll have to let you know later how that goes.

What kind of shoes do you run in?

**Just thought I'd clarify that I was not asked or paid for this post**

Monday, October 17, 2011

Monday Morning Motivation

Happy Monday!! (maybe?)

I don't know about you, but I need some motivation for this Monday!

My motivation for this week will be thinking forward to the holidays.


The holidays are just around the corner (where did the time go????) and just thinking of all that food that'll be in front of me makes me feel bloated. So, my motivation this week is to make sure that I'm living a fit and healthy lifestyle so that I don't want to do too much damage to all of my hard work. If I'm in the habit and loving being healthy, then I won't want as much of that calorie and fat filled food that isn't good for me and I don't need anyway....and what I do end up eating won't be too bad since I've been healthy, and plan on going back to healthy right after.

I love the holidays, and I want to enjoy them, not sit around in a food coma! This makes me want to prepare and make sure I'm ready to take on the temptation. And setting yourself up for success is always easier than trying to come back from the abyss later!

How does this Monday Morning Motivation make you motivated? It makes me want to eat really healthy today!

Have a fantastic Monday, and stay fit!!!

Saturday, October 15, 2011

Booo-bie Check

In the spirit of living a healthy life....don't forget:

(source)

I hope that my friend doesn't mind that I stole her post idea, but in the interest of women everywhere I don't think she'll mind.

Stay fit!

Sunday, October 9, 2011

The "F" Word


There is one word that I hate more than anything....that dreaded "F" word:

FAT.

No other word has the power to make someone feel just awful about themselves that this does. It brings out powerful feelings that can completely destroy self-esteem. It can ruin a day. It can be said by anyone, about yourself or about others. It is most hurtful coming from someone you love. When it gets said over and over, eventually it becomes a part of who you are and changes how you feel about yourself forever.

How can this be changed?

You must tell yourself otherwise! You must say I AM BEAUTIFUL! When that word creeps in, you must say NO! The way I deal with this word is to tell myself, "Okay, so maybe I am not happy with myself as I am, so let me CHANGE that!"

Here is how to deal with this word:
F: Feelings
A: Attitude
T: Take Action

Feelings
Regardless of what you might think, you can change your feelings. It is not easy, by any means. But you must change how you feel about yourself, and how you see yourself, in order to make a difference. If you think negatively about yourself, it will show. You must think positively about yourself to change how you feel. You need to tell yourself that you are amazing and that you deserve to feel good about yourself, no matter what. If others are breaking you down, you must block out that message and reinforce a positive message about yourself. Any changes you make must be for YOU, and not for anyone else. If not, the changes won't last and will end up doing more harm than good. So, FEEL GREAT!

Attitude
Changing your feelings will be a big step in changing your attitude. Having a positive and can-do attitude will go a long way. My attitude has to be: I CAN do something to change this, and I WILL! I set myself up for success. I get mentally prepared all day for going home and being psyched about working out. I get my attitude right so that I can be motivated and do what I need to do. I don't allow myself to make excuses or let anything get in the way of what I know I need to do. I'm doing it for myself, so I don't let myself mess that up.

Take Action
Once you feel better and have the right attitude, DO IT! Get out there and make those positive changes in your life. For me, that's to get out and run. For you, that may be different. I want to lose weight and be healthy, so I'm going to be exercising and striving to eat right. What action are you going to take?

In order to create a better life for ourselves, we have to take a negative, the "F" word -- FAT, and make it a positive force in our lives, by changing our Feelings and Attitudes, and Taking Action.

How do you create that change in your life?

Until next time, Stay Fit!

Saturday, October 8, 2011

Back to the Fitness

Friends, I think I am finally getting my act together. Most of the time, we get some good sleep now (except when Baby is teething.....), so I have a little bit of energy left to exercise!! We have been making good use of our jogging stroller, and it certainly does amp up the intensity of a run!

So here's what I've been up to on the fitness front:

I've been out for a run 6 times in the last 2 weeks, the longest distance being 2.68 miles and the best time being 12:32/mile.
I've been on the elliptical 3 times, and burned an average of 300 calories each time.

I haven't been doing any weights or anything yet, but I'm getting there. I want to get back in the swing of things with cardio first.

I have been doing a lot better with my eating lately too. I have seriously cut down on the snacking, and have really gotten control of portions during meals. I have been eating healthier, which also helps me feel better and have more energy.

So, that's a (really) short summary of what's been going on with me lately. I promise that this blog will be back to it's regularly scheduled content now :-) Plus, I'm going to the beach in 2 weeks!!! Yay.....but I'd like to be a little more fit before I go :-P

How have you been doing lately? Are you working toward your fitness goals?

Thursday, August 4, 2011

Quick Update

Just wanted to post quickly about my absence the last few days.

I know that I said I was starting to exercise and eat well, but I got knocked off course by some sort of illness. I have no idea what it is, but it is TERRIBLE! On Sunday night and Monday night, Little Man was up EVERY. HOUR. It was brutal. And he really hasn't been sleeping very well lately anyway, so that was just icing on the cake. To top it all off, I've been trying to quit caffeine, which I started on Tuesday.

About midday Tuesday I started with this horrible headache. I figured it was just the lack of caffeine. By Tuesday evening, it felt like someone was stabbing me violently. Then Tuesday night, Little Man slept a little better, he was only up at 1:30 and 5:30. So on Wednesday, I went to work, but I felt like you do when you have the flu- body aches and a massive headache (no fever or head crud though, so not the flu). I took an 800 mg Motrin (the strongest pain killer I can take while still nursing my son) on th way in. It helped a bit, but by the middle of the day, the headache was back, and worse than ever, and the body aches were back, and I started to get the chills. The Motrin can only be taken every 8 hours, so it was nowhere near time to take it again. I finally just told my boss I had to go, and came right home. I picked up Little Man, and called my mom on the way home, and she came over so I could get some sleep. I slept for about 2 1/2 hours, until the hubby came home, then ate dinner, took another Motrin and went back to bed. Then, Little Man slept ALL NIGHT! THANK GOD!! I got a full night's sleep, for once! It definitely helped, but I still didn't feel 100%. So I got up this morning, took another Motrin and went to work. I still had the headache, but the body aches were much less, mostly just a neck ache left, and the chills were less but still there. I was good once I got to work except for the occassional stabbing in my head. Once the Motrin wore off again, the symptoms came back, but another pill (taken a little early so I could get through the rest of the work day) made them go away. I got home and have taken another one, and I'm going to bed. Hopefully Little Man will sleep all night again (fingers crossed!!) and I can feel a little better tomorrow, and maybe need less Motrin.

I have no idea what I have (or if I have anything other than sleep deprivation and caffeine deprivation), but it sucks. I will get back on track once I feel better, I promise!

Tuesday, August 2, 2011

Exercise Day 1

Happy Tuesday, Friends! How did your Motivation technique work yesterday? Mine worked pretty well; it made me get off my butt in the afternoon and get some exercise in! Me and Little Man went out for some fresh air and movement. Here's the workout we (me + Little Man in the jogging stroller):

.04 miles walking
.75 miles running
.25 miles walking
.25 miles running
.05 miles walking
.10 miles running

Total: 1.40 miles.

The workout got cut short because Little Man decided he was done with this exercising thing, and wanted to go home. I figured we had better head indoors before people thought bad things.....seriously, he was screaming bloody murder. Lol!

It was wonderful to actually get outside again. Yesterday was the first day in weeks that it has been under 95 degrees and not raining! It was pretty humid, but that's standard for summer in the Carolina's. All in all, definitely a great day to start getting back in shape. Now I'll just have to keep it up by getting in some sort of movement today! Let's see how I do :-)

Did you get any exercise in yesterday or today? Any little bit counts!!

Monday, August 1, 2011

Monday Morning Motivation

(source)
Look in the mirror -- yes, the full length one. Are you happy with what you see?

If you answered yes, then GO YOU!! Have a fantabulous Monday, and I'll see you next post :-)

If you answered no, however, then this Monday Morning Motivation is for you! I answered no this morning as well.

What do you not like about your reflection this morning? Envision the way you want that reflection to look, and keep that image in your head today as you make choices.

Are you going to make healthy choices for lunch? -- Remember that image.
Are you going to exercise today? -- Remember that image.
Are you going to push yourself, or just be lax? -- Remember that image.

Remembering that "desired" image will motivate you to make good choices today.

Tell me how your reflection helped to motivate you today!

Happy Monday!! :-)

Thursday, July 28, 2011

Confession Time

Hi my friends and readers! I have taken a few weeks off from blogging, and I thank you for sticking around to see what else I have to say :-) So, to kick off my return, it’s time for some confessions.

#1: I have been a bad blogger.

Lately, I have had trouble finding the time and motivation to blog. (Probably has something to do with that new-mom-sleep-deprivation thing.) Also, probably has to do with some of the following shameful confessions. I promise to do better, and that some great and more frequent posts are in the works.

#2: I have not exercised in several weeks now.

NO EXERCISE

(source)

In the past couple of weeks, I went from steady to sporadic to nothing in the exercise department. I have been too tired, it’s been too hot, it’s been raining a lot of nights, and other times I’ve just been plain ol’ lazy! All of these excuses are lame (especially the hot and rain ones cause I have an elliptical I could be using but I’m not), but there they are. I am going to make myself be more active in the coming days, and once I at least get moving a little, I’ll be working on an exercise plan and schedule. More on that to come.

#3: I have been eating REALLY BADLY.

bad diet (source)

I think my healthy eating habits grew wings and flew away. :-P But seriously, I have basically just been eating whatever and whenever, and that has got to stop. I have decided to try and eat the types of things I was eating while I had gestational diabetes again, because I ate really healthy then. I will probably end up incorporating those habits with my pre-preggo eating habits that included counting calories and keeping a balance of proteins, carbs and healthy fats (found in Body for Life). Basically, I want to find a way to use all of my knowledge to create a really great eating plan. Yes, that totally sounds complicated, but I promise I won’t post anything that is too complicated to follow. :-) I also will be keeping a food journal, because that is a really important part of successfully starting a new eating plan. I really just want to be able to be successful at eating well. I’ll let you know more as I come up with something good.

#4: I have gained back 10 pounds :-(

weight gain (source)

UGH! This puts me back to 140 lbs. I feel terrible like this. I’m only 5’3”, and I carry a lot of my weight in my belly, which is really unhealthy. According to an online BMI calculator, my BMI is 24.8, and according to my scale (which measures body fat %), my body fat percentage is 31.5%. Normal BMI is 18.5-24.9, overweight is 25 and up. Normal body fat percentage is 25-31, overweight is 32 and up. Both of these measures put me right on the edge of overweight. UGH! This makes me feel even worse!! About a year and a half ago, I was at my all-time low of 118 lbs, so I’m now 22 lbs heavier than that. My goal now is to lose at least 20 lbs.

 

I write these confessions because that’s what this blog is all about- honesty, accountability, openness, sharing and relating. I want to honestly share my journey, efforts, failures and successes so that in the process I can help a few of you as well. I encourage you to be open as well, and share what you’re struggling with so we can all work through it together! And there will always be unconditional acceptance and support around here, so don’t be embarrassed! Let’s all share below!

Sunday, July 3, 2011

Great Resources

I get the information that I blog about from many different sources, however there are several great resouces that I find myself coming back to over and over. They contain useful, accessible information that is reliable and easy to understand. Some are websites, and some are my bloggy friends. Here's a list of some of my favorite fitness and health related resources:

- WebMD: This is my go-to when I have anything I need to look up about my health, my body, or medications. I used this website religiously when I was pregnant because my doctor banned me from googling things, lol :-P. Seriously though, this is invaluable when I need credible information regarding topics I might ask a doctor about. It can be a bit "science"-ish, but not too difficult to read, and I know I can find just about anything I want to know about.

-Hungry Girl: Lisa Lillien is the Hungry Girl. I look to her to find awesome recipe substitutes, food tips, and healthy eating topics galore. I get her daily emails, which are super fun. She is peppy and exciting, and she makes eating healthy so simple!

-Real Age: Dr.'s Roizen and Oz are the creators of this website. It offers a HUGE selection of fairly short articles on almost anything you can think of health and fitness related. They throw out lots of big science words, but they break them down and explain what they mean in terms that acutally mean something to the common person like me. They lay things out in a way that I can take what they say and be able to apply it to my lifestyle. They offer lots of great tips about fitness, especially for the novice exerciser.

-Active: I found this site originally when I was looking for a 5K to sign up for. They have TONS of local and nationwide races to find and sign up for, not to mention a ton of articles on everything fitness. I am a fan on Facebook, and I also have their app on my iPhone, so that I can read articles on the go! I find their articles on running very useful, and they are one of the first places I go to look up something regarding running topics.

-FitSugar: This website offers all kinds of short fitness articles, with some healthy eating and Hollywoood thrown in too. Lots of fun stuff and great information.

Now for my favorite bloggy friends!

-She's A Fit Chick: I love this blog! She has tons of great infomation on staying fit, exercising and eating healthy. She's awesome! :-) Also, I wrote a guest post for her a few weeks ago! Go check her out!

-Runner-n-Spice: This blogger writes about running, healthy eats, and life. I love reading her posts, and I think you will too!

- Getting the Skinny on Getting Skinny: This is my newest fitness blog friend. She is also in the Navy! She writes about fitness and exercise, and her journey to put her tips to use in her real life. Definitely give her a read!


Well, that is a short list of some of my favorite reads and resources for my blog. What resources do you find most useful?

Saturday, June 18, 2011

Absence

Hi everyone! Sorry I have been a little absent lately, but I'm doing a really intense summer class right now that is kicking my butt. But guess what?! Only ELEVEN MORE DAYS until I'm DONE FOREVER with my undergrad classes!!! Yay :-D
I promise I'll be back with lots of great stuff after June 29th! (And I hope to find a little time before then to post too!)

Until then....Stay fit!

Monday, June 13, 2011

Guest Post!

Happy Monday! I hope no one else is as tired as me this morning, lol...

This weekend I got the opportunity to do my first ever guest posting! Go see my post over at She's a Fit Chick. I wrote about my (mis)adventure with using a jogging stroller for the first time :-)

Enjoy, and stay fit!

Thursday, June 2, 2011

7 Ways to Make Your Weekend Healthier

Yay - It's almost the weekend!! I know I'm looking forward to a couple days of R&R, and I'm sure you are as well! As much as I want to rest and relax, I also want my weekend to be healthy and fit, and not ruin all the good things I accomplished during the week. So I've come up with a "Top 7" list of ways to enjoy my weekend and be healthy at the same time :-)

1. Go for a long walk with the hubby, baby, and maybe even the dogs. This is a great way to have some family time and get a little exercise in at the same time. I may have to drag the hubby along, but the baby and dogs love going for walks, so it'll be a treat for them.
2. Clean the house. Cleaning burns serious calories, people! I only wish it made cleaning more enjoyable....lol!
3. Go out to eat and have a delicious and healthy meal. I'm thinking something like salmon (yummy and good-for-you) and a sweet potato (okay I may have a little butter and cinnamon on it....the cinnamon is good-for-you ;-) )  or steamed veggies or something like that.
4. Avoid being a couch potato. I have a bad habit of plopping myself on the couch all weekend. :-/ Cleaning the house and going for a walk will help with this, but I will still need to keep my butt off that couch. I can probably help my hubby with one of his many projects, play in the floor with the baby, or take the baby outside to play.
5. Play with the dogs. I'm sure they would appreciate the attention....they probably feel a little neglected lately, since the baby arrived...plus, it keeps me moving.
6. Hang out with friends and family. Studies have shown that social connections make people happy. When I'm happy, I find it easier to be healthy. I also find that I try harder to be healthy and fit, and that I want to instead of forcing myself to do it.
7. Relax. Making sure to relax and recover from the week is key to being healthy. High stress levels make it more difficult to lose weight and be healthy. Also, good decision making is hard when you're super stressed. Your metabolism is also negatively affected by stress. So sleeping and relaxing is very important in having a healthy and fit weekend. I may take in a movie or an episode or two of NCIS (my fave!)...or maybe just play on facebook/twitter/blogger :-) Oh, and I will most certainly be sleeping in!!

What do you think of my list? What ways do you use? Let me know in the comments below!

Have a great weekend, and stay fit!

Friday, May 20, 2011

Feature Friday

Today is the first of a new series of posts I'll be doing! They are called Feature Friday and they are posts where I feature something I love. In them, I'll tell you about the "something", which could be any type of product or other thing, where/when I got it, how it works for me, and why it's a favorite of mine. Hopefully my features will also become your favorites!


For my first feature, I want to tell you about my favorite running shoes.



This is the Nike LunarGlide + shoe. LOVELOVELOVE! And yes, they are this color, maybe even a little bit brighter. ANOTHER REASON TO LOVE! I absolutely love the color of these shoes (if you couldn't already tell that). They also had other bright and great colors, but I just love the bright blue and lime green. These shoes are totally me! I got these shoes as a gift, so I can't tell you exactly where they came from, but I had been looking at them for quite a while.

I love them for several reasons. I have flat feet, so I fall in the "underpronator" category, and these shoes are perfect for helping with this issue. My arches always feel supported. Since I have been using them, my feet never feel sore from pressure. When I start having problems from my underpronation, my knees and hips hurt too from lack of sufficient support. These shoes have great support and reduce that pain as well.

I also tend to get shin splints when I run often, and these shoes greatly reduce the frequency and severity when I do get them. Shin splints are awful, and anything that helps with them is great. When they get really bad, I can hardly walk. And these shoes are an important part of my attempts to avoid shin splints.

The LunarGlide +'s alre also great quality shoes. I have had them for about a year and a half, and they still feel and work just as great as the day I got them. Also, they have great shoelaces. Weird shoelaces get on my nerves (yes, I have weird pet peeves, lol). These shoelaces are not too long, so they don't drag on the ground and trip me (I'm clumsy enough without any extra help :-P). They're also not too short to make them hard to tie. They are just the right length!

So, long story short - these shoes are AWESOME! I would definitely recommend them. I believe that they now sell LunarGlide + 2's that are even better than these. I looked on the Nike website, and the 2's are $100, which is a pretty good price for Nike running shoes! If I didn't love the ones I have so much, I would totally get a pair of the 2's.

Hope you've enjoyed my first Feature! Happy Friday!! :-)

Saturday, May 14, 2011

5K = Conquered!

Goal # 8 is finally accomplished! (even if it is a little lot late :-P ) I ran in my first ever 5K yesterday!

I ran with my sister-in-law and our 5 year old neice. Yes, a 5 year old! My main goal (besides finishing) was to just keep up with the 5 year old :-) Since my training didn't really go so well (aka- didn't really happen, haha), the 3.2 miles of this run was the farthest I had run since my early preggo days last July. So, I was expecting it to be super difficult and all I wanted to do was make sure I could keep up with the kid!

We started off strong, and got at least a mile behind us before we had to slow down the pace a little. The neice started getting tired at this point. We were able to keep her (and ourselves) motivated for a little bit longer before we had to stop and walk for a minute. From then on, she stopped and walked a few minutes here and there while my SIL and myself ran slowly beside her. We really wanted to be able to run the whole way, even if it was really slowly. I gave up and walked a time or two with my neice though :-)

Around the halfway point, a group of police cadets passed by us, and they really concerned the 5 year old! Lol!! They were chanting (or whatever you call it that they do), which kind of freaked her out, and they were catching up to us, and then passed us. She didn't like it that they were beating us, haha!! Competitive little chick :-) She wanted them to slow down so we (she) could "win"! But they didn't....so we kept pushing on.

When we had about 3/4 of a mile to go, she started really lagging, and I'll have to say I was getting pretty tired myself! We had to try and keep her motivated, and thankfully a lot of that last little bit was downhill.

Then, we FINALLY came in sight of the finish line! We almost sprinted towards it, and crossed it at an "official" time of 42 minutes and 4 seconds! Not bad for my first ever, and definitely not bad for the 5 year old girl! That averaged out to a 13 mintute 33 second mile! I'm happy with that for sure.

I was pretty beat when I got done, and my knees and hips HURT! I told myself I would feel accomplished once I recovered :-P I was proud, but I was so tired I pretty much didn't care.

I was expecting to be really sore today, but I feel pretty good! My knees have ached a little bit, but other than that I feel fine. I am so glad that I finished it, and it feels good to accomplish a great goal!! I hope I can do another one, but I may wait a month or two, haha!

Oh, and just in case anyone was wondering, the winner had a time of 15 minutes 19 seconds (TOTAL!), which was a 5 minute 3 second mile. WHOA! I have never run that good of a mile, even when I ran all the time. I would like to get that good, but I know that'll take a while. For now though, I'm good :-)

Lastly, a group photo of our "team":

My neice is in bright pink on the front row, my SIL in pink right behind her, and I'm behind my SIL in blue (yep, I was not matching...didn't get my shirt in time, oh well! Lol)

Have a fantastic weekend!

Wednesday, May 11, 2011

Injury?

Okay, so I'm gonna have to make a small confession here...it has been over a week since my last run. .....ummmmmm, oops?.....

I finally got back out on the road Tuesday (yesterday), and my last run was the Sunday a week ago. And let's just say it was not pretty.

Immediately upon starting, both my knees and hips were hurting. I have no idea why! My hips have hurt on previous post-pregnancy runs, but not until after a run. And my knees have not hurt at all until now. I dunno what's going on! I figured that maybe I was just tight and everything would loosen up if I just kept going. I. was. wrong. (mostly). My hips did get a little less painful - until I slowed down to a walk. Then they hurt worse. My knees, however, had no such luck. They hurt continuously throughout the run and subsequent walking.

I did at least get about 1.5 miles of running in, and about .15 of walking.

This is just really not good considering my first 5K is in oh, let's see....THREE DAYS!  AH!! Yikesyikesyikesyikesyikes!

What a perfect time to get a freaking injury! And I have no idea how to deal with it. It's not good to just push through it, but I can't really do too much resting either, seeing as how the big event is in only 3 days. And I can't take a bunch of pain meds because of the whole (***Possible TMI Alert***) breastfeeding thing. I also don't want to make it worse, either, by pushing through the pain.

How do you deal with a sports- or exercise-related injury?

Monday, May 2, 2011

Training Progress

My first 5K is now 12 days away! I have been trying to run as often as possible in order to be ready, but as I said in my last post, it is hard to find enough time. Today though, I got in a really good run. I was so proud of myself! I ran for a total of 2.15 miles and walked for a total of .83 miles for a grand total of 2.98 miles! I alternated a lot in order to make it the whole way, but hopefully I can increase my running mileage so that I can be ready to run 3.2 miles all at once in the race.

Here are the stats from the times I have run:
4/24: 1.91 miles total in 25:08, a 13:09 min/mile. I estimate 1.3 mi running and .61 mi walking
4/28: 1.89 miles total in 27:17, a 14:25 min/mile. I estimate 1.5 mi running and .49 mi walking
4/29: 1.16 miles total in 14:19, a 12:20 min/mile. I estimate .7 running and .46 walking
5/1: 2.98 miles total in 36:53, a 12:23 min/mile. 2.15 mi running and .83 mi walking

On the days between, I have tried to at least get a walk in. I usually end up walking with Andrew because he won't let me have enough time to get on the elliptical or I don't have someone to watch him for me. And that's okay too -- walking helps almost as much as running. At least it's movement, which is the main goal! :-)

I say estimate on the first 3 days because I wasn't counting exactly, but today I was because I wanted to know exactly how much I could run. In case anyone is wondering, here are my intervals:
0-.25 walking (.25 mile)
.25-1.25 running (1 mile)
1.25-1.50 walking (.25 mile)
1.50-2.00 running (.50 mile)
2.00-2.10 walking (.10 mile)
2.10-2.65 running (.55 mile)
2.65-2.85 walking (.20 mile)
2.85-2.95 running (.10 mile)
2.95-2.98 walking (.03 mile)
Total 2.98 miles, with 2.15 running and .83 walking

The intervals were not in any way planned, I just ran until I felt like I needed a break, and walked until I felt strong enough to run again. I am going to try and keep up with my runs like this in the future, because I always like to know exact counts on how much I do of everything.

More training will come this week, but it may be a little bit difficult to fit it in....I start back full-time to work this week. :-/ This is a mixed blessing. I have been back part-time for a few weeks now, but this week starts full-time. So, I will keep updating on how the training is going as I can get to it!!

Sunday, May 1, 2011

Where do I find the time??

It is way crazy-super-difficult to find the time to get some exercise with a baby in the house. So far, the only times I have been able to exercise is when someone keeps the baby for me. I obviously can't leave him at the house by himself when I go run, and I don't have a jogging stroller yet so I can't take him with me easily. I have tried just using my elliptical at the house, but I can't lay him down long enough to be able to use it. The only time I can use it is in the afternoon, which is his fussy time. So exercising requires that I either take him to my mother-in-law's house or I get my mom to stay at my house with him when she is there. Either way, I am taking up someone else's time. But I have to do it, seeing as how I have my first 5K coming up soon!! I am really excited for it, and I hope that I can be ready for it because I really don't want to have to give up and walk part of it. It's just hard to find the time....

Case in point - I am writing this post at 4 am. Lol! It's the only time I have to myself when he is sleeping, not fussing, or not needing my attention. Of course, this probably significantly decreases the quality of my posts considering the sleep deprivation and lack of coherent thoughts at this time of day :-) Not that I would trade it for the world!

If you're a mom, or even just busy, how do you find the time to exercise?

Friday, April 29, 2011

I have a goal!

I needed motivation to get my butt back in motion so....(insert drumroll here)....I signed up for my first 5K!! With 3 weeks to get ready!!! (Yes, you can tell me that I've gone crazy, but I already know.) I'll be running in the 2011 Twilight 5K on May 13th. This was my goal #8 that got thrown off track by my getting preggers, so now it's time to get it done! :-)

I ran for the first time again this past Sunday. I went for a total of 2 miles, about 1.3 of that was running and .7 was walking. I'm pretty happy with that, seeing as how it had been NINE MONTHS since the last time I ran! I was SO SORE afterwards though!! Lol! Then due to my schedule and the weather, I wasn't able to do another run until today, 4 days later. I did another 2 miles, but I think that I did closer to 1.5 miles running. That's progress! Hopefully this weekend I can get up to 2 miles running. We will see. I should have kept moving using my elliptical on the days I couldn't run, but it's a little difficult to find the time or energy! That's getting a little better each week though, as the baby starts to sleep a little better every week.

It really does feel great to get back out on the road. Running was one of the things I really missed doing. I love the feeling I have after running, and it clears my head when I'm stressed. I love the burn I feel while doing it. I love just turning up the music and thinking about nothing but my feet hitting the pavement. I also love to run with a partner! My sister-in-law is running this first race with me, and I love having her there to help me and to push me when I would quit if I was on my own. Running with someone gives us both the opportunity to push each other and to make each other better.

As I continue working towards this goal, I will keep updating how the "training" is going and then how my first race goes! Wish me luck :-)

Sunday, April 24, 2011

Happy Easter!

I hope that everyone had a great Easter, I know we did!


Here is the little man in his Easter outfit!

We had a nice lunch with family and an egghunt that he slept right through, lol! Then after lunch , mommy (me) went for my first run since having him; and in fact, it was my first run in 9 months! More on that in another post.... :-) Have a great rest of your Easter!!

Thursday, April 21, 2011

Exercise!

I got in some exercise today! Me and my mom went for a 30 minute walk in her neighborhood. We walked at a pretty good pace, and there were SO MANY HILLS!  I was totally worn out by the time we finished. But I felt good. I would like to run, but I've gotta build up to that!

Running is my absolute favorite form of exercise. I like it even better when I can run outside, instead of inside on a treadmill or on an indoor track. Running inside on a treadmill or track is much better for my knees and shin splints, but outside is just more enjoyable. I love being outside when the weather is nice and it is so pretty like it is this time of year. Plus I get some sun :-)

Using my elliptical is a close second, because it is more challenging than a treadmill. I enjoy challenging myself to get better and better, and the resistance and incline settings on the elliptical allow me to do that. Hmm....maybe I should come up with a challenge to motivate me now. I will have to come up with something and get back to you. Suggestions?

What is your favorite form of exercise?

Tuesday, April 19, 2011

I'm back!

HELLO AGAIN!!!

It has been a while since I have posted anything -- 9 months to be exact! I have been a bad fitness blogger! But I was having trouble being fit, so I couldn't really keep up with a fitness blog. In case you missed the big event, I was pregnant, and had my sweet little man on March 10th. I was pretty sick for the first half of my pregnancy with nausea so I was barely able to eat, much less exercise. Then after I finally got better, I ended up with Gestational Diabetes. I had to eat more healthy, but it was such a pain trying to keep up with my food and blood sugar that I didn't feel like also keeping up with the blog. I still didn't feel like exercising because there were a lot of days that I was super tired or that my hips hurt from the baby's position. Those days I was lucky just to make it home to the couch, lol! So, now that my little man is here and I have recovered from labor & delivery, I am ready to get back to it!! It has been 6 weeks now, and I have been cleared by my doctor to exercise again. I am committed to being healthy, not only for my sake, but now also for the sake of my son. I want him to grow up with good values when it come to being fit and healthy. I also want to be around for a while, so I need to live a healthy lifestyle.

So, how am I doing right now in the healthy department? Well, I have started walking some days (when it's nice and I'm not too sleep deprived), and I would like to start back to running soon. I am not eating super healthy, and I am eating a TON. But I know that's normal since I'm nursing...well the eating a ton part is anyway. I need to eat better but it's hard to resist temptations when I'm so tired. Not that I'm making excuses, but I'm just laying it out there. As far as my weight goes, I only gained 23 lbs during the pregnancy, and I have already lost 20. I wish that I looked like I only had 3 more lbs to lose though. My stomach is still flabby, but with exercise I know that will firm up.

What is my plan? I don't have a great plan yet, other than to just try in general to eat better and get in more exercise when I can. I want to do a 5k sometime fairly soon, but I have to work back up to that. I plan on both exercising outside in my neighborhood, and also using my elliptical machine when I can't be outside. I want to lose the last little bit of my pregnancy weight, and also lose about 5-10 lbs after that. So I would like to get rid of up to 13 lbs to get to my "happy weight".

I hope that you all will enjoy following my journey again and that you will gain insight from what I post. Also, feel free to leave me comments with topics you would like to read about or what you think of my posts!! Yay for getting back in the game! :-)