New exercise routine... Brought to you by Pinterest (unofficial)

The following pic from Instagram sums up my new workout regimen:

My gym is located on a college campus so the majority of members avoid the early morning like the plague.  This is good news for me because it means that I am able to pretty much use any machine in the gym without a wait. 

 

I also found this workout plan on Pinterest.  I like it so far... As much as one can like ab exercises before work.

I've lost a few pounds so I think that I am motivated for a little while to keep it up.

Gym-timidation

To borrow a word from the Planet Fitness commercial, Gym-timidation is real.   Tonight I realized how intimidating going to the gym can be-especially if your gym is on a college campus.   Skinny girls are everywhere and it seems that they are all staring at you.  Add in one Zumba class with said girls and it can be extremely nerve wracking.   I thought about leaving and going home to eat a box of ice cream but one thing kept me from leaving.  I really enjoy Zumba.   It's a fun exercise and is a great way to get in shape.  Every time I thought about taking an extended water break (that would involve going home to get a sip of water ;),  I realized that I was here for me and no one else.  If I left,  I would only be hurting myself.   If I want to become one of the "skinny girls", I have to put in the time and effort to get there. 

Confession....

I have a confession to make.  I didn't go to the gym yesterday.  Why?  Because there was a line out the door and literally a line at least 60 yards long outside.  The gym was hosting a Battleship competition and was offering free pizza.

Doesn't this look like fun?  Maybe next time I should stand in line to see what the excitement's about.


pic.twitter.com/LCF1Nqa8E3

For the record, I did get in my 10,000 steps. 

New foods- The kiwi!

I'm on a search to find low-calorie, delicious foods to eat.  Today's search brought me to kiwis.  I have always avoided this furry fruit because, let's face it... they're furry.  I wasn't sure how to eat them and I tend to avoid things I have to peel. 

Today, I actually took the time to read the package  that these particular kiwis came in.  I read the most life changing thing in regards to kiwis.  You can scoop them out of their furry shell!  It's like a disposable fruit salad of deliciousness! 

A few more reasons to eat kiwi include:

*They're high in vitamin C

*They're a good source of antioxidants, Vitamin E, Potassium, and Fiber

*They're 42 calories per kiwi

*They're a fun shade of green

*They're cute and fuzzy

(The last two probably aren't scientifically sound reasons to eat them but I'm partial to cute things.)

 I may have found my new favorite fruit.  

What I didn't eat at work today

Here's what I didn't eat today...

Doesn't it look delicious?  

Old habits

So since I've started counting calories more aggressively, I've discovered that some old random habits are coming back.  One of them is cooking.  I know it's weird, but I actually enjoy cooking when I'm watching my calorie intake.  When I initially started in 2012, I would bake cakes and then take them to work for others to enjoy.  It doesn't make sense to me as to why I enjoy baking things when I know I can't eat them.  

I've also noticed that I clean the house more.   I can't decide if its because of a higher energy level or if its me trying to avoid the refrigerator.

Has anyone else noticed any strange side-effects of dieting?

Zombies, Run!

I recently purchased Zombies, Run! I've been wanting it since I heard NPR report about it in 2012.It was originally 7.99 so I was super excited when I found it for 3.99.  After reading more about it, it seems that the 3.99 is the initial cost but then you have to purchase in-game 

Items in order to get the entire story.   Lame.  

The first mission war basically a mission to learn the backstory.  As you run, you gather items to purchase buildings and expand the base.  If zombies are enabled, you can be chased by zombies and have to outrun them.  Fortunately (for me), if you can't outrun them, it's not game over-you just keep running.  If you do not outrun the zombies, you lose items.  

Overall, it is a fun game and for those of us who need incentives to run, it provides an interesting storyline that will make you want to run again, just to see how your friends in Abel Township are doing.  

Here's a link to the story on NPR:

Http://www.npr.org/2012/02/19/147008041/the-new-running-game-where-zombies-chase-you

My village:

Small victories

Here's a pic of today's small victory.  I knew that I really wanted a piece of caramel cake.   I only ate one layer instead of both.  

Gotta start somewhere 😉 oh, and for the record, I still ended the day under my calorie allotment.  

The beginning...

  Life has sort of gotten in the way and crafts/couponing has taken a back seat.  I wish I could say that something amazing had happened such as I inherited a tropical island and now spend my days on the beach... but alas, that is not true.  Some of the more believable highlights are 1.  I went to Hawaii 2.  I graduated with a Master's Degree in Business Administration and 3.  I bought a new bike.   I also began running, lost 50 pounds and started running 5k's for fun... which leads to the reason I'm starting up this blog.

Somewhere between March 2013 and today, I've become lazy.  Extremely lazy.  Like get home, sit on my butt and watch TV all evening lazy.  It all started after I ran my first (and last) 10k.

On race day, the weather was less than perfect.  One might describe it as terrible.  It was a cold, drizzly day with no chance of sun.  I wasn't as prepared as I had planned on being since I had recently been traveling and did not have the chance to train like I had wanted.  The time came and the cowbell signaled the start of the race.The slow drizzle seemed like it imitated my mood-anxious and pessimistic. Mile 1 wasn't too bad.  Everyone that had been brave (or crazy) enough to run in the rain seemed to be keeping the same pace.  Mile 2 came... and the hills began.  Mile 3 wasn't too bad.  It was a nice scenic tour of campus that lead back to town.  Unfortunately, Mile 3 is also where I hit the wall.  The turn off for the last half of the race was in sight and I just felt like I couldn't make it.  I pushed through it to mile 4.  Ugh... Mile 4... This is where I discovered every hill in my hometown.  I seriously think that they planned to include every stinking hill in the city.  I couldn't take it and had to actually walk up some hills and forced myself to run down the other side.  Mile 5 was really, really tough.  The good thing was that the hills leveled out.  The bad thing was that I still had a mile to go.  It was tough.  I couldn't breathe and was regretting having not run as much as I should.  This is also when the rain really picked up.  It was a hard, spring rain that soaked everything in sight.  Adele was playing on my iPod.  It seemed like the perfect artist for the mood.  Mile 5 was the longest mile ever.  I must have had a look of desperation on my face because I even had one person driving past me on the road stop and ask if I needed a ride.  I looked at her in confusion, wondering if she couldn't see my bib number and the seconds ticking down on the marquee less than .25 miles away from me.  I thanked her for her offer and then continued running.  Looking back, part of me wonders if it would have been worth the joke to get her to drive me to the finish line, get out of the car, and then run across the finish line.  I'm sure there would have been some glares... but it would also make for a cool story.  I finished (on my own two feet) in 1:07.  Certainly room for improvement but not too bad for someone who hadn't really trained for a 10k.

After the race, I was proud of my accomplishments and ready to tackle the next race, after a break.  Well, the break is still going on.  For some reason, after this race, I lost my love for running.  It was more like work instead of fun.  I got out of the habit.  After 2 weeks off, I began to fear running, knowing that I couldn't keep up the same pace that I had worked so hard to establish.  Two weeks became a month... which became 3 months... which leads me to today.

I'm basically back at square one, except this time, I have the knowledge that I can actually do this since I was able to a few months ago.  It's just the fear of actually doing it that keeps me from doing it.  Well, that and the fact that I feel like a giant marshmallow while running.  Did I mention the fact that sitting on my butt lead to me gaining back some of the weight that I had lost?   I kept telling myself that I could loose the weight whenever I wanted.  I would start back on my diet tomorrow.  Tomorrow never came.

So today, after feeling sorry for myself, I decided to reevaluate what I did in the past to lose the weight and what I did to start enjoying being one of "those" people who actually enjoys exercising.  I started thinking about the main factors that had kept me focused the last time around.  It was accountability.  Previously, I had started using LoseIt.   I knew that I had to log every calorie and if I went over, I would tell my hubby.  This accountability lead me to stay on track.  I didn't want to say "I went over".  After I had lost a few pounds (and people started to notice), I felt like I had to continue because others were watching.  After a while though, I hit a wall and became tired of dieting.  Lets face it.  Ice cream is delicious.  It is also my kryptonite.

So... after blabbing on and on about the reasons why I don't run and why I have not reached my goal of being fit by the time I'm 30 (and there's still time), I have decided to make a proclamation to the blogosphere.  Since accountability is the largest thing that helped me the last time around, I will use this page to keep track of what I have done and document my progress.

Hopefully, with this motivation to blog my progress, knowing that someone will be reading it, I will be able to succeed in reaching my goal of running a half-marathon in January 2014.

Tools of the Trade

In keeping with the weight-loss theme, here are a few of the tools that I have in my arsenal that will guide me along the way:

1.  LoseIt-  This is a weight-loss app/website that has helped me in the past.  This tool is an excellent way to keep track of calories in vs. calories burned.  You can even scan the barcodes of food in order to get a more accurate calorie count.  You can also log exercise to see how many calories you may have burned. 

This website also has a forum that is very encouraging, funny, and insightful.  They even have various boards such as Fitness and Exercise, Diet and Nutrition, and the Kitchen Sink (my favorite board). 

2.  FitBit- I recently purchased this FitBit after my previous FitBit decided to go MIA.  I narrowed down the area to where I lost it to somewhere between the thrift shop and Wal-Mart.  My hubby and I even went on a quest to find it the night it went missing.  He quit playing WoW (which is a big deal) to help me run around the town looking for it.

This FitBit is hidden in a bracelet, which is harder for me to lose.  It is also water-resistant so  you can wear it in the pool and not be afraid of losing it.  This FitBit will also track your sleeping patterns.  It surprised me that I wake up (on average) around 6 times a night.  No wonder I was so tired when I woke up the next morning!

FitBit will also sync to the LoseIt app so that it will automatically log the calories burned for the day.  Also, the FitBit app will sync the food logged in LoseIt to the FitBit app so that you can see the calories consumed. 

The only drawback to this FitBit is the fact that it does not display the actual number of steps taken.  Instead, there are five small lights that are used to track your goal.  It shows the progress in percentages (one light =20% of the goal).  You can use Bluetooth to connect to the FitBit via your phone, which is handy since when I am exercising, I generally use my phone as my music source. 

3.  Shoes-  I am currently wearing Pink Asics.  I usually don't wear pink anything, but in an effort to become more visible to others around me when exercising on the street, I wanted to be as bright as possible.  These shoes have a thick sole and provide great support for my low arch.  So far, they have spared me from the pain of plantar-fasciitis. 

I used to wear Adidas Soltec 2 running shoes but the style was discontinued at the store where I buy my shoes.  The only drawback is that these shoes had air vents (is that even a proper description?) in the bottom that would allow water to seep in and soak your socks.  They were great to wear while running in the heat but were terrible when it came to running on wet streets. 

4.  Bike- I currently have a White Specialized bike equipped with a rear carrier rack.  Since I only live about 2 miles from work, it is nice to be able to ride to work, when the weather allows.   Currently, the heat index has been unbearably hot, so I have been using the car.  Once the weather cools down, I will start my commute to work again. 

5.  This blog-   Knowing that someone out there will be reading and empathizing with me each step of the way will keep me accountable. 

My fitness goals

Before I totally leave the "get fit" train station, I figured that I need some goals to shoot for.  Without something to shoot for, there isn't really anything to work for.  I am the type of person that has to have a specific goal or else I tend to wander and get distracted.  Here's my list of goals:

1.  Learn something new.  The first step that I took to do this was that I actually asked the trainers to show me how to bench press and clean in weightlifting.  I've always wanted to know how to do this safely but was always too scared to ask.  The trainers at my local gym were really nice and were very helpful in explaining the techniques.

Ultimately, I would like to incorporate more weightlifting into my workout regimen, mainly because it tends to be a boy's world on that side of the gym and I would love to break down some walls.  Also, I believe that this would suit my body type since I have really broad shoulders and have always liked being able to lift things that other girls couldn't.

2.  Become healthier.  People's idea of health varies from person to person.   Some people look at actual weight where other people look at how they feel.  Numbers are really important to some people.  Many people starting out tend to only focus on weight and weight alone.  This number can tend to misguide people later down the road because after a while, the pounds may not be falling off since the fat that used to be there is now becoming muscles.  Measurements tend to be a better indicator of how you are progressing when the pounds are coming off.  On weeks where the scale may not be moving, inches lost may be a better indicator of how you are doing.  My goal is to not focus on the weight (even though I could stand to loose a few pounds) but instead focus on inches and fat lost.

2.  Clean(er) eating is another way that people choose to become healthier.  Decreasing the amount of processed foods and sugars are a great way to move toward a healthier lifestyle.  In my initial weight-loss effort, I began to eat a lot more fruits and vegetables and cut back on the sweets. My taste buds actually changed to where I don't crave sweet items nearly as much as I used to (but I can still eat a cupcake like nobody's business).  I would like to eat healthier and quit eating so much junk.  I don't want to eliminate items totally, but making healthier choices would definitely be a great goal for me.

3.  Enjoy exercising!  I feel that this is exceptionally important since if I don't enjoy it, I won't continue it.  If I start to feel like a certain exercise is a chore, I will try to find other exercises that are of interest to me.  There are a long list of exercises at my local gym that will keep me busy for a while.  There's a track, basketball court, pool, rock-climbing wall, zumba classes, yoga classes, cycling classes... the possibilities are endless.

Creating healthy and fun habits are the key to staying fit.