Conference Downfalls

As I mentioned in yesterday's post, I am attending a work conference. I am actually typing this out on my Blackberry in between sessions.

I have a hard time staying on track when my schedule varies a lot. Yesterday I gave into a fast food lunch, poor choices were made, and today I gave into half of a bagel and I wasn't even hungry. This week has also been lacking exercise and I have no real excuse except being tired, which I don't think is a legitimate excuse.

I guess I am writing to say that this week, I have been weak on my plan. This week is tough. I am not doing my best this week. Yes, I know that these things happen and yes I know I will get it back on track, but I sure do feel disappointed in myself right now.

Do you find it hard to stay on track when your schedule is hectic and varied? How do you keep from beating yourself up over it?

Wednesdays are a Battle

I always struggle on Wednesdays. My husband almost always falls asleep on the couch on Tuesday nights. I have no idea why, but he does. I always schedule a work out in my living room on Monday, Wednesday and Friday mornings. If he's asleep in the living room, I obviously can't work out in there. So, when my alarm goes off at 6am and I realize he's not in the bed on Wednesday mornings I re-set the alarm for 7 and go back to sleep. This morning was of course, one of the same...add that to the fact I've slept poorly the past 2 nights and I slept until 7:30am, making my whole morning a rush.

This is wrong on so many level but here are a few reasons.

1. I have a laptop that plays DVDs and a huge bedroom. Problem solved.
2. I am in a significantly bad mood almost every Wednesday because I don't work out in the mornings, I know how to correct the situation, but I continue to do this same thing every Wednesday.
3. I end up working out after work on Wednesday, I much prefer morning work outs because it sets the tone for my entire day.

So, this throws my whole day off, makes me mad at the husband (for no good reason) and dampers my spirit.

Did I mention I'm a creature of habit? If my habit or routine is broken I get really grumpy. I even carry around a book with me that I call "The Panic Book" it's a day planner that has everything from my meals, work outs and blog ideas to reminding me to do laundry or take the trash out. I like to have a schedule, or I feel like I might forget something. I feel out of control and I do not like that feeling.

Wow. You guys just got a peek into my head...be careful, it's scary in here.

What I need to do now is take a deep breath.

*IN*

and

*OUT*

I know I will do a work out after work. I had a great Green Monster Smoothie this morning, have a healthy lunch, snack and healthy dinner planned. One rescheduled work out should not ruin my day.

Do you ever feel, during weight loss or trying to change your life in any way really, that routine is crucial? Do you get flustered when it's thrown off?

Gobble, Gobble

I registered for my first 5k race yesterday! It's the Greensboro Gobbler and it's on Thanksgiving morning, starting at 9am. I figured this was perfect since I will be at home with my family for the holiday. I am nervous about it, but I have plenty of time to prepare. I know I won't place, I'm not very fast. My goal is to finish, with a respectable time and run as much as possible. If I do that, I will be happy! It will be great to cross the finish line and know that my family will be there cheering me on!

I had a good weekend and stayed on track, even with this being the first Football Sunday of the season. It's amazing to me though how much my alcohol tolerance has changed with my weight loss. I used to sit and drink beer and watch football with the guys all day. I had 4 beers yesterday and by the end of the 3rd beer I was feeling the effects. That is a good thing though, I definitely won't be drinking as much anymore.

I started Week 3 of the Push Ups, Situps, Squats challenge and I'm quite certain this week is going to kick my butt. I did my exhaustion test and I found that I improved my numbers in everything except Situps. I'm proud of myself and can definitely tell that I am gaining strength in my arms.

Weigh-in on Friday, I was 166lbs, up by .6lb. Not disastrous, but a trend I need to break nonetheless. My goals for this week are small. I want to be 164lbs by Friday and I want to run at least 3 times. 3 Times may not seem like much, but with my legs problems of late, if I can run 3 times, I'll be happy.

Until next time... :)

Sometimes, you just have to run.

Yesterday, I had a really bad day at work. I was stressed to the max and at 2pm I got the sudden urge to run. I couldn't of course because I was at work, but I held onto that feeling and when I got home...I ran. I ran my best 4 miles ever, averaging 11:13 per mile. This for me, is a great time! I felt awesome afterward...

I am so hooked on that endorphin rush! I've really been missing it lately because of my calf and knee problems and of course, they had to come in and rain on my parade after I stopped...

But after some icing, I don't have much pain today, so I'm going to hit the treadmill again tomorrow and hope for the same great results. I may not be the best runner, and honestly, I'm more of a jogger/walker, but I do love it.

Today I finished Week 2 of the Sit Ups, Push Ups, Squats Challenge and boy was it tough! Each week gets tougher, but each week I feel stronger and that keeps me going. I still don't know if I'll make it the whole 6 weeks, but I'm going to give it my all! Here are my Week 2 results:

Push Ups:

Level	Performed at	Max
Week 2 Day 3	2009-09-10	17
Week 2 Day 2	2009-09-08	16
Week 2 Day 1	2009-09-06	17

Sit Ups:

Level	Performed at	Max
Week 2 Day 3	2009-09-10	40
Week 2 Day 2	2009-09-08	30
Week 2 Day 1	2009-09-06	30

Squats:

Level	Performed at	Max
Week 2 Day 3	2009-09-10	32
Week 2 Day 2	2009-09-08	32
Week 2 Day 1	2009-09-06	30

My weigh in is tomorrow and I have no idea what to expect. I had a pretty decent week, so I'm hoping that if I didn't have a loss, I at least maintained. However, regardless of my weight, I am proud of myself this week. That alone, is worth more than the weight loss...knowing that I made good choices and made activity a priority even when things got tough. It helps remind me that this is my new life, not just a passing phase.

Now, I'm off to have a guilt free beer with the husband person and some friends. Happy Thursday! :)

Once upon a Pumpkin

Let me start with my challenge update! Today was Week 1, Day 3. I have completed the first week of the Push Ups, Sit Ups, Squats challenge!


Here are my stats for today!

Push Ups

set 1			11
set 2			15
set 3			9
set 4			9
set 5			19 (at least 13)

Sit Ups

set 1			17
set 2			22
set 3			14
set 4			14
set 5			30 (at least 20)

Squats

set 1			15
set 2			20
set 3			13
set 4			13
set 5			30 (at least 18)

I finished the work out off with a 2.11 mile run/walk...again, more walking than running because of my stupid calf muscle. 

I have a confession to make, I started this challenge doing traditional push ups, today I had to switch to alternative "girly" push ups. I had a lot of pain in a lot of places and really wanted to complete my work out today but I knew I could not do traditional push ups today. However, I see a big increase in my set 5 numbers which I have to attribute to my hard work! I'm enjoying this challenge so far and I am expecting next week to kick my butt! Week 2 starts on Sunday!

In other news, Coastal NC has been unseasonably cool this week and it has been PHENOMENAL! I absolutely love cooler fall type weather and I think I need to consider moving to a place where the temps range from about 65-75 degrees year round. I know that the temperatures here will sky rocket back up starting tomorrow per Mr. Weather Man and stay in the high 80s through October but my point with this is, it was the perfect week for Starbucks to bring back their Pumpkin Spice Latte! This is my favorite coffee of all time. I love all things pumpkin. When I heard it was back, I was ecstatic and then, terrified. I wasn't sure I could order a "Tall, Nonfat, No Whipped Cream Pumpkin Spice Latte" when I was used to the traditional, Venti or Quad full fat, whipped creamed topped version.

Well, today, I walked into Starbucks, tall and proud after my work out and I ordered the reduced calorie version of my favorite (while quietly clapping my hands with a HUGE grin on my face which made the barista laugh) and I sat outside and slowly drank my Latte. I didn't even notice a difference in taste. I was just so happy that I could walk into Starbucks and not give into the temptations of the whip cream, pumpkin loaves, rice krispie treats that I was so used to indulging in without giving it a second thought. Yes, a trip to Starbucks, for me, takes that much effort.

So, today has been a great day so far. I have proven myself, to myself, in more ways than one! :)

Holy Abs!

So, as you know I'm participating in the Hundred Push Ups, Two Hundred Squats, Two Hundred Sit-Ups challenge with Roni over at BlogToLose and RonisWeigh and this morning I completed by Week 1, Day 2 work out.

All, I can say is Holy Abdomen, Thighs and Arms. This is an intense work out for someone like me. I've been working out for awhile, but I can't say I've put a lot of focus into these type of exercises before and therefore, it's really testing me.

Here is what I did this morning:

Week 1, Day 2
Push-Ups

set 1		6
set 2		8
set 3		6
set 4		6
set 5		max 9 (at least 7)

Squats

set 1			13
set 2			16
set 3			13
set 4			13
set 5			max 26(at least 16)

Sit-Ups

set 1			15
set 2			18
set 3			15
set 4			15
set 5			max 23 (at least 18)

I did these after I did a cardio boxing/stability ball work out that worked a lot of ab and arm muscles. Overall, I had a great work out this morning all in the comfort of my own living room. That is the beauty of this challenge...no special equipment needed, just w willing and able body!

Ok, time to make the coffee!

OH! I almost forgot!!!! Happy September!!! :)

They don't call it a "challenge" for nothing...

Yesterday I completed Week 1, Day 1 of the Push up, sit up, and squats challenge.

Push Ups
Week 1 Day 1
Max 7

Sit Ups
Week 1 Day 1
Max 15

Squats
Week 1 Day 1
Max 30

Holy Abs! The sit ups are going to be my biggest problem I think. Although my arms were shaking like crazy at the end of the Max set. Then I did 3 miles on the treadmill...a slow 3 miles because I am still having a lot of problems with my calf muscle on my left leg. I'm only 29 and sometimes it feels as if I'm falling apart!

I had an on-point weekend otherwise, which is HUGE for me. I usually use a good portion of my flex points on the weekend, this weekend I used 1 extra point. I worked out Saturday morning, running two 11:something minute miles and Sunday I did the above. I love having successful weekends.

Successful consecutive days, weekends especially, to me mean that this really is becoming my way to live and eat. It's not just something else I started to quit, or a diet to follow until the weight comes off. This is just who I am now and I like that. Granted, I still have remember to make the healthier choice and get my butt out of bed, but it's slightly easier every week.

I hope everyone had wonderful weekends! Here's to a healthy week!

I'm up for the challenge

Yesterday our fearless leader over at Blog to Lose told us "Why Wait?!? Challenge Starts This Weekend!" She challenged us to join the One Hundred Push Ups, Two Hundred Sit Ups and Two Hundred Squat Challenges. Since I'm growing a little bored with my routine work outs, I decided to jump on board. Today, along with a 3 mile jog/walk, I did my initial exhaustion testing, here are my most pitiful counts:

Push Ups: 10
Sit Ups: 43
Squats: 30

I look forward to working on my training and building these numbers. I know it's going to help my upper body and core strength, 2 places where I am severely lacking. I plan to start on Sunday and do my training Sunday, Tuesday and Thursday.

Now it's time to give the dog a hair cut...I wonder how many calories that burns?