Training is the best form of motivation

It's proven that if you schedule your exercise like a meeting or other commitment, you are more likely to stick with an exercise routine. I know this is true for me. If you give me a training schedule, I will complete it and even feel guilty when I miss a day of training. It makes me work hard toward a goal. I enjoy hanging the schedule on my fridge and marking each day off with a highlighter. I've used this method for training for my two 5ks.

I decided that 2010 would indeed include a 10k. I used Active.com to find the Oak Island Lighthouse 10k and decided it would be perfect and close to home.



I started looking for a training schedule and had heard a lot of love for Jeff Galloway's method of training. He stresses taking walk breaks periodically to avoid injury and burn out. I know that I have to take them occasionally because of my knees and because I'm just a beginning runner. So his method sounds great to me. I also like that his training schedules are devised to help you stay injury free. I'm a klutz by nature and injury prone as it is, so anything that can help me avoid injury is a plus!

His 10k training plan is a 13 week plan, when I looked at the calendar I realized that to have the training completed in time for the 10k, I would have to start on Monday, which works out perfectly because, obviously, I'm finished training for the OIB Run for Food.

So here it is, my Lighthouse 10k Training Schedule which will be hung on the fridge as soon as I get home today.



For me, training is the best form of motivation. This week I am going to try and focus on non-running activities. Do some elliptical, bike and weights...maybe even a little indoor swimming. Next week it starts back again...granted on my cross training days I'll be free for other activities, but my focus will be running. I am excited to see what I can do!

Ready, set, go!

Tomorrow is the big day! The OIB Run for Food 5k. Here is the latest forecast:



I'm nervous that the morning will stay pretty cold with Friday night's low of 24 degrees, and with the wind on the high rise bridge I expect the wind chill to be COLD. I'm prepared though! I took the advice of many people and bought a compression shirt, warmer pants and I got out my fleece hat, fingerless mittens and ear cover. I think I'm as ready as I'm going to be for the cold weather. I will also be in layers, so I can strip down if need be.



I'm excited and feel more ready for this 5k than I did for the Greensboro Gobbler. My friend Kelly is coming with me to cheer me on and take pictures. She's not normally a morning person, like at all, so I'm extremely grateful that she is coming with me!

In other news, today was my weigh-in day. I am down 6lbs since January 1st! Now, now...I am fully aware that by weighing on 1/1, after a night of heavy drinking and very salty foods means this number is probably very skewed, but I will say that I have have had a good on-point week and it feels great to be back in a healthy routine, tracking, exercising and cooking.

Happy Friday everyone! Anyone have any exciting weekend plans? :)

Baby it's Cold Outside!

The current temperature in my little beach town in North Carolina is 24 degrees. I don't know if you know this or not, but it doesn't get that cold here all that often. Especially not for a week at a time. We are all freezing are bums off. Even the dog.



I have been doing my training runs on the treadmill, mostly because I've been running at night and I think my community has "hit a jogger win some cash" policy, but now I'm stuck in there because of the cold. Here lies the problem though. This is the forecast for Friday/Saturday (my 5k across the high rise bridge across the waterway is Saturday).



I don't own cold weather running gear and I'm not used to running in it. So, this should be a very interesting and cold experience for me. I am still looking forward to it though!

I can't say enough how much I love my Nike+Ipod and how it's made such a huge difference in my running. It showed me my stats for 2009 last night and I think the numbers speak for themselves.



Not too shabby for someone who couldn't run for more than 40 seconds straight a year ago!

If you haven't checked it out already, be sure to check out my post for Meatless Monday this week, the Roasted Veggie Pizza I made was was amazing! (If I do say so myself...) It also helped me have an on-point day yesterday, which was a double bonus. I always love when a recipe works out well and ends up being very tasty and healthy! :)

Anyone have any suggestions for good (affordable!!) cold weather running gear?

Date night and cement.

Friday after work I had a Skype date with my best friend who recently moved to Florida. If you don't have Skype, you should get it! It makes video conferencing a breeze! Then I did laundry. I could probably manage to do laundry every day and there's only two of us! I'm not sure how that happens.

On Saturday, I worked and planned to go for my 2.5 mile training run after work. Well, the husband decides he wants to do "date night" and I'm never one to turn that down. My husband and I have alternate schedules most of the week so our time together is a bit limited. We went to a bar, had some beers and played Buzztime Trivia. It was so much fun...but, I had a cheeseburger and fries. I was starving, ill prepared and craving a cheeseburger, so I had one.

Later that night, some friends of ours asked us to come to another bar and see them. It had been so long since we've seen them, we went there too! I had 1 beer and switched to water. This is good for me, an entire night out and I only drank 4 beers. I swear I'm not an alcoholic, I just like beer. :) We got home around 12:30am and watched SNL before going to bed.

I woke up around 9am on Sunday and got ready to go to the gym. I noticed my head was stuffy but figured it would clear up during my run. I stretched, that felt good and I got on the treadmill, started running and it felt as if my entire body was encased in cement. I was supposed to run 2.5 miles and I barely made it to 1.9. It was a slow run too...



after the treadmill I went to the weights, figuring I would at least get some strength training done. I found I had the same problem, my entire body was just exhausted. I started feeling nauseous and knew it was time to go home. It just wasn't the work out I had wanted. I sat around with a scowl on my face for a good 30 minutes afterward. I have no idea what was wrong with me, I feel alright today and I'm hoping for a better work out tomorrow. I spent the rest of Sunday doing some Christmas stuff and watching really awful Lifetime Christmas movies.

If you made it through this post, give yourself a pat on the back because I'm pretty sure it was really boring. :)

Happy Monday!

A good cause and good motivation.

On Saturday after my post I started thinking about how I was going to keep myself motivated and active during the holiday season. I mentioned how my jeans were already getting a little tighter from all of the holiday festivities, so how was I going to stop that? I'm not expecting to loose any weight during this month, but I would at least like to stop gaining. I'm realistic.



I looked on Active.com and found a 5k close to home that takes place on January 9th. It's the Ocean Isle Beach Bridge Run for Food and proceeds benefit a local food pantry.

It's good motivation to keep moving throughout the month of December because my training schedule keeps me running all month:



and it raises money for a cause that I am passionate about. The holiday season is about giving, I am giving to the food pantry and I am giving myself the gift of health. It's a win-win situation.

I am excited for this 5k. The Greensboro Gobbler, my first race, I was so nervous and didn't know what to expect. I feel like I will have more fun at this one because I know what to expect. It will be a tough run though because the course is over the scenic high-rise Odell Williamson Bridge to the mainland and back to the island..



I am up for the challenge though! I am so proud of myself for finding ways to make sure I stay motivated and active during the holidays. The old me would have just surrendered to the temptations and said "January, I'll get back on track in January." It's never too late to be good...for Santa or for you! :)

I raise my Monday Morning coffee to you, here's to a great week!

No Excuses Included!

Today my friend Heather shared a 5 week training schedule for a 5k. It works out perfectly because my race is exactly 5 weeks from tomorrow. I had to adjust the last week slightly because my race is on Thursday instead of Sunday like the original schedule, but I think it will work great!

My plan is to hang it on the fridge and mark the days off as I complete them. I figure (as I promised yesterday when I promised myself No More Excuses!) that on my rest days I can do any combination of Yoga, Sit-ups/Push-ups or fun activity I want to do and then mark the days off as they pass. It will work for a countdown to the race and my vacation!

I marked off Tuesdays run this morning (after getting the schedule) because I took Chaser the Wonder Schnauzer...(pause for picture)

....for a run/walk/sniff around my neighborhood. He doesn't really run well, but I was proud of him because he gave a good solid effort for about 1.6 miles! He only caused me slight injury one time when he came to a complete stop out of nowhere and I rolled my ankle a bit...it seems fine today though!

Today is a "Rest" day, so I think I am going to do an Ab Workout that was in my Real Simple Magazine this month. Then I'm going to settle in for a movie with the husband. Sounds like a good night to me, no excuses included! :)

No more excuses!

Today is the day I stop making excuses. I have been full of them lately for everything imaginable. My house is a mess, I haven't been eating well, I haven't been working out like I should, I can't tell you the last time I took the dog for a walk, I have been drinking like a fish and not sleeping well. Here are some of my excuses:

"I'm not feeling well."

Maybe because you ate yourself into a food coma, or drank yourself into an oblivion?

"I'm under a lot of stress at work."

You're only stressed because you're letting it stress you out.

"I miss my family in Greensboro."

You always miss your family, you'll see them next month...this is not new.

"It's my husband's birthday, so I have to celebrate!"

Yes, but when it's his birthday and he's driving you home...you celebrated too much.

"I ran yesterday, I probably shouldn't push my knees."

You only ran two miles yesterday, your knees can take a little more. You used to run everyday.


Well, today is the day I am done making excuses. I am going to set some goals for myself, right now:

1. I am only going to allow myself to have alcoholic beverages once a week (in moderation...probably on football Sundays) from now until Thanksgiving.

Reasoning: I have been drinking too much lately...way too much. Alcohol is not a coping mechanism, I need to stop treating it as such. I also need to be focusing on finishing my first 5k and keeping myself motivated to run while being hungover several days a week has not been working.

2. I am going to run a minimum of 3 times weekly from now until Thanksgiving. No excuses. If I can't run, I will walk and at least 2 times weekly I will do Yoga or weight training, something else that will keep me active.

3. I am going to make at least 1 new recipe weekly.

4. I am going to lose 6lbs (from Friday's weigh in on 10/23) by Thanksgiving. (and, I'm going to stop skipping weigh ins!)

Ok, 4 attainable goals. I can do this.

From Merriam-Webster, this is the definition of excuse:

1 a : to make apology for b : to try to remove blame from

Well, I'm done making apologies for neglecting myself and I take full responsibility for letting myself backslide.

I'm finished with excuses. Today is a new day.

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!!! :)

My Kick Bootay Mix

So, I put together a playlist this week that has been amazing! This thing has kept me going even when I totally didn't feel like it. I pushed myself harder and at some points I was even semi-dancing on the treadmill, I couldn't help myself. I thought I'd share it, so, here it is.

1. Mutemath - You Are Mine For stretching before hand
2. The Bravery - Time Won't Let Me Go
3. Kelly Clarkson - I Do Not Hook Up
4. Mutemath - Typical yeah, I know, Mutemath twice...but I like them
5. Rise Against - Re-Education (Through Labor)
6. Black Eyed Peas - Boom Boom Pow (Club Version)
7. Britany Spears - Circus
8. Metro Station - Shake It
9. Red Jumpsuit Apparatus - Pen & Paper
10. Incubus - Dig
11. Pink - Long Way to Happy
12. Coldplay - Viva La Vida
13. David Cook - Come Back to Me

It's amazing, when I'm not working out, I couldn't imagine listening to Britany Spears. I'm just not that big of a fan...but it's great for working out! :)

So, there it is. I give you my "Kick Bootay Mix"!

They call(ed) me the chubby one...

Like most people on January 1st, 2009 I made a list of goals I would like to accomplish this year. It went something like this:

1. Lose 50lbs



2. Go to the gym more (at least 3x a week)



3. Quit Smoking



4. Read some Classics



5. Save Money

It looks like every list I've made, every year, since puberty. On January 5th, I stepped on the scale and at a short 5'4'' was depressed (although not surprised since my diet consisted of beer and pizza) to see that my weight had climbed to 209.6lbs. With the support of friends at work, I started following the Weight Watchers Points system, which had worked for me in the past, working out and weighing in weekly. I could barely run at 5.0mph for 40 seconds and 20 minutes 2-3 times a week was my work out schedule.

Today, I weigh 178.4lbs, I quit smoking, I go to the gym at least 5 times a week and I'm so busy reading up on healthy recipes and fitness tips that I haven't had time to read any classics. I can run 1.5 miles at 5.4mph without stopping to walk and my goal is to do a 5k this fall. I want to write about how I've made it this far and continue writing about how I'm doing. I still have quite a ways to go. So, here I am.

I want to use this place to share recipes, stories, workout plans, my goals, my hopes, my accomplishments, my weaknesses, my phobias (two piece bathing suits and snakes, in that order) and my set backs.

This is my new life and I'm in it for the long haul.