OMG!!! ROUGH LANDING ON AN AIRPLANE

Please pray for me and my family! We were supposed to be back in the U.K. in about 4 hrs but instead we had a rough landing at a stop in South Carolina and now e are stuck until the plane is fixed! I am so ready to go home and get back on track!!! Thank God, I am still alive! Thanks everyone for checking on me.

Volcano ASH!!! HELP IM STUCK!!!

Hello,
My family and I came back to the U.S . for a funeral and now we are stuck thanks to that Volcano. Thanks everyone for checking on me.. I am trying to get my work outs in, this is stressful.. Can't wait to get back and do my weigh in Wednesday..... TO BE CONTINUED

Weigh In Wednesday!!

In my last post I talked about how I purchased a scale. I have been thinking over the last week about doing a weigh in once a week. Well, here it is! I have chosen Wednesday as my weekly weigh in day. (What a surprise) The last time I posted I was 208.8 lbs. I weighed in this morning and I am 206 lbs even. WOW! That is a big 2.8 lbs. I definitely feel motivated to keep doing what I am doing. I have started running again. I have been running/walking every other day.  I would like to start Podrunner intervals again but I am afraid to do too much, too soon. I have also been riding my bike. Yes! When we moved my husband gave my old bike away to the movers so I got a new one once we made it to the UK. I forgot how much of a work out I used to get from riding my bike. I wear my handy dandy heart rate monitor for every work out and it truly makes a difference. My heart rate monitor has a calorie calculator so even if I am not in the gym, I know how many calories I am burning.  I am still breastfeeding, I guess I'm still not ready to stop. Now, it's crunch time for my race. June 27th will be here before you know it! Thanks for reading, See you soon!

I LOST 2.8LBS (Hey Livvy)

Hello All,
I always feel like I have so much to talk about but when I start typing my blog, I feel like I am just all over the place. I try to hurry and get it all in so I don't leave anything out. (I have been terribly forgetful lately) So, today, I am going to take my time and explain everything. If I bore you atleast, I have these notes for future reference for me. First, I want to talk about listening to my body.
So if my Dr. telling me not to run for a month wasn't enough bad news to make me start listening to my body, now I have aching wrists! I mentioned the push up challenge last week as something new that I added to my work outs. Well, My husband and I had been doing the work outs together for two weeks. My husband is pretty athletic and he even found the work outs were a bit tough for beginners. I just kept doing the push ups as the program instructed and the only thing that was bothering me was my wrists. I had been seeing results and definately feeling them. So here we are I completed to weeks and now my wrists are hurting to the point where I CANNOT do a push up! I should have listened to my body. I always try to tell myself that I need to push through the pain when it comes to physical activity when I really should take the time to rest  and not injure myself. My wrists are starting to feel better today but that is because I havent done a push up in a few days. I'm just glad I didnt have to go to the Dr. AND the moral of this story is listen to your body!

I have really been struggling with my eating habits. I was listening to one Of Jillian Michaels' Podcast and she made a comment about how ridiculous a diet where you eat Pizza and ding dongs is! I thought okay, I know that is ridiculous but why do I eat similar things every day? I was going through my day yesterday and all I could think about was eating something "carbalicious". I did! I would go in the kitchen stand there and think, "get something healthy out to eat, no, I don't want healthy food, that pizza would taste so good. I can start that whole eat healthy thing later!"  (Just incase you couldnt tell I was arguing with myself) I have never done drugs but when it comes to sweets and processed food, I feel addicted to it! Like I cannot say no even though I know it's hurting me and keeping me from my goal! As much as I want to lose weight and live a healthier life, it seems like I give  in to those craving everyday. I realize that my battle with weight is more about the mental and what I am eating, than it is about the physical. This leads me to my next  topic for today.

The Aha moment! Did you have one? Please share it!
 After eating all of the wrong things, feeling sluggish and not really motivated to work out or eat right, my husband asked mewhat was wrong before we went to bed. I wasnt going to talk to him about it because I believe that people who are "naturally" thin cannot understand what I am posting today. Anyway, I gave it a shot! I said, " When I have lost a signifigant amount of weight in the past, I always had that Aha Moment, you know where something happens or I think about something and I just think I am going to lose weight, starting Now! Then I diet full force! Well, I don't feel like that today. I am feeling the exact opposite! I don't want to eat right, I am tired of food period ! The only things driving my eating habits are these craving that I cannot shake. It's like I either have a really strong craving for junk food or I don't really are to eat anything! I don't know what's going on with me! When I worked out today, I didn't push myself. I didn't feel motivated. I mean I am excited that I get to start running again but I am just in a rut and I don't know how to get out! Oh, (sigh) I guess I have to just do it. Maybe I just have to get up in the morning without any euphoric sense of motivation and just do it. Maybe that's it! I just have to do it." And there you have it folks. That may very well have been my Aha Moment! I woke up this morning and started with a good choice for breakfast. There were Frosted Flakes, Fruit Loops, Biscuits and chocolate chips cookies readily available. I chose to eat a bowl of regular Cheerios with Skim milk for breakfast, along with a bottle of water.  I knew that wasn't going to hold me for too long which is fine. So, I started craving something sweet, instead of picking up those cookies (I thought about it) I got an apple, cut it up and ate it. Now, I am good until lunch. The journey begins. Those choices are going to start adding up in lbs. I have to make the right choice several times a day not just when I get what I am going to call "fake motivation". When I lost weight in the past that "fake motivation" carried me through losing anywhere from 7 to 35 lbs. This 73 lbs is not going to come off that easy. As much as I want to be thinner and healthier, I don't want it to come off easy, like alot of things in my life, if I don't work hard for it I won't appreciate it. This brings me to my final topic for today.

The scale
I bought a scale yesterday. It looks similar to this one. I have never had a good accurate scale at home. I decided yesterday to purchase a scale only to find out that since starting this blog I had gained about 5 lbs. Instead of weighing 206 lbs yesterday, I weighed in at 211.6. NOOOOO! That is not going to work! I have tried to eat healthier but not focus on weight since I am still breastfeeding. My baby is 10 months old now. No more breastfeeding for me. I have been slowing decreasing my milk supply. But anyway, that's another subject. I got on the scale this morning and I lost 2.8 lbs. That is a step in the right direction. Getting on that scale and seeing the numbers drop actually made me feel motivated to make the right choices today. I want to see that drop again in another week. So, I have decided to do a weekly weigh in until I reach my goal weight! I refuse to become obsessed with the scale and weighing myself daily. Anyone want to join me? I'm not sure which day of the week I will weigh in but I will do it once a week. This is the last time I will say this, I have 73 pounds to lose. Thank you for reading!

242

I received my race number in the mail yesterday! It's really happening! I am going to run my first 5k! 5 More days and my month without running is over! I have been away from my blog for 5 days again. I know but I have been venturing out more and I have to say I LOVE IT here! The sun is out at 530 am and we havent done the whole "spring forward yet!" That means I can get out and run early and not have to be worried about it being dark outside! I am so happy to see the sun more. Only 8 hours of day light can be depressing. I am still tweaking my work out regimen. I have been wearing my handy dandy heart rate monitor and I really feel motivated. On a not so happy note, I lost my little Nike Plus sensor for my iPod kit. I hate that I don't want to pay 25 dollars for another kit. I want to congratulations to one of my NP buddies! (You know who you are) She walked her first Half Marathon! I am so inspired! Thanks for reading.

I LOVE LONDON!

So,
I realize that time flies when you're having fun but WOW! I haven't blogged in 6 days. I have been really busy the last week. I will complete week 2 of the one hundred push up challenge today. That program is no joke! I am still walking/ riding the bike, counting down the days  until I can run again! Nine more days! Yesterday, my family and I ventured out. We went to London! Wow, it was my first time riding a train! London was so cool and there were so many people! We walked for about 4 hours just sight seeing and taking pictures! I cannot wait to go back. That was my exercise for the day. Thanks for reading! See you soon!

Busy Bee

Yes it's true, I have been a busy bee today! I have been working out consistenly while on my running hiatus! Today, I went to the Mommy Work out center to work out since it was just too cool and windy to have the baby out on our walk. I really enjoyed myself and got a chance to see how my baby girl interacts with other kids whithout mommy standing by. I  have been away from my blog more days that i would like but this way I feel like I have more to talk about. Sunday, I was listening to a podcast from Jillian Michaels' radio show and she suggested that everyone have a heart rate monitor with a calorie calculator as the most useful work out tool, for those of us trying to lose weight. She made some very good points, so I went out and purchased one. I love having a calorie counter even when I am walking. I haven't quite figured out what is best for me as far as target heart rate. I need to do more research, it just seems so confusing to me when I read about cardio vs. fat burn. If there is anyone out there that gets it, Please explain it to me. Last week I started the push up challenge and I am happy to report that I completed week 1. I am so proud of myself. Week 2 starts tomorrow. Two more weeks and I will able to run again! Lately variety has been good for me while trying to stay active. Last but not least, I am still preparing for my first 5k race and i am so excited to be a part of something so important! If anyone out there is *listening* please feel free to donate to a great cause. Thanks for reading see you next time!

Obsessed!

Hello All,
I have been tempted not to blog until I got out of my mental rut but on my walk today I did some thinking and I will tell you what's been going on with me. I feel likeI am becoming obssessed with losing weight! I have become obsessed with what diet I am actually going to stick with once I am done nursing my daughter. THAT IS WRONG ON SO MANY LEVELS! First of all, I shouldnt think about it so much. Secondly, my goal is total health and fitness, i don't have to be a perfect number on the scale; atleast that is what I try to tell myself. The more I think about lowering my carbohydrate intake in any way, I start obsessing abut chocolate. I keep going over in my head the times that I used the Atkins diet to quickly lose weight and feel better. I know that every single time I was successful at it I put on lots more weight once I stopped dieting. Mayb the problem is that i never followed the Atkins diet to a T after the induction phase. I was always so ready to start eating carbs again. I am thinking more along the lines of A Low fat version of the Atkins diet... I dunno. The IR diet really is great, it doesn't stop me from havig anything, and that is what I need. It just seems like being allowed to have everything but having to eat certain things in moderation just seems too lenient. I have got to get it together in my head. FAST!   I think that I am thinking too hard about it!

On a lighter note, I am still being active. I am walking about an hour per day (most days) I even started a push up challenge a few days ago and love the way my body feels.They have a sit- upchallenge too. I might try  that once I finish with the push-ups. Just a little over 2 weeks and I will be able to run again! Not being able to run has really put a damper on my spirits but there is so much to be thankful for, I need to jsut get over this little hump and keep pushing. There are so many of you that have done alot more than lil ol me. I can do this!!! Thanks for reading!

Email from Julia

Hello All,

I am still doing my walking and Yoga. I haven't posted in a couple days being it hasn't been that interesting in doors as much as outside lately. The sun is shining! Yipppee So I have been doing some major walking and just enjoying the outdoors! I am excited to post that I received a reply to an email i sent to Julia Jones asking her for some advice about doing her running programme. I was so happy to hear from her and one of the Twofitchicks. I love listening to their podcasts when I am walking, they are very entertaing and they give lots of good info. Through reading Julia's program for 5k beginners I finally see what "they" mean when they say "you get shin splints from doing too much too fast". I mean I hate to admit it but my mind may be a alot more fit than my legs are LOL! I think that I push myself way too much in the beginning with Podrunner. It's not podrunner fault. Anyway, I am going to give Julia's approach and chance. I will come out on top! Now let me talk about food.

I have been snacking a whole lot more lately. I find myself nibbling one something and I am not even hungry! That's bad. I am having to force myself to drink water too. I used to be good at drinking water but now it feels like a chore. I know it's all in my head but I really need to get it together, NOW! I guess that's all today, Thanks for reading.

Walking & Yoga

Alrighty! So I am back, I think I really needed a couple of days to just recoupe mentally after my Dr. told me not to run for a month! I have been so tempted to be "hard-headed" as my mom used to say and just run anyway. I have taken some time to read other blogs, I am particularly interested in runners and soon to be runner's blogs, I hate that I cannot remember her name right now but I was checking out a blog  and came across Julia's 5k Training Program. The women on this particular website do Podcast and I am hooked. I am one of those people that listens to talk radio. I'm not talking about gossip in the morning, (which there is nothing wrong with that, some of those shows crack me up too)  I like listening to people talk. So anyway,  in some of the Podcast's Julia gives runners advice and since i finally got me an ipod, my ears were wide open. I am thinking about trying out her program. She made alot of sense when she spoke and she has lot's of knowledge to share. Her program might work better for me once I get over this month long break from running, since apparently with Podrunner I am moving too fast, too soon. So let me tell you about Walking and Yoga.
First of all the sun has been out for the last three days! Yippee! Today, I chose to walk for one hour. I strapped the baby in the jogging stroller and off we went! Then I came home and did 32 min of Yoga X. I think that I could have done a bit more Yoga but I was starving! I was so hungry and the baby was crying. I find myself wanting to do Yoga everyday. As for the walk, I did manage to work up a sweat but I feel like I really am not challenging myself or my body when i walk. It's so tempting to run when I'm just walking. I still tweaking my work outs and trying to get a consistent regimen going. The Mommy area at the gym is a "NO-GO". I tried it yesterday and for the first time the baby was awake. She was good for about 15 mintues then no matter what I tried, she wanted to be right there with me and it wasnt good enough to see me. I was too far away I guess. Well, that's all for today. Thanks for reading, see you tomorrow!

Highs and Lows

What an interesting day it was. First I called and made an appointment to see my Dr. about my shins because they are still aching and now they are swollen. Well, I had x-rays done and he told me, "No news is good news, if you don't hear from me today then it's not a stress fracture." He also said, "No running for a month, I am putting you on Mobic for 30 days and I don't want you running, you can ride a bike or whatever but no running!" I told my husband when we left, "Hmm, I am going running, I'm not quitting!" My husband was so serious begging me not to be hard headed. So, it took me all day but I came to grips with it and I am willing to do other low impact forms of cardio for a month and get back to my Podrunner if that means longevity with this running thing. I feel like crap making it through week 1 only to have to quit again. My shins may have won the battle but I will win this war! I am so serious about running for the 1st time in my adult life. I am going to switch it up a little. I will ride the bicycle and or walk 6 days per week this month. I will continue to alternate days for Yoga X and hopefully I will have built up my endurance and stamina by the time April 1st comes around and I can ease back into my Podrunner. Okay enough about the low for the day.

I just registered for my first 5k! Yeah! I mean it I am determined, i can still train for it without running this month right? The date is set people and I am so happy. June 27, 2010 at 2:30pm! I am doing Race for Life! I am just too thrilled! That is definately something to look forward to. I will leave you on that HIGH note. Thanks for reading. See You tomorrow.

Video Gait Analysis

I went to Cambridge yesterday to have the video gait  analysis done. I was so excited. I wore the shoes that I just bought a week ago, so they could tell me if they were working for me and guess what, they were!!!! I knew there was a reason my shins felt better running with the new shoes. The sales lady said that i slightly over pronate but with my new shoes and my insoles for my heel spurs I was landing just right. I decided not to buy any shoes from them but I did get a spiffy little heaband to cover my ears when I am running outside in the cold. I woke up this morning to my shins hurting really bad! I am going to schedule an appointment in the morning to make sure that I don't have a stress fracture. I hope that I just need to keep running lose some weight and the pain will stop. I am only 26 and it makes me feel so old to not be able to just go run 3 miles without a care in the world. Why do I have all these ailments? Has anyone else ever felt this way? No working out for me today but I did get another pair of running shoes and a Nike Ipod Kit!!!!! Which means, I will be getting an Ipod soon. I still havent decided which one is best for me. Well, It's bed time  I have to get ready for Week 2Day 1 of podrunner tomorrow. Thanks for reading, See You tomorrow!

P90X

Last night I did Yoga X a couple hours before I went to bed. I woke up with morning feeling slimmer and more loose. I wasn't aching. So I googled P90X just to see what others had to say about the Yoga, that got me thinking. Maybe I should just do the entire P90X routine. I have all of the DVD's and I have been looking for a good routine as far as lifting weights. I could do the routine in my own home. It's just a thought right now, I have to figure out how to incorporate P90X, running and resting if I decided to do the entire program. My top priority is getting through Podrunner! Are there any runners out there that have incorporated P90X into your running schedule? If so how?

 No exercising for me today, I am going to have video gait analysis done today in a town about an hour away. I am so excited, so we will do that when my husband comes home from work and then we are going to a mall. Yay, I feel like a human again! Can you tell I haven't really been out in a while? Thanks for reading. See You tomorrow!

Will I ever be flexible?

I did Yoga again today, this time I completed 37 minutes! Yay me that is an 11 minute jump from the other day. Immediately after the work out I felt really loose, now here I am a couple hours later and I'm not sure I feel a difference. I want to be really flexible(along with a few other health and fitness goals) Is it true, can yoga truly make you flexible? In time we will see, Thanks for reading. See you tomorrow.

Yoga Yesterday

So, I did the P90X Yoga yesterday and managed to complete 26 minutes! That's a big jump from last time, remember I only did 15 minutes? I was sweating like crazy but so proud of myself. My ultimate goal is to complete 1 hr of the Yoga, I might need to do yoga in the evening when my husband can tend to the baby. She woke up during my workout and I just couldnt continue with her waiting to crawl around freely. I finished week 1 of Podrunner so today i will ride the bike as my cardio. My shins are feeling better today, they hurt alot yesterday. While I rested yesterday, I did some reserach and actually found a running shoe store to have my running analyzed! I decided I will purchase my outdoor running shoes from them and I will use my asics for indoor running. The place is about an hour away but I am thrilled that I can actually have this done. I will let you know how that goes on Saturday. Not much going on today. Thanks for reading, See You tomorrow.

Podrunner W1D3

Yay me! I did it! I completed week 1 of Podrunner! I am just so proud of myself. I am very happy with my sturdy new Asics Gel running shoes too! So, here are my work out details:
15 min warm up- bike level 3
29 min Podrunner intervals
15 min stretching

I manage to go 1.76 miles and  burn 200+ calories on the treadmill.
I forgot to mention last time I ran/walked that I ran on a 1.0 incline walked @ 3.3 and ran @ 4.5.
Much to my surprise, it was alot easier today! My calves hurt a bit but my shins were fine! There were times when i didn't even want to stop running. I attribute all of this too me icing my shins atleast 3 times per day and elevating my legs, stretching thoroughly and my spiffy new shoes. I can see me running a 5k more and more everyday. It's in my grasp. I can do this. I am so motivated! Now, if I could just get this sweet tooth in check! Its been a long day. Thanks for reading. See you tomorrow.

ASICS Gel

I got some new running shoes today! I am so happy! I have heared that Asics gel are the best and that's what I got. I am hoping new shoes, icing my shins, elevating them and wrapping them when I run will get rid of the shin splints once and for all. I love my Adidas Supernova's, but they are 8 months old.

I did weight training last night. It only took me about 25 minutes. On each machine I did two sets of 12, somewhat low weight. I worked chest and arms today. (In the near future I plan to have more of a routine for weight training ANY SUGGESTIONS would be great) I wasn't happy about going so late in the day but I ended up meeting a work out buddy that works out that same time everyday. I kind of hate to go tomorrow when she is there because then she will hear me huffing and puffing like the Big Bad Wolf, how embarrasing. I hate hearing myself breath loud when I am running that's why I have my music up! Anyway,Thanks for reading. See you tomorrow. (please excuse the blurry picture)

P90X YOGA!

       I did it! I can see that Yoga just like anything else, will get better with time. I was only able to do 15 minutes of the hour and a half Yoga routine. My shins were hurting. I was sweating like a hog too! (I hope I dont come off as whiny when I do mention my shins often) My goal with this blog is to document everything I can as far as my physical and mental transformation. One day I will look back over this blog and say,  "I am glad my shins don't ache like that anymore!"
       I am doing pretty good balancing my food and I am eating less. I realize that I can't actually diet while breastfeeding nor should I. That helps when I feel the urge to jump on that crash diet bandwagon again.

It's snowing again today, so my plan to take my baby girl for a walk is out of the question. Instead, I will be icing my shins and resting until my husband comes home, then i will head to the gym to do some weights. I am finding it much easier to stick to my orginal work out plan when I don't over think it. Go figure.

I have a new addiction and that is blogging! Not just writing one but reading others weightloss and running blogs. Thank you everyone for sharing your stories and  day to day accomplishments. The bad days that you all post about are what keep things REAL. You all are truly an inspiration to me. Thanks for reading. See you tomorrow.

Podrunner W1D2

I'm going to get straight to the point today, the run was awesome! I made up my mind before I left the house that I would do 15 minutes on the bike and then do my podrunner intervals. I did what I set out to do. I ran/walked on the treadmill today, why you ask? I woke up this morning to some serious snow. I was really looking forward to taking my baby girl with me on my run but with lots of snow, then rain, I decided to just go to the gym. I wonder does running on the treadmill give me less of a work out. The run seemed a little easier even with my shins hurting the whole time. Am I the only woman in the world that loves to sweat? I love how it feels when I am running, walking, biking or even lifting to the point where I am sweating! I felt so accomplished today! This is the first time that working out felt like "me" time. I usually want to take my daughter with me to work out but now I think I might enjoy just having that time to focus on me EVERYDAY. This means that I am going to have to go work out at about 5am. I am going to have to tweak my work out plan yet again. I started Podrunner on Friday but I may need to run on two consecutive days to switch my routine around so that I am not doing Zumba class on a run day.... or maybe not. Well, see, I never realized how much thought and effort goes into having a healthy lifestyle. Maybe I just over think things. Anyway, thanks for reading. See you tomorrow!

ZUMBA

I did it! Yesterday I blogged about how I did my Podrunner, well later on that day I went to my 1st Zumba class!!! It was great! I learned something about myself yesterday and that is... I CANT DANCE! What a shame. Ifelt like was just going through the motions trying to learn the steps, on some parts I followed pretty well and others hmm not so much!  My instructor seems to be new to the whole thing  because she kept getting dance steps wrong and saying,"Oops" and she was reading from a notebook. Overall it was a great experience and I will be going back.  My shins were aching like crazy during the class! I have got to find out what I am doing to make my shins ache like this after I run. I will be a long distance runner, my shins are not going to stop me!  I had a light bulb moment last night too:

First off, my husband woke up yesterday morning and told me that he is done with me watching the Biggest Loser and wishing I could have a success story! He said that he is behind me 100% and will do whatever he has to do to accomodate a more active lifestyle for US and healthy eating! He said that he wants me to be happy and healthy and we are going make our own success story! Well, that was all great but by the time lunch came and he had spaghetti with ground turkey (instead of beef) and steamed veggies on his plate, all of that was out of the window! Let me fast forward and get to the point. He called me while I was at the grocery store after Zumba class and asked me to pick up a chocolate bar then he said never mind because  of the whole eating healthy thing. That made me think while I wandered aimlessly around the grocery store. THAT'S IT! That's why I always burn out before week 1 or 2 is even over with. I have been saying, "I'm not dieting, I'm making a lifestyle change!" But in reality I am still going about my weightloss efforts as if I were on  a diet. I don't know about you guys but that is not going to work for me or my skinny husband! It took me atleast 5 years to put all this weight on so I shouldn't even try to take all of it off it 5 months. It won't last that way! I am going to have to make small but meaningful changes everyday and give myself more credit for these changes. For example, instead of me thinking ok you ran/walked for 30 min 3 times this week, you should be able to do more. I will tell myself " What a great start, that run/walk was really difficult but if you stick with the program a few months from now running  will be easier for you and you will be working out 5 days a week instead of  3 days. I am learning so much about myself, more than I ever have on the fad diets in the past. Thanks for reading, See you tomorrow!

Podrunner W1D1 (x2)

Howdy Folks!
I started Podrunner again today, WHAT?! On a Friday? I know but I am truly serious about being able to run a 5k before the year is over. A year may be too far out but Hey! who knows I may be running a marathon before the year is over. The Sky is the limit! Anyway, this time my husband went with me and he pushed the baby in the stroller. It was motivating to have him there encouraging me and offering me water. I usually don't drink what while running but I did this time. I focused more on breathing, pacing myself and my form this time and I have to say, when I changed up my form I noticed that my calves ached instead of my shins, so maybe I am doing something right. I came home stretched and iced my shins. I'm feeling good! There's a Zumba class tonight; to go or not to go, that is the question. Thanks for reading. See you tomorrow.

yippee!

Alrighty!
I got out on the track today and it was great. I wasn't quite able to do my Podrunner, my right shin is still aching but hey, something is better than nothing right? I watched The Biggest Loser today and they ran a marathon, i was crying watching it! LOL I was so inspired and just really want that one day for myself. How bad do I want it you ask; BAD ENOUGH! I need to keep being active and overcome overeating and all these other issue that I have that contribute to me being FAT! I want to stop hating what I see in the mirror. Dr. appointment day for the baby so I am tired, Good night! See You tomorrow, oh and thanks for reading!

Jogging Stroller!

Hello All,

That's right, I got a jogging stroller last night. I had some what of a busy day yesterday and last night I found a lady selling this wonderful stroller for $20. Now, I can take my baby with me to go jogging! This truly is a life saver. Well, everyone is doing much better as far as our horrible colds are concerned. My shins are feeling a bit better, not sure if I am ready to run but I am going to get back on my Podrunner intervals today once my baby girl wakes up from her nap. Thanks for reading, see you tomorrow.

Love

Happy Valentines Day!

I am spending time with my two sweeties! A nice day to just reflect on all of the love around us. Take the time to tell someone that you love them.

It's Almost Over!

Hey there!
I am finally getting over this sickness! My shins are hurting less and I'm feeling better. I didn't get to go to the Zumba class today, at the last minute my husband found out that he had to stay at work late :( I was annoyed but Hey, what can you do? There's always next week. Not much going on in my neck of the woods. I think that I am going to boycott white carbohydrates from now on, not as a "diet" but more so, just boycotting. I was doing some  research on sugar and I just do not like the effects that it has on my body! There has got to be a way to enjoy desserts without using sugar or feeling like a freak because everyone else is eating it except for me.(at least that what it seems like) Well, it's bed time here in England. Thanks for reading. See you tomorrow! I took the photo below when we were celebrating our Anniversary in Arkansas.( just thought I would leave you with something that i love; taking pictures.

Still sick BUT...

Hey All,
I finally worked out! I decided to just try it with my shins still aching, and it was great. I dropped my husband off at work and went to the fitness center with the Mommy room. Sydney slept the entire 45 minute work out. So after doing my research on shin splints( I'm trying to avoid having to see the Dr.), I decided to warm up with a 5 minute walk then do the bicycle and some weights and I am happy to report that I did it. I felt the urge to run while I was on the treadmill but I resisted especially after I started to run and immediately my shin started to ache. Between elevating my legs when I can and icing them, I am in less pain today after being active. Yippee, looks like I will be going to that Zumba class after all tomorrow!

I was able to look in a bunch of full body mirrors while I worked out and I couldn't take my eyes off of myself. I was analysing myself trying to find something attractive except for my eyes and my hair and guess what? I didnt find anything! I was actually disappointed at how fat I looked. I hated what I saw and wish I could just rip all of the extra weight off of my healthy body, that is hiding underneath it all. I felt like a FAT UGLY version of me. I also realized as I reasoned with myself that they way I was feeling about myself is unhealthy. I realize that there are some issue in there hiding behind this weight that don't have anything to so with my size. How do I  know that? Because, I am fearfully and wonderfully made. God didnt make a mistake when he created me! This journey is opening my eyes to more than just physical health but spiritual health also. How can I be the loving Christian that I want to be and believe I am, if I can't love me. How  can I have unconditional love for others if I only love me when i am skinny? This is going to be a long journey. This is what goes through my mind here it is for the world to see! I get the feeling that I am not alone.... Now after I got up early and worked out I had to stop at the grocery store before going home; there I got hungry. You will never guess what I did  next....

 I ate a perfectly linked and balanced protein bar and drank some water. I waited 15 mins to make sure I wasnt still hungry and argued with myself about having something sweet. THEN I BINGED!!!!!!! When i say binged I ate some chicken teriyaki with rice but i couldnt finish it because it was too sweet and salty so I just ate about1/2 cup of rice (white) then I ate 4 chocolate chip cookies and balanced them with a cup of skim milk. That was too much. I should have just made a turkey breast sandwich and drank some more water. It was like I couldnt control myself. I have alot of work to do in the old "noggin" if I really want to adopt this healthier way of eating and lose weight. I have about 65 lbs to be at my ideal weight. What is it going to take for me to get over this addiction to food? I am truly embarassed  but Hey gotta be accountable somehow. Thanks for reading, See You tomorrow!

My Aching Shins!

Hello Again! I promise things will get more interesting once we get over this sickness. As you can see from the title my shins are aching, my husband was rubbing them for me :) (how nice of him) and he said that they are swollen. I have been icing them since yesterday and elevating them as much as I can. It's hard to just elevate your feet when you have cleaning to do and a sick baby to look after. I know some of you can attest to that! We are snowed in, yes has looked like a snow globe outside almost all day. I am feeling a little better today, definately a step in the right direction. Thanks for reading, see you tomorrow!

New Friends!

My husband went back to work, me and baby went to the Dr. She finally got some meds and things are looking up. While I don't feel too much better than I did yesterday physically, mentally I am happy and ready to get my blood pumping! I need some Cardio. I have managed to make a few new friends this week and I am soooo happy! It's refreshing to see women working towards goals and bettering themselves! I have followers >>>> see em'? LOL Anyway, does anyone Zumba? They offer classes at the local fitness center and I am thinking about taking the class on Fridays. I want to get fit but I also want to socialize and have fun with other women from time to time. If I am well enough later this week I will be there! Not much to talk about today, so see you tomorrow.

Still Sick (where's my ray of sunshine)

Not such a good 24hrs. We are all still sick! I feel like I am getting worse and the baby definately is. We can't get her into the Dr.'s office until tomorrow BUT they gave me some reccomendations until then. My poor baby! I haven't been linking and balancing or eating for that matter. I am hoping to be better soon. I have been thinking about switching my work out routine, I will tell you more about that soon.

 I was very athletic in high school and my favorite events were the 200 meter dash and the 100 meter dash. I want to become a long distance runner and I know I can do it! My point is how did I go from running everyday and playing several sports, to sitting on the couch watching tv and doing nothing? I like to have fun. I need to be more active. Anyway, thanks for reading, I am going to attempt to take a nap while the baby is sleeping and hubby is glued to his PS3.

SHIN SPLINTS?

Today is a better day for us! Finally feeling a little better, just wish I coulkd shake this cold, virus, whatever it is. I have noticed the last couple of days that my legs are aching. I haven't run since Wednesday and all of a sudden my shins are killing me today. What's that all about? As for my eating habits... I am still linking and balancing but not eating nearly as many veggies as I need to. I never realized how i just absolutely lose my sense of taste when I am sick. I can't taste anything! Oh well, See you tomorrow.

The Biggest Loser

Ok I believe this is day 4 of Household sickness. Sydney had a rough night and morning! We all were up until about 1:30am, Sydney had several coughing spells, then she slept until 5:45am, more coughing spells. We got out in the hopes of getting urgent care for Sydney only to find out that the base "hospital" isn't open and there is no one to talk to about my baby being sick. The stores DO NOT sell cough meds for babies under 2. This is my first child so bear with me, I am learning. Right now the aspirator (AKA bulb AKA Sydney's worst nightmare) is my bestfriend! She has her good points during the day and night and we just try to get rest when we can.  I am feeling better at the moment but its been up and down all day.

 On to the subject for today. I was watching an episode of the Biggest Loser today and I was so bother by something, but at the same time I was enlightened! This whole weight loss and  maintaining a healthy weight thing is mental (at least for me) Its not so much working out, its all in my head. In this episode the contestants were given the opportunity to vie for a golden ticket that would be the only vote this week to evict one of the people that fell below the yellow line. The contestants could choose not to play or open containers with either hidden goodies or the 1 golden ticket. There were atleast 40 trays and atleast 10 contestants. Needless to say, every single one of them pigged out like they hadn't learned anything at the Biggest Loser Ranch! Some eating over 3,000 calories in that few minutes they had before one of them found the ticket.  I was embarassed for them! Now, I know I havent been in that situation per se but come on, they came to the ranch to lose weight and learn about making good choices when tempted out in the real world!  That's when it hit me, for them to have come so far and just make big mistakes like that there has to be something that I am over looking about weightloss being a lifestyle change. It really is going to take some determination and constant being on my toes to overcome these horrible eating habits! It's not about a diet it's about changing the way I think and deal with food! I have to change my whole way of thinking and believeing and even reasoning when it comes to what I eat. This may sound dumb to others but, it hit me like a ton of bricks! This is going to be a long hard battle but in the end if I can conquer this I CAN DO ANYTHING! Thanks for reading!

FORGET Yesterday!

Okay as you can tell from the title, I WILL NOT be running today!

After talking to my Dad and telling him how I was going running despite what my Dr. said, he warmed me that going against Dr.'s orders would be a big  mistake, plus the way my body is aching, I wasnt going to be able to run. After some thought and my dad's convincing argument I will not run this week. My Dr. said to give it a week and I should be feeling much better, so that is what I am going to do. Don't think for one second that I am quitting  or giving up! I will be back on track with my exercising ASAP. Let me tell you a little bit about this morning. Sydney woke up at 3:45 this morning babbling like a crazy woman. She stayed awake until about 5 am, I was feeling horrible and so was hubby! He finally decided to go to the Dr. this morning.  Anyway, I am feeling a little better. 

 Soon I will start posting some of the pictures that I have taken of food that I am cooking at home.

 On a more positive note let me share a little something with you that I absolutely LOVE before I go. Drum Roll Please.....

I love my Locs... A special HEY to all of my loc'd buddies out there!

Sick! Ugh!

Hello Again,
I am sooo sick! Me, the baby and my husband are all suffering from colds! Sydney had a fever of 101.5 this morning. We all had appointments this morning and I found out that I have an ear infection too! I have been feeling pretty bad all day but with the Ibuprofen I was given, I am feeling better! I still want to run, my Dr. says that I should wait a week and then start back running but I just don't know if I can skip a week, I am on a roll and I am really motivated. As far as my diet... I am still linking and balancing but adding alot more fluids other than water. I don't really have an appetite. I was thinking about making little motivational signs and putting pics up all over the house for encouragement. I also want to get a dry erase board and chart what I am eating and activity for the week. Does anyone else do this or something similar? Has it helped? Anyway, I am going to attempt to do some Yoga. See you tomorrow! Thanks for reading.

My Enemy & Friend!

Food! Why am I struggling (in my head) with wanting to just binge! The way of eating that I am trying to adopt as a lifestyle (The IR diet) allows me to eat everything! There is a certain way to do that and still lose weight and be healthy. For instance, I can have a cookie, i can probably have two of them but as I contemplate getting one, some crazy part of me is saying, "No, not one or two cookies we want the whole pack and icecream to go with it!" I haven't binged and I am not going to but I just find it so amazing how my mind just wants to eat. I am not hungry! This is going to be a long hard journey! But I can do it! It's in my control! I will win!

Ice Ice Baby! W1D2 Podrunner Intervals

Hello Again,

W1D2  was absolutely difficult! I wouldn't say that I was totally out of shape before I started this but, I would be so wrong! I thought by my second run it would be alot easier but NO! It was challenging the entire way! When I heared the Podrunner noise for me to start running, I dreaded it each time! Not to mention the roads were iced over and it was dark outside. I ran at 6am while hubby was getting ready for work since he won't return until around 9 tonight. So it's just me and the baby all day. I read somewhere that you should wear a scarf to breath through when running while it's cold outside. I am going to look for some kind of runners scarf or make my own because at some point when I was running it kind of felt like my lungs were burning, I'm sure that was from the cold though. I didn't have anything to eat or pump before I left and suprisingly when I got home i wasnt starving or thirsty. I was huffing and puffing like a dragon! At my ten week mark I am going to be so amazed to be able to run 30 minutes straight. My focus today was on my running form and pace. I realized last run that I started out too fast and I don't believe it should be about speed so much right now. My legs have been so sore the last couple of days, I don't really have a good stretching routine down. I took out the old handy dandy  P90X stretch DVD  when I made it home this morning. It was well worth the time spent. I feel so loose now!  Am I the only one that feels more encouraged to eat right on the running days? After all that hard work all I could think was " Eat healthy or you just ran in vain!" I am thinking of switching things up a bit. Another one of my goals  is to be more flexible (very flexible).  I guess that's it for today! See ya tomorrow, Revised workout plan below:

Mon-Run, P90X stretch
Tue-Weights, P90X Yoga
Wed-Run, P90X stretch
Thur-Weights-P90X Yoga
Fri-Run, P90X stretch
Sat- Walking or some other activity
Sun-REST!!!

Some Randomness

So this morning Sydney woke up at about 4 a.m. Which is rare. She's just chillin' in her crib looking at her mobile and talking to it. I get up and bring her down stairs to feed her. I LOVE breastfeeding especially now that I can pump and give her a bottle. I felt like I had restless leg syndrome last night after that run. I didn't sleep so good especially since I drank all that water. I had to pee at 3am. I hate waking up in the middle of the night to pee! I am a little sore this morning, all over but especially in my quads. I am going to look up some stretches that are maybe geared more toward runners. I love the fact that running really is a total body work out!  I was hungry when Sydney woke up. I feel like I am becoming a pro at this link and balance thing so for my early a.m. snack I just ate 8oz of turkey breast and I drank about 8 oz of orange juice. That should hold me over a couple of hours.

So Runderwoman where are you? Just a random thought, I am so inspired by others on weightloss journeys, even when they fall/ struggle with it. Hey, that's part of making it a life long commitment right?
See You later!

My 1st Blog Post (W1D1 Podrunner)

I can't believe how challenging Podrunner was my first day. I have to say, it got easier everytime I heared the sound telling me to speed up. Is it just me or did all of the music seem to have almost the same tempo? I'm not sure what everyone else did on Day 1 of Podrunner but I spent my warm up jogging a little too fast! By the time I heared the chime sound for me to speed up I was almost out of gas. I was disappointed in myself and arguing with myself the rest of the way about whether to just give up and try again another day. I didnt quit, I finished the whole 29+ minutes. At the end of Day1, I have a note to self:

1: Put on chapstick before leaving the house
2: Put on a hat and gloves before leaving the house

I am from Texas and living here in England its super cold, what the heck was I thinking leaving the house wearing a thin jogging suit  and an MP3 Player? Anyway, I am just too proud of myself for completing that run/walk AND I actually linked and balanced my carbs and proteins all day. I wasn't obsessing about food. I see that 5k race in my future! Is 1 year too long to actually prepare to run a 5k? Podrunner suggests that you rest between run days and run 3x per week. I will start my weight training next week, opposite my run days. Call me crazy but I plan to liftweights twice a week instead of three days. Am I the only person in the world blogging and dealing with insulin resistance? If there's anyone out there please send me a message or something. I was totally inspired by Runderwoman to start this blog. I have always wanted to be a long distance runner and I
will accomplish that goal this year and take off this yo-yo dieting baby weight. Thanks for reading, See ya tomorrow! Here's my list of mini goals and my work out schedule. 

current weight: 205
My Birthday!!!( June 3): 180
September1: 165
December1: 150
February1: 140

Work Out

Mon-Run
Tues- Weight training (bi's,tri's,chest and back)
Wed-Run
Thur-Weight training (legs)
Fri-Run
Sat- relax (take my baby girl for a walk)
Sun-relax