Falling off the Wagon Hurts!!

I'm back and soooo very sore!!  I fell off the wagon for SEVERAL MONTHS...more than I care to share...but I am getting back on.  I have the type of persoanlity that I am all or nothing.  So when I fall off the diet/exercise wagon...I fall hard!!  I am doing a 60 mile walk in September and the training has begun.  I walked with two friends on Sunday morning....10 miles.  It was much nicer to walk and train with friends.  We talked and laughed...and also did a little huffing and puffing along the way.  After the walk I was fine then the afternoon came.  Geez was I sooo sore!!  I declared that my legs hated me!! I slept with a heating pad under them that night and everything.  Lesson learned--STRETCH BEFORE AND AFTER A WALK!!  This walk jump started my workout craziness!!  I am a member of a great gym in Southaven.  I recently joined the team training classes.  Lets just say the first class KICKED MY BUTT!! I told my husband last night that as sore as my legs have been the past few days I better have some good looking legs come September!! :)  I am excited to get myseld back into the swing of things.  I have felt kinda down lately, very tired, and moody.  Yesterday I felt myself relax and release some stress while I was sweating my butt off!! It was nice to have my get away at the gym and it felt good to know that I was doing something good for myself.  I am trying a new team training class tonight...lets hope that I will still be able to walk tomorrow!! :)

Sack of Taters

I am writing this blog today with a HUGE SMILE ON MY FACE!!!!  I have really buckled down this week.  I worked out 5 of the 7 days...which is a big deal.  A couple of nights I didn't get home until after 9:30 p.m. and when you leave your house at 7:30 a.m. that is a big deal.  I had my weekly weigh in tonight.  After last week and my REALITY CHECK I was excited to weigh.  I knew that I had done everything that I was supposed to do this week to have positive results tonight. I am happy to report that I lost......6 POUNDS THIS WEEK!!!!  I am not allowing myself to think about how much weight that I have to lose...instead I am enjoying my accomplishment.  Have you ever carried around a sack of potatoes??? It gets heavy...well I just lost a sack of potatoes plus one pound!! :) 

I have REALLY buckled down this week.  Our runs are to the point of NO WALKS.  I never thought I would be able to run for 25 minutes straight...but I did last night.  I am excited and nervous about our 5k.  It is in 3 weeks.  My goal now is to try to work on my speed.  I am not concerned with finishing the race...I am however concerned with being the last one to cross the finish line.  I am excited about my next week on my weight loss journey.  Hopefully next week I will have an awesome weight loss again.  It does pay to track what you put in your body.  Look out JHud...I am going to knock your weight loss out of the park!! :)

Show Off!!!

Ok so I have been SUPER PROUD of myself this week!  I have written EVERYTHING DOWN that I have eaten.  I now understand that quantity does matter!! :)  I am actually looking forward to my weigh in on Thursday.  I am excited to see how much weight I have lost this week.  I have set small personal goals for myself...and of course I have the BIG GOAL but I just keep that in the back of my mind.  I try not to think about all the weight that I want to lose so I am able to enjoy the small steps that I am taking. 

Gym, Gym, Gym...he has become my new best friend!!  I brought my workout clothes to school last night so I could head straight to see Gym.  I was so proud of myself!! Look at me working out after work and then school all night.  Go me, Go me!!  I get to the gym and only one treadmill is open.  So I jump on next to Forrest Gump.  He just kept running and running...and running.  He was going soooo fast too!!  I am very jealous!!  This seemed to make my "Yay Me"  that I was yelling in my head go to a whisper.  I was like um yeah look at me, little snail running away next to this cheetah!! I tried to use his speed as encouragement.  Maybe one day I will be able to jump on the treadmill and run 3 miles with my eyes closed.  I should be able to do this seeing as I am now a RUNNER!! :) While Forrest was on my left...GI Joe was on my right.  This made for a very amusing run.  GI Joe ran for a second...then made his treadmill go on an incline and then...he turned around.  He was running backwards on the treadmill.  All I could think was if he falls off I am NOT going to be able to hold in the laughter.  Just when I get my composure he jumps off the machine and starts doing spastic push ups.  OOOH what I would have done to have a video camera with me.  I give it to you GI Joe you are very ambitious!! Go to town James Brown is all I have to say....that and thanks for the laugh!! :) 

I love to people watch...if you haven't already been able to tell.  I hope I give others as much joy and entertainment as they give me.  I love to think about blogging while I am running.  It helps take my mind off what I am actually doing.  Wish me luck on the rest of my week...I will report back on Thursday after my weigh in....FINGERS CROSSED!!

Slow and Steady Wins the Race, Right?

I have always heard that saying..."slow and steady wins the race"...but it is really hard to change my mindset to that!  I have mentioned before that I run with a group of friends.  They are ALL in way better shape than me. Recently when we all ran I pushed pushed puuuushed myself to keep up.  It was so hard and I had to stop...which was really frustrating.  My next run I went back to my trusty treadmill.  I like the treadmill because it keeps me at a particular pace the whole time and doesn't let me slow down.  I didn't have to stop one time.  I realized that my goal with the 5k was to finish it and not have to walk....not to win the race.  The next run I did with my friends I kept this in mind.  I didn't let the fact that I was waaay behind bother me.  They were great as usual and very supportive and encouraging.  I ran way slower but I was able to run the whole time and not stop.  Yay, goal achieved!

In this personal challenge of mine I have obviously decided that I need to shed the pounds I have gained over the past few years.  I always seem to fall into a relationship and get happy and HEALTHY OUT OF SHAPE.  I have decided that I want to feel as attractive as I did when I was out on the dating scene.  The fun me when I met my husband.  I am sure he misses that me too!! It is hard to stay all peppy and fun when you are struggling with who you have let yourself become.  I have not changed as a person...I am still silly and fun.  I just don't fell as confident as I used to...and that bothers me.  I want to walk into a room and feel confident. I love the way I feel when I am working out and eating healthy (oooh boy).  I can have a good workout and it affects my mood dramatically!!  I may be tired afterwards but I have a smile on my face.  I am hopeful in the changes to come my way as long as I stay on track.  bikini season...well maybe next year...but this year I want to be confident in my non bikini!! :)

The DREADED DIET!!!  I have always struggled with staying on a plan for an extended period of time.  If there is a diet out there I have been on it! I have taken appetite suppressants, etc, but I want something to work for the long run.  Here is my current challenge.  I didn't get this way overnight so I am not going to get back to my old body overnight.  I have recently started the Weight Watchers diet.  This for me is the way to go.  I can still eat normal food...I JUST HAVE TO COUNT THE POINTS.  That is the hard thing to do.  I have to come to terms with the fact that I am NOT the new SI Model who recently said she eats whatever she wants and doesn't workout....anyone else want to throw something at her?  I have to work to achieve my "dream body."  With the encouragement of my sweet mom who always says that "I can do it"  I am buckling down and writing EVERYTHING that goes in my mouth down!  WOW...it really helps.  It wasn't that I was eating bad food...it was the quanity.  I am really taking a look at what I am doing.  This is my first week to JHUD (Jennifer Hudson...she lost 80lbs on weight watchers) the program.  I am going to do it to a T.  I will post next week my results.  Wish me luck and lets hope I don't have a come apart at the weighn in if it isn't what I wanted to see. 
                                       

My Hips Don't Lie

OOOOOOOOHHHHHH MYYYYYYY LOOOOOORD!!! Last night I declared that "I am old!!"  I neglected my run time last week but got back on track last night.  I met the girls at the gym for our little run.  Did I say little?  Let me rephrase that to the LONGEST 30 MINUTES OF MY LIFE!!! Last nights run was full of 3 and 5 minute runs (two of each...which equals FOUR OF THEM!!)  5 minutes has never seemed so long to me in my life.  The last 5 minutes were the worst.  My sweet friends were so encouraging. they even slowed down to encourage me...yes they lapped me...but hey who cares!  When I had to stop for a second they stopped with me!!  I even got a pat on the back with encouraging words.  It is nice to know that I have friends who will slow down their progress to give me some support. 

My side was hurting so bad I felt like I was back in my softball days.  (which I greatly miss!!)  At least when I conditioned for softball I knew that I would be playing my favorite sport and killing the ball!! I loved that game!!  So the conditioning was ok, sucked but I did it.  Now I am not as encouraged by my training for the 5 K because the end result is not a sport in which I excel.  I am not a runner and lets just say that trying to become a runner is waaay harder than I ever thought!!  I am glad that I have decided to kill challenge myself with a goal I never thought possible.  FINISHING A 5K!!!

Last night I was thinking about runners.  There is a reason that they are so fit.  It is because running takes EVERYTHING THAT YOU HAVE!!!  I could have slept for hours this morning.  I am still groggy and my hip is sore!! Poor old hip!!  I have put it through alot!! ha!  Lets just say that I am NOT looking forward to running but I must press on.  Ugh stupid will power!!!

Stay Tuned to hear about my Day 2 of Death!! :)

Channeling Lindsay Lohan

Ok so I totally had a relapse Lindsay Lohan style this weekend....YES I HAD COKE!!!! No the illegal kind..but the NOT GOOD FOR YOUR DIET kind!!! (Coca-Cola)  I decided that I needed to get out of the house this weekend.  So I headed to a local bar and had a few drinks with friends.  I did find that I now like Michelob Ultra Lime that has only 95 calories.  YES...I had my bartender friend look at the various beers they had to tell me the lowest calorie count! :)  It pays to know people, right?  This started the downward spiral of my weekend.  I drank a couple of beers...but I danced those calories off.  At least that I what I am telling myself.  My night out was followed by my beloved Waffle House!! Why must something so good be sooo bad??  The next day was Super Bowl Sunday.  Yep, you guessed it I cheated again!!  I only managed to eat one a few cookies and snack on carrots dips and cheese balls.  DEAR LORD!!!  I totally fell off the wagon. (insert sad depressing music here!!)  I did sooo good with my workouts and such but fell off the wagon with my "I need my life back weekend"  I am back on the wagon today.  I just have that blah feeling..the feeling that has been gone for a couple of weeks due to my healthy eating and working out.  I have not missed this feeling.  I am sooo ready for it to go away!!  I will be back on the treadmill tomorrow night.  Look out  legs you are going to be sooo sore tomorrow.  Sometimes I really wish I was one of those girls who could eat ANYTHING and NEVER gain a pound!! NEVER go to the gym...although I enjoy the gym..and look fabulous.  I miss the days of Marilyn Monroe being the celebrity icon.  I mean she actually had curves!!! 

Can't we bring that back?  So now I must forget about all the delicious horrible food I ate this weekend and go back to the healthy food I was eating!!  Diet, I have not missed you...but I am back!!

Road Kill

So I am learning the "rules of the track"  They are VERY specific and not to be broken.  Some people are very particular about the rules.  My friends told me of a woman the other day that would yell "EXCUSE ME" loudly every time she ran by them on their warm up.  I thought it was funny until my NEAR DEATH EXPERIENCE last night!! :)  I did my normal treadmill workout (I completed day 3 of week 2) then off to the track I went.  I like to do another run on the track...it just makes me feel like I am really a runner!! ha The difference in the track is that there are other people up there.  I have to worry about going around people or people going around me.  I like to shoot daggers from my eyes at those who are flash lightning on the track.  There was a guy up there last night who was just that....soooo fast.  I watched him in envy as he lapped me time after time again.  Grr slow down mister!!  Well the rules are walkers to the inside runners to the outside...I THINK!!! Who knows!!  I was slowing down from my run and then BAM...my brush with death!! Flash came running so fast beside me and so close I think he even grazed my shoulder.  IT SCARED THE BE-JESUS out of me!!  I thought I had had a collision...or even worse BROKEN THE RULES OF THE TRACK!! So for the next minute and a half (my walk time)  My heart was beating sooo fast!!  I mean really guy...you can't slow your speed down for five seconds to not give a newbie a heart attack???  I wish someone would have been with me...bc I jumped and might have even made a squeal. 

All this running is making me TIRED!!! I mean I was exhausted this morning.  I could have stayed in bed all day.  I thought exercising was supposed to give you energy.  I am totally drained today!! I am excited about my afternoon.  I get to see a couple of friends, followed by a business meeting, and then racquetball with my husband. 
I am not sure if I have ever played.  We attempted tennis once but got sooo sick of chasing the balls we gave up.  I was always a softball player so it has been challenging for me to learn to swing a racquet.  I think it will be fun...he will probably kick my butt...but at least we will have fun.  See I'm so tired I am even being a good sport! ha! 


(ps I had the funniest racquetball picture but I can't get it to upload!!! grrr) 

Getting the hang of it!!

I currently finished Day 2, Week 2 of Couch to 5k.  This has ended up being a fun challenge for myself.  I have been training on the treadmill and last night I changed it up.  I did my Couch to 5k on the treadmill then joined 3 of my girlfriends for some track time.  I am a week ahead of them on the training schedule...I was worried that I would need an extra week to train.  I was proud of myself last night.  I did both training schedules!!  I NORMALLY HATE TO RUN!! It was fun.  It was waaay more fun to join my friends on the track than having my one woman show on the treadmill.  Now for a little honesty...I love my girlfriends dearly.  They have become very close to me...(we have a special bond..we are the wives of Gabby Johnson...I just made myself laugh on how I made that sound!! ha! )  Anyways, they are all fit skinny and beautiful!!!  I look like a hot mess when working out so I was concerned that I would be the odd one out when I joined them on the track.  Lets just say that didn't happen.  I still looked a hott mess but they were fabulous.  I got a couple of comments on my fb page saying that they were excited that I was joining them that night. (they train M, T, W...I have class on M and T so I am only able to train with them on Wednesday)  It was nice to know that my friends are encouraging!!  I am really looking forward to our 5k that we are all doing in April.  It is going to be fun...yes I just said that running was going to be fun!! 

On another subject...my weight loss.  My goal is to lose 5-7 lbs a week.  Last week I lost....7 LBS!!!! I was soooo freaking excited!!  I can't believe that I have let myself get so unhealthy, but I am enjoying getting back into the swing of things.  My husband even said last night that we was proud of me for becoming a runner.  BECOMING A RUNNER!!!! What??? I guess in a way that is what I am a journey to become...a RUNNER!! ha..  :) 

I have also found a new and FUN alternative to working out at the gym...or in my case and addition to working out at the gym....JUST DANCE 2!!!! It is soooo much fun!!  I did it last night when I got home...HILARIOUS!!!  Donnie and I laughed so hard as I was sweating away just dancing.  He kept saying it looked like I was back at my High School Prom!! ha!  I loved it!! Nothing like a little Criss Cross and Beyonce to get the blood pumping!!

easy breezy, right??

Tonight was a piece of cake sugar free toffee square! 

That may be a stretch, but my run tonight went MUCH easier than the other two.  I was shocked at how much better I was doing with the running.  This is the calm before the storm....Next week the schedule changes so then it will be agony all over again!! My legs are sore but it is a good sore...or at least that is what I am telling myself!!  Am I being a little over the top?  I have become somehwhat of a homebody lately...but spending my Friday night running on the treadmill takes it to a new level.  I am just ready to shed the extra lbs that I have gained lately and get back into the swing of things.  I have  a CLOSET FULL OF CLOTHES that are all calling my name...they are actually talking to me now as I type!!

 They miss me and I miss them! :)  I am ready to put on one of my cute dresses and go out for the weekend.  My husband will like this...it means I will be out of my scrubs/sweats attire. 

(I couldn't resist this picture!! hahahahahaha)  I have set small goals for myself.  I will find out Monday (my weigh day) how I am doing on my journey.  Hopefully having my weigh day on Monday will keep my accountable during the weekend.  One of my goals is small and simple.  I bought Kenny Chesney tickets today for my husbands birthday.  The concert will be outside and I want to wear a cute sun dress with little boots and feel comfortable.  I want to buy my dress at one of my favorite boutiques...the one and only Janie Rose Boutique...

Small steps...small steps.  First Step is to get back into some of my fabulous clothes in my closet.  Second step cute dress for Kenny Chesney. Third Step bathing suit body...(long term goal...but hey I am going to keep working towards it!!)

OOOOWWWW, Ouch, OOOh Me

OOOOOW, Ouch, OOOH Me were the phrases I just said, moaned, yelled when I was getting up from the couch.  I ran again tonight.  I mean what is it about a treadmill that makes your body hurt sooo bad??  I didn't make it to spin tonight because I had a very important soccer player to watch first!! :)  Then I DECLINED Memphis Pizza Cafe with my entire family to go run.  WILL POWER YOU SUCK!!!  I am actually proud that I didn't go.  I LOVE LOVE LOVE MPC!!! I also LOVE my family...so it was a double wammie on the will power.  :) 

Now onto the gym...have you ever wondered how people LOVE to run?? Why on God's Green Earth do they enjoy it?? I was asking myself this question tonight.  What exactly about this is fun?? NOTHING!!  I also LOVE when someone gets on the treadmill next to me.  I like to be a loner...headphones in eyes on the prize, get the job done!!  I purposefully choose the one in the middle with no one beside me!!  That lasted for all of 5 minutes.  Here comes two perky girls to my left.  Now there is nothing wrong with being perky...just don't bring it by me when I feel like I am about to die from running...I'm just saying!! haha Well to add insult to injury the girl to my left is like speedy gonzales.  She is going sooo fast!!! 

I have a history of tripping people...I tripped my best friend in High School and I still haven't lived it down.  (it was classic...the best fall ever...I cried I laughed so hard...she, not so much)  Well to get to the point I REALLY wanted to trip this girl!! ha!  She was skinny and running fast!!! The only thing that made me feel better was that she lasted all of 10 minutes and was off of the machine.  Thank you Lord!!  So I am wondering if I am going to pick of speed with the training routine...will I be able to breathe after 3 miles??  Will I be the last person to cross the finish line??  I know, I know, a little at a time...but Hopefully my body will adjust soon.  Tonight, I feel like I have been beaten by Iron Mike...and he doesn't play!!

Couch to 5k, Dear Lord!!!

Tonight was the night!!!  The big "lets get back into shape" night.  I started my night with an hour of spin.  Spin to me is basically the best thing in the world  hell for an entire hour...which includes lots of sweat and an occasionaly sore butt!!  I love the felling AFTER spin...but during I am counting EVERY MINUTE until the class is over.

 I followed this up with my first ever COUCH TO 5K WORKOUT!!!

Oh mylanta!!! Why in the world did I think I could do this running thing?? It killed me!! (well that may be alittle dramatic...but if you know me well then you know that is not uncommon!!)  The workout was challenging because I have not seriously run on a treadmill in over a year.  This was the first time I have personally challenged myself while in a workout.  I have always had a coach or trainer pushing me to my limit.  It kinda felt good knowing that I can challenge myself...but let me tell you those last couple of runs were not my favorite!! I am trying to tell myslef that I LOVE TO RUN!!! Lets see if the mind over matter works!! DAY ONE OF WORKING OUT....COMPLETED!!!

Is it possible??

Ok so I am very OCD...I wanted to just weigh once a week...but that didn't happen.  Last night I stepped back on the scale.  I was shocked by what I saw.  The scale that Donnie bought us has a memory option.  All you have to do is press your memory number and step on, then it gives you a + or - with a number beside it.  As the numbers were rolling I was nervous then there it was... -3.4 lbs!!!!! IS THIS POSSIBLE???? Have I really lost this weight that quickly?? Was I really eating that badly before??  Holy Moly!!  This was exaclty what I wanted/needed to see!!  I started night classes again last week and last night was HORRIBLE!!  The lady that sits beside me...huffs like the big bad wolf (for an entire hour bc she was mad about something), smacks (which is one of my pet peeves), and talks about stupid things the entire class!!! Needless to say I REALLY wanted a glass of wine when I got out of class.  STOP DON'T PASS GO, I CAN NOT HAVE WINE, OR BEER, OR ANYTHING FUN!!!!

Moderation is not one of my strong points...I am all or nothing.  So I had a glass of WATER when I got home.  I took a little nap then jumped on the scale.  So yay for day one.  I start working out tonight!!  I am sooo NOT  a runner, but I am going to add that to my lists of things I CAN DO!! I may even get wild and do a run session followed by spin!! LIVING ON THE EDGE HERE!! :)  So goodbye wine...I missed you last night but I will celebrate with you once I am in skinny clothes again!! 

and so it begins....

Well the fun must come to an end...eventually!  I recently got married in November.  The diet and exercise plan was in full effect (I may have started it about 2 months before my wedding..but it was in effect!!)  The wedding was great, the dress FIT and looked great.  Now let the honeymoon fun begin!!  We went to NYC with no rules in mind just to have fun.  That we did, we ate and drank and spent money (that last one is still a sore subject ha!)  The diet went out the window and has stayed gone for a couple of months...until now.  I have recently joined up with some girlfriends to run a 5k.  This may not be that big of a deal to most..but to a non runner it is a challenge.  I decided that I wanted to get a jump start on my fabulously fit friends so that I didn't look like the "before" from the biggest loser.  ha!  So the journey begins.  I asked my husband to buy us a scale...and like the sweet husband he is, he got one.  The dreeded day was tonight...my first weigh in. The words OH MY LORD were spoken a few times!! haha!  I have challenged myself with a few goals.  I am going to write about my struggles and irritations as well as my joys and accomplishments.  I am going to attempt to workout 5 days a week.  I am also cutting out certain carbs and alcohol, cokes, and sweets.  Here is my apology to anyone who comes into contact with me when I am having a craving! :)  I will blog once a week to document my weight loss journey.  I am hoping that by blogging it will keep me more accontable!! Let the weight loss begin!! :)