Monday Check In

Well, I'm holding steady at 133. Not down, but not up, so I'll take it. I didn't do as well point-wise this week, and I also didn't exercise as much as I should have. I was down to 132 the other day, but the pound loss didn't stick. Hopefully it will show back up for next week.

I did however run/walk 3.5 miles last night. I clocked the first 3 miles at 38:42, and just walked the last 1/2 mile to cool down. It really was not that hard - I could have pushed myself more to get it done faster - so that was a good feeling.

Will This Ever Get Easier???

The running is still hard for me - I thought it would be getting easier by now, but no such luck. I ran outside this evening (in close to 90 degree heat with no breeze) and was about to pass out after the first mile. I clocked in at just under 12 minutes, which is good for me, but then the second mile I did in 15 minutes - walking mostly. After that I had to get out of the heat! Hubby and I did the 8 minute abs video later and I also tried out the 8 minute arms video and couldn't get through the whole thing with my 5 lb weights. I'm going to try to work through it though.

My second benchmark 5k is July 12th so I only have about 2 weeks to get ready. I'm getting a bit nervous that the heat is going to do me in. The weather was perfect when I did the Race for the Cure - high 60's with a light breeze. I sure hope Mother Nature is kind here on July 12th!!

Weekly Weigh In - down 2 more pounds!

Wow - I had a high point weekend, and was so worried that I wouldn't show much on the scale, but this morning I weighed 133 lbs. So I've lost 5 pounds in the last 2 weeks! Yesterday was supposed to be an 'off' day for exercise, but I swam 15 laps in the pool in the afternoon and powerwalked a mile in the evening due to the extra points. It just goes to show the benefits of adding a little bit of extra exercise. I don't feel like I am overdoing the exercise at all, which is good because I've done that in the past only to get burnt out or injured. I'm trying to exercise at a moderate level so that I can really sustain it going forward.

I don't look nearly as bloated as I did 2 weeks ago, and my clothes are fitting better too. I'm motivated to have a great week.

Thanks for checking in and have a good week everyone!

Weekend Challenges

Ok, I had family in town for the weekend and a holdiay, both of which always get me out of whack - but I was determined not to get off course this time. We ate dinner out last night, and although I made good food choices, I ate too much (I estimate about 29 points for the day). But I made sure to do my running/powerwalking in the evening. I ran outside again - it really makes the workout go faster. I was still 134 on my scale this am, so I hope if I have a low point day today I can avoid any damage.

I also figured out my block is exactly 1.o mile - soooo great for knowing how far I've gone. I'm trying to run at a decent pace and then powerwalk as needed. I about 2.25 miles yesterday in 30 minutes which was good considering the heat. This afternoon we are headed to the pool so I hope to try out my new swimming goggles. I'm making a flank steak dinner tonight (which I don't eat so I'll be able to make something point friendly for myself). Hope everyone has a nice Father's Day planned!!

Snnoorrree..........

Ok, the treadmill is getting boring. I can watch TV while I'm on it, but it doesn't really help (maybe I need to find a show that catches my attention more than the clock/distance on my treadmill). On Tuesday I did my 2 miles in 27:40 minutes - not great but not bad. I am trying a new approach of running at a faster pace and powerwalking when I need to. Wed was a rest day, and last night I got back on the treadmill thinking I would do better than Tuesday. It seemed like I was on there f.o.r.e.v.e.r.... and I had to do more walking than running. I was a bit upset that it was so hard, and stopped after about 1.25 miles. I did my arm work and then a few things around the house. It was still light outside, so I decided to take a lap around the neighborhood. It took me about 12 minutes (walking/running) so I'm thinking it may be 3/4 of a mile or so. I plan to check the distance with my car today. The change of scenery really helped and I was so glad I didn't just throw in the towel on the workout. My husband and I did the 8 minute abs video before bed and I woke up today feeling great (and down a pound to boot!).

Eat to Live

I started re-reading this book last night:

I first read it a few years ago and was insprired to eat ultra-healthy. If you want to be grossed out about all of the processed, unhealthy and empty carlorie foods we eat, this book is for you.  He is especially concerned about childhood obesity.  His basic message is to eat nutrient dense foods, and he has helped many patients reverse disease and get off of medication just by transforming their diet. A great inspirational book for healthy eating.

A heads up though - this dude may seem a bit radical to you but keep in mind he has the data to support his claims of disease reversal - just think about that!  I could not stick to his ideal diet exactly forever, but the underlying messages are good and most of what he recommends can easily be incorporated into anyone's diet.  I am trying to follow the basic principles and eat primarily nutrient dense plant foods so that they make up 80% of the food I eat on a daily basis.  I don't eat red meat so I'm good there, but I do eat some dairy (he is anti-dairy).  I strive for 80%, but from looking at my food journal it is really more like 60-70%, but I'm trying!!

My only complaint is that this book could have used another edit - he tends to repeat himself sometimes (I'm sure which is just due to his passion for the subject).  The book does have some really catchy chapter titles such as "Digging our graves with knives and forks." It is an easy read, interesting, and a good reminder of why we need to eat healthy.  I recommend it to everyone!

If you read it (or have already read it), let me know what you think!

Week 1 Weight Check In

I weighed 135 on my scale this am - so I lost 3 pounds this week! The scale was stuck at 138 for so long, it feels great to actually see it move. I'm feeling less stuffed in my clothes too so that is a nice side effect. I don't expect to lose 3 pounds every week, but it is a great start!!

Weight Watchers Favorites

Thought I'd take a moment to post a few of my favorite WW friendly foods and I'd love to hear what yours are too...

• Morningstar Farms Garden Veggie Patties - these cook up quickly in the microwave and I eat one on a whole wheat bun with a bit of ketchup for a filling 3 point lunch. I've eaten these for lunch several times a week for the past 3 years (so I sure hope they don't find out they contain some kind of disease causing agent someday - haha) - delish!!
• WW Yogurts - I have a hard time getting in my milk - not a big dairy person here - but I do like their one point yogurts.
• Here is a new discovery for me: Eat Smart fresh salads brand Santa Maria Style- Broccoli Salad. I got mine by the bagged salads at Shop-n-save. It comes in its own little container - perfect to take to work. Lotsa broccoli, some carrots and red cabbage, then a bag of crunchy stuff to put on top (soynuts, dried cranberries & sunflower seeds) and a light tangy dressing. It took a while to eat and was a very filling 3 points. On the days I ate this last week I had low points days...hmmm....gotta stock up on these!

This evening is going to be a test for me. We have a bbq party for my son's soccer team. I'm sure there will be a lot of food with limited healthy choices. I plan to eat a lot of veggies before I go and to focus on the conversation and not the food while I am there. Earlier today I was at the ballpark for a little league double header. I packed some fruit for myself and then took DS to Subway after for lunch so I'm pretty good on points so far today. I hope I am able to pass by all the food tonight. Wish me luck because my first official weigh-in is tomorrow!!

YES! I DID IT!!!

Woo-Hoo! I got myself up this am and down to the Susan G. Koman Race for the Cure. Here is a photo I made my hubby take of me before I left:
I was about over an hour and a half early though - haha! It wasn't a problem with this event though because there was SO much going on. Lots of festivities, vendor booths, hoopla, etc. Talk about INSPIRATION!! Seeing so many survivors and their support groups just brought tears to my eyes. It made me feel so good that I have started on this quest, because I truly do not want to take my good health for granted. I highly recommend attending this event if it comes to your area!

The 5k is about 3.1 miles. My total time was 36:46, which was a lot better than I thought!! I would guess that I ran about 2 miles of it and powerwalked about 1 mile. I broke it up so I'm not sure of the exact amounts, but I was going at a faster average pace than I thought I would so I felt great when I finished!!

1st benchmark successfully completed!!

Friday Hello and What time of day do you exercise??

Got myself into a bit of an exercise quandry this week. Tomorrow am (Saturday) is the Race for the Cure and yesterday (Thursday) was my rest day. So what to do for today?? I have been doing my workouts after work, but I didn't want to do that tonight so close to the 5k. Had I planned better I would have made yesterday an exercise day and today rest, but it is what it is. So as I started to drink my morning coffee I realized that I could do a bit of exercise this am and still have almost 24 hours to rest before the race. So I got myself on the treadmill - did about 1.5 miles (not sure exactly how much I did because I triggered the emergency stop button by accident and my time and distance were erased :-( ). Anyhow, I also did my arm weights and some stretching. I got to work late, but I was happy I took the time to exercise in the morning.

I really would like to try to workout in the mornings, but my body is so used to the routine of dragging myself out of bed, pouring a cup of coffee down my throat and getting in the shower. Today showed me I could exercise before the coffee [side note here - coffee is a very significant part of my life so this was quite a moment] and survive. It really makes more sense to exercise in the am - I don't like to go to bed all sweaty and taking 2 showers per day is just not efficient. Plus our evenings tend to fill up with activities for the boys so trying to get in a workout on a busy evening is difficult. So I'm going to attempt to workout in the mornings at least a few days per week. We'll see how that goes.

Tomorrow bright and early is the Race for the Cure. I'm pre-registered so all I need to do is get myself up and dressed and down to the starting line. I'll check in tomorrow to post how I did!

Benchmarks!

Wow! First of all, many thanks to everyone who left a comment yesterday - it got me even more motivated! I have lots to report today, and I have set my first and second benchmarks.

Today I registered for the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure 5k that is in my city on this Saturday - YES as in 3 days from now. No, I'm not crazy - it is a run/walk so my goal is simply to actually show up (baby steps here) and complete the race. I plan to jog as much as I can and powerwalk the rest. I figure if I am looking for inspiration, there is no better place to go than to this event - they are expecting 60,000 participants! It starts at 7am and I am so afraid that I am just going to hit snooze on the alarm and go back to sleep, thus I am putting it out here to make sure I do it! Ok, so that is Benchmark 1.

I found Benchmark 2 in my registration packet - it was a flyer for another 5k on July 12th so my goal is to be able to run the whole thing. I would have about 4 weeks to train so I think I can do it. What great material for scrapbook pages these 5k's will be!!

My hip is feeling better - between ice and motrin I was able to control the damage (I think). Yesterday I just did arm work because even the sit-ups were bothering it and I wanted to make sure I gave it enough rest. I adjusted my WW points lower and ate under 20 points due to the lack of exercise. I stopped at Target today and picked up some swim goggles. I plan to add some lap swimming this summer especially if my hip starts acting up again - no stress on the joints so no excuses!

Today I was able to get back on the treadmill and completed my 2 miles - this time in 29 minutes, but I did slow down a couple of times and walked. My running pace was faster though and I found this workout more difficult than Monday's. I was hoping that the workouts would get easier, but I guess it will take a while before I turn the corner. Today was busy so I didn't get a chance to start exercising until this evening (as in 8:30pm) but I'm glad I didn't skip it - I'm really feeling good now - so much so that I'm about to do the 8 Minute Abs video.

To all those that are on a similar quest, keep on keepin on........

The Beginning!

Hi there! I'm Jenn, an out of shape scrapaholic!

Welcome to my online scrapbook documenting my personal quest to get IN SHAPE and lose those last 12 pounds that love to hang around on my body. I've lost them many times before but somehow they keep creeping back!

I'm a bit hesitant to put all of this out in the public domain, but I am doing so to keep myself ACCOUNTABLE! I also hope that keeping track of my progress will help keep me motivated in this quest! If you happen to stumble upon this blog, please leave me a comment to keep me going, or share a story about your journey.

A little background...
I have healthy eating habits for the most part thanks to years of Weight Watchers -- see evidence photo below...

What I don't do at all these days is exercise. Other than chasing around after 2 boys, I really don't do anything else. This must change!

I'm 5'5" tall and yesterday I weighed in at 138 lbs. Now that may not seem too bad to you, but I am very small boned so it is quite a bit of weight for me. Also, I think I've been able to keep my weight under 140 for the last year by managing to lose all possible muscle tone - haha. Sad but true. 138 a few years ago would not have looked the way it does on me now. I've noticed many physical changes in myself this last year - more grey hair, age spots, cellulite - even the texture of my skin seems to be changing. I'm always tired. I used to be able to drop 5 pounds easy by just being strict about my diet, but that's not working anymore so I think my metabolism has slowed way down too. I'm only 37, so the bottom line is... I'M JUST NOT READY TO LOOK AND FEEL THIS OLD!

I'm a goal oriented person, so I need to lay out a few to keep myself on track. They may change as I go along but here they are for now (in random order) --
I want to...
(1) lose 12 pounds
(2) be able to run a 5k comfortably
(3) gain muscle tone

I plan to accomplish these goals by exercising regularly and eating healthy. I'm not sure of the timeline needed yet, so right now I don't have a deadline. I do plan to add some small benchmark goals along the way.

Yesterday (6/8/09) was Day One of my quest and I was off to a great start. I started keeping track of my WW points again, and had 23 for the day. I got on the treadmill after work and decided to run (well, ok jog) to see how far I could go and I was able to jog 2.0 miles. It took me 31:00 minutes so I was jogging s.l.o.w. but I did it, and it felt great! I had my 9 year old son take my picture when I got off the treadmill, and here it is (can't believe I'm actually posting this photo on the internet, but it must be done)...

I also did 8 Minute Abs (my favorite exercise video of all time) and some push-ups in the evening. So I went to bed last night very proud of myself for a good first day, but I know I have a long way to go.

This morning brought with it a reminder that the journey is not going to be easy. I woke up and my left hip was SORE! I have had problems with bursitis in my hip in the past, and I so hope that it doesn't start bothering me again. I think I got a little over anxious and did too much yesterday -- going from not exercising to jogging 2 miles was probably not the best idea. So no jogging today, but I plan to do some arm work with weights and the 8 Minute Abs video this evening. Hopefully I'll get back on the treadmill tomorrow.

So if you have made it this far, thanks for reading and please WISH ME LUCK!!