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Body movin’, body movin’

June 15, 2012 in fitness, Uncategorized

A Beastie Boys inspired title to kick off Friday ;) !

AND it’s been a while since I last talked about how I’m moving.

For one, I’ve stopped running. If you’re just catching up, I ran for the last time on May 6 in the Waldwick 5K on a shin that I was pretty sure was fractured (NOT at all over-dramatic). It wasn’t, but the orthopedist told me to rest for two weeks. After two weeks…my shin still hurt. I decided to continue doing everything else at that point except running.

So where am I now? My shin no longer hurts. For a while it was feeling weird, where it didn’t hurt but I was aware of it. Does that make any sense? Anyway, it didn’t feel normal, but now it does.

I’m still not running. There are a couple reasons:

1. My trainer doesn’t think it’s a good idea. He’s told me over and over again that it won’t help me lose weight and it’s probably too hard on my body right now and I finally believe him. While I was running, weight loss felt like a HUGE struggle. It was hard for me to balance what I was eating with what I was burning…because I had no idea (anyone want to buy me a Garmin??). Also, I was WAY hungrier when I ran. Sticking to a calorie limit now feels (dare I say it??) almost easy. 

2. I started to feel like running was getting in the way of other things. If I had a long (for me) run on the weekend, I wouldn’t also want to hike that day with a friend. I felt like I needed a LOT of rest to recover from even 3-mile runs. I love running, but I don’t want to turn down other activities because I have to run.

Source: iobad.com via Jodi on Pinterest

 

BUT, let me say this. Actually being able to run and completing FOUR (!!!) 5Ks hands down feels like my biggest accomplishment in my entire life. I could not run a mile in high school. I didn’t care about running a mile after high school. The fact that I was able to follow a running program (COUCH TO 5K – DO IT), stick with it, and LOVE it? AMAZING. I want to run again. I will run again. Just not now.

Source: lovetopedal.com via Jodi on Pinterest

 

In place of running, I’m walking a LOT. Walking is my first love and the main exercise I’ve done to get me to where I am now weight-loss wise.

I’m also incorporating a few days at the gym where I use the elliptical (ugh) and strength train with dumbbells and my own body weight.

I finally feel like I’m back to some sort of normal exercise routine after being injured, taking a lot of time to rest and then getting sick.

I’ve even scheduled a session with my trainer for Saturday morning to make sure my weekend starts with a big, healthy push.

 

 How are you going to sweat this weekend??

 

 

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All the small things

May 21, 2012 in fat acceptance, fitness, happiness, progress

I don’t have much time to write – the weekend kind of got away from me. But I did want to share some of the healthy things I’ve been up to:

1. First, an injury update. Be prepared to be disappointed. I sure am. My shin…still hurts. I’m going to give it some more rest from running and instead start walking longer distances again. I missed my park so much the last two weeks. I went back for a slow 4-mile walk on Saturday and just let my mind wander while I strolled along the river. It was glorious. I stretched half-way through and again at the end and put on my compression sleeves after and my legs seem to be doing ok.

This is not from the park. Or this weekend. But the bunny is cute.

2. My eating has been really natural and on point since I ditched daily weigh-ins. I get a little paranoid sometimes that I’m eating too much, but I’m trusting my hunger, my calorie counting and my body instead of a number. It feels good. I don’t plan to count calories forever, so I know this is a step in the right direction. Overall I think a lot less about my weight and instead think about how I’m feeling. Major win. Also, I’ve been way more moderate about my diet and including more treats. Usually desert for me is fruit, but I’ve been eating things like popcorn and froyo more regularly. Living on the edge, ya’ll.

A sample of my meals 80 percent of the time. Eggs, veggies, fruit.

...And 20 percent froyo. Addicted.

3. Before I started losing weight, I was really lazy. And not just in the no-exercise way. My whole life was lazy. I would spend weekends watching TV and laying around. I never cooked or cleaned. My lifestyle contributed a lot to my weight gain. Now…I’m always doing something. Whether it’s waking up early to go to the gym, grocery shopping, cleaning around my apartment – I move in small ways a lot more. I was thinking a lot about this as I was running around doing errands this weekend. Yes, I go to to the gym, which I never used to do, but I also think it’s small things that all fall under the category of “self care” that make a big difference, too. Case in point: Today I woke up around 7 a.m., cooked breakfast…pre-weight loss I probably would have met some friends at a diner. After, I went to the grocery store where I spent most of my time wandering around the produce section…before I would have gone right to the freezer to grab frozen meals. After food shopping, I hauled my laundry off to the laundry mat, came home and folded and put away all my clothes…pre-lifestyle change the clothes probably would have sat in the laundry basket for days. Then I went shopping for shoes…returned home and prepped some meals for the week. There’s just a lot more action in my day-to-day life that was never there before. Obviously these little things add up calorie-wise, but they also make a difference in my happiness. Going to bed knowing I have a healthy lunch prepared for the next day, a clean kitchen and clean room just make me feel so damn good.  Small, simple changes, folks.

Reading while my clothes are washed

Cutting up melon for snacking during the week

4. My new favorite blog: Medicinal Marzipan: Body Image + Authentic Living. The further into the archives I go, the more I fall in love. Each post is a gem, and she links out to some truly inspiring reading as well. I can’t get enough.

5. I’ve been having some great conversations with friends and family lately. Opening up about my life in writing (both in this blog and private journaling) has given me courage to open a lot more to the people in my life and for that I’m truly grateful. It seems like everywhere I turn a friend or a stranger is there to offer support. I’m really overwhelmed a lot of the time by how many people offer kind words. I guess when I started losing weight, I expected a lot of judgement and backlash, of which I did get some, but overall it’s been a really positive thing. I used to not react so well to compliments, but I’m getting better at it. Because of my job, I interact with a ton of people, some who I see every week and some who I only see once a month or once every few months, so my weight loss is constantly being pointed out. It used to give me a lot of anxiety when other people commented, but now I’m taking it with a smile. Progress.

AND…Happy Birthday to my sister!! My biggest cheerleader and motivator and guide in life. I love you :)

Thoughts become things. Choose good ones. Happy Monday!

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Whispers of the weekend

April 23, 2012 in fitness, food, happiness

It’s raining, dreary and cold now.

But this weekend, oh this weekend.

The sun was shining.

The drinks were flowing.

I was busy running and sweating ;)

And eating!

Now I’m off to the gym to begin Week 2 of 10K training with strength and stretching! I’m still having shin splint issues…but haven’t had any Charley Horses, which I think might be because I started eating a banana every day again. Major points for potassium.

I know running is putting a lot of pressure on my body, so I’m just being patient with all the random aches and pains, wearing my compression sleeves, elevating my legs and icing as much as possible and hoping my body gets with the program soon. Nothing hurts bad enough too make me think I should stop or cut back.

Here’s hoping it doesn’t rain half as much as is predicted! Happy Monday :)

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Trust in the must

April 20, 2012 in fitness, happiness, truth

Some days I wake up giddy to work out. I’m full of energy. I can’t wait to say hello to all the friendly trainers at the gym.

Some days I love going to the park, running, walking, moving.

These last few days were not like that.

I’ve been sticking to my 10K training plan, albeit a little reluctantly. So what do I do when those lulls hit? Bribe myself. It works every time.

 

Most of my weekend runs are coerced by promises of lunch at the Whole Foods salad bar. I get my self pumped up the night before for early morning gym session by searching for motivational sayings on Pinterest. And if all methods fail to get me out the door, I promise myself I will only stay at the gym for 10 minutes, and if I hate it, I can leave.

I’ve never left.

 

On Wednesday my training schedule said to do 30 minutes of cross. I had an early deadline at work and used my 6:30 a.m. wake up call to get to the office early instead of the gym. The thought of going to the gym after work, when it’s really crowded, is so undesirable. It was a little bit cold out, slightly drizzling and I was feeling sorry for myself.

But then I happened to glance out my window and saw the most beautiful pink sunset. I knew I had to get outside. I stopped being a wimp, put on some warm clothes and went for a head-clearing walk around my apartment complex.

It was just what I needed.

 

The benefits of exercise continue to amaze me. The power of using a workout to transform a bad day into a good one has been so useful to me.

Yesterday, too, I had a stressful day at work. Nothing has gone according to plan this week and the actual work I had to do was slowed down by phone calls and emails. I had a 2 mile run on the training plan and was dreading it all day.

I was too hungry to go straight after work, so came home and made a quick and simple dinner of eggs and veggies and then finally got to the run.

And you know what? It didn’t suck. Near the end of the 2 miles, I was getting a little antsy to be finished when it dawned on me that an hour ago I wasn’t sure if I would do it at all.

It’s a struggle every day to push against the habits I lived with for 23 years. As weird as this sounds, it’s very strange for me to actually set goals and follow through on them. This thing, where I do what I say I’m going to do, is very new to me. And sometimes it makes me nervous.

I’m learning to have faith in myself. That when the time comes, I’ll do what is right for me, even if it’s the hard thing. That I can depend on myself and trust myself. It’s been a process.

 

When I was traveling around India two years ago and making plans that were shaky at best, my traveling companion would always say “Trust in the must.”

The phrase stuck with me. It obviously meant something else in India, but lately it’s reminded me to believe in my healthy intentions and that, at the end of the day, what is meant to happen will happen.

It’s helped me to stop doubting that I can be successful. This is so cheesy, but it’s helped me to believe that I can do the things I want to do.

It’s Friday, the week is over and everything got done that had to get done. My deadlines were met, my workouts done..and now my sink of dirty dishes are all clean ;)

Putting yourself in the path of least resistance to your goals rarely means taking it easy.

Align yourself with the energy of the universe and then take action.

You will get to where you are meant to be.

 

 

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10K Training Go Time

April 16, 2012 in fitness, motivation

I can’t believe I’m saying this.

I’m going to run a 10K. I don’t know when. But I will.

And training starts today.

After checking out a few different plans from Runner’s World and Cool Running, I decided to go with Hal Higdon’s 10K training plan for n00bs novice runners.

 

I really liked the simple layout and think it leaves a lot of room for customization. It also only has me running three times a week, which, considering the condition of my knees and shins, is probably a good thing. I also like that it incorporates two days of strength. That’s currently my weakest  (is there a pun here?) area and the one I want to most improve.

I felt so good on my 4-miler Saturday that I’m confident I can push myself even further. Believing you can do it is 75 percent of the battle and I’m pretty sure the other 25 percent is compression sleeves haha.

This is my "stop taking pictures and go run" face

I’m going to continue with intervals of 10 min. running/1 min. walking because it’s working really well for me right now, and Higdon’s plan encourages walk breaks.

I also already have two more 5K races planned for April 28 and May 6, but I think the schedule will work nicely with them.

I wholeheartedly believe that putting your goals out there is the first step to achieving them. So here it is. I’ll also leave you with this picture of delicious trail mix from Whole Foods that I devoured after Saturday’s run.

How’s that for a Monday? :)

 

 

 

 

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