Gettin' Fit

August 9, 2012


Couch to 5k Week 2!

Long time no see ... I know! I was on vacation for a week and a half and before that had a brief low motivation period. Let me catch you up since last I posted about C25K.


On June 18th I walked my first 5k as a night Glow. If you ever get a chance to do one, DO IT! It was so much fun and the lighted bags and people just cheering you on the whole way was incredible.

June 29th-first 5k. Us girls just having fun!

Our whole group after the 5k. We did it!
I finished in 50:00.3 minutes with a pace of  16:23

On my 31st birthday, July 14th, I walked my second 5k. This course was said to be the most difficult in the Subway Series Challenge in our area because of all of the hills. Lovely. However, I did manage to BEAT my first time!

This was before I told Tara that this was the hardest course in the series ;)
I finished in 49:51.4 with a pace of 16:03

Here are my Week 2 results for the C25K program. You will notice that (even with the crazy 3 week hiatus) I burned more calories each time and walked/ran farther. I am so proud of that!

Week 2: Day 1 - July 10th

Week 2: Day 2 - July 15th
I pushed myself today and I thought that my lungs were going to explode!

Week 2: Day 3- August 8th
I really pushed myself today but felt good, this was my 3rd workout of the day, and I even completed 1 mile in 12:58 minutes! New personal record!!!

Meanwhile from July 15 - August 11 I have been hosting (and participating in) a jumping jack challenge on my C Mommy Go facebook page. Let me just tell you that jumping jacks are definitely made for kids! There were 62 people who committed to do the challenge and we had our fair share of sore knees, feet, shoulders, etc! What a great workout though.

Dear Week 3,
I promise you'll only take 1 week to complete, not 4! 
Love, Jessica




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July 9, 2012


Couch to 5k Week 1!

Even though I completed my first 5k on June 29, I started the Couch to 5k program just over a week ago. Truthfully, I had started it once before in January during our unusually hot winter by doing the program outside with a friend, but once the cold weather set in I fizzled because I didn't have a treadmill (or at least that was my lame-o excuse for quitting). Then my quitting led to my friend quitting because let's face it, getting fit with a friend is so much easier and more fun than going at it on your own.

Anyways, my next 5k is this Saturday on my birthday (fitness- is there a better gift to give yourself!?!) and I am walking it with that same friend. YAY! I will be tracking my Couch to 5k progress on my blog for all to see for two reasons.
1- to give myself more accountability to stick with it!
2- to show that even though you're not perfect you can still be awesome (I am definitely NOT a runner, but I'm trying)

Day 1 Week 1: Not too bad, I felt great and motivated after this run :)

Day 2 Week 1: My goal for today was to go faster and farther than I did on day 1, and I did! Go me!

Day 3 Week 1: Okay, I know that you're looking at this and thinking "what the heck, she didn't do anything", but you're oh-so-wrong. This is the one thing that I hate about my treadmill, if that stupid little magnet thingy that's supposed to keep you from getting dragged on your treadmill if you fall off becomes detached you lose all of your progress. EVERYTHING! I pushed every button the blessed screen and to no avail. I don't wear it on my clothes because I had already learned that lesson the hard way so now I just leave it sitting in the little cubby for your water bottle, ipod, whatever. Well, evidently I need to tape the stinkin' thing on there because I knocked it loose just after I beat my distance from the previous day with 1 1/2 minutes to go!!!!! I was so close to tears it wasn't even funny. After my 20 second pitty party I started the machine up again and finished my 20 minutes. I was VERY proud of myself because not only did I beat my distance, but I had been running faster than I have in my entire life and there wasn't even a hungry lion waiting to eat me at the end of the treadmill if I didn't go fast enough. So, I pulled out my camera and took a picture of  that last sorry 1 1/2 minutes of mostly cooling down. Lesson learned....again.

  
I have learned that goal-setting is so important in the journey to fitness. It pushes you to run faster, farther, and harder. It gives you the strength to resist eating the foods that you know you will regret later. And, achieving them provides opportunities to celebrate your success!



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June 28, 2012


I'm actually doing this!

Losing weight I mean. There have been so many times that I have half-heartedly "tried" to lose weight that I never have actually had this AMAZING feeling of accomplishment. Today when I weighed myself I weighed 183.2 pounds. Now, there may be some of you out there saying, "holy cow what a cow", but I am excited. I am seeing the numbers gradually get smaller and smaller and that keeps me motivated for the next day. It may all be in my head, but I feel like my clothes are starting to fit a little better, and feeling like I look better is motivating me to try even harder. Having this blog and my facebook page that goes with the blog have really been a HUGE motivating factor for me. I am NOT in this alone. I have accountability. I really love sharing my journey with .... anyone :)

So, if you are finding yourself half-heartedly "trying" to lose weight or be healthier, find something that really motivates you, and the sky's the limit.




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June 25, 2012

Camping Can Be Healthy!

We went on our three day camping trip this past weekend and I had three goals: maintain my current weight, drink lots of water, and have fun. I actually should have also included eat healthy (as much as possible anyways) and exercise. I am proud to announce that I was successful in ALL of my goals!! That's right folks, I stayed at 185! Technically I think that I may have lost a little since I weighed myself after a huge (but healthy) breakfast at Denny's this morning, but the point is that I DID NOT GAIN WEIGHT WHILE CAMPING!

How did I do it? Well, I limited the chips and snacky foods, ate lots of veggies (carrots, cucumbers, olives) at each meal, filled up on the proteins (grilled chicken, turkey burgers, and eggs) and avoided the buns. A good thing about camping is that you have to walk a good distance to do anything like go to the bathroom or shower - built-in exercise! Also, there are usually other fun and free or cheap exercise opportunities while on a camping trip. Hiking, biking, boating (row or paddle), volleyball, swimming, or playing a game of kickball are just a few.

This is me giving The Hulk a piggy back ride during our 3 mile hike. I think my butt is getting smaller! :)

Now, I did not "stick" to my diet. I had a few adult beverages, I ate a smore on smores night, and I did get a medium soft serve coffee ice cream cone as we exited the park after our 3 mile hike (I am only human people!). But, I did try to balance it all out with some campground exercising and drinking lots of water.  

The moral of the story here: you can make healthy choices even when you are on vacation.


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June 22, 2012

This is what I did yesterday with food and exercise, and today when I got on the scale I was at 185.0 pounds! YAY!

Food

Breakfast:
*Hot water with 1/2 squeezed lemon
*(Mostly) egg white omelet with yellow squash, onions, green onion, and a sprinkle of sharp cheddar cheese

I made this in my green pan (which I love because you almost never need to use oil). This picture was taken before I folded it and added the cheese. Yummy!

Lunch:
*1 grilled chicken tenderloin with sauteed green peppers and onions with sharp cheddar cheese
Dinner:
*1 slice multi-grain bread with peanut butter and homemade peach jam
*2 cups of coffee
Snack:
*4 cups fresh popped popcorn
*1/4 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

Water intake: A little more than 80 oz. That's my water bottle filled 4 times- easy way to keep track of how much I'm drinking.

I have never really stuck to the "drink 8 glasses of water" rule before. I noticed today that I didn't need to eat huge amounts of food to feel full. I actually had to make myself eat. WHAT?! That's crazy, you mean to tell me that drinking water will make me eat less food? I've read and heard about the benefits of drinking tons of water probably a couple hundred times, but until I actually did it consciously, I didn't believe it.

Exercise

Today I used my cardio hula hoop for 30 minutes. I had intentions of doing more, but didn't due to being lazy and wanting to watch more of my "Scandal" DVR marathon (that show is awesome!).

(late) June 20, 2012

Before

I have always had a hard time losing weight. My number one reason. Laziness. My cycle: something motivates me, I get super excited about some plan or diet or exercise that I have recently discovered, I try to convince a friend to go along with me on this leap into a new healthy life, I jump head-first into my enlightened plan, some little hiccup happens (it rains or I get too hungry), and then I bale on the whole thing. My hope is that by making my journey to a fit life for me and my family public, I will stick to my plan and accomplish my goal. My first goal: lose 15 pounds by my 31st birthday on July 14.

When I look in the mirror this is not what I see. Mind you, all of the mirrors in my house are shoulder length and higher. Looking at photographs of myself is painful and frankly I avoid cameras as much as possible. This photo was taken of me on my daughter's 5th birthday and this is her last birthday that I will look and feel like this. I don't exactly know how much I weighed on this particular day, but I think 191 would be a good and safe bet. This is not my highest weight since I recently was a part of a weight loss challenge at work and lost a few pounds, but the motivational "high" from the challenge has long worn off. On June 21 I currently weigh 188 pounds so I am 3 pounds down already and counting. I can use all of the support and encouragement that I can get, so PLEASE comment away on my blog :)