April 18, 2014
Last Saturday Brandon and I ran the Willow Creek 5K in 29:00. My fastest yet! We went out our first mile at an 8:30 pace which is much faster than I ever thought I could run.
I also participated in the Indoor Tri Championship at Lifetime. I didn't do as well as my qualifying tri but I was also pregnant this time. I really had to be proactive about not pushing myself too far. During the run I started feeling a tightness in my chest and a stitch in my side so I covered up the distance and just walked/ran as I felt able. I did the worst in that area, but I know that it was best for the baby. It was a hard thing to do, to let go, but I am proud of myself for doing it.
January 9, 2014
A new year brings new resolutions to get fit and maintain a healthy lifestyle! I feel pretty good about where I'm at. Weighing in this morning I was 137, which I'm not sure if I 100% believe because a couple days ago I was 141. So I will continue to monitor that. Here are some fitness goals for 2014:
1. Swim 500 miles. I know that sounds pretty impossible, but if I swim 500 miles I get a Nike swim suit because I am logging my swims through the Go the Distance program which I am a part of as a member of USMS. If I swim 50 miles I get a swim cap and I'd be happy with that as well.
2. Swim in at least 2 more swim meets. I am hoping to swim in one in St. Charles on February 2 and then the state meet in April.
3. Run a couple more races, definitely 5k's and possibly longer ones too.
4. Get to 135 pounds (maybe 130, but I'm also hoping to get pregnant soon so not sure if that one is possible).
5. Continue to use the Pact app and withdraw my rewards at $50 to buy new workout clothes!
6.
October 6, 2013
We ran the Morton Arboretum 5K this morning and ran it in 29:19! Brandon and I were hoping to run under 30 min but I wasn't expecting to go so far under! It was a great run. Emma also ran her first race and she loved it!
August 29, 2013
Our 5 year anniversary has come and gone, and I did not make my goal of 140 by that date. I was down to 146. Today I weighed myself and I am 145. So I am happy that I am at least still under 150. I know that I "should" be able to get down to 135 but it just seems like it will take a lot of work to get to that point. So I'm not quitting, I am continuing to work out and eat right. But I am serious about making this a sustainable lifestyle, one where I do not deprive myself of a piece of cake at a birthday party or popcorn during family movie night. What it does mean is that I will not polish of Emma's mac and cheese that she doesn't eat before I even eat my own dinner. Life right now is about making thoughtful, wise choices.
April 20, 2013
Brandon and I ran a 5k today! It was so fun to get back and run outside. We ran the entire thing, something neither of us were really expecting to do. I finished in 34 min and 12 seconds. I think I could have gone faster if the race wasn't so crowded. Nevertheless, it was a lot of fun!
March 7, 2013
I recently weighed in at 149.8 pounds! It's been a slow process, I'll admit that. It shouldn't take someone two and a half months to lose 4 pounds. But at least it's a loss, and I'm below 150. My new goal is to weigh 140 by our 5 year wedding anniversary on August 15, 2013. I weighed about 141 or 142 on our wedding day, and I remember feeling so good. I felt like I was at my perfect, comfortable, healthy weight (even though I'm sure I probably should weigh about 10 pounds less than that because I'm short). But nonetheless, my goal of 140 would mean that I'm lighter than I was 5 years ago, before the happy married weight and before the baby. So I'm going to get serious about this last 10 pounds!
December 27, 2012
Seeing that it's been 9 months since I've updated my fitness section, it's going to seem like I lost a lot of weight in a short amount of time with minimal effort. That is not the case, I've been working my butt off...literally. I'm now down to 153 pounds as of my last weigh in. I was 178 pre-pregnancy which means that I'm now 25 pounds lighter than before I got pregnant! It's amazing to me that I felt healthy at 178, and scary to think that my heaviest weight while pregnant was the day before Emma was born at 209 pounds! It's awesome to think that if I do get pregnant again, I probably won't even get to 178 during my pregnancy (assuming I'm good...). Anyone who is afraid that they'll lose their pre-baby body if they get pregnant is crazy. You'll get it back eventually if you work for it. And I haven't been perfect. I've cheated a lot, for instance I just polished off a microwave chimichanga (embarrassing!!). So I could probably be lighter right now, but I'm taking it slow. I enjoy sharing cookies with Emma during Christmas, and I am happy to help her finish a peanut butter & jelly sandwich rather than watching the parts she doesn't eat hit the floor. One year, 25 pounds. I'm ok with the next 25 coming off slowly over the next year. Here's to a healthy, happy, slimmer 2013!
March 25, 2012
I just realized that the last time I wrote about running was over a month ago. This past Sunday I ran 9 miles! It's fun to look back and see where my mind was running 6, now that's an "easy" run. The 9 miles didn't kick my butt as much as I thought it would. I am trying to prepare myself for the actual race by wearing what I plan to wear, and drinking what I plan on drinking. I am also experimenting with using energy chews made by PowerAide. They were actually really good and I enjoyed having something to munch on while I was running. They didn't do anything weird to my stomach which I was nervous about, and taking mini walking breaks to take them out of my pocket actually energized me to run faster and more than I probably would have if I had not been properly hydrating along the way. It's so amazing to think that almost 7 months ago I had a baby, and I am about 3 weeks away from my first half marathon. This has been a really good year in terms of personal milestones. After my 9 mile run on Sunday I feel confident that I will be able to finish the race before they close the course ;)
February 19, 2012
Today I ran 6 miles. 6. I can't believe the long runs are starting. I consider 6 a long run because I think that 6 is the most I ever did when I was training for the Soldier Field a couple years ago. It's crazy, but I don't think it was all that bad. Don't get me wrong, it was a hard run. I ran on the Prairie Path which was muddy throughout, and it was the first time I had run outside in probably over a year. I had a little wind to deal with on the back end of the run, but it felt so good to have the sun shining down on me. I wasn't worried about pace, just getting it done. I feel like I am back in the game, and it feels so good!
January 12, 2012
Mark it. Today I weighed in one pound less than my pre-pregnancy weight! Woohoo! I am so excited. I have been crazy strict about counting calories and not allowing myself to cheat on days that I don't work out. After years of hearing people say that counting calories and writing down everything they eat helped them lose weight I am finally a believer. I think twice now before eating something, and look up the calories in food items at restaurants before I go out. If I know what I am going to order before getting there, I avoid potential pitfalls and unknown calorie black holes. Also, I know a lot of people swear by working out in the morning, but it has been really great working out at night because if I go over in calories during the day then I know exactly what I have to get done in the gym. So my weight loss count is 6 pounds down, 44 to go...
January 2, 2012
January- resolution month. The time when people vow to lose weight every year but how many people actually accomplish this goal? I found it fascinating that Slimfast was a sponsor of the New Years Eve Time Square broadcast, they defiantly know their target audience! Why is it that losing weight is the number one thing people resolve to do, and why does it seem so hard to do? This year, I started working out regularly in December so that when January rolled around it wouldn't feel so much like a resolution, but more a continuation of something I was already doing. This seems to help my mindset about working out, I actually look forward to my hour at the gym now as it is a time to get away and be alone with my thoughts (or whatever is currently on E!). After a month of working out I have only gained and lost the same couple pounds a few times, but the other day I had a revelation. What I eat really plays a significant role in my weight gain! I know that sounds like a no brainer, but here I was calculating my calorie intake for New Years Eve. Here is what my day looked like:
Breakfast- small bowl of Quaker Oatmeal Squares cereal before hitting the gym
Gym- spent 25 min running & 15 min doing weights & only burned about 400 calories because I just wanted to get back to the hotel to be with Brandon and Emma
Lunch- small BBQ bacon cheeseburger and a side of fries at Smashburger
Dinner- 3 slices of roasted red pepper & cheese pizza from Davanni's
Snack- almost an entire bag of Chex Mix Muddy Buddies (hey those things are addicting, I couldn't stop!)
Now, looking at that I think, well I didn't eat that much. It probably wasn't that bad of a day, go me! But when I added up all the calories thanks to my online food & fitness journal on Jillianmichaels.com I calculated that I consumed over 3,000 calories!! That is including my 400 calorie burn from my workout. WOW.
This was a lesson in not brushing off simple advise from others. Every weight loss magazine and website I read says to count your calories, I do it for a couple days and then think, I'm doing awesome! Awesome people don't need to count calories they just know by now how much they are eating. I have learned that no matter how regular your meals are you need to count calories. You may not feel full, or even feel like you have eaten very much, but some foods are so calorie-dense that it can be very easy to wolf down a BBQ bacon cheeseburger (820 calories) without realizing that it will take you over an hour on the elliptical working at 85% your max heart rate to burn it off. And I thought I was being smart by ordering the small burger...sheesh.
