New Year’s Resolutions

Go in one year and out the other!

Here we are at the end of 2012. Are you thinking of your new resolutions? How did you do with the ones you made last year? I am ending the year weighing less than I started by 20 pounds and wearing a size 16 jean, and having competed in a mud run obstacle race. Not where I wanted to be at this time, but better than I was and having accomplished things I never dreamed of.

I did not start out my new birthday year with a workout. I had been fighting a sickness when I last blogged and hopeful I could beat it. Illness had other plans and I celebrated Christmas hacking up a lung without a voice. Best laid plans right. I’d like to say I will ring in the new year with a workout, but as I sit here and think of all I need to do and the plans we have I don’t think it will happen. It is still on my “To do” list though.

I do want to end this year with a huge “Thank you!” to Miss AB! Because you started this blog I have had the accountability to follow through with my goals to the best of my ability. I have surprised myself this year with what I can do. I never would have even considered a 5k let alone an obstacle course had it not been for you. And here I am starting the next year by putting race dates on the calendar!

It’s very hard in the beginning to understand that the whole idea is not to beat the other runners. Eventually you learn that the competition is against the little voice inside you that wants you to quit.- George Sheehan

For Christmas I gave my husband a gift from his bucket list. A half day zip-line tour and surprised him again with the fact that I was going with him. I never would have done it before. There are weight limits for zip-lines and I have either exceeded them or been close enough that I was too embarrassed to try. I have avoided many things in my life due to my weight. I am on my way to enjoying life more with my husband and kids and getting off the sidelines.

You have also been a dear friend outside of this blog. Thank you for everything!

My new goals for 2013……

Lose more weight this year than I did in 2012.

Read more books than I did in 2012.

Run a 5K in under 30 minutes.

Have more dates with my husband than I did in 2012.

I hope you all begin the new year with your loved ones, ready for great blessings this new year!

Happy New Year’s Scalematters!

We all have dreams, in order to make dreams come into reality, it takes an awful lot of determination, dedication, self-discipline and effort.
-Jesse Owens

An ounce at a time

Movement!  That’s what I’ve been looking for.  I’m finally seeing some, albeit, one ounce at a time.  I’m still happy to report that this morning my scale smiled 165.8.  It’s a slow go, but at least those pounds are going.

Another milestone for me recently is my running.  I actually ran 21 of my 30 minutes at the gym.  Now hold your applause…I know many of you are runners.  I am not, so this is good stuff for me. I’m running in the Color Run in a few weeks – a 5K and then the Turkey Trot 5K on, well, Thanksgiving.  I’m hoping to run the whole race, so that’s my goal…as well as continuing my ounce by ounce dismissal of fat.

Haven’t had a drop of candy and we’re half way through October.  Holding strong.  How about you?  If you slipped, and munched on a goodie or two, don’t give up so fast.  Try again!   Remember your goal and I promise this will help you through some of the toughest months of the year.  

Enough is enough

It seems everyone has gone MIA, including our fearless leader/founder and my posts have been pathetic.

While a dear friend reassured me that this blog is about real life and real life isn’t always rainbows and unicorns, I have been a “Debbie Downer.” Yes, there is some heavy stuff going on in my life, I don’t have to let it drag me down into the pits of despair and undo all I have worked hard to do.

I have been trying to maintain my goals, but it definitely isn’t easy as distractions abound and I am just plain worn out.

Time to refocus, because being healthy will allow me to deal with things better. At least that is the plan.

I have gained 2 pounds but I am chalking that up to “that” week and not getting to the gym more than twice. Considering some would say that the 7 pound loss last week was too much in that time period, I am not too upset.

Going forward, starting now, refocused goals

5 1/2 weeks to the Turkey Trot- A 30min 5k would be awesome!

Sleep- Must get some! Not starting out too well considering that it is 1:18am. Must do better!

Food- I haven’t done badly here, but there is always room for improvement!

Quiet time- God misses me, I need to visit more often. (So to speak)

 

I can do it. You can do it! We can do it!

Enough is enough!

Roller coaster ride.

Emotions are a crazy ride!!

So this is it. Next Sunday I will be post race.

I am glad that this is a VERY busy week for me and will not give me much time to think about what is coming on Saturday. This is a really good thing since this past week has been ridiculous!

So I left Sunday vowing to get a better attitude about this race. I started strong Monday until that night. It went something like this…

Girl has a puppy.

Puppy gets a hold of shoe.

Girl chases puppy.

Puppy zigs, girl zigs, knee zags!

Sharp, intense pain! The rest of the night spent with ice, elevation and hardly being able to walk. Seriously! Now? When I am just starting to get a good attitude about the race.

I got up Tuesday able to move, but with pain. I decided to try to walk it out. Two easy miles in the morning and two at night. Wednesday I was feeling better. Kept it a little easier  again and was feeling optimistic.

Thursday the race coordinators sent out some info and found out that it was decided to change the course (harder, little longer) and stop giving out info on the obstacles. They thought it would be so much better to step up to the starting line and have the anticipation of not knowing what lay ahead. Um NO! I am a planner. I plan out our vacations. Right down to the order we go on rides at Disney. It’s a sickness I know! I need to know what I am in for. Yes, I psyche myself out but I also try to figure out how I am going to do it. I was not digging this! Then I saw AB’s sneaky post from the night before. Such a great movie and I had totally forgotten about that scene. Sooooo needed that!  I announced to hubby when he got home from work that I knew how to get through the course….. BLINDFOLDED! I explained where my epiphany came from and he remembered the scene. It worked so well for the death crawl, it would work for me! He told me I was crazy and that I would not be blindfolded. I tried to tell him what a great test of trust in a marriage it would be and how good it could be for our relationship, but he wasn’t having it. Harrumph! Oh well!

I did feel better though. We are stronger than we think. More capable than we know!

Since I tried to take it easy this past week, I decided to do a 5k this morning. The rest of the week will be quiet from lack of time and wanting to be ready for Saturday. I chose the hilliest route I could. There is such a difference between the hills on a treadmill or elliptical and the real earthen kind. My knee was aching and I ran less than half of it. At one point I was crying. Not from pain but because my husband will be doing this race with me. I will be holding him back. The man’s legs come to my waist. Just walking with me is slow for his strides. Then there are the obstacles. I do not want to fail in front of him. He’s been taking notice lately of my efforts and telling me how proud he is. Honestly, it’s putting more pressure on me for this race. I am nowhere near as in shape as I want to be even though it is tons more than where I was. I really just want to tell him to do his thing and I will find him at the finish line. I am so afraid that he is just going to be embarrassed as I struggle on a wall, cargo net, up a hill and whatever other insanity there is. I don’t want to let him down.

I am such a mess.

When I signed up for the race I thought how great it would be if I could be below 220 for the race. It was a lofty goal for the time frame and I didn’t really think I could hit it. I just thought how nice it would be. I weighed myself three times today. Hubby thought it was because the scale was not my friend. I just couldn’t believe what it said. All three times it was the same 219.8! I am holding onto that achievement and hoping it helps propel me forward past my fears this week.

Maybe I will have some pictures to show next week of my spa day at the mud pits. LOL!

One foot in front of the other ladies (and gents), keep moving forward!

Fireworks, Sunburns and Snakes…..Oh My!

Where do we begin. The 4th of July on a Wednesday completely threw off my week. I hope you all had a lovely holiday and didn’t indulge too much. I only got in 3 cardio days and 1 day with weights. I came in at 226.4 down just 0.4lbs from last week, but beggars can’t be choosers.

I am registered for the……

Big Dog Brag Mud Run on August 4th. I am really hoping I get into the first wave at 930am and avoid the hottest part of the day. I’m not sure I will be smiling like this guy, but I will be muddy!

We have lived in our house for 4 years and hubby and I were just talking a couple of weeks ago how we have not seen any snakes, ever. We live in the boonies, everyone has at least an acre and we are next to a cattle ranch. Perfect snake country. Each neighbor on either side have had encounters, but we have had none. We jinxed ourselves and it started with hubby having to extract a bull snake from the ER waiting (where he works) room. Then I took the puppy outside only to sit down next to a 6 foot bull snake. We then came home from the fireworks to find a rattler making a dinner of a bunny. I am not thrilled with snakes to put it mildly!

Thursday I decided some yard work needed to be done. I spent 3 hours mowing.  Were the weeds and grass needing a cut, yes. Did I need to go over it and over it lowering the lawnmower blade until you see bare ground and making it easy to see any creepy, crawly thing, maybe not. Was it a little obsessive to start mowing other people’s yards because I thought their slightly longer greenery was a gateway for snakes into ours, perhaps, but I am just going to call it being neighborly! It’s more than 3 days later and I still have a lovely crimson color. Yes, I put on sunscreen. For some reason sunscreen has never worked for me, from when I was young. I have tried different brands and SPF’s, but more than 1/2 an hour in the sun and I am doomed.

It was a lovely day today to run outside. I better get used to it before the 4th! It was nice and cloudy and in the 60’s. I didn’t let my self-defeating thoughts talk me out of going out nice and early before church. It was pretty nice and I got in 2.46 miles before stopping. Did I run the whole time, um no, but a good, sweaty workout and a motivating way to start my week.

I have been trying to cater my workouts  toward what I will be facing in a few weeks. I know I need more upper body strength and climbing work. Now that I have registered, I know the time is going to just fly by and I will wish I had more time!

Any one else have races coming up?

 

 

“If you don’t take care of your body, where are you going to live?” ~Unknown

Where you see smoke…..

There’s fire. It is a hazy, smoky, hot mess around here. Doing things outside is not pleasant. My car read 113 driving in town and I just have a headache from the smoke. I had hoped to switch to the distance 5k training program rather than the timed one I had been doing. That’s out right now.

It has been a crazy week. Hubby finally went to day shift this week. It has been a harder transition than I imagined. It is weird having him here and awake. On night shift he was gone from 530p-7a and then slept most of the day. It’s taking some getting use to.

We also got this…

It has been like adding another child. It has kept me busy and with 2 walks a day most days, it just adds to my exercise. She doesn’t walk far yet. Just to the end of the street and back and it isn’t very fast with her little legs but hey it’s 4/10 of a mile twice a day. Every little bit helps right? I know it’s a stretch.

I was ready to get back into a gym routine on Monday, but hubs said he would go with me if I went later. With our vacation the little kids are not taking classes this month which was my excuse to be at the gym at a certain time on certain days, so I told him I’d wait. Before coming home I decided to get my weigh in done since we were there. This was a moment of insanity since we all know you do not weigh yourself after breakfast time and if you can help it without clothes. It was after 1pm! I wanted to get it over with and see what the damage was from the southern fried comfort food. How many calories are in crawfish etoufee?!?

I was not ready for the number. Are you ready? Can you guess? Here we go 228.2! That’s right! A loss of 2.2lbs! “I can see clearly now, 230s gone!” You know you just sang that in your head. LOL

I saw this quote and thought it was appropriate since I keep talking myself out of signing up for a mud run 5k obstacle course race in August. I know just do it!

If you’re trying to achieve, there will be roadblocks. I’ve had them; everybody has had them. But obstacles don’t have to stop you. If you run into a wall, don’t turn around and give up. Figure out how to climb it, go through it, or work around it.
~ Michael Jordan ~

 

 

Another week…..

I feel like I need to apologize for my rant last week, but at the same time we are suppose to be honest and that was the ugly truth of how I was feeling. This journey we are on isn’t unicorns and rainbows. It is a climb up a mountain and the view from the top is of another mountain to climb. A constant up and down. Sometimes the mountains are really small, hills really and at other times we are staring up at a fourteeneer. (for those of you who are not lucky enough to live in Colorado, a fourteener is a 14000+ foot tall mountain.) Climbing one  is actually on my list of goals. It’s a big deal around here to do it.

As for my week, it was decent. Good really. I got in two 1.5 hour workouts and two 40min workouts. Watched what I ate and drank enough water to float a boat. I could have slept better but that’s a medical issue that hopefully will have some resolve after the 7th. I started back training for a 5k. I had to stop last October due to a torn meniscus in my knee and have just put off running again. I hate running. When does that runner’s high kick in? It was a great feeling though to find it wasn’t so bad. I figured I should start from the begining of the program since I hadn’t been doing it for so long. I was proud of myself to see that it was easier than when I first started last year. It wasn’t until the last minute of the last running interval that I caught myself reaching out to hang on to the treadmill. That’s a big deal for me. It gave me a little push. “Wow,” I really could get through this program and run a 5k. When you are in the middle of something hard or that you haven’t done before, it is easy to think you’ll never get through it. When I was doing it last Fall, I kept thinking I was crazy, not so much now.

Now my weigh in. Well, my prediction was right. I am back up 2lbs. Trying really hard to not dwell on it. There are factors that we could certainly chalk the gain up to. My Aunt Flo started her visit the same day. Bloating. The one time I really indulged was in the chili and homemade Navajo Fry bread the night before. Not exactly a light meal and my Achilles heel is a good bread. Whatever!

I may not have lost or am losing like I would like but I am having other victories and for that, I am proud of myself.

On to this week. One foot in front of the other. That’s the only “weigh” to get up the mountain.

Success each day should be judged by the seeds sown, not the harvest reaped. John C. Maxwell, The Difference Maker, Making Your Attitude Your Greatest Asset

A Dose of My Own Medicine

Well, I’ve somehow made it through another week. It’s been a long week, and I wasn’t good with my goals. I didn’t go walking with my neighbors once. Bry was in the hospital until Saturday afternoon and this week has been chalk full of Dr appointments.Intercaranial hypertension is the diagnosis he was finally given {after 7 months who would have thought a neuro ophthalmologist would be the one to diagnose him?} . Basically too much spinal fluid that’s causing him problems. So, a spinal tap and a shunt should take care of that!

While I’ve been going through all of these medical problems with my husband I realized how I have not been taking care of myself. I have been sleeping fewer hours than a human should. I’ve been grabbing food that was convenient, and there is no one to blame but me. So I woke up this morning and decided enough was enough. I grabbed my favorite yogurt from the fridge {Kroger Carbsmart– 60 calories 8 grams of protein and like 3 grams of sugar! Vanilla Chai is to die for!}, a string cheese, and headed out to work. For lunch I went to Chipotle and had a burrito bowl sans the rice and added lettuce. For dinner, homemade chili. All great choices! When I logged my calories {the Lose It app is AMAZING} I stayed within my caloric intake {actually 200 calories below it!} and  I feel satisfied. It’s amazing how easy it is to get off the wagon, but how much better you feel when you get back on.

I’m making just one goal tonight. I want to register for a 5k by next week. I want to ultimately do the breast cancer 3 day, but one step at a time, right? So a 5k it is.

Oh, I totally forgot!!!! I weighed today….btw, working where there is a scale is not easy. At all. Anyways, I weighed… and I maintained. I’m not going to lie, my emotions were mixed. I was a tad relieved that I didn’t gain because it would just tempt me not to post tonight. But I was disappointed in myself that I didn’t even lose an ounce. Like, I was EXACTLY where I was last week. I wish I could blame it on hormones, or something but honestly, it was all my decisions that I made that effected my weight. So, as I was giving myself a guilt trip a patient came into my office and weighed. She had maintained… you know what I told her? “That’s great! It’s better than gaining, right?!” and I truly believed that for her. So, now I have to take a big, fat dose of my own medicine and remind myself “that’s great! It’s better than gaining, right?!” One day, I’ll believe that for myself.;)

BTW, my hubs just said the funniest thing about me blogging on here.. “it’s like your own personal weight watchers without paying for it. You blog once a week, and weigh in once a week” Kinda true though, so thank you, ladies {I’m assuming the other 6 who blog are the only ones reading my posts lol} for being my support! Have a great week!!

xoxo,

Autumn

Soggy Dogs Can Run!

When the alarm woke me up the morning I wasn’t sure day had made here yet.  I’m not a fan of waking up when it’s dark.  I’d gotten all my goods together the night before so I was ready to go when my ride picked me up…well except for my water bottle I left on the kitchen counter with my ID, credit card and chapstick inside the little pocket.  Thankfully my friend had me covered – such a friend!  It’ was drizzling…a sign for a wet, wet day.  The roads were blanketed by a fogged mist left from the cars in front of us, making it hard to see the lane in front of you.  Somehow we made it on time to our event.  I had hoped and prayed for a clear day, but rain was in the cards.  I’ve  never run in the rain for any reason but to get from the car to the house!  Here I was ready to run a race in this drizzle.  After 3 bathroom stops in 30 minutes (boy nerves mess with you) we were up for our turn to go. My friend said something to the effect of  the sooner we get done, the sooner we can get dry.  So true!   Music playing in my ears, my friend beside me, we started off for an adventure!  I can tell you it was a run of wills.  I had to will myself to get going.  Everything in me was telling me to stop, but my head was stronger and I pushed on.  It seemed to take about 1/2 mile for me to even get into a rhythm, but then it seemed my body took over, one step at a time taking me forward.  I made the first turn and felt like I actually had a good chance of doing this thing at a constant run…I admit I did stop for about 5-10 seconds to reattach my bib that was so soggy it had ripped out of the pins on 3 sides.  I had a bit of a cramp going so I also worked my breathing a pushed off again.  With that small exception I ran the entire 5K!  As I turned the final corner I was so glad there were people cheering me on, because it seemed the hill was enormous!  There was no quitting at this point, I willed it,  I worked it and as soon I caught sight of my goal, I pushed myself even faster…a sprint if you want to call it that.  Soon I was gasping for air, and at one point even thought it was very possible I might pass out at the finish line, but I saw my friend, heard her cheering me on and I pushed on.  I did it 5 minutes faster than any of my previous 5K’s!  In the RAIN!  Can I tell you how thrilled I was, what an accomplishment that was for me.  I was not fast, I was not going to win any awards for my time…but for me, I won the race!

I have plans for a 10K in April.  I am motivated to train and do this thing that seems so big.  I’ve never done a 10K.  I know I do 4 miles or so in the 60 min workouts I do on Mon & Fri, but I’ve never raced that far, so it’s a challenging idea, but know it will get me that much closer to being able to do my ultimate goal of a 1/2 marathon sometime later this year or early 2013.

Checking in:

I’m closer to my goal of being in the 160’s, and hope next week is the week.  It was a bloated week for me but next week I will be past that and will be able to see where I really am!

I am drinking my 6 glasses of water/day

I didn’t eat past 9 except once.  Sounds like I need more work on this goal so I’m sticking to this time.

I had a different workout routine last week in preparation for the 5K and followed what my body told me I needed to do to be rested properly to run on Sat, so I missed my workouts on Tues/Thurs & Fri.  I am back on my Mon/Wed/Fri runs and using a video or free weights on Tues/Thurs.  I’m not sure what to do with my weekends, but will try to get some fun exercise in.

I am going to add getting to bed by midnight (I don’t want to talk about it – I will work towards an earlier time but I’m starting here)

Inspiration:  A few quotes I’ve seen recently that I would like to share:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Motivating Goals

Goals work for me.  It’s the motivation I need to move.  I ran with some of my friends in the Turkey Trot in our area.  Now I didn’t do a lot of prep for it, but it did spawn something in me to want to keep going.  SO, a friend and I are signed up for another 5K in the area in January with plans to run a 10K in April or so and a half marathon in January of 2013.

Just knowing that I have plans that hinge on other plans that culminate in a big event next year encourages me right now.  I know that if I DON’T get my exercise in and prepare for these runs that I will be discouraged and will eventually stop.  I don’t want to go there, so I’m getting them in.

It seems the weekend is an exception to my exercise routine.  Having my husband home and the activities that come up seem to derail my routine.  I’ve heard it’s good to take a break, but then again, a routine is hard to make and easy to break.  I’m working on finding a fun way to get some exercise in.  Saturday our area had a parade.  Now I didn’t walk the parade but I did get a few minutes in walking the distance to and from my car- not super far, but still a little movin’.  I just need more.

On a completely different note…

My mom and dad are visiting my brothers out of state right now.  They’ll be gone 2 weeks.  I miss them more than I thought I would.  I keep almost calling my mom to do something fun…like going to the parade, or meeting for lunch, or a couple of the Christmasy events going on around here.  I know my brothers are enjoying the time with them since they’ve moved and been a way for a few years.  I understand more what they’ve been feeling now.  I want my mom!  She’s such a fun lady!  I love that we are so close.

My bestest friend, ABC, lost a family member today.  Her uncle died of a heart condition. Of course when things like this happen it makes you think…how can you not?!   I don’t want to lose my mom or dad…or any other family members for that matter.  My mom – she has struggled with her weight for as long as I can remember.  I understand now, as I struggle…along with the rest of us here, right?!  Her back has been keeping her from getting in any exercise and I know she is discouraged.  I am in tears because I don’t know how to help and am touched by how fragile life is.  I know she won’t want me to share all of this, but I promised honesty here and honestly, this is something I think about often.  I hope that she realizes it is because I love her so much and that I hope those who know her will help to encourage her to get the help she needs to get healthy too…so she can live life the way I know she wants so badly to…and selfishly because I want her here with me for as long as possible. Ugh!  It is so hard to lose weight, and even harder when you are hurt.  I love you so mom!  I’ll be here with you every step of the way.

Go hug your loved ones and tell them how much you love them!  Do it regularly!