January Starting Weight: 181.0
January Ending Weight: 178.6
LOSS of 2.4 pounds
That's not stellar, but it's a loss, and I'll take it. Now for a report on how I am doing with my goals.
My goals for January:
1. Complete SparkPeople’s January Bootcamp. FAIL. I didn't even get a chance to start this, as I was sick for the first 11 days of the month. Also, our laptop is on the fritz, and since the bootcamp involves doing SparkPeople videos every day, I need to use the laptop to do so. It just didn't happen.
2. Eat at least one vegetable at dinner every night. I did this probably 2/3 of the time. Nights when we had breakfast for dinner or ate out were nights where I tended not to eat veggies, but I definitely feel like I'm getting better at this. The problem is that the list of veggies that I like is rather short. I just don't know how to make stuff I don't like taste good (unless I drown it in cheese sauce or ranch, which I'm thinking isn't the wisest idea).
3. Find a training plan for a 10k and research different 10k races. SUCCESS! But while I did find a 10k plan and a race (it's in May), I have decided that I am going to train for a half marathon! There is one in Jackson on April 17, and I think I can do it. I've already started training, and I am just going to keep training and see what happens. I was a little scared to admit this on the blog because I'm kind of afraid I won't be able to do it, but if I just keep it to myself, then I know it will be WAY easier to back out, so there you go!
Year-long Fitness/Health Goals:
1. Reach my goal weight of 161 pounds. I am 17.6 pounds away from this goal.
2. Run a 10k. It’s the next logical race for me to attempt, and I know I can run the distance if I stay committed. I am hoping I can find a 10k race to run in before my half, but so far I haven't had any luck. I am still planning to run the one in May if nothing else works out.
3. Run a half marathon. Working on it!
4. Run/walk/bike 800 miles. I only logged a measly 26.5 miles this month, which definitely isn't on target. I lost a lot of ground by being sick for almost two weeks.
5. Log 12,000 fitness minutes. I logged 670 fitness minutes, which is also well under the number I needed, but I am hoping to gain some ground in February.
Year-long Personal Goals:
1. Read 20 books (a blend of fiction and nonfiction). I read 4 books in January, which I am super proud of because that's the most I've read in a month in quite a while.
2. Find a fixed time every day for Bible study and prayer. This is still a work in progress, but I am at least spending time in prayer and reading the Bible almost every day.
3. Write at least 3 blog posts per week. I did this the whole month of January. Yeah!
There were definitely some things I wish had gone better about this month, especially my mileage and fitness minute goals, but I have all year to get those numbers where they need to be. I am excited to see what February has in store. Stay tuned for my February goals tomorrow!
Sunday, January 31, 2010
Friday, January 29, 2010
Today Is a Great Day
It's a
The hubby and I both get to stay home from work today, so we are going to relish every minute. Snow, especially snow that sticks, is a rare occurrence in west TN, and the fact that it's given us a three-day weekend is very exciting. We're off to enjoy our day, and I hope you enjoy yours!
The hubby and I both get to stay home from work today, so we are going to relish every minute. Snow, especially snow that sticks, is a rare occurrence in west TN, and the fact that it's given us a three-day weekend is very exciting. We're off to enjoy our day, and I hope you enjoy yours!
Wednesday, January 27, 2010
Facing the Dreadmill
The past two Saturdays, I have been fortunate enough to do my longer runs in unseasonably warm weather, and I almost forgot that we are still in the middle of winter. However, this Saturday I am scheduled to run 6 miles, and the high for the day is forecasted to be 31 degrees. Since I typically run in the mornings, it is more likely to be in the 20s when I go. This is a problem, as I am a total wimp when it comes to running in cold weather. I hate the way my nose gets cold and starts to run and the way the wind cuts across my face, and sometimes my chest hurts. Even if I waited until later in the day for it to get warmer, it still wouldn’t exactly be warm. I don’t want to skip my run, though.
I could run on the treadmill, but the gym only allows members to use a treadmill for a maximum of an hour, and it will take me about 72 minutes to run the 6 miles because of my slow pace. So do I just tough it out, wear lots of layers, and run outside, or do I run for 60 minutes on the treadmill and try for 6 miles next week? The thought of running for an hour on the treadmill fills me with dread, as it takes every ounce of willpower I have to do 3 miles on the treadmill. How in the world can I do more than that? I listen to music, but that only helps me so much when I am staring at a blank wall in front of me and going nowhere. Does anyone have any tips for surviving longer treadmill runs?
Monday, January 25, 2010
It's Not All or Nothing
Lately I've realized that I've "regressed" in terms of my eating habits. Earlier in my journey I was very careful of everything I ate, conscious of the calories counts of all my foods. Now I don't exercise the same sort of care when it comes to eating. If we eat out, I don't always choose the healthy option but go for what I really want, whereas before I would research nutritional information and decided beforehand what I would eat so I could stay within my calories. I have fallen into the trap of thinking of eating out as a "special occasion" and not worrying as much about the calories of those meals, but the truth is, we eat out every week. It's not a special occasion if it happens all the time! (It's also not a special occasion if where we're eating is a fast food joint!) Furthermore, why should I use eating out as a reason to eat junk? I tell myself, "You deserve this, you've worked hard," but what sense does that make? I'm essentially saying, "You've worked really hard at burning a lot of calories through exercise, so you deserve to erase all of that hard work and eat a lot of fatty foods." That is completely illogical, and yet I do it all the time!
I'm not saying I'm never going to eat another french fry again because I'm not about completely eliminating foods from my diet, but I definitely need to reign in the desire to eat them and other fattening foods every time I go out to eat. Moderation really is essential for weight loss, and I have been far from moderate with my eating (case in point: the donuts, chips and dip, and ice cream I ate--all on Saturday!). I'm putting this out there as a way of keeping myself accountable to all of you and also to confess that although I've lost 80 pounds, I'm still figuring out this healthy lifestyle thing. The important thing I remind myself of is that even if I have a really rotten day of eating or even just one bad meal, I don't throw in the towel and say, "Well, I may as well just eat everything in sight because I've already blown it." Would you do that in any other area of life? If you woke up late for work, would you just say, "Well, I guess I'll just stay home since I'm already 30 minutes late?" Of course not! If you failed one test in school, would you say, "Well, there's no point in studying at all because I'm already a failure?" No. Weight loss, just like so many other areas of life, is not about perfection or an all or nothing mentality; it's about persistence and consistency. If I were aiming for perfection, I would have failed a long time ago! So even though I may not like the way I've been eating recently, I am going to keep trying, stay focused, and not give up.
How do you resist the all or nothing mentality when it comes to eating or exercising?
I'm not saying I'm never going to eat another french fry again because I'm not about completely eliminating foods from my diet, but I definitely need to reign in the desire to eat them and other fattening foods every time I go out to eat. Moderation really is essential for weight loss, and I have been far from moderate with my eating (case in point: the donuts, chips and dip, and ice cream I ate--all on Saturday!). I'm putting this out there as a way of keeping myself accountable to all of you and also to confess that although I've lost 80 pounds, I'm still figuring out this healthy lifestyle thing. The important thing I remind myself of is that even if I have a really rotten day of eating or even just one bad meal, I don't throw in the towel and say, "Well, I may as well just eat everything in sight because I've already blown it." Would you do that in any other area of life? If you woke up late for work, would you just say, "Well, I guess I'll just stay home since I'm already 30 minutes late?" Of course not! If you failed one test in school, would you say, "Well, there's no point in studying at all because I'm already a failure?" No. Weight loss, just like so many other areas of life, is not about perfection or an all or nothing mentality; it's about persistence and consistency. If I were aiming for perfection, I would have failed a long time ago! So even though I may not like the way I've been eating recently, I am going to keep trying, stay focused, and not give up.
How do you resist the all or nothing mentality when it comes to eating or exercising?
Friday, January 22, 2010
Friday Five: Favorite Female Characters from Literature
These are women I find fascinating because of their complexity, their spirit, and their unforgettableness.
1. Elizabeth Bennet from Pride and Prejudice.
2. Jo March from Little Women.
3. Anne Shirley of the Anne of Green Gables series.
4. Jane Eyre.
5. Elinor and Marianne Dashwood from Sense and Sensibility. (I can't pick just one of them because I empathize with them both in certain ways.)
Runners-up: Thursday Next of the Thursday Next series by Jasper Fforde (SUCH a good series!); Criseyde from Chaucer’s Troilus and Criseyde; Janie Crawford from Their Eyes Were Watching God.
Maybe next week I’ll do a list of female characters I don’t like. (Bella Swan, I’m talking about you!)
Who are your favorite literary characters?
Thursday, January 21, 2010
2 Years Down, A Lifetime Ahead
On January 21, 2008, I began my healthy lifestyle journey (read the post from that day here). I was tired of hating my body and feeling fat and miserable and frustrated, so with the help of my husband, I decided to make a change. I joined SparkPeople, and I woke up that morning and went to the gym to exercise. I wasn’t sure what the future held, but I knew I had to do something about my lifestyle, so every day I woke up, worked out, and counted calories. My goal was to lose 100 pounds in a year, and I was full of determination and resolve.
If you had told me then that I would mark two years of losing weight and still wouldn’t be at my goal weight, I more than likely would have been devastated. I remember early in my journey plotting out my weight loss, planning to celebrate 100 pounds lost within a year. Then when several months had passed and I looked at my progress and realized I probably wouldn’t lose 100 pounds in a year, I really wrestled with myself. Did I want to keep doing this? Why not just stop where I was? Losing weight was HARD, and I longed to be through trying to do it. But I knew that I would be selling myself short if I gave up, and I had given up on myself too many times before. This time had to be different. I’d had my share of the lose 20 pounds, regain 25 pounds cycle; I’d outgrown clothes because of weight gain almost every year since middle school. The only way to end the cycle was to create a new one, a healthy one.
I kept going to the gym, kept counting calories, kept trying. I saw gains on the scale, I had injuries, I got bored, I found new forms of exercise, I ran a 5k. And somewhere in the midst of it all, I found out that making healthy choices feels good. It feels good to exercise. It feels good to choose the right foods. It feels good to get on the scale and see a loss. It feels good to buy smaller clothes in the store. It feels good to feel my husband’s arms wrapped tightly around my body in a way they couldn’t before. It feels good to know that I am doing my best to take care of and respect the body God has blessed me with. Why wouldn’t I try to chase after those feelings every day?
Whenever I am tempted to quit, I remember those feelings, and I remember how bad it felt to be fat. I didn’t like the way I looked, so I hid myself in unflattering clothes. I didn’t like to go shopping with friends because I knew I’d be in a different section of the store than they would. I didn’t like to wear shorts in the summertime because of my legs, and I didn’t wear sleeveless shirts because of my arms, so I wore capris and long pants and shirts with sleeves and was often hot (and let’s not even talk about bathing suits!). I got winded going up the stairs or walking more than a half a mile or so, so I avoided exerting myself if I could. I gorged on food in secret, letting it consume me from the inside out. And yet I would tell myself that tomorrow I would change. Then tomorrow would come and I'd put it off until the next week, only to see the weeks turn into years, with nothing to show but my expanding waistline.
I am not sure exactly what changed this last time I decided to lose weight, but I think it has a lot to do with commitment. I committed myself to living a healthier lifestyle, I made a plan I could follow, and I determined to stick with it even when I didn't feel like it. By the grace of God, the commitment stuck.
Here's a picture of me in December of 2007, less than a month before I decided to lose weight:
Here's a picture taken two weeks ago:
Now I am 18 pounds away from my goal weight, and I am looking forward to reaching it this year. However, I know that when I do reach my goal, my work has only begun, for the lifestyle I've created these past two years isn't just temporary; I have to make it work for the rest of my life. Sometimes it's overwhelming to think about the fact that my weight will always be something I have to be very aware of, but I know that I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength, and I know that I will look back on this whole experience and know it was all worth it.
If you had told me then that I would mark two years of losing weight and still wouldn’t be at my goal weight, I more than likely would have been devastated. I remember early in my journey plotting out my weight loss, planning to celebrate 100 pounds lost within a year. Then when several months had passed and I looked at my progress and realized I probably wouldn’t lose 100 pounds in a year, I really wrestled with myself. Did I want to keep doing this? Why not just stop where I was? Losing weight was HARD, and I longed to be through trying to do it. But I knew that I would be selling myself short if I gave up, and I had given up on myself too many times before. This time had to be different. I’d had my share of the lose 20 pounds, regain 25 pounds cycle; I’d outgrown clothes because of weight gain almost every year since middle school. The only way to end the cycle was to create a new one, a healthy one.
I kept going to the gym, kept counting calories, kept trying. I saw gains on the scale, I had injuries, I got bored, I found new forms of exercise, I ran a 5k. And somewhere in the midst of it all, I found out that making healthy choices feels good. It feels good to exercise. It feels good to choose the right foods. It feels good to get on the scale and see a loss. It feels good to buy smaller clothes in the store. It feels good to feel my husband’s arms wrapped tightly around my body in a way they couldn’t before. It feels good to know that I am doing my best to take care of and respect the body God has blessed me with. Why wouldn’t I try to chase after those feelings every day?
Whenever I am tempted to quit, I remember those feelings, and I remember how bad it felt to be fat. I didn’t like the way I looked, so I hid myself in unflattering clothes. I didn’t like to go shopping with friends because I knew I’d be in a different section of the store than they would. I didn’t like to wear shorts in the summertime because of my legs, and I didn’t wear sleeveless shirts because of my arms, so I wore capris and long pants and shirts with sleeves and was often hot (and let’s not even talk about bathing suits!). I got winded going up the stairs or walking more than a half a mile or so, so I avoided exerting myself if I could. I gorged on food in secret, letting it consume me from the inside out. And yet I would tell myself that tomorrow I would change. Then tomorrow would come and I'd put it off until the next week, only to see the weeks turn into years, with nothing to show but my expanding waistline.
I am not sure exactly what changed this last time I decided to lose weight, but I think it has a lot to do with commitment. I committed myself to living a healthier lifestyle, I made a plan I could follow, and I determined to stick with it even when I didn't feel like it. By the grace of God, the commitment stuck.
Here's a picture of me in December of 2007, less than a month before I decided to lose weight:
Here's a picture taken two weeks ago:
Now I am 18 pounds away from my goal weight, and I am looking forward to reaching it this year. However, I know that when I do reach my goal, my work has only begun, for the lifestyle I've created these past two years isn't just temporary; I have to make it work for the rest of my life. Sometimes it's overwhelming to think about the fact that my weight will always be something I have to be very aware of, but I know that I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength, and I know that I will look back on this whole experience and know it was all worth it.
Monday, January 18, 2010
Bring on the NSVs!
For those of you who are wondering what in the world NSV is, NSV stands for non-scale victory. As someone who struggled in the past with being obsessed with the number on the scale, celebrating healthy milestones that have nothing to do with the scale has become very important to me. Pointing out NSVs is great for times when the scale is not moving or is (GULP) going up because it helps me to see what other kinds of progress is being made. I had two great NSVs this weekend that I must share!
1. I can wear a size 14! Remember all those size 14 clothes I got from a friend back in July? At the time, I could wear the skirts but could not really wear many of the pants. Well, this weekend I revisited that pile of pants, tried some on, and all but one pair fits! So not only do I have a bunch of "new" pairs of pants, but they are in a smaller size. I am SO excited about this. I'm pretty sure the last time I wore a size 14 was about 10 years ago, and I didn't stay a size 14 long because I went to college, and well, you fill in the blanks. :)
2. I ran 4 miles! As I confessed last month, I have not been running much but have been trying to build up my endurance so I can run a 10k and half marathon this year. On Saturday morning I headed to the park to take advantage of the warm weather (45 degrees-woohoo!). I planned to run for about 25 minutes and then walk some more. The park where I went has a trail that is 1.3 miles around. I did a 5-minute warm-up walk, then I began doing intervals of 5 minutes of running with 1 minute of walking. After I finished the first lap, I felt really good, so I decided to finish a second, even though that would end up being about 30 minutes instead of 25. Then when I finished that lap, I decided that I may as well go ahead and finish a third. And since 3 laps would make 3.9 miles, I couldn't leave it at that but had to go a full 4 miles, so I ran for a few extra minutes beyond the third lap. I completed the 4 miles in 46:40, which is an average pace of 11:40 per mile, and I felt AMAZING when I finished, like I could accomplish anything! (The one downer of this run is that my feet hurt afterward. My new shoes didn't bother me at all when I ran 3 miles on the treadmill on Friday, but they definitely hurt on Saturday. I am not sure what to think about that.)
Have you had any NSVs lately? Share them here!
1. I can wear a size 14! Remember all those size 14 clothes I got from a friend back in July? At the time, I could wear the skirts but could not really wear many of the pants. Well, this weekend I revisited that pile of pants, tried some on, and all but one pair fits! So not only do I have a bunch of "new" pairs of pants, but they are in a smaller size. I am SO excited about this. I'm pretty sure the last time I wore a size 14 was about 10 years ago, and I didn't stay a size 14 long because I went to college, and well, you fill in the blanks. :)
2. I ran 4 miles! As I confessed last month, I have not been running much but have been trying to build up my endurance so I can run a 10k and half marathon this year. On Saturday morning I headed to the park to take advantage of the warm weather (45 degrees-woohoo!). I planned to run for about 25 minutes and then walk some more. The park where I went has a trail that is 1.3 miles around. I did a 5-minute warm-up walk, then I began doing intervals of 5 minutes of running with 1 minute of walking. After I finished the first lap, I felt really good, so I decided to finish a second, even though that would end up being about 30 minutes instead of 25. Then when I finished that lap, I decided that I may as well go ahead and finish a third. And since 3 laps would make 3.9 miles, I couldn't leave it at that but had to go a full 4 miles, so I ran for a few extra minutes beyond the third lap. I completed the 4 miles in 46:40, which is an average pace of 11:40 per mile, and I felt AMAZING when I finished, like I could accomplish anything! (The one downer of this run is that my feet hurt afterward. My new shoes didn't bother me at all when I ran 3 miles on the treadmill on Friday, but they definitely hurt on Saturday. I am not sure what to think about that.)
Have you had any NSVs lately? Share them here!
Friday, January 15, 2010
The Spark Giveaway Winner!
Since I only had 8 entries in the contest, I decided to take my cue from Glenna and do a video to select the winner. To find out if you are the winner, watch the video below (please ignore the rumpled couch, my random facial expression, and the silly dog who makes a cameo at the end).
Friday Five: Books to Read
Since one of my goals this year is to read more, I thought it would help to plan ahead with my reading, so here are 5 of the books I intend to read.
1. Counterfeit Gods by Timothy Keller.
2. The Help by Kathryn Stockett
3. The End of Overeating by David Kessler
4. I Capture the Castle by Dodie Smith
5. Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck
Have you read any of these? What books would you recommend?
Don't forget to enter the book giveaway if you haven't already. You have until 5 p.m. CST!
1. Counterfeit Gods by Timothy Keller.
2. The Help by Kathryn Stockett
3. The End of Overeating by David Kessler
4. I Capture the Castle by Dodie Smith
5. Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck
Have you read any of these? What books would you recommend?
Don't forget to enter the book giveaway if you haven't already. You have until 5 p.m. CST!
Wednesday, January 13, 2010
Motivation: The Fickle Friend
When the alarm went off at 5:45 this morning, I did not want to get up. I had not slept well due to my silly stuffy nose, and I would have loved to stay in bed, underneath the warm covers (we have a heated mattress pad, and it is fabulous). The thought of skipping my workout went through my head, but then I remembered something important: I ALWAYS regret skipping a workout, but I NEVER regret working out. As I told someone on Facebook the other day, putting on your workout clothes and showing up is 80% of the battle! So I got out of bed, got dressed, went out into the frosty air, and drove to the gym. (I prefer walking/running outside, but I will not do it if it’s below freezing. Call me a wuss if you must.)
And you know what? I ran today! It was only 13 minutes total, but I ran, and my shoes felt great! I am glad that my feet seem to have adjusted to them. I was initially only planning to walk today, but this morning when I was on the treadmill and had walked for about 15 minutes, I felt like running, so I did. I ran 5 minutes, walked 1, then ran 8 more minutes before walking again. It even felt–dare I say it?–EASY. Granted, it probably felt easy because it was only 13 minutes, but in the past even that has felt difficult at some points, so I am grateful for the run and looking forward to my next one on Friday! If I had slept in, I would have missed out on that experience altogether.
Many days I love to exercise and look forward to it, but on other days it is a struggle to find the motivation, and it’s on those days that I have to "fake it until I make it." Let’s face it: if I always relied on "feeling motivated" or "feeling inspired" to lose weight, I wouldn’t get very far. I won’t always feel like working out, but if I am committed to being healthy, sometimes I have to just leave my feelings out of the equation. So when I am tempted to skip a workout, I remind myself of my commitment and how many benefits there are to exercising. Another idea I like is one I read on someone else’s blog (and if it’s your blog, please let me know because I don’t remember where I read it!). The idea is to tell yourself that you will do only 10 minutes, and if you feel miserable after those 10 minutes, you will stop. More often than not, you will do more than those 10 minutes. It’s worked for me on more than one occasion.
When you are tempted to skip a workout, how do you talk yourself into it?
Tuesday, January 12, 2010
Exercise: It Does a Body Good
Confession: until yesterday, I had not exercised ALL YEAR, with the exception of completing a ten-minute SparkPeople video on January 3. I have been sick with some kind of cold/sinus junk that drained me of energy, and I am still not fully well, although I probably used that as an excuse more than I should have. I managed to do 15 minutes of cardio yesterday and 30 this morning before feeling a little dizzy, and I am hoping that tomorrow I can do even more.
Unfortunately, all of this means that my running has been nonexistent, which means that I haven’t begun any 10k training. The last time I ran was New Year’s Eve morning! I have only used my new running shoes 3 times, and I am anxious to use them some more because they honestly didn’t feel that great when I used them initially. I am hoping my feet just need to get used to them.
The good news is I have still managed to lose weight despite having not exercised. I have been keeping close track of my calories, and today I weighed in at 178.6, which makes almost 83 pounds gone! Woohoo! Maybe I’ll just stop exercising for good! After all, I am doing fine without it, right? ;)
No?
Okay, okay, so no exercise is not a good thing. Sure, I still have lost weight, but that does not change the fact that exercise benefits the body in a number of ways that go beyond a mere calorie burn. Let me name some of them:
1. Increased energy.
2. Increased self-confidence.
3. Improved physical endurance.
4. Improved cardiovascular health.
5. Lower cholesterol levels.
6. Lower risks for numerous health conditions.
Basically, I’d be crazy NOT to exercise!
What do you like about exercise? (Or what do you hate?) And if you haven’t already, make sure you enter the giveaway in Monday’s post!
Monday, January 11, 2010
Booky Goodness and a Giveaway
One of my goals for the new year is to read more, and I am proud to report that I have already finished two books! Better yet, I’m even going to give away one of them, so stay tuned!
I kept reading/hearing things about the novel The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society, and so I decided to use some Christmas money and order the book. I am so glad I did because this book ended up being one of the best books I’ve read in quite some time. It’s an epistolary novel set on Guernsey, part of the Channel Islands, after World War II (I had to look up exactly where the Channel Islands were), and it tells the story of a group of people on Guernsey who began a literary society as a cover from the German soldiers, who occupied the island for most of the war. The letters focus mainly on Juliet, a cheeky, charming British author who learns about the society through one of its members who happens to find a book with Juliet’s name in it and then writes her. Her curiosity is piqued with his first letter, and other letters follow. Soon Juliet finds herself corresponding with several of the society’s members, and she becomes quite attached to them, and they to her. The letters provide fascinating and sometimes heartbreaking glimpses into life during wartime, and I found myself at times brought to laughter and tears while reading their stories. A visit to the island itself is practically inevitable for Juliet, and what she finds there is certainly more than she bargained for. I adored this book and its style, and with the slight caveat that there is some language in it, I highly recommend it.
The other book I read is The Spark, written by Chris Downie, who is the founder and CEO of SparkPeople.com, the weight loss and fitness website that I have mentioned many times on my blog. Part inspirational memoir and part self-help, the book details a very practical and focused 28-day plan for achieving your goals. While the focus of the book is primarily on weight loss, Downie points out that many of the principles can be applied to goals in other areas of life. Although much of the content was a review for me due to my two year experience with the SparkPeople site, it gave me fresh motivation to reach my weight loss goal and reminded me of the fundamentals that are so essential to successful weight loss. This book would no doubt be very helpful for someone who is beginning a weight loss journey or needs new motivation and inspiration, which is why I want to give away my copy!
To be entered in the giveaway, all you have to do is leave a comment telling me why you would like to win the book. That’s it! The contest will end Friday, January 15 at 5:00 p.m. CST. and is open to anyone in the U.S. I will use random.org to draw a winner.
I kept reading/hearing things about the novel The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society, and so I decided to use some Christmas money and order the book. I am so glad I did because this book ended up being one of the best books I’ve read in quite some time. It’s an epistolary novel set on Guernsey, part of the Channel Islands, after World War II (I had to look up exactly where the Channel Islands were), and it tells the story of a group of people on Guernsey who began a literary society as a cover from the German soldiers, who occupied the island for most of the war. The letters focus mainly on Juliet, a cheeky, charming British author who learns about the society through one of its members who happens to find a book with Juliet’s name in it and then writes her. Her curiosity is piqued with his first letter, and other letters follow. Soon Juliet finds herself corresponding with several of the society’s members, and she becomes quite attached to them, and they to her. The letters provide fascinating and sometimes heartbreaking glimpses into life during wartime, and I found myself at times brought to laughter and tears while reading their stories. A visit to the island itself is practically inevitable for Juliet, and what she finds there is certainly more than she bargained for. I adored this book and its style, and with the slight caveat that there is some language in it, I highly recommend it.
The other book I read is The Spark, written by Chris Downie, who is the founder and CEO of SparkPeople.com, the weight loss and fitness website that I have mentioned many times on my blog. Part inspirational memoir and part self-help, the book details a very practical and focused 28-day plan for achieving your goals. While the focus of the book is primarily on weight loss, Downie points out that many of the principles can be applied to goals in other areas of life. Although much of the content was a review for me due to my two year experience with the SparkPeople site, it gave me fresh motivation to reach my weight loss goal and reminded me of the fundamentals that are so essential to successful weight loss. This book would no doubt be very helpful for someone who is beginning a weight loss journey or needs new motivation and inspiration, which is why I want to give away my copy!
To be entered in the giveaway, all you have to do is leave a comment telling me why you would like to win the book. That’s it! The contest will end Friday, January 15 at 5:00 p.m. CST. and is open to anyone in the U.S. I will use random.org to draw a winner.
Friday, January 8, 2010
Friday Five: Random Facts About Me
1. I am left-handed. Hooray for southpaws!
2. I have probably mentioned this before, but cutesy spelling drives me nuts. I love a good Krispy Kreme donut every now and then, but why can't it be spelled correctly?? I have a feeling people would still eat the donuts.
3. I love flipping pancakes. It took me a while to master this, and I still mess up, but for the most part, I am a pretty awesome pancake flipper. It's all about the kind of turner you use.
4. I have a terrible habit of picking my nails. I don't bite them, but I will start picking them and sometimes not even realize I am doing it.
5. Using "ur" for "you're" or "your" annoys me (and I even had a student use it in a paper once). It's not like "you're" or "your" are long words, so there's no need to make them shorter! In my opinion, texting is going to be the death of English grammar.
Any random facts you'd like to share about yourself?
2. I have probably mentioned this before, but cutesy spelling drives me nuts. I love a good Krispy Kreme donut every now and then, but why can't it be spelled correctly?? I have a feeling people would still eat the donuts.
3. I love flipping pancakes. It took me a while to master this, and I still mess up, but for the most part, I am a pretty awesome pancake flipper. It's all about the kind of turner you use.
4. I have a terrible habit of picking my nails. I don't bite them, but I will start picking them and sometimes not even realize I am doing it.
5. Using "ur" for "you're" or "your" annoys me (and I even had a student use it in a paper once). It's not like "you're" or "your" are long words, so there's no need to make them shorter! In my opinion, texting is going to be the death of English grammar.
Any random facts you'd like to share about yourself?
Thursday, January 7, 2010
Snapshots
I decided to take a picture to commemorate losing 80 pounds (or 81 pounds now!), so here you go:
And here's a pic of my new running shoes:
And here's a pic that I'm sharing for its sheer cuteness factor:
And here's a pic of my new running shoes:
And here's a pic that I'm sharing for its sheer cuteness factor:
Tuesday, January 5, 2010
Looking Back to Move Forward
I know it’s a little late for this, but I never got a chance to look back at last year’s accomplishments, specifically in the realm of fitness and weight loss. Here are some of the events that happened in 2009:
Fitness Accomplishments
1. Completed Couch to 5k (C25k) training in May.
2. Completed my first 5k in May.
3. Completed my second 5k in October.
4. Walked a mile in 13:30.
5. Established a regular strength training routine.
6. Logged over 14,000 fitness minutes on SparkPeople.
7. Ran my longest distance ever of 6.2 miles in August.
Weight Loss Accomplishments
1. Went from 212 to 181. That is only 31 pounds for the WHOLE year, which is kind of pitiful, BUT I am smaller than I was last year, I successfully maintained my weight loss from the year before, and my weight continues to move in the right direction.
2. Went from a size 18 to a size 16. Again, I only lost one pant size this year, but I am close to a 14, and I am out of plus-sized clothes! The first time I purchased an item of clothing in the misses department was a HUGE victory! Now a lot of my current sweaters are a size large. The last time I wore a size large was roughly 10 years ago!
3. Lost inches from all over my body. Currently, my wedding and engagement rings are being sized down because they were practically fall off my finger!
All in all, I feel great about what I accomplished. Do I wish I had lost more pounds? Sure. But I am more proud of what I achieved with running than any number on a scale, and with fitness goals, I can always strive for something new or better! Eventually I won’t have any more weight to lose, but that doesn’t mean I can’t still improve and grow in health and fitness.
One of the most significant things I learned this year is that it is more important to be HEALTHY than to be skinny. If you’re in the middle of your weight loss journey, make sure you focus on overall health and not merely on what the scale says. I know I have been tempted at times to use shortcuts to get the scale to show me a certain number, but if I were to do things like skip meals or take diet pills, I would only be cheating myself and my larger goal, which is to live a healthy lifestyle so I can be around for my husband and future children. While I am not skinny, nor will I probably ever be, I feel healthier than ever. Certainly you can be both skinny and healthy, but it is also possible to be skinny and terribly unhealthy.
What are some accomplishments from 2009 that you’re proud of? Brag about them in the comments!
Monday, January 4, 2010
When Life Gives You a Sore Throat, Blog About It
I had big plans for the start of the new year, and so far they haven’t worked out well. I planned to start SparkPeople’s Spark Your Body Bootcamp on Sunday, but I woke up with a very sore throat and some achy muscles. I didn’t go to church and spent pretty much all day in the recliner, wrapped in my Snuggie. Then this morning I got up to do yesterday’s video and today’s (which was only about 18 minutes total), even though I still didn’t feel great. About 2/3 of the way through the cardio video from yesterday, I started feeling dizzy. The feeling didn’t pass for several minutes, at which point I decided my body wasn’t ready for physical activity, and I called it quits. Aside from some strength training on Saturday, I haven’t worked out at all this year! Not a good start. However, I am tracking my food and drinking my water, so not all is lost. I hope to be feeling stronger tomorrow so I can tackle my running and get back on track.
Speaking of running, I have been researching training plans for a 10k, and I had no idea there were so many different options out there! I haven’t picked one yet, but I have narrowed it down to 2 that I am considering. Several of the plans assumed the people using them were already running 15-20 miles a week, which definitely isn’t me, but the ones I’ve narrowed it down to begin more modestly with 2.5 mile runs twice a week and then a longer run on Saturday, which is more manageable for me.
I have also been trying to decide whether or not to use walk/jog intervals (this would involve repeated intervals of running for 3-5 minutes and then walking for 1 minute or so). I know of several runners who utilize this method, and I am thinking it might be good for me to try as well, but I also like the idea of being able to run the entire 10k. However, I haven’t yet completed a 5k race while running the entire thing, so perhaps it’s not realistic for me to expect myself to run the full 6.2 miles. I have run both a 5k and 10k distance in training, but I know races are always different, especially if there is hilly terrain involved, and the last time I ran a 10k distance was in August. What do the more experienced runners out there think?
*If you’re interested in doing the SparkPeople January Bootcamp, it’s not too late to start. Each day of the bootcamp features a short video, with Sunday’s video emphasizing cardio and the other 6 emphasizing strength training different parts of the body. The plan also recommends getting at least 30 minutes of the cardio of your choice 5 times a week. You can join SparkPeople by going to SparkPeople.com (tell them Erin1022 referred you!) or by clicking on the little SparkPeople button my left sidebar. It's FREE and I highly recommend it. It's changed my life!
Speaking of running, I have been researching training plans for a 10k, and I had no idea there were so many different options out there! I haven’t picked one yet, but I have narrowed it down to 2 that I am considering. Several of the plans assumed the people using them were already running 15-20 miles a week, which definitely isn’t me, but the ones I’ve narrowed it down to begin more modestly with 2.5 mile runs twice a week and then a longer run on Saturday, which is more manageable for me.
I have also been trying to decide whether or not to use walk/jog intervals (this would involve repeated intervals of running for 3-5 minutes and then walking for 1 minute or so). I know of several runners who utilize this method, and I am thinking it might be good for me to try as well, but I also like the idea of being able to run the entire 10k. However, I haven’t yet completed a 5k race while running the entire thing, so perhaps it’s not realistic for me to expect myself to run the full 6.2 miles. I have run both a 5k and 10k distance in training, but I know races are always different, especially if there is hilly terrain involved, and the last time I ran a 10k distance was in August. What do the more experienced runners out there think?
*If you’re interested in doing the SparkPeople January Bootcamp, it’s not too late to start. Each day of the bootcamp features a short video, with Sunday’s video emphasizing cardio and the other 6 emphasizing strength training different parts of the body. The plan also recommends getting at least 30 minutes of the cardio of your choice 5 times a week. You can join SparkPeople by going to SparkPeople.com (tell them Erin1022 referred you!) or by clicking on the little SparkPeople button my left sidebar. It's FREE and I highly recommend it. It's changed my life!
Friday, January 1, 2010
2010 Goals
I made a rather long list of goals for 2009, and I don’t think I did very well meeting them. Looking back, part of the problem was that I made yearly goals, but then I also ended up setting goals for every month. I focused primarily on meeting the monthly goals, thus forgetting about the yearly ones. So for 2010, I am going to make a set of goals that will be year-long in scope, but then I will also pick 2-3 goals to focus on each month as well.
Year-long Fitness/Health Goals:
1. Reach my goal weight of 161 pounds. If nothing else happens in 2010, I want this to happen.
2. Run a 10k. It’s the next logical race for me to attempt, and I know I can run the distance if I stay committed.
3. Run a half marathon. This will more than likely be something I tackle in the fall months after I have built up a more solid running base.
4. Run/walk/bike 800 miles. This is roughly 15 miles a week, which is very doable if I am consistent, and if I am going to run a 10k and half marathon, I shouldn’t have trouble meeting this goal.
5. Log 12,000 fitness minutes. This works out to around 230 minutes a week, which is just a little more than I’m doing right now, so I know I can do it. I accrued over 14,000 minutes this year, but that was largely due to the fact that I had ample time for workouts during the summer when I wasn’t working.
Year-long Personal Goals:
1. Read 20 books (a blend of fiction and nonfiction). I did miserably with book reading in 2009, but I am going to make a concerted effort to read more this coming year.
2. Find a fixed time every day for Bible study and prayer. I am thinking this time for me will be in the evenings after dinner, as I really am not a fan of evening workouts and will more than likely switch to the mornings when the gym resumes its regulars hours next week.
3. Write at least 3 blog posts per week. I wish I could commit to more, but this is a doable number for me right now.
These are all goals that I will have to work towards the whole year, and I will remind myself of them at the beginning of every month.
For January, some additional goals:
1. Complete SparkPeople’s January Bootcamp.
2. Eat at least one vegetable at dinner every night.
3. Find a training plan for a 10k and research different 10k races.
All of these will help me accomplish some of my year-long goals.
What are your goals for the year or the month ahead?
Year-long Fitness/Health Goals:
1. Reach my goal weight of 161 pounds. If nothing else happens in 2010, I want this to happen.
2. Run a 10k. It’s the next logical race for me to attempt, and I know I can run the distance if I stay committed.
3. Run a half marathon. This will more than likely be something I tackle in the fall months after I have built up a more solid running base.
4. Run/walk/bike 800 miles. This is roughly 15 miles a week, which is very doable if I am consistent, and if I am going to run a 10k and half marathon, I shouldn’t have trouble meeting this goal.
5. Log 12,000 fitness minutes. This works out to around 230 minutes a week, which is just a little more than I’m doing right now, so I know I can do it. I accrued over 14,000 minutes this year, but that was largely due to the fact that I had ample time for workouts during the summer when I wasn’t working.
Year-long Personal Goals:
1. Read 20 books (a blend of fiction and nonfiction). I did miserably with book reading in 2009, but I am going to make a concerted effort to read more this coming year.
2. Find a fixed time every day for Bible study and prayer. I am thinking this time for me will be in the evenings after dinner, as I really am not a fan of evening workouts and will more than likely switch to the mornings when the gym resumes its regulars hours next week.
3. Write at least 3 blog posts per week. I wish I could commit to more, but this is a doable number for me right now.
These are all goals that I will have to work towards the whole year, and I will remind myself of them at the beginning of every month.
For January, some additional goals:
1. Complete SparkPeople’s January Bootcamp.
2. Eat at least one vegetable at dinner every night.
3. Find a training plan for a 10k and research different 10k races.
All of these will help me accomplish some of my year-long goals.
What are your goals for the year or the month ahead?
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)