I did it! I made it through the first week! Wow, what a week it was. I've taken a nap every day and had a headache. Yesterday was the first day I was headache free. I'm sure it was my body going through detox. I've had no coffee, no sugar, and no processed food. I think I've turned the corner as far as my energy goes. The workouts are still killing me, and I don't feel stronger. BUT.....
I've lost over 5 pounds! I'm really shocked. I really am. I'm so psyched and it's so motivating. Looking at the scale got me to the gym this morning. (Actually, I was going to go anyway, but it sure made me work out harder!) Something's working, and I just need to stick with it.
My highlights for the week: I've eaten food I've never had before- Fennel (I made it with Salmon and proscuito and I have to say- It was awesome!), Eggplant (with Mahi-Mahi- not so great), and lots of garlic. I've done more pushups than ever before, but I still need to do them the girl way. (Jillian would not be happy with me.) Hopefully, that will improve.
I've got the next two days off and Easter looming. I'm going to try my best to keep it together and not fall off the wagon.
Friday, March 21, 2008
Wednesday, March 19, 2008
End of one challenge, start of another
It's been a long time since I posted here. I can never seem to find the time. I have a million ideas in my head- I just need someone to reach in there and pull them out and post them here!
So... the challenge between me and my hubby... I unofficially won. He lasted about 3 days and then fell off the wagon. I did really well for the first week but when he jumped ship and then bought himself two pairs of shorts (supposed to be our prize!), I kind of lost my motivation. I still lost two pounds.
That's the good news. The bad news is we went on our vacation and I gained both pounds back. I ate so, so, so, so poorly. I did manage to exercise, so I guess it could have been worse. I celebrated my birthday in FL and got Jillian Michael's book, "Making the Cut". Which leads me to the real topic of this post.
New challenge. I decided to try Jillian's 30 day workout plan. It's basically circut training 4 days a week and an eating plan. I'm going to try my best to follow it all for 30 days. My hubby decided to give me some extra incentive: Every week I complete it exactly, I can buy something for my workouts. That's huge for me! I'm highly motivated! I'm on my third day and the workouts are brutal. I've followed the whole program it to a T and I'm very tired and sore. I actually had a moment when I was trying to do this exercise called Mountain Climbers, (kind of like climbing a really steep mountain on your hands and feet) and I could hear Jillian yelling at me. I was half laughing (I was in too much pain to really laugh). Picture me trying to lift my leg and not being able to. I just couldn't! In my head Jillian is yelling at me to do another one and I couldn't. In the end, I collapsed on the floor in exhaustion. I think I got a tiny glimpse of what the contestents on The Biggest Loser go through.
So, I've got 27 and a half more days. I haven't been this sore in a long, long time. I'm really interested to see what results I can get. Today is my off day from the circuts, but tomorrow it's back to the torture!
So... the challenge between me and my hubby... I unofficially won. He lasted about 3 days and then fell off the wagon. I did really well for the first week but when he jumped ship and then bought himself two pairs of shorts (supposed to be our prize!), I kind of lost my motivation. I still lost two pounds.
That's the good news. The bad news is we went on our vacation and I gained both pounds back. I ate so, so, so, so poorly. I did manage to exercise, so I guess it could have been worse. I celebrated my birthday in FL and got Jillian Michael's book, "Making the Cut". Which leads me to the real topic of this post.
New challenge. I decided to try Jillian's 30 day workout plan. It's basically circut training 4 days a week and an eating plan. I'm going to try my best to follow it all for 30 days. My hubby decided to give me some extra incentive: Every week I complete it exactly, I can buy something for my workouts. That's huge for me! I'm highly motivated! I'm on my third day and the workouts are brutal. I've followed the whole program it to a T and I'm very tired and sore. I actually had a moment when I was trying to do this exercise called Mountain Climbers, (kind of like climbing a really steep mountain on your hands and feet) and I could hear Jillian yelling at me. I was half laughing (I was in too much pain to really laugh). Picture me trying to lift my leg and not being able to. I just couldn't! In my head Jillian is yelling at me to do another one and I couldn't. In the end, I collapsed on the floor in exhaustion. I think I got a tiny glimpse of what the contestents on The Biggest Loser go through.
So, I've got 27 and a half more days. I haven't been this sore in a long, long time. I'm really interested to see what results I can get. Today is my off day from the circuts, but tomorrow it's back to the torture!
Thursday, February 21, 2008
Challenge
As I started my triathlon training, my goal was to use the winter to build a base and start serious training in the spring. I've got about 15 pounds to drop and thought the base phase was a good time to do so. The only problem is, I haven't dropped a pound. I've been working out since November and haven't lost a single ounce, in fact I've gained. Now, I know my problem. I'm a horrible eater. It's a good thing I do workout because if I didn't I'd have a lot more pounds to lose. I just can't seem to be able to put the whole thing together. I've got to lose this weight!
If you know me at all, you know my favorite show in the whole world is The Biggest Loser. My husband thinks I'm obsessed (he's right). I listen to Jillian Michaels podcasts when I work out and just love to see people transform their lives. If I had the chance to redo my youth, I'd be a physical therapist or personal trainer. I would LOVE to be on The Biggest Loser or even have Jillian or Bob train me for a week... or six. I know that's impossible so I try to come up with creative ways to motivate myself.
So.. I called my husband at work today and issued the following challenge. We have exactly two weeks until we leave on vacation. We will both weigh ourselves in the morning and the one who drops the biggest percentage of weight between now and then (March 7th) wins. The first question he asked is "What do you win?" I hadn't even thought of that! For me, it's all about the challenge. I'll have to think of something good. I know I'm going to lose, but that's okay. I'm really just looking for something to motivate me and get me going on the right track again. I probably won't post my actual weight here, but hopefully I'll be able to say I lost weight two weeks from now. Bring it on!
If you know me at all, you know my favorite show in the whole world is The Biggest Loser. My husband thinks I'm obsessed (he's right). I listen to Jillian Michaels podcasts when I work out and just love to see people transform their lives. If I had the chance to redo my youth, I'd be a physical therapist or personal trainer. I would LOVE to be on The Biggest Loser or even have Jillian or Bob train me for a week... or six. I know that's impossible so I try to come up with creative ways to motivate myself.
So.. I called my husband at work today and issued the following challenge. We have exactly two weeks until we leave on vacation. We will both weigh ourselves in the morning and the one who drops the biggest percentage of weight between now and then (March 7th) wins. The first question he asked is "What do you win?" I hadn't even thought of that! For me, it's all about the challenge. I'll have to think of something good. I know I'm going to lose, but that's okay. I'm really just looking for something to motivate me and get me going on the right track again. I probably won't post my actual weight here, but hopefully I'll be able to say I lost weight two weeks from now. Bring it on!
Wednesday, February 20, 2008
Breaking it in
This post is a little dated. I just can't find the time to get my thoughts down...
The day after bringing my bike home (I've got to come up with a name for her), I was just itching to get her out and try out my clipless pedals. I had been trying them in the house and thought I was ready for the road. Picture this: my bike in the dining room, all four girls watching me as my hubby holds the bike and I try to clip in. It took me about four times, including getting off the bike and sticking my foot in so I could see where it was going. It was so windy outside that I knew I would be blown off the bike, so I decided to wait.
The next day it was cold, but not windy. My little one was sick so I was stuck holding a cranky baby (she's not really a baby but she's the youngest so...) all morning. When she went down for her nap I saw my chance. I told my older girls I was going for a quick ride. I added to my oldest that she was supposed to watch me from the window and if I fell it was her job to make sure I was okay. Off I dashed. I was coasting down the driveway with my right foot clipped in but unable to get my left one. I was running out of pavement and knew I needed to stop and start over. I remembered the guy at the bike shop saying how important it was to make sure you leaned the way of the unclipped foot when stopping, so I leaned to the left and stopped. No problem. Okay, now to just start again and get my left foot clipped this time. I pushed off with my right foot already clipped (I see my mistake now!) and pushed too hard. It was like slow motion. I felt myself tilting too far to the right, (those same words of the saleskid going through my head) and now I was helpless. I fell. I had gravel ground into my hand, a sore right knee and two deep purple brusises on my bottom.
In retrospect, I wonder why it never even occurred to me to unclip my right foot. As I was lying on the ground looking up at the sky, I thought "I'm glad I got this out of the way now and not during transition". Of course that was after I thought "What an idiot I am?! and "I feel so stupid!", and "OUCH!" My daughter did come out to make sure I was okay and gave me a big dose of encouragement when I was able to get both feet clipped on my next try. I'm going to chalk it up to inexperience and hope it doesn't happen again.
The day after bringing my bike home (I've got to come up with a name for her), I was just itching to get her out and try out my clipless pedals. I had been trying them in the house and thought I was ready for the road. Picture this: my bike in the dining room, all four girls watching me as my hubby holds the bike and I try to clip in. It took me about four times, including getting off the bike and sticking my foot in so I could see where it was going. It was so windy outside that I knew I would be blown off the bike, so I decided to wait.
The next day it was cold, but not windy. My little one was sick so I was stuck holding a cranky baby (she's not really a baby but she's the youngest so...) all morning. When she went down for her nap I saw my chance. I told my older girls I was going for a quick ride. I added to my oldest that she was supposed to watch me from the window and if I fell it was her job to make sure I was okay. Off I dashed. I was coasting down the driveway with my right foot clipped in but unable to get my left one. I was running out of pavement and knew I needed to stop and start over. I remembered the guy at the bike shop saying how important it was to make sure you leaned the way of the unclipped foot when stopping, so I leaned to the left and stopped. No problem. Okay, now to just start again and get my left foot clipped this time. I pushed off with my right foot already clipped (I see my mistake now!) and pushed too hard. It was like slow motion. I felt myself tilting too far to the right, (those same words of the saleskid going through my head) and now I was helpless. I fell. I had gravel ground into my hand, a sore right knee and two deep purple brusises on my bottom.
In retrospect, I wonder why it never even occurred to me to unclip my right foot. As I was lying on the ground looking up at the sky, I thought "I'm glad I got this out of the way now and not during transition". Of course that was after I thought "What an idiot I am?! and "I feel so stupid!", and "OUCH!" My daughter did come out to make sure I was okay and gave me a big dose of encouragement when I was able to get both feet clipped on my next try. I'm going to chalk it up to inexperience and hope it doesn't happen again.
Tuesday, February 12, 2008
New Bike!
I did it!! I made the purchase I have been looking forward to and dreading at the same time. I bought the bike I will use for my triathlon. Why the conflicting emotions? Well, first of all, how can you not get excited purchasing a new bike? It is so cool! I got a great deal on a Team Fuji 06. One the one hand, I think it's too much bike for me (I feel funny riding such a good bike), but on the other hand, it was the same price as the lower end model I was considering. I spent more than three hours looking at bikes, test riding them and talking to guys much younger than me who used lots of technical words I didn't understand. (And this was my third trip to a bike shop.) After much consideration (and if you know my husband, you know I mean much!), we went for it. We picked it up Sunday after I bought clipless pedals (a story in itself!). It was very exciting. So... since we walked out of the bike shop, Kevin has been asking me over and over if I'm excited. My tentative answer leads me to the dreading part of the purchase.
I'm officially committed to doing the tri now. It was easy to say I'm planning on doing a tri without investing financially in it. I have running shoes and a swim suit, but buying the bike made a big dent in our budget. Not only that, but to justify the cost of the bike, I will need to do many more tri's and love them. Now, I'm fully expecting to love this sport. It's so me. However, I have this lingering fear that I'll hate it. I guess I have to get the first one under my belt to find out.
So, in answer to Kevin's question- yes, I'm excited. I have a way cool bike that I love and will serve me well. I'm officially ready to train for something that I think will stretch me and challenge me in ways I've never dreamed of. Although I have a sick feeling in the pit of my stomach, I can't wait!
Tuesday, January 22, 2008
New Shoes
I got a pair of new running shoes today. They're the brand spankin' new version of Nike Structure Triax. The same shoes I've been using for the past few years. I know, no big deal right? Wrong. I LOVE getting new running shoes. The fact that these are the newly designed version is icing on the cake. Ever since I was a little girl, I've loved new shoes. Not just any new shoes. New athletic shoes. Give me a pair of the latest stlye of casual shoes and I won't turn them away, but they don't bring the excitement new atheletic shoes do. Weird huh?.
I think new running shoes are like a new start. I can run just a little bit faster in them. They have a little more bounce. Can anyone relate to not wanting to get new sneakers dirty? Like the dirt will ruin them and then they won't help me run as fast? I know, there are some serious therapy issues here. I'm not worried about that just yet. Right now I'm going to take my brand new running shoes and give them a try on the treadmill. (I wouldn't want to chance getting them dirty by running outside!)
I think new running shoes are like a new start. I can run just a little bit faster in them. They have a little more bounce. Can anyone relate to not wanting to get new sneakers dirty? Like the dirt will ruin them and then they won't help me run as fast? I know, there are some serious therapy issues here. I'm not worried about that just yet. Right now I'm going to take my brand new running shoes and give them a try on the treadmill. (I wouldn't want to chance getting them dirty by running outside!)
Saturday, January 19, 2008
What am I doing???
Oaky, my sister is blog happy. She has three separate blogs going. I love reading her blogs. As I was driving home from running errands today I thought, "I want a blog." I've actually thought about it before but didn't think I had enough computer savvy to start. Well, if she can do it- so can I! (yes, I'm the younger sister). I've wanted to blog about my passion which is running, but thought "Who would be interested in that?!" Welll- I'm interested- and that's all that really matters. If I can track my journey and I'm the only one who ever reads it then I'll be happy. So here goes.....
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