Easter Break Catch Up

Hi guys!

I hope everyone had an enjoyable holiday weekend!  I had an extremely busy (yet wonderful!) Easter break, so I'm just now catching up on my posts.  My last weigh in results (which I actually took Monday morning) are:

• Arms - 12 (down 0.5")
• Chest - 36.75 (down 1.25")
• Waist - 41.25 (down 1.25")
• Hips - 41.75 (down 1.25")
• Thighs - 21.25 (down 1.25")
• Weight - 168.6 (down 3 lbs)
• BMI - 26.8 (down 0.5)

I know last post I stated that I was going to repeat my C25K program's Week 2 again until I felt more comfortable running as long as Week 3, but I think part of my inability to keep up was the fact that I went at the hottest point of the day.  The heat just sapped all of my energy.

So this week, I've been doing Week 3.  I did Day 1 yesterday and Day 2 today, as I'm trying to get my running back to my Monday, Wednesday, Friday schedule.  Friday, I will be completing Day 3.  I'm pretty sure I'm going to have to repeat Week 3 a few times.  Running for a  solid three minutes is extremely tough!

Week 3's course is running 90 seconds, walking 90 seconds, running 3 minutes, walking 3 minutes and repeating.  Yesterday, I was unable to run the first 3 minutes.  I found a better pace and was able to go the full 3 minutes the second time, however.  Today, I was able to do both 3 minute times.

Week 3 Day 1 Stats:

Distance - 2.57 miles

Time - 35:40 minutes
Fastest - 8:33/mile
Slowest - 33:43/mile

Avg. Pace - 13.51/mile

I ran my fastest 1K by running it in 6:56.  I ran my fastest mile at 12:48.

Week 3 Day 2 Stats:

Distance - 2.46 miles

Time - 38.05 minutes
Fastest - 9:50/mile
Slowest - 27:28/mile

Avg. Pace - 15.27/mile

Today's average pace should have been faster, but I had to chase down my dog and walk her back to the house in the middle of my run.  Emma Grace, my oldest, let her out of the house.

I love seeing my records update on Nike+ Running.  I can't believe I've come so far!  Here are my beginning times:

1K - 16:53

1 mile - 17.25

I can't wait to see how much faster I get and how much further I can go!

Thanks for reading!

C25K: Week 2 Day 1 Repeat

Yesterday I completely skipped doing Insanity.  As the weather warms up, my house gets to almost 80 degrees F during the day, which I feel is just a little too hot to be doing that kind of activity.  I'll try doing it earlier than I have been before I put it back on the shelf until cooler days.

Today, I went out running much later than I usually do.  I actually went at the hottest time of day because my children woke up extra early this morning.  They usually don't wake up until 9-ish, but my youngest woke up screaming about 7:45 while I was getting dressed to go out.  I guess she had a bad dream.

It was so hot when I went out today that I couldn't keep up with my Week 3 Day 1 run.  I decided to back track and start Week 2 over again as I still have difficulty running for that length of time.  I'll repeat Week 2 at least one more time before I progress to Week 3.

If I go out that late again, I'm going to have to take a bottle of water with me at least for Harley.  I was afraid he was going to get too hot.  I tried to let him drink from a small stream, but as he approached, a turtle that we both failed to see dove into the water.  He charged about 10 feet backward and decided he didn't want water that bad.  When we got home, both of us drank plenty of water and sat beside one of the air vents in the floor until we cooled down.

Thanks for reading!

C25K: Week 2 Day 3

It felt absolutely wonderful to go out for a run this morning!  I waited about an hour later than usual, so I missed most of the "morning rush" traffic - no parents speeding to get the kids to school and no college kids speeding to get to their morning class!  I did, however, have to deal with two chicken trucks that had just picked up a trailer full from the chicken farm down the road.  I don't think there's a comparable stench that exists on Earth..  They were absolutely horrible.

I don't know if any of you know what a sweet gum tree is, but they are no fun to run around.  There's a couple of them on my route and I absolutely hate it when a car is coming when I'm by these trees.  I have to be really careful to not fall down because their seed pods are all over the ground around them.  It's literally like running on huge marbles!  Here's a picture.  Just for size, they're usually about the diameter of a tealight candle if not a bit bigger.

Anyway, enough chit chat.  I had a great run this morning.  I went 2.5 miles with a time of 37:40 and an average pace of 15:03 according to Nike+ Running.

See you tomorrow!

C25K: Week 2 Day 2

Hello everyone!  I went out for my run this morning even though I really didn't want to.  But I'm glad I did!  I woke up this morning really tired and drug around until the absolute latest I could possibly go out because I was telling myself that I didn't want to go today.  When I finally forced myself outside, I told myself that I was only going to walk a few laps and go back inside.

I was not enjoying being outside, at all.  There's been a cold snap the past few days, so it was quite chilly when I started this morning.  Not to mention, there was a heavy dew on the ground that had soaked my shoes and socks through before I even made it to the road to start walking.

After my half mile warm-up, however, I finally forced myself to turn on my C25K app and started running, still telling myself that I was going to go in after two laps.  Let's face it, who likes running with wet, squidgy shoes?  I sure don't!

After two laps, I had started to wake up, the temperature was warm enough to take off my jacket (or maybe I was just hot?), and I had quit paying attention to the water squishing between my toes with every step.  I was enjoying myself!

So I finished my 2.5 miles in a rather slow 39 minutes and already completed my step goal set by Noom.  So far, I already have 6500 steps and it's only 8:20 in the morning!  Today is going to be a great day!

Get out there and work past your excuses!

C25K: Week 2 Day 1 & Walking

I had a great time getting out and running this morning!  I was afraid that after almost two months of not running, that I would have lost my progress and wouldn't be able to pick up where I left off.  I decided to back track a week and start from there, but I think that, thanks to Insanity, I could have picked up exactly where I'd left off!

For Week 2, you alternate 90 seconds of jogging with two minutes of walking for 20 minutes.  I did this with surprising ease!  I started to tire toward the end, however, so I think I made a wise decision by backing up a week to readjust to running.

According to Noom, I went for a total of 2.69 miles in 39 minutes with a pace of 14.27 min./mi. and burned a total of 340 calories.  According to Nike+ Running, I went 2.56 miles in 39 minutes with a pace of 15.07 min./mi. and burned a total of 277 calories.  Which is correct?  I'm not sure.  I think Noom is more correct on the calories because it's more personalized.  However, I think Nike+ Running is more correct about distance and time because I know the loop I run is about 2.5 miles.  Maybe there's something off with Noom's GPS signal.

Then, last night, my mom and I went for a walk that, according to Noom (I don't use Nike+ Running for walks because it's calculated for running), we walked 1.79 miles in 34 minutes with a pace of 18:55 min./mi. for a calorie burn of 161 for me.  Her Noom calculated over 200 calories burned for her personalized account.

Thanks for reading!  See you tomorrow for Insanity Day 11!

Follow me on Nike+ Running!  My username is hmlove1218

Early Morning Walking

Today was my first day to be able to go out in the morning in weeks.  I woke up with tons of energy when my alarm went off at 4:45 and bounced out of bed to get dressed.  It was such a lovely morning except for all the rain puddles..  My dog, Harley, was quite happy about those, however, because he had a drinking station every few yards.

Since I haven't been able to run for quite some time now, I took it slow this morning and briskly walked my route instead of running.  I did run about an eighth of a mile as I was finishing my walk, though.  It felt nice to be able to do it, but it also confirmed my decision to take it slow today because my shins started aching as soon as I started jogging.  I'll pick up my C25K program again Thursday, where I'll be starting week three.  Hopefully this nice, not rainy for freezing weather holds out for the rest of the week!

See you tomorrow!

Oh, and a big thank you to whoever is giving me all the +1s!  It's really encouraging :)

Day 1: This Is Me & Fit Test

Hi there!

So this will be my first blog post for the revamped Blog It Off and I figure I should tell you a little about myself.  I am a mother of two beautiful little girls and married to my wonderful husband of four years.  Now, I love my children dearly, but having a little one grow inside you takes a major tole on your body.  I now tote around roughly forty extra pounds of fat and much less muscle.  You see, before my kids I was a very fit martial artist and had been training for eleven years.  I miss the confidence I had when I was in shape.  I miss being able to look in the mirror and not hate what I was looking at.  I feel like a stranger is looking back at me and I'm tired of it.

I've tried a couple things to get back in shape but I haven't stuck to anything for more than a few months because I wasn't seeing results.  I tried running, I tried dieting, I tried to get back into martial arts,  I even tried diet pills.  Nothing stuck in the long run.  I decided that dieting wasn't for me because I wanted a lifestyle change not a short-term fix.  I was discouraged when I tried to pick up martial arts again because I couldn't do everything I had been able to (totally irrational thinking I know..)  I actually kind of liked the diet pills more for the boost they gave me during the day, but also because I lost a few pounds rather quickly.  But pills are not a fix to the problem.  They will not change your lifestyle - the root of almost all weight problems.  Pills can only mask the problem and offer temporary success if you do not use them with regular healthy eating and workouts.

In 2013, I also tried the workout program Insanity.  I liked it, but wasn't pleased with the results (or lack of, actually).  I lost roughly five pounds during the program where all over I see reports of people losing twenty or more in the first round.  Needless to say, I was pretty disappointed.  I allowed myself to give up on my fitness dreams and resigned myself to having "the mommy body" for a whole year.

But not any more!  Late January, I picked up running again and found that I no longer care about what people think when they see me working out - life is to short to worry about other's opinions!  I'm running (well, jogging actually), about 11 miles a week and following a Couch to 5K program.

I've also decided to start my second round of Insanity and did my first Fit Test today.  Here are my results:

• Switch Kicks - 55 (these weren't too bad)
• Power Jacks - 25 (my thighs started burning FAST!)
• Power Knees - 55 (these are harder than you expect)
• Power Jumps - 15 (these are difficult)
• Globe Jumps - 5 (these don't seem hard, but after about two rounds, you're feeling it!)
• Suicide Jumps - 9 (call me crazy, but I actually really love doing these)
• Push-Up Jacks - 10 (I could have just done the "jack" part and been worn out!)
• Low Plank Obliques - 50 (my form started suffering about half way through and my feet kept slipping)

Now for my starting measurements:

• Arms - 12.5"
• Chest - 38"
• Waist - 42.5"
• Hips - 43.5"
• Thighs - 22.5"

• Weight - 171.6 lbs.
• BMI - 27.3

And my "Before" pictures:

I'll be using MusclePharm's Shred Matrix instead of coffee (with LOTS of creamer) for the energy boost I need in the morning.  On days I'm really dragging, I may even use MusclePharm's pre-workout drink, Assault, in Raspberry Lemonade.

I'll be doing my Insanity workouts Monday, Wednesday, and Friday and running my C25K program Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday.

I'm using Noom Coach to track my calories in and calories burned.  I also have the Noom Pedometer to track my steps throughout the day, with a daily goal of 8000.

Thank you for reading and following along with me on my fitness journey!  See you tomorrow!